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In this guide, I’ll show you how to replicate my custom Android home screen layout, “One Goal”, using just ADW Launcher EX, Minimalistic Text, and a custom background.
One Goal - The final result
Most photos taken with phone cameras are grainy, blurry, washed out, dark or just plain boring. It’s sad, because they don’t have to be. People usually blame the quality of their cameras for the quality of their shots, but that’s actually not very important when it comes to getting a good picture.
So how does one get good pictures out of a phone camera? It’s really not about the megapixels. Let’s forget about the technical specifications of our cameras for a few minutes and check out some simple things we can do to improve our photography, keeping in mind certain scenarios we regularly come across in our daily lives. The real lesson here to be learned here is to adapt. Think about how your shots could be imporved before shooting them and you’ll be taking great pictures in no time.
The Pomodoro Technique is a popular time-boxing productivity method to help you improve your focus and concentration, requiring nothing more than a kitchen timer. The idea is simple: alternate 25 minutes of work with 5 minutes of rest, and repeat.
Today I’ll show you the principles of this technique, and how to use it daily, using Pomodroido, an app designed to help you do the technique whenever you go, so you don’t need to carry a timer with you everywhere.
Some people are okay with using the native messaging app on their phone, until better apps come along. When I first got my Android phone, I thought the bubble conversation style in the HTC Sense UI was cool enough. Then I discovered GoSMS Pro. The creative side of me went right to work and I customized to my heart’s content.
My colleague here at Appstorm, Sam Cater, wrote about the awesome features of this app a while back. I agree there are a great variety of features to explore in this app if you’re the kind of person who communicates more through SMS than through phone calls. Extreme customisation may be too much for some people, but for those who are into it, this app is perfect.
To get you started, here’s a compilation of quick customisations you can apply to GoSMS Pro.
I expect you’ve heard about the HP TouchPad, a tablet running webOS that was heavily discounted (to just $100) shortly after it was released a few months ago.
The main problem with the TouchPad was that it didn’t support the latest apps, since app developers are not excited to develop apps for webOS as is not available on many devices. In October we reported that Android would soon hit the TouchPad, and now it has. Read on to find out how to install it.
Keeping your phone protected from the harsh outside world should be pretty important to you. If it isn’t, think about how you would feel if your $400 phone slipped out your hands and you watched it fall, right before it exploded into pieces on the pavement. You may end up telling a story like this.
There are several methods of protecting your Android phone from such damages; in this article, I’ll fill you in on I’m going to tell you the positive and negative aspects of each.
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Statistically speaking, I’m one of the members of society most likely to end up with a loaded gun shoved in my face. I’m not a cop. Or a soldier. I’ve never even held a gun before, let alone received any formal training. It’s all down to the fact that, believe it or not, this writing stuff doesn’t pay all the bills so I have to work another job while I attend college. That job is at a 24/7 petrol station and for some reason or another all the Dirty Harrys out there enjoy holding them up – hence the above average statistical probability.
There’s a baseball bat in the back office. We staff have never been given any formal instructions as to its use – I imagine for a whole plethora of legal reasons – but it’s fairly obvious. I mean, we don’t even play baseball in this country.
The other night I was cross-checking some invoices while a drunk guy waddled around the forecourt and I got to thinking; what would I do if it happened right now? Sprint for the exit? Reach for the bat? I honestly don’t know and worrying about it is silly. Yet we still ask ourselves ‘what if?’.
Well chances are, there’s an app for it.
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Whether you have a Mac as a main computer or you use an iPod or an iPhone to complement your Android device, there’s a good chance that your music collection is all organized and kept in iTunes. Out of the box, your Android smartphone isn’t supposed to play nicely with iTunes to sync music and playlists, but, if you follow this tutorial, your phone and iTunes will become the best of friends.
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When it comes to design, I am a minimalist. But, more than that, I am a perfectionist. When I work on a new design, I do everything I can to get it exactly right. The same thing happened when I sought to make myself a minimal lockscreen after buying the new version of WidgetLocker. So, this is my attempt at a minimal lockscreen, using a couple of widgets to show the date and time, a SMS/Missed call counter, the current weather, battery percentage remaining, current music track, and of course the actual unlocking slider.
My Minimal Lock Screen
HTC has done good things among the development community. With their new devices, they are offering to help guide you through the bootloader unlocking process via their website, HTCdev.com. However, they didn’t want to make it too easy. With newer phones, the HBoot locks the NAND partition, making it a challenge to flash anything beyond a modified stock ROM.
Have I lost you yet? Don’t worry, I will break this down into common sense terms. Trust me, I was just as intimidated at first. We will also examine a few workarounds to get you right back on the flash bandwagon.
