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PadPivot NST review Posted: 11 Feb 2013 12:16 PM PST Spend a lot of time with your 7-inch tablet on your lap or next to you during those marathons of The Walking Dead? Maybe you’ve got an office desk at which you spend half your day. You should consider picking up a PadPivot NST. The PadPivot NST is essentially a lap stand and a mini cradle that travels extremely well. Need to place your Galaxy Note II down but don’t wanna risk scratching the back? This is the one for you. Click to view slideshow. I have been using the PadPivot NST for a few weeks now and really appreciate the flexibility and functionality. Most days, I use the stand to prop up my phones so that I can see the display while at the computer. The sticky backside ensures that my devices don’t slip, and this really works well for larger handsets. Strong enough for a tablet, I find it works amazing for smartphones. I took the PadPivot NST with me to Las Vegas (CES) so that I could use my Nexus 7 in the field. The curved base fits perfectly over my leg and the tablet felt very comfortable at the slight angle.  The compact and lightweight design allowed me to toss in a bag or pocket without unnecessary bulk. I’ve also come to find it handy when watching television, especially when doing the second screen experience with apps like Zeebox and GetGlue. The stand also works well in the car, as a passenger of course. The sticky pad may pick up your dust particles or lint but it cleans easily with water. In fact, I was very pleased with how much of the stickiness returns after wiping down. What I also liked was that the pad grabs phones with or without cases, something other docks and stands do not. What we liked Lightweight and extremely portable Many viewing angles for any device Works for tablets and smartphones Room for improvement Might like to see price shaved by $5 Expanded retail availability Where to Buy Buy the PadPivot NST for $39.99 from PadPivot.com The post PadPivot NST review appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Review: BaconReader – The Reddit app you’ve always wanted Posted: 11 Feb 2013 10:30 AM PST If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time on Reddit. Huge, copious, generally relationship-ending amounts of time. (I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my wife for not just marrying me, but also my Reddit addiction.) Now, let’s be honest with ourselves – fueling an addiction like the one that only Redditors can understand requires the right tool for the job, and folks, we have that tool – BaconReader for Android. BaconReader is, by far, the easiest, most intuitive Reddit app around for Android. I’ve tried others, but none of the others come close. All the necessities are there: General feed Inbox Account management Commenting Built-in browser with smart image previewing Widgets Subreddit management Search through both subreddits and general keywords Browsing content is a snap, too. As you’re looking through stories, to the right of each title will be a small thumbnail preview for pictures, or a globe for other links / text. If you want to bypass the comments on a post, simply tap that icon on the right, and it will automatically open using BaconReader’s built-in browser. Having trouble viewing it, or want to get it in the browser to save? Want to share it? Change your mind, and now want to view the comments? Piece of cake – just tap the menu button, and all those choices are available to you. Click to view slideshow. If you’re looking for account information to keep up with karma, check your old posts, or look at your inbox, there’s options for that, too. From the feed, just tap the menu, and go to “Account”, and you’re checking your karma, and giving those other Redditors a piece of your mind. Of course, what’s an app without widgets? BaconReader has ‘em, both in a scrolling option, and a static, story-by-story rotating format. Which one you use is up to personal preference. Of course there’s a slew of options in the general settings – everything from choosing the color layout, to how to be notified, and what to be notified about. There’s also the ability to create new posts, whether it be a picture, a link, or a self.reddit, you’ve got all the choices. BaconReader even adds an option for itself into your built-in Android share menu, making it easy to post that crazy link someone just emailed to you (people still do that… right?). BaconReader comes in both a free, ad-supported version, as well as a paid version… and, at just $1.99 for premium, it’s well worth every penny… shoot, I’d even give them a solid $2. Be sure to hit them up at the download links below, and of course, let us know your thoughts in the comments. Go forth, fellow Redditors, and bring in some delicious karma! NOMNOMKARMANOM. Download BaconReader FREE Download BaconReader PREMIUM ($1.99) The post Review: BaconReader – The Reddit app you've