Life as a Nexus Owner

Over the past week it’s been a Microsoft and Google world. With Apples latest device the iPad Mini getting bad reviews and Microsoft and Google putting out device after device, all WinPhone and Fandroids are in geek heaven. In particular, I am ecstatic as it’s soon going to be a new Android build Jelly Bean 4.2!

4.2 is nice in that it’s just an interface focused update and some minor bug fixes. Mainly what we have to look forward to are the new applications coming to Android. I cannot wait to use the 360 photo gallery app. It’s such a useless feature but it’s something about having that ability. Google’s taking it a step further than just having a 360 image by allowing you to share 360 views on Google+ and also share the XML data wherever you choose. You can share the pictures with other Android devices and send emails of your 360 view that can be displayed in Google maps.

Another feature that’s going to be useful on my tablet is multi-user account support. The way Google is implementing the technology is unique in that it allows users to share application resources. So if one user has Spider Man loaded, then another user wants to load Spider Man, the OS only loads user specific data in each log on to save space.

This intelligent design is seen in a lot of places throughout the OS, Android 4.2 allows devices to enable wireless display. Allowing you share movies, YouTube videos, and anything that’s on your screen on an HDTV. All you need is a $20 Cisco wireless adapter for good integrity in my opinion; connect to any HDMI-enabled TV to mirror what’s on your screen quickly and easily.

Some other features Android will have in a few days are amazing in the ‘Moral’ category, such as screen magnification to easily zoom or pan the entire screen to get a closer look. Visually impaired users can now enter full-screen magnification with a triple-tap on the screen and even type and interact with the device while zoomed in.

Blind users can use Gesture Mode to reliably navigate the UI using touch and swipe gestures in combination with speech output. Once its setup for a blind person they can have their devices do say two things, call 911 and navigate home from wherever I am. Or complete more complex task like navigate by voice to a store, doctors office or strip club…what? Just because they are blind doesn’t mean the other senses are not working.

Google promises more reactive and uniform touch responses, futuristic new features in Google Now, new Swype-like keyboard by default; you can Swype or not. I do have a Verizon Galaxy Nexus so I did have to root to make sure it’s up to date immediately! so I do not have to worry…I do however, hope the carriers quit being greedy and update these “older” devices.

Not that even Android 2.3 Ginger Bread is a bad OS and Verizon will eventually push the updates… it’s just it would be pretty cool if all Android users could have these features day one.

I KNOW I WILL!

It’s Fathers Day this weekend, in case you forgot. And if you have a father that is tech geek but not necessarily someone who needs to have the latest and greatest device, then check out the deal AT&T is offering this weekend. You can pick up up the current model Samsung Galaxy S II for just $9.99 plus a two year contract and data plan. The SGS2 received world wide success and is handled by about every US Carrier.

The SGS2 is a 4G HSPA+ device for fast downloads, 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus Screen, 8mp rear and 2mp front facing shooters. 1650mAh battery , and Android operating system 2.3 Gingerbread.

Head on over to AT&T for more information and to grab the Samsung Galaxy S II this weekend only for $9.99.

[via Unwired View]

In the middle of May, many people were getting updates for their Verizon LG Spectrum from the Verizon support site but not over the air. The Update, VS920V6, which had a lot of fixes for email, Calendar and some widget love, is a pretty nice gesture on LG’s part while you wait for ICS Android 4.0. Here is the change log and look for the 2.3.6 update over the air.

Verizon Wireless and LG encourage you to download this update.
Spectrum by LG
Device Features
+ EAS password follows security policy, requiring an 8-digit password minimum.
+ Application launch will not cause force close when the device is scanning for
available Wi-Fi networks.
+ Improved outline for multiple calendar view.
+ Calendar reminders send notification at accurate time.
+ Successfully sync Optimum Online accounts using POP3.
+ Pinch zoom in Camera Preview mode to select zoom level.
Web Browsing & Email
+ Sync and Connect email maximum count is 500 regardless of server settings.
+ Browser launches immediately upon selection.
+ Added ‘Select Search Engine’ option in browser settings.
+ Google Search is now set as default search for a better user experience.
Applications & Widgets
+ Google GMS (Google Mobile Services) is upgraded to Gingerbread R9.
• Updated Google Play (v3.3.12) with enhanced user experiences.
• Updated Gmail (v2.3.5.2) with a series of security fixes.
• Talk2 (v1.3) includes updated video chat capabilities.
• Updated YouTube (v2.3.4) includes enhanced editing functionalities.
+ Visual Voice Mail connection has been updated for a better user experience
when syncing email.
+ Updated Apps:
• NFL v4.0
• VZ Navigator (v7.5.1.54)
• Amazon Kindle (v3.3.2.3)
• SmartShare (R2.0)
• Verizon Video (v6.1.34)
• My Verizon (v10.0.7)
• V CAST Apps (v3.03.41

