The Android Apps Everyone Should Have June 2011

Casey Chan — It's that time of the month again, which is to say it's time to clean up our list of the absolute best Android apps. What new apps will show up? Which apps get cut?

Note: These are the apps that have been added or removed to ">our massive list of best Android apps during the month of June.

Added:

Google+: It's Google's big soiree into social "sharing". The app has it all: a stream that shows what your friends are talking about (like Facebook), Huddle which is an easy to set up group chats (like GroupMe) and will even automatically upload the pictures you take on your phone to the cloud (like iCloud). Once you get a Google+ invite, one of those features will pull you in.

Lightbox: Lightbox is a stylish camera app that's good enough to replace the stock camera app. Though it doesn't have basic features like zoom or autofocus, it does give you the ability to add 10 trendy filters after your shot. Your artsy photos can be shared via Twitter and Facebook and is automagically beamed down to your Honeycomb tablets and Lightbox's web interface. Like Instagram and iCloud but for Android. Free

Cut the Rope: An iOS game mainstay, it's finally available on Android. And it's Free at GetJar! The premise of the game, if you've been living under a rock, is to feed Om Nom his candy by cutting ropes in strategic fashion and also gathering as many stars as you can. Trust me, it's not as boring as it sounds. You'll be addicted in no time. Free.

Connection Checker: A simple but incredibly useful app that disconnects you from terrible Wi-Fi and 3G signals. Basically, if you have a crappy Wi-Fi connection it'll flip you over to 3G and turn off Wi-Fi. If you have a bad 3G connection, it'll put you on Airplane Mode until it gets better.

Prox: A genuinely clever app, Prox can control your Android phone without ever touching the touchscreen. The way it works is that the accelerometer determines how you hold the phone (left, right, toward, away) and can associate an action for the grip. You trigger that action by waving your hand over the proximity sensor. So you can load apps, change ringer mode, open notifications, turn off the screen, etc with a simple wave of the hand. It could prove useful in cold weather situations or if you want to pretend you have wizard powers.

BBC News: It's the inimitable news network, available on your phone. Which is great because you can still catch up on the latest breaking news, personalize the homescreen to your interests, share a story via email, SMS or social networks has been included also, and watch the news too. Free.

Crackle: Sony has released Crackle, an app that streams full-feature movies and popular TV shows to Android for free. For free. For free! We're talking popular TV shows like Seinfeld or big times movies like The Da Vinci Code and all completely free! The app is the same ad-supported streaming service as the Crackle.com website (and iOS apps) and has a decent catalog from Columbia Pictures, Tri-Star, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics and other studios. It's obviously not as comprehensive as Netflix or Hulu but you're not paying a damn thing.

Removed:

Nothing!

Visit our updated list of the Best Android Apps right here

Verizon Droid 3 specs revealed, show a 4-inch Gingerbread world

Hey, look at that. It's the Verizon Droid 3 specs -- and lined up next to the Droid 2 and Droid X2 for good measure. Let's just give 'em the full rundown.

The Droid 3 looks like it'll launch with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The screen resolution has already been all but confirmed at qHD resolution (that's 540x960), and it's repeated here as well, with a 4-inch diagonal screen size.

The Droid 3's looking at that dual-core TI OMAP 4430 1GHz processor, and is a world phone as well, meaning you can use it on GSM networks overseas.

It's got dual cameras, of course, with the rear shooter (really, the only one we care about) running 8 megapixels, capable of recording 1080p video. And it's got an LED flash, of course.

Memory's a mixed bag, it appears. The Droid 3 will have 16GB of internal storage, which is mighty generous. But in return for that generosity, someone's skimped on the microSD card, leaving it out completely.

Working our way down the list: Other items of note are the slide-out five-row keyboard, which will be supplemented by Swype. Adobe Flash and DLNA support are there as well, as is the usual VCAST service, and Blockbuster video (downloadable over Wifi only).

So that's it. All in all, nothing we weren't expecting, especially since the Milestone 3 (aka the non-U.S. verison) is already out there. Along with some hardware refinements, not a very big departure from the Droid 2, at least as the overall look and feel go. But why mess with a good thing, right?

Full breakdown is after the break.

Thanks, anon!

http://www.androidcentral.com/droid-3-specs-revealed-show-4-inch-gingerbread-world-phone

Introducing the Google+ project: Real-life sharing, rethought for the web

Among the most basic of human needs is the need to connect with others. With a smile, a laugh, a whisper or a cheer, we connect with others every single day.

