For the longest time, I’ve stuck with Go Launcher Ex for all my home screen customization needs, with the occasional flings with other newer, less robust launchers. But along came Atom Launcher. I was drawn to its fresh set of themes, among other things. Here’s why this little launcher got me completely enamored.

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Basics

Atom Launcher has all the basic features a launcher can offer and any average user can ever need. It supports drag-and-drop for moving shortcuts from the app drawer to the home screen. It also offers multiple home screens and docks, as well as widgets and themes.

Switching from another launcher to Atom is very easy and not much of a hassle since you can import your existing home screen’s settings, including icons and widgets that are designed for other launchers.

Importing home screen settings from a previous launcher

You can add up to nine home screens, and choose to implement four to six grid layouts. The app drawer can be sorted, filtered or grouped into folders which are displayed in a thumbnail format, or a nice cascading view where you can swipe through app icons and launch them without opening the folder.

Swipe through icons or tap on the thumbnail to navigate folders

Pick a Theme

I saw one Atom theme on the Play Store and thought it was beautiful, and that’s how I originally came across Atom and decided to try it out. After getting the app, I installed the Atom Store — an additional app necessary to see all themes — and I was smitten.

While themes are not for everyone, there’s a good combination of free and paid ones that lean towards unique art designs, from whimsy to bold. This alone can draw you in and hold your interest enough to try each theme, until you eventually forget to go back to your old launcher.

Free light and dark themes from the Atom Store

More Integrated Features

Atom Launcher has a dedicated menu that appears as a header for displaying the time, date and other information like battery status. This is a small strip on the topmost part of the home screen, right under the status bar, that can be hidden or toggled to show other icons — mostly for accessing launcher settings. This feature renders clock widgets useless, and it gave me the freedom to sport a widget-less main home screen, which I prefer.

Atom’s dedicated menu is a sliding drawer on the top of the screen

Some themes support multiple wallpapers, and although that’s a great thing, it’s actually limited to images within that theme. You can’t add your own images to the mix, but you can omit ones from the theme’s built-in selection.

You can choose which images to show in multiple wallpaper mode

This didn’t bother me one bit, as I find that this benefits the theme’s consistency when it comes to the overall design. By not letting users add images, the theme is guaranteed to maintain the same look and feel all throughout.

However, adding your own background image is still possible with themes that do not have multiple wallpapers. You can even apply filters like Lomo, Water or Light. Swiping your thumb or finger from the bottom of your home screen upwards will show these options, along with Effect and Transparency.

Filters create more dramatic backgrounds

This feature can spell a world of difference when choosing a background image. For instance, a macro image of a leaf will go well with a Water filter, or a beach landscape with a Light filter, and so on.

Even with all these features, Atom Launcher is a relatively lightweight app, with the initial download only at 7.61 MB, plus the Atom Store at less than 3 MB. This generally means that it won’t take up too much of your device’s space, and will probably run faster than other hefty launchers. Sure enough, it’s the case with Atom. Swiping and navigating through screens felt a bit smoother and faster than with Go Launcher Ex.

Atom Widgets

Atom Launcher, like Go Launcher and all others of its kind, has its own set of widgets. Atom All In One Widgets is another additional download necessary if you want to use widgets designed specifically for it. There aren’t many, but those that are available boast a good quality. I found that the widgets went great with any theme I chose, mostly because they’re minimalist in design.

Minimalist widgets complement different themes

I particularly liked the calendar widgets. Its designs are simple yet elegant, and not too distracting when displayed on a home screen. There are four themes to choose from, with an option to add holidays for certain countries including Japan and the US.

Conclusion

As someone who has tried just about every launcher that came out, I’d say Atom Launcher is a huge contender against other more popular and established alternatives in the Play Store. It may not be for everyone, especially if you’re looking to tweak every little detail in your home screen. It is, however, for anyone who wants fresh themes, something beautiful to look at, with as little distractions as possible. Atom is also for anyone who wants a fast, lightweight launcher that works as nicely as it looks.

While there is an obvious correlation between battery backup and the amount of apps installed on your phone and their usage, there are quite a few errant apps that tend to keep running in the background even after you exit them. These apps not only put a huge burden on the battery life but also tend to hog your device’s precious resources, thereby slowing it down considerably and causing numerous problems.  A new app, Greenify aims to solve this problem in a unique and efficient way.

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Why Greenify

The problem of certain apps hogging memory resources and eating up battery is not a new one for Android and there is a countless number of apps present on the Play Store aiming to solve this problem. A common take is to freeze the problem apps but such a solution disables the app and makes it completely unusable. System optimization tools, task managers and automatic task killers are other solutions that rarely seem to work and in many cases, cause more harm than good.

Greenify, a root-only app, takes a different and unique approach to the issue altogether by introducing the concept of hibernation. It identifies these errant apps and allows the user to put them in a state of hibernation that stops them from running in the background. However, the hibernated apps do not become unusable, rather they remain accessible and are allowed to run in the foreground when explicitly called upon. This approach acts as a true battery saver while also affording users the ability to use the apps as and when required.

Greenify Breathes New Life In Your Android

Interface

Greenify is designed with an aim to keep things simple and clean. The main interface is very minimal and launching it for the first time opens up an uncluttered white screen listing out its major benefits. This is also the screen from where you can add all the apps you wish to hibernate. The “+” button at the bottom opens up a new screen that lists out all the apps on your phone divided into the following categories:

• Running in background
• Scheduled running
• May slow down the device (upon the triggering of certain events)
• Recently running

Uncluttered Home Page and App Listing

Each of the categories has a (i) icon beside it that reveals further information and helps you understand why a certain app is listed under a certain category. Choosing an app for hibernation is as simple as just clicking on it from this screen. Each of the selected apps automatically gets hibernated and can be manually put out of that state from Greenify’s home screen itself, which is also just a one tap action.

The simplicity of the app, while commendable, also warrants that the user be careful about the apps that they put into hibernation. For example, picking instant messaging clients, launchers, alarm clock apps, system apps, etc will shut their services down completely and cause numerous problems and inconveniences.

Simple Approach For Moving Apps To Hibernation State

Conclusion

In my opinion, the nature of the solution provided by Greenify works much better and is more efficient than any other alternative available. The app delivers on its promises and there is a definite improvement that I found on the battery life and stability of my phone once I had hibernated some of the more enthusiastic apps. So, if your device is rooted and you feel that it is in need of some fresh air, give Greenify a shot and you may see a marked improvement in its performance.

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Looking for more tablet-optimized Android apps? Check this list of our most interesting tablet app roundups.

Conclusion

So these were 10 of my favorite apps to listen to, discover, and even play music. I think I rounded some of the popular names alongside a few apps you hopefully hadn’t heard of before. Of course, if I missed your favorite tablet-optimized music app, feel free to let me know in the comments.

BBM Coming to Android and iOS this Summer

BlackBerry announced this week that their iconic messaging service and spiritual predecessor to services like iMessage, Kik and other platforms, will be released as an Android and iOS app in summer.

BBM will run on iOS 6+ and Android 4.0+, and naturally integrate with native BlackBerry user’s messaging apps.

BlackBerry Messenger running natively, as well as introducing new platforms Android and iOS. (Photo credit: The Verge)

Initially, the service will feature more basic messaging features of the product, but will be expanded with additional features such as voice and screen sharing in the future.

Android 4.3, White Nexus 4 MIA

One anticipated announcement that didn’t show up at Google’s I/O keynote was Android 4.3, an update expected to include some optimisations such as Bluetooth Low Energy support and OpenGL enhancements.

Android 4.3 didn’t show up at Google I/O (nor was it silently announced afterwards), although it has been spotted in some of Google’s own search results for Android.com.

The alleged white model of LG’s Nexus 4. (Photo credit: Android and Me)

Now, new reports have tagged Android 4.3 and the release of a white model of LG’s Nexus 4 with a release date of June 10th. June 10th is also the date of Apple’s opening keynote at WWDC, where a new version of rival iOS is expected to be unveiled.

900M Android Activations, 48Bn App Installs

Google’s newly installed head of Android and Chrome, Sundar Pichai, announced on stage at Google I/O that the company had hit a milestone of 900 million Android device activations to date.

Google also announced that over 48 billion apps have been installed on Android devices so far. However, in a show of competitive spirit, Apple also announced they’d crossed the 50 billion threshold the same day.

