The applications talked about below all have the same theory behind them – they allow you to schedule times where your Android phone will automatically silence or turn the notifications back on after the allotted time. Each of these applications is a free or Lite version and most of them have an inexpensive paid version if you want a few more features.

1. Husher

Husher seems to be the most feature-packed free version of the group. The key features that set Husher apart are the option to set up to 5 keywords to automatically include or exclude. What I mean by this is, you can sync your calendar with Husher. Husher will automatically look at the appointments and when it sees a word you have chosen (e.g. meeting, interview, court, date night), it will automatically silence your Android phone for the duration of that appointment.

There is a feature that allows you to quick activate silence by turning your volume down using the volume keys. When you do this, a screen will pop up asking you how long you want the phone to be silenced. There are always last minute times when your boss may pull you into his office for a quick sit-down.

2. Ring Scheduler

Ring Scheduler lets you make rules for how and when you want your phone to be silenced. There isn’t any association to your calendar like some of the other applications in the list. The way Ring Scheduler works is you can choose a time of day, what days you’d like it to repeat and the ringer settings. What I thought was neat here is, you can have your Android set to Airplane mode. There is also a blacklist application letting you create a setting for a specific phone number.

3. Phone Silencer

Phone Silencer does one thing. When you turn your volume down manually, you are asked for how long. When that time is done, the volume is restored. Pretty straight forward and useful if you don’t need all of the other bells and whistles. Phone Silencer would be more for the person who remembers to silence their phone but not to turn the ringer back on.

Conclusion

There are 3 different levels of Android automatic ringer and notification silencer applications. Depending on your needs, you can see that Husher offers the most personalization. If you are constantly in meetings or varied places where you need a silenced phone, this should fit your needs. However, if you are an occasional user or have a pretty set schedule, one of the other two apps will do the trick.

How do you remember to silence your Android phone before a meeting?

image: Sarah G

In addition to being all web-based, uploading is drag and drop making it that much easier. Below, is how to upload, what browsers Hopper works with and how the search feature works. Take a look-see and let us know what you think in the comments.

Getting started with Hopper

The signup is one of the simplest of any app I have signed up for. It only asks for an email address and a password. That’s it… no, really, that’s is.

Uploading files to Hopper

When you are logged in, you are ready to start uploading. There is a square on the screen. If you are using Chrome or Firefox, drag the file you’d like to upload into this square.

Searching for a file on Hopper

There is a text bar at the top of the page. When you enter part of the file name, the date of the upload or file type a list of matching files will pull up. As you are typing, the files start to filter out all of the possibilities.

Downloading Files from Hopper

Downloading a file is almost as simple as uploading one. To the left of the file names, there is a spot where you click to download. In the screen grab, you can also see the short URL if you want to share the file with someone else. When they click on the link, the file is downloaded to their machine.

When you click on a text file, Hopper has a built in text reader so the file is opened and readable right on the screen. You can’t edit the document in Hopper, you need to download it then upload it again.

How Hopper different than the other cloud storage option

I think Hopper sets itself apart from the rest with its simplicity. They didn’t try to add in a lot of features. Hopper is simple to upload and simple to search for your files.

Easy sharing of files via a short link is great for anytime you need to send a file to anyone. Copy the link and send it how ever works best for you. Other services offer this too, but with some cloud storage web-apps, it is more difficult to share files this way. They want the person receiving the file to be a user too.

Conclusion

I found Hopper to work better in Firefox than with Chrome. I didn’t see any extensions that would interfere, but for some reason in Chrome, the short links didn’t show up. Other than that one thing, Hopper worked great for me. I like how easy it is to upload and share files with other people. This is a feature I use a lot with Dropbox from my android, but seems to be lacking from the web version of Dropbox.

What cloud storage service do you use and why?

The short explanation of the Facebook Cover Art is this: when you are out someplace and you take a really great picture, you can create a new Cover picture and upload it right to your Facebook Timeline. Below is the specifics of how it works.

Using Facebook Cover Art for Android

When you open the application, you will be prompted to grant access to your Facebook account. This is important to do because if you don’t grant access, you can’t upload the new Cover art.

Once you have granted access, you are ready to get to making your first Cover picture. To start, you will want to find a picture you have taken. There are a few places you can look for a picture. You can choose from images on your phone, in your Facebook news feed or pictures you have already uploaded in your Facebook albums. These choices are listed across the top of the application’s main screen.

When you have found a picture on your phone that you want to use, press Use Photo in the bottom right of that screen. You will be asked to choose what you want to do with the picture: use it as a profile picture, as cover art or seamless mode.

Using pinch to zoom, you will need to resize and move the picture so it fills the area and looks the way you’d like it to.

When you have the picture the way you want it to be, you will have a preview of how it should look. If all is well, then click on Upload and Share. You should see a popup telling you to head over to m.Facebook.com and select the new picture as your new Cover art.

Other options for Cover art

There is a bunch of pre-made Cover art packaged into Facebook Cover Art for Android. If you don’t have any interesting pictures to use, try one of these.

What works well and what didn’t

The process was pretty easy to figure out and complete but there were a couple things I couldn’t get to work. These issues may have been related to my device specifically so do not let these hinder you from trying out Facebook Cover Art for Android.

When choosing pictures from my device, there were a few pictures that didn’t want to work. I believe they were pictures from a home screen wallpaper application I previously used. The other problem I had was, the end result of the Cover I created was not 100% the same as the end result. It took a little playing around to get the picture in the preview (before uploading) to be centered and look the same as the end result on Facebook.

Conclusion

I really like this application. It makes using your pictures for a Cover really easy. For people who are on the go more than at a computer, this is a great way to change up your profile on the fly.

Share your tips for using Facebook while mobile in the comments below.

What if you decide to change your phone number and the person who had it before you signed up for all kinds of services to text message information to them? Or maybe they had a lot of bill collectors or a persistent ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend? All of these are pretty realistic things that can happen.

Another possible reason may be you need block calls and SMS messages while you are in meetings or on vacation. Below are a few options to take control of your phone.

1. Gang Filter – call block

Gang Filter is an Android application to block a time where you can limit calls. There are options to choose sections of the day when you can receive everybody’s calls and messages while blocking them at others. This is a great feature if you have a company issued phone. You can set the auto-reply to activate when you are done with work for the day or on the weekends.

There are some other great features too. You can whitelist numbers so they will always come through, backup and restore your settings and enable security to protect your settings.

2. Call blocker – Privacy Box

Call Blocker is a more of an on-device privacy measure than restricting who is calling you or messaging you. When starting Privacy Box for the fist time, they suggest you set a pattern lock for security. What you can do then is add the contacts you’d like to lock down to the Privacy Box app. Any calls or SMS messages to or from this person will not show up in the logs on your phone.

I am sure there are other reasons for an application like Privacy Box other than to hide communications from your spouse, but that is one of the uses they list. I would think using it to keep business communications a bit more protected is a better reason.

3. Ultimate Call Blocker Free

Ultimate Call Blocker really is the most feature filled option. What is cool is, there are multiple options from what happens when a person calls you; one is to pick up the call and hang up right away. You can get pretty specific on who you allow and who you deny. There is an option to set an auto-reply message for calls and messages when they are being blocked too.

Conclusion

I think the phone part of your phone is one of the most overlooked parts of any smart phone when it comes to apps and adding features. Adding a call blocker or way to keep your communications private is something everyone should really consider. Do you want someone picking up the phone and calling your mom? I know I don’t.

What are your thoughts on the privacy of your phone and what precautions do you take to protect it?

Image credit: spierzchala

Using Keep Focused

Since there isn’t a lot to Keep Focused, there really isn’t any setup other than downloading it. One you double click on the exe file, you should see a window something like this.

The anatomy of the window is pretty easy to figure out. First off, start by writing your task in the text box.

Once you have it all typed in, you click OK. That’s all there is to using this window. Pretty easy so far, huh? I thought so.

The other parts of the window are where you want the session log to store and to view the session log. If you haven’t used Keep Focused yet, there is no log and you should see an error. After you use Keep Focused, you will see a log like this when you click the View Session Data File button.

What Keep Focused looks like while running

When you have your task entered, the window will disappear. You will see a small little window thingy that pops up in the middle of your screen that stays on top of all other windows and applications.

Keep Focused will count down from 25:00 to zero. When this happens, you will get an alarm to let you know to take a break.

When you acknowledge the 25 minutes are up, the counter starts over with a 5 minute break. This is when you can check your Facebook or SMS messages.

Because the little window starts out in the middle of your screen, you will likely need to move it. If you hover over the small hand icon to the left of the window, you will see a cross appears. when you see this cross, you will be able to click and drag the window where you want it to be.

If you finish your task early, you can click on the white box next to the hand icon to stop the counter. This box is NOT a pause button. The point of the application is to keep focused on the task at hand, not pause it every 3 minutes to check your phone or comment on Facebook or Twitter.

Conclusion

Like I mentioned earlier, Keep Focused is very small and can be run from a USB stick. This makes it ideal for using while mobile or if you are working on a shared computer. If you try using the Pomodoro Technique for a couple weeks, heck, even a couple days, you will see that once your body quits fighting the urge to give in to distractions, you probably won’t go back to your old ways.

What is your biggest distraction while working?

Keep Focused

Some may see this as adding clutter, others may see it as way to add more personalization. Others yet will see it as another reason to make Facebook their main social hub. Whatever the reason, here is how to add Apps to your Facebook Timeline.

What Timeline apps are available?

For starters, there are about 80 apps at the time of this writing. You can check them out at the about apps page. Many of these you may already be using, either on your smart phone or a web app. Some examples of available apps are UrbanSpoon, Pinterest, TripAdvisor and Rhapsody.

How to add an app to your Timeline

You may already have some apps posting to your timeline. To see if you do, you can follow these steps:

At the top right corner of your Facebook admin page (the page where you can see the feed with all of your friend’s updates), click on the tiny arrow. Now Select Account Settings.

Select the Apps tab from the left sidebar.

These are the apps you have already granted access to post on your Timeline. This is also a good time to clear out any apps you do not want to have access to your Facebook account.

Add new apps to your Timeline

To add new apps, you can go to this page and click on services you already use or would like to use. When you click on the links you will be taken to that site and asked to sign in with your Facebook credentials.

Then you will be asked to grant access to post to your Timeline.

That’s about all there is to it. From that point on, when you use an app like Snooth, it will post to your timeline what wine you are tasting.

Timeline app settings

You can adjust the settings of the applications. If you don’t want the applications posting things on your Public Timeline, you can make the adjustments or even eliminate the app from posting to your Timeline. Here’s how:

In the apps tab, the one where you can see all of the applications you have granted access to, you can click on the application you want to limit. In this tab, you will see an drop down box to set the privacy limitations.

If you look just above the privacy drop down, you will see the option to remove the ability for the application to post to your Timeline.

Conclusion

There are certain things I would want on my Timeline. There are times when it is fun to go back and see what you were saying and interested in a year ago. There are also applications I would not want every single activity or song posted and etched into Facebook history.

Overall, I like how easy it is to add an application and how easy it is to limit who sees the updates from these 3rd party applications. Just remember to go back every so often and clean out unused applications.

Do you like the idea of applications posting to your Timeline or do you think it will cause clutter?

When you are in a meeting or at a lunch with a client, you don’t really want to be focused on what your phone is doing. You should focus on what you need rather than wasting time playing on Facebook.

Here are a few Android applications to help you manage your distractions and be more productive.

1. Txt Msg Away Message Lite

One of the biggest distractions for many people is the amount of SMS messages they receive. Having an application that will notify someone that you are in the middle of something without you actually needing to pick up the phone and reply to them can save you a lot of time.

You can set up several different messages. I have one for driving, when i am at soccer practice and another that I am working and will get back to them on my next break.

2. Handy Profiles

Not all phones have profiles. This is something I really loved when I had a Blackberry. If you aren’t sure what a profile is, they are different settings for your notifications and other settings. What Handy Profiles does is let you set up different ringer modes, volumes, syncing options, wireless connections, forward and even filter calls.

One feature that is super cool is the option to have Handy Profile search your calendar for certain words. When it sees the word “work” or “meeting”, you can have it automatically change to a different profile for the duration of that calendar appointment. As you can see, you have a ton of options to configure what will work best for you when you need to concentrate on the task at hand.

3. Business Calendar

While the Google Calendar on most Android devices is adequate, there is always something out there that is a little better. Business calendar gives you more of the look you have on your web-based Google Calendar. You can see all of your appointments instead of a colored line slotting off the time.

To jump from month view to week view, just swipe your finger across the week you want to see. If you need to see more day, there is a slider across the bottom where you can add or subtract the amount of days showing up to 14 days and as little as one.

4. Taskos To Do List | Task List

A productivity article would not be any good without a to-do list app, right? Here is that app. What is nice about Taskos is how it uses more of the phone than other task management apps. What I mean is, to finish a task, you swipe your finger across the task. To clear all the completed tasks, you can shake the phone.

Aside from those two features, you can quickly add a task just by tapping on the microphone at the top. If you want to add more details, you can do that as well. The reason easy voice access is important, is that you are less likely to forget to add a task if you add the task right away after a phone call.

Are there Android applications you find increase your productivity or decrease distractions?

Image credit: underminingme

My Life Organized is a cool little Android application that lets you treat your life like a project. Think of MLO as a to-do list on steroids. Let me explain.

With a regular to-do list, there are the basic options: task, due date and maybe a sub-task.

This is great if you have things on your list like get milk, pick up dry cleaning and fill out permission slip for Jimmy’s field trip.

What if you are planning a party or you are remodeling the kitchen though? These will have multiple mini projects that need to be completed before the main16 project can be completed. Does this sound like your life? While there is a desktop application (both free and paid versions, I will just be talking about the Android app here) Here is how MLO can help. The paid desktop applications will let you sync with Outlook or the Windows app.

Starting out with My Life Organized

When you download and open the app, you will have a bunch of sample text to show you how to use the app. This can be easily erased or marked as completed.
16

There really isn’t an obvious menu to switch between the different modes oalign=”left”r sorting options. To switch modes, touch the left side of the top green bar.

This will pull up a list of options. You start in the Inbox, but some other options are:

• Outline
• Goals
• Active Actions
• Due next 7 days
• Start next 30 days
• Nearby

Using MyLifeOrganized

When you start adding goals, tasks and projects, you will see you can add in as much or as little information as you need. For example, when you are adding a task, you can add the usual info and add reminders, but if you look at the picture below, you will see more options. Urgency, which Goal the task is for and Context.

Goals

The goals feature is great. You can add a goal and select timeframe for the goal. If you read any kind of success or productivity book, short and long term goals are talked about a lot. This is a good way to set a goal then add in all of the tasks you need to complete to reach that goal.

Context

Context is a cool feature. It kind of goes with the Getting Things Done (GTD) style of managing your time. You can set a context of @OfficeComputer or @Home to a task. Then, when you are at your office computer, you can use the menu to sort by this context and see everything you need to do while you are at your desk. I thought this was a great way to stay focused.

Conclusion

What I like about this super to-do manager is that it works well if you are following the GTD time management method, but it also works for those of us who do not. The goals and context feature really set this organizational app far apart from the others I have tried.

Do you think this is overkill for a to-do list? If so, what apps do you use to manage your time?

The key to keeping track of where your money is being spent, is using the tool you choose regularly. Having a money managing tool on your mobile is a great way to get in the habit. Below is a list of some money managing apps for your Android device.

1. PageOnce

PageOnce is a really neat mobile money and bill tracking app. You can put in all of your creditors, investments and bank accounts. For most, you will need to give them login information to your web account. This is how they will monitor your current bills and account balances. There are reminders and options to pay your bills right from the app. How great is it when you are traveling and you remember you need to pay your credit card and can pay it right on the spot?

2. Mint

Mint is a really popular money management web app. It lets you keep track of all of your expenses, income and retirement funds. There is an option to have Mint check your bank account and automatically add the current statement data and categorize it for you. Having mobile access to this is great because you can input your purchase right on the spot so you don’t forget.

3. TaxCaster by TurboTax

It is a bit early in the US for a lot of people to be thinking taxes, but this handy little app from the folks at Turbo Tax will help you guesstimate what your refund will be. While there are a lot of variables to account for when you file, TaxCaster will ballpark your return or tell you how much you need to pay so you can make a plan early.

4. Expense Manager

Expense Manager is a simple application to track your monthly money flow with. You can set monthly reoccurring transactions. You simply add in a transaction like groceries or your morning coffee right then and there. If you cash a check instead of depositing it, you can add that as income. Think of this app as a digital checkbook registry.

5. Google Finance

For those of you who dabble in the stock market, you can download Finance by Google to help you track the daily ups and downs for the stock market. Finance for Android will sync with your Google Finance portfolio so you have current information about what matters to you.

6. EasyMoney (30 day trial)

EasyMoney is a mix of simple and features. There are basic money tracking features like adding in expenses and income, but you can also categorize the transaction. A bill payment reminder is a must have feature for anyone who has ever forgotten to pay a bill on time. You also have the option to set a budget, well several budgets actually. Some people need a different budget for different times of the year, so this would work well for them.

7. Money Lover

The neatest feature in Money Lover is the budget planning. If you have every tried to save for anything instead of just putting it on a credit card, you know how hard it can be. Setting a savings budget for buying a new laptop or taking a trip is a breeze… well, the tracking part is easy anyway. Many times when you see growth in your accounts you are more motivated to save, I know I am.

8. Easy Envelope Budget Aid: Sync

Using paper envelopes to separate your money is one of the oldest budgeting methods I can think of. Easy Envelope Budget Aid is a digital version of this. I found it pretty easy to use. You will need a free account and to create a few envelopes to get you started. You can always add more envelopes and change the budgets for each later on.

Conclusion

Whichever way you decide to manage your money, it is rarely time ill spent. Having a cushion so you are not living paycheck to paycheck helps you rest a little easier and chip away at one of life’s biggest stress creators.

Do you manage your finances on your mobile? What are your tips?

Image credit: image

Androidonweb.com is a free application to help you manage the activities you would normally do on your phone. Using Androidonweb, you can access your photo gallery, SMS messages, contacts and your phone’s location.

Setting up Androidonweb

The only download is from the Android Market. Once you have it installed on your phone, you can start the app. It will sign in using the main Gmail account associated with your phone.

On the web side of it, you will need to go to http://androidonweb.com and log in with that same Gmail account. It may take a minute for you to see anything, but it should show up with a screen like this when the Android phone is paired with the web app.

Using Androidonweb

Not much action is required on the phone after you grant access to the application. When you log in and the device is paired with the web app, all you really can do on the phone is turn on and off some notifications.

On the web is a different story; that’s where you are going to do pretty much everything. Like I mentioned earlier, you will need to login with your Google Account. When everything syncs up, you should see something like this.

As you can see, there are a 5 tabs across the top of the window. You start out on the contacts tab. You can edit your contacts right from here. You can also email them by clicking on the @ icon. Clicking the phone icon didn’t seem to connect the call to my phone. Maybe this feature will be added later.

The text message tab is probably the tab where you will spend most of your time. You can initiate a message to anyone in your contact list by clicking the compose button and starting to type their name in the green bar. If the person isn’t in your contacts, you can type in their number.

When you press send, the message will magically be sent from your phone. If you’d like to see what was sent from your phone, you can look in the Tasks tab on your phone.

The gallery works pretty much the same as the SMS tab. You can see your pictures when you take them.

Finding the location of your phone could be a great feature if your Android phone is lost or stolen. To see the location, you can click on the location tab and view its location on Google Maps.

Conclusion

While testing Androidonweb, it worked great. The location was really close, the contacts and gallery were accurate. One part of the text messaging made it a bit difficult to follow the SMS thread. The messages were separated into incoming and outgoing, not a back and forth like I am accustomed to. There are options to sort the messages, I couldn’t make it work as a back and forth conversation though.

What other applications do you use to manage your Android phone from the web?

Androidonweb (Market link)

1. Regina 3D Launcher

Regina 3D Launcher is a great looking replacement for your home screen. You have access to a new set of widgets that match the layout of the launcher. You can also download different wallpapers and themes if you don’t like the default wood grained look.

There is a really cool feature with Regina 3D. It is called Secret Workspace. To access the Secret Workspace, you need to tap a code you create using the 4 corners of the screen. It is a whole different set of screens where you can load different icons onto the pages. In the Secret Workspace, settings, you are given the choice to hide applications. Yes, this means it hides them from the app drawer when you do not have the Secret Workspace open. Wrap your head around the possibilities.

2. Zeam Launcher

Zeam Launcher is a very minimalist launcher. After you have installed it and activated it, all you see is the background picture you had. There is are no apps or widgets on the screen other than in a task bar at the bottom. Even then, there are only 4 app icons and an app drawer icon. You get 3 home screens to do with as you please.

In the settings, there are a few settings like Action bindings. These are gestures like swiping up on the screen or double tapping a blank spot on the screen.

3. Launcher 7

Launcher 7 gives your Android the tiles and the app drawer the look of a Windows 7 Phone. Personally I like the tiled menu on the Windows 7 Phones. It is very functional and lets you make adjustments to the color of the tiles, background and aspects of the app drawer. You can add widgets as tiles too.

4. [SSKIN] Butterfly+ launcher

Probably the coolest feature of Butterfly+ launcher is the option to transfer the settings from your previous launcher. Granted, it may not keep everything, but in my opinion, adding all of the apps and widgets to your screens again has kept me from trying new launchers.

Butterfly+ comes with its own set of widgets. Aside from being able to change the wallpaper and add and remove home screens, there are not many adjustments.

5. MXHome Launcher

MXHome Launcher is a pretty simple launcher. You start with 5 screens but can change that number from 1 – 7. There is a screen all the way to the left that is a cool looking analog clock with the gears showing. There are spots on it to get to your mail, contacts or the Internet. There is also a battery gauge along with options to put your phone on vibrate and turn both your Wi-Fi and your Bluetooth on and off.

The app drawer is really neat if you are an app’o’haulic. You can sort the apps by date, alphabetical order or even by category. You get the applications in the categories, you can drag the app into the appropriate folder.

6. ICS Launcher

ICS launcher is the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich look-a-like launcher. It gives you the look and feel of Ice Cream Sandwich on your older OS. There are different widgets and the font is different. You will gain gestures so you can swipe up and open the app drawer if you set it to do that. You can add a banner too. This may not seem like anything special, but most launchers do not have this feature.

Conclusion

In the end, your Android home screen needs to be pleasing to the eye, but still needs to be functional. It make take some time to find the right launcher. I have personally tried several on my newest phone and haven’t found the right one to balance fun and functional.

What is your Android home screen launcher of choice?

Onavo’s features

You will get a couple key features when you install Onavo. You will have:

• A data tracker to keep tabs on how much data you are using overall during the month.
• A warning system to let you know which applications are consuming the most data while it is happening.
• The option to restrict certain applications to Wi-Fi only.

Tracking Android data usage

When you are on a data budget, you may need to keep a close eye on your usage. Onavo lets you input your data limit, start of your billing cycle and even a cost for your data. The pay-per-use feature is great for people who have the option of pay as you go data plans.

Be warned

When you are using your mobile data to listen to music or watch video while you are commuting may be your biggest known data hog, but what about the application you just download? It may not seem like it would need a lot of data, but the initial download of the game and needed files may take a bite out of your data allowance for the month.

Onavo will put a pig with an exclamation point by it in your notification bar to let you know when an app is using more than its fair share of data. When you see this pig, you can click on the notification to attend to the data hogging app.

Restrict applications

When you determine the applications that are using too much data for your liking, you can restrict them to Wi-Fi.

If the application is something you know uses a lot of data and you do not want to see the warning pig icon, you can turn the warning off for that application.

If you are super worried about going over your data, there is an option to block your data usage when you reach 99%

Advice

Once you use Onavo for a while, you will get some recommendations on whether of not your data plan is right for your needs or not.

Widgets

The Onavo widgets are probably the easiest way to see what applications are running and what is your top data consumption application for the month. Here is a picture of your 3 widget choices.

Conclusion

I like Onavo a bit better than similar apps because of the warnings and ability to restrict applications to Wi-Fi. It seems to be really on par with my usage. I tend to use a good amount of Wi-Fi during my normal month so I usually don’t even come close to my monthly data allowance.

Download Onavo for Android and monitor your data consumption.

What do you use to Android applications data usage?

Best of Games

1. Ant Smasher

Ant Smasher is a game that kids love. There are also a lot of videos on YouTube showing animals like Frogs and Dragons playing the game. The basis of the game is to squish all of the bugs that appear on the screen.

2. Angry birds

Angry birds is one of the most popular mobile games of all time. It has even transitioned into stuffed toys so you can throw them around the house.

3. Fruit Slice

Fruit Slice is a surprisingly addictive game. It is simple in theory, but can be pretty challenging too. You need to chop all of the fruit being thrown into the air while avoiding the evil looking bombs.

4. Defender

Your job is to defend the castle against the waves of attackers. You have a bow and arrow as your main weapon, but also have spells and other weapons you can buy and unlock.

5. NinJump

In this game, you start as a ninja running up a building. you need to jump over to the other building to avoid and kill your enemies. If you get hit or run into a balcony, you will fall to your demise.

Best of Productivity

6. Evernote

Evernote is a great note taking application. It allows access from pretty much anywhere with an internet connection. You can not only type in a note, but you can enter in audio notes, take pictures, make check lists and more. Evernote is like the Twitter of note management apps. There isn’t a right or a wrong way to use it, just your way.

7. Dropbox

Dropbox is pretty awesome. It lets you have 2GB of free storage with the option to add more. You can really use the storage however you choose. I keep everything I may need while away from my computer; files, a few songs, eBooks, etc. Being able to share files like a generic contract or resume while on the go is really handy.

8. GO Launcher EX

While Go Launcher Ex is the base application, there are a lot of other applications and widgets by the Go Launcher Dev Team. We have talked about Go Launcher Ex before. It is one of the smoothest operating, most versatile launchers out there; and it’s free too.

9. Google Goggles

Google Goggles offers a lot of handy features. Features like scraping the information off a business card and importing it into your contact list or even solves a Sudoku puzzles in the newspapers snapping a quick picture of the puzzle.

10. Battery Widget

While some may disagree with a Battery Widget being a productivity app, It sure makes it easier to get an exact amount of battery life versus that little battery meter in your notification bar.

Best of Photography

11. PhotoWonder

PhotoWonder is a pretty simple photo enhancing app. You can add some effects as you can with other apps. However, with PhotoWonder, you can enlarge eye, create collages and make it look like the picture you took was sketched.

12. PicSay – Photo Editor

PicSay lets you add annotations, text and effects to your pictures. There is also the option to change the saturation, tint and other editing tools to make the picture look great.

13. FxCamera

FxCamera strictly adds effects to pictures you take. The Fisheye and SymmetriCam can be fun for pictures you upload to your social accounts.

14. Adobe Photoshop Express

This version of Photoshop for Android is a very lite application. By that I mean it is not even close to the desktop application. It is however, a very cool mobile photo editing app. You can crop, add effects and edit the tint, saturation or even convert the picture to black and white.

Best of Music

15. Pandora

Pandora is a very easy to use streaming music application. The way it works is, you choose an artist or song and Pandora will play that artist and others who sound similar. So if you create a station to play Pink Floyd, you will also hear The Doors, Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull.

16. Shazam

Have you ever been listening to the radio and heard a song you like but don’t know who sings it? Fire up Shazam will listen to the song and tell you who sings it. You will also see places to buy the song and you can search YouTube for the video.

17. TuneIn Radio

TuneIn Radio streams live local radio stations as well as internet radio stations and podcasts from all over the world. Great for people who travel and want to hear local stations from back home or if you want to see what songs are popular halfway around the world.

18. Amazon MP3

You can play songs you have stored in your Amazon Cloud or the music stored on your device. You also can buy songs from the store. You have a set amount of space for your uploaded music, but can buy more. What ever music you buy does not go against this quota.

19. Slacker Radio

Slacker Radio is similar to Pandora. You can create your own stations, listen to a genre or listen to one of the preprogrammed stations.

Best of Social

20. Tango Voice & Video Calls

Tango lets you make free audio and video calls to other users. You can talk to anyone between Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and PCs. In one of the most recent updates, you now can leave video messages for someone.

21. myYearbook

myYearbook is an app to meet people near you. It is geared toward the teenage crowd. You can add pictures of yourself, buy items for your page or others with L$. You have the choice to see people near you or sift through everyone on the site when you are looking for new people.

22. Facebook for Android

The Facebook app for Android is becoming more like the website with every update. You can use Facebook chat, check in, send and receive messages, upload pictures and a lot more.

23. Google+

The Google+ application is getting better all the time. If you take a picture on your Android, you can have it instantly upload to your Google+ pictures (optional). Group messaging and being able to easily group people in circles are unique features for Google+.

24. TiKL – Touch To Talk

TiKL is a walkie-talkie app that works over the internet. Aside from having a device with TiKL installed and internet access, you do not need anything special to be able to chat with someone. You can chat with individuals or groups either by instant messenger or the push to talk feature.

25. TweetCaster for Twitter

TweetCaster is a Twitter app that offers a lot of features. You can narrow your Twitter searches with smart search, post to Twitter and Facebook at the same time, access multiple Twitter accounts and “Zip” (silence) people from your feed without unfollowing them to name a few features.

Conclusion

There are hundreds of thousands of applications in the Android Market. These few applications are not even the tip of the iceberg, they are a snowball on the tip of the iceberg. The best way I have seen to find applications is to search for something you need, download it and try it.

What are your most recommended Android applications for 2011?

The list here will give you a good intro into the possibilities in the business category in the Android Market.

1. UPS Mobile

The UPS mobile application will help you track your packages from the day they ship to the time they reach the doorstep. When you are expecting delivery, you can track the prothengress right from your Android. You can also see the estimated shipping costs.

2. USPS MOBILE

Many times the Good old US Postal service will be the best route to sent your package. That being said the USPS Mobile app is ideal for finding the nearest US Post Office, search for a zip code, track letters or packages, find the nearest drop boxes.

3. Private SMS & call

Sometimes you just don’t want to talk to someone. Be it a pesky vendor trying to get your business or a wrong number that keeps calling. If you use Private SMS and call, you can block those calls or text messages from coming to your phone.

4. Square

Many people, including myself, use Square to take payments while mobile. While Square limits the amount of money you can take and what they will deposit into your account each month, it is a great option for the low volume user. The reader is free and the per transaction fee is pretty cheap.

5. Intuit GoPayment

Quickbooks users will really like GoPayment because you can link it to your Quickbooks account. There are options for both low usage of $1250.00 a week and a package for a higher volume user. The per swipe rates are also lower for the higher volume package option.

6. GoToMeeting

Many businesses are seeing the value in attending webinars and other web conferences. Being able to attend but not be tethered to your computer while watching is ideal. You don’t need to wake up 2 hours early to attend a webinar that’s at 9 AM EST and you are in a different time zone.

7.Fill and Sign PDF Forms

More and more people are using PDFs with AcroFields (the sections of the PDF that you can input your information). If you deal with a lot of these forms, you may want to get this application for your Android. This way, you do not need to wait until you get back to the office just to add your signature to a contract.

8. Cisco WebEx Meetings

Some of the webinars are not Citrix based so you may need a different application to join into your webinar. That’s where Cisco WebEx Meetings comes in. It is the same type of application, just a different system.

9. CardSharing

One way to save some money is to go digital with your contact information. CardSharing lets you create a business card with all of your relevant information. The card is shared through email, text or a QR code displayed on your phone.

10. QuickBooks Mobile

Lots of businesses are moving all of their accounting to the cloud. Quickbooks online is the choice for many. Because of this, you can access things like invoices and sales receipts and your customer list on the go. Easily create a receipt on the spot for a cash transaction.

11. QR Droid

QR Droid is my QR reader of choice. The reason is, it is more than a reader. You can also create a QR code for different things and share right away. Some of the QR codes you can create are: a pre-formatted email to a specific person, URL, geo-location, SMS, contact and a business card.

12. Android Time Card Free

Tracking your time as a freelancer or consultant is very important. Using this time card application, you can punch in and out for each job or task you are billing the client for.

Conclusion

While you may not like to manage your whole business from your Android device, there are a lot of occasions where one or more of these applications will come in handy. Depending on your business, some of these applications may allow you more time away from the office and more time on the golf course.

What applications do you use to manage your business on the go?

intro image

Below are several Live Wallpapers for Android to get your Android phone into the holiday spirit. Some of them are Christmas specific, others are winterly or have counters for New Years day too.

1. Real Snow

Real snow gives you a evening background with falling white snow flakes. You have the choice of having text displayed with a countdown to New Years day. The settings let you change the speed and the number of flakes that fall.

Download Real Snow

2. Christmas Snow

Christmas Snow is one of the most configurable Live Wallpapers on the list. It offers about 20 different backgrounds and 3 different looks for your snowflakes. You can also select the speed and density for the falling flakes. The images are cartoony, but fit well with the holiday season. Not all of the images are geared toward Christmas specifically. There are other winterly scenes packed in there too.

Download Christmas Snow

3. Santa’s Sleigh

Santa will travel across your screen with his reindeer dropping presents in the snow below. You do not have many options to change the speed, number of gifts or sound in the free version. If you really like the free version, but want more features, you can opt for the paid Live Wallpaper.

Download Santa’s Sleigh

4. Snowfall Free

Snowfall free is great Live Wallpaper for a wooded winter snow scene on your Android. There are no adjustments in the free version so either you like it the way it is or you can pay the fee for the pro version. The paid version was one of Google’s 10 cent apps when they were running their sale to celebrate 10 billion downloads.

Download Snowfall Free

5. White Christmas

White Christmas is, by far, the most customizable of the Android Live Wallpapers listed here. What I mean is, you can change the background to one of your own images. This is something none of the other wallpapers on the list offer. You can also remove parts of the wallpaper you do not want like the little animated GIF. There is a countdown timer to Christmas too.

Download White Christmas

6. Christmas and New Years Countdown

The countdown to Christmas and New Years is just what you would think it would be. It is a widget that gives you a counter with the days, hours and seconds until Christmas day. Many people download this thinking it is a wallpaper so make sure you look for it in the widgets and not as a wallpaper.

Download Christmas and New Years Countdown

7. 3D Christmas Lights

3D Christmas Lights gives you a rotating cube with a Christmas tree in it. I like the red one personally. There are several adjustments you can make such as, the background and light color, rotate on touch, the light source and the angle. There is a pro version if you want to get more into customizing or want more tree options.

Download 3D Christmas Lights

Conclusion

The people who go all out on the holidays will really like being able to make their Android Live Wallpaper match all of the holiday decorations in their home and probably the pet they dress up for the family photo (poor dog).

Activating Facebook Timeline

You can activate your Timeline by heading here:

Activate Facebook Timeline

You will need to click on the link in the bottom left of the page.

Once you activate the Timeline, your page will refresh. You will need to click on your profile to see the major changes.

Where to start

You may want to take the tour. It will give you a good run-through on the newest features. You will get an idea of how to add new pictures like a Cover.

What is a Cover?

Think of a Cover like a background on Twitter or Myspace. The difference is, the Cover is the header for your page. Your profile picture will appear in the bottom left corner. There are some people who are already crafting some really creative Covers. Here are a couple sites you may want to look at to get you started.

• Facebook Profile Covers
• FB Cover Pix

Here is what a cover looks like pre-download.

Adding a Cover

Depending on if you are using a Cover from a site or your own picture, there may be different steps. In the end, you will just need to click on the Add a Cover link in the top right of your profile header.

You will just need to select a picture, either by uploading one from your computer or your already uploaded photo library.

Once you have the picture ready and selected, you will need to drag it into the correct location. If you are doing something a little more creative, this will make it a bit easier to make a fun Cover.

Using the Timeline

You have probably peeked at your profile page to see what the timeline looks like. It looks different, huh? Well you or your friends can skip through your past updates. Off to the right, you will see a little timeline. You can use this to skip through your Facebook past.

When you click on a month or year, you can see the highlights for that time.

You can also see all of the posts from your past by clicking the Highlights drop-down.

Promoting or hiding old posts

There are always pictures or things in your updates that you don’t want to relive or show off. If you want to hide these posts from the timeline, there is a pencil icon next to each post in your timeline. If you click it, you are given the option to hide it or even change the date.

If you would like to promote an update you are proud of, you can click the star. This will stretch the post across the full length of the timeline. If you click the star again, you will minimize again.

Privacy settings

There is an option in the privacy setting tab to limit what the public and friends of friends can see. You can change this if you are not comfortable with people Facebook stalking you.

Conclusion

Even though the cosmetics greatly changed with the addition of the timeline, the change also brings more usability and room for future improvements. I have to say I like looking back and see what kind of nonsense I posted in the past. Some of the past updates bring back some funny memories. I also thing I am going to have some fun with the Covers.

What do you think of the changes?

So why did they go and mess up a good thing and create a new kind of barcode? Well, who knows. But the reality of it is the Microsoft Tags are a bit more customizable and your regular barcode reader won’t read them. So this will be walk through on how to create and use a Microsoft Tag.

Creating a Microsoft Tag

For starters, you will need a Windows Live account. Once you are logged into the site, you will see a page talking about the process. The process is similar to creating a QR Code.

The Manage Tag screen is where you will create and edit your Tags. For your first tag creation look for the “Create a Tag button“.

You will need to fill in a bit of information about Tag.

There are things like:

Title – This will display when the tag is scanned so the visitor knows where they are headed.

Tag Type – By changing the type to say, app download, you can direct each different mobile OS to the appropriate download page.

Tag Notes – The notes are for your own use and will not be seen by the person scanning the code.

Start and End Dates – For those using Tags for marketing and to track a specific campaign, being able to set a start and an end date is really handy. That way if you are giving away a free application for example, you can shut off the link at a specific time and date.

Depending on the type you chose, there may be other information to input, be it text, a phone number, links, etc.

When you are all done, click on save.

The next step is to render the Tag. There are a few different styles you can choose from. Some have instructions with a URL on where to get the Tag reader, while some are just the Tag.

You also have the option to choose the output type and size of the tag. The size can be anywhere from .75 inches to 120 inches.

The output formats are:

• pdf
• wmf
• jpeg
• png
• gif
• tiff
• tag

Here are a couple examples of the end result for the Tag.

Microsoft Tag Reader

There are several spots you can download the reader.

Click the links below from your mobile device.

• Send a link to your phone
• Android
• iPhone
• Windows Phone 7
• Blackberry
• Other mobile OS

The Microsoft Tag mobile reader works just like the bar code scanners you are accustomed to. Activate the application and use the camera to scan the Tag.

Conclusion

I think there is a good amount of potential for these new bar codes or Tags as they are called, especially for marketers and small businesses. The biggest problem I can foresee is having the right reader. A lot of people aren’t on board with QR codes and scanning 2D barcodes yet. Throwing yet a third type of code at them may confuse some people. When the readers will scan all three types, I think the Microsoft Tags will be easier for the mainstream, not-so-techy users to adopt.

What mobile reader do you use to scan bar codes, Tags and QR codes?

Mobile cloud syncing is kind of a big deal for a lot of people who are on the go more than at their desk. Pogoplug comes with 5GB of cloud storage that works with Android and iOS devices. You will get automatic syncing of your pictures, videos and music with the option to stream them from your mobile device or on your computer.

Getting started with Pogoplug

For starters, you will need an account. You just need to give them an emai-pogoplugl address and a password. This will be enough to create your account and get you to the links to download the apps you need to install.

The downloads

There are 2 downloads you will need: one to your desktop and one to your mobile device. I will be showing screen shots for Android, but here is a link to download the iOS version.

