I personally get sick of the ‘There’s an app for that’ hype sometimes as well as Apple bragging about how their market is sooo much bigger than Android’s. I understand it’s competition and usually competition is healthy, but, I don’t have to like it when I’m a total fanboy when it comes to Android.
That said, I’m actually excited when I see more mainstream media outlets reporting on Android, celebreties endorsing Android devices and major networks creating Android apps and bragging about it. Just like the Discovery Channel app I wrote about recently and now we can add The Weather Channel them.
But The Weather Channel has done even more by advertising their app on the air and displaying a QR code that allows Android users to scan the screens of their televisions and download the Weather Channel app to their phones. Check out the video below to see the ad.
Some may say their channel is boring but I think this is pretty cool!
Do you think QR Codes are the way to go when it comes to advertising on mainstream media? Let us know in the comments!
We have known for awhile that Mozilla was working on Firefox for Android and now we have visual progress. Vladimir Vukićević (a Mozilla developer) just posted a screen shot of the first page load from the Firefox browser running in the Android emulator. He notes that we are still a ways to go from a usable alpha release, but we are one step closer.
Note that the screen shows the full Firefox browser and not the mobile UI. Vladimir explains the situation on his blog:
“You’ll note that this is the full Firefox interface, and not the Fennec/Firefox Mobile UI; we’re testing with the full interface because it’s significantly more complex than the mobile UI and stresses Gecko much more. So, if the full UI works, then Fennec should work fine as well. Given the interest in Android on netbook and tablet devices, an updated version of the full Firefox UI might find a home on some of these. Android has been pretty great to work with so far; it’s a bit unusual platform for us due to its Java core, but with the NDK we’re able to bridge things together without many problems.” -Vladimir VukićevićMozilla
In a related note, Mozilla has updated their mobile platforms page with their plans for other operating systems. They chose Maemo as their first mobile platform then started on Windows Mobile. Android is Mozilla’s next biggest challenge and they have no plans to support other platforms at this time.
Mozilla does not have plans to build an iPhone browser due to constraints with the OS environment and distribution.
Bonus: Check out the more than 40 add-ons that are currently available for Firefox Mobile
T-Mobile will announce a partnership with media syncing app developer doubleTwist, according to TechCrunch. The app will be pre-installed on some of its Android phones, including the new myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition handset. This is big news for the Android community since no Android phones come with syncing software akin to iTunes. As of now, users mount SDs card to their computers and drag and drop the files onto phones. (more…)
Discovery Channel has launched a free app that’s available in the Android Market created by Rhythm NewMedia.
I found this out over at IntoMobile.com and I’m excited about it. I love the Discovery Channel and according to the article,
‘Pop open the new Discovery Channel app and you’ll get video clips from such shows asMythbusters and Deadliest Catch (I love those shows), plus you’ll also get access to photo galleries, quizzes, programming schedules, and a whole lot more. You can even use the app to browse and purchase DVD’s from DiscoveryStore.com.’
Sounds pretty cool for Discovery Channel fans such as myself. Has anyone down loaded this app yet? Like it? Hate it? Let us know in the comments as well as why!
The gentlemen over at Android and Me have been posting some awesome content over at their You Tube channel ( http://www.YouTube.com/AndroidandMe ) and the latest one is a short demo of the new Android Stock Clock Application that comes with the Nexus One as well as newer versions of Android. Google definitely made a great app as it combines many features into one app. Check it out in the video below and watch for Levar Burton at around 00:59!
I know, I know, there’s more to Android news and apps than the Nexus One but I just can’t help myself. The announcement from Google is tomorrow and as such, many videos are coming in and I gotta tell ya’, this device is awesome!
So below is a video from YouTube user djnicho who, as near as I can tell, has posted the first video review of the Nexus One. Now, it’s not so much a review as djnicho praising the phone. He does compare it physically to the iPhone and the Nexus is a tad bit thinner but the screen realestate is the same. (Which we already knew from the specs.)
So here’s the video and watch for a post tomorrow once the announcement takes place. (Of course!)
So I am going to try to at the very least give a comprehensive list of the noteworthy Android links and maybe try to call attention to some forum posts of people who may be in need of help or praise on a once a day basis. Given that I have 2 other blogs and media company to boot, it will be difficult but I love Android so I’m going to try to attempt it.
The reason why
So here is my first go at the news roundup, hope ya’ll like it.
Hardware specs create unimaginable possibilities for developers. How about some brand new ones for you?
Now I realize some guy made 40 grand in 2 days with this, but do we really need ANOTHER fart app? Most of these apps are free or 99 cents. The most expensive one is 1.49. But really, how funny can it be?
At least phones aren’t so advanced that they can admit smell.
Coming very soon to a computer or Android powered handset (or any mobile browser) near you, The Droid You Are Looking For, a blog about the Android OS.
