Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Best apps for Android on travel, social network, dining

11:38 PM    No comments
CNET's list of the best apps for Android includes well-known classics as well as some downloads we've plucked from obscurity. All of them, though, have been tried and tested by our editors and come highly recommended. With apps to help you with everything from productivity to shopping, we're confident that our list can be both a great reference for experienced Android users and a perfect starter kit for anyone new to the Android ecosystem.

Social networking

Share photos, update your status, tweet, or hang out. Whether you're jumping waist-deep or dipping only your big toe into the social space, these apps are must-haves.




  • Facebook for Android

    Facebook for Android

    The official Facebook for Android app is undoubtedly the best way to view Facebook on your Android. The overhauled app (which now closely resembles the iPhone version) offers a clean interface with a sliding navigation panel on the left. Meanwhile, the most-used buttons -- Friend Requests, Messages, and Notifications -- are right there at the top of the screen. This means you can respond to friends without having to leave the screen you're on. Read full review





  • Google+

    Google+

    Google+ for Android is a clean and intuitive mobile app that has all of the powers of its desktop counterpart, save for the games and a few other minor features.

    If you're an avid user of Google's still-growing social offering, then this is absolutely a must-have. If you're not, then we still suggest checking it out if only for the app's auto-upload feature for photos and videos.
    Read full review




  • Twitter

    Twitter

    We wouldn't be the least bit surprised if choosing a single Twitter app for Android leaves you paralyzed by choice. There's no shortage of third-party Twitter apps in the Android Market, and many of them are good. That said, a great place to start is the official Twitter app. It's superclean, easy to navigate, and now supports multiple accounts. While it may not offer some power features like Saved Searches, for most users, the official Twitter app should be a great option.Read full review




  • Tumblr

    Tumblr

    With Tumblr for Android, using the megapopular blogging platform cum social network while on the go is a snap. The app lets you create and publish posts, read through posts by other bloggers you follow, and manage your account settings, all without much of a learning curve.

    If you own a Tumblr blog, then frankly, this mobile app is a must. It makes it incredibly easy to post any type of media to your site (except audio), and it provides a nice interface for doing all of the social stuff that Tumblr offers.Read full review
    • CNET editors' rating4.5 stars


    • Get your multimedia on with these feature-packed photo and music apps.




  • Turntable.fm

    Turntable.fm

    Fan favorite music-streaming and discovery service Turntable.fm is available on Android, and it does a great job of packing its full desktop experience into your mobile device. With Turntable.fm, you can hop between rooms to discover new music, as well as create your own playlists so you can DJ for others. It's a fun experience all around. And to top it all off, the interface, with its slick listening rooms and hypnotic animated avatars is absolutely stunning.Read full review




  • Instagram

    Instagram

    More than just a free photo-enhancement app for Android, Instagram connects its users to a photo-based social network that's more than 30 million users strong. With this powerful social functionality, the app makes it incredibly easy to not just polish and share photos, but also to keep tabs on friends through the built-in Instagram photo stream.

    If you're looking for a high-end photo-enhancement app to make your pics really shine, then Instagram probably isn't it. However, if you're hungry for followers, and you love sharing your photos with as large an audience as possible, then look no further than this must-download.
    Read full review




  • Slacker Radio

    Slacker Radio

    Slacker Radio, Pandora, and Last.fm are three free music services that help you find and groove to live-streaming tunes. Though each contains a strong element of discovery, we enjoy Slacker Radio's human-curated stations, the lyrics in the pro version, and ability to cache stations for offline listening. Plus, Slacker's Premium account is the only one we've seen that offers both socially programmed radio and on-demand listening.

    Disclosure: Last.fm and CNET are both properties of CBS Interactive.
    Read full review




  • SoundHound

    SoundHound

    If you're having trouble naming that tune, just fire up SoundHound (free) to speak, sing, hum, type, or record a song for the music-identification service to identify. It will return a song, complete with artist bios, video links, and links to an online music store.

    SoundHound will also, crucially, pull in complete song lyrics where available or link you to a lyrics search where they're not. The free version of SoundHound maintains the entire feature set, but limits the number of sung, hummed, or recorded song IDs to five per month--to get rid of that limit, opt for the $4.99 plus version. However, there's no cap on typing or speaking your music terms, even with the free version.
    Read full review

Dining and travel

Whether you're still planning your trip or already abroad, these downloads are must-haves. And if you're into discovering new places to eat, pay special attention.




