Category: Software

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From Engadget: CoPilot GPS app includes free offline maps with optional traffic data and turn-by-turn navigation, headed to Android and iOS

ALK (that’s the company behind CoPilot Live) is no stranger to GPS apps, but it’s starting afresh this week with a new application offering more features for free. CoPilot GPS, which will be available on iOS and Android, goes the way of Nokia Mapsin that it stores all those millions of points of interests offline, so you don’t need an Internet connection to calculate directions. Download the free version and you’ll also get some requisite social networking integration, walking and driving directions, the ability to choose from up to three routes and built-in Bing and Wikipedia search functionality. The app also matches Google Maps with voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation and 3D maps, but you’ll have to shell out $19.99 as a one-time in-app payment for the privilege. Real-time traffic updates are also an option, but that’ll cost you an additional $9.99 for a 12-month subscription. According to ALK, the app will be available for iOS and Android in early to mid March, but in the meantime we’ve got a handful of screens below to give you a taste of what to expect.

Gallery: CoPilot GPS

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from Engadget

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From Droid Life: Chrome Extension Lets You Download Android App Apks Directly From the Market to Your Desktop

Click here to view the embedded video.

When developer redphx sent over his latest creation last night – a Chrome extension that would allow you to download .apk files directly from the Android Market to your desktop – we had two immediate thoughts. The first, “Wow, this is actually really cool and could be useful down the road.” The second was, “While it’s cool and all, how frowned upon by Google and developers is this going to be?” And the reason I asked myself that second question is because pulling an installed .apk file from your phone isn’t normally the simplest procedure (and probably for a few good reasons).

In most cases, a user needs to be rooted and have the understanding of where to look on their phone in order to accomplish the task. We would assume that this is made difficult to help stop piracy, protect users’ security, and to not let applications float freely around without control. This Chrome extension changes all of that. All you need to do is install the extension, give it a bit of device info and a legit Market login and you can start ripping .apks. Paid applications cannot be downloaded unless the Market login you gave had already purchased the app. So this isn’t a way to get paid apps for free, it’s just a way to get the .apk file without any fuss.

It’s not all bad though. How many times have we posted up a new app that was only available to select devices? Most of the time these apps can run on other phones, but the developer has only optimized them for a select few. This extension would give you to the opportunity to try out those apps even if the Market, your carrier, or developer has decided that you shouldn’t. Take Google Wallet for example. No need to use our browser trick if you have this extension installed.

So if this interests you, keep in mind that it asks for some bits of info that not everyone will be comfortable dishing out – like your device ID and Gmail login info. This is all apparently stored on a cookie that is only on your PC, but still, proceed with caution. You also have to tweak some Chrome security settings.

And yes, it works.

More Info:  Apk Downloader Page

 

from Droid Life

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From Engadget: Ubuntu’s full desktop OS coming to multi-core Android devices

What the Atrix 4G first promised, it looks like the folks at Canonical may deliver. Think back to CES 2011, when Motorola showed us a future where our phone was the only computing device we would need — only to leave us wanting when its webtop app didn’t deliver the requisite functionality for such a future. Well, it turns out Ubuntu now runs on multi-core Android devices and your handset can grant a full desktop experience when docked with a display and a keyboard. It’s a customized version of Ubuntu that plays nice with Android, the two OS’s sharing data and services while running simultaneously. So, you can still access telephony and texts from the Ubuntu environment while enjoying all the computing capabilities it has to offer, including: Ubuntu TV, virtualization tools for running Windows applications, desktop web browsers, and Ubuntu apps built for ARM. It isn’t clear exactly what hardware you’ll need to run Ubuntu on a handset, but Canonical has said it works on multi-core devices with HDMI and USB connections. We’ll get more info next week when it’s shown off at MWC, but until then you’ll have to settle for the source below and PR after the break.

Continue reading Ubuntu’s full desktop OS coming to multi-core Android devices

 

from Engadget

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From Lifehacker: Caffeine Zone 2 Tracks Your Caffeine Usage and Tells You if Another Cup Will Do Any Good

iOS: If you spend the bulk of your day downing cup after cup of coffee, you likely know the feeling of taking it one cup too far. You might be nervous or have trouble sleeping later on. Caffeine Zone 2 is an app that allows you to track your caffeine usage so you’ll know if that late afternoon cup is doing you more harm than good. More »


 

from Lifehacker

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From Engadget: NPR Music iPad app puts Tiny Desk Concerts a few swipes away

Feel like peeping a live performance from The Decemberists during your coffee shop work session? You can do just that via the new NPRMusic app for your iPad. Once you download the free software onto your Apple slate, you’re a few screen taps away from live performances, advance album listens and live streaming radio content. The app also enables offline listening through its visual playlist feature. If you’re a fan of The Shins, an exclusive in-app concert streams live on March 7th. Itching to snag the app for your tablet? Hit the iTunes source link below.

Continue reading NPR Music iPad app puts Tiny Desk Concerts a few swipes away

 

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From Engadget: Scalado Remove clears up your photos, we go hands-on

Scalado Remove clears up your photos, we go hands-on (video)
It’s a familiar scenario. You’re traveling with a friend and she poses in front of a famous monument. You’re ready to take her picture with your phone but there’s a constant stream of people and vehicles getting in and out of your shot. What are your options? You could wait for the right lull in traffic to press the shutter key or you could use Remove — Scalado‘s patented new object removal technology. Remove captures several images in a row, analyses them and automatically creates a composite photo devoid of unwanted details. Better yet, it highlights potential objects and lets you eliminate them manually. The folks at Scalado — best known for such camera innovations as zero shutter lag and Rewind — are planning to showcase Remove at Mobile World Congress later this month but luckily for you, we got an exclusive first look at an early build of the Remove app for Android.

We installed the app (designed for Gingerbread) on two of Samsung’s flagship devices — our Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ and our global Galaxy S II. The primary UI is simple and looks pretty much like any other basic camera app. Just tap the on-screen shutter key and Remove quickly takes several pictures in a row (the Nexus is about twice as fast as the GS2 here, interestingly). You can touch a second time to stop capture or let the app finish on its own. Remove then magically displays the resulting composite shot which you can save to the gallery by tapping the checkbox at the top right corner of the screen. There’s also a toggle in the same location which lets you switch to a secondary UI that allows you to pick which unwanted details to remove (or keep) from each frame. Of course you can load and re-tweak previous captures at any time to restore (or eliminate) objects after the fact.

Remove introduces a completely new way to capture that special moment, and while we experienced occasional issues with the responsiveness of the UI and noticed a couple minor bugs, the app is relatively intuitive and works rather well for a prototype. Take a look at our gallery of sample images and screenshots below and hit the break for the full PR treatment, including Scalado’s concept video.