2011: Year of the iPad 2!

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
ipad rules!

used to hate apple, no flash not great, but ive been able to get a lot of work done while in asia. wifi connect and ready to go!  even on the ktx bullet train that provides wifi, i got quite a bit done.  love it!
 
I don't remember if anyone mentioned this but Adobe has abandoned Flash for mobile devices.

Smart move, even they recognize that Flash is not optimal for low powered gadgets like phones and tablets. And with Win Phone 7 not supporting it and Win 8 also not supporting it... the writing was on the wall.

I wonder how all those proponents of Flash on Android feel about this.
 
So the fine people at work have decided that I should really get a newer phone; but I tell them I love my phone(s) even though they are old and beat-up.  But they insist because I do take important calls and shoot some impressive emails and one of their top producers should have the latest, greatest, shiniest robot... I guess :-)

So decision, decisions... they want me to join in their Sprint "family" plan, it would only be an extra $20, $30 for 4G, and I of course am gravitating to the Galaxy S II.  Or, I can get the Evo View 4G which is the htc Flyer tablet, enable the mobile hot-spot; and get to keep ALL my devices!!! HAHAHA.. more robots...!!  I need more robots...!

OR... I can try to join the At&t plans and get the Skyrocket instead... for just $149

Here is a slight catch, I do have to pay out of pocket for the new phone; $199 for the SII and $399 for the View.  The Flyer is going to be almost a year old; and will probably never see ICS, but that is ok.  The SII stands a greater chance for ICS, but again, I can live with GB.

The kid will love the View's bigger screen, our eBooks and games would just really pop but the 4.52" SII should work just as well, I mean the kid is pretty darn happy with just a 3.7", but yeah, he'll need glasses earlier.

So decisions, decisions... with Android it's always options, options, options.  Gotta sleep on this one and go robot shopping soon...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46WzIzgZwrc&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
 
I love the Android community... rooted within 24 hours...
http://www.androidcentral.com/root-kindle-fire-using-superoneclick
kindle-fire-root.jpg



irvinehomeowner said:
I was able to play with Fire today (hehe).

It's surprisingly slick and the screen looks really good (I wonder why I didn't feel that way when it was the Blackberry Playbook?).

To me, Amazon basically Apple-fied the Android tablet to make it more consumer friendly... not a nerd toy for the techies like me and RC. They've put up their Amazon walled garden and want you play there instead of in iOS (or even Android for that matter). At $200, this is going to be pretty successful... not sure if it will generate iPad numbers but it's really like an iPad Mini... or aPad. Remember the first iPad? No camera, no external memory... well... here is again, smaller and Amazon style.

While the Nook Tablet has better specs, $50 makes a big difference between $199 and $249... B&N really should have threw in a bit more (even just a crappy camera no one would use but you can say it's there).
 
I highly recommend the Epic Touch 4G SII... I want that phone so badly and it has one of the best battery lives of all the current big screen Android phones out there.

The Skyrocket is also pretty good on battery life and being LTE and HPSA+ compatible gives you some future proofing. At $149 it's cheaper than the Epic and the Epic is only Wimax 4G. I think you'll be fine on either one.

As for tablets... I would wait. ICS is going to be the best version of OS on tablets (one of the problems with fast moving tech... Honeycomb is already "old news") and now that everyone is realizing they can't compete with Apple in the $500 arena... you'll see many more in the $200-300 range.
 
the phones will technically be mine... so if I ever leave the co, I take the phones with me, my number & all... they just pick up the monthly... I will still have the LG it's my personal line and I still do some side business on it...

so I'll retire the Desire, let the kid have it when he is ready, but still carry 2 devices... I could also add another Verizon line and get the Nexus too...!  Now... a guy here has a good working Touchpad with CM7 on it... so that is what we'll be taking to shows... but I still want to take a tab home for myself, I just can't imagine that... carrying around three devices while traveling...

oh... so many choices...!  why is this so hard...?  I don't want to wait for the Note... or do I???
 
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CdD8s0jFJYo[/youtube]

Oh happy day.. I am so tired this morning but it is a glorious Android morning, the lucky people in the UK woke up to an ice cream sandwich breakfast.

After thinking all day, I am leaning to the Galaxy Nexus and sticking with Verizon.  I might even retire the LG's physical keyboard and go all virtual.  I am still faster with the LG keyboard but not by much now.  I am trying to consolidate into one device.

Its been such a busy week, that I haven't seen the Fire yet.  The Nook tab is also shipping early so this weekend might be filled with back to back geeking.  Couple that with sweet reviews of the Galaxy tab 7 and this holiday season is shapping to be the merriest.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4ZErhxf2GGs[/youtube]

With Android you can't get enough goodness; every morning is like discovering a surprise package in the mail, a love note on your windshield, or that heart warming phone call from your kid on the way to work. Things that just make life worth living...  things like...

