The Droid Gets Super Sized– Meet the All New Motorola Droid X June 24, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , add a comment
We had a feeling this was on the way, and now Motorola, Google, and Verizon have confirmed the rumors of this beast of a phone with their official announcement of the Motorola Droid X. And when I say beast of a phone, I MEAN beast of a phone.
New Droids Coming this Week? June 20, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , add a comment
If your on Verizon and looking for a new Android phone you may wanna hold off getting that Droid Incredible or Motorola Droid just yet, as Motorola and Verizon have some big news, and when I say big news I mean REALLY BIG news.
Sprint: The HTC EVO 4G is Our Nexus One May 11, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , add a comment
Waiting for Sprint to release their Nexus One? Wait no longer. Today, Sprint came out and said that they are not getting a standard Nexus One; instead that device is the coming-soon HTC EVO 4G. This makes sense, as the EVO 4G pretty much matches or beats the Nexus One in every category– both have Android 2.1, 1 GHZ Snapdragon processors, while the EVO 4G throws in a larger 4.3 inch screen, 1 GB of built in storage, an 8 megapixel camera with an additional front facing camera, HTC Sense on top of Android 2.1 and of course– 4G support. (And all this isn’t so shocking– Verizon also canned their plans for their Nexus One in favor of the Droid Incredible).
As to when the EVO 4G will come out, the latest rumors say that it will be on June 6th (a day before Apple kicks off their WWDC conference where they are expected to release that rumored 4th iPhone), for a not too bad $200. So Sprint users– excited?
Droid Incredible by HTC Out Now for Verizon– Already Sold Out Online! April 30, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , add a comment
So the latest and arguably greatest Android phone (or perhaps even just the best overall phone) for Verizon, the Droid Incredible by HTC, is finally out. And, while not a huge surprise (yet still very impressive), it’s already sold out online! Now don’t worry if you didn’t already order or pre-order your Incredible, as you can still try your luck at your local Verizon store (and if that doesn’t work out, you can still place your orders online, though new orders aren’t expected to ship until next Tuesday 5/4). Oh, and all Droid Incredible buyers between now (including those who pre-ordered) and May 31st get a free 2 GB microSD card, bringing the built in memory up to around 10 GB (it also has 8 GB built-in).
Now for those that we’re able to get an Incredible, what you think of it (is it Verizon’s best phone yet? Better than an iPhone?), and if you didn’t yet– do you plan to? Lets us know in the comments.
And for all the details on what is the Droid Incredible and why it’s so great, see our previous post here.
Pic and info from Verizon.
Verizon Announces the Droid Incredible By HTC April 15, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , 2comments
The first thing that came to mind when I saw this: wow. If you’re on Verizon — between this and the KINs — you’ve got some really tough choices ahead. This phone truly is crazy, a seeming mix of the Nexus One and HTC Desire, taking pieces from both and making one sick phone. The Droid Incredible really looks to bring “the next chapter in the Droid saga” (Verizon’s words, though I completely agree). Just look at these specs:
- 3.7 inch AMOLED touchscreen– This is a really high quality screen. Think of it like the Nexus One‘s screen– very clear and very bright.
- Very thin design– Look at the pic above. See the Droid Incredible in the side angle? Yeah, it’s that thin.
- 8MP camera with flash, auto–focus and video capture– Not only do you get great shots, but this can also shoot full 720p HD (yes, HD!) video.
- 3G, GPS and WiFi
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- Android 2.1 with next generation Sense UI– As we’ve seen from MWC, this takes the Android homescreen to another level with features like “Leap” (for viewing all 7 homescreens in an Expose like way) and “Friend Stream” for viewing Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates in one combined view.
- 1 Ghz Snapdragon processor– To keep everything running really fast and smooth.
- 8GB built in memory — with the ability to add up to 16GB more through microSD. The built in 8GB can hold about 2,000 songs.
So when can we expect this beast to arrive? Thankfully, Verizon plans to release this soon– in 2 weeks, on April 29th.
You can pre-order the Droid Incredible starting next Monday, April 19th. The Droid Incredible will cost $199.99 on new 2 year contract with data plans ($29.99 a month). So what will you choose this or the KIN?
Android 2.1 Update for the Motorola Droid Released April 8, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , add a comment
It’s been a long time coming for all you Droid owners out there, but Verizon and Motorola have finally begun the roll out of the long awaited (and much delayed) Android 2.1 update. A source discovered the new software when purchasing the phone from Verizon just yesterday, and so it is only a matter of time till all current Droid owners get the update as well.
Just a recap of what to expect in this update– multi-touch support in the browser and Google Maps (about time! And works really well from the brief time I tried it out. Zooming in and out was fast and smooth just like it should be), the News and Weather widgets as seen on the Nexus One, active wallpapers, as well as support for Google Goggles visual search. Unfortunately, other features like the new 3D app tray introduced in 2.1 didn’t make it over here but hey, multi-touch!
Thanks Dani!
Nexus One Coming to Sprint and AT&T March 18, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , add a comment
There has been much talk about the Nexus One coming to Sprint and AT&T, and over the last two days, those rumors became fact. Google yesterday announced that those interested in an AT&T 3G version of the latest and greatest Android device, without the need to switch to T-Mobile, can now buy their own for $530 without contract, the same price as the unlocked, no-contract T-Mobile 3G version (T-Mobile also has a subsidized $180 with a new 2 year contract and special plan).
Additionally, Sprint announced today that they too plan to carry the Nexus One very soon– though unlike the AT&T-capable version, the Sprint Nexus One is still in the same territory as the Verizon Nexus One: we now know it’s coming, we just don’t know exactly when and for what price.
Both the Sprint and AT&T versions of the Nexus One will be sold only and directly from Google’s online store– google.com/phone.
So, anyone out there excited for the Nexus One to come to your carrier?
To learn more about the Nexus One, see our initial post here.
HOWTO – iChat Extended March 15, 2010
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in : Apple, Computers, How-To , add a comment
Go Beyond AIM…
This one’s mainly for Mac users, but can be used for Windows as well. Last week, I wrote a review of Meebo, a multi-IM app for iPhone (also Beejive IM, a similar app). Meebo also has an online webapp component for PC use, but many (including myself), prefer full applications – such as iChat, Mac OS’s built in IM app.
Now, it’s easy to set up AIM with iChat – just type in screen name and password, and you’re good to go. But in recent years, new chat services have been cropping up – specifically, Google Talk and Facebook Chat – as part of accounts you already have. Now for me, I hate having multiple things open for what is essentially the same purpose. So, here’s a little help in setting up iChat with not only AIM, but Google Talk or Facebook Chat as well.
Google Talk (Snow Leopard 10.6) -
This one’s pretty easy – iChat 5 has the feature of adding a Google Account just as easily as an AIM account – just select the Google Account option when creating a new account in preferences.
Google Talk (10.4 Tiger/10.5 Leopard) –
A bit more difficult, but not by much. When creating a new account, select “Jabber Account” – as the ID, enter your Gmail account “______@gmail.com”, your password as the password. The server is talk.google.com, and the port is 5223 – and check the Use SSL box. All set.
Facebook Chat: (10.4-10.6) –
Similar to Google Talk – but a few differences. First, you need your Facebook username – “______@chat.facebook.com” – which you can find by going to the “Account Settings” – where it lists your username (right after your name, 2nd from the top). Going into iChat now – in Preferences, go to the “Add Account”, and again, select Jabber. Enter in the “______@chat.facebook.com”, the _____ being your Facebook username from earlier, and the password, your regularly Facebook password. Server options are: server is “chat.facebook.com”, Port is 5222. Uncheck SSL for this one. And you’re good to go.
Personal tip – in General Preferences in iChat, enable “Use the same status for all accounts” – allowing you to log in and out of all 3 at once. Enjoy!
Now, for everyone else – those not using iChat. While not personally familiar with these programs, Google lists here how to set up other clients, and Facebook is compatable with Pidgin, Adium, and anything else that can use Jabber using settings that they give here. Enjoy!