Nexus S

Nexus S is out. Came out a few days ago at Best Buy.

And the world is still turning. Honestly, this was not as groundbreaking as everyone thought it would be. Namely Samsung.

I honestly don't understand what Google was thinking when they decided to a.) partner with Samsung to make the next "Google Phone" and b.) change the name of the phone to the Nexus S, as opposed to Nexus 2.

Like, ok, sure, Samsung's Galaxy S line has done REALLY well over the past few quarters. But for the most part, they've only provided an iPhone look-alike to the Android platform [ahem, Samsung Vibrant] and their UI is basically bridging the gap between Android and iOS by dumbing everything down, since iPhone users don't want to understand how their phone works--they just want it to work and be shiny at the same time.

That must be it then, Google must have looked at the numbers and went--"Aha--we shall make the monies with the internetz with Samsung"--and voila, the Samsung S was made. Samsung obviously grabbed a Vibrant, curved the screen, and put an NFC chip in it, and showed it to Google.

For the record, an LG phone with a dual-core processor leaked out its specs a few days ago, and it's supposed to ship out in January. Looks like the Nexus S will fail in a little more than a month.

Also, what the hell kind of a name is Nexus S? I mean, yeah, Samsung doesn't like being "Number 2" to another company. But it's not THEIR phone. It's GOOGLE's phone. And they obviously must not have tried hard enough to make this phone as groundbreaking as the original Nexus One.

Because if they had put something groundbreaking [ie better processor, etc] in the phone, they would have been just fine with calling it the Nexus Two. Why? Because the Nexus Two would have surpassed the Nexus One in something. And before you say anything, a curved screen and a useless [unless you live in Oregon] NFC chip does not count as bringing anything new to the table. And Nexus One and HD2 owners already have Gingerbread [Android 2.3]. So suck it.

To sum this seemingly useless rant post up, the Nexus S is called the Nexus S because it's not bringing the Google Nexus' bar up at all, aside from a screen and a chip. The End.

http://www.google.com/phone/compare/?phone=nexus-s&phone=nexus-one

Google, you disgust me.

(Non-Android Post)

I came across this on a tech website. Normally I would be happy to watch another of Google's silly videos--but this is just uncalled for!

Shame on you, Google! Wasting 25 CR-48 laptops like that, when I REALLY wanted to test one out!

You guys ought to be ashamed of yourselves. What a waste of great technology...

Small Mini Update Thing--Yeah, No

My birthday is in a few days. Couldn't be any less excited than I am now thanks to onslaught of homework and tests and test results. I want this semester over now.

As of now, do not expect an update until at least December 19th. Too much to work on and too little time, and I have a performance coming up on the 17th/18th, so yeah.

I'm also considering putting off buying an HTC Leo--price is too high and I have to go Christmas shopping for various people. It's nice having money to spend on other people, instead of having no money thanks to buying one giant thing for yourself. Eh?

Looks like I'm sticking with my Slide, since I'm not a Scrooge. I'm a semi-caring Schmuck.

'Night

Ωπ

Android on iPhone. Why?

So apparently, there's this wave of interest spreading around the net about hacking your iPhone and making it able to run Android Froyo. It's on Androidspin, and almost all over android fanboy sites that I don't bother to surf since they all post the same stuff anyway.

And I have one questions for you Android Fanboys--

Why would you do such a thing to an iPhone?! It's a crappy phone in the first place, and when you port Android to it, almost nothing works, and the whole user interface [UI] is buggy. Sure, once all the bugs are worked out, the touch screen will be the BEST on the market, since the iPhone does INDEED have the best touch screen, but why waste good Android developers on something like that?! The iPhone is optimized for use with iOS, and nothing more.

Nothing more.

Now I'm sure most of you are thinking--We ported over Android onto the HTC HD2, which was originally running [ha ha] Windows Mobile 6.5, but now it's getting more support from the developer community than the Nexus One [aka the Google Supported Phone]!

