Showing posts with label Apps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apps. Show all posts
Saturday, May 5, 2012
0
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Ric RAT
Browser Review: Dolphin Browser HD
In my post about the standard browser for the Galaxy S2, I mentioned that I didn't find much fault with it for browsing the internet every now and again, but if you use your phone to browse more often, then it might be worth your while to look at something a bit different.
I found Dolphin, which I find very nice to use and powerful indeed, plus it includes some nice features, like the gesture system and voice recognition.
Here are a few screen shots of it in action:
The one nice feature I like about Dolphin above the standard browser is that when you zoom in by double tapping (you can pinch-zoom also), is that it zooms in close enough for you to actually be able to read the text, but it also re-positions the text so that it fits in, so you only have to scroll down and not sideways.
The website in the above screen shots doesn't have a mobile version, and as you can see, it displays it pretty much exactly the same as on a PC (see that website here).
This works even better when you hold the phone horizontally:
Handy if you don't have that much free space on your phone (like me with all the games and stuff I've installed).
It has too many different settings to even mention, the best advice regarding that I can give you is to actually download it (it's free after all) and check them all out.
Some of the features it also has is smart gestures (where you draw a shape on the screen to do stuff, like open a new tab for example), but in my books that's just a gimmick and I personally won't be using that. The same can be said for the voice recognition, but it allows you to say, for example "ebay silver teaspoons", then it'll open up Ebay and search for Silver Teaspoons.
Then last but not least:
Yes... it has TABS (one thing amiss in the regular browser) - so it actually looks like a normal PC browser, which is cool ;)
Anyway, the Dolphin browser is an awesome alternative in my opinion to the regular browser that comes standard with the phone.
Get it here.
Till next time!
read more
I found Dolphin, which I find very nice to use and powerful indeed, plus it includes some nice features, like the gesture system and voice recognition.
Here are a few screen shots of it in action:
The one nice feature I like about Dolphin above the standard browser is that when you zoom in by double tapping (you can pinch-zoom also), is that it zooms in close enough for you to actually be able to read the text, but it also re-positions the text so that it fits in, so you only have to scroll down and not sideways.
The website in the above screen shots doesn't have a mobile version, and as you can see, it displays it pretty much exactly the same as on a PC (see that website here).
This works even better when you hold the phone horizontally:
The slider on this specific website works with jQuery, and that works exactly like it should on the mobile browser :)
The Dolphin browser does also play nicely with Flash content, so that should be an issue ;)
Another nice feature I like is the options it gives you when you close it:
It has too many different settings to even mention, the best advice regarding that I can give you is to actually download it (it's free after all) and check them all out.
Some of the features it also has is smart gestures (where you draw a shape on the screen to do stuff, like open a new tab for example), but in my books that's just a gimmick and I personally won't be using that. The same can be said for the voice recognition, but it allows you to say, for example "ebay silver teaspoons", then it'll open up Ebay and search for Silver Teaspoons.
Then last but not least:
Yes... it has TABS (one thing amiss in the regular browser) - so it actually looks like a normal PC browser, which is cool ;)
Anyway, the Dolphin browser is an awesome alternative in my opinion to the regular browser that comes standard with the phone.
Get it here.
Till next time!
Friday, April 27, 2012
0
Friday, April 27, 2012
Ric RAT
The default Galaxy S2 Browser
Ok, first off, I'm terribly sorry for not doing any posts in April so far. Those who're from South Africa, will know that in April we have lots of public holidays, and even regular work has been slow (the same pretty much every year!).
So, I asked in a poll what you guys would like me to review next, and you selected Browsers. So, I'm going to be doing 3 separate reviews on the following browsers:
read more
So, I asked in a poll what you guys would like me to review next, and you selected Browsers. So, I'm going to be doing 3 separate reviews on the following browsers:
- Stock standard one that comes with the Galaxy S2
- Dolphin (see the Dolphin Browser review here)
- Opera Mini
Now, I've been pretty much using the standard browser on my S2, and I must say, I'm pretty much happy with it. It doesn't have issues displaying the sites I like to frequent, and I've even done some online banking with the regular "desktop interface" of my bank's website (that will be the same interface that desktop PC's will have when doing online banking).
