Share some great news, tips and apps for Android fans

Friday, December 30, 2011

Android 4.0 update is required to accelerate

After Windows Phone release the path of NoDo update to brought copy and paste function on WP 7 phones, it took about 3 months to roll out to all WP 7 devices. Recently, Fuzilla written an article to call Google accelerate the speed of Android 4 updating.

Since then only one device with original Android 4.0 – Samsung Galaxy Nexus released, the only one another device – Nexus S received the update.

Google announced ICS Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich a couple of months back, and so far it has managed to ship a single device with this new OS, the Galaxy Nexus. The second device to get an ICS 4.0 update was the old Google Nexus S, but OTA updates for the Nexus have been suspended due to technical issues. There is still no third device with ICS on board and we won’t see any for at least a few weeks. 
Companies are now announcing their own ICS upgrade schedules. LG says that their top devices get ICS in Q2 2012 (April 1 to June 30), while others will have to wait a few more months. Sony Ericsson should have ICS around Q2, if not earlier. Motorola and Samsung are reportedly scheduled to start updating their devices in Q1, but the process will inevitably drag on well into Q2. Worse, Samsung won’t roll out an ICS update for the Galaxy S, which sold in record numbers last year and it’s still a pretty nice phone with an affordable price tag.
In best case scenario, we might see some Android 2.3 to 4.0 update in Q1 but the best chance is to see some new phones launching with Ice Cream Sandwich at the Mobile World Conference, in Barcelona in last days of February. 
Apple has IOS 5 in all of its phones capable of supporting the new OS for months now and at least the top two iPhones today, if not the top three, will get an update to the next version, guaranteed. Microsoft is also doing a pretty good job in the update department with Mango.
By the time LG and Samsung roll out updates for the Optimus 2X, the world’s first dual-core phone and the best selling Samsung Galaxy 2 phones, Optimus 3 should be launching as well as Samsung Galaxy S III. In some countries, LG rolled Android 2.3 just a month ago and by that time, Google already announced and showed Android 4.0.

But there are different devices with Android system in different mobile phone brands. The time is really so hard to control.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Top 5 Free To Do List Apps for Android Phone

Have you ever met that when you decided to make a plan for tomorrow, like as shop something, finish some tasks or prepare to go somewhere, but you forget it in the next day? Well, with your Android phones, you can make a notice on your calendar. But with a good to do list app can make it become much easier. Today, I will introduce you the 5 top rated & downloaded free to do list apps from Android Market.

Top 5: InkPad Notepad - Notes - To do
nkpad Notepad let's you access your notes online at www.InkpadNotepad.com. You can create or edit notes from the convenience of your computer's web browser, and always have access to your notes from your phone when you're offline too.

Top 4: Do it (Tomorrow)
Do it (Tomorrow) for Android a free, multiplatform task organizer that redefines the way you plan and manage your todo list. The app lets you plan today and postpone tasks until tomorrow, in case everything doesn’t go according to said plan (which, in my case, is almost always). Equipped with a new, effectively implemented concept, the capability to sync tasks to a user-defined email account and a sassy yet easy-to-use interface, Do it (Tomorrow) makes planning (and pending) tasks fast and convenient, even enjoyable.

Top 3: Astrid Task/Todo List
Astrid is the much loved open source todo list / task manager designed to help you get stuff done. It features reminders, lists, sync, a widget, task sharing, optional instant notifications and much more!

Top 2: Any.DO: To Do List | Task List
Any.DO is a cool multi-platform GTD (get things done) to-do list manager that is quite simply awesome. I am a massive fan of productivity apps and have tried plenty of them on Android. GTD apps on Android go from the brilliantly detailed project management-style tools such as Due Today to the infinitely simple Do It (Tomorrow). While I have found myself loving both of these and finding each superb in their own way, I always felt one was a little too complex for my level of use and one way a bit too simple.

Top 1: Evernote
Evernote is an easy-to-use, free app that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Stay organized, save your ideas and improve productivity. Evernote lets you take notes, capture photos, create to-do lists, record voice reminders--and makes these notes completely searchable, whether you are at home, at work, or on the go.

With one of those free apps, you can remind yourself what's need to finished next few days easily. But the weather is also an important factor to influence your schedule. You can check the top 5 free weather apps for Android.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Top 5 free Weathre Widgets for Android Phones

Well, yesterday I have introduced you the top 5 free weather apps for android phone, and today, I will introduce top 5 weather widgets for your phones. We do not install an app to check the weather, what we need is a beautiful tiny widget on the desktop to guide our life arrangement.

