What version of Android do I have?

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9 months ago
by admin in

Android 2.3 Gingerbread is out of the bag and eventually will make its way to phones. But many of you are still waiting on Froyo. And in the meantime, there can be a bit of confusion over which version of Android you’re actually running. The easy way to check is to press the menu button, then go to settings. The scroll down (it’s usually at the bottom) and choose “About phone.” You should see a screen like the ones above. (Note that HTC phones may make you go deeper, into “Software Information.”

What you’re looking for is “Android version.” You should have Android 2.1-update 1, or Android 2.2, or Android 2.2.1. What you’re not looking for is “Software version.” On the Droid X (which you see above on the left), it may be a bit confusing, because the software version is 2.3.xxx. But that doesn’t mean you’re running Android 2.3. (Sorry.) No, just look for the Android Version line and you’ll be all set.

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Change your screen’s brightness level

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9 months ago
by admin in
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So you’ve got this snazzy new phone, with some snazzy “Super AMOLED” or “SLCD” or ”AMOLED” or “LCD” screen — or whatever the tech buzzword of the week happens to be.

Your phone has a sensor (also called an ambient light sensor) that automatically adjusts the brightness on the screen depending on how bright it is where you happen to be. (That’s the “ambient light” part.) You’ll likely notice your phone’s screen doing dim or brightening throughout the day. The idea is to keep it low, but not too low, to save on battery life.

But what if it’s just not bright enough for you? Go to Menu>Settings>Display>Brightness and uncheck the “Automatic brightness” box. You’ll now have a slider with which you can adjust your screen.

Most phones (especially those on Froyo) also have widgets that let you adjust to low, medium and high brightness.

We don’t recommend running around with your phone’s screen turned up all the way, but you’re free to do so if you want. Just don’t come complaining to us about how quickly your battery drains.

How to tell if your phone is rooted

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9 months ago
by admin in
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It’s a question get all the time: ”Is my phone rooted? How can I tell?”  Maybe you picked up your new Android phone second-hand (it’s a great way to save some cash, and there are a lot of great used Android phones out there!), or the cryptic directions for rooting your particular phone seemed to forget an easy way to check if it was successful, or maybe your crazy brother was messing with it while you were in the shower.

No matter the reason, checking if your rooted is easy as pie, and is a quick introduction to a tool you might very well be using now that you’ve switched to the dark side and rooted your phone.

Open the Android Market and search for a terminal client.  There’s several free ones, and they all work great.  If I was forced to recommend one, I would choose Connectbot, but any of them will work.

Open the terminal app, read through the instructions (if any) you see, and you’ll be faced with a text entry prompt.  If your prompt is the pound sign ( # ) — you’re rooted.  If you see a dollar sign ( $ ), try entering the command “su” (without the quote marks).  You might see a dialog asking for permission from the SuperUser app, which you can safely grant.  If the prompt changes to the pound sign, you’re rooted.

Remember, root is the boss.  You can do anything while you’re root, including many things that can “break” the OS and cause all sorts of trouble.  Read all the guides and warnings before you try anything

Free, simple screen sharing

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9 months ago
by admin in
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Join.me removes the pain from screen sharing. Even your grandma should be able to share her screen with you. (Not that you would want her to.)

Here’s what you do:

  • After downloading the app, direct your colleagues to https://join.me to start a meeting.
  • Once they “Share” their screen, it generates a secure nine-digit meeting code.
  • You type that into your join.me app and you see their screen. It offers a dial-in number too.
  • Phone too small? If you have a pc nearby, just click on the link from your friend. Voila, you see their screen! Nothing to install.

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Allow app installs from ‘unknown sources’

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9 months ago
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There comes a time in every Android user’s life where you want to install an app not found in the Android Market. If it’s your first time, you’re greeted with, “For security, your phone is set to block installation of applications not obtained from the Android Market” message as you try to install. But how do we get there?

To allow app installs from non-Market apps, tap the menu button on your home screen, then choose Settings >> Applications >> Unknown sources.

Who are these “Unknown sources,” and what do they want? Simply put, it’s anything other than the Android Market. Could be an app sent by e-mail. Or downloaded from a website.

If you’re worried about the security implications of allowing unknown sources, there’s an easy fix — install the app from outside the Android Market, and then hit the checkbox again to turn them back off.

If you’re on an AT&T phone, you won’t have this option, but Android Central’s got you covered. Head on over to our very own Sideload Wonder Machine on the forums to get your non-Market install on.

Speed up (+secure) your internet and save battery life

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9 months ago
by admin in
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Y5 is a battery saver app that automatically connects to known WIFI locations. If there are no known spots, it turns off your WIFI and saves battery.

With congested mobile internet connections, most providers are throttling your speed when you go over. Connecting over WIFI is the only way to speed-up your browsing.

Y5 also makes sure you don’t connect to unauthorized WIFI connections. Thats how Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook account was was hacked (also Ashton Kutcher’s twitter).

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