The Verizon Galaxy Nexus Android 4.0.4 update was rumored to be out on Tuesday. Tuesday came and went without an update, just like the other days have in the five months since its launch.

I’m not mad that it missed that date and I’m not even mad about the ridiculous bugs that seem to be getting worse and worse. What I am mad about is that Verizon, knowing full well that its customers are fed up, has yet to issue any sort of update or statement about the progress of the update or the update itself.

Since the launch of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, the phone has received a grand total of zero updates. Zero. Seriously, not one. I find that unacceptable, especially for a Nexus-branded device. And I know that others do too.

It’s especially terrible because the Galaxy Nexus is indeed suffering from a number of issues that need to be sorted out.

I can deal with the terrible battery life, but not the silence.

Read: Wait for Galaxy Nexus Android 4.0.4 Update Gets More Bizarre.

But again, I can deal with those. I’ve just put my phone aside until the software inevitably arrives.

What I can’t deal with is the lack of communication. While other carriers like T-Mobile and Sprint have been very open and honest about various bug fix updates and Android upgrades, even when the news is bad, Verizon has yet to utter a single word about an update for the Galaxy Nexus.

Maybe it has mentioned something on Twitter that I’ve missed but it’s account responds to hundreds upon hundreds of tweets a day so it’s hard to keep track.

Point is, it hasn’t issued anything official in regards to the update. If this was a normal phone, I would understand. But this is a best-selling device and a Nexus device at that.

Just how quiet has Verizon been?

A Google engineer launched a thinly veiled accusation toward Verizon in regards to the delay and the carrier didn’t even retort. It remained silent. Just like it has in the five months since it launched the phone to great fanfare five months ago.

Read: Five Months With The Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

Seriously, a simple “We’re working as hard as we can on the update and we hope to share news soon” would do. Anything is better than the sound of crickets I have endured since December.

So, you want to know what the worse part about the wait for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is? It’s not the fact that I’ve been waiting five months. It’s not the fact that my phone is absolutely plagued with bugs.

It’s the fact that carrier has remained completely silent about an update that has clearly pissed off hordes of its customers.

The Worst Part About the Wait for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus Update is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

iPads are either better than books or worse than second-hand smoke depending on which parenting expert you talk to. The truth of the matter is there still isn’t any long-term research to back other extreme and parents should simply use a healthy dose of common sense before handing over tablets to toddlers.

A Wall Street Journal writer discussed this issue today that seems to have a relatively balanced view. Ben Worthen points out in the below video that more than half of kids aged eight and younger have access to an iPad or a tablet like it.

Letting a kid play with an iPad doesn’t mean you can stop being a parent. It just means they have another way to learn and explore their world. The iPad isn’t any different from other technology that’s freaked out experts of the years. Leaving a kid alone in a playpen with an iPad all day probably isn’t the best idea, but is it any worse than doing the same with a TV in the background? As the case has been for decades, the gadgets aren’t what we should worry about, it’s the parents.

As he mentions above, him and his wife allow their four-year-old son to use an iPad. They are particularly concerned about the “flow experience,” which is a technical way of describing how kids sometimes zone out when playing iPad games.

So what’s different about an iPad compared to an iPhone or computer? For one, toddlers can’t really do much with a Mac or PC. Sure, some kids enjoy playing some computer games or watching video, but it’s pretty tough to operate a computer without being able to type and read. iPads offer a tactile experience that’s much more natural than using a mouse and keyboard. The iPad’s relatively large display is more immersive than those found on smaller devices, such as the iPhone. This also means toddlers can swipe and tap around for longer periods without accidentally hitting the home button or accidentally interrupting gameplay by hitting menu icons.
2,3, or 4 can’t use a keyboard or mouse.

The iPad is an incredible learning and communications device. So why would we even think of leaving it out of the mix? Toys are incredibly high-tech these days. Trains talk, toys work with specific apps and stuffed animals synchronize with web accounts. Yes, this is a lot different than when I was my son’s age, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The WSJ reporter correctly observes that the iPad is much more interactive than televisions. That’s a great thing in my book and one of the reasons I don’t mind letting my one-year-old son play with my iPad. Sure, there are parents that don’t let their kids anywhere near gadgets, but that’s not my family. My son watches short videos, jams with DrumMeister and bangs on virtual pianos thanks to various iPad apps. He also plays real drums, bangs on our real piano and plays outside. FaceTime is perhaps his favorite app as he gets to virtually visit each of his four grandparents several times per week. But he also spends plenty of time with them in real life.

Read: iPad and iPhone Apps for Traveling Preschoolers

Should Toddlers Use iPads? Sure, Why Not… is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.

Over the last five months, I have been dealing with an assortment of issues that have been plaguing my experience with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. In fact, the issues have been so bad that I once again began using my iPhone 3GS as my daily driver. I decided to fire up my Galaxy Nexus over the weekend, just to see if I could tolerate it, and sadly, the issues only seem to be getting worse.

There have been three major issues that I have been dealing with with the Galaxy Nexus. The first is the microphone issue that lots of Galaxy Nexus owners have been reporting. In the past, I had the microphone cut out on occasion but over the weekend, it started happening frequently. In fact, it happened every single time I made a phone call with my Galaxy Nexus.

I’d call someone and within 30 seconds or so, the microphone would cut out and the person would start wondering what happened to me.

Read: Five Months With The Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

The second major issue I’ve been having is the terrible battery life. I knew going into this that the battery life would be average and that’s why I bought the extended battery. However, for whatever reason, the battery on my phone just plummets. As I’ve said, I don’t overwork it, I don’t have a ton of applications open, I use Wi-Fi quite a bit. It’s both puzzling and frustrating to say the least.

Especially when some of my colleagues tell me that they have decent battery life on their Galaxy Nexus.

The third major issue has been the random reboots that have taken place over the past five months. This weekend, it happened three times which is by far the most it has ever occurred in so many days . I was just using my phone and all of a sudden, the phone just decided to shut itself off, again, for no apparent reason.

I also noticed a couple of other things that seem to be deteriorating. My speaker volume was suspiciously low this weekend and there just seemed to be a lot more sluggishness then there usually is.

Read: Wait for Galaxy Nexus Android 4.0.4 Update Gets More Bizarre.

My experience this weekend wasn’t all bad though.

Moving from the iPhone 3GS to the Galaxy Nexus you really appreciate having an HD display. The display on the 3G is definitely looking its age. I also really enjoyed having those 4G LTE speeds as well, even if it seems to absolutely kill the battery.

What I am hoping is that Android 4.0.4, which might get released tomorrow, fixes these issues so that I can return to using my Samsung Galaxy Nexus as my daily driver.

Google and Verizon have had five months to get this update out so I am optimistic.

I know others have been having the same issues, but have they been getting worse for you as well?

Verizon Galaxy Nexus Issues Are Getting Worse is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

I have no doubt that the HTC One X is a pretty good smartphone. We gave it a favorable review, most sites think it’s one of the best smartphones of 2012 and my colleague Shawn Ingram originally bought the One X instead of an iPhone. (He has since replaced it with an iPhone.) Me? I’m not even interested and there are some reasons why you shouldn’t be either.

Sure, it has a gorgeous display. Yes, it has a fantastic camera that is on par with sensor found on the iPhone 4S. Indeed it has Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 4, which I can actually tolerate, out of the box. And it also boasts 4G LTE speeds and comes at an almost irresistible price.