Top 5: World Weather Clock Widget
World Weather Clock Widget with GPS (and status bar) is available. Check weather forecasts, current conditions, time and date for any location in the world. You can even check five days detailed forecasts. Moreover, you can check the current weather and the rain fall probability in the status bar. You can check the rain radar, satellite view and map for your location.

Top 4: GO Weather Widget Skin Series
The themes of widget skin designed for GO Weather which includes HTC Style, Simple and 3D. This is not a standalone app, you need to download latest amazing GO Weather v1.9.9 (or above) in order to apply this theme; you can check GO Weather out by searching "GO Weather" in Google market.

Top 3: Weather Widget
With this widget, you can tap widget for forecast and open to configure console for options.

Top 2: 3D Digital Weather Clock
Widgets on Android work a bit differently than a normal application. Unlike regular programs they don't just install themselves in the application tray so you have to add them manually. This widget includes 3D Digital clock widget with Calendar, Time, System info, weather & forecast.

Top 1: Animated Weather Widget, Clock
Animated Weather forecast: realistic video effects, detailed world data. Digital Clock widget 4x2 with Weather forecast application and live wallpapers. The exquisitely realistic video effects of cloudiness, rain and snow provide the vivid sensation of current or future weather conditions for more than 50000 locations over the world.

With one of those widget, you can easy check the weather just lighten your screen. And it makes your mobile phone much greater. Just enjoy it.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Top 5 free weather apps for Android phones

Because of the job and life style, I think the weather can have a big impact on our daily schedule.  Most of times we need to cancel a data because the weather comes bad. Now, if you can get a good weather app on your Android phone, you can arrange your schedule easily. The next 5 weather apps are the most popular apps from Android Market.

Top 5: Radar Now!
"Radar Now!" provides National Weather Service (NWS) Enhanced Radar "Base" (N0R) images from the NOAA WSR-88D NEXRAD Radar sites located around the US. Radar images are downloaded directly from NWS servers so are always the most current available*. When you start the app, the radar images are from the site closest to your location.

Top 4: AccuWeather for Android

AccuWeather for Android has all of the accurate and localized weather information and interactive features that you need! With AccuWeather for Android, you can plan your day and make personal or future plans with confidence knowing that you will be safeguarded from weather interruptions. This full-featured app not only has hourly forecasts updated every hour, interactive Google Maps™, and severe weather notices, but it also has weather in 23 languages, customizable color themes, and social media sharing! Download AccuWeather for Android, at no cost to you, and start accessing your reliable and detailed weather news and information today.

Top 3: GO Weather
GO Weather is an uber-cool weather app for your android phones. You are presented with a clean, uncluttered user interface, and satin-smooth animation giving you un-matched user experience. GO Weather delivers the most accurate weather information from anywhere at any time. With access to the largest network of professional weather stations in the US and tens of thousands of locations around the world, GO Weather is ad-free weather application that goes all-out on the eye candy and includes dazzling high definition videos, taking your weather experience to the next-level.

Top 2: WeatherBug
With this app, you can get the latest current conditions, forecast, weather alerts, radar and more! Access the largest network of professional weather stations in North America and thousands of locations around the world! WeatherBug brings the most accurate, reliable and timely weather information directly to your phone. Complete with Doppler radar, severe weather alerts, maps, forecasts and much more, WeatherBug is the most comprehensive weather app available.

Top 1: The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel Android App features 4 tabs: Now, Hourly, 36 Hour and 10 Day weather forecasts. Tapp on any one of them and it streams up-to-date weather readings. There is a little unknown feature with the app that at first seems like a bug. If you have more than one places added and swipe left/right, it will change to that location (it would be cool if that feature would animate the swipe to visually see the transition). One of the best features in the Video forecast… see streaming video of the weather just like on TV for your selected places (if available).

With those weather apps in your mobile phone, you can make your life become much easier. What’s more, a good weather can make your mobile phone desktop look better, and then next post I will introduce you the top 5 weather widgets for Android phones.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Newest Version of Android 4.0 Hit on Kindle Fire

If you just get a Kindle Fire as Christmas gift, or used Kindle Fire for a bit long time, I think you can’t miss this news. According to the thread of XDA Developers, the hackers have made a breakthrough. They had run the newest version of Ice Cream Sandwich on Kindle Fire. This version is called “Pre-alpha”.

