Zillow.com Launches Android App

"It's springtime which means the home buying season is starting to kick off. Coincidentally or not, Zillow.com has just released their Android application into the market. If you're not familiar with them, Zillow is an online source for homeowners, buyers, sellers, and everyone else to find and share relevant information as it pertains to real estate. As of right now, they have information on over 90 million homes across the US.

Their new Android application gives users all of the great features they've come to expect, but with some great mobile additions. For instance, GPS can pinpoint a user's location and dynamically provide updates to the handset as they walk or drive through a neighborhood."

read more on androidguys.com 

The 5 Coolest Voice Apps For Your Android Phone

"Ever since I got a Motorola Droid, I’ve been searching constantly for mobile voice applications that can transform my mobile experience into one that’s much more hands free. I finally did discover Google Voice, and wrote about it, but that wasn’t enough. So, digging into Google Voice, I finally figured out a way to use it for voice blogging.
Still, while Google Voice is awesome, it has a long way to go to provide a lot of very useful features that work really well. So, I continued searching for cool mobile voice applications that would enhance the mobile Android experience.
This article is a collection of some of the best voice-enabled mobile apps that I discovered in the Android Marketplace. Searching for applications that incorporate voice features is a difficult task, because there’s so much junk out there – apps that just don’t work right. So, I’m pleased to offer you this list of high-quality, useful apps that will help to transform your mobile experience into one that is a bit more hands-free and convenient."

Read more on makeuseof.com 

Back Up Your SMS Messages to a Gmail Label on Android [Downloads]

"f you're rocking an Android phone without the Google Voice experience, you can still back up and read your SMS messages online. The free SMS Backup app automatically transfers your SMS messages to a Gmail label as they come in."

Read more on lifehacker.com

Mobile Defense – A Free Mobile Phone Tracking System [Android]

"It’s one of the most sought after mobile phone applications of them all – the ability to silently track the location and condition of a mobile phone. Many people would like to track a phone that doesn’t have GPS, using just cellphone tower triangulation. This is possible when you install apps like Latitude on the target phone."

"The security solution that I’m going to focus on in this article is an application I discovered on the Android market while looking for one of the highest rated free mobile phone tracking systems available. Mobile Defense by Neevo, LLC is currently a beta app, easily recognizable on the market by being one of the few applications with five full stars on average from all users. Installation is fast and easy, with the plenty of customization options and a few features that simply blew my socks off.

Install A Free Mobile Phone Tracking System as Your Mobile LoJack Device

The cool thing about Mobile Defense is that you can install it and forget it. It acts like a little built-in safety feature that’s always there whenever you need it. Yes, it’ll tell you exactly where your phone is if someone steals it. However, in the much more likely scenario where you drop it somewhere, or you forget it someplace – all you have to do is fire up the Mobile Defense website, log into your account, establish a connection with your phone and you’ll immediately know where it is within just a few feet – along with a wide range of other active information about your phone, like battery power, what Wi-Fi network it’s connected to, and speed and direction. Like I said – it’s impressive."

read more on makeuseof.com
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Gmote 2.0 – Use Your Android Phone As A Media Center Remote Control

Gmote 2.0 – Use Your Android Phone As A Media Center Remote Control

via MakeUseOf.com by Ryan Dube on 1/20/10

There are a number of applications on the Android market that will let you remote control your computer, but few are as powerful and full of cool features as Gmote 2.0. Once you install this app on your mobile phone, and you install the server software on any computer in your house, you'll be able to use your phone as a media center remote control to play music or movies, control your PowerPoint presentation, and even browse websites.
Best of all, beyond the media center remote control feature, the software also lets you use your mobile phone as a remote WiFi touchpad and keyboard – great for those situations where you're using a PC as a storage device without a keyboard or mouse attached. Just walk up to the PC, turn on the monitor, connect remotely with your mobile phone and you have an instant interface to use that computer – no keyboard or mouse required.

read more on makeuseof.com

Android 2.1’s Best Features in Screenshots

"Great software needs hardware that can keep up, and my new Nexus One is a sleek, awesome handset. But the most important ingredient in this generation of touchscreen smartphones is the software: the screen is just a canvas that software paints on, and Android 2.1 is a work of art."

read more on smarterware.org 
http://smarterware.org/4308/android-2-1s-best-features-in-screenshots

6 Android Websites You Should Check Out

6 Android Websites You Should Check Out

via MakeUseOf.com by Paul Bozzay on 1/14/10

In today's world, almost everything electronic has some sort of information available about it online. Whether it be an official webpage, a fan site, or a collection of forum posts, you can almost always find it online somewhere. Android devices are no different—in fact, in many ways an Android device relies on this internet information system like any other phone operating system.
For this reason, it's important to find a few Android websites that can keep you up to date on your Android device. Recently, I wrote an article about 5 Awesome Android Applications That Could Make Life Easier, and now I'd like to tell you which Android websites I've found useful in my experience as an Android user.

