Cameron Summerson
Contributing since March, 2011
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3396articles
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About Cameron Summerson
Cameron is a self-made geek, Android enthusiast, horror movie fanatic, musician, and cyclist. When he's not pounding keys here at AP, you can find him spending time with his wife and kids, plucking away on the 6-string, spinning on the streets, or watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on repeat.
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Blu isn't a company that's typically known for pushing out the highest-end flagship devices, but rather a solid company offering unlocked budget handsets. It's always releasing new handsets, giving potential customers a lot to choose from. At CES this year, the company took wraps off of seven new handsets (to be fair, a couple of those are from the same line), none of which cost more than $199 off-contract. Powerhouses? Probably not. Good return for the money? I'd almost guarantee it. Let's take a quick look at each one.
IK Multimedia took the first step in bringing its music creation tools to Android with its iRig HD-A announcement back in November, but that device was compatible with the Samsung Note 4 and Note 4 Edge only. Today, it's changing the game in a major way, as it just announced the iRig 2, which brings full Android compatibility to the table.
I have to hand it to you guys who've been using T-Mo's Galaxy Tab 3 - you've been powering through with Jelly Bean (4.2, no less) for...ever. Looks like all your patience is finally paying off, as T-Mo is now sending KitKat to Tab 3s over the air.
While I don't personally do a lot of work from a tablet, the option of a keyboard has always been appealing to me. I'll occasionally use my tablet to take notes for whatever review I'm working on at the time, pen a quick email, or some other third thing that I can't think of right now. For anything more than a short sentence or two, the software keyboard just doesn't cut it for me. I've reviewed several hardware keyboards designed for Android, but none seem quite as elegant as Google's Nexus 9 Keyboard Folio ($130). The overall design is well thought-out, and thanks to the magnetic connection to the tablet, it's super slim. Google seemingly thought of everything with this case, save for one important detail: the actual keyboard.
I've been an Evernote user for a long time now. I've watched it grow from a simple way to take and organize notes to a powerful work tool. I've written many reviews in Evernote (for easy cross-device sync), and I don't see that changing any time soon.
I've always loved accessories for my mobile gadgets, and docks are typically some of my favorites. But in a world packed with more docks than you can shake a stick at (I oftentimes shake sticks at docks for whatever reason), it's difficult to find something new and compelling. In fact, the last dock I was truly impressed by was 2040's Arq Dock, a pretty versatile little dock in its own right.
Guys, the smartphone world is getting crazy. Phones just seem to keep growing, and Blu's Studio 7.0 is the biggest I've seen yet. Before we get into the meat and potatoes of what this massive phone is all about, I want to get one thing out of the way: this is not a tablet with telephone capabilities. Stylistically and functionally, the Studio 7.0 is a massive smartphone through and through.I think the real appeal of the Studio 7 (you know, for those who are actually looking for a 7-inch smartphone), is the price: this oversized handset only costs $150. Of course, you get $150 worth of hardware, as well; but let's be honest here - this isn't for the average user. This device is for someone looking to get the functionality of both a tablet and a phone in one device. This phone offers features to users on a budget that they may not be able to otherwise afford. It's not for power users. It's not for you or me. It's for the tween who wants something more than just a smartphone, the non-tech friend who is looking to get a lot of bang for their buck, or anyone who just wants a really, really big phone for cheap.
Back in August of 2012, I reviewed a set of Bluetooth earbuds from Phiaton called the PS 210 BTNC. At the time I found them quite pleasant to use, that huge clip-on "remote" be damned. Fast-forward two years and Phiaton is back with the 210's successor, the BT 220 NC ($160). Here's the questionable part: the design is basically the same. While most Bluetooth earbud manufacturers have moved to a much smaller, more practical design, Phiaton is sticking to its guns with the wired remote. The good news is that the in-line donglemote has been dramatically improved over the 210, so at least there's that.While the design in itself may be questionable and not practical for some uses, the 220 does offer things that matter, like noise-cancelling and good sound quality. I probably wouldn't use them for working out (unlike back in 2012, when the BT options were very limited), but for most "regular" uses, they're probably OK.
Google started pushing an incremental Android update to a handful of Nexus devices early last week, with factory images for those units shortly after. Today, the 5.0.1 images for the Nexus 6 and Nexus 4 are live and ready for your flashing pleasure. Surprisingly, we're still not seeing anything for the Nexus 5, and the 2012 Nexus 7/LTE model are of course lagging behind as well. We'll keep you posted as more images become available.
Update: Looks like Google let the developer restore 4.4 support to the existing app. So...you can have Facer again.
