» SAMSUNG » HTC » SONY » NEXUS

E
ID
W
GU
NE
»100% unofficial
S
R’
[Link]
YE
BU

»App reviews » Tips & advice

» Hardware tested » Hacking
ANDROID L POWER UP
CHROMECAST
GET IT NOW!
First look and top tips
DE-GOOGLE
YOUR DEVICE 35 apps to enhance your
streaming experience
for the new Android Remove bloatware to
free up memory

EXPERT BOOST YOUR

RUN A
DUAL OS
Run both Android
PHON BATTERY
Kill apps instantly to
conserve power

and Linux

Essential tricks to
make your phone
your own
ULTRA-FAST
DOWNLOADS
ANDROID ONE
ED R?

Supercharge your
IEW LE

Wi-Fi speeds Google’s masterplan for the

EV IL

next billion users revealed

G E 3R K

TOP APPS TO ALSO INSIDE

LG ON

» OnePlus One
AUTOMATE TASKS » Galaxy Note 10.1
iPH

Set your phone to perform jobs instantly ISSUE 41 » HTC Desire 610
[Link]

[Link]
 Welcome
ON [Link] To issue 41 «

REVIEW
We’ve got the latest

Welcome
Android devices on test

LG G3
“The ace in the
pack for the LG G3
is its screen”
p82
“Google whet our appetite with Android’s
gorgeous new design, lockscreen notifications,
4K video streaming and battery-saving features”
MY HOME SCREEN
S
ome thought it would be
‘lollipop’, others ‘liquorice,’ a
On (and off) Jack’s few even said ‘limoncello.’ In
phone this month… the days leading up to Google I/O,
One Plus One many Android fans sounded like kids
“The phone is in a sweet shop as they debated
what confectionary would inspire
unquestionably targeted EverythingMe Yahoo Sport Android 5.0’s name. However, come
at enthusiasts” the event, Google whet our appetite
with Android’s gorgeous new design, lockscreen
p86
APPS

APPS
OUT

notifications, 4K video streaming and battery-saving

IN

features, but refused to refer to it as anything other than

Udacity Slingshot ‘Android L’. Worse still, Google said we could look but not
This month
touch – official rollout for this new OS wouldn’t come until
I’ve been using: the autumn. And we didn’t think that was fair.
LG G3
The first next-gen
True, those with a Nexus device and the technical
phone looks great, know-how can install the Android L Developer Preview and
and the 2K screen is
Leo’s Fortune out of this world Smash Hit 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 notifications and the phone-wiping
HTC Desire kill-switch, we take you through Android L’s key features
610 and tell you which ones you can get now and how.
For those that want to go deeper, try our Expert Hacks
“ ticks a lot of the
boxes for today’s mid-
GET IN TOUCH guide for ten top upgrades to make to your rooted device.
Let us know what you’d From supercharging your Wi-Fi for lightning-fast downloads
range customers” like to see in next issue… to creating your own app widgets, it offers step-by-step

p88 »facebook /littlegreenrobot

tutorials to making your Android phone your own.
Enjoy the mag!
Like us on Facebook to send us
your comments

»email
qa@[Link]
Drop us an email and let us know what
you’d like to see in the mag

»twitter @lgrobot Jack Parsons

Follow us on Twitter and send us
your thoughts Deputy Editor
[Link] 3
Contents
»Inside issue 40
[Link]
[Link]

CONTENTS
28 Exclusive subscription offer » 54 Special offer for USA eaders

Launcher Previews,
news and
speculation
1 THE
from the
Android world
G W
06 Android One
Google’s masterplan for the
next billion users revealed
NE D
09 Photo apps
Snap, store and edit your
images with these essential
photo apps

10 The pocket-sized NOW! » x xx

o
x
k
xx
and top s
xx
xxxxxxxtip
projector First lor Android L
This Android-powered smart fo
projector is highly portable

TRANSFORM
YOUR PHONE BOOST YOUR
Get Android’s new BATTERY LIFE
Material Design on Supercharge your
your device device with
Project Volta

UPGRADE LOGIN WITH

GOOGLE NOW ANDROID WEAR
Your virtual assistant New sensors will
12 10 things to do is better than replace your
with your old phone ever passwords
Instead of selling it, why not
hack it, give it to charity or even
use to make
you money

13 HTC’s
Dot View 06 24 Upgrade your
Chromecast
is now Discover
smarter how
than ever Android
The Dot View One is
app adds new
features to the
going to
smart case take over
the world
14
Messages
We delve into our virtual mailbag
to hear the latest reader rants
on all things Android

4 [Link]
 Visit the Android Magazine online shop at
Contents
Hacker
[Link]
for back issues and books
Inside issue 40 «

Zone 55
your Android phone
10 Expert
Explore the limits of 70 Phone Hacks
Hacking tips
and tricks
Apps
Your complete
guide to
Reviews
Cutting-edge tablets and
Tutorials
Essential guides to getting more
Google Play
72 App reviews
The latest apps on test
smartphones on test from your phone or tablet
80 Video-editing apps
82 Reviews 30 Automate your phone Editing suites go head-to-head
82 LG G3 Make your phone work as you want it to by
86 One Plus One automating tasks with apps instead of hacks 81 Game reviews
88 HTC Desire 610 The latest games reviewed

90 Accessories
Featuring the Spaced360
App review index
speaker and the Universal 34 Tutorials 72 Sunrise Calendar
Charging Station 34 Use external plug-ins in Sunrise 73 SwiftKey Keyboard
Calendar
36 Stream Dropbox to your TV 73 Copy Bubble
The definitive 82 37 Recalibrate your battery 73 Ready Contact List

94 list of the
best gadgets LG G3
without root
38 Create formulas in Google Sheets
40 Blacklist spam numbers
with Truecaller
73
74
74
Vibify
Endless TV
Parallels Access
45 Take notes during calls with 74 Owly
NOTEify 75 PhonoPaper
46 Use Hibernate to freeze
75 Gardens
background processes
48 Track your app usage with 75 Gardenate
Frequency 75 iScape Lite
49 Automatically store copied 75 Garden Manager: Plant Alarm
data with EverClip
76 Lumosity
76 Quip
50 Droid Support
Readers’ questions answered, plus 76 Instagram
troubleshooting tips and tricks 77 1Password
78 Selphee
78 The Guardian
78 Echo Lockscreen
79 Reddit offline
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

90 Headphones head-to-head 81
81
Hitman GO
Worms 3

[Link]
Check
»[Link]
our website daily
for even more news
5
 [Link]

All the latest from the world of Android devices

Android One:
Google’s
masterplan
for the next
billion users
One platform to rule them all? How Google
plans to conquer the growing market
in Asia and beyond

Key features FM radio: Another important feature users in

big
developing nations often rely on
Stock Android: Undiluted version of KitKat
THE STORY Low cost: Google promises the phone can be
put together for less than $100 together with Google Play access
Data Deals: Google is planning to partner with
Dual SIM: Rare in the UK and the US but seen as
a standard feature in India carriers to provide discount data plans

G
oogle treated us to a ton of new
announcements at I/O this year, but one of package – the same one used on the Nexus and different. Most users are still on budget feature
the most crucial initiatives for Google’s Google Play Edition devices – then working with phones, connectivity is patchy, and handsets often
mobile future was easily missed, as it wasn’t OEMs and carriers to give new customers the double as radios or document scanners in the
directly aimed at the US and European markets. handsets and data packages they need. Essentially, absence of other technology. Smartphone use is
Android One, a new hardware and software spec for Google gives manufacturers everything they need expected to explode in India over the next year or
low-end smartphones in developing nations, is except the raw materials to build the product. two, which is why Google is making its move now,
intended to help Google expand the reach of its You can think of it as a Nexus programme for the with Micromax, Karbonn and Spice as its first
mobile OS in countries like India, China and beyond. developing world, with a lower set of hardware hardware partners.
What exactly is it, then? Google is using the term specifications, special features (such as dual SIM On stage at Google I/O in San Francisco, Google
“Android One” to refer to a set of hardware capabilities) that are popular in these markets, and Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai showed off a
standards for smartphone manufacturers, more control from Google over how the overall Micromax Android One device that costs less than
standards which it hopes will speed up the process package is delivered. $100. Featuring the FM radio and removable SD
of developing budget handsets in emerging In countries like India, where the Android One cards demanded by the Indian market, it will run
markets. Google is also providing the stock Android scheme is starting, the mobile landscape looks a lot stock Android and have full access to the Google

6 [Link]
 Stay up to date »twitter
[Link]
Catch up with the latest @lgrobot
Follow us on Twitter for
Android news and gossip the latest updates

“The Android One

program will move
more phone
designs to KitKat“
Wayne Lam, IHS

Play store, an attempt to stay on top of any potential

fragmentation. “I’m used to cutting-edge phones,
and I’ve 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 can’t wait to see the impact that
it’s going to have. If you look at all the OEMs in these
countries, each of them has to reinvent the wheel, Manufacturers can follow the framework laid down by Google to build phones more easily
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 isn’t the only company interested in
reaching this potentially lucrative market, and it’s
unlikely to have everything its own way – it faces a
particularly tough fight 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.
Google has already signed up three hardware partners in India The first phone to follow the Android One guidelines will be a
and is working with carriers too sub-$100 device from Micromax
The Chinese problem
Analysts believe it’s a move that Google had to OEMs continue to rely on 256MB versions running program, if adopted widely will move more phone
make, but one which isn’t necessarily going to be Gingerbread and are able to reach new lows in designs to KitKat. However, that would mean a
successful. “With Android One, [Indian OEMs] are price,” said Lam. minimum set of hardware requirements that some
buying into a network of component suppliers and “I see the Android One program as more a way to low-cost Chinese OEMs are unwilling to take.”
manufacturers that have scale and scope to contain the hardware fragmentation within the We also got the thoughts of Rob Enderle, veteran
manufacture their latest designs at a shorter time,” industry rather than offering something new in technology analyst at the Enderle Group. He sees
said Wayne Lam, Senior Telecom Electronics developing market smartphone design and this as a move from Google to become more
Analyst at IHS. It will be less appealing to Chinese manufacturing,” added Lam when we spoke to him. Apple-like – in controlling the hardware and software
OEMs, he told us, as these manufacturers don’t “The fragmentation issue is clear when still a ecosystem – without taking on the risk of actually
make use of Google Play and already have low-cost significant amount of Android devices still run three manufacturing devices itself. “Since most of the
hardware reference points to rely on. “Chinese or four year old versions of Android. The Android One profits for Android phones flow directly to Google

Android One vs the competition

Micromax Android One Nokia X2 Alcatel One Touch Fire Micromax Canvas Entice
technical specs *rumoured technical specs technical specs technical specs
» Price..................... Under »Price.....................$135/£78 »Price.....................$100/£58 »Price.....................$117/£68
$100/£58 »Processor........1.2GHz »Processor........1GHz »Processor........1.2GHz
» Processor........ 1.2GHz dual-core single-core quad-core
dual-core* »Memory............1GB »Memory............512GB »Memory............512MB
» Memory............ 512MB* »Camera.............5-MP »Camera.............3.2-MP »Camera.............5-MP
» Camera............. 5-MP* »Battery...............1800mAh »Battery...............1400mAh »Battery...............1900mAh
» Battery............... TBC »Display size....4.3-inch »Display size....3.5-inch »Display size....Five-inch
» Display size.... 4.5-inch »Display resolution... »Display resolution... »Display resolution...
» Display resolution ... 800 x 480 pixels 320 x 480 pixels 480 x 800 pixels
960 x 540 pixels*

VERDICT With competing handsets offering similar specs, software may be the key for Android One. We’ll have to wait and see which
smartphone offers the best user experience – the winner takes all in the new, emerging markets

[Link] 7
 [Link]
»[Link]
Visit us daily for news and more

through advertising this is an attempt to get

most of the profits while passing most of the risks
to others,” Enderle told us.
India’s mobile explosion
That might not be a scenario that the hardware
OEMs are particularly happy with, as they carry the
Why Google is debuting Android
can if these phones flop – Google can simply
move on somewhere else.
One in India
“I think the problem will be this split of
profits and risk,” says Enderle. “Not all of the
phones will be successful, and Google typically
doesn’t 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 financially at the
90
million 520
moment… [shows] these low margin phones
could easily be massively unprofitable. If that million
occurs, this effort will force a number of the estimated
companies out of the segment and Google back number of
into phone manufacturing.” smartphone
the number of users in India by
smartphones
“These low users in India
2050
margin phones as of the end of
could easily be 2013

Sources: Ericsson, The International Telecommunications

massively
unprofitable“
Rob Enderle, Enderle Group

Union, Gartner, Pew, Portio Research.

The competition
As you might expect, other companies besides
Google have their eyes on the relatively untapped
markets of Asia. Though Microsoft hae
9%
discontinued their line of Android-powered Nokia X
phones, their CEO Satya Nadella has already
confirmed they will be reusing the same designs to
produce a new range of “low-cost Lumia” Windows percentage of
69%
the expected

[Link]”
Phones, most likely targetting the emerging Indian mobile rise in mobile
markets. Also worth considering are the handsets users who

“Map of India by
broadband
running Mozilla’s Firefox OS from the likes of access social subscribers in
Alcatel and LG, though these are mostly sold in media, Twitter India by 2020
South America at the moment.
“Comparing Android One to Nokia X and Firefox
OS platforms, it’s clear that more flexible platforms
will likely achieve lower absolute cost of hardware,” putting together budget smartphones that can
Lam told us, though he did emphasise the superior allow KitKat to shine as well as getting millions
Who is Micromax? user experience and app ecosystem offered by more users into the Google Play ecosystem. It’s
A quick look at the little-known Android KitKat. Google can offer a more mature important not to forget the stock Android and
giants of Indian telecommunications and complete software package than either automatic updates provided by the Android One
Nokia’s brand of Android or the Firefox OS being project, which are just as important as the
Google’s first Android developed by Mozilla. hardware framework. Google has said local carriers
One partner is not a “Nokia X is more similar to Apple, and Firefox is will be able to install additional applications
company that more like Android used to be with fewer controls relevant to their market.
European and American users will be familiar and more design freedom,” adds Rob Enderle. “If Whether or not the vision set out by Sundar
with, but Micromax is one of the major players Android One fails, which it could given the financial Pichai is ever fully realised, the Asia-Pacific market
in Indian telecommunications. Across the pressures on the OEMs, then these two alternative is going to be increasingly important for Apple,
world, it’s the 10th largest supplier of mobile platforms would benefit strongly from the failure.” Google, Microsoft and the hardware companies.
handsets, and it has eyes on a European This has been on Google’s mind for some time Google wants billions more users around the world
expansion after running sales trial in Russia at – note the reduced hardware system requirements using smartphones; and it wants those
the end of 2013. for Android KitKat, for example – and now it’s giving smartphones to be running stock versions of
OEMs even more guidance when it comes to Android. Welcome to the Android One project.

8 [Link]
 Stay up to date »twitter
[Link]
Catch up with the latest @lgrobot
Follow us on Twitter for
Android news and gossip the latest updates

1 2 3

GALLERY OF...
STUNNING PHOTO APPS

4 5 6

1 Carousel 2 Pixlr Express 3 VSCO Cam 4 Camera 5 Instagram 6 Frontback

Dropbox has long Fine-tune your If you find Zoom FX While Instagram Frontback works
been the cloud images in this Instagram filters
Premium is famous for its on a simple
service of choice for mobile alternative to are too heavy-handed, Camera Zoom FX offers photo filters, after three concept: take a photo
Android users because Photoshop. It has all the try VSCO Cam. It still voice-activated years these are starting with the front camera,
it will auto-upload your essential features plus relies on filters, but they shooting, time-lapse to feel a bit dated. another with the back
pictures the moment an automatic image are much more shooting and a burst Fortunately, Instagram and share them both in
you take them. correction that fixes customisable, with a mode that captures 30 has recently been a single image. With the
Carousel is Dropbox’s problems like red-eye. range of tools to adjust shots a second. If you upgraded with an option to take the two
new dedicated photo However, its real selling the effect’s strength. would like to try before editing suite to adjust photos separately, it’s a
app, providing a gallery point is its interface, Additional filter bundles you buy, there is also an brightness, contrast, great way of including
to view your images. which is highly intuitive. are available to buy. excellent Lite version. warmth and sharpness. the photographer.

» Price: Free » Price: Free » Price: Free » Price: £1.79/$2.99 » Price: Free » Price: Free

[Link] 9
 Stay up to date » twitter
[Link]
Catch up with the latest @lgrobot
Follow us on Twitter for
Android news and gossip the latest updates

NEW TECH PROJECTOR

ODIN Take advantage of portable

projection with ODIN
The USB connectors are used in
conjunction with your games consoles,
enabling you to stream your gameplay
onto any surface

T
he possibility of watching
movies on a cinema-style At a glance
screen is something we’re all » Product name ODIN
keen to do, but projectors tend to » Available from [Link]
be too expensive and difficult to
» Price £TBA/$845
ODIN is the first Android smart
set up. ODIN looks to tear down projector that enables users to
these barriers by providing the first project their games, movies and files
truly portable projector that runs onto any flat surface.
Android. As a product, the 4.3-inch
ODIN connects with a variety of streaming medium between the
different platforms and services via two. It connects with the likes of
Bluetooth and USB to act as a the Xbox 360, Netflix and your
smartphone, takes content from

“Get that
them and streams them onto any
surface ODIN is directed at. If you’re
on the market for a new way to get
cinema-style your media files on a much larger
screen, then ODIN is certainly
experience in something that’s worth checking
out to get that cinema-style
your home” experience in your own home.

Only 4.3 inches long,

ODIN’s Bluetooth the ODIN projector is
functionality works well highly portable
with your Android
smartphone to not
only stream media files,
but also to do a spot of Your music can also
web browsing on a be streamed across
bigger screen to the projector

Q&A
with three power sources and more wires. About a advanced and the most powerful optical engine
Alex Yoo year ago, I decided to start another company and right now and the fact that it is powered by
CEO, Dos Owls ODIN decided to pursue my Friday night movie problem, Android makes it so much better. For movie
which morphed into Dos Owls ODIN. watching in the dark, it is fantastic and I think it is
Where did the original idea for ODIN a better experience than a large flat panel since
come from? How long did it take to produce the first ODIN’s screen size can get pretty big and the
About two years ago, I realised I wasn’t prototype of ODIN? sound is fantastic.
A using my TV or digital. TV was taking up a A little less than a year. It took me about six
lot of room and digital TV was costing money and A months of fruitless searching and I found the Do you see ODIN as a replacement for
I wasn’t utilising it. So, I decided to cancel my right people last year. Once I found the people who your desktop computer monitor?
digital subscription and got rid of my TV. I had a knew what they were doing, it went very fast. I don’t think the current ODIN version is a
typical apartment in NY, so it was super small. A replacement for anything, but it’s a good
One thing I missed was watching a movie on a Could the pocket size of the projector option if you’re looking for an alternative. I think
Friday night or weekend to unwind. So, I looked impact the quality of projecting? ODIN does a very good job of substituting for a
online for a projector and couldn’t find a solution Obviously, it is better to have more lumens large screen TV and if you are getting the content
that worked for me. In order to enjoy a movie, I A and higher resolution, but as a portable, from online. For computer, it is mainly tailored for
had to get a projector and connect it to a battery-powered device, ODIN surpasses 99 per web browsing and mobile application use such
speaker system and a computer. Three devices cent of people’s expectations. ODIN has the most as Dropbox, Google Docs etc.

