30
May
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Last Updated: February 8th, 2012

Photo syncing is not a novel idea at all - there are countless solutions that do it on a regular basis, but instant photo uploading the moment it is taken is something I've been looking forward to for a long time. And now it's here, thanks to Chris Soyars, aka ctso - one of the senior CyanogenMod developers.

Chris's new app, DropSnap, has a very simple purpose - get your photos synced up to the cloud the moment you take them. I'm not exaggerating - it really is that fast (of course, depending on your data connection). For example, on Wi-Fi, freshly snapped pictures were synced to Dropbox and back to my computer before I could open my mouth and say "Android rocks".

21
May
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Thumb Keyboard, a multi-layout keyboard compatible with both phones and tablets, is, in my opinion, the absolute best single piece of software you can grace your precious tablet with (see our review for more details).

The split-key design allows for comfortable typing without having to reach too far, and the number of bells and whistles keeps increasing with every release. Different designs for each orientation, multiple themes, multiple size customizations, a multitude of layouts (phone standard, phone split, 5", 7", and 10"), 34 languages... I can go on and on.

I've tried the stock keyboard, SwiftKey Tablet, and the Samsung keyboard, but none of them come even close to Thumb Keyboard.

20
May
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Firefox for Android has come a long way since the project hatched as "Fennec" many months ago - there is no doubt about that. What started as a bloated, slow, and buggy pile of crap (really, it was bad), is now one of the greatest browsers Android has to offer (add-ons ftw!). Don't get me wrong - it's still lacking quite a few features - notably, Flash support, faster font redraw on zooming, better startup times, etc., but Mozilla knows this and is working hard on the next version - 5.0.

In order to test out new (but potentially buggy) builds, the company decided to introduce a separate Beta app into the Market today.

18
May
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While browsing some new arrivals this afternoon, I noticed that Qik, one of the large players in the mobile video chat business, today released an app called Qik for Samsung, clearly targeted at users of Samsung Android devices. Qik has been releasing apps customized to certain classes of devices, or even individual ones, for as long as I can remember, starting with the EVO 4G last year, so seeing yet another variant doesn't surprise me (see Qik for Sprint, Qik for T-Mobile, and Qik for Atrix).

What is not clear is exactly what is optimized for Samsung devices compared to the regular Qik app and whether higher resolution video is available, so I'm going to leave it to you, Samsung device owners, to figure out and report back.

11
May
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Last Updated: August 2nd, 2011

I've never been a big proponent of using folders on my home screen; I'm the kind of guy that can fit all the apps he uses frequently on a 5x5 grid. With the possible exception for a "Games" folder, I find them pretty useless. I mean, the app drawer itself is one big folder, and if there's anything I really need to access, it goes on my front page.

folder organizer 1 folder organizer 2 folder organizer 3

However, I've been playing around with a tool that's making the maintenance and use of folders a bit more practical. The aptly-named Folder Organizer adds a number of features to folders and transforms them from "drag to the icon" affairs to something a bit more automated.

04
May
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Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Like a lot of users, I'm guilty of mashing the "install" button when I'm in the Marketplace and ignoring those lovely warnings that tell me what permissions apps want to use. This isn't really the best practice to keep, especially in the wake of all this location-tracking madness that's been plaguing both Android and iOS.

While I'm not exactly sheepish about what my location data says about me, not caring about the rights that you have as a user (and the rights that you're letting apps take advantage of) just shows a lack of responsibility. While I'm not saying what Google and Apple did was right, I think it's part of our duty as enlightened tech fans to make sure our best interests are being looked after.

04
May
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If you're into reading, you've probably heard of Goodreads, a site that allows users to keep track of their reading collections, get social book recommendations, read reviews, collect quotes, and even form a book club. Us, Android folks, love to manage things on the go, and the new Goodreads app, announced on May 2nd, is here to satisfy all of your recommendation cravings and organizational OCDs.

The app lets you sign into your Goodreads account and manage your past, current, and future reading lists, search the book catalog, read friend and community reviews, and find book recommendations. There is really not much else to it, so if you want to take the Goodreads experience with you while on the go, head over to the Market and download the free app to your device.

03
May
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Ever since my visit to Google I/O last year, I've been waiting for this year's event with great anticipation - after all, I/O still remains the most exciting conference for Android fans and developers. To help attendees navigate around it, this morning Google updated the official I/O app that has been sitting idle for almost a year.

If you're trying to manage all the sessions on your own, just stop - this is exactly what the I/O app will do for you. You can see the whole schedule, including all the necessary details, star the ones you want to attend, take notes (using Catch integration), and guide yourself around the floor.

23
Apr
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Last Updated: April 24th, 2011

While browsing the XOOM xda forum today, I saw this announcement of HoneyReader, a new application built specifically with Honeycomb tablets in mind. Because it doesn't have to support pre-Honeycomb versions of the OS or small-sized phone screens altogether, the authors concentrated on making it a great tablet experience, and I must say, their first take is pretty good.

HoneyReader uses the native to Honeycomb Fragments API that on the surface translates to fluid and flexible UI elements that can divide the screen into separately scrollable independent areas with their own lifecycles. If you're familiar with the CNN app, for example, you know what I'm talking about (I personally think the Fragments API is the greatest thing in Android since...

20
Apr
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Sticking to last week's announcement, Autodesk, the maker of the popular modeling/designing/drafting AutoCAD software, released AutoCAD WS to the Android Market this morning for a low price of absolutely free.

AutoCAD® WS is a mobile CAD application that gives you the freedom and flexibility to view, edit, and share your DWG™ files on your Android phone or tablet.

AutoCAD WS mobile app offers a simplified, intuitive set of viewing, editing, and markup tools so you can work on your designs while you are on the go.

Open drawings from email attachments, sync your files from the web, or upload drawings directly from AutoCAD software.

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