android apps

There are now over 30,000 apps in Android Market. Which is amazingly awesome considering there were only 16,000 apps in Android Market in December 2009. That means that apps in Android Market have nearly doubled in just three months -- that's a pretty good growth rate if you ask us. That said, "apps" also include widgets, skins, themes, keyboards and 2,354 "Sexy Lady No. 24&...

Most of us are waiting for Opera Mobile for Android to somehow make it on Android phones but the next best thing has landed on the newswire: Opera Mini 5 Beta is now available for Android. And little brother browser ain't so shabby. Opera Mini 5 Beta comes with tabbed browsing, speed dial bookmarks, download manager, password manager, and other features. Opera Mini is typically a...

Surprisingly, Android Market doesn't currently support paid applications in Canada (11 other countries have access to paid apps). But given that Canadian carriers have built a rather formidable Android product lineup, getting paid apps on Android Market...

Everybody loves free apps. We definitely don't mind paying for premium, high-quality applications (the developers deserve it!) but there are few things that beat a wide selection of quality, free applications. Luckily, Android has free apps in droves. According to Distimo,

If you're into the latest location-based, social-networking check-in styled type 'game', you're in luck. Gowalla has just finished a beta app for Android and is asking you, our faithful readers, to give it a whirl. Previously, you could use Gowalla through a serviceable mobile app but we all know that native apps are the way to go. Gowalla has delivered a great experience for Android (some would say it even trumps the iPhone) but it currently lacks Gowalla Trips...

The NPR News App for Android just got an update and it's a good one. NPR News App v1.2 will allow for live station streaming which will allow users to have access to over 1000 NPR programs from over 600 different stations. Basically, the update is taking an app we were all excited for and makes it even better. NPR is also planning to release the open source code for the app on March 1st which will theoretically allow developers and radio...

Skype and Verizon Wireless are embracing one another and taking a step into the future together. Skype and Verizon Wireless just announced that they'll be partnering up to deliver a full Skype experience for Android devices (and Blackberry) on Verizon Wireless. Here's what you'll be able to do with Skype on Verizon Wireless:

Like we said before, it's going to take some time before Fennec aka Firefox Mobile actually gets on Android. But at least it looks like porting Fennec over to Android is progressing rather nicely--they actually got their first page load. According to the developer:

Mouse events sort of work, toplevel windows sort of work, keyboard doesn't...

Let's be honest here, texting through SMS and carriers is very convenient but it's nothing short of a complete rip off. What are they charging these days? A quarter per SMS?! That's why apps like textPlus, that offer free texting through an application, can get so popular. textPlus, which has enjoyed over 3.5 million downloads on the iPhone/iPod touch platform, has decided to jump over to Android and many of us won't have to pay the carriers another cent for SMS...

Feel that? That's the Android Market growing right before our very eyes. After getting Yelp yesterday, Android will receive National Public Radio's NPR News app by the end of this month. The NPR News app on Android will deliver all the programs you love on NPR onto your Android device. And don't worry, the NPR News app for Android isn't some run-of-the-mill iPhone port, the Android version...

Google has just announced the winners of the Android Developer Challenge 2 (or ADC2) that'll surely bring a lot of great applications to the limelight. They've announced three winners in each of the ten categories and three overall winners. Cash prizes were given out...

After disregarding Android and claiming no one is making money on Android, Gameloft has completely reversed its position and will continue to develop for Android phones, specifically the "Second Generation of Android Phones" such as the Motorola DROID and the forthcoming Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10. Here's Gameloft:

The public judging for Android Developer Challenge 2, or ADC2, has been closed and winners of the challenge will be announced on Monday, November 30th. There were a lot of great applications that participated and we're excited to see what Android users pegged as the winners.

Yikes. We knew apps in Android Market weren't exactly selling like hotcakes but with newfound buzz and interest in Android from the recent releases of the DROID, DROID Eris, HTC Hero, etc. we figured developers would continue to plug in and eventually reap the benefits. Unfortunately, Gameloft thinks differently. They've chosen to cut back on Android development due to the 'weakness' of Android Market. To quote:

We have significantly cut our...

