Smartphones Dumbed Down

Motorola Droid Maxx Dunce

Parents, you’ve got to catch episode 57 of inThirty – do you really want your son or daughter starting the school year without being able to explain the differences between the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD and the Motorola Droid RAZR HD? We didn’t think so. Chaim takes us through the ins and outs of Motorola’s new crop of devices while Harry snores. Some are shipping with Android’s latest release, Jelly Bean, but most, unforgivably, come from the factory with the out of date Ice Cream Sandwich. Harry wakes up in time to gush over Nokia’s newest Lumias, all of which sport Windows Phone 8, or at least will, when they ship, but no one knows when that’ll be. Finally, Justin longs for an Amazon based smartphone, even just so he can tear it down. Oh, and wait, isn’t Apple going to announce something in a couple of days? We cover that, too. We don’t want your kid to show up on the first day of school not knowing the specs of the iPhone 5, after all.

Show Notes
Nokia Lumia 920 hands-on preview, pictures and video” | The Verge
Nokia starts over, again: stunning new phones, no release date in sight” | The Verge
Nokia Lumia 820 hands-on preview (pictures and video)” | The Verge
Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD hands-on: bigger battery, beautiful display, Jelly Bean onboard” | Engadget
Motorola Droid RAZR HD hands-on: a 720p Android ICS update with 2,500mAh battery life” | Engadget
Motorola RAZR M official: 4.3-inch qHD display, 1.5GHz dual-core, hitting Verizon for $99” | Engadget
What could be on tap at Apple’s Sept. 12 press event” | Macworld
Motorola to Offer $100 Credit to Owners of Devices Not Eligible for Jelly Bean Update (Update)” | Droid-Life
Rumor: Amazon to Unveil First Smartphone at Tomorrow’s Kindle Event | Droid-Life

Is Ice Cream Sandwich Delicious?

After two episodes that revolved around the iPhone last week it’s certainly nice to spend some time talking about delectable frozen treats…wait, is that Chaim saying that Android releases are named by desserts in ascending alphabetical order?

This week we discuss the new features Android has to offer and trends in mobile operating system development. Chaim feels pushed towards a hardware upgrade, but will he drop his current Droid for a Galaxy far, far away?  Do you think he’ll ever get face recognition unlocking to work? What do desserts have to do with robots and galaxies? Listen to find out.

Show Notes

10 Coolest Android Ice Cream Sandwich Features | PCMag.com

A Quick Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Feature Rundown | TechCrunch

Android Ice Cream Sandwich versus iOS 5: Killer features | CNet

In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy | Amazon

How does the iPhone 4S camera stack-up against other cameras? | Campl.us

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Official Presentation and Demo | YouTube

Google Buys Motorola Mobility

Sergey and Larry decide that they’re sick of building all of their products out of 0s and 1s and want to make something you can really get your fingerprints all over, or at least chuck across the room at one of Apple’s lawyers during a deposition.