Archive for the ‘Tips’ Category

Android Task Managers

May 19th, 2011 Admin Comments Off

The best part about the Android operating system is the lower level access that it provides to users. Unfortunately, many users that utilize this feature to use applications like task managers and task killers use them in order to stop applications in hopes that it will make their phone work more efficiently. In reality, ending programs that you think are “unnecessary” on your Android phone can lead to problems and ultimately does nothing for the performance of the phone. Let’s take a look at why.

Linux

Android is essentially built on a Linux architecture. The way that Linux handles memory usage is much different than a standard Windows PC. Whereas in a Windows based operating system the more programs you have running, the more sluggish your machine. Ending some of these programs to free up memory on a PC is generally a good thing, as it allows for faster memory access. In Linux however, more available memory does not necessarily mean more speed. Linux manages memory much differently than a PC and freeing up more of it has no effect on performance. That means that using 20 megabytes of memory or 150 megabytes of memory in a Linux based operating system yields the same performance for all of the applications running. Unused memory is just memory that could be doing something useful for you.

Built In Task Manager

The downloadable task managers that are available to manage applications don’t do much more than the Android operating system does by itself. By default, whenever Android needs extra memory for another application, it will automatically end other programs to allow itself to operate. In addition to that, whenever an application is finished performing the tasks it needs to complete, Android automatically ends that application to free up the memory for the next task in line, meaning no user input is needed.

Ending Programs Preemptively

Another issue that you can run into when using 3rd party task managers is ending programs before they need to be closed. Most often, programs are open for a reason. By ending a process because you want to free up memory could halt a necessary task that was running in the background. This means that in order for the task to complete, the program will have to start over from scratch and use even more time the next time it needs to run.

It may also be important to note that ending processes on Android using an app that kills all running processes could affect the phone itself. Ending processes that you are unsure of their function could lead to you not receiving phone calls, text messages, or voicemail properly. It’s best to leave Android to do what it does best; manage memory. Google wouldn’t have released an operating system that couldn’t effectively manage memory and was best left to end users to figure out how best to control the innards of their phone. Microsoft on the other hand….

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Don’t Be Jealous of iPhone Gamblers – You Can Have Fun at an Android Casino

March 30th, 2011 Admin Comments Off

Sorry, iPhone fans — we’re taking time to be Team Android for a second. Okay, just one little article? We’re kidding, of course — it’s really all about being able to have a good time at the casinos even when you’re on the go. At first, when the Android platform was still very new, a lot of people really didn’t bother with trying to get a mobile app going for the Android — it was all about the iPhone. Those times are really over — you don’t have to worry about being left out in the cold.

We’re mostly kidding about the iPhone/Android rivalry. We have both phones, and we definitely use both phones. So there’s no reason to feel like you can’t get the best of both worlds here. No matter what, you will be able to find an Android casino that meets your needs. Let’s talk about that a little bit more, shall we? Great!

You see, there are still some things that you’re going to have to think about before you just ignore all of the advice and dive in. You really need to make sure that the app in question will run properly on the phone of your choice. It’s a well known fact that all of the operating systems of Android run a little bit different. An app might not be cleared to run on anything lower than say, 2.1 — while other casino apps are cleared to work on Android 1.6 still. Of course, you might want to see if you can upgrade your phone’s OS for a much better mobile experience.  Of course, if you don’t really want to upgrade or deal with all of the tech stuff, then it’s just a matter of making sure that you can find the mobile app that works for you.

This is an arena where reviews definitely matter. If a lot of your fellow gamblers are taking the time to leave long reviews about how much an app sucked, try to pay attention to them. Likewise, if you see nothing but praise, you might want to think carefully and see if those were real reviews or just people trying to get you to sign up with their affiliate link — giving them free money for no work at all.

You have a lot of options when it comes to Android casinos, and as long as you’re going through all of these options you really shouldn’t have any problem at all having a good time on the road!

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Unleash Your Inner Scientist – and Win Big!

