Thread: All Things Android

BBC News app comes to Android devices

Anthony Sullivan | 11:59 UK time, Wednesday, 25 May 2011

A lot of people have been asking when the BBC News app will be made available on Android devices, which is understandable given the platform's growing popularity.

So, I'm delighted to announce that from today the BBC News app will be available to download from Android Market in the UK. BBC Worldwide will soon be launching an international version of the app for audiences around the world.

At Mobile World Congress this year, BBC Director of Future Media Ralph Rivera reiterated our ongoing commitment to repurpose core, distinctive BBC Online services for a range of mobile devices. The BBC News app was launched on iPhone and iPad in the UK last July and has proved hugely popular, with nearly 3 million UK downloads and a further 3 million internationally to date. Its arrival within Android Market brings immediate access to breaking news and broadcast content to a wider 'on-the-move' audience.

Nowhere is immediacy and accessibility of content more important than with news. We witnessed a 78% increase in users of our mobile browser service on the day news broke of the death of Osama Bin Laden.

An increasing proportion of our audiences now access BBC News via mobile devices. This trend isn't new - licence-fee payers have been able to access BBC News on mobile phones through their browsers for around nine years - but it's increasing. We have responded by delivering BBC News Online to devices via apps to ensure a simple, intuitive user experience, with opportunities for personalisation.

The app achieved around 57,000 downloads in the week commencing 2 May driven by the Osama Bin Laden story - a clear testimony to audiences' appetite for a higher quality, on-the-move experience. And, the app is a trusted bookmark during moments of national and international significance, attracting a record 540,000 UK users around the Bin Laden story, and 376,000 UK users on the day of the Royal Wedding.

The BBC News app on Android delivers UK and international news, business, politics, health, education, science and environment, technology and entertainment stories, as well as correspondent features and analysis to your device. The BBC News app on Android is available free of charge.

Key features of the BBC News app on Android are:

• Simple design with scroll functionality to enable efficient browsing;
• Tap action to reveal full-screen article and in-story video;
• Sideways 'swipe' functionality to move between stories;
• Sharing tools to post stories to a range of social networks, email or send via SMS to a friend;
• Rapid news stories refresh and latest and breaking news 'ticker';
• Neat personalisation features, allowing you to personalise the home screen by adding and removing categories;
• Font controls to increase or decrease the story text size.

The BBC News Android app is available on all Android phones and tablets running software versions 1.6 and above, but we're not yet supporting Honeycomb tablets (Android software version 3.0). The app's video experience is accessible to both Flash and non-Flash enabled devices, over wi-fi and 3G connections. In-story video is supported on Android devices versions 1.6 and above, and live streaming of the BBC News channel is possible on versions 2.2 and above which run Flash.

As the range of devices in the market widens, we plan to offer an optimised BBC News experience to the widest mobile audience possible. With this in mind, we'll be working with manufacturers to look at ways of reversioning the service in the most efficient way. We'll also be working hard on improving the experience across our mobile services.

In the meantime, I'd like to hear your feedback on the BBC News app on Android. We've started to use the #bbcapps hash tag on Twitter this morning so join the conversation there, or post a comment below this blog post now.

Anthony Sullivan is Executive Product Manager for News, BBC Future Media

While trying to figure out how to update my nearly new Galaxy I found an Android app which is neater than sliced bread!

ISyncr, it's an app which allows music file transfer from ITunes to the Galaxy device.
It won't copy music purchased from Itunes store, but it will copy all the cd's I have loaded in ITunes.
I tested the free version and it allows only 20 songs copied at a time. I may spring the 90 baht for the pro version.
Fantastic app indeed!

^ I thought the beauty of Android was that you can drag and drop all your music, unlike the IPhone

Not quite drag and drop. You just create playlist in itunes click and sync. The app changes music format from itunes to mp3, which really is freaking fantastic.
In the past itunes users were kinda locked into that format without complicated conversion gyrations. It was one of the main reason people went iphones in the first place for itunes compatabity. This Isyncr is going take a big bite out the apple when more folks realize these new apps exist.

Ahh, I didn't know that.

When you download your songs they are in MP3 format right ?

And ITunes changes them ?

Can't you just drag and drop from your "My music" folder ?

I've never used ITunes, I had Media Monkey before, but just play songs straight out of my music folder now

Years ago I loaded all my music cd's onto the a mac then got rid of the cd's. I was then locked into itunes. Until now I haven't found a good way to reformat the music out of itunes.
Only the handful on albums purchaced from the itunes store cant be converted.
This really is a revelation for long time mac users who've been less than satisfied with itunes.
Now our music is no longer held hostage!
And now I'll never make another purchase from the itunes store. Fuckem!

^ that's the problem with mac software from steve jobs, they are all commercial trojan horses, basically control freak steve jobs owns you

much worse than MS,

I don't know if this is still free, but

How To Wirelessly Sync Your Android With iTunes

Yes, direct access to the file system is a boon. On WP7 they don't publicise it, but you can enable it with a couple of registry tweaks.

^ There's a guide great guide on XDA about that.

An interesting bit of kit, will be interesting to see the details....

Today, on the first day of the yearly Computex Taipei exhibition in Taiwan, Asus took the wraps off the Android tablet/phone combo it teased last week. Dubbed Padfone, Asus is relatively mum on details (specs, pricing, availability) at this point.

But the general idea is to dock the handset in the tablet for a wider view, charging it through the tablet’s bigger battery or making use of the phone’s 3G connection on the tablet. Users can also avoid data transfer and sharing hassles between phone and tablet.

Asus says that the layout of applications running on the phone adjusts automatically once you place it into the tablet to get an expanded view.

Padfone: Asus Officially Announces Its Android Tablet/Phone Combo (Videos)

^ That looks sweet. This missus is due for a new phone due to nokia completely foking up with their own Symbian rather than going Android, and she also wants a pad. I told her we get divorced if she gets an Ipad. Will be interesting to see the specs and pricing.

Originally Posted by 9999

^ That looks sweet. This missus is due for a new phone due to nokia completely foking up with their own Symbian rather than going Android, and she also wants a pad. I told her we get divorced if she gets an Ipad. Will be interesting to see the specs and pricing.

Nokia are going with Windows Mobile 7.

New MSI Tablets and they're cheap. Doesn't mention an SD Card slot though. (I actually use my Tab to download Torrents when I'm travelling).

MSI has introduces at Computex two new Android tablets with the WindPad Enjoy 7 and Enjoy 10. Both models made to reach North American and European market later this year at an attractive price (under the $300 USD Barrier), these two new tablets aims for occasional/budget users and comes powered by a Cortex A8 1.2GHz CPU. With 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, Dual Camera, WiFi and Android 2.3 for better compatibility and stability.
The Enjoy 7 comes with an 800×480 (16:9) type screen while the Enjoy 10 comes with a 1024×768 (4:3) type screen

Magazine Reader for your Android device:

Software, Tablet PCs
Zinio comes to Android tablets, gives you 24 magazine issues for free

By Zach Honig posted May 31st 2011 10:14PM





The iPad has yet to transform the publishing world as many expected it would, but some healthy competition from Android tablets should help to keep that process in motion. Zinio's reader app is now available on select Android 2.2, 2.3, and all 3.0 tablets, bringing Esquire, National Geographic, and 20,000 other magazine titles to the Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and a half dozen other devices. And, to kick off the launch, Zinio is picking up the tab on the most recent issues of 24 top magazines, as long as you download by June 15. Digital subscriptions are still often more expensive than their print counterparts, but at least Android tablet owners will have a safer place to hide their issues of Playboy.

I just discovered another truly fantastic app while fiddling around helping my friend set up the galaxy tab. It's called Swiss Radio. If you enjoy excellent classical music; this is the bee's knees. 24 hours a day of the best Duetche Gramaphone recordings. Refreshingly super stuff.
Also the speakers on the galaxy tab aren't half bad really.
.

the great things with PC manufacturers is they will take any Apple innovations and take them to the max, leaving Apple in the dust eventually

Apple is the early adopters and cream their customers for it, then eventually the generic version, superior and cheaper, will dominate

I will wait a bit before buying a PC Tablet, for now it all seems too new and unstable in hardware terms

Originally Posted by Butterfly

the great things with PC manufacturers is they will take any Apple innovations and take them to the max, leaving Apple in the dust eventually

Apple is the early adopters and cream their customers for it, then eventually the generic version, superior and cheaper, will dominate

I will wait a bit before buying a PC Tablet, for now it all seems too new and unstable in hardware terms

I wouldn't even buy one Butters. You're too stupid to use it, you dumb fuck.

^ I assume it has an online HELP, otherwise you wouldn't know how to use one

Is "Galaxy Tab for Dummies" out yet ?

Really Butters? I'm surprised you even know how to use "Help".

Being a dumb fuck and all.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I'm surprised you even know how to use "Help".

I don't, that's the beauty of it, I don't need to, unlike certain computer/phone gadget dummies here

Here you go Butters, just for you:

US-CERT Current Activity

Apple Releases Malware Detection Tool

Original release date: June 1, 2011 at 8:34 am Last revised: June 1, 2011 at 8:34 am


Apple has released Security Update 2011-003 for Mac OS X in response to the recent Mac fake anti-virus software. This update:
* adds a malware definition to the File Quarantine application
* causes the File Quarantine application to automatically update its
malware definition list daily
* removes MacDefender fake anti-virus software if detected

US-CERT encourages users and administrators to review Apple article
HT4657 and apply Security Update 2011-003 to mitigate the risks.

Relevant Url(s):
<Security Update 2011-003 (Snow Leopard)>

<About Security Update 2011-003>

Now please fuck off the Android thread because, as with PCs, you know fuck all about it.

You dumb fuck.

^ says the Win7 tard who can't find his way around without the online help, nutter

Originally Posted by Butterfly

^ says the Win7 tard who can't find his way around without the online help, nutter

Move along now, Butters, there's nothing for you here.

You dumb fuck.