android vs apple

As of today VZW will begin rolling out the long awaited Android 2.2 Froyo update for HTC Droid Incredible units. Bringing a speed boost, wider app library, 720p video recording, mobile hotspot, and Flash 10.1 and other tweak and goodies to the Incredible. VZW has really done a great job with its Android devices and its good to see its first 1ghz super Droid get brought up to date. Better late than never right? if you haven't automatically been prompted to update yet go to menu/settings/system updates and start checking periodically. if its as smooth as it is on the Evo (which it should be) you will love the tweaks! Please share your thoughts after upgrading below in the comments.

iPhone and of course the iPod Touch both just got their own versions of the Netflix App that has been available for the iPad that allows the streaming of video content to your handheld iDevice of choice. This is great! If you have an iPhone you need to cop this app IMMEDIATELY! If you dont have Netflix you need to get that too; if you watch movies trust me you wont regret it.

Netflix's cheapest setup (with instant viewing privileges) is only $8/month, which gets you as many DVD's as you want and keep them as long as you want, but only one DVD at a time (higher packages allow more DVDs at once). The best part is you get to watch their online movies instantly as often as you like. The instant selection though limited, is constantly growing and has a great selection of movies and TV series that will keep you occupied and easily make the $8/month membership worth it (Especially considering that the theaters like $15/ticket now). Instant movies can be watched via your computer (perfect for long boring desk jobs lol), Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, special boxes(they run about $100 and hook to your tv), and even by default on some newer web connected tvs. Now iPhone and iTouch can be added to this list.

An Android app is expected soon; and hopefully this is a sign that soon will actually be soon! I'm so jealous (you wont hear me say that often about an iAnything lol) because I would use this app all the time and it makes the $8/month fee that much more worth it. Movies on the go! Lets just hope that with the Evo, Droid X and other androids with HDMI (or HD video) out options can use this to play the movies on the TV.

Ohhh and new iPhone users, hows this gonna work on that limited data plan?.... Ouch! #AT&TFail

Source: Engadget

Google is goin in with Android and has been dropping hot features and devices left and right.  Today its voice search app gets a boost for Froyo equipped devices. Its new features include very advance voice commands. But why type what you can watch. Check out the unbelievable app in the video below. I'm downloading this RIGHT NOW!!!!



  

Anyone that knows me knows that I have some issues with the iPad. But this is certainly not one of them. Madden '11 looks sweet as hell on the iPad! Check out the Video:



  

Last night (while I was supposed to be studying lol) I couldn't help but keep checking my favorite tech sites; there where several big announcements so lets check them out!

First, the Droid 2 was officially launched today so VZW customers be sure to check that out my last Droid 2 post has been updated with video and I may have a personal review coming soon!

Images of the special edition Star Wars R2D2 version have begun to leak as well this unit is set to go on sale in September.

Next, Sprint customers another 4G phone is headed your way! The Samsung Epic 4G, Sprint's Samsung Galaxy S phone became official and will drop August 31st, for $250.  This phone has a 1Ghz hummingbird processor (Samsung's 1Ghz processor option said to be very fast), a Super- AMLEOD screen for crisp deep color, front and rear camera and full physical keyboard.  It is easily the best of all the Galaxy S variants in my opinion. Sprint Premiere customers should be receiving an email regarding pre-ordering the device!

Check Out Sprint's vid comparing the Epic and the Evo:



Not to be left out Dell's rumored device the Dell Thunder video footage has been leaked. The vid shows of the upcoming 8MP, 720p recording, 4.1" OLED toting Android phone. Hopefully it will be launching with at least Android 2.1 with  speedy update to 2.2.



This is a more pocket friendly Android device to go along side the Dell Streak 5" tablet/phone soon to be released on AT&T for $300 on a 2yr contract.




Next is in my opinion the best news of all and that is the Google Android based Sony Ericson PSPhone!!!! This partnership between Google and Sony will introduce the long awaited PSPhone. It will launch with Google's next software Android 3.0 Gingerbread and will have a separate part of the Android Market for PSX/PSP quality games.  The phone will be a slider but instead of a traditional qwerty keyboard it will have a full PSP supporting controller with standard Playstation buttons an special touchpad (joystick alternative) and shoulder buttons! This phone could be out as early as October! I can't wait! SNESoid, Genesoid and all the emulators will be effin amazing on here and not only will you have free access to all the classics but you will get access to Playstation and PSP classics as well as new content.  This phone is a gamers dream phone and will likely be the only phone that will make me consider putting my Evo up for sale.  Android's momentum is steadily building and they are not looking like they are going to let up. This will launch Android to the top of the list for mobile gaming and allow Sony to finally introduce a PSPhone that has been desperately requested. There is also a chance that some of the games will be available for non-PSPhone Android 3.0 high end devices.

