Hardware

When you open the box, the first thing you’ll be greeted with is a pair of headphones, a wall charger, and a USB cable. The case design is simple and pleasing, and is complemented with a huge 4.65″ Super AMOLED 720p display on the front. The display is curved, which makes for a more comfortable calling experience when making calls. The phone features a button-less design lends to a very sophisticated look. The only buttons on the device are the volume rocker and the power button. There is also the standard 3.5mm headphone jack and micro USB for PC connection and charging.

While I’m not a big fan of huge displays, this device didn’t feel too big. I had no problem carrying it around in my pocket and had no issues with navigation and usage with one hand. The Verizon version features a 1850mAh battery, which is bigger than the GSM version, due to higher power demand from LTE.

There is a “Verizon” logo on the back of the device, which some worry that Verizon’s influence might take away from the Vanilla experience. The device is stock vanilla and the only Verizon influence outside of the logo is that it comes with the “My Verizon” app preinstalled to manage your Verizon wireless account and watch your data usage (which is a great tool for those not on unlimited data), which I don’t mind at all and actually like that it came that way.

Software

Ice Cream Sandwich is a huge update for Android. The first thing noticed is the new UI and how it resembles Android 3.0. It utilizes a new font specifically designed for Android, called Roboto. The Roboto font was created for the HD displays that’ll soon become the norm. There is a new, slicker lock screen, app drawer has been refreshed and also houses resizable widgets as well. Google added the Honeycomb-style multitasking with a dedicated soft key and the ability to drag applications on top of one another to create folders similar to iOS, along with a some additional features like being able to individually clear notifications and improvements to Google services (Gmail, Calendar), Google+ integration, Contacts, etc. The web browser has been significantly improved, with very fast scrolling and zooming and a nice thumbnail view of tabs. Overall, ICS feels the most consistent and refined of any previous Android version. Also, for those who are “hardcore” and don’t want any carrier software on their device, ICS allows you to get the My Verizon app out of your app drawer.

The camera on the Galaxy Nexus is 5MP. The quality is subpar, compared to many other offerings on the market. The camera does have the ability to take pictures in a second or less, but the quality is even worse if you try to take pictures as fast you can. The camera software has been enhanced, giving users the ability change the lens effects, similar to Instagram (though not as many nice options) and also offers basic editing and a panorama mode.

Performance and Battery Life

The Verizon version is complimented with LTE 4G, which is amazingly fast. I was averaging around 13Mbps down and 6Mbps up off Verizon LTE in my area. The call quality off CDMA was clear and loud. People on the other side reported that I sounded clear to them as well. The speakerphone was powerful and loud, with virtually no audio distortion at the loudest setting. The battery life on 3G and WiFi was exceptional, getting me easily through the day with moderate usage; however, when on LTE, expect to get about 4-6 hours with moderate usage.

Conclusion

If you’re in the market for a new phone and are on Verizon, this should be at the top of your list. With the enhancements from Android 4.0, the vanilla experience of the Nexus device, a safe assumption that you’ll get OS updates in a timely manner, and complemented with the nation’s best 4G network, this is the best Android device you can get from Verizon Wireless, or from any carrier. It is currently available from Verizon Wireless for $299 with a two-year agreement with a data plan starting at $20/month for 300MB. Verizon Wireless has also extended their double data LTE promotion, so you can get the 4GB for $30/month, which will be the best deal for most.

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Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus measures in at 193.65 x 122.37 x 9.96 and weighs just over 12oz. It’s light, thin, and looks very sexy. The back of the Tab Plus looks like brushed metal, but it’s actually plastic. It doesn’t feel cheap at all. It’s a “dense” feeling device and has a nice weight to it, but it’s not heavy. The front of the Tab has a thin bezel that surrounds the screen and the sides taper off to give it very nice round edges. This along with the slightly rounded back give the Tab a great feel in the hand in either landscape or portrait. It’s light enough to hold with one hand, albeit heavier than a kindle, it is still very nice for reading. I tossed on the Marvel comics app and found it completely comfortable holding the Tab and flipping through pages. The 7” really is the sweet spot for me. Large high resolution screen, but still small enough that holding it isn’t cumbersome and staying mobile with it is a breeze. Another perk with the Tab Plus is that it slips into most pockets just fine. I wouldn’t recommend keeping it there all the time, but when you need both hands for something you don’t need a gear bag to toss it into.

Cameras

As far as I am concerned, cameras on tablets are for one thing, video calls. Holding up a tablet, even as small as 7″, to take pictures is just silly. The 3 megapixel camera on the back of the Tab Plus shoots in 720p but the quality is laughable. The 2 megapixel on the front works great for video calls, Skype and mobile hangouts via Google+. If you plan on getting anything else out of a tablet camera you’re kidding yourself.

Software

The Tab Plus upgrades from the previous model’s phone OS to Android Honeycomb 3.2. Samsung of course couldn’t help themselves and tweaked the UI slightly with Touchwiz. Much like the recent Galaxy S II line, the tweaks aren’t bad at all. It’s not as heavy as the customizations on the HTC Jetstream, but it’s not quite vanilla either. It’s a good mix. Samsung includes a few social apps and widgets, nothing to useful but for basic users they are there. There is also a persistant quick panel on the bottom that gives you access to a task manager, calendar, clock, memo pad, calculator, and music player. The neat thing about these apps is they launch right on top of whatever you doing much like a traditional PC “window”. I found myself using the music player the most and the memo pad quite useful as well.

As far as input methods go, the Tab offers a few different choices. You have the stock Android keyboard, a Samsung keyboard and Swype. Holding that Tab in portrait mode makes it awesome to thumb type on no matter which keyboard you choose. Typing in landscape is a little more challenging given the 16 x 9 aspect ration. Even for someone like myself who has pretty big hands, it’s tough to reach across the tablet with your thumbs. Laying it down or typing with one hand while holding with the other is much easier. Of course you could always install Thumb Keyboard and eliminate the problem all together. There is also a memo pad app that lets you write hand written notes. It’s not on the same level as the HTC Flyer and it’s Scribe Pen, but it’s nice to have.

Among the extra apps that Samsung loads is the Peel Smart Remote. It basically turns you Galaxy Tab Pus into a universal remote for controlling you media setup. I connected it to my Sanyo TV and U-Verse cable box with surprising ease using the built in IR blaster. The interface is really nice and it shows album for the TV programs, and even has a guide function built in. It’s a nice addition and given the Tab’s size, it makes for a great smart remote.

 Power and Performance

Android Honeycomb has come a pretty good way from when it first launched. The latest version is still a little laggy at some spots even though the device has a 1.2 dual core processor. It’s not all the time, but It’s worth mentioning. Now the browser is a whole different story. This thing screams! It’s one of the fastest mobile browsers I have ever used. Pages load and render lighting quick. HD video plays great, graphic intensive games play with no lag, and overall use is very smooth. All of this makes the here and there lag even more troubling. A device with these specs shouldn’t have these problems. They are most definitely software related.

Battery life on the Tab Plus is excellent. In the three weeks I have been using it, I might have charged it 4 times. That’s with pretty heavy usage consisting of web browsing, book reading, social networking, a little gaming and all with the screen at full brightness at all times.

Conclusion and Final Score

I am really fond of the 7” tablet size and it’s portability. For the few weeks I used the Tab Plus, I never hesitated bringing it with me wherever I went. It’s an equally great couch computer for browsing the web, posting to social networks, and controlling my entertainment system. The hardware is really solid, but Honeycomb still has some growing up to do. In most cases the Tab was blazing quick, and it lasted for days. I did have a few games that wouldn’t run do to compatibility and a hint of lag here and there, but overall I was happy with the Tab. With it’s $400 price point, you will really have to decide if you need all the features of Honeycomb. With the Kindle Fire coming in at half that cost, and the Nook Tablet being $250, it’s going to be hard to justify that $400 price tag.

