Download Squad http://downloadsquad.switched.com Download Squad. http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/downloadsquad.switched.com/media/feedlogo.gif Download Squad http://downloadsquad.switched.com prods@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Producers) support@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Web Support) en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. View our terms of service here: http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[Google gives Gmail YouTube previews, Search Autocomplete, more]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/25/google-gives-gmail-youtube-previews-search-autocomplete-more/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/25/google-gives-gmail-youtube-previews-search-autocomplete-more/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/25/google-gives-gmail-youtube-previews-search-autocomplete-more/#comments YouTube previews in Gmail Gmail Labs is Google's testing ground for experimental Gmail features. Some of the things that pop up in Gmail Labs are so awesome that after a bit of testing it becomes clear that they should become default features available to everyone using Google's email service. Others, not so much.

Last night Google announced that 6 features were graduating from Gmail Labs into Gmail proper while 5 others were being retired. If you were a heavy Labs user, this news won't really affect you at all -- unless you were using some of the freshly retired features.

But if you tend to just use whatever updates Google pushes your way, this means you now have access to previews of YouTube videos attached to your email, an autocomplete feature in the Search Mail box, and a Go To label feature that lets you quickly open labels/folders with a keyboard shortcut. For instance, typing "g" then "w" would open your "Work" label if you happen to have that label set up.

Gmail now also includes a forgotten attachment detector that will scan your email for keywords to determine if it's likely you meant to upload a file attachment. If there's no attachment, a message will pop up asking if you meant to attach a file.

Users can also now use custom label colors and set "vacation dates" for auto-reply messages when you're away from a computer and unable to respond personally to email.

The Labs features that are no longer available are:
  1. Muzzle
  2. Fixed Width Font
  3. Email Addict
  4. Location in Signature
  5. Random Signature
Anyone actually use any of those experimental features and sad to see them go?
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Google gives Gmail YouTube previews, Search Autocomplete, more originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> gmailgmail labsGmailLabsgoogleyoutube previewsYoutubePreviews Brad Linder Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Skype kills off its Windows Mobile client... for now]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/25/skype-kills-off-its-windows-mobile-client-for-now/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/25/skype-kills-off-its-windows-mobile-client-for-now/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/25/skype-kills-off-its-windows-mobile-client-for-now/#comments Skype for Windows Mobile Skype has removed the download links for Skype and Skype Lite for Windows Mobile devices. If you've already got Skype loaded up on your phone or PDA, you can keep using it. But according to Skype's FAQ, the company felt the Windows Mobile version was "not offering the best possible Skype experience."

Of course, pulling the software altogether instead of working furiously to provide an awesome update isn't necessarily the approach I would have taken.

But Skype's explanation does imply that a new and improved Windows Mobile client is on its way. Hopefully whatever new software the company releases will be compatible with the millions of Windows Mobile devices already on the market. But it's possible that Skype only plans to focus on the new Windows Phone 7 Series platform that Microsoft will launch later this year.

Skype continues to offer mobile clients for iPhone, Symbian, Nokia N800/N900 series devices and the Sony PSP.

[via WMPoweruser]
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Skype kills off its Windows Mobile client... for now originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> skypeskype for windows mobileSkypeForWindowsMobilewindows mobileWindowsMobile Brad Linder Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[D-Day for Windows 7 RC approaches]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/25/d-day-for-windows-7-rc-approaches/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/25/d-day-for-windows-7-rc-approaches/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/25/d-day-for-windows-7-rc-approaches/#comments Windows 7 RC Microsoft spent much of 2009 testing Windows 7 before officially launching the operating system. And that test involved thousands of beta and release candidate testers, who downloaded pre-release copies of the operating system which they were effectively able to use for free... for a limited time. Now that time is coming to a close.

If you're still running Windows 7 RC, starting March 1st your PC will shut down automatically every 2 hours. Your work will not be saved. But you can still use the OS, as long as you're willing to put up with periodic interruptions and reboots. It'll be kind of like using Windows 98 all over again.

Come June 1st, the OS fully expires. That doesn't mean it will stop running altogether. But in addition to the automatic shutdown every 2 hours, your desktop background will change to solid black and you'll have a message on the desktop letting you know the RC has expired. Windows 7 RC will also fail any Windows Genuine Advantage tests at that point, meaning you won't be able to validate software that requires a "genuine" copy of Windows and you won't be able to get Windows 7 updates from Microsoft.

You can avoid these issues by replacing Windows 7 RC with another operating system. We'll leave it up to you to decide whether that means Windows XP, a fully licensed copy of Windows 7, or something else altogether. ReactOS, anyone?

Update: Looking to figure out how to upgrade from Windows 7 RC to a full version of Windows 7? We've got you covered.
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D-Day for Windows 7 RC approaches originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> microsoftosupdateswindows 7windows 7 rcWindows7Windows7Rc Brad Linder Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Google Nexus One Review]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/23/google-nexus-one-review/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/23/google-nexus-one-review/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/23/google-nexus-one-review/#comments Google Nexus One browser Google first unveiled its Android operating system for smartphones in 2007. But the Google Nexus One, which was launched last month is the first phone with the Google name attached to the hardware. Google sells the phone through its web site and handles tech support for the smartphone, although mobile service is provided by T-Mobile (and soon Verizon) in the US.

The Nexus One has a faster processor than almost any phone on the market, which makes it incredibly responsive. And it runs Android 2.1, the latest version of Google's mobile operating system. Because this is the first true "Google phone," it's also likely that the Nexus One will be first in line for new over-the-air updates to the operating system and Google's mobile applications such as Google Maps and Google Calendar. Earlier this month Google released one of the first updates for the Nexus One, which made the phone one of the first Android-powered devices to support multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom.

I've been a fan of mobile computing ever since I first realized that you could use a handheld device to manage your calendar, read eBooks, and play video games. My first PDA was a short-lived Philips Nino 300 Windows CE device, and between 2000 and 2005, I purchased at least a dozen different PDAs and handheld PCs including the Compaq Aero 1550, and HP Jornada 720, before settling on a Dell Axim X50v running Windows Mobile 2003SE which I've used for the past 5 years.

The Axim is a great little PDA with a 624MHz CPU and a VGA display. But the OS is starting to show its age and can't run many recently launched mobile applications. And the version of Pocket Internet Explorer that came with Windows Mobile 2003SE is all-but-unusable. Overall, I'm starting to get tired of carrying around a 5-year-old device, even if it does many of the things I need a mobile device to do.

So when Google contacted Download Squad and asked if I'd be interested in reviewing one of the newest, most hyped smartphones around, I jumped at the chance. I've tested the phone for the last few weeks, and there are a lot of things to like -- and some room for improvement.

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Google Nexus One Review originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidgoogle androidgoogle nexus oneGoogleAndroidGoogleNexusOnehardwarenexus oneNexusOnereviewreviewssmartphonewindows mobileWindowsMobile Brad Linder Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[PocketGear buys Handango, consolidates the mobile app store space]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/23/pocketgear-buys-handango-consolidates-the-mobile-app-store-spac/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/23/pocketgear-buys-handango-consolidates-the-mobile-app-store-spac/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/23/pocketgear-buys-handango-consolidates-the-mobile-app-store-spac/#comments PocketGear Before Apple, Google, Nokia, BlackBerry, and Microsoft offered on-device app stores for mobile phones and PDAs, there were web-based stores including PocketGear, Handango, and MobiHand.

These stores are still alive and kicking, and allow you to browse, purchase, and download applications for pretty much any mobile platform except the iPhone -- including Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile, Palm, and BlackBerry.

But it looks like that space is consolidating a bit, with PocketGear announcing that it has just purchased its number one rival, Handango. Buy bringing Handango into the fold, PocketGear now offers more than 140,000 free and paid applications for download.

Of course, downloading apps from the web and then copying them to your device isn't quite as quick or efficient a process as using an in-device mobile app store -- but PocketGear offers one of those too, at least for Windows Mobile.

[via Engadget]

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PocketGear buys Handango, consolidates the mobile app store space originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> app storeAppStorehandangomobihandmobile app storeMobileAppStorepocketgear Brad Linder Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:57:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Google Nexus One Review (touch input, battery life, conclusion)]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/22/google-nexus-one-review-touch-input-battery-life-conclusion/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/22/google-nexus-one-review-touch-input-battery-life-conclusion/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/22/google-nexus-one-review-touch-input-battery-life-conclusion/#comments Google Nexus One Keyboard
Finger v. Stylus

I know people love to complain about stylus input on PDAs and smartphones. They're small, easy to lose, and who can really get the hang of handwriting recognition software? And on-screen or hardware keyboards are generally easy to tap on with two thumbs than a stylus.

But there are a few things that stylus input is far better at than finger input. Aside from handwriting recognition software which is a mixed bag at best, there's the simple act of jotting down a note in your own handwriting -- without asking the software to bother converting it to text. And art and drawing applications are far easier to use with a stylus than a big fat fingertip.

I have lousy handwriting and I'm not an artist, so those things don't bother me much. Here's what does: It's generally harder to tap a precise point on a touchscreen with a fingertip than with a stylus. I find myself tapping the wrong link on a web page all the time on the Nexus One. This is partly a result of the fact that the web browser does show full desktop views of web pages. In a world where more and more web pages are designed for small screens, maybe we'll come up with a better way to create finger-friendly hyperlinks. But we're not there yet.

