When the Droid was first released, a couple of interesting accessories from Motorola followed suit. I was dismayed to find hefty, $29.99, prices for things like the Car Dock and the Droid Multimedia Station.

There’s no reason that some sort of magnetic, plastic dock should cost so much. And for what? The docks are nice, but hardly a necessity. In fact, if you want to mimic the Car Dock’s features, just press the Car Home app in Android 2.0.x. But until now, users haven’t been able to mimic the Multimedia dock feature.

I was simply browsing the top app list in the Market, when I found an unassuming app called DockRunner. DockRunner is a FREE download and mimics the Droid Multimedia Dock (shown above on the left). The time, weather, music, pictures, etc. are all displayed and the phone thinks it’s in the dock!

Save yourself $30 and just download this simple app. Desperately want a cheesy, clunky, plastic “dock”? May I suggest making your own? Stay tuned for a DIY dock later this December!

As always, with the help of Twitter followers and Luke, we’ve created a list of the Top 3 News and Weather apps. What we found particularly difficult was collecting apps that would actually do everything we needed from a news and weather application. I continued to go to different apps for more relevant and specialized content. Tell us what you think in the comments below and enjoy.

• USA Today – [Link to Site]
  • Winner: Best All-Around News/Weather App
  • The 678kb USA Today app is powerful and fast. Flipping through the different panels of Headlines, Scores, Weather, Pictures, and Snapshots is a breeze. The application is set to update each time you start up the program and can be manually updated on the bottom of the screen. Weather is conveniently located in the banner with degrees Fahrenheit and basic weather logos. This program does headline news really really well with an elaborate array of: Top News, Life, Money, Sports, etc. By clicking the Weather tab, you’ll get a 5-day weather forecast.
  • Dislikes: Weather is by default, set to New York City. Doesn’t allow for background news updates. Refresh interval isn’t customizable. News articles are little snippets of what a New York Times article would be.
    
• Google Finance – [Link to Site]
  • Winner: Best Financial News Source
  • Unlike it’s iPhone counterpart, the Droid doesn’t have companies like E*Trade developing stock and market apps. Fortunately, the Google/Android team has created the Finance app. The application is a bare-bones streaming quote checker for the market. Check anything you want and it will stream the latest quote. In a simple, 3-tab design, the Finance application can have your Google portfolio synced and you’ll see all your favorites in one easy to access tab. The “news” tab has a basic collection of overall market sentiment and news. Want to know what is happening today in the market and where your stocks are? Then Finance is for you. Finance comes with a little widget for the home screen that can load your personal portfolio write to your desktop.
    
  • Dislikes: It’s too simple. The streaming isn’t true streaming, just a periodic update from time to time with the most recent quote. Refresh intervals for the widget need to be quicker. A more graphical user interface could definitely make this application shine.
    
• Weatherbug - [Link to Site]
  • Winner: Best Weather App
  • The Weatherbug application used to be an ad-ware filled mess of spam for Windows computers. Now you can get it for your Android phones! All kidding aside, the Weatherbug application is the most convenient, simple, and easy to use weather app for the Droid. Personally, I use it because it displays a temperature in the notification panel of my Droid. Even on restart of my phone, the Weatherbug application starts up and displays an accurate temperature to my location. I don’t need a fully featured weather application–just the barebones; current temp and high for the day. By sliding down the notification panel, I can see the current temperature again, but also see today’s high and basic prediction (e.g., “Partly Sunny”).
  • Dislikes: The actual application is buggy (no pun intended). The ads can be cumbersome in the free version. The user interface seems a tad slow and outdated.
    

What we still want to see:

• New York Times – [Link to Site]
  • Unfortunately, there isn’t a New York Times application like the iPhone. The iPhone version is incredibly powerful and the user interface is truly intuitive. We’d love to see NYT wise up and develop for the Android.
• NPR - [Link to Site]
  • This was previously mentioned in our Top 5 Android Apps article, and we have yet to see the application in the Android Market. Recent reports and news has suggested that NPR is fast on its way to having on for the store. Also, the goal is to make the Android app more feature-filled than its iPhone counterpart. We’ll see!

