Motorola Electrify (U.S. Cellular)

The good : The Motorola Electrify boasts a dual-core processor, a 4.3-inch qHD display, and world-roaming capabilities. The Android Gingerbread handset also has an 8-megapixel camera, HDMI port, and built-in kickstand.

The bad : Motorola's custom user interface isn't for everyone. The handset is on the larger side. Camera quality wasn't that great.

The bottom line : The Motorola Electrify is a great Android device for U.S. Cellular customers seeking power and the latest and greatest in smartphone technology.

Editors' note: In this review, we'll focus more on the Motorola Electrify's different features and performance. For more information on the smartphone, including design and user interface details, please read our review of the Motorola Photon 4G.

In early June, U.S. Cellular laid out its plan to release at least eight smartphones by the end of the year, and the carrier is living up to its end of the deal. The latest handset to join its Android stable is the Motorola Electrify. Available now for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate, the Electrify is similar to the Motorola Photon 4G for Sprint and boasts a dual-core processor, a 4.3-inch qHD display, and an 8-megapixel camera, among other things. Its laundry list of features coupled with solid performance and compatibility with a number of accessories makes it U.S. Cellular's best smartphone yet, particularly for those who want a powerful device with the latest technology.

Features

The Motorola Electrify is a dual-mode GSM/CDMA phone, so it offers world-roaming capabilities. The smartphone works on U.S. Cellular's CDMA network here in the U.S., and features an unlocked SIM, so once you travel abroad, you can purchase a prepaid SIM card to make voice calls and receive data. Other voice features include a speakerphone, conference calling, voice dialing, and text and multimedia messaging. The Electrify is 3G capable and can be used as a mobile hot spot for up to eight devices. Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), and aGPS are also all part of the package.

The Motorola Electrify is similar to the Photon 4G 

and features a built-in kickstand.

The Electrify runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and integrates Google's apps and services, including Gmail, Google Maps with Navigation, Voice Search, Google Talk, Latitude, YouTube, and Places. The handset also comes preloaded with a number of useful apps, such as the Quickoffice suite, a task manager, and the Webtop Connector app, which can be used with the optional laptop dock. U.S. Cellular also loads it up with a number of other extras, including Zappos, IMDb, and Daily Perks, but the good news is that you can uninstall most of the bloatware.

The smartphone features an 8-megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash. The camera app offers a number of tools and settings, including exposure controls, different scene modes, effects, geotagging, and more. However, though it can play back 1080p HD video but at this time it can only record 720p HD video.

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Samsung Epic 4G Touch

Samsung Epic 4G Touch

By. Android Best Phone

The good : The Samsung Epic 4G Touch boasts a large and bright 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. With a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, the Android smartphone is fast and 4G-capable. Camera quality is also excellent.

The bad : Call quality could be better. The phone is large and has a plastic build.

The bottom line : The Samsung Epic 4G Touch offers speedy performance, a beautiful screen, and a great multimedia experience to make it one of Sprint's top Android phones, but its large size won't be for everyone.

Editors' note: Portions of this review were taken from our evaluation of the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S II.

While the rest of the world has been enjoying the Samsung Galaxy S II for some time now, the U.S. has had to sit by and wait for its turn. Fortunately, the time has finally come and the Android superphone will be available through multiple carriers this fall. Sprint is first out of the gate, launching the Samsung Epic 4G Touch on September 16 for $199.99 with a two-year contract. As the successor to the popular Samsung Epic 4G, the smartphone loses its slide-out QWERTY keyboard, but gains a faster dual-core processor, larger and sharper Super AMOLED Plus touch screen, better cameras, and much more. The phone is on the large side, which will keep some at bay, but for those who can handle the size, the Epic 4G Touch will not disappoint.

Design

At 5.1 inches tall by 2.7 inches wide, the Samsung Epic 4G Touch is a large device. The width makes it harder to grip the phone, especially if you have smaller hands, and it's not a handset that easily fits into a pants pocket. It's not going to be for everyone. That said, like the Samsung Infuse 4G, it's also quite thin and light at just 0.38 inch thick and 4.5 ounces, so the smartphone is easier to manage than one would think.

The Samsung Epic 4G Touch is a big phone, 

but its slim profile and light weight help make it manageable.

Plus, you might be willing to deal with the phone's larger size when you get a glimpse of the 4.52-inch, WVGA (800x480) Super AMOLED Plus touch screen. The spacious display and the vibrant colors make it great for viewing Web pages and multimedia. There are slightly sharper screens out there, such as the qHD (960x540 pixels) display on the Motorola Photon 4G, so images and text aren't quite as smooth, but we still found the Epic 4G Touch's screen easy to read.

The touch screen is responsive. The smartphone offers both Swype and Samsung's virtual keyboards. It registered all our taps, and we were able to easily navigate through the menus. In addition to using the standard touch interface, you can also use motion gestures on the Epic 4G Touch. With the settings turned on, you can flip the phone to mute it. With two fingers on the screen, you can tilt to zoom in and out in the Gallery and browser. Flicking your wrist left or right (panning) can move a home screen icon when you're holding it. Double-tapping the top of the phone prepares the Vlingo-powered Voice Talk app for voice commands while you're driving. However, panning and zooming weren't as responsive as we'd like. While most of the motion controls may not figure into your daily use, this type of gesture functionality adds welcome options in general.

Below the display, you'll find touch-sensitive buttons for the menu, home, back, and search functions. The left side features a volume rocker, while the right spine has a power/lock button. There's a 3.5mm headphone jack on top of the device and a Micro-USB port on the bottom. In the right-hand corner just above the display, there's an LED indicator light and in the left-hand corner is a 2-megapixel camera for video calls. The back of the phone features an 8-megapixel camera and an LED flash.

The back of the phone has a textured surface, 

but the smartphone still feels plasticky.

There is a microSD expansion slot behind the battery door. The latter has a textured surface, so the phone doesn't feel so slick, but like many Samsung smartphones before it, the Epic 4G Touch has a plastic build. Some metal accents or parts would go a long way in making it feel like a more premium handset.

Sprint packages the Samsung Epic 4G Touch with just the basic accessories, which include an AC adapter, a USB cable, and reference material.

User interface

The Samsung Epic 4G Touch runs Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread along with Samsung's latest TouchWiz 4.0 user interface. We're often less enthusiastic about custom interfaces--they sometimes add unwanted complexity and unremovable apps, and are usually slower to update to new OS versions. However, TouchWiz 4.0 has a few things going for it, some carryovers from previous versions of TouchWiz. There are seven home screens, for example, and the notification pull-down menu has icons for easily turning on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 4G, and sound profiles.

Customizing the home screens is made easier, with a carousel-like setup that lets you move through the various panels to add and remove shortcuts and widgets at the same time. Previously, you had to do a long-press on one screen to change it and then repeat the process if you wanted to change another page. You can also now resize Samsung Live Panel widgets and there's a more fluid motion when scrolling through widgets lists and home pages.

Some of the changes are purely cosmetic, but they certainly add some polish to the UI. There are also some useful additions as well, such as an integrated task manager that displays all your active applications, downloaded apps with the option to uninstall, RAM status, and system storage. Also great: the ability to now capture screenshots by simply pressing the power button and home key simultaneously.

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LG Enlighten (Verizon Wireless)

LG Enlighten (Verizon Wireless)
by. Android Best phone

The good : The LG Enlighten has a great keyboard, ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and has plenty of features like a 3.2-megapixel camera, 3G with EV-DO Rev. A, Wi-Fi, 3G Mobile Hotspot capability, and more. It's also very affordable.

The bad : The LG Enlighten is bulky and can be a bit sluggish.

The bottom line : The LG Enlighten is a great beginner smartphone for Verizon Wireless customers who want a physical keyboard.

We can hardly believe that almost a year has passed since the first U.S. LG Android phone, the LG Ally, hit our shores. LG has advanced considerably in the U.S. market since then, with the release of several great Android phones like the high-end T-Mobile G2X, the entry-level Optimus handsets for every major carrier, and the recently launched midrange LG Marquee.

Now LG has introduced a successor to the Ally with the LG Enlighten for Verizon Wireless. In the tradition of LG's entry-level offerings, the Enlighten is surprisingly feature-packed for its category--it ships with Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, 3G, Wi-Fi, along with 3G Mobile Hotspot capability for up to five devices. Seeing as the Enlighten is free with a two-year contract, that's not a bad deal at all if you're just looking for a basic Android phone.

Design 

The LG Enlighten looks more like the Optimus line of phones than the Ally. At 4.5 inches long by 2.3 inches wide by 0.58 inch thick, the Enlighten has a blocky rectangular design that is softened slightly by curved sides and rounded corners, and is not nearly as curvaceous and angled as the Ally. The Enlighten is not as heavy at 5.54 ounces, but it'll still put a dent in your pocket. The phone has a soft touch matte finish on the back that gives it a nice comfortable feel in the hand.

The LG Enlighten is a new entry-level phone for Verizon Wireless. 

It has a 3.2-inch HVGA display.

On the front of the Enlighten is a bright and colorful 3.2-inch HVGA display. We're a little disappointed that LG downgraded the resolution from 480x800 pixels to 320x480 pixels, but for an entry-level phone, we think it still does the job. It looks great under bright sunlight as well. The capacitive display is responsive enough, and you have the option of adding haptic feedback if you desire. You also get an accelerometer and a proximity sensor.

Interestingly, LG opted for its own custom interface instead of the standard Android user interface. The menu is divided into application categories--Communications, News & Search, Media, Tools, Applications, and Downloads--and the bottom row houses the phone dialer, the contacts list, the messaging menu, and Home/Menu shortcuts. You can also customize up to seven home screens. Android purists might not like it, but the user interface does serve to make Android a bit more palatable to smartphone newbies. You get the default Android virtual keyboard as well.

If you're not happy with the virtual keyboard, you can slide the phone open to reveal a physical QWERTY keyboard. As with the Ally, we really like the keyboard here. The four-row keyboard is roomy, with plenty of spacing in between each key. The keys are all raised above the surface as well, which results in a satisfying click when pressed. We like the large Space bar along with the physical navigation controls on the right, just in case you're tired of using the touch screen to scroll around.

Underneath the display are the usual Android shortcut keys for the Menu, Home, Back, and Search functions. The volume rocker and Micro-USB port is on the left spine, while the camera button is on the right. On the top is a screen lock/power key along with a 3.5mm headset jack. A 3.2-megapixel camera sits on the back.

Features 

We're very impressed that the LG Enlighten has Android 2.3.4, considering it's an entry-level phone. This gives it an improved user interface along with a better power management, downloads management, control over apps, and more. It even has Adobe Flash Player 10 in the browser, along with GPS, 3G with EV-DO Rev. A, and Wi-Fi. It has tethering and 3G Mobile Hotspot capabilities too--you can share data with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

As with all Android phones, the Enlighten is compatible with Google's array of apps and services that include Gmail, Google Search with Voice, Maps with Navigation, Google Talk, Latitude, Places, and YouTube. If you decide not to use Gmail, you can use your own e-mail login information and enter in your POP3 or IMAP server addresses if you like. LG and Verizon have included a few of their own apps on here as well, and they include Backup Assistant, Guided Tours, My Verizon Mobile, and Polaris Viewer. The Verizon apps like Backup Assistant are not removable.

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Motorola Atrix 2 (AT&T)

Motorola Atrix 2 (AT&T)

By. Android Best Phone

The good : The Motorola Atrix 2 has a sharp and colorful 4.3-inch qHD display, a dual-core 1GHz processor, HSPA+ support, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture, a front-facing camera, Webtop functionality, and it ships with Android 2.3.

The bad : The Motorola Atrix 2 no longer has the fingerprint sensor, and there is a slight shutter lag that will not please camera enthusiasts.

The bottom line : For the price, the Motorola Atrix 2 is an amazingly feature-packed high-performance Android phone for AT&T customers.

The Motorola Atrix 4G wowed us at CES 2011, with not only a dual-core processor, but also support for AT&T's 4G/HSPA+ network, a front-facing camera, and an optional laptop dock accessory that allowed you to have a portable PC experience using Motorola's Webtop software. It was a groundbreaking product in many ways, and it's no wonder we awarded it the Best of CES Award in the cell phone and smartphones category at the time.

However, it was not a perfect phone. We later discovered that the Atrix was plagued by poor upload speeds (though an update did fix that eventually), and the overall feel of the handset was not quite as premium as other Motorola smartphones. It also did not have 1080p HD recording capabilities at the time of its launch. While we thought the laptop dock accessory was cool, it was only compatible with the Atrix and no other phone, which made its high price rather hard to swallow.

Motorola must have realized these missteps, as the recently launched Atrix 2 has fixed many of these issues and more. It has a bigger and better-looking display, an upgraded camera, and it ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Even the new laptop dock accessory is improved; it's sleeker, lighter, and Motorola has ensured its compatibility with other Motorola handsets. Still, these changes are somewhat incremental, as the processor speed hasn't changed and it still only supports HSPA+ and not AT&T's nascent LTE network.

But perhaps the most exciting thing about the Atrix 2 is that it's surprisingly affordable at only $99.99 after a two-year agreement; that's a $100 drop from the original Atrix. Even though the improvements are incremental, the price drop makes the Atrix 2 a very attractive option for AT&T customers.

Design

When we first laid eyes on the Motorola Atrix 2, we couldn't quite tell the difference between it and its predecessor. The overall shapes of the phones are similar, with the usual slab design and rounded corners. Yet, there are subtle differences that help elevate the Atrix 2. It has a shiny gunmetal gray bezel around the front and a rubberized textured back that gives the phone a more luxurious feel in the hand despite its plastic construction. It's also taller and larger at 4.95 inches long by 2.59 inches wide by 0.41 inch deep.

The Motorola Atrix 2 has a larger and sharper 4.3-inch qHD display.

The reason for the size increase is because of a slightly larger display. While the Atrix 4G had a 4-inch qHD display, the Atrix 2 has a 4.3-inch qHD display. Moreover, the Atrix 2 does not have the Pentile display that resulted in poorer pixel density in the original Atrix. Graphics look crisp and vibrant, and text is smooth and legible as well.

The Atrix 2 has a dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP4 processor instead of the Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset on the Atrix, but that didn't appear to diminish its performance. The capacitive touch screen felt very responsive to our taps and swipes, and navigation felt snappy. There did appear to be a slight flicker when transitioning between menus, but it wasn't too distracting.

Beneath the display are the standard Android shortcut touch keys for the menu, home, back, and search functions. On the left spine are the Micro-HDMI and Micro-USB ports; the right is home to the volume rocker and a dedicated camera button, which was not on the original Atrix. On the top are the 3.5mm headset jack and the power/screen lock key. Sitting above the display is a front-facing VGA camera for video chats, and the 8-megapixel camera is on the back together with an LED flash. Unfortunately, Motorola decided to do away with the fingerprint scanner with the Atrix 2.

AT&T packages the Motorola Atrix 2 with an AC adapter, a USB cable, and reference material. There's also a plethora of optional accessories for the Atrix 2 that include the new laptop dock called the Motorola Lapdock 100, an extra capacity battery, a vehicle navigation dock, an HD station, a portable universal charger, a wireless keyboard, and more.

User interface

The Motorola Atrix 2 runs Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread with a refined MotoBlur interface. It's remarkably different from the one we saw on the original Atrix, and more closely resembles recent Motorola handsets like the Droid Bionic and the Photon 4G. It's certainly not as intrusive as previous versions of MotoBlur, where you had to sign up for an account just to use the device.

You get five customizable home screens that you can personalize with various widgets and shortcuts. You can also press the Home button to see a zoomed-out view of all the home screens. This way you can select a specific home screen directly. On the bottom row of each home screen are four shortcut icons that correspond to the phone dialer, e-mail, the browser, and the main menu. As for the main menu, you swipe from side to side to navigate instead of the vertical scrolling on the default Android interface. For text input, you have the choice of either the multitouch Android keyboard or Swype.

Features

The Atrix 2 offers many of the same features as the Atrix and comparable Android handsets. Android 2.3 Gingerbread gives it a much improved interface along with a more intuitive virtual keyboard. You can also now use the front-facing camera for taking self-portraits if you'd like. It handles Adobe Flash content in the Webkit browser quite well.

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Introducing Android WebDriver

[This post is by Dounia Berrada, an engineer on the EngTools team. — Tim Bray]

Selenium WebDriver is a browser automation tool which provides a lightweight and elegant way for testing web apps. Selenium WebDriver is now available as an SDK extra in the Android SDK, and supports 2.3 (Gingerbread) and onwards!

Whether or not your site is optimized for mobile browsers, you can be sure that users will be accessing it from their phones and tablets. WebDriver makes it easy to write automated tests that ensure your site works correctly when viewed from the Android browser. We’ll walk you through some basics about WebDriver and look at it in action.

WebDriver Basics

WebDriver tests are end-to-end tests that exercise the web application just like a real user would. WebDriver models user interactions with a web page such as finger flicks, finger scrolls and long presses. It can rotate the display and interact with HTML5 features such as local storage, session storage and the application cache. Those tests run as part of an Android tests project and are based on Junit. They can be launched from Eclipse or the command line. WebDriver tests can be wired with a continuous integration system and can run on phone and tablet emulators or real devices. Once the test starts, WebDriver opens a WebView configured like the Android browser and runs the tests against it.

WebDriver is an Android SDK extra and can be installed following these instructions. Once you’ve done that you’ll be ready to write tests! There is a comprehensive WebDriver user guide on the Selenium site, but let’s start with a basic example using www.google.com to give you a taste of what’s possible.

Getting Started

First, create an Android project containing an empty activity with no layout.

public class SimpleAppActivity extends Activity {
    @Override
    public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    }
}

Then create the Android test project that will contain the tests. WebDriver will create the WebView and set the layout automatically in the main Activity.

Let’s write a test that opens the Google home page on Android and issues a query for “weather in San Francisco”. The test will verify that Google returns search results, and that the first result returned is giving the weather in San Francisco.

public class SimpleGoogleTest extends ActivityInstrumentationTestCase2<SimpleAppActivity> {

    public void testGoogleShouldWork() {
      // Create a WebDriver instance with the activity in which we want the test to run
      WebDriver driver = new AndroidDriver(getActivity());
      // Let’s open a web page
      driver.get("http://www.google.com");

      // Lookup for the search box by its name
      WebElement searchBox = driver.findElement(By.name("q"));

      // Enter a search query and submit
      searchBox.sendKeys("weather in san francisco");
      searchBox.submit();

      // Making sure that Google shows 11 results
      WebElement resultSection = driver.findElement(By.id("ires"));
      List<WebElement> searchResults = resultSection.findElements(By.tagName("li"));
      assertEquals(11, searchResults.size());

      // Let’s ensure that the first result shown is the weather widget
      WebElement weatherWidget = searchResults.get(0);
      assertTrue(weatherWidget.getText().contains("Weather for San Francisco, CA"));
    }
}

Now let’s see our test in action! WebDriver will create a WebView with the same configuration as the Android browser in the main UI thread, i.e. the activity thread. The activity will display the WebView on the screen, allowing you to see your web application as the test code is executing.

Interaction Testing

We’ve mentioned that WebDriver supports creating advanced gestures to interact with the device. Let’s use WebDriver to throw an image across the screen by flicking horizontally, and ensure that the next image in the gallery is displayed.

WebElement toFlick = driver.findElement(By.id("image"));
// 400 pixels left at normal speed
Action flick = getBuilder(driver).flick(toFlick, 0, -400, FlickAction.SPEED_NORMAL)
        .build();
flick.perform();
WebElement secondImage = driver.findElement(“secondImage”);
assertTrue(secondImage.isDisplayed());

Now, let’s rotate the screen and ensure that the image displayed on screen is resized.

assertEquals(landscapeSize, secondImage.getSize())
((Rotatable) driver).rotate(ScreenOrientation.PORTRAIT);
assertEquals(portraitSize, secondImage.getSize());

What if your test reveals a bug? You can easily take a screenshot for help in future debugging:

File tempFile = ((TakesScreenshot) driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);

Find Out More

If this has whetted your appetite and you’d like to know more, go ahead and install the Android WebDriver, take a look at the documentation on the Selenium project’s wiki, or just browse the javadocs. For questions and feedback not only of the Android WebDriver but also its desktop brethren, please join webdriver@googlegroups.com. For announcements keep an eye on http://seleniumhq.wordpress.com/.

