16
Apr
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Google Updates Developer Guidelines For Tablet-Optimized Apps – Separate Screenshots And Verification Of Tablet UI

Posted by in Google, News, Nexus 10, Nexus 7

Google has been pushing developers to build tablet-optimized UIs for their apps since the Xoom was the hot new challenger to the iPad (haha). Okay, so that didn't work out very well, but with the release of devices like the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10, devs are finally starting to see the value of building a great tablet experience. Of course, it's not like you'd know. The Play Store is terrible at showing off tablet UIs, but that's about to change. Google is updating the developer console to verify tablet compatibility and break up screenshots for tablet/phone interfaces.

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From now on developers uploading apps will have the option to verify they have adhered to the tablet UI guidelines for 7 and/or 10-inch slates.

25
Jan
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Titanium Backup Gets Update To Version 6.0.0 – Redesigned Menu Another Step In The Wrong Direction

Posted by in Applications, News

Titanium Backup, one of the most powerful – and popular – backup utilities available for Android, got an update to version 6.0 today. Don't get too excited though – the version bump consists primarily of bug fixes and optimizations, along with a few updated translations. Oh, and a redesigned menu. Yes, Titanium Backup's design is finally getting some attention, but not quite in the way we'd hoped – take a look at the before and after screens below.

05
Sep
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Quora Brings Well-Designed, Functional Question-And-Answer App To Android

Posted by in Android OS, Applications, News

Quora, the popular question-and-answer website, found its way to Android today, releasing an official app that not only brings to the table great features like voice search and a handy widget, but also a user interface specifically designed for Android "from the ground up." Indeed, the app follows Android's design guidelines to the proverbial "T," right down to the app's launcher icon with its ever so slight downward perspective.

Citing the fact that 25% of its traffic comes from mobile usage, Quora's blog post today enthusiastically announces the Android client, describing a few of the features that "really make Quora shine on Android." Among them are integrated search with voice recognition, optional push notifications, a convenient home screen widget, and an adaptable interface that supports both landscape and portrait mode.

30
Aug
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BaconReader Updated To Version 2.1 With UI Overhaul, Spoiler Alerts, And More

Posted by in Applications, News

BaconReader, one of the most popular Reddit-browsing clients available for Android, has just received a major update to version 2.1. Among other things, the update brings a new "Welcome Guide" for new users, access to subreddit sidebars, subscription functionality, support for spoiler alerts, a dark theme for the app's "large" widget, and a few minor fixes.

Of course the real story in this update is the app's UI overhaul. BaconReader has finally crossed over to a new design, which ostensibly follows the highly-exalted Android Design Guidelines. With its cohesive, crisp new interface, BaconReader looks and functions better than ever before. Just take a look for yourself.

29
Aug
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PayPal Updated With UI Overhaul, 'Features That Matter To You Most'

Posted by in Applications, News

PayPal's official Android app received a big update recently, bringing it up to version 4.0.0.1. The update carries a much-needed interface redesign, bringing the web payment solution's mobile client more into line with Android's design language. Using a warm, espresso-and-orange color scheme with a few well-placed textures and conservative gradients, the app's new interface looks infinitely better than its previous iteration.

The update isn't just about looks though – it also carries some functional improvements. While PayPal is a bit vague on just what is new, it assures users that the update brings them "the features that matter to you most," including new functionality surrounding account management as well as sending and requesting money.

21
Aug
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Movies By Flixster App Gets Updated To Support New Android Style Guide, 7" Tablets, For Better Or Worse

Posted by in Applications, News

Movies by Flixster has a very interesting design history. The developers behind this app are usually among the first to adopt new Android design guidelines—they had a Honeycomb-style action bar back when the Xoom was the only Android tablet around—and today it got another new refresh. The good news is that now it looks better on the Nexus 7, as opposed to the broken mess it was before. Now, for the bad news.

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It doesn't look very good. Not that it looks bad, mind you. But if you were worried that you'd just be using a bunch of giant phone apps with your shiny new Nexus, Flixster isn't going to do much to put you at ease.

09
Jul
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Endomondo Sports Tracker Updated To Version 8, Featuring New Ice Cream Sandwich-Flavored Redesign

Posted by in Applications, News

Endomondo, an extremely popular sports and exercise tracker got an update to version 8 today, bringing a handful of minor enhancements. Among these are improvements to routes, the option to like/dislike routes, and the addition and removal of favorite roots. More importantly though, version 8 brings a brand new UI, designed with Ice Cream Sandwich's legendary style guide in mind. Check out some screenshots:

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What's great about Endomondo's new UI is not only that it enhances the UX greatly and makes the app as a whole "prettier," but that it brings the app's design more into line with the Ice Cream Sandwich style guide, without making the mistake of following the idea that holo is everything.

07
Jul
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ESPN Replaces Its Old, Crappy ESPN Radio App With Brand New, ICS-Ready Hotness

Posted by in Applications, News

ESPN hasn't exactly been the poster child for great app design in the past. While the company has made several Android apps, many of them have looked rather atrocious and a bit too iOS-y. ESPN, however, has re-launched its ESPN Radio app. The old app appears to have been made by independent company Airkast, while the new app has been brought in-house. And, apparently, ESPN's house does a fine job of making an app. Just take a look:

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The old ESPN Radio app

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And the shiny new one

The new app adheres much more closely to Google's app guidelines and looks much better for it.

07
Jul
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[New App] Digital Ashes Brings Tweet Lanes To The Play Store – Pure Twitter, Pure Android

Posted by in Applications, News

Do you ever feel like you need another Twitter client in your life? Or maybe you need to replace the one you've been using with something fast, functional, and clean. Either way, Digital Ashes' Tweet Lanes app hit the Play Store recently, promising pure Twitter and pure Android side by side. Indeed, the app delivers on both fronts, having consistent smooth functionality and a UI that sharply adheres to the oft-aggrandized ICS design guidelines.

Besides its performance and aesthetic acumen, Tweet Lanes has several handy features, including automatic media previews, a (somewhat) persistent tweet bar, and the ability to interact with multiple tweets at once, among others.