John Walton

Cell phone editor
From PDX

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).

John's latest articles, videos, reviews and more...

Exclusive7 days of DroidDog: 2/25/10

Android This week, we learned that Android is the leader of the pack when it comes to the availability of free apps and that a huge chunk of the Android-loving public is male. I think some of that may have to do with those aggressive Droid ads. Also -...

Updated7 Days of DroidDog: 02/19/10

Android If you're a big fan of Android, you already know: The start of MWC in Barcelona signals a deluge of tech news, and this year has been no exception. The Android videos, announcements, images, and stories have been flooding the airwaves (webwaves,...

ExclusiveSony Ericsson announces X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro

Android Sony Ericsson announced today two new Androids: The X10 Mini and the X10 Mini Pro. My first impression, from the images I've seen, is that SE has come up with an insanely cool form factor that will present the joy of pocketability and comfort in...

Exclusive7 days of DroidDog: 02/11/10

Android Yes, my weekly post on the weekly happenings at DroidDog has a new title, as the last one was just a bit too similar for comfort to another weekly web installment at a tech blog. So, I give you 7 days of DroidDog! It was quite a week for Android...

Dog fightDogfight! HTC HD2 vs. Google Nexus One - Part 1

Android When it comes to Sense, no matter what the underlying OS, the surface is lovely.

Dog fightDogfight! HTC HD2 vs. Google Nexus One - Part 2

Google Phone Which stellar HTC will take the cake in part 2? Watch and find out.

UpdatedThis Week in DroidDog: 02/04/10

Android As you probably know, PhoneDog is pretty crazy about giveaways. The main site just sent out it's 67th prize from the One Paw Bandit , and they haven't been pencil erasers, either. DroidDog is getting in on the action and just gave away a rooted...

ExclusiveWhat Up, Droid? 01/28/10

Android Apps: I've been leaning more towards app-related news lately and since I have a Nexus One on hand and people are asking about compatibility, I decided to put together a post on my favorite apps for use with the N1. It's 8 pages of images, text...

ExclusiveWhat Up, Droid? 01/20/10

Android This past week hasn't been too hectic in the world of Android, and that leaves me some room here for discussing apps. With all of the craziness surrounding CES and the launch of the Nexus One, that's something I've been missing. Apps ...

UpdatedWhat up, Droid? 01/14/10

Android I was at CES on Thursday, the 7th, and missed an installment of What Up, Droid? Still, the point of these usually-weekly posts is to deliver a 7-day summary of Droid news real short and sweet like, so I'm just going to pick back up with the news...

UpdatedMy first CES

Android I was very lucky to have had the opportunity to attend CES for the first time this year and was also lucky enough to arrive one day earlier and leave one day later than my colleagues. I thought that would leave me a little Vegas time . I did spin...

UpdatedSony Ericsson X10 hands on at CES

Android It's a virtually indisputable fact: Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X10 is as visually stunning an Android as we've seen thus far and is quite possibly - in my mind - the sexiest phone on deck for 2010. With a 4" capacitive touchscreen, a 1GHz Snapdragon...

UpdatedNexus One CES demo: voice input

Android A quick demonstration of the Nexus One's voice input capabilities. I think I should point out that this occured in a very noisy environment. The woman doing the demo had to speak quite loudly for me to hear her and to be distinguishable on camera....

UpdatedMotorola Backflip demo at CES

Android Motorola announced at CES that both T-Mobile's Cliq and the new Backflip will be jumping from Android 1.5 to 2.1. They didn't officially announce a carrier, but there's plenty of information out there pointing to AT&T. With a folding keyboard...

UpdatedWin a hacked G1 with a tweet!

Android Are you one of those people who thinks that phone hacking looks like a lot of fun but is just too risky to try on your own device? Maybe you hack phones all day and just want to add another one to the colleciton. Whatever the case, check out this...