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Changes to Library Projects in Android SDK Tools, r14

Last week, we released the SDK for Android 4.0 and a new set of developer tools, now in revision 14. The updated tools include a lot of build changes, many that improve build performance. Also included is an under-the-hood change in how libraries are used by main projects — a first step in improving library support and code reusability. While the change should have little impact on existing projects, some developers have had issues when migrating to the updated tools. Please read below for more information about the change to library projects and how to solve migration issues.

Previously, library projects were handled as extra resource and source code folders to be used when compiling the resources and the application’s source respectively. While this worked fine for most cases, there were two issues.

1. Developers asked us for the ability to distribute a library as a single jar file that included both compiled code and resources. The nature of Android resources, with their compiled IDs prevented this.

2. The implementation of the library projects was extremely fragile in Eclipse. Adding extra source folders outside of the project folders is non-trivial when it needs to be handled automatically, in a way that doesn’t expose a user’s local installation path (which is required for people working in teams through a source control system such as SVN or git).

For r14, we decided to fix both issues at once, by moving to a compiled-code based library mechanism. This solves the implementation fragility in Eclipse and will allow us to, later, enable distribution of libraries as a single jar file.

As you might have seen in the release notes, moving to this new mechanism can affect existing projects in some cases, but there are simple fixes.

The first impact of this change is that the new library project requires the resource IDs generated by libraries to be non final. This prevents the Java compiler from inlining the values in the library code, and therefore prevents usage of the switch statement in the library code. To address such occurrences in your code, Eclipse provides a refactoring action to convert from switch statements to if/else (see here).

Second, some projects may not have been properly migrated to the new mechanism, resulting in projects that fail to compile, with errors such as duplicated classes being added in the dex build step. ADT 14 should have migrated older projects to the new mechanism but the fragility of the old mechanism may have prevented it from happening. This makes projects reference the libraries twice, using both the old and new mechanisms, which then triggers the libraries classes being packaged twice. If you see this in your projects, look in the Package Explorer for extraneous source folders named with the pattern <libraryname>_src. The screenshot to the right shows an example of this.

To fix the project, you must remove the extraneous source folders with the following steps:

• Right click source folder and choose Build Path > Remove from Build path
• A dialog will pop up. In it, make sure to check “Also unlink the folder from the project” to completely remove the folder.

With this change to library projects, we pave the way to better support for reusable components. We will continue working to make components easier to create, work with, and manage. Our goal is to make it easy for developers to create apps with great user experiences that easily adapt to all form factors.

Some developers have also told us that they only use library projects internally, that they don’t need to distribute binary versions and would prefer to continue with a source-based mechanism. We are investigating how we could support this alongside the new mechanism.

Finally, I wanted to point out that we are tracking a few known issues (and workaround for them) in the current r14 tools at this page: http://tools.android.com/knownissues.

We are working on a tools update that will include fixes for most of these. We are hoping to have it out shortly.

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Motorola Brute i686 Review

Motorola Brute i686 Review
By. Android Best Phone

The good : The Motorola Brute i686 has a very rugged and durable design, plus a decent feature set that includes push-to-talk, GPS, and a 2-megapixel camera. Call quality is very impressive.

The bad : The Motorola Brute i686 is only very slightly different from its predecessor, the Brute i680. There's no external camera shutter button, photo quality is average at best, and we wish there were a 3.5mm headset jack.

The bottom line : The Motorola Brute i686 can take a longer dunk in water, but is otherwise identical to the Brute i680. It's not the prettiest phone on the block, but it's incredibly durable with great call quality to boot.

When we first looked at the Motorola Brute i686, we wondered if there was a mistake. It seemed practically identical to the Motorola Brute i680, its predecessor. Even the overall features are similar--the 2-megapixel camera, GPS, Bluetooth, and of course, support for Nextel's iDEN network.

The main difference seems to be that the Motorola Brute i686 is a touch more durable. It now can be immersed in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. Aside from that, it retains the ruggedized exterior of its predecessor, keeping its "Brute" moniker alive. If you already have the Brute i680, we wouldn't encourage you to run out and buy the i686, but if you've been looking for a tough phone that'll survive a diving trip or two, then this might be for you. The Motorola Brute i686 is available for $119.99 with a two-year contract from Sprint Nextel.

Design

As we mentioned in the introduction, the Motorola Brute i686 hardly differs from its predecessor. At 3.92 inches long by 2.09 inches wide by 1 inch thick, the Brute i686 is just as bulky, and at 5.63 ounces, it's just as heavy. It's clad in hard plastic and a thick rubber exterior that protects it from all manner of scrapes and bruises. Indeed, we dropped it onto concrete and dunked it in a sink of water for a solid 20 minutes without ill effects. The Brute i686 is said to be military-certified under specification 810G for resistance to dust, shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, low pressure, salt fog, humidity, and more.

The Motorola Brute i686 is a tough-looking phone.

On the front is a color external display that supports 65,000 colors and 160x120-pixel resolution. We're glad to see that it supports photo caller ID and recent call history, and it'll also work as a self-portrait viewfinder when the camera is activated. As for the camera, that sits right on top of the display, next to the LED flash.

The left spine is home to the volume rocker and push-to-talk button, both of which are large and easy to find by feel. On the right is the Micro-USB charger jack hidden securely beneath a rubber flap. On the top of the Brute i686 are the speakerphone control and the usual Nextel button for accessing your recent calls list. Also on the top is a 2.5-millimeter headset jack protected by a rubber flap. We would've liked to see a 3.5mm headset jack, however. We also would have preferred a camera shutter control on the sides.

To keep the phone nice and dry on the inside, the battery cover is secured by a round locking mechanism that you can unlock with either a fingernail or a penny. Behind the battery cover is the microSD card slot.

Flip the phone open and you'll find a simple but legible 2.2-inch color display. It only supports 65,000 colors and 220x176-pixel resolution, but as you aren't likely to use this phone for multimedia purposes too often, we didn't mind the average resolution. Colors are bright enough, and we like that we can change the text size and the backlight timer. Along the bottom row of the display is a series of shortcuts to frequently accessed applications or functions that you can toggle through. The main menu itself is displayed in either a grid or list view.

The navigation array consists of the usual two soft keys, a round toggle with a middle select key, a main menu key, a camera key, and the Send and End/Power keys. The overall keypad is spacious, with enough separation between each key. We found it easy to text and dial with the raised keys as well.

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Apple iPhone 4S (64GB, black, Sprint)

Apple iPhone 4S (64GB, black, Sprint)


By. Android Best Phone

The good : Apple's iPhone 4S has a faster processor and an upgraded camera, all the benefits of iOS 5, and a useful and immensely fun voice assistant. Call quality on the Sprint model is admirable, and the data speeds, while certainly not 4G, get the job done.

The bad : It's about time we get a larger screen

The bottom line : The iPhone 4S isn't the king of cell phones, but it's part of the royal family nonetheless. Even without 4G and a giant screen, this phone's smart(ass) voice assistant, Siri, the benefits of iOS 5, and its spectacular camera make it a top choice for anyone ready to upgrade.

