For the new year, we wanted to streamline the site (which you might have noticed by the more simplified theme), and while we’re still working on it, I think load times are definitely reduced across the board and hopefully that means less headaches for you guys. Thing is we also wanted to add a few new sections for you guys as well.

We ended up adding, not one, but three new sections that we are announcing today; the Social Network, Forums, and Research Panel. So with out further ado, here is more info on all three sections and how you can utilize them.

I. Social Network

First up is the Social Network. The idea behind it was that we wanted to create a place where tech savvy users could congregate and discuss the latest technologies, where people could come to get advice about devices, and where people could connect with other people in their industry.

The social network on the site consists of 5 sections; Profile, Live Feed (Activity), Members, Groups, and Achievements. Here’s a breakdown of each section.

• Profile – This is where you put your information about yourself including your name, location, and things like past gadgets, current devices, etc. We encourage you to fill out as much of this as you can and add a picture so it’s easier for others to find you. You can also find your messages, mentions, latest activity, groups you are a part of, friends, achievements you’ve unlocked and change settings about your account. When viewing other people’s profiles you can also Public and Private message them or add them as a friend.
  You might also notice badges next to members of TheUnlockr staff’s profile pictures stating that they are “TheUnlockr Staff”. We are also going to be issuing “Developer” badges as well so if after you sign up if you do code writing of any kind, please contact us using the contact us form on the bottom left of the site and we’ll add that badge to your profile (for use with future features).
• Live Feed (Activity) – This is where you can see what everyone in the network is doing like who they’re chatting with publicly, things they’ve posted, etc. This is also where you can post your latest status update and add images, videos, and links to other sites that you’ve found interesting.
  You can sort by all activity, just friends’ activity, or just the activity from groups that you are a part of. 
• Members – You can click on this section to see all the members of the network and also your friends. Tip: You can also search this section for certain gadgets. For example, typing “iphone” into the search members box will list all the users who have listed that they have owned or currently own an iPhone. You could then maybe message that person and ask them what he/she likes dislikes about the iPhone to help you get more information before purchasing one.
• Achievements – These are badges you can unlock when you perform certain tasks on the site.
• Groups – Anyone can create or join a group. Simply head to the Group section of the network and find a group that interests you or create your own. Some groups are private and you need to be approved to join and some are public and anyone can join. Some examples of groups could be, “Samsung Galaxy S II Developers” group, “HTC Fans” group, “Tech Bloggers” group, etc

Now I know what some of you are thinking. What would I use it for? Glad you asked, here’s a few ways it could be used for:

• Post updates, questions, videos, images, links to your status on the network that you might otherwise find too techy to post on your Facebook and have other like-minded people comment and discuss.
• Comment and discuss tech related topics with others in the industry.
• Search (using the search members search box at the top right of the site, just make sure the drop down is set to members) for other people in the industry by typing in a company, industry, or location. Then make connections with those peoples to help you get a job or work, chat about tech, or anything else that tickles your fancy.
• Search (using the search members search box at the top right of the site, just make sure the drop down is set to members) for different gadgets (i.e. type in Galaxy Nexus) and get all the people who listed that they either own or have owned that device. Then you can message those people for their opinions on these devices before you go and purchase one yourself.
• Saw a post on the site and want to discuss it with the author? Simply click on the author’s name on that post and be taken to their profile on the social network. You can then message them about their post or see more information about them.
• Create group for like-minded people like other Samsung developers, or people who love HTC, etc.

We’re sure you guys will come up with others ways that haven’t even crossed our minds, so feel free to explore and use it how you see fit.

II. Forums

While I’m pretty sure most people are aware of how forums work, here’s some info on our new Forums, just in case.

• Once you’ve signed up for the Social Network you can also use the Forums with the same account.
• Consider the forum a common area for people to join in a discussion.
• To start a topic: head to the forum and click on the category that best suits what you want to discuss. Then either join in a conversation topic already started or start a new one using the form at the bottom of the page.
• You can also subscribe to a topic to receive emails when it’s updated.

Pretty simple, right? So go ahead, spark a conversation.

III. Research Panel

Finally, the last new section we’ve added to the site is our own Research Panel.

There were certain companies asking us for our opinions on products they were going to launch so we decided, instead of answering these ourselves, we’d do them one better; we’d let our readers answer them. I mean, who better to answer these things than the super tech savvy readers of TheUnlockr.com, right?

