For the longest I’ve wished I could directly open the .apk from gmail and install it on my phone, but until now the process has either failed to work or thrown an error.  This is where tAttachApkInstaller comes in.  This simple, non-intrusive application allows you to install an .apk file that has been sent to you as an attachment from your Gmail account.

If you receive .apks through the mail you should definitely check the app out.
 

Get tAttachApkInstaller

Link: AppBrain

QR code:

If there’s one area that has no clear winner yet for Android, its Twitter apps.  We have seen apps from Level Up Studios, Twidroi(y)d, TweetsRide, and much, much more in the competition to provide easy access to this microblogging platform.  Lets welcome one more app into the ring of competition for Twitter clients on the Android platform: TweetDeck.  This application has been available to PC / Mac / Linux users for some time courtesy of Adobe Air multi-platform support and is a hit in the PC space.  Lets hope that it can recreate this success on the Android platform.

TweetDeck boasts a streamlined, simplified twitter experience. It comes with multiple account support right out of the box and even allows you to sync all of your accounts via your TweetDeck account (see vid below).

Screenshots:

Want to try TweetDeck out on your device?  The official beta drops later today, but if you’re impatient you can try an old pre-release leaked version at one of the mirrors below (courtesy of AndroidPolice)

• Mirror 1
• Mirror 2
• Mirror 3
• Mirror 4

In the (not so) recent news, Google announced the discontinuation of the Nexus One.  For many Android fans, this was saddening information; the Nexus one was Google’s first venture into changing how cell phones and their accompanying plans were supposed to work.  Not to mention the Nexus One was stylish and a genuinely good phone.  In a post from the Android Developers Blog Tim Bray writes:

We’ve always offered unlocked phones for direct sale to registered Android Developers. As of today, the Developer Phone is the Nexus One, at a price of $529. To see the details or order a phone, you need to sign in to your Android developer account and click on the “Development Phones” link.

The Nexus One combines an up-to-the-minute platform (Android 2.2), modern hardware, and the pure Android software suite. It’s a good choice both for people who want to build Android applications using either the SDK or the NDK, and those who want to experiment with modified versions of the Android platform. Note that the Nexus One still ships with Android 2.1 but will download 2.2 soon after you turn it on; make sure you’re near a fast network.

As well as being an outstanding developer platform, it’s a really nice everyday phone; we’re really happy to have connected the right dots to make this happen.

We’re glad they’ve connected the right dots to make it happen as well.

From TalkAndroid.com via Android Dev Blog

android,progrmaming

When you program for Android you find yourself doing some of the same tasks repeatedly. As a programmer you know what I mean; how many times have you downloaded images from the Internet dynamically for use in an application?  How about extended a List Activity to show a list of items? And if I had a dollar for everytime I had to parse an xml file…

Now there’s an easy way to do some of the most common tasks in Android (and do them correctly!). Recently I stumbled upon Droid-fu, a library for some of Android’s most common task.  Just add the .jar file to your Android project and you’re ready to impement the snippets provided to you by Droid-fu.

What sort of things can you do with Droid-fu?  Glad you asked.  Currently the library has classes for:

• Easy implementation of the dreaded AsyncTask
• Context implementation including simple handles for resuming, restarting, and gracefully pausing your actvity
• Dialog helpers
• Management (including caching!) of web images
• Easy use of the Gallery View
• … much more.  For a complete overview check the Droid-fu API

I will be using this in some of my upcoming projects so expect to hear more about this library on this blog.  For now, check out the developer’s website and read up on what he’s up to.

game,android,play,DroidGamers,contest

Love gaming on your Android device?  Well boy is there a contest for you! Recently droidgamers.com has announced their first annual Adroid Gaming Challenge (AGC).  First prize takes a sweet package, including an Android device of their choosing.

Here are the terms (from DroidGamers.com):

1. For 5 days we will collect scores of all the people who have entered into the tournament. You will have 5 days to get the highest score you can.
2. After the 5 days the Top 40 players will be put into a ladder and from there it is elimination time.
3. Every day after the ladder is made, players will have 24hrs to beat each other (whomever you are paired against at the time). The winner will move on to the next round. This will continue until we have a final champion.
4. Each round will be a new game so as to avoid people mastering any specific game and keep the playing field even. Games will be across multiple genres so one day it could be a puzzle game, the next it could be an action/shooter game and so on
5. Tournament starts approx 10am PST July 30, 2010
6. To enter the tournament, just be here when we announce the starting game, we will announce the highest Top 40 scores and the usernames that they belong to. Those people will move into the ladder. Also please post here your username that you will be using and make sure you use your correct email address when posting your comment with your username.
7. First 5 days are qualifiers for all entries
8. Ladder begins after 5 days of qualifiers, Top 40 players will be placed into the ladder
9. Each Ladder round will last 24hrs starting at 10am PST and ending 10am PST the following day. We may introduce breaks to let people rest. Each round of the ladder will be a different game.
10. The last player standing will be the winner of the Grand Prize package which will include a free new Android phone and listed as Best Android Gamer of AGC #1
11. Top 5 players will also win prizes
12. No cheating
13. Droidgamers.com will update scores via their Twitter account as well as post the Ladder results for everyone to see

