www.an-droid.net http://www.an-droid.net/page/1065-G-Link-Surfpad The Chinese manufacturer call their huge iPhone rip-off with Android OS 'Model 7006'. The device looks interesting at first sight with it's 7 inch display (800x480 px resolution), only small frame around the display and well-shaped white plastic on the back. I/O ports: * Mini-USB * Headphones (jack) * Memory card slot * Plug for power supply * built-in camera (0.3 megapixels) * built-in microphone In it's minimum configuration, the tablet comes with WiFi (802.11 b/g), but the manufacturer will install GPS, Bluetooth and 3G (UMTS or EVDO) at extra charge. If you think that this device is still a bargain for less than $ 250 (equipped with GPS and 3G) you should continue reading... Because this Surfpad also has its disadvantages: * the display is covered by a reflecting foil, which makes it difficult to read in bright environments * with WLAN or 3G enabled, the battery will fail after less than 3 hours you cannot expect miracles from the tech specs (only 128 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM and 624 MHz CPU) * on the device was Android OS 1.5 installed, nobody at G-Link was able to confirm a planned software update * many of the installed applications (such as Android Market) crashed regularly during my test * resistive, not capacitive touchscreen (that means: no multitouch, optimized for pen operation) What should you possibly use this device for? Unfortunately, I can think of very few applications. http://www.an-droid.net/page/1064-Maverick-Pro Describing Maverick Pro in one sentence is difficult. My try: This software handles ALL gaps left by Google Maps and shows how maps should be done on your phone! What can you expect from Maverick Pro? Firstly, there is a selection of different maps. Maverick offers: * Open Street Maps (Mapnik & Osma) * Google Maps (street, satellite, terrain) * Bing maps (roads, satellite, hybrid) * Wikimapia Once you use a map, the map tiles are automatically cached by the program and are then available for offline use. If you know in advance that you won't have a (sufficient) data connection, you can also pre-download entire maps with the free software Atlas Creator (available for Windows, Mac, Linux). What's also great: On a layer above each map you can also fade in waypoints, tracks or geocaches. This feature could for example be used as an interactive cityguide. It's even possible to add new waypoints on the road! Anyone who wants to record the traveled distance for later use (e.g. Geotagging your photos, Google Earth, etc.) can also export the data. For all this and much more (compass, various import and export and statistical functions, just to name a few) the developer Code Sector charges only € 2.95 (via Android http://www.an-droid.net/page/1063-SatSki Unfortunately I cannot test such innovate Android applications like SatSki daily. But I am sure, that many of my ski and snowboard enthusiastic readers will love this program, too! What is it? To get started, select your desired ski resort. Choose from over 100 ski resorts (18x Canada, 42x USA). Including Vail, Banff, Stowe, Mont Tremblant and Aspen... The complete list is linked at "other". Afterwards your have access to extensive statistic functions. This includes information about speeds and distances that can be replayed on your PC (Google Earth), when you're back home. In addition, SatSki can give you detailed information on restaurants, bars, doctors, ski rental shops and schools - even in offline use. If your data plan works (abroad), you can also use "live services". This shows, for example where your friends (who also use SatSki) are on the map and provides current information from your resort. Perhaps the most interesting function is navigation: did you ever try to find the best route to some Ski Hut? This app will help you out by suggesting a configurable (red / black runs) route (see screenshots). Should you ever be in the unfortunate position of an emergency, SatSki can show the local emergency phone number next to your GPS coordinates. Finally, the only drawback: licensing seems too complicated. There are 3 "versions": * Bronze: 1 Resort for 2 weeks (7.90 USD) * Silver: 1 Resort for 12 months (13.00 USD) * Gold: Unlimited Resorts for 12 months (15.50 USD) But what are 16 bucks (for a year) in comparison with your ski pass? Everyone interested in winter sports,should really download the free "SatSki Lite" version from Android Market and play bit with the demo resort. http://www.an-droid.net/page/1062-Oxford-Dictionary A good dictionary 'to go' seems appealing. Anyone who relies on a high quality and timely content knows the 'Oxford Dictionary of English'. With over * 355,000 words, phrases and definitions (including 3,000 new) * example usage * word origins + encyclopedic entries When you start the application for the first time, the dictionary will be downloaded (MSDict format) to the phone memory or your SD card. Subsequently, everything is also available offline. What makes this dictionary especially useful: * Search results are displayed while you type * Hyperlinks are shown on the results pages and * The history of recently looked up words can be scrolled through Both content and the technical implementation (by MobiSystems) are done pretty well. But unfortunately, due to the application's high price, we can not assign the highest rating here. 