Android Angles: Contacts+, one of the most versatile contact apps for Android

I'm a complete perfectionist and it is the worst experience ever to have an Android device. There are far too many choices and I just can't decide which is the right one.

In order to save you from the same nightmare of choice, I present to you an app that I think will cover almost all the bases for those needing a better Contact management experience on their device.

I present... Contacts+ as enjoyed (or at least, installed) by more than 10 million users.

Why do I like this app? Well, it's not perfect, for starters, but it seems to cover my wishlist for a contacts management app:

• Simple, intuitive, fairly minimalist interface
• One-stop app to cover all my basic communication needs
• Duplicate Contact management
• SMS conversation management (including deleting multiple SMSes easily)
• Fast dial functionality
• Unknown number identification
• Cloud backup

Looking through my list you'd think I was asking for the impossible. But thankfully, I found my home with Contacts+.

I must say from the outset that it's not at all 100% perfect in all departments - in fact, on a loan Samsung Galaxy S4 I found that received SMSes were blank "MMS" ... could have been the sender though, because other users were fine. At any rate, my experience has been around 95% satisfactory which is a large step up from using seven different mediocre individually focused apps.

Let's get started then, shall we?

Android Angles: not getting that Sync'ing feeling

I'm starting to like my Android phone. Quite a lot*. What I enjoy most is how it syncrhonises my Google stuff without me worrying.

Well, that's what it's supposed to do.

Recently, I noticed that Google Keep wasn't reflecting online what was on my phone, and when I did some digging, I uncovered the cause. This may apply to you for other reasons but if you are experiencing these symptoms:

Google Account (or most other accounts) is not synchronising web with device (e.g. Google Keep, Drive, Mail, etc.)

To fix this, you need to check that your Google Account (or most other accounts) is set to sync.

The path to follow is Settings ==> scroll down to Accounts and tap the account type you want to edit...

Select the Account to configure

Android Angles: Pushbullet application for streamlined productivity

Screen shot stolen from Pushbullet ;-)

There's a new favourite app in the town of Brattville! Or maybe there's a new flavour of the month in the Parlour of Brattex! Or maybe it's just a fleeting thrill - we shall see. But what is the name of this app, one asks? Pushbullet be its name. And what does this app do, another queries? It be a desktop / mobile integrator for productivity. So why all the conjunctions at the beginning of these sentences? Because it is convenient, dammit!

Enough with the silly rhetoric, on with the product highlight!




Stolen from lifehacker.com

Pushbullet acts as a bridge between your mobile and desktop OSes and so far, I have been very impressed by its performance. Admittedly, it is a little unnerving about what information Pushbullet is accumulating but if you think you can trust developers from San Francisco, and more than one million users can't be wrong, then you're in good company I suspect.

WhatsApp Web - a first glance

WhatsApp has released a web client for their IM and although it's still early days, I figured a quick preview was in order, especially since most people don't seem to even know about it.

To access the client, head on over to https://web.whatsapp.com/ and scan the QR code (follow the instructions for your specific handset).

With my Sony Xperia C it's easy.

 

Then you've got a WhatsApp chat client from your desktop! The only catch I can see so far is that it will need to do a fairly regular stream update with your device but I suppose that's the same for any other of the integrated apps like Hangouts, Facebook, etc.

More Cell C contract considerations

It's no secret that I am a big fan of Cell C at the moment, and why not? They're offering the most simple and most competitive package options available: R1 gets you R1 of value; how much simpler can you get?

Previously I recommended going on a Straight Up 100 contract and paying for what you use from there (especially if you weren't sure if you would use the 100 minutes or more) but with Supacharge now here to stay, my advice shifts a little:

Whether you sign up on Straight up XX or Straight up XX Topup the contract values remain the same:

So we can establish that there is no difference between prepaid or postpaid and it's up to personal preference.

Well, that would remain to be the case if it were not for Cell C Supacharge being a permanent feature now with Cell C:

With Cell C Supacharge any top-ups on airtime will include:

• Free Cell C to Cell C minutes
• Free Cell C to Cell C SMSs
• Free data

f you want to spend R200 a month, my original argument still stands: do not get the Straight Up 200; rather get Straight Up 100 and pay for the extra minutes if you need them. Of course, I'd even go so far as saying start on the Straight Up 30 if all you are concerned about is the talktime. The only loss on moving "down" the contract tiers is the lost SMSs and data; if this is a big deal for you then bear in mind the following:

An SMS on Cell C costs money to be sent, so if you use 200 minutes and 100 SMSs a month but start at Straight Up 50, you will be paying the same amount for the minutes but will be paying for 50 SMSs that would have been free if you had just opted for Straight Up 100 or Straight Up 200 to start with. Ultimately the choice is yours and depends on your requirements for data and SMSs but once you have determined which package to settle on, you should still make it on TopUp and here's why...

The bonus of Supacharge is the inclusive minutes and SMSs and data. It is limited to Cell C but it does open up a new consideration. If you are going to commit to R100 a month on Straight Up 100 then go for the TopUp option instead. You're protecting yourself from unexpected expenditure, sticking to your budget, and in the off chance that you need more airtime, you will score with Supacharge bonuses when you recharge.

A really sly individual may even top up R300, score themselves the usual R300 airtime (even to overseas destinations at the same cost as local calls) but also get a further 900 minutes to Cell C contacts FOR 30 DAYS (on top of the 900 SMSs and 900MB of data). The R300 carries over for three months and you will reap the benefits of, essentially, unlimited calls for the month to Cell C contacts. If you did not top up but spent the equivalent amount, you would miss out on the Cell C to Cell C minutes. 

Going for the R500 deal gives you absolutely unlimited calls to Cell C contacts but I think spending R300 over two months will be R100 more, give you just as much unlimited airtime, but carry over R600 of airtime (which is R100 more and lasts for two months).

Anyway, Supacharge gives some additional things to consider now... my vote is TopUp contract every time, for the time being at least!

Free SMS in Gmail comes to South Africa

Finally, it's here! Free SMS in Gmail to South African mobile networks.

If you are a Gmail user (if not, WHY not?) you can now send SMS'es free from your web-based Gmail client to (currently, as of 2012/03/16) MTN and 8ta networks.

I am hopeful that the networks supported will grow over time, so keep an eye on this link and scroll down to South Africa to know when you can hit Cell C, Virgin and Vodacom. A useful guide is located here which has prominent logo's displayed of the currently supported South African cellular networks and also explains how to use the facility.

I already had the SMS lab application running on my Gmail client (for US and Canada numbers) so one day I noticed this pop up on the side:

New! Free SMS in Gmail Send free SMS directly from Gmail - just enter a phone number and click Enter. SMS replies are sent right to your Gmail inbox.

and realised it was letting me target South African numbers too. In order to use this feature you have to enable the SMS (text messaging) in Chat lab.

Added information on the feature is located here. The basics are as follows:

• Use the Send SMS box above the chat window and enter a number to send an SMS (or if you have Google Voice credits, to call the number) or select Send SMS from the box of options that appears to the right of your contact's name. If you already have a chat window option select Options and Send SMS.
• Sending an SMS is free and any replies you receive are treated in your standard Chat Window, and are billed at normal cellular rates.
• You start with 50 credits and even if you send an SMS to an unsupported number it bills you for one credit. When you hit 0 credits you will be entitled to one free SMS a day. If you receive SMS replies your credits will grow again by five per received SMS, so if you hit 0 credits just wait 24 hours and then send yourself an SMS and you'll be back in business with five credits! The maximum credit at any time is fifty.

For extensive information on this service go here.

Hints and Tips:

• Save the incoming Gmail SMS number associated from your account because this is linked to your unique Google Account! Any time you send an SMS to this number it appears as a Chat message in the Gmail account. 
• If you'd like a higher message credit, send yourself an SMS from Google to your phone, and then reply. Every reply earns you five SMS credits. Effectively you are paying your service provider (e.g. MTN) one SMS in return for being able to send another five. If you do this once a day you can get five SMS messages for the price of one.

BlackApps: RWC 2011 by iRB

The greatest sporting event of the year is almost upon us! Rugby World Cup 2011 is only weeks away and now is the time of mobile apps!

If you own a BlackBerry, love rugby, want to follow the Rugby World Cup in detail, or just want to overload your phone with trending apps, then the RWC 2011 app is for you.

It can be downloaded over here: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/54515?lang=en

Features include:

• Add fixtures for any match to your built-in calendar or add all the fixtures for your favourite team
• BBM6 integration (requires an upgrade of your BBM if you haven't already done so) provides real-time content sharing, automatic status updates, and live match in-app chat.
• Access the Match Centre for live match coverage, including real-time live commentary, stats and video highlights.
• Get the latest news and keep up to date with the RWC 2011 Daily video.

