Top 10 Android Apps - New York Times

Top 10 Android Apps.... Glympse (free; open the app, hit a couple of buttons and Glympse lets a friend temporarily track your location); Angry Birds (free; not as slick as the iPhone version); Weather Channel (free; offers better forecasts than your phone’s standard weather app); Epicurious (free.....

Android users have it even worse. Although there are fewer apps to peruse (around 100,000 at last count), the Android Market is a nightmare to navigate compared with the iTunes App Store. 

Yes, even though Google is the master of search, its Android Market’s search feature is less effective than Apple’s. The Market also has no answer for the App Store’s “Staff Favorites,” “Essentials” or “New and Noteworthy” selections, which pull good apps to the front of the catalog. 

But that’s why I’m here. Android users, I here by present 10 indispensable apps and then some. (This list and other lists of favorite apps can be found at http://nyti.ms/fKliAm.) 

Some apps on my list are unique to Android, even though app developers still seem to develop for iPhone first. Oh, and the best part about the list? Almost all the apps are free. 

Let’s start with Google, which created the Android operating system. The company may do a poor job with the Market, but it creates — and, more to the point, it gives away — stellar software for Android devices. 

Google Search (free) is a huge time saver, thanks to the voice-search function. (Ask it for Wikipedia entries and it fetches. Speak the name of a retailer and it finds the nearest location.) And Google Maps (also free) is a big money saver, since it provides the same turn-by-turn navigation features you would have to pay $10 a month for on other phone platforms. 

But since those apps come standard on every Android device I’ve ever seen, let’s skip those and get to the ones you’d have to seek out in the Android Market. 

GOOGLE SHOPPER (FREE) this app can save you hundreds of dollars by helping you find better prices nearby or online. Scan a bar code and the app takes it from there. If the scan doesn’t work, you can speak the product’s name and the app finds the product. 

GOOGLE SKY MAP (FREE) Some serious eye candy that you’ll want to activate on the next cloudless night. Point your device toward the heavens and Sky Map puts a label on every celestial body you see — and some you can’t. 

REMOTEDROID (FREE) Turns your phone into a wireless trackpad and mouse. You might not want to use the tiny keypad to input text, but if your computer lacks a trackpad — or if you’d like to liberate your trackpad from its spot — this will make your day. 

CARDIOTRAINER (FREE) Arguably better than any fitness app on the iPhone, CardioTrainer is an Android-only program that tracks your fitness regimen and calorie consumption. It includes a music management feature to keep your workout tunes fresh. 

SOUNDHOUND (FREE AND $5) It’s Android’s best showoff app after Sky Map. Open SoundHound and it identifies nearly any song — even some you hum. It also finds lyrics and YouTube videos of song performances. The $5 version lets you identify an unlimited number of tunes. Users of the free version get five songs a month. 

EVERNOTE (FREE) Can’t afford a personal assistant? This will help. Evernote is a mobile notepad that synchronizes with desktop and browser software (also free). Use your smartphone to take a photo, record a voice memo or jot down a note, and the next time you open Evernote on your desktop computer, your mobile notes appear (and vice versa). The free version stores a fair amount of information, but $45 a year buys unlimited storage. 

URBANSPOON (FREE) Great for those with empty stomachs, full wallets and no ideas. Spin Urbanspoon’s slot machine and it offers restaurant suggestions. You can also choose certain attributes — like moderate prices and bistro food — and selections appear. The app includes reviews, contact information, maps and directions. 

QUICKOFFICE MOBILE SUITE ($10) You can read Word, Excel or Powerpoint documents on an Android phone, but you can’t edit them without dedicated apps. Quickoffice is, so far, the best of these apps. It lets you create documents in a pinch, but the app’s strength is letting you get bits of work done away from the office. 

SLACKER (FREE) You’ve most likely heard of Pandora, the great personalized radio service. Slacker is better, with a deeper catalog of songs. And unlike the Web version, you can download hours of music to your phone and listen when you are offline. (That feature is free to try, but a $4 monthly fee applies thereafter.) 

FXCAMERA (FREE) Android doesn’t have anything quite like Hipstamatic, the iPhone app that creates beautiful effects for your photos. FxCamera is close, with several cool filters to choose from, and quick sharing to Facebook. 

