Android Apps for the lazy or seriously short of time.

I'm an android user, and as I work with a computer and a phone all day.  I'm always looking to find Apps for extensions that will make my job easier.

Now I must admit there are some awesome apps out there, and I probably use a lot of them.  I'm constantly on the look out for more and being a geek it really intrigues me.

On my latest search, I recently found a few that could be useful.  To some extent I could use them for work, however I would class these apps for people who are too busy to even answer the phone.  Surely everyone has time to answer the phone?  I'm not talking about a messaging App here.  I'm actually talking about an App that means you dont have to press the button to answer the phone.  You just hold the phone to your ear and it will answer it for you.  You also dont even have to hang-up, just turn the phone face down on your desk and the app will hang up.  I've been using it for a week or so now, and its a bit awkward to start off with, however its pretty nifty once you get the hang of it.  It will also, immediately put your phone on speaker phone if you move it away from your ear.  Now that's pretty handy for work, although not so handy if its a private call.

If you're interested in this App, its called: SpeakerPhoneEx - Pro and it costs 94p on Google Play

The next App is called Gravity Screen Pro, and it basically uses your phones instruments to work out what your phone is doing.  For instance, if you lay your phone flat on your desk the screen will turn off.  It does the same if you turn your phone upside down as it assumes its in your pocket.  This App though isnt just about turning your screen off.  It uses the camera to sense when you're near and if you swipe your hand over the phone the screen will light up.  This App is really good, if you can get the settings right.  I dont believe I have, as the screen sometimes doesnt turn off and I have to use the power button (which you're not supposed to do).  Now, I'm giving this App the benefit of the doubt as judging from all the positive comments it maybe down to my phone.

If you're interested in Gravity Screen Pro, it costs £1.21 on Google Play

This next App is for the people who forget to put their phones on silent at night and are woken up by an email or some other notification.  Nights Keeper allows you to set the time that you want your phone to go on silent, and the time you want it to come back on.  It even allows you to set different times for the weekend, if you're wanting those extra minutes or hours in bed.  There is more to this App than just putting your phone on silent though.  You can add numbers to a list that the App will allow to come through in case of an emergency.  Pretty awesome.

If you're interested in Nights Keeper, its absolutely Free on Google Play

I have a few more Apps which I will write about shortly, that might be more beneficial to work.

Alienating Customers through Mobile

I'm an avid Android fan, always have and probably always will be.  I consider myself a geek, and for me its all about the spec of a Phone / Computer / TV etc.  I have always considered Iphones a bit pretentious and what's under the bonnet is not worth the price tag.  You can get better spec phones for a lot less, so in my eyes its not worth the money.  Now I would like to put something straight, I'm not a hater of all things Apple, far from it.  Macs are so worth the money, and that's because what's inside warrants spending extra.

Anyway, this isn't a blog about reasons for liking or not liking Iphones, its about Apps for Apple and Android. For a long time I have always been jealous that some Apps were available for Iphone and not on Android, however there has been a shift of more equality as the Android market share has increased.  I think a lot of companies have started trying to have their Apps available on both platforms at the same time.

Current figures suggest that Android has a 68% market share compared to Apple at 17%.  Now going on this figures you would at least think that companies would develop Android Apps first due to it being available to more customers.

I recently signed up for Virgin Media when we moved house as I wanted fibre optic broadband, phone & TV.  Virgin in the last week or so have just launched their TV Anywhere service which allows streaming of TV to Mobiles, Tablets and Computers.

Now the major issue for me is that this service is only available on Iphone and Ipad, and the Android version isn't due for release until March next year.  Surely Virgin are alienating all their Android owning customers by releasing this service to one platform and not another.  There was a time that this would have been acceptable as Apple had the market share, but come off it Virgin.  Surely you did some research with regards to market share before you released this App.  Even if you couldn't have been bothered to research it you could have developed them at the same time.

Does anyone else agree with this?

Now I appreciate Mobile Apps are expensive to develop, however for a company Virgins size it should be able to develop them at the same time.  Poor show Virgin.  You certainly have one annoyed Android customer.