Android Magazine Issue 41 - 2014 UK

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ANDROID L
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First look and top tips
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Googles masterplan for the
next billion users revealed
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ISSUE 41
3
Welcome
To issue 41
Welcome
Google whet our appetite with Androids
gorgeous new design, lockscreen notications,
4K video streaming and battery-saving features
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S
ome thought it would be
lollipop, others liquorice, a
few even said limoncello. In
the days leading up to Google I/O,
many Android fans sounded like kids
in a sweet shop as they debated
what confectionary would inspire
Android 5.0s name. However, come
the event, Google whet our appetite
with Androids gorgeous new design, lockscreen
notications, 4K video streaming and battery-saving
features, but refused to refer to it as anything other than
Android L. Worse still, Google said we could look but not
touch ofcial rollout for this new OS wouldnt come until
the autumn. And we didnt think that was fair.
True, those with a Nexus device and the technical
know-how can install the Android L Developer Preview and
enjoy these features straight away. But what about the
rest of us? This issue is packed with clever apps, tricks
and hacks to get Android L on your device right now. From
the colourful wallpapers to the voice-activated unlocking,
even the new-look notications and the phone-wiping
kill-switch, we take you through Android Ls key features
and tell you which ones you can get now and how.
For those that want to go deeper, try our Expert Hacks
guide for ten top upgrades to make to your rooted device.
From supercharging your Wi-Fi for lightning-fast downloads
to creating your own app widgets, it offers step-by-step
tutorials to making your Android phone your own.
Enjoy the mag!
Slingshot
Yahoo Sport
Smash Hit
Udacity
EverythingMe
Leos Fortune
MY HOME SCREEN
On (and off) Jacks
phone this month
GET IN TOUCH
Let us know what youd
like to see in next issue
Jack Parsons
Deputy Editor
A
P
P
S
I
N
A
P
P
S
O
U
T
This month
Ive been using:
LG G3
The rst next-gen
phone looks great,
and the 2K screen is
out of this world
ON
REVIEW
Weve got the latest
Android devices on test
LG G3
The ace in the
pack for the LG G3
is its screen
One Plus One
The phone is
unquestionably targeted
at enthusiasts
HTC Desire
610
ticks a lot of the
boxes for todays mid-
range customers
p8
2
p
8
6
p
8
8

Contents
Inside issue 40
CONTENTS
28 Exclusive subscription offer
54 Special offer for USA eaders

06 Android One
Googles masterplan for the
next billion users revealed
09 Photo apps
Snap, store and edit your
images with these essential
photo apps
10 The pocket-sized
projector
This Android-powered smart
projector is highly portable
Launcher
Previews,
news and
speculation
from the
Android world
06
12 10 things to do
with your old phone
Instead of selling it, why not
hack it, give it to charity or even
use to make
you money
13 HTCs
Dot View
is now
smarter
than ever
The Dot View
app adds new
features to the
smart case
14
Messages
We delve into our virtual mailbag
to hear the latest reader rants
on all things Android
4
1
24
Upgrade your
Chromecast
Discover
how
Android
One is
going to
take over
the world

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
G

T
H
E
D
N
E
W
N
O
W
!
Firs
t lo
o
k
a
n
d
to
p
tip
s

fo
r A
n
d
ro
id
L
TRANSFORM
YOUR PHONE
Get Androids new
Material Design on
your device
BOOST YOUR
BATTERY LIFE
Supercharge your
device with
Project Volta
UPGRADE
GOOGLE NOW
Your virtual assistant
is better than
ever
LOGIN WITH
ANDROID WEAR
New sensors will
replace your
passwords
Contents
Inside issue 40
Essential guides to getting more
from your phone or tablet
30 Automate your phone
Make your phone work as you want it to by
automating tasks with apps instead of hacks
34 Tutorials
34 Use external plug-ins in Sunrise
Calendar
36 Stream Dropbox to your TV
37 Recalibrate your battery
without root
38 Create formulas in Google Sheets
40 Blacklist spam numbers
with Truecaller
45 Take notes during calls with
NOTEify
46 Use Hibernate to freeze
background processes
48 Track your app usage with
Frequency
49 Automatically store copied
data with EverClip
72 Sunrise Calendar
73 SwiftKey Keyboard
73 Copy Bubble
73 Ready Contact List
73 Vibify
74 Endless TV
74 Parallels Access
74 Owly
75 PhonoPaper
75 Gardens
75 Gardenate
75 iScape Lite
75 Garden Manager: Plant Alarm
76 Lumosity
76 Quip
76 Instagram
77 1Password
78 Selphee
78 The Guardian
78 Echo Lockscreen
79 Reddit ofine
79 Cluster
79 Snapkeys Zones
79 Cross DJ Mix your music
79 Audio Visualizer Live
79 Path
79 Hike messenger
79 BallTune
80 AndroVid Pro
80 VideoShow Pro
81 Angry Birds Epic
81 Soar
81 Hitman GO
81 Worms 3
Apps
Your complete
guide to
Google Play
72 App reviews
The latest apps on test
80 Video-editing apps
Editing suites go head-to-head
81 Game reviews
The latest games reviewed
App review index
55 10 Expert
Phone Hacks
70 Hacking tips
and tricks
Explore the limits of
your Android phone
Hacker
Zone
Tutorials Reviews
Cutting-edge tablets and
smartphones on test
82 Reviews
82 LG G3
86 One Plus One
88 HTC Desire 610
90 Accessories
Featuring the Spaced360
speaker and the Universal
Charging Station
50 Droid Support
Readers questions answered, plus
troubleshooting tips and tricks
Visit the Android Magazine online shop at
for back issues and books
90
Headphones head-to-head
Check our website daily
for even more news
5
8
2
L
G
G
3
The denitive
list of the
best gadgets 94
All the latest from the world of Android devices
G
oogle treated us to a ton o f new
announcements at I/O this year, but one of
the most crucial initiatives for Googles
mobile future was easily missed, as it wasnt
directly aimed at the US and European markets.
Android One, a new hardware and software spec for
low-end smartphones in developing nations, is
intended to help Google expand the reach of its
mobile OS in countries like India, China and beyond.
What exactly is it, then? Google is using the term
Android One to refer to a set of hardware
standards for smartphone manufacturers,
standards which it hopes will speed up the process
of developing budget handsets in emerging
markets. Google is also providing the stock Android
6
package the same one used on the Nexus and
Google Play Edition devices then working with
OEMs and carriers to give new customers the
handsets and data packages they need. Essentially,
Google gives manufacturers everything they need
except the raw materials to build the product.
You can think of it as a Nexus programme for the
developing world, with a lower set of hardware
specications, special features (such as dual SIM
capabilities) that are popular in these markets, and
more control from Google over how the overall
package is delivered.
In countries like India, where the Android One
scheme is starting, the mobile landscape looks a lot
different. Most users are still on budget feature
phones, connectivity is patchy, and handsets often
double as radios or document scanners in the
absence of other technology. Smartphone use is
expected to explode in India over the next year or
two, which is why Google is making its move now,
with Micromax, Karbonn and Spice as its rst
hardware partners.
On stage at Google I/O in San Francisco, Google
Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai showed off a
Micromax Android One device that costs less than
$100. Featuring the FM radio and removable SD
cards demanded by the Indian market, it will run
stock Android and have full access to the Google
THE
big
STORY
Low cost: Google promises the phone can be
put together for less than $100
Dual SIM: Rare in the UK and the US but seen as
a standard feature in India
FM radio: Another important feature users in
developing nations often rely on
Stock Android: Undiluted version of KitKat
together with Google Play access
Data Deals: Google is planning to partner with
carriers to provide discount data plans
Key features
One platform to rule them all? How Google
plans to conquer the growing market
in Asia and beyond
Android One:
Googles
masterplan
for the next
billion users
7
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Catch up with the latest
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Play store, an attempt to stay on top of any potential
fragmentation. Im used to cutting-edge phones,
and Ive been using this phone for a while and it is
really good, Pichai told the audience.
At scale we can bring high-quality, affordable
smartphones [to the market], Pichai added. So we
can get the next billion people access to these
devices, and we cant wait to see the impact that
its going to have. If you look at all the OEMs in these
countries, each of them has to reinvent the wheel,
and in the fast-paced mobile industry they have to
build a new smartphone within nine months. So we
want to pool resources and help everyone.
Google isnt the only company interested in
reaching this potentially lucrative market, and its
unlikely to have everything its own way it faces a
particularly tough ght in China, where OEMs
circumvent Google Play completely, developing their
own versions of Android and customised budget
hardware designs that can be produced at scale for
as little as $40.
The Chinese problem
Analysts believe its a move that Google had to
make, but one which isnt necessarily going to be
successful. With Android One, [Indian OEMs] are
buying into a network of component suppliers and
manufacturers that have scale and scope to
manufacture their latest designs at a shorter time,
said Wayne Lam, Senior Telecom Electronics
Analyst at IHS. It will be less appealing to Chinese
OEMs, he told us, as these manufacturers dont
make use of Google Play and already have low-cost
hardware reference points to rely on. Chinese
OEMs continue to rely on 256MB versions running
Gingerbread and are able to reach new lows in
price, said Lam.
I see the Android One program as more a way to
contain the hardware fragmentation within the
industry rather than offering something new in
developing market smartphone design and
manufacturing, added Lam when we spoke to him.
The fragmentation issue is clear when still a
signicant amount of Android devices still run three
or four year old versions of Android. The Android One
program, if adopted widely will move more phone
designs to KitKat. However, that would mean a
minimum set of hardware requirements that some
low-cost Chinese OEMs are unwilling to take.
We also got the thoughts of Rob Enderle, veteran
technology analyst at the Enderle Group. He sees
this as a move from Google to become more
Apple-like in controlling the hardware and software
ecosystem without taking on the risk of actually
manufacturing devices itself. Since most of the
prots for Android phones ow directly to Google
Wayne Lam, IHS
The Android One
program will move
more phone
designs to KitKat
Android One vs the competition
VERDICT
With competing handsets offering similar specs, software may be the key for Android One. Well have to wait and see which
smartphone offers the best user experience the winner takes all in the new, emerging markets
Manufacturers can follow the framework laid down by Google to build phones more easily
The rst phone to follow the Android One guidelines will be a
sub-$100 device from Micromax
Google has already signed up three hardware partners in India
and is working with carriers too
Price..................... Under
$100/58
Processor........ 1.2GHz
dual-core*
Memory............ 512MB*
Camera............. 5-MP*
Battery...............TBC
Display size....4.5-inch
Display resolution...
960 x 540 pixels*
Micromax Android One
technical specs *rumoured
Price..................... $100/58
Processor........ 1GHz
single-core
Memory............ 512GB
Camera.............3.2-MP
Battery...............1400mAh
320 x 480 pixels
Alcatel One Touch Fire
technical specs
Price..................... $135/78
dual-core
Memory............ 1GB
Camera............. 5-MP
Battery...............1800mAh
800 x 480 pixels
Nokia X2
technical specs
Price.....................$117/68
quad-core
Memory............ 512MB
Camera.............5-MP
Battery...............1900mAh
Display size....Five-inch
480 x 800 pixels
Micromax Canvas Entice
technical specs
8
Visit us daily for news and more
through advertising this is an attempt to get
most of the prots while passing most of the risks
to others, Enderle told us.
That might not be a scenario that the hardware
OEMs are particularly happy with, as they carry the
can if these phones op Google can simply
move on somewhere else.
I think the problem will be this split of
prots and risk, says Enderle. Not all of the
phones will be successful, and Google typically
doesnt do much marketing, putting even more
pressure on the hardware OEMs. Their existing
OEMs are already complaining about Google not
listening to them, and the fact that not even
Samsung is doing that well nancially at the
moment [shows] these low margin phones
could easily be massively unprotable. If that
occurs, this effort will force a number of
companies out of the segment and Google back
into phone manufacturing.
Indias mobile explosion
Why Google is debuting Android
One in India
putting together budget smartphones that can
allow KitKat to shine as well as getting millions
more users into the Google Play ecosystem. Its
important not to forget the stock Android and
automatic updates provided by the Android One
project, which are just as important as the
hardware framework. Google has said local carriers
will be able to install additional applications
relevant to their market.
Whether or not the vision set out by Sundar
Pichai is ever fully realised, the Asia-Pacic market
is going to be increasingly important for Apple,
Google, Microsoft and the hardware companies.
Google wants billions more users around the world
using smartphones; and it wants those
smartphones to be running stock versions of
Android. Welcome to the Android One project.
Rob Enderle, Enderle Group
These low
margin phones
could easily be
massively
unprotable
The competition
As you might expect, other companies besides
Google have their eyes on the relatively untapped
markets of Asia. Though Microsoft hae
discontinued their line of Android-powered Nokia X
phones, their CEO Satya Nadella has already
conrmed they will be reusing the same designs to
produce a new range of low-cost Lumia Windows
Phones, most likely targetting the emerging
markets. Also worth considering are the handsets
running Mozillas Firefox OS from the likes of
Alcatel and LG, though these are mostly sold in
South America at the moment.
Comparing Android One to Nokia X and Firefox
OS platforms, its clear that more exible platforms
Who is Micromax?
A quick look at the little-known
giants of Indian telecommunications
Googles rst Android
One partner is not a
company that
European and American users will be familiar
with, but Micromax is one of the major players
in Indian telecommunications. Across the
world, its the 10th largest supplier of mobile
handsets, and it has eyes on a European
expansion after running sales trial in Russia at
the end of 2013.
will likely achieve lower absolute cost of hardware,
Lam told us, though he did emphasise the superior
user experience and app ecosystem offered by
Android KitKat. Google can offer a more mature
and complete software package than either
Nokias brand of Android or the Firefox OS being
developed by Mozilla.
Nokia X is more similar to Apple, and Firefox is
more like Android used to be with fewer controls
and more design freedom, adds Rob Enderle. If
Android One fails, which it could given the nancial
pressures on the OEMs, then these two alternative
platforms would benet strongly from the failure.
This has been on Googles mind for some time
note the reduced hardware system requirements
for Android KitKat, for example and now its giving
OEMs even more guidance when it comes to
the number of
smartphones
users in India
as of the end of
2013
million
90
percentage of
Indian mobile
users who
access social
media, Twitter
the estimated
number of
smartphone
users in India by
2050
520
million
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the expected
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India by 2020
69%
9%
9
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@lgrobot
the latest updates
Stay up to date
1
6 5 4
2 3
GALLERY OF...
STUNNING PHOTO APPS
Dropbox has long
been the cloud
service of choice for
Android users because
it will auto-upload your
pictures the moment
you take them.
Carousel is Dropboxs
new dedicated photo
app, providing a gallery
to view your images.
Carousel
1
Price: Free
If you nd
Instagram lters
are too heavy-handed,
try VSCO Cam. It still
relies on lters, but they
are much more
customisable, with a
range of tools to adjust
the effects strength.
Additional lter bundles
are available to buy.
VSCO Cam
3
Price: Free
Fine-tune your
images in this
mobile alternative to
Photoshop. It has all the
essential features plus
an automatic image
correction that xes
problems like red-eye.
However, its real selling
point is its interface,
which is highly intuitive.
Pixlr Express
2
Price: Free
Camera Zoom FX offers
voice-activated
shooting, time-lapse
shooting and a burst
mode that captures 30
shots a second. If you
would like to try before
you buy, there is also an
excellent Lite version.
Camera
Zoom FX
Premium
4
Price: 1.79/$2.99
While Instagram
is famous for its
photo lters, after three
years these are starting
to feel a bit dated.
Fortunately, Instagram
has recently been
upgraded with an
editing suite to adjust
brightness, contrast,
warmth and sharpness.
Instagram
5
Price: Free
Frontback works
on a simple
concept: take a photo
with the front camera,
another with the back
and share them both in
a single image. With the
option to take the two
photos separately, its a
great way of including
the photographer.
Frontback
6
Price: Free
9
twitter
@lgrobot
the latest updates
Stay up to date
10
ODIN
Take advantage of portable
projection with ODIN

T
he possibility of watching
movies on a cinema-style
screen is something were all
keen to do, but projectors tend to
be too expensive and difcult to
set up. ODIN looks to tear down
these barriers by providing the rst
truly portable projector that runs
Android. As a product, the 4.3-inch
ODIN connects with a variety of
different platforms and services via
Bluetooth and USB to act as a
streaming medium between the
two. It connects with the likes of
the Xbox 360, Netix and your
smartphone, takes content from
them and streams them onto any
surface ODIN is directed at. If youre
on the market for a new way to get
your media les on a much larger
screen, then ODIN is certainly
something thats worth checking
out to get that cinema-style
experience in your own home.
At a glance
Product name ODIN
Available from www.dosowls.com
Price TBA/$845
ODIN is the rst Android smart
projector that enables users to
project their games, movies and les
onto any at surface.
NEW TECH PROJECTOR
The USB connectors are used in
conjunction with your games consoles,
enabling you to stream your gameplay
onto any surface
Your music can also
be streamed across
to the projector
ODINs Bluetooth
functionality works well
with your Android
smartphone to not
only stream media les,
but also to do a spot of
web browsing on a
bigger screen
Where did the original idea for ODIN
come from?
A
About two years ago, I realised I wasnt
using my TV or digital.TV was taking up a
lot of room and digital TV was costing money and
I wasnt utilising it. So, I decided to cancel my
digital subscription and got rid of my TV. I had a
typical apartment in NY, so it was super small.
One thing I missed was watching a movie on a
Friday night or weekend to unwind. So, I looked
online for a projector and couldnt nd a solution
that worked for me. In order to enjoy a movie, I
had to get a projector and connect it to a
speaker system and a computer. Three devices
with three power sources and more wires. About a
year ago, I decided to start another company and
decided to pursue my Friday night movie problem,
which morphed into Dos Owls ODIN.
How long did it take to produce the rst
prototype of ODIN?
A
A little less than a year. It took me about six
months of fruitless searching and I found the
right people last year. Once I found the people who
knew what they were doing, it went very fast.
Could the pocket size of the projector
impact the quality of projecting?
A
Obviously, it is better to have more lumens
and higher resolution, but as a portable,
battery-powered device, ODIN surpasses 99 per
cent of peoples expectations. ODIN has the most
advanced and the most powerful optical engine
right now and the fact that it is powered by
Android makes it so much better. For movie
watching in the dark, it is fantastic and I think it is
a better experience than a large at panel since
ODINs screen size can get pretty big and the
sound is fantastic.
Do you see ODIN as a replacement for
your desktop computer monitor?
A
I dont think the current ODIN version is a
replacement for anything, but its a good
option if youre looking for an alternative. I think
ODIN does a very good job of substituting for a
large screen TV and if you are getting the content
from online. For computer, it is mainly tailored for
web browsing and mobile application use such
as Dropbox, Google Docs etc.
Q & A
Alex Yoo
CEO, Dos Owls ODIN
Only 4.3 inches long,
the ODIN projector is
highly portable
Get that
cinema-style
experience in
your home
We dont keep
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Learn the truth about iPhone, iPad, Android, Photoshop and
more with the Tips & Tricks series expert advice and tutorials
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3
Hack it
Being able to root your phone is one of
Androids biggest selling points, but for
beginners this can be a
daunting task. Rather
than experimenting
on your premium
handset that is
still under
contract, practice
hacking on
an unwanted,
last-gen device.
2
Sell it
If you own your phone outright, there is no
reason why you cant sell it on. Many networks will
knock money off new contracts for your old phone,
while
online
services
will pay
cold, hard
cash for
your
unwanted
device.
1
Recycle it
With 130 million devices discarded each
year in the US alone, so-called e-waste is
lling landll sites with toxic materials,
such as lithium batteries. Services like
Envirofone (www.envirofone.com) will
recycle damaged
phones,
extracting
valuable
components
so they can
be reused.
4
Save the
rainforest
Donate your phone to
Rainforest Connection and
they turn it into a listening
device in the Amazon. It will
alert rangers when it hears
illegal tree clearing. Visit
https://rfcx.org for more info.
5
Turn it into a
universal remote
Even the oldest Android
device can be turned into a
remote for your entertainment
system. If your device has an
IR blaster, it likely has this
feature built-in, or you can
download Smart IR Remote.
9
Game on
Using Chromecast its
easy to use an old phone as
a remote control for playing
Android games on your TV.
However, you
can also run
emulators,
like DraStic
DS Emulator,
on your old
phone to play
your favourite
old-school
console games.
10
Mine Bitcoin
Apps
like Easy
Miner make
it easy to
generate
so-called
crypto-
currencies on your device,
but the amount of power
required to run the necessary
algorithms will drain your
battery quickly, making this
an ideal task for an old phone
you can leave on charge.
12
things that you can do with...
your old phone
6
Donate it to science
Berkley Universitys free
BOINC app harnesses
your phones
processing power as
part of a powerful
network of computers
studying diseases,
predicting global warming
and discovering pulsars. Best of all,
BOINC only runs on a fully charged
phone connected to Wi-Fi so wont
waste your battery or data.
8
Build a DIY smart car
To get your very own Android Auto on
the cheap, t your last-gen
phone to your dash with
a goo.ey skin, power
it via the cigarette
lighter with an
adapter, and
voil you
have a
built-in
satnav and
MP3 player.
7
Make it kid friendly
Over 50 per cent of children under eight are now
able to work their
parents device, so
why not turn your
phone into a
touchscreen toy? Add
parental controls and
a child-friendly
interface with Kids
Place or Zoodles Kids
Mode from the Google
Play store.
Missed call
Discover if you have a missed
call at a glance
Missed call
Discover if you have a missed
call at a glance
Wallpapers
Express yourself and create
personalised backgrounds
Call list
Swipe up for a list of your last
three calls for faster redial
Youve got mail
Get notication alerts for
texts and emails
13
The companion app adds new features
to the innovative phone case
HTCs Dot View is now
smarter than ever
H
TC has updated its Dot View application for
the HTC One (M8) to add more features that
can be shown through the companys
innovative Dot View case.
Already able to show users the time, the weather
and display notications for texts, emails and calls
at a glance, the update adds exible settings and
the option for users to create their wallpapers via
the application.
The redial function is now activated with a
simple upwards swipe, allowing swift connection to
the three most recent calls, and left/right swipes
navigate smoothly through email, text, voicemail
and call notications. Settings can also be tailored
to individual preference, allowing you to decide
whether to display the last three calls or opt to skip
security completely for quick access. With 18
default themes and the option to select a photo
from your gallery or camera, you can create your
own Dot View wallpaper to reect your very own
personal style.
The Dot View case has a hard back to protect the
HTC One (M8) with a rubber ip front that is
The Dot View app includes 18 default themes and you can
also create your own based on photos in your gallery
With the option to
select a photo from
your gallery or
camera, you can
create your own Dot
View wallpaper
semi-transparent due to hundreds of tiny
permeations. Using magnets built into the case, the
M8 is able to recognise when the case is attached
and use its own screen to project light through the
holes, displaying both still and animated
notications. As well as offering a cool retro style,
this innovative design is intended to save the user
time opening the case, but also conserve battery as
the M8s screen only lights up the individual dots
required for the notication rather than the whole
screen. Although it was around 35/$50 on launch,
you can now buy the Dot View case in a number of
different colours for around 20/$35 from a range
of sellers, Amazon included. The Dot View
application is available as a free download from
the Google Play store.
14
Elementary
App Store
Do you think that the fantastic
Elements app on the iPad/iPhone,
with its gorgeous interactive 3D
images, will be coming to Android
anytime soon? Since changing to
Android from iOS, thats one of the
very few apps that I am really
missing. Im sure Im not the only
one. Any news for me?
Stephen Harris
We say: The Elements: A Visual
Exploration is a critically acclaimed
Inside Android Magazines virtual mailbag
Messages
T
he new L release is something that Android
has been needing for quite sometime. By
this I mean a uid consistent design
throughout the whole operating system and the
apps within it. The new Material Design looks
very modern the new splashes of colour
around the OS really make it pop, it feels more
grown up somehow and the fact that they are
making it consistent throughout Android and
Chrome devices just improves the whole
Google experience.
I like how Google are nally bringing everything
together between devices such as being able to
unlock my Chromebook if my phone is near, or
being able to use a smartwatch to control
Android TV. Its clear that Google Talk put some
thought into this next update.
Android TV looks great and in my opinion will
eventually replace games consoles such as the
Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, and with
features such as mirroring, the platform just
seems to be getting better and better.
The most surprising thing to me about the
Android L update is that Google are going to
update the original Nexus line up, ie the Nexus 4,
7, and the 10 as they are all out of the support
period, but props to Google for keeping these
devices updated. Personally I would like to see
Google make the same promise they have with
Chromebook devices with Android phones and
tablets. For those unaware, Chromebooks are
promised to get a minimum of ve years worth of
updates. If this was the case with Android, I
would happily fork out 400-500 for a phone
with the highest specs possible if I knew it would
be up to date with all the latest features for years
to come.
John Crane
We say: At the time of writing, only XDA
Developers has created al version of Android L for
Nexus 4 and 7 (2012 Edition), but Google is
expected to follow suit. Were very excited to see
Material Design rolling out across the ecosystem.
For writing the letter of the month, John has won
a Pure Evoke Portable Internet Radio.
educational app from the award-
winning UK developers, Touch Press.
We put Stephens question to Tom
Williams, marketing producer for
Touch Press, who said: We currently
dont have any plans to develop our
apps on Android. However this is
something that we continually review
and it is not something we rule out in
the future. Its great to hear that
there are users who are keen for us
to develop for Android as it gives us a
sense of the potential audience.
Thank you for letting us know about
this enquiry. Ill certainly share it with
the team at Touch Press.
Infographic
accident
The graphics in issue 40 are certainly
educational. I had no idea that Britain
is in Britanny and Korea is in Mongolia
(page 19) and 0.5 is about the same
as 1/10 (page 23, lower right). Please
dont stop your effort to educate us
readers! Jochen Konietzko
We say: Well spotted, Jochen. Given
that the misleading map in question
was the opener for our The Future is
Android feature, we could claim it is a
vision for a sci- tomorrow where
Googles self-driving cars, Wi-Fi
satellites and other Moonshot
projects have brought about
dramatic changes to both the
metaphorical technological
landscape and physical, territorial
boundaries. Sadly, this was not the
case. It was a simple oversight
caused by adjusting the size of the
map, but not remembering to
reposition all of the other elements.
Apologies to all our readers and the
people of Great Britain, Brittany,
South Korea and Mongolia for this
error. It wont happen again!
Android & Chrome: Better together
Android L has been
impressing our readers
Letter of the month
15
Imagine Publishing Ltd 2014
ISSN 2047-1580
Imagine Publishing Ltd
Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill
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Disclaimer
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Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
One to
beam up
I read your 10 things you need to
know about... Non-watch wearables
in issue 40 and thought some of the
wearables looked really cool,
especially the Nod Bluetooth Ring
and Narrative Clip wearable camera.
However, one item, a clip-on camera
listed under the heading Beam me
up, Scotty, didnt have a name on it.
What was it called and wear can I
buy it?
Sarah Matthews
We say: The Star Trek-inspired
CommBadge is available for $89.99
from www.commbadge.net.
Addicted to
Project Ara
I was really excited by the idea of
Project Ara, featured as a news story
in issue 38, and assembling my own
smartphone. To my mind this would
help solve the problem of OS
snap-on modules can be tested
out on available to developers,
with a dedicated Project Ara
conference taking place in
November.
Speaking of conferences,
Google did demonstrate a
semi-functional prototype at
Google I/O at the end of June. It
was left out of the Google I/O
keynote, but you can watch the
prototype in action at http://youtu.
be/0He3Jr-fZh0.
Meanwhile, the other modular
phone we covered in both issue
38 and 40, the Phoneblok, also
had something of a coup last
month: German microphone and
headphones manufacturer
Sennheiser has partnered with
the organisation. While the
Phoneblok is technically a
competitior to Project Ara, it is a
good-natured rivalry as Google is
also a partner in the so-called
Phoneblok Alliance. This means,
theoretically, Project Ara could
benet from snap-on Sennheiser
sound systems as well. All in all,
the idea of swapping out an old
speaker for a more powerful one
now seems slightly more realistic.
Get in touch!
Send us your thoughts
on all things Android
facebook
/littlegreenrobot
Like us on Facebook to
send your comments
email
Got questions or comments? Drop
us an email and let us know
fragmentation as users with old
phones that cant upgrade to Android
L (or M,N,O etc) could simply upgrade
the relevant chips to make
themselves eligible. What are the
chances of Project Ara becoming a
reality and when will it go on sale? I
dont want to be waiting for it for
years to arrive like I have been with
the Google Glass!
Donald Hardy
I really enjoyed the Future is Android
feature in Android Magazine issue
40. The far-out there concepts like
self-driving cars, Google satellites,
and Project Ara were fun, but
products like the Moto 360,
Chromecast, Google Glass, and Nest
thermostat which are either
available now or will be soon really
show the difference between
Android and Apple. Apple is just
repeating itself making the same old
phone slightly better, Android is
pushing boundaries.
Aaron Francombe
We say: Im afraid Google has yet to
give a xed launch date for its Project
Ara modular phone. However, Google
has now made boards on which
CROWDSOURCE
Opinion from the
Twittersphere
@lgrobot
Whats your favourite
Chromecast app?
@timelliston love my
Chromecast. I watch mostly
Netix, but use AllCast to
stream local movies. We need
more apps.
@darrenbast love that the
missus can cast on lounge tv
and I can watch magic eye
sky+ on bedroom tv.
@PaulOBrien Plex all the way!
@d_jcurtis #Plex. Is there any
other choice?
@halfords45 allcast works
every time great app!
@Pidgpie = Localcast
tttttttttwwwwwwwiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttttteeeeeeeerrrrrrr
Follow us @lgrobot to
join in the conversation
The Bluetooth-enabled CommBadge
enables users to answer calls with a tap
A working prototype of Project Ara was demonstrated at Google I/O
twitter
@lgrobot
the latest updates

