Cockpit Recorder, an app that records video and audio as well as G-force and location data from inside a car, has been updated.

View full post on Macworld

We’ve just gotten word from the team behind the RealPlayer Android app that they’ve released an update for said app. Since we last reported on it in June, it’s come out of beta form and entered the Android Market. The update is based entirely on feedback from users, both positive and constructive. They’ve overhauled the user interface and desgined it to make accessing and enjoying media more seamless. So, if you haven’t already, head on over to the Market and download the RealPlayer Android app for yourself by searching for “RealPlayer” in the Android Market or scanning the QR code below! The press release is also below. Let us know what you think in the comments!

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

RealPlayer Android App Updated originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

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You May Also Enjoy…

• LogMeIn Android App Tweaked for Tablets
• Yahoo! IM Updated to Include Voice Calls, Still Only Works on Evo and MT4G
• Seesmic App Gets UI Update, Integrates Chatter Functionality

View full post on AndroidGuys

Although we just recently mentioned one of our favorite Pod Casting apps, DoggCatcher, we thought it would be worth noting again in a separate post, as the developer has just given it an update.  Now at version 1.1.1823, the update provides a cleaner, streamlined UI.  In addition, he added a theme option which allows you to toggle between dark and light backgrounds.  Furthermore, when playing a particular pod cast, you can now see the title directly above the player no matter where you navigate within the app, so you’ll always know which feed is currently playing.  And while most are complaining about the small fonts, I think the minor UI refresh compliments the app very well. Read More…

DoggCatcher Gets Updated To Version 1.1.1823, Adds New Functionality And Gets UI Tweak

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

I believe I have tried every web browser application that has ever hit the market (or that even hasn’t). I am sure most have you have migrated from stock to a number of the other popular browsers out like Opera,  Dolphin HD or Firefox. They all have their pros and cons of course, just like any other application made. I know I have been a huge fan of Dolphin HD for a great while now.

Miren browser has now caught my attention and has quickly become my daily application for web viewing. Let’s take a look at why:

- Full tabbed browser with smart full-screen mode
– Top site navigation and smart suggestions
– Flash Support
– Multi-touch Pinch Zoom
– Bookmark management with folders
– Bookmark import/export via SD

That is the blurb from the application page, they are very good points though. It supports my “must have” features.

Tabbed browsing is a deal breaker, in my opinion. Without tabbed browsing, I spend way too much time going back or trying to figure out where I just was. The inclusion of top site navigation gives me a slight feel of the Opera browser with instant access to your top visited sites. Since I know many of us visit the same sites often, this makes getting there a breeze.

Speed is also a key factor when choosing your daily browser. Miren has consistently loaded the pages I view most, faster than Dolphin HD could. I am notorious for using desktop mode when browsing, so my speed tests were done using actual webpages, not mobile view pages. When going to ESPN.com with flash set to ‘always,’ the page loaded and was running in 5 seconds with all images going strong. Granted, Dolphin HD pulled the same page in about 8 seconds, but it is still a noticeable difference, especially when loading flash content.

Integration of RSS feeds is another win for this application. Instead of only being able to choose the feeds the browser has built in, you get to add your own Feed URL.

Here is my favorite feature: the widget. I absolutely love widgets. Miren has included a very user friendly and functional widget. You get your RSS feeds on one tab and your bookmarked websites and top sites on the other. You get the same information when you first launch the browser, but a widget is pretty handy.

Now for the not so good. The only issue I had at all with this browser was the gesture support. Swiping from left to right will take you back a page. Alternatively, swiping from right to left will take you forward a page. This can particularly cause an issue if you are a few clicks into a page and are just trying to move from one side of the site to the other. As of right now there is no way to disable gesture actions. The issue has been voiced many times and hopefully the developers will add that into the next release.