'Oxford Dictionary of English' costs € 29,99, which is only slightly cheaper than the dictionary's hard copy (more than 2000 pages for € 31,95). http://www.an-droid.net/page/1061-Remote-VNC It's almost impossible to count all use cases for VNC - Virtual Network Computing, a protocol to screen content over a network. To cite a few: server maintenance, remote control of PCs at home or even just to save a few steps. There are some apps for Android phones, too and I will introduce you to one of them now: Remote VNC. The developer is offering two versions: a free 'Remote VNC Lite' and 'Remote VNC Pro'. You can see a couple of differences in the detail: for example, the Pro version allows you to use the trackball as a mouse, have copy and paste between your phone and the remote screen and makes it possible to zoom the screen content. Having tested the app with Windows, Linux and Mac OS X machines, I can congratulate the developers and thank him for a stable, affordable software. Because of the many additional features, I recommend the purchase of Remote VNC Pro for US$ 3.98 from the Android http://www.an-droid.net/page/1060-Apps-Organizer A few days ago I happened to discover a very handy application that can manage the installed apps using labels. Apps Organizer offers a handful of pre-configured labels that can be placed on any home screen. Other Apps can easily be inserted into existing labels. As well as new labels with own criteria can be created. I particularly like the fact that my home screen is much more tidy with Apps Organizer. Not to forget, Apps Organizer is available for free at Android Market http://www.an-droid.net/page/1059-Dolphin-Browser Recently, I have no longer been using the default browser, which is shipped with Android, but the Dolphin Browser. Why? Dolphin offers the following features that are missing the original browser: * Gesture Control * Tabbed Browsing * Select text * Themes * Multi-Touch (for some themes) The gesture control makes use of the browser very pleasant. For many standard commands gestures can be used. Also the speed is above that of the standard browser. Furthermore the browser offers a couple of other nice features like the read-it-later option, which allows short time bookmarking of interesting pages. The Dolphin Browser can be integrated easily into Android and is available for free at the Android Market. The only thing that bothers me is that mutli-touch is not enabled by default. http://www.an-droid.net/page/1058-Google-Goggles Google surprises us again with a very interesting application: Google Goggles. What's special it about? Visual Search. This means you simply take a photo of any object (e.g. a book, a company logo or an ancient church), wait for analysis and then hope for good results. This procedure worked quite good in some initial tests, especially with books and other media. Less good, however when taking pictures of objects or brand logos. Even more: Goggles tries to improve the results by displaying businesses and attractions from 'Google Places' directly in the camera view, using your device's built in GPS and compass. Don't expect mircales from Google's new service (right now). But for testing and playing purposes, it serves well. Google Goggles is available as a free download at the http://www.an-droid.net/page/1057-Shazam I guess it's time write a an-droid.net review about Shazam, if even the 'pink giant' - Germanys biggest mobile phone provider - has featured it in their recent tv commercial. What is Shazam? Probably everyone knows this situation: you hear a song and are immediately keen to know who the artist is, and it's name of course. Or even better, get the chance to buy the song at once. And that's what this app is all about! Simply hold the phone approximately 10 seconds in the direction where your sound comes from (radio, television, computer), wait for the subsequent analysis and you're done. A particularly good audio quality is't always required: in my tests Shazam also worked with bad FM stations, as well as background noise. The app even spotted remixes and songs that never had a chart position without problems. Once the song has been tagged, it's data is moved into your phone's memory. Tagged songs can then be purchased via Amazon MP3 store or freely viewed on YouTube. Shazam is available as a free download (ad-supported) on the Android http://www.an-droid.net/page/1056-O2-AIRMail What many German O2 customers might not know about their Internet Pack: they receive 50 free Web-SMS from his provider every month.Utilizing the right app now every Android user can send these free SMS right from the phone - and O2 AirMail is one such app. Usage is very simple: 1. Select recipient(s) from your address book or type a phone number 2. Enter message text 3. Where appropriate choose options (e.g. FlashSMS, Sender ID) 4. Press the "Send" button Another features makes this app unique: the developer (Sascha Sambale) has integrated his software with Android's