The newest hack of Ice Cream Sandwich on Kindle Fire is based off of CyanogenMod 9. According to the XDA Developer Forums, CyanogenMod 9 is not all that fundamentally different from the standard the stock edition of Android Open Source Project (AOSP) Ice Cream Sandwich. That does not mean to say that CyanogenMod 9 will not fork away from ICS and bring additions to the custom ROM, but for now there is little different in the code bases.

As an unofficial version, this ROM has tried its best to make most of hardware work although there are still several bugs need to work out on Kindle Fire. Right now, Wi-Fi is working (the all-important first step) while video playback and some audio are not yet working. It can be called a significant progress through the middle of the month.

OK, no more words, let’s check the video and wait for a stable version for your Kindle Fire.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

3 free apps to let you make video chat with android devices

I believe most of people can’t help to make a video chat with android mobile phones when they are using 3G or 4G network and they also find a front camera on their devices. But with right now, most of android phones cannot make video chat because of the system version with 3G or 4G. What we can do is only use Gtalk, or other apps. Here, I will introduce you 3 most popular free video chat apps from Android market to make video chat with each other.

ooVoo Video Call
ooVoo lets you make video calls from your mobile to friends and family on their mobile phones, or from your mobile phone to friends on a computer, as well as over the web. ooVoo mobile features free 6 way video chat, instant messaging, and free voice calls to your ooVoo contacts.

Skype - free video calling
Make free Skype-to-Skype video calls, and call phones at Skype rates on the move. Make free voice and video calls to anyone else on Skype, whether they’re on an Android, iPhone, Mac or PC, as well as IMs to your friends and family.

Tango Voice & Video Calls
Tango allows you to make free phone calls and free video calls over 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi. Make calls to any other person who has Tango installed on their PC, phone or tablet. Start a Tango call with just voice, and easily move into a video call when you have something to share. It’s easy to use, it’s fun, and it works.

With those free apps, you can make a video call with your friends easily. But it’s still not so convenience because those apps need to install in both android devices, otherwise you can’t make it be successful.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

3 Best Free Ways to Download YouTube Videos For Android Devices

Today lots of people prefer to enjoy the different kind of videos on YouTube like funny, news, music, movie and others on their android phones and tablets. When we find a great video, we will like to save it so that we can enjoy without any network. So, how can I save YouTube video on android phones? How can I download YouTube video for android devices? Don’t worry, here I will introduce you 3 best free ways to download YouTube video easily.

1. Getting help from computer could make YouTube downloading be much easier. Actually there are so many free YouTube downloaders for windows os and mac os.

If you use Firefox, you can download an add-on by searching with Add-on Manager. And here I recommend you to use Easy YouTube video Downloader, because it can download YouTube video as MP4 and HD video format.

If you do not use Firefox, it’s OK. You can use this free Youtube Downloader to download YouTube videos free. With this free YouTube Downloader, you can download YouTube video as different video and audio format for various Android devices. But the free version cannot download YouTube as 720P or above resolution video.

2. Download YouTube videos with your mobile phone browser.
1)    Search for the video you want to download like as “THE HOBBIT”
2)    Tap the YouTube link; by default your mobile phone will prompt 2 options: Browser or YouTube. Chose “Browser” because we need to get the YouTube video link
3)    Tap “Menu” + “Go to URL”, the YouTube URL should appear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0k3kHtyoqc. Copy it with your mobile phone.
4)    Go to a website http://www.keepvid.com
5)    Paste this YouTube address on the Search Box and hit Enter
6)    Slide down and Tap “›› Download ‹‹ (video.mp4 – High Quality)“. This will open a new window and download the MP4 in your browser history.

3. Use app to download YouTube video on android phones.

Maybe you will feel gloomy about why you cannot find any app to download YouTube video from Android Market. That’s because Google had removed all of those apps off. Fortunately, I find a great one from other downloader sites. It just is TubeMate YouTube Downloader. This app is the most popular free app before Google removed it.

If you're a YouTube addict, then TubeMate YouTube Downloader is the perfect app for you. Besides, allowing you to watch movies on your phone, it allows you to download YouTube videos in a variety of video formats and resolutions, or as MP3 files. This means you can watch YouTube clips and listen to songs without connecting to the internet.

