The Evolution of Technology

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It was only a matter of time before GameStop got into the tablet gaming market. They’re already taking iPad and iPod trade-ins, which signals a start to their platform expansion. There were also rumors that they’d release their own gaming-centric Android tablet. While that could still happen at some point, they’ve gotten a head start by offering a number of existing Android tablets — pre-loaded with seven games.

If you check out their website you’ll see a number of tablets, and there are a few high-end ones among them. The most attractive is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Verizon and T-Mobile both offer this, but the tablet itself costs $ 650 and requires a two-year commitment to a costly data plan. The GameStop version, which obviously does not include cellular connection, costs just $ 500. They also have the Asus Eee Pad, another Android tablet that has gotten positive reviews. You can also bundle the tablets with a controller, making for an even more compelling gaming experience.

There is no such thing as too many music apps. Maybe your device doesn’t have enough room for them all, in which case there is such thing for too many music apps for you. But in general, different apps bring different features to the table, and different interfaces work for different people. Different is the word I’m really looking for, I think. It appears that Google has a firm grasp of music ownership, with its Google Music service. They’re rolling out invites pretty quickly at this point, and after using it for almost a month I have to say that I’ve been using my other music apps less and less. But I still do use them, because Google Music doesn’t quite have everything. Yahoo!’s new music app does add a few features to the table, and so it will find a home, if only temporary, on my device.

For nearly a decade, the iPod dominated the music world. It presented users with the greatest of conveniences: store tens of thousands of songs in one place, so you always have your favorite tunes with you. The next evolution of that concept involves mobile phones. Apple already has a head start there with the iPhone, but other platforms and services are catching on. The latest is Sprint, which has made available Sprint Music Plus, a music store available on, among other models, Android handsets.

From the sounds of it, the app works in manner similar to iTunes. That is, both the store and the media player. It organizes your current music, allowing you to sort and search. The store end allows you to buy DRM-free tracks, which will cost between $ 0.69 and $ 1.29. Best of all — or perhaps worst of all, depending on your self-discipline — the charges show up on your Sprint bill, so you don’t have to worry about entering in payment information. That is, when you find a song you can just download it. Clearly, Sprint is going for impulse buys here.