Android Market now on the Fire...
kindle-fire-market.jpg



Charlie Brown Christmas now on your Android tab
peanuts-2.jpg



Google Music
music---android-market-1321494624.jpg



Remember 100 - Million... well double that...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwzXvRpoPP4[/youtube]


Android sees 200 Million Activations...
capture.png
 
Saw that the Galaxy Nexus was released overseas yesterday. Can't wait for VZW to get one on the shelf. Still need to see what's up with the battery life before moving ahead. That's the killer for these huge Android phones. I can't get through the day without a charger near by.

 
I blame it on huge screens, 4G and of course... Flash.

Plus Android isn't optimal with hardware acceleration so that chews battery... ICS is supposed to change that...  so we'll see how the Nexus does once some reviewers get on it.
 
Morning... reviews are in...!

I do take my small screen for granted...  I wake the robot up at 7am, use the device off and on; light morning use for reading, light office use, heavy on-the road use.  Make random phone calls on it, and surfing the net while using the LG for heavy phone calls.  The robot finally get to eat around 7:30-8pm usually still have about 30-40% battery left...
http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-nexus-review-international-version
galaxy-nexus-review-main.jpg


Conclusion:
6377433507_d5c4d6fee0.jpg


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cZoBGK04-M&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

galaxy-nexus-specs.jpg


gnex-desktop.jpg


thumb_300galaxynexus-screen8.png


thumb_300galaxynexus-screen6.png


thumb_300galaxynexus-screen1.png


thumb_300galaxynexus-screen2.png


thumb_300galaxynexus-apps.png


thumb_300galaxynexus-screen3.png


thumb_300galaxynexus-screen7.png


thumb_300galaxynexus-screen5.png


thumb_300galaxynexus-screen4.png


thumb_550_galaxynexus-cam-pano.jpg


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx3gnqkq3XE&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

dsc02188.jpg


Looks good, got approval for the phone; looks like early December but we can hope for late Nov... drop already...!
 
Still waiting for real battery tests to confirm if this things going to drain quickly. December 8-9 is tentative sell date. So far very few complaints about the phone which hopefully will be a long term trend.

My .02c
 
You guys known I'm not a Microsoft fan but this is one slick piece of marketing.  Test drive Mango...
http://m.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/demo/index.html#home
11%2B-%2B1



We get glimpses of Transformer Prime running ICS...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9tAwHCDq-94[/youtube]

Let the pre-sale begin...
tp-550x368.jpg



Galaxy Nexus gets rooted... no biggie... that thing is already open...
nexus-root.png



Finally saw the Nook Tab.. very nice review from Engadget...  fast & snappy, very smooth and crisp video...http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/21/barnes-and-noble-nook-tablet-review/
nook-tablet-rev2011-03-1122-29-37lead-600.jpg
 
Drove by the Best Buy this morning and it's funny to see people camping out already for BF... in case you haven't seen it, the BB door busters are on the web...  I won't be standing in line, but again, I might check out the store on Friday this year... still haven'ts seen the Fire yet...

Talking about Android deals... we first read about Republic wireless a while ago about unlimited everything for $19.. by using your local WiFi for data and calls... we get a preview...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=10n-U6t7oMg#![/youtube]


We finally get word on the other Sony Tab...http://phandroid.com/2011/11/23/sony-tablet-p-now-available-in-the-uk-for-499-99/
sony-tablet-p.jpg



GN looks likely pushed to December... now I might stand in line for this..!http://phandroid.com/2011/11/22/confirmed-galaxy-nexus-prime-pushed-back-to-a-december-release/
Samsung-galaxy-nexus-OFFICIAL1-550x458.jpg



Bonus...
So... it's Friday for a lot of us... and what better than to poke a little fun at "i" users... really funny...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6h5JSojJN3Y[/youtube]
 
What?!? The Android Guru hasn't even seen the Fire yet? Shame shame on you.

Trying to decide between the Fire or the Nook Tablet for the moms (... came to drop bombs)... the Amazon ecosystem is better but she probably prefers being able to walk into a Barnes&Noble for assistance (although... not sure how much longer physical book stores have for this world).

They should have just called it the Sony DSi XXXXL... dual screen Android hasn't fared well (Sprint Echo?).

RC... did you see that Sprint has a robot with a keyboard for only $20? The Sprint Express:

expressfull.jpg


I bet it works better than my phone... AND... it has 2.3 Gingerbread... gah.

iPad rumors:

1. iPad 3 coming in March
2. iPad 3 will have Retina Display, 2048x1536 resolution, double that of the current iPads
3. An iPad Mini may be released, it's either a cheaper iPad or a smaller one
4. iPad Mini will be released in March and iPad 3 will release in the summer

Counting iPads, Apple is the number 2 PC maker... and will overtake HP by the middle of next year:
http://www.bgr.com/2011/11/21/canalys-apple-set-to-become-worlds-top-pc-vendor-next-year/

Not sure if it's fair to count iPads... but it's funny because Apple is slowly becoming the Big Brother they parodied in 1984. But I guess they were right... where is IBM now?

 
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