Tweetcaster was updated to 5.6 a couple of days ago, but it was just pushed to my Galaxy Nexus today. This update added what they are calling, “Speak Tweets”. After the update, I ran Tweetcaster Pro and was alerted to the new feature and then when I got ready to test it, another notification alerting me of this feature. I tapped the icon (below) and, with a southern drawl, I said, “testing a voice tweet with tweetcaster”. Believe it or not, it got it just right. Many of the voice recognition engines have a problem with my thick accent. If I had Siri, it would tell me it doesn’t understand me.

If you haven’t tried Tweetcaster, there is a free version and a paid version. I love this app and promptly paid for the pro (paid) version. Josh Smith didn’t like Tweetcaster much though. He  didn’t like its cartoony looks and the immense amount of options it offers.

TweetCaster is the #1 Android Twitter app with the most innovative features! TweetCaster is the #1 Twitter app for Android and the ONLY app with Search Party – revolutionizing Twitter search for everyone.

TweetCaster boasts a bright & clean look, lightning fast speed, and more features than any other Twitter app. No wonder millions of users have downloaded it worldwide! Optimized for both phones and tablets, TweetCaster is the perfect app, no matter what device you are using.

Click here to get more info about Tweetcaster and download for your Android Device.

Tweetcaster for Android Updated – Adds Voice Tweets is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

When I started to work for AT&T almost 12 years ago, I had to take a series of tests that basically showed that I knew all the cool stuff the Navy taught me. The only way I passed all these tests was because I was required to take a test in the Navy twice a year so the formulas and theories were somewhat fresh on my mind. Acronyms to remember the resistor color codes and such were on the tip of my tongue. I took the tests for AT&T and that was it… the knowledge started to fade away. Even though my job title is Electronics Technician, I don’t get down to circuit card level troubleshooting anymore. It’s just not cost-effective anymore.

That said, Adafruit Industries has released an iPad/iPhone app to help you remember all those color codes and other circuit design calculations. After watching the video below, I am convinced that if had this app back when I was in the Navy, I would have been a Master Chief in 3-4 years. Everything I used to have to know how to do by hand all on the iPad or iPhone, the app looks amazing!

The app is only $2.99 and is in the App Store for you right now!

Circuit Playground simplifies electronics reference & calculation so you can have more fun hacking, making, & building your projects!

• Decipher resistor & capacitor codes with ease
• Calculate power, resistance, current, and voltage with the Ohm’s Law & Power Calc modules
• Quickly convert between decimal, hexadecimal, binary or even ASCII characters
• Calculate values for multiple resistors or capacitors in series & parallel configurations
• Store, search, and view PDF datasheets
• Access exclusive deals from Adafruit Industries

Source: Adafruit Industries via Engadget

An iOS App Made for Me – Circuit Playground is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

If you don’t want to or can’t resell these for a spot of cash, don’t just chuck them or leave them lying about. Give them new life by installing a tweaked version of iOS 5.

The Whited00r iPhone modding community has just released a hacked version of iOS 5 that will work on iPhones as old as the 2G and all iPod Touches. This hack doesn’t include the Notification Center or the App Store. For apps there’s something called 3store.

Whited00r 5.1 can be installed using iTunes and it looks like you don’t need to be a heavy modder or hacker to get it working. If this is your first time doing this kind of thing, then installing on an older device is a good way to practice. After all, that iPhone wasn’t doing anything but sitting around before. now at least it has a chance to be somewhat new again.

Then you can use the iPhone as an iPod, leave it sitting in a dock forever, or give to a young person as their first iDevice.

via Wired Gadget Lab

Revive an Old iPhone 2G or iPod Touch 1G With Whited00r’s iOS 5 is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

Before I talk about the new ROM, let me talk about battery life. For the 1st couple of weeks that I used the Galaxy Nexus, I was completely stock. I was getting around 4.5 to 5.5 hours of battery life with moderate to heavy usage. After I switched to the Android Revolution HD ROM, I saw a slight increase in battery life. After switching to this new ROM, I am seeing awesome battery life. I am still using the phone about as rigorously as before and nothing else has changed, so we have to chalk this up to the new ROM.

This look is quite different in some ways than what my other layout looked like. The folders are the same, the lack of Google search bar is the same, the tray icons are the same, but I am using a different clock and some new (but old) is added. Notice the software buttons at the bottom. With the stock ROM and my previous custom ROM, the search button was gone from earlier Android versions. This ROM adds this button and a persistent menu button. This ROM allows you to move all the buttons around as well.

The ROM is called Codename Android and I found it over on RootzWiki.

On the left, you can see the details of the ROM and other data and on the right, you can see one of the cooler modifications build right into this ROM. Check out the notification slide down near the top. Switches, including on to turn LTE on/off are part of the notification bar drop down. This allows me to free up some screen real estate using a widget to turn things on/off rapidly.

There are dozens of great mods included in this ROM which eliminate the need to load up 2-3 of the mods I had in place previously to accomplish a single change. This ROM also includes an alternate launcher which allows you to increase your home screen grid as well as remove the persistent Google search bar. I still prefer to use Nova Launcher, which has been updated 4-5 times over the last week.

