Filed under: Android

Filed under: Palm, iPhone, Mobile, Android

Ibis eBook reader aims to get around iPhone app store

by Jay Hathaway Nov 2nd 2009

By now, iPhone users who haven't jailbroken their devices have learned that they can't get an app unless it goes through Apple's approval process and reaches the iTunes App Store. A new eBook reader called Ibis, planned for iPhone, Android and Palm's WebOS, plans to get around Apple's restrictions. How? Simple: it's a web app. You can access the reader from your browser, and your books are stored offline using HTML5.

It doesn't seem like there's much Apple can do about that, unless they want to start blocking web apps on their device. Unlikely. So, you can enjoy your DRM-free books in ePub format to your heart's content, and even buy new ones from Ibis' bookstore. You'll be able to sync books and bookmarks across devices via the cloud, too. Ibis isn't launching for "several months," but it could be a real winner if it looks as good as it sounds.

[via Daring Fireball]

Tags: android, books, ebook, epub, ibis, iphone, mobile, reader, webos

Filed under: Utilities, Google, Mobile, Android

Google Maps brings GPS navigation to Android 2.0 phones

by Jay Hathaway Oct 28th 2009

As if we weren't already excited enough about the next version of Google's Android mobile OS, Google has now announced that Android 2.0 devices will offer GPS navigation with 3D views and turn-by-turn directions. Google Maps Navigation looks great, and it's a smack in the face to Apple, who seem to been distancing themselves from Google after buying their own mapping company. The iPhone is cool, but it's hard to beat Google Maps at its own game.

It's especially hard when Google's offering practically everything you get from a pricey GPS navigation unit, right in your Android phone. 3D maps, live traffic updates, and voice directions are all included, along with Google's Street View and Satellite view. When it comes out next week, the Verizon Droid will be the first phone to support the new navigation features. For right now, it'll only work in the United States, but other countries with Google Maps should get it eventually.

Tags: android, google, google maps, google maps navigation, GoogleMaps, GoogleMapsNavigation

Filed under: OS Updates, Google, Mobile, Android

Google launches Android 2.0 SDK

by Brad Linder Oct 27th 2009

Google is unveiling some of the features of its next-generation mobile operating system with the launch of an updated Software Development Kit. That means developers can already begin writing programs for Android 2.0 even though the first phone to run the operating system won't officially be launched until tomorrow.

So what's new in Google Android 2.0? Here's a shortlist:

Support for multiple email Google and Exchange accounts on each device, allowing you to sync with multiple email accounts and address books
Quick Contact feature that lets you pull up a contact's communication methods (email, SMS, phone, etc) with a single click
Combined inbox with email from multiple accounts
Search saved SMS and MMS messages
Auto-delete old messages in a conversation after a limit is reached
Improved keyboard with multi-touch support
Dictionary automatically includes contact names as suggestions, learns from words you enter
Web browser now includes web page thumbnails for bookmarks
Double-tap to zoom in broser
HTML5 support in web browser
Infinite scrolling in the calendar
Bluetooth 2.1 support

There's also support for digital zoom, white balance, and macro focus in the camera application. You can find a more detailed list at the Android Developers page.

You can also see some of the new features in action including a pretty nifty demonstration of how two Android devices can interact with one another in the video after the break.

[via Engadget]

Tags: google-android, google-android-2.0, mobile

Filed under: Mozilla, Beta, Browsers, Mobile, Android

Mozilla makes its mobile move, brings Firefox 3.6 to Android

by Jay Hathaway Oct 20th 2009

In the mobile browser wars, Webkit-based browsers seem to be pulling away from the pack. Don't count Firefox out yet, though, because the CEO of Mozilla says that Firefox has put together "the most advanced mobile browser," and it's due to hit Android phones soon. Fennec, the mobile version of Firefox, is based on Firefox 3.6, which is a generation ahead of the current desktop version of Firefox. As CEO John Lilly told Om Malik of GigaOM, this browser does "everything - Javascript, CSS, Flash, SVG, video and audio."

