Ultimate Survival Guide To Android App Sales

Every now and then, Android apps go on a mass-sale. It's crazy. Dirt-cheap crazy. Apps originally priced more than $2.00 go as low as $0.10. Two major sales had gone by on the Android Market Google Play Store and I've had my share of regrets. If people come up with survival guides for a zombie apocalypse, why shouldn't I make one to help you survive those crazy sales on Google Play?

Survival Tip #1 ~ Don't buy paid apps unless they're on sale.
When there's an ongoing sale, never buy paid apps on regular price. Sales usually last for days and who knows? Yesterday's regular purchase could be today's app on sale. There's a trend here: The 10 billion downloads sale lasted ten days, Google Play's first sale lasted a whole week, and Amazon's first year birthday celebration called out a seven-day sale. As soon as the sale starts, do yourself a favor and don't buy paid apps unless their prices are slashed.


Survival Tip #2 ~ Buy apps you like as soon as they're on sale.
As soon as an app you like goes on sale, buy it. Tomorrow, it may no longer be on sale. Don't make me say "I told you so."


Survival Tip #3 ~ When a kids' app goes on sale, buy it.
It doesn't matter if you don't have kids - yet. Chances are, you will have them a few years from now. So when a kids' app goes on sale - whether it's a book or some other educational tool - buy it. It will be forever tied to your Google account and synced to all your future Android devices :-) Years from now, your imaginary kids will be able to use them. Besides, if you have a babysitting stint going on, these apps will come in handy.


Survival Tip #4 ~ When a 3D game goes on sale, buy it.
When 3D games go on sale (RPG, racing, first-person shooters), buy them. It doesn't matter if you like them or not. 3D games on sale are the greatest bargains you will find. 3D games usually cost more than $3 but this priced is reduced to $0.99 or lower depending on the sale. Got many of my 3D games for $0.20 and $0.10 :-)


Survival Tip #5 ~ Check Google Play / Amazon Appstore every few hours.
Whenever Google Play or Amazon Appstore is on sale, check every few hours. Our biggest enemy (for those of us who live outside of the US anyway) is timezone difference. Even though apps are likely to be available for 24 hours on local time, the time frame of their availability varies. Here in my country for example, apps on sale (during the 10 billion downloads sale) refreshed every 9:00pm. Try to find out what time apps refresh on your part of the world whenever there's on sale. And check back in following days at the same time.


Survival Tip #6 ~ Don't forget the refund button
Except for 3D games which you can't test within 15 minutes after download (because of the extra data they need), don't forget the refund button for all other apps you purchase. This is especially true for tools, photography, and entertainment apps. Not all apps on sales suit our needs, particularly those belonging to these categories. So as soon as you download one, test it and hit the "Refund" button on Google Play right away if you don't like it. This happened to me for SoundHound and Magic Camera which turned out to be useless - at least, in my case.


Survival Tip #7 ~ Always have money in the bank
If there's one thing I hate about Google Play, it's that you can't download paid apps if you have no money in your debit card. Apple Store allows a few downloads even if you didn't have cash but once money is in, purchases will automatically reflect. With Google Play, the policy is easy: No Money, No Paid App. So if you use a debit card for buying apps, always have some money in it. $20 is usually enough to last you through a week of app sales.


All these tips are based on personal experience :-) I hope they can help you survive the next Android app sale. For more tips and tricks, don't forget to follow me on Twitter for a weekly update!

Cool Features Of SGS2 ICS Update - With Pictures

Ice Cream Sandwich brings new features not found in Gingerbread. But that statement alone probably won't convince you to update your Samsung Galaxy S2 to Android 4.0. Which is why I'm writing this post to highlight everything cool about the official ICS update for SGS2.


Be warned. This post is not for Touchwiz haters.


When going through photos, anything placed side by side would be a comparison between Gingerbread (on the left) and Ice Cream Sandwich (on the right).

Lockscreen

The first thing you'll notice is the new lockscreen. The clock is now positioned on the top instead of the bottom.

Note: The photo on the right is the ICS lockscreen for a leaked build of SGS2 and is therefore not final. However, the clock positioning is already similar to the recent release. 

Coming from older versions of Gingerbread, you know that the swipe action moves the entire lockscreen out of the way. But newer versions of Gingerbread already have a similar "swipe to unlock" action as Ice Cream Sandwich. When you press the lockscreen, a ring will appear. Dragging your finger out of that circle will unlock it.


It's not obvious but check the clock on the status bar on photos below. The clock will not appear on the status bar for Ice Cream Sandwich while the lockscreen is on. 

    

What I really like about the new ICS lockscreen for SGS2 is that you can access the notifications drawer without unlocking your phone.

You can now easily check for notifications and access them directly through your lockscreen. But if you set up a Passcode, Pattern, or Face Unlock, you are unable to access the notifications drawer from the lockscreen - a great security measure, if you ask me. Face Unlock is a key feature of Ice Cream Sandwich. It is a new method of unlocking your phone through face recognition.

When you receive messages or miss calls, the slide action will still take you to them - like how Gingerbread worked.

When playing music using the stock media player, a music controls widget will automatically appear on the bottom side of the lockscreen. 

Homescreen

After you unlock the phone, you will be taken to the homescreen. The clock will reappear on the right end of the status bar after unlocking. There's nothing else left to say about the homescreen other than "It still has Touchwiz".

Menu Touch Button

The menu touch button has a new interface. If you click it, the menu will be displayed as a list and not a grid. The interface is similar across most apps, except for those who weren't optimized for Ice Cream Sandwich.

Status Bar

Icons are noticeably larger on the status bar of Ice Cream Sandwich for SGS2. I don't know about you but I really like them and I think people with vision problems would appreciate the change too. Icons for WiFi, 3G/4G, and battery also get minor redesigns.

Notifications Drawer

The notifications drawer has a similar appearance but a different interface. In addition to the "Clear All" notifications feature, you can now individually remove notifications from the drawer. Also worth noting is the music widget which appears when playing music using the stock music player.

Recent Apps View

In Gingerbread, long-pressing the menu button will take you to the task manager. In Ice Cream Sandwich, the action will lead you to the Recent Apps View. Recent Apps View lets you access recently used applications in the touch of a button. To remove an app from the list, just use the swipe action.

  

You can still access the Task Manager from the Recent Apps View by clicking the corresponding button that appears on the bottom.

Internet Browser

The all-new internet browser on the Ice Cream Sandwich update is really awesome. One of the first things you'll notice is that if you go online, the browser will instantly sync to your Google account. If you set up Google Chrome, bookmarks saved on your device and Google Chrome for PC will be synced to your account - allowing you to access all of them with your phone or computer.

If you check the photos below, the bookmarks saved on my Google Chrome browser were synced to my phone.

 

You can learn how to sync Google Chrome to your Android here.

When viewing pages on full screen mode, touch the sides of the screen to access the menu, open a new tab, and perform other functions.

Incognito mode is another interesting feature present in the internet browser of the phone's ICS update. When you access the Windows Menu on the internet browser, you can switch to Incognito mode by clicking the icon on the top right portion of the screen - the one beside the plus sign. Incognito mode prevents your phone from saving search history and history of viewed pages. This new feature - along with the option to open in a new window - is presented in a new interface for Ice Cream Sandwich. 

      

Select Input Method

Whenever you're typing using the keyboard - regardless of the app used and default keyboard - a Select Input Method Icon will appear on the status bar and your notifications drawer. This lets you easily switch between different keyboards when needed.

Text Selection

Text selection is different in Ice Cream Sandwich - and much easier to use, IMO. When you long press a typed word, a selection method with four icons will initially appear on top of the screen. From left to right, there is the Confirm button, Select All option, Cut option, and Copy option.

Moving the selection cursors lets you select specific phrases.

Select All lets you select all of the typed text.

Cut removes the selected text from the screen and adds it to the clipboard.

Copy lets you copy text to the clipboard without removing it from the screen.

Once you have added something into the clipboard, a new icon will appear when you select text the next time around.

The new icon (which appears on the far right of the screen) lets you replace the selected text with cut/copied text from the clipboard. The icon also includes the option to see all cut/copied text on the clipboard.

Long pressing on a blank space gives you the option to paste recently cut/copied text or access the clipboard for more options.

All the features I mentioned above aren't everything that the ICS update has to offer for Samsung Galaxy S II owners. However, they were the best I could find. Hopefully, I was able to convince you to update your phone to Ice Cream Sandwich just as I have. 

Remember to check my reviews of ICS builds because some of them are extremely buggy and unstable (even if they're official releases by Samsung). I am currently using UHLPE for Trinidad and Tobago which seems to be the most stable ICS update for SGS2 - so far, based from what I've tested.

If You Have A Problem With Me Being A Girl

Look, if you have a problem with me being a girl, then get the hell out of my blog.


Someone who goes by the name @misakityyny sent me tweet with an attached meme.

Call me crazy, but if you carefully read the meme - it looks like it's out to get me. I don't know if this is an existing meme, or if it was made to attack me because the girl in that meme also has an SGS2, reads XDA threads, and enjoys flashing original and custom ROMs. Sounds familiar? When he made this tweet, he had 6 total tweets, 0 followers, and 0 followed.


