How do you video chat on an Android?

If your phone has a front-facing camera, as most now do, you can use it to video chat. For those Androidians who are vain and would like to remain vain, though, I do not recommend video chat. None of us looks attractive on video chat. The problem started with webcams, but was amplified when mobile video chat came laughing. I say don't sweat it, though; your yikes... I look freaky is no doubt mirroring your friend's ruminations. You don't actually think the advertising screenshots are real, do you? How could they possibly be holding their phones to get that angle? And with that glowing recommendation, let's talk about how you, too, can be startled by your own face.

The easiest option is found in your Talk app, from Google. It's almost certainly already installed on your phone, so open it up and sign in using your Google account, if it's the first time you've used it. Now touch your name, at the top, to select whether you're available for text, voice, or video chat. In the list of friends, below your name, you'll see green, yellow, or red icons; a circle for text, a microphone for voice, and a camera for video. Like on your computer, green is available, yellow is away, and red is busy. Tap on a friend's name, and then touch the video icon on the right side, to invite the friend to video chat. Your friend will receive an invitation to accept or reject, and once you're connected you'll see your friend's face in the center of the screen, with a small box showing your face, in the bottom right. A few control options, like end chat, send text chat, and mute, are on the screen. If they disappear, just touch the screen to get them back.

Talk is definitely the one I recommend starting with, because it works well and it's already there, but if you need additional options, you can try Skype, Viber, or ooVoo. Skype and ooVoo allow integration with social media sites, so your friend doesn't necessarily have to have an account in the program, but Viber does require that the friend also have a Viber account. There are a lot more options for video chatting, so if there's any specific feature you're looking for, just take a look at some Google Play descriptions to find the right one for you.

And now the elephant in the room: Apple's FaceTime was marketed as the standard for mobile video chat, but did you know many iPhone users agree FaceTime isn't all it's chalked up to be? Until late last year, when iOS 6 was released, FaceTime only worked if the iPhone was connected to Wi-Fi (which frequently means you could be using a laptop, anyway), and now that 3G/4G is (sometimes) an option, most Apple forums are full of complaints about the failures and disconnects... as they were when Wi-Fi was required, as well, actually.

So here we have another way in which Android is the way to go. I like Android so much. Supporting the one that's better is a delightful place to be. It's like a trivial version of being a Christian. I know what's true, so when others try to change my mind, I can listen comfortably, with confidence that I have the answer. A pretty significant difference is found there, though. Could be that someday I'll discover something about iPhone that is superior to Android (though all clear, so far), because humans and human creations change; but other things never change: "... I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able guard until that day what has been entrusted to me." 2 Timothy 1:12 (ESV) Pardon my tangent tendencies, in this off-topic rabbit trail.

How do you take good pictures, on an Android?

My Android gallery is full of moments I'm so glad to have commemorated -- the only problem is that action shots blur, and pictures of landscapes properly display the sky or the mountains. Recently, however, I realized I was missing simple solutions.

Without HDR activated

With HDR activated

In any setting that includes both dark areas and light areas, the typical camera will focus on either the light or the dark, depending on where you point, how you hold, or where you manually set. The result is excellent colors in some areas, with indistinguishable dark areas (like the mountain underneath a sunset); or else darker areas illuminated, and a bright white spot in place of lighter areas (like a window out to a sunny day, from inside a room). HDR, which stands for High Dynamic Range, is a camera mode that essentially eliminates this problem. Don't you love easy and effective solutions?


HDR works by taking multiple shots, with focus highlighting different lighting in your frame, and then automatically combining them into one optimal picture. Some Androids include this feature out of the box, but if yours doesn't, there are plenty of HDR camera apps in the Play Store. Some are fully-automated, so touching a button results in the picture. Others are more manual, if you'd like control over where the focus is set and how the pictures are combined.




In these beautiful snowy day pictures, the difference HDR mode makes is easy to spot on the furniture and railings (the wood color and the grain are distinguishable) and in the screened porch (the interior of the porch is visible). Additionally, the mountain, though hazy behind the falling snow, is far more visible with HDR.

Now we're getting clear shots in multi-lighting scenes; clear action shots are our next goal. Again, the solution is easy: an app. There are paid or free options, but I've found free sufficient. Apps like Burst Mode Camera take from 10 to 30 shots per second, compiling a collection of photos from which you can choose your favorites. Blur is significantly decreased, because there is limited movement during the actual shot, taken in a fraction of a second.

There you have it! Check your stock camera for HDR mode and burst mode, or select a few options from the Play Store to try, if these modes aren't native on your Android. You'll be much happier with the content of your gallery.

How do you perceive the new LG Optimus G Pro Android smartphone?

It's a pretty sweet phone, and there's a nice amount of hype, so I really should withhold judgment until the phone reaches us here in the states (sometime in the 2nd quarter is the expectation). But I'm throwing caution to the wind, and questioning the way this launch is being handled... we shall see whether the numbers end up confirming the insignificance of my marketing opinion. (If I'm right, official consulting hours are between 8 and 5, every other Thursday.)

