Instagram got a major update today in addition to faster uploads and autocomplete hashtags. The major update is that the photo sharing app now creates a photo album of images that you've liked. Previously, Instagram was just a stream of photos and liking a photo had no benefit to you, just an ego boost to the person who put it up. Now, aside from just the photos you've uploaded, you have instant access to view photos you've liked over and over again, unless, of course the owner takes it down. Like pictures and they'll become a photo album You can also add a little bit more to your profile by way of profile pictures (from your Photo Library) and web links. This way when you like someone's picture, they have somewhat of an idea who you are and who exactly is liking their pictures. So, now going from the simple take picture, add filter and upload app, Instagram is on its way to becoming a full on social network purely based on photography. |
Showing posts with label ANDROID APPS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ANDROID APPS. Show all posts
That your Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 will be getting a Gingerbread update is not surprising. However, the update is also said to be bringing the “Facebook inside Xperia” feature to the handset. With Facebook features incoming From what the Mobile Indian has to say, a certain Sony Ericsson spokesperson said that the Gingerbread update will be arriving to handsets in India, but they didn’t have an idea about the timing of the launch. What we know is that the update should be launching at the end of this month or maybe beginning of July. A few days back we saw SE releasing the “Facebook inside Xperia” feature for the Xperia Play and the Xperia Arc. If these features make it to the X10, that’ll just add to the happiness to the X10 users, as well. These small progresses definitely are going to earn Sony Ericsson those brownie points that they have been in need of for a while now. Let’s just wish that there’s no change of plans or anything of that sort. |
Known messaging brand, eBuddy has now launched a free, real-time messaging app, eBuddy XMS. The app allows users of iPhone, iPod Touch and Android users to enjoy the benefits of real-time messaging.
The social buddy..
eBuddy claims that using its new messaging app it would be possible to completely eliminate the need of basic, old school texting. Users can use the eBuddy XMS to send free, unlimited text messages with the help of internet data connections. Using this mode would mean that users will not have to pay for sending individual text messages. eBuddy allows users to add friends by simply scanning through their phonebooks, or picking them up via SMS, email, or the social networking mediums like Facebook and Twitter.
Other features include personalization tools which let users send and receive photos, along with a variety of emoticons.
Samsung Galaxy S II just got smarter! If you own the latest heartthrob, and a Samsung Smart TV, then you can now enrich your TV viewing experience.
Now, access to content wherever you go..
The latest app to have hit the Android market from Samsung, called Smart View App can make the Samsung Galaxy S II exhibit the properties of a remote control beginning with controlling your TV. The app also lets you stream content into your phone. Users can use the Smart View App from the Android market and view photos from their TV on their smartphones. The app, by this way, lets you catch every bit of your favorite show or that crucial match right on the comforts of your Samsung Galaxy S II. This free app offers something for the gamers, too. The app can be used as a game controller, owing to the inbuilt gyroscope.
However, both the smartphone and the TV will have to be connected to the same Wi-Fi router to be able to utilize the app.
We compare two diminutive handsets with the HTC Wildfire S taking on the Samsung Galaxy Ace.
Form:
Samsung Galaxy Ace - 112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5 mm, 113 g
HTC Wildfire S - 101.3 x 59.4 x 12.4 mm, 105 g
The Wildfire S doesn’t look very different from the original Wildfire, and that was never a particularly attractive handset in the first place – it’s stocky and a bit dull to look at really.
It has a much more pleasing look and a sleeker profile than the Wildfire S, which makes it look much more premium even if the spec is more humble.
Winner – Samsung Galaxy Ace
Display:
The Samsung Galaxy Ace’s display setup isn’t exactly going to get your pulse racing, it has a 3.5-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen at 320 x 480 pixels and 164 dots-per-inch (dpi). The TouchWiz 3.0 user interface (UI) is pre-loaded on the handset and other features include a reinforced Gorilla Glass screen, multi-touch input and an accelerometer sensor.
The Wildfire S’ TFT capacitive touchscreen is smaller still at 3.2-inches and has the same resolution as the Samsung but at a higher 180 dpi.
It features the same toughened Gorilla Glass and an accelerometer sensor and comes with the HTC Sense UI.
The Wildfire’s screen may be smaller but the picture quality should be noticeably better thanks to the higher dpi.
Winner – HTC Wildfire S
Storage:
HTC’s Wildfire S packs internal storage and RAM in equal measures with 512MB of each and has card support for Micro SD up to 32GB.
