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We typically have a theme that ties-in all of the apps featured on Androinica each week. However, this episode is theme free. We’re too busy preparing for Mother’s Day and the best Android holiday known to man – Google I/O 2011 – to think of a central theme. The selections are still hot, though! Here are a few great Android apps to get you through the week. Enjoy!
Android 2.1 or higher required
Taptu is an Android app that allows users to be their own “news DJ” and manage several news streams. Feeds are added based on a variety of topics, so users scroll through those streams and see a previews of stories. The latest version of the app now supports full-screen reading instead of browsing in tabs, viewing themes, and sending links to Instapaper. It looks great on Android phones and Honeycomb tablets, so download now.
WalMart has become the biggest name in retail. Not surprisingly, its now on the biggest mobile OS with an Android app. Shoppers can browse through the WalMart.com online store, locate nearby stores, see weekly advertisements, and see a daily deal. Product listing pages feature long descriptions, price info, ratings and reviews, and in-store availability. The app also supports prescription refills, photo printing and sharing, and track online orders. Anyone who shops at WalMart frequently should grab this right now.
Hypochondriacs can rejoice! WebMD is now available to let you self-diagnose and freak out about every cramp or sniffle. The app shows a human body and allows users to tap on the body to choose symptoms to discover what might ail them. Users can also search for a condition to learn about symptoms, browse a list of medications, and browse through lists of doctors, pharmacies, and hospitals in your area. The app can be useful in learning more about health and illness, but remember that it is merely a crude tool to give you an idea. Always consult a doctor before doing anything.
Can I figure out paint colors using my camera phone? Yes, if you install ColorSnap. Paint company Sherwin-Williams just released ColorSnap as a tool for taking pictures of a wall color, napkins, photos, or even the color of someone’s eyes. ColorSnap takes a photo, or uses an image from the and then zooms in on a particular area to try to identify a color (or at least something similar). Users will have to deal with finding proper lighting to get things more accurate, but you can also change lightness, saturation, and hue to get things just right. Then you can save the palette and go to Sherwin-Williams to get your new paint color.
Photobucket required for online storage
Photobucket is a popular online image storing and sharing service that just got a little better with the Snapbucket Android app. Snapbucket joins the ever-growing trend of photo-effect-and-filtering apps, but it gains its spot among the competition thanks to simplicity. A number of effects and filters – lomo, vignette, film, grainy, bokeh, light leaks, and more – can be combined to create some enjoyable photos that people create with apps like Instagram, PicPlz, and Little Photo. You can even save your combination of effects into one set to re-produce the same results with new photos. Once you’re done, save the image to your Photobucket account and it will be put online immediately.
ZipCar, a “car sharing” service car rental service that provides short-term use of cars in big cities, just released an Android app. ZipCar members pay a membership fee and rental rates for the right to rent a car at any time. The advantage to this over traditional car rental is that you don’t have to go to an airport; a car could be available down the street. The Android app shows a map of nearby ZipCars, then allows users to reserve it or see availability according to car type or model. Users then see how much it costs to rent for an hour or a day, freeing members from the costs of full-time car ownership. You can even unlock or lock a car using the app. ZipCar is available in limited cities.
Facebook account required
We’ve already covered how convenient it can be to wirelessly sync your iTunes library using the Music WithMe app. The app has since been improved to provide better organization, music discovery through previews of songs you might like, and the ability to disable that annoying “Share” link that popped-up in the notification tab every time a song played. The app still isn’t as fast as I’d like, but it’s good to already see a better version than what was unveiled last month.
We typically have a theme that ties-in all of the apps featured on Androinica each week. However, this episode is theme free. We’re too busy preparing for Mother’s Day and the best Android holiday known to man – Google I/O 2011 – to think of a central theme. The selections are still hot, though! Here are a few great Android apps to get you through the week. Enjoy!
Taptu
Android 2.1 or higher required
Taptu is an Android app that allows users to be their own “news DJ” and manage several news streams. Feeds are added based on a variety of topics, so users scroll through those streams and see a previews of stories. The latest version of the app now supports full-screen reading instead of browsing in tabs, viewing themes, and sending links to Instapaper. It looks great on Android phones and Honeycomb tablets, so download now.
WalMart
Android 2.1 or higher required
WalMart has become the biggest name in retail. Not surprisingly, its now on the biggest mobile OS with an Android app. Shoppers can browse through the WalMart.com online store, locate nearby stores, see weekly advertisements, and see a daily deal. Product listing pages feature long descriptions, price info, ratings and reviews, and in-store availability. The app also supports prescription refills, photo printing and sharing, and track online orders. Anyone who shops at WalMart frequently should grab this right now.
WebMD
Android 2.1 or higher required
Hypochondriacs can rejoice! WebMD is now available to let you self-diagnose and freak out about every cramp or sniffle. The app shows a human body and allows users to tap on the body to choose symptoms to discover what might ail them. Users can also search for a condition to learn about symptoms, browse a list of medications, and browse through lists of doctors, pharmacies, and hospitals in your area. The app can be useful in learning more about health and illness, but remember that it is merely a crude tool to give you an idea. Always consult a doctor before doing anything.
ColorSnap
Android 1.6 or higher required
Can I figure out paint colors using my camera phone? Yes, if you install ColorSnap. Paint company Sherwin-Williams just released ColorSnap as a tool for taking pictures of a wall color, napkins, photos, or even the color of someone’s eyes. ColorSnap takes a photo, or uses an image from the and then zooms in on a particular area to try to identify a color (or at least something similar). Users will have to deal with finding proper lighting to get things more accurate, but you can also change lightness, saturation, and hue to get things just right. Then you can save the palette and go to Sherwin-Williams to get your new paint color.
Snapbucket
Android 2.1 or higher requiredPhotobucket required for online storage
Photobucket is a popular online image storing and sharing service that just got a little better with the Snapbucket Android app. Snapbucket joins the ever-growing trend of photo-effect-and-filtering apps, but it gains its spot among the competition thanks to simplicity. A number of effects and filters – lomo, vignette, film, grainy, bokeh, light leaks, and more – can be combined to create some enjoyable photos that people create with apps like Instagram, PicPlz, and Little Photo. You can even save your combination of effects into one set to re-produce the same results with new photos. Once you’re done, save the image to your Photobucket account and it will be put online immediately.
ZipCar
Android 2.1 or higher required
ZipCar, a “car sharing” service car rental service that provides short-term use of cars in big cities, just released an Android app. ZipCar members pay a membership fee and rental rates for the right to rent a car at any time. The advantage to this over traditional car rental is that you don’t have to go to an airport; a car could be available down the street. The Android app shows a map of nearby ZipCars, then allows users to reserve it or see availability according to car type or model. Users then see how much it costs to rent for an hour or a day, freeing members from the costs of full-time car ownership. You can even unlock or lock a car using the app. ZipCar is available in limited cities.
Music WithMe
Android 2.1 or higher requiredFacebook account required
We’ve already covered how convenient it can be to wirelessly sync your iTunes library using the Music WithMe app. The app has since been improved to provide better organization, music discovery through previews of songs you might like, and the ability to disable that annoying “Share” link that popped-up in the notification tab every time a song played. The app still isn’t as fast as I’d like, but it’s good to already see a better version than what was unveiled last month.
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