apps

Whether it's streaming Internet radio or keeping as much of your music collection as you can on a microSD card, you gotta admit there are some great ways to keep the tunes flowing on your Android phone.

Yeah, we probably could have split these into two categories - streaming and non. But no matter, you guys had some great picks. After the break, we take a look at your favorite options.

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&...

We're back to bring you another round of our favorite Android applications. Find out what we like this week after the break.

Good news for those of you in Canada looking to spend your hard-earned pesos on the latest Sexy Bodies No. 38 Android app -- for-pay apps are finally available in the Android Market.

Now you, too, can shell out 2 Euros for the latest and greatest keyboard. You can drop 249 yen on the newest Twitter client. Dig deep for the 24,000 dinar to pay for that game you always wanted. It's...

There are upwards of 20,000 apps in the Android Market. Some good, some not so good, and many are flat-out great. So what do your favorite Smartphone Experts editors have on their Android phones? Read on to find out.

There's somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000 applications in the Android Market. And every day we get e-mail after e-mail asking "What's the best app for this?" and "What's the best app for that?" Truth be told, there's nobody better to answer those questions than all you guys and gals out there.

And so this week, we put it to you: What's the best podcatcher application out there? Head on over

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,

Android 1.6 and up: For those of you with Android phones looking for some sound prescription drug information, the popular Epocrates service is now available in a beta app.

Clinical content isn't being updated while the app's in beata, but the basic service is still there, including:

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...

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One of the things we wouldn't mind Android stealing from the iPhone is their game selection. Games on the iPhone typically outclass Android games and can even keep pace with dedicated gaming devices like the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.

Luckily, as Android grows, the games will follow. We're beginning to see a ton of great games on Android and even some iPhone ports...

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...

Here is a very simple application for all of you weather afficianados out there, Radar Now. Radar Now is a free application available in the Android Market that pretty much does what it's title describes - gives you a fully animated local radar and fast.

While there is no 10-day forecast or hour-by-hour weather detail, this application...

Let's play "Are you Smarter than an Analyst." Simon Khalaf, CEO for analyst Flurry Inc., which studies apps and their use, says the Android Market could have 100,000 to 150,000 apps by the end of 2010. Currently, there are about 16,000 apps in the Market.

We ...

A day after we and the rest of the world reported that the Android Market unofficially surpassed 20,000 applications, Google has come out and said it's not quite that many. TechCrunch, which was one of the first to report AndroLib's unofficial numbers,

Oh boy, this is going to get good fast. You already knew that the Nook, Barnes and Noble's e-reader, had been rooted, right? Well, that was only step one. Some users at nookDevs are reporting that they've managed to get Pandora Radio running and working on the Nook. That means a real life, breathing Android app is running on the Nook, which means more real...

From the Forums is a great way for you, our readers, to see the hottest topics being discussed. But you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is a simple process. So if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now!

We're not usually ones to tout numbers — looking at you, tipb! — but the Android Market has unofficially passed 20,000 apps, according to AndroLib.com, which keeps track of such things. (Google isn't publicly releasing any numbers.) And as you can see from the breakdown above...

Remember the Android gaming platform, ODROID? It's now shipping to developers. Around 300 units have made their way to developers and we're hoping that it'll spur some major gaming development on that front. Games have been severely lacking on the Android platform and if developers can see success on ODROID, perhaps it'll trickle down to Android...

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...

We know that the Motorola DROID is fully capable of multitouch gestures but because of reasons beyond our control, it's no where to be found in the apps. Luckily, if you're thirsting to multitouch your DROID, you can hit Android Market and download the Dolphin Browser which has been recently updated to support multitouch...

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.

Android finally has options when it comes to Twitter applications. Seesmic just announced their Android application and after our first go around with it, it works and looks great. It has 4 large, easy-to-press tabs for quick navigation (timeline, replies, messages, and profile) that make for a very smooth user experience. Seesmic also allows users to link your bit.ly account, choose which photo and video service to use, and share your location, among other Twitter-specific...

Good news guys! Fring is now available on Android Market. For those unfamiliar with Fring, Fring for Android enables free VoIP calls over Fring, Skype, MSN, and Google Talk. Basically Fring allows you to use your 3G, GPRS, or Wi-Fi connection to make phone calls, no minutes necessary. On top of that, Fring even allows you to chat with your friends using the popular messaging platforms. You can now think of Fring as your one stop shop for all your messaging needs.

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...

Following MLB's lead of introducing their At Bat application for Android during the World Series, NBA has one upped them by delivering their official application during Opening Week and offering live streaming of every NBA game through NBA...

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...

A few days ago, we caught the leaked pictures of what looked to be an updated Android Market and today Google has made it official. In Android's next update, Android 1.6 Donut, Android Market will receive an update that brings a fresh design and some very...

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:

As good as Google Maps is for most everyday Android users, many users still clamor for a high quality turn-by-turn GPS solution. Enter TomTom. Having just released an official application for the iPhone platform, TomTom recently announced their interest toward Android and plans to develop an official application for it. According to a VP at TomTom:

"We cannot ignore such a successful platform as Android. HTC is an important partner of...

Opera CEO, Jon Von Tetzchner, recently stated that their full-fledged browser Opera Mobile will be coming to Android. To quote:

"Yes, we are working on an Android version," von Tetzchner said.

He doesn't give a specific timeline but hopefully it comes out sooner than later. Opera Mini is currently available on Android but Opera Mini doesn't contain the full capabilities of Opera Mobile. Opera...

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...

We're not really sure how we feel about Google Wave yet, but if it really shapes up to be how e-mail would be if it was invented today, count us in. Plus, we pretty much love anything Google puts out so Google Wave should really be no exception.

And after a big announcement for Google Wave at Google I/O, it's been relatively quiet on that front (with Chrome OS taking over the news). But fear...

Apple can market that the iPhone platform has thousands upon thousands of applications to choose from but if users don't stay loyal to those applications, is it actually useful? According to Flurry, a mobile analytics group, Android users have a higher application retention rate than their iPhone user counterparts. Meaning, in the long term Android users will continue to use applications while iPhone users will move on...

Following up their Android Dev Phone 2 giveaway at Google I/O, Google just announced that Android Developer Challenge 2. With the release of the Android 1.5 Cupcake Update, we can fully expect a slew of new apps that'll take advantage of the new aspects and features of Android 1.5.

If you remember, the first Android Developer Challenge was...

The NBA has just released Close Up, an Android application that allows live streaming of the Eastern Conference Finals. For a mere 99 cents, you'll get a close up look at in-game action from 4 unique camera angles: Arena Cam, Host Cam, Action Cam, & Player Cam. This is a great idea from all parties involved: T-Mobile, the NBA, and TNT. Bravo to them for putting their close relationships together for a great experience.

Phandroid just got word that Android Market has received an update to allow developers to target more countries. Specifically, free apps can now be targeted towards: Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugla, Spain and Switzerland. Paid apps will be available to Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. And there'll be local language support for...