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PSA: TurboTax on Android is free through Sunday if you start your taxes before then
If you've ever filed your taxes on an iPad, you know Intuit's TurboTax app is free to download, but that you'll have to pay up once you're ready to submit those returns. But, in an effort to promote its newish apps for Android tablets and the Kindle Fire, the company's giving the entire number-crunching cow away for free -- at least through this weekend. Just download between tomorrow (Friday) and Sunday and make sure you start your taxes before Monday (it's okay if you finish them later). To be clear, this includes both federal and state-level taxes, which you'd normally pay for separately for $29.99 and up. Another quid pro quo: this won't work on handsets, even though the Kindle runs a customized version of Android 2.3. If you own a tablet it should run smoothly on Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich, though. In any case, to those of you who've been putting off your taxes, happy downloading, procrastinators. Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.
Android apps on the PlayBook can keep their built-in ads, won't support RIM ads
Let's face it: a free PlayBook is nice, but it's not enough. If Android developers are to be persuaded to give up soccer practice and hot dates to stay home and re-package their apps for PlayBook OS 2.0, then they're going to need some advertising income too. Which is why a report over the weekend, claiming that ported apps would not support mobile ads, caused no end of fuss. Fortunately, it was the result of some kind of miscommunication and RIM quickly clarified that the updated PlayBook OS would support the ad services that come built into Android apps, but wouldn't support RIM's own BlackBerry ad services in that context. So what's it to be, the shin guards, the cologne, or the keyboard?
Vonage Mobile app allows free calls and texts worldwide to fellow Android and iOS users
Looking to save some coin on those international calls to your mates in Brussels? Vonage has just rolled out new Android and iOS apps that do just that. The Vonage Mobile app offers free talk and text for corresponding with fellow app users worldwide by way of WiFi or data connection. Need to update app-less Auntie Em while backpacking through the Swiss Alps? The outfit says it'll save you 70% over major carriers and costs 30% less than Skype. For calls to folks without the app, users can add calling credit in either $4.99 or $9.99 increments right from the iTunes store or Android Market. The software also makes use of your existing number and extensive list of contacts without the need to create another username. Right now, calls to any phone in the US of A, Canada or Puerto Rico are free from the app for a limited time -- so long as you stay under 3000 minutes per month, of course. Hit the source link or PR below for more information before heading to your app repository to snag the free download.
A closer look at AcerCloud (video)
Acer unveiled so much hardware this week that it's easy to forget it also teased a cloud-based storage service. In brief, AcerCloud, allows you to remotely access whatever's on your Acer laptop, even if it's asleep or in hibernation mode, and even if you're not connected to the same WiFi network. Storage is unlimited, and you can upload music, photos, videos and documents. Also, it's free. So how does this work, if not over WiFi? Whenever possible, AcerCloud will try to create a peer-to-peer connection between your laptop and phone, but when that fails a security token inside the laptop allows the cloud service to play matchmaker between the notebook and the app, which is of course tied to your account. At launch, there will be separate mobile applications for music, photos, et cetera. It will be Android-only, though Acer reps tell us they intend to to create versions for Windows Phone and even iOS (assuming Apple approves it). They also say they're considering developing a file manager where you can access all your content, and not just music or pictures. For now, at least, the discrete apps are intuitively designed, and the best part is that you can play back media inside of them. Good news for anyone not satisfied with their Android phone's native music player. Expect this to start rolling out in North America and China in the second quarter, followed by a worldwide release sometime in Q4. It'll also become an eventual staple on Acer PCs, including things like all-in-ones, but in the beginning it will be exclusive to Acer's Ultrabooks. Until Q2 rolls around, though, you can head past the break for a short demo of the music app. We hope you're not too sick of Lady Gaga. Billy Steele contributed to this report.
Zenonia, Swiftkey X headline day 9 of the Android Market sale
There's two days to go before the Android Market returns to normal, as we enter into day 9 of its sale to celebrate the download of the ten billionth app. Only one, Swiftkey X, has come back for a second helping of the sale. Of the eleven apps being featured today, a healthy eight are games: Sleepy Jack, Icebreaker Hockey, Deer Hunter 3D, MX Moto, Guns 'n' Glory, Tank Riders, Zenonia and Collapse. Rounding out the selection you'll find ezPDF Reader -- which obviously needs no introduction -- and Toddler Tapping Zoo for the young 'uns. One day left, and then we'll just have to cross our fingers and wait to see what happens when the Android Market hits twenty billion. As always, check out the source link to see the options.
