The introduction of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was the first time we saw Google really hone in on the user experience for its mobile operating system and it’s taken that focus to Chrome. The browser is snappy, simple, and rather beautiful, given that it’s just a portal for viewing web content. If you use Chrome on your desktop, the benefits only get better. More on that later.

The first thing you will notice upon launching Chrome is the simplicity of its UI. You’re given the search/navigation bar, soft key for managing tabs, and the action overflow button for just about anything else you’d need to do. The options for going back and forward have been tucked in here, as well as the ability to add the current page to your bookmarks. You’ll also be able to add a new tab, a new incognito tab, access your bookmarks, view other linked devices, settings, and more from the action overflow/ menu key.

While we know Chrome is a snappy browser and most of that speed has been translated to the mobile version, Google didn’t skimp on the user experience. You’ll notice that pinch-to-zoom has never been more smooth (but it looks like the text re-wrap feature was sacrificed in the process), as well as scrolling. This is all fine and dandy but the way that tabs are handled and managed is what really makes the experience a fluid one.

With a simple gesture, you can easily access all open tabs without having to tap on a button. Simply swipe from the edge of the screen forward or backward and you’ll be on the next tab. This really speeds things up, especially if you’re surfing on the fly. If you want to get rid of an open tab, hitting the tabs button on the top of the browser will display all open tabs in a slick, card-like UI. The new swiping gesture found throughout Ice Cream Sandwich is also implemented here. To dismiss a tab, simply slide it away.

As I said above, if you use Chrome on the desktop, the benefits don’t stop. Like the stock Android browser in Ice Cream Sandwich, Chrome sync is here, so you won’t be without your bookmarks from the desktop, which is great, but Google has taken it a step further. Now if you’re using Chrome on your desktop, the open tabs will sync to your mobile browser, so now you won’t even have to click the Chrome to Phone button (if you use it) to finish reading that article on your phone.

There are more tweaks found within Chrome Beta but the features above are definitely the highlights. If you haven’t gotten a chance to try it out, we suggest you do. Unfortunately, Chrome Beta is limited to Android 4.0 but hopefully we’ll see that chance in the near future.

Check out the video below!

We already got a chance to play with the Galaxy Note at CES this past January and while the idea of a 5.3 inch phone sounds a bit ridiculous, we were surprised to see just how pocketable the handset is. That said, despite its thin profile and stunning Super AMOLED HD display, it just might be too much phone for some people.

AT&T-bound and up for pre-order starting today, the Galaxy Note is proof that a device this large can be popular. We’re sure Dell is feeling a little silly right now, as Samsung has shown the company what the Streak 5 could have been.

The Galaxy Note is essentially a larger Galaxy Nexus with TouchWiz  (and LTE) but it Samsung has also introduced the S Pen with the US variant of the Phoneblet. While we question if stylus-pens will catch on, as it seems ancient these days, the S Pen has some pretty nifty features when paired with the Note. We’ve seen similar implementations from HTC with its Flyer tablet, which failed to impress. But at this point in Android land, if anyone could make a stylus somewhat popular, it would have to be Samsung.

While we do like the way Samsung pokes at the Apple fans of the world with its ad-campaign, we would have preferred a brand new ad instead of something recycled. Nonetheless, we’ll have to see if the commercial was effective when the handset lands on the 19th. Already sold? Head over to AT&T’s site to secure your Galaxy Note now.

Head over here to see our hands-on with the Galaxy Note at CES and check out the new ad below!

What do you think of the ad? Effective or “over the top”?

This little project comes to us from a French developer who placed an RGB lamp inside of a McDonald’s cup (like you do) and is able to change the colors of said lamp using a Wildfire S.

As explained on the developer’s website:

The orientation of the phone is detected by the built-in compass (magnetic field sensor 3-axis) parameters hue, saturation and brightness are converted to RGB and then sent via a TCP connection to the Fox board that controls the lamp.

As you can see in the video, the lamp can change colors by dragging a finger along the screen or even turning the phone around. There’s not much else we can say but I know I want ten of them. This also makes us wonder what happened to Android @ Home, which was announced at Google I/O 2011.

[Developer's site, TheNextWeb]

The HTC Ville is one of the thinnest handset’s coming from the manufacturer. This is a very good thing, as we’ve been dealing with devices like the Rezound, which seriously needs less chunk to its profile. The Ville is your typical HTC phone: Gorgeous hardware with equally gorgeous software, Sense. We’ll get back to the software later.

The Ville rocks a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 4.3 inch qHD Super AMOLED display, 8 megapixel camera, VGA front-facing camera, and the now-expected WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc. Snapdragon S4 notwithstanding, which truly is the best part of this device, the Ville is essentially every HTC phone we’ve seen before but it comes in at an impressive 8mm.

Like we mentioned above, the real story about this phone is the Snapdragon S4. Still, with the heavy customizations and animations HTC just loves to fill its phones with, we’re wondering just how noticeable the performance boost will be. Many were hoping that the introduction of Android 4.0 would give HTC a hint and strip a few pieces of its custom user interface out in order to let Ice Cream Sandwich shine through but within the short video of the pre-production software you see below, it looks like HTC has gone in the other direction, customizing the OS more than ever.

We’ll probably get our first real look at the handset come February, so stay tuned!

