AllegroTechie

We are Moving!

2011-12-07T14:46:00.001-08:00

It has been a long time coming, but we have started our moving process to wordpress. The official domain allegro techie.com will be our new domain, but won't be ready for two or three days. In the meantime, you guys should probably bookmark allegrotechie.wordpress.com. Thanks for your patience and loyalty!

T-Mobile and Nokia Event Dec. 14

2011-12-07T13:14:00.001-08:00

T-Mobile has announced they will be hosting an event on December 14 in association with Nokia. At first glance, my guess is they will announce some sort of windows phone device, most likely the Lumia 710 (i mean just look at the tiles for the invites). Stay tuned for more information.

iPhone 4s now being listed as a 4G phone

2011-12-07T07:44:00.001-08:00

HSPA+? Maybe. Maybe not. But AT&T sure thinks that the iPhone 4s is a 4G phone. As you can see in the picture above, the 4s has the "4G" logo next to it as the 3Gs and 4 has the "3G" logos next to them. Will Apple push out an update to replace the 3G to a 4G on the iPhone for AT&T? Only time will tell....

Blackberry Bold 9900 Review

2011-12-06T19:41:00.001-08:00

By Alex Allegro

"This is definitely the best Blackberry yet, Playbook included."

Said to be the best Blackberry yet, the Bold 9900 (9930 as a CDMA model) is the first member of the Bold family to feature a gorgeous touchscreen, and trackpad. Clocking it’s Snapdragon processor at a modest 1.2GHz, the Bold treads into territories RIM has never gone into before. Regardless of this phone featuring a tiny 2.4 inch screen that has something RIM is calling “Liquid Graphics”, this phone actually does have a really nice display that you just can’t stop staring at when viewing a nice image. Could this phone really be a contender in the wild smartphone race? Is it really the best Blackberry yet? Or is its screen and lack of intriguing apps going to handicap it just too much? Read on past the break to find out!

The Display

The Bold features a 2.4 inch touchscreen Liquid Graphics display that offers a nice, responsive experience. That being said, you don’t only have to use the touchscreen. The bold features it’s iconic trackpad surrounded by the ‘Call’ button, ‘Blackberry’ button ‘Back’ button and ‘Call end/Home’ button. To us, we think RIM is making a huge mistake by doing that and needs to learn to accept change. Counting RIM out, we can’t find another smartphone with a call and call end button. We think that bar of buttons RIM keeps under the screen defiantly needs to go. Ridding the bar would not only sexy up the device, but also allow for a larger display, in which we’d love. There are a few other things that would allow for a larger device. (See “Design” for more details).

Back to the display again, not only does it boast a nice feel, it’s extremely crisp and clear. Colors truly do pop and sometimes I wonder if I really am looking at liquid ink, hence its name. This really comes to life because of its small size though. Boxing in a 2.4 inch screen with 480x480 is going to give great resolution solely because of its small size. Throw a 480x480 resolution at a screen an inch bigger and boom, you get a horrible, ugly display. We really think Blackberry has got a win here with the screens clarity and resolution. Notice we didn’t say the screen alone. They don’t have a complete win because if RIM worked a little harder, they could have made this display bigger, but they chose not to. Now if the display was bigger though, this would have really changed the phone for the better, bringing its screen that much closer to its bigger brother, the Torch.

7.6/10

Build Quality

If you pick up a Blackberry Bold 9900 and only one thing rubbed off on you, it should be the build quality. The iPhone, the reigning king in build quality, may have to share its seat on the thrown with the 9900. Here is one brief sentence on the phones build quality: ‘Never have we picked up a phone that matches the Bold’s build quality, it’s simply outstanding.’ With a glass backplate hugged buy a rubber texture around the back edges, steal band running around the side and a huge, easy to use keyboard. This phone has incredible build quality. Picking up this phone makes you laugh the next time you pick any Samsung, LG or any other company making plastic phones.

The phone isn’t all lovey-dubby though. The are a few things RIM should have worked on and tweaked a little. My first gripe are the buttons. On the right, the phone has 4 buttons. Volume up, pause, volume down. Those 3 buttons all touch each other and aren’t separated even by the slightest. We defiantly think that was a bad move, and those buttons should have had a little gap in between them. The forth button on the right side is a convenience key, and unlike past Bolds, the 9900 only features one convenience key. Pre set to open the camera, it’s always great to have these keys, but we miss having a second one to go with it. The left side of phone sports two things, that’s thats the headphone jack and the micro USB port. Finally on the top we have the lone unlock button. It’s placed right in the center but doesn’t stick out, which makes it really hard to press unless you look at the button directly, and press down very hard. We wish it would stick out a little like the iPhone so it’s easier to press.

