Android Thoughts - Opinions, News, Advice & Reviews on Android Devices

"The last year has been a phenomenal one for the Android ecosystem. Device activations grew 250% year-on-year, and the total number of app downloads from Android Market topped 11 billion. As the platform continues to grow, we’re focused on bringing you the best new features and innovations - including in security."

I've never had a problem with a bad app doing serious damage. The worst problem I had was an app that was giving me advertisements as notifications. It wasn't hard to find the app and after I removed it the notifications stopped. This blog post explains some of the safeguards that are in place to protect your Android phone. One thing they highlight is the "Bouncer" service that Google developed to scan the Android Market and look for bad apps. It's good to know that however bad this problem is on Android Google is taking it seriously.

Have you ever had a problem on your Android device caused by a virus or malware?

"Google has released a pretty useful update for their Android version of Google Docs, providing offline access for your files and a better overall experience for tablet users by providing high-resolution versions of your documents."

This was a much needed update! To not have access to files when you have no network is just dumb. Large collections of media or things you don't need often, maybe that can stay in the cloud, but small text files, documentation, or notes, I want available all the time. It sounds like the synchronization is done well also. I played with it a bit and it's easy enough to save a file locally as shown in the screen shot above. Improving the app for tablet owners was a very smart idea as well. Really, I think that should have been done when the first Xoom was released but better late than never.

"An Android developer by the name of Koushik Dutta is building an alternative Android app store which will house the apps that have been banned from Google’s official Android Market. These will include the custom ROMs (customized versions of the Android OS), classic gaming emulators pulled due to copyright complaints, unofficial tethering apps removed at the behest of mobile operators, Visual Voicemail apps, one-click rooting apps, and more."

Koushik Dutta, the developer known for creating ClockworkMod, is creating an app store for things like tethering apps, ROMs, emulators, and whatever else doesn't have a home on any other market. There is no launch date right now but if you check the source you'll see a screen shot of a page for a developer to upload, showing progress has been made.

One thing I love about Android is the app store options you have without having to jump through hoops other than check one box in your settings. It took AT&T a while to get a clue but other than that no carrier has had a problem with alternate app stores. It will be interesting to see how carriers respond once this new app store becomes a reality.

"Today the company's pressing forward once again by introducing its Dragon Go! app for Google's mobile OS. The app focuses on verbal commands, giving you the ability to ask it to perform internet searches, make dinner reservations, buy movie tickets, play music on services like Pandora and Spotify and the list goes on."

Since Apple released iOS 5 with Siri people are really getting excited about voice commands and dictation. This looks like a very good voice command app to add to the mix of options that are available now for Android. Dragon Dictation has been around for years and I think was considered the best for a long time, it may still be. For that reason alone I'd like to give Dragon Go! a try and see how well it performs. I'm not convinced that voice control is super practical most of the time but it is fast and convenient sometimes. I especially like to use Android dictation for short messages and notes.

Do you use voice control or dictation on your Android device?

"Now you can quickly convey that eureka moment to a colleague, or simply brighten a loved one's day with a personal scribble in Gmail for the mobile web browser and the Gmail app for iOS. In the compose view, click on the scribble button to open up the drawing window."

This is for phones and tablets. It works from in your mobile browser. What a great idea! Sometimes it's just easier to draw a quick doodle for someone rather than explain it with words. Now you can do that right from within Gmail! Give it a try and let us know what you think!

"We're still waiting for Time Warner to bring its live TV streaming to Android, but the platform is enjoying some exclusive support today with two new apps."

Don't get too excited if streaming video is what you're looking for but hey, account management and a schedule tool is better than nothing. It does sound like a streaming should be coming soon but at least they put out something to tide you over.

"Just in time to really annoy your family and friends with holiday greetings, Skype for Android has updated to version 2.6, bringing with it support for sharing photos, videos and other files with your contacts."

Just in case you didn't have enough options to share a picture of your Christmas tree with mom and dad you can now use Skype for this and more. The latest release of Skype for Android lets you send photos, videos, and even other files to your contacts. They also have improved video quality for Tegra 2 based devices and added support for more devices like the Droid RAZR. Do you use Skype often? If so, what do you think of the new version?

"Google Maps also displays additional details, such as places, landmarks and geographical features, to give you context about what’s nearby. And now, Google Maps for Android enables you to figure out where you are and see where you might want to go when you’re indoors."

