New Android Apps thread

Fratboy

Mr. MENsa
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But it's also not smart enough to discern context. "Period," I believe, will always give you a period, and not the word "period."
 

glennhoffmania

meat puppet
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zenter said:
Yeah, one day in and I'm a little annoyed at the prediction. Hopefully it's a habituation thing. Flow is nice and snappier than Swype, though. My screen ain't big enough (4.27") for the smaller keyboard, but I do appreciate that. I used that feature on my HP Touchpad :)
 
Two things I miss from Swype: 1) I had come to depend on is having common punctuation like "?" and "!" as a long-press under letters. I mean, who uses "/" or "_" or "$" more than end of sentence punctuation? Hiding them with the period (and needing to hold, then drag to the right punctuation) makes less sense than having them separate to me. 2) When the word is incorrectly predicted at the end of a trace, a single backspace will delete the whole word in Swype - that sped my typing considerably, and would be especially useful given SwiftKey's worse prediction.
The bold is my biggest issue so far.  Why a question mark isn't one of the easiest symbols to insert is beyond me.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
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It took me a while to figure this one out.  If you pause before and after saying "return" it will do a carriage return instead of typing the word.
 

smastroyin

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Swype has been terrible with JellyBean and has really opened the door for SwiftKey.  I prefer Swype still (despite recommend SwiftKey to many others) but any time I first need the keyboard in an app it takes a good 10-20 seconds to pop up.  I'm surprised they haven't been all over this.
 

Hextall

New Member
Mar 5, 2010
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zenter said:
Yeah, one day in and I'm a little annoyed at the prediction. Hopefully it's a habituation thing. Flow is nice and snappier than Swype, though. My screen ain't big enough (4.27") for the smaller keyboard, but I do appreciate that. I used that feature on my HP Touchpad :)
 
Two things I miss from Swype: 1) I had come to depend on is having common punctuation like "?" and "!" as a long-press under letters. I mean, who uses "/" or "_" or "$" more than end of sentence punctuation? Hiding them with the period (and needing to hold, then drag to the right punctuation) makes less sense than having them separate to me. 2) When the word is incorrectly predicted at the end of a trace, a single backspace will delete the whole word in Swype - that sped my typing considerably, and would be especially useful given SwiftKey's worse prediction.
 
 
You don't need to hold the period key to get the "!" or "?"... swipe left and right on the period key, respectively. It's actually faster than long pressing them.
 

zenter

indian sweet
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Oct 11, 2005
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smastroyin said:
Swype has been terrible with JellyBean and has really opened the door for SwiftKey.  I prefer Swype still (despite recommend SwiftKey to many others) but any time I first need the keyboard in an app it takes a good 10-20 seconds to pop up.  I'm surprised they haven't been all over this.
 
I hadn't had this experience with Swype on a CM-based JellyBean ROM myself. I guess it's a YMMV situation. What device are you on and what ROM?
 

 
 
Hextall said:
You don't need to hold the period key to get the "!" or "?"... swipe left and right on the period key, respectively. It's actually faster than long pressing them.
 
Cool. Good to know. There's also the apostrophe being in the same key as the period on Swype, which gives the software strict indication of intent. For example, writing the sentence "It's at Jess's house?" is (so far) easier on Swype than on SwiftKey, and it's the type of thing I'm likely to write. :)
 

johnmd20

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Hextall said:
You don't need to hold the period key to get the "!" or "?"... swipe left and right on the period key, respectively. It's actually faster than long pressing them.
 
Sweet tip, thanks. I am loving SwiftKey.
 

milfordsoxfan

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smastroyin said:
Swype has been terrible with JellyBean and has really opened the door for SwiftKey.  I prefer Swype still (despite recommend SwiftKey to many others) but any time I first need the keyboard in an app it takes a good 10-20 seconds to pop up.  I'm surprised they haven't been all over this.
I've had this same exact experience.  Right now I'm running BAMF Paradigm 3.1 (JB 4.2.2) on a Galaxy Nexus on Verizon.  I've had the same experience with CM 10.1 (I think), whatever the 4.2.2 version of AOKP is, and at least one other ROM.  It drives me insane.  It doesn't seem to matter whether I enable Swiftkey (which is what I use all the time), Swype, or Thumb Keyboard.  It's a noticeable difference from the default keyboard to any other keyboard.  
 
I'd like to know if anyone who is running stock runs into the same issues.  This bothers me enough that I'd consider going back to stock since 4.2.2 is now available on the GNex.  
 

glennhoffmania

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Same here.  I agree with Marbleheader about the autocorrect and I still hate the question mark. 
 

Nite Vizhun UV

proctological researcher
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On swiftkey, as you are typing a word, the most expected word will become bolded in the predictive text area above the keyboard. If you hit the space bar when one of those words are bolded, swiftkey will automatically add the bolded word.
 
 
Turn it off by going into settings -> Advanced -> Spacebar will... and change it to "always insert a space".
 
 
Autocorrect gone.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
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Since this is the tip sharing thread....I just came accross this one.  I see myself using this quite a bit.
 
http://lifehacker.com/5992572/save-a-quick-note-to-evernote-gmail-and-other-apps-with-androids-voice-actions
 
I never loved voice search, but if there's one thing I'd use it for, it's making quick notes or reminders. Google actually has this built right into Voice Actions: just start up Google Now and say something like:

Note to self: get milk, eggs, and bread
Obviously, replace "get milk" with whatever your note is. By default, the "note to self" action sends you an email with your transcribed note in the body, but if you have EvernoteCatch, orGoogle Keep installed, you'll get the option to put the transcription in your note taking app of choice instead! It's insanely fast, so you can jot down your note and get back to whatever you were doing.


 
* My first sentence would mean something entirely different had this been in P&G.
 

Bosoxen

Bounced back
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Before you use that, keep in mind that Google Now is a massive battery hog.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
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I get a full day with moderate to heavy use and Google now running on my GS3.
 

Caspir

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Yea, I haven't had any problems with Google Now and battery life. I use it all the time.
 

Nite Vizhun UV

proctological researcher
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jayhoz said:
Since this is the tip sharing thread....I just came accross this one.  I see myself using this quite a bit.
 
http://lifehacker.com/5992572/save-a-quick-note-to-evernote-gmail-and-other-apps-with-androids-voice-actions
 
 
* My first sentence would mean something entirely different had this been in P&G.
 
 
 
 
1.Remind me to walk the dog in 2 hours
2.Call the Drake Hotel in Toronto
3. Send a Text to (insert name) “are you busy?”
4. Listen to “insert artist name”Should pull from collection
5. Turn off WiFi
6. Turn on Silent Mode
7.Is it going to rain tomorrow?
8. Pizza Places in ::insert city::
9. Take me to (location) by foot
10. Where’s that museum with Egyptian stuff in San Jose?
11. Where is Wooster Mass?
12. Where is Wooster College?
13. When is the next (insert team) game?
14. Did the (insert team) win their last game?
15. What time is it in Paris?
16. When is sun rise in Tokyo?
17. What time zone is Amsterdam in?
18. When was Canada day?
19. When is Mother’s day in 2015?
20. What is 1 US dollar in Euro?
21. What’s 12 in hexadecimal?
22. 15.5% of 70.20
23. What’s 50 miles in kilometers?
24. What’s once in a blue moon?
25. What’s the answer to life, the universe and everything?
26. US Airways 400
27. AirCanada760
28. G O O G (spell it out)
29. Facebook Stock
30. What’s the cast of the Big Bang Theory?
31. Who produced Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?
32. Who founded Napster?
33. Where did Natalie Portman go to college?
34. What’s the definition of dynamic programming?
35. How much is Angelina Jolie worth?
36. Who wrote The Grand Design?
37. What is Area Code 212?
38. What are some movies Bill Murray played in?
39. Fish species in Lake Tahoe
40. How long is the George Washington Bridge?
41. How long is the movie Ted?
42. How old is Mark Zuckerburg?
43. What is the height requirement for Space Mountain?
44. Pictures of the Eiffel Tower at sunset
45. Show me pictures of Android eating Apple
46. Do a barrel roll
47. Where’s the tallest building in the world?
48. Where is The Starry Night?
49. How did Elvis Presley die?
50. How much is a bakers dozen?
51. What is the loneliest number?
52. What’s the temperature of the Sun?
53. How old is the Earth?
54. What’s the theme on Splash Mountain?
55. What’s the slogan at Apple?
56. How tall is Taylor Swift?
57. When was the Statue of Liberty built?
58. When was the first episode of The Simpsons?
59. What are the dimensions of the Mona Lisa?
60. Who are the mascots of the San Francisco Giants?
61. Who is Donald Trump married to?
62. What’s the rating for The Amazing Spider-Man
63. What’s the capacity of Wembley Stadium?
64. What’s the acceptance rate at UCLA?
65. Note to self, buy some apples so I can make a really nice pie.
66. Where is the Pier Cafe in San Diego? >Click See Inside > Menu > Compass mode
 