The Ace has only 158MB of RAM internally, storage is entirely on cards with up to 32GB Micro SD supported and a 2 GB card supplied.
Not exactly spectacular from either candidate but the Wildfire S does better here.
Winner – HTC Wildfire S
Processor:
While the Wildfire S’ processor is an upgrade from the original Wildfire, clocking in at 600MHz, but the Samsung is better provided for with a faster 800 MHz ARM 11 processor on the Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset, while graphics get a boost from an Adreno 200 graphics processing unit (GPU).
Neither is exactly earth-shattering compared to all the 1 GHz plus and dual core models saturating the market, but both use quality tech and are optimised well enough to give decent performance for what they are.
Between these two though, the Samsung comes out as the preferable handset.
Winner – Samsung Galaxy Ace
Camera:
The Samsung Ace sports a 5-megapixel primary camera with autofocus, LED flash, geo-tagging and dace and smile detection. The resolution is 2592x1944 pixels and the handset supports video calling with video quality being QVGA. There’s no secondary camera though. Not a bad little setup at all and one of the handsets more standout features.
HTC’s offering has a 5-megapixel primary. It’s got LED flash, autofocus and geo-tagging, again there’s no secondary camera and video capture is VGA.
The Samsung offers more camera features, including the attractive prospect of video-call support, so it wins this round.
Winner – Samsung Galaxy Ace
Operating System:
The HTC runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread while the Samsung Ace comes with 2.2 Froyo, though it can be quickly upgraded to Gingerbread too.
There’s nothing between the two handsets here being on the same platform, they’ll both benefit from the enhanced multi-tasking as well as a faster user interface, smoother touch-keyboard.
Generally, Gingerbread is a big improvement over Froyo, so we’re glad the Ace is upgradable otherwise it would’ve fared badly this round, the only area we hope to see improving on Android smartphone builds in the future is the browsing which is still a bit clunky but the tablet version has shown Google know how to fix this.
In the meantime there are a lot of positives to Gingerbread and it’s a very useable and satisfying operating system.
Winner - Draw
Final Thoughts:
We’re not hugely enamoured by these ‘mini-phones’ and their lower specs certainly leave you wanting. In a couple of key areas the Wildfire S fares much better with its superior storage and display but it falls down on processing power, an important aspect in which the Samsung is quite adept.
The Samsung is more interesting with its faster clock speed, better camera and sharper looks but it might be frustrating relying on cards for storage, the screen is passable though even if the Wildfire’s is technically better.
The Wildfire does better overall in this contest but you may find yourself looking longingly at faster processors on other devices.
Android 3.0 is set to explode. While the Motorola Xoom is off to a slow start - according to some analyst projections - the new OS will appear on several new tablets, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and new models from Asus and Acer.
As Android has shown on the smartphone platform, it is possible to dethrone Apple by sheer numbers, now that there are more Android handsets in use than iPhones.
Will Android 3.0 usurp the mighty iPad and iPad 2? That all depends on the app. Here are the current top picks of a relatively small group of Android 3.0 apps (about 60 available currently).
(Note: Our list does not include apps included on the tablet already. These are the apps, listed in order starting with the ones we recommend downloading first.)
1. Pulse
Pulse deserves a place of honour on your home screen for one reason: it aggregates the web. The idea is to showing top stories from around the web, but each one shows a quick thumbnail. When you click, you can read just the basic story and view photos without the usual clutter. It's also easy to share links.
2. Google Earth
Google Earth is free, like most Google apps, but worth the download on the Xoom because of how quickly it works on the Tegra processor. In our tests, zooming into a London street corner, the app worked smoother than anything we've seen on the iPad for mapping software. You can plan routes as well, see topographical info, and search for landmarks all over the world.
3. Google Sky Map
One of those rare apps that makes people gasp when they first use it, Sky Map shows star constellations in real-time as you move your tablet around the night sky. You can zoom in and choose to hide some objects, such as planets, to make it easier to find what you want.
4. Google Body
Google Body lives up to the Google mission statement: you can find anything, even your femur. The interface for looking at the human body is very intuitive - you can zoom in on any body part, view just a skeleton or muscles, and search for body parts, muscles, bones, or just about any part of our anatomy.
5. Kindle
When we picked the top Android apps many eons ago, Kindle was a top contender. On Android 3.0, it is less compelling, since the Google Books app works quite well. However, any books you have previously purchased from the Kindle Store appear here automatically.
