How do you use Android Jelly Bean version 4.2?

Last month, Google released Android version 4.2... an upgrade on the July-released Jelly Bean. It's pretty sweet.

You know how you dismiss the upgrade iTunes reminders dozens of times before eventually upgrading, and more often than not you don't see a change? (Ok, to be fair iTunes is a solid program, which I do use.) Well, not so with Android upgrades. Upgrades always seem zippier, smoother, and just cool feature-filled. The camera in 4.2, in addition to changes in the notifications bar capabilities are probably the biggest changes. Feature-by-feature, this is what's new in Android Jelly Bean, version 4.2:

• Any HDMI-enabled TV can display what's on your Android, wirelessly. All you need is a wireless display adapter, and your phone can beam to the TV.
• A feature that I thought pretty whatever until I thought about it more is the phone's screensaver mode. Like a computer, instead of just going black, your screen can default to a screensaver-style display. This could be slideshows of your gallery pics, your news feeds, etc. It's pretty neat. Think about it.
• Before Jelly Bean, notifications were simply info and a port to open the app where you take action; now you can actually choose some options from notifications. For example, if you have a reminder pop up, you could choose to email the participants or dismiss the reminder right from the drag-down notifications bar.
• Battery life is improved in this Android version, through a brilliant feature in which your fingers on the screen increase CPU usage, which goes semi-standby when not in use. Touchscreen and speed improvements are noticeable... zippy is my word of choice.
• Now we've all seen the spectacular Samsung Galaxy S3 commercials, in which device owners share content just by touching the phones. Did you know the S3 isn't the only phone that can do this? Android Beam is a new program that uses a tap to wirelessly beam just about anything on the screen between two phones with the program.
• Widgets (my number one reason to prefer Android over iPhone) have taken a big step in this version. Now when you drop a widget on your screen, instead of that irritating message that it doesn't fit, which causes you to lose the widget you were holding and have to dig it up again, now other widgets will resize to make room for the new one. That's very friendly of them, don't you think? 
• Google Now makes your phone into even more of a personal assistant. You get weather every morning, location-based info such as train schedules, etc. Google searching has also improved, as well as capability to browse the web with your voice.
• The Photo Sphere camera is a huge improvement in Jelly Bean 4.2. Basically, the camera shoots in all directions, and joins the photos together, rather like a very intelligent, vertical and horizontal panorama software.
• Last, and probably least, Google is now excited about gesture typing. But I already knew about gesture typing, and I already like Swype (see this article about the Swype keyboard) muchly, so I'm not excited about this. Sorry, Google.

This Android 4.2 upgrade of Jelly Bean is pretty impressive. I love software developers that understand the importance of upgrades upgrading something.

How Do You Know Android? (Best Apps of 2012)

Between Christmas and New Year's is a funny time; we're done with the carols and the cranberry sauce, but we're not ready for 40 hours. Those among us on a schedule have it easy: no decision -- days off and work days. It's the self-employed who have that intense decision regarding the proper amount to work during the holidays. Well, 15 hours it is. I always say why work 40 hours a week and earn a steady income, when you could work 90+ hours a week and just pray the money follows the effort?  Ah, yes... self-employment is the life. By which I mean you have to be out of your mind to dive head first into self-employment. Thankfully, I am. Deeply. And what does this have to do with Androids, you may ask. Little... very little.

Google just released its best apps of 2012 list, which usually attracts a bit of attention. Everyone has best of lists, but Google's seems more authoritative to me. In no particular order, let's welcome the Google's choice BEST APPS OF 2012 TO HowDoYouAndroid.com!
 *WHISTLES AND APPLAUDING*

TED:
A brilliant way to redeem time spent in lines or waiting rooms, the TED app gathers those talks and conferences that would have been life-altering to attend. Now you can alter your life via your Android. From the Google Play Store description: "TED's official Android app presents talks from some of the world's most fascinating people: education radicals, tech geniuses, medical mavericks, business gurus, and music legends."
Get TED for Android from the Google Play Store here.

Pixlr Express:
This beautiful little app has a gorgeous UI, making it easy to add any effect you'd like to a picture, or to edit and refine. There are a lot of picture editing apps, so it's nice to know this is the one Google itself considers the best.
Get Pixlr Express for Android from the Google Play Store here.

SeriesGuide Show Manager:
The Show Manager app is just a streamlined way to keep track of what's playing when. In addition to finding the next showing of an episode you missed, you can also share episodes with friends. A convenient feature is the offline mode.
Get SeriesGuide Show Manager for Android from the Google Play Store here.

Mint.com Personal Finance:
Mint.com's financial planning service is widely used from computers, but now there's a beautiful edition for tabs and smartphones... and for some crazy reason, it's free. From the Google Play Store description, "Mint pulls in all your personal finance accounts into one place, so you can manage your money form anywhere. Track your spending, create a budget, and save more."
Get Mint.com Personal Finance for Android from the Google Play Store here.

Fancy:
I don't know what the Fancy app icon is. A popsicle? A wig on a stand? A sagging umbrella? Help me out, people... what is that? I refuse to write a description of an app with an unidentifiable icon; here's the Google Play Store description: "Discover amazing stuff, collect the things you love, unlock crazy good deals. Fancy is the place to discover, collect and buy from a crowd-curated catalog of amazing goods, wonderful places and great stores. Part store, magazine and wishlist, Fancy is the best place to buy great things. Use Fancy to find a gift for any occasion and share your favorite discoveries with all your friends."
Get Fancy for Android from the Google Play Store here.

Ancestry:
Everyone knows about ancestry.com... figure out the cool or crazy people from whom you've descended. Actually an interesting study. This app does the same and more, with capability to grow your own family tree, adding members and inserting pictures.
Get Ancestry for Android from the Google Play Store here.