Spelunker

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jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Spelunker said:
Does this work for other people? It always sends the email for me, and doesn't give the option to choose evernote (and i can't find the setting for it).
It asked me what I wanted to use the first time I tried it. I selected Evernote and always.
 

jercra

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Jul 31, 2006
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Anyone else been messing with Google Take?  I've been using it to take a whole bunch of notes and make checklists since I moved into a new house a few days ago.  It doesn't seem to have any killer features over Evernote or even not taking in Google Now except for the very good voice integration (quick notes are really easy), Google Drive integration and the Metro-esque UI is very cool.  I'll use it over Evernote, whose UI I find clunky, but I'm not sure it's better than OneNote.
 

Spelunker

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jayhoz said:
It asked me what I wanted to use the first time I tried it. I selected Evernote and always.
That's kind of my problem: it didn't ask me, and i can't figure out how to clear any preference to get it to re-ask me.
 

smastroyin

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zenter said:
 
I hadn't had this experience with Swype on a CM-based JellyBean ROM myself. I guess it's a YMMV situation. What device are you on and what ROM?
GS3 running just the latest Verizon. It's annoying as hell.
 

zenter

indian sweet
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Oct 11, 2005
5,641
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jayhoz said:
It asked me what I wanted to use the first time I tried it. I selected Evernote and always.
 
I also had issues - it lets me select Evernote, but NOT Keep. Google was of course no help. Any thoughts?
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
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Same thing happened to me.  Keep was not an option.  My guess is that Keep has yet to be flagged as an option in the OS.
 

Turrable

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Anybody use radio apps to set alarms? I like to wake up to TSH in the morning and I originally used Radio.com, but sometimes it just wouldn't go off, so I switched to Tunein and I'm having the same problem. I set it to go off Monday-Friday at a set time and sometimes it just doesn't. Is there a better app for this kind of thing or am I just doing something stupid that's preventing the alarm from going off? (Samsung GS3)
 

Fratboy

Mr. MENsa
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Next topic: Weather apps.
 
The new Accuweather widget is just *awful*. And by "new," I mean the one that just came out today. The last iteration was quite nice, and the application was quite lean in its RAM usage. But although the new app is still lean, the widget is just godawful and unusable unless you make it 4x2.
 
What's everybody using?
 

Spelunker

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Palmary Weather Pro. Felt weird to pay for a weather app, but it's pretty glorious.
 

