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Episode 10 – We take a look at two Casino Games from the Android Marketplace. Pretty basic games but they’re fun. Apps reviewed in this Episode are: 1. Easy Video Poker 2. Slot Machine Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to Subscribe!
Video Rating: 4 / 5
androiddesire.co.uk Samsung Infuse 4G – Transferring Apps to SD Card androiddesire.com
Video Rating: 5 / 5
I am completely, totally, wholeheartedly outdone! The Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone is everything I ever hoped it would be, and even more. I am 100% convinced of this in only 8 hours of constant use since purchasing this phone.
At 10:30am this morning, I got the notification on my iPhone 4… someone bought it for the low low price of $289, and that included the cracked screen, partially responsive home button, and all of my iPhone accessories the original box. I was so happy, I could have let out a scream right there in the office.
At 11:30am, I went straight to the ATT store, where I had previously gotten them to agree to sell me the phone for $50 cheaper than what they were asking for it (I asked them to price match Walmart). On the way, I was giddy and nearly uncontrollable. I could not wait to get my hands on the phone.
Even though I was totally beyond excited, I knew this would not be the the easiest of transitions. There would be things that I would miss, and there certainly would take some getting used to using an Android device after having an iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 for the past 2 years.
I arrived at the store and spent about 45 minutes of waiting time and demonstration time. When I walked in the door and was waiting in queue, I chatted with my friend Bern from work, and he found me to be quite entertaining. I told Bern that if I hadn’t sold my iPhone 4, I would have drop-kicked the thing straight through the ATT Store window, and I would not have worried about broken toes.
Usually, it is a hit-and-miss experience when you visit cell phone retail outlets when it comes to being helped by someone who has real tech geek experience. Fortunately for me, attendant Frank was not only quite the smartphone expert, but he was also a Samsung Galaxy S2 owner himself. We spent a good amount of time talking, and he ushered me through some of the basic aspects of getting around Android and downloading some basic apps.
When I left, I was on cloud 9 (not to be confused with “iCloud). I did not take my eyes or my hands off of the phone for the next 8 hours. I even took it with me to Zumba fitness class and had it plugged into the wall 8 steps away from where I was.
My head hurts from trying to figure out how to do things in Android. I am still automatically and unconsciously on “Apple cruise control”. It has taken some real effort, and it can be frustrating. As time goes on, I’m getting better and better at typing and moving around on the phone.
Right now I am loving the Swype keyboard. It is my favorite. But the Samsung keyboard also is fantastic. I love the way it sounds and feels, and when you backspace, it gives you this squishy erasing sound that really makes it feel like you are destroying what you are deleting.
The voice command entry is fantastic also. I have had fairly good luck getting the device to understand what I am trying to input. I also downloaded and installed VLingo, but I have not had a chance to give it a test drive. I have been hearing good things about it, and I’m looking forward to giving it a try.
The display is remarkable. I was slightly discouraged the day before I bought the phone, because I read a really bad review of the Galaxy S2 on one of the tech blogs. The writer reported that the Galaxy S2 had the second worst pixel density of all smartphones, with its 800 by 480 resolution. After having this phone in my face for 8 hours, I have no idea what this guy is talking about.
My eyes are certainly not able to tell the difference between this Super AMOLED display and anything else that has a better screen resolution. In fact, this display far outshines my iPhone 4’s Retina Display. The blacks are richer and deeper, and the colors just simply pop. I don’t think my eyes will be able to appreciate something much better than this. I am 100% satisfied with the display.
Some of the things that I find frustrating the most would be getting used to typing in text, because I am so used to the spacing and placement of the iPhone keyboard. I still think that the iPhone layout is one of the best and most responsive of all smartphones. But that might be due to the fact that it is the one that I learned on. After sending thousands upon thousands of text messages using my iPhone, that is to be expected.
I am now in the process of downloading applications that I previously enjoyed on my iPhone, and quite a few new apps that I have found in the Android marketplace. I don’t think there are as many high quality apps in the Android Marketplace as compared to the Apple App Store, but again, this might be explained by the fact that I am used to Apple apps. But even if the Android Marketplace isn’t quite at the level of the App Store, I’m sure it will catch up over time.
The battery life is respectable. One thing that I noticed is that the Galaxy S2 smartphone takes quite a bit more time to fully charge than that of the iPhone 4. But this is not an issue for me, because I don’t go far without a charging cord of some type. I usually had my iPhone plugged in 90% of the time that it was in use, and I’ll do the same with the Galaxy S2.