So, there are 3 best ways to download YouTube videos for your android phones. Actually I think it could be the only 3 easy ways generally. Now, you can choose any one way to download your favorite video to enjoy.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

5 best free music player apps make your android phone better

Well, yesterday, I had introduced the 5 best free internet radio apps for android, and today I will continue to introduce the top 5 music player apps for you mobile phone. If you feel so boring to your default music player because of the simple UI, less function and ugly widgets, you should not miss the next top 5 music player apps.

Top 5: doubleTwist Player
DoubleTwist Player is the best all-in-one music, radio and video app. It can find all the music on your phone and syncs music & video with the free doubleTwist app on Mac/PC and import iTunes music playlists, music ratings & playcounts from your Mac/PC; sync music, play music & video podcasts!

Top 4: Rhapsody
With Rhapsody, you can always hear the music you're into, with over 13 million songs and every genre to choose from. The Rhapsody App even lets you download playlist directly on your device. So you don't need an active connection and you'll save battery life compared to streaming. And you can listen whole your text, browse and run other apps.

Top 3: PowerAMP Music Player (Trial)
PowerAMP is a slick-looking music player that is trying to corner the audiophile market. It has a lot to like about it, and some things to dislike. It looks good, and it has some great features, but it still has work to be done. To start off, PowerAMP can play audio files that the native Android player (and most third-party music players) can't. The list of formats includes MP3 (of course), MP4, M4A, ALAC, OGG, WMA, FLAC, WAV, APE, WV, and TTA. Most of those won't mean anything to many people, but this is good news for hard-core music geeks.

Top 2: Winamp
Winamp can play, manage and sync music from your Mac or PC to your Android device -- Pro Bundle Now Available!. Winamp offers a complete music management solution (2.1 OS & above) featuring wireless desktop sync (Winamp Media Player required), iTunes import, & access to thousands of internet radio stations with SHOUTcast.

Top 1: Google Music
Google Music is a cloud-powered music player and storage service that lets you keep your music collection online so you can save space on your Android device.

With one of those music player apps, you can make your mobile phone become a powerful media player with excellent experience.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Top 5 Internet Radio Apps For Android

If you have felt so sick to your music collection in your android phones, and really don't want to purchase any music from Amazon or Google Music, you still can get the internet radio apps from android market fortunately.  Here, I will introduce you the 5 top Internet Radio apps from android market. You needn’t spend so much time on choosing the most suitable one from hundreds of radio apps.
 
Top 5: SiriusXM Internet Radio
The SiriusXM Internet Radio App gives you access to over 140 channels of great SiriusXM programming including Howard Stern, on your Android smartphone so you can have the best in audio entertainment anywhere you go! Access requires a SiriusXM Internet Radio subscription.

Top 4: Slacker Radio
Slacker Radio is free, totally customizable radio with over 100 genre stations. Listen to free personalized radio on your Android device. Listen to over 100 expert-programmed radio-stations or create your own custom stations from millions of songs. With a Slacker Radio Plus or Slacker Premium Radio subscription, you can store your favorite Slacker stations on your Android smartphone and listen even when you don’t have a wireless or Wi-Fi connection!

Top 3: TuneIn Radio
TuneIn is a new way to listen to the world through live local and global radio from wherever you are. Whether you want music, sports, news or current events, TuneIn offers over 50,000 stations and 1.2 million on-demand streams for you to choose from. The TuneIn Radio app lets you take this entire experience with you on your Android device.

Top 2: iHeartRadio
The New iHeartRadio is creating the ultimate; all-in-one radio experience by combining the nation’s top radio stations with the world’s most advanced Custom Stations into a single, seamless experience. With the New iHeartRadio, you can tune in to real broadcast stations from across the country, from Z100 in New York to KIIS FM in L.A., and every station in between. Over 800 stations coast-to-coast are available anytime and anywhere.

Top 1: Pandora internet radio
Pandora radio is a personalized radio service that streams music on your phone. Pandora internet radio is your own FREE personalized radio now available to stream music on your phone.  Start with the name of one of your favorite artists, songs or classical composers and Pandora will create a "station" that plays their music and more music like it.

Have you ever found any one is the best for you from those top 5 internet radio apps?  If you want to enjoy video with your android devices, maybe Top 5 video player apps for Android is helpful. Just enjoy your android devices!

Monday, December 19, 2011

How to disable system apps in Android Ice Cream Sandwich

When you got a Galax Nexus Verizon version, you will find there some system apps that you would never use. If I were you, I will move heaven and earth to delete them all. But as we know, in the previous version of Android, you need to root your mobile phone and get the top authority to delete the system apps. Right now, it becomes different.

