[Review] The Official Samsung Galaxy S II 2000mAh extended battery

Note: This article is split into two sections, the first a combined review and editorial by onslaught86, and the second a traditional review by Neets. This one's been a long time coming, so we hope you enjoy two different perspectives on this rather interesting and unusual accessory - the Official Samsung Galaxy S II extended battery.

The HTC One X has arrived at AndroidNZ

We'll be seeking to answer the eternal question; is this the
Droid you're looking for?

Quick heads up to let you all know that HTC's latest and greatest has found it's way to me today. Obviously a review must ensue.

The review this time is going to be a slightly different scenario, since I was selected to write for the Telecom New Zealand Tech Blog, which means the review content goes there rather than here. The format there is a little different too, but I'll try and stick as faithfully to my usual review format as I'm able to. Rest assured that regardless of the format, I will be breaking out the fine tooth comb and scouring the handset for all signs of weakness and spilling the dirt for you all (as only a real-user can). Naturally as parts of the review go live at the Telecom Tech blog, I'll drop you all a line and link here so that you can catch them.

It so happens that fellow AndroidNZ Editor Chris Turner has also managed to lay his hands on a One X, so he's going to be reviewing it here for AndroidNZ. You'll get the benefit of not one, but two real-users experiences!

If you just can't wait to start hearing about our thoughts and experiences with the One X, then following us on Twitter is the way to make sure you're not missing out @NZtechfreak & @CdTDroiD

As always we really value our readership here at AndroidNZ, and we strive to be super responsive to the needs of those who follow us, so if you have burning questions you want answered about the One X drop them in the comments section below and we'll do our best to see them answered.

Anyways, catch you all again soon with more on the One X.

Draw Something Review

Draw Something is a relatively recent addition to the Android gaming scene, but has been available on PC and iOS for some time. You may have heard recently that Zynga bought OMGPOP and Draw Something for $180 million US dollars. This was solely because Draw Something is so popular that it was beating Zynga's own games. There is a good reason for this - it's pretty darn fun.

Draw Something is a turn based game that is in a similar vein to the board game Pictionary or the web based iSketch. The main difference here is now that we have mobile devices with touchscreens, we can do it on the go. Another draw (sorry bad pun) is the fact that the game is cross-platform, meaning you get to play with all your iPhone toting buddies.

If only I was this good!

There are two versions of the game available on the Android Play Store:

• Draw Something Free is the basic ad supported version that has 900+ words to draw and has an initial 4 colours to draw with
• The paid version 'Draw Something by OMGPOP' costs $1.18 NZD and comes with 50 free coins and 2500 words to draw 

Coins can be used for purchasing additional colour palettes to draw with. Imagine the frustration trying to draw 'Earth' when you don't even have green!

The game is broken up into 3 parts for each round of the game:

1. Watch the other player guess your drawing (obviously not on the first round)
2. Guess the other player's drawing
3. Select a new word and create your drawing for the other player to guess

You win coins based on the difficulty of the word; easy yields one coin, medium two coins and hard words reward both players with three coins.

The drawing tool itself is quite simple, but using a touchscreen I have seen other players create fairly elaborate illustrations. Being artistically challenged I rely more on very basic stick figure drawings to get my point across.

My attempts at drawing 'Pong'

Draw Something is not the sort of game you sit playing for hours, it is intended to be played for short bursts in between activities. For example you are sitting in a doctor's waiting room (sorry Murray) and have a couple of minutes to kill, why not whip out Draw Something and doodle on your phone.

On the bright side if you do want to play it quite a lot at once you can have multiple games running simultaneously that way you aren't kept waiting for the other player to have their turn. Sometimes it can take days for the other person to draw their next thing.

While I'm pretty terrible at drawing, Draw Something can be an entertaining distraction throughout the day. If you've got a spare second or two then I recommend giving it a go.

[Second opinion from the Ed: Draw Something is great, go get it now (and I don't just say that because my pictures all look better than yours on account of I own a Note). Oh, and be sure to check out the 20 best Draw Something pictures here, or don't if they're going to make you insecure]

Welcome to AndroidNZ's new editor, Chris Turner AKA CdTDroid!

Hi everyone!

It's been a while, hasn't it? Life just gets in the way of blogging sometimes, especially at a wee place like AndroidNZ which is basically staffed by volunteers.

That being the case, it's always nice to add fresh talent to the roster, and that's exactly what I'm announcing today: the addition of Chris "CdTDroid" Turner to our team. If you're looking at that handle thinking it looks familiar, that may well be because Chris has been an Android custom ROM developer for some time now, as well as a regular and valued contributer at places like Geekzone forums.

Welcome Chris, it's great to have you here.

...I mentioned earlier that we're staffed by volunteers, and as such our ability to post regularly sometimes falls to the wayside. We'd really love to grow our team even more to keep content ticking over, so if you've got something to say about Android and mobility drop us a line here.

Android experiencing massive growth in China

Graphic: Life Of Android

Android’s performance in China, the world's largest cellphone market, has been outstanding, the platform clearly wiping the floor with its competition.

By the close of 2011, Android had more than doubled its already dominating smartphone market share to 68.4% from the 33.6% it held at the end of Q1. The biggest loser, not unexpectedly, has been Nokia which saw its Symbian platform drop from ~40% to 18.7%

Apple’s iOS grew slightly during the year, from 4.1% in Q1 to 5.7% at the end of Q4, which must be a concern to the Cupertino tech giant. In light of the fast-maturing Western marketplaces, Apple’s continuing growth strategy requires capitalizing on the rapidly-expanding markets like China and India, something that it has so far failed to achieve to any significant extent.

Video Review: Case-Mate DIY Custom Case for Samsung Galaxy Nexus

A phone is a device which contains part of your personal, social and work related information. Many of us see our phones as an extension of ourselves, unfortunately customizing your device is very limited, as cases follow strict patterns and designs. With Case-Mate's new DIY Custom cases, you're able to upload an image to their site and create your own customized case, exactly the way you want it done.

In the video below I've illustrated the process of designing your case and ordering it, then showing off the final result. Check it out and let us know what you think of it:

US smartphone figures out for the Feb quarter. Who won?

comScore has released its latest smartphone numbers for the three months ending February, and as expected, Android continues its industry leading growth.

Despite the US being the home ground and the most successful single market for its main competitor, the Android platform took more than half of the US market, an increase of 17 points compared to the same period in 2010/2011.