A brief history of Android phones

CLICK to see list on CNET Blogs: "More than two years after the birth of the T-Mobile G1, the world's first Android smartphone, we pause to take a look back at what the little green dude has given us. Frankly, we were a little floored when we assembled all the U.S. handset releases into one list. Sure, we've known that the OS has been very busy, particularity in the last year, but we really had no idea just how busy it was. And if we expanded the list beyond handsets not with U.S. carriers, it would be even longer.

Remember that it wasn't so long ago when Android was just a concept. And not long before that, the only android we knew was Data on 'Star Trek.' But now as its market share continues to grow and the OS has landed in the tablet space, Android has emerged as a powerhouse in the mobile space.

Editors' note: This list is current as of December 10, 2010. For brevity's sake, we've focused only on models sold by U.S. carriers. We've also included upcoming handsets that carriers have officially announced.

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Digital grudge match: Tablets vs. eReaders

From Kindles to iPads, MSNBC's Wilson Rothman discusses the pros and cons of ebook readers.

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10 Last-Minute Gift Ideas For Linux Geeks

CLICK to read list on Yahoo! News: "It may be better to give than it is to receive, but that doesn't mean geeks the world over don't have virtual sugarplums dancing through their heads.

Of course, if it's a Linux geek you're trying to please, no i-gadget or Thing 7 is likely to do the trick. Fans of free and open-source software (FOSS) are a breed apart, so you'll have to choose carefully to win their hearts.

If there's an open source aficionado on your Christmas shopping list, then read on for a hand-picked assortment of ideas.

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The big tease: Motorola, Verizon drop hints about 4G, Android and tablets

CLICK to read article on Yahoo! News: "A 'Honeycomb'-powered tablet from Motorola? 4G-ready Android smartphones on Verizon? Well, neither Motorola nor Verizon Wireless have anything official to say about what they've got in store for the Consumer Electronics Show next month, but that hasn't stopped the mobile giants from teasing us on Twitter and YouTube.

First up is Verizon, which took to its official Twitter feed to hint — oh so subtly — that Android fans hoping for a dose of 4G speed in their next smartphones won't be disappointed.

Verizon won't have anything official to announce until January 6, the day of its CES 2011 press conference, but the carrier was happy to stir the pot Monday with this tweet: 'Jan. 6 at #CES: #Android and #LTE - could it be like peanut butter and chocolate? YUM!'

It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together and make a bold prediction: to wit, that we'll be seeing some 4G LTE (short for 'Long Term Evolution') Android smartphones during Verizon's CES presser, which will focus primarily on the carrier's just-launched 4G data network.

Among the possible 4G Android phones we might see from Verizon next month: this mysterious LG smartphone, which may or may not be a version of the dual-core, Tegra 2-powered Optimus 2X. (The backs of the two phones look slightly different, but hey — you never know.)

Another possibility: the long-rumored HTC Mecha, a.k.a. the Droid Incredible HD — an enticing possibility, although HTC's Peter Chou recently told Mobile World Live that an LTE-ready handset from HTC might not arrive until the second half of next year.

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What Recession? Consumers Are Snapping Up Tablets - Yahoo! News

CLICK to read article on Yahoo! News: "Consumers have been snapping up computer hardware online during this year's holiday shopping season, with e-purchases growing 25 percent over the same period last year, according to a new report from comScore. The research firm said the upsurge in demand is being driven by purchases of handheld devices such as Apple's iPad.

Other popular hardware purchases include e-readers, laptops and flat-panel TVs, with the latter growing 22 percent over the same period last year due to attractive pricing. Additionally, purchases of computer software, excluding PC games, rose 16 percent from the same period last year.

For the holiday season to date, $27.46 billion has been spent online -- a 12 percent increase compared to the corresponding period of 2009, noted comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni on Monday. 'Free Shipping Day [Dec. 17] punctuated an exceptional week in which consumers spent more than $5.5 billion online, representing a 14 percent increase from last year,' Fulgoni said.

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NerdBoyTV: Hot Holiday Gadgets

TODAY's Tech Gifts for the Holidays

Release your inner geek with some of these terrific gift ideas. Don't tell, but I'm gonna get the guitar t-shirt for my son, Brandon ;-)

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Samsung Continuum (Verizon Wireless)

NerdBoyTV is really liking this smartphone. Bonnie Cha reviewed this phone for CNET and it comes with a unique split screen with the lower one serving much like a ticker tape for social media updates. It will ship with the Android 2.1 operating system and a 5 megapixel camera that also shoots HD video. You may want to check this phone out at Verizon this holiday season.

Samsung Galaxy Tab vs. Apple iPad 3G

NerdBoyTV relies on these CNET Prize Fight reviews. This is their first knock-down, drag-out review between the two current tablet computers on the market—the new Samsung Galaxy Tab takes on the reigning champ, Apple's iPad 3G. Watch to see which one comes on top!

Mickey is an epic amount of fun

This looks like a very fun Wii game with Mickey Mouse.

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Google Chrome browser nears 10 percent share

CLICK to read article on Yahoo! News: "Google is making some ground in the browser market. In Nov. 2010, the browser hit a 9.27 percent market share, up almost a full percentage point from October, according to a report from Net Applications. The gain came at the cost of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, which dropped by nearly a full point to 58.41 percent. Mozilla Firefox suffered a drop, but it was insignificant drop of .02 percent to land at 22.81 percent and Apple’s Safari browser rose a fifth of a point to 5.57 percent.

Chrome’s impressive month appears to have been caused by strong adoption of Chrome 7.0, the newest version of the browser. In a single month, 7.0 alone gained a 5.64 percent market share, the second largest monthly gain of any browser share since Net Applications began tracking. At this pace, 7.0 should almost completely replace 6.0 in two months time. Google’s new browser versions appear to have a quick adoption rate. Chrome 6.0 showed a similar two month replacement of 5.0.

Another reason for the gain could be attributed to the launch of Google TV, which uses a version of the Chrome browser. However, the actual numbers don’t reflect that. Google TV runs Chrome 5.0, the share of which actually fell from .26 percent to .20 percent in November, which was the first full month Google TV devices were on the market. This data doesn’t bode well for sales of the Logitech Revue and Google-powered Sony TVs.

Eweek points out that in November Google began running print ads in publications like the LA Times, which may have increased awareness of the browser.

Are you a Chrome user? It appears to be the browser of choice for the tech savvy and the only one that’s showing much growth.

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