For all this ROM offers, there is one feature that the author isn’t talking about really. BATTERY LIFE. It might be complete coincidence, but since moving to this ROM, I am getting awesome work days out of the Galaxy Nexus.

I am starting to see battery life like this on a standard battery. I was near dead at this point previously. I don’t have screenshots of other days, but I am getting 10-12 hours on a charge now.

I am not saying that everyone needs to run out and hack their Galaxy Nexus to get better battery life, but if you are into custom ROMs, you might want to give this one a look.

Another Galaxy Nexus Custom ROM, Better Battery Life is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

In addition to those games, Nokia announced at CES with the Lumia 900 announcement that they are partnering with EA to bring even more games.

A partnership with EA to bring over 20 of the world’s most popular games to the Windows Phone marketplace, coming first to Nokia Lumia devices.

Why did it take Nokia to forge a deal with EA Mobile to bring more quality game love to Windows Phone? That’s the question. I know that Microsoft has been trying really hard to get developers to come over to Windows Phone, but Nokia getting EA Games to unload 20 games that easy seems weird. Am I reading into this too much?

Here’s a video from EA Mobile teasing some of the games that might come in this Nokia deal:

Here’s what I am seeing in there:

• Mirror’s Edge
• Real Racing 2 – Another racing game?
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour – An all time favorite!
• Sims Medival – This one looks awesome!
• Monopoly – You can never go wrong with Monopoly, right?
• Spy Mouse
• Yahtzee – Fun game on my iOS.
• Life
• Vampire Rush
• Parking Mania
• Picnic Wars

That’s not 20, but that’s enough to get me excited. I am looking forward to a few of the titles for sure.

For more information about the 5 games Microsoft announced, make sure to head over to the Windows Phone Team Blog!

Microsoft, Nokia, & EA Mobile Bringing New Games to Windows Phone is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

Yesterday, Hillel Fuld wrote an interesting article on Business Insider titled, “Here’s Why Robert Scoble And The Rest Of The Pundits Are Wrong: Windows Phone Will Be A Success“. This article stems from all the negative vibes that Scoble has been putting out about Windows Phone. Hillel goes over the reasons he thinks Scoble and others are dead wrong about Windows Phone. Personally, I agree with both sides equally on the points, especially app support. My drawback on Windows Phone is app support. I do realize that Windows Phone is beyond where Android and iOS were at the same point in their history, but there are many niche apps that are left to be developed for Windows Phone. Unlike Scoble, I have hope. I don’t expect Microsoft to grab 10% market share in 2012, but I do expect Windows Phone to grow enough to consider it a successful start. The 1st year of Windows Phone did not seem like a success in my eyes, but I do think 2012 will be, especially with Nokia’s help.

Robert Scoble replied to Hillel’s article predicting that Windows Phone will be a success on Google Plus with a piece title, “What +Hillel Fuld doesn’t know about Windows Phone and its chances in the market“. In this article, Scoble talks about what journalists and CEOs have told him in meetings and dinners in regards to Windows Phone. He mentions Pandora not planning a Windows Phone app and that the Skype CEO telling him that they won’t be supporting the current version of Windows Phone.

“First, I had dinner with Skype’s CEO on Thursday night. He told me that Skype won’t support the current version of Windows Phone.”

Now there are reports coming out that Skype will be coming to the current release of Windows Phone from The Verge’s Tom Warren.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone Skype app appears to be nearing release. Skype’s VP of products, Rick Osterloh, revealed that Microsoft’s Skype division is “working on a Windows Phone product that will be coming out soon,” during an interview at CES 2012. Microsoft has typically refused to comment in detail on its Skype plans, after the company acquired the voice and video calling service in October.

I read the Scoble piece yesterday and woke up this morning to a link to the article on The Verge in my inbox this morning. When I finally got around announcing the good news about Skype here on GBM, I noticed that Scoble updated his Google Plus posting with the following:

UPDATE: Skype’s CEO, Tony Bates, just called me and clarified what he told me. I misquoted him or didn’t understand what he was saying, he told me. He said Skype will do an app on Mango but will further integrate into future Windows Phone OS’s. This made me update my post here.

This video with Skype’s VP of Products Rick Osterloh shares info that Skype is coming with a product for Windows Phone that will be coming out soon.

I really like Scoble and I value most of his opinions and information, but his reply to Hillel’s article seems almost as if he just wants Microsoft and Windows Phone to go away. That’s a far departure from the Robert Scoble I knew back in the day. People and opinions change, that’s life.

Either way, this is great news for Microsoft and Windows Phone users! Having an official Skype client for Windows Phone narrows the list of missing apps from the Marketplace. As for Pandora, I actually love and still use Pandora, so I still want to see it come to Windows Phone.

Skype Confirmed for Windows Phone is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

This is great news for Microsoft and Windows Phone. This will be the 1st Windows Phone only, independent developers event. If this conference actually materializes, it shows that there is interest outside of Microsoft in Windows Phone development.

The conference is hoping to offer more than 50 classes and workshops. They plan to have an exhibition hall for companies selling products and services for Windows Phone developers as well. According to the press release, they are expecting to host more than 500 developers and 30+ exhibitors and sponsors.