Android Tapp

Coined as "the best resource for Android App Reviews, Android Apps, Android App Ratings, Interviews with mobile app developers, News and Showcases", Android Tapp really fits the bill for new and veteran Android users out there. Whether you just picked one up over the holidays, or have followed Android since day 1, you'll still find something useful here.

While you're at it, check out the videos page hosting android tips and tricks. There's even a page for hardware news, and an applications blog you don't want to miss. In addition, AndroidTapp now has an "app of the week" featured on the homepage to check out. Overall, this is one of my favorite Android websites to check out on a regular basis for Android news a reviews.

Android Zoom

Love the Android market on your phone? I do—but unfortunately it's only on my phone. AndroidZoom solves this problem by bringing the Android application store to you for access online. Updated hourly with new games, applications, and utilities; Android Zoom is the best substitute I have found to fill the lack of a good Android market online. In fact, this Android website even includes the ratings and reviews exactly as they appear on your phone's market application. For this reason, I have found that not only is AndroidZoom reliable and up to date, but it's also convenient and user friendly.

Find something you liked on AndroidZoom? Just click on it, and on the same page as the product reviews and screenshots you'll find a QR code that you can scan with your phone to download that app straight to your Android device (Note: to download via a QR code, get the free application 'Barcode Scanner' for your Android). From the looks of things, AndroidZoom has over 11,000 Android applications currently in its extensive database—go check it out!

Android and Me

This Android website is a very extensive Android resource and covers news and software just like the others, but also has a few excellent pages that sets it apart in several ways. First, I would highly recommend checking out the applications page. Android&Me has done a great job of providing news about new, relevant, useful applications that you'll probably at least want to try out on your device.

In addition, if you're new to the Android scene, take a look at the Android&Me page for beginners. There you'll find a steady stream of information (in no particular order) which will keep you informed of popular terminology or software that a new Android owner should keep up with. For instance, it has information on what it is to root an Android device, as well as the benefits and dangers of doing such a thing. Even though I'd like to think I know a fair amount about my Android device by now, I still learned quite a bit just by scanning the beginners page. Oh, and don't worry—in this case, the lack of structure actually proves beneficial to the learning process. Don't understand what I mean? Give the Android&Me Android website a look and see what you think.

Android Community

Android Community is a website that I only use parts of, but still consider invaluable to a good learning experience with my phone. Even though I don't care as much for the content on the main webpage (frankly, it's information you can find all over the place), I personally find the Android Community Forums to be one of the most indispensable resources I have access to today.

Within the Android Community forums, you can find discussions about your specific model of Android, different builds, hacks, software lists compiled by users, and quite a bit more. Developers can look to these forums for development tips, program ideas-even software requests and reviews. Phones have evolved from simple communication devices into so much more, and the Android Community forums give you access to the thoughts, opinions, and accomplishments of users just like you who want to continue making their phones better tomorrow than they were yesterday.

Phandroid

Phandroid is an Android fan site focused on providing the viewer with media about Android and its devices. I would personally highly recommend the podcasts page, which contains excellent discussion and news about everything Android. There's a podcast about the Motorola Droid and its impact on the market, and even an interview with the creator of the popular Android ROM Cyanogen.

In addition, Phandroid contains an awesome video page which has quite an assortment of demonstrations, tutorials, and game videos that no Android fan could ignore. Give Phandroid a run and see what you think.

AndroLib

Lastly I'd like to mention AndroLib—it's a lot like Android Zoom but with a few key differences. Androlib has a useful toplist containing the top downloaded apps of the day. Androlib's database also includes a recent apps page, and a search function.

You may find it useful to view the statistics page as well, to get a feel for what the rest of the Android community is doing on the market. Don't sell this site short—its database has a massive amount of applications, and the website definitely contains more than meets the eye.
Without the Android websites I mentioned above, my experience with an Android phone wouldn't be nearly as good as it's proven to be so far. I would highly recommend that you give these websites a look, and see what you think. If you have a website to recommend, leave me a comment and I'll check it out!

Android photo backup app reveals burglars' identities, stupidity

Burglaries are an unfortunately commonplace event in daily urban life, but on some very rare occasions their outcomes give cause for celebration and maybe even a smile.

read more on engadget.com 

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Map Your Adventures With a Free GPS Mobile Tracker for Android

"I recently took a trip to the Rocky Mountains in Montana to do some skiing.  While I was out there, I started thinking how great it would be if I could use my Motorola Droid (which runs on Android and has a built-in GPS) to track my adventures through the mountains."

from makeuseof.com

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Makeuseof/~3/4isI2wpptak/
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