9.5/10

Battery Life

Don’t believe the rumors. The battery life on the Bold is great....really great. The Bold is the first Blackberry phone to have a 1.2GHz processor, and the higher the processor, the more battery you need. But RIM has done something amazing here. Regardless of that fact, the Bolds battery life is great. It easily lasts through the entire day. The battery has been downgraded from the previous Bold to a tiny 1,230maH to fit in the new thinner body, but don’t be fooled, it still is a great battery. In fact, it lasted longer than our Samsung GSII in our battery test.

8.5/10

Speed

The new Bolds main selling point is its touch screen, but the new processor goes hand and hand with that. Clocking in at 1.2GHz (Single Core), this Bold is very speedy. The touchscreen really shows this off as you don’t have to wait for the trackpad to do things anymore, you can touch and go! We’re yet to experience lag on this bad boy, but we do hope that next year, the new Bold is dual core, if not quad core.
The Bold also includes 768MBs of RAM, making it great to multitask on. We were able to multitask up to 12 apps at a time without experiencing any sort of lag, or slow down. We feel that OS 7 was made to work with the processor as we find it hard to believe how snappy this phone is on a single core processor, but how ever it works, I like it.

9/10

The Verdict

The new Bold is the best and baddest Blackberry out there today, hands down. Rocking HSPA+ on AT&T and T-Mobile, a new touch screen, great build quality, and a big battery, if you like Blackberries, I recommend spending your “Phone Money” to pick up this phone...immediately.

Motorola goes a selling spree, announces an array of Droids

2011-12-06T09:01:00.001-08:00

As we finish reading Motorola's PR, we tell you about it here. Moto has just announced a bunch of new products. First up is the XYBOARD 8.2. As you can guess, it's an 8.2 inch tablet that looks just like an 8.2 inch Xoom 2. It boasts a 1.2GHz dual core processor, 1GB of RAM and an IPS display. It'll have LTE, but only if you sign a new 2 year agreement. It comes with 16GB and 32GB of on board memory with no slot for more. The next tablet is the same exact tablet, just with a 10.1 inch screen. This one though has a 64GB option. The 16GB 10.1 will run at 529.99, 32GB for 629.99 and the 64GB for 729.99, respectively. Each claim to be 'very thin' and were promised to get the Android 4.0 ICS update. They also each have two cameras, rear one at 5MP and front one at 1.3MP.
The final thing in the PR was a product that we already had was the Droid RAZR. This time though in white. It'll run for 299.99 on a 2 year contract.

All products available this month.

PR and more pictures after the break!

Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility Introduce Next-Generation DROID XYBOARD Tablets on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Network

New Tablets Elevate Customers into an Unprecedented Realm of Communication, Entertainment and Productivity; Verizon Wireless Also Offering New DROID RAZR^™ by Motorola in White, Just in Time for the Holidays

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. - Dec. 6, 2011 - Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) and Verizon Wireless today introduced two new additions to the DROID family to deliver new and unparalleled experiences on America's fastest, most reliable 4G network, the DROID XYBOARD tablets. The two new DROID tablets present new options for consumers looking to stay connected, productive and entertained. Additionally, Verizon Wireless will debut the trendsetting DROID RAZR^™ by Motorola in a flashy new white color, a unique gift for the winter holidays. All three products will be upgraded to Android^™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
The new DROID XYBOARD tablets both boast the blazing speeds of Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network and the power of dual-core 1.2 GHz processors, 1 GB of RAM and MotoCast^™ for remote access to non DRM-protected music, pictures, videos and documents stored on work or home computers' hard drives. Both are equipped with scratch-resistant displays that use Corning^®Gorilla^® Glass to stay brilliant and a coating of water-repellent nanoparticles makes them resistant to accidental spills and splashes.
Lighter than a paperback book and thinner than an AAA battery, the DROID XYBOARD tablets feature Android^™ 3.2 Honeycomb, brilliant high-definition displays with wide viewing angles, magnesium-reinforced bodies with aluminum housing and super portable form-factors. Both tablets offer robust Business Ready features, including enterprise-grade security and apps such as Quickoffice HD^® for document editing and creation, Citrix^®GoToMeeting^™ for productivity and collaboration and Google Talk^™ for video conferencing.
The DROID XYBOARD 10.1 is optimized for productivity with stylus support for easy notetaking and markup using a precision tip stylus, included in the box. The XYBOARD 8.2 is perfect for portable entertainment with 2.1 adaptive virtual surround sound and a high-definition display for enjoying Netflix^™ movies in up to HD quality, concert-like music and serious gaming. Powered by the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, DROID XYBOARD 10.1 and 8.2 customers can soar through the Web at blazing speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps within 4G LTE Mobile Broadband coverage areas.
Additional features for DROID XYBOARD tablets:

