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All posts tagged "app"


Thursday, April 12, 2012

Google Currents 1.1 Translates and has Off-Line Reading

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android Software" @ 10:00 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/11/...upport-offline/

"Google has today rolled out version 1.1 of [Currents] for Android and iOS, which makes the service available worldwide with support for 44 languages, and adds a number of other improvements including the ability to select which editions have images for offline reading, instant online sync, translation for 38 languages and a promised 7X performance boost."

I haven't used Google Currents but it looks like a great app. I may have to try it out! The fact that it does translation is cool and off-line reading could be just what some WiFi tablet owners are looking for! It's free on the Play Store and supports phone or tablet form factors.


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Amazon Appstore Adds In-App Purchasing

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android Software" @ 10:00 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/10/...app-purchasing/

"...devs can now take advantage of the familiar revenue booster already available in the iOS App Store and Google Play, through the use of the Amazon Appstore In-App Purchasing API."

One of my favorite things about Android is the way you're not forced to get apps from one place. Amazon Appstore has been around for just over a year now and it's come a long way. It seems to have tons of apps and now with in-app purchasing it should be attractive to some developers who may have been holding out. Another feature they added recently was the ability to up the download limit over 3G from 20MB to 50MB. It's still 20MB by default but instead of just smaller options, they have added a 50MB option.


Monday, April 9, 2012

Instagram Update Adds Better Tablet Support and App2SD

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android Software" @ 09:30 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/06/...pdated-tablets/

"The latest one to hit today (1.0.3) promises expanded support for tablets and WiFi handsets, app installation on the SD card for storage-limited users and fixing an audio mute bug during capture."

I'm not sure I can think of an App, maybe Angry Birds, that had as much hype as Instagram. Those who use Instagram seem to love it and that number grew a lot last week when it was finally released for Android. With the latest version including better tablet support and support for App2SD I'm sure the number of users will grow even more.

It's great to see a developer not just putting their product out there but responding so quickly to what people want and quickly releasing updates that address the issues.


Monday, February 6, 2012

Google Talks About Android App Security

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android Talk" @ 11:30 AM

http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/20...d-security.html

"The last year has been a phenomenal one for the Android ecosystem. Device activations grew 250% year-on-year, and the total number of app downloads from Android Market topped 11 billion. As the platform continues to grow, we’re focused on bringing you the best new features and innovations - including in security."

I've never had a problem with a bad app doing serious damage. The worst problem I had was an app that was giving me advertisements as notifications. It wasn't hard to find the app and after I removed it the notifications stopped. This blog post explains some of the safeguards that are in place to protect your Android phone. One thing they highlight is the "Bouncer" service that Google developed to scan the Android Market and look for bad apps. It's good to know that however bad this problem is on Android Google is taking it seriously.

Have you ever had a problem on your Android device caused by a virus or malware?


Thursday, February 2, 2012

Open Files Off-Line With The New Google Docs

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android Software" @ 11:00 AM

http://lifehacker.com/5881349/googl...-offline-access

"Google has released a pretty useful update for their Android version of Google Docs, providing offline access for your files and a better overall experience for tablet users by providing high-resolution versions of your documents."

This was a much needed update! To not have access to files when you have no network is just dumb. Large collections of media or things you don't need often, maybe that can stay in the cloud, but small text files, documentation, or notes, I want available all the time. It sounds like the synchronization is done well also. I played with it a bit and it's easy enough to save a file locally as shown in the screen shot above. Improving the app for tablet owners was a very smart idea as well. Really, I think that should have been done when the first Xoom was released but better late than never.


Thursday, December 22, 2011

Google Announces Scribbles for Gmail on Mobile Devices

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android Software" @ 06:00 AM

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2011/...e-creative.html

"Now you can quickly convey that eureka moment to a colleague, or simply brighten a loved one's day with a personal scribble in Gmail for the mobile web browser and the Gmail app for iOS. In the compose view, click on the scribble button to open up the drawing window."

This is for phones and tablets. It works from in your mobile browser. What a great idea! Sometimes it's just easier to draw a quick doodle for someone rather than explain it with words. Now you can do that right from within Gmail! Give it a try and let us know what you think!


Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Evernote Peek: The First Smart Cover Learning App

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Apple Software (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad)" @ 10:15 AM

http://blog.evernote.com/2011/06/08...mart-cover-app/

"Several months ago, Phil and I were sitting in a plane playing around with the just-released iPad 2. Of all its features, the thing that floored us was the ingenious Smart Cover. It didn't seem like an accessory so much as an extension of the device. As we sat there opening and closing the cover, a question struck us: could we use the cover to control an app that would make Evernote even more useful Turns out, the answer is yes. We give you Evernote Peek, the world's first Smart Cover app. Available now."

Here's one thing I've learned over the years: if you have a hardware feature that developers can tap into, they will - and they'll do creative things you never guessed they could. This is a perfect example of that - and I think it's brilliant. It's a whole new class of application that came about simply from Apple coming up with a feature that turns the iPad on when the Smart Cover is lifted.


Thursday, June 2, 2011

Zinio Brings Magazines to Android Tablets

Posted by Craig Horlacher in "Android Software" @ 10:00 AM

http://www.zinio.com/press/press-re...easeid=pr148220

"Thousands of magazines that satisfy every passion and hobby, from Road & Track and Rolling Stone to Robb Report, ELLE and BlackBook are now available to Android users on the Zinio app in Google’s Android Market. Whether they are at home on their PCs and Macs, or on the road with their Apple or Android tablets and select smartphones, magazine lovers get the most from their magazines with Zinio."

Zinio has been putting magazines on iOS devices for a while. They've finally released a reader for Android! If you like reading any magazine and you have a Honeycomb tablet you may want to check this out. Zinio apparently offers almost any magazine you can think of. You can get the Zinio app for free in the Android Market. If you need some incentive, they're offering an issue from the top 24 magazines for free to get you started. The blurb above, from their press release, says Zinio works on "select smartphones" but I tried and couldn't install it (the Market wouldn't let me) on my Droid X. It looks like you're set as long as you have a Honeycomb Tablet. I'd love to hear how the reading experience is on a Honeycomb tablet with their app. Let us know if you try it out!


Wednesday, May 4, 2011

DisplayLink iPad App Gives You An Extra Monitor

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Apple Software (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad)" @ 08:00 AM

If you're an iPad owner, you should check out the DisplayLink iPad app. I downloaded it last week but didn't get around to checking it out until now - in short, it uses your iPad's WiFi connection to turn your iPad into another monitor on a Windows 7 computer (sorry OS X users). I had it up and running in about 90 seconds - you simply install the Windows 7 desktop application, it adds a virtual display, and on the iPad your computer will show up as a location that can be connected to. That's right, you can have an extra monitor on multiple computers (not at the same time of course). Under Windows 7, you can manipulate your iPad as if it were a connected monitor. Read more...


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