Steal these Android tips and tricks | Digital Crave - Yahoo! You don't need a degree in software engineering to get more out of your Android smartphone. Regardless of the kind of Android phone you're packing — be it from Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola or Sony, to name a few makers — we've got a handful of helpful ways to unlock the capabilities of your favorite handset. Unless otherwise specified, it also shouldn't matter what version of Android you're running on your smartphone, with the most popular today being Android 2.3 ("Gingerbread") or the latest release, Android 4.0 ("Ice Cream Sandwich"). To figure out what version you're running, go to the About section of your device, under Settings. Many of these tips and tricks will work on Android-based tablets (including those powered by Android 3.x, a.k.a.
"Honeycomb") as well as phone-tablet hybrids like the Samsung Galaxy Note and its built-in stylus pen. Oh, and if you have any tips of your own, feel free to share them with others below in the Comments section. Text or talk Hi mom! Cutting corners. 8 GB iPhone 3GS now free with contract, iPhone 4 price dropped. Skype now works with any home phone | Crave. Skype just got so easy your great-grandmother could use it without having to know anything about a sound card or any other input/output doohickeys that are more convoluted than President Harding and his confounding Teapot Dome scandal!
(Look it up, millennials...) Actually, there is one doohickey, but once it's all hooked up it looks an awful lot like a regular old cordless phone--with VoIP hidden inside. (No need to tell great-grandma about that last part, it will only confuse her--apologies to all technologically astute great-grandmothers out there, BTW.) It's the Freetalk ConnectMe home phone adapter for Skype, which connects to any regular old home phone. You'll need to connect your PC to set things up the first time, but after that, Skype says you'll just need to make sure your broadband connection and phone are hooked into the adapter. Check out the promo video from Skype below. Skype Video Chat on Facebook.
Facebook, the number 1 social network, and Skype, the number 1 VOIP, have gotten in bed together. Mark Zuckerberg announced that Skype was being integrated with Facebook to provide video chat to their users. Ever since the upgrade in the chat functions last year there have been rumors about a possible Skype integration. It is a perfect marriage of social function. Facebook the ultimate social network and Skype video chat, the ultimate in online person to person communication. Conspiracy theories aside, the integration will be hard for people to miss. When you go to make a call for the first time you will have to download a small plugin. What is great is that Facebook users will not have to set up a Skype account to use the feature. Life360 turns your smartphone into a lifeline | Crave. A few months ago, Tessa Hulls ventured on a cross-country bike trip from San Diego to the East Coast after breaking up with her boyfriend.
Hulls is still peddling away on her solo ride, but her family has, in a sense, joined her. She's attached a GPS locator to her pink and white bike and downloaded an iPhone app called Life360 so her family can see her location in real time, whenever they want to. A couple of days ago, her brother Chris Hulls was curious about his sister's whereabouts, so he clicked on the Life360 app on his iPhone. She was in Connecticut.
Until now, subscribers needed an Android device or iPhone to use the mobile security service. Last week, however, Life360 opened up its service to non-smartphone users and customers subscribing to all carriers except MetroPCS, as a way to tap into a bigger market of consumers. "For smartphones, we get your location through a mix of GPS, cell triangulation, and Wi-Fi data. "I think privacy concerns are understandable," Hulls said. Veer 4G. The tiny HP Veer 4G is small in stature, but possess strong smartphone capabilities AT&T will offer an incredibly small smartphone that packs a lot of punch, and it will be available in just over a week. The new HP Veer 4G is a smartphone that is the size of a credit card and about as thick as a deck of cards.
It weighs 3.63 ounces and has a 2.6-inch multi-touch display screen, which features 18-bit color and 320x400 resolution. The tiny smartphone features HP webOS 2.1, an 800Mhz processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7230), Tri-band UMTS (850/1900/2100; HSDPA Cat 10/HSUPA Cat 6), 8 GB internal storage and a 910 mAh battery (5.0 hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby). In addition, the Veer 4G has a 5-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth 2.1, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi/aGPS capability, and a webOS WebKit browser with Flash support. AT&T noted that thousands of apps are available in the webOS App Catalogue that range from games and social networking to business and finance.
Paper Smartphone. "PaperPhone" is as thin and flexible as a sheet of paper, yet possesses the same capabilities as a regular smartphone It seems as though IT companies and wireless carriers are leaning toward the principle "the smaller, the better" these days as AT&T rolls out a diminutive HP Veer 4G and tablets like Samsung's Galaxy tabs and Apple's iPad 2 are in a battle to be the thinnest. But researchers from Queen's University Human Media Lab may have them beat with the development of the first interactive paper computer that is being described as a "flexible iPhone.
" Roel Vertegaal, director of Queen's University Human Media Lab, has developed the world's first “paper” smartphone prototype called PaperPhone. It looks like a thin, plastic sheet of paper, yet operates the way any smartphone would. It is a lightweight and flexible smartphone with a 9.5 cm diagonal thin-film E Ink display. "The paperless office is here," said Vertegaal. "This is the future," said Vertegaal.
