Aaron Gingrich
 Aaron is a geek who has always had a passion for technology. When not working or writing, he can be found spending time with his family, playing a game, or watching a movie.

20
May
wm_2012-05-19-19.59_thumb

[Weekend Poll] Voice Control Apps: Future Or Fad?

Posted by in Applications, Galaxy S III, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Follow Up: Is Gaming On Android Lackluster?

Though voice control apps have been around for quite some time, it took Apple's release of Siri to bring the functionality to the mainstream. Now, competing manufacturers are trying to push out similar services. Samsung's first to the punch with a Vlingo-based "S Voice" service, though it remains to be seen how well it works. Google, too, is rumored to be working on improved Google Voice Actions, reportedly named Assistant.

Debates over the usefulness of voice control have cropped up around the Android Police offices before, with the team fairly split on the topic.

16
May
2012-05-16_22h30_44

Chameleon: The New Kickstarter Project That Could Revolutionize Tablet Homescreens

Posted by in Applications, Apps/Games, News

It's not every day that I get excited when I look at a UI demo, largely because they tend to end up being vaporware. But it's hard to ignore a revolutionary UI when one comes along - and that's exactly what Chameleon is:

Still not sold? Check out this demo video from 2 months ago, when Chameleon was first announced:

It's certainly a stunning UI, and one that manages the rare feat of being equal parts beautiful and functional. But there's a catch: the company initially intended to sell Chameleon to OEMs, but it seems they couldn't find a buyer - so they're taking to Kickstarter.

15
May
someethumb

Someecards Releases Android App, Can Instantly Make You Seem 100% Funnier

Posted by in Applications, News
Last Updated: May 17th, 2012

We've all seen the hilarious eCards that pop up on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and reddit (over and over and over...), but you may not know that they come from Someecards. The company has an iOS app, but otherwise the only way to get the hilarious goods right to your mobile device was to visit the site directly. Not anymore, as the company released an Android app a few weeks ago to little fanfare.

somee2 somee3 somee4

From acclaimed humor site, someecards.com, comes something extremely similar to acclaimed humor site, someecards.com. Welcome to the brand new someecards Android application! Everything you love and practically nothing you dislike about the site is now at your fingertips or thumbs!

12
May
machinarium

[Weekend Poll] Follow Up: Is Gaming On Android Lackluster?

Posted by in Games

Way back in October, Artem and I got into a debate about the quality of Android's gaming scene. I was of the opinion that there were good gaming titles - not an abundance, but enough quality titles to keep me happy. Artem, on the other hand, was of the opinion that there were virtually no good games on Android. So we put it to you, our readers. The result: gaming on Android was good, not great.

Fast-forward a little over six months, and there are a lot more high-quality, bigger-budget titles available on Android. So we'll ask it again: what are your thoughts on the state of Android gaming?

11
May
2012-05-11 07h29_27

Verizon Launching LTE In A Slew Of Cities In The Eastern US On The May 17

Posted by in News, Verizon Wireless

As much as I complain about how ridiculous the monthly price of a good wireless plan is, I have to admit it does have its upsides. For AT&T and Verizon especially, that means that when they take in those huge profits, they pay part of it back out in the form of network upgrades and advancements. That's a big chunk of why their 4G (LTE) rollouts are ahead of the other two carriers, and part of why they're ahead of their European counterparts (the other big part, at least compared to Europe, is spectrum).

Verizon is continuing its impressive rollout of LTE by going live in another 29 cities on May 17, mostly in the Northish-East area of the country:

  • Jersey Shore, NJ
  • Lancaster and York, PA
  • Cape Cod, MA
  • Northern VT
  • Delaware Shore, DE
  • Dickinson, ND
  • Williston, ND
  • Martinsville, VA
  • Shenandoah Valley, VA
  • Fredericksburg, VA
  • Canton, Ohio
  • Youngstown and Warren, OH
  • Cambria County, PA
  • Erie, PA
  • Somerset, PA
  • Bucyrus, OH
  • Lima, OH
  • New Castle, PA
  • Defiance, OH
  • Toledo, OH
  • Ashtabula, OH
  • Oil City and Franklin, PA
  • Mansfield, OH
  • Benton Harbor and St.