Read: HTC One X Review | $199 AT&T 4G LTE.

Many of you will want to resist buying it though and here’s why.

Non-Removable Battery

When we reviewed the HTC One X, we found that it had pretty inadequate battery life. HTC itself has said that it values thinness over fantastic battery life and it looks like those values were instilled upon the One X.

But that’s not the problem here. The problem is, the HTC One X comes with a unibody design. And you know what that means? That means that you can’t remove the 1800mAh battery that’s inside of it.

I own the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, it has a similar battery, and it was so much of a joke that I bought the extended battery the day I bought the phone. That didn’t improve the battery life exponentially, but it did make it better.

With the HTC One X, you can’t do that so you’re stuck with mediocre battery life until it’s time to change phones.

That’s something to think about before you buy it.

No MicroSD Card Slot

I have the 32GB Samsung Galaxy Nexus. That’s proved to be plenty of space for an average smartphone user like me. I am able to comfortably store my music, my apps and any other files that I need right onto the phone. Good thing, because I couldn’t expand the memory on it, even if I wanted to.

That’s because the phone doesn’t have a microSD card slot for expandable memory.

The HTC One X doesn’t either but its situation is much worse. It only comes in 16GB form.

Let me be the first to tell you, that’s not a lot. I have a 16GB iPhone 3GS and I teeter close to the 16GB mark constantly. It’s not fun having to delete things off of your phone because you’re running out of room.

Locked Bootloader

The other two are bad but in my mind, this is the absolute worst. Currently, there is one AT&T Android phone that has an unlocked bootloader. That device? The absurdly overpriced HTC Jetstream tablet that maybe ten people bought.

Yes, the HTC One X is rootable which means users will be able to delete AT&T’s bloatware but without an unlocked bootloader, One X owners will be missing out on one of the best parts of Android.

Customization.

Without an unlocked bootloader, there is no way to flash most custom ROMs to the One X. And with AT&T showing no sign of relenting, it’s safe to assume that the bootloader will be locked down for quite some time, maybe even forever.

So, overall, while the One X may be a great phone, there is just too much limitation here for my tastes and maybe for yours as well.

Three Reasons Not to Buy the HTC One X is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

The nation’s third largest wireless carrier may be the beneficiary of subscriber growth if Verizon’s planned termination of grandfathered unlimited data plans comes into effect with LTE shared data plans, but the Now Network first needs to have a 4G LTE network now. As Sprint is the only major national wireless carrier in the States to offer truly unlimited smartphone data without caps or throttling, the carrier may find itself home to customers who may be unhappy with actions from its rivals. But in order for this to happen, Sprint really needs to have an LTE network with decent national coverage up and off the ground running when Verizon pulls the plug on early adopters for unlimited data.

Rival carrier AT&T has not announced plans to terminate grandfathered users from unlimited data plans thus far, but like Verizon, AT&T is now offering new data plan subscribers options only for tiered and metered plans as unlimited has been taken off the table long ago. Also like Verizon, AT&T has announced its plans to offer family shared data plans. Under family shared data plans, AT&T hopes users will adopt more 3G- and 4G-connected devices as all those devices can share the same data plan, much like how voice minutes are shared right now on family voice plans.

T-Mobile USA, the nation’s fourth largest carrier, does not yet have an LTE network up and running and is continuing to grow its HSPA+ network, which it considers 4G, while it plans an LTE rollout. Like Sprint, T-Mobile offers unlimited data plans, but unlike Sprint, after a certain monthly usage amount, customers on T-Mobile will be throttled down to near dial-up Internet speeds.

With so much uncertainty and changes in the air, smaller players in the mobile market will have more opportunities for growth. In the wireless space, Sprint stands a good chance of growing its numbers if it can act expediently enough to roll out its 4G LTE network. On the software and hardware side, with Apple battling large Android manufacturers like Samsung and HTC, smaller players like Nokia and Microsoft have the opportunity to rise if they can innovate quickly. With the import ban on HTC’s devices in the U.S. over patent questions, Samsung investors are concerned that Samsung may face the same fate and the company’s market cap dropped $10 billion in a day. And investors aren’t the only ones shaking–Android consumers may question the type of support and post-purchase help they may get if something goes wrong should Apple gets its way with patent battles.

Sprint’s customer satisfaction is rising and the carrier is the top carrier in terms of satisfaction in the ASIC survey. This is a golden opportunity for Sprint to deliver and attract a new generation of users to the Now Network as its competitors commit to more follies on data, pricing, and plan structures.

Sprint Can Capitalize On New Opportunities But It Needs an LTE Network Now is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Gotta Be Mobile.

My wife, Thomasin, might be familiar to some GBM readers for some videos she did here on the site awhile back. (Do a search here on the site for “Thomasin” if you want to catch some of the fun of those videos.) If you do remember those videos you’ll remember several things. First, she had a quirky way of making up names for things. Second, she hated touch. Well, she still has a quirky way of making up names for things. But she recently had an experience that might have changed her view on touch enabled devices.

We have a dear friend, Monica, who is an actress who recently suffered a life changing accident. She took a serious fall. The sad and tragic result of that accident is that she is now a quadriplegic. My wife is one of several of Monica’s friends who have been trying to help her and her family take their next steps into a life that has forever been altered. One of the projects that my wife is helping to lead is an effort to do some renovation work on Monica’s house so that the family can sell it. They are calling it the Unload the House Project. Monica will never be able to live in that house again, and once it is determined where she will be able to live, the family is going to need funds to get things set up and to pay for 24 hour care.

Thomasin has been traveling back and forth, communicating online, and over the phone (how she manages this when we have a schedule that is beyond hectic amazes me), working with friends and acquaintances who are lending a hand in this effort. On a recent visit to Monica, Thomasin was preparing to depart, she realized that she needed cash to take the tollway on her way home. Not knowing the area, she was a bit perplexed on how to find a bank on our network where she could access an ATM.

Our friend, Monica came to the rescue. Through Workman’s Comp, Monica had been given a Kindle Fire. Thomasin watched with amazement as Monica, who only has the use of two fingers, used the Kindle Fire to pull up a search that resulted in a location of an ATM. I’ll let Thomasin tell her reaction to that in this short video that she calls an apology of sorts.

We’ve all heard stories about those who live lives with handicaps that have had those lives made somewhat better by technology. This is certainly one of those stories. Prior to getting the Kindle Fire, Monica had to rely on nurses to set up a laptop and laboriously had to press one key on the keyboard at a time to access anything. According to Thomasin she felt extremely disconnected. I can only imagine how difficult that was.

Although the point of Thomasin’s video and this post isn’t a request to raise money, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include a link to the page for donations to the Unload the House project for any “touch people” who might be interested in helping.

Touched by Touch. My Wife Has a Change of Heart about Touch Devices is a post by Warner Crocker from Gotta Be Mobile.

Today’s leak of an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich build for the Motorola Droid 4 leaves the Motorola Droid Bionic as the last remaining big name smartphone from Motorola to see any kind of Android 4.0 information leak. And that does not bode well for a swift release.

Many Android phones see versions of major software updates leak out ahead of time. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Google’s latest operating system, has been no different.

