The Galaxy Nexus smartphone I ordered on Sunday from the U.K. has arrived. I haven't played enough yet, but the little time I've had with the first Android 4.0 smartphone has been most impressive. The best way to put the experience? Android has finally grown up.
Galaxy Nexus first look video and impressions
Mon, 05 Dec 2011 01:27:06 GMT
Motorola's Xoom 2 arrives at a point where Apple's iPad (first- or second-generation...) still dominates the tablet market. The original Xoom was the first tablet to arrive with Android Honeycomb, an OS dedicated to the tablet form. In the months since we gave it a middling review, plenty more tablets arrived, faster, thinner, and more longevous (like the Galaxy Tab 10.1).
So what now? Well, Motorola has recast its Xoom: it's made it faster, slimmer and lighter.
They've beefed up the disappointing screen found on the original, it's now a Gorilla Glass-coated IPS screen that promises 178-degree viewing angles. But Motorola has also cut more corners than the four you see before you -- ones that it hopes customers won't miss.
However, with a certain quad-cored, ICS-imminent transforming tablet already stealing the hearts of many an Engadget reader (and editor), does this slimline sequel do enough to make up for its past mistakes? Is there now enough in the Android market to make Google-powered tablets a viable alternative to the iPad? Is £396 ($620) now too much to pay for a 16GB Android tablet that's merely dual-core? We'll be sure to try and answer all these right after the break.Gallery: Motorola Xoom 2 review
Continue reading Motorola Xoom 2 review
Motorola Xoom 2 review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Motorola Xoom 2 review
Mat Smith
Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:30:00 GMT
AT&T's Samsung Focus S is one of the premier Windows phones available in the U.S., or anywhere.
AT&T is carving out a niche for itself as a friend to Windows Phone.
In the last month, it's released the mammoth, terrific HTC Titan, the low-cost-but-high-value Samsung Focus Flash, and the sleek, premium Samsung Focus S--in my opinion the most appealing all-around Windows Phone to date.
There's good reason this Windows Phone 7.5 handset scores high marks. It's got nice internal specs, high-performing dual cameras (1.3-megapixel and 8-megapixel, respectively), and Samsung's brilliant 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen. The specs aren't surprising. After all, the Focus S is essentially the Windows Phone version of AT&T's highly-rated Samsung Galaxy S II, minus the little green Android.
It may be neck-and-neck with the Titan on most features, but unless you're thirsting for a huge 4.7-inch display, the Focus S' size is more universally appealing. Watch the video, peruse the photo test gallery, and read all the pros an... [Read more]
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Samsung Focus S review: Best Windows Phone yet?
Jessica Dolcourt
Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:42:11 GMT
http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/...umia-800-review
"We've been wishing and hoping for Nokia to use a powerful Windows-based mobile operating system since 2003, and finally we see the incredible phone manufacturing expertise from Finland merged with the gorgeous new Windows Phone software."
If you still have any questions about the Nokia Lumia 800, PocketNow.com has posted a fairly extension review along with numerous pictures and camera test shots. The reviewer came away impressed by some aspects of the hardware and software but was disappointed in the lack of certain features found on existing Nokia phones. Hit the read link to see the full review.
Nokia Lumia 800 Review By PocketNow
Richard Chao
Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:00:00 GMT
All through the last decade, you'd find a lot of people insisting that the album was dead, a victim of the MP3, the iPod and a la carte downloading. But that never happened. If anything, artists doubled down on the format, resulting in a renaissance of long form artistic statements from a wide range of artists. This list of the decade's 100 best albums
Rolling Stone's 100 Best Albums of the 2000s
Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:32:32 GMT
Not long after I finished spending some time with Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire this week, Barnes & Noble shipped over a review unit of their new $249 Nook Tablet.
I’ve only just opened the box and spent about a half-hour playing with the new Nook, and if you’re familiar with the prior model, you’ll see much of the same here. But there are some nice upgrades; particularly in the hardware department, with new a 1-GHz, dual-core chip running the show.
Just as with my hands-on Kindle Fire post, this isn’t meant to be a full review of the Nook Tablet. Instead, it should provide some early impressions on the device.
- The out-of-the-box experience is pretty good. It takes a few steps to wireless connect and register the device, but it’s up and running in under three minutes — five if you watch the useful video introduction. Once running, any B&N-purchased books you previously bought are immediately available for download.
- The in-hand feel is really nice thanks to the excellent build quality and the slightly lighter weight compared the prior model. Thanks to rounded edges, it feels very comfortable to hold, even better than my 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab. One issue for me: Because the Nook is slightly wider than my Tab, it doesn’t fit as well in a back jeans pocket.
- Like the old model, the power button is nicely integrated on one side, while two volume controls are on the other side. Neither is in a spot where you’d accidentally press them.
- Also similar to the old model: You won’t see any signs of Android. The customized interface is intuitive and fluid, plus you can easily modify items on the home screens, both in terms of where they’re located and what size they are. Even the device setting screens use the B&N custom interface. It’s well done. And can I just say I love the native font that B&N uses on the Nook?
- Some may like it, but I’m not a fan of having to hit the hardware button for some actions and the touchscreen for others. It feels disjointed to me, even though it’s the same method from the prior model.
- Scrolling and animations are fairly smooth, as I’d expect from a dual-core device. In fact, overall performance is solid.
- Notifications are seamless and unobtrusive.
- I like the 1024×600 resolution, 7-inch display, which has an anti-glare coating. There’s still some reflectivity, but it’s minimized. The screen is plenty bright at 50 percent for me, but others may find it too dim. The touchscreen is responsive and works well, with little lag.
- The email client supports multiple POP and IMAP accounts, but doesn’t support Microsoft Exchange. The help information suggests using a third-party app if you need Exchange.
- Although there’s only one speaker in the back, it’s not bad, provided you turn the volume up fairly high. I can use this tablet for music or video without headphones, provided there’s not much background noise around.
- There’s no store for music or video. Instead, you consume content through third-party apps such as Pandora, MOG, Netflix, and Hulu Plus to name a few
- Watching a Netflix video was no different from any other 7-inch tablet I’ve used in the past. It works well after some initial low-quality buffering playback and has the new Netflix storefront, which I think is a huge improvement.
- The reading experience is little changed from the prior Nook and that’s good. It’s easy to modify setting such as font sizes, spacing, etc. You can take notes, look up words in the dictionary and share quotes via Facebook or Twitter.
- Speaking of Facebook and Twitter, neither official app is in the Nook app store, but Seesmic works well. I hope B&N gets both of these native apps in the store, but maybe others won’t mind.
- I’m a fan of the software keyboard, finding plenty of spacing between keys. But even though I have the keyboard set to correct commonly mis-spelled words, I don’t see it doing so, at least not in the native email app. Nor does it offer suggested words as you type.
- Browsing the web offers a relatively fast experience. It’s not as fast as the iPad 2, for example, but will be seen as capable by most, and I’d have no problems using this browser while away from a laptop or desktop.
For $50 more than Amazon’s Kindle, the Nook Tablet offers a similar package with double the memory: 16GB on-board, plus microSD expansion support. But it lacks a native store for music and video, although I was able to watch a video rental from YouTube on the web. Which is the right device for you? That depends on your budget and your needs, but I’ll try to answer that question in a head-to-head follow-up soon, so stay tuned!
Hands on with the Nook Tablet: A solid $249 device
Kevin C. Tofel
Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:22:58 GMT
It’s been a huge week for digital music lockers. First Apple made iTunes Match available to U.S. customers, then Google Music launched. These two services are competing with with Amazon’s Cloud Player (which is integrated with the new Kindle Fire) in a new realm of cloud music storage.
The three major contenders offer similar products with a similar mission: Allow users to buy new music and access existing libraries from multiple devices, via the cloud.
Here’s how the services compare to one another in terms of ease of use, pricing, mobile accessibility, and track selection.
A disclaimer: I am a Mac owner. As a result, my desktop experiences are based around Mac OS X Lion. Windows integration may differ. For this test I used the new HTC Rezound, the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 and the Amazon Kindle Fire.
Pricing
Google Music is free to all users. This includes access on the web, desktop and mobile devices. Google does impose a library limit of 20,000 songs. Purchased tunes don’t count.
iTunes Match is $24.99 a year. For that $24.99, users get the ability to upload 25,000 songs, excluding any iTunes purchases. Macworld offers a fix for users who have more than 25,000 tracks in their iTunes library but still want to use the service.
Amazon’s Cloud Player is free for for up to 5GB of uploads (not counting Amazon.com MP3 purchases). Plans with 20GB of storage (for any type of data) start at $20 a year; the space for music is unlimited.
Winner: Google Music, because it’s free. Still, $20 for unlimited song storage is worth a gold star for Amazon.
Buying Music
The iTunes Music Store first went live in 2003. Within five years, became the biggest music retailer in the United States. What has kept iTunes in the number one spot — despite competition from Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy (now defunct), eMusic, 7Digital, Sony, Microsoft and dozens of others — is that finding and buying music is very, very easy.
iTunes is bloated, especially on Windows. But it boasts one of the easiest search and purchase processes on the Internet.
Amazon has a section of its website dedicated to purchasing MP3s, but the search and purchase process can be hindered by accessibility issues. Depending on where you search, your artist selection could come back as a physical CD or as an MP3.
Google’s new music store has a clean layout like iTunes. The problem with Google Music: it lacks a shopping cart. You must purchase a track or album on the spot, and can’t group a bunch of purchases together for later.
Likewise, there is no “wishlist”, which Amazon and Apple offer. Google also makes navigating sections more difficult than it should be.
All three services make purchased tracks accessible across devices immediately. iTunes Match also makes all past purchases available. Amazon will store purchases made after March 2011, but previous purchases need to be manually uploaded. Since Google Music is so new, it’s a given that all of its purchase history is available.
Winner: iTunes. It’s still the fastest way to search for and find songs with minimal hassle.
Cloud Listening
A big promise of all three services is the ability to listen to your songs and playlists without having to download them.
All three make good on this promise. Apple uses iTunes as its central music hub. You can authorize up to ten devices for use with iTunes Match — five can be computers with iTunes — to stream or download songs.
Streaming songs within iTunes, as we described in our iTunes Match review, is almost indistinguishable from listening to a local file. Songs and albums show up in iTunes regardless of whether they have been downloaded locally or not.
Amazon and Google both use web-based playback systems. Amazon’s is the clunkiest of the bunch. Yes, you can browse by album, artist, song title or playlist, but navigating through the interface can be a chore.
Google has clearly spent a lot of time on its web-based music interface. But I found that songs or playlists would occasionally take a long time to switch from one to the next. Like Amazon, Google Music doesn’t work well with compilation albums — an annoying problem for someone like myself who has hundreds of them in her collection.
Where Google gets major props is that its cloud player is optimized for mobile devices as well. Amazon has an iPad interface for its Cloud Player, but no iPhone or mobile phone interaction.
Winner: Google Music. It’s the only service that lets you access your library from mobile and desktop browsers across platforms.
Uploading and Downloading Songs
Listening to music in the cloud is great. But first you have to get it there.
All three services support uploading purchases or songs obtained in other ways (ripped from CD, downloaded off the web, and yes, even pirated). Depending on the size of your library, this process can take quite some time.
This is where iTunes Match becomes worth its $24.99 yearly fee. The service can match tracks already in your library with songs in its database. If it finds a match, you don’t need to upload those tunes. Where it can’t find a match, those files are uploaded to the cloud.
This process works quite well. In my tests, iTunes Match has not once confused one file with a different version of the same song (which is useful when dealing with live tracks, alternative takes or remixes).
Amazon and Google both provide file uploading utilities. Google’s Music Manager can integrate directly with iTunes and monitor your iTunes folder to upload new tracks and match existing playlists. The program runs in the background, continuously uploading new iTunes tracks to your Google Music library.
Amazon also links with iTunes playlists and uploads albums and songs to Amazon Cloud Drive. This application needs to be launched to work; there isn’t an auto-sync option.
When it comes to downloading files, Google Music in its current state is painful. Users can only download tracks from the web interface twice. Using the Music Manager, however, users can download all of their files.
The problem with the Music Manager: there isn’t a way to select what files you want to download, or to auto-download new purchases.
Amazon makes downloading new purchases a snap, and also makes it easy to download existing songs for albums from the Cloud Drive interface. Amazon can also automatically add downloaded tracks to an iTunes or Windows Media Player library. If you also have iTunes Match, those Amazon files are usually just moments away from being synced and matched to the cloud there too.