And finally, not to leave Team iPhone out there may be good news coming your way too.  You may finally be able to ditch AT&T as rumors are becoming more solid that a CDMA (VZW or Sprint) iPhone is being prepared for a January 2011 release.  Now many automatically assume it is coming to VZW but with their heavy support of Android lately I think its possible it could be headed to Sprint. This would defintiely be interesting if Sprint surprised us all and nabbed the new iPhone.  I doubt it (and hope I'm wrong don't want all the iUsers on my network), but who knows I'm sure we will know the truth soon enough..... Could the pressure form the growing Android Army have hurried the plans to get the iPhone away from AT&T?

Sources: Engadget, Gizmodo and Android Central

  

The Evo recently got an update to Android 2.2 Froyo, but because it is an HTC device some features where not included as HTC opted to use their own versions. One of such features is the 3D picture gallery. I just installed it and it looks really great but is a bit slower and less efficient than the stock option from HTC. Still it doesnt override your stock HTC pic gallery so you can use both and show off the 3D effects of the stock Android 2.2 gallery. Check out the video and if you like it follow the link to download and install.



To install you will need either an app like Astro file manager (highly recommended app) or you will need to download to your computer and email it to yourself at your Gmail account, at which point your phones Gmail will offer you the option to install the file.

Download: Android 2.2 Stock 3D Picture Gallery
Source: Good and Evo

This nothing new but it is something that is often overlooked.  With the Froyo update came the ability to effortlessly share websites between your Froyo equipped Android device and your computer's web browser.  There are likely several ways to do this butI'm going to share what I use.  This is something I always wanted and I use it daily it is REALLY helpful.  Instead of having to email yourself links or trying to remember them and retype them you can now simply push a button and the link will instantly pop up on your phone from your computer and visa-versa.

First you will need Google's Chrome to phone App and Chrome browser extension. For some reason both of these are hard to find so I will provide links below.  I guess I should also note that this is for use with Google's Chrome browser (my favorite) and I will also provide a link for Chrome to Phone for Firefox (I haven't tested this version) unfortunately I don't have anything for Safari or Internet Explorer (do people still use IE?).

Each of the links will allow you to download the files to your computer or directly to your phone using a bar code scanner ( another great app that you should download from the market).  The Chrome to Phone ".apk" file should be installed on your phone.  Once installed complete any registration steps and then download the browser extention (either chrome or firefox accordingly).  Once this is done you should get a small button in your browser tool bar.  This button will send whatever site you are viewing directly to your phone!  This feature is infinitely useful!!!

Video of Chrome to Phone:



Now for the inverse; to send items from your phone to your computer I like to use Android2cloud.  I have provided links to download both the app for your phone and the Chrome browser extension for this one as well.  This app does the same thing except now when you are viewing a site on your phone you can long press in the url bar and select share page (or press menu and share page), you will see Android2cloud as an option and selecting it will load it on your computers browser.

Check out the video demonstrating this feature:



These are features that took entirely too long to come to our phones and now that they are out they aren't widely publicized.  Check them out I guarantee you'll be glad you did!

Downloads:
Files for Chrome to Phone (send sites from computer to phone):
Chrome to Phone apk file (actual app for your phone) UPDATE: This app is now available in the market officially!
Chrome to Phone Browser extension for Google Chrome Browser (install to computer)
Chrome to Phone Browser extension for Firefox (install to computer)

Files for Android2Cloud (send sites from phone to computer):
Android2Cloud apk file (install to phone) Also available in the market search "Android2Cloud"
Android2Cloud Google Chrome Browser extension (install to computer)

The Droid 2 finally gets official and will go on sale Thursday August 12th for $199.99 on a new contract. Verizon's website will begin offering units tomorrow during an early pre-sale event. There is also a special edition R2D2 Star Wars Droid 2 that will be packaged with Star Wars goodies set for release in September.

