Advantages Of Rooting Your Android Device
Android is emerging as another popular mobile OS rivaling the more established platforms. Android mobile applications have seen a tremendous burst of android development activity with its ever-increasing scope and range. The functionality of your phone can be extended by rooting it. Let us discuss what is rooting and what are the advantages in doing so.
What is Rooting?
Rooting of an Android device is similar to jail breaking of iPhone. Rooting gains you access as a super-user on the Android platform. Rooting your phone implies taking complete control of your phone by modifying the operating system that originally shipped with it. A program called SU (switch user) when uploaded on the device provides root access to programs. SU manages this by exploiting vulnerability in the operating system code or device drivers. Needless to say, manufacturers do not approve the process of rooting. The advantages of rooting your Android device are enumerated below.
Customized Android OS
Android devices are not bound to its original OS. You can customize the OS to suit your needs. The more popular devices have more customized, after-market OSes. Rooting gives you full control over Android and you can alter system files, use themes, change boot images, delete apps that you do not want. For example, HTC Desire has more than 20 customized OSes that allow among other things saving apps to an SD, adding Arabic support, and removing SenseUI completely.
Backup and restore
Rooting gives you the ability to back-up your entire device image onto an SD card, which can be restored later if required. This allows trying out different OSes on your phone. If you want to try a new ROM (modified, after-market OS), you can back-up your phone, erase it completely, and then flash the new ROM. If you are not satisfied with the new ROM, you can restore your phone to the old image from the backup.
Save Space
Sometimes you may reach the maximum storage limit on your device. To overcome this hitch, you need to enable most applications to become movable to an SD. Tools like CyanogenMod, the popular Android custom ROM, enable the user to transfer most apps to SD even if the Android developers of those apps have not enabled this feature.
Apps Requiring Rooting
Some Android apps specifically require rooting. A tool like ROM Manager requires rooting to flash ROMs from SD card to your phone. Similarly, setCPU is another root-requiring app that helps you to under/overclock the device
Caution
Ensure that you follow the instructions carefully when rooting a branded or locked device. Improper execution may result in a bricked phone – a bricked phone is one where the firmware is damaged or a software error has occurred rendering the device unusable in any capacity. In some instances, the phone can be usable through a ROM flash.
Conclusion
Customized Android ROMs have evolved from being simple tweaks earlier to allow advanced full access controls covering most of Android phones today. Hyper-optimized versions and CPU overclocking can make your phone incredible swift. The best way to get started is to Google for information on rooting your phone by the search string ” custom ROM.”
For More Info: Android Development | Android Developers
What’s New in Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich
Android’s latest version, Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), has been out just over a month now. Since this version will be available on mobile phones as well as tablets, the market has seen a lot of great devices that are ready to take advantage of the new features that are available in 4.0. Many of these updates are simply upgrades to some of the already existing features in the operating system. This article talks about what these new features are all about.
New Typeface
The old font, “Droid Sans” is out and a new font, “Roboto” is in. Roboto is a typeface designed for the small, high-resolution screens that mobile phone and tablet users have and brings a slick, updated feel to the interface.
Spell-Checker
In ICS, the dictionary and spell-checking have been updated for better error correction and word suggestion. They have tried to improve the identification of double-typed characters, missing spaces and skipped letters. Word suggestion will now only show three words at a time in the suggestion strip. Spell-checker is probably the best improvement in this group since it will now underline misspelled words and suggest replacement words. You can also add words to the dictionary if it is not recognized.
Screenshots
Taking screenshots is often an important feature for some users and now you do not need to tamper with your Android device or install third-party apps in order to take them. You can now take a screenshot by holding down the volume down key and the power button. This will capture the screen and put it in your photos.
Voice Commands
Android 4.0 now has the capability to receive voice commands. You can use the talk-to-text feature to give your phone commands or dictate text messages.
Updated Camera
While previous versions of Android’s camera were lacking, there have been some great improvements with 4.0 that were gained with some help from Samsung. The camera was also the area where the most upgrades are happening. ICS devices will now have 1080p video, the shutter lag has been removed, easier photo and video sharing, tap-to-focus, face detection, photo filters, and a photo-stitching panorama mode that allows you to move the camera to take one continuous picture.
Many of these features have been long-awaited by Android fans. There is even various photo editing tools to clean up your pictures and easier ways to share with Google+, text message, Bluetooth, Email and Picasa.
Better Browser
The standard browser is the new Chrome mobile Web browser that syncs bookmarks with other versions of Chrome that you have on your desktop or laptop as well as other mobile/tablet devices. The browser can now save pages for offline reading which is great when you are on the road and unsure of your signal availability. Chrome mobile has been updated greatly for speed and now has the capability to open up to 16 tabs for your multi-tasking pleasure.
Android Bump
Sharing information with other Android devices has become a lot easier with a secure Near Field Communication (NFC) app called Android Bump. Based on the NDEF Push technology, this application will allow two Android devices to share websites, maps, contacts, applications and play games together.
Copy and Paste
Copy and paste functionality got a re-vamp and is much easier to use. You can now move around whole blocks of text.
This update only shows how committed Google is to making Android the top mobile operating system. As you can see, there are many great new features in Ice Cream Sandwich that make it a top contender in the mobile and tablet market. This also shows that we can expect many more great new things from Android in the future.
Michael Dorf teaches at LearnComputer (learncomputer.com), which offers instructor-led local, online and onsite Android training for companies and public. Our flagship Android Bootcamp course will get you writing Android apps in just FOUR days! There is simply no better way to learn Android!
Is Amazon AppStore A Good Alternate For Downloading Android Apps
The number of Android applications hosted by Amazon AppStore now goes beyond 4000. There is an Android phone simulator to test the functionality of the Android application that you want to buy. The Android application can be downloaded through the web browser of the computer or through the Amazon AppStore. Some of the prominent reasons for the Amazon plunging into the sale of Android Applications are as follows.
Mouth watering incentives
The Amazon AppStore is organized so systematically and methodically that whoever visits it for the first time feels comfortable at navigating and buying the Android Applications. The incentives offered by the Amazon AppStore are very attractive. A paid application is being offered free for a day by the Amazon AppStore. A prospective buyer of the application are offered a trial period of 30 minutes on certain applications. These applications can be run for only 30 minutes on the virtual phone browser. This helps the buyer to decide whether the application is going to be of any use to him/her and saves him/her from spending on applications that are of no use to him/her.
Viruses
It is known that the Android Market of Google is resistant to viruses. This impression was shattered when the code of 21 famous free android applications were found to be infected with a virus. After incorporating the virus those applications were republished to be sold in the market. The hacked versions or the infected versions of the applications had a code that used to steal the data of the user. This viral code was also able to download excess code after installation of the hacked application. The devices were being hijacked through this hacked application. The Google was quick at response and launched an antidote “kill switch” to get rid of the hacked application form the Android phones affected by the virus. Google has now come out with a security tool for the Android phone users to get rid of infected applications.
Centralized Distribution
The official market of Android is the single central location for buying and downloading the Android Applications. The Android community puts in meticulous efforts to regulate, and moderate the applications so that they are free of viruses. When the user tries to find and download applications from unauthorized sources, the chances of downloading infected applications increase drastically. This implies that the applications should be downloaded from legitimate and reliable sources. The Amazon AppStore by offering Android applications for sale is one way contributing to the popularity of the Android phones and on the other hand offering an alternate source to buy and download the Android Applications.
Finally it depends on the Android phone user whether to source the application from Android Market or Amazon AppStore.
Copyright © 2011
Spinx, a Professional Android App Development company, is expert at Mobile Applications Development including Android App, iPhone App and Blackberry Apps Development services.
Ten of the Best Free Android News Apps
One of the most logical and useful groupings of applications are the Android news apps. It just makes sense to have one or more of these free apps on your phone so you can get the news you want when you want. Typically, all the bigger news sources provide their applications free of charge making these free news apps an even bigger no-brainer. This leaves everyone with one big decision to make: which one(s) to download. A secondary concern you should also consider is whether you want a local news app. Again, these are almost always free to download; however, the quality of these varies tremendously and it’s really a market-by-market issue. Of course, the bigger the market the better their Android news apps should be and this line of thinking usually holds true.
Regarding which of the many free Android news apps to download, the only way to figure it out is to learn more about them. Here is some periphery information about 10 of the best Android news apps:
FOX News
Like the TV channel and programming, this free Android app tends to provide its news from the more conservative point of view and spectrum. FOX News provides users with the latest news and updates from the people behind the FOX News Network. You can control the number of feeds and the type of news items you receive!
Tech Buzz Widget
Want to know the latest about technology, including any and all news about the Android OS, gaming, and mobile gadgets? If so, this free Android news app is the right app for you.
Phandroid
This is another app providing news on the mobile technologies niche. This one is more specialized toward information, news and rumors on all the latest about the Android OS and the Android Market.
Pulse News Reader
This Android news app will basically make you want to use your Android phone more and more for the sake of gathering news information. Its goal is to make reading your favorite news sources easier and more efficiently. It takes your favorite news sites and separates and orders them into a completely different look that’s easier to read and browse through. It really is a great app to have.
NYTimes for Android phone
This is one of the apps that nothing should need to be said about. It’s from one of the most trusted and popular news sources in the world. Now, you can read the famous NY TIMES articles without paying for the paper!
AP Mobile
This is one of the favorite free Android news apps of tens of thousands of users. AP Mobile gives you exclusive access to all Associated Press news feeds – the same source that provides news to every news outlet throughout the world.
BBC News
This app provides the latest headlines from one of the most trusted news sources in the world. It’s very compact and convenient; you will never miss an important world news event again with BBC News on your Android phone.
Express News
One of the most worthwhile free Android news apps around, Express News gives you instant access to more than 300 news providers all over the world. From the AFP and Associated Press to more localized sources like the Canadian Press. This list goes on and on and is great for those who like to take in the news from a multitude of sources.
USATODAY
The official USA Today app is definitely one of the best free Android news apps around. Get the latest news (current events, sports, weather, society and more) from one of the mot circulated newspapers in the United States.
NewsRob (Google Reader / RSS)
This free Android app is an RSS/Atom newsreader that syncs the most recent articles and content from feeds. It is auto-synced with Google Reader and allows for partial feeds in case you want to read the articles offline. Easily said, it’s one of the very best RSS/Atom readers available.
I own one of the Best Android Apps sites where you can find information on every Android app.
The main goal of the site is to provide everyone an easy way to read about all of the Android apps. If you’re more interested in reading more articles like this one instead of browsing the apps, please check out my blog focusing on the Top Android Apps.
Android OS – Finally a Stable Mobile OS
Many of us have heard of Android phones before we even knew what Android is. Android Operating Systems have been very popular since the release of touchscreen tablets and mobile phones. Not only does it appeal to users of all ages because of its colorful logos and games, it has also attracted millions of application developers around the world.
What exactly is Android?
Android is a mobile operating system initially developed by Android Inc. In 2005, it was bought by Google. Android is based on a modified version of the Linux kernel. It has a large community of developers and programmers writing applications that extend the functionality of mobile devices. The Android Market in turn is the online application store ran by Google through which the applications can be downloaded.
The Android OS software stack consists of Java applications running on a Java based object-oriented application framework on top of Java core libraries running on a Dalvik Virtual Machine. There are also libraries written in C, which includes the OpenCore media framework, SQLite, etc. Thus, developers who are currently writing Android applications mostly write in the Java language.
In short, the Android operating system consists of 12 million lines of code including 3 million lines of XML, 2.8 million lines of C, 2.1 millions lines of Java and 1.75 million lines of C++.
The Future of Android
In February 2010, ComScore said the Android platform had 9.0% of the U.S. smartphone market, as measured by current mobile subscribers. In May 2010, Android’s first quarter U.S. sales surpassed that of the rival iPhone platform. According to a report by the NPD group, Android achieved 28% smartphone sales in the US market, up 8% from the December quarter. In early October 2010, Google added 20 countries to its list of approved submitters. By mid-October, purchasing apps will be available in a total of 32 countries. As of December 2010[update] Google said over 300,000 Android phones were being activated daily.
Here is list of the most popular mobile operating systems and their corresponding market share.
1. Symbian – 36.6%
2. Android – 25.5%
3. iOS – 16.7%
4. RIM – 14.8%
5. Windows – 2.8%
6. Linux – 2.1%
7. Others – 1.5%
Clearly, the Android OS is currently dominating the mobile OS market. Statistics show that it has surpassed iOS, the operating system used by Apple devices, such as the new IPhone4. So if you’re looking to buy a new smart phone or looking for a good platform to develop applications, you might want to look into Android.
Gerald Keffler is a professional blogger and writer.
He is currently writing reviews for Cheap Nokia Phones [http://cheapnokiaphones.com], which provides quality reviews of affordable nokia phones [http://cheapnokiaphones.com].
Samsung Exhibit II 4G Prepaid Android Phone (T-Mobile)
Free Shipping Available |
HTC USB/ Micro USB Data Cable DC-M400 for HD2, HD mini, Aria, Legend, Desire A8181, Wildfire, 4G Evo Supersonic, Droid Incredible
|
Universal Capacitive Stylus Pen for Amazon Kindle Fire & Touch 3G, Apple iPad 2, iPhone 4s, Droid Bionic, Accessory for All TouchScreen Devices
|
New Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Features That Make Your Phone a Joy to Use
A complete and harmonious combination of two substances can create a complete and beautiful result. In like manner, the natural sweetness of Android 3.0 Honeycomb and the crispy layers of Android 2.3 Gingerbread have resulted in a new, tastier treat for Android smartphones and Android tablets–Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Google has been aiming to unite the multiple Android versions into just one version so that one and only one Android runs on whatever device–be it an Android smartphone, Android tablet, Android portable media player, Android TV, Android watch, or wherever else the little green robot can make waves.
What glad tidings does Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) bring to its users? What better experiences can we expect from it? Read on to know more about how Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is being true to Google’s description of it: “the best Android we’ve ever made yet.”
Multi-tasking Button
Android 4.0 includes a virtual button that allows you to browse and instantly switch to apps you recently used. The list displays thumbnail images of apps–instead of just icons–so you can see which part of the apps are currently working in the background.
And, if you want to throw away or discard an item on the list, simply flick the thumbnail in order to remove it from the list.
Instant Screenshots with Button Press
There are many instances in which you’d like to share to others what is currently displayed on your screen. There are also times when you just need to save a screenshot for later use. In previous versions of Android, you could take screenshots by installing apps for that purpose. In Android 4.0, it’s a built-in feature.
By holding the Power and Volume Down buttons together, your Android smartphone lets you capture screen images instantly.
Improved Notification Bar
There are several improvements that Google has done to the Notification Bar in Android 4.0. For instance, it can now be pulled down from the Lock Screen. Another is that you can discard items from the list of notifications by simply flicking an item to the right. This means that you can remove items on the Notification Bar one by one.
In previous versions of Android, it’s either you clear all notifications with one tap or you leave all of them untouched.
The Notification Bar no longer shows a grid layout of recently used apps. Instead, in Ice Cream Sandwich, those apps are shown as a vertical-scrolling strip of app thumbnails. You can also directly control music playback right on the Notification Bar.
Improved Text and Voice Input
The stock keyboard in Android 4.0 has been given more love. It is now faster and more responsive compared to previous versions of Android. The suggestion strip is more accurate now and also includes an in-line spell checker. With one tap, you can select suggested words or add new words to the dictionary.
Copy-and-paste functionality has also been made easier. Just tap and hold down on the selected word, and drag the handles to highlight the selected words. Then you can select “Copy and Paste” from the popup menu, or simply drag the highlighted chunk of text to wherever you wish to insert it.
Google has also incorporated voice-to-text input in Ice Cream Sandwich. Just speak, and the phone converts your spoken words into text. It’s a great way to easily and effortlessly “type” text. With Ice Cream Sandwich, voice input is more accurate and can also translate expressions into symbols.
It also accounts for pauses, so you don’t have to press anything while thinking of an appropriate response.
Face Unlock
Say goodbye to passwords, PIN codes, and patterns. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has personalized phone unlocking much further. With the new Face Unlock feature, an Android smartphone or Android tablet can now recognize the face of its owner.
Just by focusing your face clearly on the secondary front-facing camera of your device, you can unlock your phone instantly. No typing needed. No need to remember passwords. Just look into the camera and let the device recognize you.
