Except for the very first ROM that I loaded after I first rooted my Motorola Droid, I have used the Bugless Beast ROM’s from Pete Alfonso. I have resisted all enticements to look elsewhere. When the news of the release of the Cyanogen Mod 6 hit, I almost jumped. However, the fact that Google had forced them to remove all Google apps because it was built from source code was negative for me. Yes, I know that I could load all that stuff myself, but I was already having issues with Google Maps, among other things. Then I read some comments about another ROM called Liquid Frozen Yogurt. This ROM is also custom source-built from FRG22, from AOSP Source, and sports custom Slayher kernels that have implemented CompCache, a new potential boon to memory management that is still in testing. So, I bit the bullet and loaded it and I am so very enthused with the results.

CompCache

Some basic info about CompCache. CompCache is compressed swap that uses RAM instead of the hard drive or the main storage memory. This gives better performance since RAM is faster than typical storage solutions, at the cost of less RAM available to the system for normal use. By default, CompCache uses 25% of the system RAM for use as swap. One other hit, however, may come in the form of the CPU time lost compressing and uncompressing the data as it places it in swap space. Anyway, I wanted to give it a try to see how it goes.

Liquid Frozen Yogurt – LFY 1.5

Because of the fact that I have been experiencing so many little buggy things, I backed everything up, went into Launcher Pro, FolderOrganizer, Titanium Backup and Touchdown and made sure that I had all the settings backup up so that I could recover quickly. I then did a Clockwork backup from Recovery Mode and preceded to do a factory wipe, reset, and reformat of System, Data, and Cache. In effect, I completely wiped the Droid down to bare metal. 3 times, in fact. From there, I loaded the LFY 1.5 ROM, let the system recover everything from Google via my Gmail account. After that finished (about 130 programs and 20 minutes later) I loaded the Liquid Frozen Yogurt Black Smoke Theme, which also has many of the standard apps all color themed. You can see Facebook, Twitter, and the Music app above. These are just three examples of many. And, of course, there are probably a half-dozen different themes to choose from and more arriving every day.

Custom Slayher Kernel

After the loading of the Theme, I preceded to load a custom kernel at 1 GHz (with 7 intermediate speeds from 250 MHz on up) that supports CompCache. Most of the time, this setup is absolutely as smooth as butter, but I do notice some momentary freezes occasionally. I have made a self-commitment to run the CompCache for 3 days, after which I will turn it off and see how it goes. It really takes that long for a new ROM to settle down and get comfortable. One of the most noticeable things in all this was the HUGE increase in Internal Storage I noticed. As you can see in the center screen above, I am at 72 MB free with everything loaded. Previously, the best I could ever do was about 38 MB, and that tended to drift down. Like all build of Froyo (Android 2.2), you can open the app drawer with or without 3D effects. I always choose without. Also, in the 3rd panel above, you can see some of the themed widgets that come with LFY (top to bottom: Google Search, Music App, Seesmic Twitter, and YouTube). Also at the bottom of that screen, you can see the themed tray background at the bottom. In the opening screenshot way above, you can see the custom theme built the Beautiful Widgets.

Loading Custom ROM’s

All of this assumes that you have rooted your Android device. I am NOT going to give you a step-by-step on how to load this, because that will get you in trouble. However, it is not hard at all. Using ROM Manager, I was able to download and install all of this in about an hour. Yes, I have fiddled with the bit pretty much all day today, on and off, but it’s not really hard or dangerous. If you would like to study up on this, visit the DroidForums.net forums and take a gander at the LFY pages. It’s all there. Yes, there are 30 or 40 forum pages to go through, but it is a very education experience and it will help you decide if this is for you or not. Enjoy!

Related posts:

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2. Android Rooted: setCPU and CPU Governance
3. Android Rooted: What is Nandroid Backup?

