Gear Diary » Android Phones and Tablets

Gear Deal: Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Verizon Plus Free SD Card

Dan Cohen — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:35:58 +0000

Today's Gear Deal brings us the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Verizon via AmazonWireless. This is one impressive smartphone. It features a 4.65" 720x1280 HD Super AMOLED display, has a speedy dual-core 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4460 processor, has 1GB RAM and comes with 32GB built-in storage. A 5MP rear camera (1080p video capable) and a 1.3MP front camera let you take images, grab video and make video calls. It also has NFC connectivity, 4G speeds when available, a microUSB slot and, of course, Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi. It is also the first phone running the new Android OS 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Off contract the phone is $749.99 and at Verizon it is $299.99 on contract. With Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Gear Chat 2012- We’re Back!!

Dan Cohen — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:50:56 +0000

It has been over a year but Gear Chat is back and we're talking tech. In this first episode Thomas and I talk about the Samsung Galaxy Note, the Series 7 Slate tablet and what configuration of Apple computing products is best. Future episodes will include Gaming and eBook segments and much more. We also want to hear from you! What content do you want covered? What questions do you have? Would you like us to do the podcast as a live, call-in conversation? We want to know. Happy listening and, as always, thanks for sharing via Twitter and Facebook.

Your browser does not support the audio element

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Apple’s Amazing Quarter Makes the iPhone Bigger Than ALL of Android!

Michael Anderson — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:45:09 +0000

It was only a few weeks ago when I posted the news that Android and iOS were in a virtual tie for market share of the smartphone market based on recent data, I said that 'everyone wins'. I still believe that - I think that having strong competition in any market makes everyone work harder ... and the results are better products for us as consumers! Last week Nielson put out estimates of smartphone market share for the fourth quarter of 2011, showing that iOS had significantly closed the gap with Android for recent months. Now, after the final tally from Apple we have a report at Reuters showing that Apple Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Samsung Pokes at a Key iPhone Weakness in New Ad

Michael Anderson — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:15:10 +0000

If you were to ask a random group of smartphone users to name a feature that Android has that iOS is lacking, while you'd hear nonsense like 'open', you'd also hear one message loud and clear: turn-by-turn navigation with voice support. For me, this is one of three reasons I am still using Android (the others being physical keyboards and something work-specific). I use my Google Maps navigation everywhere and for everything - and it is awesome. I tried using the navigation built into pre-Mango Windows Phone 7 and it twice tried to tack on 30 minutes with inept guidance ... and I haven't tried it since (maybe Dan or Judie can comment on Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The Droid Motorola RAZR MAXX and Droid 4 Were Worth a Look, but They Didn’t Steal the Show

Dan Cohen — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:00:27 +0000

Motorola stole the show last year at CES 2011. The Moto Xoom and the Atrix with its web top keyboard dock... oh my! They were pretty amazing to see. Francis and I even had a chance to remote log into my iMac in New Jersey using the Atrix smartphone as the "computer" powering the remote access. Sadly, the actual experience of using the Xoom and the Atrix left a good deal to be desired. Judie, Thomas and I all bought one; we all returned them. Judie and I visited Motorola again this year at CES 2012, and while they didn't blow us away, the two smartphones we did see were pretty impressive in their own right. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Corning Gorilla Glass 2 Is Impressive!

Dan Cohen — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:00:45 +0000

Corning Gorilla Glass. You know the name. You know it is strong. You know it is on dozens of smartphones and a growing number of notebooks. [600 different devices and 600 million total devices sport it!!] And you likely know that Corning announced Gorilla Glass 2 during CES. But until you see it in action you can't really appreciate just what it is. Seriously, Judie and I were impressed, and we think you will be too! Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Deal: HTC Evo View 4G Android Tablet 32GB Memory Today Only

Thomas R. Hall — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:07:46 +0000

