I’ve often overlooked ugly Android apps because they performed well enough. But as time passed and more apps emerged that are just as pretty as they are functional, it’s become hard to put up with apps that aren’t easy on the eyes. Solid Explorer has found that balance between beauty and power to quickly become my favorite Android file explorer, and it’s not even out of beta yet. Solid Explorer is an Android 2.2+ app that looks incredible. The app features a white-to-gray gradient design with great icons and sensible menus that put the cluttered look of other apps to shame. There’s even a dark theme that looks just as good, and the ability to view by list, grid, or detailed list or grid. The interface then makes it easy to filter, organize, bookmark, or search to quickly locate items. And if you need to move a file, wait until you get a look at two-panel browsing. Aside from the looks of Solid Explorer, the features are also beautiful. The app can read ZIP, TAR, and RAR archives, as well as create ZIP or TAR archives from the files stored on an Android device. Users can even connect the app to their box or Dropbox cloud storage. That makes it easy to manage files directly from Solid Explorer, enabling things like cut, copy, rename, delete, and open files. Solid Explorer is still in beta, but its feature set is rock solid. The app is available for free in Google Play. Here are just a few more features supported, as well as quick video demonstration: Two independent panels for browsing Drag and Drop inside and between panels FTP, SFTP and SMB/CIFS clients File sharing via FTP Root access (file rooted devices) Indexed search, also available from the system (search for files from the Google Search widget/app)
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We live in a time-shifting world. DVR’s play TV shows whenever we want, music is streamed on-demand, and reading apps allow us to bookmark articles to peruse at our pace. But which is the best app? Which reading queue app reigns supreme when comparing Instapaper, Readability, Pocket (formerly Read It Later), and Pulse? Good question. Androinica.com has reviewed most of these apps previously, but all have been updated since then. Below is a look at the top apps that allow users to bookmark articles and have them formatted for easy reading on mobile devices. Compatibility and performance may vary across devices, but a comparison chart below compares major features. Disagree with the findings or think an app was left out? Let us know in the comments section below. Papermill (Instapaper) Instapaper ranks among one of the highest-rated reading queue apps, but its creator is shamelessly anti-Android and refuses to support the OS. Papermill steps in to support Instapaper with a great grey, blue, and white design. (Users can switch to a dark mode or adjust text size.) Papermill imports a user’s Instapaper list and can filter according to Likes and items that have been archived. Content is available offline, and an article can be opened in a browser. Users can set a download limit (10-100) and a time of day when to automatically sync with Instapaper. The downside of Papermill is that it requires an Instapaper subscription. It’s tough to warrant the $3.99 purchase when one considers you’ll have to consider spending a $1 per month to continue using it. Sure, it’s only a buck, but it’s still a buck more than you’ll pay to the other apps. The only reason to buy Papermill is if you love Instapaper and need support on Android, because this is the best-looking Android Instapaper app around. Pulse Pulse is known more as a stylized reader for RSS feeds and pre-programmed channels built around interests or subjects. However, people often fail to realize that the app actually has a built-in component that can import a reading list saved from the desktop. Connecting the app to a Pulse.me account allows the user to click a bookmarklet in their browser and automatically add articles to a special section of the app that organizes a queue according to date. Interestingly enough, it even can import from Instapaper, Pocket, Readability, or Evernote. Users can mark items as favorites, share to other apps, and adjust the text size or look of the basic design. The downside of Pulse is that it lacks the intricate filters and tags available in the other reading apps – it’s a last come, first displayed list. The reason to favor this option is that it’s an all-encompassing app. Pulse can display your saved feeds, popular trending articles, and your personalized queue. No, it’s not as customizable as the other apps, but it offers a centralized solution that the other apps mentioned here don’t have. If you want all your reading in one place, this is your app Pocket Pocket was Read It Later, a desktop and mobile app that specialized in earmarking articles to be read at a later time, formatting the articles to only have the important text and photos. The app has been rebranded to Pocket with a much better design that shows thumbnails and headlines as you browse. And unlike the other app, Pocket is prepared to import articles and photos or videos, as well as let users filter according to category. (You can also browse by tags or search to locate an article.) Pocket also does a great job of importing from other apps, so you can save pretty much anything. The downside of Pocket is that the design, while absolutely beautiful on a phone, needs a little bit of touching up on large-screen tablets. Formatting in the navigation was a little off and images are downsized, but the app does an overall decent job and it’s still compatible with tablets. This is the app to use if you are as likely to bookmark a YouTube or Vimeo video as you are an article at your favorite news site. Readability When it comes to customization and style, Readability earns high marks. The app has great light and dark themes, as well as a beautiful set of. Readability makes it easy to browse through a queue, favorites, and archives, and it has the best desktop adding mechanism of any app. Users can click a bookmarklet, browser icon, or use a keyboard shortcut to add a current page to the queue. It’s also great for switching between the stripped-down content view or going to the full web version. The “Read It Now” option especially comes in handy when looking to remove unnecessary content on a mobile device. The downside is that Readability has experienced some stability and consistency issues on some device models. Crashes and sluggishness have been reported, and updates have yet to completely address these issues for everyone. The app has done well to limit the polling frequency for updating the reading list, but it needs more options to control how often it searches for new items. Readability is best for users who love the desktop service and fall in love with the instant “Read Now” feature and desktop features. Try the app and if it works well on your device, this may be the best option. And the winner is…. Click image to see full-size As always, we stress that what works for one person doesn’t work for everyone. Try out all these options and see what works best for you. For my money, I’d have to say that the best is Pocket. I’m a sucker for a good design, and Pocket can compete with any app in that regard. Throw in better handling of multimedia, solid sharing and intents functions, and a free price tag, and Pocket stands out as the benchmark reading service for which all others should aspire to beat.
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Instagram hit the ground running when it debuted last month, amassing more than 10 million downloads and $1 billion in the process . To celebrate the launch, Androinica.com partnered with CanvasPop to give Android users a chance to turn those filtered digital photos into tangible canvas prints that they can place on their wall. After a month of giveaways, we decided to check it out up close and personal. CanvasPop agreed to send me a 12 x 12 print of an Instagram photo to review how it looks. After going through my 15 photos, I settled on an image of a local performing arts center. The original photo taken with a Samsung Infuse featured a greenish-blue tone because of reflective glass, and by the time I applied the Walden filter in Instagram, the resulting image just made me feel peaceful. The 12 x 12 print arrived a few days later. My photo was printed smoothly on a nice canvas and surprised me. I expected the image to be blurry, grainy, or pixelated because Instagram by nature diminishes photo quality. It pretty much has to when you force a square resolution on a picture taken with a smartphone designed to share photos online. Then common sense kicks in and says, “Hey, an image meant for phones probably won’t scale that great when printed.” That’s not exactly the case. Yes, the print does look like you’re zoomed in when you’re up close, but how often will you be a foot away from something hanging on your wall? The print has clarity as long as it’s held from a distance of two feet or farther, which you will be most of the time. An Instagram print might not be the best solution if you plan to keep the canvas in your cubicle, but it’s perfectly fine when on the wall in an office or mounted on a wall with other images. I love my current canvas, but the 12 x 12 size is too small for the living room. I decided to place it on a smaller wall in a bedroom until I can anchor it with other prints or objects. (FYI Canvaspop has a larger 20 x 20 size for Instagram prints.) The canvas material and mounting quality were all good. A pair of plastic knobs is at the bottom to prevent scratching or unevenness, and the image bleeds nicely into the black edges. I’m pleased with the results and plan to order a couple more that will complement my current canvas. CanvasPop prints are available starting at $39.99 plus shipping. Visit Canvaspop.com to upload your image and place an order.
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Google Maps is the premiere navigation Android app on Android, but it’s not the only one. A handful of worthy alternatives exist, especially in places where Maps is sometimes unreliable or incomplete, but they cost money. CoPilot creator ALK Technologies has created a new app that tries to play both sides of the fence. The basic features of directions and POI search are free in CoPilot GPS , but the full slate that includes voice-guided navigation will cost you. Is it worth it? That’s tough to say. In most ways, CoPilot GPS is just an improved version of the CoPilot Live apps previously covered on Androinica.com . Unfortunately, it still uses a backward address input system that requires users to enter an address in sections rather than one continuous line. CoPilot GPS is an otherwise solid app that offers point to point directions and helps users plan the best possible route. CoPilot offers directions and searches multiple points of interests along the way. That means you’ll have an easy time knowing where and when to stop to eat, find an acceptable restaurant or hotel, get gas, or find places to party, shop, and play. CoPilot GPS offers those features, along with three route alternatives, and more for free. Users are able to get 2D street maps stored on the device and available for offline use, which is a distinct advantage over the cloud model used in Google Maps that requires a web connection. However, to truly be on par with Google Maps, there needs to be voice navigation. CoPilot GPS offers that and these premium features through a $14.99 in-app purchase: Turn-by-turn voice navigation Speed limit warnings ClearTurn lane indicators for complex intersections 3D map views Google Maps is still all that most people need, which puts a serious drain on CoPilot’s business prospects. But for people who are traveling and need offline storage, or only need quality directions, CoPilot is a solid competitor. Those who love the app can decide to upgrade to the premium features, that will probably be a small sector of users. Download the app from Google Play to see if it’s good enough to be your new navigator. Android 1.6 or higher is required.
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Hungry for a new app to tell you where to eat? What about an app that can find a quality restaurant and a tasty price at the same time? Well, then you should satisfy your cravings with Savored, an Android 1.6+ app that does both. Savored is a partner of OpenTable and ZAGAT, and it acts as the happy medium between both services. The first stage of the app is telling Savored where you want to eat, filtered by neighborhood or an entire city; how many people are in a party, up to 18; and the time of your visit. The app then creates a list of venues capable of meeting your party’s needs. Restaurant availability is determined by a link with OpenTable, but restaurant choices are made possible by ZAGAT ratings. Savored lists several restaurants and indicates pricing, as well as tips for time of day that can yield better discounts (push dinner to 9:30 PM instead of 8:00 PM and you can save 30 percent). ZAGAT ratings for food, decor, service, and cost then provide a snapshot of what kind of restaurant to expect. Still not satisfied? Well, then read the “Why we love it” section to learn about a restaurant’s atmosphere and tips about the best dishes to order. The menu section has additional recommendations for appetizers and entrees, but menus aren’t available for all restaurants. Savored can then place a reservation as soon as you make a decision on where to grab your next meal. Savored isn’t as robust as ZAGAT or OpenTable because it limits the number cities that are supported. That limitation, a very inconvenient if you aren’t in a big city, severely limits the app’s usefulness. However, the combination of the two popular restaurants services, with a dash of deal hunting as well, makes for a great app in select places. Download Savored from Google Play if you live or travel frequently to the following cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington DC.
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Sunday was a huge day for sports. The last time a big sporting event took place on a Sunday, I spent much of the day watching television and using an interactive Android app. During yesterday’s drama-filled finale of the Barclay’s English Premiere League, I decided to do the same thing; however, this time I put PlayUp to the test. PlayUp is similar to OnSports, my previously covered sports app , because it’s part scoreboard and part social network. The Android 2.2 or higher app is designed to create a designated hangout that allows members to discuss live and upcoming sporting events with their friends or likeminded individuals. The app links with Facebook or Twitter to find your friends and lets users create hangouts to discuss the match. I was disappointed to see that there isn’t any indication of which friends on my networks use PlayUp, but that could be because none of my friends downloaded the app. It’s easy to invite friends to download PlayUp from within the app. PlayUp supports several sports, including basketball, football/soccer, hockey, cricket, baseball, football (NFL), NCAA sports, and rugby. When members tap on a specific sport, they see a scoreboard with live updates on all the games that week or day. Each individual game then gets a section highlighting live match stats and discussions from other PlayUp members, news and rumors associated with the two teams playing, and an ability to create a hangout – private or public – to discuss the game. Most of my friends and family who would be interested in this app already get their fix bombarding their Facebook/Twitter feeds with live updates from the game, so I thought this might be a useful way for us to connect when we can’t be there. Unfortunately, people were too busy with Mother’s Day to participate. At least my U.S. based connections were. When I went into the public “Live Match Stats” section, I found more than a few people discussing the key matches of the day. There were also PlayUp employees providing live commentary and action updates throughout the game. This proved to be incredibly useful during Sunday’s EPL slate that featured 10 games being played simultaneously. My father is a dedicated Arsenal supporter and pretty much forced us to watch Arsenal vs. West Brom instead of the Manchester City vs. Queens Park Rangers clash that determined the league champion. I often had to turn to PlayUp to know what was happening around the league. Having the commentary go beyond just the standard “Cisse scored a goal” was nice to have, and gave me a clue as to when I should sneak a quick channel change and know which games had the most drama. The problem with PlayUp is trying to decide who the audience should be, and if it’s worth their dedication. Twitter already meets my live sports commentary needs, but I have only a few contacts there that discuss certain clubs and franchises. It was easier to have an established social network of people there for identical reasons. While I like the ability to become friends with other users and invite fellow fans, it’s not always a popular hangout. PlayUp comically has the opposite problem from what I experienced when reviewing OnSports – there are plenty of soccer fans using this app, but not many basketball followers. What it boils down to is that PlayUp can be a very useful app if you can convince friends to join. The app can cross-post updates to Facebook and Twitter, but the real appeal is to have private hangouts built around sporting events. I know there are people who can’t or don’t want to share their commentary out in the open, so PlayUp can be a good way to speak freely in a private setting. It’s also an encouraging sign that PlayUp is securing partnerships with sporting events to promote the app and increase awareness. If you’re looking for a new way to talk about the game on your phone, download PlayUp from Google Play for Android 2.2 or higher. (You can also recommend the iOS version to your friends with iPhones.)
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Androinica.com recaps new, updated, and interesting Android apps each week. From time to time, we throw in a game and live wallpaper or two if the mood strikes us. Whatever’s hot in the Google Play Store is what we hope to share. (Even when we take a few weeks off to focus on other things.) A handful of noteworthy Android apps is below, including our recent reviews and app coverage from the past week. All of the apps featured in Apps Alert are discovered through browsing Google Play or through recommendation by developers and fans. To recommend an app, drop us a line on Twitter or Google+ . App Drawer Android 2.1+ required Are you sick of your app drawer and wish there were a way to customize it? Wouldn’t you like to determine how many rows or columns appear, adjust the background and font, edit labels, and change how icons sorted? Some launchers have those features built-in, but if yours doesn’t – or if you phone is MIUI based and doesn’t even have a launcher – then you might want to consider App Drawer. This free app offers an App Drawer replacement accessible from a shortcut on your homescreen or dock. App Drawer can offer a variety of style tweaks, including listing app names rather than having rows of icons. It also can hide apps from the drawer or perform batch actions for uninstalling apps. GameStop Mobile Android Android 2.2+ Most gamers are familiar with GameStop, the biggest physical game-focused retailer in the country. The store’s official app is available to aid your selection process and keep track of your habits. GameStop Mobile features a barcode scanner that bring up game information and videos, which can provide some extra info not available on the box art. It can also save you a trip to the store by checking the inventory of nearby outlets, showing trailers and news, and even order something directly from the app to have shipped to your home (or available at your local store). PowerUp Rewards members can also track their points level or get discounts and rewards for using