Slaves to a device...

Remember this commercial?




For those of you that DON'T remember, this was Apple's very first commercial from 1984, proclaiming that the domination of the PC that was known at the time was ending, and that a revolution was coming!  That revolution was EXTREMELY successful, and without Apple, the Macintosh, and all of their products to follow, we DEFINITELY would be a boring buncha' users.

Flash forward to today...

Today it was released that AT&T as a carrier officially SUCKS.  Most of us already knew that, and weren't surprised.  What WAS surprising was that more than half of the 60,000 consumers polled said that the only reason they stayed with AT&T was because it was the only provider that carried the iPhone.

I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Apple, or the iPhone, or any of their other products personally.  I've always felt that Apple's devices were just too easy, and simplified, without enough customization options for me, which for other people is perfect.  My computer knowledge started on an Apple IIe, munchin' numbers, racing they keyboard, selling lemonade, and roughing the long Oregon Trail, watching my whole family die along the way...  Poor lil' Zebadiah...

My point is this:  27 years ago, Apple started it's campaign to revolutionize the personal computer experience and today, we've become enslaved to a service provider we don't like because of the device we use.  What happened to our experimentalism?  There ARE other phones and carriers out there, guys, and though most of them may seem complicated, or "too much" they ALL have the basic functionality we're all used to and looking for, and who knows, after a lil' use you might learn something new!  Just because you know something well, doesn't mean that HAS to be the only device you use.  I know, I'm on a HUGE soap box, and it seems as though I'm HATIN' on the iPhone, but I'm not.  I would say the same about ANY phone and carrier...  If I felt that we were buying and using it simply to own "the cool".

Branch out, Coppertops!  Learn some junk!  I think you'd be happily surprised by what's out there, and what you can do!   I'm not even switch to Android.  That's just MY personal preference (at the moment).  'Tis the season to learn something new, and stop relying on what you already know.  That applies to more than just cell phones too!

That's just my 2 cents...  add your own!!  I wanna' hear what you think!

Andy Rubin live at "D"

Check it out!  Andy's talkin' everything Google at the "D" conference!  So far, he's previewed a Motorola Tab running Honeycomb...  and we JUST got Gingerbread!!

Google's Andy Rubin live from D: Dive Into Mobile

Update:  If you missed Engadget's live blogcast, here's the video, released just this morning!

I'm so proud! My 2nd attempt at a boot animation...

So I FINALLY figured out what Boot animations consist of, and it's basically just a bunch of .PNG images and a tiny text file telling the system how to play them...  While I was searching, I found a REALLY nice one, and added it to Virus Airbourne RC 4.7 (in beta, donate to Virus to get it too!) which I'm currently running...  I started thinking (and usually nothing good comes from THAT, but this time I got lucky...) and added my "web name" or "nickname" to it, and positioned it dead center in 111 images, and this is what I got out of it!!



It's about 1/4 speed from how it will be animated on my phone, but since I used Windows Movie Maker to put the images together, the minimum frame rates and speeds are theirs to control...

I'm gonna' try to get a video of the phone itself up, so I can share it in all it's glory once I add it to my phone.

Let me know what you think!

Gingerbread is HERE!!!!

FINALLY, after months of teasing, and half baked (get it?  :D) promises, Android version 2.3 AKA; Gingerbread is upon us!

First deployment will be on the Nexus S, which Best Buy has recently reopened their site to sell.

The Nexus S' available specs (From Android Central):

• Operating System: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• Display: 4-inch touchscreen
• Resolution: 800 x 480
• Processor: 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 Hummingbird
• RAM: 512 MB
• Internal Storage: 16 GB
• Battery: Lithium Ion 1500 mAh
• PC Connector: USB 2.0
• WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth: 2.1 + EDR
• Camera: 5 MP on the back + front-facing VGA camera
• Internet Calling Support: VOIP + SIP
• From what I understand, Google has gotten a bit savvy (greedy?) and excluded a micro SD card slot, so Network: Quad-Band GSM: 850/900/1800/1900, Tri-Band HSPA: 900/2100/1700
• US carrier: T-Mobileyou're stuck with only 16G (not that most will need more than that, but for those that do, expandable memory is always a plus).

BREAKING:  Android 2.3 to include keyboard controls for Playstation/other gaming?!?!

The Android SDK site has now been updated with the 2.3 download for developers.  Android central has an AWESOME list of all of the new features and toys to play with, available to devs.  To abbreviate, it consists of a New base Linux kernel version, New media framework, better Networking, and Dalvik runtime improvements.

Here's a lil' preview video released by Google, released Dec. 1st.



And here's the Android 2.3 User's Guide for a few more details you may be looking for.

That's about all I got for now, so here's every link I can find so far on the Gingerbread release!!

Android Central's report on the Nexus S site

XDA's report on the Gingerbread release

Android Central's list of toys for developers

Android Central's Nexus S back story

Android Central's Gingerbread release report

Forum discussions on Gingerbread:
XDA1
XDA2
Android Central

Need more input, Johnny 5?

Let me Google it for you!

Flashin' Fonts N junk...

Today I plan on experimenting with font flashing.  A developer by the code name Everevolv once posted a flashable font called 'Sony Sketch'.  It's the default for Everevolv's ROM, and my favorite font to date.  I use the .zip provided to flash Sketch over every ROM's default font.  Today I saw a font I really liked while watching 'Young Justice' with our kids, and I went searching...  I didn't find it, but I DID find these, and though I doubt any of them will look cool enough to replace Sketch as my favorite, it DID get the gears goin', and now I want to learn how to create a flashable font .zip to play with different font types...

I also plan on using THIS THREAD to learn how to create my own splash screen (image that shows just before the system boot animation while loading)...  I created an image that I'm using as my wallpaper, and would really like to play with it a bit more and possibly make it my splash screen when I start learning how to build ROMS! More on that later!

Follow this thread for updates if you too want to play with the fonts and stuff on your phone!

What's YOUR favorite font?  Would you like to use it as your Android device's font?

Green Friday

How many of you guys bought, or saw great deals on Android devices/accessories today?  Anything you might ask the big guy from the North Pole for?

I'm lookin' for a Galaxy or Archos tab in MY stocking!  What's on your Christmas wish list?

Let's learn TOGETHER!

My latest goal is to learn how to build a ROM, and Theme it, and not brick my, or anyone else's phone. I've been doing a TON of research on how to do this, and thought I'd share some of the resources I plan on using.  If you wanna' play too, here are the links!

1: dsixda's HTC Android Kitchen

Who is this kitchen for?

->Those who are brand new to "cooking" and want an easy place to start

->Those who just want to modify shipped ROMs or someone else's custom ROMs to their liking

->Those who are confused by all those scripts and complex commands required for building and extracting

2: How to theme a ROM

->To create themes, or to edit themes to your liking, you will need a working knowledge of android, adb, how to resign apk's, knowledge of your own O/S.

3: Evo Themes, Mods and More! (2.1+) The Playground

->This is a thread to help begin theming and moding the Evo to our likings. I only want to make this a friendly place to unite and create. No disrespect will be tolerated, no creations without proper credits as well, lets make creations and give fellowship.

These are just a few of the many I have and will be using, so stay tuned!  I'll be adding to this one as I find useful tools, and instructions!

If you have any helpful tips, tricks or tools, feel free to shoot 'em to me, and I'll try 'em out and put 'em up!

My new favorite Android pic!

My family and I are HUGE Star Wars fans (we don't dress up or go to conventions, or anything, just fans).  So when I saw this pic, it INSTANTLY became my new favorite.  Unfortunately the forum I found it on was old, and decrepit, so I couldn't find the artist's name.  The original had 2 other Jedi Droids on either side, but it kinda' looked like they were getting their asses kicked, so I blended them out, and tuned up the rest of the pic a bit.

REVIEW: Sprint's LG Optimus S & Samsung Fumble- I mean Intercept

A few weeks back, my fiancée found "the perfect phone" at Best Buy.  It was pink, running Android, and had a slide out, physical keyboard.  It was reminiscent of the G1, which she LOVED.  I felt it was a little cheap feeling, but if she was happy with it, I was too...  The next day, she wasn't happy anymore.  It was a Samsung Intercept.  I think the only thing it had goin' for it was that it was running Android (and only Eclair at that, so it was more like GONE instead of going).  The phone felt lighter and emptier than my 2 1/2 year old's playskool phone, and had about the same functionality.  It was un-updatable, dropped calls like an iPhone without a bumper, and NONE of the Android features had a chance on it's radio/hardware.  Basically, I could have gotten a better phone out of a 25C claw machine

(theeee CLAAAAAAWWWWW).

I was talking to the homies at VirusROM yesterday, and they too complained about their significant others complaints about the phones, so (kinda' as a joke) I suggested that while my Fiancée was out with the kids, she make a quick stop at Best Buy to chuck the phone at one of their larger windows (would have done more damage to the phone than the window) to request that Samsung kindly shove their Instinct up their asses.  She didn't, but when she got home, I talked her into checking online to see if anything comparable was available so she could make an exchange.  She called to find out about what options she had available, and while she was explaining that the phone drops EVERY call, the call dropped...  We found a replacement, and the rest is history.

We got her the  LG Optimus S and it's AMAZINGLY better!

It's a tad bit smaller than an iPhone, but works just as well as my EVO (which we originally got her when I got mine, but it was a little too much powerhouse for her).  It's a pretty basic phone, with a 3.2 mp camera, 320X480 display, and a microSD slot to name a few (Here are the full specs from Phone Arena).  I REALLY like that even though it's small, the screen still rotates to landscape when turned to the side.  This widens the on screen keyboard a bit, and hopefully complaints about typing will cease.  It came with Sprint's new ID service  installed, which I THINK is a way to theme your phone with icons, backgroundds and apps based on what you like to do with it and what you're interested in.  I'll have more on that after I steal it, and play with it a bit.  It was pretty annoying that the phone asked for her to choose an ID pack before the phone was even activated, and before she even knew what ID was.  Luckily I read a few reviews, and sorta' knew we could skip it.  In a nutshell, the LG Optimus is the perfect phone for the person who wants a smartphone but doesn't necessarily need a mini super computer in their pocket like I do (plus, it's rootable, so I'll have something to play with if I get bored some day).  Once again, she's happy therefore all is right with the world...

Web 2.0 Summit 2010: Points of Control

There are so many different types of gatherings these days, put together by Companies and their CEOs it gets a little hard to keep track of.  Most of them are pretty boring, but every once in a while there's an announcement of a new product or service that WE as users care about.  The rest is all millionaires playing "big bank takes lil' bank" or "anything you can do, I can try to do too, but most likely won't succeed".

I wasn't really interested in the Web 2.0 Summit (mostly 'cause I ALWAYS have the lil' bank, and I didn't even know about it until this morning :D) until I read on Android Central that Google CEO Eric Schmidt was opening the conference, and president of Global Sales Operations and Business Development, Nikesh Arora would be speaking later in the day tomorrow.  Since we've all been waiting on pins and needles, conveniently placed on the edge of whatever seat we're on for Gingerbread, Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Arora's involvement has me eager, to put it simply.

From what I understand, Web 2.0 is the conference where ALL of the tippy tops of ALL the biggest web/tech corporations get together, and decide what we ALL need, and how they can profit from it.  It's like that secret society that's gonna' run the world some day, but not so secret, and will still run the world some day...  The schedule is INTENSE, and includes speakers and presenters from Microsoft, American Express, Cisco, Yahoo, Zynga (poker chip stealing bastards...) and I Can Has Cheeeburger(?!  seriously?!).

There's also a REALLY sweet map that I don't understand (but it's pretty and I can move it, that's my definition of SWEET).  Cross your fingers and hope we get some good news outta' Web 2.0!  Some new Google acquisitions would be awesome!  Wonder if they're bringing cookies...

