How To: Mimic the iPhone's Status Bar on Your Android
As an Android user, there aren't many elements of my friend's iPhone that I find myself envious of, because anything he can do on iOS, I can surely find a way to do on Android...often better.
As an Android user, there aren't many elements of my friend's iPhone that I find myself envious of, because anything he can do on iOS, I can surely find a way to do on Android...often better.
As is the case with most software updates, Android 5.0 brought changes that were viewed by users as somewhat positive and somewhat negative. This generally happens because we're accustomed to the old way of doing things, and changes, no matter how useful, can slow us down.
When I first received my HTC One M8, I was in love with the 5-inch screen size, but the icons and font just seemed too big, wasting valuable screen real estate. Phablets, like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, have only slightly larger screens, but don't seem to have this problem since manufacturers lowered the device's DPI, or dots per inch.
If you're like me, things just seem to look better when they're symmetrical. While Android's status bar icons are indeed weighted against the notifications that show up on the left side of this area, the balance still seems skewed to the right.
The new Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 models will be shipping with Android 5.0 Lollipop preinstalled, and the Nexus 4, 5, 7, and 10 will be getting the new OS update from Google very soon. But where does that leave the rest of us?
With all of the cool new animations and features in the upcoming Android 5.0 Lollipop release, some pretty awesome system apps may have been overlooked amidst the fanfare. Most noticeably, a new Messenger app was added to the OS, containing many touches of Material Design.
It didn't take long at all for developer Chainfire to sort out a root method for the new Android 5.0 Lollipop. After handling a few issues with changes to the SELinux kernel module, Chainfire pushed out an update to his popular SuperSU root app.
It's that time of year again, folks. Each fall, Google debuts a new device alongside the latest iteration of its mobile operating system—but this year marked the release of three new Nexus gadgets.
Contrary to what you may think, clearing or swiping away apps in the Recent Apps view on your Android device does not necessarily stop app activity or running tasks—and these running processes can actually be eating away at your battery life. Depending on the app or process, it may only be a small percentage, but every little bit helps these days.
With AirPlay for iOS, Chromecast Screen Mirroring, and even third-party PC-pairing apps to play around with, getting your devices to interconnect could not be any easier than it is today.
As Matias Duarte and the team over at Google's Android Design department ready their wares, they've given us a preview version of the upcoming "L" release of Android to try out.
Quickness and efficiency should always be a fundamental aspect of the experience when using any Android device. Anything less, and we've got a problem. As app development continually progresses, these adjectives become much more refined and polished, making the use of a smartphone a flawless affair of swipes and gestures.
If you haven't heard yet, Google made it possible a couple months ago for every Android user running 2.2 or higher to track his or her smartphone or tablet using their Android Device Manager service. It's a super easy way to track, lock, and secure erase your Android device from the web without ever having to download a third-party application, like Droid Finder, since it occurs in the background via Google Services.
Android's stock appearance is easy on the eyes, but after a while, it's outright boring to look at. Unlike other tablets from some manufacturers, the Nexus 7 runs stock Android and is free from any special UI tweaks or customizations. Sure, you can download themes for a third-party launcher, but themes are launcher specific. They will not work for launchers they weren't designed for.
Thanks to HTML5 and dedicated video apps, watching your favorite shows, movies, or video clips on your Samsung Galaxy S4 couldn't be easier. However, there are still times when you'll run into a website that requires Flash to play a video or interact with its content. Although its mobile life has been dead on Android for 2 years, Adobe Flash Player still lives on in the desktop world, fueling millions of websites such as YouTube, Vimeo, ESPN, CNN, and more.
Interested in rooting your Sprint HTC Evo 4G Google Android smartphone but aren't sure how to proceed? Never fear: this three-part hacker's how-to presents a complete step-by-step overview of the rooting process. For the specifics, and to get started rooting your own HTC Evo 4G cell phone, take a look.
Android smartphones have all sorts of connectivity chips built in, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, and mobile data. But what about AM or FM radio, two of the most common methods of wireless communication?
If you have a rooted Android phone, you can change the shutdown animation to anything you want. Watch this video to learn how to do it. This video explains how to use root explorer to change the shutdown animation on an Android device.
If you've found alternatives that you prefer to the stock apps on your Android phone, delete the ones you don't use. It's easy, just watch this video and learn how to use root explorer to delete stock apps from your Android device.
Tired of your Android phone's boot screen? Watch this video and learn how to change it to this
Check out this video to learn how you can play games on your Android Honeycomb device with an Xbox 360 controller. Looking for a better way to enjoy your tablet? This is it. This video will show you how to use an adapter to attach an Xbox 360 controller to your Android 3.1 device.
Get more out of your Motorola Xoom Android tablet. Hook up a PS3 controller and enjoy all the games you can play with emulators on your tablet. Follow these instructions to make your Motorola Xoom Android a superior gaming machine by hooking up a PS3 controller.
