A new YouTube app has hit the Android Market. That’s right, it’s been broken out of the ROM and is in the Android Market, part of that whole break-out-of-the-ROM-and-into-the-market movement that’s going on.  And it only takes a couple of minutes’ use to see that it’s much-improved over its predecessor. The new app is only for those devices sporting Android 2.2. Some of the new features:
Much improved UI
In-page playback so users can read comments while watching videos
The ability to watch videos in portrait or landscape mode
Personalized home-screen video feed
New player controls

If you have Android 2.2 already, go try this much improved version of the YouTube app in the market.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 rumor has been floating around the internet for several months now.  It’s been discussed by Android enthusiasts at various blogs, and in our own forums as well, and generally written off as an Android phone-geeks dream.  Have a look at it’s supposed specs:
4.3-inch SAMOLED2 display at 1280×720 and 340 dpi
2 GHz CPU
1 GB RAM, 4 GB ROM, 32 GB storage with microSD slot for cards up to 32 GB
8 MP camera with full HD video recording
Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, A-GPS
Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity and all the other Android standards
Running Android 3.0

Its supposed release date is Q1 2011.  Why are we revisiting this now?  We’ve seen HTC’s new hardware in the Desire HD and Desire Z/Vision, and Motorola has shown us the Droid Pro and Droid 2 Global, but Samsung has been quiet about their future plans for a high end phone. I’m sure they have something in the works, and Samsung likes to go big in the hardware department.  I’m pretty certain that this isn’t really the next Samsung Android phone, but I have to wonder how close they can get.  I’d buy it, and I’m sure more than a handful of you guys would, too.

Paul the ‘psychic’ octopus predicted the winners of all Germany’s World Cup clashes, and then the victors in the final, by selecting one of two boxes, each loaded with a mussel food treat and marked on the outside with one of the teams.

Stefan Porwoll, the manager of the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany that the tentacled psychic called home, said Paul appeared to have died peacefully of natural causes during the night.

“We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life here and that the care provided for him by our dedicated displays team could not have been bettered,” Porwoll said.

Staff at the centre said his death was not entirely unexpected, since common octopuses generally live only a couple of years. “His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself,” Porwoll said. “We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine.”

He added: “While this may seem a curious thing to do for a sea creature, Paul achieved such popularity during his short life that it may be deemed the most appropriate course of action.”

Paul will achieve lucrative immortality in commercial enterprises ranging from special clothing lines to a mobile phone application, and will feature in a documentary to be released early next year.

His final prediction was that England would win the right to host the World Cup in 2018.

If you are looking for an easy and quick method of monitoring your Android device’s CPU, battery charge, SD and local memory, the “Mini Info” system monitor is definitely one of the best options.

While there are many similar apps available, Mini Info allows you to customize what you want to see, or view everything in one 2×1 widget seen in the image above on the left. You can also access an enhanced view by clicking on the widget (seen in the image above on the right) that will let you see detailed info for RAM and CPU, network, volume, brightness, as well as everything from the widget view.

The Mini Info system monitor is available for free and for all Android users. Search “Mini Info” in the Android Marketplace.

If you are an Android phone user and want to enrich his/her smartphone experience by using some great applications, then today’s list of mine is for you. I have gathered 5 Android applications which I feel help out the Android smartphone user in a variety of ways.

Read on and let me in the comments what you think.

1. JuiceDefender

The constant connection of our phone with WiFi and internet services uses up a lot of our phones battery unnecessarily. JuiceDefender is a great application that turns off our internet connections and then on again on our Android handsets. There is a widget too that can do the same(APN ON/OFF) but Juice Defender have lots of more to do. Not only does this save battery but also keeps away those sporadic email and other notifications which distract us from other tasks at hand.

2. TuneWiki

TuneWiki lets us view the lyrics of the songs being played on our Android phone. My favorite feature of this application is that it syncs the lyrics with the song so we view the lyrics currently being song. The accuracy of the lyrics was remarkable and I was quite impressed. It was awesome.

3. ToggleSettings

ToggleSettings is a control-panel-type of application which is a must-have for all Android phone owners. It gives us quick and easy access to all our settings in one simple screen. Having used it once and realizing how important it is, you will wonder why it does not come with Android in the first place.

4. MissedCall

To check our missed phone calls or notifications of any other sort, we need to turn on the screen of our phone. Missed Call, lets users customize the LED notification light so that it blinks in the event of a missed call, text message or even an active Bluetooth Connection. Using this application, Android users can more easily tell if there are any notifications for them to check.

5. Shazam Encore

Are you not sure what song that is playing on the radio or on TV? Crack open Shazam and hold it near the source long enough for the free app to get a fix. Shazam compares the recorded song with music in its database and will return a match to your song. In Shazam lingo, this is “tagging” a song, identifying its name and artist. Shazam for Android remembers the music you tag and gives you a chance to buy it yourself via the Amazon MP3 store on your phone. If you can’t get enough of the song, you can also watch a YouTube video, if there’s one available.

