Rooting is becoming easier than ever.

So I was swimming the net today and learned that rooting of most android devices have once again become easier...well the heavy hitter that is. With most of the Xperia line having dedicated The nexus lineone click software. Samsung and most of the galaxy devices rscreen maough Odin. The nexus devices have desktop software that just about does everything for them, you can install roms, custom images, you can even get default factory settings through the software. HTC, albeit through a personal developer, has its desktop software which roots the HTC one in a snap also. And if you always want to go the longer... Yet more secure rooting way? You can opt for the SDK and ms-dos rooting method... Which of cours 

Personally if the devices I've  is very tricky if your not versed in ms-dos.

Even with rooting, which rom is right for you? Paranoid android? Should you have a custom Rom based off of the os for the device you have? I.E. blink feed if you have HTC? Or touch wiz if you're on a galaxy device? Maybe you're accustomed to the simplistic holo design that vanilla Android provides? Or? You love the customization you can receive from MIUI which I personally love, but I would only have it on an HTC device seeing as to how it runs better on custom kernels than it does stock kernels.

AOSP, AOKP, OMNIrom, Paranoid android, cyanogen mod, there are so many secondary options as far as rooting and as far as roms go. And you may ask which is right for you, do you need a 3rd party kernel, do you need theme customization, a certain lock screen. Maybe the answer is no, and maybe its no because you're afraid of "bricking" your device. Basically bricking is when your device is locked off and pretty much unusable. Its happened to me a few times but I've usually fixed it. The risk/reward factor of rooting is high depending on the device. The positive is that android is open source, and with it being open source developers work furiously to make the rooting process as easy as can be.

Personally from the devices I've rooted I've learned that HTC devices take a bit more know-how and patience. Where Samsung devices are pretty much one click or an easy drag and drop method. The nexus line is blessed with a few separate all in one type rooting programs. I've yet to desk with Motorola or lg... but from what I've read both of those are simple to root. You must remember rooting extends the life of your phone when companies quit sending over the air updates. Most phones have about a year ofota hupdates, and that's if lucky. Nexus devices are the only exempt devices to this rule. So should you root? Ohs up to you, should toy void your warranty for extra customization? I'll always say yes. But hey I'm just a young man typing on my phone ya know?

The unknown hitters of the tech world.

In the world of tech we know a lot about the major companies that stay heavily in the spotlight. Our samsungs, Motorolas, HTC'S and our LG's. But what about the smaller companies that aren't as internationally known, but still produce great quality devices? Well I'm going to do my best right now to introduce you to a few of these lesser known companies.

Let us start with a company, that has made quite a few successful devices, and yet still has yet the gain the recognition it fully deserves. Asus, who once were known solely for net books and laptops ventured into the beautiful world of android mobile tech. They began with the Asus transformer pads, they also released the padfone and the fonepad. 2 completely separate devices, yet 2 completely beautiful ideas. Recently google contracted them to create the nexus 7 line of tablets (2012, 2013). Asus is a company who has always produced premium quality devices for those of us on budgets. And the nexus 7 line is a testament to this. Last year the nexus arrived, as a Smash hit. It cornered the market and forced all other companies to follow in its footsteps, this year? Asus bumped the specs completely, brighter screen, added a rear sensor (which I'm Still leery on tablets with rear cameras) and improved internals. Now let me say this, I have a nexus 7 from last year, and I've demoed this years model and man oh man...this years model is just outstanding. Asus is on my radar as they have been for a while and I'm certain the phone they have in the shadows can put all other companies on notice.

I've mentioned this next company a few times in my recent posts...Oppo if you're unaware of oppo and their existence? I'm here to tell you now, oppo may not become popular outside of Japan and Korea? But they for sure will be on the tips of all our tongues before 2015. Their current android offering known as the N1 is a device that's built with great aesthetics, design and concept, but to be honest im not certain if the general public is ready for what it's offering. The rotating camera atop the device isn't a world first its innovated from past flip phones, yet it's the first on a current generation smart phone. As companies scramble to innovate and even invent, these smaller companies are taking  past failures and rebirthing them, even if we aren't ready. Oppo may fail with the first offering, but the rebuild will be spectacular with consumer feedback.

I'm stoked to speak of my next company. Huawei. Huawei is a company that, if you bring them up in daily conversation there is a solid chance someone may know who you're referencing, but they won't be able to pinpoint an exact device. Huawei has been around for quite a while and they've had much success outside of the US, now they have devices in the US but not on any of the big hitting national carriers. They have the smaller markets somewhat cornered though, you know regional and local phone carriers. Huawei has great offerings in the mid tier phone range and even offers some solid tablets that not many know about. They have just ventured into the high end premium market and I'm interested to see what they can offer. I'm all about the smaller companies and always will be. You guys should keep your eyes on Huawei too.

My last company I'm going to speak on is a company that at one time? Was actually very well known. Kyocera, what happened to one of the most innovative companies of our generation? I remember there used to be a time Kyocera devices were everywhere, the slider line of phones? You were a top consumer if you had one, and believe me I know I had the slider and the slider 2. It took some bit of research from a friend of mine but they ended up sharing the URL to a line of Kyocera android devices that are all waterproof. It warmed my heart to see Kyocera still in the business. Even after the flop of the dual screen android phone the Kyocera echo...wow that was a disappointment. Kyocera may never see their glory days again, but its good to see them still holding strong in the mid tier range of America. I would love to see them venture into the premium range one last time though.

