2 years ago
New Dropbox for Android beta brings bug fixes and new features
Dropbox has sent out email notifications that the latest Android beta is now available for testing, so we fired things up and gave it a spin. There's some bug fixes -- small file changes now sync properly, files don't re-upload on upgrade or re-install, and increased network timeout so it works better on slow networks, but the new feature list is great. Alnog with the new version comes:
- Added "Share to Dropbox" from other applications (Gallery, etc). Either single or multiple files can be shared at the same time.
- File Downloads & Uploads now display progress notifications instead of Spammy Toasts.
- Multi-touch Gallery for pictures in a directory. Long-hold on pictures in gallery to do file operations.
- Now you can create Shortcuts to Dropbox folders by long-holding on the desktop.
- Added long-hold folder options for sharing and open.
- Long-hold file Open now plays non-streaming, if it's a streaming file type.
- Added Cache Size display and Clear Cache button.
- Prompt to install file manager such as OI or Astro if one is not installed already.
- Notification if SD card is unavailable, so downloads, viewing, or uploads won't work.
- The e-mail to tell friends about Dropbox now contains a referral link, so you can get a quota bonus.
- Visual Redesign with new icons
So far, the new features seem to be working great, and not having to resync and upload/download my cached files on the phone after upgrading was a big plus. Here at Android Central we all love and use Dropbox religiously, so we're happy to see the changes. I think you will be, too. Hit the break to see what the features look like, and you can head over to the official Dropbox forums for the full release notes and download links [Dropbox forums]
Continue Reading
2 years ago
Android Quick App: Bing
Bash Bing for Android all you want. Go ahead. We'll wait. For we share your frustration that Verizon set it as the default search service on the Samsung Fascinate (and that's why we worked so hard to turn it off). But that's not the app's fault, no is it? Nor do we blame Microsoft. It was just doing its job -- making deals that make money. The motto that kept going through our head as we actually sat down to use Bing was this:
"Don't blame Bing."
It's that simple. It's not a bad app. It's getting a bad rap because Verizon did a bad thing to an otherwise good phone. (And we'd prefer it weren't Verizon-exclusive at this point.) Anyhoo, you get access to Bing's excellent image search. Web search is adequate, though it is different than Google (and, it should be). Voice search is OK, but slower than Google's. Bing Maps are just fine, and we're quite fond of Bing's local searches, actually. Give it a shot before you shoot it down. We did, after the break.
Continue Reading
2 years ago
Angry Birds beta updated, still in beta (and did we mention it's beta?)
2 years ago
Android Quick App: MyFitnessPal
With summer coming to an end, and the cool weather nearing often times trying to keep that summer figure can be a bit difficult. There are many great Android applications that are available to help guide you down the right path work out wise, and record all your information to keep a good visual idea of where you stand. It can be a bit more difficult to do the same for your food consumption but MyFitnessPal has done a great job of making entering your meals a breeze to show you exactly where you stand verse where you need to be every day.
Continue Reading
2 years ago
Android Quick App: Hiplogic *Spark launcher replacement
Longtime software developer Hiplogic this week released a beta of its *Spark Android launcher (that'll be the last time we put the asterisk in Spark, by the way). Emphasis on the beta party, is it's still a bit laggy and buggy, but it's an interesting addition to Android.
The gist is that you get a vertical sliding UI, with weather info at the top, some shortcuts, news, post to Facebook and Twitter, plus Facebook and Twitter updates. Standard stuff really, but it's done in an interesting and attractive way.
Again, we need to reiterate that this is an unfinished beta, and you should treat it as such. But it's worth keeping an eye on, and you can find out more at SparkMyPhone.com. Video hands-on and download info are after the break.
Continue Reading
2 years ago
Android Quick App: MiniSquadron
Like action shooters? Secretly jealous that Android doesn't seem to have the "best" ones? Then you'll love MiniSquadron, another iOS favorite that's made it's way to Android. To make things even better, it's another game that uses open feint for multiplayer connectivity. But wait for it -- it's also on sale for just 99 cents until Sept. 19, when it goes back to $2.99. We've got a video and download links after the break, check it out.
Continue Reading
2 years ago
New features in Fennec 2.0 for Android nightlies
It's been a couple weeks since Mozilla unleashed their Fennec alpha builds upon us, and some welcome changes are making their way into the product. For anyone living under a rock, Fennec is Mozilla's code name for the version of Firefox for mobile devices, and something a whole lot of us are looking forward to. Some of the changes are big, some not so much, and some are just magical.
The biggest changes come to the Awesomebar, which has been rebranded as the Awesomescreen (probably to hold more awesome) and the layout has been changed, merging things like bookmarks and search into a single UI. This gives more room for things like badging the Awesomescreen URL's with web metadata, so you get a useful visual like this:
awesome
Other changes like improved right-to-left locale support (think Hebrew) and support for Android's native notifications are also quite nice. If you're curious, and especially if the first pre-alpha build didn't work so well for you, head over to the download page (on your Android device) and give the latest nightly build a shot. [Mark Finkle's Weblog]
2 years ago
Bitbop for Android brings streaming TV
The new subscription streaming television service BitBop has arrived, with an Android app in tow. Users with the Sprint Evo 4G, Motorola Droid, Motorola Droid X, Motorola Droid 2, Nexus One, and Droid Incredible can download the app directly from Bitbop here (BitBop's application is not on the Android Market), set up an account and use a free three-day trial to see what the service offers. The full subscription price is $9.99 per month, the same cost as Hulu Plus. Unlike Hulu Plus, BitBop allows for downloading of content for watching later, and is commercial free.
We've got a few screenshots of the application after the break, and I'm going to give it a workout and see how it stands up. I'll let you guys know how it goes after a week or so! [Mashable]
Continue Reading
2 years ago
Android Quick App: Fruit Ninja (with Open Feint)
That's right, folks, it's Fruit Ninja on Android. No longer is it just for the iPhone. And better yet, with Open Feint, you can compete against your friends and join leaderboards as you slice and dice your way through various pieces or juicy fruit. Yeah, we're addicted already. And for 99 cents, it's worth every penny. Check it out after the break, along with the download links.
Continue Reading
2 years ago
Adobe to address vulnerability in Flash Player for Android
Adobe has announced that it is planning to address a security vulnerability in Flash Player 10.1.92.10 for Android, as well as the versions for Mac, Windows, and Unix; and Acrobat reader for Mac, Windows, and Unix. They've marked this vulnerability as critical, which means it has the potential to crash and allow code to run on the users machine. There are reports of attacks against Windows machines in the wild, but no reports of any other operating systems being affected as of yet. Expect the fix the week of the Sept. 27, according to Adobe.
Do note that Adobe isn't saying that there are existing attacks against Android, only that the potential is there and they will be releasing a fix. Also, while nobody has come forward and explicitly said so, this likely has potential to exploit and root an Android phone much like was used on the Evo 4G a while back. Be on the lookout for an update to your Flash Player, and we'll be sure to remind you when we see it rolling out. [Adobe]
Show More Headlines