For the first time since the iPhone was born four years ago, a new model didn't arrive in June this year. The wait set the iPhone 5 rumor mill frothing to overflow, so when the iPhone 4S arrived as an incremental upgrade, fanboys commenced an Internet-wide rending of garments. Some critics grumbled that they didn't get more, and I sympathize...kind of. Yes, the lack of 4G is disappointing. And yes, a totally new design would have been fun. But this is hardly the first time that Apple has chosen to make a subtle upgrade. Remember the iPhone 3GS?

The truth is that the 4S brings healthy improvements to an already excellent device. iPhone owners finally get a 64GB model and a better camera, the dual-core processor delivers more speed, and Siri, the iPhone 4S' personal assistant/robot friend/gofer, adds a new and sassy experience. iOS 5 also trots out changes big and small, and we're glad to see Sprint join the Apple family with a true world phone. So while the iPhone 4S isn't the Jesus phone, it's quite enough for plenty of other people-- more than a million, actually.

Not everything impressed me. I'd prefer a slightly larger screen and my list of iPhones misses remains hefty. Performance on the Sprint model is satisfactory. We encountered slower 3G data speeds than on the Verizon phone, but Sprint has a slight edge in call quality. Remember that there will be a discernible difference between the 4S versions (just like we found with the AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4S) so it's important to choose your carrier wisely.

In the end, the decision to buy an iPhone 4S will depend on your current carrier contract. If you aren't eligible for an upgrade with a rebate, I don't think the new features are worth paying full price (at least $500). But if you can upgrade with a discount, or if you're a Sprint customer waiting to get your hands on the iPhone for the very first time, there is enough here to warrant a switch. Sure, there's the chance that a better "iPhone 5" will come next June, but that's a long time to wait. Besides, in the cell phone world, something better is always around the corner.

Design

As I said, the iPhone 4S is indistinguishable from its predecessor. For the most part, that's fine with me. Having lived through the thin phone craze started by the Motorola Razr, I'm not aching for a slimmer device. Granted, the 4S can feel bulky at times, but I continue to enjoy its solid feel in the hand (something that's not always there with skinny phones). I don't have any problems with the handset's general aesthetics, either. A thinner phone may be prettier, but it's what's inside that really counts.

The iPhone 4S' design is unchanged from the iPhone 4. 

That's fine with us, except that we'd like a larger display.

I also can live without some of the rumored "iPhone 5" features, like a wider Home button and a curved profile. The Home button has never plagued me, after all, and I'd prefer to rest the phone flat on a table and tap away. The glass back continues to concern me a bit, particularly after seeing a handful of iPhone 4s fall to their doom. That shouldn't be an issue if you have a case, of course. But speaking of which, some iPhone 4 cases will not fit on the iPhone 4S because Apple moved the ambient light sensor. So if you're looking to dress your 4S, make sure the case fits perfectly before buying. And if you need suggestions, Executive Editor David Carnoy has a few.

My real design gripe is that the iPhone's display is beginning to look rather small when compared with some of the Android competition. Keep in mind that the iPhone's screen has remained at 3.5 inches since the first edition appeared in 2007. At that time, it was plenty big, but as smartphone screens have crept above the 4-inch mark, I now consider 3.5 inches the bare minimum size for a high-end device.

Absolutely, the Retina Display remains stunningly beautiful (as do many Super AMOLED screens), but its size isn't always practical for in-car and hands-free use. Even worse, it can get rather tiring watching a full-length film with the iPhone perched on your airline seat tray table. How much bigger would I want? Nothing too big--the 4.5-inch displays on some Android models are a bit ridiculous--but something in the range of 3.75 inches or 4 inches would be a Goldilocks just right. I'll leave that up to the next iteration of the phone.

At the iPhone 4S' unveiling, one of the biggest elephants in the room was whether the company would mention any differences to the antenna following the iPhone 4's "antennagate." Yet, when Apple VP of Marketing Philip Schiller took the stage, he revealed that the iPhone 4S has two antennas that it can choose between to find the best signal (more on that later). Even if you can't see any changes on the outside, it appears to fix what I found to be a very real problem.

You'll also see the same virtual keyboard.

Basic features

The 4S inherits all the standard iPhone features from the preceding models, including the calendar, voice memos, weather and stock apps, the various clock features, Google Maps, the compass, text messaging and e-mail, and the Notes app. The iPod player is there as well; the 4S splits your music and video libraries into two separate icons. In another change, the 4S also offers an upgrade to Bluetooth 4.0. Though still a growing technology, Bluetooth 4.0 uses less power and will enable the iPhone to talk to small battery-operated devices like Nike+ sensors and fitness machines at the gym. For more on Bluetooth 4.0, check out this deeper dive from Nicole Lee.

Siri

The feature that Apple is touting most is the new voice assistant called Siri. It doesn't completely replace the current Voice Control feature--that's still there if you want it--but it certainly does a whole lot more. Basically, Siri both follows commands and answers your requests for information. For example, you can check the weather, ask for a contact's address, set up a reminder, get directions, and ask for obscure trivia. You speak to a robotic female voice (you can't change her identity) and access the feature by holding down the Home button (just as you do to access Voice Control). It uses both your location and a Google search to find a response, so you will need to have a Wi-Fi or cellular connection. The feature is in beta mode and supports English, French, and German. More languages will come later.

Camera

The iPhone 4's 5-megapixel camera was already great--especially when you add a third party app--but the iPhone 4S' is significantly better. The 8-megapixel camera offers autofocus, flash, f/2.4 aperture lens, and a backside-illuminated CMOS sensor that allows 73 percent more light than the previous sensor and should deliver better low-light performance. A hybrid IR filter is also onboard for better color accuracy. Apple also claims the new camera performs 33 percent faster than the iPhone 4's camera, and the A5 processor has a built-in image processor that adds face detection and 26 percent better auto white balance.

From the start I noticed a difference in image quality over the iPhone 4's camera. Colors were brighter, and the focus was a little sharper with a bit less pixelation. Not surprisingly, the camera also does better in low light, though flash continues to be a little overpowering at times.

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Best 5 cell phones

Best 5 cell phones : You carry your phone almost everywhere, so it's important that you find the model that's right for you and one that works with your carrier. Fortunately, Android Best Phone is here to help. We've chosen five handsets that we think are the top cell phones right now in any category. If you'd like to drill deeper, follow the links at the left for our favorite cell phones in several categories. These lists change frequently, so check back often.

