Android

ESPN Bracket Bound Feeds March Madness

March 4, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

Anyone who is a dedicated or casual fan of college basketball should grab the 2013 edition of Bracket Bound. While it had a few too many bugs for my taste, it offers a great resource for staying on top of the season as we head towards the NCAA tournament.

For maximum performance log in with your ESPN credentials or via Facebook. I had to restart the app to get my ESPN account to take and had similar difficulties getting Facebook Connect to work on my Nexus 4. Once this works, any of your favorite schools saved elsewhere with your ESPN account will appear within the application. You can then

Bracket Bound 2013 also includes access to the Tournament Challenge, which is a pick-em style event for those who want to test their college tournament prediction skills.

By default push alerts will notify you of important game scores and down-to-the wire events. It may be overkill for some, but I appreciated the updates on a recent Saturday to how the Top 25 were faring against the competition.

My only lament is that it took all season for ESPN to update a dedicated college basketball app. While the college football app was ready for the entire season, college basketball again only seemed to pick up interest as the tournament approaches. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, App Updates, New Apps, News, Posts, Reviews, Sports Tagged With: ESPN

ClassDojo for Android Launches

February 27, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

Classroom behavior management app ClassDojo has arrived in Google Play. Like its iOS counterpart it allows teachers to award points or demerits based on a customized list of student behaviors.

By all accounts it should work across a wide range of Android devices. It does not have a native tablet version, but should work fine on smaller devices, such as the Nexus 7.

ClassDojo for Android is a very stable and solid release, allowing me to easily award the little monsters, complete with the same sounds found in the desktop and iOS versions. If you want the app to stay silent, simply turn off the sounds in the settings.

The main screen lists your classes – just tap on the one you want to use. The search bar can be used to find any of your classes faster is there is a larger list.

Also, like many Jelly Bean apps just slide to the right from the left edge to pull up the sidebar menu. Other options include sharing the app with others or changing how student names are sorted. There is no ability to edit or begin a new class – those must be handled from the desktop view. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, Education, New Apps, News, Reviews Tagged With: ClassDojo, education apps

SnipSnap for Android in the Works

February 26, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

The popular digital coupon-sharing app SnipSnap is coming to Android. I have been testing the beta for a couple of weeks, which has made me eager for a final, polished version.

It was one of the few apps I missed when moving from iOS to Android. For those unfamiliar with it, SnipSnap digitizes paper coupons, eliminating the need to carry most of them out shopping. While not all grocery stores or other retailers have jumped on board with scanning your phone, a number of larger retailers have done so. This makes redeeming coupons just as easy as paying for that Starbucks drink by showing your phone.

SnipSnap has also evolved into a coupon-sharing social network, with users able to share deals and connect with social networks. SnipSnap CEO Ted Mann said the social community has grown exponentially with a large amount of sharing happening.

“People are snipping and sharing coupons like mad. The idea of a coupon community has really taken off,” he said.

The iOS version of SnipSnap also exhibits deep integration with Apple’s Passbook feature, which helps alert users with location awareness. The app pings you with coupon reminders when entering specific stores. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, New Apps, News, Reviews, Shopping

WeVideo Launches Beta Android App

February 25, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

Online video creation tool WeVideo is using Mobile World Congress to debut its Android app.

The beta version emulates some of the basic features found in the desktop tool, providing a simple-to-use interface for video novices. It does not have the extensive polish of more established video editing apps, but this is an impressive debut for a tool with large ambitions.

WeVideo has the potential to become the app of choice for Chromebook users, as it has built what it calls a “full featured” subscription option for those who want to do more extensive video editing in the cloud.

I am being treated to a preview of the full suite courtesy of WeVideo. My impressions will be available in a later, more extensive, review.