If you are looking for a great deal on an Android smartphone and are a loyal AT&T customer then check out the Samsung Galaxy S II for only $9.99 after the online rebate and a two year contract. The SGS2 has been a  huge success for Sammy and has enjoyed the same success with all of the US Carriers and the world abroad. A great screen, good specs, and Android OS Gingerbread make this device a great pick even with the horsepower packing Galaxy S III rumored to be launched in April. The SGS2 has 4G but no LTE Love, 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor, 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Screen and is very thin at  .35 inches thick. Android and Battery life have a love hate relationship. Batteries hate Android, and Android loves chewing them up. You’ll want to hang close to power as the SGS2 only has a 1650 mAh battery. A decent 8 megapixel shooter completes the deal to make 10 bucks definitely worth your time to take a look at the device.

Available at AT&T now so head on over to their online page here.

Ok, I had been to local Best Buy store this afternoon and found 4 Sammy Galaxy Note Phones on Display (real phones not mockups). And they have been listed as coming soon. Of course they don’t have SIM cards in them, so you can’t make any calls to test the phone functionality. Except for phone functionality you could test rest of the features.

I have played with the display model for good 45 minutes and found a lot of interesting features and some cons.

The phone is large and has a stylus to work with. It recognizes both finger touch and stylus. Didn’t the Google loyalists outcry along with Apple Fans few years back saying how bad the stylus could be with a phone and bashed Windows Mobile for supporting it? I don’t understand why they are supporting that as if it is great and revolutionary feature now. Last year HTC Flyer tablet and now Sammy Note have support for this and got approval from Android fans. You never understand fans. They see the technology as an issue on the other side of the fence always. Keeping bickering aside, the stylus is neat and only thing I noticed was the stylus can’t be put back into phone like HTC Windows Mobile phones. You have to carry the stylus as a separate part and I don’t like it. I normally don’t forget and leave my stuff once I am done, but it is good design practice to be able to put the stylus back into phone to carry it as single piece. Hand written notes taking is good and almost the same as taking notes on paper with pen or on Windows Mobile phone with stylus. Finger touches are registered and recognized smoothly. Thanks to the processors otherwise Android Phones are not up to that mark like Windows Phone or iPhone in finger touches and gestures recognition. Most of the Android phones show little lag there.

The Operating System is Android Gingerbread (2.3.6). And Google already announced Android 5.0 today, that means this phone once it is released for public is already 2 generations of OS back. That means this would never ever get the Android 5.0 for sure. Too bad after spending $800 (without 2 year handcuffs by AT&T) or ($300 with 2 year jail also known as contract), you still can’t get the updates on this marvelous device that easily and early.

The picture taking quality is really good and but not at the quality of Nokia, iPhone or Sony phones. Video playback is simply superb, thanks to its bigger screen (5.3” diagonal) and AMOLED screen makes the video playback simply superb. The quality of speakers is good, but not as good as iPhone or HTC Surround.

Calendar, the calendar experience is great and comparable to 7” Tablets.

Email composition and reading is fantastic. Again thanks to its bigger screen. I know this because I use HTC Titan (4.7” diagonal), iPhone 4, and HTC EVO 3D and I know the difference simply. The on screen keyboard keys are bigger and fat fingers and poor sighted eyes really love this. Even the phone dialer has bigger screen and the people vision issues would love this.

Web Surfing is really simple and you don’t have to carry your tablet while you are at Starbucks for a coffee (or Tea) or on the road and want to search for something quickly. It is much better experience than rest of the smartphones. The Titan is second. Again thanks to its bigger screen.