Please comment below or Twitter us if you have any other apps that we should take a look at or left out!

In a singular blog post, the tech news sources went crazy. The Google Mobile Blog, which covers most of Google’s progress on mobile platforms, released a post on their “dogfood diet.” The blog publicly announced a new device that would test the mobile gadgetry of Google and use the Android platform.

The new gadget will be tested by Google employees and in the meantime, the consumer will wait and see what they have up their sleeve. But like any device that is given to testers, those beta users snap shots, give feedback, and give us the insider information. What follows is a complete breakdown of the impending Google phone and what that means for soon to be competitors (i.e, the Droid and iPhone).

For starters, we’ll look at the original blog post that lit the fire:

At Google, we are constantly experimenting with new products and technologies, and often ask employees to test these products for quick feedback and suggestions for improvements in a process we call dogfooding (from “eating your own dogfood”). Well this holiday season, we are taking dogfooding to a new level.

We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe. This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it.

Unfortunately, because dogfooding is a process exclusively for Google employees, we cannot share specific product details. We hope to share more after our dogfood diet.

TechCrunch.com was one of the first to break the news. The site says that the impending Google Phone will be Google-branded and sport an entirely Google-designed interface with Android 2.1. Along with being an advanced Google phone, the Android device will sport 1GHz Snapdragon processor that has already been tweeted as being surprisingly fast and snappy.

While the phone is being built by phone manufacturer, HTC, the phone will be entirely develop and customized by Google. This is without a doubt, going to be more Google than Motorola’s attempt with their Droid. The phone’s name is still up in the air, with some calling it the Nexus One and other sources touting it as simply the, Google Phone.

TechCrunch says that the phone won’t be sold by any carrier, but rather be a SIM-unlocked phone for GSM carriers. This is where TC may have diverged from a reasonable path. Evidence like Verizon and Google’s news suggests that if a new, unlocked Google phone is released that it will be both CDMA and GSM unlocked, and ready for essentially any network in the United States and abroad.

The OLED touchscreen is bright and super-high resolution. The phone is thinner than the Apple’s iPhone and features a 5 megapixel camera, which is comparable to Motorola’s Droid. And from the camera pictures that we see, it looks like the camera is once again inadequate and just seems to take simple shots.

A new voice-to-text feature is supposedly on-board, which would allow for super accurate dictation of emails, texts, etc. Similar to Ford’s new Sync technology, your phone could be told to send an email to a person and then you could speak the body of the email.

Here at MarketMatador.com, we speculate that the new Google Phone may be advertised as a data only phone, with a hope that phone companies will quickly offer data only plans that allow voice calls through applications like Skype. Wi-Fi may be the standard method of use for the phone, similar to Apple’s iPod Touch.

There’s no doubt that this phone will throw a wrench to Apple’s future iPhone sales and also the Droid’s recent success. Expect the phone in the second quarter of 2010 for an unfriendly, unlocked, unsubsidized price of $550+.

Stay tuned for more information on the Google Phone as we receive it.

After a several month hiatus from the Android market, version 3.0 has just been released. Fans of augmented reality have already been calling it the “Killer App of the Day.” Don’t be fooled, Layar Reality Browser is just another method of greater consumerism and hardly a reasonable information source.

Let’s say you’re in a mid-sized college town like I am. Here in Fort Collins, I turn on the Wikipedia Layer in the browser. My camera proceeds to turn on and show me an on screen radar and grid. I’m supposed to be immersed into the augmented reality. Instead of actually seeing the world, I see yet another screen — it’s mildly depressing. And if I thought the browser was going to truly change my perspective I ought to think twice. For instance, the only Wikipedia blip that results is Colorado State’s nearby stadium, “Hughes.”

Switching to businesses, I see a mildly larger population, with reviews, and a basic description of the food, service, etc. All the while, I reminded that I’m looking in a little box less than 4 inches, and the camera continues to shutter along while I comically lift my phone to face to look at a building or direction. I look like an imbecile. Perhaps this is the future of technology with these savvy technological devices, but count me out of this one.