Winner: iTunes. It’s the only system that is truly hassle-free. Amazon’s option is better than Google Music, which is a real pain.
Mobile Access
It isn’t enough to listen to music from your computer. We also want access on the go.
Apple’s mobile solution is the most limited in terms of device access. Playlist syncing and file access is only available on an iOS device. For iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV owners, this is great. But users of other mobile systems are out of luck.
Amazon makes things a bit easier by providing a mobile app for Android and an iPad-friendly web view of its library. Though not currently in the App Store, the app aMusic is a good way for iOS users to access their Amazon Cloud Player files. With any luck, it will be back in the App Store soon.
Google should be commended for making its music store compatible not just with Android, but with other browsers too. Visit music.google.com on an iOS device, and users are treated to a well-designed HTML5 app player.
The app player doesn’t offer offline playback, but the interface is similar to the Google Music Player for Android. The unofficial gMusic app is also a great option for iOS users. It doesn’t offer playback editing, but all other files are accessible and can be downloaded for offline listening.
Winner: Google. It’s the only service that is truly cross-platform friendly.
Overall
All three cloud music and storage platforms have their share of pros and cons. For iOS users, iTunes Match is going to offer the best user experience. For Android users, Google Music is a great option with a lot of flexibility for mobile — despite some limitations on the desktop side. Amazon is more of a mixed bag. The service is great as a way to buy and download MP3s, but it doesn’t really take advantage of the cloud as well as it could. Still, it’s a worthy option.
Cloud Music Showdown: Amazon vs. Apple vs. Google [REVIEW]
Christina Warren
Fri, 18 Nov 2011 02:31:09 GMT
Nook Tablet or Kindle Fire?
That's the question that's already bedeviling consumers and gadget aficionados alike.
In a matter of weeks, it seems, the tablet market has been compressed to just a handful of choices. The iPad 2 still rules the high end ($500 and above), but the "e-reader as tablet" option now looms large in the sub-$250 range, with the $199 Kindle Fire going mano a mano with the $249 Nook Tablet.
The Kindle Fire has just started shipping, and the Nook Tablet will follow as soon as tomorrow (a few days earlier than originally expected).
Last year, Barnes & Noble released the Nook Color at the same $249 price. Back then, a 7-inch color e-reader that could run apps as well as read color books and magazines, and even play movies and music, was a revelation. The Android tablet could even be rooted--to many, it became known as the not-so-secret most-affordable Android tablet around with the best design (other similarly priced and more-generic Android tablets are, by comparison, terrible).
With the Fire on the horizon, Barnes & Noble knew it had to up the ante. Thus, 2011's Nook Tablet takes the basic Nook Color formula and delivers more storage, a faster dual-core processor, an improved screen--and, notably, a larger selection of apps.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
This year's design is very much like last year's. The Nook T... [Read more]
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It's official: New Nook Color tablet launching Nov. 7
Nook Tablet hands-on: Can it fight the Fire?
Scott Stein
Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:00:36 GMT
Earlier today, Apple finally released iTunes Match, about one month later than the service was originally expected. Now that it is here, consider this our first look at Apple’s highly-anticipated new product.
Say Hello To iTunes Match
Describing iTunes Match is a lot like describing a jet flying in the sky. You know it is there because of its contrail, but you can’t actually see it.
The basic premise of iTunes Match is that iTunes collects information about each song on your computer and sends it to Apple for further processing. If there is a better version of a song in iCloud, Apple will replace your copy with the better song version. If a better version doesn’t exist, Apple will upload your song to your iCloud account. From here, you’re able to download and install your songs onto any iDevice, whether it is the iPhone/iPod touch or iPad. Each song is available in 256 Kbps AAC file format.
As Apple states:
Here’s how it works: iTunes determines which songs in your collection are available in the iTunes Store. Any music with a match is automatically added to iCloud for you to listen to anytime, on any device. Since there are more than 20 million songs in the iTunes Store, chances are, your music is already in iCloud. And for the few songs that aren’t, iTunes has to upload only what it can’t match. Which is much faster than starting from scratch. Once your music is in iCloud, you can stream and store it to any of your devices. Even better, all the music iTunes matches plays back from iCloud at 256-Kbps AAC DRM-free quality — even if your original copy was of lower quality.
