Welcome
To issue 30 «
HOW TO USE THE QR CODES Zero-click access to the best apps in the Google Play store as a shortcut for delivering information, such as weblinks. You’ll You’ll notice them throughout the mag – scan them on your phone and you can download apps and send us messages instantly.
” MY HOME SCREEN On (and off) Andy’s phone this month…
Fitbit
Android related hardware for us to chew over. In the last few weeks we’ve seen announcements
WiFi Mouse
ShopSavvy Free Download this free barcode scanner to use our QR codes. Handily, you can scan normal barcodes with it too, to help you find bargains on all your favourite purchases!
S P N I P A
S T P U P O A
Soccer Saturday
fanatix
This month I’ve been using:
Alcatel One Touch Idol X Soccer Scores – Fotmob
The Idol X is a surprisingly good all round phone
Sporee
scanning 1 Get Open ShopSavvy, hit the Scan a Barcode button and then hold your phone over a QR code so that it appears in the window.
A
nother month, another incredible selection of
GET IN TOUCH Let us know what you’d like to see in next issue… /litt /little legr gree eenr nrob obot ot Like us on Facebook to send us your comments
for phones and tablets that will – if i f all goes to plan – rank among the very best of the year. These include Sony’s Xperia Z1, where the company attempts to improve on the unremarkable Z from the start of the year, with features including what looks like being the best camera yet seen on an Android device. And the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, bigger and more powerful than ever. More powerful, in fact, than any other mobile device you can buy. These devices will be going up against the new iPhone 5S, but Android will not have a new competitor in the more affordable part of the market as the much rumoured 5C turned out to be a lot more expensive (and thus a lot less interesting) than many had been expecting. A shame, really, as a bit more competition in the sector that is completely owned by Android would have shaken things up nicely for the foreseeable future. Security is another topic that concerns us all, whether it’s privacy or malware, or simply the thought of losing your phone and all the data and information stored on it. In our main feature this issue we’ve got the most comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about how to protect your Android gear. It’s something many are guilty of not taking seriously enough, but as we show you, it only needs a few simple steps to make sure your phone is as safe as can be. Enjoy the mag!
email
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the link 2 Launch When it has read, the phone w ill beep and vibrate, then launch the link. You may need to choose an app to launch it with.
Drop us an email and let us know what you’d like to see in the mag
@lgrobot Follow us on Twitter and send us your thoughts
Andy Betts Editor 3
Hacker Zøne Explore the limits of
Contents
Inside issue 30«
Hacking tips and tricks
54
Top tips for the new or experienced Android hacker
10 essential hacks and mods
56
Practical hacks that every user will want to try
your Android phone 8 6 6
Reviews Cutting-edge tablets and smartphones on test 84
Reviews 84 Alcatel One Touch Idol X 86 Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini 88 Prestigio MultiPhone 5430 90 GOCLEVER Fone 570Q 92 Archos 50 Platinum
94
S a am s m s u u n g n g G a al l a x a x y y S 4 4 Mi n ni i T he b e e s t s t mi d d- -
Tutorials
Essential guides to getting more from your phone or tablet
32 Advanced cloud services Get more from Android’s powerful cloud services 36
Tutorials 36 38 40 41 42 44
Master Play Music All Access Share files with NFC Set up active notifications Open apps with gestures Safely connect to a VPN Recover memory with the Clean Master app 45 Create pop-up YouTube windows 46 Edit images with the stock Gallery app
Accessories
48 Droid Support Readers’ questions answered, plus troubleshooting troubleshooting tips and tricks 52 Android challenge Learn magic: Pull a rabbit from your hat with help only from apps
36 Master
Play Music All Access Get started with Google’s streaming music service
The Galaxy Gear smartwatch, plus the other hot new kit heading your way soon
Apps Your complete Yo guide to Google Play 68 Retro gaming Relive the golden days of gaming through Android 74 App reviews 74 The latest apps on test 80 Media apps Vine vs Instagram 82 Game reviews The latest Android games reviewed
App review index 76
1 Second Everyday
79
Biophilia
75
Blipfoto
79
Digisocial
83 Dropchord 83 Expander 75
GQueues
83 Gurk III, the 8-bit RPG 79
Homestyler
74 7 4
Klyph for Facebook
83 Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded 78
Michelin Travel
83 Minecraft Skin Studio 75
OS MapFinder
83 PAC-MAN DASH! 78
ParkMe
79
PassWallet
75
Photo Editor by Aviary
77
Press
82 Rymdkapsel 79
Samsung Wallet
78
ScreenLocker
83 Sine Mora 76
TopTable
76
Torch Music
82 Trial By Survival 79
Tunester
79
UK Driving Theory Test
83 Wedding Dash Deluxe 79
for even more news
Yarrly
5
All the the lat latest est fro from the the world of Andr Andro oid device evices s
THE
big
STORY
Type faster and smarter How innovation is reinventing the typing experience on Andr Andro oid phones and and tab tablets ets
B
e it for messaging, searching the web or finding the perfect app, one of the m ost overlooked areas of every Android device is the keyboard. It’s one of the areas of our phone that undergoes some of the biggest changes, with the stock Android keyboard now offering an authentic and easy-to-use typing experience. Despite the progress of the s tock keyboard, third-party offerings f rom the likes of SwiftKey and Swype have long been the preferred choice for avid Android users, but advancements in the technology we are using has led to changes in the way users now want their keyboard to function, with some now providing intriguing features for our fingertips.
6
The new wave of keyboards look to incorporate new ways for us to save time ty ping and the space keyboards take up on our screens. Although not all of the new keyboards will make your typing experience any easier, some that are available from the Google Play store offer ingenious new ways to tr y and make typing that little bit quicker and accurate than before. We’ve put six of the new crop of keyboards to have recently hit the market through our own specially designed typing test to determine which is the fastest and most accurate offering, one that Android users should be looking to download and give the likes of SwiftKey a run for their money.
Our view “Keyboards might not seem like the most exciting aspect of an Android phone, but they are among the most innovative apps around, and have a major impact on how you use your device. Apps like SwiftKey have racked up tens of millions of downloads, downloa ds, but the next generation might be even better.”
Oliver Hill, Senior Staff Writer
Stay up to date
Catch up with the latest Android news and gossip
@lgrobot Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates
Android keyboard innovations Six keyboards, six different approaches to typing. Which method will help you produce the quickest and a nd most error-free work?
W
ith so much variety on the Google Play store, it was tough to pinpoint the six keyboards we really wanted to put to the test here. If they’re to compete with many of the popular third-party
keyboards, they’ll need to offer an effective typing solution, but also look to bring in new features that can save you time. The likes of Swype have long been the preferred choice for avid Android users who are looking to replace the stock keyboard of fering, so we needed to choose keyboards that we thought would be suitable replacements for them and have the selection of features and general usability to match. After much deliberation, we settled on a shortlist of six truly unique keyboards.
Each one includes their own array of features to make it stand out from the crowd, and to decide which one was the best, we designed our own typing test. We tested out each keyboard by attempting to type out the following sentence in the quickest amount of time: “I love messaging people on my Android device, but I could do with a new keyboard as the stock one just doesn’t work for me.” We then measured the success of each keyboard by timing how long it took for us to complete the message and track how many errors we needed to correct once we were done. So which one of the shortlist was up to scratch, and which should you be adopting? Read on to find out!
W10 Keyboard Price: Free
Minuum Keyboard
dodol Keyboard
Price: £2.48/$3.99
Price: Free
The lack of space that Minuum takes up is a real godsend for people who don’t like some of the more clunky keyboard offerings. Every letter and number is listed in a panel, which makes for really quick typing and the included auto-correct dictionary is very accurate.
After switching to the traditional keypad mode, typing is surprisingly accurate. / y long pressing on specific buttons, you have quick access to the most common punctuation. Its real problem lies with its speed, as having to manually select each letter slows it up.
32 seconds
!
2
errors
56 seconds
!
2
errors
W10 takes a while to get used to, but is by far one of the most ingenious keyboards available. Instead of offering the entire alphabet, you instead have ten of the most commonly used letters, and you combine their shapes together to create the other 16 letters. For example, swiping a ‘c’ and ‘i’ together creates a ‘d’!
63 seconds
!
14 errors
MessagEase Keyboard
TouchPal Keyboard
iKnowU Keyboard
Price: Free
Price: Free
Price: £0.63/$0.99
The keyboard fits into a tiny part of your tablet’s screen and contains only the most used letters. Users can then swipe at letters to access the rest of the alphabet. Its size means it’s incredibly easy to use, the keyboard can be moved around freely and the accuracy is spot on.
Although the sliding input of TouchPal isn’t necessarily unique, it combines it with a prediction system which looks to keep mistakes to a minimum. As you type, the keyboard looks to auto-fill words for you, which can lead to the wrong word being added.
iKnowU’s design makes it look like a standard keyboard, but the typing experience is entirely based around gesture. /y / y performing certain directional flicks with your fingers, different letters and phrases will begin to appear, but it does take some getting used to.
41
seconds
!
3
errors
58
seconds
!
4
errors
35 seconds
!
5
errors
7
Explore the next generation generation of apps at Apps World World 2013 2013 In its fourth year, Apps World is now the leading global event in the app development industry for developers and enthusiasts alike
Apps World takes place over two days on October 22-23
ew developments in technology are slowly changing how we interact with the apps stored on our devices, and with the likes of Google Glass emerging, the future of apps is indeed going in a completely different direction. To celebrate the continued changes in the industr y, Apps World looks to bring together 250 speakers and 8,000 attendees from all over world on the 22nd and 23rd of October. For avid developers, Apps World includes keynotes from some of the most entrepreneurial people in the smartphone industry; this year alone will see Apple co -founder, Steve Wozniak, and the executive director of the App Quality Alliance, Martin Wrigley, take stage. Alongside a range of speakers, there are also dedicated places for specialised app development. For Android fans this comes in the shape of Droid World, a conference to discuss the best Android development practices. It studies the latest APIs you need be aware of in the latest OS update, and reveals the secrets of what truly makes a successful Android app. Whether you’re a dedicated fan of the Android platform, or a wannabe developer, Apps World is an event worth checking out.
8
Four people you can’t afford to miss Planning to go to Apps World? Then make sure you check out these four influential speakers
Jeff Seibert
Trip Hawkins
Director of Engineering, Twitter
Founder, EA
Jeff has a long history in developing for internet software and is one of the key players in the development of both the desktop and mobile versions of Twitter. Twitter. Before becoming part of the team at Twitter, Jeff previously worked for the likes of Apple, Increo and Crashlytics.
Steve Wozniak Co-founder, Apple
Apple co- founder, Steve Wozniak, Wozniak, helped changed the computing industry with the launch of Apple in 1976 alongside Steve Jobs. Since then he has been an integral part in the rise in popularity of the iPhone since its initial release and the development of A pple’s iOS.
As one of the pioneers of the PC industry, Trip Hawkins has been at the forefront of making EA a force in the mobile industr y. He also founded development company Digital Chocolate, which boasts 200 million mobile app downloads and billions of game sessions.
Sarah Weller Managing director, Mubaloo
Mubaloo has gradually become recognised as one of the leading app consultation and development companies in the world. The company’s rapid expansion has been overseen by Sarah Weller, who now boasts clients from Virgin Media, Hewlett Packard and Samsung.
Get in touch! Send us your thoughts on all things Android
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[email protected] Got questions or comments? Drop us an email and let us know
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Android Magazine is a
As well as Android you can find a host of other popular titles, including the most recent addition to our sister publications, All About History. History.
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half price Missing an issue in your Android Magazine collection? You can now fill in the gaps at a bargain price with our fantastic back issue sale. All editions of Android of Android Magazine over six months old are now available via imagineshop.co.uk for half price. This means that if you want to check out our HTC One review, get the lowdown on using Jelly Bean or discover some of the amazing ways you can hack your phone or tablet, you can for the bargain price of just £2.49. Head over to www.imagineshop.co.uk for more details.
Stay up to date Catch up with the latest Android news and gossip
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Millionsellers Keep an account of spam numbers
Inside Android’s most popular apps
tePages/ er ID
Find out who has called you recently
Downloads: 1mil-5mil Developer: WhitePages Launched: 2011 Price: Free Play store rating:
W
hitePages is a great source for finding specific people or businesses in your local area or while you’re travelling. It links with Google Maps to provide a top location-based service letting you know the things that really matter to you in the area. Thanks to its success, the app has grown tenfold and there are now a series of add-ons and additional apps that link in with it. One of these is Current Caller ID, a unique app that can help mask your phone number when you dial and also help you uncover those pesky hidden numbers that call you. They may not be the flashiest of apps, but both WhitePages and Current Caller ID are well worth checking out.
Q&A with Lori Roth, Q&A Director of Mobile Products at WhitePages How do WhitePages and Current Caller ID identify unknown numbers? Was it hard to implement? WhitePages is a leader in providing contact information for over 250 million people and businesses all over the world. Caller ID is a natural extension of WhitePages’ core business to help users identify unknown numbers. We like developing on the open Android platform which allows us to be innovative, but the biggest challenge was making the UI work across a variety of devices. Is there a limit to how many callers you can block within the app? There is no limit to the number of callers or texters you can block. Does Current Caller ID link to any social media pages? Yes, Current has the ability (with your
A brief history of…
Android innovations 10
consent) to connect to your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. Currently our app will display social media updates, place of work and title, as well as local news and weather information, alongside a caller’s name and number when receiving or making a call or text. Current Caller ID also offers information and communication history with contacts. For example, how often do you really talk to your mum or your spouse. Both apps have done as toundingly well, are you surprised with the level of popularity? Customers have a need to be able to manage their communication on their mobile phones. We believe that Current Caller ID is a truly innovative app that provides people the ability to enhance and control their With so many Android devices on sale at any given time, it is no surprise that manufacturers
Search for businesses in your area
Reverse phone numbers to see who contacted you
communication with a clean, simple user interface, and that is what is driving the high amount of downloads. We do hear feedback from our users on how they have told family and friends about the app. Current Caller ID has more than four million downloads and over five billion calls and texts made by users. What sort of features have you recently launched in your apps? We continuously receive feedback from our users on new features, and are always looking to improve upon our products and services. In our last release, we included ‘Outgoing caller ID’ in Current Caller ID, which automatically identifies a dialed number and displays the contact’s latest social status or their local news and weather while placing an outgoing call, to further inform the
Fingerprint scanner About to be popularised by Apple, but Motorola got there first with the Atrix. The rear mounted scanner required a finger swipe and was clunky enough to not catch on.
conversation. We found that over half (56 percent) of calls on the app are outgoing, according to user data. We also added ‘Customiz ‘Customized ed alerts’ where users now have the option to choose the size and content of the caller ID, including the contact’s name, location and photo, as well as their most recent social media status on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, plus their weather, local time and details on their last communication. What is your personal favourite feature from either of the apps? Aside from identifying unknown calls and texts, I love being able to use Current Caller ID to connect my Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. Current helps me weed through all the social noise, so I can see at a glance what is happening with people I’m about to call or text.
3D Both LG and HTC flirted with 3D in phones and tablets a couple of years ago. It didn’t take off, unsurprisingly, and is unlikely to be back any time soon.
Xb X box Music vs the rest As Microsoft’s new music service comes to Android, we test how it stacks up against All Access and Spotify
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Magazine team
Editor Andy Betts
[email protected] ☎ 01202 586254
Senior Staff Writer Oliver Hill
[email protected] ☎ 01202 586285
A
fter a successful first year, Microsoft has finally pushed out its Xbox Music subscription service to Android and iOS devices. The new app will
Sub Editor Philip Morris Art Editor Katie Peat Photographer James Sheppard Senior Art Editor Will Shum Editor in Chief Nick Jones Head of Publishing Aaron Asadi Head of Design Ross Andrews
enable users to listen, manage and access a vast library of tracks, while also syncing created playlists across different devices and the desktop version of the service. Users will also be able to sync their collection to the Xbox 360 and upcoming Xbox One games console to provide an even better music listening experience. For a successful transition across to the Android platform, Xbox Music will have to contend with strong competition from both the already-established Play Music All Access and Spotify services, both of which have enjoyed tremendous success since their launch on Android smartphones and tablets. With three viable options for music lovers out there, which one comes out on top?
Contributors Christian Cawley, Sean Cooper, David Crookes, Steve Jenkins, Shaun McGill, Paul O’Brien, Paul Rigby, Harry Slater, Sandra Vogel
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Founders
Which streaming service offers the best song selection and value?
Group Managing Director Damian Butt Group Finance & Commercial Director Steven Boyd Group Creative Director Mark Kendrick
Printing & Distribution
Categories
Xbox Music
Spotify
Tracks available
30 million
18 million
20 million
Sound quality
192kbps
320kbps
255kbps
Offline playback?
No, this is online streaming only
Yes, any song can be saved to your device
Yes, option to create offline playlists included
£8.99/$9.99
£9.99/$9.99
£9.99/$9.99
Cost And the winner is...
All Access
All Access has only been around for a short amount of time, but it comes out on top in terms of sound quality and additional features
4K recording Projector
Games console
With the Galaxy Beam, Samsung produced a phone that was as odd as it was surprising. A full built-in projector enabled you to deliver ad-hoc PowerPoint presentations anywhere.
Sony’s Xperia Play was a good idea liked by the small number that bought it. But the low-end specs meant it wasn’t good enough at its main job.
4K TVs are barely affordable yet, but 4K recording is now possible on devices like the Galaxy Note 3 or Acer S2. Keep plenty of SD cards on hand!
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Disclaimer The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognised and used specically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the magazine has endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change. This magazine is fully independent and not afliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. If you submit material to Imagine Publishing via post, email, social network or any other means, you automatically grant Imagine Publishing an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free license to use the images across its entire portfolio, in print, online and digital, and to deliver the images to existing and future clients, including but not limited to international licensees for reproduction in international, licensed editions of Imagine products. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although every care is taken, neither Imagine Publishing nor its employees, agents or subcontractors shall be liable for the loss or damage. © Imagine Publishing Ltd 2013 ISSN 2047-1580m
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www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk Visit us daily for news and more
1
Live wallpapers
One of the simplest ways to change the look of your device is by adding your own live wallpaper. wallpaper. The stock variety of live wallpapers certainly look the part, but there are also hundreds of live wallpapers that can be downloaded from Google Play.
2
Exclusive features
The likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Moto X include plenty of features that can make your device really stand out. For the most part, you’ll be able to find close substitutes to these features through downloadable apps. We’ve featured two of the Moto X’s ‘exclusive’ features in our Tutorial section this month and shown you how to get them on any Android device.
3
Moto Maker
Motorola’s Moto Maker app enables users to customise the look, colour and overall design of their Moto X device. The level of detail is amazing and the app gives you full creative control. You can even set a replacement stock wallpaper before turning the device on!
10Hacking is key
a new launcher 4Set
Although for for the most part you’ll find many of the simpler customisations can be made without root access, hacking your phone is essential for changing certain aspects of your phone. phone. Having a phone phone with root root access will provide you with much much more detailed and varied options.
9
Beautiful notifications
The Custom Notification app is a must for anyone looking to radically change how the drop-down notification menu works. works. You can edit the apps and shortcuts displayed, as well as choose a new design and colour schemes to really make it look different.
8Custom ringtones
Another simple simple customisation you can implement on any Android smartphone smartphone is by applying a custom ringtone. The stock ringtones aren’t too exciting, but any song that’s stored on your device can instantly be set as your ringtone.
12
One of the biggest customisations you can add to your phone is by installing an alternate launcher. Although the changes tend tend to be purely cosmetic, many of the bigger names include new features to explore. The likes of GO Launcher also come with a range of additional themes to download.
things you need to know about...
5Create a widget
Device personalisation 7Android Daydream
Secretly hidden within the Display section of your phone’s settings, Daydream is a screen saver that appears when your phone is either idle or docked. Although that doesn’t sound too exciting, it can be used in conjunction with a w ide variety of third-party apps to provide different f unctionality. unctionality.
By having both a firm grasp of Java and the Android SDK, you can create a fairly basic widget that you can apply to your phone using the Eclipse program.
6Change fonts
If you own either a Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, Note or Note II, then make sure you download the iFont app. This app contains hundreds of alternative fonts to replace the default fonts on your phone. You’ll You’ll need root access if you don’t have one of those devices.
Stay up to date Catch up with the latest Android news and gossip
1
@lgrobot Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates
2
3
MUST-HAVE MUSIC APPS
4 1
14
5
Play Music
With an extensive library of tracks to purchase from its virtual store and the launch of its brilliant All Access subscription service, Google’s Play Music app is well worth checking out to download and is currently the biggest challenger to Spotify’s subscription crown.
» Price: Free
2
Deezer
What Deezer may lack in song selection it makes up for with great features. It offers unique ways to discover new music and an array of ways to share your favourite tracks with friends, without being overly complicated to use.
3
6
doubleTwist Music Player
» Price: Free
If you’ve got a large number of songs stored on your phone or tablet, then doubleTwist doubleTwist is a great way of storing them in a simple, but well designed, layout which doesn’t cut back on features that make it a pleasure to use.
(subscription needed)
» Price: Free
4
MixZing MixZing aims to bring together the
5
Radio
6
Spotify
Spotify has long been at the top of all the music streaming services available to Android users. There’s a massive array of tracks and artists available, alongside a great playlist creation feature that keeps it ahead of the rest of the pack.
music apps into one package. There are a lot of options to tinker with your music and also any videos that are stored on your device, making it a great all-round package for users to download.
In terms of internet radio apps, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything better than what Rdio offers. There are thousands of radio stations on offer and you can even create a playlist of your favourites to listen to whenever you like.
» Price: Free
» Price: Free
» Price: Free
(subscription needed)
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Inside Android Magazine’s virtual mailbag
Letter of the
month
The writer of our Letter of the Month wins an Andru USB charger courtesy of www.salom.co.uk of www.salom.co.uk
Converted to Nexus I ’ve been a Samsung Galaxy fan for some time now. Having owned an S II and then a Note II, I assumed that I would be sticking with the brand for the foreseeable future. When I read the review of these devices – and the more recent S 4 – I didn’t agree with the main criticisms. I have no problem with their design, and the plastic casing is irrelevant to me since I put the phone in a case as soon as I buy it. I also like TouchWiz. Sometimes I felt as though I was the only person in the world who did, or at leas t the only person willing to admit it in public. But I think it looks nice and the apps are good. Any bits that I don’t need I just ignore. But then… I bought a new Nexus 7 tablet. This is my first experience of w hat people refer to as Vanilla Android, and it’s quite an eye opener. At first I found it a bit sparse. The understated interface and relative lack of apps made it seem as though I was getting far less for my money than I did with Samsung. Yet very quickly the speed and stability, the lack of clutter and the fact that all my apps – first or third-party – looked and worked in the same way began to grow on me. I t was unexpectedly refreshing to have a tablet that
No sympathy for the High Street On 25th August I went down to my local Currys store to either buy or reserve a new Nexus 7 secondgeneration 32GB wireless, which was to be launched on the 28th August. Having read all the reviews on the web and noted the price of £199 for the 16GB and £239 for the 32GB I was amazed to see them priced up in the store at £299 and £339! The salesman explained these prices were correct even though their web store price was a £100 less. I
16
would only do what I wanted. Now I look at my Note II and all I can see are those showy graphics and cluttered screens with more options than I know what to do with. The result is I’m now a full-on Nexus convert, and expect to be swapping my Note for a new
found it interesting that other tablets were selling instore at the same price as their website, for example, Samsung’s latest Tab 3 and Note 8 series were matched. While I appreciate that staff wages are a factor in High Street stores, these prices are a complete rip-off. I instead placed an order with Ebuyer at £239 and next day deliver y! How can they justify such high retail prices in today’s world? John Wellock We say: You do have to shop around before buying your much-vaunted gadgets these days, as prices can vary massively from one store to another. Let us know of any great bargains you’ve picked up – or any rip-offs you’ve spotted.
Nexus phone in the autumn, and will be avoiding any skinned Android devices in future. Ian Case We say: So which do you prefer? The clean design of Vanilla Android or a custom skin? Are you a fan of TouchWiz or Sense? Let us know! kn ow!
“Let us know of any great bargains you’ve picked up”
I’m back on Android! After spending a lot of time using Android phones and tabs, I did something bad – I tried Windows 8 and Apple. It was time for a phone contract renewal and a new phone. I went for a HTC Windows phone running version 8. It was difficult to get on with so I tried an iPhone 4S. Another bad move, it just was not me. Now I am back. I have have a Sony Xperia SP. It is great to be back with Jelly Bean, so easy to do everything and thanks to Google my
Android tablet gets plenty of automatic updates when I do something on my mobile device. My only worry is at what point will I find that I will not get any fur ther Android updates. While Jelly Bean 4.1.2 from Sony is likely to be followed by an update, how long before I find myself like the poor guys with an HTC One S. It is a real shame that there is no sor t of guarantee that you will get updates for a set period of time. Kevin Belsey We say: We’ve long felt that devices should get a guaranteed number of
Get in touch! Send us your thoughts on all things Android
email
[email protected] Got questions or comments? Drop us an email and let us know
updates, although the reality is many users – outside of the enthusiasts – neither know nor care what version of Android they’re on, so there isn’t a great enough clamour for updates when they are not forthcoming.
We say: Excellent tip, Paul. We’ll be looking at some of the o ther hacks you can do on an OUYA console in future issues.
Rooting OUYA
I locked myself out of my phone using a security app. The Dev w as unhelpful but what got me out of hot water was a fully backed up phone and Android Device Manager. I sent a wipe code
Just read your article in issue 29 regarding rooting an OUYA. You mention that each OTA removes Superuser/root. Superuser/root. There is a solution to this available from an XDA dev which uses the Xposed framework. It does also require the ClockworkMod recovery to be installed. It works by adding the files/ apk for root to the system update zip, which invalidates the sig and is why CWM is needed as this enables you to force the upgrade. The mod also has several other features and they can be found in detail over at http://bit. ly/1dUW4Jr. Paul
Security tip
/litt /little legr gree eenr nrob obot ot Like us on Facebook to send your comments
running. Backup and all. Just make sure everyone ticks the remote access settings in the menu. It could get you out of hot water one day. Stephen Lowe
We say: Android Device Manager is certainly a tool every Android owner should be using. Check out our big security feature starting on page 20 for more top tips on how you can keep your phone and data safe.
No love for Wii?!
OUYA has quickly become a hacker’s favourite
In issue 28 you had a timeline of the last 20 years of mobile and console gaming. I had to smile at the 2005 sector where you stated that the PS3 and Xbox 360 fought for dominance – no mention of the Nintendo Wii which launched that year and went on to annihilate both of them! Please do your research better in future – I expect better of you. Anthony B
“ADM is a tool
every Android owner should be using ” We say: We are aware of this so-called ‘Wii’ that you refer to, but the hardcore gamers on the team decided it doesn’t count so chose to ignore it.
TRENDING Let us know your thoughts on these hot topics •
•
•
What is your all-time favourite app? Are OS updates important to you? What is the main use for your phone?
Get in touch!
[email protected]
P i x e l A r t F a c t o
r y
Feature
Secure your phone«
Cloud and and wireless wireless secu securit rityy
Cloud security may have its detractors, but that doesn’t mean you should shun it
T
here are many cloud storage ser vices available. Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft’s SkyDrive, Amazon Cloud and Apple’s iCloud are only a small number. They enable you to save documents, photos, videos and many other files on remote ser vers, giving you access to them on multiple devices and letting you keep backups of your most-important data. They are not entirely watertight, however. In the same way that you put your life in the hands of a pilot when boarding a plane, you are trusting your data with something you have never seen, and problems do arise. Security experts Kaspersky blogged, “No cloud-based storage system is completely secure” and we have seen accounts being compromised. In 2012, Dropbox found a stolen password was used to access an employee account that contained a project document containing user email addresses, for example. And Google Drive may now have 128-bit
It would therefore be silly to have blind faith in cloud services. Flaws in security procedures do happen. Yet you should not shun them. You just need to use intelligence and ensure that the information you upload isn’t of such sensitivity that you would be over upset if it was somehow compromised. Frequent difficult-tocrack password changes are another answer. The same concerns relate to wireless features too. Near field communication (NFC) is becoming more popular. It operates at a range of a few centimetres and it will enable contactless payments and closerange data exchange between devices. You will be able to sign in to secure networks to identify yourself. With sensitive data flowing, surely this would be as dangerous as cloud computing? Only it is not: a hacker would have to be extremely close to you to be able to get hold of the data, given the short range. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are far more precarious, which is why you should never divulge important information over unsecured networks (such as those in coffee shops) and keep your Bluetooth functionality off when you don’t need it.
sensible with what you upload
Google Drive provides an impressive 128-bit
Two-step verification The perfect solution when a password just isn’t enough A good way to protect your data is through a password that is difficult to crack, but why stop there? With two-step verification, you get an extra layer of security, so not only do you have a password but a security code that will either be
generated by a mobile authenticator app on your Android device or by text to your phone. While you can tell the service not to ask for the code again on the device you have set it up on, it will be asked for on other devices if someone tries to log in via a password alone.
Set up 2-step verification with Twitter
Go to Settings
1 Two-step verification is available for a host of apps from Google to Dropbox and now Twitter. Tap the Me icon and then the Settings gear icon. Now tap Settings, then your name.
Log in verification
2 Tap on the Security option. You need a confirmed email with your Twitter account. Verify, then tap Login verification. Confirm, then store the code safely. It is needed to access the account.
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Feature
»Secure your phone
Malware around two-step authentication – beware of Android/ FakeDropper.A and Android/FakeBank.A – and that adult entertainment software is hiding malware and
ccording to security company McAfee, the amount of malicious softw are developed to target Android devices grew by 35 per cent It added more than
of such software are going after all markets. Spyware and targeted Trojans are being hidden in
major plus of Android is therefore also something of a It makes for frightening reading and it appears to be Android operating system by removing any type of
Millions of users are
new breed of cyber criminals to deliver devastating results, among them ransomware. But when you consider that the market share of Android in the UK alone is 56.2 per cent, you have to expect an element of targeting. At the same time, millions of users are not being plagued by viruses, so while the danger is growing, it is still affecting only a small percentage of users. Bear in mind, too, that since they are selling a product that acts as the solution. Wireless industry analyst Roger Entner, of Recon Analytics, says “they are frequently offering a
”
Android bugs and scams Ransomware •
These rogue apps lock Android devices and the only way to unlock them is to get your wallet out. Pop-up dialog boxes and notifications will keep appearing if you do not pay.
Phishing •
Since many people use their Android devices to manage their finances, phishing attempts try and extract personal details and log-ins to gain access. Sometimes users are tricked into installing malware.
Fake apps •
Fake BBM Android apps keep cropping up on Google Play but they are just the tip of the iceberg. Fake Angry Birds and Cut The Rope apps used premium rate text messages to defraud customers of £27,850.
20
saying ‘this could be out there’.”
Tips for avoiding malware Six simple ways to keep your phone or tablet protected Install antivirus software. As long as you select an app from Google Play from a company you recognise, you will get peace of mind with a package that scans your device for issues.
Check app reviews. Be sceptical and read reviews. Over-positive reviews should set off alarm bells. Reviews that make mention of viruses are a godsend; avoid these apps like the plague.
Keep updating. If you can push your device to the latest version of Android, then do so. For example, Jelly Bean will alert you if an SMS is being sent to a premium testing service.
Stick to Google Play. Malware developers do target Google Play, but they target third-party marketplaces more. Rogue apps are bet ter spotted and flagged up in Google Play.
How popular is the app? Has it been downloaded thousands of times but with no reviews? Scammers will artificially inflate the number of downloads to get it ranked higher.
Check permissions. What is the app actually looking to do and how far-reaching are the permissions? Question exactly why the app you are downloading may need certain access.
Feature
Secure your phone«
We put three of the market-leading antivirus apps to the test Scan your device to ensure it is clean of any malware and viruses with an antivirus package. We look at three of the most popular and put them through their paces by comparing them over five dif ferent categories. Which will come out on top?
Norton Security antivirus
Lookout Security & Antivirus
» specification
» specification
» specification
Mobile Security & Antivirus Price Free
Price Free
Price Free
Designed for: Phone and tablet
Designed for: Phone and tablet
Designed for: Phone and tablet
Requires Android: 2.1
Requires Android: 2.1
Requires Android: Varies with device
This Avast app S wanted us to U upgrade to R I Premium straight V - away. We decided to stay I T free and it got on with the Ntask, scanning 59 objects in A1.42 minutes.
It took a few taps before we got to the scan. It was incredibly quick (148 files in just 23 seconds). SD cards can be scanned too.
You can have two devices connected for free. Scanning 148 installed apps took more than four minutes to throw up the same results as the two other apps.
and ruins your P device, we want U to call on a Kbackup. Selecting Backup C Atook us to Google Play and Bprompted us to install avast! Mobile Backup for free.
Backup is a paid-for feature. It also brings web protection and registration for multiple devices, but that did not help us here.
Again, Backup is for premium users, giving photo and call history backup, as well as restoring or transferring data to a new device. It will back up Google contacts for free.
Avast lets you T track down your F E device, placing it H on a map and T - giving you the ability to lock I Tit, activate a siren or wipe it Nclean. You can also be told if Athe SIM has been changed.
Having forced us to sign in or create an account, it takes us to the screen that asks us to upgrade to the full version to get this feature.
Like Avast, this is free. You can make a lost device scream, locate it in a browser, save its location before the battery runs out, wipe it, lock it and take a photo.
S By locking apps, P you can better P protect them A from prying eyes. T CAvast enables you to lock Eany of the apps on your T Odevice simply by tapping it Rand entering a pin. P
Unfortunately the free version is rather cut down and so there is no ability to password lock apps. It does not appear in the upgrade either.
Lookout does not have password protection of apps as a feature either. It’s a shame because it adds another layer of security and helps to tailor access on your device.
Unfortunately, there is no privacy advisor. It is not available as a premium feature but it will block unwanted calls and text messages.
To see the apps which access private information including location, contacts, SMS and MMS data, you will need to upgrade to the full package, but it does exist.
If a virus breaks
When you tap on Application Y Management, C you are able to A Vsee information about each I Rapp including the Ppermissions they are granted to access.
Given these companies have free apps, we wanted to test them without And the winner is... having to pay, and it was close between Avast’s offering and Lookout. & ANTIVIRUS
For us, the speed and clarity of Mobile Security & Antivirus edged it and we loved its password protection and SIM-change notification features.
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Secure your phone
Making Ma king sense of pri priva vacy cy issues hen you download and install apps, you get a list of permissions requesting access to certain features on your smartphone. There are dozens of them and they appear for both legitimate and illegitimate apps. However, some people believe that you are essentially allowing the developer to spy on you.
With legitimate apps, this is not the case. The permissions are vital for the smooth running of an app. For example, if an app has a share function, it may want to access your contacts to make this feature work well. But you need to be war y of the permissions you are granting and work out whether an app is asking for access that appears suspect.
A third of apps ask for features they shouldn’t. But don’t be too scathing of all apps that want access to features you w ould rather they didn’t. Some inexperienced developers merely tick a load of boxes they don’t understand. It may ask for a particular permission but there are cases where the app doesn’t follow through with access.
When permissions go bad Get to know the acceptable and dubious uses of common app permissions
✔ Good
Permission
Bad d ✘ Ba
As well as being able to auto-fill contact details in an app, allowing the reading of contacts can also be useful for apps that need quick-dial or that have share functions.
Read contacts
Any app that has access to your list of contacts will be able to harvest email addresses, which it could then use to spam each person in your list.
Both Google Now and Google Maps will want to be able to make phone calls using their voice activation functions. Similar apps will want to do the same thing.
Make phone calls
Some rogue apps have been known to call premium rate services. They can hide the whole call process from you so you would not know.
Apps may want to use the extra space on your SD card to save media. Many camera apps, word processors and video apps will want to do this for convenience.
Modify/delete SD card contents
If an app can modify or delete from your SD card, then they could install viruses. All apps that work on Android 1.5 and below have this activated by default.
Since most of us are on social networks these days, a cottage industry of apps has grown around them. Some of them need access to your social stream in order to work.
Read social stream
Google apps will ask to do this and that’s good because it will be ensuring that the settings are suitably watertight for the processes the app will want to carry out.
Write secure settings
The fact that only first-party apps can do this should set alarm bells ringing if you see this. You may well see it appear if you have a rooted phone.
You Y ourr loc locat atio ion n
An app may want to bombard you with locationbased ads or gather data on your movements. It can give developers info you may not want them to have.
A maps app may well want to know where you are. Similarly, any app that recommends places of interest in your area will want to know your location.
But be aware of what these apps can pick up. What if they find out personal details that can answer questions when accessing other accounts?
Block callers and SMS spammers Constantly plagued by unwanted callers? Here’s how to stop them We all get them. Blocked calls. A call from someone who we don’t know and won’t let you know. With Android, it is possible to block unwanted callers from reaching you and it is also possible to prevent numbers you do know from calling too. There are many apps on the Play store that will let you do this. They will also enable you to block SMS spammers too. But while you may want the flexibility of an app, you can also perform the task via the
22
phone itself by going to Phone>Menu>Call settings>Call rejection and then selecting the Auto reject list. Tick the box next to the numbers you want to block or add some of your own. You can also prevent nuisance emails from reaching you. Within Gmail, for example, there is an option for you to select Report Spam on any email that has come through that you deemed a nuisance. It will then be blocked from arriving in the future.
You can put put a stop to to nuisance nuisance calls calls with with ease ease
Feature
Secure your phone«
Are apps leaki leaking ng your data? Download Clueful to find out once and for all what your apps are up to in the background
N
ot all apps work for the common good. Some developers are choosing to grab data that you may be blissfully unaware of. Angry Birds, for example, wants to know your location
1
Privacy score
Download Clueful from Google Play. It’s free and needs Android 2.1 or above. When launched, it will give you your privacy score out of 100. It will also list high, moderate and low- risk apps.
even though it works perfectly well if you deny it that ability. Apps want to access all kinds of things. Some can leak your unique device identifier, others want to monitor phone calls or tr ack your location
2
Go to Settings
Tap on each of the categories to see just why each app is deemed a risk. Any points in red indicate high risk, orange equals moderate and green gives you no issues to worry about.
How private is the internet? Recent news says it’s not
G
3
Dislike or uninstall
of your apps, then you can choose to dislike it or Android device in no time at all.
Secure apps
Online security oogle hit the headlines when it told the world that it should not expect privacy when sending emails to a Gmail address. With 425 million users, billions of emails are sent to such addresses every year, so for the search engine giant to make such an admission – prompting John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s Watchdog’s privacy project director to say, “Google has finally admitted it doesn’t respect privacy” – draws a question over our levels of online security. It has come at a time when news emerged that many tech companies were taking part in the National Security Agency’s clandestine PRISM surveillance program in the US. Google, Yahoo, Facebook and Microsoft were allegedly said to have been paid millions of dollars for taking part.
in the background. To get a grip on what is being leaked, we’re going to use the app Clueful. It gives you clear pointers regarding the security risk of various apps installed on your device.
Such happenings affect the UK as well, with The Guardian saying GCHQ has a vast program of tapping fibre-optic cables in the UK and is therefore collecting lots of data. Bigger forces are at work. Perhaps the answer is to switch away from the larger companies’ products to open source alternatives. You have to be careful which ones since some could be by rogue developers and you’ll be jumping from one flame to another, but there are certainly great alternatives (see two options to the right) that will not be spying on you and sending data back to the government. Then again, if all you do is fairly innocuous, you shouldn’t shouldn’t be afraid.
Browse the web and check your email privately
InBrowser - Incognito Browsing Browse the internet with complete anonymity. InBrowser does not save any of your data.
“But there are
certainly great alternatives that will not be spying on you”
my Secure Mail The subject of online security is very newsworthy at present
This app has TLS and SSL support and the ability to pull in a host of different email accounts.
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Use a com nat on o your p one’s se secur ty
24
Feature Secure your phone«
Troubleshooting Andr ndroid oid Devic Device e Manager
If ADM can’t locate your
6
Remotely wipe data
If you’re worried that your device may have actually been stolen, you can also use the Remote Wipe option from the menu. This w ill automatically connect to your phone and wipe the phone’s contents, but not data stored on any connected micro SD cards.
Google Settings app
7
Putting it back together
If you choose to remotely wipe your phone, and then manage to get your hands back on your device, you’ll be sent a password via email that Google has created for you to gain access back to it. Use this password when you turn your phone on for the first time.
Set it up again
8 Due to the remote wipe, you may need to activate the Android Device Manager option once again. You may also need to link it with your primary Google account again, so go in to the Google Settings app, and select the Android Device Manager to do so.
1 After activating the Android Device Manager feature from within the Device administrators screen, open up the Google Settings app and select the Android Device Manager option listed right at the bottom of the apps available to you.
Activate Device Manager
3 The next step will be to clear any data and devices associated with the Android Device Manager. Open up the Settings menu again, navigate to the Apps section and s elect the Google Play services app from the list provided in front of you.
2
Tick necessary boxes
locating and wiping your smartphone. If you’re having trouble locating your phone through You should also check the bottom option if you intend to wipe your phone.
Clear data
4 The Clear data option is listed halfway down the page and by choosing this any data associated with the ADM will be removed. The finished, you can boot up ADM again and your phone should be located.
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Feature
Hottest phones & gadgets
»
HOTTE ETS 2013 Phablets, smartwatches and flagship phones. We take a look at the hottest kit heading your way soon g and maturing mobile life.
Feature
»Hottest phones & gadgets
BEST NEW PHONES SONY XPERIA Z1
T
hose looking for a high-end camera within their mobile device should look no further than the intriguing Xperia Z1. Sporting a might y 20.7-megapixel image sensor, plus a top spec G lens and a Bionz image processing chip, this phone will fulfil a massive range of photography duties. Apparently, the sensor and the glass it includes have been enlarged a touch, making it a good performer in low light conditions. It will also provide an accurate method of recording documents and other lifestyle ephemera as an augmented reality recorder, along with image critical services such as accessing QR codes for those who like to get to grips with the latest technology and features. Like its predecessor, the Xperia Z, you can also spill your beer on the chassis without howling at the moon in despair because Sony has waterproofed it. In fact, you can submerge the phone in 1.5 metres of water for up to 30 minutes. Tripping up and launching that coffee all over your phone doesn’t have to be the traumatic experience it once was. At launch, the phone will be running Android 4.2.2. A shame because it is not the most recent version (4.3 as we write this) but an update is on its way, according to Sony. Despite the rather square chassis shape, this glass f ront and back design is attractive, while the single piece, milled aluminium bezel band gives the phone a sense of elegance. The new design enhancements add a subtle touch of luxury while the supercharged specifications will ensure that it will without doubt compete for a top-of-the-league place for a long time to come.
Sony Xperia Z1 Price range £600
Best for Photos, all weather use and video
Consider if • You enjoy photography • Internet browsing • Live on a boat Upgrade from Xperia Xperia Z | Samsun Samsung g SIII| HTC One X
SONY XPERIA Z1
SAMSUNG GALAXY S4
VERDICT
SPECS
Quad-core 2.2GHz CPU, 20.7-megapixel camera and 16GB of internal memory
Quad-core 1.9GHz CPU, 13-megapixel camera and up to 64GB of internal storage
The Z1 is a powerhouse with a big battery to back it up
SCREEN
Five-inch display with 1080p resolution utilising Bravia TV-level technology
Same size screen, offering 1080p magic via its Super AMOLED technology
In short, the Xperia Z1 has a crisper display
UPDATES
Sony is being a little vague on OS update timing
Expect to see an Android 4.3 update in October
Samsung is on the ball in terms of updates
VALUE
Concentrates on offering superb Features everything but the hardware, at a premium kitchen sink
G2
The S4 squeezes the lot into its svelte chassis
s Fonepad Note 6
Power-hungry apps and video play You don’t get on with the
Oppo N1
New Nexus
The new Oppo will feature a phablet-sized 5.9 -inch screen and a 16-megapixel camera offering a choice of zooms up to 15x, with an N-lens and Pure Image optics. Best for: Photography and web browsing Consider if: You need flexible multimedia facilities
Rumoured to arrive with 4G and Android 4.4, the Nexus 5 will apparently feature a Snapdragon 800 CPU, plus a 1080p display along with features such as NFC support. Best for: Power apps and HD video play You’re looking for a GoogleConsider if: You’re centric device that will offer a featurepacked, but cost-effective, price
Stylus fans You watch lots of videos
E Blade V
You are on a budget You want to dip your big
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Feature
»Hottest phones & gadgets S Pen Despite the increasing use of ‘natural’ finger touchscreen interfaces, there is still a demand for a stylus-pointed device from users with large fingers or those who find touching a screen unnatural
PHABLETS: THE NEW GENERATION SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 3
S
amsung has taken a serious look at the Galaxy Note and tweaked it to perfection, paying attention to the look and feel of this phablet by adding a so ft, leather-look and replaceable panel to the rear chassis. Arriving with Android 4.3, an enlarged, crisp and clear 5.7-inch 5.7 -inch screen offers plenty of space to access the myriad of functions that are packed into the device, while video play is especially enjoyable as the Note 3 features a higher resolution than the Note 2 (386 pixels per inch as opposed to 264ppi). The Note 3’s meaty quad-core processor will push around those images easily, while the internal 32GB or 64GB storage should provide plenty of elbowroom. If not, a featured SD card slot promises more storage space. The inclusion of the S Pen enables you to hand write notes, add comments to a screen-captured image, utilise the device’s search facilities and trigger access to one of eight S Pen app icons by doing nothing more than drawing a box anywhere on the screen. Fans of photography will also be happy to use the built-in 13-megapixel camera that includes auto-focus and Smart Stabilisation to help reduce blurred pictures.
Lights, camera, action! The built-in flexible camera is also capable of producing high-quality, 1080p video running at 60 frames per second, while the included CRI LED flash will improve low-light photography
Design touches The addition of the leather-look chassis gives the Note 3 a classy, almost journal-like presentation. Such a civilised make-over adds a note of respectability to the phablet concept
GALAXY NOTE 3 VS ACER LIQUID S2 VS XPERIA Z ULTRA Spec
Note 3
Acer Liquid S2
Xperia Z Ultra
Running a 1.9GHz quad-core CPU, 3GB of RAM, up to 64GB of storage with different other variants also available to users, 13-MP camera and a 5.7-inch screen (386ppi).
Spec
Spec
Features a 2.2GHz quad-core CPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage (not expandable), 13-MP camera with 4K video recording and a six-inch screen (367ppi).
Also offering a 2.2GHz quad-core CPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage and an 8-MP camera, the 6.4-inch screen holds just 344ppi, which is well below its rivals.
Design The chassis spans 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3mm, weighs 168g and is controlled via touch and the included S Pen stylus.
The round-edged, larger chassis features a touchscreen and spans 168 x 86 x 9mm but its weight is currently unknown.
The large, squared chassis spans a bulky 179.4 x 92.2mm but is svelte in thickness at 6.5mm while weighing 212g.
Android 4.2, basic sensors and audio/video players are included. Individual ‘floating’ app windows is a highlight.
Arriving with the Android 4.2 OS installed, the basic sensor array is topped by excellent audio and video play features.
No price information is forthcoming from Acer, as yet, but expect a premium price for this large format phablet design.
At last, a definite price! And exact too. At £612.99, the Z Ultra is another premium priced phablet handset.
Features Android 4.3, plus barometer and humidity sensors, full media players and editors and free Dropbox storage.
Price Samsung has yet to reveal a price, but expect a premium figure around £600. Typical tariffs are free from £47/month.
VERDICT: Despite being challenged on individual features, the Samsung Note 3 provides more features, better performance and a lighter, compact user experience
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Feature
»Hottest phones & gadgets
AMAZING INNOVATIONS SMARTWATCHES
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martwatches are not new. Older designs have been capable of playing video, taking pictures and making phone calls without a smartphone connection. None of the earlier designs ever caught on, largely because they were too big. The market for a smartwatch is now seen as viable because of recent technological advances in Bluetooth Low Energy, low-power screens and curved glass with improved battery performance. Voice activated searches have also reached a usable maturity, while push notifications make regular monitoring of a wrist-based device a
To be used as a partner device with Galaxy Android products, the Gear uses a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED, 320 x 320 display and a 800MHz Exynos CPU offering 512MB of RAM. You’ You’llll also find a 1.9-MP camera, speaker, microphone and 4GB internal storage with a day’s battery use between charges.