Honorable Mention

 

Glympse (free; open the app, hit a couple of buttons and Glympse lets a friend temporarily track your location); Angry Birds (free; not as slick as the iPhone version); Weather Channel (free; offers better forecasts than your phone’s standard weather app); Epicurious (free; find professionally tested recipes, with reviews and shopping lists — the free BigOven app is also very good); FlightTrack ($5; track any flight and get delay forecasts, seat suggestions and gate information); Yelp (free; find local services, restaurants and bars, including reviews); Layar (free; see customized information about your surroundings); Qik (free; broadcast live video from your phone to a Web site) ; DroidLight (free; it’s a flashlight, a strobe light or a message board in a crowded club — indispensable)

 

Source : The New York Times

Top 10 Android Apps

10 best apps on the Ovi Store for Nokia users

10 best apps on the Ovi Store for Nokia users. Other than these, we recommend these apps, if you already do not have them on your cellphone - eBuddy Messenger - now available on almost all smartphones, this is an all-in-one messenger. You can sign in to google talk, Facebook, MSN and the rest and constantly be in touch with friends, even on the go....

App stores have become synonymous and crucial to the functionality of a touchscreen phone since the first phone was announced nearly 4 years ago. Every major cellphone maker is now intent on boosting the collection on its 'app stores.'  Nokia, once an undisputed leader in the cell phone market, lost some footing due its late start in this area but is catching up quite fast.

Here are 10 of the best apps available on Nokia phones - some practical, some fun :


1. F-Secure Anti-Theft for Mobile
Cellphones are probably the single gadget that contain every single personal detail. People even store passwords, credit card numbers and other crucial detail on the cell phone. F-Secure helps you delete all the data on your phone or remotely lock it, if you believe your phone is missing or have just forgotten on your desk at office or home. This application makes sure that the data does not fall into the wrong hands.

2. Smart Folder
Smart Folder provides more security features for people who want hide stuff on the cellphones. It is particularly applicable to photos and audio files you do not want nosy people who pick up your phone to "just browse through" to see. The catch here is, again, the 5 euro price, though there is a trial feature available for a limited period.

3. Super CallRecorder
This is a very useful tool for reporters, PR people or anyone who wish to record phone conversations as they talk.

4. Advanced Call Manager
Remember all those calls that you could not pick up and you wanted to send a message stating you'd call back or something else? There are in-built features in the Nokia phone that allows you to send a default message when you cut the call. With ACM, you can divide those contacts into groups with the messages you want to send, filter calls with different messages and ignore particular calls. The full paid version has more features at 7 euros.

5. Flashlight Extreme/SOS
Both the apps work similarly - converting your cellphone into a flashlight. However, the 'Extreme' version requires a one-time download of about 13MB. The SOS version doesn't always live up to its promise of converting the display screen into a 'powerful flashlight'. It also promises lights of 7 different colors but various reviewers have mentioned that the colors keep changing way too fast or get stuck on a single color. Worth installing for emergencies though.

6. Speereo Voice Translator
The best app for people constantly traveling. It promises a phrase book of 16 languages and more. Some features like maps and guides require internet connection. This app is also priced at 5 euro. Alternatively, there are apps like the 'Free Translator' or 'Dictionary & Translation Pro' that work equally well but require an internet connection.

7. Worldmate 2009
Worldmate 2009 is yet another travel app. Weather forecasts, flight schedules and alerts, currency converters and more - all wrapped into this one app. True, much of these are now available on the higher-end phones but this is a one-stop shop, with flight details. Meant mostly for those constantly on the go.

8. Touchnote - Postcards
Take a photo. Send it to someone as a real postcard. In theory, this app works great. Your own photos converted into postcards and mailed to whoever you wish. However, reviews on the app state that the app fails a little at the execution level. Some reviews even state that postcards never reached the intended destination, some say it took a little longer but got there eventually. Worth a shot though. Besdies, it takes up very little space on your cellphone.

9. Carpe Diem Daily
This is a fun app for those who are looking for something different. Based on the website carpediemdaily.com, the app states it "helps you do something new every day." For those who want every day to be an adventure and something special, this app is definitely the way to go.

