Widget Locker

Today's app is Widget Locker

If you are anything like me, you probably like customising almost every aspect of your phones UI. One component of that is the Lock Screen, which varies dramatically between android devices, but typically can not be changed without third party software - such as Widget Locker.

As you can see from the above and below examples, there are many ways that Widget Locker can be used to make a functional and good looking unlock screen. The best capabilities regard unlocking directly to certain apps, such as messaging or email, and the ability to display widgets and power management toggles (brightness, wi-fi, etc) for easy access.

Other abilities include:

- Drag and Drop placement of Sliders, Android Widgets and App Shortcuts
- Sliders look selectable from built-in styles (Ice Cream Sandwich, Gingerbread, Sense and Sense 3, Motorola, iPhone, and Rotary) or from user-themes.
- Slider Actions can be customized, for example Slide-to-launch-Camera or Slide-to-call-your-Girlfriend.
- Resizable widgets and custom grid size
- Notification badges on apps/sliders via ADWNotifier ( http://t.co/LDKMQii )
- Customize which widgets/buttons are allowed or blocked at the lock screen

Widget Locker

Price: $2.99

Droid Comic Viewer (ACV)

Today's app of the day is Droid Comic Viewer (ACV).

I haven't read comics in a long long time, but with the popularisation of many graphic novels being converted to film, I thought it could be interesting to check out some of the classics, like the Watchmen, Sin City and V for Vendetta.


I can't say I have progressed far with any of them, but I did find a great app to make it possible called Droid Comic Viewer. Essentially,  Droid Comic Viewer can open a wide arrange of file (Opens CBZ/ZIP, ACV, CBR/RAR (beta), JPEG, PNG, BMP & image folders (long tap)) and is highly customisable, so that the comic can be arranged and viewed in a manner that best suits your screen size.


Having a larger phone (HTC Desire HD), I manage to fit a full page of the comic (width wise) with my phone held in landscape. I can then slide down and quite easily and comfortably read. For phones with smaller screen size, this might not be possible, but Droid Comic Viewer features multi-touch and pinch to zoom, making it still relatively easy to navigate a page.

The comics themselves can be acquired from a number of locations, and I am sure a quick google search will assist anyone having difficulty in that regard. Check the following link for some legitimate (legal) sources to get you going for free : http://www.robotcomics.net/2009/04/where-to-find-free-cbz-or-cbr-comics/

Droid Comic Viewer (ACV)

Price: Free

Home Chooser Flow

Today's app is Home Chooser Flow.

If you have more than one launchers on your android device, then Home Chooser Flow is the perfect app for you. In short, Home Chooser Flow allows you to flick through all the launchers installed on your phone, in a similar way to "Coverflow" for iPods.

It also allows basic management of launchers, such as setting defaults, uninstalling, and killing processes. Despite this, the best feature of Home Chooser Flow is the notification bar icon, allowing quick access to all your launchers with a simple swipe down of the finger!

If you love customising your droid, and can't seam to decide whether to stick with Go Launcher, ADW Launcher or Zeam for your preferred home replacement of choice, then install Home Chooser Flow and change easily and quickly as you feel necessary!

Home Chooser Flow

Price: Free

QR Droid

Today's app of the day is QR Droid. 

Every android device needs a QR Code scanner, and preferably needs to have that program in a quick to access location. I use Swipepad to keep my QR Code scanner readily available, and use QR Droid as my QR Code scanner of choice.

The above screen shots essentially summarise the best features of QR Droid, so I wont bother with trying to explain it in my own words. In short, if you don't already have a QR Code reader, you can't go past QR Droid. If you do already have one, consider changing for something better!

QR Droid

Price: Free

YooNinja Free

Today's app of the day is YooNinja Free.

I seem to be getting into quite a rut of recommending one touch games, and surprise - today is no different! That's right, YooNinja Free is yet another "addictive" one touch game for android devices.

YooNinja Free is actually the first android game I finished, so I definitely enjoyed it and found it to be a tough one to put down. More than any game I've picked up in a long time, YooNinja Free encourages you to have "just one more go." I challenge you to start this game, commit at least 10 mins to it, and not want to finish as a matter of priority.

 

The concept is simple - you are a ninja who essentially "runs", flipping gravity at the touch of the screen. This means if you are running along, tap the screen and you will flip upside down and essentially run along the ceiling. When you factor this simple mechanic with some truly frantic level designs and obstacles, YooNinja Free presents an excellent, challenging game!

YooNinja Free

Price: Free

Speaktoit Assistant

Today's app of the day is Speaktoit Assistant. 

A couple of day's ago I recommended Vlingo as my app of the day. Now, whilst I still stand by that recommendation, I have been trying out a few other "Siri alternatvies" and stumbled across Speaktoit Assistant.

Wheras Vlingo is more of a mechanism to control your phone through voice input, Speaktoit Assistant is more of a direct competitor to Siri, falling into the "assistant" category of voice control apps, allowing users to talk to the phone in a more conversationalist tone, with a quasi-intelligent robot interpreting your commands and taking appropriate action. In fact, just like Siri, Speaktoit Assistant responds to you with a bit of attitude, which really does make using the program entertaining.

On the surface, Speaktoit Assistant functions in a very similar manner to Vlingo, in that it includes a widget that can be pressed to open an interface whereby voice commands will be accepted, or the search button on your android device can be long held for the same effect.

The largest benefit of Speaktoit Assistant over Vlingo is the ability to speak in every day language, with the hope that the program will interpret what you are saying. My biggest problem with Vlingo was that I could never remember the correct phrases to use to achieve certain tasks. For example, to open an application, was I to state "launch" or "open"? These sort of problems are not apparent with  Speaktoit Assistant, which manages to interpret a large amount of what is said, and if not, appears to promptly notify the developer who will hopefully be rolling out updates over the coming months.

As you will see from the above screen shots, the range of functions that can be achieved with Speaktoit Assistant is quite impressive. Although it lags at times, and is till prone to occational errors, it is definitely a great app, and as with Vlingo, I only feel it going to improve at a drastic pace.

In short, if you want to try voice control but don't want to be bound by the more sterile experience that is Vlingo (though Vlingo is probably more polished), then give Speaktoit Assistant a try!

Speaktoit Assistant 

Price: Free

Taptu - DJ Your News

Today's app is Taptu.

Taptu is another great new and RSS reader for android phone, with the ability to load a variety of news sources into streams and then flick left and right to see the stories at a glance. The interface of Taptu is similar in many ways to Pulse, however, where Pulse allows greater customisation through multiple "pages" onto which a number of streams can be loaded, Taptu provides greater customisation for the actual streams themselves.

As an example, categories of streams can me merged into "super streams". As a practical example, I have loaded all my Google Reader RSS's (yes, it has Google Reade support) into a single stream. I also have all my social networks (facebook, twitter, linkedin) loaded up into another stream. This is great, as it means by loading a single app, at a glance I can see all my latest news and social network updates.

Other than being easy to use and featuring a great UI, Taptu is packed with features. These include support for read-it-later, instapaper, sharing, Google Reader, Facebook (updating status, liking, posting), Twitter, Linkedin and some great widget options.

If you already have Pulse, you may not find a need for Taptu in your life, but the relationship works both ways. In my opinion, it is worth getting both and making your own mind up about which you prefer. Either that or use both! 

Taptu

Price: Free

Doodle Jump

Today's app is Doodle Jump.

Doodle jump is a great little game, available for iPhone, PC, Nokia, and now Android. You should be warned that Doodle Jump is seriously addictive, and that it has that "just one more go" type of game play that can cause plenty of time to be wasted!

The object of Doodle Jump is quite straight forward, being, to simply jump as high as you can up a series of platforms, shooting aliens, avoiding obstacles and collecting power ups.

There isn't really much more to it!

Doodle Jump

Price: $0.99

Zinio

Today's app of the day is Zinio.

Zinio is a magazine reader for android devices, and whilst it would be most suited for a tablet, I have managed to flick through more than a couple of mags on my HTC Deisre HD with no worries at all, thanks to the ability to easily zoom and scroll around a page with multi-touch, or to read text only versions of articles (a great feature).

Even better, is the ability to download a number of popular magazines completely free. This morning I flicked through an entire Maxim magazine, downloaded another Maxim for a later date, and read through a few pages of a photography mag I had also obtained in full - all for free!

Features include (from the developer):

★ Read full-color pages or text mode for simple reading.
★ Purchase full subscriptions for the best value, or buy single issues and find your new favorites.
★ Sync your entire library easily with your computer and other supported mobile devices.
★ Read with interactive features, rich media, and digital-only content in select magazines.
★ Magazines worldwide, published in Canada, UK, Australia, Spain, France, Italy, Russia, Japan and more.

Zinio

Price: Free

Astrid Tasks / Todo List

Today's app is Astrid Tasks / Todo List

This is a great to do / task list which I use often. Why? because it is simple and meets the three primary requirements I require for such a program, being:

1. a widget that shows the actual tasks;
2. syncing with Google Tasks; and
3. a clean UI, to which tasks can easily be added and removed with minimal clicks.

That's all I ask, and Astrid Tasks / Todo List provided all these features and more. 

I won't go into it any more, because there isn't much else that needs to be said. If you are sick of complex note taking apps and just want something simple that works, but will sync between all your devices, then Astrid Tasks / Todo List is for you.

Astrid Tasks / Todo List

Price: Free

FML Official - Get the guts to spill the beans

Today's app of the day is FML.

If you are not familiar with FML, in short it stands for "F my life". The Official FML Website should give you a bit of an insight into what the app is all about, but essentially, it is a user submitted website that feeds on the most basic, and possibly, the lowest form of comedy - laughing at other's misfortune!

Is it sometimes inappropriate? Yes. Is it rude and crude? Yes. Would your grandparents "get" it? Probably not. Is it often laugh out loud hilarious? For sure!

In short, FML involves users from around the world submitting stories about themselves, that have ultimately, in a moment of introspection, cause them to have thought "F my life" and then to tell the whole world about it. The results are great!

Chuck the widget on a home screen and you be guaranteed to get at least a few laughs every day. Don't forget to check out the comments for each FML too (by clicking on the widget), they are often as good as the FML itself. Enjoy!

FML

Price: Free

Also available for iPhone, Blackberry and WP7

Dragon Fly! Free

Today's app is Dragon Fly! Free.

For mobile gaming, I like things to be kept simple, and there is nothing more simple than the multitude of one touch games that fill out the android market. One that have personally spent a large number of spare minutes wasting time on is Dragon Fly! Free.

In short, you are a dragon, trying to fly away from your mother. You do so by sliding down hills (pressing the screen to dive) and using the momentum gained on the way down, to flick off the other side (by releasing your finger at the right time) and to fly through the air. Do this correctly and it is called a "swoosh". Get 3 "swooshes" in a row and you burst into flames, which is the dragon equivalent of using a turbo boost.

As you play you collect diamonds that can be used to buy power ups, and gradually tick off challenges, such as reaching certain stages, doing a certain number of "swooshes" before being caught, or reaching fire mode at particular points of the game.

Overall, a great simple and addictive game.

Dragon Fly! Free

Price: Free

Vlingo

Today's app of the day is Vlingo.


There has been a lot of talk over the last few weeks about Siri for the iPhone 4S. For those who didn't follow the iPhone 4S announcement, in the words of apple themselves:


Siri on iPhone 4S lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and more. Ask Siri to do things just by talking the way you talk. Siri understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back. Siri is so easy to use and does so much, you’ll keep finding more and more ways to use it.


Now, I am not the biggest fan of voice control, for a start you look like a d!ck walking down saying commands into your phone, but also, I have often found that the inaccuracy of voice control can make a simple task more complicated than reaching down and pressing a few buttons instead. I have to admit however, that from what I have seen of Siri, for those with North American accents at least, it seems to work quite well, and is admittedly the only software feature of the 4S that may cause owners of androids to think "I wish I could do that".


Well, for android users, there is no need to fret, for if you too want to be able to walk down the street saying "Text Brad  - love your website" in a completely hands-free fashion (other than the obvious hand required to hold the phone in the first instance), then there is a free alternative in the android market. Enter center stage - Vlingo.