Caspir

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Fancy widgets has some nice ones, but I made a custom set up through Minamalist Text that writes the temp, conditions and location in text on my screen. It updates through the Weather Channel when I turn the phone on or unlock the screen. I feel like a lot of the weather apps are resource hogs, but that makes sense since the use data, GPS etc to do anything. I have to start adjusting because I have an. Extended battery now so I get 20-24 hours of heavy usage, and I doubt that's the case with the SG4. If you're not into the graphics and animations and just want weather info, Minimalist is worth checking out. You can have it across the screen or vertically, use any number of spaces on your screen (2x1, 1x4, etc), change fonts and text size, and tweak it a lot to fit whatever look you use on your home screen.
 

Soxy

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I tried a bunch of different weather apps/widgets before settling on 1Weather. I really like the aesthetic and design, and their "Compact" widget displays pretty much all the info I want in an attractive looking 4x1 package.
 

locknload

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Soxy Brown said:
I tried a bunch of different weather apps/widgets before settling on 1Weather. I really like the aesthetic and design, and their "Compact" widget displays pretty much all the info I want in an attractive looking 4x1 package.
 
I'm loving 1weather.
 

deconstruction

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I'm a BeWeather fan. Widget suits my needs, In-app UI is simple, functional, and clean. Radar easily accessible, swipe between managed locations.
 
Feel like I'm splitting hairs as most apps likely have all this stuff.
 

pantsparty

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Turrable said:
Anybody use radio apps to set alarms? I like to wake up to TSH in the morning and I originally used Radio.com, but sometimes it just wouldn't go off, so I switched to Tunein and I'm having the same problem. I set it to go off Monday-Friday at a set time and sometimes it just doesn't. Is there a better app for this kind of thing or am I just doing something stupid that's preventing the alarm from going off? (Samsung GS3)
 
I use AlarmDroid for alarms and it has the option of an internet stream as an alarm, although you have to find the full URL of whatever you want yourself.
 

Turrable

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pantsparty said:
I use AlarmDroid for alarms and it has the option of an internet stream as an alarm, although you have to find the full URL of whatever you want yourself.
 
Will give that a try, thanks.
 

Nite Vizhun UV

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Disposable Phone Number App
 
Use Burner temporary phone numbers just as you would your regular phone number. All burners include:
✓ One free Burner
✓ Incoming and outgoing voice calls
✓ Incoming and outgoing text messages
✓ Voicemail
✓ Earn free credits for inviting your friends
Burner is perfect for any time you want to keep in touch, but may not want to give out your personal, private phone number. 
 
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adhoclabs.burner
 

Bigpupp

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Foulkey Reese said:
The chat head aspect of FB messenger is actually pretty cool though.
It has potential. The only thing I don't like is that it stays on top of everything at all times (even the keyboard). I'm constantly having to move it, but most of the time I just send it away. If they let me chose which apps it can override I think it would have more use, but for now it just too damn annoyingto stay on my screen.
 

wibi

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Jul 15, 2005
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Im brand new to Android having come over from the iPhone
 
What are some cant miss, must have apps?
 

Spelunker

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JakeRae said:
Is Touchdown worth the $20?
 
If you live life through Exchange, yup.  I couldn't imagine managing my work life on my phone without it.
 

steeplechase3k

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Just got the S4 (upgrading from the Moto Droid 3) and I need to find a few mote apps...

--Alarm Clock (there are tons and most are crap, I love the one on my old phone but I can't find it)
--Twtter app? (I had tweetdeck, but don't see it in the store)

I'm sure there are more I'll think of...
 

SumnerH

Malt Liquor Picker
Dope
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Jul 18, 2005
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steeplechase3k said:
(I had tweetdeck, but don't see it in the store)
Tweetdeck is dead as of this month. https://blog.twitter.com/2013/update-tweetdeck
To continue to offer a great product that addresses your unique needs, were going to focus our development efforts on our modern, web-based versions of TweetDeck. To that end, we are discontinuing support for our older apps: TweetDeck AIR, TweetDeck for Android and TweetDeck for iPhone. They will be removed from their respective app stores in early May and will stop functioning shortly thereafter. Well also discontinue support for our Facebook integration.