6. Angry Birds Rio
A game based on the movie, Angry Birds Rio is not only addictive, it's also free. On each level, the goal is to rescue the birds Blu and Jewel, featured in the film. The game mechanics are the same as the original, minus the pigs: you pull a rubber band back and launch a bird to knock down buildings.
7. Double Twist
Double Twist does not add any new twist to music playback on the Xoom. What it does provide is a desktop app that can sync all of your music, videos, photos, and podcasts. The Xoom version is obviously a re-formatting of the smartphone version, but when you okay a song the album cover appears in HD and the controls for advancing through tracks are easy to find and use on the larger screen.
8. Adobe Connect Mobile
For those who already use Adobe Connect, the mobile version for Xoom is a must-download. For the rest of us, this screen-sharing and webconferencing system works well on a tablet because you can instant chat with colleagues, share your screen, and host meetings. Unfortunately, the webcam did not work with the Xoom version (it did work on a BlackBerry PlayBook).
9. FlightTrack (£3.07)
One of the few paid apps on our list, FlightTrack is a top pick because it allows you to check flight departures and arrivals quickly, see an icon of your plane during flight, and check for flight changes. The interface is also robust: you can search for flights at 4,000 airports and for 1,400 airlines.
10. Air Attack HD (£1.79)
Second only to Angry Birds in terms of compelling gameplay and rich graphics, Air Attack HD is a scrolling shooter with detailed maps and plenty of gameplay twists. You can control one of two classic planes. On the Xoom, the HD version looks amazing and runs smoothly. Some levels have destructible bridges, and wait for the end of each level for massive boss battles.
11. BackBreaker THD (£3.07)
This American football game shows how the Xoom hardware can be used for a real arcade game. The graphics look crisp and colorful as you control a running back who has to make his way to the touchdown zone. Stadiums look great, and the juke moves are varied and realistic.
12. Androidify
Androidify has no practical function, but that doesn't mean it's useless. You can customize the green Droid character with crazy hair and paints, then share your creation on multiple services, including Picasa and Dropbox, attach the image to any contact, store in your Gallery, or send by email.
13. Dropbox
Some businesses say they could not operate as smoothly without Dropbox. The reason: the app lets you share just about anything in a common portal that's accessible from anywhere. On Android 3.0, the app is one of the best ways to send images, video, and documents to the device.
14. DocsToGo
The free version of this app is a must-download if you routinely need to view Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office documents. You can't edit docs, and the free version does not work with Google Docs, but you can open files from the local storage on your tablet.
15. SoundHound
The main reason we like SoundHound is because it actually works. A music recognition engine, the app will "listen" to recorded music and tell you the artist name, track, and album. We identified about a dozen songs accurately. The app is not as good at recognizing a song you hum or whistle, though.
Next Pag
So you've bought an Android tablet and can't quite figure out how things work in this strange new desktop environment?
It's not like Windows, and doesn't spoon feed you like iOS, but Android 3.0 is amazingly powerful and highly customisable.
Here's our top 20 Android 3.0 tips to tune and tweak your tablet, and you won't have to root it to do a single one.
1. See the normal web (pt1)
Android's phone-based heritage means that many websites see it come and serve up mobile versions of their content that looks terrible on a 10inch screen. You can get around this by changing the way the Browser identifies itself - go to the Browser settings (in top right-hand corner of the screen) tap Advanced and change the 'User agent string' to desktop or tablet.
2. See the normal web (pt 2)
Not all tablets have the user agent option available. Acer's Iconia A500, for example, needs a bit of a hack. Open up the browser and type 'about:debug' into the address bar. Now when you go to Settings, you should see a menu for 'Debug' - the user agent switch is in here.
3. Speed up web browsing
The beauty of Android is that it can handle Flash-based web content. But websites with lots of interactive banner ads will still slow it down. Go to Browser > Settings > Advanced and change 'Enable plug-ins' to 'On demand'. Flash applications will appear as an arrow you must click to start them off.
4. Speed up your browser
Do web pages take ages to render, or does typing on the keyboard feel laggy when filling in web forms? Try opening up the Browser Debug menu in tip 2 and turning off OpenGL rendering. Success varies from site to site, but it can give you a bit of a boost.
