Android

Verizon Finally Updates Motorola Droid to 2.1 … so who cares?

Image courtesy of TalkAndroid Operating System updates are a funny thing – we just got one from Apple the other day (OS X 10.6.3), but how many folks who have applied it really even know what it does? Sometimes it is just the fact that something is known to be coming that builds anticipation – even if we don’t really know what we’re waiting for! With that in mind, I woke up to find that my Droid had downloaded the 2.1 update and was ready to install. I knew this was coming – but had already said I wouldn’t believe…

How to Do It Yourself!

Flip AT&T’s Control over the Backflip

If you bought a Moto Backflip, you probably noticed the odd use of Yahoo Search over Google, and the incredible amount of AT&T bloatware included on the device. Unfortunately, short of rooting it there’s not much you can do about either of those, but AT&T did something far worse to the Backflip that you WILL want to change. Every other Android phone offers an option to install apps from outside the marketplace. Sometimes it is a beta (like the Swype keyboard beta), other times it is things like PDANet, a tethering utility, that isn’t sold through the marketplace. If you…

Reviews

Ten Things We Like About the HTC Google Nexus One, and Five Things We Don’t

Judie: When Dan, Larry, and I attended Digital Experience, a product showcase at CES, there was one particular device that caught our immediate attention. Unlike all of the other gadgets and electronic items we saw on display and which were currently available for purchase, the HTC Google Nexus One was the one that we gathered around, drooled over, and all immediately made plans to order. Dan and I purchased ours as soon as we got back to our rooms that evening to be delivered FedEx overnight to my hotel in Las Vegas by Friday afternoon. Our experience would later become…

eBooks

Reading PDFs on Your Android Tablet or Phone

When I kicked off my “LCD vs eInk vs paper” smackdown, one of our readers emailed me asking about PDFs on the Camangi Webstation. I was slightly ashamed to admit that I hadn’t actually tried them yet! Reading ebooks on it had been such a great experience that I hadn’t branched out to PDFs yet, but that email gave me the impetus to try a few different options. Unfortunately, the Camangi does not come with access to the official Android Marketplace, so this limited my options slightly. I was able to download Documents to Go and unlock the PDF to…

eBooks, Reviews

eInk, LCD, Paper Smackdown: The Results Show

As you may recall, I threw down the gauntlet and vowed to engage paper, e-ink and LCD in a battle to the end. It has been tough, but I’ve forced myself to carve out time to read three books from my favorite author, all in the name of this review. Hopefully you all appreciate the sacrifices I made. 😉 To review, here were the ground rules: Readability: • How long can I read comfortably without my eyes needing a break? • Are the font and margins acceptable for reading? • Is it formatted correctly and without error? Navigation: • Are…

Events, News & Features

HTC Introduces the Legend and Desire Android Phones

the HTC Legend (click to enlarge) This morning HTC is introducing two new Android handsets, the Legend and Desire. Both sport “an enhanced HTC Sense experience that will … take Android to the next level.” Both will also have “broad improvements to applications including the browser, email client and others.” The Legend includes a 3.2″ AMOLED HVGA display. HTC has replaced the trackball with an optical joystick, “surrounded by a narrow button to improve usability without interrupting its unique design.” I won’t know how well it works until I give it a try, but the optical joystick looks pretty quirky….

How to Do It Yourself!

Alternate Android App Sources

So you’ve bought an Android tablet, but it doesn’t come with the official marketplace. The manufacturer has a less than stellar collection of apps in a lackluster “app store”, and you’re looking enviously at your friends with their Android phones and their awesome app collections. Luckily for you, there’s more out there than just the official marketplace. As I mentioned when I talked about speeding up your Camangi with an alternate launcher, you can directly install an APK, or app file, right onto your device. You do not need an app store to act as a middleman.

News & Features

Making Of Google Nexus One Video Series

The Google Nexus One is arguably one of the most successful Android devices to-date. Google was said to have worked closely with HTC in order to produce a device to really showcase what they thought should be a premier Android handset. I was always curious about the design and collaboration that went into creating this device. Turns out a series of videos will explain just that!

How to Do It Yourself!

How to Speed up Your Camangi Webstation

If you have used a Camangi Webstation, you probably noticed one big issue: the default launcher is sloooooow. It’s also ugly as sin. Luckily, you are not stuck with it forever. Android supports multiple home replacement options, including my personal favorite, Home++. All you need to do is download the program file, or APK, and install it. Once it is installed, hit the home button and select Home++. If you like it, click the “set as default” option, and your homescreen will be set as Home++.

News & Features

Beware: Some Images Aren’t Proof of Anything

I was reading a story on Phandroid about the supposed HTC Supersonic which may be a future HTC made Android device, or may not. They had a image that was from the suspect device’s about screen e-mailed to them trying to catch them into posting about it. However, Phandroid was on the ball and they had someone create a image reporting a device as the HTC Phandroid running Android 3.1. It was created by editing a file in the /system directory on a rooted device, rebooting it and creating a regular screenshot. The point is, this screen isn’t valid as…

Reviews

PDAir’s New Motorola Droid Cases Reviewed

PDAir makes cases and accessories for a wide range of mobile devices. Their products are typically well made and reasonably priced. We’ve reviewed PDAir cases on Gear Diary before, recently reviewing a couple of their iPhone 3G/3GS cases. So, when PDAir offered to provide Gear Diary with a couple of their new Motorola Droid cases to review, we said yes. As a still relatively new device, there is a fairly limited range of cases available for the Droid. Sure, you can pick up snap-on covers for the Droid at the Verizon store, but they don’t offer much protection for the…

How to Do It Yourself!

Having Problems Connecting to 3G on Your Nexus One? Here’s A Possible Fix!

So you’ve just gotten your shiny new Nexus One, but you’ve been plagued by some of the problems that quite a few other proud owners of the smartphone have run into over the past few weeks? If you’re using T-Mobile’s network, maybe you’ve been frustrated by frequent 3G connectivity drops (if you’re able to get full 3G speeds at all). Kevin Tofel found a workaround that may get you surfing at full mobile broadband speeds. The best part? It’s not a complicated “hack” or OS update. It’s merely a few simple changes to your Nexus One settings that could make…

News & Features

This is how you do a Nexus One unboxing!

This is for all of you who have already received your Google Nexus Ones, and also for those of us who haven’t … yet. Enjoy! Thanks Helena!

Reviews

Nexus One First Impressions

After having seen the Nexus One in the flesh prior to it being launched, I knew that I would have to order one as soon as it officially launched. As soon as the online store went live during the presentation, I placed an order for the unlocked version, as my T-Mobile family plan doesn’t qualify for the subsidized version. Read on for more thoughts on the ordering and delivery process, some unboxing photos, and some initial thoughts on the Nexus One hardware and Android 2.1. The Ordering Process The Google launch event was not quite a rock star event like…

Events

Alex Dual Screen Android-Based eReader Gets More Real

Spring Design’s Alex Dual screen eReader is finally coming closer to a release. This is probably the first eReader with a fully functional web browser with the exception of Flash since Android doesn’t have it yet. Alex™ features a 6″ E-Ink EPD display and 3.5″ color LCD display, earphones and speakers. A removable SD card will free up library space on the device while letting users archive content for future reference. The enhanced Android OS is optimized to support integration between the color and monochrome displays while preserving battery life. Users can capture and cache web content from their online…

eBooks, News & Features

Text Input On The Camangi WebStation

Dan: Judie and I are continuing to play with, tweak and become familiar with our Camangi Webstations. There is no question that it excels as an e-book reader. Thanks to The Android version of eReader both of us have downloaded our libraries and had a number of sessions reading from the device. There is no question that it works quite well in this regard. It allows you to read both in landscape and portrait mode, lets you change the font, is backlit (something that isn’t possible with a device that uses ePaper, and, thanks to the testing, navigation is as…

eBooks, Editorials

Skimming through 2009 eBooks

(image courtesy of petitinvention) Welcome to the final State of the eBook for 2009! It has been a big year for eBooks, and I am going to do my best to cover a timeline of the high points, as well as a few things to look forward to in 2010. Rather than do a traditional timeline of events, I thought I’d break it down by the year in highlights per company/platform, and then a few predictions and news items to look forward to in 2010!

eBooks, Reviews

First Full Day with the Camangi WebStation

Judie: As you may recall, I received my Camangi WebStation yesterday afternoon. Other than downloading some of my eReader library to it, I wasn’t able to spend as much time with the tablet as I might have liked before previously made plans drew me away. This morning I was greeted with tweets and links pointing to Michael Smith’s review, where he calls the Camangi a “total fail” because (among other reasons) it isn’t as fast as his first gen iPhone and because it doesn’t browse the internet as quickly as the Hackintosh he likes to couch surf from. Michael has…

eBooks, News & Features

Camangi Webstation Includes GPS… DHL Could Use One

I wasn’t going to write a post about my experience with shipper DHL yesterday. Yes, although they told me on the phone twice that my Camangi WebStation was on the way it never came. Yes, I had to look on while Judie unboxed hers. I had to listen to her “ooh and ahhh”, all the time thinking that mine was on the way any second when, in fact, it wasn’t. Yes, my exchanges with their customer reps left much to be desired. But still, I had no plans to write a post about my experience. Elana just got off the…

eBooks, Reviews

The Camangi Webstation Unboxed

It seems like it took forever, but my Camangi WebStation finally showed up today. Dan’s is out for delivery, so in the meantime, he is processing the raw video I’ve uploaded of my unboxing. While we wait for that, here are some pictures. I haven’t done anything other than unbox the Camangi, turn it on … and marvel at it before plugging it in So without further ado, here are some pictures. Video and more impressions from Dan and me will be up shortly. 🙂

eBooks, Reviews

The Barnes & Noble nook; or how I managed to completely waste my Saturday on a piece of over-hyped hardware

The Barnes & Noble nook eBook Reader has been touted by some as a Kindle-killer, and after what seemed like a ridiculously long wait, when mine finally showed up today I was ready to be wowed. It’s not that I don’t already enjoy reading eBooks on my Kindle DX (Kevin is using the Kindle2) and on my iPhone, it’s just that the nook was the “next new big thing”, and I allowed myself to be caught up in the excitement. I was perhaps a week later ordering mine than many were, because I found out that American Express Rewards offers…

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