Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II GSM Smartphone 16 GB 8 MP Camera Android WiFi GPS

The Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II is an upgrade to Samsung's already popular Galaxy smartphone line. The main improvements are in the display and in the operating system software which has been optimized to maximize the use of each processor in the dual-core 1Ghz microprocessor that drives the Galaxy.

One key upgrade that Galaxy users will notice right away is the amount of built-in memory, where the former Galaxy came with 8 GB of built-in system memory that could be expanded to 32, the Galaxy S II is equipped with 16 GB from the outset. This means the Galaxy S II can handle more sophisticated applications right from the box. One can add 16 GB or memory on a superSD card for a total of 32 GB easily.

Another key feature is the size. The Galaxy S II is incredibly light, at 4.2 ounces. It is also thin at 0.3 inches and it is 2.6 inches deep. The screen is huge at 4.9 inches and the newly released superAMOLED Plus touchscreen display delivers a more brilliant range of colors than the superAMOLED display that was standard on the Galaxy. For example, greens, reds and blues are more brilliant while the hues for each of those main colors is also brighter. The SuperAMOLED Plus screen also delivers better contrast so that blacks are richer and whites are brighter. This, in turn, leads to text that is easier to read so that if you are using your Galaxy S II for work, you will find your memos are much more visible. Further, texts that you create, whether memos or quick messages, will be easier to read and create.

The superAMOLED Plus lens color palette also allows you to view streaming colors more vividly and, if you watch movies or play games on your Galaxy S II, you will find that the colors each mode is enhanced. The superAMOLED Plus screen operates at high-definition resolution of 800 by 400. It is also equipped with two cameras an 8 MP autofocus rear camera that delivers video at high-definition's native resolution 1080 p at 30 frames per second. It is also equipped with a front 2MP camera that allows enhanced videoconferencing or chatting. The Galaxy S II has 410 minutes of talk time or 610 hours of standby time.

Driven by the Android operating system, as was its predecessor, the Galaxy S II has access to more than 200,000 user-written applications that range from simple apps to complex editors and more. It is apparent from using the Galaxy S II that the base system software - the software that runs under the operating system and makes the Galaxy S II a phone and not just a collection of circuits - has been optimized to take advantage of the two CPUs available in the dual-core microprocessor. This means that you can multitask easily and that when both CPUs are dedicated to the same task, as in when you are gaming, for example, the Galaxy S II is speedier.

Part of that speed, though, comes from the fact that this network-centric device recognizes all of the major 802.11 WiFi standards a/b/g/n. When the Galaxy S II is operating on an HSPA + network, it runs at 21 Mbps, while HSUPA networks allow speeds of up to 5.76 Mbps. So, if each CPU stream is optimized for a specific recognized mode, and each processor is running at that speed, then your network speed will be far faster than you expect.

With a universe of nearly 200,000 apps available, one will find the Galaxy S II can be a useful business or gaming tool. One should find that it is an excellent upgrade that is lighter, quicker and capable.

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommUS

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Interesting Games in Your Android Mobile Phone

The open source Android platform is growing very fast. You can turn your Android smart phone into a pocket entertainment console by installing games. The touch screen and accelerometer sensor give an awesome gaming experience. Thousands of games are available for Android smart phones. For a long time Android had only some rip offs and incomplete games. We could not even compare Android Market with Apple's application store. But the things got changed now.

Most of the Android phones are cheaper than Apple iPhone. Android has a wide selection of smart phones in different price ranges. This lead many people to choose Android phones. Now Android is the most widely used smart phone platform. Because of the popularity of Android, the game developers around the world began to bring their works to this platform. Now Android has a wide selection of great games.

Android market is an application that comes with all Android devices. Users can easily install apps and games from Android market. It has both paid and free applications and games. The apps and games are listed in different categories in Android market. It has featured, top free and top paid apps tabs for easy browsing. The search function in Android market is very helpful to the users. Here is the list of the most interesting Android Games.

Angry Birds

Angry Birds is one of the most popular games. Angry Birds is physics based puzzle game with beautiful graphics. In this game you have to eliminate the evil pigs by slingshots using the birds and retrieve their eggs. You have different types of birds with different abilities to kill the pigs. This is a highly interesting game. There are a lot of Angry Birds fans around the globe. Angry Birds game is free in Android market. This game is available in three versions. The latest update released in December 2011 includes a new chapter named Bird Day Party. It has fifteen levels and updated graphics.

Cut the Rope

Cut the rope is a really interesting puzzle game. In this game your objective is to feed a cute monster. There is a candy is tied with ropes. You have to cut the ropes in a way that the candy would fall directly to the mouth of the hungry monster. This game has awesome cartoon style graphics. Cut the rope is a highly addictive fun game.

Drag Racing

Drag racing game is different from conventional racing games. It is an interesting game between two cars in a straight track. The fastest car between the two wins the game. This game has a wide selection of cars available. The multiplayer option allows you to play with your friends through Internet. By winning the races you can get points. You don't need to steer the car in drag racing. Your performance in this game depends upon timely gear shifts. The game play is easy and simple. Using the points you can buy new cars and upgrade your cars. Drag racing is a highly interesting racing game.

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The List of Best Camera Apps for Android to Enhance Photographs

Currently, there are lots of Android devices which have been loaded with the advanced camera capability. A few of them are already loaded with the high-resolution 12 MP camera, just like the upcoming HTC Vigor as well as Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo. But still there are many customers who usually do not feel completely preferred with the picture or photograph results. Therefore, they may do a search for the 100% free and best camera apps for Android as a way to change or boost their pictures or photos. The following are the examples of the best camera apps for Android smartphones or PC tablets.

Adobe Photoshop Express

This can be probably the most well-known and the best camera apps for Android because it has long been commonly used by either desktop computer or Android handset users for image/photo improving. Fortunately, it is totally 100 % free and this will provide some good functionalities for the needs of image cropping and editing. The functions range from the fast photograph adjusting by utilizing crop, straighten, rotate, flip, and adjust color function. You may also share the photos to the online communities and backup them to Photoshop.com effortlessly as well. This great app is obtainable to download at Android Market.

Pro Paint Camera

The Pro Paint Camera program offers a better image result because it features white balances, 4 filters, 35 cliparts, text fonts, photograph effects, front-facing camera support, instamatic brightness and contrast, silent mode, focus control, including macro, sharing, draw, paint, ISO control (if supported), EXIF, adding your images from the gallery, scene modes, and macro auto-focus. When you're curious about the program, just go to the Android Market and look for it.

Camera Zoom FX

This is one of the 100% free and best camera apps for Android handsets that will deliver the great amount of impressive effects like mirror, art, distort, as well as frame effects. It also offers fantastic editing tools, for example composite yourself along with a movie star, shutter skins option, buddy, borders, fun Props, set filters, anti-banding, white balance, night shot mode, toggle autofocus, timer mode (with voice activation), stable shot along with burst mode.

Photo Album Organizer

Besides, the consumers will need to edit or enhance their pictures, they will likewise need the best camera apps for Android which has the capacity to arrange the photo albums. The Photo Album organizer is amongst the wise decision considering that it offers the quick albums making to obtain a far better photo viewing using your mobile phone. In addition, it possesses the capability to sort and relocate images and hide the albums as well for your privacy matter.

Rangga Cipta Diputra is a writer of various topics, he currently writes for Paseban Portal. He writes reviews, guide and tips about mobile devices, mobile operating systems, mobile apps and so on.

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Are Android Powered Devices on Pace to Surpass Apple's iOS?