always wanted appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Q&A with Celltick, makers of Active Lock Screen Posted: 11 Feb 2013 07:00 AM PST Last week I reviewed a nice little app called Active Lock Screen. It’s a simple, yet very functional lockscreen replacement that brings themes, plugins, and a unique UI. Shortly after publishing my review, I got the chance to have a quick Q&A with Celltick Technologies, the makers of Active Lock Screen. It was an insightful and interesting interview, and they even (sort of) hinted at some new apps coming down the road. So without further ado, let’s jump right into it. Q: So how old is Active Lock Screen, and how many updates has it gotten since its release? It is 3 months since we released the first version of Active lockscreen. We did spend almost a year in different designs of the product before we felt that we had something that would be able to be flexible and good enough for users constantly changing needs. We have done 3 releases till now and plan on publishing a new release every 3-4 weeks. We are working on different concepts and additions both based on our own plans as well as based on user feedback that we are getting. We are ensuring that we are keeping high user satisfaction levels while innovating on the app. What you see there is only the tip of the iceberg on what we have planned with the app. – R. Vidyanand, VP Marketing & Business Development, Celltick Technologies Editor’s note: I can say that I’m genuinely excited for whatever is coming to Active Lock Screen. If what I covered in my review is “only the tip of the iceberg,” I can’t wait to see what else Celltick is going to do with it. Q: What was your inspiration for Active Lockscreen? Did it come to you suddenly, or has it been in the works for some time? Celltick has been in the business of creating disruptive innovations in mobile which provide value to consumers while enabling communication and promoting mobile initiated commerce. Users look at their mobile device more than 100 times a day in anticipation – of a missed call, a new email/message, or something else that would interest them. We specialize in catering to this behavior of anticipation with personalized solutions that cater to the consumer's need of interaction. We believe that the app is changing the way that users can go to their desired interaction on the device from the lockscreen, and through our appetizers, be able to get the information that they want at the right time. Editor’s note: Moving past all the PR talk, Celltick more or less just wants to give users a simple and easy way to see notifications and get to their favorite apps as quickly as possible. We like that. Q: Did you have second thoughts about giving it themes? What was the motivation behind that idea? In today's consumer world, solutions have to be as unique as people are so that they can cater to each individual's unique persona. As the mobile device is becoming the most used possession of consumers around the world, we believe that each user wants their own persona reflected in this device. We decided that we would provide a mechanism for the users to make their phone into what they want to see. This is the first step towards it. We will continuously increase the number of themes that will be available so that the long tail will be satisfied. This is the same idea behind plugins as well, to try and make it even more easier for the user to be able to get to the basic information of the most favored apps around the world. – R. Vidyanand, VP Marketing & Business Development, Celltick Technologies Editor’s note: So themes = personalization, and making your device suited to you. We’ll take that. Q: I’ve noticed that nearly all the themes for Active Lock Screen are made by you. Are you reaching out to other developers to make their own custom themes, or is this something that you’re keeping centralized to Celltick? Very interesting observation. We are seeding the market and wanted to make sure that we understood what users are looking for. We will very soon open this up to a larger set of developers who would be able to leverage our work to create themes as well as plugins. We are going to go true mass market on this. We want to make sure that not just developers but also users can create their own custom themes. You will soon see an innovation from us that will allow users to rapidly create their own themes. We will make sure that the user community of androidguys.com will be one of the first to know about it. This will be the same approach towards the other elements including content and plugins. We will also ensure that we are able to create mechanisms for third party professionals to be able to create their own themes as well as create custom lockscreens. – R. Vidyanand, VP Marketing & Business Development, Celltick Technologies Editor’s note: Users will be able to create their own themes? Where do we sign up? Q: What updates do