Even though Google Glass is technically running on Google Android, it can’t actually run native Android apps in any sort of way that is reasonably functional. GlassBridge aims to fix that by effectively acting as a bridge between the native Android experience and what you get with Google Glass.

The native Android apps (and bookmarks) can be placed inside of the Timeline UI of Glass using GlassBridge, but to be fair, GlassBridge is still “pretty hacky at the moment,” according to the review by Geek.com’s Russell Holly. The good news is that you don’t have to root Glass in order to use it. That being said, you will need to find the APK file of the Android app you’d like to sideload.

What’s more, since Glass only runs on a 640×480 display, some apps are going to look (and work) better than others under this kind of interface. You do get the equvalent of “tab” and “shift-tab” functions to navigate your way through the app, though. And yes, compatibility will continue to be an issue, but if you’re a dev with some Glass, GlassBridge is an interesting way to bridge that great divide between the Android smartphone/tablet and the Google Glass eyewear.

While T-Mobile is working hard to rid the world of contracts, U.S. Cellular is doing the exact opposite: bringing them back!

For those that aren’t aware, the regional carrier previously offered an amazing rewards system and a program called “one and done”. With this program, you simply had to sign a contract once and only once.

After that? You could still get subsidized phones using reward points, etc.As a U.S. Cellular subscriber, I will tell you that personally it was one of the reasons why I used their cellular service over any other carrier available in my area. So I surely am not the only customer that is very disappointed by this news.

So when does the One and Done deal go away? July 27th, so if you have the means to grab a new phone before, I’d do it if I were you. After that, your next subsidized phone will require you to sign on the dotted line once more.
Besides bringing back 2-year contracts U.S. Cellular also plans to change its 15-Day Excellence Guarantee policy. Right now, if you don’t like a phone, you can return it in 15 days and get another one. Going forward, you’ll still be able to return it and get a new one, but you’ll have to pay a $35 restocking fee.

Here’s the official statement from US Cellular:

At U.S. Cellular, we are continually evaluating the entire experience we offer to our customers. Beginning later this month, all customers will be required to sign a 2-year contract when purchasing a subsidized device. In addition, a restocking fee of $35 will be introduced as an update to the 15-Day Excellence Guarantee policy and will be charged when a customer returns a device during the 15-day time period. These changes will allow us to invest in improving our customer experience and offering new products andservices to our customers.

To be fair, these policies aren’t much different from what we already get with AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. Of course, that’s kind of the point. Part of U.S. Cellular’s magic was that it WASN’T like the other carriers when it came to re-signing contracts.Any other US Cellular customers out there? What do you think of this news? Will you still stick to U.S. Cellular or will the change lead you to start shopping around for a new carrier?

We have been hearing quite a lot about upcoming Motorola Droid devices for Verizon recently. So it’s safe to think that the “the next generation of one of its most popular family of devices” Big Red is going to introduce at a press event on July 23^rd will be the new range of Droid handsets.

The new Droid family will most probably include the Motorola Droid Ultra, Motorola Droid Maxx, and Motorola Droid Mini, seen in the image which comes to us via @evleaks.

As for what the devices are coming with, both the Droid Ultra and Maxx are expected to come with a Full HD display, a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, and 2GB of RAM. According to a recent leak, the Maxx will feature 48 hours of battery life. And all the three devices will have Kevlar on the back and bottom as you can see in the picture.

So are you excited about the 23^rd of July? In case that date seems familiar, it is when the AT&T Nokia Lumia 1020 starts shipping and when Apple will be coming out with their Q3 earnings call.

So, which Droid handset are you interested in? Or are you going for a customized device?

While HTC is yet to formally announce their One Max, which will probably go against the Galaxy Note 3, and the One Mini, the latter has been spotted in China’s TENAA database.

The metallic One Mini has received certification in China, under the model name “601e”. It’s a single-SIM handset (unlike the Chinese dual-SIM HTC One) with WCDMA. Looking at this filing and remembering HTC’s teaser about something small but packing a big punch, the One Mini should be available around the world sometime in the near future.

The upcoming device should be available with a 4.3″ display with a resolution of 1280 x 720, 1 GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 1.4 GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 4MP UltraPixel camera, and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Sense. The device is also said to have no IR blaster and probably no SD card slot as well. The handset’s LED flash seems to have been relocated to above the camera, when compared to the One.

So what do you think of the HTC One Mini based on what we currently know? Share your thoughts in the comments below.