Since the debut of the Apple iPhone in 2007, competition in the smart device market has been dismal at best. That is, until the development and marketing of the Android operating system. Focusing on what Apple did well and aiming to change what the iOS platform is lacking, the Android OS has quickly gained praise from users of its Droid devices. Addressing concerns such as the lack of flash and the proprietary nature of the APP store, the Android operating system has appeared to remove the governor from the iOS platform, and has taken a host of users with it in the process. The following article will address the surge of the Android platform and will compare growth in the top 20 markets worldwide.

A major initial selling point to the Android platform is that unlike iOS, Android powered devices can run flash applications. The lack of flash has proven to be a continual hair-puller for most iPhone and iPad users, with most users anticipating the addition on each software update, only to be fooled. Steve Jobs, made it clear before passing that his intentions were to never allow the software on his devices due to inefficiency. In return he developed HTML5 as a more processor friendly application engine. It remains to be seen if Apple will add Flash to its new ramped iPhone and iPad processor or if they will respect the wishes of their legendary CEO and founder. One thing is clear, sales and demand for the Android platform may be in large driven by this disparity.

With 2011 coming to an end, holiday sales and network usage are an accurate indicator of how each market fared in the smart device war. With the iOS still clearly the worldwide leader in overall usage, it was very interesting to see the percentage gain in market proportion drawn by the Android powered devices. In the nation's top 20 markets, Android powered devices reigned in countries like South Korea (the manufacturing site of the Droid) and Sweden. With a 60% increase in growth vs Apple's 30%, it is clear to see that the Android platform is more than here to stay, it may eventually take the title.

While overall growth numbers are staggeringly high, the more impressive number is the total number of smart phone users worldwide. Increasing 12 times since 2009, the smart phone market is one of the largest growth areas on the planet. Driven largely by Apple and Android, the future of personal portable computing and communication is apparently limitless.

For questions regarding this article or iPhone Screen Repair or iPhone 4S Screen Repair please visit our website.

I have been actively following the development of Apple products since the debut of the iPhone in 2007. Since that time I have expanded my interest to the iPad, iPod and competing devices such. In early 2008 I founded an iPhone repair company that expanded its vision to the eventual repair of all Apple branded devices. Since that time I have continued to actively follow the progression of the smart phone market, while actively writing and blogging about the innovations being made worldwide.

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Review: Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus This Is What Android Was Meant To Be

After months of waiting for Verizon to launch the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, it finally landed last week (after a few delays). The internet hype for the Galaxy Nexus had basically made this device out to be the unicorn of Android, it would do and be everything that everyone could have ever wanted in a phone. Then when it launched, Verizon had staff that was not prepared, not enough inventory, and a few service hiccups to make things more difficult. But even with all of the challenges the device has made it's way into the hands of eager buyers, and bloggers and the reviews are starting to come in and everyone has their opinion. Some of those opinions are based on what buyers expected the device to be, some are based on what buyers wanted the device to be. After two weeks with the Galaxy Nexus as our daily driver we felt that it was finally time to throw our hat into the ring and let you know definitively what we our impression of the pure Google Galaxy Nexus phone is.

Unboxing:
The Verizon Galaxy Nexus comes in a plain white box (vanilla even). Inside the box itself is simple red lining, and of course the device itself. Accompanying the device is a 1850 batter, standard micro-usb charger, headphones, and of course instruction manual.

Initial Impressions:
Upon opening the box you see what you've been waiting for all these many months. The Verizon version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Just looking at the device your initial impression is WOW that screen is HUGE. You take it out of the box and feel it in your hands and just can't wait to see what's lurking underneath it's curved exterior.

Once you turn the device on you're greeted with a new boot sequence, that takes some of the queues from the Honeycomb boot sequence. The boot sequence itself shows off the capabilities of the Super Amoled Screen. The blacks are black, the colors are bright and vibrant. After the booting is completed you get your first taste of Ice Cream Sandwich and how the Android OS is going to handle your experience from now on.

Hardware:
After you get passed the screen size, and colors, the first thing you notice is just how light the Galaxy Nexus is in your hands. It's not light in a cheap feeling way, but in a I can't believe how light this is in my hands. The phone also fits in your hand better than you would expect, knowing that it has a 4.65" screen I was expecting it to feel large and awkward but, without having to have space for hard keys the phone isn't bigger than it needs to be and the curved design makes it feel just right in the hand.

The screen and weight of the phone are just two aspects of the phone that make up a device that feels like Samsungs designers went above and beyond to deliver a hardware experience that hasn't been seen or felt before.
The Frame:

There are two simple hard buttons on the sides of the device, on the left side the standard volume rocker, and the right has the power / standby button. The bottom of the device has the Micro-USB port and the headphone jack, other than that the device is clean lines all around the lining of the device.
The Back:

The back panel is something of a bit of debate right now. It's not a traditional hard plastic (or kevlar) shield piece, it's a flexible snap in piece that off the device feels almost flimsy. Once the SIM card and battery are in place and you snap the back in place, it feels more solid than you could imagine on its own. Also the back has slight diamond ridges in it that keep it from feeling slippery or week. Against the palm of your hand you know it's there, and in your fingers you know it's not going to slip or slide out like some of the "smooth" backs on phones like the Thunderbolt or the original Droid.

You also have the 5MP rear facing camera with LED flash, we'll do a full camera write up separately but suffice to say that coming from the 8MP shooter in the HTC Thunderbolt I was initially concerned with what my shots were going to look like, after a week with the phone, I have no reason to carry around a point and shoot camera anymore.
The Front:

The front of the Galaxy Nexus is dominated by its 4.65" curved glass screen. At the top of the device is the in call speaker (which is the only break in the smooth surface) the proximity sensor (below the glass) and the front facing camera. At the bottom of the face, hidden below the glass is a notification LED, which takes a bit of getting used to as it is a departure from the standard top right notification indicator. Right now it lights up white when you get any notification (e-mail, text, missed call, etc) but I can see developers tying their notifications to the led and hopefully changing the color, or the blink rate.

Over all the front just looks sleek and stylish and just showing it to people makes them stop and pay attention.
The Guts:

The Galaxy Nexus is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz, with 1GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. It does not feature an SD or Micro-SD card slot so there is no option for expandable memory. Google is betting that users will utilize cloud storage for a lot of their needs, and since the Galaxy Nexus syncs nicely with Google Music, Google Docs and Picasa, most of your high volume needs are covered.

The processor is snappy and performs tasks with seemingly little effort, switching through apps, screens, multitasking all function without any hiccups. Even running games like the newly released Modern Combat 3 doesn't take a toll on the devices performance.

One hardware feature in the device that has been getting a lot of press is the NFC chip. This is only the second phone in the US to have an NFC chip built in (the Sprint Galaxy S being the first). Unfortunately Google Wallet is not enabled on the device and other than Google Beam there isn't anything available to take advantage of this new addition. It is going to be some time before developers start building apps that make use of NFC due to the lack of devices supporting it right now but the possibilities for it are endless.

Software:

This is where the real beauty of the device starts to shine, with the first tast of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). Everything feels like this is what Google intended when the initially launched Android. Gone are the greens that have accompanied Android since launch and in come the new softer blue that just makes it feel more inviting. The responsiveness of the software is unbelievable, some if this is thanks to the dual-core 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, but the software itself just feels more solid and more worked out than previous versions of Android even Honeycomb.