Expedia:
A mobile version of Expedia seems particularly useful to me... if one needs Expedia, one is most likely traveling; therefore, portability is essential. You can book your flights and hotel rooms, and even use provided discount codes and offers.
Get Expedia for Android from the Google Play Store here.

Pocket:
Pocket is a mobile e-reader, but not like Kindle or Nook... this one is for news articles, videos, etc. The purpose of this app is to save, in your "pocket", documents or media you encounter, to take out and read later. Pretty cool.
Get Pocket for Android from the Google Play Store here.

Grimm's Snow White:
This app is an interactive pop-up fairy tale book, for children. The award-winner app developer has created an Android app version of the classic brothers Grimm fairy tale.
Get Grimm's Snow White for Android from the Google Play Store here.

Pinterest:
You knew it would be on the list... here's Pinterest. Does it need an explanation? Ok, ok... it's social networking with pictures. Create galleries to share what you like with friends, even posting captions.
Get Pinterest for Android from the Google Play Store here.

Evernote:
I like this icon. It's an elephant; I can tell because it looks like an elephant. Fancy, please take note. Evernote is like those little memo apps that usually come pre-installed on your phone, but it also has to-do lists, picture capability, record voice reminders, etc. I say ditch the little memo app, and use Evernote, which does everything in one convenient place.
Get Evernote for Android from the Google Play Store here.

Zappos:
Buying online is convenient, but paying shipping is lousy, and the inconvenience/expense of returns makes it a bother. That's why my favorite aspect of Zappos is the free shipping and returns. Zappos carries about any item in any brand you can think of, making it a great go-to business for any shopper. The portability brought with this Android apps improves the experience that much more.
Get Zappos for Android from the Google Play Store here.

And that's Google's best of 2012 list. I can't say that my list would be quite identical, but until I make Forbes 500, I'll be just one more; I'm waiting until I have credibility to blow the world wide web away with my best of's.

How do you track Starbucks cards and rewards on an Android?

I don't know why we pay $6 for a cup of coffee, but we do. If someone would just organize us all so Starbucks doesn't make a single sale for a week, that might encourage them to bring their prices down near the price of coffee in the rest of the country. I would, but I'm busy that day.

Since I can't help by organizing a boycott, instead I'll help by making it easier to spend money at Starbucks. If you can't beat 'em...

There is, of course, a Starbucks app in the Google Play Store. Download the app here, and sign into your account to see all cards on your account, review your stars, see if you have any rewards ready, locate nearby Starbucks locations, pay and even reload your cards, etc. I find it convenient to walk into Starbucks carrying just my phone, and to skip digging my wallet out of my purse, which slid under the back seat, in the drive thru.

Best of all, the Starbucks app has a super-convenient widget (but of course not for sad, in-the-box iPhone users... for your own sakes, my friends, be free!). The widget sits happily on my second homescreen, showing me my card balance, number of stars, and the option to find a nearby location. Unfortunately my balance is rather lacking at the moment...but actually that's a good thing, because it reminded me of a piece of Starbucks advice that might help you forgive my lack of motivation in the boycott department: rather than buying a "peppermint mocha", try a dark roast coffee with a shot or two of peppermint and a shot or two of mocha, and add some cream and sugar. I think it's better, because I prefer coffee a tad less sweet than most of Starbucks' holiday offerings, and it's about half the price. There you go... that's my frugal advice. And this is what the widget looks like (See how my cup is gold? That's because I'm a gold member. With all the rights and privileges... and you expected me to boycott?):

How do you get movie theater information on an Android?

My favorite new movies always seem to be released in the month of December; summer action flicks can be fun, but I find that pre-Christmas releases more often catch my attention... such as the nostalgic continuation of the Peter Jackson/J.R.R. Tolkien collaboration, in the form of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which made its appearance just yesterday.

Until recently, you had to reserve tickets either by calling the theater or by pulling up the website on a computer or tab. Fandango's app has now added ticket-purchasing capability for over 20,000 movie theaters, which means you can see what's playing, watch trailers, check showtimes, and buy your tickets all in this one app.

The Fandango app, which has won three Webby awards, uses GPS to show you movies playing around your location in the next hour, lists most tweeted movies, allows you to sign up for alerts indicating when a movie hits your theater, and can operate in tandem with your Android's Voice Actions function, in addition to all the other features you expect in a movie app.

Click here to get the Fandango App from the Google Play Store

How do you manage Christmas gift-giving on an Android?

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year; we know because Johnny Mathis has been reminding us since October. A particularly special aspect of this season is the mad rush to find a decent Christmas present for all of them. This year, I discovered an Android app that is actually quite helpful. The app, called Gift Buddy, helps you keep track of who you've already purchased presents for and who's left... but that's nothing special; tons of apps do that. The aspect of this app that I found interesting is its gift suggestions.

From the Google Play Store description of the app: "Your trusted partner for gift recommendations! Results powered by gifts.com. Gift buddy is a gift recommendations application offering recommendations on various dimensions - recipient type, personality type, occasions, by product category. Users can mix and match search criteria for targeted recommendations." 

I hope this suggestion will ease your Christmas stress a tad. Click here to download the app from the Google Play Store.

Oh, and don't get me wrong; joking aside, Christmas is a special time of year for me... beyond the festive atmosphere and the wonderful time with family and friends, it is a reminder of Jesus' astounding sacrifice in becoming human so He could take our punishment and provide a way to Heaven.

"Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities: upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53: 4-5 (ESV)

How do you get Adobe Flash Player on an Android?

On August 15, 2012, Adobe pulled its Flash Player from the Google Play Store. What a way to celebrate the birthday of my friend in Vermont, I'm sure you're thinking. No? Just me? .... Oh, ok.

Until recently, if a website had media-rich interactive content, it needed add-on's like the Adobe Flash Player and JavaScript to make the content display and function properly. Now HTML5 (HTML, hypertext markup language, is the language websites are written in) has that function built into it, rendering an add-on redundant. Clearly this is much more streamlined, but RIP, mobile Adobe Flash Player. Actually, Adobe is behind HTML5 as well, so they replaced their own product... much less solemn.