the GameStop app. ShoeBox Android 2.2+ Before Instagram arrived to turn our pristine digital images into old-timey photographs, people had real, physical, actual old-timey photographs. Why not share those on the web instead of downgrading the new moments? Shoebox is an interesting app that acts as a scanner for your photographs. Get into an area with good lighting, line up the image, and then press the camera button to take a picture. Shoebox then auto-detects the edges of the image, but it features an adjustable zoom that can be used to be more accurate. Then the images can be stored online or added to Facebook with a caption, date, location, and tags. The photos are then accessible on 1000memories.com. (Keep in mind the quality of the resulting image will only be as good as the quality of your mobile camera.) UNIQLO WAKE UP Android 2.3+ required Japanese fashion label UNIQLO wants you to get the heck out of bed, so it developed the UNIQLO WAKE UP app. There are plenty of alarm clock apps, but this one is unique because the alarm sound changes based on the day of the week and the weather conditions at the moment. An upbeat piano plays when it’s sunny, a slower melody plays on cloudy days, and a soothing voice semi-sings the date and time on loop until you turn it off. My only concern is that the voice might be a tad too soothing, but the app supports multiple alarms in case you snooze through the first. UNIQLO also has a beautiful screen that shows the weather conditions when major cities across the world wake up. It’s not practical for repeated usage, but it’s good looking. A more important feature is that the app an play vocals in English, Mandarin, or disabled completely. Here’s how it sounds. QUICK HITS Instagram updated recently with a feature that users whined about since the app first launched – tilt shift. This allows users to narrow the focus around a specific area of an image, and then blur out the rest. The focus zone can be a line or a circle, and it’s adjustable. PF Chang’s is available to find the nearest PF Chang’s to make a reservation or place an order for takeout. There are also generic fortune cookie builders, viewing Warrior Rewards points , and a free order of lettuce wraps when you join Warrior Rewards from within the app. Future Shop is now on Android for Canadian shoppers looking to get a taste of the big box retailer on their phones. The app can scan QR codes to get product info, browse products and place orders for in-store pickup, check to see which products are in stock at local stores, and get alerts when items go on sale. Android App Reviews Turntable.fm Android app drops the beat, lands in Google Play for social music fans on the go CloudOn offers real Microsoft Office editing and links with box, Dropbox, Google Drive for free [App Review] Pair comes to Android so lovebirds and mushy couples can get 1-on-1 socializing Flipboard for Android leaks and is available for download; here’s what it looks like Google Tasks Incredible is a gesture-based to-do list that’s like Clear for Android [Video App Reviews] Gate of Time offers a taste of Zelda through an Android live wallpaper [Video App Reviews] Scramble With Friends “Smartmatch” pairs random opponents with similar skill levels, improves chat Android App News Google+ UI refresh coming soon to Android with new “surprises,” seen already on iPhone Google Maps adds indoor Street View and directions, grabs local Google Offers deals Sprint Guardian combines Lookout and Safely to find lost phones and monitor your child’s phone Samsung puts up $4 million to encourage Galaxy Tab and Note app development Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse launches Android app for shopping & design inspiration
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There are two main camps when it comes what people prefer out of their document creation and editing apps: those who want the app to be tailor-made for the mobile experience, and those who want a familiar look that packs as much of a traditional format into the device as possible. CloudOn is geared for followers of the latter form of thought. CloudOn is a free Android 3.1 tablet app that offers free Microsoft Office document creation, viewing, and editing. While other apps like Docs to Go and QuickOffice built clients with Android in mind, Cloud On is geared at a virtualization-style view that should be appealing to traditionalists who want the more familiar MS Office interface. That’s also means that pretty much every feature that you know and love from Word and Excel is available. Staying true to its name, CloudOn links to your box, Dropbox, or Google Drive accounts and opens most document formats. The app is slow when opening files (5 to 10 seconds) but responds quickly once opened. From there, it’s familiar territory because the interface looks just like Word. I managed to create a document and type with ease, but was happy to notice that a special row of characters appeared over the built-in keyboard. That makes it possible to use the same desktop shortcuts and gain access to Ctrl, Alt, Shift, Tab, F1 through F12, direction buttons, Escape, and Delete. Adjusting formatting sometimes was challenging because the highlighting seemed tougher than usual, but I got over that when I realized how many options are available in Word. Tracking changes, insert citations, adjusting page layout, and more are presented the same way here as they are on the desktop. PowerPoint was also exactly as you would expect, and I love the ability to pinch-zoom in or out on a slide. The touchscreen accuracy is very good, even when tapping the small areas of shapes in the Drawing tab. CloudOn may be a bit much for some, but during my test on a Toshiba Excite, it was very manageable. The appeal of this app is that it provides the truest sense of Microsoft Office without forcing users to master a mobile version. I still believe QuickOffice and DocsToGo will be a better solution for many, but people who want Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to be consistent across devices, CloudOn is the way to go.
