In the market for a new phone? Even if you aren’t you’re going to want to check out today’s Deal of the Day from Amazon that has the all-new Motorola DROID 4 4G Android Phone starting at $99. AND if features FREE two-day shipping. It’s a huge discount from its listed price of $649.99 and Verizon is one of the top providers, so you know you’re going to get good service.

The DROID series is an Android fan favorite and this new version will definitely delight with its numerous impressive specs. The Motorola DROID 4 4G features a some serious power with its dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM and Verizon’s 4G LTE network, so you can easily blast your music, check your email, go on Facebook…all at the same time with no delay. Its 8MP rear camera is capable of 1080p HD video and features mage stabilization, which means videos look a lot more clear. The PC-like QWERTY keypad lets you type with technical precision, while its LED edge-lit keys, it’s like having night vision when you send digital messages in the dark.

As soon as Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4) is available, you’ll be able to upgrade to the new OS, while Motorola touts its new DROID as being “business ready,” for all you professionals out there. Featuring a DROID Strong design, the display is actually designed to resist scrapes and scratches and a force field of water-repellent nanoparticles shielding the phone against water attacks — even the electrical boards inside, so you don’t have to worry about messing anything up!

With its Smart Actions, DROID 4 is at your every command. It will exterminate the mundane tasks from your to-do list so that you can get through your day a lot easier. The new DROID 4 is definitely a serious contender in the Android market, and this deal just made it a whole lot better.

We’ve all heard of the Kindle before, and at $199 it’s definitely an amazing Tablet all around, but now Amazon Warehouse is offering a factory refurbished model for only $179! Of course this 7.0-Inch tablet is packed with plenty of features for storing the latest and greatest content, while at the same time sticking to their original eReading capabilities but in full color. It’s also packed with a super fast Dual-Core processor for handling all applications speedily, including Amazon’s Silk browser which makes browsing the Internet very easy for any user. There are also thousands of apps available, with more and more being added to the library. Don’t forget full cloud support on top of the largest library of books around, with music and videos taking up a nice niche of their own. You won’t be disappointed at this low price!

Get it for $179, which is a $20 discount over a new version. 

T-Mobile’s myTouch is a decent handset, but it came in two models, standard and with a slide-out keyboard. The latter is the myTouch Q, and it shares many of the same traits and specifications, but has two major differences that set it apart: the physical keyboard and a lower-resolution display. Both make a world of difference.

Hardware

With any phone that has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, the myTouch Q is about twice as thick as the myTouch and can be considered a bulky smartphone. Rounded edges make it comfortable to hold in the hand, and the extra weight makes the Q feel more solid.

Unlike other phones with physical keyboards, like the older myTouch 4G Slide, the myTouch Q is comfortable to type on and is easy to do so at higher typing speeds. The hard buttons are comfortable to type on both with fingertips and finger nails, though the buttons are harder to press than most keyboards. I find harder buttons are better than rubber keys because they keep users from accidentally pressing keys mistakenly.

Besides for the keyboard the myTouch Q looks as typical an Android phone as you can get. A slim power button rests on the top left and is easy to press and find. The display is, unlike the myTouch and most Android smartphones today, a 480×320 display, which is slightly more than half of today’s 800×480, and exactly half of the iPhone’s 960×640. This means not only is the myTouch Q a low-resolution phone, it also isn’t widescreen. It is not a video device.

Also unlike the myTouch, the display is an LCD panel instead of AMOLED, which furthers the not-for-video design. It is easier to see in bright conditions and direct sunlight than the myTouch. The screen is also smaller, 3.5″ instead of 3.8 of the myTouch.

Aside from that the two phones are identical; the same CPU, same amount of RAM, same parts, and even the same battery.

Software

The myTouch Q uses the same Android 2.3 operating system as the myTouch, to the extent that nothing is different. If you held both phones in your hands, they would seem very different externally but identical internally. The only difference between the software is how fast it is, and only because of the difference in screen resolutions. The myTouch Q is actually faster because it doesn’t have to process as much screen data as the myTouch. The benchmarks reveal exactly how much faster it is.

Battery Life

Battery life on the myTouch Q is both better and worse than the myTouch, which means it’s better than the vast majority of smartphones today. I ran two tests on both handsets, with wireless settings on and off (meaning Wi-Fi and 4G active and not active). The myTouch had no difference in time, but the myTouch Q had about an hour difference on both tests. Still, even the lower 9-hours of continuous processing is far better than most phones can handle today.

In my real world testing, the long battery life was exceptional. Like with the myTouch and LG Doubleplay before it, I was able to spend over a full day making calls, texting, using GPS navigation, push email, and simple apps without having to worry about battery life. Even under very strenuous conditions I could come home at the end of the day with 20-30% battery life. As with the myTouch however, the myTouch Q suffers from poor battery life with continuous talk time, and I only managed just over three hours.

Benchmarks

As mentioned above, the biggest boon to the myTouch Q’s performance is having less screen to fill. With a small 320×480 display, benchmark scores tended to be higher on the myTouch Q than competing devices. However, it isn’t nearly as powerful as competing devices on more stressful benchmarks like Quadrant Standard. Even then the score is inflated because of the lower resolution, which is why it scored a cool 100 points better.

