Which Is Easier? Android Or iOS?

ANDROID VS APPLE - SIMILAR DIFFERENCES?

Okay folks, the topic of today's SoundCloud podcast is the following question: "Which is easier to use? Android or iOS?"

This question has come up from time to time, and the answer used to be a resounding iOS. But that's not necessarily true anymore.

"Tune in" to the podcast and hear my reasons why this discussion is a moot topic. You might be surprised to hear what I have to say about this.

I'm an Android fan who has 2 Apple iOS devices on the side. What do you carry in your pocket? Which operating system appeals to you, and why?

Sound off in the comments section and let the world know!

Carlton Flowers
Geek Podcaster Supreme

Black Friday Shocker - My Plans Averted

MY 2012 BIG SHOPPING FEVER LETDOWN

This has been a crazy year for gadget shopping and Black Friday. I had somewhat of a clear plan of attack, and it was derailed.

As you know, I've been salivating over the Samsung Galaxy Note II phablet. I was eligible for an upgrade in October (or so I thought). Once the price of $299 was unvelied for the second generation Note, I decided to wait it out for a while.

But something happened that forced me to change my plans. My daughter lost her Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone on the day before our family vacation. So I decided to go for the Note 2 now, and hand off my current Galaxy S2 to my daughter because she wasn't due for an upgrade.

I was really excited about getting the Note 2 even though I wasn't ready to part with the money. So I perused the web for Black Friday deals. The lowest price I found was $249 through Amazon.

Before ordering the phone, I decided to make a quick trip to the AT&T store in Ohio where I was spending Thanksgiving. I wanted to hold it in my hands for the first time. I had tested a first generation Note before, but I wanted to see how the new form facctor would feel.

Right off the bat, my first thought was "this smartphone is way too big". I was shocked that I had such a reaction. I've been wanting a humongous smartphone since the first generation Note was released. This was the moment I had been waiting for, and I didn't have that "magic feeling" that I was expecting.

The store did not have a working model, and I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to try out the new S Pen and all of its features. I thought that maybe my mind would change and I'd feel better about the size if I had a chance to test drive the stylus.

I played around with a few other smartphones, including the Galaxy S III, the HTC One X, and the Nokia Lumia 920. I was most impressed with the Lumia 920, and started having thoughts of making a switch in my game plan.

Even though the Lumia 920 with Windows Phone 8 was clearly the most intuitive and impressive operating system of all, I admitted to myself that I'm not ready to ditch Android and make such a big switch. So I stayed focused.

I fondled the Galaxy Note II one more time, then I left the store more confused than when I had arrived. I went back home to drop the dough on a new phablet.

When I logged into my AT&T account, I was met with a surprise: I wasn't eligible for an upgrade!

Apparently, AT&T changed the rules on early upgrades for the primary account holders of family plans. The old rule was that you could do an early upgrade and new 2-year contract at the end of a year. But the new rule is 18 months minimum time before you can do an early upgrade.

At first, I was frustrated and angry. But afer I settled down, I was actually relieved that this happened. I wasn't ready to pull the trigger, and I'm finding that I am undecided on what I want with a smartphone.

By the time I am eligible for an upgrade, I probably won't be getting a Galaxy Note II. I will have had enough time to make a well-informed decision, and I'll have a better gadget strategy.

I'm leaning towards going back to Gadget Strategy B, which is having a smartphone that is actually a phone, then a 7" WiFi tablet, and my laptop. Who knows... maybe I'll get my stylus craving settled with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9.

In the meatime, my money will be staying in my bank account.

Carlton Flowers
Frustrated Gadget Addict

CZ Tech Talk - Upgrade Fever Fries My Brain

UPGRADE FRENZY AND INDECISION CAUSES MENTAL INSTABILITY IN GEEKS

Hey guys & gals. This is one of those posts where Carlton just speaks his mind. I'm not writing this post to win a Pulitzer. I'm just writing it to dump a few thoughts from my mind at the present moment.

Today, I have upgrade fever. It's official. I can't hold it in any longer. I am conflicted. Deeply conflicted. Hopefully you will understand the fullness of my conundrum by the end of this rambling post. Maybe you can even relate.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S2. I love it. It's my beloved smartphone that freed me from the controling confines of the Apple walled garden cult. I will never look back. This is probably one of my most beloved favorite gadgets since the Commodore 64. I'm serious.

But the upgrade frenzy has hit me, and I don't know what to do. I have had a chance to have the Samsung Galaxy S3 for 2 weeks, thanks to AT&T St. Louis, and it was a most wonderful experience. Plus, Postal Jim owns one, and I have had the opportunity to test drive his and compare it side-by-side with my Galaxy S2.

But now the Galaxy Note II is set to launch on AT&T this October. And it is a wonderful, amazing device. It will feature a quad core processor and a newer capacitive induction S-Pen stylus that is even more amazing than the first rendition.

The Galaxy Note II will have a physical home button just like ths Galaxy S III, plus it will have an even bigger display. It's going from 4.8" on the S3 to 5.3" on the Note 2. That's tremendous. This will erase any need for a tablet, that's for sure.

But what truly distresses me is the news that Postal Jim sent me earlier in the week. There are rumors swirling that Samsung will be releasing a Galaxy S4 in February of 2013. Of course that all hinges on the world not ending with the close of the Mayan calendar in December of 2012, but we shall see.

If the world does not implode, what will happen if I have a Samsung Galaxy Note II in my hands, and then the Samsung Galaxy S IV comes available from AT&T with a six-core CPU and more extras than any smartphone has ever seen before?

I really don't know what I would do. I guess that's just the speed of technology. Since making the big switch from the World of Koolaid (Apple iPhones) to the Land of Freedom (Android), I have not gotten used to significant updates on devices within short periods of time.

I'm used to Apple taking baby steps and spending at least 2 years before making a new device that would even wake you up and make you stop and take note. I'm not used to having a new breakthrough cutting edge device thrown in my face every six months.

But I guess that's the price you pay for freedom. Well, unless Apple sues the pants off of Samsung in the near future and they win, and stop them from making devices that are FAR better than their own. What a shame that would be.

So my current thought is that I should go ahead and pay the $199 (or whatever it may be) to upgrade my line as soon as it is possible, and get my grubby hands on the Samsung Galaxy Note II in October. Then when February rolls around, Postal Jim will buy the Galaxy S IV with the six core CPU and a huge 5.0" display, and I will at least be able to play with it and drool over the features until I can get the Galaxy Note III.

That really sounds silly. But I can live with it! Meanwhile, I'm sure Apple will have a phone that comes out giving the Samsung Galaxy S2 a run for it's money... by 2013.

Carlton Flowers
Upgrade Infected Geek

Samsung Galaxy S3 Review - Part Deux

THE GALAXY S3 IMPRESSES WITH GREAT ERGONOMICS

It's time for part 2 of the Samsung Galaxy S3 review that was provided to me by AT&T St. Louis (THANK YOU!) for thorough testing.

I've got more stuff to say about the hardware of the flagship phone that will now be in the spotlight, since Apple has banned its predecessor, the iPhone 4S Galaxy S2 clone.

The shape, form, and function of the Galaxy S3 is a hit. It is ergonomic. Never would I have thought that a gigantic 4.8" display smartphone would fit so well in your hand. The only drawback is not being able to reach a good portion of the upper left screen with your thumb. But it's worth the sacrifice.

The colors of the brushed polycarbonate body are very pleasing to the eye. The Marble White and Pebble Blue have a sleek look, and the blue looks almost metallic.

The polycarbonate makes for a light phone, and that means you'll always have whiners who say it feels "cheap". But the reason this happens is due to Apple brainwashing people into thinking smartphones should weigh 5 pounds and have thick glass screens that shatter on impact.

If you haven't been mentally programmed by Apple, you will probably think this phone has a high quality build and you will appreciate the lightness.

Something new about the Galaxy S3 is the location of the lock button. With its new super large size, it has been moved to the side instead of the top. It's a whole lot easier to access the lock button with one hand at its new location.

A huge advantage that continues on with the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the removable battery. You don't get that with other brands. The battery cover is easy to remove, and the humongous super efficient battery pops right out. On that note, I must say that the battery life of the S3 was very impressive.

When you pop off the back cover, you'll notice that you don't have to remove the battery to get to the SD card slot or the SIM slot. Other models like to hide these items behind the battery.

The last thing I will mention in this post is the speed of the device. With a quad core 1.4GHz processor and 1Gb of RAM, aplications fly. There's no "glitchyness" in scrolling, loading, or running apps.

From my testing, the cameras have been improved and so has the camera software. It's packing 8 megapixels in the back and 2 megapixels in the front. Plus you have the new picture sharing capability, where you can send pics to other S3 devices in close proximity.

Next we'll talke more about hardware upgrades, and software functionality. I have a lot to share about this phone. I'll admit, it was an instant love affair when I took it out of the box, and my adoration for this device did not end when I had to sadly pack it up and send it back.

Do you own a Samsung Galaxy S3? What are your favorite new features? Talk about it in the Disqus comments section below!

Carlton Flowers
Samsung Tester

Samsung Galaxy S3 Review - The Chowder Heads Rebuffed

GALAXY S3 CLEARLY TOP-LEVEL DEVICE DESPITE TROLLICIOUS REVIEWS

I'm so miffed by a lot of the reviews on the Samsung Galaxy S3 that I had to make up a new word. The trollicious chowder heads who claim it is a disappointment and not a major upgrade over the Galaxy S2 must have a hidden agenda.

In the immortal words of Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon, let me make this perfectly clear! The Galaxy S3 is most definitely a quantum leap upgrade over the Galaxy S2. I own a Galaxy S2, and thanks to AT&T St. Louis, I have had quality time test driving the Galaxy S3. Therefore, I speak from hands-on experience.

First of all, the design is amazingly ergonomic. When I first saw the rounded design of the Galaxy S3, I was disappointed. All of that vaporized when I first held the new device in my hand. The feel of the smartphone's upgraded body is much more ergonomic than its predecessor, and it is aesthetically superior when compared side-by-side.

I love the smooth rounded edges, plus the transition from the edges of the screen to the bezel. It has a slightly convex curvature similar to the HTC One X. It is a far cry from the hard edges of the iPhone 4S. The Galaxy S2 seems to take its cues from the 4S, while the S3 enters new territory completely.

When you turn on the device, you get a new splash screen. Plus you get a new way to unlock the device and enter into the home screen. Rather than a slide-to-unlock variation, you get a ripple effect and water sound. The design is elegant, and the action is smooth.

Display-wise, the colors and brightness of the screen seem to move more towards a natural look when compared to the Galaxy S2, which has been accused of being "cartoony" with its brighter-than-life colors. I think the color variation and brightness of the S3 has hit a sweet spot.

For watching video content or viewing pictures, the S3 is clearly the best device on the market due to the large 4.8" diameter Super AMOLED display. I would have thought a screen this big would have been clumsy and bulky. But surprisingly, I didn't find it to be cumbersome during my test period. Conversely, I found my S2 to be too small when returning to that device.

The Galaxy S3 is not just shaped great in the X-Y plane. It's also impressive in the Z-plane with its razor thin depth dimension. The edges are rounded, but it doesn't sacrifice depth. You loose the big hump found on the S2, and the thinness of the device makes it less obtrusive considering the larger display.

Something that I absolutely LOVE about the S3 is the physical home button. This was a grand slam home run in my book. The shape is an elongated oval, unlike the round home button found on the iPhone 4S. I truly missed my physical home button when I ditched my iPhone for my first Android device, the Galaxy S2. The combination of physical home button plus soft buttons on either side works great. Plus you can double click the home button  for a "recent apps" popup.

I have plenty more to report about, but I am going to have to chop up my reivew into parts to keep this from turning into a novel. But the evidence presented thus far is good enough to prove that this is a successful and significant upgrade for the Galaxy line.

By the time I am done with my review series, there will be no doubt that anyone trying to make an argument that the Galaxy S3 was not a major upgrade must obviously be a paid troll. That or just a plain chowder head. Sorry trolls and chowder heads, you have been officially rebuffed!

Watch for Samsung Galaxy S3 Review Part 2. We'll talk more about the hardware, and then we'll hit the software and functionality on Part 3!

Carlton Flowers
Non-Chowder Head Samsung Reviewer

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