The question, then, is why would you want the Flash Player on your phone, if it's been replaced by HTML5 so smoothly that developers expect few to notice the change? Because many websites are not yet on HTML5, and still have Flash content that is hidden or malfunctioning on our mobiles, without Flash.

This is not one of those complicated delve into your command prompt scenarios; it's really easy. Go to this page of archived Flash Player versions, and page down about 5 times, until you reach the Android versions. Find your correct version of Android (as always, let me know in a comment if you need help) and click to download that Flash Player version. Your computer will probably pop up a message saying it doesn't know what program to use in opening the file, after the download is complete. Dismiss the message, and navigate to this site. Click Browse Files, and in the box that pops up click Downloads, in the top left corner. Make sure this page is sorted by most-recent first, so the file you downloaded will be the first. Click that top file, which ends in .apk. The website will then convert your file into a format that can be installed on your phone. Use your phone's code scanner to scan the QR that the website will produce after a few minutes of processing. At this point, the Flash Player is downloading on your phone.

How do you choose an Android-related Christmas present?

I'm currently in web design mode, so I wanted to post on a mobile web design topic, but 'tis the season, so web design will have to wait. See picture for more information:

Instead, we shall discuss how to use Android to come up with more Christmas present options for those impossible people you know. These are my top suggestions, with details below:

• Portable speakers
• A portable power pack (see this post for details about why it's an important purchase)
• A unique case
• A Google Play Store gift card
• Subscription to music streaming program, such as Rhapsody

For portable speakers, I like the X-Mini II, which comes in black, pink, or red, and is very well-rated:

          

If you have a few more dollars to spend, try the exciting new product of the season: Beats by Dr. Dre Pill. This one comes in white, black or red:

          

This Power Pack from Motorola is sleek and convenient:

A case is only a good present if you (1) know what case the person wants, such as an Otterbox  or an Incipio, or (2) make it a unique case that shows you know the recipient's taste. For example, were I to purchase this gift for my dog-loving sister, I would look for a case with paw prints; or, for my friend in Missouri, I might try an m&m's-themed case. I came across this product and got distracted from my case search, so instead of a link to a paw prints case, I will not help you at all, by providing:

Next, consider a Google Play Store credit, so your friend can choose some paid apps to purchase. While an easy gift, it's more unique than, say, an Olive Garden gift card:

          

Lastly, I think a year-long subscription to Rhapsody, Spotify, or another paid music streaming app would be a really fun present... one that any music-lover would particularly enjoy (and aren't we all music-lovers, really?), and obviously one that is customized to preference, since Frank Sinatra, Taio Cruz, and Lecrae are all found in this same place. The apps are free to install, but then at either an upgrade or the expiration of the free trial, payment is required.

How do you compete with Siri, on an Android?

Do you think it's logical that Siri, the alternative to the earlier-released Android voice command program, is considered, by popular opinion, to dominate the voice command aspect of smartphones? Odd, considering that Android's came out first and, in unbiased tests, typically is declared the winner by a small margin. Do you know why, against all odds, Siri is more widely popular than Android's Voice Actions? Because of her name -- Siri; it's fun to say. Well, allow me to explain why this, once again, backs up Android-lovers' claim that the Android smartphone is customizable to be my perfect smartphone, not Steve Job's perfect smartphone. iPhone users must call their robotic assistant Siri; that is her name. It just so happens that I would prefer to name my own voice command program. Her name is Layla. What is yours named?

Now let us compare Siri and Layla. I don't hide that I am biased toward Android (but my bias is founded in fact... I decided Android was better, and then became biased), but I do try to be fair in my comparisons. Siri is, in most points, comparable to Layla. Both can, with few errors, transcribe texts and emails, play music, call contacts, search the web, transcribe notes, open webpages, give navigation directions... and much more. When asked to navigate to a website, Layla is superior; she will pull up the site homepage, while Siri will usually pull up a search engine page with the site's links, adding an extra step. Siri also has what I would call an inferior navigation system. iPhone ironically now has access to Google Maps, but this is not what Siri uses when asked to navigate to an address, meaning no turn-by-turn directions directly from her. The navigate feature on my Android is one I've used extensively (it's especially convenient if I'm wearing non-touchscreen compatible gloves, and Layla can do the work for me), and have actually encountered no problems. Compared side-by-side with my Siri-toting friends, Layla was faster, more accurate, and found my destination without fail. Layla can also be asked to call a business that is not in my contacts, and she will track down the number, then dial it. Siri requires extra steps to get to the point of placing the call.

Get Voice Actions for Android here, if it is not yet installed on your smartphone. And don't forget to give him or her the name you think your personal assistant should have.

How do you get rid of the voicemail notification on an Android?

Quite a few times, I have listened to a voicemail (that's the notification shown in the far left of the bar above), pressed 7 to delete it, and exited, only to discover the voicemail notification was still peering up at me from my notifications bar. I find this insignificant problem maddening. And it took me quite a few tries of redialing my voicemail inbox, knowing I didn't actually have an unheard voicemail, but attempting again to remove that icon, before I discovered the solution.

One time, early in my smartphone experience, the ridiculous malfunction my brilliant Android displayed had me irate. I held my number 1 key and mashed in my password, with the intention of letting the message play the whole way through, to see if that would fix it. I was engaging in un-American sentiment, holding my phone guilty until proven innocent; I did in fact have an unheard message. That is why I caution you to verify your phone's guilt before attempting my solution.

Now the solution: if your phone displays a new voicemail notification, but you are confident you do not have a new voicemail, simply call your Android from another phone, and leave a voicemail. Now when you dial into your inbox from your Android, your phone should return to normal function, which would be to remove the (now accurate) notification that you have a new voicemail, once you have listened and deleted it.

How do you play (and what is) Ingress for Android?

Mid-November, Google itself released a beta of an augmented reality mobile game called Ingress. As always, Google is starting trends and blowing away expectations; this social game has revolutionized mobile gaming... and it's not even out of beta. Because it is location-based and highly social, Ingress isn't the game for those of us who value our privacy; but let's be honest -- we're the minority. For those who hold to the view that the all-powerful they know whether we intend to reveal it or not (which point is probably valid), this is one intriguing game. I am not going to be joining the gamers, but this game has caught my attention... primarily because of the brilliant marketing that accompanied its release.

The premise of Ingress is the discovery of a new energy, by a team of scientists in Europe, that appears to be influencing people's minds. You can play as "The Enlightened," who embrace the power, or "The Resistance," who oppose the power. This game has surpassed all other games that use the real world as the setting, making the universe of the game part of reality. As Ingress' description on the Play Store puts it:

"The World is the Game
Move through the real world using your Android device and the Ingress app to discover and tap sources of this mysterious energy. Acquire objects to aid in your quest, deploy tech to capture territory, and ally with other players to advance the cause of the Enlightened or the Resistance."

Download the game here.

Ingress has already caught the smartphone world by storm, and I expect growth of the Ingress trend to continue a while longer. Do you think Android-owner Google will release an iPhone version of this incredible game? Neither do I. Where does that leave iPhone-owners? In line to buy an Android.

Come to the dark side; we have cookies.

How do you add widgets to your home screen?

An Android widget is like a regular icon for an app, in that when touched it opens that app. The difference between a simple icon for an app and a widget for an app,  though, is that a widget has a smaller or simplified version of the app right there on your homepage, as well as linking to the full app. This is a screenshot of my current home page, with the top three items widgets (unfortunately my Starbucks widget doesn't fit on this page, and is pushed out to screen 2):

Let's take The Weather Channel app and widget as an example. You download the Weather Channel app from the Google Play Store, and you set the icon on your homepage. Now when you touch that icon, you get to the weather page, where you can see the forecast for your location. The widget for the Weather Channel app, however, will show you what location's weather is currently showing, the current temperature, and the high/low for today and tomorrow... all constantly visible on your home page (or whichever page you put the widget on). If you touch the widget, you'll be brought to the full weather.com app, where you can see the 10-day forecast, hourly forecast, change locations, etc.

If you touch and hold a blank spot on your home screen, you will see the option for widgets. Touch that and you'll be brought to a list of all widgets available for your currently-installed apps. A widget will not show up in this menu if you don't have the app installed... part of installing the app will be adding its widget to the list, if it has that capability.

This feature is a really special aspect of Android, that iPhone users envy. The ability to actually see a bit of info or do a little something without opening the app is a very useful feature that you should start to take advantage of, if you don't already.

How do you know Android? (Amazon and Android)

I'm excited; this is from an interview with Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO, by Charlie Rose:

Bezos: "I will have to decline to answer that question."
Rose: "Because it might incriminate you?"
Bezos: "I'll just have to ask you to stay tuned. There are a bunch of rumors. I agree that there are a bunch of rumors that we might do a phone."
Rose: "Of course, that answer leads us to believe that you are going to do it. You're just waiting for the right opportunity."
Bezos: "Well, you'll just have to wait and see."

(I recommend reinserting the laughter that played a roll in this bit of the interview. Read it again, with the laughter, to take away the Woah... obnoxious! feeling. Better?)

Amazon's pattern of excellence is why I'm keeping posted on this all-but-confirmed Amazon phone saga, despite my love for the Samsung Galaxy S3. Like the Kindle Fire tablet, this currently unannounced Amazon phone would run on the Android operating system, with Amazon's little Kindle twist. I actually like it when manufacturers do a little tweaking of the Android OS, like HTC does with its HTC Sense; it gives us some nice choices. Though rumors are flying, there are very few nailed-down facts right now, giving details about this mysterious phone.

So when will it be released, and what are its specs going to be? Yes, exactly. *sigh* 
Keep an eye out for that news, and rest assured that whatever Amazon's secret is, it will be worth investigating once it's here.

How do you get back into an Android if you forgot the password?

There are several options here, from an easy Forgot my password scenario, to a violent, Self-destruct. It's for your own good, my darling! scenario. Shall we start with the simpler solutions?

If you have your Android password-protected, chances are you've had this chilling experience. I once set up a pattern password, just testing features. It was that kind of star that starts with a V, then traces down to the left and right bottom points, then back up to connect to the first point. This is my Star Password Story: "Enter your password. Swishy, swishy. Verify your password. Swishy, swishy. Password set up. Cool... now to test. *Lock button* Swishy, swishy. Invalid password. *?* Swishy, swishy. Invalid password. *?!?* SWISHY, SWISHY! Invalid password." How does my Star Password Story end? ... I don't remember. But I'm happy to report my phone is still with us today; I did get back in, somehow. And now that you've been intrigued by my gripping story, I shall lay out methods so that you, too, can get back into your phone, despite the invalid password.

Since you are at this point of searching the web for solutions, I assume you've already tried several re-enters. The first thing to try now is calling your Android from another phone. If your phone is capable of multitasking, while the call is open go to Settings and remove the password. If you can't navigate while in a call, try hanging up on the Android, using the back button, home button, or end button, and try hanging up from the other phone, to see if any of these will leave the phone unlocked, so you can get to the settings.

If the calling method fails, either enter your password (incorrectly, I assume), 5 or 8 or so times, or touch the "Forgot password" link, and you'll be prompted to enter your Google sign-in info. I highly recommend entering it correctly, as there are reports that incorrect entries can wipe your phone. Log onto your computer to verify your password, if there is any question of what, exactly, is capitalized. If you have no idea what your password is, navigate to a Google sign-in page on your computer, and go through the "Forgot my password" process there. Once the password is recovered, return to your phone. If you can't get your password tracked down, try this: enter your username, and put null in the password  field. I have not tried this myself, but I have heard multiple reports that it works, surprisingly enough.