you have planned for Active Lockscreen? Any exciting new features we can look forward to? We are planning on a number of new features, especially things that we see users asking for. You will very soon see enhanced security features, music player controls, more social networking plugins, topical and local themes and more … We are further improving the user interface as well. Users can also get updates on the latest on the app's facebook page and on twitter. – R. Vidyanand, VP Marketing & Business Development, Celltick Technologies Editor’s note: I can’t say I’m surprised by the notion of new features and updates, but that doesn’t diminish my excitement. New stuff for our phones is always fun! Q: Can you give us a sneak peek to any other apps or services that are in the pipes at Celltick?  The fundamental business of Celltick is mobile initiated commerce. Our mission is to provide economic value to mass market of consumers while improving their lifestyle. We do billions of transactions every year on mobile in over 25 high growth countries. Most of these are driven from easier discovery of a large variety of products and services driven by targeted messaging based on location and context. We sold more than 5.8 million coupons on the mobile last year in these countries, probably more than any other company. You will soon see new apps and enhancements which will enable our android community of users to be able to get the same benefits. – R. Vidyanand, VP Marketing & Business Development, Celltick Technologies Editor’s note: So……. Statistics, statistics, they’re working on a few new things, and more statistics. That’s an acceptable answer… for now. On a final note, Celltick had this to say about Active Lock Screen (and our review of it): "We're very excited about the response we've received so far for our Active lockscreen app. We are constantly releasing new themes and plug-ins so that every user feels like their lockscreen is unique and personal to them. The Active app also helps users be more organized and efficient with their Android phones." – R. Vidyanand, VP Marketing & Business Development, Celltick Technologies And that’s all she wrote. I enjoyed interviewing a representative from Celltick, and I look forward to what they do in the future with Active Lock Screen, as well as other projects. It’s not often that you find this kind of development team, constantly searching for new and exciting features for users while still improving on old ones. I’ll continue to use ALS for quite some time, and I encourage you to explore it for yourself. Download Active Lock Screen (Google Play) The post Q&A with Celltick, makers of Active Lock Screen appeared first on AndroidGuys.

What we expect: HTC M7 Posted: 11 Feb 2013 06:59 AM PST As one of the most rumored and anticipated devices of the year, the HTC M7 is expected to make its formal debut on February 19 at a joint press event in New York and London. The HTC M7 has been the source of many Android rumors over the last couple of months and looks to be HTC’s flagship device of (the first half) of 2013. Details have been leaking since late 2012 and suggest the phone will be a modest step up from last year’s HTC One X and One X+. We took the opportunity to gather up some of the juiciest and most likely rumors and put them in one place.  What you’ll find below is a growing list of things we expect or feel strongly about as it pertains to the HTC M7. If you see something that doesn’t look right or something we may have missed, let us know! We will update this post as we learn more about the Samsung smartphone. 4.7-Inch Super AMOLED display Once thought to be a 5-inch experience, the M7 will instead feature a 4.7-inch screen with the same 1080p HD resolution. With a very  high pixel density (468ppi) , the image should be among the sharpest and clearest on the market. Processor Most sources we’ve checked with seem to confirm the same CPU for the HTC M7 in that it will boast a Qualcomm APQ8064 quad-core processor. At 1.7GHz per core, the phone should pick up right where the HTC One+ leaves off. Memory Keeping pace with other top Android devices of late 2012 and early 2013, we expect the HTC M7 will come with 2GB and 32GB internal storage. Camera Early rumors suggested that the HTC M7 would feature a 13.1-megapixel camera however new details indicate otherwise. Reportedly, the phone will feature three “ultrapixel” sensors of 4.3-megapixels each which are then combined to create one killer image. Additional details are said to include an f/2.0 lens and  support for enhanced image quality, super slow-motion, and HDR video capture. Around front, the HTC M7 should offer a 2-megapixel camera capable of 1080p video. We’re hoping to get the same wider angle stuff that comes with the Droid DNA. Beats Audio HTC recently posted an infographic on the company blog which teased a new sound and camera experience. The most likely rumors we’ve seen thus far suggest the M7 will emply a stereo speakerphone. Android Jelly Bean We expect HTC to release a very modern version of Android but aren’t certain it will be 4.2 flavor.  