Today, the connections between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of our online tools.

In this basic, human way, online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And we aim to fix it.

We’d like to bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software. We want to make Google better by including you, your relationships, and your interests. And so begins the Google+ project:

+Circles: share what matters, with the people who matter most
Not all relationships are created equal. So in life we share one thing with college buddies, another with parents, and almost nothing with our boss. The problem is that today’s online services turn friendship into fast food—wrapping everyone in “friend” paper—and sharing really suffers:

• It’s sloppy. We only want to connect with certain people at certain times, but online we hear from everyone all the time.
• It’s scary. Every online conversation (with over 100 “friends”) is a public performance, so we often share less because of stage fright.
• It’s insensitive. We all define “friend” and “family” differently—in our own way, on our own terms—but we lose this nuance online.

In light of these shortcomings we asked ourselves, “What do people actually do?” And we didn’t have to search far for the answer. People in fact share selectively all the time—with their circles.

From close family to foodies, we found that people already use real-life circles to express themselves, and to share with precisely the right folks. So we did the only thing that made sense: we brought Circles to software. Just make a circle, add your people, and share what’s new—just like any other day:

+Sparks: strike up a conversation, about pretty much anything
Healthy obsessions inspire sharing, and we’ve all got one (or two, or three...). Maybe it’s muscle cars, or comic books, or fashion, but the attraction is always the same: it comes up in conversation, we immediately jump in, and we share back and forth with other fans. Often for hours. The trick is getting things started, and getting over that initial hump. Fortunately, the web is the ultimate icebreaker.

The web, of course, is filled with great content—from timely articles to vibrant photos to funny videos. And great content can lead to great conversations. We noticed, however, that it’s still too hard to find and share the things we care about—not without lots of work, and lots of noise. So, we built an online sharing engine called Sparks.

Thanks to Google’s web expertise, Sparks delivers a feed of highly contagious content from across the Internet. On any topic you want, in over 40 languages. Simply add your interests, and you’ll always have something to watch, read and share—with just the right circle of friends:

+Hangouts: stop by and say hello, face-to-face-to-face
Whether it's inside a pub or on a front porch, human beings have always enjoyed hanging out. And why not? It's how we unwind, recharge, and spend unscheduled time with old and new friends alike. Hanging out is deceptively simple though, and the nuance gets lost online.

Just think: when you walk into the pub or step onto your front porch, you're in fact signaling to everyone around, “Hey, I've got some time, so feel free to stop by." Further, it’s this unspoken understanding that puts people at ease, and encourages conversation. But today’s online communication tools (like instant messaging and video-calling) don’t understand this subtlety:

• They’re annoying, for starters. You can ping everyone that’s “available,” but you’re bound to interrupt someone’s plans.
• They’re also really awkward. When someone doesn't respond, you don't know if they’re just not there, or just not interested.

With Google+ we wanted to make on-screen gatherings fun, fluid and serendipitous, so we created Hangouts. By combining the casual meetup with live multi-person video, Hangouts lets you stop by when you're free, and spend time with your Circles. Face-to-face-to-face:

+Mobile: share what’s around, right now, without any hassle
These days a phone is the perfect sharing accessory: it's always with you, it's always online, and it's how we stay close with our closest friends. We didn’t want “just” a mobile experience, however, so with Google+ we focused on things (like GPS, cameras, and messaging) to make your pocket computer even more personal.

+Location, location, location
In life, the places we visit shape conversations in lots of meaningful ways. If we call John from the airport, he’ll likely ask about our trip. Or if Jane texts from a nearby restaurant, we might join her for dessert. With Google+ you can add your location to every post. (Or not. It’s always up to you.)

+Instant Upload
Getting photos off your phone is a huge pain, so most of us don't even bother. Of course pictures are meant to be shared, not stranded, so we created Instant Upload to help you never leave a photo behind. While you're snapping pictures, and with your permission, Google+ adds your photos to a private album in the cloud. This way they're always available across your devices—ready to share as you see fit.

+Huddle
Coordinating with friends and family in real-time is really hard in real life. After all, everyone's on different schedules, in different places, and plans can change at any moment. Phone calls and text messages can work in a pinch, but they're not quite right for getting the gang together. So Google+ includes Huddle, a group messaging experience that lets everyone inside the circle know what's going on, right this second.

