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John Walton's profile

John Walton
  • Hometown: PDX

About me

John Walton is a student and writer who spends most of his free time fingerpicking an acoustic guitar and authoring biographical snippets in the third-person. He lives with his wife and their cat, who are, like him, compulsive movers/travelers. He is passionate about open source software, learning to speak Thai, and watching poker tournaments on television (WPT).

Phones & Devices

HTC G1
Samsung Behold T919 Light Rose

Latest Videos from this member

John unboxes the Samsung Moment (Sprint)

John unboxes the Samsung Moment (Sprint)

Here she is; Sprint's vanilla Android alternative to the Hero. With a full hardware QWERTY, an 800 MHz processor, and a luscious AMOLED display, I'd say Moment is a good contender. I'll be passing this one along to Noah very soon so stay tuned to PhoneDog for his coverage. I just might have one turn up for review over at DroidDog as well, so be sure to check in.
Check out the new Android Market

Check out the new Android Market

It looks like the carousel functions differently, but at least there's Top Paid, Top Free, and Just in. According to the Android Devloper's website, there are some new categories as well. But here's the best part (in my estimation): screenshots! Thanks, David!
Video of Sprints Hero

Video of Sprint's Hero

David Owens of Sprint introduces Sprint's distinctive Hero with some video footage.  "Really open, new operating system."
Odd and Even pack your pages

Uffda! Odd and Even pack your pages

Odd and Even Johansen, that is. The Norweigian brothers are hard at work compressing data so that Opera 10 goes super fast. Server-side compression, resizable tab bar, thumbnail previews of tab content, bookmark sync across all Opera devices, a thriving blog community, and campaigns like this are but a few benefits of paying attention to Opera. Via Engadget
Android app: BFF Photo for Facebook

Android app: BFF Photo for Facebook

Carmen Delessio of Talking Android is back. Hot on the heels of his Amazon SimpleDB work comes BFF Photo: an Android app for viewing and uploading Facebook photos and videos. I don't have a phone to test it on right now, but it doesn't look like it could be any more straight forward or efficient. Carmen demos the app nicely on the G1 here, but if you want to see guacamole, check out this emulator video as well. BFF Photo is available for free in...
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Latest Blog Articles & News from this member

Motorola DEXT available for order in UK

Motorola DEXT available for order in UK

The European version of the Motorola Cliq, DEXT, is available for order at a site called Phones4U, and will ship October 9th on Orange. As can be seen at the site and in the screen shots below, there are plenty of plan contracts to choose from, ranging in length from 18 to 24 months. Sounds like we'll be getting plenty of reviews from across the pond before too long, but if you're anxious to experience the device right now, check out the small...
Android-powered Archos on BestBuy.com

Archos 5 pre-sale at BestBuy.com

Here they are: priced at $299, $379, $399, and $499, the Android-powered line of Archos 5 Internet Media Tablets. Outfitted, respectively, with 16, 32, 160, and 500 GB of storage. There's only a difference in $20 between 32 GB and 160 GB, so if you've got the cash why not splurge? Clicking any of the products at the time of this posting, you'll find the the following, canned quote on "backordered" products: "Backordered: Usually leaves our...
IN PROGRESS AND CONFIDENTIAL - Tubaloo: VoIP reaches critical mass

Tubaloo: Android VoIP via 3G

Amidst the storm of debates surrounding the FCC's investigation of Apple's refusal to allow Google Voice into the Apple App Store and the befuddlement over the tech giant's acceptance of the Vonage client, a small Chilean company called Tubaloo with a product of the same name is beginning to fan the flames of the growing battle over VoIP. Specifically, they are facilitating the use of 3G data networks for the purpose of IP phone calls - a task...
IN PROGRESS  - DO NOT ACTIVATE Tubaloo: how does it work?

A look at Tubaloo for Android

If you missed it, be sure to check out my post, Tubaloo: Android VoIP via 3G. There you'll find more general information about the app and a quick bit of context. I heard about Tubaloo several months ago, but it wasn't until just recently that I got my hands on an early version of droiddialer.apk. While I did receive one update during the review period, Tubaloo is still in alpha, and my testing for this post was based on that. I did encounter...
Sumsungs WEP470 and 870 bluetooth headsets

Samsung's WEP470 and 870 bluetooth headsets

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been bouncing back and forth between Samsung's new WEP470 bluetooth earpiece ($39.99), and their WEP870 ($89.99). I did not get a chance to check out the middle child - the WEP850, which runs $69.99, but I feel like I have a decent understanding of the line. The features consistant across WEP gadgets are simple setup, noise/echo cancellation, and three controls: volume rocker, power switch, and...
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Latest In-Depth Reviews from this member