And when entering text, it's much harder than it needs to be to go back and fix a tpyo. See how I misspelled "typo" in that previous sentence. If I noticed that while typing on the Android at this moment, I'd have to tap at the screen with my finger and hope that the cursor moves to the right spot between the "t" and "p." With a stylus, this would be incredibly easy. With a finger, I'll be lucky if the cursor is near the word "tpyo" instead of the world "fix."

Look, I get it. The iPod has demonstrated that people would prefer to use on-screen keyboards and large, finger-friendly touchscreen buttons rather than fumbling with a stylus and Start Menu. But I really wish that every now and again I could tap on the screen with the back of my fingernail instead of the tip of my finger. Unfortunately, the Nexus One and most finger-friendly touchscreen smartphones simply won't recognize this kind of input.

I'd love to see someone come out with a phone with a touchscreen display that can handle either type of input. Unfortunately, I suspect there's really not much demand for this feature.

Update: As has been pointing out in the comments, the situation isn't as dire as I made it out to be on the Nexus One. There's a trackball beneath the touchscreen that you can use to move the cursor around while entering text. I'd used the trackball a bit while surfing the web to scroll through pages or scroll from link to link. Somehow it didn't occur to me to try it while entering text. Thanks Jon!

Battery

I didn't want to focus too heavily on hardware in this review, but battery life is important when talking about a mobile device like the Nexus One. I didn't perform any scientific tests, but let's put it this way: If you operate the Nexus One with Wifi and 3G enabled all day, you'll probably have to charge it every night.
Battery
If you plan to spend a few hours watching video or playing games, don't expect the phone to last through a full workday. It simply won't. But you can get reasonably good battery life when performing tasks that don't require the backlit display to be turned on. The screen is one of the biggest battery hogs, so you can probably spend much of the day listening to MP3s without killing the battery -- especially if you turn off WiFi and/or put the phone in Airplane Mode, which cuts off all wireless communication.
Nexus One battery
You can find plenty of phones that will provide longer run time than the Nexus One, but not many of them will have 1GHz processors.

Conclusion

There are a lot of things I like about the Nexus One and Google Android. And a lot of things I don't. It's fast, has a great web browser, excellent email application (especially for Gmail users), and blurs the line between web and local content in a way that my old Windows Mobile PDA doesn't even dream of doing.

But I'm disappointed in the selection of video players. And I'm still not convinced that the on-screen keyboard and finger-friendly controls are worth dropping stylus input altogether -- even though I know I'm probably in the minority on that point. I also miss physical buttons for controlling media playback. They also come in handy when playing video games where you don't want to actually have to put your fingers over the screen you should be looking at in order to control actions.
Nexus One apps
Despite my complaints, I'm thinking about picking up a Nexus One for myself though. And here's why: The Nexus One and Google Android in general have revived my interest in mobile apps. Most of the applications running on my Dell Axim were developed 4 or 5 years ago. That's partly because the PDA runs Windows Mobile 2003SE and can't handle most applications developed for Windows Mobile 5 and 6 in the last few years. But it's also because developers have largely moved to platforms such as the iPhone and Google Android that do a better job of integrating cloud and local elements.

Some of the coolest applications I've tested on the Nexus One so far include Google Listen, an on-device podcast manager that lets you download and listen to podcasts on the device, an NPR News app that lets you find podcasts and live streams of NPR radio programs and local stations, the WordPress blogging app, and the Seesmic Twitter client for Android. I also love the Aldiko eBook reader which lets you find and download thousands of free eBooks and read them directly on the phone.

Even more exciting, I found all of these applications by browsing the Android Market on my device. I didn't have to look them up online, download them to my desktop and then copy them to the phone. Again, I realize that Android isn't the only platform with an app store. In fact, pretty soon every major mobile operating system will have one. But after spending years complaining that I didn't need my PDA to be a phone, the Nexus One has convinced me that maybe that's exactly what I do want. And with Google Android shipping on 60,000 handsets a day, I have confidence that the platform will only continue to grow, which makes the Nexus One a pretty good choice for someone looking for a first smartphone.

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Google Nexus One Review (touch input, battery life, conclusion) originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidgoogle nexus oneGoogleNexusOne Brad Linder Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:44:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Google Nexus One Review (Android Market, browser, multimedia)]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/22/google-nexus-one-review-android-market-browser-multimedia/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/22/google-nexus-one-review-android-market-browser-multimedia/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/22/google-nexus-one-review-android-market-browser-multimedia/#comments Android Market Android Market

If there's one thing I've gotten out of my time with the Nexus One, it's an appreciation for mobile app stores. Yes, I know Google didn't invent the concept, and the Android Market has less than a tenth the amount of applications available in the iTunes app store. But as I mentioned, I've never used an iPod touch or iPhone for any real length of time, so the Android Market was the first mobile app store that I spent any real time with. And I'm a bit amazed at how much I love it.
Android Market
Sure, Windows Mobile devices can run tens of thousands of applications available across the web and at numerous online stores. But you typically have to find these apps on the web, download them to your PC, then install them to your mobile device using Microsoft ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center to connect the device to your PC. Some applications feature CAB installers, that let you download a file directly on your device, open it in a file browser, and tap the file to install it.

But the Market/App Store paradigm makes things so much easier. Want to find a task manager, eBook reader, or chat client for your Nexus One or other Android phone? Just fire up Android Market and enter a query in the search box.

Bored, and want to just see what apps or games are new? Hit the Apps or Games tab and sort by category, paid, free, or new applications.

Android Market
Items in the Android Market are rated by users. So it's easy to tell the good apps from the... less good at a glance by the number of stars. You can also read reviews left by other users, and many apps feature screenshots to help you decide whether it's worth downloading and installing the application.

You can also use the Android Market to check for updates for installed applications and you can click the downloads tab to see a list of programs you've already downloaded and installed. You can also uninstall them from this window.

You're not limited to installing apps available in Android Market. But it's by far the easiest way to find and install new applications.

It would be nice if there were better options for sorting results. For instance, you can't sort alphabetically, or by price. So you may have to do a lot of scrolling to find the app that's right for you.

Web browser

Having spent the last few years using Pocket Internet Explorer and early versions of Opera Mobile on my Windows Mobile 2003SE PDA, I was actually a little shocked when I started using the Android browser. I knew that modern mobile browsers did a pretty good job of rendering full web content and allowing you to navigate by zooming in to read text and zooming out to see the whole page. But I wasn't expecting the Android browser to be so fast.
Android browser
In fact, over a WiFi connection, the Android browser is almost as fast as a desktop browser. That's at least in part due to the snappy 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor powering the Nexus One phone. But the fact that the Android browser uses the same WebKit rendering engine as Google's desktop Chrome browser certainly doesn't hurt.

At first glance, the browser is all screen and little of anything else. At the top of the screen is a URL/search bar. But once you've entered a web address or search term, you can scroll down and make that bar disappear altogether. That's important, because you need all the space you can get on a browser designed to show you full web content on a 3.7 inch display.
Google Nexus One browser
Many web pages are automatically formatted for small screens, including Google applications such as Google Reader and Google Docs. But thanks to the browser's impressive speed and sturdy rendering engine, you can view pretty much any web content that's available in a desktop browser on the Nexus One -- with one major exception: Flash.

Adobe Flash 10.1 is coming to Google Android soon. But it's not here yet, which means that you won't be able to view Flash video or play Flash games on the Nexus One. You can watch YouTube videos, either using the dedicated YouTube browser or by visiting YouTube.com in the browser and tapping a video to open up the standalone YouTube video player. But don't expect to wile away the hours watching Hulu or playing Farmville on this phone... yet.
Android browser windows
You can open links in a new window by pressing and holding them to open a dialog box. And you can create new windows by hitting the settings button, and pressing "New window. " You can also close windows or flip between open windows using the Windows button in the settings menu. The system's not quite as simple or elegant as the tabbed browsers you'll find on desktop computers, but it does keep the browser window free from clutter.

Like Google Chrome, the Android browser does a pretty good job of keeping track of your history so that if you start to type a web address that you've visited before, it will offer suggestions. Just tap on the suggested link and you can save yourself the trouble of typing the whole thing over again.
Android browser bookmarks
You can also use the bookmarks window to add the current page as a bookmark or visit pages you've previously bookmarked.

Google and T-Mobile recently issued a firmware update for the Nexus One that enables pinch-to-zoom functionality in the browser, which makes it easy to zoom in and out of web pages quickly without pressing the magnifying glass icon in the corner -- which is slow and clunky by comparison. Unfortunately that's still the primary method for zooming in the Android browser on most Google Android handsets.

There are third party web browsers available which offer a handful of different features. For instance, Dolphin makes it easier to flip between open windows by giving you desktop-style browser tabs. And the upcoming Opera browser gives you a "speed dial" home screen with quick access to your favorite applications, plus the ability to quickly zoom in and out of web pages with a simple tap -- no multitouch required, as far as I can tell.

Multimedia

The Gallery application that comes with Android is a nifty little photo viewer. One of the things that surprised me most was that it automatically added photos from my Picasa Web Album galleries.
Gallery
Since Google owns Picasa, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. But it was still pretty cool to turn on the phone for the first time, login to my Google account and find that not only did I already have all of my contacts and email accounts set up, but I could also look at photos from my photo album without copying them to the phone first.