Correct. It IS getting more support, but that's because of the Hardware, and because it's an HTC phone. If it was a Samsung phone, no one would even bother. If it was a Motorola phone, no one would care. XDA was originally created for HTC phone support, and nothing more. Samsung and Motorola [don't forget about LG, whoops I just did] phones sneaked their way onto the forums because of user interest and alternative UIs [aka MotoBlur(Motorola), TouchWiz(Samsung), etc].

If you want to have an Android powered device, then buy an Android-powered device. OR, if you have the time and the patience, buy an HD2 and port Android to it.

PLEASE don't waste your time trying to support the Android-Onto-iPhone community. Leave the iPhone [and all other iOS devices] alone. Let them dominate the mp3 player market. Let them dominate the tablet market. Leave the hacking up to redsn0w and Jailbreakme.com, and Cydia too. Leave Apple Alone, Android Community!

I haz Sense

Two Topics for Today:

1.) Tired Will is Tired

Went and saw Harry Potter last night. For those of you who actually READ this blog, I strongly encourage you people to go see it. And before you say anything, yes, I know all but the last 15 minutes of the 6th movie was crap. I know. I went into this movie expecting a slaughterhouse of mixed up events and misquoted characters, and I was utterly blown away by all the distractions. There's even a little animated portion of the movie during the "Deathly Hallows" fairy tale, which looks fantastic. So go see it, and tell me that it's amazing, too.

Will's rating: 4.5/5

2.) MyTouch Slide is FINALLY Getting the Support it Deserves

As I mentioned in a previous blog, the MyTouch Slide is somewhat of a lost cause in the developing community due to T-Mobile's inability to process, develop, and distribute updates to their phones in a timely manner. I admit, T-Mobile does INDEED modify their Android software with bloatware and limiting features in order to keep all their customers on the same level without having to continually update their radio towers every other month. I admit that it's a time-and-resource-consuming project to keep up with Android. Yes, Google does pop out software updates just about every week, but you should at least TRY to keep up to date with the times. If the original Moto DROID can get Android 2.2 [Froyo] within the first 3 months of the software's release, shouldn't your most recent phone get it when it's released the week after the software update was implemented by Google? Come on now.

But this isn't a rant post, folks. I have come bearing good news for those of you who still have a rooted MyTouch Slide--

We have Sense 2.2. With Bluetooth. And wifi. Yes. We do.

About a week ago, a newcomer uploaded an HTC Legend rom port that he modified for the Slide. It looked no different than any other 2.2 Sense Rom that the other remaining Slide devs had submitted. It had missing wifi, missing bluetooth, missing keys, no backlit keyboard--basically everything vital to the phone wasn't working.

But within two days, he managed to fix the Wifi and the keyboard backlights.

And within another few days he had managed to get Bluetooth functionality back to normal as well. Yes, people, Bluetooth, the missing 1% in CyanogenMod for the Slide is now working on a Sense rom running 2.2.

This is the support we Slide users have been waiting for! Finally! We have Bluetooth!

Although there are a few bugs here and there within the rom, it's become my Daily Driver, and it works really well! The battery life even kicks butt, too! Hoo-rah!!!

If any of you care, feel free to download and flash it. Link to original thread below:

Clickyyyy

Have a nice day, people.

WR

iPad. Yes.

It's almost 9pm, I'm sweaty from dance, and I think I have discovered the ONLY good use for an iPad, which deserves a space on my Android blog.

Leave it to the Germans to put crappy, useless to devices to good use--using it as a means of protest against the government. Man, this is amazing.

WHO ELSE would put something that useless to good use?! And what the hell does the iPad DO?! Does it bring anything innovative to the table? Does it recreate anything?! No. It's an oversized iPhone 4, lacking iOS 4.2, without a camera, and no good place to put it without looking like an idiot [ladies with purses, you're exempt from this, since everything goes in a purse...MEN on the other hand are screwed over. Looks like Steve Jobs is a feminist. Way to go.]

The person who thought of turning the iPad into a protest sign deserves a Nobel Prize, a Pulitzer Prize [yes, completely unrelated], and deserves to be frozen underground next to Walt Disney for the rest of eternity after he/she dies. This is a momentous day, people.

MOVE OVER, Beatles, it's Crafty German Day!

I should probably be doing some chemistry work right now...

but this song is blowing me away. So yeah, sorry.

Ok--one small, minute, little update for you today--

Mytouch Slide is getting Froyo, baby! YEAH.

One can only wonder when T-Mo will get their damned act together and give us something worthwhile.

Yeah, thanks, good night.

Happy Sunday Evening, Folks

Coming soon, to a T-Mobile Store near you.

OH, and I'm buying an HTC HD2 in a few weeks, just so I can put Android on it and mess with the people at T-Mobile. And yes, I will be using 2 phones at once. Suck it, T-Mobile. You should have let ATT have it, since they would need it more than T-Mo would...sheesh...

Houston, we have Minimal.

So maybe I lied.

Just maybe.

As you can see in the above screenshot, THAT is minimal. Not what I previously showed you before. It's pretty, isn't it? I agree. Anyway, I've been lurking in the Android Apps and the Android Theming Forums in XDA, looking for stuff to make my phone more minimal. I came across a GREAT wallpaper website, with REALLY HD wallpapers that are actually formatted for mobile phones.
Link: Wallpapers, Courtesy of Ultralinx

The two widgets in the Screenie are found in THIS thread. [BATTSTAT and TAJM]

So basically, due to the lack of Developers for the MyTouchSlide [and T-Mobile's sluggish process of releasing the official Froyo update], there has been a MASSIVE slump in developmental forums, and there is a lack of fully stable roms. Two developers in particular were able to port over a HTC Legend and a Chinese HTC Aria rom, but they lack wifi functionality, Keyboard lights, and other little things. I want to buy a Nexus One or an HD2 just so I can have frequent additions and updates, but that would take a while. So it looks like I'm in a slump, too. [Also, blame the G2 for being incredibly hard to root, taking close to a month and about half of the Slide's original developers to hack through T-Mobile's stupid NAND bug that kept preventing developers from achieving full root.]

So I'm stuck with CyanogenMod 6.1, which really isn't a bad thing, really, because it's the Slide's only hope in terms of 99% stability [no Bluetooth functionality, sorry], and the only source of nightly mini-updates, which really don't contain anything more than little bug fixes and the occasional overclocking kernel. As you can also see in my screenshot, I am back to Zeam Launcher. The devs updated it a LOT in the past 3 weeks, and it's running AMAZINGLY well. Perfect for someone who wants to consume little battery life.

And speaking of new phones, there's been a fiery rumor flying around the net regarding Samsung releasing the next Google branded phone, the Nexus S. Supposedly, it was supposed to be announced Monday night [along with the Samsung Continuum], but it was promptly pulled last minute due to a "massive hardware defect" that required them to be immediately recalled.

Here is my problem with this supposed new phone:

From what I hear, this "Nexus S" is supposed to start a new generation in the Galaxy S lineup of the Samsung Android devices. Apparently, it's been reviewed by a "special person with connections" and a LOT of things were said about it. For example, it's all touchscreen [similar to the Samsung Vibrant] and has the same plasticky feel to it, like all the Galaxy S phones do. And this is where things take a turn for the worst for me. Why the heck did Google leave the Nexus S development in the hands of Samsung? They didn't bring anything "new" to the table when they released their Galaxy S phones. All they did was create the Touchwiz UI, which is Android's answer to the n00b iPhone user who is "jumping over" from Apple to Google. There is nothing new about them.

Sure, their phones look nice, and they pack a punch inside [the Vibrant, with it's 1GHZ processor, can be overclocked to 160MHZ--1.6GHZ, quite a considerable difference in processing speed, and a deathwish for your battery], But are these phones really hardy, like the original Nexus One? The Nexus One was made of metal AND plastic, and actually felt like a worthwhile phone to carry, a hardy daily driver to push you through the day. The G2 [aka HTC Desire Z] is a beast as well, since it's made out of a lightweight aluminium.

