Google allows you to check a box when installing apps from the Android Market enabling automatic updates. But I tend not to check that box because I like to see what’s included in each update, and I’m always worried that if I don’t check before installing new versions of my apps, I’ll never get around to it.

Now there’ s a new app that could convince me to just set it and forget it. The free app is called Changelog Droid, and basically it scans your phone or tablet for a list of apps and shows the changelog for each so that you can see what’s new in the latest version.

Changelog Droid won’t show you the new features before you download apps, but it does provide a one-stop shop for keeping up on the newest features in apps you’ve already installed on your device.

The app sorts changelogs based on install date, so the app you’ve updated most recently will show up at the tap. Only a few changelogs will be loaded at first, but as you scroll the app will gather info from additional apps.

They say patience is a virtue, but many Windows Phone 7 users had all they could take of the update waiting game. Some turned to the Chevron team’s Chris Walsh, who crafted a command line tool which allowed users to update devices which weren’t yet given the green light by their carriers. While Microsoft cautioned that the “fix” could prevent future updates from being delivered, Walsh told users not to believe everything they read.

As it turns out, Microsoft was correct, and some users recently learned that they were unable to apply a security patch Microsoft pushed. Walsh quickly announced that he was working with the Windows Phone team to deliver a fix for his fix, and now he’s done just that (with a little help from Rafael Rivera). This time, he’s also been given Microsoft’s blessing, stating on his personal blog that Brandon Watson and crew have tested the repair and it’s performing as expected.

Walsh has provided downloads for use on 32 and 64-bit Windows installs, and you’ll need both his own fix and Microsoft’s Windows Phone Support Tools (which Walsh also links).

Head over to Chris Walsh’s site to grab the fix that will put your Windows Phone 7 back on the straight and narrow path to future updates!

Usually when a developer releases a new version of an iPhone app, it comes with new features, bug fixes, or other enhancements. But sometimes updates remove features, add annoying advertisements, or make other unpleasant changes. If you’re avoiding updating some of your apps, but tired of seeing them show up in the App Store on your device (and tired of avoiding the “Update All” button, there’s an app for that.

Update Hider is a free app available from the Cydia store. You’ll need a jailbroken iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to use it. but once installed, the app lets you swipe across any app in the App Store Updates window. You’ll see a red “ignore button,” which you can press to ignore the update. There’s a confirmation window that will pop up and give you one last chance to change your mind.

It’s worth noting that the app doesn’t ignore all future updates. It only ignores the latest update. So when Rovio inevitably launches yet another version of Angry Birds, it will show up in your Updates screen again. But you can ignore it again if you’re still not interested in updating.

via Funky Space Monkey

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Google has been pushing out test builds of Android 2.2 Froyo to a small group of users with Google Nexus One phones for the past month or so. But as we’ve repeatedly been told, those early builds weren’t the official release that would be made available to the general public — so if you somehow managed to find and download the updates through some link you found on the web, you weren’t necessarily running the final version of Froyo on your Nexus One.

Starting today, that all changes. Google has announced that it has begun rolling out Android 2.2 for Nexus One handsets. Some users have already received notifications that the update is available, and Google promises that most users should get the update by the end of the week. I guess that means the build that leaked last night really was the final build — and if you’re the impatient sort, you can probably download it now by following one of the links from the xda-developers forum.

The Google Nexus One is the first phone to receive the Android 2.2 update because it’s the phone Google has the closest connection to. Up until recently the company had been selling the phone directly to consumers through its web site. But now that Froyo is available for one phone, I suspect it won’t be too long before we start to see other phone makers and wireless carriers start to offer updates for other devices.

Some of the new features in Android 2.2 Froyo include a major speed boost — particularly for third party applications, support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, USB tethering and WiFi hotspot capabilities, and a new Home Screen design featuring phone and web browser buttons that show up at the bottom of all five home screens.