Gone are the days of the Apple ruling the Smartphone application market, with its App Store. Google ensures it’s foothold in the competitive market with its own Android Market, churning out one great application after the other. With a massive range from useful utilities, addons, games, entertainment and serious business niches, the Android application range is absolutely outstanding. What makes these apps so great? One word: Simplicity. Let’s have a look at some of the most widely used Android applications out there.

1.    Ringdroid – Make Your Own Ringtones

One amazing, intuitive and an addictive application designed exclusively for the Android platform, Ringdroid is a ringtone composing application, which allows you to mix and match your own tunes within seconds. An extremely simple, non-intimidating interface along with a great set of features, the Ringdroid is a must have for all Android users.

2.    Google Listen – Create Personalized Podcasts

If you’re an avid podcast audiophile, then you know how much it pricks to be on the move without the latest updates from your sources. Google Listen allows you to carry your podcasts on the move, letting you listen to the latest and hottest updates out there. The application also allows the user to save the episodes to the phone itself, allowing you to listen to them at leisure when you get time. A must have application for the podcast fanatic.

3.    WaveSecure – Anti-Theft Application

If you’re prone to losing your phones, WaveSecure helps you to retrieve it easily and helps to keep your data intact and secure from malignant attacks. With features like Remote Lock-Down, this clenches up all the info within the phone, WaveSecure maybe the ultimate solution to retrieving and securing data on lost phones.

4.    3DCoche – Dude, HERE’s my Car!

Lost your car in a huge parking lot? Can’t remember where you parked your car last? No need to go “Dude, Where’s My Car?” 3DCoche will help you find your car, faster than you can say its name. Using the application is ridiculously easy. Once you park your car, fire up the application and save your current location. The application makes use of Google Maps and Augmented reality, to remember and find your car. Interesting eh?

5.    DocumentsToGo – Carry Your Office Suite With You!

Of all the applications in the Android Market, one that stands out and appeals to the businessman on the move is the DocumentsToGO.  Expanding the potential of the Android phone to include an entire office suite onto the portable device is an amazing offer. From Microsoft supported word, powerpoint and excel documents to Adobe’s PDF format, it’s all supported on this application.

6.    Evernote – Note Taking Was Never this fun!

Android phones usually don’t come with a default note taking application. One requires manually downloading and installing a 3rd party software application for this purpose. So, if you’re going to do so, why not get an application which synchronizes various notes, files and photos across various platforms? This application is still in beta, but can kick some serious ass.

7.    Flixster – Movies on the Go!

Flixster, well known for its amazing movie rental service, had ogled all the iPhone users and now it’s Android’s turn to do the same for its own audience. Flixster Movies has helped millions of users figure out and find brand new movies they would like to watch on their phones. The best part of this application is that it’s FREE. Users can connect to Facebook directly from the app itself and share their views regarding the last movie they saw.

8.    FxCamera – Fundroid your Camera

Bored of the default camera application on your phone? Need something new and fun to play around with? Well, FxCamera should keep you entertained for quite some time. Stuffed with loads of features such as  ToyCam, Polandroid, Fisheye, SymmetriCam, Warhol and normal modes, the application makes taking picture a hell lot worth the effort. You’d rather want to be behind the lens rather than infront of it, once you see the app. If your phone has flash, this application will support that as well. So, if you’re a shutter bug, this application is meant for you, hands down.

9.    Twidroid – THE Android Twitter Application

Being the only perfected Twitter application for the Android platform, Twidroid, has an amazing set of features, which will keep the Twitter Addict on his finger tips 24×7 (pun intended). There are two versions, the free one and the paid one. The paid one has a lot more features than you can ever want, including the Bit.ly short URL-ing support, multi-account support, and shaking phone to refresh the page, etc. The application is an amazing alternative to its competitors, with a fresh, clean and simple interface t work with. Get it NOW!

10.    Wapedia – Wikipedia Unleashed on the Android

Wapedia is one of the most fastest and most intuitive applications designed for the Android platform. With access to over 3 million articles over the internet, Wapedia gives you access to almost all the pages from Wikipedia and tons of other Wiki’s over the internet right to your phone. It’s quite fast, even on simple 2G networks, along with multiple language support as well. The application also shows up featured content from the wikis such as the latest news and trends. A must have android application for the general knowledge enthusiasts.

That quite well about rounds up the never-so-ending list of gorgeous and mind boggling applications designed exclusively for the Android platform. Indeed, the true iPhone competitors are now surfacing, thanks to the Google’s Android OS, which helps to bridge two ends of a horizon, both software and hardware alike. If you don’t own an Android phone, don’t call yourself as a tech-enthusiast individual. Keep your eyes peeled for more such roundups of great Android applications on this site.

SOURCE : ANDROIDAPPS.ORG

Dear Friends of Friends:
After a long wait, UC Thunder V1.0 Beta Beta Android platform has finally launched it!

More resources, more speed,more stable version of the experience waiting for you!
In order to improve the user experience we hope that we actively participate, make their own comments and suggestions(we will set up special collection of bug and comments posted.)