Apple iPhone 4S 

Best all-around smartphone

The iPhone 4S isn't the king of cell phones, but it's part of the royal family nonetheless. Even without 4G and a giant screen, this phone's smart(ass) voice assistant, Siri, the benefits of iOS 5, and its spectacular camera make it a top choice for anyone ready to upgrade.
Read full review

HTC Sensation 4G (T-Mobile) 

Best phone with T-Mobile 4G

Its excellent design and user experience, coupled with its solid performance, make the HTC Sensation 4G one of the best Android phones yet and a top pick for T-Mobile customers.
Read full review

Motorola Brute i686 (Sprint Nextel)

Best tough phone that isn't a smartphone

The Motorola Brute i686 can take a longer dunk in water, but is otherwise identical to the Brute i680. It's not the prettiest phone on the block, but it's incredibly durable with great call quality to boot.
Read full review

Motorola Droid Bionic (Verizon Wireless) 

Best dual-core phone with LTE

The Motorola Droid Bionic is everything you want from a high-end smartphone. It's sleek, fast, and powerful, with features that will please both consumers and business users--if you're willing to pay the high price.
Read full review

Samsung Galaxy S II (AT&T) 

Best phone with a gorgeous display

With its dual-core processor, vibrant display, and great performance, the sleek and powerful Samsung Galaxy S II rises as AT&T's top Android smartphone.
Read full review

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New Public APIs in ICS

Since Android is open-source, anyone can look at the code and see how it works inside. If you do this, you’ll notice that most but not all of the APIs are publicly documented.

If they’re publicly documented, they’re part of what we consider the Android Application Framework. This means their tests appear in the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) so that our hardware partners have to prove that the APIs work, and that we promise to try very hard not to change them and thus break your code.

In almost every case, there’s only one reason for leaving APIs undocumented: We’re not sure that what we have now is the best solution, and we think we might have to improve it, and we’re not prepared to make those commitments to testing and preservation.

We’re not claiming that they’re “Private” or “Secret” — How could they be, when anyone in the world can discover them? We’re also not claiming they’re forbidden: If you use them, your code will compile and probably run. And in fact we know of quite a few apps out there whose developers have used undocumented APIs, often to good effect. It’s hard to get too upset about this in cases where there’s a useful API that we haven’t gotten around to stabilizing.

But the developers who use those APIs have to be prepared to deal with the situation that arises when we move them from the undocumented outside into the Android Application Framework. Fortunately, this is reasonably straightforward. Also we take a close look at Android Market, using our in-house analytics tools, to get a feel for the impact when we know one of these changes is coming.

There are a few such changes coming up in the Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” (ICS) release of Android. We wanted to take the opportunity to combine these words on undocumented APIs with some specifics about the changes.

Calendars

Let’s start with the good news: As of ICS, the Android Framework will include a fully-worked-out set of APIs for accessing Calendar data. You can guess the bad news: Quite a few developers have built apps (including many good ones) using the undocumented Calendar APIs, some using fairly low-level access to the calendar database. Unfortunately, these integrations were unsupported, and prone to breakage by platform updates or OEM customization of calendar features.

We want to see lots of good calendar apps and extensions that work reliably across Android devices, and aren't broken by platform updates. So we decided to create a clean API, including a comprehensive set of Intents, to manage calendar data in ICS. Now anyone can code against these new APIs and know that Android is committed to supporting them, and that partners have to support these APIs as part of CTS.

Once the new APIs arrive, you’re going to have to update your apps before they’ll run correctly on ICS while still working on older releases. There are a variety of techniques for doing that, many of which have been featured on this blog, including reflection and lazy loading. Recently, we introduced Multiple-APK support, which could also be used to help with this sort of transition.

Text To Speech

Android has never really had a text-to-speech API at the Framework level, but there was unofficial access at the C++ level. With ICS, we will have a fully-thought-through application-level API running on Dalvik, so you can access it with ordinary Java-language application code.

The old C++ API will no longer be supported, but we’ll have a compatibility layer that you can use to bridge from it to the new API. We think it should be easy to update for ICS with very little work.

Doing the Right Thing

We recognize that this means some work for developers affected by these changes, but we’re confident that Android programs in general, and both Calendar and TTS apps in particular, will come out ahead. And we also think that most developers know that when they use undocumented APIs, they’re making a commitment to doing the right thing when those APIs change.

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Viber Free Calls & Messages v2.1.2.116554

Written on October 20, 2011 at 12:52 am by Android


Filed under Android apps {no comments}

Viber Free Calls & Messages v2.1.2.116554

Requirements: ANDROID 2.0 and up
Overview: Viber – Be Free to Communicate. Call and text anyone, anywhere.

Viber is an Android* and iPhone application that lets you make free phone calls and send free text messages to other users that have Viber installed. When you use Viber, your phone calls to any other Viber user are free, and the sound quality is much better than a regular call. You can call any Viber user, anywhere in the world, for free and now also text them. All Viber features are 100% FREE and do not require any additional “in application” purchase.

Read our privacy policy here: http://www.viber.com/privacy
******************************************************
WHY USE VIBER VS. OTHER VOIP (VOICE OVER IP) SOLUTIONS
******************************************************

* COMPLETELY FREE AND WITH NO ADS: Viber and all Viber features are absolutely free and do not require any additional “in application” purchase. Once you and your friends install the free Viber application, you can use it to talk and also text as much as you want. Just makes sure all your friends get Viber! All you need is an Internet connection: 3G or Wi-Fi where available. On top of that, Viber doesn’t contain any annoying ads.
* NO INTERNATIONAL CHARGES: It doesn’t matter where you or your friends are, be it on the same network or in a totally different country. You can talk for as much as you want, for free. Just make sure your friends have Viber too.
* NO USERNAMES, PASSWORDS OR REGISTRATION: You know your friend’s phone number, so why bother with yet another username and password? Viber uses your phone number as your “identity” and lets you make free Viber phone calls to any of your friends that have Viber – using THEIR phone number.
* NO NEED TO ADD BUDDIES: Unlike applications like Skype, Windows Live Messenger or Fring where you need to “add buddies” and have them approve you, Viber behaves just like a phone. Just like you don’t need to “add” someone in order to call them, you don’t need to add your friends in order to call them on Viber. If you know their phone number, then you know their Viber number, and you’re ready to go!
* DON’T KILL YOUR VIBER: To make sure you always get incoming calls/messages notifications, we strongly recommend you to keep Viber running in the background. This doesn’t drain your battery or use up memory and improves your Viber experience.
* SOUND QUALITY: Viber uses state of the art technology in order to make sure the sound quality you get is much better than GSM or a regular phone call.
* MUCH MORE COMING: We are hard at work bringing many more features to your Viber phone. More ringtones (and custom ones), wallpapers, location based services and more are all coming soon to Viber!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0nQN5w5ct_E

Video preview:

What’s in this version:
Bug Fixes
IMPORTANT: Before upgrading to this version please exit Viber. This can be done by using the Exit button in the More screen.
v2.1:
All new Voice engine!
Viber is now location-aware! Share your current location with your contacts so that they will know from where your message was sent.
Send and receive Photos.
New “is typing” indicator will notify you when he or she is typing a new message.
Landscape support for Messages.