CAMERA ACCESSORIES
SONY QX100
sensible idea. One has to ask, though, is the current crop of new devices a truly ser ious attempt to attract that mass market or are they proof of concept designs: platforms for the live testing of a new array of subminiature technologies? After looking carefully at e ach model, the latter is more likely. The designs are still too large which means that only a niche audience will be interested, compatibility with phone models is generally limited at the moment and voice-activated features are not available. The age of the smartwatch will arrive, it’s just not quite here yet.
Qualcomm Toq
Sony SmartWatch 2
Using a low-power Mirasol screen, the Toq uses power at the same rate as an Amazon Kindle meaning that time between charges should reach several days. WiPower technology means that you can drop it on a charging pad to charge wirelessly. Other features include an unused mic and accelerometer accelerometer..
The SmartWatch 2 features a 1.6-inch screen packing in a 220 x 176 display set within an aluminium body, plus a micro USB charging facility. There is no microphone, camera or speakers available but there is NFC and Bluetooth with a reported three-tofour day battery life between charges.
THE eREADER SMARTPHONE
ALCATEL ONE TOUCH HERO AND E-INK CASE
T
his camera lens, featuring minimal controls, fits onto just about any smartphone via an adjustable clip while featuring both NFC and Wi-Fi for connectivity purposes. Actually a stand-alone camera, using the same sensor seen
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Feature
»Hottest phones & gadgets
GET READY FOR ANDROID KITKAT What can you expect from the next version of Android?
T
he notion of product placement is a common one within movies, TV shows and music videos, while sponsors can be seen plastering their logos over everything from football stadia to taxi cabs. That a commercial enterprise should lend its name to an operating system, however, is a distinct novelty. You may be surprised to hear that a range of KitKat bars will be produced bearing the Android robot and offering a range of freebies such as a free Nexus 7 of Google Play credit. Surprising but not quite ‘choc horror’. Android, in fact, has just passed a noted one billion activations. As such, the OS has never been so popular. Slated for a release in late October or early November 2013, the latest iteration of the new operating system may prove to be the wisest move that Google has or, indeed, hasn’t made for some time. That is, it has resisted releasing version 5.0 of Android (widely assumed to have been called Key Lime Pie). Why? Because 5.0 would, we can predict, have included ructions within the Android fraternity, triggering major overhauls of the entire operating system. The effect would have been to leave older and less powerful devices even further behind while certain Android-based brands would take a long time to get around to updating their hardware. The dreaded fragmentation issue would thus be further exacerbated. As Todd McKinnon, CEO and founder of Okta, a startup that helps corporations manage log-ins and identity, confirmed with some measure of
frustration and exasperation: “You have, first of all, about six major versions of the plat form. Then you have, beyond that, minor versions that are forks and configurations… You have different resolution devices, small screens, massive screens.” Instead, if this new iteration is any indication, Google has decided to give Android hardware outfits more time to catch up with the rest by only improving those aspects of the Android operating system that are already currently present within the OS. Enhancing what is already there. To back up this move, Google has just published
WHY YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED ABOUT ANDROID 4.4
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Reports say that the KitKat upgrade will use the Linux 3.8 kernel instead of the current 3.4 issue. This will mean that the new operating system variant should provide a lower memory footprint with improved multitasking support to boot.
4
The latest Android OS should appear within the new Nexus mobile phone, the Nexus 5. Expect to see announcements of older Nexus OS upgrades to follow, shortly after. The Nexus phones always receive the Android OS upgrades first.
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Low-powered devices should be able to run Android 4.4, which will be good for older phones and tablets. This will also
mean that Google is putting effor t into helping correct Android’s fragmentation problems. Don’t expect to see mind-blowing features within 4.4. Do expect to see upgraded and enhanced features to your current OS though. Targets will include an improved battery life and the usability of the UI, as well as other associated services. Google has been hinting about users being left ‘up in the cloud’. One possible improvement in how Android handles the increasingly popular and important cloud integration could be an easier and more straightforward way of backing up information, and enhanced security features.
“ Y You ou ha have ve ab abou outt
six major versions of the platform… different resolution devices, small screens, massive screens“ Todd McKinnon, Okta fragmentation figures that do appear to add strength to the argument. For example, almost half of activated Android devices now run Google’s most recent Android version, Jelly Bean. 43.1 per cent, in fact, are on the Jelly Bean OS, significantly up from last month’s 37.9 per cent. Of the rest, 30.7 per cent are on Gingerbread, down from 34.1 per cent last month and the older Ice Cream Sandwich is down to 21.7 per cent. And none too soon, it appears. According to a recent study based on data by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Android devices are more at risk of getting malware, putting official government agencies using that system in a vulnerable position. In fact, the test came up with some intriguing numbers: 79 per cent of at tacks of this kind observed during the study happened on Android devices. This was in conjunction with a very small 0.7 per cent for iOS phones and 0.3 per cent for both Windows Mobile and BlackBerry. The much-maligned fragmentation issue across such a wide array of Android devices is, therefore, an important issue which version 4.4 of Android should go some way to diminish.
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Tutorials » masterclass
Advanced Make sure you’re getting the most out of the cloud services you use on your Android device
W
e’re constantly being told that the future of computing lies in the cloud, and slowly but surely we’re seeing a lot of our data and information being stored somewhere other than on our physical devices. Yo devices. You u might use your phone to take a photo, but instead of saving it solely in the memory of the device, you’ll upload it to a cloud server, letting you get fast access to it on a number of different devices wherever wherever you’ve you’ve got a connection to the internet. It means we’re not worried about about running out of space on our SD cards, and that a lost device doesn’t mean a loss of irreplaceable pictures and other files. In this tutorial we’re we’re going to look at some some more advanced cloud techniques that let you really get to grips with using your Android device to connect connect to the
connections on the rise, and Wi-Fi hotspots becoming more readily available, there’s never
hints and tips in this tutorial, you can be sure that you’re Ask your own question online at littlegreenrobot.co.uk
Which is the best cloud storage service? That all depends what you want it for. for. Dropbox is one of the most popular, and it lets you share items quickly and easily across multiple devices. It’s easy to use too, so it’s a good bet for beginners.
“With stronger mobile data
connections and Wi-Fi connections Wi-Fi hotspots on the rise, there’s never been a better time to start using the cloud” Cloud up your contacts
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possibilities cloud storage can offer Android users.
Top cloud tips 1. Make sure you don’t use the same login details for all of your cloud cloud services, because if one of them becomes compromised they all will be. Change your passwords often to keep your data safe and you’ll be fine. Also, from time to time, check which apps you have connected to your cloud longer use. 2.
that come with free cloud storage too. Shop around to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
How to save your contacts to the cloud right now
Find your account » In settings
Check the right box » Sync up
Sort out your contacts » Make sure
Head to Settings and scroll down to find the Google account tab. Tap on this, then select which of your Google accounts you want to sync the contacts to and tap on it to go straight to the sync settings.
Make sure the box next to contacts is ticked. This means your contacts are being synced with the rest of the content that you’ve got set to sync to your Google account. Now go to your contacts.
Ensure your contacts are merged with your Google account as well. Open Settings and tap on Merge with Google. Choose the right account and when you buy a new phone your contacts will be waiting for you.
3. Setting a sync time for when you’re asleep is a good idea, especially if you’re you’re at home. home. Then you can use your Wi-Fi connection to make sure your folders and files are up to date when you wake up in the morning. 4. Delete files from your phone or tablet that are stored in the cloud, that way you’re you’re not using up space unnecessarily. And keep your cloud folders clean too, especially if you have limited space, otherwise you could find your uploads stalling. 5. Consider roaming charges if you’re going overseas on holiday and intend to take lots of photos. It’s best to turn off any automatic uploads, otherwise you might end up with a huge bill when you get get home. home.
Works Works with with
» Android 2.1 and up
Search all yo your ur clou cl oud d servic services es CloudMagic lets you search across multiple cloud services with a single query
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ight now you’re probably signed up to multiple cloud services, some of them without even knowing it. A it. A lot of phones phones come with a Dropbox Dropbox account, you’ll you’ll have a Google Drive account if you’ve got a Google account and a SkyDrive account if you have an MSN account. Keeping control of the content spread across these different services can be a bit of a nightmare. That’s where CloudMagic (free, Google Play) comes in. With one search you can find files across a huge number of services, meaning you’re never going to be trying to remember which folder folder that important document document is in again.
2miminn
guide
A d » m v a a s e r c s e n c e t l r a s v i d c s c e l o s u d Make sure your photos are always safe in the cloud and ready to share with this Amazon app
Back up and share photos
Once you’ve installed Amazon Cloud Drive you’ll need to sign in to your Amazon account. This automatically grants you 5GB of free cloud storage. Once signed in you’re taken directly to the app.
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up your accounts 1 Set After you’ve installed the app you need to
a search 2 Have Once you’ve connected the accounts you
create a CloudMagic account, then set about entering the details for the various cloud services you want to be able to access. This is as simple as finding the right one and entering your details.
want, you can search for any files, emails or other information by typing it in to the bar at the top of the screen. This will trawl through the various services you have linked to find relevant content.
Now choose whether to automatically upload photos. If you don’t have much data in your monthly plan, turn this of f, as uploading all the photos you take could eat it up quite quickly.
2
a filter 3 Add Tapping on the button on the bottom-left
security 4 Extra Obviously that’s a lot of information to have
of the screen lets you add some filters to your search. If you know it’s a file you’re after, you can set CloudMagic to only search for files, for example. Tap again to turn it off.
in one place on your device. You can set a passcode system, as well as a login password. Go to the Settings menu, then tap Passcode lock to set one up that suits you.
If you’ve chosen to automatically upload photos, the app will now populate your cloud drive with your galler y. Alternatively, you can select which ones you want to save manually instead.
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Tutorials Works Works with with » Android 2.1 and up
Sync fil Sync files es between between multiple multi ple cloud cloud services services With the FolderSync app yo y ou can get all your yo ur cl clo oud services working nicely together
F
olderSync is a great way to manage uploading your files files to a variety of different different cloud cloud services. services. It gives you greater control of how your files are moved around, and thanks to support with task manager apps it means you can set times to sync your content with cloud services. You can easily set up linked folders to exchange content between your devices, and the easy-to-use UI means you’re always
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Set up accounts
4
Create local folder
up your accounts and using FolderSync (£1.95/$2.95) to start taking control of your cloud services. There’s a free version of the app too, so if you’re unsure whether FolderSync is for you, we suggest you download that first. It lacks some functionality, but it’s a good introduction to how much easier things are with the app instal led. Upgrading unlocks additional additional features. Once you’ve downloaded the app from the Google Play store it’s time to get started by logging in to all of your various cloud accounts.
First you’ll need to sign in to the cloud service of your choice. Tap Accounts, then tap on the button at the bottom of the screen. Name your folder, then add in your login details and you’re good to go. You will be able to add extra services now or when you sign up to them in future.
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Link your folders
Now you can set up a folderpair. This will let you share items easily between a local folder on your device and a folder in the selected cloud service. You’ll need to give it a recognisable name, and select the folders in both locations that you want to pair up.
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It’s worth creating a unique local folder to store all of your items in. Do this by tapping the Add button when you’re selecting a folder. Once you’ve named it, you’re ready to pair it with the cloud. Head back to the folderpair menu to complete the job.
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Add more
5
Set up schedule
You can now repeat the steps to add ex tra accounts for the other services you use if you want. Bear in mind that the free version only lets you add two accounts though, so if you want more than that you’re going to have to pay for the full version of the app.
Now you can set when you want your folderpair to sync together and which way. Tap sync interval to choose how often the sync should occur. Use the other options to set how files should be handled, and when you’re happy, tap the disk in the top-right to save.
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» Android 1.6 and up
Download from S web we b to Dropbox Dropbox
ometimes you’re browsing the web on your phone or tablet and want to grab a file to look at later on your computer. This can be a bit painful, unless you’re clever and follow the steps in this tutorial. Using Dolphin browser and a handy add-on, you can download files directly from the web to your Dropbox, meaning they will be viewable on any device you sign in to with your Dropbox Dropbox account, account, rather than just your phone. phone. It’s something that’s remarkably easy to do, and pretty soon you’ll be wondering how you got on without this useful function. The first thing you’ll need to do is install the latest version of Dolphin browser on your Android phone or tablet. When you’ve you’ve done that it’s time to go to step one of the tutorial.
Use the Dolphin browser and a clever add-on to download files directly to Dropbox from any website
the add-on 1 Get You can either grab the Dropbox for
from the browser 2 Access To access your Dropbox from the Dolphin
Dolphin add-on from the Google Play store or from within the Dolphin browser itself. Either way, it’s free. Once it’s installed you’ll need to set up your Dropbox account. This will make a brand-new folder in your Dropbox account.
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browser, tap on the menu button and then select Add-ons. Alternatively you can swipe from the right of the screen to slide the pane open. You should see Dropbox at the top of the list of your add-ons. Tap on this to open it.
the settings 3 Tweak You can set it so once an item has downloaded it’ll automatically upload to your new Dropbox folder. This means it’ll instantly be accessible on other devices. It does use data though, so you should be careful if you don’t have unlimited data in your monthly plan.
Create photo albums albu ms in Dropbox guide A guide guide to organising organising your your clo cloud ud-bas -based ed photo photoss into into easy-toeasy-to-manag manage e alb albums ums that that make make brow browsing sing easier easier
Once you’ve opened up the Dropbox app, tap on the photo icon that should be towards the very top of the screen. This w ill take you to the photos you’ve uploaded to your Dropbox account from your Android smartphone or tablet.
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Next, long press on one of the photos you want to add to an album. This will select it. Now tap the photos you want to add to the same album. When you have chosen, tap the album icon at the top of the screen.
2
Now you’ll have to give the album a name. Type something, and when you’re done, tap on the tick icon and the app will create the folder for you. It’ll be accessible from the Albums tab in the Photos menu and also viewable through a browser.
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Now the photos are grouped together in an album, not only is it easier to find the ones you’re after, it also means you can share them as a group with just a couple of taps. To create more albums, simply repeat the steps.
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Tutorials Works Works with with » Android 2.2 and up
Master Play Music Alll Access Al
Sound control Although you can use the volume rocker on your device to control volume within All Access, there’s also a built-in equaliser, within the Settings menu, which you can use to pinpoint audio levels to your exact specifications
There’s a lot to discover in Play Music’s new subscription service
A
lthough Play Music has quickly become one of the leading music apps available for Android users, until recently it only supported music uploaded to the app, as well as music purchased from the Play store. Thanks to the release of its All Access subscription service, all that has now changed. Launched as a direct competitor to the likes of Spotify, All Access looks to encompass encompass the current features of the Play Music app, alongside a new service to provide on-demand music no matter if you stream through Wi-Fi or your phone’s 3G/4G connection. Tracks, albums and playlists can also be downloaded to your device for offline listening. Although there there are plenty of similarities between All Access and Spotify, All Access includes a wide range of features that propel it to the top of the current crop of available music subscription services. In this tutorial we’ll be looking at the various features of All Access, Access, as well as discussing how to integrate your uploaded uploaded music music into the All Access feed.
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Import current music
After signing up to All Access, you’ll automatically be asked if you want to merge together all the stored music across all your Google accounts into your All Access account. This is generally a good idea as it stops you needing to switch between accounts to listen to songs.
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Listen Now The Listen Now menu will provide you with details of all the recently played and added songs linked with your All Access account, enabling you to quickly revisit them if necessary
Radio What makes the Radio feature a brilliant addition is that it enables you to select one artist and hear songs not only by them, but also artists that are closely associated with them
2
Access side menu
Press on the headphone symbol once the import is complete to open A ll Access’s side menu. Here you’ll find the various features that All Access opens up to you. In this first instance press on the My Library option to continue to get instant access to your music.
Quick controls When you play a song through All Access, a bar at the bottom of the app will appear enabling you to quickly switch songs or simply pause it. By scrolling up on the bar you can see the full album artwork
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Managing songs
You’ll find all of our stored music included in the My Library section of All Access. If it is music purchased directly from Play Music, you’ll find all the artists listed alphabetically, with the remaining music listed under Unknown Artists at the very bottom of the page.
quick The best equalisers to help tweak your music tips 1 Equalizer
2 AnEq Equalizer
3 EQ Manager
Create a specialised equaliser setting for each genre of music you enjoy listening to.
This five-band equaliser runs in the background so you can change it without stopping the song.
Although fairly basic, EQ Manager includes some nifty presets for people who don’t want hassle.
4 Bass Treble EQ Volume One for fans of dance music, Bass Treble EQ maximises the bass capabilities of your smartphone.
5 Equalizer FX Advanced users should check out Equalizer FX, which enables users to change every aspect of their audio.
Ask your own question online at littlegreenrobot.co.uk
Is it possible to block explicit songs and lyrics?
similar songs 4 Find One of the benefits of having All Access is the fantastic and useful recommendations you receive. As you’re playing a particular song, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and find songs and artists that are closely related to the song you’re listening to.
Radio feature 5 Use Another All Access exclusive feature you can access through the feature-heavy side menu is Radio. Through this feature you can select your favourite artist and hear a continuous mix of their most popular songs, alongside similar and recommended artists.
Although you can’t block individual songs that contain expletives through the main Explore feature, you can permanently block them from the Radio feature in All Access, which means the song will be instantly skipped if it appears in your Radio feed.
Can I import the music from other Google accounts in to my All Access account? By opening up the Settings from your All Access account you can switch between your Google accounts and import all the music associated with them into your one primary account. Depending on how much music you have stored, the process could take a while to fully complete.
playlists 6 IfCreating you find a song that’s of particular interest, you may want to create and add it to a playlist. While on the song’s page, press on the menu button to the right of it and then select the Add to Playlist option. You can access your playlists through the side menu.
Explore 7 Access To source new songs in Google Music A ll Access, you’ll want to navigate to the Explore section via the side menu. When you first load this section, you’ll find different playlists and recommendations for you to check out. Scroll left or right to go to a different section.
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the charts 8 Check The Charts section of Explore will list the most popular songs each week. You can play any song here, or add the song to your library of stored songs via the menu button. If you want to purchase a song or album, you can also follow the link to the Play Music shop listing that is provided.
your favourite 9 Find With so many artists and songs available, it can be hard trying to find individual songs. Use the search function at the top of the app (the magnifying glass) to find someone specific. All Access will then provide you with albums, artists and songs based on your search in real time.
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Tutorials Works Works with with » Android 4.0 and above
Share file Share files s and data over ov er Android Android Beam Use NFC technology to send and share fles to your contacts
T
here are plenty o ways you can share fles rom one Android device to another, but none o them are as quick and easy as near feld communication (NFC). Devices running Ice Cream Sandwich and later are ortunate enough to have the capacity to launch Android Beam. This eature automatically confgures all your NFC connection settings, and leaves the user only needing to select the fle they want to send, and its recipient. Unortunately or older devices, Android Beam is not
available, and the process o using NFC is a little harder to set up and use, i it is supported at all. In this case the best way to access your phone’s NFC capability is by downloading the File Expert app. In this tutorial we will show you how to set up Android Beam, as well as how you can connect and start sharing a fle rom your device. We will also show you around the File Expert app, and highlight the various menus and settings you need to enter to establish a strong, and quick, NFC connection.
1 Go to the settings
Open up your device’s app drawer and go to the Settings app. Scroll down through the page o options until you reach the Wireless & Networks sub-menu. Some devices have this sub-menu at the top, and some near the bottom under the Accounts tab, so keep your eyes peeled.
3 Android Beam
I you’re new to the concept o NFC, then make sure you read through all the instructions listed. Although a simple process, it can be a little conusing at frst, so make sure you understand it. Turn the switch, in the top-right o the screen, to On when you’re ready to proceed.
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4 Get ready to beam
At this point you’ll want to make sure you have a second device to connect with. On the secondary phone make sure you ollow the same steps as above. Once you’re ready to beam put the two phones back-to-back and hold them there until you eel a vibration or a hear a pinging noise.
2 Activate NFC
The Wireless & Networks menu lists how your device connects to other devices and the internet. To be able to start sharing fles and contacts to other NFC-enabled devices, you frst need to tick the NFC tab. Once activated, open up the Android Beam option underneath it.
5 Touch to beam
While keeping the phones together, you should now notice the Touch to Beam screen appear on both phones. Whatever is currently being shown on the device can be beamed over by simply touching the screen. The beaming process takes a ew seconds to complete.
quick Five other ways accessories and devices are utilising NFC technology tips 1 Sony SmartTags
2 Google Wallet
3 Connecting to TVs
Sony SmartTags can be programmed with simple tasks and connect directly to Sony Xperias.
Google’s new wireless payment system lets you pay for everyday items solely using your phone.
Newer HDTVs come with NFC capability enabling you to stream videos and photos.
2min
guide
4 Access to information
NFC-enabled phones can be tapped against certain advertisements for the user to find out more info.
5 Going underground Payment for London Underground Oyster Cards has used NFC technology for a number of years.
Establish an NFC connection Older devices will need the File Expert HD app to set up and unlock their t heir phone’s phone’s NFC capabilities. Here’s how to use it
6 Launchers Android Beam shares whatever is on screen at the time. If one of the phones has a third-party launcher installed you might find it wants to share that with the phone it is connecting with. Avoid touching the two devices together with the home screen showing if you encounter this problem.
the app 1 Download Go on to the Play store and se arch for
over contacts 7 Sending Sending a contact to a phone over NFC
the File Expert HD app. The app is a free download and doesn’t require any unusual app permissions to run. Once installed on your device, open up the app and familiarise yourself with its home screen. Press on the My Files option to continue.
your files 2 Access The app will now list all the files currently stored on your device. You can access files saved on your phone’s internal storage, or on your external SD card. Once you’ve found a file, or multiple files, you want to s hare with another Android phone, long press on it until a dropdown menu appears on screen.
works in a similar way to sending over a file. Simply go to the contact’s page on the first phone and then put it back-to-back with the second. The contact’s page will then beam over and you’ll be greeted with the Create contact page.
the contact 8 Confirm Choose the Google account you want to link the contact with, or you may want to save it directly onto your smartphone. After confirming this, the contact’s details will now load in your phonebook where you’ll be able to edit or change any details, if necessary.
to share 3 Start The menu that will now appear w ill show all the sharing options available to the file(s). Scroll down the list until you see the NFC Tapping option and select it. The app will now ask permission for it to automatically turn on Bluetooth on your device. Accept it and w ait for the app to bring you to the transfer screen.
phones together 4 Tap At this point you should now present the other device you’re trying to share with. To work, the device will also need to have the File Expert app installed on the device, and have Bluetooth functionality enabled. Once the phones are together the file should start transferring automatically. It’s as easy as that.
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Tutorials Works Works with with
» Varies with device
Set up ac active tive notifications We show you how to get the Moto X’s new Active Notification feature on any Andr Andro oid smartp smartpho hon ne
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he Moto X has some amazing new features to explore, but not all are exclusive to Motorola’s new flagship device. One of the best additions to the Moto X was its new Active Display, Display, which provided provided quick shortcuts to notifications through the lockscreen on the phone, without actually needing to unlock it. Although a fairly simple feature, it’s extremely helpful if you want to quickly see the latest emails you’ve received, or if you want to check out the details of any important calls that you missed. Thanks to the free DynamicNotifications app on the Google Play store, this new feature isn’t exclusive to the Moto X and instead you’ll be able able to set it up on nearly any Android smartphone smartphone..