Thanks to Ice Cream Sandwich, though, it's easy to get Verizon's intrusions out of sight and out of mind. Ice Cream Sandwich includes a new feature that allows you to disable and hide any system app. The app won't be fully removed from your phone's storage, but it'll never run -- and you'll never see it again.
However, this kind function isn’t limited to Verizon Galaxy Nexus, it will also come to more and more non-Nexus devices. If you get the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and want to disable some annoy system apps, please check the next 4 steps.

They're really quite simple:

1. Go into the main system settings. (You can get there by selecting the "Settings" icon within your phone's app tray.)

2. Scroll down to the "Device" section and select the "Apps" option.

3. Tap the tab at the top that's labeled "All," then scroll through the list to find the app you wants to blast.

4. Tap on the app, then tap the "Disable" button. Tap "OK" on the confirmation box that appears.

After those steps, you can successfully disable the system apps. If nothing happen, just restart your phone.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Top 5 Christmas Live Wallpaper Apps for Android in 2011

Wow… Christmas Day is coming! Have you ever felt the intensely festive atmosphere? OK, here I will introduce you top 5 Christmas live wallpaper apps for your Android phone! Before you addict to your Christmas festive suddenly, let's make your mobile phone fill with Christmas atmosphere. The first step is changing your wallpaper to Christmas version. Maybe the next 5 apps can help you save time from searching the suitable wallpapers.

Top 5: Christmas tree Live Wallpaper
Christmas Tree Live Wallpaper is the only fully customizable Android Free Live Wallpaper that does not require you to buy a paid version to enable settings.

Top 4: Christmas Live Wallpaper Free
Enjoy watching live effects of gently falling snowflakes or play the sound of holiday music. Decorate and light up the Christmas tree, make up the fire in the house or tilt your phone to see amazing accelerometer effects.

Top 3: Christmas Snow Live Wallpaper
Christmas Snow Live Wallpaper has the most realistic snow effect, and can be customize by users. With the Stunning Christmas trees & lights, it can make your mobile phone full with Christmas atmosphere.

Top 2: Christmas Snow Live Wallpaper
With this free app, you can change different themes, Snow colors and density/number of Snow floating on your home screen. This live wallpaper has a lot of interesting features and can also act as Snow screensaver and lock screen for your Snow phone.

Top 1: 3D Christmas Live Wallpaper Free
Christmas tree of light, plus an exciting countdown to Christmas. Both scenes can be enjoyed as a live wallpaper background, or as a fully interactive foreground application where you can look around freely and more easily customize your settings.

To use: Menu > Wallpaper > Live wallpapers

Have you ever found any live wallpaper you want to used? If not, you can also search the favorite one on Android Market. Merry Christmas!

Christmas tree Live Wallpaper

Christmas Live Wallpaper Free

Christmas Snow Live Wallpaper

Christmas Snow Live Wallpaper
3D Christmas Live Wallpaper Free

Thursday, December 15, 2011

How to take a screenshot on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

When I visit some android forums, I just find some threads are talking about how to take a screenshot like ios on Android. As we know, the native android system do not has such function to take a screenshot. But we can use the third-party apps to finish it.

However, those third-party apps would only work on certain devices. Those devices need to obtain the administrator authority by rooting. But the Motorola mobile phones had been locked and can’t be rooted. Then there was also the SDK method for taking a screenshot, which wasn't always the most convenient.

Well, after some unrelated sentences, let’s get out topic start. Actually, this step is so easy for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich because it allows users to quickly take and view a screenshot without any fancy tools or tricks or root.

As we know Galaxy Nexus is the first device with Android 4.0, so let us take this mobile phone as an example to get a screenshot. At first you need to press the volume down button and the power button, at the same time for a couple of seconds. And then you will see an animation showing you're the screenshot. You can view the screenshot by tapping on the thumbnail in the notification tray, or by visiting your Gallery app.

If you want check this new feature, just watch this YouTube video.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Top 5 Video Player apps for Android Mobile Phone and Tablet in 2011

Many people will feel so upset when they find that the videos which put into their mobile phone or tablet with Android system cannot playback with the default video player. Actually, compare to iPhone and iPad, Android phone support much more video formats. When you met some videos cannot playback in your mobile phone or tablet, you can follow this article to check the top 5 popular video players in Android market.