Iphone. Android. Google voice. Attocell--Ends international roaming charge. (Source: EverythingUSB.com) Personal femtocell for travelers to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress The argument that technology is making our world smaller has been bandied around for years. Thanks to the femtocell company Ubiquisys, proponents of that statement now have even more firepower. The British company has developed the world's first base station for international travelers, allowing them to make mobile phone calls without the added international roaming rates.
In a press release, Ubiquisys calls it an attocell -- a personal femtocell -- that was developed specifically for the iPhone, but works with any 3G-enabled device. Here's how the attocell works: The device, slightly larger than a smartphone itself, connects to an internet-enabled laptop or PC via USB cable. There is one downside, though. Ubiquisys is set to showcase the attocell in February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Three New Sprint Devices Make Headway Into Mid-Level Android Market. Samsung Transform Sanyo Zio (Source: AndroidCentral.com) LG Optimus S $50 will soon buy a Froyo-touting smartphone On the heels of Motorola's announcement of seven upcoming, low- to mid-level Android devices -- none of which are slated for Sprint -- the nation's third-largest carrier is responding with three new Android devices of its own, ranging in price from $50 to $150. Engadget reports that the Samsung Transform and the Sanyo Zio will be available from Sprint this week -- October 10, to be exact -- while the LG Optimus S is set to launch later this month.
The Transform is a smaller, lower-end version of the full-QWERTY Epic 4G (Sprint's Samsung Galaxy S variant). The Sanyo Zio (pronounced ZEE-O) has been called "a remarkably good phone" by AndroidCentral, especially considering its $100 price point (after $100 mail-in rebate). "Folks that want porn can buy an Android phone. " -- Steve Jobs. How to Drop Your Cell Phone Contract and Avoid Hefty Fees. Photo: JonJon2k8 There are numerous reasons for wanting to drop your cell phone contract. Maybe you found yourself seduced by a flashy phone, only to get slapped with bad service and pesky fees. Maybe you’re planning to move overseas. Or maybe you just can’t wait any longer to trade that BlackBerry for an iPhone 4 (even though Apple (AAPL) is rumored to be working out a deal with Verizon (VZ) in the not-so-distant future). Whatever the reason, the good news is that it is possible to drop a long-term cell phone contract without paying the $150 to $200 early termination fee most carriers charge (possibly more if you have a data plan).
Negotiate with your carrier first If you have legitimate complaints about your service (wanting a shiny new iPhone doesn’t count), start by calling your carrier, says James Walsh, coauthor of Cramdown: Renegotiating Mortgages, Car Loans, Student Laons and Other Finances in the Age of Wall Street Bailouts. Sign up with a cell phone transfer service. Fring-free mobile calls, video calls...
MobileBeat: OwnYourInfo puts your private data in a mobile lock box. OwnYourInfo is one of 20 promising startups included in the MobileBeat 2010 Startup Competition and is in the running for one of two coveted Tesla Awards. OwnYourInfo gives users a secure, neatly-ordered location to store and view their most important data through their mobile phones — basically turning your handset into a locked filing cabinet. Its goal: to eliminate the hardcopy and hard-drive files and sticky notes that clutter your physical and digital desktops. The application can store everything from whole documents to bits and pieces of information. You can file that information under any of seven categories: personal, health, career, finance, travel, automotive and housing. “The application goes beyond data storage with a unique sharing model that allows users to set permissions on their sharing requests,” the company says. Users can edit these permissions options at any time, or push updated files to other users they have already shared information with.
MobileBeat: Snaptu wants to make dumbphones smarter with apps. Snaptu is one of 20 promising startups included in the MobileBeat 2010 Startup Competition, and is in the running for one of two coveted Tesla Awards. Mobile app startup Snaptu has a simple goal: To bring the rich mobile app experience seen on the iPhone, Android, and other smartphones, to every cellphone — in particular, low-end phones (often referred to as “dumbphones”). The company has developed an application that runs on any phone that supports Java apps — which at this point adds up to more than 2,000 devices. Once you download and launch the Snaptu app, it opens up a catalog of other applications, which at this point includes Twitter, Facebook, and a news reader.
With smartphones on the rise, lower-end cell phones are still prevalent, and the company’s software makes them even more compelling. Users will still have to contend with smaller screens and slower performance than smartphones, but at least now they can run some basic apps. Smartphones: The Latest Generation. The iPhone 4, EVO 4G, Droid Incredible, and Google Nexus One; when it comes to choosing a smartphone, there are several worthy competitors on the market to consider.
It is important to compare the key features that each phone and its carrier offer before making a decision. By looking at the chart below, you can compare pricing, plans and smartphone features and decide which phone will best suit your individual needs. Click to Enlarge Embed the above infographic on your blog and website! Editor’s note: Though the category is listed as “unlimited plan,” you should note that due to AT&T’s recent data service pricing change, they’re no longer offering unlimited data plan for new subscribers. Instead, new users will have the option to a 2 GB plan for $25 or a 200 MB plan for $15. This cost comparison is also specifically tailored for a balance mix of users. Graphic Compare Notes: Noteworthy Phone/Carrier Features: More Links and Resources: CNET’s coverage on the Apple iPhone 4.