Some Android phones, specifically those from Samsung, sport a nifty tool called Do Not Disturb mode. This feature should be mandatory on all phones.
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May 6, 2015Do Not Disturb Mode
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April 17, 2015The Cost of a Free AppIsn’t it just great that you can obtain a free or “Lite” version of a Game? Yeah, you’re racking up the savings, say 99 cents a pop, but perhaps there’s a bigger cost involved, one that weighs more heavily on your Android phone or tablet than the price of the full app.
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March 30, 2015Android Navigation Icon HistoryTechnology tends toward improvement. This improvement is positive, based on real life feedback. And overlooking Windows 8, mostly it’s successful. As a case in point, consider the basic navigation icons used in the Android operating system.
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March 27, 2015Deciphering the App Description ScreenThe Google Play Store has come a long way from the old Android Market. The modern version of the Android app store — Oops! I can’t call it that. Thanks, Apple! &mdash has lots of good features and provides excellent information for everything it offers. The key is understanding how that stuff is presented.
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March 6, 2015Mobile Bookmark Speed TrickI’m all for creating bookmarks of your favorite web pages. Building such bookmarks on a phone or tablet works the same as on a computer. Using the bookmarks, however, works excruciatingly slow on a mobile device. So I’m offering a clever shortcut.
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February 20, 2015Barcode ScanningWhat is that thing, that weird design? You see them all over, but in fact the marketing drones are using them less and less. They’ve become passé in some circles, like the Comic Sans font (which is another story).
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February 9, 2015Office for AndroidThe other day I was delighted to find Microsoft Office apps in the Google Play Store. Being a Word maven, I obtained the Microsoft Word app for my tablet. It was free. That was the best part. Then the experience started to go downhill.
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January 21, 2015Your Phone’s Camera AppOne of the most common things you find on an Android phone is a camera. One of the most irregular things you’ll find on an Android phone is the software that runs the camera.
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January 16, 2015Windows 8 and Your AndroidMy Android For Dummies books describe how to transfer files between a computer and your mobile device. I don’t get into specifics on Windows 8, mostly because only about a dozen people use Windows 8. Just this past week, one of those 12 wrote me to ask how the Android-Windows 8 file transfer works. Here’s my answer!
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January 5, 2015Going Rogue with Cellular ServiceYou’ve heard the terms “unlocked phone.” Sometimes they’re called “loose.” Basically, it’s a phone without service or anyway tied into any specific provider. People who buy these phones pay a lot for them — full price, up to $700. So are they insane or do they just know something the rest of the world hasn’t yet discovered. |