Top 5: mVideoPlayer
mVideo Player is hand’s down the best replacement video player on the Android Market right now. And it is free! What we love about this video player is that it is coded very efficiently, keeping the use of system resources down, and hardly ever crashes.  This light weight app allows you browse your video files as thumbnails, in a list view, and also supports poster views. mVideo also has other features such as subtitle support when watching movies, and free access to IMDB. The IMDB scraper transfers all the relevant information about the movie you are watching into the app.  You can quickly look up actor names and more with the built in IMDB support.


Top 4: QQ Player
QQ Player is a video player app supports all the popular formats of videos on the market, including AVI, FLV, MP4, 3GP, MKV, MOV and etc. In addition, QQ Player also supports SRT, SMI plug-in subtitle and MKV embedded subtitle, as well as multiple audio tracks switching. Its smart core technology auto detects video formats and makes it much easier for you to enjoy smoother, better quality videos with limited resources and smaller screen.


Top 3: RockPlayer Lite
RockPlayer is high performance, almost all formats media player with a lot of functions. It saves your time and disk space to transcoding or format converting. Just put your video on sdcard or click the URL in browser to watch it. It can load .srt external subtitle with same name of video automatically and support .m3u playlist. And you can purchase through Paypal to upgrade to Pro version.

Top 2: MoboPlayer
MoboPlayer is an alternative video player to the normal Android player. Playback is smooth and clear and the menus and options available are quite extensive. The user interface is really nice too and the app has a high quality feel to it. The app supports all video formats and allows you to create playlists and organize your video library.


Top 1: MX Video Player
MX Video Player is a free video player for Android that comes with support for almost every video file format known to date along with multiple subtitle files such as mkv subtitle track, .srt, .sub, .ass, .mpl, .psb etc. Rich graphical UI, high quality full-screen video playback, editable playlist features, advanced video playback controls, customizable subtitle options, easy switch between hardware and software decoder and its compatibility with most Android devices makes MX Video Player a must-have tool for all your video playback needs.

Just pick one from them and you can enjoy any video formats with your Android mobile phone and tablet. However, if you care about the video quality and playback fluency more, I think you should use a good video converter to convert your video to android video formats and playback with default video player. What’s more, please according to the resolution your mobile phone and tablet supported to control the video resolution.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Top 10 free android apps for keeping touch with friends and family


Nowadays, more and more people prefer to send the text to mobile phone and leave a message on Facebook or twitter. Obviously, with the apps on smart phone, you can keep touch with your friends and family conveniently. In this post, I will introduce you top 10 free practical but funny social apps to help you to manage your relationships much easier.

Top 10:  Tumblr
Tumblr is home to the most creative people in the world. With this app, you can 1) Post anything: Share photos, video, quotes, chats, links, and text. 2) Advanced controls: Save drafts, queue posts, customize tweets, and more! 3) Messages: View and reply to messages. 4) Address book: Find people to follow from your address book. 5) Multiple blogs: Seamlessly manage all of your blogs.

Top 9: Foursquare
Foursquare helps you explore the world around you. Keep up with friends, get insider tips, and unlock discounts and rewards. While on the go, you can easily tell friends where you are, share pictures, get their comments ("I'm right around the corner, I'll stop by to say hello"), and get insider tips ("order the Lobster Ravioli; it's the best dish by far."). Tons of places offer discounts and freebies to foursquare users, and you earn points and badges for doing the things you love.

Top 8: Bump
Bump two phones together to share photos, contacts, and apps! Bump™ makes sharing with people as simple as bumping two phones together. Just pick what you want to send, then hold your phones and gently bump hands with another Bump user. Share photos, apps, and contacts. And after you bump, keep sending messages anytime, anywhere, complete with instant notifications. It's like free texting!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

HP TouchPad Run Android 4.0 Now

After HP announced that it had gave Touchpad up, and never produced again in this summer, this tablet reduced the price to only $99 to sold off the remaining stock. I believe that some of the customers want to switch this tablet to a cheap Android device.  So with many difficult solved, about one month ago, hackers had run CyanogenMod 7 on Touchpad successfully with audio and Wi-Fi still cannot work.

And now, developers have made a breakthrough to port the Android 4: Ice Cream Sandwich to TouchPad tablet. One team member has posted a photo of Ice Cream Sandwich running on his devices to prove that.  This post is already generation excitement and interest on the forums although it shows that the last version of Android 4.0 for TouchPad still not so stable. Sooner the community provided a patch for making touch input work on tablet. And this community claimed that the next priorities for the firm will include WI-FI and Android Market support.