10. Fake Calls
Agreed, the iStore had this a while ago. But now you can pretend to get a call too, like your friends on the iPhone, and escape a sticky situation. Edit the contact information to set a particular name, schedule a time for the call or the message. The calls are free, but the app will cost you 3 euros.

Other than these, we recommend these apps, if you already do not have them on your cellphone
-          eBuddy Messenger - now available on almost all smartphones, this is an all-in-one messenger. You can sign in to google talk, Facebook, MSN and the rest and constantly be in touch with friends, even on the go.
-          Shazam - Remember that song you heard in a restaurant and spent the rest of the day wondering who the artist is, or what the song was? Shazam can identify the song, the artist, album and the year.
-          Ovi Maps - Your own Nokia GPS, with voice guidance and directions.
-          Nokia Image Exchange - This app is still in the beta stage, which means glitches. But it makes sharing images easier and fun. And it is free.

Feminizing Uranium

Feminizing Uranium. Jesus, in terms that are often cited in ceremonies like this to take place this afternoon, said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends” (John 15 : 13). It is therefore quite right that we honor this kind of bravery and sacrifice of self, which is certainly an imitation of the Lord of Lord and King of kings.....

Feminizing Uranium, Medal of Honor will be awarded this afternoon at the Army sergeant. Salvatore Giunta for his heroism in Afghanistan, and rightly so. He took a bullet in his protective vest as he shot a soldier to safety, then saved the sergeant who was walking point and had been taken prisoner by two Taliban, including Sgt. Giunta blow to free his comrade. 

This is the eighth Medal of Honor awarded during our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Sgt. Giunta is the only one who has lived long enough to receive his medal in person. But I noticed a disturbing trend in the awarding of medals, some others seem to have realized. We have feminized the Medal of Honor. According to Bill McGurn of the Wall Street Journal, all Medal of Honor awarded during these two conflicts has been awarded for saving lives. No one has been assigned to inflict casualties on the enemy. Not one.

General George Patton once famously said: “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other guy die for him.”

When we think of heroism in battle, we used to think our boys stormed the Normandy beaches under fire, climbing the cliffs of Pointe only special while enemy soldiers shot down on them, and throwing grenades in the boxes of pills to take firearms locations.

This kind of heroism is apparently happening now when it comes to awarding the Medal of Honor. We now attribute only for the victims to prevent, not to inflict them.

So the question is: when will we start awarding the Medal of Honor once again to the soldiers who kill people and break things so that our families can sleep safely at night?

I would say our culture has become so feminized that we have become disgusted with the idea of the value that is expressed in the killing of enemy soldiers through acts of bravery. We know instinctively that we must honor the courage, but avoid honoring the courage if it leads to the taking of life rather than just saving lives. So we find that it is safe to honor those who throw themselves on a grenade to save their friends.

Jesus, in terms that are often cited in ceremonies like this to take place this afternoon, said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends” (John 15 : 13). It is therefore quite right that we honor this kind of bravery and sacrifice of self, which is certainly an imitation of the Lord of Lord and King of kings.

However, Jesus’ gesture of self-sacrifice ultimately had no meaning – yes, meaningless – if he had not inflicted a mortal wound to the enemy while giving his own life.

The significance of the cross is not only that Jesus gave his life for us, but he defeated the enemy of our souls in the process. He was on the cross he has crushed the serpent’s head. He was on the cross he “disarmed the principalities and powers and make them public shame, by triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15).

The cross is a cosmic showdown between the forces of light and the forces of darkness, and our commanding general claimed the ultimate prize, beating our invisible enemy and liberating a planet full of his servitude.

We rightly honor those who gave their lives to save their comrades. It is time we started to pay tribute to those who kill the bad guys.

Feminizing Uranium

Google Evil Algorithms Fine Evil Businesses

Google Evil..... We were horrified to read about Ms. Rodriguez’s dreadful experience. Even though our initial analysis pointed to this being an edge case and not a widespread problem in our search results, we immediately convened a team that looked carefully at the issue. That team developed an initial algorithmic solution, implemented it, and the solution is already live......

Google Evil with spying on drudge, dhs spying on drudge, prison planet censored, prisonplanet.com censored, prisonplanet have been hot today in everyone’s search. Google Search Engine has tweaked its search algorithms to pretty much demote businesses with extremely negative reviews. This was recently explained in Google’s blog “Being bad to your customers is bad for business.” Google wants business owners to know that it won’t reward bad behavior.