ICS has made the feel and use of Android more intuitive and cleaner, without taking away any of the abilities or "power" that users have had from the beginning. Switching through screens and apps are done by swiping. Moving and uninstalling apps works the same as on other Android versions, but now you can group apps together into folders by simply dropping them on top of one another. Within folders you can re-arrange apps as you would like and interact with apps, but the folder floats over the homescreen, you still know where you are and you don't feel like you're diving too deep to get to anything.

Individual apps open quickly and you can manage the apps that you have running at any time by clicking on the menu button. This pulls up a side bar that shows all of your recent and running applications similar to the experience on Honeycomb. From this sidebar you can switch between apps easily or close them by simply swiping them. The ability to close apps from within this sidebar is a new and very welcome addition to ICS, I can't tell you how many times on Honeycomb I saw an app and just wanted to close it, but couldn't.

Also knowing that your device is going to be pushed updates from Google so you're going to be on the latest and greatest builds for at least 12 months makes it that much sweeter.

Real World Usage:

What most people want to know is "should I buy the Verizon Galaxy Nexus" and one of the main questions they have is "what about the battery life" well I've been using the device as my daily driver for a week now and felt I could comfortably answer these questions. First and foremost if you're in the market for a new phone or upgrade eligible I recommend that you buy the Galaxy Nexus without even hesitating. This device is everything I was expecting and more, it has made me stop worrying if I was going to run out of battery life, or if I needed to uninstall apps or root my device to make it run smoother and faster.

Day 1:
Day 1 usage was pretty much standard for any new device, initial set up, downloading most used apps (Facebook, Social Scope, Reader etc.), setting up syncing and normal scheduled events. Like all new devices the battery came with a roughly 40% charge to get started, and you can see from the screen shots below how it performed.

Day 2:
Day 2 usage got a little more intense, a lot more app use, web browsing, basically putting the device through the paces to see what it could do. Battery usage was better than Day 1 but it still wasn't phenomenal.

Day 3:
Day 3 was more of standard usage, calls, emails, browsing, app use, downloading apps and more tweaks to settings. Battery use with the device switching automatically between 3G/4G and utilizing WiFi when needed was pretty impressive especially considering the screen and the processor.

Day 4:
Day 4 continued with standard use and no real changes to settings. Again utilizing standard 3G/4G setting with the device automatically detecting the strongest signal and utilizing WiFi when needed.

Day 5:
Day 5 we ran in to a bit of a hiccup with Google Currents, it was constantly running and constantly trying to sync and stay active, it used a lot of battery and put a big drain on the device. Once Currents was un-installed everything turned back to normal and we feel comfortable with the battery life. We're seeing 14 hours of battery life on a regular basis with standar d usage.

Overall Impressions:
My overall impression of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is that this is everything that Google intended Android to be. The hardware is great, light, and responsive. The OS, Ice Cream Sandwich is fluid and smooth it's intuitive and user friendly more consumer facing than any other version of Android to date and definitely takes the fight to Apple in terms of simplicity and "just working."

There are a few bugs to iron out and we'll get in to some of those in other posts but this device is a definite buy if you're in the market for a new smartphone. Even if you weren't on Android before this is a device that you should seriously consider switching for. Besides the bells and whistles of it being a pure Google experience device, you get the benefit of Verizons 4G network (where available) which is faster than anything on the market and makes living mobile an actual reality.

Ryan Carroll is a technology enthusiast interested who shares his opinions and insights of technology through his blog http://www.techstify.com/. He founded his blog after seeing other technology blogs and feeling that they did not provide the insight that he was looking for when it came to technology, video games and phones.

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Things to Look for in an Android Phone

Even a couple of years ago, when you talked about an Android phone, people would raise their eyebrows, wondering what on earth you were talking about. The scenario, however, has changed a lot these days. Android cell phones have become overwhelmingly popular because of their attractive, powerful and user-friendly features. However, like any other cell phone, an Android phone is not all similar. Each handset comprises a different set of features as an Android mobile phone has a open-natured platform.

So, anytime you decide to buy an Android phone, keep the following things in mind so that you can buy the best phone within your budget.

Carrier

Most of the major service providers or carriers offer Android mobile phones. Choosing the right service provider is perhaps a more important task than selecting a specific type of phone. This is because, even when you own the best Android phone, it's unlikely to be of any use if your carrier gives a lousy service. Remember that even the biggest carrier may have a few dead spots in some coverage areas. Identifying such dead spots is the key to your Android phone purchase as you're unlikely to buy a device which offer poor signal strength in the area you live. You can ask your friends about the best carrier. You can also ask a service provider to give you a trial offer so that you can check out the service. If you're unsatisfied, you can return it.

4G service

This is another important thing to consider when you decide to buy an Android handset. Several service providers offer a high-speed 4G connection. This is very essential as Android mobile phones were the first devices to run the 4G network. Purchasing an Android device that has not 4G connection is almost like buying no Android phone at all.

Design

While the design of an Android phone may not be an important aspect when compared to its features or functionality, many buyers still consider it while buying a mobile phone. Such buyers prefer a phone that's fashionable and stylish. Some buyers are more practical and want the Android phone to complement their present lifestyle. For instance, those who are constantly traveling between two places would want a handset that offers more portability than a heavy or a bulky one. Besides, you would also want to have a look at the keypad of the phone. While some handsets offer full QWERTY keypads, others may be full touch screen devices that don't require a keypad at all. While a touch screen device undoubtedly looks suave, it's unlikely to offer the ease of usability that a cell phone with a full keypad is likely to offer. Other design aspects of the phone include the screen size and its resolution. Several Android phones have big screens measuring above 4 inches while many others have a smaller screen. Whatever it may be, the resolution must be clear and crisp.

Keep the above points in mind when you buy an Android phone.

Go for the cheap mobile phones, search cheap contract phones & cheap mobile phone deals.

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Benchmark Tests for Android Devices: Explained in Detail

Of late, you would have been hearing about benchmark tests like 'Quadrant', 'Nenamark', 'Linpack', 'Browsermark' etc. being performed on smartphones and tablets and avid tech enthusiasts eagerly comparing how all these latest devices are competing against each other. We'll explore what these benchmark tests are, the reason for them becoming popular and the various benchmark tests in this article.

What are benchmark tests?

In computing, a benchmark is the act of running a set of computer programs for the purpose of assessing the relative performance of an object. So, benchmarking in smartphones and tablets is usually associated with assessing the performance characteristics of the smartphones' and tablets' hardware. But, that doesn't mean there aren't any software benchmark tests. Please understand that these tests are being performed only to compare the relative performance of the devices and in no way can be used to conclude how smooth or how fast the actual user experience will be.

Why have these benchmark tests become popular for smartphones and tablets?

Each and every smartphone and tablet that is being released into the market today has almost the same components: a CPU (Central Processing Unit / Microprocessor / Core), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an Instruction Set, RAM (Random Access Memory), Display containing a particular amount of resolution, Internal Flash Memory etc. Almost all the benchmark tests can run successfully on these devices and gauge the performance of these in-built components. The relevance of some of these tests significantly gains weight when we factor in the 'Operating System' that is run on the devices.

What are the various benchmark tests that are relevant to the smartphones and tablets?

The following tests are relevant

QuadrantLinpackNenamark 1Nenamark 2JavascriptBrowsermarkGL 2.1NeocoreAnTuTuVellamo

Quadrant

'Quadrant' is a product of 'Aurora Softworks'. It is nothing but a series of tests performed on a mobile device which benchmark the CPU, Memory, I/O and 2D/3D graphics. The 'Standard Quadrant' is free for Android Users who can download the application from the 'Android Market' and run it on their devices. The benchmark provides an overall score which can be compared with the benchmark scores from the other devices. If you overclock your CPU, this will obviously get reflected in the benchmark test in a better score. If you want a reference point for your device, the 'Samsung Galaxy Note' has one of the highest, or probably, the highest Quadrant score of 3624 (without overclocking).

Linpack

The Linpack benchmark is a measure of the system's floating point computing power. Introduced by Jack Dongarra, it measures how fast a device can solve a dense N-by-N system of linear equations. This benchmark was originally designed to run on supercomputers in the 1970's. So, you can imagine how advanced the device in your hand is today. You can download this application from the 'Android Market' and check the strength of the CPU in your device. The results are designated in MFLOPS (Millions of Floating Point Operations per Second).

Nenamark 1

The first iteration of the 'Nenamark' benchmark test was designed to test the strength of the GPU (The above two tests, Quadrant and Linpack, measure the strength of the CPU). Nenamark 1, designed to run around 10-15 fps (frames per second), uses programmable shaders for graphical effects such as reflections, dynamic shadows, parametric surfaces, particles and different light models to push the GPU to the limits. Results are designated in FPS.

Nenamark 2

'Nenamark 1' had been released an year ago and since then, the smartphones have become a lot more capable with refresh rates of their screens crossing 60 fps. So, the 'Nenamark 1' was not deemed very effective to test such devices and hence Nenamark 2 had been conceptualized. Results are designated in FPS.

JavaScript

'Sunspider JavaScript' is a benchmark that aims to measure the JavaScript performance on tasks relevant to the current and near future use of JavaScript in the real world, such as encryption and text manipulation. In other words, the test simulates real-world usage of JavaScript on Websites. The results are reported in milliseconds (ms). If you want a reference point for your device, the 'Samsung Galaxy Nexus' has one of the best scores: 1879 ms.

Just remember that the more you score on 'Quadrant', 'Linpack', 'Nenamark 1' and 'Nenamark 2', the better. The lesser you score on 'JavaScript', the better.

Broswermark

Rightware, recently spun off from Futuremark, has introduced the 'Browsermark' benchmark test in order to compare the browsers of various smartphone devices. The test measures a browser's performance in JavaScript and HTML rendering. The test results are reported in numbers. If you want a reference point for your device, currently, among the smartphones, the 'Samsung Galaxy Nexus' has the highest reported browsermark score of 98272.

GL 2.1

The 'GL Benchmark' is a 3D benchmarking program designed to test how well your phone can reproduce 3D scenes and images. So, this benchmark test is actually a test of the strength of the GPU of your smartphone/tablet device. Currently, the Power VR SGX 543 MP2 is the leader in the GPU department and its stamina is reflected in the GL Benchmark tests. Please note that the GL Benchmark test is a combination of several other benchmark tests whose results are reported in 'FPS' (Frames Per Second) and 'mS' (milli Seconds).

Neocore

Neocore is another GPU benchmarking test which benchmarks the Open GL ES-1.1 graphics performance. The results of this benchmark test are reported in FPS.

AnTuTu

AnTuTu can run a full test of a key project, through the "Memory Performance", "CPU Integer Performance", "CPU Floating Point Performance", "2D 3D Graphics Performance", "SD card reading/writing speed", "Database IO" performance. A Total score is reported once you run this benchmark. If you want a reference point for your device, "Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime" with a score of 12872 has the highest score till date.

Vellamo

Vellamo, a benchmark test originally developed by Qualcomm, is a mobile web-browser benchmark that provides a holistic view into browser performance by measuring each component systematically, providing results for CPU and memory, scrolling, JavaScript, HTML 5, canvas rendering speed and network access. So, it is similar to the 'Rightware Browsermark' test.

For staying updated on the latest developments in the field of technology visit 'The GadgetCrat': http://www.thegadgetcrat.in/

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Great Apps For Android Cellphone

Navigating android market can be complicated, with unclear descriptions, doubtful user reviews, and often buggy apps. Here are a few searched best apps available you can use on your android cellphone.

Tracking:

Locale

This is a $1 app in the android market that lets you form location-based missions. For instance, you can have your android phone's Wi-Fi turn on when you arrive at home, or have the cellphone quiets itself once you arrive at your work place. The app provides a great way to automate slight tasks, affording you a few extra battery time and the discomfiture of having an exaggeratedly noisy ringtone start out in the middle of a meeting.?

Wunderlist

Wunderlist is a free?app in the android market that syncs your to-do lists in all your devices, which means you'll always have your errands with you. You'll also be sent regular emails by Wunderlist when you are close to a cut-off date, these applies to those who don't check the app often.?(It's also optimized for android tablets).

Springpad

Springpad is also a free?android app that creates reminders and notes about books you'd like to buy, movies you'd like to watch or just various events you'd like to remember. Springpad puts together your shopping lists while you quickly build checklists and examine barcodes to keep tabs of items you'll want in the future.

Entertainment:

Minecraft Pocket Edition

This is a $7 app that lets you kill time on the go; Minecraft Pocket Edition is a very wanting game to play. Even though the app doesn't include the Survival Mode that runs in the desktop version, its Create Mode allows you to mine and construct to your heart's content (optimized for android tablets).

Reckless Racing

This is a $3?app and one of the top-looking racing games offered for android cellphones, and it runs dozens of courses to pick from, some are hidden shortcuts (an added advantage if you're familiar with them). Then, after you've broaden your skills, you can compete with friends and strangers to an online multiplayer contest and check out who's really is the top reckless racer.?

StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon is another free app that allows you "channel surf" the Web to locate things that are significant to your likes. Listing the topics that interest you, StumbleUpon app will recommend sites to match your list. With Android powered devices, the app will even suggest other apps that are already installed in your android phone ?(also optimized for tablets).

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Cheap Android Phone Deals - It's Time to Grab a Smartphone

Today, Android is the best operating system for mobile devices due to several reasons. Mobile manufacturing companies like HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola are working on this open source operating system in their products. Now Android 4.0 Ice cream sandwich is available in the market and mobiles are getting updated from Android 2.3 Gingerbread to Android 4.0. Android tool a very little time in this upgrade and it clearly shows the craze of this Operating system in the market. Cell phone manufacturing companies have clearly showed their intention in developing updated version of this feature packed OS.

Anyway, if you are already a fan of Android do not worry too much for running out of budget. Samsung Galaxy S II, Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S, Motorola Droid RAZR, Samsung Google Nexus may already have secured their places in your heart. You may be keen to have one such highly configured Smart phones for you but you may be bit worried seeing their price tag. Let me tell you, it is the best time for you to find Android phone deals as there are plenty of cheap deals going around the market each day and you may grab one such suitable deal for you.

I have seen people opting for offline cheap Android deals when there are plenty of online deals available. Online deals are always beneficial for you in all respect. You register online, pay online and get access to one amazingly cheap mobile contract. There is no retailer between you and the company. Hence, the charges are considerably less and you save money from an online deal.

Cheap Android phone deal comes with Android driven Smart phones as said earlier. Since such Smart phones come with awesome features monthly charges are always in the higher side. You have to pay bills separately for calls, texts and data usage. It is always better if you find all these under one umbrella. As for example you may be purchasing a monthly plan of 31 Pounds with Vodafone and getting 600 FREE minutes, FREE unlimited texts and access to one of the best Smart phones, Samsung Galaxy Nexus. There are plenty more offers available on your favorite network. You get less monthly rentals, free calls, free texts, less data transfer charges etc.