Hosts: Rod Simmons, Chris Ashley, Brent Harman
Recorded: September 5th, 2010
Published: September 6th, 2010
Duration: 1hr 26Min 49Sec

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SHOW TOPICS

BlackBerry Ironically names their clamshell phone the “Style”

• Rod Chris and Brent just Rail the U_G_L_Y phone

Apple press event last week

• Rod can’t believe the Netflix Integration is not backwards compatible with older Apple TV
• Brent is disappointed that they did not go with the iPhone 4 Body style for a bigger battery
• Chris actually likes the new iPod Touch

There were a ton of new Android Tablets announced

• Brent goes over all the new tablets and some of the pros and cons
• Chris says that if they are more expensive than the iPads they missed the mark

Microsoft had a few announcements this week

• Chris was excited that Windows Phone 7 went Code Complete last week
• Brent mentions that Bing an Android is actually pretty good
• Rod agrees that battery life on a smartphone just should not be expected

Craigslist pulls adult ads replaces it with “Censored”

• Brent is not sure that they are going to be able to make the censorship argument
• Chris is worried about Senators going after websites

PICKS OF THE WEEK

NASA HD for iPad / Amazon TV shows for .99 cents (iPad App / Cheap Videos ) Rod Simmons (SimpleMobileReview)

Horns by Joe Hill / Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Awesome Drop for Android / Flipboard for iPad (Online File sharing / Social Website Aggregator ) Brent Harman (SimpleMobileReview)

Logitech Z313 Speaker System ( Desktop Speaker System ) Chris Ashley (SimpleMobileReview)

Opening Song

Beatnuts Watchout Now – Amazon

Special Thanks to Laura Tsaggaris for the Music

Download Warning Signs on Amazon

Find out more information about Laura on her Website

BIO

Laura Tsaggaris is a Pittsburgh, PA native, who now calls Washington, DC home. Laura is currently touring and working in support of her second full-length independent recording, Keep Talking. Tsaggaris has delivers a focused collection of songs peppered with hard-won insight. Her unique writing style, electric stage performance, and glowing national press for this new record serve as proof that Laura Tsaggaris has arrived and is here to stay.

Contact Info

General: info@lauratsaggaris.com

Booking: chris@rottlesound.com

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I have written a few guides on converting movies before and since there are new gadgets out there I need to to it again. I am telling you now, if you want to convert movies you must use DVDFab. It is hands down the best DVD Converting software out there. DVDFab is great because they have all kinds of different flavors. There is an option just to backup DVD’s to your hard drive or convert DVD’s to a mobile format, which is what we will use for the iPad. The version we are using is DVDFab DVD Ripper (DVD to Mobile)..

There are two ways to convert movies. You can put a DVD into the drive and convert once the disk is recognized. The other way is two copy the DVD to the hard drive first, then convert it from the hard drive. The advantage to the second option is with DVDFab you can queue up the movies you want to convert. Ripping the movie to the hard drive is extremely fast.  Encoding the movie to a mobile format takes more time but you can schedule 5 or 10 to run over night if you use the second option. It’s up to you which route you take the steps after that decision is pretty much the same.

Let’s get started.

Preliminary - How to Queue the DVD to Disk

A great feature of DVDFab is how they let you buy the components that you need. If you just want to copy movies from DVDs to the hard drive, use DVDFab DVD Copy. If you want to convert a movie for a device like the iPad get DVDFab DVD Ripper. I like to use both options for a streamlined procedure. Copy a bunch of movies to the hard drive covert, them all at the same time.

There is a free version of DVDFab DVD Copy that allows you to copy the movie off of the DVD. When the copy is compete you will have a folder with the name of the movie saved to the hard drive. In that folder will be another folder called VIDEO_TS. This is the folder that contains the movie.

The paid version of DVDFab DVD Copy gives you a ton of options such as scaling the size of the movie down, or copying just the main movie files. Being able to make the size of the copied movie folder smaller, was enough for me to pay for it. Which ever route you go the value here is to copy movies to the hard drive then queue them up for conversion. This method requires less baby sitting.

To Copy the movie to the hard drive simply choose the Full Disk option under the DVD to DVD Section of DVDFab.

Now Insert your disk. Once the disk is loaded select a target destination for DVDFab to copy the movie to. You can do this by clicking the folder icon in the Target section of DVDFab.

Once you have the DVD loaded it will show up in the source and the name of the DVD will be in Volume Label. If you have the paid version of DVDFab DVD Copy you can adjust the Quality which basically allows you to make the Files smaller. This is a great option if you are doing a lot of movies.

