Review: Altec Lansing BackBeat 903 Bluetooth Earphones

The search for the perfect bluetooth earphones is never easy, but we can certainly help with that. The Altec Lansing BackBeat 903 phones offer amazing clarity, decent battery life and a price that is way too low for a quality wireless headphone.

The most important feature of a set of headphones is the audio quality. First and foremost, this has got to be one of the strongest pairs we have used. The sound is tight, very few drops and switches flawlessly between phone and music functions. The bass is a bit light for some of our tastes, but overall the sound quality is unbelievable.

The dual-noise cancellation mic performs great while on calls and the mute button makes it full hands-free operation when you are listening away from your EVO. The integrated controls will allow you to play, pause, skip, reverse and control the volume directly from your ears.

The distance on these seems to max out around 50 – 75 feet from the handset. More electronics or appliances can cut that distance pretty well, but it’s more than adequate to leave your EVO charging in the bedroom while you journey to the laundry room.

The listening time we experienced is between 4 to 5 hours with some phone calls while we played. The source of the audio stream didn’t seem to matter to the BackBeats, as Slacker played just as long as the stock music player.

Overall, we are hard pressed to find a better phone set under $75 much less in the under $50 crowd. Our partner site, GetSmartphones.Info has the Altec Lansing BackBeat 909’s for an unbelievably low $39.99, that’s $60.00 off their regular price. We recommend ordering two at this price and use the code: freeship at checkout to get free shipping on your item. Order your set today before supplies run out on this great deal.

5 Minute App Review: Amazon MP3/Cloud Player

Amazon shocked the world yesterday with the ‘official’ launch of the Amazon Cloud Music and file storage software. The software installs on your EVO in seconds as an update to the stock Amazon MP3 program. The program provides access to the complete Amazon MP3 catalog, your cloud storage and also provides amazingly quick access to the free song of the day.

The player interface is very straight forward with your store button on the upper right corner with the playlist access directly below that. The album art is located in the center of the screen with the title located right above the artist and album name. Directly at the bottom of the screen is the shuffle, reverse, play/pause, forward and repeat buttons.

The storefront section of the player continues to play your music while you shop the new titles. The two titles highlighted on the screen are the free song of the day and the MP3 Daily Deal Album. Usually these albums are $1.99 to $3.,99 and run for 24 hours at that pricing. Selecting one of the menus brings up the item you choose.

Once selected, a category like New Releases will show you the most popular new albums on Amazon. The purchase process is simple once you are set up. Log in with your Amazon account and you can one click purchase albums to be downloaded to your device directly. If you choose to do business online, you can simply have them stored immediately on the cloud server and stream or download them to your EVO later.

Overall, the player is more than adequate and the streaming service works great over higher speed connections. We don’t recommend trying this over a 2G or weak 3G network, but on a strong 3G, 4G or Wi-Fi, the experience is perfect.

Amazon MP3: 4 out of 5  -  FREE - Available in the Amazon Appstore and the Android Market

5 Minute App Review: Diner Dash 2

In the challenging puzzle style games, Diner Dash was always a favorite, even all the way back to our Windows Mobile days. In the simplistic, yet challenging format, you are a waitress in a restaurant and have to shuffle in the guests, feed them and get them out before the next set arrives or becomes unhappy.

Game play is very simple, with guests arriving to the left of the screen. You select the pop-up box, then place them at a table. You then click them to take their order, and run it to the counter by clicking the ticket holder in the upper left corner of the counter area. Once the order is done, select the plate for the table you are going to, drop it off and start the next one. As you see a table finish, click it to collect your money, then clear the dishes by dropping them in the dish tray to the right of the counter and start all over.

As you complete each level, you will be given more tables and more sets of customers. Be careful how you seat your guests as you only have a few tables that will hold the larger parties.

Overall, we have to give this game pretty high marks, but the $4.99 price tag might be a bit steep in an era of free being the going rate for many entertaining games. We give the game play itself a solid 4 out of 5, but the $4.99 price tag only gets it a 3. We will average it out at 3.5 and call it a fun way to kill some time.

Diner Dash 2: 3.5 out of 5  -  $4.99 in the Android Market or the Amazon App Store

Evo 4G vs. Evo 3D: Should I Wait?