Heck, if I want to look at review, location, and the type of food I’ll be receiving at a restaurant I use Google’s local search and/or a Google voice search with my Droid. Google has a highly developed voice recognition system that easily trumps Apple’s iPhone. Command your phone by pressing the mic, and simply say something like “pizza.” Google’s search is off to the rescue, cataloging the closest pizza places to your location, offering numbers, and addresses. And all the while, I don’t look like such an idiot.

Augmented reality is comparable to walking around with a metal detector. Interesting hobby, and I bet it produces a number of 43 cent finds, but is it really the future? I’d advise you to delete Layar Reality Browser after trying it out for yourself.

Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear what you think about augmented reality and Layar Reality Browser!

If you get an update over the weekend, please let us know in the comments below.

MarketMatador.com Tech Show: Episode #004 from Sam Lustgarten on Vimeo.

I have always wanted the iconic skull and crossbones flag proudly flyin’ on me ship. I need the life with no worries; just a heist here and there, the treasure, the women, and the scurvy.   I need the pirate’s life and the JetLev is just the water-powered jetpack I need to get my foot in the door.

JetLev Sports recently introduced a recreational, intuitive, water-powered jetpack. The Flyer can travel around 25 mph for a little over an hour. It is powered by a tethered, separate, propulsion engine. The Flyer is attached to a large sled like motor that stays in the water and there is a giant hose that pumps water from the ocean or lake and propels it through the actual back mounted jetpack.

I was amazed at the YouTube video that I’ve attached below. But at a $100,000 price tag, I may have to wait for a nice graduation present from my parents.

I knew nothing of Macs until it was time for me to make that purchase in my own life. I was going off to college and my uncle offered to buy me a computer. With little hesitation I said a PC would be fine. I didn’t need the over-priced, glitzy, fad of a computer that was a Mac.  And I was extremely happy when I received my 17inch, 8 pound, 1.6 GHz Gateway. The thing was a behemoth, it wouldn’t even fit in my backpack, but it did everything it needed to do.

I had no idea what I was thinking. But I went ahead and reversed my wrongs and bought a beautiful MacBook. And after tinkering with it for sometime, it all makes sense. The operating system is truly intuitive–now I get the allure. Starting the machine and the apps is quick. When it comes to editing videos and pictures, there’s no comparison. Mac wins. The software is unbelievable and extremely easy to use. The Mac is a powerhouse. It can easily operate countless applications; without the noticeable bog that one receives with Windows.  Plus it runs Windows better than a PC runs Windows!

People argue that Macs are too expensive–they are. That’s why I bought mine used and at a great deal. People argue that Macs are fashion statements, but so what, so is everything else in our lives.

I love my new Mac, and I’m already budgeting my finances to upgrade to a newer model. With that said, I want it to be known that I never truly had any problems with a PC. And I would still be using one if this deal had not came up. But I think everyone should try a Mac. Own one at least once in their lives and then make up your mind.

You will be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

Have you switched to Windows 7 from Mac (or vice versa)? If so, please let us know in the comments below.

Spread some holiday cheer, one card at a time.

Sure, email is great, but there’s something uniquely heartwarming about the kind of card that comes in the actual mail — especially for folks who don’t hear from us as often as they should, simply because they aren’t online.

So we’ve made it as easy to send snail-mail holiday cards as it is to send email. Simply fill out the form below and we’ll send one free holiday postcard on your behalf. Yes, through the mail and everything.

Source: http://twitter.com/google

Link: https://services.google.com/fb/forms/gmailholidaycard/

I could lay out a pros and cons list, be cliche, and hope that readers enjoy the breakdown. I could focus on Windows 7’s major upgrades from Vista and XP. Or perhaps I could look at Macs energy efficient, sleek desktops. They’re all appealing directions, but what is captivating me most is the social and business implications of the decision.

Am I the only Mac user that is contemplating switching entirely to Windows 7? The questions just seem all too numerous. Windows 7 has truly surprised me; and I hate to say it as a self-declared “Mac fanboy,” but this is truly an amazing operating system.