Hit Start.

When DVDFab is finished, you will be able to browse to the location you chose in the Target section, and see the movie on the hard drive. (usually DVDFab creates a folder called Full Disk in the location you selected. The movie will be in there.)

Encoding Movie for iPad Playback

Now that we have gotten that out of the way we can now convert the movie for the iPad. This portion requires DVDFab DVD Ripper.

Step 1

Choose the format that you want to convert your movie to. DVDFab has a list of devices that it supports out of the box. In this case just select the iPad on the left hand side of the screen.

Step 2

Now you need to insert your DVD into the drive or browse to the location where you saved your DVD in the preliminary section. If you are starting with a DVD then place the disk in now and move to the next step.  If you previously saved your DVD to the hard drive hit the Folder Icon highlighted below. (If you want to queue up a bunch of movies read the last section of How to Convert a Movie for Windows Phone, Zune, Zune HD)

Next browse to the copied DVD location and highlight the Video_TS folder and hit OK.

Step 3

Weather you loaded a movie from a DVD or hard drive, from here on out the steps are the same.

After the movie is selected you will see a blue loading screen it may take a few seconds to a few minutes, but once the load is complete you are ready to move on.

Step 4

Select where you want your movie to be saved. To achieve this go to the Target section, click the Folder Icon and browse to the location you want the finished file saved to. Once you select the folder hit OK.

Step 5

Now that we have the source and target taken care of, it is time to select the portion of the DVD we are converting. Usually DVDFab will automatically select the main movie file, but if not, it’s usually the longest playtime in the middle of the screen. We will also take this opportunity to select the Language and if we want a Subpicture (Subtitles) or not.

Step 6

Now it is time to select a Profile. The Profile is a grouping of configuration of settings for the output file. Usually it controls if the final file will be DIVX or MP4 and so on. I won't go to deep here because the iPad only has one for you to choose.

Step 7

We can get into some deeper settings by clicking the Edit Button next to the Profile section. This brings up the Conversion Settings page.

On this page we can change the File Name or the Title of the Movie. We can also choose the Frame Resolution settings which controls the final size of the Video. At the bottom you can choose the Audio Format. Depending on the Profile you selected, sometimes you can choose 5.1 surround sound. I find that DVDFab does a great job with the defaults but, if you want, you can mess around with these settings if you are not happy with the final video. Personally, I only adjust the title and file name

When you are finished adjusting the settings hit OK.

Step 8

You are now ready to covert the movie. As a final check hit the Open Queue button on the bottom right. This will bring up a list of all the movies that are about to be converted. This option is especially good when you are converting more than one movie or two multiple formats (Zune, PSP, iPhone, iPad). If you need to adjust the settings on a movie just highlight it and hit Conversion Settings.

Hit the X when you are done to close the screen.

Step 9

At this point hit the Start Button at the Bottom right and just wait for the conversion to finish.

Step 10

The conversion time is pretty accurate. The speed of the conversion is really based on the machine that you are running DVDFab on. I normally queue up 5-10 movies and let it run while I sleep that way who cares how long it takes.

Step 11

When the conversion is done you will see this screen.

Enjoy your movie

At this point it is just a simple matter of adding the file to iTunes and syncing with your iPad. Locate the directory that you selected in the Target section of DVDFab.

Drag the file into your iTunes library or Locate the file from iTunes by clicking File | Add to library.

The File will be in a .m4v format which the iPad supports. Once your iPad is synched up you will be able to watch your movie.

I started off saying, DVD Ripper (DVD to Mobile). is the best movie converting software available. You only need to use it once to get the hang of it. When you buy a device like the iPad you instantly want to add movies to it. It’s great to download and stream new movies from iTunes, but why not also convert the DVD’s you already have?

Enjoy your movie

Related posts:

1. Put Amazon Unbox Movies on Media Center and XBOX
2. Watch AVI, WMV and Other Videos Files on your iPad
3. How to convert movies for Android, Blackberry, and iPhone

You understand upfront that using pre-paid plans cost more than having a contract.  It is huge that Verizon is providing pre-paid data plans for 3G smartphone devices like Android and BlackBerry. Unlimited data is $30 per month contract free for smartphones.  Feature phones have plans of $10 for 25MB per month. That is a good deal.