You have no excuse - download it now!

BlackBerry, white screens of death, and swollen cellphone batteries

I've touched on this before but this time around my problem has been much more severe. The BlackBerry would white screen almost daily, sometimes more often than that, and I wouldn't be able to reuse the phone until I had taken out the battery and rebooted while plugged into power. This hinted at a battery problem but I wasn't entirely sure so I first tried to reinstall the OS to see if that fixed it. It didn't. After some more troubleshooting etc. I've since replaced the battery and that seems to have solved the problem.

Interestingly, when I removed the old battery I noticed it was slightly swollen in the centre which I had always thought was normal, but it actually turns out this is the sign of an overcharged battery. Although most of the sites I've referred to say it's not dangerous, they all agree it can't be fixed.

A simple rule of thumb (pardon the pun) is if you can spin your battery on a flat surface and it spins for quite a while, it's got a bit of a swell which means damaged cells. If you spin the battery for about half a rotation before the friction slows it down then the battery is pretty much flat (physically, not chemically) and that's fine.

So if you're having white screen problems on your BB similar to mine, try checking out your battery.

Go on, give it a spin!

BlackOps: That GOOGLE Calendar syncing feeling (and how to remove that pesky BB Default Calendar)

[ UPDATE: you can also try "RSET" in step 4.1 below ]


[ UPDATE 2011-12-05: have added in steps for OS6 ]

(If you're looking for the BBM Groups fix, go here)

Sometimes things can go wrong when you're sync'ing your BlackBerry calendar with your GOOGLE account and when things do go wrong, it can be really messy and especially difficult to fix.

Let's presume you're having one of the following problems:

• Multiple entries in your GOOGLE / BlackBerry CALENDAR
• Synchronising not working properly
• Need to reinstall calendars
• Migrated accounts
• Have a pesky DEFAULT calendar you want to remove

There are a few things you can do to fix these problems.

VODACOM reduced 2GB Broadband pricing

For those that don't follow mybroadband.co.za, VODACOM isn't just giving South Africans a new logo but also new product offerings. Announced recently was VODACOM's 2GB+2GB special which brings broadband pricing to an  "as low as" 3.6c per MB. That's quite a big deal for South Africa because only recently it was still R2 per MB on some data packages so this is a 98% reduction in costs.

Basically if you sign up with VODACOM between 1 May and 31 July 2011 you'll be able to secure this deal, including 7.2Mbps modem at R149 per month for 12 months. There is a catch: you get 2GB for use any time and another 2GB for use from midnight to 5am a month. If you don't intend to use the second 2GB batch, then this pricing is "as good as" the CELL C offering, so you can't really lose anyway.

If I've ever been an advocate recommending to you the Cell C 2GB deal, well now you can scratch that and go for the VODACOM deal instead!

A breakdown for the various competitors, courtesy of mybroadband.co.za's news post is below. I can't help but notice the "competitive Telkom pricing" ;-)

2GB Mobile Data Contracts
	Standard data	Extra data (after 00:00)	Modem	Price (p/m)	Cost/MB
Vodacom 2GB + 2GB	2GB	2GB	7.2Mbps	R149	R0.036 - R0.073
Cell C 2GB	2GB	--	7.2Mbps	R149	R0.073
8ta 2GB	1.5GB	--	7.2Mbps	R280	R0.19
MTN 2GB	2GB	--	7.2Mbps	R389	R0.19

BlackApps: ScreenShot FREE

Enter my second installment of BlackBerry App reviews: ScreenShot FREE by S4BB Limited.

For the full list of BlackApp options, visit http://tinyurl.com/BlackApps or go to https://spreadsheets3.google.com/ccc?key=tzaQAeEd4i1RrTG4_ZO5Klw&hl=en_GB#gid=4



Vendor explanation:

With ScreenShot you can take a screen shot of your current BlackBerry® screen with just one click.

