It sometimes really doesn't matter how hard companies like Apple and Google try to make their devices and operating systems the best and most powerful on the market, users just occasionally want to try something a little different. As you would expect, devices running the Android operating system always ship with a built-in native music player app which allows playback of any track that is imported to the device. Unfortunately, native apps don't always offer a one-size-fits-all solution, meaning people are often forced to look elsewhere.
Anyone who is an avid user of the top of the range smartphone or tablet such as the iPhone 4S, iPad or the new Google Nexus 7 tablet will appreciate the difference that a beautiful looking app can bring. Functional apps are all well and good, after all, we expect a purchase or download to fulfill its purpose but an app that does what it says on the tin while looking beautiful pushes the user-experience to a new level.
VLC Media Player from VideoLAN has long stood out as the media player of choice among consumers. Famed for handling just about any media format you could care to throw at it, it’s certainly the best in the business, and although the VLC Media Player app was tossed from the App Store by Apple, VideoLAN as bounced back, offering an iteration for Google’s Android platform.
With the final chapter in the trilogy of Christian Bale's Batman - Dark Knight Rises - having launched worldwide yesterday, the iOS title also made its way over to the App Store to supplement its box office release. Now, casually late as usual, the Android iteration is available to download over at the Google Play Store at the cost of $6.99.
ClockworkMod Recovery is the de-facto standard when it comes to custom recoveries on Android. It packs a wide variety of powerful features that make it an absolute must have for those of you who like to flash new ROMs regularly while keeping their personal data safe.
The Android app ecosystem is getting stronger and stronger as more and more developers realize that, despite its fragmentation issues, Android is a platform that is worth developing for because of ever increasing market share. We’ve seen big name iOS apps like Instagram and Instapaper release on Android; a trend that was initiated by games when titles Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds made the jump.
Have I told you about the sheer variety of launchers available on Android? If you’ve read previous posts by yours truly, I’m sure you’ve already hear me this. There are all sorts of launchers that cater to different user needs. You’ve got ones that promise the best performance, ones that offer the best set of features and ones that claim to offer the best of both. Other launchers are usually ports of customized launchers from OEMs like Samsung, HTC, LG and Motorola.
The fact our mobile devices offer various types of connectivity is a wonderful thing, since it allows us to connect to the web with relative ease, lessening the need to open a notebook or fire-up a desktop computer. The convenience doesn't come without its drawbacks, however, and if, for example, you leave Wi-Fi connected indefinitely, you'll find your battery isn't as accommodating as it perhaps should be.
Last month, we notified you of the soon-to-drop Dark Night Rises game, a supplementary offering to the final edition of Christian Bale's Batman trilogy. The title will release for both Android and iOS, both of which are expected to arrive next Friday, 20th July - a day after the movie hits the cinemas worldwide.
Google has been branching out beyond its famed Maps app for the past couple of years in order to offer its customers a more well-rounded and feature-rich navigation experience. With Apple ousting Google Maps from iOS - a large source of the Web company's revenue - the work Google has put into enhancing its own services has been evident.
