Posts tagged Google
Need More Battery Life For Your Android Phone? Here Are Some Tips
Dec 20th
I love my Epic 4G Touch, but one thing that annoys me is its relatively short battery life that barely gets me through the day (and sometimes doesn’t even last that long). And this isn’t just a problem on the Epic 4G Touch– most Android phones have quicker battery drains because of their larger screens, more powerful processors and 4G chips (all things that help make Android so great).
If you’re like me you’re gonna want to try to make the most of your Android phone’s battery life, so here are four tricks that I use to get the most out of my smartphone.
Galaxy Nexus Now Finally Available From Verizon
Dec 15th
We know a lot of you have been waiting for Verizon to finally release their latest Android superphone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and today we finally have the good news you’ve been waiting for: the Galaxy Nexus is available now for Verizon’s usual 4G LTE phone price of $300 with a new 2 year contract and data plan. Yes, you can finally pick up the latest and greatest Google phone and the first phone to run the latest and greatest version of Android, version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
But wait– things get better. If you look online you’ll see sites like Amazon and LetsTalk.com offering the Galaxy Nexus for a much better price of $250 when you upgrade your phone (Amazon is also offering the HTC Rezound and Motorola Droid RAZR for an even cheaper $230 on upgrade– $70 less than what Verizon charges). And did we mention that Verizon will also give you double the data for your data plan when you buy a new 4G LTE phone? Yeah, for any upgrade to a 4G LTE phone Verizon will give you double the amount of data (so for example, instead of paying $30 a month for 2 GB you now are paying $30 for 4 GB. This means you can actually do things like video chat and watch YouTube from your phone without constantly worrying about running over your limit and paying Verizon even more money). For more on this see Verizon’s site here.
So Verizon users, which phone do you want for the holidays: Droid RAZR, HTC Rezound, Galaxy Nexus or iPhone 4S?
More info: Verizon
Verizon Galaxy Nexus Ads Leak, Release Coming Next Week?
Nov 27th
While this month has seen a whole bunch of awesome new Android superphones for Verizon (like the Droid RAZR and HTC Rezound), there still may be some more awesomeness left before the year is out. Yes, it looks like the long-awaited Samsung Galaxy Nexus is finally on its way to Verizon, and according to the latest rumors it should be out December 8th (or a week from this Thursday). In fact the Galaxy Nexus has even begun appearing in ads this weekend, such as a leaked Verizon Holiday ad and the December issue of Best Buy’s Buyer’s Guide (the same ad where we first we first saw the Droid Bionic a few weeks back. We’ve got some of the shots from the Best Buy ad after the break, but you can see them for yourself on pages 11, 21 and 44 in the ad).
But that’s not even the best part. From the looks of that leaked Verizon ad there is a chance that Verizon will price this beast at just $200 with a new 2 year contract and not their usual 4G phone price of $300. Verizon, Google and Samsung haven’t officially confirmed any of this yet and it can change, but like you we’re really hoping it’s true.
For those who don’t know, the Galaxy Nexus is the future of the Android phone. It is the first phone to run the latest and greatest version of Android called Ice Cream Sandwich and is loaded with all the top of the line specs you’d expect: a massive, 4.65 inch Super AMOLED HD curved screen (which will make everything– games, videos, pictures, texts– look absolutely incredible on here. Think of this as a HDTV in your pocket– the screen on here is that amazing), 1.2 GHZ dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM (for speed), 5 megapixel back camera (with the ability to instantly capture pictures the second you tap the screen) with a 1.3 megapixel front camera for high quality video chat, and of course, support for Verizon’s blazing fast 4G LTE network. It may not be as thin as the Droid RAZR or pack built-in Beats like the Rezound, but if you want the latest Android has to offer (and don’t want to wait until who knows when for the Ice Cream Sandwich update to come to those phones) you’re gonna want to check this out.
We’ll make sure to keep you updated once Verizon finally makes this all official, so stay tuned!
Samsung and Google Announce The Galaxy Nexus– This Is The Future Of Android
Oct 20th
Thought the Droid RAZR raised the bar for Android phones? Think again. Google and Samsung have finally taken the wraps off of the future of Android and Android phones with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus– and put simply both look absolutely incredible.