Viber Free Calls & Messages v2.1.2.116554

Download

Mirror 

Mirror 1

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What is 4g Phone

What is 4g Phone | Top 5 4G Phones
By.Android Best Phone

What is 4g Phone  : At the rate 4G phones are cropping up, it's a wonder that 3G phones will still exist by next year. The 4G phone is a breed of its own, tending to flaunt high quality hardware and software specs like Android 2.3 Gingerbread and dual-core processors. Let's take a gander at our top 5 4G Phone countdown. 

1 –  What is 4g Phone | Top 5 4G Phones  : HTC EVO 3D 

Although this is a controversial debate, we think the HTC EVO 3D is ultimately the best 4G smartphone on the market, despite its quirks. First off, HTC EVO 3D is essentially a Sensation 4G with slightly more memory (12GB out of the box), larger battery pack (1730mAh), and 3D recording capability. Unfortunately, the EVO 3D's battery performance left much to be desired, and the 3D recording was a tad gimmicky. However, we found that 3D games and movies were quite the talk of the town on the HTC EVO 3D. The phone's 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and 1GB of RAM gave us a top tier performance, and we liked the ability to switch from 2D camera action to 3D via a large, tangible switch. Based on the current smartphone spectrum, the HTC EVO 3D is the caviar on the king's plate at the moment, but the winds of change will most likely erode that statement next month when the quad-cores come closer to fruition. 

2 – What is 4g Phone | Top 5 4G Phones  : HTC Sensation 4G 

Something sensational was recently released by HTC, and it's called the HTC Sensation 4G. This is a phone that surprised us from the middle of nowhere with a tantalizing qHD screen, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor with Adreno 220 GPU, 768MB of RAM, latest HTC Sense 3.0, and 1080p HD video recording. Talk about being a hardware powerhouse, the HTC Sensation 4G runs on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network. This was a phone that succeeded in trouncing every task within split seconds, its 1500mAh battery pack actually cranked out a decent performance, and the camera was one of the best performers to date. Fashion connoisseurs will also love the HTC Sensation 4G's unconventional design. If you want unadulterated hardware, software, and design awesomeness, then the HTC Sensation 4G is the flaming ticket to glory. 

3 – What is 4g Phone | Top 5 4G Phones  : Nexus S 4G 

What happens when you take one of our favorite Android phones and slap Sprint's 4G WIMAX service and Google Voice integration on it? Why, you get the Nexus S 4G of course. This is one of our all-time beloved devices because of its stellar battery life, compact size, lusciously curved glass Super AMOLED WVGA screen, and total Google integration. You want applications for Facebook, Twitter, MySpace? Go download them from the Android Market yourself. This phone is purely for nerds, and its hardware does the trick with a 1GHz Hummingbird processor. The Nexus S 4G is also one of the first phones feature NFC technology, which is going to allow us to use our phones to pay for things in the near future. If you're a smartphone dweeb and want a Sprint contract, the Nexus S 4G is the phone for you. 

4 – What is 4g Phone | Top 5 4G Phones  : HTC Thunderbolt 

This is the phone that will forever be known as Verizon's first 4G LTE device, and it cracked out of the sky like a bolt of furious lightning. The HTC Thunderbolt doesn't need a "4G" tacked onto the end of its name to prove that it's a hardcore spec factory with an obscene 40GB of storage, front-facing camera with skype, kickstand, and giant 4.3-inch WVGA screen. The phone's exceedingly quick 1GHz Snapdragon processor with Adreno 205 GPU was the ideal engine for Android 2.3, and we found this to be one of the quickest phones on the market. Toss in a giant serving of Verizon's 4G LTE network, which is the speediest 4G network in existence at the current moment, and the HTC Thunderbolt is a thunderstorm of excellence. 

5 – What is 4g Phone | Top 5 4G Phones  : LG Revolution 

It's big, bad, and brash. The LG Revolution is the third member in Verizon's 4G LTE fleet, and we will tell you that the phone is a bullet on crack when it comes to network speeds. We tested the phone in Philadelphia and it whizzed through every Internet page tap and Android Market download in a tenth of a jiffy. The LG Revolution had an unconventional UI that relied on Bing as its primary search engine, but its overall speed made up for it. There was also Netflix, Blockbuster, Kindle, and plenty of other multimedia applications to keep us rocking throughout the day. The LG Revolution's 1GHz Snapdragon processor cranked out a speedy performance, though it couldn't quite match the likes of our two top choices. But if you live in 4G Land and are looking for blazing Internet action, the LG Revolution is almost as good as our next phone.

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Android 4.0 Platform and Updated SDK Tools

Today we are announcing Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich — a new version of the platform that brings a refined, unified user experience for phones, tablets, and more.

Android 4.0 builds on the things people love most about Android — efficient multitasking, rich notifications, customizable home screens, resizable widgets, and deep interactivity — and adds powerful new ways of communicating and sharing. It includes many great features for users, including social and sharing integration, network data usage control, innovative connectivity and camera options, and an updated set of standard apps.

For developers, Android 4.0 introduces many new capabilities and APIs. Here are some highlights:

Unified UI toolkit: A single set of UI components, styles, and capabilities for phones, tablets, and other devices.

Rich communication and sharing: New social and calendar APIs, Android Beam for NFC-based instant sharing, Wi-Fi Direct support, Bluetooth Health Device Profile support.

Deep interactivity and customization: Improved notifications, lockscreen with camera and music controls, and improved app management in the launcher.

New graphics, camera, and media capabilities: Image and video effects, precise camera metering and face detection, new media codecs and containers.

Interface and input: Hardware-accelerated 2D drawing, new grid-based layout, improved soft keyboard, spell-checker API, stylus input support, and better mouse support.

Improved accessibility: New accessibility APIs and text-to-speech APIs for writing new engines.

Enhancements for enterprise: Keychain and VPN APIs for managing credentials and connections, a new administrator policy for disabling the camera.

For a complete overview of what’s new for users and developers, please read the Android 4.0 Platform Highlights.

Alongside the new Android platform, we are releasing new versions of the SDK Tools (r14) and ADT Plugin (14.0) for Eclipse. Among the highlights are:

• Improved build performance in Ant and Eclipse


• Improved layout and XML editors

To get started developing on Android 4.0, visit the Android Developers site for information about the Android 4.0 platform, the SDK Tools, and the ADT Plugin.

If you have already developed and published apps, we encourage you to download the Android 4.0 platform now, to begin testing your app before devices arrive in stores.

Check out the video below for a closer look at Android 4.0 in action.

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iPhone 4S Supplies Tighten

iPhone 4S Supplies Tighten  | Android Best Phone.

iPhone 4S

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Apple Inc. has instituted a reservation-only policy for iPhone 4S retail sales, hinting at a repeat of the smartphone's annual supply-and-demand mismatches.

On Monday Apple's revised how-to-buy page told customers in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Australia, France and Germany that the iPhone 4S would be "available in store by reservation only." Buyers were instructed to select a retail store and check inventory after 9 p.m. local time before placing a reservation hold.

"When you come in, you'll choose a carrier and plan, and we'll get your iPhone up and running before you leave the store," Apple promised.

Carly Suppa, a spokesman for Rogers Communications Inc., said Tuesday that some of its stores are out of iPhone 4S handsets. "Customers looking for specific models are best to check with their local store to see what is in stock," she said.

Spot checks at stores in each U.S. time zone shortly after 9 p.m. last night found that the lower-priced 16GB and 32GB models were most often out of stock, while the US$399 64GB smartphone was more widely available.

In many instances, models were available in either white or black, but not both.

At 9 p.m. ET, the reservation system said the flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City was out of the 16GB iPhone 4S for both AT&T and Sprint, and out of the 32GB for AT&T. Verizon customers had their pick of all three models.

But inside of three hours all phones at the store were pegged as "unavailable."

The limited inventory of the 4S is not the first time Apple [Nasdaq: AAPL] has run short of a brand-new iPhone.

In 2010, Apple sold 1.7 million iPhones in the first three days after it reached retail -- less than half the 4 million it claimed for the iPhone 4S -- but still exhausted its stock. The outage prompted then-CEO Steve Jobs to issue an apology to "those customers who were turned away because we did not have enough supply."

The iPhone 4S went on sale Oct 14 at Apple's retail stores and other outlets in the U.S., the U.K, Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Japan. Apple plans to roll out the phone in another 22 countries Oct. 28., and to a total of 70 by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Jared Newman of PCWorld U.S. reports that a handful of issues are causing problems for a subset of users.

Here's a rundown on some early iPhone 4S issues:

Siri Not Working

On Apple's support forums (and on Twitter), users clam that Siri, the iPhone 4S's virtual assistant, won't work. When asking a question, these users receive an error message saying that Siri "cannot connect to the network."

To fix this issue, Business Insider suggests first turning Siri off in the iPhone's settings, then going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings, and then turning Siri back on. Others say that enabling data roaming does the trick (although this can incur extra charges if you're overseas). But there's currently no sure fix for users who are having trouble--perhaps this is why Siri is still labeled "beta."

Slow Sprint Data

In the U.S. some Sprint Nextel users are complaining about slow data speeds on the iPhone 4S. One user claims that the issue is iPhone-specific, and reports faster speeds on a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S II (with 4G turned off), while another finds similar speed issues with Sprint's Evo 3D.

But this issue doesn't affect all Sprint users--Gizmodo's spot test actually finds that Sprint's network allows for faster downloads than Verizon (but not AT&T), and the fastest uploads of all three carriers. However, Gizmodo's survey of iPhone 4S users finds Sprint has the slowest average speeds. So far, Sprint hasn't addressed the matter. Hopefully this is just a temporary glitch and not a long-term network congestion issue.

App Issues

While not hardware-related, the launch of iOS 5 has caused problems for some apps. Google Voice, for example, had to be pulled from the App Store due to crashes. Instapaper now has problems with offline functionality for users whose devices are near capacity because of the way iOS 5 clears cached data. (That issue may end up affecting lots of apps with offline components, according to Instapaper developer, Marco Arment.) Most app-related issues should be fixed eventually, but it's unclear what Apple intends to do for apps such as Instapaper.

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Best Phone For >> 5 Best Phones for Playing Games

Best Phone For  | 5 Best Phones for Playing Games
By. Android Best Phone

Behold and prepare yourself for the smartphones have now invaded the market. With competitive OS and processors, these phones are sure gifts to all addictive gamers out there. We now take a peek into the top 5 best gaming phones in the world today :

1. Best Phone For : Samsung Galaxy S

The Samsung Galaxy S is a game-friendly smartphone, which sports a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen and a powerful 1 GHz Hummingbird processor. If you are in the look-out for an Android smartphone and you want a mark in gaming, then this phone is one of the best there is.

This also packs a mighty PowerVR SGX 540 graphics processor which is the fastest graphics processing unit in Androids, handling complex 3D graphics with ease. The two processors combine to give three times more power than Nexus One's Qualcomm's Snapdragon. In terms of gaming power and fun, the Samsung Galaxy S is one of the few serious competitors to the Apple iPhone 4.

2. Best Phone For : LG Optimus 2X

The new LG Optimus 2X is the first dual-core smartphone ever made. Even netbooks do not come in dual-core! Performance-wise, you could expect great things when playing games with this Optimus 2X.

The phone features a 4-inch TFT capacitive touch screen and a gyro-sensor for glitch-free gaming. Initially, this phone runs with Android 2.2 but it can apparently be upgraded to the latest Gingerbread 2.3 very soon. One powerful feature of this phone is the HDMI output, which allows people to experience games on a large screen.

3. Best Phone For : Apple iPhone 4

When one says iPhone, your heart undoubtedly freaks out, like you can't wait any longer to have this precious gadget laid out in your hands. iPhone is an Apple, and Apple has already earned its name in the market

The iPhone 4 is the latest manifestation of Apple's enticing mobile technology. For those who want to enjoy games while on the go, this phone is a great deal. In the name of gaming, the iPhone 4 has an almost-unlimited Apple store which has become a breeding ground for little developers with big ideas. Along with other applications, there are approximately 70,000 games at the store and this is, by far, the highest number of games available for any phone in the market. The iPhone 4 also comes with a responsive touch screen, a well-designed accelerometer, great graphics, and a processor that can run games in flawless manner.

Another key feature of the iPhone 4 is its Game Center, a social gaming platform running on iOS 4.1, which lets you play with practically anyone who is currently logged on. Although the iPhone 4 does not have a dual-core processor and an easy HDMI connectivity, the size of the AppStore and the sophistication of its interface make it a cool phone gaming solution. No wonder iPhone 4 rocks much for gamers!

4. Best Phone For : Samsung Google Nexus S

One of the latest Android smartphones flocking in the market today is the Samsung Google Nexus S. This phone comes with a 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen with an Oleophobic surface, along with a curved glass screen to improve viewing angles. This is the first to run an Android 2.3 platform, and its key features are terrific. It has a graphics processor that provides hassle-free gaming, and a 1GHz processor which comes with a cool three-axis gyroscope sensor for managing orientation.

Game-wise, Android is keeping up with the iPhone 4 although it is undeniably true that iPhone 4 has more games available. However, if you don't really need more than enough, then Android-based smartphones will suit you well.

The only downside of the Google Nexus S is it lacks SD card support and HDMI output, with an average battery life. Other than that, this smartphone is definitely one of the best to serve your gaming needs!

5. Best Phone For : HTC HD 7

The HTC HD 7 is one of the best phones out in the market which runs Windows Phone 7, a new operating system described by Microsoft as a new and major games platform. The phone sports a 4.3 inch screen and although the screen is not OLED, the fact that the phone's running on Windows Phone 7 makes it a winner. Its key features are the avatars, the friends' lists and their achievements. Its games are bought through its AppStore equivalent, the Games Hub, which also allows game invites from other users.

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