Android!

[Rendakor]

If you're a weeaboo, Manga Searcher (for scanlations) and Baka Reader EX (for light novel translations) are great. There's also a port of Katawa Shoujo, although that's not on the Play store but can be downloaded from here.

[01101010]

Can't say that I have any MUST HAVE apps other than the general GAPPS and Root Explorer (paid version).

[Count Nerfedalot]

One I use a lot is Note Everything.  I love love love the simple ability to keep lists of things on my phone.  My memory is awful.  My phone is almost always with me. Problem solved. As long as I manage to remember to enter it on my phone.  And remember which list it's on. 

[NowhereMan]

Google Keep actually works really well for this now, it's the sort of intuitive and pleasant to use UI Google's known for.

[HaemishM]

I'm digging Evernote for that functionality. The ability to sync up lists between my phone, tablet, work and home desktops is great for grocery lists.

[Count Nerfedalot]

OK, both Evernote and Google Keep sound intriguing, but what's the catch?  Note Everything as a stand alone local only app was a one-time purchase, never hassled again, no ads, no peeking at my private info, no selling my personal habits or fondess for popcorn to the highest bidder, etc.  I rather doubt the same can be said of Google or Evernote since online companies seem to take their ability to examine, use, take advantage of and sell any of my info they can get their greedy paws on as a God-given right.  And they can stick that BS wherever it hurts them the most.

[schild]

I don't think Evernote does anything like that.

I don't fully know how Evernote makes money actually.

[Tebonas]

With people who pay their annual Premium and Business fees?

[JWIV]

And Evernote is branching into a bit of a lifestyle curator as well.  But yeah, I had dabbled with Evernote a few times over the years and never really got into it until this summer.  I figured out an organization system that worked for me, and found it useful enough that the yearly fee became an easy decision for me to make.

[schild]

With people who pay their annual Premium and Business fees?

I forgot that existed.

[Ozzu]

Looks like Intel is starting a hard push for Android:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57613535-94/can-intel-turn-android-into-windows/

The reality is for the last decade we've been essentially 100 percent Microsoft on the client [but] we're starting to see in emerging markets...demands for Android.

A lot of Android apps were written for a phone...in portrait mode. A significant percentage don't even exist in landscape mode, so they can't scale to large screens, whether it's a notebook or an all-in-one. So, we're going to do a number of things here. We're going to scale Android to 64-bit. We're going to allow it to scale from Atom [processors] all the way to the high-end of the Core processor family. We're going...to enable it to deliver a great experience as we go into larger scale screens, allow mutli-windowing.

We don't yet have the ability to treat it as a full-on enterprise vPro client [so] there's a significant investment as we embrace Android.

[luckton]

G needs to seriously put out some kind of update regarding the Nexus 10 2013 edition.  They said back in June that it was coming, but everything's been silent since.  I've got all my money saved up and waiting for it to drop...what's the deal?! 

[luckton]

So now the rumor mill is churning that the Nexus 10 line is dead, and that Google's going to put out an 8.3 inch tablet based off of LG's G Pad.

[schild]

Looks like Intel is starting a hard push for Android:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57613535-94/can-intel-turn-android-into-windows/

The reality is for the last decade we've been essentially 100 percent Microsoft on the client [but] we're starting to see in emerging markets...demands for Android.

A lot of Android apps were written for a phone...in portrait mode. A significant percentage don't even exist in landscape mode, so they can't scale to large screens, whether it's a notebook or an all-in-one. So, we're going to do a number of things here. We're going to scale Android to 64-bit. We're going to allow it to scale from Atom [processors] all the way to the high-end of the Core processor family. We're going...to enable it to deliver a great experience as we go into larger scale screens, allow mutli-windowing.

We don't yet have the ability to treat it as a full-on enterprise vPro client [so] there's a significant investment as we embrace Android.

Who, exactly, is asking for this?

[luckton]

Android people that are envious of iPad people.

[luckton]

8.3 rumor is no longer rumor.  LG is re-releasing it's 8.3 G Pad in a Google Play Edition.  It's not a Nexus, but it's a clean-slate version devoid of LG's custom UI crap that has KitKat loaded up and running.  I'm pulling the trigger on this one.

Also available is a new Sony 6" tablet for twice as much money.  lol Sony money hatz 

For you Chromecast peeps, today is the day you get to use more than just three or four apps.  Try twelve+: http://chromecast.com/apps

[JWIV]

8.3 rumor is no longer rumor.  LG is re-releasing it's 8.3 G Pad in a Google Play Edition.  It's not a Nexus, but it's a clean-slate version devoid of LG's custom UI crap that has KitKat loaded up and running.  I'm pulling the trigger on this one.

Also available is a new Sony 6" tablet for twice as much money.  lol Sony money hatz 

For you Chromecast peeps, today is the day you get to use more than just three or four apps.  Try twelve+: http://chromecast.com/apps

Hopefully PLEX will trickle down to the non pass people sooner rather than later.