If all previous suggestions have failed, it's time to enter more risky territory. Almost all Androids have a hard reset feature, that can be accessed using the buttons on the body of the phone; very useful, when one can't get into the phone. The specific combination of power button, home button, and volume buttons that will access the master reset menu varies by device, and incorrect combinations can cause damage to your phone, so verify your Android's method, rather than experimenting. (Tell me your phone model and I'll get you the info, if you need a hand.) Once you've gotten into the master reset menu, review your options, and most likely settle on the Master Reset option, which will wipe all info from your phone (including your password), but will leave whatever is on your MicroSD card.

The last method is a Remote Wipe, which Google offers. From Google's support site, here are the instructions (I hope one of you is humming a funeral march... Requiem Mass would be a good choice).

To remote wipe a lost or stolen device:

1. Sign in to your Google Apps control panel.
2. Click Settings > Mobile.
3. In the Devices tab, hover your cursor over the user whose device you want to wipe.
4. Click Remote Wipe in the box that appears.
5. A second box appears asking you to confirm that you want to remotely wipe the device. If you are sure you want to wipe the device, click Wipe Device.

How do you lower an Android phone bill?

Did you know that it's no longer uncool to have a contract-less (prepaid or pay-as-you-go) phone? I am very opposed to contracts, like Verizon or Sprint offer. I have researched phone carriers extensively, and arrived at the conclusion that Straight Talk is the best option.

I used Virgin Mobile happily for a while, and they are the best if you're happy with limited minutes. Virgin Mobile's plans are restarted each month, and they offer unlimited text, unlimited data, and 300 minutes for $35, which is phenomenal; however, 300 minutes isn't going to be enough for most people. Their next plan is $45/month, which gets you up to 1,200 minutes; at this point you're paying $45, so you might as well be using Straight Talk, which is $45/month for unlimited talk, text, and data.

One very cool thing about Straight Talk is that using this provider gives you the option to have practically any phone you want, because of their "Bring Your Own Phone" program. Any GSM (meaning uses a SIM card) phone that is unlocked, T-Mobile, or AT&T (or a Straight Talk phone, of course) will work with Straight Talk. Regarding how good coverage will be for these phones: Straight Talk or unlocked phones use Verizon's prepaid towers, while AT&T or T-Mobile phones through Straight Talk use the AT&T or T-Mobile towers. That means your coverage is premium... the same coverage as if you were using the providers directly. Like Virgin Mobile, Straight Talk is prepaid, so every month (unless you pay for multiple months at once) you restart your plan.

So Straight Talk offers $45/month for unlimited everything, and the widest phone selection you'll find anywhere -- do you know of a better carrier?

How do you install/uninstall apps on an Android?

There are two ways to access apps (which is short for applications) for an Android phone.

The first way is from your phone itself. One of the apps that your phone had when you got it, that can't be uninstalled, is called Play Store (it may be called the Market, but the first time you open the Market you'll be prompted to upgrade it to the newer version, the Play Store). Touch this, and you'll have access to the 563,000 and counting Android apps. You can look through top free apps, top paid apps (if you feel you should; there are enough free apps that paying is rather a waste of money, for the most part), top recommended apps, etc... you can also search by keyword (like flashlight or memo) or by app name (like Angry Birds or Instogram). Once you locate an app you're interested in, touch it and you'll see its description, reviews, some screenshots, and the option to install it. Helpful hint: if an app isn't compatible with your phone, it's not going to show up in the Play Store on your phone.

The second way to get at apps is from your computer, by navigating to https://play.google.com/store. Here, like on your phone, you can look at top apps and you can search for apps. However, all apps will come up, compatible with your phone or not. Since you're signed into Google on your phone and your computer, the Play Store from your computer will do a quick check, after you open an app page on your computer, and will let you know if it is compatible with your device. You can click to install the app from your computer, and verify that Google is sending it to the right device. Within a few seconds, you should see something installing on your phone.

To uninstall an app using your phone, go to your phone's settings, then Manage Applications. Open the "Downloaded" tab, and find the app. Touch it, and from there uninstall. Your second option to uninstall apps, still using your phone, is to open the Play Store, then touch the menu, then "My Apps." Touch the app you're trying to uninstall, and you'll see that uninstall option. From your computer, open the play store website, and click the "My Android Apps" page. You can click to uninstall apps from here. A second option from your computer is to search for the app, which Google will recognize that you have installed, and give you the option to uninstall.

How do you buy an Android cheap, on eBay?

I've been buying and selling on eBay for years, and have really fine-tuned my process, particularly in the electronics department. I have a very specific system that has been proven repeatedly (a friend recently bought a Wii console for a steal, using my system), which is going to help you buy an expensive Android smartphone significantly below market value.
In order to follow this system, all you need is an eBay account and a PayPal account. If you don't have those, then set them up. If you don't know how to set them up, well I don't know what you expect of me -- this site is about Androids, not the world wide web. No, I think you know me better than that, by now. If you need any help in the account creation process, just let me know in a comment and I'll give you a hand.