This is the deadliest argument you can have with a smartphone fan. Do I wait for the next generation, or do I buy the tried and tested version that’s 9 months old? As the early adopters will usually tell you, the latest and greatest is ALWAYS the way to go. As the frustrated inexperienced user will tell you, ALWAYS wait for the bugs to get worked out.

Unfortunately, waiting for the bugs to get worked out of the modern smartphone is impossible. When they fix one thing, a whole new crop of issues comes up. So, the long and the short of this argument is going to be, what are you going to use it for?

First off, spec battle…

The older 1Ghz Snapdragon in the original EVO has been out paced for quite some time. Sure, there are those that root and overclock, but at the expense of precious battery. The 1Ghz is more than snappy enough to power the device in your hand – although it will probably miss out on some amazing software in the pipeline – most notably Netflix.

The newer dual core 1.2Ghz Snapdragon in the 3D will run circles around the original, and powers the much nicer version of Sense that is included. Overall, it might be overkill unless you are a serious gamer – in which case, stop reading now. The greatest asset of the dual-core processor on the 3D is the advanced power management feature that allows both cores to power simultaneously and use different power levels between them. This means longer and more efficient battery life over a long day.

Second, the displays…

The original EVO features an 800x480 WVGA screen. The new 3D screen – besides being 3D – is 960x540 in the same 4.3” package. This keeps true with current HD TV resolutions (1920x1080) and delivers excellent playback of those Blu-Ray rips and 1080p videos from your phone’s camera.

While the qHD screen on the 3D is a great step up, it’s probably not one that is going to get noticed by the average user. The 3D functionality is something that can be shut off if you are one that gets motion sickness from the 3D experience, but overall, it’s simply amazing. Again, if you are purchasing a phone – both screens are completely adequate, but the edge goes to the higher resolution.

Third, overall functionality…

Now that we have addressed the horsepower and screen, it really comes down to what they do. Sure, the original EVO shot 720p video, but it was at 25fps, which drops some frames on playback. The new 3D is supposed to shoot at 30fps at the same resolution in 3D (one of the benefits of that dual-core processor) or 1080p in 2D. For capturing those family fun moments, you have to like the theoretical speed of that newer camera and processor. Of course, for mobile posting, you pretty well stick to 800x600 for the original which posts great to Facebook and YouTube.

The camera on the original EVO is amazing. I’ve taken some simply brilliant photos with it. With some basic tweaking and understanding how the cameras on the EVO work, you should be very happy with it. The 3D features, of course, the 3D imaging system – at 5MP – for some really cool stuff, but until we can print them or view them on our computer screens, the 3D feature seems a bit strange to have. Maybe in 12 to 24 months we all will have large 3D screens for viewing, but until then, I give the nod to the original on this one.

Media playback on both devices is stellar. The EVO 3D is rocking a slightly higher resolution for those movies, but honestly, on a mobile device it becomes more about compression than quality. The 800x480 display of the original delivers crystal clear DVD movies when compressed through programs like Handbrake. The newer 3D titles sure would be fun to watch, but would you really  want to watch Avatar in 3D on your phone. I think that battery is going to kick the bucket way too fast on that one.

Battery life… We’ll just call that one a draw and move on quickly. It’s way to early to try to think that that 230mAh they added to the 3D is going to make any difference. Just figure if you are going to do more than text and talk that you’ll need that extended battery on both.

The rest of the stuff doesn’t change much. Sense for the most part is Sense, despite the cool new lock screen that allows quick access to apps from the screen by dragging them into the locking area. The devices themselves are very similar in construction and feel. The best way to sum this one up is to see if you want the ‘newest’ or if you want a deal on the older?

Right now you can get the EVO in white for $184.99 at our partner site http://bit.ly/dLUMrQ or you can check back for when the black version is back in stock at the same price. There’s also a fantastic deal on the Samsung Epic 4G for $129.99 but that won’t last long. Great deal on that, now Froyo powered AMOLED screened beauty.

Also, don’t forget the accessories! Your EVO is just a phone without all the goodies! Shop online now for the best stuff on earth – or at least some amazing prices on headsets, memory cards and more! GetSmartphones.info is the place to go for the best deals in town – or the web…

Pandora Vs. Slacker–Fight!

Streaming music is something that everyone with an EVO should be enjoying. If you aren’t, then you should probably give one of these amazing apps a shot. When you head in to the Market, you will see dozens of options for streaming Apps. While there is not a ‘clear-cut’ favorite, we are highlighting our favorite two.