Features:
* Takes screen shots and saves them on the sd card / internal memory
* Illustrated how to for setting up ScreenShot on a convenience key for 1-click screen shot taking
* Real camera shutter sound
* After screen shot is taken it can be sent by email easily
* No time limitation

* This FREE version DOES NOT allow for program options change - if you want to do the following, please purchase FULL version.
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/3301

* Screen shots can be queued up for easy batch sending by email
* No branding in screen shot
* Options can be adjusted:
-- File name conventions
-- Alert settings (camera sound, vibration, dialog can be turned on/off)
-- Time delay before screen shot is taken
-- Image format (PNG, BMP, GIF, JPEG, TIFF, WBMP)
-- Storage settings: custom directory

What it all means is that you get a free ScreenShot app to use on your BB. It will take shots and save them to your SD card and make a camera shutter sound when it takes the shot. You can then email the resultant file as an attachment. If you want to pay up, you get a host of additional options and features, including choosing file formats for your images and custom directories for saving the files. Of course, the FREE version watermarks the pictures, which is a downside with this app, but it still does the job and while somewhat limited, the FREE version still allows you to incorporate a convenience key and is integrated into your BB menu button.


PRO's of the FREE version:

• FREE
• Easy to use
• Integrated into menu
• Can email screenshots
• Supports convenience key

CON's

• Watermark
• Relatively large when compared to alternatives
• There appear to be better alternatives, but I haven't reviewed them yet.

ScreenShot FREE can be located here:

https://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/11567?lang=en

S4BB Limited can be located here:

https://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/vendor/102?lang=en

BlackApps: SMSRelay

I have a confession to make: despite owning a BlackBerry handset for almost six years I didn't really bother with BlackBerry App's until about two weeks ago, and since I started to dig into them I've found quite a few that are really fantastic - almost ESSENTIAL (oh boy, here BrYan goes again).

I've decided to entitle my series of BlackBerry App reviews "BlackApps" because it sounds cool :)

My first BlackApp review is going to be about SMSRelay by Manse eSolutions Inc. 

Blackberry Messenger 5 download

Anyone that knows  me probably knows my story about BlackBerry devices. I have owned one for five years now and counting, and over the years I've managed to convince others to take the delve into the Black divide ("once you go BlackBerry, you won't go back" or something to that effect). My most recent handset has been the 8900 Curve "Javelin", and when I migrated from my 8707v it somehow decided that the BlackBerry Messenger on the 8900 wasn't right, removed it, tried to put my 8707v Messenger on, figured it wasn't compatible, and broke. I was stuck without the Messenger, and became the laughing stock of my contemporaries. No matter. I persevered without it, relied heavily on GOOGLE TALK for BlackBerry, and occassionally kept an eye out for an OTA downloadable version for Messenger, which never seemed to be there (with some stupid excuse that it was available on the supplied CD bundled with the phone, or available through the Desktop software, which is both rot).

Goodies for your mobile

I've now decided to update my list of WAP and .MOBI sites into a nice spreadsheet for you to look at. It's located here... http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tiRd8NN6hIIEIQuwC_5dJzQ&single=true&gid=0&output=html

First feature is the m.gmail.com lite-site for GMAIL!

Very basic in layout, it's an optional view for GMAIL which can be selected as either HTML or MOBILE. It shows conversations, labels, etc. but doesn't seem to show a way of replying to a current conversation, which to me is its primary limitation. For keeping track of things, though, it seems to be really useful and a valuable GMAIL tool for mobile!

BlackBerry Curve 8900 "Javelin" white screen of death

[ UPDATE: also check out this post for possible solutions ]

I suppose it was inevitable that the BlackBerry would also succumb to a bizarre "SOD", and I suppose a WHITE screen is the most appropriate, since it's the opposite of the BLACKberry's style. I just didn't anticipate to experience such a glitch with my evergreen and ever-reliable BlackBerry handset. Doing a search on the internet revealed that I'm not the only person with this problem, but what has surprised me the most is what's causing it...

Strangely, I've only ever noticed it when I've had it resting on my pile of papers on my desk in my office. The most strange thing about it is that it seemed to start with Google Talk, but soon migrated its way to any application that I was using.

For some reason, it would look like it lost a display signal, and artefacts would occur all over the show, but it was almost still visible sometimes. Then, when it blanked out, I'd have to move my phone aside and let it rest while I carried on with my other work, and over some time it would come back.

This went on for a few weeks on-and-off (but only in my office in front of my keyboard) when I discovered the cause... at least, I'd be prepared to bet my BlackBerry on this being the cause.

Underneath my pile of paper, but near-enough to the top of the stack to be near or in contact with my BlackBerry 8900, is the very plastic CD sleeve that came bundled with the BlackBerry software CD (see image).

I've since established that when my phone is near or in contact with this very CD sleeve, it will experience its WSOD, but ONLY then.

I have no explanation for this, except that maybe the plastic is causing some static interference with the phone, but when it's not near or on the plastic, the phone is fine, and I've yet to experience the same WSOD symptoms!

I can't understand it, but there you have it. Hopefully this will make someone's life a little simpler :)

Blackberry Curve 8900 new GROUP features for contacts

(DISCLAIMER: Anything to do with my new BlackBerry may be old news for some, but since I've moved from an 8707v to an 8900 the leap has been massive. I'm presuming this is all around new stuff, but if not, don't flame me)

Sweet BlackBerry goodness!

When I ran my import from my old BlackBerry 8707v to my new BlackBerry 8900 Curve, I didn't get my mailing lists / groups imported, and to my frustration I had no idea why.

Having attempted to create a new group / list today, I have now got a better idea as to why it may not have worked, and I can assure you it's more for good reason than for bad reason.

When I started my new group, I opted to add a contact, and was very surprised to discover that I could add either their number or a PIN or an email address. That got me thinking, and I tried to add the same contact twice, once with email, and once with a cell number, and voila! It worked!

This means with the new BB OS v4.6 I can have one mailing list, and if I choose to compose an email to the group, it ONLY sends to the valid email addresses, and if I send an SMS, only to the valid SMS recipients, and a PIN only to the valid PIN recipients. What a joy!

Upon trying this out, I noticed that the group SMS service also shows individual progress meters for each recipient of an SMS - so you know who's getting it as they get it - SWEET!

I've now managed to send an email to my group, and it says "not everyone can receive an email" and I click OK, and it sends out the email, IGNORING the SMS recipients. Vice versa for sending an SMS to email addresses in the list.

Some may argue that it should be smart and send it all at once to the proper recipient, but I prefer it this way. Now I can have one mailing list which has everyone's contact details and depending on how I want to contact the people, I can reach them via PIN, SMS, or email. The only snag is that you have to manually capture a single contact multiple times if you want to add their various contact details - not so bad because then at least if they have three cellphone numbers attached to their contact details, you only need to add the one you SMS, and not have the phone think it should SMS them three times (once to each number).

WAP banking - Mobile goodness!

If you want to be able to do pretty cool "internet" banking on the go, then I strongly urge you to experience WAP banking. I was a little cautious at first, but after doing some digging, and realising my bank balances weren't changing after I logged in, I have become quite attached to WAP banking. I call my ABSA WAP service ... WABSA!

You see, there's always been cellphone banking, but it's been horribly unreliable for me, and the SMS thing is great, but SLOW. With the BlackBerry, and with unlimited data plans, and with the ability to switch between applications, I can now do my banking almost as efficiently as if I'm doing it online.

So far I've only been able to review ABSA's service, since I bank with ABSA, but the results are great for me. I can't complain - it does what I need, and it does it pretty fast and pretty reliable!

If you're with ABSA, check out their WAP site and try it out! It's a legitimate link, as you can tell from this ABSA post.

Mobile goodness - sites worth checking out

Want to check gmail on your mobile?

Get the app OR for quick access without the frills (like on someone else's phone once off) http://m.gmail.com - pretty handy but very light.



There's also a whole lot of goodness @ wap.defza.com. Can we trust these convenient mobile links? I have no idea. Do I use them unwittingly? No. Do I use them despite the possible risks? Some of them, yes.



Worth looking at:



http://m.flurry.com/ - email checker dude



http://m.24.com/content/sport/tournselect.aspx?cat=Rugby&sh=Fixtures

- you can check out what rugby fixtures are coming up, for most tournaments!



http://m.24.com/content/default.aspx?cat=Rugby&sh=Rugby

- general info on rugby, where you can choose to go to fixtures, logs, results!



http://m.ebuddy.com

- mobile chat program for most chat interfaces. You can go lite or application! Your choice!



Opera mini

- another great tool!



http://m.24.com/movies/

- movies movies movies; BUT you can specify your location and it filters the cinemas in your area!

Now showing, reviews, etc. all at your thumbtips!

AND if you save your location it automatically updates your "now showing" only for relevant cinemas near you!



http://sbcell.co.za

- cellphone banking for standard bank customers; I'd verify with someone reliable before handing out my password and PIN for this one though!!



http://ib.absa.co.za

- same as above, but for ABSA.



I'll make a plan to review these in more depth, but have some crazy fun! Ebuddy looks awesome!!