ExclusiveWhat up, Droid? 12/31/09

Post It's been an eventful week for Android, if only you look at the leaks that I've posted below. It's also been a busy week for DroidDog, as our team of contributors continues to grow. It's been a huge year for Android as well, though I think the next...

UpdatedWhat up, Droid? 12/24/09

Android this is not my place Happy holidays, folks. I'm alone with Panda Express right now but it's all family time once the wife gets out of work, so you'll have to forgive me if I keep this short and sweet. Eclair for G1 Android...

UpdatedStephen Colbert's word on Sprint and your privacy

Entertainment Remember that story from the beginning of the month involving Sprint and their tracking of your every move? Well, Stephen Colbert has a word to say about it. Several actually, and he used his final Word before his holiday vacation as his...

ExclusiveWhy doesn't Digg have a Google tech subcategory?

Post Digg is my favorite user-submitted and controlled social news website. That sounds like a lot of qualifiers but I'm just trying to be descriptive. I am a big fan of Digg. I also like to read quite a bit about Google and Android. Unfortunately,...

UpdatedWhat up, Droid? 12/17/09

Android There was such a flurry of activity surrounding the Google Phone this week that I feel like I need to deliver the first section of this What up, Droid? the way Cartman sings about Kyle's Mom. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeell, Nexus One Unless you've been...

ExclusiveNexus One video: booting

Videos Well these folks sure know how to get the most out of every little bit of Nuxus material they can find. Trouble is, their server is giving out the error, "Concurrent hits exceeded." Good thing we have PhoneDog and YouTube on the job! Via DroidDog ...

ExclusiveIs this the Nexus One retail box?

Android This could be our first look at the retail packaging for Google's Nexus One. I'm pretty sure we will see some cosmetic changes in the box - possibly the phone - for sale by carriers, but I wouldn't be surprized at all if this is exactly what Google...

ExclusiveHTC Eris: John's take on Sense, widgets, etc.

Android It seems like integrating data from social networks like photos, status updates, messages, etc., is the popular approach to Android right now. But you know who did it first? HTC. They also have done the best job of it. Unobtrusive, fairly easy to...

UpdatedSamsung Behold 2: John's customization

Android So, Samsung's Behold II doesn't feature the most well-designed UI ever conceived but it does have some strong points. For example, that notification bar upgrade with easy-to-access wireless settings and recent apps. You know what? Let's keep that...

ExclusiveWhat up, Droid? 12/10/09

Android Each Thursday night I sit down and gather the links I want to include in my weekly installment of What up, Droid? and attempt to situate each one gracefully within logical, flowing text. Maybe I'm out of it. Maybe my eyes and brain are exhausted...

ExclusiveHTC Eris (Verizon): John takes the camera for a spin

Android It's really the same as we've seen on other Heroes, but I think it's time for a recap and a walk-through. Considering it is flashless, this is a pretty decent consumer-grade phone camera.

UpdatedJohn's Samsung Behold II video review

Cell Phone Reviews In this video, I take a spin around the Behold 2 and decide it's time to make some changes. Behold's hardware is decent but the Cube has got to go. Stay tuned for the next video where Android's ability to be customized makes all the difference in...

ExclusiveWhat up, Droid? 12/03/09

Android Things have gotten so crazy in the world of Android recently that it can be difficult at times to simply keep up with a single day's news. And while Sydney, Aaron, Adriana, and Noah have got you covered on the PhoneDog front, we thought a weekly...

ReviewJohn's video review of the HTC Eris: overall impressions

Android How different is Eris from the GSM and Sprint versions of the Hero? Well, the form factor, soft touch, and capacitive buttons have won me over. That's right, one of the Euopean phone's most ardent advocates (in terms of aesthetic design) has...

UpdatedWhat up, Droid?

Android Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I've got only got a few minutes (I hope) to cover the weekly news before my wife recovers from a food-induced coma. But considering the very recent - and likely temporary - slow down in Android news, I should be...