Other benchmarks I ran, like GLBenchmark, would not even run. To be clear, the myTouch Q is not a powerful phone. It’s fast enough to browse the web well and can run apps better than the myTouch, but don’t expect to be playing high-end games on this device. I tested OnLive’s gaming service on the myTouch Q, and it ran but the low resolution made it very difficult to play because the service is not intended to match such a small screen.

The myTouch Q, like the myTouch, failed my Amazon video test, where I stream video from Amazon Prime.

Camera

The camera is identical to the one on the myTouch, but the myTouch Q does include built-in flash. I tested the camera, as you can see in the sample shots below, and it’s decent but not great. For low-light shots the camera has extreme difficulty focusing, and there is severe oversharpening of images, as you can see in the last one (scroll right). However, in good lighting shots come out clear and colorful, though there is a definite lack of detail when looking at images in their native size.

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Conclusion

The myTouch Q is identical to the myTouch except for two things: a physical slide-out keyboard and a lower display resolution. Slight other differences like how fast it processes information (the Q is slightly faster) and the display panel’s build (the Q is an LCD panel, as opposed to AMOLED) posit that the Q is geared more towards typers and people who read a lot on their phones, not those who want to watch video.

Editor’s Rating:

3 out of 5 stars

Good

Bottom Line: Like the myTouch before it, the myTouch Q is a decent phone with great battery life. It’s very good for typing and web browsing, though suffers when running beefier applications. A solid basic smartphone.

Pros:

• QWERTY is comfortable to type with
• Excellent battery life
• Minimalist hardware and software design

Android docks are finally coming into their own in a big way. As someone who has a love/hate relationship with alarm clocks (doesn’t everybody?), a dock that can double as an alarm clock, completely controlled by the phone…that’s the future. The phone is the center of our world, and everything else plays around it. The bedroom clock may be the first serious step in that direction, and the Philips Fidelio AS111 Android Dock is a brilliant  step forward.

The AS111 is a very succinct, simple device. It has a MicroUSB connector for Android smartphones, though will charge any device with a MicroUSB port. It connects to devices via Bluetooth, and only Bluetooth. Android does not currently support audio out through USB, but all Philips Android docks do, so when Android does support it, the AS111 will be ready (after a firmware update to the hardware).

It has a round base with a clock on the front, speakers on the top, and little else. On the back there’s an AUX-in port for wired audio playback. When connected to a device via Bluetooth, the media buttons on the top can control music playback (play, pause, next and previous track). There’s also a button to turn on and off phone charging, which some users will find very attractive for conserving energy. Finally, there’s a night light on the underbelly of the dock. It has a slight orange hue and is very calm and pleasant. The brightness of the clock LED can also be adjusted.

Setup and installation is very easy. The dock works off of the software, so once the Fidelio app is downloaded, just connect the dock to your phone and the rest happens automatically. The clock will set its time based on your phone’s time.

I’ve used the AS111 for over a month and it is an exceptional device. I’m very satisfied with using it day in and day out. The stereo speakers aren’t all that powerful, but as a clock they don’t need to be. If I listen to music in the bedroom, it’s quiet anyways. Even with just 4W of power, I am satisfied with the quality of audio. Obviously bass is lacking, so you psychopaths who listen to Skrillex before clocking out won’t find this dock too appealing. Everyone else will.

All clock features are controlled through the free Fidelio app. As I discussed in the Philips Fidelio DS8550 Speaker Dock review, the software is okay and improving, though on Android compared to iPhone there are some major differences that both improve and can be a bit of a nuisance. Because it isn’t limited by Apple’s restrictions, alarms set will automatically enable when connecting to the dock (by activating the Fidelio app). This sounds great, but unfortunately it does this any time the phone is connected to any charger. If you only charge with this dock, the then’s fine, but if like most Android users you charge either more than once a day or connect to a computer, the Fidelio app starting every time the phone gets power is annoying. This feature can be turned off, but even after I turned it off it kept starting the app when connecting to a power source. Turning it off would also require starting the app every night if you want to use the dock as an alarm clock.

Otherwise the software is good, but messier than the iOS version. It’s slower than it should be and a little clunkier. While writing this review, I found another firmware update, which does speed up the app and clean some of the minor nags I found. It’s better, but still not as good as the iOS version.

The Fidelio AS111 dock on its own is excellent, the best I’ve seen to date. It has a proper balance of size, build quality, looks, and power. The software may need a little work, and perhaps some adjustments from Google, but all in all I highly recommend the AS111.

Editor’s Rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Bottom Line: A great Android dock that replaces typical alarm clocks and clock radios.

Pros:

• Solid audio quality
• Simple, intuitive, and sleek design
• The hardware has everything users can desire from a clock

Motorola’s Droid Razr has proven to be a commercial success for Motorola and Verizon. One reason was because how stunningly thin the Razr is at just 7.1mm.

The Droid Razr Maxx isn’t thin. It’s the same phone, but 9mm thick. Why? That extra 1.9mm is all battery. And that makes all the difference in the world. Let’s see why.