Now, Vlingo has been around for a while across a number of platforms, in fact, I remember trying it back on my Nokia n97 (maybe the worst phone ever) and thought that it had promise. It appears however, that with the announcement of Siri, a whole lot more polish was added to the app overnight, and the results are quite impressive. 


Now, when I short press the search button (the magnifying glass) on my HTC Desire HD, the usual Google search bar appears (which itself has some quite impressive voice command capability, but when I long press the same button, a few tones sound and I can essentially tell the phone what I want it to do. 


From my current experience it works quite well if you adopt a conversationalist tone (so no need to talk like a robot) and generally, even complex messages (which is likely to be one of the main uses) come out with only a few mistakes. Of course, it isn't perfect, but I think the tech in this area is only going to grow over the coming months and as other competitors to Vlingo become more sophisticated, I wouldn't be surprised to see the app to do so likewise. 

All of the above is not saying Vlingo is not already quite polished, in fact, it really is impressive what can be achieved through a few simple voice commands. One of my favourite questions is the ability to directly ask questions and receive an answer. For example,when I ask Vlingo "How many people live in Australia?" the answer automatically appeared on the screen "the population of Australia is 21707964."

Overall Vlingo is already a great app, with a whole lot more potential, so if you are interested in experimenting with voice control, definitely give it a try!

Vlingo

Price: Free

Also available for iPhone, Nokia, Blackberry and Windows Mobile. 

Zedge - Tones and Wallpapers

Today's app of the day is Zedge.

In a nutshell, Zedge makes it easy to get new tones (ringtones, alarm tones, message tones) and new wallpapers for your android device. Both tones and wallpapers can be browsed by catagories, or sorted by number of downloads, favourites or age.

Zedge also includes an intuitive way of changing wallpapers and tones. Once downloaded, simply navigate to the "downloaded" component of the app, chose the tone or wallpaper, then simply click a button. Close the app and the new settings are in place.

Above all else, the best element of Zedge is the variety in tones and wallpapers. As a simple example, I am a large fan of LOUD ringtones - there is nothing worse than having a phone ring in your pocket and not hearing it. My solution? Search for tones with the word "loud". My current pick is "Loudest Ringtone_28" and I can guarantee, you won't fail to hear it!

So, if you want to personalise the way your phone looks and sounds, you can not go past Zedge!

Zedge

Price: Free

Also available from the Web, or a mobile site

Flick Golf

Today's app of the day is Flick Golf

There are many "addictive" one button games for Android, however Flick Golf is one of the better, with crisp 3D graphics and great simple game-play. The object of Flick Golf is to tee off, and through flicking the ball in the air to manipulate its direction, get the ball as close to the hole as possible.

Things are complicated by wind, hazards (bunkers, water, etc) and the distance to the hole gradually increasing.

Flick Golf has a variety of courses, as well as a variety of modes, however the game would be even better if some form of multiplayer mode was implemented. Maybe in future releases? Overall however, a great game, perfect for playing on the bus or train to work.

Flick Golf

Price: $0.99

Also available for iPhone and iPad

Dropbox - Simplify your life

Today's app of the day is Dropbox.

Dropbox is a free service and application that makes it possible to always have your important documents, pictures and more, only a few clicks away, no matter where you are. In a nutshell, Dropbox is simply an online storage location for up to 2gb (for free, you can pay for more) of data. What separates it from the pack however, it the integration between all the platforms from which you access the service.

For example, by installing Dropbox on your PC, you will be able to drag and drop files into a folder (that integrates seamlessly with windows explorer) which will automatically sync that file on all the devices you have Dropbox installed. So, if you drag a file onto your PC, then for some reason need to access the file the next day it will be available, regardless of whether you have online access to your phone or not at that point in time (i.e. in a plane). In a similar vein, edit a file from your android phone, and next time you access it on your PC it will be updated. It's simple and it works!

 

Another great feature of the Dropbox android app is the built in text editor, as well as the ability to password protect your files, meaning that even if you lose your phone, important documents will be safe. So, drop into the android market now and get the client for your android phone, and don't forget to install the app on your PC from Dropbox.com.

Dropbox

Prince: Free

Also available for iPhone, iPad and Blackberry