10.1-inch and 8.2-inch high-definition In-Plane Switching (IPS) display for DROID XYBOARD 10.1 and DROID XYBOARD 8.2 respectively
Mobile Hotspot Capability – share 4G LTE connection with up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices
5-megapixel rear-facing HD cameras with digital zoom, autofocus and LED flash, optimized for capturing the moment
1.3-megapixel HD front-facing cameras perfect for video chatting with friends and family
Dijit^™ app allows DROID XYBOARD tablets to double as a universal remote control with an electronic programming guide for TVs, Blu-ray Disc™ players, digital video records (DVR), and most other consumer electronics
Support for Google^™ Mobile Services including Gmail^™, YouTube^™, Google Talk, Google Search^™, Google Maps^™and access to millions of books from Google Books^™
Supports a wide array of separately purchased accessories including an HD station for connecting to speakers and a larger screen, an HD dock to send content via HDMI out to HDTVs and home theater speaker systems and a stylish portfolio with Bluetooth^®-enabled keyboard and mouse
Wi-Fi Connectivity (802.11 a/b/g/n)

Pricing:

Both DROID XYBOARD tablets will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com this month.
The DROID XYBOARD 10.1 will be available in three models: 16 GB for $529.99, 32 GB for $629.99 and 64 GB for $729.99 all with a new two-year customer agreement.
The DROID XYBOARD 8.2 will be available in two models: 16 GB for $429.99 and 32 GB for $529.99 both with a new two-year customer agreement.
Customers that purchase a DROID XYBOARD tablet will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband data plan starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.
DROID RAZR in white will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com this month for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers that purchase a DROID RAZR will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

Special promotion:

Customers will receive $100 off a DROID XYBOARD tablet and $50 off select Motorola accessories for a limited time when a customer purchases a DROID RAZR by Motorola with a new two-year customer agreement.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go towww.verizonwireless.com.

Galaxy S II Skyrocket Review

2011-12-04T10:44:00.001-08:00

Galaxy S II Skyrocket Review:

By: Sam Savitt

“This is probably the best LTE offering from AT&T of the Year…and yes, that includes the LG Nitro"

As the legacy of the Galaxy S II line lives on, AT&T has added the Skyrocket as one of their first two LTE devices, alongside the HTC Vivid. This device packs some pretty hefty specs, and being the part of Sammy’s flagship line, we have come to expect high things from this type of device. Running Android 2.3.5 along with Touchwiz 4.0, the Skyrocket measures at 129.8x.68.8x9.5. The Skyrocket has great hardware, and LTE, but is it enough to keep up with the competition from Verizon?

Design:

This device has the classic Samsung setup: Left side volume rocker, right side lock/power switch, headphone jack at the top and micro USB port at the bottom. It is a relatively slim device, and it has pretty decent ergonomics, a bit shorter and wider than most 4.5-inch displays. The back, unlike all the previous GSII models, is not texturized, and is a smooth back plate (it attracts plenty of fingerprints). There is a small hump where the speaker is at the bottom, but it is not very pronounced, and you don’t really feel it when you hold the phone.

Hardware:

This bad boy packs a large 1850mAh Li-Ion battery to provide for all that LTE use. Inside we have the Snapdragon S3 Dual-Core Chip, clocked at 1.5 gHz, and the Adreno 220 GPU chip. Additionally, it provides 1024MB of RAM to ensure a snappy and speedy performance—and it does. After heavy use of this phone, it has proved itself to be consistently fast, and I have rarely encountered lag. It comes with 16 GB of internal storage, but it is expandable via a microSD card slot, and it does support SDHC cards. NFC (Near Field Communication) is in the device, but unfortunately, AT&T does not have it activated on the device. Word is that they may activate it with ICS, so user can enjoy features like Android Beam and Google Wallet. The Skyrocket comes with all the classic goodies: Wifi

does not have it activated on the device. Word is that they may activate it with ICS, so user can enjoy features like Android Beam and Google Wallet. The Skyrocket comes with all the classic goodies: Wifi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.O, and GPS. It also includes an accelerometer, Gyroscope, compass, and proximity sensor.

Display:

The display is gorgeous. Samsung’s sAMOLED+ display technology has made its mark once again. It provides beautiful, bright and vivid colors on the large 4.5” display. On black screens, you can see text with incredible clarity, and although the resolution is lower than phones like the HTC Rezound, the Super Amoled Plus technology is very impressive and conservative.

Software/Battery Life:

Right off the bat, this device is running android 2.3.5 Gingerbread and, on top of that, Touchwiz 4.0, which really isn’t so bad. Battery life on this thing was good, it lasted me throughout the day, and this is in Manhattan, where I am getting an LTE signal. In my opinion, TouchWiz is really a pro, it makes it easier for you to customize your home screens, and is a very minimal, discrete and good looking skin. It doesn’t create any lag either. For the record, AT&T has promised the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade sometime in Q1, 2012.

