GIngerbread

Sony Walkman Z review: Does audio quality still matter?

One of the quickest ways to make me nostalgic is to talk about the pre-iPhone days--the days when MP3 players still mattered.

While today's biggest forum battles all seem to revolve around Android versus iOS, there was a time when the mere mention of iPod earbuds would send us all into frothy fits of anger. Everyone, it seemed, cared deeply about the audio quality of a preferred MP3 player and would evangelize the merits of the latest iPod-killers from Sony, Cowon, Creative, and SanDisk.

Those were fun days. As a self-described audio geek, I took comfort in the thought that so many people cared so passionately about their music experience.

But then, like two alien mother ships dropping from the sky, the arrival of the iPhone and the iPad dwarfed these audio quarrels and offered dissenting and opinionated geeks a far more worthy subject to rally around. Amid this frenzy of iClouds, Ice Cream Sandwiches, and Kindle Fires, concerns over music playback and audio quality often feel as antiquated as discussions of the VCR.

But for those music lovers who have felt lost in this era of OS-fixation, Sony's Walkman Z ($249) is an Android-based portable media player that elevates the audio experience above all other concerns.… Read more

Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G review: LTE for Metro's masses

There are a couple of unique features that will help the announced, but not-quite-released, Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G stand out when it hits store shelves.

First, and most importantly, there's the 4G LTE compatibility for this Android smartphone. MetroPCS doesn't have a 3G network to speak of, so the speed differences between the 2.5G network and the LTE are significant.

Second, and equally important, is the price. At $200 off-contract, it'll cost $100 less than the LG Esteem. It's got the advantage there for more-price-conscious buyers who still want a premium smartphone, even if it … Read more

ViewSonic ViewPhone 3's dual-SIM separates your private, public life

LAS VEGAS--ViewSonic is mostly known here in the states for its monitors and tablets, but did you know that trio of finches the company uses for a logo marks cell phones as well?

Chances are it's one that's still going to swim below most people's radar. Like so many of the phones we've seen here at CES, the ViewPhone 3 runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The company has added its own skin on it, which includes a rotating carousel of panels for you to easily switch among. One nice touch--each panel (for weather or the clock, … Read more

Intel: Lenovo Android phone now, Windows 8 tablet later

LAS VEGAS--Don't think Lenovo Android phones are the end-game for Intel. The chipmaker is already showing off its next-generation tablet technology for Windows 8 at CES.

The tablet (see video) uses the Clover Trail Atom chip, due in the second half of this year. Clover Trail is Intel's platform for Windows 8 tablets--also due in the second half.

That chip distinguishes itself from the Medfield chip--which is inside Lenovo's and Motorola's upcoming smartphones--by adding another processing core (Medfield is single core) and improving the graphics engine.

Verizon's LG Spectrum goes HD all the way (hands-on)

LAS VEGAS--I'm starting to think that LG has a thing for HD, and I'm not complaining.

Not long after launching the LG Nitro HD, LG and Verizon announced the LG Spectrum, one of two new smartphones to inaugurate Sprint's all-new 4G LTE lineup.

Although I didn't have as long as I would have liked to acquaint myself with the Android 2.3 Gingerbread phone (eventually upgradeable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich), I immediately liked it. In fact, I can say I clicked with it even more than the pretty lofty Nitro HD.… Read more

Game on: Samsung's second to market with Android-based Skype HD videophone for TVs

LAS VEGAS--A few days ago, we wrote about how Tely Labs, a startup out of Silicon Valley, had launched an Android-based Skype HD video phone for TVs. Well, the $249 TelyHD now has company, as Samsung Techwin America has introduced a very similar product, the InTouch camera system, for $50 less.

Like the TelyHD, the Samsung InTouch is designed to be hooked onto the top of your flat-panel TV, runs on the Android operating system, offers Wi-Fi connectivity and 720p video, and has the Skype application integrated right into the unit. The service is free, and if you're a Skype subscriber already you can log in immediately and start making video calls.

Also like the TelyHD, the InTouch comes with additional preloaded apps, such as YouTube, Google News and Weather, and full Web browsing, plus it can display photos stored on a thumbdrive (there's a USB slot on the back of the camera).… Read more

Cheap, eco Samsung Replenish sprouting up at Boost Mobile

It's earning eco cred with its lower-impact packaging and build, but tree huggers aren't the only ones who will eye the Samsung Replenish for Boost Mobile.

Budget-followers will also gravitate toward Boost's first smartphone priced at about a hundred bucks, a rock-bottom cost for a market where prepaid smartphones typically cost between $200 and $300.

The Android 2.3 Gingerbread device has a candy bar shape that supports a full QWERTY keyboard. It also has a 2.8-inch touch screen and a 2-megapixel camera with video capture, among the other Android goodies like access to Google's apps and services.

The Replenish, which was initially released last spring for Sprint, also hosts Mobile ID, the offshoot of Sprint ID that offers packs of thematic apps, wallpaper, and so on to install on your phone in one fell swoop.

The Replenish becomes available for Boost on January 16, for $99.99.… Read more

Gingerbread dominates current Android devices

Google updated its popular platform version chart this week, giving a current snapshot of the popularity of the various Android releases.

As expected, Gingerbread (Android 2.3x) leads the way with a combined 55.5 percent share of the market, followed by Froyo at 30.4 percent and 2-year-old Eclair at 8.5 percent. Trailing behind are Honeycomb (3.3 percent) and very marginal showings for Donut (version 1.6), Cupcake (version 1.5), and Ice Cream Sandwich (version 4).

The latest chart marks the first time we've seen Ice Cream Sandwich make an impact, even if it is … Read more

Samsung ships 1 million Galaxy Note devices in two months

Samsung said it has shipped one million Galaxy Notes since the mobile gadget hit the market in late October. But the electronics giant didn't say how many it has actually sold.

Part smartphone and part tablet, the Note has seen a rise in sales across Europe and Asia, particularly France, Germany, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, according to a Samsung press release displayed today on Flickr. Samsung called the Note's sales "notable" since the device is creating a new market for a cross between a phone and tablet.

The Note sailed to the shores of the U.K. … Read more

Huawei Honor review: Unlocked Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Our mobile reviews team checks out a fair number of unlocked phones. It's fun to see what's available elsewhere in the world, and it's a window into models that might come out here soon with a carrier.

Unfortunately, these phones rarely perform as well as they would if they were tied to a network, especially a fast one. Still, there's much to glean from checking them out, even if their high prices keep us from recommending them to U.S. shoppers.

The Huawei Honor is a case in point. The Android 2.3 Gingerbread device is a midranger that looks pretty good and has some notable additions, like an interesting virtual keyboard. It also has a 4-inch screen, a 1.4GHz processor, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 1,900mAh battery for longer life.

Call quality and data speeds were poor on the unlocked unit, and the cameras underperformed in some situations. Still, if the specs and design strike you, you'll also be able to check it out stateside as the Huawei Mercury for Cricket.… Read more