Bing
Platform: Android
RATING:
3 out of 5
PRICE:
$FREE
TASTY:
Combines six search functions (Images, Movies, Maps, Local, News, and Directions) in a clean, clear interface that makes using Bing a dream.
BUMMER:
Map data is out of date in some spots; grabs directions to locations along with a map, but no voice/turn by turn navigation functionality. Missing local gas price information currently found in Blackberry version.
COOL:
Sports the most user-friendly Image search and browse functionality of any search engine app in the Android Marketplace.
REVIEW:
You have to hand it to Microsoft. Not complacent to let their Bing search service live solely on the Web, the free Bing app brings some welcome search and mapping features to the DROID, wrapped in an easy-to-use package that truly helps users “find that they need, when they need it.”
Fire up the app and use the voice-activated search to find the perfect restaurant, decide which movie to see nearby, view stunning images, and grab driving directions to local destinations.
On top of these rich features, Bing sports eye-catching photos matched with daily trivia questions on its home screen. Beauty and brains in a single app, from Microsoft? Miracles happen, folks.
The menu is clean and clear. Stocked on top of today’s image are buttons labeled Images, Movies, Maps, Local, News, and Directions. A standard search bar is offers at the top, complete with the now-familiar microphone button to enable voice queries.
The Images button brings up both a search box to find specific photos by keyword, and a set of four collections related to the image of the day. Each album is presented as a small stack of thumbnails. Just click on one and Bing provides a screen full of results for easy preview. Eye candy and serious browsing functionality blended together perfectly.
Movies brings up a list of flicks playing at theaters near you. Click a title and a synopsis appears, along with links to trailers and today’s show times for local movie houses.
News is your gateway to local, U.S. and international news of the moment. Based on your location, the app does a solid job of offering 3-5 recent stories in each category. It’s one of the best basic news apps I’ve used to date.
Local pops up a ready-to-go list of categories to choose from, including restaurants, shopping and services, nightlife, hotels, transportation, arts and entertainment, government and community, plus health and fitness. Once you find a local business of interest, reviews and an instant-call button appears, along with a map link.
Clicking through to get directions is painless and fast, and the maps (also available by clicking Directions or Maps on the home screen) are super-clear. However, without turn by turn voice navigation, being able to see and track a route visually seems very last year. That and only your passenger will be able to help get you from point A to B.
Finally, the app makes it easy to save searches and favorites to your Home screen. If you’re a Bing fan and looking for an alternative to Google’s suite of Android apps, Microsoft offers a compelling app in Bing. Adding missing turn by turn directions and voice navigation features for most areas of the U.S. will make Bing for Android a must-have application.
Until then, the Local and News functions (not to mention the quality Image search) make this a solid app all on its own.
Friday, September 03, 2010
Google Finance
Platform: Android
RATING:
2 out of 5
PRICE:
$FREE
TASTY:
Free access to stock quotes, business news, data charts, and your Google Finance portfolios via your Android device.
BUMMER:
Stock quotes are U.S.-only and does not display individual portfolio statistics (gain/loss/shares), both of which are available in the standard (and superior) browser version at http://www.google.com/finance. Some stock price information delayed by 5-15 minutes, users reporting inaccurate importing of some data from portfolios, some specific DROID models cause app to crash.
COOL:
The latest version adds the ability to sync multiple Google Finance accounts with your phone.
REVIEW:
Professional and amateur investors, take note. Google’s free Finance for Android app streams U.S. stock quotes, business news, and data charts to your phone, and syncs with your Google Finance portfolios. The latest version adds the ability to sync multiple accounts, making it a must-try for all Google Finance users who need access to data and trends on-the-go via their Android device.
That said, there’s a fair amount of “buyer beware” warnings attached to the app. Only U.S. stocks are supported, which makes it a no-go for all global investors (and, frankly, who isn’t these days?)
Plus, with the recent upgrades made to the Google Finance website, here’s hoping Google upgrades this app to match; importing your portfolios results in some data corruption issues, and you can’t see the net gain or loss to your investments as a whole.
Some quotes I viewed were more than 10 minutes old to boot. Plus, the service runs in the background, draining battery life.
That said, your mileage may vary. If you’re already using Google Finance to store and work with your portfolios, give the app a try. If not, the Android Marketplace offers many other apps to track stocks in a much more friendly, consistent way (Stock Alert anyone?).
Platform: Android
RATING:
2 out of 5
PRICE:
$FREE
TASTY:
Free access to stock quotes, business news, data charts, and your Google Finance portfolios via your Android device.
BUMMER:
Stock quotes are U.S.-only and does not display individual portfolio statistics (gain/loss/shares), both of which are available in the standard (and superior) browser version at http://www.google.com/finance. Some stock price information delayed by 5-15 minutes, users reporting inaccurate importing of some data from portfolios, some specific DROID models cause app to crash.
COOL:
The latest version adds the ability to sync multiple Google Finance accounts with your phone.
REVIEW:
Professional and amateur investors, take note. Google’s free Finance for Android app streams U.S. stock quotes, business news, and data charts to your phone, and syncs with your Google Finance portfolios. The latest version adds the ability to sync multiple accounts, making it a must-try for all Google Finance users who need access to data and trends on-the-go via their Android device.
That said, there’s a fair amount of “buyer beware” warnings attached to the app. Only U.S. stocks are supported, which makes it a no-go for all global investors (and, frankly, who isn’t these days?)
Plus, with the recent upgrades made to the Google Finance website, here’s hoping Google upgrades this app to match; importing your portfolios results in some data corruption issues, and you can’t see the net gain or loss to your investments as a whole.
Some quotes I viewed were more than 10 minutes old to boot. Plus, the service runs in the background, draining battery life.
That said, your mileage may vary. If you’re already using Google Finance to store and work with your portfolios, give the app a try. If not, the Android Marketplace offers many other apps to track stocks in a much more friendly, consistent way (Stock Alert anyone?).
Trillian for Android (Beta)
Platform: Android
RATING:
5 out of 5
PRICE:
$FREE
TASTY:
A single app to rule every Instant Messaging (IM) service, Trillian helps you stay connected to your online contacts in real-time across every major service.
BUMMER:
Currently in beta testing (pre-release). Android users can grab a copy of the current build via: http://www.trillian.im/get/android/
COOL:
A must-have app for all lovers of online chatting. No matter which IM network you use, Trillian has you covered both on your desktop PC and now on your DROID device.
REVIEW:
If you’re a fan of online chatting via one or more instant messaging (IM) channels, Trillian has long been the king of the desktop. Now Cerulean Studios offers DROID users access to the latest beta (pre-release) version of their mobile Trillian client. And as you’d expect, the app makes it super-easy to keep in touch with your contacts via AIM, Facebook Chat, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ and many others.
All of your contacts and accounts are automatically carried over to your DROID via the cloud. My AIM and ICQ accounts took all of 30 seconds to set up, and I was instantly chatting with colleagues via my phone.
The more I use the app, the more I appreciate their attention to detail. According to their website, Trillian for Android was specifically designed for Android, not just hastily ported from the PC version or another phone (iPhone?) Plus, devices as far back as 1.6 can run Trillian for Android, which means G1 users are still in the mix. At the same time, users with the latest and greatest phones can enjoy shiny high-res graphics.
Tabbed chat makes it easy to switch between simultaneous chat sessions easily by tapping the tabs. Landscape mode is also seamlessly integrated into the latest build, along with native support for your sliding keyboard.
Sharing photos taken with your DROID is a snap, along with the usual massive collection of emoticons. Plus, the developers threw in a “buzz” feature so you can put an extra exclamation point on any IM you send, making the recipients DROID buzz.
Bug fixes and new versions are released every few days. You’ll need to download the app directly from this link (http://www.trillian.im/get/android/) to get up and running, with a full-release version coming this later this Fall.
Platform: Android
RATING:
5 out of 5
PRICE:
$FREE
TASTY:
A single app to rule every Instant Messaging (IM) service, Trillian helps you stay connected to your online contacts in real-time across every major service.
BUMMER:
Currently in beta testing (pre-release). Android users can grab a copy of the current build via: http://www.trillian.im/get/android/
COOL:
A must-have app for all lovers of online chatting. No matter which IM network you use, Trillian has you covered both on your desktop PC and now on your DROID device.
REVIEW:
If you’re a fan of online chatting via one or more instant messaging (IM) channels, Trillian has long been the king of the desktop. Now Cerulean Studios offers DROID users access to the latest beta (pre-release) version of their mobile Trillian client. And as you’d expect, the app makes it super-easy to keep in touch with your contacts via AIM, Facebook Chat, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ and many others.
All of your contacts and accounts are automatically carried over to your DROID via the cloud. My AIM and ICQ accounts took all of 30 seconds to set up, and I was instantly chatting with colleagues via my phone.
The more I use the app, the more I appreciate their attention to detail. According to their website, Trillian for Android was specifically designed for Android, not just hastily ported from the PC version or another phone (iPhone?) Plus, devices as far back as 1.6 can run Trillian for Android, which means G1 users are still in the mix. At the same time, users with the latest and greatest phones can enjoy shiny high-res graphics.
Tabbed chat makes it easy to switch between simultaneous chat sessions easily by tapping the tabs. Landscape mode is also seamlessly integrated into the latest build, along with native support for your sliding keyboard.
Sharing photos taken with your DROID is a snap, along with the usual massive collection of emoticons. Plus, the developers threw in a “buzz” feature so you can put an extra exclamation point on any IM you send, making the recipients DROID buzz.
Bug fixes and new versions are released every few days. You’ll need to download the app directly from this link (http://www.trillian.im/get/android/) to get up and running, with a full-release version coming this later this Fall.
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