We’ve seen versions of it leak out for the Motorola Droid RAZR, the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX and now, the Motorola Droid 4. This generally means that, at the very least, testing is being done by the parties involved.

Read: Motorola Droid Bionic review.

Unfortunately, there has not been the same sort of leak for the Motorola Droid Bionic and that could mean that owners of the first dual-core 4G LTE smartphone on Verizon could have a quite the wait ahead of them.

Motorola originally confirmed Android 4.0 for the Droid Bionic all the way back on October 20th. This was shortly after Motorola confirmed Android 4.0 for the Droid RAZR and months before the releases of the Droid RAZR MAXX and Droid 4 which were released in February.

To me, this is completely unfair to Droid Bionic owners who went through a nightmare last year.

The Droid Bionic launched in September of 2011. It was one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year and Verizon put a huge ad campaign behind it.

Read: Droid Bionic Owners Deserve Some Android 4.0 Answers Too.

Just over a month later, Verizon released the Droid RAZR, a phone that trumped the Droid Bionic in just about every possible way.

Did it offer any apologies to Droid Bionic owners? Nope. It didn’t and hasn’t thrown them a single bone. I argued that putting the Droid Bionic first in line amongst Motorola phones getting upgraded to Android 4.0 might be a nice gesture to owners who were completely blindsided by the launch.

Well, from where I’m sitting, that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. And while I’m angry, I’m not the least bit surprised. Verizon hasn’t even released an update for its Samsung Galaxy Nexus, five months after launching the thing.

So while Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will eventually come to the Droid Bionic, it doesn’t appear like it will anytime soon.

Are there any frustrated Droid Bionic owners out there? It has to be tough to see progress being made for other devices while there hasn’t been anything in regards to the Droid Bionic’s update.

Chime in.

Don’t Expect a Droid Bionic Android 4.0 Update Anytime Soon is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

Apple’s new iPad is packed with a dual-core A5X processor that offers quad-core graphics which has made gaming on the tablet  much more powerful.

Games like Infinity Blade 2, Max Payne, Grand Theft Auto III, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 have all shown off how powerful gaming on a tablet can be.

It also seems to point to some more exciting releases down the road.

So, where to next?

Read: New iPad Review.

Well, after downloading X-Men: The Arcade Game for the iPad, a game that I wasted many quarters on as a kid, I started thinking about other games that I would love to see developed or ported to the iPad.

After some debate, I have come up with a wish list of 10 games that I really hope come to the iPad at some point down the road. I’ve tried to keep it within the realm of reason so you won’t find games like Halo 3 or Grand Theft Auto IV. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any gems in here though.

Pilotwings 64

Like many of you, I owned a Nintendo 64. And while I had many favorites, one of the all-time great games for the console was a game called Pilotwings 64. In fact, it launched alongside the N64 all the way back in 1996.

In a nutshell, the game is a flight simulator. It allows players to pick a character and then take that character through a variety of flying challenges including operating a hang glider, gyrocopter and skydiving.

Those were fun, but nothing was more fun then shooting my character out of a cannon in an effort to land within the bulls-eye of a target far away.

I would love to do that on my iPad.

Mario Kart

I don’t think I know a single person that hasn’t played some form of Mario Kart. While I never really got into the versions on the GameCube or the Wii, I have every level memorized in both the N64 and Super Nintendo versions.

I assume many of you do too. I also assume that many of you would love to race in Wario Stadium or travel down the Rainbow Road on your iPad.

I’d buy any version of this game in a heartbeat and take Toad to victory lane, just like I did in the good old days.

Road Rash

This one is a little more obscure but chances are, if you owned a Sega Genesis, you’ve heard of Road Rash. The premise of Road Rash is simple. Race a motorcycle to the finish line while using chains, crowbars and other weapons to ensure that your opponents do not.

Over time, new levels and new bikes became available ensuring many hours of gameplay, and many hairs lost at the expense of foes like Lawson and Public Enemy No. 1.

F-Zero

I can’t recall, but I think I may have smashed an SNES controller or two while playing F-Zero. The reason? Not only was it a pain trying to stay in-bounds while hitting all of the energy spots to keep my ship afloat, but you also had to achieve a better position on each lap unless you wanted to get disqualified.

It was maddeningly frustrating but also extremely fun and I’d love to see it come to the iPad.

Time Crisis

Waltz into any arcade on the planet and you’re probably going to run into a version of Time Crisis. This shooter, where you duck behind elements and then pop out to dispatch of enemies would be perfect for the iPad.

Hold the iPad down to take cover, bring it up to get out of cover and take down the enemy.

Seriously, just thinking about this game makes me want to find a local arcade. I’d rather be lazy and play it on my iPad though. Someone make it happen please.

General Chaos

Another fairly obscure Sega Genesis game, but a game that still has a place in my heart. General Chaos is a strategy game where the goal is to capture the other general’s capital city.

The premise is that you choose from different soldiers with unique abilities in an effort to defeat the enemy. It was always fun to take out my friends flamethrower guys with my bazooka guys. Or using my flamethrower guy to take out the guy with the eye patch throwing dynamite.

Any game that features a guy with an eyepatch throwing dynamite should be on the iPad, in my opinion.

No, but seriously, this game is extremely fun and time consuming and addicting and I’d love to be able to play it on my tablet.

The Simpsons Arcade Game

The Simpsons Arcade Game, a game that consumed countless of my parents quarters, is already out for the iPhone. So, hopefully, that means that we’ll see it arrive for the iPad sooner rather than later.

Super Mario 64

I think this is pretty self explanatory. Super Mario 64 is one of the best games of all time and if it were to arrive for the iPad, with Retina Display support no less, I’d scoop it up the second it came out.

I doubt that we’ll ever see as Nintendo has shown no signs of wanting to release its games on Apple’s devices but this, along with the next game, should be the first games that it releases.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

What can I say? I’ve played a lot of video games and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to this day remains one of my favorite games of all time.

If it came to the iPad, I’d be over the moon, as would millions and millions of others I’m sure.

GoldenEye 64

One of the best games ever made, I can’t even imagine how much time I would waste playing multiplayer if this were to ever come to the iPad.

The single player wasn’t bad either.

–

I realize that most, if not all of these – especially the Nintendo games, will probably never make it to the iPad. It’s a shame but thankfully,  I can deal with what’s on the App Store right now.

That being said, what games would you love to see come to the iPad?

10 Classic Games The iPad Needs is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

I’m going to go a bit into rant mode here, so be warned. Yesterday, Walt Mossberg highlighted an initiative by Microsoft. The gist of this initiative is simple. If you buy a new Windows PC and want all of the CRAPWARE that might be included on it removed, Microsoft will do that for you for a $99 fee. The $99 fee turns your CRAPWARE infested PC into what Microsoft is now calling a Signature PC. Or, you can just order a Signature PC and pay extra for a computer that works the way it was designed to work out of the box.

Where to start. First, this Signature PC initiative shows Microsoft acknowledging something that anyone running a Windows PC knows. The CRAPWARE that comes installed on PCs can bog down a system. Microsoft itself knows this is the case and has been selling CRAPWARE free PCs for some time now. I’m sure there are some users who don’t mind this, but I can’t think of another industry that delivers products that are intentionally crippled by installing what are essentially ads on a system. I find it condescending and beyond ludicrous that you have to pay a fee to essentially get the product to work the way it was designed to work. Yeah, I’m crazy right.

