[Upcoming] Stormfly

Mobile computing comes in many flavours nowadays.
We got our tablets,smartphones, phablets, laptops and now there's a new iteration on the mobile horizon.
Ladies and gentlemen ,let me introduce to you the Stormfly !
What we have here is a USB 3 pluggable Ubuntu 12.04 powered portable operating system.
Plug it into any USB bootable computer and you have all your data at hand.(MAC or PC)
The Stormfly is basically a computer on your wrist.
Cloud storage backup options are available as a subscription service to those who desire.
Keep your eyes open for a hands-on review of the Storm fly on Androidistica in a near future.
Meanwhile,head over to the Stormfly homepage for some in depth details ,videos and contact info.

*Update* [Review] Readly ! ( steady go!)

Android users in the northern hemisphere really aren't spoiled with Google play content.
As for Scandinavian users there is really only 25 % of the categories available.

Androidistica has touched base with this subject before and there is apparently a load of rules, politics and agencies grinding the old paper mill before the whole planet can enjoy all content democratically on Google Play.
Luckily this does not stop independent third party providers from granting the masses more content.
Such is the case with Readly.

Based in Sweden, Readly delivers magazines to mobile platforms such as Android via their app on a subscription based service.

After downloading the Readly app, creating an account and confirming that via the received  email were good to go.

There is a number of categories to pick magazines from.
15 different ones to be specific.
You get access to the latest issue and back issues as well.
Reading magazines is as easy as navigating any Web page.
Zoom controls are the same as in native Android UI.
Double tap either zooms or restores the view to original size.

You can add your personal favourites in the Readly app for fast access to the magazines you prefer.
There is the possibility to add bookmarks to pages you need quick access too also.
All in all Readly is a welcome piece of service in the midst of Google Play lacking content for parts of the world where politics and agencies seem to have deadlocked.
Head over to your preferred app repository and grab Readly subscription (All issues of all available magazines) or grab the free version which gives you 1 issue of every magazine for ever!

*NOTE* As of now only Swedish magazines are available in Readly. This is likely to expand to other languages in the future.

[Review] Slimline BT Keyboard & trackpad

This time were having a look at another piece of accessories for the mobile life .
The device to be put on the stage is no less than a bluetooth keyboard with a truly portable format.
At first sight it may come off as a calculator, thats how small it is.

Accompanied by its micro usb to usb charging cable you dont need to carry around an extra set of AAA batteries or anything like that for power.
This keyboard has a built-in USB chargeable battery.
The details dont stop here.
Built-in mouse.
But how is this done ?
Here's the secret:
Up in the top right corner there is a square shaped larger button which acts a a tiny touch pad.
On top of all that there are numerous function keys added to the standard qwerty keyboard layout.
Standard as in navigation on a touchscreen device.
You can browse through your home screens, do a long press , anything you basically can execute with the tip of your fingers on a smartphone or a tablet.
Underneath the keyboard, the back side ifbyou will has the power on/off switch and a channel 1 and channel 2 button.
Look at it as profile buttons.
You can pair the keyboard with your phone and tablet if you like.
Switching between usage is done by a flick of a switch.
Practical and working as intended.
The keyboard was paired to several android devices upon testing and the only device that didn't complete the pairing process was an older tablet (ZTE Light with a custom rom).
No big issues really with the pairing in other words.
How is usability with this one then ?
While the extra function buttons are really helpful, you need to be in a well-lit room to see the markings .
This made me wish the buttons would've been backlit or at least had the option to activate it.
Pressed keys are responsive and not too loud klicking away on this keyboard.
Will I type faster with this than an on screen keyboard ?
That all depends on the device youre planning on using with it.
There surely is a win in terms of using a singler pointer/cursor remote on any smart tv android hdmi stick.
When it comes to tablets there is maybe not a huge win in time with an external keyboard.
It really comes down to case from case scenario.
One usually dont think of buying accessories if not needed.
You get the  idea.
This keyboard could well be worth every penny for the right need.

Thanks again to Mobilefun for having Androidistica reviewing yet another piece.

This review was made according to YOTA principles.

[Review] Kidgi MHL Charger dock for N7100

With todays usage of smartphones equipped with large HD screens no one really reflects any more whether one should bring a long a charger or not when going outside your home.
I've got charging options at home, in the car and at work.
This review will be about the one at home, the Kidgi Charger dock.

