Sunday, April 1, 2012

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Review: Cruzer Lite’s Androidified Case for the Galaxy Note

Posted: 31 Mar 2012 01:06 PM PDT

After being such a huge fan of Cruzer Lite’s Androidified cases for the Galaxy Nexus I figured it was about time to wrap the Galaxy Note in one as well. I have tried many upon many a case for my devices and find I always favor the fit and finish of the TPU case from Cruzerlite. Not only do they fit perfectly, they provide just enough protection to keep your investment safe all the while reppin’ your favorite OS’ mascot, Andy. As you can see below, the Androidified case is the perfect way to show your dying affection for Android. The Android logo is emblazoned on each Androidified case in a stylish way that makes the case stand out from the rest.

The case is made from a flexible TPU material and provides enough coverage to protect against drops and scratches. There is even a little lip around the screen that keeps the screen safe from scratches if you set the phone on its face. All ports are exposed allowing full functionality of the device and you can even slide out the S Pen with ease. The case even has a nice ridged texture along the sides to provide a better grip so you don’t drop you new toy. The Galaxy Note can take some time getting used to and its large size is often cumbersome. This case should help you from fumbling it to the ground.

Available in 12 colors, the A2 TPU case from Cruzer Lite is by far my favorite case available and it’s super affordable, too. You can get one of these cases from Cruzer Lite’s Amazon store for just under $10. Also check out the new artsy line of cases for the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Nexus called Personas of Andy. These are pretty awesome too! I’ve included a picture of the available designs below.

Cruzer Lite 4 Cruzer Lite 3 Cruzer Lite 2 Cruzer Lite 1 Androidified cases

source: Cruzer Lite

HTC One X Commercial Showcases Cameras Power [Video]

Posted: 31 Mar 2012 12:50 PM PDT

The guys from HTC Source have posted a video of the HTC One X’s Official Commercial. You remember that phone right? Check out the unboxing and come back to us. The commercial is showing off the power of the phones Camera as well as the speed of the phone. They have also posted a stress video, and I would have to agree with the man (sorry I couldn’t make out your name all the way) talking in the video of the stress test, it is not something you would want to try at home. However I do expect to see amateur video of people doing it anyways. In that case I also ask the same guys to reproduce the commercial as well. Not really, I was only being sarcastic, don’t go and get yourselfs killed. They had professionals helping them shoot it. There isn’t much more I can say, so I will just let you guys watch the videos and see for yourselves.

HTC One Commercial

Click here to view the embedded video.

HTC One Stress Test

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source HTC Source

Temple Run Update Brings Bug Fixes And Added Support For DROID RAZR And DROID Bionic Smartphones

Posted: 31 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PDT

One of the most anticipated games of the year finally came to Android handsets. Unfortunately, Temple Run brought some bugs and some frowns with it to a vast amounts of gamers ready and eager to try out the game. The developers quickly brought out a new update which not only alleviates some of the crashing and bugs happening to certain devices, but it now brings with it added support for the Motorola DROID RAZR and DROID Bionic smartphones.

Those of you who may have given up on the game the first time will want to hit that QR code or Play Store link below to give the game a second chance. Go on… you know you want to.

 

Play Store link

HTC One X Smartphone Camera Goes Head On Against The Sony Xperia S And Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Posted: 31 Mar 2012 11:44 AM PDT

Ok— the HTC One X is an awesome phone, we get it. After seeing it get unboxed recently, HTC went ahead and highlighted the device’s limitless possibilities with its camera and ImageSense software. You do remember ImageSense is a big part of the phone, right? Although we had seen some lackluster photos taken from the device recently, a clever video has been revealed which more than makes up for the HTC One X’s perceived shortcomings with its camera and software. The video highlights the One X going toe to toe with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Sony Xperia S smartphones. While one could interpret the tests as being slightly subjective— you will note how quickly the HTC takes photos in comparison to the Xperia S and Galaxy Nexus, while the One X destroys both devices when the camera is in burst mode (burst mode takes for 4 photos per second). Very impressive indeed.

Talk about raising the bar for cameras on our Androids. What do you all think? You folks impressed with the phone’s camera software yet?

Click here to view the embedded video.