The Galaxy S2 is very thin and light compared to my iPhone 4. It fits well in my hand, and it’s not too big. I love the extra size of the 4.3″ display, which seems to be the perfect size for me. The thinness is incredible, and it “sticks” to my hand when I grip the phone, unlike the super slick glass sandwich that I had with my iPhone 4.
Download speeds are also very respectable. I was getting decent speeds with my iPhone 4, and as I mentioned before, it was even out-performing my friend Tim Largent’s iPhone 4S. My average download speed on the ATT 3G network here in Jefferson City was around 1.0Mbps, peaking out at 1.5Mbps on a good day. The Galaxy S2 is consistently charting at 1.2 to 1.4Mbps, and I am happy with that.
I’m not sure what the status is in Jefferson City Missouri with the HSPA+ upgrade of the 3G network. One thing is for sure, though, there’s no LTE coverage here and there probably won’t be anywhere in the near future. I would probably bet that the HSPA+ speeds will improve before we get LTE service. HSPA+ “Fake 4G” will work fine for me over the next year until I get a Samsung Galaxy S3, that’s for sure.
I had some mixed feelings about whether or not I should have waited for the Galaxy Nexus, but I’m solidly sure that the Galaxy S2 is for me. The rear camera is 8 megapixels as opposed to 5 on the Nexus, and the front facing camera is also better. Something else that disappointed me was the lack of an SD Flash card on the Nexus, so I’m not going to be hurting in that catagory.
I really needed to jump off of the upgrade vicious circle waiting game and just lock in on a device, so waiting around for the “next big phone” is something that would have kept me with my iPhone 4 and my Apple frustration. I’m glad to have finally stepped off the crazy train, and I’m ready to settle in on using this Galaxy S2.
My head still hurts from using this phone and getting used to a different system. It’s like learning a foreign language for the first time. It’s totally frustrating until the new language sets deep into your mind and becomes an unconscious thing. I might give this process about a week or two before I think my aching head will go away.
Overall, I’m feeling as if I have been liberated. There is so much that you can modify with the Samsung Galaxy S2 it will make your head spin off of your shoulders. For a computer hacker/programmer/builder like me, this is the only way to go. I have come to realize that the iPhone is more geared towards those that want immediate simplicity and mindless usability. There’s nothing wrong with that.
However, I found it quite interesting to hear a report from a fellow HTC Inspire user friend of mine that she had a hard time understanding how to tool around on the iOS operating system as opposed to her Android device. She stated that the Android system was much easier, simpler, and straight forward. The biggest thing she noticed was the ability to get straight to what you want to do without heading back to the home screen and selecting the setup icon to make changes. Again, this proves that what you learn on will become the easiest system in your mind.
I will have a lot more to say about this device, and there will be plenty of screen shots and videos that I will share as I get used to this Android smartphone. I’m glad to say that I agree 100% with my fellow Galaxy S2 owners on the CZ Blog that this is one incredible, spectacular device, and easily the best smartphone on the market at this time.
I’m going to go take a couple of ibuprofen tablets and let my head rest. We’ll chat more tomorrow.
Carlton Flowers
Android Assimilator
Help support the CZ Blog and join and Android Army at the same time by purchasing your Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone through our proud partner Amazon Wireless!
Click the link above (or the picture to the left) to make the jump to Amazon where you can purchase your very own Galaxy S2 for only $149.
That’s $50 off from the current selling price at most retail outlets! Grab one while it’s hot, and congratulations on your choice to snag an amazing cutting edge smartphone! Click the link and go get it!
YAMAHA HAS AN ANDROID APP FOR THAT; NOW OVER 80 PERCENT OF SMARTPHONE
AND TABLET USERS CAN CONTROL YAMAHA AV GEAR
Free App Available Now in the Android Marketplace;App Controls All of Yamaha’s Latest Network Receivers and Blu-ray Players -
Release Date: September 13, 2011
BUENA PARK, Calif.––Yamaha Electronics Corporation today introduces a free downloadable Android app that enables users to easily control the most-used functions of its market-leading network receivers and Blu-ray players from anywhere without having to track down their remote controls. The Android AV Controller app can be downloaded now from the Android Marketplace (http://4wrd.it/NEWANDROIDAPP) and used with many Yamaha models (listed below). It is available in several languages, including English, French, German, Spanish and Russian.
