A demonstration of Ice Cream Sandwich on the first-generation Android phone, the 2008-era T-Mobile G1.

(Credit:
screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Running a newly released version of Windows or Mac OS X on a 3-year-old personal computer is an unremarkable feat.

But it’s a lot more difficult in the smartphone world, where hardware and software have been changing at a breakneck pace. That’s why I recommend watching this brief demonstration of Ice Cream Sandwich, aka Android 4.0, on the first-generation Android phone, the T-Mobile G1 from October 2008.

XDA Developers forum member jcarrz1 posted the video and an alpha version of his OS build yesterday, nine days after Google released the Ice Cream Sandwich source code.

As you may expect, the new OS drags on the comparatively ancient hardware, with slow app launches and long lags between a touch action and the phone’s response. But all the ICS apps work.

What doesn’t work at this stage, jcarrz1 said: Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth, and screen rotation.

… [Read more]

Wait for it… Decide tells you if you should buy that gizmo now, or not.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)

No matter how many times I write that physical retail is the refuge of the dumb shopper, from time to time even I find myself in a Best Buy or CostCo, fondling the box of some new gadget, itching to buy it on the spot. I, too, am dumb.

Fortunately, there’s an app for that. Several, in fact.

In addition to the multitude of shopping apps covered elsewhere on CNET (see the Related Stories box), I recommend two that are custom-made for the undisciplined electronics shopper.

First, Amazon’s A9 Flow. Amazon already has another strong app for scanning prices in stores, but Amazon Flow is great for the casual in-store shopper since you barely have to hold still for the camera on your iPhone to get a fix on the product or barcode you’re pointing at. It’s just too easy to see if the price of what you’re looking for on shelf in front of you is competitive with the online price. So get this app.

Related stories

• iOS shopping apps: bar code scanners
• … [Read more]
  

   

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