Android Market's big sale hits Day 8, sense of deja vu increases
Is the Android Market running out of apps to offer its sales-hungry users? Several of today's downloads have already seen their prices snipped at some point last week -- at least you now have a second chance to grab them. To ameliorate the disappointment of the slightly samey selection, the little green one's pushed the boat out to 12 different apps. Instant Heart Rate Pro could be worth a ten cent investment, if only for some medical showboating. But is it too much to ask for a cut-price Shadowgun before the end? C'mon Google, give us an early Christmas miracle.
Get your Doodle Jump and Flight Control on as the Android Market sale continues into day 7
On the seventh day of the Android Market sale, your true love should give you Super KO Boxing 2. Or Flight Control, or Flick Soccer, or any of the other seven apps available today for ten cents. If you haven't been following along the past week, Google's been celebrating its ten billionth Android app download by offering a ten-day sale, and today's offerings -- ten in total -- are rife with games and a couple returning favorites. Everything you see in the above screenshot is available for a dime, so head over to the source link if there's something you've been pining for, or if you're just trying to collect the whole set.
Android Market's sixth sale day wants to fill your phone with games -- and a bedtime story
Another day, another selection of pocket change-priced apps. Highlights from today's offering include the return of Endomondo Sports Tracker to the sale shelves, swashbuckling adventure BackStab HD and SimCity Deluxe. It's a game-centric selection for this lazy Sunday, rounded out by Backbreaker Football, Captain America and Jenga. You can fill up your pretend basket at the Android Market link below. Four more days to go.
Android Market's ten-cent promo moves into day 4 with Need for Speed Shift, Shazam Encore and eight more
The Android Market ten-cent promo has moved into Day 4, once again offering up a fresh daily set of apps to celebrate the virtual venue's ten billionth download. As of this writing, yesterday's apps are still on sale (and still featured on the Market's main promo page), but today's sale includes titles like Need for Speed Shift, Shazam Encore, Farm Frenzy, Sentinel 3 and Jelly Defense. Rounding out the lineup: Spirit HD, Toddler Spanish, Game Dev Story, Baseball Superstars 2011 and My Beach HD. Amazon doesn't appear to be matching the sale price this time around (yet), so if any of these titles are striking a chord, you'll need to go through the Market itself to check 'em out. Note: It appears that at the time of this writing most if not all paid apps are experiencing technical difficulties when downloading -- on either the online Market or the phone -- so if you're having trouble getting one of the ten cent apps, we recommend taking a brief hiatus and coming back to try again a little bit later. Update: The promo page has been updated and it looks like all of the apps are downloading just fine now. Head to the source link to get started. Update 2: So it seems that Google Wallet is having issues staying live today, so it's quite possible that you'll continue to have issues purchasing your apps until the service is fully restored. Update 3: If you ran into issues with Google Wallet today, you may be in for some freebies: Android Police is reporting that users who had their orders cancelled are being awarded free apps. Hit their link below for details.
DoubleTwist releases new version for Android faithful, shows off premium EQ
If you've been getting bored with that stale version of DoubleTwist you're sporting, get ready for a breath of fresh air. The company has announced the next major version of its music player now awaits Android faithul in the Marketplace -- and will hit the Amazon Appstore later in the week. New features include a new grid view for album art, premium EQ (if you're running Android 2.3 or higher), an AirSync storage location option and a new playback screen which enables sliding to see previous / upcoming tracks. If you're still not impressed, DoubleTwist promises another update in December that will be similar in stature. Take a look after the break for a few more screen shots, should you need more convincing and get ready to show off all of those Ben Folds album covers.
RIM announces PlayBook 2.0 Developer Beta and Runtime, marries Android to BlackBerry
Research in Motion announced the developer beta of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 today at its annual DevCon event. The new beta will be released today, and has a few goodies that we've been waiting a long time for: namely, BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and the BlackBerry Plug-In for Android Development Tools, which will give developers the opportunity to bring their Android apps to the PlayBook. Also coming along for the ride is support for Adobe AIR 3, Flash Player 11 and WebGL, a new tech that enables hardware-accelerated 3D graphics to show in the browser without needing additional software. Needless to say, this changes the ballgame a bit for Waterloo. Sounds great, but is it enough to keep the company's head above water? Remains to be seen, but check out the press release after the break to get the full scoop, and head over to the Runtime site to get started.