And there’s the second point. The OEMs that cripple machines with CRAPWARE know exactly what they are doing. Throwing all of these icons on a desktop makes a new machine on first boot look like the lawns in front of polling places at local precincts, scattered with signs.  In the best case they just clutter up the desktop, making the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) akin to sitting through advertisements for TV shows at as movie theatre before the trailers. In the worse cases, some of these CRAPWARE applets pop up on every boot until the user disables them. That process is often more tedious than it needs to be. Quite honestly, I find the entire scenario to be one that completely and cynically devalues the user and the product. I’m sure somewhere along the line someone thought this was a value add for the customer. But we’ve long since passed that point.

Here’s why I think you’re a sucker (in the P.T. Barnum way of thinking) if you fall for this. By charging to remove CRAPWARE that Microsoft allows to be installed on the machine in the first place, Microsoft is sending a signal that this is the smart way to make sure you have a nice clean PC. It’s a subtle form of up selling. Nothing wrong with an up sell. But when the up sell essentially says that this PC you want is crippled and a piece of mammal dung, well, gee, that’s an attractive way to build customer satisfaction. Sadly, if this turns into enough of a profit center I also fear it will just lead to more CRAPWARE and not less. (It makes me wonder how this will pay out with the UI changes for Windows 8). The fact that a customer has to pay extra to have a PC that works out of the box the way it was designed to work is nothing short of a cynical, blighted mentality, that proves, at least to me, that the folks making these devices don’t care about users, instead focusing only on units sold.

If you want to take advantage of this program there are two ways to feed your $99 to Microsoft. If you live by one of the new Microsoft stores you can come in, pay the CRAPWARE tax, and they will clean things up for you. If you don’t live close to a store, (there are only 16 currently) you can shop for this service and Signature PCs online at Microsoft.

And this brings up the last point of my rant. Go take a look at that Signature PC page. Great promises of faster and better performance. By offering this Signature PC approach, Microsoft is saying that every non-Signature PC that is sold with Windows is the equivalent of buying a discounted piece of crap. I’m not trying to offend anyone here by saying this, but the distinction to me means that Microsoft is essentially saying why not buy your PC at your local CVS or Walgreens. “Industry Experts” who say this is a good idea are essentially supporting both Microsoft’s continued decline, as well as a practice that should be condemned.

Microsoft to Charge Users For CRAPWARE Free PCs is a post by Warner Crocker from Gotta Be Mobile.

Two months ago, I made the decision to buy Apple’s third-generation iPad, otherwise known as the the new iPad. After two weeks, I knew I was going to love the thing and after a month, I started using my new iPad far more then I had used my iPad 2. And now, two months in, I can’t honestly imagine not having this device at my side.

I use it that much.

Prior to buying the new iPad, I had a 16GB Wi-Fi iPad 2. However, I found myself using it sparingly and certainly not on a daily basis. Needless to say, I wrestled with the decision to buy the new iPad on a nightly basis.

Do I really need it? Will the Retina Display live up to my expectations? Would my habits change at all?  Prior to buying the device, these questions were obviously unanswerable. And even after two weeks, I couldn’t tell whether I had wasted $500 or not.

However, after two months with my 16GB Wi-Fi iPad 3, I can safely say that the answers to all of those questions have all been a resounding yes.

Here’s an in-depth look at why that is.

Display

I can say, without a doubt, that the Retina Display found on the new iPad is the most gorgeous display that I have ever used on a mobile device. Seriously. You have probably read about how digital magazines look like real magazines or that comics look gorgeous or how e-books look like the real, paper deal.

It’s all true.

I said before I bought the thing that the Retina Display was the main reason that I was looking at buying the new iPad and it has not disappointed.

In fact, the Retina Display alone has transformed how I use my tablet.

With the iPad 2, I never had much interest in reading digital content. Now? Not a day goes by when I don’t read a book or a comic or something else before I go to sleep at night. I truly cannot remember the last time I went to my bookshelf to grab something to read.

A click here, a click there, and I am catching up with The Walking Dead. Close that down, move to my Newsstand and I am reading current events.

It’s a seamless experience, boosted by the beauty of the Retina Display. I’ve gone back to the screen on the iPad 2 and it’s almost like a bad dream.

Of course, literature isn’t the only thing that looks gorgeous on the Retina Display. Video content and photos look marvelous as well.

I just wish Netflix would release support for the Retina Display already.

Performance

Apple promised a better gaming experience with the new display, the A5X dual-core processor and the device’s quad-core graphics and let me be the millionth or so person to tell you. Apple wasn’t lying.

With my iPad 2, I rarely played any games. With the new iPad, I have found myself playing more and more games on the iPad, something that has significantly cut into my time gaming on consoles.

I have fallen in love with several games on the iPad including Kingdom Rush and Machinarium and I’ve also immensely enjoyed both Max Payne and Infinity Blade 2.

Infinity Blade 2 looks gorgeous.

All of them run like a dream on the new iPad, the processor and GPU make that happen, and all of them simply look stunning on the Retina Display.

Beyond gaming, I’ve never experienced any sort of slowdown on my new iPad, even when it seems like I have 50 applications open. It’s able to handle it all. With ease.

As I’ve said before, I’ve handled a bunch of Android tablets and many of them exhibit sluggishness within the user interface, especially when lots of applications are open.

Even my iPad 2 sometimes had issues handling itself when I had several intensive applications open.

Apps

If you saw my home screens on my iPad 2, you’d probably laugh as I only used a minimal amount of applications beyond what comes stock. Now? You’d probably laugh too because the home screens of my new iPad are absolutely littered with applications.

And those apps don’t just sit there either. I use them. A lot. And I have my new iPad to blame.

The device’s Retina Display and powerful processor were the catalyst behind my metamorphosis from casual app user to full-blown addict.

Granted, many of them are games that again look and run amazing on the new iPad, but I’ve also started to use some productivity tools like Evernote and Paper.

And with many apps still lacking Retina support, apps like Plants vs. Zombies and Infinity Blade: Dungeons – the trailer of which can be seen above, I’m almost assuredly going to be making new purchases in the months to come.

Battery Life

I didn’t think Apple would be able to keep the same amazing battery life that the iPad 2 had while adding a bunch of powerful features but somehow, the company pulled it off.

And I’m grateful for it.

I can play games for hours and not worry about whether or not my tablet is going to die. I can watch a two hour movie and barely put a dent into my new iPad’s battery.

Nothing gets me down on a product like terrible battery life and this device offers up the best battery life I’ve ever used on a tablet.

And that’s what has me so excited about the prospects of a 4G LTE iPhone.

The camera is good, but I still don't use it.

Cameras

Initially, I was excited about the upgraded rear iSight camera on the new iPad. I thought that maybe I would start using it as a backup camera when I was out and about.

The reality is, I have barely used the camera at all.

Read: Dear Apple: Next Time Upgrade the iPad’s Front-Facing Camera.

As I’ve said before, the camera that Apple really needs to upgrade is the front-facing camera. I could see myself using Google+ Hangouts and Skype a lot more if the camera wasn’t such a joke.