own SMS application, so that all sent short messages will appear there, too. O2 AIRMail is available for free at Android http://www.an-droid.net/page/1055-IMplus "Google Talk" is nice, but many Android users won't get happy with this included instant messaging application, because their contacts are in other IM networks. To fill this gap - and perhaps save you a lot of money for text messages - Shape Services ported IM+ to Android. The manufacturer is well known for porting their Instant Messenger software to all significant mobile platforms (iPhone, Windows Mobile, Palm webOS, Blackberry, Symbian, ...). IM + supports the following services / protocols: * ICQ * MSN / Windows Live * AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) / iChat * Yahoo! * Google Talk * Jabber * MySpaceIM During my test, the application worked like a charm. Especially pleasing is the fact, that IM+ connects directly to all IM networks without the use of a third party server. The program was stable and ran without any crashes. Two unique features made me love IM+: One is the text-to-speech function, which will read all incoming messages (in English only). The second one is the possibility to store longer texts as templates and paste them with just two clicks afterwards. Unfortunately, there were also some flaws: first, IM+ uses (when run as a background service) noticeable more battery power than "Google Talk". Second, the user interface (which unfortunately overrules the Android design principles in some places) can hardly be adjusted. I won't ever like the chat window's pastel colors on the black background for example. And a third point struck me: the app did not receive user names for half of my ICQ contacts, instead their number remained in the (non-sortable) contact list. Currently IM+ is available for an introductory price of US$ 4.95 at the Android market. The envisaged final price of US$ 9.99 seems to be too high, if the disadvantages won't get fixed http://www.an-droid.net/page/1054-Google-Maps-32 Google has just given us a very chic update for their well known Maps application. Unluckily the new built-in navigation solution does not work outside the US yet (at least not officially), I recommend upgrading anyway for every Android user! Why?Maps finally supports layers, making it possible to display more information in the map view. Including, for example: * Congestion * Wikipedia articles * public transport * your own "My Maps" entries * details on nearby shops, public facilities, ... Even Latitude is now 'only' a layer, but thus much easier to use.To let you see how well layers work, I've attached a few screenshots. http://www.an-droid.net/page/1053-Cyanogen-426 While Cyanogen is busy working on a pure Android 2.0 (aka Eclair) based ROM for G1 and Magic, he just gave us a new bugfix release in the meantime: CyanogenMod 4.2.6 What has changed? To be honest, the previous 4.2.5 was indeed almost perfect (USB Tethering, Eclair animations, high speed, new address book, etc.). So this update brings only slight improvements: * More icons and graphics from Android 2.0 * More stable Bluetooth OBEX FTP * Various other bug fixes (for instance in the kernel) You can get this update - as usual - comfortably using "CM Updater. If your G1 or HTC Magic is not yet prepared (CyanogenMod Recovery + rootet ROM), detailed instructions can be found on this page withhin the "HowTo" http://www.an-droid.net/page/3-Login Login Username Password http://www.an-droid.net/page/2-Register Register Username Password Repeat password Email address Newsletter subscribe do not subscibe http://www.an-droid.net/page/1003-klickTel If you need an ATM near you really fast or are close to starvation, you will love the klickTel application. GPS enabled, the application needs only two clicks on the display to guide you to the next ATMs of your bank. Other fast access functions include: * Fast food * Restaurants * Hotels * Taxi companies * Traffic (traffic jams and speed cameras) * Gas stations * Car repair shops * Car rentals * ATMs (grouped by banking institution) * Health (doctors, hospitals, (emergency) pharmacies) * Service numbers (e.g. to block your mobile phone, credit and debit cards) Also integrated is a yellow pages, phone book and an inverse search for phone numbers. Entries can be added to Android Contacts directly by pressing a button. I really dislike the proprietary map view which does neither self-update nor display your current location. http://www.an-droid.net/page/1051-CoPilot-Live While many other manufacturers of navigation software are frightened since Google announced a free solution, the manufacturer of CoPilot Live can probably lean back comfortably. I expect that ALK's solution will emerge as a winner in this navigation revolution since it is no direct competitor to Google Maps navigation, because it offers offline navigation. Whereever you cannot get data or it is extremely expensive, CoPilot Live can quickly pay off. Unlike many other providers (such as TomTom or Navigon) this app is offered for a great price: for the application, including maps D-A-CH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) you pay only UK £ 22.60, while other