Category Archives: Application Reviews

Games Gone Viral: Techno Kitten Adventure

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You’re going to be crazy for this one…

… or not.

Every now and then there comes along a game so far out there, so weird and tantalizingly ostentatious that you’ve got to love it. If Robot Unicorn Attack was redone by a group of lolcats while they were banging seven gram rocks you’d have Techno Kitten Adventure.

Premise

“Navigate a kitten by jetpack, fueled by hopes and dreams, through a fantastical world of techno music.”

Yep. That about sums it up. You control a kitten with a jetpack on his back through a world of narwhals, rainbows, shapes, and colors which all move, flash, and shimmer across the screen in a number choreographed to the beat of a hardcore trance song.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Techno Kitten Adventure is really simple. Just press the screen to ascend and release to drop. Your goal is to avoid obstacles throughout the level and, to a lesser extent, enjoy the psychedelic atmosphere elements of the game. Check the video below for examples of gameplay:

Comments

Great premise for game, though the execution is shaky on a few levels. Its hard to tell what elements on the screen are just there for atmosphere and which elements are actually a part of the gameplay. For example its hard to tell what things you really need to avoid to avoid dying until you’ve died to that object a few times. I also don’t like how they’ve done the free version. This version only allows you to get up to 30,000 points, (maybe 45 seconds of gameplay without dying) at which it prompts you to either replay the level or buy the game. If you’re going to do a demo, you’ve got to provide a bit more gameplay to draw the player into the game, making him / her willing to spend that $0.99 for an upgrade / unlockable.

conversione applicazioni iphone android


Techno Kitten Adventure
21st Street Games
Free
100,000 - 500,000
Link Android Market

Get Asus Transformer Dock Battery Status

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In the past few months, the Asus Transfromer has taken the tablet world by storm.  The affordable, versatile, and powerful device has sold the most out of all tablets, minus the iPad (I shall reserve comment / judgement on this one).

One of the perks of this device is the fact that users can optionall buy a dock accessory that not only adds a keyboard (which is what I’m typing this article from), but adds 7.5 hours additional battery life to the device.  Currently all power meters on the device show how much power is in the tablet, but not the dock.  There are those of us out there who would like to know how much juice is in both parts of our device.

Have no fear, the boys over at XDA have a solution.  Two widget apps have been developed that let you know how much power is in both the tablet and the dock.  These apps differ in the way they present the information.  If you want a text representation (see screenshot below), check out Highland3r’s Transformer Battery Widget.

If you’re more interested in a graphical approach to seeing your battery levels, check out scar45 and beeone42 Battery and Dock Widget which features a much more subtle and smaller iconic representation of your power levels like so:

Text Widget Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1112391

Graphical Widget Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1115722

Getting the Most Out of Your Android Device pt III

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We’re back with more advice for pimping out you Android device.  Before we move beyond apps, I’ve got two quicks apps we here at Droidweb felt should be shared with you, the reader.  Without further ado:

NoLedNoLED

One of the big features of the Android operating system is its use of LED notifications. With these notifications, one can quickly determine what type of messages or activity is on their phone through a simple glance at the device without even powering the screen on.  However, some Android phones (notably the new Samsung Galaxy) do not come equipped with LED notifications.  To make up for this, NoLED was written.  This project started out as a small project on XDA-developers (most Godsends for Android come from there) and has grown ever since.  This application displays a black screen and adds an icon in a random spot on the screen when you have notifications.  The beauty of the application lies in the fact that the Galaxy’s AMOLED screen doesn’t make use of a backlight to display a black screen, so this app uses very little power at all.  If you’re on a Samsung Galaxy or other phone sans LED notifications, give this app a try.

Screenshot of NoLED

You've got notifications!

Get this app


Screebl

Every now and then there comes an application built around a brilliant idea.  One such application is Screebl.  This application runs in the background, and makes use of your phone’s accelerometer.  Ever been reading a long e-mail or pdf and the screen automatically shut off mid-sentence?  Well this application is meant to fix that annoyance.  When the phone is in certain orientations (usually angled between 0 and 90 degrees), this usually means that the phone is in use, and the screen shouldn’t shut off.  To further explain this program, the developer has put together an introduction video for his application.  Check that video out below.

Get this app


And the community has spoken:


While we’ve been running this series, I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from fellow Android users about what applications they use the most. I have compiled those lists into one nice list of Android applications worth checking out:

Are there any other Android applications you use daily?  Let us know in the comments below!

Getting the Most Out of Your Android Device pt II

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Now that we’ve wet your whistle with a few useful Android apps, what’s next?  More of course!  There’s always room for more.  Lets launch into some more really useful applications to have for Android.

