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Hello, all.
I've got a confession to make: I like apps. A lot. To an unhealthy degree. I've got a huge stash of apps on my phone, and an even larger collection of .apk backups waiting to be reloaded whenever I feel like it. I love finding new apps to try out, and deciding which ones are worthy to be added to my collection. A lot of the apps that I find and want to try out are paid apps; without finding many thorough reviews on them, I don't know whether they are worth my money - but I can't stand the thought of missing out on the Next Big Thing. And so I buy them, download them, install them, and test them out anyway. If it's an awesome app and well-worth the money, I tell my friends. If it is money that could be better spent on another app that I've tried before, I tell my friends that, too.
Unfortunately, not all of my friends are interested in my opinion on apps. They only listen to me because of my rugged good looks (my theory). This makes me sad, because I spend a lot of time (and money, in some cases) trying apps out - someone else needs to benefit from that time (and money) as well. Until someone decides to pay/reimburse me for all the apps that I evaluate, the next-best thing I can do is offer up reviews to the community of any apps that I have found particularly useful. This is the driving force behind my desire to make this thread.
I will be running down my list of currently-installed useful applications and entertaining games. I will include screen shots, AppBrain links, and as much detail as I can muster up. My hope is that the rest of the community may find some benefit from these reviews - and who knows, maybe you'll find a kick-ass app you'd never heard of.
I'm open to questions, ideas, requests, suggestions, and pretty much any other type of communication or input that could be provided. I only ask that you be respectful - both of me, and of the app developers. And if this list helps you find a neat paid app to try out, please do support the developer(s). Piracy is bad, mmmmkay?
Enjoy!
-codesplice
Credit where credit is due: All screenshots are made using the free ShootMe app.
NOTE: Now that the Android Market has a shnazzy new web interface, I'm going to change the primary links for apps to reflect this. I will add the AppBrain links as a secondary, and hope to add direct market links at some point once I find a site to reliably provide this information. Stay tuned!
Reviews:
Minimalistic Text (Widget)
Clutch Pad(Multitasking App) UPDATED 2/24/11
CircleLauncher (Widget)
Swipe Pad (Multitasking App)
Keyboard Manager (App) UPDATED 2/23/11
Shift Puzzle Game (Game)
ElecroDroid (App)
Hella Umbrella (Game)
Digital Wall (LWP)
Shortyz Crosswords (App)
Elixir (System Info App)
Google Authenticator (App)
Zeam (Launcher)
Lookout / WaveSecure (Mobile Security App double-feature)
If you don't want to subscribe to this thread, you can follow me on that twitting thing, as I will post updates about new reviews there.
Minimalistic Text (widget)
App Name: Minimalistic Text (v.2.1.3, @AppBrain)
Developer: Devmil
Price: FREE
There is quite a handful of text-based widgets available on the Market, and a lot of them are very nice. There are widgets for displaying the time as text, the weather as text, the battery level as text.... but this is one widget that does it all. Just about every aspect of the widget is configurable, from the text alignment and rotation to the font size and colors to even the format for different types of data. You've got several options for the display type, whether you want to use digits or words or even a bar (for days of the week or percentage of battery charge). There is also an optional "blur" text effect which works wonderfully for making accented text appear to be illuminated. To top things off, this widget also functions as a plugin for Locale or Tasker and can be used to display variables from either of those applications. For instance, if you want a small text-widget to display what Locale/Tasker profiles are currently active, this is your answer for a very configurable solution.
For each widget you are also able to define an action to perform when tapped - whether it is launching another activity (my clock widget launches my alarm clock), opening the widget preferences page, or even reading out the text currently displayed on the widget. You are also able to save and restore your widget settings, so don't be afraid to experiment.
Given the sheer amount of customizations available to you with this widget app, the configuration menu may be a little bit overwhelming and complex when you first get into it. Play around for a few minutes, and you're bound to get the hang of it.
This is a fabulous widget, and one that I highly recommend to anyone who will take the time to tinker with it.
Verdict: A highly-configurable text-based widget to display pretty much anything you want, especially with Tasker integration.
Screenshots:
1) Widget(s) in action. I should note there are three separate widgets displayed: Time / weather up top, day / date on the bottom, and a battery level bar on the right-hand side.
2) Preferences Manager for all widgets
3) Text Style menu
4-5) Custom Layout configurator
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Clutch Pad[APP]
App Name: Clutch Pad (v.1.3v.1.4.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: stevealbright
Price: $0.99 $1.99
Clutch is an application that seeks to optimize and streamline the way you multitask on Android. It is currently in beta status, but is very functional in its current state. It is a powerful supplement to the built-in Recent Apps feature.