March 15th, 2011 Admin Comments Off

What do you get when you cross your love of science with competition? Well, if you slip in the fact that Google is leading the way in getting people excited about the science of life, you actually have a Science Fair! For all of the innovation that Google brings to the table, people don’t realize that Google’s main approach is to help inspire and encourage the next generation.

So if you’re young and you enjoyed the Google Summer of Code — but you’re not a programmer, there’s finally a competition for you.

The Google Science Fair is simple: you need to focus on an experiment that benefits the world in one form or another. That’s the name of the game. You create the experiment, document it, and then create a report of your project.

You have to either submit a short video or a 20-slide presentation to Google in order to get your entry accepted.

Now, you might wonder what’s in it for you. If you’ve ever wanted a chance at the new Google Chrome OS net book or even a shiny new Android phone, then you really want to take your love of science to the next level. While the competition is going to be fierce (hey, it’s Google), the reality is that the grand prize and even the finalist prizes are going to be very nice.

The Grand Prize winner is going to get $50,000 for college, as well as a trip to the Galapagos Islands, plus the Android phone and the net book.

What can Android do for you and your love of science? Plenty. When it comes to customization and tinkering, it’s better to have an Android phone than anything else. This means that if you ever wanted to hit the ground running when it comes to mobile application development, you’ve basically got a low-cost (in your case, free if you win!) mobile laboratory in the palm of your hands. Your friends will not be able to believe that you actually landed such a cool phone. Of course, you don’t have to wait to get an Android phone either — the types of features that await you are just much fun to ignore.

Just think: if you win you can record data, share pictures of your projects with friends, and otherwise be completely free and mobile. While other phones claim to offer you that flexibility, Android is open enough to not only let you have that freedom, but you get to shape it into anything you want — now that’s power! Why not enter the Google Science Fair today? Time’s running out, so don’t forget about it!

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What To Do if your Android is Lost or Stolen

January 31st, 2011 Admin Comments Off

Your Android Smartphone is an investment. It pays to make sure that your investment is protected. If your phone is lost or stolen, you’re potentially losing more than just your phone. Smartphones often contain valuable and potentially sensitive personal information including pictures, texts, and business contacts that you wouldn’t want falling into the wrong hands. Fortunately, Android users have access to a wide variety of security-minded features and apps. The following is a brief guide to help you ensure that your Android is protected.

Set an Unlock Pattern

When you first set up your Android, set up a screen lock that you’ll enter every time you activate your phone after it goes to sleep. Go to your phone’s settings menu and find the security tab. You’ll see an option that allows you to set a screen unlock pattern. The phone will show grid of nine dots. Create a personalized pattern by swiping your fingers from dot to dot. Don’t make it so easy that someone might guess, but don’t make it so complex that you might forget. If you enter your pattern incorrectly more than five times in a short span of time, you run the risk of being locked out of your phone and may have to reset it through your e-mail account or by calling your service provider.

When you enter your pattern, it will leave behind a green trail. If you’re concerned about someone looking over your shoulder and remembering your pattern, you can disable the green trail by returning to your phone’s security settings and disabling the visible pattern feature.

If your phone still doesn’t seem secure enough, check out an app called Hidden Lock. This app makes your home screen unresponsive until you press an invisible button that you place somewhere on the screen. This app will make it seem as if your phone is frozen or broken to all but the most tech-savvy phone thieves.

Secret Apps

Beyond your screen lock, there are several apps that can help you keep your information and data private. Hide It is a “fake” app that lets you hide pictures, videos, and other files you want to keep from prying eyes. When you download Hide It, it shows up on your phone as an application labeled “Audio Manager” with an accompanying fake icon. If you open the app, it appears to be a fully usable audio manager that lets you adjust your phone’s volume level. However, if you press and hold the audio manager icon, it opens up a secret vault where you can store and organize videos, pictures, and audio. Even if you don’t care about hiding anything, you might consider getting this app just for its impressive media organization features.

Decoy Hide Text is a “fake” app similar to Hide It that stores your text conversations. Once you set up this app, your incoming and outgoing texts won’t appear in the usual messages menu, but in an application entitled “FuzzyBalls” which is designed to look like a bouncing ball screen saver. When the screen saver shows up, shake the app and you’ll see your texts.

Your Phone’s GPS is your Friend

If your phone is lost or stolen, don’t start panicking. With the help of some incredible apps, there’s still hope.

Before you have the chance to lose your phone, take the precaution of installing Android Lost. You’ll be glad you did. It connects directly to your Google account (which you set up when you first activated your Android), and lets you access certain security features on your phone remotely using a computer.

If you can’t find your phone but know it’s close by somewhere, you can use Android Lost to set off your phone’s alarm at full volume, even if it’s on silent. If your phone is long gone, you can activate your phone’s GPS and locate where it is anywhere in the world (especially helpful if you think you left your phone in Antarctica).

If you believe your phone is stolen, you can use Android Lost to remotely delete sensitive information like text messages, contacts, pictures, and videos. You can also set it up to send text messages and incoming calls so that they show up in your e-mail, which is a good temporary solution until you get a new phone.

Phones with the latest Android 2.3 update can even take pictures from the phone’s camera and forward them to an e-mail address, possibly revealing hints about the phone’s current location.

Last Resort

If your phone is already lost and you neglected to download any precautionary apps, do not abandon hope! Plan B is an app that you can actually install on your phone after it goes missing using your Google account. Once installed, you can have your phone’s GPS coordinates sent to your e-mail by texting the word “locate” to your number. (Note: There are many websites that allow you to send free text messages from your computer including http://www.sendatextonline.com/ and http://www.onlinetextmessage.com/)

Taking a few safety precautions only takes a few moments and could potentially make your life a lot easier if your phone ever gets lost or stolen. It’s your valuable information, so make sure it’s protected. And remember, if you think your phone has been stolen, never try to track down the malicious parties yourself. Always report it to the proper authorities.

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Samsung Galaxy Pro

January 30th, 2011 Admin Comments Off

A year after the release of the first phone in the series, the Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung are yet again expanding the brand with a new Android smart phone release.

Hot on the heels of last year’s Samsung Galaxy Tab and weeks after the brand new Samsung Galaxy S II was revealed to the world, the Korean mobile giant have released their plans for a new, more business orientated phone in an attempt to make even more in roads into a market in which they are already having huge successes.

The Samsung Galaxy Pro is the latest phone off the Samsung production line (and the latest in the long line mobile phones to use the “pro” suffix) and it looks like it could be a treat for both business users and more general consumers.

The phone looks not unlike a Blackberry, with its QWERTY style keyboard underneath a smaller screen which is rather attractive in its own simple way and the mesh effect on its metallic back panel is pleasing on the eye.

The keyboard is a welcome addition as it makes sending e-mails and long messages so much easier than even the very best virtual keyboards. It is situated underneath the phone’s 2.8″ 320 x 240 pixel touchscreen display and in other hardware news the phone features a 3 megapixel camera on the back that will take a decent snap but will never set the world alight.

The processor is just 800mhz which is not a lot nowadays, but is more than enough to run this little phone as it’s best features do not require a particularly powerful processor.

If you are looking for a phone mainly to watch videos and play games on this may not be for you but if you want a phone that is great for messaging and has some great business features and you are ready to join the Android revolution, the Samsung Galaxy Pro is definitely worth a look at. phones4u is the home of cheap contract phones and great pay as you go deals, visit the site today to find out the best deal for you

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iPhone Apps We Wish Would Come to the ‘Droid Side – The PRINCE2 Learning Aid from QA!

January 20th, 2011 Admin Comments Off

The Android Marketplace isn’t lacking for apps for the ‘Droid, but it’s not like they can cover every possible app in the world there. So sometimes for inspiration we peek over at other cell phone platforms and see what apps look interested.

