I never thought I would be impressed by Blackberry for something innovative. Well I was by this tiny snippet of the 2012 Keynote. Slight problem, this was the only thing that impressed. 3… 2… 1… An Android/iOS dev somewhere has started the app development. Soon there will be an App for that. Sheez.
Archive for Android
App-solutely Necessary
There are so many apps available now digging through all of them to find the gems can be a tedious process. I love to do this sort of App mining so I end up with literally hundreds of apps I go through or even have at any one time. My iPad for example has well over 200 apps right now and I am constantly cycling through new ones and deleting old ones. While many are just gaming apps that let me waste even more time in my day some are actually productive and help me get through my day. Some actually are very hard for me to live without! Apps especially that are ubiquitous across Android and iOS definitely garner more attention as I usually carry (no kidding) a Samsung Galaxy S2 (primary phone), Dell Streak 7 running custom Honeycomb OS, iPad1 (64gb cause any less would be useless to me), iPod Touch (64gb again), and a Kindle. That list does not include laptop(s) including 11″ Macbook Air, Dell workhorse, Dell 2100 Netbook with Linux, Dell Mini 9 Netbook with Snow Leopard, but usually there are only going to be two of those with me.
Either way this post isn’t about my atrocious addiction to carrying gear, but instead the apps that I use across all those devices I couldn’t live without. I am not going to talk about Mail, Calendar, or other basic apps that are built into the core of the devices but those apps obviously get ludicrous screen time.
First up are the ubiquitous ones which as stated before inherently get most of my attention for their cross platform nature.
Evernote: If you don’t have this then I assume you are a conceited forgetful and useless individual. Like a waiter who refuses to write down complicated orders there is some hubris to someone who thinks they can remember all the details of life and/or work. Ok I’m not really trying to be that harsh but Evernote is my second brain. Any random notes, images, recordings, journals, and even blog posts can immediately be jotted down. This app is wonderful on Android, iOS, even Google Chrome as a web clipper.
Dropbox: What I did before Dropbox came into my life makes me feel like it was a primeval time using USB flash drives or even worse… CDs! *Gasp* When there is such widespread access to the internet, actually moving files with any sort of physical medium does seem aged. Dropbox’s capability to automatically sync files across my devices makes it so much easier than a cable or being harnessed into my machines.
South Korean Has Gone Samsung
A recent post by techblog Engadget reveals that one-quarter of South Korean phone owners have a Galaxy S II, according to Samsung. Now the overall numbers are still pretty pedestrian compared to other devices, but considering the sheer “per capita” numbers having one quarter of a country own and use your device is quite a feather to have in your hat. Way to go Samsung. Even I have a derivative of Sammie’s GS2 with my Sprint Epic Touch 4G.
Ft. Lauderdale is Beautiful
I am traveling in South Florida for some work and really wanting to do more with my camera phone. No doubt HTC did a great job with the camera in my HTC EVO, but I know I want more. Considering I love shooting with my DSLR one BIG thing that immediately sets apart DSLR cameras from your average Point and Shoot are the interchangeable lenses. That is where the internet steps in and with a quick search I stumbled across the neat little lenses at PhotoJoJo. I mean just look at this sample photo!! So AWESOME!! I mean no offense either but you can see that the sample photo below was taken with a Blackberry which isn’t really known for high quality photography. Now think about your own device… Yea thats what I thought. Now you want one too. Now that PhotoJoJo has them back in stock, you can! But first let me order mine!
Buy the Fisheye, Macro, and Wide Angle Camera Phone Lenses at the Photojojo Store!
Dell Streak 7 with Honeycomb
My Dell Streak is now running a version of Honeycomb and I am very pleased with the Android tablet optimized version. I will do some more testing and then post some thoughts soon. So far it has been really clean and fast. Happy to know that it doesn’t require heavy hardware to run. Even 3D apps run quick and smoothly considering the Streak is a little underpowered compared to the latest Xoom, Sammie, and HTC entry. I will save the rest of my review for later though.
The Android Market
I love that Google keeps refreshing their market and apps for what the users desire. It should be rolling out soon but if you are an early adopter type then you can get the apk here.
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SOURCE: Droid-Life.com
Hacked Nook Update
My latest creation has been a success. The Barnes and Noble Nook Color is a great tablet reader that was released by the book reseller in the Fall of 2010. Sadly Barnes and Noble limited it to only run their custom version of Android which meant that it wasn’t able to harness the full Android Market and Google core functions. That was until the rooting community got a hold of it and then it was off to the races!
Many flavors of Android ROM’s exist for the Nook Color but by far the most tried and true is the CyanogenMod Community’s work. I personally have run it for at least two versions on my HTC EVO and been pleased by its small footprint and full root and power. I saw significant speed improvements and capabilities. Once I got my wife her Nook Color it didn’t even last the night before it was rooted and immediately updated to the latest CyanogenMod.
I am going to do further benchmarking etc. and post my results here.
UPDATE: Also just got a Dell Streak 7 and it is running Honeycomb now (well before Dell releases it) and I am pretty happy with it.
New Hack Project
I really want to get my hands on a Nook Color and root it to CyanogenMod7 (CM7). I got one for a friend on mine last week and after playing with it briefly I am convinced that it could be the best Android tablet on the market for the money. Considering the price of the Xoom and upcoming HTC Flier, the Nook Color can be picked up new for $250 and used for even less (I might have one for $150!). Combine that with fully fledged Android build rather than the kneecapped version that B&N puts on there and you have a serious contender. The size immediately made me love it. I know I have an iPad so of course I am going from 10 down to 7 on the screen size but it is actually very nice. I really like the construction as well. The Nook feels super solid in my hands. The lack of exterior buttons is also nice. The B&N build of Android functions well for what they want it to be, but seeing the Nook running my favorite flavor of CM7 is really exciting.
Cyanogen is one of the best custom builds of Android out there and I have diligently run it on my HTC EVO since the first root. I will post more once I get my hands on the Nook. I’m intrigued to try out Honeycomb on the Nook as well but early reports say that the Google Apps don’t run as well since it isn’t a listed device. Maybe Cyanogen can help out with that soon. Of course by the time they get Honeycomb up and running we might be prepping for Ice Cream Sandwich. Weirdly enough I don’t mind updating with all these new versions. Google does a really great job of innovating on each iteration and so it is always refreshing. Not like iOS which adds… Folders… Cool.
Update
The Nook has been acquired and successfully rooted with CyanogenMod7. And I can definitely say it is lovely. Now I really want one myself as the Nook was for my wife. Of course with all the hubbub I wonder if Amazon will have their own updated Kindle with an Android flavor soon enough.
