Instantly Beam Messages Between Chrome PC Browser and Your Android Device with Message Beam

Beaming messages, URLs, and other texts from a PC web browser such as Google Chrome, to your Android phone or tablet is nothing new. This function normally comes bundled with a host of other features in the form of a WiFi PC/Android client, or less commonly, as a standalone app such as ‘Google Crome to Phone‘. If however, you aren’t looking for a fully fledged client, or just not happy with whichever standalone app is out there on the market, you might want to check out Message Beam.

Developed by XDA Forum Member d-fader, Message Beam allows you to send instant texts to and from your Android device and Chrome browser on the PC (as opposed to ‘Google Chrome to Phone’ which only goes from the browser to Android). This means not only links and other URLs, but interesting passages on a web page, messages and even ACII art.

As expected, Message Beam requires you to install the app on your device, and the chrome extension on the PC. Additionally, You can link multiple devices to the one browser, and encrypt the messages with a password you set up when you link the device. d-fader is also planning to add support for transfer of files such as images and documents, as well as more browsers and endpoints in the future.

If you would like to check Message Beam out, visit the application thread for more information and download.

SQLCipher for Android, and You!

Full-disk encryption is fine as far as it goes, but it does not go quite as far as you might think in terms of defending your data. If you are considering encryption at the application level, in addition to the device level, SQLCipher for Android makes it easy for you to add AES-256 encryption to your local databases.

With a whirr of gears, and a whiff of code, the little robot trundled on...

Android-powered desktop robot that's open source? Sign me up!

Podcast June 19: Building Cloud-based Enterprise Mobile Applications

Join us on June 19th at 9am Pacific / 12pm Eastern for a lively conversation on mobile and cloud moderated by Peter van der Linden, Android Technology Evangelist at Motorola Mobility and with guest speakers

Enterprise Mobile Security - What is your #1 security issue?

When implementing an enterprise mobile strategy the #1 security issue is?

• Doing a risk assessment


• Securing data communication


• Protecting data thru encryption


• Android security


• HTML5 security

Get the Sony UI in Non-Sony Apps on the Sony Xperia T, TX and V

Now that Google’s Holo theme has been around for quite a while now, it’s probably safe to say that a very large portion of apps, if not the majority, have adopted the Holo look. But as OEMs are, they like to keep things their way, and this is no different when it comes to Sony. But unlike some OEMs and their preferred interfaces, the aesthetic route Sony has taken doesn’t stray too much from Holo. This may have resulted many folks taking a liking for Sony’s UI, leading to XDA Senior Member BDFreak creating an interesting framework for the Sony Xperia T, TX and V.

As Xperia owners would know, the Sony UI can only be seen on apps made by Sony, such as the messaging app, Walkman, and the calendar. What this framework does however, is force the Sony UI to replace the UI of any non-Sony app, making the Sony look consistent throughout your phone. No matter which app you have installed, and what sort of theme they have, be it Holo or something made in MS Paint, the framework replaces every UI element with those of Sony.

If you’re unsure or wary of how this might turn out, BDFreak has provided some side-by-side comparisons of apps’ interfaces before and after installation of the framework to help you decide before diving in. Installation is very simple, merely consisting of downloading the appropriate zip file and flashing it through a custom recovery. There are also convenient zip files which revert everything back to they way they were before if you don’t like what you see.

If you would like to check this framework out, head over to the original thread for more details.

Sysfile Copymaster: A File Manager for Modders and Themers

One of the more mundane aspects of modding and theming an Android device is probably the testing phase. Consisting of either constantly creating and flashing test ZIPs through a custom recovery, or going back and forth copying and pasting files, a good file manager can definitely be of great help. In addition to this, manually setting the correct permissions for each file is just another chore modders and themers have to deal with.

But even if you are content with your current file manager app, it may still be an idea to give Sysfile Copymaster a go. Developed by XDA Senior Member Flextrick, Sysfile Copymaster is not your ordinary file manager. Rather, it’s a dedicated app especially for modders and themers and the boring things they must do.

How so? Well first of all, it’s user interface consists of two sliding panels, one called the ‘System section’ that displays all the files of a /system directory, while the other called the ‘Storage section’ displays the files of a predetermined directory in your storage. If you want to copy certain apps and files from the root directories to storage, simply select them and press the ‘Copy to storage’ button, and the files will be copied to the predetermined storage directory. Similarly, if you want to copy files from your storage directory, just select them in the ‘Storage section’ and press the copy button, and the apps will be copied to the specified root directory with all the correct permissions set. By doing this, Sysfile Copymaster cuts out the navigation, the copying and pasting, and the permissions aspects by doing them all automatically.

Flextrick has designed a very simple and straightforward file manager that many modders and themers will definitely find useful albeit not your conventional file manager. It’s compatible with devices running Android 4.0 and newer, and can be downloaded for free from the original post. So if you are interested, check out the application thread for more information.