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First there was the free fall of MySpace, then the university-only Facebook, and more recently, the limited social circle concepts of Google+ and Path. Now, there’s Pair, an app built entirely on the concept of couples connecting through their mobile devices. Pair is a “messaging app just for couples” that’s designed to make socializing with your sweetheart more personal. Husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, and partners use the app with just one other person (their significant other) and all communication is done on that personal level. So whenever a message is posted or an image is sent to the timeline, the only person seeing it is the one to which you are paired. Couples can use Pair to cut back on text messages because the app uses a data plan to send text, photo, or video for free. Pair also encourages interaction with things like playing Tic-tac-toe or send each other sketches. The cutest, or most groan-inducing depending on your views, feature is the ability to “Thumbkiss.” When two users sync up their thumb placement on the screen, the phone vibrates to represent a kiss. Pair has been an iPhone app since March, but it now supports Android 2.2 or higher if you have someone you wish to pester throughout the day. If your boo has BlackBerry or Windows Phone, it might be time to start a new relationship. (Just kidding, WP7 is coming soon.) [Download from Google Play] Connect to only one other person for the most private messaging experience Send photos, videos, and text messages for free Draw cute sketches for your partner in realtime, or play Tic-tac-toe! Instantly share your location with your partner Get reminders for important dates such as anniversaries, and birthdays Use your shared todo list to remind your partner to pick something up on the way home Other special features designed for people in relationships via AndroidPolice
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A few months ago, a to-do list app known as Clear made iPhone fanboys drool because of its interface that was based entirely on minimalistic beauty and gestures. There was no clumsy button navigation or overly-complicated input method. You typed to add a task, dragged to signify priority, and swiped to mark a task complete. It was beautiful, ridiculously simple, and exactly what a lot of people want in a to do list app. There’s no Clear To Do List Android app, but there is an app awfully reminiscent of it. Google Tasks Incredible holds the same values of swipes, shallow movements, and an in-and-out purpose. The Android 2.1+ app is all about quickly adding and completing tasks with as little interference as possible. Google Tasks Incredible is a Google Tasks client, so a Gmail account is linked to the app for online sync. Adding a new task is as easy as pressing a plus button and typing. Within 3 seconds or less, that item is synched and available online or on other devices. There’s no need to add tags because Google Tasks already creates separate lists; however, you’ll have to create new list groups online because GTI only lets users switch between existing lists. Other trappings – some might say features – found in most to do list managers are also taken from GTI. To prioritize a list, users hold down and then drag it into the desired position. Swiping the item left deletes it from the list, and swiping right adds it to the completed list. Shaking the device will then remove all completed tasks. Much like AnyDo , GTI thrives on simplicity. There are less options for the more complex and feature-rich apps like Astrid, TaskOs, etc., but this is clearly not the app for people who need extra organization and note options. GTI is geared for people who want a to do list manager that requires only the most basic interaction, and does so in a fluid manner. The app is available for free in Google Play, and a paid $0.99 version offers the option to change color themes.
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Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swords fans should be familiar with The Gate of Time, a portal that enables Link to travel through time. The other Gate of Time is an Android live wallpaper that brings elements of its Zelda-based namesake to your phone. Gate of Time displays three animated gears decorated with special symbols. When a user taps the screen, the gate opens and inner gears turn to represent the time travel effect. It’s a small change, but one that users will notice thanks to the fast opening and closing. Gate of Time lets users customize the wallpaper’s settings, so those gears can be set to constantly spin, or have a stop and go “tick” motion. Customization is a big part of what makes Gate of Time function. Live wallpapers naturally lead to less battery life, but the developer offers plenty of tweaking to get a nice balance of performance and pretty. Users can change the detail and textures, or adjust the framerate to go between 10 to 30 FPS. Gate of Time still looks interesting even at its lowest framerate. The appearance is further improved by the ability adjust colors and how close to zoom. Game of Time is available for free in Google Play, so don’t forget to tip your developer if the wallpaper proves to your liking. An Android 2.1 or higher device is required to use wallpapers. (There’s also a cool Easter egg you’ll eventually discover on your own.) Here’s a short video displaying how the animation looks. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and see previous live wallpaper coverage .
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Scramble With Friends players who like to compete against random opponents may have noticed that they are suddenly winning more often or having fewer blowouts over the past few dies. No, you didn’t suddenly get better or worse at the game; Zynga just got better at finding a quality opponent. Scramble With Friends is Android 2.2+ game that tasks players with connecting adjacent letters to form words. Players must be quick and make smart use of their power-ups to score as many points as possible in three competitive 2 minute rounds. Scramble can pit users against their Facebook friends or a random opponent. The latest update to Scramble With Friends includes a “SmartMatch” tweak that “matches you with players on the same skill level.” Scramble previously selected an opponent at random without much thought for word wizardry, leading to some woefully overmatched players. That diminished the fun of the game because it discouraged players on the losing edge and underwhelmed winners who felt unchallenged. SmartMatch takes a player’s past performance into account and tries to locate other players who have displayed a similar knack for words. As a player’s acumen grows, so does his or her level of competition when choosing a random opponent. I’ve relied heavily on random opponents to play Scramble With Friends and been on both ends of a mismatch. This balance of power has led to closer games and a better experience. Other new features in the latest update include: Better Chat! The Round Results screen has been redone to be chattier, making it easier than ever to (trash) talk with your friends! Stroke of Genius! The Inspire boost has gotten a shocking new makeover! Spring Cleaning! We’ve swept up countless bugs that make your Scramble experience squeaky clean! Scramble With Friends is available in Google Play. There is a free ad-supported version and a paid $0.99 version that removes ads and decreases wait times.