10 [Link]
 We don’t keep [Link]

secrets

TM

Learn the truth about iPhone, iPad, Android, Photoshop and

more with the Tips & Tricks series’ expert advice and tutorials

BUY YOUR COPY TODAY

Print edition available at [Link]
Digital edition available at [Link]
Available on the following platforms

[Link]
[Link]/ImagineBookazines [Link]/Books_Imagine
 [Link]
»[Link]
Visit us daily for news and more

1Recycle it
With 130 million devices discarded each
year in the US alone, so-called ‘e-waste’ is
2Sell it
If you own your phone outright, there is no
reason why you can’t sell it on. Many networks will
3Hack it
Being able to root your phone is one of
Android’s biggest selling points, but for
filling landfill sites with toxic materials, knock money off new contracts for your old phone, beginners this can be a
such as lithium batteries. Services like while daunting task. Rather
Envirofone ([Link]) will online than experimenting
recycle damaged services on your premium
phones, will pay handset that is
extracting cold, hard still under
valuable cash for contract, practice
components your hacking on
so they can unwanted an unwanted,
be reused. device. last-gen device.

10Mine Bitcoin
Apps
like Easy
4Save the
rainforest
Donate your phone to
Miner make Rainforest Connection and
it easy to they turn it into a listening
generate device in the Amazon. It will
so-called alert rangers when it hears
‘crypto- illegal tree clearing. Visit
currencies’ on your device, [Link] for more info.
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.

9 Game on
Using Chromecast it’s
easy to use an old phone as
5Turn it into a
universal remote
Even the oldest Android
a remote control for playing device can be turned into a
Android games on your TV. remote for your entertainment
However, you system. If your device has an
can also run IR blaster, it likely has this
emulators,
like DraStic
things that you can do with... feature built-in, or you can
download Smart IR Remote.
DS Emulator,
on your old
phone to play
your favourite
old-school
your old phone
console games.

8Build a DIY smart car

To get your very own Android Auto on
the cheap, fit your last-gen
7 Make it kid friendly
Over 50 per cent of children under eight are now
able to work their
6Donate it to science
Berkley University’s free
BOINC app harnesses
phone to your dash with parent’s device, so your phone’s
a [Link] skin, power why not turn your processing power as
it via the cigarette phone into a part of a powerful
lighter with an touchscreen toy? Add network of computers
adapter, and parental controls and studying diseases,
– voilà – you a child-friendly predicting global warming
have a interface with Kids and discovering pulsars. Best of all,
built-in Place or Zoodles’ Kids BOINC only runs on a fully charged
satnav and Mode from the Google phone connected to Wi-Fi so won’t
MP3 player. Play store. waste your battery or data.

12 [Link]
 [Link]

HTC’s Dot View is now

smarter than ever
The companion app adds new features
to the innovative phone case

Missed call You’ve got mail

Wallpapers Discover if you have a missed
call at a glance
Call list Get notification alerts for
texts and emails
Express yourself and create Swipe up for a list of your last
personalised backgrounds three calls for faster redial

H “With the option to

TC has updated its Dot View application for
the HTC One (M8) to add more features that
can be shown through the company’s
innovative Dot View case. select a photo from
Already able to show users the time, the weather
and display notifications for texts, emails and calls your gallery or
at a glance, the update adds flexible settings and
the option for users to create their wallpapers via camera, you can
the application.
The ‘redial’ function is now activated with a create your own Dot
simple upwards swipe, allowing swift connection to
the three most recent calls, and left/right swipes
navigate smoothly through email, text, voicemail
View wallpaper”
and call notifications. Settings can also be tailored semi-transparent due to hundreds of tiny
to individual preference, allowing you to decide permeations. Using magnets built into the case, the
The Dot View app includes 18 default themes and you can
whether to display the last three calls or opt to ‘skip M8 is able to recognise when the case is attached also create your own based on photos in your gallery
security’ completely for quick access. With 18 and use its own screen to project light through the
default themes and the option to select a photo holes, displaying both still and animated screen. Although it was around £35/$50 on launch,
from your gallery or camera, you can create your notifications. As well as offering a cool retro style, you can now buy the Dot View case in a number of
own Dot View wallpaper to reflect your very own this innovative design is intended to save the user different colours for around £20/$35 from a range
personal style. time opening the case, but also conserve battery as of sellers, Amazon included. The Dot View
The Dot View case has a hard back to protect the the M8’s screen only lights up the individual dots application is available as a free download from
HTC One (M8) with a rubber flip front that is required for the notification rather than the whole the Google Play store.

[Link] 13
 [Link]

Messages
Inside Android Magazine’s virtual mailbag

Android & Chrome: Better together

T
he new L release is something that Android
has been needing for quite sometime. By

month
this I mean a fluid consistent design
throughout the whole operating system and the
apps within it. The new Material Design looks
very modern – the new splashes of colour
Letter of the
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 finally 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. It’s 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. Android L has been
The most surprising thing to me about the impressing our readers
Android L update is that Google are going to
update the original Nexus line up, ie the Nexus 4, promised to get a minimum of five years worth of We say: At the time of writing, only XDA
7, and the 10 as they are all out of the support updates. If this was the case with Android, I Developers has created al version of Android L for
period, but props to Google for keeping these would happily fork out £400-£500 for a phone Nexus 4 and 7 (2012 Edition), but Google is
devices updated. Personally I would like to see with the highest specs possible if I knew it would expected to follow suit. We’re very excited to see
Google make the same promise they have with be up to date with all the latest features for years Material Design rolling out across the ecosystem.
Chromebook devices with Android phones and to come. For writing the letter of the month, John has won
tablets. For those unaware, Chromebooks are John Crane a Pure Evoke Portable Internet Radio.

Elementary educational app from the award-

winning UK developers, Touch Press. Infographic vision for a sci-fi tomorrow where
Google’s self-driving cars, Wi-Fi
App Store
Do you think that the fantastic
We put Stephen’s question to Tom
Williams, marketing producer for accident satellites and other Moonshot
projects have brought about
Elements app on the iPad/iPhone, Touch Press, who said: “We currently The graphics in issue 40 are certainly dramatic changes to both the
with its gorgeous interactive 3D don’t have any plans to develop our educational. I had no idea that Britain metaphorical technological
images, will be coming to Android apps on Android. However this is is in Britanny and Korea is in Mongolia landscape and physical, territorial
anytime soon? Since changing to something that we continually review (page 19) and 0.5 is about the same boundaries. Sadly, this was not the
Android from iOS, that’s one of the and it is not something we rule out in as 1/10 (page 23, lower right). Please case. It was a simple oversight
very few apps that I am really the future. It’s great to hear that don’t stop your effort to educate us caused by adjusting the size of the
missing. I’m sure I’m not the only there are users who are keen for us readers! Jochen Konietzko map, but not remembering to
one. Any news for me? to develop for Android as it gives us a reposition all of the other elements.
Stephen Harris sense of the potential audience. We say: Well spotted, Jochen. Given Apologies to all our readers and the
Thank you for letting us know about that the misleading map in question people of Great Britain, Brittany,
We say: The Elements: A Visual this enquiry. I’ll certainly share it with was the opener for our The Future is South Korea and Mongolia for this
Exploration is a critically acclaimed the team at Touch Press.” Android feature, we could claim it is a error. It won’t happen again!

14 [Link]
Get in touch!
Send us your thoughts
email »facebook »twitter
»[Link]
qa@[Link] /littlegreenrobot @lgrobot
Got questions or comments? Drop Like us on Facebook to Follow us on Twitter for
on all things Android us an email and let us know send your comments the latest updates

Imagine Publishing Ltd

Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill
fragmentation as users with old snap-on modules can be tested Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 6EZ
phones that can’t upgrade to Android out on available to developers,  +44 (0) 1202 586200
Web: [Link]
L (or M,N,O etc) could simply upgrade with a dedicated Project Ara [Link]
the relevant chips to make conference taking place in [Link]
themselves eligible. What are the November. Magazine team
chances of Project Ara becoming a Speaking of conferences, Deputy Editor Jack Parsons
[Link]@[Link]
reality and when will it go on sale? I Google did demonstrate a  01202 586279
don’t want to be waiting for it for semi-functional prototype at Production Editor Philip Morris
Senior Staff Writer Oliver Hill
years to arrive like I have been with Google I/O at the end of June. It Art Editor Katie Peat
Photographer James Sheppard
the Google Glass! was left out of the Google I/O Senior Art Editor Will Shum
Donald Hardy keynote, but you can watch the Editor in Chief Nick Roberts
Publishing Director Aaron Asadi
prototype in action at [Link] Head of Design Ross Andrews

I really enjoyed the Future is Android be/0He3Jr-fZh0. Contributors

Steve Jenkins, Phil King, Adrian Mann, Shaun McGill, David Nield,
feature in Android Magazine issue Meanwhile, the other modular Paul O’Brien, Jessica Thornsby, Sandra Vogel, Rob Zwetsloot

40. The far-out there concepts like phone we covered in both issue Advertising
Digital or printed media packs are available on request.
The Bluetooth-enabled CommBadge self-driving cars, Google satellites, 38 and 40, the Phoneblok, also Head of Sales Hang Deretz
enables users to answer calls with a tap  01202 586442
and Project Ara were fun, but had something of a coup last [Link]@[Link]

One to products like the Moto 360,

Chromecast, Google Glass, and Nest
month: German microphone and
headphones manufacturer
Advertising Manager Alex Carnegie
 01202 586430
[Link]@[Link]

beam up thermostat – which are either Sennheiser has partnered with Senior Account Manager Nick Marrow
 01202 586419
available now or will be soon – really the organisation. While the [Link]@[Link]

I read your ‘10 things you need to show the difference between Phoneblok is technically a International
Android Magazine is available for licensing.
know about... Non-watch wearables’ Android and Apple. Apple is just competitior to Project Ara, it is a Contact the International department to discuss
partnership opportunities.
in issue 40 and thought some of the repeating itself making the same old good-natured rivalry as Google is Head of International Licensing Cathy Blackman
wearables looked really cool, phone slightly better, Android is also a partner in the so-called  +44 (0) 1202 586401
licensing@[Link]
especially the Nod Bluetooth Ring pushing boundaries. ‘Phoneblok Alliance’. This means,
Subscriptions
and Narrative Clip wearable camera. Aaron Francombe theoretically, Project Ara could For all subscriptions enquiries
However, one item, a clip-on camera benefit from snap-on Sennheiser  0844 245 6963 (UK)
 +44 (0) 1795 414 972 (Overseas)
listed under the heading ‘Beam me We say: I’m afraid Google has yet to sound systems as well. All in all, Email: android@[Link]
13 issue subscription (UK) – £51.90 (CC)
up, Scotty,’ didn’t have a name on it. give a fixed launch date for its Project the idea of swapping out an old 13 issue subscription (Europe) – £65
13 issue subscription (ROW) – £75
What was it called and wear can I Ara modular phone. However, Google speaker for a more powerful one
Circulation
buy it? has now made boards on which now seems slightly more realistic. Head of Circulation Darren Pearce
Sarah Matthews  01202 586200
Production
Production Director Jane Hawkins
We say: The Star Trek-inspired  01202 586200
CommBadge is available for $89.99 Founders
Group Managing Director Damian Butt
from [Link]. Group Finance & Commercial Director Steven Boyd
Printing & Distribution
Printed by William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road,

Addicted to Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT

Distributed in the UK, Eire & the Rest of the World by:
Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London,

Project Ara
I was really excited by the idea of
SE1 0SU,  0203 148 3300, [Link]
Distributed in Australia by: Network Services (a division of
Bauer Media Group) Level 21 Civic Tower, 66-68 Goulburn
Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia
 +61 2 8667 5288
Project Ara, featured as a news story
in issue 38, and assembling my own Disclaimer
The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material
smartphone. To my mind this would lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of
Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced
help solve the problem of OS A working prototype of Project Ara was demonstrated at Google I/O in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher.
All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose
of criticism and review. Although the magazine has endeavoured
to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and

CROWDSOURCE Opinion
availability may change. This magazine is fully independent and
from the not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.

Twittersphere If you submit material to Imagine Publishing via post, email, social
network or any other means, you automatically grant Imagine Publishing
an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free license to use the material across
its entire portfolio, in print, online and digital, and to deliver the material
to existing and future clients, including but not limited to international
@lgrobot @darrenbast love that the @halfords45 allcast works licensees for reproduction in international, licensed editions of Imagine
products. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although
What’s your favourite missus can cast on lounge tv every time great app! every care is taken, neither Imagine Publishing nor its employees,
agents or subcontractors shall be liable for the loss or damage.
Chromecast app? and I can watch magic eye Android is a trademark of Google Inc.

sky+ on bedroom tv. @Pidgpie = Localcast

@timelliston love my
Chromecast. I watch mostly @PaulOBrien Plex all the way!
t wit ter
© Imagine Publishing Ltd 2014
ISSN 2047-1580
Netflix, but use AllCast to
stream local movies. We need @d_jcurtis #Plex. Is there any Follow us @lgrobot to
more apps. other choice? join in the conversation

[Link] 15
Feature
»Get Android L now! [Link]

G WTHE
NE ID

NOW! xx xx xx x
» xxxxxand top tips
k
xxx
First loroAn dro id L
fo

TRANSFORM
YOUR PHONE BOOST YOUR
Get Android’s new BATTERY LIFE
Material Design on Supercharge your
your device device with
Project Volta

UPGRADE LOGIN WITH

GOOGLE NOW ANDROID WEAR
Your virtual assistant New sensors will
is better than replace your
ever passwords

A
ndroid is consistently evolving as an Lollipop),we know it represents a major change of Android L will be released in full this autumn,
operating system. With each update it’s direction for the OS. The early developer preview but there’s no need to wait. If you've rooted your
continuing to get better and improve the of Android L has shown a wide variety of changes, Nexus 5 or 7, go straight to page 23 to find out
ways we can interact with our smartphones and with everything from a new look, to simple tweaks how to set up the Android L Developers Preview
tablets. Google has recently unveiled its plans for and modifications within the Settings menu. The SDK. However, if you don't have a stock Android
the next big step in Android’s evolution, the new update also tackles issues that typical users device or just don't want to hack it, read on to
mysteriously named Android L. Although no one face every day with their smartphones, such as explore Android L's new features in-depth and
knows for sure what the actual codename for Project Volta, which looks to be a new benchmark discover which of them are available through the
Android L stands for (although our bet is on for measuring and prolonging battery life. Google Play store already.

16 [Link]
 Feature
[Link] Get Android L now!«

STUNNING MATERIAL DESIGN NGOETWIT

!
G
oogle was heavily centred on its new
[Link]/WA
mMRW
look when unveiling Android L.
Named Material Design, it's focused
on a sleek minimalist style with bold and
“Focused on a
brash colours throughout. The underlying
theme is to bring a unified design across
sleek look with
smartphones, tablets and Chromebooks,
and from the looks of it, Material Design
bold colours”
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 there’s the addition
of a new set of fonts to help make interacting
and reading on your device easier as well. All
first-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 unified design

UNIFIED WIDGETS
T hanks to Google’s 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
Android L improves once fairly uniform as well. First-party
again on the stock keyboard widgets developed by Google will
include the same look as their

BEST KEYBOARD EVER app counterparts, but the

animations linking the two will
drastically change.

T here’s only so much you can do

with your traditional keyboard,
and although Android L hasn’t
looking keyboard. Swiping between
letters instead of typing has also
been improved, but it still takes a bit
Flexible
Widgets will remain as
customisable as ever in Android
revolutionised the stock keyboard it of getting used to and manually L, great for those who like to
personalise their device
offers, it has refined and polished typing seems to still be the
existing features. Spaces between preferred way of sending messages. Third-party Unified
letters and icons are clearer and the There’s a wide range of emoticons Beautiful Widgets is currently The unified design means that
the best app available for those all the widgets will be designed
whole design fits in well with the included to add some flair to your wanting to get widgets in the in the same way, using bright
Material Design image, offering messages and improved voice Android L design colours and bold shapes
users a stripped back and sleek integration for speaking.

WHEN TO EXPECT THE FULL VERSION Will your phone be getting the Android L update?
Galaxy Galaxy Galaxy Galaxy S5 Galaxy Galaxy
S4 S5 S5 Mini Active Note 3 Tab
» How likely? » How likely? » How likely? » How likely? » How likely? » How likely?
High Very high Very high High High Less likely
» ETA Q1 2015 » ETA Q4 2014 » ETA Q4 2014 » ETA Q1 2015 » ETA Q1 2015 » ETA: N/A

[Link] 17
Feature
»Get Android L now! [Link]

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, it’s also down to the detailed Settings app
on your phone. 1 Quick Settings
One of the coolest additions to the library
2 Start a search
Press on the gear icon while in the Quick
Settings tend to be under appreciated by many
users, but with the Android L update, it's being of Android L features is being able to redesign the Settings menu. Now you can begin a search using
pioneered as one of the leading features in the layout of your Quick Settings menu. Users can now the magnifying glass icon at the top of the app.
new build. For one, users will now be able to use add whatever toggles they want and remove the From here you can search for any particular menu
the app in landscape to navigate between pages ones that come as standard. within the Settings app.
and there’s also a great search feature for those
who want to save time from trawling through
endless pages of data and miscellaneous
settings. There’s 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 find a really handy
four-step tutorial that will guide you through
3 New options
Select the correct result from the
4 Look inside
Another thing to pay close attention to is
the newly designed Settings menu in Android L. drop-down menu and take a look at the setting. how Android L now uses toggles. Where previous
It covers everything from understanding your Android L has included a wealth of new settings, versions of Android had toggles for Wi-Fi and
Quick Settings menu to commencing a search so you may find what you were looking for has Bluetooth at the beginning of each menu, you’ll
through it with ease. been renamed, or in certain cases, removed. now find them lurking within their respective tabs.

GET IT
Android Beam Do Not Adaptive NOW!
[Link]/1sJ
In previous versions of Android, the Disturb mode brightness lkK0
sharing feature Beam had to be The inclusion of Do Not Disturb mode The Auto Brightness option has een
initiated by tapping devices together, in Android L is a great removed from the Settings menu and
with both users way to keep your has instead been
then tapping their phone silent from replaced with the
screen to share a phone calls and new Adaptive
file. The new messages within a brightness feature.
version of Android set period of time. It Although there isn’t
Beam has been can also be used to a massive difference
altered so that it mute certain between the two,
now appears as an notifications from Adaptive brightness
option in the Share unruly apps. looks to only adjust
menu for users to Access this from your screen
select and send the Sound tab brightness slightly to
files through. within Settings. help your battery.

WHEN CAN YOUR DEVICE UPDATE TO ANDROID L? Find out if your phone will get the
Galaxy HTC One HTC One HTC One HTC One HTC
Mega » How likely? Max M8 Mini Desire 610
» How likely? Very high » How likely? » How likely? » How likely? » How likely?
High » ETA Q4 2014 High Very High Less likely Less likely
» ETA Q1 2015 » ETA Q1 2015 » ETA Q4 2014 » ETA N/A » ETA N/A

18 [Link]
 Feature
[Link]
GET
Get Android L now!«
IT
NOW!
HEADS UP! NOTIFICATIONS [Link]/1za
oWq3 Set up and
use the Heads
N Gapps
otifications are brilliant things. They
enable users quick access to certain Most of the
Shortcuts Up! app
At the top of your
first-party apps by
apps and offer a gateway to alarms, notifications menu
Google work with
missed calls and unread messages. In is a range of quick
the floating
shortcuts that
previous versions of Android, notifications notifications feature
relate to some of
and also follow the
have been kept in a single bar at the top of Material Design
the most used
settings on your
your display where you can drag down the guidelines
Android device
bar to get more information. In Android L,
notifications will become a more prominent Overview
feature on your homescreen, with updates When you want to Done
from apps and such now appearing as take a closer look at Getting rid of
the notifications that notifications you've

1 Whitelist
an interactive box on your screen. Users can have appeared, you’ll read or no longer
then choose to swipe away the notification,
or press on it to open it up and take a closer
see a brief overview of
some of your
need is easy. Simply
swipe to the right to apps
most-used settings at close them, or press Choose the Whitelist
look at what it has to say. the top of the screen on them to open
option from the app's
The Heads Up! notification app on the
main screen and select
Google Play store is available now for those
the apps you want Heads
who want to try out the feature for Your choice Set up Up! to work with.
themselves, without having to wait around Users can decide Users need to
which notifications manually choose the
until their device gets the official Android L they want to show on apps that have
update. We’ve got a step-by-step to setting it their homescreen by access to your
finding the Display homescreen
up and getting it to work on the right notifications when
section from within
hand-side of this page, which should help get the Settings menu setting the feature up
you started with the app.