Johns Samsung Omnia HD (i8910) review

Samsung Omnia HD i8910 in-depth review - John's Samsung Omnia HD (i8910) review

Overview What's good: the 3.7" AMOLED touch-screen at 360 x 640 pixels looks fantastic; the 8 MP cam is probably the best I've used on a phone - for still photos and video, which are easily shared; 3.5mm audio jack doubles as TV-out; comes with 8 or 16 GB of internal storage and supports microSD up to 32 GB; 1500 mAh battery and good sleep implementation mean it can go a very long while without recharging; TouchWiz makes Symbian much more...
HTC Hero, CDMA (Sprint)

HTC Hero CDMA in-depth review - HTC Hero, CDMA (Sprint)

Overview What's good: same beautiful display found on G1 and myTouch; optimized version of HTC's Sense improves performance over earlier version; possibly the best virtual keyboard design currently available (though it will require more powerful hardware to surpass iPhone keyboard performance); 5 MP cam with elegant custom interface; 3.5mm audio jack (!!!); brilliant use of the Android notification system; ability to save homescreen profiles as...
Nokia 5530 XpressMusic

Nokia 5530 XpressMusic Black in-depth review - Nokia 5530 XpressMusic

Overview What's good: great looks; 3.2 MP auto-focus cam; MMS; Wi-Fi; Bluetooth, FM radio; accelerometer; proximity sensor; resistive touch screen is pretty sensitive; under $300; cool new home screen; a great little media player. What's bad: no 3G; although adjusted for touch screen use, Symbian S60 still doesn't feel like a touch OS; on-screen keyboard is inconsistent and unpredictable. Introduction The XpressMusic line of Nokia phones has...
T-Mobile myTouch 3G with Google (HTC)

HTC myTouch 3G White in-depth review - T-Mobile myTouch 3G with Google (HTC)

The Sapphire has finally made it's way to the States. Is it worth the wait? What's good: *extremely* customizable - both inside and out, sleek design, excellent touch screen, the "with Google" brand means that it's open and ready for modification. What's bad: no multi-touch, stock Google keyboard not as good as third-party replacements, no camera flash, a little more power would be nice, major software problem out of the gate, the "with...
Nokia N97

Nokia N97 in-depth review - Nokia N97

Nokia's flagship seems to have sunk. What's good: Cool slider form-factor, widgets, 3.5G, 5MP cam with dual LED flash, 3.5" 640 x 360 pixel display, N-gage gaming. What's bad: maddeningly glitchy software was not improved by a recent update; operating system has not been properly reworked for touch screens; bad reception and poor call quality; unpredictable behavior; nag screens galore; seems to break easily (battery cover especially); battery...
More reviews »

Latest Forum Posts from this member

Re: HTC Hero.

@3rdgeer: so glad to hear it worked out!@awright: no problems that I'm aware of. with the Hero, it MIGHT get you out of a mail-in rebate, which is great.

Re: HTC Hero.

What if you boot with Home & Power? Can you get back into recovery where you select the ROM to load? If so, I would try another one. I can't promise anything though, and you are in no man's land... meaning, what you do is your responsibility. Is there a back-up ROM to go back? I haven't done this w/ Hero.

Re: Noah/John - Android Decision

Thank you. Posted: http://bit.ly/19dBKp

Re: HTC Hero.

I'm not sure what to say. I tweeted about it and found an equal number of people with it working and not working. I'll continue to look into this, but I think you should call your carrier. One twwet buddy mentioned provisioning issues. I'm not sure what it could be, but I think tech support is in order.

Re: HTC Hero.

Here's what I was just told on twitter: "simple fix to that problem, under the APN settings edit MMS Proxy to wireless.cingular.com for ATT. No problems for me" @dee3per: did you double-check your settings? If they match the ones in this thread, I'd call T-Mobile.
More forum posts »

Latest Comments from this member

Re: John unboxes the Samsung Moment (Sprint)

Hey, folks, quick note: I read early on that Moment would ship with 1.6, but it looks like that is wrong. John Edgar is reporting that devices either ship with 1.5 or 2.0 - no in between.

Re: Re: HTC Hero, CDMA (Sprint)

Thanks for your feedback. It is always appreciated.