LTE:

This Thursday, AT&T, unofficially, launched LTE in New York. Because it has not really been announced, these results are not 100% true, and the coverage is not final at all. My Skyrocket was getting a strong LTE signal throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. The closer to the Bronx you get, the lower your signal gets. Regardless, AT&T hasn’t said anything yet, so there will presumably be service throughout the city when made official. The network is still new, but I got some very promising results:

Camera:

Like the rest of the Galaxy S II line, the Skyrocket has two great cameras. A front facing 2-Megapixel camera, for video chat (or personal entertainment), and a 8-Megapixel LED flash rear shooter. The back camera features auto focus, touch to focus, image stabilization, smile detection, and lots of amusing features like panorama mode. It can film 1080p video, at 30fps, and like the photo quality, the video quality is stunning.

The Verdict:

The Skyrocket is a great device, but it there are plenty of variables that come in to play when choosing a phone. AT&T Customers, listen up. If you live in an LTE city, or/and if you have an unlimited data plan, don’t give it up to get the Galaxy Nexus. This phone is a beast of a device, and the specs it packs are great. Hopefully, with ICS, this will get access to NFC, and personally, I think the device as a whole can compete with the Galaxy Nexus.

Welcome, Savitt

2011-12-03T21:23:00.001-08:00

Let's all open up our arms, and welcome our newst member to he family. Yes that's right, Sam Savitt is our first, and newst writer to Allegrotechie. He'll be contributing to reviews and just posting all around articles. His bio after the break.

Sam Savitt is a tech mobile enthusiast who can't put his Galaxy S II Skyrocket down. He's an aspiring tech writer, and has loved technology as long as he can remember. Currently writing for this site ( allegrotechie.blogspot.com), he loves what he does and is passionate about it. Additionally, if you are interested, here is his google+ account:

https://plus.google.com/115878549612962026211/posts

Galaxy Nexus (Verizon LTE Model) Hands On and First Impressions Look:

2011-12-03T20:45:00.001-08:00

We were lucky enough to get our hands on the LTE Verizon Wireless model of the Galaxy Nexus today, right in Columbus Circle at the Samsung Experience store. Unfortunately, there was no release date or price announced, but hopefully this will hit the shelves December 8, which is next Thursday. This model packed 32 GB of storage, and though it has LTE, there was no SIM inside (the back battery door was locked down also). From the start, I can tell you it is thicker and heavier than the GSM version--and it is noticeable. That being said, it is still a very thin and light device, especially given that there is an LTE radio in there. In comparison to my LTE GSII Skyrocket (which as of this Thursday is receiving LTE in Manhattan), it is taller and a bit thinner. The device has great ergonomics, with the contour display and hyper skin back plate, it fits very nicely in your palm. After playing around with the device a bit, there are a few things I can confirm/point out:

1. It comes with two pieces of bloat ware that you cannot uninstall: My Verizon Mobile and VZ Backup Assistant.

2. Live wallpapers other than the default ICS wallpaper generate significant lag throughout usage of the phone--there was a lot of lag even scrolling through the home pages

3. Widgets being in the app drawer is annoying--and can be frustrating

4. The GN is very very snappy. One of the quickest devices out right now.

5. The back plate sports a Verizon 4G LTE brand name, replacing the space where “Google” was.

I was able to try out most, if not all, the new features of ICS and the phone (NFC Beam, screen shots, Zero Shutter lag, face effects, recent apps, etc.), and this is a very exciting and fun device. If you are eligible for upgrade, or are looking to switch phones and join Verizon, I can’t recommend any phone other than this.

Check out our photos:

BREAKING-FCC Agrees to AT&T's plans to withdraw from Merger

2011-11-29T17:08:00.001-08:00

Today, the FCC agreed to AT&T's request to withdraw from the T-Mobile merger. AT&T has been claiming that the merger would 'create jobs, and help both companies'. In reality that's not true. Most likely, this merger would have made a lot of people lose jobs, and drastically lower the competition in the wireless world. Don't count them out yet though, anything is possible, and this merger could still go through, so stay tuned.

I'm Back!

2011-11-28T12:56:00.001-08:00

Hey all,
Just want to say that I'm back here to blog.
I know I've been gone for a while but this is it!
Stories will start flowing in and reviews for the newest gadgets will be here soon!

Thank you for reading and supporting us!

Alex

BREAKING: Motorola announces Droid RAZR; still has a hump

2011-10-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

The last few days of rumors have all been confirmed. Motorola has announced the Droid RAZR. Claiming to be the "thinnest smartphone in the globe", its ugly hump makes it thicker than some other phones (iPhone 4/4s). The phone boasts a 4.3 inch HD display, 1.2GHz dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, and a unique 'cutting edge' design. The phone won't ship with ICS but don't be surprised if it doesn't get it soon. Engadget reports that they say Mr. Eric Schimit at the event.

