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Nov

Russia's Leading Internet Company Yandex Buys Mobile Developer SPB Software For An Estimated $38 Million

Earlier today, mobile software developer SPB Software announced on its website that it had been acquired by Russian search engine giant Yandex. TechCrunch reports that the price of the acquisition was a cool $38 million.

Yandex is Russia's largest internet company, operating the country's most popular and the world's seventh largest search engine. In contrast, SPB Software is a leading mobile software developer, that has, since 1999, been making applications for mobile phones that enable subscribers to do more with their handsets and network connections.

Amongst other forays into mobile development, SPB is known for their highly rated "next ...

Sep

Hipmunk Makes Travel Search Easy With Its New Android App

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Applications, News

Want to know which online service makes my life a lot easier? Hipmunk. For the uninitiate, Hipmunk is a flight search service with a difference. In addition to sorting available flights by the standard duration and price metrics, Hipmunk can also arrange flights according to "agony", i.e. incorporating factors such as number of stops and total duration. Although its mobile site is adequate, I am pleased to report that Hipmunk has finally launched its Android app, which is available for free from the Market.

The app has all the features of the desktop and mobile site: you enter ...

Jul

Quick Tip: Want To Search Using The Android Market App? Save Precious Seconds And Press The Search Button Right Away

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Apps/Games, Tips

The title pretty much says it all, but I'll explain this quick tip in a bit more detail. All too often I want to jump into the Market on my phone and search for an app I already have in mind. However, before the search box even appears, I am forced to wait for the featured app screen to finish loading, which on slow connections can take ages.

So, rather than wait for it, just jump straight into action by pressing the hardware Search button. No more waiting, and precious time is saved. Little by little, this habit can turn ...

Jun

Google Updates Mobile Homepage Again, Making Searches From The Small Screen More Practical

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News

Two week ago, Google changed up its mobile homepage to bring quick access to Google Place, along with some other new features. It looks like the mobile landing page has gotten yet another update today, making specific searches easier on the small screen. Have a look:

As you can you see, images and a tab-like interface have been added to the top of the page, making it much easier to quickly tap exactly what you're looking for. This is one of the more practical features that I've seen rollout, as it previously took a bit of precision to change search ...

Jun

Google Mobile Page Gets Updated, Adds Places, Improved Search Capabilities, And Instant Previews

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Google, News

Google held a press conference today where several new search features were unveiled, including some pretty nice improvements to the Google Mobile site. Among these features is the addition of Google Places on the main Google page, with quick links to areas of common interest at the bottom. Tapping any of the icons uses geolocation to provide results specific to the area that you're in.

Also announced were improved search capabilities in the browser and the ability to add additional details to Instant results by tapping the plus sign next to the suggestion that you wish to alter.

Instant Preview ...

May

[Tip] Search The Android Web Market A Lot? Do It Straight From The Url Bar Like A Boss With This Handy Trick (Firefox, Chrome)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Apps/Games, Tips

If you liked my speedy QR code tips before, you're going to love the tip I have for you today. Ever since the Android web Market was launched, I found myself loading the homepage just to make a search approximately 17 million times a day, give or take a few. As you know, the web Market homepage is quite heavy, so loading it just to make a search, especially while tethering on a slow connection, was starting to get kind of annoying.

In an effort to save both time and clicks (hello, Carpal Tunnel), I've created a much handier way ...

May

DuckDuckGo Brings Private Searching And Zero Click Results To Android

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

While some apps use a mile long feature list to attract users, there are others that use a very opposite approach. They use simplicity, subtlety, and effectiveness as their calling card. One such app is DuckDuckGo for Android: a search app that bases its entire existence on privacy and efficiency.

On the surface, DuckDuckGo is not unlike other search engines - type in what you're looking for and get your results. Easy peasy. Under the hood, though, is where things work a little bit differently. DuckDuckGo uses crowdsourcing as its go-to method of providing legitimate information. Not only that, but ...