The music player lets you sort your audio tracks by artist, album, and song titles. You can also create and manage playlists. And one neat feature is that you can tap and hold any artist, album, or song title and click the search button to search the web, YouTube, or Amazon MP3 store for more information or songs. If you have other music applications such as Pandora internet radio player installed, you can also search them from this menu.

When a song is playing you'll visit a sort of now-playing page, where you can tgggle the repeat and shuffle settings an see album art and other information about the song.

During playback, you'll also see a music icon show up in the status bar at the top of the screen. So if you're surfing the web, reading an eBook, or doing something else while listening to music and want to quickly jump to the music player to pause or skip a track, you can just drag down the notification bar, click the music player notification and open up the music player.
Android music player
One thing that bugs me about touchscreen music players is the fact that you generally need to look at the screen in order to pause playback though. I tend to listen to podcasts or music while taking the subway, shopping for groceries, and performing other daily tasks that require stopping and starting the music, or rewinding a bit to hear something I might have missed in a podcast due to loud street noise.

The Nexus One does ship with a set of earbuds with play/pause, skip controls. But if you're using another set of headphones (such as noise canceling headphones), you need to pull the phone out of your pocket, turn on the backlight, unlocked the screen, and tap the controls on the screen to pause, skip, or rewind.

Old fashioned MP3 players, and even my Dell Axim X50v have the edge here, because they have physical buttons. I can reach into my pocket and detect the right button to press to pause, stop, play, or skip content just by feel. I miss that with the Nexus One, which only has a power button and volume dial.

Video playback is a much more complicated story. One of my favorite applications for Windows Mobile is TCPMP, which supports playback of a wide array of media formats including MPEG1/2/4, WMV, DiVX, Xvid, OGG, Matroska, and Flash video.

There's no TCPMP for Android, and I could only find one media player that can handle DivX and Xvid movies on the Nexus One -- and it could only handle some of the files I tried. Most Android phones should support H.264 and MP4 video playback out of the box.

But since most of my video collection is in DivX and Xvid formats, I didn't spend much time watching video on the Nexus One.

The Nexus One doesn't have a standalone video player, but you should be able to watch movies using the Gallery application. There are some third party video players, but I wasn't that impressed with the ones I tried. There's definitely room for improvement in the video playback area.

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Google Nexus One Review (Android Market, browser, multimedia) originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidgoogle nexus oneGoogleNexusOne Brad Linder Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:31:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Google Nexus One Review (settings, keyboard, file management)]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/22/google-nexus-one-review-settings-keyboard-file-management/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/22/google-nexus-one-review-settings-keyboard-file-management/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/22/google-nexus-one-review-settings-keyboard-file-management/#comments Settings User Interface - Settings

The Android Settings menu is one of the most thorough, yet complicated things I've ever seen on a mobile device. On the one hand, you have control over a huge number of features and settings. On the other hand, it can take a pretty long time to find what you're looking for if you're not sure where to look -- and it can take a while to get used to where things are hidden. Even once you do get used to the Settings screen, it takes a lot of scrolling and clicking to do some simple tasks such as fine-tuning the screen brightness or checking the exact state of the battery. Fortunately there are quicker shortcuts that you can use for both of these tasks.
Settings
In order to bring up the Settings menu, you click the Settings button from the home screen and then tap on Settings (as opposed to the icons for adjusting your notification settings, desktop wallpaper, or other features).

You're greeted with a screen broken down into 15 different section. Yes. I said 15. I won't bother listing them all here, but basically you can adjust the Wireless and network settings, Call Settings, Sound & display, Accounts, Language & keyboard, and Date & Time.

Settings
If you scroll all the way to the bottom, you'll find the "About phone" menu, where you can check your phone's status to see your battery level. As I mentioned above, there is a faster way to check your battery level.

The meter in the status bar at the top of most windows gives you a rough battery gauge. And if you run the Clock application, you'll see the time, temperature, and battery status. Throw a shortcut on the home screen to the Clock, and you can get your battery status much faster than you would be opening the Settings menu. But seriously, does is strike anyone as odd that you have to scroll past 14 menus and click "About phone" and then "Status," to check the battery level in settings menu?
Settings
Likewise, adjusting the screen brightness is kind of a chore. You have to open the settings dialog, click Sound & Display, and then scroll down near the bottom of a fairly long list of menu options before you get to "Brightness." This really seems like something that should be near the top of the settings menu.
Power widget
The workaround here is to add the "Power Control" widget to the Android home screen. Just tap and hold an empty space on the home screen and click "Widgets." The Power Widget lets you turn the WiFi and Bluetooth on and off with a single click, toggle synchronization with Google services, and adjust the screen brightness -- to an extent. Basically there are three settings: dark, somewhat bright, and very bright. You can't adjust the display brightness with a slider using the Power Widget. You can just tap three times to flip through the three brightness settings.

While the settings dialog is a bit long in the tooth, making simple tasks such as these more difficult than they need to be, you do have a lot of control over your system.

For instance, you can get a list of running services, even seeing how long each has been running for and how much memory each service is using. You can check a box that will allow you to install applications from "unknown sources" rather than only sticking to the 99.99% safe material found in the Android Market. You can adjust your security and privacy settings, and even toggle between US and European date formats and 12 or 24 hour clocks.

Given the choice, I suppose I'd have to say I'd rather have more control and a less intuitive interface than vice-versa. But I'm also a big ole geek. This might not be true for everyone. And in case you couldn't tell, I do get annoyed when it takes 4 clicks to do something that should just take 2.

On-Screen Keyboard

Like the iPhone, Google Android is a no-handwriting-recognition zone. While some Android devices are stylus-friendly thanks to resistive touchscreens and others are finger-friendly due to capacitive touchscreen displays, you're pretty much always going to find an on-screen keyboard instead of handwriting recognition.
The Nexus One is a bit thin for two-thumb typing in portrait mode. I found I fairly regularly hit the wrong key. But if you turn the phone on its side and type in landscape mode, the keyboard is actually quite comfortable to use.

My typing speed drops from about 100wpm on a full sized keyboard to around 15-20wpm on the Android keyboard, so it's not exactly my preferred method of text input. But it suffices for entering short search queries, email messages, and URLs.

Nexus One keyboard
In portrait mode, I found the on-screen keyboard wasn't all that bad if I resorted to one-finger typing, which is even slower. But sometimes you're just too lazy to tilt the phone on its side, you know?

Typing accuracy is assisted by some pretty good predictive text software. If you type a commonly used word with a letter or two wrong, Android will probably make an automatic correction for you. Or if you start tapping out a long word and see that the phone is predicting the correct word, you can just tap it and save yourself some typing.


Program and file management

While Google Android supports true multitasking, allowing you to run as many applications as you want, once you have a dozen or so more programs running simultaneously, the system might begin to slow down. Android does a reasonably good job of closing unused apps when it needs more memory, and for most users that's probably good enough.
Running Services
If you actually want to take a little more control, you can visit the "Running services" menu I mentioned above. It's available in the settings menu under "Application settings." You can can tap on any service to bring up a dialog asking if you want to stop it. You can also uninstall applications from this area using the 'Manage applications" dialog.

There are also third party applications that make it easier to kill running programs. But there's a reason Google doesn't make it easy to do this: Most of the time it's just not that necessary.

On the other hand, I wouldn't mind a built in file manager. If you want to find and delete eBooks, music, videos, or other files you're going to either need to connect your Nexus One to a computer and use its file browser or install a third party application.
Mount SD card
Connecting the Nexus One to a PC is a fairly simple process. You just plug in the USB cable and drag down the notification icon from the task bar and click the "USB connected" item. Anrdoid will ask if you want to "mount" your SD card, and if you say yes then your SD card will show up on your Windows, Mac, or Linux machine as if it were a USB flash drive. This makes it easy to drag and drop files to and from your phone. There's no synchronization software like iTunes for keeping your music and programs synchronized though. You can decide whether that's a bad thing or good.

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Google Nexus One Review (settings, keyboard, file management) originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidgoogle nexus oneGoogleNexusOne Brad Linder Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:25:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Google Earth for Android now available in the Android Market]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/22/google-earth-for-android-now-available-in-the-android-market/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/22/google-earth-for-android-now-available-in-the-android-market/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/22/google-earth-for-android-now-available-in-the-android-market/#comments Google has released a mobile version of Google Earth for the Android smartphone platform. The application is available as a free download in the Android Market, but you'll need to have Android 2.1. The Android version of Google Earth offers much of the same functionality as the desktop (and iPhone) versions of Google Earth.

Google Earth for Android lets you see satellite imagery from around the globe. You can zoom in to see close-up details of trees, buildings, and other structures by double-tapping the screen or using pinch-to-zoom controls on phones with multitouch displays.

You can also use several Google Earth layers to check out places, businesses, roads, borders, and Wikipedia articles. There's a search tool, so if, for example, you're looking at mid-town Manhattan in Google Earth and you want to know where the closest library or coffee shop is, you can search for it and see the results plotted on the map.

Google first showcased Google Earth at the Nexus One smartphone launch event last month. But the application wasn't available in the Android Market until today.

