Until Ron’s departure to Ars Technica, he was the primary teardown master. When he left, I formed a teardown team. Currently 6 people strong and all with skills of doing or aiding in doing complete teardowns. Once a new AI arrives, whoever is available jumps in and starts poking around.
Does most of your team have a development background? Is that a criterion for working at Android Police?
Russakovski: I have a background in Computer Science. Before starting at Android Police, I was a software engineer. System Administrator, Database Administrator. These skills are instrumental in running a self-hosted site dealing with developer-oriented topics. Three other team members are currently developers as well. While it’s not a criterion for working, having a developer background is a huge plus.
What do you think the Android blogosphere is lacking, what does it desperately need?
Russakovski: A higher standard for posting rumors and passing off stories as news is needed. Still, it is, unfortunately, frequently traded for page views instead. Some sites are guilty of this more than others; we constantly pass on stories deemed unreliable and full of fluff. One thing I’d love to see is a comprehensive, up-to-date list of rumors, their origins, and their statuses. Sourced is an attempt to do just that, but it needs more data users.
How long have you personally been an Android user?
Russakovski: I started using Android in 2009 with the HTC Hero.
What’s the phone you’re currently sporting and why?
Russakovski: I use a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 after voting down the Nexus 5 last October. I plan to switch to a OnePlus; I’m tired of carrier locks. Touch bloat, slow updates, eventual abandonment. I picked the Note 3 because it was, at the time, one of the best devices in the phablet range. Which is the size I prefer.
What’s one app you can’t live without?
Russakovski: FolderSync is a must for anyone looking to sync files between various storage mediums on their Android devices. It’s highly configurable and is usually one of the first apps I install.
