01. Human Japanese

Learn Japanese for under $10
Human Japanese is the most expensive app I’ve ever purchased and it is worth every single penny. The interface is absolutely gorgeous and very intuitive. The lessons are easy to understand and are interactive with audio and quizzes. Although, it is a little bit unnecessarily wordy. 9.99 USD might sound expensive for an app but think about it this way: can you buy a kick-ass beginners Japanese language textbook for 9.99 USD? Nope, didn’t so.

Excerpt from the Hiragana chapter

Vocab Quiz

02. Akinator

Impress your friends with your own genie
Akinator is a mystical genie who can guess who you’re thinking about just by asking a few questions. There’s a free web version at akinator.com so I’m not sure if I would pay USD 1.99 to upgrade from the lite version, which gives users 5 tries. Nevertheless, a very cool app to kill time and impress your friends with.

Question asking stage on the Akinator

Search result on the Akinator

If you manage to defeat the Akinator with an impossible-to-guess character, this is what the genie looks like. (In case you’re wondering, I was thinking about 藤田 玲司 Fujita Reiji, the protagonist from an obscure seinen anime called Gallery Fake.)

03. Instafetch

Every commuter’s best friend
I take the subway to work and back everyday. Unfortunately, the data connection on my subway line is fairly slow. So Instafetch has been very useful. I just save articles that are usually too long to read during my work breaks to Instapaper.com. Instafetch will then sync with Instapaper and download the article content. While the app’s got a fairly basic UI, the text is presented in a very readable serif font a la the New York Times app.

Instafetch Dashboard

Downloaded Article from Instafetch

04. Foodspotting

Foursquare for foodies
This app detects your location and shows you food and beverages that other users have recommended in the vicinity. I’m usually not a fan of location-based apps (because I have my doubts on check-ins) but this is actually pretty nifty. Pity the app is still fairly bare bone and has some stability issues. Nevertheless, there’s tremendous potential for this app to flourish — especially in a country full of mad foodies like Singapore.

05. Package Buddy

Obsessively track your online shopping hauls
While the enigma of not knowing when your package will arrive is exciting for some, control freaks like me prefer to know exactly where the fruits of my online shopping spree has been and when it’ll arrive. This app saves me a lot obsessive refreshing on the unfortunate courier’s website. Package Buddy can be set to auto update and notify you on your packages’ latest whereabouts.

Well, I hope you found some interesting apps in this entry. I know I’m terrible at keeping my blog updated, but I do hope to make this a series of entries.

So please do share your favorite apps in the comments!

If you’re an app developer, feel free to email me with your product details. It I think it’s great, I’ll be sure to give it the coverage it deserves!

Related posts:

1. Taking Screenshots on the Android-powered Nexus S
2. Which Part of the World Should I Live In?
3. Chinese Condoms and Favorite Animal

Now before you roll your eyes and call me a tech idiot, let me explain. Screenshotting on an Android device is not an easy feat for the average consumer — unlike the iPhone. You need to download the Android software development kit, fiddle with your computer’s and phone’s settings to get it to work. It’s even more challenging on Windows XP, since there are additional tools and drivers.

Anyway, all this hard work is for my upcoming entry on my favorite Android apps, which you can expect early next week.

This entry is just for me to bask in my new-found level of geekdom. To celebrate, you are now forced entitled to check out screenshots of my homescreens below.

For those who want to rival my geekiness, here are the sites I referred to:

• How to take screenshots of your Android based phone from Windows
• What Is ADB And How To Install It With Android SDK
• Google USB Driver

Happy geeking out!

Before you design lovers ask, my wallpaper is an illustration from Japanese fashion designer, Tsumori Chisato.

Related posts:

1. Hello Google Nexus S!
2. I got my hands on a Nexus One!

Ever since I got my hands on the Nexus One back in April 2010, I’ve been waiting for the day I would own a phone from the Nexus family. I went through hell and back to get it, since it’s not readily available in my country (yet). Thanks to my Twitter network and this amazing gentleman, I became a Nexus S owner.

What’s so good about the Nexus S?

Firstly? Speed. Specs-wise, this phone is nothing revolutionary. It’s similar to the Samsung Galaxy S and other high-end Androids like the HTC Desire HD. However, there is a marked speed difference. Reason? It’s Pure Google. This means it’s the pure Android operating system. There’s no HTC Sense or Motorola’s Motoblur or Sony Ericsson’s Sense UI to contend with or slow down the system. While these UI have prettier interfaces and are sometimes more functional, users are usually held ransom by manufacturers for the latest Android OS updates.

When I used the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 (before it was stolen), I was grudgingly using Android 1.6, while the world had already upgraded to Android 2.1 or 2.2. That meant I couldn’t download many apps or have access to the latest features. It was a really frustrating position to be in — especially since the Xperia was considered a high-end smartphone.

What’s not so great about the Nexus S?

Having the latest Android is a little bit of a double-edged sword. While it means you are always first with the latest and greatest features, it also means you’re a sort of a guinea pig. I haven’t spent much time with the phone yet, but I’ve already found some bugs in the Android 2.3.1 update. Here’s just a few:

• It can’t change “My Number” stored in the SIM card
• It’s not using the specified contact ringtones
• Sometimes, forms can’t be filled out

I’ve heard there are more serious bugs like sending a message to an unintended recipient, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take for the sake of speed and being free from manufacturers’ terribly slow — or non-existent — OS update timeline.

More Nexus S Photos

Feast your eyes on every Android geek’s current wet dream.

Google Nexus S’ curved screen

Samsung Galaxy S vs Nexus S Photos

Here’s a few photos comparing with my boyfriend’s Samsung Galaxy S and my Nexus S side-by-side. I haven’t made a true performance comparison but from casual use, it seems the Nexus S is faster.

Screen: Samsung Galaxy S vs Google Nexus S

Front: Samsung Galaxy S vs Google Nexus S

Back: Samsung Galaxy S vs Google Nexus S

Dear readers, do you prefer the iPhone or Android phones? Why? And slightly off-topic, is there anything that intrigued you from CES 2011? (Mine’s predictably the Android 3.0-powered tablet, Motorola Xoom.)

Related posts:

1. I got my hands on a Nexus One!
2. Hello! It’s been while…
3. Review: LG Viewty KU990R

It looks like I have an older firmware. LG has yet to allow people to upgrade their firmware via their website. I will update this post whenever I make my way down to the LG Service Centre at Vivo City.

So, I got another cellphone for work purposes. And this was one of the phone I was considering to buy, if not for the lack of quadband capabilities: LG Viewty KU990R.

In Singapore, it comes in three shades: white, pretty pink and sleek black. I had a hard time choosing between to two, but ultimately chose the black. I don’t think anyone will take me seriously with a bright pink cellphone.

LG Viewty KU990R Review

Pros

• Responsive Touch Screen – The first that pops up when you switch on the phone is a touch screen calibrating system, which allows the phone to customize its responses to your fingers. And the touch screen response is simply amazing! So far, I’ve not mistyped an SMS or misfired while playing Space Commando (a futuristic phone version of Counter Strike).
• Big Bright Screen – Even under the amazingly hot sun of Singapore, the screen is still very clearly visible.
• Full-Featured Camera – Well, it’s not as a good as a digital camera, but it still performs better than most camera phones in the market. With the flash, it can even take decent night shots. Along with basic camera features, LG has also added different modes, image stabilization and special effects! It’s like the Mac photobooth – only portable!
• Vibrate Touch Response – One of the common complaints about touchscreen gadgets is the lack of response when you press on something. LG has changed all that. Now the phone vibrates whenever you click on something. Good job!

Cons

• Strange Scrolling Method – With any computer program, you would always scroll down by moving the scrollbar downwards or rolling the scrollwheel downwards. Even my Cowon D2 MP3 player does the same. But LG had to be special and have the user scroll upwards to move the page down, and scroll downwards to move the page up. It’s really confusing my senses even after using it for 2 weeks.
• Fingerprint Magnet – This is quite standard for most touchscreen gadgets, right? Someone please invent a matte touchscreen!
• No Full Keyboard - Well, it’s a touchscreen phone, why have a phone keyboard when you can add a full-sized QWERTY keyboard?! Even my tiny Cowon D2 has a full keyboard for the dictionary feature! So size is not a constraint at all!

Pictures from my LG Viewty KU990R

The BMW Garage at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix

The Pit Grandstands at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix

Ivy’s Final Verdict

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

On the whole, this is a pretty good phone. Great camera, great touchscreen ergonomics and great looks. The designers clearly put a lot of thought into making this a fashion-forward and functional phone. However, the designers shouldn’t get too carried away by designing a scrolling system that is counter-intuitive. That’s as big of a blunder as replacing the QWERTY keyboard.

But is it an iPhone killer? Definitely not. It’s missing basic internet features like wi-fi, and full-fledged browsers like Firefox, Safari or even Internet Explorer. Although the LG Viewty does have good basic features like Google Maps, GMail and Google. Besides, I don’t really consider the iPhone a real phone with the lack of basic features like changing batteries; it’s more like an iPod that you can make calls with.

All in all, LG Viewty KU990R is the perfect gadget for camwhores and fashionistas (or fashionistos). It’s a great looking phone, packed with solid basic features, and full-fledged digital camera to capture your narcissistic moments.

And if you’re looking for an iPhone killer, look elsewhere – somewhere like the HTC Dream running on Google Android.

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