Ok, now you've got your accounts, go to the eBay website. Let's assume you're looking for the Samsung Galaxy S III (yes, I should choose a different example phone once in a while... but I just love this beast). In eBay's search box, type, "Samsung Galaxy S (3,three,iii)" WITH the quotation marks (quotation marks means all these words exactly in this order; the parentheses means any of these words). Now, on the left side, click to only show the category "Cell phones and accessories" and then "Cell phones and smartphones," then scroll down a bit, and choose the carrier you need, again on the left (if you are choosing between a few, you can click the "choose more" option). Just under the search box, there are tabs for what kind of auction you have showing; click the one for "Buy it now only." Almost finished now... next, from the drop down menu on the top right, choose to sort by "Time listed: newly listed." The last specification you need to add is condition. Click "Choose more," under condition, on the left side. Select all options except for "For parts or repair."
At this point, your search is all set up. Click to save the search (so that if you don't find any options the first time you try this, you won't have to set it all up when you try again tomorrow), right around the search box, but un-check the box to receive emails... you'll get too many. You need to know what price you're looking for (my helpfulness knows no bounds... tell me what phone you're looking for, and I can recommend a good maximum price to aim for, on eBay), and now you're ready to shop. You can also set a maximum price to show (same place on the left side), if you'd like to rule out more. All you're doing is leaving this search open, and refreshing the page as often as you feel like, to show the new results. What you're looking for is someone who listed the phone without realizing or without caring what its actual value is. The reason it has to be buy it now only is because if you leave the regular auction style listing in the mix, it doesn't matter what price it's listed at -- the bidders know how high they're willing to go, which will be approximately market value. You need the ones that are listed with the option to purchase immediately, so you can snap it up before anyone else realizes that gem is listed inexpensively.
Now let's say you found a phone that looks like a good possibility. How do you check quickly that everything is in order, so you can make a quick decision, not a hasty decision? First thing you look for is the item's condition... make sure it functions 100% as it should, and make sure there are no cracks, etc. I typically don't mind a bit of scratching, but I do avoid cracks. If the listing doesn't give the cosmetic and functional condition, send an email. Since the listing just started, hopefully the seller is still online and can answer quickly. Next, make sure the shipping charge is factored into the total you're considering. Lastly, look at the seller's feedback score. It should definitely be 95% or above, unless there are just a handful of feedbacks, in which case you need to look at the actual feedback, to make sure there wasn't just one loon who gave a negative without a real reason.
If you get the phone and something is wrong, check it against the listing. If the mistake was yours... well, oops (I recommend avoiding mistakes); if there is something that does not match the listing, then contact the seller in a very polite manner (avoid accusations... the seller will usually treat you with respect, if you set that tone). If the seller will not cooperate, open an eBay Buyer Protection case, which will get you 100% of your money back, and eBay will provide you with a return label, so you don't even pay return shipping.
Follow these instructions carefully, and ask if you have any questions. This is an excellent system, which has saved me $100's. It is not, however, as safe as buying from, say, Verizon (which carrier I do not support... prepaid is the only option I ever consider). I have never had any experiences that could not be resolved, following this method, but I am not taking responsibility for your experiences.

How do you move contacts from an old phone to an Android phone?

If you've had an Android phone before, then your contacts are all saved in Google, so just going through the set-up process with your new phone (see blog post Getting Started) will pull in your contacts.
However, if this is your first Android, then there are a couple different ways to avoid that hideous process of manually re-entering each number.

First, and most likely to work, on your old phone, export your contacts to your SD card. Open your contacts, then open the contacts menu, where you should find the option to export to SD card (you'll have to have an SD card installed in your phone at this point). Then take out the SD card and switch it to your new phone. Now open your contacts on the Android, touch menu, and import from SD card.

Second, sometimes you can't move your contacts to your SD card, but, if the phone is GSM (meaning uses a SIM card), you should still be able to move them onto your SIM card. Sometimes you'll have to move them to storage on the SIM card one entry at a time, but that's still a lot faster than manually entering the numbers. This, as when putting contacts on an SD card, will be in menu or settings, under contacts. Look for a way to move them all at once, but if you can't find that, then open one contact at a time, and then the menu button should reveal the option to switch it to SIM storage.

If your phone charges via micro USB, so you can plug it into your computer, then your last option is to plug it in, "Open device to view files," and see if you can locate a folder with contacts in it. If so, copy that folder onto your desktop. Then disconnect that phone, and plug your Android into your computer. See if you can locate a contacts folder there, and then copy the old contacts folder contents into the new contacts folder, on your Android.

If you try all of these and have no luck, comment to tell me what's going on. You can also let me know if you run into some confusion going through any of these steps. If there's a way to do it, I'll help you get it figured out!

How do you protect an Android phone against drops?

Statistics show that the number of times a cell phone is dropped and the likelihood that the jolt will be hard enough to cause malfunctions, including shattered screen, increase proportionately to the number of dollars spent on the phone. In other words, try to break a cheapy flip phone -- I dare you. On the other hand, baby your Android and still, without proper protection, you will soon splatter it across the sidewalk. In order to be perfectly clear, allow me to show you the equations expressing this direct proportion:

$$$ (Think Samsung Galaxy S3)   ↑ ↑   Damage
&
$$$ (Think Nameless Flip Phone)   ↓ ↓   Damage

Though it's worth it to keep our valuable phones safe, I am opposed to bulky cases. Really heavy-duty, get-the-job-done, popular cases like These Guys. They're great... a lot of people love them. I appreciate that the color choices are expanding. But I love slim, sleek Androids. My case needs to protect the phone, but without making it unrecognizable and obnoxious. I was thrilled to discover The Perfect Case, a few months ago. The brand is Capdase. These cases are made of an inner silicone soft layer, and an outer metal/plastic mix hard layer. Soft inside absorbs impact, hard outside holds shape against impact (and makes it easier to slip into pocket than just silicone).
When I first discovered these cases, I could find no options other than black or white. Now Black, White, Red, Light Blue, and (most importantly) Purple have become available. Capdase doesn't make these cases for every phone, but many of the more popular ones these days. If you can't find it for your phone, tell me what model your phone is, and I'll let you know if there is a generic available (I am currently using a generic version [purple outside, black inside -- perfection] as happily as I previously used my HTC One V genuine Capdase case.

Only downside I have encountered with these cases: when they do get dropped, the outer layer of paint can be scraped, revealing a metal-type color underneath. Hopefully Capdase or competitors will resolve the problem, but currently Capdase and generics are the only option I like, so it's a good thing this downside is a very small issue.

