Non-game Android Apps Recommendations Catch-All

Has anyone found a decent IMAP client with an updated ICS-style GUI? I've been using K-9 since forever, and it still works well enough, but it's never been terribly attractive and it's much less so now in comparison to other apps on my Galaxy Nexus. The stock client looks fine, but lacks the all-important IMAP idle support that K-9 has for push IMAP.

If you're annoyed by apps that are rather nosy even if it's not really necessary, but don't want to root your device: One of the bigger German IT magazines mentioned AppGuard today.

The SRT AppGuard is an innovative Android application that raises the security on Android devices. Your smartphone contains several personal data that should not be given to third parties. This includes your personal contacts and calendar entries, but also business documents and confidential email correspondences that must not fall into wrong hands. The SRT AppGuard helps you to protect your personal data from unauthorized access.

The SRT AppGuard enables you to monitor an application and to change the permissions of this application after its installation. Thereby, you can for example prevent that an application gets access to your contact list or accesses the Internet.

It's based on this approach. I've tried it out and it seems that I was indeed able to run the Facebook app (which I had never used) on my GNex without it crapping into or accessing my contact list. Didn't initially launch after being modified, but worked when I tried it again.

Requires Android 3.0 or higher at this point, but they're currently working on a Gingerbread port.

Spunior wrote:

If you're annoyed by apps that are rather nosy even if it's not really necessary, but don't want to root your device: One of the bigger German IT magazines mentioned AppGuard today.

The SRT AppGuard is an innovative Android application that raises the security on Android devices. Your smartphone contains several personal data that should not be given to third parties. This includes your personal contacts and calendar entries, but also business documents and confidential email correspondences that must not fall into wrong hands. The SRT AppGuard helps you to protect your personal data from unauthorized access.

The SRT AppGuard enables you to monitor an application and to change the permissions of this application after its installation. Thereby, you can for example prevent that an application gets access to your contact list or accesses the Internet.

It's based on this approach. I've tried it out and it seems that I was indeed able to run the Facebook app (which I had never used) on my GNex without it crapping into or accessing my contact list. Didn't initially launch after being modified, but worked when I tried it again.

Requires Android 3.0 or higher at this point, but they're currently working on a Gingerbread port.

Can't be installed in my country. Blech.

Bah. I was not aware of any regional restrictions.

Strangely enough, AppGuard--which based on a university project, btw.--has been pulled from Google Play now. It's been available since late March if the press release on the official website is correct. Must be somehow related to the sudden wave of popularity/attention after said article. No idea of it was the devs or Google to do so.

So yeah, looks like it got removed by Google. Apparently, they devs are now in talks with Google about getting it back into the Play store. Until then, the APK file is available directly here. Please note: Once you 'modify' an app via AppGuard, it's not being updated the traditional way anymore. You'll have to remove it, install the latest version and run that through AppGuard again.

Anybody on Gingerbread that would like to have the Ice Cream Sandwich look should check out Holo Launcher. I finally got around to moving to CM 7.3 today on my Evo 4G and decided to try this instead of Launcher Pro, which had been going flaky on my phone for awhile.

So far so good. Looks nice, seems pretty stable, and gives most if not more customizations than Launcher Pro did. I might just have to buy the "Pro" version to give the Dev some money. Looks like the things Pro gives you are minimal, but I guess it would be nice to have the mail/msg count on icons again.

There are a couple of other ICS launchers, but most didn't look like they'd work on Gingerbread.

Also, if anybody else is still running and EVO and has flaky GPS, there's a driver floating around on XDA that made mine work much better (so far).

Trying to decide what to do for a phone and a carrier. I think I'm eligible to upgrade, but Sprint's service, which used to be very good, has gotten very spotty around here. I know they're upgrading Atlanta soon to their new stuff (LTE and upgraded towers). Not sure when they'll hit TN.

I'd probably go for the GSIII for the phone, but I really don't want blue or white very much.

I guess if I can't decide for a bit, I could even see what Win Phone 8 actually looks like. I've been fascinated by what they're doing, but the small market share concerns me for app support. I guess with apps being easy to port between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 with the new kernel, it might work out, but it will still probably take a year or so to ramp up.

MannishBoy wrote:

Anybody on Gingerbread that would like to have the Ice Cream Sandwich look should check out Holo Launcher. I finally got around to moving to CM 7.3 today on my Evo 4G and decided to try this instead of Launcher Pro, which had been going flaky on my phone for awhile.

Cool. I've been bored with my stock HTC Sense launcher for awhile but hadn't found a good replacement. I'll give this a shot!

I've been using Apex Launcher for a few days based on Asz's recommendation and found it an equally satisfying replacement. He says Apex's free version has features that Holo wants you to pay for, so they might both be worth considering.