New Google Play Developer Tools and Services

Of course, Google I/O is ultimately a developer event so the opening keynote was filled with a bunch of major announcements for Android developers.

To kick things off, the company announced Google Play Game services, a set of tools, APIs and services for powering games on Android, with cross-platform compatibility with iOS and the web. I took a look at this announcement in depth in a recent article.

Android Studio is already available as an early access preview.

Google also announced Android Studio, its new development environment for the OS. New additions include refined layout tools for devices and realtime updates in the integrated simulator, as well as better tracking of advertising metrics. Android Studio is available as an early access preview now!

Other API announcements included new Google Maps and Location services with advantages in lower power consumption for location detection and geofencing. Google+ single sign-on has also been extended to advertise a website’s Android app and encourage a user to download it when they use the service.

Finally, Google will also be redesigning the web-side of Google Play to better reflect recent changes to the Android app, in addition to the introduction of tablet-specific listings — which you can read more details about in Rita’s article — finally catching up to one of the basic launch features of the iPad App Store.

Subscription-Based Google Play Music All Access

Google also used I/O to unveil its new subscription-based music service, Google Play All Access, to compete with the likes of Spotify.

Google Play Music All Access’s Android form (Photo credit: The Verge)

Google Play All Access will offer users access to a wide library of streaming content that works in conjunction with locally-stored content to offer one, central music app for Android users. All Access is available in the United States for $9.99/month, after a 30-day free trial. Early adopters who start a trial before June 30th will be able to take advantage of a time-sensitive $7.99/month price.

Samsung Galaxy S4 With Stock Android

In one of the more surprising moves of Google I/O, a new piece of hardware that isn’t a new model of Nexus 7 or any other rumoured device was announced. Rather, it’s a Samsung Galaxy S4 running stock Android and completely unlocked, with a promise for timely software updates.

The Galaxy S4 running stock Android. (Photo credit: Engadget)

Google will be selling the device as with its previous Nexus devices on Google Play on June 26th for $649. Due to minimal amounts of marketing likely ready to be put into this phone, it’s unlikely this model of S4 will see the same popularity as the main one, but it’s an exciting step forward into a future utopia of powerful, sound devices without ugly skinning and manufacturer bloatware.

Google Unifies Messaging in Hangouts

Google has announced the unification of its messaging and chat efforts into a single Hangouts product for Android, iOS and Chrome. Available already, Hangouts replaces its namesake Hangout product in Google+, Google Talk, Google+ Messenger and, eventually, should expand to cover all communication platforms bearing the Google nametag including Google Voice.

In addition to boasting a plethora of messaging features to complete with other non-native apps on all three platforms, Hangouts also sports the much-loved 10-way video calling function. In the future, Hangouts will also feature integration with outgoing calls and SMS. Hangouts will also be available on Glass, Google’s Android-powered, wearable computer.

Google Redesigns Maps

Google announced changes to its Maps app on mobile platforms including Android, reflecting some of the design changes first available on iOS. Google Offers will also now show promotions and deals from retailers and allow access to ratings and reviews from Zagat.

Other Updates

• HP announced this week the SlateBook x2 and Split x2, a new 10″ tablet product running your choice of Android or Windows 8. The Android version, available August, will cost $479.99.
• The Nvidia Shield handheld gaming console, powered by Android, has been announced to go on sale in June. Preorders will start May 20th for $349 at a number of retailers.
• Sony has announced the Xperia ZR, a waterproof (to 1.5m) phone with a 4.6-inch screen, 1.5GHz quad-core processor and Android 4.1.
• EA has announced it’s working on a mobile version of its Frostbite engine, Frostbite Go. The engine is said to be in development for “all major mobile platforms”, including iOS and Android. No timeline has been given for release.
• Google Play has been refined to allow all developers to respond to customer reviews, completing a roll out program that began last year.
• Google Play Books has also been updated, enabling support of user uploads of e-books and integration with Google Drive.
• Verizon has pushed up its release date for the Galaxy S4 to one week earlier than planned. The handset will now launch in just four days, on May 23rd.
• In other S4 news, Samsung’s co-CEO Shin Jong-kyun has announced his expectation that the Galaxy S4 will have sold 10 million units by “next week” given that it had been “selling much faster” than its predecessor.
• Google Glass is getting a number of high-profile app releases, as announced at Google I/O. The device will soon see clients for Facebook, Twitter, Evernote and Tumblr, amongst others.