Chances are good this will launch with 4.1+ with a software update in the near future. HTC Sense 5 UI HTC looks to keep pushing forward with the custom user experience however early screenshots show a more simple design. We’re hoping to see less of the old “look and feel” that made Sense so different from stock Android and more of an Android 4.X aesthetic. Two color options The HTC M7 should be offered in two color options: black and white & silver Battery Building on the predecessor HTC One X+, the M7 is rumored to come with a 2300mAh battery. Yes, most likely this means internal and non-removable. Additional connectivity Like previous flagship models from HTC, we expect to see  NFC, WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA, microUSB, MHL/HDMI, and 3.5 mm stereo audio jack. A more formal name As is the case with nearly every device that gets rumored, the HTC M7 will get a name change. All signs point to the HTC One, however we’re not big fans. Too close to last year’s models if you ask us. However, we do appreciate that they may have shelved the suffix. Leave those letters on the cutting room floor and stick with one word. February 19 debut Given that HTC has sent out invitations to a dual (New York and London) press event, it is very probable that the M7 will be the big announcement. We may get other products or accessories in the mix but the bulk of the focus will be on the new flagship device. March 8 availability As one of the newer rumors to surface, we’ve come to trust the source. Reportedly, the HTC M7 will be available on March 8, though chances are good that this is for the international version.  We could expect that the U.S. carriers will make formal announcements of “spring availability” or  ”coming weeks” as soon as the phone becomes official. Big four U.S. carrier support The HTC M7 could be the first major Android device from HTC to see wide release across the major U.S. carriers. AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile seem to be locked in with Verizon rumored to carry the phone as a variation of the Droid DNA. The post What we expect: HTC M7 appeared first on AndroidGuys.

HTC One press render surfaces Posted: 11 Feb 2013 05:59 AM PST The first press render of the HTC One has surfaced roughly one week ahead of the formal unveiling. The source of the image, Unwired View (@evleaks) has nothing to add to the story at this time, simply giving us the photo. Perhaps this is because we pretty much know everything there is to expect out of the former HTC M7. HTC One, 2013 twitter.com/evleaks/status… — @evleaks (@evleaks) February 11, 2013 Looks pretty much like the early HTC M7 renders, no? The post HTC One press render surfaces appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Google Now gets spotlighted in new Nexus 4 commercial [video] Posted: 11 Feb 2013 05:28 AM PST If you watched the Grammys last night, chances are you saw LG / Google’s new commercial for the Nexus 4. The commercial had a slightly unexpected guest of honor: Google Now. The entire commercial was filled with people using Now to check schedules, train schedules, translate words, get reminders, etc., and doing it without skipping a beat. Google is really pushing Now as the latest feature, and wants the world to know how it can accelerate Android phone past what their competitors can do with Siri. We’re glad to see the feature being shown off in all of its glory, and we think we can expect to see even more of Google pimping up Now to the masses. Be sure to check out the video below. The post Google Now gets spotlighted in new Nexus 4 commercial [video] appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Product Highlight: SEIDIO VITREO for Samsung Galaxy S III Posted: 11 Feb 2013 05:00 AM PST Forget plastic screen protectors… Seidio's new tempered glass screen protector, the VITREO, is the ultimate product to safeguard the Samsung Galaxy S III. Stamped with a 9H hardness rating- you can be confident your screen won't get scratched.  Tapered edges provide a sleek look and bolsters durability. Tapered edges add durability and visual appeal; VITREO is shatterproof and reduces fingerprints Specially process tempered glass stamped with 9H hardness rating to safeguard devices from heavy duty scratches and abrasions Tapered (rounded) edges provide a sleek, enhanced profile on the device while reinforcing critical points of impact that bolsters durability Strong silicon adhesive for easy installation without bubbling or lifting Adds only .55mm to the device making it lightweight and portable Oleophobic coating prevents fingerprints and smudges Available at: www.seidioonline.com Price: $39.95 Website: www.seidio.com The post Product Highlight: SEIDIO VITREO for Samsung Galaxy S III appeared first on AndroidGuys.