Storage

I had my doubts about getting the 16GB model and so far, those doubts have been unfounded. So far, I have only used about half of the storage on my iPad and I have downloaded some pretty big applications.

How have I managed this?

For one, I don’t store any music on my iPad, I don’t see the need. And two, I don’t take many photos using the device’s camera. Again, what’s the point?

So really, I have 16GB worth of space for applications and even with my new found love for apps, I have yet to run into any space issues.

Wi-Fi Only

One of the new, optional features of the new iPad is 4G LTE data. 4G LTE data allows iPad users to pull down data speeds that can be up to 10 times faster than those found on a typical 3G network.

Better yet, Verizon allows its iPad to be used as a mobile hotspot where other devices can connect to it and pull down data.

It was pretty tempting to get a 4G LTE iPad but I haven’t regretted my decision to get the Wi-Fi only iPad once.

I rarely ever take my iPad out of the house which pretty much renders 4G LTE useless and better yet, I spend the money that I would be giving to AT&T and Verizon on applications in the App Store.

Overall

The new iPad is really one of the best purchases that I’ve ever made.

One, it has helped get me to start reading again. I have a queue of books just waiting for me to read and I’ve also download an assortment of comics that I hope to get to in the days ahead.

Two, it has saved me money. I used to buy console games for $60 a piece. Now I buy $1 games that I play just as much.

And three, the device is only going to get better as time goes on.

As I’ve said, developers whose apps don’t yet have Retina Support will be getting their applications updated and I’m sure that some amazing applications are in the pipeline for the rest of 2012. After all, this thing has only been out two months.

However, what I’m really excited about is iOS 6, Apple’s new mobile operating system for its mobile devices.

iOS 5 brought an absolute ton to the table in terms of features and I see no reason why iOS 6 won’t bring the same to both the iPhone and the iPad. Yeah, it probably won’t be out until October, but we’ll at least get a taste of it in June at WWDC.

I can’t wait.

How has your two months with the iPad been?

Two Months with the New iPad is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

Socialcam is a hot new iPhone app that lets users make, watch and share videos.

Some are calling Socialcam, Instagram for Video, but I’m calling it annoying and shady.

In addition to forcing users to sign up with a Facebook app to watch videos that are shared as well as showing videos you can already see on YouTube, Socialcam is ignoring users’ preferences not to share the videos they watch to Facebook.

The app goes one step further, hiding the option behind a logo after it turns it back on.

The app has taken over Facebook news feeds for the past few weeks, and won’t allow users to watch Socialcam videos without signing up for a Facebook app or the iPhone app. But that’s minor compared to this latest user-unfriendly move.

Check out the Social On feature turning back on after the app is quit in this video from Matt Galligan, who picked up on this nefarious trick.

I’m sure Socialcam will respond within 24 hours, calling this a bug or a feature so that users can share their social viewing habits.

I wish I could say that it surprises me that this tactic made it through Apple’s App Review process, but we all know that process is better at catching helpful apps than stopping apps that don’t respect user privacy and choice.

Anytime I see an interesting Socialcam video show up on Facebook, I copy the title and search YouTube. And 90% of the time, I can watch it without signing up for an app or polluting my Facebook timeline.

As If I Needed One More Reason to Hate Socialcam is a post by Josh Smith from Gotta Be Mobile.

Instagram for Android, one of the more popular applications on the Google Play Store, has received an update today that squashes some pesky little bugs while shoring up reliability on certain devices.

This latest update comes just a short time after the Instagram team brought the popular tilt-shift affect and tablet support to Android users.

The support for the app has been pretty outstanding and today’s update is no different. In the latest update, Instagram has patched up issues Android users were having when using the advanced camera on phones with a front-facing camera.

Instagram for Android’s advanced camera, when enabled, allows users to shoot photos from within Instagram itself. This way, users don’t have to use the default camera on a device. It also automatically crops images which saves quite a bit of time.

It seems that the feature had been having issues with front-facing cameras and so it appears that folks are now safe to deploy the advanced camera when using the front-facing camera on a phone or tablet.

In addition, Instagram has patched up some bugs that were making a mess of the filters on the Galaxy Y and Galaxy Ace devices.

The software update should take care of those issues and make the filters more reliable.

All in all, a small but useful update which is something that Android users have come to expect from the Instagram application.

Read: Instagram for Android Review.

The app itself launched in April and almost immediately, users began to discover that the application was host to numerous bugs. It also came without several features including the aforementioned tablet support and tilt-shift filter.

Many believed that Facebook’s purchase of the app, for $1 billion might adversely affect the software, but thus far, the Instagram has done a dilligent job of patching up issues and rolling out features to the Android application, something that is rare in the world of Android.

Just look at how long it took for the Facebook for Android application to catch up to the Apple iOS app. And some would even argue that it’s not even there yet.

The Instagram for Android application is pretty much on par with the iOS application, it’s still missing a couple of things, but no one can argue that the differences are drastic. At least in my opinion. My experience with both has been great and while I don’t use it as much as my colleagues and friends, I have had no issues with the application on Android since it launched in April.

So, kudos to the Instagram team for their work on the Android application and hopefully, they continue with this type of pace for updates.

How have all of you been liking Instagram for Android thus far?

Instagram for Android: A Lesson in Great Apps is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

The iPhone 4S is now my primary phone after spending two and a half years as an Android user. Despite my many concerns of switching from Android to iPhone, the iPhone 4S is my primary smartphone, while the Galaxy Nexus is a tool I use in specific cases.

I’ve rooted every Android device I’ve owned, and I wasn’t fed up with Android when I bought the iPhone 4S six months ago. I just wanted to dabble with the iPhone after enjoying my iPad experience. I never Imagined I’d become an iPhone user, but I find myself using my Galaxy Nexus less and less often these days.

Read: iPhone 4S Review

On more than one occasion, I’ve lost my Galaxy Nexus for a few days and didn’t notice until I needed to check something for an article.

This is a major change since I wrote 14 Days with the iPhone 4S in October, but many of the reasons I like the iPhone 4S remain the same. I was surprised to discover that with a few tweaks to my workflow I am able to use the iPhone 4S as my main phone and I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything.

Apps

One of the primary reasons I love the iPhone is the large selection of high quality apps. Even though more apps come to Android every day, I still prefer to buy most of my apps and games on the iPhone.

Not only do most of these apps look better, but i don’t have the same buyer’s remorse as I do with many Android apps I purchase. When given the choice between the same app on Android and on iPhone, I chose the iPhone app.

This extends out to the entertainment apps like Hulu Plus and HBO Go, which take months to officially support the latest Android devices.

Another great feature is the ability to run Universal apps on my iPhone and on my iPad without purchasing apps twice. Android offers this functionality, but I’ve yet to find an Android tablet that is as good as the iPad.

Keyboard, Dictation and Siri

One of my biggest concerns with the iPhone was the inability to switch keyboards, which meant giving up on the awesome SwiftKey Android keyboard.

This was initially a major issue, but I’ve adapted to the iPhone keyboard well. I still think Apple needs to allow users to long press to enter numbers and punctuation, but it is no longer a deal breaker.

Why?

Because I use Siri and Dictation on a regular basis. Siri is handy for sending quick messages and looking up basic information, but Dictation is the real winner in my book. I use dictation on the iPhone 4S to write entire articles with enough accuracy that only minimal editing needed.