Like the desktop version of Firefox, the mobile version uses the AwesomeBar, which provides quick access to bookmarks and browser history, right from the address bar. Mozilla also plans to support add-ons for Firefox's mobile version, which would make it the first mobile browser to do so. Add-ons might be the sole factor keeping Firefox competitive on the desktop. In the mobile space, they'd give it an edge. Along with Android, Mozilla is also developing for Nokia's Maemo OS, which isn't too widespread in the US, but is growing in global popularity.

Tags: android, fennec, firefox, mobile, mozilla

Filed under: OS Updates, Mobile, Android

Android 2.0 gets Facebook integration and a car mode

by Jay Hathaway Oct 19th 2009

When you hear that there's a new iPhone-killing Google Android phone that's coming to Verizon and has a name straight out of Star Wars - the Droid - it's easy to get so excited that you forget about the software side of things. Yes indeed, Android 2.0 is coming, and it has a spate of hot new features that might legitimately make iPhone users jealous. Gadget-blog Boy Genius Report ended up with a pre-release copy of Android 2.0 and posted a walkthrough of the OS's new features, including Facebook support in the address book, and a Car Home mode for drivers.

Facebook contact syncing is a pretty sweet feature on its own, but combine that with Android 2.0's new unified inbox – which collects messages from multiple email addresses (including Exchange accounts) and Facebook messages - and you've got a pretty sweet address book system. BGR says that Gmail accounts are handled in a separate app, which is presumably better able to support Gmail's many features. Car Home is a dashboard for using your phone in the car. It provides voice access to the apps you need when you're driving, so you can dial numbers or search for something on Google Maps without taking your hands off the wheel.

We won't know how cool the Droid is until we can actually touch one, but BGR reports that Android 2.0's software keyboard offers a nice haptic response – that slight vibration that lets you know when you're pressing keys. That puts it well ahead of other non-iPhone touchscreen smartphones (I'm looking at you, BlackBerry Storm), and I can't wait to give a Droid a try for myself.

Tags: android 2.0, Android2.0, droid, google android, GoogleAndroid, iphone killers, IphoneKillers, mobile, verizon

Filed under: Web services, Google, Social Software, iPhone, web 2.0, Mobile, Android

Surprise! Google Wave (unofficially) works on iPhone and Android!

by Jay Hathaway Oct 14th 2009

After playing with Google Wave for about a week, I found myself wishing I could check my waves on the go. How is this thing going to replace email in the future if I have to be at my computer to use it? Well, it turns out that Wave does work on at least two mobile platforms: the iPhone and Google Android. Although the mobile versions of these browsers aren't technically supported - so you'll have to click through a warning to use it - the fact that they're built on WebKit means it's more or less Wave-ready.

There's even a mobile-optimized site for Wave, similar in design to mobile Gmail. Although there's no official Wave iPhone app, you can add Wave to your home screen on the iPhone for convenient access. Obviously, some of Wave's features won't work in the mobile version - dragging and dropping images, for example - but for basic reading and adding to conversations, it's fine. Preparing a decent mobile web version of Wave is certainly one alternative to going through Apple's app store approval process, especially after the infamous Google Voice rejection.

[via TechCrunch]

Tags: android, google wave, GoogleWave, iphone, mobile, safari, wave

Filed under: News, Apple, Google, Open Source, Mobile, Lists, Android, Op-Ed

Preemptive FAIL : Five easy things Verizon isn't doing to fix Android

by Grant Robertson Oct 6th 2009

It's all over the place; Verizon is embracing Android. Google loving apologist geeks everywhere are heralding the 85 million new customers -- who are obviously ready to try Android, if only Verizon would let them -- as the beginning of a new era in mobile phone competition. The cries of panacea are all I've heard all day:

"It's going to be a floodgate of new users! "

"Death to the iPhone!"

And, as one particularly difficult to satisfy commenter on another blog wrote:

"Get over yourselves apple and make a new product."

I'll have to admit, as a current G2, and previous G1 owner, I was a little excited myself. Then I read one thing from the joint Verizon/Google press call which made me crestfallen.

"Verizon also has no plans to make any changes to the Android Market."

And with that, all my dreams of an Android controlled world ran away like so much sand through my fingers. This is an enormous mistake, Verizon. Care to know why? The Android Market is terrible. It's worse than terrible, it's horrible.

