5 great Android apps that do amazing things the iPhone can’t (May 2014)

By Zach Epstein on May 28, 2014 at 11:10 AM

Email @zacharye

Welcome to the fourth installment in BGR’s popular series on great Android apps that do amazing things the iPhone cannot. Earlier posts in this series have highlighted some phenomenal Android apps including Profile Scheduler, Cover, Aviate and one of my favorite Android apps, AirDroid.

Thanks to Android’s flexibility and versatility, there are plenty more where those came from.

Looking for more awesome Android apps? Be sure to check out our earlier posts in this series.

This time around, we have some real gems for you, but there are thousands of other apps out there that might fit the bill. Feel free to leave a comment below or shoot me a note on Twitter if you know a good app that should be featured in this series.

In the meantime, here are five great Android apps you should check out right away.

Most users don’t realize this, but the lock screen is one of Android’s greatest and most powerful assets.

On the iPhone, the lock screen displays a phone, the time, the date and a list of notifications. All of that information is useful, of course, but what if there is other information that might be even more useful to some users?

That’s the beauty of Android.

Maybe I want to see recent tweets on my lock screen. Maybe you want shortcuts to certain apps. Maybe your friend Billy wants his Facebook news feed. Maybe Billy’s sister Molly wants her friends’ Flickr photos.

The lock screen is the first thing you see each time you turn your phone on, and it should display exactly what you want it to display.

There are a number of Android apps that give users more control over their lock screens, and one of my favorites is Start.

Start is a complete reimagining of the lock screen, rather than a widget or a skin. It transforms the start screen on your device from a simple lock screen to a hub with up to 24 app shortcuts and a wide range of data from services like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and plenty more.

Here’s a quick feature list:

• Enjoy excellent performance with no delays
• Easily launch up to 24 apps of your choice or just let our smart algorithm set it automatically for you
• On Screen quick access configuration with a long press
• Stream your social media feeds with a single swipe
• Launch the camera and any related app
• Call/text/email your friends and family without unlocking your phone
• Get your favorite content from hundreds of sources
• Select your favorite theme or use your own personal picture as a background
• Chose and configure our widgets e.g. date, time and battery meter
• Switch between ring/vibrate/mute and unlock your phone with cool sliders

Start is completely free in Google’s Play store. Of note, the image at the top of this post shows an upcoming new version of Start that is currently in closed beta.

Dragon Mobile Assistant

Siri is a great service for many users, but what if there’s an even better option out there?

There are a few other voice assistant services out there for iOS devices, but they’re all just normal apps. If you want to use one, you have to launch the app. It can do a few things in the background in order to enhance your experience, but not to the extent that Siri can.

On Android, it’s a different story.

Google Now is wonderful, but what if there’s something even more wonderful available? Well, on Android, you can install the voice assistant of your choice and it can take over your phone and offer functionality that is just as versatile as Google Now.

One voice assistant app worth checking out is Dragon Mobile Assistant.

Created by Nuance Communications, one of the many companies Apple partnered with to create Siri, Dragon Mobile Assistant is a similar personal assistant that can answer questions and do your bidding.

Best of all, it can replace Google Now on your phone so it’s always running and always available. Just swipe up from the bottom of your screen and instead of getting Google Now, you’ll open Dragon.

Here’s a quick video that shows off some key features:

Dragon Mobile Assistant is a free download from the Google Play store.

HD Widgets

Ahh, widgets. Android has them, iOS doesn’t.

Widgets have an upside and a downside, the former being limitless functionality enhancements and the latter being battery drain. Ask most Android users and they’ll tell you that the pros far outweigh the cons.

HD Widgets is a fantastic example of an app that adds wonderfully designed widgets to your smartphone or tablet that are fully customizable and very flexible. In fact, you can even download additional add-ons and themes for HD Widgets from the Play store.

As-is, however, HD Widgets makes more than 100 gorgeous widgets available on your device that display the time, date, current weather, forecast, utility controls and plenty more. There are also tons of different designs and sizes available.

HD Widgets costs $1.99 on Google Play, and there are plenty of free add-ons to enhance it.

Agent

Agent is an app that features functionality every smartphone should have right out of the box.

In a nutshell, Agent is a great app that makes your smartphone smarter. The software features five different “agents” that are designed to automate and improve various aspects of your smartphone experience.

From the app’s description:

★ Drive Agent is triggered by bluetooth and motion sensing (activity detection). It can be configured to read SMS messages aloud, respond with voice, auto respond to texters and callers to let them know you’re driving (editable message) & only respond to your own hand-picked list

★ Battery Agent triggers at a percentage you choose. It helps conserve battery by giving you the option to turn off bluetooth, dim your screen and reverts back to normal settings automatically when you charge your phone. Will also let you know how much battery it saved you.

★ Parking Agent remembers where you parked, based off your speed or bluetooth connection. Will remember your last five parking spots

★Meeting Agent syncs with your calendar to silence/ put your phone on vibrate when you don’t want to be disturbed. It can be configured to activate for busy events only, gives you the ability to specify your working week so that it only syncs with your calendar on days and times you prefer, works with shared calendars and auto responds to selected contacts during these “busy” events.

★ Sleep Agent will silence your phone automatically when you go to sleep. You can configure sleep times for different days of the week, minutes of inactivity before activating, auto response to selected callers and texters during your sleeping hours, list of contacts that can wake you & Bluetooth, autosync, wifi and mobile data deactivation.