[via Sizzled Core]
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Google Earth for Android now available in the Android Market originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidgoogle androidgoogle earthgoogle earth for androidGoogleAndroidGoogleEarthGoogleEarthForAndroid Brad Linder Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Find products by scanning barcodes, cover art with Google Shopper for Android]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/19/find-products-by-scanning-barcodes-cover-art-with-google-shoppe/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/19/find-products-by-scanning-barcodes-cover-art-with-google-shoppe/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/19/find-products-by-scanning-barcodes-cover-art-with-google-shoppe/#comments Google Shopper Google has just rolled out a new application for Android called Google Shopper that lets you comparison shop for items by scanning a barcode or cover art of books, music, movies, and other objects with your Android smartphone's camera. You can also use Google's voice search capabilities.

In other words, if you see a book in a store and want to know if you can get it cheaper online, you can grab your phone and point it at the barcode or cover, or while nobody's within earshot, you can speak the title into your phone. Google Shopper will attempt to find the correct book and hook you up with the prices at various web retailers... presumably emphasizing those that use Google Checkout for payment.

The search results pages don't just have prices though. You also get reviews, item specifications, and much of the other image available at Google Product Search.

Google isn't the first company to put out a product that offers this kind of quick, scan-based shopping comparison ability. The Amazon application for Google Android also lets you search for products by scanning barcodes or snapping pictures. But that app obviously only searches Amazon.com. And it's also not quite as fast or efficient.

That's because you have to sign into Amazon, snap an actual picture, click a button confirming you want to use that image, and then see what results pop up. If the picture was out of focus or at an awkward angle you have to start over again with the Amazon app. Google Shopper continues scanning the image art or barcode until it's got a lock on the product and then automatically opens a results page. You don't have to click the camera button to actually snap a photo. Google does all the heavy lifting -- which actually makes Google Shopper a little easier to use than Google's other Android image-based search toy, Google Goggles as well.

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Find products by scanning barcodes, cover art with Google Shopper for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> amazonandroidfreewaregoogle androidgoogle gogglesgoogle shopperGoogleAndroidGoogleGogglesGoogleShopper Brad Linder Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:29:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Google Listen 1.1 for Android syncs podcast subscriptions with Google Reader]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/google-listen-1-1-for-android-syncs-podcast-subscriptions-with-g/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/google-listen-1-1-for-android-syncs-podcast-subscriptions-with-g/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/google-listen-1-1-for-android-syncs-podcast-subscriptions-with-g/#comments Google Listen and Google ReaderGoogle has released an updated version of podcast manager Google Listen for Android. Like the previous version, Google Listen 1.1 lets you find and subscribe to podcasts from your handset.

But the new version also lets you save your subscription data to the cloud using Google Reader, which makes it easy to synchronize your podcast subscriptions across devices and make sure nothing happens to your subscription data if you switch phones, SD cards, or other settings.

There's also a new queue screen with a refresh button for showing new episodes. There are a number of other tweaks and updates including a feed screen that's no longer limited in size.

Update: I've discovered one of the down sides of synchronizing your podcast list with Google Reader. If, like me, you like to keep your Reader inbox at zero, you'll effectively wipe out your queue of podcasts on your device that you haven't yet listened to.

[via Android Guys]
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Google Listen 1.1 for Android syncs podcast subscriptions with Google Reader originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidgoogle listengoogle listen 1.1google readerGoogleListenGoogleListen1.1GoogleReaderpodcasts Brad Linder Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[TAT Home adds a lot of eye candy, a little utility to Google Android]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/tat-home-adds-a-lot-of-eye-candy-a-little-utility-to-google-and/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/tat-home-adds-a-lot-of-eye-candy-a-little-utility-to-google-and/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/tat-home-adds-a-lot-of-eye-candy-a-little-utility-to-google-and/#comments One of the things I like about the Google Android home screen is that it's easy to customize. You can arrange program shortcuts the way you like them and insert widgets for news, weather, search, and other functions. And if you run out of room or just want to use separate spaces for work tools, games, and phone-oriented apps, you get a few virtual workspaces. Just swipe to the left or right to switch screens.

But the designers at The Amazing Tribe have come up with an entirely new concept for an Android-based home screen. It's called TAT Home, and it's not available for download yet, but it may one day ship on a handset near you.

The program replaces the standard Android home page with a new interface that's heavy on the 3D. For instance, rather than swiping left or right to switch screens, you toggle through a series of full-screen widgets in a view that looks a bit like the Windows 7's Aero Flip interface.

The widgets include a contact organizer, message widget, alarm clock, and a video player that lets you find and play music without leaving your home screen/page. You can have multiple widgets per page, and you can drag and drop widgets between pages.

TAT Home is definitely one of those apps where a video is worth a few thousand words, so make sure to hit the play button on the video above. And let us know what you think. It's certainly attractive. But do you think it's useful?

[via Gizmodo]
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TAT Home adds a lot of eye candy, a little utility to Google Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidgoogle androidGoogleAndroidhome screenHomeScreentattat homeTatHomethe amazing tribeTheAmazingTribe Brad Linder Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[eBay launches an app for Google Android]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/ebay-launches-an-app-for-google-android/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/ebay-launches-an-app-for-google-android/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/ebay-launches-an-app-for-google-android/#comments eBay for Android There are a handful of unofficial eBay applications for Google Android that allow you to track auctions, place bids, and complete purchases from your phone. But now there's an official app as well. eBay has launched its own utility for Google Android, and it provides most of the functionality you would want from a mobile eBay app.

The home screen presents you with a search box for finding auctions and Buy It Now items. But if you sign into your account you'll also see buttons marked watching, bidding, won, didn't win, selling, sold, unsold, and scheduled. In other words, it's easy to keep track of all of your existing eBay transactions on the go using the app.

From the search page you can click on any item for more detailed information, which is presented on a text-heavy, image-light web page that should load quickly even on a slow Internet connection. The product page features bid, watch, and refresh buttons, so you can keep tapping the screen furiously in the final seconds of an auction to see if you're winning or if you need to put in another bid.

The eBay application for Android is available as a free download from the Android Market.

You can find a few more pictures after the break.

Continue reading eBay launches an app for Google Android

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eBay launches an app for Google Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidebayebay for androidEbayForAndroidgoogle androidGoogleAndroid Brad Linder Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Amazon introduces Kindle eBook app for BlackBerry]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/amazon-introduces-kindle-ebook-app-for-blackberry/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/amazon-introduces-kindle-ebook-app-for-blackberry/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/amazon-introduces-kindle-ebook-app-for-blackberry/#comments Kindle BlackBerryAmazon is taking another step at showing that Kindle is a platform rather than simply a piece of hardware for reading eBooks. The company has already released Kindle eBook software for the iPhone and Windows PCs. And today Amazon launched a beta version of a BlackBerry Kindle application.

In other words, you don't need an Amazon Kindle in order to find, purchase, download, or read eBooks from the Amazon Kindle store. You can use a PC or two popular smartphone platforms. There's no news regarding Android, Symbian, Palm WebOS or Windows Mobile versions of the Kindle app yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're on the way.

The BlackBerry Kindle app includes all the functions you would expect. In addition to using a BlackBerry to read books, you can also browse the Amazon Kindle store from your phone and make purchases. You can create bookmarks and view annotation created on other Kindle eBook readers.

BlackBerry users will also be able to access their library of books already purchased from the Kindle store.

Kindle for BlackBerry Beta is available as a free download from Amazon. Or you can grab it by visiting amazon.com/kindlebb on your BlackBerry device.

Of course, most BlackBerry smartphones have ridiculously tiny displays and I can't imagine anyone would want to read eBooks on them. But the Storm might actually have enough screen real estate to make reading an eBook somewhat pleasant.
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Amazon introduces Kindle eBook app for BlackBerry originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> amazonamazon kindleAmazonKindleblackberryebook readerEbookReaderebookskindle for blackberryKindleForBlackberry Brad Linder Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[S^3 smartphone OS gets the video preview treatment]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/s-3-smartphone-os-gets-the-video-preview-treatment/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/s-3-smartphone-os-gets-the-video-preview-treatment/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/18/s-3-smartphone-os-gets-the-video-preview-treatment/#comments With all the hubbub over Windows Phone 7 Series at Mobile World Congress this week, you'd think it was the only upcoming mobile OS previewed at the event. And you'd be wrong for thinking that, because the folks at Symbian gave us the first look at the upcoming Symbian S^3 platform as well.

Symbian S^3 will be the first version of the platform to be fully open source. Any handset maker will be free to license the software for use in their phones.

But it's not just the licensing agreement that's new. Symbian S^3 also features a completely revamped user interface. It's very multimedia-centric, and like most mobile operating systems on the market today, the OS supports multitouch gestures and finger-friendly actions such as pinching and flicking.

Symbian S^3 also supports 1080p HD video playback and HDMI output. Phones running the operating system won't hit the streets until the second half of the year. But you can get a good idea of what Symbian S^3 will look like by checking out the video at the top of this post.

[via Engadget]

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S^3 smartphone OS gets the video preview treatment originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> mobile operating systemsMobileOperatingSystemsmwc 2010Mwc2010nokiaosupdatessymbiansymbian S3SymbianS3 Brad Linder Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[NetFront, Opera web browsers for Google Android on the way]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/17/netfront-opera-web-browsers-for-google-android-on-the-way/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/17/netfront-opera-web-browsers-for-google-android-on-the-way/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/17/netfront-opera-web-browsers-for-google-android-on-the-way/#comments Opera Mobile for Android Mozilla isn't the only company itching to port its web browser to run on Google's Android operating system. Google announced recently that 60,000 handsets a day are now shipping with Android, and it seems like every day a device maker announces a new Android-based product. So while the WebKit-based browser that comes with Android is decent, it's good to see mobile browser makers looking to give Google a little competition in the browser space.

The latest companies that want in on the action are Opera, and ACESS, makers of the NetFront web browser which is currently available for Windows Mobile. NetFront supports HTML5 and other web standards and has a zippy JavaScript Engine.

There's no word on a release date yet or price yet. There are also no screenshots available yet, but you can check out a video from WMPowerUser after the break, that hows NetFront 4.0 for Windows Mobile and compares it with Opera Mobile 9.7 for Windows Mobile.

Opera Mobile 10 for the iPhone and Google Android is under development. Laptop Magazine got a chance to check out Opera Mobile 10 Beta earlier this week, and came away quite impressed. The browser has a speed-dial homescreen with shortcuts to your favorites, and a simple no-frills user interface with plenty of room for the web site.

[via BrightHand]
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NetFront, Opera web browsers for Google Android on the way originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> mobilemobile browsersMobileBrowsersnetfrontoperaopera mobileOperaMobile Brad Linder Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:31:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Firefox Mobile for Android this year, Windows Mobile... later?]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/17/firefox-mobile-for-android-this-year-windows-mobile-later/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/17/firefox-mobile-for-android-this-year-windows-mobile-later/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/17/firefox-mobile-for-android-this-year-windows-mobile-later/#comments Firefox for Android The folks at Mozilla have been working on a mobile version of the popular Firefox web browser for much of the past two years. A lot of that work has been focused on Windows Mobile and Nokia's Maemo platform. But in October, we found out that a version for Google Android devices was on its way. We even saw an early screenshot earlier this month. Now we have something resembling a time frame.

Mozilla Mobile VP Jay Sullivan tells TechRadar that Firefox for Android should be ready "later in 2010." Sure, it's not a precise date. But it's better than sometime "later this decade," right? Basically Mozilla was held back by Google's insistence that early Android development take place on Java, but last year it became possible to program for Android using C and C++, which is what Firefox Mobile is currently based on.

There are already pre-release builds of Firefox for Windows Mobile. But with Microsoft recently announcing that Windows Phone 7 Series will be a completely redesigned OS (that will likely be incompatible with many Windows Mobile 6 and earlier applications, the folks at Mozilla are still trying to figure out whether to continue focusing on the current Windows Mobile platform or to turn their attention to the next-generation mobile operating system from Microsoft.

Of course, Windows Mobile 5, 6, 6,1, and 6.5 devices aren't going to disappear overnight, so I kind of hope that Firefox Mobile for those devices eventually sees the light of day. But I'm not actually involved in building the browser, so my vote might not count for that much.

[via MobileCrunch]

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Firefox Mobile for Android this year, Windows Mobile... later? originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidfirefoxfirefox for androidfirefox mobileFirefoxForAndroidFirefoxMobilewindows mobilewindows phone 7 seriesWindowsMobileWindowsPhone7Series Brad Linder Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:09:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[NPR News app for Android now supports live radio streams]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/16/npr-news-app-for-android-now-supports-live-radio-streams/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/16/npr-news-app-for-android-now-supports-live-radio-streams/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/16/npr-news-app-for-android-now-supports-live-radio-streams/#comments NPR News for Android When Google sent me a Nexus One phone to review, one of the first applications I installed was the NPR News application. I like to listen to NPR programs while I'm walking around the city, cooking dinner, or working out. And the application was pretty cool, allowing me to find all sorts of NPR podcasts organized by top stories, topics, programs, and stations. But there's one thing the NPR News Android application didn't do... until today: stream live content from NPR member stations.

Today NPR released version 1.2 of the Android app with support for listening to live-streams from more than 600 NPR stations. You can search for stations by call sign, zip code, or just hit the "local stations" button to find radio stations in your geographical area.

Because some stations have secondary audio streams, there are actually more than 1,000 streaming audio stations you can tune into. You can also bookmark your favorite stations or create playlists from your bookmarks for later listening.

The application also has all the same features found in the previous version, including the ability to find and listen to podcasts of NPR programs.

NPR News for Android v 1.2 is available as a free download from the Android Market.

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NPR News app for Android now supports live radio streams originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidfreewaremobilenprnpr newsnpr news for androidNprNewspodcasts Brad Linder Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:05:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[BlackBerry shows off its new WebKit-based browser]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/16/blackberry-shows-off-its-new-webkit-based-browser/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/16/blackberry-shows-off-its-new-webkit-based-browser/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/16/blackberry-shows-off-its-new-webkit-based-browser/#comments Mobile browsers have come a long way in the past few years. The days of stripped down WAP pages that make the web look like it did in 1994 are all but gone. Now you can use an iPhone, Android handset, or Windows Mobile device to view full web pages much the same way you would use a desktop browser. Sure, some content (most noticeable Adobe Flash) is hit or miss. But for the most part, mobile browsers are fast and actually useful today.

Some of the most successful mobile browsers are based on the open source WebKit project. The default browsers for the iPhone and Google Android are WebKit-based. And so was Iris, a mobile browser from for Windows Mobile from Torch Mobile that was purchased by Research In Motion last year.

Now RIM is starting to show off the fruits of that acquisition: A WebKit-based browser for BlackBerry phones. The company demonstrated the new browser at Mobile World Congress in Spain today. There's no word on a launch date, or which phones will be compatible with the new browser. But one thing is clear: It looks pretty hot.

In the video above you can see the BlackBerry browser loading some full web pages pretty quickly. Zooming and scrolling also looks very smooth. Oh yeah, and the browser also gets a perfect score on the Acid3 web standards test -- something many desktop browsers still struggle with.

[via Engadget]

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BlackBerry shows off its new WebKit-based browser originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blackberryiris browserIrisBrowsermobile browserMobileBrowsermwc 2010Mwc2010web browserWebBrowserwebkit Brad Linder Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:31:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Verizon to allow Skype VoIP calls over 3G]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/16/verizon-to-allow-skype-voip-calls-over-3g/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/16/verizon-to-allow-skype-voip-calls-over-3g/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/16/verizon-to-allow-skype-voip-calls-over-3g/#comments Skype Mobile Verizon Wireless has announced that Hell has frozen over starting next month wireless customers with compatible phones will be able to use Skype's mobile software to make VoIP (Voice over IP) calls over Verizon's 3G wireless broadband network. In other words, you can call people on your cellphone without using any voice minutes... you'll just be eating into your data plan.

Verizon and Skype says you'll be able to make free Skype to Skype calls to anyone using Skype software, whether they're on a phone, computer, or other device. You'll also be able to make international calls to telephones at SkypeOut's normal rates. And you can send and receive instant messages and see the status of your contacts.

One thing you won't be able to do is use Skype to make free domestic calls to telephones withing the United States. And that makes sense, since Verizon would be shooting one of its primary revenue streams in the foot by allowing that.

Verizon is hardly the first carrier to allow Skype calls over its network. AT&T users can already do this. But Verizon is one of the largest telecoms in the US, making this pretty big news.

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Verizon to allow Skype VoIP calls over 3G originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> skypeskype for mobileSkypeForMobileverizonverizon wirelessVerizonWireless Brad Linder Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:04:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Augmented reality app Layer graduates from App Stores... creates its own]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/augmented-reality-app-layer-graduates-from-app-stores-creates/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/augmented-reality-app-layer-graduates-from-app-stores-creates/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/augmented-reality-app-layer-graduates-from-app-stores-creates/#comments Layar
 Layar makes augmented reality applications for smartphone platforms including Google Android and the iPhone. What that means is, you can hold up your phone and look through the camera while seeing digital information about the things you're looking at. Click on the Architecture layer, and you can see information about significant buildings you pass. The Allmenus layer, shows you information about restaurants you pass, complete with menus and ratings when available.

Up until now the app was only available from the iPhone App Store and Android Market, and all of the different augmented reality layers in the application were available for free. But both of those things could soon change.

Today Layar announced that it's partnered with "one of the top 3" handset makers, which could mean that the software will come preinstalled on some phones in the not-too-distant future. The company is also sort of opening an app store of its own. Third parties can already create tools for Layar (like the Allmenus layer). There are 375 already available, and hundreds of additional layers in development. So far, they're all free. But come March, you'll start to see a mix of free and paid content available for the Layar application.

[via ReadWriteWeb]
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Augmented reality app Layer graduates from App Stores... creates its own originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidapp storesAppStoresaugmented realityAugmentedRealityiphonelayar Brad Linder Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:27:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[SPB Mobile Shell 5.0 now available for Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/spb-mobile-shell-5-0-now-available-for-android-symbian-windows/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/spb-mobile-shell-5-0-now-available-for-android-symbian-windows/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/spb-mobile-shell-5-0-now-available-for-android-symbian-windows/#comments SPB Mobile Shell 3.5Mobile software maker SPB is launching SPB Shell 5.0. Like previous versions, SPB Shell basically replaces your phone's default user interface with a customizable "shell." What's new in version 5.0 is that SPB Shell ain't just for Windows Mobile anymore. It's also available for Symbian and Google Android phones.