If you want to participate, all you have to do is sign up for our Research Panel and as surveys come in, you’ll be sent an email with a link to said survey. Oh, and did we mention you’ll get paid for these answers? That’s right these companies are actually going to pay you (via Paypal) for each survey you complete. You can even check how much you’ve earned by logging in to your Panel account here.

Sound good to you? Go head and get started. You can cancel your Panel account at anytime so why not give it a try?

Besides that we have added all of the locations from various popular food shows like “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”, “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives”, “Food Wars”, and many more to maps in the app.

Please check it out, add spots to the map that you think others should see, and let us know what you think of the app and how we can improve it.

The app can be found in the Android market for US residents and is completely free. Please try it out and let us know what you think by emailing us through the contact the publisher link in the app description in the Market.

What better way to tell the rest of the office/household/world how much you love Android than with an Official Android Collectible Figurine from Series 2! These little guys are 3″ tall made out of high quality vinyl and come in a sealed, blind box. There are a bunch of different versions of the Androids to get, but since the boxes are sealed and blind, its up to luck as to which one you get!

To see more pictures of the Android figurines, check out our Facebook Photo Album!

If you want one, we’re giving away 16 of them at random to sixteen different people who enter the giveaway! Here’s how to enter:

• To enter the contest, simply follow us on Twitter AND retweet this story! That simple.
• 16 Series 2 Blind Box Android figurines will be given out at random on Wednesday after the contest closes, and winners will be contacted via Twitter reply and have 24 hours to email us with their info or another person will be selected at random to take their place.
• You must be in the USA or Canada for this round of the giveaway unfortunately, sorry guys.

• If you have Twitter, give us a follow and find our tweet mentioning this story and retweet it! At the end of the contest we will be looking at the retweets and then making sure that those people are also following us. If they retweeted and are following us then they will be entered into a randomizer which will choose 10 winners.
• Contest will end on Tuesday October 4th at 11:59PM EST.

THIS ROUND IS DONE! Here are the winners!

parksidepa
DD727
RMHIII
rip_noob
James_Mickley
SlashDW
iblaststatic
rush_city
cstern75
EddieKrueger
BBooAnn2009
PersiaRose
Jeepnie
IVIANNY
JohnBunka
gamerdudeonline

If your screen name is on this list, please use this contact us form (dont mind that it says submit news, just put your info in it and click submit and we’ll respond to confirm) and let us know where to ship your figurine! Thanks everyone who participated! For those that didn’t win, Round 2 is up next, stay tuned!

As the document above clearly suggests, HTC Sensation 4G won’t be the only one hogging all the limelight tomorrow.  There’s one more Android phone from Samsung as well that will join T-Mobile on June 15th, but with a far less impressive spec sheet.  The Samsung Dart (model number: t499) will have a 3mpx camera, Bluetooth, WiFi, a touchscreen display of unknown size, and comes bundled with a 2GB microSD card and Skype preinstalled.  The OS of choice seems to be Android 2.2, which is not surprising considering what’s on offer in terms of hardware.

Not much, we know, but it would be a perfect match for someone new to the Android platform, not digging too deep into their pockets to shell out more for the experience.

No price has been revealed, but we’ll know in a day for sure.

Source

So don’t let the video fool you. I have nothing against Windows Phone 7 or Microsoft for that matter. I’ve actually used a Mango device and personally think it’s great, different, and has potential. The issue I have is mainly the marketing Microsoft is doing.

I’ve asked a few of my friends what they think of Windows Phone 7 and a huge number of them responded, “Windows what?”. I know for a fact these people have seen the Windows Phone 7 commercials and yet they still have no clue it even exists. If they don’t know it exists, they obviously don’t know the benefits and what differentiates it from Android and iPhone. That’s a problem.

Have you seen Microsoft’s commercials for Windows Phone? “A phone to save us from our phones” is their slogan. They say that their devices can get you in, get what you need, and get out faster than any other device. There are a few things wrong with this campaign, in my opinion.
First, if I wanted to get in and out of my phone as fast as possible, I would buy a flip, non-smartphone. I bought a smartphone because occasionally I want to play a game, spend time on the internet, and just generally get lost in it once in a while. Second, if I have an issue with using my phone too much, do you think that you pointing it out is going to make me want to stop and then buy your device? Most likely not. Instead your just going to make me mad by pointing out a flaw I’m actively trying to deny (I can put my phone down whenever I want… I swear…). Thirdly, we’ve even done a test to prove that Windows Phone 7 wasn’t much faster than any other device at opening the camera app, taking a picture, and uploading it to Facebook (which is what they do in one of their commercials using skydivers as a “real-life test”).

