AotD: AntennaPod - A Free Open Source Podcast Manager for Android

One of the first apps I missed when switching over to Android from iOS was a podcast manager.  There are quite a few for Android, one that I come across a lot is Pocket Casts ($4), but I was looking for a free alternative.  I recently stumbled across AntennaPod and has gotten the job done so far.

It's easy to use, looks good, and best of all it is free.  It is in beta so you stumbled across a few bugs but so far it has been solid for me.  They might charge in the future when the work out all of the bugs, but for now it is free so go grab it.

AotD: Grooveshark - Free Music Streaming App on Android

UPDATE: Since Grooveshark has shut down this service no longer works.

For those that don't know, Grooveshark is one of the many free music streaming websites available similar to Rio and Spotify.  Unlike those mentioned, you do not have to pay when you want to stream to your mobile device.

The problem with Grooveshark was there are no longer native applications on the Google Play Store or the iTunes AppStore. While you can use the mobile browser to listen to music via HTML5 the experience is slightly laggy and not as fluid as you would find on a native application. Luckily someone was nice enough to create a native application for users on Android and it looks amazing.  You'll need to allow the ability to install downloaded APK's.  Click the image to take you to more images and the APK file.

Thanks to Bejan Kanga for his hard work.

AotD: Weatherlove - A Free Clean & Simple Weather App for Android

Weatherlove is a clean and simple Android app yet delivers the information you need.  It is beautifully done and offers many customization options including icons and a few themes.  There are various widget sizes and includes the option to display the temperature in the status bar along with providing 3 days worth of forecast in the notification menu.  My pesonal favorite widget would probably be for the lockscreen allowing you to display the weather in the style of Cyanogenmod.

So if you are looking for a new weather app that is clean, simple, and informative, with a ton of customization options, I would highly recommend checking out Weatherlove.

Free: Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour for iOS

For the month of January 2014 you can get Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour for iOS for FREE.  Just follow the link below, click to get your code, then click your code to open iTunes and redeem your code.  Your download should start once redeemed.

Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour

Access the Contents of Your Android Device on Your Mac

If you're looking to transfer files from your Mac to your Android device there is a free application that you can download on your Mac called Android File Transfer.

This application will allow you to access the contents of your device, similar to using a file manager on your phone.  You can then use it as an external disk to use while transferring files between computers, backing up important data, or if you want to drop an APK within a folder to install an application on your phone.

On Windows you should not require any additional software as it will show up as a media device that you can then access.  If you are having trouble accessing your phone's contents just make sure that your phone is on the homescreen.

Supercharge Your Mac Trackpads

As we all know the trackpads on Apple laptops are some of the best, if not the best in the industry.  You're able to bring the same feeling a desktop with the Magic Trackpad, although it's a bit pricey in my opinion.  But, there were some basic things I wasn't able to do, like go back/forward in Finder.  This was really annoying since you would either have to use the buttons or the keyboard shortcut.  I'm not entirely sure why it's not already built in, maybe it is and I don't know, but I was able to find a solution.

The application is called BetterTouchTool and it's been around for a while.  I actually had an old version installed, but just recently installed the latest version.  This application does more than just give you the ability to change gestures on your trackpad.  You can customize the Magic Mouse, a keyboard, Apple Remote, etc.  For my intent and purposes I just wanted to be able to swipe to trigger the back/forward effect.

These gestures can be made globally or based on a specific application.  Either way, it works wonderfully and it solved my issue.

So if you want to go back/forward within Finder, give this application a try.  It also allows you to snap windows on your screen, similar to Windows 7.  The application overall is pretty straight forward in terms of setting it up and works well.  Best of all it's FREE.

How to Transfer Photos & More From Your iPhone

I recently gave my mom my older phone but I wanted to make sure everything was kept the same, specifically the photos.  Unfortunately the computer she used to sync it with was not at the house so I had to find a solution online.  There were a couple of solutions, some straight from Apple, but didn't completely answer my question.

If you want to transfer the camera roll from your iPhone you can do that without any additional software (Apple Knowledge Base Article).  They have guides for Mac and Windows.

The limitation here is that it does not import other photos that you might have, such as albums, which is what I really needed.

There are a few applications out there but I decided to use DiskAid for Mac.  It's not free, and honestly is on the expensive side, but it did do the job and there is a Windows version if needed.  It's not limited to just importing photos, you can do videos, music, messages,  contacts, etc.

But in my case I just wanted to get the photos off of the phone and on to my computer so I could backup the phone, restore it to factory settings, and then restore from backup.

Besides having to authorize my computer everything went pretty smoothly.  I backed up the contacts to iCloud and iTunes took care of the rest.  After it is all said and done I was able to restore all the apps, photos (iTunes backs up the camera roll), contacts, messages, etc.