In fact, it works so nicely with that that I don't even bother to register for cellphone banking at all, I can just do it with my regular browser!
Here are a couple of screen shots of the standard browser in action:
Since the Galaxy S2 screen still isn't the size of a tablet or regular PC, what happens when you browse is the address bar get hidden from sight. To see the address is easy though, you simply swipe down, and there it is.
One thing that I'm not that fond of though, is you have to "press" the bottom left button on the phone itself, and the tap "windows", which opens up the list of open windows you have:
When I do the review of Dolphin, you'll see how they handle that.
Other than that, I couldn't find fault with the default browser. It handles Flash, SSL and has a whole bunch of settings also, here're the list of settings available for it:
As you can see, lots of settings so that you can tweak how it functions for you.
Zooming in can be done in 3 ways - you can double tap somewhere, and the browser zooms in on that part. If it is text your double tapping on, then it will fill that text to the screen width. Sometimes, if the website you're viewing doesn't have a mobile friendly stylesheet, then the text will still be too small to actually read it.
You can zoom in manually by pinch-zooming also, but like I said above here, the text doesn't fit in the area you're viewing automatically, so you'll have to scroll sideways to view the content when zoomed in.
Another funky way of zooming, which in my opinion is just a gimmick, is you tap two fingers on the screen at the same time, then you tilt the phone itself - this will then zoom as you're tilting the phone. I find that only cool for showing off the phone :)
So, in my opinion, if you don't use your phone for all of your internet browsing needs, then the stock standard browser does the job, with its few minor annoyances.
If you do, however, use your phone a lot more for browsing, then I'd recommend getting something else... I'll be looking at Dolphin next, as well as Opera Mini.
Keep well, and until next time!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
0
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Ric RAT
App review: Pixlr-o-matic Photo editor
The other day I was browsing the app market, which they've renamed to the "Play Store", and I saw this little gem of an app called Pixlr-o-matic, and best of all it's a free one!
Usually I don't have high hopes for free apps like this, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway.
What it basically does is it edits your photos, by doing a combination of three effects, namely a colouring effect, lighting effect and a frame effect.
Then you can save and share your photos with ease from within the app itself. Anyway, when you open the app, here's what you'll see first:
From here you select which photo to start working on. This can either come from your phone's camera, be one of your existing photos, or as you can see, they have some of their own photos there that you can use to play around with.
Once you've selected the photo you want to work on, you get to this screen:
Here you'll be presented with several buttons and things. In the middle you'll see the photo I selected to edit, which as you can see is a bit of a boring one...
At the top there's a little film roll Icon - if you tap on that, you can get access to a lot more presets and options, all for free - I went crazy, and downloaded everything :)
Next to the film roll icon is the randomize button. That does just that, it randomizes the 3 different effects you can get. So if you're lazy, you can just hit that one a couple of times until you get to a combination you like. Here I quickly set a preset for each of the three options:
From here you can Save your photo and share it.
I'm very impressed with how quick and easy it is to use this app, and most of the effects are really cool (of course there's some corny ones as well, but sometimes that's actually the look you're going for!)
As a little test and just to show you, I took two images and made 5 randomized versions. Here they are, the one at the top is the original:
Pretty neat huh? And here's a photo of Einstein (our mutt :)
Not too shabby for just hitting a button a few times.
If you like photos at all, then this is definitely a must to get.
Get it here.
Till next time!
read more
Usually I don't have high hopes for free apps like this, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway.
What it basically does is it edits your photos, by doing a combination of three effects, namely a colouring effect, lighting effect and a frame effect.
Then you can save and share your photos with ease from within the app itself. Anyway, when you open the app, here's what you'll see first:
From here you select which photo to start working on. This can either come from your phone's camera, be one of your existing photos, or as you can see, they have some of their own photos there that you can use to play around with.
Once you've selected the photo you want to work on, you get to this screen:
Here you'll be presented with several buttons and things. In the middle you'll see the photo I selected to edit, which as you can see is a bit of a boring one...