Guru Inspection
Hardware
Slim and light, but not cheap feeling. Great one handed use and not cumbersome at all.
Cameras
The cameras work well for video calls, but the video and still won't impress anyone.
Software
While Honeycomb has grown up some, it still needs some work and better app support. Samsung's customizations aren't bad but add little to the experience.
Battery and Performance
The Tab was a rocket ship sometimes and Civic others. Even with these top specs, slow down was still present.

Overall
Unless you absolutely need a full tablet OS, at $400 it's hard to justify this when compared to a Kindle Fire at half the cost.

There is a thin line between protecting your phone and bulking it up. Otterbox is known for the tank like Defender series cases, but what if you don’t want all that bulk? That’s where the Commuter Series comes in. It’s comprised of a silicone layer that surrounds the phone like a traditional skin, but the skin is then covered with a polycarbonate shell. The combination creates a dense package that isn’t too thick but provides a good amount of protection. The Commuter also includes a thin screen protector to keep your device’s pretty face scratch free.

The case still gives you access to all of your ports, but with silicone covers to protect them from the outside world. This is especially good if you carry your Galaxy S II in your pocket, as lint and what not does not get into your device.

The Ottberbox Commuter case is currently only available for the AT&T and International versions of the Galaxy S II, so you Sprint and T-Mobile folks are out of luck. The case can be picked up for $35 via Otterbox’s website and  Amazon.com.

Hardware

In today’s world of 4.3” and 4.5” phones being the norm, the HTC Rhyme seems rather small with it’s 3.7” 480 x 800 screen. Measuring 119 x 60 x 10.85mm and weighing in at 4.58 ounces, the Rhyme feels great in the hand. The edges are rounded and the back is coated with soft touch plastic giving the device a very “friendly” feel. The frame of the phone is made of aluminium that wraps around to the back as well. It’s not quite “unibody”, but it feels very solid. The back is also home to a 5mp camera, flash, and charging contacts for the Rhyme’s custom desktop dock. The traditional charging port is on the bottom left covered by a plastic “flap”, which I hate since I have no nails, and the volume rocker is on the top right of the device. The top contains the power button on the right and headset jack on the left. The look is very clean and minimalist. It’s a good looking phone. Even in “plum”.

The Rhyme also comes with a “charm” that plugs into the headset port of the device. It’s a long cord with a plastic square on the end that lights up when you have a missed call or text. The idea is that this charm dangles outside of your purse (or man bag), so you can easily see when you have a new message or missed call. This is one of many specialized accessories that are offered with the Rhyme. There is also a desktop dock that has a built in bluetooth speaker so you can stream your device’s audio to it. Dropping the Rhyme in the dock also activates a pretty snazzy desktop mode that includes a clock, weather forecast, music player and photo slide show.

Camera

The 5mp camera takes decent shots in optimum lighting conditions, but suffers greatly when not in bright light. You could of course turn the flash on, but it washes images out and gives them a yellow hue. Since the Rhyme is running Sense 3.5, you get a ton of photo effects settings. Tapping the effects button on the top left brings up settings like vignette, dots, grayscale, vintage and way more. There are also a bunch of scenes to choose from like portrait, landscape, action, panorama, HDR, low light, whiteboard, and close up. On top of all of that, you have settings for ISO, white balance, auto focus, auto enhance, and more. I can appreciate all the options and settings, but I just want to pull the phone and shoot. I don’t want to have to mess with settings and tweak the image to get a good photo.

The Rhyme also captures video in 720p HD resolution. The videos look pretty good, but they suffer form the same low light issue that still shots do. It’s as if the sensor just doesn’t let enough light in. The audio recording is good as long as there aren’t multiple sound sources or anything too loud. The sound gets washed out pretty easily if your in a loud environment like a concert or party.

Software

Running Android 2.3.4 and HTC’s Sense UI version 3.5 the Rhyme has a very “been there, done that feel”. Sense UI seems to get bigger and heavier with each new version, no longer adding things that Android lacks, but seemly adding things just to add them. Not all additions are bad however. The lock screen is a large improvement over the traditional Android lock screen, allowing you jump into shortcuts quickly. The notification window has a tab for quickly accessing settings like WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS. It’s a nice touch, as it’s much faster to swipe down the window shade than rummaging through the settings menu.

HTC Sense is known for it’s huge selection of eye catching widgets and the Rhyme doesn’t disappoint including 70+ widgets. The calendar widgets are as useful as they are beautiful. The weather widgets are sized small to large and provide great at a glance information. Then there are newer additions like the “Quick Launch” widget, which takes up an entire home panel. The widget gives you customizable shortcuts to apps and a clock with your weather forecast. The Quick Widget doesn’t seem that useful, especially considering HTC already provides multiple weather and clock widgets.

My other growing issue with Sense UI is that you are forced to use HTC’s mail app if you want to use their mail widgets. One of the advantages of Android is it’s awesome Gmail app, but Sense forces you to use HTC’s mail app if you want tight integration within the widgets. It feels disconnected to the rest of the Android experience, not to mention the HTC mail app lacks many of the features that Gmail provides.

Then we have the issue of updates. The Rhyme was released with Android 2.3.4, right around the same time Google released Android 4.0. HTC issued a statement with the devices they plan to update first and the Rhyme was absent from that list. I understand that this device is not aimed at the geek elite, but I feel like it should be noted.

Battery and Performance

Today more Gs are more better right? If you’re living on the bleeding edge than you won’t settle for anything less than a 4G device, especially on Verizon. The Rhyme however, was launched with 3G only. Obviously HTC and Verizon are not marketing this device to the tech geeks that count Gs and processors. With download speeds ranging from 600kps-900kbs and upload speeds from 400kps-700kps the Rhyme is no speed demon, but it was very consistent.

Being a 3G only device and powered by a 1600 mAh battery the Rhyme has great battery life. I could easily go 10-12 hours with moderate to heavy use. You won’t be winning any download races, but think of the Rhyme as the turtle from the Tortoise and the Hare.

I was worried that with Sense 3.5 and being powered by a single core 1 GHz processor, that the Rhyme would be a bit of a dog. I have actually been pleasantly surprised by the performance. Swiping through home screens is super smooth and I have seen very little lag overall. The only time where I noticed some slow down, is when unlocking the device. This is probably due to the way Sense UI “spins” the home screens into view when you unlock the phone. Overall, the performance of the Rhyme is solid. It’s not a spec’d out power house, but it delivers where it matters most.

Conclusion and Final Score

The HTC Rhyme is a pretty forgettable device save for the plum color and some cool accessories. It gets lost in a sea of device not only from Verizon, but from HTC themselves. What differentiates this phone from the Droid Incredible 2? Not much if anything. But hey the Rhyme isn’t geared towards me. It’s geared towards busy ladies. Well, at least that’s how HTC and Verizon are marketing it. In all honesty, I like this phone a bit more than the Droid Incredible 2, but would quickly overlook it thanks to it’s plum body. Is that good or bad? I don’t know. What I do know is, if you make a great product, you don’t have to market it to specific genders. If you make a mediocre product, have to do something to make it stand out.

Guru Inspection
Hardware
Even though it's smaller than most of today's smartphones, the Rhyme looks great and feels great in the hand.
Cameras
Both still shots and video suffer from serious low light issues, but in good lighting the camera works well. there are tons of settings for pre and post photo taking to fine tune your image.
Software
HTC Sense 3.5 looks great and offers some advantages to vanilla Android but takes a small toll on performance.
Battery and Performance
The battery will last you a full day easily, but your data speeds suffer greatly with the lack of 4G LTE. The Rhyme showed little to no signs of lag even carrying the heavy load of HTC Sense 3.5

Overall
The Rhyme is trying really hard to stand out with it's lackluster specs and fancy design. It performs well enough, but leaves a lot to be desired.

Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy S II is extremely thin at .35” and only weighing 4.3 oz. The phone is made up of plastic and does give off a slightly “cheapy” feel. The battery cover is paper thin and textured unlike the smooth plastic found around the rest of the phone. Don’t let the thin and light body fool you, the Galaxy S II packs plenty of punches in the hardware department. This phone isn’t about the body, it’s about the screen.

