How To: Build an Iron Man Mini Halloween Costume

There comes a time when a man must build his son a suit.  Our time had arrived the day my son got to see the Marvel Iron Man movies. At first we only planned to let him run around with a toy helmet and arc reactor on his shirt, and we got a break finding both the Iron Man 2 Mission Helmet and Arc Reactor on Amazon. But then the boy discovered the joys of recycling and crafting on Art Attack, and he made an inevitable conclusion: wouldn't it be cool to recycle all this cardboard and styrofoam and turn it into a suit?

That was the moment I had unwittingly signed up to do one of the more complex cosplayer projects ever devised: a wearable foam replica Iron Man suit.

The Build

Two weeks from Halloween, I found templates for Iron Man Mk 7 armor developed by some awesome folks at therpf.com, created by Darkside501st in Tamasoft Pepakura Designer and mostly converted to foam templates by other similarly committed community members. Each part from head to toe is broken into printable cutout pieces that you can put together. I had to eyeball the print size to get the right fit for my son on a laptop screen, being careful to keep in mind that 100% size on screen is not 100% size on actual paper. There was some trial and error; I had to nearly finish a shin piece before I found out it didn't fit, because the foam I used was really thick inside.

The idea is to tape the printed patterns to your sheet of foam to help you cut out each piece.  Next, use a hot glue gun to connect the pieces together as they match up in Pepakura Viewer. Some pieces need to be bent or curved into place to join with the edges they are meant to stick to. As the gloves might be too restrictive for kids' hands if they were made solid, I used craft foam so that they could flex Since the craft foam is thin, it's good to reinforce the joins with extra strips of foam. It took about 3 hours to put together a pair of these gloves.The glove alone has three pages and around 40 pieces. And you have to make a pair of course, and a pair of shoulders, biceps, elbows, forearms.  And then there are front and back chest pieces, then shins, boots, the list went on. It was immediately apparent this was not a two-week project, so I had to prioritize.

The glove was one of the easy parts.  The back piece, for example, was really complex, ten pages of pieces that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle that you had to bend in three dimensions to fit.  This was easy with the gloves since the craft foam I used was just a couple of millimeters thick.  For the rest of the suit, I needed to use thicker EVA foam for it to survive an outing with an especially active 5-year-old.  Through some googling, I found a post on japinoy.com that mentioned a supplier, E. Estanislao, in Marikina City that sold thick EVA foam in large sheets (2 x 4 feet), used as raw material for yoga mats and flip-flops. What I used was 8-10 mm thick. Since it's foam it is still easy to cut through with a box cutter but much harder to bend into shape. It was also harder to fit together, since the parts are thicker, joining them means it is more important to shape the edges in a way that they will have surfaces that fit.  Just cutting out the pieces straight meant more work trimming or filling the gaps that come out once the pieces meet.  In hindsight, 4-6 mm foam would have been easier to work with and sturdy enough given how the pieces interlocked.

Sometimes you have to improvise.  Since I wanted to drop the Arc Reactor toy into the chest piece, I had to create a foam ring in the back to keep the chest piece fastened with friction.  I also added Velcro strips in places so that the chest, shin and forearm pieces could be donned and doffed easily.  After some test fittings I also found that the hot glue didn't always keep the pieces together, so I lined the inside of some parts with ever-reliable duct tape.

Before painting, you have to coat the foam pieces with some sort of sealant. One recommendation was easily doable though laborious: 6 coats of craft or wood glue diluted 50%. It worked well enough.  I used two coats of automotive paint in metallic red for all of the parts, and an extra clear metallic topcoat.  To be more accurate, there are parts that are in gold and silver, for a two-week job that had to meet a deadline, an all-red paintjob was enough.

It took maybe 72 person hours over two weeks to finish building all the parts of my son's suit. And it wasn't a full suit! We were able to do the chest and back pieces, shoulders, forearms, shins and gloves. The last parts were painted on the day of my son's Halloween party, so it was really down the wire, but we made it!  Since it wasn't a full suit, and to avoid itching, he also needed to wear a jumpsuit under the armor. Ironically the Iron Man costume jumpsuits could have worked, but they were way too expensive, so we  picked up a DC Comics "The Flash" jumpsuit instead, and the armor covered most of it enough, except for the lightning bolts on the sides. Apologies to the fanboys screaming sacrilege now.

