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Jul

HTC EVO 3D Review: A Nearly Flawless Device With One Completely Useless Gimmick

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in EVO 3D (Shooter), HTC, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sprint

Last Updated: February 8th, 2012

To say the HTC EVO 3D has a lot to live up to would be a colossal understatement. Its predecessor, the EVO 4G, ushered in a whole new smartphone era - one replete with 4.3-inch, 4G-capable Android behemoths.

And at least on paper, the new EVO is a marked improvement over the original, packing a significantly crisper display, a processor with twice the cores, and of course the much-ballyhooed stereoscopic 3D capabilities. But early reviews have been anything but glowing, and the kickstand - one of the EVO 4G's most unique features - is nowhere to be found on this new version of the handset.

Jun

HTC EVO 3D Review Roundup: One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in EVO 3D (Shooter), HTC, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sprint

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

HTC and Sprint's EVO 3D, the first three-dimensional handset in the US, won't be available in stores for eight more days - but the early reviews have already started flooding in. And I'll tell you this: they're pretty mixed. Some reviewers, such as LaptopMag's Mark Spoonauer, wholeheartedly enjoyed the device, even going so far as to give it an Editors' Choice award. Others, however, weren't nearly as fond of the phone - Gizmodo, upfront as always, called it "only suitable for shooting yourself in the face." Ouch.

Then again, you can't summarize the successor to one of the most successful Android phones ever in just two sentences; for the full scoop, let's take a quick look at five of the best EVO 3D reviews on the net.

Jun

[Review] The LG Revolution: Don't Let The Name Fool You; It's Just Alright

Posted by Brad Ganley in LG, News, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Revolution

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

It's been a long time since my opinions on a device have been so torn. On the one hand, the Revolution is a pretty impressive piece of hardware, but on the other, there are some seriously annoying things about it (specifically some software elements - the lock screen makes me want to assault something adorable). All the handset's different aspects ultimately lead to one conclusion: MEH.

I can honestly say that this is the closest to not having an opinion I've ever come in regards to a device. Seriously, I'm EXTREMELY neutral here. More neutral than you, that's for sure. Let's see why:

Specs and Such

4G LTE
1GHz Snapdragon Processor
Android 2.2 (Froyo)
5MP Rear Camera
1.3MP Front Facing Camera
720p HD Video Recording
Mobile Hotspot Capability
Bluetooth 3.0
16GB SD card pre-installed and 16GB of internal memory

Doesn't sound too bad, does it?

Jun

Sony Xperia Play Review: Finally, An Android Phone For Gaming - And Not Much Else

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sony Ericsson, Verizon Wireless, Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone)

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

It's been quite some time since we first heard rumblings of the PlayStation phone. The concept - a high-end Android phone mashed together with familiar PlayStation controls - seemed like one that could revolutionize gaming on Android. In theory, this device could have done just that.

Unfortunately, in a world where dual core devices are becoming more and more the norm, the Xperia Play's single-core Snapdragon processor (as fast as it is) is already incompatible with some high-end games, such as those optimized for Tegra 2 devices. And it's hard to justify purchasing the phone when the rest of the device has taken a backseat to the all-important gamepad.

Jun

[Video] Wirefly Reviews The HTC EVO 3D

Posted by David Ruddock in EVO 3D (Shooter), Phone Reviews, Reviews, Videos

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

We're big fans of Wirefly over here at Android Police, and frankly, we're always a bit covetous when the online retailer gets their hands on a new piece of kit before everyone else. Still, we watched this review longingly, as it demonstrates many of the changes in Sense 3.0, benchmarks, and some of the built-in games on the 3D. It's over 12 minutes long, so, pull up a chair:

May

[Hands-On and Initial Review] Xperia Play: The PlayStation Phone Hits The U.S.

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless, Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone)

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Note: Most of the pictures in this hands-on were taken by a second Xperia Play unit, so you can use those to judge the quality of the camera.

The saga of the PlayStation phone has been a long one, but we finally have the device in our hands. Some I/O attendees received their own, but now Verizon customers can get the device for themselves. A full review will be available in the coming days, but for now, here are my initial thoughts on the Xperia Play.

First, a refresher on the specs:

4.0" LCD, 854 x 480 display
Android 2.3.2
1 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon processor
5 megapixel camera with flash
Front-facing camera
512 MB RAM

The first thing I noticed when holding the phone was the thickness and weight.

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

[Review] Motorola DROID X2: Even Raw Horsepower Can't Save This Phone From Mediocrity

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Droid X2, Motorola, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Update: June 4, 2011 - I've taken an awful lot of flak for this review (and that's fine). I stand by the review because I can't honestly recommend this phone in good conscience. With that in mind, I realize that not everyone may share my opinions, and that's why I suggest potential purchasers go and take a look at it to see if they will notice the screen issues as much as I do.

Further, a lot of you seem to think I was using or inspecting the phone in a critical way; this was not the case. I noticed the screen and performance issues immediately and continuously under normal use conditions.

May

[Unboxing & Initial Hands-On] Motorola Droid X2: Twice The Cores, Same Great Taste

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Droid X2, News, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

The Motorola Droid X2 has only been out for a day now - and still can't be purchased via Verizon brick-and-mortars yet- but we've already managed to land one for review. I haven't had much time with it, but I do have some unboxing and hands-on pictures to go along with the initial impressions.

I'm not going to run through the unboxing in words because... well, it's me taking something out of a box.

The first impression: it feels light. Not quite as light as the Droid Incredible 2 (4.78oz), but at 5.47oz it's certainly lighter than my daily ~~brick~~driver EVO (6oz.).

May

Dell Venue Review: It Really Is Better Than You Would Expect

Posted by David Ruddock in AT&T, Dell, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Thunder, Venue

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

After being thoroughly unimpressed with the sleek and sexy DROID Charge last week, and knowing that the Venue was next on my device-review checklist, I was prepared for yet more disappointment. Let's face it - Dell has been the butt of quality control, technical support, and advertising (Dude! you're...) jokes for years now. Whether or not it has at all been deserved is another matter entirely - after all, Dell is a hugely successful company (I happen to be writing this review on a Dell netbook, in fact).

The Venue, then, is a device I went in having some doubts about.