SPB Shell 5.0 also has a new 3D engine, support for 3D widgets, and 3D applications for viewing photos, playing media, and viewing weather forecasts. It also features integration with social networks including Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The update also brings support for multitouch displays and haptic feedback which provides a tactile response when you press the screen.

If you're looking for a way to dress up your smartphone while waiting for Windows Phone 7 Series to hit the streets, SPB Shell 5.0 might tide you over. Or if you just can't stand the default UI for your Android or Symbian device.

The SPB web site doesn't feature download or purchase pages for SPB Shell 5.0 yet. But version 3.5 for Windows Mobile is available for $29.95. No word on the pricing for the new version.

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SPB Mobile Shell 5.0 now available for Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidcommercialspbspb mobile shellspb mobile shell 5.0SpbMobileShellSpbMobileShell5.0symbianwindows mobileWindowsMobile Brad Linder Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Windows Phone 7 Series demoed on video - a lot]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/windows-phone-7-series-demoed-on-video-a-lot/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/windows-phone-7-series-demoed-on-video-a-lot/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/windows-phone-7-series-demoed-on-video-a-lot/#comments Earlier today Microsoft introduced the world to the latest version of the Windows Mobile operating system: Windows Phone 7 Series. While we aren't expecting any phones running this OS to be available until later this year, the company had a number of demo units on-hand at Mobile World Congress, and the web is starting to fill up with videos demonstrating the new UI, including the video at the top of this post which comes straight from Microsoft. The company has also released a much longer, 22 minute video, which requires Silverlight to check out.

Overall, the new user interface looks very much like the UI on the Zune HD. That makes sense, since the Zune HD software has been incorporated pretty tightly with Windows Phone 7 Series. But it's not just the music and movie player that has the Zune-like sheen.

For instance, in a video from CrunchGear, you can clearly see that the Bing search utility lets you shift between "local," "news", "web," and other search results by sliding the titles at the top of the result page. This is exactly the same way you shift between "album," "artist," and other views in the Zune HD software.

But it's not all Zune HD-like. There's also a new series of "hubs," for People, Photos, Xbox, and other ares. For instance, in the People hub, you see a number of tiles with the latest updates from your contacts. In the Xbox hub, you can see your games, devices, and Xbox Live information.

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Windows Phone 7 Series demoed on video - a lot originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> osupdateswindows mobilewindows phone 7 seriesWindowsMobileWindowsPhone7Series Brad Linder Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:08:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 7 Series]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/microsoft-unveils-windows-phone-7-series/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/microsoft-unveils-windows-phone-7-series/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/microsoft-unveils-windows-phone-7-series/#comments Windows Phone 7 Series In its ongoing effort to give every new version of its smartphone operating system a confusingly different name, Microsoft has pulled back the veil covering Windows Phone 7 Series, which will replace Windows Mobile 6.5.3, which in a roundabout fashion replaced Windows Mobile 2003SE, Pocket PC and Windows CE.

But enough about the new name. What's actually new in Windows Phone 7 Series? Quite a bit, it turns out. Microsoft has completely retooled the user interface, with the biggest difference being that the OS is now finger-friendly, which means goodbye stylus.

The home screen is new, the program launcher is new, and there's no desktop-style Start Menu. Overall the UI looks a lot more like the Zune HD user interface than it does like previous versions of Windows Mobile.

Windows Phone 7 Series also features integration with the Zune software for media playback. Basically, you get all the features of a Zune HD baked right into your mobile phone OS. You also get Xbox Live integration for gaming and management of your profiles, avatars, and other information.

Engadget reports that Microsoft is also taking much more control over the hardware requirements for the operating system. Among other things, Windows Phone makers such as Samsung and HTC will no longer be able to develop their own UIs to replace Microsoft's default user interface. In other words, while the hardware may vary a bit from phone to phone, the user experience should be quite similar no matter which Windows Phone 7 Series device you pick up.

In terms of hardware, that means each phone will have three buttons on the front, a high resolution touchscreen display.

One of the most surprising things is that there's no desktop synchronization software for contacts, email, or appointments. Goodbye ActiveSync and Windows Mobile Device Center. Hello over-the-air synchronization with the cloud. Music and video synchronization comes through the Zune Desktop software.

There are still some things we don't know. What will the web browser be like? Will Windows 7 Phone Series support multitasking? And when will you be able to buy a new Windows Phone? All we know for now is that it should be available before the 2010 holiday season.

This is the most radical change Microsoft has made to its mobile operating system in at least 10 years. What do you think? Is it enough to fend off competition from Apple, Google, Palm, and others?
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Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 7 Series originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> microsoftmobile world congress 2010MobileWorldCongress2010osupdateswindows 7 phonewindows 7 phone serieswindows mobilewindows phoneWindows7PhoneWindows7PhoneSeriesWindowsMobileWindowsPhone Brad Linder Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:44:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Adobe announces AIR, Flash for smartphones]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/adobe-announces-air-flash-for-smartphones/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/adobe-announces-air-flash-for-smartphones/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/adobe-announces-air-flash-for-smartphones/#comments Adobe AIR for Android
Adobe has announced that Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR are both coming to smartphones, starting with devices running Google's Android operating system.

We've been expecting to see Flash Player 10.1 for a while, but it looks like it should be coming pretty soon. A beta version has already been made available to mobile developers and content providers. Adobe says it should be available to the general public in the first half of the year. While the player is initially coming to Android, support for BlackBerry, Symbian, Palm WebOS and Windows Mobile are also on the way.

Adobe AIR is something else altogether. The platform currently allows developers to write applications that can run on Windows, Linux, and Mac desktops. By expanding AIR to mobile devices, developers will basically be able to write applications in Flash that can run on all sorts of devices, which is pretty awesome news for programmers looking to maximize their reach, but also for users looking to run the same applications on a number of different devices.

Want to create an RSS reader, calendar, or video game application for Palm, Windows Mobile, and Android devices without having to rewrite the code for each platform? There'll be an app for that.

Like Flash, AIR will be available first on Android devices. For a demo of AIR running on a Motorola Droid, check out the video after the break, courtesy of The Flash Blog.
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Adobe announces AIR, Flash for smartphones originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> adobe airadobe flashAdobeAirAdobeFlashandroidflashflash playerflash player 10.1FlashPlayerFlashPlayer10.1google androidGoogleAndroidmobilesmartphones Brad Linder Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:26:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Moblin, Maemo merge to form light weight Linux for netbooks, handhelds]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/moblin-maemo-merge-to-form-light-weight-linux-for-netbooks-han/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/moblin-maemo-merge-to-form-light-weight-linux-for-netbooks-han/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/15/moblin-maemo-merge-to-form-light-weight-linux-for-netbooks-han/#comments MeeGo
 Moblin Linux is the light-weight Linux distribution Intel developed to run on low power netbooks with small screens and Intel Atom processors. Maemo is the light weight Linux distribution that Nokia developed to run on its handheld internet tablets including the Nokia N900 and N810. Or at least that was true yesterday. Today, the two companies announced that they're merging the projects to create one new light weight Linux-based platform for netbooks, mobile devices, and other hardware. It's called MeeGo.

The idea is to optimize the software to work with as many devices as possible including netbooks, tablets, phones, automobile entertainment systems, and even internet-connected televisions. The partnership is still pretty young and the closest thing I can find to a screenshot on the MeeGo website is under the Netbook section where we see an image of an OS that looks an awful lot like Moblin and not much like Maemo. The connected TV, In-Vehicle, and Media phone images all feature a vague, blurry picture that doesn't really show us anything.

We should see the first release of MeeGo in the second quarter of 2010. Applications from the Intel AppUp Center and Nokia Ovi Store should be able to run on the platform. The Linux Foundation will be hosting the project.


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Moblin, Maemo merge to form light weight Linux for netbooks, handhelds originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> linuxmaemomeegomoblin Brad Linder Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:38:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Full Screen Weather combines Weather Underground with Google Maps]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/12/full-screen-weather-combines-weather-underground-with-google-map/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/12/full-screen-weather-combines-weather-underground-with-google-map/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/12/full-screen-weather-combines-weather-underground-with-google-map/#comments Full Screen Weather
 Full Screen Weather is a new tool from the folks behind the Weather Underground weather forecast web site that's ideal for anyone who has ever wanted to play at being a TV meteorologist from the comfort of their own home.

In a nutshell, the web site does away with all those charts, photos, banner ads and other things you find on the Weather Underground web site. Instead you're presented with a map that takes up the whole browser window, courtesy of Google Maps. Just enter a location and Full Screen Weather will give you the current conditions and a brief forecast for your region.

But here's the cool part. You can also see the temperature in a number of nearby locations. Zoom in and out of the map to see more details, or click on any temperature to see the conditions for that area.