One of the cooler applications on the iPhone, Bump, has found its way to Android. If you've never heard of Bump before, it's okay for now, but the potential of the application and the all-around cool factor is definitely worth remembering. Bump allows you to share contact information and photos between two phones just by 'bumping' (tapping) them together. It's an uber-quick way to exchange...

One of the things that make Android really special is the growing Android Market and the great developer community. Here's the latest on Android app news & the Android Developer Challenge 2!

Android Developer Challenge 2: Top 200 Apps Annouced, Round 2 Begins

Google has just announced the Top 200 Android Applications in ADC2 and it's looking like...

Update: Thanks to everyone who commented, the contest has ended and the winners have been contacted! Congrats tclaer, BigTex71, and nighthawk700!

Love music? Good thing because Slacker just announced that they'll be releasing Slacker Radio to Android Market! Slacker Radio is a great streaming radio application that'll surely find a place in many music lovers' Android phones. Slacker Radio for Android...

We can all agree that the Motorola CLIQ is a pretty sweet device, right? What with MOTOBLUR ready to re-define the way we use social networks on our mobile device, slick hardware, and our favorite Android OS--the CLIQ is most certainly a wonderful first step for a soon to be blooming Motorola and Android relationship.

So how can the Motorola CLIQ get even more amazing? What about if the CLIQ came with pre-loaded applications from...

The Android Developer Challenge 2 is in its first round of judging and it's up to us Android users to determine which apps make it to Round 2! Simply head to Android Market and download the Android Developer Challenge 2 Application to participate. The Android Developer Challenge 2 Judging Application will display applications for users to download and score according to a set criteria (originality, effective use of Android platform, etc).

Chalk this up as another reason to love Android. Android just received its second video broadcasting/streaming application, Ustream (the first being qik). Any Android user who downloads Ustream (for free in Android Market) will be able to instantly shoot video and stream it live over 3G or Wi-Fi. Other features include local recording for higher quality...

Wait no more, an official Facebook application for Android has been released. Though we've been making do with third-party Facebook applications for Android for quite some time now, we were always green with envy to see other smartphone platforms get official apps while Android got tossed to the side.

In the Facebook application for Android, users can check their news feed, view friends' walls and info, add friends, 'Like' things, post...

It might just be us, but we've always thought Android Market looked a little too 'beta' for our tastes. We love the simplicity it offers but have been itching for a redesign for quite some time now. But worry no more, because a Motorola Sholes User has leaked what looks like a fresh new Android Market and we like what we see.

In the new design, there are clear options to show the Top Paid, Top Free, and Just In applications. There's...

Twidroid, our favorite Android Twitter application, just received an update to 2.5.1 (now 2.5.6) and has introduced a PRO version for Twitter enthusiasts. Twidroid revamped their design in this update, bringing a sleeker design which includes a revamped menu bar. Though the icons are a wee bit small, the change is welcome and we're glad to see Twidroid get better. The Twidroid folks recommend uninstalling the current Twidroid and doing a fresh install of the updated version.

Streaming digital TV channels hasn't become commonplace for US smartphones but that's more likely due to the lack of quality offerings on the major platforms rather than the lack of demand. That's all about to change because SPB TV, a popular TV streaming application on Windows Mobile, is now available for Android in Android...

Apple has been catching a lot of flack for their draconian app approval process, and for the most part, it's a well-deserved takedown. On our grass is greener side, Google has been looking pretty nice throughout the whole he-said, she-said battle between the FCC, Google, Apple, and AT&T and it's looking even better now that details about how...

The big news yesterday was that Real Networks had submitted their Rhapsody application to the iPhone App Store for approval--the application will give users streaming access to over 8 million songs. Granted, it requires a $12.99/month subscription, the ability to listen to whichever song you want at the moment is certainly a dealmaker for many.

Though iPhone users...