Size

The Droid Razr is a better size than the iPhone 4S, both with a larger 4.3″ display and 2mm thinner. The Razr Maxx doesn’t have that second benefit, and is almost the exact same thickness as the 4S. The only difference then is the length and width, which the Maxx is certainly larger.

Whether or not a bigger phone is better is questionable, but the combination of a larger screen and thinner body certainly help. In this case however, the Razr Maxx, thanks to the overall design, doesn’t look or feel as small and comfortable as the iPhone 4S.

Winner: iPhone 4S, which is smaller and barely thicker, but a more comfortable and less dense device.

Appearance

Between the Droid Razr and iPhone 4S, it’s a tough call. Does the glass front and back sandwiching a metal band beat out hardened plastic and kevlar? Very tough, but once again the thinness set the Razr on a pedestal. With the Maxx, it’s the same general body but bigger. Fatter. It looks just as good from the front, but like a they say about mullets, it’s business in the front, party in the back. And this party’s got back.

Winner: iPhone 4S, thanks to stunning design and the Razr Maxx just being fat.

Display

Unlike some recent Android phones, the Droid Razr maxed out at 960×540, which is a slightly lower resolution than the iPhone 4S’, with 960×640. That means lower pixel density, so the screen won’t appear as clear as the iPhone. The Droid Razr Maxx has the same exact screen, a Super AMOLED display, which will provide better color and light contrast but is harder to see in bright conditions and isn’t quite as clear for reading text. The bigger problem isn’t the comparison between LCD and OLED, but the resolution itself. As a 4.3″ phone, it should have at least the same screen resolution, but it doesn’t.

Winner: iPhone 4S, with a smaller but higher-density display with a better screen resolution.

Operating System

This one should be a draw. After extensively testing Android 4.0 (full review coming soon), I like it. It’s a far better OS than Android 2.3, enough to make Apple concerned. But the Droid Razr Maxx doesn’t ship with Android 4.0. It ships with 2.3.5, and can be upgraded, but not the normal way. It’s not a simple “click to update” process, which for the vast majority of consumers is a problem. The 4.0 release is available for the Maxx, but isn’t officially supported by Motorola just yet. If it were, it would be a definite tie.

Winner: iPhone 4S, because the Maxx isn’t shipping with Android 4.0, and upgrading to the far better OS version isn’t a simple one-step process.

Processor

Processor speed and power is really based on how the software utilizes it, but based on speed alone the Droid Razr Maxx is a faster chip at 1.2GHz. It has the same ARM Cortex A9 build, which gives the Maxx 400MHz over the iPhone 4S. This makes the CPU alone potentially more powerful than the iPhone 4S’ A5, but we’ll have to see how well Android can make use of it.

What really wins this is the battery life. More powerful CPUs require more power, so it’s not always better for the phone as a whole. With the additional battery life, the CPU power almost doesn’t matter. If anything, I wish Motorola gave the CPU a speed boost in light of the bigger battery, but even without it, the processor is 50% faster than the iPhone.

Winner: Droid Razr Maxx, with a beefier CPU.

Storage

The iPhone 4S has three models: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. The Razr Maxx has 16GB of internal memory and is expandable with 32GB cards. With excellent pricing on flash storage these days, the Maxx is a better choice even if it doesn’t have as much space as the iPhone because SD cards can easily be swapped in and out.

Winner: Droid Razr Maxx, because flash memory is cheap and the Maxx has expandable memory.

Wireless Connectivity

The Razr Maxx has Verizon LTE while the iPhone 4S is still stuck on AT&T’s “4G”, which is anywhere from 5-10x slower. ’nuff said.

Winner: Droid Razr Maxx, because it has LTE.

Camera

We’re expecting the Droid Razr Maxx, but based on initial reports and reviews of the Droid Razr, the iPhone 4S has a stronger camera. We’ll have to test this for ourselves, to be sure, but by all accounts the iPhone 4S wins this bout. I’ve been using the iPhone 4S camera as well, and so far haven’t found a better smartphones camera that wasn’t a Nokia device. And even that’s a stretch.

Winner: iPhone 4S, because the Droid Razr camera isn’t as good and the Maxx shares the same camera.

Battery Life

The one major change to the Droid Razr to make it the Maxx is the battery. It takes up another 1.9mm of space alone, thickening the body from the previous industry-standard slim 7.1mm. And what did Motorola do with that space? Shove in a mind-boggling 3300mAh battery, which nearly doubles the iPhone’s 1420mAh battery. 21.5 hours of talk time? 6 hours of continuous video streaming over LTE? Nothing gets that close, except for tablets, and even they can’t claim such ridiculous battery live. Nothing can compete with that.

Winner: Droid Razr Maxx, with the largest smartphone battery ever used, almost doubling the iPhone 4S and nearly every other phone out today.

Carriers

The iPhone is available on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. Any phone named Droid is owned by Verizon, since they own the copyright, so the Droid Razr Maxx is also a Verizon exclusive. This has been a serious problem for non-Verizon users who wanted the Droid Razr, and it’ll happen again with the Maxx.

Winner: iPhone 4S, which is available on more carriers.