Image courtesy of 1SaleADayWhen Dan and Judie reviewed the HTC Flyer, they had mixed feelings on it. I also had one which we gave away to a lucky reader. For me, the main feature I wanted it for was the stylus, but that didn't live up to my expectations. Otherwise, it is a very impressive Android tablet. So much so that Francis ended up getting one in the form of an HTC Evo View 4G when 1SaleADay offered them up in December. Well, they are back at it again, today only! The HTC Evo View 4G is essentially an HTC Flyer but also includes Sprint 3G (EVDO) and 4G (WiMax), in addition to Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Thomas Takes On the Wrapsol Non-Slip Grip Pad

Dan Cohen — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:50 +0000

Every now and then you come across a product that, despite liking the company that produces it, you cannot help but wonder, "Why?" That's certainly the case with the Wrapsol non-slip grip pad. The product is designed for large tablets and adheres to the back of a tablet. From there its sole purpose is to allow the tablet to stay in position more easily when rested on, for example, your thigh. Don't get us wrong…. the product actually works as promised but we cannot help but think it is an idea searching for an application. I don't know of anyone who has ever been using their iPad and thought, "I wish I could have this stick to my thigh or arm without my having to hold it…" And then there is the biggest issue with it: even if it did fill a real need the product is not something you can remove and reuse. That means once you attach it to your tablet you cannot use a case.

Wrapsol Grip Pad Features:
Non-slip tactilla™ material
100% Polyurethane
Micro-textured finish
8.25 x 3.75-inch material size for Apple iPad 2 and similar size devices
Installs in an instant
Made in USA
MSRP $14.95

We used it a bit and came away scratching our heads. That did not, however, prevent us from creating a video look and having a little fun so without further ado we present to you "Thomas and the Tablet"... Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

iOS, Android and Windows Phone… Where is the Market Headed? An Open Discussion

Dan Cohen — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:12:22 +0000

Judie and I both got HTC Titans the other day and have jumped into using them. Our initial thoughts? We both like them… a lot! We've been discussing a great deal of this behind the scenes. One discussion began with my posting

So I really have to say that I am loving the hell out of the HTC Titan (even with its now slightly dented corners):-] I'm still learning how to get around but it is polished, tight, and a pleasure to use. Best onscreen keyboard ever! No matter how good the hardware o do t think I would like an Android phone long term. Not do here. It needs more apps but Microsoft killed it with the OS.

It sparked a lot of private discussion that we will share soon. In the meantime Mike wrote/asked...

Along the WP7 lines ... here is my topic for debate: Android has almost no inherent loyalty base, and if WP7 and Nokia gets traction, we will see Android plummet almost as fast as RIM, while iOS hold happy at ~28%. Thoughts and comments?

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Waterproof Protection from the Inside Out: HzO Technology Coming to a Smartphone Near You

Dan Cohen — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:54:01 +0000

Here is one of the biggest finds of CES so far. We've seen a number of companies that are offering new technologies that will waterproof electronic devices but the technology HzO is bringing to market is different. And better... Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

When THIS Happens … We ALL Win

Michael Anderson — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:15:10 +0000

If you search around the internet based on the images in this post you will find loads of prognostication - Android fans calling it meaningless (despite foretelling the death of iOS with each percentage Android gains at the expense of RIM), iOS fans calling it the 'Android plummet' (in spite of arguing that short term shifts are meaningless), and so on. What I see - particularly when I look at the next image - is a market that is moving more rapidly than ever before. Smartphones accounted for over TWO THIRDS of all mobile phone sales in October and November of 2011!

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Samsung CES 2012 Press Conference: Pushing Boundaries

Dan Cohen — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:17:51 +0000

Samsung's Press Conference brought news of some great evolutionary products. We waited in line for hours just to hear what Samsung had to share. It was worth the wait. Here's a look...

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

CES 2012: More Tablets That Will Fail… If They Even Get Released

Dan Cohen — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:00:17 +0000

My first stop at CES Unveiled was QOOQ, a French company that is planning to release the "first tablet specifically designed for the kitchen". Last year saw hundreds of tablets announced. Only a small percentage actually got released and even fewer had any success. So one might think companies would stop staking their future on new tablets with unique OSes right? WRONG.

The tablet is nice enough looking and has rubber feet, a build in stand and can be wiped clean if it becomes dirty. Does it run Android? Nope. It runs its own Linux OS. It has streamed cooks showing you how to make dishes step by step. It has audio Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

E FUN to Introduce Nextbook Elite 10 with Android 4.0 at CES 2012

Douglas Moran — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:15:32 +0000

I'm going to do this in a mono-syllabic, excitable-Android-lover kinda way: 9.7" Android tablet! Running Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0)! Dual-core Broadcom A9 chip! Okay, yeah, only 8GB of memory, but goes for under $250 bucks, so it's a tradeoff, right?

The Nextbook Elite 10 features a 1024 x 768 high-resolution screen with 4:3 aspect ratio and over the air (OTA) update capabilities for quick and easy operating system upgrades. It includes a 2.0 Megapixel front-facing camera and 5.0 Megapixel back-facing camera for easy photo and video taking. Built-in Wi-Fi allows users to research the Internet, view and email files, video chat, watch YouTube videos, and much more. The Elite 10 also features HDMI support and a

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Android’s New Holo Theme to Help Speed Updates; Potential to End Themes?

Joel McLaughlin — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:15:06 +0000

According to Droid Life and the Android developers blog the Holo theme included in Android 4.0 is a requirement on a devices that ship the Android Marketplace with 4.0. This promises to fix is the amount of time it takes manufacturers to produce updates to the OS. They do this by making Holo a requirement and allowing a DeviceDefault skin as well. Adam Powell of Google says:

Formally separating these theme families will also make future merges easier for manufacturers updating to a new platform version, helping more devices update more quickly.

Also, developers can specify DeviceDefault or Holo. Since every device going forward will have Holo, this can help provide a more Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

“You All Know You Want a 7″ iPad.”

Douglas Moran — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:45:04 +0000

That's how today's gear chat on tablet size started--with Francis' assertion that we all knew--even if some of us didn't want to admit it out loud--that we really wanted a mid-sized tablet. You know: something in between the iPod Touch/iPhone and iPad form factors. Something around . . . 7" or so. And then it was off to the races with your tech-happy Gear Diary team:

Francis S: You all know you want a 7" iPad. I still am waiting for Apple to break price structure. I know they probably (almost definitely won't) especially after the Jobs rant over the 7" form factor. I hope and assume

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

ePillow Tablet Pillow review

Dan Cohen — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:00:14 +0000

Every now and then we are invited to review something that just looks… well… ridiculous but we end up agreeing to take a look anyway. When the "ridiculous review item" first arrives and we open the box our first impressions are, for the most part, confirmed. Yes, more often than not the product is silly, looks like a bad joke and poses a bit of a challenge with regard to actually writing the review. Every now and then however, once we actually start using the item we discover that our first AND second impressions were actually wrong! Sure, the item still looks silly but it actually works well. That was my experience with the ePillow. I'm not fully sure why I agreed to review it since the pictures didn't impress me but I'm actually glad I did. I've used it to watch some movies on my iPad this weekend and I actually found it quite useful. Seriously! Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

US Cellular Launching Huawei Ascend II in January for FREE After Rebate!

Michael Anderson — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:15:16 +0000

Phones such as the Samsung Repp and HTC Wildfire have shown that low-end devices still have much to offer, and the Huawei Ascend II looks to step in at a somewhat higher level but still be available for free after rebate! This is the description:

The Huawei Ascend IITM with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) is your entertainment center, GPS navigator, news and weather hub, and your social network connection all in one powerful, pocket-sized device. Stream content from the web or your own media library and view it on the 3.5" HVGA touchscreen display. Grab apps from the Android Marketplace and snap photos with the 5.0 MP camera. Whatever you want

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

HTC EVO Design 4G for Sprint Review

Dan Cohen — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:00:06 +0000

As smartphones continue their march into the mainstream the challenge of choosing the right phone for you grows ever-more challenging. This challenge is compounded by the fact that so many of HTC's phones seems to be a slight variation on the same theme over and over and over again. (The same holds true for Samsung's phones which all offer slight changes in screen size, features etc while remaining largely the same.) As Judie wrote in her review of the HTC Rhyme a few weeks ago,

I like items that have their own personality and that aren’t similar to every one else’s, but lately it seems like all of the HTC Android phones that I have

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Where’s my “Made for Android?”

Bryan Eley — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:30:50 +0000

My eldest son had a birthday recently, receiving numerous presents. This in and of itself is not unusual, but there was an aspect to one of those presents that triggered a revelation of sorts for me. Before I delve into that, let me preface it with a disclaimer: I currently own no Apple products. Zip. Nada. Zero. In the realm of cell phones, I’m partial to Android. I love the customizability of it, the screen widgets, and how I can choose to integrate it with my PCs. My son, not yet a cell phone user, owns an iPod. Consequently, towards his birthday he wanted some accessories for it. A quick trip to the internet revealed Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Latest Android OS Distribution Numbers Showing Gingerbread Taking Over

Michael Anderson — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:30:16 +0000

Have you ever heard me complain about Android fragmentation as a major issue? Yeah, you probably have. But there is actually some good news on the fragmentation front - more than half of all Android phones are running the latest operating system Android 2.3.x aka 'Gingerbread'. Add to that the 35.3% running the previous version Froyo (2.2), and you have more than 85% on a 'fairly unified' platform. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Zendesk Announces Huge Android Update

Carly Z — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:00:02 +0000

Android is becoming more and more popular in enterprise markets. As personal phones bleed into the business world, there's even more demand for apps that let you do business on the go. Zendesk is more than up for the challenge, with a new version of their Android app to let you better handle customer needs on the go! What really strikes me is a comment in the press release, where a user enthuses they no longer need to carry their iOS device to use Zendesk while out of the office. Yes, the press release is a marketing tool, but it's good news for Android phone and tablet makers that apps are becoming more powerful for the platform. According Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

One More Tablet Gone; Can Microsoft Avoid the Same Fate?

Judie Stanford — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:50:13 +0000

image courtesy of BerryReporter

Clinton recently wrote an opinion piece entitled, "As RIM Writes Off The Playbook, The Pressure is on Microsoft to Make a Complete Windows 8 Tablet", in which he says:

This morning the Wall Street Journal reported that RIM is taking a $485 million charge for their lackluster tablet, the Playbook. The charge comes by way of a markdown in the value of the massive inventor that RIM still has of the devices. It is a brutal and costly reminder that if you kinda-sorta-maybe-woulda-shoulda your tablet strategy, the price can be steep. Very steep.

and

The challenge facing Microsoft is that they are behind when it comes to a tablet strategy. Regardless of what

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Droid 4 Revealed – Like a Moto Razr with a Slide-Out QWERTY Keyboard

Michael Anderson — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:20:53 +0000

When it comes to mobile devices I tend to be fairly platform agnostic, owning Android phones, iPod Touches (well, iPods since the original one in 2001), and both iPads and Android Tablets. But there is one place where I have clear bias (well, aside from gaming performance), and that is my preference for physical keyboards. Listing the smartphones I have used over the last few years, there is the original Droid, Palm Pre, Palm Pixi, HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC 7 Pro, and Droid Pro. What do all of those phones have in common? A physical keyboard. I even stuck with PDAs with keyboards to the end - the Palm Tungsten C and HP Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The Motorola Droid RAZR Android Phone Review

