9 Essential Apps to Keep in Sync

by Dave Loft

Living part of my digital life on a desktop and the other on a smartphone has presented itself with a few difficulties. The question is how to keep what you do in sync between your devices? Sure you can plug it in with a cable and sync your files but who wants to use a cable, especially in 2011. Theres also limitations in what can be done with software like iTunes or even just transferring files in file explorer. Because it’s really more than just files that need syncing. It’s also places, ideas, thoughts, notes and experiences that needs a solution that bridges the gap. In the following article you will read about the 9 apps I use everyday to keep in sync.

The first app I will showcase is Chrome to Phone, it’s a Google app that can be installed on any Android device with 2.2 or higher. It requires a extension in browser to function. If your on your desktop or laptop reading an article and you want to finish reading but you have to leave, just click Chrome to Phone and the site will automatically load on your phone. This app also works with YouTube videos and Google Maps. If you prefer looking up directions before you leave this app is very useful. Hit up Google Maps to chart your route then push it to your phone, saving you from having to map it on the smaller screen.

There is only one thing Chrome to Phone doesn’t do and that’s push links from the phone to your computer. So that’s why Paddy Foran created android2cloud. When browsing on my phone I often come across videos I want to watch, it allows me to push it to my desktop or media center PC so I can watch it on the bigger screen. It’s really the ease of use and how natural it works that it becomes so natural to use.

When I first got my Android phone I really wanted a way to sync my desktop bookmarks to my phone. I downloaded an app to do it but shortly after I realized what a terrible idea it really was. Many of the bookmarks I have saved were just not useful at all on my mobile phone. After some searching I finally found what I really wanted, which was to store the articles I came across. I would use this service to bookmark links that I wanted to read but did not have time too. Chrome to Phone was great for the right now experience but this app was perfect for saving it for later.

The app I speak of is aptly called Read it Later. When I’m on my phone and I come across an article I want to read later, I use Android’s share function and hit Read it Later. The app on the phone actually downloads the text of the article so even if I’m on the subway, it’s still accessible. It also adds the article to my Read it Later online profile. So from the comfort of my desk, I can actually finish the article. Once read I can check it off my unread list and it gets moved to a list of read articles. I also have a plugin in Chrome called ChromeItLater which allows me to store articles for later right from desktop. This app has literally transformed the way I read.

For anyone interested in moving files between the phone and the computer I have two suggestions for you. The first is Dropbox, which allows you to store 2GB’s of data in the cloud for free. You can download the app to your desktop OS to automatically keep a folder in sync with their servers. From any computer you just need to go to dropbox.com where you can download or upload any file you wish. I have dropbox installed at home and at school keeping my class files in sync and with me wherever I go. When I’m on my phone its very easy to upload files to dropbox using Androids share function. To download just load the app and select the file you want, it’s easy to use and has completely replaced my USB drive.

If your looking for a more direct way to transfer a file to and from your Android phone I highly recommend giving Samba Filesharing by FunkyFresh a try. This app requires a rooted phone but is such a good app that it’s worth rooting just for this. The app is dead simple to use, you just need to set a username and password and then your good to go. Once running it will list the address you need t to type on your computer to access the drive. But from a Windows 7 desktop I only had to select network from the file explorer and within a few seconds of scanning the network it will show Android on the list. Once connected you will have full read andwrite access to your SD card to do as you wish.

The next piece of software is 1Password by Agile Web Solutions. This app allows me to have one place for storing your account logins, banking, product keys or anything else you want to keep private. The desktop application is required to create entries and is unfortunately quite costly. But I have tired half a dozen applications that do what this app does and none of them work as well as 1Password. The key to it’s success is utilizing Dropbox to keep the phone and desktop in sync. This app has allowed me to use wildly long and difficult passwords for all my logins I use throughout the day. With this app I just need to remember 1 password to retrieve them, hence the name.

The next app is for the worker on the go. The business man who lives and breathes office software. Word, Excel and PowerPoint editing is not very well represented on Android. So far Google has only made the web based version of Google docs available for editing on the phone. So it’s come to the third party developers to offer an alternative and I have found my favorite in Documents to Go by DataViz. There are three ways to get your documents on your phone and working with Documents to Go. With the first requiring a cable I’m just going to ignore that one and talk about the other two. The second option requires another app, as I mentioned before I suggest Samba Filesharing or Dropbox. The third option is the one I use, Google Docs.

I have completely got rid of Office on my desktop and just use Google Docs for everything now. It’s easy to setup Documents to Go with Google Docs and once done the option for it is accessible right on the home page. This is not an app I use everyday but it’s an app that’s there when needed and it’s a life saver. For the everyday simple note taking a streamlined quicker to get in and out app is recommended. I have tried many note taking applications on my phone and the more I try the more I appreciate Evernote. It’s well polished, quick, efficient and everything I write is available from my account online or my desktop.

Evernote makes an extension for Chrome that I use if I want to take notes about any article I’m reading. When using the app on the phone you can also clip files, pictures of voice recordings to the note as well. The desktop app makes using the service a better experience, especially if you don’t always have a net connection.

The only downside to Evernote is its list making ability. A good way to make to-do lists, grocery lists or any other list your heart desires requires another app. I use CloudList for all my list needs and what I love about it is the syncing and sharing feature. I have a grocery list I share with my wife. We can both add to the list and whoever goes and get’s the groceries can check off the list.

All of these apps will allow you to have a cohesive experience between a phone, tablet, netbook, laptop and desktop. Which as a result frees you up to just use your device and enjoy it any way you will.

2011
03/24
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Digital
Mobile
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Crysis 2 Launch Trailer

by Dave Loft

I wish I could add something to this by sharing my experience with the game. But as I only played the multiplayer demo there’s not much more I can say than I already have.  After reading many reviews and watching quite a few videos, I can easily say this game is on the top of my wish list. But at $60 I will have to wait for one of Steam’s great sales. At least while I wait I can watch videos of the game, like this launch trailer.

2011
03/23
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Why AT&T buying T-Mobile could be bad for Wind and Mobilicity

by Dave Loft

The news hit Sunday that AT&T would buy T-Mobile for $39 Billion. This is bad news for anyone in the US as it would mean that AT&T would now be the only national carrier utilizing GSM. The two other national carriers, Verizon and Sprint both use CDMA. For any jet setters out there, it’s hard to find a CDMA phone that also does GSM which would be a requirement to take your phone with you while traveling.

But I’m not here to discuss the implications of this buyout in the US but instead the implications of it in Canada. The first thing I need to explain is that in Canada, Bell, Telus and Rogers all use the same band (frequency) of HSPA, an extension of GSM that allows phones to work on all three carriers. All of these carriers use the same band as AT&T in the US. The smaller carriers in Canada like Wind and Mobilicity use the same band as T-Mobile, a completely different band of HSPA the other carriers offer. This makes a phone from T-Mobile compatible with Wind and Mobilicity, but not a phone from AT&T, Rogers, Bell or Telus.

AT&T plans are to convert all the T-Mobile towers over to their frequencies to expand their network’s capability. To understand why it could affect Wind and Mobilicity you need to step back and look at these networks from a device manufacturers perspective. For device manufactures, carriers are their customers. Manufactures could justify spending the money designing and building phones that are compatible with the very small carriers in Canada, because they also had a big customer in the US.

Now I’m not saying Wind and Mobilicity won’t get any phones, I’m just saying they just won’t get any good ones. AT&T purchase isn’t just bad for T-Mobile customers, it’s bad for all consumers. I’d like to believe that the FCC would have the back bone to keep this from happening, but we all know that’s not going to happen. So don’t count on getting any new Google Nexus phone on either Wind or Mobilicity after this deal goes through.

2011
03/23
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Mobile
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Rovio is run by a bunch of daft cocks

by Dave Loft

GetJar or Get Lost
Rovio’s first mistake came with the release of the original Angry Birds on Android. On the day it was supposed to be launched everyone hit the Android Market to get the famed iOS game. Unfortunately Angry Birds was not on the Android market and after a search on Google it was found to be only available from GetJar. I hit GetJar and tried to download Angry Birds only to find their server was unresponsive. It took hours before I could get the game downloaded and installed on my Android device. it wasn’t till the next day that Rovio finally woke up and just put the game on the Android market.

You Can Get Angry Birds Any Way You Like, as Long as it has Ads
Rovio’s second mistake was making the decision to only offer a free ad supported version of Angry Birds on Android. I would have gladly paid a dollar or two for an ad free Angry Birds but that option was not made available. Anyone who hated ads had to turn to other solutions to get rid of them and that solution turns out to be a rather simple one, an application that blocks ad. With that installed on a rooted device you get an ad free version of Angry Birds and Rovio get’s nothing for it.

