The Android NZ Apps of the Week 17/10/2011 [AOTW]

Well here we are again, seems like it's come around quickly, but we doubt any of you will complain at getting a fresh bunch of app recommendations. We've got some really great ones lined up for you, so be sure to make the jump over the break to get the low down.


Murray Winiata - Minus (Free)

Minus is a newcomer to the cloud storage game (think Dropbox and you'll have a fair idea what it's all about).

Obviously since they're entering a game with a pretty major player already in place, Minus have to bring something new to the table. With that in mind the questions then become "what have they brought?", and "did they bring a knife, or a BFG to the gunfight?"

Firstly Minus are offering 10GB of cloud storage for free. That isn't a typo, they really are offering 8GB more storage for free than Dropbox. Furthermore, signing up your friends gets you both an extra gig of storage, up to a maximum of 50GB of storage. Again, that is not a typo. For myself just the amount of storage was enough to make me sign up and download the Android app, and am I ever glad I did.

The Android app does everything you'd expect, with a minimalistic look that belies it's slickness and capable feature set. It lets you upload to, and download from, Minus, as you would expect, but also has other tools like photo editing with options like rotating and cropping prior to upload. Minus itself also has a social streak - you can message other Minus users, and even subscribe to their "feed" of uploads, which makes it a really nice tool for collaborations that involve sharing common files.

They also have apps for PC, Mac, Ubuntu, browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome, and even some open source alternatives too (all available here).

So did Minus pack a BFG en route to the gunfight? It's a bit hard to say right at this minute, but I can definitely say they've fired a strong opening salvo. You sign up to Minus on your desktop here, and in doing so you'll score an extra gig of storage to boot (I noted with interest in my own sign up that Minus doesn't even require you to supply your email address, which is a really nice touch).

Gianpy Belaunde - Sporcle ($2.61NZ)

We have all struggled with boredom in one way or another, some people look for repetitive games such as Angry Birds to quench their thirst for entertainment. I for one believe crossword puzzles and trivia are a great way to kill time and have fun. Crossword apps can be difficult to find and play, but the folks over at Sporcle, Inc have created a trivia app that seeks to 'engage your brain' with their quizzes.

Priced at $1.99, the Sporcle app is a 3.4 megabyte download that is great value for money - providing entertainment in the form of short trivia quizzes based on categories such as sports, television and music. Because it's such a simple app, this will work on ANY android device running 1.6 or above.

The quizzes are well made and varied, but what separates this app from others is the fact that new quizzes are added on a daily basis, pushed directly to your device when you launch the app. I personally think this app is great for users that spend time commuting on bus or train, where you have more than just a couple of minutes , allowing you to spend time on each quiz.


Proud users can share their scores on Facebook and there is also a tracker that indicates your performance on the quizzes you've tried out. By now, all I can say is try out the app and see for yourself -
can you name all the countries in Asia?


Andy Carruthers - Navigon Mobile Navigator ($79.95NZ)

Lane assist is a boon on
unfamiliar highways

It's not often that you get to ask yourself “Is this the perfect app?” and have to seriously think to identify a flaw. Mostly the shortcomings of any program are conspicuously present, niggling away whenever you're using it, so you either put up with the faults or you ditch the app altogether. I mean, life's too short to stick with a piece of software that annoys the heck out of you. Right?

So I've been trying to divine the possible weaknesses in Samsung's sponsored Navigon Mobile Navigator in the guise of Aussie/Enzed “Select” version. Really, I have. Fellow AndroidNZ blogger Lokhor (Nick) and I have debated at some length the merits of this app versus Google's Maps Navigation, a not-too-shabby navigation program itself. And despite Nick's undoubted debating prowess, the Navigon app wins in my judgement.

Mainly because I can think of some actual drawbacks to Google's effort, yet I struggle to find one thing to criticise about Navigon's.

For those unfamiliar with the company, Navigon is based in Germany, builds its own hardware/software GPS solutions as well as providing software-only builds for Android and iOS. Recently Navigon was purchased by Garmin, the US GPS giant, so it certainly has the backing needed to keep up the standard that it's been achieving in its recent incarnations.

Its maps are from Navteq, a subsidiary of Nokia – itself a legend in mapping – and are updated every 3 months.