Catch us next week for a return to your regular scheduling of This Week In Android!

For a long time, Instapaper was crippled on the Android platform in comparison to its iOS counterpart. As a matter of fact, we took a look at the app’s many problems in July 2012, and found that its biggest struggle was for feature parity. However, Android developer Mobelux has recently caught up to the iOS feature list, but does that make the app worth getting or is it still inferior compared to contenders like Pocket and Readability?

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Feature Parity

Instapaper for Android finally has the same features, across the board, as the iOS app does. The Feature, a sort of curated section by Marco Arment himself of great long-form articles, is also now on the Android platform. Also, Sharing is built right in and functions exactly how you would expect in any Android app.

The settings match every iOS feature and sharing finally makes it into the app.

Tilt scrolling, which is as poor here as it is on iOS, is finally an option, albeit a forgettable one. Pagination can be turned on and full screen mode can be set to come on automatically or be activated with a double tap on the screen.

In true Android fashion, the app seems a little more customizable than the iOS version, but that might just be my imagination playing tricks on me. I certainly feel like I have more options, particularly with sharing my favourite articles.

Paying for Privacy

The app is still $2.99, which is more expensive than the competition — Pocket and Readability — but some people will like the privacy that comes with paying for the app. Pocket and Readability are free, and although neither appear to be selling user information currently, the lack of a business plan is unsettling to some users.

Beyond privacy, what you’re paying for is the excellent font rendering and great typography.

And the cost gets steeper. To read articles on a Read Later app for OS X, you’ll have to pay a subscription fee for the app. You can, of course, just read from the Instapaper website for free, but that won’t be as convenient for most people as Pocket’s free desktop app.

Rendering is equally as precise on a smartphone screen.

The bottom line is that, like most things, privacy comes at a steeper cost than many of us might like. I’m uncertain if privacy alone is enough to make me buy the app, but Instapaper’s excellent typography and font rendering — along with its focus on text and brilliant sepia background — keep me coming back.

Planning Ahead

Marco Arment just sold the future of Instapaper to Betaworks. What does that mean for the future of the app? Marco has suggested that the iOS version is currently under development and aiming for a major new release this year, and although Marco’s been against an Android version of the app from the start, Betaworks might think differently.

I’m hoping that Betaworks gives the menu screens a fresh coat of paint.

Currently, the app is developed by Mobelux. It might not be for much longer, but the full implications of the deal with Betaworks aren’t clear yet. Mobelux may be retaining development of the Android app, but working with Betaworks to ensure that updates are frequent and important features aren’t ignored. We simply don’t know right now, but I can’t imagine the app will fall into disrepair.

Is the Ship Sinking?

A lot of people will be wondering if Instapaper is a business they want to buy into right now with all the change going on. Quite simply, I believe that the app is only going to get better.

Visually, some elements of the app are in need of a fresh coat of paint — not an overhaul, but a little freshening up could do some good. It’s been clear that, although Marco is interested in his baby, he’s not been able to give it adequate attention for a while. With more focused iOS development, Android development — whether it comes from Betaworks or Mobelux — will have to become more focused too.

If you haven’t invested in Instapaper yet, I’ve heard of far worse things with less promising features to spend $2.99 on. If you have, this is a good time to try the alternatives. But Instapaper remains the best text parser on the market with the smoothest typography on any device, and I suspect you’ll be back. It’s a laid-back reading experience, focused solely on text, that I don’t think anybody can beat.

iTunes is one of the most popular platform for organizing and collecting media, and for good reasons – it gets the job done, and it is backed by a goliath of an online store. It does have its limitations, though. If you want to stream media from your iTunes library, you’re going to need an iOS device. I’m guessing that if you’re reading this, here, that’s not going to suit you.

An alternative streaming system worth considering is Plex. Once you’ve set up a Plex media server on your Windows, OSX, or Linux computer, you can stream content to nearly any smart mobile device via Plex’s app. Unfortunately, there are times when streaming doesn’t cut it, either because you are restricted by a data cap, or because wi-fi isn’t available. For this kind of problem, Plex offers a syncing service (part of the PlexPass subscription), which, when combined with its beta Plex for PlexPass Android app, allows you to download media to your Android device, with ease.

