The Android ecosystem is filled with some really interesting apps that increase the productivity by leaps and bounds and UC Browser 8 is a perfect example. This particular browser not only delivers a desktop-like experience, but also increases the browsing speed considerably.

Developed by UC Web, the quality of the app is something to be rest assured off. The developers claim that UC Browser 8 delivers a true web-browsing experience on a smartphone.

The biggest advantage enjoyed by UC Browser 8 over competitors is the fact that it works on the U3 Kernel. A kernel is basically an update that enhances the entire software productivity and boots right after the BIOS. Under this app, the U3 Kernel merges and syncs with the smartphones' hardware more efficiently and effectively for the optimum performance.

The browser itself is very intelligent and works with a mind of his own, with great improved performance under-the-hood. Performance enhancements are the name-of-the-game with increased browser speed, intelligence, safety, as well as energy-saving treats. Furthermore, the browser includes various smart tools such as smart reading, smart forum, and smart screen adapting for proper utilization of colors and perfect webpage rendering.

Another great addition is the inclusion of favorite web-pages loading with much faster speeds. I really like the feature which comes in the form of "My Shortcuts", saving the most visited site directly on the home-screen for better and faster accessibility.

Compared to 2G, 3G and Wi-Fi connections, the UC Browser 8 renders the web-pages much faster compared to older and more traditional mobile web-browsers. Overall, this browser uses the most advanced web technology and helps in giving a full-fledged desktop experience; all this while consuming the least amount of power. A thumbs-up to UC Browser 8.

Related Links:
Developer Website
UC Browser 8 for Symbian
UC Browser 8 for Blackberry
UC Browser 8 for JAVA phones
UC Browser 8 for Windows Phone
UC Mobile on Facebook

Physical media is almost a history nowadays as more and more people are giving the CD and DVD amiss and backing up everything on cloud storage. So if you want to join the crowds but iCloud is not your thing, try out Ubuntu One.

Developed by Ubuntu One, the quality of the app is guaranteed and so are the updates thanks to which the app works surprisingly good, without any hassles. Plus the entire sign-up and sign-in process is quick as 1-2-3.

Ubuntu One is a personal cloud storage account that gives user instant access to their digital life 24x7. All this while being seamlessly integrated and showing up with some crucial slew of cloud services, such as sync, sharing and streaming. Unlike other cloud storage options out there, where you need to wander around to locate files, this one comes with a very straightforward and to-the-point user-interface, remaining unified across all OS platforms.

To use Ubuntu One, all users need to have a Ubuntu One account. So, once signed up, you get access to a 5GB storage for free. Here, the user can store files, documents, photos, presentations... with ability to access them anytime, from anywhere. This really makes life easy for users with a ton of files, but with a space crunch issue.

Ubuntu One scores big on a particular front and that is the sharing of files with colleagues, friends, family and others. What really acts as the icing on the cake is the ability to modify the document by the recipient, making the collaboration with colleagues on a presentation quite easy. It also supports various platforms such as Windows, Ubuntu, Android and iOS. This truly makes this a very accessible app.

Ubuntu One also allows for seamless streaming of music, but that comes at an extra subscription cost of $3.99/month or $39.99/year. The music streaming service allows users to access their music files stored in the cloud right on their smartphone or a web connected device. This is not all, the music streaming service gives users access to an extra 20GB storage for storage of all files. People who are not very fond of music can just upgrade to extra storage, capped at $2.99 per 20GB storage.

Ubuntu One was initially launched in May 2009 to provide sustainable revenue for Ubuntu, the world’s most popular free operating system, which is commercially backed by Canonical. Overall, a great cloud storage services and works really great in every way. If you are space-crunched, then Ubuntu One could just become your new best-friend.

Related Links:
Official Ubuntu Website
Ubuntu One on Twitter
Ubuntu One on Facebook

Love staying connected with friends and family members around the world, but international calling costs are affecting you adversely. Well, ooVoo is the solution to your misery. This app is the first major cross-platform IM client that works not only on different platforms, but also on PC and Mac.

Developed by Oovoo itself, this app really takes the crown from its other competitors as accessibility is the name of the game here. So now, users are not locked to only Android or iOS, but can enjoy being in touch with anyone, anytime and anywhere. Simplicity at its best.

There are heavy-duty competitors to ooVoo such as WhatsApp, presently the most used and undoubtedly the most famous IM for Android, iOS, Blackberry and Symbian. The segment it falls flat on its face is compatibility. Users are locked to either of the 4 smartphone OS' and there is no PC compatibility.

ooVoo works on PC, Mac, Android and iOS. More importantly, it is a great video calling tool for users. It is more like power vested within reach of the users. Skype is another great alternative and so is Fring, but there is a touch of finesse to the whole ooVoo platform. The integration, call quality, video transmission and everything else just talks volumes about the development team.

ooVoo allows for group video conferencing, allowing the participation of up to 5 people at a time. Comparing the quality with Fring, Skype and Tango, ooVoo was at par with Skype and Tango, sometimes better depending on the 3G coverage during the test. Fring produced a bit sharper details due to the technology used. Otherwise ooVoo seals-the-deal.

Overall, ooVoo is a must have app for everyone who loves staying connected with their loved ones and what better way than to see them in front of you. A big thumbs up to the developer and the app.

Related Links:
Official Website
ooVoo on Facebook

Wi-Fi Analyzer is for everyone who relies heavily on various Wi-Fi networks at home, home-office, airport, coffee-shops and other shared places. The Internet is a truly amazing invention which forever changed the way we work and stay productive; and sometimes staying productive means working at a slightly higher speeds.

Developed by Farproc, the app is providing users with a lot more than just connecting to a wireless network. And after researching numerous options available on the market I can easily say that Wi-Fi Analyzer is the finest among the offerings.

Wi-Fi Analyzer is very true to its name; the app analyzes the strength of the multiple Wi-Fi signals available at a given time. This is really helpful and neat, as it helps the user to select the best connection available. Additionally, the app helps the user to select the best possible channel for their router.

For newbies, the Wi-Fi channel is a range of radio frequencies that a wireless router makes use of, to communicate with various other Wi-Fi devices at any given point. The app also has a very neat graphical view, which depicts the current signal strength of all wireless connections and also, the overlapping connections (if any).

Wi-Fi Analyzer provides the users with multiple options, such as, scanning Interval, manual or automatic scan for networks, available channels, open network indicator, fill channel graph, and ability to turn on Wi-Fi automatically. The app might just be an advanced users best-friend, with the ability to keep a track of SSID's, API's and get details about the shared ones. Further, users can also merge the duplicated APs for less errors and clashes.

Wi-Fi Analyzer at the present moment does not support AdHoc networks, but still recognizes them. The developer has issued a statement, that he is working on it and in future, this functionality will be supported. Overall, a perfect solution for Android owners.

Related Links:
Developer Website

Usually network providers promise high-data downlink and uplink speed on 3G/4G networks at premium price plans, but rarely are those speeds witnessed. Well, the perfect solution for testing the actual upload and download speed is Speedtest.net.

This is undoubtedly the most comprehensive network speed tester available. Made by Ookla, the developers are big-players in the broadband world and lead in web-based network diagnostic applications. The accuracy with which the service throws results, on smartphone as well as web, is really app-laudable to a great extent.

Talking about the smartphone app, Speedtest.net does an excellent job. Users get a list of their current network details, irrespective of 3G, 4g or EDGE data-connections. So, fire up the Speedtest.net on your device and the app begins to search for the closest server. On completion, users can begin test and Voila! the app shows the time taken to complete ping test, download speed and upload speed. The app throws up very accurate results with a tolerable +/- 5% error, but nonetheless great.

The smartphone app also provides users with the option to display speed in Kbps, Mbps, kB/s. Further, users can sort test history via date, download or upload speed. Quite a neat and slick setup for a great app. Advanced users will love the ability to control animations of the app according to their preferences and decide if they want Smooth Graphics or Better performance.
Additionally, the app provides network technical information, such as, Internak IP, External IP, Latitude, Longitude positioning of the server.

Overall, the app is a class-apart and very effective for heavy-duty speed freaks who would love to take a snapshot of the result and share it on Facebook for some sweet bragging rights. The iOS and Android app both share the same user-interface without any differences. Speedtest.net gets a big thumbs-up for no glitches, lag and hang-ups. A must have on every Android and iOS device.

Related Links:
Developer Website
Speedtest.net for Desktops
Developer on Facebook
Developer on Twitter

It must be nothing new for smartphone users to happily surf the web, upload pictures on Facebook, Tweet, download apps, stream video on Youtube and the like. What really comes as a shocker is the data bill charged to your account by the service provider after all that friendly fun. Well, your solution lies here in the form of Watchdog 3G. This is probably the most comprehensive data plan manager till date.

Developed by Richard Gruet, the developer has done a commendable job with this app and has really helped heavy data users to keep a check on their data traffic. I for myself am a heavy user of this app on my Android.

3G is a big boon for users and really helps in the data traffic check. The app works very well and very few on the Market can compete with the features it offers. Talking about the user-interface, Watchdog 3G scores brownie points with its very slick look and easy-to-use environment. Though, first timers will get confused with the data counters that need to be set initially.

On startup, WatchDog 3G throws up numerous counter-boxes to be filled with a desired number. The counters are used for managing the data and how the users want the app to alert them according to the data consumed. The boxes to be filled are Quota (in B, Kb, Mb, Gb), time duration for the data validity, warning when a desired % of data is used, auto-disable of 3G. These are the main features and works very accurately without a degree of error (Source: Checked with my data operator and the result perfectly tallied with Watchdog 3G).

On the top screen, the app notifies the user about how much data will be consumed with the current usage pattern in force for a continued period of time. 3G watchdog not only gives a detailed data traffic counter for 3G data, but also indicates Wi-Fi usage with the received, sent and total data used summary. Something a lot of advanced users would love is the ability to export the data summary as a CSV document for extra usage.

Overall, this is one of the best utility apps on the Android market at the moment and does the job very well. The application keeps working in the background and does not deplete much battery unnecessarily. Moreover, the app adds a tray in the notification center, displaying the current used data against the total data remaining. A must have for users who heavily depend on their carrier network for those huge HD games and movie downloads.

The developer has launched a new PRO version with extra widgets, detailed and graphically enhanced graphs, Redesigned UI, Import settings and data from 3G Watchdog (Free version) and much more.

Related Links:
Official Website
3G Watchdog PRO on Android Market
3G Watchdog on Facebook

Developed by Pacific Disaster Center, the app is a masterpiece and will really keep people more vigilant and aware. It is not only accurate, but the sense of urgency is very well integrated and takes the app to the next level.

The accuracy of the app cannot be questioned as the data is collected from authorative sources, with 'Active Hazard" updates being refereed to a pool of current and real-time incidents. The greatest part about the app are the legends which represents a particular hazard. So, if an area has been hit by an earthquake, the app places a yellow triangle in that place in the Map view. There is a total of 12 legends with each color representing a particular hazard class.

Shifting to the Alerts tab, the app shows a detailed, statistical view of all the natural disaster occurrences around the world; with complete information, such as, level of calamity - advisory, warning, and moderate, time of disaster, type of disaster, date, origin, and affected places. Through this, users also have the option to seek more information on a particular event.

Disaster Alert includes the following major natural disasters: hurricane, drought, earthquake, flood, marine, storm, tsunami and volcano. These disasters are covered under Global happenings. Alerts concerning National Weather Service High Surf, National Weather Service High Wind and National Weather Service High Flood are only covered for the Hawaii region as of now.

The app comes equipped with a very clean and detailed interface and only enhances the already existing real-time updates. Moreover, Disaster Alert aims at creating disaster management awareness among people who live in the disaster prone zones. Overall, a must-have app for every individual who loves being updated and interested in reducing the adversity of natural calamities. Who knows, soon the Apple iPad might just become the best disaster information tool around.

Related Links:
Official Website

How many times have you parked your swanky new car in an unknown crowded area, walked away and after an hour it just hits you, "Dude, where is my car?". Happens quite often with many. Well, this problem has been solved and the misery of an owner ended with the MyCar Locator Free app.

Developed by Nomadrobot, the company has really tapped the potential of this app not only with class features, but by offering it for free. The app really makes a "drifting" mark on Android.

The app is very user-friendly and needs no scratching of the head. Once you park your car, simply open the MyCar Locator app and the current location of the car is displayed on the map, double-tap the screen and click on "Park". Once this is done, the app places a red dot to signify the cars location. It is that simple.

Now that the car location is saved and you want accuracy in direction, no worries. Just open the app and from the menu option select "Get Directions". This feature tells you about the total distance and gives turn-by-turn directions to the exact parking spot. Life becomes really simple with just a tap. Alo the app supports for distance measure reading in feet, yards and meters, which ever is a more viable reading for the user.

There are quite a handful of in-app options, such as, 1)Parked Time - displays the total time the car has been parked for, very helpful for calculating pay-per-hour parking, 2) Notes - users can add detailed notes about the parking place, environment, 3) Map/Satellite view - the option to switch between the two modes depending on the users preference.

The app is of a great help and will surely answer a million prayers of people who just cannot remember where they parked their car. The app is GPS dependent and hence, does not work indoors at all. Users should have an active data connection while using the app and preferably be in an open space for optimum usage.

This is the free version offered by the developer with no limitations compared to the paid version and is heavily dependent on adverts for revenues. As always, users particular about in-app adverts can always purchase the paid version. The free app has hit almost 500,000 downloads with an average 4-star rating, and that is no mean feat.

Related Links:
Nomadrobot Website
MyCar Locator Paid on Android Market
Nomadrobot on Facebook
Nomadrobot on Twitter

Love the Skype experience, but something still feels amiss? Well, the only possible solution for Android and iPhone users out there is Viber. This particular app allows all Viber users to make free calls and texts without any incurring charges. Wow, this is greatness in times of recession.

Developed by Viber Media Inc., the developers had first launched the app for the iPhone and have recently rolled it out for Android. So now free calls are not only limited to just iPhone users, but the magic has become cross-platform and a pure treat.

The communication between two Viber users takes place over Wi-Fi/3G and is absolutely free without any in-app purchases. Viber uses the latest voice communication technology and encryption for the best quality sound-output compared to GSM or WCDMA phone calls. Users need not have to enter passwords, usernames, sign in, sign up. Its a clutter free approach to communication.

The area where Viber scores the winning goal is the integration of contact list. Unlike Skype, Windows Live and Fring, Viber users need not add individual contacts according to email ids and usernames. The phone number is the default id for all users. So, just fire up the app, enter the verification code sent via text and then the app traces the contact list, and automatically adds all Viber users. Its a simple walk-in-the-park.

Overall, the Viber app is great and has become much better due to its availability on the Android platform. The developers are very swift with updates and soon will bring the app to Blackberry users as well. A thumb-up on that count. So, all users who get a bit crunched out due to the phone bills, Viber is the way to go.

Related Links:
Official Website
Viber on Twitter
Viber on Facebook

Sometime back Facebook decided to give an all-new look to the chat area. After the sudden layout redesign, many of Facebook users were not that happy about the change, many wishing they could bring the old set up back.

Now, the Sidebard Disabler browser plug-in can revert all the changes and bring back the good old Facebook layout back on your screen.

The problem the the ever-changing FB layouts is that you simply can not retrograde the changes itself and your only solution is to be happy and live with the "upgrades"; even when you feel they are confusing, lack-luster, or simply quite annoying to use.

Sidebar Disabler was put together to solve one of such changes by allowing users to revert to the old layout. This is a really cool browser extension, that just needs an installation and Voila! - you are back to the good-old chat box. Bringing back all the personalized and customized lists back-in-action, direct profile-link access via the chat box itself, and idle mode notifier against your name.

The Fb Chat Sidebar Disabler is developed by VittGam and available on various browsers: Google Chrome, Opera, and Firefox. After the installation only a page refresh is needed to kick-in the changes. It's that easy!

Related Links:
VittGam's Official Website
Sidebar Disabler's Official Website

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.