Installing the beta on an Android device is pretty easy, even if you have not yet done this before (note: it currently only works on a Samsung Galaxy Note, Note II, Galaxy S III, Galaxy Nexus or LG Nexus 4). Head to the Launchpad site which hosts the WeVideo apk (Android Package file). Be sure your device is set to install non-Google Play applications. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, New Apps, News, Posts, Reviews, Video Editing Tagged With: Android, video editing

Chromebook Pixel is High-End Minimalism

February 22, 2013 by Derek Walter 1 Comment

The Chromebook Pixel is both a culmination of all Google has done to build its own ecosystem as well as a push to move more people into cloud computing, where they are more apt to rely on its services. Non-altruistic motives aside, the Chromebook Pixel looks to be a fantastic computer that would appeal to many (myself included).

There is little doubt Chrome hopes to go mainstream, no longer wishing to be an also-ran when compared to Windows and Mac. The price of $1,299 or $1,499 puts the Chromebook in MacBook and Ultrabook territory This may appeal to those who embrace the cloud-based model of computing Google is pushing. It also will be good news for developers who can leverage their Android and Chrome apps to newer levels of synchronization. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, Chrome, Posts

SwiftKey 4 Launches for Android

February 20, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

swiftkey flow through space

Fans of SwiftKey can rejoice. SwiftKey 4 is now available, bringing the gesture-based Flow system and other improvements to the excellent Android keyboard.

The latest version of SwiftKey is the culmination of several iterations of Flow user feedback and other improvements to the well-regarded SwiftKey system.

After using the Beta for several weeks I have found the Flow predictions to continuously improve to the point where it could be the default for some users. How much to use Flow depends on typing style. I found that Flow worked best for text messages or other short communication that did not involve a considerable amount of specific terminology. Even if the gesture-based style is not your preferred method, there are other behind-the-scenes improvements that keep SwiftKey the top keyboard for Android phones and tablets.

Along with Flow, SwiftKey 4 has a variety of other improvements designed to keep the keyboard in its position as the top paid app in Google Play. The number of supported languages is up to 60, including Javanese and Susanese.

There is also a nice improvement to the correction system, enabling users to tap on a word and quickly get two suggestions. The cursor also quickly moves to the end of the word. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, New Apps, News, Posts

RPC:S-5:AEC-0 Error and Other Android Weirdness

February 19, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

Here is a solution that may be vexing those who recently scored the newest Jelly Bean update.

After upgrading to Android 4.2.2 on my Nexus 4 I suddenly was unable to download apps from Google Play. I was getting an unusual, Windows XP-style error message (RPS:S-5:AEC-0) that was equally annoying and confusing.

After searching through a number of forums I found a fix, which is also detailed in this silent YouTube video. The first step is to remove your primary Google account. Android will slightly flip out but there is no reason to worry – when you re-enable it later all of your data will be back where it is supposed to be. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, News, Posts

HelpBridge is for Givers and Survivors

February 15, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

As the recent winter storm Nemo and cruise ship Triumph have demonstrated, being able to communicate quickly with a group of friends and family can be highly valuable. HelpBridge can be a useful app to have, as it allows one to instantly send a mass “I’m OK” message to a large group of people.

The free app is available for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. There are two stock options along with the ability to specify what you want any kind of outgoing message to say. Connect HelpBridge with your Facebook account for quick access to all of your social network contacts. Though, of course, use some caution in when to send such as message. You don’t want to be the boy who cried wolf. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, iPhone, Posts, Windows Phone

Google Now Widget Disappoints

February 14, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

Google Now is one of the strongest components of the current version of Android. The read-your-mind service now includes a home screen widget which brings forth some of the information previously only available when launching the application.

The widget can expand to fill one’s screen or be reduced down to the 4×1 size. It provides quick updates on weather, stocks, traffic, or sports information. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, App Updates, New Apps, News, Posts, Productivity, Reviews

Chrome Beta for Android Update Squashes Bugs

February 1, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

Chrome Beta for Android received its fourth update in the last two weeks, with Google clearly committed to a rapid development cycle. Version 25.0.1362.64 brings a number of bug fixes and stability improvements. Through my use I found this update to Chrome Beta helped with some of the flashing screens and other wonky behavior experienced since it first debuted.

