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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.

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Sep

[Weekend Poll] What Is Your Maximum Screen Size For A Phone?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Devices By Manufacturer, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see What Is Your Ideal Phone Screen Size?

A very simple question this week, and very similar to last week's. Given the trend of larger and larger phone screens (look no further than the ultra-sexy 5.3" Galaxy Note), we already know what your ideal screen size is. But sometimes other aspects of a device may push you to a higher screen size than your ideal. So what's the maximum screen size you'd accept?

Sound off in the poll below (round to the nearest option), and feel free to discuss via the comments.

Sep

[Weekend Poll] What Is Your Ideal Phone Screen Size?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Is Steve Jobs' Resignation The Beginning Of The End For Apple?

Many a discussion has cropped up between AP writers about screen size. David's ideal screen size is about 3.7" - the same as what's on his Nexus One - although he could comfortably go up to 4". Artem, on the other hand, loves his 4.3" EVO and has no qualms with 4.5" screens. Personally, I'm more with David: the EVO already feels just a tad too big (width and height) in my pocket, and is about the limit of what fits comfortably in my hand.

Sep

From The Makers Of Guerrilla Bob: Muffin Knight Released In The Android Market

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Games, News

When our former man Will Shanklin played Guerrilla Bob, he came away very impressed - enough so that he highly recommended it. Fast forward a few months, and the studio behind it, Angry Mob Games, is back with what looks to be another instant classic: Muffin Knight. Take a look:

The story:

Fertilize the forest with the unicorn, cover the sky with black holes, flood the world with candy, but just get the muffins back!
Muffin Knight is an action-packed platformer with stunning visuals and a myriad of fairytale characters, each with their own unique abilities, which gain strength as you advance.

Sep

Eric Schmidt Says Motorola Purchase Was For "More Than Just Patents" - It Was Also For Their "Amazing Products"

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Motorola, News

During his time on-stage at the Salesforce.com Dreamforce conference, Eric Schmidt (Chairman and former CEO) of Google said that the company's purchase of Motorola is about more than just patents, as has broadly been claimed.

We did it for more than just patents. We actually believe that the Motorola team has some amazing products coming....We're excited to have the product line, to use the Motorola brand, the product architecture, the engineers. These guys invested the RAZR. We know them well because they're Google Apps users....[We like] having at least one area where we can do integrated hardware and software. [via]

Does it make sense for Google to enter the hardware industry?

Sep

Irony Alert: Apple Says Samsung And Motorola Are "Anticompetitive" Because Of Their Patents

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Editorials, News, Off-Topic

Apple has a long history of being ironic, and not in the positive sense of the word. Their latest bout of ironic shenanigans: accusing Samsung and Motorola of being "anticompetitive." Frankly, this is such an outrageous accusation that I just don't know where to start with it.

First off, a little history: as Daily Tech points out, Steve Jobs famously said "We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas." What changed? Well... I don't like to get into the politics of Android vs. Apple, as I think Apple truly makes some great products, and have occasionally recommended them over alternate products.

Sep

WakeVoice Is A Brilliant Alarm Clock - And 20 Lucky Readers Can Win A Free Copy

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Applications, Contests / Giveaways

Last Updated: September 6th, 2011

WakeVoice

There are dozens of alternative alarms out there, but ever since I discovered WakeVoice way back in November, it's been my favorite. The biggest reason: I can lay in bed for a few minutes after I wake up and not feel bad about it since WakeVoice reads me the weather and news (it can also read your horoscope and, depending on your phone, your calendar). The app uses the stock Android speech synthesis voice, but third-party voices are linked from within the app and can be purchased. Better still, WakeVoice features voice recognition. Rather than having to find your phone to hit "Snooze" or "Stop," you can just say it using voice commands.

Aug

[Book Giveaway #8] Be One Of Five Lucky Readers Who Will Win "Teach Yourself Android Development In 24 Hours"

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Contests / Giveaways, Development

Last Updated: September 11th, 2011

We're continuing our big giveaway-spree with another book giveaway from informIT. This time around, we've partnered up to award five copies of yet another book to help aspiring developers along their way.

Teach Yourself Android Application Development In 24 Hours

This go-round we're giving away Teach Yourself Android Application Development In 24 Hours (2nd ed.), written by Lauren Darcey and Shane Conder, published by Sams just over a month ago (the phrase "hot off the presses" seems to apply nicely).

The 512-page book is quite comprehensive:

Android is the world's #1 mobile development platform, and with the new Android 3.0, it's becoming as popular for tablets as it is for smartphones.

Aug

[Exclusive] Toshiba's Sexy New Tablet To Be Called The Excite

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Excite 10 LE (AT200 / AT205), Exclusives, News, Rumors, Tablets, Toshiba

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Back in April, before Toshiba had officially revealed the name of its upcoming tablet, one Babyfacemagee did some serious detective work to figure out that it would be called the Thrive - and ended up being dead-on. Fast-forward a few months, and we're hearing rumors of a new, slimmer, sexier Galaxy Tab-fighter from Toshiba.

While we've yet to hear (or see) anything official from the company, Babyfacemagee seems to have come through with the name once again. This time around, it seems that the tablet will (quite fittingly) be dubbed the Excite.

So, what do we have by way of proof?

Aug

[Weekend Poll] Is Steve Jobs' Resignation The Beginning Of The End For Apple?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Off-Topic, Polls

Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For the last, see What Type Of Custom ROM Are You Running?

Perhaps the biggest news in tech this week was the resignation of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Highly respected for being the leading force behind bringing the company back from the brink through innovation, creativity, and attention to detail, some wonder how the company will fare going forward. The company has been left in the hands of Tim Cook, who has been with Apple for 13 years and has been known to take Mr. Jobs' place from time to time in the past.

Aug

[Weekend Poll] What Type Of Custom ROM Are You Running?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Off-Topic, Polls

Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

I'm curious to see what percentage of our readers who run custom ROMs are using AOSP (Android Open Source Project - something pretty close to vanilla Android, such as CyanogenMod), and what percentage are using something based on stock device ROMs. More specifically, I want to find out if people on certain manufacturers are more likely to go AOSP than others - in other words, is Blur/NinjaBlur pushing more people to AOSP than TouchWiz, or is there no difference?