LOCKSCREEN MODIFICATIONS
2 Test them
T
he other big change with notifications
Overview
To make sure that
Security
Implement different in Android L is that it now supports out
your sensitive data security features on lockscreen notifications. Instead of Back out of the app and
isn’t leaked, you’ll to your lock screen showing the full notification, however, wait for notifications to
only find a brief to make sure your come through. When they
overview of topics in phone is safe and lockscreen notifications will simply show you
emails that appear sound while not the app and number of notifications you appear, press on them to
on your lockscreen using it
have waiting for you. Swiping down at the be taken to the app.
bottom of the stack of lockscreen
notifications will then offer an extended view
Camera Testing of those missing from the list. If Google
If you want a quick
way to access your Some apps simply notices any sensitive data included in one of
device's camera while won't work with the
lockscreen
your notifications, you’ll be prompted to
on the lockscreen,
simply scroll to the notifications, but the unlock your phone before you can view it.
right corner of your best way to test them Google has also implemented other
display and you'll be out is through testing
each one of your changes on to lockscreens so that users
taken there
automatically installed apps have more options on it. Users can now
swipe up to be taken to their homescreen, 3 Explore
Ignore swipe left to the phone dialer and swipe right further
Access If you choose to to access their camera (the same as it was If you aren’t happy with
By pressing on any of ignore the
your lockscreen notifications and in the KitKat update). If you also dive into the how the notifications
notifications, you’ll be instead swipe to Settings menu you’ll find new security function, venture into the
taken to the app or unlock your phone,
feature that it features to utilise as well, which can be app’s settings and change
you’ll have access to
specifically them through the implemented onto your homescreen how notifications appear.
represents notifications menu alongside any notifications.

Android L update and when can you expect it to land…

Xperia Z1 Compact Xperia Xperia Z2 Tab Xperia Z Tab Xperia
Z1 » How likely? Z2 » How likely? High » How likely? High M2
» How likely? High » How likely? » ETA » ETA » How likely?
High » ETA Very high Q4 2014 Q2 2015 Less likely
» ETA Q1 2014 Q4 2015 » ETA Q1 2014 » ETA N/A

[Link] 19
Feature
» Get Android L now! [Link]

SUPERCHARGE WITH
PROJECT VOLTA
A NEW RANGE OF BATTERY-
BOOSTING FEATURES
Job Scheduler API
Battery Historian Another essential for developers is the
new JobScheduler API. This clever tool
With Battery Historian, developers can
enables developers to define specific
now visualise exactly what’s using your
background tasks for their apps when the
phone’s battery and to what extent it’s being
user or device meets certain conditions.
drained. It can pinpoint the exact areas that
Although it may not sound like much, this
need improving on and can help lead the
feature will enable developers to
development of streamlining battery
prevent your battery life being
consumption for both light and heavy
used excessively.
users. It's something we're
really excited about.

GET IT
NOW!
[Link]/IUO
PVh

New Battery Battery Stats

Saver Mode The battery overview screen has
undergone a redesign to make it not only in
One new feature that most Android
line with the new Material Design concept,
smartphone users will want to check out is
but also to make it more accessible to
the inclusion of a Battery Saver mode. This
everyday Android users. You’ll find a
setting will look to lengthen the life of your
general battery usage screen where you
smartphone’s battery during a single
can pinpoint how your battery is
charge by reducing your phone’s
being used, as well as a detailed
overall performance to keep
history screen.
it going.

WHEN CAN YOUR DEVICE UPDATE TO ANDROID L? Find out if your phone will get the
LG G2 LG G3 LG G Pad LG G Flex Huawei Huawei G6
» How likely? » How likely? 8.3 » How likely? P7 » How likely?
High Very high » How likely? High » How likely? Less likely
» ETA Q1 2015 » ETA Q1 2014 Less likely » ETA Q2 2015 Very high » ETA N/A
» ETA N/A » ETA Q2 2015

20 [Link]
 Feature
[Link] Get Android L now!«
GET IT
NOW!
GOOGLE NOW JUST GOT SMARTER [Link]/N3
Uuu9

O
ne of the key Android features Topics
that has undergone constant
Tickets
Topics will bring Google Now will
change since its debut a couple together all the automatically
best stories import your air
of years back is Google Now. As an relating to it at tickets into the
alternative to the standard search one time. Users app. All the
function, Google Now provides an can press on details will be
them to read stored up until
enriched and fuller search experience, more the day after
which also links in well with a plethora of your flight
first and third-party apps. In Android L,
Google Now has been revamped to fit in
with the new Material Design guidelines
and a few features have been fleshed
out as well. Google Now will now collate
together your previous searches into one
handy menu, where users can find
stories on a topic of particular interest
[Fig1]. Each story then contains an Sync
external link to the website it was
Variety If you're planning
If a certain topic on going on
published on. Also included this time isn't of interest, multiple
simply swipe it holidays, then
around is e-ticket integration for flights. you can import
away and Google
Google Now can be used as a secure Now will offer all the tickets for
you an several flights at
alternative one one time

“Revamped to fit
in with the new Fig1: Searched topics are saved in Google Now Fig2: Import and store ticket reservations

Material Design Voice Maps

You'll find the

guidelines” Press on the

microphone icon
to start a voice
Google Maps
integration to be
far more slick
search. It can than the app
area where you store your flight and take a few itself. You can
seconds for the get basic
ticket details, with the system also app to realise directions for
enabling users to get live updates on the what you're cars or public
status on their flight [Fig2]. saying transport
At the centre of Google Now’s
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 doesn’t
need full sentences inputted into it to
provide results, and instead it will predict
what you’re going to say. It’s rather hit Navigate
and miss at times, but the general idea
Result The feature is a
The results will little basic, but
is good. Similarly, Google has been appear after a it's also possible
intent on providing deeper integration few seconds, to use the
with the most navigation tools
with many of its apps. All directions you useful results within the
search for will go through Google Maps appearing at the Google Now
top of the screen service
[Fig4] and Google Earth will provide you
with 3D images of holiday destinations. Fig3: Start every voice search with “OK Google” Fig4: There's deeper integration with Maps

Android L update and when can you expect it to land…

Moto E Moto G Moto X Nexus 4 Nexus 5 Nexus 7
(2012)
» How likely? » How likely? » How likely? » How likely? » How likely? » How likely?
Less likely High Very high Likely Very high
Very high
» ETA N/A » ETA Q1 2015 » ETA Q4 2014 » ETA Launch of L » ETA Launch of L » ETA Q4 2014

[Link] 21
Feature
»Get Android L now! [Link]
GET IT
NOW!
6Q8jA
[Link]/J
THE DEATH OF PASSWORDS Activate the
Kill-Switch
P
asswords are vital in keeping any sensitive data safe need for a PIN, password or pattern to enter. Below you'll find
and sound across all your devices, but with the details of the three best ways users can implement security
release of Android L, there are now several other ways onto their device, all of which are handy to use and essential Let's face it, security
users can create their own levels of security without the in different areas. on Android is one of the
problems many people
Unlock your Chromebook with your phone face when using their
smartphones and tablets.
Perhaps one of the coolest things unlock their Chromebook using their
To combat this, Google
announced for Android L is that Google will smartphone. It acts as a great solution if
has launched its very own
offer greater functionality between your you’ve forgotten your Chromebook
kill-switch across the
Android and Chrome devices, with the password, or simply want to show off to
Android operating
main aim to bring them together for one your friends! All that’s needed is one
system. In essence, the
unifying experience. One example of this is unified Google account to access them
kill-switch will act as a
the new unlock system, where users can across both.
gateway to remotely
wiping your phone if it’s
Voice and location unlocking lost or you believe it to be
stolen. The kill-switch will
Sometimes having an extensive security access to their device, or the user can then factory reset itself
system can be a bit of a hindrance if you’re choose to use their voice to unlock from scratch upon the
in your home or somewhere secure. instead. This makes it generally more user’s request or, if
Google’s new location unlocking will manageable for users who want to keep a necessary, render the
enable users to designate safe areas secure phone, but don’t necessarily want device unusable.
using their GPS, where their password can to be annoyed by it if it isn’t needed when Obviously the latter is an
be deactivated and not needed to gain using it. extreme step, but could

Smartwatch and fitness band integration

To help push Android Wear alongside the For it to work, both the smartwatch and
launch of Android L, Google has also smartphone will need to be linked by a
introduced a unique smartwatch unlock single Google account and you’ll also need
system. Named Personal Unlocking, users the feature enabled within your
will be able to use any of the current crop smartphone’s settings too. To take it a
of Android smartwatches and scan them step further, many of the leading Android
across the top of the device to unlock it. fitness bands will also work.

be very helpful if it turns

out the device has been
stolen. As a whole, the
Task Locker Admin control concept behind kill-switch
stems from the popularity
Task Locker is aimed at The second big inclusion for of the Android Device
enterprise devices owned by business users will be being Manager program, which
big businesses that want to able to implement admin is a great way of tracking
track how their employees are profiles onto their employee’s down your phone, but
using the devices supplied to device. This will enable requires your device’s
them. In essence, Task Locker businesses to gain control of Location Access toggle to
will allow a single app to take the device when necessary to remain on at all times.
control over the device’s add enterprise apps or enable Google is believed to still
interface, which will prevent the user from certain settings. Any apps then downloaded by be in the early stages of
accessing notifications or apps. the employee will be kept in a separate list. modifying the feature for
consumer use.

WHEN CAN YOUR DEVICE UPDATE TO ANDROID L? Find out if your phone will get the
Nexus 7 ZTE ZTE ZTE Oppo N1 OnePlus
(2013)
Grand X Grand S Grand S ll One
» How likely? » How likely? » How likely?
» How likely? » How likely? » How likely? High
Very high Very high
» ETA Launch of L
High Less likely Very high » ETA Q4 2014 » ETA Q4 2014
» ETA Q1 2015 » ETA N/A » ETA Q1 2015

22 [Link]
 Feature
[Link] Get Android L now!«

THE MOST POWERFUL UPDATE YET

THERE ARE SOME AMAZING UNDER-THE-HOOD CHANGES TAKING PLACE IN ANDROID L
Multiple network connections
The L Developer Preview also contains a range of new
OpenGL ES 3.1
multi-networking APIs. This will enable developers to We love gorgeous-looking games here at Android
program apps to automatically scan for networks and Magazine and the addition of OpenGL ES 3.1
connect to them, while the API will also provide the should bring in even more of them. OpenGL is a
tools for apps to know cross-platform API that helps improve and refine
the difference graphical capabilities of the games we play on both
between safe and smartphones and tablets. Version 3.1 provides
unstable networks. developers with extra tools to enhance textures,
This solution is great improve physics simulations and provide advanced
for apps that require a blending modes. Best of all, version 3.1 will provide
connection to a developers the tools to make their games
specialised network, backwards compatible for those with older
such as MMS or billing versions of OpenGL. Although there’s nothing
network. The app will wrong with many of the older versions of the
then send information OpenGL code, 3.1 should provide enough power
about the network and graphical capabilities to give Android users the
back to the developer most authentic gaming experience ever.
to track progress.

Directory selection Bluetooth broadcasting Switching languages Native PDF rendering

Some apps require users to confirm Bluetooth has been an integral part Switching between input languages The new PdfRenderer API will finally
several times when an app requires of the sharing options available to will now be represented by a globe give Android a native PDF reader to
access to certain apps/documents Android users and Android L now symbol, where users can then use. At the moment we rely on
on your device. Directory Selection contains a novel feature where users scroll through the keyboards they third-party apps to provide this
will make this process easier. can link easier. have available. function, but this app will stop that.

GET THE ANDROID SDK NOW! GET IT

HOW TO INSTALL THE ANDROID L DEVELOPER PREVIEW
NOW!
[Link]/IK
eIqs

T
he preview of the official
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 first time you’re
looking to use SDK files, then the
process of downloading and
installing them can be a highy
problematic experience.
1 Download
the files 2 Tools and
platform 3 Install
packages 4 Accept
install
and
Follow the steps to the right for You’ll first need to Open up the SDK Manager Using the sidebar of the Before installing the files, a
a quick and easy way to get the download both the SDK on your desktop computer SDK Manager, select Licensing Agreement will
Android L SDK up and running Manager and Android L and navigate to the Tools everything under the appear and you’ll need to
on your device hopefully Developer SDK from the section listed at the top of Android L Developer agree to it before pressing
without bricking it. XDA Forums. the program alphabetically. Preview section. the Install button.

Android L update and when can you expect it to land…

Alcatel One Alcatel One Alcatel One Lenovo A10 laptop Nokia X EE
Touch Pop S7 Touch idol S Touch idol X » How likely? » How likely? Kestrel
» How likely? » How likely? » How likely? Less likey Less likely » How likely?
Less likely High Very high » ETA N/A » ETA N/A High
» ETA N/A » ETA Q2 2015 » ETA Q1 2015 » ETA Q2 2015

[Link] 23
Feature
» Upgrade your Chromecast [Link]

UPGRADE YOUR
CHROMECAST Explore what your Chromecast can really do
with these essential apps

T
here’s a lot to love about the Chromecast. apart from its basic streaming functions, what
Fundamentally it’s a great way of being able to stream else can Chromecast do? It can in fact run a
content from your smartphone, tablet, laptop or plethora of different apps, many of which you
Chromebook directly onto your TV, while also being wouldn’t initially think would work on your TV.
considerably cheaper than many of its competitors on the Through a quick search in the Google Play store,
market. Its small size also means it's fairly inconspicuous users can now find hundreds of apps for
when plugged into the back of any HDMI-compatible TV. The Chromecast ready to use. We've searched high
popularity of the streaming stick is something that’s been and low to find the absolute best ones that every
noted by many and now developers are jumping onboard. But Chromecast user needs to download.

GET YOUR NEWS AND PODCAST FIX WITH EASE Keep up to date by reading the
Post TV Pocket Dogg Umano: Player FM
» Price Free Casts Catcher Listen to News » Price Free
Read the latest headlines » Price £2.49/$3.99 » Price £1.83/$2.99 » Price Free Instead of following individual
posted by the Washington Listen in to podcasts hosted DoggCatcher has a vast Umano brings the latest shows, Player FM gives users
Post and check out video and by some of the biggest news category system that headlines onto your TV and the choice to discover news
audio content the newspaper outlets locally and from enables users to track down reads the story out to you for podcasts based on certain
uploads too. around the world. new podcasts. your enjoyment. topics and interests.

24 [Link]
 Feature
[Link] Upgrade your Chromecast «

-
 --Ê-/,
 Ê 8* , Get movies, music and more from your
phone on to the TV

Your little Chromecast

AllCast dongle opens up a
world of entertainment
» Price £3.00/$4.99
» Developer ClockworkMod
If you do a bit of research, you’ll find that one
app that everyone recommends time and
BubbleUPnP LocalCast
time again for the Chromecast is AllCast. » Price £3.04/$4.69 » Price Free
» Developer Bubblesoft » Developer Stefan Pledl
The praise is duly deserved,
Ê asÊthe appÊhasÊ a Ê BubbleUPnP is one of the more LocalCast may offer plenty of the
ton of features that make it an essential
Ê app
stable streaming apps available for same features as BubbleUPnP, but
download. The app itself pulls together some
the Google Play store. It works well it's much better suited for those
of the biggest apps on the Google Play store,
with a variety of media formats. wanting to watch movies in HD.
including the likes of Google Drive andMuzei,
and makes them compatible with your
Chromecast. Users can then use the AllCast
app to choose what files to send across to their TV and control them Stevie for Web Video Caster
using their smartphone or tablet. Its quickness is something worth Chromecast » Price Free
noting, as no matter the size or type of file you want to send across, » Price Free » Developer InstantBits
it’s remarkably quick to transfer them across and begin the stream. » Developer Stevie TV LTD As its name suggests, Web Video
As an added bonus, there’s also streaming support for files on your The Stevie app brings together your Caster enables users to stream live
device’s SD card, something that many of its competitors simply Facebook, Twitter and YouTube feeds video on any webpage through your
don’t offer as an option to their users. onto your television. Chromecast dongle.

latest headlines directly on your TV

Class6ix uPodPodcast NewsCaster BeyondPod Haystack TV
News Player » Price Free » Price £4.16/$6.99 News
» Price Free » Price £2.21/$3.79 NewsCaster uses a search BeyondPod has a background » Price Free
Class6ix is a personalised Users can scan uPodPodcast menu to find news that download system so that you Haystack covers news
newscaster that tracks for shows based on their matters to you. Each news can stream your current outlets the world over and
international and local news interests, or through a keyword story is formatted to fit your selection of podcasts picks the most trending
that matters to you. search system. TV perfectly. without being disrupted. stories at that time.

[Link] 25
Feature
» Upgrade your Chromecast [Link]
MOBILE GAMING
ON THE BIG SCREEN
Enjoy these simple, but addictive
gaming gems on your TV

Chromecast isn't
just for streaming
Grail Cast TV and movies
» 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
GamingCast Qcast
» Price £0.85/$1.50 » Price Free
Chromecast. You and up to four friends are tasked with » Developer musicalbigfoot
» Developer Eli Sherer
trying to gather as many ancient treasures hidden within a
If you’re a fan of old school games, then Qcast supports up to ten players, making it
variety of labyrinths against the clock. You need an awful
GamingCast is certainly worth checking the biggest multiplayer game currently
amount of skill to avoid walking into walls and finding all the
out. The app contains some classic titles, available for Chromecast. It's all trivia-
treasures on certain levels, but some of the latter levels of
such as Breakout, Flapper and Xonix. based, so get your thinking cap on.
Grail Cast are unforgiving in their difficulty.

Draw It Up Ghost Cast

» Price Free » Price £0.81/$0.99
» Developer Yusef Asjana » Developer alx5962
This is another multiplayer gem for the Set in a spooky forest, Ghost Cast equips
Chromecast. Similar to Pictionary, you have you with just a flashlight as you set out to
to guess words from other players' capture ghosts to gather as many points
drawings, which appear on the big screen. until your flashlight’s battery goes out.

TOP TOOLS FOR YOUR CHROMECAST Use these essential apps to uncover some
Display vGet CameraCast Spilt Browser Zoomph Cast
Tester » Price Free » Price Free » Price £3.00/$3.99 » Price Free
» Price Free vGet detects embedded If you want to view pictures on Browsing the web on your TV is Zoomph is used to stream
True to its name, Display video content on websites your TV, then CameraCast is a great with Split Browser. You events or stories to large
Tester uses a colouring and then automatically superb option. Images taken can open up numerous tabs groups of people and turns
system to help detect faulty downloads it onto your by your device’s camera can and seamlessly switch your TV into a virtual
pixels on your TV. device to stream. be streamed on your TV. between them. storytelling system.

26 [Link]
 Feature
[Link] Upgrade your Chromecast «
Create documents and
WORK FROM HOME manage files with ease

PPT Chromecast Polaris Office Copy

» Price Free » Price Free » Price Free
» Developer SunnyDev » Developer Infraware, Inc. » Developer
Barracuda Networks
As its name suggests, PPT Chromecast Whether its documents, presentations
provides users with a platform to or spreadsheets, Polaris Office is the The reason we added Copy to our list of
access their Microsoft PowerPoint best choice for creating work projects essential Chromecast upgrades is that it
presentations on the big screen. on your TV. 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
[Link] AutoCast compatible and although some users
» Price Free » Price Free will take advantage of its media
» Developer Steven Schoen » Developer joaomgcd streaming functions, where it really
In essence, [Link] is an online system AutoCast is an extension of the Tasker shines is with how you can stream
for keeping your files safe and sound, app, enabling the user to automate your encrypted and personal files
but once connected to your TV, the app some of their TV’s functions when the across to it. Once across, you can then
gives you full access to them. Chromecast is in use. begin editing them onscreen with either your smartphone or
Bluetooth keyboard. Depending on the type of file, things like the
orientation and layout can be changed and there are individual
settings to explore that are Chromecast-specific and can help bring
even more features to the stick.

Working from home is

easier with Chromecast

secret features of your Chromecast

VBChromecast Stocks Cast Store for Tool for MyCast
» Price Free
ChromeCast Chromecast Picasa, Screen
As an extension to the Vbukit » Price Free » Price Free
Google+ Photo » Price £0.59/$0.99
Share app, VBChromecast is Stocks ChromeCast provides Cast Store is the perfect » Price Free MyCastScreen is an alternate
a security management those with an interest in place to go if you're looking Tool for Picasa, Google+ homescreen for Chromecast
system that can help protect stocks and shares a look at for new Chromecast apps to Photo merges two platforms that can be heavily
your Wi-Fi network. the state of the economy. use on your TV. together to edit your pictures. customised to suit you.

[Link] 27
 Subscription
[Link]
3» EASY WAYS
voucher
 YES! I would like to subscribe to Android Magazine
Q
YOUR DETAILS TO SUBSCRIBE
Title
Surname
First name
1 ONLINE
Address Order via credit or debit card – just visit:
[Link]/and
and enter code PAL143Q
Postcode Country
Telephone number
Mobile number
2 » TELEPHONE
Order via credit or debit card on the
Email address
Please complete your email address to receive news and special offers from us phone – just call:
DIRECT DEBIT PAYMENT 0844 245 6963
Q UK Direct Debit payment Overseas: +44 (0) 1795 414 972
I will pay only £15 for 6 issues (saving 50%*)
and quote code PAL143Q
Instruction to your Bank or
Building Society to pay by Direct Debit
Please fill in the form and send it to: Imagine Publishing Limited, 800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, ME9 8GU

Name and full postal address of your Bank or Building Society

To: The Manager Bank/Building Society
Originator’s Identification Number
3 » POST OR EMAIL
Please complete and post the form to:
5 0 1 8 8 4
Address

Reference Number
Android Magazine Subscriptions Department
800 Guillat Avenue
Name(s) of account holder(s)
Postcode Instructions to your Bank or Building Society
Please pay Imagine Publishing Limited Direct Debits from the account detailed in this
instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit guarantee. I understand
that this instruction may remain with Imagine Publishing Limited and, if so, details will be
Kent Science Park
passed on electronically to my Bank/Building Society

Branch sort code

Signature(s) Sittingbourne, ME9 8GU
Alternatively, you can scan and email the
Bank/Building Society account number

Date form to:

Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit instructions for some types of account A6 instruction form
android@[Link]
PAYMENT DETAILS
YOUR EXCLUSIVE READER PRICE: ONE YEAR (13 ISSUES)
Q UK: £51.90 (Save 20%) Q Europe: £65.00 Q World: £75.00
Cheque EXCLUSIVE
Q I enclose a cheque for £
(made payable to Imagine Publishing Ltd) SUBSCRIBER
Credit/Debit Card
QVisa Q Mastercard Q Amex Q Maestro BENEFITS
Card number Expiry date
Start a direct debit today
Issue number QQ (if Maestro) from just £15 for six
Signed
Date
issues and save £29 in
Code: PAL143Q
the first year
Please tick if you do not wish to receive any promotional material from Imagine Publishing Ltd
by post Q by telephone Q via email Q
Please tick if you do not wish to receive any promotional material from other companies
by post Q by telephone Q Please tick if you DO wish to receive such information via email Q
» Pay only £2.50 for every future
*Terms & conditions: Pricing will revert to our standard offer of £21 every 6 issues on the third payment
made. Subscribers can cancel this subscription at any time. New subscriptions will start from the next
issue – a 50% saving on the
available issue. Offer code PAL143Q must be quoted to receive this special subscription price. Details
of the direct debit guarantee are available on request. Offer expires 31 January 2015. Imagine Publishing
reserves the right to limit this type of offer to one per household. store price
Return this order form to:
» Free UK delivery to your door
Android Magazine Subscriptions Department,
800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, ME9 8GU
or email it to android@[Link].
[Link]
» Never miss an issue
Manage your subscription details online at [Link]
 [Link]

IGITAL!
GITAL SUBSCRIPTION
OFFERS AVAILABLE AT:
IM [Link]
FOR ANDROID, MAC,
PC, PHONE & iPAD

AND SAVE 50%

The only magazine or Android!
[Link]
[Link]
» masterclass
Automate your
phone Make your phone
work as you want it to
by automating tasks

T
here’s no denying that our Atooma, the unheralded kings of
smartphones can do amazing automating apps, as well as some
things. We can play 3D games, apps you probably haven’t heard
watch 1080p video and even connect of. So keep on reading as we lead
to the cloud, all on a single device. But you through the process of
with so much going on, it’s imperative making your phone work for
to make sure your phone is handling Here’s five great pointers to get
all these tasks correctly to maximise you started…
the performance it gives you back. To Ask your own
question online at
streamline how your phone completes [Link] 1. Minimise battery impact
all of these tasks, you’ll need to My phone Many of the tasks you’ll want to
explore the array of automation apps doesn’t cope automate will no doubt use the
available on the Google Play store. well with media services on your
These apps take out all the work and background smartphone. Remember these
fuss required to do certain tasks on apps. Can I use will soon drain your battery, so
your phone, and in essence complete automation counter it by creating additional
the process for you. They cover apps to put a tasks that preserve battery life.
everything from setting up videos to stop to this?
To combat background
watch, to managing the Bluetooth apps, download the 2. Core services
connections stored on your device. In RFRSH app. This app Delve a little deeper into some
enables you to create
this masterclass we’ve taken a look at automated reboots of
of the apps we’re covering in
some of the best apps on the Google your phone that happen the following pages and you’ll
Play store to help keep your device throughout the day find ways you can automate
based on the times and
automated. You’ll find tutorials dates you input. some of the core services on
covering the likes of AutomateIt and your smartphone, including
the likes of answering calls

“It’s imperative to make and sending SMS messages.

3. Set timers
sure your phone is handling Although it isn’t a feature

all these tasks correctly to available in all automation

software, setting up timings for

maximise the performance each task is key. If you keep certain

tasks on all the time, they can
Utilise the power of
automation through your phone

it gives you back” considerably slow down the

performance of your smartphone. 4. Connect to wearables
It’s still in its early stages, but some of
the newer automation apps are now
The best AutomateIt add-ons Use these add-ons to make AutomateIt a little better working with smartwatches. Users of
a smartwatch can program these apps
Connect to Use both of Access your to manage messages, emails and more
Facebook your cameras phone’s shell on their wearable device.
The Facebook plug-in A great piece of For the more technically
for AutomateIt can be automation through minded among us,
used to automatically AutomateIt is to use check out the Shell 5. Prioritise
post statuses and the camera plug-in to plug-in for AutomateIt. Putting created tasks in a sequential
posts to friend’s control both your Explore this app to find
profiles. Its best use is device’s front and and implement order lets you keep a close eye on the
when you add a new rear-facing cameras. automated tasks that tasks currently working and when the
contact; you can You can set your phone can use different
automatically download to take a picture from hacking options after
next ones will be activated. Again,
their details without both sides at the same you’ve rooted your having too many activated at the same
manually doing it. time, for example. Android device. time will slow down your device.

30 [Link]
 »mAut ur ph
[Link]

as om on
yo

ter ate e
cl as
s
Works with » Android 2.3 and up

Send everything
Control how
and when Wi-Fi
and Bluetooth
min are used on
guide your device

to the cloud Streamline

Use Atooma to send all your files, videos, music and more
automatically to the cloud
Wi-Fi and
K
eeping backups of the various stored files 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 files directly to the cloud? With the Atooma app, users can design
Bluetooth
tasks that bring all sorts of files 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. It’s also really
easy to use, and if you’re new to the Android ecosystem, then it’s an easy way to get started
with the automation process.

Press the + button at the top of the app

1 to create a new task and on the
following screen, select the Connectivity and
Sensors option near the bottom of the list.

1 Select New Atooma

From the main page of Atooma, scroll right
2 Apps or files
You’ll now be presented with a wheel of
to unlock the sidebar and select New Atooma from options to select from, with each then opening up
the list of options provided. You can also check out a selection of further options. For the purpose of
some of the premade Atooma tasks by selecting this tutorial, you’ll want to select the files option
the Featured option from the side menu. from the provided list.

Now choose Bluetooth or Wi-Fi from the

2 list provided. You can also apply strict
rules to your device’s other sensors, including
the likes of NFC and GPS usage.

3 Connect to the cloud

Now select the Connect to Cloud option.
4 Make it public
The final screen will give you an overview of
You can also designate if you want to upload the new task you’ve set up. Press on the pencil Select the times you want your Wi-Fi or
singular files or automate everything. Use the next icon to edit the task if some details are incorrect, 3 Bluetooth connection to be enabled, as
wheel to select the cloud account you want to before pressing the power icon to make it public well as the days you want the rule to take
connect with and log in to it using your device. and get your files to the cloud. effect, before pressing Done at the bottom.

[Link] 31
[Link]
Works with » Android 2.2 and up

Design triggers and

tasks with AutomateIt
Create intricate
A
mong the plethora of automation apps sits of topics and apart from being quite a cool addition, it
AutomateIt, a truly amazing app for those can save a lot of time switching between different
and automated who really want to explore the world of apps and functions manually, especially when you
tasks to save automation on their smartphone. The app itself is consider just how detailed and arduous certain tasks
split into several areas, with the main being used to can soon become. In this tutorial we’ll be guiding you
time while using create automated tasks and apply them to different through the AutomateIt app – and the process of
your device functions on their phones. These tasks are formed in creating a new task from scratch. You’ll also find
the style of different tasks, also known as triggers, invaluable information on editing created tasks and
and the action that happens once that trigger has how you can link them with nearly all the third-party
been activated. Created tasks can vary over hundreds apps installed on your device.

1 Start from scratch

From the main page of the AutomateIt app,
2 Add a trigger
Your first task will be to add a trigger that
you’ll want to navigate to the My Rules option at ultimately has an effect on some part of your
AutomateIt is the top of the page. Select the Add Rule option at device. The app lists the most common triggers at
a brilliant
automation app the bottom-left of the tab, and follow the first the top of the menu, but scroll down to view more
for Android instructions on the next screen. before selecting one.

Select desired action

3 Now 4 Link to apps 5 Activate new rules
select when you want the trigger to A large portion of your created rules will After creating a series of rules, you’ll now
be activated. After selecting how you want it to be eventually activate an app at the end of it. You’ll need to activate them. Navigate back to the main
activated, scroll down the list where you can then find most third-party apps can be used for this, but page of the application and select the My Rules
select how often you want the new rule to work you should clear the cache of any app that resists tab once again. Find your created rule and use the
through the various choices available. you attaching it to a rule. on\off toggle to activate.

32 [Link]
 »mAut ur ph
Message us! » facebook » twitter
[Link]

as om on
Get in touch via Facebook /littlegreenrobot @lgrobot

yo

ter ate e
Get help from our Follow us to send your
and Twitter

cl
Facebook community questions and thoughts

as
s
Works with » Varies with device

Automate A
utomating your phone is a concept that’s 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

with NFC tags

when they’re scanned by a smartphone with full NFC
compatibility, something that’s a standard feature on today’s
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,
There are extra tools to help make the we’ve used the Trigger app to help program our NFC tags and
automating process even easier make them automatically control different parts of our daily
routine by simply scanning them.

1 Find NFC option

Navigate to the + symbol at the top of the
2 Create your task
Now go through the various options
3 Scan a NFC tag
Now take your NFC tag and place it directly
app to create a new task from scratch. The available to you through Trigger. Users can specify onto your phone’s screen. A notification will appear
following screen will ask you to select a trigger that times and dates for their new task to be letting you know the new task has been added to
will set off the task you’re about to create. Select operational. Press on the Done button when the tag. Now leave the app and scan the tag to
the NFC option from the list. you’ve finished adding everything. make sure it’s working correctly.

min Create location profiles

guide Use the Llama app to control location profiles and edit their functions

Llama splits up your day into You can now change the time Now start inputting what you Go through the remaining
1 several areas, and you can
2 you want this location profile
3 want to associate with the
4 times of the day and assign
apply different tasks to switch to the activated for, as well as rename it location profile. For example, early in the different tasks needed. Once
next location profile (and time of and apply a different trigger. When the morning – you may want to mute done, you’ll find each location profile
day) automatically. From the main this trigger is activated, your phone your phone, or have numerous set up and ready to use. Simply
page, long press on the beginning will switch to this location profile and alarms go off at different times. toggle each of them on, and your
event and select Edit Event. stay activated until you say so. Press Confirm once completed. entire day will be automated for you.

[Link] 33
[Link]
Works with » Android 4.0 and up

Use external plug

Sunrise 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

Calendar
you see fit, and also add alarms
and notifications to remind you of it
over time

Sunrise connects with some of Maps integration

the best third-party apps on Some of the apps also include
Maps integration that can be
the Play store accessed when looking at an event
in more detail. Users will find a
small cut out from Google Maps

S
unrise Calendar is a new addition to the that will pinpoint the exact location
Google Play store, but it already sits as one of of the event
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
Birthdays
Facebook’s main connectivity in
additional third-party apps it can be synced with. Sunrise Calendar is in the form of
The apps are turned into external plug-ins, of sorts, birthday reminders. You’ll find a
small icon representing one of your
and appear automatically in your calendar after friends, from which you can then go
importing them. directly to their profile by pressing
said icon
Although there’s 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 More information
without you needing to do a thing. In this tutorial, Press on a reminder to get more
we’ll guide you through the process of firstly information about it. You’ll find
details regarding when the event
selecting and importing external plug-ins into starts and finishes and also a
Sunrise Calendar. We’ll then take you through how choice of notification sounds to
choose from if you want an alert to
to view events in the calendar and how you can the reminder
interact with each imported app you selected.

1 AtWhat to sync?
the top of the app you’ll find all the
2 Account login
You’ll now need to log in to the app in
3 Import options
If the app has several areas that can be
calendars that can be imported into the app and question. If you don’t have an account with the imported, you’ll now be able to choose which
the available apps at the bottom. Scroll down the app, then use the sign up option provided. Any sections you want to import. Importing can take
list until you find an app of interest and select it. data stored within the app will now be imported quite a while to complete, so be frugal with the
It’s important to keep in mind that certain apps are into Sunrise. Repeat this process for every app choices you make here. Press the Done button
country specific. that you want to import. once complete.

34 [Link]
 Five of the best external plug-ins to use in Sunrise Calendar
[Link]
1 TripIt 2 Evernote 3 GitHub 4 Asana 5 Songkick

tips
Plan various parts of your holiday Import various notes into your Track various news outlets and get This app enables teams of people Get details on the latest concerts
and keep track of flight times in Sunrise account and edit them the latest headlines appearing in to work and communicate on being performed by artists at
one handy place. within the calendar app. your calendar. projects together. locations near you.

Ask your own

question online at
[Link]

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
4 Start to browse
Scroll through your calendar across a
5 Add more detail
Each listing will have a different amount of
where you’ll find the iCloud
listing. Press on it and enter
few weeks to see if all the apps you imported are detail attached with it. If you aren’t happy with your details to import it across.
there and present. Each app will be represented what’s been included, press on the pencil icon
by a different icon and contain a small note at the top of the app to edit the field. You can Will my connected
describing what the listing is about. Press on one then add to or completely rewrite the description,
to take a closer look. which doesn’t have a word limit. apps work with
the Sunrise
Calendar widget?
Yes and no. Although most apps
work with the widget fairly well,
on occasion you may find 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.

6 Split the day

If you’ve got multiple apps displaying for
7 Start organising
After using the app for some time it may be
the same day, press on the date in question to get that you’re finding some of the plug-ins to be a
a closer view. Doing this will split up the day into hindrance. Go through the settings page of the
different parts – Morning, Afternoon, etc – so you app to find the remove app function. Here you
can pinpoint the timing of exact events. Press on can remove the feeds from specific apps in just
the date again to revert back to normal. a few seconds.

Need help?
Got a problem with your
Android phone or tablet?
Get in touch with us...
»facebook /littlegreenrobot
Get help from our
Facebook community

8 App features
Some apps include extra details that users
9 Different view
If you’ve got a rather packed calendar, or
»twitter @lgrobot
Follow us to send your
questions and thoughts
should be checking out. Songkick, for example, simply want to try out an alternate view, press on
not only has Google Maps integration letting you
know the whereabouts of upcoming concerts, it
also has a direct link to the app’s webpage for you
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
»email
qa@[Link]
Send your questions for our team of
to find out more. easier to comprehend. experts to tackle

[Link] 35
[Link]
Works with » Android 4.0 and up

Stream Dropbox
to your TV
Y
Use a Chromecast our Chromecast can do a lot of things and it photos on the
doesn’t have to end with just streaming big screen. It
and the AllCast media. The Google Play store now has hundreds provides users
app to get your of compatible Chromecast apps, which expand the with a platform to
functionality of the streaming stick. One of the most read and perform m nor edits
photos, files highly regarded apps is AllCast – a great app that on their files, before sha ing them
and more on enables users to not only stream their media content, through different platforms. This
but also several other apps you wouldn’t normally tutorial will get you up and running with
your television expect. The app contains full Dropbox support, AllCast and we’ll als
enabling users to have full access to their files and make using Dropbox on your TV a whole lot easier.

Find your Chromecast

1 When 2 Change bitrate 3 Open side menu
you first open up the AllCast app, it’ll Before looking to stream Dropbox, you’ll Back out of the Settings menu and open
automatically try and find a nearby Chromecast by first need to go into the Settings menu and alter up the side menu. All of the compatible apps that
performing a scan on your Wi-Fi network. When your bitrate. A higher bitrate is best suited for a work with AllCast are listed, and you’ll find Dropbox
you find yours listed, press on it to be taken to the solid internet connection, while a lower bitrate is there. If you’re an avid cloud user, be sure to check
homescreen of the AllCast app. better for those with average internet to avoid lag. out the Google Drive integration as well.