For now the contest is limited to US particpants only.  However DroidGamers promises an international version of the contest immediately afterwards.  This contest is a great opportunity to see some of the top games on the Android platform, so even if you don’t plan on participating, be sure to follow along!

Well we can’t say that took long.  After 6 days the guys down at AllDroid.com have done it.  We now have root on the DroidX.

Note that this is just root (the ability to run commands on your device as su). The bootloader has yet to have been unlocked, but knowing the hackers we’ve got working on this, I say that’ll be fixed in a month or so.  If you want to read about the rooting process, head on over to the AllDroid forum post about it.

LauncherPro is a homescreen replacement program that includes a dock for commonly used apps, up to 7 customizable screens, and a smooth application launcher.  Backed by popular demands, newer versions of Launcher pro now include widgets.  Currently the People widget (pictured below) is the first widget to be supported by launcher pro, but there are many more in the works.  From the LauncherPro website:

Upcoming widgets include:

• People Widget – To quickly access all your contacts, or just your favorites, or a particular group. (Included in this release)
• Bookmarks Widget – Quick access to your browser’s bookmarks
• Friends Widget – Lists your friend’s status updates from Facebook and Twitter, and lets you update your own status too.
• Calendar/Agenda Widget – Shows you a calendar you can scroll through to switch months, and also lets you see your agenda for any particular day right within the widget.
• Messaging – Scroll through a list of your SMS messages or one by one. Quick links to delete messages, reply, etc.

Here’s a quick look at the people widget:

As the program has come out of beta, the full version is available for download.  Costing $2.99, its a good investment.  Unfortunately, the developer lives in a country where the paid Android market isn’t supported.  As such, the program is only available through the LauncerPro website.

root,android,phone,flash,rom,exploit,mod,hacks

Rooting has always been the thing to do with Android devices if you were a hacking / modding type.  Now everyone can root their Android device (Provided you have one of the phones listed) thanks to a new website, Unrevoked.com. Now you can root and flash a custom rom on your phone in as little as three clicks.

Currently supported phones include:

• HTC Evo 4g
• HTC Hero
• HTC Hero
• HTC Desire
• Droid Incredible

If you want some more information about the underlying tools this site uses, check their wiki.  Here they go over some of the specifics of the program.  Don’t look here for the details on the exploit they’re using though, that’s staying under locks.  Considering manufacturers are starting to lock their bootloaders, that’s probably a good thing.

If you have one of the phones listed above and desire a little more control over your device, root ‘er up and let us know how the experience went!

The latest Droidweb.com Android program is finally here!

After about 3 months of work, 2 weeks of testing, and lack of updates to 1 blog (sorry guys), DroidGestures is now available for download through the Android market.

What is DroidGestures?

DroidGestures is a program for Android powered devices that brings the ease and convienience of gestures to the Android platform. Now you can quickly and easily launch applications, change system settings, and perform other actions by drawing patterns on your phone.

How do I use DroidGestures?

After you first launch DroidGestures it will load a default library of gestures into your phone. In addition, a notifications bar item will be added. Whenever you want to activate a gesture, just pull down the notification bar and select DroidGestures. A transparent pad will popup, allowing you to draw your gesture on top of whatever activity you may be working on. After drawing the gesture, the system will recognize your drawn gesture and fire whatever action is associated with that gesture.

Library of Gestures

What sort of things can I do with Droid Gestures?

As of right now you can

• Launch Applications
• Quickly put your phone on silent / vibrate / etc
• Load a URL
• Access GPS / Wifi / other networking Settings

In future versions of DroidGestures, more actions and gestures will be added to the system.

Can I see a demo?

Sure.  Here are two demo videos of DroidGestures in action:

Where can I get DroidGestures?

You can download DroidGestures off of the Android Market. Either Search “DroidGestures” in the Android Market or Scan one of the QR codes below:

QR Code for DroidGestures Lite (Free)

QR code for DroidGestures Beta Full ($1.29)