Horrible, and just a little bit dangerous.

I've got a list of five things Verizon must do to the Android Market if they're to have any hope of even modest success.

Tags: android, bad ideas, BadIdeas, FAIL, G1, G2, iphone, lists, market, verizon

Filed under: Commercial, Mobile, Android

Astraware Solitaire and Sudoku titles now available for Android

by Paul O'Brien Oct 2nd 2009

Astraware - long time software developers for Windows Mobile, Palm and more recently iPhone, Symbian and Blackberry - have now entered the rapidly growing Android software market with the release of two of their top titles - Astraware Solitaire and Astraware Sudoku.

Astraware Solitaire features 12 different single player card games in the one download, with the ability to customise each game to play 'your way'. A wide choice of card backs is included, together with an optional 'clear' card face. The application also features unlockable rewards.

Astraware Sudoku includes some great features including smart hints, pencil marks, hold-and-highlight to help beginners, a downloadable 'Puzzle of the Day' from the dedicated companion website (which also includes tips on solving techniques) and a puzzle solver to help you complete those troublesome puzzles in the newspaper!

Available for immediate download from the Android Market, both games are priced at $4.99 each and feature design and controls optimised for Android while still retaining an 'Astraware feel' that will be familiar to anyone who has used Astraware products before.

Tags: Android, Astraware, Solitaire, Sudoku

Filed under: Internet, Web services, Social Software, iPhone, web 2.0, Mobile, Web, Android, Microblogging

Location-game showdown: Gowalla vs Foursquare

by Nik Fletcher Sep 27th 2009

Whilst the iPhone wasn't the first phone with GPS, the arrival of Apple's handset - and its GPS-toting second iteration - has driven demand for location-based services quicker than any other device. Even the desktop OSes are seeing location services included: both Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Windows 7 contain location-awareness APIs for developers to use.

Out of this location-service boon, there's a couple of fun and interesting games available that allow you to make the most of your location to compete with friends (and others nearby) in game-based social networks. Today we're taking a look at two of the most talked-about: Gowalla and Foursquare.

Tags: Foursquare, Gowalla

Filed under: Apple, Freeware, iPhone, Android

0870 for iPhone and Android saves Brits money on 'national rate' calls

by Nik Fletcher Sep 25th 2009

Here in the UK, there's phonecalls that are deemed 'national rate' - they're calls to a non-geographic number, and the cost of the call is a little more than you'd pay for a general phone call (as the name implies). The company which uses the 0870 number makes a small amount of money on every minute that you're connected to the number, and when you use an 0870 number on a mobile phone, the network providers add their own fees on the top of the number - making a £0.10 per-minute call into (for example) £0.35 per-minute. In short, it's a great big money-spinner for the service providers.

Since February this year, Android users have been able to use 0870, a free app that translates non-geographic numbers into their geographic alternative - allowing users to burn through their inclusive minutes instead of paying through the nose for 0870 calls. The application lets you enter the relevant 'national rate' number, uses the No To 0870 website to find a suitable alternative, and lets you call it.

Developer Simon Maddox has long hoped to build an iPhone version - and after over 400 days of back and forth (with Apple stating that iPhone carrier O2 had blocked the application) the app is now available for iPhone users too!

Both apps are free - the iPhone version is available here on the App Store, whilst Android users can simply search for '0870' in the Marketplace.

[Via The Daily Telegraph]

Tags: Android, App Store, AppStore, iPhone, Mobile, Rip-Off, Telcos

Filed under: Mobile, Android

In pictures: the updated Android Market

by Paul O'Brien Sep 22nd 2009

As you may know, Google has updated the Android Market in the new 1.6 release (aka Donut), providing a brighter UI and more logical browsing of the catalogue (particularly necessary now that the market has grown to over 10,000 applications).

As you can see in the gallery below, users can choose among from 'Apps', 'Games' and 'Downloads' categories and within a category, applications can be sorted by paid, free and 'just in' (new). Finally, screenshots are now included in the market, a much requested feature!

