Amazon gifting Android, Kindle app credit to its Appstore users this week

Amazon made a whole lot of money this Christmas, but it's not being a Scrooge by hoarding all of its riches. Instead, it's giving back to users of the Amazon Appstore this week.
The retailers announced that from now until December 28, users who download anything from its app store will be rewarded with $5 credit (about £3.06, AU$5.60) toward a future app purchase.

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We confirmed that this deal for Android and Kindle device users applies to customers worldwide by logging into Amazon.com and making any app purchase there.

"For our international customers, they can get the $5 credit if they download an app from the Amazon Appstore via Amazon.com," a company spokesperson told TechRadar today.
Free apps for the holidays

In addition to running this four-day promotion, the online retailer is highlighting its "free app of the day" section that benefits both Android and Kindle owners.
Angry Birds Star Wars II and Doodle Farm are among the popular apps that don't cost any money for 24 hours one day this week. And, yes these are the full, paid version of the games.
It's good timing since these free apps fulfill the requirement to earn that promotion credit, as long as it's done before December 29.
Not a bad deal. You get a free app and credit toward another paid app in the future. Amazon gets to remind you that its Google Play store alternative still exists.

[New App] ViaProtect Gives A Basic Look At Where Android Apps Are Sending Your Data

No one app is going to make an Android device immediately safe from any and all threats, but some can make it easier to remain ever vigilant. viaProtect may one day be such a app. This piece of software gives you a basic idea where the apps installed on your phone or tablet are sending your information. It doesn't go into specifics, but it will at least show you how much of your traffic is encrypted and some other security-related information.



 

 

CHROME READER APP FOR ANDROID

If you’re a Chrome user and an Android lover at the same time (these two things are going together almost by default), today I have some great news for you,  because the Chrome Reader App for Android is here!

While the voice controlled  ”virtual assistant” thing is hardly breaking news since Google Now/Siri &comp, this new app from Technology Discovery will be adored by those of you who are spending lots of time online, reading blogs and articles, like yours truly.

Because, what this Android app does is making our online lives easier : basically, the Chrome reader will allow you to put your eyes to rest while it will read for you, in a relaxing feminine voice, the online content you require.

All you have to do is visit Google Play Store, download and install the app on your droid and get things going. Using the application is fairly easy for both “newbies” and advanced users. Even if you’re not a techie, installing and enjoying the Chrome reader will present no significant problem.

After installation,the app will require you to open the Chrome browser, press Enable, select and copy the text you need to be read out loud and the app will do the rest, it’s that easy folks!

After you press enable, you go back to your Chrome browser, you select the text you want to be read for you and that’s it. Easy as pie. If you want the app to stop reading, all you have to do is shake the device, the voice will stop on your command!

The interface is nicely designed in a minimalist manner; there are only four buttons for controlling the app (Enable, Disable,Troubleshooting and Exit) and using it is intuitive enough for my grandmother.

 This app is very useful if you have to learn something and you’re too lazy to keep your eyes peeled on your screen (or you’re too tired, either way); using the Chrome reader feels like attending a class in which you have full control over your teacher. Also, this app is great if you’re into eBook reading, it works like a charm at night, when you’re going to bed and trying to fall asleep while listening to the first chapter of, let’s say, Lord of the Rings. I know, I am old school, I love reading books in the age of Android games. I am no fun.

For the Chrome reader to work correctly, it requires your droid  to run on Android 4.0 and up. Enjoy!

How to Keep Your Android Apps From Lagging

If you’ve noticed that Instagram on your Android handset has been unusually sluggish lately, you’re not alone. Many of us have noted an unfortunate combination of slower feed load times and an uptick in overall bugginess. Quitting and restarting occasionally fixes the problem, but there’s a far easier way to deal with a misbehaving app.

Just go into Settings > Apps, and then clear the cache. Voila, the app should be back to 100 percent.

Of course this doesn’t just apply to Instagram. Clearing cached data for any Android app should be your first course of action when problems arise. This will wipe out the temporary files that may be responsible for the trouble, and it can also have the added benefit of saving space on your handset.

If overall performance on your phone is slowing, there’s even a way to clear all cached app data at once on Android 4.2 and up. Go to Settings > Storage > Cached Data. This will give you the option to erase all your app’s saved data. It’s not something you’ll want to do regularly — in many cases, you’ll have to login to your apps again, and some may even load slower for a time — but as a once-a-year routine, it certainly can’t hurt. Think of it as clearing out the cobwebs in the back corners of your handset’s storage spaces.

Opera’s new Android app helps you get more out of your mobile Internet plan

The Norwegian company, which is strongest in emerging markets due to its focus on compressing browser data with Opera Mini, has branched out into compressing data across apps,  as it officially launched a free data-savings app for Android smartphone users today. This shift is key because people typically consume data by accessing apps nowadays, not by surfing within browsers.