The beautiful 4.3” Super AMOLED Plus display is vivid and shows off colors remarkably well. Greens and blues almost glow, blacks are so deep it looks as if the display is turned off. It’s bright and extremely crisp. Even with a “lower” resolution of 800 x 480, the screen still looks great even up against other phones with a qHD display. Comparing it to my Thunderbolt, well, there is no comparison, this is a gorgeous display.

Below the screen are your traditional Android keys for menu, home, back and search. They are capacitive buttons and provide a little vibration for feedback as you hit them. Above the screen you will find the 2.0 Megapixel front facing camera for all your self portrait needs. Along the top, off centered to the right, is the 3.5mm head set jack for headphones. The left side is home to the volume rocker, the right side, the power button. The overall look is very clean and uncluttered, and your attention quickly centers on the screen instead of the rest of the hardware.

Cameras

The Galaxy S II sports a 2.0 Megapixel front facing camera, and a 8 Megapixel camera on the back. The rear camera also shoots video in 1080p. The front facing camera does its job and your not going to knock any one’s socks off the quality of your self portraits. It’s there for video calls, for that, it works well. The 8 Megapixel camera takes pretty good shots. Not as good as the iPhone 4s but better than most Android phones. The shutter is quick, but again, not as fast as the iPhone 4s or the upcoming Galaxy Nexus. One very nice feature of the camera is the ability to create panoramic images. Snap a shot, line up a few more, and the phone stitches them together for one continuous image.

Software

Ah the software. This is where the magic either happens or is revealed to be a just an illusion created by David Blane, er Samsung. The Galaxy S II comes with Android 2.3.4 and Samsung’s Touchwiz software. When I first saw Touchwiz on the original Galaxy S, I thought it was ugly, slow, and an iPhone rip off. With the Galaxy S II however, you have a smooth, polished, and very fast user experience. The icon’s “cartoonish” looks have been toned down and everything has a more refined look. The best improvement are in the home screen launcher. You are given a customizable bottom row so that you can place apps that you want in the dock. Samsung also has made it so when you reach the end of your home screen pages, it will scroll circularly to the next page.

Samsung has also added some motion control gestures to interact with the phone. For example, in the browser you can place two thumbs on the screen and tilt the phone backward and forward to zoom in and out. You can do the same on the home screen in order to move your icons around. Another very cool motion feature is flip to mute. Rocking out to some serious jams when your boss walks in, just quickly flip the phone over and it will mute media playback. Flipping phone over on it’s face while a call comes in will mute the ringer as well.

The Galaxy S II is a carrier phone and as such you will get a bevy of AT&T branded apps. Nothing too offensive and some you might even find useful. Also pre-installed is the popular Swype keyboard, allowing you to slide your finger from one letter to the next in order to create sentences and words. For those that do not like Swype, there is also a more traditional keyboard by Samsung which I found to be quite good. It looks and feels very much like the stock Gingerbread keyboard.

Battery and Performance

The Galaxy S II is fast! There is no other way to put it. The phone is powered by a dual core 1.2ghz Exynos processor and 1GB of RAM which makes this device scream. The Samsung Galaxy S II is the quickest Android phone I have used to date. There is zero lag, home screens fly by with no stuttering and menus pop up in an instant. Web pages also seemed to load faster on the Galaxy s II than the Motorola Atrix while both were connected to WiFi. Loading it up with apps and switching between them on the fly was no issue. The phone took every single task I through at it in stride. Whether you’re interested in multitasking or gaming, this device will not let you down. It’s a speed demon.

With all the speed and performance, this thing probably sucks down the juice right? Well it’s actually not bad at all. Users of heavy data and constant multitasking will see around 8 hours of battery, but one could easily squeeze 12-14 hours if you needed to. I like to use my device full force with brightness at 90+ percent, GPS on, WiFi on, mail, twitter, and all kinds of other apps being pushed. The Samsung handled all of this beautifully. The only other device that I have tested with this good of battery is the iPhone 4, and it doesn’t do nearly as much in the background. I was quite impressed.

