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Sony Xperia Z Review and Giveaway
This post is about a surprise; it's about a comeback, and about how a determined company can listen, learn, and make something beautiful once again. It's about the Sony Xperia Z, a premium, powerful, and waterproof Android smartphone that made me rethink what's important to me about a phone. And if I sound enamored, well, you can read on to see what made a longtime Samsung user ditch the South Korean powerhouse for a Japanese giant.
3 Free Android Apps That Can Help Improve Your English
Whether it's your first or second language, English can be tricky. Many of us use our smartphones mainly for reading and writing -- not to mention our tablets, of course. So what do you do when you come across an unfamiliar word, or when you need to write an important message on the go without making embarrassing mistakes? Today I'd like to share three free and useful apps that can help with both reading and writing English: Two dictionaries, and a keyboard.
Who Needs Kindle? Fabrik is a Stylish eReader App for Android That Supports Cloud Sync
Let's face it: When it comes to eBooks, there is pretty much just one big name that matters. One ecosystem; one line of apps; one source of books; one maker of devices. If this makes you feel a little uneasy, I can certainly understand why (after all, I too think you should own the books you buy). And if you are one of the tiny, nonconformist minority still resisting assimilation into this oh-so-convenient eBook ecosystem, you may be interested in Fabrik. This beautiful Android app boasts a form of cloud sync, just like you-know-who.
Participate In Exciting Software Challenges To Win Recognition (And Money) With ChallengePost
This is an exciting time to be a software developer; the open-source community has never been stronger, with a wealth of open source projects you can participate in. What if there was a way to discover software challenges you could contribute to, solve real-world problems, and make people's lives better in various tangible ways? And possibly even win prizes and recognition for your work? ChallengePost offers one such way.
Feedly, Reviewed: What Makes It Such A Popular Google Reader Replacement?
Now that Google Reader is but a distant memory, the fight for the future of RSS is truly on. One of the most notable products fighting the good fight is Feedly. Google Reader wasn't an app or an add-on: It lived purely on the Web, so today I'll be looking at Feedly Cloud, a browser-based RSS reader that requires no external tools to use. We first reported about it as it went live on June 19, but now's the time to take a good, long look at it.
Never Forget Where You Parked Again With These 5 Android Apps
Now, where did I leave that car? If you've ever found yourself confounded by this annoying problem, you know what a drag it can be to start hunting around a vast parking lot, laden with bags (or a child!) trying to figure out where the heck that car was. The good news is that with a smartphone, it really doesn't have to be that way. There are quite a few Android apps promising to save your parking spot for you, but when I tested out some of the leading ones, I arrived at a surprising conclusion.
Atom Launcher, Reviewed: Your Next Android Launcher?
I am not the kind of user who jumps to a different Android launcher every week. I've been using Nova Launcher for nearly a year now, I think – and before, I was using Go Launcher (and featured themes for it) even longer. That doesn't mean I don't occasionally become curious when an interesting contender shows up – and Atom Launcher is just such an alternative. What makes it interesting, to me, is that it's not another clone.
Draft: A High-Quality, No-Nonsense Way To Keep Notes On Android, With Full Dropbox Sync
I consider myself a discerning note-taker. If a note-taking application isn't just so, it can drive me crazy. This is where I'm supposed to tell you I'm on a never-ending quest to find a great note-taking app. But really, I'm not: for months now, I've had a duo of note-taking apps on my homescreen. One of these is the wonderful Draft, which is worth every cent of the $2.57 it costs. If you're looking for a great way to write on your phone, read on.
Not Happy With Your Phone's Contacts App? Try These 2 Alternative Contacts Apps For Android
Android's default Contacts app is one of the things phone makers seem to relish customizing. Maybe because it's a straightforward app, or maybe because you'll be using it every day and they want their style constantly on your mind. The good news is that this being Android, there are numerous alternative contact apps to choose from. Today I'm here to show you two apps vying to replace or augment the Contacts app you're currently using: One is utterly unique, while the other is time-tested and more conventional.
Color Me Impressed: 3 Tools For Effortlessly Finding Beautiful Color Schemes For Any Project
Color is important. It's one of those primeval things -- colors make us feel. They can communicate danger, passion, calmness, and almost any other emotion. They work across language barriers, and they can clash in jarring ways, too. Like it or not, you will use color: Just about any creative project needs a color scheme.
