Posts of Randomness #4: Gullible Much??
During the day today I have seen several websites, blogs, legit news sites and even quite a few of my friends on Facebook commenting and/or reposting a photo of a dog fight arena with Heineken banners on the both sides (see photo to the right).
Firstly, let me just say that I love our furry friends, and that I do what I can, when I can. I definitely do not like, support or in anyway condone dog fighting. Also, I don’t even drink Heineken, I don’t hate it, but rarely drink it.
To get back to the point, there are a bunch of idiots out there, including some of my Facebook friends, who decided to jump to the seriously illogical conclusion that Heineken was sponsoring dog-fighting…. srsly??
You don’t think that it could just be a Heineken outlet of some type, a bar, a club or random venue, and that Heineken were not aware of the fact that the venue was used for dog-fights? No, because everything on the internet is true and people don’t use Photoshop to edit photos. Whatever the source of the photo and how legit the photo is, I am pretty damn sure that the least likely option is that Heineken are sponsoring the dog-fight. I’m sure they would have made sure that their branding was removed
Regardless of all my thoughts on the matter, at the end of the day Heineken did release a statement on their website:
Images are circulating on a number of websites showing what appears to be an illegal dogfight with Heineken banners (placed upside down) clearly visible. HEINEKEN is shocked and disappointed by this image. HEINEKEN is not and would never knowingly be associated with illegal activities, including those involving cruelty to animals. This is a gross misrepresentation of our brand and our legal team is now investigating the source of the picture and will take the necessary measures. We ask anyone with information regarding this picture such as the source, or the venue where it has been taken to contact us.
A simple Google search would have revealed this for anyone that had seen the photo and was wondering if Heineken would do something like this.
The Don CharlieV Android Guide: #1: Starting to Explore
Disclaimer: These guides only reflect my personal choices and experience with Android. I am by no means an expert and do not wish that my guides be taken to heart, but only be used to enhance your own Android experience.
Feel free to share my guides or mention them wherever you wish and if you can give them a thumbs up on StumbleUpon. I also welcome any feedback and comments as it is my wish to make this a regular feature on my blog.
As mentioned in my previous post, I will start with those apps that are simple and easy to use. These apps have no setup required to get going. You simply download them and run them, for example, most games fall into this category.
No experience required.
Androsensor |
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| Category: Tools | ||
| Widget: No | ||
| Size: 500kb-1MB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fivasim.androsensor | ||
| App Website: http://fivasim.pcriot.com/androsensor.html | ||
| This app displays all your phones sensor data on a single screen. Includes: location data, accelerometer, gyroscope, light readings, magnetic field, orientation,proximity, battery status& sound level. This may vary from phone to phone. | ||
Angry Birds Seasons |
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| Category: Games | ||
| Widget: No | ||
| Size: 20-25MB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rovio.angrybirdsseasons | ||
| App Website: http://www.angrybirds.com/ | ||
| The 3rd release of this popular game series. Updated from time to time, based on various world holidays and seasons…
Free and Paid versions available |
||
Angry Birds Space |
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|
| Category: Games | ||
| Widget: No | ||
| Size: 20-25MB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rovio.angrybirdsspace.ads | ||
| App Website: http://www.angrybirds.com/ | ||
| The latest, and possibly the greatest, of this series. The birds take to space in defence of their eggsteroids. The classic game with a new twist of gravity fields.Free and Paid versions available | ||
Barcode Scanner |
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|
| Category: Tools | ||
| Widget: No | ||
| Size: 500kb-1MB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.zxing.client.android | ||
| App Website: http://code.google.com/p/zxing/ | ||
| This app displays all your phones sensor data on a single screen. Includes: location data, accelerometer, gyroscope, light readings, magnetic field, orientation,proximity, battery status& sound level. This may vary from phone to phone. | ||
Cut The Rope |
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|
| Category: Games | ||
| Widget: No | ||
| Size: 15-20MB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zeptolab.ctr.paid | ||
| App Website: http://www.cuttherope.ie/ | ||
| Feed your creature, Om Nom, by cutting the ropes holding the candy. Very addictive…
Free and Paid versions available |
||
Tiny Flashlight + LED |
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| Category: Tools | ||
| Widget: Yes, flashlight on or off without opening the app | ||
| Size: 1-5MB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devuni.flashlight | ||
| App Website: http://devuni.com/cgi-sys/defaultwebpage.cgi | ||
| I prefer this specific flashlight app because of it’s versatility. It also functions as a flashlight, flashes in morse code, acts as an emergency traffic beacon and more… | ||
Fruit Ninja |
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|
| Category: Games | ||
| Widget: No | ||
| Size: 15-20MB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.halfbrick.fruitninja | ||
| App Website: http://www.fruitninja.com/ | ||
| Slash fruit to bits using your finger as the sword. Addictive!
Free and Paid versions available |
||
Google Sky Map |
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|
| Category: Reference | ||
| Widget: No | ||
| Size: 1-5MB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.stardroid | ||
| App Website: http://groups.google.com/group/google-sky-map | ||
| Uses the GPS and other phone sensors to identify stars, star systems, planets, etc that youre pointing the phone at. It also guides you in the right direction of what you’re looking for. | ||
Osmos |
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|
| Category: Games | ||
| Widget: No | ||
| Size: 15-20MB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hemispheregames.osmos | ||
| App Website: http://www.hemispheregames.com/osmos/ | ||
| Really trippy and VERY hypnotising game. Simply the best way to unwind… Works especially well with headphones. Somehow the hours just float by…
Demo and Paid versions available… |
||
Pricecheck |
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|
| Category: Shopping | ||
| Widget: No | ||
| Size: 1-5MB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobile.pricecheck | ||
| App Website: http://www.pricecheck.co.za/ | ||
| An app for South African users (I’m sure there are also international versions of this). Scans a barcode & searches for the product on their website’s database (http://www.pricecheck.co.za/) It then allows you to compare prices. | ||
Shazam |
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|
| Category: Music | ||
| Widget: Yes, features live tag stream and instant access to tag song. | ||
| Size: 1-5MB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shazam.android | ||
| App Website: http://www.shazam.com/ | ||
| “Listens” to whatever song is playing and searches for the Artist, Song title & more for you. Watch the YouTube video once tagged or download the MP3 from Amazon and more. | ||
Swiss Army Knife |
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|
| Category: Tool | ||
| Widget: No | ||
| Size: 100-500KB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.digital_and_dreams.android.swiss_army_knife | ||
| App Website: http://www.digital-and-dreams.net/main/?page_id=38 | ||
| This app includes a flashlight, ruler, timer, stop watch, compass, bubble level, calculator and magnifying glass, all lightweight and accessible on one screen. | ||
Wikidroid |
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|
| Category: Reference | ||
| Widget: No | ||
| Size: 100-500KB | ||
| Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.isaacwaller.wikipedia | ||
| App Website: http://www.digital-and-dreams.net/main/?page_id=38 | ||
| Not the only Wikipedia browser out there, but this one is quick & simple. | ||
That’s it for this first part, 13 down, 37 to go, now just go play around with these for a while.
Related articles
- The Don CharlieV Android Guide: An Introduction (myconflictedself.wordpress.com)
- Android Is Fragmented. How to Deal With it. (eliainsider.com)
- Google glasses? What’s next? (vodafone.com.au)
- Why Google Will Abandon Android (businessinsider.com)
The Don CharlieV Android Guide: An Introduction
Disclaimer: These guides only reflect my personal choices and experience with Android. I am by no means an expert and do not wish that my guides be taken to heart, but only be used to enhance your own Android experience.
Feel free to share my guides or mention them wherever you wish and if you can give them a thumbs up on StumbleUpon. I also welcome any feedback and comments as it is my wish to make this a regular feature on my blog.
Android devices are pretty damn awesome, they can be as easy or as complicated as you’d like, and that is besides whatever reason you may have for liking yours. You can take them out of their box and they’ll work, but then you wouldn’t have enjoyed the full Android experience.
Once you start digging around in the Play Store (previously Market) you might be overwhelmed by what is available. Some apps work from the moment that they are downloaded, others need an account or some sort of setting up initially, others need some serious playing around with to really get the full enjoyment or out of them. You can go by with only looking at the free apps, most of my favourites are, but don’t ignore the paid apps, from $0.99 apps to the more expensive ones.
I have taken my Top 50 apps and have divided them into 3 groups which I will cover in 3 separate posts based on ease of use.
#1: Starting to Explore
Will cover the apps that just work from the moment you download them.
#2: Delving a Bit Deeper
These apps need either an account setup or require some input before they work.
#3: The point of No Return
Once you’ve reached this point, there is no going back, no other device will compare to your baby.
Beyond #3
From time to time, I’ll release an update on the newer apps I’ve found that deserve mention and update my list if I’ve found superior versions of the ones I’ve listed in my Top 50
My Conflicted Self 
