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  • Top 4 Android Rooting Blog Posts

    Posted on January 8th, 2014 Erik Baeumlisberger No comments

    Perhaps one of the biggest advantages to owning an Internet-enabled Android device is the ability to “root” or gain root/administrative access. From wireless tethering to sideloading, the benefits are numerable. Here are our top 4 rooting blog posts. Please feel free to share yours (and why!) in the comments.

    The Best Apps For Rooted Android Phones

    Ultimate Guide To Android Rooting, Custom Roms & Apps

    How To Root Any Android 4.0 Or Android 4.1 Device

    How To Root Your Android Phone – The Simple Guide – Acisni.com

  • Facebook Home demo video

    Posted on April 11th, 2013 Erik Baeumlisberger No comments

    Facebook home product designer Joey Flynn demos his product on a HTC First. The HTC First goes on sale tomorrow, April 12, 2013, and will retail for $99.99 with contract.

  • Is Google’s Android OS a Trojan Horse?

    Posted on April 10th, 2013 Erik Baeumlisberger No comments

    A recent article from Cris Crum over at WebProNews highlighs a EU filing by FairSearch.org that claims Google is participating in anti-competitive activity.

    As I understand it, the filing centers around concerns that Google will have too much access to consumer’s mobile Internet usage data as Android continues to dominate mobile phone operating system usage.

    So what does Google get? I don’t for sure, as I’m not a Google engineer but my best guesses would be:

    • Access to mobile search queries
    • Access to mobile search locations (provided location services have not been disabled by the user)
    • Access to locations whenever Maps is used
    • Access to addresses whenever Maps is used
    • Access to time of day
    • Ability to combine all of the above to predict what sort of advertising is relevant where and when

    As of right now, I think Google’s cookie and ad re-targeting make for a better user experience than the days of yore, when ad serving was so terrible it almost killed display advertising all together. Adding mobile to the mix should improve that even more.

  • iPad no longer tablet top dog?

    Posted on March 12th, 2013 Erik Baeumlisberger No comments

    Market analysts IDC are forecasting that Apple’s iPad will lose it’s crown as iOS may no longer be the most widely used tablet computing operating system.

    Google’s Android OS is widely available on devices sold in drug stores, big box retailers and supercenters, often at a much lower price point than iOS devices.

    Apple’s iOS devices may continue to lose ground in 2013 as Microsoft’s touch-sensitive Windows 8 laptops and Surface RT devices gain a user base.

  • Tumblr Live Wallpaper for Android

    Posted on February 12th, 2013 Erik Baeumlisberger No comments

    Ever wish for an app that can download images from a Tumblr blog and display them as a live wallpaper? Then check out this app from Aron Hoekstra.

    The Tumblr Live Wallpaper app allows you to search for and display images according to tag use (for example, you could display all images tagged with #subaru by adding the tag subaru) or according to what is displayed in your personal Tumblr dashboard (all the accounts you follow).

    By default, images are fetched every hour (20 to 30 at a time) but this can be adjusted in the Settings. On a metered data plan? Select Fetch on Wi-Fi Only.

  • Android dominates sales in Q4 2012

    Posted on February 11th, 2013 Erik Baeumlisberger No comments

    android-logo-blug-bgPhones running Google’s Android OS accounted for 34% of all mobile phone shipments in the forth quarter of 2012. Apple’s iOS accounted for only 11% during the same period. Does this means Android has won the mobile OS war?

    The numbers might certainly lead you to believe Google has won. Almost 70% of smartphones sold in Q4 2012 shipped with Android. Lower cost, pre-paid  and regional carrier availabilty weigh heavily in Android’s advantage.

    In the early versions of Android OS, the differentiators between iOS and Android were clear. Not so much today, as popular apps like Facebook and Instagram run on both platforms.

    Will 2013 see continued Android OS adoption?

  • Android surpasses iOS in market share

    Posted on April 27th, 2011 Erik Baeumlisberger No comments

    Nielsen data now shows Apple holds just 27% of the market share while Google’s Android OS has garnished a staggering 37% of the market in the U.S., ahead of iOS, Windows Mobile and RIM.

