Android Apps

It May Seem Obvious, but App Updates Are Awesome!

Last week I noticed that the excellent Pocket Informant had been updated, and when checking out the update I knew I needed to capture that screen – I mean, just LOOK at the image above to see some of what was updated! This is version 3.0, which introduced major interface changes as well as integration with other apps and so on. It is an app I bought early on in the App Store days, and one that AT MOST would have cost $15 (I think I got it on an early sale for $6.99, but can’t recall). This is an…

Game Diary, Reviews

Combo Crew for iOS and Android Pulls No Punches!

Type of app: Action-Fighting Platform/where to buy: iOS or Android; available in the iTunes App Store or available in the Google Play Store Developer: The Game Bakers Description: • Fight with your fingers: slash enemies to trigger crazy combos, tap to guard. A modern beat ’em up with no virtual D-pad! • The first mobile brawler with asynchronous multiplayer across devices. Rescue your friends, or be rescued by them! • A true arcade experience with a great combo system and super moves. • Several heroes with unique combat styles and more than 80 moves to master. • Hundreds of missions…

Gear Bits

World Tarot Week? World Tarot Day? What?!

Best I can tell, the people who use tarot cards are those who want to believe in the idea of pre-destiny, or that there is some mystical “if I do this, then that will occur” order to the universe — beyond simple cause and effect. It’s kind of sad, really, to imagine someone thinking that by spending time with a deck of decorated cards, they’d be able to figure out what makes them or their loved ones tick. Even sadder is that in most cases people will pay someone else good money in order to have these “insights” given to…

Music Diary, Reviews

FL Studio Mobile Gets Android Support – Hands-on Review

OK, I will admit to being almost entirely negative about the state of music production apps on the Android platform. Much of this centers on one absolute reality – iOS has core audio services built-in that take care of things for developers, whereas on Android not only is there a lack of such services, the audio system is so weak that there is no assurance of a low-lag environment on any device. That has meant it was up to developers to code their own low-lag audio system for their apps, and has also meant that very few apps are available….

Reviews

Pocket Informant Pro for iOS 3.0 Sneak Preview and Review

Let me start off by saying that I’ve never used Pocket Informant. I knew of its existence, but I hadn’t given it much thought because the built-in iOS calendar app worked well enough for me … how wrong I was. But when Alex Kac, CEO and Founder of developer WebIS, invited us to check out a sneak preview of the 3.0 version of their productivity app, I couldn’t resist. As soon as the app was installed, I was instantly impressed with how detailed this tool can get with my time and task management. As soon as you install the app,…

Game Diary, Reviews

Fieldrunners 2 for Android Review – The King of Tower Defense Games!

When it comes to casual mobile games I love, Fieldrunners ranks at the top along with others such as Plants vs. Zombies and Civilization Revolution. All of those games allowed me to get an ‘on the go’ experience that still scratched my hardcore gamer itch. So I was wary when Fieldrunners 2 came to iOS devices last September – but as noted in my review of the iPad version, I was thrilled with the results. This week the game (finally) landed on Android devices and I took some time to check it out! Type of app: ‘Tower Defense’ game Platform/where…

How to Do It Yourself!

Tiny Tiny RSS: DIY Android Google Reader Replacement

I am still lamenting the decision Google made to kill off Google Reader. While I am generally ok with Feedly, I am actually in the same boat I was with Google Reader when I use another service like Feedly. If Feedly goes away, then I am stuck yet again. So I began searching for other alternatives and had a friend suggest something called Tiny Tiny RSS. Tiny Tiny RSS has all of the features Google Reader has and more. Tiny Tiny RSS Web Interface The web interface looks a lot like Google Reader. It lets me star things for later, and…

News & Features

RepeaterBook for Android App Review

Way back when I was first licensed in 1993 to use a HAM Radio, the first thing I wanted to do was to get on the 2m band and hop on a local repeater. How did I find them back then? Well I went to the local radio store and bought the latest edition of the ARRL Repeater Book. In fact, the ARRL still publishes this book, and it’s only $10.95. Once I got the book, I had to dig through it to find my county and city; then I had to plug in all the repeaters into my radio….

Editorials

Google Sees Android OS Distribution Shift as it Changes Accounting Methods

Every month Google releases a report that details the distribution of the various Android operating system versions. These reports have long been used to see how slowly or quickly various versions are adopted and fade away. For as long as I could remember the accounting method used was simply having a device touched by Google Play, such as for an update or other communication that showed it was an active device. Starting this month that has changed and unsurprisingly Google sees Android OS distribution shift as it changes accounting methods. If you ask ‘what is the purpose’ of these monthly…

Game Diary, News & Features

Games Portal Premium Service Offers Mobile Social Gaming on Verizon Android

Games Portal will be preloaded on millions of Verizon Android devices beginning in the second quarter of 2013. PlayPhone has announced a major new tier-one carrier partnership with Verizon for its mobile social gaming platform. Verizon did not disclose which device(s) would be first to come with Games Portal pre-installed. In 2010, Verizon launches their own V Cast Apps store, which closed about a year later. Games Portal continues Playphone’s cross platform social game service with the latest free and premium games. Games Portal also includes various activities including achievements, friend invites, leaderboards, real-time updates, and recommendations. Friends lists can…

Editorials

Google Reader and Google Keep, You Get What You Pay For

Google Reader and Google Keep are two different services, but when placed side by side they offer a cautionary tale for anyone using the web. There has been a good deal of chat among the Gear Diary team on our backchannel, and Judie, Mike, Carly and I have been further discussing the demise of Reader and the introduction of Google Keep among the four of us quite a bit. Here’s some of what we have to say… As Joel posted Wednesday, Google has just rolled out Keep, their Evernote and OneNote competitor. Evernote, as you likely know, offers users a…

