TBT - Droid Life

#TBT: 10 Years Ago This Week, We Unboxed OnePlus One in Sandstone

Tim June 13, 2024 18

Remember the sandstone cover for the original OnePlus One phone? Holy moly, that was awesome. 10 years ago this week, we unboxed the first OnePlus device, running Cyanogen and being the rowdy newcomer to the Android space. Priced at $299 and originally said to...

TBT: Remember Sharp Aquos Crystal? There’s a New One

Tim May 9, 2024 3

In 2014, Sharp was producing devices that featured hardly any bezel, which at the time, was quite breathtaking in a world of Android phones that had plenty of thicc bezel. Yes, Aquos Crystal made up for a lack of bezel by having the fattest chin you've ever...

Forget MotoMaker, We Need Pixel Maker

Tim May 2, 2024 21

In 2013, I can't tell you how many Moto X smartphones Kellen and I were buying, thanks to the introduction of MotoMaker. It was a website that allowed buyers to customize Moto X smartphones, which would then get produced right here in the US, then shipped to...

TBT: See Our Top 10 Android Apps From 10 Years Ago, Get Depressed

Tim April 25, 2024 11

When Android was younger, it seemed like great apps were releasing all of the time. As the platform has matured, things are more set in place now, with native Android actually doing a lot of what apps were trying to do all of those years ago. Take our list of...

Lol, Remember Pop-Up Selfie Cameras?

Tim February 2, 2024 35

In a race to increase display sizes and reduce bezel, Android manufacturers were trying all sorts of whacky things back in the day. Possibly the whackiest and unnecessarily complex engineering solution to be introduced was the pop-up selfie camera. Remember...

How Far We’ve Come: Two Camera Samples From Every Nexus and Pixel Phone

Tim June 9, 2023 30

Google's Pixel line of smartphones have become synonymous with good cameras. Someone asks for an Android phone recommendation and they want a good camera? You probably recommend the Pixels. At least, that's what Kellen and I do. However, I wouldn't say this...

TBT: HTC Phones x Beats Audio, a Game Changer

Tim March 30, 2023 22

Earlier this week, Kellen and I were discussing this idea that Android used to be fun. While I could argue that it's still fun, there are certain examples from about 10 years ago that do give credit to the notion that Android was indeed much more fun in past...

TBT: 10 Years Ago, Your Custom ROM Friday Was ‘Shiny ROM’ for the Galaxy Nexus

Tim March 9, 2023 39

Holy craaaap, guys, we're getting old. 10 years ago, we were still doing a Custom ROM Friday post every single Friday. 10 years ago, on March 8, we posted up the Shiny ROM for the Galaxy Nexus. Written in my post, I noted that Pete Alfonso had left the ROM...