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x
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x
x
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G

T
H
E
I
D
N
E
W
N
O
W
!
F
ir
s
t
lo
o
k
a
n
d
t
o
p
t
ip
s

fo
r
A
n
d
r
o
id
L
TRANSFORM
YOUR PHONE
Get Androids new
Material Design on
your device
BOOST YOUR
BATTERY LIFE
Supercharge your
device with
Project Volta
UPGRADE
GOOGLE NOW
Your virtual assistant
is better than
ever
LOGIN WITH
ANDROID WEAR
New sensors will
replace your
passwords
Feature
Get Android L now!
16
A
ndroid is consistently evolving as an
operating system. With each update its
continuing to get better and improve the
ways we can interact with our smartphones and
tablets. Google has recently unveiled its plans for
the next big step in Androids evolution, the
mysteriously named Android L. Although no one
knows for sure what the actual codename for
Android L stands for (although our bet is on
Lollipop),we know it represents a major change of
direction for the OS. The early developer preview
of Android L has shown a wide variety of changes,
with everything from a new look, to simple tweaks
and modications within the Settings menu. The
new update also tackles issues that typical users
face every day with their smartphones, such as
Project Volta, which looks to be a new benchmark
for measuring and prolonging battery life.
Android L will be released in full this autumn,
but theres no need to wait. If you've rooted your
Nexus 5 or 7, go straight to page 23 to nd out
how to set up the Android L Developers Preview
SDK. However, if you don't have a stock Android
device or just don't want to hack it, read on to
explore Android L's new features in-depth and
discover which of them are available through the
Google Play store already.
Feature
Get Android L now!
STUNNING MATERIAL DESIGN
G
oogle was heavily centred on its new
look when unveiling Android L.
Named Material Design, it's focused
on a sleek minimalist style with bold and
brash colours throughout. The underlying
theme is to bring a unied design across
smartphones, tablets and Chromebooks,
and from the looks of it, Material Design
does exactly that. But looking past the
striking colours and shapes, Material Design
is also a concept relevant to many other
areas of how devices work and function.
Animations are being revamped to become
smoother than ever and theres the addition
of a new set of fonts to help make interacting
and reading on your device easier as well. All
rst-party apps will coincide with the new
Material Design guidelines, utilising both the
new colour schemes and smoother
animations to provide the most seamless
Android experience ever.
Android's look is taking on a new unied design
BEST KEYBOARD EVER
T
heres only so much you can do
with your traditional keyboard,
and although Android L hasnt
revolutionised the stock keyboard it
offers, it has rened and polished
existing features. Spaces between
letters and icons are clearer and the
whole design ts in well with the
Material Design image, offering
users a stripped back and sleek
looking keyboard. Swiping between
letters instead of typing has also
been improved, but it still takes a bit
of getting used to and manually
typing seems to still be the
preferred way of sending messages.
Theres a wide range of emoticons
included to add some air to your
messages and improved voice
integration for speaking.
T
hanks to Googles new
Material Design overhaul,
developers will also have
stringent rules to follow when it
comes to designing widgets.
New widgets will need to stick to
certain colour and pattern
outlines, while shaping will be
fairly uniform as well. First-party
widgets developed by Google will
include the same look as their
app counterparts, but the
animations linking the two will
drastically change.
Unied
The unied design means that
all the widgets will be designed
in the same way, using bright
colours and bold shapes
Third-party
Beautiful Widgets is currently
the best app available for those
wanting to get widgets in the
Android L design
Flexible
Widgets will remain as
customisable as ever in Android
L, great for those who like to
personalise their device
WHEN TO EXPECT THE FULL VERSION
How likely?
High
ETA Q1 2015
Galaxy
S4
How likely?
Very high
ETA Q4 2014
Galaxy
S5
How likely?
High
ETA Q1 2015
Galaxy
Note 3
How likely?
Less likely
ETA: N/A
Galaxy
Tab
How likely?
High
ETA Q1 2015
Galaxy S5
Active
How likely?
Very high
ETA Q4 2014
Galaxy
S5 Mini
Will your phone be getting the Android L update?
17
UNIFIED WIDGETS
G
E
T
IT
bit.ly/W
Am
M
RW
N
O
W
!
Focused on a
sleek look with
bold colours
Android L improves once
again on the stock keyboard
Feature
Get Android L now!
MASTER YOUR SETTINGS
O
ne of the best things about the Android
operating system is just how
customisable it is. No matter if you're a
seasoned user or someone new to the OS, there
really is something for everyone to enjoy on their
device. Although this is partially due to the
expansive number of apps on the Google Play
store, its also down to the detailed Settings app
on your phone.
Settings tend to be under appreciated by many
users, but with the Android L update, it's being
pioneered as one of the leading features in the
new build. For one, users will now be able to use
the app in landscape to navigate between pages
and theres also a great search feature for those
who want to save time from trawling through
endless pages of data and miscellaneous
settings. Theres even the added bonus of a
search history, which keeps tabs on your most
recently searched settings terms. If you start to
encounter too many items in your search history,
then users can delete them by going to the Clear
Cache option at the bottom of the Settings menu.
To the right of this you'll nd a really handy
four-step tutorial that will guide you through
the newly designed Settings menu in Android L.
It covers everything from understanding your
Quick Settings menu to commencing a search
through it with ease.
How likely?
High
ETA Q1 2015
Galaxy
Mega
How likely?
Very high
ETA Q4 2014
HTC One
How likely?
Less likely
ETA N/A
HTC One
Mini
How likely?
Less likely
ETA N/A
HTC
Desire 610
How likely?
Very High
ETA Q4 2014
HTC One
M8
How likely?
High
ETA Q1 2015
HTC One
Max
WHEN CAN YOUR DEVICE UPDATE TO ANDROID L? Find out if your phone will get the
18
One of the coolest additions to the library
of Android L features is being able to redesign the
layout of your Quick Settings menu. Users can now
add whatever toggles they want and remove the
ones that come as standard.
Quick Settings
1
Press on the gear icon while in the Quick
Settings menu. Now you can begin a search using
the magnifying glass icon at the top of the app.
From here you can search for any particular menu
within the Settings app.
Start a search
2
Select the correct result from the
drop-down menu and take a look at the setting.
Android L has included a wealth of new settings,
so you may nd what you were looking for has
been renamed, or in certain cases, removed.
New options
3
Another thing to pay close attention to is
how Android L now uses toggles. Where previous
versions of Android had toggles for Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth at the beginning of each menu, youll
now nd them lurking within their respective tabs.
Look inside
4
In previous versions of Android, the
sharing feature Beam had to be
initiated by tapping devices together,
with both users
then tapping their
screen to share a
le. The new
version of Android
Beam has been
altered so that it
now appears as an
option in the Share
menu for users to
select and send
les through.
Android Beam
The inclusion of Do Not Disturb mode
in Android L is a great
way to keep your
phone silent from
phone calls and
messages within a
set period of time. It
can also be used to
mute certain
notications from
unruly apps.
Access this from
the Sound tab
within Settings.
Do Not
Disturb mode
The Auto Brightness option has een
removed from the Settings menu and
has instead been
replaced with the
new Adaptive
brightness feature.
Although there isnt
a massive difference
between the two,
Adaptive brightness
looks to only adjust
your screen
brightness slightly to
help your battery.
Adaptive
brightness
G
E
T
IT
bit.ly/1sJlkK0
N
O
W
!
Feature
Get Android L now!
How likely?
High
ETA Q1 2014
Xperia
Z1
How likely?
Very high
ETA Q1 2014
Xperia
Z2
How likely?
Less likely
ETA N/A
Xperia
M2 How likely? High
ETA
Q2 2015
Xperia Z Tab
How likely? High
ETA
Q4 2014
Xperia Z2 Tab
How likely?
High
ETA
Q4 2015
Z1 Compact
19
Android L update and when can you expect it to land
HEADS UP! NOTIFICATIONS
N
otications are brilliant things. They
enable users quick access to certain
apps and offer a gateway to alarms,
missed calls and unread messages. In
previous versions of Android, notications
have been kept in a single bar at the top of
your display where you can drag down the
bar to get more information. In Android L,
notications will become a more prominent
feature on your homescreen, with updates
from apps and such now appearing as
an interactive box on your screen. Users can
then choose to swipe away the notication,
or press on it to open it up and take a closer
look at what it has to say.
The Heads Up! notication app on the
Google Play store is available now for those
who want to try out the feature for
themselves, without having to wait around
until their device gets the ofcial Android L
update. Weve got a step-by-step to setting it
up and getting it to work on the right
hand-side of this page, which should help get
you started with the app.
Overview
When you want to
take a closer look at
the notications that
have appeared, youll
see a brief overview of
some of your
most-used settings at
the top of the screen
Your choice
Users can decide
which notications
they want to show on
their homescreen by
nding the Display
section from within
the Settings menu
Done
Getting rid of
notications you've
read or no longer
need is easy. Simply
swipe to the right to
close them, or press
on them to open
Testing
Some apps simply
won't work with the
lockscreen
notications, but the
best way to test them
out is through testing
each one of your
installed apps
Set up
Users need to
manually choose the
apps that have
access to your
homescreen
notications when
setting the feature up
Gapps
Most of the
rst-party apps by
Google work with
the oating
notications feature
and also follow the
Material Design
guidelines
Shortcuts
At the top of your
notications menu
is a range of quick
shortcuts that
relate to some of
the most used
settings on your
Android device
LOCKSCREEN MODIFICATIONS
T
he other big change with notications
in Android L is that it now supports
lockscreen notications. Instead of
showing the full notication, however,
lockscreen notications will simply show you
the app and number of notications you
have waiting for you. Swiping down at the
bottom of the stack of lockscreen
notications will then offer an extended view
of those missing from the list. If Google
notices any sensitive data included in one of
your notications, youll be prompted to
unlock your phone before you can view it.
Google has also implemented other
changes on to lockscreens so that users
have more options on it. Users can now
swipe up to be taken to their homescreen,
swipe left to the phone dialer and swipe right
to access their camera (the same as it was
in the KitKat update). If you also dive into the
Settings menu youll nd new security
features to utilise as well, which can be
implemented onto your homescreen
alongside any notications.
Access
By pressing on any of
your lockscreen
notications, youll be
taken to the app or
feature that it
specically
represents
Ignore
If you choose to
ignore the
notications and
instead swipe to
unlock your phone,
youll have access to
them through the
notications menu
Overview
To make sure that
your sensitive data
isnt leaked, youll
only nd a brief
overview of topics in
emails that appear
on your lockscreen
Security
Implement different
security features on
to your lock screen
to make sure your
phone is safe and
sound while not
using it
Camera
If you want a quick
way to access your
device's camera while
on the lockscreen,
simply scroll to the
right corner of your
display and you'll be
taken there
automatically
Set up and
use the Heads
Up! app
Choose the Whitelist
option from the app's
main screen and select
the apps you want Heads
Up! to work with.
Whitelist
apps
1
Back out of the app and
wait for notications to
come through. When they
appear, press on them to
be taken to the app.
Test them
out
2
If you arent happy with
how the notications
function, venture into the
apps settings and change
how notications appear.
Explore
further
3
G
E
T
IT
bit.ly/1zaoW
q3
N
O
W
!
Feature
Get Android L now!
SUPERCHARGE WITH
PROJECT VOLTA
How likely?
High
ETA Q1 2015
LG G2
How likely?
Very high
ETA Q1 2014
LG G3
How likely?
Very high
ETA Q2 2015
Huawei
P7 How likely?
Less likely
ETA N/A
Huawei G6
How likely?
High
ETA Q2 2015
LG G Flex
How likely?
Less likely
ETA N/A
LG G Pad
8.3
20
One new feature that most Android
smartphone users will want to check out is
the inclusion of a Battery Saver mode. This
setting will look to lengthen the life of your
smartphones battery during a single
charge by reducing your phones
overall performance to keep
it going.
New Battery
Saver Mode
Another essential for developers is the
new JobScheduler API. This clever tool
enables developers to dene specic
background tasks for their apps when the
user or device meets certain conditions.
Although it may not sound like much, this
feature will enable developers to
prevent your battery life being
used excessively.
Job Scheduler API
With Battery Historian, developers can
now visualise exactly whats using your
phones battery and to what extent its being
drained. It can pinpoint the exact areas that
need improving on and can help lead the
development of streamlining battery
consumption for both light and heavy
users. It's something we're
really excited about.
Battery Historian
G
E
T
IT
bit.ly/IUOPVh
N
O
W
!
A NEW RANGE OF BATTERY-
BOOSTING FEATURES
The battery overview screen has
undergone a redesign to make it not only in
line with the new Material Design concept,
but also to make it more accessible to
everyday Android users. Youll nd a
general battery usage screen where you
can pinpoint how your battery is
being used, as well as a detailed
history screen.
Battery Stats
Feature
Get Android L now!
How likely?
Less likely
ETA N/A
Moto E
How likely?
High
ETA Q1 2015
Moto G
How likely?
Very high
ETA Q4 2014
Moto X
How likely?
Likely
ETA Launch of L
Nexus 4
How likely?
Very high
ETA Launch of L
Nexus 5
H ow likely?
Very high
ETA Q4 2014
Nexus 7
(2012)
21
GOOGLE NOW JUST GOT SMARTER
O
ne of the key Android features
that has undergone constant
change since its debut a couple
of years back is Google Now. As an
alternative to the standard search
function, Google Now provides an
enriched and fuller search experience,
which also links in well with a plethora of
rst and third-party apps. In Android L,
Google Now has been revamped to t in
with the new Material Design guidelines
and a few features have been eshed
out as well. Google Now will now collate
together your previous searches into one
handy menu, where users can nd
stories on a topic of particular interest
[Fig1]. Each story then contains an
external link to the website it was
published on. Also included this time
around is e-ticket integration for ights.
Google Now can be used as a secure
Revamped to t
in with the new
Material Design
guidelines
area where you store your ight and
ticket details, with the system also
enabling users to get live updates on the
status on their ight [Fig2].
At the centre of Google Nows
redesign is the vastly improved voice
search function. Each search begins
with the user saying OK Google [Fig3]
and then saying other search terms.
What makes it different from previous
versions is that Google Now doesnt
need full sentences inputted into it to
provide results, and instead it will predict
what youre going to say. Its rather hit
and miss at times, but the general idea
is good. Similarly, Google has been
intent on providing deeper integration
with many of its apps. All directions you
search for will go through Google Maps
[Fig4] and Google Earth will provide you
with 3D images of holiday destinations.
Topics
Topics will bring
together all the
best stories
relating to it at
one time. Users
can press on
them to read
more
Tickets
Google Now will
automatically
import your air
tickets into the
app. All the
details will be
stored up until
the day after
your ight
Sync
If you're planning
on going on
multiple
holidays, then
you can import
all the tickets for
several ights at
one time
Variety
If a certain topic
isn't of interest,
simply swipe it
away and Google
Now will offer
you an
alternative one
Voice
Press on the
microphone icon
to start a voice
search. It can
take a few
seconds for the
app to realise
what you're
saying
Maps
You'll nd the
Google Maps
integration to be
far more slick
than the app
itself. You can
get basic
directions for
cars or public
transport
Navigate
The feature is a
little basic, but
it's also possible
to use the
navigation tools
within the
Google Now
service
Result
The results will
appear after a
few seconds,
with the most
useful results
appearing at the
top of the screen
Fig2: Import and store ticket reservations Fig1: Searched topics are saved in Google Now
Fig4: There's deeper integration with Maps Fig3: Start every voice search with OK Google
G
E
T
IT
bit.ly/N3Uuu9
N
O
W
!
Feature
Get Android L now!
THE DEATH OF PASSWORDS
P
asswords are vital in keeping any sensitive data safe
and sound across all your devices, but with the
release of Android L, there are now several other ways
users can create their own levels of security without the
need for a PIN, password or pattern to enter. Below you'll nd
details of the three best ways users can implement security
onto their device, all of which are handy to use and essential
in different areas.
How likely?
Very high
ETA Launch of L
Nexus 7
(2013)
How likely?
High
ETA Q1 2015
ZTE
Grand X
How likely?
Less likely
ETA N/A
ZTE
Grand S
How likely?
Very high
ETA Q1 2015
ZTE
Grand S ll
How likely?
High
ETA Q4 2014
Oppo N1
How likely?
Very high
ETA Q4 2014
OnePlus
One
22
Perhaps one of the coolest things
announced for Android L is that Google will
offer greater functionality between your
Android and Chrome devices, with the
main aim to bring them together for one
unifying experience. One example of this is
the new unlock system, where users can
unlock their Chromebook using their
smartphone. It acts as a great solution if
youve forgotten your Chromebook
password, or simply want to show off to
your friends! All thats needed is one
unied Google account to access them
across both.
Unlock your Chromebook with your phone
To help push Android Wear alongside the
launch of Android L, Google has also
introduced a unique smartwatch unlock
system. Named Personal Unlocking, users
will be able to use any of the current crop
of Android smartwatches and scan them
across the top of the device to unlock it.
For it to work, both the smartwatch and
smartphone will need to be linked by a
single Google account and youll also need
the feature enabled within your
smartphones settings too. To take it a
step further, many of the leading Android
tness bands will also work.
Smartwatch and tness band integration
Task Locker
Task Locker is aimed at
enterprise devices owned by
big businesses that want to
track how their employees are
using the devices supplied to
them. In essence, Task Locker
will allow a single app to take
control over the devices
interface, which will prevent the user from
accessing notications or apps.
Admin control
The second big inclusion for
business users will be being
able to implement admin
proles onto their employees
device. This will enable
businesses to gain control of
the device when necessary to
add enterprise apps or enable
certain settings. Any apps then downloaded by
the employee will be kept in a separate list.
Sometimes having an extensive security
system can be a bit of a hindrance if youre
in your home or somewhere secure.
Googles new location unlocking will
enable users to designate safe areas
using their GPS, where their password can
be deactivated and not needed to gain
access to their device, or the user can
choose to use their voice to unlock
instead. This makes it generally more
manageable for users who want to keep a
secure phone, but dont necessarily want
to be annoyed by it if it isnt needed when
using it.
Voice and location unlocking
Activate the
Kill-Switch
Let's face it, security
on Android is one of the
problems many people
face when using their
smartphones and tablets.
To combat this, Google
has launched its very own
kill-switch across the
Android operating
system. In essence, the
kill-switch will act as a
gateway to remotely
wiping your phone if its
lost or you believe it to be
stolen. The kill-switch will
then factory reset itself
from scratch upon the
users request or, if
necessary, render the
device unusable.
Obviously the latter is an
extreme step, but could
be very helpful if it turns
out the device has been
stolen. As a whole, the
concept behind kill-switch
stems from the popularity
of the Android Device
Manager program, which
is a great way of tracking
down your phone, but
requires your devices
Location Access toggle to
remain on at all times.
Google is believed to still
be in the early stages of
modifying the feature for
consumer use.
G
E
T
I
T
b
it.ly/J6
Q
8
jA
N
O
W
!
Feature
Get Android L now!
THE MOST POWERFUL UPDATE YET
THERE ARE SOME AMAZING UNDER-THE-HOOD CHANGES TAKING PLACE IN ANDROID L
OpenGL ES 3.1
We love gorgeous-looking games here at Android
Magazine and the addition of OpenGL ES 3.1
should bring in even more of them. OpenGL is a
cross-platform API that helps improve and rene
graphical capabilities of the games we play on both
smartphones and tablets. Version 3.1 provides
developers with extra tools to enhance textures,
improve physics simulations and provide advanced
blending modes. Best of all, version 3.1 will provide
developers the tools to make their games
backwards compatible for those with older
versions of OpenGL. Although theres nothing
wrong with many of the older versions of the
OpenGL code, 3.1 should provide enough power
and graphical capabilities to give Android users the
most authentic gaming experience ever.
T
he preview of the ofcial
Android SDK is available now
to test drive, but it only works
on Nexus 5 or 7 devices. Intended
for developers to get to grips with
the OS, if this is the rst time youre
looking to use SDK les, then the
process of downloading and
installing them can be a highy
problematic experience.
Follow the steps to the right for
a quick and easy way to get the
Android L SDK up and running
on your device hopefully
without bricking it.
Youll rst need to
download both the SDK
Manager and Android L
Developer SDK from the
XDA Forums.
Download
the les
1
Open up the SDK Manager
on your desktop computer
and navigate to the Tools
section listed at the top of
the program alphabetically.
Tools and
platform
2
Using the sidebar of the
SDK Manager, select
everything under the
Android L Developer
Preview section.
Install
packages
3
Before installing the les, a
Licensing Agreement will
appear and youll need to
agree to it before pressing
the Install button.
Accept and
install
4
HOW TO INSTALL THE ANDROID L DEVELOPER PREVIEW
GET THE ANDROID SDK NOW!
Multiple network connections
The L Developer Preview also contains a range of new
multi-networking APIs. This will enable developers to
program apps to automatically scan for networks and
connect to them, while the API will also provide the
tools for apps to know
the difference
between safe and
unstable networks.
This solution is great
for apps that require a
connection to a
specialised network,
such as MMS or billing
network. The app will
then send information
about the network
back to the developer
to track progress.
Directory selection
Some apps require users to conrm
several times when an app requires
access to certain apps/documents
on your device. Directory Selection
will make this process easier.
Bluetooth broadcasting
Bluetooth has been an integral part
of the sharing options available to
Android users and Android L now
contains a novel feature where users
can link easier.
Switching languages
Switching between input languages
will now be represented by a globe
symbol, where users can then
scroll through the keyboards they
have available.
Native PDF rendering
The new PdfRenderer API will nally
give Android a native PDF reader to
use. At the moment we rely on
third-party apps to provide this
function, but this app will stop that.
How likely?
Less likely
ETA N/A
Alcatel One
Touch Pop S7
How likely?
High
ETA Q2 2015
Alcatel One
Touch idol S
How likely?
Very high
ETA Q1 2015
Alcatel One
Touch idol X
How likely?
Less likey
ETA N/A
Lenovo A10 laptop
How likely?
Less likely
ETA N/A
Nokia X
How likely?
High
ETA Q2 2015
EE
Kestrel
23
G
E
T
I
T
b
it.ly/IKe
Iq
s
N
O
W
!
Explore what your Chromecast can really do
with these essential apps
UPGRADE YOUR
CHROMECAST
Feature
Upgrade your Chromecast
GET YOUR NEWS AND PODCAST FIX WITH EASE Keep up to date by reading the
24
Price Free
Read the latest headlines
posted by the Washington
Post and check out video and
audio content the newspaper
uploads too.
Post TV
Price 2.49/$3.99
Listen in to podcasts hosted
by some of the biggest news
outlets locally and from
around the world.
Pocket
Casts
Price 1.83/$2.99
DoggCatcher has a vast
category system that
enables users to track down
new podcasts.
Dogg
Catcher
Price Free
Instead of following individual
shows, Player FM gives users
the choice to discover news
podcasts based on certain
topics and interests.
Player FM
Price Free
Umano brings the latest
headlines onto your TV and
reads the story out to you for
your enjoyment.
Umano:
Listen to News
T
heres a lot to love about the Chromecast.
Fundamentally its a great way of being able to stream
content from your smartphone, tablet, laptop or
Chromebook directly onto your TV, while also being
considerably cheaper than many of its competitors on the
market. Its small size also means it's fairly inconspicuous
when plugged into the back of any HDMI-compatible TV. The
popularity of the streaming stick is something thats been
noted by many and now developers are jumping onboard. But
apart from its basic streaming functions, what
else can Chromecast do? It can in fact run a
plethora of different apps, many of which you
wouldnt initially think would work on your TV.
Through a quick search in the Google Play store,
users can now nd hundreds of apps for
Chromecast ready to use. We've searched high
and low to nd the absolute best ones that every
Chromecast user needs to download.
Feature
latest headlines directly on your TV
Price Free
NewsCaster uses a search
menu to nd news that
matters to you. Each news
story is formatted to t your
TV perfectly.
NewsCaster
Price 4.16/$6.99
BeyondPod has a background
download system so that you
can stream your current
selection of podcasts
without being disrupted.
BeyondPod
Price Free
Haystack covers news
outlets the world over and
picks the most trending
stories at that time.
Haystack TV
News
Price Free
Class6ix is a personalised
newscaster that tracks
international and local news
that matters to you.
Class6ix
News
Price 2.21/$3.79
Users can scan uPodPodcast
for shows based on their
interests, or through a keyword
search system.
uPodPodcast
Player
25