Slacker Radio and Pandora Radio both offer free and paid options for their services. Pandora offers limited skipping and 40 hours of free listening per month. Slacker offers 6 skips per station per hour and has audio commercials between songs. It does offer unlimited listening even on the free service.

Pandora charges a flat $36 per year for unlocking the unlimited time and skipping. You can also custom craft stations using Pandora’s enormous library. Slacker has two payment options to access their unlimited service. This non-commercial, non-ad service includes unlimited music and skipping for $4.99 a month or $47.88 a year.

The interfaces are almost identical between the two programs. The basic layouts feature the album art, artist name, album name, song title and player controls – skipping, like/don’t like and a pause button. Slacker features the station name at the top of the player and their magical upgrade button. Pandora has the same information, sans the station name, but includes a great “info” button in the corner.

While both options are great for streaming quality and selection, Pandora’s software steps it up a few notches by including some amazing features. Lyric searches, album and artist notes and more are included with the ‘info’ button at the top of the album art in the main screen. A major added bonus like this more than makes up for the constant banner ads flashing across the bottom of the player.

Overall, if you are looking for a completely free option that can be used everyday, Slacker is the better choice of the two. If you want to go to the paid versions, Pandora’s software is light years ahead of the Slacker player and is about $12 a year cheaper. So, if you are stingy, get them both and enjoy the unlimited ad supported music on Slacker or the limited hours on Pandora with all the bonus features.

Don’t forget to check out our newest smartphone accessories available online now at http://www.getsmartphones.info.

How To Remove The superuser.apk

So you decided to root your EVO just to get that free tethering, but now you have an issue and have to return that device to the Sprint store. You start with the simple re-flash to stock and get all your information off when – uh oh… Superuser is still listed in your app list.

Well, this is actually a pretty simple process, but without instructions, it’s a serious problem.

1) Do not try to unroot your phone until you get superuser.apk removed.

2) Simply download Root Explorer from the Market.

3) Open Root Explorer and enable “Write” by clicking the Mount R/O and switching it to Mount R/W. This enables you to change files in this program.

4) Navigate to Android > System > App >

5) Scroll down to superuser.apk, long press and select Delete.

6) REPEAT this for all superuser.apk files that you encounter.

You can now check your application list by simply pressing the Home button and pulling up your app list. Now uninstall all your ‘root’ apps, including Root Explorer, and enjoy your ‘unrooted look’ EVO. You can also perform an unroot now if you are really concerned that they will give you grief, but most of the store people only look for a few applications that are red flags.

Also, make sure to reinstall your bloatware before you return your device as missing Sprint apps are a sure sign of alteration.

Google Voice On Your Evo – Now with Sprint Superpowers!

Google Voice is an amazing addition to your Evo and with Sprint’s upcoming partnership with Google, it becomes even more powerful. By entering your Sprint number as your new Google Voice number you receive a number of amazing features that are unmatched in the industry.

First and foremost, you have the power of Google Voice calling at your fingertips. While these minutes do count against your ‘anytime minutes’, you can call many locations free, including Mexico and Canada. Discounted rates to the UK are as low as $.02 per minute. This is a fraction of what cellular minutes currently cost to call the UK or other worldwide destinations.

Next on the amazing features list is the powerful SMS tool that is incorporated in to the Voice app. Free texting is great – although not a major bonus for most EVO users. The nice bonus to Google’s voice system is that the SMS message can be forwarded directly to your Gmail inbox for a BlackBerry’esque experience.

Another feature is voice mail access from any computer. By simply enabling other phones/devices on the Google Voice site, you can forward your Google Voice number to your home, office and even your weekend getaway locations.

Call screening, blocking and grouping is another wonderful feature of this new service. You can block those annoying telemarketers, who will then receive the “Dee dee deet – We’re sorry, the number you’ve called is no longer in service” message when they call you next.

Grouping allows you to have different messages for different people when they call you. Your friends can have one message, while your co-workers get a more professional greeting.

The final feature that we will highlight is the call screening option. You can actually screen calls live and decide whether or not to answer them when the voicemail picks up. A brilliant play when you aren’t sure who is calling or if you really want to talk to Uncle Bob right now.

Overall, the merge of Google Voice and Sprint services will make life grand – especially for newer users just getting on the bandwagon. Get yourself over to http://www.google.com/support/voice/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=1205635 and get all the details now.