One of the apps I’ve found myself using a lot lately, is Voxer. Voxer is a chatting app for Android and iOS that let’s you seamlessly communicate with all your buddies–you know the drill. One of the big reasons to get a smartphone is to communicate all the time with everyone you know using any service you want. There’s simple text chatting apps. There’s messaging apps provided by social giants like Facebook and Google+. Then there’s Voxer.
More after the break
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One of the coolest things we saw at CES wasn’t at a booth, it wasn’t even in one of the halls, it was just a small machine near the entrance of the food court. This machine however, does some pretty awesome things, and we definitely think you’ll be seeing more of this machine in the future.
The machine I’m talking about, is the ecoATM. The ecoATM is a kiosk about the size of a Redbox that allows consumers to sell their old mobile devices and MP3 players to ecoATM for resale or recycling. The ecoATM can recognize over 5000 models of cell phones, and many of the major MP3 players. The way it works, is if you have an old cell phone, or a few old cell phones, you can take them to an ecoATM and the kiosk will scan, identify, and find the best market cell price for your device. The best part is the fact that it is all automated, with no assistance required. You just bring your phones in, and leave with cash.
When you first bring your phone to an ecoATM, you pick which device it is, and then receive a small ID sticker to place on the back of your device. The machine will then scan your phone, and after comparing your device with images and specs of a “perfect” model it was trained on, it will determine the condition of your device. Then a charging wheel will spin until your charger appears, and after plugging it in, it will determine if the device is still functional or not. After all of this is completed, the ecoATM will give you a price for how much your device is worth, and spit the cash out in the given dispenser. You can do this with multiple phones at a time as well and MP3 players and cell phones in the same transaction. Most of the phones are given a new home if in good enough condition, and if not ecoATM will recycle the phones so you can feel good about getting rid of your old phones, and have some extra cash in your pocket while you’re at it. ecoATM has told us they are currently in mostly west coast areas, and their goal is to work from west-to-east in the US, soon giving everyone a local ecoATM to stop by.
It may seem cliche to name Google, the company that created Android, as the best app publisher in 2011, but if you look at it from a broad perspective, it’s hard not to. If there is one company that has control and influence on Android, it’s Google. Google has been making apps for Android since the beginning, obviously, but in the ways it has this year. Google put a huge g-shaped footprint in the Android Market with their latest apps and app updates, and really set an example to third-party developers on how to get it done straight from the Plex.
First off, Google has updated a TON of apps with complete redesigns this year. This list includes apps like Google Talk, Google Voice, Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail, Google Books, Google Docs, Google Shopper, Google Reader, Google Music, and more. If you think about just how many things Google pushed this year, there’s really no other contender. A lot of these apps got their own special re-makes throughout the year, and then got the notion again with the release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, in which Google gave all of their core apps a makeover. The list above doesn’t even mention the overhaul the calendar app received with ICS, sporting a nifty pinch-to-zoom feature that is sure to gain lots of love. A lot of these apps were originally phone-only apps, and examples such as Google Voice and Google Books getting a makeover to support tablets running Honeycomb. Google has really stepped up their game this year with app updates, and while some , such as the Google Reader update, fall short of expectations, overall Google has done a fantastic job in 2011.
Another big jump that Google has made in the apps department is launching two of their newest products: Google+ for Android, and Google Currents for Android. Both of these apps are Android partners to new services Google has launched in 2011, and both of them really show the capabilities that Android has. Google+ started a little rough by not supporting a lot of key features such as Hangout, but after a few months they pushed updates that brought this and more to phones through the Google+ app. Google+ also comes with Messenger, the mobile messaging app paired with Google+, competing with Facebook for meeting the needs of millions of chatty Android users. Google Currents also launched at the tail-end of the year, giving Android users a new way to read all of your favorite sites. Google Currents is like an RSS reader and a Flipboard competitor rolled into one, for both phones and tablets. This app is very pretty, and really shows the emphasis Google is placing on user experience lately. Sure, the app was a battery hog at first, but they’ve fixed that, proving Google hasn’t just blown it off in the aftermath of product launch after product launch like they have been known to do in the past.
Google has really done a tremendous job giving their faithful users some great apps in 2011. Whether it’s launching a new app or just updating an old favorite, Google has really made Android a better place for all of us. Be sure to check these apps out for yourself here in the Android Market.
Elijah Ketchum