Monday, August 13, 2012

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

[Discussion] Which is your favorite reading app?

Posted: 12 Aug 2012 11:51 AM PDT

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I use my tablet almost exclusively for reading. While my primary content consumption is inside Flipboard (when I’m looking to come across something new), Pulse (when I just want to ready my favorite blogs) and Kindle. But I also spend quite some time trying out other apps out there to see if I find something interesting, such as Zite, which I once said was amongst my favorites, and Hacker News Reader. I’d love to know your favorites so I can try them out.

Mention them in the comments, with a short description if possible.

Want Lego to make an Android-themed set? Then follow this link and help make it happen!

Posted: 12 Aug 2012 09:58 AM PDT

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Marc Young, a phandroid like all of us, has had his design of the Android logo published as part of the Lego cuusoo project. What does that mean? It means that if he gets 10,000 supporters, and his design is accepted by the Lego review board, the set would be available for purchase. Young has also offered to provide instructions on how to build the robot if he gets the 10K required supporters.

Head over here to lend your support, and maybe share it around?

[Marc Young's Google+ profile via Android Google+ page]

Uniquely Android: Swiftkey 3

Posted: 12 Aug 2012 08:44 AM PDT

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Uniquely Android is a series we started last month to shine the spotlight on those apps that take advantage of the unique capabilities of the platform and provide an experience that you wouldn’t find in most other phones. So far, we have featured Llama, Plug In Launcher, AirDroid and Shush.

Compared to the others in the series, Swiftkey is a rockstar that just about every one of our readers has probably heard about. For that reason, a part of me wanted to go with some other app today, despite the fact that Swiftkey meets every criteria of the Uniquely Android series. With well over a million paid downloads, it has also earned the developer behind it a ton of money, and probably doesn’t need to be in the limelight.

But, one particular aspect made me want to write about it: the fact that it is arguably the best touchscreen keyboard ever. Fans of Swype might argue differently, and I was certainly hooked to it for quite a while, but Swiftkey would probably get more picks in a vote. To me, considering how important a keyboard is to the experience of a phone, each and every user should purchase it. Heck, Google should buy it and make the default Android keyboard because the one thing I wish it did was offer Google’s Speech-to-text. to ensure no other platform gets their grubby hands on it. I’m not usually a selfish, greedy person, but in the case of SwiftKey, I want it to remain Android-only.

I had previously incorrectly mentioned Swiftkey doesn’t offer Google Speech-to-text. As Evan Murphy pointed out in the comments, it certainly does, though I don’t remember in which version did they add it.

You can download Swiftkey over here. PS, do check out this XKCD comic in Swiftkey’s honor.
Posted by at 7:57 AM

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