Applications

Fragmentation remains one of the touchiest subjects for Google Android users and developers, with various official builds and different screen sizes all playing part in determining which apps your phone can handle.

Currently, four versions of the OS are available: 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, and 2.1. Though the typical consumer and new Android owner may not know there are multiple iterations powering these phones, it's enough to drive the tech-savvy enthusiast mad.

Sure, we all love choice in our devices--that's what drew us to Android to begin with--but it gets frustrating when you can't get the Android OS you want in the phone you want.

Take, for instance, last week's Cliq XT launch. Here's a brand new phone from T-Mobile, the latest Android handset to hit the market, but it features OS 1.5. Indeed, the phone is a fantastic buy for the price, with its Flash Lite, pinch zooming, five-megapixel camera, and Swype keyboard.

After only a few days with the unit, I can say that I love the form factor of the phone, but I miss some of the apps from my T-Mobile G1 that ran OS 1.6. I've lost Google Maps 4.1, Google Maps Navigator, and a few other favorites from the last few months. Also, the new Google Buzz widget won't run on 1.5 phones. As much as I like that app so far, I've had to put it on the shelf with the G1.… Read more

I first wrote about Muziic, the YouTube-searching music streaming application created by teenage developer David Nelson, last March. Since then, he's updated the app with radio and MP3 playback and survived a squabble with online music video distributor Vevo.

On Friday, Muziic took another big step with the release of its free iPhone app. It's the first free app that lets users search for and play songs on demand on their iPhones. Like the desktop app, Muziic for iPhone gets around content owners' licensing restrictions by taking content from YouTube, which already has a deal with Apple to … Read more

If you're having a rough start to your Monday, sit back, relax, and take a look at the iPhone Font found at Urikane.com.

It's a perfect way to start your week.

Rather than simply use apps on the iPhone, the designer--whose name may actually be Uri Kane--decided to create a font out of the multitude of applications in Apple's App Store. Even better, each letter is color-coded, which must have made it even more difficult to develop.

In a video showing off the letters that were created, the designer wrote that the font was developed from … Read more

Video host Dailymotion has quietly added a new feature for users who want to blend their digital photographs into slick-looking video slideshows.

The company has partnered with Stupeflix, a standalone media mash-up tool, to let users upload up to 30 photos, as well as an audio track that is turned into a video. This is distinctly different from companies like Animoto, that curate and maintain a collection of ready-to-go music tracks that can be used as the background music.

As for creating these slideshows, there's very little control over order and duration of the slides. Some might find this … Read more

As we get closer to the launch date of Apple's iPad (April 3), I can't help but ponder how each application I use might translate to the new device.

Games obviously will have a lot more flexibility with the added touch-screen space, and having more available screen room will probably make development of more complex control systems easier. Apps in every category will have a little more processing power to work with, taking away any delays we've grown used to on the iPhone and iPod Touch. But another noticeable difference for me is how I look at … Read more

There's something to be said for a simple, straightforward note-taking app that borrows from the familiar: sticky notes. BugMe! is one such app.

If the name rings a bell, you probably owned a PalmPilot at some point. That's where the app originated, and call me nostalgic, but I'm happy to see it reborn for the iPhone.

Admittedly, the App Store is already replete with sticky note-inspired task managers, so what sets BugMe! apart? In a word: simplicity.

Instead of packing the app with features, developer Electric Pocket kept the interface about as straightforward as they come. Tap &… Read more

Google's default browser is just fine to get you started on your new Android smartphone. It's got some Grade-A tools, but style-wise it's a little bland and we have a bone to pick with its so-called tabbed browsing.

Thanks to a bustling Android Market, you have options when it comes to mobile browsing experiences. We present you with three alternatives with different looks, and in some cases, more substance: Bump off Google's default Android browser.

There's something to be said for instant gratification, and if you're the sort who wants to know where you are without pausing to open a map app, one of the handful of changes to Google Maps for Android (version 4.1) has your name on it.

To turn your wallpaper into a live, real-time map that tracks your location, press and hold the home screen, choose Wallpaper, then pick Maps from the Live Wallpaper folder. Before setting the wallpaper, you'll be able to choose satellite, terrain, or line map mode and whether you want to show traffic. … Read more

iPhones can be great driving companions--unless you routinely tweet, text, or otherwise fiddle with the device while behind the wheel. That's a surefire way to get yourself--and possibly others--killed.

Aha Radio for iPhone helps you keep your eyes on the road. The app provides a dashboard-friendly, oversize interface for everything from podcasts and local traffic to Facebook and iPod playlists.

That interface consists of four giant icons per page, the idea being to make them more at-a-glance accessible to drivers. You can customize the arrangement of these icons to your liking and choose exactly what content Aha Radio should … Read more