You guys should really look into these companies. The downside of purchasing any of their phones will be that they're international versions and may lack lte support. The upside is the fact that you're purchasing an exclusive device that many people in America may not have. Also if you have a moment? Definitely look into meizu, they are a company I've had eyes on for close to 2 years now, if they ever release a phone in America I will not know how to react. Well them and if Nokia were to ever make an android device, but hey that's a completely different article. Till next time folks.

The world of the ever growing smartphone screen: Do we really need so much real estate?

Searching for a phone nowadays is quite similar to looking for an apartment or a home. You begin to ask yourself, do I need this much space? Do I need all of these amenities? With Samsung, HTC and most other brands releasing these larger screen devices people are beginning to question. "Will there be a screen too large for a phone?

Now before I dive fully into this article. I'd like to say that a few years back when dell released their 5 inch device. Many consumers and critics alike all agreed when they said. "We'll never have a need for a 5 inch screen" the difference between 5 inch screens back then and 5 inch screens now? Is the evolution of pixel density, smoked, clearblack LCD, and even LED panels. Now it isn't just about who can make the largest screen, it's about who can make the sharpest, the brightest, the clearest, or the most colorful. Of course Samsung and their super amoled technology stays at the head of the pack, not necessarily the best, but an amoled screen has never let the public down. Even from its first highly successful device the Nexus S so many years back. Last year when the HTC One line was first birthed the One X and the HTC ego 4G LTE happened to be built with screens that could've easily been the best at that time. 1280 x 720 full HD and the vibrancy on the screens were top notch. Even the WVGA screen on the one v and one s at 960 x 640 were very good.

Now there are many consumers who may say "why do I need so many pixels in a screen"...your question is very valid, and when it comes down to it so many pixels make for a richer all around experience. Easier reading, better and clearer video viewing, of course clearer picture viewing. And the ever growing need for a bright, crisp screen? Gaming. Personally I remember playing need for speed on my HTC evo 3D, and then immediately playing it on my galaxy S3. The difference in pixel shading and all around detail was an immediate improvement. More pixels means more color in a concentrated area, or what we like to call in the tech world PPI (pixels per inch) The higher the density, the more detail you're exposed to.

In my opinion, on my phone screen? Good 1080 HD is solid for me. Now I can't say the same for a tablet that I may buy. If I desire to purchase a 10 inch tablet I would love for the tablet to squeeze as many pixels into the screen as possible. So many pixels in that real estate means for a slim panel, but in a smaller screen? The panel would be too thick. Now we have Samsung working, and lg respectively working on flexible screen technology. Now I'm certain they aren't the only 2 companies working on such technology, yet they are the 2 companies in the spotlight. While another small company, Japan display already happens to be working on 4K screen technology. Albeit in a 12 inch form factor. Do we really need 4K technology on our tablets? Personally I'm intrigued to see how long it will be until these 2 technologies hit the light of day, but as the tech lover that I am? I'm a giddy as a school girl.

The tech universe is ever expanding.

Well folks, as I did my daily news scrubbing, I like to call it scrubbing when I'm in my news reading flurry. I came across a small article. This article read that Lenovo, who has been successful as of late, created a full android....LAPTOP. The Lenovo A10 is a full laptop running on version 4.2. Now, I love my android, but android on a full laptop? Hey guys don't you remember the failure of the lapdock for the Motorola atrix? The general public doesn't care too much about their mobile os being full fledged. Now, don't get me wrong, yes there are tons of apps that consumers love that bridge the gap between mobile systems and full home systems. But don't we love our mobile systems because of the flexibility, ease of use, and battery efficiency? Isn't this why RT has fallen short of expectations? Because we all believed it was "windows 8" in a miniature form? When it definitely falls pretty short? Now I know you may be saying, "what about the Asus transformer pads with the keyboard docks?". Completely different, those are marketed as tablets, with the ability to expand both battery and flexibility. Many tablets have expandable keyboards, and yes the consumer base for these keyboards are solid, but not many consumers are looking for their mobile device to be so hardcore. 

This is why we do have the in between devices. The windows RT or the Google chrome os... And recently chrome os gained "desktop apps"  now I've looked into these "desktops Apps" and so far the selection is slim. The idea is great and the beginning of the incorporation of such apps is good for that person who doesn't desire that heavy full system, nor do they need it. There is his sector of consumers who don't need to spend high end device money, because they neither have high end expectation or needs. This is where windows RT and Chrome OS live. But even at times, these two systems disappoint even the consumers using them.

Now I've read a statistic recently. 35% of all Americans own tablets. Where apple once grabbed upward of 60% of market share its recently slipped down to 32% where android has soared to 63% and even rt with its few faults, has increased from 1%-4%. The desire for mobile information is ever evolving and these statistics definitely support the theory. The course is set for an even quicker, time crunched economy, and in its path companies are doing exactly what they're supposed to be to keep up with desire and demand. It will be good to see where windows RT and chrome OS land next year, and how much innovation will happen within both systems.