Other Reviews - 13/15 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

May

13 Ways CyanogenMod 7 Makes My Android Phone Feel Future-Proof [Deep Review]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, EVO 4G (Supersonic), News, Other Reviews, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Tips & Tutorials

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

After spending almost a year with my EVO 4G in what was essentially rooted stock condition (Fresh ROM, based on stock Sense, minus bloatware), I finally got frustrated to the point that I was ready to make the jump to CyanogenMod and see just how much better the fully unlocked stock Android experience with CM improvements is.

The Sense ROM offered by Fresh, even in its supposedly optimized form, was starting to get quite slow and would sometimes start choking for no reasons whatsoever. Whenever I was installing apps, I could forget about getting any useful response out of the phone - I had to wait till it was done in order to avoid frustration.

May

[Bootscreen Animation Roundup Part 4] Is That A Tesseract In Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Android OS, Bootscreen Animation Series, News, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

I know, I know... it's only been a week since the last roundup, but when you just happen to stumble upon a gaggle of awesome animations all at one time, what else can you do? If you were thinking "post 'em up for everyone to enjoy," then you win! What do you win, you ask? Why, some sick new boot animations, of course! How sweet is that?

Don't know how to change your boot animation? Take a look at our primer on the matter.

Don't forget to take a look at the last three editions of this roundup here, here, and here.

May

[Deathmatch] Google Music Beta Vs. Amazon Cloud Player

Posted by Cameron Summerson in App Reviews, Applications, News, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

When Amazon Cloud Player hit the scene, my exact words were "Google Music who?" and now that Google Music Beta invites are starting to rollout to the masses, I can aptly answer that question.

I've used Amazon Cloud Player as the primary music player on my Android phone since its inception at the end of March, so I've become quite familiar with how it works. The service has its pros and cons (like any service, I suppose), but overall I am a big fan. Now that I have had a day or so to play with Google Music, though, I thought it would be appropriate to put these two in the ring together to see who would rise as the victor.

May

[Bootscreen Animation Roundup Part 3] Five Times The Pleasure, Five Times The Fun

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Android OS, Bootscreen Animation Series, News, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Welcome to the third iteration of our super-awesome bootscreen animation roundup. It's been about six weeks since our last one, so it's definitely about time for another go. I'm sure at this point no introduction is needed, so let's get right into the screens.

If you're not sure how to change your boot animation, take a look at our primer.

You can find even more boot animation goodness in the first two editions of this roundup, here and here.

Android Vs. Apple

First up on the list is an animation that really needs little description - it's Andy destroying the Apple logo by way of ingestion.

May

[Unboxing and Review] Otterbox Commuter Series For Desire HD/Inspire 4G Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bulk

Posted by Zak Stinson in Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

In the world of mobile phones, cases can be something of a contentious issue. There are those who insist that putting a case on anything so beautiful as a high-end Android phone is pure blasphemy, and anyone who does so is sullying the experience of owning high technology. Others recognize that they are walking around with $500 worth of slippery glass and plastic, opting to cover that shit up. Personally, I am on the fence. I alternate between the two options, revelling in the hard work of the designers at HTC on some days, and others I want to shake up the look and maybe get a little extra protection.

Apr

[Bootscreen Animation Roundup, Part 2] 5 Excuses To Reboot More Often

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Android OS, Bootscreen Animation Series, Development, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

It has been almost a month since our last bootscreen roundup, so we decided it was time to give you another opportunity to pimp your power up process (I don't normally use the word "pimp", but I just couldn't resist the alliteration). After spending a few hours and literally digging through hundreds of pages, here are five more most kickass boots animations that I could find.

If you have never changed your boot image before, check out our tutorial on the matter.

Android Particles

From the same creator who brought us Smooth Ring the first time around, this is a super-elegant image of Andy appearing from what can only be described as fairy dust.

Mar

The Pros And Cons Of The Amazon App Store: A Promising Market Replacement?

Posted by Cameron Summerson in App Reviews, Applications, Editorials, News, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

On March 22nd, the long awaited Amazon Appstore was released, bringing a whole new way to find, install, and share apps on Android. After its initial debut, we decided that this new Appstore was the real deal. In this post, we'll break down what Amazon's done right, and what it still needs to improve on.

Pros

1. Better descriptions and more in-depth comments

Most users will tell you that finding good Android apps is not an easy task. If you're browsing the Android Market looking for something specific, then the only bit of information that you have to work with is what the developer wants to say (which usually isn’t much) and one-line-comments from other users.

Mar

[Bootscreen Animation Roundup, Part 1] 5 Bootscreens That Will Really Turn Your Phone On

Posted by Brad Ganley in Android OS, Bootscreen Animation Series, Development, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Let's face it: It sucks waiting for your phone to turn on. It takes too long, and you're forced to watch what is essentially a commercial for your carrier and hardware manufacturer. Well, no more! Here are five bootscreen animations that will make rebooting your phone a much celebrate event! Have your friends gather round and watch at the spectacle that is your phone powering on! Gasp at the twists and turns of pretty images on your screen before your device has even turned on!

If you have no idea how to modify your bootscreen, check out our bootscreen primer.

Feb

[Video Review] The Jawbone ERA Puts All Your Other Bluetooth Headsets To Shame

Posted by Brad Ganley in Devices By Manufacturer, Jawbone, News, Other Reviews, Reviews, Videos

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

I recently broke down and picked up a Bluetooth headset. I needed something to talk on while driving a stick-shift or working with both my hands. I wanted to get something awesome because, honestly, it's go big or go home when it comes to Bluetooth headsets, and you get what you pay for. I paid for a Jawbone ERA, and I got the best Bluetooth experience I've ever had (and I've had every iteration of the Jawbone at one time or another). I shot a quick video to show you all the features, but I couldn't show you everything using my camera, so there will be screenshots and explanations after that.

Feb

[Hands-On] Android Market Web Store: Get Your App On Anytime, Anywhere

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Android OS, App Reviews, Apps/Games, Google, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Android users have been clamoring for an official online Android Market solution for ages, and today, El Goog finally delivered with the Android Market Web Store. Once the issues with the "Sign in" button (clicking it returned an 'Invalid Request' error) were fixed, we didn't think twice about delving in and giving it an in-depth look. Read on for our first impressions!

Front Page

The front page of market.android.com (aka the Android Market Web Store) is simple, clean, and sexy - just the way we like it. Across the very top, there are links to other Google services (i.e. Gmail, Calendar, Docs, etc.), as well as links to "My Market Account" (more on that below), "My Account," and "Sign out." Below that is the good old Android Market logo and a Search box.