Applications - 32/262 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Apr

SwiftKey Is Dedicated To April Fool's Day – 'Tilt' Is A Real Feature And You Can Use It Now

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Earlier this morning, we added SwiftKey Tilt to our 2013 April Fool's day post. At first blush, it just looks like another funny idea made specifically for April Fool's Day – little did we know that Tilt is actually a real feature. According to a comment left on the official SwiftKey Blog, you can enable Tilt by long-pressing on the word "tilt" in the suggested words area above the keyboard in the newest version of the app.

Sure enough, it works.

And it functions just like in the video, too – simply move your phone around and the little ball (shown atop the "H" in the third screenshot) works like your finger to Flow Through Space.

Apr

Espier Screen Locker Gives Repressed iOS Fans The Gateway Lockscreen They've Been Looking For On Android

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

It's time for us to come clean. We've been collectively living a lie, Android fans. Hiding our deepest desires and hoping they go away. Praying that maybe, Duarte willing, that we'll get something that's close enough that we'll be satisfied. But no more! Today, we shed the façade and embrace the truth: all we really want is a clean, simple UI that's not cluttered by drawers, widgets, or icons in shapes other than rounded squares. Oh yes, and slide-to-unlock. Glorious slide-to-unlock. Well, now we can have it with the Screen Locker plugin for Espier Launcher.

The plugin is an addition to the Espier Launcher that gives you the look and feel of the OS you've always dreamed of.

Apr

[New App] Rosetta Course Says Bonjour To The Play Store

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Applications, Apps/Games, News

If you've ever wanted to learn a language but don't want to be tethered to a PC or stuck in some classroom, this might be your lucky day. Rosetta Course has just launched on Android, and you can try it out for free. You are welcome to choose from more than a dozen languages to explore, but only the first few lessons are available without paying up.

Rosetta Course uses a combination of text, images, and speech to help you learn the ins and outs of a new language. The speech features should work on almost all devices, and those with a stylus can also do writing exercises.

Apr

[Update: It's Live] Hands On: Feedly Greets 3 Million New Users With App Version 14, Promise Of Seamless Migration Come July

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Applications, News

Update: The update is now live in the Store – find it by hitting the widget at the end of the post.

Last month, Google announced they'd be killing off Google Reader this July. Yes, in just a couple of short months, one of the most beloved RSS resources in existence would be kaput. Google says it decided to pull the plug because of dwindling use numbers. While there were plenty of discussions about Google's real motivation (everything from well-reasoned examinations of the situation to cries of "EVIL!"), there was something more important happening behind the outcry – there were people stepping up to fill the gap in as seamless and timely a fashion as possible.

Mar

Review: Jawbone UP + Android – A Baby Step Toward Truly Powerful Wearable Tech

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, Other Reviews

When Jawbone's UP wristband was released in late 2011, I was excited. Then I was disappointed. The motion-tracking band seemed like a perfect step into wearable tech at the time, but its companion app wasn't available for Android. Whether and why Jawbone didn't see fit to invest resources in developing for Android was a mystery, but now – thankfully – it's immaterial. Just over a week ago, Jawbone released an official UP app to the Google Play Store, and I wanted to be first in line to try it out with Jawbone's updated 2012 wristband. Having used the band (which, by the way, is available from Jawbone for around $130) and app for about a week now, I've learned several things that will hopefully help those on the fence in making a decision about the device.

Mar

The Ultimate List Of Easter App And Game Sales On The Play Store [Continuously Updated]

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, Deals, Games

Last Updated: April 1st, 2013

Whether Easter to you involves bunnies, crosses, or just heralds super cheap chocolate at the store on Monday, the one thing we can all agree on is that inexpensive apps are cool. A wide array of developers share this belief and, to celebrate your preferred reason to consume candy, have offered steep discounts to their Play Store submissions. Continuing our lengthy tradition of rounding up stuff for you to buy, we've assembled a big list of things to save money on. Let's not beat around the bush, but get right to it.

We'll update this list throughout the weekend as we find new sales, so check back for more.

Mar

Microsoft Releases Lync 2013 For Android, Brings Holo To The Collaboration Party

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Back in December of 2011, Microsoft released the first version of Lync for Android, which brought real-time Exchange collaboration to mobile. Considering that version came before ICS and the Android Design Guidelines, it looks a little (read: very) outdated on modern smartphones. Thankfully, Microsoft just released Lync 2013, which brings a nice looking Holo-meets-Windows-Phone sort of UI along for the ride.

The app essentially retains all the functionality of the previous version, allowing you to IM, collaborate, and video chat with other colleagues using Lync. It's noted in the Play Store that some features may require Lync Server, though it doesn't make specific mention of what those may be.

Mar

[New App] BBQScreen Mirrors Your Display On A Computer At 25FPS (Root Only)

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Applications, Apps/Games, News

Getting your Android display output shared to a larger screen is usually a pain in the butt. You can fiddle with HDMI cables on some devices, rely on sluggish apps, or just wash your hands of the whole thing. But wait, recognized XDA developer and CyanogenMod associate XpLoDWilD and recognized XDA developer nebkat have released BBQScreen. This is a root app that blasts your live Android interface up to a computer over WiFi, Bluetooth, or USB.

Setup is largely painless. Just grab the app and install the client on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. Everything should sync up once you enter the device's IP address in the client.

Mar

[New App] DISH Releases DishWorld For Android – International TV Streamed Right To Your Device

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Applications, Apps/Games, News

If you're reading every word of this post and running it through an internal translator to output a language your brain understands, DISH has something for you. The DishWorld app has launched on Android, bringing over 90 channels in 12 (non-english) languages to your device over the internet. It requires a subscription, but no hardware on the roof.

DishWorld programming is currently offered in Arabic, Bangla, Brazilian (Portuguese, presumably), Cantonese, Filipino, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and Vietnamese (Mandarin and Taiwanese are coming soon). The channels cover a wide range of interests including sports, movies, news, and drama. While the service is aimed at live TV, there is also an "8-day replay" option to rewatch any program that has aired on any subscribed channel in the last 8 days.

Mar

SoundHound Updated With A New Tablet Interface, All Hail Big Screens

Posted by Cody Toombs in Applications, Device Updates, News, Tablets

Nothing brings a smile to my face like the words "Tablet Optimized," and thanks to SoundHound, I'll be walking around with a little grin all day long. The music recognition service has updated its Android app to include a fully realized tablet UI and a few other performance enhancements. Here are a few screenshots for comparison (taken on my Nexus 7):

Original

New

The new tablet UI replaces the boring stretched out rows with drag-able lines of large cover art, making much better use of space on the main screen, discovery, and song pages. In landscape mode, history and bookmarks now stack songs into two columns instead of one, but appear otherwise unchanged.