Archive for August, 2010

Making the Transition from iPhone to Android

August 26th, 2010 Admin No Comments »

If you’ve been paying attention to the news in the techsphere, you definitely know just about everything there is to know about Android. Perhaps you’ve been reading along with the launch of all of the Android phones, including the hot Sprint EVO 4G, one of the fastest phones on the Android platform, if not across smartphones to begin with. The Android phone line has something for everyone, but if you have an iPhone, you might wonder if you should even make the transition.

Naturally, no one can force you to switch to another phone. But if you’ve found that the iPhone isn’t working for your personal situation, you might want to think about getting a nice Android phone and just transitioning from iPhone to Android outright.

One of the biggest things that may be different as you go from iPhone to Android is using Gmail by default. If you want to keep using a webmail service like Hotmail, you certainly can. However, Gmail is seriously integrated into Android, which isn’t going to go away anytime soon. You have to sign in with a Google account or create one when you initialize your Android for the first time, so you might as well get an account anyway.

From there, you will need to think about your contacts in your iPhone. The last thing that you want to do is lose your contacts, but you don’t have to go without them. You just need to make sure that you sync the contacts to your computer first through the iTunes app (which you should have if you have an iPhone!). There are instructions on Google’s website that go into more detail on this, but you basically go into your iPhone settings menu and sync contacts with your Google account.

Making the transition from iPhone to Android is a bit more complicated than just settings. It does require getting used to having things in different places, and also having the ability for more buttons to be used instead of being all touchscreen all the time. You will still have plenty of applications to choose from, so it’s not like you’re going to lose all the goodness from iPhone that you were used to.

Overall, the transition isn’t as painful as some super iPhone fans would make you believe. If you really take a few steps at the beginning to save your contacts and get started with email, you will have no trouble getting the most out of your Android phone!

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Go Beyond 3G with the New Android Phone

August 26th, 2010 Admin No Comments »

Just got 3G? Well, we hate to break it to you, but you are definitely late. Way late. The new buzz is all about going 4G, and if you can go 4G with an Android phone, that’s even better. For those not in the loop, you might wonder why 4G is such a big deal — after all, isn’t it just the next generation of speed?

Yes, but it’s much more than that. The speeds can get pretty incredible, depending on the carrier you’re talking about. For example, Sprint’s 4G network runs on EV-DO, which naturally is CDMA/TDMA dependent. However, the latest version can reach speeds approaching 3.1 Mb/s. That’s not a slow data connection at all — videos get to your phone faster, web sites get to your phone faster, and transfers are pretty painless. Sprint has been rapidly expanding their 4G network, which means that as more phones that support the new generation become available, you’ll actually be able to take advantage of that speed.

When it comes to phones on the Android platform that support 4G at this time, your choices are a bit limited to start with. However, the Android trend has swelled in popularity to the point that it’s fast becoming the best selling smartphone around — giving BlackBerry and iPhone something to think about for sure!

As mentioned before, your choices are pretty much the Sprint EVO 4G and the Samsung Epic that has not yet been released. That won’t be released for another few weeks, but it’s part of the Samsung Galaxy S series. It’s called the Samsung Epic, and it will also be offered for Sprint networks.

Does that mean that T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T are staying out of the Android craze and the 4G frenzy? Definitely not, but it looks like they’re focusing more on spreading out their network before they jump forward with more phones. They could pick up the Epic for their network in a GSM version, if Samsung feels there’s enough demand for it.

Is it time for you to upgrade to 4G? Well, if you’re someone that really cares about speed, it’s definitely something to consider. Going 4G will make things a lot faster, but if you’re not due for a handset upgrade, you might want to think about whether or not you really have an extra hundred or two burning a hole in your pocket. If not, stick with 3G — 3G support is pretty strong now, so you shouldn’t have a problem.

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Kindle for Android Gives Amazon Customers More Options for Accessing their Library than Ever Before

August 22nd, 2010 Admin No Comments »

The Amazon Kindle is one of the best devices to come out in a long time, for several reasons. For starters, it’s getting people that weren’t very cell phone and technology savvy to embrace technology so they can go back to reading. It’s something that is giving people more options in entertainment, and you don’t have to be a techie to appreciate the Kindle. On the other hand, tech fans have embraced the Kindle because Amazon has been wise enough to make sure that they embrace a platform that tech fans are crazy about right now: the Android platform.

Indeed, Kindle for Amazon truly does give Amazon customers more options than ever before. The app is free from Amazon, and has several interesting features that are worth mentioning.

For starters, the app saves the last pages that you read on your Kindle and immediately marks that spot in the new app. It’s done via Whispersync, their special synchronization feature that truly makes your Kindle books more portable. There might be times where you need to leave your Kindle at home or leave it with someone else. This would still give you the ability to read all of your Kindle books without missing a beat. Turning your Android phone into a second Kindle through this app is actually quite clever, and gives you the ability to never miss reading your favorite books and magazines.

One of the first concerns about the Kindle for Android app was whether or not the books would resize themselves for the difference in screen space. After all, you’re getting a bit less space on an Android phone than you are with the actual Kindle. Howe3ver, that concern is unnecessary — Kindle for Amazon does indeed adjust everything — from the text size to the bookmark view — to fit your Android phone.

Even though the app was first created to support the current library that you have, you don’t have to live with never being able to buy another Kindle book again. You can go directly to the Kindle store from the Kindle for Amazon app and pick out new books whenever you like. You will still pay the same flat 9.99 for each book, which means that you won’t have to worry about any hidden charges just because you’re using a different app.

Overall, the Kindle for Android really gives you more options about how to interact with your Kindle books, but you have to check out the app in order to unlock the benefits!