EBook reading may not be that great when compared with your laptop, Tablet or dedicated eBook reader, but definitely much better than iPhone or any other Android phone with smaller screens.

Phone, I haven’t tested the phone communications or texting, because the SIM card was missing and will not be there until Sunday, but you definitely feel awkward to keep that big phone next to your ears while talking and I tried to hold and pretend talking and people started giving me that “look”. Unless you have larger palms, I recommend using hands free kit for communication. The phone maneuvering could be difficult in some situations while talking.

Games, well Android Games are not that great when compared to Windows Phone or iOS (except the Sony XPeria play and onwards and Tablet S where it support some of the Play Station games), and the carrier, OEM crapware games definitely don’t sound that great either. But the gaming experience on this device is really great. I know if it had been powered by Ice Cream Sandwich, it would have been much better, but Gingerbread is not that bad either when compared to its predecessors like FroYo and others.

Now this phone would have been better if it had Windows Phone instead of Android 2.3.6. I don’t say Android is a bad operating system. I mean the Metro looks more beautiful on larger screens and takes full advantage of the screen real estate. I know this because I have LG Quantum, Sammy Focus and HTC Titan. And as the size of the screen increases, the Metro beauty increases. And that’s my personal opinion. Yeah I know Windows Phone might not support stylus, but stylus is not new to underlying Windows CE or Microsoft.

I tried to get the phone out of device locker to take pictures, but the store person said he could give me one to take pictures on the release date.

I noticed two colors of phones on the display – white and black and both will be available for purchase on the release date – 2/19/2012.

Updates:

1. 1. There is a slot in the phone to hold the stylus, if you aren’t using a shell to cover your phone. Thanks to Pete. I missed it obviously.
3. 2. The International version of Galaxy Note as pointed out by Ed. D gets ICS shortly, but I am not sure whether AT&T would let US version of it get anytime soon.
5. 3. I missed testing out Navigation yesterday:  I went back and took a look at that. Yes Google Maps and Navigation definitely look good and great on this. I use my EVO 3D regularly for navigation in addition to my Nokia 500 (runs on Windows CE) . This obviously much better than those two. Now if it has an FM Transmitter in built, I could get rid of some of the extra baggage in the car I carry regularly.

There is no one that is an advocate for larger screens on mobile devices than me. I have popped off about the the need for Apple to increase the size of their puny 3.5 inch retina screen for a while now. But most large screen mobile devices come with a 4.3 to 4.7 inch display that is 16:9 aspect ratio which increases the chances of using the device with one hand. Being able to wrap your hand around the device to answer calls, scroll, or just about anything quickly and easily is what what counts. So when LG posted about the upcoming Optimus Vu, with it’s 5 inch screen sporting a 4:3 aspect ratio, basically making it into a square box, one has to wonder what they are thinking.

With the 4 capacitive buttons across the bottom it definitely appears to be an older model of Android, and according to Engadget, the Vu has some decent specs to accompany the Gingerbread 2.3 OS. 1.5GHz Qualcomm APQ8060 SoC, 8 megapixel shooter, 1gb RAM, 8 gb ROM, and some NFC fun. I can’t imaging that LG’s claim that this device is more confortable to use, but if you are a subscriber to the bigger is better screen theory, then maybe the LG Optimus Vu is for you. Drop a comment and let us know what you think, 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio FTW?

Remember the jokes we all told as kids about being ugly? “If I had a dog that looked like you, I would shave it’s butt and make it walk backwards!”. “You’re so ugly, you have to sneak up on your mirror.”  “You’re so ugly, when your mother went into labor your father went into shock.” And the classic: “You’re so ugly that we had to tie a pork chop around your neck to get the dog to play with you!” You get the picture right? We’ll check out the picture of the Casio G-Shock Prototype Phone that got caught and CES. It’s so ugly it would make an onion cry! Now I have several Casio G-Shock watches. Super Strong, feature rich, definitely an original icon in athletic watches next to maybe the Timex Ironman. So when I heard about the phone prior to seeing I thought the same thing that this is going to be killer. Well, it is killer, but only on the eyes! (this post is a lot of fun so far!)