This piece of black design with four rubberized feet is capable of more than just charging.
Hook it up with your TV via a HDMI cable (not included in the package) and suddenly your android device has a bigger screen and audio output via the TV speakers!
The one tested for this review is the Kidgi  Charger/MHL dock for Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
One thing that strikes is the sheer size of the display.
Second thing that happened was my son who started poking the Pixel Dungeon icon on our TV screen.
Quite hilarious, kids these days !
To get landscape mode you either have to put the dock on its side although it is easier and more convenient to install the app for screen rotation.
No issues at all using this .
One thing that was apparent was the charging voltage.
Seems as if the Kidgi dock voltage is slightly lower in throughput than the original charger for the Note 2.
Then again,the charger has no MHL option does it ?
If you're in the market for a elegant charger and MHL dock the Kidgi is certainly a good pick.

This review was written and published according to [YOTA] , all Android supported.

[YOTA] Launch!

Things are falling into place for the experiment undertaken by Androidistica named as Year Of The Android. [YOTA].
For the launch of this year-long event we have got  The kidgi MHL dock with charger and the bluetooth keyboard with a built in mouse.

Running on Samsung Galaxy Note2 the challenge was to first get things rolling on a larger display with the mentioned hardware connected to a Samsung LCD 40 inch tv-set.
Running other than stock rom for the Note2 seemed to be quite tricky in getting the MHL dock work with the TV set.
Lo and behold , here we are !
The Note 2 running Wanam Lite and 'Rotation locker ' to force landscape mode .
We have a launch ladies and gentlemen!
For a full year from today everything will be Android-base-performed.
(This blogpost being written completely with Note 2 ).
There will propably be some fiddling along the way and even some cursing but I'll spare you the cursing and try to keep reports as clear and simple as possible.
Once a week I will tell you of the good, the bad and the ugly if there is any ugliness?
Devices will be different but all of them will be running Android.
Anyway, you get the picture.
More will be revealed as progress is being made.
Coming up next is reviews if some hardware !
Enjoy!

[YOTA] Progress report.

Eagerly waiting for a launch date for the Year Of The Android project some obstacles have emerged from the depths of Murphys Law.

As you might have noticed Androidistica likes to explore more than meets the eye on Android devices and this is also the case when it comes down to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 ment to kick-off the Year Of The Android project.
Being a betatester on a sleek N7100 rom is truly a pleasure and priviledge.
However, the MHL support is not crystal clear when it comes to this particular ROM for N7100.
One might say this is being investigated quite a bit right now.
So yes, this post too is written on a different platform than Android but fear not!
Androidistica will prevail , we will conquer this obstacle and view it as an opportunity, not a problem.
(This opportunity could well be installing the latest Samsung Stock image just to get the YOTA ball rolling ).



...ok.

Yes, i am downloading it as i write this post.
(Just to make sure the MHL Dock is not faulty)
You will see a review of this MHL / Charger dock and a bluetooth keyboard/mouse combo as soon as we get the YOTA started, be sure of that.
So without further ado, back to testing and troubleshooting to make sure we bounce back quickly with the launch of Year Of The Android!
Don't touch that dial!

[YOTA] Launch emerging.

The Year Of The Android project is slowly emerging into launchday.
Humbled by the thought of leaving the Windows/Linux world to go exclusively with Android as a base platform has got me thinking if i'm really right minded.

The first and foremost concern is what this post is about:

Blogging.

Accustomed to Blogger as a base and Google Chrome being the standard browser for everything i need to figure out a smooth way to write posts via Android.

This will be attempted by a MHL adapter and a Bluetooth keyboard which you will see reviews on in a near future.

Next week will likely be launch day for the year-long quest of Androidifying my life .

Most day to day tasks will propably present little or no challenge at all.

Paying bills is done today via the Android App made by the bank we have in our household.

Webbrowsing is also something mostly executed by a Android device named Samsung Galaxy Note 2. 

There are of course other things, not known at the moment but surely presented when time comes when there might be a challenge to execute things.

I will attempt things out of the ordinary of course, such as programming , video editing and other things which you will be able to see posted here.

The plan is to do at least a weekly update on the Year Of The Android project .

So with these words, stay hungry and come back for more .