Cinemagram for iphone

What is Cinemagram

Cinemagram for iPhone is an intelligent app that allows you animate your photos, apply filters to them and share them on it’s activity stream and on your social networks in the form of animated GIFs. The real beauty of the app is that you can choose a part of your photo to animate and leave the rest static – such partially animated GIFs are called cinemagraphs; here’s the one I created using Cinemagram for iPhone:

Flowers cinemagraph; taken with Cinemagram for iPhone

How it works

Cinemagram works exactly like Instagram does, the only difference is that you need to capture a video or choose one from the camera roll instead of a photo. Once you have chosen a video, you can select a little part of the scene which will be kept animated like this puppy’s tail and the rest of the scene will be static.

Puppy Tail cinemagraph; taken with Cinemagram for iPhone

In order to select the animating part, you draw a mask on the screen with your finger. Although the Draw Mask screen gets the job done, it’s not very perfect and there’s a lot of room for improvement. There are only undo and clear buttons and there’s no eraser tool; also you have to wait a moment after drawing to pan and zoom as there’s no pan/zoom tool. The area you select is thus not always very perfect and some unwanted parts of the scene do also get selected.

Cinemagram for iPhone: Users draw masks to select the animated part of the cinemagraphs.

There are 10 different filters which are almost the same as of instagram’s, you can apply any one of them to your photos if you want to. The finalized cinemagraph (or simply a cine) appears in the activity stream and you can obviously share it on tumblr, facebook and twitter.

What makes it special

While animated GIFs are nothing new cinemagraphs are, and creating them was never this easy. Before cinemagram, cinemagraphs were created with a variety of equipments and tools including video and photography cameras, tripod stands and extraordinary photography skills. The whole procedure of creating a single cine took several hours if not days. Cinemagram makes it so easy that you can create a perfect cine in less than a minute and share it with your friends. Cinemagram is a social network of cinemagraphers which starts with an activity stream of most popular cines so discovering best cines created by other users is as easy as eating a delicious dessert.

Cinemagram: A user timeline

Why should I use it

If you love photography, Instgram is the app of your choice but if you love GIFs, there won’t be a better place for you than Cinemagram.

Where do I get it?

Currently Cinemagram is only available for iPhone for but Factyle - the company that makes it, says that an Android version is also in the works.

Cinemagraph gallery

We have hand picked some great cines for you that were created using cinemagram for iPhone. Check out the gallery below.

LG Lucid

• 1.2GHz dual core processor
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB internal storage (though our model only showed 4GB)
• 4″ IPS display with 800 x 480 resolution
• 5MP rear camera with 1080p video capture
• VGA front camera
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread with LG Skin
• Micro SD card slot
• Verizon 4G/LTE

Hardware:

Front

In the past, LG hasn’t presented all that many original designs. Many of their phones have been knock-offs of popular devices, like the Galaxy S II, and others. With the Lucid, it looks like LG may have found its own way. They’ve come up with a design that stands out for all the right reasons, looks great, and manages to stay thin and light. From the front the device doesn’t look much different from any other black square out there on the market, but once you start turning it on the side you’ll see where LG has added their own unique style.

Side View

The  Lucid’s attractive silver stripe adds a little bit of flair to what otherwise would have been just another shiny black smartphone among a hundred shiny black smartphones. The slight teardrop is reminiscent of Sony’s Tablet S. Rather than retain the same dimensions all around, the Lucid has a slight curvature on the sides that adds a bit of extra grip, as well as style. At 11.44 mm thick, it’s not the smallest kid on the playground, but it’s also not too bulky. When compared side-by-side with the LG G2X from last year, the two devices are nearly identical in thickness, as well as weight. In the image above, you’ll see the power button at the top. We’ve had some complaints about how smartphone manufacturers have been making the power buttons nearly flush with their devices, which leads to mishaps and fumbling when trying to actually use them. Not so with the Lucid. The power button is easy to locate and press, but not flimsy in any way.

Back View

The glossy back side of the device has an attractive, subtle red hue mixed in with the black, and is easy to remove to get at the battery. The one downside we found here is that the glossy exterior will happily retain any and all fingerprints that it comes in contact with. It’s a minor complaint, certainly, but obvious none-the-less. Any smartphone user, though, is well acquainted with fingerprints all over their device, so it’s easy to look past this.

Side View

On the other side of the device, you’ll find the charging port, as well as the volume rocker. The volume rocker is essentially flush with the body, but it’s placed in such a way that you’ll never see it from the front, but it’s easy to locate with your fingers when you need it. At the top of this side is another protrusion which actually has no function, but is only there to balance the power button on the other side.

The overall design is pretty minimalist in several areas, however LG and Verizon will make sure you never forget who made your device, and which carrier you’re on. The redundant logos of both companies appear quite boldly on both the front and back.

LG Lucid

Do a quick search for a replacement display for your smartphone. Don’t worry we’ll wait. Ok, now how much did it cost? A big portion of what you pay for your device is the display. Display tech isn’t cheap. That means that to put out a relatively cheap device, you have to make some trade-offs, and one of those is usually in the display. Size-wise, the Lucid’s display isn’t all that bad. At 4″, it’s just about the right size. When compared to the current crop of high-end phones with displays reaching nearly 5″, though, it looks downright small. The Lucid’s display is, perhaps, it’s biggest failing. That’s not to say that it’s plain bad, as it’s passable. However it’s lacking in both resolution and display type. The resolution is a mere 800 x 480, which in our minds just doesn’t quite cut it. It leads to larger, less smooth icons and rough edges around text that are, indeed, noticeable. When you look at the current crop of Verizon devices with 720p displays, it’s hard to get over this significant hurdle. Being saddled with it for the next two years would be somewhat regrettable for someone who is constantly involved in reading and watching video on their device.

Software and Performance:

About Phone

Ice Cream Sandwich has been available for nearly 6 months now. Why handset makers are still loading up this current round of devices with Gingerbread is, perhaps, one of life’s great mysteries. In our minds, it does a disservice to them. Despite that, LG has promised an update to ICS in the future, but no firm date as to when you’ll see it. Add to this LG’s proprietary skin, and you have 2 strikes against the software already. LG’s skin, though, is not a terrible one for the non-modding smartphone user. The skin is very clean, easy to learn, and is very similar to the LG Spectrum. There are, however, some key differences in out-of-the-box design. The Lucid features 5 home screens with preset widgets and icons, including a dialer widget that we really enjoyed. More dialer widgets in the future, please.

Long-press Grid

Setting up your home screens is made very easy through the long-press, which brings up a menu of various options. A grid appears that lets you better place widgets and individual icons on each screen. You’re also able customize the notification bar’s quick-access buttons. The Lucid has 4 pre-loaded themes available, as well, each with its own distinct icons, wallpapers, and looks that are completely different from one another.

Quadrant Score

On the Quadrant benchmark, the Lucid scores a 2013, which is fairly good. Understandably, it falls behind its high-end competition like the Galaxy Nexus, however it’s very much competitive with similar devices in its price range.

Being a Verizon device, the Lucid is also loaded with tons of apps. The usualy Verizon apps are all here, as well as a couple of game demos and third-party apps that are hardly necessary and eat up a lot of the internal storage that could otherwise be used for things you actually want.

Apps

Apps

Apps

Apps

Camera:

Camera App

Smartphone camera seem to come in only a couple of flavors. There are those are quite good, those that are horrid, or those that are just passable. The Lucid is one of the latter. The 5MP rear camera can do some decent video at 1080p, but when it comes to stills you’re not going to be impressed. The Lucid boasts auto-focus that in reality is more like auto-never-focus. The focus square turns green when the device says the lens is focused on your subject, but that never actually seems to be the case. All of our pictures, even when manually focused turned out slightly blurry. This was a bigger problem indoors, where you have less light, but also happens outdoors in a lot of cases. The Lucid also has a panorama mode that works passably, but is nothing as clean as the panorama shot in ICS. Pano photos taken with it were nothing that we’d care to present in this post, as they never quite managed to stitch together correctly. We’ve put a few sample shots below of both indoor and outdoor shots for you to look at, though.

Inside

Inside

Inside

Outside

Outside

Outside

Network:

Speed Test

As usual, we’re very pleased with Verizon network performance. The Lucid consistently achieved over 10Mbps download speeds, while upload speeds hovered between 1 and 2 Mbps. The LTE signal was ever-present, and over the course of the few days we had it we never noticed a time that it dropped to 3G. Call quality was excellent, and loud and clear on both ends. However, it does have a feature that you might overlook if you weren’t really thinking about it. That’s the microphone. If you use the speakerphone function a lot, like we do, you’ll notice that the microphone is really good. So good in fact that you can be heard very clearly even if the phone is several feet away. However, that same quality doesn’t extend to the speakers. The person on the other end doesn’t have near the volume that you’d want if you did have the phone several feet away. Even maxed out, the volume just never gets that high.

Battery:

The battery life on this device is sort of a mixed bag. LG has packed the Lucid with a 1700 mAh battery, which is an improvement over some other devices, but nowhere near that of others like the RAZR Maxx. With heavy use, we saw about 6-8 hours out of it. Standby times were much better, and had no trouble lasting through the day. Naturally, LTE is going to drain your battery a lot faster than a device without it, but with standard use you should still get several good hours out of this device. If you make a few changes to notifications, updates, and other battery-draining features, you’ll have no real complaints. Also, we recommend using wifi whenever you have it available to save yourself even more juice.