The press release below lays out the devices that will support pre-paid data plans.  To take advantage of these plans you have to go to a Verizon store, but the will be available for online purchase on September 28th. The only downside is you are buying these phones for the no contract price.  Considering the Amazon deals on smartphones I would consider a contract to ge my phone 1¢.

Publication date: newer to older Price: low to high Price: high to low Average customer review: high to low Bestselling Alphabetical: A to Z Alphabetical: Z to A

BlackBerry Curve 8530 Phone, Black (Sprint) List Price: $569.99 Sale Price: $0.01 You save: $569.98 (100%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

BlackBerry Curve 8530 Phone, Purple (Sprint) List Price: $569.99 Sale Price: $0.01 You save: $569.98 (100%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

BlackBerry Curve 8520 Phone, White (T-Mobile) List Price: $299.99 Sale Price: $0.01 You save: $299.98 (100%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

BlackBerry Curve 8520 Phone, Black (T-Mobile) List Price: $299.99 Sale Price: $0.01 You save: $299.98 (100%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

BlackBerry Curve 8520 Phone, Fuschia (T-Mobile) List Price: $299.99 Sale Price: $0.01 You save: $299.98 (100%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

Microsoft KIN ONE Windows Phone (Verizon Wireless) List Price: $349.99 Sale Price: $0.01 You save: $349.98 (100%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Rating:

Press Release

Available Today: Verizon Wireless Offers New Prepaid Data Package on 3G Smartphones and Multimedia Phones

Unlimited Monthly Prepaid Data Package Brings Budget-Conscious Customers the Benefits of Popular 3G Devices without a Long-term Contract

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless today announced it will be expanding its portfolio of prepaid offerings to include a new 3G Prepaid data package that lets customers access unlimited data on select 3G Smartphones and Multimedia phones for $30 monthly access. Multimedia phone customers also have the option of selecting a new $10 monthly data package for 25 MB per month ($.20/MB overage). These new prepaid data packages will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Store today and online at www.verizonwireless.com beginning Sept. 28.

"These new data offerings will help our prepaid customers experience the full breadth of Verizon Wireless' robust device portfolio and the many engaging, informative and helpful applications that depend on a data plan," said Jim Sullivan, director of marketing for Verizon Wireless. "Our prepaid customers will now have the freedom to enjoy all of the capabilities that these phones have to offer, while controlling costs and without being tied to a contract."

Following are the 3G Smartphones and Multimedia phones eligible for the new data packages:

3G Smartphones

• BlackBerry® Curve™ 8330
• BlackBerry® Curve™ 8530
• BlackBerry® Storm™ 9530
• BlackBerry® Storm2™ 9550
• BlackBerry® Tour™ 9630
• BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650
• Palm® Pre™ Plus
• Palm Pixi™ Plus
• DROID by Motorola
• Motorola DEVOUR™
• DROID X by Motorola
• DROID 2 by Motorola
• DROID Eris™ by HTC
• DROID Incredible by HTC
• LG Ally™

3G Multimedia phones

• LG enV® TOUCH
• LG enV®3
• LG Chocolate® TOUCH
• LG VX8360
• Samsung Alias™ 2
• Samsung Renown™
• Nokia Twist™
• Casio® EXILIM

For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. For additional information on Verizon Wireless prepaid plans, visit www.verizonwireless.com/prepaid.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 92 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 79,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless

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Although Microsoft said they will continue to support Windows Mobile it looks like they didn’t mean Bing. According to wmpoweruser.com, Microsoft has discontinued support fro Bing on QVGA devices. This move is geared to allow Microsoft to focus on Windows Phone 6.1, 6.5 and of course Windows Phone 7. I am sure there will be a lot of upset people but let’s be honest, you should all be getting ready to grab a Phone 7 device anyway. Bing Mobile is being is actively checking for the specs on the phone and if they don’t meet the requirements a message is displayed telling you so. Those users that can not install the app anymore are prompted to use http://m.bing.com instead.

