Despite the fact that apps written for the iOS do tend to have a counterpart for the Android, not all good, awesome, mobile apps find themselves in both platforms. Admittedly, some developers prefer to remain iOS-only. While this is sad, this definitely is a decision that developers can, will, and should decide for themselves. But being an Android industry observer, avid Android user, and Android "evangelist" of sorts, I am sad that some truly awesome apps may never see the Android light, or frolic in the Google Play-ground. Today, I list the apps that I wish were on Android (but are not):
TeuxDeux.
While I totally love Wunderlist and love that I can integrate my daily Wunderlists both on my desktop and Android, this other GTD app that I love, TeuxDeux, tragically isn't. I'm really a big fan of weekly-view todo lists, and this "love affair" with weekly-view lists was sparked by discovering TaskFive.
Alas and alack, however, the app and the service were both killed or allowed to go to pot by the owner, who had bought the app from Contrast. Today, the app is unavailable and dead, as you can see:
When I couldn't login to TaskFive anymore, I was frantic about finding a passable alternative. I found TeuxDeux. Which is sooooo much better.
TeuxDeux advertises itself properly: It IS a simple, designy to-do app.
The only thing is that it still hasn't found itself on Android. :( I'm still crossing my fingers that someday, I'll be able to find this on Google Play.
***
Awesome Note.
As I've said time and again, Color Note is really enough for me. But looking at Awesome Notes, with the different functions that The Everyday Minimalist, a.k.a. Fabulously Broke has introduced in her blog, I am really wishing that it's available on the Android. However, it looks like BRID, the developer, is only into keeping the app on iOS system. A sad thing, just like TeuxDeux.
Bonus: Instagram. I labeled this as a "bonus" because:
- I am not an Instagram user, (though I do LOVE Instagram pics) but a whole lot of people are fans of the iOS app of Instagram
- It's coming to the Android soon
Everyone else may ignore and pass over my other picks, but very few will be able to ignore the news that Instagram is heading for Google Play.
Many users have tried the different Instagram alternatives, but nothing, just nothing comes close to the beauty that Instagram can capture.
In the SXSW conference scheduled March 9 through 18th, Instagram founders have announced that the Android version of Instagram is, "In some ways, it's better than our iPhone app," and that "It's one of the most amazing Android apps you'll ever see."
Don't let me stop you from clicking more newsbits about Instagram hitting Google Play's shelves soon:
After all this, all I can say, really, is that Steve Jobs may be grimacing in his grave, but he's gotta let go and let Android have a slice of the World Domination profit pie, too. :p
***
I've been an SMS addict since I started using a text-capable GSM phone. And that was back in the year 2000, a good 12 years ago. Today, I haven't changed. In fact, I probably got worse. Like me, I believe that most Filipinos, even with the prime of the Call and Text Unli generation, still prefer SMS. And with the advent of very affordable smartphones like the Android, more messaging and communication applications are available for the everyday user.
While an occasional tweet or Facebook Status Update may not require you to have a physical QWERTY Android, and may, in fact be enjoyable executed on a touch screen phone, a marathon text and chat session may be a pain on a touch screen. That being said, here are apps that I feel are better off used on an Android with a QWERTY keyboard, like the HTC Chacha:
GTalk
Every Android comes with a GTalk client right upon unboxing. All you need to do is to fire it up, using your Google Account username and password.
GTalk for Android is light, simple and utilitarian. You will be able to receive messages even when not actively using the app, just as long as you've logged in and it's running in the background.
Yahoo Messenger
Yahoo Messenger, I find, is rather heavy on the system. While it may work great on a higher-spec Android, it may cause a midrange or circa-2010 Android to run with some lags and snags. If you have 600MHz CPU speed/256MB RAM, forget it. Though, it seems to run just fine on Samsung Galaxy Y, which has 800MHz CPU speed/290MB RAM.
Just to let you know, the bigger pain is that if you want to run YM with Video, you would have to download another plugin, which would eat up more of your ROM.
On the brighter side, though, YM for Android gives the standard, pleasant YM experience that Windows users of Yahoo Messenger enjoy: Font effects, smileys, and even the BUZZ! Feature.
Facebook Messenger/Chat
Aside from the standard Facebook for Android app, Facebook offered Facebook Messenger for Android. It exclusively handles chats and messages for your Facebook account.
Is it handy? If you're that addicted to Facebook and you want to remain online, all the time, yes. If you couldn't wait to get to your desktop to share pics, yes. But if you're not really into the whole being-online-24/7 thing, then you don't really need this, not even if you have a QWERTY phone.