08
May
2012-05-08 07h22_51

T-Mobile Reveals Network Expansion Plans: Ramping Up HSPA+ In 2012, LTE Coming In 2013

Posted by in News, T-Mobile

T-Mobile sent out a press release late last night to announce just what they're doing with the consolation prize from AT&T's failed bid to take over the company. Unsurprisingly, the company is using the $4 billion and spectrum licenses to do exactly what they need to stay competitive with other carriers: expand their HSPA+ coverage and, more importantly, roll out LTE.

According to the press release, we can expect T-Mo to continue expanding and improving their HSPA+ for the remainder of 2012:

As part of the company's network modernization effort, T-Mobile also plans to launch 4G HSPA+ service in the 1900 MHz band in a large number of markets by the end of the year.

06
May
GalSIII

[Weekend Poll] Which Would You Choose, The HTC One X Or The Samsung Galaxy S III?

Posted by in Galaxy S III, HTC, One X (Endeavor), Polls, Samsung

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Have You Switched Your Primary Cloud Storage Service To Google Drive?

The HTC One X landed in Europe in early April and was released today on AT&T, and as such, earned the distinction of first of the next-gen hardware. But being first isn't always the best - on Thursday, Samsung revealed their new flagship, the Galaxy S III. In European guise, both pack some pretty impressive specs, including a quad-core CPU, 1 GB of RAM, a large, 720p screen, high-quality cameras, and slim profiles. While there's no official word on what the SGSIII's US specs will be, it's likely it will lose two cores in favor of LTE, much like the One X.

06
May
ATTOneX

The Awesome HTC One X Is Now Available On AT&T, $50 Cheaper If You Get It Through Amazon

Posted by in AT&T, News, One X (Endeavor)

I've had the European version of the One X for a few weeks now and in my book, it's the best damn phone on the market right now, bar none. David spent some time with the AT&T variant (which lost some cores and storage but picked up LTE on its trip to the States) and came away equally as impressed, calling it "the best all-around Android phone you can buy in the US today."

Surprisingly, the price is entirely reasonable, too - it checks in at just $550 off contract, $200 on contract from AT&T, or $150 from Amazon Wireless.

01
May
hulu

Further Proof That The Entertainment Industry Is Stuck In Time: Hulu Reportedly To Require Paid TV Subscription

Posted by in Applications, News

To the more budget minded, services like Hulu are a godsend; for a fraction of the cost of Cable TV, you can get a large chunk of the content. The deal isn't great for everyone, though, since it cuts into cable providers and networks' huge profits (instead, they just get... normal profits). Clearly this is a serious problem, and it's been speculated  that it's probably the main reason companies like Comcast have instituted bandwidth caps on their internet service - so as to curb enthusiasm for streaming services in favor of their own (more expensive) in-house offerings. Unfortunately, it appears the companies are still too threatened by streaming content, and word has it that Hulu could require a paid cable TV subscription to work.

29
Apr
Google_Drive_Logo_lrg580x461_thumb

[Weekend Poll] Have You Switched Your Primary Cloud Storage Service To Google Drive?

Posted by in Applications, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Do You Use Cloud Storage With Your Android?

Google's much-anticipated cloud storage service, dubbed "Drive," finally dropped on Tuesday. Based on our tests, we think the service could still use some work - and we think it has the potential to gain some serious popularity as the kinks are worked out and the gaps are filled. But we're curious: have you switched already, despite the shortcomings? Or are you sticking with your tried-and-true service for the time being?

[Weekend Poll] Have You Switched Your Primary Cloud Storage Service To Google Drive?

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