The new Voice Actions in Android 4.0 include many of the same features and work just as well as Siri and Dictation on the iPhone, but it is less polished. There is no use of relationships and Voice Actions doesn’t prompt for the message, requiring taps on-screen instead.

Display

I never thought I would prefer a smaller iPhone display over the Galaxy Nexus’ 4.65″ 720P HD display, but the iPhone’s display is better than the Galaxy Nexus.

On the iPhone, white backgrounds are white, not blue-ish white and the large Retina Display resolution compensates for the smaller physical size of the display.

Left: Galaxy Nexus Display; Right: iPhone 4S Display

I would like to see a larger 4-inch iPhone 5 this fall, or support for a game controller as the screen gets cramped in games with on-screen controls.

Camera

I rarely used the camera on my HTC ThunderBolt or on my Galaxy Nexus. Thanks to the good sensor and fast access to the camera I’m much more comfortable shooting with my iPhone 4S. I have over 2,000 photos on my iPhone 4S compared to 112 on my Nexus.

Android cameras continue to improve, but I find myself taking and sharing many more photos with the iPhone 4S than I do with my Android or any camera I own.

Email

Email on the iPhone remains one of the weakest points. The Mail app is useless to anyone who receives as much email as I do, but Sparrow helps me answer email on the iPhone.

It’s still not as good as Gmail on Android, and it has no push notifications, but it is good enough for me to use the iPhone as my primary phone.

I only check email at certain intervals, so the lack of notifications is a good thing for me. This may not fit the email needs and habits of everyone.

Productivity

Even though both the iPhone and Android offer apps for productivity, I find myself using iA Writer for the iPhone to write much more than I did with similar office apps for Android.

The availability of specialized apps like Sparrow, iA Writer, IM+ Pro and others make it easy to email, write and use Google Talk on the iPhone, without compromising significantly.

No 4G LTE

As much as I want a 4G LTE iPhone 5, I don’t notice the lack fo 4G LTE much on the iPhone 4S day-to-day.

I desperately miss 4G LTE when I am traveling and it’s the reason I have never used my iPhone 4S as a personal hotspot.

While there are many streaming apps I would love to use on the iPhone over 4G LTE, the 2GB limit would result in extra fees. Couple that with the inability to use FaceTime over 4G LTE, and you’ll understand why I like to use my Galaxy Nexus as a 4G LTE hotspot or the MiFI 4620L.

Notifications

I thought I would miss the notification LED on my Galaxy Nexus and most Android devices when I switched to iPhone, but I don’t miss it at all.

Read: Can You Live Without Email Notifications?

With notification center the iPhone I can set specific notifications to turn on the screen for a visual notification, but it doesn’t keep flashing, begging me to look at the device later. I can see the notification and decide to deal with it when I want.

In App Purchases

I hate trying to buy content on the iPhone that isn’t sold from Apple. On Android, i can open up the Kindle app or the Audible app and buy a book, but on the iPhone I need to go to a web browser, log in again, make a purchase and head back to my app.

It’s annoying for me, and confusing for users who are just picking up the iPhone for the first time.

I know that Apple can charge what they want, and that they are pushing iBooks and iTunes, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Settings

I’m still coming to grips with the annoying way that Apple hides basic settings like Bluetooth.

On most Android phones, users can turn WiFi and Bluetooth off with a widget or a toggle in the notification drawer, but on the iPhone, Bluetooth is hidden away behind general settings.

The ability to add quick settings to the iPhone Notification Center is one of the biggest reasons I am looking forward to the iOS 5.1 iPhone 4S Jailbreak. I can instal IntelliscreenX or SBSettings on a jailbroken iPhone 4S to add fast access to settings.

Navigation

Despite the usable Telenav GPS app, I still prefer Google Maps on Android for Navigation. There is a rumor that Apple will include a better maps app in iOS 6, but until Apple steps up, Android rules the mobile maps category with the best GPS navigation on any platform.

Accessories

Because the iPhone is popular it has many more accessories than any Android phone I’ve owned. Accessories alone aren’t a reason to buy the iPhone, but it is nice to never worry about finding a great iPhone case or whether an accessory like the Nike Fuelband is compatible with my phone.

Jailbreak

I still don’t like that I need to jailbreak the iPhone 4S to set a default browser, gain quick access to settings and install third-party apps, but it’s an aspect of the iPhone I’ve come to live with.

I decided to un-jailbreak the iPhone 4S when iOS 5.1 came out because it was not stable, but I will jailbreak again when the iPhone 4S jailbreak for iOS 5.1.1 is out to install a few tweaks.

What I Miss Most

I still miss the back button, a universal way to go back one screen in almost any app. I wish Apple would add a back gesture, or that all iOS app developers would embrace this.

Another feature I miss is access to the file system, if only for the ability to download music and video from the web and enjoy them on the device right away.

Tighter Google Voice integration would be a huge plus for the iPhone, but for now I’ve made better use of Quick Dial shortcuts in the Google Voice iPhone app to call users I frequently contact and I’ve saved separate Google Voice numbers for users who I often call with Siri.

6 Months With the iPhone 4S: Android Switcher is a post by Josh Smith from Gotta Be Mobile.

And why not? With WWDC a few weeks away the rumor mill on the new iPhone, a new version of iOS, Apple TVs, new laptops, and iPad rumors are starting to bubble over like an overcooked stew left on the stove top.

It’s almost like Apple rumors have become a form of currency among blogs and news sites. Sure, it’s all fun and games. And believe it or not, there will usually be some kernels of truth mixed in among the rumors.

Don’t kid yourself. Apple does leak out some details ahead of time. That is a part of the game. But discerning what is real and what isn’t much more than a guessing game.

What we’re seeing in this year’s version of the Apple rumor game though has a new twist. Some discerning chroniclers are actually spending more time debunking rumors than spreading them. Note that a quick rumor about Apple putting flexible displays on the new iPhone is getting quickly brushed aside. But then again, that just plays into Apple’s hands because it still works to build the hype. Digitimes has largely been discredited as a source that likes to list “industry sources” as the source of its factory like output of what’s next and what’s not. And we’re seeing more and more qualifications on those anonymous sources from many publications with each and every passing day.

I’m sure we’re not even close to the end of this rumor cycle. And I’m sure we’ll hear some that sound legit and some that just stretch credibility beyond the definition of the word. Whatever Apple announces at WWDC will eventually quell the current rumor mill for a time. A short time. Maybe a few hours. Because Apple won’t announce everything and the cycle will start up again.

So, my advice is to take it all as it comes. Enjoy the silliness of the game as it plays out. And when all is said and done, we’ll know when we know.

New iPhone Won’t Be a Phone is a post by Warner Crocker from Gotta Be Mobile.

Five months ago, I walked into a Verizon retail store and bought the Samsung Galaxy Nexus with the hope that it would replace my iPhone 3GS as my go-to smartphone. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened.

That’s because my Galaxy Nexus experience has been a difficult one to say the least and one that has completely turned me off to the phone, to Verizon, and really, to the Android platform.

When Verizon announced that it would host the Galaxy Nexus on its 4G LTE network, I was elated. It had the HD display. It had the 4G LTE speeds. It had Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. And it had the Nexus name which I thought meant unparalleled support.

I had to have it.

