Android Impress

BASIC COMMAND FOR FASTBOOT WITH ADB TOOL

2015-10-14T23:48:00.002-07:00

For Android users, the ADB TOOL is great tool to do things like: Flash Kernel, Flash Radio, Flash Recovery, Unlock relock, injected applications directly to System .... All these things are done by the command. To do this you must have:

1. Download the Tool: ADB_Flash_Tool in HERE
* Extract on PC or Laptop

2. Radio Files , Recovery, Kernel, Unlock_code.bin .... to flash on your device, then copy it to the folder with ADB_Flash_Tool

3. On your android devices:
* Check on USB Debugging box in Settings / Developer Tools
* Uncheck Fast Boot box in Settings / Power
* Turn your device on Fastboot mode:
- Turn off your phone
- Hold down the Volume Down and press Power
- Continuing to hold Volume Down until the screen appears Bootloader
- And they came into Bootloader mode then press Power for entering Fastboot mode
- Connect your phone to your computer Connect >>> when it connects successfully, A "USB" letters will appear next red "Fastboot" letters >>> Ready for use ADB_Flash_Tool

- You run Flash.bat file in the ADB_Flash_Tool folder and use these commands for your purpose

The basic commands in Fastboot with ADB Tool:

* Check to make sure that divece has a USB connection to a computer or not

fastboot devices

If the devices connected to the computer, then on the CMD window will show serial number of your phone

* Flash Recovery:

fastboot flash recovery XXX.img

XXX is the name of the Recovery that flash into your phone

* Flash Radio:

fastboot flash radio XXX.img

XXX is the name of the Radio

* Flash Kernel (boot.img)

fastboot flash boot XXX.img

XXX is the name of the Kernel

* Fixed error that restart consecutively and don't go to Home sceen after upgrading room

fastboot erase cache

* Unlock device with unlock_code.bin file (HTCdev)

fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin

* Relock the device for upgradind Rom Ship (If your device is unlocked with HTCdev)

fastboot oem lock

* Check the device's CID code

fastboot getvar cid

* Change the device's CID code

fastboot oem writecid XXX__XXX

XXX__XXX is CID code that you want to change

* Restart the device from Fastboot (Example after Flash Recovery, Radio, Kernel ...)

fastboot reboot

* Or want to reboot the bootloader:

fastboot reboot-bootloader

Google has released Android Pay at American with new name "Google Wallet"

2015-09-12T22:34:00.002-07:00

Google recently began issuing payment platform Android Pay to US users through Google Wallet app. The company says Android Pay now available in 1 million restaurants, shops and some other places in this country. In the future there will be many other enterprises to participate. Like Apple Pay, Android Pay also use NFC to connect phones with computer and automatically deducted from the user account after purchase. However, Pay is a platform and it is open to other third parties involved application development. Thus we may see Google Wallet is only used as an Android app Pay. In addition, Android also supports saving Pay membership information, discount cards, including even the "buy with Android Pay" to use on the web or app.Speaking of credit cards, Android Pay is supporting multiple banks such as American Express, Bank of America, Discover, Navy Federal Credit Union, PNC, Regions Bank, USAA, US Bank. Coming up will be Citi Bank and Wells Fargo.Android Pay require Android 4.4 or higher, NFC connectivity.

3 mistakes when buying a smartphone

2015-08-27T00:03:00.006-07:00

Today, with the development of society, the demand for smartphones is increasing due to the superior features that are useful with work and everyday life. However, it' not easy to choose a smartphone with good configuration, reasonable price in the diversity of species and template. Here are 3 mistakes when buying a smartphone:

1. Not find information carefully before buying phoneManufacturers are constantly introduced and launched several new products in order to bring a better experience for users. Therefore, before long-term commitment with a smartphone, you should carefully explore information about vendors, entertainment features, working, OS etc. and reviews from experts and compare the smartphone lines together.

2. Select smartphone with too many costly features and do not use up those featuresThe chasing trends and not understand personal demand makes a mistake. You will choose an expensive smartphone with so many features that you never "touched".If what you need is: a smartphone has to take beautiful photos, has a good configuration, clear sound, both take notes and voice recognition ... then, ask yourself: Do you really need ALL of these things or not? Identify 2-3 most important criterion, ranking priorities and choose a phone with reasonable price meets your criteria.

3. Select a smartphone battery capacity too lowUsually smartphones have consumed a relatively substantial battery by using applications like Facebook, Email, Zalo, Skype etc. especially the gaming so problems of battery life quite get interested. With smartphones with small battery capacity, battery life may end after only a few hours of use, then you will see quite a lot of trouble especially at work or when going away. Imagine, you are running out and the need to check email immediately but cell phone is no longer enough to use, it will be difficult like?Currently on the market, smartphone makers are focusing on the development of mobile phones with the battery attached. The phone with the attached battery affects smartphone of life when the battery was problems, it will be difficult to continue to use this product while the machine is still running good.

Uber accepted credit card payments in India

2015-07-12T23:24:00.000-07:00

Uber has announced that it's once again accepting credit-based card payments in India, stating that their Android app now conforms towards two-factor authentication guidelines established by India's consumer banking regulatory body, the particular Reserve Bank associated with India.

Late recently, the RBI called for a ban on Uber's services on grounds of non-compliance with the two-factor authentication mandatory for all those digital transactions carried out near your vicinity. Uber then announced a take care of Indian digital finances service Paytm, through which riders could actually link their debit and credit cards via Paytm. The integration — even though functional — was cumbersome as it meant that users needed to add funds to Paytm's digital finances before hailing any cab.

RBI guidelines state that all transactions performed digitally should include a secondary layer associated with authentication, which is usually a pre-defined password set because of the user or any one-time password supplied via SMS. The secondary stratum of authentication makes for greater security in case of card theft.

Uber is now tying up along with payment processing service MobiKwik to address two-factor authentication credit-based card transactions near your vicinity. The feature can be purchased to Android end users starting today, along with iOS integration going out "in the particular coming weeks. " Additionally, Uber is trialling cash payments in Hyderabad across price tiers.

2 easy ways to reset password if you forgot your Samsung Galaxy S6 lock screen password

2015-06-02T22:42:00.002-07:00

If you're setting up a lock screen password on your Samsung Galaxy S6 and can not remeber it. This tutorial will help you with two easy methods to reset your passcode and access your phonne.

Method 1: Using your Google Account

First you need enter an incorrect password until your screen prompt to enter your Google Account credentials, which will unlock your phone. If you are using two-steps authentication, you will need to visit Google's security site on your computer and generate a one-time password to enter on your phone.

Method 2: Using remote device management service

Samsung also has its own remote device management service. Among doing plenty of other things, it can also unlock your phone. You must to have registered for a Samsung account already when you first set up the device for this to work. Next step, you need to visit Samsung Find My Mobile website on your computer browser and sign in with your Samsung Account credentials. Click Unlock my Device on the left side bar. Your phone will communicate with the website and unlock.

Become master the Edge wiht Galaxy S6 Edge

2015-05-26T19:24:00.005-07:00

1. Pick a side, any side – which Edge is best?

The first thing to know about the Edge display is that you can only use one edge at a time. The features you can enable, like people Edge or Information Stream do not work on both sides simultaneously, or switch sides like your display does when you rotate your phone.

If you're a leftie, the left-hand side is probably best for you and vice versa for righties – but either side works the same. Just go to Settings > Edge Screen > Edge Screen Position.

2. Color-code your friends and keep them close

This is perhaps the coolest feature of the S6 Edge in my mind: first, assign a color to your favorite contacts (in People Edge) which transforms into a color-coded glow from your phone when they call (Edge Lighting).
People Edge also provides a quick access list of your favorite people right on the side of your screen – you'll see the little white bar on the Edge display once enabled – and show colored lines when you've missed a call or message from one of your besties. Swiping that line out will provide a summary of what you missed with the ability to respond immediately. Go to Settings > Edge Screen > People Edge

3. Reject calls with a finger and send auto-responses

This is a sub-section of the Edge Lighting feature (whereby you'll see a color-coded light emanating from the Edge display when your phone is placed face down and a selected contact tries to reach you).