  • Yelp

    Yelp

    When you're out and about, and on the lookout for businesses (especially restaurants), Yelp for Android might be your best friend. It pulls up user reviews, location info, photos, and so much more. The app also lets you place calls, navigate, check in, and even post your own reviews, if you'd like. It's so powerful because its database is so enormous. In fact, it can be difficult to find a business that isn't covered by Yelp, especially in major metropolitan cities. We also love that Yelp lets you search based on proximity to your current location, and the nifty augmented reality feature, Monocle, is also quite awesome.Read full review




  • TripAdvisor

    TripAdvisor

    TripAdvisor is the comprehensive companion app to the popular travel Web site of the same name. It's a great resource for discovering hotels, restaurants, and things to do in destinations all around the world. It even lets you read reviews, talk in forums, and look through tons of photos shot by other travelers. If you're planning a trip, this app is a great way to get all the inside info on potential destinations.Read full review




  • Kayak

    Kayak

    Think of Kayak as a digital travel agent that searches through hundreds of different travel sites to help you book your trip. It searches through popular sites, such as Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz, all at the same time, and gives you current rates and itineraries that can all be booked in just a few clicks. In addition, Kayak offers convenient travel tools like a packing list, currency converter, and airport information, all accessible right from the main dashboard. Read full review




  • Hipmunk for Android

    Hipmunk for Android

    Whether you're a novice traveler or a frequent flyer, the Hipmunk travel search app should be a breeze to handle. Simply type in your destination and departure cities and select your travel dates. Then select Coach, Business, or First class, and enter the number travelers. And that's it. The process is very similar to that of most travel apps and Web sites, plus it comes with some quick auto-complete suggestion and a super-smooth date selector. What's special about Hipmunk, though, is it's unique, visual interface, which makes it incredibly easy to compare different travel options across several different criteria. Hipmunk can even include Amtrak options in your search results.Read full review

 

 From:http://download.cnet.com/

 

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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Insta-growth: Facebook purchase, Android app up Instagram uniques

11:20 PM    No comments

Instagram Facebook


A month after two of its two most important moments -- its jump to Android and its acquisition by Facebook -- Instagram has already reaped some of the rewards, seeing its number of unique visitors grow by 78%.
The dramatic gain in traffic placed the little photo filtering mobile app at the top of the web for growth in April, according to ComScore Inc., which released the statistics Thursday. 

Instagram brought in nearly 14.6 million different individuals to its service in April, making the app the 106th-most visited property on the Internet.
By comparison, the app grew by just 19% in March with 8.2 million uniques, leaving it No. 204 on the most visited list.
Instagram's uptick was undoubtedly tied to the start-up's expansion onto Google's platform of Android phones, the leader of the smartphone market. The Android Instagram app arrived in early April, and at that time Instagram had about 30 million users.
After April's growth, Instagram is now believed to have more than 50 million users, according toVenture Beat. And of course, the mainstream exposure it received following its Facebook pick-up couldn't have hurt.
The social network giant bought Instagram just a few days after it added its Android app for the sum of $1 billion. The purchase is seen as a step by Facebook to expand its success to the smartphone platform and begin generating revenue from its mobile users.
But after Facebook released its own camera app this week, it will be interesting to see how Instagram's growth in May and June will be affected. 

From:http://www.latimes.com/

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2012 top 10 android games apps for free at google play store

2:26 AM    No comments

1 Angry Birds
 Angry Birds

Description
Use the unique powers of the Angry Birds to destroy the greedy pigs' fortresses!
The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the greedy pigs who stole their eggs. Use the unique powers of each bird to destroy the pigs’ fortresses. Angry Birds features challenging physics-based gameplay and hours of replay value. Each of the over 300 levels requires logic, skill, and force to solve.