5. Sync your bookmarks with your desktop
If you use Chrome as your desktop browser, one of the big advantages of Honeycomb is that you don't need an app like Xmarks to sync your bookmarks. It's all done via Google's sync tools, hidden on Preferences > Personal Stuff on the desktop version of Chrome and Settings > General in Honeycomb's browser.
6. Get the 3.1 browser
Fire up the browser and go to Settings > Labs and you'll notice an option for 'Quick Controls'. This gives you a little thumbwheel at the side of the page for navigation and will be turned on as standard in the next update.
7. Make your own wallpaper
All 10-inch Android tablets so far have a screen resolution of 1280x800, but with Android's Holographic UI and its swipe-able homepages, the background image has to be bigger than the visible area. You can use the in-built cropping tool to create your own desktops, but if you're preparing a pic for others the ideal resolution is 1920x1408.
8. Take control of your desktop PC
Want to get at your Windows apps while you're on the go? Asus' Transformer ships with a skinned version of Splashtop's remote access client, and it works brilliantly on a Honeycomb tablet. You can get it on other tablets from the market; just download the server to your PC at home from Splashtop.
9. Encrypt your data
One of Honeycomb's killer features for business users is the ability to encrypt the built-in storage, so if someone takes off with your tablet they can't pull your data off the hard drive. You'll need to fully charge your battery and set a password or pin number to the lock screen, then go to Settings > Location and Security.
10. Find network shares
Android's built-in File Manager is OK, so long as you can wrap your head around Linux's unusual way of structuring its hard disk, but for some reason Google decided the ability to browse shared folders on your network was an optional extra. Download File Expert from the Market instead.
11. Get a browser with plug-ins
Look, this isn't a phone, alright? Your tablet is more than capable of handling browser plug-ins like LastPass and Xmarks for easy net navigation, but the default browser can't do it. Get Dolphin HD from the Market.
12. Filter the apps menu
Hunting for a particular app and don't know where you installed it? You may not have spotted this, but if you open up the full list of installed apps by touching the menu button in the top right of the desktop, there's an option to show 'All' or 'Downloaded' at the top of the screen.
13. Transfer files in MacOS or Linux
A baffling design choice in Honeycomb was to use the Microsoft MTP protocol for connecting via the USB lead. What does that mean? If you plug a tablet into a Mac or Linux machine, you can't browse its hard drive. Either get the File Transfer Utility (for MacOSX) or the Android SDK for Linux.
14. Search by voice
Another shortcut you may not have noticed is the microphone icon next to the search bar on the main homepage. This opens up Google's Voice Actions, which lets you control your tablet or search the net without using your hands.
15. Quicklink to Dropbox folders
Got the Dropbox app? Of course you have. Did you know you can create quicklinks to your online folders on the Honeycomb desktop though? Tap and hold the desktop to bring up the customisation screen and scroll right to 'More'. You'll find the icon in here - it vastly speeds up working with files if you don't have to open up a separate app first.
16. Make your battery last longer
Go to Settings > Wireless & Networks > Wireless Settings > WiFi Sleep Policy, and change it to 'When screen turns off'. That'll disconnect the wireless antenna while the tablet is in standby: you won't get new email alerts, but your battery will last for days.
17. Add folders to your desktop
Why did Google remove the ability to create desktop folders for apps in Honeycomb? It's there in Froyo et al. Must be because they thought five huge homescreens was enough space - but it's not. Get Smart Shortcuts from the Market and organise your workspace the way you want.
18. Use your phone as a modem
There's some confusion over whether or not Honeycomb supports tethering in the normal manner. The good news is that yes, it does. Go into Settings > Wireless & Networks > Bluetooth turn on Bluetooth and pair it with your phone. Now click the spanner icon next to the phone's name in the list there, and you'll find an option for internet tethering.
19. Uninstall apps the easy way
If you've used Android before, you might recall that uninstalling apps is a bit of a laborious trawl through the settings menu to find the right control panel. In Honeycomb, just open up the full launcher, hten drag and drop app icons to the trash can to fully remove them.
20. Encode video the right way
A lot of fuss has been made about Tegra 2's ability to decode HD video, but the truth is that Honeycomb and Tegra aren't as well matched as they could be for accelerated playback. If you're going to copy videos over to your tablet, re-encode them using Handbrake and the settings shown here.
Here's our top 20 Android 3.0 tips to tune and tweak your tablet, and you won't have to root it to do a single one.