Or, at least, that is the claim – but can media management really be that simple? Time for a test…

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The Look

According to Plex’s own blog, this beta app has been built to be the best-looking resident of the whole Google Play store. Obviously, any judgement on this is subjective, but they have certainly done a respectable job.

Plex for PlexPass looks pretty, in a dark, sleek, Holo way

The main navigation is split up into five panels, each by default decorated with a subtle background image taken from the preview of an item in your library. The panels are controlled with side-swiping, and the sub-menus are hidden from view until they are required. The overall feel is slick, smooth and dark.

Getting Started

After noting that Plex for PlexPass needs a Plex media server-equipped computer to function, there’s not a lot of setting up required when you download the Android app. Sign in with your Plex account details, and the app offers your server-stored media with little delay.

Syncing media to your Android device can be achieved in one of two ways. While you are browsing your PC’s Plex library, the “Sync to device” option is made available; equally, while you are browsing streamable content on your phone, you can tap the drawing pin icon at the bottom of the screen to start downloading the content in question.

Whichever means you use to sync content to your mobile, the downloading process is remarkably speedy, even for full length movies.

Browsing Your Content

As mentioned above, Plex for PlexPass has several panels, which provide something more than just a list of media.

The My Library panel displays the media folders which you set up on your PC. Each of these contains a certain type of media, and tapping on them takes you through to a list of individual videos, tracks, or photos.

The panel-based navigation is pleasantly simple to use

To the left of My Library is On Deck – if you’ve started a movie, but left it unfinished, it will be listed here. This is particularly useful for when you are commuting, or doing anything else that requires you to watch your film in a stop-start manner.

Also available is the Recently Added panel — I’m going to let you guess what this one does — and the Channels panel, which gives you access to all the channels (such as TED talks and Vimeo Staff Picks) that you’ve subscribed to on your PC.

Channels sometimes get a little confused in Plex for PlexPass

While browsing your media, you can sort by name or date added — and artist or album, in the case of music. At most, you are never more than three taps away from your media, which seems like good app design to me.

Viewing and Listening

Most importantly, though, Plex for Plexpass plays well. Movies can be streamed at 1080p, and although video of this quality takes a little while to buffer, it does tend to play without interruption once it gets going. The only slight concern is how hot your phone gets when playing a video like this, although this is unsurprising given the hefty graphics processing involved.

Movies stream nicely, even in high definition

Meanwhile, the exhibition of photos is error free, and music is, generally speaking, played smoothly. Unfortunately, there is one exception to this rule; the first time I attempted to stream a track, the app crashed completely. After that, though, Plex for PlexPass held its nerve, and given the beta status of the app, the odd bug can be forgiven.

Music plays smoothly…most of the time

Whilst DRM-protected videos can’t be played — an annoyance for iTunes customers— the full HD streaming and rich AAC sound make the viewing and listening experience in Plex for PlexPass a rewarding one.

Conclusion

The quality of Plex for PlexPass is excellent, and even more so when you take into account the beta status of its development. The app looks good, is easy to navigate, and provides entertainment on the go with a minimum of fuss.

Stability is currently a point of concern, although the likelihood of most bugs being weeded out before the fully finished version is released seems high.

Overall, then, Plex for PlexPass provides a remarkably simple way of getting content onto your phone. In fact, even if you don’t yet have a Plex account, and you want to have media with you on the go, then Plex for PlexPass may be enough to persuade you to make the switch.

Suffice it to say that tablet app discovery has been a personal cause for us, for the simple reason that we know there are thousands of excellent options out there, but Google had failed to make them visible which in turn had everyone thinking there aren’t any. So you can imagine how elated we were to see Google at I/O introducing new features that focus on tablet apps discovery, from a developer and a user standpoint. While the announcements weren’t the most impressive out of the I/O keynote, and they should have come a year ago, they do mean a lot to us at Android.Appstorm that we can’t help but make a stop to explain to you why you need to get excited.

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We’ve Come a Long Way

For the longest time, Google’s stance about tablet apps was along the lines of “Android apps stretch and adapt to any screen size, so really any app is a tablet app.” This has always been technically true, but it never negated the fact that some apps are optimized to take advantage of a larger screen estate, whether in portrait or landscape.

This stance changed during I/O, with Google recognizing that there is a “designed for tablets” category of apps that could suit the larger screens much better than a stretched phone version. And it comes at a perfect time when Android tablets are finally surpassing their rival iPad in market share, despite the “there are no tablet apps” stigma that has been following them. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Android tablets are about to get even more popular.

Encouraging Developers to Design for Tablets

One of the new sections of the Android Developer Console is “Optimization Tips” where developers are prominently encouraged to optimize their app’s design for tablets following a set of quality guidelines, and then upload the resulting screenshots for 7″ and 10″ screens. The latter suggestion has been pushed by the Android Developer Blog since last month, but it will surely be taken more seriously now.

New optimization tips in the Developer Console: design for tablets and upload tablet screenshots.

Another new feature comes with the new Android Studio, which brings the option to preview the app with all its design elements on various screen sizes and resolutions — without having to compile the code and install it on a physical device to test it out. This should simplify the process of coding and optimizing apps for different screens, including 7″ and 10″tablets.

Android Studio lets developers preview their apps on various screen sizes, including tablets.

“Designed for Tablets” Filter for Users

Both of these developer pushes and changes wouldn’t make a difference if users were still unable to find the tablet-optimized apps easily on the Play Store. That’s why there’s a new drop-down visible on tablets that offers the option to view all apps or only those that are “designed for tablets.”

The Play Store now offers a “Designed for tablets” filter. (Image courtesy of Android Police)

Unfortunately, this drop-down only works in the sections and top lists — not in search results — and will rely on developers to complete their tablet design guidelines checklist and upload appropriate screenshots. However, it is a major step for tablet app visibility and should encourage developers to make the commitment in the first place.

It’s Only the Beginning

All of these improvements are nice enough for us to calm down and rejoice in the knowledge that the Android team recognizes the need for a specific tablet-optimized section and is actively working towards pushing more and better apps. However, these are only one of many necessary baby steps.

Filtering tablet apps in the Play Store search results is an obvious missing component, so is a certain degree of control over what gets through that filter — a lot of phone apps are trickling into the cracks, which should be avoided in the future. I’m also rather disappointed by the Editor’s picks and Featured sections on the tablet Play Store, which are still showing suggestions from all apps, instead of being limited to the new “Designed for Tablets” collection.

But there’s no denying that these new developments leave us very optimistic, if only because Google’s new stance should launch a feedback loop, with more developers designing tablet apps and more users buying and downloading them, which in turn encourages more developers, and so on. All in all, it should quell all the “there are no android tablet apps” cries from users, reporters and bloggers.

At Google I/O this week, the company announced Google Play game services, a developer and client-side system for powering and syncing games cross-platform, providing matchmaking, achievements, leaderboards, cloud saves and more for platforms such as Android, iOS and the web. In this article, we’re going to take a look at what Google Play game services is all about and evaluate whether it might have a shot at revolutionising how we play games on our phones and tablets.

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What are Google Play game services?

Google Play game services is primarily a set of developer tools to be utilised in games, powering features such as cloud-synced saves, achievements and leaderboards in a similar way to what Apple’s Game Centre does on iOS. The service itself is powered by Google+, the social network that has evolved into Google’s cross-property, single-sign-in service.

The client-side of Google Play game services.

The killer feature, though, isn’t any of those features; it’s the cross-platform nature. Google Play game services allows developers to implement the features on Android, but also on iOS and in web apps. This is a significant contrast to rival gaming services from Apple and Microsoft that are exclusively available on that platform, meaning your friends on another OS can’t join in on any multiplayer gaming sessions.

The service replaces Google+ Games, although the discontinuation of that service is likely to have impact on only a handful of users as the service failed to claim widespread adoption, regardless of Google+ user numbers.

Google Play game services is launching with compatibility for Android, iOS and the web.

Impact on Xbox Live and Game Center

Google Play game services joins the respective multiplayer gaming efforts from Apple and Microsoft. Apple has Game Center, an app and service introduced with iOS 4 in 2010. The developer APIs that form Game Center as a service work in the background to provide features like matchmaking, leaderboards and achievements, along with cloud syncing through iCloud, and is fairly successful in spite of its iOS exclusivity. The wide-spread of the iPod touch is an especially big reason for this, being one of the most popular options for handheld gaming.

Apple’s stance here is not likely to change and Game Center will most certainly remain an iOS exclusive. Does Google have a chance to steal any users of Game Center away? Probably not. That is, unless you’re the iOS-using black sheep of a family or group of friends who all swear allegiance to Android.

Apple launched Game Center for iOS in 2010.

Microsoft, on the other hand, has Xbox LIVE, a multiplayer gaming service best known for powering the Xbox family of gaming consoles but also Windows Phone. Xbox LIVE’s popularity means that gaming on a Windows Phone, despite the fewer titles available, is an intuitive process if you already play on an Xbox 360 and is a big marketing point for the platform. However, this potential is limited due to the relatively small catalogue when compared to the Android and iOS juggernauts.

The reputation and brand recognition of Xbox LIVE presents Microsoft with an interesting dilemma. They could easily keep Xbox LIVE a Windows Phone exclusive but continuing to do so would force its potential to remain, in turn, limited. Instead, the folks in Redmond could very well present the APIs for integrating Xbox LIVE into iOS and Android and, with that reputation completely reinvigorate multiplayer mobile gaming.

Final Thoughts

Google is taking a proactive step into finally unifying iOS and Android gamers, more so than in the cases of individual developers and/or games. There’s a chance their efforts could very well succeed and, without requiring a user to necessarily download an app to their device or browser, implementation could be very effective. If it works out, aside from some potential fragmentation on iOS between Google Play and Game Center games, then there’s little negativity to be interpreted. However, it’s going to be interesting to see how, if at all, Microsoft reacts to the announcement, given their ownership of the Xbox juggernaut.

Google Play game services is just one of many announcments made at this week’s Google I/O. Catch up with all this week’s news in a special Google I/O edition of This Week In Android this Sunday!

No other Craigslist application has caused more excitement among Android users than Mokriya Craigslist. With its complete experience and gorgeous user interface, the application is shaping up to easily overtake any other third-party client currently available.

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The biggest aspect holding some other alternative Craigslist applications back was the inability to access the service’s data properly. This resulted in inconsistent search results and listings that were out of date. Mokriya Craigslist actually bypasses this issue because it is officially licensed by Craigslist. This means that the application’s developers have official access to the listing data, resulting in always accurate and up-to-date information being displayed by the app.

Functionality

The most important aspect of Craigslist is finding goods and services that are close and relevant to you. Mokriya Craigslist makes it incredibly easy as you can simply select the location and category to filter results. Once you’ve done that, you can sort the results by price or date depending on what you are looking for or what your budget is. This ensures that you will always be able to realistically obtain any listing that you come across as the application will do its best to provide you with the options that are near your location and within your price range.

The application also allows you to specify various aspects when you initially search for a listing. For starters, you can decide whether or not the keyword you enter should be found in the entire listing or in the title only. You can also specify the search to only include posts that have images to have a better idea of what is being sold. You can then specify a minimum and maximum price as well as include listings from owners or dealers exclusively.

The default screen and search filter screen

Mokriya Craigslist is advertised as “the best, free, officially licensed Craigslist app.” While this is basically true, if you want to use the app to its full potential, you are going to have to upgrade to the premium version. The unfortunate part is that any feature beyond just browsing listings requires the user to purchase this premium upgrade.

The first premium feature you get is the ability to post new listings, with support for uploading pictures and adding any other type of information you can typically enter on the Craigslist website. This feature is incredibly useful because it allows you to photograph the item and create a listing without needing to use a computer.

The process of posting a new listing

In addition to the ability to create new posts, the premium version lets you set up favorites, making it easy to return to items or services that you particularly like. It also supports alerts notifying you whenever a specific item or keyword shows up in a new listing. Since a major aspect of Craigslist is seeing a post before somebody else does, this option is absolutely essential.

User Interface

Mokriya’s interface is nearly perfect as it allows you to utilize all of the application’s functionality as effortlessly as possible. When you first launch the app, you will be greeted with a simple bar across the middle of your screen that lets you select a location and category. Once you’ve picked these two filters, you can tap on the search icon to get to the search screen where you type specific keywords and set more detailed filters for your search.