For this, Apple charges $24.99/year, which allows you to store up to 25,000 songs on Apple’s iCloud servers. However, none of the songs that are actually matched count against this limit.
Finally, understand that iTunes Match only works with songs. In other words, it excludes audiobook, ringtones, iTunes LPs, and iTunes Extras.
Where It Works
Currently, iTunes Match will work on up to five computers authorized to use your iTunes account, plus five iOS devices. You are also able to attach up to two Apple TVs.
Getting Started
In order to begin using iTunes Match, you must first upgrade iTunes to Version 10.5.1. You may do so by selecting iTunes > Check For Updates…from the iTunes toolbar. You can also download the update at http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/.
Once iTunes Version 10.5.1 is installed, choose “Turn on iTunes Match” from the Store menu. On this page, select “subscribe for $24.99.” Keep in mind this is a yearly fee. As such, Apple will keep charging you for the service on a yearly basis unless you tell them otherwise.
Once purchased, iTunes Match will begin scanning your iTunes library looking for matches. During this time, which can take a while depending on the size of your music library, you may continue using iTunes. However, for iTunes Match to work, iTunes must remain open. If you do exit iTunes before the process finishes, select “iTunes Match” from the left side of iTunes. From there, restart the process.
Once iTunes Match has completed its work, Apple will automatically replace your songs (where applicable) with those from iCloud. As you add more music to iTunes, you should occasionally select Store > Update iTunes Match to keep your iCloud account current.
On your Mac or PC, that’s it. The real fun, naturally, happens on your iDevices.
On iOS Devices
Enabling iTunes Match on your iPhone or iPad is a quick process. Simply click Settings > Music > turn iTunes Match on.
Turning On iTunes Match
At this location is also the option to Show All Music. When this is on, you see every song and album available to you via iTunes Match. Our advice is to turn this on, at least in the beginning. If you don’t, you won’t be able to download new songs to your iDevice.
Keep in mind there may be some lag time between the time iTunes Match is started and when each song actually shows up in the Music app on your iDevice.
A Cloud icon to the right of each song denotes that the song is available via iCloud. To download a song or album, simply tap or the Cloud or the song name. You can also select the Download All button at the bottom of the screen in Album view. Remember that songs can’t actually be played from iCloud. As such, a song won’t play until it is downloaded completely.
See The Clouds?
Two final points
First, to add a new computer, log into iTunes using the same iTunes account you used when signing up for iTunes Match. Next, select Store > Turn On iTunes Match. From there, select “Add This Computer.”
Finally, to see which iDevices are using an iTunes Match account, go Account and then select “iTunes In The Cloud” from the iTunes application on your Mac or PC. From here, you can remove existing iDevices from the list, if applicable.
Is iTunes Match Worth Buying?
No matter what Apple would have charged for iTunes Match, some would have complained. However, I feel $24.99/year is reasonable and even more so considering the rest of iCloud is absolutely free. In the end, the service just works. As such, it comes highly recommended. Buy it today in iTunes!
The AppAdvice iTunes Match Review is a story by AppAdvice.com
AppAdvice - iPhone, iPad, iPod, App Reviews + News
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The AppAdvice iTunes Match Review
Bryan M. Wolfe
Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:42:14 GMT
It seems like ages since Amazon introduced us to the $199 Fire at a hectic New York City event, but in truth that was only about six weeks ago. Maybe our perception of time is warped because we've been hearing talk about this 7-inch Android tablet for months now. Maybe it's because Amazon launching a tablet seemed like such a natural thing to do after Barnes & Noble paved the way with its Nook Color. Or, maybe it's just because the gadget Amazon shipped looks nigh-identical to the 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook that we've had for, well, ages.
For whatever the reason, what Amazon has delivered is a device that is intimately familiar yet mysterious -- a simple, minimalistic exterior design hiding a flashy, seemingly quite trick customization that's sitting atop a decidedly ho-hum Android Gingerbread build. Our questions leading up to this review were many: How will it handle sideloading? Are the battery life and performance better than the PlayBook? Can a tablet that costs two hundred bucks stand a chance against those that cost two and three times as much? C'mon baby, click on through to find out.Gallery: Amazon Kindle Fire review
Continue reading Amazon Kindle Fire review
Amazon Kindle Fire review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Amazon Kindle Fire review
Tim Stevens
Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:00:00 GMT
