The Silk browser, now available beyond the Fire--but not with permission.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)

The browser Silk may be native to the Kindle Fire, but one Android developer has discovered a way to transplant it to any rooted Android device, an XDA forum post from the end of December revealed.

If you're an Amazon.com addict but don't have a Fire, Silk could become your go-to browser. Silk is unique because of its "cloud acceleration" ability, which renders Web sites extremely quickly using a combination of the SPDY protocol developed by Google and computing power provided by its own cloud-based servers. Silk is also known for the ability to learn from browsing habits and predict which sites will be visited next, in some cases. Note that you can protect your browsing habits--but also slow down the browser--by disabling the predictive browsing.

Once you've rooted your Android, the process fo... [Read more]

(Credit: Dropbox)

Dropbox is an incredibly useful service for sharing files between computers, smartphones, tablets, and with other users.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how to add the Dropbox folder to the Send To menu in Windows 7, so you can send files to your Dropbox folder just by right-clicking on the file.

Step 1: Open the Run dialog box by hitting Windows Logo+R, then type: %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo (Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)

Step 2: When the SendTo folder opens, right-click on the Dropbox icon in the left pane, under "Favorites," and drag it over to the SendTo folder in the right pane.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)

Step 3: After you let go of the icon in the SendTo folder, select "Create shortcuts here."

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)

Step 4: Confirm that the Dropbox shortcut is in the SendTo folder.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)

Step 5: The next time you need to send a file to your Dropbox folder, just right-click on the file and send it away.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)

That's it. This also works great when you have more than one file to copy in the same folder, but not the entire folder. Just hold down the Ctrl key and select your files with y... [Read more]

If you've always wanted to use your Android phone as a hot spot, there's a new solution available to you. 

ClockworkMod has created an app that makes your Android and computer work together to share Internet service. This is a great alternative to expensive carrier fees, or tethering apps from the Android Market that simply can't deliver. Tethering used to be a rather painless process, so here's how to bring back that simplicity:

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma)

Step 1: Turn your Android's USB debugging on and plug your phone into your computer.

This is found in Settings > Applications > Development. Just click the box next to USB debugging.

Step 2: Download the Tethering client for your operating system from ClockworkMod.

• Mac (10.6/10.7):  http://download.clockworkmod.com/test/tether-mac.zip
• Linux:  http://download.clockworkmod.com/test/tether-linux.tgz [4]
• Windows (Windows XP/Vista/7):  http://download.clockworkmod.com/test/TetherWindowsSetup.msi

This example will work with Windows 7.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma)

Ste... [Read more]

The new compatibility requirement will a ensure more uniform look to Android apps.

(Credit: Google)

After investing a considerable amount of time and effort on the Android 4.0 user interface (UI), Google is taking steps to ensure that it remains a key component of devices.

Writing on the developer blog yesterday, Android Framework engineer Adam Powell outlined the new compatibility standard for the Holo theme first introduced in 3.0 Honeycomb.

Going forward, devices running Ice Cream Sandwich with official access to the Android Market will offer the Holo themes as they were initially created. So in other words, developers will have a standard set of UI elements to work with, ultimately resulting in more uniform applications.

This isn't to say that custom skins like HTC's Sense will be going away; In fact, the core aesthetics of those skins will remain integrat... [Read more]

Ever feel like taking an ultrasharp lightsaber right to Jar Jar Binks' floppy-eared dome?

Me too. And now we can, with the new Brisksaber app for Android and iOS. Developed by the viral media geniuses at Mekanism, Brisksaber is part of a cross-promotional effort between Brisk Iced Tea and Lucasfilm, the studio behind the upcoming Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D.

It's a fun, fast-paced game, that shows off some really attractive animation. The gameplay is also really simple. First, choose your side: Jedi or Sith. Then, when the game starts, just swipe away, Fruit Ninja-style to rack up points and earn combo bonuses. As a Jedi, you'll slash away at Trade Federation ships, Droid Army soldiers, and even Sith Lords. Switch over to the Dark Side and you'll face Jedi Masters, Naboo Starships, and everyone's least favorite Gungan, Jar Jar Binks. You can even unlock new lightsabers and other items by entering special codes from the caps of Brisk bottles.

Brisksaber (Android | iOS) is available for free download now in the Android Market and the iTunes App Store.

[Read more]

With Juice for Roku, you can stream photos and music from your Android device to your Roku box.

(Credit: Jigawatt Labs)

You've snapped a bunch of cool vacation/party/family photos on your Android phone; now you want to show them off on your TV. If you have a Roku box and three extra bucks, you're good to go.

Juice for Roku turns your Android device into a media server for your Roku box, wirelessly beaming photos and music to your TV. It also doubles as a remote. It's a fairly limited app with a few quirks, but overall it works well.

The beauty of Juice is that it requires no desktop component, no server program that routes photos and music via your PC. That's the modus operandi for the majority of media-sharing solutions, but Juice spares you that extra hassle.

Instead, you simply install the app, add the Juice channel to your Roku box(es), then pair the two via your home network. In my tests with an LG Optimus S, this worked quickly and flawlessly.

From there you just choose the photos or music you want to beam to your TV. On the photo front, Juice lets you view all your photos or just those taken this month, this week, or today. You can tap one photo to vie... [Read more]

Android Market application growth, according to Distimo.

(Credit: Distimo)

Google's Android Market has hit an important milestone, according to analytics firm Distimo.

The mobile application marketplace now has 400,000 available programs, according to Distimo. Out of that, two-thirds of the available applications are free, jumping from 60 percent last April

It's important to point out that Distimo is not the official word on available Android apps--Google is. And so far, the search giant has not immediately responded to CNET's request for confirmation of Distimo's report.

If Distimo's estimate is true, it would put the Android Market within striking distance of Apple's App Store, which currently leads the pack with over 500,000 available applications. Whether or not Google's marketplace will be able to catch up to the App Store, however, remains to be seen, since, as Distimo points out, the Android Market needed two more months to hit 400,000 available apps than did Apple's App Store.

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