My only reason why I would download, install and keep this would be because the Facebook Messenger app allows you to send pictures as attachments in messages, while the built-in messenger in the Facebook for Android app doesnt: messages are strictly text-only.
Still, if you want to chat for long hours with your friends, best used with a physical QWERTY keyboard.
Trillian
Trillian is one of those inter-account services that allows you to integrate your different instant messaging accounts under one chat client. While apps similar to Trillian abound, like eBuddy, Pidgin, Adium, Meebo and the like, Trillian is possibly the best in this niche, because it integrates across platforms:
- Windows
- Mac
- iPhone
- Android
- Blackberry
- Browser/Web-based Client
Imagine the flexibility of Trillian: you can pause a chat you've been having on your desktop, then take it up again, whichever smartphone you have: whether it's an iPhone, and Android or a Blackberry. And if you find yourself needing to connect to friends, loved ones or clients on the go and you have nothing else but the nearest Internet Cafe, you'll be able to use Trillian from there, too.
And if you have at least three Android batteries and will be stuck waiting for your doctor or waiting in line to facilitate some government documents, Trillian will be handy with an HTC Chacha, HTC Desire Z, Cherry Mobile Candy Chat or some other QWERTY Android. And if you have a Blackberry, that may make your life a little bit better as well.
Viber
This is possibly the only advanced messaging/chatting app that I'll keep on my Cherry Mobile Nova. I find that Viber is very useful, and is better than MMS or even GMail in exchanging photos. While I wouldn't want to keep a Facebook Messenger app on my Android, I'd definitely keep this. Only, it'd be great if I used this on a QWERTY Android. Soon!
I was recently marathon exchanging Viber messages with a couple of friends who went on a trip to Singapore and it was a pain trying to keep up with their messages on my fully touch screen Cherry Mobile Nova, even with the HTC_IME mod keyboard.
These apps will make you wish your Android has a physical keyboard. Though, in all truth, the most enjoyable apps to keep on a fully touchscreen Android were Viber and Trillian.
How about you? Do you have apps that make you wish your Android had a QWERTY keyboard as well?
***
Photo Credits: Hubpages User Calvincho: Why QWERTY Keyboard?
Let's face it: We all LOVE those worthless Apps. We like those apps that eat up precious RAM but really don't do anything for our gadgets anyway. So since we're in love with them fun but useless things, let me bring to you three worth having on your Android:
Shake Them All
Do you like keeping e-pets? Things like Neopets or FooPets? Then you may want a scaled-down version of a virtual pet on your Android's desktops.
Shake Them All is basically an interactive wallpaper on your Android. You don't need to wait for the screen to time out for it to activate. Right after you download and install Shake Them All, you will be taken to an option to activate it. After that, you will see a plain wallpaper with these cute little Droidies dancing, or rather floating and flailing around your desktop.
You may then be able to customize the background from the Wallpaper options menu. A new Wallpaper library or option will be available on the Wallpaper settings, "Shake Them All!" And if it's active, the "Configure..." menu will show as the top option when you go to the Wallpaper options menu. From there, you will be able to set the number of Androids flailing and floating around on the screen, the background for the floating and flailing Droids, the "skin" of the floating Droidies, and a few more options.
While it doesn't serve much other use except to amuse you, or, in the case of the "Battery Indicator" skin, indicate how much juice your Droid has left, I would have to say that the app IS pretty relaxing and DOES make for a few mindless moments flicking the Droids around and making them bump off of each other or even fling each other "on their own."
Silly to say, but I did giggle some while playing with the Droids on this app.
Talking Tom Cat, Talking Tom Cat 2 and Talking Ben The Dog
This is a level up of the previous "useless apps" suggestion: these apps talk, interact with and even "answer" the user.
Well, not really. The app just records the user's voice and echoes it back to them. Though, while you're "on the phone" with any of these creatures, they do look like they're actually respond to you.
If you're on a brain freeze, a few lulz from either Tom or Ben might give your brain the breathing space it needs.
Syfy Cylon Bobblehead
If you're into Battlestar Galactica and you hate them Cylons with a passion, then here's your chance to pummel a couple of Cylons for hours (or minutes, or even mere seconds, depending on your patience and attention span) on end.
The characters mimic the Bobblehead dolls which have springs on their necks; those things usually on car dashboards, bobbing their heads as you drive from Point A to Point B.
This is a very mindless, brainless diversion, and unless you get your kicks out of flicking a Cylon head over and over again, you're probably better off with just Shake Them All.
