ABT’s “Top Apps” for the Week of April 15, 2012
With this evaluation, we continue with the newest member of our ABT staff, Mario Vasquez, who will be heading up our “Mobile corner” as Contributing Editor. Mario (aka ZeroEnigma) will help ABT with mobile platforms. This is the next of many of his upcoming evaluations, articles and blogs.
We also welcome your comments on these blogs and articles and all of our staff are ready to serve you. Also, please remember that each editor speaks his own mind and is responsible for what they write. There is no ABT site “point of view”.
Mark Poppin,
Senior ABT editor
ABTs’ “Top Apps” (Week #2- 04/15/2012)
Here we go! This is an Android “Google Play” apps/games article. Soon there will be an iOS version to compliment this. There are just too many apps and games to choose from. A majority are terrible so we dig through all of the apps available in order to find you the best. Enjoy!
It is easy for you to get these Apps; simply click the app name to be directly taken to the Play Store, whether on your phone or on a PC. Scan the QR code with an app like Barcode Scanner.
K-9 Mail (free)
Most people have more than one email. The default Android client on most phones, like Samsung and HTC, have their major ups and downs. One of the first apps that we install is K-9 email: an open-source email client with search, IMAP push email, multi-folder sync, flagging, filing, signatures, bcc-self, PGP, mail on SD and more. The K-9 app supports all email types, but no push notifications with some POP accounts (like Hotmail). We love the custom colors for separate emails, the unified inbox, the quickness it fetches emails, and it’s free!
Urban Dictionary (free)
Although Urban Dictionary has been around for awhile, it almost never gets old. It’s a user-generated dictionary of modern slang with over 6.5 million definitions. One of the funniest things we always do is to look up names. For example “Mario” generates the picture below along with hundreds of other funny definitions. The app has a great user interface and allows you to shake the phone for a random word. The app also includes a widget for words. This is a perfect app to pass the time.
Zaarly (free)
Everyone knows Craigslist is the place to find local sellers. The internet is quickly replacing the Pennysaver and other paper classifieds. Zaarly is a great alternative to Craigslist with a fantastic UI. Zaarly allows you to “talk” to people around you and ask for specific things. Say you want yoga lessons, to rent a truck, need help moving and willing to pay someone. It can all be done here quickly. This is a great tool to find side jobs and earn some extra cash. The app includes:
· Reviews and Recommendations. Buyers and Sellers can now recommend each other and post reviews; your reputation on Zaarly just became very important.
· Simplified Request Process. In order to make posting a request to Zaarly even more simple, we consolidated it to one screen and dropped the expiration date.
· Now everywhere in the U.S. New discover section for things you can request in your city.
· Favorites. Easily save your favorite requests for later, making it even easier to get what you want.
· Pictures! Added photo-sharing through the messaging platform, mobile push reminders, and a new response frequency algorithm.
· Better Tools for Businesses and Sellers. While you’ve been able to list goods or services for sale using Seller Alerts, we’ve taken a big step in simplifying the process of creating a seller alert.
EggDrop (free)
EggDrop is another Craigslist alternative. Sure Craigslist is fine and simple but just take a look at EggDrop and see how easy and great looking it can be. Picture uploading is a breeze; there is a map with the people posting closest to you, and you can browse through categories and also randomly. This app is very convenient and easy to navigate and allows you to even speak directly to the seller. If you’re looking to sell or buy this is a great place to do so. Features are:
– Listing Items for sale as easy as taking pictures
– Share on Facebook and Twitter, one-click post to Craigslist to reach more buyers
– Browse and search for items by location
– Real-time messaging between buyers and sellers.
– Reputation/Karma makes it a safe environment
– Unlike eBay and Etsy, no listing or transaction fees
Wi-Fi Analyzer (Free)
Cable uses channel numbers to broadcast certain entertainment. What if channels 2 and 3 were sent on the same “channel” and started interfering with one another. Your home Wi-Fi is the same way; it uses channels in order to transmit its signal. We won’t go deeply into this explanation but most devices haven’t upgraded to the 5 GHz standard and still use 2.4 GHz to work, including your cell phone and things like your microwave. Most routers ship on channel 6 and if you live in an apartment complex and have many Wi-Fi signals at once then problems can arise. This app allows you to see all broadcasting access points around you and see which channel is best by channel graph, time graph, channel rating, AP list, and signal meter.
PocketCasts ($2.99)
This is the best way to spend $2.99. Podcasting isn’t available by default on Android devices, and Googles’ offering isn’t up to par with Apple’s native offering. Other apps like Dogcatcher are much pricier and we have tried them all. The one that has the best and easiest user interface is without a doubt, PocketCasts. Podcasts are presented in thumbnail form and easily found with a search option. We’d simply be doing this app a disservice if we didn’t mention every feature here:
– Instant refresh: Refresh 100 podcasts in the same time it takes other apps to do 1! (Our server monitors your feeds, so your phone doesn’t have to)
– Stream or download without file size limits, over 3G or WIFI.
– Import your podcasts from Google Reader/Listen or via OPML.
– Sleep Timer! Fall asleep to your favorite boring podcasts.
– New episode page, with configurable filters.
– Background downloading
– Widget (4×1) for controlling playback (tap artwork to jump back into the app)
– Be notified when new episodes are available (optional)
– Landscape and large screen support
– Presto variable speed playback support.
– Quick skip feature, one tap of the screen and you can jump forward or back through your podcasts
– Download to SD Card or phone
– Search for podcasts, browse popular, browse categories or add by URL
– Supports audio & video podcasts
– Continuous playback with a playlist
– Download resume support
– Download two files at once, and feel like you’re from the future!
– Choose your own podcast images and titles
– Choose how many back episodes to keep per podcast
– Check for new episodes has a new option of “Schedule daily at…”
– Play downloaded episodes on your computer with the generated HTML file in your podcast directory.
– Share your favorite podcasts, episodes and positions in episodes.
– Try long press and the menu button for more options!
– Many more features coming soon!
Instadock App Organizer (free, $0.99)
When we use our phone we want it to be quick and easy to do what we need it to do. An Android home screen can sometimes become messy and we always install InstaDock immediately. This is a widget that was designed to be on your home screen so that when you press your home button you have the ability to instantly access apps.
It uses two rows or recent apps; or with a press of a button, favorite apps. Instead of sacrificing space for a weather widget or other, simply place your main apps in the favorite section and voila! Instant access. The app allows you to set up multiple folders with names for even more organization, effectively giving you no need for more screens.
The one extremely annoying part of this app? “Friendly reminder” to purchase the full version after every five app clicks. This quickly gets old if you’re constantly using your phone even if it is skippable. You also have other limits without the purchased app but it’s still very useful and only you can decide if you’re willing to pay for the full version. The app includes a task killer, but I recommend not using these if you are on gingerbread and above.
Wallbase
Instead of a live wallpaper this week, check out Wallbase – a great wallpaper resource available free on Google Play.
This coming week, we will have another Genius hardware review up for you, and an iOS version of Top Apps.
If you have any comments visit our forum or Email me directly at ABTmobile.zero@gmail.com
–Mario Vasquez, ABT Contributing Editor
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