Allow access
4 You’ll now be required to allow access to
5 Navigate Dropbox
The beauty of this Dropbox integration is
6 Start to stream
Select a file and press the cast button on
your Dropbox account through the AllCast app. If that any number of your files can be streamed. Go the top-right of the app. After a few seconds, your
you have a full Dropbox account, it may take the through each folder listed and see the various file will appear on your TV. Using your phone you
app a few minutes to compile all your folders and documents and photos. A small X will appear in can move the file around, edit various parts of it
files together and get them ready for streaming. the corner of a file if it isn’t compatible. and share it to other devices as well.

36 [Link]
 [Link]
Works with » All versions of Android
Charge battery

Recalibrate
Your first 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

your batter
without roo
Get your battery working at its maximum
potential in just a few steps

P
oor battery life is something that
most Android users will
LED indication
With your device off you’ll want to
experience with their smartphone plug in your charger and wait for the
at some point. Although many believe LED light to appear, notifying you
when it’s fully charged. Once this
that the way you use your phone is the happens remove the charger again
number one reason users can face and turn on your phone
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 Drain to 0%
seem like a daunting prospect, but it can After being fully charged again,
be performed with minimal fuss and unplug it and leave your phone
until it reaches 0 per cent battery
without the need for any third-party life and turns itself off. If you now
application from the Google Play store, fully charge your phone while it’s
which could do more bad than good for off, your phone should calibrate
itself and work at its optimal level
your smartphone.

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
battery’s performance

Battery Doctor DU Battery Saver JuiceDefender

Battery Doctor quickly Where DU excels as an The JuiceDefender apps Set screen to
estimates how long your
battery will last on its
app is that it gives users
the choice to optimise
have long been at the
forefront of preserving
maximum Finishing up
Now go into your device’s Settings Turn your phone back on and
current charge, as well as their phone battery’s battery life. They’re a page and look for the Display immediately take off the screen
providing an easy-to-use performance with a great choice for those section. Within here you’ll want to always on option you enabled
task killer that can single press. It also who simply want to keep find the option that enables you to earlier. From this point on you
neutralise features that includes a choice of their battery at their peak permanently keep your screen should notice your battery life
are substantially draining pre-determined modes and have an easy way of turned on. Enable the option, draining slower, but if it’s still
it or stopping it from that can help save your seeing how the changes reconnect the charger and wait for draining too fast, then a
reaching optimal levels. battery draining too fast. affect their device. it to fully charge again replacement might be in order

[Link] 37
[Link]
Works with » Android 4.0 and up

Create formulas Make quick

calculations

in Google Sheets
with Google’s
alternative to
Microsoft Excel

L
et’s face it – spreadsheets will never be the most Although the fundamentals of the app haven’t changed, it
exciting things in the world. However, if you can look now includes a comprehensive suite of features, which are
past the endless rows of cells, they act as a great way to especially useful if you tend to use these sorts of apps to
manage your expenses, keep things organised and partake create simple formulas from scratch while away from your
in other number-related tasks. Google Sheets has desktop computer. In this tutorial we’re taking a look at
recently been revamped to bring it closer Google Sheets in more detail, and focusing in on how it
in line with Microsoft Excel, which utilises the formulas feature. We’ll show you how to create
has long been at the pinnacle formulas from scratch, as well as the basic functions you
of spreadsheet-based apps. need to enter for them to work correctly.

1 Select cells for formulas

Begin by highlighting the cell you want to
2 Enter further data
Go through subsequent cells and enter
start using formulas with. A blue outline will appear the rest of the data you require. Instead of
around the cell and by pressing and dragging on manually selecting each cell and adding data,
Need the power the corner of the outline you can begin to highlight simply press enter to quickly interchange between
f a spreadsheet on
the move? Say hello
the cells around it. Select the first cell in the cells. With the keyboard now open, press on the
to Google Sheets top-left corner and add numbers. thin white bar that lies above it.

Basic formulas
3 The 4 Instant troubleshooting 5 Exploring other formulas
white bar is your hub for all formulas If the finished number doesn’t look right Multiplying the numbers in cells is also
that you want to create in Google Sheets. The after making the calculation, use the formatting another basic and common formula to use.
start of all your basic formulas will begin with the toolbar at the top to go to the Numbers tab. Here Instead of simply putting an X to symbolise
= symbol. You can then put an equation straight you can see how numbers will be displayed in the multiplying, you’ll need to use an asterisk
after it, as long as you type the value of each cell cell. Select one and then re-do the equation to between the cell value before pressing the enter
you want to put together. see the revised number. key on the keyboard to process the formula.

38 [Link]
 Get in touch
We’re on Facebook and Twitter,
» facebook » twitter » email
[Link] /littlegreenrobot @lgrobot qa@[Link]
Like us on Facebook and Follow us to send your Need help? Got a question? Drop us
or just drop us an email join our community comments and pics an email and let us know

Ask your own

question online at
[Link]

Will my equations
go on to other
devices?
Yes. No matter where you
decide to access your
spreadsheet, or on what
device, you’ll find the data for
your equations will
6 Learning to divide
Many users tend to be a bit confused
7 Alternate formula entry
If you’re looking to total up a large number
automatically be there for you
to access and edit, if
when it comes to dividing cell values while in of cells at one given time, then a great piece of necessary. Very convenient.
Google Sheets, but without a designated divide equation to use is the =sum function before the
button, users will instead need to use a forward rest of the equation is entered. Over a long period
slash for division. Again, press the enter button of time, you’ll generally find it quicker to use this
once your equation has been entered. function when handling multiple cells.

8 Formatting with colours

The top toolbar is where you’ll find all the
9 Selecting cell styles
Formatting also links closely with the cell
10 Advanced formula entry
After testing out the basic equation
formatting options available to you. To help styles that can be selected from within Google formats, begin to experiment a little further by
differentiate your finished equations to your Sheets. Scroll past the colours tab and you’ll find adding multiple cells into them. You can also add
standard cells, it’s worth applying a colour to all of basic cell design styles to select from. Again, different functions into each equation, if you so
them. Highlight a single cell and drag the outline to these act as a great way of differentiating these wish. For these more advanced formulas, make
cover the remaining cells and apply a colour. cells from the rest. sure to use the =sum function as well.

11 Diagnosing problems
You may encounter several problems when
12 Allow others to help
All the formulas you create through
13 Add general details
Save and rename your file before
putting formulas together, so it’s important you Google Sheets can be shared with anyone closing it. If you now open up the spreadsheet
take care when entering them. A common problem you like. Find the Add People menu within the again, you should still see each finished
is not putting a correct cell value in, or simply Settings and designate people who can not equation entered, and by pressing on the cell
putting a cell that doesn’t actually contain any only look at the spreadsheet, but also change in question, you’ll also see the formula used
data to calculate. and edit any formulas they see fit. to reach the finished formula.

[Link] 39
[Link] Works with » Android 2.3.3 and up

Blacklist spam
numbers with
Truecaller Add unwanted callers and spammers to your global block list

T
here is nothing worse than when you look Truecaller is an application that helps get rid
down at your ringing phone and see the of such nuisance calls with a global and personal
CallerID flashing up an unknown number. block list. The app comes with a long list of
Is it a friend using a new phone or is it an wanted known spammers straight out of the box. The
call from a pushy salesperson? Almost invariably beauty of Truecaller is that you can add to
Ensure you it’s a telephone call from someone trying to sell the list with a single tap to block unwanted
never get disturbed you something you don’t want to buy. calls now and in the future.
by a nuisance call again

[FIG 4] Unwanted
callers are definitely a Alternatively, Invite friends to join to get
nuisance. When you Premium points.
find one it can be
added to your My block
list by selecting Block 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
[FIG 5] Blocked callers
will be added to the option to choose either calls or text or
My block list. The both with a toggle switch. Select option(s)
details of the blocked
and press OK.
caller can be viewed,
edited or removed by
tapping the three-dot
menu icon

1. Getting started 2. All about you

On first-time use you will need to accept The first screen displays a headshot of you
the terms and conditions to continue. But, along with your name. If an image is not
before you do, have a quick look at the available tap the generic image to add and
Ask your own
Welcome presentation to see what it has complete your profile. To add an image question online at
to offer. To set up the app, first select a there is the option to Take a photo, Select [Link]

country. Instead of scrolling through the from the Gallery or Get from Facebook. Can I view a
long list use the search option to get the Add additional details and tap the tick. full list of spam
correct country. and unknown
Now you will be asked to enter your 3. New messages callers?
As well as viewing your
phone number; this acts as your unique Truecaller will include a number of list of blocked callers
identifier on Truecaller. Once the number messages on first-time use. You can you can view the global
list. Tap the Truecaller
has been entered, Truecaller will send a choose to add images to contacts or tell icon, select Block, tap
three-digit code to that number. Note the your friends that you are using Truecaller the three-dot icon and
hit View full list.
code and enter to continue. via text message, Google+ or email.

40 [Link]
 [Link] NEW
From the
makers of

Every issue different, every issue amazing

The unique new monthly magazine
Fact-
p
Buy your copy from 31 July
a c ked
pages
burst
intere
ing w
sting
ith Where to get your copy
info
All good newsagents & supermarkets
WIN
O

O Online at [Link]
A year’s
subscription O On your iPhone, iPad & Android by
on the next visiting [Link]
page Available on the following platforms

[Link]
[Link]

[Link]
 A
YE
[Link]

A
W
R’
What’s

S
SU

IN
BS
wrong with

CR
IP
TI
this picture?

O
N
TO
Play along for a chance to win
a one-year subscription to

How you can enter: Simply email us at

howitworks@[Link]
and tell us what you’ve found
in this image that simply
doesn’t belong

w ere
w big urs?
Ho inosisasue one
d
the ut in
o
Find

[Link]
 [Link]
Each issue is
dedicated to
Issue one a different

HISTORY
fascinating
topic

OF THE WORLD Detailed,

colourful

On sale 31 July from all good

cutaways and
illustrations

newsagents & supermarkets that explain

exactly how
things work
Bursting with fact-filled pages, packed
full of incredible things to discover…
O How big were the dinosaurs?
O What were early people like?
OWho were the Vikings?
O16 gross things about Romans
OHow to paint like Seurat
OHow did we land on the Moon?
love
ing you
Everyth in one
arning
about le e
magazin
Don’t monthly
miss out on
this great
launch
offer Subscribe
With fun, easy-to-understand
explanations and wonderful artwork
Future issues include
O Dinosaurs & The Prehistoric World
to amaze the eye, How It Works
Illustrated is everything you love about O Space Exploration
w

learning in one monthly, travel-sized O Amazing Science

w
w

magazine. Each issue is dedicated

.im C (0 se A

O The Incredible Human Body

RD
ag all 0 ) 17 uo L H
or

to explaining all you need to O Your Everyday World

in 8 95 te LU
+4 Ple

know about one fascinating

es 44

ER
4

ub 8 59 ffe

topic, from ancient Rome

s.c 56 2 8 r c

to space exploration Delivered in a collectable

N
a

o. 0 69 od
uk 64 o e

travel-sized format
O

and beyond.
q

/H 4 ve

W
P

IW UK rse
ill
o

us

*This offer entitles new UK direct debit subscribers to pay just £21 every six issues saving 50% off the cover price. Offer code
PALHLU must be quoted to receive this special subscription price. New subscriptions will start from the next available issue.
tr

Subscribers can cancel this subscription at any time. Details of the direct debit guarantee are available on request. This offer
at

expires 30th September 2014. Imagine Publishing reserves the right to limit this type of offer to one per household.
ed

[Link]
as
 [Link]
Works with » Android 3.0 and up

Take notes durin

phone calls with
NOTEify
Never miss important
details by jotting down
info while on the phone

W
ho hasn’t been in the situation where automatically when specified contacts make a
you’ve been scrambling around for a call to you. It’s a brilliant solution if you’re in the
pen and paper while on the phone? Not middle of an important call, and best of all, the
many, that’s for sure. NOTEify is an ingenious notes you enter can be saved within the app for
little app that enables users to jot down quick later use, where they can be saved to the cloud
notes while taking a phone call, appearing or simply shared with others.

[FIG 3] Try and use the select where to save the notes to and
swipe feature on your export it to other applications, if
Android keyboard,
which is noticeably necessary. There’s also a sharing option,
quicker than manually which is a great tool to use if you need to
typing out notes 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 5] Import any

notes into the likes of
Sunrise Calendar to
set up reminders and
alerts for them later
down the line
1. Import contacts function will automatically appear during
When you first open the NOTEify app, you’ll calls and that each note you take will
be required to sync your contacts to the subsequently be saved to the cloud.
app. All synced contacts will then work
with the NOTEify feature when a call takes 3. Taking notes
place. Depending on the amount of When a call is in progress, your keyboard
contacts stored on your phone, the will appear. To make sure you don’t
process can take a few minutes to fully miss out on any details, try and use the
finish syncing. Once completed, you’ll be swipe feature that most keyboards now Ask your own
question online at
taken directly to the main page of the include. If you back out of the note-taking [Link]
NOTEify app. feature, you’ll be returned to the standard
How do I
phone screen.
delete notes?
2. Change settings While on the
Press on the menu icon within the NOTEify 4. Format notes formatting screen,
press on the bin icon
app and select the Settings option from With the phone call now over, you can get on the far-left of
the list provided. Scroll down the list and started formatting the notes to your the screen to scrap
enable the Activate Notes and Auto Save specification. As well as the font and the note you are
currently editing.
Notes options. This means the notes colours being changed, users can also

[Link] 45
[Link]
Works with » Android 2.2 and up

Use Hibernate to freeze

background processes
Improve the
E
ven though you may not be using a certain app, device’s core processes need to be running at all
chances are it’s still running in the background times to keep your phone or tablet safe from
speed and and unfortunately this means it’ll be using intermittent restarts and crashes.
overall some of your device’s RAM. Having numerous apps The Google Play store has a plethora of utility apps
running in the background can lead to issues with that can cut out background processes for you, and in
performance of your device’s overall performance. Tasks can take turn can generally speed up your device in certain
your device by longer to complete, while navigating between menus areas. In this tutorial we’re looking at the Hibernate
and apps can be a bit of a chore. That’s not to say that app, which temporarily freezes background processes
minimising all background processes are detrimental to your but leaves the user with complete control on what
RAM usage device, as the small number that are linked to your they want to freeze at any time.

1 Import app details

When you first open up Hibernate, you may
2 What to freeze?
Scroll through the apps and tick the box
find it needs some time to import your app details. next to each one you want to freeze. As you scroll,
This isn’t the case for every device and is usually you may notice some apps listed in yellow. This
Keep an eye on determined by the number of installed apps on it. represents a core service on your device and
background
processes to
You’ll automatically be taken to the app’s home should generally be avoided when hibernating as it
boost performance page upon completion. could lead to problems on your device.

Freeze processes
3 Press 4 Is it working? Careful selection
5 Venture
the Android symbol to freeze the After making your initial selections, it’s back into the app and explore
processes, which should then automatically best to have a quick look to see if the effects are some of the other apps you can hibernate. Each
remove them from the list. Open up the Settings working. Your device should feel nippier from the app listing will have a numerical value of how much
and enable ‘Run service for background’ before start, but you can also venture into the battery RAM it’s currently using by just running in the
selecting how often you want the app to check monitor screen to see if the changes have background, so ideally these are the apps you’ll
your background processes below. increased the battery life on their device. want to prioritise when making the selection.

46 [Link]
 Essential ways to improve the speed of your phone or tablet
[Link]
1 Disable animations 2 Stop syncing 3 Ditch the widgets 4 Software updates 5 Factory reset

tips
Cut additional animations on your Make sure not to set your apps in Widgets consume a surprising Many software updates help If your phone is continuously too
phone by going to the Developer automatic sync mode as this can amount of RAM, so clearing them is streamline the overall performance slow to use, then a factory reset will
options menu in the settings. cause a massive slowdown. a great idea. of phones and tablets. restart it from scratch.

Track background
min processes Venture into your Settings menu to discover a quick way of
checking how your phone uses background processes

6 Take a closer look

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.

1 Apps that are running

Go into your device’s Settings menu and
2 Monitor RAM usage
With the Running menu still open,
find the Apps section near the bottom of the select the ‘Show cached processes’ option
list. Open it to get an overview of the apps from the top-right of the app. This will now
installed on your device. Scroll left until you get show you the apps that are using the most
to the Running tab, which will show every RAM through background processes, although
application currently open in the foreground and it isn’t as thorough as the Hibernate app for
background on your device. the most part.
7 Explore the new list
After selecting the background list of apps,
you’ll find 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.

3 Stop or report? 4 A word of warning

8 The final checks
There’s a multitude of ways to check if your
Select an app to take a closer look at it.
As well as giving you a general insight into how
Although using the Stop button might
seem like a good idea, it can lead to more
background processes have been frozen. The best many background processes the app is problems than good. You may find the app
way is to go to the ‘Show cached processes’ currently undertaking, there’s also the Stop and unusable, or certain features not responding, as
screen in the Settings app and any app you’ve Report buttons. If you’re worried about they would normally. Using Hibernate is a good
frozen shouldn’t be listed. If it’s listed, simply go particularly high RAM usage, use the Send solution to freeze the app without potentially
back to Hibernate and de-list it again. function to notify the developer. damaging your device.

[Link] 47
[Link]
Works with » Android 3.0 and up

Track your app 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

usage with
and this will display the last seven days
usage. Select All Time to view usage since
Frequency has been installed

Frequency
Discover and analyse how long you are
spending on your installed apps

A
pps are the lifeblood of any App watch
device, but there are the regulars, Apps are what make a device
the occasionals and the ‘what’s and Frequency offers the option to
filter which apps are displayed in a
this?’ apps. It is almost guaranteed that list. Used Apps displays apps that
you will know your regulars, but out of have been used in a selected
those 30 apps you have installed, which period, while All Installed displays
all the apps installed on a device,
ones do you actually use? used or unused
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 Listed by time
have been the least popular since you Time is the key measurement in
installed Frequency? This lets you make the Frequency app. The listed apps
are displayed in order with the most
decisions on which apps to keep and used app, by time, top of the list.
which to uninstall, which can be done Each app in the list displays how
directly via Frequency to free up valuable long each app has been used
during the selected time period
space and resources.

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 Go Pro App accuracy

Each app has options The free version does not Frequency monitors app
including Add to No-Show
List. This option allows for
include a number of
options, such as Run at
usage every 30 seconds,
which sets the accuracy
More options Manual use
Each listed app has a selected set By default, the App usage tracking
selected apps to be Startup and App level at medium. To of options that can be accessed option, in Settings, is activated when
excluded, or not shown, Accuracy. These options upgrade, head to Settings with a single tap. The pop-up the app is installed. However, the app
in standard app listings, can only be accessed by >App usage accuracy. To window offers the option to Open must be started manually to start
eg Used Apps. However, upgrading to the Pro select an alternative, eg 5 the selected app, get App info and, tracking. The Run at startup option,
the tagged apps will version. Head to Settings, Seconds (Very High), you if desired, Uninstall the app. There again in Settings, will automatically
appear in the No-Show select Run at startup and will need to upgrade to is also the option to add an app to start Frequency, but this is a Pro
List, when selected. tap Get Pro to upgrade. the Pro version. the No-Show list option that you will have to pay for

48 [Link]
 [Link]
Works with » Android 2.3 and up Search,
translate, share

Automatic
Clipboard When you copy anything, as
Monitor well as saving to EverClip,
green buttons will appear on
Once you’ve downloaded
EverClip, any text copied to screen. These include options
clipboard will automatically to search for highlighted text
add to EverClip. It also online, translate it, or share it

store all
recognises URLs and with others. Premium user
downloads the corresponding options also include calling
data. Follow the steps in the copied numbers, emailing text,
green box below to back up and opening links
URLs as web clippings for an
alternative to bookmarking

copied dat
with EverCl
Instantly back up all the text and web Back up to
Evernote
addresses you copy to the cloud As its name suggests,
EverClip is a third-party app
for Evernote. Open the link

H
ow often have you Clipboard Monitor and making or note you want to backup,
then tap Save to Evernote
copied a vital detail, use of its extra features. We to store it remotely. If you
such as a phone also guide you step-by-step use a different cloud store,
number or web address, then through creating web like Drive, press the Share
button instead and select
forgotten to paste it before clippings. There is already an the relevant option
copying something else? The Evernote Web Clipping Chrome
EverClip app eliminates this extension that works on both
problem by automatically desktop and Android, but isn’t
backing up everything you as intuitive on mobile as
copy and making it easy to EverClip. It also only works
store links, web clippings and with Chrome, so if you prefer
text to Evernote. In this tutorial to use a different browser, the
we take you through EverClip’s official extension is no good.
essential features, including EverClip will also work with
setting up the automated other cloud services.

