Seek Out Stronger Wi-Fi Hotspots On Android

While you've no doubt got an "unlimited" data contract, sometimes it's faster/cheaper/easier to connect to Wi-Fi. Particularly if you're trying to download a new mega-app. Wi-Fi Analyzer is a free app which displays the strength of all Wi-Fi hotspots nearby.
It's been out for a while now, however Recombu's review of it brought the app to my attention. Shown on a bar graph with varying colors, each Wi-Fi connection in the area is displayed along with the "channel rating," which will give you some idea of how many people are connected to that signal. In the picture shown, the green signal is the lowest of all—which means it's also the busiest. The red arc is the highest on the graph, which is the one you should be connecting to.

If there's one drawback with this app, it's that you can't connect to your chosen hotspot within the app itself. You'll have to nip into the Android's own Wi-Fi section, or download the Wi-Fi Connector Library app from the same developers, which will do the job for you. [Recombu]

Vonage VoIP Apps Now Available for T-Mobile and AT&T Android Phones

T-Mobile and AT&T customers with Android phones can now finally download a Vonage VoIP app to their devices to make cheap international calls over Wi-Fi or 3G. They'll also get free domestic calls, but only over Wi-Fi.

Vonage Delivers Worldwide Calling Savings to T-Mobile and AT&T Android Users

HOLMDEL, N.J., April 9, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ — Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE: VG), a leading provider of high-quality voice and messaging services over broadband networks, today announced the expansion of its Vonage Mobile offerings to AT&T and T-Mobile devices that use the Android mobile operating system.

Vonage Mobile will be available to download for AT&T and T-Mobile Android devices at www.vonage.com later today and is already available for iPhone(R), BlackBerry(R) and iPod touch(R) devices. Vonage Mobile customers enjoy high-quality, outbound international calling over Wi-Fi and cellular networks as well as free domestic calls over Wi-Fi.

"We are focused on ensuring that our customers can enjoy all the benefits of their Vonage service from any location using any device that can access the Internet," said Michael Tempora, senior vice president of product management. "We will continue to expand our offerings in 2010 to include a robust set of voice and messaging services that utilize Wi-Fi and 3G wireless networks."

The Vonage Mobile application gives customers the flexibility to choose between Vonage World Mobile, which includes unlimited international calling to more than 60 countries, or Vonage Mobile Pay-Per-Use. Vonage Mobile Pay-Per-Use provides savings of more than 50% - compared to rates charged by wireless carriers - for calls to dozens of countries.

With Vonage Mobile, there are no access numbers or new phone numbers to give to friends and family. Customers simply enter an international number or select a contact from the existing contacts on a mobile device and hit send.

To follow Vonage on Twitter, please visit www.twitter.com/vonage_voice. To become a fan on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/vonage.

*iPhone allows calls on both cellular and Wi-Fi networks. BlackBerry allows calls over cellular networks. iPod touch allows calls over Wi-Fi networks. Service subject to minimum monthly usage fee, taxes and certain other fees. Forfeiture rules apply. See Terms of Service for details. There are important 911 limitations when using Vonage for Mobile service. See vonagemobile.com/tos for details.

[Vonage]

Take the Consumer Broadband Test, Help the FCC Keep ISPs In Check

Feel like your broadband's not living up to how it's advertised? Here's your chance to prove it: the FCC's introduced a Consumer Broadband Test that'll let you know exactly how good a connection you've got.

The test is in beta, but can be used for both fixed and mobile broadband, and there are already iPhone and Android apps available for download. You can already figure out your broadband speed with YouTube, but the info the FCC collects will be used by the agency to determine the state of broadband in the US. Hopefully it'll also be ammo to help reconcile the difference between hyperspeed ISP claims and your pokey broadband reality. [Broadband Task Force via Boing Boing]