For most computer users, copy & paste is as natural a process as anything else. On mobile platforms though, it hasn’t exactly been a staple. It took a couple of years for the iPhone to get the feature running and the recently released Windows Phone 7 platform is rumored to be getting it soon. Android, luckily for us users, has had copy & paste all the time, and as with every other Android function, application developers haven’t shied away from enhancing it further.
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Jailbreaking. Rooting. Hacking. These are terms used to signify a person’s rebellion against their stock software. It’s very popular on mobile devices, especially smartphones, and also on games consoles (if you don’t mind being sued by the manufacturer).
Rooting is the term most often used when referring to Android hacking. The term means to break the device’s metaphorical walls in order to gain better access to the device and it’s operating system to allow better end user control of it’s functions. Michael James Williams already covered the question “To Root or Not to Root?“, as well as the actual process of rooting. But now, let’s take a look at the main difference between iOS’s jailbreaking and Android’s rooting.
When it comes to note taking and organizing, many services and applications have attempted to create a solution that syncs across platforms and provides an ultimate experience. From the legendary Evernote, to more graphic applications that emulate the look of a notepad or a post-it, to ones that provide a simple .txt editor that synchronizes with Dropbox like Epistle or Todo.txt Touch, the Market abounds with solutions that fit anyone’s needs. One of these services, Springpad, stood out for me thanks to its ability to do more than just notes.
Springpad’s pillar is that it uses “smart notes” divided by type, enhanced by intelligent content and followed up by alerts. This feature transforms Springpad from a simple note application into anything you want it to be: a collection of tasks and thoughts, a shopping list, a personal inventory, a product reminder database, a catalog of your favorite places or recipes… Honestly, there is no easy way to describe what Springpad is, because every person will make it their own. (more…)
It’s time for another “Ask the Editor” post today. Thanks for all the questions you’ve been sending in; it’s great to be able to help you out with your Android issues. Keep them coming!
This time we’re talking about budget Android tablets, widgets, launchers, and permissions.
Read on for plenty of useful Android knowledge. I hope you’ll find it handy for our own situation as well!
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Have you ever been driving, and needed to use your phone in any way? Maybe you need to make a call, send a text message, use navigation to find the place you are going to… Using your phone when driving is dangerous. But now, thanks to the Vlingo Corporation, you can do all of these things, without touching your phone!
Android phones are useful, fun, and generally interesting, but when your phone has a battery that lasts all of five minutes, fear can be struck into even the bravest of people at the thought of having to leave the house for a few hours.
“Will my battery survive the day?” – an often-asked question amongst Android owners. With this guide I plan on improving your phone’s battery life by at least a few hours. Results will depend on your phone – its specifications, software version and usage.
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We’ve been talking a lot about rooting, this week. We looked at the pros and cons of doing it, how to back everything up before doing it, and how to actually do it.
We’ll definitely be posting more about the topic soon, including reviews of custom ROMs and apps that can only be used on rooted devices, but in the meantime, we’re curious as to how many people have already rooted.
Let us know by voting in the poll. If you have more than one device, and you’ve rooted one but not the other, you can vote “yes” for one and “no” for the other.
Software development is a tricky process. Margins and profits depend upon efficiently managing the team and the time they clock in a project. Agile Project Management is different from the traditional project management methods and AgileSoup is an app designed to manage projects based on Agile methodology.
AgileSoup for Android helps you manage multiple projects more easily while on the go. Let us see how the app helps you and your team get involved in the product life cycle.
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It’s no secret to the people who know me that I’m a pretty big advocate of Android as a mobile device platform, whether it be on a tablet or a cell phone. I happen to think Android is better than iOS and will try to steer people towards an Android device — though I’ve recently had to work harder to defend this stance since the iPhone came to Verizon. There are a lot of good things about the iPhone, I’ll admit, but I try to make my case. One of my biggest points is the superiority of the Android Market over the iTunes App Store.
If you’re reading this, there’s a pretty good chance you take your phone near enough everywhere you go, and have it available to refer to all of the time. In the UK alone, every year, 150,000 people die in situations where first aid would have meant the difference between a life lost, and a life saved.
While the only way to definitively know first aid is to do a full first aid course, either organised by your employer or in your local community, I’m going to quickly talk you through two free, simple, and easy-to-use Android apps which enable you to have a good understanding of what to do when an emergency occurs.
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