I haven't even started yet...

...and already my eyes hurt...

Facebook for Android update: 11/12/10

Seems Facebook is still working hard on making a pretty good mobile app even better.  About an hour ago, Facebook for Android posted this update:

Personally, I rarely use the FB mobile app.  Unless I'm looking for something specific, uploading pics of some crazy food I just cooked or I'm too lazy to walk the 3 feet from the couch to my laptop to update my status, I tend to leave it alone, but it IS on my phone and easily accessible.  I know some people (I love you in spite of your addiction, BB :D) who damn near live on FB, and utilize the mobile app regularly, so for them, I'm positive V1.4.1 (aka/codenamed KATANA) is a welcomed upgrade.

2 thoughts on this:
1) did FB upgrade for Gingerbread compatibility?

and 2) There have been recent rumors of FB putting together their own mobile device.  With all the functionality their apps tend to provide, could this be another step?

What do you think?

Here's a shortcut to the download:

Market link | AppBrain Link

I JUST WANT SOME DAMN COOKIES!!!

Google continued their GB tease about 1/2 hour ago, with their tweet: "Our cafes are baking something sweet  http://twitpic.com/3682u2"

As I posted yesterday, the rumor was that the Gingerbread SDK was supposed to drop yesterday, and after many hours of sitting in front of Android Developer's website on my laptop clicking refresh, I realized that it wasn't gonna' happen.

Honestly, I can't explain why I'm so excited about the upgrade, besides the fact that I'll be practicing to become a developer with it.  The OTA (over the air upgrade) isn't supposed to push in the immediate future (manufacturers have to get their hands on it, and spin it to their liking first) , and even when it does, my EVO is rooted, so I'll have to wait for my favorite ROM developer to include it in an upcoming ROM which will be an even longer (but prob'ly not TOO long) wait...  Regardless, I WANNIT!!

More to come...

Seems he IS really hard to catch!

Lately, rumors have been flying all over the internet about Gingerbread (or Android, version 2.3)...  No one really knows what it will consist of, whether it will be a major upgrade, or just aesthetics upgrades with some bug fixes and small additions.  The biggest rumor so far was that the SDK (or code for the operating system) was supposed to drop TODAY for developers, and last I've read, that's still true(?).  I DO know that late last week, Adobe Flash 10.1 for android updated "to allow for future operating system functionality" which is a pretty big indicator that "Future Operating Systems" are just around the bend...  From other rumors, the official full release of Android 2.3 will first go to the brand new Samsung Nexus 2, and then to the rest of us in waterfall fashion (OH PLEASE let the EVO be #2...).  My guess is that late tonight or early tomorrow morning, the big Gingerbread man in front of Google's corporate offices will shoot 2.3 SDK waves from his candy coated bow tie, and bless us all with Gingerbread OS tastiness...

I've started my own developing endeavors with WAY too many books, and downloading in preparation for a long weekend (or month... or 2...) of learning, and building!  More to come on that later...

Wanna' know more?  Let me Google that for you!

I can't wait to ROOT my... LAND LINE?!

OK...  THIS is cool!  Android Central says this isn't the first, but it's the first I'VE seen, and I WANNIT!!  I'm a bit confused when companies choose to put the lil' i in front of their product name when they're not running iOS, but I guess I can look past that (Land Droid, or even HomePhone Droid would have been more appropriate, what would YOU have named it?).  Looks like the iHomePhone 2000 is running Android 1.5, as a G1 would, and it's got all the goodies you can imagine from any other 1.5 device, including WiFi for internet radio and YouTube apps, as well as a contact manager (I wonder if it will apply Google contacts with a sync?) and a 14 minute digital answering machine sounds like the MSRP is £99.99 (or $139.43)


Here are all the product videos I could scrape up...


This one's a pretty cool Demo from iDect (I think):






This one's REALLY hard to understand, and the review is actually for his local electronic store's news ad, and phone looks completely different, but it IS an  iDect with the same product specs.  The dude has the same point I was making about the iProductName. (I wrote it first...lol)





And here are all the pics I could muster...