Moto to announce Q.3 earnings Oct 27

2011-10-17T06:22:00.001-07:00

Motorola is set to announce their Q3 earnings on Oct 27.

Could this show amazing sales? It is moto going down?

REVIEW: Kindle

2011-10-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

I love Amazon. I love Kindle. I love books. I only love books when I read them on the Kindle.

Thats something you may hear me say. But only 3 out of 4 things stated above are true. The one thats not true you ask? The third one. Now don't get me wrong, I like books, just don't adore them. But that all changes when I read them on the Kindle. Maybe that's why I've owned every Kindle since the 1st Gen. It's the only way you'll get me to read. Throw me a Kindle, and I'll read, throw me a book. It's like throwing Superman a bar of Kryptonite. It just doesn't fit. Me+Book= :s

Anyway, I've got my self a brand spankin' new Amazon Kindle, the $79 dollar one. And I'm about to review it. Wanna hear my take? Read on after the break!

The new Kindle was a big..downgrade. They took away the keyboard, took away a big chunk of the bezel, but best of all, a big chunk of the price. But is it really a downgrade like the critics said? Or an amazing piece of tech? Lets find out!

I was able to get my hands on the new Kindle a few days ago and I've created a nice bond with it. I've got a lot of experience with Kindles and e-Readers so I'm no novice to this topic. I've got one thing to say about this new Kindle: Unreal.

Unreal in the fact that it almost is...fake. When I dropped on by to Staples to pick one up, I first asked the manager to see a demo unit of it first (just wanted to make sure this would be a worth wild review). As soon as it transferred over and it laid its 6 once body into my hand, I shouted (in my mind of course): FAKE. It was too light. Almost like he forgot to put the battery in. I then said to him "Haha, can I see the real one now". He looked at me as if I had plant that grew Kindles coming out of my head. I then said "Well c'mon, this can't be real, its too light." He said "No no sir, it sure is real." As soon as I turned it on to test his statement, I said "I'll take one".

Screen:

The new Kindle (like every other Kindle and real e-Reader out there) uses an e Ink display. Ink that quickly moves to create an uncanny real page experience. All other Kindles and Sony e Readers have some pretty-good e Ink, but this new Kindle has incredible e Ink. The screen is perfect. On my now my out dated and extremely heavy 3rd gen Kindle, its screen is great, but when looking at it closely, it almost looks pixel-lated. The new Kindle on the other hand is amazing. Ink is perfect and it looks like real paper. Glare you ask? Shhh, don't say that too loud, the Kindle might hear it. There isn't such a thing on the Kindle. Unless you have a very strong flashlight pointed straight at a certain part of the text in a dark room, you almost never will see glare.

Screen: 9.5/10

Battery: This one is gonna be pretty short and sweet. 1 month battery with about 30 minutes of reading a day. Wireless needs to be off though. Unfortunately, the Kindle Touch has 2 months of battery while this Kindle only has one.

Battery:8/10

Speed: You may be thinking, Speed on an e Reader? What am I, downloading 6GB torrents? But no, you need speed for page turning. And while may sound odd, it took a while for the first and second gen Kindle's page to turn. The screen would inverse its colors (AKA A refresh) and then the new page would load in. Now, with each 'load', 6 pages will come in, so you only have to refresh every 6 pages. This new kindle is fast and amazing all around!

Speed:9/10

Hardware: This Kindle is light, thin, and sturdy. All the things a good piece of tech needs. Weighing in at only 6 onces, this Kindle is amazingly light. The new Kindle also does away the big keyboard and trades it all in for a 5 button clicker. At first, I was really skeptical, thinking the clicker would be cheap and bad. But in reality, it's surprisingly good. It feels nice in the hand and you don't need to use the tip of your finger-nail to trigger it. There are 4 buttons surrounding it, two on each side. A back button, a keyboard button, a menu button and a home button, respectively. The keyboard button is great. It brings up an on screen keyboard and you can use the 5 button controller to type text in quickly and efficiently.

Hardware-10/10

All and all, the Kindle is really nice and a fresh new price will want to make anyone buy one. While the 79 dollar prices does include 'special offers' you won't have to worry about them when you read, only as the screen saver and when you are the home page of the device. This Kindle, is light, easy to hold, thin, easy to fit in the pocket, thousands of books, new great design and incredible battery life.

Amazon's new Kindle: 9.5/10

Pros:

Thin, light amazing hardware

Best screen on the market.

