Root Only App Store for Android?

An idea was thrown out the the world on Google+ (Koushik Dutta) for a root only android app store. A place for apps related to rooting your phone, or other mods, along with all the stuff that Google and Amazon have banned from their app stores. 

 

 I think it is a great idea.  I would love to see this happen and would love to contribute however I can.  Check out the post (at the below links) and give your own feedback.

Sources AndroidAndMe.com, Google+

PS: Don't forget to check out (and download) the Old Android App here!

Make Your Phone Look Like an iPhone or Windows Phone 7

Love the ability to change up the look of your phone?  Have a friend with an Apple iPhone or Microsoft Windows Phone 7 device that likes to brag about how incredible the interface is?  Well that’s one of the great things about Android.  You have the ability to change up your home menu to make it look like another type of phones.

Today I am going to show you a couple of great home replacement apps that will make your phone look like an iPhone or a Windows Phone 7 phone.  

Starting off with the iPhone we have an app called EspierLauncher.  It provides a nearly identical home screen to the iPhone. If you are familiar with the MUIU custom rom, it gives you the same sort of interface without having to reflash your whole phone. It gives you a bunch of iPhone features:

1. The ability to have the universal search as a screen to the left of the home screen.

2. Pressing and holding an app allows you to either put it into a folder, move them around, or uninstall them.

3. No app tray.

4. It auto loads all of your icons into the home screen pages.

5. Plus a bunch more iPhone looking coolness.

Next up is the Windows Phone 7 interface, which I will affectionately refer to as WP7. For that we will turn our attention over to an app appropriately called Launcher7.  Launcher7 gives you the start screen look of WP7 along with the ability to customize your tiles, and pin an app to the start screen.  it also allows you to swipe to the right screen and get a full list of all your apps. The colors are customizable and you can even create custom tiles using your own images.

So that is a couple of examples of ways you can change up your Android phone to make it look more like and iPhone or a Windows Phone 7 phone.  

PS: Don't forget to check out (and download) the Old Android App here!

Phone Troubleshooting

Quick Download: Phone Tester - SD Tools - SMS Backup & Restore

If you are having a problem with your phone there are a few apps that can help you get to the bottom of it yourself, without having to take it in for repair (or to at least help the tech at the repair place).

From touchscreen issues to the memory card not working, try these apps to help figure out what went wrong.  Plus, as an added bonus, I have included an app to backup your text messages, since Google doesn't save those for you automatically...

For starters download Phone Tester. Phone Tester is an app that tests all of the major components of your phone.  The first app I download if I think there is a problem with the phone.  It tests:
*Device's sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, compass...
*Wifi: internal & external IP, gateway, DHCP server...
*GPS: latitude, longitude, speed...
*Battery: health, level of charge...
*Multitouch screen: how many fingers recognize your device?(not available in Android 1.6)
Also displays system information about hardware and software like RAM, kernel version, screen, ...

 Next up is an app that is designed just to test your SD card.  Most Android devices have a memory card slot and sometimes there can be issues with reading or writing to the card.   With SD Tools you can scan your card to see all of the manufacturer info about the card (like making sure the great deal you bought on ebay or amazon wasn't a counterfeit) plus the main feature of the app is that it tests the read and write speeds of your card. 

If you do detect a problem and decide to do a hard reset on your phone, or take it it for repair, you may want to do a backup of your text messages. If so you will want to download SMS Backup & Restore.  It will save your text messages to the memory card and then allow you to restore them back to the phone once the phone is reset.

So hopefully these apps will help you out if you are having issues with your phone.  Keep an eye out for additions as I find more great troubleshooting apps.

PS: Don't forget to check out (and download) the Old Android App here!

Beautiful Widgets (For Free)

I just noticed that on the GetJar.com site they are offering one of the best selling Android apps of all time for FREE.  Beautiful Widgets is a widget collection that provides a fully customizable clock with weather along with a large list of toggle widgets that you can use to turn on and off things like wifi, 4g, brightness adjustments, etc.

