Posted: 29 Jan 2012 04:10 PM PST  If you're one of the more than 28 million users of Formspring, you'll notice that there has been a lack of an official application from the social network. That all changes now as the official Formspring for Android application is available right now in the Android Market. It offers a pretty full experience, allowing you to ask and respond to questions from your contacts on the go. Sharing photos is also built in, and that pretty much covers everything Formspring is about. If there's room for one more social network on your Android device, hit the download links after the break. A word of warning though, it force closes at every time of asking on the Galaxy Nexus so you'll have to wait for an update to join in if you're using one. read more
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Posted: 29 Jan 2012 02:25 PM PST  The winner of this week's Android Central photo contest is August with his picture of a compact in a quiet street scene, taken with his Samsung Galaxy S II using Retro Camera . This week's pictures were as amazing as last time around, and picking just one was no easy feat. It's the kind of work we all enjoy though, so we love doing it. Keep an eye on your e-mail August, I'll be contacting you about getting your battery shipped out. With so many great pictures, even picking the 10 runners-up was difficult. We finally settled on them, hit the break to have a look. Don't forget, we're starting up a new round tomorrow, so keep an eye out. read more
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Posted: 29 Jan 2012 12:08 PM PST  We see Google working hard to provide better support for Android developers, and that's a great thing. We want developers for our platform of choice to be well taken care of so it's worth learning to code for Android and releasing great applications. Google's not perfect in this regard, but they keep improving, and that's the only way to make it better. But el Goog needs to start focusing a little more on user support. Recently, I stumbled across an app in our forums that I wanted to try. It's an Aquarium screen-saver type app for Google TV on my Logitech Revue. I'm an Android nerd, and an aquarium nerd (we had jackets made), so I thought I would give it a try. Just so happens that I ran into some Market issues, and was in some So I did what any self-respecting Android user would do -- tried to hack it to make it work. Wipe Market data, clear cache, even a reset of the device. All with no luck. I couldn't make the Market know I had paid so I could download, but it knew I had paid and wouldn't let me pay again. All that was left to do was click the support link. Clicking the support link of course sends you to an online form to fill out. Tell it some transaction details, describe the issue, and submit. Then wait. And wait. And now it's been two weeks and still no response. I get that they're busy, and that this is only a buck. Not exactly high-priority stuff. But to leave a user hanging for two weeks waiting on any type of response is just poor customer service, plain and simple. I'm fairly well versed in all things Android-ish, so I eventually contacted the developer with my transaction code. But my mother isn't, and would have not known any way to resolve this little issue. A little issue that leaves a big impression, and not a good one. Google has shown that they want to take Android mainstream in a big way, and introduced a really user-friendly version with Ice Cream Sandwich. Now it's time they focus more on the little stuff. That Aquarium app? I got a copy to sideload after talking with the developer, and it kicks ass. We'll be reviewing it soon but If you are looking for a beautiful app made specifically for Google TV, grab it and check it out. 
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Posted: 29 Jan 2012 10:07 AM PST  Pure Music's Spotify challenging subscription service has been on the horizon now for a couple of months. The service has now gone live, offering users in the UK unlimited music streaming for a very reasonable £4.99 a month. There is also of course an Android application that goes along with the service. That's half the cost of a Spotify premium subscription, which at first glance is incredibly tempting. There are a couple of differences between this and Spotify though, with the most significant being a lack of offline capabilities. If you don't have an unlimited data plan, the ability to stream only on the move is going to prove pretty limiting. Suddenly that extra £5 a month for Spotify doesn't seem so bad. You do get a 1 month free trial, so you at least get a chance to play with it and see what's what before committing your cash. The Android application has been in the Market for a while now, as a portal to their other online media content, mainly radio stations. With your subscription enabled though the very same application -- it hasn't been updated -- unlocks the music catalogue for you to browse at your leisure. The catalogue seems pretty deep as well, coming up with a number of albums from various, less mainstream artists I listen to. The UI on the app is very pleasing to the eye, and pretty easy to navigate. One issue is the apparent lack of the ability to create playlists within the app. This I found particularly frustrating as it seems the only way to create and manage playlists is through The Lounge website on your computer. All in all Pure Music is a bit of a mixed bag. If you can live with the limitations of the Android app and don't need offline capabilities then this could well be the one for you. It's a good initial offering, and if you own any of the Pure range of internet radios then you're even better off. It's not quite Spotify, but it is half the price. Hit the break for the download links. More: Pure Music Lounge read more |
Monday, January 30, 2012
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