Here's what I have to say to you... whoever you are.


There are several reasons why I made this blog. Yes, I make a great deal of my gender. Why? Because not many women (like me) are into the stuff that I usually like - and my love for Android is just one of them. However, I didn't make this blog to brag about what I know about Android. Hell, I can't even flash a ROM using Mobile ODIN without f*cking up my phone. There are a couple of reasons why I made this blog. And bragging about my gender is not one of them.


It opens me to a community of Android users.


From where I'm from, most people usually have feature phones on them. And if ever I encounter people using an Android - they either know as much as I do, or don't. I want to be able to talk to others - those who need help, and those who know better than me. And this blog is my golden ticket to that community. When I need help, they're there. And when they need help, I am there. Simple as that.


It helps me land jobs.


I work as a freelance online writer. I own two blogs - this one, and Daydreamer's Travels. I update this blog more often but I keep the other one around. These two blogs help me land jobs whenever I need one.


I like making friends.


By nature, I am a friendly person. I enjoy talking to people from around the world. I've made some friends using my @shetalksandroid Twitter account, some I've made using my @adathedaydreamr account which is associated with my dream destinations blog. I'm not gonna mention names and they may not feel the same way about me. But to me, they are friends. And that's all that matters.


I wanna help people.


It would be useless if I just blogged about nonsense stuff that people won't find useful right? One of the reasons why I blog is because I wanna help people - especially those who are unfamiliar to what I already know. I've received  many thanks but I also give due credit to people I learn things from.


So, am I proud to be a geek girl? Of course I am. But that is not who I am entirely as a person. I'm a single mom who raises my two kids alone - financially and emotionally. That, I am also proud of. I enjoy playing L4D, reading Walking Dead comics, and Final Fantasy 7 just as much as I enjoy shopping our going out for the night to party it out. I also enjoy making sketches. See? Cool huh? Made that using Sketchbook Mobile on my phone. 

Oh, and just like any woman I'm hormonal - which explains why I wrote this blog which you thought was going on forever. And in case you haven't figured it out by now, I enjoy writing most :-)


So look. If you have a problem with me being a girl, or hate my blog - why waste my time hating me or this blog? Move on and find other things to do. This world has so much to offer. And wasting time on things you hate won't do you any good.

My Failed Attempt To Install Hydroxyg3nmod By Paradoxxx

Yesterday, I tried installing Hydroxyg3nmod by Paradoxxx and stupidly mistook it for his Hydrog3nics ROM (which I will review later). Hydroxyg3nmod is a Gingerbread-based ROM which seemed to get a lot of attention from people. The first time I got it to work, I instantly fell in love with it. Until it kept rebooting :-(


The story.


Coming from XWLA4 (original Sammy firmware) on Siyah Kernel 2.6.13, I went to Siyah Recovery and did a full wipe. That includes cache, dalvik cache, factory reset, battery stats, and the big daddy of 'em all - SYSTEM. Formatting the system basically rids all traces of your previous ROM, leaving your phone "ROM-less". I then flashed Hydroxyg3nmod v4 from this thread. After rebooting, my phone kept rebooting and never got past boot image.


The fix - well, sort of.


Now comes the weird part. So my phone's stuck on reboot, right? I turned it off, flashed CF Root via ODIN. What ODIN does is force your phone to reboot after flashing a kernel. My phone did just that. After rebooting, the screen went black for a while but when I pressed the menu button after a few seconds, I was prompted to start setting up my phone.


Why I liked Hydroxyg3nmod.


What caught my attention was its beautiful display. Hydroxyg3nmod is one of the most visually appealing ROMs I've tried. I'm not sure if you've noticed this but there are a few ROMs that make the SGS2's display more vivid than usual. You can see it from the wallpaper and by viewing photos in your gallery.


In addition to vivid display, Hydroyxg3nmod also has a minimalist theme. The status bar icons are white and if you check settings, you'll notice that the phone utilizes Helvetica Neue in white as its default font. As if that's not enough, Paradoxxx replaced the fugly stock Android keyboard with HTC's. HTC keyboard is beautiful and better for typing.


The story continues.


After admiring its beautiful interface, I decided to set up my Google account by turning the Wi-Fi on. After that, my phone turned off and kept on rebooting. I'm not sure if it had something to do with the kernel I flashed.


My attempts to fix the issue include:

• Turn off Wi-Fi. The phone just reboots and Wi-Fi turns itself on again even though it's doesn't connect after that.
• Doesn't detect Wi-Fi connections. I tried to add manually but was faced with the same reboot issue.
• Flashed different Gingerbread kernels. Even tried Siyah Kernel.

Also, the "Preparing SD card" is stuck on the notifications drawer. Unmounting and mounting SD card fixes it but only temporarily.

So yeah, I can't make a review of Hydroxyg3nmod as I hoped. Since it's still on Gingerbread, I've decided to move on and try Hydrog3nics instead, an ICS-based ROM also by Paradoxxx. I'll try to make a review of it in the next couple of days :-) I'll have to compare it to CM9 from which it was based from.

If you guys know how to fix the Wi-Fi problem I'm encountering with Hydrog3nmod, I'll appreciate it. And I'll review this ROM and make an installation guide along with the fix that works ;-)

Here are a few screenshots of Hydroxyg3nmod so you'd understand why I tried to make it work.

RIP Android Market, Google Play Is Born

Let's all take a moment of silence and mourn over the Android Market. Google merged it with other services in a new website and under a different name too. Now suck it up and head over to Google Play. A slew of apps are on sale for $0.49 so you better suck it up - FAST.


If you don't have the money to download apps, just scroll down to find out what Google Play is in a nutshell :)


Among the titles on sale are...

• World of Goo
• SHADOWGUN
• Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
• Asphalt 6: Adrenaline
• Dead Space
• SoundHound
• N.O.V.A. 2
• They Need To Be Feed
• SwiftKey X Keyboard
• Camera ZOOM FX

You can find all games on sale for day 1 here. Update: As it turns out, the sale will last 7 days. Everyday for 7 days, there'll be 25 new apps on sale for $0.49 each. I say you buy all of 'em, even if you have no use for them now. Who knows? Your future kids and grandchildren could play them. Anyway, all downloaded apps will be synced to Google and all devices tied to an account. Lol.


Now, about the Android Market and the all-new Google Play.

The Android Market is now part of a larger scheme called Google Play which combines movies, music, apps and games, and books in single website. If you visit the old URL of Android Market on your browser, you'll be redirected to Google Play. Purchases made on Google Play can be accessed across all compatible devices - be it a laptop, non-Android tablet, Google TV, or your Android phone. Think of it as a cloud that lets you access all media and purchases anytime, anywhere so long as you have internet and a compatible device. Google definitely caught us by surprise with this move.


It's hard to explain what Google Play is so go check it out for yourself at http://play.google.com/about/. Sadly, not all services are available for countries outside the US. But when Google is ready, I'm sure they'll open up to the rest of the world. Good luck with that, Apple. *evil laugh*


Update: Yeah. I just had to blurt it out here. As it turns out, "Google Play" isn't the lamest brand name we've seen. Because now, the new iPad is called... the new iPad. Seriously? WTF? What was Apple thinking? If I were Steve Jobs, I'd haunt everyone behind this stupid name.

My Apologies, Geeks - [S]he Talks Is Back!

[S]he Talks Android was MIA, AWOL, or whatever you call it for the past few weeks. If you haven't unfollowed me on Twitter while I was gone, thank you. If you haven't followed me yet, the name's @shetalksandroid. I won't bite :-)


Anyhoo, I'm writing this post as an apology for taking a long break from blogging. A lot of events transpired in my personal and professional life in the past month. To summarize, all I can say is I have a life. That is something each and every one of you must understand whenever you decide to nag Android bloggers and developers.


To followers who kept in touch while I was away, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I can't name you here but you know who you are :-) Trust me, I remember all the kind gestures you make. I'll be back to blogging by today but may not blog as much as I used to.


BTW, I just downloaded CheckROM Revolution v6 for SGS2. I may flash it by today or tomorrow, depending on my mood. But you can bet I'll be one of the firsts to download and test the stable and official ICS build for SGS2 for you - and with screenshots too! If you get the news ahead of me, please contact me on Twitter :-) I'm trying to keep close watch of SamMobile's firmware page though.


Damn. Nothing spells COMEBACK better than blogging using Blogger for Android on my SGT, and using Market Enabler to download the supposedly US-only app :-D


If you're really curious what I've been doing, here is a brief photo story...


Beer.



More beer.



Blue Margarita.



Walking in stilettos - drunk.




Watch Walking Dead on my SGS2. Downloaded via T-Torrent Pro.

Make it to the 'popular' list on Streamzoo. The name's @bloggingada

Smoke. Yeah, I smoke.

Make my 4-year old's project. Parents are required to come up with this scrapbook while the kiddos get graded for writing. Origami wasn't required but took the extra mile to help get my son a perfect grade haha.



Play FF7 on my SGS2 with FPSe. I've been cheating on Chocobo races at Gold Saucer. Lol.