Trying to get the look of a Windows7 phone on your Android device? This video will show you three apps that allow you to customize your phone's appearance to mimic Windows7. These apps will help you organize your Android device the way you want it.
Interested in using your Google Android cell phone to read your eBooks when away from your Amazon Kindle eReader? With the free Amazon Kindle app, it's easy. And this brief video tutorial from the folks at Butterscotch will teach you everything you need to know. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started reading books on your own Google Android smartphone, take a look.
Looking for an easy way to manage passwords on a Google Android smartphone? This clip from the folks at Butterscotch presents one easy way—namely LastPass, an application which will securely store and recall all of your account information. For more information, including details on how to use LastPass yourself, watch this Android user's guide.
This CNET tip gives you fast and easy access to those locations you frequent most on the map, like your home or workplace. Getting instant directions to those favorite places doesn't get any easier. Navigation on your Android cell phone makes life a little easier. This video will show you how to create these map shortcuts on the Motorola Droid, but it can be used on any Android phone with 2.0 firmware and GPS.
If you're using a Nexus One Android smartphone and a few bugs or glitches start occuring on your device, it may be time to restart it to factory settings. This guide will walk you through the process of resetting the phone back to the original Android OS settings.
If you want to keep listening to music on your Android smartphone or tablet using the Spotify app, take a look at this video guide from Cnet on how to use Spotify in offline mode. This will let you keep listening to music while in an elevator or when you lose a data connection.
So you just got back from the local Verizon Wireless outlet with a brand new Droid Bionic Android smartphone from Motorola and you want to figure out how to go through the wizard at the start. Setting up the smartphone for the first time can be a bit confusing, but this guide from Motorola should help.
There are many different applications available on the Android market today, and if you want to download and use a lot of them on your Droid Bionic smartphone, you'll need a great way to organize them. Thankfully, Motorola has provided this guide on creating "app groups" which serve to better categorize your apps into folders.
Verizon Wireless's latest Android smartphone the Motorola Droid Bionic, has an 8 MP built-in camera that takes great pictures with the built in Camera app on the Android Gingerbread OS. This Motorola guide will walk you through the process of taking pictures, as well as sharing them to Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, or via text message.
As any gourmet will tell you, you can't make gingerbread without an egg or two. Google's Gingerbread (Android OS 2.3) is no exception. In this video, we learn how to access a secret Gingerbread Easter egg by furiously tapping on the version number on your phone's About page.
Teamviewer is a handy program for viewing what's going on on a distant computer remotely, but now it can also be used to play games like WoW and Runescape on your Android phone! This video will teach you how to do it. You'll need this for your phone and this for your computer.
In this clip, you'll learn how to install and use a Sega emulator on an Epic 4G phone. Whether you're the proud owner of a Samsung Epic 4G Google Android smartphone or are merely considering picking one up, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to see what it takes to play Sega ROMs on an Epic 4G cell phone, take a look.
In this clip, you'll learn how to set up and use free wireless tethering with a Motorola Droid 2 Google Android mobile phone. Whether you're the proud owner of a Moto Droid 2 Google Android smartphone or are merely considering picking one up, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including a complete demonstration of the rooting process and detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started turning your own Droid 2 into a wireless hotspot, watch this...
In this clip, you'll learn how to install and use a Sega emulator on a Droid 2 phone. Whether you're the proud owner of a Verizon Droid 2 Google Android smartphone or are merely considering picking one up, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to see what it takes to play Sega ROMs on a Droid 2 cell phone, take a look.
This is actually quite amazing. If you own an HTC DROID ERIS cell phone, then that cardboard container it came in can be turned into that tiny, but terrific Google Android Bot. The Android Bot logo is known across the world now, and it's odd that their box can be broken down perfectly to recreate it. Was this on purpose, or accident? Anyway, Nextraker found the secret, and he's going to show you how it's down. With just a few basic cuts, you too can have your own little green Bot.
In this tutorial, we learn how to make an Android doll at home. First, print out the Android logo from the internet, making it large enough to make a doll. Now, cut out the print out with scissors cutting out the different sections individually. Next, place the cut outs onto a piece of green felt, then pin it down so it doesn't shift around. Now, cut around the paper so you get the same pattern. After this, cut out all the other parts, making two of the shapes so you have a top and a bottom. ...
Looking to make your HTC Evo 4G smartphone even better? Unlock your phone's full computational potential by installing Linux on it! This video guide presents a complete, step-by-step walkthrough of the process. For more information, and to get started installing the Ubuntu Linux distribution on your own Android smart phone (without blowing out your phone's Android installation), take a look!
Brian Tong shows you how to avoid awkward text message situations on the iPhone and Android platforms.