{Information via wmpoweruser.com }

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If there was any question if LG’s Windows Phone 7 device was headed to AT&T I think it is just about done. Engadget.com has a screen shot of the FCC documentation showing the Frequencies usually associated with AT&T. This version of Windows Phone 7 will have the slide out keyboard. If you are a bit geekier than me you can check out the rest of the FCC information for yourself.

{ Engadget.com }

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Earlier today Samsung made the official annoucement of the 7-inch Android powered Galaxy Tab. The device looks to be the next popular Android device but we know this changes on a weekly basis.  If you are wondering the devices does have a front and rear facing camer so video chat is an option. If you listen to the tech press a 7-inch device seems to be ideal for use as it has optimal weight for and eReader.

The Galaxy Tab will not be available until October 11th.  Pricing currently in Europe ranging from €699 ($890) to €799 ($1,020).  UK Pricing appears to be £680 ($1,050).

Galaxy Tab Commercial

Press Release

A New Smart Media Device, surpasses mobile boundaries, allowing you to enjoy more possibilities on the go

01 September 2010

Berlin, Germany, September 2nd, 2010 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in mobile technology, today announced the launch of the Samsung GALAXY Tab (Model: GT-P1000). Powered by Android Operating System 2.2, the Samsung GALAXY Tab is the first of the company’s tablet devices, representing a new category of mobile products for Samsung.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab brings together all of Samsung’s leading innovations to provide users with more capabilities while on the move. Consumers are able to experience PC-like web-browsing and enjoy all forms of multimedia content on the perfectly sized 7-inch display, wherever they go. Moreover, users can continuously communicate via e-mail, voice and video call, SMS/MMS or social network with the optimized user interface.

“Samsung recognizes the tremendous growth potential in this newly created market and we believe that the Samsung GALAXY Tab brings a unique and open proposition to market. There is a new and emerging consumer demand that Samsung can satisfy since mobile is in our DNA. This demand continues to grow and develop as users tap its limitless potential,” said JK Shin, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. “The Samsung GALAXY Tab has been designed to enable consumers to maximize their online experience wherever that may be. The Samsung GALAXY Tab is pushing the market in new directions and Samsung believes this is only the beginning of its innovations as pioneers in smart media devices.”

A new concept of mobility for media

As a new category of device, the Samsung GALAXY Tab brings a wealth of mobile experiences. Its striking 7” TFT-LCD display delivers exciting mobile experience for watching films, viewing pictures, e-reading or sharing documents. In design, its light (380g) build provides perfect portability, with its svelte dimensions making it easy to grip and use. Supporting the latest Adobe Flash Player 10.1, the Samsung GALAXY Tab fully supports swift, seamless viewing of every single page of the web.

The ‘Readers Hub,’ Samsung’s unique e-reading application, provides easy access to a vast digital library – from classical literature to the latest bestsellers and reference materials. At the same time, Samsung unveils ‘Media Hub,’ a gateway to a world of films and videos, and ‘Music Hub,’ an application giving access to a wide range of music tunes.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab has made rich communication truly mobile; it presents a level of converged technology that moves beyond mobile or PC to an entirely new category. Users have new powers to consume, create and communicate from wherever they are.

Powerful, always-on communication

With 3G HSPA connectivity, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth® 3.0, the Samsung GALAXY Tab enhances users’ mobile communication on a whole new level. Video conferencing and push email on the large 7-inch display make communication more smooth and efficient. For voice telephony, the Samsung GALAXY Tab turns out to be a perfect speakerphone on the desk, or a mobile phone on the move via Bluetooth® headset.

Powered by a Cortex A8 1.0GHz application processor, the Samsung GALAXY Tab is designed to deliver high performance whenever and wherever you are. At the same time, HD video contents are supported by a wide range of multimedia formats (DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263, H.264 and more), which maximizes the joy of entertainment.

While the front-facing camera allows face-to-face video telephony over 3G, the rear-facing camera captures still images and video that you can edit, upload and share, all without any hassle. As online content explodes, the Samsung GALAXY Tab is the best portable solution for every lifestyle that needs a constant connection.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab will be launched in Europe in mid September, and in other markets including Korea, the US and As

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I was giving some thought around Apple’s statement about activating 230,000 iOS devices per day, and then Apple calling into question if Google in fact does activate 200,000 devices per day. The fact that Apple even acknowledged the number of devices Google is activating daily really says they are concerned about the rapid growth of Android. Google did respond to Apples claims:

"The Android activation numbers do not include upgrades and are, in fact, only a portion of the Android devices in the market since we only include devices that have Google services."