A Hands on Review of SPB Shell 3D [Video]

Posted: 31 Mar 2012 07:33 AM PDT

With a plethora of launchers in the Market Google Play Store, it’s not hard to find one that you like. I’ve tried Go Launcher, ADW Launder EX,and the most recent TSF Shell Launcher. However the one I really have come to embrace the most is SPB Shell 3D. It runs flawlessly on my Galaxy S II and my Galaxy Tab 10.1 and it looks amazing on both. I am mainly doing this review for the GSII, however I will also include pics from the Tab. One of the problems I had with it, is the price. Like TSF, it comes with a high price tag. TSF comes in at $16.80 and SPB comes in at $14.95. Having bought both, I will admit, yes I’m crazy, but I’m a nerd. I gave both of them the 15 minute workout. While TSF wasn’t that impressive, I had been waiting for it. I still hold out hope that it can be more, we’ll see. SPB on the other hand; it’s 15 minute workout was nonexistent. I got so into what it can do that I lost track of time. Jump past the break for my complete review, as well as screen shots and video of the launcher in action.

Look & Feel

SPB Shell 3D  is a well polished launcher. The only noticeable lag there was, is when I switched it  from TouchWiz to SPB. That should be expected because it is loading. The only other time is when I switched it over to tablet mode on my S II. It looked good but had some draw-backs, which I will get to that later on. SPB comes with 10 or so different home screens, or panels as they are called in the SPB. You can add more panels to your liking or even remove some. I’ve rearranged it so many times I can’t remember how many it started with. Some of the panels are changeable and others aren’t. The Weather panel (unknown feed Source) is locked in it’s functions as well as the Deals (powered by Groupon), Time, Calendar, Moon, Notes, Calculator, Contacts, News (has Google Link), and Pictures (powered by Flicker) panels. When I say it is locked I just mean you can’t add any extra apps to that page. I have removed the News, Contacts, Calculator, and Picture panels from my set up.

The Note pad panel is really my favorite screen. Like TSF it has little post it notes, however SPB locks it on to one panel only. It looks like a cork board and gives it that nice feel like it should have been there all along. You can also make different subcategories within the note board. I have mine set up for school reminders, my bills, and reminders for just about anything else I can think of. I usually put most of that stuff in my calendar with a reminder set. The problem is even with the reminder set I easily forget about it after the reminder has gone off. With SPB’s note feature, it is right in my face all the time, no excuse for forgetting.

Well the launcher has 3D in it’s name so I bet you’re wondering, is it 3D? Well the answer is yes and no. No, as in it doesn’t stand off the screen or pop out at you. What it does do is give a 3D feel to its layout. Push the home key twice and the panels float in a circle. Let it sit for awhile and certain panels come to life with 3D animation. Give the circle a flick of your  finger and it will spin for what seems like forever. The main apps page has a full screen scroll feature, that I still find myself trying to get used to. I’m used to the side scroll were as this rolls up from the bottom. It is in no way a deal breaker, just a stray thing for me to pick at.

Function 

As I had started to talk about in Look & Feel. The function of the Launcher is very nice. It has a supper smooth transition from panel to panel. The Clock panel has 61 different clock faces to choose from. At the bottom it has a little moon calendar showing the phases of the moon. There is also a Moon panel as well for even more astronomical enjoyment. The Deal panel is tied to Groupon and can not be changed. I myself prefer LivingSocial more, but it does function properly and always updates. The Contacts panel has SPB contact widgets that opens the contact up in the contact folder. I like the native  contact widget on the S II as it raises a bar above the widget and gives me the options for, calls, messages, emails, Talk, or Facebook. This is an easy workaround as SPB allows you to add new panels as well as add native widgets from your phone.

SPB’s folder feature is by far one of the better setups I’ve seen. The folder can be displayed in three different ways. You can leave it in a regular sized folder (1×1 square), or you can expand it into a row to cover a portion of the screen (1×4), or you can fully expand it and take up half the screen (2×4).  Another great feature is the way you are able to move apps and folders from panel to panel. Long hold on the app or folder, and the edit panel page pops up, with a try in the bottom. You can place apps, folders, widgets, or a mix of the three into it, and scroll between the panels looking for the right place to put them.

Pushing the settings key brings up the traditional sub-screen, with some much appreciated features. The usual add button (as long as your are on an editable panel), wallpaper button, and settings button are all there. What I consider most appreciated is the manage apps button. To me that is gold! I love having that quick access to delete an app. I know it only cuts two steps out of the normal process, but I’m lazy and like things as simple as possible. There is also an add panel button, and SPB Home settings. In the Home settings you can edit Appearance, Widgets, Panels, & Experimental. Remember earlier when I told you I switched the launcher over to tablet on my S II. Well it had some nice and not so nice effects. To start I did like how much more room it gave me for each panel, but the down fall was all the apps were really small. It did make me want to consider leaving it, but after about ten minutes I had to switch it back. I couldn’t really see the apps as well as I liked. They were very small and the print was even smaller. I will say that on my Galaxy Tab 10.1 however, it looks fantastic.