At the top there's a little film roll Icon - if you tap on that, you can get access to a lot more presets and options, all for free - I went crazy, and downloaded everything :)
Next to the film roll icon is the randomize button. That does just that, it randomizes the 3 different effects you can get. So if you're lazy, you can just hit that one a couple of times until you get to a combination you like. Here I quickly set a preset for each of the three options:
On the first preset, I selected "Dean" which gives the photo a washed out look, almost like a photo taken in the 60's :)
Here on the Lighting option I selected "Gaze", which gives it this red streak in the middle, giving it an even more classic and washed out look.
And here I added the "Dirt" frame, which as you can see, puts a dark edge with dust specks and stuff like that around the image.
So in a matter of seconds, I transformed a pretty dull photo into something a bit more lively :) Obviously you can save your photo as well - the app gives each image a unique file, so you don't have to worry about it overwriting the original.
I'm very impressed with how quick and easy it is to use this app, and most of the effects are really cool (of course there's some corny ones as well, but sometimes that's actually the look you're going for!)
As a little test and just to show you, I took two images and made 5 randomized versions. Here they are, the one at the top is the original:
Pretty neat huh? And here's a photo of Einstein (our mutt :)
Not too shabby for just hitting a button a few times.
If you like photos at all, then this is definitely a must to get.
Get it here.
Till next time!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
0
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Ric RAT
Full Screen Status Bar
If you regularly use apps that go full screen on your Android phone, you would have noticed that you cannot get access to the status bar (you know, the thing you swipe down from the top to get?) - but, I've found a very handy little app that allows you to get to your status bar while in a full screen app (think GAMES :)
Here's a screen shot of it in action:
See, here in the Freeplay Sims game, at the top you'll see my status bar peeking out. A very handy little app.
Anyway, it's called Smart Statusbar, and you can get it here
Till next time!
read more
Here's a screen shot of it in action:
See, here in the Freeplay Sims game, at the top you'll see my status bar peeking out. A very handy little app.
Anyway, it's called Smart Statusbar, and you can get it here
Till next time!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
0
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Ric RAT
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Cartoon Camera Pro For Galaxy Ace
Cartoon Camera Pro - This program allows you to capture in a cartoon style with the camera on your phone.
Features:
* The effect of animation in real time
* 5 effects: Cartoon, sepia, white streaks, Dark Strokes and colored edges
* Adjustable degree of effect
* Save images quickly, one-touch
auto-focus * Control (click anywhere on the screen)
* Management Flash
Support for the front camera (requires Android 03/02 +)
* Supports zoom (slider to the left of the screen)
Latest Version: 1.0.1 Platform: Android 2.2 and above Size: 391 KB Tested on Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-
S5830 Android 2.3.6
DOWNLOAD IT
Friday, February 24, 2012
0
Friday, February 24, 2012
Ric RAT
Game Review: Minecraft Pocket Edition
If you don't know what Minecraft is, chances are you've only started using the internet this very second. :)
Minecraft is the Indie game that took the world by storm. It's a big sandbox game where you can shape the world to your exact liking. Add to that the harvesting of resources and building stuff (anything from a small log cabin in the woods to deep underground mines and glorious works of art!), as well as zombies and sheep, and you've got a pretty amazing and addictive game!
People will complain about the blockiness of the graphics, but that is what gives this game so much charm and personality! It just shows you, a games doesn't necessarily need awesome and high detailed graphics to be awesome!
Now, the pocket edition is a work in progress, much like the desktop version was for so very long. As you can see in the above screen shot, we're on version 0.2.0 alpha. So at this stage, it's not even close to what the desktop version is, but it's definitely getting there!
I bought the game for $0.10 when Android had there massive app download drive, but you can still buy it for $6.99 - a little steep for my liking (very happy that I got it for ten cents!), but I foresee great things for this little gem in the mining (see what I did there?? Gem? Mining? Minecraft??? ;P
Luckily, a demo version is available, so you can get that to first check it out.
Get the full version here
And the demo version here
So, at this stage the game has two modes - Creative and Survival. Creative mode just gives you this big, randomly generated world which you can sculpt to your exact liking, where the Survival mode adds a few things, like gathering some resources, and fending of zombies at night!
