Today’s Apps

• Wondershare Player [Excellent video player that supports most all formats plus the ability to view and download online videos]
• PowerGIF [Create animated GIFs using your device’s camera or existing photos]
• Panorama [Create landscape and portrait panorama photos]

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About Android Apps of the Day

Android has over 450,000 apps. With so many apps out there, app discovery (aka finding new and useful apps) is extremely difficult. With our Android Apps of the Day initiative, dotTech aims to change that. Everyday we post three apps, allowing our readers to discover new apps, daily. Enjoy! [Subscribe to our Android section to never miss an article: RSS Feed | E-mail]

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Apps for May 24, 2012

Wondershare Player

In the past dotTech has recommended MoboPlayer as the best free video player app for Android. Wondershare recently released its Wondershare Player which may well be the best free video player app available on Play Store at this moment in time. Not only does Wondershare Player play all major video and DVD format files (“FLV, AVI, MKV, WMV, MOV, RM, RMVB, ASF, M2TS, MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, M2TS, VOB, F4V, 3GP, etc.” according to Wondershare, although obviously I couldn’t test all of these formats) but it also allows users to:

• View online videos, TV shows, and movies from websites such as Youtube, Hulu, and Vevo. (Note: Some websites, such as Hulu, may not work if you don’t fulfill their requirements, e.g. Hulu requires mobile users to purchase Hulu Plus to use Hulu on a mobile device.)
• Download online videos (by adding them to the “Watch Later” queue) from CNN, NY Times, Ted Talk, NASA TV, and Funny or Die. Downloading from Youtube is not supported because of restrictions in Youtube’s terms of use.

Other features of Wondershare Player include support of embedded subtitles in video files, ability to view HTTP, MMS, RTMP and RTSP/RTP streaming media protocols, and the ability to stream to Wondershare Player from a local server or PC.

Price: Free

Version discovered: v1.0.1.4

Requires: Android 1.6 and up

Download size: 11 MB

Wondershare Player on Play Store

PowerGIF

PowerGIF is an app that allows users to create animated GIFs (you know the .GIF images that show as animated on your computer) using either your device’s camera or existing photos. If you opt to use your device’s camera, you can either do it is in video mode (in which case you take a video of up to 20 seconds which then gets converted to an animated GIF by PowerGIF) or in camera mode (in which case you manually snap up to 99 photos which are used to create an animated GIF by PowerGIF). If you want to use existing photos, you select the photos in the order that you want the photos to be animated (you can select up to 99). Regardless of which method you select, after an animated GIF is created you are shown a preview at which point you have the ability to edit the animated GIF (which involves removing individual pictures/frames from the GIF), save the GIF, share the GIF (via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, messaging, etc.), give the GIF a colored border, modify the speed of the GIF, or make the GIF play backwards.

Price: Free

Version discovered: v2.1.0.120523

Requires: Android 1.6 and up

Download size: 1.7 MB

PowerGIF on Play Store

Panorama

Panorama is an easy-to-use app that allows users to create panoramic photos (in landscape or portrait mode). With Panorama all you do is point your camera at the start of the panorama (the left side), tap the button that tells Panorama to start, then slowly move your device to the right. As you move your device to the right Panorama automatically snaps the required photos until it reaches the end of the panorama, after which the panorama is generated. (In total nine photos are snapped by Panorama for each panorama.) Once a panorama is created it is automatically saved on your device with you having the option to trash it or share it via Facebook, Twitter, email, messaging, etc.

Price: Free

Version discovered: v1.3.0.120413

Requires: Android 1.6 and up

Download size: 3.2 MB

Panorama on Play Store

dotTechies: We have tested all the apps listed above. However, Android Apps of the Day articles are not intended as “reviews” but rather as “heads-up” to help you discover new apps. Always use your best judgement when downloading apps, such as trying trial/free versions before purchasing paid apps, if applicable.