We have a few friends and business associates that are project managers, and anyone that’s worked with a project manager understands the delicate nature of the work. It’s not fun and games — it’s a lot of work and that work shouldn’t be underestimated.

One test that is really important to UK project managers is the PRINCE2 certification exam. IPhone users that are trying to study for this exam have the PRINCE2 Learning Aid from QA to lean on, but what do Android users have? Not anything, really.

PRINCE2 training is something that’s really important — this is not like the tests that you took in school. It’s going to take a little bit more time and concentration if you really want to pass the test.

So, what does this app really bring to the table that’s so special and wonderful? Well, in a nutshell you will be getting detail-rich graphs, diagrams, and instructions. These notes revolve around the basic and advanced concepts that you will need to understand ahead of time before you take the time. The exam questions will revolve around these topics.

This is an app developed by a company that specializes in preparing people for the PRINCE2 certification exam, so it’s not just rehashed information you’d find online from people that have never handled project management in their lives.

If you’re truly looking for a great app to help you prepare for the test, this is the app to get. Yet what about that Android-iPhone problem? When enough people let the developer know they want to see it moved to the Android platform instead of just being iPhone only, you can definitely bet there’s going to be anther version coming out soon!

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iPad Infographic Lets You Pick Up a Bargain

January 19th, 2011 Admin Comments Off

Do you remember looking on with envy when the fist iPad was released? Apple, one of the largest technology giants in the world has that power. The magical ability to keep the world on tenterhooks as Steve Jobs unveils the new must-have piece of technology. Not surprisingly Apple went on to sell more than two million iPad first generations in the first 60 days of sales. Many of us looked on with green eyes as the rest of the world snapped up these yummy morsels of technology. Not anymore. Since the iPad 2 was launched earlier this year the online listings company, Gumtree.com, has seen a massive increase in the number of iPads being listed.

The company has compiled a handy infographic compiling all the listings for iPads in the country. The data shows you where you can pick up the cheapest iPads and where the listings are concentrated. They have also calculated the price of iPads listed on the site, compared to the original selling price. On average you can now pick up an iPad for £152.35 less than the launch price.

For example there are more iPads for sale in London than in Newcastle. You can also see where to bag a bargain iPad. For instance the average price for the tablet in the North of the United Kingdom is £385.80, whereas the average price in the south is £410.39. London is also the most expensive place to pick up the Apple must have.

Have a look at the infographic below and you too may be able to take a bite of Apple’s juicy offerings.

iPad Price Infographic
Via: iPad Deals

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Nokia N8 store

January 16th, 2011 Admin Comments Off

The Nokia N8 has been one of the most successful Nokia smart phones so far and one of the most popular phones to come out on the Symbian platform. An improved version of the software and, as you would expect from Nokia, some amazing hardware including a 12 megapixel camera means that this is a return to form for Nokia but what applications are available on the Symbian platform? As Google and Apple continue to win plaudits for their Android market and iPhone app store, what is on offer on Nokia’s own platform in terms of applications? Let’s have a look…

OVI Maps 3

Like on so many other mobile phone based innovations in the past, Nokia were the very first mobile phone company to offer turn by turn navigation on your handset. This latest version of the great OVI maps is very good and has clear enough visuals and sounds to use in your car and if you are like me you find it hard to navigate on foot, this is also great. It also links you to the Michelin and Lonely planet websites so you can look for local points of interest as well.

Wavesecure

Another very inventive and useful app. Should, god forbid, your phone be stolen then Wavesecure will lock the handset send your pre-determined “buddy” a message letting them know and will use the GPS to track the mobile. You should not worry about your phone again if you have this app.

Tunewiki

Another free app available on Symbian devices, Tunewiki will play your music for you but this is by no means all that it will do. You can also perform tune and lyrics searches should you have a tune stuck in your head and it is also is linked to the famous websites Last FM and Shoutcast. You can also create your own You Tube libraries and share them with other users, so all in all it is an extremely comprehensive media application.

