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Monday, July 1, 2013

Android Central

From the Editor's Desk: Bringing the kids into the Android fold
Qi wireless charger showdown
Sprint finally shuts down iDEN, but how fast will it translate into improved LTE?
Vine now available for the Amazon Kindle Fire

From the Editor's Desk: Bringing the kids into the Android fold

Posted: 30 Jun 2013 10:50 AM PDT

Phil and Mia

I think I've switched my nearly 7-year-old daughter from iOS to Android.

She came willingly, which was a bit of a surprise, and truth be told I don't think she's knows the difference between one platform and another. She just knows that she's got a cooler-looking phone, and that I've told her it'll be much easier for me to get new music on there for here. (And cheaper for me, thanks to Google Play All Access.)

Still, for as cool as I think it is to see her using this new phone like she did her old inactive iPhone 3G, I can't help but wonder if I've turned into that parent, who doesn't give a damn that their kid suddenly has leaped forward a couple generations in personal tech hardware, all before her 7th birthday. That this new phone is all of a year old, and any one of our Android Central readers would be happy to have it. That I've just spoiled the hell out of my kid — and that she doesn't even really know it — is not lost me. (To say nothing of giving her one of 10 coveted device slots for my Google Play Music account.)

But the really scary thing is that unlike her old iPhone, I'm leaving this phone connected to the Internet. Again, that's mainly to make getting to Google Play Music All Access, and because occasionally there are some apps that love to crash on startup when they don't have an Internet connection. That's bad code, but whatever.

This is not unfettered access, though. I didn't just set my child loose on the Internet. This is a bit of an experiment as well.

Qi wireless charger showdown

Posted: 30 Jun 2013 07:36 AM PDT

Qi chargers

We take a look at three popular Qi wireless charging solutions and put them head to head in Jerry's bedroom

Qi (pronounced Chee, and is totally a word no matter what Words with Friends says) is a wireless standard developed in 2009 by the Wireless Power Consortium. The standard itself covers inductive power transfer over short distances -- up to four centimeters -- and uses a electromagnet embedded in a transmission pad to induce current in a coil on the back of the thing you're charging. In our case, that means a Nexus 4 smartphone.

With big-name device makers like Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola and Nokia (as well as others) using the standard, it is slowly emerging as the winner in the obscure wireless charging war that goes on in cubicles all over the world. Long live Qi! On a serious note, it's an open standard with over 100 companies in Asia, Europe and North America cooperating to set a good standard that everyone can implement. That's good for business, and good for consumers in the long run. Of course, there will always be companies that buck the trend and take another path, but for now if you're going to spend your hard-earned money on a wireless charger that you should be able to use for the life of multiple devices, Qi charging is the way to go.

Because it's a standard, there are quite a few different companies making the base stations (a fancy term for the charging pad). I took a look at the three most popular and put them head to head to see which one I'd recommend. While I used a Nexus 4 for my tests, these chargers should work for any Qi-compatible phone with a flat back. Jump past the break and see who wins the Qi charger showdown.

Sprint finally shuts down iDEN, but how fast will it translate into improved LTE?

Posted: 29 Jun 2013 09:36 PM PDT

New cash and spectrum give Sprint lots of potential, but it still needs to execute on its (Network) Vision

We've known about the impending shutdown of Sprint's legacy iDEN network for a long time now, and this is finally the last full day of service for the network. There are likely very few handsets, and even fewer running Android, up and on the iDEN network today, but Sprint flipping the switch is still an important story. Sprint's post-iDEN plan is to quickly repurpose the spectrum from the old network for its steadily expanding LTE offering.

The iDEN network was running in extremely valuable 800MHz spectrum as well, adding to the importance of this transition. With an influx of cash from an all-but-complete SoftBank merger, Sprint needs to put its new found resources to work and do it quick. While the Now Network has been talking up its LTE network since its launch, customers and potential customers alike haven't been encouraged by its progress.

Moving through the second half of 2013, Sprint has the opportunity to seriously improve its shaky network -- let's see if it can follow through.

Vine now available for the Amazon Kindle Fire

Posted: 29 Jun 2013 05:33 PM PDT

Vine for Kindle

You have a Kindle Fire from Amazon. You want the Vine app. Today is your lucky day.

The Vine for Android app is now available on the Amazon app store, and is compatible with the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD. That means you can now take all the six-second selfies your heart desires, and share them all with the rest if the civilized world.

Or you can freak out over ... Gummy Worms.

Anyhoo, it's nice to see the folks behind Vine haven't forgotten about everyone with a Kindle Fire. Grab your copy (it's free) from the app store on your device, or click the link below.

Vine on the Amazon app store