The only issues were with the gloves (craft foam made it easy to break) and the toy helmet, it was too heavy in practice to run around in for our 5-year-old and the weight seemed more suited to an older child.  Nevertheless, the little boy had a blast, and the suit was comfortable enough for him to play in.  The other kids also seemed to have a great time having Iron Man Mini around and couldn't stop poking his Arc Reactor, looking over every detail in the armor, and asking him to wear his helmet.  This annoyed the boy a little, but that's the price of fame.

Imagine the kind of attention he would have gotten if he also wore Tony Stark's 'stache and beard!

Build Resources:

• Download Pepakura Viewer 3: http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/download/viewer.html
• Download Darkside501st's Iron Man Mk 7 Template: http://www.therpf.com/f24/darkside501sts-iron-man-mk-vii-pepakura-files-139470/
• E.Estanislao (EVA foam): http://eestanislaogenmdse.redpages.ph/companyprofile.html 

Much respect to the copyright owners:

• Marvel for the Iron Man movies
• Black Sabbath for "Iron Man"
• AC/DC for "Shoot to Thrill"
• Jack Urbont for "Iron Man Theme"
• No infringement intended, just enjoyment!

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Posted in: gadget culture,hacks

Hacking the F1 Cheap Seats - Photographing the Singapore F1 Night Race

It's the eve of the Formula One Marina Bay Grand Prix in Singapore, and if you are like many who got a ticket to see the race live, you may have picked up a walkabout ticket.  Walkabout tickets are the most affordable way to see a live race, though the drawbacks are you do not get a seat, and your access is restricted to certain parts of the track. But for the F1 fan who is also a photography enthusiast, walkabout tickets do not have to be the 'cheap seats'. While it is true that most of the views the walkabout tickets give you access to are blocked by safety fences, this does not have to stop you from taking great photos of the action on track.

1. Panning The Shot

Formula One cars being the fastest cars in motor racing, you want to capture the speed in your photo. Panning lets you capture an image where a moving subject is in sharp focus while the background is blurred. The idea is to follow the subject as it passes in front of you, keeping it in the same place on the frame, at the same speed. Mechanically, the technique is to follow the subject with your lens, and like a good follow through on a golf swing, you need to swivel with the car as it passes well before you press the shutter and continue following well after the shutter has clicked.  This can be done without a tripod or monopod, but can be done handheld. Anything that will give you a stable pivot will improve your success rate.

Taken from Esplanade Drive [ Google Maps ]

You also need to put your camera into settings that will increase your chances of getting a sharp subject with the right amount of motion:

a. Shutter Speed - If your camera has manual settings, lock the shutter speed. Some cameras have a manual (M) or shutter priority (S) mode on the dial. You need to play around with the shutter speed, as it varies depending on how stable your shooting platform is, how fast the subject is going, and how well you can hold the camera steady.  I have found a shutter speed around 1/160 seconds should still be manageable for the light available during the night race.

b. ISO Speed - While the floodlights along the track do a pretty good job of illuminating the track, the multiple light sources makes it tricky to balance the ISO speed correctly every time you move. If your camera has an Auto ISO mode, set the maximum ISO setting to one where the noise is still acceptable to you. If noise is not a big deal, then don't worry about going up to ISO 1600 or over.

c. Autofocus - If you have continuous autofocus on your camera (meaning the camera continuously tries to keep what you have under your AF point in focus), you can try your luck with that.  However, with safety fencing, poles and other obstructions in the way of the shot, you may have better luck by pre-focusing.  This is done by putting the camera in manual focus and locking the focus onto a point on the track where you expect the subject to be when you click the shutter button.  Ample depth-of-field will help, as drivers do not follow the same racing line, so use as small an aperture (high F number) as available.

d. Flash Mode - Turn your flash off. In most cases you will be standing too far from the cars for it to be useful. The flash will just drain your batteries and the amount of time the pre-flashes take to do will guarantee you will miss the shot besides.

Check your photos every time you move to another spot, as the light will be different.

Pay attention to where on the track there are corners. Try shooting the F1 cars as they brake for a corner, where they are travelling at their slowest, to get as sharp  a subject as possible.  They will still be going fast enough to blur the safety fencing into 'speed lines'.  As a bonus, their brake discs light up red under braking for a pretty cool effect!  Every driver has a different approach to a corner, so these also offer some chance of getting more interesting shots of 'wheel-to-wheel' racing.

Panning doesn't mean you're left with limited composition options. Play around with the cropping and try a tighter zoom on the driver.

Taken near High Street [ Google Maps ] 

Or use the barriers to your benefit and frame the subject with it.