My understanding is that Google’s 200,000 activations per day only account for phone activations. When Steve Jobs talked about activation, he talked about iOS, thus lumping iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch into a single number. On stage Jobs said, “We are activating a little over 230,000 iOS devices per day.” This is not an Apple-to-Apple comparison, no pun intended. As I said prior, iOS includes iPad (3G and Wi-Fi models), iPod Touch, and iPhone. Additionally, he said this is new activations, and thus this does not count any upgrades. Now, let’s parse this statement for a moment.

An iPod Touch, iPad, or iPhone, out of the box, must be activated (via iTunes), thus this boosts the number of device activations that Apple chose to report for iOS, as opposed to just reporting the iPhone only. The only reason to include the entire group vs. just iPhone is to make the gap between Apple and their competitors appear to be larger than it is, when comparing phone to phone.

I wonder what a new activation is? I know this is like defining the word is to a US President, but this is critical. Steve Jobs said upgrades are not included in the numbers. If you restore any of the 3 iOS devices, they all require activation; is that considered new activation by Apple? Can each physical hardware device only be counted once for activation? To be fair, however, the same would be true for Android. If you wipe your device and load a new baseband kernel (the phone transmitter code), you have to do activation again. But, just loading a new ROM, or upgrading the ROM does not require this. Anyone have thoughts on this part?

Are you interested in the comparison of Android and iOS as mobile platforms or are you interested in comparing them as it relates to mobile phone platforms and tablet/slate platforms. I raise this question because devices like Phillips GoGear MP3 Player are powered by Android. Should we count those in our comparison? This would also be true of the Archos Internet Tablet line, which has been on sale for months, but do not have Google services, and therefore don’t count in the numbers. As time goes on, this number could get potentially HUGE!

I took a class in school titled “How to Lie with Statistics”. There is a good book about How to Lie with Statistics available on Amazon, if you want to brush up. I don’t take any numbers or statements as is or at face value, without asking some basic questions first, just to clarify what I am hearing. Remember, Apple needs to sell you these products. You have to apply the value judgment of whether you really need/can afford them. Happy shopping!

Apple iPod nano 8 GB Graphite (6th Generation) NEWEST MODEL List Price: $149.00 Sale Price: $143.99 You save: $5.01 (3%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks Average Rating:

Apple iPod touch 8 GB (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL List Price: $229.00 Sale Price: $223.99 You save: $5.01 (2%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks Average Rating:

Apple iPod shuffle 2 GB Silver (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL List Price: $49.00 Sale Price: $47.99 You save: $1.01 (2%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks Average Rating:

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One of my favorite features of the BlackBerry has been the activity log. It provides you a view into what you have done with each of your contacts over time. For example you can see call history, SMS/MMS history, email communication, and other types of communication that register with the activity log, like Google Talk. The iPhone and Android both have lacked this historical communication view available only on the BlackBerry. Granted, the BlackBerry has been designed for business users who desire features like this, but I was excited to see Apple added this functionality into iOS 4.

I have been a huge fan of Favorite contacts on the iPhone since the device first released. When you initially hear about the feature, it is hard to appreciate the true value, until you commit to using it daily. Shortly after you start using Favorites, you begin to see the value of the recent call log because it is like favorites, but much more dynamic.

I had not really noticed that Apple had added a more detailed call log under phone | Recents. If you click on the arrow to the far left right for an individual contact you can see incoming and outgoing calls with date, time, and duration. This was a feature I really missed when I initially started using the iPhone. You would have a missed call, but all you knew was that it was missed.  You knew the day the call was missed but not the time.  Same for inbound or outbound calls; you never knew the call duration or time.  This feature clearly let’s you see missed calls and the date and time it was missed.