And of course, there IS Simsimi. :p
If you ever get a bit bored and you want to kill time and manage to want to kill some cute thing too, read on.
Have you come across iGod before? Yup, that smart-talking Internet-based AI. If you're totally bored and have no better use for your hours, I'm sure you'd appreciate engaging the AI of iGod in a pseudo-intellectual conversation.
But what if you're mobile but want to at least burn a few brain cells as you wait for your appointment?
Try SimSimi for the Android.
SimSimi is better than iGod: it MAY talk in your language. And you may be able to teach it how to smart-a$$ itself through your day, and pat yourself on the back for creating a monster, as well.
SimSimi is a Korean creation, and it's available both for the iOS and the Android.
Soon, you may be able to share the inane things you and Simsimi talked about.
For more AI fun, try Cleverbot, available both for the iOS and the Android.
Here are more AI chat apps available online:
Have fun killing time! And no, you may not throw your Android in anger at Simsimi. :p
Thanks to Geekier Chick for the heads-up. ;)
***
Did you know that your Android would be a big help in paying bills?
Without needing to use the electronic card apps, which may give you reasons to be concerned about your financial information's security, your Android could still be a great help when you're out paying banks and bills, even in curbing your spending habits.
This is a little "primitive" as a series of kludges, but it works, but these work, like a charm, for me:
1. Use Google Docs to store bank information of the people you regularly pay or otherwise send money to.
Using Google Docs has always been great for maximum synchronization. Being on the Cloud, you can access Google Docs from anywhere with an Internet connection. Whether it's a computer in an Internet Cafe, or your mobile phone on 3G, you will be able to retrieve your files from there.
One thing I find very inconvenient whenever I need to go out to the bank and pay someone or send someone some money is the realization that I've left their details in a notebook or on the previous payslip somewhere. Though, at that point, I may realize that I suddenly wish I had their details in the mobile phone I brought with me.
Enter Google Docs. As long as you have an Android, or even another smartphone with a browser and Internet connection and access to Google Docs, you will be able to access your details from wherever.
2. Keep your budget on Google Spreadsheets or Google Docs, as a note.
Just like in the previous suggestion, the beautyof this is that you will be able to access your budget list from anywhere. You may also take a screenshot of your budget and keep it on a cloud space, like Facebook, either in a private group with just you and your significant other, or in a private album that only you can view. Photos will be easier to view in a glance.
You may also take shots of your budget using your phone and then just refer to it from your phone's gallery for your ease.
3. Use a good notepad app like ColorNote to take note of your grocery lists, even keep a copy of your budget. This way, as soon as you pay the bill or get to purchase your needs, you would be able to tick it off of the notepad app.
4. Use Memoires or UM Diary to take pics of things you want to buy, but are out of the budget at the moment. This way, you would be able to "sit on" your desires to satisfy your buying urge. Later, you'll figure out if you really should buy the item, of if you'll be content just seeing it in your photo collection.
Last December 2011, I had this mad urge to buy different types of Angry Birds and Starbucks-style ceramic tumblers. While I was taking photos of them, I realized how totally irrational my desire to have all of them is. For one, I certainly won't be able to drink from ALL of them. Second, I would need to wash all of them when I've used them all up. Thirdly, I have a me-sized pantry, me-sized dish rack, me-sized everything. Why do I need ten?!
Eventually, the significant other gave me the red one as a Christmas present. Seeing the rest of the Angry Birds tumbler in a private Facebook Group album after receiving my Red Angry Birds tumbler made me realize that I'm pretty much happy having captured mere photos of the tumblers, and not necessarily possessing *all of them*.
5. For documentation purposes, say, reimbursement with the office petty cash, especially for virtual/telecommute/remote workers, taking pictures of your purchases' receipts is very convenient. File in an app that allows tags, if you're going to use the app as a multi-purpose thing, or use either Lemon - Receipts Refreshed, Receipt Organizer, Receipt Filer Lite, or even EasyMoney, in its Expense Tracker function. This way, it's easy to liquidate office budgets.
It would also serve as a way to track your actual spending. Us shopaholics tend to spend more than what their budgets can afford, so this is a good way to remind us, in-our-faces, that we've gone too far in spending. Seeing how bad the habits have gotten is a great reminder to shape up. None better than seeing actual patterns of sick behavior.
But I digress.
See how useful your Android really is?
Coffee is pretty much on my mind most of the time. Like most Filipinos, even most yuppies the world over, I like my coffee, and I like it VERY MUCH.