UPDATE: Apparently I was wrong. Believe me, it happens some times. You can actually change the action of your gesture support. I couldn’t find it. I was looking for something with “gesture” in it. It is not labeled in that manner. Thanks to a @GoCKillaz and RobG for alerting me where it was located at. If you go to settings > advanced tab > web page > action for sliding on page edges. In there you can change it from going back and forward to change tabs or to none. Thank you for finding that and letting me know.

Here is a short video of Miren in action. Forgive the language, I was unable to locate a really good English version. I think this still demonstrates its abilities quite nicely.

Click or scan the QRCode below to find out more information about the Miren Browser application. 
Summary and Downloads:

Application: Miren Browser
Developer: miren browser
Cost: FREE

View full post on AndroidSPIN

If you’re developing any Adobe AIR apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook then this update should excite you. The SDK for Adobe AIR has been updated to v0.9.2 and introduces some features that were previously not available to the BlackBerry PlayBook. The key ones, as noted in our live blog being the ability to add custom app splash screens as well as the ability to make use of potrait mode within the BlackBerry PlayBook. Many folks had portrait mode at the top of their list and finally Research In Motion has taken care of that. You can grab the latest Adobe AIR SDK from the BlackBerry developers page today.

Download the updated Adobe AIR SDK

CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Adobe AIR SDK updated to v0.9.2 – Now supports custom splash screens and portrait mode on the BlackBerry PlayBook

View full post on CrackBerry.com blogs

Google has rather nonchalantly dropped a bombshell on the web — future versions of the Chrome browser will no longer support the popular H.264 video codec. Instead Google is throwing its hat in with Firefox and Opera, choosing to support the open, royalty-free WebM codec.

Google says the move is meant to “enable open innovation” on the web by ensuring that web video remains royalty-free. While H.264 is widely supported and free for consumers, sites encoding videos — like YouTube — must pay licensing fees to the MPEG Licensing Association, which holds patents on AVC/H.264

Prior to Google’s announcement, the web video codec battle was evenly split — Firefox and Opera supported the open Ogg and WebM codecs, while Safari and Internet Explorer supported H.264. Google took the egalitarian path and supported all three codecs.

Google’s move away from H.264 makes sense given that Google is already heavily invested in WebM. In fact, the only reason the WebM codec exists is because Google purchased On2, the creators of the VP8 codec. Once Google acquired the underlying code it turned around and released VP8 as the open source WebM project.

There’s been considerable outcry from developers concerned that they now need to support two video codecs to get HTML5 video working on their sites. However, given that Firefox — which has a significantly greater market share than Google’s Chrome browser — was never planning to support the H.264 codec, developers were always going to need to support both codes for their sites to work across browsers.

Google’s decision to drop H.264 from Chrome does raise some questions though. For instance, Android also ships with H.264 and so far Google hasn’t made any announcement regarding the future of H.264 on the Android platform. One of the reasons H.264 has become so popular is that the codec enjoys robust hardware support across devices — whether it’s desktop PCs, mobile devices or set top boxes. While WebM has made some strides in hardware acceleration since it was originally released, it still lags well behind H.264. At least for now it seems that Android most likely needs to continue supporting H.264.

The move also raises questions about YouTube, still the largest video site on the web. Currently the site serves H.264 videos to most browsers, whether through the HTML5 version of the site or using the Flash Player. It seems obvious that Google must be hard at work converting the site to use WebM, but will it continue to support H.264 for those browsers and devices that don’t support the WebM codec? So far Google hasn’t made any announcements regarding YouTube and H.264.

Critics of Google’s decision to drop H.264 support in Chrome point out that Chrome ships with Flash, which, like H.264, is not really an open web technology. Indeed it would seem hypocritical for Google to dump some closed tools while keeping others, but, in Chrome’s defense, Flash is well entrenched in the web and ditching it really isn’t practical. Rather Google’s decision seems to be pragmatic — the company is in a position to take a stand on video codecs and it is doing so before H.264 becomes as entrenched as Flash.

[Google did not respond to a request for comment on this article. A Google Spokesperson tells Webmonkey that the announcement is related to "Chrome only and does not affect Android or YouTube." Presumably both will continue to offer H.264 support. As for Flash, the Spokeperson says, the Chrome announcement "is about the importance we place on open technologies being the foundation of the emerging web platform moving forward." In other words, dropping Flash support isn't practical.]

See Also:

• MPEG LA Extends Web Video Licensing Moratorium Until the End of Time
• Major Browser Vendors Launch WebM Free Open Video Project
• On Web Video Support, Safari Now Stands Alone
• Microsoft Adds H.264 Video Support to Firefox

View full post on Webmonkey

Back in July we let you know about a new image editing application from Toysoft Development called imgEdit. This app is handy for anyone that enjoys taking pictures with their BlackBerry, but maybe wants to do a little editing before sending it off to grandma. Well good news! ImgEdit has been updated to v2.0, and it’s on sale for just $3.99 right now! The entire user interface has been given an overhaul, and in my opinion the whole app is now much easier to use and very intuitive.

From the developer:

You can use imgEdit to manipulate the image such as rotating in 90, 180 and 270 degrees, flip and mirror the image, add special effect such as GreyScale, Sepia, Negative, Emboss, Scatter and many more effects. If the image is too big to send via email you can resize the image, add custom text, import a frame image to put around the image. For advanced users you can use the RGB and HSB feature to alter the color of the image. An added bonus is the Warhol effect. Changes in the image can be saved in JPG format or email to anyone.

ImgEdit integrates with the Media, Files and Camera application. Take a picture with the camera app and edit the picture right there. ImgEdit is available for BlackBerry devices running OS 5.0 and 6.0. For more information check out the links below!

To download the free trial or purchase imgEdit
To read more about imgEdit in the CrackBerry forums

CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. imgEdit by Toysoft updated to v2.0

View full post on CrackBerry.com blogs

A bug that was first brought to the attention of Google back in June has yet to be addressed and appears to be picking up steam, let me add fuel to the fire (give you that which you desire).

An SMS bug in which a sender tries to send a message to their spouse saying “My boss is an A$$!” appears to be sent to the spouse, but instead is sent to a random, unintended recipient, like the boss. And I don’t mean Bruce! What is a little more insulting is that Google has maintained the priority of this bug to “Medium”.

As of this writing a poll on ZDNet indicates that 9% of Android users have been affected by this bug at least once. A number that should be more than high enough to light a fire.

Take a look at the bug for yourself, and if you have been affected by it report as much detail in that thread.

[via ZDNet | Read on BGR | Thanks to all who sent this in.]
[Image courtesy of Iowa State University]

Update:
Looks like all of the publicity this has been receiving over the past few days has prompted Google to up this one to “critical”. Well done, to everyone who rallied for Google to get a move on!

View full post on Android Phone Fans

While we all wait patiently for Enomther’s TheOfficial series to come to the T-Mobile myTouch 4G, he just keeps moving along on his latest of the TheOfficial series for the T-Mobile G2.  His latest update brings his ROM to version 2.14.2.

The latest update includes:

v2.14.2 – 12/24/2010
– added more ringtones/sounds from the Nexus1 build
– updated – kernel to .27 patchset
— updated broadcom wifi driver
— updated the kineto_gan module
— added Interactive CPU governor option
—- NOTE: ondemand is still default and you must use an app like SetCPU to leverage the Interactive Governor (and if so, disable CPU controls in SpareParts)
— fixes – Wifi HotSpot not starting
— fixes – TMOWifiCalling volume/quality issues
– fixed – Theme-ing Issues in the stock Launcher
– updated – GAPPS (Gmail, Facebook, Maps, Market, MyAccount, VoiceSearch and Youtube)
——————————————————————————————
———— AND BEFORE ANY1 ASKS: NO! .. the HTC Camera is not ported yet …
———— there`s a megaTON of stuff that must be brought in for it to work properly …
———— I likely won`t have that accomplished till I`ve finalized my initial MT4G/Glacier work …
———— soooooo again … please be patient! 
— THEME TEMPLATES ARE NOW POSTED IN THE OP! —

Head over to Enomther’s CommunityRelease homepage and for downloads and more information.

View full post on AndroidSPIN

Ho, Ho, Ho everybody.  We’ve decided it’s time to give away something a bit bigger and better, something that would make your family happy and put a smile on your face… We hope . Can you guess what it is?

Here’s the first hint to help you guess:

Hint 1: You can use it to search.

Once someone guesses the right answer (put guesses in comments) we will announce what we are actually giving away and that person will get a prize for being the first with the correct answer. You’ll have to be precise. You have to specify the actual make and model of the device, not just some form of a generic name.

***Drum roll please…the answer is:
Logitech Revue (Google TV)***

Now my Question to you is, who wants one?

View full post on AndroidSPIN

We first told you about StartTalking back in October, where its primary focus was as a completely hands-free app for texting.  You can use your voice to start and compose text messages and the app can read incoming messages to you.  The latest version adds improved voice recognition in noisy environments, as well as more voice commands to control your Android phone.

StartTalking now has the ability to initiate voice dialing, voice navigation, and post to Twitter & Facebook.  Another fun feature is the ability to name your phone, and change the greeting it responds with.  So instead of saying “start talking” and hearing “yes” as your reply – you can change it so you say “Nexus One” and have your phone reply, “Yes Master Steve”.  Pretty cool stuff.

StartTalking is free for Android devices running version 2.1 and higher.  Grab it from their site here, or grab it from the market link on your phone or QR code below.

Market Link

StartTalking for Android gets updated, adds voice dialing, GPS commands, and more

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

The Android Developers Blog just posted an announcement that the Market has undergone a few, fairly remarkable, changes that will both please and probably tick off most of us.

With a focus on improving discoverability and merchandising, we’ve introduced a new carousel on the home and category screens. Users can quickly flip through the carousel to view promoted applications and immediately go to the download page for the application they want. Developers have been very active in creating great Widgets and Live Wallpapers. To make it easier for users to find their favorites, we’re introducing two new categories for Widgets and Live Wallpapers. Applications that include Widgets and Wallpapers will be automatically added to those new categories. We’ll also be adding more categories for popular applications and games in the weeks ahead. In addition, the app details page now includes Related content, which makes it easier for users to quickly find apps of similar interest.

A new .apk file size limit has just been implemented, the new cap is 50MB this is to “better support richer games.” Also on tap is support for “device targeting” to best fit end users and their respective displays and densities. Which is a must have feature now that Android has a large window for variable screen sizes.

They also decided to reduce the refund window to a measly 15 minutes. Their justification for this was “most users who request a refund do so within minutes of purchase”. Yikes! No more buying now and waiting until later to try out your purchase.

All Phandroids running Android 1.6 or higher should see the update for the client within the next two weeks.

Update:
For those of you who want the new Market now, Android Police is hosting the .apk via multiupload. We suggest reading the post before diving in as there is some warnings about custom ROMs and the lack of testing, specifically those of you running CM.

This is one of those “we’re only sharing the information, not suggesting you go and install it without regard to the risks”.

[Android Developers Blog]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

The Android Developers Blog just posted an announcement that the Market has undergone a few, fairly remarkable, changes that will both please and probably tick off most of us.

With a focus on improving discoverability and merchandising, we’ve introduced a new carousel on the home and category screens. Users can quickly flip through the carousel to view promoted applications and immediately go to the download page for the application they want. Developers have been very active in creating great Widgets and Live Wallpapers. To make it easier for users to find their favorites, we’re introducing two new categories for Widgets and Live Wallpapers. Applications that include Widgets and Wallpapers will be automatically added to those new categories. We’ll also be adding more categories for popular applications and games in the weeks ahead. In addition, the app details page now includes Related content, which makes it easier for users to quickly find apps of similar interest.

A new .apk file size limit has just been implemented, the new cap is 50MB this is to “better support richer games.” Also on tap is support for “device targeting” to best fit end users and their respective displays and densities. Which is a must have feature now that Android has a large window for variable screen sizes.

They also decided to reduce the refund window to a measly 15 minutes. Their justification for this was “most users who request a refund do so within minutes of purchase”. Yikes! No more buying now and waiting until later to try out your purchase.

All Phandroids running Android 1.6 or higher should see the update for the client within the next two weeks.

[Android Developers Blog]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

Cyborg is a very nice theme from Cocky Culture that was recently updated to support non-touchscreen devices. The theme features custom icons, homescreen layout, and really brings a unique look to your BlackBerry smartphone. My favorite customization in the theme is the actual cyborg head. The mouth moves as you scan through your icons, and the eyes dim and fade as your battery drains. Overall its a really cool, completely custom theme that is sure to make your BlackBerry stand out.

You can pick up Cyborg on sale at the CrackBerry App Store for $1.99. It is available for the 8500, 8900, 9100, 9300, 9500, 9600 and 9700 series devices.

Contest: We have 50 copies of Cyborg to give away. Just leave a comment on this post to enter. Contest ends this Sunday at Midnight PST. Please only leave one comment, multiple entries wont count.

More information and download of Cyborg

CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Cyborg theme updated with support for non-touchscreen devices – 50 copies to be won!

View full post on CrackBerry.com blogs

I was sent a link to the Skype blog announcing a brand new version of Skype for the latest Symbian phones, including the N8, C7, and E5. I fired up my web browser and went to the skype.com/m website and discovered that the Skype Verizon deal here in the US blocks ANYONE outside of specific Verizon handsets from getting Skype. However, I was not going to stop there and figured out all you need to do is switch your device to offline mode and then use a WiFi connection to go to the Skype site and get the .sisx file to install on your device.

This new version includes Skype’s high quality audio codec, SILK, so calls should be even better than they were before. Here is what is listed on the Skype blog for the updated application:

• make free Skype-to-Skype calls and IM on 3G or WiFi
• save money on calls and texts to phones abroad
• share pictures, videos and other files from your phone
• easier to add contacts, navigate, add a photo to your profile and set your mood message
• updated the interface to better fit larger screens

Do you use Skype for Symbian?

View full post on Nokia Experts

If you want to keep a close eye on what devices are running Gingerbread right now, then you may want to hit up the source link at the end of this article. Xda-developers has a new list up that instantly updates to show you which devices have custom ROMs based off of Gingerbread. So, if you’re like just about every other Android user out there right now wanting Android 2.3, be sure to check back often to make sure your device is on the list.

Is your phone running Gingerbread yet? Check the list and be sure to let us know in the comments!

Want to know which phones are running Gingerbread right now? Check out the list, instantly updated

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

Seesmic is one of the more popular Twitter clients out there, so an update is likely to affect a lot of you. Version 1.5 is now live, and it brings a shiny new UI. Other notable changes:

Overall this is a pretty full update, bringing some great features to the table. If you’re a Seesmic user, be sure you grab it today!

Seesmic Updated to Version 1.5, New UI

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

Flash Player for Android has been given a small upgrade to 10.1.105.7. We’re not entirely sure what the update is bringing, but given the lack of a major changelog it is likely just some small bug fixes. You can grab the update from the Android Market.

[thanks to everyone that sent this in]

Android Flash Player gets updated to 10.1.105.7

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

Flash Player just updated to 10.2 for desktop computing, and though we don’t know when it will be making to leap to mobile, we have been hit with a new update to Flash Player 10.1 for Android. Mysteriously absent are any indications of what is new in the update, so we will assume it is nothing major and probably just fixing bugs/general enhancements. The update will bring your Flash up to 10.1.105.7. You can grab it in the Android Market now.

[Thanks, Eric!]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

With the holiday shopping season well underway already, eBay and RIM have just updated eBay for BlackBerry to better help you out if you’re shopping plan consists of online shopping. Updated to version 1.0.3.5, the eBay app for BlackBerry smartphones will now include great deals from Deal Finder, which will replace the Daily Deal feature in the application.