Save web clippings

Create a permanent snapshot of a webpage, known as a
web clipping, so text, images and links are preserved

1 Copy a URL
To create a
2 Select
area
an 3 Store in
the cloud
webclip, copy the URL of If you want to save a When finished, tap Save
the webpage that you whole webpage, move to Evernote to back up Organise notes EverClip Premium
want to back up. Then onto step 3. If you want your webclips. EverClip As well as URLs, any text you copy on The free version of EverClip only supports five
open EverClip, either by to select a specific area, Premium users can your handset – whether from the clipboard items at a time. You can either
opening the app or just tap the floating square qualify which Notebook web, a message or an app – will also regularly back them up to Evernote to ensure
selecting the Clipboard outline button at the to save it to and add tags. be stored in EverClip. Notes supports you have space, or upgrade to EverClip
Monitor from your bottom of the screen. If you use a different Markdown syntax so you can add Premium for £2.49/$3.99. This includes
drop-down. Now, tap on From here, you can then cloud service, tap Share formatting – such as headers or unlimited items, no advertising, and support
the last link you copied. select areas to backup. to see more options. bullet points – for added organisation for Evernote notebooks and tags

[Link] 49
DroidSupport
»troubleshooting advice »hints and tips
»Gotemail an expert
[Link]

Why is “OK Google

an Android-related
problem that you need solving?
Let us know!
qa@[Link]
Share your tips & tricks
Join us on Facebook and Twitter
to share and receive some
great tips and advice

»facebook
Now” u
/littlegreenrobot
Like us on Facebook and join
in our Android community
“I love the idea of jus
»twitter saying “OK Google Now”
@lgrobot
Follow us on Twitter to send
your thoughts and questions and for my Moto X to
respond, but I am
finding that it only
responds about half of
the time. It has never
been reliable for me.
Did you know? Why is that happening?
If you go to Settings>Language & Input> Jamie Roach
Google Keyboard>Advanced Settings,
you can enable a full stop with a
double-space, change the colour
Hi Jamie. The Moto X has your voice,
scheme and even change the delay
times for pop-ups and long key presses.
You have complete control over how
A been almost universally
praised for its ability to
something went
wrong and it has
your Android keyboard works, and it’s all understand what you are saying never covered,
done from your Settings app. in the most noisy of hence the lack
environments, but if you are of eliable
having problems there is
hopefully a very simple solution. would suggest to
Chances are that when you first find the quietest place
trained the system to recognise 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
Retraining is a
improved. Another option which simple solution to
some say works is to drop the recognition problems
now and simply say ”OK Google”.

word can get mixed up with the now at the end. Our advice is
many others, but that OK and to say the wo ds as quietly as
Google are unique enough to y u can for it to be recognised
pr ve to be more reliable. and this should translate to
However, in our tests we had successful recognitio more
mixed results during the often. You really shoul have no
You should expect near 100 per cent retraining process and problems because the feature
recognition from OK Google Now sometimes the phone would fail is very well built.

50 [Link]
 your questions » facebook » email
[Link]

DroidSupport
Ask
Got a problem with your Android phone or tablet? /littlegreenrobot qa@[Link]
Get help from our Send your questions for our team of
Send it to us and we’ll find the solution Facebook community experts to tackle

Keep the text messages

coming in…
“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 fine from people with Android
phones. Help!”
Claire Begot

Hi Claire. This problem come through if you did not Don’t let your old phone ruin your new

A can seem perplexing

because it is so random,
deactivate the service. Your
iPhone-owning friends who do
smartphone experience

forced to use SMS to contact you.

but there is actually a logical not use iMessage will still be If you do not have access to your
explanation and one which will able to send texts to you as iPhone, go to supportprofile.
make sense once you know. If normal and so will users of other [Link]/MySupportProfi[Link],
your phone number was set up phones, but not the first group of log in with your Apple ID and
to receive iMessages when people. You will need to put your Unregister your phone. This will
possible from other iPhones and SIM back into the iPhone, if you also solve the problem of Apple
iPads, the texts that are sent will still own it, and disable effectively owning your number,
immediately be converted to iMessages by going to Settings> a situation that is currently being
iMessages. This means that if Messages and disabling the top investigated to find a more
some of your iPhone-owning option. Wait for the process to convenient fix for those who
friends have the facility complete and anyone using move mobile platforms. We hope
activated, their messages to your iMessage to send you a text in you can now enjoy keeping in You need to turn off iMessage
phone number will no longer the future will automatically be touch with all of your friends. before you move to a new phone

hints&tips Get more from your Android device with these handy tips
1 Gain control over Chrome
Open a new tab in Chrome and input
‘chrome://flags/#max-tiles-for-interest-area’.
You will now be presented with a long list of
2 Verify new apps
In the Security settings, ticking ‘unknown
sources’ will let you install apps from
sources other than Google Play, which can be
3 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
secret settings that you can tweak to make useful, but we would also recommend ticking the traffic, rename and move files, and do so much
your Android Chrome experience completely Verify apps option that will block apps that can more in a simple and clean interface. It could
personal to you. potentially do harm to your device. completely change how your device performs.

[Link] 51
 Did you know?
DroidSupport [Link] 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.

Can I track “Simply tap the sing your

app usage? jigsaw piece hone as a
Is there a way to see what apps I
have been using the most and icon and then SB drive
have you any tips on letting me
dig deep into the way I use my select Reader, at “I am about to receive a new
Android phone and will need to
phone without rooting? I am
trying to maximise the battery which point the use it to move files between my
Mac and my work Windows
and performance.
Malcolm Riddet page will be laptop. I realise that I can use
cloud services, but prefer to do
Hi Malcolm. There is a transformed so on local devices and
A way to check everything
that has happened on to a much wondered how easy it is to
manage moving files between
your Android device without
rooting, but you will need to cleaner version all of these devices?”
Mick Bromley
analyse the data yourself to see
what you can change in your
usage later. Go to the Developer I need A
Hi Mick. It would be
useful to know which
options in Settings, which are
not always available by default. clearer Android device you are
about to receive so that we can
You may need to find out how to
access them for your model, but webpages be more specific, but for your
particular question we should
they should always be accessible. Is it possible to set up the still be able to help you. The
Once there, open Process stats, browser on my device so that it Busy webpages can be cleaned up instantly majority of the time, connecting
where you will see a list of apps. can offer a simpler reading view to a Windows PC, particularly a
Tapping any of these will display like Safari Reader on an iPhone? Hi Mary. There are ways new one running Windows 8
the RAM usage, running time
and lots of other useful data. If
So many pages are busy and
cluttered, and saving them to
A that you can set up
shortcuts to take
and above, should be easy, but it
is slightly trickier on a Mac. A
you tap the menu option at the services like Pocket or advantage of the features from small amount of setup is
top, you can also show system Instapaper works, but are a bit of apps like Readability and required, but once you have
apps and choose which stat a fiddle and not immediate. competing services, and some done that, it should be quite easy
types to see: backgr und, ary ames can be used to offer immediate to use your Android device as a
foreground and cached. It’s a views of webpages in a much hub to move photos, videos and
useful set of numbers to truly cleaner form. The problem with indeed any kind of file between
analyse your device usage. these methods is that they them. If your device has
usually involve setting up what expansion card support, this
are called bookmarklets and makes the entire process much
then having to navigate to them easier, but there are ways
every time, but we have a better around this which we will
option. There is an app called demonstrate for anyone else who
Mercury Browser, available from needs this type of functionality.
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
You can check
every aspect of more on top. A typically versatile Files can easily coexist on both your
your phone’s usage Android solution. desktop PC and your Android device

52 [Link]
 »facebook »twitter »email
[Link]
Share your tips

DroidSupport
Got a great tip, or found a cool /littlegreenrobot @lgrobot qa@[Link]
Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to Discovered anything good about your
shortcut? Let us know! join our online community send us your tips & tricks Android phone? Let us know!

quicktips
top tips for...
ROLONGING
ATTERY

1 Connect to Windows
To connect to a Windows PC, simply attach
2 Choose an option
You will now see some options appear on
your Android device to the USB cable and connect the screen and it is wise to select the correct one
it. You will see a box appear and you will need to as this will be used in the future when you connect
leave the initial setup to complete, which can take your device. Select ‘Open device to view files’ and
some time. Be patient and the process will you should see it appear as a drive in File Explorer.
eventually finish and you should be ready to start. The sync option is useful for dealing with media.

Uninstalling apps will offer many benefits to

device performance

1Delete 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
3 Time to move files
When you click the Android device drive in
4 Android File Transfer
Setting up an Android device as a drive in
more storage space and ultimately increase
device performance. Spring clean your
device when you can.
File Explorer you will now be able to move files to Finder on a Mac can be difficult, but you do still
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
have options. One is Android File Transfer, which is
available from [Link]/filetransfer and
provides an elegant and simple solution for moving
2Use 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
Android device is now working with Windows. files to and from expansion cards and main drives. 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.

3Limit 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 benefits. The advantages are
quite small, but they will add up over time.

4Check 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

5 Bespoke software 6 Wireless file sharing may want to replace it.

It is likely that the manufacturer of your Don’t forget that there are many apps
Android device will also offer bespoke software to
help you manage files. Take some time to see how
available in Google Play that will enable you to
transfer files wirelessly to your desktop PCs. Apps
5Limit notifications
In apps that include notifications, try to
limit them if not absolutely necessary. Every
time a notification pops up, it will in effect
well the solution works because often the simpler such as WiFi File Transfer are free and very easy to turn your device on and thus use more
options are more efficient and less resource set up. In the right hands it can make the process battery life. It will also save you from
hungry than manufacturer solutions. of sharing files quicker than the USB solution. constant interruptions.

[Link]
Check
»[Link]
our website daily
for even more tips & tricks
53
 [Link] EX
C

ENJOYING THE
MAGAZINE?
Subscribe today and get four free issues *

IT’S EASY TO SUBSCRIBE…

1 » ONLINE
Order via credit
2 » TELEPHONE
Order via credit or debit card
or debit card – just visit: on the phone – just call:
[Link]/and +44 (0) 1795 414 972
and enter code USA and quote code USA
Terms and conditions
*This is a US subscription offer. You will be charged £75 sterling for an annual subscription of 13 issues. This is equivalent to $116 at the time of

[Link]
writing, although the exchange rate may vary. Your subscription will start from the next available issue. Four free issues refers to the newsstand
price of $12.50 for 13 issues being $162.50, compared with $116 for a subscription. This offer expires 31 January 2015.
 Explore the limits of your Android device
[Link]

Hacker Zøne
055 Expert phone hacks 70 Hacking tips and tricks

DE-GOOGLE SPEED UP
YOUR DEVICE YOUR PHONE BOOST YOUR
CONTROL APP Remove bloatware Limit apps for faster AUDIO
PERMISSIONS to free up
memory
launching Pump up the volume
Limit what data your with ViPER4Android
apps can access

EXPERT BOOST YOUR

PHONE
RUN A
DUAL OS BATTERY
Run both Android
Kill apps instantly to
and Linux
conserve power

ULTRA-FAST SET UP ONE-HANDED

DOWNLOADS Essential tricks to GESTURES
Supercharge your
Wi-Fi speeds
make your phone Make navigating
your own menus easy

H
acking is at the heart of Android. For This issue we’ve included ten top tutorials to probably for the best that you don’t give them
all its fragmented operating systems transform your phone, from removing all of a go anyway, as a hacking misstep can have
and multitude of third-party forks and the Google apps to gain extra memory to dire consequences for your device.
skins, hacking ensures that if you don’t like speeding up how long it takes to download (Alternatively, beginners should try our
something about your device, you can change apps by combining the power of Wi-Fi with 3G. brilliant Hacker’s Toolkit in issue 39 to help
it. While this can be as simple as running a All of these hacks require your Android them get started).
launcher to change your homescreen, the real phone to have been rooted, but they are all However, for any Android experts that want
fun is digging deep into the factory settings to sufficiently complicated that if you don’t know to give them a go, read on for sophisticated
add or remove programs. how to unlock the superuser mode, it’s step-by-steps to making your phone your own.

[Link] 55
 [Link]
Get tips, tricks, help & advice
Send us your comments, tips and questions
through email and social networks

Remove
Google DE-GOOGLE
YOUR

featuresO
Learn how to banish Google’s
DEVICE

ne of the major advantages

of rooting your Android
smartphone or tablet is that
bloatware, including all GApps
and the Google Search bar
you can remove apps and features
that are otherwise read-only and
1 Replace
Hangouts
Google
therefore not possible to uninstall. If you’re not a Hangouts fan, you can
Even though Android is classed as an use an alternative app for your SMS
open platform, most Android devices messaging, regardless of whether you
are tightly integrated with Google’s have root. Download a new messaging
suite of services. It’s not app from the Play store (try Handcent
uncommon to find many SMS or Chomp SMS), then open your
read-only Google apps on your device’s Settings, tap Default SMS
Android device, such as app and choose an alternative.
Gmail, Hangouts, Google+,
Galler and, of course, the
Play store. Then, there’s Google
Now and the Google Search
bar, which automatically appear
on the ho escreen of many
Android devices.
While Google’s apps and services
can come in handy, it’s unlikely
you’ll have a use for all the Google
products that come pre-installed on
ical Android device.
Removing the apps and services you
don’t 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
6 Replace stock
boot animation
Now, and even installing a new, Depending on your device, you may
Google-free boot animation. see the Google logo as a boot
As you might expect from a Hacker animation. You can replace this using
Zone tutorial, most of the methods a manager app, such as Boot
described here require a rooted Animations Root, which can be
device, but even if you don’t have downloaded from Google Play. Open
root access, there are still a few the app, choose a new animation,
You can ‘de-Google’
your Android device
tricks you can use to loosen Google’s select Install and then reboot.
with a few hacks hold on your device.
56
[Link]
 [Link]
TOP TIP

Hacker Zøne
»facebook »twitter
/littlegreenrobot @lgrobot
»email
qa@[Link]
GOOGLE
ALTERNATIVES
Like us on Facebook to Comments or questions? If you’ve got questions or just want to There are lots available on the
join our online community Follow us on Twitter say hello, drop us an email Play store for free. A few worth
exploring include SolCalendar,
QuickPic, Timely Alarm and
Dolphin Browser.

2 Remove 3 Disable 4 System

Remover
App 5 Uninstall
system apps
Google Now system apps
Even if you don’t have root, you can If uninstalling one of Google’s To remove read-only apps, In System App Remover, select the
disable Google Now by opening the read-only apps sounds too download System App Remover app you want to remove, and then
service (either by swiping upwards, permanent, you can disable the app from Google Play. Launch the app tap Uninstall. To recover this app at
or swiping to the left homescreen). instead, so you have the option of and open its menu by tapping the ‘<’ a later date, launch System App
Scroll to the bottom of Google Now, re-enabling it at a later date. To symbol. Choose System app to see Remover and tap its trash can icon,
tap the three-dotted menu icon, disable an app, open your device’s your read-only apps. Remover warns which acts like your computer’s
select Settings and then push the Settings, tap Apps, select the app in against uninstalling certain ones, recycle bin. Find the app you want to
slider to the Off position. question and then tap Disable. but you can uninstall anything here. restore, and then tap Restore.

7 Remove Google
Search bar 8 Experiment
with launchers 9 Flash a
custom ROM 10 Remove
unwanted APKs
Nexus users get a permanent Other launchers that are worth One of the most dramatic, but If your chosen ROM still contains
Google Search bar on their exploring are Nova Launcher and effective ways of de-Googling your Google apps, you can remove these
homescreen, which you cannot Apex Launcher, both of which can device, is to flash a custom ROM. before flashing the ROM. Download
delete. To remove this bar, you need be downloaded from the Play store. ROMs give your device a new look, and unzip the ROM on your
to download a new launcher. KitKat Both the Nova and Apex launchers and usually avoid unnecessary computer, open the system/app
Launcher+ (free on the Play store) is enable you to remove the Google system apps. The best place to folder and delete the unwanted
almost identical, with the added Search bar, in addition to a whole check what ROMs are available for .apks. Then, rezip the file and you’re
bonus of a removable Search bar. host of other customisations. you is the XDA Developers forum. ready to flash it to your device.

57
[Link]
 [Link]
Get tips, tricks, help & advice
Send us your comments, tips and questions
through email and social networks

Supercharge your
download speeds GET ULTRA-FAST
DOWNLOADS

T
here was an old trick we used a few years ago enough that it’s not a concern. We’re not always on the
Make the most during the initial explosion of wireless internet in the comfort of our own homes though, and
computing where we’d link together our wired when we’re out and about on our phone we want as
use out of your and wireless connection for a little more data much bandwidth as we can muster.
dual radio throughput on the local network. When it worked we This is where the multiple inputs come into play.
were briefly able to increase our internet speed thanks Every day we’re using our smartphones to get data
connections to to next door’s unsecured network. Today though from mobile networks and Wi-Fi, so why not at the
download faster things are a little different; home internet is fast same time? Luckily we can combine the two…

1 Get Super Download

On a rooted phone, download the Super
2 Set up the app
Turning on Super Download is all you
3 First download
To activate root permissions, you’ll need
Download app from the Play store. There’s a need to do to get it to start working. Make sure to manually add a download URL to the
free version of the app as well but it’s limited to notifications are turned on so that you get the downloader. Any file will be large enough to get
50MB files – this may be useful for those with best results from downloads. You can also copy it to work but something in the range of ten or
quite limited data plans and require a little more and paste URLs directly into the app using the more megabytes will be enough to test the
control over its usage. plus symbol on the main screen. process as well.

4 Get My Data Manager

Get back on the Google Play store and
5 Set up your plan
On first launch of MDM you’ll be asked to
6 Create your alarms
MDM goes beyond typical Android data
look for the My Data Manager (MDM) app – this create your plan – this is information like features by letting you set two overall alarms
is what we’ll be using to get a better idea of the whether you’re on a monthly contract, when and a daily alarm. We suggest setting an initial
amount of data we’re using with Super your data allowance resets and giving it a warning alarm to let you know you’re half way
Download. Unlike our bridge app, it does not number for the amount of data you’ve used so through your allowance and then a final alarm
require root access. far this month. Once done, hit the back button. when you need to switch off the bridge.

