The first thing I need to say here is thank you, readers, for your patience regarding DroidDog’s recent server troubles. If you are a regular visitor to the site, there’s a good chance you’ve come across an error while browsing our pages in the last few months; most likely indicating a problem establishing a database connection. Or, you’ve seen the “no suitable nodes” grey screen of sorrow. Chances are you’ve noticed these errors have been popping up with increasing regularity over the last several weeks. We appreciate your coming back to see our latest Android content and how things are progressing with the site. I also want to thank all of our editors who have struggled with database errors and non-responsiveness when adding and editing posts. Growth is a difficult process and the pains are not fun. At times, the problems have been downright frustrating.

These bumps in the road, as unpleasant as they may be, are a result of the continual success of PhoneDog’s family of sites, so another big shout out to the readers who are making them popular. We have a lot of great things planned for you in the near future and our new servers are ready to rock and bear the additional weight of the new audience members sure to come along. New types of content are on the way, along with some other noticeable changes throughout the site. So stick with us throughout the Summer for more videos, more editorial pieces, more hands on reviews, more questions and requests, more DroidWars, and… more free phones. It’s going to be an eventful season.

Take care.

(Extreme gratitude to those behind the scenes who made this transition occur!)

• Our server is working on finding them!

There are a lot of Android apps available for watching website video feeds, music videos, movie trailers and so on. So many, that I can’t imagine trying to put together a DroidWars about them. And while the Market is almost equally saturated with apps designed to bring you some sort of television related experience, very few deliver up-to-date (let alone up-to-the-minute) content reliably. So I think I should be able to pick out a handfull of my faves.

I like watching television programs on my mobile in bed at night and started out on a quest for the best software to facilitate that about a month ago. I’ve downloaded countless apps from local news networks, independent artist collectives, popular cable stations, and other, focused outlets. But the appeal of those apps is very limited and I wanted to find a program – or programs – that would give me variety, reliable quality, a pleasant interface, and maybe some organization features and other unique elements. I’m glad to say that I have found my solution(s).

But before we go any further, I should point out that I don’t want to pay a monthly fee. I don’t mind purchasing the download but I don’t watch nearly enough tv on my phone to warrant the subscription costs of services like Jetflicks! TV, no matter how good they are. So programs that require recurring payments, along with those that simply open a browser window, will not be included. I’ve got to break these up somehow. Even if Sling Player was currently available for Android, the initial investment would be reason enough to exclude it from this DroidWars.

Alright, let’s get to it!

• Vibrant, DROID X, EVO, & HDMI: who loves your telly?
• Social television by Android?
• Noah talks Android on CBS 5: Bay Sunday
• People of Lava
• Knocking Live: video calls between iPhone and Android

This installment of DroidWars is all about the Twitter clients available in the Android Market. There are plenty to choose from and they’ve become so polished and feature rich that one could literally spend weeks testing out top contenders before claiming one as their own. I can’t say that I’ve really settled on one permanently; I use whatever I perceive to be the best at a given time and if I’m made aware of major improvements to an old favorite or of a promising up-and-comer, I’ll make a switch. That’s why I think this kind of post is useful. Maybe you’re unaware of Touiteur, or you haven’t heard about Twicca’s new widget. A quick browse through these pages will bring you up to speed on what I consider to be the cream of the crop.

One big change to the Android Twitter landscape that I expect within the next several months is the release of TweetDeck. Adobe’s AIR is apparently coming to Android by mid-year, and TweetDeck uses that technology on the desktop. While I don’t know for sure that Adobe’s announcement wil herald the countdown for TweetDeck (perhaps the Android version won’t need AIR), I do know that the TD team has an eventual launch in mind. When TweetDeck for Android does drop, everything will change…at least for me.

But enough of the daydreaming. We have a load of solid Twitter apps in the Android Market right now. Let’s get to them…

• TweetDeck for Android is moving closer to reality
• Twidroid purchased, becomes Twidroyd
• TweetDeck in the wings, ready to ROCK
• App review: Twitoc
• Official Twitter for Android app Released

This episode of DroidWars is all about Android home replacements. As usual, I’m just covering what I perceive to be the cream of the crop. Drop a line in the comments if you think I’ve missed something important. These apps completely change the behavior of your home screen(s) and allow you to use different kinds of widgets, free and commercial themes, extra settings and more. Overall, they broaden your customization choices and give you more control, which is always good.

Ever since I made that video tutorial on hacking your Nexus One, I’ve been running a MoDaCo Desire ROM with Sense. It’s still my home of choice, Sense. But I realize it’s not the best option for everyone. And since it’s not available legally, it isn’t eligible to win DroidWars. But not to worry, my chosen winner won’t be chosen by throwing darts at a list. I definitely had a favorite home replacement before my recent return to HTC’s luscious UI…

• Show some Android love on your Google homepage
• DroidDog wallpapers for your phone
• DroidWars: Television
• DroidWars: Twitter clients – Q1, 2010
• DroidWars: Keyboards – Q1, 2010

The seemingly ill-fated series I began over ten months ago for PhoneDog (only to abandon it two months later), DroidWars, is back, baby! And while I can’t promise I’ll stick to a rigid schedule, I plan on posting these pretty regularly – at least until someone gets angry about the name, at which point I’ll tuck it away for a week or two, come up with another predictable phrase, and relaunch it as a new segment!

The original idea behind DroidWars was that I would compare similar, priced apps from the Android Market and not only offer you my personal decision on which was the victor but hopefully provide enough information to facilitate you in formulating preliminary judgments of your own. Occasionally, I like trying out a lot of different apps, but not always. Sometimes I just want to get things done. I hope Droid Wars helps a few people out in that regard. For this segment, I will be including free apps as well as paid, just because there are so many to choose from. In cases of total saturation, it isn’t just the saving of money that makes DroidWars worth while, but the saving of time.

• BlindType promo video
• Worlds Fastest Text on a Touch Screen Phone – Broken!
• DroidWars: Television
• DroidWars: Twitter clients – Q1, 2010
• DroidWars: Home Replacements – Q1, 2010