Quick glance Depending on the app you’ve received a notification for, you’ll see a preview listed at the top of the lockscreen. If you receive an email or SMS, you’ll receive a brief overview of the message, and a missed call will display the contact’s details
No security One issue that may put off some people installing the app is the lack of security it leaves on your phone. Using the DynamicNotifications app will automatically override any PIN, password or pattern security feature you’ve previously added
Unlock Although the layout of your lockscreen may look different with DynamicNotifications set up, unlocking your phone is virtually the same. Simply scroll downwards to the lock symbol to gain access to your phone
Explore DynamicNotifications’ DynamicNotifications’ settings settings Although it may just loo Although look k like like a rep replac lacem ement ent lockscreen, there’s a whole lot more to the DynamicNotifications Dyna micNotifications app, as we show you below
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Free or paid?
Notification types
Set timeout
When you open the app, you’ll you’ ll be be taken taken straigh straightt to the settings for it. Although the free version has some great features, the paid version includes additional settings that are worth checking out.
The first setting you’ll want to explore is the Notification types menu. You’ll You ’ll find a list of your your installed apps, and you can select the apps you don’t want appearing on your locks lockscreen creen..
There’s also the helpful timeout menu which can be used to set how long you want the locks lockscreen creen to appear before your phone goes to sleep. We’d advise to keep the time as short as possible.
Additional apps
Custom brightness
There will be times when you’ll have more notifications available on your lockscreen and these will be listed around the circle outline. To see a preview of the notification you can hold your finger on it and it will appear at the top of the screen
Another problem that some users have noted is the issue with brightness. Although you can alter the brightness of your phone via the Settings menu of your smartphone, you’ll have to pay for the premium version of DynamicNotifications to modify the app’s brightness setting
Works Works with with » Android 2.3 and up
Open apps with Open gestures
Shake, Shake, twist tw ist and tilt ti lt your your phone to open up apps
A
nother one of the great features of the Moto X is the ability to use gestures to open up specific apps, saving you the time and hassle of needing to go through the process of finding it within your app drawer. Thanks to the fantastic selection of apps available on the Google Play store, this feature can be easily accessed on any Android smartphone via the Twisty Launcher app.
1
Open up the app
4
Try it out
After downloading the free Twisty Launcher app from the Google Play store, open it up and take a look through the small tutorial that appears in front of you. The app runs in the background of your phone at all times, but it doesn’t have a massive effect on battery life.
Before implementing any of the gestures available through the app, make sure you now test the one you just set out. You should find that if you’re doing the correct action, and followed the steps provided, the associated app will open straight away. Here we’ve launched the camera.
Twisty Launcher enables users to implement a series of specifically assigned gestures to any app, while also providing simple instructions to make sure each gesture works properly, as they can be a bit fiddly to get working occasionally. In this tutorial we’ll be taking you through the process of setting up the Twisty Launcher app, as well as looking at some of the specific gestures you can implement implement straight away. away.
2
Select a gesture
5
Practice makes perfect
There are a great selection of different gestures you can implement straight away, with some being a bit more complicated than others. Each gesture includes a small tutorial for you to follow and get to grips with what the gesture requires for it to work properly.
As you make your way through the list of available gestures, they tend to get a bit more complicated, with the actions becoming harder to perform correctly. We found the best way to get each one of gestures working correctly is to simply keep practicing them.
3
Select an app
6
Unlock further gestures
Next to the gesture, click on the app symbol to be taken to your app drawer. Here you can choose the app you want to s elect to work in conjunction with the gesture you’re looking to implement on your phone. After selecting the app, you’ll be taken back to the Twisty Launcher app.
Although Twisty Launcher is a free app, some of the gestures on offer will require a small payment to unlock. If you select a gesture that does require payment, a menu will appear asking you whether you want to purchase it, or continuing using the free gestures provided.
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Tutorials Works Works with with » All versions of Android
Safely con connect nect to a VPN Acce Access ss privat rivate e netwo etworks and add security to public Wi-Fi using Android’s integrated and external VPN VP N sup support port
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the moment you connect there is always an element of risk. always the worry that a net-connected device can be compromised. One option for securing a connection is the use of a VPN. A Virtual Private Network is pretty much what its name suggests. It is a private network that uses the internet to connect and send data. Security is a key reason for connecting to a VPN. Users can use public Wi-Fi Wi-Fi hotspots with more confidence, make it more difficult to access VOIP calls and generally stay private. Other good reasons include being able to access content outside of a location, eg US-only content and to keep searches private. In this tutorial we are going to demonstrate how to get connected using the default integrated support in the Android OS. In addition to this, we recommend a selection of secure third-party apps that can be used to connect to OpenVPN, dedicated services and selected VPNs.
3
PPTP type
To add a VPN profile, first add a name. Make this memorable and relevant to the network. Now choose which type the network is going to be, PPTP being the default option. This is the Point-to-Point Tunneling Tunneling Protocol that ships with Microsoft Windows.
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1
Wireless & Networks settings
Android has support for PPTP and L2TP vir tual private networks, which means users can connect without the use of a third-par ty app. To get started, head to Settings and locate Wireless & Net works. Tap More to continue to the next screen.
4
Alternative types
Android also supports the VPN type L2TP. L2TP. This is recognised as a more advanced version of PPTP and is typically used when a secure data encryption is required. Another option is IPSec Xauth, which adds a level of security to a user’s authentication process.
2
Edit VPN
5
Save VPN
Listed will be VPN and you’ll need to tap it to view the VPN window. This will list any networks that have already been set up. Typically, this will be empty with no vir tual private networks listed. Tap the ‘+’ icon in the top-right corner to open the Edit VPN profile window.
The PPTP is the easiest to configure as it only needs a server address. Add the appropriate server address, for example, 23.26.67.2. Before saving, tap Show Advanced options to view more features. Leave as it is for now and tap Save to add the VPN to the list.
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Can I connect to my work intranet?
connection 6 Test After a VPN has been set up the next step is to test that connection and open it up. Tap the name of the VPN to be used and enter the credentials, ie your username and password, needed to get connected. Tap Save account information and tap Connect.
mode 8 Always-on Android provides an ‘Always-on’ mode, which is ideal for moving between unsecured public Wi-Fi hotspots. The connection will remain active and secure. The first step is to connect to a VPN, making sure that Save account information is ticked. Now tap the menu.
profiles 11 OpenVPN To use the OpenVPN Connect app, the user needs an OpenVPN profile and a server to connect to. Profiles use the extension .ovpn and there are several methods available for importing a file. To view the available options, go to the menu and select Import to view.
profile 7 Edit After a profile has been set up a user can
You should You should be able able to, so long long as you are allowed, but you will need the correct settings and for the firewall to be configured to let you through. You’ll need to speak to your IT administrator to get him to set you up with what you need.
add more profiles as needed. Once a profile has been added it can be edited or deleted via the VPN window. Tap and hold the appropriate VPN to view the Edit and Delete pop-up. Tap Edit to change any settings. Tap Delete to remove.
it off 9 Turn Tap the Always-on VPN option in the menu that appears. This will bring up a window with the appropriately created VPN profiles. Select a VPN and tap OK. To switch off the Always- on mode, go back to the menu, select Always-on VPN and select None.
VPN 12 Dedicated Beyond the integrated support and OpenVPN options, the Google Play store offers a host of good apps for connecting to a pri vate network. TunnelBear VPN is a dedicated app that connects to TunnelBear connections. It offers 500MB of free tunnelling every month.
OpenVPN Connect 10 Get Android doesn’t offer integrated support for OpenVPN networks. This is the de facto standard in the open source networking space. To use the OpenVPN protocol, a third-party app is needed. Head to the Google Play store, download and install OpenVPN Connect.
apps 13 VPN ExpressVPN is a third-party app available from the Google Play store that is quick and easy to use. This is a paid-for service, but does provide a 24-hour trial to enable users to test the app before purchasing. Tap Free Trial and add an email address to start the free trial.
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Tutorials Works Works with with
» Varies with device
Recov ecover er memor memory y with wi th Clea lean n Master Give your phone the ultimate spring clean
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hether you’re browsing the web, downloading apps or simply playing a game, data is constantly being saved to your smartphone smartphone and it’s it’s important to keep keep tabs on it. Eating up your device’s memory and storage can have a detrimental effect on your phone’s performance, so removing the junk is
key to a speedy device. Although there are a multitude of cleaning apps available on the Google Play store at present, we think the best of the bunch is Clean Master; a simple enough app that thoroughly scans and streamlines your phone and all files and data stored within it. Here’s how it works.
[FIG 2] After doing a scan of all the junk on your smartphone, you may be surprised with the amount of space you could save
together a list of how your phone’s memory is currently being used. You may be surprised with how many background processes your phone is actually running. Once the list has been collated, use the Clean button to stop the selected apps using up your RAM.
5. Manage apps The third and final section of Clean Master worth checking out is App Manager. This section creates a list of your most unused apps, and lets you know of the potential storage space you could save if you uninstalled them. There’s an uninstall function within the app which enables you to remove apps in bulk, but make sure you know what you’re uninstalling first.
[FIG 5] App Manager lets you see the space you could save if you uninstall the apps you no longer use
1. Find the junk When you first open up the Clean Mas ter app, it’ll automatically do a full scan of your phone to see the areas in which your phone can be cleaned. From the main menu, select the Junk Files option and then the Scan Files tab to enable the app to show you the apps that can be deleted on your smartphone. Depending on what it finds, this process can take a few minutes to complete.
2. Clear files After the scan is complete, you’ll find the details of how much storage you could open up at the bottom of the screen. Double check you aren’t removing anything you still need, then press on the Clean
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option at the bottom of the screen for the app to remove the files in ques tion. Once again, depending on how many files are included, this process can take a while.
3. Check storage After freeing up your first lot of storage, navigate back to the main menu and check out the two pie charts listed at the top of the app. These charts will let you know of the storage you currently have available and also indicate any potential areas of danger that are overloaded with data that needs to be cleared urgently.
4. Free up memory Now open up the Tasks option from the main menu, which when opened will put
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How often should I clear out my phone? Your stora storage ge space space will soon get eaten up on your smartphone, making it essential to at least scan your phone with Clean Master on a weekly basis.
Works Works with with
» Varies with device
Create pop-up Yo Y ouTube windows
Closing To close the window, simply press the X in the top-left of the pop-up window. Although this will close the window, by opening up the YouTube app you’ll be able to continue watching the video from the point you closed it, so you won’t miss a single second!
Watch your favourite videos while you yo u co con ntin tinu ue to bro rows wse e yo your ur pho hon ne
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e it fashion, gaming or smartphones, YouTube has millions of videos for you to enjoy. Although enjoy. Although the service is good, one of the problems with the Android app is that as soon as you look to do something else on your phone, the video then stops. However, by using the Floating YouTube YouTube Popup Popup Video app, app, users can select their favourite videos and create a resizeable resizeable and interactive pop-up video
Resize Depending on whether you’re using a tablet or smartphone, use the corners of the pop-up window to resize it to your needs. Depending on how big you want the window to be, a major resizing can sometimes cause the video to crash unexpectedly
Play on loop Although playing individual videos is still great, the app also caters for your created playlists. By selecting your playlist through the YouTube app, each video will automatically load after one another though the Floating YouTube window
window which will keep the video running while you casually browse your phone. Every YouTube video is fully supported, with the app even supporting supporting playlists, meaning you can have an endless cycle of your favourite videos. In this tutorial, we’ll be guiding you through the app, as well as pointing out some of its best features. For those unsure, we’ve also included a quick guide on getting started.
Control By pressing on the pop-up window, you’ll open up a range of settings and options for you to change to your tastes. If you press the YouTube YouTube icon, you’ll be taken back to the YouTube app where you can continue watching the video, where the Settings icon will enable you to change volume and graphic controls
Create a pop-up window
By having havi ng YouTube and Floating YouTube Popup Video, creating a pop-up window couldn’t be simpler…
1 Find Open up the YouTube app and YouTube and navigate to either one of your playlists, or a single video that you want to watch. After the video has finished buffering and begins playing, pause it and select the share icon located at the top of the screen.
Share 2 You YouTube Tube videos can be shared through loads of different platforms, but you’ll want to scroll down until you reach the Floating YouTube You Tube Playe Playerr icon located near the bottom of the list. Select it and you’ll be taken back to your home screen.
3 Watch After a few seconds the video will appear in the pop-up window for you to watch. If it’s your first time using the app, you may find it’ll take a while to fully buffer the window and you may be asked to resize the pop-up window straight away.
Using apps Even with the pop-up window open, you can still open up other apps and use them. You may notice a slight flicker in the video quality when you initially open up an app, but that won’t last long. Use the resizing function to make using the apps easier
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Tutorials Works Works with with » All versions of Android
Edit images with the stock Gallery app Manipulate your photos with the default set of Gallery tools
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aking photos and saving images to a device typically leaves little room for more than viewing. viewing. However, the Gallery app has a host of easy-to-apply effects and options to add panache and preference to any image. The app offers a collection of options including filters, frames, crops and adjustments. There is enough on offer to manipulate and modify any photo, ready for printing. The selection of filters will provide an instant refresh and add much-needed vibrancy.
1
Edit options
4
Applied effects
Alternatively, Alternatively, there are filters to age an image. The filters are great to experiment with, but if you don’t like the selection they can be undone. A collection of frames add an edge to recreate Polaroid-style photos. Crop features a set of tools to crop, straighten, rotate and mirror an image. Finally, Adjustment gives users a number of tools to fine-tune a photo. Users can sharpen an image, adjust individual colours and add effects to specific parts of an image before saving.
Locate the Gallery app from your home screen and select an image from the selection available. To start editing an image tap the pencil icon on the bottom-left of the screen. Alternatively, tap the menu icon and select Edit from the menu. This will reveal the different options.
3
Add a frame
There is a selection of frames that can be applied to the current image. Tap the frame icon, second left, to view options. Slide the frames to the left to view more. To apply a frame, simply tap the frame of choice. Again to remove a frame tap the Undo arrow at the top of the screen.
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Details of the filters and effects that have been applied are hidden. To view the applied effects, tap the menu button and select Show Applied Effects. This will list the effects, or filters, that have been applied to the image. This is ideal when multiple effects have been applied.
2
Filters
5
Take control
The default setting reveals a selection of filters with None selected. To add a filter simply tap the filter of choice. Slide the filters to the left to see more of them. Again select a filter with a single tap. To remove a filter use the Undo arrow at the top of the screen.
Tap the Crop icon to switch to view the crop options. Hit Crop to activate a grid. To resize manually grab one of the resize handles and dr ag to suit. To change the grid, tap Crop and select a different option. Now drag and resize to suit again. Finally tap the tick to apply.
images quick The finer points of editing your images tips 1 Reset
2 Undo/redo
3 Change hue
To take an image back to its original state, head to the menu icon (top-right) and select Reset.
When working on an image each action is stored. To go back and orward, use the undo or redo arrow.
To add a dier hue to an image, head to the Adjustment option and select Hue. Experiment to get it right.
4 Take control Change the shape o the Vignette option by selecting the double line handles and adjusting.
5 Individual colours Use the Curves Adjustment option to fne tune levels and adjust reds, greens and blues.
2
Fine tuning tuning colours min and balance guide Take control o the editing options and discover how to fnish up an image with some smart fne-tuning
and rotate 6 Straighten Tap the Straighten icon to view the image. Tap the screen with two fngers and a grid will appear. Move your fngers to tilt the image or straighten it, tapping the tick to apply the movement. Use the same method or Rotate. The app only rotates at 90-degree angles.
image 1 Sharper Select the Adjustment option to reveal
colours 7 Customising Tap the Adjustment option and select one
the colour options, and swipe let and select Sharpness. Use the slider to set the sharpen level. Tap Sharpening to select the alternative structure. To adjust the setting, use the slider. Tap the tick to apply eects.
options 2 Local Go back to the Adjustment icon and select Local. This will add an element that lets users adjust a specifc part or element o an image. Tap, hold and drag the element into position. Adjust size by using the resize handles. Adjust the Brightness with the slider.
o the options to view. This will have a deault option, so use the slider to adjust. Tap the tick to apply. Tap the cross to exit. The same method applies to most options. The Vignette oers more, letting you resize and reshape.
up 8 Finishing Ater adding eects, the obvious option or saving an image is to tap Save. This will automatically save the image to Edited Online Photos. Once an image has been saved, use the Share button to share via Email, Twitter, Google Drive and much more.
brightness 3 Adjust To adjust the saturation and/or contrast, tap Brightness and select rom the list. Ag ain, use the slider to adjust the option. When happy with the combination o eects, tap the tick to apply. Alternatively, tap the trash icon to remove the current adjustments.
action 4 More The local element is not confned to just one option. To add additional elements, simply tap the ‘+’ icon to the let o the slider. This will add a new element in a very minimal state. Tap and grab a handle to resize and drag into position as you see ft.
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DroidSupport »troubleshooting advice »hints and tips expert »emailGotan an Androidrelated problem that you need solving? Let us know!
[email protected]
Mul ulti tiple ple ema mailil
Share your tips & tricks Join us on Facebook and Twitter to share and receive some great tips and advice /lit /l ittl tleg egre reen enro robo bott Like us on Facebook and join in our Android community
@lgrobot Follow us on Twitter to send your thoughts and questions
A battery on a phone or tablet can drain intermittently and at times extremely quickly. Most devices include a battery monitor which will show you what is using your power and if not, there are many available on Google Play. Chances are a rogue app is causing the problem.
“I have used my Nexus 7 for
ages with no problem. I had my email on Hotmail Hotmail and my wife’ wife’ss on BT Internet with no problem. However, I lent the tablet to someone for a couple of days as theirs was broken and when it came back my email wouldn’t work. I did a reset, but now when I try to set up the two email accounts, I get the same message saying unable to connect. Is there a setting that needs changing?“ Anth Anthon ony y Dei Deight ghton on This is indeed an unusual problem and our immediate thought is that it is a problem with the device. We are presuming that you can connect to the internet normally and if so we would
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advise to first of all try to connect to your email in the browser. It may not sound logical, but connecting via a browser has been known to
All Android devices can cope with multiple email providers
see if that helps. There have
seems to be something that
If you’re struggling with connection issues, try setting up a Google account from scratch
accounts. Other suggestions include turning SSL off in settings and we would also obviously advise doing a full hard reset before you go any
further. Finally, check with your colleague to see if they did anything unusual to the Nexus. In theory they should not be able to do anything that would cause this problem and so we would suggest contacting Google or Asus as a final option if you cannot solve it any other way.
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Phones can be data hungry
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Send your questions for our team of experts to tackle
“Opt for a
bundle to save
“Can you please please help me, I don’t understand. I bought an Orange SIM card & put it in my Samsung Note. I then topped up and within seconds my money was gone and I’d only downloaded a few apps and sent a few texts and couldn’t understand where my money had gone, so I topped up again and within seconds it was gone again. What’s going on? ”
D r o i d S u p p o r t
Lorraine Thorpe You You mentione mentioned d in your full question that this keeps happening so you will need need to turn on Airplane mode or connect to Wi-Fi before you go any further. Some pay-as-you-go SIM cards are very expensive for data, and downloading even a couple of apps could wipe out your credit. You You should ask Orange Orange if you can pay for a data bundle on your SIM which will work out to be much better value. There is also potentially an irony at play here in that some network facilities and apps may be downloaded as
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soon as you turn the phone on, but in theory these should not count towards your allowance. In the Settings menu you should see a Data Usage option. Select this to see what exactly is eating up all of your data. It will break down each activity which is useful to see what happened each time. There are also third-party apps available from Google Play, such as My Data Manager, which can alert you when you you are near your limit. If you are going to use your phone a lot, we would strongly suggest not using pay-as-you-go
Many Android phones have data management installed
data and opting for a bundle to save you money and increase your flexibility. flexibility.
entire £10 credit.
hints&tips
1
Trustworthy apps
If possible, try to only download apps from Google Play as these are more likely to be secure. You should still check the permissions when installing and read the reviews, however, to be completely sure that they are legitimate. Always be careful when installing new apps.
2
Try to stop viruses
There are many apps and services available that are designed to stop viruses getting through to your Android device. AVG AntiVirus is a very good example and will make you and device much more secure – it is also very easy to use and get up and running.
3
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Did you know?
DroidSupport does everything I need (and more). more). Anyhow on my BB when I sent texts or received texts, they would be shown in little bubbles or different colours. Now friends of mine who use Samsung phones have this on their texts. I have been unable to set this up on my Nexus or find anything online. Is there a way to sort this out?
Stuart McDonald
We would advise looking at third-party apps to give you what you need. For some reason the options are limited on your phone, but there are solutions that offer even more. For example, Light Flow can customise the LED colours that show when a new text is received and also works in many more situations such as for your calendar and emails. SmsPopup will show text alerts on the screen when they arrive and you can also customise them to show in different colours and sizes. There are many other options available as well, but in our tests these two worked very well and so we would say to try them first.
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You can easily easily customise customise text text alerts alerts with with third-party apps
Text bubbles and alerts Hi guys, was wondering if you can help me. I’m an ex-BlackBerry user who’s now using an LG Nexus Google phone. The phone is brilliant and
“My Galaxy S3 keeps disconnecting from my Home
Hub router, but the actual internet connection is fine. What causes this to happen so often? ” Sophie Bekinsale, via email It is easy to presume that the problem is with your Galaxy, Galaxy, but that may not be the case. You Yo u need to check check first to see if any other devices experience the same problem with the Home Hub and if so we can safely presume that there is a problem with the router itself. We would woul d suggest suggest turning it off for a minute and then back on first and checking to ensure it has the latest software installed. If this does not help, dive a little
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deeper into the settings and check to make sure that all devices connected to the router are set as ‘b/g only’. This is a common settings problem that can cause mobile devices to randomly disconnect. Also, don’t discount that there may be a physical fault with the router. Xbox gaming consoles can struggle with the Home Hub and there are reports that suggest you are not alone. Finally, call your service provider if every other attempt to fix it fails.
If you find that performance and capture is not smooth when recording video, try to record to the main memory and then move the video to an SD card. If it is only the playback on the phone that is choppy, you may need to release some memory.
Don’t delete emails from the server I have a Nexus 7 and when I delete emails from my BT default account on the Nexus 7, they delete them from the server. I’m sure there was a setting somewhere on the Nexus 7 that stopped this, but I cannot find it now. Please can you help?
however, a good habit to delete emails from the server if you can as this will save you a lot of time and ensure that both your mobile device and desktop computer are in sync all of the time. Don’t forget that there are other email apps like K9 that
Mike Hodder
There is a setting for this, but it is quite well hidden. While you are in the default email app, tap the menu key and then choose Settings. You will now see two options listed: General preferences and your email address. Select your email address and scroll down to the Server settings panel. Now select Incoming settings and at the bottom you will see a ‘Delete email from server’ option. You can either choose Never or When I delete from Inbox. It is,
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Some important email settings are well hidden to users
Share your tips
Got a great tip, or found a cool shortcut? Let us know!
mimic the desktop display better on a mobile device.
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Travelling with a tablet
Missing apps on a Kindle Fire
Update 60% Complete
I recently purchased a Kindle Fire HD and was surprised to see that some of the apps I normally use are not available on the Amazon app store. Is there any way for me to get them without hacking the device? Morgan Bliket
This is a problem that many new Kindle Fire users experience because it is not obvious that Google Play isn’t available at first. This means that you have to rely on the apps Amazon offers, of which there are many thousands, but in some areas there are very popular apps missing. You will need to go to Settings>Device and make sure that the ‘Allow Installation of Applications’ Applications’ option option is toggled to On, which will let you install apps from other sources. You should always be careful where you obtain apps from, from, but for example you can install Dropbox by going to www.dr to www.dropb opbox.c ox.com/ om/ android in the browser and then downloading the .apk file. Tap it and it will install automatically. Similar processes are in place for apps such as YouTube, but can be quite complicated to set up. You You can give yourself access to the services you need without having to root the Kindle and once they are installed you should be fine for future use. The good news is that the Amazon app store is growing all of the time and there are various offers in place that are not always available in Google Play.
