September 2011
1 post
11 tags
Crashes and freezes: Android's growing pains
My love affair with Android has been… tumultuous, to say the least.
I have a first-gen Samsung Vibrant, a Galaxy-S device bought at launch. It currently runs Android 2.2 (FroYo).
The first problem is Android 2.2 itself. Where is my Gingerbread update, Samsung? Should I ask T-Mobile instead? Maybe being stuck on 2.2 is my main issue — and I’m not willing to root/install a...
May 2011
1 post
6 tags
Android 2.2 bugs driving me nuts
I’m one of the biggest Android fanboys there is. I created not one but TWO blogs to talk about Android, bought a G1 two weeks after launch and my current Samsung Vibrant at launch — the first to do so at T-Mobile’s Santa Monica store.
Here’s what I’ve had to deal with in the last 3 months. My phone has Android 2.2 stock, Kernel 2.6.32.9, with LauncherPro.
...
April 2011
1 post
5 tags
Who Killed the Android Launcher?
Android users often rely on 3rd-party home screen replacements to:
(a) Get rid of clumsy GUI customizations (Samsung’s TouchWiz, Motorola’s Motoblur)
(b) Escape Vanilla Hell (or Heaven!)
(c) Get a performance boost
LauncherPro, ADW, Zeam and the recent SPB Shell 3D and Regina Launcher are the popular choices among Android users, especially LauncherPro and ADW. Most are paid, some...
March 2011
3 posts
8 tags
Analyst Peter Misek says Xoom sales are...
Mashable spoke to Analyst Peter Misek of Jefferies & Company about the sales of Motorola Android 3.0 tablet. It turns out they could be better — to say the least:
“Xoom sales have been underwhelming. While marketing has just started we believe MMI will likely have to cut production if it already has not done so. We believe the device has been a bit buggy and did not meet the magic...
6 tags
Android malware: Google is forced to deploy the...
Google recently admitted that 50-plus applications found in the Android Market were infected by the Droid Dream malware. The scary discovery — partly ameliorated by the deployment of Google’s Kill Switch tool — underscores the platform’s vulnerability to such attacks.
Yes, Android is as open as a mobile OS can be. Developers have unmatched freedom to upload and update...
7 tags
Motorola Owners' Forum Details H.264 Limitation on...
It seems the Xoom has a hard time playing high-profile encoded video. Worse yet, it’s a limitation of the Tegra 2 chipset.
Galaxy-S devices like the Galaxy Tab support high-profile encodes via hardware, showing no sign of stuttering. Historically, Samsung has supported high-profile codecs out-of-the-box.
This thread on the official Motorola forums details the whole thing.
February 2011
3 posts
9 tags
Android Community: Sprint suspends Epic 4G Froyo... →
OS updates are a big part of the Android experience. We all love the new features often delivered via OTA (over-the-air) or Kies updates — speedier 3D graphics, better battery life, wireless hotspot functionality & more.
On the other hand, Android’s endemic fragmentation means that testing each update is a nightmare. Often, the result is delayed updates (Android 2.2 + Galaxy-S...
8 tags
7 tags
Making Android better by pointing out its flaws
Tuesday at 12:20 a.m., my Android phone seriously pissed me off.
An application, now rogue-ish but usually well-behaved, interfered with the legendary DM service. The result was an unrecoverable freeze after each boot.
After 25 minutes of tinkering I figured what was wrong with it — but who says I should have to? NO WAY this would have happened with an iPhone. I can’t imagine what a...