Nexus 7 Review

I've been burned before buying products I haven't had a chance to try out in person. The Eee PC 701. The HP Mini 1120nr. Those were the days when I wanted to buy only Linux-preinstalled computers. In random stores, I've played around with 7" tablets. There always seemed to be something sluggish or off about… Continue reading Nexus 7 Review

What’s really going on with Android “fragmentation”

This is a follow-up to a post I did last year, “Does Android “fragmentation” actually affect end users?” Unfortunately, tech news sites keep referring to this Android “fragmentation” problem in the same tired old ways. Here are some recent takes on it: Has Google Done Enough to Keep Android Phones Up-to-date? Google: Android fragmentation ‘up… Continue reading What’s really going on with Android “fragmentation”

Revised “Juice Defender”-like Tasker profiles

A couple of months ago, I posted up My “Juice Defender” Tasker Profiles. I've had a while to play around with different versions of those profiles, and this is what I've finally settled on. (I'm going with Tasker shorthand here and just showing you the final product—if you need handholding on how in general to… Continue reading Revised “Juice Defender”-like Tasker profiles

Verizon Galaxy Nexus First Impressions

I just got my third Android phone. You can read about my previous experiences: T-Mobile MyTouch 3G First Impressions, Why people get Nexus phones: I rooted my MyTouch 4G after less than one day This time, I got a Nexus phone—the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. I’m just going to list the positives and negatives. These are… Continue reading Verizon Galaxy Nexus First Impressions

Virus v. Trojan: not just about semantics

Whenever a new trojan appears for Linux, Mac OS X, or (now) Android, inevitably you get a crowd of ignorant panic-mongers up in arms saying “See? [fill in the blank] gets viruses, too! Ah ha! Better install that antivirus now.” Now, apart from the fact that so-called “antivirus” software is for all practical purposes useless… Continue reading Virus v. Trojan: not just about semantics

Manually updating an Android rom

As I mentioned in last month’s post Rooting Someone Else’s Droid, I set up my sister-in-law with the rooted rom Cyanogen 7 Release Candidate 4 on her Droid. Unfortunately, recently it started acting buggy on her. One of the things I advised her to do was repair permissions. Another was to make a backup and… Continue reading Manually updating an Android rom

Android Battery Saving Tips

Don’t run a “task killer” app A lot of people think a task killer or app killer app will save you battery life. In fact, you’ll find it regularly in the top 20 for top free apps in the Android Market. When I bought my first Android phone in 2009, the T-Mobile salesperson recommended I… Continue reading Android Battery Saving Tips