MediaMonkey 3.2 Syncs with More Devices, Adds Auto Folder Watching [Updates]

MediaMonkey 3.2 Syncs with More Devices, Adds Auto Folder Watching [Updates]: "

Windows: We dig MediaMonkey for its album art and tag-fixing powers, but the free jukebox software can do so much more—like sync to nearly any smartphone or MP3 player, and automatically manage your music library.

The marquee feature in MediaMonkey 3.2 is expanded device support, including WebOS devices like the Palm Pre and Pixi, the latest iPods and iPhones, Android phones (as general USB storage devices), and many more. MediaMonkey's also added automatic folder watching to the free version, something previously available only in its paid Gold edition. And MediaMonkey also added in support for Windows 7's right-click taskbar feature, jump lists, showing recently played tracks, playlists, and other controls.

If you're toting a Palm, iPhone, Android, or other phone, MediaMonkey's worth checking out as an alternative to iTunes, and as its own seriously full-featured media player—and a spot to buy and manage MP3s from online stores like Amazon. MediaMonkey 3.2 is a free download for Windows systems only.

MediaMonkey 3.2 Released – Syncs with the latest phones [MediaMonkey via jkOnTheRun]

Zombie Outbreak Simulator: Sim City Plus Google Maps Plus the Undead [Games]

Zombie Outbreak Simulator: Sim City Plus Google Maps Plus the Undead [Games]: "

The RTS web game Zombie Outbreak Simulator plops you down into a Google Maps-provided area of DC swarming with zombies. The outbreak's details are up to you: How many civilians? Are they armed? It's a killer timewaster (GET IT?).

Basically, it's a zombie invasion in our nation's capital. You can change the details of the invasion in any way you choose: Zombie speed, infection rate, number of civilians, percentage of civilians armed, number of highly effective police, and more. You can play around with it to either defeat the zombies (boooooring), let them take over the city and pretend like some of their more gruesome kills are of your opposition politician of choice (take that, Michele Bachmann!), or try to make the odds even and see who really wants it more. Warning: Turn down your speakers if you're at work. The eerie post-rock soundtrack is accompanied by the expected array of flesh-hungry moans, which is the kind of thing that's sort of tricky to explain away as part of your quarterly PowerPoint earnings presentation. [Class 3 Outbreak]

Dell lets loose Studio 17 laptop with multitouch display

Dell lets loose Studio 17 laptop with multitouch display: "

Dell sure is adding multitouch to quite a few products these days, but it isn't exactly doing it with much fanfare on every occasion. The latest to slip into availability is an updated version of the company's generously-sized Studio 17 laptop, which is now available with a 1,600 x 900 display that boasts full multitouch and arm-tiring abilities. Otherwise, you can expect to get the usual wide range of configuration options, including your choice of Pentium Dual Core or Core 2 Duo processors, a maximum 8GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, integrated Intel or discrete ATI graphics, and an optional Blu-ray drive, among other standard fare. Some of those options will obviously bump the price up considerably, but things start at just $899 -- look for it to start shipping on December 4th.

Dell lets loose Studio 17 laptop with multitouch display originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  Dell  | Email this | Comments"

Latest SixthSense demo features paper 'laptop,' camera gestures

Latest SixthSense demo features paper 'laptop,' camera gestures: "

We've already seen MIT researcher Pranav Mistry's SixthSense projector-based augmented-reality system in some cool demos, but he just gave a TED talk and his latest ideas are the wildest yet. Forget simple projections, he's moved on to taking photos by just making a box with your fingers, identifying books and products on store shelves and projecting reviews and other information on them, projecting flight schedules on boarding passes, and even a new paper 'laptop' concept that works by using a microphone on the paper to sense when you're touching it. It's pretty amazing stuff -- check out his whole talk at the read link.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Latest SixthSense demo features paper 'laptop,' camera gestures originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  TED  | Email this | Comments"

Fring Brings Free VoIP Calls to Android

Fring Brings Free VoIP Calls to Android: "

Good news guys! Fring is now available on Android Market. For those unfamiliar with Fring, Fring for Android enables free VoIP calls over Fring, Skype, MSN, and Google Talk. Basically Fring allows you to use your 3G, GPRS, or Wi-Fi connection to make phone calls, no minutes necessary. On top of that, Fring even allows you to chat with your friends using the popular messaging platforms. You can now think of Fring as your one stop shop for all your messaging needs.

We suggest you try out Fring today! Download it from Android Market and VoIP away. This may very well be the future of making phone calls.

Known Issues

• GSM contacts do not appear in fring's buddy list on the DROID
• Call disconnection tone may be heard a few times when terminating a call
• SIP and SkypeOut calls are not yet available on the DROID

[fring]

"

Bacon Sunrise [Image Cache]

Bacon Sunrise [Image Cache]: "

Over the apple-smoked mountains, the great yolk rose again. And day began anew. [jenntotten via Geekologie]

SyncToy 2.1 Update Speeds Up Windows File Syncing [Updates]

SyncToy 2.1 Update Speeds Up Windows File Syncing [Updates]: "

Windows: Microsoft's SyncToy is a simple but effective tool for mirroring folders across hard drive locations, networks, or USB devices. With a 2.1 update, it's been retooled to run faster, back up configurations, and handle errors much better.

We've previously featured SyncToy as a handy way to sync files between computers and share an iTunes library. It also ended up ranking among our readers' five favorite syncing tools. 2.1 isn't a huge update with new features, but it does utilize a new syncing framework, and a few annoyance fixes that will win over those who dig this 'toy':

• Better Performance: The speed of file copy operations is significantly increased across the board.
• Improved Robustness: Much more resilient to transient network and file system errors and better error reporting which pin-points which file the sync failed on in case there's a fatal error that stops the sync.
• Folder pair configuration backup: Folder pair configuration is automatically backed up under %localappdata%\microsoft\synctoy\2.0. User can replace SyncToyDirPairs.bin with the backup copy to resolve last saved configuration.

There are also a few bug fixes—notable among them is a fix for NAS syncing failure. SyncToy 2.1 is a free download for Windows systems, including 7, only.

SyncToy 2.1 [Microsoft]

You're Backing Up Your Data the Wrong Way [Backup]

You're Backing Up Your Data the Wrong Way [Backup]: "

Time and time again, people tell me that they've bought an external hard drive to back up their pictures, music, and documents. Great, right? Sadly, that's not always the case.

There's one simple rule about backups that everybody needs to fully understand: Your files should exist in at least Two places, or it's no longer a backup—and your data is at risk. Too often people delete the files from their primary PC, assuming they are backed up.

It's time to educate people on proper backup strategy, so we'll run through your options and talk about the pros and cons. These days, you've got plenty of choices on the Windows side of things, Mac users have Time Machine, and there's online backup for anybody.

Backing Up to a Local Source

When it comes to local backup applications, it's really a matter of preference, since most of them do the job adequately without a lot of fuss. The Backup and Restore application built into Windows 7 or Vista is a perfectly acceptable choice, and will handle most backups with ease. My personal choice is a paid version of SyncBack SE, but there's plenty of other choices for Windows, and all of them do the job.

The most important thing to remember when backing up your data is that you can't delete it from your main system once it's been backed up to an external drive. By doing that, you've left yourself with only a single copy of your important files, on an external drive that has just as much chance of dying as your internal PC hard drive. Think it can't happen to you? One of my external drives died last week.

Backing Up to an Online Source

There's quite a few online backup services to choose from, and while the great thing about online backup is that you don't have to deal with external drives, you're leaving your data in somebody else's hands, and restoring all of your files can take an extremely long time, since you'll have to download all of the files again. If you don't have a ton of personal files, online backup is a great choice, if you don't mind putting your faith in somebody else to keep your data secure.

Backing Up a Total System Image

Without question, the easiest form of backup to restore from is a complete image of your system. We've already covered a list of the best free system restore tools, and Gina walked through how to hot image your PC hard drive with DriveImage XML, but if you really want an easy experience you might want to check out one of the paid tools like Acronis True Image.

These tools are the best way to recover from a total system failure, but they usually aren't quite as easy to restore a single file from, which is a much more likely scenario. There's been dozens of times that I've needed to restore an older version of a document, and was able to easily grab the previous version from Dropbox or my external drive.

What Should You Back Up?

When you're backing up your files, there's no reason to make a backup of every single thing on your hard drive-in fact, it would be a huge waste of space to back up your Windows folder if you have to reinstall the whole system in order to restore the backups again. Here's a couple of pointers to help you choose what you really need to back up, and what you don't:

• Your entire Users folder: either at C:\Users\Username for Windows 7 or Vista, or C:\Documents and Settings\ for Windows XP. This folder should contain all of your documents, settings, etc.
• Your Data Folders: If you've created other data on your hard drives, you should include those as well.

What you don't need to back up?

• Your Program Files Folder: There's simply no reason to back up your installed applications when they all have to be re-installed if you had to restore your machine. It's a waste of space to do so.
• Your Windows Folder: The only real good reason to back up your Windows folder is just in case you can't find the same drivers again. On the other hand, there are any number of tools to back up your drivers, and you should do that once in a while instead of backing up the entire Windows folder.

Best Backup Strategy: Combo

Your best bet is to combine a number of different methods into your backup strategy.

• Create a System Image: Use one of the many system restore tools to create a complete image of your PC, which will protect you in case of a catastrophic system failure. You'll want to back this up to your external drive.
• Use a Backup Tool: Just pick one, any one, and start using it. Back up your data to an external drive, another PC, or anywhere else. Just make sure you don't delete the data from the primary PC.
• Use an Online Backup for Important Files: Even though you are backing up to an external drive, you might want to start using something like Dropbox or Mozy to back up your most important files.

Just remember, all of your files need to be in at least Two places at once. You don't want to get Journalspaced.

---

Do you always keep your data in more than one place? Share your backup strategy in the comments.

2012: THE GREATEST REVIEW YOU’LL EVER READ

2012: THE GREATEST REVIEW YOU’LL EVER READ: "

Bam! Boom! Explosion! Building falling down on your head!  VOLCANO!

Did you like that introduction to this blog entry? If so, then you’ll love 2012, starring John Cusack, Danny Glover, and your nutty aunt who sends you all those email forwards about how the cure for cancer was discovered by the Inuit in the 1800s but eaten by a whale that was brainwashed and programmed by the US government.

Here’s the thing: I went into this knowing what I was getting. I didn’t care about plot or dialogue, and in fact I hoped that it would be as insipid as possible to not distract from the billions of people being murdered in a spectacular fashion. 2012 is disaster porn, and I loved it. I got to see a bunch of buildings blow up, even more than past efforts like Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow. Hell, they even destroy the Vatican. The Vatican!

So yeah, if you’re a twisted fuck with low expectations like me, you’ll like it.

Of course, some skeptics and scientists may scoff, so here’s a review for all of you rational folks who are wondering if this is for you. If you’ve never seen a movie like this before, then mild spoilers follow.

Mayan Bullshit

The 2012 “Mayan Prophesy” bullshit* is in there, but it’s pretty lost amidst the eruption of the super-volcano beneath Yellowstone National Park. So it’s mostly like this:

MAN 1: The Earth is freaking the eff out man! We’re all gonna die!

MAN 2: You know, the Mayans and the Inuit and the, I dunno, some other religions and cultures totally predicted this or something.

MAN 1: Uh-huh that’s interesting LOOK OUT A VOLCANO JUST HAPPENED

MAN 2: AAAAAAH

MAN 1: AAAAAAAAAAAH

MAN 2: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Conspiracy Bullshit

Woody Harrelson plays a crazy Alex Jones/George Noory-type radio personality who lives in a camper in Yellowstone, where he does his show while eating pickles and probably jacking off to Bigfoot porn. Seriously, he’s crazy. He might be right, but he’s not the kind of person you (or conspiracy theorists) would possibly want to identify with.

Then there’s this whole subplot where OKAY KIND OF A BIG SPOILER ALERT SO SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH MAYBE the US government spends three years knocking off anybody who threatens to spill the beans about our incoming doom because they don’t want people freaking the eff out.

OKAY YOU CAN START READING AGAIN But come on, that is so completely ridiculous that if anyone tries using this movie to develop or support his boneheaded conspiracy theory beliefs, anyone who happened to see the movie would immediately laugh in his face and then call the cops to take him away to the funny factory.

Chauvinist Bullshit

Here is what men do in this movie:

• rescue


• comfort


• make up for being shitty fathers


• die heroically

Here is what women do in this movie:

• get rescued


• cry


• birth babies


• die tragically

Racist Bullshit

Okay actually it’s not racist but I noticed something and wanted to put it out there. In this movie, all black people are related, or will be eventually. That is all.

Pseudoscience Bullshit

So, yeah, basically there is nothing scientific about this movie and I’m sure Phil will break it down for you later, but basically everything is caused by MINOR SPOILER ALERT the sun? And solar flares? Sending neutrons through the Earth’s core, and this has totally never happened before but suddenly the neutrons are interacting with the matter? And making the Earth’s core heat up? Also at one point the entire crust of the Earth shifts by over 1,000 miles, which was SPOILER ALERT very handy because the characters were all like this:

MAN 1: Oh no we’ll never get there in time!