BubbleUPnP
BubbleUPnP is one of the more
stable streaming apps available for
the Google Play store. It works well
with a variety of media formats.
Price 3.04/$4.69
Developer Bubblesoft
LocalCast
LocalCast may offer plenty of the
same features as BubbleUPnP, but
it's much better suited for those
wanting to watch movies in HD.
Price Free
Developer Stefan Pledl
Web Video Caster
As its name suggests, Web Video
Caster enables users to stream live
video on any webpage through your
Chromecast dongle.
Price Free
Developer InstantBits
The Stevie app brings together your
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube feeds
onto your television.
Price Free
Developer Stevie TV LTD
Stevie for
Chromecast
If you do a bit of research, youll nd that one
app that everyone recommends time and
time again for the Chromecast is AllCast.
The praise is duly deserved, as the app has a
ton of features that make it an essential app
download. The app itself pulls together some
of the biggest apps on the Google Play store,
including the likes of Google Drive andMuzei,
and makes them compatible with your
Chromecast. Users can then use the AllCast
app to choose what les to send across to their TV and control them
using their smartphone or tablet. Its quickness is something worth
noting, as no matter the size or type of le you want to send across,
its remarkably quick to transfer them across and begin the stream.
As an added bonus, theres also streaming support for les on your
devices SD card, something that many of its competitors simply
dont offer as an option to their users.
AllCast
Price 3.00/$4.99
Developer ClockworkMod
Your little Chromecast
dongle opens up a
world of entertainment
SEAM|ESS STPEAMlNC EXEPlENCE
Get movies, music and more from your
phone on to the TV
Feature
TOP TOOLS FOR YOUR CHROMECAST
Price Free
True to its name, Display
Tester uses a colouring
system to help detect faulty
pixels on your TV.
Display
Tester
Price Free
vGet detects embedded
video content on websites
and then automatically
downloads it onto your
device to stream.
vGet
Price Free
If you want to view pictures on
your TV, then CameraCast is a
superb option. Images taken
by your devices camera can
be streamed on your TV.
CameraCast
Price 3.00/$3.99
Browsing the web on your TV is
great with Split Browser. You
can open up numerous tabs
and seamlessly switch
between them.
Spilt Browser
Price Free
Zoomph is used to stream
events or stories to large
groups of people and turns
your TV into a virtual
storytelling system.
Zoomph Cast
Enjoy these simple, but addictive
gaming gems on your TV
MOBILE GAMING
ON THE BIG SCREEN
Use these essential apps to uncover some
Qcast
Qcast supports up to ten players, making it
the biggest multiplayer game currently
available for Chromecast. It's all trivia-
based, so get your thinking cap on.
Price Free
Developer musicalbigfoot
Price Free
Developer RTS AppDevelopment
Okay so it may not look like much, but Grail Cast is a
surprisingly addictive multiplayer game purposely built for
Chromecast. You and up to four friends are tasked with
trying to gather as many ancient treasures hidden within a
variety of labyrinths against the clock. You need an awful
amount of skill to avoid walking into walls and nding all the
treasures on certain levels, but some of the latter levels of
Grail Cast are unforgiving in their difculty.
Grail Cast
GamingCast
If youre a fan of old school games, then
GamingCast is certainly worth checking
out. The app contains some classic titles,
such as Breakout, Flapper and Xonix.
Price 0.85/$1.50
Developer Eli Sherer
Draw It Up
This is another multiplayer gem for the
Chromecast. Similar to Pictionary, you have
to guess words from other players'
drawings, which appear on the big screen.
Price Free
Developer Yusef Asjana
Ghost Cast
Set in a spooky forest, Ghost Cast equips
you with just a ashlight as you set out to
capture ghosts to gather as many points
until your ashlights battery goes out.
Price 0.81/$0.99
Developer alx5962
26
Chromecast isn't
just for streaming
TV and movies
Price Free
As an extension to the Vbukit
Share app, VBChromecast is
a security management
system that can help protect
your Wi-Fi network.
VBChromecast
Price Free
Tool for Picasa, Google+
Photo merges two platforms
together to edit your pictures.
Tool for
Picasa,
Google+ Photo
Price 0.59/$0.99
MyCastScreen is an alternate
homescreen for Chromecast
that can be heavily
customised to suit you.
MyCast
Screen
Price Free
Stocks ChromeCast provides
those with an interest in
stocks and shares a look at
the state of the economy.
Stocks
ChromeCast
Price Free
Cast Store is the perfect
place to go if you're looking
for new Chromecast apps to
use on your TV.
Cast Store for
Chromecast
Create documents and
manage files with ease WORK FROM HOME
secret features of your Chromecast
Feature
27
PPT Chromecast
As its name suggests, PPT Chromecast
provides users with a platform to
access their Microsoft PowerPoint
presentations on the big screen.
Price Free
Developer SunnyDev
Put.io
In essence, Put.io is an online system
for keeping your les safe and sound,
but once connected to your TV, the app
gives you full access to them.
Price Free
Developer Steven Schoen
Polaris Ofce
Whether its documents, presentations
or spreadsheets, Polaris Ofce is the
best choice for creating work projects
on your TV.
Price Free
Developer Infraware, Inc.
AutoCast
AutoCast is an extension of the Tasker
app, enabling the user to automate
some of their TVs functions when the
Chromecast is in use.
Price Free
Developer joaomgcd
The reason we added Copy to our list of
essential Chromecast upgrades is that it
provides one of the few cloud storage
solutions that has been fully opened up
to stream across to your TV. Its entire
suite of features are Chromecast
compatible and although some users
will take advantage of its media
streaming functions, where it really
shines is with how you can stream
your encrypted and personal les
across to it. Once across, you can then
begin editing them onscreen with either your smartphone or
Bluetooth keyboard. Depending on the type of le, things like the
orientation and layout can be changed and there are individual
settings to explore that are Chromecast-specic and can help bring
even more features to the stick.
Price Free
Developer
Barracuda Networks
Copy
Working from home is
easier with Chromecast
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Tutorials Tutorials
30
Automate your
phone
T
heres no denying that our
smartphones can do amazing
things. We can play 3D games,
watch 1080p video and even connect
to the cloud, all on a single device. But
with so much going on, its imperative
to make sure your phone is handling
all these tasks correctly to maximise
the performance it gives you back. To
streamline how your phone completes
all of these tasks, youll need to
explore the array of automation apps
available on the Google Play store.
These apps take out all the work and
fuss required to do certain tasks on
your phone, and in essence complete
the process for you. They cover
everything from setting up videos to
watch, to managing the Bluetooth
connections stored on your device. In
this masterclass weve taken a look at
some of the best apps on the Google
Play store to help keep your device
automated. Youll nd tutorials
covering the likes of AutomateIt and
Make your phone
work as you want it to
by automating tasks
Atooma, the unheralded kings of
automating apps, as well as some
apps you probably havent heard
of. So keep on reading as we lead
you through the process of
making your phone work for
Heres ve great pointers to get
you started
1. Minimise battery impact
Many of the tasks youll want to
automate will no doubt use the
media services on your
smartphone. Remember these
will soon drain your battery, so
counter it by creating additional
tasks that preserve battery life.
2. Core services
Delve a little deeper into some
of the apps were covering in
the following pages and youll
nd ways you can automate
some of the core services on
your smartphone, including
the likes of answering calls
and sending SMS messages.
3. Set timers
Although it isnt a feature
available in all automation
software, setting up timings for
each task is key. If you keep certain
tasks on all the time, they can
considerably slow down the
performance of your smartphone. 4. Connect to wearables
Its still in its early stages, but some of
the newer automation apps are now
working with smartwatches. Users of
a smartwatch can program these apps
to manage messages, emails and more
on their wearable device.
5. Prioritise
Putting created tasks in a sequential
order lets you keep a close eye on the
tasks currently working and when the
next ones will be activated. Again,
having too many activated at the same
time will slow down your device.
masterclass
The best AutomateIt add-ons Use these add-ons to make AutomateIt a little better
Connect to
Facebook
The Facebook plug-in
for AutomateIt can be
used to automatically
post statuses and
posts to friends
proles. Its best use is
when you add a new
contact; you can
automatically download
their details without
manually doing it.
Its imperative to make
sure your phone is handling
all these tasks correctly to
maximise the performance
it gives you back
My phone
doesnt cope
well with
background
apps. Can I use
automation
apps to put a
stop to this?
To combat background
apps, download the
RFRSH app. This app
enables you to create
automated reboots of
your phone that happen
throughout the day
based on the times and
dates you input.
Ask your own
question online at
littlegreenrobot.co.uk
Use both of
your cameras
A great piece of
automation through
AutomateIt is to use
the camera plug-in to
control both your
devices front and
rear-facing cameras.
You can set your phone
to take a picture from
both sides at the same
time, for example.
Access your
phones shell
For the more technically
minded among us,
check out the Shell
plug-in for AutomateIt.
Explore this app to nd
and implement
automated tasks that
can use different
hacking options after
youve rooted your
Android device.
Utilise the power of
automation through your phone
31
Streamline
Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth
Control how
and when Wi-Fi
and Bluetooth
are used on
your device
Select the times you want your Wi-Fi or
Bluetooth connection to be enabled, as
well as the days you want the rule to take
effect, before pressing Done at the bottom.
3
guide
min
Now choose Bluetooth or Wi-Fi from the
list provided. You can also apply strict
rules to your devices other sensors, including
the likes of NFC and GPS usage.
2
Press the + button at the top of the app
to create a new task and on the
following screen, select the Connectivity and
Sensors option near the bottom of the list.
1
The nal screen will give you an overview of
the new task youve set up. Press on the pencil
icon to edit the task if some details are incorrect,
before pressing the power icon to make it public
and get your les to the cloud.
Make it public
4
From the main page of Atooma, scroll right
to unlock the sidebar and select New Atooma from
the list of options provided. You can also check out
some of the premade Atooma tasks by selecting
the Featured option from the side menu.
Select New Atooma
1
Now select the Connect to Cloud option.
You can also designate if you want to upload
singular les or automate everything. Use the next
wheel to select the cloud account you want to
connect with and log in to it using your device.
Connect to the cloud
3
Youll now be presented with a wheel of
options to select from, with each then opening up
a selection of further options. For the purpose of
this tutorial, youll want to select the les option
from the provided list.
Apps or les
2
K
eeping backups of the various stored les on your device is important, but with cloud
integration playing a massive role in how we use our smartphones, why not transfer
all current and future les directly to the cloud? With the Atooma app, users can design
tasks that bring all sorts of les together and puts them in a designated folder in the cloud. Why
this app is the best for this sort of thing is because Atooma can be connected with a plethora of
cloud storage apps, including the likes of Google Drive, Dropbox and SugarSync. Its also really
easy to use, and if youre new to the Android ecosystem, then its an easy way to get started
with the automation process.
Use Atooma to send all your les, videos, music and more
automatically to the cloud
Works with Android 2.3 and up

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32
Tutorials
Design triggers and
tasks with AutomateIt
Create intricate
and automated
tasks to save
time while using
your device
A
mong the plethora of automation apps sits
AutomateIt, a truly amazing app for those
who really want to explore the world of
automation on their smartphone. The app itself is
split into several areas, with the main being used to
create automated tasks and apply them to different
functions on their phones. These tasks are formed in
the style of different tasks, also known as triggers,
and the action that happens once that trigger has
been activated. Created tasks can vary over hundreds
of topics and apart from being quite a cool addition, it
can save a lot of time switching between different
apps and functions manually, especially when you
consider just how detailed and arduous certain tasks
can soon become. In this tutorial well be guiding you
through the AutomateIt app and the process of
creating a new task from scratch. Youll also nd
invaluable information on editing created tasks and
how you can link them with nearly all the third-party
apps installed on your device.
After creating a series of rules, youll now
need to activate them. Navigate back to the main
page of the application and select the My Rules
tab once again. Find your created rule and use the
on\off toggle to activate.
Activate new rules
5
From the main page of the AutomateIt app,
youll want to navigate to the My Rules option at
the top of the page. Select the Add Rule option at
the bottom-left of the tab, and follow the rst
instructions on the next screen.
Start from scratch
1
A large portion of your created rules will
eventually activate an app at the end of it. Youll
nd most third-party apps can be used for this, but
you should clear the cache of any app that resists
you attaching it to a rule.
Link to apps
4
Your rst task will be to add a trigger that
ultimately has an effect on some part of your
device. The app lists the most common triggers at
the top of the menu, but scroll down to view more
before selecting one.
Add a trigger
2
Now select when you want the trigger to
be activated. After selecting how you want it to be
activated, scroll down the list where you can then
select how often you want the new rule to work
through the various choices available.
Select desired action
3
AutomateIt is
a brilliant
automation app
for Android
33
Create location profiles
Use the Llama app to control location proles and edit their functions
Now go through the various options
available to you through Trigger. Users can specify
times and dates for their new task to be
operational. Press on the Done button when
youve nished adding everything.
Create your task
2
Now take your NFC tag and place it directly
onto your phones screen. A notication will appear
letting you know the new task has been added to
the tag. Now leave the app and scan the tag to
make sure its working correctly.
Scan a NFC tag
3
Navigate to the + symbol at the top of the
app to create a new task from scratch. The
following screen will ask you to select a trigger that
will set off the task youre about to create. Select
the NFC option from the list.
Find NFC option
1
A
utomating your phone is a concept thats been
around for a good few years, and one of the early
ways users could make things easier for themselves
was by using NFC tags. These tiny discs could be
programmed with different tasks and functions that work
when theyre scanned by a smartphone with full NFC
compatibility, something thats a standard feature on todays
devices. NFC tags are now an integral part of the automating
process, and even more so when you consider the apps
available to program them on the Play store. In this instance,
weve used the Trigger app to help program our NFC tags and
make them automatically control different parts of our daily
routine by simply scanning them.
Works with Varies with device
guide
min
Llama splits up your day into
several areas, and you can
apply different tasks to switch to the
next location prole (and time of
day) automatically. From the main
page, long press on the beginning
event and select Edit Event.
1
You can now change the time
you want this location prole
activated for, as well as rename it
and apply a different trigger. When
this trigger is activated, your phone
will switch to this location prole and
stay activated until you say so.
2
Now start inputting what you
want to associate with the
location prole. For example, early in
the morning you may want to mute
your phone, or have numerous
alarms go off at different times.
Press Conrm once completed.
3
Go through the remaining
times of the day and assign
the different tasks needed. Once
done, youll nd each location prole
set up and ready to use. Simply
toggle each of them on, and your
entire day will be automated for you.
4
There are extra tools to help make the
automating process even easier
Automate
with NFC tags
Message us!
Get in touch via Facebook
and Twitter
twitter
@lgrobot
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questions and thoughts
facebook
/littlegreenrobot
Get help from our
Facebook community