Handycalc

Handycalc is an advanced calculator tool for Android.  There’s a bit of a learning curve, but after you master the system you’ll be glad you did.  Handycalc supports advanced features such as:

  • Graphing
  • Finding roots of an equation
  • An intuitive entry method
  • Support for advanced math (trigonometric functions and more)

Get this app

Astro File Manager

An essential for any computing device is a file manager.  Whether you want to poke around in your phone’s internals or you want to do general file management in your Android device, Astro provides a solution. Featuring a slick interface and a comprehensive set of file management tools, Astro is one of the more complete file management solutions for Android.  It is definitely one of the first applications I download when I have a clean Android installation to work with.

Astro at work

For a listing of the Astro’s full feature set, check out the Astro Quick Start Guide provided on their page.

Get this App

DropboxDropbox

Oh Dropbox.  This might be my favorite Android application.  I get a lot of mileage out of this, since I already use Dropbox on both my macs and my Linux install.  Dropbox allows you to sync folders between all your computers and phones.  Here’s the introduction video to get you acquainted with Dropbox.

Doesn’t that sounds supremely useful? Believe me; it is. Stay tuned to Droidweb.com for some cool things you can do with Dropbox.

Get this app


Other apps

We’ve covered quite a few applications over the past year and a half here at Droidweb.com (Just check out Application Reviews tab).  Here are some other notable apps we’ve come along and have reviewed before:

Getting the Most Out of Your Android Device pt I

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OK, so its Christmas day.  You’ve unwrapped your gifts and, Behold! You’ve got a new Android gadget! Whether it is a tablet or a new phone, you want to know what’s next? The beauty of Android lies in the fact that you’ve got a new device that you can make your own through infinite possibilities of customization.

How do you customize your device?  Well that’s where Droidweb comes in to help. In the next couple of days we’re going to be posting about how to customize your device.  We’re going to start with apps and work our way up to rooting and other hacks.  Come along for the ride and learn a lot about your Droid!

Must-Have Applications

First thing’s first: To get the most out of your ‘droid you need to download some applications. If you have an idea for something you want your phone to do, most likely there’s an app out there that will oblige and likely that solution is low cost or even free.  Here are some must-have apps we here at Droidweb wouldn’t be caught dead without:

Handcent

Handcent SMS is a free SMS application that makes the Android texting experience more complete. It includes pop-ups for when text messages come in, adds an updated (and customizable) UI, and includes several perks and features the stock SMS app just doesn’t have.

Custom UI and Text Popup via Handcent SMS

Get this app:

Ringdroid

One of the early great apps for Android was Ringdroid.  This app allows you to take the songs on your phone, chop them and turn them into ringtones for your device. Its definitely a must-have for personalizing your phone.  Now you can have that song hook that’s always stuck in your head as a ringtone!

Here’s an example of a ringtone I made using Ringdroid.  Feel free to use it on your own: I Feel Better Ringtone.mp3.

Get this app

Barcode Scanner

This is one of the most useful apps Android has to offer in my opinion.  This app turns your phone into a mobile shopping center, helping you do price comparisons and become an all around smarter shopper.  With it, you simple focus a barcode in the viewfinder of your phone and, viola!, the barcode is scanned and you will be presented with links to find out more about that product including reviews, pbarcode_scanner1rices at local and Internet retailers, and other valuable information.

In addition to being able to scan barcode, this application also picks up on QR-codes (those black and white squares whose function you’ve always wondered about).  This is quite useful for quick downloads of Android applications and displaying small snippets of digital information.  Seveal apps are built on top of the functionality of the Barcode Scanner, so this app is definitely a must-have.

barcode_scanner2

barcode_scanner

Get this app

Angry Birds

Of course Android is for more than just work.  Have a little fun with the premiere gaming title, Angry Birds. In this entertaining game, take revenge on the green pigs who have stolen the Birds’ eggs by destroying the… erm… structures in which they live.  With almost 200 challenging levels and several expansion packs, this puzzler is sure to keep you occupied for countless hours on end.  Check out the trailer below for some sweet snippets of in-game play:

Get this app

Those are a few apps that should hold you over until we complete our next post in which we feature a few more must have applications. Stay tuned, and as always, if you have an app or suggestion you’d like to see on Droidweb.com, comment below!

Get Your Hold ‘Em Poker Fix with Live Holdem Poker

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We all love a good game of poker.  The only thing we love more than a good game of poker is a good online game of poker where everyone has the best poker face.  Luckily for us Android users, there’s a free, online poker app that’s fun and easy to get addicted to.

Called Live Hold’Em Poker, this app is written by Dragon Play and has all the features you’d expect from a poker app. Users have the choice of creating an account or connecting to their existing Facebook account.  Once in game, you face-off against other poker players worldwide.

If you’re a poker player, you should definitely check out this application.  Its the best free poker app for Android right now and will continue to be in the near future.

Pros

  • Fun
  • Addicting
  • Slick Interface
  • Its Poker… what more could you want?