So, I went down to the Verizon store, forked over a wad of cash, and took the phone home. For the first couple of days, I was thrilled with my purchase. The screen was beautiful. I absolutely loved the 4G LTE data speeds. Android 4.0 was far and away better than any version of Android that I had ever used. And again, this was a Nexus device so I figured that I was set.

My iPhone 3GS suddenly started to look old and I thought I was on my way to becoming a diehard Android user.

A few weeks later though, the problems started.

My battery life was and continues to be atrocious. I even bought the extended battery and I still don’t get the battery life that many users claim to pull down.

My Galaxy Nexus started to shut itself off from time to time for no clear reason. This still happens on occasion.

My mic started to cut out on phone calls. This still happens often.

I started to experience connection issues where I lost my connection in areas where signal strength was normally good. This still happens from time to time.

Worst of all, the ‘Nexus’ in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus name hasn’t meant anything. I haven’t gotten a single update to my Galaxy Nexus in five months.

All of this has been going on since January, and to be honest, I haven’t really used my Galaxy Nexus much since then. Sure, I pull it out on occasion, but for the most part, it just sits around collecting dust as I pay my monthly fees to Verizon for a phone I barely use.

That’s not what I was expecting when I plopped down $300 and signed a contract with Verizon back in December.

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve thought about paying the ETF fee to break my contract with Verizon. The only thing that has stopped me from doing that is the upcoming Android 4.0.4 update.

It’s my hope that Android 4.0.4, an update that may be on the horizon, will finally fix the issues I’ve had. Maybe then, I’ll finally be able to pull my Galaxy Nexus out of my drawer, blow off the dust, and start using it on a regular basis.

It’ll just be a shame that it will have taken five months to get to that point. I won’t say that I’ll never buy another Android phone again, but I will say that I will never buy another Android phone again at launch.

For those who have owned the Galaxy Nexus since launch, how have your five months been?

Five Months With The Verizon Galaxy Nexus is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

Tomorrow will mark the five month anniversary of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus launch on Verizon. And if the device is not updated with Android 4.0.4 today, it will also mean that in the five months since it has been out, Verizon has yet to release an update for the Nexus phone.

Clearly, Verizon has dropped the ball and if I were Google, I would think twice about ever partnering with the carrier again for a Nexus launch.

Five months without an update is ludicrous for any smartphone, let alone one that is supposed to be at the forefront of Android updates.

Read: Verizon Dropped the Ball with the Galaxy Nexus.

It’s unacceptable and quite frankly, it has tarnished my experience with a phone that I was expecting to become my go-to phone over the iPhone 3GS, a phone that is almost three years old.

Today though, it appears that I can now place a cherry at the top of my Galaxy Nexus sundae.

According to a tweet from Galaxy Nexus owner Zach Menchhofer, a Galaxy Nexus demo unit at his local Verizon retail store actually has the Android 4.0.4 update running on it.

Verizon currently has the Galaxy Nexus on Android 4.0.2 which, as I’ve pointed out, is littered with issues.

So, this sick joke new development seems to point to something rolling out in the near future. If a demo unit has the update, then surely, the software must be pretty close to being ready for the thousands of Galaxy Nexus owners on Verizon.

Right?

Yeah. I don’t know either. At this point, I don’t even know if Verizon knows what’s going on.

Read: Why Did I Buy the Galaxy Nexus Again?

What I do know though is this. I have been waiting five months for an update to the Galaxy Nexus and in those five months, I haven’t heard so much as a peep out of Samsung or Verizon.

I’m fed up, how about you?

Wait for Galaxy Nexus Android 4.0.4 Update Gets More Bizarre is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

This morning I got an email from GBM Reader poppacracker: Here’s the body of that email: I have seen many reviews on quality of reception for a multitude of phones. All have dealt with one phone at a time and most of the time it turns into service that is available and excuses. I would like to see a comparison of several manufacture’s phones in one marginal reception location. It seems now a days that it is assumed that everyone lives in a big city and has the capability of receiving 4 bars service at all times. There are many of us that still operate from semi-rural locations and we would like to know which phone will pick up a fairly weak signal in that location. At present I have an HTC Incredible and I believe it is the worst for signal strength of any phone I have ever had. I had no way of know that before I bought it.

I can certainly feel poppacracker’s pain as I live in a semi-rural location and I’ve seen signal coverage vary from device to device and carrier to carrier. In fact, I have seen it vary day to day. The short answer to this is as simple as it is unfortunate. Unless you’re in a major market, you are essentially on your own. Reviewers and marketeers are both focused on the largest collection of potential customers and readers. That’s where the money is, especially when a new mobile device gets released. But that’s the short answer.

The longer answer is no less unfortunate than the shorter one. Broadband coverage varies so widely from location to location. Even if some intrepid reviewer were to try and put together the kind of coverage requested, it will really have very little significance outside of that immediate area.

A few cases in point:

• One of the mobile bloggers I follow is Matt Miller of ZDNet. He uses a lot of different devices on various networks, but always seems to come back to T-Mobile. Now, Matt lives in the Pacific Northwest. I live in the mid-Atlantic. Matt is obviously satisfied with what T-Mobile offers him coverage-wise, but T-Mobile’s coverage in my area is basically non-existent.
• One of my colleagues here at the theatre uses Sprint. So does my wife. We’re looking at two different devices here. His coverage by and large is much better than her’s. Even though they are in the same general area quite a bit.
• I have AT&T on my iPhone, Verizon on my iPad, and a Sprint MiFi card. AT&T has the most consistent coverage in my local stomping grounds. But up the road a short distance or so, I’ll rely on the Sprint MiFi card if I need a broadband signal. Verizon essentially is terrible where I work at the theatre, but great 15 minutes up the road where I live. All of these devices claim they can get a 4G signal, and that’s true when I travel to visit family, but as for where I live and work, I might as well be in a country that doesn’t allow faux-4G advertising.

So, what is a potential user to do? The best thing you can do, in my view, is to ask your friends and colleagues what they use. Second best, press salespeople in your local stores. I love to pester folks in the local Verizon and Sprint shops about when we’ll see 4G coverage here locally. They all try to spin the answer, but that answer is sadly “not anytime soon.” I noticed at the end of last week that Verizon is proudly saying that 4G coverage is coming to the Shenandoah Valley this month in the next roll out. Well, yes and no. Turns out that south of us will see the 4G coverage, but in the area where I live, not so much.

I tossed this out for thought on our team back channel and Sumocat offered up a suggestion of sites such as cellreception.com. But I would agree with his caveat. He finds that useless. I find it as useful as the colorful maps that the carriers put up on their own sites. You really need to be able to see how a device and the service you choose works for you. And be able to do so over a longer period of time than most return policies allow.

The fault here is that there is no real regulation on what they carriers and device makers can say in their advertising or marketing. Ads on TV or on the web can certainly be seductive. Reviews can make any device sound great. But sadly, the bottom line is that old familiar refrain “buyer beware.”

A User Asks: How Can We Know What Smartphones Work in Our Location? is a post by Warner Crocker from Gotta Be Mobile.

Mobi must be very desperate these days. The company just launched a campaign encouraging family members to eavesdrop on each other with its Pure Sounds baby monitor and use what they hear to embarrass their kids in public. What a wonderful promotion for Mother’s Day.