Have you ever been at a huge airport trying to figure out where you were in the airport and where you needed to get to? I have. Now Google maps may be able to help! The screen shots above are of the Mall of America in Google Maps before and then after the "indoor" update. Google will be adding more but for now you'll find indoor maps of some large malls and airports around the world in Google Maps 6 for Android.

"Winamp for Android unveiled a number of updates this morning, including a new Winamp for Mac Sync beta app that extends wireless music and video sync to Mac users, access to Spinner's MP3 of the day from your Android phone, and a new premium version of the app with extended features."

If you use a Mac you may be interested in the latest version of WinAmp which supports WiFi syncing to the Apple platform. Also, some features that are available in the $5.00 "Pro Bundle" are support for FLAC files, a 10-band equalizer, and gapless playback. Take a look at the article for more info!

"...people running DroidSheep can use victims' accounts, gaining access to sites that don't use a secured and encrypted SSL connection..."

DroidSheep is a freely available app that allows you to steal session information for web sites that are not well secured. Using DroidSheep you can make your phone look like the network router so all external network requests pass through it. DroidSheep will then identify different web sessions and show you which ones are most likely to be exploitable. You can check out the source link to see a video of how it works.

This app makes stealing information look easy. Keep that in mind the next time you enter sensitive information on a web site. Make sure your session is encrypted. You can look for the "HTTPS" at the beginning of a URL to make sure at least basic security is in place. Most browsers also have an indicator that will let you know when a connection is secure. Google actually removed DroidSheep from the Android Market but it's still available on the developers web site. If you use it, you're responsible for your actions.

"Proximitips is yet another addition to the long list of aforementioned apps that brings a brand new concept of providing localized social media content to you in the form of a virtual magazine! By localized, we mean accessing only the content shared by people (including you) in your vicinity through said services. With Proximitips, you get maps, tweets, next door stuff (local multimedia sharing), bookings to your favorite venues and more."

Proximitips is a social media aggregator that gets its data from all the major social networks. It tweets, facebook posts, and other information based on your location. You can change the distance from you that it will consider to be near you. You can filter information based on categories like check-ins, events, or music. It also has a feature that lets you make reservations at hotels, restaurants, etc. It looks like a very useful tool if you're traveling and want to find something to do. Check out the source link for more details or download Proximitips from the Android Market and give it a try!

"“We are all addicted to data, but like junkies we don’t stop and count the cost — we just want our hit,” Onavo cofounder and CEO Guy Rosen says. “With capped plans now the norm, we’re here to remove the confusion and baffling small print to make it clear and simple.”"

Onavo Lite for Android is an app that monitors and helps you manage your data usage. It can notify you of a specific app that's using a lot of data or let you know when you're close to your monthly data limit on your plan. If you have you had problems going over you're monthly limit this could be a huge help to you. Even if you haven't it could be cool to see which apps, that you may not expect, are using the most data. Follow the "Read" link for a bunch of screen shots and some more information.

"Android lets you customize just about every aspect of your device through the use of apps, and we've got a great list of apps to strengthen the weak points that come with an unadulterated version of Android."

This is a great list of apps you can use to enhance your Android experience. From that list, two of my favorites are Dolphin Browser HD and HandyCalc. Dolphin HD is a great browser with fast and accurate rendering and it's especially cool that Flash works in it. HandyCalc is a sort of weird but very cool and very powerful calculator. It has a lot of logic to guess what you're trying to do and help you along the way. It works in pages and lets you go back to previous ones which is helpful. A swipe of the keypad will give you a qwerty keyboard with useful punctuation on screen as well.

For me, one favorite app that I would recommend is actually a Widget. It's called "No Screen Off" and it's by Etienne de Closmadeuc. As the name would suggest it's a toggle to keep your screen from turning off. It's great because when it's on it puts an item in the notification bar that you can use to toggle the lock off. For me it's perfect if I'm reading slowly, transcribing off the screen to something else, or using an app that should keep the screen from going off but doesn't. Do you have an Android App you can't live without? What are some of your favorites?

"When deciding on a place to go, people often want to know what a place looks like in addition to seeing ratings and reviews. You can now contribute photos to help others get a sense of places. You can now attach your photos to Places, and yours may even become the profile picture for that page."

Google has added a number of social features to Maps. As mentioned above it will now let you add your own photo of a place. New descriptive terms will also show up when you search for a place. You can add places if the one you're looking for doesn't exist. So now you can check in anywhere - even when the place isn't listed. Make sure you check the source for all the details but there is a lot here - especially for people who love to explore and try new destinations! Google Maps 5.8 for Android is compatible with Android 2.1 and newer. Have you been playing with any of the new features? Let us know what you think!

