Insanity Cardio Circuit | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | Insanity/P90X #10 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Stand Up Desk (plans) (Why you should, too!)

Back in the saddle with an Insanity week between P90X -- craziest 30 minutes of cardio ever. That full 10 minutes of warming up? Needed.

PdaNet Free Edition

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

Platform: Android

RATING:
5 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE

TASTY:
Allows you to share your phone’s Internet connection with your computer via USB or BlueTooth DUN. For free. Gratis.

BUMMER:
Does not enable wifi tethering for no fee.

COOL:
Avoid costly wifi hotspots in hotels, airports, and elsewhere with this free app. Get online with your DROID for quick, clean Web access, email checking, and more.

REVIEW:
When major cell carriers recently began offering wifi tethering for an extra fee, I was sorely tempted to go for it.

After all, tethering (using your Android phone as an Internet access point so your laptop and other devices can surf using your phone’s data access) has the potential to save us money and aggravation when we’re on the road and away from free or for-pay wifi access points.

After conducting some research into my Internet-ready devices and the tethering apps available on the Android Marketplace, I quickly narrowed things down to the (free!) PdaNet Free Edition app. After all, my laptops have USB ports, so skipping the wifi sharing option was a no-brainer.

This small program is a wonder. It allows you to use the USB cable that came with your DROID to plug your phone directly into your computer, and then share the phone’s Internet connection with your computer. No root access is required, no special modifications are necessary, and no tethering plan (read: additional fees) from your carrier is needed. Your phone even charges your phone’s battery via your USB port while you surf.

Even better, PdaNet works under both Windows and Macintosh OS’s. In my case, both my Dell and Macbook machines have successfully surfed the Web via my phone on numerous business trips via this handy app. (If you need to access secure (https) websites, you’ll need to pony up for the full version, which costs $15.95 for a limited time.)

The biggest surprise? Surfing the Web and checking email on my DROID can be a little slow at times. Once I tether the phone to my laptop, I notice a considerable speed boost. What could be easier?
Before getting started, be sure to install and test both the PC software and the free app on your phone. You’ll need to have both up and running before you head out on the road.

All of that said, if you truly need to tether a wireless device to your phone (wifi-only iPads, anyone?) you will need to pony up for your carrier’s wifi tethering service, which can run up to $20 or more per month.

Papaya Free

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

Platform: Android

RATING:
4 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE

TASTY:
Free access to more than 14 social games via your DROID, all on one shared network. Fun!

BUMMER:
Lacks parental controls. Any concerns about allowing young children to chat, send in-network emails, text messages, etc. should be addressed before turning your young ones loose on the service.

COOL:
Play everything from Texas Hold ‘em to Reversi, while showing off your virtual fish tanks or farms, with family and friends anywhere while you’re on the go? Priceless. And it’s a free service. Nice.

REVIEW:
Fans of Papaya’s mobile games (Papaya Fish, Farm, Ranch, Pet, Blackjack, Chess, Reversi, Parking War, and more) can now tap into all of these titles – and their associated chat rooms and other social tools – under one new application: Papaya Free.

In all, the Papaya Free app ties these offerings together:

1. 14 Unique Games: Which can be played alone or with other members.

2. Avatar Builder: Create, dress, and host the digital representation of yourself in the Papaya universe.

3. Chat Rooms: Interact with other Papaya members and create your own rooms.

4. PMail: Send/receive Papaya email within the system.

5. Mini Blogger: Share your thoughts and posts for all to see.

6. Image Sharing: Share pictures with other members.

7. Instant Messaging: Allows you to use Google Talk, MSN, Yahoo IM, and AIM on your DROID simultaneously.

With many other image sharing, IM, blog, chat room, and email apps and clients to choose from, these additional tools are only useful for hardcore Papaya members who are glued to the service for hours on end.

Teens will no doubt enjoy making their own avatars, then earning points by playing games to purchase clothes and other items to bling-out their digital representations.

What’s left are the games – and they’re not bad. A series of titles (Pet, Fish, Ranch, etc.) are perfect for younger children, challenging them to create and raise their own virtual animals. They’ll earn points for caring for these digital denizens, and be able to compare their score to other Papaya users around the globe.

Card games, chess, and other board game-style offerings are well-made and fun to play. The real fun begins when you get a friend (or friends!) to grab the app, make an account, and pass you their in-game names. Interactive blackjack and Texas Hold ‘em are easy to learn, hard to master, and a ton more fun when you’re going against real humans.

All in all, Papaya is a fun, interactive social destination that’s now available via a single streamlined app that’s well worth installing.