Cameras on Android phones have come a long way since the T-Mobile G1, but as we’ve seen with any kind of camera, there’s always room for improvement once an image is captured. Aviary Photo Editor is a new plug-in for Android that does more than just improve an image; it transforms it into something better looking or completely new.

Aviary is known on the desktop for a suite of image editing products, and the mobile version of the app is smooth entrance into a new format. The app works by taking an image that has already been captured with a camera, or imported from a gallery, and sets to changing things with adjustments or filters. The Enhancements section has auto-correction that fixes imbalanced lighting, and Saturation and brightness can be adjusted to increase or decrease color intensity. Changes are applied by swiping a dial to get just the right effect, which can create the perfect image when combined with other fixes.

Aside from merely editing an image with enhancements, crops, orientation changes, or red eye correction, Aviary also includes a set of filters in the Effect section. Popularized by apps like Instagram and Magic Hour, filters apply retro or highly stylized effects to your images. The “Vivid” effect raises contrast and brightness, “Singe” adds a sunset-like glow, and “Soft Focus” brings back that classic mall photo booth appearance.

There are 11 effects included in the app, but users can purchase “Grunge” or “Nostalgia” upgrade packs for $0.99 each. Aviary lacks the filter customization options of some other apps, but the included packs look beautiful if you are into this style of mobile image creation. (Plus, you can use standard adjustments to make further changes.)

After playing with Aviary for a few days and testing several images, I found it to be on par with most of the style camera apps I’ve reviewed. The only problem is that this isn’t an “app” in the traditional sense – it’s a plugin. Aviary can only launch by going to a camera/gallery app and pressing the edit or share/export buttons to begin editing. This can creates headaches if errantly pressing the back button too many times or switching to another app and being unable to return to your in-progress image. Users have to make changes right away because pressing the back button too many times loses all progress and there’s no way to return to it should you go home or get an incoming call.

With that said, this is still something that I’d recommend people try. While some image editors focus on filters, others on color/lighting adjustments, and others on adding fun things like stickers or text, Aviary manages to do all three. And do them very well.

Hot on the heels of its rival adding support for Android tablets, rdio has updated its music streaming app to support not only a new tablet version, but a complete redesign for its user interface.

Rdio has ditched the three-tab legacy design in favor of something flat, quick, and at your fingertips. The app launches with a new homescreen that pushes more options to the front. Members can jump directly to the collection, playlists, queue, heavy rotation, social activity, history, new releases, top charts, or recommended songs. A search bar rests in the top right corner to get to a specific song, artist, or album.

The playback screen remains fairly untouched because that was previously a bright spot. What has changed is that Rdio has added the long-requested feature to control playback from the lockscreen on Android 4.0 devices. The app can now skip, pause, and show album art. And when you want to find new music to control, there are several ways in which to find them. Here’s a list of the new music discovery options rdio sent to us.

• New Releases – Be the first to listen to new albums and singles on the day they are released, and access new albums released up to two weeks prior
• Top Charts – Check out recent chart-topping albums
• Recommendations – Discover more music by exploring fresh album recommendations based on your listening history
• Enhanced Search – In addition to searching for artists, albums, and songs, you can now search for Playlists and People
• Synced collection and playlist views – View only the music you have synced for offline listening, without the need to go into offline mode
• User Profiles – Search, browse, and follow other Rdio users; discover new music by seeing their activity, who they follow, their playlists and more

The new design looks good, but that only means something if there are good songs to go along with that pretty face (unlike what record labels demand of their artists). There are more than 12 million songs in the streaming library, and you can test the waters for yourself with a free 7-day trial available through the rdio Android app. A monthly subscription of $9.99 is required to continue using the app once the trial offer expires.

Rhapsody streams your favorite music to your Android phone, Google TV, and even your Sonos player. Today, the company added Android tablets to the list thanks to a new tablet view designed specifically with 7 to 10-inch screens in mind.

“We didn’t just resize Rhapsody – we re-imagined the entire experience for the tablet,” said Rhapsody CPO Brendan Benzing.

The new Rhapsody tablet mode is a prime example of the cool things developers can do with a tablet. As expected, users can stream songs and build playlists or queues, but the larger screen allows them to do it without constantly pressing the back button. It’s also much easier to browse through a library because Rhapsody greets users with a screen showcasing featured content in three sections: New Releases; Popular artists, albums, and songs; and Suggestions for artists to listen to based on the music users have already added to their library.

Rhapsody also has an action bar for the Browse, Features, My Music, Radio (stations built around an artist or genre), search, and control sections. A right panel shows the album cover art, playlist, and controls to play or skip back/forward. A homescreen widget is also included, but it could stand to larger than the 4×1 included considering there’s so much more room to utilize.

The design choices are all good, but I especially like the Featured content that Rhapsody delivers for music discovery. The homescreen has a sliding carousel for featured artists and articles built around a subject, but there’s an entire section dedicated to similar lists. Writers have hand-picked recommendations based on the popular songs in your senior year of high-school, themed mixtapes, and “Cheat Sheets” for buzzworthy artists or bands who sound like one of your favorite artists. There are occasional misses like the love-her-or-really-really-really-hate her Lana Del Ray, but the content is otherwise interesting to browse.

Rhapsody is available for download now. The app requires a $9.99 monthly subscription fee to stream music. You can also store music for offline use and cache streaming to improve playback quality. Some devices might want to disable the cache feature because it might prevent playback at all (I had to turn it off for my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to work).

KEY FEATURES

- Artist biographies and album reviews from some of the top music writers in the industry
- Unlimited access to over 14 million songs
- Customized playlists, new music recommendations
- Exclusive content: artist interviews, live performances and pre-release listening

The Sky broadcasting company will begin letting its customers watch live programming on their Android phones beginning next month. Previously available only on iOS devices, Sky confirmed today that select HTC and Samsung phones will get the same treatment in February when the Sky Go for Android app is released.

“We fully appreciate how much Android users have been looking forward to the launch of Sky Go, and we’ve done everything we can to make sure that our bespoke design for Android handsets is worth waiting for,” Sky Go lead Holly Knill wrote on the company’s blog today.

When released, Sky Go will allow residents in the United Kingdom to watch live content from Sky Sports, News, Living, Movies, Arts, Atlantic, and Sky1 channels. So all of you who missed the Arsenal vs. Man U clash a few weeks ago will be able to catch EPL matches anywhere, and you’ll be able to watch breaking news broadcasts while you’re unable to get to a television. Sky plans to add Sky Sports F1 in March and on-demand watching for Sky Movies later this year.

SkyGo will be available free of charge to viewers with a Sky subscription. A 3G connection is all that is required to access content, but video quality will improve when streaming over WiFi. Tablets will not be officially supported, and only the following devices are among the confirmed phones to work when Sky Go launches next month.

• HTC Desire
• HTC Desire S
• HTC Desire HD
• HTC Incredible S
• HTC Sensation
• Samsung Galaxy S
• Samsung Galaxy S2

ESPN has finally updated its flagship live streaming app in order to be compatible with more devices; WatchESPN should now support phones running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and improved the playback experience on Android tablets as well.

WatchESPN was previously problematic for Galaxy Nexus owners and those running a ROM based on Ice Cream Sandwich, but the most recent update appears to have fixed that. Another note in the “What’s New” changelog points out that it also has the ability to go into full-screen mode when viewed on tablets. Many users have ranted about their disappointment in the video window being limited on larger devices, but the app is finally streaming content in full view.

Not all complaints about WatchESPN have been addressed. The app remains limited to a select group of U.S. cable and Internet providers, so the vast majority of Android users are unable to access live streaming. Just look at WatchESPN’s Android Market review page and you’ll see that of the 5,200 comments, half are 1-star reviews, many of which complain about their provider not being supported. Only ESPN subscribers on Bright House Networks, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon FiOS can access the full range of live streaming options. (Verizon High Speed Internet subscribers can watch ESPN3 only.)

Download WatchESPN from the market to see if better streaming and support holds up nicely. I’d love to give you guys a review, but I’m unfortunately one of the many cable subscribers unable to access the app since my provider is not supported. Sigh.

Netflix is hoping to bounce back from a rough 2011 and regain some of the momentum the company had when it expanded into Canada and Latin America. You know, before a series of bad decisions and events caused the company to lose a swarm of subscribers.

Maybe Netflix can pick things up with the content-hungry fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as users in both locations will finally be able to access the online streaming service. Netflix announced today that it is launching in the UK and giving all new sign-ups a free month-long trial to test the service. Afterwards, it will cost “just £5.99 or €6.99″ to continue watching.

The Netflix content that UK users see may differ from the service seen by Americans because streaming deals vary by nation and region (some American-made television shows may not be available yet). However, Netflix has localized and will still have a wealth of movies and TV shows from the U.S. and many other nations throughout the world.

The Android app is reportedly available for users in the UK, so you can begin a trial now and start watching TV or movies instead of doing the work you’re supposed to do on a Monday. Then you can compare Netflix to Lovefilm and let us know which streaming service, if any, will get your monthly dues in 2012.

[Android Market] via le3ky

TiVo – the company that freed you from absolutely having to be on the couch when your favorite TV program was on and you didn’t want to miss it, but you still didn’t want to use a VCR to record – is now on Android. Late last evening, TiVo debuted its app that is compatible with Android 2.1 phones and 7-inch tablets. Why the limitation to 7-inch? No clue, and TiVo doesn’t really say why in the Market listing.

For the people with devices that are compatible, the Tivo app becomes the “command central” for a TiVo DVR. The app provides a remote control function that creates a virtual remote on the screen for swapping between Live TV, changing channels, initiating recordings, and browsing through the guide.

A dedicated Guide page shows program listings for the moment or up to 14 days in advance. Users can browse the guide directly on the phone rather than on-screen, and the typical categories for finding specific shows and movies are available. There’s also a search function if you’re looking for something particular.

TiVo can schedule a recording remotely, so you can record a show while you’re at work and have it waiting for you when you come home. It also manages Season Pass recordings and can delete or reposition shows in the queue.

The app clocks in at a rather large 15 MB, and a couple of people in the Market comments section say this doesn’t appear to work for DirecTV TiVo’s or older models. You can give it a go by downloading from the Android Market, but keep in mind that there’s no guarantee this will work on your set-up.

via Engadget

TuneIn Radio has added a new feature designed to keep your hands off your phone and on the wheel when driving. The latest update enables a Car Mode that delivers hands-free controls for playing music and switching radio stations.

TuneIn Radio is an Android app that pulls in live streams from radio stations across the United States, including local music stations, BBC, NPR, and select satellite broadcasters. So if you’re someone in Buffalo who would rather listen to LITE FM in Miami, the app can play that station and even record it (recording requires $0.99 pro version of app).

Instead of fumbling with one hand to navigate the app while driving, TuneIn can now respond to voice commands. That same person in Buffalo can just tap a voice search button once and say “Play LITE FM” and the app will begin streaming from the station. It can also search for a station likely to play a particular artist. Say “Listen to Eminem” and the app will start streaming a station with Eminem in its playlist.

Car Mode focuses in on Presets, Recently played stations, and Recommended stations. It also differs depending on your software. On my HTC EVO (Android 2.3) it has four easy-to-access tabs, but it merely goes into landscape mode on my Galaxy Nexus (Android 4.0). It can still do voice search, but the button is in the top right corner and small, severely diminishing the convenience factor.

Download TuneIn Radio from the Android Market for free. Not all radio stations are included because of broadcast restrictions, so keep that in mind if your favorite station isn’t available in the app.

Google TV is not a cord cutters one stop solution because resistance from networks and online video providers makes it so. However, the recent addition of Android apps has unlocked more video options other than YouTube and vimeo. Redux TV is a clever Google TV app for users looking to fill in programming gaps with noteworthy online video.

Redux TV doesn’t hunt down television shows or online web series. Instead, it crawls the web for interesting videos, documentaries, and displays them in channels centered around a certain topic. For instance, the Tech channel has TED talks and interviews by Digg founder Kevin Rose. The Dress Code channel is all about fashion, home life, and style; Caught on Tape has unbelievable home video and closed-caption clips; Adrenaline is about extreme sports; Underground Comedy has funny skits, Music Backstage has performances and behind-the-scenes footage; and Street Level has documentaries on subcultures and interviews with tastemakers.

All channels on Redux are curated by a humans, an interesting change of pace from the algorithm-driven apps that have passed through Androinica HQ in recent months. On some channels, like Tech and Dress Code, it’s a winning formula because there’s a steady stream of great content that would appeal to all viewers. That’s not always the case with Comedy and Music channels because both artforms are so subjective. What curators find funny may make me laugh, but it may be a massive dud for others. Likewise, bands featured on the Music channel may lead me to do a lot of skipping while you’re still enthralled with a concert performance.

The curated stream of Redux is a risky but overall favorable strategy. Redux TV focuses on pressing play and leaning back to not put in any effort. Would it be nice to be able to find specific videos or have a central navigation menu? Sure. But then it would just be another YouTube. Instead, Redux goes out and finds interesting online videos, skits, short films, and docuseries that will keep your Google TV constantly broadcasting entertainment.

The NBA 2011-2012 season got off to a late but great start yesterday. Of course, there’s a chance you didn’t know that if you were busy with family events or trying to deal with the dreaded traffic on post-Christmas drive home. Sprint customers can remedy that situation by grabbing the Sprint NBA Mobile 2011-2012 app.

The NBA and Sprint recently announced a partnership that makes Sprint the top dog when it comes to mobile basketball consumption. While anyone in the U.S. with an Android 2.2 or higher device can grab the official NBA Game Time application, Sprint customers get a special version of the app. The Sprint-branded app offers a 20% discount on NBA League Pass Mobile, the membership package that enables viewing of all NBA games instead of relying on cable and local broadcasts (Blackout restrictions apply). With a $31 in-app purchase, Dallas natives living in Miami can keep up with their Mavericks, and Lakers fans can watch their game, or many others, on the phone. A free preview of League Pass is available until January 8, 2012.

If League Pass doesn’t get you excited, there are still other features that may be worth having. The NBA Mobile app for Sprint has live home and away radio broadcasts, as well as ESPN games broadcast on Sprint TV. There are also highlights, stats, schedules, and notifications for your favorite team(s) game activity. It’s a handy tool to have for any Sprint customer who wants to stay up to date in this lockout-shortened season. Here’s a quick video walkthrough showing how the app functions.