Pond Hockey Tournament raises $50,035 for Jablonski February 1, 2012 at 7:58 pm
Students and teachers swap outfits for Catholic Schools Week February 1, 2012 at 7:58 am
Catholic Schools Week kicks off with pjs and honors February 1, 2012 at 7:58 am
One Act play takes second place at sub-sections February 1, 2012 at 7:57 am
Youth In Goverment members lobby for government changes February 1, 2012 at 7:56 am
February 3, 2012
Nicole Sarquis, Staff Writer
History teachers tend to ramble off unrelatable facts about flappers, bootlegging, and the ease of life in the “Roaring 20s” during a typical U.S. History class, leaving their students with no real understanding of the subject. At the same time, English teachers’ enthusiasm over F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” can only be understood if students reading the literary classic have a solid knowledge base of the time period the novel is set in. In an attempts to bridge the gap between literature and history studies, two teachers––Ms. Megan Kern and Ms. Anne Marie Dominguez––have paired up to teach their newly developed class, American Studies, to juniors, combining the... Continue Reading
February 3, 2012
Matt Muenzberg, Sports Editor
“Don’t miss.” That was the thought that ran through the head of senior forward Sanjay Lumpkin when he got the ball under the basket unguarded with three seconds left in the game. Lumpkin made the layup, giving the top ranked boys’ basketball team a 67-65 win over number two Spring Lake Park. “We were just trying to get a screen and roll on the top. The ball went into the corner and I just cut back door and no one was guarding me,” said Lumpkin. The Red Knights struggled to contain Spring Lake Park’s Sean Scott, who had a career night with 36 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks in a packed, pro-Panther gymnasium. Head coach Mr. John Moore admitted that guarding Scott isn’t an exact... Continue Reading
Junior Shannon Galvin rehearses for the upcoming Les Miserables performance wither her fellow cast members. (Giulia Imholte)
January 27, 2012
Emily Kline, Staff Writer
Blue Water Theatre Company, one of the Twin Cities’ top performing arts groups for youth, is taking on “Les Misérables,” one of musical theatre’s most famous works, for their winter production. Juniors Rachel Hogen and Shannon Galvin, along with sophomore Rachel Wallace, joined the cast in late November and are currently in rehearsals for the... Continue Reading
February 1, 2012
Nick Hillson, Staff Writer
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a bill running through Congress in an attempt to curb the illegal uploading and downloading of copyrighted information and programs. Unfortunately, due to extremely vague wording and unclear definitions, the censorship proposed could extend to websites such as Facebook, various e-mails, and any other free forum. Not only is SOPA ineffective for all but the technologically impaired, but it violates our rights and benefits only a small handful of elites. SOPA works by requiring websites and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to search through sent information and to censor any infringing material. Not only does this ignore the privacy guaranteed in the Constitution... Continue Reading
The Mock Trial team had a succesful season at several competitions due to immense practice and help from professional lawyers. (Photo courtesy of Jim Vogl)
February 3, 2012
Mallory Hoch, Staff Writer
Beginning in October, the Mock Trial team has practiced every night from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in room 121 in preparation for upcoming competitions. Coming to a close on January 31st, the season ended on a strong note, making it to subsections before loosing their last competition. The season commenced with general practices to help initiate new members.... Continue Reading
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Result | W/L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys Basketball | Fri, Feb 03 | Spring Lake Park | 67-65 | Read Story | W |
| Girls Basketball | Tue, Jan 31 | Minneapolis Southwest | 70-38 | W | |
| Girls Hockey | Sat, Jan 28 | Hill-Murray | 1-3 | Read Story | L |
| Boys Basketball | Sat, Jan 28 | North Branch | 82-21 | Read Story | W |
| Girls Basketball | Sat, Jan 28 | North Branch | 66-40 | Read Story | W |
| Dance Team | Sat, Jan 28 | Catholic Jamboree | J: 2nd/K: 3rd | ||
| Girls Hockey | Fri, Jan 27 | St. Francis/North Branch | 10-0 | Read Story | W |
| Boys Hockey | Fri, Jan 27 | Moorhead | 2-6 | Read Story | L |
| Wrestling | Fri, Jan 27 | Robbinsdale Cooper | 47-27 | W | |
| Wrestling | Fri, Jan 27 | Mahtomedi | 33-34 | L | |
