10 Great Apps You Should Have On Your iPhone or Android

Every single day, a new app hits the market. Promising some new fun, convenience, or benefit that all of the other apps on the market cannot deliver the same way this ‘new’ app can. Luckily for people who like having the best of the best when it comes to apps on their iPhone or Android device, there are some promising apps that really do deliver something no one else can offer. Check out some of these new apps and see if you can find a benefit if you had them on your phone.

• Wickr: One of the newer apps on the market right now is called Wickr. This app creates an encrypted way to send all of your favorite messages, no matter if they are picture messages, video messages, or standard text messages. The benefit this app offers, that no other app offers on top of the encryption, is allowing the sender to set a personalized timer, making the message that was sent automatically destruct after however long you set it for, keeping it permanently safe from prying eyes.
• Cycloramic: Any iPhone user that loves to take fun, unique, or unusual pictures will love Cycloramic. This app uses the built-in vibration effects of the phone to turn the phone around in a full circle, taking a picture that encompasses a full 360 degrees. Imagine the pictures you could have hanging on your walls!
• Viber: If you like being able to make free phone calls to people within a network of friends, plus send all sorts of different types of messages from your Android device or iPhone for free, then you may want to consider adding Viber to your phone. You can contact anyone within the network, send them important messages, videos, or sticker messages, and all for zero cost to you! This way, no matter what your carrier charges you, it still ends up being an endless supply of options for your communication needs.
• Cal Google Calendar: For all of you hard-working types, this app, along with its newest update HeadsUp, will be able to keep you organized and then some. When scheduling a meeting, the app compiles all of the necessary information that you will need to keep on time and ready for the meeting to start. It can tell you where to go, schedule a pick up from a car service for you if needed, and even remind you what to bring. How easy is that?
• UberConference: What if your business meetings require you to have some face-to-face time with your clientele? Sometimes, especially if your clients are on another part of the planet, this can be difficult. Make it easier by adding the mobile app from UberConference to your phone that offers free conference calling in a hassle free manner. You can see who you are speaking with, no matter how large the conference call is, and you can still organize how the meeting goes from beginning to end, all from the convenience of your phone.
• Paper: If your favorite pastime is reading the newspaper, but you also want to remain connected to your social media campaign, then Facebook has the app for your iPhone. They developed Paper as a way to bring the benefits of a newspaper to those who want to remain consistently ‘in the know’. You can keep up with important, newsworthy events and always know the essential parts about what’s going on each day.
• Dark Sky: Maybe instead of reading the paper, you prefer knowing what the weather will be like. Well, if that’s the case, give Dark Sky a try. It helps you plan for the weather ahead, and gives you insight as to how you should plan out commutes, vacations, or any other type of travel plans you have.
• Pandora Radio: If you happen to be a music buff, then Pandora Radio is probably the ideal app for your iPhone. It lets you enjoy all types of music from around the world, all at no cost. Stream music for hours on end, and change up what you are listening to as often as you like.
• Reporter: For those wanting to learn more about themselves from an outsiders perspective, Reporter (created for the iPhone), may be the perfect solution. It compiles simple surveys that ask you about your day, and gives you a unique perspective on how productive you are during different parts of the day. The questions range from simple questions about where you are at the time to more complicated questions, giving the app insight as to your level of focus during the day.
• Telegram Messenger: If you prefer sending anonymous, yet safe, messages, you may want to look into Telegram Messenger. It allows people to send a message to other users, without the recipient knowing where the message came from. This is a fun, free app that can be used on both Android and iPhone model phones.

The multitude of apps can bring the fun back to your phone. Look at how each one works, and download the ones you think you would use most. Enjoy the options, and if you find something you think all of your friends would enjoy, let them know about it!

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How to run Android apps on your PC

due to the popularity of Android applications designed for smartphones, it comes as no surprise that many users wish to enjoy these same features on their personal computers.

Fortunately, this is possible and you only need to follow a handful of simple steps.

Let's take a look at the most common (and easiest) way that this can be performed.
First, you will need to download what is known as an Android emulator. This emulator will allow your computer to support the framework that the external apps will utilise.
Think of it as the "foundation" for the applications themselves. Although there are many different types available, Bluestacks and Youwave are amongst the most popular.
Once either is downloaded, it can immediately be installed. Note that, as some of these application drivers are still in beta testing, they can be acquired for free (at the time of writing). Also, there may be some graphical errors during the process. A simple online search will normally be able to find a resolution to any problems.
After the download is completed, you will then return to the homepage of the provider. This page will list the variety of Android apps that are currently available. Clicking on any application will allow it to be installed on the emulator.

Note that after the installation is complete, you will be required to return to the homepage again. Double clicking upon the recently downloaded application should allow it to run on your PC without any issues whatsoever.
Again, some of the emulators currently available are still in their experimental phase. Thus, there may be some slight configuration problems based upon your specific operating system. This is the primary reason why it is advisable to only choose Android emulators that have received a decent amount of positive reviews.

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Best free translation apps for iOS, Android and Windows Phone

We scour the world of translation apps to bring you the best on every mobile platform

If you're looking for a free translation app for your smartphone or tablet, you're likely to be overwhelmed by the number available.

So rather than leaving you struggling with your French and confused over your Polish, PC Pro has waded through the apps on iPhone, Android and Windows Phone to pick out the best free translation apps.

Best free translation app for accuracy

Google Translate: Android, iOS and Windows Phone

When it comes to accuracy, Google Translate is still the best free tool around, whether online or as an app. While it struggles with longer, more complicated sentences, for quick phrase or word checks, it still beats all the other apps tested.

It is also the most comprehensive of all the apps we tested; there wasn't a single language it didn't recognise or couldn't translate.

Best free translation app for voice recognition

Speak&Translate: iOS

Speak&Translate is a great for speech recognition and translation.

Select your two languages from a sidebar, tap the flag of the language you speak and say whatever it is you want translated. The app will then show on the screen what it heard you say and read out a translation, which it also displays on screen.

One of the major benefits of this translation app is the ability to choose between different dialects of the same language - there are four versions of English available, and two each of French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

This is particularly useful for us Brits, as US-only English often gets confused by our plummy accents.

This app beat all the others when it comes to voice recognition. It easily understood our test sentences, but when it did interpret us incorrectly the first time, a second attempt was normally all it took to set it straight.

Er, not quite...

Much better

The UI is also aesthetically pleasing and easy to use.

The only serious limitation is the range of languages - we couldn't test any of the Indian languages - and the voice is very robotic. Bizarrely, it also lists Afrikaans as "African".

Speak&Translate also struggled with longer, more complex sentences. However, for simple "phrasebook" style translations it can't be faulted and the accuracy of the translation was extremely high - even the phrases it heard incorrectly first time were quickly translated properly.

Best free translation app all-rounder

Bing Translator: Windows Phone

Bing Translator was far and away the best all-in-one free translation app we tried - it's disappointing that it's only available on Windows Phone.

The app takes phrases for translation via the keyboard, camera and voice recognition, and offline packs can be downloaded and accessed when you've got no internet connection - handy for when you're traveling.

Also, while not as comprehensive as Google Translate's list of languages, it has a solid selection available, with a good geographical range.

We found the camera function particularly cool, although you do have to make sure you have the words lined up correctly to get a translation that makes sense.

While it's great to have an app that is so comprehensive, including offline functionality, our one complaint would be the voice recognition aspect is limited to four continental European languages, plus US and UK English.

Best free translation app for shortcuts

Translate Pro: iOS

Translate Pro is an easy-to- use app that can, like the other apps reviewed here, be used for on-the-fly translation, but also features a phrasebook-style menu down the left-hand side.

Categories include bargaining, ordering food and drink, travel, and even romance - although we can't help thinking whipping out your iPhone before asking "may I kiss you?" might break the mood a bit.

It's also easy to choose between any of the 50 languages available, and to switch backward and forward between the selected ones.

The two main drawbacks of the app are only 11 of the languages in Translate Pro's database are included in "phrasebook" format, and that the number of characters you can enter is limited. This can leave you with truncated sentences or words ("Neth" should be "Netherlands"), or mess with the grammar of some languages a bit if you decide to break the sentence in two.

Translation apps: the blooper reel

No translation app is going to be 100% flawless, even if it is generally very good.

Under Translate Pro, our comment to our Finnish co-tester that North Korea was reportedly claiming to have won the World Cup was "mental" was translated as "spiritual", while thanks to Google Translate we told our Turkish co-tester someone had a court date, rather than a “trial” in the sense of “testing out”.

And, with all the apps we tested as well as most online translation tools, you do often get a "gist" translation, rather than a grammatically perfect one - especially with longer sentences. But considering how garbled machine translation used to come out, it’s a testament to technology that these were the only howlers.

How we tested the best free translation apps

PC Pro tested a range of apps on iOS, Android and Windows Phone with a native UK English speaker talking (and typing) to native Arabic, Finnish, French, Hindi, Kannada, Spanish, Tamil, Telugu and Turkish speakers.

We chose these languages to make sure there was a good range of writing systems and grammars tested, not only western European languages.