Another thing I'm REALLY concerned about is the Nexus Two's UI. I worry that that Samsung will silently push their TouchWiz UI onto the phone, not stock Android. If they do this, then the N2 will NOT be a Google phone, it will be just another Galaxy S device.

You could call me an HTC fanboy, go ahead. I just like phones being built by people who know what they're doing. And also, if I wanted plastic, I'd buy a Blackberry, lol.

By the way, here it is. Tell me your thoughts, my little nerds...

Minimalism, Phones, and a side of Schoolwork. Tax not included.

This is NOT Minimal. At all. At all. Nope.


I'm still on my MyTouchSlide. Looks like I'm not getting a G2, due to some minor complications involving the fine print.
Lesson of the day? READ THE FINE PRINT
[also, it hasn't been rooted yet, so I'm not gonna waste my time]

I'm looking into getting either an HD2 or a Nexus, but they're 400+ American dollars. Holy shamwow. My tv that I'm buying in about 2 weeks costs less than that.

Someone leaked a Sense Rom in the Aria Forums, and earlier this week the MyTouch Slide Forums on XDA literally EXPLODED with someone trying to port the software to the Slide while maintaining the stability. I tried it out for three hours, then switched back to my PandoraTheme. Why?

To make a long story short, the Rom was as unstable as Charles Manson on Halloween. Wifi didn't work, Apps would suddenly close after 10 seconds, and the standard Android Browser wouldn't open at all, making me download Opera [which worked up to a certain extent].

And apparently, the reason why everything is taking a dump in the rom is because the "Froyo" kernel for the Slide is yet to be released by T-Mobile. Mind you, they're three months behind. Stock Android on the Slide is STILL stuck on Eclair, but the website says that it's getting Froyo soon. Liars.

TL;DR The Rom will be and REMAIN unstable until T-Mobile gets their act together. Until then, no Sense 2.2.

BUT I edited a cool wallpaper and made it to match the theme I'm using.


The joys of Photoshop. Hooray for epicness.

OK so as a final note before I go and stab my eyes out--
I'm not gonna be as frequent as I SHOULD be until mid-November , possibly even Thanksgiving. I have like, three projects to work on, and there are only 24 hours in a day. Only 24 hours. Only. I'll try and post stuff as often as I can, but if I can't...oh well.

Ωπ

PS I have a GREAT idea for Tuesdays. Rootin' Tuesdays---since every Tuesday afternoon I basically change the software of my phone. ok bye

Subject to Change Update 1

Hi.

Ok, first off, I MIGHT be getting a G2 within the next few weeks. I'm just waiting on confirmation from a few people, so I'll be porting things over. Don't worry, I'll keep y'alls updated.

Secondly, in the meantime, I'm downloading a new ROM to my Slide. Link below:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=767264


Mac Edition of Minimal coming soon. Probably by the end of the week.

Toodles~

Ωπ

A Little More Minimal: Android Edition

So as I've said before, these next few posts will be about minimizing your technology, because all this technology has begun to clutter everything up.

Tonight's edition of ALMM is about making your Android device a little more minimal.

Due to the growing popularity of Android (I'm looking at you, Verizon), more and more people are buying devices. One of the features of the Android platform is to customize your homescreen with little widgets, internet bookmarks, applications, and the like. And with more and more applications being added to the market, devices feature available number of homescreens in their specification sheets.

However, do we really need SEVEN home screens, cluttered up with tons of applications and giant widgets that are only for show, and ultimately consume battery life in the long run?

The answer is no.

Below are screenshots of my three homescreens on my MyTouch3G Slide. Yes, three.

So let me start with my first screen:

The "Task" Screen

At the top of my screen is my Power Control Widget, which has the ability to turn on/off any major settings, like 2G/3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. It's handy to have because it saves time from going into setting every time you want to turn off GPS after you're through using Google Maps. A lot of different phones have a type of Power Control Widget, with various different customizable settings. Take advantage of that widget, it has the potential of saving you a few precious hours of battery life!

