Android Social Media

Splashtop Remote Desktop Connection from Phones, Tablets, and Other Computers

Jacob S Paulsen — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:07:22 +0000

Ok, so if you follow this site you know we have a small crush on a remote desktop application called PhoneMyPc. We have reviewed it twice in the past and frankly I’ve always felt it was the best. There is just one feature I have always longed for… the ability to remote connect to my computers from my other computers in addition to my Android phone.

Don’t get me wrong, most of the time its enough to just open the app on my phone and quickly get done what needs to be done on any one of my computers that is powered on. Sometimes however it would be faster or altogether more plausible to get some work done on the home or work computer if I could login from the other computer.

There are plenty of other applications out there like LogMeIn and GoToMyPC that allow for this but I figure that as long as I already have something installed for my phone it should work computer to computer as well. Not to mention that I assume pay a one time price for apps on my phone than a monthly subscription to one of the service providers I mentioned.

Enter Splashtop. Splashtop is comparable in most respects to PhoneMyPC except of course that they also allow computer to computer connections. They seem to have also ironed out some of the kinks in the other remote desktop apps in regards to streaming video and audio smoothly to the remote computer/device.

I picked up the app as the free app of the day in the Amazon App Store several weeks ago.

Here is a complete description as provided by the developers:

Complete Virtual Remote Desktop Access

With this app, optimized for your Android tablet, you can control your home computer from your Android device via Wi-Fi. Get Splashtop Remote HD and you can view your desktop, use your regular Web browser with your plug-ins and bookmarks, and access all your important PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and Outlook files.

Liberate Your Multimedia

Want to listen to music or watch movies that are “trapped” on your computer while you’re on the go? Not a problem. Splashtop Remote Desktop HD can smoothly stream high-res video and audio from your PC or Mac to your Android device. Watch videos in any format (including Flash), listen to your entire music library, and play PC games to your heart’s content.

View and listen to all kinds of media formats

Do It All, Wherever You Are

With Splashtop Remote Desktop you can:

•Watch Flash videos (Hulu, AOL Video, Yahoo Video, etc.), DVDs, and Media Center content

• Listen to music stored on your computer in any format (WMV, Real, WMA, MP3, AAC, etc.)

• Play 3D games such as World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Civilization V, and more

• Play Facebook Flash games like FarmVille, CityVille, Pet Society, Cafe World, FrontierVille, and Mafia Wars

• Use non-Android programs such as Quicken and iPhoto

To use this app you must install Splashtop Streamer on your home computer; this can be downloaded free from Splashtop’s website. A dual-core CPU is strongly recommended for the best performance.

Splashtop Remote Desktop HD works only devices running Android OS 2.2 or higher or Android 3.x tablets. It supports all versions of Windows 7, Vista, and XP, including Home Premium. Mac users must have at least Snow Leopard (10.6).

>>Download Splashtop Remote Desktop HD

Addicted to Evernote for Android: Epitome of Note Taking

Jacob S Paulsen — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:41:08 +0000

When Evernote first made it’s big splash I wasn’t impressed. There are so many note taking apps in the world that I just didn’t understand what made Evernote so special. That has changed.

The biggest selling point for me is Evernote‘s desktop application. I have a slight obsession with almost any app that I can deploy on all of my various computers and my phones… all synced in real time. Evernote’s desktop application is easy to navigate and easy to create notes. You can drag and drop ANYTHING into a note and the text editor makes it easy to do professional text copy just like you might in Microsoft Word.

Where Evernote Is Different

Evernote is not Dropbox and it hasn’t replaced Dropbox for me. Dropbox allows me to access files from anywhere… and the most recent version of those files. Dropbox does not allow me to compose new files on the fly. Evernote fills that void. I can create new content (photos, videos, web clippings, text, or any combination of these) on the fly from any of my devices and it will sync across all devices.

Evernote is not a device only note taking app. Evernote does allow you to compose new notes from your Android phone but it also has the desktop application that makes it easy to access, share, and compose new notes from your computer. This makes it particularly useful when putting together a multimedia note that will include text or photos that you copy over from the web or other applications.

Evernote allows sharing. You can quickly share a specific note or notebook with other Evernote users. This makes it easier than before to collaborate on new projects.

The Android App is very feature rich. It includes password protection and has a very clean and easy user interface. From the app you can use the camera to quickly create new notes. Within the app you still have a great text editor for Bold, Italic, Underline, Number/Bullet lists, and check mark boxes. Its easy to use speech to text and to attach pictures, audio, video, or other files to a note.

Download Evernote today.

Virtual Note-Taking and Journal App, Powered by Catch.com

Google Translate: Over 60 languages right in your pocket

Adam Neighbors — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:08:27 +0000

It’s becoming rather apparent that Google is doing its best to take over the world. So it comes as no surprise that the company that is trying to take over the world has a useful and easy to use app that will help you talk with it. The Google Translate app takes the effectiveness of the Google Translate webpage and puts it in a comprehensive mobile format. Making it easy to translate to and from the over 60 languages available. The app’s sleek design is a very example of what consumers look for in a mobile phone application. It has a nice simple layout with perfectly sized buttons and display.