Re: Re: HTC Hero, CDMA (Sprint)

Well, I'm sorry to hear that you're leaving, but this is an editorial site. It is comprised of unique individuals; not invisible transmitters of information. I think that's why fans love PhoneDog.com. We have a diverse set of personalities, and half what makes this place fun is figuring out who you share tastes with, who has such-and-such a pet peeve, and who to ask when you have some particular, possibly obscure, question.

As for the iPhone comparisons, I chose to make them for a reason. iPhone has the best touch screen of any phone on the American market. There is no "I" or "to me" to be found in the previous sentence.

What I find irritating are reviewers who are afraid to mention the name because of resentment, denial, or a lack of objectivity.

If you don't understand why reviewers use the iPhone as a watermark, go to a major tech show - a big one that will get tons of coverage. Look for five people with press badges featuring the name of a well-respected tech website. Ask each one to pull their phone from their pocket... not the phone they're currently testing; their personal phone. They probably will. Ask one of them why they prefer BlackBerry or webOS or Android over iPhone. Ask the other four why they chose (and continue to choose) iPhone. Not AT&T; the Apple iPhone.

~ an ardent Android enthusiast

Re: Re: Nokia 5530 XpressMusic

It's been a while since I used the 5800, but the 5530 feels snappier to me. It was responsive. The 5530 has a faster processor.

Re: Re: Sprint HTC Hero - Hands-On First Look

My top answer after those two is gaming, but there are other potential applications like media management, gestures, etc.
More comments »


Member Profile

Latest Videos & Reviews

Check out the latest cell phone videos and in-depth reviews from our editors

New & coming soon phones

Hot off the presses... here's what's available now and expected to come to market soon!
  • Motorola Droid
    Motorola DroidCarrier: Verizon Wireless
    Retail Price: $299.99
    Contract Price: $199.99
    Hot Features: Android OS, High-Res capacitive touchscreen, 5MP camera, slide-out full QWERTY keyboard
  • HTC Droid Eris
    HTC Droid ErisCarrier: Verizon Wireless
    Retail Price: $199.99
    Contract Price: $99.99
    Hot Features: Android OS, capacitive touchscreen, 5MP camera
  • LG Chocolate Touch
    LG Chocolate TouchCarrier: Verizon Wireless
    Retail Price: $129.99
    Contract Price: $79.99
    Hot Features: Touchscreen with vibrating response, 3.2MP camera
  • HTC Tilt 2
    HTC Tilt 2Carrier: AT&T
    Retail Price: $159.99
    Contract Price: $49.99
    Hot Features: 3.6" WVGA Touchscreen, 3.2MP camera, WiFi
  • Samsung Moment
    Samsung MomentCarrier: Sprint
    Retail Price: $479.99
    Contract Price: $179.99
    Hot Features: Touchscreen with slide-out QWERTY keyboard,GPS,SprintTV
  • Motorola CLIQ
    Motorola CLIQCarrier: T-Mobile
    Retail Price: $399.99
    Contract Price: $199.99
    Hot Features: Touchscreen with slide-out QWERTY, MOTOBLUR, WiFi
  • BlackBerry Storm2
    BlackBerry Storm2Carrier: Verizon Wireless
    Retail Price: $279.99
    Contract Price: $179.99
    Hot Features: SurePress™ touch screen technology, Pre-installed 16GB microSD card
  • Sony Ericsson Equinox
    Sony Ericsson EquinoxCarrier: T-Mobile
    Retail Price: $159.99
    Contract Price: $49.99
    Hot Features: Change your wallpaper themes to match your day or night time attire, Unique pulsating light effects
  • Samsung Caliber SCH-r850
    Samsung Caliber SCH-r850Carrier: U.S. Cellular
    Retail Price: $319.95
    Contract Price: $149.95
    Hot Features: 3.2" touchscreen display, full HTML Browser, 3MP camera
  • Samsung Trill SCH-r520
    Samsung Trill SCH-r520Carrier: U.S. Cellular
    Retail Price: $219.95
    Contract Price: $139.95
    Hot Features: 1.3MP camera,sound technology by Bang & Olufsen ICEpower

Hot phones - check 'em out!

Check out these cool phones. Get full specs, images, pricing, read user and expert reviews, watch videos and much more...

Latest phone images

HD2ConvoyChocolate TouchCurve 8530 BlackDroid ErisXperia X10MomentDroidEquinoxStorm2 9550Bold 9700Trill SCH-r520Caliber SCH-r850Exclaim M550 WhiteRumor 2 OrangeDebut i856

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