apps - 47/55 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

Urbanspoon For Android Gets Yelped Out: UI Update, Nearby Restaurant Search, And Dinner Reservations

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Android OS, Applications, Apps/Games, News

Urbanspoon, the popular restaurant review website, has had its Android app treated to a huge update today. The app - which helps the user find nearby local restaurants using filters such as cost, distance and type of food - can now do much, much more.

The update features a new home screen, and also shows photos and reviews of individual restaurants. In addition to letting users sign up for an Urbanspoon account and write their own reviews, you can now also book reservations (although I could not do this in the area where I live), and connect with Facebook friends.

Feb

26 Best (And 7 WTF) New Android Apps, Games, And Live Wallpapers From Last Week (2/1/11 - 2/8/11)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News

Last Updated: September 1st, 2011

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous week or so.

After reading your comments from last week, I've raised the standards for apps that make it into the list and split them into 3 sections: Apps, Games, and Live Wallpapers. Remember, I don't make the apps, so if you don't like any of them, don't shoot the messenger (although feel free to leave a comment and tell us how you feel about that).

I've also modified the template to include both AppBrain and official web Market links.

Feb

The Race Is On Again - Fast Web Installer Returns To AppBrain

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Apps/Games, News

As the results of our Friday poll show, quite a few of you aren't convinced by Google's official Android Market Web Store; it looks like a lot of people are sticking with good old AppBrain. Well you AppBrain fans will be happy to hear that one of the site's best features - Fast Web Installer - has finally returned after being disabled back in November of 2010.

To utilize it, you'll need to download the latest versions of the AppBrain app and Fast Web Installer to your phone. Next, enable Fast Web Installer in the AppBrain app's preferences before signing into appbrain.com on your computer.

Feb

Interview With Uwe Maurer, The Co-Founder Of AppBrain: "The Android Web Market Is Here - Now What?"

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Apps/Games, Editorials, Interviews, News

Last Updated: April 14th, 2011

Google's web-based Android Market announcement earlier this week was by all means no surprise to anyone - we've been waiting for it to arrive ever since its announcement at last year's Google I/O. In the meantime, alternative web-based markets, such as AppBrain.com, have skyrocketed in popularity because they allowed Android users to browse apps and games from their computers rather than being confined to their small phone screens. Even more importantly, alternative web markets had full control over app presentation, which allowed them to develop their own app discovery mechanisms.

AppBrain is probably the best example of such innovation - it combines easy-on-the-eye looks with functional app pages that don't look overbloated with ads, and their slicing and dicing of the Market using advanced filters goes way beyond Google's - it's simply excellent.

Feb

Google Maps Update To 5.1 Brings Check-In System Through Latitude

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Applications, News

The official Google Maps app has been updated again, this time with a major addition to Latitude - check-ins. Just as Hotpot seemed to be a Yelp-killer, Google must now have Foursquare in its sights, because Latitude's check-ins have a few major advantages over Foursquare and its competitors.

Latitude will notify you when it recognizes your location, giving you the option to check-in wherever you are. However, you can also set up automatic check-ins for only the places you want, an incredibly convenient feature that still covers any privacy concerns. Whether you check-in manually or automatically, you will be checked-out once you leave (another feature Foursquare users have been asking for).

Jan

44 Best (And 7 WTF) New Android Apps And Games From Last Week (1/25/11 - 1/31/11)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News

Last Updated: April 13th, 2011

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications and games that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous week or so. WTF apps were definitely in abundance this week.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous week's roundup? Find it here: 46 Best (And 2 WTF) New Android Apps And Games From Last Week (1/18/11 – 1/24/11)

Note: I've removed the Texty application from this list after some valid concerns about its legitimacy - thanks Nexuz-Uno.

Jan

Google Hiring Android Developers To Create Apps In-House

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, Apps/Games, News

Although, the Android Market has exploded recently, it is no secret that apps on the iOS platform consistently look and perform better. With revenues from mobile apps set to triple this year, Google is going on a mass hiring spree to find developers to create quality apps for the Android Market, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Google, like Apple, takes a 30% cut for every app sold in the Market. However, with paid app sales failing to live up to expectations, Google is hoping to increase its revenue stream by improving the overall quality of the apps available in the Market.

Jan

Android Market Fails To Live Up To Google's Expectations, Improvements Needed

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, Apps/Games, Development, News

In the past year the Android platform has exploded with a number of new smartphones and tablets launching as well as significant growth in the number of apps available in the Android Market. Despite its success, Google is "not happy" with lacklustre sales of paid apps in the Market, says Eric Chu, Android's platform manager. Speaking from the Inside Social Apps conference held in San Francisco earlier this week, Chu went on to give a very broad outline of Google's plan for the Android Market in 2011.

First and foremost for Android in the new year is the in-app payment system.

Jan

46 Best (And 2 WTF) New Android Apps And Games From Last Week (1/18/11 - 1/24/11)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News

Last Updated: April 13th, 2011

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications and games that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous week or so. The list this week is MASSIVE - way to go, devs!

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous week's roundup? Find it here: 13 Best New Android Apps And Games From Last Week (1/13/11 – 1/17/11)

Best New Android Apps

Kongregate Arcade

Android Police coverage: Updated: Kongregate Arcade Launches On Android With 300+ Flash-Based Games

Arcade is a mini-Market, containing currently over 300 free Flash games, hand-picked by Kongregate.

Jan

Android Police Editors' Best-Of App Picks - Part 1: Music, Messaging, And File Transfers

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, Apps/Games, Editorials, News, Tips & Tutorials

One thing we never grow tired of on Android is the myriad selection of apps available for use in a particular purpose. Be it text messaging, music listening, or file transfers, there's always a solid grouping of well-made apps to choose from. But whose app fits your needs best? Three of us here at Android Police are going to give you our personal favorites in an ongoing rundown series. We'll give you our picks in a wide variety of areas - from home screens to instant messaging. In this week's episode, we'll be looking at music, messaging, and file transfer applications.