Using SmartPhone Without a Voice Service Plan

Revisions:
12-27-13: Initial release.

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A few months ago I had purchased an iPhone 4 from Amazon (used) for a really great price from Amazon gift cards that I had in my account.

The most interesting part about this purchase is I had no intention to get a data plan or voice service plan for it. Why is that? Well, I already had a company cell phone that I use for business and sometimes personal use, but it wouldn’t be right to have personal stuff and games on a business phone.

OUYA – It’s Released!

Revisions:
6-29-13: Initial release.

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So unless you have been living under a rock for a long ass time, the OUYA Android console is finally out. It’s affordable at $99, and it comes with a wireless controller, and 8GB of internal memory.

The CEO has stated that the console is indeed hackable, but what does this really mean, only time will tell. It does have a number of emulator apps available already, so if you know where to get the roms, then you’ll have a good time playing old school games.

The more interesting thing is that the OUYA is basically an Android tablet or phone in disguise. Since those devices can be rooted, it will only be a matter of time before OUYA is also rooted? Wouldn’t that be interesting if there was a “black market” app that lets you play rooted games on the OUYA?

Well, let’s see what happens. I may get an OUYA one day, but when no idea as I’m still enjoying my Raspberry Pi immensely for time being.

If you got an OUYA, let us know what you think!

Skypad Alpha 2 – How To Install Google Play Store and Other Google Apps

Revisions:
12-24-12:
Initial release.
5-29-13: Fixed download link.

9-6-16: Fixed download link.

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So recently I had upgraded the firmware on my Skytex Skypad Alpha 2, and although it already came rooted from the factory, I noticed I was having issues with two things:

1. Google Play store was missing, the stock firmware came with 1Mobile Market
2. I installed Google Voice applet, and although it installed, I could not add my Google account to it. I downloaded Google Play Services, and this did not help.

First Look – Google Phone

As taken from the following site:

Source

O.K. There is no Google Phone. As we wrote a while back, Google is not building a phone. Instead, the company has teamed up with others in the wireless industry to create an open-source operating system, as well as other services, for mobile phones. Other companies, including Motorola, LG and Samsung, are expected to build phones based on this software.

While the project is called Android, everyone keeps calling it the GPhone or Google Phone.

For those curious about what the Android phones will look like, Google today has posted a couple of demos of their user interface and some applications. Remember these are demos, and no phones based on this software will be available for another eight months or so. But the demos are pretty slick, and they point to a class of phones that have the look and feel of the iPhone, with a touch-sensitive surface that allows users to scroll through Web pages by sliding a finger on the screen.

Clearly, Google is hoping to start building demand for these yet-to-be-launched products. Enjoy, then wait until the second half of next year for your Google Phone, er, Android Phone.

The phone, presented by Google co-founder Sergey Brin: