It’s an obvious truth that Android Market is growing at an unmeasurable rate and every time is more difficult to highlight a certain app on this bloody arena Market has become. Websites as ours do their best to spotlight what we think it’s better, though it sometimes may be an arduous task. Anyway, that’s a story that deserves to be told at some future time.
What I was about to say is that, as it already happened on console and computer videogames, developers and their PRs have started to promote their games not only before their releasing, but also in more spectacular and, why not tell it this way, in a more movie-like way. That’s why we’re talking about trailers and teasers and, for our beloved little green robot’s sake, these trailers have nothing to envy to portable handheld games’. In fact, mobile developers in general and Android developers in particular are showing their wits off to amaze us with their creative and original teasers. If this is the best way so far to have us awaiting expectantly for their releases, be welcomed. PRs have a major role here, as they are who use to urge developers to carry trailers out.
I’d like to show you three trailers and a teaser I like much. There are many more around, but I hope you enjoy these I’ve picked out, because they’re great well done works, each by their own reasons.
Whether you remember Brain Cube game or you prefer to wait for the upcoming Brain Cube 2, a good and well thought trailer doesn’t need to be spectacularly hollywoodesque. A good trailer my be that which makes you don’t forget it. For example, telling somehow an unexpected love story.
We never got tired of talking about those games we like most. Do you remember the interview to The Pixelizers a couple of weeks ago? They made profit of their awesome design to create a trailer of their Open Sea! game. Here’s the result. Doesn’t it invite to play?
Let’s move on to something else. If there was someone expecting some action, here’s more than you can chew. Anomaly Warzone Earth not only came to warp and twist and blow up “defense” games at all, but also brought an absolutely a.w.e.some trailer.
Last but least, the teaser I promised. Dark Legends might not have been released yet, but I’m sure that those darker of you will be pretty lured by this brief teaser. Even if you are not in a bloodthirsty mood, relax enjoy the music.
Peter’s AndroidZoom’s Editor-in-Chief, which is fine enough for someone who grew playing with a ZX Spectrum.
This is part one in a two-part series about how permissions work.
Well, in case anyone hasn’t noticed it yet, every time you install an Android app you need to accept some permissions. It can be really bothering because it usually means that your download will trigger a split second later than you expected, as you have to tap one more time. It’s a luck that Google thinks so much about its users that the ‘install’ button and the ‘accept permissions’ one are in the same place so we don’t have to read what we are really installing. If we had to, we’d better start looking for our old 3210 Nokias that are surely gathering dust somewhere in the attic.
Jokes apart, nobody reads which permissions are needed for each app and even less people knows what permissions mean. Even though tough coders still find themselves downloading and installing stuff they don’t really know what does or can do to their devices or privacy.
Keep in mind that permissions are something key within the Androidverse and everything dances around them. Some permissions are harmless by themselves but critically dangerous when combined with others, the same way that there are a few that should always be written in big, bold and underlined capitals.
Something that should be taken into account is that a same permission can be absolutely normal or totally dangerous according to what kind of app makes use of it. E.g., nobody should be surprised at an app that manages your contacts is able to alter your contact list. Likewise, all ad-supported games need access to the Internet so, in order to have access to the web, they need to know what kind of access you have.
Since we accept permissions without knowing them or worse, without even reading them, does that mean that we’re exposed to any malware that Google doesn’t detect at AM? Mmm, yes and yes. In fact, yes, of course. Permissions are our first, only and last line of defense. It’s a fact that there are some anti-malware apps, but it’s really soon to know how much they can actually protect us. The only reliable tactic is to not download suspicious apps, but that’s somehow tricky.
One simple, yet easy way to know if there’s something strange out there is to compare the app to similar ones. In addition, if we understand at least what permissions mean, it should be easy to sense if there is something odd going on.
Some news have caused alarm among Android users and some bloggers and sites have echoed alarmist declarations. Anti-malware developer app descriptions are more than alarmist, apocalyptic. There are developers who claim that spyware comes “from browsing the Internet through Google, Firefox and Internet Explorer” (read here) as an example used for scaring newbie Android users. Fear is nothing to play with, especially when our young and full of potential Android community keeps growing. We here at AZ are really worried about how malware will evolve in the next months, but we don’t believe that things are or will be worse than in any other OS.
We’re going to finish the “Only-for-Android Week” with a feature that really makes the difference between Android and the rest of platforms: Root + cooked ROMs. Let’s zoom on it.
To be root is to have “superuser” rights on your Android, that’s it, to have comprehensive control over all the apps and features of your Android (even the system processes). What is this for? Root users can install only-root apps, backup, tethering (use 3G on a PC), change boot animation, uninstall operator apps… and what’s most important is that it permits to install cooked ROMs and themes.
