Puffin Web Browser is a web browser for Android smartphones and tablets. If you want to move away from Chrome, Firefox, Opera and the others, here's a comprehensive alternative in terms of features, offering tabbed browsing, the option to save to favorites, a download and extensions manager, themes, a gamepad and much more to help you browse web from your mobile.
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Hike 2.9.7 - app
Hike is messaging app for Android that lets you chat for free with any other user of the service. Hike is very similar to applications such as s WhatsApp or LINE.
What does Hike do?
Hike allows you save the cost of sending SMS by exchanging free messages with anyone else who has the app installed, regardless of what smartphone platform they are using. Hike can even send SMS messages for free to someone, though this service only works in India at present.
Besides just chatting via instant messaging, you can attach images, video, audio and voice messages to your chats with Hike. There's also an option for sharing your location with the person you're chatting too. Hike includes a group chatting feature too.
Hike includes a wide selection of fun emoticons that you can add to your chats, which are grouped into three different types of character. There's something for everyone in there.
How easy is Hike to use?
The setup process for Hike is very similar to that of WhatsApp or Viber. You need to enter your phone number and you'll be sent an activation code via SMS. Enter this into the field provided and you're away.
You can easily view all your friends on Hike by tapping the contacts button. This will pull up a list of people from your phone contacts book who have Hike, as well as allowing you to invite friends who don't yet have the app.
Is Hike better than WhatsApp?
Ultimately, Hike is very similar to WhatsApp. It shares almost all of the same features, though I would say WhatsApp is a bit more polished. Although the user interface of Hike looks great, it doesn't have the customization options of WhatsApp, which allows you to change the background image of the chat window. WhatsApp has a more varied range of emoticons, too.
In our tests of Hike 1.7.1 on a Galaxy Nexus S, we had problems with the activation process, which the developer said was not working due to "high demand". Eventually we managed to register and test the app. In general it runs very well, but we experienced a couple of crashes.
Hike is a fast and easy way to chat for free with your buddies on your phone. Whether you choose Hike over WhatsApp, LINE, Viber and the rest will depend ultimately on which service most of your friends are using.
Adobe Reader 11.4.0 - app
If you want to read PDFs on your Android device, Windows favorite Adobe Reader might just be able to come to the rescue.
Adobe Reader for Android is a PDF reader that focuses on simplicity and speed. This app can't do anything amazing, but it will let you read even the largest PDF documents with ease. Crucially, it's also got a great zoom function and quick search, essential for when you are trying to track things down on an- often tiny - mobile screen.
Organizing your documents with Adobe Reader is also a pleasant experience - it automatically detects PDFs on your phone and displays them when you hit the Open button located at the top bar that appears when you touch the screen, or via Adobe Reader's menu options. Your recently read documents will appear here too. It's also in Adobe Reader's top bar that you can share the document you are reading.
Adobe Reader offers you three viewing modes -Fit to screen, Continuous Scroll and Reflow text. Which is the most comfortable depends on the type of document you're reading, but you'll be able to switch easily via the View Mode option under menu. The Adobe Reader bottom bar will change according to what mode you've chosen, allowing you to easily move between pages, or or increase or decrease the size of the font.
Adobe Reader for Android is fast, clear and well-organized - just don't expect anything too fancy.
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Hangouts (replaces Talk) 2.1.224 - app
Google replaces Google Talk with Hangouts, a cross-platform unified messaging service. With support for photos and emoji as well as video calls with up to ten friends, Hangouts is a required replacement for Talk.
Hangouts syncs across devices and only get notifications once. Interestingly enough, Hangouts doesn't support "invisible" status. The chat app also features photo sharing support, multiple accounts, and read notifications showing how far your contact has read in your chat.
Even if you use Google Talk, Hangouts will replace it with this update.
Download Hangouts (replaces Talk) 2.1.224
CCleaner 1.00.15 - app
CCleaner has launched its free version for Android to help you remove all unnecessary files from your smartphone or tablet. It can uninstall other apps, and provides information on your smartphone’s usage.
Analyzes and removes unnecessary files
CCleaner offers three different features: Cleaner, App Manager and System Info.
Cleaner is the main feature: from here, you can see the total storage space on your phone, as well as how much you're using. By clicking on Analyze, CCleaner for Android will search for junk files that can be deleted from the data cache, browser history, system, call log and messages.
With the App Manager, you can see all the apps that are installed on your device (you choose whether to display them alphabetically or by size), and how much space theyrre using. On this same screen, you can also uninstall several apps at the same time.
Finally, with System Info, you’ll be able to check the use of the CPU, RAM, battery, and internal memory storage.
Accesible to everyone
CCleaner for Android is an app that focuses on simplicity. It might not have many features, but the ones it does have are clear and simple to use.
The design is basic and usability is great, so even less experienced users will find it very straightforward.
Switching from one feature to another (Cleaner, App Manager, System Info) is easy thanks to the handy pop-up menu on the side of the CCleaner logo.
A good solution to clean up your Android
CCleaner for Android comes after the success of the Windows and Mac versions, and is undoubtedly a good product to clean up valuable space on your Android smartphone or tablet.
The range of features is basic and somewhat limited when compared to competitors like Clean Master, but the app is easy to use, suitable for everyone, efficient, and works well.
How to download and install CCleaner for Android
In order to download and install CCleaner for Android, you'll need to follow these steps:
1) With your Google Plus account, sign in and join the G+ group devoted to the app’s beta testing.
2) Become a tester.
3) Once you obtain the tester credentials, you’ll be able to access the link in the Google Play Store to download CCleaner Beta for Android for free.
Download CCleaner 1.00.15
WhatsApp 2.11.504.0 - app
WhatsApp allows you to send free text messages over the internet, saving you the cost of sending SMS.
Complete alternative to SMS
WhatsApp Messenger replaces traditional SMS for a free instant messaging system over 3G, 4G, or WiFi.
The Windows Phone version of WhatsApp allows you to chart with your buddies through a classic chat-style window. You can chat to one person, or to a bunch of buddies through group messaging. The latter option makes for a good way to save on messages and communicate quicker.
In terms of its features, WhatsApp allows you to send photos, audio files, and videos. You can also share maps with your location, as well as contacts.
How does it work?
In order for WhatsApp to work, both yourself and the person you want to chat with have to have the app installed. Once you've installed it, you can see which of your contacts are using WhatsApp and start speaking with them.
You should note that although messaging is free, the application is free just for one year, after which time you'll need to pay a fee of $0.99 per year.
Whether or not WhatsApp is the best mobile messaging client is a matter for debate. Arguably it's not the most powerful, given that apps such as LINE and Tango have more interesting features than WhatsApp.
However, the strong point of WhatsApp is its popularity. Since lots of people use it as their messaging app of choice, it's become almost essential to have it installed on your phone (although in certain countries it's more popular than in others).
What's new in the latest version?
The latest major update to WhatsApp Messenger for Windows Phone adds the chat background feature, already found in the iOSand Android versions. This allows you to set a background wallpaper behind your chat messages, giving you the chance to pimp your own chats.
Version 2.11.49 also adds broadcast lists, meaning you can choose multiple contacts to relay messages too. There are also new privacy settings, and custom notification tones.
A success story
There are similar applications out there - better ones, even. But WhatsApp is an example of an app that offers a simple and fun way to chat. For this it's become hugely popular.
Download WhatsApp 2.11.504.0
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