The app, Opera Max, extends the life of your data plan by up to 50 percent, the company says. This means that if you pay $40 a month for a 1GB data plan, using Opera Max lets you consume up to 1.5GB per month for the same cost. Opera notes that “if you have a pre-paid data plan, pay per megabyte of use, or are roaming internationally, this app adds even more value.”

In particular, Opera Max compresses videos across your Android device, which the company claims has never been done before. As videos tend to use a lot of data, compressing them means you get more out of apps including YouTube, Instagram and Vine.

In the Opera Max app, you get to see a timeline of your apps usage and how much you saved on data by month or by day — listed individually, as well as in total.

How Opera Max works: Once the app has been downloaded, it immediately starts compressing and rerouting data via a VPN to the data-savings cloud. All non-encrypted data requests are then sent through Opera’s compression servers, which optimize video, images and websites to use less data.

“As ‘kings of compression,’ we think Opera Max is the next step in the evolution of this technology, which will intelligently compress data across apps, not just your browser,” Sergey Lossev, the head of product at Opera Max, says.

From today, the Opera Max beta will be available to Android users in the US and Europe who already pre-registered for it. The app will be launched gradually in other regions worldwide.

Report finds iOS apps riskier than Android apps

How many apps do you have on your smartphone or tablet right now? Well, take that number, and multiply it by 0.9. That’s about how many of your apps are a potential security concern according to a new study from Appthority.

The Appthority Reputation Report for Winter 2014 was compiled using data from the cloud-based Appthority App Risk Management Service. Appthority performed static, dynamic, and behavioral app analysis of 400 paid and free apps spanning iOS and Android to assess the relative security and risky behavior of the most popular apps.

Appthority found that 95 percent of the top 200 free apps on iOS and Android exhibit at least one risky behavior. That number drops to 80 percent for paid apps—an improvement, but four out of five paid apps exhibiting risky behavior is hardly something to cheer about. Appthority also discovered that iOS apps are riskier overall than Android apps—91 percent contain risky behavior as opposed to 83 percent on Android.

They risky behaviors vary, but include things like location tracking—found in 70 percent of the free iOS and Android apps—weak authentication, sharing data with ad networks, accessing the contact list, or identifying the user or UDID.

There are a couple significant caveats to the idea of iOS being a greater risk. First, Android apps have a much higher presence of accessing the UDID or identifying the user. Apple took steps to prevent developers from accessing UDID information on iOS mobile devices—but some developers have found ways to circumvent those rules.

The other thing that separates Android from iOS is that, although there are more iOS apps that exhibit risky behavior, the Android apps tend to collect more information about the user and the user’s mobile activities than their iOS counterparts.

To sum up, a higher percentage of iOS apps include risky behaviors than Android apps, and paid apps are generally less risky than free apps.

The differences in many cases are small and semantic, though. The fact that iOS has a higher percentage than Android may offer some small consolation to Android users, but the fact that nearly all of the apps on both major mobile platforms exhibit at least one risky behavior should be a red flag for both app developers and mobile device users—as well as for Apple and Google themselves.

The real lesson to be found in this report is that app developers recognize the financial value of gathering user data, and that mobile apps in general have a long way to go in terms of security and respecting a user’s privacy.

Microsoft OneDrive launches with Dropbox-like bonus storage and new Android app

Microsoft unveiled its replacement name for SkyDrive just a few weeks ago, and the company is now ready to fully rebrand its cloud storage service to OneDrive today. If you’re an existing SkyDrive user then this won’t mean a whole lot. SkyDrive is being automatically upgraded to OneDrive, and existing apps will continue to work with the service. Microsoft will rebrand its Windows 8, Windows Vista, and Mac apps today, alongside its mobile and Xbox versions. Windows 8.1 and Office 2013 won’t be rebranded immediately, but both will continue to work with the new OneDrive service.

The real change is that OneDrive users will be able to earn additional storage in a similar way to Dropbox users. Microsoft is introducing a referral bonus of up to 5GB, which is made up of 500MB for each friend you refer to OneDrive, up to a maximum of 10 friends. OneDrive users will receive the free storage for referrals, and friends who sign up to the service will also get 500MB each. You can also earn 3GB of free storage by enabling the camera backup feature in Windows Phone or the iOS and Android apps. In total, OneDrive will offer up to 8GB of additional cloud storage on top of the 7GB free default allocation. If that’s not enough storage then Microsoft is also introducing monthly payment plans for OneDrive to boost the overall storage.

