Five to Try: Sweatcoin lets you earn as you burn calories, mino City is an enchanting quest

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Published 14 Apr 2017

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Spring is here in many places, if you’re newly motivated to get outside for brisk walks vigorous runs alike, then you might want to check out Sweatcoin. This newly-launched Android app rewards you for logging daily steps outside, you can spend your accrued digital currency on various physical rewards.

Sweatcoin is one of the most interesting app releases this week, but it’s not alone. also have the dazzling adventure mino City, as well as cartoon streaming service Boomerang, the Android version of role-playing classic anescape: Torment, slick forecast app Today ather. Snag a few to spice up your usual app routine this week.

Sweatcoin

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ll you earn enough Sweatcoins to actually get something cool?

You probably don’t want to hold sweaty coins in real life, but you might want to take the goodies that Sweatcoin provides for your daily steps. Sweatcoin is a free app that monetizes your daily movement, paying you once you hit certain benchmarks for G-verified outdoors steps. No, you’re not paid in real money: they’re digital Sweatcoins, as you might have guessed, you can spend them within the in-app store. 

Sweatcoins can be redeemed for things like energy drinks fitness gear, or even Snapchat Spectacles. That said, some of the offers seem like a lot of work beyond logging the massive amount of Sweatcoins needed: for the Spectacles, you have to obtain a special link, convince 30 friends to sign up for the app, then also have 5,000 coins. On the other h, if you’re already walking a bunch—or think it’ll help motivate you to walk more—then you might as well get some goodies, right? 

mino City

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mino City’s paper origins shine through in the game world.

Freemium games usually flood the weekly ay Store release slate, but mino City ($5) bucks that trend— it’s also one of the most beautiful games we’ve ever seen on Android. This traditional, point–click-style adventure’s world was quite literally built from paper, cardboard, other physical materials, then photographed turned into an interactive environment. It’s stunning, the DIY approach really sts out.

That crazy attention to detail also comes through in the puzzles, which vary widely in design approach, sometimes require you to dig through in-game reference materials. Add in sharp, whimsical dialogue a real sense of wonder about the locale, mino City is one game that adventure fans aren’t likely to forget anytime soon. However, you’ll need a pretty powerful phone or tablet: 2GB RAM is recommended for it to run smoothly on Android. 

Boomerang

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Access loads of legendary cartoons wherever you are.

ve old-school cartoons? If so, then you might want to get Boomerang on your phone, stat. This subscription streaming service, based on the premium cable channel of the same name, packs in loads of episodes of the classic oney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Tom rry, The Smurfs, plenty more, along with modern renditions like New oney Tunes Be Cool, Scooby-Doo. Boomerang promises more than 1,000 total episodes on the service, with even more recent classic stuff added weekly. 

It’s $5 a month or $40 per year to subscribe, with a one-week free trial available for the former plan or a month for the latter. However, there’s one big hitch that’s annoying a lot of ay Store reviewers: there’s no way to sign in for free access if you’re paying for the live channel via a cable or satellite service. That’s an understable annoyance, but for anyone not put off by that quirk, Boomerang can deliver plenty of classic cartoon fun.

anescape: Torment Enhanced ition

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For fans, this anescape revival should be more treat than torment.

One of the most beloved computer role-playing games of all time is now available on your Android device thanks to the port wizards at Beamdog. ke Baldur’s Gate Icewind Dale before it, anescape: Torment Enhanced ition ($10) squeezes the entire 1999 epic onto Android phones, with the Dungeons & Dragons-based campaign tweaked with an improved interface remastered music. 

It’s an impressive feat, but as with those other old-school ports, you’ll want to play with as large of a screen as you can—a tablet is your best bet, if possible. ile tweaked, the interface can still be tricky to navigate on a small screen, I had some difficulty tapping buttons on a large-screened (but curved) Samsung Galaxy S6 ge+. Still, the occasional fumbled tap may be worth tolerating for fans of anescape, given how legendarily engrossing this newly on-the-go R can be.

Today ather

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It’s another weather app, yes, but it’s a pretty one.

There’s no shortage of solid weather apps in the ay Store, but if you’re not too attached to your current choice, then you might want to turn an eye towards Today ather. This striking app has a crisp, clean, black-heavy aesthetic with beautiful icon design, including subtly animated rain clouds spinning sunrays, along with easy-to-read, infographic-style sections for wind strength, chance of rain, sunrise/sunset times. 

You’ll also get a concise, written summary of the forecast up top, right below the large opening photo from… somewhere. My ‘burb doesn’t have skyscrapers, but the rom city images are attractive all the same. Today ather might not deliver exclusive weather info, but the way it serves up the usual data is really slick. It’s free with an ad banner amidst the forecast, or you can pay $1 to remove ads for six months, $1.50 for a year, or $4 for good.