12
Feb
Nokia-Microsoft

[Weekend Poll] Is The Nokia/Microsoft Alliance A Threat To Android?

Posted by in Android OS, Development, Polls
Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

This is the newest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see The Great Divide: Is The Tablet/Phone Split Going To Hurt Android?

It's official: Nokia and Microsoft have formed a strategic alliance. Which, in layman's terms, means Nokia smartphones will be powered by Windows Phone 7, and search across all Nokia devices will be powered by Bing. What does this mean for Android, though?

Well, who knows. On the one hand, this is a move by Nokia to try to stop hemorrhaging customers, especially from the highly profitable smartphone segment. But it may already be too late; they've already given up an awful lot of ground.

12
Feb
andy_sisyphus

Android Intervention, Part 2 Of 4: Cohesiveness, Uniformity, And The Little Things

Posted by in Android OS, Editorials, News
Last Updated: August 1st, 2012

This is part two in a series of editorials addressing our editors' biggest gripes with Android. Click here for part one, on fragmentation.

Android has advanced by leaps and bounds with the last few revisions. Android 2.2 (Froyo) famously brought massive performance improvements, 2.3 (Gingerbread) brought many subtle (and in sum, quietly substantial) usability and UI improvements, while 3.0 (Honeycomb) is bringing an entirely new UI to the OS.

I have to admit - I laid out this editorial weeks ago, when Gingerbread was still in its infancy and Honeycomb had yet to be officially revealed. Having used Gingerbread-powered CM7 for nearly a week now, I can say that Google is really starting to make progress on my gripes.

12
Feb
lgoptimus2x

LG Optimus 2X Review Roundup: Fantastic Hardware, Questionable Execution

Posted by in LG, Optimus 2X (Star, p990), Phone Reviews, Reviews
Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Ah yes, dual-core smartphones are no longer just a sweet, geeky dream; the LG Optimus 2X, the world's first Tegra 2-powered handset, is finally here. And with an amazingly thin design, an 8MP camera capable of 1080p video recording, and HDMI mirroring, the device has a lot going for it.

But does it live up to these high expectations? The early reviewers seem to be split - some of them found that the device went above and beyond their expectations, while others were slightly disappointed by its performance. Read on for four different opinions of the device.

Engadget

I was a bit surprised to see that Engadget gave the Optimus 2X a rating of 6/10 - after all, they freely admit to being "unabashed spec junkies." However, their complaints certainly make sense - the software is, apparently, quite buggy, and the Tegra 2 CPU hasn't been used to its full potential (at least not yet).

11
Feb
image

Motorola XOOM $799 + 1 Month Data And $749 Off-Contract Thunderbolt Now Confirmed By Best Buy Circular

Posted by in HTC, Motorola, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), XOOM

If one thing can put an end to rumors, it's the official Best Buy weekly ad - the one you get in print from the store. Unfortunately, this time, all the rumors turned out to be correct. Namely:

  • As rumored, Motorola XOOM is indeed going to cost $799 and will require a 1-month data package to unlock WiFi. February 24th remains the go-live date. Anyone still up for picking it up? Oh, and the same spelling errors are still present (/sigh).
  • HTC Thunderbolt's regular, off-contract price is also confirmed at $749.99, just like we told you yesterday. Bummer. 2-year contract price is still $249.99.

11
Feb
image

Plixi (Formerly TweetPhoto) Releases Official Android App

Posted by in Applications, News

You've probably heard of Plixi, a picture-sharing service heavily aimed at social networking users - after all, according to Alexa, it's the 372nd most popular site in the world. Or maybe TweetPhoto, the company's previous name, rings a bell? As you can see below, its popularity is undisputed, but until now, the millions of users sharing their media to Plixi have been doing it mostly through 3rd party apps.

image

Frankly, I'm surprised it took them this long, but today the company announced the official Plixi Android app, dedicated 100% to uploading photos from your Android devices and sharing them with your social graph.

