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Any.Do app review Posted: 13 Feb 2013 12:42 PM PST Being a college student, it’s often hard to stay organized. My goal for this semester is to be more organized, prepared, and on top of things, and I couldn’t do that without some help. A few weeks ago, I ran across Any.Do on Google+. I’ve since lost the original post, but it caught my eye in a screenshot, so I jumped over to the Google Play Store to check it out. Now, I’ve used other to-do list apps in the past, but none of them ever really worked for me. They either didn’t have the functionality I needed, or they were just plain unattractive. Any.Do knocks both of these out of the park with a simple, minimal design and great features. I was surprised by the simplicity of Any.Do as soon as I opened the app. Users are greeted with a simple list broken into four sections: Today, Tomorrow, Upcoming, and Someday. Obviously each of these has their own purpose, and users can move tasks from one to the next as they please. So if I don’t find time to do my prelab today, I can move it to tomorrow. Creating a task is easy and intuitive. Just start typing in the bar at the top, and Any.Do will start predicting your task, whether it’s “buy groceries,” or “take out the trash.” Even contacts show up when typing, making it easier to assign tasks to certain people. For example, I could type “dad,” and Any.Do would give me options like “Call dad,” or “Meet dad.” It just makes sense, and it’s done very well. Once users have finished typing the task, a simple tap of the blue icon at the right of the text bar is all that’s needed to add the task to the list. Any.Do has also integrated a voice button, so you can speak your tasks if you’re in a hurry. Within the app, users can mark a task as done by simply swiping to the right on that task. If this is done by accident, the user can simply swipe back to the left to undo the mark. Tasks that have been marked as complete move to the bottom of the list, and have a line through them to indicate their completion. Again, it’s a simple concept done very well. The settings for Any.Do are about as simplistic as the app itself. Users can create and edit folders for certain tasks, like Personal and Work. There’s also an option to change themes (there are only two: light and dark), as well as enabling or disabling a constant notification for tasks, missed calls, etc. Users can also enable shake-to-update, and set the first day of the week. Moving down the list, the language can be changed, as well as notification sounds. Any.Do has also added a list of tasks that have been marked as “done,” and users can unmark them or delete them. Finally, users can create backups, just in case. One of my favorite features of Any.Do has to be the list of widgets. There are five widgets, although I’ve found the scrollable 4×2 widget to be the best for my needs. These widgets are both simple and useful, just like the app itself. Users can mark tasks as complete, scroll down the list of tasks, and jump right into adding a new task. Unfortunately, adding a new task directly from the widget isn’t possible, as it jumps into the app to do so. The widget follows the theme of the app, so you won’t have a dark-themed app and light-themed widget at the same time. Having a widget on my homescreen is a constant reminder of what I have to get done, and it keeps me on my toes. Any.Do is an amazing, simple, functional to-do list app that just works. There aren’t a bunch of hoops to jump through, users can enjoy a minimal UI, and it’s just very easy to use. I’m glad that I came across this app, as it’s helped me get more organized and stay on top of what I have to accomplish. Of course, Any.Do could be used as a simple grocery list, or for many other purposes. But if you’re looking for a great to-do list app, look no further. I’ve been blown away by the simplicity and usefulness of Any.Do, and it’s going to remain installed on my devices for quite some time. If you’d like to give Any.Do a try for yourself, you can download it below. What We Liked Very simple UI Themes are a nice touch Widgets are functional, scrollable, and just plain useful Gets the job done without a ton of bells and whistles Room for Improvement Having the ability to add a task directly from the widget, without jumping into the app itself. Users may enjoy a few more themes. A light blue or soft red theme might be nice. Download Any.Do (Google Play) The post Any.Do app review appeared first on AndroidGuys.

12 really great wallpapers for Android Posted: 13 Feb 2013 11:44 AM PST Looking to change up your Android home screen?  It doesn’t get much easier than swapping out the wallpaper  and it’s one of the quickest ways to breath new life into the desktop experience. We recently began curating a collection of wallpapers for you, dear reader, and are ready to start sharing. To get things going, we’ve got one dozen wallpapers from a variety of sources, each one cooler than the others. We’ll be adding to the collection on a regular basis and will occasionally highlight a theme or specific artist’s work we really appreciate. Click to view slideshow. Click here to see the entire  collection of wallpapers. Note that the wallpaper page may go through a few changes over the coming weeks and that your experience should improve with each update. If you see something that you think we’d like to share, drop us a line.  What’s more, if you have created some wallpapers of your own and want help in spreading the word, we’re your guys. AndroidGuys Wallpapers The post 12 really great wallpapers for Android appeared first on AndroidGuys.

r.Pod Multifunction Portable Solar Battery Pack and USB Charger review Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:38 AM PST The r.Pod (by Misemet) is a giant pill that cures many ails. As a backup battery supply, it offers 4100mAh worth of extra juice for your phone, tablet, or digital device. As a flashlight, the 170 Lumen LED lamp is bright enough to light your way through the darkest of corridors. As a lamp, it brightens up a tent or office without blinding your friends or colleagues. I have spent a few weeks playing with the r.Pod, using it as a backup battery supply for our smartphones and have come to appreciate the flexibility. Its pill shape and silicon housing make for a fun, if not abstract, take on the traditional power block. Sure, you’ll show it to your friends or co-workers and be met with smirks and snickers. Once they see what it does, however, they’ll invariably come up with cool reasons to own one. As a guy who spends a few weeks camping each year camping, I am anxious to take the r.Pod with me on the next outing.  I love the low-light lamp effect that glows bright enough to fill a room yet doesn’t blind or distract. Peel off the rubber cap and the light becomes very strong, powerful enough to take late night excursions. The clip is also handy as it can hook to a belt, backpack, or canopy to add ambiance or a source of light. It’s safe to say that this will be a staple around the camp setup this summer. At 4100mAh, the internal battery is strong enough to juice up the average smartphone twice over. Charging up the r.Pod is as easy as anything else; microUSB saves the day, again. For those who do not have a power supply to charge up the r.Pod, the solar panel fills in and handles the job. Results will vary depending on cloud cover and time of day however I found that charging took most of the day, or 10-12 hours. With that in mind, the r.Pod should be able to pull in enough juice every day to keep things charged and ready to go. What we liked: Multiple functions (lamp, LED flashlight) separate it from other power packs. Fun, colorful alternative to the standard blacks and greys Solar charging fills in where microUSB cannot Room for improvement: Could be a touch smaller Carrying solar charger and cords could be easier by including a pouch Where to buy: Misemet offers the r.Pod directly through Amazon.com where it can be purchased in a variety of color options (green, yellow, red). The list pricing of $120 is a tad high for our liking however the current  sticker looks to be $75, a bargain if you ask us. NOTE: Not sure how long it will last, but the red version is only $69.99 right now. The post r.Pod Multifunction Portable Solar Battery Pack and USB Charger review appeared first on AndroidGuys.

HTC countdown to February 19 heavily suggests HTC One Posted: 13 Feb 2013 08:48 AM PST HTC has a new countdown on its website which ticks off the seconds until the February 19 press event. The timer is interesting for a number of reasons, all of which pertain to the forthcoming device announcement. Watch the countdown for a few moments and you’ll note that every 10 seconds it runs a short, 4-second video clip in the back. Also, any time the second marker ends in “1″, the number is switched to the familiar shade of HTC green. Sounds like HTC M7 will, in fact, be called the HTC One. A simple ‘view source‘ of the page lets visitors manually watch the cycle of videos, each teasing a different aspect of the upcoming HTC One. Teaser 1 Teaser 2 Teaser 3 Teaser 4 Teaser 5 There are but a few days left until HTC officially announces the next flagship smartphone of 2013; have you caught up with the list of what to expect for the HTC One? HTC The post HTC countdown to February 19 heavily suggests HTC One appeared first on AndroidGuys.

New Motorola Google smartphone said to be a “game changer” Posted: 13 Feb 2013 06:51 AM PST With the Google / Motorola acquisition that took place oh-so-long ago, it’s been slow going for awhile. Many expected to see devices almost right out of the gate, but mum has been the only word thus far, aside from a few off-hand patents and rumors – definitely nothing concrete. However, now we’re hearing that a new Motorola Google phone is coming to Australia in July of this year, and it’s being hailed as a bit of a masterpiece. According to sources as down-under telecom Telstra, CTO Hugh Bradlow is tipping employees that the new phone is a “real breakthrough, a game changer that will put pressure on Samsung and Apple”. The device in question is currently being hailed as the Motorola X, and is supposed to be unveiled at the Google Developer Conference in July, which would sync up with the rumored release date. According to one insider, “Google has been working on this device for a long time. It has software features and capabilities that are not available on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone or Apple iPhone. The software is really powerful and it pulls together Google services like no other manufacturer has done in the past.” via smarthouse The post New Motorola Google smartphone said to be a “game changer” appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Nexus 4 Wireless Charger now available at Google Play Store Posted: 13 Feb 2013 05:58 AM PST The Nexus 4 has been around for a few months now, and it is easily the best Pure Google experience device to date. And, as some know, one of the cooler and more practical features is the wireless charging capability. This week Google helped make the experience even better by officially introducing the wireless charger for the Google Nexus 4. Now available for purchase at the Google Play Store, the charger is $59.99 and should ship within a few days. . The charger will be able to charge the Nexus 4 from zero to hundred percent in just four hours. Check it out here over at the Google Play Store. Are you planning to buy one for your Nexus 4? Tell us about it in the comment box below. VIA: AC The post Nexus 4 Wireless Charger now available at Google Play Store appeared first on AndroidGuys.