Apps posts - Android Atlas- Page 87

Customize your Android device with Sprint ID

SAN FRANCISCO--Sprint kicked off its CTIA presence today by announcing a user customization feature for its newest Android phones.

Sprint ID will transform the standard Android home screen with user-specified wallpaper, widget selection, and features. You'll be able to create up to five identities per handset and program each with your preferred options. As you switch between IDs, the home screen will change accordingly. For example, a work ID might have instant access to your e-mail while a home ID may offer a shortcut to your music player.

Though it may sound like your standard Android customization, Sprint ID … Read more

Yahoo Finance comes to Android

Up until this morning, Android users in need of up-to-the minute finance information were best served by the Google Finance app. Now, Yahoo's aiming to offer another easily accessible option with its own popular Finance app, which finally made its way onto the mobile OS earlier today.

Yahoo Finance for Android appears to carry over many of the most useful features from the Web service, including real-time quotes and a customizable stock watch list. You also get access to Yahoo Finance portfolios, company stats and news, and Tech Ticker videos.

The app is currently available in the United States, … Read more

Are you ready to rent music?

Not long ago, I wrote an article aimed at helping music fans enjoy free audio from a variety of online streaming sources. Of course, I'm a firm believer in using the Internet to discover new music. But there is a threshold between discovery and entertainment for many listeners, and I think paying for a subscription music service is a great way to cross it--especially if you want to take your music "to go" on mobile devices.

There are a variety of pay-to-stream options on the Web, from Slacker's $4.99 Radio Plus service, which lets you … Read more

Skype comes to Android 2.1 and above

Skype calling is now available as a free download on Android-based devices, the Internet telephony company announced today.

The Skype for Android software allows users to make calls to Skype accounts, mobile phones, or landlines. Users can also send and receive text messages via the application when communicating with Skype friends. Those who want to keep all their content in one place can sync their address book with Skype. The company also said that users will be able to receive calls on their Skype online number.

But there are some limitations. For one, Skype for Android is only available to … Read more

Google acquires mobile-typing company

Google has acquired a start-up called BlindType that aims to dramatically improve typing on Android and iOS mobile devices.

"We're excited to join Google, and look forward to the great opportunities for mobile innovation that lie ahead," BlindType announced on its blog Friday. The company hasn't released the software, though one review in July was favorable.

Mobile-device typing has changed significantly with the iPhone's functional touch-screen keyboard, Android's reasonably advanced word-prediction system, and Swype's technology for sliding fingers over letters. But as any touch typist or hunt-and-peck tapper knows, mobile typing is still … Read more

Rising browser powers: Chrome, iOS

Browser usage statistics for September provide a look at who's gaining clout on the Web: Google's Chrome, twin mobile powerhouses Apple iOS and Google Android, and Microsoft's IE9.

Google's Chrome browser continued its steady rise in usage on NetApplications' network of thousands of Web sites, which get tens of millions of visits monthly, increasing from 7.5 percent in August to 8 percent in September, the analytics firm said.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer remains the top-ranked browser, but its share dipped back below 60 percent, sinking from 60.4 percent to 59.7 percent. Second-place Firefox was essentially flat at 23 percent. Apple's Safari rose a tenth of a point to 5.3 percent. Opera kept its 2.4 percent share.

Chrome is a rising force, a fact that's very useful for Google's ambitions. Not only does it help spread the Google brand, but it also serves as a vehicle to disseminate Google technologies. For example, on Thursday, Google said it will add support for its new WebP image format to Chrome in an effort to speed browser graphics. And it's working to improve the browser: Chrome 7 is getting Google Instant search abilities, some hardware acceleration, and WebGL 3D graphics support by default. … Read more

Android's car home gets its own Market app

In what's turning out to be a trend for Android applications, Google's car home app today became available on the Android Market.

The app, which has come as a built-in system application in Android since version 2.0, lets Android owners use their phone as a GPS tool and a hands-free phone system when attached to something like a car dock. Now it exists as a standalone application that can be updated separately of Android system releases. This means if Google needs to release a quick fix to the app, it doesn't need to push out a … Read more

Android Atlas Weekly 18: Amazon enters the App Store fray (podcast)

Amazon is opening an app store, HP tells Android it's not you it's me, and apps that can save your life. Join Justin Eckhouse and Jessica Dolcourt as they dig into the stories making news in the Android world this week.

Amazon's Android App Store http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-20018078-251.html

Survey: Developers favor Android over Apple long-term http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20017903-37.html

HP officially drops Android plans, focusing on "PalmPad" WebOS tablet … Read more

StartTalking lets you text with just your voice

Texting while driving is a serious safety problem, so much so that the activity is now banned in 30 states in the United States.

How dangerous is it? The U.S. Department of Transportation says that drivers who do anything with a handheld device increase the risk of getting in an injury crash by four times--a concept that can be easy to ignore if you've gotten away with this unscathed.

AdelaVoice is based in East Falmouth, Mass.--a state where, beginning tomorrow, texting while driving will become an offense with a penalty of up to a $500. The company … Read more

Amazon throws hat into Android app store ring

The juiciest Android story so far this week is Amazon's plans to open up an app store of its own.

Going from rumor status to all but confirmed in just a few days, it appears that the Android Market is about to have its biggest competitor to date. Currently there are efforts from the likes of Mobihand, SlideME, and AppBrain, but these will pale in comparison to the scope of an Amazon store.

Slashgear has obtained a copy of the terms and conditions that developers have been asked to review and sign. A quick glance through the agreement shows … Read more