Starting today Google+ is available on Android Market and the mobile web, and it’s coming soon to the App Store.

+You: putting you first, all across Google
That’s the Google+ project so far: Circles, Sparks, Hangouts and mobile. We’re beginning in Field Trial, so you may find some rough edges, and the project is by invitation only. But online sharing needs a serious re-think, so it’s time we got started. There’s just one more thing—really the only thing: You.

You and over a billion others trust Google, and we don’t take this lightly. In fact we’ve focused on the user for over a decade: liberating data, working for an open Internet, and respecting people’s freedom to be who they want to be. We realize, however, that Google+ is a different kind of project, requiring a different kind of focus—on you. That’s why we’re giving you more ways to stay private or go public; more meaningful choices around your friends and your data; and more ways to let us know how we’re doing. All across Google.

When your invite arrives we hope you’ll join the project. But it’s entirely up to +You.

(Updated)T-Mobile Suffering New York City Outage?

New York: We are aware of an outage in some areas. Our engineers are on the scene and will restore service as soon as possible.

about 13 hours ago via CoTweetReplyRetweetFavorite

@TMobile T-Mobile USA

Updated: The trouble seems to be over as we just received a statement from T-Mobile: “T-Mobile customers in New York City experienced a temporary service disruption Thursday evening. The disruption was due to an internal power outage at one of our network switching facilities. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

Thanks to A LOT of your emails, Tweets and this message from @tmobile on Twitter we are getting word of a major outage in the New York City area. Some New Jersey residents are also unable to make/receive calls. We’ve pinged T-Mobile for a better understanding and we’ll up this post as we know more!

Groups Seek Public Hearings From FCC Regarding AT&T/T-Mobile Takeover

By David, Managing Editor June 29, 2011 12:20 pm EST 69 Comments

4Share

In a letter to the FCC a number of consumer activist and watchdog groups requested that public hearings be held across the country to “hear from the people who could be most affected by the merger.” Groups including Consumers Union and Public Knowledge (we love them) sent the letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski expressing the deal as “a matter of great public concern.” Other groups who lent support to the letter include Free Press, Media Access Project, Future of Music Coalition, National Hispanic Media Coalition and the Open Technology Initiative of the New America Foundation.

There is precedent for hearings of this kind as last year saw a public forum held in Chicago to examine the Comcast Purchase of NBC.

Would you attend a public hearing? I would…with cowbell.

Boston.com

Outstanding Service Earns National Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Charlene Glorieux

Monday, June 20, 2011 (866) 896-2874

Outstanding Service Earns National Award

MedCom Professional Services Inc. wins ATSI Award of Excellence

MedCom Professional Services Inc. of Levittown, PA has been honored with the exclusive ATSI 2011 Award of Excellence for the fourteenth consecutive year. This award is presented annually by the Association of TeleServices International (ATSI), the industry’s trade association for providers of telecommunications and call centre services including telephone answering and message delivery across North America and the UK. MedCom Professional Services Inc. was presented with the award at ATSI’s 2011 Annual Convention held at the Grand Hyatt, San Antonio, TX.

Independent judges are contracted by ATSI to evaluate message services over a six month period. The criteria for scoring include: courtesy, response time, accuracy and overall service to their clients. If the company scores 80% or better in ALL categories, they are presented with the coveted ATSI Award of Excellence. The program is now in its 15th year.

“ATSI prides itself in agent training through many mediums. The AWARD OF EXCELLENCE is one of the most rewarding. This “secret caller” program is an intense program extending throughout the year with test calls being made to registered participants and handled by random agents’, says ATSI President Michael Fultz. ‘I think there has always been a misconception of a company winning THE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE; however, member companies QUALIFY for this prestigious award. If a company qualifies for the AWARD OF EXCELLENCE they have set the bar for quality in the Telephone Answering Service Industry.”

Now a fourteen-time winner, MedCom Professional Services Inc. earned the Diamond Plus Award for fourteen consecutive years. ATSI extends its congratulations to the staff of MedCom Professional Services Inc. on their proven quality service to their customers.

About ATSI

The Association of TeleServices International was founded in 1942 as a national trade association representing live answering services. ATSI now encompasses companies across North America and the UK offering specialized and enhanced operator based services including: call centers, contact centers, inbound telemarketing (order entry), paging, voice messaging, emergency dispatch, fax, and internet services among others.