Other Apps:

Swiss Army Knife (does practically everything):
DiskAid (Windows/Mac)
iExplorer (Windows/Mac)

Music Only:
Senuti (Mac)
Sharepod (Windows/Mac)

Cursor Lock, Keep the Mouse Within the Application Window

If you have played any RTS(Real Time Strategy, ie. Starcraft, Age of Empires, Command & Conquer, etc.) game it's common knowledge you mainly move around the map by dragging your mouse to the edges of the window.  Well, I recently started playing an older RTS game, in windowed mode, and the mouse wasn't being locked within the application window which was really annoying.  Even when the game was fullscreen it wouldn't work because I have a dual screen setup.  After a quick Google search I stumbled upon an app called Cursor Lock.  The idea is simple, it locks your mouse cursor within the application window.  In my case I use a hotkey to turn on/off the cursor lock.  Below are the steps on how I set it up:

First download it from here and install it.

The first thing I did was set a hotkey to turn on/off the cursor lock.  I set it to something I wouldn't normally press during a game which is the Pause key.

Next go to Shortcut and select User Mode.  Then make sure to select the Lock Region checkbox and set it to Window Interior.

Again, this is for setting it up for a Windowed Mode game.  A fullscreen game when using more than one monitor may not use the same settings.

The Window option, as opposed to Window Interior, would allow you to resize the window since your mouse can move to the edges of the window, while the Window Interior option will just keep the mouse within the window which would prevent any resizing misclicks.

Once you have that setup you can test it to make sure it works.  Remember to trigger your hotkey if it doesn't lock within the Cursor Lock window.

Now that it works you click the Create Shortcut button and name it whatever you wish.  I saved the shortcut to my Desktop which I then copied over to my Startup folder (You can access the Startup folder by going to Start>All Programs>Right click the Startup folder and drag the shortcut into that folder).  Now when I boot into Windows the application will automatically run and I can trigger the hotkey whenever I want to lock the cursor.

Older Games:

I have recently been playing an older RTS, C&C Generals Zero Hour, and unfortunately the cursor lock program did not work when in Windowed Mode.  The cursor was being locked to the window but wouldn't pan the camera at all.

There still is an issue with full screen mode when using 2 monitors.  The current fix I am using is to just disable to 2nd monitor with Windows.  It's a lot better than unplugging it.  Below are the steps on how to easily accomplish this:

Right click on your Desktop and go to Screen Resolution.

Then choose to Show desktop only on X on the Multiple displays option.

This will disable the 2nd monitor and allow you pan around the map correctly within the game.

Hope this helps.

*The Program Mode allows you to create a shortcut which will also open whichever game you assign.  I prefer to use a hotkey instead of having multiple game shortcuts.

AotD: Google Opinion Rewards, Earn Play Store Money by Answering Surveys

There are probably a lot of apps out there where you can do certain simple tasks on your phone and make some money, albeit a very small amount.  Well, Google released an app where you can take survey's and they'll reward you with free Google Play Store credits.

The survey's are usually really short and are most of the time multiple choice.  While you won't be able to quit your day job, this is a really simple way to add some credits to your account, which you can use towards some new apps you might have been eyeing.  The first survey I answered netted me $1.  I've answered a few more and have received a smaller amount, $0.80 one time, but free is free, and it literally took a minute to answer the survey.  They're random, so you might receive one two days in a row, you might not receive one for two weeks.  Again, it's just some extra money that can be easily acquired in a short time span.

*I was having some issues submitting my surveys and found out that an app, Adaway, on my rooted device might have been the culprit.  If you are also having that issue and have Adaway installed you might want to remove it/pause it if a survey is available.

Android App: Plex on Sale Now Until Nov 29th 60% Off

If you have been wanting to get Plex, now's the time.  They are offering 60% off as part of their Thanksgiving sale.  So instead of $5 it's $2.  Sale is for iOS, Android, and Windows devices.

If you don't know what Plex is you should check it out if you are into organizing your media and playing it from practically any device.

iTunes Link

Google Play Store Link

Windows Store Link

AotD: wRotatr, Rotate Your Own Pictures as Wallpapers

So I've written blog posts about 2 other types of wallpaper apps.  Auto-wallpaper (for reddit) which allows you to subscribe to subreddits and rotates your wallpapers automatically on a set interval.  There's Blur which allows you to blur your existing image creating simple, unique, and color backgrounds that you are able to use.  If you wish to automatically rotate your own pictures from your gallery then you might want to check out wRotatr, which is from the makers of Paranoid Android.  This app will allow you to add images to a list and automatically rotate through them in order or randomly.  You also have to option to track certain folders which will it will then choose to rotate through.  Unfortunately it is a paid app at $1.36 so it won't hurt the pocketbook too much.