The comprehensive suite of receiver control functions available through this app include the ability to select from available inputs, adjust volume levels, mute volume and power the components on and off. With it, users can also select content from connected USB devices and iPods/iPhone, Internet radio and the receiver’s FM/AM tuner, or any other internally available source, with full metadata information shown on the Android device’s display. In addition, DSP and SCENE modes can be selected, and all available AV receiver zones can be powered on with the option to change inputs in those zones.
For Blu-ray players, the app can control basic “play,” “stop,” and “forward” options.
“Now it doesn’t matter if you’re devoted to the iPhone, iPad, Droid or an Android-powered tablet, you can now use any of these popular devices to control the most important aspects of your home entertainment experience from anywhere in or around your home,” said Tom Sumner, president, Yamaha Electronics Corporation. “In addition to putting an extra remote in your pocket, our powerful Android AV Controller app is free and easy to use. In fact, it comes with a Demo mode that quickly instructs users how to hit the ground running with set up and operation.”
To take advantage of the Android AV Controller app, consumers will need a device with AndroidOS 2.1 or higher, a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) and a compatible Yamaha Network product(s) residing within the same LAN. The Yamaha network products will need to have their Network Standby settings “ON” so that the unit can accept commands via the network.
Yamaha receiver and Blu-ray models compatible with the Android AV Controller app include:
AV Receivers:
RX-A3010
RX-A3000
RX-A2010
RX-A2000
RX-A1010
RX-A1000
RX-A810
RX-A710 RX-V3900
RX-V3071
RX-V3067
RX-V2071
RX-V2067
RX-V2065
RX-V1067
RX-V871
RX-V867
RX-V771
RX-V671 RX-Z7
HTR-9063
HTR-8063
HTR-6295
HTR-6064 DSP-AX3900
DSP-Z7
Blu-ray Players:
BD-A1010 BD-S671 BD-A1000
BD-S1067
For more information, write Yamaha Electronics Corporation, P.O. Box 6660, Buena Park, CA 90620; telephone (714) 522-9105 or visit www.yamaha.com/hometheater.
One of the shiniest gems on the Android Marketplace has made its way over to the iOS App Store. The Dolphin browser was an early alternative to the official browser on Android phones, and actually ran faster and smoother than the real thing for a while. Now, the Dolphin browser has come to the iPhone, and is available as a free download from the App Store.
It’s more than just a Safari alternative in this case — there are gestures that you can play around with, full tabbed browsing capabilities, multiple ways to store sites and bookmarks, and you can easily flip between the standard desktop web view and the special mobile view on various websites. Unfortunately, the app is currently made for iPhone, but it works with iPad, if you can deal with the upscaling.
It’s a solid app, and especially if the usual Safari browsing leaves you wanting a little more, you should give it a look. Most of the time, we end up hearing about quality iOS apps heading on over to the Android side of the fence, but in this case, we’re glad to have one of Android’s favorite apps over here as well.
Source: http://452204407http//itunes.apple.com/app/dolphin-browser/i…
iOS users have long had the ability to control their cameras with their iPhones and iPads, but DSLR Controller now brings that to Android for your Canon DSLR.
The software is currently in beta, but getting it working took less than a minute. You just grab it from the Android Marketplace and connect your Canon DSLR via USB (you’ll need a USB host cable if your Android device doesn’t have a regular-sized USB port). Presuming the app is loaded and your camera is on, you should see what your camera sees in the main viewer on the screen. Because all this data is happening via USB, it updates really quickly and is far more usable than the Live View support you’ll get over Wi-Fi on an iPhone app.
In addition to Live View, DSLR Controller lets you adjust pretty much every setting on your camera (e.g. aperture, exposure, ISO, etc.), can take photos, and more. While the app is currently in beta and might not work for every camera, it worked great with my 5D Mark II and support should broaden in the future. If you’ve ever tethered your camera to your computer or an iOS device before, you know the experience is not ideal. DSLR Controller, on the other hand, isn’t cumbersome or slow. It’s a very promising option for tethered shooting.
DSLR Controller (~$8.50) | Android Marketplace
If you’re just getting started with your new Android or iPhone and downloading lots of great apps, you want to make sure you take the time to check for updates at least once a week. These updates will provide new features and important bug fixes, and it’s really easy to do. Here’s how it works, step by step.
The process is very easy on both devices. First, here’s how you do it on iPhone:
Here’s how to update your apps on Android:
For a video demonstration on both iPhone and Android, watch the video above.
What other beginner tech support questions do you field or have? Let us know at tips@lifehacker.com. Remember, when you’re just starting out computing, there’s really little that’s too basic to learn.
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