Price

The iPhone 4S is $200 base, and $300 for the 32GB model and $400 for 64GB. The Droid Razr Maxx ships for $300, which ships with less memory. With an extra $30 you can get a 32GB SD card and more closely match the iPhone, but even then it’s more expensive. Verizon also has the most expensive service pricing, compared to both Sprint and AT&T.

Winner: iPhone 4S, with more pricing options and better service pricing across multiple carriers.

Overall Winner

It may seem like a big gap, but it really isn’t. I added two points for the Droid Razr Maxx because it practically doubles the battery life of the iPhone 4S, and because battery life is an extremely important aspect of smartphones that most of us don’t put too much weight behind because battery life generally sucks. It doesn’t on the Maxx. Battery life makes the Maxx worthwhile.

What keeps the Razr Maxx from winning, or at least tying, is the lack of an easy Android 4.0 upgrade. If the Maxx shipped with Android 4.0, or if Motorola offered it as an easy upgrade, then it would be a no brainer for most users. The problem is only educated users will even know how to do it, and many won’t want to because the OS isn’t fully tested on the device.

The Maxx was also a perfect opportunity for Motorola to improve in a few key areas, including the CPU, but the company didn’t. They made the Maxx the exact same phone as the Droid Razr, just with a bigger battery. And there’s nothing wrong with that; the Razr is only a few months old and is still considered an excellent phone. However, every part was developed specifically for that phone. The Maxx wasn’t. It was developed as the smaller Droid Razr…with a bigger battery. That larger battery life isn’t taken full advantage of, and that’s a shame.

However, even though the Maxx doesn’t win this comparison, just remember that for some of us battery life is the most important thing. If the phone doesn’t last all day for you today, the Droid Razr Maxx is the best phone you can get. If only it wasn’t tied to Verizon, then I would consider switching over myself.

So you’ve got an Android phone with plenty of memory and music that you crave on tap? How about spreading that experience out loud in the comfort of your own room, without the need for headphones. Thanks to Amazon’s new discount you can do just that with this Philips Fidelio docking station designed for Android phones. This station features a nice mobile design which can fit nicely with any table, while creating a rich soundscheme with its omnidirectional neodymium speakers. It includes a clock on the base which can be used as an alarm, and is also capable of streaming your Android’s music via Bluetooth for wireless connectivity. It’s easy to control and use and can fit an array of devices big or small. The Fidelio app is also available for free download and can increase the useful applications of the dock once connected to your phone and on top of your own music collection it can even connect to Internet Radio stations for thousands of options.

Save $20 instantly when you purchase this dock from Amazon.  Final price, with S&H, is $69.99

We’ve heard of phones that can take bullets, albeit supposedly, but something tells us this handset from Casio might actually be able to survive a bullet wound to the body.  Why?  Well, first off it can purportedly withstand 1 ton of weight on its body, which is a feat in and upon itself.  That’s like a small car running over it and then using it like a fluffy pillow.  But that’s not that it can withstand.  The ruggedized phone, which reportedly will run a version of Android, can survive a 10-foot drop and be submerged in up to 10-meters of water without skipping a beat.

Casio has yet to make their latest G-Shock phone official, but one thing is for sure; it sure will be difficult cramming this phone into any pants pocket.

The LG Nitro HD feels like a phone from the future. That future being about six or seven months from now, when most high-end phones are light and thin, have huge screens, and boast ultra-fast data connections. If you want a phone that won’t go obsolete overnight, this is your guy.

The Nitro costs $200 with a two-year contract and is one of AT&T’s first 4G LTE phones. LTE stands for long-term evolution, and it’s currently the fastest network speed you can get on a mobile device outside of a Wi-Fi hotspot. Verizon was the first of the major carriers to debut an LTE network in the U.S. late 2010, with AT&T following in fall 2011. Sprint has announced it’ll begin rolling out LTE in mid 2012.

AT&T’s LTE network is coming online slowly, though, and it wasn’t available in our market when we had the Nitro HD, so we weren’t able to test the LTE connection. Nevertheless, 3G data service was very good, running so fast at times it felt like 4G. That was thanks to AT&T’s HSPA+ 21 network, which the carrier also considers 4G. It was also probably helped by the 1.5GHz dual-core processor that powers the Nitro — fairly state-of-the-art as far as current smartphones.

If you’re not used to phones with big screens, you’re in for a treat as soon as you unbox the Nitro HD. The screen measures a relatively massive 4.5 inches (diagonal), with a screen resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels. That equates to a pixel density of 329 ppi (pixels per inch) — which matches the so-called “retina” display of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. However, I found the Nitro’s LCD screen to be not quite as eye-poppingly bright as today’s AMOLED phones, like the one on the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Still, the big, crisp screen is much appreciated when using the 8-megapixel camera. The Nitro’s built-in camera is performs extremely well in low light. However, it also has an annoying shutter lag when you snap a pic. (Perhaps that can be fixed with a software update.) Although the screen is 720p, the camera can can capture full HD in 1080p format. Regardless, videos look great on the big screen.

The Nitro’s implementation of Android (version 2.3 “Gingerbread”) is pretty straightforward, and will be familiar to anyone who’s used one of the Google OS-based handsets before. The Nitro neatly groups downloaded apps below the several that come preloaded. The bloatware is pretty annoying — it would be nice to be able to delete some of the pre-installed clutter or create folders. There may be ways to do this through other apps, but for the average Android user, it’s not obvious.