Incredible battery

Really, really nice price

Cons:

Battery isn't as long as the one in the Kindle Touch

BREAKING: Motorola Announces Xoom Family Edition

2011-10-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

While it may just be a gimmick, Motorola has announced the XOOM Family Edition. I just got the email from Moto with the PR. It basically has the same specs as the first Xoom. But check this..it is exclusive to Best Buy! Read on after the break for the full PR.

Press Release:

Motorola Mobility and Best Buy Announce Motorola XOOM™ Family Edition - For Kids of All Ages

Special edition tablet exclusively for Best Buy customers is built to last and loaded with fun to bring the family together again

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. - Oct. 14, 2011 - Grab the popcorn, hit the lights and cuddle up on the couch with the new Motorola XOOM™ Family Edition, the HD tablet built for your entire family. Available exclusively through Best Buy starting October 16, the Android™ 3.1-powered Motorola XOOM Family Edition will entertain everyone in the house with TV shows, thousands of movies, and fun, educational games for kids of all ages. And with the award-winning Zoodles™ application, parents can rest easy knowing their kids are safe from inappropriate content. It’s an affordable way to bring everyone together into the twenty-first century.

“Nowadays, everyone from mom, dad to the youngest child use the same tablet device. We set out to design a device that’s kid and family-friendly yet versatile enough to handle your business needs,” said Jim Hamilton, corporate vice president, global retail & distribution, Motorola Mobility. “The Motorola XOOM Family Edition offers a world of games, shows and video tools and because it’s from Motorola, you know it’s durable and will last for years to come.”
"Tablets continue to generate excitement and we are thrilled to be able to offer the Motorola XOOM Family Edition to Best Buy customers," said Scott Wallace, senior director of tablet merchandising at Best Buy. "We think these devices are great for kids and families, and offer something for everyone. At Best Buy, we've long stood for choice and are delighted that the new XOOM Family Edition will be part of our selection."
Motorola XOOM Family Edition comes pre-loaded with almost $40 worth of applications and also features the award-winning Kid Zone™ by Zoodles™ that locks the home button and allows your kids to only access the content you deem acceptable, like educational games and movies. It also sports MotoPack by Motorola, which makes it simple to find and download apps that help you do more—and have more fun—with your tablet. MotoPack by Motorola showcases a selection of high-quality, popular apps that have all been fully tested on Motorola tablets to ensure an exceptional experience. Simply select the apps you want and download them directly from Android Market™. New apps and special promotions will be featured in the MotoPack by Motorola on an ongoing basis, so be sure to check back regularly.
And after the kids fall asleep, Motorola XOOM Family Edition lets you get back to work with email access, document editing capabilities with Quickoffice® Pro HD, and Web surfing that looks just like a PC, with tabbed browsing and Adobe® Flash® Player. Then access more than 250,000 other apps, as well as new cloud services from Google Mobile™ Services, Amazon and more.
Featuring a 10.1-inch widescreen HD display and battery life that lasts through a day of road tripping or a marathon game night, everyone will get a kick out of the entertainment possibilities with the Motorola XOOM Family Edition. Watch videos on YouTube and access millions of books while you hunt down the perfect bedtime story through Android Market™. With 16GB of on-board storage, everyone in the family will have space to store their favorite songs, photos and movies - even Grandma.
With a 5-megapixel rear camera and front-facing webcam, the entire family can video chat with aunts and uncles across the country. Remember the ancient days of camcorders and VHS tapes? Well those days are long-gone when you use Motorola XOOM Family Edition to record family videos and share them in a snap. Forget uploading to a PC—play your videos back on the tablet, view them on your flat-screen TV with HDMI® or post your masterpieces straight to YouTube™, Picasa™, Facebook® and more.
Want the details? Here’s a list of the facts:

Runs on Android 3.1, built specifically for tablets
1GHz dual-core processor for lightning-fast responsiveness
10.1” HS IPS HD screen display with capacitive multi-touch
5MP back camera with flash, with 720p video webcam
Preloaded with almost $40 worth of applications, plus Zoodles™, the award-winning Kid Mode application
Preloaded with MotoPack by Motorola XOOM (App Downloader by Motorola)
·Preloaded with Quickoffice™ Pro HD for seamless productivity at work
Preloaded with MotoPrint – the application that allows you to print straight from the Web browser
Preloaded with fun games like Asphalt 6 from Gameloft and SIM City Deluxe
16GB built-in memory
Battery lasts up to 10 hours for video playback and Web browsing
Access to more than 250,000 apps in Android Market^™

Availability and Pricing
Motorola XOOM Family Edition will be available exclusively at all Best Buy stores nationwide and online at BestBuy.com for a limited time value price of $379 starting Oct. 16.

