I have been happy with my Sprint HTC EVO 4G phone. Sprint abandoned the technology that is linked to the 4G antenna in my EVO. I’m not even upset about paying the $10 a month data fee for owning a smartphone. Colorado Springs never made it on the upgrade list. I was able to use the 4G data services during some of my trips to Kansas City. My two year contract with Sprint expires on June 1, 2012. Unfortunately, none of the current phones that Sprint is selling are awe inspiring. People waited in lines for hours, refreshed the Sprint website repetitively, and hounded store reps via phone calls to get an HTC EVO 4G phone. Where is the bleeding edge of technology when it comes to smartphones? Could the Samsung Note indicate a trend of screen growth?
Android
Lingering Pre-Order Kindle Fire Questions
Ok. So I have a bunch of lingering questions about the Kindle Fire. My Kindle Fire has been pre-ordered and I am just waiting for the unit to arrive.
- Will the Kindle Fire get the Android market?
- Will somebody extract the Android market code from the developer SDK and install that open source package as an APK on the Kindle Fire?
- What happens when you visit https://market.android.com from the Silk browser?
- Will the market stop Kindle Fire users from downloading applications?
HDR Photography APP Review
What is HDR Photography? Well HDR or HDRI photography involves high dynamic range imaging that uses technology to extract contrast by calculating ranges between the lightest and darkest sections of images using multiple and varied exposures. In an effort to better understand HDR photography technology, I purchased a copy of HDR Camera+ from the Android Market on my HTC EVO 4G.
I took the following images using the HDR Camera+ application on my HTC EVO 4G phone using the 8 MP 4:3 photo setting.
2011-10-01-10.14.20-+0.0Ev
2011-10-01-10.14.21-+2.0Ev
2011-10-01-10.14.22-2.0Ev
2011-10-01-10.14.37 Final HDR Image
Since I enjoy outdoor photography and happen to live in Colorado, I will probably be able to enjoy the HDR Camera+ application frequently. I tried a couple of times to take a photo of a person using the HDR app and found the process very challenging. Landscape photos work pretty well using the application. You do have to have a fairly steady hand or a tripod to be able to take photographs of larger areas (panoramic style photographs).
* Next time we go to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo I plan on taking a series of HDR photographs of the City of Colorado Springs and then stitching them into a panoramic photo using the Windows Live Photo Gallery panorama tool.
Falling Tablet Prices
Why would HTC initiate a $200 price drop on the Flyer when the Kindle Fire from Amazon is still $100 cheaper at $199? A higher price point is still a higher price point.
Questions
- Will the Amazon Kindle Fire table support the Android Marketplace?
- What wireless keyboard will work with Will the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet?
- What will the upgrade schedule be for the forked Android operating system on the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet?
On The Kindle Fire
Amazon now has a reasonably priced Android based tablet available for preorder. I’m not totally sold on the Kindle Fire. The initial price point is encouraging, but the lack of a clear upgrade path is disturbing. Will favorable economics of scale be able to reduce the price point to around $149.99? A fifty dollar price drop would certainly create substantial demand for the Kindle Fire.
Right now, I am researching keyboard options for the Kindle Fire. Will the Kindle Fire integrate with the Android Marketplace? I own a few games and I am hoping they will be transferable from my HTC EVO to the Kindle Fire.
Alternatively, I could just buy a Bluetooth keyboard for my HTC EVO and consider purchasing an HTC EVO 3D. More or less (for better or worse) I really would to be able to create weblog posts or massive amounts of prose on the go or while traveling.
Considering the Eee Pad Transformer as a tablet
I sent a question out into the grand public square known as Twitter today. My question was straightforward, “Has anybody ever used or owned the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer tablet or the docking station/keyboard associated with the tablet?” During my custom computer building days I invested a lot of money into ASUS motherboards. I have been looking at tablets for a while now, but the idea of being able to buy a tablet computer that can transform into a netbook is strangely compelling. Consider for a moment the advantages of having 16 hours of battery life during a road trip or airline flight.
Android Application Usage Update
In general, the defense style games seem to offer strategic challenge and entertainment at the same time. What are the best robot defense games for Android phones? I have played and enjoyed Robo Defense from Lupis Labs. The Robo Defense application has had some recent upgrades that really extended the long term playability of the game.
Maybe now is a good time to take a few moments and review how Android applications have been used and purchased on my HTC EVO 4G. During the course of the last few months the Android Market has only had a few applications that were worth purchasing. For the most part developers of high quality content have ignored the Android Market. Old school video games should be having a renaissance on Android phones, but the market seems to be undersupplied.
What Android applications have been purchased by this household?
- Advanced Task Killer (Before it became free)
- BeyondPod (This application allowed me to retire my Zune)
- Math Alarm Clock (Best (most effective) alarm clock I have ever owned)
- Retro Defense (Recently purchased; provides quicker games than Robo Defense)
- Robo Defense (Addictive!)
- Wolfram Alpha (Not sure why I bought this application)
What free Android applications have been downloaded (and utilized) by this household?
- Angry Birds (Complete Franchise: I will purchase the Eagle option when given the opportunity.)
- Coca-Cola snow globe (I really enjoyed this live wallpaper)
- Firefox (I switch between browsers)
- OpenTable (Great app for quickly making reservations)
- Ringdroid (Used sporadically, but very functional)
- ScoreCenter (Frequently used because the ESPN mobile website is horrible)
- Twitter (Enough said)