Here is my little house by the sea, which I started when the game was still version 0.1.0 (no survival mode back then):
In the second screen shot, I'm actually flying (something you can only do in creative mode) - you'll also see the on-screen controls on the left. The button in the middle is to jump - double tap that one to fly.
I must say, the game's performance on my Galaxy S2 is extremely smooth and without drops in frames per second at all. It does take some getting used to using the onscreen controls like that. Looking around is done by tapping and moving your finger across the screen. If you tap an hold in one spot, you'll start digging that specific block if it's close enough.
Here's a few from my little house's "porch" :)
The survival mode introduces a few extra things, most notably zombies that want to do nothing but eat your brains. So the first thing you always do in a Survival game is build a shelter, so that you can survive the night's horrors!
As you can see in the above screenshot, I made my little shelter by digging out a cave in the side of a hill. I recommend doing that because it's quicker.
You'll also notice the health bar, so in Survival mode you can die! EEK! ;)
Furthermore, you can start gathering some resources, with which you can only build at this stage. In the desktop version, you can craft all kinds of stuff, like weapons, doors, furniture, traps, etc. I'm sure these will be added to the game as new versions get released! (Hopefully!)
With this version you have a limited range of blocks that you can place, but I'm sure this list will also keep growing as time goes by:
As you can see, you have an unlimited supply of most of the blocks and items, but some of them you have to gather in your adventures.
I was lucky and survived my first night :) I did face a few zombies, but that wasn't too hard:
Anyway, this is a really good little time waster, and the promise of more updates to expand the features of the game means it'll keep on getting better and better. (I'll keep everyone posted on the updates as they happen!)
One thing I haven't tried out though, is joining some friends in a multiplayer game. If you have, feel free to leave some comments on how that is! Also, if you've build a masterpiece, and would like it to be featured on this blog, please let me know, I'd love to show off some of your hard work here :D
Time to go build a basement for my house! (will post some screen shots of that later!)
Till next time!
read more
Minecraft is the Indie game that took the world by storm. It's a big sandbox game where you can shape the world to your exact liking. Add to that the harvesting of resources and building stuff (anything from a small log cabin in the woods to deep underground mines and glorious works of art!), as well as zombies and sheep, and you've got a pretty amazing and addictive game!
People will complain about the blockiness of the graphics, but that is what gives this game so much charm and personality! It just shows you, a games doesn't necessarily need awesome and high detailed graphics to be awesome!
Now, the pocket edition is a work in progress, much like the desktop version was for so very long. As you can see in the above screen shot, we're on version 0.2.0 alpha. So at this stage, it's not even close to what the desktop version is, but it's definitely getting there!
I bought the game for $0.10 when Android had there massive app download drive, but you can still buy it for $6.99 - a little steep for my liking (very happy that I got it for ten cents!), but I foresee great things for this little gem in the mining (see what I did there?? Gem? Mining? Minecraft??? ;P
Luckily, a demo version is available, so you can get that to first check it out.
Get the full version here
And the demo version here
So, at this stage the game has two modes - Creative and Survival. Creative mode just gives you this big, randomly generated world which you can sculpt to your exact liking, where the Survival mode adds a few things, like gathering some resources, and fending of zombies at night!
Here is my little house by the sea, which I started when the game was still version 0.1.0 (no survival mode back then):
In the second screen shot, I'm actually flying (something you can only do in creative mode) - you'll also see the on-screen controls on the left. The button in the middle is to jump - double tap that one to fly.
I must say, the game's performance on my Galaxy S2 is extremely smooth and without drops in frames per second at all. It does take some getting used to using the onscreen controls like that. Looking around is done by tapping and moving your finger across the screen. If you tap an hold in one spot, you'll start digging that specific block if it's close enough.
Here's a few from my little house's "porch" :)
The survival mode introduces a few extra things, most notably zombies that want to do nothing but eat your brains. So the first thing you always do in a Survival game is build a shelter, so that you can survive the night's horrors!
As you can see in the above screenshot, I made my little shelter by digging out a cave in the side of a hill. I recommend doing that because it's quicker.
You'll also notice the health bar, so in Survival mode you can die! EEK! ;)
Furthermore, you can start gathering some resources, with which you can only build at this stage. In the desktop version, you can craft all kinds of stuff, like weapons, doors, furniture, traps, etc. I'm sure these will be added to the game as new versions get released! (Hopefully!)
With this version you have a limited range of blocks that you can place, but I'm sure this list will also keep growing as time goes by:
As you can see, you have an unlimited supply of most of the blocks and items, but some of them you have to gather in your adventures.
I was lucky and survived my first night :) I did face a few zombies, but that wasn't too hard:
Anyway, this is a really good little time waster, and the promise of more updates to expand the features of the game means it'll keep on getting better and better. (I'll keep everyone posted on the updates as they happen!)
One thing I haven't tried out though, is joining some friends in a multiplayer game. If you have, feel free to leave some comments on how that is! Also, if you've build a masterpiece, and would like it to be featured on this blog, please let me know, I'd love to show off some of your hard work here :D
Time to go build a basement for my house! (will post some screen shots of that later!)
Till next time!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
0
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Ric RAT
Nintendo Entertainment System (aka NES) Emulator
I'm going to cut right to the chase. See the below screen shots:
Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you! I was playing Super Mario Brothers on my phone! To do something like that, you need something that we call an emulator, and together with that, you need the actual ROMs, which are the games themselves.
The emulator I'm using here is a very nice, and most importantly, free one called John NES Lite (NES Emulator).
Get it here.
The free version works just like the paid for one, but it is ad supported.
It includes several customization options. For example, you can hold the phone portrait or landscape, you can alter the size of the buttons on screen, you can take screen shots, etc.
Now the only thing you need to actually play some games on it, would be the games themselves. I am not sure how the copyrights and that kinda stuff works for games on the NES. I take it, if you own the game, you can download it without worrying.
To get some games, simply google "nes roms", download the roms, copy them to your phone, and the app should automatically scan your phone for new games :)
Ahh, nostalgia! Enjoy!
read more
Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you! I was playing Super Mario Brothers on my phone! To do something like that, you need something that we call an emulator, and together with that, you need the actual ROMs, which are the games themselves.
The emulator I'm using here is a very nice, and most importantly, free one called John NES Lite (NES Emulator).
Get it here.
The free version works just like the paid for one, but it is ad supported.
It includes several customization options. For example, you can hold the phone portrait or landscape, you can alter the size of the buttons on screen, you can take screen shots, etc.
Now the only thing you need to actually play some games on it, would be the games themselves. I am not sure how the copyrights and that kinda stuff works for games on the NES. I take it, if you own the game, you can download it without worrying.
To get some games, simply google "nes roms", download the roms, copy them to your phone, and the app should automatically scan your phone for new games :)
Ahh, nostalgia! Enjoy!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Friday, December 9, 2011
0
Friday, December 9, 2011
Ric RAT
Lots of apps for $0.10
This is just a quick post, for those who didn't know, Google is pushing 10 billion app downloads, and with that they have 8-12 apps everyday marked down to only $0.10! That's R0.80 for us South Africans!
I've bought several already, so lots of reviews that will be coming in the next couple of weeks!
My favourite at the moment - Game Dev Story - get it here
Stay tuned!
read more
I've bought several already, so lots of reviews that will be coming in the next couple of weeks!
My favourite at the moment - Game Dev Story - get it here
Stay tuned!
0
Ric RAT
Hi,
Tap and shake to the music of 100's of your favorite artists!
Get your favorite artists like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Bruno Mars, B.o.B - PLUS free tracks from Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance and Benny Benassi!
Features include:
- Chat with TTR players around the world
- Global leaderboards with up-to-the-minute scores
- Battle other players online
- Customize your avatar
- Weekly contests and new music
- Play any track in Arcade Mode
- Like tracks in the game, then battle other players who like the same tracks
- AND SO MUCH MORE!
Tap Tap Revenge 4 is easy to learn, but takes a lifetime to master! Tap the targets on your touchscreen to the beat of the music, scoring points for accuracy and timing. Add in multiple diffculty levels, hundreds of songs, live online battlegrounds, and you'll never have the same experience twice !
this game was unable to meet the requirements for our ace
so a developer ported it to run on ace
.Apk
install and play :)
read more
Tap Tap Revenge 4 On Galaxy Ace
Hi,
Tap and shake to the music of 100's of your favorite artists!
Get your favorite artists like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Bruno Mars, B.o.B - PLUS free tracks from Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance and Benny Benassi!
Features include:
- Chat with TTR players around the world
- Global leaderboards with up-to-the-minute scores
- Battle other players online
- Customize your avatar
- Weekly contests and new music
- Play any track in Arcade Mode
- Like tracks in the game, then battle other players who like the same tracks
- AND SO MUCH MORE!
Tap Tap Revenge 4 is easy to learn, but takes a lifetime to master! Tap the targets on your touchscreen to the beat of the music, scoring points for accuracy and timing. Add in multiple diffculty levels, hundreds of songs, live online battlegrounds, and you'll never have the same experience twice !
this game was unable to meet the requirements for our ace
so a developer ported it to run on ace
.Apk
install and play :)
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
0
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Ric RAT
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Move to SD enabler
Hi,
I know that you may be scratching your **** heads and thinking why move 2 sd option is disabled
No worry take heart and worship me
No need joking.
Download this software move2sd.apk
And VIOLA.......... you move 2 SD option is enabled.
Now you can move your big NFS file to SD card now install as many apps as you can.
Cummon try it no harm.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
0
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Ric RAT
Galaxy S2 Photo Editor
The Galaxy S2 comes standard with a very decent photo editor app, called, wait for it :) - "Photo editor" - very handy for a few quick touch ups, cropping or rotating. It's not a full Photoshop type app, but for every day use, it does the job nicely!
In this post I'll quickly go over all the features it has - starting the app, allows you to select which image you want to edit:
You can either select an existing image, or take a new one... Once you've selected the photo you want to edit, you'll get a neat interface with everything you need right there:
The next one you'd need would be a cropping tool - we always get stuff like fingers or bystanders that spoil the photo, so cropping the pic can easily fix that. It can even turn a crappy photo into a MASTERPIECE!!!
This little app also have several selection related tools and features, which allows you to make edits to only certain parts of a photo:
At the bottom you'll see a back and forward button, so you can undo and redo any steps you take... Next to that you have a paint pallet icon, which gives you options to play with the brightness and contrast settings:
The magic wand tool gives you options to make some blur related changes to your selection (you need to make a selection first for this to work):
The final tool in the list gives you some other effects you can apply to your pic:
So there you have it, that covers the stock standard "Photo editor" that comes by default with the Galaxy S2 - it's got enough to allow you to do the basics, but it won't be used by professional photographers :) (they'll anyway rather use their PC or Mac)
I'll have a look to see what alternatives to the standard photo editor there are out there, and maybe do some reviews on them too.
Till next time!
read more
In this post I'll quickly go over all the features it has - starting the app, allows you to select which image you want to edit:
You can either select an existing image, or take a new one... Once you've selected the photo you want to edit, you'll get a neat interface with everything you need right there:
The most basic feature any decent photo editor app must have is a rotate one, and luckily, this one does! It also includes "flip horizontally" and "flip vertically" features:
The next one you'd need would be a cropping tool - we always get stuff like fingers or bystanders that spoil the photo, so cropping the pic can easily fix that. It can even turn a crappy photo into a MASTERPIECE!!!
This little app also have several selection related tools and features, which allows you to make edits to only certain parts of a photo:
At the bottom you'll see a back and forward button, so you can undo and redo any steps you take... Next to that you have a paint pallet icon, which gives you options to play with the brightness and contrast settings:
The magic wand tool gives you options to make some blur related changes to your selection (you need to make a selection first for this to work):
The final tool in the list gives you some other effects you can apply to your pic:
So there you have it, that covers the stock standard "Photo editor" that comes by default with the Galaxy S2 - it's got enough to allow you to do the basics, but it won't be used by professional photographers :) (they'll anyway rather use their PC or Mac)
I'll have a look to see what alternatives to the standard photo editor there are out there, and maybe do some reviews on them too.
Till next time!
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