It’s true, this morning Verizon is getting a lot of calls, emails, and forum posts through their customer service. Apparently the whole Verizon network is having issues this morning. People are reporting their phone not connecting to any data at all or sometimes not even being able to place a phone call, or text.

And it’s not just happening in Southwest Missouri. Calls are coming in Nation wide, from New York to Southern California, everyone has lost connection. The folks at AndroidCentral posted a blog this morning, and several people are commenting with their location. One even posted “I just got off the phone with Verizon at 8:50am EST – they stated they just put in a ticket about 20 minutes ago. It’s down everywhere. No ETA as to when it’s going to be up and running again.”

At some points the  connection will just be reduced to 3G, but other times it goes to 1x or even no data at all.

Just another problem that we must be willing to face in order for us to have cell phones.

Old Nes Games on the Android

When it comes down to it, emulators are legal as long as the bios is not provided with the package. Roms on the other head, are illegal to download unless you have a legal copy and/or ripped the rom out yourself. Now, why would google start to remove those emulators? The main reason would probably be legal pressure from the gaming companies. Especially big ones like Nintendo. Since the Wii  came out, it has featured it’s own emulator, allowing people to buy and download old NES, SNES, and N64 games straight to the Wii.

Thanks to Android developer Yongzh for the amazing emulators offered for free to download. After his apps were removed from the Android Market, Yongzh provided them for free on this site. (Only N64 costs.)

https://slideme.org/user/yongzh

These emulaters are really good, but unfortunatelly the on-screen buttons do present a problem. It’s really hard to run, jump, and hold a turtle shell all at the same time on Mario. I personally use a bluetooth keyboard, and have the keys mapped out the way I like it.

If you have a USB controller, you can plug the controller into your android device, as long as you have the right sized USB port on your phone or tablet. One other option is a bluetooth controller, like the one that I blogged about here: http://splog.samuelpaasch.com/2012/02/wireless-bluetooth-controller-by-gamestop/

This controller allows you to play your games without the strain of using the on-screen controls, bulky keyboard, or the wires on your USB controller. You can program the controller keys how ever you like it for the app. Making the controller the best accessory for you Emulator apps.

Android Wireless Bluetooth Controller by GameStop

This is a really cool controller. It syncs to your android tablet (or smartphone) wirelessly via bluetooth. No worries about cords or whether you have a USB port on your device.

Have you recently downloaded a game app, but was disappointed with the on-screen controls that are hard to use to play the game? I have an app that is a NES emulator, allowing me to play a lot of the old Nintendo and Super Nintendo games. However the on screen controlls are very difficult to use, as you can’t use all the features at the same time. For instance I can’t get mario to hold a turtle shell, while running to the right, and jump all at the same time. It’s because that would require me to use 4 controller buttons simontaneously. Although a built-in keyboard does help, it still is difficult to get used to.

This new controller will fix all that. Just pull it out, turn it on, and play instantly on your favorite game app. This changes everything about gaming on your tablet. And for only $40/controller it’s great deal! Considering the price of PS3 and Xbox360 controllers.

http://www.gamestop.com/android/accessories/tablet-wireless-bluetooth-controller/97838?affid=9797&cid=ppc_60000001

Verizon Doesn’t Like Google Android’s +1

A while ago, I was having problems sending texts to my brother. Everytime I tried to send the text, it would fail to send it, giving me an error “message could not be sent” message. This troubled me for some time, but I was able to overcome the problem by using another texting app that used data instead of the regular text messages.

However, the problem still persisted with other random contacts. One in particular that I was texting a lot. I found that if I manually entered in her number she would get the text. But if I got out of the app, and then returned to reply, it would fail.

I started looking at the contact number and found that in each instance of the failed messages the number had a +1(area code)(phone number). It was the “+” symbol that was throwing it off. Any number with +1 in front of it dousn’t work for Verizon.

Apparently during the Android coding for Verizon, someone made a mistake, and symbols like “+” are not supported for texting. You can still call the contact, but texting always fails. This has been a problem for well over a year, and still persists on most (if not all) Verizon Android phones, as there hasn’t been a patch developed yet.

This is very annoying if you like to use the  +1-234-56789 format. Especially if you sync your facebook contacts, many numbers will have that +1 in front of them, and you can edit facebook numbers.

Maybe the new Android 4.0 will have it fixed. I’m not sure as I have not tested it out on a 4.0 device. But I do hope Google fixes it soon. People have been complaining about it for well over a year to Verizon tech support. You would think they would have listened by now.

Android Low Battery Screen

You may have heard of the Droid RAZR by Motorola. It’s Motorola’s flagship device that boasted the “Word’s Thinnest Smartphone” title during this past Christmas season.

Well there is great news buzzing around. Motorola just re-released their RAZR phone, but this time with a bigger battery. That’s right Motorola finally decidd to do something about the standard for batteries in smartphone.

If you own a touch screen smartphone (whether iPhone, Android, or Windows) you know that the biggest con is the low battery life. I own Motorola’s Droid 2 and it only lasts on average 18 hours. Every evening it has to be charged up, and sometimes during the day if it’s used a lot. When 4G came into our area, many 4g users noticed an extra drain on their batteries due to the phone maintaining a better connection all the time. So battery drainage has been a constant problem among the new mobile phones. Well Motorola decided that it was time to go back to the days where a phone would last a few days on a single charge. And their new RAZR MAXX is the one.

Motorola Droid Razr MAXX

Motorola’s Razr sports a 3,300 mAh pack that Motorola reckons is good for up to 21.5hrs of talk time. This should mean up to 16 days on standby, with users getting anywhere in between. Although it’s a tad bit thicker than the original Droid Razr,  This is a huge deal, especially since this phone still has all it’s other cool features: 4g, gorilla glass, Android OS, dual-core processor, front and back facing cameras, 1 GB ram, 32GB memory, and much more.

So maybe the days of phones only lasting one day on a charge is coming to a very anticipated close.

I will note that the new Droid Razr Maxx is noticibly larger, and is debatable on whether it should carry the Razr name.

Droid Razr (bottom) compared to Droid Razr Maxx (top)

This is a summary of what tablets are best…

In today’s world there are so many tablets going around that one can be easily be confused as the the many differences between them and whether they are truly getting what they want. So I’ve compiled a list of the top tablets of today (beginning of 2012) to help many who may be confused on which route to go. This is part 2 of a 2 part series with the first detailing all current top tablets. This is a summary, with the top of each category.

This is Part 2, Part 1 lists many more top current tablets. It can be found here. (http://splog.samuelpaasch.com/2012/01/which-android-tablet-part-1-android-review)

The following tablets are the ones that I suggest to buy in each price range.

$150-$200 Range (Settle for Good Enough)

Nook Color

The Nook Color ($199) is an excellent tablet for reading books with. You have access to read any book for free while at a Barnes and Noble location. You can make reading friends, meet new people, discover new book, borrow and lend books, and even get books from your local library. Unlike the android app, you can also read subscribe and read newspapers, and also access the kids read-along books that will play the book as you read along. There are many apps that can be ran on the nook color as well, including Netflix, email, and the all famous Angry Birds. The nook accesses it’s own store from Barnes and Noble to purchase the apps, books, magazines, and newspapers.
Some of the cons include, no access to the Android Market, costly apps, and limited accessibility. The whole problem stems off of the fact that you cannot access the android market nor manually install an app without hacking and rooting your nook color. This leaves Barnes and Noble with the ability to choose what apps are supported, and the price. For instance, the Angry Birds app is only $1 in the Android Market, yet it costs $5 on the Barnes and Noble store. However if you are willing to hack the nook color (which is really easy) then you can install Android Gingerbread, and have access to all the apps.
The “Hacked” Nook Color can do so much more. You have all of the android market apps at your disposal, including but not limited to: gmail, Netflix, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo Messenger, Kindle, Google Books, Nook for Android, Google Reader, Maps, Dropbox, and soo much more! All the apps work great, and are very stable.
So to sum it up, if you are a heavy reader, and like to read your books on the go, subscribe to magazines and newspapers, and even borrow your friends books, then the Nook Color is for you! It proves to be a great inexpensive tablet that works great for the person that reads all the time. However if you are more interested in the apps and other features, then another tablet would suit you best, as the nook apps are limited and expensive.

Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire ($199) is becoming very popular today. It still has access to all the kindle books, but instead of the Android Market you have the Amazon Appstore. The Appstore has a lot more apps than the Barnes and Noble store for the Nook. Also the prices are very reasonable and similar to the Android Market. You can read Kindle books, magazines, and newspapers similar to the Nook. You can also access books from your local library. The Appstore gives you access to apps like Netflix, Skype, Facebook, Dropbox, Angrybirds and more. You even have the Amazon MP3 app for your music. Amazon also will host any purchased music or books on their cloud, so that you can access them from anywhere.
So in summary, if you like to read, have your books ready to go, subscribe to magazines and newspapers, but are also interested in the apps, then the Kindle Fire is for you. It provides an inexpensive tablet to those you really want access to the apps and games, but also tailors to the reader as well. However if you are only really interested in the reading, then the Nook Color or Tablet would better suit you.

So in summary, I would get the nook color and hack it to install Android 2.4 (Gingerbread) on it. But if I wasn’t going to hack it, then the Kindle Fire would be for me. It can do so much more out-of-the-box than the “un-hacked” Nook Color.

$300-400 Range (Average Consumer)

Acer Iconia Tab

Acer Iconia Tab ($349) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. This is an amazing tablet. It looks like the Motorola Xoom, but a but more bulkier. The bulkiness of the tablet is probably the only problem I had with it. It runs Android Honeycomb so it fits right in with most other tablets. One feature that in very interesting is that it comes with a full-sized usb port for plugging up thumb drives, joysticks & controllers, mouse & keyboard, and more. One of the coolest features is the ability to plug in a usb game controller up and play some of the games on the device. The tablet is really snappy, and very little lag in the graphics. A youtube video showing it’s gaming capability can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OezWF1BcpNM&feature=player_embedded. So this is definitely a must-have device for gamers. One interesting note is that there is no rear facing camera, just a front facing one. So no point and shoot pictures, which is alright with me, because I hardly every use the rear camera on my Xoom. The front facing camera is purposed for video conferencing, and is decent (not great, but decent). The tablet also has a micro-USB port as well as a headphone jack. Also on the side is a microSD card slot and a reset button. At the price, I think that the Acer Iconia Tab is the best deal. I would definitely suggest buying it over many other tablets. Front facing web camera, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 8hr battery, USB, bluetooth, wifi, microSD card,

Motorola Xoom

Motorola Xoom ($379-wifi | $599 4G) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. This tablet is one that I personally own. It is a very good tablet. Released summer of 2011. It was the flagship for Google’s Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). The features on it are rich and amazing. It matches the iPad 2 in just about every way, and even surpasses in some areas. For instance, while it keeps up the same battery life as the iPad, it charges within half the time. Xoom charges within 2 hours, while t can take the iPad2 four+ hours to charge. Also the Xoom features a higher-resolution rear-facing camera (5MP | 2592 x 1944) with dual-LED flash, which results in snapshots as good as many point-and-shoot cameras. The iPad2 rear camera is only 0.7 MP (960 x 720). Motorola announced that they are offering a free upgrade to the 3g tablets, to instal the 4g chip, and that all new Xoom being sold from Verizon will have the 4g capability already. This is awesome news for the Xoom owners. They can now surf the web at 4g speeds, and they don’t have to buy a new tablet to do so. Overall the Motorola Xoom is a fantastic tablet, especially since it was the first that had the Android 3 tablet software. Although it is already last year’s news, it still is holding its own among the many tablets in the market. The Motorola Xyboard is the replacement for the Xoom. The Xoom features front and back facing cameras, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, 10hr battery, Micro SD card, bluetooth, wifi, HDMI, 3g & 4g, HD 720p

These two are so much alike, that from what I can tell, the main difference is the incredible camera and battery on the Xoom as well as the HDMI out port. The Iconia has the full-size USB port. So it’s just a matter of what type of person you are, do you want to transfer pictures on you tablet via a thumb drive or maybe plug in a keyboard, or do you want a better battery life and rear camera.

$500 and up range (Tech Savvy)

Transformer Prime in Dock

Transformer Prime

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime ($499)- Android 4.0 – Very sleek, thin and stylish. The perfect tablet for the tech-savvy. It’s size is similar to the Galaxy tab, and the iPad 2. This is the hottest tablet that is currently on the market. The best yet! And you really get your $500 worth as well. This new tablet boasts the Tegra3 processor, making it the world’s first quad-core tablet. Also makes it up to 5 times faster than the tegra2, which is on most other tablets. And the best part, It’s all wrapped in a package that measures only 0.33 inches thick (even skinnier than the iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1)! And despite its metal construction, it’s still lighter than the Galaxy Tab. The metal case makes it feel that much more durable than many other tablets.

One of the coolest features of the Transformer Prime is its dock ($150), the accessory that turns this thing from being a merely very nice tablet into a potential laptop replacement. The keyboard dock station, purchased separately, fits right on the tablet, and turns the tablet to be styled like a laptop. Once plugged into the dock, you then have use of its full-sized USB 2.0 socket and SD card reader. The dock is even complete with a trackpad for a mouse, and scrolling gestures.

The tablet boasts a 10+ hour battery life, and 16+ hours when plugged into the dock. It has front and back facing cameras, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, bluetooth, wifi,

I only have one tablet listed in the $500 range because if you’re going to spend $5oo, then get the best. The Prime is it! The Galaxy Tab comes close, but has too many bad features like bad battery, camera, and no media slots. The XYBoard is nice, but incredibly overpriced. So if you’re going to spend $500, then get the Transformer Prime!

In today’s world there are so many tablets going around that one can be easily be confused as the the many differences between them and whether they are truly getting what they want. So I’ve compiled a list of most of the top tablets of today (beginning of 2012) to help many who may be confused on which route to go. This is a 2 part series with the other part showing my favorites list. I have separated them into certain categories to make it even easier to understand the difference.

Read Part 2 – Sam’s Favorites Here. It’s a quick summary of the ones I suggest to purchase. (http://splog.samuelpaasch.com/2012/01/which-android-tablet-part-2-sams-favorites)

The Following is a full list of current top Android tablets. All are available for purchase at Best Buy (except the XYBoard).

E-reader tablets (Kindle Fire, Nook Color, Nook Tablet). These tablets are all running a modified version of Android. They cannot access the same apps as a regular Android tablet would but are great inexpensive alternatives. ($150-250 range)

Nook Color

The Nook Color ($199) is an excellent tablet for reading books with. You have access to read any book for free while at a Barnes and Noble location. You can make reading friends, meet new people, discover new book, borrow and lend books, and even get books from your local library. Unlike the android app, you can also read subscribe and read newspapers, and also access the kids read-along books that will play the book as you read along. There are many apps that can be ran on the nook color as well, including Netflix, email, and the all famous Angry Birds. The nook accesses it’s own store from Barnes and Noble to purchase the apps, books, magazines, and newspapers.
Some of the cons include, no access to the Android Market, costly apps, and limited accessibility. The whole problem stems off of the fact that you cannot access the android market nor manually install an app without hacking and rooting your nook color. This leaves Barnes and Noble with the ability to choose what apps are supported, and the price. For instance, the Angry Birds app is only $1 in the Android Market, yet it costs $5 on the Barnes and Noble store. However if you are willing to hack the nook color (which is really easy) then you can install Android Gingerbread, and have access to all the apps.
The Hacked Nook Color can do so much more. You have all of the android market apps at your disposal, including but not limited to: Gmail, Netflix, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo Messenger, Kindle, Google Books, Nook for Android, Google Reader, Maps, Dropbox, and soo much more! All the apps work great, and are very stable.
So to sum it up, if you are a heavy reader, and like to read your books on the go, subscribe to magazines and newspapers, and even borrow your friends books, then the Nook Color is for you! It proves to be a great inexpensive tablet that works great for the person that reads all the time. However if you are more interested in the apps and other features, then another tablet would suit you best, as the nook apps are limited and expensive.

Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire ($199) is becoming very popular today. It still has access to all the kindle books, but instead of the Android Market you have the Amazon Appstore. The Appstore has a lot more apps than the Barnes and Noble store for the Nook. Also the prices are very reasonable and similar to the Android Market. You can read Kindle books, magazines, and newspapers similar to the Nook. You can also access books from your local library. The Appstore gives you access to apps like Netflix, Skype, Facebook, Dropbox, Angrybirds and more. You even have the Amazon MP3 app for your music. Amazon also will host any purchased music or books on their cloud, so that you can access them from anywhere.
So in summary, if you like to read, have your books ready to go, subscribe to magazines and newspapers, but are also interested in the apps, then the Kindle Fire is for you. It provides an inexpensive tablet to those you really want access to the apps and games, but also tailors to the reader as well. However if you are only really interested in the reading, then the Nook Color or Tablet would better suit you.

Nook Tablet

The Nook Tablet ($249)  is like a mixture of the Kindle Fire and the Nook Color. You access all the heavy reader features that the nook gives, but also gives more functionality for apps as well. Honestly I was very disappointed with the new Nook Tablet. It looks the same as the color, yet it really only upgrades the software instead of the hardware. There are some changes, like an 8 gig internal memory instead of the 5gig inside the Nook Color. It also comes preloaded with Hulu and Netflix apps. The user interface is more like that of other tablets.

So out of the three, the Kindle Fire is the best for the money. A good selection of apps at a decent price. Next is the $300-400 range.

Lenovo K1

Lenovo K1 ($319) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. Although the body is made of matte aluminum, there’s a glossy panel on the back that sits off center, taking up about three quarters of the back side. Lenovo has said that it’s going after mainstream consumers by pre-installing tons of popular apps and adding a more user-friendly skin on top of Honeycomb. The software, I think, is a bit dumb down, as if they tried to make it easier for the low tech-savvy consumer. Engadget even said in their review that it seems to be targeted for those who may find a tablet a bit intimidating. They suggested it to be the tablet to buy our parents and such. One other downfall to the tablet is that there is no usb port on it. Front and back facing cameras, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, Micro SD, wifi, bluetooth,

Acer Iconia Tab

Acer Iconia Tab ($349) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. This is an amazing tablet. It looks like the Motorola Xoom, but a but more bulkier. The bulkiness of the tablet is probably the only problem I had with it. It runs Android Honeycomb so it fits right in with most other tablets. One feature that in very interesting is that it comes with a full-sized usb port for plugging up thumb drives, joysticks & controllers, mouse & keyboard, and more. One of the coolest features is the ability to plug in a usb game controller up and play some of the games on the device. The tablet is really snappy, and very little lag in the graphics. A youtube video showing it’s gaming capability can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OezWF1BcpNM&feature=player_embedded. So this is definitely a must-have device for gamers. One interesting note is that there is no rear facing camera, just a front facing one. So no point and shoot pictures, which is alright with me, because I hardly every use the rear camera on my Xoom. The front facing camera is purposed for video conferencing, and is decent (not great, but decent). The tablet also has a micro-USB port as well as a headphone jack. Also on the side is a microSD card slot and a reset button. At the price, I think that the Acer Iconia Tab is the best deal. I would definitely suggest buying it over many other tablets. Front facing web camera, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 8hr battery, USB, bluetooth, wifi, micro-USB, microSD card,

Motorola Xoom

Motorola Xoom ($379-wifi | $599 4G) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. This tablet is one that I personally own. It is a very good tablet. Released summer of 2011. It was the flagship for Google’s Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). The features on it are rich and amazing. It matches the iPad 2 in just about every way, and even surpasses in some areas. For instance, while it keeps up the same battery life as the iPad, it charges within half the time. Xoom charges within 2 hours, while t can take the iPad2 four+ hours to charge. Also the Xoom features a higher-resolution rear-facing camera (5MP | 2592 x 1944) with dual-LED flash, which results in snapshots as good as many point-and-shoot cameras. The iPad2 rear camera is only 0.7 MP (960 x 720). Motorola announced that they are offering a free upgrade to the 3g tablets, to instal the 4g chip, and that all new Xoom being sold from Verizon will have the 4g capability already. This is awesome news for the Xoom owners. They can now surf the web at 4g speeds, and they don’t have to buy a new tablet to do so. Overall the Motorola Xoom is a fantastic tablet, especially since it was the first that had the Android 3 tablet software. Although it is already last year’s news, it still is holding its own among the many tablets in the market. The Motorola Xyboard is the replacement for the Xoom. The Xoom features front and back facing cameras, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, 10hr battery, Micro SD card, bluetooth, wifi, HDMI, 3g & 4g, HD 720p

Sony Tablet S

Sony Tablet S ($399) | Android 3 | 9.4 inch screen. I did not like the design of this tablet. It was not easy to hold, nor was it very stylish. It was as bulky as the old portable DVD players, not something that fits very well in a purse or backpack. It did feature a mini usb port and a SD card slot. It has great speakers and sound. Front and back facing cameras, 1GB Ram, 16GB storage, SD card, bluetooth, wifi, HDMI.

So out of all these tablets ranging from 3-4 hundred bucks, I’d say that the Iconia Tab wins with it’s low price, good battery, full-size usb, and nice feel. Although a little bulky, its a really good deal. Next is the $500 and up range.

Asus Eee Pad Slider ($475) | Android 4 | 10.1 inch screen. Very good idea, but pretty bulky. It features a built in keyboard that you slide from underneath it. It also has a full-size usb port for thumb drives and such. 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, bluetoooth, wifi, HDMI

Galaxy Tab 10.1

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1  ($499) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. This tablet is so thin and sleek that it looks like an iPad2. One bad feature I’ve found is that the recharge time can take 5 hours or more before fully recharged (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/galaxy-tab-android-tablet,3014-11.html). So the battery is not as good as the iPad2. The camera (3MP) hardware on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 is significantly better than the iPad 2, but it falls short compared to other Honeycomb-based tablets (which surprises me since Samsung is also a camera company). The Xoom (5MP), for example, has a higher-resolution rear-facing camera with dual-LED flash, which results in snapshots as good as many point-and-shoot cameras. Samsung uses a single-LED flash for its rear camera. The thin, plastic case makes the tablet feel cheap. Samsung was the first to release a 2nd generation Android tablet which was a big enhancement from their Galaxy Tab 7. However they missed the mark on productivity, especially in the area of the camera and battery. Also on a side note, there is no media card slot at all found on the device, which makes no room for expanding memory, or transferring files. Front and back facing cameras, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 8hr battery, bluetooth, wifi,

Motorola XYBoard

Motorola Xyboard  ($499-wifi | $529 4G) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. This is sold at Verizon. This is the 2nd generation for the Xoom. It has a lot of nice enhancements and really gives the iPad2 a run for it’s money.  The design is like the Droid Razr’s big brother. The back is predominantly aluminum, with black rubberized sides to make it grippier (is that even a word?). There is even splash-resistant nano-coating, just in case your coffee cup tips over. It comes with InfraRed so that it can control your living room devices, and even has a universal remote app pre-installed. This tablet has very interesting edges that some may consider awkward, but several reviews report that the clipped edges make it much easier to hold. Although the enhancements compared to the Xoom are welcomed, the features really do not justify the cost. Even though I am a huge Motorola fan, I would probably go with the Transformer Prime and get an overall better tablet. Front and back facing cameras, 32GB storage, 10hr battery, Micro SD card, bluetooth, wifi, HDMI, 3g & 4g.

Transformer Prime

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime ($499)- Android 4.0 – Very sleek, thin and stylish. The perfect tablet for the tech-savvy. It’s size is similar to the Galaxy tab, and the iPad 2.  This is the hottest tablet that is currently on the market. The best yet! And you really get your $500 worth as well. This new tablet boasts the Tegra3 processor, making it the world’s first quad-core tablet. Also makes it up to 5 times faster than the tegra2, which is on most other tablets. And the best part, It’s all wrapped in a package that measures only 0.33 inches thick (even skinnier than the iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1)! And despite its metal construction, it’s still lighter than the Galaxy Tab. The metal case makes it feel that much more durable than many other tablets.

Transformer Prime with Keybard dock.

One of the coolest features of the Transformer Prime is its dock ($150), the accessory that turns this thing from being a merely very nice tablet into a potential laptop replacement. The keyboard dock station, purchased separately, fits right on the tablet, and turns the tablet to be styled like a laptop. Once plugged into the dock, you then have use of its full-sized USB 2.0 socket and SD card reader. The dock is even complete with a trackpad for a mouse, and scrolling gestures.

The tablet boasts a 10+ hour battery life, and 16+ hours when plugged into the dock. It has front and back facing cameras, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, bluetooth, wifi,

Transformer Prime in Dock

IN SUMMARY

I would suggest the Acer Iconia Tab ($349 at Bestbuy) for most potential buyers looking for a tablet. It is bulkier than the iPad2, but matches it in most hardware specs. It has the full-sized USB jack, hdmi, and such. View part 2 of this article to see my top choices for buyers.

Still confused? Read “Which Android Tablet Part 2 – Sam’s Favorites” here. It’s a quick summary of the ones I suggest to purchase. (http://splog.samuelpaasch.com/2012/01/which-android-tablet-part-2-sams-favorites)

This will probably be my last post on the top Android Tablets because there are getting to be so many of them. Within the next few years, tablet shopping will be just like laptop shopping. Give them the specifics you want, and they show you the tablet that matches it.

While browsing the forums over at xda-developers, I found a thread that talked about Android 4.0 (ICS) for the Nook Color. Yay, finally an update on the programming of the Nook Color. The thread had links to the software as it was being developed. You can participate in the development by downloading a “nightly” (more on this later) and testing all the features out, looking for bugs and such. So I decided to give it a try, I downloaded the 0114 nightly and 10 minutes later I had the newest version of android working on my nook color.

The developer works on the software every day. Each night an updated rom is released that includes the changes made during that day. These “nightly” updates are then available to anyone who wants to download, install, and test. So not a lot changes from day to day, but if you skip a few, and go maybe week to week, you will notice improvements that are taking place to get the software working on the device. I am very well pleased with how it looks so far on my nook. It brings out all the cool features of honeycomb making my nook color “feel new”.

Currently I have the ROM 0127 installed on my nook. I love the new features of the home screen, and especially the new widgets. I can’t wait until they fully develop a “stable” version of cyanogenmod9. Thanks again to the developers from xda. Your work will not go unnoticed!

Here is a quick glance of the new feature in Ice Cream Sandwich.

This is the Home Screen (Click for full size)

First big noticeable improvement is the home screen. This improved home screen has larger icons, and smoother transitions that make the user experience so much more! Personally I think the Tablet software is a killer, much better than my experience with the iPad’s home screen. If offers great combination of widgets and apps to enhance the users ability to retrieve information faster.

App Drawer

The next big improvement is the app drawer. This area contains all your apps in alphabetical order (by default). The design is very sleek and nice. And as a new feature in ICS, you now access all widets from inside the app drawer. You can click on the widgets tab on the top left of screen, or simply slide past your apps to go to the widget selection. This makes it easier to place your favorite widget on the screen.

Settings Menu

Now one of the coolest features of ICS running on a tablet is to view an app optimized for tablet view. If you were to run the settings app in Gingerbread (ie Android 2.3) then you would be shown the main menu of the app. Click on a menu item, and it then opens the window for that item. But now in ICS you have a dual screen tablet view for many apps. The menu is conveniently on the left, and when you click on an item, it then opens it on the right side. This works in most apps like settings, gmail, reader, google+, and many more. Just the fact that many apps are optimized for a tablet view makes the experience that much better.

Also the settings app now conveniently groups similar settings together, for quick reference and easy access to find the desired setting.

Recent Apps

The newest button on the bottom of the taskbar is the Recent Apps button. It displays all the recent apps on the left of the screen. They are easy to scroll through, and even provides a screenshot of the window. It makes it really easy to switch back and forth between apps. This feature was available in Honeycomb, but is now enhanced with a new way to close running apps. Simply swipe the screenshot to the left to close the app.

Notification bar, and volume bar shown

The last cool features with ICS is the notification bar, and the new style of the volume bar.

The notification bar is now located on the bottom right (just like Honeycomb ‘ie android 3.0′). You simply swipe up to view the time, battery, wifi, settings, and notifications. Clicking on a notification launches the corresponding app. To delete a single notification, you simply swipe to the right. Also clicking on the top section of the notification bar will load a quick access to common settings; wifi, airplane mode, auto-rotate toggle, screen brightness, notification toggle, and link to all other settings.

Lastly the new volume bar has been redesigned and now offers new features. When you click a volume key the volume bar will show. You can now touch the bar and move the volume settings up and down. Finally by clicking the settings button on the volume bar, it opens the volume mixer, giving you full control over all volume settings without the use of another app.

All these features are great, and provide a whole new experience to the Nook Color. However the Operating System is not stable yet and some apps still do not work. But it does show the advanced capabilities of a device that is now being sold for only a $150-200. Hopefully within a month, the development will be finished and many will be able to enjoy the new tablet optimized Nook Color with Ice Cream Sandwich.

I first heard about Ice Cream Sandwich a year ago. I remember getting the update for Gingerbread on my phone, and I decided to go online to see where how long it would be before I got the next major update. At that time Ice Cream Sandwich was just rumors. Many people thought it would be either called Android 2.4, or Android 3.2.

Here is a brief overview of how the Android software updates updates. (Notice the are going through the alphabet, and are all named after desserts. Mmmmmm.)
1.5 Cupcake
1.6 Doughnut
2.0 Eclair
2.2 Froyo
2.3 Gingerbread
3.0 Honeycomb (Tablets ONLY)
4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
??? Jellybean

Android 3.0 came out, and was a killer! If it weren’t for the overpriced tablets, awkward screens size, and low security , the android tablets would have skyrocketed. The design was amazing, and the graphics were awesome. Everyone wanted honeycomb for their phones since it was so sleek and powerful. The only problem was that Google didn’t release the code for Honeycomb. The opperating system was not optimized for phone use, and Google was afraid that phone companies would try to use the code for their phones, creating a very bad user experiance. So immediatelly Google said that the next major opperating system would tie in both phones and tablets together. All the great features of honeycomb, combined with the optimization for phone use, would bring about an amazing user experiance across all devices. So they decided to start the software as their 4.0 update. Ice Cream Sandwich was supposed to be really big.

The summer came and went with still only more rumors of the awaited software. Then toward the end of the summer it was announced that the first phone to run ICS would be released in the fall. The Google Samsung Galaxy Nexus would feature the new software, with only on screen buttons (a new feature for Android).

Finally in the early fall, the update was announced, features were shown, and the world had to wait a while longer for the release date to pass. Finally sometime in October, Google finally released the source code for their new ICS software. Android 4.0 was finally here! or was it? Google allows the manufature (like Motorola) to make their own version of the software, that then has to be reviewed and approved by the carrier (ie Verizon). So that part of the process can take an additional 6 months. So here we are in mid January with no release from Motorolla, HTC, or Samsung for their previous Android devices yet.

What’s funny is that aftermaket versions are already releasing ICS for their supported phones already. Showing that an earlier release date could be possible, if the manufacture didn’t have to jump through so many hoops to get their update approved.

Some may get their update before spring, some before summer, but I believe that the majority will get their ICS update in the summer and fall months (Almost a year after it was released). This is a huge problem that Google will have to address in the future.

I eagerly await the update from Motorola, but since I have a Droid2, almost 2 years old, I most likely won’t get the new update anytime soon, or maybe not even at all. If so, that will be the day that I install an aftermarket version on my phone.

More on Android Versions can be found at android.com

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There are a lot of music player apps on the android market today. Today I will list all of the top ones that I tested, and will give you my favorite features as to each. These are not in any particular order, each one functions just a little bit differently, so they each have their strengthens and weaknesses.

The first is the default Android Music Player. This app is not on my favorite list, and if you own an Android phone, then you know what I mean. The player isn’t the best designed music player, and is not as user friendly as other players. Just about everyone that I talk to that has an Android phone, hate their default music player. It does have tabs to access different categories of music like genres, albums, songs, and playlists. But once you start the song, it really isn’t as easy to access the view of the album and look at other songs. My guess is that the app was quickly built so the functionality isn’t as great.

WinAMP

Next is Winamp. This app is my absolute favorite free music app if I have music files loaded on my phone. The player is very sleek and user friendly. Personally I think it kills the iPod app for the iPhone. It runs smoothly and very efficiently. The ability to make and edit your playlist is the best of all the music apps I’ve tried. It also has lock screen buttons enabled so that you can access the media buttons without unlocking the screen. This allows the user to quickly pause or skip sons without actually unlocking the screen and opening the app. Full equalizer, and so much more! So this app is the absolute best if you have the mp3 files on your phone.

Doubletwist

Next is Doubletwist. This is the Android’s best app that mimics the iPod app. You can choose to download the doubletwist player for you computer (like iTunes) host your songs and make your playlists via the computer program, or it will even scan your iTunes library for songs and playlists. It then syncs to your phone so that you have your songs in sync with your computer, just like how the iPhone can sync to your iTunes. This is the best feature for this app. The player also supports lockscreen buttons that allow you to play, pause, and seek forward and backwards while the screen is still locked. The user interface is nice and smooth, it is even very similar to Winamp, but not as good. Winamp still beat Doubletwist for having a player to play your songs and such. However Doubletwist is best if you want to sync your music with your computer, as winamp can’t really do that very well.

Google Music

My favorite music player is Google Music. They allow me to upload up to 20,000 of my songs to their cloud. I then have access to my music anywhere there is an internet connection. This is really great for songs that I don’t listen to very often, but still want them accessible quickly when needed. They even make it where you can have your favorite music offline. Such a feature allows a person to access the music without a using the data. The user interface is nice, but not as nice as winamp or doubletwist. They don’t even allow for media player buttons on the lock screen. You have to unlock the screen first and then access the song player to pause. That because annoying a lot of times, but despite its many cons it does host all my music for free on the Google cloud. That is the sole feature I absolutely love.

Amazon MP3

Amazon MP3 is more of a mp3 store than it is a player, but they do have a built in player for any music on their cloud. If you purchase any music from Amazon it can be hosted on their cloud for free. They offer paid services to host you own personal music on their cloud as well. But as for their app, the style and design is not as good as Google Music.

REAL Player

Real Player, the only player on the list that does not come from a top developer. The company makes a really great music player for the pc, so I thought I’d give the android app a try. Although the app is still in Beta (and has been since I first got my android phone over a year ago) it  is still really sleek and well designed. The app is more of a media center than just a music player. It will scan you songs, videos, and pictures, and will load them to be played or viewed. The music part is the main reason for downloading so I will keep the review to that. It has a basic feel to it. The songs and albums load in list format just as any other media player would do. The functionality is basic while the design is sleak and nice. It has a nice feel to it, but it still doesn’t compare to Doubletwist and Winamp. However it does provide an upgrade compared to the default android music player, and it does effectively combine all media, pictures and music and video, into one well designed app.

PowerAMP

Equalizer for PowerAMP

Power Amp, the only one on the list that costs. The app is truly amazing. Supports both big screen tablets as well as phones. It comes with a really cool equalizer, and sound settings. It has separate Bass and Treble adjustment. They even have some presets you can browse through, or make your own custom presets. It has a customizable lock screen. The developer really did a great job on this, because it comes with swipe motions to make it more to advance to the next song or rewind. You can also use the onscreen buttons as well. You can longpress on the back or forward buttons to rewind or fast forward through a song respectively. Swipe the screen up and down to choose albums and such.
This app is really cool! I has a lot of advanced features that are awesome. It has the highest level of customization than any other music app I’ve ever seen. It supports lyrics for singing along. The design is sleek and stylish. It comes with 4 configurable widget types. It has headset support that can (it’s optional) auto play/pause when disconnected and reconnected by headset or Bluetooth. They have great support, and even a q/a section in the app description on the Market. If the app didn’t cost, I’d use it for good. You can download a 2 week trial for free, but the full app costs $4.99. This app surpasses all music apps by far, just using it once will convince anyone.

So in conclusion, currently I only use Google Music because it hosts all my music online, and I don’t have to keep any on the drive. If i had the music on my phone, then I would probably be really tempted to buy Power Amp, as it is by far the best music app I’ve ever tried. But knowing that $5 is hard to justify just for a music player, I’d use winamp instead. I may download doubletwist for movies, since it has a great movie player, but I really wouldn’t use it at all for music. Although the Real Player app is a great idea, it really hasn’t been developed well enough to use it seriously. I use Amazon MP3 mainly just for downloading new songs, and rarely ever use the music player that’s built in. And last of all, I will never use the default android music player for any of my songs as I absolutely detest it.