Google Play Store Links:
Auto-wallpaper (for reddit) - Free
Blur - Free w/paid option
wRotatr - $ w/no Free option

AotD: Blur, Create Minimalistic Wallpapers with Existing Photos

If you're not into picture (landscapes, buildings, etc) wallpapers that other apps like Autowallpaper (for reddit) provides and like the more simpler and colorful wallpapers you might want to check out Blur.  It's a simple idea, the premise of blurring pictures, but by simply doing so you are able to create neat looking backgrounds which reminds me of some of the early default Nexus wallpapers.  

It's free in the Google Play store and I would recommend checking it out.  There is also a paid version for $0.99 which allows you to adjust colors and is ad free.

CarbonRom: How To Guide on Customization

So I recently rooted my device and decided to go with a new ROM while I was waiting for 4.4 to hit the Nexus 4 and decided to go with CarbonRom.  It's an all around great ROM with many features from all of the most popular ROMs and so far I have had no regrets.  The point of this post is not to sway you to rooting or using CarbonRom, but just a few quick guides on how to do certain customization.  Let's begin:

This is what my current homescreen looks like at the moment.  As for the wallpaper, if you haven't read my post about Auto wallpaper (for reddit) you should definitely check out the app or if you prefer simple, yet color spectrum like wallpapers, check out Blur.  I'm also currently using the beta version of Nova Launcher which takes a few bits from 4.4 Kit Kat.

11.23.2013 - Added Minimized Lockscreen Challenge
11.24.2013 - Added CRT Animation

Hide the Status Bar
I like having the status bar hidden as it adds additional screen real estate.  I set it to where if I drag my finger down it will display the status bar and if I repeat the action it will open the notification menu.

 

Quick Peek allows you to swipe down to display the status bar briefly and I have the status bar hidden at  all time.  If you wish you can set it do display when you have notifications which some might find useful.

Transparent Navigation Bar
The status bar and the navigation bar in 4.4 KitKat is transparent which is great because it makes the screen a look a lot larger compared to it's previous iteration.  I also made the bar smaller so it doesn't take up as much space considering it's not really displaying useful information.  If you want to completely hide it you can do so and then activate Pie Controls.  In my case since the status bar is hidden at all times I left the transparency for it at 0% because otherwise I found it difficult to read.

Arrow Keys on Keyboard
Something I thought would be strange to have I've found to be extremely useful.  I no longer have to fiddle around with the blue cursor trying to perfectly place that damn cursor line one more letter left or right.  With this setting it simply adds a left and right arrow along your navigation menu to help with those pesky cursor issues.

 

Minimized Lockscreen Challenge
When you have gorgeous wallpapers why block them with a keypad when you power on your phone.  Making this change will also allow you to see any larger widgets you might be using.  I had previously used Dashclock and had it display things like email, messages, and news, and with the keypad hidden I was able to see a more detailed view without having the expand the widget.

  

What it looks like when the lockscreen challenge is hidden.

Disable CRT Animation
If you don't like the CRT Animation you see when your display turns off you can disable it.  If you do like you have the option to change it from being a horizontal animation to a vertical one if that is what you prefer.  Unlike most of the CarbonRom settings, this one is actually in Display.

I'll continue to add more settings I find useful as I familiarize myself with CarbonRom.

Feature List Breakdown of Popular Android ROMs

I recently stumbled across this Google Document that gives a nice comparison of features that each ROM includes.  It's pretty extensive and can give you a clear idea of what ROM you might want to try.  While it might not contain every ROM it does include the popular ones.  Hopefully this will make your decision a bit easier.

ROM Comparison Google Document

Android App Review: Auto-wallpaper (for reddit)

On my OS X Desktop I have an app called Wallpaper Wizard, which I recommend, which automatically rotates the desktop background based on topics you have subscribed to (nature, space, etc.).  I recently wanted to have a similar feature but for my Nexus 4.  After some browsing I finally stumbled across an app called Auto-wallpaper (for reddit).

It basically follows the same notion, where you can have your wallpaper automatically change based on a set time duration.  What they use as topics/themes are Reddit's subreddits, such as Earthporn, Waterporn, Spaceporn, etc.  They have a few that are predefined but you do have the option to add your own subreddit if you wish.

It's a basic app that only changes your wallpaper, but can add a new fresh look to your phone.  I really enjoy it and recommend checking it out.

Pros:
+ Free
+ Easy to use
+ Can set update interval
+ Can set to update only on wifi

Cons:
-None