The Pros

The launcher is smooth and responsive. It is very obvious that attention to detail was observed by the developers. I love the overall look and feel of it. I like the widget layouts. Home screen settings and options are very nice and I can’t complain about them at all. Colors are crisp even while scrolling between panels. I really like this launcher. It does what I need and doesn’t slow down either of my devices. It also has minimal drain the battery. The backlight widget and battery widget are among my favorite features. There are a lot of things I could list that I like but I think it would just be easier to move on to the cons.

The Cons

Even though I have been all chipper up to this point about SPB. I do have some bones to pick with it. First is the price. $14.95 is kinda steep. It is a nicely polished and functioning launcher, I just don’t see it worth $15. I believe $10 would be more realistic. Secondly would be the inability to change some of the set panels. Namely the News panel. It has Google feeds but the pictures don’t load. Also it gives the option to add a source. I tried to add talkandroid.com to the feed, but it couldn’t find the RSS feed. The Deals panel works great, but I would like the ability to choose my own site like LivingSocial, DineDeal, GasBuddy, or even do it like Lotza and have multiple sites. Now I did think that maybe Groupon is the main choice as they may be a sponsor for the app or major financier. Who knows, but at the $14.95 price tag I would like some more options in that area. Another problem I have is once again the locked state of a panel. The Weather panel is awesome, but I don’t know who is providing my weather. It does tell me that the reporting comes from my local airport, but that’s it. It sounds like a little thing, but living in an active weather region, I like to know how it’s reporting my weather.

Overall

My overall experience with SPB has been awesome. I’m really impressed with it’s layout and functionality. It hits on a few key-point needs I have. I try to justify everything I use on my mobile devices for practical everyday use. I’m in college, and money is tight. So when I drop $15 on app, it needs to have a valid and impacting use. For me SPB Shell 3D Launcher delivers on that, but just barely. I do use it everyday and haven’t had a problem with it yet. I would like to see more features added to it. Overall I recommend it to everyone, but I know price is a driving force behind a lot of people’s decisions on buying an app. With plenty of free launchers in the Store. It is a large chunk of change to spend. If you have the money to spend, I fully recommend you give it at least the 15 minute try. If you don’t have that kind of dough to throw around, I understand and totally recommend you stick with a free launcher or find one more suitable to your price range. ADW or GO launcher would probably do just well for your needs. I leave you with some screenshots from the Google Play Store, and from my Galaxy TAB 10.1 as well as my video of SPB in action. I have also included the Google Play Store Links and QR code.

SPB Shell Main SPB 2 SPB 3 SPB4 SPB5 SPB6

 

Click here to view the embedded video.

qrcode

Google Play Store Link

 

Amazon Appstore App Update Really Fixes Notifications And Raises 3G/4G Size Limit To 50GB

Posted: 31 Mar 2012 01:29 AM PDT

 

 

The latest update to the Amazon Appstore brings it to version 2.3 and raises the 3G/4G maximum app size that can be downloaded from 20MB to 50MB. Anything over 50GB will require a Wi-Fi connection. With apps getting bigger and richer, their sizes are growing, and it’s good to see Amazon upping the limit for non-Wi-Fi downloads.

Another great fix this update delivers is with notifications. Previously, notifications about app updates would still occur even when you disabled notifications all together. That’s a thing of the past once you update to the latest Appstore (thank goodness).

Minor bug fixes and stability enhancements round out this update. Download from the link or QR code below. 

qrcode

Download From Amazon

 

Verizon’s Wireless Pay-TV Plan

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 11:28 PM PDT

Verizon is looking to provide its customers with a wireless video service this year. They are in discussions with television programmers to prepare even before getting FCC and DOJ approval for the $3.9 billion purchase of spectrum from cable operators. “Technically, I think we could have something out that would be the beginnings of an integrated offering in time for the holidays,” said Verizon CEO Lowell C. McAdam to the Wall Street Journal.

This service would allow pay-TV customers to take their TV watching mobile. There are already many streaming TV services available, but most are limited to Wi-Fi access. McAdam says the potential to negotiate outside-the-home streaming rights exist, as well as the opportunity for à la carte programming.

The cost of this service is still a question mark, but be prepared for a consumption-based approach rather than an all-you-can-stream plan. It is also not known how, or if, the Redbox deal enters into this.

source: wsj
via: engadget

Samsung I9300 M, the Eye-Tracking, Auto-Dialing, Face-Recognizing Mid-Range Phone of the Future?

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 08:59 PM PDT

Perhaps the most rumored Samsung device recently is the GT-I9300, which some believed to be the much anticipated Galaxy S III, but now is rumored to be the Samsung Galaxy M. Now, new information from sources of GSM Arena pegs the Galaxy M as a weird hybrid of mid-range specs coupled with stuff straight out of sci-fi.