Conclusions:

For the price, you could do far worse than the LG Lucid. It’s among the cheapest of Verizon’s smartphones, and also packs a spec sheet that’s just slightly under other, more expensive devices. It does suffer on a few fronts, most notably the display, camera, and LG’s skin. However, that’s no reason to blow it off completely. It performs very well in most cases that will matter to the average user, and that’s the key. This is a device for the average user, not the power user. If you’re looking to do smartphones on a budget, or introduce a family member to the world of smartphones, this is a low-cost way to do it. LG’s skin makes some features unnecessarily complicated, like the app drawer, but also makes some things easier to navigate, like customization. That’s the market LG will need to play to in order to make this device a success. That said, there are alternatives you may want to consider. Verizon also sells the HTC Rezound for $30 less, which will net you both Beats Audio and a 720p display. Add onto that HTC’s much more timely update process, and you have an instant alternative. If you can afford to drop a little bit more, you can also get the iPhone 4 for only $99, no rebate required.

Questing in Pandaria

Fellow WoWers, it’s been a long journey through Azeroth. We’ve fought the forces of evil across continents, through time, and across the universe. We’ve lain to rest demons, dragons, and the undead. Soon we’re going to face our greatest challenge, yet: Pandas. I first started my WoW career a month after the game’s release. I’ve always been a long-time Blizzard fan, though, and spent hours and hours with the previous Warcraft installments. I jumped headfirst into WoW, and have seen the game evolve in tremendous ways. The Dev Team has learned a lot, taken the game in new directions, and made their share of mistakes in the process. Still, WoW has maintained its place as the most popular MMO on the market, and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. Through the last several years I’ve been a casual and a hardcore player, taking on both roles as real life challenges determined. I wiped for countless hours in BWL, MC, ZG and Old Nax. I was a daily quest machine in BC, and cleared the Ulduar and TOGC hard modes before it was cool. I’ve been around on every side of Azeroth.

Like most of you, I was really excited about Cataclysm, too. I really, really tried to love it. For the first few months I hit it pretty hard, but life got in the way and my interest waned. Much of my Cata career was casual, and for the last few months I just haven’t been able to stomach it, despite the new raids, revived heroic content, and a new Dark Moon Fair experience. When those first cinematics for MoP hit the net, I felt a little underwhelmed about the new race and class that was coming. Kung-fu pandas? Really, Bliz? But, hey, Blizzard has a special place in my heart. While we’re waiting for Diablo III to hit next month, it seems a good time to talk about MoP. I just got the beta invite last week, and was quick to download it and give it a shot.

Naturally, the first place to start was with the new race and class. The first day of the beta, though, everyone had the same idea and it made things all but unplayable. I gave it a couple of days to let all those players progress away from the starting zone, set my main to copy over to the beta server, and waited. Then, I came back to it with a renewed interest. The starting zone was much more clear. Now, it was a good time to get a sense of what Blizzard has been working on for the next expansion.

Right off the bat, I can tell you that Blizzard has delivered a gorgeous environment, as always. The starting zone is a living world of high mountains, green valleys, temples, pools, and a number of new races, enemies, and quests. It’s still the same old WoW, but there’s a lot of new things going on. The questing experience seems a bit less linear, opting for a main story with several different side stories that you can delve into if you so choose. As a completist, it was only natural that I tried to pick up as many of the quests as I could find and knock them out. I rolled a Pandaran Monk, of course. My first impression of the new race is not all that great. The Pandaran’s fit with Blizzard’s semi-cartoonish and fun-loving style, but personally I was hoping for something a little more gritty. Throwing in a race of giant pandas was, for me, something of a let down. However, I’ll reserve judgement for the final product.

The monk class is something of a mix between a rogue and a shaman, with plenty of its own unique characteristics thrown in. The monk uses energy, like a rogue, to build up Chi. Chi is similar to combo points, in that you’ll use it to unleash more powerful attacks. The mechanics will change depending on your spec, though. For example, if you go the route of the Mistweaver, the monk healing spec, there are skills to learn that will change your energy-using skills into mana-using spells. The monk can also function as a tank (Brewmaster) or a DPS (Windwalker). As a healer the monk has some skills similar to the shaman, such as a chain-heal like spell called Chi-Wave. It can also produce statues in any spec, that function like a cross between totems and a Priest’s Lightwell. Each of the statues has an effect on click, as well as another effect. For example, the White Tiger can follow a target and do damage when it reaches them.

As a new class, the monk is a pretty solid choice. It has some really cool abilities in any spec, the most fun of which has to be the panda roll. At least, so far. Your roll has 2 charges before it hits a cooldown, allowing you two shots at rolling your way out of danger, or getting the jump on an enemy by rolling at them and leaping into an attack. You also have a basic crowd control attack that costs a little bit of energy to put a target to sleep for a few seconds.

In true monk fashion, the majority of your moves are melee and range from fist attacks to kicks. One early attack is a roundhouse kick that can only be performed when your enemy is below 35% health. If your enemy is killed by that attack, you’re refunded 1 Chi.

The leveling experience is made a little easier as you no longer need to see a trainer to learn your skills. Whether that’s only something for the beta is still in question, though. As it stands, you’re immediately granted new skills upon leveling up, and every 15 levels you’re allowed to pick a talent in the new talent trees. Talents are completely different from previous expansions. You’ll only have a total of 6 talent points to use from level 15 through 90. Your spec determines which skills your character is equipped with, and talent points are spent on special skills that allow you to personalize your character in ways that you couldn’t previously. At levels 15, 30, 45, etc, you’ll pick from 1 of 3 skills available at that level. Some of these will allow you to fill other roles in a pinch, while others are better for solo action or PVP.

As you can see, some of the monk’s skills are still not in-game at this point. As a beta, there is a great deal that’s not here yet. The pet battle system, for one, hasn’t been added. Most vendors are only placeholders, and don’t actually sell any goods. Some quests are bugged, and lead to frustration. All this is to be expected. In the short time I’ve had to spend on the beta so far, I’ve noticed some of the same tired farming quests, but also some refreshing new ones. In one quest you’re asked to combat other monks while balancing on bamboo reeds. Falling in the water turns you into a frog, and you’re attacked by cranes. All-in-all, I wasn’t wowed by the new race, class, zone, or quests. However, I wasn’t disappointed with it. I’m sure as I spend more time with it, the world will offer far more engaging features. And as I spend more time with it, I’ll continue to post new screens and thoughts on it. These are just the initial impression I got from a few hours of playing. You can take a look through the screenshots for a glimpse at Pandaria, but there’s a lot more to come. My main was just transferred over to the beta servers, so I’ll be looking at some level 85 content, as well.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7.7 isn’t the first Sammy tablet we’ve gotten our hands on. We were able to get a long look at the Tab 10.1 last year, thanks to our friends at Kyle Communications and Verizon. The Tab 7.7, though, is an exceptional device in terms of performance and portability, combing the best of both to create an Android experience that we were very sorry to see go back to Verizon. This little tablet makes a big impact, and we were fortunate enough to have it on hand at the same time as Apple’s New iPad, which gave us a great feel for what both devices and OS’s are capable of. The week that we had the Tab around, we also had a lot of waiting around to do for many different things, so it gave us the chance to really get some mileage out of the device. It did not disappoint. Let’s run down the specs and go from there.

•  Dual Core 1.4 GHz Processor
• 1GB RAM
• Android 3.2 Honeycomb
• 16GB Storage with Micro SD Card Slot (Supports up to 32GB cards)
• 7.7″ Super AMOLED Plus display. Resolution: 1280 x 800
• 5100 mAh battery
• Verizon 4G/LTE connectivity
• 3MP rear camera (720p HD recording)
• 2MP front camera

Hardware:

Bottom View

As with the previous Galaxy Tabs, Samsung hasn’t slouched on creating a beautiful device that’s both light, thin, and powerful. While the 7″ form factor isn’t for everyone, and in the past we’ve been pretty disappointed in 7″ tablets, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 certainly made us think twice. We’ve been through a number of 10″ tablets, and all of them have been really nice to play with, but there’s something to be said for a slightly smaller tablet when it comes time to take it with you. The 7.7 is highly portable, and as such is a great choice for entertainment on the go. The Tab 7.7 has some hardware improvements over the slightly older Tab 10.1, all of which were very welcome additions. For starters, the dual core processor is tuned a bit higher at 1.4 GHz over the Tab 10.1 1.2GHz. Not a lot of difference there, but every bit helps. The addition of a micro SD card slot is also a nice touch. When we saw that the Tab 10.1 had no expansion, it was pretty disappointing.

Galaxy Tab 7.7 Display

Another welcome upgrade was in the display. The 7.7 is the first tablet to feature the Super AMOLED Plus display. It’s not the New iPad’s Retina display, but it’s damn fine looking none-the-less, and performs very well both in and outdoors. Note that this device does not support the S-Pen.

Galaxy Tab 7.7 Back

In terms of overall design, we really like the brushed metal back, which is a great improvement over the all-plastic builds on many of Samsung’s previous tablets. It smacks of better quality, and is also a nice departure from the bland single black or gray color choice of most tablets.

Overall, there are a few differences between Verizon’s version of this device, and the international HSPA+ version. The most obvious is the 4G/LTE connection, rather than the HSPA+. There’s also an additional IR sensor, just like on the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. The colors are also slightly different. The LTE radio lends a very small increase in thickness to the device, but it’s so negligible as to be a non-issue. We really couldn’t be happier with a 7″ tablet, though. It really strikes just the right balance between portability and usability. We give it the obligatory “feels great in the hand,” and we were very comfortable using it on a daily basis.

Samsung didn’t neglect any of that 7″ of space either. Every side of the device has some kind of port or switch. On the left is a port for the micro SD card slot, as well as the SIM card. On the right you’ll find the volume rocker, power button and IR sensor. The top has only the 3.5 mm headphone jack, while the bottom houses the speakers and the proprietary connector port. The back has the very prominent Verizon branding, and the camera.

Software and Performance:

Benchmark Tests

The Tab 7.7 is powered by Samsung’s Exynos dual core processor and 1GB of RAM, making it a really snappy device that gets things done, and fast. Going off Quadrant scores, the device scored a 3,476, which is better than the original Tab 10.1 and the Galaxy nexus. That’s to be expected, though, as the boost in processor is a tad above the other two devices. The downside here is in Honeycomb, which is not the most efficient resource manager. Once the device is update to ICS, though, you can expect it fare even better. Because of Honeycomb you will see the very occasional hiccup in web surfing, such as loading graphic-intensive websites.

