It may not be your number one spot for finding cool apps for your Android device, but the Amazon Appstore for Android is running a new promotion this week called "Geek Week," where eight of the most popular productivity and utility apps are now on sale for 48 percent off or more.
1. EasyTether by Mobile Stream
This app is great for sharing your Android smartphone connection with your computer. EasyTether lets you tether your Android device to your desktop or notebook, giving you internet access from the same data plan that your device uses. It doesn't require root access (perfect for those Android newbies) and supports Windows, Mac OS X, Ubuntu and Fedora operating systems. You could also tether your PS3, Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii using the internet connection sharing feature on your OS. It's also compatible with HTC Sync and way cheaper than PdaNet. If you want to try it out before committing, check out the free version first on the Android Market (EasyTether Lite).
2. WidgetLocker Lockscreen by TeslaCoil Software
If you're tired of your standard boring Android lockscreen, WidgetLocker Lockscreen spices life up a bit with highly customizable replacement lockscreens. Do you need it? Probably not. But does it make your Android more fun? Definitely. Imagine your favorite widget directly on your lock screen, and a shortcut for your most used Android app. It saves time and even gives you options for customizing slider actions so you can call your girlfriend or boyfriend without hesitation, or start taking pictures with the Camera app.
3. Root Explorer by Speed Software
Having problems on your Android device? Root Explorer is the perfect file manager app for you, whether you've rooted your phone or not. If you've rooted your Android smartphone, you'll be able to access the full potential of Root Explorer, which gives you access to the whole file system on your device (including the data folder). It lets you view files and folders, create and extract zip, tar, gzip, and rar files, search for items, remount folders, find permissions, check your bookmarks out, send files via email of bluetooth, preview image thumbnails, and tons more. You also get a text editor, a multi-select option, and the ability to execute scripts.
4. Wave Launcher by MobileMerit
Instead of using app shortcuts or searching your app directory on your Android device, Wave Launcher makes opening your favorite apps a little easier—with just a swipe of the screen. With just one swipe of the finger, you can access up to 120 apps, shortcuts and recently used apps. And you can launch them anytime, no matter what program you're currently running. Just touch the bottom of the screen and slowly swipe upwards to the center of the screen. When you reach the middle, the "wave" appears. Without releasing your finger, swipe left or right to search for the app you want, then when you've got it—raise your finger. That's it. It's a very handy tool for those who want instant access to their applications.
5. SetCPU for Root Users by MichaelHuang
In order to use SetCPU for Root Users, obviously you need to root your smartphone or tablet. But it just might be worth it to take advantage of this app, which helps make your Android device run more efficiently. You change the CPU settings on your device to run faster, improve performance, and save battery life. Plus, you can set up profiles for specific conditions, like when your device is sleeping, when the battery goes below a certain point, or when it's overheating.
6. RepliGo Reader by Cerience Corporation
If you are an Adobe PDF addict, you may thing about getting RepliGo Reader. It lets you view and annotate PDF files and attachments anywhere you take your smartphone. You can add highlights, crossouts, underlines, sticky notes, arrows, lines, ovals, rectangles, freehand drawings, and text boxes to any PDF document. And anyone can read them, because the comments are stored as standard annotations, just like they are in Adobe Acrobat. But the coolest thing? It doubles as a eBook reader, featuring night mode for low-light conditions and an intelligent reading view that reformats pages into a single column.
7. Xtralogic Remote Desktop Client by Xtralogic, Inc.
Let's face it, some days we just don't feel like lugging around our laptops. But if you still next access to your notebook or desktop computer, Xtralogic's Remote Desktop Client for Android lets you connect directly to any of your computers running Windows. All you have to do is make sure your Android device is connected to the internet, then you can have mouse and keyboard control over your remote computer. If you ever needed instant access to your data from abroad, this is your best option. Hopefully a Mac version will come one day. It's kind of pricey, so get it while it's cheap, or test out the trial version first, to see if you like it.
8. BackupEverything by Digi-Go Publishing
Just like a computer, your Android device is prone to crashes. It happens more than you'd think. So, it's important to backup your data, and you can do that with BackupEverything from Digi-Go Publishing. It completely backs up your important data and applications, as well as text messages, bookmarks, call logs, photos, system settings, and alarms. You can backup once or schedule backups routinely. And best of all—you don't need to root your Android device to use this. The files are backed up on your SD card, where they can be restored through a file management program or loaded to another device for safekeeping.
- Android Market: $1.99 (Strangely enough, I cannot find this app in the Android Market)
- Amazon Appstore: $0.99 (50% off)
Just updated your iPhone? You'll find new Apple Intelligence capabilities, sudoku puzzles, Camera Control enhancements, volume control limits, layered Voice Memo recordings, and other useful features. Find out what's new and changed on your iPhone with the iOS 18.2 update.
5 Comments
I wish they did this for the iPhone
I just tried the Easytether, it's great. I'm posting on it from my laptop. With 4G I'm getting 5.8 down and I forgot how much up. The only thing is that you need to connect it via USB cable and that software needs to be installed on the host computer too. I would recommend it if you're going on a trip so you don't have to worry about internet connection or if you often like to take your laptop out to the beach or the park.
EasyTether is so much better than when I used to use Proxoid. And it's cheaper than PdaNet, which is great. It's good to know that someone else finds it useful. The USB cable is not a bother at all (unless you're laptop only has a few USB slots).
Nice, I'll have to try out the BackUp Everything app, as I am terrible about backing up stuff on anything.
Yeah... I'm pretty bad at that, too. It'd be nice if you never had to worry about it, even when it comes to buying apps... it should be something built into Android.
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