Wrap Up

Minus the the plasticky feel, the Galaxy S II really stunned me. I was never that impressed with the first Galaxy S and this looked just like the Infuse that’s been out for months. You truly can’t judge a book, er, phone by it’s cover. Under the hood this thing is a beast with the chops to stay alive in this crazy wireless jungle. Beautiful screen, amazing performance, great battery life, and software that isn’t offensive to the user, the Galaxy S II is a great choice for anyone.

Guru Inspection
Hardware
Cheap feeling body, but the gorgeous display makes up for it.
Cameras
The 8mp is good, but not a step above anything we have currently seen. The Front facing camera is great for video calls.
Software
Samsung has toned down Touchwiz and made it very useful and even likeable.
Battery and Performance
Hands down the fastest Android phone I have used. Battery will easilt last 8-10 hours of heavy use.

Overall
The Galaxy S II is a great device, and easily AT&T's best out of their current lineup.

Design & Build Quality

The Embrace stereo headphones combine brushed metal and soft leather, for a strong but sleek look and feel. The metal [blank] is adjustable and adds to the durability of headphones, while the soft leather provides comfort and sound proofing. I did notice that my upper ear cartilage began to feel sore but only after very prolonged wearing. I should also mention that I have yet to find a headset that doesn’t hurt my ears after a plethoric amount of time. The design of the Embrace’s ear pads may make you skeptical towards their ability to block out noise, however, don’t be fooled. I wore them around my home without taking notice of my significant other’s shouts for my attention.

Size is always the first issue when it comes to portability. Though the Embrace can’t be folded into a tiny compact unit, the ear pieces pivot sideways into a flat design. This helps them slide into the included leather carrying case. You’re obviously not going to be able to pack this unit around in your pocket, but the case adds some protection and includes a small internal pouch for the manual and cables.

The cables are one of my favorite parts of the Embrace’s design. I hate it when I am stuck with a headset with in-line controls that don’t work properly in standard ports. Instead of a dedicated cable, the left headphone has a 2.5 mm plug for switching out the two included cables. There is a standard black audio cable, and a blue one with in-line iPhone/iPad/iPod controls. There is also an OMTP adapter to make the in-line remote compatible with a larger array of devices. This makes the headset very versatile for an assortment of situations and gadgets.

Audio Quality

If you’re going to spring for a high end headset, audio quality is key. Blueant’s Embrace boasts high performance 40mm drivers custom tuned for true to life sound. In actuality…they sound great. I listened to several music types from dance to folk and even some spoken voice. They made me feel like the music was playing right in my head and also worked well for recording our latest Gaming Gurus podcast. While the audio quality was great, I have seen other headphones within this price range that have a wider frequency range. The Embrace’s frequency range is 20 Hz to 20 MHz. Their website says the headset has a flat frequency response for minimal distortion and compression, giving the headphones “true to life sound” that is not artificially manipulated. This just seems like some fancy marketing, since digital music is sound in the form of 1’s and 0’s, thus it is already artificially manipulated. Basically, the headset takes all these high and low sounds and keeps them all evenly in this middle frequency range, so you get nice, even, undistorted sound. However, if you like really crisp highs over really deep bass, then this isn’t your ideal pair of headphones. The bass heavy music I played, definitely had some deep tones (that were not in the least distorted), but not that deep rumbling kind of bass. A casual listener will probably not notice this, but keep researching if you’re the type that wants the highest highs and lowest lows.

Overall

Right from the start I noticed that the Embrace stereo headphones were well constructed, versatile, and provided great audio quality (though maybe a little flat for some). Unfortunately, I also ran into a technical issue. Shortly after wearing them for the first time, I noticed that if the ear pad was pressed or moved in just the right way, the audio would mute or go softer. Originally I thought the pad was creating suction with my ear, making the audio sound quieter, however, I had several others test them out and was able to reproduce the issue while not wearing them. I even had my original unit replaced, because I thought I had a defective pair. I encountered the same issue with the second pair, and I’m not exactly sure what causes the issue. It didn’t do it with every slight movement and can easily be fixed by just moving or pulling the ear pad, but this should not be a worry on a $200 pair of headphones. It seems Blueant is off to a great start, but it would be prudent to wait for a second generation or find an alternate pair that fits your needs better.