However amazing the app’s design is, the place where the app really shines above all others is its features. After five minutes with the app it becomes clear how many features this seemingly simple app has. To start with you can choose what language you’re translating from and what language you’re translating too, but where the Google Translate app shines above most of it’s competitors in this aspect is the famous “Detect Language” feature that so many Google Translate users have come to love. This is an obviously useful tool if you are unaware as to what language you’re starting out with and need it translated into your native tongue quickly.

Easily detecting a language is just the start of this app’s features. The Google Translate has a “SMS translation” button that with a few simple clicks can translate any message you’ve received into any of the languages available without having to copy and paste. Inside this nice little feature is the “Conversation Mode”. In this feature the user can simply talk to their phone as if in a conversation and it would tell them how to say it in the preferred language. Although, the conversation mode is in alpha, and does have some flaws, it does provide a nice look into what is to come.

The Google Translate app will become a useful tool for someone going on a trip to Mexico as well as a person about to make a business deal with a Chinese speaking partner. The app has a sturdy present build, and shows potential for its future updates. It’s free in the Android Market so I suggest checking it out.

FedEx Mobile for Android Tracks Your Packages

Jacob S Paulsen — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:07:09 +0000

There are several generic package tracking apps available in the Android Market. My experience has been that they are really hit or miss. Now when you send or receive packages from FedEx you can keep an eye on them with this official app.

This is especially handy if you have a FedEx account and send out packages on a regular basis. You can nickname shipments, or create a watch list for the most important items in transit.

FedEx Mobile also provides direct links to their Web site that is specially tailored to work with your Android mobile device. You’ll be able to:

- Create a shipping label while you are on-site helping a client
- Access your fedex.com Address Book
- Get a rate quote easily and quickly
- Sign up for shipment notifications
- Find the nearest FedEx location
- Provide mobile feedback to FedEx

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Garage Sales Bargain Hunter: Mogasa for Android

Jacob S Paulsen — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:49:45 +0000

I’m not afraid to admit that I like garage sales. I am the type of person who will spend more in gas than I’ll actually save by driving across town to use a coupon. If you are also always on the lookout for deals you should probably check out Mogasa for Android.

Garage Sales App: Mogasa for Android

This app makes it easy to first search for garage sales by keyword or location. If you know you are looking for a new lawnmower you can type that into the search. For me I just searched for garage sales near me. It being December in Denver there aren’t a lot of sales going on right now but I still found quite a few. My search results were displayed in order of proximity to my location and upon selecting any one of them I got better details.

The second most significant feature to me are what the app calls “Custom Treasure Trails.” Not all of us have GPS hardwired to our body and sometimes a lot of gas and time can be wasted driving around from garage sales to garage sales. This feature allows you to predesignate which sales you want to stop by and thus build a custom “trail” that will keep you moving directly to the sales you are interested in.

If you have a garage sale coming up why wouldn’t you list it in this large network? After you setup an account you will be able to list your own upcoming garage sales. When you list your upcoming sales be sure to be specific with what types of items you will have. This will make it easier for other users to find you when they do keyword searches. In the end you want more targeted customers coming to your garage sale to get the specific types of items you have available. Naturally the value of the app and it’s community are directly tied to how many sales are published by its users in addition to the content it can find on sites like Craigslist etc.

The Mogasa app is very community and social oriented. I think its especially helpful to be able to leave reviews about each sale you visit on your route. This gives a lot of insight to other shoppers who may be on their way over to check it out. In addition to leaving reviews you can also add photos and “check-in” with Facebook, Twitter, or the Mogasa community. You can also publish your trails to the Mogasa community or to your own friends. Within the community you can also view other trails that people have created.

All around I’m excited to utilize this app to get rid of some of my own stuff and find those hidden treasures around me!

Developer’s Site

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Thumb Keyboard – The new standard for Tablets and Phones

tyger — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:14:22 +0000

If you’re a current owner of an Android tablet, then one of your most pinched frustrations must be the built-in on-screen keyboard. It was definitely a pain to not only the tablet with one hand and to type with 1-finger of the other. Not only does this generate a risk of the tablet tipping over and resulted in a destruction of hundreds of dollars, but also the inefficiency of typing with just 1-finger. The developers at BeanSoft has come up with a great idea to kill two birds with one stone; with the birth of The Thumb Keyboard. Just imagine, ordinary people will hold a 10.1″ inch with both hands, regardless of landscape or portrait mode; this only leaves 1 finger free, aka the thumb. This keyboard cleverly separates the on-screen keyboard into a left and a right portion. As a direct result, the typing efficiency has increased drastically and the tablet is held tightly between your palms. The keyboard also supports secondary symbols via long-press on the certain key, as well as the usual feedbacks: pop-up, sound, and heptic.

Despite being a paid app on the Android market ($2.50), it is usable not only on your Android tablet, but also on your Android phone. For use on the phone, split keyboard does not make much sense in portrait mode, but works beautifully in landscape mode. Wait a minute, this keyboard doesn’t work well in portrait mode in the phone?