Rovio and Intel’s App Up Slip Up
Rovio’s third mistake came with the release of the PC version of Angry Birds. Instead of choosing a major digital distributer like Steam they instead chose Intel’s AppUp store. Another store I had never heard of before so I hit Google to find it and begin the sign up process. Unfortunately the demand of Angry Birds was too large for Intel and the site gave errors every time I tried to register. It wasn’t till the next day that I was able to do so and get in the store to download the game.

Everything the Original Had and More (the More Being Price)
Rovio’s forth mistake was pricing the PC version too high. Five dollars for a game that went for one dollar on iOS and free on Android was quite steep. Not to mention gameplay that just wasn’t as exciting when played with anything but a touch screen. As it is now the price is too much, but if Rovio had made Angry Birds available on Steam and included achievements, leaderboards and Steam cloud support it may have been a reasonable price.

Finnish Birds From Rio only Found on Amazon in the US?
Rovio’s fifth mistake was the decision to release Angry Birds Rio exclusively on the just released Amazon Appstore. When I heard the news I went and setup an account as well as a one click payment to my credit card. I then downloaded the app to my phone and launched it looking for Angry Birds Rio. I clicked on the get app button below only to be greeted with ‘The Amazon Appstore for Android is not yet available in your region‘.  After Googling Amazon’s Appstore availability it appears it’s only available in the US. It’s rather odd that a Finnish company would choose to limit their game only to people in the the US.

Conclusion
It appears that Rovio’s bottom line is to milk Angry Birds for all it’s worth. They will go as far as taking millions of dollars from Amazon and locking out the majority of Angry Birds fans around the world just to line their pocket books. It’s for all these reasons that I think Rovio is run by a bunch of daft cocks.

2011
03/22
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Gaming
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Asphalt 6: Adrenaline sputters onto Android

by Dave Loft

I have been keeping an eye on a couple arcade racers on iOS and have been waiting for an Android port. The two games I have been looking forward to are Need for Speed Hot Pursuit and Asphalt 6 Adrenaline and the latter was the first to hit Android. My current favorite arcade racer on Android is the games prequel, Asphalt 5. So I was very happy to see Asphalt listed on Gameloft’s site ready to buy for compatible Android devices. Unfortunately this game was pulled from the oven a bit too early and has a few major issues that need fixing before I can recommend this game.

The first issue is the storage requirements. While the game only takes 18MB of internal storage it requires 900MB of the SD card and over 100MB of free RAM to run. Larger games are where were heading but close to a GB just for a phone game will turn many people off. The other issue seems to steam from its heavy use of RAM. The put it bluntly, the game can’t handle multitasking. So if you get a phone call, text or email and stop mid game to answer one of those you may find your game auto closed by the time your ready to play again. If it hasn’t forced closed, it’s very likely to have graphics glitches once loaded back in. In my first race back from answering a text I noticed I could see through the cars and the roads textures. I can tell you seeing buildings and other items through the road is very disorienting.

The other major issue seems to be completely random. Sometimes when I load the game the controls don’t work. When I start a race the car just veers to the right as soon as it starts. There is no way to fix this other than changing control scheme from tilt controls or quiting the game. I’ve loaded the game a few times without issue then it comes back again and it’s very frustrating. An issue is made worse by the inevitable long load times.

The other minor issue I have with the game is the not so stellar frame rate. I’m getting around 30fps which is more than playable but is noticeable and not as enjoyable as Need for Speed Shift and Asphalt 5′s super smooth 60fps. Considering my Galaxy S has one of the fastest GPU’s on a phone I can’t see this game running well at all on any other model.

I do expect Gameloft to continually update the game and will eventually fix all the issues. Asphalt 5 was a little slow and had some issues when it first came out and it works perfectly now. Within the next month or so I will do a review of the game and hopefully by then it will have at least most of the issues I mentioned ironed out. If not it’s back to waiting for Need for Speed Hot Pursuit.

*Update* Asphalt 6 has been updated and it fixes just about everything I had issues with. Hit the link the check out my review.

2011
03/18
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Gaming
Mobile
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Save 75% on Darksiders with Steam

Steam sales are fantastic. Several times a year Steam has big blowout sales on most of their games. Every week Steam has a mid week and weekend sale and Darksiders is part of their weekend deals. It’s regular price is $39.99, but is going for just $9.99 through the rest of the weekend.

