Galaxy Nexus With Ice Cream Sandwich

Is it a pure coincidence that my first gen Android phone (htc dream / g1) is experiencing battery issues right now? I mean, I love this phone and while I know it's a bit old school right now, it has been 'old faithful'. Even given the opportunity to upgrade I choose to pass the Samsung Galaxy on to my wife while I hung on to my dream. Of late however, I've been experiencing some battery issues that have caused me to think that in the world of mobile 2+ years is a long time. And now this:





Coming to Rogers I hope!

Samsung's Connected Refrigerator On Display At CES

Mashable has found one of those connected devices that I was hoping to see mentioned in the CES reporting, in this case it's a Wi-Fi enabled refrigerator from Samsung. The options discussed, while they do have some neat factor, are missing the Wow factor for me. It just seems like a lot of computing power and bandwidth usage to leave a note or search for a recipe. I do like shiny new technology but I'm not sure they've convinced me that the additional cost here is going to want me to replace my fridge magnet. You be the judge:

Darth Vader The Face Of Android In Japan

In a move that only the Japanese would dare, NTT the countries largest teleco has chosen to make Darth Vader the face for their flagship Samsung Galaxy S Android powered smart phone. This sort of goes against the whole Google "Do no evil" motto... though some might find turning to the dark side cool I suppose, and let's face it we all kinda dig Darth Vader anyway. Perhaps they are trying to work the "galaxy far, far, away..." angle? Whatever it is I'm a bit drawn to the ad, so perhaps it's working!

The Android Tablet Cometh

Hold on to your hat Apple a slue of android powered tablets are set to rock the market place to it's core, well maybe. While there have been a few cheap attempts at displacing the iPad, no serious competitor has made it to the market yet but just in time for Christmas are offerings from  Samsung, Toshiba, ViewSonic and Archos with screens ranging from 7 to 10 inches in size and some boasting 1080p resolution, usb interfaces, and of course adobe flash support. The android tablets are set to debut at anywhere from $299 for the Archos 101 Internet Tablet to arround $1000 for the Galaxy Tab by Samsung putting them all around the $499 and up offers for the various iPad models.

It will be interesting to see if the iPad will continue to dominate or if the trend being felt in the smartphone market will carry over into tablets. My prediction is that the lower priced Archos will be a winner, I'd love to see the Galaxy Tab do well but the price point may be a sticking point unless it is subsidized by carriers on a contract. All in all, the android operating system is gaining favour and could propel android powered tablets into compelling alternative status.

Bell To Offer Unlimited Data Smartphone Plan

Rogers announced it's iPhone rates earlier this week and disappointed Canadians from coast to coast, with more than 30,000 signatures on an online petition at ruinediphone.com. Yesterday Bell upped the ante by announcing an unlimited data plan with the Samsung Instinct that the company will begin selling on August 8th. The lowest Bell plan for the Instinct will come in at just under $40 before taxes, including a $10 unlimited data plan, while the Rogers iPhone plan's cheapest rate is $60 a month plus system access fee of $6.95, which offers 150 daytime minutes and just 400 megabytes of data usage. The Instinct will costs $149.95 on a three-year contract, $249.95 on a two-year contract, $399.95 on a one-year contract or can be purchased outright for $449.95.

By comparrison the Instinct does not support a Wi-Fi connection, but has many features in common with the iPhone, including touch-screen interface and HTML web browsing. According to the CBC "Bell spokesperson Jason Laszlo said the unlimited data plan includes web browsing, web-based e-mail and downloads. Other services, including GPS navigation, access to Bell's Full Track Music, Sirius satellite radio and on-demand TV content, are available at additional charges."

This ought to open up the gates a bit... it will be interesting to see how the other carriers respond.

Greenpeace Rates Tech Manufacturers Eco-friendly Practices

Nintendo has been given a 0.3 out of 10 by Greenpeace in its March Guide to Greener Electronics. Remarkably this is an increase over the December ranking in which Nintendo scored a 0.0! Other electronics companies fared better with Microsoft coming in at 4.7, Sony at 7.3, and Samsung and Toshiba tied for the top spot at 7.7! Perhaps Mario and Luigi should be paying more careful attention to what is being flushed down those pipes! Wired blog post here.