Benchmarks

Although it’s not specific to this phone, Google’s integration of its cloud services is getting better and better. First-time Android users will be thankful for the automatic cloud uploading of pics and videos, making them easy to share via Google+ or some other service. And it goes without saying cloud-based email and calendars sync seamlessly — even ones from non-Google services (Hotmail, for example).

Did I forget something? Oh, yes, phone calls. As a phone, the LG Nitro is unremarkable, though it’s served very well by the slim form factor. I must say, it’s impressive to see 4G LTE connectivity built into such a thin and light device. We thought customers might not see phones like this until later in 2012, when the combined LTE chipsets would become available, but engineers have found ways to innovate with design, and it shows in the Nitro.

The Nitro is an excellent modern smartphone, and it should keep its owners in the cutting-edge of mobile tech for at least a few months, and then keep them satisfied for a lot longer. It would have been nice to test the 4G LTE connection, but that’s because the phone is such a good vehicle for it. With a gorgeous screen, slim design and powerful processor, the Nitro is ready for anything you want to throw at it — even the future.

Editor’s Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Great

Bottom line: The LG Nitro HD is a cutting-edge smartphone, with an big, high-res display that looks amazing. If you like — or are thinking about — Android, and LTE is in your area, you can’t lose.

Pros

• Huge screen
• Very light and thin
• Fast connection, fast processor. Did we mention it’s fast?

Cons

• Plenty of bloatware
• Camera has frustrating shutter lag
• LTE not in all areas

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Late last year Sony released the Tablet S, a fairly standard tablet with some major design changes over the typical bunch we’ve seen from other Android tablets. The P is an even further departure, with a clamshell build and not one, but two screens that shut like a Nintendo DS to fit in the pocket. We all scratched our heads when Sony first revealed it last year, but after some hands-on time, I can say that clearly the company knows what it’s doing. The question is whether or not it’s the kind of tablet consumers will want.

So let’s set one thing straight for potential nay-sayers: the Tablet P is, in fact, a tablet. It uses two screens that are indeed not attached, but the space between them is minimal and for the majority of Android applications the two displays act as one. There is no difference between the two. If you are concerned about the tablet because it doesn’t fit the notion of tablets that we’ve seen today, put those concerns aside. The Tablet P is, in fact, a tablet in every way.

Now that that’s settled, let’s take a look at how this clamshell design actually works. Because this isn’t a full review (only a hands-on from some 15 minutes of play at CES), I’ll keep it brief. Closed, the Tablet P is just over an inch thick, and open it’s half an inch. Each screen is 5.5″, each with a resolution of 1024×480, providing a combined screen resolution of 1024×960). This aspect ratio (16:15) is unseen in the industry, and is a complete oddity. It’s practically square. Of course, the stranger aspect ratio is with each individual display, which is 32:15. For reference, widescreen is 16:9, most computer monitors in homes today are 16:10, and old TVs are 4:3 (or 16:12). Suffice it to say, watching movies on the Tablet P will be very strange.

In fact, the aspect ratio and screen resolution may pose larger problems for the tablet and applications as a whole. Certain apps like web browsers and simple apps like Twitter and Facebook will actually be easier to use on the Tablet P for two reasons: using both screens will provide the same resolution across we see in most smaller tablets (1024 is the standard for 8″ or smaller tablets) while allowing 33-66% more space going down. Most tablets with a screen resolution of 1024 across are 1024×600 displays. The Tablet P has an extra 360 pixels going down, which means web pages and basic apps will have a lot more room. Users won’t have to scroll as much and will be able to enjoy more of the page or app at once.

Then, there’s the second reason. Because the Tablet P is two separate screens, the bottom display can automatically be changed to a keyboard for typing while the top display maintains it’s current state. Users will have more screen real estate to see what they’re doing while typing, a standard problem with most tablets, especially when holding them in landscape mode. This means if you use your tablet often for typing notes or messages, with the Tablet P you won’t have to constantly scroll up and down to see what was above or below, at least not as often. It may not seem like such an important thing, but for anyone who types on their smartphones often, it’s a serious inconvenience.

Having a clamshell design also enables the Tablet P to better fit into the design for Sony’s Playstation brand. Instead of a typical tablet, which is hard to hold compared to portable game consoles like the Nintendo 3DS or smaller smartphones, the Tablet P can utilize the bottom display as a touch controller and touchpad while the top display downscales to 720×480 (480p) or 640×480 (480i). This means Playstation 1 games, and even Playstation 2 games, could be played on the screen while making full use of the touch controls. The Tablet P is Playstation Certified, which is an Android-specific determination of whether or not a smartphone or tablet can play Playstation games (which today includes a small but growing list of Playstation 1 games).

In the hand the Tablet P has a good solid feel to it, and the curved edges and build are comfortable to hold. Because of the hinged displays, it’s actually fairly comfortable to hold, and I’d assume it would remain so for longer periods of time because of the weight distribution. Most tablets are larger and are held in two hands, but the weight isn’t all resting in the hands themselves. With the Tablet P, depending on how users bend the hinges, the weight distribution can be made much more comfortable by keeping the top display upright (the screen facing perpendicular to the ground). The display quality is good, though navigating web pages is odd on two displays. Both are of course touchscreen displays, but it’s still weird to scroll and hit another screen.