We receive hundreds (sometimes thousands) of pitches every week here at GottaBeMobile, but this is by far the most boneheaded. As a parent I find it creepy and offensive.

The email blast features a mother kissing her baby in front of Mobi’s baby monitors. A beautiful woman, a cute baby and some gadgets…what’s not to like?  Well, apparently that baby’s in for a rough life…

The text leads off warning us of an ‘unusual’ product launch. Unusual indeed. The company is asking people to dream up ‘out of the box’ ways to use the company’s baby monitors. One example given is “hiding the transmitter in your teenager’s room during the next party and using the discoveries to publicly humiliate them.” Another brilliant idea is “to listen in on your husband’s next poker night with the boys.” The campaign encourages people to visit the company’s Facebook page and  share their own creepy ideas. Nobody’s actually shared their own ideas on Mobi’s Facebook page, but I’m guessing there’s going to be some gems.

As the father of a one-year-old I take notice of how companies present themselves. I generally don’t trust my son’s safety with products produced by companies that don’t do a decent job presenting themselves. I’m actually quite interested in baby monitoring solutions since we live in a multi-story house and some of the  monitoring solutions I’ve tried don’t have as much range as we need. But it’s tough to take a company seriously that encourages moms to invade others’ privacy. The thought of a mom eavesdropping on her teenager so she could embarrass him is about as awkward as this marketing campaign.

I’m not sure who’s brilliant idea it was to launch this campaign after business hours the Friday before Mother’s Day, but if they’re in charge of marketing at this company it’s little wonder why I’ve never heard of its products before.

The Worst Mother’s Day Gadget Marketing Campaign…Ever is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.

This past month has probably been the worst month I’ve had with my iPhone 3GS since I got the phone nearly three years ago. The reason for that is pretty simple. My iPhone 3GS has decided to start shutting itself off and turning itself back on.

As someone who covers gadgets for a living, I thought I could troubleshoot and figure out exactly what was wrong with my phone. Especially because I know this phone as well as I know the back of my hand.

Problem is, it has happened multiple times, in different use cases and on different operating systems leaving me completely clueless.

Read: iOS 5.1.1 on iPhone 3GS: Final Impressions and Performance.

The first time it happened, I was on iOS 5.1 and I was sending a text message to a friend. I didn’t have anything new or different open. In fact, I am crazy about keeping applications closed. Typically, I only have one application open at a time. All of a sudden, without warning, my phone decided to shut itself off.

The screen went black for a second and then the familiar Apple logo appeared. I started to panic and thought that this might be the end. That I would be forced into using my Samsung Galaxy Nexus. I waited a minute and it appeared to be stuck on the Apple logo.

So, I did a hard reset where you hold down the power button and home button and sure enough, my phone booted up like nothing happened.

Needless to say, I was not amused and hoped that it was just an isolated event.

Wishful thinking.

Two days later, as I was scrolling through my music, my phone decided to repeat the action it took just a couple of days prior. Shut down, Apple logo, reboot.

And then it happened again, and again, and again, and again. And again, even after I installed the iOS 5.1.1 update a few short days ago.

Thus far, in the past month, my iPhone 3GS has decided to randomly reboot itself 12 times. I kept a tally. I can’t say that I am angry about it, this is a nearly three year old phone, but I will say that I am frustrated and that’s mainly because I have absolutely no idea what is going on. My habits haven’t changed. I haven’t installed anything shady. I have never jailbroken my device.

Basically, I feel like I am living the nightmare that HTC ThunderBolt owners lived through back in 2011 where their device kept rebooting for no apparent reason. They then had to wait several months before Verizon decided to roll out a fix.

But see, that was a new device. The iPhone 3GS is old. And that really has me worried because I doubt that it’s a priority for Apple. I am hopeful that an upcoming update takes care of the issue but I am a pessimist at this point.

And so, in my pessimistic state, I am reaching out to you, the reader.

Has anyone else experienced random reboots on the iPhone 3GS and if so, were you able to fix it? Please let me know, my mental health depends on your responses.

iPhone 3GS Random Reboots: Where Is The Fix? is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

Earlier this week, iOS 5.1.1 arrived for the iPhone, iPad and the iPod touch. As an iPhone 3GS owner who had been experiencing problems with iOS 5.1, I was extremely excited to see the update and hoped that it would take care of the issues that have been plaguing my device for the last several weeks.

In my first impressions, I told you that everything seemed to be working better.

Notification Center seemed to be alerting me to messages, something that only worked occasionally before the update. Apps didn’t seem to be crashing as they had in iOS 5.1. Battery life seemed to be a little better but as I had only been playing around with the software for a few hours, I couldn’t make a decisive decision. And finally, the random rebooting of my phone seemed to stop.

Read: iOS 5.1.1 on iPhone 3GS: First Impressions and Performance.

I have now spent four solid days with the software and I wanted to share my final thoughts about the software’s performance on my iPhone 3GS.

The update isn’t perfect. However, I have come to accept that this will never be the case because of how old the iPhone 3GS is. In fact, I’ve said all along that I am absolutely shocked that Apple has managed to get this software out to the iPhone 3GS as quick as it has.

That being said, there are still moments when the phone pauses when opening up an app or when I try and open up my messages to read. Granted, the sluggishness doesn’t happen all the time but it’s still there and it can be annoying especially when time is of the essence.

I’ve also experienced a some random reboots over the past few days, something that began happening only a couple of weeks ago. I’ve tried to get to the bottom of what’s causing them but so far, I’m lost on answers. One time I was using Facebook. Another time was looking at my iMessages. Another time I was trying to switch a song that I was playing.

There doesn’t seem to be any correlation at all and that’s frustrating. My hope is, that as time goes on, it gets better. Again, this isn’t a fault of iOS 5.1.1. It was happening to me in iOS 5.1.

Other than those two issues, iOS 5.1.1 has shored up some of the other issues that I was having.

In the weeks building up to the iOS 5.1.1 release, applications were often crashing. Since installing the new update, I haven’t experienced a single crash of an app. That has been nice.

In addition, my phone now alerts me to new messages through both push notification and in the Notification Center. Before the update, I often wouldn’t be prompted when new messages arrived.

Read: How to Jailbreak iOS 5.1.1 for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, and iPod touch.

As for battery life, I haven’t really noticed a drastic improvement. It seems about the same as it was before the iOS 5.1.1 update. Heavy use seems to take its toll on the device but it can last for quite a while when I am only using it moderately.

It’s still not as bad as the battery life on my Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Overall, it’s an update that I think iPhone 3GS owners will want to install. It doesn’t foul anything up that wasn’t fouled up already and it definitely fixed some things on my phone.

That being said, I am becoming quite sure that iOS 5 is the end of the road for the iPhone 3GS. I had held out hope that Apple might release iOS 6, especially since the phone is still on sale, but the phone has shown its age recently and it’s hard for me to be confident in an iOS 6 release any more.

I can’t complain though. This phone has lasted a lot longer then I thought it would. And it’s especially impressive when you think about how bad iOS 4 was on the iPhone 3G. In any event, I hope I’m wrong in my assumptions and Apple does in fact release iOS 6 for the 3GS.

How have the last four days with iOS 5.1.1 been for all of you?

iOS 5.1.1 on iPhone 3GS: Final Impressions and Performance is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.