Microsoft is also updating its OneDrive Android app with the automatic camera uploads feature today, allowing Android users to take advantage of the new 3GB of free storage offer. The new app works largely the same as the iOS version, backing up photos to the OneDrive service, with an option to upload videos too. It also has a slightly redesigned UI to match the other apps across Windows and iOS. The newly designed Android app is available in the Google Play Store, alongside a refreshed onedrive.com site today.

A New Android App Called Glove Will Tell You What Carrier Is Best For You

Glove, a new Android application launching today, is attempting to address a real-world pain point that affects an important decision that nearly every individual or family in the U.S. has to make at some point: which wireless carrier is the best one for you?

To do so, the app is installed on your device where it will run in the background for three days, keeping tabs on where you use your phone, and the network quality.

Typically, when someone is thinking of switching carriers, they ask around, checking with neighbors and friends in their area to find out if the coverage is any good, among other things, including perhaps whether the data plan is too pricey, what phones are available, or how the company’s customer support has treated their friend in the past. Sometimes, you also might pull up reception maps on the various carriers’ websites to try to determine if you’ll run into any dead spots or areas where you won’t be on 4G.

Glove doesn’t try to tackle all the decisions you have when choosing carriers, as its sole focus for right now is on finding you the best network, based on signal quality.

That, however, will change in time, we’re told. In the future, the app will also be used for other things like determining the best customer service or pricing, or determining the best handset per carrier by geography, for example.

Today, though, the Glove app turns to crowdsourcing to make its network quality determinations. That is, the company analyzes subscriber usage patterns and combines those patterns with hundreds of millions of crowd-sourced data points to determine which carriers are best for each user based on where and how the phone is used. This helps Glove determine the best network for you: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint.

Currently, Glove only works in two major U.S. markets: New York and San Francisco, but will roll out to other cities over time.

After you run the app on your phone for the initial few days, Glove will alert you via email when your results are in. Then you can decide if you want to make a switch.

The company behind Glove is Crowdx, which happens to be the same people who previously built an app that detects radiation levels coming from phones (that was banned from the App store).

With Glove, their plan is to make money by allowing consumers to switch carriers via the app, for which it would generate a commission of sorts.

To date, the company claims that in early testing Glove data found that approximately 75 percent of the time, people can be on a better carrier for them, from a network quality comparison that is. The app was pilot tested in Israel, however, so I’d imagine these percentages may change as U.S. adoption kicks in.

The idea itself is rather clever, though the business model may leave cynics questioning the accuracy of the results. After all, if the company makes money by recommending a switch, why would it tell users to stay put? At the end of the day, that answer will come down to a matter of trust. As early adopters get their hands on the app, and run their own extensive tests and comparisons with other third-party apps and speed tests, Glove will either be proven worthy or not.

Android Apps on Windows Phone Rumor End of Microsoft’s Mobile Platform?

Perhaps tiring of its third-place position in what many consider a two-horse race, it has been reported Microsoft is considering modifying the Windows Phone 8 mobile platform to run Android apps.

Windows Phone, while offering a unique user experience among mobile competitors, continues to dramatically lag behind both Android and Apple’s iOS in both market share and available apps. As of this writing, Windows Phone holds just 4 percent of the mobile phone market, which barely registers against Apple’s 18 percent share, much less Android’s dominant 77 percent stake.

Interestingly, Windows Phone sales showed a 104 percent boost from Q3 to Q4 2013 – mostly on the coattails of the latest line of Nokia smartphones – but gained no additional market share during that period.

According to the rumor, upcoming Windows Phone devices would run both native apps, as well as adapted versions of software from Android’s massive library, which would expand the platform well beyond its current capabilities.

While an exponential growth of available apps seems like it might draw more interest from consumers, there remains a very real chance the opposite may occur. A watered-down, less native user experience could drive both developers and customers away from a brand already struggling to stay afloat in crowded waters.

What Will Become of the “Windows Phone App?”

Whereas iOS and Android apps tend to have a more individual look and feel, native Windows Phone apps are treated as extensions of the parent operating system rather than independent programs. Through standardized fonts, layouts and commands, even heavily-branded apps like Facebook or Yelp are seamlessly connected to the Windows Phone experience.

In many cases (see the WP8 Facebook, Yelp, and Bank of America apps for examples), this design integration works beautifully. They offer usability that’s instantly familiar to fans of Windows Phone, while still maintaining brand integrity.

In apps that don’t integrate well, creative and loyal Windows Phone developers have created a slew of functional, if not superior, alternatives worthy of a trial.

Should the rumor come to fruition, a move toward a hybrid app platform would likely begin a slow, but steady demise of the native Windows Phone app. Considering the massive install base and more developer-friendly, open-source framework of Android, it’s highly unlikely programmers would devote resources to building apps exclusive to Windows Phone.