Deal Finder is a great way compare eBay.com with prices on retail websites such as Amazon and Best Buy. Also included with this update is some overall fixes for slow loading times and eBay for BlackBerry can now make use of BlackBerry Shortcut keys. The update hasn’t gone live in BlackBerry App World as of yet but you can grab it from the direct download page. If you prefer to download from BlackBerry App World, try refreshing using ALT RSTR and it may show up.

Click Here To Learn More About eBay For BlackBerry Smartphones

CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. eBay for BlackBerry updated – Now includes Deal Finder to help you find the best offers

View full post on CrackBerry.com blogs

Show of hands: Who likes the NetFlix app on their Logitech Revue GTV sets? Thought so.

Although it doesn’t seem to be on mass distribution yet, it seems a few Revue users have received an update to the NetFlix app. No word on when this one will hit the masses; but updates are updates, and polish is polish. Yay!

Here are a few screengrabs of the new look. Follow the link to SatelliteGuys down below for some more. There is also a video of it in action.

[via Android Central | Scott Greczkowski @ SatelliteGuys]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

Kobo for Android has been sitting at the bottom of the barrel in terms of eReading applications on the Android market, but that’s because their app was as closed as a dangerous manhole: it was difficult reading anything not bought from Kobo’s own store. An update to their application changes all of that , though, as they’ve made it even easier to find books, sideload them, and now support the standard ePub format. Here’s the list of changes in its entirety:

• The ability to search, add and read Internet Archive ePubs – that’s over 1.9 million eBooks!
• You can now read ebooks in the ePub format, no matter where they are purchased from
• All of the great reading features available for books from our catalogue are available on books added to the library
• We’ve made sideloading books easier and more customer friendly

Kobo doesn’t have a big name like Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, or even Sony (later in December) and Laputa to attract an overwhelming amount of traffic, but they’ll remain competitive regardless and that’s always what we like to see. Go ahead and find the updated version in the Android market now.

View full post on Android Phone Fans

Skyfire has announced version 3.0 of their browser for Android which knocks the social socks right off you: this thing comes packed with Facebook integration to make browsing more meaningful for you. For starters, every page you visit within Skyfire can be “liked” with a built-in “Like” button. Upon liking a page, that activity will be posted on your Facebook account for your friends to see what you’ve been browsing.

Another cool feature is “Popular Content” which will search the entire Facebook network for the most popular content on whatever site you happen to be visiting. For instance, visiting the New York Times and accessing the Popular Content feature will show you a list of the most popular pages. Your friends’ activity on that particular site appears at the top so you can easily find out what people close to you are looking at.

Fireplace is another socially-driven content exploration feature, except it brings back all of the webpage links from your Facebook timeline and displays them in top-to-bottom RSS fashion. Finally, their new search features have gotten a nice overhaul as you’ll be able to go beyond the barriers that Google (or whoever your default provider is) sets. If you want to see what your friends and other Facebook users are saying about what you’re searching for, just tap the Facebook button and those results come up right away. You’ll be able to do the same for videos from VideoSurf, Diggs, Tweets from Twitter, and you’ll be able to look it up on Amazon all with just a couple of clicks from the search bar.

It’s not in the market yet, but they promise Skyfire 3.0 will be there very soon, and I’m personally excited to try it out once it’s finally available. Take a look at the video above for a detailed overview of the latest features.

View full post on Android Phone Fans

Android has a plethora of Android apps, several of which are both robust and popular. As you may have read here recently Tweetdeck 1.0.3 beta has been in beta, but it has gone official now. For those of you NOT keeping score at home, they have updated with it:

…And still more! Hit the source link for the full run-down, and be sure and get the update if you’re a Tweetdeck user (and if you’ve never tried it, it’s worth checking out — Appbrain link.

Tweetdeck for Android updated to 1.0.3

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates