8 Free eBook For Mobile App Developers

f you are into mobile app development, you know that this is the most difficult profession as it requires you to take several things into account before you even start working on any app development. Moreover, it is a forever learning process so you need to keep yourself up to date with the latest trend and developments in the industry. Learning process will help in increasing efficiency and productivity in the long run. The process is the same whether you develop applications for desktop or mobile.
Here, we are sharing 8 free eBooks that will greatly help you with your mobile app development work and teach you lots of good things as well. These eBooks would be your prefect resource to strengthen your grip on the subject. Enjoy!

Mobile Book of Trends 2014



Developing Modern Mobile Web Apps



The App Design Handbook



Mobile Game Design book



Native vs. Web vs. Hybrid App Development



Free Android Programming – Ebook



Free ebook: Programming Windows Store Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript



Learn BlackBerry 10 App Development A Cascades-Driven Approach

10 Free Code Editors For Android

Are you suffering from the problems of editing the source code on your android devices such as Tablets and Smartphones? Here is the solution to your problems “the Code Editors”. It is perfectly designed to solve your editing source code issues. Since your programming is at your finger tips now, it is the easiest way to write and test your source codes without any trouble.
At Android market, there are number of Code Editors but selecting the desired and the best tool is the most difficult task. Saving you from that confusion, we are presenting the best tools for Android devices.

Quoda Code Editor

Quoda is a sophisticated yet easy to use source code editor or IDE, much like Notepad++, Textmate or Sublime Text, with integrated support for SFTP/FTP(S) servers and cloud storage (Dropbox and Google Drive).



AWD – PHP/HTML/CSS/JS IDE

Android Web Developer will turn your Android tablet with keyboard into a real development box. Android Web Developer will turn your Android Phone into a small development computer to browse and touch your code on the go.



CppDroid – C/C++ IDE

CppDroid is simple C/C++ IDE focused on learning programming languages and libraries.



AIDE – Android IDE – Java, C++

AIDE is an integrated development environment (IDE) for developing real Android apps directly on your Android device. Follow interactive coding lessons and step-by-step become an expert app developer. Visually design apps, write code with the feature rich editor with code completion, real-time error checking, refactoring and smart code navigation, and run your app with a single click.



DroidEdit

DroidEdit is a text and source code editor (similar to Notepad++ or gedit) for android tablets and phones.


QPython – Python for Android

QPython is a script engine that runs on android devices. It lets your android device run Python scripts and projects. It contains the Python interpreter, console, editor, and the SL4A Library for Android. It’s Python on Android!



WebMaster’s HTML Editor Lite

WebMaster’s HTML Editor Lite – HTML, PHP, JS, and CSS editor for web developers. Have a handy source code editor in your pocket!


Notepad++

Notepad++ for Android is a simple notepad app where you can take notes down quickly by adding text. It gives you a quick and simple notepad editing experience when you write notes, memo, email, message, shopping list and to do list.



920 Text Editor

920 Text Editor is a run on the Android phone a powerful text editor, anywhere, you can easily view or edit your code, you can also use it as e-book reader to open txt novel, it is like on Windows EmEditor, EditPlus so powerful.


DeuterIDE – Compiler and IDE

A mobile based programming text editor, online compiler, and integrated development environment built for Android. Complete with virtual keys for commonly used programming symbols, syntax highlighting, and support for over 40 programming languages, writing code on the go has never been easier.

7 Offbeat Android Apps For Social Media Lovers

This time we are showcasing some useful and exciting apps for social media lovers. These are basically Android apps that are extremely popular among social media fans. Social media is a kind of a bridge that is slowly bringing the virtual and real worlds together. Here we have listed top 7 Android apps for social media users who want to stay connected with their friends.
With these apps, users can connect with each other as well as can share information, skills and experiences. This is the advantage of the technology that you can share information by sitting in the comforts of your homes and also from your offices. Let us have a look at this compilation. Share your views on this post via comment section below. Enjoy!

Hootsuite (Social Media Mgmt)



Get Social Media Followers



All Social Network



tsu – Social & Payment Network



GeoSocials



SynkMonkey – Social Calendar



CrowdCloud

Use the Reader Mode in Chrome for Android for a Better Reading Experience

Google Chrome for Android features a new Reader Mode that lets you read web pages on your mobile without the clutter. Previously you had to install bookmarklets to enable readability but not anymore as readability is now integrated in the recent releases of Chrome much like the Safari browser on iOS.

 

Read web pages without the clutter

While you are reading an article inside Chrome (it will only show up in text-heavy articles), you can click the “Reader” button near the address bar (see screenshot above) and the current page is instantly optimized for reading. The page header, the ads, the sidebar, the navigation and all the non-essential elements are instantly hidden while the typeface and layout is changed for improved readability.

