App Reviews - 14/19 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jan

[Review] Thumb Keyboard Makes Two-Handed Typing A Breeze

Posted by Brad Ganley in App Reviews, Applications, Apps/Games, News, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

If there's one thing an Android power user really appreciates, it's options. I personally enjoy having a myriad of different apps to choose from for a single task so that I can find the one that best suits my needs, one of which is typing.

By now, we all know that there is no shortage of keyboard alternatives for Android users to choose from, but truly great and innovative keyboards can be somewhat hard to come by. If you like typing with two thumbs, though, I think I've found the perfect keyboard for you.

Thumb Keyboard is an input method that, at first, looks a little bit intimidating.

Jan

[Hands-On] Zoom Widget Designer, An App By The Developer Of Tasker, Goes Into The Public Testing Phase

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in App Reviews, Applications, News, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Introduction

Love using widgets? How about creating them? Zoom Widget Designer allows you to do just that, and it has something else going for it: it was made by the developer behind the excellent Tasker application - Crafty Apps. Better yet, Zoom will be fully integrated with Tasker in the future, so you will be able to make your custom Zoom widgets do just about anything your phone is capable of.

The app just went into public alpha testing, and if there ever was an Android app worthy of recognition, this is it. Let's take it for a spin, shall we?

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?

Dec

App Of The Week: Grooveshark For Android (Insert Tooth-Related Or Aquatic Pun Here)

Posted by Brad Ganley in App Reviews, Applications, Apps/Games, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Well, here we are again. Another week, another slew of apps to choose from. For a while there, we were doing an "App of the Week" series and then, for an even longer while, we weren't. I'd like for us to get back on the right path here, so I'm going to fix this.

App of the Week, Season 2: Eclectic Boogaloo

I've been a long time fan of Grooveshark. It is a service that, in my mind, cannot be beaten. There are tons of music streaming apps in the vein of Pandora, like Last.fm, and Slacker Radio, but they don't let you chose your songs or make a playlist.

Dec

[Review] Google Books for Android: Reading Just Got Better

Posted by David Ruddock in App Reviews, Applications, News, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

What is Google eBooks?

Google unveiled its long-awaited eBook store this morning. What makes it different from, say, the Amazon eBook store? Well, sheer selection of titles for one: Google's eBooks has debuted with over 3 million pieces of literature to choose from - including a vast library of free and public domain materials, many of which you won't find anywhere else (trust me). It would appear Google's massive digitalization efforts have paid off.

Perhaps more exciting is that Google has simultaneously made available its Books application on a range of devices - Android included, of course. But, if you're stuck with a piece of iOS hardware, there's no need to fret, the Books app can be found in the Apple App Store.

Nov

Theft Aware 2.0 – The Most Ingenious Android Security Solution With The Best Root Integration We’ve Seen To Date. Really [Hands-On Review]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in App Reviews, Applications, News, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

For the last 2 weeks, I've been testing a pre-release version of Theft Aware 2.0 - an app that occupies a spot in the familiar Android Security category, alongside WaveSecure, Lookout, and others. And yet, Theft Aware stands so much taller compared to them that they become small, almost invisible, dots. I could hardly contain my excitement and fascination with Theft Aware, but first, I needed to get answers to all of my questions and pass the info to all of you.

The main reason I'm fascinated with Theft Aware is its superb integration with rooted phones. The benefits of Theft Aware's elevated security features on rooted phones are so great that, in my opinion, rooting is worth it (if you've haven't done so yet) just to get the full TA experience.

Nov

[Review] TeamViewer Lets You Remotely Control Your Friends' Computers, And It Does It Well

Posted by Brad Ganley in App Reviews, Applications, Apps/Games, News, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Yesterday, TeamViewer unleashed its beta app for Android on the world via their website and, boy, let me tell you, it is awesome with a capital "a." Of all the VNC viewers I've used on Android, this is the by far the best. Let's dive in a little bit and I'll show you why.

After you install and run the TeamViewer Android application, you'll be confronted by this screen:

So, at this point, it's fairly obvious you'll need a computer running the desktop software to go any further. In order for your Android device to play nicely with your computer, you'll need the version 6 beta of the desktop client, which you can grab here.

Nov

Audiogalaxy Vs Subsonic - Fight! What's Your Favorite Android Music Streaming App? [Reviews, Poll]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in App Reviews, Applications, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

In our last week's poll, we asked you your thoughts on the best overall Android music player, and over 1500 of you responded, clearly putting PowerAMP ahead of the competition, followed by Winamp. PowerAMP released the full version shortly after and still occupies the #1 spot for playing local music in my book.

However, rightfully so, some of you noted that there are some players out there specializing on remote media streaming, and by that I don't mean Shoutcast streams - I mean streaming your own music collections. Google's music service may one day supposedly join the party, as we saw demoed at Google I/O earlier this year, but right now, that solution does not yet exist.

Oct

4 Free StarCraft II Android Apps That Will Help You Achieve A GG

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in App Reviews, Applications, Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

I have loved StarCraft ever since the first version came out back in 1999. I've played it for 10 years, and this year excitedly watched, with all of you, the unveiling of both the beta and final versions (hey, we even got our cool Twitter background thanks to Starcraft II).

While you can't play StarCraft II on your phone, there is a variety of applications on the Android Market aimed at providing stats and other information that should help you be on the winning side of "gg" at the end of the game. Let's take a look at the best of them.

Oct

System Info Widget Review + Giveaway Of 20 Copies. Is It The Geekiest Android Widget... Ever?

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in App Reviews, Applications, Contests / Giveaways, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

This contest is now over. We have selected the winners - see if you are one of them towards the bottom of the page.

Ever wondered how much RAM is available on your phone? What about the internal storage space available? Or the precise signal strength? If you answered yes to any of these questions, System Info Widget may be the perfect widget for you and your inner geek.

The Review

What you're looking at above are the four widgets Jason Calhoun, the developer of the System Info Widget, gives you out of the gate. Of course, these can be customized in every which way, from the looks to the basic functions, so keep reading for a more in-depth look.