Android Dose

Having a rooted phone, I’m constantly looking for a fast home replacement that suits my needs. That being said, I’ve grown very close to ADW Launcher. It’s fast, highly customizable, and easy to use. The developer, known on the web as Anderwebs, has released a faster, even more customizable version of ADW called ADW Ex. If you haven’t heard of it, crawl out from under that rock and search for it in the Android Market. It’s hands-down the best home replacement I’ve ever used, and I’ve used quite a few. Let’s take a look at some of the features of ADW Ex, shall we?

ADW Ex is pretty similar to ADW Launcher, so if you’re familiar with that, there’s not much here that’s new. For starters, you’re given a 4×4 grid for apps, widgets, shortcuts, etc, the same as the stock Android launcher.

The dock on the bottom is a bit different from stock Android. You get the standard desktop dots for jumping from screen to screen. These can be disabled for more dock room, giving you up to 5 spaces for apps or shortcuts. If you drag up on the app drawer icon, you’re given a hidden dock that stores items. This dock is scrollable, meaning you can drag it to the right or left to reveal more space. Standard ADW stuff here.

What really sets ADW Ex apart from the rest is the settings. The transition animations between screens are amazing, to say the least. There are 8 different effects to choose from, and they’re all awesome. They vary from rotating screens to zooming screens and several other effects. Words can’t do these animations justice. It really looks great in person.

You can also change the icons of apps or shortcuts. There’s an option to give the icons a “fancy background”, which is basically a colored square around the icon. You can see what that looks like in the picture above.

Now, to the app drawer. There are several styles you can pick from, including a vertical 4D drawer and a horizontal, Galaxy S style drawer  The vertical 4D drawer looks like a 4D cube, obviously. It’s a very cool effect, especially if you have a quality Android phone (i.e. Nexus One, G2).

Recapping, ADW Ex is fast. It’s a very sexy, easy to use, customizable home replacement. I’ve never seen or used another launcher quite like it, and that’s saying something. If you haven’t already installed it, I HIGHLY recommend doing so. It’s only $3.50, which really isn’t that much. And if for nothing else, buy it to support your Android developers. They’re the ones that truly make this platform what it is. Check out some screenshots below. So, are you getting ADW Ex? Already gotten it? Tell us what you think about it in the comments below We look forward to your feedback!

I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about Verizon’s LTE 4G network. And yes, I actually said 4G, because it is, despite what some people have told us. I’ve heard some say T-Mobile’s HSPA+ isn’t “4G” because the speeds aren’t quite up to par yet, as with Sprint’s WiMax network. Well, those two may or may not be, but I can assure you that LTE IS 4G. Why? It’s simple: speed. Verizon has what T-mobile and Sprint lack: the actual speed to back up their “theoretical” claims. Average speeds were clocked at 5 to 12 Mbps download, and 2 to 5 Mbps upload.

Sure, Sprint was the first out of the 4G gate with the Evo, and Tmobile soon followed suit with the G2 and MyTouch 4G. But now it’s Verizon’s turn. They have yet to release an LTE device, although I’m willing to bet that may very well change after CES. All assumptions aside, at the moment, Verizon has the fastest 4G network. There’s just one little problem with that: it won’t last very long. True, LTE produces speeds that blow Tmo and Sprint out of the water, but we have to keep in mind that there’s LITTLE TO NO TRAFFIC on Verizon’s LTE network at the moment. The reason for this is obviously stated above, that there’s not an LTE-capable device out there right now save for Verizon’s 4G USB modem.

After CES, expect Verizon’s speeds to drop, fast. Because after CES, there’s most likely going to be several LTE Android phones available on Verizon, and they will sell like hotcakes dipped in gold.

Once the device become popular, Verizon will learn about this magic thing call “traffic” and how it slows down a network. Are they ready for it? We’ll just have to wait and see. But one thing’s for sure: the 4G Wars are on, and Verizon is in the lead.. for now.

OpenFeint is releasing 11 new titles for Android today! Downloading an OpenFeint game between December 23rd-25th will get you an entry into a drawing to win a gift card or a Nook Color! To date OpenFeint has brought 158 games to Android this year and according to their press release they have another 300 in development!!! OpenFeint is one of the largest Android game publishing firms, OpenFeint has seen a 50% growth rate in just the last 30 days. Continue reading “OpenFeint says Happy Holidays – 11 New Games for Android & a chance to win!” »

Let’s face it:  When it comes to buying almost anything, we look for names that we know and trust.  Most people go with brands they have experience with.  Take myself for example.  If I’m looking to buy a new Indianapolis Colts beanie (which may happen soon), I look for the officially licensed NFL logo.  Pens are the same way; I prefer a Pilot over a BIC.  Clothes, food, video games, cars…  No matter what it is we’re shopping for, we look for brand names that we have had at least a semi-good experience with.  Those brands live up to their names.  They carry a special place in our hearts when we go to look for/at their products.  The same goes for our mobile devices, and that’s where my rant begins.

Everyone has had a chance to see the newest member of the Android family tree, coming from the Samsung branch.  It’s black, has a slight curve to it, capacitive touch buttons on the bottom, full of Gingerbread, and was “unnamed” in the hands of Eric Schmidt during a sneak peak at w2o.  Unfortunately everyone knew EXACTLY what this device was:  The fabled Nexus S.  Now normally I wouldn’t put a new device down so much that it goes EMO and melts into a smoldering mass of silicon, but I have to say, “Really?”

Let’s look at the positives:  One, it runs Gingerbread.  Okay, great.   Two, it’s equipped with an NFC chip.  Big whoop.  Three, it’s got 16GB of internal storage.  Can you tell I’m trying NOT to roll my eyes here?  Good.

Now that those are done with, let’s compare and bring up the negatives.

Again, it runs Gingerbread.  Great.  Too bad ALL of the other SGS devices are STILL waiting for Froyo, with the exception of some.  Here’s the kicker:  Since the Gingerbread source droped, we’ve been seeing Gingy-flavored ROMs on all types of devices along the tree.  So my Nexus has to wait for it; it’s cool with me.  CM7 is gonna caress its naughty bits with a little spice.  And that NFC chip?  Yeah, NOT exactly something that’s going to benefit me.  Last time I checked, my Visa card and FourSquare can do the same things, together of course.  Then there’s the 16GB of internal storage…

We’ll pause right here for a “woo-sah” moment…  Breathe…

Okay, I’m good.  I’m wondering who made the decision to just off ANY SD storage at ALL and go with straight internal.  I really am.  In the end, all I’m going to say is, honestly, it’s a stupid idea.  Sure, it may be a LITTLE faster than a standard SD, but a major downside is that you can’t REPLACE that memory.  Say you want a shiny, new 32GB SD card?  OOPS!  Can’t do it.  And nandroid backups?  *HA!*

Woo-sah man, woo-sah…  I’m not getting mad or bent out of shape because of the virtual myriad of problems this device has already, and I can only IMAGINE what’s going to happen down the line when some aspiring dev or team decides to tackle this one.  Okay, so maybe I am, and I don’t own the damn thing.  What I’m really concerned with is when John Q. Coffeedrinker buys this thing, thinking he’s better than sliced bread, to find out he’s worse off than he was with his Droid 1.  And you put the Legendary (#ShamelessPlugToMe) name of “Nexus” on it?  Seriously…  REALLY?!  That’s one that you have to earn, and if Google thought HTC earned it with the N1, then the Nexus S (or 2, or U, or whatever) needs to earn it too.

Let me know what you think.  I don’t rant often, but when I do, it’s usually because of a bad design scheme.

Woo-sah…

Notion Ink has finally released their first video of what looks to be a production version (or very close to it) of their fabled Adam Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) powered Tablet! As you may know the Adam went on Pre-Sale about a week ago. Today they released their 6 minute long video of the Adam in action. This is our first look at Eden in action (as many Android power users dislike) a custom user interface overlay much like Samsung’s Touchwiz, Motorola’s MotoBlur or HTC’s SenseUI, Eden looks like a swift UI and it certainly has a lot of new and interesting ideas in user interface design. I looks very different from your typical AOSP build of Android but I think it just might work for the 10in Tablet form factor. Anyways enough of me rambling check out the Notion Ink video!