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34
Tutorials
Use external plug
Sunrise
Calendar
Sunrise connects with some of
the best third-party apps on
the Play store
S
unrise Calendar is a new addition to the
Google Play store, but it already sits as one of
the premier calendar apps available to
Android users, second only to the fantastic Gmail.
The app offers a minimalist view of your calendar,
and although it offers all the standard calendar
features, where it stands out is with the wealth of
additional third-party apps it can be synced with.
The apps are turned into external plug-ins, of sorts,
and appear automatically in your calendar after
importing them.
Although theres a primary focus on social media
apps, Sunrise can also be synced with the likes of
TripIt, GitHub and Evernote. When you then add
something to one of these apps, your Sunrise feed
will automatically update with the new information
without you needing to do a thing. In this tutorial,
well guide you through the process of rstly
selecting and importing external plug-ins into
Sunrise Calendar. Well then take you through how
to view events in the calendar and how you can
interact with each imported app you selected.
If the app has several areas that can be
imported, youll now be able to choose which
sections you want to import. Importing can take
quite a while to complete, so be frugal with the
choices you make here. Press the Done button
once complete.
Import options
3
Youll now need to log in to the app in
question. If you dont have an account with the
app, then use the sign up option provided. Any
data stored within the app will now be imported
into Sunrise. Repeat this process for every app
that you want to import.
Account login
2
At the top of the app youll nd all the
calendars that can be imported into the app and
the available apps at the bottom. Scroll down the
list until you nd an app of interest and select it.
Its important to keep in mind that certain apps are
country specic.
What to sync?
1
Maps integration
Some of the apps also include
Maps integration that can be
accessed when looking at an event
in more detail. Users will nd a
small cut out from Google Maps
that will pinpoint the exact location
of the event
Birthdays
Facebooks main connectivity in
Sunrise Calendar is in the form of
birthday reminders. Youll nd a
small icon representing one of your
friends, from which you can then go
directly to their prole by pressing
said icon
Add new event
Use the + symbol at the top of the
app to add new events into your
calendar feed. You can make each
listing as detailed or as basic as
you see t, and also add alarms
and notications to remind you of it
over time
More information
Press on a reminder to get more
information about it. Youll nd
details regarding when the event
starts and nishes and also a
choice of notication sounds to
choose from if you want an alert to
the reminder
35
Scroll through your calendar across a
few weeks to see if all the apps you imported are
there and present. Each app will be represented
by a different icon and contain a small note
describing what the listing is about. Press on one
to take a closer look.
Start to browse
4
If youve got multiple apps displaying for
the same day, press on the date in question to get
a closer view. Doing this will split up the day into
different parts Morning, Afternoon, etc so you
can pinpoint the timing of exact events. Press on
the date again to revert back to normal.
Split the day
6
Some apps include extra details that users
should be checking out. Songkick, for example,
not only has Google Maps integration letting you
know the whereabouts of upcoming concerts, it
also has a direct link to the apps webpage for you
to nd out more.
App features
8
After using the app for some time it may be
that youre nding some of the plug-ins to be a
hindrance. Go through the settings page of the
app to nd the remove app function. Here you
can remove the feeds from specic apps in just
a few seconds.
Start organising
7
Each listing will have a different amount of
detail attached with it. If you arent happy with
whats been included, press on the pencil icon
at the top of the app to edit the eld. You can
then add to or completely rewrite the description,
which doesnt have a word limit.
Add more detail
5
If youve got a rather packed calendar, or
simply want to try out an alternate view, press on
the three line symbol at the top of the interface.
This will switch to a stripped-back calendar view,
when tends to be a lot easier on the eye and
easier to comprehend.
Different view
9
Need help?
Got a problem with your
Android phone or tablet?
Get in touch with us...
facebook
/littlegreenrobot
Get help from our
Facebook community
twitter
@lgrobot
questions and thoughts
email
Send your questions for our team of
experts to tackle
Five of the best external plug-ins to use in Sunrise Calendar
1 TripIt
Plan various parts of your holiday
and keep track of ight times in
one handy place.
2 Evernote
Import various notes into your
Sunrise account and edit them
within the calendar app.
3 GitHub
Track various news outlets and get
the latest headlines appearing in
your calendar.
4 Asana
This app enables teams of people
to work and communicate on
projects together.
5 Songkick
Get details on the latest concerts
being performed by artists at
locations near you. tips
Is it possible to get
my iCloud calendar
across to Sunrise?
One of the leading features in
Sunrise Calendar is the iCloud
auto-import option. When you
begin connecting to different
apps, scroll to the top of the list
where youll nd the iCloud
listing. Press on it and enter
your details to import it across.
Will my connected
apps work with
the Sunrise
Calendar widget?
Yes and no. Although most apps
work with the widget fairly well,
on occasion you may nd that
some events are missing from
the widget feed. If you really
want a thorough widget, then
you may need to import the
apps once again to get an
updated version.
Ask your own
question online at
36
Tutorials
Stream Dropbox
to your TV
Use a Chromecast
and the AllCast
app to get your
photos, les
and more on
your television
Y
our Chromecast can do a lot of things and it
doesnt have to end with just streaming
media. The Google Play store now has hundreds
of compatible Chromecast apps, which expand the
functionality of the streaming stick. One of the most
highly regarded apps is AllCast a great app that
enables users to not only stream their media content,
but also several other apps you wouldnt normally
expect. The app contains full Dropbox support,
enabling users to have full access to their les and
photos on the
big screen. It
provides users
with a platform to
read and perform m nor edits
on their les, before sha ing them
through different platforms. This
tutorial will get you up and running with
AllCast and well als
make using Dropbox on your TV a whole lot easier.
Select a le and press the cast button on
the top-right of the app. After a few seconds, your
le will appear on your TV. Using your phone you
can move the le around, edit various parts of it
and share it to other devices as well.
Start to stream
6
Before looking to stream Dropbox, youll
rst need to go into the Settings menu and alter
your bitrate. A higher bitrate is best suited for a
solid internet connection, while a lower bitrate is
better for those with average internet to avoid lag.
Change bitrate
2
The beauty of this Dropbox integration is
that any number of your les can be streamed. Go
through each folder listed and see the various
documents and photos. A small X will appear in
the corner of a le if it isnt compatible.
Navigate Dropbox
5
Back out of the Settings menu and open
up the side menu. All of the compatible apps that
work with AllCast are listed, and youll nd Dropbox
there. If youre an avid cloud user, be sure to check
out the Google Drive integration as well.
Open side menu
3
When you rst open up the AllCast app, itll
automatically try and nd a nearby Chromecast by
performing a scan on your Wi-Fi network. When
you nd yours listed, press on it to be taken to the
homescreen of the AllCast app.
Find your Chromecast
1
Youll now be required to allow access to
your Dropbox account through the AllCast app. If
you have a full Dropbox account, it may take the
app a few minutes to compile all your folders and
les together and get them ready for streaming.
Allow access
4
37
Works with All versions of Android
Recalibrate
your batter
without roo
P
oor battery life is something that
most Android users will
experience with their smartphone
at some point. Although many believe
that the way you use your phone is the
number one reason users can face
sub-par battery life, it may also be how
the battery is calibrated.
One of the easiest ways to identify if
your battery needs to be calibrated is if
your device refuses to charge, or the
battery life is draining at a much faster
rate than normal. Recalibrating may
seem like a daunting prospect, but it can
be performed with minimal fuss and
without the need for any third-party
application from the Google Play store,
which could do more bad than good for
your smartphone.
Get your battery working at its maximum
potential in just a few steps
Make your battery go further
If you just want to give your battery life a boost,
then check out these apps for tinkering with your
batterys performance
Battery Doctor
Battery Doctor quickly
estimates how long your
battery will last on its
current charge, as well as
providing an easy-to-use
task killer that can
neutralise features that
are substantially draining
it or stopping it from
reaching optimal levels.
DU Battery Saver
Where DU excels as an
app is that it gives users
the choice to optimise
their phone batterys
performance with a
single press. It also
includes a choice of
pre-determined modes
that can help save your
battery draining too fast.
JuiceDefender
The JuiceDefender apps
have long been at the
forefront of preserving
battery life. Theyre a
great choice for those
who simply want to keep
their battery at their peak
and have an easy way of
seeing how the changes
affect their device.
Set screen to
maximum
Now go into your devices Settings
page and look for the Display
section. Within here youll want to
nd the option that enables you to
permanently keep your screen
turned on. Enable the option,
reconnect the charger and wait for
it to fully charge again
Finishing up
Turn your phone back on and
immediately take off the screen
always on option you enabled
earlier. From this point on you
should notice your battery life
draining slower, but if its still
draining too fast, then a
replacement might be in order
LED indication
With your device off youll want to
plug in your charger and wait for the
LED light to appear, notifying you
when its fully charged. Once this
happens remove the charger again
and turn on your phone
Charge battery
Your rst port of call is to fully charge the
battery with your smartphone turned on
and all apps and syncing processes closed
and off. Remove the charger from your
phone and then turn your smartphone off
after a few seconds
Drain to 0%
After being fully charged again,
unplug it and leave your phone
until it reaches 0 per cent battery
life and turns itself off. If you now
fully charge your phone while its
off, your phone should calibrate
itself and work at its optimal level
38
Tutorials
Create formulas
in Google Sheets
Make quick
calculations
with Googles
alternative to
Microsoft Excel
L
ets face it spreadsheets will never be the most
exciting things in the world. However, if you can look
past the endless rows of cells, they act as a great way to
manage your expenses, keep things organised and partake
in other number-related tasks. Google Sheets has
recently been revamped to bring it closer
in line with Microsoft Excel, which
has long been at the pinnacle
of spreadsheet-based apps.
Although the fundamentals of the app havent changed, it
now includes a comprehensive suite of features, which are
especially useful if you tend to use these sorts of apps to
create simple formulas from scratch while away from your
desktop computer. In this tutorial were taking a look at
Google Sheets in more detail, and focusing in on how it
utilises the formulas feature. Well show you how to create
formulas from scratch, as well as the basic functions you
need to enter for them to work correctly.
Begin by highlighting the cell you want to
start using formulas with. A blue outline will appear
around the cell and by pressing and dragging on
the corner of the outline you can begin to highlight
the cells around it. Select the rst cell in the
top-left corner and add numbers.
Select cells for formulas
1
Multiplying the numbers in cells is also
another basic and common formula to use.
Instead of simply putting an X to symbolise
multiplying, youll need to use an asterisk
between the cell value before pressing the enter
key on the keyboard to process the formula.
Exploring other formulas
5
If the nished number doesnt look right
after making the calculation, use the formatting
toolbar at the top to go to the Numbers tab. Here
you can see how numbers will be displayed in the
cell. Select one and then re-do the equation to
see the revised number.
Instant troubleshooting
4
Go through subsequent cells and enter
the rest of the data you require. Instead of
manually selecting each cell and adding data,
simply press enter to quickly interchange between
cells. With the keyboard now open, press on the
thin white bar that lies above it.
Enter further data
2
The white bar is your hub for all formulas
that you want to create in Google Sheets. The
start of all your basic formulas will begin with the
= symbol. You can then put an equation straight
after it, as long as you type the value of each cell
you want to put together.
Basic formulas
3
Need the power
f a spreadsheet on
the move? Say hello
to Google Sheets
39
Many users tend to be a bit confused
when it comes to dividing cell values while in
Google Sheets, but without a designated divide
button, users will instead need to use a forward
slash for division. Again, press the enter button
once your equation has been entered.
Learning to divide
6
The top toolbar is where youll nd all the
formatting options available to you. To help
differentiate your nished equations to your
standard cells, its worth applying a colour to all of
them. Highlight a single cell and drag the outline to
cover the remaining cells and apply a colour.
Formatting with colours
8
You may encounter several problems when
putting formulas together, so its important you
take care when entering them. A common problem
is not putting a correct cell value in, or simply
putting a cell that doesnt actually contain any
data to calculate.
Diagnosing problems
11
Formatting also links closely with the cell
styles that can be selected from within Google
Sheets. Scroll past the colours tab and youll nd
basic cell design styles to select from. Again,
these act as a great way of differentiating these
cells from the rest.
Selecting cell styles
9
If youre looking to total up a large number
of cells at one given time, then a great piece of
equation to use is the =sum function before the
rest of the equation is entered. Over a long period
of time, youll generally nd it quicker to use this
function when handling multiple cells.
Alternate formula entry
7
All the formulas you create through
Google Sheets can be shared with anyone
you like. Find the Add People menu within the
Settings and designate people who can not
only look at the spreadsheet, but also change
and edit any formulas they see t.
Allow others to help
12
After testing out the basic equation
formats, begin to experiment a little further by
adding multiple cells into them. You can also add
different functions into each equation, if you so
wish. For these more advanced formulas, make
sure to use the =sum function as well.
Advanced formula entry
10
Save and rename your le before
closing it. If you now open up the spreadsheet
again, you should still see each nished
equation entered, and by pressing on the cell
in question, youll also see the formula used
to reach the nished formula.
Add general details
13
Will my equations
go on to other
devices?
Yes. No matter where you
decide to access your
spreadsheet, or on what
device, youll nd the data for
your equations will
automatically be there for you
to access and edit, if
necessary. Very convenient.
Ask your own
question online at
Get in touch
Were on Facebook and Twitter,
or just drop us an email
twitter
@lgrobot
comments and pics
Need help? Got a question? Drop us
an email and let us know
email
Like us on Facebook and
join our community
facebook
/littlegreenrobot
40
Tutorials
Blacklist spam
numbers with
Truecaller
Add unwanted callers and spammers to your global block list
T
here is nothing worse than when you look
down at your ringing phone and see the
CallerID ashing up an unknown number.
Is it a friend using a new phone or is it an wanted
call from a pushy salesperson? Almost invariably
its a telephone call from someone trying to sell
you something you dont want to buy.
Truecaller is an application that helps get rid
of such nuisance calls with a global and personal
block list. The app comes with a long list of
known spammers straight out of the box. The
beauty of Truecaller is that you can add to
the list with a single tap to block unwanted
calls now and in the future.
Works with Android 2.3.3 and up
1. Getting started
On rst-time use you will need to accept
the terms and conditions to continue. But,
before you do, have a quick look at the
Welcome presentation to see what it has
to offer. To set up the app, rst select a
country. Instead of scrolling through the
long list use the search option to get the
correct country.
Now you will be asked to enter your
phone number; this acts as your unique
identier on Truecaller. Once the number
has been entered, Truecaller will send a
three-digit code to that number. Note the
code and enter to continue.
2. All about you
The rst screen displays a headshot of you
along with your name. If an image is not
available tap the generic image to add and
complete your prole. To add an image
there is the option to Take a photo, Select
from the Gallery or Get from Facebook.
Add additional details and tap the tick.
3. New messages
Truecaller will include a number of
messages on rst-time use. You can
choose to add images to contacts or tell
your friends that you are using Truecaller
via text message, Google+ or email.
Alternatively, Invite friends to join to get
Premium points.
4. Search
The Search option lets users search for
individuals, businesses or sales. Enter a
name or number and tap Search. From the
search results tap an option. This will
enable you to call the number or Block &
Report. Tap Block & Report followed by Yes
to add to your block list.
5. Global block
Tap the Truecaller icon to reveal the
slide-in menu, select Block to view the
Global Block options. Turn Spammers and
Unknown numbers to on. This offers the
option to choose either calls or text or
both with a toggle switch. Select option(s)
and press OK.
[FIG 4] Unwanted
callers are denitely a
nuisance. When you
nd one it can be
added to your My block
list by selecting Block
[FIG 5] Blocked callers
will be added to the
My block list. The
details of the blocked
caller can be viewed,
edited or removed by
tapping the three-dot
menu icon
Can I view a
full list of spam
and unknown
callers?
As well as viewing your
list of blocked callers
you can view the global
list. Tap the Truecaller
icon, select Block, tap
the three-dot icon and
hit View full list.
Ask your own
question online at
Ensure you
never get disturbed
by a nuisance call again
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45
Take notes durin
phone calls with
NOTEify
Never miss important
details by jotting down
info while on the phone
W
ho hasnt been in the situation where
youve been scrambling around for a
pen and paper while on the phone? Not
many, thats for sure. NOTEify is an ingenious
little app that enables users to jot down quick
notes while taking a phone call, appearing
automatically when specied contacts make a
call to you. Its a brilliant solution if youre in the
middle of an important call, and best of all, the
notes you enter can be saved within the app for
later use, where they can be saved to the cloud
or simply shared with others.
1. Import contacts
When you rst open the NOTEify app, youll
be required to sync your contacts to the
app. All synced contacts will then work
with the NOTEify feature when a call takes
place. Depending on the amount of
contacts stored on your phone, the
process can take a few minutes to fully
nish syncing. Once completed, youll be
taken directly to the main page of the
NOTEify app.
2. Change settings
Press on the menu icon within the NOTEify
app and select the Settings option from
the list provided. Scroll down the list and
enable the Activate Notes and Auto Save
Notes options. This means the notes
function will automatically appear during
calls and that each note you take will
subsequently be saved to the cloud.
3. Taking notes
When a call is in progress, your keyboard
will appear. To make sure you dont
miss out on any details, try and use the
swipe feature that most keyboards now
include. If you back out of the note-taking
feature, youll be returned to the standard
phone screen.
4. Format notes
With the phone call now over, you can get
started formatting the notes to your
specication. As well as the font and
colours being changed, users can also
select where to save the notes to and
export it to other applications, if
necessary. Theres also a sharing option,
which is a great tool to use if you need to
share your notes with friends and family.
5. Link your calendar
One of the best features of the NOTEify
app is that your notes can also be
exported into different third-party calendar
apps. While formatting the note, press on
the clock icon and select the calendar
you use from the list. You can now set a
time and date for the note and the
calendar will alert you to it when the time
comes closer.
[FIG 3] Try and use the
swipe feature on your
Android keyboard,
which is noticeably
quicker than manually
typing out notes
[FIG 5] Import any
notes into the likes of
Sunrise Calendar to
set up reminders and
alerts for them later
down the line
How do I
delete notes?
While on the
formatting screen,
press on the bin icon
on the far-left of
the screen to scrap
the note you are
currently editing.
Ask your own
question online at
46
Tutorials
Use Hibernate to freeze
background processes
Improve the
speed and
overall
performance of
your device by
minimising
RAM usage
E
ven though you may not be using a certain app,
chances are its still running in the background
and unfortunately this means itll be using
some of your devices RAM. Having numerous apps
running in the background can lead to issues with
your devices overall performance. Tasks can take
longer to complete, while navigating between menus
and apps can be a bit of a chore. Thats not to say that
all background processes are detrimental to your
device, as the small number that are linked to your
devices core processes need to be running at all
times to keep your phone or tablet safe from
intermittent restarts and crashes.
The Google Play store has a plethora of utility apps
that can cut out background processes for you, and in
turn can generally speed up your device in certain
areas. In this tutorial were looking at the Hibernate
app, which temporarily freezes background processes
but leaves the user with complete control on what
they want to freeze at any time.
Venture back into the app and explore
some of the other apps you can hibernate. Each
app listing will have a numerical value of how much
RAM its currently using by just running in the
background, so ideally these are the apps youll
want to prioritise when making the selection.
Careful selection
5
When you rst open up Hibernate, you may
nd it needs some time to import your app details.
This isnt the case for every device and is usually
determined by the number of installed apps on it.
Youll automatically be taken to the apps home
page upon completion.
Import app details
1
After making your initial selections, its
best to have a quick look to see if the effects are
working. Your device should feel nippier from the
start, but you can also venture into the battery
monitor screen to see if the changes have
increased the battery life on their device.
Is it working?
4
Scroll through the apps and tick the box
next to each one you want to freeze. As you scroll,
you may notice some apps listed in yellow. This
represents a core service on your device and
should generally be avoided when hibernating as it
could lead to problems on your device.
What to freeze?
2
Press the Android symbol to freeze the
processes, which should then automatically
remove them from the list. Open up the Settings
and enable Run service for background before
selecting how often you want the app to check
your background processes below.
Freeze processes
3
Keep an eye on
background
processes to
boost performance
47
Track background
processes
Venture into your Settings menu to discover a quick way of
checking how your phone uses background processes
Instead of manually going through your
apps, simply long press on one of them to open up
an overview screen. In this menu you can select
the types of apps you want to highlight. Select the
Background option and back out of the menu to
see a newly formed list.
Take a closer look
6
After selecting the background list of apps,
youll nd the list of apps slightly different. Some
will no longer be able to be selected and only the
power-hungry background apps will have tick
boxes that work. Again, make sure not to freeze
any core services that could damage your device.
Explore the new list
7
Theres a multitude of ways to check if your
background processes have been frozen. The best
way is to go to the Show cached processes
screen in the Settings app and any app youve
frozen shouldnt be listed. If its listed, simply go
back to Hibernate and de-list it again.
The nal checks
8
Essential ways to improve the speed of your phone or tablet
1 Disable animations
Cut additional animations on your
phone by going to the Developer
options menu in the settings.
2 Stop syncing
Make sure not to set your apps in
automatic sync mode as this can
cause a massive slowdown.
3 Ditch the widgets
Widgets consume a surprising
amount of RAM, so clearing them is
a great idea.
4 Software updates
Many software updates help
streamline the overall performance
of phones and tablets.
5 Factory reset
If your phone is continuously too
slow to use, then a factory reset will
restart it from scratch. tips
min
Go into your devices Settings menu and
nd the Apps section near the bottom of the
list. Open it to get an overview of the apps
installed on your device. Scroll left until you get
to the Running tab, which will show every
application currently open in the foreground and
background on your device.
Apps that are running
1
With the Running menu still open,
select the Show cached processes option
from the top-right of the app. This will now
show you the apps that are using the most
RAM through background processes, although
it isnt as thorough as the Hibernate app for
the most part.
Monitor RAM usage
2
Select an app to take a closer look at it.
As well as giving you a general insight into how
many background processes the app is
currently undertaking, theres also the Stop and
Report buttons. If youre worried about
particularly high RAM usage, use the Send
function to notify the developer.
Stop or report?
3
Although using the Stop button might
seem like a good idea, it can lead to more
problems than good. You may nd the app
unusable, or certain features not responding, as
they would normally. Using Hibernate is a good
solution to freeze the app without potentially
damaging your device.
A word of warning
4
48
Tutorials
Track your app
usage with
Frequency
A
pps are the lifeblood of any
device, but there are the regulars,
the occasionals and the whats
this? apps. It is almost guaranteed that
you will know your regulars, but out of
those 30 apps you have installed, which
ones do you actually use?
Frequency is an app that enables you
to monitor the usage of your apps over a
number of different time periods. Want to
know what apps were popular in the last
day or week? Want to know what apps
have been the least popular since you
installed Frequency? This lets you make
decisions on which apps to keep and
which to uninstall, which can be done
directly via Frequency to free up valuable
space and resources.
Discover and analyse how long you are
spending on your installed apps
Get more from Frequency
The default version of Frequency is quick and simple
to use, but dig a little deeper and you will be able to
take better control and improve accuracy
No Show
Each app has options
including Add to No-Show
List. This option allows for
selected apps to be
excluded, or not shown,
in standard app listings,
eg Used Apps. However,
the tagged apps will
appear in the No-Show
List, when selected.
Go Pro
The free version does not
include a number of
options, such as Run at
Startup and App
Accuracy. These options
can only be accessed by
upgrading to the Pro
version. Head to Settings,
select Run at startup and
tap Get Pro to upgrade.
App accuracy
Frequency monitors app
usage every 30 seconds,
which sets the accuracy
level at medium. To
upgrade, head to Settings
>App usage accuracy. To
select an alternative, eg 5
Seconds (Very High), you
will need to upgrade to
the Pro version.
More options
Each listed app has a selected set
of options that can be accessed
with a single tap. The pop-up
window offers the option to Open
the selected app, get App info and,
if desired, Uninstall the app. There
is also the option to add an app to
the No-Show list
Manual use
By default, the App usage tracking
option, in Settings, is activated when
the app is installed. However, the app
must be started manually to start
tracking. The Run at startup option,
again in Settings, will automatically
start Frequency, but this is a Pro
option that you will have to pay for
App watch
Apps are what make a device
and Frequency offers the option to
lter which apps are displayed in a
list. Used Apps displays apps that
have been used in a selected
period, while All Installed displays
all the apps installed on a device,
used or unused
Time-sensitive info
The time period combines with the app
usage option to create a list. Select Today
before using the device and only the
Frequency app will appear. Select Past Week
and this will display the last seven days
usage. Select All Time to view usage since
Frequency has been installed
Listed by time
Time is the key measurement in
the Frequency app. The listed apps
are displayed in order with the most
used app, by time, top of the list.
Each app in the list displays how
long each app has been used
during the selected time period
Automatic
store all
copied dat
with EverCl
H
ow often have you
copied a vital detail,
such as a phone
number or web address, then
forgotten to paste it before
copying something else? The
EverClip app eliminates this
problem by automatically
backing up everything you
copy and making it easy to
store links, web clippings and
text to Evernote. In this tutorial
we take you through EverClips
essential features, including
setting up the automated
Clipboard Monitor and making
use of its extra features. We
also guide you step-by-step
through creating web
clippings. There is already an
Evernote Web Clipping Chrome
extension that works on both
desktop and Android, but isnt
as intuitive on mobile as
EverClip. It also only works
with Chrome, so if you prefer
to use a different browser, the
ofcial extension is no good.
EverClip will also work with
other cloud services.
Instantly back up all the text and web
addresses you copy to the cloud
Save web clippings
Create a permanent snapshot of a webpage, known as a
web clipping, so text, images and links are preserved
To create a
webclip, copy the URL of
the webpage that you
want to back up. Then
open EverClip, either by
opening the app or just
selecting the Clipboard
Monitor from your
drop-down. Now, tap on
the last link you copied.
Copy a URL
1
When nished, tap Save
to Evernote to back up
your webclips. EverClip
Premium users can
qualify which Notebook
to save it to and add tags.
If you use a different
cloud service, tap Share
to see more options.
Store in
the cloud
3
If you want to save a
whole webpage, move
onto step 3. If you want
to select a specic area,
tap the oating square
outline button at the
bottom of the screen.
From here, you can then
select areas to backup.
Select an
area
2
EverClip Premium
The free version of EverClip only supports ve
clipboard items at a time. You can either
regularly back them up to Evernote to ensure
you have space, or upgrade to EverClip
Premium for 2.49/$3.99. This includes
unlimited items, no advertising, and support
for Evernote notebooks and tags
Search,
translate, share
When you copy anything, as
well as saving to EverClip,
green buttons will appear on
screen. These include options
to search for highlighted text
online, translate it, or share it
with others. Premium user
options also include calling
copied numbers, emailing text,
and opening links
Clipboard
Monitor
Once youve downloaded
EverClip, any text copied to
clipboard will automatically
add to EverClip. It also
recognises URLs and
downloads the corresponding
data. Follow the steps in the
green box below to back up
URLs as web clippings for an
alternative to bookmarking
49
Organise notes
As well as URLs, any text you copy on
your handset whether from the
web, a message or an app will also
be stored in EverClip. Notes supports
Markdown syntax so you can add
formatting such as headers or
bullet points for added organisation
Back up to
Evernote
As its name suggests,
EverClip is a third-party app
for Evernote. Open the link
or note you want to backup,
then tap Save to Evernote
to store it remotely. If you
use a different cloud store,
like Drive, press the Share
button instead and select
the relevant option
troubleshooting advice
hints and tips

DroidSupport
facebook
/littlegreenrobot
Like us on Facebook and join
in our Android community
twitter
@lgrobot
Follow us on Twitter to send
your thoughts and questions
email an expert
Got an Android-related
problem that you need solving?
Let us know!
Share your tips & tricks
Join us on Facebook and Twitter
to share and receive some
great tips and advice
If you go to Settings>Language & Input>
Google Keyboard>Advanced Settings,
you can enable a full stop with a
double-space, change the colour
scheme and even change the delay
times for pop-ups and long key presses.
You have complete control over how
your Android keyboard works, and its all
done from your Settings app.
Did you know?
50
Why is OK Google
Now u
Hi Jamie. The Moto X has
been almost universally
praised for its ability to
understand what you are saying
in the most noisy of
environments, but if you are
having problems there is
hopefully a very simple solution.
Chances are that when you rst
trained the system to recognise
your voice,
something went
wrong and it has
never covered,
hence the lack
of eliable

would suggest to
nd the quietest place
possible and to retrain
your input by going to Settings>
Touchless control>Train launch
phrase. You can say the phrase
again and will soon be able to
ascertain if things have
improved. Another option which
some say works is to drop the
now and simply say OK Google.

word can get mixed up with
many others, but that OK and
Google are unique enough to
pr ve to be more reliable.
However, in our tests we had
mixed results during the
retraining process and
sometimes the phone would fail

the now at the end. Our advice is
to say the wo ds as quietly as
y u can for it to be recognised
and this should translate to
successful recognitio more
often. You really shoul have no
problems because the feature
is very well built.
I love the idea of jus
saying OK Google Now
and for my Moto X to
respond, but I am
nding that it only
responds about half of
the time. It has never
been reliable for me.
Why is that happening?
Jamie Roach
Retraining is a
simple solution to
recognition problems
You should expect near 100 per cent
recognition from OK Google Now
A
Keep the text messages
coming in
forced to use SMS to contact you.
If you do not have access to your
iPhone, go to supportprole.
apple.com/MySupportProle.do,
log in with your Apple ID and
Unregister your phone. This will
also solve the problem of Apple
effectively owning your number,
a situation that is currently being
investigated to nd a more
convenient x for those who
move mobile platforms. We hope
you can now enjoy keeping in
touch with all of your friends.
come through if you did not
deactivate the service. Your
iPhone-owning friends who do
not use iMessage will still be
able to send texts to you as
normal and so will users of other
phones, but not the rst group of
people. You will need to put your
SIM back into the iPhone, if you
still own it, and disable
iMessages by going to Settings>
Messages and disabling the top
option. Wait for the process to
complete and anyone using
iMessage to send you a text in
the future will automatically be
I recently moved from an iPhone to a Samsung Galaxy S4, but am
having problems receiving messages from some of my friends who
still own iPhones. I receive messages from some of them, but not
from all and seem to get texts ne from people with Android
phones. Help!
Claire Begot
D
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S
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p
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51
Hi Claire. This problem
can seem perplexing
because it is so random,
but there is actually a logical
explanation and one which will
make sense once you know. If
your phone number was set up
to receive iMessages when
possible from other iPhones and
iPads, the texts that are sent will
immediately be converted to
iMessages. This means that if
some of your iPhone-owning
friends have the facility
activated, their messages to your
phone number will no longer
A
Dont let your old phone ruin your new
smartphone experience
You need to turn off iMessage
before you move to a new phone
Ask your questions
Got a problem with your Android phone or tablet?
Send it to us and well nd the solution
facebook
/littlegreenrobot
Get help from our
Facebook community
email
Send your questions for our team of
experts to tackle
hints&tips
Gain control over Chrome
Open a new tab in Chrome and input
chrome://ags/#max-tiles-for-interest-area.
You will now be presented with a long list of
secret settings that you can tweak to make
your Android Chrome experience completely
personal to you.
1
Verify new apps
In the Security settings, ticking unknown
sources will let you install apps from
sources other than Google Play, which can be
useful, but we would also recommend ticking the
Verify apps option that will block apps that can
potentially do harm to your device.
2
Give your device a boost
Android Booster FREE, available from
Google Play, is a versatile tool that can
close running apps with one tap, monitor phone
trafc, rename and move les, and do so much
more in a simple and clean interface. It could
completely change how your device performs.
3
hints&tips Get more from your Android device with these handy tips
DroidSupport
Can I track
app usage?
Is there a way to see what apps I
have been using the most and
have you any tips on letting me
dig deep into the way I use my
phone without rooting? I am
trying to maximise the battery
and performance.
Malcolm Riddet
A
Hi Malcolm. There is a
way to check everything
that has happened on
your Android device without
rooting, but you will need to
analyse the data yourself to see
what you can change in your
usage later. Go to the Developer
options in Settings, which are
not always available by default.
You may need to nd out how to
access them for your model, but
they should always be accessible.
Once there, open Process stats,
where you will see a list of apps.
Tapping any of these will display
the RAM usage, running time
and lots of other useful data. If
you tap the menu option at the
top, you can also show system
apps and choose which stat
types to see: backgr und,
foreground and cached. Its a
useful set of numbers to truly
analyse your device usage.
A
Hi Mary. There are ways
that you can set up
shortcuts to take
advantage of the features from
apps like Readability and
competing services, and some
can be used to offer immediate
views of webpages in a much
cleaner form. The problem with
these methods is that they
usually involve setting up what
are called bookmarklets and
then having to navigate to them
every time, but we have a better
option. There is an app called
Mercury Browser, available from
Google Play, which offers many
extra features including one
called Reader. When you come
across a webpage that feels too
busy on your screen, simply tap
the jigsaw piece icon and then
select Reader, at which point the
page will be transformed to a
much cleaner version that can be
read immediately. There are
other bonuses as well such
as automatic translation,
searching within pages and
private mode, but a long look
around will highlight everything
that is on offer. It will give you
the feature you desire and many
more on top. A typically versatile
Android solution.
I need
clearer
webpages
Is it possible to set up the
browser on my device so that it
can offer a simpler reading view
like Safari Reader on an iPhone?
So many pages are busy and
cluttered, and saving them to
services like Pocket or
Instapaper works, but are a bit of
a ddle and not immediate.
ary ames
You can check
every aspect of
your phones usage
Busy webpages can be cleaned up instantly
Files can easily coexist on both your
desktop PC and your Android device
sing your
hone as a
SB drive
I am about to receive a new
Android phone and will need to
use it to move les between my
Mac and my work Windows
laptop. I realise that I can use
cloud services, but prefer to do
so on local devices and
wondered how easy it is to
manage moving les between
all of these devices?
Mick Bromley
Hi Mick. It would be
useful to know which
Android device you are
about to receive so that we can
be more specic, but for your
particular question we should
still be able to help you. The
majority of the time, connecting
to a Windows PC, particularly a
new one running Windows 8
and above, should be easy, but it
is slightly trickier on a Mac. A
small amount of setup is
required, but once you have
done that, it should be quite easy
to use your Android device as a
hub to move photos, videos and
indeed any kind of le between
them. If your device has
expansion card support, this
makes the entire process much
easier, but there are ways
around this which we will
demonstrate for anyone else who
needs this type of functionality.
A
In the Google Play app, you can specify how often a password is
required for purchases by going to Settings>Require password
for purchases. If you have a lock screen set up, you could
potenti lly set it to Never to speed up purchases in the future.
Did you know?
Simply tap the
jigsaw piece
icon and then
select Reader, at
which point the
page will be
transformed
to a much
cleaner version
52
I need
clearer
webpages
Can I track
app usage?
53
for even more tips & tricks
top tips for...
ROLONGING
ATTERY
quicktips
1
Delete apps
It is easy to download and install too
many apps over time, but a small amount of
time spent removing the ones you use
infrequently will increase battery life, add
more storage space and ultimately increase
device performance. Spring clean your
device when you can.
2

Use what you need
It can be convenient to have Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth and NFC running all of the time,
but some manual intervention will make a
big difference to how long your battery lasts
and how quick your device is. Have some
handy shortcuts close by and turn the
networking features on and off only when
you need them.
3

Limit home screens
The temptation to create multiple home
screens to locate apps and shortcuts is
great, but by using only one and minimising
your use of widgets, there will be some
performance benets. The advantages are
quite small, but they will add up over time.
4
Check battery stats
Go to Settings>Battery and study the
list of battery usage by feature and app. The
screen, OS and system will rank high, but if
you see an app using too much battery, you
may want to replace it.
5
Limit notications
In apps that include notications, try to
limit them if not absolutely necessary. Every
time a notication pops up, it will in effect
turn your device on and thus use more
battery life. It will also save you from
constant interruptions.
53
D
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S
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p
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To connect to a Windows PC, simply attach
your Android device to the USB cable and connect
it. You will see a box appear and you will need to
leave the initial setup to complete, which can take
some time. Be patient and the process will
eventually nish and you should be ready to start.
Connect to Windows
1
When you click the Android device drive in
File Explorer you will now be able to move les to
and from the device as you like. This is a manual
solution, but it is extremely versatile and also feels
more familiar than using any other method. Your
Android device is now working with Windows.
Time to move les
3
It is likely that the manufacturer of your
Android device will also offer bespoke software to
help you manage les. Take some time to see how
well the solution works because often the simpler
options are more efcient and less resource
hungry than manufacturer solutions.
Bespoke software
5
Setting up an Android device as a drive in
Finder on a Mac can be difcult, but you do still
have options. One is Android File Transfer, which is
available from www.android.com/letransfer and
provides an elegant and simple solution for moving
les to and from expansion cards and main drives.
Android File Transfer
4
You will now see some options appear on
the screen and it is wise to select the correct one
as this will be used in the future when you connect
your device. Select Open device to view les and
you should see it appear as a drive in File Explorer.
The sync option is useful for dealing with media.
Choose an option
2
Dont forget that there are many apps
available in Google Play that will enable you to
transfer les wirelessly to your desktop PCs. Apps
such as WiFi File Transfer are free and very easy to
set up. In the right hands it can make the process
of sharing les quicker than the USB solution.
Wireless le sharing
6
Uninstalling apps will offer many benets to
device performance
Share your tips
Got a great tip, or found a cool
shortcut? Let us know!
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Like us on Facebook and
join our online community
twitter
@lgrobot
Follow us on Twitter to
send us your tips & tricks
email
Discovered anything good about your
Android phone? Let us know!
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ENJOYING THE
MAGAZINE?
EXPERT
PHONE
Essential tricks to
make your phone
your own
RUN A
DUAL OS
Run both Android
and Linux
DE-GOOGLE
YOUR DEVICE
Remove bloatware
to free up
memory
ULTRA-FAST
DOWNLOADS
Supercharge your
Wi-Fi speeds
H
acking is at the heart of Android. For
all its fragmented operating systems
and multitude of third-party forks and
skins, hacking ensures that if you dont like
something about your device, you can change
it. While this can be as simple as running a
launcher to change your homescreen, the real
fun is digging deep into the factory settings to
add or remove programs.
This issue weve included ten top tutorials to
transform your phone, from removing all of
the Google apps to gain extra memory to
speeding up how long it takes to download
apps by combining the power of Wi-Fi with 3G.
All of these hacks require your Android
phone to have been rooted, but they are all
sufciently complicated that if you dont know
how to unlock the superuser mode, its
probably for the best that you dont give them
a go anyway, as a hacking misstep can have
dire consequences for your device.
(Alternatively, beginners should try our
brilliant Hackers Toolkit in issue 39 to help
them get started).
However, for any Android experts that want
to give them a go, read on for sophisticated
step-by-steps to making your phone your own.
Hacker Zne
Explore the limits of your Android device
055 Expert phone hacks 70 Hacking tips and tricks
BOOST YOUR
AUDIO
Pump up the volume
with ViPER4Android
BOOST YOUR
BATTERY
Kill apps instantly to
conserve power
CONTROL APP
PERMISSIONS
Limit what data your
apps can access
SET UP ONE-HANDED
GESTURES
Make navigating
menus easy
SPEED UP
YOUR PHONE
Limit apps for faster
launching
55