First, a bit about the phone itself, starting with this picture LG recently released:

The percentage of the surface that is actual screen, particularly side-to-side, is pretty impressive... noticeably higher than that of the S III. I am wondering why LG is following in Samsung's footsteps by including a physical home button -- what am I missing, people? ...what reason is there for a physical home button? A few specs of the phone include a 5.5" screen (making this phone officially enormous), LTE networking, a quad-core 1.7GHz processor, and a competition-busting 13MP rear-facing camera plus 2.1MP front-facing camera. The AMOLED screen has a resolution of 400 pixels per inch (1920 x 1080 pixels), which LG is touting as great for HD video-viewing, with a hefty 3,140 mAh battery to keep up. Built-in storage of 32GB, plus 2GB of RAM, and finally that holographic design on the back that LG introduced in the Nexus 4, wrap up the highlights (and yes, you should be afraid due to the lack of a price projection). One minuscule downside: the phone is running Android version 4.1.2, though 4.2 has been out since the end of 2012. The differences between Jelly Bean 4.1.2 and Jelly Bean 4.2 are significant, so I'm only calling this downside minuscule because I assume updates will roll out quickly. Overall, definitely a note-worthy phone (or phablet, since it's 5-6"), with top-of-the-line specs, and an attractive design. So what's my problem?

We're excited about the LG Optimus G Pro now, watching Korea skip along with a shiny new phone we can't yet have; but we have a very short attention span -- we don't plan on being excited any longer, when we finally get it, in a few months. It might have made more sense to keep rumors swirling, but facts few, a little while longer, over here. Additionally, LG seems to be positioning the product as top-of-the line, no competition. So it may be, right now, but in a few months there will be bigger and better. LG has shown Samsung and HTC and Motorola exactly what they need to one up. Past precedent says they accept the challenge.

How Do You Know Android? (Easter Eggs & Hidden Features)

I spent some time, last weekend, with three iPhone-toting friends. Now, I try to keep my Android fervor contained, but if my input is invited, I eagerly enter into discussion. One iPhone argument presented was the ease of use, resulting in a straightforward smartphone experience -- no options means no confusion. Based on the fact that these are highly intelligent dudes, who aren't satisfied with face value, but must delve toward the root of any topic, I am unconvinced; iPhones don't cut it for their personality types, and I think they realize that. Unfortunately, I also encountered the brick wall of no strong iPhone or Android preference, simply happy with a phone that makes and receives calls: touche. However, one final point discussed was that iPhones have unpublished hidden features that are fun to discover; that point is the prompt for this post.

iPhone cannot compete with Android in terms of hidden features:

1. Most Android phones will let you rename folders (in your gallery, for example) by longpressing the folder name.
2. Another feature on most Androids is keyboard shortcuts like Search + B for Browser, Search + C for Contacts, Search + M for Messaging, Search + G for Gmail, etc.
3. On the Samsung Galaxy S II, the screen brightness can be adjusted by holding the notifications bar until the bar disappears and the adjuster takes its place.
4. On the Nexus 4 camera, swipe your finger from the top left and right corners to reveal menu shortcuts, for exposure and focus.
5. On the Nexus 4, reveal hidden developer options by locating Build Number under About Phone, and tapping 10 times.
6. On the Nexus 4, repeatedly tap Android Version, under About Phone, to reveal the Jelly Bean version Easter Egg. This time around it's a BeanFlinger game. Once you've found the Easter Egg and played it once, the game will become a "Daydream" screensaver menu option.

There are many more hidden features, tips, and tricks for Android... but if I told you what they all are, they wouldn't be a surprise any more. As you customize your Android, with widgets, preferences, etc., molding the perfect-for-you smartphone, you'll realize there are endless discoveries to be made.

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 know how good a camera you need?

Cell phone cameras have been making strides over the last year or two, and the point and shoot digital camera market is feeling the heat. For those of us who are not photographers, and only want to snap some quick pictures so we can look back and laugh at that sign that said "Driver's eat free" (The eat belonging to the driver.... is free? NO WAY! Let's go THERE.), and show pictures of the cutest German Shepherd puppy to every person we can flag down (We does not accost; we has witnessed the owner of Perelandra Kennels blissfully accosting), smartphone cameras eliminate the need for a separate digital camera. Cell phone cameras aren't adequate for photographers, but for the casual commemorator of life in photo form, they can impress.

Camera quality is measured in megapixels (mp). You can look at the number of megapixels and the presence or lack of a flash, to gauge the camera's quality. A secondary front-facing camera and video recording in HD are also features to consider, but those are just buying decisions (for example, if you want to video chat from your smartphone, you need a front-facing camera), and we will focus on the flash and the camera quality.

If you will ever be taking pictures in lower light settings, even as innocent as a poorly lit room, you will want a flash. I recommend avoiding smartphones without a flash.

Few and far between are the smartphone cameras under 3 mp. Still, they must be discussed. This low quality camera will be adequate if you only want pictures to keep on your phone and maybe send between phones. On a computer, the pictures will be very small and often grainy.

A camera with 3-6 mp is pretty typical right now, for smartphones. Most will be happy with this quality. They aren't minuscule on a computer and are high enough resolution to look decent on Facebook.

Any camera 7 mp and up is a high quality camera for a smartphone. These pictures are of a quality that can be edited, even cropped a bit, and still look sharp. This is a nice luxury, but not necessary for the average user. The primary reason I find my 8 mp smartphone camera quasi-necessary is because I work with SmokyMountainViews.com, often providing pictures of the gorgeous fall foliage, or of the town's progress in the intense Christmas decoration process. At 8 mp, the details in these pictures are sharp, even posted full page on the SmokyMountainViews.com Facebook page.

In order to identify Android smartphones that boast the camera you want, you will again be looking for a Specs page. This section will be called "Camera" and will be divided into headings something like "Primary," "Features," "Video," and "Secondary." The section called "Primary" is where you will find the information about number of megapixels and the flash. If you are starting at square one, without any idea what phone you want, continue watching How Do You Android? for updates, culminating in a variety of specific Android smartphone recommendations. 

UPCOMING POST -- Part 3 of "Buying Guide" series -- Phone Size