The latest update for RAGE HD brings a slew of enhancements such as iOS 5 support, the ability to melee your enemies, and two new episodes called Kraken and Aqueduct which can be purchased for only $.99 via in-app purchase. And just to clarify, that’s $.99 for both episodes.

Rage HD version 2.0 also supports HDMI-out, which could be used to easily trick your friends your playing the console version of your game through your iOS device. We all know what a little trickster you can be.

RAGE HD ($1.99) – [iTunes Link]

RAGE ($.99) – [iTunes Link]

The developers of CS Portable have made multiple versions of the game available so a good majority of people will be able to run the game on their Android devices. Version 5o will run on Android devices running Android 2.0+, while versions 6p & 7o will run on Android 2.3+ devices.

As of now, only a handful of maps have been ported over to CS Portable such as a Simpsons house map, a Christmas themed map, a Bathhouse map, and the classic de_dust2, but the developers are continuing to work on porting over other maps.

A couple of things are missing from the full version of Counter-Strike such as the ability to crouch and the weapons & equipment menu that allows players to purchase weapons, ammo, or equipment. Seeing as the game runs quite well on my Galaxy Tab 10.1, these are things I’ll easily overlook just for the chance to play Counter-Strike on my Android devices.

If you want to carry around a portable version of one of the best online FPS games on your Android device, then you’re going to want to install CS Portable.

[Via Eurogamer]

It’s a bit hard to really try to figure out what’s going on with Sony and the future of the Play. To say that the Xperia Play was a little underwhelming is a lot of an understatement, as the world was expecting something great. All we got a was an underpowered handset that was supposed to change the way we game. That didn’t happen, unfortunately, but that doesn’t mean it’s Game Over, so to speak.

If Sony wants to breathe some life into the Play line, it needs to ship a phone with PS Vita-like specifications. Not only is it very possible, it makes more sense than buying a Vita to begin with. The Play 2 could be the phone we were waiting for all along and hopefully Sony recognizes this. Obviously, Sony doesn’t want cut into its portable gaming market but mobile gaming is getting stronger and it’s something that shouldn’t be ignored by the company. (Remember when Tegra 2 devices were supposed to get the full Playstation Suite? What happened to that?)

Complaints aside, this ad is one of the more funny ones we’ve seen in a while. This is obviously due to Schaal being in it but we’re also glad that it’s not the semi-awkward ad where the “inner gamer” comes out to play.

At this point, it’s hard to ask if any of these odd ads would make you want to by the handset being advertised, so we’ll just ask about Schaal’s legs.

Soul Calibur for iOS is quite the gaming beast as all 19 characters from the original game have been included and everything has been HD-ified to take advantage of the Retina display, but the iPad 2 is where its at in order to take in all of the gorgeousness that’s included in this game. The game includes six game modes to play across including Arcade Battle, Time Attack, and Survival mode. Namco Bandai plans to offer additional game modes in future updates, although I can’t imagine what else they can pack into this game outside of the six game modes. Well, now that I think about it, an online multiplayer mode would be a delicious treat.

At this point, the game is “on sale” for $11.99, which means if you act later than sooner, you could end up spending $14.99 for this game once the introductory price ends. If you’re a big fan of Soul Calibur and are impatiently waiting for Soul Calibur V, then you’re going to want to pick up this game to help keep you busy until January 31st.

Soul Calibur ($11.99) – [iTunes Link]

Sporting its own WiFi access point and HD camera, the AR Drone connects to a free application available for iOS and Android devices and that’s how you control it. The free application is loaded with options for navigation, along with games, and more. It’s a very fun and unique little flying machine but the quadricopter will run you $300. At that Price, you best be using it at least weekly.

We finally got some hands on time with the AR Drone 2.0 at the Central Plaza during CES, so check out the video below!

Christopher Sharp, the alleged victim, filed a federal lawsuit in October, charging that the police had violated his First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Yes, you heard correct. He asked the court to declare that cell phone recordings are protected by the Constitution and to award him money damages. The Obama administration chimed in on the Tuesday court filing.

“While the city’s new training materials acknowledge that it’s legal to record the actions of the police, they do not explicitly acknowledge that private citizens’ right to record the police derives from the First Amendment, nor do they provide clear and effective guidance to officers about the important First Amendment principled involved.”

I’m no law expert but I’ve always had an inkling that video recordings were included under some amendment that protects citizen rights. I just knew it couldn’t have been legal for officers to just take your phone because you decided to record their actions. It’s good to see our government stick up for us for a change, enforcing constitutional law upon negligent government officials.

[via Ars, pic]

Run Roo Run will contain over 420 levels for you to maneuver across one screen at a time with its one-touch gameplay. The game will also have over 100 “extreme” levels, and every week, 5th Cell will offer 10 new levels every week through regular free updates to the game. If Run Roo Run is popular enough where the team delivers 10 new levels every week, we could very well see 520 new levels by this time next year. Of course, this is pure speculation on my part, but 10 new levels a week certainly sounds impressive.

Players will also come across a number of power-ups during their adventure, such as human canons, tire swings, and more. Run Roo Run will feature full Game Center support by giving players the ability to unlock achievements and compare their score via online leaderboards.

Run Roo Run ($.99) – [iTunes Link]