Posts Tagged: ‘Android’

Last App Switcher – Originally Published September 2014

October 5, 2014 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

I’ve been using Lap App Switcher (LAS) for about two weeks now.  This is one of those programs that doesn’t seem to be real great; however, when you use it for a while it becomes almost indispensable.

In the programmer’s description, LAS compares itself to the “last channel” button on your TV remote.  I think that description is most appropriate.  What this app does is keep a floating notification bubble open.  When you tap on it, it will take you back to the last app that you had open.

Over the course of the day, I probably tap it at least fifty times.  It is so much easier and faster than pressing the last apps button on my phone and then selecting the correct item from the list of active programs.  It seems like it only saves a little time but throughout the day it adds up.

LAS is highly customizable.  The developers have also added alternate methods to use this app in case you’re not a fan of the floating button.  The floating button can be re-sized.  Its transparency can be changed.  What I have found to be the most useful feature is that you can easily place it anywhere on your screen.

The application is easy on the battery and uses very little memory.  There is no advertising nor in app purchases.  The developer seems to be responsive to comments.

I think that there will be no in between for this app.  Users will either love it or hate it.  I am in the love it column.  The app is free in the Google Play Store.  I personally would pay to use it.

Download Last App Switcher here.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Categories: Darkside

Red Herring – Originally Published July 2014

October 1, 2014 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

I like word games.  If you’ve read any of my game reviews, you’ve probably noticed that I start a lot of them with those same four words.  Red Herring is a word association game that is different than most others.

The object of the game is to slide the word tiles into one of the three category columns.  Each puzzle has only one correct solution.  There is no time limit for finishing the game.  The difficulty in the game comes from the fact that many of the words fit in more than one category.  Each puzzle has four extra “red herring” words that also fit into the categories.

To play the game, drag a word tile and drop it on another tile to swap them.  When four categorically matching tiles line up vertically, they’ll lock into place, with the category revealed at the top.  There are three modes of play. In the easy mode, you start with the category headings and the positions of five of the tiles revealed.  In the normal mode, the categories are hidden.  In the hard mode (which I’ve been playing) there is nothing revealed at the start of the game.  If you get stumped on a difficult level, you can always restart the level with an easier difficulty.

The base game comes with one puzzle pack of 50 grids for free (as well as ten free hints).  You can purchase additional puzzle packs and unlimited hints with in app purchases.  You can view a 47 second video on the official website.

Red Herring was developed by Blue Ox Technologies Ltd.  They also have produced one of my favorite word games, 7 Little Words, which I reviewed in the April Newsletter.  Although I like this game a lot, I doubt if I will keep it after I finish the 50 free puzzles.  After a while it gets a little repetitive.  When you get stumped, it is just too tempting to restart in an easier mode and finish the puzzle.

You can download Red Herring from the Google Play Store.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , ,
Categories: Darkside

7 Little Words – Originally Published April 2014

September 15, 2014 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

I like word games.  When I reviewed the game Wordiest, one of our club members suggested that I try another word game.  It was another free game called 7 Little Words.  This is one of those games that is doing what seems to be the new gaming trend: In application purchases.  I guess I must like the game a little bit.  I’ve spent money on it.

Like many other excellent games, 7 Little Words is simple to play and difficult to win.  The game reminds me of both anagrams and crossword puzzles.  Each puzzle consists of seven clues for seven different words.  There are twenty letter combinations for you to put together that fit the clues.  The goal of the game is to use all of the letters to solve the clues.

When you download the game, you get three daily puzzles and a puzzle pack of fifty free puzzles.  A new daily puzzle is added each day.  Additional puzzle packs can be purchased.  I’ve purchased an “impossible” to solve puzzle pack.  It hasn’t been impossible, but it’s pretty hard.

A limited number of free hints come with the game.  Unlimited hints can be purchased. I have been sorely tempted to buy the hints but have avoided having to so far.  The game relies on elimination.  If you solve most of the words you can experiment with the remaining letters and usually guess the answer.  I’ll admit that I have searched the web a few times for answers.  For example, I didn’t know that a cherimoya is a Peruvian fruit.  As with many other games, there are cheat web sites with all of the answers.  I haven’t had to use them.

