Everyone these days seems to talking about the App Store and the new Google Play, but there is another app store out there that is quietly going about its business: Amazon Appstore for Android.

The New ‘Android Market’: The Amazon Appstore

The Amazon Appstore launched on March 22, 2011, as another venue and mobile application store for the Google Android operating system. It launched with nearly 4,000 apps. At present, there are over 31,000 available at the Amazon Appstore.

The marriage with Google was a perfect one, as Amazon launched their Android-powered Kindle Fire tablet in September of 2011. If Apple has taught its competitors any lesson is that these days a company’s interest is best served by having a singular vision and then spreading that vision across multiple platforms. Oh yes, and by making customers happy, too.

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All New Android Devices Will Now Feature Holo Interface

Google has announced that from this point forward, it will require all devices that run Android 4.0 – Ice Cream Sandwich — and have access to its Android market to use its Holo theme. The interface, which debuted in 3.0, has been updated and refined. Holo is a slick and intuitive interface that has received widespread praise from users and critics alike.

Android Now In Line With Industry Norms

The move by Google will bring Android-based devices in line with industry norms.  Apple, with its iOS platform, and also Web OS and Windows Phone devices have long maintained a user interface that is consistent across different devices. Up until now, Google has largely given individual manufacturers complete freedom. That freedom has allowed them to choose their own customized end- user experience. This has resulted in fragmentation with many top-tier manufacturers producing their own interface to run above the actual OS.

Google says the move is designed to provide a consistent experience across devices for consumers. It noted that it will not prevent individual manufacturers from including its own customized themes.  The release also sought to reassure developers. It stated that Google will provide tools that will make it easy for them to design software that runs seamlessly with its own Holo theme, as well as customized themes from manufacturers.

Users of older devices are not to be left out either. Developers will be given details on how to make new apps designed for Android 4.0 compatible with Gingerbread and earlier operating systems.

RealPlayer Helps You Manage Your Media With Ease

These days, entertainment is found online.  So the question is – how do you manage it, share it, or move it from one device to another?

The answer is the newest version of RealPlayer – an improved, impressive tool for downloading, playing and managing all your media files.  If you’re looking for one media player that can handle all file formats and all your devices, RealPlayer is it.  With RealPlayer you can download video with the click of a button, transfer it to your smart phone with equal ease, share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter, and do it all for free.

That’s right – the basic RealPlayer is still a free download.  But, that said, there are lots of other reasons why you’ll want to use it.  This enhanced version of the popular software is a smart, feature-filled player that truly addresses the wants and needs of consumers who use a number of mobile devices as well as a PC.  It’s compatible with everything from iOS and Android to Blackberry – and allows you to transfer media from your device to your computer as easily as doing it the other way around.

In fact, words like “ease” and “simplicity” come to mind often, when describing this latest version of RealPlayer.  The UI is slick and intuitive, and many tasks are accomplished with a simple button click or two.  For example, if you’re watching a video online, and decide that you’d like to add it to your collection, simply hover your curser over the video until the RealPlayer control appears.  Simply click on the button that says “Download This Video,” and it’s done!  It is that easy to create a library of your favourite Internet videos that are available for you to view even when you’re not online.

Managing your library of media files is another RealPlayer advantage.  The “Simple Video Editing” feature makes it easy to trim your video – because sometimes all you want is the one funny scene from that thirty-minute show.  Converting files to different formats is accomplished in a few easy clicks, making it no problem to put your favourite videos on your phone, your iPod, or your Xbox.  You can even convert video to MP3 in just a few steps.  Really, if you had to choose one feature that places RealPlayer above other media players, it would be this impressively enhanced mobile capability.

Or…maybe…it would be the universal playback feature.  You won’t have to spend any time worrying about what player works with what format.  RealPlayer plays them all, making it the only media player you need.  Given that – there’s only one question left:  Which version of the new RealPlayer should you go with?

Which Version of RealPlayer Should You Choose?