Best Buy is advancing the growth of the tablet and e-reader category by combining an expansive selection with a shopping experience that allows customers to easily try and compare devices. The retailer is committed to delivering superior value and convenience by presenting a full line of accessories with each device, along with exclusive advantages such as tablet selection and connections support from specially trained Best Buy Blue Shirts, financing options, Reward Zone points, and tablet trade-in and Buy Back programs. For more information about these programs and tablets at Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com or www.bestbuy.com/tablets.

About Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE:MMI) fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people's lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.

About Best Buy

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is a leading multi-channel global retailer and developer of technology products and services. Every day our employees - 180,000 strong - are committed to helping deliver the technology solutions that enable easy access to people, knowledge, ideas and fun. We are keenly aware of our role and impact on the world, and we are committed to developing and implementing business strategies that bring sustainable technology solutions to our consumers and communities. For information about Best Buy, visit www.bby.com and to shop at Best Buy, visitwww.bestbuy.com.

Hulu cancels sale of it self

2011-10-13T17:17:00.001-07:00

Rember how hulu has been teasing us by putting themselfs up for bid? Well just now, they announced that they are talking themselfs off the market. Yup, they are not for sale anymore. More info later!

Tips: What to do when you run of of hard drive space

2011-10-11T19:40:00.001-07:00

Hey all, it's me, and I'm here writing to you today with some handy tips if your HDD/SSD gets filled up with well....junk! If this happened to you, you're not alone, because it just happened to me on my 13' MBA. I got really, really, really nervous? Why you ask? I do some heavy Photoshop work and need all the space I can get (you're probably thinking to your self, if he does heavy PS work, why the hell does he have a MBA)? The answer to that is because I just got into doing this heavy work only in the past 6-8 months or so. Anyway, back to tips. This problem can a cur to anyone. Download torrents, movies, songs, apps, trials, documents, and after a while, you're bound to fill up your and use all of your storage. External HDD's are nice, but after you back your data, you seem to say to your self: "I've backed up all my data, now do I just delete away on my laptop, or carry around both and only delete some stuff. Is the sky really blue? Or could it be white? Boy I could really go for some pizza right now." Don't worry, that happened to me (true story). I've got the solution with some tips for you to empty out that hard drive without wiping out your most important data!

Tips

1. Mac Users: Download MacKeeper, its an amazing software, and while it cost 38.99 for one user (59.99 for two users and 89.99 for three) it's an incredible piece of software I use every now and then. You can find and delete duplicate files, see what software is taking the most space on your hard drive and best off, keep your Mac clean! It can delete junk (you review it first of course) and remove any virus you may have. Good for a novice at tormenting and are very, very scared of the deep down world of torrent and the *dom dom DOM* Pirate Bay!

Price:$38.95, 59.99, 88.99

2. External HDD: Yes yes I know that you know, but still, this is a great option. Buy one for about 70 bucks, back up the whole computer, and just delete all the stuff you don't really use by may need for one day. As long as you don't misplace the drive, you're all good incase you every need the data again! (Don't lost that wire either, sad story behind that one for me... ;( )

Price:$39-$1000

3. Cloud, cloud, cloud: Something else you know about. Data gets stored in a hard drive wirelessly (AKA, The cloud) and you can access the data from anywhere you with an internet connection. While this is usually expensive for large amounts of data, it may be a good option for students or workers who only need to save 5-50GB of data.

Price:Free-$100 (Dropbox, iCloud....)

If you would like me to give you tips on anything or have any questions what so ever on anything tech, drop me a comment below or shoot me an email at questionsallegrotechie@gmail.com

iTunes 10.5 (In the iCoud) released

2011-10-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Apple has just pushed out and made the iTunes in the cloud live. iTunes 10.5 adds support for the iCloud. Do you think you'll use this? Or just another 'Ping'?

Apple: 1,000,000+ iPhone 4s sold in first 24 hours

2011-10-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hey, if you thought 200,000 AT&T iPhones was impressive, then, like Jobs said, "You ain't seen nothing yet". Apple's confirmed they've been able to guaranty over one million iPhones off the conductor line in just a meer 24 hours. Last year, they were able to sell 600,000 iPhones in the first 24 hours, and that was just with AT&T. This year, with three US carriers holding this device, over a million sold.

Imagine how many more are gonna be sold..

AT&T sells 200,000 iPhone 4s in less than 12 hours, hint, it's a new record

2011-10-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

The phone that everyone said would be a 'fail' and would be the phone to 'bring Apple down' is actually the phone to bring Apple up. AT&T is reporting in their most recent PR that they have gotten 200,000 pre-orders for the newly announced iPhone 4s. Remember, this is AT&T only, god only knows what Sprint, Verizon and other carriers have sold. Also keep in mind that AT&T has exclusivity of 4G for the new iPhone too.

