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Internet Speed Master For Android Might Boost Your Connection

Internet Speed Master for Android is a small patch that may or may not boost the download and upload speeds on your device. It works by modifying some linux files related to the tcp/ip configuration in a way that has been shown to improve speeds on many devices. The app is quite flexible and you can use it with a non-rooted device though it is intended to be used by rooted devices and is integrated more deeply if you do have root.

On a non-rooted device, the patch is disabled but you are still able to apply some changes by tapping ‘Improve Internet Connection’. This presumably tweaks files that are not protected and so you may see some speed benefit. If you do have root access on your device, you will be asked to allow Superuser access and then can tap ‘Apply Patch’ to fully modify the files and see if it has any effect. There is a very convenient ‘Restore’ button as well which reverses the changes at any time in case the patch actually has an adverse effect on your connection speed.

This patch is very dependent on the make and model of your device as well as your data connection and there is a possibility that it will have no effect or actually slow your connection. You could also see strange things like a boost in download or upload speed along with a drop in the other direction. But, for some users, the patch appears to offer a very strong increase in speed that may well be worth a try. Since you can remove the changes at any time, there isn’t much risk involved.

Internet Speed Master is available on Google Play for free. If you’re not satisfied with your connection speeds, it’s worth a shot to see if it helps at all.

VLC 2 for iPhone returns with Multiple Format Support, Video Filters And More

The VLC 2 Player from VideoLAN finally makes a triumphant return to iOS after being removed by Apple in 2011. If you’ve been living under a rock and have never heard of VLC, it’s the go to video player when everything else fails. If you’ve stumbled across some obscure video format or ancient clip stored on your old PC, there is a very good chance that VLC will happily play it. It’s so good in fact, that many people use it as their main video player for all media. One of the best features is its huge array of codecs and support of all video formats so you never have to go hunting for odd plugins to watch something.

VLC for iOS brings the exact same experience to iOS devices. While there are many video players out there that do a great job, few have the stellar reputation of VLC. In the years since the player was pulled from iOS, the VideoLAN team has not been resting on their laurels and have introduced several noteworthy features. There is now support for AirPlay if you’ve got an Apple TV as well as Dropbox support so you can stream via Wi-Fi and a browser to your iOS device running VLC. Another great feature is VLC’s strong support for subtitles in video. It’s a fantastic feature for those who can’t stand to go without subtitles and is always welcome when you need to keep the volume low or just want it as a supplement to the video experience.

As with the desktop version, the interface is very light and utilitarian. You have an editable list of viewable videos, tap to watch, and that’s pretty much it. There is also a menu to help with some basic settings and aid in streaming options for more advanced users. VLC for iOS is available now for free and is a must for anyone who wants one of the strongest video players in their mobile arsenal.

(Download: VLC Player for iPhone and iPad on the App Store)

Riffsy For iOS : Explore and Share Video Clips

Riffsy is a multilayered service for creating, sharing and discovering very short clips of 5-10 seconds in length. You can personalize the clips with captions like you might see in an animated GIF, which is essentially what the clips are.

The first part of the service, creating the clip or ‘riff’ as it’s known in the world of Riffsy, takes place in a browser on Riffsy’s site. You browse to a URL of a video already on a site like YouTube, Hulu, etc. and then use Riffsy’s interface to select clips from it to generate each riff. You can have up to four clips in a set and once you’ve created them, you can overlay captions to supplement it. You can’t yet create riffs from inside the iOS app, though you can use any video you’ve already uploaded to YouTube to create riffs from your own personal videos.

The rest is handled by the iOS app which makes discovering and sharing fun riffs quick and easy. There are millions of GIFs to explore with popular or noteworthy ones available to browse and of course you can also search for a particular topic. You can save your favorite clips or collections and follow other users. Each riff also links back to the original source video which is a great way to hook people into watching the whole thing. Riffs can be embedded with Facebook or you can share them on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and Google+. If you e-mail or text a riff, it automatically converts it to an animated GIF so it’s visible on that platform which is a great little trick. You can use tons of custom GIFs in messenger or texting apps to spice them up.

Riffsy is available now free for all iOS devices. For fans of the ultra short video clip craze, Riffsy is an amazing way to create your own shareable riffs or reference a popular movie or show.

Source: Riffsy for iPhone

[Image Credit: Apple iTunes Store]

Facebook Photo Downloader For Android

Facebook is home to millions if not billions of photos, some of which are worth saving. The official Facebook app doesn’t allow you to directly save photos from other users, even if their photos are accessible. It’s led to many people resorting to taking screenshots of the photo they want, but this is cumbersome and results in a lower resolution or poorly framed copy. With Facebook Photo Downloader, if you can view it, you can download it in its full glory to your device for later viewing. As long as the user has made the photo public or given you access, you’ll be able to download it and save it permanently.

Facebook Photo Downloader works more like a plugin for the official Facebook app rather than a dedicated app. Once you’ve installed it, you can access ‘1ClickSave’ from the Share menu inside the Facebook app. You simply open the official Android Facebook app, navigate to the photo you’d like to save, tap Share, then ‘1ClickSave’, and the photo you’re viewing will be saved to a folder named Facebook Pics. That’s really all there is to it. The photos can then be opened in any photo app from the convenient folder. A small annoyance is that each photo must be individually downloaded and there is no option to download an entire album. There are few cases where you’d need the whole album but it would be a nice feature to have just in case. The best thing about it is that everything is done directly from the Facebook app so you don’t even notice that the downloader is there and you don’t have to exit to download.

Facebook Photo Downloader is a very lightweight and helpful plugin for the Facebook app. It’s available free on Google Play and definitely worth a try if you want to keep a full copy of a photo you find on Facebook.

[Image Credit: Google Play Store]

The 5 Best Android Apps For Twitter Users

The marketplace is crowded with Twitter apps from clients to apps that complement the Twitter experience. It can be hard to find a real diamond in the rough among them, but here are five of the very best out there. Even better, they’re all free.

twicca

This is one of the premiere Twitter clients and has too many features to name. If you can think of something you’d want to do with Twitter, it’s almost assured that twicca can do it. The interface is very light and you can choose to highlight accounts you’ve subscribed to with different colors to make reading easier. It also has an experimental feature for multiple accounts which is very convenient.

Buffer

With Buffer, you can schedule automatically spaced posts on Twitter and Facebook of content that you like. It’s integrated with all of the major reader apps like Instapaper, Evernote, Zite, etc. and you simply add a story to your ‘Buffer’ where it will be tweeted or posted to Facebook. It also features Twitter analytics so you can see how popular your posts are or who’s been reading them.

Tweets Nearby

In case you couldn’t guess, Tweets Nearby is an app to view nearby tweets. The app shows tweets in real time from users within walking distance of you that can be viewed on a map. You can then interact with any of these users by tweeting them, texting, or just reading their tweets. It’s a fun way to see what’s going on around your area and potentially meeting some new friends.

Unfollowers.me

This app is a fantastic Twitter manager. If you’ve ever found yourself with many followers and no good way to organize them, Unfollowers.me is the answer. You can view who recently followed/unfollowed you, who chose to follow you back, compare and search users, and more. The lists of who you follow and who follows you, whitelists, and blocked users are there as well as the core Twitter actions like following or blocking users.

The Social Radio for Twitter

The Social Radio for Twitter turns your Twitter feed into a live radio broadcast that reads your incoming tweets and plays your personal music in the background. It’s a clever idea and a fun way to consume your Twitter feed while occupied with something else. Besides reading your own tweets, it can mix in trending topics, hashtags, and more to enrich the experience. The app auto-detects what language the tweets are in and adjusts on the fly to read it to you correctly. It can even read some common emoticons and text abbreviations.

5 Great Android Games For Summer

Summer is a great time to kick back and enjoy life with a little playtime. Try these five fantastic games for Android to help you get into the summer groove.

Crazy Taxi

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This classic from SEGA arrives for Android devices and features the same crazy driving antics as the original as you race to help cabby fares. This edition has some new modes, music, and tweaks to gameplay to make it more mobile friendly, though you can still play Classic mode. From veteran fans of the Dreamcast version to newcomers, this is an experience you shouldn’t miss.

Tiny Thief

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In Tiny Thief, you must help a mischievous thief take treasures and avoid perilous settings and cunning foes. It’s a point-and-click adventure with dozens of puzzles and easter egg style secrets to find. The graphics and art are beautifully done too, ranging from castles and dungeons to pirate ships.

Sprinkle Islands

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Sprinkle is a heroic little firetruck that bravely puts out fires that plague some peaceful tropical islands. You’ll travel to four different islands and use Sprinkle’s unique water cannon to solve a series of fluid physics based puzzles. The graphics are cheery and colorful and the puzzles are fun too.

Pacific Rim

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To match the blockbuster movie of the summer, Pacific Rim lets you take the helm of the mighty robot warrior Jaegars to battle dozens of fierce monsters known as Kaiju. Choose from five upgradeable Jaegars and take on Story or Survival modes to save the planet from destruction.

Turd Birds

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Anyone who’s ever been hit by some rude bird droppings might want to see how it feels from the other end. In Turd Birds, you’ll get the second best thing as you take control of some silly birds as they hunt for unsuspecting targets below. You must avoid aerial obstacles like helicopters, toxic fumes, and UFOs as you aim to drop a precision bird turd. You can even link your Facebook and the targets become photos from your friends!