How do you upgrade Android OS on a Samsung?

Many phones will update automatically, once the Android OS (Operating System) update is available for your model. Many won't, though. The first thing to try, when upgrading your Android, is to go into your phone's settings, and select About Phone, then System Updates. If you get a message, "Your system is currently up to date," continue reading. Otherwise, follow the steps on your phone and you'll be updated!

At this point, verify that there actually is an update available for your phone. Either google it or tell me, in a comment, what phone model you have and I'll let you know what the latest version of Android is for your phone. Assuming there is a newer version of Android, here's how to get it.

On your phone, you should have an app called Kies. There is also a computer version of that program, for Windows or Mac. Download it here, if you don't already have it. Just opening the page in your browser (like the app tells you to do) won't cut it... you need to actually download Kies, from that page. 

Now plug your phone into your computer. Kies should recognize it automatically. If you want to save your phone info (pictures, music, contacts...) then open the Back Up/Restore tab, and follow the instructions there. Now click Firmware Upgrade and Initialization, in the Tools tab. Follow the steps there, and hopefully Kies will find your upgrade. If it also tells you that your version of Android is up to date, then continue reading.

Unplug your phone, and navigate to Firmware Upgrade and Initialization again, on your computer. The first step you'll need to do here is enter your phone's model number, which is something like SGH-I900 (make sure you do all caps, or it won't recognize it), and then your phone's serial number, which can be found in About Phone under Settings, or else under your battery, in the back of the phone. Continue through the process until the install is complete, on your computer. Now you need to put your phone in download mode, which you do by turning the phone off, then holding down both volume buttons at the same time as you plug the phone back into your computer. From here, everything should finish automatically. Your phone will show a message about downloading, and warn you not to turn off target. Soon your phone will restart with a beautiful new interface, and you will go through the original set-up process again. If you backed your phone up, now pull it up in Kies to restore the backed up version, which will put the info back on, but will keep the new Android version.

This is a bit complicated, but very easy to do, step-by-step. If you run into any trouble, let me know and we'll see about getting your Android updated.

How do you Android -- Getting Started

Congratulations on choosing Android! You've made a wise choice; see diagram below:

Now what do you do to get this brilliant phone working for you? After activating the phone with your carrier, your first step is to get the phone charging. If you bought the phone used, then start with a master restore (navigate to Settings>About Phone>Factory Reset... or similar). At this point your phone should be asking you to go through the setup process, which is primarily signing into or creating your Google account (Google owns Android... fun fact of the day that you probably already knew). Now before you start entering contacts or setting ringtones, check that your software is updated. This is a first step because an update will remove all your information from the phone, so you might as well get the update done before you've entered your info, rather than backing the phone up to prepare for an updatae. (See post How do you find your Android version? and upcoming post about updating Android version).  If you have access to Wi-Fi, connect (touch Menu, then Settings) before updating, so that you don't eat into your data plan (even if it's unlimited, you'll get throttled if you use too much), and because Wi-Fi is faster for all these updates and installs that you need to start out with.
Your phone is as updated as it can be, and you've signed into your Google account now, which will pull in all your contacts if you've had an Android before. If your contacts are not yet stored through Google, see upcoming post about getting contacts from a non-Android phone to an Android smartphone. Next, open the Play Store (on some phones it will be called the Market, until you've opened it and it automatically updates to the newer Play Store). Touch the menu button, then My Apps. Here there should be a button for Update All. While the pre-loaded apps update, you can work on adding the Apps you want. The Bible, Starbucks, Flashlight, Amazon Kindle, eBay, and Pandora are among the first apps I install.
Now, as these apps continue to update and install, open the apps that require signing in, such as Facebook and Twitter. After you've signed in, you will have options to configure notifications (the icon that pops up on the bar at the top of your screen, when there is activity in an app), including when to notify and whether to make sound (adjust volume with the buttons on the side of your phone, if you're setting anything to make sounds). If you use Gmail, your original Google sign-in set Gmail up. If you use another email program, touch the Email app, and follow the instructions to sign into your email account and receive notifications. Lastly, I recommend installing the newest version of Swype (see post How do you use the Swype keyboard?)
At this point, you're getting your emails and social network notifications, you can make calls and text, and you've installed the most important apps. Your phone has become quite functional. There's a lot more to configure and discover, such as ringtones, contact icons, real-time weather... but this is enough of a start that you're making good use of your Android.

How do you move pictures from an Android phone to a computer?

Most of us take pictures on our cell phones a lot more than on our digital cameras... so it's convenient that it really is very easy to get pictures over from a phone to a computer.

Method 1: Post the picture on Facebook from your phone, then retrieve it from Facebook on your computer. When you have the picture open on your phone, there should be a "Share" option, where Facebook will be a choice.

Method 2: Email the pictures to yourself, by starting an email on your phone, then attaching the photos. Open the email on a computer and download the attachments, to save the pictures to your computer.

Method 3: Don't let the length of this method's instructions intimidate you... this method is actually really easy, especially once you've done it a time or two, and definitely the best way to move a lot of pictures quickly. Most Androids charge via a Micro USB plug. The full-size USB side of a wire can be plugged into a computer, and the micro side into a phone. The first time you plug the phone into your computer, drivers for the phone should automatically be identified and installed. Don't worry about that... it's complicated, so we should just consider ourselves lucky that the computer and phone can work together to figure themselves out without our help. (If this doesn't start automatically, try changing the type of connection... an option that will show up on your phone) After a few seconds the phone is ready to use on the computer. At this point an Autoplay box should pop up on your computer asking what you want to do with the phone. Click "Open device to view files." If you store pictures both on your phone itself and on your phone's SD card, this is where you click which of those two you're trying to access. Now you'll see some very misleading folders, called "Pictures," "Media," and other things that ought to be where your pictures are. Actually, though, your pictures are in a folder called "DCIM." After you click that, you might need to click "Camera" or similar... then you'll see all pictures from your phone. Scroll down to the bottom to see the most recent. Also, adjust thumbnail size on the top right corner of that window in order to be able to see the pictures, not just their names, and identify the ones you're looking for. Now all you have to do is select the ones you want, and copy them to your computer's picture folder.

As always, let me know what's going on if you run into any trouble, and we'll get this figured out.

How do you deal with a battery that drains too fast?

It can be tough to make it through the day on one battery charge, with an Android. It's no wonder, really, considering that an Android essentially does everything a laptop does, but runs on about 1/4 the battery capacity. Battery capacity is measure in milliamp-hours (mAh), with the average Android battery boasting about 1500 to 2000 mAh.

Top battery drainers are the Android operating system (nothing to be done about that one), GPS (that can be off most of the time without any inconvenience), and WIFI or mobile network (your choice, based on how you use your Android, whether these two should be on or off [one can be on and the other off]). Conserve energy by limiting the amount these items are in use, or limiting your phone use in general.

What a lame suggestion.

Instead of that, I've got a couple of options (I recommend following both of these pieces of advice) that have eliminated the Android battery problem for me.

Option 1: You should have a back-up battery for your phone, that you keep with you (easily slips into a wallet), charged about 90 or 95 percent. When your phone gets dangerously low on power, just turn it off, and swap the phone and wallet batteries (don't forget to charge the one you drained, for next time).

Option 2: Buy a portable battery charger. These are my favorite. This one, called the Juice Bar (buy it just for that spectacular name) is a nice high capacity of 2200 mAh. I bought mine on eBay, and consider it a top 5 best purchase. I was out of town for the last week, and really put my "source of power" to the test -- it delivered, and may just have convinced some other smartphone owners to invest in their own portable charger.

If you do both of these things, you might often find yourself, as I have, the only one around who isn't stressing about finding a socket to charge a phone on a long day.

How do you use the Swype keyboard?

I use Swype. Let me rephrase: I love Swype. My fingers are on the narrower side, but I still have a hard time with little touchscreen keyboards, like the Android pre-loaded or any variations. According to beta.swype.com (Swype keeps its product in beta, as it improves and upgrades, though the product is ready for mainstream use), "Swype is a fast way to enter text. It lets you create a word by drawing through the letters. Put your finger on the first letter of the word and draw a path from letter to letter, lifting up after the last letter. Swype will insert spaces where necessary."

A lot of phones these days come with a version of Swype pre-loaded. Thing is, it doesn't do quite as impressive a job at understanding what you're typing as the fully upgraded one you can get from the beta website does. Go to this page and scroll down to "Register" or "Login." Then, on your phone, open up that link you'll be emailed, download, install, set the beta Swype as input method, and presto! You'll fall in love, too. I can't tell you the number of times I've convinced a doubter, letting them try the keyboard on my phone for a few seconds. It's easy and input is so much faster!

One other thing... star that email with the link, because every time a friend tries it out you'll be searching for the email to help them install it on their phones (using your link on another phone works fine). I've probably used my link over a half dozen times, between installing on my new phones and on the phones of those I've converted.

How do you know Android? (Android Dessert Logos)

This is the first post in a special series, that will be updated occasionally, entitled How Do You Know Android?, which gives interesting Android-related information, rather than how-to instructions. Enjoy!

On November 5, 2007, Android beta was released. Rumors say beta versions were nicknamed Astro Boy and Bender. The first version of Android to be officially released on a phone was Android 1.0, released September 23, 2008 on the T-Mobile G1 (internationally known as the HTC Dream). This first version of Android went without a name, but was quickly followed, on February 9, 2009, by version 1.1, which was internally called Petit Four. 


It was with version 1.5 that the well-known alphabetical dessert series started. Release dates, names, and logos officially released or announced as of November 9, 2012 are laid out in this post.

On April 30, 2009, Android version 1.5 was released with the nickname "Cupcake" and this logo:

On September 15, 2009, Android brought us version 1.6, Donut, with this logo:

On October 26, 2009, version 2.0 was released under the name Eclair, which also encompassed version 2.1, and came with this logo:

Froyo was the nickname given to Android version 2.2.x, released on May 20, 2010, with this logo:

Android version 2.3.x, called Gingerbread, quickly followed on December 6, 2010, and we were introduced to this logo:

Honeycomb, released February 22, 2011, is Android version 3.x, but this operating system was for tabs only, so, since we primarily stick with cell phones, Honeycomb won't be discussed much. It does have a pretty fun logo, though:

On October 19, 2011, Android version 4.0.x, was released with this Ice Cream Sandwich logo:

Android versions 4.1 (released July 9, 2012) and 4.2 were called Jelly Bean with this logo:

Android version 4.2 was expected to be called Key Lime Pie, rather than a new Jelly Bean. It is still heavily rumored that the next in the dessert series will be Key Lime Pie, but there is no release date set, nor logo released. 

What do you think will come after Key Lime Pie? I've been vacillating between Licorice and Lollipop, but I think I'm going to guess Lollipop. Leave a comment with your Android version "L" dessert nickname guess.

The Android robot is reproduced or modified from work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License.

How do you find your Android version?

It's very easy to find out what version of Android your phone is running, but one of those things that you don't usually know until you need to know. It differs a bit between phone manufacturers (Samsung, HTC, Motorola...), but the method is consistent enough between phones that this guide should help you find the info for any Android phone.

Tap Settings, then look for Phone or About Phone. There you will see your phone's software information, including a heading called Android Version. It will be formatted like this (for example): Android 2.3.7 or Android 3.2. For more information about what those numbers mean and how to match them to an Android version name, please see an upcoming post about the history of the Android operating system.

If this information does not help you find your version of Android, please let me know, in a comment, your phone's information (Manufacturer [such as Samsung], at least, and phone name [such as Samsung Galaxy S3], if possible), and I will answer with instructions specific to your device.