Too long have the Android users of the world lived in the shadow of the iOS platform. It seems that developers love to go with iOS over Android more often than not, but when we chose to bring home our Galaxy Note II or HTC One, we knew deep down that the future belongs to the little green robot.
Entertainment is one of the fields that iOS still trumps Android in, but the margins are continually getting slimmer. At the end of the day, though, everybody craves entertainment on their smartphones; name one time when you did not see somebody reading, gaming, or rocking to music while killing time in public.
Apple might have some big-name titles, but Android has a host of exclusive games, media players, and customization apps that all scream entertainment. And thanks to the open platform, innovation is never far from the center of their operations.
I bring you the top 10 exclusively Android entertainment apps:
Games
- Apparatus ($2.49): Build simple mechanical structures to make a path for one or several marbles to get to a specified goal point. If the levels are too hard, feel free to play in the physics sandbox. Heralded as a real sapper that will take hours off your life, Apparatus wows on aesthetic, creative, and intensely fun levels.
- Emulators ($3.63): Amidst the host of Gameboy and Nintendo emulators, FPse shines brightly. This full-scale PSone emulator might require a little more intensive setup, but it is worth it to have the fastest and most compatible way to play Crash Bandicoot or Final Fantasy on any handheld device.
- TurboFly HD($0.99): This fast-paced, futuristic racing game features a career racing mode with 22 different events and worldwide online leaderboards. TurboFly has been held as a benchmark for most other racing games on Google Play, and the high-definition graphics will blow your mind.
Media Players
- JukeFox (Free): Designed specifically for music collections greater than 20 albums, JukeFox features 2D and 3D album maps, smart shuffling that automatically detects your mood, automatically generated tag clouds, album cover downloads, and gapless playback. iOS has the iTunes genius, Android has JukeFox.
- Mobo Player (Free): Watch any of your videos without having to hassle with conversions. Mobo’s playback experience and quality supports all video formats, subtitle formats, built-in subtitle formats, multi-audio streams, continuous play, and HTTP and RTSP streaming.
- PlayerPro ($4.95): Featuring a beautiful, fast, and intuitive interface along with powerful audio configuration options, PlayerPro has remained in the top five music apps for Android for the last two years. There are over 20 skins to choose from, a widget pack, and multiple free plugins for you to use.
- Winamp (Free): Yes, the classic player we all remember from the early 2000s is still standing strong. Winamp will gladly accept your imported iTunes library, wirelessly sync to your desktop, and provide access to thousands of online radio stations.
Customization
- Beautiful Widgets ($2.59): Turn your phone into an entertainment powerhouse with the first paid app to reach 1 million downloads on Google Play. Add an entire screen dedicated to music, then one for video, and another yet for games. Honestly, add as many screens as you like.
- GoLocker (Free): Customize your lock screen easily and stylishly so you can hit up your media players without unlocking your phone. Turn your boring lock screen into an ongoing art project with new shortcuts, pictures, and themes.
- Reddit News ($1.99): Reddit is easily the most entertaining thing on the Internet, and Android has easily the best Reddit app. Images load faster than ever, stories and comments are loaded simultaneously, and the scrolling is smooth as butter. The best iOS can do is a client reader.