The best part? Agent is completely free in the Android app store.

Smart IR Remote

There are 1,000 different remote apps for iOS that let users control 1,000 different devices. How about one app that let’s you control 700,000 different devices?

Smart IR Remote is a terrific app for any android device with a built-in infrared blaster. Examples include what are likely the two best Android phones in the world right now: The Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One (M8).

Once you’ve got the blaster, you’re good to go. Smart IR Remote can control any device in its data base, which includes more than 700,000 devices. It also supports air gestures, macros, widgets, combining remotes, “floating remotes” that can can remain available on every screen when the app is closed, and plenty more.

And with the HTC One (M8) and some other devices, there is also a learning function that allows you to program custom buttons (or completely custom remotes).

Smart IR Remote is $6.99 in the Google Play store, which is much cheaper than any universal remote on the market.

Check out our earlier posts in this series for more great Android apps you won’t know how you ever lived without!

Missing MH370 jet search area ruled out

(Photo: Rufus Cox, Getty Images)

Acoustic signals thought to be linked to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have been ruled out as related to the final resting place of the vanished plane, investigators leading the search said Thursday.

The U.S. Navy's Bluefin 21 finished its final underwater mission in the southern Indian Ocean on Wednesday after scouring 330 square miles, the Australian-based Joint Agency Coordination Center said.

"The area can now be discounted as the final resting place of MH370," the JACC said in a statement.

The agency said that an expanded search of 21,600 sq. miles, based on satellite analysis of the plane's most likely route, would probably begin in August after commercial side-scan sonar operators are contracted.

That search is expected to last 12 months.

Earlier, U.S. Navy spokesman Chris Johnson dismissed comments made by ocean engineering expert Michael Dean to CNN that acoustic "pings" heard in the area in April did not come from the jet's black boxes. Dean had said those "pings" came from a source unrelated to the jet.

"Mike Dean's comments today were speculative and premature," Johnson said in a statement. Washington-based Dean could not be immediately reached for comment.

The plane carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew vanished on March 8 on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Two-thirds of those traveling on the plane were from China.

Authorities believe the jet diverted sharply from its flight path and flew south to the Indian Ocean. But not a single piece of the missing Boeing 777 has been found in one of aviation's most baffling mysteries.

On Tuesday, the Malaysian government made public 47 pages of raw satellite data used to conclude that the jet crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.

Contributing: Associated Press

What countries does the U.S. borrow from? Ask USA TODAY

(Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images)

When you hear about the United States borrowing money, you probably assume that money is being borrowed from China. Would you be surprised to hear that the U.S. actually borrows the most from its own citizens?

If you buy a U.S. Treasury security or bond, you're essentially loaning the government money.

How exactly does this system work? Do we borrow from other countries as well? USA TODAY Money reporter John Waggoner answers these questions and more in the video below.

Have a question of your own? Send it to us using #askusatoday on Twitter, or via e-mail using askusatoday@usatoday.com.

Money reporter John Waggoner explains how the United States borrows from its own citizens in the form of securities and bonds. Have a question of your own? Send it to us using #askusatoday on Twitter.

U.S. Census Bureau Will Finally Count Married Gay Couples As Families

The U.S. Census Bureau will be counting same-sex married couples as families for the first time. It's pretty incredible to think that it's taken this long, right??

The Washington Post reports:

The Census Bureau, which struggles to keep up with the rapid changes in American life, is about to start categorizing same-sex married couples as families.

The 2013 American Community Survey results, which will be reported in September, will mark the first time the census integrates an estimated 180,000 same-sex married couples with statistics concerning the nation’s 56 million families. Until now, they had been categorized as unmarried partners, even when couples reported themselves as spouses.

Because of the large disparity between the number of gay and straight married households, combining the two is not expected to have a significant effect on the statistics that scholars and planners use to analyze how families are changing. Its significance is largely symbolic of the growing acceptance of gays in American society.

Symbolic or not, it's important that gay families be counted and acknowledged by the U.S. government. Visibility is key so this is definitely a positive step forward.

BRAZILIAN GODDESS

BRAZILIAN GODDESS

Gisele Bündchen goes for some ‪#‎Balmain‬ custom-made essentials for Lui Magazine June 2014.

Chrome For Windows Will Now Only Install Extensions From Google’s Web Store

This has been a long time coming, but starting today, Chrome users on Windows will only be able to install extensions from Google’s own Chrome Web Store. Google argues that this is meant to keep malicious extensions — which are often installed from third-party sites — in check.

Users who have already installed extensions from third-party sites may find that they have been disabled and cannot be re-enabled or re-installed. The only way to get them back up and running is by installing them through the Chrome Web Store (assuming the developer has made them available there).

Google first announced its plans for this move last November. At the time, it told developers who were hosting their extensions themselves to migrate to the Web Store as soon as possible. At that time, the company said that it would start enforcing this policy at the beginning of this month. But some developers weren’t quite ready yet, so the companydecided to delay these changes until today.

As a result, chances are that the impact of today’s announcement will be relatively limited and that you won’t notice anything unusual. If some of your extensions stop working, though, you know why.

Developers will continue to be able to install extensions locally and businesses can also enable local installs through their Enterprise policies. In addition, users on the developer channel will also be unaffected by today’s changes.