GeekSugar

5 Must Download Droid Photo Apps For Moms

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:00:00 PST

Say cheese! Moms may be addicted to their smartphones, but for many, it's about more than just talking to friends and texting about playdates. With so many amazing apps out there, our phones now house our calendars, our lil ones' medical histories, and our photos. Rather than simply taking pictures of tots on the playground, smartphones allow us to add some splash to the photos with fun effects that make them pop. By popular demand, here are five photo apps Droid moms should download now!

Count Down to Baby's Birth (or the New Year) With a Free App

babysugar — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:00:17 PST

Smartphones offer apps to map everything from pregnancy weeks, to contractions, to medical records. If you don't want to spend on fancy features you will rarely use, simple countdown apps are a free and efficient way to keep track of time - whether you're marking days until the stork is supposed to land, your next moms' night out, or the new year. Discover the download on our favorite apps for popular devices.

Cell Phone Hand Stand: Totally Geek or Geek Chic?

GeekSugar — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 07:00:29 PDT

It seems like inanimate hands are everywhere! Like me, most of you were creeped out by this iPhone hand charger, but what do you think about this cell phone texting hand stand? Like most of us, this baby would rather text than talk, and is ready to show it!

For $15, you can declare your love for data over voice with these texting hands that cradle your cell phone when it's not in your own mitts. Made of soft resin and heavy enough to serve as a paperweight, this stand also tilts your cell phone just right, so you can check on incoming texts but still be real-hands-free. Would you add this to your geek-chic desk, or is it totally geeky?

As for me, I'm keeping these digits well away. No matter if it's totally geeky or geek chic, it's still all creepy to me!

Camping Apps For Your Next Nature Retreat

GeekSugar — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 05:47:31 PDT

I don't know about you, but I'm not big into camping. I love being outdoors and hanging with friends, but the last time I went, I slept on a futon in a tent that could fit eight, at a park-and-pitch with full shower facilities. So staying connected with the outside world is a no-brainer, and my phone is always charged and ready to go. Here are some apps that I use (or am going to try out next time!) to enhance my time in nature when I'm (almost) getting away from it all.

Source: Flickr User jonathanw100.

Help Find Droid R2-D2 Clues, Maybe Win One For Yourself

GeekSugar — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:47:34 PDT

Let's be honest - we all thought the Star Wars Droid R2-D2 edition was fake news. I know I did! But now that I've seen the casing, I'm pretty stoked to get my hands on one.

We're still weeks away from the Droid R2-D2 street launch (Sept. 30), but Verizon is making sure we're happily preoccupied until then by sending us on a scavenger hunt to uncover the Droid r@-D2's "lost schematics" - things like photos, exclusive videos, sounds, wallpapers, and the "Enhancescan App," which leads me to believe there will be a special camera or scanner app just for the R2-D2 edition. Be sure to follow the DroidLanding Twitter to get the clues, since Verizon says you could win one for yourself:

Intrepid members of the Alliance who succeed in uncovering the lost schematics will be rewarded handsomely - with a new DROID R2-D2 device. Clues will be dropping soon, in many places and in unexpected ways.

Droid Lacks Tethering, Hotspot Support With Froyo Update

GeekSugar — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:15:58 PDT

The original Motorola Droid will be getting the much-anticipated Android 2.2 (Froyo) update this week, but it will be missing two key components: hotspot and tethering capabilities. While the Droid X and Droid Incredible handsets are already enjoying the benefits of tethering, according to a Motorola spokesperson, the Droid "doesn't have the hardware to support a mobile hotspot" and won't be getting the app, which is needed for tethering.

There are many reasons to love the Droid (even though Motorola seems to think it's not for girls), but I'm betting that a lot of Android fans will be trading up for the new Droid X or the upcoming Droid 2, which come packed with more than enough features to draw a wondering eye.

Verizon Begins Updating Droids With Android 2.1

GeekSugar — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 01:47:34 PDT

After an initial delay, Android 2.1 - the same version of the Android OS running on the Nexus One - is finally available on the Motorola Droid. Though the Nexus One was released months ago, it's taken longer for Android 2.1 features like multi-touch navigation to make it onto the Droid.