A ROM is an Android system image modified (or cooked) by developers (or “chefs”) which aim is to improve the original version. By introducing some parameters in the code they can achieve some improvements in battery-life, modems (navigation speed), speed transition between screens, desktop and app drawer appearance, sound quality… among many other features. It just depends on the developers’ skills and on what they want to focus (battery, sound quality, fast response…). There are coming ROMs up for all the official Android versions Eclair 2.1, Froyo 2.2, Gingerbread 2.3… and also for specific devices. Thus, Darky’s ROM is only for Galaxy S while CyanogenMod or MIUI offers ROMS for a wide range of devices. Most often, the “chefs” release cooked ROMs with updated Android versions sooner than the official phone operators.
Root is awesome, but be careful! Having comprehensive control over all our Android system could be dangerous too. Either during the process to get root access or once you’ve done it, there’s a risk of changing or deleting some system’s stuff that can brick your phone. So read carefully the instructions before make a step. The benefits of being root are worth, but do it just when you know how. What’s more, after become root you won’t receive anymore automatic version updates from your operator, and you will be out of warranty.
Some apps only for root:
Titanium Backup Root: Probably the best app on the market to backup/restore your data.
Root explorer: A file manager with which you can read, write or delete all the files in your Android
SetCPU: Overclock or underclock your Android processor adjusting it to your need at every time.
ROM Manager: If the ROM you want to install is supported, you will be able to install it in a few clicks. Check it out!
Everybody knew, but we always appreciate someone taking the time to display it on a chart. Apple’s restrictive policies result in Android Market growing much faster than its competitor.
As we’ve read in TechCrunch, Distimo (a Dutch firm focused on appmarket tendencies analysis) has just launched a report where both main markets are compared. Another research company, Research2guidance (from Germany) corroborates the results. Both prove the same result: by August Android Market will have surpassed Apple Market by far. It’s an exponential trend, so differences will grow even faster.
The main question is if that difference really matters. What’s the purpose of having 400,000 apps if half of them are not ever downloaded? We believe that the more applications, more developers and, therefore, more quality apps soon or later. The more, the better.
Monetization strategies must be greatly improved and new fields should be explored. Original content must be created and the full potential of our beloved android gadgets must be harnessed.
That’s one side. We’ll talk another day about whether this applies to earning money or not. Anyway, is good news. This is good news, especially considering that the Android Market dared to show almost unannounced.
At the beginning of 2011 it’s time to summarize what’s remarkable in the Android World last year. For that, we’ve been publish the first “Android Market Zoom by AndroidZoom”, a report to look forward and understand what’s happened last year in the apps world. You can download a copy of the pdf report just clicking here. The report is made with a creative common license, you can use and distribute the info whatever you want but making a remark of the author.
Just the other day I was thinking back to how I imagined the future would be when I was little. I didn’t have any exact ideas, but thanks to all those science fiction movies I at least had a notion of what the main features would be: voice and gesture controlled computers and hundreds of other similar gimmicks and gadgets… And then I stopped and said to myself, “Hey, you’ve already got all this stuff!”
Readers, the future is in your hands. The same type of future that if you show it to grandma or grandpa, or even to your parents, they’ll stare at you stunned and won’t even attempt to try and understand it (now that’s magic). Let me introduce you to a few of the applications that are fast establishing a before and after. Here goes with the TOP 6.
Since Google Navigation was activated automatically on our phones a couple of months ago, I’ve been able to use the application to its full potential and understand that although it’s not the best ever, Google Maps Navigation has marked a before and after in the GPS world. To begin with, the fact that you get a complete GPS for free upfront when you open the map application is incredible. But Google Maps is much more than your run-of-the-mill GPS: Navigation checks the road traffic in real-time and if it detects congestion, it searches for alternative routes. You can navigate with Street View which shows you with real photos the streets you have to take, or you can just say “ice-cream parlor” and it’ll take you to the nearest one.
So it really doesn’t matter if you’re visiting a city for the first time. Now there’s no excuse: you can’t ever get lost anywhere, even if you tried. Amazing.
I just can’t help it- I love this little application. Awesome Drop is a perfect representation of what will soon be the integration of HTML5 in our lives. Let me sum up what it’s all about. On the one hand, you install the application on your Android and on the other, open a browser on your PC. Visit the website and after entering the code that appears, all you have to do is drag and drop the files you want and they’ll automatically download onto your phone through push. Awesome.
Allow me to underline the advantages of this little application. You don’t need wires, or to be connected to the same Wifi network to send files from a computer to a cell phone. No restrictions whatsoever. But what’s more important: there are no physical limitations. I can open my application and my girlfriend Paola who lives in Madrid opens her browser. She gives me the code and passes me all the files she wants and they’ll appear instantly on my phone. Great.
This application is similar to the previous one but with a few modifications. Chrome to Phone has two main components: an application for Android and an extension for Chrome or Firefox. The principle of Chrome to Phone is to remove the physical boundary that exists between your computer and your phone in terms of information flow. If you’re watching a video on Youtube, press the button and it will automatically continue playing on your phone. If you’re reading an article, the same applies: press the button and continue reading on your cell phone. But it goes one step further: search for an address or map on your computer and Google Maps will open on your Android. Select a telephone number on your computer screen, press the button and be amazed as your phone starts to dial.
Technology aside, I love this application for the philosophy behind it and because we’re getting closer to a future where moving from cell phone to PC is completely fluid and vice versa. Changing devices will no longer mean you have to stop what you’re doing.
We already talked about this application but it’s been updated recently with a movement that will leave you speechless.
We literally open this application with a “doubleFlip” and then all we have to do is write with our finger the application we want to open. It’s amazing that with the flick of the wrist we can browse our contacts, applications and music. You should see the look on people’s faces when I do this trick.
This application is a must for music lovers. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Shazam is one of those applications that leave you thinking “how do they do that?” Imagine a song is playing… Open Shazam and in 15 seconds you’ll know the title of the track, the artist, the album, dates, Youtube videos, lyrics, places you can download it and much more. You really have to see it in action to believe it.
With applications like this, I’m left thinking why they don’t integrate it somehow in car radios and other places. It automatically tells you what band and what song you’re listening to… Seriously, try it if you haven’t done so already.
Introduced just over a week ago, this is one of those applications that lead you to the conclusion that the future really is here. The new Google voice search is much more precise and it now recognizes voice commands. So from now on no more wasting time typing on your Android- voice is the future.
Commands such as “Get directions to Juanma’s house”, “Message to Narbona, colon, pick up the phone” or “Play Owl City” are understood perfectly by your phone and executed immediately with outstanding results. For the time being, it’s only available in English… but that doesn’t stop you giving it a try and gasping in awe.
And of course, I’ve failed to mention applications for controlling your computer, changing songs, measuring distances or representing a virtual reality right in front of you. In any case, I’m starting to realize now just how far our phones can go and how unaware we are of it.
Last week was one of major announcements, the release of the SDK for Gingerbread, the Nexus S ad, the new Google Maps and the presentation of the new version of Market. But in the midst of all these good tidings, there’s one that’s not quite so good as the rest. At a glance, in the new version, Market has been given a long overdue facelift; the new look is more in line with the times, with a more modern and functional edge. At the tap of a thumb, all the information is available on the one screen the description of the application, the different screens, comments and related applications. The first screen presents us with the most relevant info, but we can delve into more details by simply pressing “More”.
On the surface, this all looks great, but what’s still missing is a certain order. Market has become a free-for-all, where applications roam unrestricted, with no control whatsoever from Google.
This control that some of us have been missing has turned into a limit in the time we have to test the software. Now we get just 15 minutes to try out an application before giving it back. If anyone is able to fully test any half decent application in 15 minutes, please let me know about it. It certainly takes me longer to write articles for the blog, I can assure you.
And let’s hope the errors of earlier versions have been solved in the new version of Market. Just yesterday I was struggling to update AngryBirds. I have the SD which doesn’t let you update and after transferring it to the telephone, uninstalling it and trying again, I had no other choice but to install the APK downloaded from the Internet. Google really messed up here and they should fix it as soon as possible. Market is the main applications repository for Android and users shouldn’t have to fish around on the Internet for applications that can be installed directly from Market.
One of the promises Google made after this year’s I|O was the web version of Android Market, a website where we could find all the applications available on Market and download them directly from the site, linking to our Google account and loading them directly onto our phones.
This was just one of the promises made together with Froyo, Gingerbread is just around the corner and there’s no news on the web version of Market. Android users are starting to opt for more elaborate web versions of Android Market than the one Google offers us on the official Android website.
Call me impatient, but if they show us a fully functional version at the I|O where the application is loaded onto a Nexus One directly from the website, surely it means that it’s almost ready. Either that or they tricked us with a demo set-up. At the same I|O they also showed us Chrome Store, with no preliminary version to be worked on, just like Android Market, but it’s been online now for a week.
Google Music is another of the broken promises from this year’s I|O, where Market is concerned. The idea was to introduce a music store where all the music indexed in our system could be loaded onto our device. In the case of the video it’s a Nexus One. Again they suggested a practically functioning version, but we’re still waiting for Google to make the application public.
Google Books is another recent application that we all heard vague rumors about and it’s already been released before the other two I’ve mentioned. If they keep announcing improvements like this, our best option is to expect the unexpected rather than pay attention to what they tell us at the I|O. Exactly the same thing happened with Google Reader; no-one expected the official feeds reader, but it was published two weeks ago without any fuss.
Another promise was the possibility of making payments on Market without using Google Checkout. In this case, the new player on the scene was PayPal, the leading online payment tool. It’s not that I favor one over the other, but in general people don’t like giving out their credit card number over the Internet. If I already have a PayPal account, why do I need a Checkout account too?
I don’t generally criticize Google. In fact, I usually sympathize more with Google than with other companies, but I get the feeling that they’re biting off more than they can chew lately. They’re moving into areas like operating systems with ChromeOs and into program execution in the Chrome navigator with Chrome Web Store, while turning their back on Android. We’re now on version 2.3 but there has been no real shake-up to the system in any area since version 1.5. Each new version is just like its predecessor with a few changes to the options; it’s not getting the attention it deserves, starting with Market.
Users with versions from 1.6 onwards started to receive it yesterday afternoon; we’ll just have to wait and see how it evolves.