Get tips, tricks, help & advice
Send us your comments, tips and questions
through email and social networks
You can de-Google
your Android device
with a few hacks
O
ne of the major advantages
of rooting your Android
smartphone or tablet is that
you can remove apps and features
that are otherwise read-only and
therefore not possible to uninstall.
Even though Android is classed as an
open platform, most Android devices
are tightly integrated with Googles
suite of services. Its not
uncommon to nd many
read-only Google apps on your
Android device, such as
Gmail, Hangouts, Google+,
Galler and, of course, the
Play store. Then, theres Google
Now and the Google Search
bar, which automatically appear
on the ho escreen of many
Android devices.
While Googles apps and services
can come in handy, its unlikely
youll have a use for all the Google
products that come pre-installed on
ical Android device.
Removing the apps and services you
dont use can free up memory,
resources and mobile data usage on
your device, not to mention help
prevent your homescreen and app
drawer from becoming cluttered.
This tutorial covers the different
ways you can de-Google your
device, from deleting read-only apps,
to hiding the Google Search bar on
your homescreen, disabling Google
Now, and even installing a new,
Google-free boot animation.
As you might expect from a Hacker
Zone tutorial, most of the methods
described here require a rooted
device, but even if you dont have
root access, there are still a few
tricks you can use to loosen Googles
hold on your device.
Learn how to banish Googles
bloatware, including all GApps
and the Google Search bar
Remove
Google
features
56

DE-GOOGLE
YOUR
DEVICE
If youre not a Hangouts fan, you can
use an alternative app for your SMS
messaging, regardless of whether you
have root. Download a new messaging
app from the Play store (try Handcent
SMS or Chomp SMS), then open your
devices Settings, tap Default SMS
app and choose an alternative.
Replace Google
Hangouts
1
Depending on your device, you may
see the Google logo as a boot
animation. You can replace this using
a manager app, such as Boot
Animations Root, which can be
downloaded from Google Play. Open
the app, choose a new animation,
select Install and then reboot.
Replace stock
boot animation
6
57
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Comments or questions?
Follow us on Twitter
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say hello, drop us an email
facebook
/littlegreenrobot
Even if you dont have root, you can
disable Google Now by opening the
service (either by swiping upwards,
or swiping to the left homescreen).
Scroll to the bottom of Google Now,
tap the three-dotted menu icon,
select Settings and then push the
slider to the Off position.
Remove
Google Now
2
If uninstalling one of Googles
read-only apps sounds too
permanent, you can disable the app
instead, so you have the option of
re-enabling it at a later date. To
disable an app, open your devices
Settings, tap Apps, select the app in
question and then tap Disable.
Disable
system apps
3
To remove read-only apps,
download System App Remover
from Google Play. Launch the app
and open its menu by tapping the <
symbol. Choose System app to see
your read-only apps. Remover warns
against uninstalling certain ones,
but you can uninstall anything here.
System App
Remover
4
In System App Remover, select the
app you want to remove, and then
tap Uninstall. To recover this app at
a later date, launch System App
Remover and tap its trash can icon,
which acts like your computers
recycle bin. Find the app you want to
restore, and then tap Restore.
Uninstall
system apps
5
Nexus users get a permanent
Google Search bar on their
homescreen, which you cannot
delete. To remove this bar, you need
to download a new launcher. KitKat
Launcher+ (free on the Play store) is
almost identical, with the added
bonus of a removable Search bar.
Remove Google
Search bar
7
Other launchers that are worth
exploring are Nova Launcher and
Apex Launcher, both of which can
be downloaded from the Play store.
Both the Nova and Apex launchers
enable you to remove the Google
Search bar, in addition to a whole
host of other customisations.
Experiment
with launchers
8
One of the most dramatic, but
effective ways of de-Googling your
device, is to ash a custom ROM.
ROMs give your device a new look,
and usually avoid unnecessary
system apps. The best place to
check what ROMs are available for
you is the XDA Developers forum.
Flash a
custom ROM
9
If your chosen ROM still contains
Google apps, you can remove these
before ashing the ROM. Download
and unzip the ROM on your
computer, open the system/app
folder and delete the unwanted
.apks. Then, rezip the le and youre
ready to ash it to your device.
Remove
unwanted APKs
10
There are lots available on the
Play store for free. A few worth
exploring include SolCalendar,
QuickPic, Timely Alarm and
Dolphin Browser.
GOOGLE
ALTERNATIVES
TOP TIP
58
Supercharge your
download speeds
Make the most
use out of your
dual radio
connections to
download faster
T
here was an old trick we used a few years ago
during the initial explosion of wireless
computing where wed link together our wired
and wireless connection for a little more data
throughput on the local network. When it worked we
were briey able to increase our internet speed thanks
to next doors unsecured network. Today though
things are a little different; home internet is fast
enough that its not a concern. Were not always on the
internet in the comfort of our own homes though, and
when were out and about on our phone we want as
much bandwidth as we can muster.
This is where the multiple inputs come into play.
Every day were using our smartphones to get data
from mobile networks and Wi-Fi, so why not at the
same time? Luckily we can combine the two

Get back on the Google Play store and
look for the My Data Manager (MDM) app this
is what well be using to get a better idea of the
amount of data were using with Super
Download. Unlike our bridge app, it does not
require root access.
Get My Data Manager
4
On rst launch of MDM youll be asked to
create your plan this is information like
whether youre on a monthly contract, when
your data allowance resets and giving it a
number for the amount of data youve used so
far this month. Once done, hit the back button.
Set up your plan
5
On a rooted phone, download the Super
Download app from the Play store. Theres a
free version of the app as well but its limited to
50MB les this may be useful for those with
quite limited data plans and require a little more
control over its usage.
Get Super Download
1
Turning on Super Download is all you
need to do to get it to start working. Make sure
notications are turned on so that you get the
best results from downloads. You can also copy
and paste URLs directly into the app using the
plus symbol on the main screen.
Set up the app
2
To activate root permissions, youll need
to manually add a download URL to the
downloader. Any le will be large enough to get
it to work but something in the range of ten or
more megabytes will be enough to test the
process as well.
First download
3
MDM goes beyond typical Android data
features by letting you set two overall alarms
and a daily alarm. We suggest setting an initial
warning alarm to let you know youre half way
through your allowance and then a nal alarm
when you need to switch off the bridge.
Create your alarms
6
GET ULTRA-FAST
DOWNLOADS
59
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Enhance audio
with ViPER4Android
F
or many Android fans, their
smartphone or tablet is their
rst choice when they want to
listen to music or watch a movie.
However, the reality is that most
mobile devices are unlikely to deliver
the sound quality you crave, straight
out of the box.
If youre getting frustrated with
your devices audio output, then an
audio mod could be the answer and
ViPER4Android is one of the most
popular available. ViPER4Android
has extensive options for tweaking
Pump up the volume
with this brilliant
mod for audiophiles
Visit forum.xda-developers.com/
showthread.php?t=2191223,
and download ViPER4Android FX.
Open your notications drawer
and tap the Download complete
panel, then select ES Zip Viewer
when prompted. Youll see two
les: one for Android 2.3 and one
for the 4.0 series.
Download
ViPER4Android
1
Tap the correct le for your version
of Android, followed by Install.
When prompted, tap Open. The
app asks whether you want to
update your V4A driver. Select Yes.
Youll then be given three
preferences; for the best audio
quality choose Super Audio
Quality. Reboot your device.
Choose Super
Audio Quality
2
Once your device has rebooted,
open your app drawer and tap
Settings, followed by Sounds.
Select Music Effects, and then
choose ViPER4Android FX in the
pop-up that appears. Youre now
ready to launch the ViPER4Android
app and start perfecting your
devices audio output.
Set as
your default
3
ViPER4Android is divided into
categories. Swipe to move
between the categories, and see
what settings are available. If
youre unsure what a particular
setting does, you can get more
info at: vipersaudio.com/blog/?
page_id=43, which also includes
some recommendations.
Categories and
settings
4
Every change you make in
ViPER4Android takes effect in real
time, so an easy way to perfect
your audio output is to play some
music in the background while you
tweak and tune your settings. For
the most accurate effect, use your
headphones while making these
ne adjustments.
Experiment
with sounds
5
ViPER4Android comes with various
default equalizer presets, but if
none of these meet your needs,
you can create your own. Open
the category you want to create a
custom preset for, tap its blue
graph and then drag the white
dots until you have an effect
youre happy with.
Create custom
presets
6
ViPER4Android
has extensive
options for
tweaking and
tuning your
devices audio
and tuning every part of your
devices audio output, including
equalization, virtual surround
sound, reverberation and much more.
ViPER4Android is available in two
avours: FX, and XHiFi. This tutorial
uses ViPER4Android FX, since it has
the most settings and is still under
active development.
ViPER4Android requires a rooted
device, and relies on BusyBox, so
before you start, make sure you
download BusyBox from the Play
store. Youll also need an app that
can decompress zip les, such as ES
File Explorer, which is also free to
download from Google Play.
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BOOST YOUR
AUDIO
60

Build a custom widget with UCCW
that displays the date, time, weather
forecast or even your remaining
battery life
Create your
own widget
Install UCCW from the Google Play
store, if you havent already done so.
Its a free download. Launch the app
and tap New. Set the homescreen
grid size to 4x4, and the widget size to
4x2. Give your skin a memorable
name, and then tap New skin. Tap
Add/remove objects.
Create a
blank canvas
1
Select each object in turn, tap
Position and then enter the following
values. Hour 477, 406. Minute
634, 406. hour/minute separator
595, 401. Day of the month 262,
261. Month 248, 355. Week Bar
19, 72. Battery circle 394, 144. Icon
forecast 788, 504.
Reposition your
objects
6
UCCW is the best app
for getting creative
with widgets
W
hen it comes to customising
your Android device, theres
no shortage of apps, themes,
widgets and launchers freely
available on the Play store and the
wider internet. But, if you cant nd
exactly what youre looking for or
just want the fun of creating
ething from scratch then youll
want to take a look at UCCW, which is
free to download from the Play store.
This Ultimate Custom Clock Widget
software lets you create a custom
widget for your homescreen. It contains
cou tless options for adding different
objects and sha es to your widget,
t eaking every aspect of the
widgets appearance, and even
adding your own images. These
images can be photographs youve
ices camera,
images downloaded from the internet
or even y ur own icons and graphics.
Once youre satised with your widgets
appearance, y u can add hotspots that
perform various actions when tapped.
These ac ions can be general, such as
launching an app, or very specic, for
example, launching the dialer and
calling a specic contact in your
address book.
Creating your own widget may sound
complicated, but UCCW makes it as
simple as tapping your way through
different menus and dragging a few
sliders to get it right.
This tutorial shows you how to create
a handy widget that displays the date
and time, the current weather forecast,
and the remaining battery life on your
Android device.
CREATE YOUR
OWN WID ET
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Select Hour, Minute, hour/
minute separator, Day of the month,
Month, Week Bar, Battery circle,
and Icon forecast day 1 (today).
Youll see a jumble of objects in the
apps upper-left corner, but dont
worry about this for now, as youll
be resizing and moving these
objects shortly.
Add your objects
2
The rst objects to resize
are Hour, Minute and Separator,
which all require a size setting of
85. Tap Edit objects to see a list of
all objects within your widget. Tap
Hour, select Size and then change
this to 85. Press the Back button,
and repeat for the Minute and
Separator options.
Resize text
3
Carefully work your way through the
rest of the objects in the Edit
objects menu, simply by tapping
each object in turn, selecting Size
and then entering a new value.
Change Day of the Month to 75,
Month to 80 and change Week
bar to 80.
Resize your
objects
4
There are a few objects that dont
have a Size setting, but still require
resizing. Return to the Edit objects
menu, tap Battery circle and set
both its Width and Height to 450.
Hit the Back button on your device,
then select Icon forecast, tap Scale
and change this to 155.
Finish resizing
objects
5
Divide your widgets content
by adding a vertical line. Tap Add/
remove objects and select Shape 1.
Open the Edit objects menu, tap
Shape 1, select Style and choose
Line. Still in the same menu,
change Position to 0, 96, Angle to
0, Width to 1370 and nally Line
thickness to 5.
Add a shape
7
Depending on your device, at
this point you may need to make
some tweaks to the size and
position of your objects. Once
youre happy with the results, show
off your objects by turning the
widgets background transparent.
Tap Edit objects, select Background,
tap Alpha and drag the slider to 0.
Add background
8
Tap UCCWs menu icon,
select Save>Save skin>Save. To
position the widget on your
homescreen, press on said
homescreen then select Widgets.
Swipe to the UCCW widgets, then
press down on UCCW 4x2 widget,
position the widget on your
homescreen and release.
Place widget
9
Finally, in the UCCW widget
that appears, tap the widget you
want to add to your homescreen. To
resize this widget, press down on it
for a few seconds, then select
Resize and white handles will
appear around the widget. Drag
these handles to make the widget
larger or smaller.
Resize widget
10
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62
Pick and choose
exactly what
data your apps
have access to
P
rivacy is a huge concern for many Android
users, as the openness that makes this such an
innovative platform, also leaves it vulnerable to
privacy exploits. XPrivacy can prevent apps from
accessing, and potentially leaking, your information
by letting you restrict an apps access to various data
categories. XPrivacy restricts access while feeding the
app fake data so that it continues to function normally.
Once installed, youll need to let XPrivacy know if
theres any data your app should have access to. You
can enable and disable permissions for all the apps on
your device, from the XPrivacy browser.

Before you start, made a full backup and
ensure your device is set up to allow apps from
unknown sources (by tapping Settings>Security
>Unknown Sources). Although you cant
download XPrivacy from the Play store, you can
download the XPrivacy Installer so do that.
Install XPrivacy
1
Relaunch Xposed Installer, tap Modules
and select XPrivacy. Reboot and launch XPrivacy.
XPrivacy lists all the apps installed on your
device. To prevent an app from accessing a
category, tap its icon and then select the
category you want to restrict access to.
Restrict access
4
Launch XPrivacy Installer, and tap Check
for root, followed by I have made a full backup
and Unknown sources. XPrivacy requires the
Xposed framework, so download it. Once
complete, pull down the notication drawer and
tap the downloaded le. Tap Install and reboot.
Xposed Framework
2
If you want to prevent an app from
accessing all data, return to the main XPrivacy
screen, locate the app in question and then tap
its corresponding checkbox. Note, after applying
certain restrictions, you may need to reboot
your device for these changes to take effect.
Revoke all permissions
5
Relaunch XPrivacy Installer, reselect
Check root, I have made. and Unknown
sources. Then, select I have enabled Xposed,
and tap Download/install XPrivacy. Once
complete, pull down the notication drawer, and
select the downloaded le. Tap Next and Install.
Install XPrivacy
3
On the main XPrivacy screen, youll
notice a pink checkbox this controls
permissions that you can restrict, but which
may cause the app to function incorrectly. Youll
also notice various other symbols; if you want to
learn more tap the question mark in the toolbar.
Get in-app advice
6
Use XPrivacy to
control your apps
CONTROL APP
PERMISSIONS
63
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B
ack at the start of Android,
Google championed single-
hand usage, perhaps rightly
asserting that you can only use one
hand while walking. When
multi-touch was nally implemented
and we all realised we were ne with
using two-hands when sitting down,
we quickly forgot about those words.
Recently though, Amazon announced
the Fire Phone with its own set of
intriguing one-handed gestures.
These open up specic functions of
each app by tilting to the left or right
or merely reveal hidden status bars.
You dont have an Android Fire
Phone though, at least not yet
anyway, so how can we get them on
Android? Using GMD we can create
custom, one-handed gestures to ape
some of these features.
Be inspired by the
Amazon Fire Phone
for easy functionality
Next to Record youll nd the Path
button press that to bring up a
different type of custom gesture
menu where you can program
gestures with swipes and taps.
Type T-T-T into the path: this
means tap-tap-tap, and well use it
to kill the current app.
Create tap
gestures
4
Again click Action and
choose Action from the menu. Go
to Application Manager and nd
the Kill App option. You can also
add a Starting Zone for the
gesture while the one weve
chosen is hardly common, you can
put it in an obscure place so it
doesnt interfere.
Tap to kill
5
After youve created your selection
of apps and tested them, you may
notice that they have undesired
effects in some apps such as
games. You can either tweak
gestures or blacklist these apps
where you wouldnt be bothered
about the gestures anyway.
Create a
blacklist
6
Make sure you grab the full
version of GMD GestureControl
from the Play store, as the Lite
version wont let you use custom
gestures. This wont help us as
the default gestures all require
multiple ngers and therefore
both hands to work.
The right
version
1
Open up GMD and grant it root
before swiping over to User
Gestures. Clicking on Record will
let you create your custom
gestures; were starting with one
to open menus but you can use
whatever gesture you want as long
as it doesnt clash with any app.
Your rst
gesture
2
Lets continue on with
making this a menu gesture. Click
Next once youre happy and then
select Action to choose its
function. Again choose Action
then Application Manager and nd
the Menu function within there.
Choose Save and it will be
automatically activated.
Set function
3
Why be jealous of the Amazon phones gestures
SET UP
ONE-HANDED
GESTURES
Create one-handed
gestures with GMD

Overclocking can be a
treacherous hack, so be wise
with where you make changes
O
verclocking your Android
device is probably
something youve
thought about in the past.
Maybe it would help x the
choppy framerate in a certain
game or perhaps youre using
slightly older hardware and
sometimes needs a boost.
As al ays, Android users and
devs have you covered with a

overclock your phone at a touch
of a button. Overclocking can be
risky though and you dont want
to be doing it all the time.
This is where app-specic
clocking comes into effect; it
enables you to return a device to
its normal CPU speed once you
have nished overclocking it. It
also has an extra effect the
ability to underclock when
power is not need to save battery
run. Heres how to
master the rocess.
Even with a phone rooted, it more
than likely has a clock inhibited by
the kernel. Search Google and XDA
for kernels for your device that
allow for an overclock theyll have
limits as well but more than the
stock kernel will allow.
Overclockable
kernels
1
Kernels need to be ashed to your
device, so the rst thing you need
to do is a Nandroid backup and any
other backups youd like. Then
save the zip with the kernel to your
card, reboot into recovery and
install it to your device.
Back up
and ash
2
Grant root access and you
can start setting maximum and
minimum clock speeds. The
minimum is usually not clocked so
low and we suggest you change
that for battery performance. You
can also overclock the standard
maximum clock speed.
Tweak clocks
6
Move over to the Prole tab
and check the Enable proles box
to grant root permissions for this.
Next, click the plus symbol to add a
new prole and youll be taken to
the conditions screen. Well just set
an application for now, lets say a
game like Bad Piggies
Create a prole
7
64
Overclock your
phone on a
per-app basis
OVERCLOCK
YOUR
ANDROID
65
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Before we start playing with clock
speeds, restore your device and
get all the apps you need as well
this is important to make sure we
can set up correctly for your ideal
setup and to deal with any little
issues that might have cropped up.
Restore your
device
3
Set the maximum and
minimum ranges for the game. If
you want it to stay at maximum
speed, put both as the highest
clock rate. We suggest having a
little range and setting the governor
to performance so it stays at
maximum for as long as it needs.
Set clock range
8
Were using SetCPU for Root Users,
which can be used with a stock
kernel but wont allow for
overclocking without the custom
kernel you can still do some
basic underclocking if youre more
interested in your battery life.
Get the
right app
4
Each prole can be set with
a specic priority. Higher priority
takes precedence, however if you
dont tick the exclusive box, lower
priority proles can override active
proles of a higher priority. For
overclocking something, wed
suggest low priority.
Prioritise prole
9
Once installed, open up
SetCPU. It will ask you if you want
to use advanced settings unless
you plan to create your own
custom clock frequencies or have
a Tegra 2 device, click on Continue.
Tegra 2 chips have a special
setting under advanced.
First launch
5
Create the rest of the
proles you want, whether its
more overclocking or adding
underclocking. Its important to use
the Stress Test function on the Info
tab at the speeds you plan to use
to make sure they wont do
anything funny to your device.
Create more
10
Grant root
access and you
can start
setting
maximum and
minimum clock
speeds
You can speed up
choppy games by
overclocking your device
By overclocking youre pushing the
CPU beyond its recommended
limits. This can increase the heat
the chip experiences, shorten its
life and damage components
around it. Test increases in clock
speed gradually to nd the breaking
point and then go below that.
It can be dangerous
The limits manufacturers set on
clock speeds are very conservative
so dont be afraid to do any
overclocking at all. A ten per cent
increase might not sound like much
but it can mean games load faster
and run that bit smoother without
causing any lasting damage.
Rules can be broken
To benchmark youll need patience.
Test out clock speeds for up to ten
minutes before making a decision
to use them. Keep an eye on the
phones temperature, which youll
be able to tell by touch, and also
whether or not you start getting
crashes and graphical errors.
Take your time
Top tips for
benchmarking
your rooted
device
66
Get Project Voltas best bits now using a variety of Android apps
L
earning the limits of a smartphones battery life
is a hard pill to swallow for a new user so it was
excellent to hear during the Android L news that
Google is hard at work creating new battery-saving
features with its Project Volta. It comes with some
core functionality: better proling of battery usage,
compiling apps ahead of time rather than just in time,
more API functions for developers and a battery-saving
function to try and keep your phone going until you
reach a power point. Some of these features can be
applied to your Android device now using the right
combination of apps; namely the battery prole and
creating rules for changing phone functions during
s pecic discharge states. Having a rooted phone can
help you go further with some underclocking as well,
and well show you just how to make the most of this.

The application were using for this
tutorial is the DU Battery Saver Pro app it will
cover just about all our needs for this tutorial.
Find it in the Play store and install it to your
device as you would any other app. Its a free
download too.
Get DU Battery Saver
1
Go through the info screens to start
using the app. On the bottom of the user
interface youll nd a row of functions choose
Saver. Here youll nd the different proles you
can use to start limiting your phone straight
away if you need to.
Initial setup
2
Click on the pencil next to My mode to
begin creating a custom battery prole. Go over
to the Smart tab and activate the Schedule by
power feature. You can have this activate a
battery prole when the battery gets low. Set
this prole to be My mode for now.
Set battery discharge
3
Click the pencil next to My mode to
begin the process of editing it. We suggest
turning off Bluetooth, vibrate and haptic
feedback when the battery starts to get low but
you can tweak the display brightness and Wi-Fi
activation as well.
Set up your prole
4
Weve already covered how you can over
and underclock your phone on a per-app basis,
but you dont need a custom kernel to
underclock your device so you can use part of
the tutorial to create a prole that underclocks
your phone when your battery gets low.
Underclock your phone
5
The nal selection on the bottom bar is
the Monitor, which gives you a better idea of
whats draining your battery. It also lets you
know which hardware features are draining the
battery, which can help plug a leak if you didnt
realise the GPU or Wi-Fi were leaching power.
Battery Monitor
6
Get Android Ls power-
saving features now
BOOST YOUR
BATTERY
67
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s Android devices grow
increasingly powerful, they
can handle more tasks
simultaneously, often without any
noticeable drop in performance.
However, if you need to free up some
memory, are running a less powerful
device or simply dream of a speedier
startup, then its worth taking a
closer look at which apps are
launching automatically when you
boot up your device. Youll be
surprised by the number of apps that
take it upon themselves to start
running as soon as you power up!
When you prevent apps from
launching on boot, not only will you
notice a faster, smoother startup, but
Get a marked speed
boost by preventing
apps from starting
up automatically
If you want to double check that
BootManager is successfully
preventing your apps from running,
reboot your device, and then open
your app drawer and select
Settings, followed by Apps. Open
the Running section, to see
which apps have launched
automatically on boot.
Check its
working
4
Although BootManager is one
solution for controlling which apps
start on boot, there are other
options to explore. Startup
Manager is a free application
available from the Play store,
which enables you to control
which system processes start
when the system boots.
Experiment
with others
5
Download and launch Startup
Manager, and then tap the System
tab at the top of the app to see a
list of all the processes that start
when the system boots. To
disable a process, tap its - icon.
Tap the + symbol and this
process resumes as soon as you
reboot your device.
Block System
Processes
6
BootManager requires the
Xposed framework, so visit http://
repo.xposed.info/module/de.robv.
android.xposed.installer on your
device and tap Download. Open
your notication drawer, then tap
Download complete and select
Install. Tap Framework and select
Install/Update to ensure youre
running the latest version. Reboot.
Install XF
1
Open the Play store and install
BootManager. Once its nished
downloading, open the Xposed
Installer app, tap Modules and
ensure BootManager is selected.
Reboot your device. Once your
Android device is up and running
again, open the app drawer and
launch BootManager.
Install & Enable
BootManager
2
The BootManager app displays a
list of all the apps that begin
running when your device boots.
To prevent an app from starting
automatically, give it a tap so that
it turns red. If an app is missing
from the list, it may help to tap the
three-dotted menu icon and
select Reload.
Prevent apps
from running
3
Some apps will automatically
launch when they receive certain
broadcasts. ReceiverStop is a
way of preventing apps
from receiving these
broadcasts.
BLOCK NOTIFICATIONS
WITH RECEIVERSTOP
TOP TIP
your devices overall performance
should improve, as there wont be
any unwanted apps ticking away in
the background. There are
several tools that can control apps
like this, but we recommend free
download BootManager.
Your handset also needs to be set
up to allow apps to be downloaded
from unknown sources (so if you
havent already, tap Settings,
followed by Security and nally
Unknown sources).
Limit your apps for
faster launching
SPEED UP
YOUR
PHONE

