Don’t Pay $30+ For Droid Multimedia Dock — Get DockRunner Free
When the Droid was first released, a couple of interesting accessories from Motorola followed suit. I was dismayed to find hefty, $29.99, prices for things like the Car Dock and the Droid Multimedia Station
There's no reason that some sort of magnetic, plastic dock should cost so much. And for what? The docks are nice, but hardly a necessity. In fact, if you want to mimic the Car Dock's features, just press the Car Home app in Android 2.0.x. But until now, users haven't been able to mimic the Multimedia dock feature.
I was simply browsing the top app list in the Market, when I found an unassuming app called DockRunner. DockRunner is a FREE download and mimics the Droid Multimedia Dock (shown above on the left). The time, weather, music, pictures, etc. are all displayed and the phone thinks it's in the dock!
Save yourself $30 and just download this simple app. Desperately want a cheesy, clunky, plastic "dock"? May I suggest making your own? Stay tuned for a DIY dock later this December!
Top 3 News and Weather Apps for Motorola Droid
A few weeks ago we wrote an article on the Top 5 Android Apps for Motorola Droid. It was an all-encompassing look at our 5 favorites. But we left out a number of great apps. In the next few weeks we'll be looking at a variety categories and publishing our favorites! This week, we'll be looking at the Top 3 News and Weather Apps for the Motorola Droid.
As always, with the help of Twitter followers and Luke, we've created a list of the Top 3 News and Weather apps. What we found particularly difficult was collecting apps that would actually do everything we needed from a news and weather application. I continued to go to different apps for more relevant and specialized content. Tell us what you think in the comments below and enjoy.
- USA Today - [Link to Site]
Winner: Best All-Around News/Weather App- The 678kb USA Today app is powerful and fast. Flipping through the different panels of Headlines, Scores, Weather, Pictures, and Snapshots is a breeze. The application is set to update each time you start up the program and can be manually updated on the bottom of the screen. Weather is conveniently located in the banner with degrees Fahrenheit and basic weather logos. This program does headline news really really well with an elaborate array of: Top News, Life, Money, Sports, etc. By clicking the Weather tab, you'll get a 5-day weather forecast.
- Dislikes: Weather is by default, set to New York City. Doesn't allow for background news updates. Refresh interval isn't customizable. News articles are little snippets of what a New York Times article would be.
- Google Finance - [Link to Site]
Winner: Best Financial News Source- Unlike it's iPhone counterpart, the Droid doesn't have companies like E*Trade developing stock and market apps. Fortunately, the Google/Android team has created the Finance app. The application is a bare-bones streaming quote checker for the market. Check anything you want and it will stream the latest quote. In a simple, 3-tab design, the Finance application can have your Google portfolio synced and you'll see all your favorites in one easy to access tab. The "news" tab has a basic collection of overall market sentiment and news. Want to know what is happening today in the market and where your stocks are? Then Finance is for you. Finance comes with a little widget for the home screen that can load your personal portfolio write to your desktop.
- Dislikes: It's too simple. The streaming isn't true streaming, just a periodic update from time to time with the most recent quote. Refresh intervals for the widget need to be quicker. A more graphical user interface could definitely make this application shine.
- Weatherbug - [Link to Site]
Winner: Best Weather App- The Weatherbug application used to be an ad-ware filled mess of spam for Windows computers. Now you can get it for your Android phones! All kidding aside, the Weatherbug application is the most convenient, simple, and easy to use weather app for the Droid. Personally, I use it because it displays a temperature in the notification panel of my Droid. Even on restart of my phone, the Weatherbug application starts up and displays an accurate temperature to my location. I don't need a fully featured weather application--just the barebones; current temp and high for the day. By sliding down the notification panel, I can see the current temperature again, but also see today's high and basic prediction (e.g., "Partly Sunny").
- Dislikes: The actual application is buggy (no pun intended). The ads can be cumbersome in the free version. The user interface seems a tad slow and outdated.