The game has a 4.8 rating in the Google Play Store.  You can Download 7 Little Words by clicking the link.  Give it a try.  I think you’ll like it.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , , ,
Categories: Darkside

Apps I’m Not Going to Download – Originally Published January 2014

September 1, 2014 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

It’s that time of year again!  Did you keep all of the New Year resolutions you made a year ago?  Me neither.  I think it’s because I haven’t been making the right resolutions.  This year is going to be different.  I’m going to keep all of my resolutions.  How can I be so sure?  It’s simple.  I’m going to resolve only one thing.

You’ve heard the saying that there is an app for everything?  I think it might be true.  This year, I am resolving not to download and install any of the following applications.

1) Ghost Radar uses your device to scan for paranormal activity and alert you when ghosts are present.
2) PeeperPeeper is one of the most useless utilities I’ve seen.  It takes a picture whenever you open a messaging application.  This will supposedly give you proof that someone is reading your messages.
3) Fake Battery is supposed to help you not have to lend someone your phone.  You can tell them “Sorry, my battery is low.”
4) Poop Log is the application you need if you want to keep track of important things like size, amount, color, frequency, etc.  This is much more information than I need to know.
5) Flying Poo appears to be a game in where you have to use your finger to find Mr. Poo a new home.
6) The Dental Video Lexicon is just the app you need if you want to watch dental operations.  Open wide and say “mafapqjdqieck”.
7) Got Cash?   Prove it!  Show everyone that you have enough cash to buy useless $200 app!  Who wants milk, anyway?  You’ve just read the developers description on the Play Store.  It has a 5.0 rating (one vote).  Surprisingly, there has been some downloads.
8) Nothing does nothing for the same price.
9) Motion Fart uses the sensor in your phone to allow you to fart by lifting your leg.
10) Idiot Detector is an application that I was tempted to try.  Then I realized that it was not needed.

There you have it.  Ten applications that I recommend you DO NOT install.  They are all real programs available from the Google Play Store.  I didn’t check if any of them are also on iTunes or Windows.  I don’t know what amazes me more: the fact that some one writes these types of apps, or that other people actually download them.

Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , ,
Categories: Whatchamacallit

Google Nexus 7 Tablet – Originally Published September 2012

August 1, 2014 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Maybe I should start calling this column “Tales From the Dark Side”.  I’ve had my new toy for about three weeks now.  It’s the Google Nexus 7 tablet.  If I had to describe it with one word, I think I’d say fantastic.  I’d been thinking about replacing my Archos tablet with something more capable.  The Tech Guy, Leo LaPorte, convinced me to get this machine.

The Nexus 7 has a Quad-core Tegra 3 processor and the latest Android operating system, Jelly Bean (4.1).  It is really fast and smooth scrolling.  This is by far the best Android machine that I have seen.  The display is a 7 inch 1280×800 HD (216 ppi). It is gorgeous.

There is no 3G/4G installed.  For me, that is not a problem.  I didn’t have it on my old tablet and never missed it.  On the few occasions I was away from a network, I just tether to my cell phone if I need to access the Internet.  There is Wireless b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0.

It has a built in microphone which I have used quite a bit with Google Talk.  I’ve found myself searching for really stupid things just to see what the machine will find.  For instance, I often tell my Grandson that he is just a “silly goose”.  When I told the Nexus 7 to “find a silly goose”, I got driving instructions to the Silly Goose restaurant in Nashville, TN.

There isn’t a rear camera.  For me that isn’t a big thing.  I can’t think of a reason that I would ever use a tablet to take a picture.  I seldom take pictures with my Pocket PC.  Oops!  I meant to say telephone.  I used to say the same thing about front facing cameras, but I use the one on the Nexus 7 several times a day.  One of the features of Jelly Bean is taking a picture of yourself and then using the camera to wake the machine up from sleep mode.  The camera compares your face with the file picture.  If you look different, a pass code is needed to wake the machine up.  I haven’t been able to fool it yet.

Other features include a Near Field Communication technology, and Accelerometer, Global Positioning System, a Magnetometer and a Gyroscope.  The battery is a lithium ion 4325 mAh.  I haven’t yet got a recharge soon warning.  I wish I could say the same for my Android phone.

There are only two ports on this machine.  One is for a headphone jack.  The other is a mini USB (host) port, used for both charging and input/output.  I haven’t yet tested to see what USB peripherals can be used with the Nexus tablet.

All is not roses.  Almost every review you read lets us know that there isn’t an HDMI out port.  That doesn’t matter much to me.  I have a HDMI port on my other tablet.  I’ve used it exactly one time.  When I first got the machine, I plugged it in to see how the output looked on my television.  My old HTC phone had a HDMI out port too.  I used it two times.  I had tested it at home when I first got it.  The second time is when I demonstrated it on the big screen TV at one of the SIG computer meetings.  I think I’ll be able to cope without an HDMI port on the Nexus tablet.

There isn’t a Secure Digital expansion slot.  I purchased the 16 GB model, so I’m hoping that I won’t miss it.  I’ve never filled up the expansion data cards on either my phone or my Archos tablet.

I only have two real complaints about the Nexus tablet.  The on/off button is placed in a corner of the case and I am constantly accidentally bumping it and turning the machine off.  I also wish the speakers were a little louder.  I’m getting older and my hearing isn’t as good as it once was.  There is plenty of volume for me when I use headphones.

I like using Android 4.1 so much that I’ve decided not to get the Galaxy S4 III phone.  I’m going to save my upgrade for something with Jelly Bean.  Maybe I should send Microsoft a thank you note for dropping the ball on Windows Mobile and Windows Phone.  It got me to try Android and I’ll probably never go back.

If you’re in the market for a tablet PC, I highly recommend you check out the Galaxy Nexus 7.  By the way, it already passed the “drop” test twice for me.  I’d better hurry up and order a case for it.

Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , , ,
Categories: Whatchamacallit

I’ve Joined the Darkside – Originally Published July 2012

July 31, 2014 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

I’ve gone to the dark side.  I didn’t think it would ever happen, but I’m using an android phone.  OMG!  It’s worse than I thought.  I even called it a phone instead of a pocket computer.

I’ve carried a pocket PC since I bought my first IPAQ in 2002.  I just loved being able to carry my files, e-mail and to-do list with me everywhere.  It was so easy to sync with Outlook on my other computers.

In April 2010, I finally retired my IPAQ2495 and bought a HTC Touch Pro 2.  I think the people at the Sprint store thought I was a little crazy.  I was comparing the HTC to my IPAQ.  They just couldn’t understand that I wasn’t buying a phone.  I was buying a new pocket PC that happened to also be a telephone.

After a couple of months, I enjoyed using the Touch Pro 2 so much that I even used it to write this column for the newsletter.  It was a tough machine.  I estimate that I dropped it at least twenty or thirty times (including a few on concrete).  I might have been in the minority, but I liked Windows Mobile 6.  It was a reliable operating system that synced easily with Outlook.  I like Outlook.  It’s one of the few programs that I’ve actually purchased.

My TP2 finally gave up the ghost.  Naturally, I looked at replacing it with a Windows 7 cell phone.  Sprint had exactly two choices.  I didn’t much like either one.  I considered changing carriers, but I’ve got a pretty good reason for sticking with Sprint.

My grandson recently got an iPhone.  I activated his old phone, a Samsung Epic 4G.  My theory is that I can save my upgrade discount for a future Windows phone.  I’m not unfamiliar with the Android operating system.  I’ve used it on my tablet for a year or so.  My only problem with having Android in my pocket is that there isn’t a native synchronization with Outlook on my computer.

I finally slipped a little further into the dark void.  I almost gave up and went completely dark.  I gave some serious thought to abandoning Outlook and using Android PIM programs.  Then I could even stop telling people that the only software that I’ve spent money for is Outlook.

In the end, I actually purchased some software.  I got frustrated having to jump through several hoops to synchronize the darn thing with my computers.  Once again, I can just click one icon and have all of my data synced.

I wonder what my mobile future will be like.  Windows is going to have to get a manufacturer to make one heck of a phone to get me back.  Then they’ve got to get Sprint on board to sell it.  Then they have to get me to buy it.  That’s a pretty tall order.  They might have to get Bill Gates to come out of retirement and take over the company again.

My IPAQ is still somewhere in the junk box.  I sure miss it.

Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , , ,
Categories: Whatchamacallit

Lose It! – Originally Published December 2013

July 29, 2014 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

In 2005, when I moved South to Louisiana, I weighed nearly half of a ton.  A year later, on September 28, 2006, I was diagnosed with diabetes witch turned out to be a good thing.  I started to watch what went into my mouth, lost more than 200 pounds and weighed about 240.  I’m not trying to brag because I gradually started to regain some pounds and went back up to 276, which I maintained for a year or so.  I finally decided that it was time to get serious again.  I’ve found a great Android application that has been a great diet assistant.

Lose It! helps you set a daily calorie budget, track your food and exercise, and stay motivated to make smarter choices and achieve your goal.  After you install the application, you need to input your age, gender, height, weight and an e‑mail address.  Then you need to decide on a goal weight and how much you would like to lose each week.  The program then generates a daily calorie goal and calculates how long it will take you to achieve your weight loss.

After setup is complete, opening the application shows a screen with five tabs.  The “My Day” tab shows your total calorie budget for the day, how many calories you’ve consumed and a chart showing how many grams of protein, carbohydrates and fat you’ve consumed.  There is also an over/under budget chart for the week.

The “Log” tab is where the strength of the program is.  In this section, you enter all of your consumed food and exercises.  You can enter foods by searching the database, scanning a bar code, selecting from your personal food list, copying a previous meal or entering a recipe.  The food list is extensive and includes almost all of the restaurant chains.  So far, I haven’t found any foods not in the database.  Foods that you have previously consumed are saved in your “My Foods” list.  This makes them a lot easier to find the next time.  This is also the section where you record exercises.  When you enter an exercise, the total calories burned is added to your daily budget.  The more you exercise, the more you can chew and still lose those extra pounds.  As with the foods, there is an extensive data base that includes some obscure activities such as croquet, curling, juggling and many more.  Activities are saved in your “My Exercises” data base for easy retrieval.  If you like to do something like doing jumping jacks while roller skating, you can create a custom exercise.

The “Motivate” tab is mostly for social networking.  Here you can create and accept challenges, post to Facebook, etc.  I haven’t used this feature.

The “Goals” tab is where you can view charts and other information about your diet plan.

Finally, the “More” tab is where you set your application preferences, manage you Lose It! Account and access premium features.  Although some of these are tempting, I don’t think I’ll be signing up because of the cost of $39.99 annually.  Some of the tempting premium items are tracking blood glucose, blood pressure, nutritional data, connecting to monitoring devices and much more.  I’ve found that the free app is good enough for me.

If you want to lose a few pounds or are are just interested in tracking your calories, I recommend you give this program a try.  You can find more information on the Lose It! Website. Download Lose It! From the Google Play Store.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Categories: Darkside

Amazon App Store – Originally Published October 2013

July 29, 2014 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

Recently, I almost downloaded an app from the Google Play Store.  It wanted me to grant the following permissions:
Network communication
full network access
view Wi-Fi connections
view network connections
add or modify calendar events and send email to guests without owners’ knowledge
read phone status and identity
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
pair with Bluetooth devices
find accounts on the device
test access to protected storage
prevent device from sleeping
expand/collapse status bar

Did you carefully read that permissions list?  Do you think that an app that can change your calender and send email without telling you must be an awesome program?   You would probably think that it’s a utility for managing your contact list, your important documents, or maybe a super schedule manager.

You’d be wrong.  Those permissions are for the Amazon Audible book reader app.  I stumbled on it by accident when I was searching for a book that I wanted to read that the library didn’t have.  Out of all the book sites: e-book, hardcover and paperback, Audible was the cheapest.  I wonder if the price was so low because Amazon thought they could secretly mine my contacts and sell more stuff to people on that list?

I’d check the Amazon Appstore to see if the permissions are the same, but I can’t.  A month or ago, I removed it from all of my devices.  Back in March of 2011 when I installed it, the Appstore seemed like a real good deal.  There was a free paid app every day and many of them were really good ones.   The Swipe Keyboard, Tune In Radio and Documents to Go are just a few that come to my mind.  There were also many good games that you could download an play without the advertisements.

I don’t know if it was always the policy, but about a half year ago, a lot of my “free” apps wouldn’t open.  I would get an error message telling me that I had to be logged in to the Amazon Appstore to use the program.  Of course, it would always happen at the most inconvenient times.  Oh well, I don’t have that problem anymore.

It’s probably my imagination, but my Android devices seem to be a little faster since I deleted the Amazon Appstore and all of the apps that I downloaded.  Maybe the faster speed will give me more time to read that book I purchased from the Google Play Store.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , , ,
Categories: Darkside

Kingsoft Office – Originally Published August 2013

July 29, 2014 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

I’ve finally decided which office suite to use on my android devices.  My requirements are probably a little different than most users.  On my phone, I mostly use a half dozen different spreadsheets to track my medical data.  On my tablet, I usually connect my portable keyboard to write newsletter articles, etc.  Over the last year and a half or so, I’ve tried all of the major suites in the Google Play Store.  All of them work fairly well, but each has its own idiosyncrasies.  Kingsoft Office for Android is an office suite that is free.  Unlike many other suites, there is no paid version with extra features.

The Kingsoft suite has five modules: a widget, Writer for Android, Spreadsheets for Android, Presentation for Android and a file manager.  The interface is easy to use.  Files are previewed in a large, sliding thumbnail window.  I have found this to be much more efficient than a file list which my clumsy fingers seem to always touch the wrong file.  More that twenty file formats can be imported.  Output file formats are: Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint 97 to 2010 formats: .doc, .docx, .txt, .xls, .xlsx, .pptx and .pdf.

Working on documents isn’t difficult at all, as long as you are comfortable with typing on a touch interface.  When I attach my Bluetooth keyboard, it is even more simple, almost like using a laptop computer.  All the options like save, edit, layout etc. are easily accessible from the toolbar at the top.  Underneath it, you will find all the sub-options on a horizontal ribbon.  When working on a document, a long press on any part of the text will open a pop-up window with options to cut, copy, select, share etc.  Other options include the ability to add images, font size, header/footer, encrypt files, copy/paste, add comments etc.

Working on spreadsheets is also easy.  Formulas are supported, as well as options like wrap text, freeze panes, sort, add charts, auto shapes etc.  The touch interface is a little difficult to learn but is easy to use once you’ve done so.  As with the writer module, connecting a keyboard will make it a breeze.

I have not used the presentation module enough to know how well it works.  It is compatible with power point files.  My only complaint about Kingsoft Office for Android is that it doesn’t support RTF (rich text format) and ODT (Libre Office) files.  For my mobile files, I usually save as either text or word and then do my final edit on either my laptop or desktop.

There are many more features I did not mention in this short review.  One is support for cloud services.  You can learn more at the Kingsoft Store.  The suite is available for download from the Google Play Store.  Give it a try and post your thoughts on the club website.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , , ,
Categories: Darkside

Clueful for Android – Originally Published June 2013

July 26, 2014 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

I’ve written before about one of the real pains of using the Android operating system on your pocket computer.  When you install or update an application, it is important that you check the permissions to make sure the application doesn’t do anything that might be nasty.

I’ve found a 1.6 mg application that will help you monitor the software installed on your device.  The Clueful Privacy Advisor is a free program from Bitdefender.  It monitors all of your installed applications and gives you detailed information about what they do in the background.  Other apps of this type that I looked at usually just check and give you a list of permissions for your installed software.

Clueful goes a step further and reports on what your applications are actually doing.  It does this by keeping a database of apps on a remote server and examining the apps on your device.  It then calculates a precise and personal overview of how vulnerable you are.  You can evaluate and take appropriate actions for each installed app.

Whenever you download a new application from the Play Store, you get your normal notification that it was successfully installed.  You also get a notification from Clueful letting you know of any risks in using your new application.

On an interesting side note, the iOS App Store has removed Clueful Privacy Advisor.  Many tech bloggers have speculated that this was done because the program was too good at identifying applications with privacy problems.  I’ll not give my opinion.  Instead I’ll just suggest you do an internet search and decide for yourself.

Here is one interesting (at least I thought it was) user comment I copied from the Google Play Store User Reviews Section:

Reviewer – It reports their own anti-virus tool in the “slightly dodgy” section 🙂
Bitdefender replied on May 22, 2013
We consider it’s only fair to our users to give clues about all installed apps with no exception!  Some apps have legitimate reasons to access your data in order to run properly.  It’s up to you to decide if a certain app represents a privacy threat for you.

You can download the Clueful Privacy Advisor from the Google Play Store. Give it a try. The price is free.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , , ,
Categories: Darkside
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »