Android Apps and News

It seems like Google is constantly working on its suite of Android apps. They seem to be striving to make their own suite of apps the best available. They recently brought a number of nice changes to Gmail, including individual notifications for labels.

They also updated the Android Market to version 3.0, bringing a much needed redesign. Since that update, they have released a number of small changes to the Market, app, but today’s is probably the biggest yet.

Google has released version 3.1.3 of the Android Market, and with it comes a handful of notable changes. The biggest of those changes is the addition of the +1 button to market apps. While that has been a part of the web-based Market for a while, this is the first sign of them in the mobile version. This shows the Google is pretty dedicated to the +1, and subsequently Google+.

The other big change to the Android Market app is the addition of a new security feature. You can now add a PIN to your market account, which will allow you to protect your phone from erroneous purchases. This sounds great for anyone who may have their phone stolen. It would also be great for the Android user with curious kids who love to buy “pretty games” form the Market without your permission.

Other changes include a redesign for the setting menu, a new Market icon, and click-to-read permissions explanations. Unfortunately, developers can’t customize those explanations. You can grab the .apk here (phones only, sorry), and will need to be able to install apps from “Unknown Locations.” Go get it!