Multiple routes put you in
charge of the trip

Like the gStrings guitar tuner app I posted about recently, this app basically renders your standalone hardware solution obsolete. Even on my Galaxy S, a handset that's not exactly reknowned for stellar GPS performance, this program was more accurate than the GPS receiver in the rental I recently drove in the South Island. And also more accurate than Google Maps Navigation on the iPhone 3Gs travelling in the same car.

To mention a few of Navigon's standout features, it comes with several voices including “novelty” versions (broad Scots anyone?), lane assist, stationary speed camera warnings, excellent local pronunciations (although there's still the odd laughter-inducing miss), places of interest, multiple waypoints, route planning, favourite destinations, a “Take Me Home” function, and quite simply the best turn-by-turn audio you're likely to find on any handset.

In fact, I could write several hundred words about the things this app delivers out of the box, but it's a more efficient use of AndroidNZ's bandwidth to list what's missing.

Nothing.

And what it does, it does very well indeed. This part of AndroidNZ isn't called app of the week for nothing. And it's without hesitation that I recommend Navigon Mobile Navigator to anybody who uses a Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab or Galaxy S2. Because it's also free for download on those Samsung devices. But even if you don't possess one of Sammy's finest, I recommend it for any equivalent handset – it runs brilliantly on my HTC Sensation – albeit at a price.

And that's about the only thing that I can find to moan about. At NZ$79.95, it would need to be good (although CoPilot is a similar cost). But for that price you get maps for both New Zealand and Australia. And the maps reside on your device, so there's no data charges when you're on the road and you can't lose your way if you need to detour in a no-data-signal area. Confidence inspiring.

I can't do it justice in this short summary, so check out the Android Market here for a look at all the things this full-featured application offers. Brilliant app.



Nick Monrad - Aldiko Book Reader (Free/Paid version $3.99NZ)

Aldiko Book Reader has been my eBook reader of choice since I first had a Galaxy S device over a year ago. Since then I’ve been reading eBooks nearly every day, and Aldiko has never let me down.

It supports the popular ePub format as well as PDF and Adobe eBook DRM technology. I mainly use it with ePub files that I have converted using the PC application Calibre. You can either import your own files or buy new books using the included store. Although I have never bought books this way, others might find it useful.

What attracts me to Aldiko is the fairly vast array of settings; from font size to changing the background and text colour. You can even choose to turn the page with volume keys, which saves you from leaving finger smudges on the screen while reading.

While I use the free version, there is a paid version for $3.99 NZD although I couldn’t tell you what the difference is. If you like reading on your phone then I can comfortably recommend Aldiko. If you don’t, then you’re missing out on a very convenient way to read books!


Anita Paling - AlarmDroid (Free/Pro $2.62NZ)

My needs are fairly simple when it comes to an alarm. I just want an alarm at the time I set.

AlarmDroid allows me to have multiple alarms as you can see. It’s easy to set up, and it’s dead easy to activate or deactivate an alarm.

I like that I can choose what sound file I want to wake up to. I don’t snooze the alarm. And I don’t set it to give me some mathematic equation, though both are definitely possible.

There’s even a countdown type Alarm. Yes I’m guilty of having a snooze mid afternoon on the weekend. The countdown is perfect for my Nana nap (Power Nap as it’s called in the app). I just set the amount of time I want to sleep and the alarm rings right on schedule.


The dev hasn’t had an update in some weeks but I haven’t found there’s anything missing, or not working as you’d expect.

And I’ve just realised there’s a widget. That was my one nit pick, that there wasn’t a widget. But my prayers have been answered.

Now, if only we could change the colour of the Droid to match the wallpaper theme.


Nik Turner - PowerAMP Beta (Free/Full version unlock $6.52NZ)

Nik is unfortunately in the midst of some pretty important academic work at the present time, so couldn't chime in with an app recommendation this week. He did find time in his busy schedule to post a piece on the new beta for PowerAMP earlier in the week however, so I thought we'd link to his piece here - I'd hate for any of you to miss out on THE premier music player for Android devices. 

Here is a link to Nik's piece, and below is the video walkthrough for the beta that I made. Now you may have already read about the beta, which was widely publicised around the net this week, but I'd suggest Nik's piece is well worth a read - since Nik that actually broke this particular piece of news to the bloggisphere first.