The Conference Director is Ted Bahr, President of BZ Media and he seems quite excited about the conference.

“Windows Phone is the next red-hot mobile platform. Forward-looking developers need a place to come up to speed on how to build those apps. WPDevCon is the first dedicated conference for Windows Phone developers – and the best place to bootstrap or extend your Windows Phone app effort will be at WPDevCon.”

I am excited about the conference as well since it means that more and more developers are considering Windows Phone. I do want to see Windows Phone succeed and developers are needed if that is going to happen. Right now, it seems as Microsoft is holding a double-edged sword. You have developers out there saying that they are going to wait to develop apps for Windows Phone until the platform picks up more steam but on the other side of the sword, you have consumers waiting for better app support to give the mobile OS a chance.

Too bad this conference isn’t sooner. I’d like to see the movement start sooner.

Make sure to check out WPDevCon if you are interested in being a speakers or sponsor. For more information visit WPDevCon.

Source: SD Times via WP Central

WPDevCon 2012 – An Independent Windows Phone Developers Conference is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

Regardless, RIM finally announced version 2.0 of its Playbook OS. Guess what? It comes with native email, calendar, and contact apps. Of course those are Apps that RIM took some shots for not having ready with the Playbook’s big launch last year, especially given the bones RIM had made with that kind of App functionality on its Blackberry phones. Talk about a miscalculation. RIM was criticized then, and is destined to be dinged up again now that they are finally releasing that functionality.

I’m picking this info up from The Verge who says that v2.0 is the most polished version yet with some home screen enhancements, drag and drop icon placement and folders. In addition the Messages App doesn’t just do email it also integrates LinkedIn and Twitter to some degree. For Twitter you can send and receive direct messages in the Messages App, but you need a Twitter App to just send a Tweet.

I may be wrong here but I don’t think any of the GBM Team has a Playbook, and even if they did, with priorities being at CES 2012 at the moment I doubt we’ll see any immediate testing here of the new OS. So, head over to the Verge to see what’s what for the moment.

Too Little, Too Late? RIM Finally Adds Native Email Service to Playbook is a post by Warner Crocker from Gotta Be Mobile.

I shared a way to get Swype now last week. I haven’t had any issues with the version I am using at all. The APK you need to install to get it working with this hacked version does not require that you root or unlock your phone. Just download it on your Galaxy Nexus and install. If you haven’t installed any non-market apps yet, you’ll be told that you need to allow installation of non-market apps. Once you allow them, it installs and works like a champ.

Earlier today on Twitter, Swype announced that they are almost ready and expect to be done to roll out a beta version by the end of this month.

Good news! Official ICS support is near. Final tweaks and testing should be done in time for an anticipated end-of-month beta update.

Until then, you still have other options to consider. I used the Free TouchPal Keyboard until I discovered the hacked version of Swype that works. There were a few minor issues with TouchPal and SlideIT that made them a bit more difficult to use than Swype, but as a filler, they worked well for me.

I will update you all as soon as the official Swype Beta is available!

Source: Twitter via BGR

Swype update to support Android 4.0 expected by the end of January is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

As I was winding down to get into bed after 2012 dropped, I checked Twitter one last time and saw a very interesting tweet from @ChevronWP7. They announced via twitter that they only have 18 tokens left and that they won’t be restocking.

What is ChevronWP7 and what are tokens?

You can learn more about ChevronWP7 in a post I made showing how to unlock your Windows Phone 7 device back in November. The tokens are the virtual serial number needed to unlock your Windows Phone 7 device. You could download their unlock tool, run it and it would ask for your token to verify payment.

I saw this tweet and started looking into it further as I didn’t know the details of the agreement between the guys behind ChevronWP7 and Microsoft prior to this tweet last night. So, before I went to bed, I checked out the rest of the tweets I had missed earlier in the day to see what this was all about. What I found was that a) they sold almost 100 tokens on New Years Eve after they announced that they had just 98 tokens left and b) that they announced this back on December 14th, 2011. I will admit, I missed this and was totally unaware of the token limit.

Apparently Microsoft and the ChevronWP7 team had an agreement with Microsoft to only sell 10,000 unlock tokens. I am not sure why the limit was in place but it’s been reached and it’s over… for now. In the ChevronWP7 labs portion of their website, it shows that the tokens are sold out but it tells us to stay tuned to their blog and Twitter stream for updates. That leaves a little bit of a glimmer of hope for the people who didn’t get a chance to unlock their Windows Phone earlier.

I was able to unlock my HTC Titan back in November using ChevronWP7. Sadly, the only reason I did this was to use an app that allowed me to take screenshots for reviews right on the device.

While reading the ChevronWP7 twitter stream, I found some exciting news from back on Decemeber 15th.

We’d like to remind folks that our unlock solution is officially sanctioned and is future proof. ^ RR

I am sure there will be something new come down, official or unofficial, to allow people to continue unlocking Windows Phone 7 devices again. There’s no doubt that there is a need for this and someone will step up and fill it if ChevronWP7 and Microsoft do not swing another deal. You can also pay $99/year to get developer access, but I doubt many consumers are willing to go through those hoops.

This is in deed sad news, but at the same time congrats are in order to the ChevronWP7 team for reaching 10,000 token sales.