Darksiders is a hack n slash third person action adventure game reminiscent but not quite as good as God of War. You will most likely want to pick up an Xbox 360 controller for Windows to play this game if you don’t already have one. The controls are straight forward and even display the key on screen you need to hit to accomplish a given task or finishing move. But it definitely lacks the depth of moves and combo action you can get from a game like Batman Arkham Asylum.

The one thing I really wish the game had was a co-op mode. You do play one of the four horseman of the apocalypse so why not bring the others into the game so you can play with friends. It seems to be an almost standard practice for developers to include co-op in their games these days. It’s not surprising as I spend most of my time playing games with friends online as apposed to on my own. So if your more of a social gamer, this may not be the best game for you. But for me I still enjoy playing this game when friends aren’t available. Once you start playing the game and understand the story Vigil Games wanted to tell you can see why it is only a single hero save the world kind of game.

Even with the few downsides I mentioned, Darksiders is just plain fun to play. It’s well rated and definitely worth checking out, especially at $10. The game even made number 11 on my favorite PC games of 2010. So if your interested hit up Steam to pick this game up.

Steam: Darksiders
Official website: darksiders.com

2011
03/17
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Gaming
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Stellar Escape on Android

by Dave Loft

I’m really impressed with the quality of Stellar Escape and the entertainment I’ve squeezed from this simple yet brilliantly executed game. Stellar Escape is a very straight forward game, literally. Your character always runs forward and you simply have to hit the right button to jump over or under the obstacles. But make three mistakes and your dead.

The graphics and animation are beautiful and the controls couldn’t be better. On the left you have two buttons, the top one grabs the bar above you and bottom one is for jumping down the tubes. On the right you have three buttons, jump over, dive between and slide under obstacles. The buttons icon clearly illustrates with what each does and was never a hindrance to my progression. See image below.

The game doesn’t have too much story and you won’t even be presented with one if you just choose ‘Play’ from the menu. But if you want the story, you can choose it by selecting ‘Story’ from the main menu. The story is presented with six still images with the story written on each page. You play Elliot Black who is ‘a courier in the infamous Beta Sector’. Upon delivering a package to Lord Gulasch, Elliott finds his evil plan to destroy Earth. Elliot is quick to act and grabbed the jewel from the package and begins running for his ship. The jewel was the last piece in Lord Gulasch’s super laser and taking it made Elliott ‘the most wanted person in the galaxy’.


Some may find the game too short with only 9 levels, something a better player than I could finish in an hour. But for anyone who does finish the game it provides an endless mode allowing you to push for a new high distance score. So at least there is something to do, even after you made it back to your ship. Some more levels and variation would definitely have made Stellar Escape just about the perfect game. But considering the quality of the game and a price tag of less than $1.50, there should be no hesitation in buying this game. *Update* Less than a week old and Orange Agenda has already released a major update with 6 more levels. Bringing the total level count up to 15. I don’t think anyone can argue the game is too short anymore.

I’m really pleased with Orange Agenda’s decision to release this game on both the iOS and Android platform at the same time. What makes it even more impressive is the fact that Orange Agenda is comprised of just two developers. I strongly recommend to anyone with an iOS or Android device to go out and buy this truly stellar game. You will not be disappointed with Stellar Escape.

Score: 9.0

Android Market Link: Stellar Escape
Official Website: orangeagenda.com

2011
03/16
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Mobile
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Batman: Arkham City – This Ain’t No Place for a Hero Trailer

by Dave Loft

With a release date of October 18th it may be a little early to get excited about another Batman game. But this isn’t just any game, it’s the sequel to my favorite PC game of 2009. Arkham City looks to be substantially bigger this time around with the gameplay spreading out over several city blocks. Joker and Harley Quinn are back to reprise their roles accompanied by Catwomen and Two Face. There will most likely be more characters from the Batman universe paying a visit to Arkham City, but those are villains portrayed in the latest trailer.

At first I wasn’t sure I liked the song used in the trailer, but after a listen or two it grew on me and I now feel it fits really well, especially when you pay attention to the lyrics. The song is called Short Change Hero by The Heavy.

Batman has all the same capabilities from the previous game and looks to have a few new moves at his disposal. Joker looks really beat up in this game, but anyone who finished the first game will know why. I can’t wait to jump in and do my first 50 move combo. Here’s to counting down the days till release and if your gonna be waiting, might as well watch this awesome trailer while your doing it.

Official Website: batmanarkhamcity.com

2011
03/16
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Gaming
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Gun Bros shoots it way onto Android

by Dave Loft

Gun Bros (Glu Mobile)

This free game is a killer, literally. You play one of two characters in the top down shooter with waves of increasingly difficult enemies. The longer you survive and the more enemies you kill the more xplodium and experience you earn. The xplodium is then traded in for money to spend on weapons and Armour. Unlocking stuff takes a long time to earn but the payoff is enjoyable.

Unfortunately the user interface needs work, the menus are cluttered and not well designed from an ease of use standpoint. The menu buttons are small and it’s easy to hit the wrong one. Also once you die it takes too long to get back into the action. Your first taken to a screen to convert the xplodium into cash, a process that just adds an extra step and is not really needed in the game. After converting to cash your taken to the store even though it will take a couple dozen games before you can even afford anything. I would prefer after a game that it would just take you back to the main menu and let you select the option to play, quit or go to the store.

The good thing is once you are in a game the controls are easy to pick up and play. You use dual analog sticks to move and aim and the gun combat is one of the best of it’s kind. While the concept is simple, the game is fairly difficult. You really need to keep moving and avoid getting surrounded by enemies and it doesn’t take much to die. Thankfully you have more than just your guns to take out enemies. Throughout the environment are items you can shoot at that will explode and take out enemies near it. You can also purchase power ups to use when the action gets overwhelming. Some of the power ups include shields, orbital strikes, tactical nukes and a temper tantrum that gives you a boost in speed, defense and attack ability.

The graphics and art style are great, easily the best looking of it’s kind. The game is massive and the developer promises more to come. I can’t wait for the multiplayer version as the co-op game style seems destined to be even better when played with a friend. Also good news for anyone who has limited internal phone storage and cache. Thankfully the developer has released a small apk on the market that is only 1MB in size. When launched the game downloads the remaining 100MB to your SD card. Going forward with the limited space available on many phones and the growing trend of larger games this process will become a requirement.

All in all it’s yet another great free game for Android, hit up the Android Market to download.

Score: 7.5

Android Market Link: Gun Bros
Official Website: gunbros.glu.com

2011
03/13
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Mobile
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Air Attack HD fails on launch

by Dave Loft

The full version of Air Attack HD from Art in Games launched on Android today and it has a few issues. I was browsing the Android Market on the web earlier and came across the full version of Air Attack HD. I purchased it right away only to find it would not download. I tried three times and it would still not download.

So I loaded up the Android Market on my phone and searched for the game. But the full version I purchased was not listed. There was only a part 1 and part 2 listed. When I clicked on part 2 it mentioned that it was for the Samsung Galaxy S phones. I went back to the Android Market on the web browser and clicked on the game I had just purchased and read why I was unable to download. There was an issue with Samsung phones and games over 30MB from the Android Market.

So it’s definitely my fault for not reading about the game so most users would say to just refund it, but unfortunately it’s not that simple. The only way to refund a game is using the Android Market on the phone and since the market on the phone is blocking me from accessing it, I am stuck with the purchase. To that point, I should never have been able to purchase the game in the first place. If I try to purchase a game like Samurai II from the Android Market in the tab labeled send to, my Galaxy S device is grayed out. If I try to click on my phone it says ‘This item is not compatible with your device’. This was sloppy work on the developers part, as if not compatible with the Galaxy S, it should have been blocked. According to the developer it appears that the Galaxy S can’t be filtered out as the only criteria with which to do so is insufficient in this particular case.

The best way to bring Air Attack HD to the Android Market would have been to launch a single purchase and download that would have worked on all devices. This would have eliminated the need for multiple versions of the game on the market. The developer would then have hosted the game files on a server so that when the user launches the game the remaining files are downloaded to the storage card. This is exactly what other developers such as Gameloft, EA, Polarbit and Glu Mobile do with their titles.

This ultimately would have been the simplest and best way for everyone involved. It wouldn’t cause issues or confusion for the users and for the developers, having just one game in the market would result in better sales. The better sales would come from just one version of the  game having a better chance of hitting the top ten sales list which in turn results in better sales.

Ultimately the result of Art in Games launch of Air Attack HD on Android was a complete fail is less than stellar.

2011
03/11
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Gaming
Mobile
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