What we still want to see:
- New York Times - [Link to Site]
- Unfortunately, there isn't a New York Times application like the iPhone. The iPhone version is incredibly powerful and the user interface is truly intuitive. We'd love to see NYT wise up and develop for the Android.
- NPR - [Link to Site]
- This was previously mentioned in our Top 5 Android Apps article, and we have yet to see the application in the Android Market. Recent reports and news has suggested that NPR is fast on its way to having on for the store. Also, the goal is to make the Android app more feature-filled than its iPhone counterpart. We'll see!
Please comment below or Twitter us if you have any other apps that we should take a look at or left out!
Droid Phone To Get An Update Within 48 hours
Reports from Boy Genius Report are suggesting that the Motorola Droid phone will be getting an over the air update (OTA) within the next 48 hours. I'll be letting everyone know if I get it and what the update looks like. I have a feeling it may be completely behind the scenes.
If you get an update over the weekend, please let us know in the comments below.
Droid Does Tethering: How-To Guide (Free!)
Missing my iPhone is a long lost phenomena. I shudder to think about how cut off I was before the Droid. The Motorola Droid with Verizon Wireless service has been incredible. Where AT&T's service was consistently inconsistent, Verizon's is always on. Recently, I went on a road trip from Colorado to California and was amazed at the consistency of service across the desolate landscape of Nevada and Utah. I decided to get creative and really test my device's capabilities.
The Droid has been advertised as the king of devices and the multi-tasker of the powerful. I naturally said, “Let's see what you're made of.” I had long known about a little company called PDAnet. PDAnet is an app maker for devices like the iPhone or Android software. I had always been tempted to use it with my iPhone, but was unfortunately dissuaded by horror stories and awful reception. The iPhone would require a jailbrake and then the app download; not that big a deal, but much harder then I would soon find out on my Droid.
The Android market and software system is incredibly powerful, but it's taken me a few weeks to understand all of its potential. The market is very open, with few apps being removed because of the open market – users vote to remove an application. The market is so open that PDAnet, maker of the tethering app for my Droid, has a nice little home. Just do a simple search and you're off. Download the app and it'll be on your phone within seconds.
As a previous iPhone owner, this is where I say, “That's too easy, something is bound to fail or block me.” But then I install the software from PDAnet's website, USB tether my Droid, and plug it into my new HP Mini 311
Connect.
Verify.
On.
That's it. On the internet and surfing at rates up to 2.4 Mbps, but it's more like 115 Kb/s average. Regardless, it feels like high-speed DSL, and I'm insanely happy. My netbook can have internet whenever and wherever I want!
I have been reading about tethering for a few weeks now, and have noticed a common theme in forum posts. “Does PDAnet work with the Droid?” Verizon associates have been telling consumers that the Droid “does not tether” and that it will be about “$15 more a month to enable tethering on the Droid [next year].” Verizon is not exactly lying, but it isn't the whole truth. Verizon will most likely announce tethering software a la Verizon-brand to the market next year. After that, Verizon customers will be able to download the software and tether; albeit at a cost, $15 a month. Why suffer the extra cost burden and wait?
Tethering isn't illegal; in fact, the Android system encourages this type of open development, which is geared towards internet for all. Go try it out today – let us know how it works or if you have any questions below.
Caution: Remember Verizon still has a cap on the "unlimited data" -- it's still just 5GB of data per month.
Top 5 Android Apps for Motorola Droid
It's been a couple weeks without my iPhone, I expected withdrawals; instead, I'm loving my new Droid. This device is powerful and when people ask what I think, I don't know how to respond. You'll like your iPhone, no doubt, but give this device a chance and you'll go crazy over the Motorola Droid. But this isn't a review, we've already done that.
I've been trying to hone in on the most important and vital apps for my new Android 2.0 phone. With the help of Twitter followers and Luke, I've come up with a great list of top 5 Android apps for my wonderfully powerful Droid. If you enjoy this, check out our Top 3 News and Weather Apps for Motorola Droid too!