Clutch manifests itself as a small semi-transparent "trigger" area, which functions similar to "hot corners" on a Mac (I think. I'm a Linux/PC guy). This small region rides at the very top layer of the Android interface (in a user-configurable position) and is accessible no matter what application you may be working in. You can tap this region to instantly bring up a small grid displaying your recently-accessed applications. You can customize how many apps you want to be visible, configure the application to ignore your Home (Launcher) app in its list, and to visually distinguish currently-running applications from terminated apps. This makes it very easy to quickly determine if that app you just exited is still running or if it has been shut down as it should, as well as providing a quick (and lightweight) task switcher.
Nice, but nothing terribly fantastic. Yet. Clutch also has configurable swipe gestures - the most useful (to me) of which is a Last Task functionality. For instance, if I Swipe Up from the Clutch region, I instantly switch to whatever my previous app was. If I swipe again, I am moved back to the app I just switched from. This functions similarly to just pressing ALT+TAB quickly, and is very useful for quickly jumping between two apps.
This little utility is quick and lightweight, and I have found it to be extremely useful. It is still in development, and has many more features planned (and a price increase to accompany them - so get it quickly!) including support for additional gestures (open/close notifications, for example), on-click task control (press-and-hold to kill, for example), and configurable transition animations.
If you've got a dollar to spend, you would do well to add this application to your device in its current state, and I can only imagine the app's versatility and usefulness will increase with the further planned updates.
Update (2/24/11): Clutch Pad has recently been updated to version 1.4. With this update, the application has dropped the "Beta" tag, gained an additional "Pad" in its name, and has added additional features and configurable options. At the same time, the price has also been increased to $1.99. New features include additional swipe gestures, configurable transition animations (that are quite pretty), the option to toggle the trigger button via a press-and-hold on the Search hardware key, and a Favorites option to quickly launch your favorite apps. Options have also been added for additional visual tweaks and adjustments of both the trigger icon and the popup lists, and all known bugs have been fixed. With each incremental update, this app gets more and more useful and I find myself relying upon it more all the time. Even at the increased price, this is still one of my must-have applications.
Verdict: An innovative way to access recent apps, and the Last App gesture functionality is every bit as useful as Alt-Tabbing between apps on your desktop.
Screenshots:
1) Trigger icon
2) Recent apps list
3-5) Settings pages
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
CircleLauncher (widget)
App Name: CircleLauncher (v.1.5.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: db-ware
Price: ~$1.37 (free, limited version here or @AppBrain)
As mentioned previously, I have a lot of apps. One of the problem with having a lot of apps is running out of room on your homescreens for app shortcuts. There are various widgets out there that propose a variety of solutions to this problem, but they often leave you with tiny, almost unusable icons. This would have been fine in the days where the trackball reigned supreme, but this is the oh-tens. It has to be finger-friendly.
One true solution that I stumbled across the other day is called CircleLauncher. What it does is really very simple, but it does it very well. It allows you to create a single widget to group similar applications together (I've used location-themed apps and clock-based apps in my example). Tape the 1x1 widget, and a lightweight menu appears to launch your apps. Pretty standard, but this menu is laid out (by default - you can change this in the settings) in a ring around the icon. As you slide your finger or thumb around the ring, the currently selected application icon grows to make selection a bit easier.
Note that CircleLauncher includes other layout types (configurable from the widget's config menu, which you access by selecting the widget and then press-and-holding the center) including horizontal and vertical lines. I was also very pleased with the way that the widget's application menu adapts to its position on the screen - stick it in a corner, and your full selection of apps will be displayed within a 90-degree pie slice.
Obviously, a menu such as this is a bit limited to a relatively low number of apps (more than 9 or 10 and the ring will be just too cluttered to be functional), but if you need to have quick access to just a few more apps from your homescreen, this should do the trick. Since there is a free version available, why not give it a shot and see if this widget can help you to organize your home screen a bit?
Verdict: An easy way to combine several app shortcuts into one.
Screenshots:
1) Plain widgets (labeled GPS and Time) - you can dress them up a bit more if you are artistically inclined.
2) One widget opened showing the full selection ring.
3) The corner widget open showing the adaptation to the position.
4) One icon expanded while my finger hovers over it.
5) Settings menu
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Keep going mate
gruzman said:
Keep going mate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I surely intend to! Just have to figure out which app to post next
Thanks for the encouragement though. It is appreciated to know at least someone is reading over all this mess!
