Android Magazine 58 - 2015 UK

If only we could kick a ball like Gareth, we’d be millionaires!

Just tap one of the time options or long-press it

for your own customisation

Adidas’ previous app for

analysing football kicks,

Smart Ball, only worked

with a special and

expensive miCoach ball.So it’s nice

to see something similar that anyone

canusewithastandardfootball–

just select between size three, four

and fi ve from the settings. As

demonstrated in a video of Gareth

Bale, Snapshot can measure the

speed, angle and distance of a free

kick. Unlike Smart Ball, there’s no

facility for measuring spin, which is

perfectly understandable given that

there are no sensors in the ball.

Indeed, it’s a remarkable

programming feat to be able to make

such a complex analysis of

movement from a video, although

this does mean it’s a little fi nicky

with the initial setup of the shot.

After choosing a left or right-footed

kicker, you need to position the

device’s camera side-on to them and

point then tap it again mid-fl ight. The

app then does its analysis, which

only takes a few seconds, before

playing the video with all the

statistics and even a trail effect for

the ball (you can choose from several

types). As well as slow-motion

playback, you can pause the action

»^ like this? try this!

BallTune Film a friend kicking a

ball and BallTune will tell you whether

your ball is correctly infl ated.

With our hectic lives nowadays, it’s no wonder there are so many

apps available for setting reminders to perform various tasks, but

nothing makes it quite so quick and easy as ClickMe. With just two or

three taps, you can set a new reminder in seconds. First, you need to select the

content type: a contact to call or text,

photo or audio note. Add an optional text

title then tap one of the time frame

circles (from ten minutes to seven days,

or select a calendar date) and it’s

instantly added to your reminders list.

Naturally, you’ll be notifi ed about it when

the set time comes around. One handy

bonus is the way ClickMe pops up after a

phone call or when you take a screenshot

(of an important email, for instance) to

ask if you want to set a reminder.

» Price Free

» Designed for Phone

» Requires Android^ 4.1 and up

ClickMe – Reminder

in a click

The quickest way to set

reminders for yourself

REMIND ME » A simple app that reminds you to wake up, send a

text, email, or call a contact.

»best

alternative

TapTag

Leave photo postcards for

others to see

This social app lets you

create and share

postcards of the places

you visit and leave them for others

to fi nd through their phone’s

camera. It’s a cool concept, but the

app (just out of beta testing) still has

a few teething problems and we

experienced some issues including

crashes. While you can follow friends

and see their location on a map, it

doesn’t show their

geotagged photos.

For that you need

the in-app camera

view with photos

taken by others

near your location,

indicated by

fl oating bubbles.

» Price Free

» Designed for Phone and tablet

» Requires Android^ 4.0 and up

Meter

Experimental live-data

wallpaper for your phone

» Price Free

» Designed for Phone and tablet

» Requires Android^ 4.3 and up

This experimental app

from Google Creative Lab

offers a data-driven live

wallpaper that reacts to up to three

aspects of your device: wireless

signal strength, battery and

notifi cations. Each time you unlock

your phone it cycles to the next

visualisation type, but it’s a shame

you can’t actually switch between

them manually. The visualisations

are very simplistic

in design yet they

can be

manipulated by

tilting the device.

Meter isn’t

particularly useful

and it lacks

custom options.

It really does work and you

can share the resulting

videos with your friends

»specification

» verdict

Designed for: Phone and tablet

Requires Android: 4.1 and up

Price Free

Measureyourkicks

Adidas Snapshot

and then tap to advance frame by

frame. Quite cool.

While we can’t vouch for its

accuracy, the fi gures did look about

right – none of us are Gareth Bale

after all! On one occasion, its

analysis failed, although that could

have been due to inaccurate ball

framing. Potentially, the app could be

used to improve someone’s free-kick

taking skills. Either way, it’s a lot of

fun to play with.

then frame the ball precisely within a

small circle – you’ll need to keep the

camera still while fi lming. Once

ready, tap the screen to start

shooting video then again to stop

once the ball has been kicked away.

From the resulting video, you’re

asked to confi rm the ball’s starting

EDITOR’S CHOICE