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To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade
Taking a moment away from the more typical “tutorial” type articles, we’re going to spend a minute and address a common question most people ask…”should I upgrade my devices’ operating system?” With iOS 5 hitting Apple devices recently and Android 4.0 (i.e. Ice Cream Sandwich) coming soon, this question is more relevant than ever.
The question always comes up…should I get the lastest version of my phones operating system (iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry OS, etc). There is no simple answer but let’s look at a few questions to ask yourself before you make this decision. First off, take a look at what the features are that you’re getting in the upgrade. Often times the upgrades are marginal or impact aspects of the device that are irrelevant to you based on your usage. In those cases, no big worries in not getting the upgrade.
The next question is…at what cost will I get the upgrade. By this we mean what negative aspects are there in upgrading. Again, this depends on the type of user you are. If you’re someone that likes to tweak and mess with your phone (jailbreaking your iOS device or rooting your Droid) then you probably don’t want the latest version. Typically, new versions are released to block users from doing things that the mother ship frowns upon. For example, when the jailbreak method for the iPad 2 was finally released by hacker Comex, Apple immediately released an update to the operating system to block the jailbreak. They added virutally nothing else other than the block and because it came out so quickly following the release of the jailbreak, the majority of iPad 2 users were left with an (as of yet) un-jailbreakable device.
The same holds true for Android. While Google says it doesn’t take as active a role in trying to block rooting as Apple does against jailbreakers, new versions of Android are typically not compatible with current root method. This means you have to wait until an enterprising hacker or software developer comes up with a new method and sometimes those new methods aren’t quite as simple as the older ways. This also holds true for certain apps that, for example, allow you to turn a rooted device into a wifi hotspot. These features may be disabled on a newer version.
It’s always nice to have the latest and greatest and sometimes the upgrades genuinely do warrant the drawbacks or sacrifices one must make. All we suggest is to not take the idea of an upgrade as always being just that. Quite often an upgrade is nothing but a downgrade.
Free Android Apps with Aptoide
Not to sound like a broken record, but here’s yet another way to get FREE APPS FOR YOUR ANDROID!
To start off, here’s a little background info. Apps are stored in a place called a repository. A repository is a type of library or bank where these apps are stored and by using a particular app, you can access these libraries and download directly to your phone. The official Android Market itself is a type of repository. Just like the Blackmarket Alpha app we had mentioned before, Aptoide is another app repository full of appy goodness.
Aptoid is available on the regular Android Market so follow the link below on your Android powered device and download the Aptoide Installer.
Click Here for Aptoide Installer From Android Market
Get the Installer and run it and you’ll get the Aptoide app on your phone. Aptoid itself is a program that reads repositories, so now we need to tell it where the repositories are. We will start off by doing it the automated way and downloading another app from the Android Market that works with Aptoide to add the repositories. Click on the link below for the Aptoide Repos app.
Click Here for Aptoide Repos App from Android Market
Now we’re going to run the Aptoid Repos app and it’s going to automatically add a list of repositories (or repos). Let it do it’s thing and then run Aptoide. The first time you run it (and periodically from now on) the app will ask you if you want it to update it’s list of apps from the listed repositories. Click yes and let it re-populate the list. Once this is done, you can click on Games, Applications or Others to take you to the
Press Manage Repos to add repositories
corresponding lists of apps. You can also press the menu button and use the search option to find a particular app among the thousands listed.
The power of Aptoide lies in the ability to manually add any new repositories that they don’t list automatically through the Aptoide Repos app. To do this, click on the menu button from the main page, then click on Manage Repo. This takes you to the list of repositories you already have. To add a new one, click on the menu button, then click New Repository. This brings up a new box with a field for the website address. Enter the address and press Add. For our example, type http://repo.blackdroid.net and click Add. You will now see the new repository listed. When you go back to the Aptoide main screen by pressing the back key, it will again ask you if you want to update your list of apps based on this new repository. Let it update and you’re good to go.
Depending on what repos are automatically added, here are a couple must have for more free apps…
http://blackmarket.bazaarandroid.com
Adding a new Repo
Aptoide is also great because it lists what apps that you have already downloaded have updates available so you’re always running the latest and greatest version of your apps.
Hopefully this works for you. Drop a comment below if you know of any other noteworthy repositories that are floating around out there and happy downloading!
Free Music with GTunes Music
Apps aren’t the only thing floating out there for free. Now your ears can join in all the free goodness with the GTunes app. This app allows you to search for any song, album or artist and download directly to your phone for free. GTunes logs into online music libraries to bring them to your phone.
There was an earlier version of GTunes available on the Android Market for a limited time that allowed the best search and download capabilities. It was pulled early and replaced by another more watered down edition. The new GTunes (currently available on the market as of the writing of this post) lets you search for Artists only and then allows the download of only a few of that artists songs, often times live or acoustic versions. While this can be handy, it’s no where near as powerful as the original.
Worried that the original isn’t available on the market anymore? Fear not, readers…Hackmondo to the rescue. From your phone’s browser, click on the link below to download the original, more powerful version directly to your phone!
Click here for GTunes Android App
When you install the app and run it, it will most likely tell you that there’s a new version of the app available. Don’t bother with the upgrade. We’re pretty happy with what we have.