SwipePad Beta [APP]
App Name: SwipePad Beta (v.0.7.5, @AppBrain)
Developer: Conduction.mobi
Price: FREE
Keeping on the theme of "apps to help you access your apps", we come to SwipePad Beta. Similar in some regard to Clutch, this app also gives you "hot corner" functionality. Use the settings menu to establish what corners (or regions) you want to be active, and then slide your finger from a specified region to the center of the screen. Hold it for just a moment, and a 3x4 grid of application shortcuts magically appears. You can, of course, fully customize what applications should appear on this grid by simply pressing your finger on an empty square or by holding your finger over an existing icon until it is highlighted. The hot corners/region and swipe gesture should work pretty much any time that the screen is unlocked, and is a great way of quickly launching a new app without returning to your home screen.
The application offers to integrate task managing application by the same developer (which is a paid app) that I haven't tried out yet. Personally, I've got plenty of other ways of killing apps at this point - particularly once the function gets built into Clutch.
SwipePad is very nicely polished and quite responsive. It does what it does quite well. My only issue with it is that I just don't use it very frequently. I almost forget that it is there; I must be thoroughly conditioned to launching apps from the home screen. It's free, though, so give it a whirl and see if it can further help to optimize the way you launch apps from within other apps
Verdict: Clever use of hot-corners to gain quick access to up to 12 user-defined apps; non-intrusive to the point that you might forget to use it.
Screenshots:
1) SwipePad in action. Note that putting a link to SwipePad on your SwipePad gives you a quick way to access the settings screens.
2) SwipePad settings, with the hot corners highlighted in red at the bottom.
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
is there a video demonstrating the use of Clutch? I want to watch it before paying for it.
Deff fav'ing this. Am looking forward to all reviews
(*is thinking about getting clutch)
Epic is as Epic does
Nice! Thanks bro!
waichung said:
is there a video demonstrating the use of Clutch? I want to watch it before paying for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I imagine there should be a video somewhere on the youtubes. Let me know if you find one and I will add it to the post. I'm about to go into work so it will be another 12 hours before I have access to the full internet, but I will look then if you haven't found anything.
Very good! Thanks
Keyboard Manager [APP]
App Name: Keyboard Manager (v.1.1) Keyboard Manager (v.1.4)
Developer: ne0fhyk
Price: FREE $1.99
NOTE: This app requires root!!
It took me quite a while, but I finally weened myself away from requiring a physical keyboard on a mobile device when I got my NexusOne. With the multitude and variety of available software keyboards available for Android, I haven't really missed the physical keys. The only annoyance at this point is that I find keyboards that work great for one-handed operation in portrait orientation, like Swype or 8pen (if you're in the mood for adventure and don't really care how long it takes to get a message completed ), but are next-to-worthless for dual-thumb landscape input. With a physical keyboard, you'd just slide that bad boy out and away you go. For those of us with only a touchscreen and maybe a few additional buttons, it can be a bit of a chore to manually change the selected input method each time we rotate the device. If only there was a way for the device to read my mind and select the appropriate keyboard.....
As luck would have it, XDA member ne0fhyk has provided us with a solution to this difficulty, in the form of his Keyboard Manager application. Simply select what keyboard you want to use in each orientation (I use Swype for portrait and SwiftKey for landscape), and the app will handle the tedious business of choosing the appropriate input method. It's that easy, and it works.
Mostly. The app is a bit of a hacked solution, and requires root permissions to be able to get around the Android security feature which prevents applications from changing the input method. Installation is not always straight-forward (instructions are available in the first post of the application thread, and it may cause a few software keyboards to force-close if you change orientation while the keyboard is displayed. The current version (1.1) has come a long way from the previous releases in terms of usability, stability, and reliability, and I haven't had any major issues with it. I highly recommend that you give this application a shot and see if it will help you out with your input needs.
Update (2/23/11): Keyboard Manager is no longer available for free, but is now installable from the Android Market. The now-current 1.4 version has fixed most of the install issues and should be a very easy set-up for you. If you run into any issues with the purchased version, please contact the developer - he helped me solve issues specific to my device, and the application works like a charm now.
Verdict: A functional hack to auto-select the appropriate software keyboard based on device orientation.
Screenshots:
1) The optional persistent notification icon. Activating the notification will give you quick access to the Keyboard Manager settings page, and I recommend you leave it enabled until you get things set up the way you want. After that, disable the persistent notification at your own risk (the persistent notification keeps the process in the foreground and prevents Android from terminating it).
2) Settings screen
3) Selecting which keyboard to use
4) Demonstrating that the app has automatically selected Swype for portrait...
5) .... and SwiftKey for landscape.
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Shift Puzzle Game [GAME]
App Name: Shift Puzzle Game (v.1.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: Handmark
Price: $1.99 (Free ad-supported version here or @AppBrain let's you try out 15 levels; full version features 40 additional levels and no ads)
The Shift Puzzle Game is a tasty Android port of the ever-popular SHIFT game by Armor Games, which you can play free in your Flash-enabled browser at the Armor Games website. If you're not familiar with the original (as I wasn't until I found this app just an hour ago), then let me fill you in on the skinny.
Shift is a new take on the classic adventure-puzzle platformer game. Your mission is to get from point A to point B, dodging whatever nasty traps and obstacles may be in your path. The twist is the ability for you to literally shift the game universe upside down. White becomes black, up becomes down, and you find yourself walking on the flip side of the surface you were just standing on. You can (and will) use this clever maneuver repeatedly in order to successfully navigate each challenging level. Not quite tracking? It can be rather tough to explain... Hopefully the screenshots below will help clear it up (or go play the flash version for free here).
This implementation for a touchscreen device is phenomenal. The controls are large and appear on either side of the landscape display - and you don't even need multitouch. Just tap the left arrow to move left, the left-up diagonal to jump left, and the SHIFT button at the top to do that groovy shift thing. The gameplay is engaging, and the levels can be quite challenging (and quite addictive). The game is worth trying out (the free version) solely for experiencing the joy that is puzzle-solving by twisting the fabric of the universe, and you might just get hooked enough to purchase the full version. It would be two bucks well spent.
Verdict: Quickly becoming my latest Android gaming addiction.
Screenshots:
1) Main menu
2) First level
3) First level - SHIFTED!
4) It gets twisted!
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
This is a little off topic but is anyone attempting a Tor app?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
jinsfch said:
This is a little off topic but is anyone attempting a Tor app?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just slightly off topic, but no worries.
A quick search on AppBrain found Orbot: Tor On Android. Impressive, since Android still doesn't have proper proxy support on its own...
Can't find clutch video on youtube...
Btw,i think swipepad is better than it as swyping from the bottom is easier than from the right
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
waichung said:
Can't find clutch video on youtube...
Btw,i think swipepad is better than it as swyping from the bottom is easier than from the right
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked for Clutch videos as well and was disappointed to see that there aren't any. I may try to shoot a video once I get home from the desert in a few weeks (hopefully).
You can change the position of the Clutch region to really any spot on the screen. And I don't really see the two as competing anyway as they have entirely different purposes: Clutch gives you quick access to your recently-executed apps, while SwipePad offers a fixed menu of apps for you to launch.
codesplice said:
I looked for Clutch videos as well and was disappointed to see that there aren't any. I may try to shoot a video once I get home from the desert in a few weeks (hopefully).
You can change the position of the Clutch region to really any spot on the screen. And I don't really see the two as competing anyway as they have entirely different purposes: Clutch gives you quick access to your recently-executed apps, while SwipePad offers a fixed menu of apps for you to launch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The likely alt-tab function of clutch is really fantastic but does it show the recently-executed apps or the running apps? I use swipepad together with the virtual task switcher which allows switching among the running tasks. These 2 apps are completely free and no need to paid $1 for the "swipepad: tasks". But I prefer quick accessing recent tasks to showing those apps running at the background.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
waichung said:
The likely alt-tab function of clutch is really fantastic but does it show the recently-executed apps or the running apps? I use swipepad together with the virtual task switcher which allows switching among the running tasks. These 2 apps are completely free and no need to paid $1 for the "swipepad: tasks". But I prefer quick accessing recent tasks to showing those apps running at the background.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The set {recently-executed} apps includes the subset {running apps}. The default behavior of Android is to show all recently-executed apps under the Recent Apps functionality, regardless of whether those apps are still running or have been terminated. I thought that Visual Task Switcher behaved the same way, but based on the application page it does appear to only display currently-running apps. Personally, I prefer to see recent apps (with a visual distinction between those that are still running and those that have been terminated), as I often end up re-launching the same app over and over; of course, you could also just pin a shortcut to those frequent apps to SwipePad. We all operate our devices in different ways, so either option is of course valid.
Visual Task Switcher (at least the last time that I used it) tended to make my phone lag significantly for whatever reason; I did use it for quite some time though, and was pleased with its functionality as a complete Recent Apps replacement (after configuring the long-press home trigger to launch it via CyanogenMod settings). Also note that the free version includes ads (which may contribute to the lag I was experiencing?) while the full version will set you back $1.99.
So you can have 2 apps open side by side, how about having 2 browsers open side by side?
As far as I know you can't.
You can if you open browser and split screen with one of the other split screen apps- and than open overscreen browser app and set it ontop of the 2nd split screen app.
Yes i know - not the best way to do it- but it does work very well until Sammy opens the multi view to other apps.....:silly:
Its not as good but it does what you seem to be asking for, and its free, which is .....nice
Floating browser
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...DEsImdwYy5teXdlYi5oaW5ldC5uZXQuUG9wdXBXZWIiXQ..
Floating video(online youtube videos compatible, so watch a youtube vid and continue surfing, the above browser does the same, it just takes longer i.e. wait to load, click play, whereas the vid browser plays video imediatly once it loads, far lese fiddly)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...sImdwYy5teXdlYi5oaW5ldC5uZXQuUG9wdXBWaWRlbyJd
Too bad these floating browsers can't be used for apps instead.
Split Browser
You might want to take a look at Split Browser.
Search for "Split Browser" in Google Play. There is a 5 minute trial version and a paid full version.
At Appestry we developed Split Browser to solve the above problem and add some unique features that are lacking in Android:
Open links and bookmarks from one half into the other half and/or in a new tab.
Resize the two browser halves by dragging the yellow divider line (just like in Note)
Watch videos in full view within each half.
Start new tabs and switch them between the two halves.
Copy the current page over to the other half.
Press and hold back/forward arrows to view history and jump to a page in the list.
... and a whole lot more.
Hope y'all find it useful. Please contact us if you have any questions or feedback for improvements!
Frost is a tabbed private browser with hidden, password protected image and bookmark vaults as well as extensive privacy features. Frost looks and functions like any other browser until you enter your password in the browser address bar. It also comes with the ability to immediately exit, clear your history, and hide whatever you were doing when you press the home or power button on your device.
Download Now: Frost Browser on Google Play
Key Features:
Incognito browsing
Full tab support
Clean simple design
Store images and bookmarks in hidden password protected vaults
Instantly clear and hide what you were doing by pressing the home or power button on your device
Built in video and image viewer
Import and export images to or from your image vault
I've been supporting and releasing updates for Frost for almost 3 years now and just recently finished a complete redesign for Android 4.0.3+. During that time I've partnered with DuckDuckGo to provide a truly private search provider for the users of our app (see this list for Android Browsers officially endorsed by them)
Frost has two versions, a free ad supported version, and a "full" version that has no ads and some extra features like being able to set your own homepage. Other than that they are functionally identical.
I'd be happy, if you'd give it a try and I would love to hear your comments on what could be improved about Frost.
Thank you!
Not working on my note 3 (n9005 with kitkat NC2 stock deodexed rom)
The initial setup worked fine, the ad at the top refreshes and changes, but the menu button and all touch input inside the app does not work. Besides the status bar obviously. The back button works to exit though. Tried to capture a screenshot to show. 'Drm content is protected' or something like that. So i thought id write it down and try to explain why it doesnt work instead.
Very good idea. But the silly placement of the ad will make me not use this even when this is fixed. Let me know if i can help though, as i do see potential in this. As long as i can actually use it, and the ad is moved off the main screen. I dont know where else to suggest you put it, as i cannot use the app to look around currently.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Interesting, I'll try to get a hold of a Note 3 a see if I can reproduce, it's the first I've ever heard of such an issue.
Just an update, currently working on adding GIF support to the image vaults, so far it's working pretty well, even being able to handle 100MB+ gifs! Should be available in the next update.
This is a list of android apps that work well with dual screens. Most apps will not look as nice in single screen landscape mode, however.
For this list I will refer to having a screen on the left and right as landscape and a screen on bottom and top as portrait. Why? Because that's how it works in the software.
- Gone Mad Music Player: classic view shows the song on the left while landscape and the song list on the bottom in portrait. Looks weird in single screen portrait mode.
- Solid Explorer: Pretty much the perfect file explorer for the Axon M. Shows two screens and you can copy files between the left and right screen.
- MiXplorer also works but requires you to enable dual pane view.
- App Cloner: App list on the left, app settings on the right.
- Kii Keyboard 2: Has an option to split the keyboard in half in landscape, but it will cause the keyboard to be split while in single screen landscape.
- Moon Reader, probably every single ebook reader: It shows two pages instead of one. I suggest reducing the margins.
- Reddit Sync: only works partially. Set landscape column count to 2 to show posts on each screen.
Apps that can be modded for dual screen:
- Twidere: Download the source code, open twidere/src/main/res/values/dimens.xml and replace "preferred_tab_column_width_normal" so it says
Code:
<dimen name="preferred_tab_column_width_normal">1080px</dimen>
, then compile.
- Tachiyomi: Download source code, open res/layout-land/manga_info_controller.xml. Create a horizontal guideline. Set layout_constraintGuide_percent to .5. Click on info_scrollview. Set layout_constraintLeft_toRightOf to id_guideline (default is guideline3 but it's whatever the guideline is named).
- Align all four constraints to the sides (click the dots on the manga cover element and drag to sides)
- Set layout_constraintDimensionRatio to 7:10 (4:3 is also usable, it doesn't really matter)
- In the app: Settings -> General -> library manga per row -> landscape -> Whatever you want, as long as it's an even number
Other notable uses, not really app related:
- Use andronix to create a Linux session, then use the top screen for a GUI and the bottom screen for a terminal.
- If you use App Cloner and clone an app, you can have the same app on both screens. I use it for Discord so I can have two channels open at once.
Many thanks for the recommendation of Gonemad Music Player. It does look great in split view.
I use an app called Rotation Control which fixes some orientations of games and apps.
Also, Flipboard looks good on Axon M.
Most emulators can be tweaked to have game screen at the top and controls at the bottom.
Have anyone used this one?
LG Game Launcher from LG V40
https://mega.nz/#!gotUxITK!8AnQHMnpT...7jBvuLDgNDt8pA
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v40/help/lg-game-launcher-t3933989
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Hey everyone. I'm the developer behind Fishpowered browser. I've been working on this in my spare time for the past couple of years and am starting to feel more comfortable in sharing my progress!
Here are some reviews from the Play store to whet your appetite...
This is THE BROWSER! There is simply nothing like it out there! I'm a geek obsessed browser lover and I cannot believe it! It has it all! Speed, customisation, takes very little space! And the cats on top of all as if it wasn't enough with just being the best there is!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Epic!! Developers might have gone and made the best browser app for Android. Customisation options are great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im absolutely blown away how good this browser is, and its super user friendly. And I really love the gestures. Keep up the awesome work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've totally just over hyped it but I needed your attention. This is actually my first android app (I'm a web dev by trade) and my technical abilities don't match my ambition yet, but it's getting a little closer with every release!
Why should you care about Fishpowered browser?
There are browser conventions that are widespread and probably shouldn't be e.g. UI layouts that require hand gymnastics, "bookmarks", browsing history etc. I've tried to re-design everything with a fresh pair of eyes.
What are my motivations?
Having a successful project
Building something that protects my privacy and lets me uninstall many other apps on my phone
Making a browser that gets rid of all the spammy cr*p you see on sites these days
Helping people out with internet addiction and responsible internet/phone usage. This is not something that's actually in the browser yet (I've been trying to build a solid base first) but is coming in the future and I have some interesting ideas for it.
Making a browser that works well with one hand
Making a browser that's good for language learning (I'm trying to learn Finnish)
How do I make money?
I don't. There is zero ads/spyware/crapware and there never will be. If it ever gets really popular (maybe 100k+ active users? I dunno haha) I would monetise it by selling themes and accepting donations. Nothing that compromises anyone's privacy. But I only have a few hundred users so I guess that's not likely to ever happen.
Is it open source?
Nope, not while it's still being developed. You can follow the development and see the code on Twitch though (channel: fishpowered)
How can I trust this?
Good question which is unfortunately difficult to answer. As mentioned above I try to do a lot of coding on twitch. I also made a video where I download Fishpowered and the major anti-virus apps from the play store and ran through all the tests so you don't have to: www.twitch.tv/videos/877039346 If you watch the video you'll see why this would be incredibly hard for me to fake because of the infinite picture in picture.
Do not trust any download links outside of this post and Google play store as I have nothing to do with all those other APK sites.
What's bad with it/still left to do?
It's built on the Android webview component which is essentially a wrapper for Chrome. This has the advantage that you get security updates instantly (whenever Chrome is updated) but also has some limitations as it wasn't really designed for being a full-on web browser. For example, I try to add a lot of context sensitive help e.g. if you select some metric/imperial unit in a recipe, it will convert the unit for you, but things like this won't work inside webpages that use iframes (e.g. Google AMP) because webviews can't view selections inside an iframe. Performance isn't amazing either, if you have an old device, you may struggle a bit.
Lastly there are some other things that could obviously be added/improved but simply don't make sense for me to spend time on yet if they will take ages or are very niche features, it's just me working on it in my spare time.
Features
DOWNLOAD LATEST FROM GOOGLE PLAY STORE (RECOMMENDED)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fishpowered.best.browser&hl=en
Official APK downloads (note: I have only provided downloads for Fishpowered on here and Google Play Store so use other sources at your own risk)
APK download v1.6.0 (beta 2)
APK download v1.5.2
APK download v1.5.0
APK download v1.4.3
APK download v1.3.3
Deleted.
Having a quick play around with fishpowered browser and I really like it.
Kudos...and welcome to XDA
Made some Fishpowered themed mobile wallpapers as well if anyone's interested...
Download from deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/fishpowered/gallery/74845548/mobile-phone-wallpapers
Wow, a powerful browser with 3.7Mb app size... Gotta try that
Recommendations
Ability to import bookmarks
Ability to not play videos instantly when page opened(site settings)
When typing an address of a site that visited before, whole address of that site can appear in the address bar
When typing something in address bar, search results should be positioned below the middle of the screen, close to the address bar(to help one hand usage)
When using swipe up to close a tab, it should also check the swipe speed/distance of finger, instead of checking only swiped-to position in order to make fast but short distance swipes work
Thanks for the feedback. Most of this was already on my todo list. The bottom alignment of the search results is tricky though without completely changing how the speed dial works as those screens show all sorts of things and the point is u can filter those as well, not just the suggestions. I will try to improve it as I obviously want it to work on phones with tall screens too
Bruh, this is my new Naked Browser. Love it! My only future request is to be able to arrange the favorites..drag and drop maybe?
Browser keeps logging me out sites after some time. If I go into incognito mode, I'm logged out when I return to default tabs.
imakul8 said:
Browser keeps logging me out sites after some time. If I go into incognito mode, I'm logged out when I return to default tabs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should be fixed in 1.4.0! Never thought this was possible due to not being able to change the default cookie manager but I found a workaround.
1.3.3 released to Google play store and I've added an APK download in the OP as I've noticed it popping up on random sites that have nothing to do with me.
Changelog:
- [Enhancement] Photo upload support
- [Enhancement] Added button bindings for: find in page tool, full screen mode, close app
- [Enhancement] Over-scroll tab animations
- [Enhancement] Translation improvements
- [Enhancement] Long pressing what's hot item gives you option to add to faves or clear history for domain
- [Enhancement] Long pressing fave item gives you option to edit or delete
- [Enhancement] Support for translated tutorials
- [Enhancement] Performance enhancements to tab scrolling
- [Enhancement] Turkish translations
- [Bug] Disabled downloading to view "Saved for later" items offline as no longer works with webview
- [Bug] Fixed swipe priorities so edge swipe gestures and tab swiping work better at the same time e.g edge swipes for navigating back/forward*+ center swipes for changing tabs
- [Bug] Fixed crash from TTS not being available on certain devices
- [Bug] Fixed image uploads not working if choosing image from child app
- [Bug] Fixed startpage.com results not showing clearly in history
- [Bug] Fixed tab bullet hints being shown when using edge swiping for means other than changing tabs
- [Bug] Fixed long pressing tab thumbs not copying URL
- [Bug] Fixed selected text Share and Search buttons not working perfectly in iframes+foreign languages
- [Bug] Fixed tab hints occasionally getting stuck on the screen if link opened when keyboard was opened
fishpoweredbrowser said:
You can set incognito mode to "Lite" which will still block 3rd party/tracking cookies but cookies belonging to the sites themselves/such as logins are not cleared when exiting incognito mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This works for me.
Great browser, been using it as my main browser for 2 days and it works well, sans packed with nice features.
Only issue I've encountered so far is that LastPass isn't working properly. Instead of detecting which website I'm browsing, LastPass only detects the browser itself (eg. Fish powered) so it doesn't propose any password for the site I'm on.
MrRoy3 said:
Great browser, been using it as my main browser for 2 days and it works well, sans packed with nice features.
Only issue I've encountered so far is that LastPass isn't working properly. Instead of detecting which website I'm browsing, LastPass only detects the browser itself (eg. Fish powered) so it doesn't propose any password for the site I'm on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've submitted a bug report to Google. Unfortunately the autofill API doesn't work and the console log gives me no useful indication as to why and documentation is scarce. You might be able to workaround this by pinning your current tab to the mini window and then trying from there as it least in the preview window the autofill works with Google's default autofill
imakul8 said:
This works for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue with not restoring the session when leaving incognito mode is fixed in v1.4.0 (hopefully out in the next 2 or 3 weeks). I found a workaround
fishpoweredbrowser said:
I've submitted a bug report to Google. Unfortunately the autofill API doesn't work and the console log gives me no useful indication as to why and documentation is scarce. You might be able to workaround this by pinning your current tab to the mini window and then trying from there as it least in the preview window the autofill works with Google's default autofill
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was having the same issue with Vivaldi browser for Android. I looked on their forums and they have a thread regarding this. The devs on there have talked about this same issue and apparantly it's not something easy to fix... Here's the thread, if it has any value to you :
https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/40036/lastpass/20
Specifically in the last page:
In order to support Android Autofill API, we need to get on Android's compatibility list. How to get on this list is something the team has been trying to figure out, but we've exhausted quite a few options without much success.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fishpoweredbrowser said:
The issue with not restoring the session when leaving incognito mode is fixed in v1.4.0 (hopefully out in the next 2 or 3 weeks). I found a workaround
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you bruh. I understand that you are still learning. I would like the ability to drag and drop tabs. Also, could you make the option to make tabs smaller so we can fit more than 3? I will now go to donate.
