Photo: New York Times
Over 400 New York cops have been given Android phones running an app that lets them access pretty much anything they might need to know while on the street – from arrest records to the locations of CCTV cameras with a view of a spot where a crime has just taken place …
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Everyone finds a holiday angle during this time of year, and after launching 18 new features, dubbed as “treats” wrapped together “in one holiday package,” Google+ is one of the many.
On the mobile side, according to the official Gplusproject blog, Google+ announced it added new Android features that include on-the-go profile editing , streamlined ways to author content, a notice when there’s new content to read, and the ability to subscribe to mobile notifications from favorite circles and interact with Google+ Communities. Google+ also launched full-sized backups of photos, with up to 5GB free (turn on Instant Upload to start), and photospheres now appear in the mobile stream (Android 4.2 required to snap 360-degree panoramas, but Froyo or later users can enjoy them now).
As for connecting, Google+ pushed out extra features to make event planning easier that include the ability to message specific guests, view opened invitations, and invite people through Google+ by sending an event URL via email or IM. Guests can also now RSVP with the number of people they want to bring, and a new duplication feature allows event makers to copy their original event as Google+ pulls all the important details.
As highlighted on the official Google Analytics blog, the company is today announcing the addition of mobile app analytics for three main areas: Acquisition and new users, Engagement (retention, crashes, conversions), and Outcome (app sales and in-app purchases).
New and active users – measure the number of new and active users who launch your app everyday and analyze your most valuable segments.
App versions – keep track of the distribution of active users over the older and newer versions of your app so you know what to support.
Device overview – check out the top mobile devices and OS versions that your app runs on, and optimize the experience for each device.
User behavior – assess how loyal your users are, how frequently they use the app, and the engagement level of each loyalty group.
Engagement flow – visually see the screens, actions and paths users take to move throughout your application in order to optimize usage.
In-App purchases – if you sell virtual or tangible goods in your app, you can measure the number of purchases and the revenue generated.
In addition to the inclusion of the new Mobile App Analytics reports that can be seen in the screenshots above, Google is also rolling out a new Google Analytics Android app (images above via AnalyticsTalk.) If you are interested in checking out the new Mobile App Analytics and app, Google said it would roll out to select whitelisted users. You can sign up to become part of the beta here.
Google Maps is making headlines in a variety of ways this week.
A Jan. 10 update to the Android application made noise at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show yesterday. The Google Maps upgrade claimed to increase battery life while improving location tracking within Google Latitude.
The latest version Google Maps also improved Transit Navigation and more closely estimates location position when GPS signal is lost. The update even increased the number of possible transit routes from three to four.
The final update includes indoor maps that can —well— navigate around various indoor venues in the United States. In this particular update, maps for CES in the Las Vegas area were included (hence all the commotion).
“We hope that these indoor maps will come in handy when finding your way through the slots and to the shops,” announced Google on its LatLong blog. “And for those of you who catch gadget-fever with CES in town, we’ve also partnered with a number of Best Buy stores in the Las Vegas area.”
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More information on the updates are available below.
Halfbrick Studios’ “Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots” application is available today on Amazon as a free download for Android Devices. The temporarily discounted game is largely the same globally popular Fruit Ninja, but this version features the French furball from the last couple of “Shrek” movies.
The app initially debuted on Amazon Nov. 25 and normally costs 99-cents. The game currently has 70 customer reviews and a 4.5-star rating through the Amazon Appstore.
Users can “experience a new twist on classic Fruit Ninja gameplay” by choosing from Desperado or Bandito modes and getting encouragement from Puss in Boots. Gamers can also customize their blade (or claws), and post their high scores to become “the ultimate Puss in Fruits,” according to the app’s description.
The Amazon Appstore is only available to customers located in the United States.
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(Image via The Dropbox Blog.)
The Dropbox Blog announced version 2.0 of its Android application Thursday. The free service lets users bring photographs, documents, and videos anywhere and share them easily, and now it completely redesigned its Android app while including many new features.
“Want to make sure a file is always on your phone?” asked Dropbox in a statement on its blog, regarding the service’s new Favorites feature. “Star it for quick offline access.”
Bulk upload is another highlight in the newly updated app. Users can “select multiple photos and videos to be uploaded in the background,” according to the service’s press release.