 2 Jewels stars

Jewels Star

Description
Fun and addictive Match-3 game!
Another classic Match-3 game launch on Android Market.
Your mission is to win Jewels Star, pass the levels and try to get all stars in each level.
How to play:
1: Match 3 or more identical jewels.
2: Match the jewels until the board transparency,the Jewels star will appear.
3: Make the jewels star down to last line to pass the level.
Tips: Eliminate the jewels quickly can get extra scores.
Features:
- More than 198 levels and 8 pretty scenes in the game, including starry sky,mountains,snow world and so on.
- Match 4 jewels can win the jewel's bomb and 1 lighting.
- Match 5 jewels can win color-changing jewels and 2 lightings.
- Eliminate 20 jewels continuous can win 1 lighting.
- The jeweled bomb can eliminate the jewels around.
- The Color-changing jewel can eliminate to any other colored jewel.
- The Timing Jewel can extend the playing time.
- The lightning Jewel can eliminate jewels in one row.
- For the chained jewel,you can eliminate the jewels around to unlock it.
- For the frozen jewel,you can eliminate the jewels around to release it.

3 Basketball Shoot


Basketball ShootDescription

Basketball Shoot!
Basketball Shoot is an simple but very addictive game which base on realistic physics.
Whenever you are waiting the bus, having a rest or sometime you feel boring, this game is can kill the time quickly.
The quantity of the basketballs is limited. Your goal is to shoot them for a better score.
How to play:
1. Touch the screen
2. Drag the dotted line to change the power and angle
3. Release to shoot
Features:
-Easy to control, fun for every age players.
-Great shooting experience.
-Simple but special picture style.
-8 backgrounds to choose from, like airport, beach, rooftop and so on.
-More interesting functions are coming soon.

4 Words With Friends Free

Words With Friends Free

 

Description

The #1 mobile word game Words With Friends Free is now available on Android.
Play Words With Friends Free, the #1 mobile word game, with both your Android and iPhone/iPad-toting friends. Experience for yourself why millions of players are addicted to the word building, triple score seeking, chat bubble sending goodness of Words With Friends.


5 Draw Something Free

Draw Something Free


Description
The most popular social drawing and guessing game on Android!
Play the Free version of Draw Something, the most popular social drawing and guessing game on Android! Experience for yourself the laugh-out-loud game your friends are raving about! Plus get these special bonuses:
★ 900+ Words to Draw
★ 5 FREE Bombs


6 Fruit Ninja Free


Fruit Ninja FreeDescription

The worldwide smash hit Fruit Ninja is now on Android for FREE!
Fruit Ninja is a juicy action game with squishy, splatty and satisfying fruit carnage! Become the ultimate bringer of sweet, tasty destruction with every slash.
Swipe up across the screen to deliciously slash fruit like a true ninja warrior. With three games modes in single player and worldwide leaderboards using Openfeint, the addictive gameplay will keep you coming back for even higher scores.
Fruit Ninja features three packed gameplay modes - Classic, Zen and the new Arcade, featuring powerups including Freeze, Frenzy and Double Score! The bonus Dojo section includes unlockable blades and backgrounds, and you can also unlock achievements and post scores to the online leaderboards with Openfeint.
Fruit Ninja is the original and the best slasher on Android!


7 Temple Run


Temple Run

Description
Run for your life!
The addictive mega-hit Temple Runis now out for Android! All your friends are playing it - can you beat their high scores?!
You've stolen the cursed idol from the temple, and now you have to run for your life to escape the Evil Demon Monkeys nipping at your heels. Test your reflexes as you race down ancient temple walls and along sheer cliffs. Swipe to turn, jump and slide to avoid obstacles, collect coins and buy power ups, unlock new characters, and see how far you can run!


8 Solitaire

SolitaireDescription

Solitaire just got better.
Solitaire by MobilityWare is the #1 Solitaire card game on the iPhone and it's now on Android!
If you like Windows Solitaire, you're going to love this app!
From MobilityWare, the makers of the most popular free and paid Solitaire game in the iTunes App store on the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. We've always strived to stay true to the classic Solitaire card game (also known as Klondike or Patience), the most popular version of Solitaire! A truly solitary experience!
Tired of Solitaire apps that always seem to have the same rough gameplay and grainy graphics? Try this completely custom version of Solitaire tailored for Android devices, from the small screen all the way up to the large screen tablet. MobilityWare's Solitaire has the best game play of any Solitaire in the market. Please take Solitaire for a spin and we think you'll see the difference. What have you got to lose, Solitare is a free download.
Solitaire is also known as Patience.
FEATURES:
- Klondike Solitaire Draw 1 card
- Klondike Solitaire Draw 3 cards
- Portrait
- Landscape
- Vegas scoring
- Statistics
- Tablet support - Honeycomb
- Install to SD card - App2SD
Solitaire is ad-supported.
Also try out our other Solitaire games: Spider Solitaire and FreeCell Solitaire.
Please take the time to rate our solitaire game on appbrain.


9 FRONTLINE COMMANDO

FRONTLINE COMMANDODescription

ONE MAN. ONE WAR. YOU ARE THE FRONTLINE COMMANDO.
MASSIVE UPDATE: NOW WITH ONE MAN ARMY MODE! NEW LOCATION: KHAN's PALACE! EXTENDED CAMPAIGN WITH NEW MISSIONS! NEW TANK ENEMY!
ONE MAN. ONE WAR. YOU ARE THE FRONTLINE COMMANDO.
As the sole surviving Commando of a renegade attack against a ruthless dictator, you are stranded on the frontline and hell-bent on payback. You must use all of your specialized skills to survive the onslaught of the enemy forces and avenge your fallen soldiers.
SEE AND FEEL THE ACTION
The ultimate 3rd person shooter with stunning console quality visuals, precise controls, advanced physics and destructibles. Jump in the heat of battle and push your Android device to the limit!
COMPLETE DEADLY MISSIONS
Emerge from destructible cover points to take down helicopters, jeeps and heavily defended enemy bases. Fight off increasingly difficult waves of enemies over a variety of combat mission types.
COMMAND AN ARSENAL OF DEADLY WEAPONS
Take to the frontline with an artillery of assault rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, med kits, armor and more!
Use of this application is governed by Glu Mobile’s Terms of Use. Collection and use of personal data are subject to Glu Mobile’s Privacy Policy. Both policies are available at www.glu.com. Additional terms may also apply.
FRONTLINE COMMANDO is free to play, but you can choose to pay real money for some extra items.

10 Yoo Ninja! Free


Yoo Ninja! Free

Description

Simple but fun one touch arcade game.
Yoo Ninja is a fast and supper addictive game. It lead you enter a fantastic world without the control by the gravity.
As a Ninja you need jump up and down to get through different barriers. Forward running is the only way to keep your life.
Just a second stop, the darts which keep after you will kill you. And take care about the route, a little oversight need you start again.

This games apps are all for free, you can download form google play store. Guys who like playing games at your android phone, the introduces android apps can be a good choice, you dont have to be afraid of download some virtus apps. have fun at your android games.
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Sunday, June 10, 2012

Android outsells iOS, but developers stay loyal to Apple

10:41 PM  ,  No comments
                         


Smartphones running Google's Android operating system outsell iPhones more than two to one. And yet, even as Google's system has gobbled up market share, Apple has held onto one critical advantage - the loyalty of mobile app developers.


Many developers have continued to make applications first, and sometimes only, for iPhones. They find it easier to create software for Apple devices than for ones running Android, or it may be more lucrative. Their allegiance to Apple has helped make its devices the powerhouses they are for the company.

"Android may have a lead in how many handsets it ships, but it doesn't have a lead in how much money app developers are making from it," said Hadi Partovi, an investor in technology start-ups like Dropbox and a former manager at Microsoft.


On Monday, Apple will seek to strengthen its ties to mobile developers with a series of product announcements on the opening day of its developer conference in San Francisco, an annual ritual where the company tries to stimulate the creative juices of this important constituency. The company is expected to introduce a new version of the iOS operating system that powers iPhones and iPads, according to people familiar with Apple's plans who were not authorized to speak about them publicly.



One feature of that software is expected to be an eye-catching new 3-D map service operated by Apple that will pose a challenge to a Google map service used within many iPhone applications, these people said.


"It's a lot more beautiful," said one of these people, who has seen a demonstration of Apple's maps service.


At the same time, Apple is expected to update its Mac family of computers with new hardware, these people said.


Natalie Kerris, an Apple spokeswoman, declined to comment.


The conference is "the most important event of the year," said John Casasanta, owner of Tap Tap Tap, the software studio that makes the popular Camera app, available only on the iPhone. "I'm having trouble thinking of any conference that comes anywhere near as relevant."


Apps are among the strongest weapons Apple and Google have for marketing their mobile technologies to consumers. The bounty of software available for Android and iOS, as varied as racing games and apps for managing recordings on cable boxes, is a chief reason the mobile phone market has settled into a two-horse race.


Rival technologies plagued by a scarcity of apps, including Research in Motion's BlackBerry and Microsoft's Windows Phone, are finding it difficult to persuade developers to invest in them.