If a contact tries to reach you and you're busy, you can simply place a finger over the heart-rate monitor to reject the call and send a pre-defined message automatically. A very handy way to know who is calling you and deal with them discreetly if you can't talk.

4. Manage your Edge notifications

Once you've set up your People Edge contacts, the next thing to do is decide if you want to see all missed communications from them or only some. In the Edge screen settings you can decide to enable Email, Missed Calls and Messages. At present there is no option for other apps, but we're sure that feature is coming.

Go to Settings > Edge Screen > Select Notifications and check the boxes next to those notification types that you'd like to see appear in your People Edge notifications.

5. Get useful information on the Edge

The Edge screen can also be sued as a news ticker, which Samsung calls information Stream. This is because there's a lot more to it than just a Flipboard feed. You can also get weather updates, sports scores, Twitter feeds, notifications and more via downloadable Edge content.

Just got to Settings > Edge Screen > Information Screen and flip the switch to enable Information Stream. You'll now be able to tap Manage Feeds to select and rearrange the feeds you want on the Edge display.

6. Throw away your bedside clock – use Night Clock instead

One great feature of the Galaxy S6 Edge's AMOLED display is that it is incredibly power-efficient. AMOLED displays only light up individual pixels, so a mostly black screen with a few illuminated pixels draws very little power.

Go to Settings > Edge Screen > Night Clock to flip the switch and enable it. Now, when your screen is dimmed, you will see a gently glowing time and date combo on the Edge display, meaning you don't need to turn your phone's screen on just to check the time.

7. Theme your Galaxy S6 Edge

The new Galaxies also come with Samsung's theme engine. With the tap of a button you can completely change the look and feel of your S6 Edge with a range of pre-loaded themes or others which you can download.
Go to Settings > Themes to choose from the three pre-loaded themes or tap the Store button in the top right to launch the Theme Store app for a variety of alternative themes, with new themes added every week.

8. Change your interface font

The Galaxy S6 Edge also lets you customize the font in which your interface appears. Go to Settings > Display > Font Size to see the pre-loaded fonts, or scroll down and tap Download Fonts to see a variety of alternatives, some free, some paid, that will add some flair to your device.

9. Conserve your battery

The Galaxy S6 Edge has both of Samsung's excellent battery-saving options: power-saving mode and ultra power-saving mode. The first simply limits your CPU, minimizes haptic feedback, screen brightness and shortens the amount of time it takes for your screen to dim when a notification comes in.

Ultra power-saving mode is more for emergencies. It turns your display gray scale, limits the number of apps you can use (which you can choose yourself) and shuts down all but the most important functions of your phone. It's not much fun, but it's great when your battery is critically low. Go to Settings > battery to enable either mode.

10. Manage your home screens

If you're the kind of Android user that simply accepts the home screen setup that Samsung gives you – complete with Galaxy Gifts widget and all – then this one is for you. Long press a blank spot on a home screen to see the home screen manager.

You can rearrange your home screens, add widgets, change the grid layout of app icons, remove Flipboard Briefing (by un-checking the box at the top) and change your wallpaper. You also have quick access to your Themes from here.

10 tips will make you a Facebook master

2015-05-20T19:05:00.001-07:00

It's the world's biggest social network — with 1.44 billion users to its name — but even if you spend a lot of time inside Facebook's Android app, you may not have explored everything it has to offer. We're here to change that with a comprehensive list of tips, tricks and features to look out for.

Top alternatives to Facebook app for Android
Facebook Messenger update

Whether you're running Facebook on a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge or a trusty Nexus 7, you'll find these tips helpful for sorting through your News Feed, improving the security of your account, finding the best content faster and sharing status updates more easily, plus more besides.

1. Use the widget

Facebook's widget is simple but useful nevertheless. It gives you a scrollable window for tapping through status updates by your friends without all the extra adverts and other baggage in the full app. You can update your own status from the widget too by tapping Share. It's a handy way of keeping important information right there on your home screen.

2. Manage your notifications

Drowning in a deluge of updates and alerts from your friends? Facebook actually makes it pretty easy to switch particular types of notifications on and off. Head to App Settings from the main menu, then scroll down to the notification settings — you can enable or disable alerts for wall posts, messages, comments, friend requests, photo tags, event invites and more.

3. Find interesting places nearby

The Facebook app for Android is capable of some tricks that the desktop site isn't — like making better use of your location. Choose Nearby Places to find places around you that have their own Facebook Page: it's a handy way of finding restaurants, bars, shops or other types of venues if you're in an unfamiliar part of the world. Tap on any entry to see the place page.

4. Filter the News Feed

You don't have to settle for the standard News Feed list of updates, because the Facebook app gives you access to your customized lists from the main menu too. To change the list someone appears in, head to their profile, then tap Friends and select Edit Friend List. If you want to add or remove lists (like "family" or "best friends") then you need to do this from a computer.

5. Share from other apps

Sharing across apps is one of Android's strengths, so make use of it: tap the Share button in a photo gallery, web browser or anywhere else, and Facebook appears as one of the options. This is a great way of sharing something to your timeline without having to hunt around on your phone or on the web for it, and you still get all of the usual status update options.

6. Stop videos from autoplaying

One of the most useful entries in the Facebook app settings is Video Auto-play: It lets you turn autoplay on or off, or have it only enabled when you're on a Wi-Fi connection. Thanks to this option you can save on data usage while out and about as well as preventing your News Feed from turning into a dizzying list of looping cat clips and funny animations.

7. Save videos and links for later

So many friends to browse through, so little time in the day... if you tap on the drop-down arrow next to a News Feed post that contains a video or link, you can save the content to come back to later. Bookmarked content is kept under the Saved heading on the main app menu (tap See All under Apps if it isn't visible) so you can return to it at your leisure.

8. Check your account security

From inside the Facebook app, tap Account Settings, Security and Active Sessions — here you can see all of the places and devices associated with your Facebook account. If you spot anything suspicious, click on the cross icon to log out from it. It's better to be safe than sorry: Even if you make a mistake you can still log in again from the device or browser in question.

9. Disable chat heads

Messenger is now a separate app on Android, and one of its most distinctive features is the way new conversations appear as 'chat heads' above other apps on your device. If you don't like this behavior, you can turn it off — tap the cog icon inside the Messenger app to access its settings, then tap Chat heads to enable or disable the feature and tweak the way it works.

10. Pick your favorite friends

Messenger may have been spun out into a new app, but your list of online friends remains in the core Facebook app, accessible via a tap on the portrait icon in the top right corner. Select Edit and you can bring the contacts you interact with most often to the top of the list, saving you the time and effort of hunting through the list to find your favorite friends.

Android Wear's secret weapon: Google Now gets more cards from 70 apps

2015-05-11T23:43:00.000-07:00

If Android Wear has a killer app, Google Now is it. With the Apple Watch's Glances winning fans, Google has just announced 70 new app partners that will work with its updated Now service.
The news means that Google Now will become much more about bringing you information from third party apps, rather than just Google apps and the web.
There's breaking news cards from apps such as Feedly and ABC News, cards for keeping track of return times with the Zipcar app, and fitness goal cards from Jawbone, Adidas and RunKeeper. Spotify controls are already built into Android Wear but the new Spotify card shows playlist and radio suggestions.
In much the same way as Apple is encouraging developers to provide Glances - snippets of glanceable, useful info from within the app - Google is really expanding the usefulness of Now. We've heard plans from Google before about app indexing and reducing the need to keep opening and closing apps on the smartphone.
This is a first step towards bringing you the information or actions you would be looking for if you chose to find and open individual apps. Pebble is attempting something similar with its Timeline view. Soon, you won't go to the apps, the apps will come to you.
The full list of new Now partners is available on Google's Now integrations page. Some of the more exciting ones include eBay, Runtastic, OpenTable, TripAdvisor, Ford and Any.Do. There's still plenty of omissions but don't forget that Android Wear already displays any notifications that would be shown on your phone from apps, if you want it to.
The news follows last week's announcement of a big update to Android Wear including connecting smartwatches to Wi-Fi networks, gesture controls, always-on apps and emoji features. To get the new features, make sure the Google app on your Android phone updates and then look out for new cards popping up on the Now homescreen and your Wear watch.