I don't know what got into me the other day, but I just searched for "Coffee," on Android Market. You know what I found? A whole slew of interesting apps:
See that? From coffee trivia, to a Starbucks shop finder, and even a mobile/electronic credit card details "holder," which you can use to pay for your store-bought coffee, it seems like the Android Market has a whole thousand (For now, at least! And it's going to *keep growing*!) apps dedicated to coffee.
So imagine how many devs are singing their odes to the gas that keeps them going through hours of coding work. Only, they're singing it in the Key of Apps.
Have a great (hopefully caffeinated) morning, everyone!
***
Did you know that you can use your Android to back up your texts and have them email them to your account?
I came across SMS Backup as a category of Android software when I was looking for app backup software. At that time, I was about to root my Cherry Mobile Nova, or, as Unknown has informed us, the Commtiva Z71. I wanted to be able to restore my notes, my calendar, and even the list of apps that were already on my Android because I really didn't want to go hunting, again, for the apps I've already installed and learned to love.
A month after, I suddenly found a need for the SMS Backup apps.
So I downloaded one off the Android Market.
The app I chose first is the SMS Backup + by Jan Berkel, because, while its screenshots looked similar to the SMS Backup app by Christoph Studler, it seemed to me as the more user-friendly option.
I was dead wrong.
But before I get into that, let me give you cursory reviews of the four SMS Backup apps I've tried:
SMS Backup & Restore by INFOLIFE LLC
This was the app that first caught my eye. I have used INFOLIFE LLC's Advanced Task Manager and App Backup & Restore, and I'd have to say that because of these two apps, I've learned to be a fan and to trust INFOLIFE LLC's app offerings.
In the case of "SMS Backup & Restore," however, I would have to make an exception. While the interface and dashboard certainly are aesthetically attractive, even beautiful, I'd have to say that the functionality leaves much to be desired. At least, in the way that I want an SMS Backup app to work. This SMS Backup app will allow you to just backup the app to SD Card, and possibly manage, sort and delete your backups, but this isn't what I wanted to use this app for. I wanted email functionality, so this scored low in my book.
Rating: 3/5
SMS Backup & Restore by Ritesh Sahu
The interface is very simple, and because of this simplicity, I believe that most users may find this app's dashboard aesthetically pleasing, as well. On the Preferences/Settings area, however, there's a lot of customizations you can work with...
...Though as a user who would want to backup her SMS only to SD Card or to Email, I found all of that useless, except for the "Add Readable Date" option. This will add a "human readable date" to your messages. I guess this means the timestamp of the message, as, SMS' timestamps and date are in another feature of the SMS.
Back in the days of Nokia dumbphones, this may mean going to [Open Message] > Options > Message Details, or [Open Message] > Options > Details. On the Android, the timestamp would most likely be on [Open Message] > [Long Press] > View Message Details.
The "Add Readable Date" option may well be the option for adding a timestamp to a message, as, without this option, the backup may contain only the message itself.
This option *would have been useful* IF the backup file were in a text format that can be exported. Alas and alack, the file format is .XML!
Also, it can't be read on a browser! I used Dolphin Browser and the native HTML viewer included in Firetrap Lollipop, but when I viewed the .XML file, it was a no-go. My Dolphin Browser was set on Desktop mode, and it should have been able to read the .XML file.
Then I tried reading the file from the computer, via Internet Explorer/XML Reader and I was able to see this:
Not bad. If only you didn't need to: Backup SMS > Unmount SD Card > Read File From Computer > Print to PDF IF you have a PDF Printer/Take a Screenshot/Copy-Paste...
...In order to retrieve your backed up SMS.
Rating: 3/5
SMS Backup + by Jan Berkel
When I tried this, I thought I hit the jackpot. This app can both back up to SD Card AND email your SMS backups to your Gmail Account as well.
Awesome, right? Until I hit a weird bug thanks to a major bug on my OS' time zones. I'm not sure if the app itself has a bug wherein it won't sync to your Gmail Account unless the time zone you have is right, or the Firetrap Lollipop's time zones are just buggy, but after a few uses, I discovered that I could no longer sync this app to my Gmail because it keeps saying that my phone's time does not line up with its chosen timezone.
I don't completely understand the error, but to cut the long story short, I decided to replace the app.
Also, another pain in the neck is that you have to login to your Gmail account from a browser, the first time you use it. While the app automatically redirects you to the browser (thank you very much for that), still, the act of logging in is a PAIN.
What if you have the crazy 2-Step Verification process for Gmail? ANOTHER PAIN.
To sum it up, it is great that this app can backup to SD Card AND send your SMS backups to your Gmail as well. Hope they fix the bugs, and this will be the best on Android Market.