The set-top box market has basically exploded over the past couple of years, with companies like Google, Roku, and Amazon leading the way. The good news is that there's no indication it's going to slow any time soon; in fact, it keeps getting better. Amazon's Fire TV stick is the perfect example of that â it's essentially a Fire TV crammed into an HDMI stick, but at a fraction of the price. I kinda fell in love with Fire TV back when I reviewed it, but for $25-40, Fire TV Stick is the best streaming "box" that you can buy for the money. It out-performs Roku's streaming stick, has a larger catalog than Chromecast, does essentially everything Fire TV can do, and comes in at a crazy-good price. Home. Run.I'm just going to say this now: between the newest Fire HD Tablets, Fire TV, and now Fire TV Stick, this is Amazon's year. It's easily the Most Improved Player in the tech world for 2014, which is something I never thought I'd say.
Ever since the death of Google Reader (RIP, old friend), I've been using Feedly for all of my RSS/news aggregation needs. It started off as a viable alternative to Reader, and did an excellent job of mending the pieces of my broken heart during that transitional phase in my life. Honestly, Feedly was there for me when I needed it most. Thanks for being a great friend, Feedly.
We've talked about how handy it is to have a portable charger numerous times here at AP (I even recommended one in this year's Holiday Gift Guide). I've personally tested several different chargers over the last few years, so I've seen them go from $125 for 6,000mAh down to entries like the one we're looking at today â the Unu Superpack â which offers 10,000mAh for just $40 (on Amazon). Given the price point of the Superpak, I didn't really have the highest of expectations for it. Turns out I was selling it short right out of the gate, as this is a fantastic little charger â not just for the money, but in general. Let's take a closer look at it now, and then we'll get into the giveaway.
A few weeks ago, Ryan and I tag teamed the Kindle Fire HD 6 and 7 in a review that left us both pretty dang impressed with what Amazon has cooked up in its newest budget-friendly tablets. Since then, I've been playing with the Fire HD Kids (6" - $149; 7" - $159), Amazon's attempt at entering the kids' tablet market. I'm using the six-inch model for this review, but the tablet is also available in a seven-inch model. Like the "regular" HD 6 and 7, the tablets are virtually identical, save for the size. The software is the same on both devices.
Runtastic has all sorts of apps (many of which have absolutely nothing to do with running) – everything from cycling, to heart rate monitoring, to abs, and so much more. Its newest app, however, really wants to help users get their ass in shape... literally. It's called Butt Trainer, and well, the name speaks for itself. (For the record, I suggested "RuntASStic," but they didn't go for it.)
When asked which speaker company I think offers the biggest bang for the buck, the answer is pretty easy: it's either G-Project or Soundfreaq. Both are great companies, and each offers a lot of speaker for the money. They both target very different sets of users, however, so I don't really feel like they easily cross paths in the market. For example, Soundfreaq makes killer "around the house" speakers - they're not necessarily designed for ultimate portability, and they don't have a super robust look or feel to them. G-Project speakers, on the other hand, are built tough. They're made for outdoor use, to be thrown in a backpack, and to generally get beaten to death (not literally, of course).The newest offering from G-Project, the G-DROP, is no exception. In fact, it may be the new standard for the company, as it's probably the toughest speaker it has ever released. It's completely submersible at up to three feet and designed to handle extreme temperatures, as well as dirt and sand. It's a beast in a small package.While the bulk of this review is going to focus on the G-DROP, I'll also be taking a look at the G-BUZZ, the company's new alarm clock, as well as the newly re-designed G-GO. Let's, um, go.
SHIELD Tablet LTE owners in the US who are ready to kick off the holiday weekend have a little something extra to be thankful for this year - their version of NVIDIA's eight-inch tablet is getting Lollipop as of now.
These days, there are tons of way to store files. Locally, in the cloud, on the network...or any combination of those. Personally, I'm a cloud storage kind of guy - ever since Dropbox and Drive have been a thing, I've relied on them to keep everything in sync across all of my computers and mobile devices. Keeping my most-used files accessible whenever and wherever I want has changed the way I use my gear (for the better).
We knew that YouTube Music Key would start rolling out this week, and it looks like it's in full force at this point. A bunch of us here at AP already have it, and from the look of our tip box, most of you do as well. If not, well, I'm sorry. Here's a quick look at what you're missing.
You guys love Pushbullet, right? If not, it's probably because you haven't used it. This is easily one of the most powerful utilities available on Android, and definitely one worth having installed. And as of today, it's getting even more powerful (or convenient, at least).