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Mid-range phones are the butt of many jokes around the Android circles, but there is large market for them and, let’s face it, a lot of people don’t need or use a top of the line phone. The good thing for the mid-level crowd is that with each top of the line hardware upgrade, the perception of what a high-end vs low-end device should be changes proportionally. Luckily, the LG Lucid has the specs that could have competed at the top of the line last year, but this year is a budget friendly, high-performing device. With the perfect shape and size, the Lucid boasts a perfect handheld form with the specs to perform comparable to its mid-level brethren, even ones with a higher price tag. Hardware Most mid-range phones don’t have a hook. They either have average specs and/or a black box-shaped body. However, the LG Lucid brings some excitement to the Android OS with its smoothed, curvy design and pleasuring ergonomic, hand-fitting case. What people say about the iPhone’s design, they should also say about the Lucid’s. It is a beautiful form that is comfortable to hold and play with. The color of the Lucid depends on your viewing angle. It looks black with a sparkly back cover, but in a bright light it shows flashes of a dark red-purple. The power button is a great position and is easily pressed, but a very similar button is on the opposite side of the phone which I thought was the camera button. Unfortunately, it’s just a screw cover so I was excited for nothing. The volume rocker is a little difficult to press as it blends in with the curvature of the phone. The headphone jack and USB port round out the rest of the hardware features. The now-smallish 4″ display took some getting used to after handling my Nexus, and the amalgamation that is LG’s keyboard doesn’t help matters. The Lucid houses a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. Quite a bit of horsepower for a small, middle of the pack phone, and this helps the Lucid stand out in the crowd. Even with Verizon’s and LG’s bloatware, the Lucid can run circles around phones in its same class. The only downside for the Lucid is the small amount of memory it comes packed with. Only a 8GB hard drive comes standard, but you can upgrade it with an external mini-SD card. It’s hard to imagine how far Android phones have come in a couple of years, and the Lucid can show all the progress in a small package. A great processor and a fluid, sexy design combine to form the complete Android package. Screen/Camera The screen is one of LG’s best technological achievements. It is bright and vibrant even compared to a Samsung display. LG’s problem, however, is that their software, what’s running behind the screen, that isn’t up to par. Despite not being full high-definition, the Lucid and LG certainly bring a sharpness that you won’t find in many non-HD phones. Colors are pretty in apps, just don’t look for the complimentary colors and vibrancy from LG’s skinned overlay. The pastel color palette is outdated, and with a screen like this, LG really should have kicked their developers into making something more creative to take advantage of the the sharp, bright screen. The camera itself is really lagging behind the hardware. While the 5MP back camera does produce good shots in all sorts of lighting and angles, I noticed whatever wasn’t focused on in the picture seemed to be drowned out by whatever was focused on. The camera app though worked great. It took pictures quick and had quite a few setting options for you camera-tweakers. The washing out habit didn’t carry over to the 1080 HD video quality from the pictures. Videos looked and played marvelously wherever I took them. The front-facing camera is only VGA, but it handled OK for quick pictures to your friends. You won’t get the quality of an HTC One X from the Lucid’s camera, but it can certainly serve the purpose if you need a snapshot in a cinch.
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500px.com is chock full of beautiful, emotive, and stylish photographs. It’s a place where professional and amateur shutterbugs go to share their work, and someone could easily lose part of their day browsing through the website. While the official 500px app is fantastic for browsing the website and admiring that work, it doesn’t offer an opportunity to download images and continue appreciating them everyday. The Android 2.2+ app 500px Wallpapers uses that as an opportunity to deliver some of that great work directly to an Android device. 500px Wallpapers is a simple viewer for photographs shared on 500px.com. There are no options for search or editor’s choice like the official app – just a continuously scrolling view of the popular section presented as thumbnails. What the app lacks in filtering it makes up for in the ability to set an image that catches someone’s eye as a wallpaper. A user can select a single image or turn on AutoShuffle, which randomly selects a popular image every hour, 2 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, day, or week. One problem I have with 500px Wallpapers is that it’s not very good at going to the source. There were times were I was interested in learning more about the photo and wanted to go to 500px.com, but Wallpapers doesn’t provide an easy link. Though it does have a “Share” function, that’s designed for sharing through Facebook, Twitter, etc. apps, not the browser. It would be nice be able to appreciate the work online as easy as it is to set it as wallpaper.
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Dark things happen when the sky begins to fall. That’s a common theme in Skyfall , an Android role playing game that’s currently in beta. Following an unexplained event that triggers corrupted animals and humans, a mythical world is thrown out of whack, and it’s up to a select group of brave souls to set things right. Skyfall is a game built by ngmoco and mobage. You may recognize the name from a contest between bloggers in which the first person to complete a quest would win five phones for readers. I sadly did not gain the coveted title, but I did spend a lot of time playing the game during the course of the competition, so I wanted to share my thoughts about it. I am not a fan of RPG’s because I feel like they are sometimes more work than fun, especially since some are built to go on forever. I’m not the right audience for such a game and I’ll readily admit that, but that’s the impression I got sometimes playing Skyfall. The game broke the bouts of repetition and tediousness by introducing mini-quests and increasing the difficulty as the game progressed, making it so I eventually came to like it somewhat. Skyfall features turn-based games that require players to select the right weaponry and gear, and then develop excellent timing in order to inflict massive damage and win their battles. It also requires that users pay attention to their health, join forces with others, and be smart about where they venture. After month than a month of playing Skyfall, I can see the appeal that it will have with some groups. The game doesn’t illicit the immediate appeal that some adventure or puzzle games have, but it provides a decent blend of simplicity and interest to keep players paying attention. Over time, fans will get a more challenging and engaging game centered on turn-based combat and small missions. The game could use more of a story elements injected, so we can only hope that is among the improvements that debut as Skyfall exits beta. Below is a video illustrating how Skyfall is played. The game has been in beta for a few months now, and it has improved significantly from the time I first started using it to now. Android 2.0 is required to play, and not devices will run it smoothly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_SOb9UsBds
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Chomp was previously an app discovery service for both Android and iOS. But a few months after being acquired by Apple, Chomp.com now serves only iPhone and iPad app search and recommendation. Om Malik noticed the change this morning, but there’s no need to be too worried. While Chomp was an excellent tool for searching the Android Market with context rather than just titles, the app is definitely not the only game in town; there are other places to get app search and recommendations. I’m not sure how many of you were relying on Chomp to fulfill your app needs, but consider replacing it with these sources. AppBrain.com has stellar search. The website features recommendations based on what you have installed already, removes spam and low-quality apps from the listing so it’s easier to find good apps, and shows “What’s Hot?” charts to show apps growing in popularity. AppBrain maintains lists that can sync downloads between devices and the web, and features a wealth of social and discovery features to discover great apps. Be sure to also use the Android app . AppAware.com also has a social network of app seekers. It shows what apps your friends have installed, and uses common interests, location, and your current apps list to come up with recommendations. The services does a good job of discovering what’s trending and displaying the most popular apps based on date. It also has a very stylish Android app offering all of the previously mentioned features and handpicked lists from editors for different groups of people: Men, Women, Developers, Gamers, Music Lovers, and so on. AppsFire.com is absolutely useless if you have an Android device because the website is so focused on iOS that you won’t get as smooth a search as you will on the other two websites mentioned. However, it does have an Android app that aids your discovery efforts. AppsFire shows what apps are downloaded by your friends, people in your area, VIP blogger recommendations, and recommendations personalized based on what you currently have installed. There are also sections for popular apps and “mixes” that bring together the best apps for categories (cooking, photography, sports, music, and so on). So when you search for an app, mixes will get more attention because they are tested and rated highly. P.S. Gamers can also use the game focused services of Hooked or HeyZap .