Not only would it make little sense for new developers to build software for the fledgling platform, but it would also push existing Windows Phone app developers away, since there would be a lack of incentive to remain myopic as the platform becomes a hybrid.

Remember the Blackberry

To paraphrase George Santayana, smartphone companies that don’t recall the past are condemned to repeat it.

Just last year, the once-mighty Blackberry made what many consider a “last-ditch” effort to compete in the smartphone arena it invented. In an attempt to rebrand the Blackberry as a more personal, versatile product through its technically-sound, but ultimately flat Z10 device, the company allowed its BB10 operating system to run Android apps through an indirect process called “repackaging.”

While a relatively simple process, this repackaging seemingly gave users the impression the beloved Blackberry had become little more than a slick façade, with the ability to emulate a rival platform, rather than creating new, engaging experiences of its own.

Though a novel idea, ultimately the revamped OS was too far removed from the traditional Blackberry experience for loyalists, most of whom had long-abandoned the brand for iPhones or Android devices. Few people gave the new hardware and platform a chance to grow, and it quickly became an afterthought, despite its potential.

Much like the Z10 was to the traditional Blackberry, Windows Phone has a dramatically different look and feel when compared to the “icon grid” layout of iPhone and Android devices. This has already alienated the device from potential buyers, most of whom want a familiar, easily-learned experience.

Adding Android apps to a fundamentally different operating system may only further the confusion from buyers on the fence about adopting a new device.

Are Apps Really That Important to Consumers?

Both iOS and Android now boast more than 1 million individual apps in their respective marketplaces, dwarfing Windows Phone’s 200,000+ tally, as of January 2014.

Yet globally, the average number of apps used by smartphone customers is a mere 25, of which an average of just 5.6 are paid. Windows Phone’s marketplace may have just a fraction of the apps available as its competitors, but only a minute percentage of any app ecosystem is being used, raising questions as to why this is such a sticking point for customers.

In the end, variety and quantity appears to be more appealing than the apps themselves. Still, this seems to be enough of a reason for prospective buyers to steer clear of Microsoft’s offering. Analysts and salesmen alike continue to cite Windows Phone’s “minimal” app ecosystem as the primary driver behind customer apathy.

Though this information has yet to grow beyond pure speculation, it raises some significant concerns about the long-term viability of Windows Phone. When the platform first launched, it was marketed as a cleaner, simpler alternative for people who didn’t want to be bogged down by unnecessary activities on their phones.

While this marketing, alongside a strikingly different look and feel, helped to establish Windows Phone as a unique mobile entity, it also may have alienated a growing population of users who wanted their smartphones to serve as miniature computers, capable of doing more and more with each new device.

Though the Windows Phone is more than capable of performing such tasks, having just 20 percent of the app offerings as its competition likely deterred smartphone power users.

This potential 11^th hour attempt to populate its app ecosystem will do little more than dilute the Windows Phone experience for the 4 percent market share it currently holds.

Those who want Android apps will find them on Android phones. And those who want Windows Phone apps likely won’t find them on Windows Phones, should this rumor become reality. Before long, this race actually will only contain two horses, after all.

5 reasons Nokia is building an Android phone

Nokia will make an Android phone. On the surface it is baffling, but as leak after leak emerges the seemingly unthinkable looks set to happen. Nokia, which a) has a long-standing agreement with Microsoft to make Windows Phone smartphones, and b) has agreed to sell its handset division to Microsoft, will get in bed with Google it seems. It doesn’t add up.

Or does it? We look for reasons why something so illogical might actually make sense.

1. Emerging markets

By far the biggest reason for Nokia to make this move is Microsoft’s interest in emerging markets. Scalable as Windows Phone is, it doesn’t scale as far as Android and licensing costs are prohibitive. This is a problem because the backbone of the Nokia division Microsoft is buying is not Lumia, but Asha, which runs on the ‘Nokia Asha platform’ – a hybrid of Symbian S40 and Smarterphone.

How big is this backbone? Nokia doesn’t explicitly break it down, but industry estimates are that roughly 200m of Nokia's 250m handset sales per year are Asha phones. Worse still Asha sales are declining as the market gets eaten into by Android. This will only increase as the Asha platform lacks Android’s app infrastructure and cheap phones are getting ever more powerful to take better advantage of it. 

If Microsoft doesn’t act fast it risks losing the incredible scale of efficiency this division brings to all Nokia hardware. Images released from @evleaks of the so-called ‘Normandy’ (below) suggest in okaying the move Microsoft has got Nokia to adopt the approach Amazon has taken to Android: namely obliterating any sign it exists underneath. Expect any Nokia Android phone to share as much DNA as possible with Windows Phone as Microsoft works on damage control. 