Again, not saying Windows Phone is bad, but Microsoft isn’t doing a good job of showing people why it’s good. The commercials are memorable (“Can I date Emily when your… nevermind”) don’t get me wrong. But they fail to show off the phones/software and again people watch them, laugh, and then don’t know what the product in the commercial really was beyond the fact that it’s some phone.

Microsoft needs to show some of the great new and existing features that Windows Phone will bring:

• Automatically tags your friends in pictures and uploads them tagged to Facebook? For a Facebook addicted society, that’s something pretty cool that the other operating systems don’t do.
• The ability to upload videos to Facebook? Simple, right? Well, you can’t do it on Android or iPhone natively…
• Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn contact integration. Pretty much covers all the major contacts your average person uses (if they could add some CRM applications into that list like SugarCRM or SalesForce, I bet that would be an exciting feature for enterprise customers as well).
• The sheer smoothness of the OS itself. Have to say, besides the glitches I’ve run into (which any new OS will have), the way the scrolling, swiping, and pinching works on the phone is like butter. I have to say smoother than Android and maybe even the iPhone…
• and pick some of the other 500 new features and just push the best to the consumer…

Go ahead and chime in with what you think is Windows Phone 7′s big problems are (or Microsoft’s for that matter), everyone. No bashing OS’s please, let’s try to keep this civil, ladies and gentlemen.

If you live in NYC, are a current college student, and love technology, here’s your chance to get your foot in the door! We are hiring interns immediately. All of these positions are paid (a small stipend per post) and come with a byline on each post. This is a great opportunity to get some published work on your resume while in school. Not to mention, all these positions have the opportunity to become full-time jobs down the road…

For requirements and how to apply, see below. Keep in mind, that all of these jobs are work from home, but will require occasional meetings.

Here are the current open positions:

Mobile App Review Writer, Paid Internship – Click Here for Details

Mobile News Writer, Paid Internship – Click Here for Details

Mobile How To/Tutorial Writer, Paid Internship – Click Here for Details

To apply, please follow the instructions in the PDF linked next to the position you are interested in above.

Send the required information in the PDF or any questions to DCogen@MobiUnlim.com

Think you have the next big app idea? Only one tiny problem though. You can’t write code. Well, don’t worry, there are other ways (and they don’t have to cost an arm and a leg).

You may or may not be familiar with an app I designed, called ChowSpots for Android. It’s a simple app that allows you to see maps of all the best food at the best restaurants around. Whether those places were from a Food Network TV show you might have been watching or sent in by other foodies like you. There’s a map for that. Well, I’m not the best at coding apps, nor do I have the time to even attempt such a feat, so I went looking for another way to make my app idea become a reality.

Persource is a company that specializes in being the programming side of your app idea. They are fast, professional, and inexpensive. So long as you have a general concept of what you want the app to do, they can help you figure out how to make it come to fruition. Feel free to check them out and get a free quote for your app. What do you have to lose? Plus, if you mention you came from TheUnlockr.com they’ll give you 10% off (up to $250).

Another thing Persource specializes in are conference apps. Say your having an event or a conference. Why not have an app to go along with it? Not only does this help engage attendees and keep them more interested as they walk the conference floor, but it also helps attendees get around easier, helps you collect important data on your visitors (what sessions are most discussed, attendee feedback, etc.), and you can even send messages conference-wide with Persource’s Connect service with the push of one button. Oh and by the way, an app versus a paper flyer? Now your event is green as well.

For more information on Persource’s Conference products, click here.

To contact Persource and get a quote for an app, head to their site here. Get a free quote today and don’t forget to mention TheUnlockr.com for your 10% off (up to $250).

Persource helped me make my app and I thought it was appropriate to let people know about my experience and help out the company, hope they can help you, too.

Hey guys! TheUnlockr was featured on NPR radio this morning!

NPR interviewed me about Android hacking/rooting in general (how it works, where it is headed, etc.) and about how to root the Nook Color in particular. If you care to take a listen and read the article, head over to NPR at the link below. National Public Radio bringing attention to Android modding = awesome. Don’t you agree?

NPR – Cheaper Than a Tablet: ‘Rooting’ Your E-Reader

What do you guys think of the article/radio show?

Sprint is expected to announce some new HTC phones and tablets, Samsung is expected to unveil a  new tablet, Android is expected to dominate the show, etc. so there should be plenty to cover for us, but what do you guys care about most? Is there anything in particular you’d like us to cove?

Here’s your chance to influence what a tech site covers for you! Leave comments here and let us know!