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Every now and then, a third-party Android app emerges to give a built-in Android app a run for its money. The upstart typically does something better than the incumbent and makes users wonder if it might make sense to switch over to the new guy permanently. The latest such app is Scalado Album , an Android 2.3.7+ app that manages your photo and video gallery in a creative way. Creative enough to surpass most other options? Definitely. Creative enough to dump the built-in Gallery app even on Android 4.0? Maybe. Scalado Album gets by on its unique organization and a level of speed rivaled only by QuickPic. My 1,000-plus images that I have stored on my Galaxy Nexus can take as long as 15 seconds to load in the default Gallery app. Album has a full library of thumbnails displayed in less than 2 seconds, and it loads full-screen views of selected images almost instantly. Scalado’s non-support for Picasa is one area where Gallery holds the advantage, but the app is still much faster even when disabling online photo storage in Gallery. Album takes an interesting approach for displaying media. The Camera Roll (photos taken on the device) gets top billing, but users can also browse according to Folders, Months, Places, and Nearby. Using the EXIF data stored within a photo, Nearby shows photos that were taken near a given location. The same info is used for Places, which organizes photos according to the city or town they were taken. Places was slightly off on one location (it put me in Irvington when I was in Newark), but I was close to the border between cities, so I’ll cut it a break. Similarly, the Map function creates a zoomable Google Map view of the world, and then puts place markers where there are clusters of photos. Tapping on a marker shows how many images were taken near that location, and tapping again opens that gallery. Scalado Album offers an attractive design that puts the focus on the images, and loads even large galleries in an instant. The app allows for basics like batch deleting, uploading to the Share function, and cropping or rotating images. However, it’s also missing out on some useful tools like folder selection so users can see only photos and wallpapers rather than icons and images stored for apps. That’s a small thing that can be overlooked, but to warrant paying for an app when similar ones are free, the tiniest of details need to be addressed. Luckily for Scalado, it performs well enough in other areas where I would feel comfortable paying a buck to get a much faster gallery. Scalado Albums is available for $0.99 USD in Google Play. Android 2.3.7 or higher is required to use.
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Have you ever had to instant message someone while you were trying to do something on a tablet? The notifications on Android allow you to quickly be updated when someone sends a new message, but there may be times that you don’t want to have switch back and forth between the Google Talk app and another app. Lilypad HD is the solution for those situations. Available for $1.49, the app allows Android 3.0 or higher tablets to have a floating window to continue the conversation. Similar to how you can pin a window on PC’s or keep afloat on a Mac, Lilypad maintains a persistent window for your GTalk conversation or buddy list. This lets you have a persistent view of the conversation and still watch a YouTube video, browse the web, or anything else. Users can customize Lilypad HD to suit their needs at the moment. Windows can be resized or repositioned to not obstruct critical viewing areas. They can also be minimized, or the app can be closed by tapping the icon twice. While chatting with some people over the weekend, I sometimes forgot to respond because I’m so use to hearing a notification sound from the default GTalk app. Be sure to avoid that problem by going to the settings menu and enabling Sound or vibrations to update whenever a new message arrives. Lilypad HD probably appeals to a small group of people who often use GTalk on their tablet and don’t want to deal with jumping from app to app. I would prefer the ability to use darker colors so the white and gray color scheme isn’t so jarring when using YouTube, but the overall utility of the app is worthwhile. Another positive to take is that while Google Talk is the only platform currently support, other IM services might arrive later.