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Some important apps are missing on a Kindle Fire, but you can find workarounds
D r o i d S u p p o r t
update update
» We bring you the news and
rumours on the latest Android updates, and the phones that can run them…
An Android device can assist you on any trip or holiday
“I’m visiting Australia in November and will have no phone, just my
trusty Nexus 7. Can you recommend any good apps for my travels? I’m also looking for a contact app, never tried one, but would like to keep in touch while away. I have looked for Viber, as I have heard it’s easier to use than Skype, but it seems to have gone missing in the Play store. Your advice would be welcome.” Steve Parker Viber Viber is not technically technically compatible with the Nexus 7, but there are some Android forums where you can downloa download d the .apk file and install it manually which has proven to work for many people. Also, people. Also, you cannot register Viber on two devices with the same number so be careful of that. We would suggest having both Skype and Viber installed so that you have options, but
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there are many other apps that will prove vital. We have listed three of the best, but the best advice is to think about your needs and find the ones that will suit you perfectly. Google Maps is already installed and many of the solutions you need come with the Nexus 7 so you are well covered, but the main benefit of Android is the huge variety of third-party apps that can cover every conceivable task.
1
Find local businesses
Yellow Pages® Australia is a good example of the diversity of apps on Android. If you need to find local businesses, this app will be perfect for super-quick searching.
2
Perfect directions
3
Get organised
TomTom makes professional routing solutions for a number of countries and there are add-ons that can make a massive difference. The traffic monitoring service in particular is very accurate and not too expensive.
Before you leave on any trip, there will be a lot to get organised. An app like TripIt Travel Organizer will help you produce an itinerary of trips, keep records of important documents and ensure you do not miss anything crucial.
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ndroid 4.4 is on its way, way, and in classic classic Android fashion it should be perfectly timed to coincide with the start of the rollout of Android 4.3 to non-Nexus devices. Samsung will be a mong the first off the rank, with the Galaxy S III getting yet another update. The planned 4.2 firmware release was canned in favour of jumping straight to 4.3, and that should start in October. It will be at least the third major software update for the S III in just eighteen months of availability. The HTC One is also getting the same update, and one that will fix a commonly reported problem with the camera when used in low light conditions. At the time of writing very little is known about Android 4.4, or KitKat. Given that Google has assigned it a new name it can reasonably be expected to be a bigger update than 4.3 was, but is unlikely to bring about any major UI changes. These would be expected in version 5. It also seems as though Google is attempting to tackle the fragmentation issues that have plagued Android since its inception. Word is that the new OS will be optimised to run on older or less powerful hardware, removing obstacles to upgrading, with key features being pushed out independently of the full OS update itself.
51
Challenge
Can you lear Can earn n mag ma gic usi using ng apps pps? ?
We hid our wands and put the best magic apps to the test 52
Set us a challenge! Test us out through Facebook and Twitter
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App checklist Magic- Tricks Tutorials Price: Free Developer: New Media GmbH
Magic Training Price: Free Developer: xaharx
Magic Card Tricks Price: Free Developer: montysmagic
Coin Tricks
Price: Free Developer: Feather Tech
How To Learn Magic Price: Free Developer: AMNcom
Audio Quick Magic Handbook
Price: Free Developer: Fruity Production With visual guides to performing basic tricks you’ll be able to get started very quickly
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e won’t pretend to know much about magic as a whole, but being able to cut someone in half is a pretty incredible feat! For this challenge, however, we’ve set our sights a fair bit lower, and want to see if by using the various magic apps available on the Google Play store, we can, not only learn the basics of being a magician, but also start building a librar y of tricks that can leave our friends and family completely dumbfounded.
Grasping the basics Magic has come a long way from the days of pulling rabbits out of top hats and the rise in its popularity has paved the way to a selection of magic apps now appearing on the Google Play store. Our lack of previous experience meant we needed to start right from the bottom with both the How To Learn Magic and Magic Training apps. Both include comprehensive guides on the equipment needed and also an introduction to magic in general. We also used both apps to help learn some of the very basic tricks that anyone can look to master. One problem we did find out with both apps is the lack of video content to help us really master each trick and without any visuals to guide us, we struggled at times.
Practice makes perfect After mastering the absolute basics, we looked to expand our library of tricks pretty rapidly. There were many, many apps we tried out, but the best were the Magic- Tricks Tutorials, Magic Tricks: Beginner’s Guide, Easy Magic 1 and Audio Quick Magic Handbook apps. Out of all these apps, w e especially liked the Easy Magic 1 app which of fered
Magic Training is a great app to start with. You’ll pick up the basics, and some classic moves, in no time
Easy Magic 1
Price: Free Developer: montysmagic
If you’re serious about magic, check out the online store included in Magic Training, which includes various kits for you to purchase.
some great tutorials relating to certain tricks, while not being overly complicated to follow. A couple of other apps we checked out at this point were the Illusion Master and Coin Tricks apps. The first provided a more comprehensive overview on more tricks, but we soon realised we weren’t ready for what was on of fer. Although the Coin Tricks app isn’t strictly magic, it does point out some very cool and quick tricks that c an be done with any coin you have spare.
Shuffle up and deal Another area closely linked with magic, and one that has seen a large number of apps covering it, is the trusty card trick. Thanks to the basics we had learnt previously from the magic apps we had previously covered, using the Magic Card Tricks app was easy. Not only were the tricks easy to remember, there were video tutorials which proved invaluable by the end. To take it to the next level, we then downloaded the Sleight of Hand Card Master, which instead of focusing on card tricks, showed how magicians implement sleight of hand into their routines. It isn’t an easy thing to learn, to say the least, but for anyone who has a remote interest in becoming a magician, or just being able to take on more advanced tricks, then this app is an essential download.
Beginner’s Guide Price: £0.85/1.37 Developer: KoolAppz
Sleight of Hand Card Master
Price: Free Developer: Master Paul
Illusion Master
Price: Free Developer: Master Paul
Success Succ ess rating
95
% Verdict: Complete
There are some brilliant magic apps available for download from the Google Play store, with most of them not costing you anything. The selection is so great that anyone can try their hand at some basic tricks, be it for magic, cards or even coins! Go on, it’s time to pull that rabbit out.
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Explore the limits o your Android device
Hackker Zøne Hac Tips and tricks
status update Which devices are best for the hacking scene?
Nexus 7 (2013) Rooted? Yes Active Development: nnn Medium Easily rooted and with almost unlimited potential or hacks and mods once the worldwide launch gets ully under way.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Rooted? Yes Active Development: nnn Medium This fagship device is being adopted by devs just a widely as its predecessor the Galaxy S III was.
Manually upgrade to Android 4.3 Don’t wait or your mobile network to eventually get around to pushing an upgrade to Android 4.3 – you can take matters into your own hands! There are various online resources oering ROMs based on Android 4.3 (also known as Jelly Bean), and all you need to do is search, conrm that there is a suitable ROM or your device and download the le. As long
HTC One
Get quick access to contacts with a swipe
Rooted? Yes Active Development: nnn Medium Most o the usual suspects are present and correct. Hopeully there will be more unique tweaks and mods still to come.
Nexus 4 Rooted? Yes Active Development: nnn Yes At such a low price the Nexus 4 is has become one o the must-have devices or developers. Great news or the rest o us!
as you have an Android phone or tablet with root access and an unlocked bootloader, you’ll be able to install a ROM based on Android 4.3. The best place to check is XDA-developers XDA-deve lopers.com .com,, where you will nd ROMs that can be installed on a wide selection o current and older phones using tools such as ClockworkMod Recovery and T WRP WRP.. CyanogenMod 10.2 is the most common Android 4.3 ROM, and is the latest version rom the CyanogenMod team that has been building alternative ROMs since Android Gingerbread. It supports the widest number o devices, and oten gets ported to less popular handsets as well, bringing easy updates to the widest number o users.
Android 4.3 is waiting for you on XDA-developers.c XDA-develop ers.com om
Save time making calls with these easy-to-access shortcuts buttons
Browsing through a long list o contacts can be a pain, especially when you’re trying to get hold o someone in a hurry. While the Android Call Log screen can be useul, it is less than ideal. Contacts Notication+Sidebar is a very useul app that enables you to set up to eight regular contacts that
can easily be accessed via the notication bar or a hidden sidebar menu, opened with a small swipe. Once a contact is selected, you can opt to call, email, message or even make a video call; this can be done rom whatever application you’re currently running, saving a lot o time and enabling you to make more or less instant calls. I the sidebar doesn’t suit you, meanwhile, this app also lets you access your contacts via the notication bar. Contacts Notication+Sidebar is available ree rom the Google Play store.
Go hands-ree 2 Perhaps the ultimate hands-
notifcations 3 VIP Although the notication bar
quickhacks Get Moto X features
The new Moto X handset rom Motorola – the rst new phone rom the company since Google’s buyout – comes with several slick extras. Rather than wait or these extras to arrive in uture Android releases, you can get your hands on them now. Here’s how…
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to launch 1 Flick One impressive Moto X eature is the ability to shake the phone to launch the camera app, which can save time when a photo opportunity arises. Get the same eature by installing Twisty L auncher.
ree eature, Motorola Assist is a combination o Tasker and Robin. Robin reads incoming messages and suggests new routes, even providing Facebook updates i you’re stuck.
fashes updates, i the display is o you can miss them. The Moto X Active Display presents updates as they arrive; you can replicate this with DynamicNotications.
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Share your tips Discovered a great hack or tweak? Let us know!
Floating apps for Android multitasking
Whether you use a phone or a tablet, there are various apps that you can call upon that will appear as windows on your Android home screen – just like a desktop PC. Various apps (just search for ‘floating’ on Google Play) can be installed, covering everything from pop-out YouTube players that can sit in the corner of your home screen (although you can place windows wherever you want) to calculators, image galleries, browser windows and even phone dialers. If you want to get productive, you’ll find a useful collection of free mini-apps called Tiny Apps (Floating), which includes a note-taking app, paint tool, calculator, sound recorder and music player, all of which can be opened on your Android home screen in their own floating windows. Floating apps and multitasking tools are getting increasingly popular for Android, so keep an eye out for similar tools in coming months.
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Hacking the easy way
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Remarkably you can save battery life by leaving wireless networking enabled when your Android smartphone goes to sleep. As crazy as it might sound, this works because it prevents your phone or tablet switching to 3G/4G – and these require more battery than Wi-Fi. To configure Android to leave your wireless connection open when the device sleeps, open Settings>Wireless & networks> Wi-Fi and select Menu>Advanced, where the option to keep Wi-Fi active can be found under the Wi-Fi sleep policy. You’ll want to set it to Never. Older versions of Android might have the Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep option, which should be set to Always. Now, if your battery is particularly low on juice, we wouldn’t advise this step, but should you have a strong charge and want to keep connected without sacrificing battery life, this is a useful trick to know.
Most Android devices should enable you to take screenshots, but working out the correct method can be tricky. In current iterations, the screenshot can be captured by holding the volume down and power button together – you’ll see when the shot is
OS Short for ‘operating system’. Often the Android ROM will be referred to as the OS – this just means the system files on the Android device that make up your user experience, similar to Windows, Mac OS X or Ubuntu on a desktop computer.
ROM RO M Stands for ‘read-only memory’. In the context of Android, the ROM refers to the files that make up the operating system installed on your device. Gaining root privileges allows for replacement of the standard ROM with a custom one.
Root
3G and 4G connectivity can use more battery than Wi-Fi
taken as the image will briefly f reeze. Should this fail to work, try holding the power button on its own – the power menu may feature the screenshot option. Older versions of Android may also support the Power button and Home combination, while there are various apps you can install from the Google Play store. Using an app can prove useful – some can be configured to capture the screen image using just a gesture. If none of these tools or combinations work, you can always try AirDroid for your desktop computer, which also enables you to take screenshots once the Android client application is installed.
“Working out the correct method can be tricky”
Get great new features without getting your hands (too) dirty
Android Tweaker (PRO)
Cydia Substrate
Wug’s Nexus Root Toolkit
From: Google Play Need root? Yes Yourr choice You choice of tweaking utility is largely limited by device, version or ROM, but Android Tweaker enables audio, connectivity and other system-tuning hacks.
From: Google Play Need root? Yes Cydia gained notoriety as the software manager for jailbroken iPhones; with Substrate you can install various tweaks and enhancements to modify other apps.
From: XDA From: XDA Need root? No Now including support for the Nexus 7, this collection of rooting tools unlocks bootloaders, offers one-click root and even manages restoration of your stock ROM.
» £2.53/$4.00
Ja Jargon Buster Get up to speed on all the terms you need to know when when hacking hacking your your pho phone ne
Don’t let wireless networking sleep
Can’t take screenshots? Try this tip…
Yes, Android Yes, Android really really can multi-tas multi-task k – all all you need is a trip to the Play store
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» Free
Check our website daily for even more tips & tricks
» Free
‘Rooting’ your phone gives apps access to parts of the OS that are normally hidden from consumers. This enables you to run more powerful software and install custom ROMs on your phone.
ROM Manager An app available from the Android Market that enables you to install a whole new version of your OS with a single click. It requires a rooted phone to use and is ideal for those new on the scene.
Titanium Backup This app from the Market enables you to back up everything on your phone – apps, data, settings and all. It means that you can restore your phone to how it was, even after you’ve updated or changed the ROM.
Unrevoked Available from www.unrevoked.com, this is a one-click tool that can be used for rooting many popular HTC smartphones.
ADB AD B Stands for ‘Android Debug Bridge’. ADB is mainly used for software development, but it also has some uses for hacking your phone. It can be used to push files onto the system folder, for instance.
Nandroid You might come across the phrase ‘perform a Nandroid backup’. This means using a custom recovery tool to make a back-up image of everything currently on your phone: OS, apps, data, etc. It’s very useful should you wish to restore your phone to its previous state later.
Radio ‘Radio’ refers to the software on your Android device that deals with making phone calls and data connections. Updating your radio version can bring better battery life and signal strength to your device. Some ROMs require the latest radio.
Flash The storage in your device comprises flash memory, a type of solid-state storage. The terms ‘flash’ or ‘flashing’ mean installing new software onto your device’s storage.
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Hacker Zøne
10 ESS ESSENT ENTIIAL Prac Pr acti tical cal ha hac s to to hel help p
1 Rooting an Android device is a process that differs from one model to the next, and can be done using methods of differing levels of complexity. The simplest way to root is by using a one-click tool. These utilise an app that either runs directly on your device or via a USB connection to your desktop. The benefits to these is that you don’t require any real knowledge of what is going on and that they are quick and safe. In most cases they will not insta ll a custom recovery as par t of the process, so you will need to install ROM Manager and do this yourself before you’re able to start flashing any ROMs or mods.
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Framaroot
SuperOneClick
Framaroot can be downloaded from bit. ly/145Ifjs and works for many Galaxy, Motorola and LG devices. It runs on the phone and gives you the choice of exploits to try and root with. Pick one and see what happens.
Available from shortfuse.org, this legendary Available app enjoys wide device support and runs natively on Windows or Ubuntu-based machines. Enable USB debugging on your device and ensure you’ve installed the drivers for your computer. Then click Root.
Root Transmission Download Root Transmission from bit. ly/13D0g9j.. This tool enables you to root a ly/13D0g9j phone using another rooted device. The rooted device needs to have USB On-The-Go capability and is a useful tool when you don’t have access to your computer. Works with many Galaxy and Asus devices.
Root_with_Restore Download from bit.ly/Scs00l bit.ly/Scs00l.. It works mostly with Sony devices, but but also the Nexus 7 and select models from HTC, LG and Samsung. Download and extract the software and then run it by double-clicking the RunMe.bat icon. Now just follow the onscreen instructions.
H a c k e r Z ø n e
2 Add Add yo your ur ow own n sel selecti ection of apps apps to your favourite custom ROM
I
f you’re into hacking Android, you will no doubt have explored the world of custom ROMs. With dozens available for almost every device you can normally find one that you like. Yet what happens if you cannot find your perfect ROM? The answer: make your own. Android is an open source
ethos runs firmly throughout the Android hacking community. You can pick a ROM that you like, and further tweak and tailor so that it meets your needs. It is complicated, though, and starting from scratch requires you to be either a developer or keen to learn. The best place
1
Prepare the tools To begin you will need to download and
for the full details.
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Import base ROM
Locate your source ROM, or Nandroid backup that you have copied from your phone. You can use this to add or remove apps. To import it to the kitchen, simply drag and drop the ROM (do not unzip it if it is in the .zip format) into ‘original_update’ in the Kitchen directory.
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Add and remove
ROMs often feature apps you don’t need, and lack those that you do. When in the Kitchen you can add or remove apps by adding or deleting the .apk file in the system/app folder in the WORKING_myrom directory. This is an easy way to customise your ROM’s features.
enable you to take a ROM and repackage it. For this project we’re using dsixda’s Android Kitchen, Kitchen, which runs on Windows, Linux and Mac, and can be used to modify existing shipped ROMs, custom ROMs or your own Nandroid backups. backups. You You can add or remove apps and make other tweaks, including using your own scripts.
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Run the kitchen
5
ZipAlign the APKs
To launch the Kitchen, unzip it and open up a Terminal or command line prompt. The required commands differ depending on the OS. Change to the kitchen directory using the command ‘cd’ followed by the path to the kitchen folder. Then type ./menu to launch.
After adding new apps you will need to zip align them. This optimises the apps, and will greatly improve performance. In the Kitchen menu, press 5 and Enter, and then press ‘Y’. Once this is done use option 23 to check for any errors. You can now rebuild and flash the ROM.
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10 ESSENTIAL HACKS AND MODS
Override set etttings for each ap app p 3
App Ov App Over erri rid de en enab ablles yo you u to configure a number of system settings on a per-app basis
A
pp Override by Runaway Fridge (currently in Beta testing and free to download from the Play store) is an application that enables you to configure a growing number of
1
Download app
Search for App Override in the Play store and download the application. After installing and opening it from your launcher, you will be presented with your application list. Pressing the toggle button in the top-left labelled Off will enable the application and you’ll see a notification icon appear.
Rather than
launched and restore them back to the system default when you you leave the app. app. There are often times
Root access is
6 Orientation lock The orientation lock enables you to set a specific device orientation for an app. You are not limited to portrait or landscape – you can also set reverse portrait or reverse landscape, as well as automatic. This could be useful to prevent the browser rotating when you’re lazing on the sofa!
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2 What to Control
By default, App Override will only enable you to control Input method, Orientation and Screen Timeout. By pressing the What to Control button you can toggle the other items including Font Size, Minimum CPU Speed, Maximum CPU Speed, Sound Mode and Wifi. Enable them all if you feel like it.
7 Screen control Isn’t it frustrating when you are reading something on your device and the screen times out? App Override lets you set the screen timeout to a level between 30 seconds and 12 minutes. Be careful – it’d be easy to accidentally run down your battery by leaving your screen on in a customised app.
3 Start on boot?
The third button, labelled Settings, lets you choose whether to display a notification bar icon and whether App Override should start on boot. While you test and get used to using the app, it’s probably best to display the icon when active and not have the application start on boot (the default).
8 CPU speeds Provided you have root access on your device, the ability to lock minimum and maximum CPU speeds can be useful. If you have a power-hungry app where you need maximum performance, you can crank up the speed. If you want to save battery in a low stress app, try reducing the maximum speed.
4 First override
The main App Override view gives you a long list of all your installed applications. Clicking the name of an app enables you to configure the options that you have enabled. For each option you can choose the app’s start behaviour – whether to ignore the launch, launch , set to default or customise.
9 Toggle Wifi There are a number of different ways of managing Wi-Fi, and we find one of our favourite ways is to use WiFi-Matic to enable or disable by location. App Override gives another alternative – enabling Wi-Fi only for specific applications, perhaps ones that might use a lot of your data allowance.
5 Set font size
The Font Size option lets you specify a custom font size for your app, which might be useful for an app where you are reading a lot of text content but the app doesn’t let you configure the font size. You can scale the font to a massive 170%, but you can also decrease the font size down to 60% too.
10 Input methods One of the best things about Android is the ability to use different Input methods. Some are better suited to different apps than others however. For example, you might want to use App Override to switch to an Emoji-enabled keyboard just for when you’re sending instant messages to your friends.
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10 ESSENTIAL HACKS AND MODS
Control you Control yourr backg back grou round nd apps 4
Sick of apps draining your battery and bandwidth? It’s time to give Greenify a go
H
ow often do you recharge your Android smartphone or tablet? Daily? Twice a day? Do you need to keep it docked to maintain the charge for when you you head out and about? about? If so, the chances are you have a few apps that are causing problems by working in the background when they should really be resting. The resulting network connections can drain your battery in just a couple of
1 User interface The most effective apps are simple to use, and Greenify is certainly no different. The first screen will list your choice of Hibernated apps, but of course on first run this will be empty. To add an app to the list, tap the + button to display a list of all apps.
4 Select apps to hibernate
In the App Analyzer you can hibernate multiple apps by selecting each in turn. You can just as easily easily select a single single app. app. To To apply apply Greenify’s hibernation magic, tap the tick but ton in the top-right corner. Greenify will inform you that the app is being hibernated.
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hours, something that can prove both inconvenient and costly. With Greenify you can instruct Android to block apps from running in the background. Greenify requires your device to be rooted, and draws a line in the sand to stop apps from draining your resources – after all, there’s really no need for it to happen. Unlike other app-killers, the secret of Greenify’s success is in the hibernation of
2 App Analyzer The screen listing your apps is the App Analyzer, where you will see your apps grouped into categories such as Running in background, Scheduled running and May slow down the device. If the app you wish to hibernate isn’t listed, tap More or use Search (top-right corner).
5 Manage the list
As you hibernate resource-hogging apps, they will be added to the Hibernated list, the first screen you encounter when running the app. This vital screen enables you to launch hibernated apps by tapping Play; similarly you can put them back to sleep using the Zzz button.
the resource-draining apps. This is in contrast to the cat-and-mouse, stop-startstop that can occur with some (resulting in additional battery use), and unlike Titanium Backup Pro’s freeze feature, you can still use apps hibernated in Greenify. While not ideal for alarm clocks or messaging apps, Greenify is a superb, lightweight solution for Android devices to battery-draining apps apps..
3 Search and select The Search button returns you to the home screen where you can find the app you wish to add to Greenify using the App Picker tool. You can also browse through the app list, tapping the App Picker button in the Notification Area when the app is running.
6 Which apps should
you hibernate?
The App Analyzer list can prove a little tricky to handle, especially if you don’t know which apps are draining your battery. Apps listed under Running in background should be your priority as these will be using up resources.
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Restore your data Restore data the easy way
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Use Titanium Backup to quickly flash all your apps and data after flashing a ROM
7 Scheduled running Apps listed under Scheduled running, meanwhile, can perhaps be the most dangerous. If there is no need that you can see for an app to run on a scheduled basis, then you should consider hibernating it so that it is only activated when you permit it.
1
8 Slow down apps
Go pro
If you haven’t already got it, download Titanium Backup Pro from the Play store. You’ll need root access to be able to use it, so grant this when prompted. Tap the tick icon in the top-right of the main screen to start setting up your first backup.
2 Back up your data
First you need to back up your data. In the Backup section of the Batch Actions screen choose your preferred option – ‘Backup all user apps + system data’ will create a full backup of everything on your phone. Hit Run to set the process in motion.
Any apps listed under the May slow down the device heading are those that rely on particular events to launch. These are resourceheavy apps that should only be used in cer tain scenarios – again, this list should be short, focusing on regularly used apps.
9
Hibernate apps, save your battery
Battery performance can be improved using Greenify, and apps that you have hibernated are easily ‘woken up’. For added control, you can use the Disable auto-hibernation menu option to prevent hibernation of any apps.
3 Create update.zip
With the backup complete, scroll down the Batch Actions screen to Recovery Mode and select Create update.zip from app+data backups. You can now choose which data you want in your flashable zip. Make your choice and then hit the green tick button.
4 Flash to restore
Your data is now fully backed up and flashable in either CWM or TWRP recovery. Now when you wipe your data before flashing a ROM you can flash this update.zip as well, and when you reboot into the new ROM all your apps and data will be waiting for you.
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10 ESSENTIAL HACKS AND MODS
Hack and twea eak k with one cl click ick 6
Andromize Andro mizerr an and d And Andro romize mizerr Pr Pro o give easy access to a plethora of modifications
A
ndromizer is a universal toolkit that – provided you have root access and a Busybox binary installed – gives access to a huge number of modifications, tweaks and hacks n you Available Availab le in
are also provided by Andromizer to boot to recovery recovery and run a backup, restore, wipe or zip installation. As with al l root applications applications (and particularly modification or hacking apps), using some of the tweaks can be dangerous – you should take a full Nandroid backup of your device before you start and copy
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1 Install BusyBox
BusyBox is a binary that includes a host of useful shell commands. These are often used by hacking applications, but they are also useful if you run an ADB shell. To install, download ‘Busybox’ by JRummy or Stericson from the Play store. Launch the app and install BusyBox as prompted.
6 Kernel tweaks The One-Touch Kernel Tweaks option, found in the Tweaks section, enables you to quickly and easily change kernel options including frequency, governor, scheduler, power saving and more. You can apply changes temporarily (until reboot) or such that they survive reboots. Try first!
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WiFi Scan Interval
Andromizer lets you set the WiFi Scan Interval for your device. This value, set in ms and found on the Settings page of the application, controls how often your device checks for new networks when not connected to one. Increasing this value can help save battery power.
7
Build Prop
The Build Prop Manager lets you edit your device’s build.prop values. Using the editor you can change your device to appear as something else, change the ROM version display, switch default locale or modify a whole host of low level settings. This is a particularly dangerous area in which to play!
3
Increase the WindowMgr
Also found in the Settings page, some users have found that increasing the WindowMgr Max Events Per Second value can help with scrolling and animation smoothness, as it lets the Window Manager to process on screen tasks more quickly.
8
3G/4G settings
The 3G/4G Optimizer enables you to modify your HSPA settings. By modifying the HSDPA (download) category and HSUPA (upload) category you may be able to improve data speeds. To check the meaning of your current values you can refer to the HSDPA and HSUPA pages on Wikipedia.
4
LCD Density
Changing the LCD Density of your device enables you to make onscreen elements smaller (by increasing the value) or larger (by decreasing the value). Not all applications will appear correctly at different densities, so there is likely to be some trial and error required in finding a value that you like.
9
Optimiser
If you’re not sure which settings to change but you want a quick and easy boost to your system, the One -Touch -Touch Optimisation option is worth a try. The low risk changes applied here should give your device a small performance upgrade. If you use logcat, note that it is disabled by this option!
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Dalvik Heap Size
10
Regain space
The Dalvik Heap Size corresponds to how much heap (memory space) an app (actually an instance of the dalvik VM) can use. Apps can be slowed down by memory management tasks if their usage approaches the maximum size, in which case increasing this value may offer some benefit.
Andromizer’s ROM Cleaner function clears a host of different caches, which could help you regain some of your device’s precious storage space. Many of the areas cleaned should be automatically maintained by Android, but we did regain a little bit of space by running the tool, so it’s worth a go.
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10 ESSENTIAL HACKS AND MODS
7 Boot any computer into your Linux distro of choice with just a few simple steps
W
ant to test out a version of Linux, or do you tinker with your PC to such an extent that you need to keep a rescue system on hand? Using the free utility DriveDroid you can boot directly into Linux simply by connecting your phone. DriveDroid simplifies the process, ensuring your phone is compatible then guiding you through the download and boot processes.
1
Set up your phone
The opening step for DriveDroid is to follow the guide to ensure your phone is set up properly to work. Don’t skip this step; if you encounter any problems, the solution is likely to found be in here.
2 Download an image
When that is complete you will need to get a Linux image to boot in to. The app will give you access to a long list of supported Linux distros, so pick and download. For testing, Ubunutu is a good start.
the image 3 Choose With your Linux image downloaded you are now ready to boot your PC. Select the image file from the DriveDroid main screen and choose Writable USB or Read-only USB. The former is preferred for full OS access; the latter good for work ing on an infected PC.
8
Set your phone for one-handed use
method on your computer, then connect your smartphone via USB and power on the PC. It should now boot into Linux rather than Windows or whatever other OS you have got installed.
Use Assistive Zoom to zoom in and out with just one finger
Give root permissions
Follow the setup guide
One hand zooming
Give root permissions to the Assistive Zoom app. You will now be launched into the configuration screen for the app. Follow the instructions to get up and running.
The app is accessed by tapping the magnifying glass that appears anchored to the side of the screen. Hold on the icon and slide your finger to zoom in or out.
Now launch an app that supports pinch to zoom, such as a web browser. Zooming starts once you lift your finger from the screen. Long press to view extra settings.
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and go 4 Connect Make sure USB boot is the primary boot
2
3
M
ost phones come with a certain level of customisation. Often this will amount to not much more than a few extra apps, but sometimes a phone will have a huge custom skin packed with additional features that you don’t need. Usually these apps will not be able to be removed through normal methods, so you’re stuck with them cluttering up your app drawer and possibly even using system resources whether you like it or not. With NoBloat Free you can safely rid your phone of much of this junk. You can disable or even completely uninstall the apps you don’t want, safe in the knowledge that you can restore them just as easily should you ever change your mind. Your device must be rooted for this app to work.
9
Get rid of a manufacturer’s bloat-heavy skin
1 Disable or delete
Download and launch NoBloat Free, and grant root access when prompted. Tap the System apps to see all the built-in apps that can’t be uninstalled. Pick an item you would like to remove, tap on it and choose either Disable or Backup and delete.
2 Re-enable apps
Disabled apps are kept in the system but are hidden and will not run. This is a good option for apps that run in the background by default, and a good way to test the impact of removing an app before you delete it. Go to Disabled apps to re-enable or fully remove them.
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Grant superuser permissions when prompted on launching Undelete. Tap select storage to choose whether to scan internal or external storage. Your options will be limited to only those drives supported. Select the option then tap Scan storage to continue.
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3 Restore from backup
Go to Backed up apps to restore those apps you have deleted. Obviously you cannot restore an app you did not back up, which is why it is important to do so. If you’re absolutely certain you’ll never need the app, you can delete the backup instead.
Ever deleted a precious file by mistake? mis take? You You might be able to get it back using this free download…
Scanning your selected storage area may take a few minutes depending on how large it is and how much activity there has been on it. When complete, all the deleted, but recoverable files, will be shown. Swipe sideways to filter by content, or type a filename.
2
Tap on a file or multiple files and hit the Restore button at the bottom of the screen. The free version of the app only works with image files, so register if you want to restore files in other formats. Not all files will be able to be recovered, so this is a last resort app only.
3
Finally for added security you can also choose to Shred files. This will remove them completely from your memory card and make sure they cannot be recovered at all. The process is the same as it is for restoring: choose the files and hit the Shred but ton.
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Feature »
Retro Gaming on Android
ON
Thanks to the rise in emulation, retro has never been so relevant…
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Feature
Retro Gaming on Android «
Emulator FAQs What are the legal issues surrounding emulators? Is it illegal to run a console emulator on Android? No. Emulators are used to mimic a gaming console and are not illegal by themselves. Running ROMs that you don’t have the right to run on them is illegal, however.
A
What are the restrictions of running a ROM on an emulator?
R
emember the years of impossible bosses and blowing endlessly into the bottom of cartridges to get them working? Well, if you fondly remember those days then you’ll be happy to hear retro gaming is getting a bit of a rev ival on the Android operating system. We’re treated to some of the most jaw- dropping games on our smartphones, but nothing can match the old school feeling of firing up a spot of Contra on the Nintendo Entertainment System. By venturing onto the Google Play store, there are hundreds of retro-styled games readily available for you to download, with companies such as Sega re-releasing some of its classic titles for a new wave of users to enjoy. Third-party developers are getting in on the act too, with a number of stellar 8-bit inspired titles springing to the top of the download charts.
Why emulation is key Most of the credit for the retro revival on Android has to lie at the feet of the wave of emulators readily available. Being exact mimics of the consoles they represent, emulators are now on par, if not better than their desktop counterparts. Controls can now be fully mapped, saved games can be stored both locally and within the crowd and there are even apps to help connect your modern day game controllers to your phone. Emulators not only give the chance for a new generation of gamers looking to enjoy some of the
“Emulators open up
a new and diverse way to get your hands on the games you love”
best games of yesteryear, it also gives them a chance to modify the way in which they play them. There are plenty of legal issues surrounding emulators and the games you can play on them, many of which we’ve addressed in the panel on this page, but emulators open up a new and diverse way to get your hands on the games you love. Emulation is very much here to stay.
Create your own The other defining factor for the retro rise on Android is due to the ever-increasing number of developers creating homebrew and open-source games for users to enjoy. The nature of the Android OS enables developers to put together their own ports of popular games using available source code and readily distribute to the masses. Many of these games are available on the Google Play store, but some are found lurking in the dingy areas of the internet available as free .
The only games you can play on an emulator are ones that are legally available to play. This normally discounts commercial games.
A
Am I allowed to play homebrew games on my smartphone? There are no issues downloading homebrew games onto your smartphone, as long as it has been downloaded from an appropriate place.
A
Can I download a ROM of a game that I own a physical copy of? No, this is a misconception. It is a grey area of the law, may differ from one country to the next, and copyright law is currently changing in the UK. Broadly speaking though, owning a physical copy does not entitle you to own a digital copy, especially one not officially released.
A
Is it legal to play games whose owners are now out of business? Even though there may be no actual owner to these games, due to the company going out of business, it’s still illegal to download these ROMs.
A
What legal action could I face if I’m caught using a ROM? You could face prosection, although in practice there are very few test cases to clarify exactly what the law entails.
A
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Feature
» Retro Gaming on Android
CORRECTLY CONFIGURE AN EMULATOR Follow these steps to guarantee your emulator works flawlessly – no matter what device you use
T
here are a ton of settings to consider when looking to correctly set up an emulator, so much in fact that it can be a bit overwhelming for those without previous experience in using them. Although many of the settings of an emulator can be lef t how they are,
there are a few that you’ll need to adjust and configure based on your smartphone. The four steps below will walk you through some of the common settings you’ll need to explore in any emulator, emulator, but for the purpose of this tutorial, we’ve used the MyBoy! Game Boy emulator.
Use Bluetooth and Sixaxis to connect your PS3 controller to your smartphone
Compatibility Alongside the Sixaxis app, make sure to download the Compatibility Checker app, which will scan your phone and ensure your phone is compatible to pair with the PS3 controller.
1
1
Learn the basics
For most emulators, you’ll see a main page that looks like the one above. A lthough most of these sections w ill go untouched, chances are you’ll need to toggle with cer tain things relating to the video and input of the emulator on your smartphone to get the optimum playing experience.
2
Specific features
Firstly venture into the features section of your emulator. Here you’ll see how the emulator copes with the more advanced features. One of the benefits of having a smartphone is that you can take adv antage of things like motion control, so make sure to have that option enabled.
Pair the controller After confirming a compatible smartphone, open up the Sixaxis software and press the Pair button. It can take a while for the controller to firs t connect to your phone, but any future pairing will be much quicker.
2
Map controls 3
Edit video
Depending on how old your phone is, you’ll need to adjust the Frame Rate option in the Video section. Setting a lower frame rate skip will mean the game will run at its full capacity, while a higher frame rate skip will mean it runs a more condensed ver sion that is better for older phones.
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4
Save states
If the emulator you are using supports game saves, then make sure to change the types of saves it makes each time. Some saves can take up a lot of your phone’s internal storage, so it’s best advised to choose a small Flash save or completely disable the feature altogether, if you see fit.
Load up a game currently stored on your phone. Depending on the game, there should be a menu where you can map out the controls to match the layout of your PS3 controller. controller.
3
Feature Retro Gaming on Android «
D’S BEST CONSOLE EMULATORS Beebdroid Free Free It can be a bit fiddly to get working initially, but Beebdroid is one of the most sophisticated emulators available to Android users free of charge.
ColEm Deluxe £1.99/$1.99 £1.99/$1.99 ColEm does a great job at displaying the Coleco’s classic arcade-styled graphics. It also includes full mapping support for any Bluetooth controller.
AndroGens
Relive the best videogames of all time with these classic console emulators
Frodo C64 Free Free There’s plenty of competition for Commodore 64 emulators, but Frodo C64 is the easiest to set up and use for people needing a quick C64 fix. We loved it.
SToid
MSX.emu £5.49/$7.99 The largely unheralded MSX console has been brought to life with MSX.emu, which offers the original style QWERTY keyboard that was needed for certain games.
GENPlusDroid
NES.emu
Free Free The competition for the best Mega Drive emulator was tough, but AndroGens is the most detailed for those who want to customise how they play their games.
£0.61/$0.99 £0.61/$0.99 Thanks to the combination of onscreen controls, automatic saving and an auto fire mode, SToid provides a better overall experience than the console itself!
Free GENPlusDroid is a faithful representation of the Master System and more powerful devices can take advantage of the various shaders to increase graphic quality.
£2.99/$3.99 The NES was famous for having some of the hardest games known to man, but NES.emu includes a handy cheat system for you to make things a lot easier.
MasterGear
NEO.emu
SuperGnes
VGB - GameBoy
£3.99/$4.99 £3.99/$4.99 Although Sega’s handheld console didn’t hit the dizzy heights many expected, MasterGear boasts a selection of nice features users should checkout.
PPSSPP Free Free Some great customisation options enabling gamers to perfect their PSP experience make PPSSPP the best handheld emulator around on the Play store.
£2.99/$3.99 Despite the sheer power that the Neo Geo brings, the NEO. emu app does a good job at keepi keeping ng up with all the graphical power that is needed for the console.
£2.49/$3.99 £2.49/$3.99 Some of the original SNES artwork and controller design has been used to bring the most authentic SNES experience possible for all users.
Dolphin Emulator Alpha Free Free There are some frame rate issues here, but Dolphin Emulator Alpha does support a wide range of the finest GameCube games. There are still issues to iron out, however.
£3.99/$4.99 Arguably the best handheld ever released, the Game Boy has been beautifully recreated, D-Pad and all, within VGB - GameBoy, which handles all GB games with ease.
SuperN64 Free Although you’ll occasionally run into some graphical issues, the team behind SuperN64 are constantly bringing out improvements and new features for users to enjoy.
ePSXe for Android £2.37/$3.75 It’s amazing to think something as powerful as the Sony Playstation would work on your phone, but ePSXe has done a great job at bringing its best features to the much smaller screen.
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»Retro Gaming on Android
The best homebrew and open-source games for Android
O
ne of the major reasons for get ting back into retro gaming on your Android smartphone is the amount of open-source games now available for every user to enjoy. Although not all of them are readily available from the Google Play store, if you search the web you can really find some true homebrew treats…
4 Price: Free
No Way But Down
Nothing says retro more than text-based adventures and No Way But Down is the best open-source one we found. As well as a traditional RPG storyline, there’s also a great map creator tool within the app for people to add their own levels.
5
Andor’s Trail Price: Free
Battle fierce monsters and discover the truth about the disappearance of your brother in this true retro-styled dungeon crawler RPG. There’s a lengthy campaign to get through, plenty of hidden treasures to discover and a forum where you can discuss the game with other players.
1
OpenTyrian
6
Price: Free
Teeworlds is one of the first opensource multiplayer games on Android, enabling users to square off against people all over the world with a variety of weapons and gadgets. Users can create their own private servers, add their own mods and even design their own maps.
OpenTyrian OpenTyrian is a direct por t based on the classic orig inal DOS shooter game, Tyrian. This port contains four full campaigns to get through, with each varying in difficulty. Along the way you’ll be able to collect ship upgrades which add a new function to your ship, as well as general power-ups to enhance your shooting power. The game carries the same difficulty level as the original game, but a helpful tip is to use an e xternal controller. The source code is available online for budding developers if you want to try your hand at creating your own port!
2 Price: Free
Commander Keen
7
OpenTTD Price: Free
Even though you don’t see many business sim games on Google Play, that doesn’t mean they aren’t wanted. OpenTTD puts you in control of a virtual city, with the sole aim to successfully manage the transport links. It may not sound exciting, but it’s definitely worth a go.
As far as platformers go, Commander Keen is strange, but one that has the style and humour that makes it a must-play game for a quick retro fix. There are plenty of levels to get through as you aid Commander Keen around a crazy and colourful world.
3 Price: Free
Ur-Quan Masters
Not many games can match the complexity of Ur-Quan Masters, and as far as homebrew games go, i t’s hard to think of anything better. As a captain of a spaceship, you must travel the galaxy, gather resources and use strategy to defeat enemies.
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worlds
Price: Free
8
Dweller
Price: Free
Blending together elements from some of the best dungeon crawlers and RPGs around, Dweller is a colourful take on the format. All the classic features are there, including a great storyline, engaging characters and more items and monsters than you could shake a sword at.
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Apps
markers
15min wonder Klyph for Facebook
»0-5 minutes It takes a
! 5 15 10
Kly Kl yph fo forr Faceboo acebook k shortcomings with an app of its own. Klyph for Facebook can be best described as Google+ Lite. It looks and acts like the Google+ app. This excellent app lets you browse Facebook without dealing with the sub-par official app. The interface is smooth, sleek and easy to use. Each action is preceded by a smooth fading sequence. It’s optimised for your Android device to give you the best possible Facebook experience, whether you’re using a tablet or mobile device. You won’t need to deal with Facebook’s annoying ads and suggested apps because the app is almost ad free, except for some at the bottom (although you can upgrade to the pro version to go completely ad free).
while to scroll through the legal jargon
»5-10 minutes But soon
! 5 15 10
you’ll be browsing Facebook like never before
»10-15 minutes We think
! 5 15 10
Klyph puts the official Facebook app to shame
keep
A slick, new way to browse Facebook Facebook may be the kingpin of social networking, but when it comes to browsing Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild on your Android device, it still leaves something to be desired. Facebook has always been optimised for desktop computers – it wasn’t until after the company went public that it began to focus on its mobile app. The official Facebook app can be summed up in three simple words: ugly, slow and clunky. It seems a lot of the Android brotherhood feels the same way, as a slew of third-party apps have been developed for browsing Facebook. App developer Abewy is the latest developer that looks to rectify Facebook’s
Want your money back? You’ve got 15 mins to decide!
As always, there’s a privacy concern when using third-party apps like Klyph. Similar to when you give permission to an app on Facebook, whether it’s Farmville or Twitter, you’ll have to give Klyph permission to access all your personal information. If you’re comfortable with that you shouldn’t have a problem, but it’s something to consider since Facebook stores a lot of your personal information.
Access core features including your timeline, albums and events from the top of the app
refund
Klyph offers users the same core functionality that the official Facebook app delivers. You can update your status, post on your mate’s timeline and upload photos and videos. The app is easy to learn and convenient to use; swipe to the left to browse the different features of Facebook or swipe to the right to see your notifications. Klyph is fully customisable by offering a host of aesthetically pleasing themes. The app does have some flaws. Chat currently isn’t supported, but the app developers promise they are working hard to include it in a subsequent update. Also, due to Facebook’s Facebook’s limitations on third-part y apps, a host of features are not available, including liking a post, tagging a status, commenting with “@”, “@”, and sharing s tatuses, photos and videos to your mate’s timeline. Although the app offers the same core features as the official app, it does have some kinks to work out. The app doesn’t do the best job of giving you up-to-the-second status updates. While browsing our newsfeed we found the same posts from friends repeating over and over again. Also, notifications weren’t pushed to us. We had to refresh the app to see new notifications. The app is in its early s tages, so we’re sure the developers will work out its flaws. It will be nice to see a more polished version released with all the bugs fixed.
» specification Price Free Designed for: Phone/tablet Requires Android: Varies with device
» verdict Performance Design Value
» like this? try this!
Klyph is a great alternative to the official Facebook app
Flipster for Facebook As a more polished Facebook alternative, Flipster is worth a shot.
Your Your newsfeed newsfeed is presente presented d in an easy-to-read fashion
OS MapFinder
Blipfoto
GQueues
by Aviary
OS MapFinder Ordnance Survey has long been established as the foremost source of UK maps for those interested in outdoors pursuits. OS MapFinder is the organisation’s first official Android app, and whether you’re a walker, cyclist, hiker or otherwise enjoy the great outdoors, then the content on offer here simply cannot be beaten. The app looks great. It has been built specifically for Android and conforms to its design guidelines, so fits in well with all your other apps. And the key features you’ll need while out on the road are here: there’s a compass, you can plot routes and set waypoints, record your route as you are on your travels, as well as import and export them. There’s also a powerful search function that works with places, postcodes and grid references.
It’s all pretty great stuff, except we do have a couple of major issues with the application. First is that it is a free download, but is essentially useless without in-app purchases. You get a low-res overview map of the UK for f ree, as well as a sample for part of Exeter, of all places. Detailed mapping, in 10km x 10km squares costs 69 pence for 1:50,000 scale and £1.99 for the more detailed 1:25,000. Depending on how much you need, it can prove cheap or very expensive. There’s also no way to make batch purchases, so if you want ten tiles, that’s ten Play store transactions. And then there’s the fact that the app is 413MB in size even before you add your maps. This apparently covers the overview map and offline searching, but strikes us as a very inefficient use of a phone’s storage, especially for casual users.
Designed for: Phone/tablet Requires Android: 2.3 and up
» verdict Great mapping, but large and potentially expensive The app looks great and is fully consistent with the Android design guidelines
Blipfoto
GQueues
Chronicle your life with one photo a day
Task manager app that integrates with Google
Blipfoto has been a smashing hit online, but it isn’t until recently that the photo-sharing website launched its own app on the popular Android platform. Although you could previously access the website on your mobile device, the new app optimises and enhances the experience. If you’re new to Blipfoto, no worries; it’s essentially a journal, but instead of words you use your own brilliant photos to express yourself. There’s a catch though – you can only share one photo daily and you’re limited to new photos online. Blipfoto is all about community. You can share your photos with your mates and enjoy their photo collections as well. Blipfoto has similar features to Facebook, such as the ability to tag, which only enriches the experience.
» like this? try this! Flickr Try out the world’s most popular photo-sharing app.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 2.2 and up
Are you looking for an easy way to keep your hectic life organised? GQueues might just be what what you’re you’re looking looking for. for. This This brilliant app is a fully featured task manager that will change your life forever. It will make your life more productive and stress-free by helping organise your life. The app is fully integrated with Google Calendar; it sends you push reminders of upcoming important tasks and deadlines. The app is fully in sync with its web counterpart, making it easy to stay on top.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 2.2 and up
Photo Editor by Aviar Aviaryy Photo editing made easy Are you looking for a quick and easy way to edit your photos? Look no further than Photo Editor by Aviary. Photo editors today often have too many features to choose from; this brilliant app strips out all the unneeded features and delivers just the basics. You can apply magnificent effects and frames with one tap. All the basic features like crop, rotate and straighten are included, as well as more advanced features like colour splash.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 2.3 and up
Adding captions and tagging your mates only makes this app that much better
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Apps
markers 1 Second Everyday
1 Second Ever eryday yday
TopTable
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Capture your life one second at a time They say life passes you by in an instant, so 1 Second Everyday prides itself on coming to the rescue. As the name suggests, it captures one second of every day, so you’ll never forget another day again. It’s easy to forget the special moments, and now in only six minutes you can relive an entire year of them. The app has a slew of features to make documenting your life easy. You can quickly access any recorded video on your Android device and sort videos by date. Similar to Facebook you can set up timelines to document your life. You can set up a timeline for yourself, one for your kids, your mates, and even your pet goldfish. You don’t have to document a whole year either. The app makes it perfect for use whether you’re going on a two-week trip or a six-month trip around the world.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 4.0 and up View your life like never before by taking one-second snippets of daily life
Restaurant booking made easy There’s nothing worse than arriving at a crowded restaurant with a charming date with no table in sight. TopTable makes booking a table at the UK’s premier restaurants easy. With over 4,000 of the finest restaurants at your disposal, you’ll never have to wait in line again. Instead of wasting time waiting for a table, you can spend more time enjoying the food. As the name suggests, TopTable brings the top restaurants directly to you. Find the best restaurants nearby; conveniently search by location, date, time and party size. If you’ve never been to a restaurant before, no worries. The app includes a star rating so you can see if it’s worth your while. Are you looking for a deal? The TopTable app even includes special offers, so you’ll know the closest place to get fish and chips half price.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 2.3.3 and up Search for restaurants based on star rating and type of cuisine
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» Book a table at over 20,000 of the finest restaurants in the US, Canada and Mexico. OPENTABLE
“Share your music and discover new artists and genres”
TopTable
best free » alternative
suggested music list.
Favourites You’ll soon build up a list of your favourite artists and be able to view them here
Get to know exciting music easy. of the best ways below below… …
Related Artists
Options
Whether you’re a fan of Madonna or Mick Jagger, find related artists you’ve never even thought of. Torch Music makes discovering easy.
Torch Music is called the social music discovery app for good reason. Discover music that’s currently most popular by heading to the Everyone tab.
Torch Music
Press
Search The search field lets you quickly find your favourite artist and albums among Torch Music’s vast library
Albums The layout is very intuitive, as you would expect. You’ll find albums from the artist you searched for prominently placed
With the slew of RSS reader apps to choose from, it can be a chore to find the right
» like this? try this! Feedly Feedly offers an easy way to follow your favourite RSS feeds, blogs and channels.
Even when you’re in the tube with no reception you can enjoy the latest news; the app supports offline
s
” reading and image caching. Press is friendly towards fellow news aggregating apps; you can sync it with Feedley, Feed Wrangler, Feedbin and Fever. The controls are intuitive and easy to use; simply double-tap the screen to zoom in on an image or mobilise an article.
Discovery You can listen to well-known music like Beyoncé while you’re on the lookout for something fresh and exciting
»like this? try this! Pandora Pandora offers the largest selection of internet radio stations in the world.
» specification Price Free Designed for: Phone/tablet Requires Android: 3.2 and up
» verdict Performance Design Value Torch is the newest social way to listen to great music
You’ll You’ll quickly quickly find find a list of articles articles to read, but managing your feed is simple enough
» specification Price £1.93/$2.99 Designed for: Phone/tablet Requires Android: 4.0 and up
» verdict Simple app that puts ease of use high on the agenda
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Apps
markers ParkMe
Screen Locker
Michelin Michelin Travel Travel
ParkMe
A new way to travel the world
Find parking space, avoid road rage busy parking lot on a Sunday afternoon. With petrol prices going through the roof, the more time you spent driving around searching for a spot, the more time and money you waste. This brilliant app helps solve this headache by assisting you to locate not only the closest, but the cheapest, spot around. Not only do you save money, but you arrive at your destination f aster. With ParkMe you’ll know ahead of time how much you should expect to pay for parking. The rates are conveniently laid out on the app’s map, making it easy to search for the cheapest parking nearby. The developer is constantly improving the app; in certain cities you can even view a live map of available parking at parking lots, garages and city blocks. ParkMe is constantly growing too, it features parking spots in over 500 cities
Michelin Travel
View the rates and payment options for each parking space
Travelling the world can be fun and exciting. It can also be confusing. When you’re in a foreign city for the first time, it isn’t always easy to find out the best tourist attractions to s top by. Michelin Trav Travel el is your virtual travel guide that guides you across 85 countries and over 30,000 of the world tourist attractions hand-picked by the Michelin Green Guide. From the Eiffel Tower to the Great Pyramids in Egypt, the Michelin man has you covered. Finding one of the many tourist attractions is quick and easy. Simply search via the app’s search engine or maps. Each attraction includes descriptions, recommendations, photos, notes and reviews, so you’ll know if it’s worthwhile to visit. You can even access the app offline, a good way to avoid costly roaming charges when you’re in a foreign country.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 2.3 and up
best free » alternative
VOICE TRANSLATOR FREE » Instantly translate speech in over 50 languages, including French, Italian and Japanese.
ScreenLocker A fun way to protect your Android device
like this? try this! London Bus Checker Find out when the bus is coming at
specification Free Phone 2.2 and up
verdict
For some, losing your Android device can be just as bad as losing your wallet. With all the personal information available, it can be a treasure trove for thieves. ScreenLocker helps keep your Android device secure from prying eyes. It claims to be a top-secret, mind-bending fingerprint unlocker, but it’s actually just a nifty app that only makes you think it’s scanning your fingerprint. Setting up and using ScreenLocker couldn’t be easier. Start by pressing the red light in the top corner and select the number of cycles using the slider. Be sure to remember the cycle number, as this will be the secret to unlocking your phone. Once you’re ready to unlock your phone, press your finger on the scanner and hold down for the number of cycles, and voilà, your phone will instantly unlock! The app is simple yet effec tive.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 2.2 and up a calm experience
best free » alternative
APP PROTECTOR » This app offers an easy way to keep your most sensitive apps secure.
quickhits PassWallet Digisocial An easy way to store your precious passwords Are you overwhelmed by the number of passwords you have to remember?
Add voice recordings to your favourite images Instagram move over, you have company. Digisocial
You’re not alone. Thankfully there’s an easier way. PassWallet provides a safe and secure way to store your most sensitive data on your mobile device. All data is encrypted in 256bit AES encryption used by the military. PassWallet brings the same level of security from BlackBerry to your Android device. There’s even a top-secret stealth mode, so no one will even know the app is installed if your Android device is lost or stolen.
joins joins the the already already crowded crowded domain of photo-sharing apps. What makes this app unique is the ability to add voice recordings to each and every photo. For example, if you’re watching fireworks you can record the sounds of explosions and laughter, or if you’re a serious photographer you can explain your photo in detail. As the name alludes, Digisocial emphasises social interaction with your friends. You can send private messages and share your photos.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 2.2 and up
» Price Free » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 2.1 and up
Yarrly An anonymous, remixable photo app for Android Who ever said all apps had to be serious? Yarrly is a
silly photo app, perfect to give your mates a good laugh. The application is fairly simple to understand – snap a photo, react to it, add a unique caption, and let the fun ensue. Yarrly is totally anonymous, so you won’t have to worry about anyone criticising your work. Just go crazy and let your creative side take over. Sharing your masterpieces is as easy as you would expect. You can send a link via email, SMS or upload to one of your social sites.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 3.0 and up
Tunester Finally a simple music player graces Google Play Are you looking for a simple, yet powerful, music player to listen to your favourite tunes? Tunester is
designed with the minimalist in mind and claims to be the world’s easiest music player. Not only is this simple app fast, it has all the core features you want, including shuffle, single hand control and full screen album art. Finding your favourite tunes is easier than ever thanks to gesture controls; find the song you’re looking for in only one or two clicks. It’s free too, so well worth a look for music fans.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 2.2 and up
UK Driving Homestyler Design your own home in Theory Theory Test Test brilliant 3D Pass your test first time
How would you like to pass your theory test the first time? This app is money
well spent. It helps fully prepare and avoid the heartbreak of failure. The mock test helps simulate the real theory format by testing your knowledge of driving to see if you’re fully prepared. The detailed test results at the end of each quiz helps you learn from your mistakes so you won’t make them on the actual test.
Whether you’re a professional interior designer or you’d just like to take on your own home design project, this fantastic app helps make it a lot easier. Getting started
with Homestyler is simple; take a photo of a room to create your own 3D home design. Add furniture, light fixtures, rugs, and more to see how your room will look. Homestyler makes remodelling a lot easier – no need to tire yourself moving stuff!
» Price £1.99/$3.04 » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 2.3.3 and up
» Price Free » Designed for Tablet » Requires Android 3.0 and up
Samsung Wallet
Biophilia
A virtual wallet to store your concert tickets Boarding the train just got a lot easier thanks to the newly released Samsung Wallet. This app acts as a virtual
wallet, letting you store all your boarding passes, coupons, membership cards and concert tickets. Loading your tickets to the app is a breeze, but the app is only compatible with devices from Samsung, including the S3, and S4, Note and Note 2, but hopefully it will work on more in future updates.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone » Requires Android 4.0.3 and up
An immersive music experience like no other Are you looking for a unique music experience?
If so, you should check out Biophilia. Biophilia can best be described as a multimedia exploration of music, nature and technology. Who ever said music and art couldn’t be one in the same? World-renowned musician Björk has worked with top artists, designers, scientists and writers to deliver a unique visual experience. You’ll have to try it out yourself to believe it.
» Price £8.49/$12.99 » Designed for Phone/tablet » Requires Android 4.0 and up
79
head t to tohead o head Which one of these media sharing ju j ugg gge ern rna aut uts s comes out on top?
INSTAGRAM vs v s VINE There are some fantastic photo and video sharing apps readily available on the Google Play store, with both Instagram and Vine being the biggest of the bunch. However, which one has the feature set that means you need to be getting it right away?
» specification Price Free Designed for: Phone and tablet Requires Android: 2.2
Instagram The Explore page in Instagram shows you the latest and most popular photos from all over the world, but the interface tends to be a bit cluttered. Some may prefer Instagram’s bare bones profiles, but the lack of customisation on offer won’t be to everyone’s tastes. It’s surprisingly basic unfortunately. unfortunately. Any pictures you especially like can be linked directly to your contacts through various social media networks and other options such as cloud storage apps. There’s a wealth of wellimplemented interactive options available in Instagram, with users able to comment, like and share photo responses. By far the best additional feature of Instagram is being able to geo-tag your photographs and also see the location of other photos that have been taken.
And the winner is... 80
» specification Price Free Designed for: Phone and tablet Requires Android: 4.0
Vine
LIVE FEED
Although Vine is a far more stripped-back application, the live feed feature is very slow to load, with Vines sometimes not even loading at all.
PROFILES
Profiles can be as detailed as you’d like, with Vine including a wealth of options that rival many social media sites. A hands-down winner in this category.
SHARING
As well as allowing for traditional sharing options that you’ve come to expect, users can also tag their friends in Vines to alert them to watch it.
INTERACTION
Vine keeps the interactions to a minimum here, with users able to leave comments on Vines, but not too much to interact with other users.
OTHER FEATURES
To make Vine that little better, the development team has created links with both Facebook and Twitter so all your Vines are added straight away.
Although both are superb apps, Vine takes this one purely due to the design of the app. It’s far more functional, better designed and just ju st gen ener eral ally ly wo work rks s bet bette terr tha than n Ins Insta tagr gram am,, whi which ch oc occa casi sion onal ally ly ca can n look cluttered and messy. Go download Vine right away!
We don’t keep
TM
Learn the truth about iPhone, iPad, Android, Photoshop and more with the Tips & Tricks series’ expert advice and tutorials
BUY YOUR COPY TODAY Print edition available available at www.imagines www.imagineshop.co hop.co.uk .uk Digital edition available available at www.gre www.greatdigital atdigitalmags.c mags.com om Available on the following platforms
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Games
markers Trial By Survival
Tri rial al By Sur urvi vival val
Rymdkapsel
Editor’s ChoiCE
Survive two weeks alone to prove your innocence
Buy any ammo and medicine you need at the end of each level
Collect supplies to get vital ammunition
Trial By Survival is a post-apocalypse RPG that sees you trying to survive in the wasteland after being cast away by your colony for crimes you’ve been accused of – the only way to clear your name is to survive alone for 14 days. When you frst start out you’re
given just a handul o ammunition and items to use; luckily each area you come across includes various items to scavenge that you can put to good use. You can also scavenge
what we’ve been playing The Simpsons: Tapped Out Free EA has been piling up the updates, with new buildings and characters to unlock as you play. Too many in-app purchases, but there are a lot o laughs in return.
iSlash Free iSlash has been out or some time, but it still remains one o the best puzzlers. Cutting down a shape sounds easy, but throw in a time limit and objects you can’t touch, it’s a proper brain teaser.
Recommend a game…
82
twitter r » twitte @lgrobot
Some levels will put you in complete darkness
rom the bodies o dead players rom all over the world, which is a great addition. Each level also includes hordes o the undead, so you need to cleverly navigate your way around without taking too much damage as replenishing your health is difcult. As you progress you’ll start fnding bits o currency which can be used to buy ammunition, upgrade weapons and health items. Weapons break oten and you’ll soon run out o ammunition, and i this happens when you’re being ollowed by a
horde, then it’s pretty much game over. One o the coolest eatures we ound was the perks that your character can have equipped to them. They are pricey, and the currency you fnd is better spent on medicine and ammunition, but the perks can be helpul i you’re low on health and about to perish. What really makes Trial By Survival great is that it’s completely up to the player how the story unolds. By visiting dierent areas through the map provided, you can explore
dierent regions which are randomised each time you play. I you make it to the end, the ending you’re shown is based around how well you survived alone and there are plenty o dierent ones on o er. This is not only one o the best Android games o 2013, it’s one o the best Android games we’ve ever played.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone and tablet » Requires Android 2.2
Rymdkapsel Look past its name and enjoy this gem Even though its name may leave your tongue twisted, Rymdkapsel is a deep and broad strategy game that takes place in space. Although most
strategy games o this type see you acing o against enemies, Rymdkapsel puts the ocus on you building the best base possible, while also exploring the galaxy around you and puzzle solving. As you begin to explore the galaxy, you’ll be able to harvest various resources needed to make your base bigger in order to build
Your empire empire will will soon grow and and controlling controlling your people becomes becomes harder harder
deences i you come under attack. The levels are vast and it can take a good while to get going, so users wanting a quick gaming fx should probably look elsewhere. However, i you can invest time, this is a must.
» Price £3.29/$3.99 » Designed for Phone and tablet » Requires Android 2.3.3
Expander
Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded
PAC-MAN DASH!
quickhits Expander Fast-moving puzzle title that will leave you rustrated Reactions are key to success in Expander, and what starts o as a airly standard puzzler soon turns into a ast-paced brain teaser which requently rustrates.
You’re tasked with guiding a small cube through a series o dierent corridors and passages which all vary in size. To successully complete each level, you’ll need react to the size o the upcoming corridor and
quickly resize the cube so it will ft through. With the game going at such a quick pace, resizing can be tricky, but the simple controls do make the process a little easier. As you progress, you’ll also be tasked with collecting stars on each level, which will help boost your score and unlock new levels. The placement o certain stars is rustrating, however, with some o them placed so close to the wall o a corridor, you’ve no option but to crash straight into it. Although Expander is a rustrating experience, it’s a solid game or puzzle ans to download.
» Price £0.69/$0.99 » Designed for Phone and tablet » Requires Android 2.3 You’ll need quick reactions to collect all the stars on each l evel
Gurk III, the 8-bit RPG £1.30/$1.99 I dungeon crawlers are your thing, then Gurk III will be perect or you. Using a combination o old school graphics and a chiptune soundtrack, this third instalment o the classic RPG series includes a bigger adventure and more monsters to deeat.
Dropchord £0.64/$0.99 Inspired by some o the best music players, Dropchord is a music-driven reaction game that requires you to keep a beam running rom one end o a circle to another without touching any objects.
Sine Mora £1.99/$2.99 Sine Mora is a rantic airborne shooter which lets you manipulate time to help get one over the enemies. Levels are vast and the animation is amazing, but the difcultly level is tough.
Some locations have hidden objects or you to fnd
Collect power-ups to perorm special moves
Leisure Suit Larry: Larr y: Reloaded Reloaded
PACAC-MAN MAN DASH DASH!!
A love story with a risqué twist
Pac-Man as you’ve never seen him beore We’ve seen plenty o Pac-Man games released or Android, but none quite like this. PAC-MAN
Wages, as you try and help loveable loser Larry fnally fnd true love. To do so, Larry needs to impress through a variety o puzzles, while exploring the city around him. For those who haven’t played Leisure Suit Larry, you may be surprised with just how r isqué some o the content is. There’s plenty o adult-themed gags and even though there are some brilliant jokes throughout, this is one to keep your kids away rom. This reloaded version o LSL has the same charm the original did.
DASH! is an endless runner, putting you in control o our ghost-chomping riend as you look to gobble up as many cookies and ghosts beore dying. Using the touchscreen controls, you control Pac-Man through 70 varied levels, with them gradually increasing in their overall difculty. The more cookies and ghosts you eat, the more points you accumulate, which can be used to unlock various power-ups, which keeps the game eeling resh throughout. I you’ve already played any sort o endless runner game, then you’ll have seen what PAC-MAN DASH! is all about, but although it borrows heavily rom similar games, ans o the Pac should certainly check it out.
» Price Free » Designed for Phone and tablet » Requires Android 2.3
» Price Free » Designed for Phone and tablet » Requires Android 2.3.3
Leisure Suit Larry has been a major hit on most home consoles, but his Android debut is a vastly updated version o the original game launched in 1987. The game takes you to the city o Lost
Check our website for even more game reviews
Wedding Dash Deluxe £0.65/$0.99 Wedding Dash attempts to bring a successul wedding planning game to Google Play, but lacks any real quality and depth. Some nice animations, but little to warrant a download.
Minecraft Skin Studio £1.99/$2.99 Working as an ofcial add-on to Minecrat, Skin Studio lets you create and customise skins or your characters and share them. You can also download skins that other people have created.
True Skate £1.28/$1.99 Skateboard sims are rare, but True Skate is arguably the best. You’re given a huge skatepark to explore and modiy, and ater mastering the physics, you’ll be grinding away in no time.
»www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk
83
Reviews
Alcatel One To
With specs to rival the world’s best smartphones, can Alcatel really mix it with the industry’s big players?
I
Stunning screen It’s rare to see a 1080p display outside of the biggest manufacturers, but the IPS screen here is fantastic, making text easy and comfortable to read, and watching videos a treat
Thin and light The Idol X is very thin and light, masking the high-end technology found inside it. It is made mostly from plastic which gives it a slightly cheaper feel
84
t’s probably safe to say that Alcatel is not the first brand you seek out when looking to buy a new phone. Despite being one of the world’s biggest phone manufacturers (currently sat just outside the top five) the company has little profile in the West, with the bulk of its success being based on lower-cost devices in emerging markets. That may be about to change. The Alcatel One Touch Idol X is, on paper, as impressive as almost any smartphone currently on the market. Fast quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 13-megapixel camera, full 1080p, edge-to-edge display, all packaged together in a chassis less than 7mm thick. It’s what you’d expect from the latest flagship Samsung or HTC phone. So can it compete with those big name players, or is there a catch somewhere? The Idol X scores well for first impressions. It’s neatly designed and solidly built, if predominantly plastic. It feels quite a tall handset due to the fact that it has minimal bezel along the edges. The five- inch display is not quite edge-to-edge, but the bezel is only around a millimetre either side, and it looks fantastic. Beyond that it is all standard fare: no physical buttons on the front, a power button top-right that’s a little harder to reach than we’d like, and camera, LED flash and speaker on the rear. Our unit had dual-SIM slots, one on ei ther side, but the phone is also available in a single SIM version with micro SD slot on the opposite edge. The dual-SIM edition does not have micro SD support. The phone’s striking appearance is enhanced by coloured backplates – ours was a vibrant red, and there are yellow and black options. The laminated IPS screen is stunning. Measuring five inches and with full HD resolution it is up there with the best, being bright and wi th accurate, not overly saturated colours, and wide viewing angles. Performance was impressive. Our benchmark tests put the quad-core processor, clocked at 1.5GHz, in line with the last generation rather than cutting-edge 2013 models, but we had a mostly lag-free experience, aided by the ample 2GB of RAM. There’s 16GB storage, of which around 13GB is available to the user. The main disappointment on the hardware front was the speaker, which was fairly feeble and offered mediocre sound output. There’s a 13-megapixel camera on the Idol X, and it surprised us with its quality. It is
Review Alcatel One Touch Idol Idol X
Colour options The phone is available in a few different colour options. Ours was a bright red and rather appealing
Out of reach One of the few design concerns is the placement of the power button on the top edge. It’s the only way to wake the phone so is annoying that you need to use your other hand to press it
Price £tbc »More information
www.alcatelonetouch.com
Battery life
iOS 7 skin The skin on the X has obviously been inspired by iOS 7 with its bright colours and flat icons. It looks okay, but we don’t believe it is any easier to use than the normal Android UI
No better than average. With heavy use you will need a midafternoon top up to keep it running
techni technical cal specs specs »Operating system »Processor »Memory »Dimensions »Weight »Display size »Display resolution »Expansion slot
...............Android
4.2
...................................Quad-core 1.5GHz
.......................................2GB RAM, 16GB storage ..............................140.4 x 67.5 x 6.9mm
..........................................130g ...............................Five-inch ...............1080 x 1,920 pixels
.......................micro SD (on single SIM version)
“On paper, as impressive as almost any smartphone currently on the market” accompanied by the most basic camera app we’ve seen. You get to switch the flash on or off, choose between normal, HDR or panorama modes and that’s pretty much it. But it takes ver y good pictures in good light (with the inevitable drop of f as light levels diminish). There was a touch of shutter lag so is not ideal for tak ing pictures of fast-moving subjects, but this may be improved with subsequent firmware updates. And now onto the bad news. The Idol X has been heavily skinned, using the One Touch Launcher, and it isn’t very good. Similar to the skin we’ve been
Performance tests The Idol X falls some way behind the biggest devices of the year in benchmark tests of processor and graphics performance. It is more in line with last year’s flagships, as well as current upper mid-range phones.
13816 Ultra X
11872
HTC One Mini
23212
HTC One
25368
Galaxy S4
C P U A & n g T u r T a u p h i c s
seeing recently from Alcatel, the app drawer has been removed, meaning that all your apps and widgets share the same space. It’s disorienting for experienced Android users, and quickly becomes a jumbled jumbled mess. mess. The design is also also not at all all Android-esque. The icons are bright and flat and clearly inspired by iOS 7. As always when faced with skins like this we installed Nova L auncher to bring back the app drawer and make the phone at least look like Android once again. There’s no great performance hit when doing this since the skin is not bloated in the way that something like Samsung’s TouchWiz TouchWiz is. The extra apps are small and mostly useful, like a torch or compass app, and there’s a nod towards gestures but it is very understated and easily ignored. Battery life was average at best. The 2000mAh battery – non-removeable – looks small on paper and so it proves. There’s some interesting battery management software installed that enables you to control which apps sync in the background, or to turn things off altogether, and this did enable us to eke out a bit more time. But the fact is that with heavy use you’ll need a mid-afternoon top-up, and only with more measured use will you be able to get through the entire day. On the whole, though, the Alcatel One Touch Idol X is a welcome surprise. The X may not quite match the likes of the HTC One or Galaxy S4 in its sheer performance, but it’s a good-looking handset with a great screen and impressive camera, and it generally doesn’t leave you craving more.
Alcatel One Touch Idol X Sony Xperia Z Xperia issue023
Performance Smooth and lag free. Battery life could be better
Design Very smart with near edge-to-edge screen and a very thin profile
Features Camera and 1080p screen are among its highlights
Value for money Expect a competitive price for this device against other flagships
Ver Verdi dict ct » The Idol X sees Alcatel take the step up to competing with the industry’s bigger names and more prestigious devices
85
Reviews
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
Smaller version of the market-leading S4, with some cut down features. Will it be enough to grab the mid-range attention?
B
Smart Stay This phone knows when you are looking at it and keeps the screen on for you
Small With a 4.3-inch screen, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is a more hand-friendly option than the original Galaxy S4
Camera Eight-megapixel stills and a range of clever add-ons give you solid camera performance
oth HTC and Samsung have produced smaller versions of their leading edge, flagship handsets in the past, and Samsung is continuing that strategy with the Galaxy S4 Mini. The small format phone retains lots of the things that have made the Samsung Galaxy S4 so popular, but puts them in a more hand-friendly shell. While it has 4G and NFC built in, not everything has been carried over. Of course, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is smaller than its full-sized counterpart. Its 4.3-inch screen (versus the five-inch screen of the full-sized Samsung Galaxy S4) is just about the perfect size for reading webpages and text, and for viewing video too. Samsung has reduced the pixel count considerably though, in comparison to the Samsung Galaxy S4. The 960 x 540 pixels deliver just 251ppi compared compared to the Galaxy S4’s S4’s 1,920 1,920 x 1080, 441ppi. That’s a shame, however, the screen is still fine in everyday use. A smaller screen means a smaller phone, and the Galaxy S4 Mini feels very comfortable in the hand. The design is every inch Samsung, and effort has been made to mimic the button placement and general look of the larger handset. While 1080p video capture and a 1.9-megapixel front camera are retained from the original Galaxy S4 model, Samsung has reduced the main camera’s capabilities of the Galaxy S4 Mini. There are eight megapixels as opposed to 13, and fewer fancy shooting modes. You’ve still got quite a bit of flexibility here, though, with high dynamic range, best face, beaut y face, best photo, panorama, continuous shooting and Samsung’s sound shot mode, which adds a short sound clip to photos. A couple of those modes (best face and best photo), let you select from a range of photos taken in quick succession to produce the best composite single image. There are more instances of reduced capabilities over the Samsung Galaxy S4 in the core specifications. 2GB of RAM in the full-sized model is reduced to 1.5GB here and the processor is a less capable 1.7GHz dual-core model r ather
Portability good25368 f fo or...