Otherwise, check back on our homepage or our news section for plenty of posts through the show PLUS a video show recap at the end of the week!

So I’ve been personally designing a little Android app and would love for people to test it out and leave me some feedback by emailing me (email listed in the app description in the Market) or by commenting here on this post if it’s not too much trouble. You can find it in the Market by searching for ChowSpots or by clicking here if you are viewing this on an Android device.

Here’s the description:

!!*If you have an issue using the app, instead of just leaving a comment, please email us at dcogen@gmail.com so we can fix it! Also please feel free to email us any suggestions too! We want to make this app the best it can be! Thanks*!!

The ChowSpots app is the best way to take the food maps from ChowSpots.com with you! Open the app and click on any of the maps we have available to find all the best food around you!

The maps included are:

1. User Submitted ChowSpots Map – Map of all the food submitted by other users! Not just the restaurant they like, but the exact food they recommend you to order! You can also submit your own favorite foods to share with others!
2. Best Thing I Ever Ate Map – Map of all the best foods listed on the Food Network show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”
3. Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives Map – Map of all the foods on the Food Network show “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives”
4. Famous Chefs – Map of all the restaurants owned by the famous chefs of the Food Network (Mario Batalli, Emeril, Bobby Flay, etc.)
5. Food Wars – Map of all the places that battle it out for the reputation of the best food on the Travel Channel show. Go to each place and see which you think has the best in town.
6. Man v Food – Map of all the challenges Adam attempts on the Travel Channel show. Go ahead and try them for yourself, if you’re up to the challenge.
7. Bizarre Foods – Map of all the strange foods Andrew eats in restaurants on the Travel Channel show. You brave enough to try them, too?

So please check it out and let me know if it works for you, any errors you run into, and any suggestions! (Don’t just leave comments on the Market like, “Force Closes so I hate it!” and that’s it. That doesn’t help me fix it. Email me instead so I can find out what’s wrong and fix it.) Thanks!

PS: Oh and feel free to submit some chowspots for the user submitted map to help make it better.

PPS: If your are feeling nice and like the concept, feel free to rate the app 5 stars as it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks again!

Our little green friends are finally back in stock! Gone are the Series 1 versions but now Andrew Bell and company have come out with the Standard Green Edition Android Figurines (pictured above).

These little guys are 3″ tall vinyl/plastic figurines that are perfect for any Android lover that feels the need to show off how much they love Android!

We have a special holiday price on them right now; only $7.99 plus shipping and handling! And if you order before 2PM EST on Monday December 20th, you should get them before Christmas! So hurry before they are gone!

Click here to purchase one!

Click here to check out our Facebook album of all the pictures of figurines readers have sent in! Feel free to email us your pics of your new friend after you purchase one and we’ll put them up, too!

I. Looking for Contributors

We want to try something out. In an effort to allow us to do more How To’s and Reviews, and also to expand what TheUnlockr brings to it’s readers, we are looking to bring some part-time contributors on-board. If you are obsessed with cell phones/technology, love to tell people about the latest and greatest, etc. we’d love to have you.

Check out our Contributors page for more information and to apply!

II. Facebook/Twitter Integration

Thought this was a cool new feature worth adding to the site. You can now comment on any of our posts using your Facebook/Twitter login! Now, whenever you come to the site, you won’t have to log in to post comments. It’ll even grab your profile picture automatically and make it your avatar!

If you want to register for the site and use the forum, you can register using your Facebook/Twitter login details as well, making it easier for you to be a contributing part of the site community.

III. How To Updates

If you’ve been following on Twitter, Facebook, or just reading the site headlines, you may have noticed me redoing the old procedures (G1 How To’s, Droid How To’s, etc.). I’m listening to your guys’ plea for updates and trying to keep all of the procedures on the site as updated as possible to make them always work on the latest firmwares etc. If you feel there is a procedure that needs to be updated badly or if there is a new procedure you would like me to add, please contact me and let me know using the form here.

So when we’re not helping people root their phones, flashing ROMs like a crack fiend (ROM junkies?), or drooling over new devices coming out, there is something else we love to do… EAT!

