Posts Filed Under ‘Mobile’
Ever since I installed a barcode scanner app on my phone, I see QR codes everywhere--so naturally I wanted one of my own. If you too are a barcode-scanning fool, point your phone's camera at this QR code and you'll get a link to my personal web site. Fun!
A QR ("quick response") code is a square barcode that makes getting URLs, location coordinates, any text or contact information onto a phone quickly. With a barcode scanner app installed, you just point your phone's camera at the code to read its contents. Here's what reading this QR code looks like on my Android phone, using an app simply called "Barcode Scanner."
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“The Swype package you installed does not match the screen size” · If you tried out the excellent (and unofficial) Swype beta for your Nexus One--the keyboard replacement that makes touch-typing much easier--you may be getting an annoying popup about how the Swype package you installed doesn't match the screen size. I love Swype so much I've been putting up with the error for weeks, constantly dismissing it. Turns out a better version for N1 users kills the error. I uninstalled my error-prone version and installed this one yesterday; happily there are no more errors. · 3 weeks ago, 10 comments
Android and Me Interview · Thanks a million to Eric Weiss at Android and Me--one of my favorite blogs for keeping up on Android news and tips--for interviewing me about my own Android habit, space travel, cloud comforters, third-party ROMs, and my favorite gadgets. · January 27th, 2010
Yet another new-to-me Android 2.1 feature: tap and hold the dots on the bottom right and/or left of your home screen to see thumbnail previews of ALL the phone's screens. Tap on a thumbnail to switch to that screen, no swipe necessary.
As you can see in the screenshot, the thumbnail previews don't include wallpaper--the background is just white, for better visibility--but they do show the icon and widget layout so you can identify which screen's which. This type of screen-switching will be familiar to virtual desktop lovers, or folks who use Spaces on OS X.
Android continues to live up to its reputation as "OS by Easter Egg," Jeff Jarvis' description . If you don't want to have to hunt down every egg yourself, here's Android 2.1's best features in screenshots.
Swipe to Start Voice Input on Android ·
A new-to-me Android 2.1 shortcut: if you want to use voice input without hunting down the microphone button on the keyboard, swipe your fingertip across the entire keyboard to start it instead. Start at 0:25 into the video to see it in action. · January 13th, 2010, 2 comments
There are three ways to tether your Android handset and get sweet internet love even where there's no Wi-Fi in sight: the risky-but-free method that requires serious technical skills, the still-geeky-but-not-as-bad free route, and the $30 easy way. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of each.
Method 1: Tether Android with Apps that Need Root (Free, heavy configuration)
The Android Wi-Fi Tether application turns your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot--essentially a MiFi--in one tap. The catch? You have to gain root access to your phone, a multi-step process that uses an unofficial Android add-on which can brick your phone if applied incorrectly. Rooting Android is doable for geeks and hackers with experience soft-modding hardware, but it's not something most users could (or should!) do.
If you're up for getting root access in Android, the Android and Me blog runs down how to do it. It's a multi-step process that involves unlocking your phone's bootloader, flashing a recovery image, and flashing an add-on to the default Nexus One firmware. Not for the faint of heart, but definitely doable if you've ever upgraded your router's firmware or hacked your Xbox. Here's a video of the process from Android and Me:
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Android users have a limited number of home screens on their phone (3 to 5, depending on what version you use), but folders group your home screen shortcuts into quick pop-up menus.
For example, I've got a few specific things I use on my phone when I go to the gym: a workout music playlist, a stopwatch app, my gym locker combination, a bookmark to an exercise program I'm following, and an app that tracks how far I've run. I only use these shortcuts when I'm at the gym, so I've put them all in a folder called "Gym," as shown here. When I get to the gym, I plug in my headphones, tap that folder, and everything I need to work out is there.
Here's how to create folders on your home screen to organize your Android icons.