The update began rolling out Friday. If you have not received it, then head to Google Play and check the “My Apps” list to be prompted for the download. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, App Updates, News

Sliding Messaging Pro is Strong Android SMS Replacement

February 1, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

While the stock messaging app on Android does the job well enough, it lacks some of the features that power users are used to maximizing in other components of Android.

Unfortunately many of the third-party messaging apps are buggy or just plain ugly. Sliding Messenger makes a strong run at being feature-complete enough to take over one’s communication duties. As the name implies it uses the Jelly Bean-favored sliding panels to quickly move between a conversation, messaging list, or beginning a new SMS.

It also has more options for customizing the messaging experience. You can choose a different vibrating sequence and notification light; the former is something I missed when switching from an iPhone to a Galaxy Nexus (I since have moved on to a Nexus 4). [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, Messaging, Posts, Productivity, Reviews

Google+, Google Play Music Updates Boost Utility

January 31, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

One of the advantages I found when switching my primary device to Android was the pace of development in native system apps. That was on display with some nice updates for Google Play Music and Google+.

Google+ page managers get some very welcome additional options in version 3.5, such as more moderation capabilites for community managers, improved notifications and access to the clipboard for sharing content. Page owners can now promote, review, or ban members from a community. they also can remove or restore posts that were marked for review. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, App Updates, Jelly Bean, News

Press 1.1 Improves Elegant Android RSS App

January 19, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

Press, the best RSS reader for Android, is out with an update which enhances what is already a great reading experience. The new version makes the performance quicker and adds some features that will be helpful for power users who want to blast through a large number of articles.

Unsatisfied with the current state of RSS readers on Android, developers Jordan Beck and Jay Ohms created an app that demonstrates how design is quickly improving on Android. It is another sign that since Jelly Bean many Android developers are stepping up their game to make the platform rival iOS when it comes to polish and beauty. To navigate through articles, users can swipe forward and back to quickly view an article and return to the list. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, App Updates, News, News, Reviews

MightyText Comes to Android Tablets

December 27, 2012 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

MightyText has shown that one doesn’t have to be locked into a proprietary messaging network in order to have a great, cross-platform tool.

MightyText, which has already created a great web app for keeping your SMS conversations synced between the web and an Android phone, now has a dedicated app for Android tablets.

This means if you have the MightyText Android app installed on your phone, you can send and reply to messages from your tablet, such as a Nexus 7 or Nexus 10.

Unlike iMessage, which only works with iOS devices, MightyText uses SMS to enable messaging to any mobile phone. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, Messaging, Posts, Reviews

Applorer Finds Free Android Games

December 18, 2012 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

While iOS gamers have Game Center and other third-party gaming community apps, the scene has been far more scarce on Android. Applorer wants to change this, churning out an update to its free game recommendation app.

Applorer wants to harness the power of your group of friends to find more games, using a player’s history, reviews, and what other friends have spent time playing.

The interface certainly takes inspiration from Google+, with friends added to circles and creative use of white space. Slide from the left to reveal groups. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, Games, New Apps, News, Posts, Reviews

Facebook for Android Gets Faster with Code Rewrite

December 15, 2012 by Derek Walter 1 Comment

Facebook for Android finally has some parity with its iOS counterpart. The recent update to version 2.0 for Android devices vastly improves the app’s speed and performance, which until now had been desperately behind Apple’s mobile platform.

The focus of the effort is one area: speed.

After using it over the weekend I can say it is a much more pleasant experience than I previously had on Android with Facebook. The iOS version still trumps it with more features, but for now the speed improvement is welcome.

Menus appear almost instantaneously. Some of the more improved graphical touches are here, such as pop out menus for comments and a more animated “Like” button.

Also, when opening the menu on the left the new sections load almost instantly. A notification bar appears at the top of the application to inform you about new stories added to the stream.

[Read more...]