1. See the normal web (pt1)
Android's phone-based heritage means that many websites see it come and serve up mobile versions of their content that looks terrible on a 10inch screen. You can get around this by changing the way the Browser identifies itself - go to the Browser settings (in top right-hand corner of the screen) tap Advanced and change the 'User agent string' to desktop or tablet.
Not all tablets have the user agent option available. Acer's Iconia A500, for example, needs a bit of a hack. Open up the browser and type 'about:debug' into the address bar. Now when you go to Settings, you should see a menu for 'Debug' - the user agent switch is in here.
3. Speed up web browsing
The beauty of Android is that it can handle Flash-based web content. But websites with lots of interactive banner ads will still slow it down. Go to Browser > Settings > Advanced and change 'Enable plug-ins' to 'On demand'. Flash applications will appear as an arrow you must click to start them off.
4. Speed up your browser
Do web pages take ages to render, or does typing on the keyboard feel laggy when filling in web forms? Try opening up the Browser Debug menu in tip 2 and turning off OpenGL rendering. Success varies from site to site, but it can give you a bit of a boost.
5. Sync your bookmarks with your desktop
If you use Chrome as your desktop browser, one of the big advantages of Honeycomb is that you don't need an app like Xmarks to sync your bookmarks. It's all done via Google's sync tools, hidden on Preferences > Personal Stuff on the desktop version of Chrome and Settings > General in Honeycomb's browser.
6. Get the 3.1 browser
Fire up the browser and go to Settings > Labs and you'll notice an option for 'Quick Controls'. This gives you a little thumbwheel at the side of the page for navigation and will be turned on as standard in the next update.
7. Make your own wallpaper
All 10-inch Android tablets so far have a screen resolution of 1280x800, but with Android's Holographic UI and its swipe-able homepages, the background image has to be bigger than the visible area. You can use the in-built cropping tool to create your own desktops, but if you're preparing a pic for others the ideal resolution is 1920x1408.
8. Take control of your desktop PC
Want to get at your Windows apps while you're on the go? Asus' Transformer ships with a skinned version of Splashtop's remote access client, and it works brilliantly on a Honeycomb tablet. You can get it on other tablets from the market; just download the server to your PC at home from Splashtop.
9. Encrypt your data
One of Honeycomb's killer features for business users is the ability to encrypt the built-in storage, so if someone takes off with your tablet they can't pull your data off the hard drive. You'll need to fully charge your battery and set a password or pin number to the lock screen, then go to Settings > Location and Security.
10. Find network shares
Android's built-in File Manager is OK, so long as you can wrap your head around Linux's unusual way of structuring its hard disk, but for some reason Google decided the ability to browse shared folders on your network was an optional extra. Download File Expert from the Market instead.
11. Get a browser with plug-ins
Look, this isn't a phone, alright? Your tablet is more than capable of handling browser plug-ins like LastPass and Xmarks for easy net navigation, but the default browser can't do it. Get Dolphin HD from the Market.
12. Filter the apps menu
Hunting for a particular app and don't know where you installed it? You may not have spotted this, but if you open up the full list of installed apps by touching the menu button in the top right of the desktop, there's an option to show 'All' or 'Downloaded' at the top of the screen.
13. Transfer files in MacOS or Linux
A baffling design choice in Honeycomb was to use the Microsoft MTP protocol for connecting via the USB lead. What does that mean? If you plug a tablet into a Mac or Linux machine, you can't browse its hard drive. Either get the File Transfer Utility (for MacOSX) or the Android SDK for Linux.
14. Search by voice
Another shortcut you may not have noticed is the microphone icon next to the search bar on the main homepage. This opens up Google's Voice Actions, which lets you control your tablet or search the net without using your hands.
15. Quicklink to Dropbox folders
Got the Dropbox app? Of course you have. Did you know you can create quicklinks to your online folders on the Honeycomb desktop though? Tap and hold the desktop to bring up the customisation screen and scroll right to 'More'. You'll find the icon in here - it vastly speeds up working with files if you don't have to open up a separate app first.
16. Make your battery last longer
Go to Settings > Wireless & Networks > Wireless Settings > WiFi Sleep Policy, and change it to 'When screen turns off'. That'll disconnect the wireless antenna while the tablet is in standby: you won't get new email alerts, but your battery will last for days.
17. Add folders to your desktop
Why did Google remove the ability to create desktop folders for apps in Honeycomb? It's there in Froyo et al. Must be because they thought five huge homescreens was enough space - but it's not. Get Smart Shortcuts from the Market and organise your workspace the way you want.