Steve Jobs has passed away

2011-10-05T16:43:00.001-07:00

It's extreamly sad news, but Mr. Steven Paul Jobs, has died today at the age of 56. He has been fighting cancer for 8 years now.

Sprint gets the iPhone 4s

2011-10-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

Sprint has got the iPhone 4s. Dual core. Same body. Now in a 64GB model.

iPhone 4s announced with dual core

2011-10-04T11:07:00.001-07:00

Same body, all new on the inside! A big let down folks, as we all hoped for an all new design. Yet we didn't get that! Just like the 3Gs to the 3G. Nothing new!

UPDATED We've got our own official logo now!

2011-10-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

Yup! I've been working for weeks sketching and using my trusty and most favorite photo editing editing app (Pixelmator in case you're wondering!) trying to make the best logo I can for this site. And this is it! I personally love it (of course), but if you have any suggesting, drop me a line in the comments!

UPDATE: I've got a second logo I've made now!

BREAKING: Rhapsody to acquire Napster

2011-10-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

This is breaking news and not much else is known at the moment, but Rhapsody is planning on buying out Napster.

Mango Review

2011-10-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

Microsoft’s first major update to the live tile filled OS had all the hype. Mango. To bring webOS like multitasking, better email and Facebook integration and sweeter eye candy UI improvements. It’s been hyped to be the killer OS to liven up the sad and weak Windows Phone 7 sales. Is Mango the golden ticket? Or are weak sales gonna need to see a Window 8 Phone for Microsoft to finally get some money in the mobile phone department?

I’ve been using Mango for a few days now on a Samsung Focus. I can say one thing. I own a Galaxy S II, an iPhone 4 and I’ve gotten an HP Veer (I know, WTF). There is one thing that all those phones (except Galaxy S II) all have, and that’s lag. Whether it’s bringing up the keyboard on a webpage, or multitasking, they all experience lag at one point or another. Microsoft on the other hand have done something very special. They’ve learned how to make a phone sans lag. Mango seems to add some extreme speed improvements as well. Before, clicking on your phone tile would take a second or two before the actual phone app would launch. Now, instant. Regardless of me being on a 1GHz single core processer, it’s a smooth, easy experience. This is a big win for Microsoft. They don’t have to pay (or the manufactures) absurd amounts of money on 1.5GHz dual core chips.

I’d like to quickly talk about Internet Explorer 9. Mango upgrading form IE 8 to IE 9 is a big improvement. Contrary to other mobile devices, the URL/Search bar is at the bottom of the page. And while it doesn’t disappear when scrolling, its just smarter. Your finger is always on the bottom of the page, why leave the URL bar at the top? Something else we love about IE 9 is the feature to set web pages to always go to mobile mode or always go to desktop mode. This comes especially in handy when the big screened devices start to roll out. The Focus S, its not out yet, but when it is, it’s gonna boast a 4.3 inch screen, and sometimes viewing pages in mobile versions get funky. You may prefer the desktop version.

What needs improvement.

Mango is a great OS, but it falls short in a lot of aspects. It seems to be the most obvious aspects too. The home screen. There is just too much wasted space. All starting from the top of the screen to the side with the arrow. As you may know, there aren’t many Windows phone with large screens, and you need all the space you need. Also, Mango falls short in the apps department. Say anything you want about having a decent 10,000+ apps in the market, there’s a big shortage of apps (yes, I’m looking at you Spotify). Mango also falls short in…fun. Too much black all around and organizing apps in hard due to the list of apps instead of the norm of having pages of apps. The ‘Theme’ section of the phone also desperately cries for more colors. It all seems to bland. Here’s a suggestion Microsoft, maybe you can have a general theme color, but have the option to change specific apps to different shades of the same color. It lacks something to drag me in.

One last thing that needs improving is the multitasking. Long press the ‘back’ button on your device and wa-lah. A webOS style multitasking comes up. Displaying your 5 recent apps in a card like style. One thing this lacks is a way to delete an app from the cards. There is no way to remove one of those cards. It’s annoying and pretty disappointing. Also, it seems to glitch a lot, and badly. Certain apps duplicate in the multitasking for some reason and once again.. it’s annoying.

All in all, Mango is good, clean OS with semi-decent multitasking and an amazing email app. It’s solid, yet needs a big revamp, as it already feels dated. The problem Microsoft doesn’t understand is that there is nothing to drag in the average consumer. It’s too boring, especially when you know nothing about Windows Phones and you walk into your AT&T store. Nothing special. Of course, if you’re reading this, you probably aren’t the average consumer, so if you’re interested I would recommend this OS, but only if you’re patient for some more updates…

Note: You may notice that there is no score on this review. I deiced not to give it one, as I feel it is important to get a full overview and not just a number. Not to fear though, our next review on what ever it is will have a number.