No more ChevronWP7 Tokens, No more legal Windows Phone unlocks is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

When I became an iPhone user for a year, I got into customizing the looks of my iPhone doing some heavy theme modding though. I wrote an article on Mobilitysite, which I republished on my personal blog last year about the subject. If you are inclined to know more about my views on the subject back then, feel free to read it. My views today are similar on some aspects, but clearly different on most of the issues. I flashed one Android device prior to this Galaxy Nexus just to test something on my Xperia X10. It was painless, but there are plenty of steps and you have to be careful not to miss a step. That said, I think it’s safe to say I am a NOOB when it comes to ROMs.

Like Adam, I love the Galaxy Nexus but there are some little things I don’t like. These little things are severely overshadowed by the things I like though.

1. I couldn’t stand that Google Search bar on every screen. I was happy when I defeated it. This was the 1st step to getting me on a custom ROM.
2. I wished that I had one more icon slot in my icon dock for the camera app.
3. I always thought that the icons were too big for a device that has a screen with such a good resolution.

Take a look at the before and after shots of my home screen on the Galaxy Nexus and then I will tell you how I accomplished all of it.

• The far left screen shot is from the stock ROM for the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Notice the 4×4 grid and the static Google Search widget up top. This wasted an entire 4×1 and can’t be removed.
• The middle screen is after I removed the Google Search Bar. I used a fix that requires that the device be rooted and unlocked. This fix increased the grid to 4×5, allowing icons and widgets to be placed in the void that the search bar left behind.
• The far right screen shot is after I installed Nova Launcher. I go over the settings for this launcher in the video below. Notice how I have more room in the icon dock for the camera icon? Notice that I have a 5×6 grid? I really like having more real estate to shove icons on.

Before reading any further, it should be known that installing custom ROMs will void your warranty if something happens and you can’t return it back to factory. There is a possibility to brick your device as well. In many cases, you will be able to fix any mistakes, but this is your warning. Myself and GottaBeMobile will not be responsible for any damages that might occur if you decide to proceed with any of this modding.

If you are completely new to installing ROMs, unlocking, and all the other jargon associated with modding and Android Device, there is a super informative guide over at XDA. I would recommend giving it a read before you get started if you are new like me!

So here’s what I have done to get to the point I am at with my Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

As I said above, proceed at your own risk. I will link some of the procedures as I am fairly new to this, I don’t feel qualified to tell you how myself. I will arm you with links and knowledge to accomplish the same.

Before installing any of the mods or roms, you have to root and unlock your Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

The procedure I used to walk me through this procedure was found in the Android Central forums. Josh also posted a guide on doing this a different way if it looks easier for you. After this is done, you are almost ready for action!

Next, you have to install ClockworkMod Recovery LTE. 

This version is custom-built for the Verizon LTE Galaxy Nexus. Hit this link and follow these instructions to install ClockworkMod Recovery. Once you have this installed, you are ready for fun!

ClockworkMod Recovery is a tool that allows you to flash the phone with different ROMs from the phone without having to be connected to a PC. It allows you to install modifications, roms, and more from a zip file that you will add to your MicroSD card. In the case of the Galaxy Nexus, you virtual (internal) SD card. This tool also allows you to make complete image backups of your phone in case you run into troubles. You can easily back up and restore with this recovery tool.

Now that you are unlocked, rooted, and have ClockworkMod Recovery in place, you are ready to get to the fun stuff.

Android Revolution HD ROM

I chose to go with the Android Revolution HD ROM. This ROM is based on the stock ICS 4.02 ROM. I chose this ROM because the developer of this ROM is reputable and has produced quality ROMs for numerous devices already. I have full faith that they will continue development of this ROM long enough for me to move on to another phone. There are plans for themes and add on mods are already popping up that are compatible with this ROM. This ROM doesn’t change the looks of Android 4 at all.  I have been on this ROM for a full day now and haven’t run into any issues.

The installation is quite easy. Just follow the instructions in this thread and you are golden. Make sure to do a Nandroid backup before you proceed just in case.

Get Rid of the Google Search Bar

The mod that I installed to get rid of the Google Search bar is from the work of XDA member djmcnz, but this isn’t the launcher that I ended up using. (Link) Make sure to choose the right download if you choose to go this route. This launcher is based on the stock ICS launcher but changes the grid and removes the persistent Google Seach bar.

Nova Launcher

Instead of the launcher I linked above, I chose to go with Nova Launcher. Nova Launcher is a launcher replacement based on the stock ICS Launcher. You can still use folders and if installed as a system app, the app tray will still include widgets. Nova also returns old school Android methods of adding widgets. In previous versions of Android, you could tap and hold the screen to add widgets and change wallpapers. With stock ICS, you can only add wallpapers and you have to pop into the app tray to work with widgets. Nova Launcher offers several great additions to an already awesome phone. Check out the video embedded in this post for a decent walkthrough of what you can do with Nova Launcher.

To install Nova Launcher, head over to this thread and follow the instructions. Basically, you throw the ZIP file onto the virtual SD card, get into ClockworkMod Recovery mode and install from SD.

Widgets?

That’s all I have done so far aside from setting up the Galaxy Nexus icons/folders the way I want and adding some widgets. The widgets I use for the clock with weather and the toggle widget is HD Widgets, which is on sale for $0.99 in the Android Market right now.

I will share more that I do with this unlocked/rooted Verizon Galaxy Nexus as I play some more.

Let me repeat, there are potential warranty issues involved when you start modifying your device. Please use caution and read, read, read. We won’t be held liable for any damages cause should anything go wrong. This post is designed to share with those interested how I achieved the setup I am using on my Galaxy Nexus.

My Custom Galaxy Nexus Setup [How To] is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

By now, I am sure everyone knows that Swype doesn’t work on the Galaxy Nexus. I expected them to have already worked on a version compatible with both ICS and the 720p screen resolution that the Galaxy Nexus sports since the unlocked GSM version had been out there a few months already. That’s wasn’t the case and we, the owners of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, are waiting patiently. Well, patiently isn’t a word I can use for my own anticipation. I have been checking all over for the last couple weeks waiting for the real thing to become available.

Apparently, with the Holidays, I wasn’t checking too closely. On December 22nd, a modder over at XDA-developers named theb1rdm4n fixed Swype!

As I mentioned in the post I made here offering alternatives to Swype in the interim, Swype knows we want a version for the Gnex and in the tweet below, confirms that they are working on it.

I have no doubt that you are working on it Swype, but someone beat you to it.

The XDA-Developers member theb1rdm4n posted early on the 22nd that he had the answers. He posted on XDA and included a link to instructions on installing it on Google+ as well. I found out about this on the Swype Support forums. There was a comment there to search Droid-Life.com for the answer. I found the answer, downloaded the APK and I was in business.

It works great on the Galaxy Nexus in both portrait and landscape and I haven’t found any gotchas yet.

Thanks Anthony Casagrande aka theb1rdm4n for coming up with this fix. 

Links:

• Swype Support forums
• Droid-Life.com
• How to on Google+
• XDA-Developers

How to Get Swype on the Galaxy Nexus is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

I found a post right here on GottaBeMobile by Josh letting us know that about this annoying icon which is technically a folder. He said, “Don’t Want Newsstand? Too bad“, but the good news is that a commenter shared the secret on how to move the icon to a folder. This isn’t really “getting rid” of the icon, but at least we can get it out of sight.

I tried it on my son’s iPod and it still works.

I then moved to my wife and daughter’s iPhone 4s and got them out of sight too.

Here’s how you can hide the Newsstand Icon into a folder:

1. Group up a couple of icons you want to create a folder with. I used other utilities that would rarely get used. Group two other icons and the Newsstand Icon close together on one screen.
2. Next, create a folder with the two other icons and QUICKLY drop the Newsstand Icon into the folder as it’s being created. Timing is key here.
3. Success. Now you have this icon hidden away out of sight.

Warnings:

1. Apple will probably fix this glitch eventually.
2. Don’t do this if you actually plan to use Newsstand. If you try to run it from the folder, it locks up your device and sends you back to your unlock screen.

Here’s a quick video demonstrating the glitch.

Merry Christmas GottaBeMobile!

How to get rid of the Newsstand Icon in iOS5 is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

I have been trying to move away from Dropbox and other smaller companies cloud storage solutions for the fear of the company shutting down out of the blue one day. I am looking at moving Dropbox services over to Microsoft’s Skydrive but Dropbox makes things so much easier. That’s why I am still stuck on it. I have the free account with only 2gb of storage, but for what I use it for, it’s plenty.

If you are unfamiliar with what Dropbox is, it’s an online storage solution. Think of Dropbox as a just folder, a folder similar to a network folder on a company LAN except that this folder is stored in the cloud. If you install the app on your desktop or laptop and on your smartphone, you can access your Dropbox and all the files you place in it basically anywhere you go. I have been using it to move

Here are some screenshots from the new version of Dropbox.

If you are interested in learning more about Dropbox, you can watch the following YouTube video or scroll on by the video and read the screenshots of the intro when you install and run Dropbox on your Android phone for the 1st time.

Like I said, you can grab the new version of Dropbox from the Android Market now.

What’s in this version:

• Completely redesigned the app and added lots of new features!
• Favorites: quick offline access to files
• Bulk upload photos and videos
• Rename files and folders
• Single-tap access to all file and folder actions
• Improved gallery view
• Upload from and export to local storage
• Optimized for Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0)
• Numerous bug fixes and stability improvements

Dropbox for Android updated for ICS and available now in the Android Market is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

Brando is a company over in Hong Kong that markets and sells all sorts of zany gadgets, mostly USB related. They have come out with a rocket launcher called the iLaunch Thunder that’s controlled via Bluetooth by any iOS device. They have apparently partnered up with Dream Cheeky to resell this cubicle weapon of mass destruction. The launcher came with instructions to visit Dream Cheeky to download the manual and a link that sends you to the app store to grab the control software, iLaunch Controller.

Well, I got my hands on one of these silly toys and I have to admit, it’s fun for a little bit. I set mine up on the kitchen nook overlooking the den and proceeded to pelt my son while he was trying to play Xbox.

Here’s a quick video of the iLaunch Controller software on the iPad. I didn’t try it out on an iPhone, but the gsensor mode has to be much easier to control that it is with the iPad.

The iLaunch Thunder is a Missile Launcher made for iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad. 

Strike fear into the hearts of your fellow cube-dwellers with the iLaunch Thunder. Wirelessly controlled by your iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad, the iLaunch Thunder combines the best of Bluetooth technology and extreme innovation with a bit of insanity… 

With a 270°horizontal rotation, a vertical flexibility of more than 40° and a shooting distance of around 25 feet, the iLaunch Thunder will cover more than 1,400 square feet of your workspace. That definitely gives you more than enough coverage to declare some serious office warfare! 

I have to say that I probably wouldn’t purchase this at $99 on my budget, but I can see those with a little more expendable coin grabbing one to create a war with cube mates. The construction of the launcher is all plastic, but fairly sturdy feeling. The software controller is decent and works just fine. My biggest complaint is the noise it makes. The motor that controls the angle and pitch is pretty loud and when the chamber is rotating, it sounds like it might break. Overall, I can only recommend this toy to someone with extra coin and time on their hands.

Cubicle Warefare with iLaunch Thunder is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

I am pretty close to getting set up here to provide app and game videos reviews for all 3 major platforms: Android, iOS, and Windows phone with some regularity. We’ll kick it off with a video 1st look or review (however you look these types of videos)of Sentinel 3.

Sentinel 3: Homeworld is available in the Android Marketplace for $2.99. There is also an iOS version of Sentinel 3: Homeworld if you like what you see here.

Sentinel 3: Homeworld – From the award winning Sentinel tower defense series!

The biggest installment of the award winning Sentinel sci-fi tower defense series – is finally here on Android! Take the fight to the alien homeworld and unleash a massive arsenal of weaponry & get up close and personal on the battlefield in your power armor to execute devastating attacks and support your defenses!

This is your basic tower defense type game with a space age theme. There are 3 modes to choose from. You control the action with your “Commander” robot. You are against multiple attackers with different powers and resistances so you have to plan your defense to keep from getting overrun.

Sentinel 3 isn’t the type game you’ll finish in a day or two and never play again. With all the levels and modes, I can see getting at least a good week of casual play out of it.

My Android App of the Week – Sentinel 3: Homeworld is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

If that sounds like a great deal, then GottaBeMobile and TeleNav have just the contest for you.

We are giving away a new Motorola Photon 4G Android powered smartphone and a year of TeleNav GPS service to keep you on the right course for 2012.

Win the Motorola Photon 4G from TeleNav

The Photon 4G has a 4.3″ qHD display and a 1GHz dual core processor, runs Android 2.3 and operates on the Sprint 4G network. The Photon 4G has an 8MP camera with Dual LED flash and is capable fo recording video in 720P. You’ll also find a kickstand to keep the phone propped up while you  watch movies and TV shows.

The Photon 4G is also Webtop enabled, which means you can connect it to a LapDock or use the VGA adapter to connect it to a TV and launch a desktop like experience for when you need to do more on your phone.

The year of TeleNav GPS service will come in the form of the TeleNav GPS Navigator app on Sprint.

TeleNav GPS Navigator for Android delivers voice guided GPS with live traffic, voice commands and the ability to choose between multiple routes. There is also easy access to many points of interest, complete with user generated reviews and ratings.

You can check out a demo of the TelNav GPS Navigator app in the video below.

How to Enter

To enter, you need to do three things. When it comes to winning a new phone and a year fo GPS navigation, we think liking GottaBeMobile and TeleNav on Facebook is a pretty good deal.

1. Like TeleNav on Facebook.

2. Like GottaBeMobile on Facebook.

3. Leave a comment below telling us your best, “I got lost on the way over the river and through the woods” holiday travel story.

Leave this comment here on GottaBeMobile, we will use the information you comment with to contact you if you are the winner.

Contest Details

The contest runs until December 24th at 11:59 PM Pacific. The winner will be notified via email and will have 3 business days to respond and claim the prize, after which time a new winner will be chosen.

Void where prohibited by local law, Must be a U.S. resident 18 or older to enter.

Win a Photon 4G and a Year of Telenav GPS is a post by Josh Smith from Gotta Be Mobile.

Filling out all those user names and passwords by tap tap tapping the default keyboard drove me crazy. I poked around and couldn’t find it. Surely Samsung included it, it’s been on all the Galaxy devices I’ve used. I gave up and I couldn’t wait to get home and get Swype going.

What is Swype? 

With one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard, the patented technology enables users to input words faster and easier than other data input methods – at over 40 words per minute.

Getting Swype for the Galaxy Nexus

Like I said, the 1st thing I was disappointed with on the Nexus was the lack of Swype. I immediately downloaded the latest BETA of Swype and got a message I didn’t want to see.

That’s not good. Well, I kind of expected them to have already worked on a version compatible with both ICS and the 720p screen resolution that the Galaxy Nexus sports since the unlocked GSM version had been out there a few months already.

I shot out a tweet despite knowing that 100′s of others would be doing the same.

10 minutes later, good news from Swype.

I would love that tweet to have said, “We know, we’ll have it ready later today!”, but at least we know they are working on it.