If you happen to have a 60 inch LCD display, you can also stand in front of it and point at different areas of the screen while telling your dog what the chance of precipitation is in each of the surrounding counties.
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Full Screen Weather combines Weather Underground with Google Maps originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> full screen weatherFullScreenWeatherweather forecastweather undergroundWeatherForecastWeatherUnderground Brad Linder Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Skyfire mobile web browser coming to Google Android]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/11/skyfire-mobile-web-browser-coming-to-google-android/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/11/skyfire-mobile-web-browser-coming-to-google-android/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/11/skyfire-mobile-web-browser-coming-to-google-android/#comments Skyfire for Windows Mobile
 Skyfire is a mobile web browser for Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 phones. The browser is one of the fastest around, and one of the only mobile browsers around that can handle Flash and Silverlight content. That's because Skyfire uses a secret weapon: the browser doesn't have to do all of the page rendering. Instead, Skyfire compresses web pages on its server and delivers them to your mobile device.

Skyfire announced today that the company has acquired kolbysoft, makers of the Steel browser for Android... or rather, the Stel interface for the default Android web browser. Steel is one of the most popular applications in the Android Market, and the Skyfire team hopes to use kolbysoft's expertise in building a WebKit-based browser for Android to help port the Skyfire web browser to the platform.

There's no word on how long it will be before we see Skyfire in the Android Market.

[via Gizmodo]

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Skyfire mobile web browser coming to Google Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidgoogle androidGoogleAndroidkolbysoftmobile browserMobileBrowserskyfiresteelweb browserWebBrowser Brad Linder Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:25:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[OpenOffice.org 3.2 now available for download]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/11/openoffice-org-3-2-now-available-for-download/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/11/openoffice-org-3-2-now-available-for-download/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/11/openoffice-org-3-2-now-available-for-download/#comments OpenOffice.org 3.2
OpenOffice.org is a free and open source alternative to Microsoft Office. It includes a word processor, spreadsheet application, presentation utility, database builder, and math and drawing apps. This week the OpenOffice.org team launched version 3.2 which features a number of updates including:
  • Improved startup speed
  • Support for Microsoft Office 2007 files
  • Encryption support for Microsoft Word 97, 2000, XP files
  • Database forms now support zooming
  • Impress supports comments
  • Import pivot tables from Microsoft Excel 2007 documents
  • Improved sort, cell merging, and complex copy and paste features in Calc
OpenOffice.org 3.2 is available as a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
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OpenOffice.org 3.2 now available for download originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> officopenofficeopenoffice.orgopenoffice.org 3.2Openoffice.org3.2opensource Brad Linder Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:17:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Firefox 4 gets animated: New videos show slight browser tab changes]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/08/firefox-4-gets-animated-new-videos-show-slight-browser-tab-chan/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/08/firefox-4-gets-animated-new-videos-show-slight-browser-tab-chan/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/08/firefox-4-gets-animated-new-videos-show-slight-browser-tab-chan/#comments Firefox 4 new tab
We've already seen some photo mockups showing a few of the changes that could appear in Firefox 4.0. Now one of the contributors to Firefox has posted a couple of videos showing how browser tabs might work in that version of the popular web browser. The videos highlight something that's a bit tricky to show in pictures: animations.

One video depicts how Firefox might look when you're rearranging browser tabs in the future. The other shows what it will look like when you create a new tab. In a nutshell, it looks like Firefox 4.0's tabs might behave exactly like those in Google Chrome.

In Firefox 3.6, when you click a tab and drag it you see sort of a shadow of the web page you're currently viewing. You can drag it to the position on the tab bar where you want to drop it, and the tab bar will snap into place. Chrome and Firefox 4 feature smoother transitions.

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Firefox 4 gets animated: New videos show slight browser tab changes originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> browser tabsBrowserTabsfirefox-4firefox4google chromeGoogleChromenew tabNewTabweb browsersWebBrowsers Brad Linder Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:27:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Google Listen: Podcast manager, search engine for Android]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/08/google-listen-podcast-manager-search-engine-for-android/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/08/google-listen-podcast-manager-search-engine-for-android/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/08/google-listen-podcast-manager-search-engine-for-android/#comments Google Listen Google Listen is a podcast application for Google Android. In a nutshell, it allows you to find, download, and listen to podcasts from your Android-powered smartphone. Want to listen to episodes of This American Life on the go? Just search the directory for the show, hit the subscribe button, and Google Listen will download the latest episode for you to listen to.

But Google Listen has another trick up its sleeve. In addition to subscribing to individual podcasts, you can also subscribe to "searches." Say you want information about Barack Obama, Google Android, or Oscar Nominations. Just enter your query in the search box and check the subscribe box on the results page. Now the latest story from any podcast or web audio that Google determines is related to your search will be available in your subscriptions.

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Google Listen: Podcast manager, search engine for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidfreewaregoogle androidgoogle listenGoogleAndroidGoogleListenpodcasts Brad Linder Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:32:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Google working on real-time voice translation app for phones]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/08/google-working-on-real-time-voice-translation-app-for-phones/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/08/google-working-on-real-time-voice-translation-app-for-phones/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/08/google-working-on-real-time-voice-translation-app-for-phones/#comments Google Translate Google already offers a tool that lets you translate text from one language to another and technology that can convert spoken language to text. Now it looks like Google is taking the next logical step and creating a Babel Fish which you can stick in your ear to instantly understand any spoken language.

...Only instead of a fish, Google's version will be an app that runs on your smartphone. But you'll still probably hold it up to your ear.

The Times reports that Google hopes to have a working application ready within the next few years. The idea is that your phone would be able to conduct real-time translation for you. So you could be visiting Japan, Hungary, or Iraq and communicate with the locals without taking all that time to actually learn the language and customs. What could possibly go wrong?

Of course, anyone that has ever used Google Translate or Google Voice knows that machine-translation and speech to text systems are still prone to errors. You often get clunky sentences that include nonsense words. So I'm not really all that hopeful that cellphones in 2012 will solve all of the world's communication problems. But we're certainly inching closer to the Babel Fish.

[via MobileCrunch]

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Google working on real-time voice translation app for phones originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> googlegoogle translateGoogleTranslatespeech to textSpeechToTexttranslationvoice recognitionVoiceRecognition Brad Linder Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:46:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Urbanspoon for Android makes picking a restaurant easy]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/06/urbanspoon-for-android-makes-picking-a-restaurant-easy/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/06/urbanspoon-for-android-makes-picking-a-restaurant-easy/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/06/urbanspoon-for-android-makes-picking-a-restaurant-easy/#comments UrbanSpoon AndroidThe folks behind the popular Urbanspoon iPhone app (oh yeah, and web site), have launched an app for Google Android devices. Here's how it works. You want to pick a place to eat? Just fire up the Urbanspoon app, give your phone a good shake, and Urbanspoon will find a restaurant in your area.

Not looking for a completely random surprise? You can choose the neighborhood you're looking to dine in, hit the lock button, and Urbanspoon will randomly select a style of cuisine and a price level. Or you can lock in those categories, if say, you're looking for cheap vegetarian food in Old City Philadelphia.

If you don't actually want to shake your phone, you can also just hit the shake button.

One Urbanspoon finds a restaurant, you can call to make a reservation by tapping the phone number, read reviews by clicking the button at the bottom of the screen, or just read more about the restaurant by clicking the name.

[via Mashable]
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Urbanspoon for Android makes picking a restaurant easy originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androiddiningfoodgoogle androidGoogleAndroidurbanspoon Brad Linder Sat, 06 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Seesmic's Android App now supports multiple Twitter accounts]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/05/seesmics-android-app-now-supports-multiple-twitter-accounts/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/05/seesmics-android-app-now-supports-multiple-twitter-accounts/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/05/seesmics-android-app-now-supports-multiple-twitter-accounts/#comments Seesmic is one of the most popular twitter clients for Google Android (there are also Seesmic apps for BlackBerry, Windows, Adobe AIR for Mac and Linux, and a web client). You can use the Android client to keep track of your Twitter timeline, replies, direct messages, and profile. And of course you can send updates. You can even include links and photos taken with your Android phone's camera.

Last night Seesmic rolled out version 1.2 for Android, which includes support for multiple Twitter accounts. Now whenever you post a message, you can select to have it sent to one or more Twitter accounts associated with the mobile app. You can also switch between accounts to see the latest updates from your contacts on each account.

Another new feature in Seesmic 1.2 for Android is the ability to remember your scroll position. In other words, if you've been scrolling down your timeline and new updates come in, they'll show up at the top of the page but you won't lose your place. You can disable this feature and always stay at the top if you prefer.

For a complete list of changes, check out the Seesmic blog. Seesmic 1.2 for Android is available as a free download from the Android Marketplace.

[via Mashable]
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Seesmic's Android App now supports multiple Twitter accounts originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidfreewaregoogle androidGoogleAndroidmicrobloggingseesmicseesmic for google androidSeesmicForGoogleAndroidtwitter Brad Linder Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Boot Snooze combines the goodness of hibernation and rebooting]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/04/boot-snooze-combines-the-goodness-of-hibernation-and-rebooting/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/04/boot-snooze-combines-the-goodness-of-hibernation-and-rebooting/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/04/boot-snooze-combines-the-goodness-of-hibernation-and-rebooting/#comments Boot SnoozeYou want to shut down your Windows PC for the day, but you also want it to start as quickly as possible tomorrow morning. Waiting 3-4 minutes to load Windows plus all of the apps that you run at startup just isn't a (good) option. What do you do? You probably just put your computer into sleep or hibernation mode. But there's a better way.