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eyeSight – A Gestures-based Interface for Android

August 17th, 2010 Admin No Comments »

If there was one new interesting technical gadget out, it would have to be the entire set of Android apps. Yes, the entire set. Just like iPhone apps, there are some Android apps that are a bit questionable, or that it’s clear that they need a bit more work and polish before they’re really ready for prime time. However, there’s a neat program that deserves a bit of a mention. It’s the eyeSight, an Android app that brings hand-waving and other gestures to the Android.

Indeed, eyeSight is not a native Android application, but something that had the libraries ported over to the Android platform. It’s just another example of how flexible Android really is — developers are really getting into moving things over to Android and then working on making them even better than they were on other platforms.

But that’s enough Android praise — you probably want to know what the eyeSight actually can do for you, right?

Right. The eyeSight system allows for the creation of Android apps that can change tracks, selectively choose which calls to answer and which ones to ignore, and show all your text messages with a simple wave of the hand.

Google has been rumored to be interested in the technology, but it looks like nothing has been announced on that front about doing anything with the technology as far as making it an official part of the standard development package.

Why report on something that’s still in its infant stages? Well, a lot of great technologies started out in this form. The eyeSight platform has a lot of potential to really change the way you interact with your phone. For example, the ability to simply use your hands and gesture at your phone will remove a lot of the accidental damage problems that plague cell phones in general. A quick example can be found in the moments where our hands are busy doing other things, like taking something out the oven or working with sticky flour. Instead of trying to wait for the perfect moment where your hands aren’t busy, you can simply gesture quickly and go back to taking care of the other things in your life.

Anything that takes away from the distractions of life without adding to them is definitely a good thing. Will developers get the message and develop something other than a fart detecting app? Only time will tell.

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Why Business Owners are Excited about Android 2.2

August 10th, 2010 Admin No Comments »

Android 2.2 is already out, and one group of users that is definitely celebrating are the business owners. It might sound strange to mention Android and business owner in the same sentence, but it’s true — business owners are beginning to really embrace Android as their cell phone platform of choice. It’s better to get into a platform that is known for being open and very encouraging of development than a traditional platform that’s more locked in. The next generation of the Android platform is called “Froyo”, short for frozen yogurt. There are plenty of new features to be had in Android 2.2, which is why business owners are looking forward to it.

One of the biggest features that have business owners happy is the rise of better support for Microsoft Exchange. Even though Gmail is generally the email of choice for more casual users, business owners have been using Exchange for a long time, and have most likely invested a lot of money in Exchange maintenance and management. This means that switching away form Exchange is a bit more complicated than it would be for the casual user to sign up for Gmail.

Still, that’s not the only feature that has business owners excited. There’s now support for a portable hotspot, which means that certain phones in the Android lineup could be turned into full out Wi-Fi hotspots at a fraction of the price. Corporate users usually end up buying costly devices from other companies that are far more than the cost of an Android-enabled phone. In 2.2, users will also be able to just connect their phone to their laptop and use the 3G connection there. With the rise of the Sprint EVO 4G, that will become a 4G connection that offers blazing fast speed. Not every business is located in an area known for blisteringly fast internet connections. This would be a great feature for business owners that have to go out on the road a lot to places that don’t have good internet access. One area of note would have to be hotels that promise to have high speed Internet, only to find that the wireless connection is spotty at best and terrible at worst.

Overall, there’s plenty to be had in Android 2.2 for just about every type of user you can think of. Business owners should definitely check to see which Android phones are scheduled to get the 2.2 upgrade, and act accordingly.

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What the Release of Android 2.2 Means for Consumers

August 3rd, 2010 Admin No Comments »

Android is an open platform, and that means that if you don’t like a feature set in Android or feel that it needs something else, all you really have to do is wait. Indeed, Android keeps getting better and better, which is probably why it’s becoming one of the hottest selling smartphone lines around. Every carrier has a version of Android to share with its consumers, and that means that variety just isn’t a problem on Android.

However, just because Android is open doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have to evolve and get new features every once in a while. If you’ve been following the tech news, then you already know that Android 2.2 is out. This means that carriers and manufacturers will start pushing out the updates to the various Android handsets on the market. Even though Android 2.2 “Froyo” has been out for a while now, not everyone has been enjoying the new Android 2.2 just yet.

There’s a reason for that. Those in charge of upgrading each handset line don’t always rush out to push out an update. There may be last minute bugs and problems that have to be worked out. This means that instead of getting the most cutting edge Android once it’s released, you may be waiting weeks or even months to catch up. Some phones, like the Motorola i1 on Boost Mobile, are still way back on Android 1.6 — they clearly have a lot more upgrading to do than other phones.

So, what can you expect in Android 2.2? Well, the focus in “Froyo” has been on tightening up the user interface, which means adding more customization options while still giving users the quick navigation that they’ve been looking forward to. There are new shortcuts on the Home screen that make it easier to get to frequently used programs.

Support for Exchange has also been increased in this update, which is something the business community has been hoping for. Business use on Android is something that’s growing as well, which cuts into Research in Motion’s market dramatically. After all, the Blackberry has long been the phone of choice for people in the corporate world, but that could change as Android get more and more powerful as well as secure.

Android 2.2 also turns the heat up on the portability — turning your phone into a giant hotspot could well be a reality, as long as it’s running Android 2.2. Right now, you can share your 3G connection with a laptop by connecting the two with a USB cable — naturally, the cable doesn’t always come with the phone.

Overall, there’s a lot of functionality on the way for consumers that pick up Android 2.2, but they’ll have to wait for that update.

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