2. Apps

While we remain doubtful any Nokia Android phone will come with the Google Play store to line Google’s pockets, Android’s exhaustive library of apps is another potential draw for Microsoft. Or mostly importantly: compatibility with them. 

Much in the way Blackberry OS, Tizen, Sailfish OS and others have looked to bolster their own flagging app support with Android app compatibility, taking the same route would also have benefits to both Windows Phone and (in particular) Windows 8 and Windows RT. While we have long urged Microsoft to cull Windows RT, if the company is going to persist (rather than replace it with Windows Phone) then bulking up options via Android app compatibility looks a necessary evil. 

3. Platform experience

‘Know your enemy’ is a well worn phrase, but Microsoft could do worse than use Nokia to better exploit its nemesis. After all, while Google has gained greatly from launching apps on iOS (most famously Google Maps) and integrating ever more of Chrome OS into Windows, Microsoft has made less Machiavellian moves against either platform with its own offerings. 

By contrast, developing budget Android handsets would get Microsoft up to speed with all elements of the OS and how best to deal with it. One route could be migration software to make it easy for users to switch from Android to Windows Phone. Under Google’s watch Motorola produced 'Migrate', which similarly helped swap iPhone users to its Moto range. 

4. Backup plan

It is widely accepted that the future is mobile and if Microsoft’s Windows Phone mission fails it still cannot afford to leave the sector. Aside from the cost and impracticality of starting with yet another new platform, the only logical route would be Android.  

As such, quietly producing Nokia Android handsets in emerging markets not only provides Microsoft with the benefits listed above, but it also gives the company an escape route if it all goes pear-shaped. For Microsoft not to have its own mobile OS seems unthinkable, but the rise of Samsung shows it isn’t a glass ceiling on tech success. 

5. It is about Nokia, not Microsoft

The fifth reason is something few have considered: it isn’t anything to do with Microsoft. 

Rumour suggests work on the Normandy handset began before Nokia agreed terms on its handset division sale to Microsoft and it could well be an option for the Finns if they want to continue in the smartphone business. This becomes even more intriguing when looking at the terms of sale: Nokia can sell handsets again under its own brand as early as 2015 and it can sell phones under a different brand immediately. 

Of course the barriers remain high. Nokia will have to start from scratch. The Microsoft deal will see all its phone experts leave the company and its manufacturing deals change hands. Then again, on paper entry to the handset market has never been easier. These days manufacturing is outsourced to Taiwanese giants like Foxconn and Pegatron, with hardware and software design done in-house. 

If Nokia was to hit the ground running in 2015 it will need experience with a popular, mass market platform so where better to start experimenting than a low cost handset running Android? The message it would also send to reviled ex-CEO Stephen Elop would be an added bonus. 

And yet...

While plausible, none of these options really satisfy. For emerging markets Microsoft’s resources would surely be better spent working on making Windows Phone as efficient as Android 4.4 KitKat. Instead of Android app compatibility, Windows 8 should become 100 per cent compatible with Windows Phone apps then Microsoft can leverage both platforms to drive developer support. Meanwhile you don’t need to release an Android phone just to make some Machiavellian apps and migration tools.
 
As for the backup plan, it looks defeatist and surely won’t inspire confidence in the long term future of Windows Phone – regardless of whether Nokia or Microsoft are fully behind it. Finally, what is left of Nokia after the sale will essentially be a networking and mapping business. For it to go back into handsets from there will be a huge risk and come at massive expense for a company that will only get back in the black when the sale goes through. 

Consequently, while we can think of five reasons driving a Nokia Android phone, to us it still makes little sense overall.

Windows Phone may soon run Android apps

NEW DELHI: Microsoft is reportedly considering bringing Android apps to Windows Phone and Windows.

According to a report by The Verge, the company is seriously debating if it should allow Android apps inside the Windows and Windows Phone Stores. However, some inside the company are not in favour of a rival platform making inroads and believe that this could harm the Windows Phone platform.

Citing sources, the report also claims that the chipmaker Intel has been pushing Microsoft to provide Android apps in its Windows Store. It's worth pointing out that Intel has already demonstrated its dual-OS concept that runs both Windows and Android.

Software company BlueStacks has also been developing its emulation solution to allow Android apps to run on Windows and it ships its software with Lenovo and Asus Windows devices. It's not clear if the company is also in talks with Microsoft for the same.

It would be interesting to see how Microsoft implements Android apps on the platform. BlackBerry's BlackBerry 10 OS (and PlayBook OS) also supports Android apps but developers need to submit the apps separately to BlackBerry (or users need to sideload apps through third-party tools). Due to this, users don't get the latest version of Android apps on BlackBerry. The compatibility has not helped BlackBerry 10 grow its market share, so this may not be a sure shot formula for success.