LG Watch Urbane now available on Google Store

2015-05-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

The LG Watch Urbane, first announced in the run up to MWC in February, is now on sale from the Google Store .
The Urbane, which is the seventh device from the Google stable, is the most expensive Android Wear smartwatch so far costing £259 in the UK and $349 in the States.
Essential reading: Best smartwatch 2015 round-up
The Urbane is essentially a redesigned LG G Watch R, with a fashion heavy styling that's more upmarket and much more unisex than its older sibling.
The Urbane features the same P-OLED, 1.3-inch, circular display as the G Watch R, and the same 410mAh battery.
It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chip and there's a heart rate sensor to add to the accelerometer, gyroscope and barometer.
Take a look at our essential LG Watch Urbane guide for the full lowdown and check out our hands-on review for our initial impressions.
We'll be bringing you a full Urbane review in the coming weeks.

Out to Eat with Kids” Shows You Where and When Kids Eat Free

2015-04-19T22:57:00.000-07:00

Web/iOS/Android: Out to Eat with Kids is a new mobile app that helps you find deals on meals for children at restaurants near you.

Once you search your area—either by zip code or city—using the app (or web site), Out to Eat with Kids finds you dining options near you that cater to your kids. You’ll be able to see the restaurant’s location, phone number, the days they offer kid-focused specials, and any restrictions or details on the specials. For more information, check out their site or apps linked below.

Out to Eat with Kids

Out to Eat with Kids (Free) | iTunes Store

Out to Eat with Kids (Free) | Google Play Stor

Yerdle Sells Your Clutter For Free, Pays You in App Credit

2015-04-19T22:54:00.002-07:00

Android/iOS: Getting rid of your crap is can be costly. Yerdle offers an attractive alternative. The shop allows you to sell your junk entirely cost free. The buyer pays shipping. In exchange, you get Yerdle credit to buy other people’s stuff. The service is fairly straight forward. If you’re a seller, it doesn’t cost you a dime. You can list for free, and if someone decides to buy your stuff, they’ll pay the flat $4-7 shipping fee (provided the item weighs less than 10 lbs). As you sell stuff, you earn Yerdle credit. You can spend Yerdle credit on anything in the store. You’ll still have to pay for shipping, but if you sell enough of your junk, that can be well worth it.

Why It's Okay to Buy Digital Movies From iTunes, Google, and Amazon

2015-04-19T22:45:00.001-07:00

Today, Star Wars gets re-released yet again. This time, it’s coming to iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. Whether or not you’ve already bought this specific collection a dozen times, digital libraries aren’t going away. But is it worth buying from them? There is no shortage of ways to purchase a movie these days. However, conventional wisdom has typically suggested that buying a movie from an online library to gain streaming rights isn’t the best idea. Before we talk about why it might be okay to get an online version, it’s only fair to go over the common objections : You don’t really own it: When you buy a Blu-Ray, you own it. It stays inside your house, you can watch it as much as you want, and you won’t have to pay again for access later on. With digital libraries, your access can be revoked. Big companies (and their servers) can fail: When you buy a movie from Amazon, you can stream it from their servers as much as you want. But what if those servers go down? Tech companies shutter services all the time and there’s no knowing when a company will go out of business. You only get those movies for as long as those companies are capable and willing to provide it to you. You need an internet connection just to watch your library: For decades, if you bought a VHS tape, DVD, or Blu-Ray, you could watch your movie without the internet. Now, if Comcast craps the bed, your entire media library is gone. Worse yet, if you have a slow connection, that HD film starts looking like it was shot in Potat-O-Vision. You can get digital version free with Blu-Rays anyway: Some (though not even most) hardcopy movies come with free “digital” copies. Unlock codes can give you access to films on sites like iTunes, Vudu, or others. If you can have both, why spend $20 on just one? Of course, everyone will have their own objections, but these are some of the most common, and they’re all valid concerns. However, in our rush to poke holes in the digital library method, we may have overlooked a few things. And, for the sake of this discussion, we’re going to assume that it’s worth paying for media under fair circumstances. Digital Movies Are More Convenient Than Ever Why It's Okay to Buy Digital Movies From iTunes, Google, and Amazon There was a time when buying a movie on iTunes meant that you could watch it on your computer, maybe your iPod and that was about it. However, that only covers a small portion of use cases. Most of us want to watch movies on the couch in our living room, on a tablet, or even our phones. Today, that’s more possible than ever. Personally, I have a heavy foothold in the Google ecosystem, which means I have an Android phone, tablet, Chromecast, and web browser where I may want to watch a movie. One movie purchase to the Google Play Store means that I can watch that film on any of those screens. If I were to go out and buy the Blu-Ray of that movie, I would have to rip it to my computer , add it to my own media server , and take responsibility for making sure that computer always has an internet connection with sufficient upload speed. Or I could format the file to be optimized for playback on my phone and take up space on my internal storage, which is even more cumbersome. Now, to be fair, that process is simpler than ever. But it also means that if you want to watch your movies on any device besides a dedicated Blu-Ray player, you have a lot of extra work to do. Work that’s technically illegal , by the way. While few around these parts have a serious moral quarrel with ripping movies you bought, it does mean you have fewer easy options since the software to do it is also illegal. Put another way, you’re not going to be able to rip a Blu-Ray with iTunes any time soon. If you want to pay money to have “permanent” (we’ll come back to that) access to a movie, you don’t really have a more convenient option than buying from an online library. In fact, the only real hangup is matching your ecosystem. If you buy from Amazon Instant Video, you can’t stream to a Chromecast. iTunes movies won’t work on an Amazon Fire TV Stick. And Google’s had to work out some sneaky backdoor shenanigans to get Play Movies onto Apple TV. But if you have a fairly consistent set of devices, you shouldn’t have too many problems. Digital Libraries Are Way Nicer Why It's Okay to Buy Digital Movies From iTunes, Google, and Amazon If you have a collection of Blu-Ray discs, they have to take up shelf space. They have to be packed up in boxes. If you rip your movies, they fill up your hard drive. You can set up your collection in a browsing-friendly way, but most people tend to arrange their movies in a spine-out way, which means any guests who want to see what films you have available will have to bend their neck 90 degrees to the right to get a good view. Simply put, digital libraries look way cooler. You can see cover art, explore descriptions, browse through your selection with a phone or tablet. You can watch trailers and even get info on actors or soundtracks while you watch. Blu-Ray players have some of these features, but they also come with a bunch of extra junk. Most Blu-Ray movies have a ton of trailers and unskippable content crammed onto the front end, and loading times are atrocious. This shouldn’t be big news to us. Netflix is so hugely popular that it’s become a cultural icon for giving us a good-looking digital library that can stream movies on-demand with no unskippable trailers or other junk. Digital libraries like Google Play are much closer to Netflix than they are to the experience of Blu-Rays and this is a good thing. “Owning” Media is Something of a Myth Why It's Okay to Buy Digital Movies From iTunes, Google, and Amazon Most of us don’t like to think about it, but we rarely “own” a movie when we buy it, no matter the source. When you buy a disc from the store, legally, you’re purchasing a license to watch the movie in your home. This is a license that’s controlled by digital rights management tools. Blu-Ray discs in particular have some of the most complicated, over-engineered DRM of any medium out there. Most of the time, this isn’t a problem with a licensed Blu-Ray player. However, Blu-Rays often require updates in order to keep their DRM functioning. New discs ship with updates to the DRM, as well as revocation lists that can disable certain models or lineups of players until they receive security updates. What this means is that it’s possible to buy a new Blu-Ray, put it in an old player, and wind up locked out of that movie, or potentially all of your movies, depending on what rights the new disc revokes. This famously happened in 2010 on a semi-large scale when some legitimate consumers tried to watch Avatar and got locked out. Not everyone was affected, but a bug in the system resulted in some users getting the shaft. Every once in a while, someone bumps into an issue where the software between the player and the disc doesn’t agree and an update is required. However, this raises a key issue. Requiring software updates for Blu-Ray players isn’t much better than storing your movies on a remote server. Both can go down some day. As long as your Blu-Ray player is up to date, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about, but you’re still running the risk of buying into an ecosystem where your rights can possible be revoked down the line. Whether intentionally or unintentionally. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can’t trust Blu-Rays. Often when we discuss “owning” media, it’s implied that if there’s a risk of losing access to something years down the road, then it’s not worth buying it at all. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Plenty of people bought VHS tapes and now, even if you still have a working VHS player, the cassettes will wear down over time and the quality is crap. Part of buying new media is paying for the tech upgrade, not just the movie license. Whether it’s a cynical cash grab or just the nature of how technology progresses, wanting to pay once for a movie forever is an unrealistic expectation. Even if we’d all like it to be. Digital Libraries Aren’t Perfect, But They’re No Worse Than Any Other Option None of this is to say that streaming digital movies is perfect. $20 is still $20, and even if that’s a normal price for a new movie, there are more and more cheaper ways to watch movies with each passing year. If you don’t want to pay the premium, it would be hard to blame you. However, some people (myself included) still like buying films. Personally, I’ve always wanted to buy discs because I like how they look on a shelf. It’s like a movie-aficionados version of having many leather-bound books in your home. However, as time went on, I discovered that watching my movie collection became a hassle. Half the Blu-Ray players I’ve ever owned are slow, unreliable, or complain about updates every time I try to watch a movie on them. And even in 2015, there is still no free software for watching Blu-Rays on my computer. However, digital movies from online stores are an attractive option. You can play them on just about any device, the library apps are a nicer experience, and best of all, you don’t get locked out of your movies because you didn’t update your toaster. And if you’re worried about your library disappearing, don’t fret. We’ll all be paying for new, 16KHD Holographic versions of Star Wars long before Apple or Google go out of business and shut down their movie servers.