The implementation features:
1, support cmwap / cmnet, uniwap / uninet, 3gwap/3gnet, wifi access point to download.
2, available from input URL (HTTP, FTP, BT, Thunder address (thunder ://), Express address (flashget://), address eDonkey (ed2k://)) download function.
3, support for open local bt torrent files to download.
4, the default provision of the software, film, music, games, themes and other recommended download.
5, available for download resource search functionality, including music, software, themes and other resources search.
6, available for download and download capabilities ofthe task management function.
7, client support background to download and display the progress associated with front suspension frame.
8, support and UC Browser 7.4 Beta version of each call.
9, support and UC associatedwith the browser version of 7.4 Beta download, currentlysupports BT / FTP / Thunder /Express / resources associated with eDonkey download.
10, support associated with the phone comes with a browser to download, the download currently supports HTTP resources.
Note:

1, and UC is currently only supported browser 7.4 Beta version and later used in conjunction with the association.
2, UC Thunder download module in the continuous optimization, the download speeds will continue to improve the next version.
3, using the Wifi access pointdownload, the number of tasks more quickly when thetotal, there will be instability.
4, please download and install the UC Browser 7.4 Beta Version ( Portal ), use and function of the association between UC Thunder.
5, the results of the current search resources may include resources not part of Android platform.
6, the phone closed beta version is already installed on the Friends of the Friends of the UC Thunder, first uninstall the old version and then re-download the beta version to use.
7, have any questions, comments or suggestions can be posted in the thread to the bug to collect feedback.

Testing my Android fone..

IMozilla announced the launch of Firefox 4 for Android Beta 1 is now available for download. In the browser wars, everyone has their preference and the desktop is no longer the only battleground. While IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and others fight for marketshare on desktops and laptops, there are many different breeds of mobile browsers. Where will the almighty Mozilla Firefox fit in?

You can download the beta here and check out there just post press release here.

Firefox for Android is built using the same technology as the desktop version, just optimized for mobile. Some key things to look out for include:

Firefox Sync
Add-ons
Awesome Bar
Awesome Screen
Pinch-to-zoom

I think one of the most powerful features will be the ability for developers to build 3rd party add-ons to the mobile browser. Apps serve one purpose, but I can see mobile browser add-ons serving significant alternate purposes as well, and Firefox enables devs to HTML5, CSS, and Javascript to create their add-ons.

Head on over to the Mozilla Blog and download the Android Beta of Firefox 4 for Mobile now!!!

Privacy Star is an app for Android phones which lets you tackle those unwanted calls from people you have never expecting a call from.The app was initially available for Blackberry phones and is pretty popular.  The updated version of the Android app supports even Blocking of unwanted SMS or Text Messages.

The app comes with a free 7 day trial after which it would cost 2.99 USD per month. PrivacyStar is more of a Service rather than an app. It totally worth trying incase you a victim of SMS spam.PrivacyStar is available for download from the Android market.

Press Release

PrivacyStar already provides comprehensive and unlimited call blocking. Subscribers can block individual numbers, entire area codes or enter a series of wildcard characters for a truly personalized service. Now subscribers can block unwanted text messages, including spam from telemarketers who use the Internet or VoIP to generate mobile spam.

“The ability to block SMS text messages and carrier billing are two of the top requests we receive from the PrivacyStar community,” said Jeff Stalnaker, CEO of First Orion. “Therefore we are happy to introduce text message blocking for our Android users and very soon an easy way for AT&T and T-Mobile PrivacyStar subscribers to subscribe to our service. We will continue to listen to our subscribers about the features and functionality they want.”

PrivacyStar’s text blocking function is easy to use. From the settings menu, a user can select to block SMS text messages in addition to blocking phone calls from that number.

PrivacyStar Features and Benefits

• Call Blocking – Block individual numbers, entire area codes, all private or unknown numbers and wildcard characters

• SMS Text Message Blocking – Block SMS text messages

• Caller ID – While the phone is ringing, PrivacyStar displays the name of the calling party

• Caller Lookup – Identify unknown callers by name and take appropriate action, such as adding to the contacts list or Privacy List

• SmartBlock – Employs crowdsourced data from PrivacyStar users to automatically block the most blocked numbers as determined by the entire user population

• Do Not Disturb – Forwards all non blocked incoming calls to voicemail and sends a custom text message acknowledging the call

• Report Potential Telemarketing and Debt Collection Violations – Upon the user’s request, PrivacyStar captures detailed information about possible violations including date, time, number and identity. PrivacyStar allows users to easily provide this information to law enforcement authorities so they may take action

• Web Portal – Fully integrated personal web portal to manage the PrivacyStar account, block and unblock callers, and perform number look-ups. The portal also provides additional details on violations

• Future Proof – Easily transfer PrivacyStar user information from one device to another such as to a new smartphone

Pricing and Availability

PrivacyStar is available for a no risk free 7-day trial period.  For continued service, PrivacyStar is available for $2.99 (USD) per month or for discounted semi-annual and annual periods. PrivacyStar is available for download at the Android Market or http://www.privacystar.com. And, very soon, Android AT&T and T-Mobile customers will be able to subscribe to PrivacyStar by selecting the service on their monthly statement.