Apps posts - Android Atlas- Page 19

Train your Android phone to act automatically with Tasker

Every day, we repeat the same routine tasks: turning on Wi-Fi at work, decreasing the brightness in the evening, enabling silent mode at night, and so on.

By now, you probably perform these actions subconsciously, but what if you could "train" your phone to automatically complete these tasks, so you don't have to?

Tasker, a $6.49 app for Android, lets you do just that. It works like this: If the phone is in X situation, then Y happens. Within the app, this formula is defined by using "contexts" and "tasks."

The context … Read more

Preload YouTube videos with Wi-Fi for better mobile playback

Update, 2:02 p.m: It looks like this feature is missing from some of the Android 4.0 tablets. Hopefully it'll be added in the next update so everyone can take advantage of this tip.

The YouTube app on Android lets you watch and discover awesome videos while you're away from the computer. However, if your connection is slow in certain areas of your city -- or wherever you wander to -- the experience may not always be a pleasant one.

If you're interested in avoiding those buffering patches while watching a video, you're in … Read more

iTunes Match vs. Amazon Cloud Player: What's the better option?

With Amazon's recently updated Cloud Player service, music fans now have one more way to store and stream their tunes from the cloud. It bears many similarities to Apple's iTunes Match, but after playing around with both services I can attest to some clear differences, as well. If you're looking for some guidance on which service is a better fit for your music collection, you've come to the right place.

iTunes Match Cloud Player Free option n/a 250 songs, scan & match, purchases do not count against total Paid option $24.99/yr, scan & … Read more

Perfectly Clear for Android makes your pictures look right

There are several Android photo-editing apps with autocorrection, but none of them are as good as Athentech's Perfectly Clear for iOS. Perfectly Clear for Android, however, seems to top it.

Perfectly Clear basically does one thing -- autocorrect photos. If you're looking for filters or editing tools, you'll have to look elsewhere. But for quickly fixing underexposures, poor white balance, soft details, or dull colors, this is your app.

The interface has been redesigned from the iOS version for better workflow and the processing has been reengineered to take full advantage of newer Android devices, giving it … Read more

InstaWifi for Android shares Wi-Fi access via NFC or QR code

InstaWifi lets you share access to your wireless connection by using NFC tags or a generated QR code. This is a great tool for business owners who have customers or office guests who want to connect to their wireless connection. It's definitely a faster option than giving them a password to type in, or keeping said password written down with the potential of getting lost.

If you need a quick recap on how to create NFC tags, check out Jason Cipriani's How to program an NFC tag with your Android device before you get started. The … Read more

Follow the 2012 Olympic games on your iOS or Android phone

There are few events quite as exciting as the Olympics. With athletes from all over the world competing for their respective countries, it's easy to get excited as you root for your country to win. Obviously, I'll be rooting for my American compatriots, but seeing the drama of each event, no matter who the winner is, can be appreciated by anyone.

This year, the apps for tracking Olympic events are better than ever before, but still not quite perfect. Since NBC is covering the Olympics, it's the only app in this collection that will have live streams … Read more

Control music at home with Android

Here's the dream. You want to walk into your home, cue up some music on your phone, and have it start playing on a nearby speaker. No cables, no docks -- just instant, effortless, wireless music.

For iPhone owners, there's a very clear, prescribed solution: AirPlay. But my phone is Android. It's supposed to have more "does" but what exactly am I supposed to do?

Well, there are a bunch of options out there for Android users looking for an Airplay alternative, and in this How To, I'm going to walk you through my … Read more

Add shortcuts to your notification shade on Android

Widgets can make toggling Wi-Fi, GPS, or ringtone volume quick and easy. But what if you want more options to help you skip through app menus or even the Settings area?

1Tap Quick Bar is an app that will let you customize shortcuts to be added to your notification shade. You can also personalize the look and feel of the panel that gets added -- meaning you get to pick all the shortcuts from a huge selection.

Here's a list of popular features from the developer:

Direct dialDirect message1-tap direct Web page launcherApplication shortcutApplication launcherDirect e-mail labelNew event, new … Read more

Web apps are coming in Firefox 16

Mozilla took a big step toward the coming conflict between native apps and Web apps as it introduced Web app support to Firefox 16, which moved to the the developer's Aurora channel last Friday.

The Web app support in Firefox 16 Aurora (download for Windows, for Mac, for Linux, and for Android) means that when the Mozilla Marketplace opens to the public -- likely to be sometime before the end of 2012 -- people will be able to run Web-based apps through any iteration of Firefox. This is part of Mozilla's "Kilimanjaro" project, syncing up the … Read more

When good Android apps go bad -- a security lesson

Security researchers testing Google's Bouncer malware detection system for Android apps have managed to submit a benign app and then slowly update it to add malicious functionality, one of the researchers told CNET today.

Nicholas Percoco, head of Trustwave's SpiderLabs, and colleague Sean Schulte will be discussing their research during a session at Black Hat and Defcon next week in Las Vegas entitled "Adventures in Bouncerland."

After Google launched its Bouncer system to protect apps in the Google Play Android market in February, the researchers wanted to see if they could turn a good app that … Read more