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“iPhone’s for Sheep; Android’s for Geeks” · David Pogue says an ardent army of "Fandroids" attacked his mostly positive Nexus One review with the same mouth-foaming irrationality as Apple, Microsoft, and Linux fanboys of years past. Crazy people saying crazy things on the internet aside, Pogue makes a good point: Android has come to represent a kind of hacker counterculture, whose members dismiss the iPhone as closed, proprietary, and designed "for dummies" and sheep. I thought Pogue's review was well done, but I'll admit it. When I go to a tech conference I expect to see most people carrying an iPhone. But when I spot an Android handset (which I do more and more)? A small part of my brain assumes that person is someone with superior technical skill, someone who values openness, and someone who is ahead of the curve. · January 9th, 2010, 27 comments
Great software needs hardware that can keep up, and my new Nexus One is a sleek, awesome handset. But the most important ingredient in this generation of touchscreen smartphones is the software: the screen is just a canvas that software paints on, and Android 2.1 is a work of art.
Coming from the chunky G1, the thin and flat Nexus One hearkens back to my iPhone days. (It doesn't require a holster, and slid into my jeans pocket it doesn't make my thigh look too fat--it gets lots of vanity points for that.) The screen is huge and crisp; the dual noise-canceling microphones are sweet; the true headphone jack is much-appreciated, and the glowing trackball is a nice touch.
Now that that's out of the way--the best part of the Nexus One is Android 2.1. If all goes well, many existing Android users will get that update even if they don't get a new handset. After spending just a few hours with my new phone, here are a few of my favorite Android 2.1 features, in screenshots.
Click to enlarge each image to actual size (including the image of my current home screen, shown here).
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BillShrink hits it out of the park with a handy infographic which compares the cost and features of the current generation of smartphones: the Nexus One, the Palm Pre, the Motorola Droid, and the iPhone 3GS.
Looking at this you realize 1.) there's no clear winner in the bunch feature-wise and 2.) we all spend a ridiculous amount of money on mobile phones and service. My only nitpick with this chart is that the T-Mobile/Nexus One "Average Usage" plan should be listed at $79.99 a month, not $89.99 (unless they're counting taxes and fees). Update: BillShrink has updated this graphic to correct prices. Head inside and click to enlarge the big picture to check it out.
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Nexus One Flash Impressions · Google announced the Nexus One phone today, which is on sale from Google here. My current contract is up, I'm sick of living with Edge, and I don't want to depend on good enough data coverage for Skype, so I bought one with the T-Mobile plan. As a former iPhone user and soon-to-be-former G1 user, I'm excited about getting a thin and light phone with replaceable battery and a true headphone jack. I'm a huge fan of the trackball in general, so I'm loving that the Nexus One's trackball doubles as a notification system; however, I do fear I'll miss the G1's awesome flip-out keyboard more than "never." I mostly use my smartphone to email/text/Twitter, so I'm looking forward to speaking email with voice input, multiple Gmail account and Undo support. More Nexus One goodness as I discover it... now, to wait for FedEx. · January 5th, 2010, 7 comments
A Case for the Unsubsidized Nexus One · I'm pretty excited about the launch of the Nexus One tomorrow (even though in Engadget's video demo Android's schmancy new Live wallpaper process crashes, see minute 4:09). Since my AT&T contract is up I'm planning on getting one along with a new two-year T-Mobile contract. Even though I hate getting locked into another contract, dropping almost $500 on an unsubsidized phone felt like a little too much. However, it looks like the phone plus a data-only T-Mobile plan might just be cheaper in the long run (provided you're ok with being dependent on a paid Skype account). Here are the numbers. · January 4th, 2010, 7 comments
Gizmodo’s Essential Android Apps · A solid list of 30 good Android apps. While I don't have all of these installed, there are a ton of my personal picks here. (Downloading the Evernote Android beta now, which is not yet in the Market.) · December 11th, 2009, 1 comment
Macworld’s Google Voice Primer · Macworld's Chris Pepper explains what the heck Google Voice is and does. Even though it's at times unreliable, I still love the service because it makes me hate the phone less. I've got three Voice invites to give away--first three people to ask for them in the comments on this post get 'em. Go! · December 11th, 2009, 18 comments
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