I played one game on the Tablet P, Crash Bandicoot, and it ran very well (though this isn’t surprising; the Tablet P has identical internals to the Tablet S). The bottom touchscreen was responsive, though it is and may remain odd to play on a touchscreen. Users can of course play with a Bluetooth Playstation controller as well, though I imagine doing so would be quite strange considering the screen resolution.

The Tablet P is set for release within the next few months, and will be available only with an AT&T contract, at least to start. What the pricing is, both on the contract and for the device itself, has not been released. The Tablet P will not include an LTE antenna, but it will have access to AT&T’s “4G” network (which, as I’ve talked about previously, is significantly faster than 3G and not nearly as battery intensive as LTE).

Launching a new product, especially an Android one, is no easy feat.  To kick off (literally) the launch of the Galaxy Note, Samsung put a mini football (soccer) field square in the middle of Victoria train station in London, England and got 4 footballers to perform a variety of awe inspiring tricks.  And while it was no flash mob, it created enough fan fair that anyone walking by might have thought it to be one.

The Galaxy Note is one of Samsung’s latest Android devices.  It’s wedged some where between a smartphone and a tablet as it sports a 5.3-inch touchscreen and comes packed with its very own stylus.  Inside the handy device you’ll find a dual-core 1.4Ghz processor, an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash that can record full HD video, a 2-megapixel front facing camera, WiFi N, GPS and a screen that can produce a 1280×800 resolution.  The Note ships with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), but Sammy promises to upgrade it Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) in the very near future.

For a limited time you can download the Pyramix Game for Android for FREE off of Amazon!

Looking for a challenge to keep your busy at the bus stop? Or how about that long ride in the cab or plane? Why not solve this issue for free. Thanks to Amazon this is easily doable and that’s in the form of the Pyramix game compatible with any Android device. Pyramix is a word puzzle game which requires that you unscramble a special assortment of letters into words of various lengths. These lengths are decided by the position of the pyramid by which you are placing the letters. Definitely a time-passer for those sleuthing types, and depending on your play situation you can also choose between going against a timer or simply playing untimed.

For a limited time Amazon is offering this App for Free!

Target is offering some extra savings on this Sonos Play:3 Wireless Hi-Fi Speaker Setup for iPhone/Android!

Looking for some serious music playback? This Sonos Play:3 has you covered for not only that but also some intense and room filling sound from a small and portable unit. This device includes 3 integrated speakers all on 3 digital amps so regardless of the size it can pack quite a punch. It streams its music over the Internet or network so there’s no limits to what you can play, and thanks to integration with Apple and Android devices you can control it all on your smartphone which makes it even easier to program your sound track for the day. Better yet with more than one set up at a time you can swap between different tracks in different rooms, so no matter where you are the right music is playing for you. Streaming sources include Spotify, iRadio, iTunes, Pandora and more. It is also capable of XM and Sirius Satellite Radio playback.

Add this wireless speaker to your cart and the necessary Bridge ($50 value) will be included for free.  Then use this coupon (TGTHTT5Z) at checkout and the price drop to $269.99.  That’s about a 25% savings off the retail price.

Polaroid’s new SC1630 Smart Camera is practically a smartphone but without the phone. Stealing its looks and many of its features from smartphones, the SC1630 Smart Camera is powered by Android and provides everything you’d expect from a digital camera…and more! You’ll be able to capture photos like a pro with the ultra-portable camera’s 3X optical zoom and 16-megapixel sensor that has 18 scene modes. View your photos on its 3.2-inch touchscreen display and store all your favorite pics on its 32GB of memory via a microSD card.

The SC1630 Smart Camera also includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Geo-tagging (so you can add longitude and latitude coordinates to your photos), red-eye removal and automatic face and smile detection.You can also access various apps via Google’s Android Market, so there’s no need to dig, search or use your mobile phone to upload pics or get edit photos on a computer later. You can take photos, edit them and then upload them to your Facebook and Twitter accounts with one device. No prices or release date has been announced yet.

At just 6.68mm thick, the Ascend P1 S is the world’s thinnest smartphone. That may or may not change over the coming days of CES, with every company vying for our time and headlines, but to give you a sense of just how thin the phone is, the Droid Razr is 7.1mm thick at it’s thinnest point, and the iPhone 4/4S is practically fat in comparison at 9.3mm.

Huawei is best known for Android devices in Asian markets, but has released a few models over the past six months in the US. The Ascend P1 S is fairly beefy, running a 1.5GHz dual core processor (Texas Instruments OMAP 446), 1GB of RAM and Android 4.0. The phone itself has a 4.3″ SuperAMOLED display encased in Corning’s Gorilla Glass, with a display resolution of 960×540, paltry compared to recent 720p phones.

The weird bit about the P1 S isn’t the phone itself, but it’s malformed twin brother, the P1. Almost a footnote in Huawei’s press release, the P1 is identical in functionality, but the build is bigger and bulkier, though it does not have a larger screen. Both phones will release in April of this year. I’ll get to test both devices out tonight at the Showstoppers Pepcom event, so stay tuned.