Finally, I can say cheap Android phone deals are prepared in such ways that you always get more than what you pay. There was a time when mobile charges were high and we used to get less by paying more. Now it is the time to cash in, we will pay less and will get more through cheap Android phone deals.

Android phones are costly but cheap Android phone deals may get you an exciting brand new phone in considerably cheap price. Find quick deals here: http://www.mobiledealsfreegifts.co.uk/android-phone-deals/

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Beginner's Guide To Managing Android Phone Movie Collection

You've just seen a preview of one of those breathtaking Hollywood movies and you're wondering how to place your movie assortment on your brand-new tablet or android phone for some on-the-move video greatness? Here are a few guidelines on how you can rip your Blu-ray and DVDs movies, transfer them in HandBrake, as well as sync your iTunes buys.

Sitting down on your lovely couch at home to watch a movie on your television set or a home theater computer is quite an easy process. You just need to insert the disc or click to open the file, and your movie is ready to be viewed. However, if you're a new android phone or tablet owner, having your Hollywood movie collection with you can be a very difficult process. In any case you lack an optical drive on your new tablet, and often most smartphones don't play sufficiently with video files maybe you apply an appropriate file format and superior resolution. Below, we've prepared a collection to take you through some of the difficult steps involved in having your movies in portable devices from your DVDs.

To begin with, you'll need to know how to rip your Blu-ray and DVD movies to your computer using MakeMKV and HandBrake respectively; therefore, no need to take your optical drives with you. The two applications which are luckily free will have your movies appear every bit as excellent on your computer as they are on the huge screen display.

Subsequently, you'll need to know how to utilize HandBrake to change movie files (from either downloads or maybe you own rips) into a resolution and format that your android phone or tablet PC can play.

Lastly, if you've perhaps previously been alternating around from one computer to another, you could have difficulties syncing iTunes Library buys. Well, if that's the case, then, you'll most likely need to allow your new computer to access your iTunes account and then unauthorized your old PC before you can actually begin syncing all your iTunes items.

Evidently, advanced computer users who are already familiar with nitty-gritty of every device they own be it a tablet PC or a smartphone they won't find these guidelines necessary, but for your family and friends who happen to picking up tablets or android phones lately, then they should consider filing this package for future reference to help guide them through every process step-by-step.

I'm currently working with Merimobiles a web retail shop with obsessive daily featured, coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics. At http://www.merimobiles.com/ we not only feature and retail new gadgets, but we also give comprehensive review on such electronics and how to get the best affordable electronics in the market, find what your pocket can afford at http://www.merimobiles.com/

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Taking Quality Pics on Your Android

When the first Android debuted a few years back, smart phone cameras were promising but still very rudimentary. Things have changed quite a bit since then. Nowadays, Android cameras can match or exceed the capabilities of many point and shoot cameras in terms of picture quality and features. Still, taking amazing photos with an Android isn't always a cakewalk. Despite the advanced features of many built-in phone cameras, they're still not quite as good as true stand alone models. Here are a few helpful tips to take the best photos possible with your Android.

Ditch The Digital Zoom
While it may seem like a terrific idea at first, the zoom function on your camera is actually a hindrance to taking good photographs. That's because of the way your phone's camera is set up. The optics are fixed, so it doesn't have a telephoto lens like a traditional digital camera. What that means is that your on-board camera uses digital zoom to merely enlarge the size of each pixel in the image you capture. That leads to fuzzy pictures that aren't crisp and clear. If you're taking a picture of something far away, just move closer.

Use Your Flash
Obviously, your LED flash is great for taking photos in low-light environments or at night. But many neglect to use it during the day for better pictures. In extremely sunny conditions outdoors, bright overhead light creates a lot of shadows on your subject. Using your flash to "fill" the shadowy areas makes for better daytime photos. You'll notice sharper details right away when you start using the flash in daytime shots. The only downside is reduced battery life, so use it sparingly.

Improve Your Software
Your camera's default photography application may be fine for basic shots, but there's plenty of software on the Android Market to help you take get the most out of your hardware. CameraZOOM FX is an award-winning app that can help you take pictures in even the most challenging situations. Big Camera Button is another nifty application that helps you to avoid taking shaky photos. It's an application that allows you to take pictures by simply tapping your screen rather than pushing an actual button on the side of your phone.

Final Thoughts
While smart phone camera technology has improved steadily with each passing year, how well your digital photos come out still depends heavily on environment. In other words, you'll probably still want to carry at least a point and shoot compact with you for more difficult shots. But the day is fast approaching when entry-level cameras will be all but obsolete. Until that day arrives, these tips should serve you well in taking the best photos possible with your Android.

Britney Fuller is a writer who enjoys writing on a number of different verticals. For more on Android apps, BD Techie offers readers information on note-taking on your Android.

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New Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Features That Make Your Phone a Joy to Use

A complete and harmonious combination of two substances can create a complete and beautiful result. In like manner, the natural sweetness of Android 3.0 Honeycomb and the crispy layers of Android 2.3 Gingerbread have resulted in a new, tastier treat for Android smartphones and Android tablets--Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Google has been aiming to unite the multiple Android versions into just one version so that one and only one Android runs on whatever device--be it an Android smartphone, Android tablet, Android portable media player, Android TV, Android watch, or wherever else the little green robot can make waves.

What glad tidings does Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) bring to its users? What better experiences can we expect from it? Read on to know more about how Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is being true to Google's description of it: "the best Android we've ever made yet."

Multi-tasking Button

Android 4.0 includes a virtual button that allows you to browse and instantly switch to apps you recently used. The list displays thumbnail images of apps--instead of just icons--so you can see which part of the apps are currently working in the background.

And, if you want to throw away or discard an item on the list, simply flick the thumbnail in order to remove it from the list.

Instant Screenshots with Button Press

There are many instances in which you'd like to share to others what is currently displayed on your screen. There are also times when you just need to save a screenshot for later use. In previous versions of Android, you could take screenshots by installing apps for that purpose. In Android 4.0, it's a built-in feature.

By holding the Power and Volume Down buttons together, your Android smartphone lets you capture screen images instantly.

Improved Notification Bar

There are several improvements that Google has done to the Notification Bar in Android 4.0. For instance, it can now be pulled down from the Lock Screen. Another is that you can discard items from the list of notifications by simply flicking an item to the right. This means that you can remove items on the Notification Bar one by one.

In previous versions of Android, it's either you clear all notifications with one tap or you leave all of them untouched.

The Notification Bar no longer shows a grid layout of recently used apps. Instead, in Ice Cream Sandwich, those apps are shown as a vertical-scrolling strip of app thumbnails. You can also directly control music playback right on the Notification Bar.

Improved Text and Voice Input

The stock keyboard in Android 4.0 has been given more love. It is now faster and more responsive compared to previous versions of Android. The suggestion strip is more accurate now and also includes an in-line spell checker. With one tap, you can select suggested words or add new words to the dictionary.

Copy-and-paste functionality has also been made easier. Just tap and hold down on the selected word, and drag the handles to highlight the selected words. Then you can select "Copy and Paste" from the popup menu, or simply drag the highlighted chunk of text to wherever you wish to insert it.

Google has also incorporated voice-to-text input in Ice Cream Sandwich. Just speak, and the phone converts your spoken words into text. It's a great way to easily and effortlessly "type" text. With Ice Cream Sandwich, voice input is more accurate and can also translate expressions into symbols.

It also accounts for pauses, so you don't have to press anything while thinking of an appropriate response.

Face Unlock

Say goodbye to passwords, PIN codes, and patterns. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has personalized phone unlocking much further. With the new Face Unlock feature, an Android smartphone or Android tablet can now recognize the face of its owner.

Just by focusing your face clearly on the secondary front-facing camera of your device, you can unlock your phone instantly. No typing needed. No need to remember passwords. Just look into the camera and let the device recognize you.

Data Usage Monitoring

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich also includes a new graphical display of the data your Android phone is using. You can set warnings for exceeding data usage limits, as well as set how much background data each app can use. Users can have more control over their Android device with this neat option in ICS.

Android 4.0 also comes with improved apps, which can be categorized into three: the core apps (i.e., Google mobile apps such as Android Browser, Gmail, and Calendar), Photos, and People.

Android Beam

Support for Near Field Communication (NFC) is baked into Android 4.0, and Google has made sure that Ice Cream Sandwich has a ready app to leverage the technology.

Called Android Beam, the app revolutionizes the way that people share files and data among one another. With NFC and Android Beam, one can send a file to another user simply by bringing two Android phones close to each other and tapping the phones against each other. Any file can be shared in this manner--photos, documents, maps, apps, bookmarks, and so on.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich surely packs a fresh new look and exciting new features that will truly make your device perform better as a smartphone. With Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich soon replacing the older versions of Android on recent Android smartphones, these new features will eventually start a new wave of more convenient and more efficient use of Android smartphones and Android tablets.

Eager to know more about Android smartphones and Android tablets? Or, perhaps, you already own one and want to know what else that intelligent device can do to make your life just a little bit short of paradise? Learn more about Android smartphones and read Android news at AndroidTidBits.com.

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Top 3 Design Improvements in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Google's latest update to its world-famous Android mobile operating system includes not just a strengthening of the operating system itself but also an overall redesign of the elements in its user interface.

If you loved the easy and user-friendly interface of either Android 2.3 Gingerbread or Android 3.0 Honeycomb, you will also love the new improvements in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which supposedly brings together the best elements of Gingerbread and Honeycomb.

Here are the three top design improvements that Google implemented in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Typography That's Easy on the Eyes

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will enchant users with an Android that is completely redone and made over--starting with its typeface called Roboto, which is used all over the various screens and widgets.

Roboto is a sans-serif typeface introduced in the latest Android 4.0 operating system. Google described it as a "modern, yet approachable" font. Despite having been criticized for imitating more popular and well-established typefaces such as Helvetica, Univers, or Myriad, the new typeface in ICS does make reading text easy on an Android smartphone.

It is the very typeface that appears in Ice Cream Sandwich's magazine-type design ethos--big pictures, bold headlines, lots of resting spaces for the eyes (called "white space" in publication parlance).

The Lock Screen in Android 4.0, for instance, reeks of Roboto all around. The digital clock is in Roboto. The day, date, and charging information are in Roboto. Roboto is splattered all over Ice Cream Sandwich. Apart from Roboto on the Lock Screen, Google has also updated the live wallpaper on the lock screen--it now shows rich but subtle animations of blue orbs rising skywards.

New Home Screen

In any Android smartphone or tablet, the Home screen is where everything begins. Unlocking the phone brings you to the Home screen, with an analog clock in the middle of the screen and some virtual buttons below. Ice Cream Sandwich offers a new, innovative way to interact with the device. Virtual buttons have been integrated into the system, and they hide when they know they are not needed. Thus, you get a bigger viewing area with those buttons out of way as you browse the Web with your Android phone or while watching movies or videos.

The Home screen is not only the starting place from where you can run your applications. It is also a place for your widgets, giving you access to important information without the need to go anywhere. And, widgets in ICS, just like in Honeycomb are resizable. You can make them as big as you want, or as small as you want. They are your widgets, and Android 4.0 allows you to have your way with them.

Adding widgets in ICS is also faster and easier. With the widget tab, you can easily locate your widgets, or pick and drag those that you want to drop on your Home screen. With better widgets, ICS gives you that breath of fresh air when it comes to adding your personal touch and customizing your Android phone and its Home screen.

Folders and Favorites Tray

You can think of folders as containers, just like real-life folders, that allow you to group and organize printed documents. In Android 4.0, you can group your favorite apps, contacts, and more into folders. All it takes is dragging and dropping icons from another folder to another. Easy breezy organization and management with folders.

Also, with Android 4.0, you can now customize your Favorites Tray at the bottom of the screen. If you have placed your favorite apps inside one folder, and you want them to be instantly accessible regardless of which screen you're viewing, just place them in the Favorites Tray.

These three design features are not just eye candy. They are meant to be functional improvements whose chief goal is to make Android 4.0 easier and more pleasurable to use. With these improvements in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, users of Android smartphones and Android tablets will get the best of both Gingerbread and Honeycomb.

Eager to know more about Android smartphones and Android tablets? Or, perhaps, you already own one and want to know what else that intelligent device can do to make your life just a little bit short of paradise? Get some TidBits of Android news and reviews at AndroidTidBits.com.

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Son or Daughter Has an Android Mobile Phone and They're Using It Inappropriately While in School?

The more variables your kids are exposed to that you are unaware of add to the dangers they face and mobile phones add a whole host of new variables. Are your kids viewing porn with the Androids internet connection? It is extremely critical for parents to be able to monitor their kids cell phone activity and be aware of what they do, how do they communicate and where they go. The RIGHT Android cell phone monitor program installed to their mobile lets you have full view of your kids activities and life.

Spy and control software lets you know EVERYTHING your kids are doing but it runs totally in stealth so they won't ever know. If your child needs your intervention at least you can thank God you have the knowledge of knowing this. If you let your son or daughter know their cell phone is being watched it will tend to elicit better behavior from them in the first place.

Android parental control software is perfect solution to meet the needs of all parents. This type of mobile phone app for parental monitoring of your kids cell phones will let you see EVERY piece of communication that enters and exits their cell phone.

The setting up of this type of application on their cell phone is so simple it literally take less than five minutes. Actual install of the parental software takes only a couple of minutes and configuring of the programs settings is done at the parental app web site/members area. You only have to access your kids mobile phone one time and one time only to install the parental application to their mobile.

All the configuration changes are done by logging on to your online account. Any time you want see every phone call and text message sent and received as well as know their exact physical location at any time with a special SMS command. Things you can control with their mobile include turning the cell phone on or off at certain times, block specific website or types of web sites, block certain phone numbers.

With all the features and options a price of $100 or more would be reasonable but prices of this type of parental control application starts at around $39. Don't want you children to know this has been installed? No problem - just use the monitor part and not the control part and it will be your secret.

Cell Phone Sheriff is a parental control and monitor application that gets great reveiws at Cell Spy Review sites

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A Slew of Extra Powerful Apps Baked Into Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Android is not just an operating system that runs underneath a user interface. It is also a suite of well-integrated apps that make it possible for users to use the various hardware capabilities of their Android smartphones and Android tablets.

In the latest version recently released--Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich--Google has further fortified not just the operating system but also the apps that come along with it. In this post, you will get an overview of some of the most important apps that Google drastically revamped in Android 4.0.

Better Web Browsing

For faster browsing, Android 4.0 includes a tabbed browser, which offers you quick previews of Web pages and allows you to swiftly switch from one open tab to another.

The browser can save up to 16 tabs and you can remove unused tabs with a simple flick gesture. Plus, it can also automatically sync Chrome bookmarks on your desktop with your Android phone. No need to install additional apps to sync your bookmarks on your device.

By default, the new browser in Android 4.0 opens mobile versions of Web pages. But, it also gives you the option to switch to the full desktop versions of the same Web pages.

The browser also now includes the option for saving Web pages for offline reading, as well as accessibility features, a history of most visited pages, and an incognito mode for private browsing.

Next-level Gmail

The new Gmail in Android 4.0 displays two-line previews of each email--so you'll get a quick preview of what each email contains.

The new Gmail app also includes an action bar below each message. The action bar provides quick access to the most common actions that you perform on your messages. The app allows you to swiftly browse through your emails by swiping from left to right.

Another interesting feature is Gmail's offline search. The new Gmail app allows you to search within emails within the last 30 days without your having to go online.

Easier Calendar App

The new Calendar app features a simpler and more readable design, which makes it easy for you to follow your everyday schedules.

It also features pinch-to-zoom functions, which allows you to display more details or just the overview of each day just by pinching the screen with your thumb and forefinger.

Photo Snapping and Editing Made Better

Android 4.0 features a drastically revamped Camera app that has zero shutter lag, which allows you to capture precious moments faster.

Users can also now enjoy panoramic photo shooting. Such camera mode allows you to sweep the camera in one smooth motion to capture a subject in panorama mode.

The new Photos app in Android 4.0 also makes photo sharing much easier. Just click on a photo and choose where to share it--either on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter.

The Camera app now includes built-in photo editing tools never before seen in any previous build of Android. So, with Android 4.0, you can now directly edit, crop, or filter your photos right on your Android phone or Android tablet.

The Gallery app has also been given a total makeover. It has been redesigned to display big pictures, with labels rendered in the Roboto font. The layout this time is more magazine-like. Photos are also automatically sorted not just by album but also by geo-location or by custom tags.

Other cool new features in the Camera app are Continuous Focus, Zoom While Recording, Time Lapse, and Video Snapshots--all of which make your Android phone's camera more powerful than ever.

People App Centered on People

The heavily redesigned People app now, more than ever, places stronger emphasis on improved communication, interaction, and faster sharing of information.

The People app goes beyond a mere list of contacts. The People app now shows a wider range of information about your contacts--phone numbers, addresses, social networking sites that they hang out in, and much more

Just like the photos in the Gallery, your contacts are now shown in the People app in a magazine-style layout. Each contact's page displays a high-quality photo of the contact and the contact's most recent social networking updates.

The People app also supports voice mail retrieval much better, and also provides a non-offensive way to reject incoming calls from your contacts.

With this new and heavily improved suite of apps in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, one can be sure that using an Android smartphone or an Android tablet with Android 4.0 will be nothing less than pleasurable and convenient.

Eager to know more about Android smartphones and Android tablets? Or, perhaps, you already own one and want to know what else that intelligent device can do to make your life just a little bit short of paradise? Get some TidBits of Android reviews and news at AndroidTidBits.com

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The iPhone 4S Achieves Superb Sales For October But Android May Dominate November

In October we saw the launch of the eagerly awaited iPhone 4S. This new dual core handset offers users a host of great features including the impressive Siri voice recognition system. We take a look at how sales of this model have compared against Android, the current market leader.

Apple increased their market share in the UK in October to 27.9% thanks to the launch of this exciting new model. In that month alone Apple handsets accounted for 42.8% of UK sales for all mobile platforms. This figure eclipses the 35% share achieved by Android, the current market leader and nearest rivals to the Apple brand. Data research company Kantar Worldpanel Comtech released the figures which also illustrate that a massive 44.8% of the UK public currently own a smartphone. Dominic Summeno, a spokesperson for the company commented "The October launch of the hugely anticipated iPhone 4S has catapulted Apple into second place among operating systems based on the last 12 weeks of sales. However, if you just look at the month of October, Apple took a whopping 42.8% share of all smartphone sales, giving it a significant lead over Android". Another figure that has emerged is that of all of the new iPhone 4S purchases 75% were by people who had previously owned an iPhone. This illustrates that the company have established tremendous brand loyalty and this bodes well for future handset releases such as the anticipated iPhone 5 in 2012.

Although October was a huge month for Apple and the iPhone 4S we can expect November to be a much more balanced month with several manufacturers choosing to release key Android handsets in this period. Samsung look likely to achieve great success with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The previous flagship model released by the company, the Galaxy S2, proved an international success and quickly became the best selling handset of 2011. The improved specification of the Galaxy Nexus should see this model quickly become one of the leading phones available. HTC have also impressed with their efforts over the past month. With the Sensation XL and XE models the company have not only developed two superb smartphones but also ones which offer audio facilities that surpass all of their rivals thanks to the incorporation of Beats Audio technology. With a huge proportion of the UK public using their phone as a portable audio player we can also expect these two models to be challenging the market leaders.

The iPhone 4S has been a massive success since its release. The UK figures for October surpass what industry experts predicted but we should see Android fight back over the next two months thanks to the excellent releases from Samsung and HTC.

The iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus are available now

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What's New in Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich

Android's latest version, Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), has been out just over a month now. Since this version will be available on mobile phones as well as tablets, the market has seen a lot of great devices that are ready to take advantage of the new features that are available in 4.0. Many of these updates are simply upgrades to some of the already existing features in the operating system. This article talks about what these new features are all about.

New Typeface

The old font, "Droid Sans" is out and a new font, "Roboto" is in. Roboto is a typeface designed for the small, high-resolution screens that mobile phone and tablet users have and brings a slick, updated feel to the interface.

Spell-Checker

In ICS, the dictionary and spell-checking have been updated for better error correction and word suggestion. They have tried to improve the identification of double-typed characters, missing spaces and skipped letters. Word suggestion will now only show three words at a time in the suggestion strip. Spell-checker is probably the best improvement in this group since it will now underline misspelled words and suggest replacement words. You can also add words to the dictionary if it is not recognized.

Screenshots

Taking screenshots is often an important feature for some users and now you do not need to tamper with your Android device or install third-party apps in order to take them. You can now take a screenshot by holding down the volume down key and the power button. This will capture the screen and put it in your photos.

Voice Commands

Android 4.0 now has the capability to receive voice commands. You can use the talk-to-text feature to give your phone commands or dictate text messages.

Updated Camera

While previous versions of Android's camera were lacking, there have been some great improvements with 4.0 that were gained with some help from Samsung. The camera was also the area where the most upgrades are happening. ICS devices will now have 1080p video, the shutter lag has been removed, easier photo and video sharing, tap-to-focus, face detection, photo filters, and a photo-stitching panorama mode that allows you to move the camera to take one continuous picture.

Many of these features have been long-awaited by Android fans. There is even various photo editing tools to clean up your pictures and easier ways to share with Google+, text message, Bluetooth, Email and Picasa.

Better Browser

The standard browser is the new Chrome mobile Web browser that syncs bookmarks with other versions of Chrome that you have on your desktop or laptop as well as other mobile/tablet devices. The browser can now save pages for offline reading which is great when you are on the road and unsure of your signal availability. Chrome mobile has been updated greatly for speed and now has the capability to open up to 16 tabs for your multi-tasking pleasure.

Android Bump

Sharing information with other Android devices has become a lot easier with a secure Near Field Communication (NFC) app called Android Bump. Based on the NDEF Push technology, this application will allow two Android devices to share websites, maps, contacts, applications and play games together.

Copy and Paste

Copy and paste functionality got a re-vamp and is much easier to use. You can now move around whole blocks of text.