Of course, one of the most important factors when considering LTE device is the battery life, or lack thereof. So how did the Tab do with its 5100mAh battery? You’ll be very impressed. We put the Tab through some very heavy use over LTE, and at no time did we have any battery trouble. Even streaming movies, surfing, gaming and the like, the Tab pushed out an impressive 12 hours of battery before giving up. That’s right in line with the advertised 12.5 hours of life. It’s also the absolute best battery life of any tablet we’ve ever used. That includes the New iPad, however the in the case of the iPad it has to power a much larger and more pixel-dense display.

The camera is, as with all tablet cameras, not the best. It’s already a pretty low-grade camera, and in our minds rear-facing cameras on a tablet aren’t all that necessary. Front-facing cameras make sense for video chat, but there’s not often a call for a good shooter on a tablet. Now, the camera isn’t terrible. It will still take a decent shot, and the pictures are passable, though a little saturated. They’re also very grainy when you zoom in on them at all. There’s really nothing here to recommend it over a good digital camera, or even the 5 or 8 MP camera on your phone. Here’s a few sample images we shot.

Outdoor

Outdoor

Outdoor

Subject

Subject

With Samsung’s early access to ICS, it was a little disappointing to see this device launch with Honeycomb 3.2. ICS will, no doubt, make the device a better buy and a better performer. That said, the TouchWiz coated Honeycomb is one of the few times where we liked a manufacturer skin. While it hampers overall performance ever so slightly, the additions that come with TouchWiz outweigh any performance hiccups for an average consumer. If you were hoping for a device free from bloatware, though, you’d better look elsewhere. Pre-installed apps are all over the place. Aside from the usual Verizon fare and Samsung Hub apps, you’ll find at least one welcome inclusion, and that’s Peel Smart Remote. Peel takes advantage of the IR sensor, turning the tab into a universal remote that worked really well with an HDTV and AT&T U-Verse.

Conclusion:

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 fared really well for us. We loved the portability and the performance. Battery life is stellar for a tablet, and the display is one of the best around. It’s certainly the best on a 7″ device. For a purse or backpack companion, the Tab 7.7 is an excellent choice, if you can afford to tag on the data plan for a tablet. If you’re already using an Android phone with hotspot service, you might be better served with a wifi tablet you can connect to your phone. However, your phone won’t be getting the battery life that the Tab does. Especially if you have the hotspot enabled. While Honeycomb is disappointing, the device will be better as soon as ICS comes along, and it’s already a pretty rocking little tablet. We do find the price a little steep though, at $500 as of this writing. We’d be more inclined to wait until Google I/O and see what happens with the rumored Nexus Tablet, which is supposedly going to fall in the $200 range. If that price tag doesn’t bother you, though, and you’re heavily invested in Google ecosystem, there are many worse tablets around, and not a lot that are better if you look at the complete package. The most obvious exception would be the Transformer Prime or Infinity from ASUS, which will run you about the same price with better specs, but without any LTE.

Droid 4 With Keyboard Out

The keyboard-packing follow up to the Droid RAZR retains the overall design of that popular device, but when you get down to the details you’ll note that you have to make some trade-offs if you’re looking to carry a QWERTY in your pocket. However, for the features that the Droid 4 offers at the price of $200 (as of this writing), you can’t do much better on Verizon if you want both power and a hardware keyboard. While Big Red does stock the Samsung Stratosphere, which is a very capable QWERTY device, the Droid 4 is simply much more of a powerhouse than the single core Stratosphere. So, how does it stack up against its keyboardless predecessor? Let’s run it down.

Specs:

• 1.2 GHz dual core processor
• 1GB RAM
• Android 2.3.6 with ICS update in the works
• 4-inch qHD PenTile display, 960×540 resolution. Scratch and scrape resistant screen.
• 8GB internal storage with 8GB micro SD card included
• 8MP rear camera with 1080p video capture
• 1.3MP front camera
• 4G/LTE mobile data connection
• Government grade encryption for business users

Hardware:

From the front, the Droid 4 closely resembles the Droid RAZR, but you’ll immediately notice the extra weight associated with the keyboard. If you’ve held the feather-light RAZR in your hand, then pick up the Droid 4 your first thought is going to be, “Wow! This is heavy,” but don’t let that deter you. The slight increase in weight is certainly no deal-breaker. At $200, you’re not going to find a better hardware keyboard on a smartphone anywhere else, though T-Mobile’s MyTouch 4G Slide comes in a very close second. Both of these devices feature similar hardware and performance, however T-Mobile’s network lacks the speed of Verizon’s, while HTC’s Sense on the MyTouch is a much more attractive skin than Moto-Blur. Those facts aside, the Droid 4 comes equipped with the standard high-end specs that we’ve become used to seeing in the last year. That includes the dual cameras for snapping and chatting, though you’ll find the Droid 4′s shooter lacking in quality. Doubly so when you pit it against the MyTouch camera, which is one of the best mobile cameras on the market.

Clearly, the standout feature is the keyboard, though. As hardware keyboards go, the Droid 4′s is excellent. The buttons are large, and have a slight bump to them, and the keys are well-spaced. This provides a great typing experience that is hard to beat. The dedicated number row is also great to have, as you won’t be constantly clicking “shift” to type in a string of numbers. One minute feature that I also liked was that you can click the “shift” key, and then the tab key, which has a tiny microphone icon it. This immediately turns on voice input. If you enjoy voice dictation, this is a nice little feature.

If you’re a DIY kind of user, you’ll be disappointed by the fact that the Droid 4 does not have a user-replaceable battery. In fact, getting at the insides is made more difficult by the fact that you can’t just pop off the back panel. Motorola’s included a little key accessory that can get it off, and in the event that you lose it you can also use a paperclip to jimmy it off. The lack of a user-replaceable battery may put some folks off, though, especially when you take into account that the battery life on the Droid 4 is a hair better than that of the first-gen RAZR. That is to say, acceptable, but not all that great. This is something we’ve grown used to in our current breed of smartphone, though, so it’s not as if you didn’t expect it. With fairly heavy use, I was able to get about 6-8 hours out of it. That’s with pretty constant use, though, with little time on stand-by. However, there’s also Motorola Smart Actions, which if used to its full potential can grant you quite a bit more juice.

Droid 4 Display

I mentioned earlier that you’ll make some trade-offs by picking the Droid 4 over the RAZR. The big one is in display. The Droid 4′s display is a bit disappointing if you’re overly picky about your color quality and sharpness. The PenTile display does make for a somewhat blurry experience when you’re on the homescreen. When watching video, the colors are not all that bright either, and while the picture quality is good, it’s only that. By comparison, the RAZR’s display was very sharp and colors look bright. If you’re not all that concerned about super-bright colors, though, the display is passable. Inside, the display is very readable and has little problem doing what it’s supposed to do. Outside, though is another story entirely. In direct sunlight you’ll find it very hard to see anything.

Software and Performance:

About Phone

The Droid 4 is running (almost) the latest version of Gingerbread, though an update to ICS is coming down the pipe sometime in the next few months. Version numbers aside, the Droid 4 and its dual core processor are pretty beastly at doing all the things you want your smartphone to do. It features the 1.2 GHz TI OMAP processor found in both the RAZR and RAZR MAXX, which make the phone very snappy and responsive to anything you can throw its way. Overall performance is slightly hampered by Moto-Blur, but not to any degree that the average user will find disappointing. Even graphic-intensive games perform without a hitch, and loading times are a non-issue.

Call quality is good, but not excellent. Reception was great in this area, however on my end I noticed a slight tinniness to sound. On the receiving end, though, there were no such issues. I had no problems hearing the receiver, but he did sound a touch robotic. As far as data speeds are concerned, the device seemed very fast, which you’d expect on an LTE connection. Though, when it came time to actually run speed tests the results were a little disappointing. Only once did I break the 4Mbps download barrier, and the other tests came in under that. That’s not really the fault of the device, but rather the LTE network in my area acting up. These speed tests were, unfortunately, conducted shortly after Verizon’s recent nationwide 4G outage. It’s almost a certainty that that incident had a hand in the poor speeds we saw. Normally, download speeds in my area are fantastic.

Speed Test

If you’re okay with the blocky Moto-Blur look, you’ll likely find little fault with the rest of the OS. As usual, Verizon’s packed the device full of bloatware, though, which should come as no surprise. All the usual Verizon apps are here, as well as a couple of Games and Motorola apps. One small peeve I had was with the notification bar. On a lot of other devices you have quick-access buttons to various power controls. You can easily turn on/off wifi, gps, Bluetooth, etc. Not so on the Droid 4. There is no power control on the bar, nor is there an overall power control widget. Instead, there are only single widgets for each of those features. If you keep a toggle for each of those features, you’ll almost need a whole homescreen just for those.

Apps

One of those that we’ve come to actually like is Smart Actions. When used to its full potential, Smart Actions can be a real battery saver if you set up your rules correctly. I put a couple into place to disable background syncing when wifi was turned off, and also to display a charging reminder if I was at home and the battery dipped under 50%. There’s tons of other applications for Smart Actions, so it’s worth setting some rules up if you’re going to carry a Moto device.

Smart Actions

Camera:

As mentioned earlier, the camera is one of the most disappointing features. It’s not terrible, but like the display it’s just OK. Inside, some of the photos appear very grainy, or blurry, though the lighting quality is decent. Outside, pictures were much better, however color washout is an issue. Both indoors and out, color is a problem. Rather, lack of color is a problem. The colors just don’t pop at all. The camera makes a passable shooter in a pinch, but it really falls short of similar 8MP offerings like that on the MyTouch 4G Slide. Take a look at our examples and you’ll see what we mean. Admittedly, the outdoor shots were taken on a day that was far from colorful, but you can still see the lack of vividness.