The Droid 2 will surely be a success boosting the Droid into the arena with the latest Super-smartphones.  Maintaining the original Droid's general shape, design, camera and screen size (5MP camera, 3.7" screen), the Droid 2 has a redesigned keyboard, 1Ghz processor, 8GB of built in memory plus a 8GB microSD card and Swype pre-installed.  The Droid 2 will also come with Android 2.2 Froyo out of the box (flash support, plus hard keyboard equals lots of great FREE gaming)! For an additional $20/month Droid 2 owners will also be able to utilize Verizon's Wifi hotspot functionality on the Droid 2.

The best part of this whole ordeal for many current VZW customers is that Verizon will be allowing any customers whose contract ends by December 31, 2010 to upgrade to any smartphone, including the Droid 2, without penalty!!!! I'm sure many orginal droid owners (and Blackberry owners) will be jumping on this!

If you like mash-up, then you will like this mixtape (500) Days of Weezy. Done by My Sick Uncle, this is a mash-up of Lil Wayne verses and music from the soundtrack (500) Days of Summer.

DOWNLOAD: http://www.500daysofweezy.com/



Young Chris has been killing the mixtape game for the last couple of years but this time Neef has return for a new Young Gunz mixtape, Back to Business.

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mixtapetorrent.com/chris-and-neef-back-to-business


First it was The Come Up, then The Warm Up, and now J. Cole brings you the The Blow Up. In this mixtape are songs that Cole has put out in the last year including his new single “Who Dat.”

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mixtapetorrent.com/j-cole-the-blow-up
Also Download The Warm Up: http://www.mixtapetorrent.com/j-cole-the-warm-up


This mixtape has new, unreleased, and pre College Dropout songs.

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mixtapetorrent.com/kanye-west-check-the-resume


In 2008 Wale dropped The Mixtape about Nothing, which was themed by one of my favorite shows Seinfeld. Now Wale has put out the sequel to that tape, More about Nothing, with more new music and more Seinfeld.

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mixtapetorrent.com/wale-more-about-nothing

Post by Sterlino Martinez ~~~~ Thanks for the post

Want the new shiny (or rubber covered to fix the antenna issues) iPhone 4, but not AT&T? Well you're in luck just like iPhones past the iPhone 4 has been jail broken and now it has been unlocked for use on other GSM carriers, ie. T-Mobile unless you are in Canada or abroad lol.  The phone must be jailbroken first, and then the tutorial video below walks you through how to unlock your latest iPhone! Any ambitious iPhone 4 users wanna give it a shot and share your results?




Source: Engadget

  

The rumored BlackBerry Slider gets official; the AT&T BlackBerry Torch is set to be released August 12th! The device will come equipped with the brand new BlackBerry 6 OS which brings new features and functionality to the BlackBerry platform including a (much needed) new browser. THe Torch also has a 5MP camera, 4GB of internal storage plus an included 4GB microSD card and a 3.2" Touch screen with 480x360 resolution.  It also comes with an interesting new feature called Media Sync that will allow you to sync your media library over wifi! AT&T will be selling the phone for $199.99 on a 2yr contract.

Videos below showing off the new features of the Torch and more details for Blackberry 6



























BlackBerry Torch Launch Video:


BlackBerry 6 OS video:

The Evo just got even better officially today! As promised Sprint began releasing the update over the air today.  So far reviews of the update have been excellent.  My personal experiences have been equally good; increased speed, battery efficiency and new features.  This update gives the Evo even more of an edge in the smart phone competition and in my opinion solidifies it as the best smart phone available!

Make sure to update your phone if you're already a lucky Evo owner. To update, from your home screen hit Menu->Settings->System updates.  Please share your responses to the changes in the new upgrade below in the comments section.


Source: Engadget

  

Those of you who aren't happy using Fring for your 3G voice calling will be glad to know that you can now use Apple's own FaceTime app over your 3G data connection.  It will just require your phone to be jailbroken.  Once you've managed to jailbreak your iPhone 4, an app called My3G will let you video chat outside of those limiting wifi network. Video quality seems to be unaffected, but frame rate is slightly diminished due to the reduced bandwidth; a fair trade for the increased mobility!

Your list of  reason to jailbreak just got a bit bigger!

The official Evo 4G FroYo Android 2.2 update starts tomorrow and I wanted to put up a quick video showing a little of what  you can expect.  I was lucky enough to get the update this past Friday and have been using it all weekend and I'm very impressed! I'm running a custom rom from Geekfor.me, which I highly recommend if you have a rooted device. Well enough said, check out the video below!




More in depth video from SmartPhoneJunkie.com