Amazon Appstore's Free App of the Day, 9/25/2011: Screebl Pro

Amazon.com has promised to make a paid app free every day in the Amazon Appstore, and today's app is Screebl Pro.

Screebl Pro is priced at $1.99 in the Android Market, and is normally priced at $1.99 in the Amazon Appstore. As we noted previously, prices sometimes differ between the two stores.

Screebl Pro is described as follows:

Does your Android device seem to have a mind of its own when it comes to timing out and going blank? Here's the tool you need.

Screebl was created to do exactly one thing: keep your device's screen from locking (turning off) when you're using it. If you've set your screen timeout as low as it can go in the interest of conserving the battery, you know that the result is repetitive screen timeouts whenever you're doing something that doesn't involve touching the screen. Such everyday things as looking at or showing someone a picture, watching a Web page load over a slow connection, or reading a long email. You may have wound up raising the timeout back to a higher value.

Screebl is a background service that monitors the phone's orientation, and based on that orientation decides when to allow the phone's power-saving features to operate. With Screebl, you will never need to worry about the screen blanking again when you are using your phone. If you set your phone down, Screebl will allow the screen to lock. The net result is less power wasted.

"If you're looking for a great way to save battery life with your Android phone, Screebl is your answer. ... A great app idea and executed to perfection." - Best Android Apps Review

Screebl Pro has a 4.5-star rating in the Android Market, and a 3.5-star rating in the Amazon Appstore.

Much of the difference between the two ratings seem to be, again, over permissions. Amaazon Appstore users are much more sensitive to permissions, but it's interesting because this app's permissions are necessary for its function.

There is a Lite vresion in the Android Mzrket, as well. The paid version includes Locale 1.x Plug-ins, Tasker integration, Icon choice, Better detection algorithms, and Screen timeout set from Screebl.

Those who are considering "buying" a Free Amazon Appstore app might want to consider what it means to developers.

Amazon.com opened up the Appstore despite a lawsuit by Apple, which has previously trademarked the term "App Store." Microsoft has filed an appeal against that trademark, saying the term is too generic. Amazon.com has responded to the lawsuit in the same manner.