App Updates

Gmail - Chapter 10

In what is bound to be the first of many app updates mentioned here on Wambooli, the Gmail app has some new features as of January 2011. I review the most obvious feature here.

Facebook - Chapter 12

It's not a common update, but the Facebook app does change and those changes make it behave differently from what's described in the book. Click here to review the latest Facebook app update.

Google Maps - Chpater 14

The Maps app updates quite frequently, which means that what you see on your phone may not always match what's printed in in the book. Click here to read about some of the latest features in Google Maps.

YouTube - Chapters 15 & 18

The YouTube app has a new look and feel, plus some minor changes that affect the book. See the errata (above) for details specific to your book. General information on the YouTube update is found here.

Android Market - Chapter 19

The Android Market app is now the Google Play Store. Read my update information here for a quick overview of the changes.

Errata

For information on the Gingerbread update, read my blog post here.

Page 10

The phone number listed for Motorola support may have been changed. It's still listed as a valid number on Motorola's web site, but when you dial the number you'll hear a rude message.

Page 40

In the third check mark, you do repeat the same steps, and you slide the Silencer button to the left, not the right. The Silencer button becomes the Un-Silencer button when the phone is silenced. So sliding it to the left again disables silent mode and returns the Droid X to its normal, noisy operation.

Page 51

In the intro list ("In This Chapter"), there is an item that refers to the sliding keyboard. There is no sliding keyboard on the Droid X. (This errata applies to the first printing only.)

Page 52

Figure 4-1 references the Microphone key as the keyboard settings key, which is incorrect. The Keyboard Settings key is the gear key in the lower left corner of the keyboard. You can also press that key to see the numeric symbol keyboard.

Page 58

Skype is not covered in Chapter 5 as mentioned on this page. Skype Mobile is covered briefly in Chapter 9, but more specifically in Chapter 20 on page 264.

Page 83

The callouts in Figure 5-5 are incorrect: Incoming calls have a green arrow pointing left; outgoing calls have a blue arrow pointing right.

Page 113

Figure 8-5 no longer represents the way the Droid X lets you crop an image. The new method puts the re-size buttons on the edge of the crop box, not the corners. Also, the rotate button is no longer present.

Page 136

The Gmail interface has changed. Figure 10-4 is affected. See my update for Gmail here.

Page 141

The first Step 3 (for Gmail) you'll find the Settings command by choosing More.

The second Step 3 (for Email) the Email Settings command is visible without having to choose the More command first.

Page 170

When mounted on your PC, the Droid X may produce an icon in the Computer window titled CD Drive (x:) Motorola. Don't bother opening that icon unless you want to install the Motorola software into your PC. The icon disappears from the Computer window when you unmount the Droid X.

Page 172

In the first paragraph (after the sidebar), the reference should be to Figure 13-2, not Figure 13-1.

Chapter 14

The Maps app gets changed quite a bit by Google. Click here to read about the most recent changes.

Page 206

The Gallery is now organized into "piles" of images, not the list shown in Figure 16-1. It's only a visual change, as the Gallery still works the same when browsing images.

Page 216

The YouTube app has been updated. You can read an overview of the changes here. Specifically on Page 216, you need to choose the My Channel command instead of the My Account command to view recently-uploaded videos.

Pages 242 & 243

Again, the YouTube update has changed some of the text. The updated app looks subtly different from Figure 18-6. From the top of page 243, videos can be played in vertical orientation. Read more about the YouTube app's changes here.

Page 275

The screen locks are now all kept in one category, Set Up Screen Lock, on the Location & Security Settings screen. In Step 4 (bottom part of the page), choose Set Up Screen Lock (or Change Screen Lock), then on the next screen choose Pattern; ignore Steps 5 and 6.

For details on working the new locks, read my dispatch here.

Page 277

Similar to the new steps for setting a pattern lock, to set a passcode, choose the item Set Up Screen Lock or Change Screen Lock, then choose PIN or Password. Choosing PIN lets you input a number code, Password lets you type in a password using numbers, letters, and symbols.

To remove the Pattern, PIN, or password lock you need to choose None as the phone's screen lock.

Page 279

The option Phone Vibrate is now titled Vibrate. Choosing that option displays a menu from which you can choose when and how the phone will vibrate.

Page 280

Screen brightness has an extra setting: Automatic Brightness. If you choose that option, the Droid X uses an optical sensor to set how bright the display appears. Un-check that option to see the slider, referenced in the book.

Also on Page 280: The Ringer Volume item is now just "Volume." Choosing that option lets you set sliders for each type of sound-making thing in the phone: Ringtone, Media, and Alarm. If you remove the check mark by the notifications setting, you can also individually set the notifications volume.

Page 285

The Battery Manager has changed to display a large battery meter, then an option for Battery Mode. To see what's using battery power, in Step 4 touch the large battery icon.

Page 286

Battery management has changed. There are now three modes: Maximum, which is similar to Battery Saver Mode mentioned in the book; Nighttime, similar to Smart Mode; and Performance Mode, which is the same.

Page 287

In Step 4, choose Battery Mode instead of Battery Profile. Choose one of the three preset modes, or choose Custom Battery Saver, which basically modifies the time settings for the Nighttime Saver mode, similar to the Smart Mode described in the book. To modify Custom Battery Saver mode, touch the gear icon to the right of that menu item, then make the settings on the screen that appears.

Updates

Gingerbread Operating System Update

The latest version of the Android operating system, code named Gingerbread (version 2.3) was made available for the Droid X on Verizon effective June 1, 2011. The update affects all the images in the book as well as the way the Home screen, Notifications, and other items work. An overview of the update is offered in my blog post here.

Screen Lock Update

As noted above, there are now four screen locks used on the Droid X. Read my dispatch here to learn how they work.