Casio, in staying with the same styling as their very popular and successful G-Shock watches may have incorporated way to much into it.   The rubberized smartphone with their four trademark tabs on the side where on the watch, the buttons would, make this phone incredible bulky. Running Android’s Gingerbread operating system, and is said to be able to survive under water up to 10 meters, can be dropped from 10 feet (not 11ft or bad things will happen), and support a full ton of weight on top of it. Super tough yes, super ugly Heel yeah!

[Casio’s G-Shock Facebook, G-ShockZone via Droid-Life]

So, last week us Samsung Captivate users got a nice update to Gingerbread and after a couple days I noticed that I have better battery life now. Before the update I had to plug my phone in every night as it was about dead, but now I don’t have to. I can keep it on without charging for much longer, at least another half a day. I really didn’t measure it as I’m so accustomed to plugging it in every night. The other night I went to plug it in and saw I didn’t need to as I still had more than half battery left.  Did anyone else notice this or is it just me? The phone seems snappier and there are a few cosmetic changes but not much else that I’ve noticed. Then again I really don’t use my phone anymore for other than calls and checking email on the go. Oh, I did notice the built-in email app looks a lot like Gmail now. 

Speaking of updates, when you do the update it says that you will lose everything and the phone will be back to factory state. Mine didn’t do that, everything was still there after the update. That happen to anyone else?

On the downside though I keep getting a Force Close message for the Tethering App. I don’t have tethering so I have to ask why the heck is it trying to run all of the time and then crashing?! it doesn’t happen all of the time, just at random intervals and it’s always twice in a row that I get the message. I hit Force Close and then a second or two later it pops up again and I have to hit Force Close again. Then it disappears for a while until it feels like coming on again.

Oh well, just a few observations there…

In the third quarter of 2004 Motorola made history by releasing the most popular flip phone  which took the world by storm. Thin, with sharp lines, this clamshell device would become a fashion icon and sell more than 130 million units in it’s four year lifespan. That devices was the Motorola RAZR. Several variations of the RAZR would follow but none of them would match the original in sales. Soon after the RAZR dynasty would be laid to rest while the iPhone and BlackBerry gained momentum with their smartphones. Fast  forward to October 2011. After regaining much of it’s lost glory, Motorola returns with a  vengeance and begins selling high end Android Devices with cutting edge hardware. Motorola would call these devices “Droid”. Motorola regained past glory with string of very successful devices packing them with specs second to none while Android, an open source platform, quickly evolved and matured releasing major updates to the OS in rapid succession. Impressed with Motorola Mobility’s success, they would be bought by Google. A perfect alliance may not be the best description but what would is for sure is that Motorola shows no signs of falling asleep at the wheel like they did after the original RAZR. In October of 2011 Motorola Mobility, a Google company would call upon the name of it’s former glory once more and create a device second to none, Motorola would release the Droid RAZR for Verizon. The legend continues.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

The packaging, which is not standard for Android phones, is very well done. Inside you will find of course, one Motorola DROID RAZR, Sync Cable, assortment of reading material, and last but not least, and interesting little AC Plug. Unlike the typical AC Plug that we have seen so many times in the past, the one supplied with the Motorola DROID  RAZR has two USB ports making it able to charge say, two DROID RAZRS should you have them.

SPECIFICATIONS & DESIGN

The Motorola Droid RAZR is superbly built and feels very solid for how thin it is. How thin is it you ask? The RAZR is amazingly thin measuring just .28 inches thick! It widens out quite a bit towards the top of the device where the camera hardware is located. The DROID RAZR is 5.15 inches long and 2.71 inches wide. Weight is 4.48 oz. and even though this device is very solidly built, it feels very lightweight in your hand.

So it is safe to say that how incredibly thin this device is that it is the first thing that draws your attention. If that is the case, then the second thing is KEVLAR back cover for the device. If you are looking at the pictures below, you can immediately see how amazing it looks. To hold the RAZR is just as cool. The KEVLAR does show fingerprints and has a very grip able feel to it making holding on to this device very easy.

Starting with the bottom of the RAZR, there are no ports along the bottom that is sometimes seen in Android devices. There are the 4 standard Android buttons across the bottom of the screen, menu, home, back, and search. There is also an opening for voice microphone just below the menu and home buttons.  The left hand side of the device is where the bay is located for the SIM card as well as the microSD storage card. I am not a huge fan of these kinds of covers on devices, but this one is very well done and would not stay open on it’s own. On the top side of the DROID RAZR is located the micro USB and HDMI ports for your syncing and media viewing pleasure using the mirror mode with the micro HDMI port. Also located on the top is the 3.5mm audio jack which is really the only place it should be located. The right hand side of the RAZR has the power button towards the top and volume up and down rocker colored in black  to match the bezel. The back side of the DROID RAZR has again the very cool KEVLAR coating as well as a thicker area where the camera is located. Across the top from left to right is the 8 megapixel camera and the LED Flash. on the right hand side is located the speaker for the DROID RAZR. Towards the bottom there is another microphone for recoding while using video capture.

SCREEN

Behind the 4.3 inch Gorilla Glass protected screen is a 960 x 540 qHD Super AMOLED Advanced panel that is a PenTile Matrix display. A lot of people have complained about the PenTile Matrix displays which even included me on several other Android Device reviews, but here on the DROID RAZR, I really liked what I saw. The display is sharp and when comparing it to the iPhone retina screen does a very good job. Colors seem to be a little saturated and dark, but are at the same time very rich. The RAZR screen is sharp and while watching my favorite Netflix streamed movie, the Lord of the Rings, I enjoyed the color and sharpness and the whole experience for a smartphone.

Motorola DROID RAZR 4G Android Phone (Verizon Wireless)

PROCESSOR

The Motorola DROID RAZR sports a 1.2 GHz dual core processor that is amazingly fast on this device. As a matter of fact, I have been very impressed with the speed of the Motorola devices used in daily routines. Unlike other high end Android devices that are sometimes prone to lags, the Motorola DROID RAZR does not lock up or lag at any time that I used it for this review. I ran some test as you can see below and looking across the internet at some other peoples scores on the RAZR, mine did come up short. Only scoring a 2404 Quadrant rating, that was an average of 300-500 points less than what I found others getting.  However, I still contend that this is the fastest and best daily use Android device I have ever run.

MEMORY

The DROID RAZR comes with a 1 GB of LP DDR2 RAM, 16GB internal memory + 16GB microSD card preinstalled in the device making for 32GB of total storage for all your photos, videos and music.

CAMERA

The cameras on the Motorola DROID RAZR do a decent job but are not in the same league as other 8 megapixel cameras like the iPhone 4S and HTC Titan (Windows Phone). I found that the Bionic rear camera had some blurry issues at times and also had a hard time with certain red colors. But all in all the camera is pretty good and you can rest assured when using it that do a pretty decent job. The front facing camera on the Motorola DROID RAZR is a 1.3 megapixel webcam that has 720HD video recording capability. This made my Skype calls very nice on the other end for users I regularly conference with for work related usage. The video camera on the RAZR also has the same blurry problems as the camera and I thought the mic did a good job with sound. It records in 1080p HD Video which is pretty cool when using the HDMI out function (1080p HMDI Mirror Mode) to share your videos. The bottom line is that  DROID RAZR has some high end hardware specs but falls short compared to some other devices on the market.

Below are some photos I snapped with the RAZR in great outdoors while deer hunting. As you cans see, the pictures are pretty decent until you have to zoom, then they get very grainy. Compared to the iPhone 4S, the RAZR has some more work to do.

RADIOS

The WIFI and Bluetooth (v2.1+ EDR) radios on the RAZR perform as expected and  I had no trouble connecting either to my Jawbone headset or wireless. It is the speed of Verizon’s 4G LTE network that was the biggest surprise! I knew the capabilities of the 4G LTE service but since I live in a very rural area (it is actually closer to the middle of nowhere) I do not get any type of 4G service. Speeds on the Verizon network reached 25 mbps download and 13 mbps upload. It is amazing to see a smartphone stream that fast. The DROID RAZR on the Verizon 4G LTE service has some serious horsepower and the download speed is sick. Watching steaming services like Netflix and Pandora are amazing. Facebook, YouTube, and just plain surfing the net is an absolute joy! I have been critical of Verizon’s $100.00 premium that put on new 4G LTE devices which are $299.99 with two year purchase, but if you live in, or frequent a 4G LTE area I am would seriously consider the the extra money and almost justify it! I do think that Verizon will have only a short time left to enjoy the extra $100.00 premium for their 4G LTE devices because AT&T has started selling their 4G LTE devices and have maintained the $199.99 price point for them with of course the two year contract. To sum up the DROID RAZR running on the 4G LTE network is easy, it is simply blazing fast and where the 4G LTE markets are available.