18. Use your phone as a modem
There's some confusion over whether or not Honeycomb supports tethering in the normal manner. The good news is that yes, it does. Go into Settings > Wireless & Networks > Bluetooth turn on Bluetooth and pair it with your phone. Now click the spanner icon next to the phone's name in the list there, and you'll find an option for internet tethering.
19. Uninstall apps the easy way
If you've used Android before, you might recall that uninstalling apps is a bit of a laborious trawl through the settings menu to find the right control panel. In Honeycomb, just open up the full launcher, hten drag and drop app icons to the trash can to fully remove them.
20. Encode video the right way
A lot of fuss has been made about Tegra 2's ability to decode HD video, but the truth is that Honeycomb and Tegra aren't as well matched as they could be for accelerated playback. If you're going to copy videos over to your tablet, re-encode them using Handbrake and the settings shown here.
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With everyone changing phones frequently these days, data loss is possible, and in many cases inevitable. There is always a high risk of losing important data such as contacts and text messages in the process. In this workshop, we show you how you can take a complete backup of your important data, including phone contacts, text and multimedia messages, calendar data, applications, application data and settings, and settings for alarms, network, etc.
Toolbox on MyBackup Pro
The backed-up data is stored in a separate folder on your SD card and can be restored on your new phone. The whole process takes a few minutes (depending on the amount of data and type of data selected). There are a few backup applications available online and presently two well-known utilities seem the most powerful - Titanium Backup and MyBackup Pro. While Titanium Backup features a lot more than just backup and restore, it is not as simple as MyBackup Pro. The two applications cost nearly the same. In this workshop, we’ll walk you through he backup process on MyBackup Pro.
Copying files on your SD card
Download and install MyBackup Pro from the Android market. Start up the application and you will be greeted by the home screen, which has all the necessary options — Backup to create backups; Restore to restore previously backed up files; Manage to view and delete stored backups; View to view stored backup contents; Schedule for scheduling automatic timely backups; and MyToolbox, where you can select system apps and non-system apps and clear their cache or data.
NOTE: MyBackup Pro will work on all Android mobile devices regardless of whether or not they have root access. Users who have a rooted phone can backup apps, individual data and settings as well as Market links.
Naming your backup files
To begin with, click on ‘MyToolbox’ and select the system apps you also wish to backup. This is purely optional as some users might want to backup their system apps and data too. Once done, go back to the main menu and click on ‘Backup’. Here, you have a choice to select ‘Applications & Media’ or just the ‘Data’. Select the ‘Applications & Media’ and the next screen will prompt you to select the destination for the backup files. Those who prefer ‘Online’ may do so, else, select ‘Local’, wherein MyBackup Pro will store the backups in a default folder ‘Rerware’ under the ‘/mnt/sdcard’ folder.
In action, saving files
MyBackup Pro will scan all the apps in your phone and highlight ’Apps’ and Photos’ on screen. Since the photos are already on your SD card, we can skip them unless you want to back these up online. Remember that you get only 100 MB free space online for your backups and can purchase more if needed. Backups take up a lot of space, so select your backups accordingly. You can either select the checkbox that will select all apps or you can click on the pull-down menu to select individual apps. Once done, click ‘OK’ and the next screen will prompt you to give the backup a name. The next screen will prompt you for the type of backup you want. Select between ‘APKs, Data’ or ‘APKs + Data’ accordingly. The app will start backing up data content and storing it on the destination folder, which will take a few minutes. When it’s completed, a summary of the apps and their data and any other issues will be listed on the screen. If an app is not installed via the Android Market, you’ll get an error stating that the market link is not valid or available. This is normal.
Scheduling the backups
That’s it! Your data is backed up and you can simply copy the contents of the folder to the other phone’s memory, or simply swap the memory cards. To restore, start the Android Market, download ‘MyBackup Pro’ and select the restore option. Follow the on-screen wizard and restore your data on the new phone. Using the scheduler option, you can create a rule to backup data automatically at a given time. Select the time and day for the backups and choose the number of data backups to keep.