The new “algorithmic solution” has already discovered hundreds of merchants with abysmal ratings from users and will work to keep those sites from being ranked highly in search results. Being bad is, and hopefully will always be, bad for business in Google’s search results. 

Google said “We were horrified to read about Ms. Rodriguez’s dreadful experience. Even though our initial analysis pointed to this being an edge case and not a widespread problem in our search results, we immediately convened a team that looked carefully at the issue. That team developed an initial algorithmic solution, implemented it, and the solution is already live. I am here to tell you that being bad is, and hopefully will always be, bad for business in Google’s search results.”

Google Fellow Amit Singhal wrote” We can’t say for sure that no one will ever find a loophole in our ranking algorithms in the future. We know that people will keep trying: attempts to game Google’s ranking … go on 24 hours a day, every single day.”

 

Toyota Etios To Be Rolled Out Today

Toyota Etios to be rolled out today. toyota will also cash in on the situation and create a niche for itself in this segment with Etios. Actually, both the sedan and hatchback of Etios are targeted at Maruti Suzuki's Swift and Swift Dzire, but would also be a threat to other products including Nissan's Micra, Ford's Figo and Volkswagen's Polo and other small cars as well....

The much awaited compact sedan from the house of Toyota will be rolled out in India within an hour or so, after the vehicle was under development for almost four years. Etios is the result of a conceptualisation by Toyota the potentiality of bringing out a small car that would storm the emerging markets across the globe. Earlier, the world's second largest car manufacturer has never comtemplated in terms of producing a mass car in the compact segment and this thinking proves the perception of small car is going to stay. It took solid four years to develop this ambitious car and the fag end of it all, the firm's dedication and hardwork are going to be attaining fruition when the vehicle would be rolled out in India in a couple of hours from now. While the sedan version of Etios would be launched today, the hatchback will be rolled out next year.

According the company officials, a lot of contemplation and manhours have gone into the development of Etios. What is more Toyota Kirloskar Motor Limited, the Indian joint venture between Toyota Motor Corp of Japan and Kirloskar Group is pinning lot of hopes on this particular product, especially when the firm is entering the big league of mass volume market, taking on the might of Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai Motor India, Ford India, Nissan India, GM India and others. Etios comes at a time when the Indian market is seeing an all time boom, especially in the small car segment, where products such as Hyundai i10, Ford Figo, Nissan Micra, Chevrolet Beat, Maruti Suzuki's Alto and a whole lot of small cars, not to mention Tata Nano are making a killing and it is hoped that Toyota will also cash in on the situation and create a niche for itself in this segment with Etios. Actually, both the sedan and hatchback of Etios are targeted at Maruti Suzuki's Swift and Swift Dzire, but would also be a threat to other products including Nissan's Micra, Ford's Figo and Volkswagen's Polo and other small cars as well.

Though a compact car, Etios is a cut above the so called small cars like Ford Figo or a Nissan Micra, but has more features than what Maruti Suzuki India can offer in its cars both Swift and Dzire and that makes it all the more interesting. As Toyota has always brought premium products and that is in its DNA, yet its quest to bring an entry level sedan and a hatchback in the compact car segment has met with success with the launch of Etios in a while. Lookwise, it is a head turner, when compared with the so called small cars, but for a sesan of VW Polo's stature, Etios looks a tad bit mediocre, so to say. 

The firm has not worked real hard on aesthetics as is evident, but given the fact that the vehicle was designed under tremendous pressure in order to keep the costs at bay, obviously, the design part got a beating, nevertheless, it is not aweful either. On the first site, it does give a resemblence of Renault's Logan, meaning the latter's design has not been widely accepted in this country. More particularly, the triangular tail lamps and the straightforward waistline and the headlamps of Etios resembles and hence the resemblance is being made. 

What is more, in the Etios, the interiors are awesome and far better than the contemporary compact cars that are making headlines in India. Furthermore, the sedan does look spacious for its genre, we will have to wait for the hatch to be rolled out to find what have they done with that car. We will keep you posted, once the details of the roll out of Etios trickles in...

Toyota Etios to be rolled out today