2 Addictive Slingshot Games For Android That Have Absolutely Nothing To Do With Angry Birds
If I tell you "this is a great game for your phone, and it's all about using a slingshot," one game will instantly come to mind. Right? Well, it turns out there are ways to use slingshot and slinging that result in a unique game that's nothing like Angry Birds at all: One is a racing game with gorgeous graphics and the simplest controls imaginable, while the other does have you shoot things with a slingshot but isn't like Angry Birds in any other way.
Create Fun Doodles and Paint Over Photos With Free Line Brush for Android
Painting is fun. Even if you don't have artistic talent, there's something about smearing paint over canvas that just works. The success of games like Draw Something extends to entire galleries dedicated to smartphone doodles, and bears this out: Painting on your phone is definitely a thing. If you agree, you should try Line Brush. This entirely free (and ad free!) app features a simple interface with a wealth of realistic brushes, and even lets you use photos as raw material.
Evernote Food: A Beautiful Way to Keep Track of Your Favorite Meals, Recipes, and Restaurants [Android]
What'd you have for breakfast this morning? How about two weeks ago? And hey, remember that time you and your friends went to that really fancy Japanese restaurant? If you're a bit fuzzy on the last two questions (or even on the first), Evernote Food is a great way to answer them. I covered Evernote Food for Android before, when all it could do was log your meals. Now it's time to give it another look, thanks to an all-new version that adds fun ways to track down new recipes and restaurants, as well as a fresh new look.
SpeedFan Tells All: A Free Windows App To Monitor Every Aspect Of Your System Temperature
Just as shorting a computer out will ruin it, making it run in temperatures it was never meant to take will cause it to malfunction. SpeedFan is a free utility for Windows designed to help you keep a close eye on just how hot your computer is getting, down to the individual component level.
From Pirate Darling To Dropbox Alternative: BitTorrent Sync Lets You Keep Your Files Synchronized Across Machines
Cloud-based file sync services are easy to use and work well, but your privacy may or may not be your first priority. Not to mention the fact that these services always come with a storage quota, which you can work to maximize maximize, but a quota is a quota. If you're longing for an alternative, you should check out BitTorrent Sync.
Chameleon Launcher For Android Phones Offers Context-Based Home Screens And Big, Beautiful Widgets
Most Android launchers are relatively similar: Nova, Apex, and friends usually offer what you'd expect: One or more homescreens with some third-party widgets, an app drawer, and app folders. And then there's Chameleon: A bold rethinking of the launcher -- not quite on the order of Facebook Home, but definitely distinguishable from most other launchers. Being different doesn't mean it's necessarily better, but it does merit a close look, especially given its slick aesthetics.
Keep A Beautiful, Orderly, and Private Journal Of Your Thoughts and Days With Diaro For Android
Keeping a personal journal can often help us make sense of the difficult times in our lives, or better remember the good times. If you're carrying around a smartphone, you already have a powerful and compact device at your disposal, just waiting for your thoughts. And there's an app for that: Diaro. This polished app/website personal journal combo is not perfect, but has a lot going for it.
Enjoy Breathtaking Panoramic Views With SphereShare.net [Android]
When the Google Nexus 4 first came out, one of the nicest new features it introduced was Photo Spheres. These are immersive 360-degree panoramas you can take with the phone's camera app, no extra gear needed. In the hands of a skilled photographer they create views that are the next best thing to actually being there. If you're looking for a service that's all about Photo Spheres, without any of that pesky "friending", "circling" and commenting that go on in a social network, look no further than SphereShare.net.
Create The Homescreen Of Your Dreams With The Super-Customizable UCCW Widget [Android]
One of Android's greatest strength is how customizable it is. Even without rooting your device or installing a custom ROM, you can do some incredible things to shape your phone to be just the way you want it. Installing a third-party launcher like Nova goes a long way, but you can do so much more: UCCW, or Ultimate Custom Widget, is a widget that lets you place custom clocks, battery meters, weather meters, and just about anything else right on your homescreen. Customization is often a painful process, but UCCW makes it incredibly simple.