Update ~ Hands-On

I sat down and got some hands-on with both Huawei devices, the P1 S and P1, and they are notable. The P1 S is slim almost beyond belief. Both have fairly plasticy and glossy backs, and both were running Android 4.0 (and will release with 4.0, thankfully). The software was very snappy, and I was impressed not only with how fluid the OS was but also with how well it was incorporated into the phone already. Unlike the Galaxy Nexus, it has the function to act like a tablet by turning the phone on the side (and all of the icons flipping to the right direction).

The true remarkable nature of the P1 S is just how slim the phone is. Putting the P1 S and P1 side by side, it’s hard to tell that there’s any difference. Both phones are thin. But the P1 S in the hand almost looks anorexic, but perhaps in a good way (there’s a good way? -ed.), It’s so slim and light that it’s almost not even there. On the one hand it may be easy to lose in the couch when it falls out of your pocket, while on the other you can have more space in your pockets for change, papers, or, well, other things.

It should be interesting to see how Huawei’s upcoming phones compare with today’s top models, especially since both the Ascend P1 S and P1 are some of the only models shown at CES that will actually ship with Android 4.0 immediately, which is both great for Huawei but sad for the Android ecosystem as a whole. In any case, if you don’t know the name Huawei (pronounced wah-way), now might be the best time to get to know it.

The Motorola Droid Razr is one of the few high-end smartphones that we haven’t yet had our hands on, but by all accounts it is one of the best phones available on Verizon. It also is the thinnest phone out (though the Huawei Ascend P1 S will soon take that spot), but there was one thing that made a lot of people wary about purchasing the Droid Razr: no removable battery. Apple may have that restriction with the iPhone, but at least there are Apple stores available all over the country. The Razr doesn’t have significantly better battery life than the competition, but the non-removable battery helped make it so thin.

Now Motorola wants to up the ante by saying “screw how thin the phone is, let’s boost battery life.” That’s where the Razr Maxx comes in, with 21 hours of battery life. What sort of battery life, I don’t know, but saying 21 hours period is an important metric nonetheless. The 9mm phone will be otherwise identical to the current Droid Razr, meaning the same processor, same LTE, same screen…everything but the battery life.

Will there be any interest for such a device? Absolutely. If the 21 hours of battery life is call time, or constant data usage, or almost anything but idle time, then that extra 1.9mm of thickness will make the phone far better to use, not just for day to day operation, but in the long run altogether. The biggest problem with today’s smartphones, in my opinion, is battery life. If Motorola has been able to solve that problem, not just before other smartphone makers but before Apple, then Google doesn’t just have a real racehorse. They have a rocket chariot.

I’ll get a hands-on of the Droid Razr Max on Wednesday morning, though perhaps earlier as well. Stay tuned for an update then.

Lenovo’s K91 TV is anything but an ordinary television. Instead, the 55-inch TV boasts Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as its OS and a Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz dual-core 8060 Snapdragon CPU processor. Another cool feature is that the TV can be controlled with your voice using natural language processing and recognition. But that’s not all!  It’s also capable of video interaction with facial recognition via its 5-megapixel webcam that’s placed in the TV’s bezel. Its remote control is just as high-tech and sports a touchpad, 5-way d-pad, and motion sensor.

Lenovo didn’t skimp on the display either, as they incorporated 3D FPR technology into a “flicker-free,” LED-backlit, full HD IPS panel with 240Hz refresh into the screen. Although it’s categorized as a TV, the new K91 TV boasts specs better found on a computer or smartphone like 8GB of storage with an extra 2GB on removable SD card, 802.11n Wi-Fi, access to the Android Market Place and Lenovo Store, and seamless integration with other Lenovo devices, which can be used as remote controls or additional displays. The K91 TV will definitely be a huge hit, but Lenovo hasn’t announced pricing or availability dates yet.

Vizio is officially entering the smartphone market and is previewing its upcoming Vizio Phone at CES. The new Android-based device may still be in its infancy with hardware and software not production ready yet, but by the looks of its specs and features, it already has a bright future.

Sporting a black glossy front with a gloss black bezel and a back that’s covered in soft material, the new phone is pretty sleek. Its 4-inch LCD screen features 854 x 480 resolution while its insides feature 4GB of storage onboard (it also has a microSD slot, Micro USB port, and HDMI port) and a 1GHz “plus” CPU. The front-facing camera is a 5-megapixel shooter with flash on the back. Also featured will be an IR setup that allows users to use it as a universal remote right out of the bod.

The Vizio Phone is set for a summer release, but no info on carrier or price has been disclosed yet.

Motorola just splashed down at CES 2012 with the announcement of the DROID 4, currently the world’s thinnest 4G enabled QWERTY smartphone – it measures .5-inches thick.  But that isn’t all this powerhouse has to offer.

In addition to a massive 4-inch qHD screen (960×540), is a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM.  There is also of course the aforementioned QWERTY keyboard that comes in a 5 row flavor, 16GB of built-in storage expandable by an additional 32GB thanks to the microSD card slot, 4G connectivity for up to 12mbps download speeds, Mobile Hotspot support for up to 8 devices and Android 2.3.5 (it will be upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich).

