The Android NZ Apps of the Week 01/02/2012 [AOTW]

Well, it's been a fairly long sojourn between our regular weekly app recommendations, and I think you'll all agree it's well past time we picked up again for the new year.

After all, can anyone really have enough apps?

Hit us up after the break and see what our editors are enjoying at the moment.




Nik Turner - Gesture Search (Free)

Gesture Search is one of Google’s lesser-known Android apps. Rather than being installed by default with either new phones or the CyanogenMod GApps package, Gesture Search is – like the excellent Chrome to Phone – a market exclusive. Just like the name implies, Gesture Search allows you to search through a number of different items on your phone by drawing letters on the screen. I’ve only recently gotten into the habit of using it, and I have to say it’s incredibly handy, having replaced a Contacts shortcut and Bookmarks widget for me already.

With gesture search, you simply draw letters over the app with a finger, and it’ll bring up any results that contain that letter. A swipe backwards deletes a mistake, and the app learns your preferred results as you use it. While most Android devices will have either a dedicated search button or some other convenient shortcut to the good ol’ functional Google Search app (Which recently received an update http://www.androidnz.net/2012/01/google-search-update-brings-new-ui.html ), that method of searching is much easier with two hands, and needs a keener eye to pick out the desired search result. Additionally, Google Search is more commonly used to find web content, and to actually ‘search Google’, while Gesture Search is both designed for single-handed input, and dedicated to searching on-phone content – Contacts, Bookmarks, Apps, Music (In Google Music), and Settings. There’s an API for developers to plug their own apps into it, though I’ve yet to see this in action. Interestingly, the Settings search can take you to some places it’s rather hard (And in some instances, impossible) to reach through the normal settings shortcut. Things like the advanced WiFi options that many miss on a first pass. Give it a shot, see what you can find.

The app can be triggered either through the standard press-an-icon option, or through a built-in double-flip action. Turning that feature on will automatically launch Gesture Search if you flip your phone over twice in quick succession, the sensitivity of which can be adjusted if need be. I tend to leave this off as I prefer to launch it manually, and it’s worth noting I’ve heard it can drain precious battery life (Though I cannot confirm this claim). If neither of these launch options works for you, there’s a third-party app to launch it from either the notification bar, or instead of Voice Search when long-pressing the search key if applicable - https://market.android.com/details?id=googoo.android.gesturebar. Finally, Google have set up a somewhat-dated page showing off Gesture Search’s functions (It features the Nexus S & original Motorola Droid, although, to be fair, the app hasn’t been updated since May of last year). Check that out here if it takes your fancy: http://www.google.com/mobile/gesture-search/.

Download it from the market here, or click on the QR code below.

Murray Winiata - Voodoo LOUDER (~$1NZD, free compatibility check, Root required)

I'm going to do two apps this month, partly in penance for being substantially responsible for the delay in bringing you all our regular apps recommendations so far this year, but also because this one requires Root and is only available for a select few handsets (namely the following: Galaxy S II International: GT-I9100, Galaxy S II AT&T: SGH-I777, Galaxy S II Sprint: SPH-D710, Galaxy S II Korean: M250S, Galaxy S II Japanese: SC-02C, and of course my own beloved Galaxy Note International: GT-N7000).

Those in the know will recognise the Voodoo-prefix in the apps title, and realise that this one comes from one of AndroidNZ's favourite developers - Supercurio. He's a guy who knows a little about sound (as in A LOT, enough that Anandtech have started using him for the audio parts of their reviews, which speaks volumes). He is after all responsible for the app Voodoo Sound, which took the original Galaxy S and Nexus S sound quality from good, to simply unrivalled in the mobile phone world. Sadly Samsung went with an inferior Yamaha DAC in the Galaxy S II and Note, and it simply isn't possible to make a Voodoo Sound for them, much to the chagrin of many owners of these handsets. Myself included.

Fortunately, it is possible to increase the volume output via headphones without decreasing the sound quality, so that's exactly what Supercurio has brought to the table here. In the case of the Galaxy S II you'll get a +6dB increase, and in the Note a stunning +10.5dB (the S II has a louder output to begin with, so S II owners needn't fear they are getting a raw deal here). To put those number in perspective a +10dB increase equates to a perceived doubling in loudness, which is obviously quite an achievement. 