Microsoft adding new features to Hotmail over 'the coming weeks,' releases an Android app
When we heard Microsoft was holding a press event called "Give Hotmail a Second Look," we wondered if a full-on redesign was in store. The answer happens to be a resounding "no," but the software giant is rolling out a raft of new features to its 365 million-some-odd users. This includes an Android app with two-way email, contact and calendar syncing (!), along with a slew of updates to Hotmail's web interface. First up, you can now automatically categorize incoming mail as newsletters, and then either trash 'em or sweep them to a folder. Additionally, an "Unsubscribe" feature lets you do just that, with Hotmail handling the dirty work of blocking future newsletters from that sender, as well as asking the company to kindly stop spamming you. Moving along, flagged messages will now sit at the top of the inbox so that they don't get lost in the morass of incoming mail. If you like, you can program Hotmail to automatically flag messages with a particular subject line, from a certain sender, et cetera. Meanwhile, "Scheduled Cleanup" automatically deletes messages after a certain number of days have passed -- a good way to cut through that pile of unused Groupon alerts. Other updates include the ability to manage and edit folders and apply categories to individual emails -- all inline. And, last but not least, you'll now see so-called Instant Actions (e.g., "delete," "flag") when you hover over messages. We've got a few screenshots below, and you can also hit the source link for some extra details, straight from the horse's mouth. Update: We've added a few screenshots for the Android app! %Gallery-135606% %Gallery-135695%
RIM details Android compatibility, apps written with NDK see Canadian visas declined
While you're undoubtedly aware that the PlayBook will gain the ability to run Android apps at some point, RIM's come clean with specifics as to which ones will run on the biggest BlackBerry. According to Thinq, engineers from the Canuck company confirmed that the upcoming compatibility layer will not support apps written with the NDK -- you know, wares written in C instead of the typical one-two Java / Dalvik punch. Also on the chopping block are those that incorporate Google Maps, in-app billing or Mountain View's text-to-speech engine. Similarly, live wallpaper and applications that use VoIP or have more than one activity linked to the launcher are also on the outs. It's been decreed then: don't expect a fantastical bevy of apps to make the jump sans elbow grease, which if we're honest, is about right given the other news out of Waterloo.
Vonage launches Android app for free international calling, still no service to Brodo Asogi
Just in time for Tante Lulu's birthday in Gstaad, Vonage launched its Extensions app for free long-distance calling from your Android phone. With a quick download, homesick relatives can tap into their existing Vonage VoIP service from a Google-powered phone to call globally without racking up terribly expensive additional mobile charges. The catch? It requires a VoIP international calling plan before you can start dialing friends worldwide. Also, pricing is subject to your existing calling plan and it doesn't support messaging like some other similar apps, including Fring and Viber. For existing Vonage users, it's certainly a sweet added feature, leaving you no excuse but to call Auntie Lulu. [Thanks, Val]
Jawbone announces Icon HD headset with improved audio, 'Nerd' adapter for making PC-based VoIP calls
It's been the better part of a year since we've seen a new Jawbone headset, and in that time the outfit's clearly been focusing less on brainstorming cutesy names for its Bluetooth earpieces and more on tweaking the sound quality. The company just announced the Icon HD, whose wideband speaker is 25 percent larger than the original Icon's, and which lets you pause and play songs and podcasts by pressing a button on the headset. The real story, though, isn't the Icon HD, but The Nerd, a questionably named add-on that plugs into your computer's USB port, allowing the headset to field VoIP calls from PCs and Macs, in addition to ones coming through to your cellphone. The hook here -- aside from the added functionality -- is that it's a plug-n-play device that doesn't require any software installation. It's almost as if -- wait for it -- a nerd took the reins and set up wireless VoIP calling for you. The pair's on sale as a bundle for $139, and will hit brick-and-mortar stores soon. In other news, Jawbone's Companion for Android app, which displays headsets' battery life among other vitals, is now out of the testing phase and ready for general consumption. Full PR after the break.