- Google Voice -- [Link to Site]
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I've been addicted to Google Voice, it saves me something like $15 to $20 every month on texting and I can call ANY number with a secure, controllable line from Google. Google Voice may actually be more important, relevant, and usable than Google Wave. There's so much potential with this technology. On an Android phone, unlike the closed off iPhone, you can have the Google Voice App take over all calls -- even international ones! By taking over the device, any call that I make through the phone emulates my Google Voice number. No inconvenient Google Voice mobile website for me [on an iPhone], now I just make a phone call. The application transcribes my voicemails and allows for a visual form too. This visual system saves me yet another $2.99 -- Verizon charges that for visual mail access.
- Downsides: No messaging app support, SMS messages are not pushed (fetched at every 5 mins -- fastest rate), must have a data connection to make phone call through GV number.
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- Pandora -- [Link to Site]
This is nothing new, and it's still the ultimate personalized radio. Pandora delivers a fantastic application and service to Android and iPhone. The experience is hindered by a basic ad on the bottom of the application, but it's nothing compared to the ads and messages that Pandora places on its website. Pandora let's you create personalized stations with a thumbs up/down voting system. It allows you to bookmark songs and artists for later viewing. The application also supports the adding and removal of new "stations" that can be based off of artist, song, album, etc.- Downsides: Advertisements on the bottom of application, improper Bluetooth support (doesn't stop playing if Bluetooth headphones are disconnected), and still slow, despite the Droid's processor power.
- DoggCatcher -- [Link to Site]
There is no native application to download, subscribe, and listen to your latest podcasts. DoggCatcher is the perfect accoutrement to your powerful device. It comes at a price though, $6.99, which makes it one of the most expensive apps in the Market. In fact, it's the only app that requires a purchase on this list. But it's still well worth it and powerful. DoggCatcher lets you select and subscribe to your favorite podcasts, and unlike the iPhone (AT&T), you can download as large a file as you'd like. While burning through battery, it can download that 131 MB episode of Diggnation for immediate viewing. And if you don't feel like burning through battery life, you can choose to have the device only download new episodes on Wi-Fi and/or while being plugged into power. Unlike Pandora, DoggCatcher responds to disconnects from headphones and Bluetooth, pausing where you are.- Downsides: Price tag ($6.99), no automatic downloads despite a subscription (still need to queue downloads), and small selection of suggested podcasts.
Motorola Droid Review (Updated)
Alrighty, so here's my initial review of the Motorola Droid.
Apps:
We all know that there aren't enough, but it's growing and there are some decent apps already out there.
Navigation:
Google Maps with Navigation is an amazing upgrade. But it's buggy, slow, and a major battery hog.
Screen:
The screen is brilliantly clear and responsive. Great for watching video on YouTube or through a podcast. Unfortunately, it's been picking up finger prints too easily.
Speed:
The home screens are slow to switch between pages, but the actual in and out/start and close of apps is incredibly fast.
Camera:
Definitely better than an iPhone 3GS, but not a major step up. The camera has so much potential and this may just be a software error. It's slow, unresponsive and hard to tell when you've actually taken a picture.
On-Screen buttons:
Sometimes unresponsive. Frustrating, and I wish their was a better "home" button like the iPhone.
Battery:
Hard to charge the unit with a computer or on a non-traditional USB charging device. The Droid has to be plugged into the wall charger to make any battery progress. Otherwise, the battery life is fantastic after a full charge.
Google Voice:
Definitely a major upgrade over iPhone's non-existent support. Phone calls are quick and the quality is surprisingly good. This is such a time saver! Needs to send SMSs into the Messaging app for a more seamless interface with the phone (but that's an upgrade that the individual app needs to do).
More to come! Stay tuned and subscribe to Twitter updates @DrPsychology
Updated: Camera now works great! The focus is back and is taking fantastic pics! Now, head on over to this post to see the Top 5 Android Apps for the Motorola Droid!