From the Developer:
- Super Clock widget with weather, battery or just the clock 4x3 4x2 4x1 2x1
- Weather only widget 4x1 1x1
- Battery widget 1x1
- Date widget 2x1 1x1
- Text Clock simple widget 2x1
- Toggles widgets 1x1
- Home widgets with clock and weather and 300 skins 4x1 2x1


To download to your phone:

1. 1) go to m.getjar.com on your phone
2. 2) Select Quick Download at the bottom of the page
3. 3) Enter 231883

PS: Don't forget to check out (and download) the Old Android App here!

WidgetLocker Lockscreen - Paid app of the week

(As a new feature of the site we will be discussing the paid app of the week.  Here you will find a hand-tested personally recommended paid app every app.)

This weeks paid app is WidgetLocker. WidgetLocker is a cool app that allows you to change up your lock screen and add a ton of functionality to your phone.  The main feature is that it gives you the ability to add home screen widgets and shortcuts to your lock screen, therefore you aren't wasting all that phone screen.

WidgetLocker (on left), Waaaaay cooler.

It also gives you the option to change the look of the lockscreen so that it can look like stock, HTC Sense, Samsung Touchwiz, or even the iPhone...


From the Developer:

Customize your lock screen!
WidgetLocker is a lock screen replacement that puts you in control of the look, feel and layout of your lock screen.
- Drag and Drop placement of Sliders, Android Widgets and App Shortcuts
- Sliders look selectable from built-in styles (Android, Sense, Motorola 2.2, iPhone, and Android 2.0 Rotary) or from user-themes.
- Slider Actions can be customized, for example Slide-to-launch-Camera or Slide-to-call-your-Girlfriend.
- Resizable widgets and custom grid size
- Notification badges on apps/sliders via ADWNotifier ( http://t.co/LDKMQii )
- Customize which widgets/buttons are allowed or blocked at the lock screen
- Optional Easy Wake Mode, allows all hardware buttons to wake, rather than just the power button (Does not work on all phones)
Portions of WidgetLocker are based on the excellent ADW.Launcher ( http://t.co/YvVMkGc ) by Ander Webb and friends.
Official Gingerbread 2.3.3+ breaks trackball wake: http://goo.gl/NaSwN
CM7 widget disappearing fix has been accepted by the CM team, expect it in a nightly soon: http://goo.gl/9xkex

It is available from multiple app stores:
Android Market: $1.99
App Brain: $1.99
Amazon: $1.99

PS: Don't forget to check out (and download) the Old Android App here!

Old School Role Playing Games (RPGs)

If you are a fan of some of the old school RPGs out there, and you may have seen the recent article by DroidGamers that states they will be releasing a few Super Nintendo (SNES) era RPGs for Android.

When I read this the first thing that came to mind is SNESoid.  It is a Super Nintendo emulator that plays pretty much any ROM file out there for the SNES.
Since it's move from the Google Market to the Slideme Appstore it is free, so download it, and some SNES rom files of all the games you used to love and play them now instead of waiting.

PS: Don't forget to check out (and download) the Old Android App here!

Featured on SlideMe.org

A couple of points of interest...

1. Our good friend CharlieD had his "Maggie's Cakery" app featured on the Slideme.org homepage, along with their Facebook and Twitter, for the last couple of days, so check it out.

2. The Old Android app is also featured, if you switch the tab from new to updated. Make sure you update your app to keep in touch with the new site URL: oldandroid.com

FINALLY A .COM!

Just a quick not to say that Old Android officially has it's own .com, and not the free .co.cc address that it used to have.  This means that it's easier to type and easier to remember (plus it will play a lot nicer with Google).

Watch for updates to the Old Android App as the address where it gets it's information from will be different. And it needs some work on it's icons too...

PS: Don't forget to check out (and download) the Old Android App here!

Old Android App Updates

Just finished some updates and improvements to the Old Android App, and it should be live on the SlideMe app and site soon.

You may also see the Monticello app there too, which is part of a newer project that I am working on to put together community information apps for local towns and cities. If your town or city could use something like that leave a comment or contact me directly at oldandroidsite@gmail.com.

I also wanted to say thanks for all of the downloads too.  At the time of writing this there are 681 downloads. I find this number to be amazing after the site only being up for such a short amount of time.

PS: Don't forget to check out (and download) the Old Android App here!