Try out another phone operating system by installing
Canonicals experimental OS alongside Android
Dual boot
Android
with Ubun
Touch OS
nstalling and managing custom
OMs is a great part of the Android
xperience, enabling you to get the
most out of your device and
operating system itself. One of the
methods thats rarely explored is the
ability to install other operating
systems entirely to your phone.
This comes with a drawback
though: if you install another OS to
your phone, what happens if you want
to go back to Android? Canonical has
perhaps been listening to these cries
s released a specic app to help
you dual boot your Android phone
with its Touch OS.
Its actually a hidden feature thats
been available in Touch since the
developer previews, but its been
made easier much more recently
thanks to its own custom app.
Well need to use the Linux
distribution Ubuntu to get this to
work, however you wont need to
install it. Make sure you have 3GB of
space free on your device though as
it needs this much to actually
download and run the OS. It works
best on the Nexus line for the moment
and you can easily use it for
developing software or contributing to
Ubuntu Touch if you become
particularly enamoured with it during
the process.
68
Bored of
Android? Heres
your chance to
experiment
with another OS
RUN A
DUAL OS
Go to the Ubuntu website and
download the latest version of the
Ubuntu desktop operating system.
This comes in an ISO le, and can be
burned to a blank DVD or an empty
USB stick using a tool like UNetbootin
we suggest the USB stick as its a
little faster and very useful beyond the
scope this of this tutorial.
Create a live disc
1
As the terminal will emphatically tell
you, ignore anything about losing root
and just press the power button once
to reboot. Once youre back into
Android, open up the app menu and
look for the Ubuntu Dual Boot app that
we just installed. Open it up for the
next step.
Reboot and open
the app
6
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Reboot your PC with the DVD
or USB drive attached and nd the
boot device selection screen as it
turns on its usually tied to F12 or a
key like that. Select the DVD drive or
USB stick and after selecting Try
Ubuntu it will boot into it for you
straight off the USB without
installing anything.
Boot into Ubuntu
2
Find Firefox on the left row of
icons and download the following
le to the Home folder in the le
system: http://bit.ly/19HnjRO. This
is basically like the My Documents
folder in Windows. Now click on the
Ubuntu logo, search for the terminal
and then type into it:
$ chmod +x dualboot.sh
Get the les
3
We need the correct ADB and
downloading tools to get this to
work, and these are all handily
included in one piece of software.
Install them from the terminal by
using the following command and
type in y when prompted to do so:
$ sudo apt-get install phablet-tools.
Install the
Android tools
4
Connect your Android device to your
PC and make sure USB debugging is
on. In the terminal from before, type
the following command to install the
app it will reboot the device a
couple of times before its done but
thats normal and nothing to be
concerned about: $ ./dualboot.sh.
Install the dual
boot app
5
From within the app, press the
greyed out Choose which channel
to install to bring up the options.
Check bootstrap and scroll down to
utopic so you get the recommended
version of the OS. Press install and
wait as it installs the large, 3GB le.
Make sure youre on Wi-Fi!
Download
the ISO
7
During the installation youll have to
grant SU but after a little while youll
be done! All you need to do now is
press Reboot to Ubuntu (again
greyed out for some reason) and
your device will boot into Ubuntu
Touch OS. Ignore any Android
identiers while booting.
Reboot into
Ubuntu Touch
8
Merely performing a hard reboot on
the device (using the power button
to turn it off and on again) will allow
you to always boot back into
Android, with the Reboot button on
the app used to get you back into
Ubuntu Touch. Your Android system
will not be wiped in the process.
Return to
Android
9
To update Ubuntu Touch on your
device you need to uninstall it and
reinstall it. Its a bit long winded but
it just requires you to hit the menu
button on the Ubuntu Dual Boot and
select the Uninstall option before
going back a few steps to install
again if you want to update it.
Updating or
removing
10
Ubuntu Touch works ne but its
not nished yet so dont think it
will fully replace Android
on your device. We
like what we
see though.
CURRENTLY UNDER
DEVELOPMENT
TOP TIP
69
70
Root most
Android
devices with
TowelRoot
GeoHot is a famous hacker in the
world of iPhones and now he has
turned his attention to Android with
the release of TowelRoot, a device-
independent root tool packaged up
into APK form. Although originally
developed to root some particularly
troublesome US models of the
Galaxy S5, the application which
can be downloaded free of charge
from http://towelroot.com should
provide root access on all phones
with a kernel date prior to June 3
2014. The kernel date can be found
in the About page of the Settings
app. To use TowelRoot, simply
download and install the app (you
will likely be prompted with a
security warning that the app is
dangerous), hit the make it ra1n
button to gain root and then install
the SuperSU app from the Play
store. Its easy, quick and doesnt
even require a reboot! Although the
app is free, an optional donate link
is included on the download page to
support future development.
Lock and
relock your
Nexus
bootloader
with Boot
Unlocker
One of the best things about owning
a Nexus device is that the
bootloader can be unlocked and
relocked very easily. There are a
couple of downsides though. The
rst is that when you unlock the
bootloader, the device is wiped for
security reasons, which can be
rather annoying. The second is that
although you can relock from
fastboot, for warranty purposes its
not clear if this is seen as a revert to
factory state or a re-lock. An
application by the name of
BootUnlocker can solve both these
problems. In order to use it, you
need root access, gained by an
exploit such as TowelRoot.
With the app, you can unlock and
lock the bootloader to your hearts
content. Aside from the warranty
aspect, a locked bootloader is a
good idea to prevent malicious
access to your device if it is stolen
by an Android savvy thief!
BootUnlocker can be downloaded
free from the Google Play store.
Hacker Zne
Explore the limits of your Android device
status update
Which devices are best for
the hacking scene?
Tips and tricks
One click and youre rooted with TowelRoot
Unlock and relock at will with no data loss
q hacks
Securing your device is a
necessity to stop private data
falling into the wrong hands, but
the process is tedious. LGs Knock
Code enables you to unlock with a
simple onscreen knock pattern,
and now its possible to replicate
this on your non-LG device
Simulate
Knock Code
In order to use Knock Code on
your non-LG device, you need to be
rooted and have the Xposed
framework installed. To install,
download the latest APK from mdc.
gd/getxposed, install and run. Click
Framework>Install/Update to copy
to your system partition.
1
The Xposed app includes the
ability to search for modules. Click
Download and search for Knock
Code. After selecting the module
from the list, scroll right and press
Download. The module will
automatically install you should
then activate it from the notication.
2
A new Knock Code app will
appear in the launcher. Use the
Change knock code option to
set your knock code, then use
the standard Security option in
Settings to congure a pattern
lock. Turn your screen off then
back on to test it out.
3
Install Xposed Download module Congure and test
Nexus 5
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
High
While there is no sign
of a new Nexus on the
horizon, the current
model has an
ever-growing number
of mods to try out.
Samsung
Gear Live
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
Medium
Be aware: this smart-
watch doesnt prompt
for conrmation when
unlocking bootloader
wiping all your data.
Moto E
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
Medium
The Moto E is easy to
root and cheap to buy,
making it an ideal
handset for any newbie
to try and hack without
fear of bricking it.
LG G3
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
Low
Its still early days for
this new phone, so
while it has been
successfully rooted
were still waiting for
the ROMs to appear.
for even more tips & tricks
71
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Auto disable/
enable
locking near
Bluetooth
devices
The Moto X is a great phone with
one of the best builds of Android out
there. What makes it so good?
Mainly its the fact that its a
near-stock Android build but with
little additions that really add to the
core experience. One such feature
is Trusted Bluetooth devices the
ability to disable/enable PIN lock on
the phone based on which
Bluetooth devices are near. This is a
feature that is also coming in the
Android L update. If youre not
running a Moto or the new OS, you
can still get this functionality on your
device courtesy of Tasker from the
Play store. A recent update added a
new state called Bluetooth Near,
which activates when a specic
device name or Mac is nearby.
Use this with the Secure Settings
Tasker plug-in to enable or disable
the lock as required. Both pairable
devices (such as headsets) and
Bluetooth Smart devices (such as
a Fitbit or a smartwatch) can be
congured with ease.
Use Pie
controls
without root
Pie controls are a feature that
originally debuted in the Paranoid
Android ROM, providing an arc-
shaped control area activated by
sweeping up. Up until now, access
to Pie has only been possible either
by installing a custom ROM or with a
mod requiring root access. DBPie
brings Pie controls to all devices
with a non-root app. DBPie uses the
accessibility features built in to
Android to replicate the access
normally granted via root. As the Pie
controls are designed to replicate
the onscreen navigation buttons,
the app works best on devices with
capacitive buttons. The app, which
can be downloaded free from mdc.
gd/amdbpie, is being frequently
updated with new options. The
colour and size of the PIE controls
can already be customised. A
forthcoming release will add the
ability to modify the gravity of the
controls adding the option to
sweep from the sides or top rather.
Pie controls appear from the bottom
A tness tracker is perfect for auto-locking
OS
Short for operating system. Often the
Android ROM will be referred to as the
OS this just means the system les
on the Android device that make up
your user experience, similar to
Windows, Mac OS X or Ubuntu on a
desktop computer.
ROM
Stands for read-only memory. In the
context of Android, the ROM refers to
the les that make up the operating
system installed on your device.
Gaining root privileges allows for
replacement of the standard ROM
with a custom one.
Root
Rooting your phone gives apps access
to parts of the OS that are normally
hidden from consumers. This enables
you to run more powerful software and
install custom ROMs on your phone.
ROM Manager
An app available from the Android
Market that enables you to install
a whole new version of your OS with
a single click. It requires a rooted
phone to use and is ideal for those
new on the scene.
Titanium Backup
This app from the Market enables you
to back up everything on your phone
apps, data, settings and all. It means
that you can restore your phone to how
it was, even after youve updated or
changed the ROM.
Unrevoked
Available from www.unrevoked.com,
this is a one-click tool that can be
used for rooting many popular
HTC smartphones.
ADB
Stands for Android Debug Bridge. ADB
is mainly used for software
development, but it also has some
uses for hacking your phone. It can be
used to push les onto the system
folder, for instance.
Nandroid
You might come across the phrase
perform a Nandroid backup. This
means using a custom recovery tool
to make a back-up image of everything
currently on your phone: OS, apps,
data, etc. Its very useful should you
wish to restore your phone to its
previous state later.
Radio
Radio refers to the software on your
Android device that deals with making
phone calls and data connections.
Updating your radio version can bring
better battery life and signal strength
to your device. Some ROMs require the
latest radio.
Flash
The storage in your device comprises
ash memory, a type of solid-state
storage. The terms ash or ashing
mean installing new software onto your
devices storage.
Get up to speed on all the
terms you need to know
when hacking your phone
Hacking the easy way Get great new features without getting your hands (too) dirty
L your
navigation bar
Free
From: http://mdc.
gd/xplnav
Need root? Yes
This Xposed module
gives you the nav bar
as seen in the preview
release of Android L. It
includes 19 icons with
support for all
resolutions of devices.
Heads Up!
notications
Free
From: mdc.gd/
xphud
Need root? No
Android L will launch
with a new feature
called Heads Up!. With
this enabled,
notications pop up
over whichever app
youre using.
Add drawings
to Hangouts
Free
From: Play Store
Need root? Yes
Stickers and Draw for
Hangouts adds new
options to the paper
clip menu, which let
you insert predened
animated stickers into
a Hangouts
conversation.
Jargon
Buster
Share your tips
Discovered a great hack or
tweak? Let us know!
email
Is there anything youd like to see us
cover in the mag? Drop us a line!
facebook
/littlegreenrobot
Try out a kernel with
IntelliPlug support
While not everyone wants to run a
full custom ROM on their device,
custom kernels are very popular.
One of the leading custom kernel
developers is @faux123, who
offers custom kernels for a
number of devices including the
HTC One X/M8 GPe, Moto G/X and
the Nexus 4/5. Faux123 recently
released a number of new
updates for these devices adding
support for IntelliPlug. IntelliPlug
is an open source replacement
for Qualcomms proprietary
mpdecision hotplug governor.
This is the part of the kernel that
decides which CPU cores to
enable/disable based on the load
on the system. IntelliPlug has
been shown to improve battery
life, performance and reduce the
running temperature of devices in
testing, so its denitely worth
trying if you have a supported
device! The forum for your device
on XDA-Developers.com is a good
place to look for an IntelliPlug
compatible kernel. Version 3.7 is
the latest released to be
integrated into Faux123s kernels.
Apps
72
The agenda view displays three days at a
time with colour-coded event blocks
An events location is shown on a map and
directions can be accessed via Google Maps
Want your money back?
Youve got 15 mins to decide!
refund keep
15min wonder
0-5 minutes
A long list of third-party
services can be synced
5
10 15
!
5-10 minutes
Its all very clean and
easy to navigate
5
10 15
!
10-15 minutes
It integrates well with the
Sunrise web app
5
10 15
!
A one-stop shop for all your
business and social events
Performance
Design
Value
specification
Designed for: Phone
Requires Android: 4.0
Price Free
verdict
While the Play store
isnt exactly short of
third-party calendar
apps, including some
very stylish creations, none of them
offer that much extra functionality
over the default Google Calendar.
Created by two former Foursquare
designers, Sunrise Calendar takes a
more radical approach, aiming to
change the way we think about a
mobile calendar app, while also
syncing with a web app available via
the Chrome Web Store.
The key selling point is the way
Sunrise integrates with so many
external services, pulling in all sor s
of data so that its all available for
you within the one app. As well as
bringing in standard calendar events
from Google Calendar and iCloud, it
will show Facebook events and
birthdays, Foursquare check-ins,
Evernote reminders and TripIt travel
itineraries (including tickets and
reservations). It can even add local
concerts by bands tracked in
Songkick and reveal the latest
tweets of event attendees. More
business-related functions include
LinkedIn photos and info, tasks from
Producteev and Asana, plus GitHub
milestones for software developers.
The one glaring omission is Exchange
support (as featured in the iOS app),
although this is in the pipeline.
After signing in/up via Facebook,
Google or email, you can link it to the
accounts you want, set notication
options and select which calendars
to make visible. The look is clean but
functional, with the default view
showing dates for two weeks
(expandable to four by swiping) at
the top and a scrollable list of events
below. Nice touches include basic
weather info for the next three days,
plus an arrow icon to return you
instantly to today. Its a shame that it
lacks the web apps search function.
Swiping left (or tapping the lines
icon) brings up the agenda view
showing three days at a time, with
timed events as colour-coded blocks
while all-day ones are pinned to the
top. Long-pressing here lets you
quickly add a new event. We
particularly like the way Sunrise
automatically adds a suitable icon for
the event type, such as a speech
bubble for a meeting or a knife and
fork for a meal. Photos of attendees
are also shown, if available, and it
gives you the option of emailing them
a notication or not. The event
location is displayed on a map that
can be expanded to ll the screen,
although directions must be viewed
externally in Google Maps. Thats a
rare exception, however, since most
things can be done from within
Sunrise itself.
We did encounter a few teething
problems, including it crashing
whenever we tried to sync with
iCloud. Theres no tablet-optimised
version, although one is promised.
Other than that, however, this is a
good-looking and highly functional
all-in-one calendar for keeping up
with all aspects of your digital life.
Sunrise Calendar
Your digital life in calendar form
CAL-CALENDAR GOOGLE/EXCHANGE A stylish, photo-heavy
calendar that syncs Any.do tasks and offers Exchange support.
like this?
try this!
The default view lists
events below the calendar,
complete with relevant icons
The key selling point is the
way Sunrise integrates with
so many external
services
73
SwiftKey Keyboard
The popular swipe-type keyboard gets even smarter
With Googles own
default keyboard
offering a swipe-typing
option, you might think
that SwiftKey would be redundant.
Youd be wrong. For starters, its Flow
swipe-typing system is a cut above,
even enabling you to input multi-
world phrases without lifting your
nger, so long as you slide down to
the space bar between words.
SwiftKey is particularly good at
predicting what youre trying to type
and auto-correcting mistakes
since it learns from your previous
input, including within text
messages, so it improves over time.
If you use the SwiftKey Cloud option
to link it to your Google and social
accounts, such as Facebook and
Twitter, it learns even faster. Your
personalised predictions are also
backed up to the cloud.
Another major plus point is the
phenomenal language support,
offering next-word prediction in over
60 tongues. Unlike most multilingual
keyboards, you dont even need to
switch manually between them:
simply type away and it works out
which of the (up to three) enabled
languages you want. We found this
particularly handy when using the
language-learning app Duolingo.
As well as choosing from a number
of free, colourful keyboard themes,
with extra ones available via the
in-app store, theres great scope for
customising the keyboard layout,
size and positioning (you can undock
and split it). An extended layout
squeezes in cursor keys, which we
found very useful for editing text. For
those who need to enter a lot of
numbers, a numeric row can be
added to the top, while a number
pad is available in the symbols view
Choose from a selection of free themes, or
buy more from the store
Swipe to type and
itll even sense
which language you
want to use
like this? try this!
Minuum keyboard
Ideal for space saving, it lets you
shrink the keyboard down to a single row.
While Link Bubble (reviewed in Android 38) enables you to store
tapped weblinks in a oating onscreen bubble, Copy Bubble does the
same for copied text and images. It uses the standard Android
system to do the actual copying long-press on an image or text, then highlight
a section of the latter but a major advantage is the ability to store more than
one copied item at a time, as indicated
by the number on the pretty orange
bubble that adorns your screen.
Another plus is easy access from any
screen: tap the bubble to see all the
things youve copied, with options to
copy (to enable pasting), share and
delete. Copied images appear as
weblinks in the list but may still be
pasted as an actual image, depending on
the app youre using. Copy Bubble is a
simple but brilliant idea that we think
should nd a place as part of the ofcial
operating system going forward.
Price Free
Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 4.0
Copy Bubble
A oating clipboard
for multiple items
LINK BUBBLE This free download uses a similar oating bubble
system to store webpages when you tap links.
like this?
try this!
Ready
Contact List
Get ready for a stylish
new dialler
In public beta at the time of
writing, Ready is a stylish
alternative to the default
Phone app. From the favourites
screen (with a search option), you
can swipe left for a full list of
contacts actually a carousel of
their photos, with letter shortcuts
below. A nice touch is that when the
phone rings, the callers recent
history (such as
latest emails and
meetings) is
shown. Post-call
shortcuts are
also offered for
common tasks:
call, email, meet
and text.
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Vibify
Get a buzz when you pick
up your phone
Price 0.80/$1.36
Designed for Phone
Requires Android Varies
Vibify is similar to the
Smart Alert feature
available on some
Samsung smartphones, but offers
more options. As soon as you pick up
your on-standby phone, itll vibrate if
there are any pending notications
from the apps youve enabled it to
work with. It does its job and will
only work if the phone has been
static for a certain number of
seconds, so it wont keep vibrating
in your pocket
while walking.
You can also set
quiet hours and
how many times
you want it to
tell you about
the same
notication.
The best keyboard around
adds new features and its
now free
specification
verdict
Designed for: Phone and tablet
Price Free
and can also be placed in the middle
of the landscape thumb layout.
So everyone should be able to nd
a layout to suit. Theres also a voice
input key (using Google Voice) and a
selection of over 800 emoji it even
offers emoji prediction!
Tap the bubble to see all copied items, to
re-copy (for pasting), share and delete
EDITORS
CHOICE
Apps
74
Parallels Access
Get remote access of your desktop computer
with Parallels new app, built specically for Android
solution by adapting everything to
suit your Android device and its
smaller display. Theres even an
Android-style launcher screen with a
grid of desktop application icons you
can tap to launch. They are then run
in full-screen windows, which you
can easily switch between via a bar
at the bottom of the screen.
Navigation is also good. Simply tap
with one nger to left-click, or two
ngers to right-click. You can swipe
to scroll around, while pinch-to-zoom
also works in many applications. For
extra precision, you can long-press
to magnify the view in a circle.
Continuing to long-press enables you
to drag and drop les or resize
spreadsheet cells and pictures, for
instance. Double-tapping text brings
up the standard Android selection
markers and copy/paste tools. The
onscreen keyboard appears
automatically, or by tapping its icon,
while extra command keys (Shift,
Ctrl, cursors etc) can be added to the
bottom of the screen.
Other options include a desktop
mode, mouse pointer (with
SPLASHTOP 2 REMOTE DESKTOP Not quite as easy to navigate,
but it offers free access on a home network.
like this?
try this!
onscreen buttons) and choice of
display resolution.
It all goes to make remote access
more useful and far less frustrating,
although its a shame the Android
app lacks the iOS versions special
le browser function for even easier
navigation. About the only other
drawback we found was slightly jerky
Gaining remote access
to your computer
sounds great in theory,
but in the past weve found it a
frustrating experience trying to
click on tiny icons and controls.
Parallels Access offers a unique
The app launcher is cool and you can
easily switch windows via the bottom bar
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Owly
Relive your day
through audio snippets
SAGA AUTOMATIC LIFELOGGING Saga logs your location
throughout the day, to which you can add photos, notes etc.
like this?
try this!
Were used to logging our
life in photo form, but what
about audio? Activated at a
certain (and customisable) sound
volume threshold, Owly automatically
records ten-second soundbites
known as fragments to give you an
audio overview of your day laughing
with friends, listening to music etc. A
map shows where each geo-tagged
fragment was recorded, while a
strong social aspect gives you the
option to share them with friends so
they can be liked and commented
upon. Recordings are automatically
removed after a week, unless
favourited. Sadly, we experienced a
few teething problems with audio
recording; rather than record each
sound snippet above the volume
threshold, it only seems to trigger
every so often, when it feels like it.
So a manual record option would be
a plus. Still, Owly has the potential to
be a fun app.
Replay the geo-tagged sound snippets
from each day
Long-press to bring up the magnier and
then drag and drop les
EndlessTV:
Videos,
TV and
News
An alternative way to watch
TV on your Android device
Apart from a couple of live
streams, the app delivers
video clips sorted into
channels, based on a TV station or
show. This enables you to build a list
of favourites by browsing categories
for Popular, News, Food & Home,
Celeb, Sports, Tech, Fashion, Arts,
Life, Comedy and EDU (education).
While US-centric, the line-up includes
BBC channels for news, food, Radio 1
and Top Gear.
The process of adding channels is
laborious because youre returned to
the main menu each time and have
to navigate back to whatever
category you were browsing. Theres
no search function to help either.
After tapping a channel logo to
watch it in full-screen mode, you can
swipe left to move onto the next
video. However, unlike the iOS
application, you cant swipe up to
change channels. It also lacks that
versions ability to download videos
for ofine viewing. Also, despite the
apps claim to eliminate lag and
latency, we encountered a number
of delays during playback.
On the plus side, there are no
video advertisements to annoy
viewers (just static ones when
playback is paused). A useful
Chromecast function is currently in
beta, which we look forward to
getting our hands on.
Price Free
Choose from a large range of channels
arranged into themed categories
for even more app reviews
75
Price Free
Designed for Phone
PhonoPaper
Print sounds on a piece of
paper in wave form
Now heres an intriguing
idea. Upon recording a
ten-second audio clip
(voice of music) via the microphone,
PhonoPaper transforms it into a
pattern of waves that you can print
out on a piece of paper. Using the
app, you can then scan this pattern
with the camera to hear the
recorded sound. In free mode, you
can scan by hand at whatever rate
you like. Results vary depending on
the camera, angle and print quality,
but since its encoded in analogue
form youll always hear at least a
silhouette of the sound an eery
experience as you hear a ghostly
voice emanating from it. According to
its Russian developer, PhonoPaper
has the potential to be used like QR
codes on billboards, for example
but to reveal hidden audio clips.
Were not sure whether itll really
video playback. Setup is easy too.
Just download the desktop client for
your Mac (OS X 10.7 or later) or PC
(Windows 7 or later) and then sign
in on the Android application via
Scan the printed pattern to play the audio encoded within it
So good, its almost like
using a touchscreen
computer. Impressive
Performance
Design
Value
specification
Requires Android: 4.0.3
Price Free
verdict
Microsoft Remote Access
This ofcial download allows you to
connect your phone to your Windows PC.
top apps for...
ROWING
LANTS
quickhits
Facebook (or sign up). After a free
two-week trial, youll need to
subscribe for 13.99/$19.99 per
year, but this gives access to up to
ve computers.
take off in a big way, but its fun to
play around with.
Garden Manager: Plant
Alarm Free
Never forget to water your
plants again! The app lets you
set alarms for watering and
other garden tasks. You can also take
pics and notes, and log plant heights.
Garden Plants Growing
Guide Free
This simple guide provides
info on how to grow and care
for 48 popular owers, 15
herbs and 12 vegetables. The design is
pretty basic, but the content is helpful.
Gardenate 0.99/$1.99
A comprehensive companion,
it shows you when to plant
and harvest various
vegetables and herbs. You
can also record your own plantings, make
detailed notes and add photos.
Gardens Free
This interactive magazine
offers a fair amount of free
content text, photo and
video guides plus more via
in-app purchases. Theres also a built-in
notebook for your jottings.
iScape Lite Free
Snap a photo of your garden,
then add in new plants, trees,
paths, fountains etc. Its a
good tool for DIY landscapers,
once youve paid (5.97/$9.99) to unlock.
Parallels Access offers a unique
solution by adapting everything to
suit your Android device and its
smaller display
Double-tap text to bring
up the standard Android
markers and copy/paste tools
Want your money back?
Youve got 15 mins to decide!
refund keep
15min wonder
0-5 minutes
Its easy enough to set
everything up
5
10 15
!
5-10 minutes
Cool app launcher and
full-screen windows
5
10 15
!
10-15 minutes
Lots of options to improve
ease of use
5
10 15
!
EDITORS
CHOICE
Apps
76
Instagram
More control over your photos
Its pretty easy to spot an Instagram photo due to the limited
range of lter effects available to users. So its difcult to make
your picture stand out from the crowd. Fortunately, the latest app
update adds some new options that should help with that. While the range
of 20 lter effects is unchanged, you can now adjust their strength using a
slider and opt whether to add a frame or not. Nine editing tools are also
available to ne-tune your photo: straighten, brightness, contrast, warmth,
saturation, highlights, shadows, vignette, tilt shift (to alter depth of eld)
and sharpen. Most of these feature a slider control and you can apply as
many of them as you like. The enhanced options bring the Instagram app
into line with third-party image editors, so you shouldnt need the latter,
although youre still restricted to square-cropped shots. As before, you can
also shoot and upload videos.
Get to know
Use Instagrams new editing tools and effect strength
sliders to ne-tune the look of your picture
Filter strength
After selecting a lter, tap
on it again to bring up this
slider control. It starts off at
100, but you can slide it left
to slowly reduce the
strength of the lter.
Tools menu
Tapping the spanner icon
brings up a menu of nine
editing tools swipe left for
more. Most of them feature
a slider control to adjust the
strength of the effect.
Upload and share
Upon proceeding to the
upload screen, you can add
details, tag people and
share to other networks. You
can also send the picture
direct to a friend.
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP EXPRESS A similar range of lters and
editing tools without the mandatory square cropping.
like this?
try this!
Flickr
Shoot and share your pictures on this
social network for serious photographers.
Can brain-training really increase intelligence? The scientic jury is
still out on that, but over 60 million people worldwide are using
Lumosity to give their grey matter a daily workout. And the service has
nally arrived on Android. To personalise their training program, new users are
asked to select multiple goals in ve categories: memory, attention, speed,
exibility and problem solving. This determines the games playable for each
day. Those users that dont subscribe
(which costs 7.95/$9.95 per month) get
only three per day from a limited
selection. Another drawback is that you
cant change your goals later on, so its
best to choose lots.
The games range from simple reaction
test to more taxing affairs to challenge
your mental agility, such as comparing
the values of maths equations. Sadly,
most of them arent as fun as we might
like. Scores can be shared on social
media and are auto-synced with the
Lumosity website.
Price Free
ELEVATE BRAIN TRAINING Fewer but more interesting games,
based mainly around reading and writing skills.
like this?
try this!
Lumosity
Popular brain-training
program hits Android
In this simple game, you just have to swipe
the direction of the middle bird
Quip is a cross-platform word processor featuring an innovative chat
thread view for talking to collaborators on a document, plus shared
folders for projects. The Android app has just had a complete
overhaul with a redesigned UI and some new features. These include the ability
to share documents with colleagues who dont yet have Quip installed, via a
private weblink. A new tabbed UI makes
it easier to switch between inbox, chats
and documents which can now be
imported from Dropbox, Google Drive
and Evernote while adding a powerful
full-text search feature. Documents can
also be pinned to your desktop for easy
access. While you can edit documents
and insert tables and images, text
formatting options are very limited to
ve themes, plus a few headers and lists
so its just as well that documents can
now be exported to Microsoft Word.
Price Free
Requires Android 4.0.3
Quip: Documents + Messaging
Redesigned for even easier collaboration
EVERNOTE The standard free service offers syncing and sharing
of notes, but has very limited collaboration in comparison to Quip.
like this?
try this!
The chat screen looks more appealing
than before and offers extra options
The ability to ne-tune
effects is a very
welcome addition
Performance
Design
Value
specification
Designed for: Phone
Requires Android: Varies
Price Free
verdict
Adjust lter
While the range of 20 lters is
unchanged, you can adjust their
strength. Tap the current one again to
bring up a slider control
Compare original
As previously, you can long-press on the
photo to see the original unedited
version, which is very useful for
comparison purposes
77
Upload it
When youve nished editing the
picture, tap the top-right arrow to upload
it. You can also share it to a range of
popular social networks
Editing tools
Tap the spanner icon to bring up a menu
of nine new tools with which to ne-tune
the look of your picture
1Password
Secure password vault with cloud sync
Its essential not to use
the same password
across multiple sites,
but trying to remember
lots of complex passwords is
daunting. The solution is to use a
vault to store them, secured by a
single master password. 1Password
is one option, which can also
generate strong passwords. Already
available on Windows, Mac and iOS,
it now has an Android app. As well as
logins, you can store sensitive data
for credit cards and bank accounts.
Secured items can be favourited
and organised into folders; theres
even a search facility. Once a login is
added, just tap it to visit the relevant
site via the in-app browser, then tap
the key icon and select a login. To log
in using an external browser, or app,
however, youll need to copy and
paste the password not convenient
nor very secure.
Still, theres Dropbox support for
automatic cross-platform sync, so
every device has every login, plus a
locally stored Folder Sync alternative.
An adjustable Autolock also protects
your data even if your device is lost or
stolen. Note that access to
1Passwords full feature set requires
a one-off in-app purchase (price TBA
but it wont come cheap).
Handy cloud sync and good
security, if you stay in-app
specification
verdict
Price Free
Store all your log-ins in one place; tap the
URL to visit it in the in-app browser
Tap the key icon and then choose from
multiple logins for different accounts
PASSWORDBOX FREE PASSWORD SAFE It comes with its own
keyboard to enable one-tap login for other apps.
Like this?
try this!
As well as
logins, you can
store sensitive
data for credit
cards and bank
accounts
Playmarkers
can these QR codes for direct
inks to the Google Play Store
Apps
78
If youre anything like us, your phone receives countless
notications. If only there were a way of sorting out the wheat from
the chaff to avoid notication overload. Echo could be the answer: it
learns from your behaviour to identify the notications that are important to you
and then only wakes the screen to show
a priority message. It also groups them
into categories such as work, social and
media. Particularly useful is the
Mailbox-style gesture system used to
manage individual notications on the
lockscreen: tap one to open it, swipe left
to dismiss, or right to set a reminder for
a certain time or place. Swiping fully to
the right lets you manually categorise the
message. A slight downside is that Echo
currently lacks music controls, plus
actionable items such as quick reply in
Gmail, but it still has good potential.
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Echo Lockscreen
Gesture-based, prioritised notications system
SLIDELOCK LOCKER A similar gesture system for managing
lockscreen notications, plus auto-wake option.
like this?
try this!
Selphee
Share a photo
that turns into
a video
People share lots of
photos and videos, so
why not combine the
two? Thats the idea behind
Selphee. You take a sele (or any
other photo, using either camera),
then shoot a short video. When
your friends view the photo, theyll
be surprised when it suddenly
plays video. Theres also an option
to use an existing photo from the
gallery, but ours kept coming up
blank. Some basic photo editing
options let you add funky frames
and speech bubbles. Then the
video section allows you to record
multiple clips, Vine-style, by
holding the button repeatedly. You
can then share your creation via a
weblink on Instagram, Facebook,
Twitter, Whatsapp or SMS. It
sounds innocuous enough, but
Vine
Record short videos to share
including via private Vine Message.
Jazz up your sele, or other photo, with
some funky frames
theres a worrying privacy angle
since it turns out that the videos
are actually uploaded to the
selpheeuploads YouTube channel
for anyone to see. Lack of
censorship is also a problem,
judging by one video we found. Itd
be far better if there was a private
weblink for each video with no
public access.
Having undergone a radical redesign, The Guardian newspaper app is
now a far slicker affair. For starters, the old single-column main menu
has been replaced by different-sized cards to suit each storys
importance and type. To save scrolling down to them, other sections can be
accessed from the pull-out left menu.
This also has icons for settings,
bookmarks, search and download to
enable you to read articles ofine. To get
the most out of the app, youll want to
sign in (with your Guardian account,
Facebook or Google). This then allows
you to personalise the main menu by
adding favourite sections, topics and
contributors as many as you like, rather
than the previous limit of eight. You can
even follow contributors to receive alerts
whenever they publish a new article.
Guardian Witness is now integrated into
the app too, enabling readers to share
photos, videos and stories.
Price Free
FLIPBOARD This magazine-style app lets you customise your
news by choosing favourite topics.
like this?
try this!
The Guardian
Read all about the
fully rebuilt news app
A new card-based layout is just one of
many improvements
Swipe to dismiss a notication, set a
reminder or categorise it
Hold down the red button to record clips
A fun idea that takes
liberties with your privacy
Performance
Design
Value
specification
Designed for: Phone
Price Free
verdict
EDITORS
CHOICE
79
Hike
messenger
Chat snoopers can
now take a hike
India-based instant
messaging app Hike has
added a hidden mode. This
protects access to your private chats
with a pattern passcode. Ironically, it
took us a while to nd it, by tapping
the Hike logo at the top-left. The app
is now also more lightweight, to
suit low-end devices. Other
interesting
features include
colourful sticker
art, chat themes
that change for
both users, plus
the ability to send
messages to
ofine friends.
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Audio
Visualizer Live
Sound-sensitive live
wallpapers for Android
If youre tired of static or
even standard live
wallpapers, this app will
provide something new. It offers a
choice of four music visualizer
wallpapers that react to external
sounds to create pretty patterns. Its
a bit weird seeing your homescreen
background react in this way and
could soon get a
bit tiring on the
eyes when trying
to navigate. Also,
it doesnt respond
to music played
on headphones
so is useless for
that purpose.
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Path
Divided opinion on redesign
Price Free
Designed for Phone
In the same vein as Cluster,
Path is a social network
with a focus on privacy: you
get to control who sees each and
every post (text, photo, location or
music clip) you make. However, the
somewhat arbitrary 150 friend limit
has now thankfully been removed.
Another change is that, like
Facebook, Path has farmed out its
instant messaging aspect to a new
Path Talk app featuring Snapchat-
style self-
destructing
messages which
will annoy some
users. Back in the
main Path app, we
were also unable
to take or import
any photos.
Snapkeys
Zones (BETA)
Get into the zone for typing
This replacement keyboard
features a standard
Qwerty layout divided into
zones. The idea is that you simply tap
anywhere in the zone containing the
letter you want and itll predict what
youre trying to type a bit like
old-school predictive text. And just
like that, its very hit and miss with its
predictions and you often need to
select an
alternative. Also, if
you hit the wrong
zone, theres
no way it can
correct it. It also
caused a display
glitch on our Moto
G handset.
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Cross DJ Mix
your music
Load SoundCloud tunes
onto your turntables
Price 5.99/$9.99
Already the best DJing app
on Android, Cross DJ now
has support for
SoundCloud. So as well as mixing
locally stored tunes, you can search
the cloud service for tracks, from
unofcial remixes to friends songs.
Logging in isnt obligatory, but
enables you to access your sets and
favourites. Elsewhere its just as
good as before with an impressive
range of mixing options.
Reddit
offline
Read the front page of
the internet ofine
The clue is in the name:
this solid little app enables
you to download selected
subreddits to read later when you
have no internet connection. Its
rather basic interface comprises a
scrolling list of posts, but they
contain all the usual content,
including comments and images.
Tapping the
drop-down menu
at the top lets you
switch between
selected
subreddits,
while the top-right
icon lets you
add more.
Price Free
Designed for Phone
quickhits
BallTune
Check your balls bounce
is in good working order
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Before practising your footy
skills, its best to inate
your ball correctly.
Amazingly, the BallTune app can
accurately discern a balls pressure
(within 1 PSI) by analysing how it
bounces. Just drop it from a height
and lm with the camera. Its a bit hit
and miss getting it to work, but the
app then shows the height of each
bounce and tells you whether its
over- or under-
inated, or tuned
perfectly for
power, accuracy or
control. Only size 5
balls are currently
supported, but 3
and 4 are
promised soon.
Cluster
Share short videos and
photos with friends
Price Free
This photo-sharing app
focuses on private groups,
called spaces, enabling you
to share your pics with selected
friends and family. To this end, it tells
you exactly who you are sharing your
photos with, along with who has
viewed the ones posted. The app
also enables you to share short
videos and post large text notes to a
group. The UI has been optimised for
tablets, with separate columns for
spaces and photos in landscape.
80
head
Which one of these apps is best
for editing your videos?
head to head tohead
Although it ultimately depends what you are looking for in a video-
editing app, AndroVid Pro proved itself the superior app. VideoShow
Pro had the upper hand in terms of adding lters and audio, but it
couldnt compete with AndroVids broader range of editing tools.
Add fades to videos or
convert it to grayscale if you
want to get really art house.
You can also add subtitles,
but the audio options are a
bit too basic.
While retro lters arent for
everyone, the options to dub it
with your own voice-over or
add subtitles are very useful.
The option to trim music is
superior to AndroVid.
Choose between cutting
chunks of video for easy
editing, or zoom in on your
video timeline to cut frame by
frame. Videos can also be
split into separate les.
You can only edit the
beginning and ends of video
to adjust the overall length,
but you can also merge
videos together and even
mix in still images.
VideoShow only has two
export options: Keep Video
Quality and Compressed
Quality. The former
supports 1080p, but takes
ages to export.
Using a series of drop-down
menus, its easy to not only
select the quality and
resolution, but also convert it
to different video formats,
including MP4, MPG, VOB.
As well as exporting them as
different le types, your
mobile movies can be
uploaded to all the usual
social networks. Video frames
can also be set as wallpaper.
As well as supporting YouTube,
Facebook and Twitter,
VideoShow has its own social
network. Its basic, but you
can like and share other users
videos in your feed.
And the
winner is...
ANDROVID PRO
INTERFACE
EXPORT OPTIONS
SPECIAL EFFECTS
EDITING TOOLS
While every phone shoots video as
standard, there are a surprising lack of
video-editing apps available on Android.
However, both VideoShow and AndroVid
are popular choices for making home
movies on the Google Play
store, but which
one comes out
on top in our
testing?
Though its UI is bare bones,
AndroVid remained highly
functional and a help button
was never far away. An optional
horizontal mode made it easy
to edit landscape videos.
A lot more effort has been
put into the design of
VideoShow, both in terms of
the look and the feel, with
features and les easier to
nd as a result.
SHARING OPTIONS
specification
Designed for: Phone
Price 1.78/$2.99
VideoShow Pro AndroVid Pro Video Editor
specification
Designed for: Phone
Price 1.69/$1.99
ANDROVID PRO

