Apps/Games - 351/395 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jan

Top Android Apps Every Rooted User Should Know About, Part 2: Apps 9-16

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in App Reviews, Applications, Apps/Games, Best Apps For Rooted Users Series, Development, Reviews, Tips & Tutorials

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Introduction

About half a year ago, my friend and colleague David Ruddock posted an article showcasing his eight favorite root-only apps.

Many of you read it, enjoyed it, and found the information contained within quite helpful, so we've decided to make it an Android Police series.

Part deux begins right now.

This article deals with a couple of advanced topics. If you’re unfamiliar with some of the terms, hit up our primers here:

adbWireless

Love the geeky freedom of connecting your computer to your Android device via ADB but wish it could all be done wirelessly?

Jan

Distimo Pegs Android Market At 130,000 Apps - A (Nearly) Six-Fold Increase Year-Over-Year

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

App store analytics company Distimo has released a report reviewing the changes in the Apple, Android, Blackberry, and Nokia app stores in 2010, and the results are impressive for all four. To highlight a few points from the 28 page report:

The Apple App Store is still by far the largest, with roughly 300,000 apps. The Android Market is second at 130,000, the Nokia Ovi Store checks in at 25,000, and the BlackBerry App World manages a respectable 18,000.
In all 4 stores, free app growth outpaced that of paid apps. The App Store doubled in size, while the Market experienced nearly six-fold growth.

Jan

Android Soon To Be Used By Automotive Chip Tuners As Tuning Device/Carputer

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Applications, News, Off-Topic

It's not unheard of for tuners to throw a small PC into a car (commonly called a "carputer" in the industry). It's a lot less common for Android to appear in cars, though it does happen - GM has considered using it to power OnStar and has a Volt app, while the Roewe 350 rocks Android in a pretty hardcore way. We've yet to hear of aftermarket tuners taking advantage of Android - until now, that is. Chip tuner Superchips has released what appears to be custom software built on Android and running on the Archos 43.

The results are impressive, especially considering this is the first we're seeing of Android making its way into a device like this.

Jan

Rope Cut, A Cut The Rope Clone, Enters The Android Market

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Games, News

Back in October of last year, ZeptoLab, the maker of a very popular iOS game Cut The Rope, announced its tentative plans to port the hit to Android, albeit without an expected release date. We've waited for a few months, but the release didn't come (though, I'm sure, they're hard at work). Feelingtouch Inc, however, didn't want to wait and in the meantime developed and released a clone - Rope Cut.

Everything about Rope Cut is similar to Cut The Rope - it is, after all, a clone. The goal of the game is to cut the ropes on the screen in a certain sequence in order to grab all the stars and end up in the little snake's mouth.

Jan

Google Goggles Updated To Version 1.3, Now Includes Sudoku Puzzle Solving, Instantaneous QR Code Scanning, And Print Ad Recognition

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Applications, News

Google just updated its Goggles app to version 1.3 and added three noteworthy features that make it even more desirable than it was before. First is the ability to scan QR codes without actually taking a picture; just hover your camera over the image and Goggles will automatically recognize it.

Second, Goggles now recognizes ads in major US newspapers and magazines. I couldn't get this to work, but Google claims it will work with any ads dated since August 2010.

The last feature is the one that has everybody talking - Google Goggles is now capable of scanning and solving Sudoku puzzles in a matter of seconds.

Jan

Interview with Firefox For Android's Matt Brubeck

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Applications, Interviews, News

Last Updated: April 14th, 2011

Introduction

As a fan of Ubuntu, I really love using Mozilla Firefox. In my opinion, it is the best desktop browser out there (sorry, Chrome). It was because of my love for Firefox that I became elated when I first heard that Mozilla would be developing a browser for the Android platform.

Having followed the development of Firefox for Android from an alpha and now to a beta, I jumped at the chance to interview software engineer Matt Brubeck, one of the lead developers of Firefox for Android. In our time together, I got a chance to ask him about Mozilla's plans for Android, why Firefox for Android seems so slow, and much, much more.

Jan

Jet Car Stunts Lite Lands In Android Market, Includes 8 New Levels Of Goodness

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Apps/Games, News

Having just released the full version of Jet Car Stunts, mobile game development company True Axis also decided to release a demo version of the game, aka Jet Car Stunts Lite (currently live in the Market). Like the full version, the lite version features OpenFeint compatibility and gives users the ability to make huge jumps and fly through the air doing crazy stunts. For those who aren't familiar with the game, it’s a 3D driving sensation where your opponents are not other players, but the tracks. As a fan of the game, I can tell you that it is very addictive and extremely fun.

This version includes:

8 new levels not found in the regular version
Responsive accelerometer controls
Great crashes
36 unique and 'insane' tracks
Multiple play modes
Jet assisted drift landing
Half car and half jet means you'll have in-air controls
Online leader boards and achievements with OpenFeint
Upload replays with your best times

For anyone who wants to try the game before buying it, this is a great opportunity.

Jan

Dolphin Browser Mini Leaves Beta, Hits 1.0

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

My current browser of choice, Dolphin HD, gained a little brother a few months ago, when Dolphin Mini (beta) was born. It was lighter, faster, and more elegant, yet still functional and robust. After over 50,000 downloads and weeks of testing, the Dolphin team just released v1.0 of the Mini, meaning it's officially out of beta and stable for everyday use.

Improvements in the latest version include:

UI upgrade ( menu & toolbox )
Add Bookmarks Label
Add on demand/ enable flash plugin
Data backup & restore
Quick access to clean data

If you haven't given Dolphin Mini a fair chance yet, I suggest you try it out by scanning the barcode below or clicking it if you're on your mobile:

Jan

CES 2011: Opera For Tablets Demo [Video]

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Applications, News, Videos

Opera Software's Jeremy Forrester spent some time showing off Opera's latest browser, which was designed specifically for tablets. The browser was shown running on Samsung's Galaxy Tab.

The browser is not completely finished, but you can get a good idea of how it performs in the video above. It works nicely with Adobe Flash and should provide a familiar experience to those who are have used Opera's previous mobile browsers. More info will be made available by Opera come MWC in February.

Jan

Videosurf Will Bring Video Recognition To Your Cell Phone; "It's Like Shazam, But For Video."

Posted by Brad Ganley in Applications, Apps/Games, News, Videos

With all the mind-blowing news coming in from CES 2011, it's easy to forget that interesting and innovative things are coming from other sources at the same time. Here is one of those sources.

A new service somewhat reminiscent of Shazam and Sound Hound has surfaced on our radar, but with one major distinction: this app does videos. Using proprietary algorithms and software (read: magic), newcomer Videosurf will not only help you identify what T.V. show or movie you're watching, but what episode you're looking at, summaries, actors, actor information, and all kinds of information you didn't know you were missing out on right there on your cell phone.