business - 2/2 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Dec

AT&T Toggle Hits The Android Market – Keep Business And Pleasure Separate With The Click Of A Button

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Applications, AT&T, News

You might remember mention of a new AT&T service called Toggle last month, a service which promised to allow enterprise users to access corporate email, calendars and contacts securely from whatever Android device they choose to purchase, while separately maintaining their personal data. AT&T's official Toggle app hit the Android Market today, heralding the beginning of the service, and bringing hugely useful functionality to enterprise users concerned with keeping their business and personal activities separate.

AT&T Toggle essentially allows users to operate in two different modes on a single device: a personal mode, which acts just like your stock device, and a business mode, which allows access to corporate email, calendars etc.

Nov

[New App] Eventbrite Easy Entry Makes It Simple To Check In Event Attendees And Monitor Attendance

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

While this app may not be useful to everyone out there, the concept is still pretty cool and could be quite useful for those who handle event management, ticket tracking, workshops, etc.

So, what is Eventbrite? It's a service that allows you to create and manage events, sell tickets, and keep track of attendees. The Eventbrite Easy Entry Android app is a key part of the service, as it allows you to scan the QR codes from tickets, essentially keeping up with who is there. The app syncs back to Eventbrite's servers in real time, which means you can have multiple devices scanning at the same time without fear of repeat scanning.

Sep

Weather And Business Apps The Top Grossing Categories On Android, Games Come In At Number Seven

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Android OS, Applications, News

Each month, Research2Guidance puts out a report on Android Market paid apps, which includes how they stack up against each other. The current state of the Market is somewhat of a surprise, as weather and business apps hold the top two grossing spots, with productivity, media & video, and books & reference rounding out the top five. However, one of the most downloaded categories on the Market - games - doesn't show up on the list until number seven, suggesting users would rather download a free game, rather than pay for one.

If you're looking to make money on Android, though, R2G suggests focusing on business apps, as it's highly unlikely for anyone to make "yet-another great weather app."

For more information, check out the full edition of Android Market Insights, available for free at Research2Guidance's website.

Jul

The Economist Lands On Android, Brings Exclusivity And Class To Your Handheld

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

UK based news publication The Economist released its official Android app into the Market today, bringing all of the features of the magazine to your handset. This app differs a bit from other publication based apps, as the download is free, and offers free access to editor's highlights - no subscription required. Naturally, if you are already a subscriber, you can access full cover-to-cover versions of the magazine, download them for offline viewing, switch between reading and listening, and access/download pervious issues.

The Economist app also utilizes in-app purchases for people who only want occasional access. If you see an edition of the mag that you're interested in, simply grab your device and buy it - no need to buy a full subscription.

Jul

Bloomberg Brings Tablet-Friendly App To The Android Market

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

If you're the business-minded-Android-tablet-toting type, then grab your beloved Honeycomb device and fire up the Android Market, as a tablet-friendly version of the Bloomberg app is now live. With this app you can grab the latest news, market data, and portfolio information, as well as charts and graphs, so you can stay on top of the latest business trends.

Although the Market listing claims that this app will work on Android 2.1+, that doesn't seem to be the case, as I couldn't install it on my phone at all - only my Galaxy Tab 10.1. In its current state, the app is little more than a glorified, expanded version of the phone app, but I have little doubt that more Honeycomb features will be added as the application is updated.

Apr

Business Insider Publishes Results Of Smartphone Survey: Android Dominates, And Lots Of People Hate Apple

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, News

If you're a frequent reader, you may remember hearing about the Business Insider Smartphone Survey, which we called out for its biased title and questions. As promised, they have posted the results, and much as we expected, Android absolutely dominated.

51.4% of respondents use an Android device (versus 33% for iPhone).
54.4% said their next smartphone purchase would be an Android device, compared to a (still impressive) 33.6% for the iPhone.
55.7% of Android owners "hate Apple" (heh). 31.2% of Android owners would consider an iPhone if it played better with non-Apple devices.
Platform was the most important feature when choosing a smartphone with 38.2%, while features came in second at 33.1%.

Apr

Follow Up: Business Insider Closes Smartphone Survey, Starts A (Nearly) Identical One With A Less Moronic Name

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, News

Over the weekend, we posted about a pant-crappingly stupid (and biased) survey posted by Silicon Alley Insider called "WHY WOULD ANYONE EVER BUY AN ANDROID PHONE? Take Our Smartphone Survey And Tell Us!" A few dozen of you posted in the comments to criticize just how biased SAI was with the survey, and a large number of you followed through to take it.

It looks like they may have realized the faux pas - to an extent, anyway - as they closed that one down (without tabulating the results) and reopened a new one. On the upside, the new survey has a new title: "OUR SMARTPHONE SURVEY: Please Take It!

Apr

Motorola Working On Ruggedized Android Tablet, Presumably For Rugged Individuals

Posted by David Ruddock in Gingerbread 2.3, Motorola, News, Rumors

From today's "probably should have seen it coming" pile, Engadget has come into possession of what looks like a presentation slide for a ruggedized Android tablet being developed by Motorola:

I know, the text is illegible, so here are the main points to take home:

7" capacitive LCD
1GHz dual-core TI OMAP processor
1GB RAM, 8GB NAND onboard storage
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera
Stylus for signature capture
Removable battery good for 5.5 hours of video
Can withstand 4' drop onto plywood (oak, cherry, ash, maple certifications pending)
Works in temperatures of 0-50 degrees Celsius
Tons of enterprise-friendly security
Fingerprint scanner

This device is clearly targeted towards business, and probably specifically towards businesses with employees out in the field, where the tablet's ruggedized nature will protect it from the harsh, plywood-filled world.

Nov

Yelp Android App v2.5 Introduces Check-in Offers

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

Yelp's mobile app on Android just got an update to version 2.5, introducing just one feature - check-in offers. Check-in offers are new to Yelp but not new in the industry - 4square pioneered the concept, followed by Facebook and SCVNGR. Yelp introduced mobile check-ins in July of this year.

The basic idea is whenever you check into a business using the mobile app, you may be presented with a discount coupon in one of these 3 categories: % off, free item, or fixed discounted price. Just show the coupon at the register to claim the item - no printing or planning necessary.