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We recently selected 46 great applications to synchronize content seamlessly between your Android device and your computer so you can enjoy the same content on the go and on your computer without having to worry about manually transferring data.
Today, we’d like to push things a little further and make Android interact directly with your computer. We’ve handpicked a bunch of apps to remotely control or access your computer from your phone, stream content from your computer directly to your tablet or phone, and even use your Android device as an extra monitor.
Smartphones are great devices that let you listen to music, take photos, browse the web, save and share content, store various files, make lists and take notes, remember contact information and even save your passwords. While having intelligent devices in our pockets is great, sharing their content with computers is even better. Because computers are the most essential tool to most workers, and also because they have significantly bigger screens than phones, sharing content between our Android phones and tablets and computers makes sense.
One of the many things I like about Android is the vastness of its app ecosystem. If you want something specific to work on your phone, you can be sure there are dozens of apps to match your needs. While this is a good thing, it can also be problematic. Not all apps are created equal in the Android universe, and chances are some of them are sub-standard, outdated or even hold security threats for your data. Thankfully, there are apps made to actually help you look for more apps.
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One of Android’s biggest strengths as a platform is its hackability. Being open source, the operating system enables users the freedom to tweak it and customize it in any way they want, way more than any other mobile OS out there. And no app has received more praise for being the tool of choice to mould Android in any way one wants, than Tasker. By combining an insane number of triggers, actions and related parameters, Tasker has for years now let us Android geeks make our phones our own, in every sense of the word.
Let’s face it though: as powerful as Tasker may be, it is quite the devil when it comes to usability. I didn’t say Android “geeks” above in any lesser way; the learning curve with Tasker is known to be pretty high. Scores of users have picked it up like children pick candy in a candy store, and then let go of it because they found it too bitter for their taste. Heck, even we, as a blog, haven’t succeeded in going beyond a couple posts about it!
Fed up with not being able to take full advantage of Tasker, I recently set out to find what else Google Play had to offer that came close to its power. Here are the results.
One complaint commonly brought up against the iOS platform is the lack of a device-wide file management system. Android, on the other hand, gives users complete control over the files on their phone/tablet or SD Card – even more so if you decide to root your device. No surprise then that file management apps are a dime a dozen in the Android Market. But with so much choice, how do you select which app works best for you?
Here’s my list of the top ten file management apps for Android, in no particular order. They all have their own unique advantages and user interfaces, so pick the one that seems closest to your style of managing files on your device. And with all but one of the apps available for the unbeatable price of free, there’s nothing to stop you trying them all out before making a decision.
For the past few months, we here at Android.AppStorm have been collating our best tips, tricks, features, and shortcuts. Some are useful, some are geeky, some are just for fun.
As with all such lists, you’re probably aware of some of these tips already – but I bet you don’t know all of them! Did you know that you can search your text messages, Kindle books, and tweets all at once? Or that CyanogenMod 7 lets you disable two-thirds of the LEDs in your display, to save battery? Or that you can force websites to show you the full version of their site, even though you’re on a mobile browser? Read on to find out more…
The smartphone industry is evolving at a breakneck pace with Android leading the way. We have come to a point where Apple is cloning a few features that are part and parcel of the green robot.
As a neutral observer and critic, I notice that iOS apps tend to be really gorgeous. Some are beyond gorgeous and it’s just way too much eye candy for a 3.5 inch canvas. But when it comes to apps from every possible domain one can imagine, unrestricted by the walled garden of an API, Android wins the contest hands down.
After the break we have compiled a list of apps that are unique to our Android ecosystem. They all work out of the box, without the need for rooting. Do read on! (more…)
Every proud new owner of a smartphone will end up frustrated with the short battery life and memory issues. I am no exception and naturally I have scoured the Android Market for “System Utilities” to help me handle some these issues. There are some really amazing apps that can boost memory, improve battery life and improve device performance significantly, but many of these “All in One” solutions require rooted phones and some may not work in all phone models.
In this article we will explore 35 apps currently available on the Market that are very useful for monitoring your Android phone usage, tweaking, the system and taking control of how you use your device. Some of these apps will help you understand your Android phone performance and advanced features. The apps I like the most are those that show detailed infographics: graphical displays of usage statistics and system performance. Many of these apps have really helped me to fine-tune my phone’s performance.
If you use Google Apps, you already know that your email, contacts, and calendar are automatically synced between your computer and your phone without needing to connect the two via cables. But did you know that you can do a lot more with this two-way connection?
In this roundup, we’ll take a look at apps that let you type long text messages on your computer keyboard, use your phone as a mouse for your computer, manage your PC downloads remotely, call friends using your computer’s sound system and microphone, and pretty much anything else (except for charging the device) — all without wires. It’s wireless nirvana!
Are you bored of the lock screen which comes built in to your Android phone yet? The most common is the slide down screen. You have the option to change the lock screen background, but if you want to change the unlock pattern then you will need an app to do that for you. There are various such apps available in the Android Market; these are my favourites.
If customisation is your thing, check out 40+ Tips and Tricks to Get the Most Out of Android, 60 More Gorgeous Wallpapers for Your Android, and 10 Tasker Alternatives to Automate Your Android!