Mitchell Oke — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:00:07 +0000

The battle for “World’s Thinnest” presses on with the release of Motorola’s latest flagship. Resurrecting the name of a phone that became an icon, the RAZR is back, but aside from the name, it bears little resemblance to the phone-in-skinny-jeans of 2004. The new RAZR, or the XT910 as Motorola define it, is an Android slate measuring a trim 7.1mm at its thinnest point, handily eclipsing the Galaxy S II’s now portly 8.49mm figure. Make no mistake; this is a seriously thin phone. But like a Lamborghini, it may hug the ground when laid flat, but it’s seriously wide. At 69mm its wider than the G S II’s 66mm, and completely dwarfs the iPhone 4S at 58.6mm. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Get a FREE Samsung Conquer 4G from Sprint

Judie Stanford — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:35:43 +0000

All the usual terms apply; you must either activate a new line (or upgrade an eligible account) on an Everything Plan with Data, Premium Data add-on and a 2-year agreement, but you can get your hands on the normally $249.99 Samsung Conquer for free until December 3rd from Sprint. Not too shabby! =)

The Samsung Conquer 4G brings all the apps, features and speed you can handle without a price tag you can't. Powered by a 1.0GHz processor and Android 2.3, the Conquer offers a simplified and speedy experience for enjoying media, games or browsing. For serious speed freaks, fire up the 3G/4G hotspot capability and share a connection with up to 5 Wi-Fi®

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

ASUS Transformer Prime Running Ice Cream Sandwich

Douglas Moran — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:15:34 +0000

By all rights, Joel should be telling you all about this, because he's way more up-to-date on this tech than I am. But I'll do my best. The hot new version of Android that is imminent is called "Ice Cream Sandwich." Folks who have tested it and played with it say that it's quite good, certainly the most solid and "finished" version of Android to come out yet. Developers have had their mitts on it for a while now, and graphics boffins NVidia has announced a mobile quad-core processor, which is slated to debut in the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet. [pant pant] Did I get that all right, Joel? So anyway, here's a Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Android Rules Smartphone Roost … But Holiday ‘Wish Lists’ Show Vulnerability

Michael Anderson — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 21:14:32 +0000

Guess who wants an Android Tablet for Christmas/Hanukkah? (Hint: no one). But we'll return to that in a moment. This week we got news that put the Android OS at more than 50% market share for smartphone operating systems. This is based on numbers from Gartner, which means that they willingly and knowingly count Samsung's % estimates' the same as other people's 'shipments' the same as other people's actual SALES. In other words, their numbers are a crapshoot. But make no mistake - Android is BY FAR the dominant mobile OS.

If you look at the Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Samsung Hits Another Advertising Home Run with Google Nexus Commercial

Michael Anderson — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:45:23 +0000

I had already written about just how great the Samsung Galaxy S II commercial was a couple of months ago, but at the time Apple and Samsung were in the midst of the 'copy me, copy you' spectacle and so I wrapped it around a tongue-in-cheek accusation of copying. Certainly Samsung has learned that the macho specmanship approach of Motorola has a very narrow appeal, which shows very well in this new ad as well. The upcoming Nexus has gotten some very positive early looks, and should be a big success for Samsung and give a great look at the new Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 OS. We even learned that the Nexus Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The Velocity Micro Cruz (T301)Tablet Makes a $75 Appearance on Woot

Francis Scardino — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:15:54 +0000

Yes, the world is simply full of Android crap tablets. The Cruz fit's along those lines but for $74.99 shipped it offers a few features that just may get your impulse purchase juices flowing. Yes, I know this is a refurb, but look past that as just a capacitive touchscreen tablet running Android 2.2 with some expandability options. Not ever using a Cruz myself I can't tell you what the Cruz Market has to offer but I do know that if this device surfs the web, plays music and movies, then it could easily double as a child attention magnet or some entertainment at lunch. The specs are somewhat decent but the content may be the biggest Continue reading on Gear Diary ...