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May

Amazon App Store Updated To 2.6.53, Bringing Test Drive Capability To Android Devices

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

One of the great things about Amazon's App Store is that its online interface allows users to "test drive" apps before deciding to download them. This functionality definitely comes in handy, especially when mulling over the decision whether to buy a paid app.

In an update to the App Store app today, Amazon – besides fixing a download bug and improving stability – introduced its Test Drive feature, meaning users can preview apps right from the palm of their hand before downloading.

If you've already grabbed the update but don't see the Test Drive button, don't fear – it seems that the functionality is being introduced in stages.

May

[Weekend Poll] Voice Control Apps: Future Or Fad?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Applications, Galaxy S III, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Follow Up: Is Gaming On Android Lackluster?

Though voice control apps have been around for quite some time, it took Apple's release of Siri to bring the functionality to the mainstream. Now, competing manufacturers are trying to push out similar services. Samsung's first to the punch with a Vlingo-based "S Voice" service, though it remains to be seen how well it works. Google, too, is rumored to be working on improved Google Voice Actions, reportedly named Assistant.

Debates over the usefulness of voice control have cropped up around the Android Police offices before, with the team fairly split on the topic.

May

Lookout Ad Network Detector Now Snooping Out SellARing

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Apps/Games, News

With the advent of the latest and greatest APIs, amazing new apps have been made possible. Unfortunately, these developments have also given rise to another, more insidious trend on Google Play: cruel and unusual advertising. For example, ad network SellARing allows developers to play a 10-second audio ad whenever users make a phone call.

Fortunately, Lookout recently released an app called "Ad Network Detector" to help with such obnoxious, intrusive ads; however, up until today, SellARing was not among the detected networks. No more - as of the latest update, version 1.2, Ad Detector users can identify apps that use SellARing; as with other ad networks, once the applications have been identified, Lookout gives you the option of opting out of the ads, getting more information about them, or completely uninstalling the apps that trigger them.

May

[New App] Hojoki Combines Your Favorite Cloud Productivity Services Into One Handy News Feed

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

The world of the future has some pretty great products to keep productive. Things like Google Calendar, Dropbox, Evernote, and a myriad of other services all aim to make our lives easier and more cloud-centric. Trouble is that these services are all separate. When a group you're working with adds a new event to a Google Calendar, adds some relevant files to Dropbox, and scribbles some notes in Evernote, that's three different sites you need to track. Hojoki aims to alleviate this problem by creating a news feed of all your cloud-based services.

The app supports a wide variety of cloud services.

May

Google Play Store Expands Carrier Billing Options To Include Books, Movies, And Music On Sprint

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in News, Sprint

Last Updated: August 23rd, 2012

Two weeks ago, Google announced a series of expansions to carrier billing options for Play Store Apps, Movies, Books, and Music on various carriers. While some changes went into effect immediately, Sprint, which already allowed direct billing for apps, was one carrier that was listed as "coming soon."

As of today, all three additional options are available to Sprint customers: books, music, and movies. Not surprisingly, carrier billing is the default option since it's by far the cheapest to carriers and Google as they get to bypass credit card fees. While this addition doesn't benefit everyone, I can see a few handy uses for carrier billing:

you don't own a credit card at all
you don't want to add a credit card to your Wallet account for some reason, be it security, paranoia, or a medical condition that prevents you from typing 16 digits in a row (also known as laziness)
you don't want to pollute your credit card statement with multiple charges
you don't want your significant others with access to your credit card statement to see what you're doing

Enjoy, Sprinters!

May

Someecards Releases Android App, Can Instantly Make You Seem 100% Funnier

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Applications, News

Last Updated: May 17th, 2012

We've all seen the hilarious eCards that pop up on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and reddit (over and over and over...), but you may not know that they come from Someecards. The company has an iOS app, but otherwise the only way to get the hilarious goods right to your mobile device was to visit the site directly. Not anymore, as the company released an Android app a few weeks ago to little fanfare.

From acclaimed humor site, someecards.com, comes something extremely similar to acclaimed humor site, someecards.com. Welcome to the brand new someecards Android application! Everything you love and practically nothing you dislike about the site is now at your fingertips or thumbs!

May

Goodbye, Amazon Appstore

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications

Today, I uninstalled the Amazon Appstore and bought all the FAOTD (free app of the day) apps I've been really using. Why did I do it? Because, mildly put, the Amazon Appstore app, which is required for all Amazon-installed apps to run and perform their license checks, has affected my battery life in very negative ways. Even if you never open it, it will keep running in the background, using up valuable CPU cycles, keeping the device awake when it should be sleeping.

Now, this may not happen to everyone - it's possible that a combination of events leads to this unacceptable behavior, or maybe it's having certain apps installed - I'm not sure.

May

[Review] Turntable.fm On Android: It's Fantastic If You Have A Good Network And A Bit Of Luck

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, Reviews

We've been waiting on turntable.fm to land on Android for a while now. Well, it's finally here! The music sharing service has been available for a little over a year on desktop machines. The concept is simple: DJs join a room and share songs with an audience that can then vote on whether a song is Awesome or Lame. It's a great concept for sharing music.

The only thing that could make it better is if you could listen to (or DJ!) a room while away from your computer. iOS users have been able to do this for a couple months, and now Android users can join the fray.

May

Savored Launches Official App For Android, Offers Free Reservations, Discounted Dining Up To 40% Off In Select US Cities

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Savored, an app exclusively partnered with OpenTable to bring users an excellent reservation system and great savings, launched officially on Android today, bringing users in select cities across the country the ability to book reservations at quality dining establishments and save a ton of cash at the same time.

Savored's arrival on Android coincides with the end of its $10 booking fee, meaning reservations (along with membership) are totally free. Better still, the incredible discounts Savored offers are coupon-less, with discounts applied automatically to your bill.

The only down side to Savored is that it is as yet only available in select cities (including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

May

Viggle For Android Gets Beta App – Let Your Inner Couch Potato Free, Earn Tangible Rewards For Checking Into Your Favorite TV Shows

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Viggle, a TV check-in app that's already seen popularity on iOS, has just seen its first beta release for Android. Viggle, for those who don't know, allows users to check in to their favorite TV shows. The app accomplishes this by "listening" to audio and comparing the sounds it hears to a database, matching them with a certain television show.

What makes Viggle more interesting than many check-in apps is that users can earn tangible rewards. By checking in to TV shows, users earn points (specially featured shows offer more points), and those points can be redeemed for everything from sweepstakes entries to gift cards and electronic gizmos.