Now, if you have ever used Swype, you know how awesome of an input solution it is. I have gotten to the point where I can’t use regular tap tap tap keyboards. The Android keyboard is a great tap tap tap keyboard, but once you’ve learned to “Swype”, it’s hard to go back so I set out to find a solution.

I was in luck, there was a solution in the apps I downloaded just because they were 10 cents! SlideIT. I mentioned SlideIT in my 10 Tips and Tricks post a few days ago too.

SlideIT - $5.99

This keyboard worked well for me for a few days. I have very few complaints, but it’s not Swype. The only real issue I had was with password fields and correcting mistakes is a little difficult. The password issue is with apps that request a user name and password. The user name is fine, but on case sensitive passwords, it tries to auto capitalize the 1st lettter. I had to type the 1st letter twice, once gets auto capitalized, the other is lower case, and I go back and delete this 1st character. Not a huge deal, just a minor annoyance.

This one is not free and unless you got it for 10 cents last week, it’s 6 bucks. There are plenty of keyboard skins to download on the Marketplace to spice it up too.

SlideIT is the best keyboard for Android devices. SlideIT, Simply the Best.

The innovative Android keyboard for quick and easy writing.

SlideIT keyboard is an excellent tool for entering text, replacing your touchscreen keyboard. SlideIT keyboard enables users to dramatically improve writing speed with practically no learning curve.
Instead of entering text by tapping on the keyboard letters, SlideIT keyboard eases texting by sliding a finger along the keyboard letters, while the words “magically” appear on the screen.

SlideIT keyboard version 4.5 , NOW WITH MORE THAN 30 THEMES ! 2 skins are preinstalled and many others available for download from the Android Market.

SlideIT keyboard fully supports all Android devices from 1.5 and up, including all tablets.

With over 3,000,000 downloads, SlideIT keyboard has been an Android bestseller and selected as an editor’s choice by Google.

Among SlideIT great features:

• Smart predictions and disambiguation
• Over 45 language packs and layouts
• More than 30 skins
• Speech-to-text
• Handwriting recognition
• Keyboard customization
• Import contacts from your phone

SlideIT’s many great features make it the ultimate time-saving keyboard for Android devices. Writing e-mail, SMS messaging or just chating with your friends on a small touchscreen is now easy and fun!

TouchPal Keyboard - Free

I found another one while reading through Swype’s forums tonight to see if there were any advancements on support of the Galaxy Nexus. So far, I like it better than SlideIT and the fact that it’s free is even better.

TouchPal, the future of input!

Annoyed by typing errors on touchscreen? 
Want to try the new sliding instead of tapping? 
Now you have a choice! TouchPal Keyboard, the most innovative and the best keyboard on Android. It’s the Global Champion of GSMA Mobile Innovation Award.

Unique patented technologies that you can’t find in other keyboard apps:
1. TouchPal Curve – the first predictive sliding in the world. Pause in the middle of sliding to get long words predicted.
2. Intelligent next-word prediction. It may save up to 80% keystrokes.
3. Magic mistyping correction on Full QWERTY layout. Blind typing is no longer a dream!
4. Mixed language input allows auto language detection. No need to switch languages.
5. Innovation of T+ dual-letter layout. Bigger keys than QWERTY.

OTHER FEATURES:

• Multi-lingual support (download language packs after installation)
• Voice input (Android 2.2+)
• Outstanding dictionary with online update 
• Import contact list to your user dictionary
• Backup/restore user dictionary in SD card
• Slide down on keys to quickly input number and symbols
• Fantastic sliding experience

 Changing the Keyboard default?

1. Head into settings and tap on Language & Input
2. Make sure they keyboard you want to use is checked. You can have them all checked, but the one you have set to default will be the one that comes up.
3. Above the list of keyboards with the check marks, tap on “Default”.
4. A box will pop up with a list of keyboards to choose from, choose which you want to be your default. Notice mine is set to TouchPal.

That’s it. I will tell you that the two keyboards and others all make it easy. After the apps are installed, they take you through a setup that does this for you.

Until Swype is ready, have fun with one of these two alternatives for the Galaxy Nexus. 

If you found another better, let us know!

Swype Alternatives for the Galaxy Nexus is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

This one shows Santa checking out directions to the next kid on his list, checking his schedule, checking weather, and even getting reminders from Mrs. Clause using Siri. No wonder Santa needs all night to get it done. He has 3.7 Billion appointments and if you check out the directions to Charlie Grants house, you’ll see that he’s not scheduling his appointments efficiently. Going all the way from Tacoma to Idaho? Really?

It looks like Santa is only allotting 3-5 minutes per visit, including travel time. That’s a tight schedule. No time for cookies.

This is one of the cutest phone commercials I’ve seen in a while. I really like it and it really emphasizes Siri. The video was just uploaded to Apple’s YouTube channel and already has 200k views. Others agree!

According to Siri, Santa has 3.7 Billion Appointments on Christmas Eve! is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

There are so many new features included in Android 4 that the OS itself almost feels brand new. The new favorites tray, folders, face unlock (which does actually work), NFC tools, the list goes on. I haven’t really found a portion of Ice Cream Sandwich that I have disliked.

I will share a few things that I have discovered today. If you find anything that you want to share, by all means, please share in the comments.