There would be other issues as well including compatibility problems with apps that use Google services.

The biggest issue that Microsoft needs to address is to prevent erosion of developers' and consumers' trust in the Windows Phone platform, which is lagging behind Android and iOS in terms of both features as well as apps.

Incidentally, Microsoft-owned Nokia is also reportedly launching an Android smartphone dubbed Nokia X. The phone is said to run a forked version of Android, devoid of Google services.

The best alternatives to Google's own Android apps

As Android has evolved, Google's worked increasingly hard to keep users locked into its ecosystem. The search giant creates new apps, retains users by giving them a thoroughly decent out-of-the-box experience and then charges device makers for a license to embed them on their phones and tablets. Its constant iteration has helped it stay ahead of the pack for some of its services, but many fall short, leaving users to find something better. The official Gmail app: it's fine, really it is, but if you want unified inbox support, productivity features or the ability to pull emails from more than one place, you're left wanting. This sort of limitation can be found across Google's stable of apps, from messaging to the calendar and camera interface. We've trawled Google Play to find software alternatives that -- dare we say it -- do a better job, at least with certain tasks. So please, whip out your phone and give them a go.

EMAIL

What we're looking for here is an app that can deliver Google-style levels of reliability, while also being open to non-Google inboxes and offering enhanced features for power users. Luckily for us, there's no shortage of apps that can do just that.

CloudMagic (Free)

The clue's in the name, really. Capable of integrating Gmail, Exchange, Yahoo, Outlook, iCloud, Office 365 and IMAP accounts at once, this app uses its cloud algorithms to make your emails easier to find. Unlike Gmail, the clean interface on show here offers a unified inbox that lets you left-swipe emails to perform any one of three actions, a bit like Tinder for the office.

AquaMail (Free/$4.99)

Optimized for both smartphones and tablets, AquaMail offers multi-account support and a simple user interface. Yes, it does look like Gmail, but the team behind AquaMail has constantly refined the interface to make it as easy to use as possible. This includes a dedicated attachments tab at the top of each email, fullscreen modes and a smart inbox. Grabbing the paid version removes the two-account limit and drops the promotional signature attached to all outgoing messages.

We also like: Evomail, Solmail and MailDroid.

MESSAGING

With the launch of Android 4.4 KitKat, Google ditched its pre-loaded SMS app to let users choose their own. Hangouts became the de-facto starting place, but plenty dislike the app's inability to properly unify chats and texts under one contact. So here are some solid alternatives.

Textra (Free)

In the migration away from Hangouts, some have resorted to Textra, a messaging app that offers deep customization for notifications and a time-saving quick-reply popup that lets you respond to messages without fully opening the app. Simple in design, Textra handles huge inboxes with no noticeable slowdown, something you'll appreciate if your friends don't use Whatsapp.

Hello SMS (Free)

Dropping the inbox for tab-based interface, Hello SMS' minimalist design puts interactions first with contact names and photos on its left sidebar. If you find yourself in a never-ending group text, the app will intelligently combine messages from up to 15 contacts so you're not left with a messy inbox. Hello SMS' one-touch camera interface also lets you send selfies to your friends in double-quick time.

EvolveSMS (Free)

Like Hello SMS, EvolveSMS uses a tabbed interface to showcase your messages. It's better looking than its rival and displays important information like names, numbers, call options and attachment options inside conversations. While group messaging, message popups, gesture support and notification customization come as standard, additional features are available via in-app purchases. If you decide to upgrade, you'll get extra theme options, social cover photo integration, scheduled messaging and backup options.

We also like: 8 sms and chomp SMS.

CALENDAR

Calendar apps have pushed forward on iOS in the past year, but Android users have seen little change compared to their Apple-loving counterparts. Google's own is functional and intuitive, but lacks inspiration. If you're looking for something that goes beyond the traditional grid-based format, check these apps out.

Cal (Free)

Any.do decided to take a different approach with Cal. Sure, it still features gCal support, but it also includes a number of social and productivity features that stand out thanks to its stylish UI. If you have a task listed in Any.do, it'll pop up in your schedule beneath your planned events. Connect your Facebook account and you'll be notified of everybody's birthday, letting you send them a text, email or post on their wall in celebration.

SolCalendar (Free)

With stickers and various themed widgets, SolCalendar is certainly different than most calendar apps on the Play Store. It might not be to everyone's taste, but it'll let you add events with a single touch, litter them with birthday cakes and smiley emoticons and display them using any of its 40 home screen widgets. SolCalendar's neat weather notification also checks the elements, giving you the chance to pack an umbrella before you head out the door.

