TheAppPlanet

Evernote Smart Notebooks Now Work with Android

March 25, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

Evernote Smart Notebooks can finally be used with the note-taking service’s Android app. An update rolled out from Google Play early this morning which adds additional features supporting the Moleskine and Evernote Android app functionality.

The notebooks are a collaboration between Evernote and Moleskine, blending the traditional note taking of pen and paper with the evolution in digital file-keeping. Through a series of stickers users are able to take pictures of their handwritten notes for easy filing inside of Evernote. The paper is also said to be designed by Evernote for better picture quality.

The new version of the app also includes a “Page Camera,” which is designed for more accurate digitization of physical documents and pages.

The Moleskine notebooks have been available for several months in tandem with the company’s iOS apps. Today’s Android app update brings these specific Evernote features to devices powered with Google’s mobile operating system.

Those who purchase one of the Moleskine notebooks get a three-month subscription to Evernote Premium, which includes the more robust camera features, offline storage and additional space for saving files.

Evernote Premium subscribers also now have access to search in attached office documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with the latest Android app.

Filed Under: Android, App Updates, News, Posts

Google Keep for Android Review

March 21, 2013 by Derek Walter 1 Comment

If there has been one major hole in Google’s ecosystem it has been the lack of a native note-taking app. Google Play is filled with the likes of Evernote, Catch, and others built around idea saving. It would appear that Google saw a lot of information that was going to other services instead of its Google Drive.

Enter Google Keep - the company’s effort at recording one’s thoughts or short lists. The content in the Android app syncs in real time with Google Keep on the web (full integration isn’t there yet, but Google says it is coming). It has a clever interface that is built to mimic post-it notes without the excessive skeuomorphism of the iOS Notes app.

What I like best is how it is built for rapidly launching a new note. It is perfect for that confirmation number, address, phone number, or other snippet of information that you quickly need to take down. For example, when opening the app it is only one tap to begin writing a new note.

Another clever trick – when you click “show check boxes” it will transform the current text into a list with boxes. Feel free to tick them and clean out the to-do list.

Change the color of notes by tapping the color palette icon on the top right corner. Also, tap and hold a note to rearrange its position within the application. Each app can also be shared with Android’s excellent sharing feature, deleted, or archived. [Read more...]

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

Gmail for Android Adds Reply, Archive to Notification Shade

March 18, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

The Notification Shade is one of those differentiating factors in Android, so Google clearly wants to use it to its advantage. It has done so today with a tweak to its Gmail for Android app, allowing users to reply to messages or archive them directly from the notification.

Additionally, search works faster in Gmail and has more predictive options. I fond it helpful for finding email contacts or popular topics that I needed to resurrect from the vast archives.

The feature is rolling out to Google Play today. I had to manually force the update – go directly to the Gmail app page to make that happen.

Image credit: Official Gmail blog

Filed Under: Android, App Updates, News Tagged With: Android, Gmail, Gmail for Android

Feedly Cures Google Reader Blues

March 18, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

After spending some time using Feedly I began to think all the weeping and gnashing of teeth over Google Reader was overblown. Feedly is a robust, cross-platform RSS tool that all Google Reader nomads should consider as their new home.

In fact, the developers have smartly included some guidelines for customizing Feedly to look and act much like Reader. This is because Feedly has enough flexibility to give a Flipboard-like magazine experience or the utilitarian look of a traditional RSS reader.

While some have argued that RSS is past its utility, for many it still has an important function. For example, I subscribe to several product feeds from Google, Apple, Microsoft and others that aren’t designed for an imaginative layout. Such posts are short and designed for quick updates.

Power users will also want to learn Feedly’s keyboard shortcuts, which will help transition to zipping through a large number of sources.

Feedly looks great in the browser and has apps for iOS, Android, and Kindle. While Reeder and Press are both excellent apps and will likely recover from Google’s decision, Feedly has an inherent advantage with its cross-platform appeal and free price tag (the browser version has occasional advertising.) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, App Updates, iPad, iPhone, News, Posts, Reviews Tagged With: Google Reader, RSS Readers

Google Reader Shutdown Sends Developers Scrambling

March 14, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

Google’s announcement that it was nixing Google Reader will not only disrupt those who use the service to read their feeds. Many of the most popular news reading apps like Reeder and Press use Google Reader to pull in their data. It makes it simple for users to quickly log in with one’s Google account credentials and see a list of all of one’s RSS feeds.

Developers were quick to react Wednesday, pledging to continue on despite what was disappointing news.

Jay Ohms, developer of the Press app for Android, said his team already is working on a solution.

“We’re as surprised as everyone to hear about the death of Google Reader,” he said. “We’ve put a ton of work into Press and will do everything we can to keep it alive and an app that people love. We’ll be looking over all our syncing options over the coming weeks, but our plan is to absolutely carry Press into the post-Google Reader world.”
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, iPad, iPhone, News, Posts

Follow The Conclave With These Apps

March 13, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

The process of selecting a Pope may be centuries old, but mobile apps are helping send the message as soon as smoke leaves the chimney. A number of developers have updated existing apps or cranked out new ones in order to keep the public informed on the selection of the next pontiff.

Conclave: This app was jammed together by the developers to serve as a resource, or something. It is a small piece of a larger Logos Bible Software company, which creates Bible software for all major desktop and mobile operating systems. (iOS) (Android)

The Cardinal bios section is rather interesting, with a trending list of the candidates supplied by the NewAdvent.com buzz meter. If you feel like checking out the previous 2,000 years of church history, hit up that section as well. Nearly all the links are to desktop web sites, so browsing can be kind of a pain. However, there are plenty of great historical snippets, especially stuff about the antipopes.