RealPlayer’s basic version is a free download – but you also have the option of RealPlayer Plus 15, with a number of premium features, including three-times-speedier download, the ability to transfer video to your smart phone 100% faster, the option to burn high definition video to DVD, and professional-quality CD burning.  All of this and more is yours for a moderate price – RealPlayer Plus 15 is now only $39.99 (that’s $10 off the regular download price).

The world’s most popular media player really is better than ever before – and well-worth checking out.  They’ve logged two billion free downloads in the past ten years – why not make it two billion and one?  Get the latest version of RealPlayer today, at www.real.com.

Work From Your iPhone, iPad, or Android Tablet, With “GoToMyPC”

Citrix Online recently announced an addition to its growing line of telecommuting tools with the availability of its popular “GoToMyPC” remote access software for Android tablets.  That gives you one more option in an increasingly long list of ways to stay connected to your computer, no matter where you may be.

Whether you have an iPhone, iPad, laptop, or now, Android tablet, GoToMyPC lets you access your base computer with all its files, programs, and network connections.  You can be anywhere in the world and, as long as you have a device with an Internet connection, it’s as though you were sitting at your own desk.  GoToMyPC lets you run work programs that you don’t have on your home PC.  It makes it simple to grab a file that you forgot at the office.  You have access to everything that you need – every place you might need it.  And it gives you that access in a way that’s much simpler than duplicating files, or copying everything on an easy-to-lose thumb drive.

GoToMyPC is the Easy Solution

To get started, simply download the program to your base computer from www.GoToMyPC.com.  The installation is automatic and the program configures itself, with no restart required.  Once the install is done, leave your base computer on and connected to the Internet.  Then, log in to the website from another computer or device. You don’t need to install the program again – all you have to do is click on the connect button and, like magic, the desktop of your base computer will appear in front of you.  From that point forward, all you have to do is leave your base computer on and connected to the internet, and you’ll be able to access it from wherever you are.

You’ll enjoy a host of convenient features with GoToMyPC, including remote printing, the ability to cut, copy, and paste between computers, and easy file transfer from one desktop to another.  Keyboard locking and screen blanking prevents others from using or viewing your computer while you are remotely connected.  But if you’d like to have someone temporarily view or share control of your computer from another location, simply click on the button that says “Invite Guest to PC.”  Think of the possibilities – you can show a power-point presentation to a client in London while you’re in Toronto and your base computer is in Los Angeles.

Office managers can take advantage of corporate settings to manage multiple users with varying degrees of access to specific features and other security settings.  Speaking of security, all data travelling between your base computer and your remote access device is protected with 128-bit AES encryption, and account access is protected by dual passwords and end-to-end user authentication.  You can work with confidence, knowing your information is safe.  And – despite the “PC” part of the name – it doesn’t matter whether you work on a Mac or Windows PC.  In fact, feel free to mix it up, using a PC to log into a Mac desktop or vice versa.

Citrix offers a variety of subscription packages for GoToMyPC, depending upon your needs.  Every package includes unlimited remote access, free software upgrades, and 24/7 global customer support.  Check out the options at www.GoToMyPC.com.  You’ll never be tied to your desktop computer again!

A fresh snowfall is lovely to look at, but it creates havoc with the morning commute.  At least — it used to.  Now there’s “Winter Wake Up,” a smart new alarm clock app from Boondoggle that knows you need a few extra minutes on mornings when the weather’s not the best.

It’s easy to use — you simply specify how much earlier you’d like to be awakened in the event of inclement weather.  You might need an extra ten minutes to scrape the windshield of your car if there’s frost.  Maybe an extra twenty minutes to shovel the walks, in the case of a snowfall.  Just set it — and forget it.  During the night, Winter Warm Up monitors local weather conditions and then “decides” whether they warrant giving you an early wake-up call.

There’s even a check-box option for extreme winter conditions, which says “Don’t bother to wake me if the weather’s too bad.  I’ll work on Saturday.”  But before you select that one, you may want to consult your boss.

Winter Wake Up is available now, for both iPhone and Android.  It’s the perfect app to have in these dark days of winter.  The only downside is that you can no longer use the weather as an excuse, when you show up late to work.