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Feb

[Hands-On] Android Market Web Store: Get Your App On Anytime, Anywhere

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Android OS, App Reviews, Apps/Games, Google, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Android users have been clamoring for an official online Android Market solution for ages, and today, El Goog finally delivered with the Android Market Web Store. Once the issues with the "Sign in" button (clicking it returned an 'Invalid Request' error) were fixed, we didn't think twice about delving in and giving it an in-depth look. Read on for our first impressions!

Front Page

The front page of market.android.com (aka the Android Market Web Store) is simple, clean, and sexy - just the way we like it. Across the very top, there are links to other Google services (i.e. Gmail, Calendar, Docs, etc.), as well as links to "My Market Account" (more on that below), "My Account," and "Sign out." Below that is the good old Android Market logo and a Search box.

Feb

Sony Ericsson X8 And X10 Receiving Software Updates Now, Multitouch Finally Included (For The X10)

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Sony Ericsson, Xperia X10 (es209ra), Xperia X8 (Shakira)

The impossible has happened: thanks to a new software update, the Xperia X10's Internet and Maps applications are finally multitouch-capable. And as if that weren't exciting enough for X10 owners, the update also introduces support for bi-directional languages (i.e. Arabic, Farsi, Thai, and Hebrew) - a nice addition, though definitely not as high up on most users' wish lists as a version of Android more recent than 2.1 (or 1.6, if you're using AT&T's edition of the device).

And here's where things get interesting for X8 users - you guys are also getting this update, albeit with multitouch stripped out. Hey - if it's any consolation, the new software will make your devices compatible with ANT+, which enables support for "things like heart rate monitors."

Rikard Skogberg from the official Sony Ericsson blog says the update is now available via PC Companion, while an OTA is currently rolling out to "most markets." It isn't yet clear whether AT&T X10 users are getting this update, but I certainly hope so - otherwise, Big Blue headquarters might soon be a little...

Jan

Kongregate Makes A Few Tweaks To Its App, Submits It To The Android Market Once More

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, News

Having your app unceremoniously pulled from the Market just a few short hours after it launches can certainly be discouraging, but the developers behind Kongregate Arcade didn't let that stop them from trying again.

Indeed, Kongregate Arcade has returned to the Android Market, albeit with a few tweaks intended to please Google. Most importantly, the app no longer downloads game data to users' SD cards; instead, the information is stored in the standard browser cache (Kongregate Arcade is actually a WebKit-based browser with some heavy modifications). Additionally, the address bar is visible when the app is loading a game (though it switches back to full-screen mode shortly afterward); in the original version, the URL was completely hidden from the user.

Jan

Google Introduces New Weather Widget On Mobile Site For U.S. Android And iPhone Users

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Apps/Games, News

For anybody who is still using their mobile browser to get weather information, Google has made a neat addition to their mobile site. By searching "weather," you'll see the new widget, and in addition to the same information you'd see regularly, it now has a slider that allows you to see an hour-by-hour forecast of the day. Temperature, wind speed, precipitation, and humidity will change, as will the background of the widget to reflect the time of day.

This isn't anything too different than what you would see in a weather app, but the fact that it's all done within the browser makes a strong case for the future of web apps.

Jan

Dolphin Browser Mini Leaves Beta, Hits 1.0

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

My current browser of choice, Dolphin HD, gained a little brother a few months ago, when Dolphin Mini (beta) was born. It was lighter, faster, and more elegant, yet still functional and robust. After over 50,000 downloads and weeks of testing, the Dolphin team just released v1.0 of the Mini, meaning it's officially out of beta and stable for everyday use.

Improvements in the latest version include:

UI upgrade ( menu & toolbox )
Add Bookmarks Label
Add on demand/ enable flash plugin
Data backup & restore
Quick access to clean data

If you haven't given Dolphin Mini a fair chance yet, I suggest you try it out by scanning the barcode below or clicking it if you're on your mobile:

Jan

CES 2011: Opera For Tablets Demo [Video]

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Applications, News, Videos

Opera Software's Jeremy Forrester spent some time showing off Opera's latest browser, which was designed specifically for tablets. The browser was shown running on Samsung's Galaxy Tab.

The browser is not completely finished, but you can get a good idea of how it performs in the video above. It works nicely with Adobe Flash and should provide a familiar experience to those who are have used Opera's previous mobile browsers. More info will be made available by Opera come MWC in February.

Jan

Opera For Tablets Previewed, Looks As Slick As Ever

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Applications, News

Opera already has one of the most popular alternate browsers for Android phones, and now it seems they're moving into the tablet territory with Opera for Tablets, a new version of their browser with a revamped UI that takes advantage of tablets' larger screen size. You won't find much information besides that in the video below, but CES is just days away, so you can look forward to seeing the app in action then.

Source: YouTube via Phandroid

Dec

Dolphin Browser Mini Goes Into Public Beta, Offers Much Faster Performance All Around

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, News

Do you feel the need for speed? Apparently you aren't alone, as Dolphin Browser Mini has just gone into public beta on the Market. The app offers numerous improvements over the regular version of Dolphin Browser as well as the HD version, including:

High speed responsibility [sic]

Speed Dial Homepage

Innovative Menu design

Infinite tabs browsing

Intelligent back & forward button

Like its ancestors, it also features a variety of innovative gestures, bookmark syncing, private browsing, and a host of other features not found in the stock Android browser. Here's a really nice cross-reference chart for those not immediately seeing the differences:

Notably missing? Themes support, one of the features that made the original two Dolphin Browsers so great.

Nov

Rockmelt On Your Phone? Skyfire 3.0 Brings Facebook Integration And More Social Features

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Applications, News

Alternative browser Skyfire made waves with a previous update that allowed it to play Flash videos on any device, and the latest update to version 3 has even more features that most other browsers are lacking - built-in Facebook integration, notably similar to recently released PC/Mac browser RockMelt.

In addition to aforementioned ability to play Flash videos, Skyfire now includes the following social features:

Popular Content
instantly see what content on the site is most popular with your friends and the Facebook community

Fireplace Feed Reader
nothing but the links from your Facebook feed. Simple and addictive

Facebook Portal Integration
one-touch access to your Facebook feed, profile, places and status updates

Skyfire Search
simple way to search across Facebook, Google, VideoSurf, Twitter and more

As Adobe's official Flash player comes to more devices, Skyfire really does need a new hook, but I'm not sure Facebook integration is going to be it.

Nov

[Updated: Now In The Market] Opera Mobile 10.1 Beta Now Available For Android, Pinch To Zoom And YouTube Support

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Applications, Apps/Games, News

It's been but a few weeks since Opera's announcement of Opera Mobile for Android at their Up North Web conference, and now the browser is out there navigating the maze of tubes that is the Internet. While they didn't quite meet their "within the month (October)" promise, we can forgive them for wanting to polish things a little further.

However, glancing at Opera Mobile for the first time, your look might be one of the askance variety; "What's this? It looks just like Opera Mini!". While this is true, the real differentiation in the Mobile version versus the Mini version is beneath the hood.