58 [Link]
 [Link]

Hacker Zøne
»facebook »twitter »email
/littlegreenrobot @lgrobot qa@[Link]
Like us on Facebook to Comments or questions? If you’ve got questions or just want to
join our online community Follow us on Twitter say hello, drop us an email

Enhance audio BOOST YOUR

AUDIO

with ViPER4Android
Pump up the volume
with this brilliant
mod for audiophiles

F
or many Android fans, their
smartphone or tablet is their
first 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 you’re getting frustrated with
your device’s audio output, then an
audio mod could be the answer – and
1 Download
ViPER4Android 2 Choose Super
Audio Quality 3 Set as
your default
ViPER4Android is one of the most Visit [Link]/ Tap the correct file for your version Once your device has rebooted,
popular available. ViPER4Android [Link]?t=2191223, of Android, followed by Install. open your app drawer and tap
has extensive options for tweaking and download ViPER4Android FX. When prompted, tap Open. The Settings, followed by Sounds.
Open your notifications drawer app asks whether you want to Select Music Effects, and then
and tap the Download complete update your V4A driver. Select Yes. choose ViPER4Android FX in the
“ViPER4Android panel, then select ES Zip Viewer
when prompted. You’ll see two
You’ll then be given three
preferences; for the best audio
pop-up that appears. You’re now
ready to launch the ViPER4Android
has extensive files: one for Android 2.3 and one
for the 4.0 series.
quality choose Super Audio
Quality. Reboot your device.
app and start perfecting your
device’s audio output.
options for
tweaking and
tuning your
device’s audio”
and tuning every part of your
device’s audio output, including
equalization, virtual surround
sound, reverberation and much more.
ViPER4Android is available in two
flavours: FX, and XHiFi. This tutorial
uses ViPER4Android FX, since it has
Categories and
4 settings 5 Experiment
with sounds 6 Create
presets
custom
the most settings and is still under ViPER4Android is divided into Every change you make in ViPER4Android comes with various
active development. categories. Swipe to move ViPER4Android takes effect in real default equalizer presets, but if
ViPER4Android requires a rooted between the categories, and see time, so an easy way to perfect none of these meet your needs,
device, and relies on BusyBox, so what settings are available. If your audio output is to play some you can create your own. Open
before you start, make sure you you’re unsure what a particular music in the background while you the category you want to create a
download BusyBox from the Play setting does, you can get more tweak and tune your settings. For custom preset for, tap its blue
store. You’ll also need an app that info at: [Link]/blog/? the most accurate effect, use your graph and then drag the white
can decompress zip files, such as ES page_id=43, which also includes headphones while making these dots until you have an effect
File Explorer, which is also free to some recommendations. fine adjustments. you’re happy with.
download from Google Play.

[Link] 59
 [Link]
Get tips, tricks, help & advice
Send us your comments, tips and questions
through email and social networks

Create your
own widget
Build a custom widget with UCCW
that displays the date, time, weather
forecast or even your remaining
battery life
CREATE YOUR
OWN WID ET 1 Create a
blank canvas
W
hen it comes to customising
your Android device, there’s Install UCCW from the Google Play
no shortage of apps, themes, store, if you haven’t already done so.
widgets and launchers freely It’s a free download. Launch the app
available on the Play store and the and tap New. Set the homescreen
wider internet. But, if you can’t find grid size to 4x4, and the widget size to
exactly what you’re looking for – or 4x2. Give your skin a memorable
just want the fun of creating name, and then tap New skin. Tap
ething from scratch – then you’ll Add/remove objects.
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
widget’s appearance, and even
adding your own images. These
images can be photographs you’ve
ice’s camera,
images downloaded from the internet
or even y ur own icons and graphics.
Once you’re satisfied with your widget’s
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 specific, for
example, launching the dialer and
calling a specific contact in your
address book.
Creating your own widget may sound
6 Reposition
objects
your
complicated, but UCCW makes it as Select each object in turn, tap
simple as tapping your way through Position and then enter the following
different menus and dragging a few values. Hour – 477, 406. Minute –
sliders to get it right. 634, 406. hour/minute separator –
This tutorial shows you how to create 595, 401. Day of the month – 262,
a handy widget that displays the date 261. Month – 248, 355. Week Bar –
and time, the current weather forecast, 19, 72. Battery circle – 394, 144. Icon
UCCW is the best app
for getting creative and the remaining battery life on your forecast – 788, 504.
with widgets Android device.

60 [Link]
 [Link]

Hacker Zøne
»facebook »twitter »email
/littlegreenrobot @lgrobot qa@[Link]
Like us on Facebook to Comments or questions? If you’ve got questions or just want to
join our online community Follow us on Twitter say hello, drop us an email

2 Add your objects 3 Resize text

The first objects to resize
4 Resize
objects
your 5 Finish
objects
resizing
Select Hour, Minute, hour/
minute separator, Day of the month, are Hour, Minute and Separator, Carefully work your way through the There are a few objects that don’t
Month, Week Bar, Battery circle, which all require a size setting of rest of the objects in the Edit have a Size setting, but still require
and Icon forecast day 1 (today). 85. Tap Edit objects to see a list of objects menu, simply by tapping resizing. Return to the Edit objects
You’ll see a jumble of objects in the all objects within your widget. Tap each object in turn, selecting Size menu, tap Battery circle and set
app’s upper-left corner, but don’t Hour, select Size and then change and then entering a new value. both its Width and Height to 450.
worry about this for now, as you’ll this to 85. Press the Back button, Change Day of the Month to 75, Hit the Back button on your device,
be resizing and moving these and repeat for the Minute and Month to 80 and change Week then select Icon forecast, tap Scale
objects shortly. Separator options. bar to 80. and change this to 155.

7 Add a shape
Divide your widget’s content
8 Add background
Depending on your device, at
9 Place widget
Tap UCCW’s menu icon,
10 Resize widget
Finally, in the UCCW widget
by adding a vertical line. Tap Add/ this point you may need to make select Save>Save skin>Save. To that appears, tap the widget you
remove objects and select Shape 1. some tweaks to the size and position the widget on your want to add to your homescreen. To
Open the Edit objects menu, tap position of your objects. Once homescreen, press on said resize this widget, press down on it
Shape 1, select Style and choose you’re happy with the results, show homescreen then select Widgets. for a few seconds, then select
Line. Still in the same menu, off your objects by turning the Swipe to the UCCW widgets, then Resize and white handles will
change Position to 0, 96, Angle to widget’s background transparent. press down on ‘UCCW 4x2 widget’, appear around the widget. Drag
0, Width to 1370 and finally Line Tap Edit objects, select Background, position the widget on your these handles to make the widget
thickness to 5. tap Alpha and drag the slider to 0. homescreen and release. larger or smaller.

[Link] 61
 [Link]
Get tips, tricks, help & advice
Send us your comments, tips and questions
through email and social networks

Use XPrivacy to
control your apps
CONTROL APP
PERMISSIONS

P
Pick and choose rivacy is a huge concern for many Android categories. XPrivacy restricts access while feeding the
users, as the openness that makes this such an app fake data so that it continues to function normally.
exactly what innovative platform, also leaves it vulnerable to Once installed, you’ll need to let XPrivacy know if
data your apps privacy exploits. XPrivacy can prevent apps from there’s any data your app should have access to. You
accessing, and potentially leaking, your information can enable and disable permissions for all the apps on
have access to by letting you restrict an app’s access to various data your device, from the XPrivacy browser.

1 Install XPrivacy
Before you start, made a full backup and
2 Xposed Framework
Launch XPrivacy Installer, and tap Check
3 Install XPrivacy
Relaunch XPrivacy Installer, reselect
ensure your device is set up to allow apps from for root, followed by ‘I have made a full backup’ Check root, ‘I have made….’ and Unknown
unknown sources (by tapping Settings>Security and Unknown sources. XPrivacy requires the sources. Then, select ‘I have enabled Xposed,’
>Unknown Sources). Although you can’t Xposed framework, so download it. Once and tap Download/install XPrivacy. Once
download XPrivacy from the Play store, you can complete, pull down the notification drawer and complete, pull down the notification drawer, and
download the XPrivacy Installer – so do that. tap the downloaded file. Tap Install and reboot. select the downloaded file. Tap Next and Install.

4 Restrict access
Relaunch Xposed Installer, tap Modules
5 Revoke all permissions
If you want to prevent an app from
6 Get in-app advice
On the main XPrivacy screen, you’ll
and select XPrivacy. Reboot and launch XPrivacy. accessing all data, return to the main XPrivacy notice a pink checkbox – this controls
XPrivacy lists all the apps installed on your screen, locate the app in question and then tap permissions that you can restrict, but which
device. To prevent an app from accessing a its corresponding checkbox. Note, after applying may cause the app to function incorrectly. You’ll
category, tap its icon and then select the certain restrictions, you may need to reboot also notice various other symbols; if you want to
category you want to restrict access to. your device for these changes to take effect. learn more tap the question mark in the toolbar.

62 [Link]
 [Link]

Hacker Zøne
»facebook »twitter »email
/littlegreenrobot @lgrobot qa@[Link] SET UP
Like us on Facebook to
join our online community
Comments or questions?
Follow us on Twitter
If you’ve got questions or just want to
say hello, drop us an email ONE-HANDED
GESTURES

Create one-handed
gestures with GMD
Be inspired by the
Amazon Fire Phone
for easy functionality

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 finally implemented
and we all realised we were fine 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.
1 The right
version 2 Your first
gesture 3 Set function
Let’s continue on with
These open up specific functions of Make sure you grab the full Open up GMD and grant it root making this a menu gesture. Click
each app by tilting to the left or right version of GMD GestureControl before swiping over to User Next once you’re happy and then
or merely reveal hidden status bars. from the Play store, as the Lite Gestures. Clicking on Record will select Action to choose its
You don’t have an Android Fire version won’t let you use custom let you create your custom function. Again choose Action
Phone though, at least not yet gestures. This won’t help us as gestures; we’re starting with one then Application Manager and find
anyway, so how can we get them on the default gestures all require to open menus but you can use the Menu function within there.
Android? Using GMD we can create multiple fingers and therefore whatever gesture you want as long Choose Save and it will be
custom, one-handed gestures to ape both hands to work. as it doesn’t clash with any app. automatically activated.
some of these features.

4 Create tap
gestures 5 Tap to kill
Again click Action and
6 Create a
blacklist
Next to Record you’ll find the Path choose Action from the menu. Go After you’ve created your selection
button – press that to bring up a to Application Manager and find of apps and tested them, you may
different type of custom gesture the Kill App option. You can also notice that they have undesired
menu where you can ‘program’ add a Starting Zone for the effects in some apps such as
gestures with swipes and taps. gesture – while the one we’ve games. You can either tweak
Type T-T-T into the path: this chosen is hardly common, you can gestures or blacklist these apps
means tap-tap-tap, and we’ll use it put it in an obscure place so it where you wouldn’t be bothered
to kill the current app. doesn’t interfere. about the gestures anyway.
Why be jealous of the Amazon phone’s gestures…

[Link] 63
 [Link]
Get tips, tricks, help & advice
Send us your comments, tips and questions
through email and social networks

Overclock your
phone on a OVERCLOCK

per-app basis YOUR

ANDROID

O
verclocking your Android of a button. Overclocking can be
device is probably risky though and you don’t want
something you’ve to be doing it all the time.
thought about in the past. This is where app-specific
Maybe it would help fix the clocking comes into effect; it
choppy framerate in a certain enables you to return a device to
game or perhaps you’re using its normal CPU speed once you
slightly older hardware and have finished overclocking it. It
sometimes needs a boost. also has an extra effect – the
As al ays, Android users and ability to underclock when
devs have you covered with a power is not need to save battery
run. Here’s how to
overclock your phone at a touch master the rocess.
1 Overclockable
kernels 2 Back up
and flash
Even with a phone rooted, it more Kernels need to be flashed to your
than likely has a clock inhibited by device, so the first thing you need
the kernel. Search Google and XDA to do is a Nandroid backup and any
for kernels for your device that other backups you’d like. Then
allow for an overclock – they’ll have save the zip with the kernel to your
limits as well but more than the card, reboot into recovery and
stock kernel will allow. install it to your device.

6 Tweak clocks
Grant root access and you
7 Create a profile
Move over to the Profile tab
can start setting maximum and and check the ‘Enable profiles’ box
minimum clock speeds. The to grant root permissions for this.
minimum is usually not clocked so Next, click the plus symbol to add a
low and we suggest you change new profile and you’ll be taken to
that for battery performance. You the conditions screen. We’ll just set
Overclocking can be a can also overclock the standard an application for now, let’s say a
treacherous hack, so be wise maximum clock speed. game like Bad Piggies…
with where you make changes

64 [Link]
 [Link]

Hacker Zøne
»facebook »twitter »email
/littlegreenrobot @lgrobot qa@[Link]
Like us on Facebook to Comments or questions? If you’ve got questions or just want to
join our online community Follow us on Twitter say hello, drop us an email

Top tips for

“Grant root benchmarking
access and you your rooted
can start device
setting
maximum and
minimum clock You can speed up

speeds” choppy games by

overclocking your device It can be dangerous
By overclocking you’re 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 find the breaking
point and then go below that.

3 Restore
device
your 4 Get the
right app 5 First launch
Once installed, open up
Before we start playing with clock We’re using SetCPU for Root Users, SetCPU. It will ask you if you want Rules can be broken
speeds, restore your device and which can be used with a stock to use advanced settings – unless The limits manufacturers set on
get all the apps you need as well kernel but won’t allow for you plan to create your own clock speeds are very conservative
– this is important to make sure we overclocking without the custom custom clock frequencies or have so don’t be afraid to do any
can set up correctly for your ideal kernel – you can still do some a Tegra 2 device, click on Continue. overclocking at all. A ten per cent
setup and to deal with any little basic underclocking if you’re more Tegra 2 chips have a special increase might not sound like much
issues that might have cropped up. interested in your battery life. setting under advanced. but it can mean games load faster
and run that bit smoother without
causing any lasting damage.

Take your time

9 Prioritise profile
To benchmark you’ll need patience.
8 Set clock range
Set the maximum and Each profile can be set with
10 Create more
Create the rest of the
Test out clock speeds for up to ten
minutes before making a decision
minimum ranges for the game. If a specific priority. Higher priority profiles you want, whether it’s
to use them. Keep an eye on the
you want it to stay at maximum takes precedence, however if you more overclocking or adding
phone’s temperature, which you’ll
speed, put both as the highest don’t tick the exclusive box, lower underclocking. It’s important to use
be able to tell by touch, and also
clock rate. We suggest having a priority profiles can override active the Stress Test function on the Info
whether or not you start getting
little range and setting the governor profiles of a higher priority. For tab at the speeds you plan to use
crashes and graphical errors.
to performance so it stays at overclocking something, we’d to make sure they won’t do
maximum for as long as it needs. suggest low priority. anything funny to your device.

[Link] 65
 [Link]
Get tips, tricks, help & advice
Send us your comments, tips and questions
through email and social networks

Get Android L’s power-

saving features now Get Project Volta’s best bits now using a variety of Android apps

L
earning the limits of a smartphone’s battery life function to try and keep your phone going until you
is a hard pill to swallow for a new user so it was reach a power point. Some of these features can be
excellent to hear during the Android L news that applied to your Android device now using the right
BOOST YOUR Google is hard at work creating new battery-saving combination of apps; namely the battery profile and
BATTERY features with its Project Volta. It comes with some creating rules for changing phone functions during
core functionality: better profiling of battery usage, specific discharge states. Having a rooted phone can
compiling apps ahead of time rather than just in time, help you go further with some underclocking as well,
more API functions for developers and a battery-saving and we’ll show you just how to make the most of this.

1 Get DU Battery Saver

The application we’re using for this
2 Initial setup
Go through the info screens to start
3 Set battery discharge
Click on the pencil next to My mode to
tutorial is the DU Battery Saver Pro app – it will using the app. On the bottom of the user begin creating a custom battery profile. Go over
cover just about all our needs for this tutorial. interface you’ll find a row of functions – choose to the Smart tab and activate the Schedule by
Find it in the Play store and install it to your Saver. Here you’ll find the different profiles you power feature. You can have this activate a
device as you would any other app. It’s a free can use to start limiting your phone straight battery profile when the battery gets low. Set
download too. away if you need to. this profile to be My mode for now.

4 Set up your profile

Click the pencil next to My mode to
5 Underclock your phone
We’ve already covered how you can over
6 Battery Monitor
The final selection on the bottom bar is
begin the process of editing it. We suggest and underclock your phone on a per-app basis, the Monitor, which gives you a better idea of
turning off Bluetooth, vibrate and haptic but you don’t need a custom kernel to what’s draining your battery. It also lets you
feedback when the battery starts to get low but underclock your device so you can use part of know which hardware features are draining the
you can tweak the display brightness and Wi-Fi the tutorial to create a profile that underclocks battery, which can help plug a leak if you didn’t
activation as well. your phone when your battery gets low. realise the GPU or Wi-Fi were leaching power.

66 [Link]
 [Link]

Hacker Zøne
»facebook »twitter »email
/littlegreenrobot @lgrobot qa@[Link]
Like us on Facebook to Comments or questions? If you’ve got questions or just want to
join our online community Follow us on Twitter say hello, drop us an email

SPEED UP

Limit your apps for

YOUR
PHONE

faster launching
Get a marked speed
boost by preventing
apps from starting
up automatically

A
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

1 Install XF 2 Install & Enable 3 Prevent apps

device or simply dream of a speedier
startup, then it’s worth taking a
closer look at which apps are
BootManager requires the BootManager from running
Xposed framework, so visit http:// Open the Play store and install The BootManager app displays a
launching automatically when you
[Link]/module/[Link]. BootManager. Once it’s finished list of all the apps that begin
boot up your device. You’ll be
[Link] on your downloading, open the Xposed running when your device boots.
surprised by the number of apps that
device and tap Download. Open Installer app, tap Modules and To prevent an app from starting
take it upon themselves to start
your notification drawer, then tap ensure BootManager is selected. automatically, give it a tap so that
running as soon as you power up!
Download complete and select Reboot your device. Once your it turns red. If an app is missing
When you prevent apps from
Install. Tap Framework and select Android device is up and running from the list, it may help to tap the
launching on boot, not only will you
Install/Update to ensure you’re again, open the app drawer and three-dotted menu icon and
notice a faster, smoother startup, but
running the latest version. Reboot. launch BootManager. select Reload.

TOP TIP
BLOCK NOTIFICATIONS
WITH RECEIVERSTOP
Some apps will automatically
launch when they receive certain
broadcasts. ReceiverStop is a
way of preventing apps
from receiving these
broadcasts.

your device’s overall performance

should improve, as there won’t be
any unwanted apps ticking away in
4 Check it’s
working 5 Experiment
with others 6 Block System
Processes
the background. There are If you want to double check that Although BootManager is one Download and launch Startup
several tools that can control apps BootManager is successfully solution for controlling which apps Manager, and then tap the System
like this, but we recommend free preventing your apps from running, start on boot, there are other tab at the top of the app to see a
download BootManager. reboot your device, and then open options to explore. Startup list of all the processes that start
Your handset also needs to be set your app drawer and select Manager is a free application when the system boots. To
up to allow apps to be downloaded Settings, followed by Apps. Open available from the Play store, disable a process, tap its ‘-’ icon.
from unknown sources (so if you the Running section, to see which enables you to control Tap the ‘+’ symbol and this
haven’t already, tap Settings, which apps have launched which system processes start process resumes as soon as you
followed by Security and finally automatically on boot. when the system boots. reboot your device.
Unknown sources).