The only downside of the detailed call log is that it is on a number by number basis. Unlike the BlackBerry, where this functionality gives visibility at the contact level, Apple has implemented this feature only per phone number. The downside is you have to check each phone number that a contact has, which is not so bad considering the recent call area shows calls based on date and time order of the last calls.

Personally, I think this is a great feature for enterprise users, but it will also benefit consumers. How many times have you heard “Are you sure you called me? I don't remember and do not have a missed call”. It’s a rather nice feature and without a doubt, it is something I will use.

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Research in Motion (RIM) released a free podcasting application called BlackBerry Podcast on August 11. The most common question when you say podcast is, "What is a Podcast?" Take a moment to review our article about what a podcast is if you need a quick overview. For me, the majority of podcasts I subscribe to are not found via browsing a catalog of podcasts, but rather via word of mouth or when listening to an existing podcast I subscribe to.

How to Subscribe with BlackBerry Podcast

There are two ways to subscribe using BlackBerry Podcast: first, explore the podcast catalog from the device; or second, Add a Podcast Channel. Lets start with adding a podcast channel as this will likely be the fastest and most reliable method of subscribing. RIM is still growing their podcast catalog so many shows currently do not appear in their catalog.

Add Podcast Channel

This is a fancy term for adding a podcast URL or address. Most sites that offer a podcast have a link to subscribe to the podcast. You only need to copy the URL to subscribe. For example to subscribe to the Simple Mobile Review Podcast the URL is http://feeds.feedburner.com/simplemobilereviewpodcast. Copy this URL and paste it into the window provided.

Initially will see the podcast you want to subscribe to with a logo and name. Just click the button labeled subscribe. Once you click the button, you will get a dialog about subscribing, which you can ignore in the future by checking, Don't ask this again. The next dialog is more serious.

Warning: Subscriptions can cause large files to be downloaded frequently and without warning. You can change your download preferences in the options screen.

If you have read the ‘What is a Podcast’, then you should understand that each episode downloads audio or video files depending on the type of podcast. Most audio podcasts have files from 10 MB to 50 MB in size for a show of about 10 min to 2 hrs. Video podcasts can range from 9MB - 400 MB for a show of 3 min to 45 min. By default, the app will only download over Wi-Fi but this is an option you can change. Also, downloading podcasts can quickly drain your battery, so there is an option to only download podcasts when charging. That said, I download over both Wi-Fi and mobile network and I allow downloads when not charging. Despite the unexpected drain to my battery these options ensure I always have the latest shows on my device and when I want to listen to them.

Add Podcast by Browsing

BlackBerry Podcast has featured channels (aka featured podcasts), categories, and a search dialog to find podcasts. If you have no clue what you want to listen to, then consider browsing the categories to get an understanding of the options. I would also suggest looking at the iTunes or Zune podcast catalogs as they are far more extensive then what RIM is offering. This is one of the downsides of this app, as discovering new and different podcasts is somewhat difficult given its limited catalog. Hopefully, this will change over time.

What is BlackBerry Podcast Missing

If you are just starting to listen to podcasts, then this is actually a good app to use but as you get more advanced, you will find yourself wanting more control. Some areas where I feel it is lacking are in sorting podcasts and episodes; scheduling checks for new episodes; managing downloaded episodes; backing up; shortcuts; and a host of other minor but critical settings offered by paid apps like PodTrapper. Despite the shortcomings, you should try the free app until you know you will spend the time to listen to podcasts. Once you have 20+ podcast subscriptions and download multiple shows daily you will start to desire the functionality of PodTrapper.

Bottom Line

If I have not said this before, understand that BlackBerry Podcast is free and that alone says you are not out anything but your time to try the app. It is better than many paid podcasting apps on the BlackBerry but PodTrapper is the standard against which all other Podcasting apps are judged. This would be my daily podcasting app if I was new to podcasts and did not already own a copy of PodTrapper. The only thing you need to consider is having a large microsSD Card as podcasts can quickly eat up space. BlackBerry Podcast is worth every penny you spend on it.

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Related posts:

1. 10 Reasons PodTrapper is Blackberry Gold
2. Podcast 24: Get Your Free Simple Mobile Review Podcast for BlackBerry
3. How to Subscribe to a Podcast with Outlook