The Evolution of Technology

Archive for the ‘Cell Phone’ Category

Not long ago I wrote a post detailing four Android travel apps I found useful. Of course, there are dozens of travel apps on Android, so a few commenters raised objections. In that spirit, I thought we could take just a few minutes to look over a few things they suggested — and a few items people mailed in.

OnTheFly

One reader suggested that OnTheFly is a better solution than Orbitz. That makes enough sense, since the developer of OnTheFly, ITA Software, is owned by Google. The app does pull from many resources to find the best flight prices within any given parameters. The app interface is second to none — plenty of competitors could learn a lot by how smoothly it runs through the process. And it does provide you with a comprehensive list of flights, allowing you to find the cheapest.

The only problem is that it doesn’t allow you to book those flights right from the app. Once it adds that, and tweaks a few features, it will certainly be a go-to app. But until then, apps with poorer UIs will win out, since users can book right from the app.

The gym has really changed since my younger years. Back then I’d talk to other guys about sports and women. Now? Well, we still talk about women, but it seems that people are more interested in talking technology than they are sports. (Jeremy Lin excepted.) That’s fine by me, of course. The other day at the gym, while hitting the heavy bag, I was talking with someone about MMA apps. MMA apps? I asked. What could they really do? The guy then instructed me to download the MMA Zone app and see for myself. Now I get what he’s talking about. This is one useful Android app.

No, the app will not teach you Brazilian jiujitsu. It will, however, hit you with a constant MMA fix. In the Market it’s called All In One MMA, and that’s really what it is. It hits MMA from all angles: news about the professionals, gear reviews — and a store — plus videos and other useful resources. It’s damn useful for entrenched MMA fans, and absolute must-have for newbies.

How closely do you keep track of your life? You might think you keep close tabs, but really think about it for a moment. Do you monitor the little things that can make big differences? If you’re not carrying around a pocket notebook or other recording apparatus, chances are you’re not.

Our Android smartphones, however, act as a recording apparatus. There are plenty of apps, including simple text apps, that can help us keep tabs on various aspects of our lives. Keeping track of them lets us notice patterns and habits, and with that awareness we can change things we don’t like.

Think of this in the same way as a SCADA system (supervisory control and data acquisition). You use your Android to acquire the data you need. The only difference is that instead of automatic monitoring, as in most SCADA systems, you’ll have to do some of the heavy lifting yourself. There are apps, though, that can automate the process. Once you have the data, though, the control system is on you. That is, your smartphone can acquire and present the data, but you’ll have to fix it yourself.

1. Your spending habits

As smartphones become even more popular and features become even more advanced, LG is making it a mission to keep up with the changing face of cell phones. From phones designed for gamers to the incorporation of 3D technology, LG phones are setting the precedent for the future of smartphone innovation. Here are our top five favorites:

T-Mobile LG G2x

The T-Mobile G2x with Google is built to entertain in a way that makes it stand out from other phones in the market. This phone delivers power and speeds that blow the competition out of the water.

While this phone is fine for everyday use, where it really stands out is in the realm of HD gaming—from anywhere. The G2x features rich 3D graphics that allow users to get immersed in the action like never before. In fact, in many cases, the 3D graphics on this brilliant 4-inch screen could be considered console-worthy. For phone gamers, that means sharper action and more intensity on the latest games. And this phone’s lightning fast speed also comes in handy for surfing the web and streaming videos and movies on the go.

Great Offer, The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is presently quickly obtainable for $99 at Amazon. That is certainly a great price tag reduce through the $299 most everybody paid out. The $99 price tag is nice, if you are searching to indication a new contract with Verizon. Amazon can also be which includes a 2-day delivery for great measure. This is in fact the most affordable value to the very first at any time Android 4.0 mobile phone.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus specification:

it incorporates a dual-core 1.2GHz processor ,a  4.65 inch Super AMOLED HD Display, 5MP rear  camera, 1080p video clip capture, 1.3MP front camera, Android 4.0, 4G LTE connectivity, and NFC.
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus has constantly received high praise as currently being in the industry-leading smartphone possibilities.

Anyone who travels even a couple of times a year needs a travel app on her Android smartphone. Having all of that information right in front of you, whenever you need it, is more than a convenience. At times it can save your hide. Here are a few of the best travel apps for Android.

TripIt

How does an app survive over 10,000 ratings in the Android Market with a 4.5-star rating? By being one of the best in its field. TripIt has the travel thing down right. It’s a simple premise, too. All you do is forward your confirmation email to a tripit email address, and it automatically populates the app with your travel information. This includes not only flights, but also hotels, restaurant reservations, cruises, and more.

There’s a social element on top of this, too. You can share your travel plans with friends on Facebook. Maybe you just want to brag a bit. Maybe you’re looking for companions. Or maybe you just like to let your family and friends know what’s going on. In any case, it’s an available feature with TripIt.

Pictured above is the NOVO7, which is actually the world’s first Ice Cream Sandwich tablet. It’s a 7-inch device that features a 1GHz processor with 1080p HD video output — not top of the line, but certainly not assembled from the scrap heap. It’s not much with the rear camera, just 2 megapixels, and the front-facing one is just VGA. While there are some downsides, the upside is considerable. That is, the device is selling for just $ 100. That’s a pretty magic price point. Can it work for this device?

The problem with most cheap Android tablets — the $ 200 ones you see in Best Buy and Walmart, and on Amazon.com — is that they run Android 2.2 or 2.3. If they ran Honeycomb it might be a different proposition. But with an older OS there’s something of an issue. Advanced users could root the device and install a custom version of Honeycomb. This device, however, comes with Ice Cream Sandwich right out of the box. The hardware might be generic, but the software will help compensate for that.

If you haven’t been paying attention, a service called Carrier IQ has cause a bit of a stir lately. The premise is pretty simple. Manufacturers or carriers install the software on your phone. The software then monitors pretty much everything you do, and then reports back to the installing party. Clearly this causes some issues with users; no one wants someone spying on their actions. In the past few days carriers and manufacturers have spoken up regarding their relationships with Carrier IQ. The latest is Sprint, which admitted that it uses Carrier IQ. Does this make you feel less easy about using a Sprint Android phone?

Sprint claims that it uses the data collected by Carrier IQ to “analyze our network performance and identify where we should be improving service.” In that way it’s something like a SCADA, wherein the company is trying to manage its network by gathering as much data as possible. Of course, Sprint has available to it all sorts of other data via Carrier IQ, and their marketing department will likely benefit greatly from it. Will they simply not use the data that they receive — that they pay for — because there has been something of a controversy? Call me a skeptic, but I don’t think it will.

I have been gardening since I was old enough to play in the dirt. For me, gardening is more than a hobby…it is a great stress reliever, a healthy way to break a sweat, an exercise in self-reliance, and a creative outlet. The payoff — whether it is in the sweet smelling flowers that attract foraging honey bees and an assortment of butterflies, or the abundance of fresh seasonal vegetables I can share with family and friends — is always rewarding, and it makes me feel accomplished to reap the fruits of my labor. The secret to gardening isn’t in the fertilizer, it’s in the apps.

If you are looking for gardening tips and are not shy when it comes to technology, an Android phone or tablet can be an invaluable tool in planning and maintaining your green plot. Below, I have listed some apps I often defer to for garden planning and organization, plant facts, and other helpful tips.

Garden Guide

The Food Gardening Guide, from America’s leading magazine on organic gardening, is a comprehensive gardening app, providing an abundance of expert advice on Crops, Techniques, and Resources.

On one of my other sites we feature a reasonably popular podcast. We offer many ways to enjoy the podcast, though because it’s hosted on iTunes we do promote it in that way. With the increasing number of Android users we’ve received a number of questions on how they can get the podcast in their favorite podcast application. That has turned us onto a number of podcasting apps, but I’ve seen none better than BeyondPod. If you’re looking for the most comprehensive Android podcast app, look no further. Best of all, it’s on sale for just $ 2 this weekend, down from $ 7 normally. Now is the time to jump aboard this train.

I could sit here and enumerate all the features that BeyondPod offers, but if you can imagine it, BeyondPod likely does it. My favorite features include automatic scheduling of podcast downloads, quick fast forward (which skips you a few minutes ahead), sleep timer, and playlist generator. The home screen widget is also excellent. Best of all, BeyondPod comes in both smartphone and tablet versions, you have a fully optimized app no matter your preference. Again, at $ 2 I can’t find an Android podcast app that does more.