Apple's continued influence among mobile app developers flies in the face of predictions that the company would steadily lose clout as Android phones flooded the market, presenting developers with a much bigger target audience. And it could help Apple avoid the fate the Macintosh experienced in the 1990s when competing with PCs running Microsoft's Windows operating system.


Although many considered the Mac to be superior, Microsoft outsold Apple's computers in part by distributing its product broadly on hardware made by many companies, which helped Windows to snowball.


Software developers flocked to the larger Windows PC market, which in turn attracted more customers, which attracted still more software developers to Windows. For the better part of two decades, Microsoft held the allegiance of software developers, relegating the Mac to the periphery of the computer business.


In the mobile market, there is no doubt Apple's share has been overshadowed by Google, which makes Android freely available to any hardware maker that wants to build a phone with it.


Although the first Android handsets did not appear until about a year after the iPhone was released, widespread support from handset manufacturers, especially Samsung, and wireless carriers helped propel Android to 59 percent of the smartphone market during the first quarter, compared with 23 percent for the iPhone, according to estimates from IDC, a research firm.


There have been predictions that the huge volume of Android smartphones being sold would persuade developers to abandon or at least weaken their iPhone efforts by, for example, developing apps first for phones running Android.


In December, Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, said that six months from then, mobile developers would begin favoring Android app projects over iPhone apps.
"Because ultimately applications vendors are driven by volume and the volume is favored by the open approach Google is taking," Mr. Schmidt told an audience at a technology conference in Paris.


That six-month mark passed last week. In the interim, the companies behind some well-known iOS apps like Instagram have made Android versions of their software. But as the technology writer and investor M.G. Siegler wrote in a column on TechCrunch last week, Mr. Schmidt's prediction that developers would begin making Android apps first did not come to pass, at least not the most prominent developers.


"You failed hard in this prediction," Mr. Siegler wrote, addressing Mr. Schmidt.
Christopher Katsaros, a spokesman for Google, declined to comment for this article.
Developers say it is easier, and therefore less costly, to develop apps for the iPhone than for Android phones, in part because there are far more models of Android phones in use, with different screen sizes, processors and other technologies.


The variations in hardware and software are not insurmountable obstacles, developers say, but performing the testing to ensure that apps run properly on most Android phones adds time and cost.


"Writing apps consistently across all of them is really hard," said Nat Brown, an independent iOS developer in Seattle who has created a line of children's apps for the iPhone.
Mr. Brown also said he periodically considered writing Android apps, but had decided against it in part because iPhone users have demonstrated a higher willingness than Android users to pay for apps.


Flurry, a mobile analytics firm, published a report last week that estimated that for every $1 a developer brought in for an application on iOS, he could expect to take in about 24 cents on Android.


"Apple is almost the default first platform you develop for and then you develop for Android," said Rob Cihra, an analyst at Evercore Partners.


Furthermore, Apple has been far more effective in getting iPhone users to update their phones with the latest version of iOS than Google and its partners have with Android. This makes it easier for iPhone developers to write their apps because there is less variation in the underlying software on the devices.


One other advantage Apple has among developers is the iPad, which has so far maintained its dominance in the tablet category, despite challenges by an assortment of Android tablets. Because the iPhone and iPad use iOS, it is relatively easy for developers to adapt their software to run on Apple's tablet, significantly expanding the audience of potential customers beyond the iPhone.


It is difficult to say whether Apple's position with developers will remain strong if Android continues to gobble market share. But various surveys have tried to gauge which smartphones developers plan to write apps for in the near future, and the iPhone often scores very high.


Still, Google is closing the gap between the sheer number of apps for Android, which stands at about 500,000. Earlier this year, Apple said there were 600,000 apps in its App Store.


One occasional source of discontent among Apple's developers is the greater control that the company exerts over its App Store, for which it takes a more hands-on approach to approving software for distribution than Google does.


Paul Kafasis, the chief executive of Rogue Amoeba Software in Boston, has had a couple of run-ins with Apple over iPhone apps that Apple initially rejected for different reasons. Most recently, Apple objected to a function in an iOS app, Airfoil Speakers Touch, that allowed users to listen to music streamed from a song library on iTunes and other Apple devices.
Mr. Kafasis modified the function in the app, which Apple then allowed to be sold. While he chafes at the gatekeeper function Apple performs, he said he had no plans to develop products for Android.

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//PART 2