BHT is primarily an outlet for my tech-nerdness. It will mostly be tech news regarding cellphones, games, all that kind of stuff. It will also be where I post any and everything else that randomly catches my attention, music, news, fashion, etc. hopefully you'll like it too. Follow me on Twitter @Brownhandstech
If your noticing that your phone is getting a weak signal, whether your at home, a friends house or travelling to a new area one thing that can improve your connection strength is updating your devices PRL. What is a PRL? PRL stands for Preferred Roaming List; in short it is a list that allows your phone to roam off towers from other networks (ie. Sprint roaming on Verizon's network). This list is constantly changing as carriers change agreements regularly so its good to update this list.
On Android devices you can simply update or check for updates via settings. From the home screen press MENU>SETTINGS>SYSTEM UPDATES>UPDATE PRL
With Sprint and Verizon making so many changes to their networks and expanding their respective 4G coverage, they will be constantly making changes to agreements to optimize their 3G networks adjusting which towers cover specific areas and adding new towers to support all the new data hungry smart phones they've been selling like hotcakes. Updating your PRL at least once a month may really help with your call reception.
I was just having a conversation with my sister and some friends regarding Google TV, Roku Box (just bought one not at all impressed, headed back to Best Buy), Apple TV and other web connected media options for the TV yesterday and was stating that I am waiting for Google TV to come down in price.... Well today it looks like the powers-that-be finally see that they've milked the early adopters all they can and to get mass adoption they are going to start to have to hit the $100 zone (and below) with their products. Logitech has decided to slash the price of their Google TV setup (the one I've been eyeballing) from $250 to $100! This combined with upcoming updates which bring the previously tablet-centric Android 3.2 Honeycomb (Hopefully 3.2 and not 3.1 or older) OS to the Google TV boxes. This update should allow the boxes access to the app market and many other upgrades in addition to their multitude of online media streaming capabilities.
The way I like to look at this is kinda like having a tablet hooked up to my TV. Allowing me access not only to viewing content but a browser and tons of games, which should also be playable with a controller via updates to Honeycomb that support external controllers. First thing I'll be doing is slapping on an emulator app and playing Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 emulators on the big screen. This added functionality puts Google TV out ahead of its competitors in my opinion along with the ability to access basically any web content not just content from an integrated store.
At 99 bucks this places not only into the consideration of the masses but it starts to make it feasible to have multiple Google TV boxes in multiple rooms. Especially since if I drop my cable I could easily buy a few of these a month! My quest to free myself of cable just started looking a little better. Who else is ready to take the plunge on a shiny new Google TV whenever the price cut goes into effect? Hopefully this opens the flood gates for low priced Google TV options.
.... Oh yeah and Logitech, I swear it better still come with the keyboard!
I was fortunate enough to win a Seidio Convert case for my Evo 3D from one of my favorite Evo websites Good and Evo. Just thought I make a quick video to share my thoughts on the case.
I've been telling people about Amazon's Appstore for months and I don't know why I never blogged about it, but.... Amazon has their own Android Appstore and if you haven't heard about it I'd definitely recommend checking it out. Not because its better than the Android Market Place or even easier to use, nope! It gives away one paid app for FREE daily! I have it installed just for that reason. It was a good plan for Amazon who is likely setting things up for an upcoming Android based Amazon Tablet. It also provides an added level of security for developers that help prevent pirating and theft of their apps. If I'm not mistaken I think they even claim to screen apps better providing safer app downloading for you, the end user as well.
But back to the important part; everyday a new paid app is featured and can be downloaded for free! Once downloaded it is saved to your Amazon account and can be uninstalled and re-downloaded at will.... So, I've started downloading any free app of interest and just uninstalling it, going back to my downloads list in the Amazon Appstore and re-downloading (if) when I want to use the apps. This works really well for games that I don't play often but maybe want on my phone when traveling. I currently have over 20 free apps in my account of which I probably have five or less installed.
It does take a few extra steps to install the Appstore and to install apps from the Appstore, than it does in the Android Market, but it's well worth it; and these aren't just crap games and apps either they frequently give away more expensive apps and games. Many of the $5 apps I download automatically if I even think they are or could be useful at some point. Also, they often get exclusives on apps when they are first released; Angry Birds Rio was launched as an Amazon Appstore exclusive before finding its way to the Market.
Well its been a while since we've taken a break from tech-related news for a mix-tape break. My homie Sterling is back again with his mixtape picks highlighting the top mixtapes of 2011 so far. Some of these are my favorites as well and a few are new to me too. Hope you enjoy; download links attached (Click Mixtape name).....
.... You may have noticed many of these mixtapes can be found on Datpiff.com. Which makes this a great time to talk about one of my favorite music apps... Datpiff mobile app. If you've never used it this is an app you definitely want to grab from the market. It lets you download or stream music right from the app. You can download or listen to an entire mixtape or individual songs right on your phone. I use it all the time to listen to new music and download mixtapes and songs I like. Check it out!
Check out the Datpiff app in the Android Market here. I believe there is an iPhone version in the Apple AppStore too
One of the nice new features many people may overlook on their shiny new Evo 3D's (or T-Mobile's HTC Sensation pictured above) allows users to get Swype-like functionality right on the stock HTC keyboard! I've never been the biggest fan of Swype, preferring HTC default keyboard; but now there is no need to choose (unless you are a die-hard Swype fan). I'm not sure if Trace matches all the intricacies of Swype's functionality, but I've always felt that it could be useful in certain situations if integrated into HTC keyboard and apparently they thought the same and decided to swype the design from their competitors. I'm curious to hear from die-hard Swypers; how does it measure up to Swype?
The day has finally come and my Evo 3D is in hand and I must say I am thoroughly impressed thus far. I've only had a limited amount of time to play with it so here are my initial impressions so far:
The Actual Phone:
Picking the phone up it immediately feels better than the Evo 4G. Its a bit more narrow and a smidge longer but this redesign in shape makes it more comfortable to hold. The build quality seems better too. It just feels a bit more solid and the battery door (which wraps around the enitre phone) seems to fit more snug than its predescessor and feels like it is built better. The Evo 4G battery door felt flimsy and cheap in my opinion, whereas the Evo 3D's door is solid and has a nice textured design on the back which feels great and adds grip. I will say that the huge dual camera bay is going to take some getting used to; there really is no way to hold it with out having your hands all over the camera(s), aside from this however the phone feels great in hand! I have no complaints about the power button like I read in some other early reviews/previews. Weight seems to be very close to the original Evo and overall it feels a little better in my pocket (most likely due to it being slimmer).
Camera:
So far I'm really impressed with the new camera's 2D functionality. The E3D uses the top camera when taking pics in 2D and despite it being 5MP instead of 8MP like the OG Evo the pics are better! This is due to improved camera sensors and camera software. Pics are taken much faster when the shutter button is pushed and the camera app itself can be launched much faster. The actual physical shutter button (another reason for my upgrade) is amazing! It feels great (very solid build quality) and has the ability to be pressed halfway to focus and then fully to take the shot, like a real camera shutter button. It definitely makes taking photos easier and more enjoyable. The on screen camera button on the original Evo made it difficult to snap pics and hold the phone sometimes, especially since the display is so large. If you use your Evo as your main camera like me you will LOVE the new shutter button! There have also been some enhancements to the on-screen user interface that really streamline the navigation of camera functions.
Screen:
The Evo 3D upgrades the display form the Evo 4G's TFT display with 800 x 480 resolution to a 4.3" 960 x 540 resolution display and it is immediately noticeable. The E3D's screen is more crisp, colors seem more natural and because of the increased resolution it can fit more onto the screen. So for example, when looking at a list such as contacts you can see more on the screen (10 contacts versus 7) which means less scrolling is required. The screen is really impressive and is one of the main reasons I wanted to upgrade; it really keeps the E3D on par with other next-gen super-phones.