When you constantly use sleep or hibernate, there's a good chance your computer could go days, weeks, or months without a reboot. And while that's not the end of the world, Windows generally works best when you do a reboot every now and again. Data gets cleared from cache files, Windows updates are applied, and programs and services that may have become stuck somewhere between the running and not-running state will be stopped and/or restarted.

Boot Snooze is a simple freeware app that combines the best aspects of a complete reboot with the speedy recovery of sleep or hibernate. Basically all you have to do is fire up this executable file and click the "restart then hibernate" or "restart then standby" option. Your computer will shut down, start up again, and then go into standby or hibernate mode so that when you're ready to start using your computer again you won't have to perform a cold boot.

The program presents you with a 10 minute countdown upon rebooting before hibernating. This allows you to change your mind if you need to. But you can also just start the app and walk away. When you come back your computer should be suspended.

It would be nice if Boot Snooze would let you adjust the amount of time shown on the countdown clock. 10 minutes might be overkill. But overall it's a handy little app, and it's hard to argue with the price. It's available as a free download from the Donation Coder forums.

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Boot Snooze combines the goodness of hibernation and rebooting originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> boot snoozeBootSnoozedonation coderDonationCoderfreewarehibernatesleepstandbysuspend Brad Linder Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:12:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Android Online Radio: Thousands of radio stations on your smartphone]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/04/android-online-radio-thousands-of-radio-stations-onyour-smartph/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/04/android-online-radio-thousands-of-radio-stations-onyour-smartph/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/04/android-online-radio-thousands-of-radio-stations-onyour-smartph/#comments Android Online Radio The Google Android smartphone operating system has a decent built in audio player, which is great if you feel like copying your music collection to your phone. But you can also listen to thousands of online radio stations using the free Android Online Radio app which is available in the Android Marketplace.

You can use the app to search for audio streams in the Shoutcast or Icecast directories. There's also a list of user populated channels, and AAC and AAC+ channels. Most of these directories are sorted by music genre, or you can just use the search bar to find the station you're looking for. I was able to find two of my favorite online radio stations and add them to my favorites in just a few seconds.

If the radio station you're looking for isn't in the directory, you may be able to add it manually.

Once you find the station you're looking for, either in the directory or in your favorites or recently visited tabs, you play the audio stream using Android Online Radio. You can also set the clock on a sleep timer which will shut off the media player after a set period.


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Android Online Radio: Thousands of radio stations on your smartphone originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidandroid online radioAndroidOnlineRadiofreewaregoogle androidGoogleAndroidmusiconline radioOnlineRadiostreaming audioStreamingAudio Brad Linder Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:31:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Skype says 3G iPhone app is coming]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/03/skype-says-3g-iphone-app-is-coming/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/03/skype-says-3g-iphone-app-is-coming/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/03/skype-says-3g-iphone-app-is-coming/#comments Last week Apple changed began allowing third party applications to make VoIP calls over 3G. What that means is that you can make a telephone call over the internet using a wireless broadband connection. The upshot is that you could theoretically use an application like Skype to make free or cheap phone calls while eating up your data minutes instead of your voice minutes. You can also make international calls over a VoIP application for much less money than your cellphone company would typically charge.

Right now there's only one problem: Skype's iPhone application doesn't support making calls over 3G. And it won't for a little while, because while the Skype team plans to start work on a 3G enabled version, the goal is to improve the audio quality first.

In the meantime, you can always use Fring, which already offers VoIP calls over 3G.

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Skype says 3G iPhone app is coming originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 3giphoneskypeskype for iphoneSkypeForIphonevoip Brad Linder Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:29:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Hands on with the WordPress app for Google Android]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/03/hands-on-with-the-wordpress-app-for-google-android/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/03/hands-on-with-the-wordpress-app-for-google-android/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/03/hands-on-with-the-wordpress-app-for-google-android/#comments
The folks at Automattic make the popular WordPress blogging software. And this week they released an app for Google Android that makes it easy to update or edit a WordPress site from your smartphone.

Now, call me old fashioned, but I'm kind of a fan of physical keyboards for tasks such as writing lengthy blog posts, emails, or even instant messages. But the idea of being able to login to your site from pretty much anywhere and edit a mistake, write an update, or even post some quick breaking news was a bit too good to pass up. And since Google was kind enough to send me a Nexus One phone to review (more on that soon), I figured I'd fire try out the WordPress app which Jay told us about earlier today.

And you know what? It's pretty darn cool. Sure, you don't get all the rich text editing, plugin management, and other features you'd expect from the full version of WordPress. But all you have to do is enter your web site's URL and your username and password to link to your account. Once you're set up, you can manage comments, posts, and pages.

From the Posts menu you can hit the + button to create a new post, or tap and hold the headline for any existing posts to edit or preview that item.

Continue reading Hands on with the WordPress app for Google Android

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Hands on with the WordPress app for Google Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidbloggingfreewaregoogle androidGoogleAndroidwordpress Brad Linder Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:26:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Google Chrome OS could run on tablets, take on the iPad]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/02/google-chrome-os-could-run-on-tablets-take-on-the-ipad/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/02/google-chrome-os-could-run-on-tablets-take-on-the-ipad/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/02/02/google-chrome-os-could-run-on-tablets-take-on-the-ipad/#comments Google Chrome OS tablet
Google's Android smartphone operating system is clearly aimed at the same customers that might be interested in picking up an Apple iPhone. But it looks like Google may not only be interested in taking the iPhone down a notch or two -- the company is also working to ensure that it's upcoming Chrome OS plays well with tablet computers. You know, like the recently announced Apple iPad.

That's not to say that Chrome OS will run on the iPad. Rather, the operating system, which is designed specifically for netbooks and mobile computers, will feature touchscreen optimizations that will allow PC makers to load it on devices with or without keyboards.

As Lee mentioned yesterday in Chrome Corner, the Chromium developer site has a page dedicated to a concept UI for tablets. It's choc full of mockups of a tablet with an adjustable on-screen keyboard, touchscreen launchers, a zooming interface, and browser tabs that would show up on the side of the screen sort of like the Firefox Mobile.

Right now this is only a concept, and it's not clear if there will be any Google Tablet hardware. But it shows that Google is at least thinking about the touchscreen tablet space. A number of PC makers have also started loading Google Android on tablets. And you know who else is interested in the tablet space? Microsoft. Windows 7 features an on-screen keyboard and a number of touch-friendly features built right into the OS.

It's also probably worth pointing out that the iPad will be able to run 140,000+ iPhone apps at launch, while Windows tablets will be able to run a wealth of Windows software. Any Chrome tablet will be able to run... Chrome, which is basically an entire OS built around a web browser.

You can check out a concept video of a fake Chrome tablet after the break. And if you want to check out a pre-release version of Chrome OS, you might want to check out Hexxeh's latest Chromium OS Zero build which includes a new auto-update feature.

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Google Chrome OS could run on tablets, take on the iPad originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> appleapple ipadAppleIpadgooglegoogle androidgoogle chromeGoogleAndroidGoogleChromeipadmobileoperating systemsOperatingSystemstablet Brad Linder Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:27:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[How much are you willing to pay for eBooks? (Macmillan wants $15)]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/01/31/how-much-are-you-willing-to-pay-for-ebooks-macmillan-wants-15/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/01/31/how-much-are-you-willing-to-pay-for-ebooks-macmillan-wants-15/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/01/31/how-much-are-you-willing-to-pay-for-ebooks-macmillan-wants-15/#comments The Gathering Storm For the last few days Amazon and Macmillan have been waging a tiny little war over the future of eBook pricing. You may have missed it, because unlike most wars, the stakes in this battle aren't all that visible. Digital book sales still make up a relatively small portion of the digital media world and pale in comparison to the growing markets for digital music and movie downloads. But as eBook readers including the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and the upcoming iPad make it easier and easier to find, purchase, and read eBooks, sales are likely to pick up.

You'd think that would be a good thing for book publishers. But here's the thing: Amazon, one of the driving forces behind physical and digital book sales, has been refusing to charge more than $9.99 per eBook for new release titles. That price is significantly lower than the price of most new hardcover books. And that makes sense. There's no printing, binding, paper, or distribution cost involved. Sure, someone still needs to pay for the writing, editing, marketing, and other costs. But it's hard to make a case that it costs just as much to produce and distribute another copy of a digital book as it does a physical one.

But Macmillan, which is one of the 6 largest publishers in the US, is rather unhappy with the $9.99 pricing. The company wants to be able to charge as much as $14.99 for eBooks sold through Amazon. In protest, Amazon pulled all of Macmillan's titles from its store this weekend. And when I say all, I mean it. Not just the eBooks, but the paper copies as well.

Of course, that hurts the customers at least as much as it hurts the publisher. Nobody wants to login to an online bookstore and find that 1/6th of the titles from major publishers are suddenly gone -- especially since most readers probably have no idea who publishes the books from their favorite authors. They just know that suddenly the selection has become much more limited.

Today, Amazon admitted that it can't keep up this fight. Because Macmillan has a "monopoly over their own titles," if Amazon wants to be able to sell those titles, the company will have to allow the publisher to set its pricing. But Amazon management makes it clear that it strongly disagrees with Macmillan's proposed pricing.

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How much are you willing to pay for eBooks? (Macmillan wants $15) originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> amazondigital booksDigitalBooksebooksmacmillan Brad Linder Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:08:00 EST Download Squad