Google have recently announced an update to their location aware mobile app, Google Maps. In the updated version – Google Maps 5.5, Google has added check-in and rate and review buttons to its Place pages. The update also includes the ability to enable users to edit one’s home/ work address and redesigned transit pages.  Now able to edit home or office location with Google Maps 5.5 In a blog post by Google, the features of Google Maps 5.5 are in the Places page we find a button for check-ins, when a person checks in to a place they can make it easier to stay in touch with their friends and family by making it easy to share where they are. There is also another button added to the Places page which is the rating button where one can submit a review or rating to the place they are in. Another update in the latest version is the ability to edit addresses in the Location History dashboard. The Location History dashboard was a new implementation for Google Maps which was released last month. This feature estimates how much time one spends at home or at work. In the new version if their address is changed they have the ability to edit it to the new location. Google Maps 5.5 is available for all Android devices running version OS 1.6 and above. To download the latest version, click the link here. |
Google have recently announced an update to their location aware mobile app, Google Maps. In the updated version – Google Maps 5.5, Google has added check-in and rate and review buttons to its Place pages. The update also includes the ability to enable users to edit one’s home/ work address and redesigned transit pages. Now able to edit home or office location with Google Maps 5.5 In a blog post by Google, the features of Google Maps 5.5 are in the Places page we find a button for check-ins, when a person checks in to a place they can make it easier to stay in touch with their friends and family by making it easy to share where they are. There is also another button added to the Places page which is the rating button where one can submit a review or rating to the place they are in. Another update in the latest version is the ability to edit addresses in the Location History dashboard. The Location History dashboard was a new implementation for Google Maps which was released last month. This feature estimates how much time one spends at home or at work. In the new version if their address is changed they have the ability to edit it to the new location. Google Maps 5.5 is available for all Android devices running version OS 1.6 and above. To download the latest version, click the link here. |
Watching the French Open lately? If not, you won’t have to cite busy working hours as a problem. Orange France has developed the official Android app for the French open called Roland-Garros 2011 French Open. For all you tennis fans, you can now keep up with the game with live scores.  French Open on your Android Just like we have a plethora of apps for cricket, this French Open app will give you all details about the one and only Grand Slam that’s held on a clay court. The app features real time scores, live matches and also previews best-of videos. It has its own news and photos features and also has all draws and results listed. The app gives you video highlights and has some more stuff like a Visitor’s Guide and a map of the stadium. Anyway, you can always give this app a try because it’s free and is probably a nice way of catching up with the tournament. If you did try the app, hit up a comment below and tell us what you thought about the app. Click here to download from the Android Market. |
Watching the French Open lately? If not, you won’t have to cite busy working hours as a problem. Orange France has developed the official Android app for the French open called Roland-Garros 2011 French Open. For all you tennis fans, you can now keep up with the game with live scores. French Open on your Android Just like we have a plethora of apps for cricket, this French Open app will give you all details about the one and only Grand Slam that’s held on a clay court. The app features real time scores, live matches and also previews best-of videos. It has its own news and photos features and also has all draws and results listed. The app gives you video highlights and has some more stuff like a Visitor’s Guide and a map of the stadium. Anyway, you can always give this app a try because it’s free and is probably a nice way of catching up with the tournament. If you did try the app, hit up a comment below and tell us what you thought about the app. Click here to download from the Android Market. |
New CyanogenMod lets you rule Android app permissions with an iron fist
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
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We've recently seen Google crack down on rogue apps and patch some server-side security issues, but let's not forget Android does have a small measure of built-in security: app permissions. But as with those pesky EULAs, many users tend to breeze through the permissions screen. And Android forces even the most attentive readers to accept or deny all permissions requested by an app. But the newest nightly builds of the CyanogenMod custom ROM include a clever patch allowing users to grant and revoke permissions individually -- something like the TISSA security manager we're still awaiting. Obviously playing God with permissions can crash your applications: with great power comes great responsibility. But we figure if you're running aftermarket firmware on a rooted phone, you're comfortable experimenting. See how it works in the video after the break, then hit the source link to download.
We've recently seen Google crack down on rogue apps and patch some server-side security issues, but let's not forget Android does have a small measure of built-in security: app permissions. But as with those pesky EULAs, many users tend to breeze through the permissions screen. And Android forces even the most attentive readers to accept or deny all permissions requested by an app. But the newest nightly builds of the CyanogenMod custom ROM include a clever patch allowing users to grant and revoke permissions individually -- something like the TISSA security manager we're still awaiting. Obviously playing God with permissions can crash your applications: with great power comes great responsibility. But we figure if you're running aftermarket firmware on a rooted phone, you're comfortable experimenting. See how it works in the video after the break, then hit the source link to download.