If you've been waiting for the second Android Developer Challenge to get started, you're in luck. ADC2, as we call it, is finally open for application submissions! ADC2 spans 10 different categories and Android app developers can submit their apps for the competition until August 31st 11:59:59 PM PDT. Categories include:

If you haven't heard all the FCC vs Apple/AT&T/Google drama yet, you should head over to the iPhone Blog and catch yourself up with official statements, interrogative questions, and more...

Documents to Go is one of our favorite mobile applications ever and most certainly one of the top flight Android applications available. We've showcased how it works before and were extremely excited to announce its 1.0 launch back in April but now Docs to Go gets even better.

We’ve already reported on the much hyped Android application, Sherpa, being available on Android Market. Little did we know that another highly anticipated application, Visual Voicemail, was making its debut the same time. Both Sherpa and Visual Voicemail are a part of the T-Mobile AppPack that we reported on a while back.

The T-Mobile AppPack is a collection of Android applications that T-Mobile officially endorses, most of...

Sherpa is the main application that T-Mobile has been pushing with their release of the myTouch 3G. Marketing it as a smart application for smartphones, it was booked as a standout feature for the myTouch 3G. But don’t worry, if you were expecting it to be a myTouch exclusive, you were thankfully wrong—it’s now available to all Android users via Android Market.

An official Facebook Android application has been peculiarly missing from Android Market and some have pointed towards Google and Facebook's contentious history as being the reason why. Well, it looks like that's all about to change. Reports are pointing towards an official Facebook Android application to launch possibly as soon as the end of this week. 

What's in store for the official Facebook application? Well, it's going to launch with a limited feature set (when...

As much as we love the Android platform, we never seriously considered it a big gaming device--the market for gaming just didn't seem to take off for Android. Well, we might have to change our stance after watching a video showcasing the GP2X Game Emulator for Android. The video shows games such as Street Fighter II, Marvel vs Street Fighter...

We're all excited about Android 1.5 here at Android Central but Google has just notified us that not all current apps may work in Android 1.5. Luckily, they've provided a few reasons on why certain apps may break and how to "future-proof" your applications. For a full read up you can head to the official Android Developers Blog but the rules to live by are as follows:

The NBA and T-Mobile share a great relationship and it looks like that goodwill extends over to Android! The NBA has just released an official application to keep track of scores, standings, schedules, and so forth for all your NBA basketball needs.

After taking 'Game Time' for a quick spin, we can tell you that it's a great looking app that gives you the box score for any game you would want. What we would LOVE to see is some video (or...

Uh oh. Is this a sign of Google turning all evil and Apple on us by banning applications from Android Market? Because according to a developer for the application WiFi Tether for Root Users, their tethering application got banned. Officially they've been banned from Android Market for violating the Developer Distribution Agreement.

According to the developer:

"...

One of the more popular apps for Android (and a personal favorite), Shop Savvy, just got a pretty nice update. If you're unfamiliar with Shop Savvy, it's a barcode scanning application that'll find you the best deals on any scannable product online or in-store. We love it because it uses features that are unique to Android and the G1 and plus, it's a great conversation starter.

Now ShopSavvy gets even better. Not only can it find your item, it can...

If you've been searching for an IM application on Android that fits all your needs, Palringo may have just delivered the goods. Palringo was just announced to Android Market for the low cost of FREE. If you're not familiar with Palringo, (TiPb did a review of the iPhone version a while back) it's a fairly popular mobile IM application that supports AIM, Google Talk, MSN, Yahoo, Facebook, and...

With the release of Android and the Android Market opening it's doors for our downloading pleasure, I'm probably like the rest of you and have been anxiously awaiting the day I could put down some cash for some epic Android apps. The free apps available thus far have been good and many have whetted our appetites for what the Android platform is capable of, but of course we want more!

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Apple was pretty much tarred and feathered when the news of a kill switch for iPhone apps came to light. Well, though Android stands for something completely different than Apple and the iPhone, it too has a kill switch for Android apps.