android

Five air travel apps for the holiday weekend

America will be on the move this Thanksgiving week as millions crowd airports, highways and trains in search of that tasty turkey or Tofurky meal. Though travel rarely stresses me, I know the prospect of braving the tired masses and the TSA pat-downs can be daunting. So to help you navigate from home to holiday, and complete your journey with as little pain as possible, I've pulled a few must-have smartphone apps. Being the aviation nut that I am I'll focus on air travel, but I'd love to hear your titles for braving the roads and rails. And please tell me about your favorite flying apps as well.

FlightTrack Whether you're picking Mom up at LAX or flying to O'Hare as I am, a flight-tracker app is essential. There are quite a few options available in both the iTunes App Store and the Android Market, but FlightTrack by Mobiata is one of my favorites. You get a lot of information in a clean and easily digestible format and the maps are the best I've seen. Cheaper titles are available, but I think FlightTrack is worth the money.

Before a flight departs you'll see the scheduled departure time and any delay information. And once a flight is in the air FlightTrack shows the airspeed, arrival gate, baggage carousel number, present altitude, a shortcut to the airline's phone number, and the local time and temperature of the departure and arrival cities.

Availability: iPhone and Android Price: $4.99

Point Inside Though it's not devoted solely to air travel, Point Inside is the perfect app during a long airport layover or when you're delayed. For most major airports around the country, and a selection in Europe and Asia, it shows maps of everything you'll need, including shops and restaurants, departure gates, baggage claim carousels, ticketing desks, airline lounges, and related services. … Read more

The 411: Windows Phone 7 or Android?

Welcome to The 411, my column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have similar queries, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

I am looking to purchase a new smartphone. I have been looking at the Verizon Droid X. I have been told that Android 3 should be … Read more

HTC Evo Shift 4G could be Sprint's next big Android phone

An HTC handset that received approval from the FCC last week has the making of Sprint's next 4G smartphone. Though we don't know anything official, the HTC Evo Shift 4G should be a lot like the existing Evo 4G, save for a smaller size and a sliding keyboard.

Also known as the HTC Knight or PG06100 (that's HTC's model number for the phone), the Evo Shift 4G appears to share some of the design features found on HTC's earlier Desire Z. Its keyboard is similar, for example, and it features the same general shape and … Read more

MetroPCS announces first Android handset, LG Optimus M

If the summer belonged to the rollout of the Samsung Galaxy S series, the fall belongs to the LG and its Optimus line. MetroPCS has just announced its first no-contract Android smartphone, the Optimus M. Much like the iterations found on T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon, the MetroPCS version runs Android 2.2 and features a 3.2-inch touch screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, messaging, and e-mail, a personal organizer, and a music player.

The Optimus M will be available at stores and online for $229 starting November 24 with no contract. MetroPCS offers a $50 monthly plan that provides … Read more

SAP chief info officer: Apps in works for RIM tablet

Business software maker SAP says it is working to adapt its market-leading enterprise resource management software to Research In Motion's PlayBook tablet and that mobile versions of its software will be ready to go by the gadget's launch date of early next year.

SAP Chief Information Officer Oliver Bussman told The Wall Street Journal that all of the company's ERP applications are being readied for the tablet.

"SAP is definitely supporting the RIM PlayBook," Bussman said.

That's good for RIM, which is hoping that loyalty on the part of its BlackBerry business customers will … Read more

On-demand music for Android

As the first major music service to offer caching on the iPhone, Rhapsody has managed to stay quite competitive in the mobile space. And although the company lagged a bit on getting its Android app out of beta, the final product is sufficiently impressive for us to forgive its trespasses in the timing department. While it may not be as pretty as some other mobile music offerings, Rhapsody's features and performance on the Android OS should make it a top consideration for anyone interested in subscribing to an all-you-can-eat service (or all-you-can-listen-to, as the case may be).

As with … Read more

Rhapsody for Android gets real

As the first major music service to offer caching on the iPhone, Rhapsody has managed to stay quite competitive in the mobile space. And although the company lagged a bit on getting its Android app out of beta, the final product is sufficiently impressive for us to forgive its trespasses in the timing department. Though it may not be as pretty as some other mobile music offerings, Rhapsody's features and performance on the Android OS should make it a top consideration for anyone interested in subscribing to an all-you-can-eat service (or all-you-can-listen-to, as the case may be).

Rhapsody for … Read more

AT&T spins post-Thanksgiving deals

We've already told you about Amazon Wireless' cell phone deals for the holiday shopping brouhaha, but now AT&T is getting in on the act as well. From Black Friday through Cyber Monday, the carrier will be offering a deal a day for many if its phones. Here's what you'll see.

November 26: AT&T says it will offer "some of the best prices ever" on its "most popular" touch-screen devices. At this point, we don't exactly know which handsets that includes, so we'll have to wait and see.… Read more

Amazon has loads of Android phones for a penny

Well, hello, Amazon. How nice to see you and your selection of Verizon Droid smartphones for just a penny. That's a great price for any cell phone, but it's quite a steal for devices like the HTC Droid Incredible and the Motorola Droid II, Droid X, and Droid Pro. And you'll even give us a credit on the $35 activation fee? Sure, we'd have to sign a service contract and buy by November 29, but that's still a great deal.

Amazon Wireless isn't stopping with Verizon, either. For 1 cent and a contract you … Read more

HTC Merge makes brief cameo on Verizon site

Verizon tipped its hand a bit last night by inadvertently outing its next Android smartphone. A 360-degree view of the HTC Merge landed on the carrier's Web site only to be abruptly pulled.

AndroidCentral was quick enough to see the phone and capture a video of the device. The Merge, which once carried the nickname of Lexikon, should be Verizon's first sliding QWERTY world phone. Specifications include Android 2.2, an 800MHz processor, and a 3.7-inch touch screen.

Incidentally, AndroidCentral was able to get its hands on the Merge and do a full review back in early … Read more