Doesn't matter what carrier you're on - most of the apps are pretty universal. Here are some of my favorites and a little blurb/description:

Advanced Task Manager - $0.99 - Enables you see current "processes running" with the ability to end them. You can also set up "exclusions" for apps you don't want ever ended, as well as set an "auto end" interval to end all running apps (that aren't excluded). This will help your new found multitasking.

Snap Photo Pro - $0.99 - A nice replacement for the default camera app. Gives some more options for picture taking and it personally improved my picture taking experience with Android. Now I know Android v2.0 might negate the use for this app but you could try the free version to try it out.

Weather Channel - Free (ad supported) - I've used MANY Android weather applications in the past year and this one is my favorite. I mainly use the "location aware" widget that sits on your screen and gives you the current temperature and forecast for your current location. It can also alert you in the event of severe weather.

Handcent SMS - Free - If you don't like the text messaging built into Android, then replace it with this one. Gives you a LOT more options for customization and the ability for pop-up notifications.

Twidroid/Twidroid Pro - Free/$5 - Absolutely positively the BEST Twitter app for Android, so far. Pro version adds support for multiple accounts, widget, and more color schemes.

Astro File Manager - Free (while in beta)  - Possibly one of the most powerful applications (that doesn't require root access) for Android. This app allows you to manage all the files and folders on your SD card. It gives you the ability to zip/unzip files, backup installed applications, share files on your SD via email, and much more.

tAttachApkInstaller - Free - Allows you to install .apk files (the installation file Android uses) right from the built in GMail application.

WiFi Analyzer - Free - This one would really only apply to the "uber-geek" users out there. It allows you to see in much more detail, than the default WiFi finder, all the WiFi access points around you.

Scoreboard - Free - An application made by Google that allows you to keep track of all your favorite sports teams. Offers LOTS of sports as well as notifications for score updates.

Last.fm and Pandora - Free - Stream music over the air to your device. Both have widget support.

Shop Savvy - Free (ad supported) - Gives you the ability to scan bar codes on products to get their prices online and at retailers nearest to you.

NewsRob - Free - A RSS reader that syncs with your Google Reader account - there are many others out there, but this one seems to work the best. It DOES synchronize items you read on it to your Google Reader account.

Ten More Neat and Productive Android Apps [Downloads]

The Android Market keeps growing, new phones are coming to seemingly every carrier, but finding the best, most useful stuff remains a challenge. We're helping out with 10 apps that get things done and make Android life easier.

We've previously posted our Android app picks, in two different lists of a dozen each. This list adds some recent discoveries and neat apps we've stumbled upon.

Want to see the whole list without all the clicks? View all the items on one page here.

As always, we heartily welcome your own suggestions for useful, productive, or just awesome Android apps in the comments.

Astrid

What sets Astrid apart from the many, many task/to-do managers out there? Two great features. One is its mostly seamless synchronization with cloud-based task manager Remember the Milk, which can happen in the background or when you hit "Sync". The other is its turbo-charged nagging powers. Astrid places itself in your notification area when a task is due and literally forces you to head over to the task to get rid of that nagging little squid-like icon. That's right—hitting "Clear Notifications" won't kill your to-do, and when you arrive at Astrid's home screen, it pops up the thing that needs doing with a rotating phrase, like "Do it and you'll feel better" or "Are you ready, tiger?" That might sound annoying to some, but to those whose thumbs are quick to put things off, Astrid is just the right kind of cure. Finally, if you're into the whole geolocation thing, Astrid can plug into Locale, the awesome conditional phone manager mentioned in a previous Android round-up, to do things like remind you to buy stamps when you're near a post office, or drop off those clothes in your trunk whenever you're around a Goodwill.

SnapPhoto Free

It must be said that SnapPhoto is not the most stable of applications. When it does work, though, it adds a slew of photo geek tools to your camera with a slide-out top panel. ISO controls, automatic or custom white balance, stabilizing software, effects, and, perhaps most helpful, a timer are available, along with quality and size modifiers. Reviewers' consensus and personal experience find that the app gets less stable the more shots one takes, but for pulling off one key frame with your phone, it's definitely worth the price.

ACast

It's a free, full-featured podcast client for Android—not an easy thing to find. It sports a few small ads that run along the bottom of the screen, but they're far from intrusive. ACast can search popular podcast databases to find your podcast feeds or accept manual URL entries, and lets you set up whether it updates, downloads, or streams your shows over Wi-Fi only or through a cell network. The app's own podcast player allows for auto-queueing of downloaded items, but those happy with Android's own minimal music player (assuming they exist) can simply play their tunes as normal. Be sure to hit up ACast's flush settings menu to customize how and when your shows are culled from the net.

Rounded Labs' Toggle Widgets

When Android's "Donut" revision lands, users will have a dedicated widget for one-click settings changes. In the meantime, Rounded Labs offers up five separate one-square widgets that simply turn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and your phone ringer on or off, and change your screen brightness with every tap. The GPS widget actually sends you to a settings dialog to click once more and toggle GPS, but two clicks are definitely better than four.

Sherpa

Sherpa's not the first app that finds the stuff around you using GPS or Wi-Fi location, but it might be the most personalized. Sherpa's results come in a familiar map layout or a revolving "carousel," and are filtered by the time of day—it theoretically won't send you to a dry cleaners at 3 a.m. unless it's an 24-hour spot. Sherpa also "learns" from what you've previously selected, so that it presents Caribou Coffee shops when you're visiting Raleigh if you've looked for them in Atlanta. It could stand to move a bit faster, but it hooks in well to Android's native map, email, and location tools, and might just discover something new for you right across from where you're standing.

Sound Manager‎

If Locale's uber-customization and multi-part settings are a bit too much for your needs, and you just want your phone not to ring at night and buzz while you're at work, Sound Manager is what you should grab. The basic screen lets you set individual volumes, so notifications are silent while ringtones are audible, for instance. The scheduling capabilities are where it's at though, given that most of us work, sleep, eat, and do other ritual activities we'd rather not have interrupted by new Twitter direct messages or emailed Amazon shipping alerts.

PdaNet for Android

We've mentioned this Windows/Android app combo before, but it's worth noting again because it still works, and it's still probably the easiest way to turn a 3G/EDGE connection into a connection of last resort for your laptop. Uncooperative eateries and ransom-pushing airports can be bypassed with a simple click of Connect on both the phone and a Windows taskbar item. The bummer is that it requires having a USB cable connection between the handset and the computer, but otherwise it provides a decent hook-up for low-bandwidth necessities. (Original post)

Amazon Android App

Like its iPhone counterpart, Amazon's app can "remember" whatever you take a picture of and send to it with reasonably amazing accuracy. Where the Android app surpasses it is in its barcode scanning ability. If an item you want to save to a wishlist, suggest to a friend, or note for your own purchase later doesn't photograph well, or can't be found by Amazon, the bar code will almost always hit the nail on the head. Whatever you do in the app is also noted in your Amazon account, so it makes for a great list builder, whether or not you've got the time to tinker right there in the store. (Original post)

Astro File Manager

Astro is one of those apps you wish wasn't necessary, but are glad a developer took the time to whip it up. It's basically a serious file browser, one that can download (nearly) any file you feel a URL for, pass files on your SD card along to the Gmail client for attaching, find the files that your music or movie player can't seem to find on their own (insert grumbling here), and back up your downloaded applications to your SD card. You won't use it too often, but you'll be glad it's there when you need it.

Retro Defense

Okay, so you could theoretically call this a goofy tenth item tacked onto a list of nine perfectly productive apps. But that theory assumes you'll never be stuck in an unbearably long line, terminal, or car ride, and desperately want to engage in a little Tower-Defense-like action with eye-catching Tron-style graphics. The free version contains only one level at Normal difficulty, but it's more than enough to keep a casual defender captivated. From notably extensive testing, this also doesn't appear to be as much of a battery drainer as other Android games.

Motorola Morrisson with T-Mobile 3G and UMA hits the FCC

[Via CellPhoneSignal; thanks William]

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola Morrisson with T-Mobile 3G and UMA hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Android Market Update Notifications Are Broken [Android]

This confirms what I suspected this weekend: Android Market's automatic update notifications are broken. In the meantime, if you're affected, you have to go to individual app pages to see if there's an update for the app. At least, that seemed to work for me. [Phandroid]

Pre-Sale Date Set for T-Mobile myTouch 3G

The HTC Magic (the world’s second Android phone) has been on the market for a few months now in Europe and just recently went on sale in Canada.  We have all known for a long time that T-Mobile U.S.A. would be launching the device some time this summer, but it seems as though we have been waiting for an eternity.

Finally, last night, TmoNewsrevealed that T-Mobile will be issuing a press release this coming Monday with details on the new HTC made handset.  No price or launch date yet, but it appears that the T-Mobile myTouch 3G will be available for pre-sale starting on July 8th.  I’m not sure that I’m ready to update to a new Android phone that is simply a redesigned G1, minus a keyboard, but I’m sure there are a lot of T-Mobile who will be completely satisfied with the new myTouch 3G.

TmoNews via HTC Source

Verizon Hub getting price cut Friday -- Hub 2 drawing near?

Filed under: Household

Verizon Hub getting price cut Friday -- Hub 2 drawing near? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

App Runner Makes Launching Linux Executables Easier [Downloads]

Linux only: The Jaunty Jackalope release celebration continues. App Runner adds items to the Gnome context menu to launch executables or scripts directly from the GUI—even letting you easily run as root.

If you've ever come across instructions for using an installer or script that require you to drop to the terminal prompt and type in a command, App Runner would come in handy—just right-click on the file and choose Scripts -> Run this App instead. Most Linux readers will be quick to point out that the majority of software can be installed with a quick apt-get command—but there's plenty of scripts and closed-source apps that this would be useful for.

App Runner is a free download, requires Linux with Gnome. For more, check out how to supercharge your right-click menu with Nautilus scripts.

T-Mobile sells a million G1s in the US

Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile sells a million G1s in the US originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

How to block an IP address in IPTables in Linux

If you are responsible for a Linux server, security becomes a big concern. Some of the biggest threats to a server’s security are DDOS attacks and repeated attempts to enter the server using automates bots. There are a number of ways by which you can detect the IP address of a potential intruder. But what do you do after you have located his/her IP address? Well, you block it. Here’s how you do it using IPTables which is the firewall that ships with most flavors of Linux.

If you have just one IP address that you want to block you can use the following method:

# iptables -I INPUT -s 122.174.12.228 -j DROP

This command will add an entry into your iptables configuration file, instructing it to drop any packets that come from the IP 122.172.9.222. If you face numerous attacks you are better of using a slightly more automated method to add the IPs from your ban list. To do that create the following script:

#!/bin/sh
for i in $(< banned_IPs.cfg) ; do
iptables -I INPUT -i eth1 -s "$i" -j DROP
done

Save the script into a file named something like banned_IPs.sh and grant it executable privileges:

# chmod +x banned_IPs.sh

Now create a file called banned_IPs.cfg and enter the list of IP addressed you want to block, each in a new line:

122.174.12.228
129.122.10.23
111.154.84.130

Now run the script banned_IPs.sh to have the IP addresses you want blocked added to the list of banned IPs in iptables:

# ./banned_IPs.sh

---
Related Articles at Simple Help:

• Getting started with iptables in Linux
• How to delete an individual site from the address bar’s list of previously viewed sites in Firefox
• How to determine your IP or MAC address in Windows
• How to determine where all your hard drive space has gone in Windows
• How to determine which IP addresses are hitting your web site the most

How to block an IP address in IPTables in Linux - Simple Help