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Jan

Hands-On Preview Of Android 3.0 'Honeycomb': The Android Tablet Era Begins Now

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Honeycomb is one of the biggest updates in Android history, so naturally, I jumped at the chance to try it out via the newly released Android 3.0 "preview SDK." What I found certainly wasn't disappointing - though it's important to remember that this is just a preview, meaning that not everything is in working order (for example, the emulator is so slow it made me want to tear my hair out at times, not to mention the frequent force close messages). Join us below for our first impressions of the new UI elements and other features found in Android 3.0 "Honeycomb."

The emulator's bootscreen is the same as it was for Android 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, etc.

Dec

[Review] We Land A Google Chrome CR-48 Notebook, Do Stuff With It

Posted by David Ruddock in CR-48, Google, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Friday morning I received a surprise visit from UPS - and fortunately it wasn't the sort of surprise visit that requires me to then take a 20 lb. package over to my neighbor's place because the guy was too lazy to read the street number.

A somewhat hefty box, with a seemingly random sender name on it from Louisville, KY had been shipped overnight to my humble abode. I immediately knew it was a CR-48 laptop. Or a bomb. I signed up for the CR-48 Pilot Program moments after it was unveiled, but I certainly didn't expect to actually get a device - and definitely not so quickly.

Dec

[Review And Giveaway] Android Squishables Are Pretty Much Awesome

Posted by Brad Ganley in News, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Review

Squishable.com was cool enough to send me one of their Squishable Androids, and I must say: this thing is pretty awesome. It's a big old pillow/friend that the whole family can enjoy. At first, I wasn't sure if my Squishable Android and I had much in common, but after spending the day with him, we are now best friends. Here are some of the things we did together:

This is my Squishable Android trying to drive my car, but he had no idea what he was doing, so I decided to teach him:

He decided he wasn't too comfortable behind the wheel, so I just let him ride shotgun:

Here he is making a withdrawal from the ATM (turns out he's loaded):

After the bank, I had to make a stop.

Dec

DryCase Review: Keep Your Electronics Dry At The Beach. Or The Bar

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

I may be stating the obvious here, but stay with me: most people reading this right now probably own a number of expensive gadgets - for example, a phone, a digital camera, or an MP3 player. It's also safe to say that just about everyone who isn't living under a rock knows that liquids and electronics rarely go well together. So then, what's a gadgeter to do when they expect to encounter liquids but want to keep using their electronics?

A company called DryCorp thinks it has the answer with its DryCase, which is exactly what it sounds like: a clear case that keeps your electronics dry.

Nov

For Audiophiles: Sub-$100 Mobile Headset (Earbuds + Mic) Review Round-Up + Meelectronics Earbuds Giveaway (5x Pairs, $200 Value)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Contests / Giveaways, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

This article was written by a guest writer, Mikhail Lifshits, better known as ljokerl over at head-fi.org. Mikhail is an audiophile to the bone - a single look at his forum user page will leave you wondering if there is a pair of earbuds Mikhail hasn't owned or tried yet.

Today’s smartphones are quickly absorbing the functions of other portable devices - PDAs, portable GPS units, and standalone MIDs are a thing of the past - and conventional MP3 players may be next on the cutting block.

The audio quality of the latest-gen Android devices nowadays leaves little to be desired in comparison to the majority of mp3 players but the headsets included with most phones are a different story.

Oct

[Review] Trident Cyclops Case For The HTC EVO 4G

Posted by Brad Ganley in Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

The folks from Trident Cases were nice enough to send me a review unit of their brand new Trident Cyclops for the HTC EVO 4G. I must say, after putting this case on and using for a few hours, there are several reasons that this is my new favorite case, and I'd like to do some show and tell.

My first impression of the Cyclops was actually a direct result of its packaging.

There's a lot that can be said for good, clean packaging, and this box delivers with some cool tech info and a QR code that takes you to a video of a Trident employee smacking around an iPad in one of their cases.

Sep

Modder's Column: The Hunt For The Best HTC EVO 4G ROM

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Development, Editorials, Other Reviews, Reviews, Tips & Tutorials

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Modder's Column, formerly known as Modder’s Monday, is a column dedicated to rooting, hacking, and other forms of modifying Android and is written by Jaroslav Stekl, a man who spends his days coding, hacking, hiking, and of course, writing for Android Police.

As I mentioned in the last edition of Modder's Column, one of my favorite things about Android is how customizable it can be, even for novice users who would rather not spend all day hacking their phone.

Unfortunately, one thing Android does not allow you to do right out of the box is install custom ROMs, which allow you to further customize your device by adding features, removing useless apps, and possibly even speeding it up or improving battery life.

Sep

[Android Police Giveaway] 10 Amzer And Gizmo Dorks Cases Are Up For Grabs - Incredible (2), Droid X (2), Droid 2 (2), Droid (2), And EVO 4G (2)

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Contests / Giveaways, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Introduction

Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is a giveaway featuring not one, but ten cases from these 2 quality manufacturers: Gizmo Dorks and Amzer! They are:

2x for the Droid Incredible
2x for the EVO 4G
2x for the Droid X
2x for the Droid 2
2x for the original Droid

Each Amzer case is worth about $13 on average, while the Gizmo Dorks is usually $10 but currently on sale for $3.

First, however, we have a brief review of each, which I am proud to present to you, in full overdramatic armor, in the following sections.

Sep

[Review] Battery Life Still Crappy? Try Doubling Your Juice With An Extended Battery. We Review A $12 3000mAh And A $63 3500mAh For EVO 4G

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

Last Updated: July 26th, 2011

Welcome to part 2 of my article series centered around getting that precious time between charges of your Android devices to be as long as possible. I'm reviewing EVO 4G products because that's the handset I personally own, but there is nothing stopping you from extrapolating my findings and exploring similar products made for your own devices.

The EVO comes with a battery containing a similar or maybe slightly larger amount of juice than most phones - 1500mAh. A portable powerhouse, my EVO can eat through its full charge long before the day ends, especially if I'm using my favorite WiFi tethering app for a few hours.

Aug

[Updated] Primo Battery Cube Review: Extra Juice On The Go + Giveaway

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Contests / Giveaways, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

A couple of weeks ago, Engadget ran a piece on a new product from a company called Phonesuit aimed at smartphone users with MiniUSB and MicroUSB charging ports (this should cover every Android phone as far as I know). Shortly after Engadget's piece, we were contacted by Phonesuit and offered a review unit, which we gladly accepted.

This contest is now over. We have selected the winners - see if you are one of them towards the bottom of the page.

What Exactly Is PrimoCube?

Primo Battery Cube, or just PrimoCube, is a $40 device that attaches to your phone's MicroUSB or MiniUSB power port and feeds it delicious juice - 1000mAh of it at full charge to be exact.