MetroPCS is took a big step forward with the launch of the LG Connect 4G, the carrier’s first dual core Android smartphone.  Not only did MetroPCS now have a device capable of matching up with some of the other high-end Android phones around but they are still able to offer it at [...]]]>

MetroPCS is took a big step forward with the launch of the LG Connect 4G, the carrier’s first dual core Android smartphone.  Not only did MetroPCS now have a device capable of matching up with some of the other high-end Android phones around but they are still able to offer it at an affordable price.  The LG Connect 4G brings a 1.2GHz dual core processor and a 4″ NOVA display to the prepaid world and for a limited time it’s available at MetroPCS locations for only $249.99 with 4G LTE plans starting at $40 a month with unlimited talk and text.  Bad ass.

The HTC One S is hot like fire.  Not literally because that would be stupid and potentially dangerous but the HTC One S is far and away the best phone in T-Mobile’s stable and currently one of the best Android phones around.  T-Mobile is selling the HTC One S for $199.99 with a [...]]]>

The HTC One S is hot like fire.  Not literally because that would be stupid and potentially dangerous but the HTC One S is far and away the best phone in T-Mobile’s stable and currently one of the best Android phones around.  T-Mobile is selling the HTC One S for $199.99 with a two year contract but right now it can be purchased at Walmart for only $169.99 with a contract.

If you’re feeling lucky you can also head over to T-Mobile’s Facebook page where they’re giving away a couple One S’ each day.  Just enter your contact information and hope for the best.

I know this is an Android blog but every now again I like to branch out and talk about other topics.  Today feels like a good day to talk about home theaters since I recently set one up in my basement and couldn’t be more pleased.  You can set one up too.  No [...]]]>

I know this is an Android blog but every now again I like to branch out and talk about other topics.  Today feels like a good day to talk about home theaters since I recently set one up in my basement and couldn’t be more pleased.  You can set one up too.  No really, a home theater can be set up in your home for around $600 total.

Now I may have been a bit lucky with my projector purchase but with a little effort you should be able to find a great deal as well.  I was able to find an Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 705hd for only $390 from Best Buy by searching on Google Shopping.  The Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 705hd had recently been discontinued and was being sold at a discounted price from its original retail price of $650 but Best Buy wasn’t  promoting this item.  It wasn’t on the website and the item wasn’t even on the floor when I arrived at the location but Google shipping was correct and the sales associate found the projector in the back at the advertised price.  Score!

This is where doing research and having patience comes into play.  The Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 705hd was one of two projectors that I had seriously researched (the other was the recently discontinued $1,000 Optoma HD20) and was the more affordable projector of the two options by over $300.  I read the comprehensive reviews of both items at projectorreviews.com (amazing site for anyone shopping for a projector) and checked out user reviews at both Best Buy and Amazon.  I was able to determined that while the Optoma HD20 was a better product it wasn’t good enough to spend an extra $350 on.  I highly recommend you check out these websites and do any additional searches you can to gather information on the projectors you are considering.  Unfortunately, I’m not aware of any locations that will actually let you have a first hand look at a projector so researching the item thoroughly is crucial.

Once you decide which projector you want to purchase you should start pricing it on the internet.  I used Amazon, Best Buy, Ebay, P.C. Richards, Fry’s and Google Shopping to try to find the best price.  I ended up going with Best Buy one the item was discontinued and reduced but thanks to my research I knew that I had found a deal that I just couldn’t pass up.

One other thing to consider when buying a projector is bulb life and replacement costs a some bulbs can cost over $200 to replace after only 3,000 hours.  The Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 705hd has a long bulb life (5,000 hours in ECO mode) and a low replacement cost ($150 or under) making it even more affordable than other projectors in the long run but that end date will always being looming.  Due to the inevitable need to replace your bulb after a few years I would even recommend buying a used projector off of Ebay if you can get it for a low enough price considering you’ll most likely be replacing the bulb at some point anyway.  Just make sure you include the replacement bulb cost in your projection or you will end up over paying.

The two projectors I looked at were home projectors but don’t be afraid to check out business projectors as well.  You might be able to get the features you need at a lower price by choosing a business focused projector over a similar home theater unit.  As always, do your research before making a purchase.

Once you get your projector in your home you’ll have to determine whether you want it on a shelf, table or mounted on your ceiling.  This will have to be something you consider during the selection process since the throw ratio of the projector will determine how far it needs to be from the screen.  Any in-depth review will go into the best placement for the projector as well.  I started out with my projector on a table and while it definitely worked perfectly it does mean that you always have to have a place for it to rest in the middle of the room.  That is why I chose to mount my projector on the ceiling using a mount I found on Amazon for only $30.  Once again you need to read the reviews of each mount and try to see if it will fit your projector.  Not all “universal” mounts will work on all projectors so try to find one that you’re confident will work with your unit.