Agenda ($2)

Coming to Android a little while after iOS, Agenda's, erm, agenda, is to display all of your calendars in a single and easy-to-read feed of upcoming events. All of the traditional daily, weekly and monthly views are there, letting you create appointments with a single tap. The simple black-and-white interface might not be for some, but it's certainly helpful if you like to mix work, play and everything else in between.

Keep an eye out for: Sunrise -- expected to launch on Android in the coming months.

CAMERA

One of the weakest built-in Android apps is the default camera app. Google admitted it isn't as good as it should be, prompting it to improve the camera on the Nexus 5 and roll out additional photography settings on newer Android devices. If you're stuck with an older phone or want to try something new, try these camera app replacements.

ProCapture (Free/$3.99)

Apps like ProCapture go heavy on features and skimp on glitzy UI to make your photos stand out. It offers a high-quality panorama mode, timer, burst, wide shot mode and noise reduction, keeping the focus on shooting modes instead of after-effects. The full version includes support for higher resolutions and touch-to-focus, so we'd recommend the upgrade.

Camera Awesome ($2.99)

SmugMug's Camera Awesome looks a bit like Apple's iOS 6 camera app and comes packed with clever features like two-finger focal adjustments. Even better, you can tweak the ISO, white balance and exposure settings all from the screen. Add in a full screen shutter button, burst shot, HDR mode, timer, panorama and social sharing and you've got yourself a whole lot of camera app for very little money.

Camera Zoom FX ($2.99)

If filters and after-effects are exactly what you're looking for, Camera Zoom FX has more than you could possibly need. Without ruining your original images, the app features over 90 built-in filters, frames and effects that range from the sublime to the ridiculous. If you ever wanted to have a virtual photo taken with the Queen, look no further.

We also like: Instagram, VSCO Cam and Pixlr Express

PRODUCTIVITY

While Google's Keep is a supremely fast and extensive app, self-confessed productivity nuts may feel its simple approach doesn't deliver enough features. Although Android is overflowing with apps focusing on lists, notes and photos, many don't hit the right notes. Here are our recommendations.

Evernote (Free)

Evernote is a heavyweight note-taking app, in terms of both features and actual size, supporting lengthy text input. It provides an easy way to add lists and save audio notes, indexing them for later searching. With apps on every major platform (including the web), you can tweak your grocery list anywhere there's an internet connection.

Any.do (Free)

Any.do, a to-do list app from the makers of Cal, is an amazingly powerful to-do manager that offers cloud sync, time-saving gestures, missed call integration (ever wanted to turn them into reminders?) and auto-suggestion features as standard. Once you become a little more acquainted with the app, you should try its voice support: not only will it transcribe your words into text, but you can also do so in a variety of languages.

We also like: Todoist, Microsoft OneNote, Springpad, Quip and Remember The Milk

WRAP-UP

Before we finish up here, we can't resist a few more recommendations. Google's done a great job of porting Chrome from the desktop to mobile, but Dolphin Browser and Mozilla Firefox both offer unique features not found in the search giant's app. If you wake up one day and find you don't like the default Clock app, we suggest you check out Timely, even if it is now owned by Google. Also be sure to take a look at QuickPic if you're after a solid replacement for the Gallery and Photos apps -- just don't ask us why the company decided it needed two apps to handle the same function.

If sampling the best Google Play has to offer isn't for you, Android's default apps are constantly being refreshed to deliver additional features. Apps are one of the reasons why the OS has passed one billion activations, after all. Developers focusing only on a handful of apps may be the first to innovate, but it often prompts Google to incorporate features it's seen elsewhere. While this list won't stay up-to-date forever, some of these apps have remained popular since Android's early days and the newer suggestions still have plenty of life in them yet. If you think you have better app recommendations, we'd love to hear them.

Unlock full Android app mirroring on your dashboard with this AppRadio hack

The Pioneer AppRadio is one of our favorite car stereos thanks to its ability to display and control certain car-centric apps with its 7-inch touchscreen in your dashboard. While the list of supported apps is long, it's far from all-inclusive. The AppRadio app on your smartphone powers the on-screen interface for the car stereo and acts as the gatekeeper, deciding what apps on your phone can be displayed. But what if you want to use a navigation app that isn't on the supported list? If you're an Android user and don't mind tinkering with your phone's software, you're in luck.

AppRadio Unchained is a modified version of the default app that throws that gate wide open and (for better or worse) allows users to access any app on the paired phone via the AppRadio's touchscreen controls, greatly increasing the usefulness and user-friendliness of this already great hardware.