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Many deals we post on Androinica are for U.S. shoppers only, but we have a decent amount of readers based in the United Kingdom. For Britons who crave new products and services but don’t want to pay full price, DealPad is an Android 3.0+ worth downloading. DealPad is a nifty Android app that aggregates deals and special offers from HotUKDeals.com, a coupon aggregation site targeting shoppers in the UK. The website offers deals, which are discounted and on sale item listings; vouchers, which include special promotions and codes to lower the final price; and freebies that offer rewards or services for free (payment for other services are sometimes required). Supporting Android 3.0+ tablets or Android 4.0+ phones, DealPad delivers all of those deals in a tablet and phone friendly format. Users can see deals on everything from SIM-free phones to music collections or ground coffee. Product descriptions and photos, as well as comments from other users, are viewable within the app. Users can then click on “Go to deal” to be taken to the page where they can make a purchase, but it’s sadly a crapshoot when doing so. Though I was normally able to go to a voucher or freebies link with my Galaxy Nexus, I was met with a “Force close” on multiple occasions when using a Galaxy Tab 10.1. The app could stand to be more stable and consistent when opening links with the built-in browser, or at least make it easy to open the default browser app. DealPad is a solid app that can filter deals according to category or sort by what’s hot, new, or discussed most. Great deals can be bookmarked to be revisited later, and users can even search to find a particular product. The app could benefit from some tuning on tablets, but it’s a useful way to look for discounts. DealPad is a free ad-supported application, but a Pro version removes the ads for less than a pound.
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Android Apps Alert is Androinica.com’s weekly round-up of new, updated, and under the radar apps. Each app is plucked from a list of candidates found by browsing the Android Market and developer/user submissions. To suggest an app for review, drop us a line on Google+ or Twitter . QUICK HITS Dell Voice updated to provide visual voicemail. Canadians can use Dell Voice to get a new number that forwards to more phones and provides online features for controlling or monitoring accounts. It’s basically Google Voice for Canadians. Google Offers got itself a snazzy new appearance. Now you can get a Holo look when trying to get daily deals, and so much faster. The app was also prated to better manage notifications and access deals in more cities. Draw Something was updated to allow users to speak with other players, undo a single move, refresh, and get notifications. It’s easier than ever to write, I mean, Draw something. Galaxy Pool Android 2.2+ Physics and puzzle games rank among my favorite past times on Android, and Galaxy Pool is a fun member of those genres. The game is sort of like pool (billiards) but has a space theme where players must bounce a ship off beams into a planet. Along the way, the ship should cross stars in order to earn points. The more you hit, the more you earn sounds simple enough, right? Well, it is initially, but as the game progresses, it becomes tougher and tougher to master all 50 levels. Galaxy Pool requires that players reposition multiple in beams on each board in order to unlock just the right combination to land on the planet, and you only get maximum points if all stars are touched. It reminds of the games my middle school teachers used to trick us into learning geometry – only this is actually fun. 500px Android 2.2+ required Gorgeous, stunning, breathtaking, and throw in whatever other beauty-based adjective you can think of – that’s how you can describe some of the photography featured in 500px. The popular photo-sharing site has made its way to Android, available now for phones and tablets to browse through the thousands of images upload to 500px. The app features a simple gallery that groups images in four tabs: Popular, Editor’s Choice, Upcoming, and Fresh. Users can also search for a specific term or browse their own photos. 500px can zoom in on a photo by double-tapping, shows ratings and comments, view a slideshow, or share a link on Twitter/Facebook. Download this app if you are a shutterbug or appreciate good photography. Path Android 2.1+ Android 2.3.3+ with OpenGL ES 2.0 required for Lenses Path has managed to grow as a social network because it has focused on remaining small. Not as in total number of users small, but small as in the number of people who are in a member’s given circle. The app and the network are designed to keep communication within a close-knit group of people you wish to connect with, but there are options to push content out to Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr. In the latest version of Path, sharing photos got an upgrade thanks to a change that saves photos on the device as well as online, and a new Lenses feature. Lenses lets Path members apply filters to their photos similar to Instagram and a host of other apps. There are seven filters available, and users get a live view of them through camera, so you can select the right effect before taking a photo. Hotmail Android 2.1+ Hotmail is still the email service of choice for millions of web users, including many who have opted for Android phones. The Hotmail Android app, which has been downloaded more than 5 million times, has been updated to improve support for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. ICS users can now check their email without issue, as can HTC Desire users who were experiencing problems when pressing the Back or Menu button. Microsoft also claims to have improved the way the appp handles calendar/meeting requests, fixed meeting description and acceptance sending, and “optimized battery usage on Android 2.1″ devices. Grab the app now to get these improvements and the ability to set updated frequency or use multiple Hotmail accounts. Flashify Android 2.1+ One of the most frustrating things about using Chrome as my default Android browser is that I’m constantly running into situations where I need to play Flash video. Despite how much you “HTML5 is the future” naysayers call for the death of Flash, the people who matter haven’t gotten the messages yet, so I need access on my phone and tablet. That’s why I was happy to get a note Flashify, an app from Nightshade Labs that provides an easy switch to another browser. The way it works is that if you come across Flash content in Chrome, select More > Share > Flashify. This will then bring up a list of installed browsers that can open the same URL. This has proven to be a much better solution for me than copying and pasting from one app to another. Download this app if you have the same problem, if you just want to send URL’s from one browser to the next for any reason. Android News & Reviews of the Week Wave Control controls your favorite music player without having to touch your phone [App Reviews] Frostwire updates torrent search app to support gestures for music playback controls Spotify completely redesigns Android app, adds 320kbps streams, speed, and Holo Google TV updates TV & Movies app to support favorites and trending PlaceMe is the always-on location memorizer you never asked for [App Reviews] Google Play actually has a phone help line for tech support [TIP] Chrome for Android goes global: adds languages, supported countries, and new features Read It Later is now Pocket, a gorgeous and free app for cleaner reading on Android
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