Indoor Shot

Indoor Shot

Outdoor Shot

Outdoor Shot

Outdoor Shot

Conclusions:

The Droid 4 has one of the absolute best mobile keyboards out there. If you’re a must-have QWERTY user, and looking for a good dual core upgrade for a reasonable price, then the Droid 4 is certainly a strong contender. The design and build quality are very good, though the display is simply passable. As an entertainment device, the Droid 4 is great for gaming and movies on the go, but due to the display you shouldn’t expect a grand cinema experience like you get out of the Droid RAZR or anything with a Super AMOLED Plus display. While performance isn’t an issue, the camera is bound to be a disappointment for some customers, as is the lack of a user-replaceable battery. However, if you’re using Smart Actions to their full extent, it should alleviate some of your battery woes. What really makes or breaks the deal on the Droid 4 is the keyboard. If a keyboard is a non-issue for you, then I suggest the RAZR MAXX. If you have to have the keyboard, then the Droid 4 is worth the $200 price tag until your next upgrade.

LG Spectrum Home

LG’s latest flagship device on Verizon is essentially a rebuild of the LG Nitro for AT&T, with a few minor tweaks for America’s largest LTE network. Foremost among those tweaks is the increased pixel density and upgraded display, which is probably the device’s best feature. We’ll run that down for you in a moment. The Spectrum may seem like just another Android phone, but with the variety of special widgets, and a superior build quality, the latest from LG is actually a very good choice for those looking at phones in the $200 range. At the time of this writing, the Spectrum sells for $199.99 on a 2-year contract, making it $100 less than other high-end offerings like the RAZR Maxx and Galaxy Nexus. This device is very comparable to the Droid RAZR (OG version) in all the right areas. It’s not quite as thin as that device, but it’s a joy to hold, and feels very comfortable in the hand. Let’s run down the specs.

• 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU
• 1GB RAM
• 4GB Internal storage, with 16GB SD card installed
• 4.5″ True HD IPS Display (1280×720) with Corning Gorilla Glass
• 8MP Rear camera with 1080p video capture
• 1.3MP Front camera for chat
• 1830mAh battery or optional 3000mAh extended battery
• Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, with ICS update in the near future
• Dimensions: 5.33″ x 2.71″ x 0.41″
• Weight: 4.99 oz

*Note: In the video, I called out the battery as a 1300 mAh battery. I misspoke. It is an 1830 mAh battery.

Hardware:

Spectrum Back

The Spectrum has a very nice build, with a quality feel to it. Compared to the Galaxy Nexus it feels absolutely tough. The only real problem I had with it was the extremely slick coating on the back. It makes the device slide out of your hand very easily, which is something you really don’t want to happen with a $200 piece of tech. Investing in a case for better grip is almost a must. Along the back is a nice looking checkered pattern that certainly breaks the monotony of other devices that are usually featureless and black.

LG Spectrum Home

The front is coated in Gorilla Glass, and trust me, you’ll want to protect that gorgeous display. The front of the device has 3 capacitive buttons for Menu, Home, and Back. The Home key also has a silver backing to make it stand out from the others, which I felt was a nice choice. Fortunately, the buttons are also backlit. Along the top you’ll find the power button, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the USB charging port. The volume rocker can be found on the left-hand side.

Spectrum Top

Spectrum Side

The device’s stand-out feature is, undoubtedly, the display. If you’re picky about pixel density, the Spectrum’s 4.5″ True HD IPS display packs in 319 ppi. That’s slightly higher than the iPhone’s 316 ppi, if you want to quibble about a few pixels. The display is fantastic across the board, though. It’s ideal for viewing HD video, as well as photos. With the humongous screen, it’s also great for web pages or long lists of text. The colors are very bright and vibrant. Overall this display is one of the best on the market. Verizon now carries 3 of the 4 HD-equipped displays available in the US. The other being the afore-mentioned Nitro HD on AT&T.

The battery is perhaps the weakest link in the device, as it is so often these days. From a full charge with fairly heavy use, I saw about 6 hours of use. On standby, you can get about 12 hours out of it. Now, the Spectrum does have an optional 3000 mAh battery you can purchase, and if you’re going to consider picking this device up you will certainly want to invest in that. The 1830 mAh battery it comes with is just not enough.

The camera is an 8MP shooter, and performs rather admirably. I was actually surprised at how well it performs, both indoors and out. Another bonus is that there’s very little shutter lag. Maybe about 1/2 second. One thing that’s always bothered me with Android phone cameras is shutter lag, and it looks like LG has really done their homework on this one, as it’s practically non-existent. The video camera feature can also capture in 1080p, and looks great on an HD monitor or TV. I’ve posted some indoor and outdoor shots for you below.

One area that the camera falls short is in its panorama mode. Ice Cream Sandwich has a panorama mode that’s actually very good. The way LG has done it with this device though is very poor. I’ll post one of them just so you can get an idea. Here’s the problem. ICS uses a continuous shot mode that’s almost like a video as you pan across a scene. Then, the entire scene is rendered into one long photo. The way LG has done it is that the device takes a photo, then the arrows direct you to move to the next part of the scene. It uses a red box that you have to line up in the center to take your next shot. The problem is that the device itself is deciding where your next shot should be taken. That results in a very poorly stitched together photo at the end, as the camera will not take the next shot until you’ve centered it where it thinks it should go. Take a look.

Panorama Shot

Outdoor Shot

Outdoor Shot

Indoor Shot

Indoor Shot

Indoor Shot

 Software:

About Screen

The Spectrum ships with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, and was obviously being developer pre-ICS. Fortunately, there is an ICS update planned in the “near” future. LG has skinned the device with some kind of overlay that’s similar to MotoBlur in its boxy appearance and grid pattern. That’s, unfortunately, not a compliment. The skin does have obvious consequences, and they’re apparent when trying to add icons to the home screen. It also hampers the overall performance. There are some upsides, though. The device comes with 7 home screens, for one. LG has also included some nice custom widgets for weather, news, and social networking functions. Those that are very active on Facebook and Twitter will like the Friends + and Social + widgets. Friends + lets you easily access contacts from Facebook and Twitter, and see status updates from those individual contacts. Social + is a widget that presents your feeds from both Facebook and Twitter in a scrollable list. You can easily toggle between the 2 social networks with a tap. There’s also a pre-loaded live wallpaper that shows your battery life with a water display that fills or empties as your battery charges and drains. The biggest downside in the software is, of course, the pre-loaded bloatware apps. The Spectrum comes totally loaded with all the things you don’t need. Sports fans might like the ESPN Score Center app, but aside from that there’s not much to like. Here’s a short list of just some of the pre-loaded apps.

• Bitbop
• Blockbuster
• Hot Pursuit
• Let’s Golf 2
• NFL Mobile
• Rhapsody
• TuneWiki
• Verizon apps
• Smartshare
• Finance
• Polaris Office

Benchmark Test

Connection speeds were very good, and the 4G signal strong and present about 98% of the time. Verizon has been making a lot of upgrades in our area, since the Super Bowl is coming to town, and it shows. Our speed tests were always over 10Mbps on the download side, except for the 1 test on 3G you can see in the image.

Speed Test

Conclusion:

I do recommend the LG Spectrum if you’re looking for a high-end device that has a price tag lower than that of the Nexus or RAZR Maxx. The Spectrum is certainly a competitor, and performs very well. It’s snappy all around, though does have some slight performance issues because of the custom skin. The best feature, by far, is the display. If you like watching HD videos of playing HD games on the run, this device should certainly be a consideration. The battery life takes a hard hit, but can easily be remedied by picking up the extended battery. The worst feature is the LG skin, in conjunction with the pre-loaded software. As soon as root is an option, you will certainly want to take advantage of it to remove all the unnecessary software. The slick back will give some buyers pause, but with a case that problem is easily remedied. Still, the Spectrum is a great device with a lot to offer, and an affordable price tag. It can be had for $199 with a 2-year contract.

Anatomy of the App Store

Microsoft’s upcoming version of Windows, Windows 8, is set to be a totally new experience for Windows users and developers. The new Metro UI looks great, and the App Store is one of the most anticipated features. Microsoft released the developer build of Windows 8 back in September of 2011, and has since held a developer contest, of which the second round will begin shortly. They’ve also had the chance to showcase the new OS, both at the Build conference, and again at CES, briefly. In a new blog post, Microsoft has gone a little more in-depth as to what users can expect to see in the new App Store, and we’re going to take a look at it here.

The Windows store is set to launch in early February, as part of the beta release of Windows 8. It will, of course, share the new Metro look of the overall UI. The latest blog entry details the Store’s landing page, editorial topic pages, data-generated lists, app listing pages, and the search, browse, install, and update experiences.

When we set out to design the Windows Store, we had a number of design goals and principles that guided us to our final experience. The fundamental building block of our Store design was to ensure that people could easily discover and quickly acquire apps. While this is a somewhat obvious goal for a catalog or marketplace, it’s actually pretty challenging when the size and diversity of the catalog grows as quickly as we expect to happen in the Windows Store.

Windows 8 App Store Landing Page

The Landing Page:

The landing page will feature the latest uploads and content, changing frequently to showcase all the newest apps for users. This way, users will get a broad idea of everything that the Store has to offer. The landing page hosts featured content, as well as navigational content for the user, such as featured apps and categories. Because their internal research indicates that most users will just search for what they want, due to a poor browsing experience, Microsoft aims to make the browsing experience of the store one that is compelling. Therefore, the landing page integrates featured content, data-driven lists, and category listings into an engaging browsing experience.

Navigation through the store is consistent, and done in the Metro style. This makes it easy to use and familiar to the user as they become acquainted with navigating the new Windows UI. Store categories are listed at the top of the screen, with some of the most popular apps displayed in those categories. To browse, you can simply swipe left or right on a touchscreen device, or with your mouse. For more apps in a single category, just click or tap the heading to delve deeper into it.

Pan left or right through the various categories

In each category you’ll find some spotlighted apps chosen by a board of editors. The editors choose apps based on a number of factors, including how well they perform on the platform, or how well they show off Metro design principles. A special “topic” page will feature particular “thematic elements” linking to multiple apps that the editors want to show off. Customers can also browse featured lists of the most popular apps, and what the editors consider the highest quality apps in each category. In addition, a section dedicated to “rising star” developers will features apps from creators that are “building momentum” within the Windows 8 environment. Those will appear alongside the apps of “developers with an established track record of quality apps”. Of course, the store will also offer suggestions based on past purchase history.

To “get a better feel for the categories,” users can use the pinch-to-zoom gesture, or mouse wheel, to see a broader view of the categories. From there you can tap or click to jump to a specific section. The same control mechanism works from the Start screen, as well. They call this “semantic zoom” because it “allows you to zoom in or out to see more or less detail about what’s on the page”. The zoomed out view of the store shows all of the app categories at once, ensure that a customer has efficient navigation, even as the catalog of apps and categories expands.

Searching and Browsing:

Searching the App Store

The popularity of search as one of the most-used methods of discovery is something that Microsoft has dedicated a lot of time to. The Windows Store has implemented the search contract, which allows you to search from within whatever app you happen to be using at the time, by tapping or clicking the Search “charm”. This makes it easy to search for new apps, even when you don’t have the store open.

If you happen to think of an app while browsing the web or using another app, you can just tap the Search charm, type in your search term, and select the Store to see search results for your query.

The same UI is used both in and out of the store for a consistent experience. The store also employs instant result technology, like that used by Google. So, as you begin typing, you’ll see a list of search terms that match your input. If one of your search terms matches an app, it will appear as “recommended” in the results. Tapping or clicking it takes you to the page for the app. There’s no need to go to a search results page first. If you don’t have a particular app in mind, the search results can be used to take you to a results page you can browse through.

Search Results Page

From the results page, you can browse your results based on relevance, by default. You can also change the listing to see results based on price, highest average user rating, or release date. You can also filter results by category or price.

A Category Page

The same design model is used in category view. By tapping a category header, you’ll be taken to the category page. Here you can browse the catalog, and make use of the same sorting and filtering tools used in the search results. The experience is a continuous list of apps, with no paging.

App Listing Pages:

App Listing Page

The app listing “is the place where customers can learn everything they need to know about the app (and where developers can tell the story of why their app shines and is something customers will want)”. The app listing page uses visual elements from the app package to apply the color scheme and logo used in the app itself. Here you can also find the app’s rating, as well as user feedback on quality. You’ll have a set of screenshots to flip through, which are given a very prominent position, since users are very interested the way the app looks. Also listed on the app page are the permissions needed, as well as the age group it’s intended for.

Installing Apps:

Installing Apps

Installing apps will be very easy. If you’re signed into the Windows Store, one tap can download and install a demo version of any app, while paid apps will require you to input a passcode to confirm your purchase. You can toggle the passcode off, but if you have children using the computer it’s a good precaution to keep active. Once you’ve chosen an app to install, you can continue browsing at your leisure.

We don’t believe you should have to stare at a progress bar and count every second as it goes by. Likewise, staying on the app listing page for the app you just acquired leaves you at a dead end with nothing to do.

As soon as installation begins, you’re taken back to the page you were on, to continue shopping. A progress indicator will keep you updated with your installations. The app’s tile will also be added to the Start screen upon completion. Tapping or clicking the progress indicator will give you further details on your installation progress. Once an app is installed, a notification will pop up to let you know. Tapping the notification will launch the app. The tile added to the Start screen will always be put at the end of your list, and can then be moved wherever you like it.

Updating Apps:

Update Screen

Microsoft has made the updating process as easy and predictable as possible. Once a day, the system checks your apps for any available updates. The tile for the App Store will then show you if you have updates available. Once you click the update page, you can update all your apps with a single button. The system installs updates very quickly, by downloading them in the background so they’re available as soon as you hit the update button. On the mobile version, this option is off by default, due to mobile data limits. You can toggle this option off on the desktop version in the Store settings. Once the update process begins, you’re free to browse the Store or move on to other tasks.

Reacquiring Apps:

Your Apps Page

Since many of us, obviously, have multiple computers, we might want to install our apps on several of them. Windows 8′s Store adds your device to a list of devices you own when you download an app to it. However, when you reach the limit of 6 devices, you’re prompted to remove one from the list if you want to install on more machines. You can also filter your apps to see only those installed on the device you’re running at that time. This makes it easy to transfer the apps from that device to another. In fact, if you have saved data or states on a particular app, you can set that app for “roaming”. This way, it’s connected to a Windows Live ID, and your data and states can be copied to another device.

Home

Waiting to get your hands on the latest firmware for your cell phone didn’t used to be all that exciting. When all we had were feature phones, we could really care less about the updates. Since the rise of the smartphone, though, new versions are a BIG deal. Nowhere are they as big a deal, though, as they are with Android. You can probably argue that iOS users get hyped about iOS versions, too, and they do. However, iOS has really changed very little in the way it looks and operates. New features come along, sure, but with Android releases it’s almost like playing with a whole new OS. The switch from Froyo to Gingerbread wasn’t really all that much of a difference, but along came Honeycomb for tablets and things sure looked fresh. Now, we’re dealing with Ice Cream Sandwich (henceforth referred to as ICS), and things have changed a lot! Not so much that you have to learn how to do things all over again.  However, this marriage of Honeycomb and Gingerbread to unite the Android OS is a wholly different beast that’s both familiar, yet radically different.

We got our first hands-on taste of ICS with the Galaxy Nexus, which we reviewed recently. Many more Android users are going to get the same thing, as there are numerous ports and custom ROMs in the making for many, many devices out there. To say we’re impressed with this refresh would be an understatement. Google’s team has done a phenomenal job with this latest iteration of the OS, and parting with our review unit was one of the hardest things we’ve had to do. Going back to Gingerbread was like losing a friend. While the device it was running was a great one in itself, it was really ICS that was the star of the show.

What you see on the Galaxy Nexus is the pure, unskinned, vanilla version of the OS. What we’ll begin to see from here on out will be the skinned versions from manufacturers, carrying on with HTC Sense, or Samsung TouchWiz, or MotoBlur. The experience, we believe, will never be quite the same as it was with vanilla ICS. That’s not to say that it won’t still be awesome. We’re sure it will be. This will be an interesting year, seeing what each manufacturer decides to do with Android.

Booting Up:

Pre-ICS, booting up a new Android device is a fun experience. You get to punch in your Google codes or start a new account, then you’re off an away setting things up for the first time. Things are slightly different in ICS. You still enter your Google credentials, but now you have some additional options. You can now tie in your Google+ account, as well as set up a credit/debit card to make market purchases. You also have the option to watch a tutorial on the new OS, or just go ahead and dive in. Who wants a tutorial? We chose to have at it.

At this point it’s a good idea to connect to a wifi network. You’re about to enter the first sync mode, in which your apps, contacts, photos, Chrome bookmarks, etc, will all be copied to the device. For speedy access, and to keep your data plan from suffering, it’s a good idea to do this via wifi. You can still start playing around, but it’s going to take a few minutes for all your data to be ready.

User Interface:

The UI is still mostly the same one we’ve all come to know and love, but the first thing that will catch you eye is the color scheme. Gone is the bright green-on-black of stock Gingerbread, and instead you’ll find much more subdued blues, grays, purples, and blacks. Naturally, OEMs will put their own look on the OS when ICS is out in the wild for more devices, as they attempt to “enhance” the user experience. But if you get your hands on a plain old vanilla ROM, this is what you’ll see.

Home

There are the standard 5 home screens, with no option to add new ones. For the purpose of this review, we didn’t try adding any custom launchers that allow for additional home screens. You’ll also get the 5 “favorites” spots on the quick-access tray, and below that are the new virtual keys. You’ll note that there are only 3 keys for Back, Home, and the app switcher. The search key is gone, as the ever-present Google bar resides at the top of the screen. On a side note, that’s a little bit of a downside, as I personally don’t care to have the search bar present at all times. The menu key is no more by default. However, once you access an app, a menu key does appear in the form of 3 vertical dots off in the corner.

The app switcher from Honeycomb is a welcome addition, allowing quick access to previously opened apps. You can also swipe away individual apps from it, if you no longer want them to appear.

The favorite’s bar is fully customizable, aside from the app tray. You can easily swap out any of the other 4 spots for your app of choice, or even create folders (as I did in the example image) and add them. The setup used here from right to left is: Communication Folder hosting the Phone and Messaging apps; Google Folder hosting all Google services; App Tray; Tools Folder hosting Settings, Speed Test, File Manager, AirDroid, etc; Web Browser. This allows quick access to everything I use most frequently.

Long-pressing the home screen still brings up a menu, but now the only options in it are associated with changing wallpapers. Your widgets are now located in the app tray under a separate “widgets” tab.

Widgets

Apps

Nor will you find the option to create folders, as in past versions. Instead, you create folders by dragging and dropping apps on top of one another.

Apps are also no longer displayed in one unbroken list. Rather, they are hosted on individual panels that you can access by swiping through left-to-right, as in TouchWiz. Long-pressing an app on the app tray brings up a top-down view of your 5 home screens, which you can then drop the app onto as you can in Honeycomb. You’re also presented with the option to uninstall the app or view its info. Dragging the icon to either option will initiate it. When you drop widgets onto a home screen, you’ll note that they’re now resizeable, as they are in Honeycomb.

Notifications

The nofications bar has been given a facelift. It still operates the same way, but is transparent. Notifications can also be swiped away left or right, or cleared en masse by clicking the “X” in the corner. It also offers quick access to the “Settings” menu, if you’ll note the icon at the top with the little sliders. I have to say that one took a while to notice. In previous Android versions, you could access the settings via the menu key, but in many cases you had to jump back to the home screen to do it. Now, just slide the notification bar down and click the settings icon.

Settings:

Settings

The settings menu, likewise, is slightly revamped. All the old familiar stuff is here, plus a little bit more. Of course, one of the first places I had to visit was the “About Phone” screen, just so I could see that 4.0.2 version number.

About Device

One of the new additions to the Settings menu is the Data Monitor.

Data Usage

In a world of limited data plans, this is certainly handy to have around. It will monitor your overall data use, show you which apps are using data, and allow you to cap your data use. When you hit the cap, mobile data is automatically switched off, unless you manually enable it again.

Cancel/OK Buttons

Something that threw me for a loop more than once is that the “Cancel” and “OK” buttons throughout the OS have swapped spots. In previous versions, OK is on the left, Cancel on the right. In ICS it’s the other way around, and my automatic response took some adjustment.

Lock Screen:

Lock Screen

The lock screen has undergone a few minor changes, too. From it you can now quick-access the camera, and the notifications screen. There’s also the face unlock feature. It’s not really a security setting, as there’s still too many bugs in the system, it’s more of a novelty. When trying to use it, more often than not it didn’t recognize me. It can also be fooled with a photo, which it did recognize more often than my real face.

Apps:

ICS comes loaded with the usual suite of Google services. There’s even a pre-created Google folder with all of the Google stuff ready for you.

Google Folder

The core apps have all been refitted for ICS, though, with updated looks that match up with the overall theme going on here.

Moving Text

One of the most notable changes was in the stock keyboard. Android allows you to use 3rd party keyboards that offer a lot of different things. Google’s given you some good reasons to stick with the stock one, though. First, touch input is even more accurate than it was before. Second, error correction and copy/paste has undergone a great change. Note the image above. You can now drag and drop words to other places in your line of text.

Error Correct

Long-pressing a word now also offers alternatives, or the ability to add a new word to the dictionary.

Suggestions

Instant search suggestions also make an appearance in the Google search bar.

One of the big improvements in ICS is in voice recognition. In previous versions, you could dictate by voice, too, but Google’s got something different going on here. Now, you can speak and Android will print what you said, but it also leaves the mic open, allowing you to continuously add to your document or message. Android can now understand punctuation, as well, which was a rather welcome surprise. No more manually inputting periods, question marks, etc. It can even add emoticons. The service still isn’t perfect, but it’s a big improvement. Where it will fall short is if you’re without a solid internet connection. The voice translation is done on Google’s end, so if you can’t access the server, you can’t use the service.

People:

People App

The People app replaces the basic contact screen. The contact screen is still around, but it’s a tab in the People app. Through People, you can see your contacts, G+ circles, and pull status updates via social networks that you link to the device.

Dialer

The dialer also looks great with the update ICS theme, though there’s little in the way of new stuff here. Just dial numbers. It’s, you know, a phone. However, there is a cool feature here, and that’s “quick response”. If you have an incoming call, say during a meeting, you can reject the call and at the same time send a stock text message back to the caller alerting them that you’re indisposed. You can use the preset messages, or add your own. Swiping left or right while using the dialer brings up access to your contacts or call log.

Browser

The browser looks great in ICS. Unfortunately, it’s not Chrome. However, hardware acceleration is definitely present. The browser experience is a lot faster and more stable. There’s a new feature that allows you to save pages for offline reading, like Instapaper as a built-in function. If you’re a Chrome user, you’ll also find that all your bookmarks have been synced to the browser, which was a fantastic surprise. What you’ll also find welcome is the option to switch to the desktop view of any mobile page. This is preferential to the old way of scrolling around looking for a link to the desktop version, or editing your UA string to fool it into thinking you’re on a desktop. If you access the settings menu for the browser, and check out the labs option, you’ll also be able enable a UI element that offers a half-circle tab switcher. You can use this for quick access to open tabs (limit of 16) or to the URL bar at the top.

Google + Hangouts:

One of Google + star features is the Hangout. I had the chance to do a Hangout with the guys at Rootzwiki, and the experience was a lot of fun. However, it’s not exactly as you see it in the commercial. I used the Galaxy Nexus, and the problem I encountered was that people couldn’t hear me. Even with the mic right in front of my face, I sounded far away and tinny. Another guy on the Hangout was using the Nexus, too, so I got to experience it from the other side. He was barely audible. Using video chat with Google Talk, though, I didn’t encounter this problem. Maybe it’s something that can be fixed with a software update, as it doesn’t seem to be mic related. I eventually had to go to my PC and put on a headset so people could hear me.

Google + Hangout

Google + Hangout

Google + Hangout

Another big downside of the Hangouts is that you can’t start a Hangout from ICS. You can join one when invited by someone using a desktop browser, but there’s no way to initiate one from your phone. Maybe that feature just didn’t make it into the cut this time around.

Google Wallet:

Verizon chose not to include Google Wallet on the Nexus. It’s a Google device, and Wallet is a Google service that’s supposed to take advantage of the NFC chip. However, it’s not here. But that didn’t stop me. I went ahead and side-loaded Google Wallet, signed up, and was given a $10 Google gift card to use. It wasn’t long before I tried to put it to use at a couple of different places. Unfortunately, it’s not quite ready. The first place I tried, my phone said that the transaction had been completed. The retailer’s system showed it hadn’t, and sure enough no money had been taken off my card. Another try got the same result. Not to be discouraged, I tried it elsewhere. It worked there just fine, but the process was still slower than just handing over my debit card. Wallet still needs some work. It might be, arguably, more secure than swiping your plastic, but the process needs some refinement and needs to be faster.

Camera:

Camera App

When the Galaxy Nexus was announced, Google centered quite a bit on the camera with good reason. Even though it’s a 5MP shooter, the camera performs very admirably. Shots are clear and colors are good, though it’s no replacement for your high-end digital camera. It’s almost as good as the iPhone 4S camera, but the iPhone seems to have richer colors. The built-in editor in the gallery is also a nice touch, and allows a lot of basic editing functions. The big deal with the camera app now is the zero-lag shutter, which works as advertised, as long as you don’t need to focus first. You can easily fire off shots as fast as you like. There’s also been some improvements in the UI. You’ll notice the sliding zoom function on the right-hand side, as well as quick switcher for still shooting, video, or the panorama mode.

Take a look at some of the indoor and outdoor shots I’ve posted below, as well as a panorama shot.

Indoor Shot

Panorama Shot

Outdoor Shot

Miscellaneous:

• One of the features in vanilla ICS that you’ll find most welcome is in the apps settings. At least in the unskinned version, you have the option to disable just about any app on the device. This includes all the pre-installed Google services! Shocking, I know. We’ll just have to see if this feature finds itself disabled in OEM versions.
• You can snap screenshots inherently now, by clicking the Volume-Down+Power buttons.
• Rocket Launcher

Shortcomings:

• No Facebook sync in the People app. This isn’t really Google’s doing, but Facebook’s refusal to come to terms with contact sharing.
• No pre-loaded Flash Player. Adobe Flash is going away, but for now it’s still around and you need to download it manually.

Developer Goodies:

• Wifi Direct
• Hardware Acceleration
• Bluetooth Profiles
• USB Game Controller Support
• Visual Voicemail
• Ambient Temperature and Humidity Sensors

Conclusions:

ICS is the most feature-rich and well-executed version of Android to date. This version is cleaner, and faster than any previous iteration of Android, and you can tell that Google has worked on it at length while keeping people busy with Honeycomb. Finally seeing an OS that will unify the tablet and smartphone experience is encouraging, and ICS does it very well. The new modern and futuristic look is visually very appealing, and the smooth operation of every facet will take your breath away. This is, without a doubt, an Android lover’s dream. It really makes you antsy to see what Google comes up with in the next version, and I can’t wait to have it as my daily driver on my tablet and phone. Certainly it’s not without its flaws, but no OS is perfect. The new features and benefits certainly outweigh any of the minor negatives. It really shines as an example of where Android is headed, and we have the feeling that Google is just getting started.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

The latest and greatest in Android, Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus, is one amazing piece of tech. It’s rare that I get overly-attached to any device I review, but this one is the exception. It will be a sad day when I send this one back to Verizon. It’s one of the most hotly-anticipated devices of 2011, and with good reason. Not only does it have a gorgeous 4.65″ 720p Super AMOLED display, but also the debut of Ice Cream Sandwich, an NFC chip, and a camera design that borders on superb. Beyond the obvious, however, the spec sheet is slightly under par for what you’d expect from Google’s new flagship. That’s not to say that it doesn’t use what it has well, because it does. Let’s run through the specs.

• 4.65″ Super AMOLED display
• 1GB RAM
• 32GB Storage
• 1.2GHz dual core processor
• 5MP rear camera with LED flash and zero-lag shutter
• 1.3MP front-facing webcam
• 4G LTE connection from Verizon
• 5.1 oz (150g); 15g heavier than the HSPA+ model
• 9.47mm thick

Hardware:

Though there are more powerful spec sheets on the market right now, the Nexus still fares very well. And with the optimization made in Ice Cream Sandwich, the device is a bit more adept at managing the resources, resulting in some excellent performance. My first reaction when I unboxed it was, “Wow! This is huge!”. The display is slightly larger than anything else out there (Galaxy Note aside), but what really makes it seem larger is the lack of hardware keys. The virtual buttons give you more screen real estate to work with, and just the look of the buttonless front side makes this device seem like something right out of a sci-fi show.

Front

It’s also very light at only 5.1 oz. However, you’ll also notice that the device is a little slippery. Even though it has a textured back, the plastic is slick and it will easily slide out of your hand if you’re not careful. That raises another concern with the build quality. It’s plastic. I’m sure they made the choice for light weight and to make it easy to snap the back off, but if you’re putting out so much money for a device it really should feel more durable.

Back

Strike one against the Verizon version is the Verizon branding. A Nexus device should never have a carrier branding. Ever. The “pure” Google experience should simply demand that carriers not brand a device.

Micro USB and Charging Port

On the bottom you’ll find the micro USB port, which doubles as the charger port. However, there’s not USB mass storage mode, which is strike 2 against it. Instead, you’ll have to rely on other ways to transfer files. Fortunately, we had AirDroid, which proves again that this app is a must-have for Android users.

Side with Volume Rocker

One one side you’ll find the volume rocker, on the other the power/lock button. The rest of it is unadorned with any buttons, including a lack of a dedicated camera button. However, you can quick access the camera from the lock screen if you so choose.

Nexus and G2X Stacked

For comparison, we stacked up the Nexus and G2X. The slight curve in the Nexus design gives the impression that it’s about the same thickness. It’s actually slightly slimmer, and certainly much lighter.

Nexus and G2X Side-by-Side

A side-by-side comparison makes it rather obvious that this device is also much larger. Harder to notice is the 3-color LED that’s well-hidden on the bottom of the Nexus, which is a great notification light.

There’s been some debate about the display. Namely, it’s a pentile matrix. While some will claim that it doesn’t offer enough color, or has an effective lower resolution, in my opinion you’ll never notice. The display is bright, it’s gorgeous, and the viewing angles are superb. Viewing HD videos is a treat, and HD gaming is top-notch. You can also view desktop web pages with ease, if you’ve got the eyesight to handle it.

Software:

About Screen

The real attraction here is Ice Cream Sandwich. Google’s newest revamp of Android is by far the best I’ve ever seen. I’ve been through a lot of Android device running everything from 1.6-3.2. ICS really brings Android together in a way that Google has never done before. The look is fresh and appealing, the performance is better than any previous version, and the feature set combines the best of the old and the new. ICS has taken some of the best features of Honeycomb for tablets, and married them with the best of Gingerbread to create an OS that feels familiar, yet completely new. One huge plus, the only bloatware is VZW Backup Assistant, and My Verizon Account.

Virtual Keys:

The virtual keys are a great place to start. This feature was present in Honeycomb, and to see it come to Android phones is just awesome. Aside from the extra screen space it gives, it also lends a really futuristic look to the device. It’s also really helpful, as the keys hide themselves when you’re playing a game or running apps. They shrink to little blue dots that are still visible, but utterly unobtrusive. You’ll immediately notice, if you’re used to previous Android phones, is that there’s no more menu key. You’ve probably grown used to the 4 standard keys: Home, Back, Search and Menu. Now, there’s only a Home, Back, and the app switcher. However, once you’re in an app there is a small menu key that appears in the corner, represented by 3 vertical dots.

Another welcome addition from Honeycomb is the apps switcher, or recently-used-app switcher. This feature is fantastic, allowing quick switches between apps you’ve recently run. You can also swipe away individual apps from the menu if you no longer want them around.

Folders:

Above the virtual keys you’ll find the usual dock that we’re all used to. What makes this slightly different is the addition of easy folder creation. Grouping apps together isn’t anything new in Android. It’s been done through a variety of third-party apps. Folder creation is baked-in now, though and super easy to do. It’s akin to Circle Launcher, one of my favorite grouping apps. However, it’s even easier than that. Just drag and drop icons on top of one another to create folders, and then name them if you want to. The Nexus comes with a pre-created Google folder that hosts all the Google apps. It only took me a few seconds to create a few more, like a “Communications” folder with my phone app and messaging, a video folder with YouTube and Netflix, and a “Tools” folder with things like Speed Test, Settings, File Manager, Quadrant, etc. So why should folders make the dock any different? Perhaps that’s just me, but I found the dock much more useful for hosting folders full of the apps that I use the most.

Google Folder

Another big plus with ICS is how integrated all the sharing options are. Unlike iOS, which has Twitter integration, ICS shares with all your favorite services from Linked-In to Google+, Twitter, Picasa, DropBox, Evernote and lots more. The big missing link here is Facebook sharing, but that’s not so much Android’s fault as it is Facebook’s and Google’s inability to come to a compromise on sharing. This becomes even more apparent when using the People app.

People:

The People App

The contacts list has been replaced by the People App. This app brings together all your contact data from your saved contacts and social networks, and puts them all in one place. You can then view, not only contact info, but also status updates from Linked-In, Twitter, Google + shares, etc.

Data Manager:

Data Usage

Also new with Ice Cream Sandwich is the Data Manager. If you’re on a limited data plan, and you are if you have Verizon, then this app is great for keeping track of your usage. You can also set limits on mobile data use, so you can make sure you don’t go over. If you set a limit, it will automatically shut off your data connection once that limit is reached, unless you tell it otherwise.

Copy/Paste and Error Correction:

A minor feature that’s been added in Ice Cream Sandwich, that may get little notice, is actually one of the most welcome features. Copy and paste functionality, and error correction got a big overhaul. Unlike in previous versions, where you had a little slider that you had to maneuver into place to fix misspellings, you now have a new option. Tap where you want to change, and a menu pops up with suggestions of correct spellings and alternate words. Copy and paste works a little differently too. You can now drag and drop words to other locations.

Lock Screen:

Lock Screen

The lock screen is pretty much the same. You can now quick-access the camera from it, though. Then there’s the face-unlock feature. In Google’s demo it didn’t work too well. In practice, I didn’t have much luck with it either. 3 out of 5 attempts failed to recognize me, even after I tried to set it under different lighting conditions. This feature is really more of a novelty than an actual security feature, unfortunately, and there’s just too many ways it can mess up or be fooled to make it worth using.

Google Wallet:

Another strike against this device is Verizon’s choice not to include Google Wallet. It’s a Google device, and Wallet is a Google service that’s supposed to take advantage of the NFC chip. However, it’s not here. But that didn’t stop me. I went ahead and side-loaded Google Wallet, signed up, and was given a $10 Google gift card to use. It wasn’t long before I tried to put it to use at a couple of different places. Unfortunately, it’s not quite ready. The first place I tried, my phone said that the transaction had been completed. The retailer’s system showed it hadn’t, and sure enough no money had been taken off my card. Another try got the same result. Not to be discouraged, I tried it elsewhere. It worked there just fine, but the process was still a slower than just handing over my debit card. Wallet still needs some work. It might be, arguably, more secure than swiping your plastic, but the process needs some refinement and needs to be faster.

Google + Hangouts:

We’ve all seen the commercial by now, touting Google + Hangouts on the Nexus. Well, the commercial has it almost right. I had the chance to do some Hangouts with the guys over at Rootzwiki, and while the experience was mostly fun, there is a hitch. The video quality was great, and the LTE network efficient and in sync. The problem was with the audio. The sound for Hangouts on the Nexus just doesn’t work that well. One of the other guys was also on a Nexus so I got to experience the problem from both ends. Everyone complained that we sounded tinny and far away, even when we held the mic right in front of our faces. I can confirm that on my end it was the same. The other Nexus user was barely audible, and when he was the sound quality was pretty terrible. Oddly enough, I didn’t encounter this issue using Google Talk’s video chat. To keep up with the Hangout, I eventually had to go to my PC and put on my headset so people could hear me.

Google + Hangouts with the Rootzwiki News Team

Google + Hangouts with the Rootzwiki News Team

Google + Hangouts with the Rootzwiki News Team

Camera:

Camera App

When the Galaxy Nexus was announced, Google centered quite a bit on the camera with good reason. Even though it’s a 5MP shooter, the camera performs very admirably. Shots are clear and colors are good, though it’s no replacement for your high-end digital camera. It’s almost as good as the iPhone 4S camera, but the iPhone seems to have richer colors. The built-in editor in the gallery is also a nice touch, and allows a lot of basic editing functions. Take a look at some of the indoor and outdoor shots I’ve posted below, as well as a panorama shot.

Indoor Shot

Indoor Shot

Indoor Shot

Outdoor Shot

Panorama Shot

Camera Shot of Moto Droid Xyboard

Overall, Ice Cream Sandwich performs very admirably. There was a small update to download on unboxing it, and I never encountered any stability issues, random reboots or force closes. This version is definitely the best Android we’ve seen yet, and I have faith that Google will only make it better. I certainly can’t wait to get it on my A500 and G2X.

Performance:

Overall performance of the Nexus is pretty top-notch. It’s very fast at doing everything from launching apps, to snapping pictures, to playing games or browsing the web. Part of that’s due to the hardware, but a lot of that is also ICS. The changes to Android make it much better at managing memory and allocating resources where they need to be used. The biggest disappointment, as you’d expect, is the battery. The LTE radio is still a big battery drain, but it does fare better than the HTC Rezound, Droid Bionic, or Droid RAZR. Using it regularly throughout the day for texting, browsing, games, email, and social networking, it averaged about 6-7 hours of use. If you’re on standby most of the day it should give you no problems, however, heavy use will leave it drained pretty quickly.

Verizon LTE is still as fast as ever, but I could never get the usual speeds that I’ve come to love out of their network. Speed tests ranged from 5Mbps – almost 10Mbps, which is still pretty quick. However, previous Verizon devices I’ve tested have gone as high as 30Mbps, and seem to average more around 12-17Mbps. Fortunately, I rarely encountered the lack of 4G signal that I had with the RAZR and Droid Xyboard.

Speed Test

Something else to note, though it’s a more minor concern, is that the volume on the Nexus is terribly low. Even at full crank it’s barely audible in a quiet room. It does come packaged with a set of headphones, though. They’re not anything like the Beats Audio headphones on the Rezound, but they make a good companion.

Conclusions:

If you’re in the market for your next upgrade, you need to give the Nexus your attention. It’s a spectacular device, and hands-down the best Android phone out there right now. If you can stand to wait a while, you might be more interested in some of the quad core offerings on tap over the coming months. However, bear in mind that Nexus phones are flagships for Google’s latest advances. That means that you’ll be the first to see new services, new updates, and new features. Whether it really deserves the Nexus moniker is up for debate. There’s simply too many things withheld or altered on the device to really make it a true Nexus phone, however, that certainly shouldn’t deter you from taking a look. It’s a pricey piece of kit, but it’s certainly going to be worth having over the next year or two. It’s really impossible not to recommend this phone. If your budget can afford it, it’s worth it.

Pros:

• Fast
• Huge screen
• Sharp display
• Great camera
• Developer phone
• Ice Cream Sandwich
• light weight, thin design
• LTE speeds
• Low on bloatware

Cons:

• Mediocre battery life
• High price
• Verizon branding and lack of Google Wallet skews the Nexus brand
• Spec sheet could be more powerful

Motorola Droid Xyboard 10.1

We’ve been able to spend some time with Motorola’s second go at the Honeycomb tablet market, dubbed the Droid Xyboard 10.1, also know outside the US as the Xoom 2. The OG Xoom was not the world’s greatest success story, as you might have imagined. The name change, therefore, isn’t all that surprising. If we were in Moto’s shoes, we wouldn’t really want this new product associated with the shortcomings surrounding the Xoom launch. Though, most of the issues that arose at that time have since been remedied, making the Xoom a pretty solid tablet, if still a bit pricey. So how does its successor compare? Where does it improve? Where does it go wrong? Is it worth your time, considering the quad core offerings from companies like ASUS? Let’s explore the ins and outs of this clipped-corner device.

Specs:

• OMAP 4 1.2 GHz Dual Core Processor
• 1GB RAM
• Android 3.2 Honeycomb (ICS Upgrade Promised)
• 10.1″ 1280×800 IPS LCD Display with Stylus Support
• 4G LTE and Wifi Connectivity
• Rear 5MP Camera with LED Flash; Front-Facing 1.3MP Webcam
• 16GB, 32GB, 64GB configurations
• 7000mAh Battery (Rated for 10 Hours of Normal Use)
• Weight: 603g
• Thickness: 8.8mm
• Similar Tablets: Xoom 1: 12.9mm, iPad 2: 8.8mm; Galaxy Tab 10.1: 8.6mm; Transformer Prime: 8.3mm

Use Cases:

Writing tablet reviews is growing more and more difficult. What makes it so is that, while companies are differentiating their products in minute ways, most Android tablets worth considering are cut from similar cloth. Most share the same hardware and software. Where they start to differ is in accessories, pre-installed content, form factors, weight, price, etc. Still, when you look at a Honeycomb tablet, they are generally the same thing. Obviously, some perform better than others. Consider the Acer Iconia Tab A500, which I’ve owned since release day in early 2011. I’ve since reviewed a number or other tablets from Samsung, Toshiba, Motorola, ASUS, Huawei, and others. Some were faster at what they did, mostly due to the design and the streamlining of the software, as well as the choice for custom skins.

As we enter the next year of tablets, with quad core designs becoming the standard, I expect the same will be true of 2012. What makes a tablet worthwhile greatly depends on the user. What do you want to do with it? There are tablets like Lenovo’s IdeaPad K1 or the Toshiba Thrive which are great for productivity. They have a ton of ports and great ways to connect them to business-related services. Tablets like the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Xyboard are great media tablets. They lack a lot of the extra connectivity options (like full-sized USB) but are very portable, light, and great at streaming videos, playing games, and using apps. Android tablets will probably always be very similar in their hardware, so over the next year, you’ll be wanting to pay more attention to how tablet makers stand apart from one another based on the way they want their devices to be used. Now, on with the review!

Hardware:

The Xyboard 10.1 and 8.2 are very similar machines. They both feature the same internals and same form factor. Either machine is good for media consumption and gaming, as well as a limited amount of productivity. Do not expect the Xyboard to be your all-in-one solution for getting things done, however. There are things it’s good at doing, and others…not so much. However, where this tablet certainly does shine is its unique form factor, and its portability.

Xyboard Front

The Xyboard features interestingly clipped corners, forgoing the usual rectangle or slightly rounded edges that other manufacturers have made the standard. It’s also got a very slim profile and light weight, making it easy to carry around and hold for extended periods.

Xyboard Back

The soft plastic flanking is a nice touch, both aesthetically and functionally. The black edges give it a nice look with the gray back panel, but also provide a firmer grip and prevent slippage when you’re holding the device with sweaty hands. That doesn’t really mean it’s a pleasure to hold, though. The oddly angled corners seem to dig into the hands no matter which way you hold it. To say that we’re hoping Moto tries something a little different next time would be an understatement.

Xyboard Power and Volume Rocker

Another poor design choice that Motorola just couldn’t keep away from is the back-side mounted power button and volume rocker. While they do stay out of the way of your fingers, avoiding accidental pushes, that’s also their failing. They stay away from your hands, even when you’re looking for them. It takes some getting used to, but it can done after some time. Across the bottom you’ll find ports for a mini-HDMI and mini-USB port, as well as a SIM card slot.

Xyboard Browser

The big improvement this device has over the OG Xoom is in its display. The IPS display is very nice, with bolder colors than the OG Xoom, crisp images, and a great viewing angle. It’s ideal for sharing videos with a group of friends gathered around. Even at full-tilt the display remains clear and easy to see.

The Xyboard is also compatible with the Motorola laptop dock, which makes it convertible to a netbook-like device, similar to the ASUS Transformer. We did not have a dock on hand, however, to test that capability. Another feature that sets this device apart from many others is the IR blaster.

IR Blaster

The IR blaster, when used with the pre-loaded Dijit app, makes a very usable universal remote. We hooked it up to our U-Verse box and Samsung TV in only a few seconds and had it running with no problems.

Software:

About Tablet

The snappiness of Honeycomb running on a bumped up 1.2 GHz processor, coupled with 1GB of RAM is, unfortunately, hampered by the presence of MotoBlur. Moto’s custom skin is, in fact, such a resource hog that there is often a noticeable lag in transitions between screens. Why companies insist on bogging down what is already a clean user experience with bloated skins that slow down everything is beyond me, but there it is.

Apps

And with those custom skins also comes bloatware.  The Xyboard is not shy about including lots of pre-loaded apps. Among them are Let’s Golf 2, Madden NFL 12, Fuze Meeting, GoToMeeting, QuickOffice, Verizon apps, and Slingbox. The MotoCast app is a nice addition for those with a MotoCast account that want remote access to their files, however.

Apps

Still, carrier and manufacturer bloatware is going to be an ongoing thorn in the sides of consumers that prefer to load their device with only what they want. One of this tablet’s standout features is the inclusion of a stylus in the box. The stylus is a nice touch for tapping around the screen to keep it clear of fingerprints, however there aren’t many useful apps included for use with it, and we found that trying to write on the screen for quick note taking leaves much to be desired. The input has substantial lag that makes even the most carefully written words look like a 3-year old’s scrawls. There’s also no palm recognition, so forget about laying your hand on the screen while trying to write. Having the stylus included is a nice touch, though. Other tablets from HTC sell the pen as an add-on accessory that doesn’t come cheap.

Floating Notes with the stylus

Performance:

Verizon’s LTE is still above and beyond all the other carriers, at least in our market. Connection speeds this time around, however, were not up to their usual speedy standard. Very rarely were we able to obtain a 4G signal, and 3G speeds left a lot to be desired. Whether that’s due to holiday traffic or network downtime it’s hard to say. Still, most of our tests managed only in the 2-3Mbps download range, where usually we see speeds upward of 17Mbps.

Speed Tests

The benchmark test using Quadrant returned a score of 2930, which is in the upper range compared to similar devices, but also below what many similar devices offer. We attribute this mostly to MotoBlur, which we’ve mentioned is certainly handicapping the system.

Benchmark

Battery:

Battery life is about average. The charging time for this machine is fairly long, though, taking about 4 hours to charge from 15% to full. With regular use we saw about 8 hours of use. That consists of browsing, games, some apps, and some video from YouTube and Netflix. However, that’s all done over the LTE connection, and at no point did we switch it over to wifi. Should you forgo the mobile connection, you might see that 10 hours of use that Moto advertises.

Camera:

The Xyboard camera is also fairly good in a situation where you have enough light. Images were crisp, though the colors are certainly not all that bright. We’re still not sure who uses their tablet for a point-and-shoot, though, so “good” is good enough.

Indoor Shot

Outdoor Shot

Outdoor Shot

Conclusions:

The Xyboard has a lot of things going for it, but it also has a lot of areas where it falls short. It’s very difficult to recommend it over other Honeycomb offerings on the market. The IR blaster and stylus are certainly great ways for Moto to set it apart from competing tablets, but to successfully sell this product they needed to do a lot more than that. When you compare it with other Honeycomb tablets, you’ll immediately be put off by the price. The Xyboard comes in a 16GB ($530), 32GB ($630), and 64GB ($730). Couple that with a 2-year contract for LTE from Verizon and you’re looking at dropping boatloads of cash for a device that will be outdated long before that 2-year contract is up. You could even argue that’s it’s already outdated, considering the quad core designs that are just around the corner. The only one available at the time of this writing, ASUS’ Transformer Prime, is priced at $500 and $600 for 32GB and 64GB models. That tablet is wifi-only, which may be important to some people, but if you have a Verizon phone it’s easier to tack on the monthly tethering fee and pick up a Transformer Prime for less cash.

All-in-all the Xyboard is a great media tablet with a solid user experience. Verizon’s LTE network is still the best around, and it’s a great pairing with the device. Sadly, Moto hasn’t really given us any reason to choose this device over others on the market.

Pros:

• LTE connection
• Great display
• Build quality is excellent
• Audio quality is above average
• Wifi printing using MotoPrint
• IR Blaster to use as a universal remote
• Included stylus
• Unique form factor

Cons:

• Price borders on ridiculous
• Dated technology
• Filled with bloatware
• MotoBlur
• Sluggish response from stylus