programs are sold for about double the price. But this is no stripped down or strange program, CoPilot Live comes in version 8 and is also available for iPhone and Windows Mobile (*sic*). It offers industry-standard features such as * Lane Assistant * Navigation even in tunnels * Next 2 turns * Pedestrian Mode * Online Weather In practical use, I could test CoPilot Live in Germany and Spain. The menu always worked smoothly and took me - as far as I can determine - without detours to my destination. Thanks to a cheap car holder and charger it will probably replace my current car navigation soon. Great features and a really fair price helped CoPilot Live to score the full credit in this review. It is available in two versions, either in the Android Market for UK £ 22.60 (DA-CH), UK £ 52.16 (Europe), in stores or online from the http://www.an-droid.net/page/1050-HTC-Magic The HTC Magic / myTouch 3G™ is the second Android device that has been released. HTC completely dispensed with a hardware keyboard, which makes the device slimmer than its predecessor. HTC has also designed the Magic much more elegant than the G1. Technical details: * Dimensions: 113 x 55 x 13.65 mm * Weight 118.5 g * 3.2 inch multi touch screen, resolution: 480 x 320 pixels * 3.2 megapixel camera (with autofocus) * GPS, compass, motion sensors * Mobile Communications: GSM, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA The package contains: * HTC Magic (white or black) * 8 GB MicroSD card * USB cable (USB to MiniUSB) * Stereo Headset * Protective Cover * Cleaning Cloth * Charger The default OS is Android 1.5. This can be upgraded to 1.6 using the OTA update. Unfortunately multitouch is not officially supported yet. But in the ROM section of an-droid you will find a ROM, which supports the multi-touch capabilities of the device partially. The battery life is between 1 and 2 days depending on the usage. But you can also suck the device dry within hours if you'd like to. Conclusion: HTC has learned from his mistakes and has given the Magic both, a stronger battery and also the design is greatly enhanced. I am very happy with my magic though I lack a very important thing. Unfortunately a 3.5 jack connector is not built into the device. Too bad. http://www.an-droid.net/page/1049-Photoshop-Mobile Photoshop for Android? Photoshop for Android! Yes, finally, there is a decent image editing app, that allows you to adjust your images directly on the device. Although the mobile version can't compete to it's much more powerful desktop variant, but Adobe Photoshop.com Mobile offers a whole host of editing options: * Crop * Straighten * Rotate * Flip * Color adjustments * Black and White mode * Saturation and Exposure settings * Soft Focus Furthermore, changes can be undone. Also the user has the opportunity to upload his images to Photoshop.com and share them with other users. To operate the software you don't have to touch a single hardware button on the device. Handling is very intuitive. Even in the full-screen mode you can use the fling gesture to swap the images, before editing them. Even in the processing of the images gestures are often used. Any Photoshop user will feel at home with the icons used immediately. But also newcomers will have no trouble finding their way. Although the application is not yet in the German market is available, there is already a download available. But there is one little bitter pill to swallow: Photoshop.com Mobile does not use the well known Share-Intent to allow users to upload their images to Twitter, Facebook or any other social networks. But nonetheless this ingenious app deserves it's 5 star http://www.an-droid.net/page/1048-Photo-Burst Many Android users are far away from beeing satisfied by the pre-installed picture viewer 'Gallery'. It is not utilizing multi-touch, uses a questionable control concept and also behaves slow sometimes. Androidslide developed an alternative app called 'Photo Burst' to fix many of these inconveniences. The application scans your entire phone (including the SD card) for images. All found pictures can then be rotated 360° (using the position sensor) and nearby friends can watch sophisticated slideshows.The following menu options are available for each image: * Slideshow (3 different display options) * Share (via Gmail, Twitter, Picasa, MMS, ...) * Upload (to Ping.fm) * Set as Wallpaper * Crop image * Image details (including size and EXIF information like camera model, lighting, white balance, aperture, etc.) The zoom feature has (unfortunately) not been implemented using multi-touch, but it is still interesting: a double-click opens a circular control, which lets you zoom the image in/out by rotation. What I really miss in Photo Bust is the ability to delete individual images or entire folders. On my test device it also crashed from time to time and the screen started flickering. The developer told me that this is caused by insufficient memory. Please find a fix for that soon, because your app is likely to replace the default Gallery on my device! You can try out Photo Burst for free (Android Market), but will be limited to 10 images per folder. The unlimited "Pro" version is sold for UK£1.29