In today’s busy world, it is very, very important to keep track of time and where you are wasting it. With so many distractions, especially with internet-connected computers (handheld or otherwise), it is becoming more difficult to stay focus and productive. On the desktop, we have software like StayFocus’d and on mobile platforms, well, the list is basically empty. That is until today. An app called App Timer has been released that lets you keep track of how much time you’re spending on selected apps. Check it out after the jump.

Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire is one of the best tablets money can buy for under $300. Besides offering tight integration with Amazon’s services and doubling as a great eBook reader, it is hacker-friendly: the device is rooted, has lots of great ROMs available and is heavily supported by a vibrant community of skilled developers. Earlier today, we received news of the official release of MIUI for Kindle Fire. The good news is that it is based on Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich and is pretty stable (for a ROM in Alpha state). Things like USB tethering, static wallpapers, hardware acceleration and themes don’t work, but they will be in the future. Check out our step-by-step guide after the jump!

Dropbox is pretty much the most popular cloud storage and syncing service in the market today. It is Redmond Pie’s favorite such service because of the fact that a. it syncs seamlessly with popular mobile, desktop platforms such as Android, Linux, iOS, OS X, Windows etc. b. besides the free 2GB starting storage space, the company regularly gives away free space for promoting their service and beta-testing preview releases. Dropbox has its fair share of competitors – Amazon Cloud Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive and SugarSync to name a few – but none of them have achieved the same level of popularity. Now, according to a recently published report, Google is looking to get into the cloud storage and syncing game. Details after the jump!

One of the most reasons why Android enthusiasts keep sticking to Android is its relative flexibility and vibrant developer/hacker community. While wireless carriers try to ensure a controlled user experience, talented folks from forums like XDA-Developers, Rootzwiki etc. keep coming up with ways to set Android devices free from the shackles of these wireless carriers. This setting free is called “rooting” and what comes after rooting is what makes Android… Android. You can change every single aspect of the software on your device to make it look and work just the way you want it. Of course, to do this yourself you need some pretty l33t hacking skills, but thanks to a newly released app called Omega Files Kitchen, you can customize and “cook” your own ROM. Check it out after the break.

Apple usually announces a new iPad every Feb-March and we are once again in that period of time when all sorts of “inside sources” say that they’ve got a solid month/day for when the next iPad will release. According to a new report published today, Apple will be unveiling the iPad 3 in the first week of March. Details after the jump!

While most people I know prefer sites like 9GAG, my personal favorite social news website is Reddit for one very simple reason: its community is, undoubtedly, the best you can find on the internet. Whether its helping you out when you’ve lost hope in everyone you know or making you laugh out loud at the mundane-est of topics, these guys will always be there for you. I love you, Reddit. With that awkward bit out of the way, let’s get into this awesome Reddit app we came across recently. It’s called RedditSync and, as the name suggests, it lets your sync posts on Reddit to view offline when you don’t have access to internet. Check it out after the break.

If you thought texting and driving was a dangerous combination, wait till you hear about texting and walking! Yes, while it isn’t as risky as texting and driving, texting and walking has its own risks: bumping into lamp posts, tripping on the stairs and getting hit by a car are just a few of the potential risks. The greatest countermeasure against this is, of course, to simply not text and walk but not everyone is willing to do that. Keeping that in mind, a new app called Transparent Screen has been released on Android that lets you see through your device’s screen for potential obstacles that you may come across while walking on the streets. Check it out after the jump.

It is finally, finally here, folks! Google has just announced and released Chrome for Android. It’s everything you love about Chrome on your desktop, now in mobile form. We are very excited about this piece of news as we are big, big fans of Google Chrome here at Redmond Pie. Details and download link available after the jump!

With the advent of the smartphone and handheld gaming consoles such as the iPod touch, “gaming on the go” has taken a whole new meaning. Games like Angry Birds, Doodle Jump and Fruit Ninja have active gamers in the millions which is quite close to the most popular console and PC games. More recently, a platforming game called Temple Run was released for iOS devices. As of typing, it is 3rd most popular free app on the App Store with a reported 7 million daily active users, and we’ve received news that it is coming to Android in just a couple of days! Details after the jump.

Folks who have watched futuristic science-fiction films and/or played futuristic first-person-shooters will probably be familiar with the term “HUD” which stands for Heads Up Display. These displays are included as part of the headgear and offer real-time information about whatever is in front of and around the person wearing it. Well, according to a recently published report, Google is working on “HUD Glasses” that work on a similar concept, and it is “coming soon”. Details after the jump!

Smartphones are the ultimate example of the convergence of technology. They play your music, TV shows, movies, take great photos, run games, can act as a flashlight, let you browse the internet, send/receive email and, before I get, let you make calls and send text messages. You can now add one more feature to that list: scan your documents. Yes, a new app called Handy Scanner essentially turns your Android phone into a document scanner. Check it out after the break.

When Siri was introduced back in early October, it was regarded as one of iPhone 4S’s greatest features. Siri, as most of you already know, is a voice-based personal assistant and a knowledge navigator that uses natural language processing to let users give it a wide variety of questions and commands in everyday language. It then taps into services like Yelp!, Google, Wolfram-Alpha and iOS system apps to give the required answer.

Samsung’s Galaxy S II smartphone was released around in the world back in May-June 2011 and we are now closing into the reveal and release of its successor – the Galaxy S III.

Google’s Nexus series of “Android experience” smartphones are always first in line when it comes to getting the latest updates to the Android OS. The latest Nexus device – the Samsung Galaxy Nexus – is currently on Android 4.0.2 and, today, we’ve received news of a leaked build of Android 4.0.4 for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

Dropbox is amongst the most popular file-hosting and file-syncing services and for good reason: it syncs files seamlessly, works on a bunch of platforms and, in addition to the free 2GB space, the company gives away free space to users every once in a while.

Developer koush’s ClockworkMod Recovery is the most popular custom recovery today. It is used and recommended by just about every Android enthusiast out there because of its availability on a wide variety of devices.

Google recently introduced PIN protection for Android Market. Its objective, of course, is to ensure kids don’t accidentally buy apps with your credit card credentials stored on your phone. Today, we came across a very simple, straightforward method to basically bypass this protection. Check it out after the break.

While most people prefer off-screen, real buttons for their smartphones and tablets, there are plenty who like virtual buttons because of their context-sensitivity. Any many of you will know, Ice Cream Sandwich for the Galaxy Nexus comes with these context-sensitive buttons and it is now possible to get it on any other Ice Cream Sandwich ROM. Check out the step-by-step guide after the jump.

Mobile ads are getting more and more belligerent these days. From the usual in-app ads, to whole widgets dedicated to serving ads and even pushing ads to the notification bar. Unsolicited notification bars ads space are, perhaps, the most annoying of the lot because a. they use up space in the notification bar b. it is often difficult to tell which app is responsible for them.

We like covering powerful networking apps here at Redmond Pie. About two months ago, we covered WiFiKill which allowed you to cut network connections of devices on WiFi and today, we’ll be talking about Network Spoofer. Details and download link after the jump!