Taken on the bridge section of Esplanade Drive [ Google Maps ]

More tips on how to do panning here: http://www.ephotozine.com/article/camera-panning-technique-4768

2. Find Your Angle

There are some spots on the track, especially on higher ground, that afford a less obstructed view. The layout will vary from year to year, so you really need to do some homework.  Arrive early at the track and watch the support races that are scheduled well before the race.  Survey the whole track during these support races and you will find spots that offer more interesting angles.

Taken near the Singapore Flyer [ Google Maps ] 

Taken on Esplanade Drive [ Google Maps ]

At different points of a track, access routes for cranes and support vehicles offer a wide enough breach that can offer an interesting perspective. It is important to check these spots when a support race is going on, as marshalls and support equipment may be positioned there and block your way on race night itself. Also check out the views you can get from establishments inside the street track. Often for the price of a drink, a meal, or for interesting conversation, you can get access to the upper floors or other views.

If you find a good spot, don't set up a tripod and hog the spot to yourself for the entire race. You can only take so many photos from the same spot, so walk about!

Taken from a crosswalk over Raffles Avenue [ Google Maps ]

3. Before And After The Race

The spectacle does not just start at the five green lights and end with the chequered flag. The Formula One races are also host to touring car races and lower level open wheel races like Formula BMW.  Besides letting you practice your panning on moving subjects, it gives you an idea where the interesting corners are to shoot. Do try to visit the support paddock in the day as the cars prepare for the races, as often access is less restrictive and you can get much closer to the cars and the drivers than for the main event.

  Taken on Raffles Avenue across the Support Paddock [ Google Maps ]

This is not to say you will never get a chance to get up close to the Formula One cars and drivers.  At the end of the race, when all the race cars and support vehicles have stopped, the track is opened up, and the marshalls are more relaxed about spectators walking into the track itself. Often fans will rush to the start/finish straight and Parc Ferme right after the checkered flag goes down and the last car parks it.  Here it pays to check the access points in the track that will get you there in the shortest time.

Above all, don't stay glued to your viewfinder, look around, enjoy the experience, and you will find remarkable photographic opportunities.

Good luck!

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Posted in: gadget culture,hacks,photo gear

Android Honeycomb Tablets (ASUS Eee Pad Transformer User Report)

Eee Pads, Transform!

It's now a common dilemma for buyers of devices for light computing: go for what's cool and get a tablet, or go for something practical and more useful like a netbook? With the Eee Pad Transformer and its keyboard dock combination, you can have both.  The Transformer promises to be adaptable to both keyboard-and-mouse and touch-and-swipe uses, and form-wise it does deliver. The genius of the Eee Pad Transformer design is that feels like a purpose-built tablet when detached, yet it appears so well to be a sleek netbook when docked. It does this so well that it takes a while for most people to realize what they are looking at.

The Eee Pad Transformer, docked, does a good job of pretending to be a netbook!

Show the Eee Pad Transformer to anyone, and they will likely only notice there is something different in this netbook when they have a closer look at the keyboard layout, with its Android Home, Back, Menu and Search keys mixed in with other chiclet keys on a typical keyboard layout. The single-button trackpad might give them pause, but swiping on it brings up a pointer, just like on any netbook computer.  They might notice the interface, with grids of icons and buttons that beg to be touched and swiped. Then you swipe on the screen and they will still think it's a touchscreen netbook.  Not until you unlock the latch on the hinge and undock that it becomes obvious what the Eee Pad really is.

Tablet Mode

Certainly, on its own the Eee Pad is already very usable with now standard Android Honeycomb hardware features:

• 10.1" LED Capacitive IPS Touchscreen (WXGA 1280x800)
• NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dualcore 1Ghz ARM processor
• 1GB of  memory, 16 or 32GB of internal storage
• WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1
• 1.2MP front and 5MP rear camera
• microSD card slot
• 9.5 hour battery
• Stereo SRS speakers 
• G-Sensor, Gyroscope, Compass, GPS

As a tablet, it feels like a slimmer, taller first-generation iPad, but it is just as heavy and thick. The casing is not all aluminum, but instead a hard plastic with a metal frame. Except for the black bezel bordering the scratch resistant IPS screen, it has a distinct bronze finish, with a textured back that makes it slightly easier to grip without being rubberized. The look may be a little too grown up for some, but wouldn't be out of place in a typical office boardroom.  The controls and ports are spread out on the sides (in landscape mode), with the power/standby and volume buttons high on the left side , while headset port, mini HDMI port, and microSD slot are on the other side. Sitting low on either side are the stereo speakers, which are unfortunately positioned for tablet use, as one has a tendency to hold it covering both speakers when in use. Still, with 3D stereo SRS premium sound to back it up, it sounds better than the typical setup with monaural or even stereo speakers pointed toward the back.