Talk about the “everything works” stereotype of Macs, I’ve had plenty of crashes and freezes, it’s not perfect! Windows 7 isn’t either, but it certainly has moved into the same realm of “everything works.” Google Chrome is fully-featured and completely amazing, unlike the Mac counterpart. And many of you will exclaim, “Well, it’s in development and will be released for Macs very soon.” But therein lies the rub, Macs software is frequently developed second. If you want the latest technology, go with Windows.

I can assure you that I’m not simply going with the age-old wisdom of Microsoft’s totalitarian power. My college campus is full of Mac users; in fact, I’d say Macs have a 50-50 foothold on the college crowd. The only thing that stops most college students from buying a Mac is price, but god do they want one. The mystique and blind admiration for Macs is comical. Everyone wants one now, and they’re captivated by Macs’ unibody designs. Not to take away from them, they’re beautiful, but it’s what’s inside that actually matters to me.

If you want beauty and ease of use, Macs may still have the market. But Windows 7 and the computers that are manufactured with them are powerful and geeky. Like my Droid, it’s the power and geekiness that appeals most. Watch out Apple, I see a future where Windows 7 plays a greater role.

Where once I would’ve considered myself inseparable from the Mac way of life, I’m free. I’m free to choose whatever I want, and what I want most of all is a Quad-Core Windows 7 monster with a slick student discount at Dell ($569!). I feel disgusting even uttering the words, but at least I’ll be able to run anything and everything! I’m excited and nervous, but I’m going to try not to look back.

Have you switched to Windows 7 from Mac (or vice versa)? If so, please let us know in the comments below.

MarketMatador.com: Episode #003 from Lucas Newby on Vimeo.

Radio distributes content to a broad spectrum of people and shares news and music. Many frequent commuters have relied on radio for their early morning and post-work entertainment. Follow sports on ESPN, world news on NPR, and listen to the latest musical hits. There’s still an aesthetic appeal to all of this.

While radio continues to broadcast out to the greater world, the deconstruction and decentralization of all things radio is swiftly occurring. The younger generations have their iPods for starters, and when they grow to have today’s smartphones (Droid, iPhone, etc.), they’ll probably be getting their news from it too. “There’s an app for that” means more than the 100,000 some-odd apps, many a waste, but tens of thousands that can replace our previous needs with a car radio. The NPR app and DoggCatcher are perfect examples of this new web technology that’s replacing old audio media.

Many of today’s technology is ad-free or has very minimal advertisements. Pandora on both the iPhone and Android devices has nothing more than a little banner image. Unlike even the desktop version of Pandora, the mobile version doesn’t have intrusive audio ads. Why would I go back to dialing into a radio station and suffering signal strength woes? Pandora is just an example of what I’m filling my ears with every day.

Part of the reason I love my Droid is because I can’t download through the iTunes Music Store; the convenience would entice, and I’d be spending left and right on my iPhone. By turning on Pandora I save money and it’s personalized, which I don’t get by listening to my own music all the time.

Not to mention that podcasts are quickly replacing my TV watching and are perfect for casual walking. Download them over the air and have them in a couple of minutes. It’s the future, and I have it in my hands. I haven’t listened to the radio in years, and I’m predicting that they’ll quickly lose funding in the next 10 years and wash away. Hello smartphone, you’re my always connected computer!

Tell us if you’re using your smartphone to replace your radio and music player! Let us know in the comments below.

has a 1.6 GHz Atom Processor, 1 GB of RAM, and a surprisingly large 160 GB HDD.

I’ve sold my MacBook, and until I splurge on some sort of powerful desktop or laptop, I’ve got this brand new netbook. My expectations are quite high and I need everything to work. I keep saying in mind, I have papers to write and things to do – it all just needs to work.

Picking up the 3.2 lbs Mini, I know that I have a powerful and sturdy device in hand. The keys are responsive and the QWERTY part of the keyboard is well sized and perfect for my keystrokes. The start time is a little slower compared to other netbooks, but I hardly notice it because I’m constantly having it hibernate.

