As Android phones and tablets become more powerful and more ubiquitous, people are using them for everything from reading to note-taking, to watching videos. And given the recent expansion in the types of available apps, people are also using them as learning devices — courseware, tutorials, and how-to apps are making their way to Android!
Since everyone is gearing up for the new year and working hard to start with New Year’s resolutions, there’s a great chance you’ll be looking at your Android device for tools to help accomplish your 2013 goals. Today, I’m going to cover several apps that bring educational videos to your Android phone or tablet, in hopes you’ll find one that will help you learn whatever new skill you wish to master.
We’ve collected the top four reviews, roundups and how-to articles from across the AppStorm network in November. Whether you’re interested in Mac, iPhone, Web, Android, Windows, or iPad apps, there’s bound to be something you didn’t spot over the course of the month. Now would be a good time to explore a part of the AppStorm Network you’ve never seen before!
Thanks for reading AppStorm, and I hope you enjoy looking over some of our favourite posts from last month!
Did you ever wonder what you’d get if you crossed penguins with Qix, casual gaming, and a touch screen? Yeah, pretty left-field, huh? But that’s exactly what Hyperkani made with Slice Ice, a popular game about slicing ice into different shapes to provide the penguin king with cold refreshments. It’s fun, wacky, sometimes frustrating, and even with several niggling problems, it’s hard to say no to those adorable penguins.
App Disco is yet another addition to the long list of app discovery software for Android, further proving there are never too many ways to browse and find apps or games in the vast Android ecosystem. Being a new player and still in beta, it did quite well with setting itself apart from all that came before it, which is to say it’s unlike any other app we’ve seen so far. Let’s see how AppDisco fares compared to the others, and what it has to offer for the savvy Android app addict.
There are many Twitter applications on the Play Store, from the official Twitter application, to Plume, Tweetdeck or Seesmic. All of these have their own style and functionality. In Tweetdeck, you can customize the font and the number of columns in the application as well as connect to other services like Facebook and Foursquare. Seesmic has a similar feature set but uses a different UI style. Plume follows a Holo-like look and offers an impressive — and slightly daunting — amount of features.
The only major downside in most of these applications is that they lack UI color customization. Tweedle is a Twitter application that tries to close this gap with full UI theming freedom. However, it’s still in development and major updates are slightly sparse as the developer considers this his side-project.
The internet was supposed to be a democratizing medium, providing the same level of access to information to everyone no matter where they are in the world. But regionalization has gradually crept in over the years and you’ve undoubtedly stumbled across content you’re not able to access simply because of the country you live in.
If you think this is unfair, there are various steps you can take to re-route your internet connection to make it appear as though you are located somewhere else, but for many people the majority of solutions are just too complicated to be of practical use – this is not the case with TunnelBear VPN.
Earlier this week, we shared with you a collection of more than 30 beautiful and Holo-designed apps. Had Connor set out to write this round-up a year ago, or even six months ago, he would have had trouble coming up with decent apps. Yet nowadays, most developers seem to have adopted — and adapted — the Google design language in their apps.
This, in turn, has been superb for us users. Apps that are still plagued with the Froyo/Gingerbread dark grey tabs on top are becoming rare and irrelevant in the face of fierce competition from newcomers that not only value functionality but also esthetics.
Looking at my own usage, I know that I was a lot more forgiving a year ago. I placed features above design, and picked my apps based on that. However, I have the privilege of using an ecosystem that offers choice and variety. Whatever functionality I need, there are probably more than five apps in the Play Store that offer it, if not ten or more.
So now I simply can’t forgive an app developer who’s stuck a few years behind their times. I want apps that I can enjoy looking at as well as using. As a matter of fact, the only relic I have on my phone is SafeWallet, a password and personal data vault that I have invested in and that works with my other phones and computers.
What about you? Is design becoming more and more important in your app decision process? Or are you still OK with yesteryear looks as long as the app does what you need it to?
One of the things I was most excited/curious about when I got my Nexus 7 was multimedia. How would the experience be for watching videos and using it for various media functions? My friend assured me that it was fantastic, but to be honest I was a little skeptical because a 7″ screen seemed a little small. Boy was I wrong! Watching videos and reading look great on it and it’s comfortable to hold in one hand to boot.
In honor of that, here are ten multimedia apps I’ve enjoyed using on my Nexus 7.
At Envato we’ve been building something really awesome over the last couple of months, and it’s finally time reveal it! We’re extremely excited to announce the launch of the Tuts+ Jobs.
Tuts+ Jobs is a job board for full time, part time and casual employment opportunities for web and creative professionals, such as app developers and interface designers. A brand new site to go alongside the Tuts+ Educational Network and the Envato Marketplaces, all run by Envato. Read on to find out more!
If you are an Android user, you have probably already been introduced to the world of replacement web browsers. Sure, the stock browser is sufficient enough for most, but until you’ve explored alternatives, you don’t know what you’re missing. There are a good number of replacement browsers to choose from — many of which work great on tablets too — so personal preference does play a role.
One of the most popular Android replacement browsers out there is Dolphin Browser which we’ve written about before but has come a long way since. There are several unmistakable reasons why Dolphin has become the default browser for so many Android users. Here are 6 of them in no particular order.
