About Kevin O'Quinn

http://www.androidcentral.com/feed

Posts by Kevin O'Quinn:

May 23 2013

How good is the camera on the HTC One?

Android Central

We've seen the comparisons between the HTC One and the Galaxy S4, and we've read the reviews for both, also.  Surely, that's all that we need to know, right?  Questions still remain, like how the camera of the One stacks up in real world use.  That's exactly the question that Android Central Forums member Bobbman asked:

Hello all. ... Strongly considering the HTC One. Camera quality is really important to me. I have heard some mixed opinions about the camera. Was hopping you could help me based on the following criteria:

  • How do photos look on large computer screen. Do not care about cropping or zooming in. Just want them to look good on large screen.
  • The low light photos are they really good on a consistent basis? I looked at the photo thread and it seems a bit hit or miss.
  • Does the video capture record sound well? Also have seen mixed opinions about this.
  • Do photos print well on to a standard 4x6 print? Again not worried about cropping.

Thanks for any input!!!

It's a lengthy conversation already, but the past couple of days have focused on how to get the best pictures out of the One.  Some of these tips will apply to just about any device, though. Head past the break for some highlights.

read more

    


By Kevin O'Quinn • HTC One, htc one camera, Samsung Galaxy S4, Smartphones • 0

May 6 2013

Community Spotlight: Should I Get the Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One?

Should I Get the Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One?

There has been no shortage of discussion on this very subject.  If you’ve been to the forums in the past month (if you haven’t, shame on you) then you’ve surely come across at least one thread with the question “Should I get the Galaxy S4 or the HTC One?”  It’s a question that doesn’t have a right answer, or at least not one that anyone can provide for you.  Hearing other people’s opinions can definitely help, though, especially if those people already own the devices you’re trying to decide between.

Mello_Asian asks this very question of our forum members:

“Hey, everyone! My contract is close to its expiration, and I was wondering what phone I should get to replace my LG Optimus S. Both the HTC One and GS4 are great phones, and I'd be very complacent to get either one of them since they are a HUGH upgrade from the Optimus S.

However, as a high school student, I was wondering which of them would be much better/more helpful/more convenient for me in the next two years under a new contract. I'll be using my phone more for the camera, music player, more accessible games to pass time, and to help me with certain tasks with the browser or certain apps (searching up things, sparknotes, AP notes, etc.)”

Coming from an Optimus S one thing is certain, either device will definitely be a huge upgrade.  It seems that entertainment is a core use, as well as some specific features to help with school.  So what are other members saying?

read more

    


By Kevin O'Quinn • Community Spotlight, HTC One, Regular, Samsung Galaxy S4, Smartphones • 0

Jun 27 2012

Daily Steals offering unlocked Samsung Galaxy S III for $599.99

Android Central

Dailysteals.com is offering the Samsung Galaxy S III i9300 for $599.99 today.  As of this writing there's about 21 hours and 45 minutes left to pick one up.  This is the unlocked international version, and although they all look the same, you won't get any carrier branding on this one.  We recently reviewed this and found it to be an amazing phone, with plenty of horsepower and battery life to make it through all but the longest of days.

As a quick reminder, this is the version with the Exynos Quad SoC inside, and not the Snapdragon S4.  That means it'll play nicely with AT&T 3G, but not T-Mobile as it lacks the necessarily 1700mhz AWS support.  Not sure if this is the phone for you or still have some lingering questions that haven't been answered yet?  Check out the Galaxy S III forums for all the answers to your questions.

Source: Dailysteals



By Kevin O'Quinn • daily steals, Exynos Quad, Galaxy S III, i9300, international, News, samsung galaxy s iii, Smartphones • 0

Jun 26 2012

CyanogenMod 9 RC1 released

Android Central

The day has finally arrived, as the CyanogenMod team announced that 37 devices are receiving RC1 of CM9 today.  This is a milestone, to be sure, as these builds should be more stable than any nightlies that have come before it.  The issue tracker is also open now, so those of you that install this can report bugs and keep up on the progress of the fixes.

In the blog post, the team states that it took 225 days to get to this point since the release of Ice Cream Sandwich source code (and since work began), and because of the major changes Google made to Android they took the time to rework a ton of code for behind the scenes stuff.  The changes they've made should make it easier to accept code changes and add new devices, because the "core" OS has been stabilized.  Be sure to hit up your respective devices forums section to report back on your experience if you decide to flash this.

Source: CyanogenMod



By Kevin O'Quinn • cm9, cyanogenmod, Ice Cream Sandwich, ICS, News, RC1, Smartphones • 0

Jun 14 2012

T-Mobile updates us on its network improvements, including LTE

Android Central

Dave Mayo, Senior Vice President of Technology for T-Mobile, boasted on the T-Mobile blog today that they've made "great progress in just three short months" since they announced a deal with cell technology companies Ericson and Nokia Siemens Networks to pump $4 billion into its network over the next two years.  Included in the plan is the modernization of 37,000 cell sites and a move to Release-10 capable LTE equipment.  That's right, T-Mobile is going straight to LTE-Advanced, and the trials have already begun.

They also expect to have 400 cell sites upgraded to the latest HSPA+ by the end of the month, with 2,500 being completed by July.  As some people may have noticed, T-Mobile is also conducting small scale tests that will see HSPA+ in the 1900 mHz range, no doubt to help satisfy the millions of iPhones that are in use on their network.  They plan on expanding this to more areas of the country as plans progress.

Now if only we could get some idea of what handsets they'll have to take advantage of these network enhancements.  These enhancements along with some tantalizing new handsets might be enough to keep the subscribers coming.

Source: T-Mobile Blog



By Kevin O'Quinn • hspa, lte, lte advanced, News, Smartphones, t-mobile • 0

Jun 14 2012

CyanogenMod freezes code for CM9

Android Central

The CyanogenMod team has announced that a code freeze has been put into place for CM9.  That would be the version based on Ice Cream Sandwich source, and it's one of the most downloaded ROM's in Android history.  So what does this mean for us, the end users?  It means that a release candidate (RC) is on its way, and they are in the process of squashing bugs to make it stable.  The team states in its blog post that nightly builds will still happen, but they won't be accepting any code other than bugfixes, device support, and translations into the release branch.

The initial release will cover a small amount of devices initially, but other devices will be added further down the road.  (The process of adding new devices should be helped along by the streamlining of certain code.)  Given the large undertaking of moving to ICS, and the amount of time that has been spent on it, knowing that a release candidate is on its way should make CM fans very happy.  Already running and experimental build of CM9?  Be sure to share your thoughts in the forums.

Source: CyanogenMod



By Kevin O'Quinn • cm9, code freeze, cyanogenmod, News, release candidate, Smartphones • 0

May 30 2012

Canada’s Rogers network counting down to its own Galaxy S III preorders

Android Central

A countdown related to the Samsung Galaxy S III has appeared on Canadian carrier Rogers website, which ends at noon EDT, so it looks like we'll see preorders start today.  We already knew that Rogers was going to carry the Galaxy S III, as well as a majority of the Canadian carriers.  We've seen evidence that the phone will be released on June 20 in Canada, and this is just one more indication that this may hold true.  There's no official word on specs or what proc is inside, but it's a pretty safe bet that the LTE flavored Galaxy S III will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 inside due to LTE compatibility problems with current quad-core chips.

Source: Rogers



By Kevin O'Quinn • Galaxy S III, international, News, pre-order, rogers, samsung, samsung galaxy s iii, SGSIII, Smartphones • 0

May 25 2012

HTC AT&T One X now has unofficial bootloader unlock

Android Central

 

 We don't have an official unlock through HTCDev yet, but that hasn't stopped the bootloader on the AT&T One X from being unlocked.  After days of watching the devs do their thing on XDA, it seems that they have finally cracked it.  This is the first thing we need to be able to flash all those custom ROM's we love, the next being a working recovery, which will probably follow suit in the next couple of days.  Of course, there's a possibility that you'll brick your phone doing this, and it does involve a HEX editor and ADB skills.  The thread has exploded, but it's worth doing the reading to see what kind of issues people are having, and what steps my give you some trouble.  Hit that source link for the steps, and let us know how it went for you in the forums.

Source: XDA-Developers



By Kevin O'Quinn • bootloader, HTC, htc one x, News, one x, Smartphones, unlock, unofficial • 0

May 24 2012

IDC numbers are in, Android leads the way

Android Central

According to the IDC, Android accounts for 59% of all smartphone sales worldwide.  This is a healthy jump from last year when Android accounted for 36.1% of smartphone sales.  iOS is second, with 23% of sales.  Last year the two smartphone OS's owned 54.4% of the market combined, ​so this is impressive growth.  Android showed a 145% year-over-year change, at the expense of Symbian, which went from 26% in 1Q11 to just 6.8% in 1Q12.

Samsung is the big winner here, accounting for 45.4% of all Android smartphone sales.  This is due in no small part to the success of the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note, both of which have racked up impressive sales numbers.  With the looming launch of the Galaxy S III Samsung is showing no signs of slowing down, either.

Source: Business Wire



By Kevin O'Quinn • android, IDC, market share, News, samsung, Smartphones • 0

May 18 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III sees 9 million pre-orders

Android Central

 

Yes you read that correctly, according to a report from ​Korea Economic Daily​ a Samsung executive let it slip that 9 million units have been pre-ordered.  Let that sink in for a minute.  It wasn't that long ago that the Galaxy S II hit the 20 million mark, and now we have its successor reaching half that lofty goal ​before it's been released.  Impressive to be sure, especially since the US, a large smartphone market, won't see it released until June at the earliest.

With Samsung taking the lions share of phone sales worldwide is there anything that can be done to stop their dominance in the market?  With all the rumors, hype, and expectations leading up to the launch, we already knew Samsung would have a hit on their hands.  Even after the initial euphoria wore off, we were still impressed with what Samsung has done with the Galaxy S III.  While the vote was almost dead even between this and the HTC One X, odds are good that the Galaxy S III won't get stuck in customs.

Jealous of our friends overseas?  Have questions about the phone?  Find your answers in the forums.

Source: Korea Economic Daily; via: Engadget



By Kevin O'Quinn • Galaxy S III, international, News, pre-order, samsung, samsung galaxy s iii, SGSIII, Smartphones • 0

1 2 3 4