Reviews

Google Keep Review – Neat Freaks Need Not Apply

Yesterday Google launched a new service called Google Keep. After playing around with it a bit last night, I have a much better idea of what it can and can’t do, and what it really is. Will it be good enough to replace Evernote? Is it even close? In a word, no. Google Keep Phone Interface The phone interface is reminiscent of the Google Now interface; each note appears as a card. There’s a Multi-column view and a single column view. Across the top is the bar you interact with to add notes. tap the note to create a note, the…

News & Features

Google Keep Launches – Google’s Evernote and OneNote Answer

I was just starting to listen to This Week in Google live after work, when right before the show they shouted Google just launched Google Keep! I’ve already got it installed on my phones and my tablet. What IS Google Keep? It’s very similar to services like Evernote or OneNote. It’s designed to take notes, make checklists, and more. It hangs off of your Google Drive, and it uses the new real-time API that Google also announced this week. Google Keep doesn’t appear to support tagging like Evernote does, and while you can import pictures into your Google Keep, it does not appear to look at…

Game Diary, Reviews

Super Stickman Golf 2 for iOS and Android Review – Download it Now and Thank Me Later

Did you download it yet? What are you waiting for? Fine, I’ll tell you a little bit about the game, first. Super Stickman Golf 2 for iOS is the highly anticipated sequel to the extremely popular, award-winning title of the same name from developers Noodlecake Studios. The series, on the surface, plays like a golf game where the goal is to hit a golf ball into a cup on a putting green in the fewest amount of strokes possible. However, deep down, the game is truly a 2-dimensional physics puzzle game where you must figure out the shortest possible path…

Game Diary, Reviews

Fate of the Pharaoh for Android Review

Over the past few years working with G5 games as they have grown into one of the more successful casual games publishers on smartphones, I have seen a fairly standard formula: they publish for iOS first, then Android and finally for the Mac (and occasionally PC). But with Fate of the Pharaoh we get a first – G5 is releasing an Android game before the iOS version! How does it play? Let’s take a look! Type of app: City-Building game Platform/where to buy: Available for Android systems (including Nook and Kindle Fire tablets); available from Amazon AppStore, Google Play, or…

News & Features

MoviePass Android App Available

Movie fans get their own golden reward as the Academy Awards (a.k.a. Oscars) quickly approach. A special service called MoviePass has expanded to Android mobile device users. This theatrical movie subscription service, which began as an iOS app, offers unlimited tickets at nationwide movie theaters (2D shows only) beginning at $30 a month. The MoviePass Android app is free and represents part of the MoviePass membership. There are no blackout dates for theater viewings. The single monthly MoviePass membership price ranges from $29.99 to $34.99 depending on location. You may not be able to try this service before the Oscars…

News & Features

The Sonos PLAYBAR Soundbar Brings Big Sound to Your Home Theater

As expected, Sonos has just introduced their new Playbar Soundbar and, yes, as a huge Sonos fan I ordered one. You might recall that I first ordered my Sonos system a mere hours after receiving a loaner review sample. I hooked up the Sonos system, downloaded the iOS app, turned it on and was blown away. I loved the sound. I loved the convenience. I loved the ability to control each speaker and stream pretty much any music I wanted to it. I was bit by the Sonos bug and ordered two Plat:5s. Since then my ‘collection” of Sonos components…

Game Diary, News & Features

Super Stickman Golf 2 – Gear Diary’s Sneak Preview

What does Super Stickman Golf 2 and The Godfather: Part II have in common? If you guessed that they’re both sequels, well yes, that’s true, but there’s something even better! They are both sequels that are greater than their predecessors. Is it a little too early to call, since SSG2 is only in beta testing? Probably, however the game is already so polished that you can tell how well it’s going to do. There are many great additions to the original gameplay that it still feels like the same game you loved, yet it also feels like a sequel. Noodlecake…

Game Diary, Gear Bits, News & Features

Get Ready for the Next Chapter with the Star Trek Into Darkness App for iOS or Android

Are you excited for the Star Trek: Into Darkness film opening on May 17th of this year? The teaser trailers have been intriguing and suggested an intensity beyond what the first ‘reboot’ showed us a few years ago. To help fans get ready, a new app for the movie is available for iOS or Android, boasting interactivity with content and a constant release of new material as the movie gets closer to release. In fact, the first ‘surprise’ will unlock during the second quarter of the ‘big game’ (since they can’t say Super Bowl) on Sunday February 3rd. Here are…

Game Diary, News & Features

Zombie Road Trip Released Yesterday and Super Stickman Golf 2 Coming Soon

Noodlecake Studios, the guys who brought you the original Super Stickman Golf, released Spokko‘s new project, Zombie Road Trip to the App Store and Google Play store yesterday. Zombie Road Trip is very similar to the endless driving game Extreme Road Trip and Extreme Road Trip 2, except that it adds a whole new layer of awesome on top of the existing genre. I was a big fan of the Extreme Road Trip games, so I was happy to take Zombie Road Trip for a test drive. You find yourself driving, pedal to the metal, in order to escape a…

Game Diary, News & Features

Super Stickman Golf 2 Scheduled to be Released Early This Year

I fondly remember playing Super Stickman Golf on my HTC Thunderbolt after I got it for free thanks to the Amazon App Store’s daily free app promotions. It was one of my favorite games on Android for a long time. I downloaded it thinking it would be an interesting time waster; I never would have paid for the app and probably wouldn’t have even given much thought to it had it not been free that day. Boy, am I glad I found it, though. After playing a few of the levels, I realized what a deal I got. Super Stickman…

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