WTW?!

I ran across this commercial on Talk Android and immediately thought to myself "I bent my Wookie...".  I'm not really sure whether this commercial's purpose is to create some "white Apple splatters" (pay attention to the what the hooker princess(?) takes a bite of), show off some animation skills (the one thing done well in the video), or prove that crack heads can be creative too (which it also does pretty well, actually) but it ain't doin' NUTHIN' for the LG Optimus itself as I'm sure it was originally intended (maybe?).  The mash up of references range from Snow White, to Star Wars...  Yeah, that's what I said...  How many other references do YOU notice?

There's not much more than that I can say, so take a look for yourself, and watch the brain cells melt away...



If you can explain exactly what this commercial is supposed to accomplish for the phone, I'd appreciate it!

Virus Airbourne ROMs

Before my EVO, in my vocabulary "Flashing" was never really defined as a GOOD thing...  Usually it was used in this type of context: "Man, my girlfriend FLASHED on me last night 'cause she thought I was talkin' about a girl when I said I love Puddin'...  I just love chocolate puddin'!!" or "This old creepy dude in a trench coat was caught FLASHIN' women in SF.  That's NASTY"

But since I started learning Android in all it's glory and capability, and ROOTing, I have re-defined the word "FLASH" in my vocabulary (or at least added one positive definition).

Yesterday I flashed (or installed) the latest update to VirusROMs' Airbourne ROM (or Read Only Memory, or Software the phone runs on) and it's gorgeous!   I was lucky enough to be paying attention to the chat within the Virus ROMs forum when someone asked to be a beta tester for the next version up from VirusROM Airborne RC3.1 SENSELESS.  I "ACCIDENTALLY" downloaded the ROM from the link provided, and SOMEHOW, version RC3.3 ended up installed on my phone...  (I'm kidding, I doubt "XxXViRusXxX" would put the link in a community chat if he didn't want people to try it out)

I am TOTALLY in love!  It's only been a day, but the layout of everything from the custom LauncherPro dock/icons, to the animated 3D notification bar icons are the definition of aesthetically pleasing!  The ROM itself is clean and FAST!  Just about everything in this ROM is custom.  The "Vanilla" lock screen is something I've had a love/hate relationship with, and Virus fixed the hate part!

Ain't it purty?  (I flashed the Sony Sketch font to add a little of my OWN sexy!)

The lockscreen slide is a TINY bit choppy, but that's to be expected, as every ROM I've used that incorporated it was the same way.  The Home screens flow effortlessly from one to the other (which actually suprized me, considering there was so much going on with all of the customizations)

The ROM comes stock with eBuddy, a multiple IM client app (which I haven't had a chance to play with yet, but doubt it can compete to Trillian), an HDMI controller app (which I ALSO haven't played with, since I don't have a cord yet) and 'DSPManager' (sort of an EQ for all of the different types of outputs your phone has,  Headphones, Phone Speaker and Bluetooth Devices) as well as some other great apps.

Like I said, it's only been a day, and as far as battery usage, it's been 6.5 hours since I unplugged my phone, and with extremely high usage, I'm still at around 70%.  I've used the Stock HTC kernel with every ROM I've flashed, and it hasn't done me wrong yet.  I should also mention that Virus has created a BUNCH of themes (found below the ROM description HERE)that run over this ROM, and all of them are great looking!  I'm a fan of EVOlution, but this stock blue has me SPRUNG!

There's SOO much more to talk about, but 1) you should find out how beautiful it is on your own, 2) I'm still too N00bish to get into the kind of detail I want to about it, and 3) you've wasted enough time at work reading this...  GET BACK TO WORK!!  :D

Hope this has been helpful but if not, at least I got it off my chest...  WHEW!  What a relief...

how smartphone users see eachother...

Saw this on Android Central, via C-Section comics, and HAD to share!   It's pretty spot on, actually and proves at least ONE thing...  iPhones are for GIRLS!

App Review: 'PULSE', WOW!

If you're anything like me, and follow a LOT of different sports, news, tech, entertainment and social feeds, THIS is the stream manager for you!  I have to say, I haven't been THIS "wowed" by an Android app since...  well...  This is the first time!

Pulse's interface is straight forward and self explanatory, and very little savvy is necessary for set up.  It literally consists of opening Pulse, tapping the gear for settings, and choosing from multiple Featured feeds, or browsing a HUGE variety of feeds from 10 different categories/genres.  Their search will give you a ton of feeds that you may or may not know (example: searching 'Android gave me 10 different feeds, like Android Central, XDA and LifeHacker as well as some I hadn't heard of.  Because of Pulse, I now follow them all!).  Once you select the feeds to add to your list, arranging them is as simple as tap, drag and let go.

Their newest additions/updates outside of a UI overhaul include Facebook links (which is really all I wanna' see from my phone anyways) and a BEAUTIFUL widget(s, depending on how you like to arrange things on your home screens...).

At first, when adding the Widget to a home screen, you think to your self "Only ONE option?!  What a JIP!"  Then, it becomes apparent that you can add more than one widget, each with a different source!  The large widget allows you to scroll through the less recent updates on your chosen feed, while the small version shows you just the 3 latest.

When tapping any of the updates, you are taken to a gorgeous reader, which gives you options to share via Facebook, Twitter or through the (what I like to call) "ETC bubble" which gives you all of the sharing options you might expect outside of the social spectrum (e-mail, sms, bluetooth, etc) as well as the option to view the article on the author/provider's website via your default browser.  Personally, I LOVE the Pulse article formatting.  Every article is formatted exactly the same, with any pics and links included in the thread, shortening loading time, and simplifying the viewing experience.

Pulse is, simply put, awesome and WAY MORE than worth the $.99 price tag.

Market link | AppBrain Link

Here's Android's Central's take on Pulse, and their newest updates

First look at Aro: another example of why chaos on Android is good — Scobleizer

This is a REALLY interesting article/app review for something called ARO (past the Swype video. I'm not a fan, but if you are, watch that one too!). I'm one of those people who KNOWS that my information is accessed ALL THE TIME by places and people that I don't necessarily want to access it, but I figure I haven't been adversely affected by it yet, so ARO might be kinda' cool to play with. In a nutshell, ARO will relate all contact oriented accounts, and make it easier for you to add, edit and review all of your contacts, people you MIGHT want as contacts, and people you definitely DON'T want as contacts. That's just the last snowflake on the tip of the ice berg... As you'll see, it's FAR more complicated than I've made it sound, and WAY cooler if you're looking for a way to merge all of your accounts, and communicate with them through one client, automatically gathering info based on what you have, and maybe didn't know that you wanted to know!

I shouldn't forget, these reviews are by an iPhone fanatic who's stating on video that "Android kicks ass!"

First look at Aro: another example of why chaos on Android is good — Scobleizer

GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY! 3D on Android/Firefox?!

YUP!  It's true! (well, at least as far as the video below shows...)

There isn't much information available, but it appears as though 3D F33D (hasn't worked, but that could be due to extremely high traffic) paired with HTML5, Firefox's "Fennec" browser, and some every day 3D glasses (the old school red & green kind, not the "UP" or "Avatar" kind) equals 3D on your Android device!  The example shown is on a Galaxy S.



I plan to try and get this working on my EVO, and will post whether I am successful or not! Gotta' get my hands on some old school 3D glasses...

From Android Central: Android market breaks 100,000 apps!

Look out, Stevie, we're comin' fer yuh!!  When I first started exploring Android on my EVO, the ONLY thing I thought it was lacking was pretty games, and entertainment apps.  More and more lately, I've noticed TONS of either ported iOS apps, or apps made by top developers for iOS in the market.  As Android's popularity grows, and developers use Adobe Air, and Flash to their advantage, there is no doubt in my mind that Android will completely overpower Apple as the industry champion.  (Not that it's a competition, but...  wait a minute- YEAH it is!  Just not MY competition...yet)

From Android Central:

Android Market passes 100,000 'apps'

Tattlin' on the iDroid?!

Gotta' love Floridian politicians!  Last night during the gubernatorial debate between Alex Sink, and Rick Scott there was apparently a rule set that neither candidate was allowed to receive messages from their staffers.  Seems both candidates were confused, as Miss Sink was shown SOMETHING (was there a rule against viral videos of cute kittens?  THAT WAS NOT SPECIFIED MR. SCOTT!) on a mobile device during the break, and Mr. Scott obviously is not in touch with his nerd demographic, as he couldn't snitch WHAT kind of device it was...



The device turned out to be a Droid, and it proves that there isn't much you can't do with a Droid, including stir up political controversy. Personally, I'd rather be called a witch, or have it suggested that I pray to Aqua Buddha.  Aqua Buddha rules...

WOAH...

As I was selflessly promoting The Android Green Zone at work this morning, I was asked if i knew anything about the Archos 101 Tab.  I did not.  I did a little reading up on the Archos website, and DAAAAAMN this thing's sexy!  It may be the sleekest design I've seen yet, and based on the demo, it's Android on MLB Juice!

First, it's got the kickstand.  It's MY opinion that the kickstand is becoming the newest requirement for ALL tabs, not just the Android powered devices (are there any that aren't, besides the iPad?).  Cool thing about this one is that it's adjustable, so whether you're writing an e-mail, watching videos, or playing the newest, hottest 3D game (or an 8-bit with your favorite NES emulator) you'll have just the right height and screen position.

Of course, you can't really judge a screen without seeing it in person (Archos, please feel free to send me a 101 and I promise to give it a fair video review!) but the 101 boasts a beautiful 10.1" of 1024X600 High Resolution viewing.  PERFECT for watching 'Avatar', or any Pixar movie over and over again (as I sometimes do) (ok, as i ALWAYS do).

With Tethering, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G (or 4G if you connect your capable device), it's hard NOT to stay connected while on the go with this powerhouse, and with Samba and UPnP protocols built in, viewing your movies, home videos and pics over your wireless connection not only means ease of access, but also saves space on your 101!

We all know browsing the internet, accessing e-mail and staying connected to friends and family  on an Android device is simple and comparable to performing the same functionalities on a PC.  The Archos 101 gets you so much closer to that experience running Android Froyo 2.2 (Flash 10) with it's high resolution screen on a 1GHz processor, built in webcam, multiple connection options (USB Host/Slave, Micro SDHC, HDMI output…), and a 3D OpenGL ES 2.0.

As far as Apps go, the 101 is more than capable to run the all of the hottest apps in the Market, and comes with it's own 'AppsLib' market browser.  The Android market's drastic expansion, and the 101's capabilities combined, you're damn near guaranteed  perpetual happiness!

Well I've raved enough about this, but am willing to rave more, Archos (nudge-nudge, wink-wink!).  I'll leave you with the Tech Specs, and patiently wait at my door for the delivery person to drop mine off (nudge more-nudge more, wink again-wink again)...

My favorite alternative market

AppBrain is SUCH a great replacement for the every day market...  It's simple!  Download AppBrain from the Android Market, and REPLACE!  The plethora of apps from all over the internet is AWESOME!  You're no longer restricted to the Market's goofy sorting methods, and you can browse new, hot, and popular apps from their website instead of sending all those pennies to your service provider for browsing with your data plan.  What I love most, are 3 things:

1) The ability to place apps in a queue from their website, then install them to your phone from the app later.

2) Updating is REALLY easy.  Sync your phone to AppBrain's database from your device, and let it look for updates for you, the click "Update all".  There's some permissions you may need to hit "ok" for (depending on the app) but that takes all of what, 10 seconds?

3) I've rooted my Evo, so this is extra handy for me, seeing as I need to completely erase all user data from my phone every time I want to play with a new ROM, but this can also be helpful if you're switching devices, or accidentally lose all of your data...  Once you sync with the AppBrain database, your list of apps is saved on their servers.  After wiping your phone, or activating a new one, all you need to do is download AppBrain from the market again, sign in using your Google acct. info, and sync again.  AppBrain will show you the list of Apps you've synced to their servers, and you can manage what you want and don't want from that list.