To ensure that the DROID 4 keeps on ticking, Motorola has slapped the outside of it with a water-repellent nanocoating, which was also found on the DROID RAZR.  They’ve also made it business ready by including government-grade encryption (FIPS 140-2) for email, calendar and contacts.

In the accessories department, the DROID 4 will be compatible with the  10.1-inch Lapdock 100, 14-inch Lapdock 500 Pro with built-in webcam and Ethernet connection, HD Dock, HD Station and vehicle navigation mount.

No word on a price, but Verizon will begin to sell the phone before the month’s end.  We’d expect to pay about $200 on contract during the initial launch.

It’s the end of 2011 and it’s been one hell of a year for music! Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day wants to share some of the year’s best music for one low price. Save on the 10 Top 2011 Albums from some of your favorite artists and download their entire album for $3.99 or Less. New albums by Coldplay, Rihanna, Drake, Dauaghtry, the Decemberists, Florence + the Machine, Mac Miller, Amy Winehouse, She & Him, and the Muppets are all available for MP3 download! For less than a cup of coffee, you’ll be able to enjoy the year’s best in music on your Kindle ire, PC, Mac, iPad, or Android Phone with Amazon Cloud Player. You can instantly gift these or any MP3s from Amazon.

Even though you might not be familiar with all the songs on the album, today’s Deal of the Day is a score for any music lover who wants to have a very robust music library. The Late Amy Winehouse’s last album is as amazing as her previous efforts, while Rihanna continues to steam things up with her Talk That Talk release. Coldplay never fails to disappoint, while “American Idol’s” Daughtry is pure magic. Everybody loves the Muppets while Drake is hip-hop’s latest golden child. Florence + the Machine is a musical delight, just as She & Him. Music lovers will definitely want to take advantage at the low prices for the album, while those who are looking for a new sound can easily indulge without breaking the bank!

A cutting-edge Android phone like the LG Nitro HD is capable of some pretty amazing stuff. With 4G LTE connectivity, a high-def 720p display that measures a huge 4.5 inches, and a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, this handset has all you need to showcase the best Android has to offer. But finding the best material from the estimated 500,000+ Android apps out there can be a challenge. Here are some essential apps that will upgrade your mobile life AND help you get the most out of your phone.

Pandora (Android Market, free)

Pandora Internet radio is a must for anyone who wants music on the go and doesn’t want to spend vast epochs of their life syncing tracks. Sure, Spotify is more hip, but it also costs money to stream on your phone — Pandora is free. Creating your personalized station is as quick as searching for your favorite artist, and the service automatically remembers all your searches, further personalizing your music every time you tap thumbs-up or thumbs-down. With a battery that’s capable of 7 hours of talk time, the Nitro has juice to keep you rocking all day and all night.

Speed Forge 3D (Android Market, $2.90)

You’re going to need a game to keep yourself occupied on those long commutes or when you’re waiting in the doctor’s office with hopelessly out-of-date magazines. Speed Forge 3D is the perfect choice, for several reasons: 1) It looks gorgeous on the Nitro’s HD screen, with brilliant colors popping from the Real RGB striped pixels. 2) It’s incredibly simple — anyone who’s even seen a racing game will know how to play, and the accelerometer-based controls are perfectly intuitive. 3) It’s wildly addictive. Watch out when you lend your phone for friends to have a try.

BOX (Android Market, free)

You want an easy way to access all your stuff when you’re on the go? It doesn’t get much simpler than Box: Just drag and drop files onto the Box site on the desktop browser, download the app on your Nitro, and now you can see those documents wherever you are. You can even play videos that you’ve stored, and the 4G LTE connection will ensure that you’re watching within seconds of tapping (just watch out for those data charges).  And right now, until March 31, 2012 LG has a promotion running and if you download Box from your Android device you get 50GB of lifetime secure storage and file sharing for FREE. This is an LG exclusive deal.

TED Air (Android Market, free)

The TED (Technology Entertainment Design) conference is an incredible meeting of geniuses, with some of the most insightful keynote lectures ever. With this app, they’re all on your phone, and they look glorious on the 720p screen, and most use the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. You can save videos for watching when you’re offline, or share via Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. Plus now you’ve got an app to fire up when there’s a pretty young thing sitting next to you who you want to impress with your brain.

Google Currents (Android Market, free)

Calling Google Currents a news reader is really underselling it. It’s the best and most feature-rich story and site aggregator on Android, bar none. Imported feeds look like they’ve been tailor-made for the app, with well organized sections and clean article layouts that look straight out of a magazine. Best of all: photos look gloriously sharp and crisp on the Nitro’s ultra-dense display.

What makes LG Nitro’s True HD IPS Display so amazing?

A 16:9 Aspect ratio for widescreen entertainment, sharper, crisper images, amazingly accurate colors, 329 pixels per inch and did we mentioned 720p resolution!  And if that isn’t enough bang for your buck, the battery is good for up to 7 hours of talk time.

The Nitro HD is exclusively available on AT&T’s 4G LTE network.  Find out more at the official LG Nitro site.

*This post is sponsored by LG – see our sponsored post policy