You read me right, approximately more than 90% of android phone users use in portrait mode; and the developers at BeanSoft had taken this into account and have allowed users to select the type of on-screen keyboard to use for portrait/landscape. The keyboard also supports multiple themes built-in: such as honeycomb, gingerbread, iPad, and the hottest one right now, the Ice-Cream Sandwich.

So, go on and head to the market and search for Thumb Keyboard, or just follow the link here: Thumb Keyboard

Richard Cheng, a MBA candidate with passion and knowledge for technology and biotechnology related topics. Please follow me on twitter @TygrC for the latest news around the globe.

Buildings: A Tourist Encyclopedia for Android Devices

Jerome — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:10:58 +0000

Buildings is an App dedicated for everyone who has a passion for Architecture or Landmarks in different locations. It provides a map, great images and information about a structure. Buildings for Android is composed of more than 40,000 buildings accross the globe so you can learn a lot of things at your fingertips. This App is not only intended for Professionals who are in the field of Design & Architecture. As i said, it was designed for everyone that’s why it has a very simple interface and a very unique look. The architecture in the app’s database supplies information, images and videos about historical buildings and modern architecture, which have been crowd-sourced from architects from around the world. In particular I think it makes a great addition to any tourist plans or activities you have. Learning about buildings is often a big part of tourist adventures.

Key Features:
- Get directions to interesting architecture nearby
- Add photos to buildings you are visiting
- Make comments, checkin and also share with your friends
- Shows you daily featured buildings from around the world

Isn’t it nice to know something from the past? Something that is older than us and impossible to believe easily. Great Architecture is interesting and you can find it here.

The best Things in life are free.

-Jerome

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ShopSavvy Makes it Easy to Save Money While Shopping

Jacob S Paulsen — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 08:47:46 +0000

Today is Black Friday in the USA and for most of you who are reading this I’m too late to help you save money on the door buster deals that most retailers are offering. Just the same I thought the timing was right to introduce you to ShopSavvy Barcode Scanner. You may already be familiar with it since this app was among the very first apps in this category for Android.

You can quickly scan any barcode (or manually search for a product). When a product is found you will see all of the local and online retailers of that product. This makes it real easy to determine how good a value things really are in the store. Before putting the item in your shopping cart just scan the code and wait :15 seconds. More often than not, most products can be found online for less but after you factor in shipping and the delayed gratification you may choose to just buy it now.

Within the app you can also read reviews from other consumers. This can often save you from making a poor buying decision.

Recently the developers added a new update that makes ShopSavvy fresher and more powerful than ever. Version 5.0 now includes ShopSavvy Wallet which allows you to store your credit card info to make quick purchases of items from major online retailers such as Walmart, Target, Buy.com and Barnes & Noble.

There are now many apps in the Android Market that are designed to help you price comparision shop, but in my experience, not even Google’s own Google Shopper can compare with ShopSavvy Barcode Scanner.

Did I mention the app doesn’t cost anything?

Pulse News: Android Editor’s Choice News App

Jerome — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:05:17 +0000

As I rundown some news reader Apps, Pulse News strikes my attention. It is one of the staff picks on Android market. I downloaded the App and browsed it’s features for quite a while. It will require you to sign up on facebook or twitter for easier sharing of news and articles via Pulse. It is so far, for me, the best News Reader available in the Android Market. Pulse provides an amazing layout of new sources with a grid/mosaic layout which you can slide row by row for additional news stories. You can easily access popular sites that you prefer, containing updated news. The user interface is very elegant and it also provides colorful panning story bars which can be filled up by your favorite stories. It looks best on tablets but is still very appealing on phones. I like sharing interesting news online via Facebook or Twitter and that’s why I am amazed by the great features of Pulse News. It makes the boring news more colorful and interesting.

Key News Features Include:

Save stories in Android
Browse these stories from the app or on the web
Send stories to services like Instapaper, Read It Later, and Evernote
Sync sources to your Pulse account to keep them on every device you use
Share stories via Facebook and Twitter

It also Offers a great widget where you can choose in what source would you like to get the news updates.

The best things in life are free.

Jerome

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Dolphin Browser Mini: Browser Alternative for Android

Jerome — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:30:46 +0000

Have you experienced any laggs while browsing the internet on your Android device? Are you looking for a great browser which better resembles your Desktop browser? If so, then Dolphin Browser Mini might be right for you. Dolphin Browser is available in a HD version in the Market but I prefer the Dolphin Browser Mini version for several reasons. I found the HD version a bit slow on my Galaxy Ace and Galaxy Tab, which is why I first tried downloading the Mini version. To my surprise, it provides the same exact features without the slow-down!

In addition, I’ve noticed the flash player seems to work best on the Dolphin Browsers. For a busy person like me, I don’t like complicated things getting in my way and that’s why I’m so happy using Dolphin Mini as my browser. There are a lot of settings that can be customized such as themes, clearing history, and clearing cache when closing the browser.

Key Android Dolphin Browser Features Include:

Add bookmark
Add speed dial
Copy/ Select text
Share page
Find on page
Copy URL

It also has a nice welcome tab where you can easily acces your favorite sites.

Making Your Site More Mobile Friendly for Mobile Browsers