Devices with 1.6 on board are expected to ship in October but thanks to the beauty of open source, if you own a T-Mobile G1 / HTC Dream or HTC Magic / Sapphire and are feeling particularly brave, you can have a play already courtesy of the unofficial 'Cyanogen ROM'.

Gallery: Android Market in Android 1.6 (aka Donut)

Tags: android, android market, AndroidMarket, cyanogen, google

Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Blogging, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, iPhone, Mobile, Web, Android, Windows x64, Microblogging

Twitpocalypse II: arriving tomorrow morning

by Nik Fletcher Sep 21st 2009

Twitter's phenomenal growth means that people are posting updates to the service faster than ever. Earlier in the year, the number of tweets posted to the service hit a wall: more specifically the number 2147483647 which was the maximum size of an integer in a fair few programming languages.

Tomorrow morning, however, Twitter will be forcing through Twitpocalypse II where the number of tweets pushes past the unsigned integer limit of 4294967296. And that may cause issues for unprepared Twitter applications.

In a mailing to the Twitter API developers list, the Twitter API team have reminded developers that their applications need to cope with numbers of this size - and if you're wondering why your favourite mashup isn't working after 11:30am Pacific Time tomorrow, this may well be the culprit.

Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Windows Mobile, Symbian, BlackBerry, iPhone, Mobile, Android, Windows x64

Palringo for Windows / Windows Mobile updated

by Paul O'Brien Sep 18th 2009

Palringo, the multi platform rich messaging client for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux (via WINE), Windows Mobile, Android, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry and Java (phew!), that we first covered back in 2007, has just received an update to it's Windows and Windows Mobile iterations.

Palringo is an IM client with a twist - as well as supporting a multitude of instant messaging services (Windows Live, AIM, Yahoo IM, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, iChat / MobileMe, QQ, Gadu-Gadu and Facebook chat), Palringo provides some features not seen in competing products such as chat groups, location sharing, picture sharing and push-to-talk speech.

Changes in the new release include support for contact avatars (although these can be disabled if required), flick / kinetic scrolling, the ability to toggle the status bar (useful for devices with small screens!), variable font size, the ability to set online-status for all services at once, an improved installation process and many other improvements and fixes.

The Symbian client was also updated last week, adding a host of new languages, reduced data usage which also results in a speed increase and a number of bug fixes including improved compatibility with the Samsung i8910.

Palringo is free to download (a premium version is available on iPhone) from the Palringo website or from your mobile device's application store.

Tags: aim, facebook, im, instant messaging, InstantMessaging, palringo, windows live, WindowsLive, yim

Filed under: Mobile, Android

uStream.tv Android Broadcaster now available

by Paul O'Brien Sep 18th 2009

uStream.tv have just released 'uStream.tv Android Broadcaster' on the Android Market.

The new application - a free download - allows you to stream video directly to the uStream site via 3G or WiFi, or alternatively record higher quality video offline for uploading later.

Additional features include support for GPS location, embedded chat with users watching the stream on the uStream site and Twitter integration.

uStream's offering will compete against existing applications in the Android Market from both Qik and Bambuser. Qik has had 50,000 - 250,000 downloads while Bambuser is running at 1,000 - 5,000 downloads.

A word of warning if you are a Samsung i7500 user however - the application seems to 'force close' for me on login - hence the rather uninformative image above. I'll wait for the next release then I think!

[via TechCrunch]

Tags: streaming, ustream, ustream.tv, video

Filed under: Mobile Minute, Mobile, Android

Mobile Minute: anonymous browsing with TOR comes to Android

by Paul O'Brien Sep 17th 2009

When it comes to anonymous browsing on a desktop PC, getting set up is pretty straightforward. The widely used Tor Network provides a software bundle to install on your machine which allows you to connect via a virtual proxy to their network, which reroutes your traffic between constantly varying nodes. This makes it impossible for you to be traced as you go about your business on the web and it also makes it exceptionally difficult for anyone snooping on network traffic to determine which sites you are visiting.

Mobile anonymity is historically a lot harder to achieve, however if you're an Android user, there's now a nice simple solution.

Tags: android, anonymous, anonymous-browsing, proxy, tor

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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