Michael Crider

Author: Michael Crider

Verizon drops Motorola DROID BIONIC to free

By Michael Crider
on 28 May, 2012

If you're looking for a great deal on a Verizon LTE phone... keep looking. On the other hand, if you're one of the handful of people whose heart is still set on the Motorola DROID BIONIC, then today is your lucky day. The phone has dropped in price to free on-contract. It's been eight months since Moto's first LTE device debuted on Verizon, though it's been considerably longer since it was announced - the BIONIC had an unusually long gestation period. For the uninitiated, the Motorola DROID BIONIC packs a dual-core 1GHz processor, 4.3-inch 960x540 display, a full gigabyte of RAM and an 8 megapixel rear camera. The storage is a still-decent 16GB, and it can be extended a further 32GB with a MicroSD card. The BIONIC was one of Verizon's first LTE devices, and as far as specs go is still a pretty powerful one. Even so, the BIONIC became one of the most disappointing releases of last year.

Sony shows off ICS for the Xperia S on video

By Michael Crider
on 28 May, 2012

If you're a Sony Xperia S owner, no doubt you're getting mighty impatient for a long-overdue Ice Cream Sandwich update. Today you can get a little bit of a preview, thanks to a Thai video from Sony XP. The update is scheduled to land on the international phone in June, though it'll retain much of the same custom interface that's on the Gingerbread ROM at the moment.

ASUS readies new Transformer tablets for Computex

By Michael Crider
on 28 May, 2012

If a handful of Transformer models (many of them yet to go on sale) isn't enough for you, then you'll want to keep a close watch on Android Community come Thursday. That's when ASUS is set to reveal new models at the Computex conference in Taipei, according to their latest teaser video. In typical ASUS fashion it's intentionally vague, with an overbearing voice over and precisely zero specific information.

Android Community Weekly: May 27th, 2012

By Michael Crider
on 27 May, 2012

Another week of happenings for the best mobile platform around has come with some surprisingly good news. Courts have cleared Google of all wrongdoing in the long-awaited end to Oracle's patent trial, and HTC's EVO 4G LTE has been cleared through customs and away from the litigious hands of Apple's patents. Shipments are arriving to pre-orders now, with a little something extra. That's the best news you'll hear all week.

Kobo for Android gets better tablet support

By Michael Crider
on 25 May, 2012

If you're reading this and you're an avid e-book reader, odds are overwhelming that you use either the Kindle or Nook apps to do so on your Android device. But also-ran Kobo is making a case for itself with the fourth version of its Android e-reader app, available today in the Google Play Store. Like its counterparts, you don't need a Kobo device to use the app - it's good to go on any Android smartphone or tablet.

Russian app shames parking jerks via social networks

By Michael Crider
on 25 May, 2012

We've all been there: you're trying to park downtown and some jerk takes up the last two spaces in his Beamer. Apparently the problem is even more pronounced in Russian cities like Moscow, where drivers regularly hop the curb to park on the sidewalk. Local online newspaper The Village has decided to do something about it: using a combination of photo recognition, IP address targeting and social networks, they're exposing parking jerks all over town.

BlackBerry CEO cans BBM for Android

By Michael Crider
on 25 May, 2012

Hoping to talk to your misguided BlackBerry-using friends over an official version of BlackBerry Messenger? Don't hold your breath. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the BBM clients that Research in Motion had been testing for other platforms, including Android, have been taken off the development table. You can thank RIM CEO Thorsten Heins for the decision.

Release dates for T-Mobile’s Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note rumored

By Michael Crider
on 25 May, 2012

T-Mobile users looking for a new phone, today is a good day for your prospects. TmoNews (which tends to be pretty reliable in these matters) has just posted leaked dates for the Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy Note, and both the upcoming T-Mobile (Huawei) MyTouch phones. We're certain that all of these phones are coming, and sooner rather than later, so it's nice to get some validation even in rumor form.

New ICS ROM leaked for the HTC EVO 3D

By Michael Crider
on 25 May, 2012

Owners of the HTC EVO 3D are clearly selective consumer who only appreciate smartphone hardware with 50% more dimensions than the standard two. Think how much more they'll appreciate them with Ice Cream Sandwich. Yes, in addition to ported ROMs and other leaks, you can now try out HTC's official Android 4.0 build, by way of an RUU file. Many thanks to BriefMobile, who leaked and posted the file themselves.

Core WebOS developers defect to Google

By Michael Crider
on 25 May, 2012

It's not a popular fact among the Android faithful, but Ice Cream Sandwich has a lot of the same design DNA as HP's (and formerly Palm's) WebOS, thanks to designer Matias Duarte. Now Google is getting a fresh batch of concerts from the WebOS team. The Enyo developer team helped create the HTML5 framework for the HP TouchPad, and The Verge has announced that they're making their way to Google soon.