3D:
When the Evo 3D was announced the 3D feature initially was a turn off for me and almost made me skip this phone. After seeing the other specs I knew I couldn't pass it up, but 3D was still not a deciding factor for me. I honestly feel like 3D in general is a bit of a gimmick. With that out of the way, I'm actually impressed by the 3D functions on the Evo 3D... I'm not sure if that will wear off over time or not but it's something I think I'd rather have than not, especially since it can easily be cut off.
The 3D is kinda weird to look at, and everyone has a different reaction. Some say it hurts their eyes, it doesn't bother mine but it is a little trippy. You have to be looking at the screen at just the right angle and it sort of pops into focus! The Evo 3D comes with a demo for a Spiderman 3D game, Green Hornet in 3D and some sample pics that all look and play great! They really do an excellent job of showcasing the E3D's 3D capabilities. I also watched some YouTube videos in 3D that where really impressive. I am actually looking forward to utilizing the 3D capabilities of the phone. Now if Netflix would just get some 3D movies...
Edit: I got a chance to take some more 3D movies and pics and... WOW!!! I am very impressed this is something I definitely can see myself using more!
HTC Sense 3.0:
I'm a fan of Sense and despite some of its short comings I tend to prefer it over other alternate launchers available in the market; Sense 3.0 makes this even more true! I feel that HTC does a great job of offering extended functionality and allowing customization that is easy to use and doesn't require rooting or advanced tweaking. It adds nice cosmetic improvements like 3D-ish transitions between screens and nice new weather effects. HTC Hub lets you download themes, widgets, apps, various ringtones and notifications, wallpapers and skins to customize your phone; even down to details as small as the highlights when you make selections on your phone (which is something you typically need to root and or do advance tweaking to do). The lock screen is amazing with new animated lock screens such as weather or floating pics from your albums and customization quick launch options for up to four apps! There are a lot of small tweaks that really make it an even more enjoyable experience; like the ability to quickly access important settings and recently used apps from the notification bar. Another nice tweak that must be turned on in settings is the ability to activate Swype-like features right in the stock HTC keyboard. I haven't tried this much yet, but I think it is a feature that I will really enjoy. I always thought Swype could be useful if I could easily switch between it and my stock HTC keyboard and now I don't have to its built right in!
I haven't had much time to test the battery life yet, but so far it seems to be really good. I have to test it more to make a final decision. Also I'm still on the fence about the updates that have been pushed out to "fix" some minor bugs; some are saying that it significantly improves their battery life, but others are saying that it causes new issues, so I have not updated mine yet.... But so far I'm very impressed and think this will be an excellent device and it is easily a worthy upgrade from the original Evo 4G... Check out the videos and pics before and I'll continue to play with the phone and post my impressions.
After the Evo got its update to Android 2.3 (2.3.3 to be exact) a week or so ago it's keyboard equipped sibling the Evo Shift 4G will be getting its update too, just before the new big sibling the Evo 3D drops. Monday June 20th Sprint will start its OTA (over-the-air) updates to all Evo Shifts. Be on the lookout for the notice on your phone. Or if you don't want to wait Sprint has announced that the update is available now by manually starting it. Simply press your MENU key from the home screen, go to SETTINGS, then SYSTEM UPDATES, then HTC SOFTWARE UPDATE. Your phone should start the download and run the necessary process to upgrade. In addition to the improvements in Gingerbread you'll get improved download management, fixes for media streaming and a few other tweaks. I've really been enjoying Gingerbread on my Evo just from the improved battery life and enhanced cut-and-paste capabilities. I've read that updates have been going smooth and come with some enhancements to HTC Sense too, moving it to version 2.1! It also adds SWYPEfor all you fans of this keyboard. Now if I could get a very special lady in my life to let me upgrade her Shift early.... lol ;) ;)
The official hands on reviews of the Evo 3D are beginning to come out and so far so good... Well except for Engadget's. Most of the reviews found the E3D to be a great; emphasizing the main reason I want it, those 1.2GHz dual processors. Reports are saying that the phone is FAST!!! I cant wait. I love my OG Evo but I definitely push it to it's max running multiple apps almost constantly and multi-tasking like crazy, an extra processor should help with these issues.
Most of the reviews say the increased battery capacity helps; maybe not as much as hoped, but it improves noticeably. Honestly, even Engadget's review which said it wasn't to great gave it 14hrs 44mins with all radios on taking 80 pics and video (with 50% of it being in 3D) sounds pretty good to me. I'm pretty confident I can't get much more mileage out of the E3D with proper settings and still nearly 15hrs with 4G on alone is an improvement over what I see on my Evo 4G. (BTW looking at pics w/out battery cover show that the larger battery and dual cameras take up the space where the kickstand would've gone)
Engadget also slammed the camera and said that the optics on the camera cover created rings and basically that it was just not a great shooter; whereas other sites seemed to praise at least its 2D capabilities. I'm not surprised at all that most reviewers found the 3D to be bit "gimmicky". I honestly feel all 3D tech is a bit gimmicky at this point and like many of the reviews I feel that the rest of the phone's specs hold their own with or without the 3D icing! But it seems clear that for some people the 3D just isn't a good experience some reviewers said it was even painful and nauseating, so you may want to try it out for yourself once its out.
The display is another area there where mixed reviews. It was criticized for its poor viewing angles, 3D funkiness and not having as vibrant colors as the Super AMOLED- Plus toting Galaxy S II. But other reviews said the clarity was great and it has a much improved display that sits with the best available soooo... idk. I know it wont be as vibrant as a Samsung Super AMOLED-Plus and I can live with that. I was geeked tho, to find out that the screen is covered in Gorilla Glass, a super strong glass that helps prevents cracks and scratches. As far as the viewing angles.... Its a phone. When I hold it, can I see it? Yeah? Ok, we're good lol. I honestly wouldn't mind reduced viewing angles for some privacy. One down side to these new massive screens is that it makes it too easy for nosy bystanders to look at your screen over your shoulder or while next to you. I wouldn't mind if their unwanted viewing angle was not view-able lol.
Finally, one last area of concern was that reviews stated it had poor call clarity/quality... This is another one I will have to test for myself. I have never tried a phone after reading it had poor call quality and truly felt like it was a big deal. I guess my expectations just aren't as high or I have never truly experienced superior call quality. I'm sure it will meet my modest needs as long as it is loud enough and I can hear what you are saying I'm sure it'll be fine for me. But that's just me. I've just apparently never been as critical as these reviewers in this department and I doubt the average user is either. I never heard anyone I know say "Man I love this new phone, but the call clarity isn't good enough I think I'm returning it". Again, could just be me, but we'll see.
I am not swayed and will still be getting my Evo 3D next week, then I will decide what I think is good or bad about the phone and determine whether or not to keep it. Tho I'm pretty sure since it upgrades my beloved Evo 4G in every area that matters I will be sticking with the Evo 3D until the next Evo with better specs (or slightly improved specs sans 3D) is offered. It's important to remember with any device, especially smart phones, if you buy it when it first comes out there will likely be some bugs! That's early-adopter 101! Most of the concerns in the reviews can and will be addressed in firmware updates before, at or slighlty after launch. Believe, Sprint is going to take care of their new baby. Like I said I'll have mine come launch day... What about you?!
Check out some of the early reviews below and share your thoughts!
If your upgrading like me or thinking of upgrading from the OG EVO 4G to the upcoming (June 24th) EVO 3D, you might want to check out this handy comparison chart posted over on Good and Evo's blog. The EVO has been the best phone I've ever had and is arguably one of the top phones to date, so it definitely isn't necessary to upgrade but lets be real the EVO 3D is a beast! In addition to the 3D features which may or may not excite you, it improves upon it's one year old sibling in many other categories. EVO 3D has more horsepower; 1.2GHz dual-core processor, double the RAMof the original EVO with 1GB and four times thee internal storage at 4GB of ROM helping the phone handle all the apps you throw at it even better. The Evo 3D has a superior 4.3" qHD screen, so while it is the same size it has much better clarity and resolution (960x540 pixels to the EVO 4G's 800x480). It has dual 5MP cameras instead of the EVO 4G's 8MP shooter but it is a better quality camera sensor, recording 1080p 2D video (vs the OG EVO's 780p) in addition to 720p 3D video. The E3D has a combined HDMI and microUSB port called a MHL port instead of the separate microUSB and HDMI ports so yes you will need another cord if you already bought an HDMI cord, but luckily MHL is becoming the new standard for mobile devices. Another big plus for the EVO 3D is the increased capacity battery; the E3D has a 1730mAh battery vs the EVO 4G's 1500mAh. I'm sure many will want it for the increased battery alone lol. When you take into consideration the $200 price tag for new/upgrading customers this is a great deal. No one is losing here tho because the still very capable OG EVO is seeing price cuts all over the place!
Edit: Almost forgot to mention the enhanced HTC Sense 3.0 "skin" that HTC puts over Android 2.3 Gingerbread. I've been playing with some Sense 3.0 ROMS on my EVO 4G and I am pretty impressed! I'll post a video below to show some of the new Sense 3.0 features.
For me the 3D is just icing, The 1.2Ghz battery, upgraded (2D) camera specs, increased RAM/ROM, and battery capacity are enough. I will be counting down the days until this beast drops I can't wait.
Apple will soon be rolling out its newest update iOS 5. With this update comes many new features to the OS that while new to Apple and iOS may be familiar to other OS's. The updates will be available to the general public this fall for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad (with some features being limited on the older iPhone 3GS).
First off is the Notification Center. This "new" feature will look really familiar to Android users, it finally gets rid of the intrusive pop-up notifications that iPhone users frequently complain about and provides an Android-style pull down menu that flashes notifications at the top of the screen and allows users to pull down a detailed notification list from the top of the screen.
I wont get into the obvious similarities here with Android's notification system, but I would like to touch on the nice advantages to the Apple approach. Similar to what many of us have done on our rooted Android's Apple has provided users with the ability to customize this Notification Center. This is a really nice touch that I wish Android included in their stock notification system. Apple lets you add, weather or stocks, choose what and where you see various notifications and click a small "x" in the corner to clear specific notifications instead of just "clear all" like Android. Additionally Apple has included customizable lock screen notifications that let you add various notifications to your lock screen and respond to them by swiping right from the screen. Nice touches that Android might want to incorporate while they are all "sampling" from each other.
Next up is iMessage what is being called Apple's version of BBM. This service will allow mobile to mobile instant messaging between iDevices and is smart enough to switch over from text to iMessage when it detects that both users are on iOS devices; changing the color of the text bubbles from green (for text) to blue. Early reports from developers and those testing the early beta-release of iOS 5 have really been enjoying the service. iMessage will let you send pics, show when others are typing and is compatible with iPods. Many are looking at this as a potential way to end their need for a SMS plan.
iOS 5 brings Newsstand, which will make one local place for all of your newspaper and magazine reading pleasure. This fall the launch of iOS 5 will bring a new section of the App Store specifically for newspapers and magazines. You will be able to fill a virtual news stand with all of your subscriptions similar to iBooks.
Twitter integration is another great feature included in the iOS 5 update. Apple users will now be able to Tweet from within Apple's native apps, websites being viewed on Safari or from pics in the Camera app. User can login once to their twitter accounts and it will be integrated across the OS, similar to how Android users can "share" to Twitter (or other Twitter apps (or really any applicable app)) from various points throughout the OS. The Keyboard automatically adjusts providing @ and # keys when you are tweeting as well as autocompleting usernames.
Apple says the iOS 5 update contains 200+ improvements! Some of the other major improvements are a split screen keyboard for the iPad, many settings changes allowing users to tweak notifications, led notifications and vibration patterns, new accessibility options, improved reminders, camera upgrades with improved photo editing, Safari reader and updated tabs, and much much more!
Many argue that Apple has stolen their "new" features from other OS's but it seems like in typical Apple fashion they have done a great job of improving upon the competitions features. Apple customers will definitely be in store for some great new features this fall when the iOS 5 upgrades roll out! For even more details on the new iOS 5 features be sure to check out the source links listed below!
