Hipsters with Android phones rejoice!  The uber popular application “Instagram” that has changed the way people take pictures, has finally arrived to the Android Marketplace.  If you aren’t familiar with the program, Instagram allows users to take pictures with their phone, but offers numerous filter options giving every shot an antique-look.

So enjoy, Android users!  Take stunning pictures of sunsets, rocking chairs and close-ups of your pet dog’s eyes.  Using one of the many built-in filters can only make those photos truly a work of art.

Have you ever snapped the perfect picture only to have it ruined by someone walking in the frame, or wanted to remove someone you caught “photobombing” your image?  Well now you can with a new feature from the phototechnology firm Scalado, called “Scalado Remove”.  It builds a composite shot from multiple frames captured in swift succession, picking out possible flaws – such as passing cars or people – then lets you delete them with a tap of the screen.

Once you take a picture you’ll need to keep the camera still on the particular subject. Scalado will then be able to remove moving objects based on the stationary background. All you do is touch the moving subjects you want gone and it does the rest.  It is not currently available as a download, but a feature on upcoming Android phones.

Going against the grain and not listening to security, Abt representative Chad Taylor sneaked a quick pick of the guarded Samsung Galaxy Note after being told to “hit the road”.

The Samsung Galaxy Note runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), has a 720p Super AMOLED screen, runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and has an 8MP rear camera and 2MP front camera.  It will also be an AT&T exclusive and run on the wireless carrier’s brand new 4G LTE network.  It’s one heck of a big phone and certainly will be something phone aficionados will love, however, it may just be too big for regular users.  We shall see if it’s popular when it hits the market.

Purchasing goods on cellular phones is a growing medium for ecommerce, with users sourcing deals from their phones and tablets before visiting physical stores.  A new study by Usablenet tracked various retail websites and tracked 18 million page views and 1 million mobile users over Thanksgiving and Black Friday. It saw mobile traffic to its clients was up 60% from the same period last year, with Thanksgiving sending more traffic than the following day. Usablenet also found that iOS devices accounted for 42% of the traffic, trumping Android, and trouncing the tiny traffic from Windows and Nokia devices.

Called the next possible iPhone killer?  Probably.  Will it actually kill off the iPhone?  No.  Samsung does plan on releasing The Galaxy Nexus, running on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform in November of this year.  It features a 4.65-inch high definition Super AMOLED display screen and a 1.2 gigahertz dual core processor that upgrades speed.  The exact carriers that will have the phone aren’t clear as of now, but expect more news to continue to trickle in.

Not too long ago you heard me sharing the great news of Android being the highest selling cell phone operating system.  Well, Andorid continues to impress, this time with an adorable application for your phone  Called Androidify, it allows you to take their Android logo and customize it to look just like you.  Below is an alteration of yours truly.  Check it out on your Android phone!

Sonos recently announced an app for the Android operating system and it’s said to be even better than Sonos’ own controller. Why? Because on Android you can use your phone’s hardware buttons (volume rocker, search, etc) to control your Sonos system and even use your phone to voice search.  The application is expected to come out in March.

Check out our full line of Sonos products.

Whether you are talking about R2-D2 from Star Wars, Bishop from Aliens, or Abt’s Customer Service Representative, Gary Q’s favorite character, Data from Star Trek, androids are all the rage in cinema and TV.  That certainly hasn’t changed in the world of cell phones;  Android cell phone operating systems to be precise.

“Android” is now the world’s most popular cellular phone OS (operating system) shipping out 33 million to customers since its creation just three years ago.  Beating Nokia’s Symbian and Apple’s iOS, Android has taken the market by storm and has reinvigorated the cell phone device competition.

Congrats to Android on your accomplishment.  Or as R2-D2 would say, “beep, boop, whistle, blip, bop, beep”

Check out our line of cell phones to find the right one for you.

It’s 7 am. The month of December.  22 degrees outside. You have to be at work in an hour, but you just woke up.  You need to shower, change, eat breakfast, make a lunch and give yourself about 10-15 minutes to warm up your car properly.  Sure, you could throw on the coat, gloves, scarf and run out to your car, turn it on and run back inside. But as technology progresses, it’s supposed to make life easier; which is why Viper has made protecting your car easy and even went the extra mile.

Viper, manufacturer of automatic car starters, has developed a new car starter that is able to link to your iPhone, Android phone or BlackBerry.  The starter requires you to install the Viper SmartStart and pay a yearly service fee of $29.99.  Downloading the free application for your smartphone allows you to unlock doors, open the trunk, turn the heat or air conditioner on and even notify you when your alarm goes off, all via your cellular phone.

Viper SmartStart works over the 3G cellular network or Wi-Fi, allowing you to  have an unlimited range in the U.S.  As long as your car is in within the appropriate distance of a GSM/GPRS cellular signal and your smartphone has a 3G or Wi-Fi signal, SmartStart will work. Anywhere. Anytime.

Check out Viper’s site for additional products and services.  And remember, if you live in the Chicagoland area, Abt’s Mobile Installation techs can professionally install this for you .  Call us at 847-967-8830 for details.

-Nick E

Today, T-Mobile and Samsung unveiled the new Samsung Vibrant, their latest Android cell phone, in our mobile showroom.  This weekend only, you can come to Abt and have T-Mobile and Samsung specialists answer your questions about the latest Android phone either at their tent camped outside the front of our store or in the T-Mobile RV (which is packed with their entire cell phone line and some accessories).

To celebrate the arrival, there are giveaway prizes available both days, and today they had Mustard’s Last Stand hot dogs on hand to feed hungry visitors.  Another promotion available this weekend only is that you can trade in any working iPhone for a Samsung Vibrant and receive $100.  If you’re interested in demoing the new phone, stop by tomorrow or you can try it anytime at our store.

-Jennifer A.