Turn-on the Reader Mode in Chrome

If you are not seeing the Reader Mode button in your Chrome yet, that’s because it’s enabled by default. Tap the address bar in Chrome, type chrome://flags and you’ll get a list of flags that are available in your Chrome.
Scroll down until you see a setting that says “Enable Reader Tool Mode” and click Enable. Relaunch the Chrome app and you should now see the Reader button in your Chrome when you are on a text-heavy web page. It may not show up on every article page though.
The Reader mode in Chrome will also come handy for printing web pages or when you saving a page as a PDF on your Android.

chrome://flags works in Chrome for Android too

Home — How-to Guides — Android — Google Chrome

15 Free Android VPN Apps To Surf Anonymously

Everyone is getting more concerned about the issue of Internet security especially when making transactions via mobile. VPN (Virtual Private Network) is technology that enables you to add an extra level of security while you surf the Internet without compromising the privacy of personal data, even whilst using public WiFi networks.
There are many ways to access the region-based blocked content as well but VPN software/apps provide a handy way to do so. For the ease of Android users, I have pooled together 10 of the top free Android VPN Apps along with some bonus apps that may prove to be useful.

Recommended Reading: Send Anonymous Emails: 20 Sites To Keep Your Identity Hidden

1. Hotspot Shield VPN Proxy

With approximately 330 million downloads around the globe, Hotspot Shield is at the top of the list. Apart from traditional features found in any VPN app, it provides banking-level HTTPS encryption to secure the WiFi connection so that the outgoing data can be protected from eavesdroppers. 

 

2. SecureLine VPN

SecureLine VPN is a nice app developed by Avast. They are famous for developing one of the best antiviruses worldwide. The private VPN Tunnel of SecureLine VPN encrypts the data using IPsec protocol which makes it really tough for hackers to snip the data through public WiFi hotspots. The app will perform all this work for you with just a click.

 

3. Spotflux VPN

Spotflux is a VPN app which take cares of the seclusion of data by providing 2 levels of protection and reduces the consumption of bandwidth by compressing data. This makes it a suitable choice for those who are interested in securing their data as well as maximizing the data plan available on their device.

 

4. Hola Free VPN

Hola Free VPN app is mainly for those who are looking for a completely free VPN android App with some striking features. Along with securing data and providing access to geographically blocked content, Hola Free VPN speeds up browsing by selecting and connecting to the nearest and fastest servers automatically from the list of servers located in 190+ countries. 

 

5. Speed VPN

Speed VPN is an app which allows one to connect to the Internet through servers located at multiple geographical locations. It is designed particularly for web browsing by unblocking geographically restricted sites and for viewing low resolution videos. Each session of Speed VPN lasts for 60 minutes and it can be reconnected with a click. 

6. Super VPN

Super VPN is an easy to use Android app with approximately 5 million installs around the globe. It encrypts the traffic to keep the transmitted and received data safe from 3rd party tracking without having to register or configure the settings of the device in a special way. Just a single click will enable you to use the Internet and browse websites anonymously.

 

7. Hideman VPN

The main feature of Hideman VPN is to secure the transmitted data as much as possible and for this purpose the algorithm uses a 256-bit encryption key. This scrambles the original data in such a way that if anyone is monitoring the data they wouldn’t be able to understand it without the key. The app offers 5 free hours per week although premium hours can be earned via in-app ad networks.

 

8. Touch VPN

Touch VPN encrypts data by using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) which maintains a secure and encrypted link between server and client. The app also helps conserve the battery of the device in comparison to other VPN Apps. This makes it great for those who are looking for an app which offers these 2 features.

 

9. Flash VPN Proxy

The Flash VPN Proxy app provides secure and encrypted VPN network to make sure that all your incoming and outgoing data remains intact from hackers and data stealers. The best thing about it is that you can use it smoothly because it offers a decent amount of bandwidth for communication, which is only often offered by premium apps. On top of that, there is no limit to how long you can connect for.

 

10. CyberGhost

CyberGhost is a nice app which provides banking-level security. Usually people have concerns that the apps might access their personal information that’s available on the device, CyberGhost respects the privacy of its users and does not access any personal information. The free version of the app provides access to 23 servers located in 15 countries while the premium version gives access to 300 servers in 23 countries. [

4 problems Google needs to fix in the Google Play Store

 It seems like Google never stops fixing up the Play Store—and that’s a good thing! It means the company is always working to perfect the marketplace where we procure apps, games, books, movies, and more. But it still feels like there are a few key features Google continues to oversee. Here’s a wish list of the fixes we want Google to implement immediately.

Better indication of which devices an app is for

There are two Netflix apps in the Google Play Store and it took me forever to realize that one was meant for Android TV. 

I went looking for the Netflix app the other day and discovered that there were two instances of it: one that’s meant for an Android phone or tablet, and one that’s made for Android TV. It took a bit of Googling and a Twitter conversation before I had figured any of that out, but Google could have saved me the headache if it just had a system in place that prominently stated which platform either application was meant for. This isn't just an issue with Android TV; some apps are made just for tablets, or are meant for your Android Wear watch.

Apple’s iTunes Store does a great job of this; it even offers a toggle that lets you choose whether you want to search for apps that are compatible with an iPad, an iPhone, or both. It’d be helpful if Google offered the same utility, considering that it’s only going to get more confusing now that Android is on your TV, in your car, and on your wrist.

Notifications when apps in your wishlist goes on sale

I would appreciate if Google would alert me when Secrets of Mana eventually goes on sale.

The Google Play Store’s wish list feature is fun to come back to on a rainy day—or when a relative slips me a Google Play Store gift card—but I’d appreciate if I got a notification when a pricey app goes on sale. It’s hard enough finding out what’s on sale in the store without digging through pages of apps. I’d rather hear it directly from Google instead of a shady looking, ad-ridden app that scans around for app sales. 

Batch app installations

There are so many applications here, but there’s no way I want to sit and install them all on my device, one-by-one.

When I set up a new review device, I often have to go through and install apps, one-by-one. I know—I should have a backup system in place, right? But that still requires the hassle of downloading an app and getting that all that set up, and the best backup utilities require that your phone be rooted. Unlike Windows Phone or iOS, Android doesn’t have a complementary desktop application, so everything you do with your phone or tablet has to be done either on the device itself or from the web.
Google could make this all hassle-free if it just allowed users to batch install applications as they needed from the Play Store. It’d be even better if you could individually choose the apps you want installed by default and adjust it from time to time so that the minute you sync a device with your Google account, it downloads those specific apps. Or better yet, allow you to save lists of apps, and download those that you want to the devices you want.

Let us forget about apps we no longer use

I can pick out at least two apps that haven’t been updated in 2011, and one that hasn’t been touched in over two years.

I’ve been an Android user for five years now. In that time, I’ve downloaded hundreds of applications, many of which either have been abandoned by their developers or have been ditched for other applications. But when I click on My apps, I still see the dozens of titles I haven’t touched in years.

Google should let you curate your app history so that you don’t have to wade through pages of apps you haven’t touched (or haven't been updated) in years. Currently, you can disassociate an individual app from your account in the Google Play app on your mobile device, but there’s no easy way to do so from the browser, or to manage lots of apps at once.

Got any other things you wish Google would tune up in the Google Play Store? Leave a comment, and if we get enough we’ll round them up and share in a separate post.

Apple’s post-Beats music service will still come to Android

Ever since Apple acquired Beats for a paltry $3 billion, Beats fans without Apple devices have been wondering whether they'll be left out in the cold on future products and services. It looks like, for the time being, Android fans need not worry.

A report at 9to5Mac suggests that Apple is building a brand-new streaming service based off its Beats acquisition, with apps for both Android and of course iOS. This is a first: Apple is building an in-house Android app.

There are no plans for a Windows Phone app given Microsoft’s paltry market share (though the current Beats service is available on that platform). However, there also won’t be a web app according to the report, so Chromebook users may be out of luck. Apple plans to build the streaming service into iTunes, so you’d still be able to use it from a computer running OS X or Windows.
A key strategy for Apple may be to undercut the competition's pricing. Rumor has it the monthly price of Apple's post-Beats service may be $7.99 per month, $2 cheaper than Spotify, Rdio, and Google Play Music. That could be enough of a discount to make your eyes wander and see what Apple has cooked up.

However, there were no details about what kind of integration would be there if you wanted to bring over a playlist from an existing service. If you’ve spent time building up your collection and playlists with Play Music or another service, it’s not appealing to go through a giant hassle to save a few dollars. Also, Google Play Music has some additional integration with Android, such as through voice commands, that other services don’t get.

The 9to5Mac article claims that the Beats-based service will rely heavily on your iTunes collection for finding new music. You’ll be able to search for any song in Apple’s catalogue and stream it or add to your own iTunes library.

Supposedly, Apple plans to keep its existing iTunes Match, iTunes Radio, and music store offerings as is and just live with the duplication of services.

Why this matters: This will be the first application that Apple builds for Android. CEO Tim Cook has indicated in the past that Apple had “no religious issue” with building an app for Android if it made sense. It certainly does here, as Apple needs its app on Android both for a wider user base and probably to satisfy any existing record company deals negotiated by Beats before it was purchased.