Back To School - Student's Edition

As mentioned in the last post it is that time of year for all the young ones to go back to school. To help them prepare for this change from the lazy days of summer I have put together a couple apps that students can use as you are going back to school.

So check out these apps, and remember to be safe out on the roads and watch out for walking kids and school buses!

Name: School Assistant Description: Everything a student needs to keep organized now fits in your pocket! School Assistant is your Android school planner, keep your routine organized with it. You won't forget any tests or works, School Assistant reminds you and lets you see progress charts and statistics. School Assistant can mute your phone and notify you when a class starts based on your schedule. DOWNLOAD

Name: myHomework Description: The best way to keep your school life organized Official myHomework app for Android. Teachers not letting you use your phone in class? Parents on you for missing assignments? Show them you're organized with myHomework. myHomework is focused on apps that make student life easier. Our iPhone version has over one million downloads and now we're bringing that same experience to Android. DOWNLOAD

Name: Dictionary.com Description: Take Dictionary.com's trusted reference content wherever you go. The free Dictionary.com app delivers reference content from Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com. The app also features audio pronunciation, voice-to-text search and Dictionary.com’s popular Word of the Day and Hot Word blog. * Dictionary and Thesaurus * 375,000 words and definitions * 300,000 synonyms and antonyms * Phonetic and audio pronunciation * Spelling suggestions * Example sentences * Word origin and history * Daily content, including Word of the Day and our new Hot Word blog * Voice-to-text search (for the most accurate results, please enunciate clearly and speak slowly) * Favorite words list * Custom backgrounds * Text and email definitions from the app * Word of the Day home screen widget DOWNLOAD

PS: Don't forget to check out (and download) the Old Android App here!

Back To School - Parent's Edition

Well it is that time of year for all the young ones to go back to school.  To help them prepare for this change from the lazy days of summer I have put together a couple apps that parents can use to help your kids cope with back to school.

So check out these apps, and remember to be safe out on the roads and watch out for walking kids and school buses!

Name: School A to Z Description: Do you struggle to understand your child's homework? Does your child need to practice their spelling and times tables? Are you looking for inspiration for projects and assignments? The School A to Z app is an essential tool for every parent of school-aged children. Produced by the NSW Department of Education and Communities, the School A to Z app brings together a wealth of resources to help parents to understand and support their child's homework. DOWNLOAD

Name: My HomeworkNOW & School Alerts Description: Get school alerts and classroom homework with My HomeworkNOW & School Alerts. Stay connected to your school or your child’s school and classes with the My HomeworkNOW & School Alerts mobile application. With this homeworknow app you can: receive school alerts (such as closings, emergencies, back pack notices, announcements, etc.) with real time notifications, view the latest school wide notifications on-demand, view classroom information and homework on-demand, get notifications when teachers update a class page or homework assignment. This app requires that you have a My.HomeworkNOW.com account and that your school or teachers use HomeworkNOW.com as its school to home communication solution. If your school doesn't use HomeworkNOW.com to post classroom happenings, homework, and school alerts, talk to your school administrators and teachers. Let them know you want to receive your school information on your mobile device with HomeworkNOW.com! Don’t have a My.HomeworkNOW.com account? Create one today with your web browser at http://my.homeworknow.com. Add your school and classes to your account, then choose all your communication preferences (text message, email, mobile apps, Facebook, RSS, etc.). IF YOUR SCHOOL DOES NOT USE HOMEWORKNOW, TELL THEM YOU WANT THEM TO! (http://my.homeworknow.com/tell.php). About HomeworkNOW.com: Through a web browser, Facebook, email, Text Messages, Mobile Apps for iPhone and Android, RSS feeds, and more, HomeworkNOW.com makes it possible for schools to communicate to parents and students in any manner the parent or student choose. Used by teachers, administrators, and parent-teacher organizations of thousands of k-12 schools, HomeworkNOW is the most efficient means of keeping students & parents connected. Its web based. Ad free. No software or staff needed. Communicate without cost. Tell your school administrators about HomeworkNOW.com today! DOWNLOAD

PS: Don't forget to check out (and download) the Old Android App here!

Mobile Payments

So you want to do some online shopping, or make payments to an individual right from your phone. There are a couple of apps for that. Below you will find information about the Paypal App, which has been around for a little while, along with the new Serve app, which is a new online payment service by American Express.

Name: Paypal Description: Send money to your friends, manage your account, and more, with the PayPal app. It’s free, secure and more convenient than going to the bank, writing checks, or sending gifts the old way. · Send money as a gift, split the bill, or repay a friend for FREE* · Snap a photo of your check to add money directly from the app, no fees apply (US only) · Check your balance, withdraw money, or view past transactions – anytime, anywhere · SD card support and improved app performance · Use the PayPal local feature to find businesses nearby that accept PayPal as payment (US only) · As always, your information is secure with PayPal *Free to send money within the US when you use a bank account or PayPal balance. DOWNLOAD

Name: Serve Description: Serve.com, provided by American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. Send and receive money from anywhere in the U.S. with Serve℠. Whether you’re paying back a friend, giving your child an allowance, or receiving money, it's a quick, easy and secure way to perform your everyday transactions. The Serve app gives you the control, convenience and flexibility to manage your money from anywhere in the U.S. at any time. With the Serve app, you can: * Register for Serve * Send and receive money from friends and family * Request money from an individual or group * Split-the-Bill for group purchases * Add funds to your Serve account * Check your balance and manage your subaccounts Serve accounts are available to U.S. residents only. To enjoy all the tools the app has to offer, invite your friends to open an account too! DOWNLOAD

Android... On Blackberry???

This is news for all the people out there that either have a Blackberry and love it, or are stuck with a Blackberry for work email. It looks like RIM has decided to include a "app player" in it's upcoming versions of their Blackberry OS.

This is great news considering more and more developers are jumping to Android making the Market have hundreds of thousands of apps available, as opposed to the minimal number Blackberry has.

If you have a Blackberry Playbook there is a leaked version of the "App Player" of it floating around that you can load onto your current Playbook. Our friends at n4bb.com have more information on the leak.

From their site:

Wow, here is a serious surprise for PlayBook owners. Apparently, this was easily found through a changelog in a Desktop Manager update. We’ve been sent a beta build of the Android App Player for the PlayBook. It is a huge file, lags a bit, has no visible back button (you have to swipe left on the bottom bezel), but we’re told nonetheless it works. The app itself is controlled through a series of swipe gestures. This beta version is fairly old, so don’t hold it against them. You of course have to side-load the .bar file to install. Google search for DDPB installer to side-load easily.

Download PlayBook Android App Player from:

• BlackBerry.com

Mirror download links:

• RapidShare
• MegaUpload
• DepositFiles
• HotFile
• zShare
• Uploading
• FileServe

Frogger by Konami - Free Amazon Appstore App 10/26/11

Name: Frogger by Konami
Description:
For those of you of a certain age--remember video arcades? the Atari 2600?--this is an absolutely must-have app. Newbies will love it too, especially kids. It's not just any classic video game of yesteryear--it's FROGGER.

Blast from the Past
If you played video games in the early 1980s, you remember Frogger. Along with Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, this was one of the biggest early successes in the industry. Anybody could play Frogger--all you had to do was guide the green amphibian across the street and over the logs and turtles to his slot on the other side of the river. Simple, but totally addicting.

The Original and Best
Don't be fooled by imitations--this is the real thing, published by the original manufacturer, Konami. You get the same look and feel, and moving your frog is smooth as silk with the slide controls. If you have trouble with sliding, you have the option of moving by tapping the screen. No more stiff joysticks to worry about!

Why? To Get to the Other Side
A frog's world is full of danger. Speeding cars and trucks clog the four-lane freeway you must cross just to get to the riverbank--be careful you don't end up with tire tracks on your back. You have to be equally quick and adept on the river, because the logs move fast and if you go off the edge of the screen, it's curtains. Try to carry the cute female frogs to safety and eat the flies for bonus points, but watch out for crocodiles or you'll become lunch yourself!

Phantom Phroggie
An interesting twist in this version is Phantom Mode, which guides you during the game by showing the route you took in your best game. In regular mode, you can post your high scores online and see who the top guns are with OpenFeint. Happy hopping!