This update only shows how committed Google is to making Android the top mobile operating system. As you can see, there are many great new features in Ice Cream Sandwich that make it a top contender in the mobile and tablet market. This also shows that we can expect many more great new things from Android in the future.

Michael Dorf teaches at LearnComputer (learncomputer.com), which offers instructor-led local, online and onsite Android training for companies and public. Our flagship Android Bootcamp course will get you writing Android apps in just FOUR days! There is simply no better way to learn Android!

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Android 101: Tips On How To Use Your Android Phone

That Android operating system on your phone can carry out numerous tasks but it's important to know where to start. Unlike iPhone's cut-and-dried IU, the Android OS affords you ample space to organize and customize. Here's a guide to getting the most out of your Android phone's many included features.

The Desktop

Android's desktop differs slightly compared to other smartphone platforms. With android you command a lot of freedom to customize your Android desktop-and without any limitations to four simple rows of flawlessly aligned square icons. Hence, Android lets you customize your desktop to mirror your likes, including making it as full and dynamic as you'd want it to be.

The Android desktop runs multiple homescreen panels. Although if your handset has a particular overlay such as MotoBlur, or rather a different version of Android, you could have 5-7 home-screen panels.

The first time you power up your phone, what you see is the main homescreen panel. The panel is normally centered, plus you can access extra panels on any side of the main panel through dragging your finger either left or right. You can customize the homescreen according to your preferences. You can make use of the available space with any combination of shortcuts, folders and widgets.

Of course, short-cuts are tiny icons that allow you load apps including other functions on your android phone; they work the same as the ones you'd see on a computer desktop. These shortcut options could do anything (according to your preference settings) from opening a program to connecting to a particular Web page or even initiating a phone call.

To create a shortcut, long press your finger on any open space on your handset's home screen, and choose Shortcuts from the resulting turn-up menu. This is where you should select Applications, for example (to add an app), Direct message or Direct dial (creating a shortcut for texting or calling a friend), Bookmark (to connect to a Web page), and Directions (to activate navigation to a particular destination).

Widgets include dynamic programs that carry out activities right on your homescreen. They carry out various functions-including giving you the latest weather forecast, or letting you play music from your personal stored collection or streaming from the Internet. If you want to accommodate more, you can download extra widgets available on the Android Market.

To add a widget, press and hold your finger on an open space, similar to creating shortcut (above). Although, this time, choose the Widgets option availed from the pop-up menu. Whether you've downloaded anything or not from the Android Market, of course there must be a handful of options included in your phone. Begin by including the Power Control widget; it forms a lovely one-touch toggle management system for you android phone's Bluetooth, WI-Fi, GPS, screen brightness, and data syncing.

Notifications

Android's notification panel places real-time incoming information at your fingertips, regardless which activity you may be undertaking at the moment. Notifications come from different places: voicemail, text messaging, e-mail, social network notifications and news apps. As soon as you receive a new notification, an icon will emerge at the top-left of your phone's screen. Dragging down the panel you'll be able to see detailed information on the notification received.

Try out settings of various apps on your Android phone to see what sort of notifications they provide, and then customize them according to your needs.

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The Top 5 Android Apps

Everyone is always after the 5 Top Android Apps. There are vexed birds, hi-tech video players and even an air guitar app to make you think that people think that you're cool. Well, you're not! Instead of wasting time trying to learn stairway to heaven on a smartphone or downloading a video game that puts you in the driver's seat of a zombie hunter, why don't you fill some of that valuable memory space on some Android apps that will actually do some good!

Here are the Top 5 Android Apps to make everyone's life a little easier to deal with.

1. Pandora Internet Radio: Yes, I'm going with this one first-don't be shocked. Limited commercials, fully-customizable channels by artist and genre, and never ending rocking tunes! This simple app can save you frayed nerves in long car rides and long dentist office waits. Not to mention that you can hook your phone up to humongous speakers and rock out around the house as well!

2. Fooducate: Ths app has over 250,000 stored UPCs in its database. Here's how it works: You walk through a grocery store trying to find something healthy to feed the family. The nutritional panel on the back is full of ancient, Sumerian writing and is more confusing than a codex from the Davinci Code. What do you do? You scan the UPC and Fooducate tells you precise, easy to understand nutritional information.

3. Shazam: You can be the cool guy or girl who can always tell you what song your hearing but can never quite remember the name of. Shazam will recognize the song and even give you an opportunity to purchase the song through Amazon MP3. Hey, and tag the song where you heard for nostalgia!

4. Yahoo! Mail: Again, keeping it simple. Do you have multiple email accounts or just one important one? Having Yahoo! mail at your fingertips is more convenient than you know. Get all of your important messages from friends, family and customers right away! This is a huge plus for freelancers of all types!

5. Google Maps: Never get lost again. Use Google Maps to get you out of any bad neighborhood or to help you find some local Italian food. This is a staple of all smartphones. It's why we have them in the first place; necessary knowledge and reference within immediate reach.

As you can see, there's no reason to get out of the ordinary with your Android app selections. Of course, we'll all have our preferences but having these basic apps will make your life a lot easier.

Ken Muise is a blogger, father, parrot, Android geek and an active-duty Soldier. Check out his Android Market blog blog or find catch up with him at his mother-ship, Blogging For Dads

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The Best (and Mostly FREE) of the Android Market

My first smart phone arrived in the mail on Wednesday: Virgin Mobiles Optimus V. I've played with it, studied up on it, and am in love already! To think they fit so much power and functionality into a cute little package at an affordable price (after coupon code and rebate I'm paying about 99.00 for the phone)! Technology is growing so rapidly it's incredible!

But for now I thought I'd share my favorite free apps in my new Droid experience, plus one that is worth a small fee.

1) Netflix- because it's cool and I can watch Prison Break while I drink my free coffee refill at McDonald's.

2) GrooveIP- Who doesn't want to turn their unactivated smart phone into a free VOIP for just 4.99?

3) Double Twist- So I can transfer my iTunes music to an Android device!

4) Pandora-I enjoy being able to carry free custom music stations around with me.

5) Flashlight- It turns your phone's display into a flashlight!

6) Astrid Tasks- This is for making and organizing lists. Goodbye to the days of making a grocery list, only to leave it at home!

7) Dolphin Browser- I like the tabs function, favorites and bookmark features

8) Translate- This amazing app translates to and from many languages. You can type or speak the phrase you want to translate and then read or play audio of the translation! I have used this at work to communicate with clients who speak Spanish, as I am not fluent.

9) Daily Bible- You can get daily devotionals, read straight through or search by keyword. I wish it was available for free as a download!

10) Puzzle Star- It's a Tetris style game, which came in handy while I waiting in the doctors office today! It is a download so I was able to use it even without an internet connection.

11) Kindle for Android- This is a great way to maximize your smart phones value. Instead of buying two devices for your reading and talking you can have it all in the palm of your hand. There are even free books available to read. Or take the 79.00-199.00 you can save on a Kindle and buy your favorite books!

There is an endless supply of new, clever and practical Android Market apps out there. Surely I will have a new list to share soon.

Lianne Haught

http://takinghalfoff.blogspot.com/

Follow my struggles (failure and success) as an average woman who is becoming half the person she once was- through old fashioned diet and exercise. Let's debunk the notion that eating well and staying fit has to cost more than poor diet and health. We can both improve our healthy and diet while saving money at the same time!

I welcome you to follow along in my journey and celebrate with me when I reach my goal- to be half the woman I once was and twice as fit!

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