1. SWYPE

I really love Swype and it’s not included right now. Swype is working on version compatible with the beautiful 720p screen that the Nexus sports right now. Until then, I have found a very suitable replacement, SlideIT. SlideIT is very similar and actually looks nicer visually than Swype.

2. DATA MONITORING

Something that has been left off the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon that is a very welcome omission is “Bloatware”. There are some things that Verizon does stuff on phones that I do enjoy though and one of them is their data monitor widget. This has been left off of the Galaxy Nexus as well. There are two things you can do to keep up with your data still. You have the built-in data usage monitor in the settings (left) or grab a 3rd party app like Onavo (right). The built-in tool doesn’t come with a widget to track data with. Onavo is free and comes with widgets to monitor data. It takes just a few minutes to set your limits and billing cycle for month resets. It also has a monitor that alerts you when applications are running in the background going crazy with your data.

3. SCREENSHOTS

When Android 1st popped onto the scene, you had to hook your phone up to your computer and install development software to get screenshots off a device. A couple OEMs, Samsung and HTC, started to throw in a way to accomplish this without major hoops. With Android 4, it’s now built-in. KT posted a how-to earlier today, but it’s very simple… Hold down volume down and power button for a couple of seconds and there you have it! You can share pretty screenshots (below) with friends and even readers of websites (that’s you).

4. A LITTLE EASTER EGG FUN WITH ICS

There’s a fun little thing you can do with Android 4. It’s not very functional, but neat nonetheless. Follow along the screenshots below to see!

5. BIG BATTERY NOT DOING IT FOR YOU?

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus has a massive 1850mAh battery but I have heard at least a dozen people complaining about the battery life, myself included. With the built-in battery monitor in the settings, you can learn a ton about where your juice is going. I know this is not rocket science, but I am one that loves to crank up the brightness on my devices and the Galaxy Nexus has one of the nicest screens out there, so you know… turn it up! Well, that’s not so smart. I burned through 2 “almost complete” charges today with that mentality. It wasn’t until I found this little graph below that I knew that the screen was killing me. I changed the setting to auto-brightness and got much better battery life. This was turned off by default.

6. TELL A CALLER WHAT’S UP

You know that moment you’re in a meeting and your wife calls and you don’t want to be rude and ignore the call, but you have to? You can either slide to the left to ignore or to the right to answer, right? Well, now with Android 4, you have a 3rd option. When you receive a call, you push down phone icon and instead of moving it right or left, move it up to the text icon. At that point, you will get a menu of canned responses that you can send to that caller immediately, including a choice for a custom message. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

7. DUDE! WHERE’S MY WIDGET?

If you’ve used Android before and grab a Galaxy Nexus with ICS, you are going to hold down on the main screen looking to add a widget (left). What? All you can do now is change the backgrounds. You widgets have moved. Now, tap the center icon (the one that’s a circle with 6 dots) and you’ll get your app list. Notice at the top, you have two tabs, Apps and Widgets. Slide left to right through your icon pages or just tap the tab itself. Now you can add your widgets. You need to hold down on the widget you want to use and then it will pop up and allow you to position it.

8. NO MORE SETTINGS BUTTON

Have no fear, there are some really quick ways to access the settings now. Of course, the old button was best in my opinion, but Google didn’t leave us hanging. The two easiest ways to access settings are a) the widget that Google gifted us (left) with and b) slide down you notifications bar and click the settings icon up top (right).

9. CUSTOMIZE YOUR FAVORITES TRAY

This one is simple, but very helpful. I won’t waste time explaining it when Google has a perfectly boring video to walk you through it!

10. USE FOLDERS TO ELIMINATE CLUTTER

I was an iOS user when Apple introduced folders to the iPhone. It was awesome! Clutter was now a thing of the past. Well, I know that either the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket or the Droid RAZR had the ability to create folders, but I am fairly sure that wasn’t a function of Android, rather something the OEM through in. Now, with ICS, you can create folders. You can put them on the home screen or even in your favorites tray. Just throw a couple related app icons on top of each other and you have a folder.

If you check out my main screen (top left), I have 8 folders covering 90% of my apps. When you receive the Samsung Galaxy Nexus from Verizon, you will have a Google folder already set up (top right). When you tap the folder to open, the software tells you about folders.

Just like Windows Phone 7, Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) has a lot of undocumented goodies all around.

For more Samsung Galaxy Nexus coverage here at GBM, check out the links below!

• Galaxy Nexus 4G LTE Speed Test: East Coast
• Galaxy Nexus: 4G LTE Speed Test (San Francisco)
• Galaxy Nexus 4G LTE Speed Test [Midwest]
• Verizon Galaxy Nexus Photo and Video Samples
• How to Setup Face Unlock on Android 4.0
• Flash Player Now Available for Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0
• Verizon Galaxy Nexus: First Impressions and Performance
• How to Customize the Galaxy Nexus Favorites Tray
• How To Take Screenshots In Android 4.0 With The Galaxy Nexus
• 5 Things to Do When You Get Your Galaxy Nexus [Setup and Security]

If you know of a cool tip or trick, share with us in the comment section! Happy Nexus Day!

10 neat tricks and tips for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Verizon is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.