weekend poll - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jun

[Weekend Poll] What's Your Preferred Tablet Display Size?

Posted by David Ruddock in Polaroid, Polls, Tablets

We're going to keep this weekend's poll simple: how big do you think your tablet should be? We've asked this question before, but that was quite a while ago. I'm curious to see if the dimensional preferences of the average AP reader have changed since, and what influence devices like the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 have had on people who are in the market for a tablet.

The choices this time will be a bit different, as sub-7" tablets really never panned out in a big way, and we've got a few popular sizes out there now.

My answer, if you're curious (if not, just vote below), is the "tweener" range - somewhere in that 7-10" zone of intrigue.

Jun

[Weekend Poll] Are You Actually Interested In A Dedicated Android Gaming System And / Or Controller?

Posted by David Ruddock in Polls

With all the Android gaming hardware announcements of late, I've really started to wonder: are people actually going to buy any of this stuff in meaningful quantities? You've got Moga's new controllers, Mad Catz is doing a console, BlueStacks is doing a console, and then there are the already-announced things like Shield, Ouya, GameStick, and the seemingly ever-growing list of "made for Android" wireless controllers.

There's something that's been eating at me about all this stuff, though: it really does feel like a lot of the hype around the Android gaming segment is self-generated. There has been a vocal demand among some Android users, yes, for a good wireless game controller.

Jun

[Weekend Poll] Are You Actually Going To Buy One Of The New "Nexus User Experience" Devices?

Posted by David Ruddock in Polls

With the announcement of the two leading-edge Android smartphones, the HTC One and Galaxy S4, in new "Nexus User Experience" editions, there really is only one remaining question: are you going to buy one?

The Nexified software experience has been something I've seen internet commenters clamoring for since the day I started writing for Android Police. And yet, somehow I feel pretty confident saying that these phones will fail to gain much traction outside a small, hardcore group of enthusiasts.

For years now, there has been basically non-stop negativity from Android fans about the proliferation of OEM software skins. They're ugly.

May

[Weekend Poll] Is The White Nexus 4 On Your "Want" List?

Posted by David Ruddock in Polls

The elusive white Nexus 4 has popped up on our radar on more than one occasion in the past, but as of yesterday, things got really real. And by real, I mean heavily augmented, stylized, and touched-up in Photoshop. We were provided some press photos of the device, leading us to believe that this baby (this baby being a pearly-white Nexus 4) is coming. The rumored released date, according to AndroidAndMe, is June 10th. Oddly, our tipster indicated that the phone is listed as running Android 4.2, though that doesn't exactly seem likely, given we know 4.3 is a thing and probably on the way soon enough.

Apr

[Weekend Poll] Whose Super-Sized Phone (In Theory) Could Sway You From The Next Galaxy Note?

Posted by David Ruddock in Polls

We all know that Samsung's working on a new version of the Galaxy Note smartphone. And we can probably assume it's going to debut later this summer, as it has the last two years. Unlike the last two years, though, it doesn't seem like it will be released to a market free of any real competitors. In any practical sense, the Galaxy Note and Note II went basically unchallenged in the jumbo-phone segment. Sure, there were oddities like the Optimus Vu (aka LG Intuition in the US), but Samsung was so plainly far ahead of everyone else in this part of the market that its Note devices became synonymous with the term 'phablet.' When you see someone with a giant phone, it's a pretty automatic assumption that's a Note or Note II.

Apr

[Weekend Poll] Are You Going To Try Facebook Home?

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, Polls

On April 12th, Facebook Home will arrive in the Play Store... for select devices. It's a homescreen replacement app, and for those who use Facebook regularly, might be something worth looking into. The demos of the app looked smooth and simple - there's a lot of that gesture business going on - and while I'm not exactly big on Facebook, I know I'm going to give it a whirl just to see what it's like.

What about you - is your curiosity piqued enough to try out Facebook's newest mobile endeavor (assuming your phone is compatible)?

Mar

[Weekend Poll] US Readers: Do You Plan On Switching Carriers This Year?

Posted by David Ruddock in Carriers, Polls

The wireless service landscape is undergoing significant changes in the US this year. T-Mobile just launched it's kind-of no contract plans with monthly hardware payments, something no other US carrier offers. Sprint is in the early stages of its LTE rollout, a buyout from Japanese firm Softbank, and the acquisition of Clearwire (which seems more likely with each passing day). AT&T has already gained the #2 LTE spot in the US, but may have turned off a good number of potential Galaxy S4 buyers by pricing the device at $250 on contract, while continuing to push its own shared data plan model.

Mar

[Weekend Poll] HTC One Or Galaxy S4?

Posted by David Ruddock in Galaxy S4, One, Polls

On last week's podcast, the question "HTC One or Galaxy S4?" came up, and was posed to each host. We all made our call, and now it's your turn. While I know many of you have no interest in either of these phones, today's question is not what your ideal phone is, but given a choice between them - which would you get? And no, 'neither' is not an option.

Each phone has its advantages and disadvantages - that's clear. The One is a beautiful piece of design with a few hardware tricks up its sleeve - dual front-facing speakers, a novel rear camera, and all aluminum chassis.

Mar

[Weekend Poll: Redux Edition] A Year Later, Are You Still Using A Custom Launcher?

Posted by David Ruddock in Polls

Back in the day, when I was using a Nexus One, custom launchers were all the rage on Android - not using one was strange. And when I had a DROID BIONIC, I still found myself using my go-to option - ADW.ex - most of the time. Today, though, my primary device is a Galaxy Note II, and I haven't had the urge to use a custom launcher for a moment since using it. The NatureUX launcher may not be particularly pretty, but it's highly functional, and rock-solid stable.

About a year ago, we asked you what your custom launcher situation was - that is, are you using one?

Feb

[Weekend Poll And News Roundup] Would You Buy An HP Android Tablet?

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Polls

Last week, a rumor from ReadWrite indicated HP was re-entering the consumer tablet market, with Android-powered hardware. HP's first stab at tablets, the TouchPad, was one of the most spectacular failures in the company's history. But given how well it runs Android, you have to wonder: how would a similar tablet that was actually built for Android fare in the market?

If HP is working on Android tablets - which seems pretty likely, given the death of WebOS and the company's distaste for Windows RT - I personally think it could be a seriously disruptive force.

The company's laptop line has seen a popular resurgence in the last couple of years, and while printers may not be the world's most exciting product, there's little arguing that HP still has tons of brand recognition among consumers, particularly in the US.