Posts by Joe Levi
Joe graduated from Weber State University with two degrees in Information Systems and Technologies. He has carried mobile devices with him for more than a decade, including Apple's Newton, Microsoft's Handheld and Palm Sized PCs, and is the Pocketnow.com "Android Guy". By day you'll find Joe coding web pages, tweaking for SEO, and leveraging social media to spread the word. By night you'll probably find him writing technology and "prepping" articles, as well as shooting video. End of line.
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by Joe Levi | March 18, 2013 2:54 PMIt seems like an eternity ago, but some of you should still remember HTC's first Android-powered device, released in October 2008. It was a collaborative project between Google and HTC that was called the T-Mobile G1 in the States and the HTC Dream elsewhere. For all intents and purposes, the G1 was the first Android. Google and HTC worked closely together and released a smartphone running the "pure Android experience". Today devices like that go by the "Nexus" name. Fast-forward to January 2010 and the duo did it again, this time releasing the Nexus One which served as a reference ...
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by Joe Levi | March 18, 2013 7:45 AMNow that mystery and uncertainty has been lifted from the Samsung Galaxy S 4, it's time to start pondering about what Samsung has in store for us next. Some might cry foul, that it's somehow "not fair" or "inappropriate" to start talking about what's coming next when the current version isn't even available yet. We hear you, but you're wrong -- but not for the reasons you may think. There are an infinite number of improvements that can be made or features that can be added to any product. Those, of course, are limited by pesky things like cost, availability, durability, and sometimes ...
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by Joe Levi | March 14, 2013 1:36 PMSamsung doesn't need to do anything amazing with the Galaxy S IV to have another amazing product that people will flock to buy. I'm completely confident that Samsung could even take the Galaxy S III, upgrade the processor and battery just a smidgen and call it good. And it would sell. Like hotcakes. And I wouldn't mind one bit. Why? The Galaxy S III is already an amazing phone, and it's not really starting to show its age. Not yet anyway. I'm not normally one to put the brakes on the constant march of technology, but there comes a point where processor speed, quantity of RAM and storage ...
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by Joe Levi | March 12, 2013 3:44 PMApple's Phil Schiller recently posted a tweet aimed squarely at Android users: "Be safe out there", followed by a link to F-Secure's latest Mobile Threat Report. That was last week and the talking-heads are already on a roll. Some are claiming vindication, even going as far as saying that Apple has won the war. Others have retaliated against Schiller saying tweet was uncalled for. The source behind the tweet is really at the meat of the issue. It's a 34-page .PDF that outlines the mobile threats in the world today. That report, too, has received quite a bit of coverage in the news and ...
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by Joe Levi | March 11, 2013 4:09 PMNot long ago I told you about my experiences with NFC one year after it became available on phones that I own. In that article I shared how I use NFC and how I don't, but I breezed over one part: making devices talk with each other using NFC. I did that on purpose. I still use NFC almost every day to buy stuff and, as long as the merchant has a terminal that supports it, NFC has always worked perfectly for me. What about those pesky device-to-device transfers that were supposed to revolutionize the way use our devices to talk to one another? Why didn't I cover that scenario? In short: ...
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by Joe Levi | March 8, 2013 8:13 PMDelivered in packaging that states "it's time" and "meet pebble" with cutesy watch face that says "hello" to you in a speech bubble, one might get the impression that the Pebble Smartwatch should be a friendly addition to your family -- and not a wristwatch. However, despite what Michael Fisher showed you in his recent video "Wristwatch, Redefined: Life on a Pebble Smart Watch", the Pebble smartwatch isn't prefect. What's with that strap Michael backed the Pebble project on Kickstarter for $99. I got in just a little later with a $115 pledge. Today, if you want to pre-order a Pebble for ...
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by Joe Levi | March 7, 2013 1:57 PMI'll admit it, when the original iPad came out I was somewhat "critical" of it. You may even be able to find a quote from me floating around the inner webz that goes something like this: "The iPad: it's just like the iPhone, only bigger... and without the phone." Yeah, I know, coming from "Joe the Android Guy" that sentiment isn't surprising. What you may find surprising is that, although I won't retract those words today, I will admit that the iPad and other tablets have come far enough that they've come far enough that they can probably replace your laptop. In the beginning, tablets were ...
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by Joe Levi | March 6, 2013 7:42 PMWe started telling you about Near Field Communications (NFC) about a year ago, and saw smartphones with the "revolutionary wireless technology" built-in shortly thereafter. We showed off some fun tips and tricks with NFC in a few videos, and even opined about what aspects of our lives could made better today though the widespread use of NFC. Then it all disappeared. NFC has all but been relegated to a line-item on a specifications list. Tech sites aren't talking about it and newspapers have stopped running stories about. Where did NFC go? Did it fail? After only one year, do you still use ...
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by Joe Levi | March 5, 2013 10:39 AMShortly after we started seeing Ubuntu for Phones showing up on some of our favorite Android-powered smartphones and tablets, we started hearing rumors and rumblings about its origins. Specifically, people started saying that Ubutuntu for Phones is "based on" CyanogenMod custom ROM. At first blush one might think that based on comments like these: "Indications for Ubuntu porting to other devices is quite simple since it has the same basis as CyanogenMod 10.1 with Ubuntu Interface Touch running in a container and accessed via chroot." That sounds a lot like Ubuntu for Phones is not only ...
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by Joe Levi | March 4, 2013 3:30 PMIf there's one thing I get asked more often than anything else, it's "what's that weather/clock widget in your video?" It's called Beautiful Widgets by LevelUp Studio and I've been using it since the days before it was banned from the Play Store. Banned from the Play Store? It was called the "Android Market" back then, but yes, it was banned. Why? The app came out back when HTC was doing some really pretty things with Sense, and their Clock Widget was the prettiest thing around. Unfortunately, Beautiful Widgets was too similar to HTC's widget. Instead of throwing in the towel, LevelUp ...
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by Joe Levi | March 1, 2013 2:30 PMI love how Android integrates various ways to contact friends, family, and co-workers using a simple "contact card" metaphor. Today we have so many different ways to be contacted it's almost comical. Work phone, home phone, work cell, home cell, home email, work email, Twitter, Facebook, Google Chat, Skype, and more! Most Contacts apps that come built-in to the major mobile operating systems today include ways to handle all these methods through which we can connect with one another. Still, firing up your contacts app, searching for the person you want to connect with, then picking which ...
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by Joe Levi | February 28, 2013 1:43 PMI love showing off replacement launchers on my devices. Why? Any Android user can quickly and easily change the entire look and feel of their home screen experience just by installing a new app. Android is the only OS in the top three that can do that. Today I want to show you Vire Launcher, currently in beta, that takes how launchers look and their overall experience to a whole new level! Vire Launcher is a fast and very fluid launcher replacement that the developers say will make even "low-end Android phones feel like high-end" devices. Vire and adds realistic 3D effects right on your ...
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by Joe Levi | February 27, 2013 11:46 AMCall it the Battle of the Power Houses, HTC and Sony are lined up toe-to-toe with their latest top-tier smartphones. In the Sony corner we have the Xperia Z. In the HTC corner is the HTC One. We showed you the Sony Zperia Z from CES 2013 and were quite impressed with it. As Brandon said, "it's a darn nice phone". And it should be. Sporting an S4 Pro quad-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and backed up by 2GB RAM, it's very snappy. The skin Sony has opted for is fairly light-weight but distinctively different from the stock Android experience that you'll get from a Nexus device. This ...
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by Joe Levi | February 26, 2013 10:30 AMIt's been more than a few years since Bill Gates turned over the reigns of Microsoft half-a-decade ago, but he still has quite a bit of control in the company as Chairman of the Board. During his early years with the company, he had a very lofty goal: a computer on every desk and in every home. I don't think you'll find anyone who will argue that we have seen that objective achieved. Computers, whether they are servers, desktops, workstations, or even traditional laptops, are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Gates saw that coming as well and started rolling out "Handheld PCs" and ...
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by Joe Levi | February 25, 2013 10:51 AMAny company, regardless of industry, is only as successful as its marketing reach. If someone doesn't know about a product, they can't buy it. Some companies do this by word of mouth, others turn to social networks to spread the news of their products, others spend gazillions of dollars on TV and more traditional ads. Each marketing strategy has its strengths and weaknesses, and each appeals to a different demographic segment. Samsung decided to go all-in with the Oscars this year, placing six ads -- one including a cameo by film director Tim Burton. The agency behind the ad campaign, ...