Bargain and Free Apps for 1/3 Plus Changing Brightness

What an exciting day for the Kindle Fire Department! After announcing our Kindle Fire Giveaway, the response has been mind-boggling. We've received almost 1,500 entries in just a few hours, again affirming the mass appeal of the Kindle Fire. If you haven't entered yet, get to it! And if you're having trouble sharing, an alternate link you can use to access the contest is HERE.

If you're looking for deals to help you get your resolutions off on the right foot, be sure to check out Amazon's New Year, New You in 2012 promotion for big savings!

We've got a few great apps to feature today, as well as some tips on using an excellent new one that'll give you greater control over the brightness.

Lowering Brightness on the Kindle Fire with ScreenDim
A common complain that has proved peskier than some of the things critics howl about is the brightness of the screen, which can make it uncomfortable to read in low levels of light. You can access the brightness slider by tapping toward the top and bringing up the action bar, but even dimming it as much as the device allows may not be enough to suit people's needs.

Of course, a smart developer quickly got working on this, releasing ScreenDim just a few days ago. Using it couldn't be simpler. Opening it up, you'll find bars for both the device's backlight system and the contrast. Lower it to your liking and then save by pressing and holding one of the five boxes at the bottom of the screen. This'll also allow you to implement those preferred settings with just a tap and set notifications to quickly change between them by going into options and notifications.

This is another great app that increases your flexibility with the controls, and it's our go-to solution for problems with brightness. The cost is minimal, the results are clear, and together that makes this very effective and appealing.

Name: ScreenDim
Rating: 4.2 stars over 5 reviews
Price: 0.99
Description: Is your minimum screen brightness still too bright? Dim your screen below what your device normally permits for comfortable use in darker environments, reading in bed, amateur astronomy, etc. No root required.

Save your five favorite brightness and contrast settings as a preset, and get it back by touching a single button or by a Launcher shortcut. ScreenDim also creates a notification item in your status bar so you can easily go back to it to adjust settings.

ScreenDim is the first dimmer that can both adjust backlight brightness below what the system normally permits on many LCD devices and dim the contrast. Some dimmers only lower the contrast, which keeps the black areas unchanged and glowing gray on LCD devices when in the dark. Other dimmers only change the backlight within the range normally allowed by the OS.

Get your copy of ScreenDim!

This next app is an incredible freebie that give you access to tons of old-time radio shows. This is really an incredible app and a blast from the past. I'm honestly surprised they aren't charging for it, because I would be forking over $$$ in an instant.

Name: Old Time Radio Player
Rating: 3.6 stars over 11 reviews
Price: 0.00
Description: Travel back in time and listen to the great radio mysteries, dramas, and comedies from the 1930s through the 1970s. With choices like Burns and Allen, The Green Hornet, Philip Marlowe, and more you will feel like you are back in the days when the whole family congregated around the radio. With the Old Time Radio Player app, you have access to nearly ten thousand episodes from over seventy shows. And they are all available free of charge. So sit back, relax, and listen to the golden age in radio broadcasting.

Plays the great radio mysteries, dramas, and comedies from the 1930s to the 1970s, Choose from CBS Radio Mystery Theater, Gunsmoke, Hopalong Cassidy, and more. Over seventy shows are available, all free of charge

Get your free copy of Old Time Radio Player!

And then another fun app for the new year. Get your horoscope and peer into your future!

Name: My Horoscope
Rating: 4.6 stars over 417 stars
Price: 0.00
Description: Enjoy daily horoscopes sent straight to your phone with My Horoscope. My Horoscope features a gorgeous interface with a constellation-filled sky as a backdrop. Detailed horoscopes are prepared by an astrology expert with over 12 years of experience. Going beyond the norm, My Horoscope provides personalized horoscopes for all 3 decanates of each of the the 12 signs of the Zodiac.

Calculate your sign by entering the day of your birth, scroll through different signs by clicking on their icons, and choose from seven different languages. If you miss a day, you can go back and view your horoscope from the previous day. Send horoscopes via email or text, and share to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Upgrade to My Horoscope Pro to remove in-app advertising.

Get your free copy of My Horoscope!