Beautiful Widgets now supports tablets, looks great on Xoom [Mini Review]

Beautiful Widgets by LevelUp Studios has been one of, if not the most downloaded app for Android other than some games. Everyone that doesn’t have HTC Sense seems to use Beautiful Widgets. They have now updated the widget pack to support Android tablets and the new look and interface for my Xoom sure looks like. I have some pics for you all to enjoy. It just recently finished it’s BETA.

They have completely redesigned the layout, and menu’s and what not to be fully compatible with Android 3.0 Honeycomb and I must say, they did a good job. It works great, it’s smooth, and the new Moon phases sure are cool. I have Weatherbug for Honeycomb but the widget disappears every 3 minutes, very irritating when you can’t see it to remove it. So for now I’d have to recommend Beautiful Widgets.

On screen look of Beautiful Widgets on my Xoom, this is one of many different looks, you can make it completely custom, change colors, font, opacity and everything.


Next up is inside the app when you touch the sun, or the clouds. the animation into full-screen is smooth and clear and you can still see the home screen under it, me likes.


Here we have the new Moon Phase option, it is really cool and I’ve used it for the last few days just to check it out. It is really neat to see the different phases. Nice touch levelup, nice touch. They use honeycomb’s context menu on the top right of course.


Now to keep this short I’ll just show one of the settings tab, You can go in and change whatever is needed. Here is a screenshot of me changing the widget from showing weather and the sun, to my battery life instead. Options, and more options are what we get with Beautiful Widgets. That is why they are so popular.

I told you I would keep it short, and I really tried. They have just done a great job making the widgets and animations smooth and well, beautiful. So I had to show a few screenshots and what not for you all. I’m sure more updates and options will come as they tweak it for tablets, as the phone version sure has tons and tons of options. I’ve downloaded a few skins and made it look pretty funky so far, but for now I’m going to keep it simple. Go ahead and get Beautiful Widgets in the Android Market now and enjoy it, I’ve used it since my G1 days. Thanks for reading, don’t forget to click the gallery below for larger pictures.
 

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Sony Ericsson Launches Channel on Android Market

Today it seems that Sony Ericsson has become the first manufacturer to launch their own channel on Google’s Android Market. This channel is open now, and is dependent on which carrier you’re on, but they say it’ll be open to “most” Android users across the USA (and the world?) This feature will be replacing your “My Apps” section on the main bar (next to apps and games) moving, but not REmoving, that feature from the market. If you see the Sony Ericsson button in the market and want to instead head to My Apps, all you’ve got to do now is press your menu button to find it.

But wait a second, says basically everyone in the world, the “My Apps” button is the one I use the MOST! Sony Ericsson will have quite the time, we estimate, making this section valuable enough for people to stop complaining about how it’s changing their experience for the worse. That said, this channel will provide an area where Sony Ericsson will be able to send out the games and apps they feel best work with the phones they’re producing. For the better? Or for the brand?

Have a peek at a few futures of this new channel below, and let us know if you’re excited to see it show up on your Sony Ericsson phone:

- Provide recommendations to help you find the best games & apps that enhance your Sony Ericsson ‘most entertaining’ experience.

- Provide a way to easily find original apps from Sony Ericsson such as Timescape plugins etc.

- From time to time offer exclusive games & apps only available in this channel.

- Help our developer partners promote their apps & games giving them a highlighted market space to our consumers.

• [via Sony Ericsson]

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Windows App Store? I Swear I’ve Seen This Before…( Images )

With a tide rapidly shifting towards mobile and tablet devices, it should be no surprise that work is well already underway on Windows 8. An early build circulating apparently hints at a more unified OS to combat what Apple is doing with OS X/iOS and what HP is doing with Palm webOS. And some screenshots are starting to leak out. And a few appear to include, what else, an app store.

WinRumors posted the shots this morning while noting that they’re unverified. But actually, the shots in English were previously out there, what’s new are the ones in Chinese that Cnbeta found that seem to verify the design. And what a design it is — I swear this looks familiar…

Last year, we ripped Google for ripping off the design of Apple’s App Store for their Chrome Web Store. This actually might be worse. It looks almost as if Microsoft is ripping off Google ripping off Apple. Again, allegedly — the shots aren’t confirmed.

Let’s hope Microsoft isn’t actually doing such a lame copy job with their actual store. Rushing to release a store baked into the OS months after a competitor is bad enough. At least nail the design or bring something new to the table.

Stop me when these look familiar.

Windows App Store:

Mac App Store:

iOS App Store:

Chrome Web Store:

Android Market:

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Booyah Nightclub City DJ Rivals lands on Android

If you are a big fan of music and rhythm games, a new offering has landed on Android that has a RPG element to it as well. The game is called Booyah Nightclub City DJ Rivals. The game has been on the iPhone previously and this is the first time it has landed on Android.

The coolest thing about the game is that it allows players on the iPhone and Android devices to play against each other. The game uses GPS tech to use your location and the multiplayer mode is expansive. The location-based play lets you become the DJ at real stores and restaurants in your area to earn money in the game.

The game is a free download on the Android Market and on the App Store right now. “Following the success of MyTown on iOS and Nightclub City on Facebook, we are very excited about our first game on Android,” said Brian Cho, director of business development, Booyah. “Mobile is the new frontier for gaming and we see a tremendous opportunity for DJ Rivals on the rapidly growing Android platform.”

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Androidify Demo [March 2011] [Female Hair Update]

The brand newest version of Androidify is out and it’s hairtastic! Last time we spoke about this app it was back in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress 2011. We were hanging out in the Google Pod [take a peek at that here]. Now there’s a bit of an update out there for you, again for free, this one containing a few unnamed bug fixes and a whole lock of additional hairs for your Android avatar’s head.

Now the hair additions are what they’re calling “female hair” but you know and I know that any self-respecting hippie this side of the midwest would love to have blaster hair like the likes seen in this new set. Thusly, you must update. To grab the new update, if you’ve not got the app set to update automatically, head over to the Androidify app in the Android Market and hit the update button.

This newest version was uploaded yesterday (March 18, 2011) and is version 1.01 – Take a peek at the video demo here! And yes, feel free to submit your own Androidify avatar to the [ANDROIDIFY YOURSELF NOOOW] thread in the discussion forums!

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LG Optimus One to get Gingerbread in Spring

Thanks to an eager LG Fan’s post on LG’s Facebook page, we have learned that the LG Optimus One could get a Gingerbread update in the Spring. This is the first time that LG has placed an official date for a Gingerbread roll out. The date is subject to change, but the plan is to make it available in the Android Market but the end of May. Makes one wonder if LG is being cautious since there was trouble with an OTA update of Android 2.2 (Froyo) to the Galaxy S.

Then again, past LG practice has been to have updates occur through the LG update tool. If it isn’t a mistake by LGs social media folks, by pointing to the Android Market, users could update it at their own pace, and if there’s any hiccups, LG may not necessarily be deluged and have to stall the update to work out any issues with handsets digesting their Gingerbread. Likely though, the manor in which phones are updated will change. 

The LG Optimus One (aka LG P500) is a very popular phone worldwide, with several million having been sold. In the US, it’s known as Optimus models M, S, T, and U. It’s also known as the LG Vortex. It has a modest 600 Mhz processor, 3.2 inch HVGA display and sells for around $250.

• [via UnWired View]

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Flash Player 10.2 Up Now for Android, Incorrectly Listed as 10.1

As you might have guessed, today is indeed the day that Adobe releases their new version of Flash Player, that being Flash Player 10.2, to the world. However, there is a bit of a complication in the title, as in some places it’s listed as Flash Player 10.1, and in others it’s listed as 10.2. The correct link for the update is below, but before you go there, make sure your firmware is updated to the point it’s supposed to be at, especially if you’re using the Motorola XOOM.

To get the update you need on your XOOM, all you’ve got to do is go to Settings, then About Tablet, then System updates. If when you click this button your tablet informs you that your system is currently up to date, more than likely you’re set to go. If you are sure you did not receive [this update] which would bump you up to Build number HRI66 and Android version 3.0.1.
To get the new version of Flash, head over to [this link right here] which goes directly to the Android Market where you’ll be able to install or, if you’ve got a device that already worked with Flash, simply update. If you hit this link with your tablet and it shows up as 10.1, don’t fret, install it anyway. Soon it will be listed as 10.2 and all will be well. Meanwhile you’ll have Flash and your life will become all roses and daisies.
Also note that they’re calling this a BETA release for Android 3.0.1+ tablets and a “finished production quality release for Android 2.2 and Android 2.3 devices.”

BONUS here’s the product description:

Bring the FULL web to your device with Flash Player- videos, games, apps & more

Flash Player enables a FULL web browsing experience.

NOTE: This is a finished production quality release for Android 2.2 and 2.3 devices and a BETA release for Android 3.0.1+ tablets. Please check with your device manufacturer or carrier to ensure you have the latest firmware update for your device.

Flash Player delivers access to your favorite web videos, games and interactive content. Flash Player on your device gives you:

• The freedom to access the same rich web content you experience on a desktop PC from your mobile device – anywhere, anytime; 
• Uncompromised browsing without ‘empty boxes’ on web pages.

For optimal performance and the most immersive experience on Android 3.0.1+ tablets, view Flash Player delivered content in full screen by using the menu buttons provided by content providers, or by tapping content once followed by a long tap to bring down a button in the upper left corner which can be tapped to enable full screen mode.

By clicking “Install” I agree to the License Agreement terms at http://adobe.com/go/eum. Manage your privacy settings at https://settings.adobe.com/flashplayer/mobile.

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