Joshua is a music education major at Texas State University who jumped on the Android Central train in April 2011. Since joining, he's been moved to Apps Editor and spends a good chunk of time checking out some great (and not so great) apps to write about. Born and bred in the capital of the Lone Star State, Joshua maintains that, yes, everything is bigger in Texas.
He's been following Android since before the G1, but finally got into the handset game with a Hero and is currently rocking a EVO 3D Galaxy Nexus. When not writing, you can usually find him doing copious amounts of band director homework.
As we wait for the impending update to the Google Reader app, I took to looking for other cool ways to consume everything on my Reader feed. Through my journey in the Market, I discovered not an app, but a widget called Minimal Reader Pro. Minimal Reader Pro is awesome because not only does it save you the hassle of opening an app (precious seconds are lost when opening apps!), it looks...
Keyboards are a big deal on Android. Some let you swipe, other peck, but regardless of the method, they all have one thing in common: they're how you say anything on your phone. So imagine my excitement when I'm introduced to a new keyboard, promising more bacon never-before-seen levels of text prediction, all in a nice, shiny, new beta package. I just had to try it out, and it is, in a...
YouTube link for mobile viewing Back when Google unveiled the Galaxy Nexus, we were shown a pretty cool time-lapse video that was recorded using nothing but the phone. I was curious if there was something out there that'd let all the non-Galaxy Nexus users (see: all of us) do the same thing. What I found was Lapse It. Lapse It is a free app that takes a snapshot every couple of seconds...
YouTube link for mobile viewing It's been a crazy ride for Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles. The second in the "Legends" series of mobile MMOs, Star Legends started out in closed beta, then eventually was made available to the masses and now is the top dog among mobile MMOs. It feels like forever since I last mentioned it, but I had to take make the time to really dig into this...
HDR is all the rage these days. Doing whatever it takes to get the true intensity of colors in a photo makes a lot of sense, as it can really add to the drama and beauty of photos you've taken.You can do this on a computer, and you can also do it on your phone. HDR Camera+ takes a series of pictures in rapid succession (five or so), fuses them together, and then increases the range of...
YouTube link for mobile viewing I might not think Siri is all that and a bag of chips, but I've got to hand it to Apple for one thing: it sounds good. Listening to the articulate, smooth-talking Siri, I couldn't help but think how archaic Android's own text-to-speech sounded. Compare Android's voice to Siri and you're left with the inevitable comparison to the Speak and Spell. During...
Looks like we're really going there. Just remember, what has been seen can never be unseen. Download links are after the break.
YouTube link for mobile viewing Ed. note: This theme requires use of the Theme Chooser. When Google finally unveiledIce Cream Sandwich to the world, we all knew it was going to be the new hotness. How much it changed things, though, I'm not sure anyone could have really predicted. Fortunately, it didn't matter. Once the event was over, I knew I wanted it, period. Thanks to one...
I've got to hand it to HTC. They continue to make beautiful-looking devices, one after another, with nary an end in sight. The latest in their lineup is the EVO Design 4G, a solid, mid-range phone that carries Sprint's EVO branding. At first glance it looks like, well, an EVO. Not quite big enough to be the original EVO 4G and not as bulky as the current EVO 3D, the Design 4G is the...
This might seem like a niche app (and it probably is), but because there aren't so many apps in the Market for this, Campyre is worth a mention. If you've ever needed to hop into a Campfire chat by 37signals, you'll know what I'm talking about. Campyre is a third-party Android client that lets you log in, read, and post in a Campfire chat. It's ideal for those times you're out and about...
I love Halloween. It's my second favorite holiday only to Christmas, but holds a special place in my heart because I get back-to-back goodness from my birthday and then, 24 hours later, all the goodness Halloween brings. The folks at DualBoot Games (creators of other live wallpapers like Celtic Garden HD) have whipped up another for us, this time all haunted and creepy, just in time for...
I never really got behind folders on Android. They're ugly, clunky, remind me of using Windows (and if I wanted Windows on my phone, I'd be using Windows Phone), and they add an extra screen press to access what you want. In my time as an Android user, never used 'em. Widgets, on the other hand, I love. They drain my battery really quickly show me information without forcing me to open...
Ed. note: This theme requires use of the Theme Chooser. With the temperature rapidly dropping round these parts, I figured a new theme to match the cold would work out real nice. I've been absolutely wowed by these Sonny Sekhon themes lately, so I settled on the appropriately-named Arctic Green to set the mood for the impending cold. I know what you're probably thinking. Arctic Green?...
Another strong phone in US Cellular's lineup Whether it was bringing the HTC Merge, the Motorola Xoom, or the Optimus Black, US Cellular has always made sure to have some of the best and greatest Android phones for their customers to choose. They've continued that trend with the Motorola Electrify, their regional version of Sprint's Photon 4G. How does it stack up, though? Not only...
YouTube link for mobile viewing Another week, another tower defense game. This one is in space, you say? And has an HD texture pack upgrade? And a giant, robo mech that protects your base? Alright, I'm sold. Let's have a look. When you first open up Sentinel 3: Homeworld, you'll be prompted to download additional files (19MB worth, to be exact). I get it, it's a big game so not...
Entry-level, a hard keyboard, and an interesting form factor I've got to hand it to any carrier (and manufacturer) for continuing to make and sell entry-level Android phones. Without them, a whole swath of people would miss out on the coolest mobile OS around and might not get the green fever everyone around here seems to have. What we have in the Kyocera Milano is a tasty cookie just...
Ed. note: This theme requires use of the Theme Chooser. If you're looking for the antithesis of Frost, you'll find it in Lucid. Dark, dramatic, and definitely easy on the battery, Lucid has won me over in the dark themes category and Sonny Sekhon has definitely shown off that he's no slouch at making CM7 themes. Take everything I've said about Frost and Tangerine, and just make it black...
YouTube link for mobile viewing When I first played Destroy Gunners F, I was pretty blown away. Big robots carryings large weapons and blowing up smaller, less impressive looking robots was just too cool to me. It took me back to playing Battletech: Solaris through AOL (keyword: Battletech, I think) when I was just a wee lad and I was only allowed a few hours on the internet a day....
YouTube link for mobile viewing I'm always on the lookout for a good looking live wallpaper. I know some people are vehemently against them, saying they slow down their phone or kill their battery, but Rays of Light doesn't fit that bill. Rays of Light gives your phone this kind of Hollywood-esque, night at the club, gettin' down with my homies feel. Rays of light of different colors...
YouTube link for mobile viewing Sometimes I get introduced to some app for which there are no real words to describe it. Plasma Sound easily falls into that category, tripping me out while I was playing with it and making me scratch my head as to how to best explain it. Plasma Sound is an electronic instrument that responds to touch. The pitch of the sound varies with where your finger...