So for our first app, we decided to do an Android app involving finding good food (something I figured other people could appreciate). The app is actually an extension of our little food site we just put up called ChowSpots.com and the app allows you to bring the maps from ChowSpots.com with you on your Android phone. There are three maps of food in the app and on the site:

• “The Best Thing I Ever Ate Map” – If you watch Food Network, I’m sure you are familiar with “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” show where the Food Network chefs tell you about the best foods they’ve ever eaten (and they have eaten a lot of food) and where you can get it! Well, this map takes all of the foods they have ever nominated on that show and puts them on the map so you can easily find them yourself!
• “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives Map” – Again fans of the Food Network will know this show as well. This is the show where Chef Guy Fieri goes around the US looking for the greatest, greasiest, places to chow down at. This map puts all those places on an easy to use map so you can find them and try them for yourself. (Work in progress by the way, there are a ton of episodes to add to this map. Going as fast as we can)
• And finally the “Reader Submitted ChowSpots Map” – This map is really what I like about the site/app. Readers can submit their favorite foods from their favorite restaurants around the country for us to put on the map. Then you can view that map on your phone to find the best places to eat submitted by other foodies like you. There has been plenty of times my friends and I have been like, “Where should we go out to eat tonight?” and instead of scratching our heads, we can check the map and see what places people have submitted to guarantee we go somewhere with some awesome food.

So the Android app can be found in the Market and is completely free, just search for ChowSpots (give us a 5 star rating please!). It is very much a beta (or more of a proof of concept to see if anyone would actually use it) so please comment either in the Market or on this post and let me know what you guys think? How can we improve it? Would you even use it? What about the site, what do you think?
If we get a good response we’ll make the app for iPhone, and we’ll improve the Android app to do some cooler things!

Also, we are doing a contest on the site for $100 and $50 gift cards, so please head over and submit your favorite foods @ your favorite restaraunts or be a food critic and write your own food review for us to put up on the site! All the details for the contest etc. are here.
The more people that put stuff up on the map/site, the more useful it will be for everyone! We aren’t ever going to charge money for the app, so it will always be free for everyone to enjoy!

We also have to thank Persource for helping us build the app! They were great, inexpensive, and had a quick turnaround time! Check them out to get a quote for them to make your app idea into a reality!

Here is our round 2 giveaway for the Android Collectible Figurines!

What better way to tell the rest of the office/household/world how much you love Android than with an Official Android Collectible Figurine! These little guys are 3″ tall made out of high quality vinyl and come in a sealed, blind box. There are a bunch of different versions of the Androids to get, but since the boxes are sealed and blind, its up to luck to which one you get!

To see more pictures of the Android figurines, check out our Facebook Photo Album!

If you want one, we’re giving away two of them at random to people who enter the giveaway! Here’s how to enter:

• To enter the contest, simply register and post something in our forums!
• Post as many times as you want! (Please no “skldfnfjnsdfjn” or “the sky is blue” crap. Think of a genuine thing you would want to talk about with other like-minded readers, anything else will just be deleted and not count.) Each post/reply will count as one entry! So the more times you post the more chance you have of winning!
• NO JIBBERISH. Feel free to post a topic about a question you have about a phone, answer someone else’s question, rant about things you like or hate, etc. Each one you post is an entry so feel free to post multiple times!
• Two Android figurines will again be given out at random (keep in mind that the more you post the better your chances of winning) on Saturday after the contest closes!

• If you have Twitter, give us a follow
• If you have Facebook, fan our page on Facebook
• Contest will end on Friday July 30th at 11:59PM EST.

If you have any issues registering or posting in the new forums, please us the Forum Suggestion contact us form for assistance.

Good luck everyone!

CLOSED! THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING, EVERYONE! The winners have been emailed.
Two winners were chosen at random to receive the two Android collectible figurines using Random.org to choose the winners!

To see more pictures of the Android figurines, check out our Facebook Photo Album!

If you want one, we’re giving away two of them at random to people who enter the giveaway! Here’s how to enter:

• To enter the contest, simply post a comment on this post explaining why you want/how you’ll use your new Android buddy!
• If you have Twitter, give us a follow.
• If you have Facebook, fan our page on Facebook
• Please only post one comment here per person! Thanks!
• Contest will end on Wednesday July 21st at 11:59PM EST.

Good luck everyone!

CLOSED! THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING, EVERYONE! The winners have been emailed.
Two winners were chosen at random to receive the two Android collectible figurines using Random.org to choose the winners!

Because of the awesome comments everyone left though we are giving away one extra figurine as a bonus to the person with the highest ranked comment, chosen by all of you!

If you didn’t win, were doing another give away Friday July 23rd, so you have another chance to win one of these awesome figurines! Check the site tomorrow for the new giveaway rules and how to enter!

THE WINNERS STARTED TO POST THEIR ANDROID FIGURING PICTURES IN OUR FACEBOOK ALBUM, TAKE A LOOK!