Polarbear for Android is an app that allows you to post to multiple social network/blogging sites at once, plain and simple. This product is a very good idea, but can it hold up to consumer standards? That’s what we are here for, to help you find out. In this review, we will focus on three main areas. First, we will look at the UI. Afterwards, we will rate the functionality and ease of use. Finally, we look at the lasting impression of the app, will it make us want to use it more? So without further ado, let’s begin.
The User Interface: 4/10
Seeing as how Polarbear is currently a closed beta app, I will be gentle on the UI rating. It looks like an app that was built with one of those “drag and drop” app makers. The background is a wood panel, and the text fields are simi-transparent. It isn’t the greatest thing visually, but it isn’t the worst either. Conversely, I have seen multiple closed beta apps with a rather well polished UI, so I can’t really say that I am okay with the lack of effort put into the aesthetics.
The Functionality: 5/10
I have to say, this is one of the most disappointing parts of Polarbear. The application makes it difficult to set up. What do I mean? Here is my initial experience to give you all a general idea.
I open the app, and there is no pop up tutorial, which comes standard for apps nowadays, even file managers. Red flag right there. Then, I see a box that says “setup posting” so I tap on it. I figure why not start with linking Facebook. Well, I click it, and rather than initiate a small popup window link other Facebook integrated apps, it sends me to a web page. When I get there, it gives me a tutorial on how to set up Facebook, light at the end of the tunnel?
No. It tells me I have to basically find my Facebook email to link back to the app by going to privacy settings>mobile. One problem, though, the MOBILE tab is not available on Facebook MOBILE. Therefore, I am forced to view as a desktop site on my 4 inch Samsung Galaxy S 4G screen, and double tap zoom for my life as my slightly large fingers press multiple options or the wrong thing entirely. Here is the kicker, though, after I get to the mobile tab where it tells me to go to find it, I realize that I don’t have my number hooked to Facebook, so I have to do that. By this time, I am too frustrated to even attempt this anymore.
After thirty minutes of the movie Inception and two bowls of chicken noodle soup, I decide to go for it again. This time, though, I use the IFTTT (If This Then That, a social network service that posts in that setup, “If ____ then____” ) option. It’s a little less of a headache to link my twitter, and I do so, test post, and give it a thumbs up. Because of the daunting number of steps that needed to be taken, I didn’t really feel like doing another service. I was very disappointed in this.
Lasting Impression: 4/10
To be honest, in it’s current state, I wouldn’t use this app again at all. The setup itself was too much of a headache for me as the consumer to consider using it ever again. Seeing as how Android is such a progressive platform, this is not the case for this app. Here again, I stress that this is a closed beta app, so I am doing a test run of an app that may very well evolve in the near future. Here is what I recommend.
- Holo-esque User Interface
- Better, Smoother Integration
- Simpler Setup
- A TUTORIAL
If this app can achieve these things, it can surely be a powerhouse. At the moment, I rate this app a 4 out of 10. It is definitely disappointing to say the least.