Screens for setting the category and location of listings

Once you get your results, they are displayed with the photos front and center, putting the location and price on the sides of each listing.

The listings can be displayed in three different ways. The default is a simple list view. You can switch to a grid view if you prefer to see more results at once. Even more useful is the map option, which helps you determine easily which items are closest to you.

The three possible ways to view listings: List, Map, Grid (from left to right)

You will find very little menus to navigate as the majority of the interface requires little movement. It is an incredibly simplistic design that offers a unique take on functionality. Regardless of whether or not you prefer a simple interface, all actions are achieved as logically as possible, making your time spent within Mokriya much more enjoyable.

Final Thoughts

Mokriya Craigslist is highly polished and without a doubt one of the most popular third-party Craigslist clients available. While some users might not like the model of free and premium features, the premium version is very affordable at just $0.99. For that price, you get a highly intuitive user interface alongside all the major features you could need.

Indeed, whether you run out of battery, lose your phone or prefer to use a larger screen, you shouldn’t have to worry about manually transferring your content to every single device you have. To make this chore seamless and transparent for you, we’ve selected a handful of apps and tools that will automate the process.

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1. Music

The most relevant type of media you probably want to replicate on your devices is your music library. There are various ways to transfer music, such as using a USB cable and an application or via WiFi sync. However, these methods would require you to use separate applications for each platform and to run the synchronization process separately for each device. The goal here is to make the process automatic and easy, which is why we selected several options to seamlessly sync your music across devices.

Method 1: Synchronize Content You Own

The most common way for people to acquire music is to download it — legally, of course — and save the files on a computer. These files can then be transferred to any device, either by dragging and dropping them or through a dedicated application. We’ve given this process some thought and have come up with a way to easily synchronize your music library with all of your devices.

Method 2: Subscription-Based Content

Another option to enjoy the same music on both your iPod/iPad/iPhone and your Android phone or tablet is to use online-based subscription services. And don’t worry, these solutions allow you to save your music locally without having to purchase songs separately: as long as your subscription is active, you can download all the music you want to play offline. They also let you to mark songs as favorites so that you can easily refer to them later.

Picking one of these services over the other is a matter of preference in terms of the app’s design and whether the music catalog suits you. Our tip would be to use all of them for free during the trial period and settle on your favorite one!

Method 3: Playlists

Alternatively, you may want to listen to music through customized playlists that can be sync’ed across devices. The services below work like radios, but generate playlists based on a genre, track or artist you pick. They all remember your favorite playlists and recent listens and let you access them from any platform you may be using.

The most important drawback when using one of the below services is the need for internet connectivity. None of these will let you download content locally, which means you need to be online to listen to your songs. Also, the solutions below don’t let you pick the songs you want to listen to, instead they automatically create smart radio playlists.

2. Photos & Videos

Showing media such as photos and videos on a bigger screen is more convenient, but transferring the pictures you took with your Android phone back to your iPad — for example — can become a painful and annoying task. Thankfully, with our selection of services, you’ll be able to easily share photos and videos between your iOS and Android devices.

Some of the solutions we’ve picked for you will automatically upload all photos and videos, while others will only do it if you ask them to. The choice is yours, depending on your needs.

Method 1: Automatic Upload

The applications below will automatically detect new photos on your device and upload them to the cloud. Some may even download the files back to your other devices, while others will require you to download them manually. Most of them also support video files, so that your homemade movies can be synchronized in harmony with your pictures.

Method 2: Manual Upload

There are various applications that let you upload files manually, be it video or photos files. However, we preferred to keep this section dedicated to photo and video services that are available on iOS, Android and the web and let you share your media seamlessly with your friends, should you chose to do it after you’ve uploaded your files.

Conclusion

No matter what type of media you’re synchronizing, there are many solutions to automate the process and make things easier for you. Picking the right method based on your current setup and needs is essential, and in an ever connected world, moving your content to the cloud becomes the ultimate solution. Thankfully, most solutions listed above use the cloud as a backup and allow you to replicate your data — or at least part of it — on your devices, for you to enjoy offline.

If you’re interested in getting even more from your iOS and Android devices, join us next week for Part 3, in which we will explore ways to keep applications and content in sync. This way, using different platforms can become an asset, and having your apps talk to each other will enable you to use your devices in perfect harmony.