Back To School – Student’s Edition

As mentioned in the last post it is that time of year for all the young ones to go back to school. To help them prepare for this change from the lazy days of summer I have put together a couple apps that students can use as you are going back to school.

So check out these apps, and remember to be safe out on the roads and watch out for walking kids and school buses!

Name: School Assistant

Description:
Everything a student needs to keep organized now fits in your pocket!
School Assistant is your Android school planner, keep your routine organized with it.
You won’t forget any tests or works, School Assistant reminds you and lets you see progress charts and statistics.
School Assistant can mute your phone and notify you when a class starts based on your schedule.

Name: myHomework

Description:
The best way to keep your school life organized
Official myHomework app for Android.
Teachers not letting you use your phone in class? Parents on you for missing assignments? Show them you’re organized with myHomework.
myHomework is focused on apps that make student life easier. Our iPhone version has over one million downloads and now we’re bringing that same experience to Android.

Name: Dictionary.com

Description:
Take Dictionary.com’s trusted reference content wherever you go.
The free Dictionary.com app delivers reference content from Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com. The app also features audio pronunciation, voice-to-text search and Dictionary.com’s popular Word of the Day and Hot Word blog.

* Dictionary and Thesaurus
* 375,000 words and definitions
* 300,000 synonyms and antonyms
* Phonetic and audio pronunciation
* Spelling suggestions
* Example sentences
* Word origin and history
* Daily content, including Word of the Day and our new Hot Word blog
* Voice-to-text search (for the most accurate results, please enunciate clearly and speak slowly)
* Favorite words list
* Custom backgrounds
* Text and email definitions from the app
* Word of the Day home screen widget

AppsToOranges – Invites available

I just scored an invite to the new AppsToOranges app recommendation site and have a bunch of invites to share. To get one leave a comment and send a message to us via email or twitter (oldandroidsite@gmail.com / @oldandroidsite) remember that you have to do both to qualify.

You may be wondering what their site is all about. Well here is a little description from their site:

Apps & Oranges helps people find and recommend the best apps for getting stuff done. It’s social Q&A: Question & Apps. For example:

What are the best gps apps for iPhone? What are the best time tracking apps for the web? What are the best news apps for iPad?

Help make the site great: Add apps you’ve used and love. Write comments you’d be glad you read if someone else wrote it.

Back To School – Parent’s Edition

Well it is that time of year for all the young ones to go back to school.  To help them prepare for this change from the lazy days of summer I have put together a couple apps that parents can use to help your kids cope with back to school.

So check out these apps, and remember to be safe out on the roads and watch out for walking kids and school buses!

Name: School A to Z
Description:
Do you struggle to understand your child’s homework? Does your child need to practice their spelling and times tables? Are you looking for inspiration for projects and assignments?

The School A to Z app is an essential tool for every parent of school-aged children. Produced by the NSW Department of Education and Communities, the School A to Z app brings together a wealth of resources to help parents to understand and support their child’s homework.

Name: My HomeworkNOW & School Alerts
Description:
Get school alerts and classroom homework with My HomeworkNOW & School Alerts.

Stay connected to your school or your child’s school and classes with the My HomeworkNOW & School Alerts mobile application.

With this homeworknow app you can: receive school alerts (such as closings, emergencies, back pack notices, announcements, etc.) with real time notifications, view the latest school wide notifications on-demand, view classroom information and homework on-demand, get notifications when teachers update a class page or homework assignment.

This app requires that you have a My.HomeworkNOW.com account and that your school or teachers use HomeworkNOW.com as its school to home communication solution. If your school doesn’t use HomeworkNOW.com to post classroom happenings, homework, and school alerts, talk to your school administrators and teachers. Let them know you want to receive your school information on your mobile device with HomeworkNOW.com!

Don’t have a My.HomeworkNOW.com account? Create one today with your web browser at http://my.homeworknow.com. Add your school and classes to your account, then choose all your communication preferences (text message, email, mobile apps, Facebook, RSS, etc.). IF YOUR SCHOOL DOES NOT USE HOMEWORKNOW, TELL THEM YOU WANT THEM TO! (http://my.homeworknow.com/tell.php).

About HomeworkNOW.com: Through a web browser, Facebook, email, Text Messages, Mobile Apps for iPhone and Android, RSS feeds, and more, HomeworkNOW.com makes it possible for schools to communicate to parents and students in any manner the parent or student choose. Used by teachers, administrators, and parent-teacher organizations of thousands of k-12 schools, HomeworkNOW is the most efficient means of keeping students & parents connected. Its web based. Ad free. No software or staff needed. Communicate without cost. Tell your school administrators about HomeworkNOW.com today!

Asurion Insurance Extras

If your carrier is a US carrier you are probably offered insurance through Asurion.  If you decided to accept the insurance you might not even know that there are a few extra features offered to you through an Asurion app.  The Asurion app is different based on your carrier, so you just have to search for Asurion and your carrier name (ie: Sprint) and you can download the app for free if you are subscribed.

So what about these extras.  Using the Sprint example above you are given the ability to backup all of your contacts, because a large percentage of phones out there don’t have their numbers on Google or don’t know their password (or email address).  This is big if you use your phone for business, or have a ton of friends.  It’s always a pain to have to reload those by hand…

You also get the ability to locate your phone in the event that it is lost or stolen.  This may save you the cost of the deductible (which is still cheaper than the $600ish cost of the normal price of the phone).  Even if the phone is currently turned off it will tell you where the most recently located place was.

So if you decide to go with the insurance than you might as well download this free app and keep your contacts and phone safe.

Android Faxing

Have a document and need to fax it to someone? No fax machine? With the number of landline phones dwindling it is sometimes hard to find a fax machine without having to pay for using it. Well the good news is that with the below 2 tools you can send faxes with ease, right from your android phone.

The first step is getting the document saved on phone is to take a picture of it with an app called CamScan.  It is a simple program that uses your phones camera and snaps a picture, then converts that picture into a PDF file. PDF files are simply electronic paper. It can be opened on the phone (and computers) with a bunch of different programs (like adobe reader).

Once the picture is taken and it is saved with CamScan you next have to send it as a fax.  There are a bunch of ways to do this, but the way that I have had the most luck is through a website called FaxZero.com.  It is a reputable site, that is registered with the Better Business Bureau, so you can trust them.  You just have to fill out the form on the website and click the upload button in the form and choose the pdf file you just saved.  It will be on the memory card in a folder called CamScan.

Once the file is uploaded to their website, do a quick check to make sure that the form is all filled out and that you properly filled out the squiggly lettered CAPTCHA at the bottom, then click the Free button.  You will get a confirmation page, then a confirmation email that says the fax was sent.  Plus you will get another email confirming the delivery (or error) when it is all set. 
I know that this saved me a ton of hassle trying to fax something without an old school fax machine. If it helped you, or if you have questions or suggestions leave them in the comments below!

Sell Stuff on Craigslist! Great App by Bazaar

If you are like me you love Craigslist. I tend to have a handful of things listed all the time. I struggle with having to take the pictures, email them to myself. Save them into afolder, then create the post and upload the pictures. Isn’t there an easier way? Yes, there is an easier way, and it’s called Sell stuff on Craigslist! by Bazaar.

Bazaar’s app allows you to fill the form out on your phone, and either upload pictures already on your phone, or take a picture on the spot. Best of all it saves your logins so you can directly upload it. Therefore a post can go from idea to posted in just a few minutes.

Name: Sell stuff on Craigslist!
Description:
Try out the best Craigslist picture ad publishing App for phones and tablets.

FREE – NO ANNOYING ADS IN APP

Bazaar provides the best Craigslist ad posting experience on smartphones and tablets.

Sellers can quickly write all the post information (title, price, description), chose a location and include pictures directly taken from the app or accessible on the device. Bazaar will automatically publish on Craigslist, the most important marketplace for local classifieds in the US.

Unique features:
– upload 8 pictures rather than 4
– upload large pictures (up to 11 times more pixels)
– fastest posting app
– list, re-post and delete your posts

Notes:
– This app requires users to have or create a Craigslist Account.
– Editing posts is not currently supported, although it will very soon!

We would love to hear back from you. Send us feedback at http://goo.gl/FVlmw.

Music (From the Cloud)

No, I am not talking about some psychedelic concept that the Beatles came up with in the 60’s, but instead a technology that allows you to stream your own music – from the cloud.

Before I get ahead of myself I wanted to explain what the cloud is and how it works. In it’s simplest form a cloud computing system is just a service that stores your data remotely instead of locally on your own computer. So in these examples your music is stored remotely, and accessed through an internet connected application. This saves you a bunch of space on your memory card for other things!

So try out the following 2 services. If you need an invite leave a comment and I’ll see what I can do!

Name: Google Music
Description: Official Android player for Music Beta by Google.

The Music application features a redesigned UI and now supports Music Beta by Google.

Music Beta is a new service from Google that gives you instant access to your personal music collection on the web and your compatible Android devices without the hassle of wires or syncing.

Available in the U.S. by invitation only and free for a limited time.
Request an invitation at music.google.com.

Not a Music Beta user? You can still use this player to listen to music on your Android device.

Name: Amazon MP3
Description: Introducing Amazon MP3 for Android with Cloud Player
The new Amazon MP3 app for Android, available for free in the Amazon Appstore and Android Market, includes the full Amazon MP3 store and the mobile version of Amazon Cloud Player. You can use the app to shop the Amazon MP3 store, access music stored in Amazon Cloud Drive, and music stored locally on your Android device. Shop for your favorite music by searching or browsing the Amazon MP3 store. Play, download, and manage your Cloud Drive music right from your device using Cloud Player.

Shop the Amazon MP3 Store on the Go
Shop over 15 million songs and over a million albums
Find what you want by searching, browsing genres, or exploring bestsellers
Get the same low prices, special deals, and free music you can find on the Amazon MP3 website
Check back every day for the Daily Deal and Free Song of the Day
Enter promotional or Amazon.com Gift Card codes
Save new Amazon MP3 purchases directly to Cloud Drive for free

What’s Cloud Player?
Cloud Player plays the music you save to Cloud Drive, Amazon’s secure online storage space for your music, photos, and other digital files. Save your music to Cloud Drive in two ways:

Shop the Amazon MP3 store and choose to “Save to your Amazon Cloud Drive” when prompted after order completion.
Using your PC or Mac, upload your music collection to Cloud Drive so you can access it on your Android device via Cloud Player.
Playing Your Music in Cloud Player
Simply open Cloud Player from the Amazon MP3 app for Android and stream your music collection from Cloud Drive. With the Amazon MP3 app for Android, you can also play music from your device’s built-in storage.

Note: When streaming over a mobile carrier data network, you should consider changing your application settings to stream only when connected to Wi-Fi unless you have an unlimited data plan with your carrier. If you have questions about your data plan, please contact your mobile carrier.

Mobile Payments

So you want to do some online shopping, or make payments to an individual right from your phone. There are a couple of apps for that. Below you will find information about the Paypal App, which has been around for a little while, along with the new Serve app, which is a new online payment service by American Express.

Name: Paypal
Description:
Send money to your friends, manage your account, and more, with the PayPal app. It’s free, secure and more convenient than going to the bank, writing checks, or sending gifts the old way.

· Send money as a gift, split the bill, or repay a friend for FREE*
· Snap a photo of your check to add money directly from the app, no fees apply (US only)
· Check your balance, withdraw money, or view past transactions – anytime, anywhere
· SD card support and improved app performance
· Use the PayPal local feature to find businesses nearby that accept PayPal as payment (US only)
· As always, your information is secure with PayPal

*Free to send money within the US when you use a bank account or PayPal balance.

Name: Serve
Description:
Serve.com, provided by American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

Send and receive money from anywhere in the U.S. with Serve℠. Whether you’re paying back a friend, giving your child an allowance, or receiving money, it’s a quick, easy and secure way to perform your everyday transactions. The Serve app gives you the control, convenience and flexibility to manage your money from anywhere in the U.S. at any time.

With the Serve app, you can:
* Register for Serve
* Send and receive money from friends and family
* Request money from an individual or group
* Split-the-Bill for group purchases
* Add funds to your Serve account
* Check your balance and manage your subaccounts

Serve accounts are available to U.S. residents only. To enjoy all the tools the app has to offer, invite your friends to open an account too!

Android… On Blackberry???

This is news for all the people out there that either have a Blackberry and love it, or are stuck with a Blackberry for work email. It looks like RIM has decided to include a “app player” in it’s upcoming versions of their Blackberry OS.

This is great news considering more and more developers are jumping to Android making the Market have hundreds of thousands of apps available, as opposed to the minimal number Blackberry has.

If you have a Blackberry Playbook there is a leaked version of the “App Player” of it floating around that you can load onto your current Playbook. Our friends at n4bb.com have more information on the leak.

From their site:

Wow, here is a serious surprise for PlayBook owners. Apparently, this was easily found through a changelog in a Desktop Manager update. We’ve been sent a beta build of the Android App Player for the PlayBook. It is a huge file, lags a bit, has no visible back button (you have to swipe left on the bottom bezel), but we’re told nonetheless it works. The app itself is controlled through a series of swipe gestures. This beta version is fairly old, so don’t hold it against them. You of course have to side-load the .bar file to install. Google search for DDPB installer to side-load easily.

Download PlayBook Android App Player from:
Mirror download links:

Frogger by Konami – Free Amazon Appstore App 10/26/11

Name: Frogger by Konami
Description:
For those of you of a certain age–remember video arcades? the Atari 2600?–this is an absolutely must-have app. Newbies will love it too, especially kids. It’s not just any classic video game of yesteryear–it’s FROGGER.

Blast from the Past
If you played video games in the early 1980s, you remember Frogger. Along with Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, this was one of the biggest early successes in the industry. Anybody could play Frogger–all you had to do was guide the green amphibian across the street and over the logs and turtles to his slot on the other side of the river. Simple, but totally addicting.

The Original and Best
Don’t be fooled by imitations–this is the real thing, published by the original manufacturer, Konami. You get the same look and feel, and moving your frog is smooth as silk with the slide controls. If you have trouble with sliding, you have the option of moving by tapping the screen. No more stiff joysticks to worry about!

Why? To Get to the Other Side
A frog’s world is full of danger. Speeding cars and trucks clog the four-lane freeway you must cross just to get to the riverbank–be careful you don’t end up with tire tracks on your back. You have to be equally quick and adept on the river, because the logs move fast and if you go off the edge of the screen, it’s curtains. Try to carry the cute female frogs to safety and eat the flies for bonus points, but watch out for crocodiles or you’ll become lunch yourself!

Phantom Phroggie
An interesting twist in this version is Phantom Mode, which guides you during the game by showing the route you took in your best game. In regular mode, you can post your high scores online and see who the top guns are with OpenFeint. Happy hopping!