Bottom left hand corner is my Music widget. I use this because I like having music running in the background without having to go directly into the Music application, and you can play/pause/skip any song through this widget. Certain phones have this widget installed, others have alternatives. Also, certain phones [HTC phones, to name a few], have a certain special feature where your phone's lockscreen turns into a music player when you have music playing. If your phone has that, then the widget isn't for you.

Bottom right hand corner is my DailyHoroscope widget. I'm an avid Horoscoper, and I enjoy checking my horoscope every day, regardless whether or not it's correct. This little widget takes up one small space on your homescreen [1x1 to be exact!] and can be customized to automatically direct you to your horoscope sign. You can even customize the colors of the widget, too! Try it out by scanning the QR code using your phone's barcode scanner!

On to my second screen...

The "Default" Screen

I set this screen as my default screen because it has everything I need on it: Clock Widget, and my messages. If you haven't noticed already, my home screen has no notifications bar, which is unusual for an Android device. Well, it's there, it's just hidden, because a cool feature of my Home Application, Zeam Launcher, has fullscreen mode, which spreads things out a few pixels. More appealing to the eyes.

Now you must be thinking, this screen isn't minimal! Ah yes, it isn't typically minimal, since minimal means to have nothing at all. But in Android terms, this is minimal, since there is no clutter, and everything has a purpose.

The top thinking is my clock widget, which is basically an HTC Sense knockoff widget. Dame functions, different name. If I was running Sense as my Home app, then I'd use the associated Sense Clock widget. But currently, I'm using Zeam, so this will have to do. This is widget is from the "Beautiful Widget" set, but it has been directly ripped from the application, and made available through the XDA forums. This was given to me by a friend. There are MANY other HTC Sense-like widgets available through the market, though, so don't be discouraged! I suggest buying "Beautiful Widgets", it's worth the $1.50, and it's customizable in millions of ways! Tons of skins and colors galore! QR Code below:

The next widget beneath that comes from "ChompSMS", a useful little Messaging Replacement Client that has a heck of a lot more options than the stock Messaging application with all Android phones. In my case, it's a great little widget to have because it gives you a little preview as to who sent you the message, and the option to reply, delete, or mark the message as read, all from your homescreen! It's really nifty, and free! You can customize your conversations to look like the iPhone if you desire, or anything else! So many options to choose from within the application! QR Code below:

Finally, my third screen...

My "Social Networking Screen"

I use this screen as my social networking hub, mainly for Facebook and Twitter. Although some might deem this unnecessary, since I have 2 widgets that serve the same potential purpose, I find a way to use both.

First off, I use Tweetdeck as my major updating client for updating my Facebook and my Twitter. One of the coolest things about this app is that you can merge your Facebook Friend Updates and your Twitter updates into one solid application, and you can reply to them as well! If someone sends you something directly from Twitter/Buzz/Facebook/FourSquare, you get a window column, which lets you reply directly from the post! Isn't that nifty? AND, with the September update, you get WIDGETS!

Tweetdeck was originally released as a Desktop client, available for literally every OS available [Windows, OSX, Linux, etc]. As the iPhone grew in popularity, Tweetdeck was then released onto iOS as well. And now, it has finally arrived on ANDROID! WOO! ---HOWEVER. There is a catch--a big one, especially if you are on ATT, or you are running an earlier build of Android. So ATTers and Cupcake/Donut users, listen up:

Tweetdeck, as of October 1st 2010, is in BETA TESTING. It is not yet available on the Android Market yet. The only way to download it is by going to the link below this body of text and signing up for the beta, by which an email will be sent to you, containing the link for download. Sorry ATT users, you might have to wait a little but longer before you can experience the true goodness of Tweetdeck. And Cupcake/Donut users? Go root your phone, and run an Eclair/Froyo rom, then download this awesome app:

http://jew.bz/andtweet

NOTE: IF YOU DON'T KNOW ALREADY, Beta Testing is the event by which you test out a product that is on the road towards a completed, full, release. Yes, there are bugs. And yes, they will be fixed in time. If you don't have the patience to work around the bugs, and use a Beta application to its current fullest potential, then don't bother downloading a Beta app, and find an alternative. That being said, IF you encounter any bugs within Tweetdeck [BETA], let the developers know so that they can fix it asap!