Now that you’ve got you’re projector picked out you’ll need to figure out that surround sound system.  Fortunately, you can purchase a 5.1 surround sound speaker system with an up-converting DVD player and receiver for under $100 at Walmart, Best Buy and other stores.  Don’t expect to be blown away by the power but it will provide adequate surround sound that easily out performs the speakers in a flat panel television.  After reading reviews, I opted for a $120 Dynex system from Best Buy that was marked down to $100 although I ended up replacing the front speakers with an old pair of home stereo speakers I had lying around to enhance the bass a little bit.  This particular system came with speaker wire but it probably won’t be enough to run the back speakers to where they’ll need to be but you can get 50ft of speaker wire for around $15.

So you’ve got your projector set up and your surround sound system picked out, now you’re going to have to connect everything together.  There are a few things to note here and this is where I have run into a few hiccups so make sure you are aware of your devices needs.  To get my projector set up I needed to buy four HDMI cables (one 25 footer), an HDMI splitter, an extension cord, an optical audio cord and an optical to analog audio splitter.  Luckily, most of these items can be found on Amazon at a very reasonable price so they won’t break the bank but the shear number of cables and adapters has been overwhelming.  Of course, I’m hooking up cable, a PS3 and an Xbox 360 to my projector and some of the audio connectivity issues are due to my receivers lack of input options so your needs will differ but you should be prepared to get your Amazon account set up and ready to go.

At this point you may be thinking that I’m missing a pretty major price of the whole home theater puzzle but I figured it would be best to save it for last.  I’m of course referring to the screen or display if you prefer.  I have my Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 705hd projecting a 120′ display directly onto my basement wall and the picture looks great so at this time I don’t see a need to purchase a screen.  If you do decide to purchase a screen then you’ll have to come up with another $100-$300 for a lower quality screen.  After firing up my Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 705hd onto the wall I knew that I didn’t need a screen but I still had some work to do.  When I painted my basement a few years back I used a light blue/gray semi-gloss paint so it would have a nice shine to it.  Unfortunately that shine reflects a little bit when the projector is on.  There is a kind of fine sandpaper that is meant to help take the shine off of your paint and it does help take some of the shine off the paint which reduces the reflection and improves the picture quality.  If you are willing to paint your wall as a screen you can follow this guide to give you an idea which paint to use or you could go with a simple flat white paint.  Steer clear of anything with a glossy finish and you’ll be fine.

The moral of the story is that putting a home theater in your home is more affordable than you might think and once you have it installed you won’t believe how much use you’ll get out of it.  Video games look great, movies are more fun, TV shows are more entertaining and sporting events are fantastic.  It really is a great way to get families and friends together and if you’re a TV or video game lover then you are going to love having a projector in your house.  Buying one has been the smartest purchase that I’ve made in quite some time.  Just make sure you do your research and remain patient and you should be able to find a great deal.

Deal seekers are going to absolutely love this one.  Amazon Wireless now has the 16GB Droid RAZR by Motorola on sale for a penny, a freaking penny, when you sign up for a new two year contract with Verizon.  This is the type of deal that someone might actually kill for although [...]]]>

Deal seekers are going to absolutely love this one.  Amazon Wireless now has the 16GB Droid RAZR by Motorola on sale for a penny, a freaking penny, when you sign up for a new two year contract with Verizon.  This is the type of deal that someone might actually kill for although if they killed someone so they could only spend a penny on a new Android phone, even one as great as the Droid RAZR, then they’re probably crazy.  What is this post about again?  Oh, right.  16GB Droid RAZR on sale for a penny at Amazon Wireless.

Today, Samsung pulled the wraps off of their latest flagship device, the Samsung Galaxy S III which just so happens to be the third of the Galaxy S’.  There wasn’t anything unexpected in today’s announcement but that doesn’t mean that the Galaxy S III is a disappointment.  In fact, when the Galaxy S [...]]]>

Today, Samsung pulled the wraps off of their latest flagship device, the Samsung Galaxy S III which just so happens to be the third of the Galaxy S’.  There wasn’t anything unexpected in today’s announcement but that doesn’t mean that the Galaxy S III is a disappointment.  In fact, when the Galaxy S III hits the streets later this month (in Europe) it will be the best Android phone around.

The specs are simply amazing.  The Galaxy S III features a 4.8″ HD Super AMOLED display, a 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos processor, an 8 megapixel camera, a 2 megapixel front-facing camera, NFC chip, a 2,100mAh battery, a microSD slot, 16GB, 32GB or (eventually) 64GB options and Android 4.0.4 with an updated version of TouchWiz.  Based on specs alone the Galaxy S III is in a class that only the HTC One X can call home.  That’s pretty rarefied air since the HTC One X is the baddest phone on the planet currently.  Well, until today that is because the Samsung Galaxy S III is probably just a hair ahead of HTC’s best effort.

The big reason why Samsung’s newest flagship is the top of the pops is that powerful 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos processor sitting under the hood just waiting to be brought to life.  Just like it’s dual-core brethren the Samsung made Exynos might be a better chip than those produced by NVIDIA and Qualcomm.  That speed is what makes the Galaxy S III the top phone ever made (at this point).

Thanks to that processing power, the Galaxy S III’s camera has zero shutter lag and you can guarantee that the sensor has been improved in the year since the Galaxy S II was released.  The 4.8″ HD Super AMOLED display is very similar to the one that appeared on the Galaxy Nexus a few months back which is a pretty good thing.  The design is familiar to anyone who has seen one of the previous Galaxy iterations but still comes off looking fresh and refined.  Basically, the features on the Galaxy S III match or exceed every other device out there.  That’s what makes the Samsung Galaxy S III the best Android phone.  For the time being at least.

Source: Engadget, Samsung

Remember a few months back when I wrote about the Visual Land 7″ Android 4.0 ICS tablet that was being sold at Best Buy for a very affordable $149.99?  Well now Walmart has that very same Android 4.0 ICS tablet on sale for $129.99 which is a great price for a [...]]]>

Remember a few months back when I wrote about the Visual Land 7″ Android 4.0 ICS tablet that was being sold at Best Buy for a very affordable $149.99?  Well now Walmart has that very same Android 4.0 ICS tablet on sale for $129.99 which is a great price for a very solid low priced tablet.

To recap, the Visual Land Android 4.0 ICS tablet features a 7″ capacitive display with 800 x 480 resolution, a 1.2GHz Cortex-ARM A8 processor, 8GB of internal storage, a front-facing camera and Android 4.0 ICS.  The Visual Land tablet is not meant to compete with the iPad or the Galaxy Tab’s of the world but anyone who is in the market for a tablet capable of doing almost everything you can throw at it for a great price should give the Visual Land Android tablet a good long look.  At only $129.99 you’re not going to find an Android 4.0 ICS tablet for any cheaper than this.

The HTC One S was officially released to the public at T-Mobile stores on April 25th as the flagship device in their smartphone lineup.  The HTC One S is a fantastic phone and it easily outpaces the rest of  T-Mobile’s offerings in nearly every category but there’s an issue with this phone [...]]]>

The HTC One S was officially released to the public at T-Mobile stores on April 25th as the flagship device in their smartphone lineup.  The HTC One S is a fantastic phone and it easily outpaces the rest of  T-Mobile’s offerings in nearly every category but there’s an issue with this phone being T-Mobile’s flagship device, it’s not even the flagship of HTC’s One line of devices.

You see, the true flagship phone of HTC’s One phones is the One X which brings a 4.7″ 720p HD display to the table which easily outclasses the 4.3″ qHD display found on the HTC One S.  The HTC One X also has a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera compared to the VGA camera on the One S.  Those are the biggest differences between the two phones at this point since the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor that was found in the international version of the One X has been replaced with the same Snapdragon S4 as the One S in the AT&T variant of the device.

Both phones are premium and both are at the high-end of the spectrum when it comes to overall performance but the display on the One X is so good that it really makes the One S feel like a second class citizen.  Now that T-Mobile has chosen the HTC One S as their flagship Android phone they remain the only major wireless carrier in the U.S. to not carry a phone with an HD display.  Seeing as this technology has been available for over 5 months it just seems that T-Mobile is continuing to fall behind the curve when it comes to their devices.

Look, the HTC One S is a great phone.  The HTC One S is far and away the best phone available from T-Mobile but the HTC One S is not the HTC One X.  The display on the One S is smaller and has a lower resolution and the front-facing camera on the One S cannot match the 1.3 megapixel shooter with 720p HD video capture on the One X (BTW front-facing camera quality becoming increasingly important on a phone).  On the other hand, the One S is a sleeker device and it does perform better in battery tests than the One X so it’s not like there isn’t anything to love about it.  It’s just that it’s not the One X even though T-Mobile is touting it as such.

If you’re interested in seeing a good comparison of the two devices then check out this post from Engadget that breaks down the differences between the two phones in detail.  Also, if you’re interesting in winning an HTC One S from T-Mobile or tons of other prizes then head over to T-Mobile’s Facebook page and enter for your chance to win from now until May 22nd.