27
Jun
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Viggle For Android Comes Out Of Beta And Lands In The Play Store – Earn Rewards From Your Couch By Checking In To Popular TV Shows

Posted by in Applications, News

Viggle, which pairs a great idea with a funny name, is an app we covered last month during its beta period. The TV check-in app, which has already seen great success on iOS, recently landed in the Play Store though, finally out of beta.

For those not familiar with the app, Viggle essentially listens to your TV's audio (at your command), and figures out which show(s) you're watching by comparing the audio it heard to a database, rewarding points depending on the programming (for instance, promoted shows get more points). Those points can then be redeemed for tangible rewards, including everything from Starbucks gift cards to sweepstakes entries or hulu PLUS subscriptions.

07
Jun
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Foursquare Version 5.0 Hits The Play Store, Gets Rebuilt From The Ground Up

Posted by in Applications, News

Foursquare's mobile app hit the big five-point-oh today, with a brand new overhaul that's so comprehensive, the What's New section on the Play Store gave up and said "Go check it out for yourself!" The app has gotten a whole new ICS-styled look, which just looks fantastic. In addition, the app has revamped the "Explore" tab that allows you to see what's around you, encouraging more discovery, instead of mindlessly checking in whenever you happen to go to Starbucks.

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Foursquare is clearly looking to engage users more with the update, as the maps section shows. You can now see your friends' locations overlaid on a map that also highlights points of interest in your area.

09
May
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Viggle For Android Gets Beta App – Let Your Inner Couch Potato Free, Earn Tangible Rewards For Checking Into Your Favorite TV Shows

Posted by 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.

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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.

15
Nov
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[New App] Eventbrite Easy Entry Makes It Simple To Check In Event Attendees And Monitor Attendance

Posted by 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.

22
Sep
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Gowalla Updated To Version 4.0 - Removes Features, Adds Force Closes

Posted by in Applications, News

Before Facebook started offering its own 'check-in' feature, there was Gowalla and Foursquare, both of which are still widely used. The Gowalla app for Android received an update today to version 4.0 which brings "a brand new version of Gowalla! Tons of new features including Guides, Stories, and Lists, and more. [sic]" to the table. No, really. That was directly from the changelog in the Market listing. The only entry in said changelog, to be exact.

Apparently by "and more," they mean Force Closes, missing features, and removal of everything that made people love Gowalla in the first place.

Of all of the comments and ratings in the Market listing since the update went live this morning, nearly all of them are 1-star ratings with some sort of comment referring to the above mentioned changes.

29
Jun
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Yelp App Updated To Add New Groupon Now! Style "Deals" Feature

Posted by in Applications, Apps/Games, News

Yelp received an update today, and it adds a brand-new mobile-exclusive feature called Deals, which is essentially a competitor to Groupon's Groupon Now!. The Deals button found on the updated app integrates Yelp Special Offers, Check-In Offers, and its time/location-sensitive Deals all into a single, location-based menu.

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Like Groupon Now!, you can only view offers within a certain distance of your current location (which is to say, it can't be manually set). The fact that it puts together all of Yelp's discount systems into a single list is really pretty handy, but unfortunately, there's no option to filter or sort the results.

08
Mar
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Foursquare 3.0 Update Landing Tonight With An Emphasis On Discovery And Exploration

Posted by in Applications, News

 

Foursquare may be the king of the check-in game (they're boasting over 7 million users and over 500 million check-ins last year), but that won't keep them resting on their laurels. Launching tonight on the Android Market, Foursquare 3.0 will introduce several notable changes that could fundamentally alter how the service is used.

Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley explains that, because of the effort put into scaling the service for such a wide increase in users, they haven't been able to innovate and improve it as much as they hoped. But the update to version 3.0 should change that, by making use of every check-in:

One of the big ideas kicking around foursquare HQ these last few months has been the idea of “every check-in counts.” Regardless of whether you’re checking into the same ol’ coffee shop or some far-away beach, we want every check-in to add value to every foursquare user.

08
Feb
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American Airlines Lands The Official App In The Android Market

Posted by in Applications, News

While looking through the recent app list tonight, I noticed that not less than 2 hours ago, American Airlines landed its very own app in the Android Market.

Following the other big players in the flying business, American Airlines is now letting you:

  • view your reservation info
  • check in
  • access your mobile boarding pass - this is excellent
  • view your place on upgrade and standby lists
  • take pictures of where you parked (there are better ways, you know... *cough* GPS *cough* ParkDroid *cough*)
  • view your Elite status and progress
  • book flights
  • check flight status and schedules
  • play Sudoku (what the?..)

Not bad at all for what seems to be a great tool with a pleasant interface and thoughtfully positioned menus.

28
Jan
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Facebook For Android Adds Deals - Here Is How To Find Them

Posted by in Applications, News, Tips & Tutorials

Facebook for Android has been notoriously slow to release updates and features in general, and last night's update reaffirmed that the app is nowhere near the top of Facebook's priority list. The Deals feature has been available on iOS since early November of 2010, only reaching Android almost 3 months later. According to the changelog, the Deals functionality is the only addition to the app, so let's take a quick look at how exactly you are going to find said deals.

As you can see, upon updating and starting Facebook, you will not find a Deals button anywhere in the menu.

24
Nov
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Yelp Android App v2.5 Introduces Check-in Offers

Posted by 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.