SOFTWARE

Motorola has finally listened to the people and flushed MOTOBLUR. It was hard for me to use and had some serious side affects to the devices that had it on it. The DROID RAZR is running Android Gingerbread 2.3.5 and is loaded with Verizon apps otherwise know as bloat ware. I am not a huge fan of these apps and generally remove them from the today screen in favor of other widgets or apps I download myself. The Verizon app list is:

• Mobile Hotspot with support for up to 8 Devices
• Backup Assistant +, Visual Voice Mail, Verizon Video, VCAST Tones, VZ Navigator, My Verizon Mobile
• Full Suite of Google Apps incl.: Google Maps with Street View, Places and Latitude; Google Talk with Video Chat; Gmail; Google Books; YouTube™; Google Calendar
• 1000’s of apps &100’s of widgets avail. on Android Market
• Photo Sharing: Facebook, Flickr, Picasa , Photobucket®

The five panels on the today screen scroll incredibly smooth as do any of the screens I navigated to and from. Gingerbread is a much more complete OS than any of the former versions and is a lot more stable and less consuming on the battery.  Out of all the Android devices I have used it is Motorola’s user interface I know like the best. It is a lot easier to scroll through and is simpler to view . Another add to the DROID RAZR is Smart Actions. Smart Actions is what Moto calls it’s artificial intelligence that learns from  your usage patterns and can make recommendations to save you time and battery life. It will start up programs that you use at certain times like the morning news and weather,  and can even switch to silent mode during working hours so that you won’t get busted for forgetting from that nagging boss. It is very easy to use and I thought was perfect companion to the DROID RAZR to help you maximize your experience.

CONCLUSION

I think I am going to leave this as one of the shortest conclusions I have ever written. The Motorola DROID RAZR is a must have device if you are wanting blazing fast Verizon 4G LTE speed and all access to the Android world. The RAZR is fast and I really liked the look and feel to it. I personally put an OtterBox on everything I own, but with the RAZR, it seems covering it up would be a crime. It fits great into your front pocket. I wish the camera would have been a little better, and maybe a few other little picky items, but the device as a whole is stellar. Motorola has committed to putting the newest of operating systems on the RAZR as soon as possible in 2012. It will be among the first devices to receive it. So if you like the form facture, you should not worry about getting left behind with the old operating system and wait for the new version 4.0 Android devices other than the Samsung Galaxy  Nexus which is currently available with Ice Cream Sandwich. The DROID RAZR when originally launched was $299.99 with a two year contract but I have seen pricing drop to a more palatable $199.99. Look for the recently announced purple version if the color suits you, and a DROID RAZR MAXX with longer battery life to hit the Verizon store shelves early 2012.

Check out Verizon’s Droid page here for more information.

 

If you are a Samsung Captivate owner on AT&T then check out the new update that is now available for you. AT&T has just announced that Android 2.3, otherwise known as Gingerbread is now available. The AT&T Captivate, their first real Android device was very well received after much criticism for sticking too closely with Apple’s iPhone while other carriers like Verizon and Sprint were miles ahead with their Android offering. The Captivate, which is really a rebranded version of the Samsung Galaxy S device that started the massive success for Samsung in the Android market. Samsung later would follow up with an even more successful Galaxy S II. If you are holding out until the end of your contract to get the next best device, then take heart in that you can upgrade to Android’s latest operating system for their platform for at least a short period of time. Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich, version 4.0 has hit the street exclusively with their own branded device called the Galaxy Nexus, also made by Samsung for them. It appears that a handful of new devices will be able to update to version 4.0 but I would not hold your breath Captivate owners!

If you are interested in updating to Android version 2.3, then head on over to the update page for the run down on what you can expect during the process located on Samsung’s website here.