Besides multi-touch, new features include live wallpaper and new standard applications like Google Goggles. Verizon began rolling out the update to Droid users at the end of last week, and so far, reviews are mixed. Some phones have seen an increase in operating speeds, while others (especially those running live wallpaper) are experiencing slight delays. Not all Droid users have received the update, which will arrive over the air. Once you're prompted to install the new version, the actual download only takes about a minute!

Has your Droid been updated? What do you think about Android 2.1?

Daily Tech: Verizon Thinks the Pixi Plus Is For Moms

GeekSugar — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:15:26 PST

According to Verizon, Droids are for boys, while the Pixi Plus is for "moms" - Gizmodo
Teens don't care about blogging, Twitter - Switched
Couple builds a home theater around their bed - Unplggd
25 awesome games to play on your netbook - Crave
10 worst sci-fi snubs in Oscar history - io9

He's a Droid; I'm an iPhone: Camera, Part Two

GeekSugar — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:30:15 PST

After the first round of camera head-to-head, I couldn't decide if I preferred my iPhone or his Droid, although the Droid's camera is technically superior. We decided to put our respective cameras to the test for a second round of battle royale during a dinner out. Side note: I know I said previously that phones at the table is a no-no, but this was in the name of research!

One feature of the Droid we didn't test out in our first camera head-to-head is its flash, which is noticeably absent from the iPhone. I figured this would come in handy during dinner; the restaurant is fairly well-lit but since I'm a huge fan of taking photos of my food, I can appreciate some extra lighting, though I was skeptical of how well the Droid's flash would light our dinner. Here are three photos of our dinner (pork, with barley and greens in case you wanted to know): a Droid photo, an iPhone photo, and a Droid-with-flash photo.

To see which is which (and the best part - our dessert pics),

read more. The first dinner photo is clearly Droid-with-flash; the second, Droid; the third, iPhone. As I suspected, the flash was a little too strong for our dinner and washed out the image, not to mention causing a scene in the dining room - that flash is bright! Also as expected, my iPhone shot was a little too dark. Similarly, the Droid sans flash took a better photo of dessert (the Droid photo is on the left): Yes, it's true: the Droid wins the camera battle. Though in defense of my iPhone, it took four hours for the images to go from the Droid to my email inbox (yes, I'm stretching for something to complain about here. I don't like losing). There are still a ton of features we've yet to explore on our phones, so stay tuned for even more iPhone vs. Droid showdowns!

He's a Droid; I'm an iPhone: Camera, Part One

GeekSugar — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:00:40 PST

For my first Droid vs. iPhone post, I tested out the GPS functions on both handsets, and eventually conceded that I preferred the Droid's built-in GPS capabilities. Next up, the phones' built-in cameras.

Technically, the Droid's camera is more powerful. With 5MP, 4x zoom, and a flash, it beats the iPhone's 3MPs and flashless snaps any day. The Droid also comes with built-in editing software, while the iPhone does not (though if you're an iPhone user looking for a free photo editing application, I suggest the Photoshop App). On a recent road trip, we each took a photo of California's Bixby Bridge with our respective phones:

While they've both been scaled down considerably, you can notice the differences in the photos almost immediately. Keep in mind that the photos were taken in daylight without the use of the Droid's flash. One initial observation: there's a pretty significant delay when using the on-screen camera button on the Droid (point iPhone!) but once he figured out how to use the Droid's side button to snap the image, we were back on a level playing field. To find out which phone snapped which photo and see larger images of each,

read more. The photo on the left was taken with the Droid: And the one on the right was taken with my iPhone 3GS: The colors on the Droid photo are a bit more true to life, and I like that you can see the blue sky and cloud detail that you can't see in the iPhone image. It was a relatively clear day, but the iPhone failed to capture the blue of the sky and feels a little fuzzier than the Droid's image. I'm not going to make a judgment based on one photo, so stay tuned for more examples from each, and the rest of my iPhone vs. Droid series!