Galaxy S4 This shrunken S4 is a much easier phone to carry than its big brother
86
Review Samsung Galaxy Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Screen test The display is one level below HD and shows when placed alongside an HD display like the S III. It’s acceptable for its target market, although remember the HTC One Mini does have a 720p display.
Price £366 »More information
www.samsung.com/uk
»
Supplied by www.clove.co.uk
Battery life
Galaxy S4 Mini
Galaxy S4
than a 1.9GHz quad-core. To be frank, these reductions don’t affect performance hugely. If you are experienced with quad-core processors in handsets then you will notice a definite slowing, but for those people upgrading to this phone, the knowledge that the S4 Mini is smooth under the fingers will be welcome. The RAM is still above the average of 1GB and does help for switching between multiple apps as well. This being a Samsung handset, Android 4.2 is bolstered not only by the TouchWiz TouchWiz user interf ace but also by a huge range of add- on applications
Galaxy S III
also made it into the Galaxy S4 Mini. Air gestures are absent – the ones where you hover a finger above the screen – and S Health is not here either. But you can tilt the phone for plenty of actions and the rather good Smart Stay, which knows when you are looking at the phone, is present. In the end, then, the S4 Mini is not only smaller in size to the Galaxy S4, it is also less capable. In a sector that is proving highly competitive with some excellent handsets from HTC and Sony, the decision to go with this model may not be quite as clear cut as it is for the flagship version.
“These reductions don’t affect performance
hugely… for those upgrading to this phone, the knowledge that the S4 Mini is smooth under the fingers is welcome” and usability tweaks. Not everything from the full-sized handset has made it across the div ide, and if you want every thing the Samsung Galaxy S4 has to offer then you should do a detailed comparison online to check out all that’s missing. Notably present features include Samsung’s S Planner, S Translate, Samsung Hub, WatchON and ChatON apps, variously duplicating some Android features and offering a separate app store. T hese features divide opinion – whether you see them as bloat or useful is a matter of personal opinion. If you are on the bloat side then you may be disgruntled to learn that the 8GB of built-in memory is reduced to 5GB that’s user accessible, partly because of Samsung’s pre-installed apps. There’s a micro SD card slot next to the micro SIM slot under the battery for extra data storage. Many of the gesture and motion-based features that are loved by Samsung smartphone fans have
Photography There are some neat camera features that make shooting a lot of fun
You should manage a day between charges easily enough here
techni tec hnical cal spe specs cs »Operating system »Processor »Memory »Dimensions »Weight »Display size »Display resolution »Expansion slot
...............Android
...................................1.7GHz
4.2.2
dual-core
.......................................1.5GB RAM, 8GB storage ..............................124.6 x 61.3 x 8.9mm
..........................................107g ...............................4.3-inch ...............960 x 540 pixels
.......................micro
SD
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Samsung Galaxy S III Mini issue020
Sony Xperia Xperia SP issue026
Performance
Memory With 5GB of user accessible memory, the micro SD card slot that sits under the battery will be welcome
Moves along at a good pace despite the cut-back specs list
Design Every inch a Samsung design – you’ll know by now whether you like it or not
Features Some key Galaxy S4 features are missing and the screen is not HD
Powerful Don’t expect the full quad-core experience of the Samsung Galaxy S4, but the dual-core processor here is powerful enough
Gestures Samsung likes gestures and motion control, although their practical value can vary wildly
Value for money Not quite as cheap as you might hope for with these specs
Ver V erdi dict ct »Neat and tidy certainly, but 4G speeds
some of the latest Samsung elements are missing
The handset supports 4G so is a good option if you need fast connectivity
87
Reviews
Prestigio MultiPhone 5430 With an Intel processor, the Prestigio MultiPhone 5430 is an intriguing proposition – could it live up to our initial excitement?
Just 1GB
Photo story
There’s only 1GB of free internal storage for your favourite apps, so make sure you’ve got a large memory card to hand
The camera shoots to eight megapixels, but a bit of lag means shots of moving subjects don’t look great
Intel inside
Good screen
There’s an Intel processor at the heart of this phone – which is a rarity. In reality we were nonplussed by its presence
The 4.3-inch screen is one level below HD, but is clear and quite sharp, and it has good viewing angles
good f fo or... 88
Web Web The screen is clear and crisp and decent for viewing webpages
Review Blingy back The backplate is somewhat gaudily adorned with logos for Prestigio and Intel. It gives it a less refined and classy look than you might prefer
P
restigio might not be a name you know well. The company is new to the UK smartphone market, though it is established elsewhere in the world. It has recently launched the MultiPhone 5430, an average-sized Android device with a 4.3-inch screen that sits inside a body that’s made from slightly creaky plastic. The front has a minimal design, the sides are characterised by an inoffensive silvery plastic strip, but the back is not to our liking. The large gaudy branding logo and flashy patterning give off a bit more of the budget vibe than we like to see. That 4.3-inch screen offers 960 x 540 pixels. Text is crisp, but not super-sharp, and viewing angles are good. The Prestigio MultiPhone 5430 has a point of immediate interest in its specifications as it spor ts an Intel processor. Now, it isn’t ploughing an entirely new furrow here. We’ve seen Intel processors in handsets before. But they remain something of a rarity, and much as Intel might want to push its way into the lucr ative smartphone market, progress has been slow. What we have here is an Atom Z2420 running at 1.2GHz. It has a single core, which might
Price £190 »
More information www.prestigio.com
Battery life The battery is pretty strong and should last you a day with careful use
“This technological wizardry caters for a virtual rather than a real second core” immediately make it sound old hat. But this is a relatively new processor, and it includes hyperthreading. This technological wizardry caters for a virtual rather than a real second core, enabling the processor to work faster when it needs to, just as a multi-core processor does. We didn’t feel the processor held the handset back at all – it responded well to finger presses and swipes, webpages resolved quickly enough and video played without stuttering. We can’t see why anyone should avoid the Prestigio MultiPhone 5430 because of the processor choice. Although, equally, the Intel Inside logo on the back doesn’t constitute a selling point either. With 1GB of RAM, the all-round per formance was adequate, while never pushing the boundaries. There’s only 4GB of storage built in and this is far from the whole story as there’s just 1GB free for your own use. That’s not even enough to store some larger apps like games, so perhaps it is a blessing that the handset is equipped with Android 4.0. True, this is far from the leading edge, but at least you can store apps on a micro SD card. Prestigio also gives you the option when you set the phone up not to include some apps it considers you might like to have. You can opt to install – or not – an eReader that’s also a portal for purchasing eBooks, Evernote and the
Video Video Viewing angles are very good, which helps with video watching
Prestigio MultiPhone MultiPh one 5430 5430
MobiSystems Office Suite. Leaving those off should save space, and we welcome the fact that they are optional, when so many manufacturers install countless – and often unremovable – extras whether you want them or not. The micro SD card slot isn’t accessible until you remove the battery, so if you are into hotswapping music or video to your smartphone this isn’t going to be the ideal phone for you. Prestigio has not skinned Android 4.0, so you get the Vanilla Android experience. That’s fine by us. Android has not been left entirely alone, though. There’s an FM radio built in, and the Android standard keyboard has been augmented with a Prestigio alternative that has a number row. We like this – it beats long pressing keys. As if to counter the pleasant keyboard there’s a bit of shutter lag in the eight-megapixel main camera, which is a bit annoying if you are trying to photograph a moving subject. Actually, ‘a bit annoying’ isn’t a bad way to sum this handset up. It does have its good points, and the Intel processor is not a bad thing. But there’s not enough internal memory, sound quality through the speakers is not great and the design lacks strong appeal. Even the fact that the handset ships with a sleeve-style case doesn’t really draw it out from the realm of the average.
Protection You get a sleeve-style case with with the phone to bump up your protection levels
Keeping it simple
»Operating system...............Android 4.0 »Processor...................................1.2GHz single-core »Memory.......................................1GB RAM, 4GB storage »Dimensions..............................126 x 64.7 x 10mm »Weight ..........................................140g »Display size...............................4.3-inch »Display resolution...............960 x 540 pixels »Expansion slot.......................micro SD
Prestigio MultiPhone 5430 Acer Liquid Z2 issue027
better than Performance The Intel processor does a decent job in spite of its single core
Design Creaky plastic casing and gaudy backplate don’t sit well
Features Basic but serviceable. There’s nothing to make it stand out
Value for money Reasonable value, but there’s many similarly priced devices
Ver V erdi dict ct » Average is the best description of this phone. It offers little to give it an edge over the competition
Unskinned Android is refreshing to see, as is the lack of nasty bloat
89
Reviews GOCLEVER Fone 570Q
information
Clone The shape, textured plastic back and home button are very reminiscent of the Galaxy Note II. This phablet is much thicker and heavier, however
Price £249.99
Shooter There’s a fivemegapixel camera around the back. It’s fast but tends to produce washed-out images
Stock Android
Dull screen The 5.7-inch display is quite sharp, thanks to its 720p resolution. It isn’t great in sunlight due to the relatively low brightness and reflective glass
Android 4.2 is here in its stock form. A few additional apps have been added, and can be easily removed if you don’t want them
»
More information www.goclever.com
Battery life A large battery ensures you should be able to get through the day with no problem
techni tec hnical cal spe specs cs »Operating system »Processor »Memory »Dimensions »Weight »Display size »Display resolution »Expansion slot
...............Android
4.2
...................................MTK6589
1.2GHz quad-core
.......................................1GB RAM, 4GB storage ..............................156 x 83 x 11mm
..........................................212g ...............................5.7-inch ...............720 x 1,280 pixels
.......................micro
GOCLEVER Fone 570Q I
f you’ve fancied getting in on the phablet action but find the Galaxy Note II a bit too rich for your tastes, then GOCLEVER has the answer. The Fone 570Q is basically a clone of the Note – near identical shape and design, same home button, it has the back button on the right instead of lef t, and even the water-drop sound effect w hen you turn the screen on and off seems Samsung- inspired. It’s less refined, though. It is thicker and noticeably heavier, and while it does come with a stylus stored in a silo, it’s a dumb stylus with none of the fancy tricks Samsung has packed into its S Pen. GOCLEVER is a European company making devices manufactured in China, and in the Fone 570Q has put together a well specced device at a good price. The build is all plastic but its heft gives it a solid feel. The button and por t placement sees everything in the right place, including the power button beneath your right thumb. The display is 720p, so acceptably crisp, but it’s not overly bright (especially on auto-brightness) and extremely reflective, so not ideally suited to outdoor use. There’s a noticeable air-gap between the front glass and the display panel itself, giving it the look of devices from previous generations. The software is largely stock Android 4.2 with a few rough edges, such as a crazily exag gerated
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GOCLEVER Fone 570Q
Can this Note clone fill that phablet-sized hole in your pocket?
bounce-back effect whenever you scroll to the end of a list. An apparently random set of ex tra apps has been pre-installed – you get both the Documents To Go Viewer app and the free Kingsoft Office for some reason – while some of the standard Google apps are absent. Fortunately this can be rectified, as most of the junkware can be easily removed, and the Google apps can be downloaded separately from the Play s tore. Performance for most tasks was fine. The phone is powered by a quad-core proces sor clocked at 1.2GHz, and it is smooth and responsive for everyday tasks, though this still is not a high-end gaming machine. There is support for two regular sized SIMs, plus a micro SD card (which you’ll need sharpish), all located beneath the battery cover. Onboard storage is extremely limited, with just around 1GB for apps and 1.5GB for other data. GPS performance was poor, taking far longer to get a fix than we would expect on any other device and not managing to at all indoors. Overall there’s little in the Fone 570Q to get excited about. It’s a big phone with a small price, and if that is your main priority then go ahead. But with uninspiring design, a mediocre screen and some performance issues, be sure to keep your expectations in check.
Samsung Galaxy Note 11 issue018
better than Performance Mostly fine for basic use, but a few issues in some places
Design A thicker and heavier version of the Note II, with a poor reflective reflecti ve screen
Features Basic feature set with nothing to add real excitement
Value for money Not too pricey for a large screen phone, but it’s relative to the features you get
Ver V erdi dict ct » A pretty mediocre phablet. Look around for a good offer on a Note to get your hands on the real deal
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Reviews
Archos 50 Platinum
The Archos 50 Platinum has a large, vibrant screen and supports two SIMs, but it doesn’t get everything right…
A
Two SIMS Under the backplate you will find slots for two SIM cards. Only one of them offers 3G connectivity, so the other will most likely be kept for calls only
Vanilla Android Android is unskinned here. That won’t necessarily mean the phone will get fast (or even any) OS updates, but it does mean smooth performance and a consistent, easy-to-use design
rchos has been around for a long while and has a solid name in mobile technology. It has a serious range of Android tablets in its portfolio that offer a good balance of value and performance. But it has taken the company a while to come to the smartphone sector. Archos has recently launched two phones, one with a 5.3-inch screen (the Archos 53 Platinum), and the Archos 50 Platinum which has a five-inch screen. It’s an interesting toe in the water, because both phones support two SIMs. The smaller of the pair, the Archos 50 Platinum is a relatively affordable £209 – a nifty price for a dual-SIM, large-screened Android handset. It is notable that only one SIM supports 3G so you’ll need to be careful about which you pop into which slot. The two slots are well labelled to help you though. Dual-SIM handsets are useful when you travel abroad and want a local SIM, or if you need to use a separate SIM for work – though in the
Neat With no branding on the front and classic good looks, the Archos 50 Platinum is nicely designed and understated
fo f or... 92
Trav T ravel el Use a second SIM while you are away, and avoid those pesky roaming charges
Review Archos 50 Platinum
information
Price £209 »
More information www.archos.com
Battery life We were really impressed by the battery – it’s above average for a small phone
techni tec hnical cal spe specs cs
Big Bi g The five-inch screen is large enough for video viewing or reading text comfortably. The resolution is one step below HD
latter case the speed restriction here will be an issue. It’s likely you’ll only want to use the 2G SIM slot for calls. The handset doesn’t do overly well at helping you differentiate between the SIMs in everyday use. You can’t label them, so that when you make a choice between them in the dialer, for example, it is SIM1 and SIM2 you are selecting between, not ‘home’ and ‘work’ or however you might label them. It’s a pity Archos has not been more sophisticated about the management features on offer, as there’s a whole lot more they could have done with it. Still, there’s a lot more to like about this phone. It is solidly made and feels sturdy in the hand. The curved edges look good. We like the minimal branding with nothing at all on the front, so that when the screen is off, the appearance is minimal. The Archos branding is on the shiny backplate. Headset and micro USB port sit on the top edge, volume and power buttons on the left and right edges respectively. Everything is where it should be for good ergonomics of use. Archos has broken under the 10mm barrier for thickness too, so the Archos 50 Platinum feels rather good in the hand despite its size. There’s nothing revolutionary about any of this, of course, but it is neatly done and ticks all the boxes you want a modern smartphone’s design to tick. The five-inch screen has 960 x 540 pixels on offer, and the screen is sharp and bright with good viewing angles. Again no new ground is broken here, but it should be easy to watch video, read text and generally work efficiently. We did encounter a problem with the screen though. The keyboard was remarkably difficult to use at times thanks to poor touch sensitivity,
Media streaming The music and video apps share features and make streaming a breeze
“It is neatly done and
ticks all the boxes you want a phone’s design to tick” which meant refusal to register some key presses and multiple registrations of others. A software update from Archos could fix this; let’s hope so because it is a serious blot. Archos has made some odd choices in a couple of respects. For a company that specialises in media it is irritating that the speaker is on the back where it gets easily muted, and the flat, in-ear buds are the least good design for staying in ears. Sound quality is reasonable, but not outstanding. Rather bizarrely the two cameras can’t shoot higher than 720p video, though the back camera can manage eight-megapixel stills. And most annoying of all for us is that there’s just 4GB of memory with a mere 1.2GB free for users. You will need the micro SD slot quickly. Android 4.1 is unskinned, with only a couple of apps having been added by way of music and video players. Both are good additions. As you’d expect from Archos they can connect to media servers and share files over Wi-Fi, and help to flesh out the multimedia experience quite nicely. The Archos 50 Platinum is a good entry to the smartphone world. It’s a neatly designed, good-value purchase, and with a few fixes and improvements on the software side of things, would have plenty to offer.
Reading The five-inch screen is comfy for eBook reading on the move
Video Vid eo
»Operating system...............Android 4.1.2 »Processor...................................Qualcomm 1.2GHz quad-core »Memory.......................................1GB RAM, 4GB storage »Dimensions..............................143.4 x 72.4 x 8.9mm »Weight ..........................................160.2g »Display size...............................Five-inch »Display resolution...............960 x 540 pixels »Expansion slot.......................micro SD
Archos 50 ZTE Blade III
issue026
HTC One Mini
issue029
Performance A couple of issues with the touchscreen need fixing ASAP with new firmware
Design Neat and understated design, if not ground-breaking
Features A solid set of specs behind the unskinned Android OS
Value for money Well priced for what is a generally well specced phone
Ver V erdi dict ct » A good smartphone from Archos but it needs a firmware update before it can be fully recommended
The large screen also makes watching video a pleasure – if not quite in HD
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Accessories
Ver ersus sus VP3 VP350 50 Photo Pl Plus us
Pain-free wireless printing from any Android device
T
he Photo Plus is one of the firs t wireless printers specifically built for Android devices, enabling users to directly print their photographs in seconds. It benefits from being extremely light and portable, but the lack of full A4 printing may put off some people. Design wise, the Photo Plus is a rather unassuming unit, with a single micro USB port located on the top and a paper tray located at the front. Apart f rom the DC cord needed to power the unit, there are no wires or complicated menus to worry about. Changing the ink cartridge is easy too through a handy side panel. To use the printer, you’ll need the accompanying app; again this works well and makes selecting a photo to print easy. There aren’t many options for users to customise how they want their photos to print, but the basics are taken care of f. From our experience, printing results are a decidedly mixed bag, with some photos looking surprisingly grainy and some images completely washed out, but for the most part we were happy wi th the overall quality of our printed photos. Although the Versus VP350 does have some initial teething problems, it will offer a quick and easy solution to print your photos directly from any Android smartphone or tablet.
Accompanying Accompanyin g app Alongside the printer is a free app available from the Google Play store. Through the app you can select the photo you want to print, create a collage of your images and even alter some basic printing settings
Print quality Although the large majority of your photos will print out in high quality, you may find occasionally that your images will print out looking washed out or slightly on the grainy side
» specification Price £139.99/$TBA More information www.versusuk.com
» verdict Performance Design Value A few problems deter from what’s otherwise a solid wireless printer for Android
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Changing ink By removing the panel located on the side of the VP350, you can quickly change the ink cartridge. You’ll also want to remove this panel if you’re trying to sort out a pesky paper jam
A c c e s s o r i e s
£39.99/$79.99 www.nudeaudio.com
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Take your fitness regime to the next level Despite its small stature, the Fitbit Zip is a comprehensive fitness tracker that tracks the calories you’ve burnt while exercising. Its small plastic exterior feels well made and it includes a small hook that can be used to attach it to your body while exercising. Included on the front of the Zip is a small LCD screen that tracks the distance and steps you’ve covered and a selection of icons which indicate battery life and connectivity. Alongside the Zip is the official Fitbit app that is used to store all your tracked data and measures your overall progress and lets you interact with other users through its forum system.
» Price £49.99/$77.99 » More information www.mobilefun.co.uk
ColcaSac Colc aSac Uintah Uintah Trendy bag to transport your smartphones and tablets The Unitah may look like your standard satchel, but it includes a range of compartments for you to store your smartphones, tablets and laptops in. Each pocket is layered with a wool- like material which stops any scratches when moving about, and also keeps the device fairly still as well. If you do take advantage of the range of pockets and compartments available, you’ll find you won’t be left with much space for any other everyday items you’ll want to travel with. There’s also an issue with the Velcro strips used to keep the covering flap attached, as they came loose frequently.
» Price £64.95/$124.95 » More information www.gearzap.com
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Accessories
Tablet treat treats s Enjoy a more complete tablet experience with these great accessories
Edifier Bric Connect » Price £TBA/$99.99 » More information www.edifer-international.com
Thanks to its Bluetooth capabilities, connecting your tablet to this speaker is easy. Although it isn’t as portable as we’d have liked, its powerul drivers really help push out some amazing sounds, and its sleek design means it’ll ft in well into most decors. There’s a remote control included, but you’ll soon fnd it a bit redundant when you can simply control the Bric Connect using your tablet instead.
Editor’s ChoiCE
Tylt Y-Charge Y-Charge + Syncable » Price £29.99/$29.99 » More information www.tylt.com
There are plenty o reasons why the Tylt Y-Charge + Syncable is a antastic product. First and oremost it allows or dual-charging o both your tablet and smartphone at the same time thanks to the 2.1 amp Y-Charge unit. It also includes a dual-USB car charger to help keep your tablet ticking over while you’re out and about. We also really like the act that this cable and unit combo includes a non-tangled wire that can be an issue or products o this type.
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Xo X oopar SPIDER » Price £TBA/$30.00 » More information www.xoopardesign.com
Even though the Xoopar SPIDER may look like a bit o a novelty charger, it provides an invaluable source o power or tablet users. Once connected to your tablet, the ascia o the Spider will glow to represent the current level o charge, and the amount o time required beore you need to charge the Spider itsel. The charger also comes with a silicone case that houses a micro USB cable, meaning there’s little clutter with this tiny unit.
Editor’s ChoiCE Choi CE
CleanSeal » Price £9.99/$15.99 » More information www.mobileun.co.uk
No matter which tablet you use, fngerprints will always be your worst enemy. CleanSeal is a simple cleaning ormula that looks to keep any sized tablet screen squeaky clean. As well as removing fngerprints, the liquid also adds a resistive layer to the top o your tablet to keep it sae rom scus and scratches. For the most part, the liquid works well, but it struggles to get rid o any deep marks on your tablet screen. The accompanying cloth is also too small or most tablet screens.
DAGi Touch Panel Stylus » Price £22.95/$35.99 » More information www.mobileun.co.uk
For those looking or a simple and no-rills stylus, then the DAGi stylus might be perect or you. Its lightweight body eels good in hand and the rubberised nib is perect or all sizes o tablets. What makes it even better to use is its impressive angled use, which enables you to move the st ylus in dierent directions and ultimately hold it in a position that makes your hand comortable. You don’t get the same level o precision as you would with a more costly stylus, but this does the job or those on a budget.
Kensington Folio Case for Galaxy Galaxy Tab
A c c e s s o r i e s
» Price ££39.99/$39.99 » More information www.kensington.com
Simplicity is key or this Folio case, as it not only fts the Samsung Galaxy Tab, but any other seven-inch tablet. It’s easy enough to get the tablet into position and the tight grip o the covering leather keeps the tablet in place. Each port has been let uncovered or easy access and the cover can be transormed into a stand i you need it.
Cross Tech3 Tech3 stylus stylus » Price £55.00/$55.00 » More information www.cross.com
As well as containing your standard rubberised ending to be used on your tablet, the Tech3 also includes a ballpoint pen, precision pencil and red editing pen that can all be accessed by simply twisting the shat o the stylus. It’s surprisingly lightweight, but noticeably bulkier than many o the styluses we usually see, which may put o some potential buyers. It works incredibly well, however, and i you can get past the sizing issue, then the Tech3 stylus is a worthwhile, i expensive, investment.
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From Terry Used
Vick Nexus 4
NEXT MONTH BEST NEW ANDROID GEAR ON TEST Galaxy Note 3, Xperia Z1 and Chromecast reviewed in depth
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