Beware, here be dragons: The steps described below involve installing modified software on your handset to unlock questionably legal and unsupported operation of the Pioneer AppRadio hardware. Exercise caution before proceeding at your own risk.

Here's what you'll need:

• A rooted Android device that is compatible with the AppRadio hardware
• The Pioneer AppRadio 2 or AppRadio 3 hardware
• AppRadio Unchained, a replacement for Pioneer's AppRadio app

Find the latest AppRadio Unchained beta release .apk from the developer's thread on the XDA Developers forum and download it to your phone.

AppRadio Unchained requires all of the same permissions as the stock AppRadio app, plus superuser permission on rooted phones.

(Credit: Screenshot by Antuan Goodwin/CNET)

If you've already been using your AppRadio hardware as prescribed, you probably already have the standard AppRadio app installed on your phone, which you'll now need to uninstall. In its place, install AppRadio Unchained by launching the .apk file from your Downloads list. During the installation, you may be prompted to enable installation from unknown sources. You'll also be prompted to give the app superuser permission. AppRadio Unchained can't work its magic without that permission, so if your phone isn't rooted (or if you have no idea what I'm talking about) just stop now and reinstall the standard AppRadio app.

Once installed, launch AppRadio Unchained and follow the instructions. You'll see that on the surface it looks and behaves identically to the stock app and you'll be prompted to download the Pioneer's Car Keyboard app (if its not already installed) to enable touchscreen communication between the phone and the in-dash hardware.

The AppRadio Unchained interface is identical to the stock app, until you tap the Home button on the screen's edge.

(Credit: Screenshot by Antuan Goodwin/CNET)

If you haven't already, pair your compatible handset with the AppRadio hardware via Bluetooth and then make the physical video connection via HDMI, MHL, or MirrorLink. Again, just follow the instructions that came with your AppRadio for your particular handset. Now, just fire up the AppRadio hardware's mirroring like you normally would by pressing the Apps button on the receiver's main menu and you'll be presented with the standard AppRadio interface with shortcuts to the launch and install the officially supported Android apps.

However, if you now tap the Home button on the screen's edge, you'll be presented with your phone's home screen in a landscape orientation, rather than the standard "unsupported video source" warning screen. From there, one may guess that you'll then be able to pop into the app menu and launch, mirror, and control pretty much any app on your phone via the AppRadio's touchscreen.

Running unsupported apps from a phone that's also not officially supported? What blasphemy is this!?

(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)

Now, you'll be able to use unsupported audio apps like Spotify, Doggcatcher, or Audible. Unsupported navigation apps like Google Maps Navigation, Scout, or CoPilot will be at your fingertips. I noticed that unsupported audio apps aren't able to prevent the screen from locking like officially supported ones are, so you'll want to set your phone's screen timeout to "never" when connected to the AppRadio 3. Unsupported GPS apps aren't able to take advantage of the AppRadio's more accurate external GPS antenna and will have to rely on the phone's internal A-GPS receiver. However, installing the developer's ARUnchained GPS Injector companion app, which is available in the Google Play Store for about $7, fixes this last hiccup.

Now, I'm able to launch, for example, a podcast player from the AppRadio's touchscreen.

(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)

However, because this mod unlocks unrestricted app mirroring, you'll also be tempted to display Netflix videos, play Minecraft PE, or flick through your Twitter feed. Don't. At best, you're risking a ticket; at worst, you're risking your life and the lives of others on the road. Wield this great power with great responsibility.

Samsung looks smart enough to avoid BlackBerry’s biggest pitfall

Breaking into the mobile platform business with a brand-new platform is tough these days — just as Microsoft and BlackBerry, both of which have seen their most recent mobile platforms hurt by a lack of applications. BlackBerry recently caved and issued an update to BlackBerry 10 that made it much easier to install Android apps to BlackBerry 10 phones while Microsoft is reportedly considering doing the same thingwith Windows Phone. Technology Review reports that Samsung has already succumbed to the reality that it won’t ever be able to build a comparable app catalog for its upcoming Tizen mobile platform, which is why it’s planning to use technology that will make thousands of Android apps available right from the start.

Open Mobile, a software company based in Framingham, Mass., is supplying Samsung with an application compatibility layer for Tizen that make it compatible with tens of thousands of Android apps when it launches later this month.

“At a minimum we will be providing tens of thousands of apps able to run on the Tizen platform, and we’ve had discussions that go up into the hundreds of thousands,” Howie Hecht, director of product management and content platforms for Open Mobile, tells Technology Review. This will certainly help solve a major problem encountered by Microsoft and BlackBerry, whose platforms have both suffered from a lack of developer interest. Even so, it will take more than just Android apps to make Tizen a hit and Samsung will need to provide a compelling reason for it to exist other than being just another new mobile OS.