Data Usage Monitoring
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich also includes a new graphical display of the data your Android phone is using. You can set warnings for exceeding data usage limits, as well as set how much background data each app can use. Users can have more control over their Android device with this neat option in ICS.
Android 4.0 also comes with improved apps, which can be categorized into three: the core apps (i.e., Google mobile apps such as Android Browser, Gmail, and Calendar), Photos, and People.
Android Beam
Support for Near Field Communication (NFC) is baked into Android 4.0, and Google has made sure that Ice Cream Sandwich has a ready app to leverage the technology.
Called Android Beam, the app revolutionizes the way that people share files and data among one another. With NFC and Android Beam, one can send a file to another user simply by bringing two Android phones close to each other and tapping the phones against each other. Any file can be shared in this manner–photos, documents, maps, apps, bookmarks, and so on.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich surely packs a fresh new look and exciting new features that will truly make your device perform better as a smartphone. With Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich soon replacing the older versions of Android on recent Android smartphones, these new features will eventually start a new wave of more convenient and more efficient use of Android smartphones and Android tablets.
About this Author
Eager to know more about Android smartphones and Android tablets? Or, perhaps, you already own one and want to know what else that intelligent device can do to make your life just a little bit short of paradise? Learn more about Android smartphones and read Android news at AndroidTidBits.com.
Why Switch From iPhone to Android?
When the iPhone was first released, it was a game changer in the mobile device space. Now that Android based devices have hit the market, some people are starting to rethink their iPhones. There are a number of compelling reasons to give up your iPhone for Android.
Notification System. One reason to switch from iPhone to Android is the Android’s robust and unified notification system. Unlike the iPhone, Android has a single notification system that developers can tap into when developing applications. This means that the Android can provide notifications of various things like weather alerts, Facebook notifications, new tweets, and much more. The Android truly excels at keeping up with the flow of information all around you.
Easy Connectivity Settings. The Android devices also have an easy way to access the various connectivity settings. On the iPhone you have to dig into the settings menus to turn Wi-Fi ON or OFF or to change a phone network, GPS or Bluetooth configuration. Android makes it much simpler to control your connectivity. The power management widget allows you to easily toggle GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth ON and OFF right from your home screen. And turning off the phone network is as simple as holding the “end” key and selecting “airplane mode”.
Web Browser. One of the most compelling reasons to choose Android is the web browsing experience. The Android browser is incredibly fast and very capable. Unlike Safari for the iPhone, it also supports Flash, allowing you to watch videos or play games directly on web pages.
Integration with Google. Obviously, an Android device will be tightly integrated with Google applications. It really goes further than that though. Android syncs its contacts with Gmail. This allows you to easily manage your contacts on either your phone or the desktop. In fact, a number of applications save their information to the Google cloud. And you are not required to use iTunes to sync your phone. This makes dumping the iPhone for Android especially attractive to those using Linux, and unable to run iTunes.
Multiple Carriers. Being locked into a single carrier is the biggest reason that you might want to consider Android over iPhone. Android devices are available on a number of carrier networks so you truly have choice over who you want to use for your mobile service. With the iPhone, you are locked into AT&T for service.
Open-Source. Finally, Android is an open-source system. While that is less of a factor to some people, it is very important to others. Open-source means developers and hardware makers have much more control over how they can customize the Android devices. It also means that no one company has complete control over Android. Many users are frustrated by the iPhone’s lack of support for Flash. On Android, even if it did not already support Flash, developers would be able to add support since it is an open-source system.
There are a number of compelling reasons to consider switching from iPhone to Android. Android provides a single notification system, easy access to connectivity settings, a fantastic web browsing experience, and tight integration with Google applications. You also get to choose your carrier. Finally, as an open-source system, Android allows developers to customize it in ways unimaginable with the iPhone. Choosing between iPhone and Android can be tough, but Android does offer a host of “addictive” features that enrich your mobile experience.
About this Author
LearnComputer! provides instructor-led computer training solutions for individuals, small businesses, and corporations. Choose from beginner to advanced courses in Java, Android, Networking, Databases, SQL, Linux, MySQL and PHP.
http://www.learncomputer.com