    Android surpasses iOS usage

    The success of the Google OS can be partly attributed to its bundling with the newest breed of low cost android pads as well as promotional $0 Droid X phones from Verizon.

  • iPhone 4 Sold Out – How this will impact the sales of Android devices?

    Posted on June 16th, 2010 Erik Baeumlisberger No comments

    Pre-orders for iPhone are temporarily suspended

    AT&T  announced early this AM that it has halted pre-orders for the iPhone 4. Both the AT&T website and Apple websites were slammed yesterday, as hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, applied for the pre-order.

    Reports of a new ship date are slowing coming to light. Customers are reporting that their iPhone 4 pre-order confirmations are stating the new ship date as July 2. With an estimated 1 in 100 orders being fulfilled yesterday, how will this adversely effect Apple?

    It remains to be seen if sales of the EVO and HD2 see  a boost in sales during what some have called, “The iPhonecalypse”.

  • HTC Aria – AT&T’s second Android phone this year announced

    Posted on June 14th, 2010 Erik Baeumlisberger No comments

    HTC AriaToday, AT&T has announced the addition of their second Android phone this year.

    It is the first on AT&T to run Android 2.1 and the first to include HTC’s Sense UI. With a screen size measure a demure 3.2 inches, it’s outmatched by the current generation iPhone and the massive 4.3 inch screen available on the Sprint EVO and T-Mobile HTC HD2.

    Of course, all the usual suspects are present. Gmail, Google Maps, Google Nav, YouTube and the Android Market are all pre-installed on the device.

    At a price of $199 (a $100 rebate is available), it appears to us that this phone is geared at the entry-level smartphone market. With the drop in price of Apple’s iPhone 3Gs to $99, it reamains to be seen if AT&T customers will consider the HTC Aria as their next mobile device.

  • T-mobile G1 Maps

    Posted on April 23rd, 2009 Lore No comments

    Shhhh… it’s watching me. road-map It knows where I am.

    No seriously, it knows.  I’m going to sit in the closet until it stops watching me.

    … 3 days later…

    The T-mobile G1 maps function is quite interesting. After spending some time in the closet thinking this over, I made a pros and cons list.

    Pros – If I ever get disassembled, I’ll be easy to locate. If my phone is ever stolen by a despicable cretin I can find him and shove marshmallows into his eye sockets until he gives my phone back. I don’t need to activate my homing beacon.

    Cons – OMG I can be tracked! ArgggghhhhH! By my enemies! Oh no … by The Federation!

    Truthfully, I know I can be tracked by any cell phone with the pings and the things, but this makes it makes it so much more real.

    It’s an excellent feature. It can pinpoint my location and take me anywhere I want to go. The G1’s map feature shows everything, maps, satellite, street view, traffic, you name it and it’s providing geographical information in mass quantities.

    I can turn on and off the “tracking” feature by pressing the Menu button and selecting the Join Latitude button. It’s actually not super accurate on my location, so just check in a mile radius for me. Right now it’s telling me I’m located about 1/4 of a mile away from where I actually am, I’m pretty sure I’m not there, but it thinks I am.

    Through the Menu button you can also search for things, like pizza or Chinese food. You don’t have to specify your location because it already knows… I just searched for Chinese food and it’s giving me 8 results, the top 3 are geographically closest to me. I know this because they’re my 3 lazy Chinese restaurants, all within walking distance.  The others I recognize as being less than 2 miles away.

    Street View is quite special indeed. Getting down to street view you can select the Compass option from the Menu screen and then… spin around in your chair. Go ahead, try it… I’ll wait.

    Done? It’s k, you can play with it later. I’m almost done here. Isn’t that the most fun ever? The map spins and dances like a ballerina, showing you everything just like you were swiveling your head around like a mad man.

    Another interesting feature is the Report Image option from the menu screen. The G1’s map feature is protecting the public, isn’t it sweet? If you see something inappropriate, like this bashful young lady caught on street view then you can report the image directly from the G1.

    Although I’m afraid of my T-mobile G1 and  it’s super insane tracking special powers, I’m also impressed. It’s definitely smarter than I am.