vs
Check our website for
even more game reviews
81
Games
what weve
been playing
Can the Angry Birds clan
tackle the RPG genre? Angry Birds Epic
Upgrade weapons the more you ght
Angry Birds has become
one of the staple game
series available from the
Google Play store. What weve seen
previously is a tried and tested
format, but Rovios latest adventure,
Angry Birds Epic, is something new
altogether. In essence, the game is a
fairly standard action RPG, but with
all the familiar characters youve
come to expect. Oh, and dont worry,
the pigs are still your enemies.
The game takes you to Piggy
Island, where you control a bunch of
feathered heroes as you try and
explore the mysteries of the island.
Along the way youll encounter
different landscapes, and as youd
expect with any Rovio game, each
one is beautifully animated.
Occasionally youll run into
enemies that you need to do battle
with. Battles are fairly simplistic, but
each one of your characters has a
range of skills they can utilise and its
up to you to gure which combination
works well against the enemy.
As you beat enemies and explore
further, your characters level up and
youll earn new weapons and
upgrades to use. The choice of
upgrades isnt vast compared to
many of the countless RPGs on the
Play store, but its ideal for those new
to the genre. Above all else, Angry
Birds Epic is just simply fun.
Theres lots of humour that will
make you snigger and the fast pace
of the game means its a perfect
pick-up-and-play title. An increasing
trend were nding in these types of
games is the amount of in-app
purchases on offer. Although you can
happily progress through this title
without them, the grind of levelling
up your character can feel like a
chore, so people may choose to
make the process a little faster. For a
rst attempt in the RPG genre, Angry
Birds Epic is certainly a laugh-out-
loud affair. Despite the rather basic
upgrading options, its a great
addition to the Google Play store.
Price Free
Foes come in all different shapes and sizes
Hitman GO
2.99/$4.99
Were slowly getting through
the vast Hitman GO and really
enjoying the strategic elements used
throughout. If you havent already, make
sure you download this!
Worms 3
2.99/$4.99
Although the premise of
Worms hasnt changed, the
gameplay still feels new and fresh in this
version. There are plenty of levels to
explore and crazy gadgets to use.
twitter
@lgrobot
Recommend a game
Price Free
Take ight with the Phoenix
Theres a ne line between
making a game addictive
and too simple, but Soar
thankfully nds the medium
between the two. The app takes
inspiration from Temple Run and so
many other endless runner game,
but instead puts you in control of the
legendary Phoenix.
Users need to control the Phoenix
through the air, avoiding contact with
the mountains and collecting the re
power-ups to keep momentum as
they go. It sounds simple enough,
but the game is surprisingly difcult
from the get go. Enjoy Soars lush abstract graphics
Soar
What many of you will notice about
Soar before anything else is the
amazing abstract graphics. It helps
add to the overall style of the game,
but it may not be to everyones
tastes. Its so different that its likely
to divide opinion.
Soar has managed to nd a good
twist on the innite runner, which is
already a packed genre on the
Google Play store. It denitely isnt a
must download title, but the polygon
graphics alone are worth checking
out. We think youll be surprised
by what you nd.
82
Reviews
LG G3
The LG G3 is big and packed with features,
with an astonishingly good screen the highlight
from the premium ends new ag bearer
T
he new LG G3 is quite simply the most feature-rich
handset to be launched in the UK. It has a stunning array
of features that put it right at the head of the pack in
terms of technical capabilities, and for the most part, we are
very impressed indeed.
Design
LG has put a lot of thought into the design of this handset and
worked hard to keep it as pocket-friendly as possible. The
5.5-inch screen is just a few millimetres away from the long
edges and very close to the short edges too, so that the overall
Multi-
tasking
help
The ability to run
two apps
side-by-side, and
to pop up some
mini apps on top
of what you are
doing will be very
useful to anyone
who likes
multitasking
Lightly
skinned
LG has skinned
Android 4.4, but
with a reasonably
light touch. There
are a few added
apps and these
are useful rather
than simply bloat
Stunning
screen
The quad HD
resolution screen is
super-sharp, bright
and clear. It is as
good for watching
movies as it is for
reading ebooks, and
its 5.5 inches is
packed into a
surprisingly slim
chassis
Infrared
Infrared is
becoming quite a
popular addition to
tablets and
handsets, and LG
couples it with an
app that lets you
remotely control
your range of
IR-supporting TVs
and other
equipment
s
83
size of the phone is relatively small. Yes, it is still
difcult to reach across for one-handed use, but as
handsets with large screens go the overall size is
impressively svelte.
The Android buttons take up screen space
rather than being on the chassis, so that there is a
loss of screen area for apps, but a gain in terms of
keeping the chassis size small.
The power and volume buttons are on the back
of the chassis. We rst saw this arrangement in
the LG G2, and here the buttons seem better
designed. There is a sight indent on the volume
buttons and a slight raise to the power button that
sits between them, and this helps you nd all
three by touch alone. It does take a bit of getting
used to, but it is a neat idea that means the sides
of the phone can be largely clear. You can set the
volume up and down buttons to launch LGs
QuickMemo and Camera apps respectively when
the screen is off.
The LG G3 is available in black, gold and white
shades. It has to be said that for a agship
handset wed have liked a more premium quality
feel to the design. The backplate has a brushed
metal look but is made from plastic, and when
compared to the superbly built HTC One (M8), the
LG G3 seems second class. But then so does every
other handset.
Screen
The ace in the pack for the LG G3 is its screen. The
size we have already noted. It is sharp, bright and
clear, and immediately shines out at you as
something quite special. In fact it is a quad HD
screen that packs in 2560 x 1440 pixels. That gives
it a massive 534 pixels per inch, putting every other
handset currently available in the UK in the shade.
We often say that pixel count alone is not enough
to make us enthuse about a handsets screen. An
we hold to that here.
The screen is certainly a cut above the
average, but we arent convinced that all those
extra pixels make a huge difference to the clarity
and quality of what you can see when compared to,
say, the 1920 x 1080 pixels of the 5.1-inch
Samsung Galaxy S5 and ve-inch HTC One (M8). As
this pixel count becomes more widespread we may
see apps that really take advantage, though. Well
hold judgement for a while.
Other plus points for the screen include its ver
good viewing angles and brightness levels, both o
which add to its appeal. Yes, it is very good and
whether you are watching a movie or reading an
ebook, playing a game or writing email, the
screens high resolution and general quality is
denitely a plus point thats not to be ignored. This
is just about as good as it gets.
Performance and battery
The processor behind the LG G3 is a top-of-the-
range 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, which
is supported by 2GB of RAM in our 16GB version of
the handset. If you can get hold of a 32GB G3 then
theres 3GB of RAM in support. Despite these
superb specs, some users have reported a slight
lag using the LG G3, but this was not our
experience. In fact, our 16GB review handset
turned in top performances against our
benchmarks, delivering an AnTuTu score of 35226,
just a shade below the HTC One (M8), and showing
off a blistering 23407 in the Quadrant benchmark.
The other specications are as high-end as you
would expect with NFC and 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac all in
the mix. The USB On The Go facility means we were
able to read data, including music and video, from a
USB stick. And, of course, this is a 4G phone.
A handset like this is probably going to have to do
a lot more work than your average phone, delivering
catch up TV, music, GPS-based navigation and
more in an average days work. It is driven by a
power-hungry processor and a greedy screen. It is
an unfortunate trade off that it takes more power
to run the LG G3s superb screen than it would a
smaller, lower quality one.
So there is inevitable effect on battery life. And
the brighter you have the screen, the more power it
Performance tests
Our Vellamo tests show just how
much difference youll notice if youre
upgrading to the LG G3
The LG G3s AnTuTu benchmark fails to
top HTCs One (M8), despite it being
the rst next-gen handset available
Benchmark tests are a great way of
breaking down the components of
your smartphone
The ace in the
pack for the LG G3 is
its screen. It is
sharp, bright and
clear, and
immediately shines
out as something
quite special
Big and little
The LG G3 is not an easy phone to use one-handed, but the
5.5-inch screen has been squeezed into a very tight chassis
so that it is relatively small to drop into a pocket
Reviews
The screen is outstanding
and overall this is a very
attractive handset. It sets a
high benchmark for premium
handsets to aim at
Verdict
issue01
HTC One
(M8)
worse than better than
LG G3
Value for money
If you want top of the range, then the LG G3
is a good example
Features
Lots of features, yet the feeling of bloat has
been avoided, which is a very clever trick
Design
Its a real achievement getting the stunning
screen into such a small chassis
Performance
Some stuttering, and wed like the battery
to be amazing rather than just good
Price 492
More information
www.lg.com
Supplied by
www.clove.co.uk
information
LG G3
will need too. It does go very, very bright indeed, so
take care with the manual screen settings. Overall,
the 3000mAh battery was an average rather than
a stunning performer, and we often needed to give
it a power boost in the late afternoon or early
evening to survive.
Software
The LG G3 runs on Android 4.4 making it bang up to
date. Youd expect that from a agship phone. LG
has always been keen on skinning Android and that
remains the case here. The net result of all the
software additions is that the 16GB of installed
memory is reduced to 10.4GB.
While LG adds an awful lot to Android it feels
quite light. The skin design is pleasant to look at
and nothing feels over the top. There are plenty of
detail tweaks to be found through the settings
area. You can, for example, as weve seen before
from LG, ddle with the Android hotkeys so that
they are in your preferred order. And there are
facilities to change the position of the dialpad and
keyboard to make them hug the left or right of the
screen for easier one-handed use.
Gesture controls are plentiful with recognised
staples like answering an incoming call by lifting
the phone to your ear and turning the LG G3 face
down to silence incoming calls being accompanied
by using that same face-down motion to pause
video or stop an alarm.
There are several multitasking features. You can
open a number of apps from a QSlide menu so that
they sit in a window on top of what you are doing.
The range of apps supported includes a calculator,
internet browser, phone dialer and more. You get to
the QSlide menu from the notications area.
You can also split the screen and view two apps
at once. Not all apps are compatible, but the range
includes plenty that are useful such as maps,
YouTube, email and web browser. Looking at two
apps at once is a bit of a squeeze on the 5.5-inch
screen, but it might be useful at times.
And, of course, LG adds a few apps to the
Android standards. It is nice to see an FM radio
here as a basic addition. QuickMemo+ is the
note-taking app of choice and you can either type
or draw with a nger to make notes. Theres a
Operating system...............Android 4.4
Processor................................... 2.5GHz Qualcomm
Snapdragon 801
Memory.......................................16GB storage
Dimensions..............................146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9mm
Weight..........................................149g
Display size...............................5.5-inch
Display resolution...............2560 x 1440 pixels
Expansion slot.......................micro SD
technical specs
separate task manager called, erm, Tasks, which
lets you set due dates and issue reminders. A le
manager is useful for keeping track of all your bits
and pieces, and an app called Quick Remote lets
you use the built-in infrared as a remote control for
your TV and other equipment. It is easy to set up
multiple rooms and multiple devices.
Camera
The LG G3s cameras are both very competent.
The back-facing 13-megapixel camera benets
from laser autofocus. A laser is used to measure
the distance between lens and object, to allow for
much faster focusing. This can help with taking
shots in gloomy locations. The dual LED ash also
helps in low-light situations. Optical image
stabilisation helps improve the clarity.
LG has taken a less is more approach to
working with both cameras, with the screen left
pretty much clear to act as an unobstructed
viewnder. The Dual mode is one of the few
camera options available, allowing you to take a
photo with front and back cameras simultaneously.
You can resize the smaller of the two images
which by default is that from the front camera
and invert the smaller image to be that from the
back camera by tapping the screen.
Verdict
The LG G3 is a lovely phone. Yes, it is expensive,
but it does have a very strong mix of features that
come toget er in a ti y package. The screen,
obviously, is a highlight, but the well thought out
and small set of software additions, good
overlay to Android, impressive cameras
and hassle-free performance are all
endearing too. If only the
chassis quality were better.
Battery life
The battery will
falter if you have
the screen on
maximum
brightness so
guard against that
Samsung
Galaxy S5
issue038 issue037
Plastic case
For a premium an set reta ing
at the cost it does, the G3 could,
in our eyes, e ui t wit
somet ing nicer t an p astic.
HTC has the right idea here
Button placement
Following the same design as the
G2, the G3 places its buttons on
the back and we like it
84
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Reviews
OnePlus One
Sharp shooter
A twin LED ash sits
below the 13-MP camera
with a six-element lens.
The sensor itself is a
Sony Exmor unit and
pictures in both bright
and low light are
surprisingly good. The
phone can record 4K
video too
Button
placement
The OnePlus One has
capacitive buttons below
the screen, albeit in the
rather retro menu, home,
back layout. The good
news is that you can
disable these and they
disappear, allowing you to
use the onscreen buttons
Screen magic
The 5.5-inch 1080p screen (providing 401
pixels per inch) is excellent. The colour of the
display has been calibrated and tuned by
renowned community member (now
Cyanogen employee) @SuperCurio, and it
shows. Brightness is ample and outdoor
visibility is excellent
W
hat do you do if youre a small Chinese
company spun out of Oppo and you want
to make the world sit up and take note of
your new smartphone, but you dont have a
massive Samsung-esque marketing budget to do
it with? Heres how. The rst step is to tell your
potential customers that youre going to make the
best device in town. With its Never Settle motto,
OnePlus made it clear from the start that the
device was going to be a monster. Next, simply
announce that youre going to sell it insanely
cheap, undercutting not only everybody elses
agships but a bunch of mid-range devices too.
And so goes the story of the OnePlus One, the
269.99 (in 64GB specication no less!)
super-phone that does indeed pack the very
latest technology in almost all areas of the
device. So what do you get for your money?
The processor is a 2.5GHz quad-core
Snapdragon 801, which is the best CPU you will
nd right now. This is backed up by 3GB of RAM
and that 64GB ROM (each equalling the best
weve seen in any device). The screen is a
5.5-inch 1080p unit with Gorilla Glass 3 for
Can the sub-300 OnePlus One live up to the
companys Never Settle mantra, or is it pure hype?
86
Wireless connectivity
Every form of wireless connectivity you could
want for is supported. for...
Connectivity
Five LTE bands are supported on the
OnePlus One, but band 20 (800MHz) is
not. Three plan to use this band in the
future in its 4G rollout, although
currently only band 3 (1800MHz) is
used, which is supported
EDITORS
CHOICE
87
Review
protection. Every networking technology you
could wish for is included, with the possible
exception of AptX Bluetooth audio, which isnt
included due to the stock Android nature of the
software build.
The phone is unquestionably targeted at
enthusiasts and with that in mind, the darling
ROM of Android fans everywhere is preloaded
CyanogenMod. Right out of the box you get the
enhanced CyanogenMod 11S, support for
switching to regular CM nightly builds and an
unlockable bootloader. An Android nerds dream!
Of course, all the lovely bits inside wouldnt
mean anything if the device looked and felt
horrible, but thankfully that isnt the case. The
design is simple it looks a lot like a scaled up
Oppo Find 5 but it works, in the same way that
Nexus devices just work. The device has a plain
black front with a silver trim and is available with
either a soft-touch textured Sandstone Black
back or in Silk White, which is a more
conventional smooth white nish. Build quality is
absolutely top notch, with no ex or creak at all.
So the specications are right, the build and
design are up to scratch, what is it like to use?
Impressive. The screen is bright and sharp with
exceptional colour tuning, the sound is loud and
clear and the device positively speeds along, as
youd expect given the internals. The tweaks to
CyanogenMod for the One are minimal so the
build feels very stock Android. One area that has
received attention is the Camera app. Its been
enhanced to really make the most of the Ones
excellent 13-megapixel camera and the equally
impressive ve-megapixel front-facing shooter.
OnePlus Never Settle mantra slips only on a
couple of occasions. The rst is the fact that
there is no micro SD onboard, which many
enthusiasts are fond of. In reality, with a
whopping 64GB available, it is a non-issue. The
other is the lack of a QHD (2K) screen. The LG
G3 has shown that at this point in time, QHD
screens arent a noticeable step up in quality
and certainly not worth the hit in battery life or
device performance.
So, you want one?
Sadly, OnePlus simply
dont seem to be
able to make enough
devices, and as such
chasing is currently
possible with a
hard-to-nd invite.
Pro uction should
however scale up in the
near future. We hope.
Noise cancelling
Dual speakers can be found on the bottom of the device.
While the overall volume and quality cant match the
BoomSound speakers on HTC devices, the placement
means less compromise on size. Three microphones are
included for noise cancellation
Minimal design
The design is simple to the extreme, almost Nexus like, but
what design features there are on the device are well
executed. A silver recessed trim around the screen might go
unnoticed at rst, but its a neat detail
If you can get one, and handle
its 5.5-inch size, the One is an
absolute must buy. Epic
Verdict
Value for money
The amount of technology you get for
the price is almost scandalous
Features
If the One hasnt got it, you probably
dont need it! No micro SD expansion
Design
The design of the One is inoffensive, but
it does have a certain utilitarian style
Performance
The fastest CPU available with a huge
amount of RAM. Blisteringly fast
Operating system...............Android 4.4.2
Processor...................................2.5GHz Qualcomm
Snapdragon 801 processor
Memory.......................................3GB RAM
Dimensions..............................152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm
Weight..........................................162g
Expansion slot.......................No
technical specs
Price 269.99 (64GB)
More information
http://oneplus.net
Supplied by
OnePlus
information
OnePlus One
With its Never
Settle motto,
OnePlus made
it clear from the
start that the
device was oi
to be a monster
Battery life
The OnePlus Ones
3100mAh battery offers
fantastic stamina,
easily lasting through
the most strenuous of
working days
Samsung
Galaxy
Note 3
issue031
N/A
OnePlue One
Quick charging
Supports Qualcomms QuickCharge 2,
although a compatible charger is not included.
Hacking
This phone is a hackers dream and
community support will be excellent.
Movie watching
The large, perfectly calibrated screen makes
watching movies on the phone a joy.
Reviews
88
HTC Desire 610
Producing compelling devices at the low to mid-range is
vital to HTCs business. Does the Desire 610 deliver?
I
t feels like every time we talk about a HTC device
nowadays we say that its vital to the future of
the company. This is as much about the gaps in
its product lineup as it is the less-than-ideal
nancial state of the company. While agship and
halo products are the devices that grab all the
headlines, its the low to mid-range phones that
sell by the millions that can really contribute to a
High-denition fun
Can record 1080p video, even though the qHD
screen cant display HD content at full res! for...
Unrivalled
sound
BoomSound is one of HTCs
signature experiences and
it is present on the Desire
610. This means volume
and clarity of sound is
unmatched by devices from
other manufacturers, with
dual front speakers and
dedicated ampliers
sending sound towards you
rather than away
Its just not HD
The Desire 610 has a
4.7-inch screen like last
years HTC One, but the
resolution is qHD (960 x
540) rather than 1080p.
Thats quite a downgrade
and its very noticeable. The
bezels around the screen
arent exactly thin either
New design
language
The Desire 610 follows
HTCs new design
language for the Desire
series and as such looks
exactly like a reduced
size Desire 816. It has a
matte front and
matte sides, but the
extremely glossy back is
very susceptible
to ngerprints
Connectivity
LTE connectivity is included
(with support for all bands
used by UK networks),
together with Wi-Fi (2.4GHz
b/g/n only), Bluetooth 4.0
and NFC. Signal strength is
very good on the Desire
610, no doubt helped by
the devices alluring
plastic construction
Processing
power
The quad-core Snapdragon
400 processor can be
found in the majority of
low to mid-range devices at
the moment. The Desire
600 uses the 1.2GHz
version. This is exactly the
same CPU used in the HTC
One Mini 2
89
Review
one benet of a lower resolution screen is that
the processor doesnt have to work as hard,
which has benets both in overall performance
and battery life. The Desire 610 wont disappoint
on either front.
The Desire 610 certainly isnt a game changer
among its peers but at the same time, as with
almost all mid-tier devices nowadays, it is a very
easy phone to live with.
Ever-important skin
The Desire 610 runs Android 4.4.2 with Sense 6. Despite it
being a relatively low-end device, the Sense experience is
recreated faithfully, including the useful BlinkFeed
homescreen. HTCs take on Android genuinely improves on
the stock experience
The Desire 610 wont be a
blockbuster device for HTC,
but its a step in the right
direction. On a cheap contract
its definitely worth a look
Verdict
HTC
Desire 500
issue031
Motorola
Moto G
issue033