Click here or scan the QR code to download the Pogoplug from the Android market.

-pogoplug

You will also want to download the desktop application.

You will need to log into your account on both your computer and your Android device.

Syncing your files

On your Android, your pictures will be automatically uploaded to the Pogoplug server. It took a while for the thumbnails to display though. Other than the images, nothing else automatically upload from the phone. You can manually upload videos, pictures, music and other files from your mobile device to your 5GB of cloud storage.

During the uploading, the original picture, instead of a resized version, is uploaded. Having the original uploaded to the cloud means you won’t need to worry about your photos getting lost if something happens to your mobile device.

Also, if you have files on your computer you would like to access while mobile, you can drag and drop the files to the desktop application.

-pogoplug

Streaming media

A really cool thing you can do with your synced audio and video media is stream them to your devices. If you have a song stored in your account, you can play the song as if it was on your phone. The same is true with videos you have uploaded to your cloud storage.

If you have a lot of music stored and labeled well, you can even search by artist, genre, song or album title.

Pros

• Automatic picture and video uploads
• Streaming media from the cloud
• Simple desktop app

Cons

• Only pictures and videos can be uploaded from your Android

Conclusion

Pogoplug is a great work in progress. They have the right idea and have a great start. Right now it is great for those who want a spot to backup their pictures instantly and having some of their favorite mp3 files easily accessible.

If Pogoplug wants to play with the big boys like Google Music and Amazon’s cloud player and storage, they will need to add some features or at minimum allow better uploading options.

What cloud apps do you use to store and stream all of your digital media?

Think of all the clutter you will eliminate by inputting events such as the due dates of your bills, prescription refills or even monthly meetings.

How Romulist works

Firstly, it is in beta. You can get a quick invite if you tweet their message to your flock of Twitter followers.

When you get the invite, you just click on the link they DM you. You will be taken to a page to login.

On the login page, you can either use an email address to create your account,

or you can login with your Google account or your Google Apps account.

Once you are in, you may need to fill in some basic info. It may be already correct. The 3 main things you will need to look at are your time zone, that emails are enabled and set your contact time. Just give it a once over and move on if everything is all good.

Now is the part where you start adding in your reoccurring appointments. The layout is pretty self explanatory. Give the event a name, select the day it is on and how far in advance you want to know about the event. You can see an example of an event if you really need to.

As you add events, you can see them in a list. You will also start to see the dates on the calendar fill in with color. All of this can be viewed on your dashboard.

You can also see just the events under the events tab.

Event reminders

After you have all of your events added into your Romulist, you can sit back and wait for your first email. You will get an email reminder in the morning around the time you set. If you are unsure of what time you set, the default is 8AM. You can check for yourself in the settings tab. I know I am usually out the door before 8AM on days I am at the office so a 6 or 7AM email would be better for my schedule.

Ideas for using Romulist

There are a lot of uses for a service like Romulist. Here are a few examples.

• Write your monthly email newsletter.
• Schedule a lunch meeting with a friend.
• Refill a prescription.
• Pay rent.
• Pay other bills
• Bill a client.
• Backup your computer.
• Any reoccurring bank deposits into your account.
• Dates for any reoccurring bank transfers.

Conclusion

I think a service like Romulist is great for the people who do not use a digital calendar or for those who do, but hate to clutter it with reoccurring monthly events. The key to a web app like this is you need to be a person who pays attention to their emails. If you don’t, then it is just wasted time and effort.

How would you use a service like Romulist help you manage your monthly to-do list?

The beauty of a free website builder like Bellstrike is how easy it is to use. If you can fill out a form and upload a picture, you can build a site. Bellstrike will give you the chance to have a place to send people for donations and information about your event or cause. Here is a run-through on how- to set-up a free donation site for your non-profit fundraiser.

Starting your free fundraising site

There is a little bit of information needed to create an account. The name of your organization, an email address, etc. It is all pretty basic except for one part.

You will need to use WePay for taking donations. If you do not have an account with WePay, you can create one in advance to make the process go faster.

Once you have run through the account setup, you are ready to roll up your sleeves and get to the real work. Here is a look at what the default site looks like. There is no information here other than what was given during the account setup.

As you go through the settings, you will be able to modify most of what you see in the above picture. There are a surprising amount of options available as you will see. The first step is to tackle the look of the site. You can change the color scheme, add a logo and add a summary to your header.

Now it is time for all of the essential information. You can type up all the information about your organization. Members of your team, mission statement, add pictures of your team and so on.

In the contact tab, there is a spot to link to your main website, Facebook and Twitter accounts if you have them.

The programs can be an “In the News” section. You can add pictures, videos and other information to go into better detail about what you do. If you have multiple programs, you can add more than one of these pages.

What kind of site would it be without a blog? You can easily update everyone on how you are doing. Having a blog section is a good place to talk more about your cause. You can write little posts to keep people talking about you and sharing your site.

The most important part to a site like this is the donation page. You will have a shopping cart-like checkout page where you can add different items or “Needs” to the page. That way. someone can give you $50 intended for Office supplies versus $50 for entertaining clients. You can edit the information people will see on the when they are ready to check out.

If you have the need for it, there is an option to add additional pages to the site. You can add text, photos, videos and even upload files for people to download later.

When you are all done making your site, you can take a look at the live version by clicking on the View Website button at the top of your site editor window. Here is the mess I created while writing this article. I hope yours looks a lot nicer when there are pics, videos and real information on it.

Final thoughts

I like the ease of use and how many options there are to create a fast donation site. Many uses come to mind for anyone who needs to collect money for events like:

• Charity walk-a-thons or runs
• Non-profit fund raisers
• Small tournament registrations
• Club information sites
• Disaster relief donations
• School club or group donation sites

What are your thoughts about free site builders like Bellstrike?

Image credit: Big Stock Photo