I start up and log in to Windows XP Home, the computer is slow to allow any start to applications, but I get something open soon enough. It has a convenient on/off button for the WLAN card inside that has b/g wireless capabilities. Which begs me to ask the rhetorical question, “Are you kidding me?” There’s a child-like card inside what’s supposed to be an ultra-portable netbook. At least throw in Wireless-N. But the switch is effective and nice to have either way.

Connecting to a network, I realize the potential power behind a device like this; I’m connected! Connected anywhere and everywhere these days; internet and open Wi-Fi spots seem to pop up constantly. And I have an on-the-go device that can effortlessly slip into my backpack and go unnoticed because of its svelte weight and dimensions.

But here’s where I run into trouble. The device is essentially incapable of running Flash videos. This cracks me up, we’re in the tech age right now – how the hell can’t these laptops play Flash video? I’m not the only one. Comment after comment on a number of different netbooks talk about “performance.” It’s not real performance that’s an issue – I can multitask relatively well. It’s video that’s essentially unplayable and intolerable.

Downloading the latest episode of the Totally Rad Show in HD, I find that the video plays back, and gets better as the video goes along, but it’s still stuttering and the frames per second are barely cutting it. The HP Mini 311, featuring an HD-resolution screen can’t even playback quality HD content! Seamless playback was never an issue on my MacBook. How does a 1.6 GHz processor and Nvidia Ion graphics card fail so miserably?

The answer is complicated, but the basic idea is that Flash media is processor and memory intensive. In future updates there’s hope that it’ll be reduced. It needs to be reduced before it’ll run on devices like the Motorola Droid in early 2010. There’s actually an update coming later this year or next for Flash 10.1, which can be downloaded in prerelease form here. Playback is mildly improved and analysts say that the HP Mini’s enhanced GPU (Graphics Processor Unit) will help assist Flash to deliver even better videos.

The bottom line is that I love the simplicity and portability of netbooks. There’s tremendous potential behind them and a growing market. People will be buying more of these, and makers of Flash and other HD content will become better producers of content for these devices. Now after a little less than a week of owning the device, I looked at Amazon.com to see the latest prices on my device and comparable ones; I’m shocked, Amazon.com is offering the bigger brother HP Mini 311-1025NR for $479.99 (probably for a limited time). It comes with an added boost in hard disk capacity, RAM, and is fit with Windows 7 Home Premium.

If you need something that can handle video whatsoever, I’d recommend the HP Mini 311-1025NR. But if you’re looking at pure portability, look at some of the latest Eee PC’s.

Google Wave is a self-proclaimed, “tool for real-time communication and collaboration.” Within a wave, people can see real-time typing and communication, while simultaneously collaborating on projects. You can add any countless numbers of maps, videos, documents, pictures, and tools that may be required. Unfortunately, for the time being, Google Wave is invite only and in the preview stages of development, so many features are still inaccessible.

When starting a wave, it feels similar to chatting or instant messaging.  When in a wave, communication is made in individual text boxes. From there any of the users can start implementing any of the tools. For example I could add a map that shows where I am in relationship to Sam, or I could ask him a multiple-choice question (where I choose the questions and the answers). And if he needed to work on a document we could see who was editing what, and when.  From there we could save the wave and replay it at our leisure.

All of this makes Google Wave sound pretty darn amazing. But it is slow, painfully slow. We can only hope that that’s because of its current development stage. It makes playing around with Wave a timely process. Additionally when trying to add several of the gadgets the links appeared to be broken or unresponsive. Thankfully there is already an online book to explain Wave.  The book is a Wiki-like 8 chapter, multiple appendix, book that explains the vast amount of functionality and potential.

We are truly excited to see where wave will take the online communication world. Will it truly replace email? Not for a while, but eventually it will be a competitor. With open source development, the possibilities are endless.

We would love to hear any of your comments about Google Wave. If you already have it, tell what you think, if you still want it, tell us what you want to know. Reply to this post in the comments and we’ll enter you to win one of two free Google Wave invite giveaway!