"Three weeks ago, we announced our early rollout of Hulu Plus to six select Android smartphones. Today, we're pleased to announce we're adding four additional Android smartphones to our list of Hulu Plus-enabled devices, bringing the total to 10 supported devices."

The latest update to the Hulu app for Android adds support for four more Android devices. Hulu Plus subscribers may now enjoy watching their content on the HTC Evo 4G, HTC ThunderBolt, HTC myTouch 4G and G2 in addition to the previously supported Nexus One, Nexus S, HTC Inspire 4G, Motorola Droid II, Motorola Droid X, and the Motorola Atrix. And there was much rejoicing...

Verizon Wireless has created two navigation apps called VZ Navigator and VZ Navigator Global. The VZ Navigator app is your guide within the country but VZ Global takes it, well, global so you can travel unfamiliar foreign territory. The apps contains voice turn-by-turn directions, accurate real highway signs (for you visual drivers like myself), integrated roadside assistance, traffic notifications and location sharing so your peeps will know exactly when you will arrive to the kegger! Pricing is dependent on which plan you select and they offer a "one day" plan for the VZ Navigator app which would be good for venturing out of your local area on summer vacation. Plus, Verizon is offering a free 30 day trial for VZ Navigator so you can try it before buying!

"We've always said our mission is to provide the world's premium content to people when, how and where they want it. And we know that a lot of people want that content on their Android smartphones. We've been working hard to make that a reality, and today, we have begun our early rollout of the Hulu Plus application on Android smartphones."

Looks like Hulu is following in Netfix's footsteps by releasing their Android app to a whopping six devices. Yep, six. These devices are...... the Nexus One, Nexus S, HTC Inspire 4G, Motorola Droid II, Motorola Droid X, and the Motorola Atrix. So if you happen to be a Hulu Plus subscriber and happen to have one of these devices head over to the Android Market and get your Hulu on! The rest of you can go on waiting for Nexflix to be released for your device.

"To participate in the research, all that you have to do is install Device Analyzer on your phone. The application collects usage statistics in the background while you use your phone. Personal identifiable data is stripped from the data that is collected and the data is periodically uploaded to the server at Cambridge University in the UK."

Over 1000 people have already downloaded and installed Device Analyzer on their Android device. What do you think about this? I actually think it's a cool idea and I'd love to see what can be learned by the data they collect. I would think it would be used, among other things, to improve the Android operating system by optimizing it for common usage scenarios. These days it seems to me that so many people are paranoid about their privacy. On one hand, we need to be wise and take some precautions to safeguard our personal data but on the other hand sometimes I wonder what people have to hide. Some of the things they plan to use the data they collect for are recommending phone plans and apps based on your current usage. They will also give you access to download and view your data at any time. You can even delete your data if you decide you're not comfortable with the program anymore. I'd love to heard what you think about this research project? Is it something you would take part in? Is this just asking for trouble, from a privacy standpoint, if you download and install this app? Have any of you tried it?

"Android: Moving from the desktop, where you may have your favorite userscripts set up, to your Android phone, where you're missing all of them, can be painful. TamperMonkey is an Android browser that has full support for userscripts, and allows you to add and manage GreaseMonkey scripts to your Android device."

If you've used GreaseMonkey at all you're love this. TamperMonkey for Android, now in beta, will let you use your GreaseMonkey userscripts with your Android browser. Userscripts let you modify a web page as it loads every time it loads anyway you want that is possible with Javascript. You can create scripts to do all kinds of things like change the formatting of a page, highlight specific text, add and element, or remove an element. These userscripts can be applied to a specific web page or to a group like a domain or all pages. I'd love to hear some of the uses you come up with for TamperMonkey and how it saves you time on your Android device!

"Adding a PIN, password, or pattern to your phone's lock screen can be great for security, but really annoying if you unlock your phone frequently. Delayed Lock turns off your pattern for a few minutes, so you don't have to swipe it every time you check your phone."

This app could be a great little time saver. If you use a secure lock screen and find it annoying when you need to unlock often you should really check out Delayed Lock by J4velin. It is very configurable and will let you set an amount of time that it will wait after the screen is locked before requiring your password or pattern to be entered. It has other options too, even letting you delay the password/pattern based on your location. Their is a free trial available but the full version is only $1.45. If you have an HTC device with Sense you already have some of its features. It apparently has a check box for you if you have Sense so it can extend your built in features. If this app helps you please let us know!