Bye-bye BlackBerry...

and hello Samsung's Galaxy Nexus running the new Android 4.0 OS code-named Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS).   Here's a comprehensive review of the leading edge smartphone.

I've ditched my BlackBerry Storm2 during my two-year upgrade cycle with Verizon and acquired this new device at a nicely discounted price.  I've been using it for three weeks and absolutely love the vibrant display, and battery life is good for a 4G phone.  I eagerly await the ICS upgrade on my Galaxy Tab 10.1 that is presently running Android 3.2 (Honeycomb).

In sum, it's awesomely awesome technology.  Highly recommended.  I'll post more later about what I personally regard are indispensable Android apps.

Have you ever wondered...

where that plane flying over your head is going?  Smartphone or tablet required.

Very cool.  Just tried it earlier today with my Galaxy Tab, and it works.

Aftershocks continue to rattle...

eastern Turkey today, as this screen grab shows a series of 4+ magnitude events centered around the area of the main shock (click to enlarge):

This is the Android Earthquake! app, running on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet.  It's also optimized for phones.  It's free, and it works well.

My first impressions...

after using the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android-based tablet for a while are nothing less than overwhelmingly positive.  It's blazing fast, has the most vibrant and sharpest screen available today, and the Android Honeycomb 3.1 operating system is highly intuitive (I didn't even look at the manual during the first three days of use, and I don't use an Android cell phone.)

It is clear to me that tablets are primarily information consuming devices.  I've enjoyed reading books using the Kindle app, surfing the web, playing Mahjong and Angry Birds, watching videos and listening to music.  Although I might make minor edits to documents/spreadsheets, or compose the occasional blog post using the included software on the tablet, it's certainly not a replacement for a desktop/laptop computer for serious and/or professional work.

Some minor quibbles:  The USB charging cord is astonishingly too short (only 20 inches) for some strange reason.  And although you can download drivers to link and transfer files to/from your PC using the USB cable, you have to buy an additional $20 adapter in order to enable a functional USB port on the tablet itself (I feel the adapter should have been included).

In sum:  Highly recommended.

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