David Ruddock

David studies law at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. His phone is Motorola DROID BIONIC. David is an avid writer, and enjoys imparting a legal perspective on Android news where it is relevant. He also doesn't usually write such boring sentences.

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Aug

Rumor: Sprint Getting The Galaxy S II In September, To Be Called The Epic Touch 4G

Posted by David Ruddock in Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S II, News, Rumors, Samsung, Sprint

Last Updated: August 30th, 2011

Well, the Galaxy S II rumors are really starting to heat up stateside. Earlier today, BGR let loose a tip that Sprint may be getting its own Galaxy S II-based handset as early as next month (September), and that it will be dubbed the 'Epic Touch 4G.' This obviously implies that the device will not share the physical QWERTY keyboard of its etymological ancestor, the Epic 4G.

The phone will also feature Sprint's WiMAX 4G - which raises another big question: just how should Sprint subscribers reconcile the carrier's planned adoption of LTE with yet another WiMAX handset on the way?

Jul

ATRIX 4G Gingerbread Update Now Available Via OTA - Brings Sideloading, New MOTOBLUR

Posted by David Ruddock in Atrix 4G (Olympus), Gingerbread 2.3, Motorola, News

Better late than never, right? Motorola's first dual-core handset, the ATRIX 4G, has finally received the green light for Gingerbread - and the OTA is a go. If you head into your Settings menu, and hit About Phone, then System Updates - the update should be waiting for you. If not, just wait a while - OTA's often take several days or even weeks to complete the "rollout" process.

What does the update bring? Well, Android 2.3.4 is the big star of the OTA. ATRIX 4G users will experience better app performance, UI refinements, and (hopefully) a slew of bugfixes. You'll also get a shiny new version of MOTOBLUR - hopefully one that's similar to what the DROID 3 is running, which we think is the best (well, least bad, maybe) version of the skin to date, and by a country mile.

Jul

New App: Dual File Manager XT Brings Awesome Dual-Pane File Management To Android

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, Apps/Games, News

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

If you're like us, you probably spend a little bit of time in your Android device's directory system, hunting down stray files or unused app folders ripe for deletion. Or, more frustratingly, moving files between folders. This has never been particularly easy on Android, because you're limited to enough room on most handsets for one open file directory at a time - but no more.

Update: In response to a lot of you who are asking for root support, the app developer wrote in to say this:

"yes ROOT will be added if the program along with additional features."

Even with robust file management applications like Astro, moving files from folder to folder is a bit of a pain.

Jul

The 5 Best Android Phones Under $60 (US Only) - July 2011

Posted by David Ruddock in Deals, Droid 3, Droid X2, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Revolution, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless

I know, I know. The last one was under $50, and preferably free. But in our attempt to keep you updated with the latest and greatest deals on the latest and greatest devices, we had to make sacrifices. Fortunately, that means there are also no repeat appearances from last month's post, though you should still check it out - a lot of those handsets (aside from the DROID 2) are still viable choices.

So, you get a fresh batch of deals, on a fresh set of phones. Oh, 4 of the 5 are for Verizon - and AT&T and T-Mobile are left out of this month's roundup (though the $50 Infuse deal at Target gets an honorable mention).

Jul

Nexus S 4G Android 2.3.5 Update With WiMAX Speed Improvements Rolling Out July 25

Posted by David Ruddock in Gingerbread 2.3, News, Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Sprint

Last Updated: July 26th, 2011

After a delay, Sprint has unveiled the much-awaited Android 2.3.5 update for the Nexus S 4G, and it will start rolling out Monday, July 25th. The update brings a much needed fix for bogged-down 4G speeds on the handset, which have plagued users since the phone's release.

Additionally, some Wi-Fi bugs have been exterminated, the speakerphone should sound better, and TTY support for deaf users has been added. You'll also ~~get a 4G toggle widget~~ (update: maybe not), and NFC will officially be enabled. Here's Sprint's statement on the update:

Nexus S™ 4G is getting a software update designed to improve 4G data speeds for users and provide several other updates.

Jul

Lodsys Sues Rovio For Patent Infringement Over Angry Birds For Android - We Break Out The Popcorn

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Apps/Games, News

Well, it seems Lodsys has gotten a lot more gravitas in the last few months due to the success of its patent-trolling efforts. The company's legal reps have amended a complaint filed in the Eastern District of Texas (also known as the "rocket docket" district for the speediness and plaintiff-friendliness of its trials), and it's a doozy.

From Lodsys's Complaint

Lodsys has sued Rovio over Angry Birds for Android (and iPhone), along with Electronic Arts (EA), Atari, Square Enix, and Take-Two Interactive - and many others (37 total, in fact). The latter publishers were all sued for iPhone games.

This, in our book, says little for Lodsys's credibility.

Jul

Why Apple's Patent Victories Over HTC Aren't All That Important Or Scary

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, HTC

Android's latest indirect legal tussle to come to a head, a patent suit between HTC and Apple, was ruled on last week by the US ITC (Court of International Trade) - finding the Taiwanese manufacture liable for two counts of patent infringement. This news has spread like wildfire through every corner of the tech blog world. But is there really anything that's changed right now (or even in the near future) because of the outcome of this suit? Not really, no. Even the long-term, worst-case-scenario implications aren't exactly terrifying - and here's why.

Appeals Process

As many sites have pointed out, HTC has vowed to appeal the ruling of the ITC.

Jul

Toshiba Thrive Honeycomb Tablet Re-Review: Let's Try This Again

Posted by David Ruddock in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Reviews, Tablet Reviews, Thrive / Regza / Antares / AT100, Toshiba, Videos

Last Updated: February 8th, 2012

After much debate, several upset comments, and a number of good points made - I've decided to rewrite the review of the Toshiba Thrive. Admittedly, the first review lacked the kind of thorough objectivity we usually try to achieve when we look at new hardware, and it's not fair to readers to make a jump to the conclusion without a complete analysis first. I apologize.

The Toshiba Thrive has been a darling of the Android community since it was unveiled way back in January at CES in Las Vegas, when it was still just the young, nameless "Toshiba Tablet." Fast-forward 7 months, it's July, and the Thrive is finally here - but has it matured well?

Jul

Review: Spotify For Android (US) - Is It The Music Streaming Service You've Been Waiting For?

Posted by David Ruddock in App Reviews, Applications, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

No, it's not. At least not for Android - and that's what we're here to talk about today. The merits of Spotify as a music streaming subscription service for your desktop are substantially greater - it's well organized, searching and streaming are quick, powerful, and pretty. There's a lot to love - and at $10 (or free for ad-supported and no Android playback) a month for unlimited streaming, those plusses are hard to argue against.

Unfortunately, if you plan on using Spotify on your Android device, there's a lot less to love, unless your musical needs are very specific. Spotify for Android is good for one thing: finding music.

Jul

Subsonic Updated To 3.0 - Brings UI Changes And... An Equalizer!

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, News

Long have Subsonic users awaited the day the do-it-yourself music streaming platform would finally incorporate an equalizer in its Android app. Today is that day. Subsonic has been updated to version 3.0, and there's a slew of changes. For one, there's a brand-new widget. There's also a basic music visualization option, and the notification on the pull-down menu now shows album art. Take a look at some of the new features, below:

Subsonic, if you aren't familiar with it, is a music streaming platform that utilizes your home computer and personal music collection to provide a cloud-esque experience. That is to say, it's 100% your bandwidth being used, there's no unnecessary middleman transcoding the files (ahem, AudioGalaxy), and you can customize the experience from the server side to almost no end.