Taking a smartphone out of the box for the first time can elicit a wide spectrum of emotions, starting with unadulterated excitement that can quickly devolve into panic, chaos, and confusion: what do you do now? How do you make it awesome? How do you emanate an air of “cool” on the subway by using apps specifically designed to make you look like a badass? Well, fear not, newly-minted Android smartphone owner: as always, we’ve got your back. Read on for all the apps, accessories, and tips you should be investigating right this very second.

Continue reading Just got an Android phone? The best apps, accessories, and tips

Just got an Android phone? The best apps, accessories, and tips originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Striving to become the top smartphone maker in the world, Samsung has been absolutely relentless in releasing a handful of devices the last few months – both Android and Windows Phone 7 models. Two of their latest models, the Samsung Focus and Google Nexus S, stand highly in their arsenal as representing the best offerings for their respective platforms…
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Building upon the foundation established by the original Samsung Galaxy S model, both the Google Nexus S and Samsung Epic 4G unequivocally represent iterative elements that make them stand prominently from the other existing variants out there. In reality, they boast impressive and innovative hardware under the hood that considerably makes them more valued – while still emanating a high level platform experience…
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One of the lesser known predictions of the Mayan calendar foretells that 2011 will be the year of NFC. The contactless communications stuff looks to be building all kinds of stream in the Western world, but don’t lose faith in your current smartphone if it doesn’t already have it. Japanese carrier Softbank has responded to complaints about the iPhone 4′s NFC deficit — the FeliCa payment system is pretty popular over in the land of sumo, sushi and sun-rising — by introducing a new “seal” for the back of Apple’s latest and greatest. It sticks on, covering almost the entire rear, but is apparently thin enough not to get in the way of using one of Apple’s own Bumpers alongside it. From our reading of the press release, the sticker doesn’t actually communicate with the iPhone, it’s just a dumb NFC card, but hey, other people don’t need to know that when you’re swiping payments with your phone, now do they? On sale in February at a price of ¥2,980 ($36).

iPhone 4 gets stuck with NFC ‘sticker’ from Japan’s Softbank originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When the Nexus One was launched, a larger-than-life mockup of the device was spotted around the Mountain View-based Googleplex, and now we’re starting to see the same thing with the Nexus S. This time it’s at Best Buy, and unlike the giant Nexus One, the Nexus S mockup is is fully functional. If you’re interested, the large and in charge Nexus S in action in the Best Buy in San Carlos.

The large mockup of the Android phone is actually being powered by a real Nexus S inside the huge display, which is made possible by a 42-inch TV with touch capabilities. Hell, the camera is also rigged up with mirrors so that it works, too. Judging from the video, it doesn’t run all that well, but then again it’s not the device you’d be taking home. The touchscreen doesn’t seem to be very accurate, but you get the gist of what Google was going for.

Paper Toss, the new Android Market, and Google Maps are demoed, all of which are available on any Android phone, and not just the Nexus S. Still, this novelty is something that would definitely catch the attention of people who aren’t even in the market for a new phone. Due to its very quirky touch screen, we’re not sure if this big display would sway someone enough to want to get one, but enough to ask to see where the real unit is. It’s all for fun, after all.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Nexus S fares in terms of sales, but we have every reason to believe it’ll do much better than its predecessor. The deal with Best Buy and Carphone Warehouse is likely as close as a Nexus device will get to being sold through a carrier, but Google isn’t really looking for much money on this thing. They just want you to have an Android phone in your pocket instead of an iPhone or BlackBerry, and something tells me that seeing a giant BlackBerry Curve wouldn’t have the same effect huge in-store mockup of an iPhone or Nexus S. Sorry, RIM.

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[Via: TechCrunch]

Giant 42-inch Nexus S spotted at Best Buy was originally published on IntoMobile. Copyright © 2005-2011 IntoMobile. Use of this feed is limited to personal use. tvefFb3nZgqz

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Around twenty miles south of San Francisco is a small city called San Carlos. Despite living in the Bay Area for two decades I know almost nothing about it (Wikipedia says it’s an affluent small residential suburb) but starting today, it’s special for at least one big reason: it’s home to the largest Nexus S in existence.

Last night, Google employees installed a giant Nexus S in the San Carlos Best Buy, sporting a 42 inch touchscreen, a working camera, and internet connectivity. Yes, unlike the giant Nexus Ones that Google produced last year, which just played a looping video of the UI, this giant Nexus S actually works. And it’s actually being powered by a real (smaller) Nexus S that’s been equipped with special video-out capabilities.

So this morning I woke up at the crack of dawn, rolled out of bed, sat in traffic, and made my way to the San Carlos Best Buy to get a hands-on with the giant phone. Watch the video above for my first impressions. Update: Uploaded a new video that is less shaky than the first.

The phone is obviously meant to attract customer attention, and from what I saw (despite the early hour) it was working. Like moths to a flame, I watched a handful of customers walk up to the phone and start playing with it, and even the employees seemed intrigued. It probably helped that the display was right at the front of the store.

Google says this is a test for now — depending on how well the unit fares in the wild (i.e., if people don’t break the screen) it may roll these things out to many more Best Buys, which is currently the only retailer to carry the Nexus S.

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A cool interactive chart breaks down the components cost for an iPhone 4, Google Nexus One, Nokia N8, and a BlackBerry Torch. They all retail between $500-$600, but are in the realms of a third of that to produce, in terms of parts…
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The crazy crew over at Mountain View makes a few Google Nexus S airborne to test the sensors, and have been filming the whole experience for our viewing pleasure…
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A feeble China protest, Wi-Fi spying, the Nexus One, Google TV, and more all add up to one big fail for the search giant in 2010







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If you crave to make video calls with your Google Nexus S during the holidays, you may rest assured that everything is fine, since an updated version of Tango…
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