The latest version of
doubleTwist for the Mac (1.0b1b to be precise, available now) adds a whole new
Android Market element to the application. Much akin to the iTunes Store for apps, doubleTwist lets you browse Android apps in a beautified, desktop interface, but the "twist" is that you can't actually download and sync apps with your phone. Instead, the Android Market browser presents QR codes for scanning with your Android phone and directly downloading the apps on the handset like you do already. Sure, desktop app downloads, backup, and syncing would certainly be better, but this is a nice start at least. D-Twist (as we like to call it) is also getting audio playback on the Mac, as well as podcast search and playback, with podcast subscription and syncing coming next (it's already on Windows). Meanwhile, Windows users will have to wait until the next major version for Android Market. Not to worry, you can do the exact same sort of app browsing at
apps.doubletwist.com on any plain old browser. You can even check out the Engadget app right
here.
Update: We're trying to play around a bit with the app, but at the moment the search functionality is broken and most of the QR codes are handing us bad URLs for apps. Hang tight! Every once in a while we see a blip of non-brokenness, but we're guessing there are some server hiccups at the moment holding us back from Android Market enlightenment.
posted March 31st 2010 11:21AM
Interesting. I didn't know DoubleTwist had improved like this. I may have to check it out for my Droid.
@DJ That's improved? That's "beautified"?
ick.
@DJ It's really not that great. Syncing takes forever. Scanning your library takes even longer and it also syncs doubles. If you think iTunes is bad, then this has got to be the worst piece of software ever written.
If you really want iTunes functionality use these:
For Apps: Appbrain
For iTunes: iSyncr
@DJ
Just use Appbrain. I tried the last version of doubleTwist for Windows out, podcast support was decent but the application is a resource hog and spawns way too many daughter processes. It did a great job of detecting my G1, and then it crashed. It did a great job of updating and downloading podcasts, but then it slowed my system to a crawl. The doubleTwist app also makes using any other USB device a hassle unless you disable its "USB helper" process.
It is beta software I say give it a year or two before it is actually usable. Actually it's closer to alpha than beta.
@mmalsed You could just use your x86 DOS machine. Oh wait, you can't, you go to the library to use a computer :-P
@bullshitexpresscom 'scuse me? Just because I don't think it's pretty? Wow. LOL - I use both Snow Leopard and Win7. I just don't think that's "pretty". . . that's all.
@mmalsed
i agree, it doesnt look nice... but if its improved i fear for what it looked like before...
Android is taking over...bye bye apple!!!
@Antiapple
Ummm...no.
@Antiapple
More like copy, copy Apple. I can't believe Apple hasn't shut down this iTunes blatant rip-off.
Once again, Apple comes up with the ideas and everyone else rips them off.
BTW, where is the contact management functionality in this package? Is it there? Just wondering.
@Antiapple Apple's not going anywhere. I prefer Android over my 3G now but that's not going to stop Apple's base of customers of many people who didn't even know you could browse the web on a mobile before the iPhone. Not to mention they make things besides the iPhone.
@Antiapple
Have fun competing against last year's iPhone...
@Antiapple I'm pretty against Apple as a company and support Google and Android to the highest degree. But even I have to say you've got to be smokin' some really, really potent shit if you think Android will eliminate Apple anytime soon or(I'd hate to say) at all.
DoubleTwist needs to be the official Android sync client now. Get on it, Google.
@soren121
+1
the fact they went mac first kind of stings though...at least linux first!
@soren121 I wonder how pissed off Apple would be of this happened and Google implemented app downloads etc. Basically a less bloated iTunes for Android.
@hollis
Wait, are you suggesting this is not supposed to be an iTunes clone?
LMAO...
You go sit with the ZuneSoftware team
@hollis
Why would Apple be "pissed off"? Somehow I doubt anyone would lose sleep over this.
Droid phones syncing with *GASP* Macs, i love it!
They should do something similar for Palm WebOS apps since they support publicly accessible app data feeds.
@forcegoat I'd like that too... I hate only being able to browse the App Catalog on my Pre. I want to do it on my computer, like iTunes, and sync them over.
Any reason why there isn't a "Search" feature on real Android Market website? Searching and/or previewing 30,000 apps on my phone is a pain. We need much better search filters google! :)
Absolutely fekkin awesome!
Oops, searching on apps.doubletwist.com returns "500 Internal Server Error"
Is it still slow? I tried DT out earlier, but it was really slow. I just do drag & drop now.
Podcast support would ROCK! But I'm under the impression that there is no way (outside a dedicated playlist) to sort podcasts on android?
@Chroma When you make a 'Podcast' folder in the root of the SD card, the default music app makes a dedicated Podcast playlist and saves progress, etc. At least it works this way on Milestone 2.01. I think it would be pretty easy for Double Twist to just implement a feature that transfers new podcasts to the podcast folder.
@Chroma
Check out DoggCatcher on the Marketplace. It will manage your podcast playlist, manage the downloads and delete them when you're done listening to them.
Searching is borked on the site.
PC version???
@Plazmic Flame AndroSync, uses iTunes. http://www.scottastraughan.com/mediasync/ ;)
@scottishgeek
scottishgeek, I'm guessing you're the developer. Very cool, indeed.
Can anyone recommend the best music player app for Android?
Haven't really tried out the stock one yet, but thinking about upgrading my nexus one sd card to 16gb and getting double twist and using this as my music player so was wondering what people suggest for music players.
@decypherSMC
tunewiki
or
3
I've been using AppBrain (http://www.appbrain.com/) to sync and discover Android apps for my Moto DROID. Works nicely.
@jmc Same. Appbrain + iSyncr = win.
@JONNNathannn nice one. I wasn't familiar with iSyncr. I have been using Missing Sync (got a discount for crossgrading from Missing Sync for WinMo) to sync up music & playlists but this looks like a very nice free alternative.
wait.. Android market on iTunes? this is more twisted than a Double Mctwist
@GN1 No.
Ok cool, so we now officially have a new iTunes clone / wannabe. Nice, just what the doctor ordered.
Does it make sense to use a software on a PC/Mac to download apps on a smartphone?
As for backup, unlocked Android devices can already use Nand backup (on custom recovery) to backup all the phone on the SD card directly from the phone. For the music, I'm using a music streaming service so my playlists are synchronized OTA.
Maybe new Android users coming from an iTunes+iPhone experience are looking for this kind of software but I'm not.
I'm pretty sure the Future doesn't want you to use this kind of app either.
Android smartphones are perfectly capable to manage themselves without a PC/Mac.
Someone wants to be bought by Google...
I don't like Doubletwist, though. It syncs slowly and has to scan your library all the time which can be slow. iSyncr is an Android app that when plugged into the computer, opens a box of your iTunes music, you click what playlists and librarys you want to sync and it syncs faster than I understand possible.
Appbrain is a website and app that lets you browse and choose apps online, and when you open the app on your phone it has a list of the apps you liked. You click them to install.
Appbrain and iSyncr are a better experience than Doubletwist.
Just downloaded doubleTwist to try it out on my mac (even though I'm an iTunes + iPhone user) to see if it was a better music app than iTunes.
Turns out it's significantly slower, and the library navigation is practically a joke. You have no option to display more than Track name, Artist, and Album in the list view. Meaning you can't even show or sort by the track numbers, so listening to an album in the correct order is impossible. The "icon" view is even worse - rather than logically showing an icon for each album, EVERY SONG gets an icon and they are simply mashed together in one huge grid. Beyond useless, at least for me.
I was initially glad that there was some competition for iTunes in terms of music library management, but now I'm a bit disappointed that iTunes is my only real option for now. I think doubleTwist has a long way to go before they can legitimately compete: leaving out core music features (like track sorting in albums) is not a good way to entice users over to your platform!
Search is working perfectly for me....
Double Twist sucks...