Getting out more, with Android

I've heard it said that today's smart phones have more processing power in them than the original Apollo capsules which sent people to the moon and back.  Well, I can understand that.  If they had, then maybe @neilarmstrong would have put his famous "giant leap for mankind" message on a tweet.

As phones are becoming more sophisticated, programmers are (eventually) becoming more imaginative. With the advent of Open Source development platforms for the Andriod phone, that list of things to do is only set to snowball

I'm not writing about the pros and cons of exercise and fitness today.  I will eventually though.  But for now, I just want to assume that you might use your phone to enjoy a sunny day and have fun.  There are apps out there which can help you get fit, have adventures and entertain your kids at the same tine, so I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you...

Checking out our the long range forecast for zombies...

Zombie, Run! is probably one of the best games on the market at the moment, and if you only download one new app this week, then make it this one.

Your neighbourhood is over-run by zombies, and you have to get to safety before they eat your brains!  Play in a wide open space for some mad-cap dashing around - or play in an urban area at night for a real panicked dash through the streets!

The zombies come in three flavours - Dawn of the Dead - shuffling pace. Night of the Living Dead - jogging pace, and 28 Days Later - sprinting pace.  (which is not even remotely survivable, by the way!)

The fun starts when you have to plan your route without waking the sleepers.  Too close and a zombie will start chasing you, and that's where you ave to start doubling back, dashing off course and generally doing your best to outsmart them before they make breakfast from the contents of your skull.

There's a multi-player mode which allows you to set up temporary shelters, and weapon caches also due soon. 

They're gaining on us!

Spectrek  is "an augmented reality fitness game for Android powered handsets", but it's a lot more fun than it sounds. The world is invaded by invisible ghosts, but fortunately, your phone is equiped with a special camera to see them, and a spectral net to capture them with!

This is also quite a lot of fun, as you charge round teh area of your choice, closing in on a radar blip, before flipping your phone up and zapping your target as it floats around in front of you.  Good fun for a mild night, although, to be fair it's not even remotely scary.

Your progress is rewarded by all kinds of upgrades and awards.  We found it just a little buggy, but that's largely down to the internal compass in teh Samsung Galaxy S being a little bit eratic at times. It's still great to see the pride on a small person's face as he/she bags their first spook!  Download fee - approx $4


Too late!  They have us!  Braaaaaains!

WorkSmart's Race Against Yourself is a paid add-on for their free Cardio Trainer, which is a must have for any outdoor runner/ cyclist/jogger/walker  who wants to do better than last week.  With a fantastic function of adding a "ghost" of your last performance, this application will let you know whether you're ahead of your previous time, or lagging behind. What's really clever about this is that it doesn't just compare where you are with an average of your last speed - it really does work out how you're doing moment by moment, keeping you updated on distance and time as often as you set it to do so.  When you're done it will also post your map and time to Facebook if you like, and it rather pointlessly also tells you how many calories you've used up.

For about $3 it's money well spent to anyone who can't afford a personal trainer.

In a few days I'll be returning to this subject with a little feature about using you phone for hunting buried treasure.  If you really can't wait to get hunting, I suggest you check out the real thing!  Enjoy!