Tiffany B. Brown » mobile applications

Lazy Web: What are your favorite Android apps?

tiffany — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:00:37 +0000

I am now the proud owner of a T-Mobile G1 running the Android operating system. I like it so far, though I wish the on-screen keyboard pas a bit more responsive. I have already installed a few applications, including Pacman, and a bar code / QR code scanner, but I’d like to take full advantage of this pocket-sized computer that sometimes pretends it’s a phone.

So I ask you: What are your favorite Android applications?

Please share:

The name of the application
What it does
Whether it’s free, paid, and/or open source

I’m looking for a great to-do list / task manager (GTD not necessary) in particular.

Google releases GMail Mobile 2.0

tiffany — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:00:27 +0000

Google announced the release of the 2.0 version of Gmail mobile Java application yesterday. I’ve used the 1.0 application for about as long as I’ve owned my phone. It worked well for most of that time, except for a significant — though since fixed — glitch with secure connections.

I have only used the new interface for a grand total of ten minutes, but I can safely say that the 2.0 version of Gmail’s mobile app is a worthy upgrade. I’m using GMail mobile on a Nokia N80, running the S60 platform, 3rd edition.

What’s new?

The hot new feature is, undoubtedly, support for multiple accounts. The first version of Gmail Mobile only supported one account at a time (though, technically, you could have just logged in using a different account). Version 2.0 includes a menu option for adding additional accounts.

I’m also digging the ‘Mobile Drafts’ feature. Several times I have started an e-mail message in the car or on the train, only to have to stop mid-message because the light changed, or I reached my stop. With mobile drafts, I can return to the message later. A HUGE improvement over version 1.0.

Also new: The ‘Show data use per session’ feature. For those mobile users (outside of the U.S., mostly) who have metered, not unlimited, data plans, this feature is a little bit of a Godsend.

Another improvement: Speed. This version of the Gmail Mobile application feels faster than the previous one, even when using a secure connection.

Gmail mobile 2.0 is available as an application for Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile, Blackberry and iPhone.

Possibly related: My essential mobile applications

Mozilla is readying for the mobile web

tiffany — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:52:26 +0000

Sure the iPhone has its spiffy little web browser / SDK (Safari), but that mean bupkiss for the rest of us. What can we do?

That’s where Mozilla comes in. Via Ajaxian: Mike Schroepfer’s post Mozilla and Mobile. According to Schroepfer:

Mozilla will add mobile devices to the first class/tier-1 platform set for Mozilla2. This means we will make core platform decisions with mobile devices as first-class citizens.
We will ship a version of “Mobile Firefox” which can, among other things, run Firefox extensions on mobile devices and allow others to build rich applications via XUL.

Say what? XUL on the mobile phone? Awww junk! I think the mobile application and web space just got hotter.