Got an Android phone? Check out AppBrain's new 'push' installer

Filed under: Utilities, Android

One of the most impressive features of Android 2.2 Froyo shown off at Google I/O was its 'push' functionality. If you missed the keynote, it's worth watching -- but in short: you can push things from your desktop computer to your phone. Reading some news, but have to head off to work? Just click a button and it pops up on your phone. The same goes for apps: browse the Android Market on your desktop, click a button and it's automatically installed to your phone.

The only problem is... Android Market hasn't been updated yet. The push functionality is there in Android 2.2, but Google simply hasn't turned it on for the official Market (take a look at the official Android Market site -- it sucks). AppBrain, on the other hand, has enabled 'app pushing', and according to Monsieur Linder of Mobiputing, it's really damn cool. Once you've installed the AppBrain Fast Web Installer (or scan the QR barcode on the right!) on your phone, just browse the extensive library of AppBrain apps and install them! All it takes is a single click. How lovely.

If you have an Android 2.2 phone I strongly suggest you try it out -- and if you need a little more convincing, there's a video of Herr Linder using the new Fast Web Installer after the break.

Update: this works with old versions of Android too! Very, very cool.

Continue reading Got an Android phone? Check out AppBrain's new 'push' installer

Got an Android phone? Check out AppBrain's new 'push' installer originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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YouTube's mobile site gets a new look, beats up on native YouTube apps

Filed under: Video, Web services, Google, iPhone, Android

For a long time, the best way to watch YouTube on a mobile device has been through a YouTube app, like the one that comes with the iPhone. The mobile site was confusing to navigate, and not all that attractive to look at. Well, that dusty mobile version has been revised into a pretty, easy-to-use, HTML5-friendly site, and it makes a good case for watching YouTube in your mobile browser again.

Part of the new YouTube Mobile website is simply making the buttons bigger, so they're easier to tap on touchscreen phones. It also adds familiar features from the full YouTube site, like liking, unliking and adding to favorites. Focusing on the mobile website means YouTube can update its mobile experience more quickly than native apps, which take a while to update. The site works with iPhone and Android phones so far.

This seems like a subtle knock on Apple for not offering a new and better YouTube app with the iPhone 4. Because the YouTube app comes with the iPhone OS, it doesn't get updated unless the OS gets updated. iOS 4 would have been a good opportunity to do that, but Apple didn't take it. I'm sure Google would have gone ahead with a new mobile site anyway, because they're selling a browser-based strategy for everything these days, but it's still interesting that they framed this update in such anti-native-app terms.

[via CNET]

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YouTube's mobile site gets a new look, beats up on native YouTube apps originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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App Inventor lets you build your own Android app (well, soon: it's in closed beta)

Filed under: Developer, Security, Education, Android

Aimed at educators and the unwashed masses, here comes the Android App Inventor. It's been in development for a year and testing has already been carried out on "sixth graders, high school girls and nursing students," and, according to the New York Times it has been a resounding success.

Just take a look at what Google has crafted! Read through the tutorials, or watch the video after the break. It's simple yet so functional. If you want to get in on the action, you need to sign up for the App Inventor for Android closed beta. You might have to lie about being an educator, though...

I think we might actually be seeing a resurgence in the teaching of programming and logical, syntactic thinking! First Microsoft Small Basic, and now this! There was even some talk of a HyperCard-esque development tool emerging on iOS, but the no-non-native-code license agreement would seemingly make that infeasible.

This might be an actual return to scientific trial-and-error education... how blissful that would be! No more frakkin' spoon feeding!

[via Technologizer]

Continue reading App Inventor lets you build your own Android app (well, soon: it's in closed beta)

App Inventor lets you build your own Android app (well, soon: it's in closed beta) originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opera Mini 5.1 for Android released, put to the test against desktop Chrome (video)

Filed under: Browsers, Android

Opera Mini 5.1 for Android has been released -- visit m.opera.com, or simply search for 'Opera' on Android Market. This is only a minor patch, but it should be both faster and easy to use. Mini can now also be set as your default browser -- about time!

Anyway, without any real way to benchmark Opera Mini 5 against other mobile browsers, I decided to pit it against a desktop browser -- Chrome 6, to be exact. Watch the video; be impressed! Opera Mini certainly isn't as fast as a desktop computer -- but then again, what mobile browser is? Also, bear in mind that I'm using a very high-speed Internet connection. On a crippled '2G' or Wi-Fi link, the difference between Mini and Chrome would be far smaller -- Opera's compression technology only really shines when there is limited bandwidth available.

Still, you can see that Opera Mini makes an excellent replacement for the default Android browser. There's no reason why you shouldn't use Opera Mini 5, put it that way.

Now I need to find some way of artificially limiting my bandwidth so that I can see if Opera Mini is actually faster than desktop Chrome!

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Opera Mini 5.1 for Android released, put to the test against desktop Chrome (video) originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SwiftKey for Android is like Swype, but for hyper-conservative Amish types that love tap-tap-tapping

Filed under: Utilities, Android

If you own an Android phone, I hope you have Swype installed. I don't think I'm overstating it when I say that Swype is by far the most awesomest input mechanism ever invented for software keyboards.

But maybe you don't like swiping your finger across your screen. Maybe you like jabbing away at a hard, low-feedback, RSI-inducing touch screen. Maybe you're a closet masochist who likes antiquated, backwater input methods. Well, in that case, SwiftKey is really rather good -- it is, in essence, predictive text on steroids. It's a free download, too!

It has some rather neat features, as you can see in the screenshot to the right. It has a big, fat smiley button -- because everyone likes smileys. If you tap space, it inserts the emboldened suggestion in the middle. It also has a horizontal version that's a lot easier to use because, of course, the buttons are wider.

Like almost every probabilistic predictive text engine, SwiftKey learns as you type. For every SMS that you send, SwiftKey is one step closer to predicting your next SMS's format with rather scary accuracy. The SwiftKey site claims that typing a 55-word, 273-character message requires just 108 key presses. Of course, with Swype that would be just 55 key presses, but who's counting...

The magic doesn't end there, though! According to Engadget, SwiftKey actually scans the SMSes you sent prior to installation. This way it can quickly get up to speed on your writing style; very neat.

Anyway, there's a couple more screenshots, some tech specs and a video of SwiftKey versus standard predictive text on the Google Nexus One, after the break.

Continue reading SwiftKey for Android is like Swype, but for hyper-conservative Amish types that love tap-tap-tapping

SwiftKey for Android is like Swype, but for hyper-conservative Amish types that love tap-tap-tapping originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android modders beware: Droid X bricks itself if you try to modify it

Filed under: Security, Hardware, Android

Android fans love that their OS is much more freely modified than a relatively closed system like Apple's iOS, but the new Droid X is reportedly far from mod-friendly. Droid X has a self-destruct sequence built on a technology called eFuse, which disables the bootloader and bricks the phone if you try to tinker with it. The only way to get your Droid X working again after eFuse has been triggered is via a hardware fix from Motorola.

So, what kind of modding triggers the eFuse? Messing with the bootloader itself, the firmware, or the Android kernel will all result in bricking. There's no way to delete the software, either, as it's apparently part of a chip that the Droid X needs to boot, and eFuse lets the chip reprogram itself (in this case, to stop your phone from booting). You can get more details from a post on the MyDroidWorld forums. What is going on, here? It doesn't make any sense that companies marketing an open phone would want to treat their customers this way.

[via MobileCrunch]

Update: Boy Genius Report says the bootloader is probably the same as the one on the Milestone, and that it "may not" or "probably won't" brick your phone. They do suspect, however, that it will be "difficult to crack."

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Android modders beware: Droid X bricks itself if you try to modify it originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Root your HTC Android phone with unrevoked

Filed under: Utilities, Android

Not everyone who wants to root his or her Android phone is interested in doing things the hard way (like me, for example -- if I had an Android phone, of course). Want to make things easy on yourself? Download unrevoked and let it do the heavy lifting for you!

The tool provides simple rooting for five HTC Android phones: the Incredible, Desire, Aria, Hero, and Evo.

Windows users: you'll need to first load the included HBoot drivers -- Linux and Mac users won't. You'll also need to make sure that no other programs are trying to access your device via USB (like HTC Sync or DoubleTwist, for example).

[via Droid Life]

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Root your HTC Android phone with unrevoked originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola on Droid X self-destruct controversy: it won't brick your phone, just put it in recovery mode

Filed under: Hardware, Android

Our sister site, Engadget, has done some laudable reporting on the Droid X "self-destruct" controversy I covered yesterday. The Droid X was rumored to brick itself if a user modified the bootloader, but Engadget asked Motorola about those rumors and found out they're only half-true. Yes, the eFuse chip in the Droid X will "protect users" by forcing the phone into recovery mode, but it won't brick it.

Once your phone is in recovery mode, you can fix it by reinstalling an approved, untampered version of the software. So, the rumors that the phone was difficult to mod were absolutely true, but the rumors that a hardware fix from Motorola would be required to get your phone working again were wrong. No bricking here, people.

The next step, of course, is for Droid modders who want to hack different wrappers for the OS (like HTC Sense, or Froyo) onto their Droid Xs to figure out a way around the bootloader protection on the phone. I suspect it's only a matter of time.

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Motorola on Droid X self-destruct controversy: it won't brick your phone, just put it in recovery mode originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands on with Skyfire, the 'rich media' (i.e. Flash video) Android Web browser

Filed under: Browsers, Mobile, Android

A lot has been said about the Skyfire mobile Web browser -- and apparently over half a million people have downloaded it! -- but is it actually any good? Sure it offers Flash video playback, but with a built-in YouTube app that ships with almost every new smartphone, is it really necessary to install a separate browser just to watch videos?

While 500,000 downloads isn't indicative of 500,000 users, such a figure certainly suggest that a lot of people want to watch non-YouTube videos on their phones. Well, it's that, or perhaps Skyfire actually offers a better browsing experience than Android's built-in browser, or Opera Mini.

From the outset, Skyfire seems to tick all the boxes. It's built on WebKit, so it should be as fast and fully-featured as other mobile options. It has a built-in 'share' tool that lets you easily share links via email. Like Opera Mini, Skyfire also has tabs and an excellent home screen. Unlike the built-in Android browser, Skyfire lets you alter your 'user agent' so that you can view both desktop and mobile versions of sites.

In fact, even without taking its full-screen Flash video playback functionality into account, Skyfire is a worthy browser replacement.

Which is a good thing, because Skyfire's video playback isn't very good.

Continue reading Hands on with Skyfire, the 'rich media' (i.e. Flash video) Android Web browser

Hands on with Skyfire, the 'rich media' (i.e. Flash video) Android Web browser originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adobe gets ready to release Air 2.5 for Android, plus FlashTime video chat app

Filed under: Developer, Video, Adobe, Android

Adobe is starting to talk up the upcoming Air 2.5 for Android, which has added so many new features that the FlashMobileBlog says it's now at feature parity with the desktop version of the Flash Platform. What does that mean for users? Well, Air for Android can now use the camera and microphone, which means ...

... there's now a video chat app, similar to Skype or FaceTime, that's based on Air for Android. It's called FlashTime, and it's just being demo'd right now, with no working beta or source code available, but you can see it in action in a video on the FlashMobileBlog. It's a cool proof-of-concept that shows what Air will eventually be capable of on Android devices.

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Adobe gets ready to release Air 2.5 for Android, plus FlashTime video chat app originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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