| Boys Hockey | Thu, Jan 26 | Irondale | 6-1 | Read Story | W |
| Girls Basketball | Thu, Jan 26 | Chisago Lakes | 58 -45 | Read Story | W |
| Sport | Date | Time | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girls Hockey | Sat, Feb 04 | 3:00 | Totino-Grace | Parade Ice Gardens |
| Boys Hockey | Sat, Feb 04 | 7:30 | Spring Lake Park | Blaine |
| Wrestling | Sat, Feb 04 | 9:00 | TBA | Pine Island |
| Girls Basketball | Mon, Feb 06 | 6:00 | DeLaSalle | DeLaSalle |
| Boys Hockey | Wed, Feb 08 | 7:30 | Shattuck-St. Mary's | Shattuck-St. Mary's |
| Girls Basketball | Fri, Feb 10 | 7:15 | St. Louis Park | St. Louis Park |
| Wrestling | Fri, Feb 10 | 6:00 | Chisago Lakes | Home |
| Boys Hockey | Sat, Feb 11 | 2:30 | Totino-Grace | St. Louis Park |
| Dance Team | Sat, Feb 11 | 1:00 | Sections | Austin |
| Boys Hockey | Tue, Feb 14 | 7:00 | Chisago Lakes | Chisago Lakes |
| Girls Basketball | Tue, Feb 14 | 7:15 | Columbia Heights | Home |
| Girls Basketball | Thu, Feb 16 | 7:15 | Waconia | Home |
The new "Droid" phone creates real competition with the iPhone.
Dann Fry
November 29, 2009
Filed under Reviews, Top Stories
Motorola has finally taken a step up in the post-iPhone smartphone battlefield–about two years too late. Verizon began airing TV ads in October for Motorola’s new “Droid,” offering up a variety of things “Droid does” to set it apart in the crowded smartphone market. “Droid” is actually a series of Verizon phones, although so far only the flagship model has been released.
Debuting on November 6th across the US, the first Droid incarnation met with success, selling 250,000 phones in the first week. This is a fraction of the 1.6 million iPhone 3GS units sold during its first weekend; however, Droid has become the fastest-selling Android phone released in the US to date, and Verizon expects to sell over a million by the end of 2009.
Droid features a large touch screen in addition to a physical keyboard, 5-megapixel camera (with flash), and Google’s Android 2.0 OS. Droid is the first phone to use the new Android 2.0, a highly polished and functional mobile OS which offers some compelling advantages over other smartphones–”open development” and “simultaneous apps” are highlighted in the ads.
At $199 (with a Verizon commitment), Verizon is likely seeking to directly compete with Apple’s iPhone, and also with other Android phones on the market (T-Mobile’s MyTouch 3G). They have a very good offer in the Droid–having used it, I can attest to its easily being the best Android phone for sale right now.
The best part of the Droid is its OS. The Android 2.0 software is highly refined, very fast, and works perfectly with the phone’s hardware. iPhone users will agree that a spot of occasional–sometimes frequent–lag is not uncommon, especially when switching between apps. Android 2.0 seems to handle such tasks much more easily, and is extremely easy to navigate with Droid’s huge touch screen. For fans of digital keyboards, Android 2.0 has one that operates in both portrait and landscape modes with excellent feel and accuracy; if you prefer a physical keyboard, Droid has one also, although I found it significantly less accurate than the Blackberry’s–with the main navigation buttons situated next to the screen, though, you can opt to never use the keyboard without losing any functionality.
One of my favorite things about Droid is the hardware itself. It is really the first impressive phone Motorola has produced since its Razr back in 2004. Compared to the fragile, always-at-risk-of-shattering iPhone, Droid feels heavy, solid, and robust–even with the huge front display and sliding mechanism, I don’t feel like this phone would be easy to break. Overall Droid is a finely crafted device, with several small UI features like vibrating feedback from pressing buttons, that make using it enjoyable.
The only complaint I have is the thickness of the phone–it’s a bit of a brick, and somewhat less sleek than other phones; I’d like to see a thinner Droid without the physical keyboard. Android’s app selection (boasting some 10,000 apps, which is a lot, but nothing compared to Apple’s 100,000) also leaves something to be desired, although I’m sure the selection will expand as phones like Droid gain popularity.
Admittedly, I expected little from this phone–Verizon typically offers subpar hardware and has an edge in service; but, with a surprising success for Motorola and Google’s Android software, I fully expect this and future Droid models (which will hopefully revise the keyboard) to grow into a lasting brand with significant following.
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