Apps/Games - 334/391 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Mar

[Updated: Amazon Provides Clarifications] Amazon App Store's DRM To Be More Restrictive Than Google's?

Posted by Will Shanklin in Android OS, Applications, News

An interesting little tidbit came across to us in an otherwise ordinary posting on Amazon's app developers' blog. While developers will have the option to use DRM or not in their apps, those that do use the digital licensing service may present problems for those users who are temporarily without an internet connection.

Comparing it to the way Amazon currently handles the storing of Kindle books, the curious part of the post reads:

"Any app that has Amazon DRM applied to it will require users to have installed and signed-in to the Amazon Appstore client to access the app. When an app is accessed by the user, it will verify with the Amazon Appstore device service as to whether the user has an entitlement to the app.

Mar

Goodbye, Voice Minutes? First Signs Of Google Voice VoIP Emerge

Posted by Will Shanklin in Applications, News

We may have just seen the reasoning behind Google's announcement last week that they were shutting down VoIP service Gizmo5. Apparently a SIP address has surfaced that allows those with an SIP-to-SIP account (such as sip2sip.info) to call Google Voice users for free. While this may not sound Earth-shattering at first, this is most likely an early sign that true Google Voice VoIP (that many users have been eagerly anticipating) is on its way.

Say you are wanting to contact your friend, whose Google Voice Number is (555)123-4567. You could now sign up for a free SIP to SIP service, register your account via an SIP app (such as csipsimple or sipdroid), and contact +15551234567@sip.voice.google.com.

Mar

New Google Navigation For Android Utilizes Traffic For Routing

Posted by Will Shanklin in Applications, News

A feature that has been long-awaited by some Android users has now been added to one of the most practical (and free) apps out there. Google has just announced on their mobile blog that their Android Navigation feature (part of the Google Maps app) is now incorporating current traffic information into the routing that it predicts for you.

A "fastest route" that only lands you in a traffic jam doesn't do you much good and this update attempts to remedy that with more of what Google likes the most: data. This from Google's mobile blog regarding the update:

"Before today, Navigation would choose whichever route was fastest, without taking current traffic conditions into account.

Mar

You Voted, We Tallied: Your Top 10 Favorite Android Apps

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Applications, Apps/Games, News

In last weekend's (non-)poll, I asked for your three favorite Android apps. You did your part, and nearly 100 people took the opportunity to vote. Now it's my turn, so I've compiled the results and I'll list them below along with details and a brief description of each app.

The Results

1. Launcher Pro (+ Plus) - 20 Votes

Given just how not-so-attractive Android 2.2 and below is, it's not really surprising that a launcher should take the top spot. What is a bit more surprising - at least to me - is that it really dominated ADW (which came in second, below) with more than twice as many votes.

Mar

Vendetta Online Helps To Usher In A New Wave Of Tegra 2 Gaming

Posted by Will Shanklin in Applications, Games, News

If you have a snazzy new Motorola XOOM (or another Tegra 2 powered tablet) and are just itching for some fun apps to show what your baby can do, you just may have a new game to try in Vendetta Online. Vendetta is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) which will only run on Tegra-powered tablets 7" or larger.

Just released into the Android Market, Vendetta sports some impressive 3D graphics that will likely remind many players just how far Android gaming has come since the initial wave of casual titles like Doodle Jump and various Bejeweled clones. Spaceships and asteroids zoom by with impressive 3D textures that, not long ago, were only to be seen on consoles and desktops.

Mar

[Updated] Google Acknowledges DroidDream: Remotely Wiping Apps, Removing Exploit, Making Changes To Prevent It From Happening Again

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Apps/Games, News

Google continues to be admirably quick to react to DroidDream, the nasty Android Trojan we helped uncover on Tuesday. After removing the offending apps from the Market in just a few minutes of finding out about them, a new post on the Google Mobile Blog reveals that they're now ready to take further steps.

Update: The tool Google is using to bulldoze DroidDream malware off your phone has surfaced in the Android Market: Android Market Security Tool. From the app's description:

"There is no need to download and install this application on your own.

This is an Android Market security update that undoes exploits caused by the malicious applications that were removed from Android Market on 03/01/2011.

Mar

The War Against Infringement On The Android Market Is Heating Up: Fruit Ninja Clones And More

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Apps/Games, Development, Editorials, News

The Android market is filled with apps of questionable legality. But oftentimes, overpriced, branded theme and clock apps like those you'll find here are considered relatively harmless - who's stupid enough to buy them, anyway? Still, apps in this category are in clear violation of registered trademarks - and that doesn't sit well with their holders.

Google even has a page for developers and copyright holders to submit DMCA takedown requests for apps on the Market. Google's form guides you through what information is needed, and how to identify the apps in question - really, it makes the whole process quite simple.

Mar

[Updated] App Preview: Friday Is Your Very Own Personal Assistant

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, App Reviews, Applications, News, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Update: We have been notified by the developers of this app that the app does not upload any information. The information is kept on the phone and organised by the app. In the future there are plans to implement a feature that would allow the information to be uploaded to a backup server. However, at present, information collected by Friday is not shared with anyone including the developer.

Each day a smartphone user receives information from a variety of different sources, including phone calls, text messages and emails. Keeping track of it all can be a major headache and more often than not we misplace crucial pieces of information because we are unable to recall when we had received them and/or what we were doing at the time.

Mar

The Door To More Tablet Apps Is Now Open: Fragments API Is Available For Nearly All Android Versions

Posted by Will Shanklin in Android OS, Applications, News

A new Application Programming Interface (API) called Fragments has been opened to all 1.6+ versions of Android. If you have no clue what that means, this should have the effect of making many more apps tablet-friendly on tablets and phone-friendly on phones.

At the core of Fragment's API is the multi-panel user interface that you see on certain tablet email apps, for example (labels in left panel, inbox in right panel). The ability to use this layout will now be integrated into a variety of applications without compromising the more basic look for phones. This will allow the same program to show the multi-panel look when run on a tablet, while phones stay with the single-panel UI.