Now, I have the Tweetdeck icon beneath the Tweetdeck widget because AT THIS TIME, I cannot access the Tweetdeck home screen from the widget. I can only start the actual app if I click the icon, then I can get to the app's homescreen.

Beneath that is my handy Twitter widget, which is used JUST IN CASE Tweetdeck doesn't work. I also use the Twitter app to post from my alternate Twitter when things get hairy.

AND THAT'S ALL FOLKS.

In a nutshell, these are my current home screens. And right now, I'm beginning to think that I confused MINIMAL with EFFICIENT. Oh well. I hope this helps, Android users!

Ωπ

A Little More Minimal: An Introduction

I guess I should basically say that Im sorry for letting some of you guys down for like 2 months. Or maybe three. Summertime does crazy things to one's schedule, and a LOT has happened since I posted something. I'll talk about those things later, maybe.

However, there comes a time in your life when clutter basically takes over your life, and you just get so fed up with stuff that you go crazy. So thats where I am now, well, where I was over the weekend. I basically took a look at my Mac and my Android and went, "No",and basically overhauled everything. So here I am now, less cluttered, and more organized It's a great feeling to finally have a hold on your life, get what I'm saying? Anyway, these next few entries will be about my minimal mac and Android. I hope you guys enjoy, and hopefully follow suit. Clutter is bad, people, BAD!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.0

My Phone

Before I start ranting and raving [and recommending, my goodness] about anything Android, I should at least tell you about my phone.

Last October, I bought a myTouch 3G device from T-Mobile [on contract, of course, since paying $400 for a phone is insane]. It's the 1st gen model, lacking the headphone jack [stupid me for not waiting, I know]. But I digress.

After a few weeks of tinkering with it on Donut, watching as my battery life was sapped away by 3G within 6 hours [at most], I decided to ROOT my phone, in hopes that something good could come out of it.

[commercial break]

The process of ROOTING your Android device is the same thing is Jailbreaking an iPhone/iTouch, which is the act of hacking your device, to access little goodies and other things that cannot normally be achieved through a normally unrooted, factory-set device. More on this later, I promise.

[back to the blog]

So, I rooted it, and I ran a Hero Rom. [see Rooted vs. Unrooted entry, coming soon] Now mind you, Eclaire [Android 2.0] was still a hacker's dream, and Hero was the "in" Rom to have on your rooted device, with the setback of having it super slow at times, with Home Screen load times sometimes reaching 30seconds or more. However, as times went on, more and more people began creating their own custom Roms and such, making rooted devices more tolerable, and making my life more complicated.

Due to the fact that I'm lazy, and I don't feel like typing a MEMOIR, I'll skip ahead a few months to show you where I am at now...

I still have my crappy myTouch 3g [thinking about buying the mt3g SLIDE in a few weeks], and it's running an insane Rom right now. I'll go into specifics as to what my phone currently has later. So I am still using a Rooted phone, but I am not the person to go to if you want help about your phone. I know a few people that can help, but don't ask me, I'm just a critic of ROMs and Apps.

Ok, that's enough about me. Now on to some important stuff...

Welcome

You obviously came here because you are stuck in the Android World, and you are needing assistance or little tips on how to use your Android Device [rooted or unrooted, doesn't matter]. That's great, you came to the right place and the right person. In the future, I will be posting useful apps and stable ROMS on here for you Android Hackers out there that want to run something stable. If you have any comments or anything, feel free to leave em. I'll check this every so often to see how you all are faring with your Android devices. It helps if you also tell me what phone you have, and what ROM you are running [if you hacked your phone, if not, don't worry] so I know what other phone users are doing. Ok?

Enjoy.

W