As always we’ve got all the info you’re gonna want and need to know after the break, so read on. More >
Motorola and Verizon Announce The Droid RAZR– The Most Amazing Droid Yet
Oct 18th
As we all expected, Verizon and Motorola today officially announced the Droid RAZR and as expected it’s insane. If you have an upgrade anytime soon and were thinking about getting the Droid Bionic or are looking for a crazy super powerful phone, you should definitely check this out (and if you bought a Droid Bionic recently, you may want to talk to Verizon about upgrading to this– it’s that insane!).
So what are you waiting for? Read on!
Samsung and Google To Finally Show Off The Next Version Of Android This Week
Oct 16th
This week is really looking like the week of Android. First we’ve got the big Motorola/Verizon event on Tuesday (the 18th), where we expect them to release an incredible beast of a phone known as the Droid RAZR. On Wednesday though that may already be old news as Samsung and Google will finally show off the next version of Android– Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich– and with it the all new Galaxy Nexus (previously known as the Nexus Prime or Droid Prime). Yeah, this will be a crazy week indeed.
For those who don’t know, the Galaxy Nexus is, like the Droid RAZR, said to be a beast of a phone headed to Verizon over the coming weeks. Rumored specs on the Galaxy Nexus say that it will have a massive 4.5 inch or 4.65 inch 720p HD screen (or in other words, it’s like having your HDTV in your pocket and everything– movies, games, pictures, Facebook, texts– should look beyond insane on here), a pencil thin design with a curved screen (like the new Galaxy S IIs and Nexus S), a fast dual core processor with 1 GB of RAM (so everything– from opening Facebook, to sending a text, to gaming, to doing all of that at once– runs fast and smooth and without any freezes or lags), and support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Yeah, now’s a pretty great time to be on Verizon and have an upgrade.
And while we won’t be at this new event live (it’s taking place in Hong Kong now), we’ll of course have all the info you’re gonna want and need to know about everything Google and Samsung show off. And if you’re interested in watching all the action live as it unfolds, head to YouTube.com/Android at 10 PM Eastern (7 PM Pacific) on Tuesday night (it’ll be 10 AM Wednesday morning in Hong Kong) for the livestream.
Samsung Begins Nexus Prime Teasing, Shows Off Super Thin Phone
Oct 6th
With the iPhone 4S now finally official we can now move on to the next big phone of October– Samsung and Google’s Nexus Prime (aka the Droid Prime). As we wrote earlier this week, next Tuesday Samsung and Google will finally unveil the next version of Android called Ice Cream Sandwich and with it, a new Nexus phone which is right now rumored to be called the Nexus Prime/Galaxy Nexus (or Droid Prime for Verizon). And just like they did with the Galaxy S II, Samsung has put out a teaser with a not so little hit that something big is coming next week.
In this latest teaser video (which you can see for yourself above), Samsung lists off a whole bunch of great combinations (cookies and milk, planner pen etc.), and mentions that another great one is coming next week. And if you pay close attention towards the end of the video you’ll see the side of a phone that is not only ridiculously thin, but also looks to have a pretty nice sized, curved screen (that looks to be much larger than the iPhone 4S’s 3.5 inch one).
We’ll of course keep you updated as more info comes out. And we don’t know about you, but we can’t wait to see what Samsung and Google have planned for Tuesday.
Pic of the side of the phone after the break.
Samsung And Google Showing Off The Future Of Android Next Week
Oct 3rd
Not into a new iPhone? Want to know what’s next for Android before you decide what phone to upgrade to? Well, as with everyone waiting for the new iPhone, your wait also looks to be almost over. Over the weekend we received the invite you see above from Samsung, inviting us to Samsung’s next big Unpacked event taking place a week from this Tuesday, October 11th (or a week after Apple’s big iPhone event which is this Tuesday). And like all of Samsung’s Unpacked events, this looks to be huge.
So, what can we expect? The invite says we’ll be seeing “what’s new from Android,” and according to the latest rumors it looks that means we’ll finally be seeing Google’s next major version of Android called Ice Cream Sandwich (Google for whatever reason likes naming their new versions of Android after deserts in alphabetical order. For example, the last two versions of Android were called Gingerbread and Honeycomb). Not much is known right now about what exactly will be new in Ice Cream Sandwich, but Google has said that it will be a major update and that it will combine Gingerbread (the latest phone version of Android) and Honeycomb (the tablet version of Android) so that your Android experience will be the same whether you are using a phone or tablet (something that should make both much better. Hopefully this will also lead to some much better Android tablet apps, something current Android tablets are really missing).