Even as I type that I can hear some dissenting voices. 'But you shouldn't listen to music so loud, so what's the point in increasing the volume', and 'It will damage your hearing, you shouldn't increase the volume like that'. In fact both of those statements do actually have some merit, especially if you only listen to music with in-ear-microphone type headphones (like the ones that come stock with all these devices, for example). Those headsets are designed to be very sensitive and easy to drive, given their purpose is to be suitable for use with mobile devices which are typically a bit lacking on the amp front. If you were to max the volume with Voodoo LOUDER with that kind of headphone, I would indeed have fears for your impending hearing loss. 

So what then is the point of this large increase in output? Well, if you're listening with high quality headphones, particularly over-the-ear cans like my recently acquired LCD-2's and HE-400's, then you actually need more power to drive them than the either the S II or Note can provide. The HE-400's were claimed by their manufacturer to be sensitive enough for use with mobile devices, sadly however the reality doesn't live up to the marketing-speak. I tried them on my Note without Voodoo LOUDER and found them very quiet indeed at maximum volume. With Voodoo LOUDER the volume was loud enough for easy listening, and there was enough power to drive them to an enjoyable level (obviously it's still poles apart from listening via a proper amp or DAC, but until Google adds support for USB DACs in ICS living with some compromises for the sake of convergence is just a reality on the sound quality front). Basically the app saves you spending $20+ on getting a headphone amp and saves you from having to carry around another device with your supposed convergence device. I mean, if you're at the point where you're buying something like that, you might as well just buy a dedicated portable DAP and be done with it. Right?

The initial download for Voodoo LOUDER is free, and the app will run you through a compatibility check to ensure it will work on your ROM/kernel configuration. After that the app will take you back to the Market to purchase it for it's paltry asking price (fair warning though: you can't refund this purchase).

If you're an S II or Note owner who has some higher quality, harder to drive headsets lying around the home that you'd love to use with your mobile from time to time Voodoo LOUDER is a no brainer. Get it now.

Anita Paling - HeyTell (Free)

HeyTell is proving to be a real time saver for me. You've probably heard about "push-to-talk". HeyTell allows you to connect with your (accepted) contacts who also have HeyTell installed (iPhone (and the family) or Android).

What I like is that you can so quickly (and easily) send a voice text message. I'm not a very patient person so anything that can save me a few precious seconds is welcomed.

Ok so I only have 3 contacts. Each one of them has mistakenly thought they were sending a voice message. But each forgot to read the instructions. You must keep the orange button held down while you record your message.

If you need to leave a lengthy message then this app wont serve the purpose. There is a limit to how much you can record. Just think of Twitter where you have to get your point across in 140 characters. I'm sure men all around the world are applauding this time limit, which I haven't determined, but have exceeded a couple of times. You'll receive a message if you reach said limit.

You can also replay a received message which will, by default, notify you by sound and display in the status bar.

Here's a link to the the FAQ website.

This app uses data, but it saves you voice call minutes (and precious time Swyping/pecking a text message).

Murray Winiata - DeskSMS (Free 14 day trial, then $5USD annual subscription)

I said earlier that I was doing two apps this week because the first was quite device-specific, and I felt guilty, but that's not entirely true. I'm also writing up a second app this week because I'm just so gosh darned impressed with this one that I had to share.

Like the first this one also comes from a legendary Android dev, this time around it's Koush. If that name isn't already familiar to you then I can only presume you're new to Android, or you're at the wrong site and these aren't the iPhone app recommendations you're looking for. He's the creator of Clockworkmod recovery, which is one of the most important Android apps in existence for Root users. Now that we've established his credentials, let me tell you about the app.

Basically, as the title suggests, this is another desktop SMS client. Previously I had used and been relatively happy with SMS2PC, but the relative lack of updates, and issues with WiFi connection got me looking elsewhere.

DeskSMS is, in a word, awesome. You don’t need to connect to the PC at all, set up is a breeze, and the real kicker is the level of integration. Want to send them from within your browser? Done. Want a Firefox or Chrome extension instead? Done. Want to have SMS conversations from right within Google Chat? Done. Not only that but you also get a polished and attractive UI on the web version and the browser extensions.

If you’re a person who finds themselves sitting in front of a PC a lot, and let’s face it, that’s an awful lot of us, then this app is really worth looking into. I love my phone to bits, but given the choice I’d obviously rather send type texts with a full keyboard. Everytime. I’d be willing to bet that a good many of you do also.