General Crespin wrote:

I've been using Apex Launcher for a few days based on Asz's recommendation and found it an equally satisfying replacement. He says Apex's free version has features that Holo wants you to pay for, so they might both be worth considering.

That one requires ICS. I'm still on GB.

Whoops, skimmed your post, sorry.

pneuman wrote:

Has anyone found a decent IMAP client with an updated ICS-style GUI? I've been using K-9 since forever, and it still works well enough, but it's never been terribly attractive and it's much less so now in comparison to other apps on my Galaxy Nexus. The stock client looks fine, but lacks the all-important IMAP idle support that K-9 has for push IMAP.

I've moved from K-9 over to MailDroid, which has IMAP idle support. The full version is expensive ($18), but I have found the free version quite capable.

zipperlips wrote:
pneuman wrote:

Has anyone found a decent IMAP client with an updated ICS-style GUI? I've been using K-9 since forever, and it still works well enough, but it's never been terribly attractive and it's much less so now in comparison to other apps on my Galaxy Nexus. The stock client looks fine, but lacks the all-important IMAP idle support that K-9 has for push IMAP.

I've moved from K-9 over to MailDroid, which has IMAP idle support. The full version is expensive ($18), but I have found the free version quite capable.

I used Enhanced Email for awhile when I needed Exchange access and the HTC email app didn't work. Looks like it's still getting updates including the dev talking about moving to the ICS code base (not sure if that's done or not). You can get a trial here.

Tried MailDroid over the couple of days. There is no denying it's slick. Rich-text emails composition, rules, and filters definitely give it a leg up on K9. However, $18 price tag is just insane.

$18 for something you use constantly for years at a time seems like a non-issue. I've paid $60 for crap games that I only used for 10 hours or so.

Edwin wrote:

$18 for something you use constantly for years at a time seems like a non-issue. I've paid $60 for crap games that I only used for 10 hours minutes or so.

Fixed that for Myself.

So while on vacation, I was bummed that I couldn't use wi-fi on my wife's tablet to watch a video. So on whim I searched the Google Play store for a wi-fi hotspot app. Sure enough, I tried out the SVTP Wifi Hotspot Lite version and it worked. I bought the Pro ($15) and used it throughout the week. Verizon hasn't shut me down yet, though I won't be using it that often. Does anyone else have any experiences with these hotspot apps through the app stores?

I thought most of the wifi hotspots required root? I haven't rooted my new phone yet so haven't tried any.

My phone does it natively, although I usually use Bluetooth tethering instead. I didn't think you could buy apps in any of the app stores to do that... as Stele says, I thought they required root privileges.

Nope, at least a few don't require root. You can buy apps that require root in the store as well.

I have not rooted my phone and this one said it did not require. Admittedly the connectivity for other devices seems to epp and flow a bit. But it did what I wanted to do.

In addition, for USB tethering, EasyTether works rather well. Again, it doesn't require root, though you do have to turn on USB debugging. It works like a charm for my work laptop when our internet connection goes down (which happens fairly often).

Yeah I know you can buy root-required apps in the store, I just thought there weren't any non-root wifi apps because the carriers would throw a sh*t fit for not being able to charge you an extra $10-20 a month or whatever it is.

Stele wrote:

Yeah I know you can buy root-required apps in the store, I just thought there weren't any non-root wifi apps because the carriers would throw a sh*t fit for not being able to charge you an extra $10-20 a month or whatever it is.

If you get caught using them, you'll get nasty messages. Whether you get caught or not depends on the carrier and what you're doing.

Google isn't quite in the carriers' pockets.

One note about Verizon's new Share Everything plans is that tethering is no longer separate. Data usage is data usage.

Anyone know of an app that turns a touchscreen device into a drawing tablet for your PC?

NSMike wrote:

Anyone know of an app that turns a touchscreen device into a drawing tablet for your PC?

Is the dpi (or whatever it's called) high enough on a tablet?

I installed AirDroid after reading about it somewhere, and it's a great little app. With the click of the button it allows me to access my phone and everything on it from my PC without any messy wires. The interface is really slick.

garion333 wrote:
NSMike wrote:

Anyone know of an app that turns a touchscreen device into a drawing tablet for your PC?

Is the dpi (or whatever it's called) high enough on a tablet?

I don't need it to be terribly high, I just want it to capture my signature.

Does it need to do it in real time, or would just capturing an image that you could transfer to the computer suffice?

EDIT: http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.c...

What are you guys using as an RSS reader? I've been using gReader for years, but it's looking a little long in the tooth and its podcast support is somewhat lacking. Any recommendations for a replacement?

It's been some time since I compared readers, but I ended up with NewsRob and have been very happy with it.