GTunes is a very simple and well laid out app overall. The first tab is the about tab which is what you will use to exit the app when not in use. To find a particular song, artist or album, click onto the Search tab and type in search box. Click on the magnifying glass to the right and it will pull up a list of matching search results. The list is compromised of songs or albums from various sources so you’ll see multiple copies. You’ll also see some written in foreign languages. For the most part, it’s best to download the file that has a larger file size since that usually equates to a higher quality audio file. When you select a song, you have the option of streaming it to make sure it’s the right song. Once you pick a song and click on download, you can go over to the download tab and see the progress. Naturally, the stronger your data or wifi signal, the faster the download.
You also have a Library tab to see all your downloaded songs (as well as any other music on your device) and a decent little audio player so you could do everything you need to do from within this one little app.
Now sit back, relax and let the music take you away! If this worked for you, drop a comment below and let us know what device and version of Android you were running and let us know if you use any other free music apps.
Free Android Apps from Blackmarket Alpha
For those of you looking for a way to fill the void left by the downfall of Applanet, fear not. Blackmarket Alpha is looking to fill the gap. While not as elegant in design as Applanet, it is proving to be much more reliable…that is to say it works, which is more than Applanet can say. Click on the link to get the file straight to your phone…
Click Here for Blackmarket Alpha
The app is simple enough to use. When you run it the first time you will see tabs for “Applications,” “Games,” and “Installed.” The first two take you to more categories in their respective areas. The apps are all listed alphabetically so the search tools are a little limited. There is the option to also search for a particular app by name which is useful.
As always, remember that the point of these types of apps are to try BEFORE YOU BUY! Always do whatever you can to support app developers by buying apps you like. Let app makers make a living at it so we can sit back and enjoy more app goodness.
Applanet Still Down
If you are reading this post then you are probably well aware that Applanet has been down for some time now. It’s still unknown exactly when the service will be up and running but rumor has it that it’s down in preparation for a new and improved version that has been slated to be released for some time now.
In the meantime, we are reviewing a few other options for online app repsitories and will post an article with some of our favorites soon. Sit tight and keep checking back frequently.
UPDATE: We have added a link to another app similar to Applanet but with better availability called BlackMarket Alpha. Check it out here…
Secure Your Droid
Once you get out there and start downloading apps like a madman (or madwoman) you’re going to be opening yourself up for potential attacks from hackers. It’s possible that some of the apps you download could be malware that can do bad things to your phone, especially if you’re downloading from somewhere other than the official Android Market.
There are several ways to secure your device but my favorite has always been Lookout Mobile Defender. This app will run in the background on your device and will scan every new app you install and tell you if it’s safe. It can also do sweeps of your phone to search for anything that shouldn’t be there as well as help you locate your phone if you lose it. Another great feature is doing regular backups in case your phone’s memory gets wiped so you won’t lose anything. The best part is that the app is free if you only want to scan your apps and want the missing device location service. For others features they will charge you a small amount so it’s up to you if you want the full monty or not.
Click the link below from your phones browser to download it directly from the Android market…
http://market.android.com/details?id=com.lookout
There are plenty of other security apps on the market (like Norton Antivirus) but I’ve always had great success with Lookout. If you have any other apps to recommend for security, drop a comment below.
Free Android Apps!!
UPDATE: Due to Applanet being down for an extended period of time, we have added a link to another app similar to Applanet but with better availability called BlackMarket Alpha. Check it out here…
Yes, you read that right. We are now going to get into the meat and potatoes of the seedy underside of the Android app world…free apps!
There are several ways of getting free apps, so we’re going to start with one of the more complete ways. An app called Applanet.
Before we can get into that, we have to get our phone ready. From the home screen, press the menu button and then select Options.
The Unknown Sources Menu
On the next menu, select Applications. Here, you should see an option that says Unknown Sources. Make sure this is checked. By default, your Android phone is setup to only allow you to download apps from the Android Market. They do this to make sure someone doesn’t try to install malicious apps that may damage your phone.
Now you’re ready to download Applanet and start downloading free apps. There are several ways to do this. First off, you can visit the applanet website…
There you will have several options of downloading the file either to your computer or straight to your phone if you’re visiting from your phones web browser.
Or, if you are like me and you’re just too lazy to go to another site…just hit the link below from your phone’s browser and you should start a download of the file.
You should see a download start on your phone. Once the download is complete, select the file and you should be prompted to install it, similar to any other app from the market. Go through the regular steps, install the file and you’re ready to go.
Applanet
You will immediately notice that Applanet is designed to look and behave just like the Android Market. There are categories and listings of free and paid apps. Find the apps you want, hit download, and enjoy.
Disclaimer: Why would someone download free apps? This is intended to be used to test drive apps. If you find an app you like, we STRONGLY recommend taking the time to buy the regular app on the market to help support the developers. They work hard to get the apps to you and without our support, who would be left to make apps?
Drop a comment below if this did or did not work for you. Applanet is a little finicky and often times their network is down, leaving you with just a blank screen when you launch it. Have patience with it and feel free to visit their site for more detailed info and technical help.
HackMondo 