MAN 2: But that would be horrible because then we’ll all die in a truly terrib…

MAN 1: Never mind, we’re there.

MAN 2: But I thought

MAN 1: Crust moved.

MAN 2: Oh.

MAN 1: Yeah.

MAN 2: Cool.

Other Unbelievable Bullshit

SPOILER ALERT SO MAYBE SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH So the entire population of the Earth is about to die, and only the really rich people and world leaders get tickets to safety. The Italian Prime Minister decides not to be rescued and instead “rely upon prayer.” Cut to the Prime Minister at the Vatican with a big crowd of people getting blessed by the Pope. This is the single most unbelievable thing in the movie, because you god damn know that with billions of dollars and a major ego problem, the head of the Catholic Church is sure as fuck not going to stick around to see the end of the world. He’s going to be praising science and stepping on the heads of AIDS babies to get to safety. Don’t believe me? Prove me wrong, Pope. Prove me wrong.

Well, there you go. Weigh all of that against the prospect of seeing some pretty awesome special effects showing billions of people die. For me, it’s an easy decision. I LOVE seeing CGI people bite it, so I really enjoyed it. During the lulls between death sequences, I busied myself by predicting what city would be destroyed next, and how, so it didn’t even bother me during those boring bits where people call each other on the phone and sob about how much they love each other.

Did you see it? Are you going to see it? Give your thoughts in the comments!

*Note to new readers: the world will not end in 2012 and the Mayans didn’t think so, either. The “end” of the Mayan calendar is like the end of your calendar. Go buy a new one and you’re fine.

"

Amazing Star Wars Tauntaun costume

Amazing Star Wars Tauntaun costume: "








Check out the amazing build log of this Star Wars Tauntaun costume, Scott (the maker writes)...

TaunTaun costume, 2009 for the Exotic Zone ball in Sacramento. I'm wearing the Luke Skywalker outfit for this shoot. On Halloween my buddy Brian wore the Luke outfit, and I was his spotter dressed as Han Solo. Sorry bout the shaky camera, my wife was walking and holding our daughter in the other arm.

Read more | Permalink | Comments |



Read more articles in Halloween |

The Backyard Launch

Today Evan Successfully Launched a Lego Mini-Fig ~250ft

Google Chrome OS Available Next Week? [Rumors]

Google Chrome OS Available Next Week? [Rumors]: "

Another week, another Google product launch rumor—but this one's a bit more notable than most. If TechCrunch's source is correct, the first iteration of the operating system may be available for download within a week from today—but it would be far from a plug-and-play download. Unless Google employees and/or hardware manufacturers have a little Manhattan-Project-type camp set up, hardware support is likely to be specific to a few netbook or laptop models at first, and expanding out from there. We'd previously seen suggestions that Chrome OS on netbooks would appear this month, and Google itself has pegged Chrome's release to this fall. Any which way, we'll be eager to see what it actually looks and feels like. Let's hear where you think Chrome OS will make its mark in the comments.

SPDY: Google Wants to Speed Up the Web With New Protocol

SPDY: Google Wants to Speed Up the Web With New Protocol: "

Google has just announced that it is working on a new protocol that will minimize latency and speed up the Web experience for users. SPDY (pronounced 'speedy') is not meant to replace HTTP, the protocol that allows Web servers and browsers to talk to each other today, but it does augment HTTP. The new protocol incorporates features like multiplexed streams, request prioritization and HTTP header compression. Google has already developed a prototype Web server and a version of Google Chrome with built-in SPDY support.

Sponsor

Google claims that pages loaded 64% faster in lab tests in which the research team downloaded the top 25 websites. Now that the SPDY team has developed workable prototypes, Google decided to open up the process and is soliciting the 'active participation, feedback and assistance of the web community.'

In today's announcement, Google stresses that SPDY is not a replacement for HTTP. It uses HTTP methods and headers, but it overrides the parts of the protocol that manage connections and data transfer formats.

Google will soon release its open-source SPDY-enabled Web server. The source code for the SPDY-enabled version of Chrome can be found here.

Creating a Faster and More Secure Web

According to the SPDY white paper, the project's goals are to reduce page load times by 50%, minimize deployment complexity and avoid the need for website owners to make any changes to their sites to implement SPDY. Instead, all the hard work will happen in the client and the Web server.

The team also wants SPDY to allow many concurrent HTTP requests to run across one TCP session and to make SLL the standard transport protocol.

Google clearly has an interest in making the Web experience as fast and secure as possible for its users. One of the reasons Google released its own browser was to get every other browser developer to focus on speed again. SPDY is even more ambitious. With SPDY, Google wants to change one of the most fundamental protocols on the Internet.

According to Google, these are the basic improvement of SPDY over HTTP:

• Multiplexed requests. There is no limit to the number of requests that can be issued concurrently over a single SPDY connection. Because requests are interleaved on a single channel, the efficiency of TCP is much higher.



• Prioritized requests. Clients can request certain resources to be delivered first. This avoids the problem of congesting the network channel with non-critical resources when a high-priority request is pending.



• Compressed headers. Clients today send a significant amount of redundant data in the form of HTTP headers. Because a single Web page may require 50 or 100 subrequests, this data is significant. Compressing the headers saves a significant amount of latency and bandwidth compared to HTTP.

Discuss

Now This is a Cool Trailer

Dragon Age: Origins This is War

Qik for Android Gets Updated to Support High Resolution Recording For DROID

Qik for Android Gets Updated to Support High Resolution Recording For DROID: "

If you didn't already know, the DROID is capable of recording video at 720x480 resolution where most other Android phones record at 320x240 resolution. This means that your DROID can record video at the same resolution as DVDs. Whoa.

Apps will surely take advantage of the superior hardware and the first app to do so is Qik, the live video broadcasting application. The new Qik app for Android is currently in the invite-only, beta stage but judging from the video quality taken with Qik it looks amazing. Qik also gets a fresh new UI update and an improved version of the 'Speed Sharing Ribbon' which allows you to instantly share your videos with specific contacts. Contact droidbeta@qik.com to get details on how to be a part of the DROID-only beta release.

How happy are you with the video recording in the DROID? Will you Qik more?

Hit the jump to see the test video of Qik on the DROID!

[mobilecrunch]

Google’s Go: A New Programming Language That’s Python Meets C++

Google’s Go: A New Programming Language That’s Python Meets C++: "

Big news for developers out there: Google has just announced the release of a new, open sourced programming language called Go. The company says that Go is experimental, and that it combines the performance and security benefits associated with using a compiled language like C++ with the speed of a dynamic language like Python. Go’s official mascot is Gordon the gopher, seen here.

Here’s how Google describes Go in its blog post:

Go attempts to combine the development speed of working in a dynamic language like Python with the performance and safety of a compiled language like C or C++. In our experiments with Go to date, typical builds feel instantaneous; even large binaries compile in just a few seconds. And the compiled code runs close to the speed of C. Go is designed to let you move fast.

We’re hoping Go turns out to be a great language for systems programming with support for multi-processing and a fresh and lightweight take on object-oriented design, with some cool features like true closures and reflection.

For more details check out Golang.org.

To get things started the right way, here’s Go’s rendition of Hello World!:

05 package main

07 import fmt “fmt” // Package implementing formatted I/O.

09 func main() {

10 fmt.Printf(”Hello, world; or Καλημέρα κόσμε; or こんにちは 世界n”);

11 }

It Hurts to Watch

Motorola Droid: Scratch Test With Car Keys: "

Usually the way I find out whether a phone’s screen is resistant to scratching is ACCIDENTALLY scratching it and being disappointed I didn’t get a screen protector in advance. Then there is eL777 from AndroidForums who took his car keys and purposely slashed the heck out of the screen to see what would happen:


First of all, I’m impressed by the scratch resistance… good stuff.

Second of all, OH. MY. GOD. That was painful to watch. I have to echo the sentiments of members like raventhegreat2000:

man that was like watching a horror film

And Graz:

Wow you are the man. I sat there cringing

He DID mention that the painted finish of the device elsewhere on the phone (not the screen) sometimes scratched off but the screen itself is looking really good in terms of durability. Glass it is (we assume)!

The Hoover Dam Bypass Will Make You Ooooh and Aaaah [Architecture]

The Hoover Dam Bypass Will Make You Ooooh and Aaaah [Architecture]: "

There's not much to say about these images of the Hoover Dam Bypass except expletives mixed with a dozen shades of amazement. It's not the longest or the tallest or the biggest or the complexest, and still, it's stunning:

These images of the bridge—called the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge—were shot in September 2009, as the 1,060-foot twin-rib concrete arch advances towards its late 2010 opening. The $240 million, 2,000-foot bridge is part of a larger project, a 3.5-mile corridor that begins in Clark County, Nevada, and ends in Mohave County, Arizona. [Hoover Dam Bypass via Industrial Interface via DRB]

I Got the Droid

Got the Motorola Droid today and must say I’m liking it.  A little tip… Got it at Best Buy with the $100.00 instant rebate and did the price match because Sears was selling it for $149.99 w/ instant rebate.  Yeah, I know… Sears selling cell phones… who knew but thanks internet.

The Queen of Google: "I Do Code All Night!" [Google]

The Queen of Google: "I Do Code All Night!" [Google]: "

This is Marissa Mayer, the queen of Google. Every Google thing that you use goes through her. And she's nerd. So she says, sitting on her red ball in that red dress:

'When people think about computer science, they imagine people with pocket protectors and thick glasses who code all night. I do code all night! I am the stereotype, but I also break the stereotype.'

Oh, if only there were more of you, breaking stereotypes. [Glamour]

We're Not So Different, Earth and Mars [Landscapes]

We're Not So Different, Earth and Mars [Landscapes]: "
Here are two galleries for you, both of photos taken from space. One is of islands here on Earth, the other of landscapes on Mars. It's amazing, the similarities between the two places when you look from a certain distance.
[Wired Science and Big Picture]

50 Apps For New Droid Owners

50 Apps For New Droid Owners: "

With Verizon’s first two Android Phone’s launching today – the Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris – there will be PLENTY of Android newbs trying to soak up all the Android Application goodness they can. But with so many applications on the market now… where do they look?

I can imagine many people feel like they’re being pulled in every which way with no clue where to go – like the Scarecrow in The Wizard Of Bots.

Fear not. Five Phandroid team members did some good lookin’ out and hand picked 10 applications each that they think you’ll want to check out from Android Market. There are overlaps/duplications but I thought it would be relevant to allow them… if more than one has it in their list it MUST be good, right?

Without further adieu:

John Ashton Edgar

About Me: Behind the scenes button pusher for a group of technology websites. Love wine, food, fellowship, and Android be thy name. In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas. Follow me on Twitter @johnashtonedgar!

1. Amazon – They have a slick app and almost always the best pricing on everything. Need I say more.


2. Astro – Sad to say but Android has lacked a file manager thus far, this fits the bill.


3. Backgrounds – There is no better place to get your wallpapers to customize your desktop, sorry iPhone.


4. Google Sky Map - Because it’s just cool!


5. Google Voice – All my telephone numbers can be run through and controlled with GV.


6. My Account – This is a T-mobile app that lets you work with your account.


7. Shazam – Ever wonder who sings that song. This does that flawlessly.


8. Shopsavvy – Scan an items bar code and it will tell you where to find it online or locally (mapping it as well) with the best pricing. Way cool!


9. TED – The best minds in the world give lectures on Technology, Entertainment and Design. Above all, the most informative app.


10. Twidroid Pro – This is a pay app but the best twitter client for Android. (@johnashtonedgar)

David Drwencke

Android History – Used G1, MyTouch 3G and have owned an Iphone.

1. Pandora – (Free) The application works nearly flawlessly over 3G, EDGE and WiFi. The application incorporates your online account saving your stations and favorite songs. The Android version of this application allows you to do multiple things while the music plays, it truly is great.


2. Facebook for Android – (Free) As a Facebook fiend there is no better option on an Android device then the Facebook for Android App. Update your status, post pictures, check out your friends profiles, make comments all from the comfort of your device. This is a must have if you have a Facebook account.


3. Twidroid – (Free and Paid Versions) My experience is with the free version which has been fantastic. For me – who is a heavy user while not necessarily being a “power” user – it is perfect. There are push updates, I can make my tweets quickly and I think the interface is pretty straight forward. I also appreciate that the developers constantly update the application.


4. FeedR – (Paid) As a fan of many different tech, sports and news pages/blogs I like to know I can gain access to all of the latest news with the click of one button. FeedR has a clean, basic layout, has many options to update on its own, or at my own leisure. Adding new pages is a snap and the pages load very quickly. If you need an RSS reader (with many other options) FeedR is your #1 option.


5. Movies by Flixster – (Free) I consider myself a pretty big movie fan and I like to gain access not only to movie times/locations but also movie reviews from the critics and my friends. The newest version of this app ties into your Facebook account so that you can see what your friends have to say and vice versa, which is a cool feature. I can also track the movies I have seen and keep a list of those I want to see.