WIMM Labs introduces tiny wearable computer platform, we go hands-on
<div style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/02/wimm-labs-introduces-tiny-wearable-computer-platform-we-go-hand/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/08/wimm-wearable-platform01.jpg" style="border-width:0px;border-style:solid;margin:4px;"/></a></div> Tablets and smartphones might rule the present, but if you ask the folks at WIMM Labs, the future of data consumption is a one-inch by one-inch square. The Los Altos startup just revealed its new, wearable computing platform, developed, in part, through a partnership with <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/foxconn/">Foxconn</a>, that it hopes will change the way we look at computers. Currently known as the WIMM wearable platform, this new modular device packs a full-color 160 x 160 touchscreen, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, an accelerometer and magnetometer, and runs on good old Android. What's more, it's waterproof. Basically, it's a tiny, multifunctional computer, packed with "micro apps" that can make it anything from a smart watch to a health monitor, from a mobile payment device to an all-in-one remote. As of now, the company doesn't have plans to market it direct to consumers, but says it has a few partnerships in the works that could bring a WIMM-powered <em>something</em> to market by year's end; a developer kit will go on sale in the next few weeks for an undisclosed price. If you're itching to ditch that tired old <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/02/diamond-encrusted-lunatik-ipod-nano-watch-is-as-superfluous-as-i/">diamond-encrusted nano watch</a>, check out the galleries below and hop on past the break for our first impressions, video, and full PR. %Gallery-129730%%Gallery-129731%
Trapster 3.0 helps you avoid speed traps, encourages safety first
Speed limits, highway patrol, other drivers, it can all be such a bummer -- especially, if you're sitting back in one of these. With a little crowdsourced aid, however, and a free Android app, you can still fulfill that need for excessive speed. Recently released on the Android market, Trapster's v3.0 update refreshes the look of its checkpoint alerting mobile app and throws in some new features for good measure. In addition to the cleaner UI, there's also a new homescreen widget that lets you vote on upcoming traps and terrain maps to complement the existing standard and satellite versions. But the real standout feature here is the inclusion of a real-time speedometer that should have the heavy-footed reaching for that brake more often. The new function alerts drivers with color-coded warnings should their speed demon ways get the best of the road's limit. Alright, so the app may discourage your burnt rubber predilections, but that shouldn't stop you from hitting the source link to download this ticket-avoiding application.
Android App Player leaks out on to BlackBerry PlayBook
Back in April, when we put the PlayBook through its paces, we were disappointed to find it lacked the previously promised, and eventually teased, Android Player. Well, the time has finally come -- at least for those of you, who don't mind getting your hands, and tablet, dirty with leaked software. The folks over at n4bb snatched up a beta version of the program, which brings nearly 250,000 little-green-monster apps to the BB slab, but point out that it's got its drawbacks. Aside from altogether lacking a back button, this build apparently has some lagging issues. If you're the adventurous type, however, you can download and sideload the appropriate file by clicking on the source link below. But if your PlayBook gets covered in all sorts of leaky beta goo, don't come running to us -- it is unofficial after all. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
GetJar gets Cut the Rope exclusive, candy-craving monster makes Android debut
We played this addictive gem of an award-winning app on a friend's iPhone last year and actually considered cutting our friendly ties to Android just to get in on the action. Small wonder then that creator ZeptoLab caved in to pressure from the iOS rival's community, making Cut the Rope a one-week GetJar exclusive. It's a tactic we've seen competitor Amazon tackle before -- one that should help boost this Silicon Valley-based app store's visibility. String-slicing fiends can get to feeding their inner hungry, hungry Om Nom now, and give a much needed break to those over-slung simulated fowls. [Image courtesy iTunes App Store]
Visidon Applock sees your pretty face, grants you Android access (video)
In the event you got lulled into a groovy seat dance by that most excellent muzak above, let us repeat - this app does not protect your lockscreen. That said, Visidon's Applock will prevent the privacy-adverse from messing with your personally curated app collection. Have a nosy significant lover? No sweat -- snap a pick with your front-facing cam, enable the face-lock in your settings, and those sexts are as good as blocked. It's far from foolproof, however, as some comments indicate an extended bit of facial-wriggling tricks the app into unlock mode. Oh well, you're so vain, you'll probably think this Android market link is for you -- don't you? [Thanks, Matti]
