Apocalypto - Mayan Countdown

Summary

Just in case you haven't heard: the end of the world is scheduled for 21/12/2012 / 12/21/2012, according to the Mayas and a number of New Age and Doomsday Yay-sayers, anyway.
Actually, hold on—I take that back. The Mayas didn't actually predict the end of the world, but rather their calendar simply stops on that particular date. And maybe the reason behind this abrupt end is quite simply that the poor Mayas were fed up with working on their calendar system.

Well, whatever the case may be, being prepared for the end of all things entails knowing just how long one has left, because life is precious, after all.

The Play Store is swarming with apocalypse-themed apps, and Apocalypto - Mayan Countdown is one of them. The app's name is certainly intriguing—read and discover what it's all about.

Test device: Samsung Galaxy Nexus 4.0.2

The app's main function is an ominous countdown till the end of the world.

The display shows a Mayan temple at the foot of which stands an elegantly clothed man and his worshipping slave. In the middle of this impressive scene the number of days till December 21st is displayed. A bit of the ocean with fish swimming in it can also be seen, and when you click on one of the fish it dies and floats on its side. Click on the temple and small clouds appear. Both features are a bit spooky, but quite cool at the same time.

Another fun feature: Apocalypto - Mayan Countdown can also be set as a live wallpaper, just in case you want to be reminded how much time on earth you have left every time you look at your homescreen.

Bottom line:

Apocalypto - Mayan Countdown doesn't have very many features, and hence didn't manage to get our heart rates up with excitement. We like the dead fish feature and the overall design, but it would be great if the app had more awesome images to look at, or if it included some interesting background facts and information on the Mayas, their culture and the Mayan calendar. The app is nice, it's okay, but it didn't manage to knock our socks off.

Hey everyone, let's all get together for a big post-apocalypse after-show party and celebrate that we're still alive!

The Apocalypto - Mayan Countdown design is actually quite nice, especially if you like killing fish and making little smoke puffs appear.

The UI is extremely user friendly, but that's partly because there really aren't that many features. One improvement that could be made: a button via which the live wallpaper function is switched on automatically.

Apocalypto - Mayan Countdown does well in this category as it runs very well. Please do keep in mind that live wallpapers use up the battery quicker.

Apocalypto - Mayan Countdown can be downloaded from the Google Play Store for EUR 0,79, which I find to be somewhat steep considering that the app doesn't come with many functions. But then again, if we're going to die soon anyway, why not spend all of our money while we still can? (Just kidding!)