The Pope App: While less imaginative, this is the official application of the Vatican news agency. When a new Pope is elected, this will serve as the official mobile application. (iOS) (Android)

Radio Vaticana: The Vatican has a surprisingly robust multimedia presence, and this app offers the official Vatican radio network along with its other sources of media.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, iPhone, New Apps, News

Haiku Deck Builds Image-Friendly Presentations

March 10, 2013 by Derek Walter 1 Comment

Haiku Deck is an iPad-native presentation application designed to mesmerize an audience with eye-popping images. It has several advantages for those looking for a simple, straightforward way to build a powerful slide show.

In many ways it is the anti-PowerPoint. It gets the excessive number of tweaks and design decisions out of the way, allowing the user to focus primarily on the text and images for each presentation (they are called decks in Haiku-speak). It also is share-friendly: with just one tap users can share through a social network, e-mail, posting to a blog or placing it in .ppt format. (Below is a quick deck I created on the subject of hyperbole).

Haiku Deck has several themes, such as origami or cinematic, to give each presentation an original flavor. Along with those stock themes are eleven premium options available for $1.99 each. After using the application for a while it may make sense to increase the available features for a couple of dollars. For those who start building several decks some extra flexibility might be welcome. [Read more...]

Filed Under: iPad, Productivity, Reviews

Doceri Desktop Empowers iPad-Using Teachers

March 8, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

As more school districts begin deploying the iPad to teachers and students it has created a small industry focused on how to best engage one’s class.

Doceri has become one of my favorite applications for doing this. Its strength relies on its good set of whiteboard-style tools combined with the flexibility to connect remotely through a computer. This solution is ideal for those who can not connect wirelessly to a projector or have a school network that blocks AirPlay.

While an interactive whiteboard is a powerful tool, the flexibility of being able to walk around the room is equally beneficial. It can create a more compelling classroom presence for monitoring behavior and engaging more directly with students.

Beyond the connection solution is the strong set of tools for enhancing lessons or other presentations. You can annotate over the desktop and use the iPad as a mouse to control a Windows or Mac computer. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, iPad, Posts, Reviews

Sync Forms in Chrome Beta for Android

March 6, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

Just after updating the iOS versions of its Chrome browser, Google is back to pumping out more features in the beta version of its Android browser forward by adding in autofill, password sync and speed boosting technology.

It only works for those who are currently running both the beta version of Chrome on their desktop as well as Android device. For early adopters, however, it has been another effort in making the mobile browsing experience similar to using a computer.

For those who fee like being experimental Google is also using its data compression technology for a faster experience. To turn it on, type chrome://flags in to the browser’s Omnibox. Then, check the box for the setting titled, “Enable Data Compression Proxy.”

Google claims this can speed up browsing by up to 50 percent. I can’t speak to the specifics of the data, but my experience was that it was very rapid when surfing through a large number of sites, both on HSPA+ and over WiFi.

As always, the beta version can be on the buggy side, so proceed with caution and be willing to keep other browsers on standby. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, App Updates, News, Posts

Versu is for Readers who want Choice

March 5, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

Versu is like Choose Your Own Adventures books – readers take control of a key character and determine the outcome through a series of decisions.

The stories are either a reworking of classic novels or written to appeal to those who would be interested in such stories. It will definitely appeal to a higher-brow student who enjoys reading and engaging with text.

For example, play through a scene from Pride and Prejudice with the story, “The Unwelcome Proposal.” As Elizabeth’s cousin, you must fend off an overeager suitor who is convinced marriage with your character is meant to be.

After using the stock stories that come with the application, there is a store button for purchasing other titles to read and manipulate.
The stories include mystery and elements of character development in order to take the reader through the journey of choosing the best path through the narrative. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Posts

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

The Pope App is Conclave Ready

March 1, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

So there may not be a Pope right now (Sede Vacante for those who want to touch up on their Latin), but there still is an app.

The Pope App is a good resource for those who want to follow the ecclesiastical sweepstakes soon taking place at the Vatican. For an institution as ancient as the Roman Catholic Church, it has an impressive amount of multimedia contained in its mobile app for iOS and Android.

The sidebar menu contains links to the articles, videos and radio broadcasts from news.va, which is an official Vatican news source. There are also a number of live webcam feeds from locations such as St. Peter’s Square.

The recent events of Benedict XVI’s resignation triggered a number of articles and videos, which make for interesting content for anyone interested in modern religious trends. The pope’s final days include video of his last address as well as the helicopter journey to the Papal version of Camp David. There is also a link to an archive of the @pontifex Twitter account, which has now been wiped clean and contains the icon used for a vacant papacy.

For those looking for further news on all things Pope, there are several other official and unofficial applications for one’s perusal. [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Posts, Reviews

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

Plants vs. Zombies for iOS is Free (For Now)

February 21, 2013 by Derek Walter Leave a Comment

plants-vs-zombies

Considering that this is probably a temporary promotion, be sure to grab Plants vs. Zombies for free on your iOS device. This is one of the original strong games that debuted when the iPad launched. I spent a considerable amount of time loitering at my local Best Buy playing the game before deciding to purchase my own iPad.

For anyone unfamiliar with the game, players must use a variety of plant life to defend against an invasion of (mostly) slow zombies. The strategy involves upgrading plants and weaponry as the zombies become faster and more adept at dodging the defenses. [Read more...]

Filed Under: App Updates, iPad, iPhone, News

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