The Nokia N8 has some of the most impressive software in recent times. Read all about it at Dialaphone.

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The Smart Mobile Phone Boom

January 15th, 2011 Admin Comments Off

With so many PAYG and pay monthly mobile phone deals on the market the consumer is in a very enviable position to get some real bargains for smart phones. With Samsung, HTC, Apple and other large manufacturers producing some very attractive handsets for smart phones, we are seeing a price war and the mobile networks are starting to introduce some ‘free’ additions to the PAYG and pay monthly mobile phone deals. PAYG deals are allowing more customers to purchase cheaper smart phones and allow many to access some good deals as well.

Mobile phones have come a long way in the last two years and ever since the Apple iPhone was released and with the development of Google’s Android operating system for other mobile phones customers have seen an explosion in the smart phone business. Exploiting this new market has been key to the success for all the major networks and producers of mobiles. With the introduction of 3′s unlimited data on its new PAYG, this heats up the competition between the other networks and is directed fully at O2′s Everything Everywhere package and also aimed at retaking customers from Vodafone who seem to be encouraging people to use less data by charging penalties for over use.

Mobile phones are used for so much more than just communicating and networks who adapt and show good customer care will be the ones who profit. Those networks who are ardent that data streaming and downloading ‘clogs’ up their networks should be reminded that customers are seeking mobile phones that can do more and want a service that merges their lifestyle with the ease of access to the internet but also enhanced Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS and much more. Being charged extortionate prices for these services is not going to be well received when some networks are charging a flat fee and then allow unlimited network access. The problem of continual data streaming has been hemmed in by the ‘fair usage’ policy that customers are tied in to and there has always been a limit to the amount of time or data that can be accessed. PAYG customers where often charged much more per minute when compared to pay monthly mobile deals.

With 3′s business plan of creating customers that are used to high levels of data streaming, internet access and downloading is a novel concept, against what other networks are trying to do, which is to actively discourage users from heavy usage and it will be interesting to see which strategy ultimate gains the upper hand and provides a sound business plan. The real test will be when 3′s market share increases and to see if the network can cope with the demand but 3 are confident that their systems can cope.

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Looking for Gambling Action on Your Android Phone — We Got You Covered!

January 14th, 2011 Admin Comments Off

The rise of online gambling sites is a beautiful thing, especially if you find that you really can’t live without indulging in your gambling hobby. It’s not a bad thing to play gambling games online, and there are plenty of online casinos to choose from. However, people are changing the definition of being “well off” to include a more travel filled life. And we don’t know about you, but we really like the idea of being able to pick our location and change it when the mood strikes us. Being tied down to one place isn’t the pinnacle of lifestyle design anymore — it’s being able to move around as you please.

However, when you’re used to playing casino games online, it can be pretty tough to figure out how to take the show on the road, so to speak. Will you still be able to get the same entertainment if you’re just armed with your Android phone? For a while, the answer was no — but that’s because gambling developers really weren’t looking at the Android. They were dealing with the rise of the iPhone and even the revival of the Blackberry. Now that this is really the season of Android, it’s time to look at some great gambling games that truly bring the spirit of mobile online gambling with you wherever life takes you next.

One of our favorite apps is the William Hill sportsbook, which is a mobile version of the same famous site that so many sports bettors like. There’s a lot of market range, including dog and horse racing, as well as football betting. Unlike a lot of other sites that have standard betting windows, you can use this app to your heart’s content no matter what time of day it is.

If sports really aren’t your thing, then you really need to look at the app from Party Casino. It’s going to give you the traditional run of casino games, and there’s even a deposit bonus just for using the app and depositing money. You can play a variety of games around the clock, which means that you can definitely kill a lot of hours of boredom at the airport or anywhere else you happen to be.

We could have picked a whole list, but these are two solid apps that will make just about any Android user happy — why not check them out for yourself and see just how much mobile gambling can really be?

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