Overall, the tablet feels solid, but, like the first generation iPad, feels too heavy for prolonged use when handheld. Feel around the otherwise solid frame, and the rear casing, being made of plastic and not made as a single construction, shows some play on the edges. This detracts from the otherwise reassuring quality of the device, but still feels more durable than other Honeycomb tablets with plastic backs. The screen, as with other touchscreen devices, is a fingerprint magnet, but is easy to wipe clean. As is now standard with most Android tablets, the screen is protected by scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass and should be able to take some abuse.

Netbook Mode

While sold separately, the combination of Eee Pad with keyboard dock really deserves its own review. Unlike a wired or bluetooth keyboard add-on, the Eee Pad keyboard dock adds more than just a comfortable typing experience.  Most notably, the dock houses a battery that takes the Eee Pad's capacity up to 16 hours of battery life.  It also adds a working multitouch pad which activates the mouse pointer mode in Android 3.0. It's possible to get at more storage through two USB 2.0 ports and a full size SD card slot.

The Eee Pad's integration with the keyboard dock more than just a neat trick. On its own, the keyboard is closer in terms of comfort to a notebook than a netbook, thanks to the generous proportions of the keyboard and the reasonable spacing between the chiclet keys. Asus have dedicated four hardware buttons for the common Android keys (Home, Back, Menu and Search) and added a Settings button, plus wireless radio toggles (WiFi, Bluetooth), volume and screen brightness controls, media controls (play, pause, previous, next) and touchpad on/off.  Also, one very welcome inclusion: a screenshot button, something that most Android devices lack out of the box, even as a software feature. The built in touchpad supports two finger tracking, so not only can it be used to control an on screen pointer, but it can also support two-finger scrolling.

The USB ports are not just there for show or limited use with approved peripherals (hint: iPad). They allow you to browse and transfer files with USB storage from flash drives to external hard drives to card readers, and not only FAT32 but also NTFS volumes, out of the box, with no dramas. The USB ports also work with any USB mouse, and surprisingly Honeycomb will even recognize a mouse scrollwheel.

What really sells the keyboard dock as an extension of the Eee Pad and not a mere accessory is the robust docking hinge. The tablet snap firmly into place with two mechanical locks, and the cushioned hinge can pivot with the tablet as you would the lid on a netbook.  When opened, the hinge raises the back of the keyboard to a comfortable position for typing.  The dock has the same proportions, metal frame, and bronze finish as the tablet, so the entire combination blends perfectly together.

Dual Cameras

The front and rear facing cameras are, by today's standards, nothing special, but essential additions.  The front facing camera lets you do video calling with many supported apps, including cross-platform options like Skype and Tango.  The clarity of videos from the modest 1.2MP front camera is not going to impress, but it is very usable.

You may expect more of the 5MP front camera, but would be disappointed. As is often the case with these small cameraphone class sensors, images are typically washed out and full of chromatic aberration in direct sunlight, and unsurprisingly noisy in less well lit conditions.  It does one-up the soon-to-be-obsolete iPod and iPad cameras in that it delivers more resolution on both sides. Unfortunately, the stock Android Honeycomb camera app is a little light on features that really put you in control of the image to compensate for these short comings (exposure, ISO, contrast).  At least it isn't completely bare, with some color effects thrown in (Monochrome, Sepia, and Negative).

The Android Honeycomb Camera App

Sample from the rear camera

Another sample from the rear camera

A sample from the rear camera in bad light

Android Honeycomb OS 3.2

The made-for-tablets Honeycomb OS is at times familiar and at times completely different than the phone experience, mostly in good ways as it makes full use of the extra screen space on a 10-inch screen, instead of aping the same paradigms as the phone version. Just like any Android phone, the scrollable homescreens can all be customized to feature apps and widgets in whatever configuration suits you, but it one-ups the stock Android phone experience by allowing you to stretch widgets to whatever size you would like them to occupy on the spacious screen.

The clean, efficient default homescreen on the Eee Pad Transformer .