HTC Desire 610
Value for money
Reasonably priced, but it cant touch the
Moto G LTE for pure value for money
Features
All of the most important features are
present, but the qHD screen isnt great
Design
HTC needed a mid-tier design language
and thats what it got
Performance
The 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400
is a well proven processor by now
Operating system...............Android 4.4.2 with HTC Sense 6
Processor................................... 1.2GHz QualcommSnapdragon
400 quad-core
Memory.......................................1GB
Dimensions..............................143.1 x 70.5 x 9.6mm
Weight..........................................143.5g
Expansion slot.......................micro SD
technical specs
Price 225
More information
http://www.htc.com/uk
Supplied by
HTC
information
HTC Desire 610
Thats a great choice
its a very capable
processor, clearly
cheap and very
power efcient
Battery life
The Desire 610 sips the
2040mAh battery when
idle, but it can drain
quickly when worked
hard. A full day is no
problem though
Music
BoomSound speakers and Bluetooth 4.0 AptX
support make it a good choice for music
Sturdy design
The plastic construction of the Desire 610
makes it surprisingly robust
Storage expansion
The Desire 610 has 8GB of storage, but this is
expandable via micro SD up to 128GB
companys bottom line, and for HTC, that means
the Desire range.
Here we have the Desire 610 that looks to tick
a lot of the boxes for todays potential
customers. Its reasonably priced (the 225
SIM-free price is not as important as where
operators pitch the phone on their contract and
prepay plans), it wears the Desire brand that still
carries a certain amount of gravitas among
consumers, it has a 4.7-inch screen to appeal to
those looking for bigger screens and it includes
4G LTE connectivity. Many of these features it
shares with the Desire 816, its 5.5-inch big
brother, but although the phablet form factor
does well in a lot of markets, the 610 is
expected to be more popular in the UK.
Choosing a processor for this type of device
seems particularly easy nowadays. Qualcomm
Snapdragon 400 quad-core. Job done. Thankfully,
thats a great choice its a very capable
processor, clearly cheap and very power efcient,
particularly when idle. Devices such as this one
are all about compromising in the right places.
The Desire 610 has 1GB RAM and 8GB storage,
expandable via micro SD. Connectivity is good
even though 5GHz Wi-Fi is omitted, NFC support
in particular is a pleasant surprise. The main
camera is a reasonably solid eight-megapixel unit
and the front-facing camera has 1.3 megapixels
rather than the ve megapixels we are more
used to seeing on HTC devices now (including
the Desire 816).
So far so good then, but there is one
compromise that might be a step too far and
that is the inclusion of a qHD screen. The
resolution itself is not uncommon, but the
problem is that the screen feels sub-par at
4.7-inch. Text can appear a little fuzzy, particularly
when compared to competitor devices such as
the Moto G, which has a 720p 4.5-inch screen.
In fairness to the Desire 610, the similarly priced
LG G2 Mini also has a 4.7-inch qHD screen.
Where the G2 Mini excels and the Desire 610
suffers is in overall dimensions. While the LG has
very slim bezels and an impressively compact
overall size, the Desire 610 is the polar opposite.
Wide bezels at the sides of the screen and a
very tall design overall thanks to the BoomSound
speakers means the phone feels large in the
hand at 9.6mm its not particularly thin either.
The smooth back and curved sides do make the
phone comfortable to hold and use, though
one-handed use is a stretch. Literally. The phone
is available in a number of colours, subtle in navy
blue or vibrant in white.
The Desire 610 runs HTCs respected Sense 6
atop Android 4.4.2, with a design language that
isnt too far removed from what well see later
this year in Android L. Performance is very good
90
Nine Audio Vega
Price 59.95/$TBC
More information www.nineaudio.co.uk
The stylish colours of the Vega headphones give
them a nice aesthetic look, but the lack of
padding on the headband can lead to some
discomfort. Each of the 40mm drivers provide a
good, if not spectacular, sound experience, with
bass being a particular highlight. The hands-free
mic is a bit hit and miss and doesnt seem to
work with every device, but for the price you pay,
its a compromise many could make.
Shure SE535
Price 389.00/$499.00
More information www.shure.co.uk
Shures SE535 earphones are expensive, but you
certainly get what you pay for. Sound quality
comes from dual woofers that deliver
tremendous levels of bass, without creating
distortion in other areas. The SE535s ship with
different earbuds depending on your tastes and
the cable feels sturdy enough to last. And they
offer users a full 360-degree rotation of each
earphone to get them to your exact specication.
Bose Quiet
Comfort 15
Price 259.95/$299.95
More information www.bose.co.uk
One of the rst things youll notice about the QC
15s is just how light they are, and how their
ergonomic design means they can be folded up
with the attractive travel case they come with.
As far as noise cancelling goes, the QC 15s are
far and away the best headphones weve tested,
offering a truly immersive experience. Thanks to
the advanced signal processing used, music is
an absolute joy to listen to especially acoustics.
90
Essent io
Take your audio experience to new levels with these brilliant products
Accessories
EDITORS
CHOICE
GROUP
TEST WINNER
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Sennheiser
MOMENTUM
Price 169.99/$199.95
More information en-uk.sennheiser.com
Sennheisers colourful MOMENTUM series
certainly have everything we could have hoped
for in the looks department. Some may nd the
ear cups a bit too small, especially if you really
want an immersive audio experience. Sound
quality is nicely balanced, with no static or
distortion, but a real attention to detail. Looking
past the ear cup sizing, then the MOMENTUMs
are a fantastic addition to the headphone scene.
Sony XBA-H3
Price 249.00/$349.99
More information www.sony.co.uk
Sony does a good job with the sound quality on
all its headphones, but the premium XBA-H3
earphones go a step further. The three drivers
used here help keep sound nice and balanced
and no matter what your tastes in music are,
youre well catered for here. Thankfully the
XBA-H3s are comfortable to wear, and the
materials used just ooze that premium feel. The
XBA-H3s are worth every penny of that price tag.
Jabra Revo
Wireless
Price 199.99/$287.37
More information www.jabra.co.uk
Wireless headphones tend to be a mixed bag,
but the Revo Wireless headphones work without
a hitch. Connecting via Bluetooth is easy, but
there are no playback controls. The design is
rather bland and the ear cups, although suitably
padded, will be too small for most. Similarly, the
headband is uncomfortable and the soft texture
of it helps the headphones slip around when out
and about. Sound quality is impressive, however.
EDITORS
CHOICE
The materials used
just ooze that
premium feel Worth
every penny
Accessories
92 92
EDITORS
CHOICE
The peculiar shape of the Spaced360 may initially put some people off,
but it actually does a good job at maximising its sound output. Sound
quality is really good and theres a nice balance no matter what music
youre playing. Connecting to the Spaced360 takes a matter of seconds
to connect wirelessly via Bluetooth or NFC. After every charge you can
expect to get a great amount of life out of it, and the unit even goes into
sleep mode when not in use. Its a touch on the heavy side, which can
impact on its portability, but its far and away one of the best Bluetooth
speakers weve had the pleasure of testing.
Spaced360
Price 250/$TBA More information www.spaced360.com
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Enabling users to charge numerous devices at the same time is the
dening feature of the Universal Charging Station, and it works a treat.
There are a variety of connectors on offer for Android and iOS devices
and enough space on the rubberised pad for up to four devices to sit.
Underneath youll nd a port to connect the station to the mains, which
is needed to keep each charger working in sync. Ten-inch tablets seem
to be a little unsteady when charging, but this is just a tiny issue in what
is a very useful product for any tech lover to own.
Price 60.00/$102.99 More information www.mobilefun.co.uk
Universal
Charging Station
BUYERS GUIDE
Discover the best smartphones, tablets and accessories
to buy in our top ten charts
94
Buyers Guide
1
HTC ONE (M8)
A combination of a completely chrome unibody and a big, bright screen make HTCs agship phone
the best-looking on the market. A pair of BoomSound speakers for crysta-clear audio, an FM radio,
infrared TV remote and quick media-casting options, make the HTC agship a powerful, portable
entertainment system. The BlinkFeed UI is also one of the best stock Android alternatives.
549.99
Issue 37
2
LG G3
Piping Samsung, HTC and Sony to the post to launch the rst next-gen device, the LG G3 has won us
over with its pin-sharp QHD screen, laser-focused 13-MP camera, and lightning-fast processor.
However, its plastic casing and benchmark scores arent enough to top the HTC One (M8).
492
See issue 41
3
Samsung Galaxy S5
A relatively modest update on the Galaxy S4, the S5 is nonetheless an impressive handset. Its range
of tness features and thumbprint scanner give it a unique selling point, while its specs, though high,
are no different from HTC or Sonys agships. A rubber back and metal edging add a premium nish.
466.80
See issue 38
4
Sony Xperia Z2
At 146.8mm x 73.3mm, the Xperia Z2 is a gigantic slab of a phone, but when you consider all the
features it has including a 5.2-inch screen, 20.7-MP camera, dual speakers and long-life battery
you forgive its size. Lightning-fast processing is a major selling point, while waterproong is a plus.
439
See issue 38
5
Google Nexus 5
As a Google product, the Nexus 5 is a long-term investment as it is guaranteed to have rst pick of
future updates to the Android OS. However, though it still performs well, in terms of specs in
particular the processor, camera and battery life its less competitive than it used to be.
From 299
See issue 32
6
One PlusOne
This Chinese device offers agship specs for a budget price. This includes a 2.5GHz quad-core
processor and 3GB RAM so that it can run multiple apps without lagging, a 13-MP camera, and a large
screen. The lack of an expandable memory and the CynogenMod 11S OS will put some off though.
From 269.99
See issue 41
7
Motorola Moto X
A compact handset, the Moto X is a bit basic, but runs a near stock Android with lots of clever gesture
controls. With the Moto Maker now available in Germany, the prospect of this customisation program
rolling out across Europe has pushed the Motorola back up the charts.
From 299.99
See issue 36
8
HTC One mini 2
A cut-price version of the M8, the HTC One mini 2 retains the gunmetal nish, BoomSound speakers
and BlinkFeed interface, but the camera features and motion sensors have been sacriced. Still this
remains an attractive prospect, even if the price is higher than the average mid-range phone.
From 379.99
See issue 39
9
LG G2
While this is a last-generation phone, the LG G2 remains a low-cost alternative to the new breed of
agships. The specs may be slipping behind, but when youre using it in your hand youll still be struck
by how well it performs. The range of camera features are also a plus.
340
See issue 32
10
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
With a 5.7-inch screen, stylish stylus, and break-neck benchmarking, there is a lot to love about the
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (see our phablet round-up below), however with the Note 4 expected
imminently, you should be aware that you are now buying a last-generation device.
From 448.99
See issue 31
In case you missed itThe best phablets Read more in issue 36
Acer Liquid S1
Price 239
Website www.acer.co.uk
A good basic phablet, but lacks the
power or the overall nesse to
compete with the very
best. However, the two
SIM slots makes it
perfect for business
users wanting to
balance SIMs.
Huawei Ascend Mate
Price 294
Website www.uaweidevice.com
The Ascend Mate crams a 6.1-inch
display into its boxy frame, making it
one of the largest
phablets going. In
terms of software, the
UI skin offers a major
break from the
traditional look.
Sony Xperia Z1
Price 306
Website www.sony.com
Though not strictly a phablet, the
Xperia Z1 is virtually the same size as
the Note 3 and isnt
comfortable to use with
one hand. Its specs are
cutting-edge, with a
20-MP camera a
highlight of ours.
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Price 448.99
Website www.samsung.com
The current Note comes with the
unique S Pen stylus
with support for
drawing and writing
directly onto the
5.7-inch screen. The
screen is stunning.
THE BEST FLAGSHIP AND MID-RANGE
ANDROID PHONES ON THE MARKET TOP 10 SUPER SMARTPHONES
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WINNER
Buyers Guide
MobileLite Wireless
Price 55.19/$59.99
Website www.kingston.com
Despite the primary use of the
MobileLite being a superb SD and
USB reader, it also has a great
charging function. Its more
lightweight than
many other
portable
chargers.
TYLT Syncable
Price 25/$29.99
Website www.tylt.com
The eye-catching at build of the
TYLT Syncable stops any
tangles and tears
from happening, with
the thin rubberised
coating being
tough and
durable.
Maxell Air Voltage Qi
Charging Mat
Price 49.99/$TBA
Website www.maxell.eu
Wireless charging is still a fairly new
concept, but the
Maxell Charging Mat
makes the process
easy. Ideal for
keeping topped up.
96
1
Moto G
The Moto Xs budget cousin set new standards for the low-cost phone when it launched last year and
continues to dominate. While it is made of a cheap plastic and has limited memory, the Moto G has
not compromised on screen quality, which is 4.5 inches of sturdy Gorilla Glass 3 and offers 1280 x
720 pixels, perfect for most users. Running near stock Android, Motorola has conrmed Moto Gs next
upgrade will be Android L, ensuring future proong for some time.
From 120
See issue 33
2
EE Kestrel
Only available from the EE network, its own-brand Kestrel phone is offering 4G data speeds at a very
reasonable price. Produced by Huawei, the handset has a curved design, which gives it a unique air.
Good battery life ensures it can handle its quad-core engine and 4Gs inevitable drain.
100
See issue 40
3
Moto E
Available for under 100, SIM free, and no contract, the Moto E is the ultimate no-strings attached
smartphone. A sturdy, splashproof case, 1980mAh battery that will go the distance and micro SD to
expand the tiny 1GB memory, the Moto E is an impressive build that wont break the bank.
99
See issue 40
4
Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
While Samsungs high-end handsets get a lot of attention, the company has a much broader range.
The Galaxy Ace 3 is now on its third incarnation, and at 174 it sits neatly in the budget to mid-range
category. This is a 4G handset with a distinctive Samsung look and features.
174
See issue 34
5
HTC Desire 300
Made in the same mould as the HTC One M8, this phone has a similar design but is made of cheaper
hardware, with plastic chassis and lacking the BoomSound speakers. It does boast the much-lauded
BlinkFeed to view all your social networks, but poor specs leave us questioning the price tag.
174
See issue 36
6
Acer Liquid Z5
A good-looking phone with tapered edges, the Acer Liquid Z5 offers a stylish alternative to most black
brick handsets. Its innovative Float Apps interface also makes it easy to multi-task apps. However,
humdrum specs, like a low-res screen, leave it ranking low in the competitive world of budget phones.
95
See issue 39
7
Nokia X
The announcement of a slimmer, faster Nokia X2 coming later this year has driven the Nokia X down,
but this original Microsoft-Android hybrid still deserves attention. A best-selling handset in India and
Pakistan, it has great build quality with a tough polycarbonate chassis available in a range of colours.
89
See issue 38
8
Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini
The understated style and low-end specs make the Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini a great option for
rst-time or light users. SwiftKey as the default keyboard is a welcome addition, however its hard to
justify the excessive bloatware on a phone that only has 4GB storage.
79.99
See Issue 39
9
Huawei Ascend Y300
While only offering a dual-core processor is going to damn this Huawei in the eyes of many potential
buyers, it shouldnt be dismissed quickly. The well-reviewed Ascend Y530 is only a slight spec upgrade
on the Y300, but is around double the price. Ideal for young or cash-strapped users.
69.95
See issue 28
10
ZTE Blade V
The cheapest quad-core phone on the market, the ZTE Blade V has enough power to blast through
most tasks, including graphically demanding games. But beyond its bargain price there is little to get
excited about here, with questionable build quality, not enough RAM and a third-rate camera.
89.99
See issue 32
IF YOURE SHOPPING FOR A SMARTPHONE ON A SHOE-STRING,
CHECK OUT THESE LOW-COST MOBILE MUST-HAVES TOP 10 BUDGET BUYS
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HoneyDru
Price 14.99/$19.99
Website www.salomshop.com
This in-car charger has a full USB port
at the top of its head for easy
connection to your smartphone or
tablet. Despite the
novelty
appearance, the
build quality
is fantastic.
In case you missed it... portable chargers Read more in issue 33
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Buyers Guide
97
1
Google Nexus 7 (2013)
Sleek minimalist design coupled with the latest Android OS (and promises that it will be rst in line for
upgrades), the Nexus 7 both looks and acts the part of a agship device but for half the price you
would expect. This slab might be getting on a bit, but it still handles like a dream and will be robust
enough to keep up with the next generation of devices for a few years yet. Though the Nexus 7 offers
16-32GB of storage, some will be disappointed that it lacks a micro SD port.
From 199
See issue 29
2
Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet
Arguably one of the most portable ten-inch tablets available, the Xperia Z2 Tablet is waterproof and
can support a SIM card for 4G use. It is also surprisingly thin and light to carry and includes
power-saving modes to ensure longer battery life. Reasonably high-spec, it has a whopping 3GB RAM.
From 394.99
See issue 39
3
Google Nexus 10
Though it has never had the impact the Nexus 7 had, the larger Nexus 10 still offers a high-standard
for 10-inch Android tablets. A super high-resolution screen and powerful processor ensure that it
regularly sells out on the Google Play store, even if it does lack a 3G/4G option or expandable storage.
From 319
See issue 20
4
LG G Pad 8.3
A well-rounded tablet, the LG G Pad 8.3 offers solid specs with a selection of impressive built-in apps.
This includes Polaris Ofce so you can write documents on the go and QPair, which shares your
smartphone notications to your tablet, so you never miss important updates.
199
See issue 40
5
Samsung Galaxy TabPRO 8.4 Wi
The smallest tablet in Samsungs collection, the TabPRO 8.4 proves that good things do come in small
packages. A stunning 359ppi screen puts the Nexus 7 to shame, though wed prefer higher quality
speakers. However, an eight-MP camera and intuitive interface are good compensation.
369
See issue 38
6
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014)
While TouchWiz and the fake plastic stitching on the sides are disappointing, the new Note 10.1 does
a good job of updating the original 2012 model. First and foremost is the addition of the popular S Pen
stylus, with superb handwriting recognition and specialist features for drawing.
475
See issue 35
7
Samsung Galaxy Note PRO 12.2
This titanic Samsung tab offers a gigantic 12.2-inch HD screen. The size and weight make it less
portable and add a lot to the price, but drawing with the S Pen stylus feels very natural on the large
canvas, while a blistering processor makes light work of running apps on the screen simultaneously.
650
See issue 37
8
Advent Vega Tegra Note 7
Better late than never, three years after the original Advent Vega wowed Android users, the low-price
tablet is back in seven-inch form. While it falls behind the class leaders, a silky smooth processor,
expandable storage, and two front-facing speakers make it great for gaming.
179.99
See issue 33
9
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7
The ultimate media-consumption device. Buy movies, music and books through Amazon, then view
them on the Fire HDXs bright, colourful display. The Amazon fork OS isnt as customisable as stock
Android, but for those looking for a no-fuss UX that just works, the Kindle is a great choice.
199.99
See issue 35
10
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8
Available in both eight and ten-inch models, Lenovo offers an alternative to the rectangular
slab-shaped tablet with the Yoga Tablet. Built with a tube down one side for better grip and using as a
stand for viewing videos, this also houses a large battery that will last longer than most.
169.99
See issue 35
WHETHER YOURE LOOKING FOR A SEVEN-INCH OR TEN-INCH DISPLAY,
THESE ARE THE TOP TABLETS AVAILABLE ON ANDROID TOP 10 BEST TABLETS
NEVER MISS AN
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THE BEST
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The hottest new Android
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ANDROID
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From Tim Browning
Used HTC One (M8)
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Used Samsung Galaxy S3
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STREAM MUSIC FROM
YOUR SMARTPHONE,
TABLET OR PC
Your music + our passion
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.
The Minx Go is the ideal go-anywhere speaker. Using the
latest Bluetooth technology its easy to stream music from your
smartphone, tablet or computer for an epic 18 hours from a single
charge. Dont let its size fool you, the Gos ve-speaker array will ll
a room with beautiful, deep, crisp high quality sound.
Buy online or exclusively from
For more information visit www.cambridgeaudio.com/minx-go
Follow us for the latest news, offers and giveaways
Portable Bluetooth speaker
BRV-X
Rugged, waterproof design
20W of music power
12+ hours battery life
5200mAh powerbank charges
external devices via USB
TrueWireless Technology
allows stereo pairing of a
second BRV-X
Switch between indoor and
outdoor modes to optimise audio
Built-in internal speakerphone
Bluetooth connectivity with NFC
3.5mm line-in and AUX port
Comes with heavy-duty strap
& set of international plug adapters
Black or grey hnishes available
BRV-1
Rugged, waterproof design
W of music power
2 hours battery life
400mAh powerbank charges
xternal devices via USB
Built-in internal speakerphone
3.5mm line-in and AUX port
Comes with lanyard
Black/blue or Black/orange
hnishes available
WORLD-BEATING BRV-X & BRV-1 SPEAKERS
ARE READY FOR ANYTHING INDOORS OR OUT.
WIRELESS.
WATERPROOF.
POWERFUL.
PC MAGAZINE
The BRAVEN BRV-X is a fantastic
portable Bluetooth speaker that delivers
powerful audio in a rugged design
ANDROID MAGAZINE
The BRAVEN BRV-X is a speaker you
should be checking out
GEEKANOIDS
Very highly recommended BRAVEN
make some fantastic speakers
EXPERTS SPEAK!

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