Cons

  • Play is a little laggy on 3G
  • Limited selection of tables
  • Program flow elements could be smoother
  • If you receive a call in the middle of a hand, you lose that hand.  This will make you hate your friends, trust me.

Rating

4.5 Droids / 5

Get this app!

Appbrain

QR Code:

Screenshots

What are your favorite Android games?

Droidtip: Install e-mailed .apk files via tAttachApkInstaller

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Ever received an .apk attachment via gmail?  As an application reviewer, I most certainly have.

For the longest I’ve wished I could directly open the .apk from gmail and install it on my phone, but until now the process has either failed to work or thrown an error.  This is where tAttachApkInstaller comes in.  This simple, non-intrusive application allows you to install an .apk file that has been sent to you as an attachment from your Gmail account.

If you receive .apks through the mail you should definitely check the app out.
 

Get tAttachApkInstaller

Link: AppBrain

QR code:

TweetDeck for Android is Arriving and its Amazing!

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If there’s one area that has no clear winner yet for Android, its Twitter apps.  We have seen apps from Level Up Studios, Twidroi(y)d, TweetsRide, and much, much more in the competition to provide easy access to this microblogging platform.  Lets welcome one more app into the ring of competition for Twitter clients on the Android platform: TweetDeck.  This application has been available to PC / Mac / Linux users for some time courtesy of Adobe Air multi-platform support and is a hit in the PC space.  Lets hope that it can recreate this success on the Android platform.

TweetDeck boasts a streamlined, simplified twitter experience. It comes with multiple account support right out of the box and even allows you to sync all of your accounts via your TweetDeck account (see vid below).

Staying true to the form of its other versions, TweetDeck includes support for multiple columns, allowing quick swiping between theme. While there is no widget support yet, expect this to be remedied before the full release.

Screenshots:

Want to try TweetDeck out on your device?  The official beta drops later today, but if you’re impatient you can try an old pre-release leaked version at one of the mirrors below (courtesy of AndroidPolice)

Announcing DroidGestures Beta

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The latest Droidweb.com Android program is finally here!

After about 3 months of work, 2 weeks of testing, and lack of updates to 1 blog (sorry guys), DroidGestures is now available for download through the Android market.

What is DroidGestures?

DroidGestures is a program for Android powered devices that brings the ease and convienience of gestures to the Android platform. Now you can quickly and easily launch applications, change system settings, and perform other actions by drawing patterns on your phone.

How do I use DroidGestures?

After you first launch DroidGestures it will load a default library of gestures into your phone. In addition, a notifications bar item will be added. Whenever you want to activate a gesture, just pull down the notification bar and select DroidGestures. A transparent pad will popup, allowing you to draw your gesture on top of whatever activity you may be working on. After drawing the gesture, the system will recognize your drawn gesture and fire whatever action is associated with that gesture.

Library of Gestures

What sort of things can I do with Droid Gestures?

As of right now you can

  • Launch Applications
  • Quickly put your phone on silent / vibrate / etc
  • Load a URL
  • Access GPS / Wifi / other networking Settings

In future versions of DroidGestures, more actions and gestures will be added to the system.

Can I see a demo?

Sure.  Here are two demo videos of DroidGestures in action:

Where can I get DroidGestures?

You can download DroidGestures off of the Android Market. Either Search “DroidGestures” in the Android Market or Scan one of the QR codes below:

QR Code for DroidGestures Lite (Free)

QR code for DroidGestures Beta Full ($1.29)

Spruce Up Your Home Screen with LauncherPro Beta

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If you’re looking to spruce up your home screen without rooting your phone or anything, take a look at LauncherPro Beta. This home screen replacement adds a few features to your home screen without sacrificing speed.  Lets look at some of those features:

  • Dock at bottom of screen holding shortcuts to Dialer app, favorites, messaging, and browser apps
  • 3D launcher with fly-in effect
  • Up to 7 home screens
  • Home screen previews

 

Pros

  • Fast.  One review jokingly called this application too fast
  • Add more homescreens.  On my Droid, I’m often pressed for homescreen real estate.  This application alleviates that.
  • Preview your homescreens.  By pressing the home button while on a homescreen, you can get a live preview of all the home screens at once.  You can then use this to quickly switch between screens.

 

Cons

  • Conflicts with some application widgets.  For some reason I got some weird results when listening to music (I use cubed).  Sometimes both cubed and the stock player would start playing music, wreaking havoc on my ears and slowing the system down.  Apparently some people have also been getting FC’s when adding widgets.  But this is a beta application after all…

 

Overview

  • Speedy, simple, effective app.  Its free, so most definitely worth a try regardless of what mod you’re running, or if you’re running stock software. Since the application is still in beta, give it some time and there’s likely to be some solid improvement.  Look for this to be a contender in this list of Home Screen replacements

 

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