File renaming allows -like it sounds- users to rename files and folders. Single-tap access lets users access any file or folder with a single tap. Moreover, improved gallery view and exportation from local storage and stability improvements were all revealed as new features within the update.
The app also showcases Ice Cream Sandwich support, as it is “optimized for the newest and tastiest Android release yet.” Numerous bugs were also corrected in the second version.
Continue reading for more information on how to obtain complimentary storage space as a student.
Flickr has had an iOS client on the market since September 20th, but it took a lot of teeth gnashing and cursing from the Android camp before the company would unveil the official Android app. Well, here it is… The Flickr for Android app lets you take photos, enhance them with filters and quickly share on Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and other image sharing services.
It’s nice that you can take advantage of geotagging and built-in mapping to explore activities and places where the photos have been taken. Commenting is also supported and you’ll especially appreciate stunning full screen browsing and slideshows. The app is free and you can grab your copy in Android Market. Now that it’s been finally released, perhaps the program will help tilt Flickr camera and cameraphone usage stats (see below) in favor of Android and away from Apple’s iPhone. Full release notes after the break.
The first mention of a social news app from Google came in a Google+ post yesterday by tech watcher Robert Scoble. He wrote:
I heard from someone working with Google that Google is working on a Flipboard competitor for both Android and iPad. My source says that the versions he’s seen so far are mind-blowing good.
The news prompted AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher to dig for more clues. The service is code-named Propeller, Swisher learned:
Google is indeed working on rolling out the new product, which is currently called Propeller. Sources said Propeller is apparently one of a number of new socially focused announcements Google is prepping, including new apps.
The app should launch in the near future because Facebook is also unveiling a social publishing platform of its own next week. It was not immediately clear at the time of this writing how Propeller ties with Google+, if at all. Given the company’s strong social focus and the fact that Propeller is being described as a social news app, it would seem logical to incorporate at least Google+ sharing features.
9to5Google learned from people familiar with the project that Propeller will boast a prettified interface, as is a norm with its high-end rivals Flipboard and Pulse. Publishers will be able to package their content for distribution right within their web browser, using a dedicated web app. Layout options are said to include multiple layouts to target various tablet and phone brands, including iPhone and iPad. Navigation capabilities will include individual articles, table of contents, as well as browsing custom-made sections that curate multiple articles. Images, video and other rich media types are also at disposal.
Publishers will also be able to…
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Earlier today, Google released update 3.1.3 to the Android Market. The update is pretty minor, but does pack a couple of new features. First off, users can now use Google’s +1 button as a way of liking apps and games. More importantly, Google has introduced the ability to set a pin number for making purchases — like you’re used to doing when you awake your device.
Other minor updates include an updated Market icon, settings menu, and the size of the app is now in plain view (noted by Android Police). Check out another screenshot and how to get your hands on the update after the break. (via AndroidCentral)
A little over a month ago, Skype brought video calling via wireless or 3G cellular networks to its mobile client on select Android phones. Today, the company announced on its blog Skype 2.1, a new version of the Android client that enables video calling on seventeen additional Android phones: The Acer A5, HTC Desire (2.2), HTC Desire HD, HTC Evo 3D, HTC Evo 4G, HTC Flyer, HTC Incredible S, HTC Sensation, HTC Thunderbolt – Verizon (2.2) (US only), LG Revolution – Verizon (2.2) (US only), Samsung Droid Charge – Verizon (2.2) (US only), Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy S II, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Sony Ericsson Xperia mini pro, Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY, Sony Ericsson Xperia ray. You can download the Skype 2.1 for Android app from Android Market or by visiting skype.com/m on your phone. If you cannot see the “enable video calling” option in Skype settings, it means your Android phone is not supported.
Now that Android has become the leading mobile platform in the US and other key markets around the world, developers are taking notice and some no longer prefer releasing their apps on iOS first, followed by Android. For some, it’s a question of Android’s installed user base, the pace of the platform’s growth and the fact that ad-supported free model on Android matches the App Store’s 99-cent economy. For others like WhitePages, the decision comes down to cutting out a middleman in order not to be forced to spend time, resources and money on a lengthy approval process.
