Chanatown

Image via Wikipedia Although it's most likely coming soon to the iPhone , Android owners can rejoice for another day that they currently have exclusive use of a very cool app in Google Goggles .  This fun little tool lets you take a picture of text, artwork, landmarks, pretty much anything. The exciting part is when you let the Google search engine try to discover what you're looking at. This week, I had some fun discovering just how cloudy or clear the goggles really were.

Image via Wikipedia With all of the attention I've been giving to my new beloved Droid X , I have take a moment to reflect on part of the reason that made my transition to Android so smooth and enjoyable. So, bear with me haters of Apple "fanboys", I'm going to dedicate this post to discuss why I love my iPad. Instead of just touting the device for its specs and all that it does well, I'll focus on where and why I choose to use my iPad over another device, and why it helps me with my everyday life. Still interested?  Read on...

Image via Wikipedia In what's turning out to be a Coke vs. Pepsi debate, ADW Launcher has joined Launcher Pro (reviewed here) as the most popular alternatives to the stock Android launcher. Today, I'll give the launcher its due time as I discuss the benefits of ADW, and why I liked it overall better than Launcher Pro.

Image via CrunchBase One of the first tabs I open on my browser is almost always Pandora .  If I'm going to be working on the computer for awhile, I want to have some tunes playing in the background.  Now, I have a ton of music loaded into my iTunes, so why would I turn to an application where I would be hearing ads every now and then?  Perhaps, it's because I don't quite have my iTunes organized well enough, but often, I'd rather listen to a variety of music and I just don't have enough of a mix in my personal collection.  Plus, I'm always eager to discover new artists, yet ones that have a sound similar to what I like.

Image via Wikipedia I recall reading the announcement from the Official Google Blog  about the new and improved Google Images, but it wasn't until my wife remarked 'Hey, they've really improved Google Images" that I decided to take a closer look.  Sure enough, Images has been enhanced with a denser layout, lots of scrollable images, larger thumbnails, and a hover preview. Since our students are using Images everyday for presentations, Animoto movies, and website creation, these changes come just in time for the back to school season.

Since making my Decision , I've had just over a week with the new Droid X. Through my Twitter ( @Chanatown ), I've been jotting down some field notes concerning the new Android superstar phone, and here's part one of my "review".  I use the air quotes because there are many typical reviews already out there.  Try this one , or that one , this one , or that one .  I know because I read them all prior to my purchase.  If you're looking for specs, screenshots, or a detailed analysis of the 8MP camera, check out one of those reviews.  This post is more about some of the real world observations that I made that may not make it into other reviews.

UPDATE (9/6): I just paid for and installed Launcher Pro Plus. After reading this original review, feel free to check out my thoughts on the upgrade and all of its widget goodness! One of the biggest reasons I purchased a Droid X instead of the shiny new iPhone 4 was the ability to return to my customization roots.  I remember the good ol' days of tweaking my Samsung i730 Pocket PC , and all of the time spent reading about the latest home screen additions (now popularly referred to as "widgets").  I will admit to being initially reluctant to start the same process with the Droid X, because it is a dangerous path that inevitably leads to phone slowdown and factory reset, but hey, if you can't enjoy your phone, why get it in the first place, right?  Thus, on a dark and rainy night, I dove head first by picking up Launcher Pro.