Android and Me |
- Oppo Find 5 unboxing
- Top 10 most popular Android apps from last week
- Watch Samsung’s designers get way too deep and contradict each other with the Galaxy S 4
- Google Now released for iOS; where does it end?
| Posted: 29 Apr 2013 04:39 PM PDT If you are obsessed with unlocked devices and frequent Android updates, then the Oppo Find 5 might be the smartphone of your dreams. This unlocked Android device works on AT&T and T-Mobile, and the manufacturer promises to push out over-the-air updates every two weeks. We just received the new black Oppo Find 5, so we thought we should unbox this interesting device and see how it measures up. Oppo Digital is primarily known for its upconverting DVD and Blu-ray players, but this Chinese electronics manufacturer has recently been producing some quality Android smartphones. Even though the parent company is based in China, Oppo has regional offices in Mountain View, CA, also known as the location of the Googleplex. The Oppo Find 5 supports DC-HSPA+ on the 850 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz bands, so it was designed for the US market and it operates on AT&T and T-Mobile. Unfortunately, 4G LTE is not supported like in the HTC One Developer Edition, but the Oppo Find 5 does feature a lower starting price point. The Oppo Find 5 currently retails for: If you need at least 32GB of internal storage, then the unlocked HTC One might be a better deal since it’s priced at $574. We still need to spend some more quality time with the Oppo Find 5, but HTC’s support for LTE networks might give it a narrow victory. The full specs of the Oppo Find 5 are quite impressive, but it’s the lure of bi-monthly software updates that are the real attraction here. Oppo invites their customers to join the official Oppo Forums to share their suggestions, and then they release over-the-air updates based on that feedback. Check back in a couple weeks for a full Oppo Find 5 review (after I finish the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 reviews), and check out the quick unboxing below. If you have any questions related to Oppo, just leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer them. 
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| Top 10 most popular Android apps from last week Posted: 29 Apr 2013 03:10 PM PDT Every week we cover new Android apps with Fresh Meat on Wednesday, followed byAndroid Gaming on Thursday and Top 10 app updates on Friday. Now every Monday we will look back and see which ones were the most crowd-pleasing among our audience. Read on for the 10 most popular Android apps among your peers from last week. 1. Creatorverse
Coming in at the top spot from last week was Creatorverse, an app that allows you to design unique creations and then set them in motion. I didn’t have the chance to check it out yet, but the promo video makes it look exactly like an app I played with all the time in physics class. The app is free and it has good reviews, so give it a try if you have a creative mind and enjoy physics. 2. Photomash
There are a million photo apps, but not many of them have challenges where you compete with friends. Photosmash lets you easily turn your photos into custom creations. Simply take a picture, erase portions of the picture with your finger, and take another picture to occupy that space. This is another one I chose not to download, but the early reviews are doing well with a 4.5 average. 3. Circle Synth
We haven’t featured any music apps in a long time, but maybe we should do more after Circle Synth came in at the number three spot last week. Circle Synth is a grid-less sequencer synthesizer that makes quick and quirky musical sounds. This is another free app, so give it a try if you want to mix your own beats. 4. Merge+
The Contacts Plus Team took their most popular feature, contact merging, and released it as a separate app. All you need to do is launch Merge+ to find duplicate contacts, review suggestions, and then merge your selected duplicate contacts. I gave it a quick try and it got the job done, merging over 200 of my dublicate contacts. 5. Indigo
Indigo is another voice-enabled personal assistant, which always seem to be popular with our audience. This app is currently in beta, and the early reviews show it still has some bugs, but it might be worth a try it you want to help test out this new app and provide your suggestions for improving it. 6. Minimal Text
Minimalistic Text is a widget app that displays information in a minimalistic way. It was recently updated to Version 3.0, so give it a look if you love clean looking widgets. 7. Flatout Stuntman
Last week's most popular game was Flatout: Stuntman from Team6 Game Studious. The Flatout series is one of the most popular stunt titles on gaming consoles, and this mobile version delivers all the same exciting action. The game is optimized for Tegra-powered devices, but it runs on a wide variety of Android smartphones and tablets. It's free to play, so check it out if you enjoy ragdoll fun. 8. Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3 hits theaters this week, but you can get your fix early with this free game from Gameloft. Become billionaire Tony Stark as Iron Man in this free, fast-paced, endless runner that features four epic villains from the Iron Man comics: Crimson Dynamo, Ezekiel Stane, Living Laser and the mighty M.O.D.O.K. 9. Twilight
Twilight is a free Android app that claims to improve your sleep. It filters the blue spectrum on your phone or tablet after sunset and protects your eyes with a soft and pleasant red filter. I’ve been using it for several weeks now, and I don’t think I could live without it. Twilight is installed on all my Android devices, and I suggest you try it out if you use your device in bed before sleep. 10. AirDroid
Rounding out the Top 10 was Adroid, which was just updated to Version 2.0 last week. This free app allows you to take complete control of your Android device from any web browser, and it’s a great tool if you spend your days working from a PC. 
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| Watch Samsung’s designers get way too deep and contradict each other with the Galaxy S 4 Posted: 29 Apr 2013 02:01 PM PDT The design process of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 was no joke. “How can it be a meaningful life companion?” “It understands me… it’s aware of me… It knows what I’m trying to do…” “How can we change people’s lives for the better?” These are the thoughts of Samsung’s smartphone designers. “A precious stone glittering in the dark, or countless stars sparkling in the night sky. We were inspired by these kinds of elements of nature,” says Samsung product designer Jongbo Jung, right after product designer Hyoungshin Park says, “While Galaxy S 3 has natural elements as a motif, in Galaxy S 4, the form factor was designed with a more rational approach, and the CMF was created with more emotional elements in mind.” “Not a radical difference. But more of an evolution,” says one designer. Followed by another designer saying, “Like nothing you’ve seen before?” Never change, Samsung. Never change. As an added bonus, in another video today, Samsung has crafted their very own Gangnam Style parody, “S 4 Samsung style.” I swear, you can’t make this stuff up. 
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| Google Now released for iOS; where does it end? Posted: 29 Apr 2013 12:08 PM PDT Where iOS users have Siri (Apple’s virtual assistant) all to themselves, Android users have Google Now–Google’s virtual assistant, complete with automated mind-bending location-aware information, ready when you need it, without ever having to ask for it. That changes today, though. Google has updated its iOS search app to include Google Now, which begs the question: Where does it end? In an update to their search app available on iPhone and iPad, Google has included a nearly feature-complete version of Google Now. The only things Google Now for iOS is missing that Android users get an exclusive hold on (for now) are seven cards and the ability to use heavy background syncing. Of course Android users get better Google Now integration, with a dedicated search bar available for your home screens and gesture launch support, but that’s it. While Google hasn’t been shy about bringing flagship services and apps over from Android to iOS, they’re treading a fine line between improving services by gathering a larger audience and limiting the competitive power of their own operating system. If all of Android’s best services and apps are available on the iPhone, yet Apple’s best features will never touch a Nexus device, why should you buy Android? There are still plenty of reasons people will choose Android, but there’s no denying just how big a selling point Google Now was for the platform. Will Android ever get its own flagship service all to itself? 
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