The native ability of most mobile devices to take screenshots can be incredibly useful, particularly if, like us, you're in the business of reviewing apps and games. As you may have noticed from some of our jailbreak posts, adding a device-like frame can turn a boring old capture into a beautiful, lifelike impression of a device in action, and although Photoshop skills tend to be required for these kinds of edits to be made, you can now add such frames natively on both iOS and Android. We've found two of the best apps in Screenshot - Frame Maker for iOS and Device Frame Generator for Android, and if you'd like to visually enhance some of your screen captures, check out the lowdown on each after the break!
There are those bands of Android and iOS users that see the interchanging of features between the two as some kind of satanic gesture. An iOS wallpaper for Android? Forget it! An HTC clock widget gracing iOS? Don’t make me laugh! Fortunately, those less closed-minded will recognize that each respective mobile OS has its strengths and weaknesses, and moreover, the vast majority is down to preference. Recognizing that not everybody is a partisan loyalist, the creators of Espier Screen Locker have decided to bring the famed iOS lock screen to Android, and in actual fact, it does look fairly plausible.
Android Jelly Bean 4.2 is inarguably the best version of Google's mobile OS to date. As well as being almost as smooth as its Cupertino rival thanks to the heavily-publicized Project Butter, it provides a vast array of functions which many users on older generations could usually only dream of. However, considering the vast majority of Droidsters are on older software, and with some of the more antiquated handsets having little to no hope of seeing any of Jelly Bean's niceties any time soon, developer AntTek has sought to bring one newer feature to those languishing on Android 2.1 - 4.1. Named AntTek Quick Settings, it brings Jelly Bean's useful quick setting feature to any device running on the aforementioned software versions, and with no root required whatsoever, this one is truly accessible to everybody.
Firefox has been one browser that has improved a lot over time, and while Internet Explorer continues to receive the negative feedback from users across the globe, Mozilla’s offering has actually grown into a worthy contender against almost any internet browser, most notably Google Chrome. Mozilla’s focus towards bringing the best of the best to its users continues, and with the release of Firefox 20, they’ve brought some much needed (and appreciated) enhancements to their already popular browser. The new Firefox 20 has not only been released for desktop systems – including Windows, OS X and Linux – but also for Android, albeit with a slightly different change log. Let’s take a look at what’s new and improved just past the fold.
Google offers an impressive array of useful apps, and one of the benefits of owning an Android device is that each Google App, or GApp, is offered right from the company's famed Play Store. Akin to the Web and desktop versions of apps such as Drive, Keep, Maps and Translate, the mobile versions offer clean, minimalistic and uniform interfaces; but if you're looking for something a little alternative to that quintessentially-Google appearance, one developer has spent a great deal of time inverting the color schemes of said apps to give a radically different appearance. One look is described as "transparent", whilst the other, darker look is "blacked-out", and if you feel as though your Google apps are looking a little washed-out, you may want to check out these modded APKs.
There's not much we like more than a good emulator here at Redmond Pie. There's something about taking a modern, high specification smartphone and making it run software that was written long before anyone could ever have dreamt about such a think as an iPhone or Galaxy S. We'd call it magical, but Apple might try and take us to court over it.
One of Android’s biggest complaints, or rather, complaints related to the smartphone and tablet OS, is the relatively poor battery life, where most users find it hard to even make it through one full day on a single charge. For this very reason, there exists a slew of battery saving and optimization apps not just in the Google Play Store, but also all over the XDA-Developers forum. Most of these apps deliver what they promise, and are generally very functional. However, there is always room for some new contender in such a market, especially if the approach that it takes is different (and new) compared to existing ones. One similar app in this category is Optimus Battery Saver.
Not so long ago, Google felt it necessary to remove the useful Play Store feature which allowed users to see which apps you'd paid for in the past. What we're left with, is a general summary of every app you've ever downloaded (even those deleted from your device), and while this is not a problem for many, the old system certainly didn't need any alteration. Thankfully, the old system that allowed you to view only purchased apps has made a dramatic return, in the form of a third-party utility called My Purchases.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 may not have been released yet, but already, the thriving modding community has begun extracting it of all its exclusives and treasures, including its beautiful array of HD wallpapers. The Korean company has, naturally, updated and improved its native personal assistant S Voice for the upcoming flagship, and already, a system dump leaked into the wild has given the opportunity for those on preexisting devices to try it out. The app has already been tested by SamMobile on the Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S III and the Nexus 4, and is said to work "flawlessly" on each. Further details - as well as the download link - are coming up after the break.
If you regularly enjoy modding your Android smartphone or tablet by running custom ROMs and such, it stands to reason that your tendency to dabble would also stretch to your computer. XDA Forum Member FrozenCow has, it would seem, taken this idea of a 'modding mentality' to the next level in the development of his DriveDroid app which, as the name implies, allows an Android device to double up as a convenient boot device for your computer.