11
Feb
andy_sisyphus

Android Intervention, Part 1 Of 4: Why Google Needs To Rein In Updates

Posted by in Android OS, Editorials, News

I think it's safe to say that Android is the best thing to happen to smartphones since the iPhone (though, I'll admit, I may be a wee bit biased). Without a doubt, the massive success of the operating system is due in large part to its openness; the ability for devices to share fundamental code, while still allowing for an amazing amount of customization, has provided something for consumers, carriers, and manufacturers that Apple would never match. And it's for that reason that Android has taken off on such an unbelievable scale, clocking nearly 900% growth in 2010.

But despite all the things Android does great (and the list is definitely long), there are still a few places where it falls short.

11
Feb
image

Revision3 Quietly Drops 6 New Apps In The Android Market: Hak5, Dan 3.0, GeekBeat.TV, Young Turks, Totally Rad Show, And Scientific Tuesdays

Posted by in Applications, News

Revision3, a popular Internet-based TV network started in part by Kevin Rose, just quietly released not 1, not 2, but 6 apps for 6 of their popular shows.

The apps allow you to stream episodes in standard or hi-def, view comments, and view individual show segments - the Segments tab acts a video table of contents of sorts - a subtle feature, but it really makes all the difference.

There aren't many features besides the ones I've listed, but what the apps do do (ha), they do very well. Sometimes simple is good, and in the case of video streaming apps like these, the statement holds true.

11
Feb
image

LG Features Optimus 3D In One Of The Cheesiest Commercials We've Ever Seen, Complete With Hot Girl, Pink Bubbles, Yoga, And Out-of-sync Voiceover

Posted by in LG, News, Optimus 3D (p920) / Thrill 4G (p925), Videos

The upcoming 3D phone from LG, Optimus 3D, may be cool, with its glasses-free 3D and a dual-core CPU, but it certainly didn't stop the company from producing one of the cheesiest/worst commercials we've ever seen.

The premise is decent - a girl is doing yoga, and her 3D-capable phone provides her with 3D training videos, but the execution... well, you decide, because I'm out of words:

Source: LGMobileHQ

11
Feb
gals2

[Rumor] Expansys Leaks Galaxy S 2, Desire HD2, Desire 2, and Wildfire 2 Spec Sheets

Posted by in Desire 2 (Saga), Desire HD2, Galaxy S II, HTC, News, Samsung, Wildfire S / Wildfire 2 (Marvel)

Last night, PocketNow landed their hands on some official spec sheet leaks from UK retailer Expansys, and the specs don't disappoint. Let's take a look:

  • Samsung Galaxy S 2
  • 1.2 Ghz Dual-Core CPU (Qualcomm 8260 SnapDragon), Adreno 205 GPU
  • 4.3" 800x480 SAMOLED Plus
  • 8MP Camera around back (with LED flash and 1080p video recording), 2MP in front
  • 512 MB RAM
  • 16 GB internal storage, microSD card support
  • HTC Desire HD2
    • 1.2 Ghz Dual-Core CPU (Qualcomm 8260 SnapDragon), Adreno 205 GPU
    • 960x540 3.3" (typo? should it be 4.3"?) SLCD
    • 8MP in back with LED flash and 1080p video
    • 512MB RAM
    • 8 GB internal storage, microSD support
    • Sense UI 3.0
  • HTC Desire 2
    • 1 Ghz CPU (Qualcomm 8250 SnapDragon), Adreno 200 GPU
    • 3.7" 800x480 SLCD
    • 5MP rear camera (LED flash and 720p video), 2MP front
    • 512 MB RAM
    • 4 GB internal storage, microSD support
  • HTC Wildfire 2
    • 600 Mhz CPU (Qualcomm MSM7227), Adreno 200 GPU
    • 3.2" 480x420 TFT
    • 5 MP rear camera (LED flash, 480p video)
    • 384 MB RAM
    • Unspecified internal memory, microSD card support

    All in all, some respectable specs from the Galaxy S 2 and DHD2, some run-of-the-mill specs for the Desire 2 (nearly identical CPU as the EVO), and some downright embarrassing kit on the Wildfire 2 (it won't even be able to run Flash).

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