App Reviews

Sep

[Hunt For The Best Dialer, Part 2] Touchpal Dialer Brings Together Useful Features And Subtle Design

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Applications, Hunt For The Best Dialer

Next in our hunt for the best replacement dialer app is Touchpal from the developers at CooTek, the same team behind Touchpal Keyboard and Search.

CooTek's dialer is extremely well-designed, unassuming, and easy to use. It combines most of the features I want in a dialer but doesn't attempt to overdo things with too many superfluous or redundant functions. Best of all, the dialer is totally free.

At A Glance

Immediately after installing Touchpal, I was impressed. The design is clean, simple, and unassuming. It combines the familiar tabbed browsing of Android's stock dialer with a dialpad/call log screen reminiscent of HTC's Sense dialer, in a way taking the best aspects of both and combining them into a simple, lightweight app.

Sep

[Hunt For The Best Dialer, Part 1] RocketDial Makes Improvements Over Stock, But Still Overshadowed By Bugs

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Hunt For The Best Dialer

With all the things that Android phones are capable of, it's easy to neglect the feature of the device that actually makes it worth carrying around instead of a tablet or laptop: the dialer.

Android's native dialer is super fast, but pretty basic. It works alright, but just doesn't add that extra something that brings making a phone call up to par with the rest of the things your phone can do. That's why we've decided to set out on the hunt for the best dialer. That is, the best dialer to replace the one that comes preinstalled on your phone.

Sep

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 13] Trend Micro's Mobile Security Personal Edition Provides Strong, Basic Protection

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Mobile Security App Shootout

Trend Micro, the company that "Secures Your Journey To The Cloud" with an extensive line of security products for home and business, also offers a mobile security solution for Android users, called simply Mobile Security Personal Edition. This app is what we'll be discussing in the thirteenth installment of our Mobile Security App Shootout.

At A Glance

Within Trend Micro's security app we find another smoothly designed, well functioning security solution that sets up quickly and is exceedingly easy to use. The phone app has a nice set of features, but the real practicality in Mobile Security Personal Edition is its loss/theft protection.

Sep

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 12] Webroot Mobile Security Pairs Useful, Unexpected Features With Functional, Reliable Controls

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Applications, Mobile Security App Shootout

Webroot Software Inc. are the developers behind the popular security solution of the same name for desktops, and have brought the same protection to Android users with Webroot Mobile Security. This app, unlike its desktop counterpart, has features specifically for lost or stolen devices, giving the user the ability to track, lock, and wipe the device remotely from the handy online console.

At A Glance

Webroot Mobile Security has a free version and a paid version coming in at $14.99. The free version is only different in that its features list is more constrained than in the full version. I go back and forth on whether this app is worth the price -- on the one hand there are free apps that do much more for lost and stolen devices; on the other hand, Webroot is a trusted name, and the app comes with antivirus/malware protection and a handful of other features that I haven't seen combined with a security app yet.

Sep

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 11] Wave Secure From McAfee: A Big Name That Delivers A Nice Set Of Features

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Mobile Security App Shootout

Coming in at number 11 in our shootout is McAfee Wave Secure. McAfee is one of the biggest names in digital security, and by buying the popular security app Wave Secure, they're bringing the McAfee name and protection many have come to trust to your Android device.

At A Glance

It took me a couple of tries to get Wave Secure installed on my Evo, but once I did I was quite pleased with the interface. Setup takes just a few moments, and forces the user to assign "buddy" numbers, which will be notified if the phone's SIM card is changed.

Sep

App Review + Giveaway: Out Of Milk Puts Your Shopping List On Steroids, And We're Giving Away 25 Copies

Posted by David Ruddock in App Reviews, Apps/Games, Contests / Giveaways, Reviews

Shopping lists. If you're in charge of food for a house with a lot of people, or just like to cook, they are a necessary evil.

How much do I need? Do I have some of that chicken left in the freezer? Is there enough cayenne left in that bottle for this recipe? You get the idea. Out of Milk aims to solve these problems and more - it's an app devoted (almost) solely to the organization of your food purchases and pantry stock.

Lists, Lists, Lists

OK, so just how much better can you make organizing a shopping list? I've always gone the route of copying/pasting ingredients from recipes into an e-mail, so I know just how much I need and know that my list is complete.

Sep

[New App Review] Screen Cast & Screen Recorder Makes Capturing Smooth, High-FPS Video Of Your Rooted Device's Screen A Breeze

Posted by Zak Stinson in App Reviews, Applications, Videos

When you stop and think about it, an app that could capture what is happening on your phone's screen in high quality mp4 format would be pretty useful. With such an app you could show off a neat new live wallpaper, make an easy to follow tutorial, or do a solid video review of an app - all without having to use a dedicated camera. Wouldn't it be sweet if such a thing existed?

Screen Cast & Screen Recorder

Well, luckily for us, that exact app was released yesterday by Media Solutions. Screen Cast & Screen Recorder (and here's the free version) is the unfortunate name of a new video capture app for Android devices that makes showing off all that mobile power stuffed in your pocket that much easier.

Aug

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 10] Anti-Virus From AVG Mobilation Can Handle Loss, Theft, And Malware With Ease

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Mobile Security App Shootout

Looking to protect your mobile devices as well as it protects your computer, AVG has cooked up Anti-virus, available in free version, or a Pro offering for a one-time payment of $9.99. It's an app that not only helps you locate your lost device, but also protects your phone or tablet in real time by scanning apps, web pages, and settings to be sure you're safe.

At A Glance

AVG's anti-virus/security app comes in a small package but packs a lot of features. It installs easily and goes right to work scanning your apps for malware.

You can easily register your device for remote control and in seconds you'll receive an email with a link to the online console, which is exceedingly easy to use and has a total of just 7 buttons which do everything you could want security-wise.

Aug

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 9] Lookout Security & Antivirus Offers Robust Protection, Comforting Green Checkmarks.

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Mobile Security App Shootout

Lookout Mobile Security, developers of Lookout Security & Antivirus (more commonly known as Lookout) look to stand out in the lineup of Android Security apps, offering a great set of security features that not only find (and control) your phone once it is lost, but protect against apps and web pages that seek to harm your phone from the inside.

At a Glance:

At first blush Lookout already seems impressive. A quick look at its page in the Android market reveals that it is “the #1 Security & Antivirus App for Android,” and that it falls into the “10 million to 50 million downloads” category, meaning the developers must be doing something right.

Aug

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 8] Overvi3w Provides Intuitive, Feature-Rich Experience In A Discreet Package

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Mobile Security App Shootout

Overvi3w from Unfairware is our next entry in the Mobile Security App Shootout, bringing a nice set of features for free (and a bevvy of other features with a subscription) in a lightweight, battery-friendly package.

At A Glance

Unlike the past two apps in the Shootout, Overvi3w relies on an online interface to remotely control and receive data from your phone. The app itself installs pretty quickly and is out of your hair after that - it automatically hides itself after setup (if you reboot), making it more secure against clever thieves.

The online interface has much the same aesthetic as the phone-side app, providing a slick orange-and-grey look that is pretty much self-explanatory as far as utilization is concerned.