Apparently, the device is rumored to have an eye-tracking feature that will keep the display turned on if it recognizes you are looking at it. It can also detect if you are lying down and adjust the screen rotation so the screen will stay level with your sight. Pretty cool stuff. I could see technology like this allowing for even more futuristic features, like a floating mouse cursor you control with your eyes… a sort of “visual Kinect” for your phone. Is this the first step toward the Android Brain ImplantTM?

More rumored features after the break.

Another feature the source mentions is auto-dial, which detects when you put the phone to your ear after reading a message and automatically dials the number of the sender of the message. Hmm, I guess that’s kinda cool.

Group photos will also receive an update that automatically recognizes the faces of your contacts in the picture and prompts you to email the photo to those people. That certainly seems like a useful feature provided you have good pictures of everyone in your contacts.

Lastly, the Samsung M might be able to monitor biometric functions like your heartbeat through hardware add-ons. One reason this feature seems plausible is that Samsung happens to be an official sponsor of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Marketing a phone with this feature during the Olympics kind of makes sense.

These types of features seem almost too progressive for a mid-tier device. I would expect Samsung would want to deck out their flagship with all the bells and whistles, not their middle-of-the-roader. I think I’m tasting that grain of salt. We’ll just have to wait on this one.

What do you think? Real?

source: gsmarena

Ice Cream Sandwich might land on the DROID RAZR, RAZR MAXX, and HTC Rezound by next week, Soak test already starting for the RAZR and RAZR MAXX

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 07:06 PM PDT

Well we’ve got some great news to kick off your weekend, that is if you are an owner of a DROID RAZR, RAZR MAXX, or the HTC Rezound. According to a leaked screenshot from Best Buy, it looks like the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX will start receiving Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich next Wednesday, April 4. The HTC Rezound is scheduled for 2 days later, on April 6.

If you remember the latest Motorola report on the status of ICS showed “still under evaluation” for the RAZR and RAZR MAXX. That of course made everyone angry, but I’ve talked to Motorola reps and they told me to expect the ICS update in the 2nd quarter. Well guess what? The 2nd quarter begins this Sunday, April 1. Now usually when someone gives an estimate like this, it’s rarely at the beginning of the quarter, but lets face it, Motorola has been pretty good with updating DROID devices. Since the RAZR and RAZR MAXX are flagship devices, I would be surprised if this information isn’t true. Just to make things a little more interesting, soak test invites just went out for the RAZR and RAZR MAXX so things are adding up.The only issue is if this update will be be bug free, which wasn’t the case with the Gingerbread updates they deployed last summer starting with the DROID X. Lets hope this goes a lot smoother.

As to the Rezound, things have been quiet, but we did see the AT&T Vivid get the official update, so it won’t be a shock if the Rezound also follows suit next week with a little ice cream lovin.

We will let you know more as soon as we hear it.

source: technobuffalo

 

 

Sony Xperia Phones Get ICS Update Schedule, Some See Serious Delay

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 06:52 PM PDT

Yesterday we watched as Sony released an ISC ROM in beta form for the unlocked Xperia Play. This is all fine and dandy if you like prematurely updating your device with the latest test ROM, only to loose the ability to fetch any OTA updates in the future. For those of you who own an XPERIA device and prefer to go the safe and official route, well, Sony announced their new update timeline for 2011 and 2012 Xperia phones. Compared to what they previously announced, some of you aren’t going to like this.

First up to receive the overdue ICS update is the Xperia Arc S, Xperia Neo V and Xperia Ray, and should begin sometime in mid-April. The next group of devices in line are the Xperia Arc, Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, Xperia Mini, Xperia Pro, Xperia Mini Pro, Xperia Active and Xperia SE Live and should see the update in the end of May or even early June. The last and final device in line for the update is oddly enough one of the newest, the Xperia S. For those of you who own an Xperia S you might be pissed to find out you have the longest wait of them all – sometime late Q2.

Since Sony claims the 2011 line of Xperia phones may actually see a performance decrease after updating to ICS because of lack of storage, the update will now be issued via the PC Companion app instead of OTA. Sony is doing this so the customer has the option to update to ICS instead of forcing OTA’s down everyone throat. As weird as it sounds I guess this is a good idea. Although I’m not sure what s worse, no ICS and a decent performing phone, or ICS on a phone that doesn’t perform decently. Which would you chose?

If you want more information on this and anything else I just mentioned, feel free to check out the source link below. There you will find all the details as given to the Sony Xperia Blog.

source: Xperia Blog
Posted by at 5:39 AM

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