And like with Gingerbread last year, Samsung is expected to have a new Nexus phone (rumored to be called the Nexus Prime) to go along with Ice Cream Sandwich to really show off what the new software can do. And trust us, if you’re looking for a superphone to rival the iPhone 5, this is it. Rumored specs on the Nexus Prime say it will have a massive 4.5 inch or 4.65 inch 720p HD screen (or in other words, it’s like having your HDTV in your pocket and everything– movies, games, pictures, Facebook, texts– should look beyond insane on here), a pencil thin design (like the new Galaxy S IIs), a fast dual core processor with 1 GB of RAM (so everything– from opening Facebook, to sending a text, to gaming, to doing all of that at once– runs fast and smooth and without any freezes or lags), and support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network (if you remember, Verizon is said to have passed on the Galaxy S II so it could be the first to get this beast). Yeah, this will definitely be huge.
We’ll of course have all the info you’re gonna want and need to know about whatever Samsung and Google show off covered for back here. So stay tuned– something tells us this October new phone craziness is only just getting started.
Droid Bionic Now Available From Verizon
Sep 12th
In cased you missed the news over the weekend, Verizon and Motorola have now finally made the long-awaited Droid Bionic available. Yes, you can now go into your local Verizon store and pick up their most powerful 4G LTE Droid yet for that expected price of $300 with new 2 year contract and data plan.
The specs of the Bionic are pretty much everything we’ve heard these last few weeks and months, though they’re still pretty impressive. Here’s a quick recap:
- 4.3 inch qHD screen– Like the Photon 4G, Sensation 4G and most other top of the line phones today. In short, this is a screen that will make everything you view on it look great.
- The latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread
- 1 GHZ dual core processor with 1 GB of RAM– So everything on the phone is as fast as that Verizon 4G LTE.
- 8 megapixel back camera with front camera for video chat– The back camera can also record videos in full 1080p HD.
- 32 GB of storage (16 GB built-in, 16 GB on an included microSD card)– So you can load this up with all your music and videos.
The Bionic can also be docked in a laptop dock just like AT&T’s Motorola Atrix, though for that extra $300 it will cost you to get the dock it may just be better to get a real laptop or tablet instead.
And remember, if you buy the Bionic before the end of the month and are upgrading from a feature phone (basically any phone that’s not a Windows Phone, iPhone, Droid or BlackBerry) you can save an additional $100 from Verizon. If you are upgrading from a smartphone or want an even better deal, then you may want to get your Bionic from Motorola as they’re charging only $250 (with a new 2 year contract and data plan) and are also offering that $100 Verizon gift card if you’re upgrading from a non-smartphone.
So Verizon users, you gonna get this or are you waiting for some other big phones to come out next month instead?
For more info on the Droid Bionic see Verizon’s site here.
Droid Bionic Appears In Best Buy Guide, Release Coming September 8th? (UPDATE)
Aug 23rd
If you’re waiting for Motorola and Verizon’s dual-core, 4G LTE beast of a phone– also known as the Droid Bionic– it looks like your wait is almost over. Best Buy has posted their September Mobile Phone Guide and what do ya know, the Droid Bionic is featured a few times as one of the phones to get if your on Verizon. Best Buy also seems to have confirmed some of the key specs of the Droid Bionic (something we weren’t sure about once Motorola said they were going to re-do the Droid Bionic a few months ago), and like the original Bionic, this looks to be the most powerful Verizon 4G phone we’ve seen yet. Here are the full specs:
- 4.3 inch qHD screen– Like the Photon 4G, Sensation 4G and most other top of the line phones today. In short, this is a screen that will make everything you view on it look great.
- The latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread
- 1 GHZ dual core processor– So everything on the phone is as fast as that Verizon 4G LTE.
- 8 megapixel back camera with front camera for video chat– The back camera can also record videos in full 1080p HD.
Now Motorola has confirmed that the Bionic will be coming in September, with the latest rumors saying it will launch September 8th for $299.99 with new 2 year contract and data plan (which makes sense to us given how all the other Verizon 4G LTE phones started out in that $300 price range when they launched). There are also rumors that the Bionic will get its own laptop dock like the AT&T Atrix, but no word on that from the Best Buy ad.
Hopefully this all means that Verizon and Motorola will make this all official soon. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: The Verizon Wireless homepage now has link to a sign up page for email updates on the Bionic. There’s still no confirmed price or release date but it looks like all that is just a matter of time now.
More pics of the Droid Bionic from Best Buy’s ad after the break.