Apr

Fun With Google's Mobile Easter Eggs - Try Searching For "Tilt," "Askew," Or "Crooked" In Your Mobile Browser

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Google, Off-Topic

April Fools' passed a long time ago but users are discovering a few jokes that decided to stick around, such as what happens when you search Google on your phone for any of these words:

tilt
askew
crooked

To preserve the lulz and save you some time, here is what you currently observe:

If you want to try this out for yourself without pulling out your mobile, you can just head over to this forced mobile version instead: http://www.google.com/xhtml?q=crooked

Keep it up, Google! Not many large companies out there will ever put Easter eggs like this one into their ...

Mar

AppBrain Helps Users Find Apps That Utilize In-App Billing, Bests The Android Market Once Again

Posted by Zak Stinson in Applications, Dev, News

It's no secret that the Android Market isn't exactly the easiest place to find what you want. Unless an app is super popular, brand new, or you know its exact name, you could end up wandering in that virtual mall like a small child whose mother forgot to tell them she was heading to the next shop.

AppBrain has been a popular way to deal with the poor organization of the Market, allowing users to search for apps in a variety of categories and giving suggestions for programs based on what is currently installed on users' handsets. Today, AppBrain added ...

Mar

Sprint's Own Search Results Confirm The Nexus S 4G Ahead Of CTIA

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in News, Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Sprint

It's not exactly a huge surprise, but it's always nice to get a confirmation from the horse's mouth itself - the Nexus S 4G is pretty much a sure deal, now that Sprint's own search results reveal the following:

Don't bother clicking on the link anymore though because Sprint very promptly cleaned up and removed the Nexus S 4G mention - the result was there a few minutes ago, but now the search returns nothing. Since both Engadget and I saw them with our own eyes, we are willing to bet that the WiMax-enabled pure Android powerhouse is going ...

Feb

[Hands-On] Chomp: A New Hope For Finding Apps On Android

Posted by Zak Stinson in App Reviews, Applications, Reviews, Videos

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

If you are reading this post, it's extremely likely that you have an Android device. If you have an Android, it's 100% certain that you want to pluck out your own eyeballs in rage every time you are forced to use the search feature in the Android Market. Even Market alternatives like AppBrain leave a lot to be desired, with sub-optimal search results and a less than beautiful UI. The sad fact that Google, a company that makes most of its revenue from search and ads, can't seem to provide half-decent results is what motivated the folks behind Chomp to ...

Feb

Android Intervention, Part 4 of 4: The Android Market - A Work In Progress?

Posted by David Ruddock in Editorials

Uhoh, he's at it again. No, I'm not going to make this a rant that is hugely controversial or upsetting. Seemingly contrary to what I write sometimes, I love Android. And anyone who loves Android can agree: the Android Market kinda-sorta sucks sometimes.

Whoa there, let me qualify that - some aspects of the Market are less than fantastic, and I think every Android user has come to realize this. In fact, I doubt it's a stretch to say that the Market's shortcomings are the single biggest reason Android hasn't eaten the iPhone for breakfast in terms of critical ...

Feb

The Race Is On Again - Fast Web Installer Returns To AppBrain

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Apps/Games, News

As the results of our Friday poll show, quite a few of you aren't convinced by Google's official Android Market Web Store; it looks like a lot of people are sticking with good old AppBrain. Well you AppBrain fans will be happy to hear that one of the site's best features - Fast Web Installer - has finally returned after being disabled back in November of 2010.

To utilize it, you'll need to download the latest versions of the AppBrain app and Fast Web Installer to your phone. Next, enable Fast Web Installer in the AppBrain app's ...

Feb

Interview With Uwe Maurer, The Co-Founder Of AppBrain: "The Android Web Market Is Here - Now What?"

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Apps/Games, Editorials, Interviews, News

Last Updated: April 14th, 2011

Google's web-based Android Market announcement earlier this week was by all means no surprise to anyone - we've been waiting for it to arrive ever since its announcement at last year's Google I/O. In the meantime, alternative web-based markets, such as AppBrain.com, have skyrocketed in popularity because they allowed Android users to browse apps and games from their computers rather than being confined to their small phone screens. Even more importantly, alternative web markets had full control over app presentation, which allowed them to develop their own app discovery mechanisms.

AppBrain is probably the best example of such innovation ...