android vs apple

If your noticing that your phone is getting a weak signal, whether your at home, a friends house or travelling to a new area one thing that can improve your connection strength is updating your devices PRL. What is a PRL? PRL stands for Preferred Roaming List; in short it is a list that allows your phone to roam off towers from other networks (ie. Sprint roaming on Verizon's network). This list is constantly changing as carriers change agreements regularly so its good to update this list.

On Android devices you can simply update or check for updates via settings.  From the home screen press MENU>SETTINGS>SYSTEM UPDATES>UPDATE PRL

With Sprint and Verizon making so many changes to their networks and expanding their respective 4G coverage, they will be constantly making changes to agreements to optimize their 3G networks adjusting which towers cover specific areas and adding new towers to support all the new data hungry smart phones they've been selling like hotcakes. Updating your PRL at least once a month may really help with your call reception.

I was just having a conversation with my sister and some friends regarding Google TV, Roku Box (just bought one not at all impressed, headed back to Best Buy), Apple TV and other web connected media options for the TV yesterday and was stating that I am waiting for Google TV to come down in price.... Well today it looks like the powers-that-be finally see that they've milked the early adopters all they can and to get mass adoption they are going to start to have to hit the $100 zone (and below) with their products. Logitech has decided to slash the price of their Google TV setup (the one I've been eyeballing) from $250 to $100! This combined with upcoming updates which bring the previously tablet-centric Android 3.2 Honeycomb (Hopefully 3.2 and not 3.1 or older) OS to the Google TV boxes. This update should allow the boxes access to the app market and many other upgrades in addition to their multitude of online media streaming capabilities.

The way I like to look at this is kinda like having a tablet hooked up to my TV.  Allowing me access not only to viewing content but a browser and tons of games, which should also be playable with a controller via updates to Honeycomb that support external controllers.  First thing I'll be doing is slapping on an emulator app and playing Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 emulators on the big screen.  This added functionality puts Google TV out ahead of its competitors in my opinion along with the ability to access basically any web content not just content from an integrated store.

At 99 bucks this places not only into the consideration of the masses but it starts to make it feasible to have multiple Google TV boxes in multiple rooms. Especially since if I drop my cable I could easily buy a few of these a month!  My quest to free myself of cable just started looking a little better. Who else is ready to take the plunge on a shiny new Google TV whenever the price cut goes into effect? Hopefully this opens the flood gates for low priced Google TV options.

.... Oh yeah and Logitech, I swear it better still come with the keyboard!

(Early) Video walk through from Andronica


MORE ON GOOGLE TV

Logitech Revue Googe TV

Source: Android Central

I was fortunate enough to win a Seidio Convert case for my Evo 3D from one of my favorite Evo websites Good and Evo. Just thought I make a quick video to share my thoughts on the case.

I've been telling people about Amazon's Appstore for months and I don't know why I never blogged about it, but.... Amazon has their own Android Appstore and if you haven't heard about it I'd definitely recommend checking it out. Not because its better than the Android Market Place or even easier to use, nope! It gives away one paid app for FREE daily! I have it installed just for that reason. It was a good plan for Amazon who is likely setting things up for an upcoming Android based Amazon Tablet. It also provides an added level of security for developers that help prevent pirating and theft of their apps. If I'm not mistaken I think they even claim to screen apps better providing safer app downloading for you, the end user as well.


But back to the important part; everyday a new paid app is featured and can be downloaded for free! Once downloaded it is saved to your Amazon account and can be uninstalled and re-downloaded at will.... So, I've started downloading any free app of interest and just uninstalling it, going back to my downloads list in the Amazon Appstore and re-downloading (if) when I want to use the apps. This works really well for games that I don't play often but maybe want on my phone when traveling. I currently have over 20 free apps in my account of which I probably have five or less installed.


It does take a few extra steps to install the Appstore and to install apps from the Appstore, than it does in the Android Market, but it's well worth it; and these aren't just crap games and apps either they frequently give away more expensive apps and games. Many of the $5 apps I download automatically if I even think they are or could be useful at some point. Also, they often get exclusives on apps when they are first released; Angry Birds Rio was launched as an Amazon Appstore exclusive before finding its way to the Market.

DOWNLOAD and INSTRUCTIONS

Or install with QR code

Well its been a while since we've taken a break from tech-related news for a mix-tape break. My homie Sterling is back again with his mixtape picks highlighting the top mixtapes of 2011 so far. Some of these are my favorites as well and a few are new to me too.  Hope you enjoy; download links attached (Click Mixtape name).....