Top Android App: G4

Posted on Aug 16, 2010 in Entertainment, Top Rated Apps | comment

Gamers rejoice, the G4 Android App has finally been released!

• Version: 1.2.4
• Size: 2.59MB
• Category: Entertainment
• Price: Free

The new G4 app will provide you with a fully searchable database of gaming news, trailers, expert reviews, videos, interviews, cheats, and more. You can even check out G4’s TV schedule and view videos from some of their most popular shows like Web Soup and X-Play.

The app is put together in a very easy-to-navigate fashion. Going to the Menu will give you the options to jump to News, Games, and Videos. Even more, if you choose Games, you can further refine your search by choosing which system(s) you own. I’m big on PC games and the Wii, so I can easily find the games and reviews that matter most to me. Speaking of the reviews, they are concise, accurate, and a great resource to mine before purchasing a new game. Save yourself a lot of time and energy and check out what G4 has to say first.

Pros:

• Comprehensive gaming resource
• Game reviews, news, cheats and G4 videos all in one place
• Built in search function for easy information access

Areas for improvement:

• The share button only gives options for Facebook and email, no Twitter, SMS, etc.
• Needs auto-rotate for all features, not just videos

Conclusion: If you’re any sort of gamer, you’ll definitely want quick access to all of G4’s information.

Talking Tom Cat Will Entertain and Annoy!

Posted on Aug 8, 2010 in Entertainment, Top Rated Apps | 4 comments

Talking Tom is your pet cat (from what looks like a shady neighborhood) that responds to your touch and most importantly, repeats everything you say in a very funny voice. Go on, pet him, poke him, pull his tail, or even punch him (but we won’t be liable when PETA shows up at your door!).

You can even record videos of Tom and the things he says and post them directly to YouTube or Facebook from within the app. Click the camera button to begin recording (it will turn red).

Now don’t be shy, download Talking Tom and entertain and annoy your friends and family! You have our permission.

IMDb Now Showing on Android!

Posted on Jul 1, 2010 in Entertainment, Top Rated Apps | 2 comments

IMDb (Internet Movie Database) is the largest online collection of movie, TV, and celebrity information. IMDb lets you search over 1,500,000 movies and TV shows straight from your Android phone!

• Version: 1.0
• Size: 635KB
• Category: Entertainment
• Price: Free

Right off the bat you’ll notice the attractive and inviting user-interface. The categories on top allow for easy access to the information you’re looking for. If you want to search for a specific item, open up the Menu.

You’ll find a convenient feature is the current most-viewed titles are shown on the app landing page. For example, Toy Story 3 and The Twilight Sage: Eclipse are the top items and may likely be what many of you are searching for when you go into IMDb. This app is a great way to find out what movies or TV shows are hot (and those that are not). Additionally, you can lookup showtimes by location, date, etc. as you’d do with similar apps like Fandango and Movies by Flixster.

Biggest features:

• Find showtimes
• Watch trailers
• Browse photos
• Get TV listings
• Track DVD/Blu-ray releases
• View popular charts like Best Picture Winners and Top 250 Movies
• Tons more…

A full review of this app would be miles long. There really is just so much information loaded into this app, you’ll always be finding something new. I think one of the most interesting tidbits of IMDb is that you can read through lists of an actor/actress’s interview quotes, getting a deeper glimpse into who they really are.

Pros:

• More information than you can shake a stick at (but organized magnificently)
• Attractive, clean UI
• High quality trailers and photos
• You should now dominate in entertainment trivia

Areas for improvement:

• Add a barcode scanning feature to make looking up movie ratings easy (i.e. before renting/purchasing)
• Expand movie showtimes to include regions outside of the US

Conclusion: An all-in-one movie and entertainment app that will (and should) replace any similar app you currently have installed!

Top Android App: TMZ Entertainment

Posted on May 17, 2010 in Entertainment, Top Rated Apps | 1 comment

Discover the latest breaking entertainment news, videos, and photos from TMZ.com. This app is updated throughout the day so you’ll always have the latest info.

• Version: 1.0
• Size: 1.14MB
• Category: Entertainment
• Price: Free
• Overall Score: 4.5/5

If you enjoy all of the latest celebrity gossip, then you will cheer the newest addition to the Android Market, TMZ. Like similar news-related apps, your first stop is a feed of the most recent articles. Clicking on the article preview brings up the full story, along with the options to “favorite” or “share” it.

In order to access more content, hit the menu button. From there, you can access additional videos, photo galleries, TMZ TV, favorites, etc. A cool feature is the ability to send TMZ a hot tip directly from your phone. For those of us who don’t live around Hollywood, this may not really come in handy, but it’s great they give Android users the ability to contribute.

Pros:

• Simple navigation
• Same content as the native TMZ.com website
• Continuously updated content

Areas for improvement:

• UI could use some refreshing
• Ads at the bottom of all pages

Conclusion: Worth a download for a look into the celebrity world.

Top Android App: C:Geo Geocaching

Posted on Mar 2, 2010 in Entertainment, Top Rated Apps | 11 comments

C:Geo ~ Go Geocaching is a simple, yet elegant standalone geocaching client.  If you’re unfamiliar with geocaching, it’s similar to apps like Foursquare and Gowalla, except you have the ability to hide and seek “containers” called caches anywhere by using your GPS.  If you’re looking for something new to try out, give this app a try!  Thank you to @NickJackson for recommending this great app!

Version: 0.21.1
Size:  403KB
Category: Entertainment
Price: Free
Overall Score: 4.5/5

User Interface: 4.5/5
Ease of Use: 4.5/5
Customizability: 4.5/5
Originality: 5/5
Indispensability: 4/5

Geogaching is a hobby that is both entertainment and exercise.  If you’re into hiking or just want a simple adventure in the city, you can find caches wherever you go.  When you find a cache, leave your experience in the logbook and add to the value of the cache!  Even place your geocaching stories and pictures online to share with others.

C:Geo is currently in its beta release and is being frequently updated. Initially, you will need to signup for an account at geocaching.com if you do not have one already.  From there, you can then login to the app through Menu > Settings. Before doing these two steps you won’t be able to search for geocaches.

When you initially open the app, you can search for caches by your location, GPS coordinates, address, geocode, keyword, user, or owner.  From there, you can select a specific cache to find out more about it.  Listed is information like difficulty, terrain, owner, date hidden, coordinates, description, and hints.  If you’re looking for some help, you can choose to show the cache on the map or navigate to it with the compass.  When you’ve found it, you can log your visit.  Your entry will also be synced to your geocaching.com account.

Some nice features that will hopefully be added in the future are the ability to store maps and caches for offline use and the ability to see multiple caches as you scroll around the maps view.  Since this is only the beta version however, I’m sure these additions will be made.

Overall, C:Geo is the best geocaching app currently available on Android and is improving with each new update.  Give it a try!