27
Jun
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Google I/O Day One Roundup – Jelly Bean, Google Glass, Two New Nexus Devices, And So Much More

Posted by in Android OS, ASUS, Google, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Nexus 7, Nexus Q (Steelhead), Tablets, Videos

Google's I/O conference, in usual form, kicked off with an explosive start.  The day's news saw the revelation of things we've been waiting to see for months. Things we've heard rumor of, wished for, and even (quite accurately) predicted. With all the things we saw, it only seems right to round up all the day's news in one place. Grab a snack, because we've got a lot to talk about.

Jelly Bean

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One of the day's I/O show stoppers was undoubtedly the announcement of Android 4.1 aka Jelly Bean. I have to be honest, with a ".1" update, I wasn't expecting too much improvement, but I was certainly wrong in that estimation.

27
Jun
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Jelly Bean Feature Closer Look: Expandable, Interactive, All-Around Enhanced Notifications

Posted by in Jelly Bean 4.1, News

"Android has always put you in control when it comes to staying notified and connected. Now you can take action directly from the notifications shade," says Android's updated "What's New" page. Indeed, today's Jelly Bean announcement saw a number of improvements to the already handy notification system we've come to know and love in previous iterations of Android. Not only can the new notifications system display larger, richer notifications, developers can create actionable notification with interactive controls for telephony, music, and more.

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With a new and improved Notification Builder, apps can create notifications with a height of up to 256dp.

16
May
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[Updated] Infographic: Here Are The Top 10 Ad Networks Used By Android Apps - Bet You Won't Guess Where AirPush Is On The List

Posted by in Apps/Games, News

Appbrain, which we here at AP use to this day thanks to a few handful features that the Play Store still hasn't implemented, analyzed 140,000 Android apps and came up with a list of the top 10 ad networks.

While they don't openly state the source of this data, I am willing to bet that it comes from analytics reported by their Ad Detector app which hit the Play Store a few months back. The app itself, much like Lookout Ad Network Detector, is very handy - it lets users figure out what ad networks, social SDKs, and even developer tools are used by apps installed on their devices.

11
Feb
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No, There Is No Proof Instagram For Android Is Around The Corner - Just Fake Crap Advertising More Fake Crap

Posted by in Applications, News

Last week, a "report" by InFlexWeTrust showed a screencap of a popup that invited users to download a "featured" app - Instagram for Android.

With all the crapware pushing AirPush ads to your notification bar that we've seen last week (including the fake Pinterest, Temple Run, and - drumroll - Instagram) and all the clues regarding this so obviously fake Instagram app, one would have thought a bit of caution by the blogosphere would have been a good idea. Unfortunately, the Instagram hype is so strong that plenty of blogs ran with "Instagram was leaked" and "Instagram is almost here" stories.

03
Feb
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Lookout Releases Push Ad Detector To Help Fight Off Airpush, Startapp, LeadBolt, And Other Annoying Ad Networks

Posted by in Applications, News

Today, Lookout, a mobile security company, released a new Android application that can help figure out just where those pesky notification ads are suddenly coming from and offer you ways to opt out of them or get rid of the culprits altogether.

Their creation, called Push Ad Detector, currently detects apps that use the following ad networks:

  • Airpush
  • Appenda
  • LeadBolt
  • Moolah Media
  • Startapp
  • TapIt!

There are other detectors of notification ads on the Market, but none are as comprehensive and polished as Push Ad Detector. No surprises there - Lookout is known for quality of its software.

Once you perform a scan, you will see a list of installed applications that include support for ad networks mentioned above as well as ways to either opt out of those networks permanently (presumably based on device ID), get more information, or just uninstall the offenders altogether.

27
Nov
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Brilliant: Fly Delta App Now Allows Travelers To Track Checked Bags Like Postal Packages

Posted by in Applications, News

Delta Airlines customers with Android or iOS devices now have one more awesome feature to use with the airline's Fly Delta app – the ability to track their checked luggage as if it were a package, a feature previously only available online or at Delta customer service desks.

The app's latest update includes a rather sophisticated tracking system, which will scan your claim tag and automatically update with the location of your bags, ensuring that you always know where your bags are, and can be sure that they are traveling along without issue.

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In addition to tracking your bags, the app will notify you of which carousel holds your luggage, greatly cutting down on time spent looking around or impatiently waiting for the arrival screen to update.

20
Apr
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Notification Toggle Adds Power Control Widgets To The Notification Pulldown

Posted by in Applications, News

One thing I have gotten used to as a CyanogenMod user is the notification power widget. It's so convenient that I have rejected the use of alternative ROMs over the last several months because it's something that they lacked. For those of you that want this feature, but would prefer not to root your phone, you're in luck: XDA-Developers member 'j4velin' has created an app that does just that.

Notification Toggle, as the name implies, allows you to put various toggle switches in your notification pulldown for quick access. It supports Wifi, bluetooth, silent mode, screen rotation, airplane mode, flashlight, and screen brightness, which should cover just about anything that you may need to quickly turn on or off.

20
Dec
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Miffed Over The Lack Of Notification LED On Your Samsung Galaxy S? Check Out BLN (BackLight Notification)

Posted by in Applications, Apps/Games, Captivate, Development, Fascinate, Galaxy S, News, Samsung, Vibrant

Take a look around Google and you can see that people are seriously peeved by the lack of notification LED in the Samsung Galaxy S line of devices (excluding the Epic 4G). Developer and i9000 owner Michael R. - better known as neldar on the XDA forums - was annoyed enough by the glaring omission that he decided to come up with a solution. The result: BLN (BackLight Notification). 

The basic idea behind the app is quite simple: as there's no LED on the devices, the logical decision is to light up the soft-touch keys. Doing so isn't quite so simple as the layman might initially think, requiring a modified kernel to be flashed in conjunction with the BLN app.

30
Sep
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[Android How-To] Make Your Own Ringtones, Notifications, And Alarms From Media Files

Posted by in App Reviews, Applications, Reviews, Tips & Tutorials
Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Have you ever wanted to make custom ringtones, alarms, or notification sounds in Android but had no clue how to do it, even if you already put a media file onto your device? I can't blame you - Android is absolutely terrible about letting you do anything but pick one of the existing system sounds and offers no way of adding your own.

Enter Ringdroid. Ringdroid's sole purpose is to let you take an existing music file, crop it exactly how you want it, and then save it as either a ringtone, an alarm, or a notification. The end result - the newly created sound shows up in the corresponding dropdown, ready for all that waking up, notifying action you can throw at it.

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