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The 404 1,291: Where we paddle out to North Brother island (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- What happens when you install every adware, toolbar, and plug-in offered for download on the Internet?

- Great comments on YouTube for Jeff.

- Cheap vacation: An abandoned island in the middle of NYC.

- You can now buy a spray at Home Depot that makes anything wateproof.

- I usually don't get excited about iPad cases, but this one takes me back.… Read more

Help me torture test the rugged Bear Grylls Android phone

You've seen plenty of torture tests of the most popular phones, like the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S4, but what about a smartphone that was actually designed to take such abuse? I'm looking for your help in crowdsourcing a torturous regime to impose on a device that, in my estimation, is just asking for it.

I've got my hands on a Kyocera Torque, which is a $100 Android phone on Sprint's 4G network -- it's been endorsed by TV survivalist Bear Grylls for its rugged design, which meets military standards for dust, shock, extreme … Read more

Episode 42: Torture testing the Samsung Galaxy S4

It's safe to say that our expectations of the GoPro Mountain Games, and the entirety of Vail, Colorado, were greatly exceeded. If the gorgeous weather, cobblestone streets, and bouldering world championships weren't enough to generate permasmiles, the Rocky Mountains provide a perfect environment for the Always On crew to do their thing. In fact, many of us around the office have determined that the land-locked, rectangular-shaped state of Colorado wields enough awesomeness to give Hawaii a run for its money.

Unfortunately, we also had extremely high expectations for the Samsung Galaxy S4, based on the performance of its … Read more

See how Samsung torture-tested the Galaxy S4

Samsung has occasionally been criticized in the past for sticking with lighter, plastic-y, and presumably less tough materials in even its flagship phones like the Galaxy S4. But the Korean monolith is out to prove that it did its best to torture-test at least the S4 before unleashing it on our harsh, unforgiving world filled with countless basins of water, fumbling fingers, and perhaps worst of all -- curious kids.

The below video shows the gauntlet of Samsung's "reliability" testing that the Galaxy S4 was run through. Apparently the phone had to survive being dropped a few feet onto a hard, metal surface hundreds of times, free-fall from a height high enough to shatter a ceramic mug, and a front-facing impact hard enough to crush a walnut shell.… Read more

Episode 41: Underwater iPhones and rugged cameras

Most of you are probably just gearing up for your summer vacations, but we here at Always On have already had ours. It's all for you, dear viewers; it's all for you. On this week's episode, we visited Hawaii's Big Island to road-test gadgets meant for sun and water fun. And not to be all lowest-common-denominator, but that last sentence basically translates to an entire episode filmed in swimsuits. Just saying.

First up, we went snorkeling with three underwater cases for the iPhone: the $20 Proporta BeachBuoy, the $89 Hitcase, and the $329 iGills SE-35, to … Read more

Galaxy S4 upsets iPhone 5 in our brutal destruction test (video)

The iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 -- two sparkling smartphones at the top of their game. But which mobile is tougher? That's what our in-depth and brutal destruction video aims to discover. Hit play on the clip above to witness the world's greatest mobiles drowned, scratched, dropped, and crushed -- with surprising results.

For our first test you'll see both phones, which were kindly donated by U.K. gadget insurance company Protect your bubble, dunked underwater, an ordeal from which Samsung's mobile made a truly miraculous recovery. Find out exactly how much … Read more

Screens test: HTC One vs. Samsung Galaxy S4

The two hottest flagship Android smartphones right now, the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4, both earned CNET's Editors' Choice Awards for their stellar designs, massive feature sets, and overall appeal.

So which one has the better screen?

In the tradition of our original screens tests last year, we set out to answer that very question. We used a combination of objective measurements courtesy of the same expensive test gear we use to evaluate and calibrate HDTVs, and subjective observations courtesy of our priceless, expert eyes.

As we found previously, each screen has particular strengths and weaknesses, but to our minds the Samsung Galaxy S4 has the better screen. Its victory over the One, however, was by no means a slam dunk.

Overall color accuracy between the two is nearly a wash by the numbers, and the One has a decided advantage in brightness -- making it the better choice if you spend a lot of time outdoors under a bright sky. But the deeper black levels and insane contrast of the GS4, along with the versatility afforded by its many settings, helped put it over the top.

… Read more

Episode 40: Road tripping and torture-testing the HTC One

Summer's here, almost officially, which means the road trip season is upon us. We set out to try to find out which gadgets could entertain you on a long drive, or at least keep the kids out of your hair, and whether the phone that's arguably the hottest of the season could handle some road trip mishaps.

But here at Always On, we road trip in style. No cramped back seats for us ... we were rolling in The Woody, a massive high-tech RV that's the custom showcase creation of OCRV Paint and Service. Thanks for the ride, … Read more

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