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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If an always-connected tablet is something your heart has always desired but your brain won't let you open your wallet long enough to pay what carriers are asking for their branded tablets, the heavens may have just opened up for you. NVIDIA is unleashing a mobile network-connected version of the the EVGA Tegra Note 7 on the world, which will be available sometime in Q2. And the timing couldn't be better – the Wi-Fi TN7 just got updated to Android 4.4.2 last night, which also brings NVIDIA's GamePad Mapper to the device. The LTE version will of course ship with KitKat.
If you have EVGA's Tegra Note 7, it's time to dive into the settings menu and grab the latest – NVIDIA is currently pushing Android 4.4.2 to the device right now.
This is basically just another "big company buys smaller company" story, but if you're a Simple customer (or have been interested in checking out the service), then it's still worth paying attention to.
I've said it dozens of times, but I'll say it again: there aren't enough eight-inch Android tablets. When the iPad Mini was announced, I assumed more manufacturers would jump on the form factor, but nope â there still aren't that many. Needless to say, when HP announced the Slate8 Pro, I was intrigued. It's an 8-inch tablet with a 4:3 aspect ratio, which treads directly on the iPad Mini's territory. Of course, we have to be realistic here â it's an HP tablet, and so far there hasn't been anything really remarkable coming from them.Still, I kept an open mind when I cracked the box open. The 4:3 aspect ratio is surprisingly refreshing and not at all difficult to adjust to. In fact, I believe I prefer it over 16:9. The build quality looked good, and the snow white back was a breath of fresh air for an HP tablet. It looks really good. Classy.Of course, the real test is using it. So I did that for a few weeks. I initially really liked the device, but then discovered one fatal flaw.[reviewupdate]
So this smartwatch thing... it isn't going anywhere anytime soon (except maybe your wrist). It's pretty clear that, even if people don't actually want them, manufacturers want people to have them. We might as well give in now, because it's happening.
We've seen Android thrown onto some usual devices – refrigerators, cars, ovens, some other stuff – and we've also watched as devices with the OS running on them keep getting larger and larger. And larger. Well, Ideum and 3M's latest collaboration may take the cake: it's a damn coffee table.
Back in December, Blu released its first 1080p phone, the Life Pure. It's a drastically different device than other Blu phones, in that the launcher and primary interface are very iOS-like. While most Android users probably scoff at that, it's actually a pretty good option for anyone looking to make the leap from iPhone to Android, as it eases the transition. With that said, the five-inch display may be one thing holding some users back from making the jump to the Life Pure, and with that, Blu released the Pure's little brother, the Life Pure Mini. The screen size isn't the only difference, however – like Samsung's "mini" devices, it took a hit in the spec department compared to its larger sibling.
If you spend a lot of time at a computer, then you probably realize how much easier it is to handle text messaging using a browser and keyboard. If you haven't yet explored that option, however, you're missing out. There are many different applications in Google Play that achieve the same end result, but MightyText is easily among the best – it's free, extremely easy to set up, and has both a Chrome extension and tablet app.
Ever since Google Now became a thing, Search has been the go-to voice command hub for all of Android. There has been one nagging issue, however: when using a Bluetooth headset, a long-press of the action button would bring up the tired old Voice Dialer, which is essentially useless for anything other than making a call. What if I just have to know how tall Joakim Noah is while out cycling. What am I to do?! I can't just stop – that's absurd. (He's 6'11" by the way.)
If you prefer to get your news hot and steaming from the NBC pipeline, I feel kind of bad for you. Not really because of NBC itself, but because the app was just so ugly. Thankfully NBC woke up and realized the app was basically reminiscent of a child's plaything and had the developer, Zumobi Apps, craft a new one. This one's much prettier. Here's a comparison to prove it:
Looks like another big "Update Wednesday" for Google, starting with the Drive app. Today's update brings just a couple of small-ish changes... unless, like the rest of the internet, you have an obsession with animated GIFs. Or you scan a lot of documents. Or both.
Well, we've seen this coming for weeks now – leak after leak showed off the bright red Nexus 5, and now it's finally available. The cost is the same as other Nexus 5s: $350 for 16GB or $400 for 32GB. Not that we expected it to be any cheaper anyway. On the upside, if you want one for free, here's your chance.
As we've clearly seen over the past several months, there's a new trend in portable charging solutions making the rounds on crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Some are simply smaller cables with an interesting design, while others – like ChargeCard, for example – are little more than a cable with a different form factor. Along those same lines is the Jumper Card, a new product that just hit Indiegogo today. Basically, it combines the idea behind ChargeCard with a very small (480mAh) portable battery – something that seemed to be exactly what people wanted from ChargeCard.
Update: Since this post was published, Pebble has introduced a beta appstore for Android through their developer blog. Pebble encourages interested users to "help us finalize the Android app and ship it to everyone very quickly" by using the beta release and reporting any bugs. The beta release is certainly not without its issues, but interested parties can download it here.
At this point, I've gone hands-on with several Blu phones, including the Life Play, Life View, Life Pro, Life Pure, and Vivo 4.8 HD, so I'm pretty familiar with what type of stuff they're putting out these days. I didn't think much about the Life One X (aside from the fact it's another One X phone and they'll probably get into some hot water over that), but after getting some hands-on time with the phone, I think this is my favorite Blu handset yet.If you're not already familiar with Blu's One X, here's the gist: it's basically an upgrade to the Life One that brings a 1080p screen, faster processor, and 2GB of RAM to the existing form factor, along with a 32GB storage option. The cost is only marginally higher than its predecessor (I can't put an exact number here since the price fluctuates pretty regularly on Amazon), and still manages to keep it affordable by staying under the $300 mark. Here's a closer look at the specs:
If there's a Micro Center nearby and you've yet to jump on the tablet bandwagon, now's your chance to do it on the cheap. For a limited time, MC is selling the 2013 Nexus 7 for up to $70 off its normal price: the 32GB model is only $199 ($70 off), and the 16GB model is going for $179 ($50 off). That's a good savings – and it's worth noting that these are brand new units, not refurbs.
Back when NVIDIA announced its Tegra Note platform, it was said that several manufacturers would be producing their own versions of the unit. The basic components are the same – Tegra 4, 1GB RAM, 1280x800 display, etc. – but each manufacturer is still free to tweak and change the design as they see fit. HP's Slate 7 Extreme is a perfect example of this – it looks nothing like the EVGA Tegra Note 7 (which was the first TN7 device to market), yet it packs all the same features.
Verizon's Ellipsis 7 Getting Pretty Big OTA Update, Brings Improved Data Connectivity, Better Battery Life, And More
Verizon's Ellipsis 7 Getting Pretty Big OTA Update, Brings Improved Data Connectivity, Better Battery Life, And More
If you were one of the four, maybe five people who picked up Verizon's self-branded Ellipsis tablet, then a journey to the settings menu is probably in order. Why? Because Big Red is sending an OTA to the device that brings a handful of useful changes. Here's a look at the changelog: