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 had a problem with my Seagate portable hard drive. For over 3 years now, I’ve owned a 320 GB portable hard drive that I always carry in my laptop case. I’ve used it for just about everything. At one time it held all my music because my old laptop could only fit 160GB on it. It stores my digital movies, and all my archived projects from work. I have school homework on it, as well as church documents.

While trying get some taekwondo clips of it, I was interrupted with loud beeping noises, followed by the drive losing power and shutting off. I looked it all over, and it looked okay, so I plugged it in again. It started right up, but then died again. I fiddled with it for about 10 minutes and found that the pins on the usb connecter had gone bad, and the only way to get it to connect was to slightly bend the usb cord and hold it against the drive. I got it running, and decided to back up all the files onto my new laptop… Only one problem… I had over 300 GB of files on the drive, and the transfer time was estimated to be 3 hours.

It was already 1am, but I really needed those files. So I sat there grasping a firm hold on the cable, careful not to move it too much. I watched a few Netflix TV shows on my tablet to pass the time. Finally at around 3-3:300am the files were all transferred to my laptop. I let go of the cable, trying to relieve my cramped hand, and immediately the drive died, giving up its final beeps of despair. I slowly crawled over to my bed and fell fast asleep, wishing I would somehow get more than 3 hours of sleep.

Today there are so many e-book services out there, it’s hard to choose which one to stick with. Do you go with Amazon Kindle books or stay within Barnes and Noble’s nook books? Oh wait there is also books from Google, Apple, and even Kobo. With all these services, all claiming to offer you what you need in books, which do you choose?

Amazon Books offer many books through their online amazon store. Many times their book prices are very competitive for Barnes and Noble, so most of the times it makes no difference between the two. You can read you whole Amazon library on your Amazon Kindle. They also offer free apps for the Blackberry, Windows Phone, Android, and iPhone allowing you to read your book wherever, across whatever device you own. I personally use the Kindle to purchase how to books for technology. They seem to have lower prices on books that teach you how to do things, like build a website, or mobile app.

The Barnes and Noble stores offer their nook books that can be read on your PC, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, or Windows phone. You can also purchase their nook reading device to have instant access to your library. They offer a great source for novels. I personally will tend to buy my novels from them, like Sons of Encouragement by Francine Rivers. Barnes and Noble also offer Nook Friends, where you can borrow books from friends. So this makes Nook my preferred source for personal reading.

Google Books has an e-reader device as well. They offer apps for Android, iPhone, and Blackberry. But the best part about Google Books, is that they require no program to read their books. They are all online, so all you need is an internet connection to be able to read your books. So any device that can access the internet can read the Google Books. This means you can access your book from anywhere in the world. If you own a device that has the Google Books app, you can also download the book for access during times that you have no wifi. Google Books tends to focus on material that is in the Public Domain, and books that are older. They have software to scan the pages of  a book and translate it into text. This makes them the number one source for older books.
I took a college class that was focused on the works of Thomas Hardy. I was able to get all of the required Thomas Hardy books for free via Google Books. It was great! Also I use Google Books to purchase any book that I will want instant access 24/7, like any study material, or Biblical helps.

Apple offers books as well, but I have not used them personally. They offer no app for Android devices, RIM devices, or Windows Phones. However if you have an iPhone or iPad, you can get books there for a decent price. Sometimes even better than Kindle or Nook devices. They also offer a great reading experience for iOS users.

The Kobo books are limited at this time but expanding. Although they might seem insignificant, they offer a great reading experience, and can also read your nook, kindle, and Google books all within the same app or device.

I personally stick with the following three: Google Books, for old books and things I need access to at all times; Kindle Books, for the technical books, and how to books; and the nook books for anything I want to personally read.

On a side note. There is big taboo about getting school books in e-book format. Personally, I don’t like that idea because I like to resell the book after I’m done with it. Unless there is some type of buyback option, or selling tool, it is not a viable feature for me.

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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It is amazing how many coffee houses, fast food restaurants, and other businesses hosts wifi hotspots for their customers. The biggest fast food chain, McDonald’s, now has WiFi provided in many of their millions of locations. In fact I’m sitting right now at my local McDonald’s as I write this, slurping up my Dr. Pepper, and munching on my golden fries. Places like music stores and store fronts, waiting rooms and hair salons, all have the wireless hotspots. Even many hotels and motels now advertise FREE WIFI on all their signage.

So what makes these places want to serve some online browsing on their menu? I decided to look at the main reasons why I think a business would want to host a free wifi hotspot for their customers, and then look at why the customers actually take advantage of it.

The following reflect my personal opinions of the subject, and offer no credible research.

Attracts more people.
I work fairly close to a McDonald’s, and I’ve seen with my own eyes that their business has increased after they provided free wifi. People come in with their huge laptop bags and all their accessories, take up a whole table (near an outlet) and park it for a few hours. I mean let’s face it. They attract the college students with their homework and fancy gadgets. The work from home type, with their laptops and headsets, using Skype frequently. Also there are the older generation with their e-reader, or iPad, reading the news or some book. I’ve also seen just about every age group on Facebook a few times as well.
People bring the craziest things in sometimes as well. I’ve seen a guy carry in a printer before, printing off several pieces of paper. Everything is there, from the small netbooks to the huge laptops, the phones, to the tablets. I’ve seen tables filled with electronic gear, and even cords hanging from the ceiling where that was the only available outlet. It really is funny some of the things you see. But all of these people would not be there if there were no wifi. They may stop in, grab something and go, but without wifi, that’s it. With the wifi they stay a while longer, even going back for more food later. Which brings me to the next reason.

Generates more business.
People stay longer, they order more, they come back more often. I normally don’t care to eat fast food very often, however I love to sit at a restaurant and surf the web, watch movies, and write blogs. So I compromise, I’ll order a drink instead of food, or maybe just fries, that way I’m still supporting the business, and not taking advantage of the free wifi. I’ve noticed that I spend on average 5-10 more hours a week as I visit quite frequently.
Many people are staying for a while, and they keep getting up and ordering more food. I saw a lady, at Panera Bread, go up to the counter to order something 5 separate times within the 3 hours she was there on her laptop. Providing wifi generates more business. People come back, if they’ve enjoyed themselves. I’ve had more McDonald’s, Hardee’s, and Panera Bread in the last 12 months than I’ve had my entire life.

Creates a better public image.
The public image is really important for a business. So hosting a hotspot increases the positive reception of the public image. I mean the business is offering FREE WIFI. Instead of taking advantage of people’s need for internet and web, they are offering it as a free accessory to staying at their store. It a great advertisement, never mind many people already get internet everywhere they go on their phone. The business are offering it to you for free with no charge, or membership fee.
Lets face it, McDonald’s, Panera Bread, and I’m sure a few more are widely known for offering free wifi. So you know that their public image has improved a bit.  They could make you order something, and then have the access code printed on your receipt. It has been done before. But no, they offer it free of charge. They’ll even pay the electric bill for charging your device up while your there, and offer you heat in the winter, and air conditioner during the summer. So they become the nice guy, providing everything you need to be comfortable while surfing the web, and it’s FREE!

So what are some of the reasons that people actually go to these places? I feel that there are at least three main reasons why a customer will come and use the wifi.

Welcomed Homey Feel
Fist off is whole feeling of being welcomed in, and accepted, while keeping a homey feel. For instance a new McDonald’s has been built in my hometown, and I’ve already visited it. I love the design and layout of the place. They are definitely catering to people who will be coming in and staying for awhile working on homework, work, or personal projects. Also places like Panera Bread, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, and more now offer lounge areas for people to just sit and enjoy themselves. It gives a very homey feel that people tend to enjoy. Comfortable cushions and table spots. Plenty of outlets, and even a few bar stools. Walking in give the message “Come on in, and stay awhile!”
So for a lot of these businesses, they keep the place up so that people get a good reception when they come in.

Easy Access.
Personally I know that if I need to get in the internet really quick, maybe to upload something, or email a friend, I can easily look for the nearest McDonald’s or other convenient wifi hotspot and get instant internet access. This means whether or not you own a smartphone, you can still get internet just about anywhere in the states. The internet is always there and easy to get access. No special hoops to jump through, no crazy security locks that keep people away. Just free easy wifi for all within range. Why go home, when you can get your internet anywhere else? I’ve counted over 25 hotspot businesses that I pass on the way to and from work. My favorite happens to be McDonald’s in which there are several in my town.
Now I never have to go straight home to access my internet. Sure may be able to get peace and quiet there, but with everything happening around the local businesses, it’s too much entertainment not to go out. Even when I’m actually there to grab a quick bite, I can still pull out my tablet and do some things over the internet.

Social Lounge
Earlier this week, I ventured into a local Hardee’s Restaurant to work on a post for this blog. While I was there, several other people came in to lounge around and do whatever entertains them. For instance, one man was reading the local news paper, while another was watching the TV that was mounted on the wall, one other was on his laptop, while the last was simply eating with his phone out, obviously texting away. But it wasn’t long before we all were conversing with each other talking about many topics, including the end of the world, politics, Apple and Microsoft, tablets and laptops, and much more. In fact the manager of the place stopped by and mentioned that he had never heard so many interesting topics in his restaurant before, and then joined in the conversation. It reminded me of the old barbershop meetings, where all the men would lounge around the barbershop to hear the top news, and put in their two cents. It truly was awesome, and something that I would not normally get at just any restaurant, nor from my own house. It was a very pleasant conversation between several people. Some had to leave, while others joined in. I hated to leave when I had to. I was enjoying myself so much in word and conversation.

Even though offering wifi may be a gimmick to get more business, it does provide an outlet for those who want to surf the web comfortably. And since people are generally responding really well to places that offer wifi, it is a legitimate source for more customers and business.

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.

Last year I had purchased a nook color just for the purpose of hacking it, and installing CyanogenMod 7 on it. CyanogenMod is an aftermarket version of Android, and the 7th version is based off of Gingerbread.

The nook color already had a heavily modified version of android on it, but with limited capabilities and features. Barnes and Noble did a add several of their own features on it. But in all retrospect, the nook color can do soo much more once it has a full version of android running on it.

The process was easy, and in just 10 minutes I had android up and running, with all the apps of my choice including, maps, music, Netflix, Skype, Facebook, and Twitter.

I was really excited when I found out that the nook color could be hacked and a fully functional version of Android could be installed, which includes all the apps in the Android Market. Features that not even the nook color used were unlocked. For instance Bluetooth was found, and actually works on it. So with the Bluetooth working, I could connect a keyboard to be able to type better.

The nook works great. The screen is very high quality, while the controls are very good. The accelerometer works perfect. The design is sleek and comfortable. Being the size of an average reading book, it is a good size to hold, and place in your backpack or purse.

The ironic part is that, I can still access my nook books via the nook app for android. But I can now also access all my kindle books as well, along with Google books, and other book apps. I am no longer limited to reading only nook books. This is a plus for me, especially since I have a few books I’ve purchased via kindle, because it was cheaper, and a few books purchased via googe books, because they are always available online. Kindle also sells most of my school book online should I chose to purchase them.

One of the biggest plus was that I have the full android market running on it. Giving me access the biggest android app store of all time. The apps are cheaper than the ones that you get from nook store, and there’s a whole lot more to chose from. For instance I could buy Angry Birds from Barnes and Noble for around $5, yet I can get it from the Android Market for only $0.99.

At the time that I hacked it, Netflix was just coming out on the Android. So I was able to watch Netflix movies on my nook as well. This was a huge deal for me, since the tablet is soo portable and easy to carry. It had the perfect screen for private viewing. However I will admit, Netflix finally came out on the nook app store as well. But that also makes another point. Not all android apps that are in the market are available on the nook app store. Some take awhile to finally make it, while others never come out for the nook app store.

Facebook, twitter, and Skype all work great on the nook, however there is no voice inputs, nor is there a camera, so no calls or video conferencing via Skype, just IM. Facebook works like it would on a phone since they haven’t made a tablet view for the app yet.

I have my music on the device as well. The tablet has a speaker on the back which makes it work well to listen to any audio. Also there is a headphone jack on the top.

All the hardware features mimic the first iPad. No camera, or microphone inputs, yet still has a speaker and headphone jack. It accesses the android market for all the billions of apps, and will even access other app markets such as the amazon app store (kindle fire apps) and the opera app store.

So in essence, by purchasing a cheap nook color. I paid only $200 for a tablet that will access all my books, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and Google books. It will access just about any app, via the android market and the amazon app store. I can watch movies via YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and even rent from android movies. I can purchase and listen to my whole music library via Google music and amazon mp3. And I can I can keep up with all my social media via the Facebook app, Twitter app, Skype, Yahoo Messenger, and much much more.

This makes the nook color only worth it, once it’s hacked. All in all, it makes me very happy to be the owner of a nook color running cyanogen mod7.

I had been working with my nook recently when accidentaly erased over 7 gigs off my 8GB card. Here’s how it happened.

I wanted to erase all the contents off my sd card and restore it back to default settings. Since windows has an easy built formatting tool. I opened up “My Computer” and right clicked on the drive, then clicked “format”. It ran through all the contents and reset it back to factory default. Unfortunately the SD card only showed 1gig instead if 8.

It was as if the card was only a 1 gig card. I flipped out. I had spent a good deal of money on that card, and I couldn’t use one that’s only 1 gig. I did everything I could think of to fix my card. I reformatted it again, unplugged it and remounted it, and even restarted my computer and reformatted it. Nothing worked. My laptop somehow turned my 8 gig card into a 1 gig card.

I found out that according to sdcard.org the Windows OS does not have the appropriate software to reformat an SD card. The default formatting software never really suppports SD cards. However there is free software that one can download and use. Once I did download it, I tried it out, and it restored my missing 7 gigs to the card.

So for future reference, windows 7 cannot reformat your camera’s SD card in file explorer. Try these links and get supported software. https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_3/