3 ways to take a screenshot on Samsung Galaxy Note 4

2014-11-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

1. Take a screenshot on Samsung Galaxy Note 4 using a button combination

Pressing the Power and Home buttons at the same time will grab an image of the screen. This can be awkward to get right, so it’s important to remember to press both buttons at the same time, and hold them until the shutter sound is heard. (You need to hold the Power button slightly before pressing the Home button, then hold them both down.)

This method also work on the Galaxy S3 and more recent phones like the Galaxy S5, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Zoom, Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Mega 6.3, Galaxy Tab 3 Pro, and Galaxy S4 Mini.

2. Take a screenshot on a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 using a hand swipe

Open Settings > Motion. Scroll down and find Hand Motion, then Palm swipe to capture, and tick the box.Close the menu and find the screen you want to capture. Shape your hand like you are karate “chopping” the screen, set your hand vertically on either side of the screen, then horizontally swipe across it — it doesn’t matter which way — like your hand is a photo scanner. If you’ve done it correctly, you should hear the camera shutter and receive a notification that a picture has been saved to the gallery. Screenshot away

3. Take a screenshot on the Galaxy Note 4 using the S Pen

To use these, you have to open the Air Command menu, which you can do by pulling out the S Pen stylus, or by hovering the pen over the screen and clicking the button on it.

Scrapbooker: This is a selection in the Air Command radial menu. It lets you draw a circle around a part of the screen to take a screenshot. After you take a picture of part of the screen, you can add tags, notes, and categories to organize the pic. You can access the photo from a special scrapbook app on the device.

Screen Write: This feature was also on the Note 2, but that device lacked an Air Command menu. Select it from the options to take a screenshot. You can then write notes on top of the image. There are options to change your pen color and size if you want to get creative.

Just hold the button and tap: On all S Pen Galaxy devices, you can also hold down the button on the S Pen and touch the pen to the screen, holding it there until you see and/or hear a screenshot being taken. This technique is best on the Note 2, Note 8.0, and original Note 10.1.

Top 4 Free Data Recovery Apps For Android

2014-11-20T23:01:00.002-08:00

1. Data Recovery from Google Store

Data Recovery from Google Store is an app that deals with the complete diagnostics of your mobile phone. It checks the data status, locates the contacts, textual and multimedia files, makes a bit-by-bit copy of the data, and restores the lost data onto the phone. It is an anytime anywhere app that responds instantly to a data recovery request from the mobile user. Data can be recovered from the SIM card as well as SD card with this app. You can download free from:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=datarecovery.extranet&hl=en

2. MyJad Android Data Recovery

MyJad Android Data Recovery is designed to help you recover any images, songs, videos, documents, archives, and more data stored on your SD card inside the Android phone. Scan, check and recover. Three simple clicks bring your digital life back to life.

Key Features of Android Data Recovery
*Excellent quality – full recovery of your lost Android data
*Absolutely safe – the scanning is just read-only, no changes done to the data of your Android device.
More About MyJad Android Data Recovery…

3. Undelete Beta

The Undelete Beta is great at handling recovery of all kinds of lost data like emails, messages, audios, videos, photographs clicked and downloaded, and all other information that was stored on your Android-based mobile phone. You just have to pop up the application and select the memory where the app should scan for lost files, whether internal memory or SD card. The app will show a list of all the deleted files, their original directory path, etc. You can download this app free of cost from:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fahrbot.apps.undelete

4. Data Recovery from Gutensoft

This is another single-click method of recovering lost or deleted data on your Android-based mobile smartphone of tablet. Just download this app on our PC and connect the phone with the USB cable. Run the app for data recovery. It will first scan for lost information like messages, contact information, archived files, emails, audios, videos, graphics, etc. and will restore it onto your mobile phone. For free download, follow this link:

http://gutensoft.com/Utilities/recover-android-data.html

5. DDR Data Recovery Software

Smartphones users save a lot of their favorite music files, videos, multimedia and graphics files, emails, instant messages, SMS, contacts, etc on their phones. If any or all of the information is accidentally deleted, this software helps you to recover the data. At a single click, it searches for lost data and provides a list for your verification. When you select “restore” the files are recovered onto your mobile phone. You can even customize the file search with options like Basic, Deep, Video, Photo, Signature searches before restoration. To download trial version click:

http://www.datarecoverysoftware.com/datarecoverysoftware/data-recovery-androidphone.html

Any one of these tools will help you recover your lost data onto your mobile phone. Just download one of these files onto the PC. Connect your mobile device and follow the onscreen instructions.

3 of the Coolest Insurance Apps

2014-11-20T22:53:00.003-08:00

OK, so the words “cool” and “insurance” don’t typically go hand in hand, but some of the nation’s top providers are proving that insurance can be cool, too. Practically all of the top insurance providers now have a mobile app for policyholders, and they have a big incentive to attract more users. Mobile apps make filing claims a breeze, which provides a better customer experience. From a cost standpoint, mobile apps can save companies money by improving the overall process.

You may be asking yourself, what could I possibly use an insurance app for? Chances are you won’t be using it to pay a bill since most people use the automatic payment option. And how often are you really going to tweak your coverage? Will you even remember you downloaded the app?

Claims are one area that an insurance app could greatly be of service. In fact, smartphone users can do almost all of the claims process right from their app. You can also use your phone to take pictures and shoot video right at the accident site, which can have a dramatic impact on claims management and fraud protection. Some insurance apps could even help score you discounts on your policy.

Here are some of the insurance industry’s coolest mobile apps:

1. GEICO App

GEICO’s mobile app is one the most visible mobile insurance apps out there. The app is sleek and user-friendly. You can even customize the background to feature the famous Gecko, Maxwell the Pig, or the GEICO logo. With GEICO’s app you can:

• Access digital ID cards
• Manage your policy
• Chat with Lily – “your insurance voice assistance” (maybe she’s related to Siri?)
• Access GEICO’s Accident Guide to help you record accident details and file a claim.

2. MetLife Infinity App

The MetLife Infinity app allows users to create a digital legacy for family members and friends. You can create collections of photos, videos, and documents. These can be shared now or saved for a future date.

3. GoodRide® by Allstate

This app is designed specifically with motorcycle riders in mind. GoodRide by Allstate helps riders track their route, time and mileage for each ride. It also helps you prepare for trips so you can scout out gas ahead of time and check local weather. Allstate says on its website that the GoodRide app will soon feature a maintenance log so riders can keep track of every oil change and flat tire. You will even be able to set alarms for when service is due.

Source Built Android Lollipop for Various Devices

2014-11-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

The source code for Android 5.0 Lollipop was only fully released yesterday, but developers on XDA work extremely quickly. In less than one day, some developers have managed to create Lollipop builds for particular devices. Let’s see which devices are capable of using Lollipop as a daily driver so far.
It was easy to predict that Nexus devices would be the first to get these unofficial builds. Google Nexus 4 “mako” users have a chance to test one such Lollipop build. It has been prepared by XDA Senior Member C-o-M, and it is nothing more than a vanilla build of AOSP, without Google Apps or any other enhancements. The build reportedly works with 4.4.4 Gapps, but there are some flaws like a force closing keyboard or missing sync provider in the Calendar app. There is another build made by XDA Senior Member sykopompos, but its’ a direct port from Nexus 5’s preview releases.
Nexus 7 (2013) “flo” owners can use a Lollipop source-built port by XDA Recognized Developer scrosler. The developer prepared a Google Apps package with applications available for the Nexus 9, which is also a tablet device, so there should be no issues caused by the gapps package used. If you’re planning to use this build, you need to flash the newest version of the Nexus 7 bootloader from the latest developer preview.
Source-built Lollipop is also available for the Google Nexus 10, thanks to XDA Senior Member . Although the build is devoid of Google apps, users are already reporting great success in terms of usability and stability. You can get in on the action at the Lollipop for the Nexus 10 thread.
Quite a bit of Android 5.0 Lollipop goodness was made available for the Google Nexus 5 “hammerhead”. There are 3 ROMs available. The first Lollipop ROM for the Nexus 5 is a pure AOSP experience and was compiled by XDA Recognized Developer OldDroid. The ROM is available as fastboot images, just like the images prepared by Google. It lacks Gapps and new binary files, but we need to wait a bit to see them available. The Second Lollipop ROM for the N5 comes from XDA Recognized Contributor herna. This is a pure AOSP experience with a modified kernel. The last N5 release is a pure AOSP build made by XDA Senior Member yashade2001.
The only non-Nexus device on the list at this point is the Sony Xperia Z. Android 5.0 Lollipop was ported over by XDA Senior Member thomas1991_12, but there are quite a few items that need to be fixed before we can call it a daily driver. This should be resolved pretty quick, as the Xperia Z was one of the first devices with fully working Android 4.3. You can grab it from here.
There may be some ROMs that have popped since we started writing this article, so please feel free to share any links you find in the comments below. The community works incredibly quickly, so it’s pretty hard to keep up. Hopefully, Google will finally release the official images for all of the supported Nexus devices, as well as the proper binaries, so truly stable builds can be created. This will also surely speed up the development for other devices.

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Device Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 4

2014-11-05T17:58:00.001-08:00

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is the successor to Samsung’s wildly popular Galaxy Note 2 and 3 phablet devices. The Note 3 was a giant-sized phone with a 5.7” screen display, with the Note 4 still sporting the same 5.7” display but with a higher QHD resolution. The Note 4 was released on October 17, with some US release dates lagging a bit depending on carrier. For this review, we will be looking at the T-Mobile variant, which did not have a delayed release.
The internal hardware of the US-market Galaxy Note 4 is based on the Snapdragon 805 SoC, whereas the international model features the Samsung Exynos 5433 Chipset. Aside from carrier radio modifications and a few other minor branding details, the models are very similar. Either way, the Note 4 is a powerhouse.
Here’s what’s in the box:
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (natch)3220mAh Fast Charging BatteryUSB 2.0 sync and charge cableA/C AdapterS-Pen and replacement tipsHeadphonesManuals

Hardware
The phone packs the quad-core 2.70 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, one of the most powerful processors currently on the market. The 5.7-inch device weighs in at 6.3 ounces and has a display resolution of 2560×1440 pixels, which equates to approximately 518 ppi. That is up from 386 ppi on the Note III. The display is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 panel, and we have the fingerprint scanner as added to the front of the display.
The Main Device specifications are:
2.70GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8055.7” Quad HD Super AMOLED (2560 x1440) at 518 PPI153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm6.3 ounces3 GB RAM32/64 GB storage options (also includes a Micro SD expansion slot up to 128GB)Fast Charging 3220mAh User Replaceable Battery16 MP with OIS Rear Camera3.7MP + F1.9 Front CameraS Pen stylusAndroid 4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI (Lollipop has been promised in the next few months)Bluetooth 4.1NFCWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2X2 MIMO)4G LTE and BelowT-Mobile Specific: Voice over LTE Enabled
Over the course of a week of testing, the battery of the Note 4 demonstrated impressive longevity. On average, it lasted a solid day with heavy use, and could go to 1.5 days with light to moderate usage. We have a departure of the Samsung Galaxy S 5 material design that we saw this year. Samsung went a premium metal band around the device. The weight of the Note 4 feels even more like a premium device in hand. The processor is very fast, especially for those coming from the US variants of the Galaxy S 5, which features the Snapdragon 801 processor. The S-Pen is even better than the original, with more sensitivity and better selection tools, combined with a new non-intrusive S-pen menu.
Overall, the phone is has a solid build. It should provide a great experience when holding and using it on a daily basis.
Interface
The phone runs Android 4.4.4 skinned with TouchWiz UI. The implementation is visible in every aspect of the phone’s interface. Because of this, if you are looking for a phone that provides the pure Google experience, the Note 4 will fit the bill. However, the options that are added are intended to help the user be more productive.
Multitasking is accessed with a dedicated key that replaces the menu key that we had with last year’s Samsung offerings. The apps and widgets are in the same position and work the same way as stock Android. Folder creation is not the same as stock Android. You need to a shortcut and bring it up to create a folder, rather than hold two app icons on top of each other.
The camera app was modified as well, adding surround shot, panorama, golf, and burst shot modes. This year, we have a slow shooting mode that was added and it works quite well. The Messaging app now features contact shortcuts on the top to match the design from the S5.
The multi-window interface remains the same and it still works great as it did on the Note III or S5, It showcases the added RAM, and you can even use a floating window on top of the multi window when you receive a call.
The UI is exactly what you would expect Touchwiz to be. Samsung has done a great job making it less and less intrusive. It’s likely that those who use the device for a few days will grow to enjoy the little changes in material and added PPI on the screen. However, if you want a pure Google experience, get a Nexus 6 if you can find one in stock!
Design
The Note 4 shows its Samsung lineage, with many design traits similar to those seen on the Galaxy S 5 and the Note 3. The one main change is the speaker position. It is near the back instead of positioned like on the GS5. NFC is built into the back battery like on the S5.
The phone’s dimensions are 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm, and it weighs in at 6.3 ounces. Compared to the Note III which tipped the scales at 5.9 oz. The S-pen fits inside the phone, and can be stored in the lower right side.
Battery
The Note 4 battery did not grow in capacity much from last year’s Note. They are 3220 mAh and 3200 mAh, respectively. The type of battery has changed. The Note 4 has a fast charging battery with a 2 Amp charger to speed charging. You can go from 0 to 50% in about 30 minutes and be fully charged in about 1.5 hours. The benefit is that even thought we lost the USB 3.0 connectivity, we gain faster charging, a very good trade indead.
Overall the battery life is better then what you would expect for a (2560 x1440) resolution screen. The use of AMOLED technology helps by giving you a balance in performance and battery life.
Camera
Samsung finally included OIS on its Note line of devices, something that we have been waiting for some time. The 16 MP rear camera is sharp and takes great pictures. The front facing one has a wide-angle lens to fit more people in your selfies. (Yay?)
The camera software is still Samsung’s but you get more features like slow motion video, depth of field and much more. Samsung includes more camera options as downloadable content from their App store.
Hackabiltiy
Rooting the device and modding it is possible. Samsung devices have never been too hard to hack for users wanting to modify them. Just be aware of the Knox E-fuse, once you trip it you cannot go back. Please head over to your variant’s forum and check for the process. The Note 4 had a root method before the device was released in the US. We will cover rooting, ROMs and Mods in video in the near future here on XDA. Please check back soon.
Final Thoughts
The Note 4 is set to compete against quite a few phablets this year. When I reviewed the Note III last year, the Note line was pretty much standing alone and reigning supreme. Google decided to enter into the phablet world with the Nexus 6. Watch out Samsung, you have created your own market and others want to become top dog. Although only the Samsung Note line carries the iconic Wacom-powered S-Pen.
I came to this device with my Galaxy Note III experiences, and the Note 4 has since replaced the OnePlus One and HTC One M7. I love the power under the hood of the Note 4, and wish Samsung would copy some of the new Note design elements to the S6 next year–things like the metal band and fast charging.
Make no mistake, the Note 4 is not made to be a one-handed phone! Although Samsung includes a few one-handed options under the dialer and calculator settings. They introduce an all new one handed mode for easy access. Regardless, you will need both hands for the S-pen.
The Note 4 is available from all major US carriers now. I would like to thank Samsung USA for providing us with this review unit.

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Backup+ Lets You Backup Your App Data on Android Lollipop

2014-10-26T03:11:00.000-07:00

Even though Android 5.0 Lollipop hasn’t yet seen its official release, quite a few users are using the latest version of the Android 5.0 developer preview as their daily driver OS. With the latest revision, Lollipop has gained quite a boost in both functionality and polish, with many more applications and features working than in the previous two releases. Unfortunately, however, there are still a few third party applications here and there that don’t quite work as expected, and data backup applications have been a bit tricky thus far.
This is where XDA Senior Member ‘s new app Backup+ comes in. As its name implies, Backup+ is a complete backup and app manipulation solution similar to the other applications already available for the platform. Backup+, however, is fully compatible with the Android L developer previews, with full Android Lollipop functionality. It even looks good while doing so, thanks to a completely Material Design-themed UI. The app is currently at an alpha stage, but many users in the thread are already reporting success. Moreover, Backup+ even offers batch backup and restore functionality, often relegated to premium versions in other solutions.
If you’re running Android Lollipop and have been looking for a compatible backup solution, head over to the Backup+ application thread to get started.

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Lockdown Pro 2 Brings Material Design and Media Support

2014-10-26T01:50:00.000-07:00

Back in March of this year, we took a look at a rather innovated security application by XDA Senior Member . Aptly titled Lockdown Pro, this app allowed users to lock applications with a PIN or pattern unlock. But rather than simply locking apps like the sea of other app locker solutions, Lockdown Pro differentiated itself by offering pre-defined locations where the phone locks automatically, as well as simulated force closes to prevent intruders from figuring out that they’ve been locked out.
Fast forward about seven months, and a lot has changed in the Android world. Ever since Google publicly unveiled Android L at the I/O 2014 keynote, both third- and first-party applications have been redesigned to match Google’s new Material Design UI. Naturally, a redesign was always in the cards for Lockdown Pro, which was always a very aesthetically appealing locker app. That update has now come. And along for the ride, we have new locker support that allows you to lock images and videos, play private videos, more trusted device support including smartwatch unlocking, and much more.
If you’ve never used Lockdown Pro, now’s a good time to give it a shot. Head over to the Lockdown Pro 2 app thread to get started!

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TechTalk Compiles All the Android News You Need in One App

2014-10-26T00:34:00.001-07:00

If you’re as obsessed with mobile devices as the vast majority of our forum goers, chances are that you browse multiple Android-related websites to keep tabs on all the latest Android news. Manually browsing the web for content, however, isn’t always the best approach. Luckily there are plenty of tools available to aggregate all the relevant content into one place, but following Google Reader’s demise, many have been looking for the “just right” replacement for their Android news fix. XDA Senior Member ‘s new application TechTalk hopes to do exactly that.
TechTalk is an Android news app that aggregates Android-related articles from various sites across the web. Currently, the app supports XDA-Developers (both the XDA Portal and XDATV), Android Central, Android Authority, Phandroid, Android Police, Android and Me, Cult of Android, Droid Life, Android Pit, Android Headlines, Android Spin, Droid Games, and Rootz Wiki. The app is laid out much like most feed readers, with articles categorized by site or all at once. The interface is clean, and there is a slide-out hamburger menu to switch feeds or change settings.
If this sounds like something that’s right up your alley, simply head over to the TechTalk Android News application thread to get started.

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Forget your phone’s brightness settings, use Lux instead

2014-10-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

The LG G2 has one the most crowded notification areas so I wouldn’t install an app that adds one more thing to it unless it was absolutely awesome, would I? That app is Lux and it forced me to make an exception for it because it solved all my screen brightness problems.
There are two important scenarios where I have previously struggled with screen brightness. For one, the automatic setting almost always seems a bit too low for me, especially outdoors. The second is the fact that no matter how low I set the brightness, the screen is always too bright for me when I’m chatting or reading in my bed at night. That issue, has been proven time and again in medical studies to be disturbing for the sleeping cycle.
Lux fixes both issues effortlessly and is chockfull of settings that would solve many more of your other brightness woes. The first time you launch it, you have to click the app’s power button to enable it and from there on, you can use it either in a fast and simple way, either delve into its many settings.
The simple way of using Lux
Lux sits by default in the notification area and consists of one line with the current brightness percentage and another with 6 different buttons:
- and + let you manually change the brightness percentage by 10% increments from -100% to +100%, or the automatic brightness by 5% increments up to a 20% variation. Say for example the auto-brightness has decided to set a level of 45%, you can force it to be anywhere between 20% lower or 20% higher, and that readjustment will carry on no matter what the auto level is.Auto/man lets you select the current brightness mode.Refresh checks your conditions again and readjusts the automatic brightness.The three stars triggers a red overlay on top of the screen.The power button de/activates Lux.Here are the Lux parameters in the notification area
Both of my brightness issues are fixed with a few clicks on these 6 buttons. During the day, I usually have Lux set on auto-brightness with a +20% adjustment. This ensures that my screen is always brighter than it thinks it should be, which is perfect for my outdoors problem and also keeps the screen quite vivid indoors.
When I’m reading, chatting or watching something at night, I switch to the manual mode, and lower the brightness to about -40%. Lux doesn’t actually reduce the screen’s level beyond zero, but it achieves this negative value by layering a transparent filter on top of the screen that darkens everything. It’s effective, makes my eyes hurt a lot less when using the G2 around bedtime, and doesn’t seem to affect my ability to fall asleep after looking at the phone for a while.
Lux adds a layer to reduce brightness below 0%The more thorough side of Lux
If you open Lux from yous app drawer, or click on the brightness line in the notification, you will be greeted by another screen of the app. There you can slide the brightness as you want, set up profiles, tell it when to adjust the auto-brightness (periodically, dynamically, on wake, and so on), teach it the preferred level depending on your surroundings, and access the app’s exhaustive settings screen.
I honestly have never needed to delve that far to make Lux usable for me, but from the looks of it, there are dozens of useful settings there that would make the app smarter and better at anticipating your needs. Some of those features however are only available in the paid $3.80 version of Lux.
Lux’ more thorough screen is a gateway to even more settings
Nonetheless, you can tell that I have stuck with the free Lux offering. It does its job perfectly for me — and even has more options that I don’t need — which is why it has earned its spot on the notification drop-down on both my LG G2 and Nexus 7.

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How to: Capture high quality stills from video footage on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

2014-10-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

When you’re around action – whether it’s a local sporting event or, more usually, kids and pets, there’s a perennial tension between deciding whether to shoot stills or video on your camera phone. Stills will be of higher quality, but you’ll probably miss ‘the moment’, while video gets everything, but you can’t print it out and stick it on the fridge, or email it to Aunty Maud. Happily, if you have a fairly recent Samsung smartphone, there’s a ‘best of both worlds’ compromise.
The idea, you see, is that video capture is now such high resolution that it should be possible to grab stills of pretty good quality from video, i.e. you just shoot everything and worry about what still photos you want later. With 4K capture, as on the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S5, you can effectively grab 8MP stills, while on 1080p capture devices like the Galaxy S4 and Note II, you can grab 2MP images – if the latter doesn’t sound very high resolution then note that it’s still much higher than most images shared online today.
But how do you – actually – grab the still images – on the phone
at least? You can’t just try and time a screenshot for the appropriate moment during video playback – quite apart from being extremely tricky to time, you’d also then only get screen resolution – which is almost always at least one notch down from the native resolution of the captured video.
What’s needed is a way of pausing a video, and then advancing, frame by frame, until the shot required is reached, then to grab the whole frame as a JPG. And, despite the complexities of digital video (which I won’t bore you with, but it involves master frames and then changes since that frame), this is exactly
what Samsung has implemented on most recent Galaxy devices. They have just hidden the functionality very well!
Step 1: The secret is to forego the usual Gallery application and to head instead for Samsung’s ‘Video’ player

Step 2: Now open up a video and pause playback (I’ve avoided using a personal, baby video here for privacy reasons – you’ll have to make do with a shot of a museum!) There’s nothing helpful on-screen yet, but don’t panic!

Step 3: Tap the (Samsung) menu control and you’ll see ‘Settings’

Step 4: Halfway down the dialog, you’ll see a check-box, simply marked ‘Capture’. Tick it!

Step 5: You’ll now see ‘nudge’ controls up at the top of the screen, along with a central capture control. Just nudge the video frame by frame, as needed, and grab the photo you want

You’ll find such grabbed photos in JPG format in a ‘Screenshots’ folder on your internal disk or microSD (according to your settings). It’s true that this procedure tends to produce something that’s not quite as crisp as a dedicated still photo, for two reasons:
making up a photo from a master video frame plus a handful of ‘changed’ frames, in software, is a bit of a ‘bodge’, to say the leasteach frame will have been ‘exposed’ for around 1/30s, typically. This doesn’t sound very long, but is an eternity in the photographic world, where shutter speeds are routinely 1/250s or less in good light. As a result, anything moving in that 1/30s period will be slightly blurred. So fast moving kids or pets are still something of an issue here (hint: Xenon, article coming soon!)
And yes, we know that many smartphone camera applications (including the Samsung one) now let you grab stills during video capture, possibly giving the best of both worlds at capture time
, but with kids and pets especially, I’ll bet you still miss the moment. Which takes us back to nudging through the video version again, using this handy frame navigation and capture trick!
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The double-pronged approach to Qi wireless charging

2014-10-17T04:27:00.000-07:00

One of the most satisfying things in life can be to take something old and make it shiny again. No, not just a physical clean up (though that helps), not just a software update (also useful!) but adding actual functionality. In this case, taking a classic smartphone and adding in Qi wireless charging – with Qi plates in the office and at home (and sometimes in coffee shops), in theory your smartphone can always be snacking on power and thus always ready for maximum action.
You may remember a little hackery along these same lines for the ageing Samsung Galaxy Note II last year? In that case, I tested an after-market coil, concluding that it worked pretty well, if slowly, with installation that was practical, if a little fiddly. In this case, I’m going to go one better and explore both official and after-market options for the slightly newer (but still well out of warranty) Samsung Galaxy S4, with a nod to the current S5, for which almost identical options apply.
It may strike you as odd that Qi charging retrofit articles here and around the web are nearly always centred on the Samsung smartphones, but these have external charging pins available under their covers, for exactly this purpose. Most other smartphones are either sealed, in which case they either support Qi charging – or not, or simply don’t have the appropriate pins that can be hooked up.
Most of us make do with charging our phones once a day, usually at night, with the occasional top-up during the day if we feel we’re going to run out of juice. Wireless charging changes everything, in that your natural resting place for your phone on your desk at work, or in your car, or in your kitchen – they can all be charging plates, ensuring that your phone battery is being kept constantly topped up. Li-Ion batteries love being topped up – and often – as I explained here, so wireless charging is a match made in heaven.
Happily charging, resting on my desk….
In a real world environment, with a couple of wireless charging plates around the home and office, my smartphone rarely dips below about 70%, whatever time of day you care to look at it. Almost every time it’s put down, there’s energy being poured back into it, without any tedious fiddling around with microUSB connectors, making sure they’re the right way round and then gingerly easing them into position.
The downside of wireless charging is that it’s less efficient than wired charging (i.e. some extra heat is generated), so if the fate of Planet Earth depended on it and five billion people charged wirelessly then we might be in trouble. But I think you and I can get away with it in 2014!
Despite me proclaiming that wireless charging is the future, there remain at least two standards. Rather curiously, one (Duracell Powermat) is used by almost no one and yet pushed a lot by the industry in terms of test installations in transit lounges, while the other (Qi) is used by almost everyone and yet you can’t find a public Qi charging spot for love nor money. Regardless, the latter will win, since it’s got Google, Samsung, LG and Nokia behind it. And if Apple ever throws its hat into the ring as well….
But on with today’s experiments. I’m fascinated that, for each of Samsung’s flagships, there are two completely different ways to go in terms of adding wireless charging. There’s the official case, shown below, and there’s the ultra-thin after-market version, shown further below and coming in at a much lower price. Yet both perform almost identically. So which way should you go, whether for a Galaxy S4, as here, or a Galaxy S5 (for which the exact same options exist, albeit with slightly different part numbers)?
The Samsung ‘S Charger Cover’
The official solution, the “S Charger Cover”, is a whole new replacement back, adding around 2mm to the (in this case) Galaxy S4. It fits well though, as indeed it should, coming direct from Samsung. The coils that are integral are rated at 650mA (at 5V), which equate to about a 20% charge per hour on the 2600mAh S4. Compare this with up to 50% per hour being added via traditional wired charging from the Samsung mains adapter.
Showing the extra thickness, the camera ‘hump’ is now a depression….!
Interestingly, there are other pins and shiny panels on the inside of the S Charger Cover – but I’ll come to those in a moment.
The low-tech alternative is to opt for an after-market ‘coil and cable’ assembly, as shown here:
The underside of the coil assembly, with a small adhesive strip….
This is rated almost as highly, at 600mA, so there’s little in it in terms of performance. The unique selling point here, other than a lower price, is that this can (as with the Note II featured before) be slipped in underneath a standard phone back cover – just. You line up the charging pins (which are again a loose fit, relying largely on pressure from the back cover in order to keep a good contact), press down the small strip of adhesive onto your battery and you’re done. Getting a standard back cover on again is a little harder – it’s clear that the extra thickness causes the plastic back to bow out a little and you’ll have to work a bit harder to get all the cover clips snapped into place.
In place – a little ugly – and the microSD slot is blocked, but the adhesive is only for the battery – take this out and the coils and flex come too…!
In use, both solutions work well – 20% per hour isn’t for anyone in a hurry, but for regular top ups while you’re working or relaxing nearby it’s ideal.
However, there’s one catch to all this – because NFC on the Galaxy S4 is in the battery, the after-market coils block the NFC antenna – meaning that with the Qi charging accessory in place you can’t go around tapping things! And this explains the extra pins in the back of the official Samsung accessory.
You see, as with charging, Samsung provides NFC aerial input pins too – they’re clearly belt and braces people! So the S Charger Cover has extra NFC aerial panels, top and bottom (they’re connected, internally), to channel NFC data/energy through to the pins. Meaning you don’t lose NFC functionality when deciding to retrofit wireless charging in this way.
Shiny new NFC aerials and pins, as part of the S Charger Cover…. The Qi coils are bang in the middle…
In summary, then – whether you have a Galaxy S4 or S5 – you have two options:
The official Samsung solution which costs more and adds bulkA third party ‘stick-on’ internal solution which costs less and adds less bulk, but also stops you using NFC
For those who never use NFC anyway, this is something of a no-brainer. And if you come across a NFC tag/point, just take the back cover and coil off temporarily? Alternatively, if an extra 1mm is neither here nor there and you want to be ready should NFC take off, then the Samsung solution can also be recommended.
PS. Given the two solutions and the way the add-on coil hooks up with its two metal prongs, do you see now what I did with the article title?(!)
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Thanks to Mobile Fun for the review samples of their Qi wireless chargers.