[Trippy]

Also available is a new Sony 6" tablet for twice as much money.  lol Sony money hatz 

That's cause Sony's has LTE while the LG is Wi-Fi only. And the Nexus 7 with LTE and double the storage is the same price as the LG.

Also Google really needs to stop making devices with white backs and black fronts and calling them "white" devices.

[KallDrexx]

For you Chromecast peeps, today is the day you get to use more than just three or four apps.  Try twelve+: http://chromecast.com/apps

The most surprising thing about that list is that RealPlayer still exists 

[Trippy]

Also available is a new Sony 6" tablet for twice as much money.  lol Sony money hatz 

That's cause Sony's has LTE while the LG is Wi-Fi only. And the Nexus 7 with LTE and double the storage is the same price as the LG.

Actually the Sony is an LTE phone with a 6.4" screen

[Quinton]

Also Google really needs to stop making devices with white backs and black fronts and calling them "white" devices.

I have no idea who thinks that makes any sense at all...

[Rendakor]

Slight bit of a necro, but...

Does anyone know of a good Office-type app for Android? I could use something for making quick reports on-the-go with my tablet at work. Everything free that I've seen on Play is just a viewer, and I'm hesitant to spend money on something without some positive word of mouth first.

[JWIV]

Slight bit of a necro, but...

Does anyone know of a good Office-type app for Android? I could use something for making quick reports on-the-go with my tablet at work. Everything free that I've seen on Play is just a viewer, and I'm hesitant to spend money on something without some positive word of mouth first.

Offhand, I'd say take a look at OfficeSuite and QuickOffice

[Rendakor]

Will do, thanks.

[Tebonas]

Just got the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and I must say this is the first custom UI that is close enough to stock Android that I don't feel tempted to root it. Plus three days battery life on a state-of-the-art phone is quite nice.

All in all, I don't know anymore why I ever preferred the iPhone. 

[RhyssaFireheart]

When I break a phone, I break a phone!  Won't even take the hard factory reset.  *sigh* 

Upgrading really wasn't in the budget either, so I guess I go without a phone for a bit.  I have an old, old LG EnV (or whatever it was called) that I could probably use, but re-enabling that risks losing my unlimited data plan.  And of course, Verizon is the only place not offering S4s for practically free.  Sucks to be me, I guess.

[Rendakor]

I finally just upgraded from my original Galaxy S1 to the Note 3. Love it so far, although it feels much more fragile. The faux-leather back scares me so I might actually have to buy a case, which sucks because the phone is already giant. Oh well, I wanted a nice big screen since I spend a lot of time at work bored on my phone.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Yeah, I saw you'd posted about getting the Note3 on FB.  How you like it so far?

Also, can anyone tell me the real difference between the S4 and the S4 Mini?  Is it the same phone just in a smaller size?

I mentioned above that I still apparently have the unlimited data plan on my account.  The husband was checking our upgrade options (it'll be 3 years in May since we got new phones) and according to Verizon, if we want to keep the unlimited plan, then we can't get discounted phones.  If we want discounted phones, then bye-bye unlimited data.  My first reaction is to let the unlimited data plan go.  Our current billing cycle ends in 6 days and  between the two of us (shared plan) we've only used about 135MB of data.  That's... nothing.  What we really need to do is add unlimited texts since we use that far more than anything else, it seems.

So is giving up the unlimited data that big a deal?  It's not like we can't get a 500MB or 1GB plan if we wanted.

[Trippy]

The S4 Mini has lower hardware specs compared to the S4. Slower CPU and fewer cores, less memory, less internal storage, lower resolution cameras, etc.

[Rendakor]

I like the Note 3 a lot. I can read manga on it without having to zoom pages, it loads everything very quickly, etc. It's such a huge upgrade from my old phone though, that I can't tell what's special about it versus simple industry advances over the course of several years.

[Pennilenko]

I need to find a decent ROM for my S4 that isn't Cyanogen.

[eldaec]

Google play edition.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2341026

[Yegolev]

Obtaining a cell for the boy means my contract was redone and no more unlimited data.  Now I have to figure out what phone I want to replace the cigar-chompin' ass-beatin' RAZR.  Although lately it hasn't done that phantom-touch thing.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Yep, we said good-bye to the unlimited data plan tonight as well.  Got myself a shiny new white S4 to play with and we'll be saving money because we now have unlimited texts in addition to the unlimited voice.  We were paying for texts before because when we got this plan ages ago, we were going to just email each other instead of text.  Yeah, ended up sticking with the texts and the husband uses it far more to talk to people than I do.  And we only averaged about .99GB a month which is pretty much nothing, so dropping down to something cheaper made sense.

But now I have a shiny new phone to play with an configure.  Damn, it's a lot lighter than my old Droid Charge was.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Okay, I'm lazy - how the heck do I change the layout of my home screen from 4 icons across to 5?  It seems so spread out otherwise and looks weird with the 4 across on top and then 5 across for the bottom edge/default icons.