While developers scramble to fix the bugs in the TouchPad Android firmware, however, yesterday’s announcement by HP that it would be open sourcing its WebOS software has led to a surprise reverse phenomenon of developers now hoping to port the operating system to Android devices.  But right now, most developers prefer to build Android apps.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Android users can detect Carrier IQ

Most of mobile phone users want to detect whether Carrier IQ exists on their smartphones or not with the help you applications. For Android, most of the apps in Market cannot stop Carrier IQ from running, but at least some of them can detect and make sure whether the mobile phone is tracked or not.

Carrier IQ, as a process that can stealthily monitor users’ smartphone activity, had aroused the fierce controversy in the past few weeks.  Some see it as a serious threat to users' security and privacy, while others have likened the reaction to mass hysteria generated by the media.

After I searched with Google, I heard that BetaNews had tested out two of the available options to detect the Carrier IQ. One is BitDeferder’s Carrier IQ Finder, and the other one is Lookout Lab’s Carrier IQ Detector. The tests were performed on a Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket running Android 2.3.6 on AT&T's network, and both found Carrier IQ present but didn't indicate whether or not it was active.

They also spotted a few apps that claim to freeze the process that runs Carrier IQ's hidden application. These include Trey Holland's Bloat/CIQ Freezer Free and RDMSoft's Carrier IQ Process Killer. Without more extensive tests, they can't independently verify these actually work as advertised, but customer reviews are generally positive.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Google Celebrates 10 Billion Android Downloads

Google is closing the “app gap” in the smartphone market, at least when it comes to downloads. The company announced on Tuesday that Android users have downloaded some 10 billion apps to date on the Android Market, and that its monthly download rate has crossed the 1 billion mark.

As you can see in the chart above, those download numbers have been increasing at a brisk rate over the last 18 months or so as sales of Android devices have exploded around the world.

The numbers show that the Android ecosystem is healthy, but with any set of numbers, it’s easy to make of them what you will. For instance, Apple has been at a billion downloads per month for some time, but there are more Android devices in use now than there are iPhones.


That shows that Android users are downloading fewer apps per user than Apple’s iPhone customers, which suggests (to us) there are aspects of finding apps on Apple’s App Store or actually using them on Apple’s iPhones that are better than Google’s Android ecosystem.

At the same time, Android lags far, far behind in paid apps. In November, Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster found that Apple’s App Store generated some twelve times more revenue than the Android Market. At that time, his research showed that 1.3% of Android downloads were paid apps, while 13.5% of iOS apps were paid.

Still, the law of numbers is inexorable. As Android gains more smartphone market share—currently at the expense of everyone but Apple—even that smaller percentage of paid apps will add up, giving more developers more reason to make more apps.

To encourage Android device owners to get used to the idea of paying for their apps, Google is offering a ten day promotion for ten cent (US$0.10) paid apps, starting with the following: Asphalt 6 HD, Color & Draw for Kids, Endomondo Sports Tracker Pro, Fieldrunners HD, Great Little War Game, Minecraft, Paper Camera, Sketchbook Mobile, Soundhound Infinity and SwiftKey X.

The company said that it will offer a new bunch of apps every day at the price during the course of the ten day promotion, which starts today. If you have an Android device, get ‘em while they’re hot and cheap.

We should also point out that these downloads don’t count the apps sold at Amazon’s Appstore for Android or the myriad of other services that offer Android apps. That means that the total worldwide download numbers for Android are higher than the subset represented by Google’s own Android Market, though Android Market certainly represents the lion’s share of that total.

Source is
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/google_celebrates_10_billion_android_downloads/

Monday, December 5, 2011

Most Android Devices Now Running Gingerbread

Google has released more than 6 versions of the Android operation system for portable devices. But the main Android-based devices are running one of the more recent version of the OS — Gingerbread.

Android 2.2 Froyo is still on 35.3% of Android phones as there are 50.6 percent of Android devices are running version 2.3, Gingerbread, the majority of which are on Android 2.3.3 or higher, according to stats posted on Google's developer site.

That's a switch from October, however, when 45.3 percent of Android devices were running Froyo and 38.2 percent were running Gingerbread.

About 9.6 percent of Android devices are running Android 2.1 Eclair, 1.3 percent have Android 1.6 Donut, and 0.8 percent have the first iteration of the mobile platform, Android 1.5 Cupcake.

Android 3.0 Honeycomb, an OS which designed for tablets which is intended only for tablets, has about 2.4 percent of the Android market, with most (1.2 percent) on Android 3.2.

The most-recent version of the OS, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, has come out with Galaxy Nexus. Google had released the open source for Android 4.0 in Nov. 2011. We believe that ICS will also take a place in various mobile operation platforms.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Android in 2012: What’s Next


Google only scratched the surface with the latest improvements to its Android mobile operating system. Users have been left wanting more, and they are likely to get it in 2012.

Better graphics, better cameras, and maybe even a voice-command feature similar to Siri--bundled with the latest iteration of Apple's iOS operating system--could be on the horizon for Internet search leader Google.
Android's latest big update, Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich, is coming with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and it's only a matter of time before other smartphones and tablets begin seeing the update.

But even as fresh as Ice Cream Sandwich is, users are looking ahead. Android is already installed on tons of smartphones across countless wireless carriers, and that reach is sure to expand with each new update.

Doing More With Voice

Siri brought voice commands to the masses, and you can bet that Google is working on something similar for Android.

Ice Cream Sandwich already allows for instant speech to text, and voice commands have been a part of the OS since Android 2.0, but they lack some of the personal charms that Apple has given its voice-activated virtual assistant.

While we shouldn't expect a snarky secretary like Siri, we can look forward to Google incorporating voice functions into more of its apps. A great example of this is the new Google Translate app. It has a conversation mode that allows you to translate your speech and the speech of others into one of more than 50 different languages. It's by no means perfect, but it gives us a good idea of how Google can use voice input to make even better apps.

Better Camera Software

When it came to mobile cameras, the stock Android camera software was hardly something to brag about. It was clunky, slow, and had only a few basic settings you could really customize.

Ice Cream Sandwich gave the software a much-needed update, introducing features like panoramic photos and zero lag between snapshots. Future Android updates could include face detection and more-advanced settings for experienced shutterbugs. But those camera improvements wouldn’t just be for phones. Tablets that use video chat would gain better focus and video quality, especially as we begin to see more tablets that run over 4G and LTE networks.

More Apps That Take Advantage of Hardware Acceleration

We've recently seen more phones with dual-core processors, but unfortunately not all apps have been optimized to take advantage of the extra processing power. Starting with Ice Cream Sandwich, however, hardware acceleration is enabled by default, meaning that new apps released on the OS will run smoother and games will look better than their predecessors. Older apps will have to be updated to see a boost in performance, and how an app behaves on a dual-core versus a single-core device will be noticeably different.

More Devices

Android is a versatile OS, and it's been installed on everything from USB drives to robotic bartenders.

At Google I/O 2011 (an annual developer conference), Google launched the Android@Home project, a framework for Android to be installed into automated "smart" houses. These Android smart houses would communicate with other Android-powered gadgets to make life easier for the people inside.

Some car manufacturers are even looking into Android to power the media consoles in their vehicles and to do things like media sharing from phones to the car. If it has a chip in it, chances are someone will try to install Android into it.

Lighter Overlays

Android overlays are no big deal as long as they don't get in the way of the Android experience.

Overlays can add a lot of functionality--such as what we saw on Honeycomb tablets--but on phones, most of them are clunky and resource-heavy. With Ice Cream Sandwich incorporating a ton of useful features that were previously seen only on HTC and Samsung devices, overlays are slowly being toned down.

A good example: Motorola's MotoBlur overlay. Once an overwhelming and visually assaulting UI, the MotoBlur overlay has been greatly reduced to a lightweight skin that blends in relatively well with the stock Android UI.

A More Complete Shopping Experience

When it comes to media, iOS is the reigning king.
The iTunes store has not only apps and music, but also movies, TV shows, and even books. With the launch of Google Music, Google is trying to create a similar ecosystem for Android.

The Android Market is steadily becoming the one-stop shop for all Android-related media. You can currently rent movies from the Android Market, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see TV shows and podcasts also make their way to the Google-run store. Once Google adds those to its Android Market lineup, Android will become a much stronger contender in the mobile media-player space.

Next: Jelly Bean?

Expect at least two updates to Android in 2012.

One will most likely be an incremental update to Android 4.0, but some observers expect another major update to the Android OS as well. Reportedly named "Jelly Bean," some people are already calling this next iteration of Android a "game changer."

While details so far are slim, it is quite likely that Jelly Bean will contain one or more of the features described here.

Source is
http://www.pcworld.com/article/245072/android_in_2012_whats_next.html
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