6. Open Home – (Full & Paid) One of the best features of any Android Powered device is the ability to customize not only your “wallpaper” but also your icons, widgets and overall layout of your device. There are so many different themes and styles that just about every device can match its owners style and personality. Though there are other worthy options (Fresh Face to name one) my favorite and standby is Open Home.


7. Sportstap – (Free) I am a huge sports fan and I happen to like different teams throughout the different leagues – sports taps allows me to be up to date with scores, stats and information with fast updates tailored to my interests. The navigation is simple and once you select your favorite teams Sportstap will do the rest.


8. The Weather Channel – (Free) Its simple and straight forward but I can set a few important locations (home, work and other favorite cities) and I can always know what is coming up and will also be able to answer the question “What will the weather be like tomorrow?” The widget is plain but useful, and the “Weather Alerts” are also useful for when serious weather is heading my way.


9. Shazam – (Free) Why? Even though I happen to have satellite radio in my car I still find myself forgetting that new catchy songs title when it comes time to download it. Shazam not only will keep a list of all the songs I tag it definitely is a “wow factor” application when you can use it with your friends at a store, mall, club when the music is playing and there is no way to get the title or the artist. This is an app you may not use every day, but I am happy every time I use it.n’t? Well now you can fix both of these issues with Visual Voicemail. The application is a bit boring looking, but ti is straight forward and it works as described.


10. Wapedia – (Free) There are a few options out there when it comes to wiki-clients, however my favorite is Wapedia. The user interface (UI) is solid, articles load quickly. Likely more useful then simply “googling” a question or term.

Raji Aboulhosn

About Me: I’m a huge sports fan especially football and the Vikings. I currently have an iPhone 3GS (don’t hate me and yes AT&T sucks) and I will be getting the Droid when it comes out. I love Android because you can customize it your way and there is still so much untapped potential with this platform.

1. Twidroid – Simply put the best twitter application for Android. Comes in either a free version or pro version ($4.89).


2. Sportstap – A good-looking interface and a bundled widget make it easy to follow your favorite teams. (free)


3. Pandora – You can’t really beat free music so enjoy it. (free)


4. USA Today – The easiest way to get the latest news around the globe. (free)


5. Shazam – I’m never good with remembering artists names or song titles. This app will come in handy more then you think. (free)


6. WeatherBug – Wondering if you’re going to need an umbrella today? WeatherBug will let you know. (free)


7. Where – If you travel a lot this might be your go to app. It will help you find a good meal, some good coffee, and will help you avoid traffic. (free)


8. Movies by Flixster – Want to know what’s playing at the local theater? If not download it so you can kill some time by watching the latest trailers. (free)


9. NBA game time lite (free) – It’s great to see professional sports leagues get on the Android fun. Now if ESPN could get off their ass and gives us a fantasy football app. (free)


10. Open Home – Tired of your homescreen? Open Home allows you to customize fonts, colors, icons and much more. (not sure of the price)

Breon Nagy

My name is Breon Nagy and I’ve recently been drafted to write reviews for apps. I’m a self-proclaimed Android fanboy and others have called me a “mobile power users”. I love testing new apps and currently beta test several popular Android apps. My first Android phone was a T-Mobile G1 and I’ve since graduated to an HTC Hero on Sprint. I had a chance to test drive the Droid last week and I was rather impressed. Here’s a list of my MUST HAVE apps:

1. Twidroid (FREE/€3.39 Pro) – Twidroid is a feature rich Twitter client. The Pro version allows for multiple accounts, Bit.ly URL shortening, and video upload. Both versions include sending and receiving tweets, @replies, direct messages as well as picture uploading and URL shortening (via several services). It has full search functionality and you can save searches too!


2. Astro File Manager (FREE) – Astro is a file management tool that allows you to browse/cut/copy/delete files on your SD card (and read/copy files on the phone memory . They’ve recently introduced other features such as an application manager and process manager.


3. G-Backup (FREE Trial/$4.95 Full) – G-Backup will automatically upload ALL of your SMS, MMS, Pictures, Videos, and your Call Log to your Gmail account. It will sort them into whatever Gmail labels you specify. This is a great way to go back in time to find an old text message or a picture that you deleted off of your SD card.


4. Handcent SMS (FREE) – Handcent is an alternative to using the stock Messaging app. It allows you to send and receive SMS and MMS messages. It’s real beauty is in the customization. You can skin the app to look like other messaging apps (*cough* iphone/hero *cough*) as well as change the color scheme of all OR individual conversations.


5. Hi AIM (FREE) – The Droid that I tested did not have the stock Instant Messaging client on installed (it may ship with the final build). Hi AIM is a simple AOL instant messaging client that includes some customization. One unique feature is it allows you to set buddy online/offline notifications. (note: there are other IM clients that also aggregate Yahoo/MSN/Skype/etc services)


6. Taskiller (FREE/€0.70 Full) – Taskiller is a task manager that allows you to see all of the running apps and processes on your phone. You can kill apps/processes individually or all at once. There is an “ignore” list that will prevent your favorite apps from being killed with the “kill all” button.


7. Light Racer 3D (FREE Basic/$2.99 Full) – “Futuristic motorcycles race to the death in a 3D arena”…need I say more? If you’re a fan of a certain ’80s movie that rhymes with Fron, then you’ll love this. If you’re not a fan of said movie, you’ll love it anyway. This is by far the best 3D game on the Market and it works great on the Droid.


8. Foursquare – Foursquare is an addictive location based game. You sign up for an account at http://foursquare.com. When you go places, you check in to them. Restaurants, gas stations, retail stores, whatever! If your favorite venue isn’t on the list, you can add it for MORE points.


9. Open Home (FREE/$3.99 Full) – Open Home is a Home replacement. It gives you up to 7 home screens (versus stock 3) as well as the ability to customize the look and feel of the app tray, fonts, and icons via themes on the Market.


10. Ustream Broadcaster (FREE) – Broadcast yourself live from your mobile phone! Or you can record videos to your SD card for later upload. Ustream also allows you to broadcast from your computer as well. A great service.

Robfactory

About Me: Here are the apps I use often.

1. Shazam – Being a Dj you have to stay current and play stuff that gets people moving. Shazam hears a sample of the song through your phone and tries to recognize the Artist, Name of the song, and Album.
   
   


2. FML by Evan Charlton – This program logs onto Fmylife.com and picks up peoples comments. If you ever have a bad day all you have to do is open this app and laugh your ass off. The app also lets you forward the comments via text and email. It also lets you comment.
   
   


3. TasKiller – having the G1 had a lot of perks, but memory was not one of them. With 192mb of Ram one needs all the memory one can get so the phone does not lag. TasKiller terminates any undesired program. (EDITOR NOTE: Your Motorola DROID has this by default in Android 2.0 in the settings)
   
   


4. SportsTap – is a sports app that keeps you updated with sporting scores. It also lets you select which teams you want to get scores from and how often.
   
   


5. iMusic – searches blogs and free music site to stream or download songs. It also reads what type of music you like and builds categories with top 50 and top 100.
   
   


6. NubiNews- organizes a collection of news and information sites under one app and lets you switch from site to site without using the browser.
   
   


7. Flashlight – I know kind of weak, but its been very helpful in clubs, late at night and in the dark.
   
   


8. Healthy Recipes – has 5 different categories one can choose from. You can also type in which dish you’ll like to make and it will give you healthy alternatives as how to cook that meal.
   
   


9. My Account – is a T-Mobile app that lets the user see how many minutes he or she has spent, also texts users when they are about to go over their minutes and texts. You can also pay your bill as well as see your payment history. Lastly, it also controls the phone’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Data Roaming, GPS and Screen Brightness.


10. TV.com –is an app that connects to CBS and CBS owned channels and programming (Showtime, the CW, cnet.com, the insider, etc…). The program does not just stream previews, but full episodes of popular shows. Missed Dexter, well not anyone. You can stream through Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity.

So there you have it… a good selection of applications to start downloading and testing out, recommended by your friendly Phandroid experts. And remember… next time you feel lost in the Andoid World, tap your heels together three times… “There’s no place like Phandroid. There’s no place like Phandroid. There’s no place like Phandroid.”

Thanks to John, David, Raji, Breon and Rob for their work on this article!

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These Are the Bikini Princess Leias You Are Looking For [Image Cache]

These Are the Bikini Princess Leias You Are Looking For [Image Cache]: "
Did you know Princess Leia had a twin? And that they sunbathed on Jabba barge's deck, half-naked and oily under the torrid light of Tatooine's twin suns? Neither did I, but I wish I knew when I was 11.
It's never too late, though.
Here you can see Carrie Fisher in her metal bikini alonside Tracy Eddon, her stunt double in Return of the Jedi. Both are suntanning between takes on the deck of Jabba's Sail Barge, on location in Tunisia's desert. Yes, Han, this shot is one in a million. [fukung via @Kottke]

Firefly: The Complete Series on DVD for $12.99

This is the Droid you’re looking for…

via The Joy of Tech