The top of the screen is now dedicated to the Google search box and a shortcut to the Applications tray. The all new status bar and notifications tray is relocated to the bottom of the screen, with space on the left dedicated to Back, Home and a new Recent Apps shortcut. The space on the right shows the usual battery, network connectivity indicators and clock, as well as notification icons for various apps, but now tapping on the individual icons brings up overlay menus. Settings and toggles are now within easier reach, and individual notifications can now be dismissed, or other actions can be done with the same notifications. This is especially handy when working with external storage, as immediately you get the option to launch a file manager app in the notification, and an eject option when you're done.

The Recent Apps tray, brought up by the third software button on the status bar, is particularly slick, presenting screenshots of both running and recently used apps as a scrollable overlay on the left hand side on top of your currently running app.

In the case of the Applications tray and Market app, the apps are able to display more items on the screen, making it easier in general to browse and page through lists. At the same time, the top of the screen is devoted to app-specific context menus.  For the Applications tray, a set of tabs lets you filter the tray to apps installed from Market, and a shortcut to Android Market has been handily added.  For Android Market, navigation through categories, search and Menu shortcuts are found at the top.

This maximized use of the extra space is carried over in other Honeycomb-optimized apps, usually as a split-pane view as in the Gmail app, or as more elaborate layouts that only work with bigger screens, as with the Google Music and Movie Studio apps.

Gmail for Honeycomb

Google Movie Studio

Apps for media consumption especially, such as e-book and magazine readers, are now able to show a full page in portrait and a spread (two consecutive pages) in landscape mode. The 16:10 screen ratio versus 4:3 on the iPad naturally makes more sense for watching videos in landscape, but it also makes for better reading in portrait mode.

The ASUS MyLibrary e-book reader

The Zinio app for Honeycomb

Zinio in portrait mode showing a magazine spread

A small note on media support: The Eee Pad Transformer recognized AVIs, MP4 videos and , but has no support for MKVs and Quicktime MOV formats. In this respect the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 does movie watching better, though various apps are available that let you play these other formats.

Bigger Game

For games, the Android Honeycomb experience on a Tegra 2 platform is even closer what you can get with console and PC games. The uprated ULP GeForce graphics makes even more detailed 3D models and effects possible.  Having more screen space also makes more traditional games more manageable to play, with the virtual controls taking up less of the visible space.

The only problem is there are just a few Tegra 2 compatible games available at this time, but with Android growing in popularity, more titles are likely to make it to Android. Fortunately, in Android OS 3.2, you can choose to run non-Honeycomb apps zoomed or stretched, with the default being stretched.  Most of the big-name made-for-phone games (Angry Birds, Plants Vs. Zombies, Cut The Rope) seemed to run fine without problems with the Eee Pad in stretched mode, though zoomed mode can often cause crashes.  Some games, unfortunately, were not built to support either the larger screen resolution or are incompatible with the Nvidia graphics and were unplayable.

Galaxy on Fire 2, a Tegra 2 optimized game.

Cordy, a Tegra 2 optimized game.

MiniSquadron in stretched mode.

On a minor note, Adobe Flash games are about as playable on Honeycomb as on an Atom-powered netbook.  That is to say, even on Flash 10.3, some games play at a slower but tolerable framerate than ideal, while others fail to run well at all.

Shared Experience

As a tablet may be more likely to be a shared device, it's handy that unlike other tablet OSes, you can have more than one of any type of account configured on an Android device. Try to add more than one Google Account and can switch between these accounts for instance in Gmail, Google Docs, Android Market and any Google sites through the browser. Apps purchased and downloaded in either account can also be downloaded onto the Eee Pad (as long as it is compatible). Not all apps support multiple accounts, as it is left to the app developer to provide a way to switch. This is an issue even for some Google apps like Google+ and Google Music.

As is, however, you may not want to set up multiple Google accounts anyway, as the multi-account setup opens up a privacy issue. In almost all cases except the browser login support, when you switch accounts, no effort is made to keep account details separate. Once you've configured these accounts, you can switch between Gmails, Google docs and Market billing details without any re-authentication.

Multiple account support for automatic sign-in on the browser.