There's really no downside to using this AppBrain.  I HIGHLY reccomend it!

From Android Central: Best of Smartphone Experts, 10/24/2010

No metter what kind of phone you have, or what OS you're running, you can find news and info from this post, I gwaruntee it...

Best of Smartphone Experts, 10/24/2010

Android Developers' YouTube channel!

There are a lot of announcements made here, and even more tips and tricks on Android's functionality! I thought I'd share, since Gingerbread's reaching the end of it's development. I figure there's lots to gain from subscribing!

the Versus cartoons...

These cracked me up when they first came out, and as funny as they are, they actually make some pretty good points about both the iPhone, and Android devices. Tiny Watch Productions has other quality videos, but these by far are the funniest. Their latest video suggests our OS debaters are out of a job, but I have a feeling they'll be back with all of the planned updates coming from both OS developers...

Android Central's week in Android news

This is a great week in Android news! Gingerbread's a comin' and apps galore!

http://www.androidcentral.com/week-android-news-21

To Root, or not to Root...

I've had my EVO for about 4-5 months, and I was hesitant to ROOT it. As an iPhone user, I Jailbroke my 3Gs once, thinking I could control the iOS. To an extent, I could, but it was WAY more difficult than 1) it NEEDED to be, and 2) I wanted it to be. I immediately reverted back to the stock iOS after a few days of frustration. Months later, as I was debating whether or not I should switch to Andriod, a few coworkers got their EVOs (the day it came out, a week or so before I did). By the time I got mine, they were more comfortable with the OS than I was, as it's a pretty big transition from iOS to Android. I planned on sticking to the stock OS. I wanted any and all updates as they were released and I was worried that messing with the OS at all would ruin (or BRICK as I learned it was called later) my precious EVO. Then HTC leaked FROYO... My friends and I all decided that we needed it. Rooting wasn't necessary to install the update, but the little bit of back-end Android we saw intrigued us. I did a LOT of reading up, with the most influential article/post coming from "Should I root my phone?" on Android Central.

Soon after, I became an XDA hawk. It took me a while to figure it out, but eventually I did it, and I haven't stopped learning since. Flashing ROMs (which I'd like to get into more detail about after I increase my understanding/knowledge) has become a weekly (or whenever a new ROM is available) event.

Currently, I'm running a bit of a FrankenROM with bits and pieces from a few different developers:

ROM: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=799995

Notification bar: http://www.mediafire.com/?etvfczjmmqf540e

launcher: http://www.mediafire.com/?e92690u4zs8jphd

I LOVE IT, and may stick with it for a while, but before this one, I've probably flashed between 10-15 different ROMS, "just 'cuz". I would highly reccomend rooting, but ONLY if you're OK with waiting a bit for updates (most stock updates aren't available in custom ROMS for a little while, due to compatibility issues for the most part (some EVO ROMS still don't have working tethering, or 4G) and ONLY if what's available in the Stock versions of Android isn't "enough" for you, OR if you're a complete NERD like I am, and like to possibly break things, just to see if you can fix them.

I LOVE all of the options, and flexibility I have with Android, and ROOTing just expands on what's available to you. I'm studying up, and soon enough, you'll see my own ROM on Green Zone, and with any luck, it'll be the one you "stick with" until the next awesome ROM comes out. Once you root, you never go... uh... uhmm... You'll love it!

Here's a complete guide on ROOTing the EVO 4G

And here's a search I ran on XDA on ROOTing in general. It's likely you'll find your device in these results.

Here's an article on why you SHOULD.

and last but not least, HERE's what you should ALWAYS do before you make ANY big decisions...

As if it wasn't obvious...

From Android Central:

WSJ Asks: 'Who makes the best mobile operating system?

My favorite COMMENT on this post. VERY TRUE points, Justin!