9GAG is an image hosting website and Android app that is home to thousands of photos and memes. But its also so much more than that. Its a community, often a very shrewd one, that curates the most laugh-out-loud images and videos on the internet, into different categories, such as Funny, WTF, GIF and MEME.
Its a highly rated app because it is stable and efficient. Check it out.
Like 9GAG, Imgur has an app and website concerned with images and GIFS, but, dare I say, it has a little more depth than the former. Naturally there are plenty of funny GIFS and images, which are updated constantly, but there are also many amazing ideas and stories to share.
The app interface itself is easy and intuitive; you can spend hours just swiping through page after page. Just make sure you remember to close the app at some point.
Even if you dont know what HeadsUp is, the idea will be instantly recognizable. HeadsUp is a party game in which you hold your phone against your forehead while it displays a place, an animal, a movie, a celebrity or similar. Your friends will frantically shout out clues to help you guess it.
If you guess it correctly, you swipe your head down, if you pass, swipe up. Get ready to here lots of "she was in that thing with the guy from that show" and other such helpful comments.
Vine has made me and my friends crack up more times than I can count. Like GIFS, Vines are short, repeating videos that can be uploaded and shared on a platform not a million miles away from Twitter.
These short videos are endlessly replayable (literally) and you can follow favorite accounts and channels so that youre always fed the Vines youre interested in. For nonstop quickfire laughs, go to Vine.
Buzzfeed is a media website that covers a wide range of topics and popular cultural happenings but their articles are often hysterical. You will know the type of content by now no doubt: big irresistible lists of things such as "13 potatoes that look like Channing Tatum". Best of all, there is a dedicated LOL section, too.
There are plenty of weather apps available that are more accurate and better looking than the ones that come pre-installed on your Android device.
MORECAST is our current favorite weather app here at AndroidPIT because it has one of the best-looking interfaces, with a clear and sensible layout. Its also one of the most advanced apps of its kind, featuring such options as side-by-side weather comparisons for two cities, and accurate weather information for a particular route or journey. MORECAST is the right way to make a smartphone weather app, and best of all, its free.
Launchers offer a simple way to customize the look and feel of your Android phone. They often combine new icons, a new app drawer layout, a new homescreen and new wallpaper to make your device fit a certain style or theme.
You have to try them out to appreciate how fun they can be and the one we recommend right now is Action Launcher 3. This is an excellent introduction to launchers because it provides clear and intuitive interface changes without adding so many that it becomes off-putting.
With Action Launcher 3 you can perform simple tweaks such as changing the app drawer layout, changing app icons, and even altering the way you use your homescreen folders. It offers genuinely useful interface improvements and its free; download it from the link below.
Whether you want to lose a few extra pounds or just improve your energy levels, the 7 Minute Workout app is a great entry point into Android-assisted health and fitness.
The 7 Minute Workout focuses on a short, high-intensity routine, which is scientifically proven to aid weight loss and improve cardiovascular function. For people who find the idea of picking up a gym membership or going cross-country running intimidating, this app provides the perfect jumping off point, thanks to the brevity of its workouts.
Unlike many Android fitness apps, the 7 Minute workout doesnt ask for your height and weight or track your overall progress, but what it lacks in features, it makes up for in simplicity. You just look over the exercises, hit the start button and away you go. Begin your healthier lifestyle today with the free 7 Minute Workout app.
Android security is a contentious subject and arguments about the safety of the system crop up frequently. If you are in the market for an antivirus app, our current favorite is Mobile Security & Antivirus from Avast.
Mobile Security & Antivirus keeps you safe from malware threats with its excellent virus detection software, which can search through your browser history, microSD card, and internal storage space. Whats more, it employs anti-theft features such as location tracking and remote data wipe, which work even if your device is not currently in your possession.
As far as free mobile security is concerned, Avasts app is about as comprehensive as it gets.
Best apps for monitoring system performance on your Android device
Best Antivirus and mobile security apps
Best Android browser app
As a Google product, Chrome is the perfect browser for Android and, since it comes pre-installed on most phones, its something that most people are familiar with. Chrome Beta is our current best Android browser app because its just the, ahem, better version of the browser we already love.
Chrome beta is Chrome of the future, its what the standard Chrome app will become once Google applies the latest changes, fixes and improvements it is working on. Chrome beta users get to experience these things before the masses.
The price paid for quicker access to new features is that, of course, sometimes there are bugs or issues that need to be ironed out. None of these will cause any damage to your phone or its software however, and these browser crashes and stutters very rare.
Podcast Addict is a beautiful app because it piles an excellent free service on top of free service that is, listening to awesome podcasts. Podcast Addict itself is a free download and it lets you search for, download and listen to podcasts (with its integrated audio player), as well as create playlists of the upcoming shows you want to tune in to.
Whats more, it houses a neat "trending" search feature so you can see what else is currently popular in the podcast world, providing a simple entry point for newcomers. While its not always the easiest to navigate, it does everything a good Podcast app should do and it does it well.
This keyboard is one of the best for fast, accurate typing and its our new company favorite. Many of us have adopted Fleksy because its big, its clever and once you use it for a couple of hours, you realize how useful some of the smaller details are.
For example, most keyboards use a "press and hold delete key" gesture to delete words, Fleksy uses a super-quick backward swipe. Be sure check out some of the extensions like invisible keyboard too it works surprisingly well. Download it from the Play Store for free now.
As the use of mobile devices for business continues to rise, the risks stemming from the hacking of voice communication have increased dramatically. From public embarrassment and backlash to the loss of sensitive or regulated data, the implications are vast.
Think youre not a target? Think again
While spying and hacking may seem like things that only fall under the realm of governments, security organizations, and the occasional celebrity, the reality is that these kinds of attacks are happening to more and more businesses, regardless of size or industry. The statistics are striking:
At the end of 2014, security experts found that mobile attacks had increased four times to over 1 million unique attacks, compared with the same period in the previous year.
A recent BlackBerry commissioned survey indicated that 68% of CIOs and risk and compliance leaders agreed that mobile devices were the weakest link in their security framework.
Your data can be captured even before you start to speak
Karsten Knol, a cryptography and security researcher responsible for exposing weaknesses within GSM networks, says, Current commercial interceptors decrypt within seconds, often faster than the time a user takes to answer the call.
The methods will leave you speechless
Hackers are highly nimble and inventive. The following examples show that where theres a will, theres a way:
In 2011, researchers hacked GSM mobile calls using $9 handsets.
The previous year, a hacker also demonstrated how to intercept calls with a $1,500 device.
More recently, researchers at ANSSI, Frances information security research organization, showed that digital assistants can be co-opted into issuing malicious commands from up to 16 feet away. All that was needed was some fairly low-cost radio transmitting equipment and a headphone used as an antenna.
As the News Of The World scandal in the UK proved, voicemail can be easily hacked by having two people call a users phone at the same time. The first call generates the busy signal, while the second caller is sent to a voicemail prompt. From there the hackers utilized insecure passwords, like 1111, to access the users messages.
A 2015 undercover investigation by an Australian news program exposed vulnerabilities in the signaling system architecture. By giving German hackers access to the reporters phone, the hackers were able to intercept and record any of the reporters phone conversations with any individual, anywhere in the world, even though the hackers were half a world away.
Raising awareness and security
Part of the solution is making users aware of the vulnerabilities. Experts advise that anyone who discusses confidential or sensitive information on their mobile phone should assume that they can be eavesdropped on and act accordingly. However, theres no need for this awareness to be tempered with fear. Instead, this knowledge can be combined with trusted enterprise security tools that provide effective, end-to-end encryption to protect both business and personal calls. Like most business concerns, common sense and practical tools go a long way toward combating data breaches. If youre looking for such a tool to protect your users calls and text messages, read this blog to get an overview of SecuSUITE for Enterprise, a software-based solution that works across multiple platforms and carriers, providing end-to-end encryption and peace of mind for mobile communication, or check out the brochure or data sheet on our SlideShare channel.
Microsoft Skypes Real-time language translator helps you say hello in 7 languages
Microsoft officially announced the development of its new language translating feature for Skype users.
With the new built-in real-time language translator brings Skype users improved conversation experience, making it possible to converse in 7 different languages.
Skype users before now do make use of stand alone Skype translator app to improvise translation, the new language translation feature has been fully integrated into Skype app available at their official website for Windows PC users.
The company of its official blog explained that English and French is the widely used pair of language by Skype users, an since the new feature was introduced calls have skyrocketed to up to 400%, especially from Germany to Ghana.
The translation featured is coined based on machine learning and may not be at its best now, but with time will get better with converting multiples of language.
The company promises to add other languages in the future, however, here are the seven languages integrated into the app for enhanced real-time voice-to-voice language translation;
English Italian German Mandarin Spanish Chinese and Portuguese
An extra feature introduced into the chat app is text-to-text language translator that helps users translate imputed text into more than 50 languages.
Skype real-time language translator is available to windows PC user, the company did not disclose if the feature will as well be available for android and iOS users.