All apps were tested in all nine languages, providing the target language was available, in order to provide a level playing field and find the ones we think work best.

Read more: Best free translation apps for iOS, Android and Windows Phone | Analysis | Features | PC Pro http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/389785/best-free-translation-apps-for-ios-android-and-windows-phone#ixzz37mg3QltU

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Android's 5 most annoying issues– will Google fix them?

Android is the most popular smartphone OS, and its development largely depends on Google. The company provides Stock Android to manufacturers, who then modify it for for different phones and tablets. (I'll be referring to the stock version of Android developed by Google in this article).

I asked our readers which Android issues bother them the most, and the 5 highlighted here are the most frequented complaints, along with the changes that Google could include in future versions of Android.

You can’t delete default apps

Each manufacturer adds its own apps, and there is no easy way to delete them. Comparing Android on Nexus devices to Samsung TouchWiz or HTC Sense is very different. While the core of Android is the same, third party manufacturers add extras to devices. Samsung, for example, adds a lot of Samsung-branded apps that you will probably never use.

In the latest versions of Android, these can be disabled, which stops them from running on you device. If you want to delete them, you have to root your device, which means to obtain administrator privileges.

You can’t delete some apps, only disable them (and only with Android 4.0+)

It’s not Google’s fault, but it’s true that Google could make it easier for its users to get administrator privileges without voiding the warranty. While this has its dangers, it would also allow them to control every aspect of the OS.

You can’t choose what to mute

If you mute your phone’s ringtone, you mute everything. When you place the phone on vibrate mode, it will vibrate for everything. You can’t choose, for example, if you only want to mute WhatsApp but not the ringtone. The sound settings will depend on each app or manufacturer.

With SmartVolume you can change the volume of the ringtone and notifications separately

What can be controlled with apps like LightFlow or SmartVolume should become a permanent feature in future versions of Android. And let's not forget the Do not disturb feature, something missing in Android. You can, however, download third-party apps like Do Not Disturb.

You can’t control permissions for each individual app

In Android, you can’t control the permissions for each individual app. When you install a new app, Android informs you of the permissions it needs, which you must accept or reject altogether. You have no say on what you want and don’t want to allow. Yes, it’s easier, but it gives you less control over your device’s security.

With AppOps you can decide what permissions to allow and which to deny for each app

Google unintentionally released a feature called AppOps to choose app permissions, but it was removed, stating that it was never meant for the general public and was meant for developers when testing apps. For now, you can only reactivate AppOps with unofficial apps.

The device runs out of space and the SD card features can be improved

The number of different Android devices with differing amounts of storage is overwhelming. Some phones have so little internal memory that after installing only four apps, you get the dreaded message ‘no space.’ This means you have to delete files or use utilities that move apps to the SD card.

FolderMount troubleshoots internal SD space, but you’ll have to root

I think the fact that Android doesn't let you move an app to the SD card and doesn't offer an accessible option to install all apps in the SD card by default is a serious issue. The answer to this conundrum lies in the variety of apps and Android phones: an option like this for all of them could generate problems, although it wouldn't cost anything to add an experimental option.

Having app data stored off of the installed storage can give you space back, but according to AndroidCentral, there was a big security risk with storing data on the SD card, a feature disabled in Android 4.4 KitKat.

There is still no native integration with the Desktop

One of the most popular apps for Android is AirDroid, which lets you use your phone from a browser, access your files, and do other similar tasks. Android doesn’t have any similar features. Another app that is becoming increasingly popular is Pushbullet, which lets you exchange files, links and notifications easily between phone and computer.

 

Pushbullet is a brilliant app to connect your device to your PC to exchange data

Again, Google leaves this in the hands of developers and manufacturers. There is no official suite, but rather  manufacturer apps like LG PC Suite. Google has the infrastructure to make something similar to Kies, AirDroid or Pushbullet though, so not everything is down to the manufacturers.

In the end it’s everyone’s and no one’s fault

When there is something wrong with an iPhone or Lumia, everyone knows who to blame: Apple or Microsoft. But if you have an Android and your battery doesn’t last very long, or if the browser is slow, things aren't as clear. Can you blame the device manufacturer? Google? The author of the app for not optimizing it for a thousand different phones?

While the Android world is fragmented with different devices, it’s difficult to tell if the problems are caused by Google, or the manufacturer. If Samsung adds useless applications to their phones, it’s not really Google’s fault. But at the same time, Google could add a feature to delete those apps.

If Google hasn't fixed these problems, it's because the solution would annoy and cause many problems for manufacturers and developers. Android, in this sense, has reached a point that can only be overcome with a forced unification. You can’t be everyone’s OS and keep everyone happy.

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