File Manager HD- App In Focus

File Manager is one of the first Honeycomb-optimized file manager for Android.  It's one of those utilities you have to have on your Android 3.0 tablet, no questions asked.  With Android, you're not forced to use a separate program on your computer to add or move files around, so a file browser of some sort is awful handy.  You can use it to keep track of and sort all your pictures, videos, documents, and anything else you can think of that you're keeping around in your tablet's storage space. 

With File Manager HD, you really don't need to ever hook up the cable to your computer.  It has a built-in LAN browser, so any shared files or folders from your computer (Windows, Mac and Linux) are available right from the comfort of your easy chair.  It's full of other great features, too:

• High definition(1280x800) support
• 3 sets of commercial icons for 60+ different file types, toolbar and menu items
• Cut, copy, paste and cancel progress dialogs
• List and grid view for file browsing
• Compress and decompress support
• Search and share files
• Multiple selection and sorting support
• Thumbnail for photo, pictures and apk files
• Built-in text editor and swf player

The developers have fully tested File Manager HD on the Motorola Xoom. The best part?  It's absolutely free.

You can find File Manager HD in the Android Market, for devices running Android 3.0 and higher.

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New Droid 3 Specs Confirm 5-Row QWERTY, 4-inch qHD Display

Additional details for the Motorola Droid 3 have surfaced online, indicating a nice all-around bump is in store for Verizon's iconic handset.  The touch screen has been rumored to be a 4-inch qHD  display, bigger and higher resolution than its predecessors.  This has been confirmed by a TechnoBuffalo source who also adds that Motorola has indeed managed to squeeze a fifth row into the keyboard, providing a dedicated number row.

Additional details for the Droid 3 include an 8-megapixel camera on the back with a front-facing camera for video chat. Resolution is unknown at this time, but we're hoping for something around 2.0-megapixels.  One notably absent feature is the lack of 4G LTE support, something which Verizon is really pushing as of late. Maybe that's something more appropriate for a Droid 4. Droid 4G. See what we did there?

The processor is expected to be a dual-core platform, however the exact brand and type is not yet known. Some are hearing NVIDIA Tegra 2, but it's entirely possible that Motorola could stick with their friends at Texas Instruments, using the OMAP chipset.

News360 launches Honeycomb application, hopes to become your daily news feed

Good news for you Honeycomb-tablet-toting readers out there. News360 has released an Android application that hopes to become Android users’ one-stop-shop for all their news needs.

Similar to many other news feed applications out there, News360 takes a real-time look at the top stories in a score of different categories, from politics and world news to sports and tech goodness.

Where News360 really shines is the Google-esque related stories incorporation.  Say you’re reading a story about the recent tornado outbreak in the Midwest. Along the top of the reading pane, you’ll find a honeycomb-esque menu with the names of different publications where you can read either a different take on the same story, or a very similar story with a slight twist.

News360 can also utilize your tablet’s built in GPS to deliver location-specific stories to your news feed. Simply click on the location icon at the top of the screen and the stories in each of the categories will be tailored to your location. Tapping the location button again will bring you back to regional/national news stories.

Admittedly, I was only able to spend about 15 minutes with the application last night, but my first impressions were very good. If you’re looking for a news application for your Honeycomb device, you may want to head over to the market and give News360 a try for yourself.

News360 is now available for free for all 3.0+ devices on the Android Market.

Honeycomb 101: Getting to Know Your Android Tablet

So you're the proud possessor of a shiny new Android tablet. Now what?

Google's tablet operating system is a little different from the versions of Android you may have seen before. Unlike the iPad, which is basically a blown-up version of the iPhone, Android Honeycomb tablets are designed to take full advantage of the extra screen space--and it's up to you to decide how to use it.

Of course, flexibility and simplicity don't always go hand in hand, and Honeycomb can be a bit overwhelming at first. But once you get the hang of it, you'll find that its power and its potential for personalization can be pretty darn sweet.

Here's a quick guide to help you get started.

Hello, Honeycomb: Navigating Your Home Screen

The Android Honeycomb home screen keeps all of the OS's main controls visible on your tablet's display.Let's begin with the home screen. On Honeycomb--unlike on past smartphone-focused editions of Android--the main controls are always visible right on your display.

• At the top left corner of the screen sits a Google search box. Tapping it lets you simultaneously search the Internet and everything on your device.
• Next to the search box is a microphone icon that activates Google's robust Voice Actions system. You can use it to speak commands such as "listen to" followed by the name of an artist, album, or song; "send e-mail to" followed by the name of a contact and a message; or even "note to self" followed by a memo. You can also speak any phrase to launch an instant Web search for the term.
• At the top right of the screen is a six-square icon with the label 'Apps'. Touch it for access to the full menu of applications installed on your tablet.
• Next to the 'Apps' icon is a large white plus sign. It opens the tool for customizing your tablet's home screens; we'll look at it in more detail in a moment.
• The system clock, network connection icon, and battery level icon are in the lower-right portion of the home screen. Double-tapping this area brings up other options.At the bottom right of the display is a system clock, along with icons indicating your current network connection status and tablet battery level. Tapping this area once will bring up more-detailed information. Tapping it a second time will bring up additional options, including toggles for airplane mode, Wi-Fi, and other system settings.

From time to time, notifications will appear in the bottom-right area of your display--when you get a new e-mail message, for example, or when a calendar reminder comes due. You can tap any notification to view more information about it or you can dismiss it altogether.

Getting Around in Honeycomb

The main navigation options in Honeycomb are back, home, and multitasking.The area at the bottom left of the screen focuses on navigation. No matter where you are in the system, you'll always see three icons:

• The left arrow jumps you back one step--not terribly useful on the home screen, but handy when you're in applications.
• The home icon, predictably, takes you back to the home screen. If your tablet is running Android 3.1, your system will remember which panel you last had open and will automatically return you there.
• Honeycomb's multitasking menu shows a list of recently apps; clicking an entry lets you jump directly to it.The third icon opens the Honeycomb multitasking menu. This menu shows you a list of your most recently used apps and allows you to jump directly to any of them from anywhere in the system.

Occasionally, you may see a fourth icon in the bottom-left portion of your screen. This icon, which looks like a small grid, appears when you're using a smartphone app that isn't optimized for the Honeycomb interface. Tapping the icon brings up a list of options for the app; it's the equivalent of pressing the Menu key on an Android phone.

When you work with apps that are optimized for Honeycomb, the grid icon is supplanted by what Google likes to call the 'action bar'. The action bar permits apps to use the top-right area of your screen to provide additional options that change, depending on what you're doing. If you're looking at your inbox in Gmail, for example, you'll see an icon for composing a new message. If you're viewing an individual e-mail message, icons for archiving or deleting the message will appear in the same space.

Customizing Your Tablet

All right--ready to start making your Android tablet feel like your own? Tap the plus sign in the upper right corner of your home screen to head into Honeycomb's customization control center.

Honeycomb's customization control center shows thumbnails of all five home-screen panels plus a list of widgets and app shortcuts.In the control center, you'll see thumbnails of all five home-screen panels and a list of items that you can place anywhere you like. Some of the items are widgets--which are live, functioning versions of programs that run right on your home screen. Others are app shortcuts--normal static icons that launch applications. You can touch any item to drag it to the panel of your choice; you can also adjust things from the home screen later on, by touching and holding any item to move, delete, or (in certain cases) resize it.

So there you have it: the ins and outs of Honeycomb. Now just grab your tablet, dive in, and don't worry: You won't get stung

Retooled Google Maps For Mobile: Looks Good, Does Little

MacStories’ Federico Viticci is all over Google’s just-announced update to Maps for mobile browsers. The new version looks great and offers a more robust menu than its previous iteration. Says the misspelled big number:

Now, when you visit maps.google.com on your phone or tablet’s browser and opt-in to share your location, you can use many of the same Google Maps features you’re used to from the desktop.

For the curious, these features allow the user to:

• See your current location
• Search for what’s nearby with suggest and auto complete
• Have clickable icons of popular businesses and transit stations
• Get driving, transit, biking, and walking directions
• Turn on satellite, transit, traffic, biking, and other layers
• View Place pages with photos, ratings, hours, and more
• Access your starred locations and My Maps when signed into your Google account

iPhone users, take note: You’ve got to access all this via your mobile browser, as these changes do not apply to Apple’s stock Google Maps app. However, using Safari’s “Add to Home Screen” option, you’ll get an attractive little launch icon, and the visual experience looks somewhat in line with Apple’s design aesthetics.

iPhone Maps app logo vs. Google Maps web app logo.

Your mobile browser will have its standard toolbars in place.

Unfortunately, aside from the the social aspects on board (like photographs of supported businesses and stores, etc.), there seems little reason to use this over Apple’s prepackaged solution. For me, the latter’s load times were less than half of the browser-based version’s, and there is noticeable lag in accessing the web app menus. Additionally, Street View seems nowhere to be found on Google’s new build, and that — to me and many others — is one of the most useful things about using Maps on a mobile device.

Samsung Omnia 7 patch resistance resolved using, well... resistors of course (video) (By Engadget Mobile)

Omnia 7 owners just can't get a break. Sure, life seemed dandy after Samsung released a utility that promised to resolve future update headaches, but that assumed everyone would be able to apply the fix. Unfortunately, Sammy's tool requires users to put their phone into download mode to get the patch -- a feat that devices with bootloader v4.10.1.9 simply cannot perform. Understandably, some frustrated folks are taking matters into their own hands after discovering a way to fool the Omnia 7's circuitry, which forces the phone to enter download mode with the help of a 301KOhm resistor (although three 100KOhm resistors in series work fine most of the time). It's not a pretty solution, but seems to be working for many. Hit the break for a video detailing the trickery -- RadioShack will surely appreciate the business.
VIDEO:

Notacious- App In Focus

Notacious for iPhone ($0.99) by lepidu development is a simple note taking app for your iPhone with online syncing capabilities.

Notacious requires an account to use, much like my personal favorite, Simplenote. Creating an account is fast and easy, and best of all, is free to use. From the login screen to account creation and others, you can tell that there was a lot of thought put into the design of Notacious to make it look great.

Once you create your account and log in, you’ll be greeted with a default “Welcome” note. This note will give you a basic guide of using the app.

The notes listing is the main screen of the app and allows you to view the note title, when it was last edited, and the first line of the body text.

Creating a note is very simple. From the note listing screen, tap that + button to create a new note. A title can be entered for easy organization and reference later. Then simply tap the text area beneath to start typing out your note. The interface is clean and pleasing on the eyes. When you’re done, a tap of the Save button will save all changes and take you back to the note listing.

Be careful to hit the Back button before saving changes. There will be a prompt that will ask you if you want to discard all changes – if you tap Yes, all progress will be lost. If you tap No, you’ll remain on the editing screen until you hit the Save button.

If you view a note, you’ll have a couple of options at the bottom. The ‘i’ will pull up Information about the note, which will only show when it was created and when it was last edited. The button that resembles a “download” icon will allow you to copy all the body text of the note to your iPhone’s clipboard. This way, you can share your note by email or whatever other methods you prefer. The trash can, of course, deletes the note, but not without another prompt to prevent accidents.

Notacious has a few tweaks that the user can change in the app settings, accessible from the main screen. The Readability settings are probably the one you’ll want to try first, because this is where you can customize the app’s editing interface to your own liking. Choose from five fonts, three text sizes, and three text colors. I’m usually a Helvetica kind of girl, but I’ve taken quite a liking to the “Noteworthy” font, especially in dark grey. There’s also a Reset Cache option if you need it.

The biggest thing you’ll probably notice in the Settings is the Account Type at the top. Notacious has two account options – free and premium. The premium version allows the user to lock notes and share them (instead of copying the text). Currently, these are the only additional features of a Premium Notacious account, but the developers have more planned for the future.

This Premium account costs only $2.99 and is a one-time purchase from within the app. Once you get Premium, that’s it – it’s not a recurring annual subscription fee like Simplenote. However, if you try to get a Premium upgrade from the web app at notacio.us, it seems that the price of a premium account is $5.99 there, for whatever reason. If you want to save a few bucks, then get the upgrade from the iPhone app.

While I’m digging the interface of Notacious, I’m finding the saving method a bit cumbersome. The app does not seem to automatically save changes in timed intervals, and you have to watch the app finish saving changes before you can do anything else. I would much prefer if the app can save automatically or not lock me out of anything else when saving changes.

I would also like to think that the ‘i’ option on a note should include something like word and character count, because that may be more useful to me than just knowing when a note was created or last modified. I’m also not sure why but it seems that the text that serves as a preview of a note gets cut off randomly, making it look awkward. I’m sure it’s dependent on the first few words of a note, but still, it bugs me seeing something like “We’d like to take th” instead of the complete words with a “…” at the end if there’s more text.

One more thing that the app is missing – landscape. So if you prefer that long horizontal keyboard for your note taking on your iPhone or iPod Touch, then you’ll want to hold off for now.

While the app is pretty good overall, I can’t see myself replacing Simplenote with this just yet, even though the premium upgrade is cheaper. All your notes are only stored on Notacious’ own servers, with no option for something like Dropbox, which is an option for premium Simplenote subscribers. I also can’t use Notacious as a replacement unless there’s an API for it like Simplenote for use with desktop applications, such as Notational Velocity.

It’s a good app, but still has a way to go before I can replace Simplenote with it. However, it seems the developers have plans for an iPad and Mac version, so I’ll play the waiting game.

You should still check it out though, since it could be great for those that don’t already use Simplenote.