Android Apps and News

Androinica recaps the new and noteworthy apps making into the Android Market each week. Considering that the Android Market has a sale of 10-cent apps this week, you’ve probably gotten into the habit of purchasing some great apps and games that you may have missed the first time around. Well, here are a few extra apps to throw on your Android phones.

Kodak Document Print App

Wireless printing is nothing new, but Google Cloud Print and HP’s solution is not for everyone. Those of us with Kodak All-in-One printers want to be able to initiate print jobs directly from our Android devices as well. That’s what Kodak Document Print App offers. Surprisingly, this app actually requires a Google Cloud Print account, which isn’t as convenient as it should be, so it’s basically a gateway between Cloud Print and your Kodak AIO Printer. Link the two and you’ll be able to print web pages, Microsoft Office documents, or Google Docs. Users can browse their local files to start printing documents, or bring in files from Dropbox, Evernote, and GDocs. I managed to get the app working with Microsoft Office documents, PDF’s, and webpages, but Kodak also promises support for text files and various image formats. (JPG, BMP, PNG, GIF, TIFF)

The Soup

Android 2.1+ required

When he’s not busy playing a snarky borderline douche with a kind heart on NBC’s Community, Joel McHale is host of The Soup…a job that once again requires him to be a snarky guy with a kind heart and less douchey. Fans of the show can extend their Soup fix with the official Android app that has clips from the show and bonus footage. There are no full episodes included so don’t bother asking, but there are select clips from recent shows and a Hall of Fame section that serves as a “Best of” collection of videos. The Soup also has funny clips that shows the behind-the-scenes and bonus footage left on the cutting room floor. The video clips are in High Quality and take a couple of seconds to load, but I didn’t experience any adverse buffering on 3G or Wi-Fi. Grab this app if you can’t get enough E! during normal slack-off hours.

Hub by Yahoo!

Android 2.1+ required
US-only

Google+, GroupMe, What’sApp, Kik, LiveProfiles, Touch – what group messaging app do you use? Yahoo! thinks you should make the switch to its new group messaging client Hub. The difference between Hub and some other apps is that it’s Android-only but allows sending to anyone. Your friends don’t need to have Hub installed on their phone because people can reply using their standard SMS client. The catch is that while you won’t be charged any money or use up your standard texting plans to send messages using Hub, you are required to have a US SIM card and a text plan.

The people who receive those messages have to be in select countries and it will use their standard rates unless they use Hub as well, which is US-only at the point. It’s tough to see the appeal in that set-up or a reason to favor this over the many other group messaging apps. However, if none of the aforementioned options have provided the simplicity and consistency that you crave, maybe Hub will do the trick.

Cocktail Flow

Android 2.2+ required

Everyone thinks their a mixologist just because they mix vodka and fruit juices. Cocktail Flow is a handy app that will actually teach you how much fruit juice to put in, which type of vodka to use, and what other elements you can throw together to make the best drink possible. Cocktail Flow is a beautifully designed app that guides users through the enter drink-making process. It lists the ingredients, shows the preparation to use, and has a special tab for similar drinks that you may also want to try. You probably won’t remember how good the drink was if you make it right, so be sure to press Menu > Bookmark and save your favorites.

Cocktail Flow features several mini-guides that users can download to learn how to mix drinks. Each pack contains multiple drinks that fit a theme like basic cocktails, shooters, or virgin (non-alcoholic) drinks. Most packs are free, but some premium packs for holidays like Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day cost $1 each. Be sure not to spill anything on your phone.

Soundtracking

Android 2.2+ required

One of my biggest annoyances about the new Facebook is that it shares every single song that my friends play on Spotify. I don’t want to know about every song you play – just the important ones you think I should discover or relate to something worth discussing. That’s why I’m a little more receptive to Soundtracking, a tool for announcing which song you’re listening to at special moments. As the name suggests, the idea is to soundtrack your life and share songs at pivotal moments. Just proposed to your girlfriend while your favorite song was played? Use this app to capture a clip of the song, take a picture of the ring, and post it to your Soundtracking or linked accounts with a message. Or you can just really love a song that pops up on your playlist and decide to let people know they should give this artist a chance (short audio preview clip is included if the song is in the database). Soundtracking gives you control over when and what is shared, and makes it easy for friends to share their musical tastes. The app can also connect with Facebook, Foursquare, and Twitter.

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