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How to optimise RAM, maximise performance on Android

2014-10-17T03:04:00.000-07:00

Do nothing.
There we go – if you’re in a hurry to move on, that’s a pretty easy takeaway! You see, after weeks of looking at tips and tricks and utilities and management schemes, I’ve ended up with the conclusion that it’s extremely easy to get to the point where the things you’re doing, and the apps you’re buying to try and increase performance in your Android smartphone, are actively getting in the way. Both your way and that of the OS, which (at Android 4.x) is now sufficiently sophisticated to make a better fist of things than anything else we can think of here. Having said that, some explanation and a few extra tips should prove more illuminating…
RAM (Random Access Memory) is the main thing to look at, of course. Short of extreme hackery in in terms of overlocking your phone’s processor (very definitely not for the faint hearted, or those who value their warranty!), the main performance factor in any smartphone is its RAM and what’s using it. You see, applications and data that are (running or stored) in RAM are much faster to access than the same stored in flash memory (i.e. the phone’s internal disk or microSD).
The author’s ageing Galaxy Nexus, with 300MB free RAM after booting, and optimised to within an inch of its life….!
So the ideal situation is to have all the applications you use the most in RAM at all times, for near instant switching (with the only remaining bottleneck being the device’s processor). The likely problem with this is that your phone’s RAM is finite and, at some point, something large (e.g. a game) that you run will end up demanding lots of RAM and ‘out’ go your core applications (Gmail, Twitter, Pocket Casts, etc.), with their states saved so that they can be restarted/resumed as exactly as possible in the near future. And, naturally, when it comes time to use one of your core applications again, this restart takes an awful lot longer than simply jumping to a fully running application in RAM.
Which brings us to two seemingly contradictory rules of thumb:
have as much free RAM as possible (so that there’s room to crank in new applications without disturbing any of your core apps that are already running)fill RAM as much as possible with running apps (so that as many core apps as possible can be available for instant switching)
In fact, these two rules don’t fall foul of each other – they’re both true and both relevant in a modern Android smartphone. The second rule is taken care of by the Android OS, which naturally fills RAM as new applications are started – though a buffer of up to 100MB (or thereabouts) is usually tried for, so that there’s always room for the OS and processor to ‘breathe’ (work).
Though it’s tempting to suggest that the first rule is also taken out of user hands (hence my ‘Do nothing’ crack at the top!), in fact there are things you might
be able to do, that make a difference in day to day use. And no, I don’t mean installing ‘free up’ style utilities, which essentially kill background Android services to free RAM and ignore the fact that most of them get restarted almost immediately – trust me, I’ve tried a number of these apps and ultimately de-installed each.
Nor do I mean choose a phone with more RAM in the first place, though that is rather an obvious starting point – if you’re a power user then you should prize RAM over all else, even over processor speed. More RAM = better web page handling, larger games handled smoothly, quicker switching between applications, and so on.
There are in fact two main things you can bear in mind when setting up your Android smartphone, both of which have a significant effect on free RAM, especially if you have a 1GB (or less) device.
1. Exercise restraint in setting up homescreens. Yes, your device lets you have up to nine of the things, each of which could be stocked with several ‘cool’ widgets, so it’s quite possible to end up with 20 or so widgets in place. Then add in a live wallpaper, for the ultimate in cool. Quite apart from such a homescreen map being too spread out to save you any time in the first place, it’s vital to understand that every widget is effectively a small application and requires RAM in order to exist and work (e.g. to display content). Ditto live wallpaper, which again is an Android application in its own right and can often use significant RAM.
Stick to a simple homescreen layout, maybe two or three, with a handful of your most valuable widgets, then use a static wallpaper (i.e. a still photo), and you’ll have more RAM for general Android application use.
2. Think about changing your homescreen/app-launcher altogether. If you’re an out-of-the-box sort of person then you may not want to tinker with this, but there are definitely RAM savings to be made here. As an example, I did some tests, detailed below, on my (now ageing) Galaxy Nexus. There’s a caveat in that the numbers tended to jump around, depending on exact network conditions and what data was being handled in real time, etc, but the broadstrokes comparison does apply, I think.
In each case, I set up the appropriate launcher with approximately the same shortcut icons and the same widget loadout (Google Now, Simple Bitcoin, Brightness Level, and Free Memory, in my case) and then rebooted, waiting a few minutes for all the typical Android services to get started, do their initial thing and then calm down – you’d be amazed how much free RAM fluctuates in the first few minutes after a phone is restarted!
LauncherAverage free RAM after booting had finishedGoogle Now (the ‘Google Experience’, etc.)265MBTrebuchet (the default own-brand/stock launcher that comes with Cyanogen Mod)308MBNovalauncher284MBApex Launcher293MB
Note again (in the table) that I used the word ‘average’ – the numbers really did vary quite a bit, though there was a very definite difference between the Trebuchet launcher from Cyanogen, effectively the stock Android launcher from v4.1 or so and the (slightly) more bloated Google Now system that has been coming on recent Nexus devices and other ‘Play Edition’ phones – plus you can of course side load this now from the Play Store. However, as with most newer software, it’s written (and tested) with higher specification devices in mind, and so its relative bloat has gone unchecked.
Picking a launcher, here in Settings/Apps/All under Android 4.4….
Add the two bits of advice together and I reckon on a possible difference of up to 75MB of free RAM in both simplifying homescreens massively and switching from the Google Now launcher to ‘Trebuchet’ (or ‘Apex Launcher’, for example), enough to make a significant difference on older hardware, at least.
Hopefully these insights and tips can you gain more free RAM in your own main smartphone and you’ll get a faster, smoother Android experience as a result. Comments welcome!

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How to fix the camera lens scratch on the HTC One M8

2014-10-17T02:04:00.000-07:00

The HTC One M8 camera has been criticized by many for its low resolution, which leads to a serious lack of details in its images. However, there is another problem with the One M8’s camera that most consumers are affected by, but are completely oblivious of. The camera lens on the back of the M8 is extremely easy to scratch and beyond a certain threshold, these scratches can severely deteriorate the image quality of the handset.
Don’t believe me? Check out the images posted by ugxvibe
below to see for yourself:Before the camera lens was scratched severelyAfter the lens was severely scratched in day-to-day usage
HTC is not really openly accepting this issue but it is replacing the units for some of the affected users. You can try your luck at your nearest HTC service center or alternatively try the methods listed below, which have worked successfully for many users. Thankfully, the scratches are not on the camera lens but on the oleophobic coating of the glass, which can be easily removed, provided you have access to some toothpaste, a toothbrush or a cotton swab.
Simply take some toothpaste and apply it on the rear camera lens of the One M8. Then, use the cotton swab to spread it evenly on the glass and move it in a clockwise direction for sometime. When you are done, use a microfiber cloth plus a drop of water to clean off the residue. You should now notice that all the scratches have vanished and the glass is back to its original state.You can also use a drop of water and then use the edge of a credit card to peel off the coating.Alternatively, you can also use some wood polish liquid to remove the coating.
Check out the video below if you would like some video guidance before trying it out yourself.
The issue, and the fixes above, are also applicable to the One M7 as well as the front-facing camera lens of the One M8. In case the above methods do not restore the image quality of your One M8 back to its original state, contact your nearest HTC service center for a replacement or drop them an email.
The camera lens on my One M8 was also pretty badly scratched but the toothpaste method completely erased all the scratches and restored the camera performance back to its original state.
Did you notice a similar improvement on your M8 after trying the steps above? Drop in a comment and let us know!

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