1.4.0 Released! Will be available on Google Play Store in the next 1-7 days (once it gets approved).
Alternatively, check the OP for apk download although if you are already installed using the play store it is recommended to stay on that.
Full changelog...
## 1.4.0 (2020-11-15)
- [Feature] Bookmark import/export
- [Feature] Faves can be pinned to speed dial + home screen
- [Feature] Back button (long press) can now be rebound
- [Feature] Faves under a tag can now be removed along with the tag
- [Feature] Button bindings for: view downloads, open site settings
- [Feature] Italian translations
- [Feature] Time bar can now be displayed in full screen mode
- [Feature] Cyber+Muted themes
- [Enhancement] Updated dependencies to latest versions (incl. switch to Google Crashlytics)
- [Enhancement] Pinch zoom working on all pages (enabled in settings)
- [Enhancement] Tab thumbs now stored in cache dir so can be cleared for space
- [Enhancement] Session cookies now restored when leaving incognito mode
- [Enhancement] Speed dial icons don't shrink in size when opening speed dial+keyboard on tall phones
- [Enhancement] Performance enhancements
- [Enhancement] Site offline pages now translated
- [Enhancement] Added tips about navigating forward/restoring tabs
- [Enhancement] New translation mode that should work a bit better on dynamic sites (old one available by long pressing translate button)
- [Enhancement] Easy reach mode is removed more easily when scrolling down
- [Bug] Fixed pressing <3 button on address bar multiple times causing multiple faves to be saved
- [Bug] Fixed infinite loading Listen mode if TTS errors
- [Bug] Fixed stopping TTS in incognito mode causing memory leak/lag
- [Bug] Fixed "page menu unassigned" showing in settings if it was bound to a long press action
- [Bug] Fixed saved for later icon/caption displaying incorrectly when selecting links
- [Bug] Disabled RTL mode until I can fix it properly
- [Bug] Fixed 100+ tabs showing 10
- [Bug] Fixed "clear tabs on close" not removing tab thumbnails
- [Bug] Fixed fave icon appearing over address in RTL layouts
- [Bug] Fixed inability to swipe from first/last tab in RTL layout
- [Bug] Fixed current tab bullet hint going a bit crazy in RTL layout
- [Bug] Fixed direction new tabs are opened in in RTL layout
- [Bug] Fixed page menu scroll hint in RTL layout
- [Bug] Fixed closing a tab that had been opened by an external link by swiping up causing app to minimise
- [Bug] Fixed selected tab bullet hint being incorrect when closing tabs
- [Bug] In incognito mode, duckduckgo won't be forced on user if they are already using another privacy focused search engine
- [Bug] Downloads are now organised by type, hopefully fixing the issue of files being hard to find on certain Android devices
- [Bug] Fixed swipe priorities so edge swipe gestures and tab swiping work better at the same time e.g edge swipes for navigating back/forward*+ center swipes for changing tabs
1.4.1 Released, see original post for download, changelog btw.
## 1.4.1 (2020-12-10)
- [Feature] Ability to fave/download/search/open/share images that are also hyperlinks
- [Feature] Selecting email links and phone numbers now gives option to launch relevant app from context menu
- [Feature] New theme
- [Enhancement] Certain images can now be downloaded/faved that couldn't be faved before
- [Enhancement] Certain videos can now be long pressed and pinned/opened/shared/downloaded etc
- [Bug] Fixed crash from being unable to install TTS
- [Bug] Fixed local storage not being cleared when leaving incognito mode
- [Bug] Fixed telephone links not launcher dialer on certain devices
- [Bug] Hidden back press tips if using gesture navigation
- [Bug] Fixed night mode button being missing from youtube videos
- [Bug] Fixed override site zoom not working
what an awesome browser!
My thoughts:
1) needs setting to enable desktop mode by default. the desktop toggle always resets to OFF when you enter a new url. some websites detect the device and forces redirect to mobile site pages and doesn't allow desktop view.
2) backup and restore all active tabs and settings. for long term use and saving all actives tabs to say, an html file or plain text.
3) html content hide feature is awesome, very nice. dark mode is great.
4) more quick actions and customisations please
will keep on using daily to test and report on bugs.