musings about tech & miscellanea
Posts tagged gadgets
Droid X Teardown
Jul 17th
Teardown and assembly photos and videos from Zedomax.com.
“After fiddling with my Droid X for two days non-stop, I finally figured out how to dissect the latest Motorola superphone.
Just in case someone needs to replace parts or perhaps the touchscreen in the future, I’ve documented the whole process for your viewing pleasure using my Canon 7D. And yes, still working on my photography skills so please bear with me.”
Moving to Android from Blackberry
Jun 12th
I’m really impressed with the Android OS these days, and the new hardware/devices available are amazing. After playing with my wife’s Motorola Droid, my Blackberry Tour seems outdated … Android truly excels as a phone and MID (mobile internet device).
But, Blackberry’s push email and Blackberry Messenger is something I’m having a hard time letting go of. Crackberry.com has a great post on transitioning from Blackberry to Android. Definitely worth the read.
HTC Evo 4G Teardown
Jun 2nd
Teardown pics and video from iFixit!
“We pulled a couple of strings to acquire the most desirable Android phone today, the HTC Evo 4G!
Check out Wired’s video of our HTC Evo 4G disassembly!”
Tethering with Android
May 18th
Android Central has a great post on the basics of tethering for an Android phone. Link to PdaNet, video on WiFi tethering, and the pearl of info, using HTC Sync if your Android is using the Sense UI.
“If you have a phone running Android 2.1 with HTC Sense, mobile network sharing is built into the operating system. Don’t get too excited though, because your carrier decides whether or not it will work. If you want to try it for yourself, make sure you have the latest version of HTC Sync and plug your phone into your computer. In the connection options, choose Internet sharing.”
HTC Incredible disassembly video
May 5th
Great video for those like to dig in and check out what’s under the hood with the newest latest & greatest from HTC running Android.
Verizon’s HTC Incredible
Apr 20th
Verizon will be offering the new HTC Incredible on April 29th, and upstages Google’s Nexus One. HTC’s Sense UI looks fantastic, powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Check out the video for a taste!
iPad Teardown
Apr 10th
iFixit.com is a great site for those into gadget teardowns. Of course, it was only a matter of time before the iPad went under the spudger. From their site:
“We got a sneak peak inside the iPad yesterday, when we were able to un-redact the FCC’s test photos. Be warned, however: what you see there is with a pre-production unit, while the photos here are from a unit purchased at retail.
Want to stay up-to-date with the hardware world? Follow @ifixit!
Our iPad repair manual already has some repair guides in progress for the iPad. We hope you didn’t already break your screen, but if so, that’s the best place to go.
Also check out the YouTube video slideshow of the teardown!
Update 4/5: We’ve worked with ChipWorks to dissect the silicon inside the iPad. More photos forthcoming.”
ezeStand – Universal smartphone stand
Mar 20th
Came across this great universal smartphone stand that’s raised and even has an embedded magnet to activate the docking mode for a Motorola Droid.
From ezeStand.com:
“ezeStand is a versatile desktop holder for your Smart Phone or Personal Media Player device. It holds all of the latest Touch Screen devices including Motorola Droid & Milestone, iPhone 3G/3GS, Google Nexus One, Blackberry Storm, Palm Pre, iPod Touch, and many more.
ezeStand holds your Touch Screen device at a comfortable viewing angle in either horizontal/landscape or vertical/portrait oreintation and it will hold your phone even if you have an aftermarket cover or jacket.
ezeStand will also activate the Multimedia Station mode on your Motorola Droid & Milestone and has room to plug in the micro USB charging cable.”
HTC Incredible very soon on Verizon?
Mar 11th
Verizon may be replacing the HTC Droid Eris with their new HTC Incredible on April 1…we hope. The Incredible appears to an improved Nexus One with its optical trackpad, underclocked Snapdragon processor (improved battery life!) and HTC’s much heralded Sense UI.
I’m so glad I waited and not get a Nexus One … the Sense UI is … well, incredible 
With the power of today’s mobile processors and Android 2.1 OS, these are no longer just smartphones, rather ultra-mobile personal computers.
From Engadget.com:
“Android Forums is alight today with fresh HTC Incredible chatter — a phone every Android fan on Verizon is desperately waiting for — and we’ve managed to glean a few more pictures and possible specs out of the mess. It looks like we can expect a half gig of RAM with about 320MB available (roughly the same as what you find on the Nexus One) and an 8 megapixel cam, but interestingly, the phone’s Snapdragon core is apparently underclocked to 768MHz, almost certainly a battery-saving measure on HTC’s part; fortunately, the Sense-powered Android 2.1 firmware is still said to be “blazing fast.” It measures 117.5 x 58.5 x 11.9mm — just a hair narrower, shorter, and thicker than its Nexus One doppelganger, small enough of a difference so that we think it’ll be virtually indistinguishable in person.”
Read on at Engadget or check out the 100+ posts in the AndroidForums.com thread ….
Microsoft’s Courier tablet – video
Mar 8th
Now this is a tablet I’d be highly interested in, Microsoft’s Courier that is “slated” to come out Q3/Q4 this year. Much more functional for productivity than the oversized iPad coming out next month.
From Engadget.com:
“As we’ve heard, the interface appears to be pen-based and centered around drawing and writing, with built-in handwriting recognition and a corresponding web site that allows access to everything entered into the device in a blog-like format complete with comments. We’re also hearing that there will be a built-in camera, and there’s a headphone jack for media playback. Most interestingly, it looks like the Courier will also serve as Microsoft’s e-book device, with a dedicated ecosystem centered around reading.”
Read on at Engadget.com and check out their other video…
Android is taking iPhone’s lunch money
Mar 6th
Very informative article over at DroidDog:
“We told you a couple of days ago that the Apple v. HTC lawsuit is all about Android; that the lawsuit is Apple’s response to Android’s skyrocketing popularity. We now have some data to back that up, and the guys at Cupertino are rightfully worried. Quantcast – a web analytics firm – recently released some juicy statistics. Quantcast tracks mobile web consumption by OS, and they’ve noticed that Android has started taking away market share from the iPhone.”
I personally think the iPhone is now too static; it’s UI is just screens of app icons and doesn’t have the ability to incorporate skins/themes and especially widgets. I won’t get into my disdain for Apple’s closed ecosystem …
Read on at DroidDog and check out the statistics…