Rating: 3.5/5
SMS Backup by Christoph Studler
After noticing the bug of Jan Berkel's creation, I decided to try this one, because this was the app with the most similar interface to SMS Backup + (by Jan Berkel) of the top-rated SMS Backup apps.
Since SMS Backup + was the first one I've tried and therefore the one I'm most comfortable with, PLUS, this was the other app with nearly 5/5 stars as its rating, just like SMS Backup +, I decided to see if this was the perfect app to switch SMS Backup + with.
I think I hit paydirt here as using it was so simple. The only thing you have to do the first time you fire up the app is to backup your SMS for the first time. Logging in to your Gmail account isn't a pain, as you only need to add your email and the password on fields provided in-app. No popup verification, no authorization needed, nada.
When I tried backing up my SMS to Gmail and then checked my email just seconds after, imagine my happiness when I saw that all my SMS were already there. Simply awesome.
The only downside to this app is that it doesn't have a backup to SD Card option, or the "Add Readable Date" option. But since it's bug-free so far, and so simple to use, and does what I need it to do (backup my messages to email/cloud, primarily), I'm already a happy camper.
Rating: 4/5
On the whole, I need an SMS Backup app in order to save my messages to the Cloud. Seeing it in a beautiful-looking format is also a plus, but not necessary. Backing it up to SD would be great, but neither is it an as-if-your-life-depended-on-it necessity. On the whole, my requirements of a perfect SMS Backup are:
The app must be able to...
- Save the SMS to Gmail or another Cloud account, preferrably one I frequently use, like Google Docs.
- Add a timestamp to the messages so that I wouldn't have to add this manually.
- Be read in an awesome-looking/aesthetically-pleasing format.
- Backup to SD Card, just in case.
- Have simple settings and preferences. Nothing to break my (or any other user's) brain, please.
If someone comes up with an SMS Backup app with all these, then I would have SMS Backup "Nirvana" at the exact time I fire it up on my Android.
***
Photo Credits:
If you're looking for a good browser for your brand spanking new Android Phone, you'll find that you have quite a few choices. But let's narrow it down to the best we've used so far:
Opera Mini. Opera Mini must be the best mobile phone browser in the market. It's lightweight, compact, and simple to use. It's also very stable. One great feature of the Opera Mini is the Speed Dial, which you can set your most-visited websites on a grid of thumbnails which open every time you open a new, blank Tab. This way, all your favorite websites will be accessible with one single click.
Opera Link is also one feature that sets this browser apart. This feature is exclusive to Opera, and allows Opera users to synchronize their browser data across the devices they use. So if you're using an Opera browser on your Desktop, you can sync your bookmarks and Speed Dial from there to your Android, thanks to your Opera Link account. The setup is a matter of signing up (just like signing up for email) and then with a few clicks to sync, your Opera bookmarks are now merged across the devices you use. This is why it's awesome.
Dolphin Browser HD is highly recommended by the Android community because of its gesture-based shortcuts. You can set gestures to open certain websites or to perform certain actions like going to a subdomain or an inner page of a website. If you're the type who loves shortcuts, Dolphin Browser is something that you may adore.
We like Dolphin Browser because it tends to have better flash support and better video support than Opera Mini. While some websites may require Opera Mini to install Adobe's latest version over and over, Dolphin Browser just goes right on ahead and loads the website. For those who subscribe to video websites like Vimeo, Metacafe, Dailymotion or Revver, or if you watch video from CNN, ABC, Yahoo or even Beyonce's official website, this may be the answer to your mobile video-viewing needs.
Skyfire also comes highly recommended, especially by Tech Crunch. One great feature is how it has a dedicated pop-up section for Facebook and Twitter, which lets you post, share and tweet while you're in the middle of, say, reading through Huffington Post or New York Times.
Skyfire also lets you watch video from most sources, just like Dolphin Browser. However, the free version only gives you three days of free use for the video function. After that, you'd have to pay $2.99 to keep watching videos via Skyfire. There are other functions that are still free even after the first three days. You can Like and share pages directly from the Skyfire menu, without shifting to another tab for Facebook or Twitter. You don't even have to open the Facebook for Android app. There's also a nifty function, the Fireplace, which lets you view links from your Facebook and Twitter accounts all in one page. These innovations are the things that make Skyfire unique.
These are the top three browsers of the Android Market. In giving you their strengths and weaknesses, we hope to have helped you decide which to download and keep for your Android. Have fun!
Photo Credits: Electric Info
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