According to Ina Fried over at the Wall Street Journal’s All Things D blog, WhitePages’ new Localicious app will be released on Android first. Apple’s approval process “is just too difficult to time a launch around”, Fried writes, noting the iPhone maker’s stringent approval process had delayed the launch of a reverse phone lookup app from WhitePages for two months, a far cry from the Apple-advertised “95 percent of the apps are approved in two-weeks time”. WhitePages’ op-chief Kevin Nakao tells the blog:
I think we are going to see a lot of people start to ship Android first. You cant be held hostage. Marketing an application becomes increasingly important given the number of apps that are being published. Since apps can still get tied up in the iOS approval process, it makes this marketing planning almost impossible.
UPDATE [July 13, 2011, 10:20am Eastern Time]: Google itself is now advising developers to target Android first. According to MacWorld UK, Google Ventures partner Rich Miner is telling app developers funded by the Google-backed project that they focus on Android and then roll out apps on iOS later.
As you know, Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for lift-off from Kennedy Space Center today, July 8, at 11:26am Eastern (carrying two modified iPhone 4s with it). This will be a historic launch marking the 135th and final mission of the Space Shuttle fleet. Time to refresh your astronomy knowledge, don’t you think. Just in time, NASA’s official app which has been downloaded five million times on iPhone and iPad is now available on Android Market.
The 4MB download works with Android 2.1 onwards. It’s your window to an enormous collection of NASA content that spawns hires space imagery, on-demand videos, live streaming video from NASA Television, mission information, feature stories and breaking news. It also lets you locate sighting opportunities for the International Space Station and track the current positions of spacecraft currently orbiting Earth. More features and screenies after the break.
You probably remember Google Video, the search giant’s free video sharing site? It launched on January 25, 2005, but Google discontinued the ability to upload videos four years later following the YouTube acquisition on October 9, 2006. The company has re-branded the service as Google Videos and made it a search silo. It looks Google is now prepping a dedicated smartphone app dubbed Google Videos, reports the Android Central blog. This one has nothing to do with user-created videos – for that purpose, Google provides YouTube apps for various smartphone flavors.
According to tipsters who spotted the Google Videos app briefly in Android Market (it’s gone now), the software is basically a pretty front-end to Google’s upcoming movie rental service which was announced back in May at Google I/O 2011. Google said movie rentals would first roll out on the Xoom tablet and promised support for more devices, including Android 2.2 smartphones. Movies can be rented on Android Market starting at $1.99 and are available for offline viewing and across all Android devices and computers tied to the same Google Account. Check out the Google Videos app running on a Nexus S in the below clip.
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Sony is joining the streaming music craze with today’s release of Music Unlimited, a brand new Android app that lets you stream from Sony’s catalog of 7+ million songs, with monthly fees starting at just four bucks for the Basic streaming plan (a pricier Premium plan is also available). From release notes:
With the Basic plan, you can access personalized channels that adapt to your music tastes and your mood and enjoy the songs in your personal library that have been previously synched from your PC. The Premium plan offers all the features of the Basic Plan, plus full access to our entire catalogue and premium streaming channels.
The Music Unlimited service is also available via the PlayStation3, Internet-connected Sony television sets and Blu-ray players. What’s best, they let you sign up for the Premium plan with a free of charge 30-day trial period. So ho ahead, grab the free download from Android Market now. Bear in mind that the app is currently available only in the United States, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. Also – good luck with that PlayStation Network streaming!
Google’s Android Market, Amazon’s Appstore for Android and other lesser known outlets, specialized websites and carrier-specific app bazaars are all nice venues to discover software for your Android device, but they’re far from perfect – especially if you access them directly on your device.
Not surprisingly, Google and Microsoft wouldn’t drill through their index in order to create a dedicated search page for mobile warez so Yahoo! took it upon themselves to fill the void (after all, they don’t have a mobile platform of their own to protect). Today, Yahoo! unveiled new search tools that help seek apps for your Android device easier than ever before. The initiative consists of a dedicated search engine called Yahoo! App Search and a mobile app dubbed Yahoo! AppSpot which is so far available only for iOS devices (Android version is in the works)
Rolling Stone co-founder will no doubt jump with joy on the news that Zinio just released a magazine reader app for Android Froyo/Gingerbread smartphones and Honeycomb tablets. The software exposes Android community to some 20,000 digital magazine titles, including National Geographic, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, O, The Oprah Magazine and more. Oh yes, Rolling Stone, too. Sweetening the deal, Zinio is offering most recent issues of two dozen popular magazines free of charge until June 15. And check out this nice perk…
