Hasta La Gadget!

The smart folks over at ComptonSoft are looking to provide a GPS receiver to your mobile device in a rather unconventional way. TetherGPS links up your Android phone’s GPS to the Nook Color by means of WiFi — either on the same network or via a WiFi tether — because the Nook Color is lacking in the standard usable Bluetooth department. After connecting the two devices, it makes a second link by running a TGPS server on the phone and a TGPS client on the Nook. The two devices are then intertwined in a blissful, all-you-can-GPS buffet of routes and roads. For the most part, the Nook’s location-aware Android applications, such as Google Maps, will draw from this connection for location data and use it as if there were a GPS receiver on board. TetherGPS is up for grabs for $2.99 on the Android Market, and there’s also a free “Lite” version for those who only need GPS for five minutes at a time — we’ll assume you know who you are.

[Thanks, Red]

TetherGPS brings GPS navigation to Nook Color, in a manner of speaking originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink ReviewHorizon  |  Android Market  | Email this | Comments

Amazon is set to be launching its own little Market for Android sometime this month, but Opera just flinched first, flipping the switch on the Opera Mobile Store. It’s an online clearinghouse for apps available for “virtually any mobile platform and device” — which right now covers Android, BlackBerry, Palm, Symbian, Windows Mobile, and good ‘ol Java. (iOS is notably absent, but supposedly coming with links back to the App Store.) Apps are provided by Appia with the vast majority costing nothing. The vast majority are also junk, but such is the case in most app stores. It’s online now, featured in the Speed Dial on the many and various mobile flavors of the Opera browser, meaning you’re just a tap or two away from getting MySpace profile pics on all your contacts. It honestly doesn’t get much more compelling than that.

Continue reading Opera Mobile Store launches, has lots of apps for lots of phones

Opera Mobile Store launches, has lots of apps for lots of phones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Register  |  Opera Mobile Store  | Email this | Comments

Plug In Launcher is a free Android app that does just one thing, and it does it well — it launches any app of your choice when it detects power or a connected pair of headphones. In fact, it can pair one app to your phone’s 3.5mm headphone jack and another to your USB port, letting it launch, say, a music player when you plug in headphones, and perhaps an alarm clock while you’re charging it overnight, saving you a button press (note: the “Would you like to launch” message is optional) each time. All it asks in return is a pair of running processes that eat up 5.7MB of memory (as of this writing) and the ability to restart itself when you reset your phone. Sure, the app’s a little limited compared to context-aware suites like Locale or Nokia Situations, but free is free, and this one’s useful.

Plug In Launcher for Android makes things happen when you connect USB or headphones originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 17:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Lifehacker, Addictive Tips  |  Android Market  | Email this | Comments

When 21 rogue apps started siphoning off identifying information from Android phones and installing security holes, Google yanked the lot from Android Market, and called the authorities to boot. But what of the 50,000 copies already downloaded by unwitting users? That’s what Google’s dealing with this week, by utilizing Android’s remote kill switch to delete them over the air. But that’s not all, because this time the company isn’t just removing offending packages, but also installing new code. The “Android Market Security Tool March 2011” will be remotely added to affected handsets to undo the exploit and keep it from sending your data out, as well as make you wonder just how much remote control Google has over our phones. Yes, we welcome our new Search Engine overlords and all that, so long as they’ve got our best interests at heart, but there’s a certain irony in Google removing a backdoor exploit by using a backdoor exploit of its own — even one that (in this case) will email you to report what it’s done.

Google flips Android kill switch, destroys a batch of malicious apps originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 13:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Scoop  |  Google Mobile Blog  | Email this | Comments

Every year CBS has enhanced its March Madness On Demand experience, from HD VOD on cable boxes to HD streaming on PCs before adding PiP and paid mobile access last year. For 2011, a new deal has brought in Turner Sports to not only provide enough channels to air all the games in high definition (we figure you’ll find CBS, TNT and TBS on the channel guide with no problem, but with some of the games diverted to lesser known TruTV HD check the HDSportsGuide link below to see if it’s in your area yet) but also expand the streaming experience by promising higher quality video, personalized channel lineup and social tie ins. If you’re on the go, the mobile client for iOS devices (sorry, no Android or other mobile OSes) is free this year so you can keep that fiver in your pocket this time. There’s another pic of the iPad client, a video trailer and all sorts of details waiting after the break, so click through to find out more or just wait for the free apps to hit iTunes March 10th.

Continue reading CBS & Turner Sports are streaming all the March Madness games to PCs, iPhones & iPads for free

CBS & Turner Sports are streaming all the March Madness games to PCs, iPhones & iPads for free originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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