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  • android app review: desk home

    just wanted to cover a quick application today to give those of you without a multimedia dock the opportunity to still use the fun little clock feature which is included with your droid but may be hiding.  a little application in the market called “desk home” is available for i believe $.99 which is, well, less than a double cheesburger at mcdonald’s.

    if you aren’t aware of what the docking app is, it basically pulls up your weather, time, music, and photos all while acting as a replacement alarm clock for you.  it’s definitely a cool thing to have and with “desk home” you can play with all of those features without a dock.  just plug your phone into a charger and it’ll pop right up.  you can also set it to run without plugging in. 

    update:  as a few people have already pointed out, there is an app called DockRunner in the market which is free and does basically the same thing.  for me personally, i like the two options that come with Desk Home:  “auto dock” and “keep screen on.”

    download…

  • milestone available through telus today / devour pre-orders at best buy

    for our friends in canada needing a fantastic new device to cover the olympics with, you are in luck as the motorola milestone has launched through telus today.  the initial rumors were that thursday would be the day, but you can purchase this bad boy today on a 3 year contract for $199.  (damn that’s a long time.)

    if you pick up a milestone, here is some info on rooting it.

    and for those of you who passed up on the motorola droid for whatever reason and feel that the devour is your match made in heaven, you can pre-order through best buy starting february 25th.  if you head into a store to pre-order you will also receive instant discounted pricing without having to worry about rebates.

    want to know more about the motorola devour?  check out the megan fox ad that ran during the super bowl.

    (via androinica )

  • how to "root" your motorola droid

    i’ve been avoiding this post for quite some time now as this is a subject best left for developers, hackers and people with far more knowledge of the android operating system than myself.  gaining root or superuser access enables you to have complete control of your device which means you can tweak and modify almost anything to your liking.  the possibilities are endless, but the consequences can also be extremely serious.

    *warning* – please take this as a warning that if you choose to complete this task that you do so at your own risk and that you will not hold us responsible if you end up “bricking” your phone.  this process is fairly simple, but if you have any hesitations about this, then this may not be for you.  please do not feel pressure to do this.

    *note 1* – while we are almost always here for help and support, with this subject you will find the best support in the “droid hacks” section of droidforums.net, in the “droid development” section of alldroid.org, or at rootyourdroid.info.

    *note 2* – before gaining root access, i highly recommend that you research every single thing possible such as:  what “rooting” means,  what a nandroid backup is and if/how you can get back to stock.

    *note 3* – why am i posting this now?  with 2.1 about to roll out to motorola droid’s we have no idea how long it will take before root access is gained to it and your time may be limited to finally gain access with 2.0.1.  while it takes only a few days on certain android versions, we really have no idea.  the next few days might be your last chance.

    *note 4* – if you are wondering why you would finally go this route please visit the above sources i’ve provided.  there are countless reasons that would fill up an entire post.

    *note 5* – !noitnetta gniyap llits era uoy fi gniees tsuj – yeah that’s backwards.

    how to “root” your motorola droid:

    the instructions…

    1.  connect your droid to a pc via usb cable and “mount” your sd card.
    2.  download this file to your pc:  update.zip (alt link)
    3.  once you are finished downloading, drag the file into the root folder of your sd card.  (root folder is the main folder that opens up when your phone is mounted.)
    4.  unmount your droid.
    5.  power off your droid.
    6.  hold the “X” key down and press the power button.  (do not let go of the “X” key.)
    7.  when an exclamation mark appears, you can let go of the “X” key.
    8.  hold “volume up” and press the camera button.
    9.  using the d-pad move to “apply sdcard:update.zip” and press the gold button in the middle of the d-pad.
    10.  the update will begin and should take less than a minute.
    11.  once finished, navigate to “reboot system now” and your phone will restart.
    12.  you have now rooted your phone.

    you sure you have “root” access?  to make sure you have completed this process successfully, open your app drawer and look for an icon that resembles a ninja and is called “superuser permissions.”  if this exists, you have successfully rooted your device.  congrats.

    *root note 1* – if you open the superuser permissions app, it will be a blank black screen.  this is normal and just shows that you have no root-specific apps installed or no other permissions created.

    *root note 2* – if you want step-by-step instructions which include pictures and far more detail, check out big lou’s version at rootyourdroid.info.

    *root note 3* – if you do not enable an ota blocker, you will still receive the 2.1 ota update.  once you receive this update your device should become “unrooted” automatically.

    like i said previously, i hate to abandon support on this, but i am by no means an expert at rooting and feel you will find much better support at the sites i have listed above.

    so you know, i rooted last night, created a nandroid backup, and returned back to stock in about an hours time.  the process has been spelled out all over the internet and can be done, but make sure you know why you are doing it.

    if you decide to go this route, good luck and let me know how it turns out!

  • sprint tweets about 2.1 updates, verizon remains silent

    while we’re still stuck with “soon” as a date from motorola and nothing at all from verizon, the rest of the android world is hearing updates from their carriers.  and as we all know, the carrier is the last stop for os updates meaning they control when these things get released.  so for those of you on sprint, feel privileged that your carrier realizes that open and honest communication is a great way to perform business…(love ya big red!)

  • droid life site news

    with all kinds of stuff brewing right now at this site, we wanted to give everyone a quick update on a few things that should make your life easier while cruising around droid life.

    the the first thing is an addition of a “downloads” page in the top linkbar.  via suggestions from reader Bret, it was decided that with the amount of love the 2.1 apps continue to get, that this will make it much easier for you to download and experience them.  (you will no longer have to sift through search or label pages. yay!)  it will also be updated whenever we post something new which we hope means future ported apps.

    the second thing is a reminder that we do have an facebook page!  it now boasts more than 130 fans and grows by the day.  if you are a facebook machine, feel free to become a fan and receive updates through there.

    the third thing is a twitter reminder.  we are twitter machines and the quickest way to get updates from the site is most likely going to be through our twitter page.

    as we have more updates, we’ll let you know.  and thanks for continuing to follow along with our little site in a big world of droid users!

  • verizon and skype partner up for application

    today at mobile world congress in spain, verizon wireless and skype announced that they have partnered up to provide a nifty application to their smartphones which will allow for free international calls, is free to specific smartphones users with data plans, and will not use your monthly minutes.  one of those smartphones is as you’ve probably guessed, the motorola droid.  yay or who cares?

    According to Verizon, the application will allow smartphone users to make unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls around the world; call international numbers at more favorable Skype rates; send/receive instant messages to/from Skype users; and see contacts’ presence to know when they are online. Calls made from the Skype Mobile app will transit Verizon’s cellular circuit-switched network, but won’t use a subscriber’s monthly minutes. The application will not work over Wi-Fi via VoIP. The application and its use will be free to smartphone owners who subscribe to a monthly data plan. The application will be available for the BlackBerry Storm 9530, Storm2 9550, Curve 8530, Curve 8330, BlackBerry 8830 World Edition and the Motorola Droid and Devour, and the HTC Eris. It will be available starting in late March.

    they have already established a web address (http://phones.verizonwireless.com/skypemobile/) that should be live at some point today.  anyone out there a big skype users?  i myself have used the service once, maybe twice, but i guess i’m still excited to know that we’ll get this app for free.  can’t beat that right?

    (via phonescoop)

  • TAT home makes android incredibly sexy

    TAT or “the astonishing tribe” just dropped TAThome which might be the coolest thing i have ever seen on an android device.  they are calling this a “gesture-powered 3d home screen for android that marries advanced ui technology with astonishing design.” and that sounds just about right with an enormous emphasis on astonishing.

    they are currently enlisting people to get early access and give feedback, so you may want to cruise over to their site and sign-up.

    want to see it in action?  here you go…


    cheers nick!

  • monday poll: rooted or un-rooted?

    it’s a simple monday poll this week and really one we are using to gauge our readership a little more to give us some direction going forward.  we have some ideas in mind for the future and want to feel you all out (not up) before making some pretty major decisions.


    and feel free to explain why you have or have not in the comments.