ASUS Exclusives

In Honeycomb, Google have all but forbidden the extensive customizations that Android phone makers often do. But, as almost mandatory, ASUS have loaded up the Eee Pad with extra apps and widgets to differentiate their offering even more. While it's a mixed bag, there are a few keepers that you will be happy to have for free.  Polaris Office offers a decent MS Office compatible suite (word processor, spreadsheet and presentation). The transparent  weather and email count widgets are nicely done, if a little limited. Free cloud storage through MyCloud, a network based storage solution very much like Dropbox and less like the upcoming iCloud, is also nice to have. MyDesktop gives you remote desktop control of your Windows and Mac computers over WiFi, which is easy to configure and use out of the box, but seems to have stability problems with Windows XP. MyNet is a DLNA client and server that lets you share pictures, music and videos with other DLNA-compatible devices (TVs, media servers, other mobile devices).

ASUS MyCloud cloud-based storage

MyDesktop running Windows XP

Highlights

• Well integrated design between tablet and keyboard dock 
• Easy to access external storage through built-in microSD and keyboard dock ports
• So far keeping up with Android OS upgrades with frequent downloadable updates; OS 3.2 is more stable than ever
• Better, funner games, easier to use apps
• Longer battery life than a typical netbook
• Multiple accounts supported; have access to files, emails and apps from different accounts

Rough Edges

• Speakers' position not ideal when holding while in landscape
• The power button can get clicked easily by first-time users, especially when rotating between landscape and portrait.
• The trackpad button is stiff and can be hard to press sometimes.
• The compass tends to be sensitive to interference.
• No authentication when switching between accounts.

Conclusion


It's a no-brainer, at $399 for the 16GB version and $499 for the 32GB model, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer is practically the best value for tablets at the moment. The excellent optional keyboard dock only sweetens the deal for the features you get for only $150.

Even though Honeycomb, at version 3.2, is still a work in progress, and the app selection still limited, it's now at a point where you don't have to be an early adopter to enjoy it, and the distinct Android features can really demonstrate advantages over the competing platforms.

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Posted in: android,mobile,reviews

Google Earth for Android: Download It Here

What's cooler than having a bird's eye view of your city with Google Maps?  A God's eye view of the world with Google Earth! The Android App for phones and tablets lets you swipe, pinch-zoom and rotate your way to anywhere around the globe, with the same ease as the desktop version.

If you're not in the US, you may not be able to download this from the Android Market. No worries, just grab it here now!

Latest Version: 2.0.2

• Interface adds support for Honeycomb tablets
• Now able to view the 3D Buildings layer (Honeycomb only)

Direct Downloads:

• Google Earth 2.0.2 on Filesonic: http://www.filesonic.com/file/1437656804
• Google Earth 1.2.1 on Mediafire: http://www.mediafire.com/?cjxcsncgrny5imo

Android Market: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.earth

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Posted in: android,apps,mobile

Rock On With Google Music Beta: Android App Download

Google Music Beta is awesome, and Google has just opened up invites to its users.  It should be a US-only offering for now, but that hasn't stopped people in the US sending invites to their friends in other countries.  Too bad Android users outside the US can't actually download the Music Beta Android App.  Or can they?  Follow the links below to start rocking like you live in the free world!

Google Music lets you play any music files on your Android device and is Honeycomb-ready, natch.  If you manage to snag a Google Music Beta invite, signing up your Google Account unlocks Music Sync that lets you stream music you uploaded to your library on Google Music, plus it lets you stream and download free tracks (just click on an album and make it offline)!

One really awesome feature, Instant Mix, lets you pick any song in your library from which to make an entire playlist with similar songs from your library!  Now that's using your Google!

Latest Version: 3.0.1

• Play songs on your Android device's SD Card
• When signed up to Music Beta, browse your Music Beta library instantly and stream music

Direct Downloads:

• Google Music Beta 3.0.1.339 from MediaFire: http://www.mediafire.com/?fe90c1fo5i1qfuz
• Google Music Beta 3.0.388 from MediaFire: http://www.mediafire.com/?niz4dcsnfdqvl5

Android Market: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.music

Installation Notes:

• If you intend to use with Google Music Beta instead of as a standalone player, do not install until you have signed up and activated your Music Beta account.
• On first installation, a prompt should appear to confirm the Google account you wish to sync with Music Beta. If you do not get this prompt then you need to uninstall and reinstall the APK.
• You can use these APKs to force Music Beta to sync in cases where Music sync does not appear in your Google account.  Even if the version of Google Music on your device is newer, doing an update will help trigger creation of the sync account. You can uninstall the update later on to use the newer version.
• For best results, install only when you have a reliable network connection (broadband over WiFi). Mobile (3G) connections may be too slow and may time out while the installation attempts to verify you have a Google account with Music Beta activated.

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Posted in: android,apps,mobile