[Link] 67
 [Link]
Get tips, tricks, help & advice
Send us your comments, tips and questions
through email and social networks

Dual boot
Android RUN A
DUAL OS

with Ubun
Touch OS
Try out another phone operating system by installing
Canonical’s experimental OS alongside Android
1 Create a live disc
Go to the Ubuntu website and
download the latest version of the
Ubuntu desktop operating system.
This comes in an ISO file, and can be
burned to a blank DVD or an empty
USB stick using a tool like UNetbootin
– we suggest the USB stick as it’s a
nstalling and managing custom little faster and very useful beyond the
OMs is a great part of the Android scope this of this tutorial.
xperience, enabling you to get the
most out of your device and
operating system itself. One of the
methods that’s 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 specific app to help
you dual boot your Android phone
with its Touch OS.
It’s actually a hidden feature that’s
been available in Touch since the
developer previews, but it’s been
made easier much more recently
thanks to its own custom app.
We’ll need to use the Linux
distribution Ubuntu to get this to
work, however you won’t need to
install it. Make sure you have 3GB of
6 Reboot
the app
and open
space free on your device though as As the terminal will emphatically tell
it needs this much to actually you, ignore anything about losing root
download and run the OS. It works and just press the power button once
best on the Nexus line for the moment to reboot. Once you’re back into
and you can easily use it for Android, open up the app menu and
Bored of developing software or contributing to look for the Ubuntu Dual Boot app that
Android? Here’s Ubuntu Touch if you become we just installed. Open it up for the
your chance to
experiment particularly enamoured with it during next step.
with another OS the process.

68 [Link]
 TOP TIP
[Link]

Hacker Zøne
»facebook
/littlegreenrobot
»twitter »email
@lgrobot qa@[Link]
CURRENTLY UNDER
DEVELOPMENT
Like us on Facebook to Comments or questions? If you’ve got questions or just want to Ubuntu Touch works fine but it’s
join our online community Follow us on Twitter say hello, drop us an email
not finished yet so don’t think it
will fully replace Android
on your device. We
like what we
see though.

2 Boot into Ubuntu

Reboot your PC with the DVD
3 Get the files
Find Firefox on the left row of
4 Install the
Android tools 5 Install
boot app
the dual
or USB drive attached and find the icons and download the following We need the correct ADB and Connect your Android device to your
boot device selection screen as it file to the Home folder in the file downloading tools to get this to PC and make sure USB debugging is
turns on – it’s usually tied to F12 or a system: [Link] This work, and these are all handily on. In the terminal from before, type
key like that. Select the DVD drive or is basically like the My Documents included in one piece of software. the following command to install the
USB stick and after selecting Try folder in Windows. Now click on the Install them from the terminal by app – it will reboot the device a
Ubuntu it will boot into it for you Ubuntu logo, search for the terminal using the following command and couple of times before it’s done but
straight off the USB without and then type into it: type in ‘y’ when prompted to do so: that’s normal and nothing to be
installing anything. $ chmod +x [Link] $ sudo apt-get install phablet-tools. concerned about: $ ./[Link].

7 Download
the ISO 8 Reboot into
Ubuntu Touch 9 Return
Android
to 10 Updating
removing
or
From within the app, press the During the installation you’ll have to Merely performing a hard reboot on To update Ubuntu Touch on your
greyed out ‘Choose which channel grant SU but after a little while you’ll the device (using the power button device you need to uninstall it and
to install’ to bring up the options. be done! All you need to do now is to turn it off and on again) will allow reinstall it. It’s a bit long winded but
Check bootstrap and scroll down to press ‘Reboot to Ubuntu’ (again you to always boot back into it just requires you to hit the menu
utopic so you get the recommended greyed out for some reason) and Android, with the Reboot button on button on the Ubuntu Dual Boot and
version of the OS. Press install and your device will boot into Ubuntu the app used to get you back into select the Uninstall option before
wait as it installs the large, 3GB file. Touch OS. Ignore any Android Ubuntu Touch. Your Android system going back a few steps to install
Make sure you’re on Wi-Fi! identifiers while booting. will not be wiped in the process. again if you want to update it.

[Link] 69
 Explore the limits of your Android device
[Link]

status update
Hacker Zøne Tips and tricks
Which devices are best for
the hacking scene?

LG G3
Root most Galaxy S5, the application – which
can be downloaded free of charge

Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
Android from [Link] – should
provide root access on all phones
QQQLow
It’s still early days for
this new phone, so
devices with with a kernel date prior to June 3
2014. The kernel date can be found
while it has been
successfully rooted
we’re still waiting for
TowelRoot
GeoHot is a famous hacker in the
in the About page of the Settings
app. To use TowelRoot, simply
download and install the app (you
the ROMs to appear.
world of iPhones and now he has will likely be prompted with a
turned his attention to Android with security warning that the app is
Moto E the release of TowelRoot, a device- dangerous), hit the ‘make it ra1n’
Rooted? Yes
independent root tool packaged up button to gain root and then install
Active Development:
QQQMedium into APK form. Although originally the SuperSU app from the Play
The Moto E is easy to developed to root some particularly store. It’s easy, quick and doesn’t
root and cheap to buy,
making it an ideal troublesome US models of the even require a reboot! Although the
Unlock and relock at will with no data loss
handset for any newbie app is free, an optional donate link
to try and hack without is included on the download page to bootloader, the device is wiped for
fear of bricking it.
support future development. security reasons, which can be
rather annoying. The second is that
Samsung
Gear Live
Rooted? Yes
Lock and although you can relock from
fastboot, for warranty purposes it’s
Active Development:
QQQMedium relock your not clear if this is seen as a revert to
factory state or a re-lock. An
Be aware: this smart-
watch doesn’t prompt
for confirmation when Nexus application by the name of
BootUnlocker can solve both these
unlocking bootloader
– wiping all your data. bootloader problems. In order to use it, you
need root access, gained by an

Nexus 5
Rooted? Yes
with Boot exploit such as TowelRoot.
With the app, you can unlock and
Active Development:
QQQ QHigh
While there is no sign
Unlocker
One of the best things about owning
lock the bootloader to your heart’s
content. Aside from the warranty
aspect, a locked bootloader is a
of a new Nexus on the
horizon, the current
a Nexus device is that the good idea to prevent malicious
model has an bootloader can be unlocked and access to your device if it is stolen
ever-growing number relocked very easily. There are a by an Android savvy thief!
of mods to try out.
couple of downsides though. The BootUnlocker can be downloaded
One click and you’re rooted with TowelRoot first is that when you unlock the free from the Google Play store.

q hacks
Simulate
Knock Code
Securing your device is a 1 InInstall Xposed
order to use Knock Code on
Download module
2 The Xposed app includes the
3 AConfi gure and test
new Knock Code app will
necessity to stop private data your non-LG device, you need to be ability to search for modules. Click appear in the launcher. Use the
falling into the wrong hands, but rooted and have the Xposed Download and search for ‘Knock ‘Change knock code’ option to
the process is tedious. LG’s Knock framework installed. To install, Code’. After selecting the module set your knock code, then use
Code enables you to unlock with a download the latest APK from mdc. from the list, scroll right and press the standard Security option in
simple onscreen knock pattern, gd/getxposed, install and run. Click Download. The module will Settings to configure a pattern
and now it’s possible to replicate Framework>Install/Update to copy automatically install – you should lock. Turn your screen off then
this on your non-LG device… to your system partition. then activate it from the notification. back on to test it out.

70 [Link]
 »facebook »email
[Link] Jargon

Hacker Zøne
Share your tips
Discovered a great hack or
tweak? Let us know!
/littlegreenrobot
Like us on Facebook to
join our online community
qa@[Link]
Is there anything you’d like to see us
cover in the mag? Drop us a line!
Buster
Get up to speed on all the

Use Pie Try out a kernel with

terms you need to know
when hacking your phone

controls IntelliPlug support

OS
Short for ‘operating system’. Often the

without root
Pie controls are a feature that
While not everyone wants to run a This is the part of the kernel that
Android ROM will be referred to as the
OS – this just means the system files
on the Android device that make up
your user experience, similar to
full custom ROM on their device, decides which CPU cores to
originally debuted in the Paranoid Windows, Mac OS X or Ubuntu on a
custom kernels are very popular. enable/disable based on the load desktop computer.
Android ROM, providing an arc-
One of the leading custom kernel on the system. IntelliPlug has
shaped control area activated by
developers is @faux123, who been shown to improve battery ROM
sweeping up. Up until now, access Stands for ‘read-only memory’. In the
offers custom kernels for a life, performance and reduce the context of Android, the ROM refers to
to Pie has only been possible either
number of devices including the running temperature of devices in the files that make up the operating
by installing a custom ROM or with a system installed on your device.
HTC One X/M8 GPe, Moto G/X and testing, so it’s definitely worth Gaining root privileges allows for
mod requiring root access. DBPie
the Nexus 4/5. Faux123 recently trying if you have a supported replacement of the standard ROM
brings Pie controls to all devices with a custom one.
released a number of new device! The forum for your device
with a non-root app. DBPie uses the
updates for these devices adding on [Link] is a good Root
accessibility features built in to
support for ‘IntelliPlug’. IntelliPlug place to look for an IntelliPlug ‘Rooting’ your phone gives apps access
Android to replicate the access to parts of the OS that are normally
is an open source replacement compatible kernel. Version 3.7 is
normally granted via root. As the Pie hidden from consumers. This enables
for Qualcomm’s proprietary the latest released to be you to run more powerful software and
controls are designed to replicate
‘mpdecision’ hotplug governor. integrated into Faux123’s kernels. install custom ROMs on your phone.
the onscreen navigation buttons,
the app works best on devices with ROM Manager
capacitive buttons. The app, which
can be downloaded free from mdc. Auto disable/ An app available from the Android
Market that enables you to install
a whole new version of your OS with
gd/amdbpie, is being frequently
updated with new options. The enable a single click. It requires a rooted
phone to use and is ideal for those
new on the scene.
colour and size of the PIE controls
can already be customised. A locking near Titanium Backup
forthcoming release will add the
ability to modify the gravity of the Bluetooth This app from the Market enables you
to back up everything on your phone
– apps, data, settings and all. It means
controls – adding the option to
sweep from the sides or top rather. devices
The Moto X is a great phone with
that you can restore your phone to how
it was, even after you’ve updated or
changed the ROM.

one of the best builds of Android out Unrevoked

there. What makes it so good? Available from [Link],
this is a one-click tool that can be
Mainly it’s the fact that it’s a used for rooting many popular
near-stock Android build but with HTC smartphones.
little additions that really add to the
core experience. One such feature A fitness tracker is perfect for auto-locking ADB
Stands for ‘Android Debug Bridge’. ADB
is ‘Trusted Bluetooth devices’ – the new state called Bluetooth Near, is mainly used for software
ability to disable/enable PIN lock on which activates when a specific development, but it also has some
uses for hacking your phone. It can be
the phone based on which device name or Mac is nearby. used to push files onto the system
Bluetooth devices are near. This is a Use this with the Secure Settings folder, for instance.
feature that is also coming in the Tasker plug-in to enable or disable
Android L update. If you’re not the lock as required. Both pairable
Nandroid
You might come across the phrase
running a Moto or the new OS, you devices (such as headsets) and ‘perform a Nandroid backup’. This
can still get this functionality on your Bluetooth Smart devices (such as means using a custom recovery tool
to make a back-up image of everything
device courtesy of Tasker from the a Fitbit or a smartwatch) can be currently on your phone: OS, apps,
Pie controls appear from the bottom Play store. A recent update added a configured with ease. data, etc. It’s very useful should you
wish to restore your phone to its
previous state later.

Hacking the easy way Get great new features without getting your hands (too) dirty Radio
‘Radio’ refers to the software on your
Android device that deals with making
‘L’ your Add drawings Heads Up! phone calls and data connections.
navigation bar to Hangouts notifications Updating your radio version can bring
» Free » Free » Free better battery life and signal strength
From: [Link] From: Play Store From: [Link]/ to your device. Some ROMs require the
gd/xplnav Need root? Yes xphud latest radio.
Need root? Yes ‘Stickers and Draw for Need root? No
This Xposed module Hangouts’ adds new Android L will launch Flash
gives you the nav bar options to the paper with a new feature The storage in your device comprises
as seen in the preview clip menu, which let called Heads Up!. With flash memory, a type of solid-state
release of Android L. It you insert predefined this enabled, storage. The terms ‘flash’ or ‘flashing’
includes 19 icons with animated stickers into notifications pop up mean installing new software onto your
support for all a Hangouts over whichever app device’s storage.
resolutions of devices. conversation. you’re using.

[Link]
Check our website daily
for even more tips & tricks
»[Link] 71
Apps [Link] 15min wonder
Want your money back?
You’ve got 15 mins to decide!
! 5
15 10
»0-5 minutes
A long list of third-party
services can be synced

»5-10 minutes

Sunrise Calendar
! 5
It’s all very clean and
15 10
easy to navigate

! 5 »10-15 minutes
It integrates well with the
15 10
Sunrise web app
Your digital life in calendar form keep refund
While the Play store you within the one app. As well as After signing in/up via Facebook, below. Nice touches include basic
isn’t exactly short of bringing in standard calendar events Google or email, you can link it to the weather info for the next three days,
third-party calendar from Google Calendar and iCloud, it accounts you want, set notification plus an arrow icon to return you
apps, including some will show Facebook events and options and select which calendars instantly to today. It’s a shame that it
very stylish creations, none of them birthdays, Foursquare check-ins, to make visible. The look is clean but lacks the web app’s search function.
offer that much extra functionality Evernote reminders and TripIt travel functional, with the default view Swiping left (or tapping the lines
over the default Google Calendar. itineraries (including tickets and showing dates for two weeks icon) brings up the agenda view
Created by two former Foursquare reservations). It can even add local (expandable to four by swiping) at showing three days at a time, with
designers, Sunrise Calendar takes a concerts by bands tracked in the top and a scrollable list of events timed events as colour-coded blocks
more radical approach, aiming to Songkick and reveal the latest while all-day ones are pinned to the
change the way we think about a tweets of event attendees. More top. Long-pressing here lets you
mobile calendar app, while also business-related functions include quickly add a new event. We
syncing with a web app available via LinkedIn photos and info, tasks from particularly like the way Sunrise
the Chrome Web Store. Producteev and Asana, plus GitHub automatically adds a suitable icon for
The key selling point is the way milestones for software developers. the event type, such as a speech
Sunrise integrates with so many The one glaring omission is Exchange bubble for a meeting or a knife and
external services, pulling in all sor s support (as featured in the iOS app), fork for a meal. Photos of attendees
of data so that it’s all available for although this is in the pipeline. are also shown, if available, and it
gives you the option of emailing them

“The key selling point is the a notification or not. The event

location is displayed on a map that

way Sunrise integrates with can be expanded to fill the screen,

although directions must be viewed

so many external externally in Google Maps. That’s a

rare exception, however, since most

services” things can be done from within

Sunrise itself.
We did encounter a few teething
problems, including it crashing
An event’s location is shown on a map and whenever we tried to sync with
directions can be accessed via Google Maps iCloud. There’s 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.

» specification
Price Free
Designed for: Phone
Requires Android: 4.0

» verdict
Performance
Design
Value
A one-stop shop for all your
business and social events
The agenda view displays three days at a
time with colour-coded event blocks

The default view lists

events below the calendar, »like this?
try this!
CAL-CALENDAR GOOGLE/EXCHANGE » A stylish, photo-heavy
calendar that syncs [Link] tasks and offers Exchange support.
complete with relevant icons

72 [Link]
 [Link]

SwiftKey Keyboard
The popular swipe-type keyboard gets even smarter
EDITOR’S
With Google’s own to link it to your Google and social found very useful for editing text. For Swipe to type and CHOICE
it’ll even sense
default keyboard accounts, such as Facebook and those who need to enter a lot of which language you
offering a swipe-typing Twitter, it learns even faster. Your numbers, a numeric row can be want to use
option, you might think personalised predictions are also added to the top, while a number
that SwiftKey would be redundant. backed up to the cloud. pad is available in the symbols view and can also be placed in the middle
You’d be wrong. For starters, its Flow Another major plus point is the of the landscape thumb layout.
swipe-typing system is a cut above, phenomenal language support, So everyone should be able to find
even enabling you to input multi- offering next-word prediction in over a layout to suit. There’s also a voice
world phrases without lifting your 60 tongues. Unlike most multilingual input key (using Google Voice) and a
finger, so long as you slide down to keyboards, you don’t even need to selection of over 800 emoji – it even
the space bar between words. switch manually between them: offers emoji prediction!
SwiftKey is particularly good at simply type away and it works out
predicting what you’re trying to type which of the (up to three) enabled
– and auto-correcting mistakes – languages you want. We found this » specification
since it learns from your previous particularly handy when using the Price Free
input, including within text language-learning app Duolingo. Designed for: Phone and tablet
messages, so it improves over time. As well as choosing from a number Requires Android: 2.2
If you use the SwiftKey Cloud option of free, colourful keyboard themes,
with extra ones available via the
» verdict
in-app store, there’s great scope for The best keyboard around
» like this? try this! adds new features – and it’s
customising the keyboard layout,
Minuum keyboard size and positioning (you can undock now free
Ideal for space saving, it lets you
shrink the keyboard down to a single row. and split it). An extended layout
Choose from a selection of free themes, or
squeezes in cursor keys, which we buy more from the store

Copy Bubble A floating clipboard

for multiple items Ready Vibify
While Link Bubble (reviewed in Android 38) enables you to store
Contact List Get a buzz when you pick
up your phone
tapped weblinks in a floating onscreen bubble, Copy Bubble does the
Get ready for a stylish Vibify is similar to the
same for copied text and images. It uses the standard Android new dialler Smart Alert feature
system to do the actual copying – long-press on an image or text, then highlight In public beta at the time of available on some
a section of the latter – but a major advantage is the ability to store more than writing, Ready is a stylish Samsung smartphones, but offers
one copied item at a time, as indicated alternative to the default more options. As soon as you pick up
by the number on the pretty orange Phone app. From the favourites your on-standby phone, it’ll vibrate if
bubble that adorns your screen. screen (with a search option), you there are any pending notifications
Another plus is easy access from any can swipe left for a full ‘list’ of from the apps you’ve enabled it to
screen: tap the bubble to see all the contacts – actually a carousel of work with. It does its job and will
things you’ve copied, with options to their photos, with letter shortcuts only work if the phone has been
copy (to enable pasting), share and below. A nice touch is that when the static for a certain number of
delete. Copied images appear as phone rings, the caller’s recent seconds, so it won’t keep vibrating
weblinks in the list but may still be history (such as in your pocket
pasted as an actual image, depending on latest emails and while walking.
the app you’re using. Copy Bubble is a meetings) is You can also set
simple but brilliant idea that we think shown. Post-call quiet hours and
should find a place as part of the official shortcuts are how many times
operating system going forward. also offered for you want it to
common tasks: tell you about
» Price Free call, email, meet the same
» Designed for Phone and tablet
» Requires Android 4.0 and text. notification.
Tap the bubble to see all copied items, to » Price Free » Price £0.80/$1.36
re-copy (for pasting), share and delete » Designed for Phone » Designed for Phone
» Requires Android 1.6 » Requires Android Varies
»like this?
try this!
LINK BUBBLE » This free download uses a similar floating bubble
system to store webpages when you tap links.

[Link] 73
Apps [Link]

EndlessTV:
Videos,
TV and
Parallels Access
Get remote access of your desktop computer
News with Parallels’ new app, built specifically for Android
Gaining remote access solution by adapting everything to
An alternative way to watch to your computer suit your Android device and its
TV on your Android device sounds great in theory, smaller display. There’s even an
but in the past we’ve found it a Android-style launcher screen with a
frustrating experience trying to grid of desktop application icons you
click on tiny icons and controls. can tap to launch. They are then run
Parallels Access offers a unique 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 finger to left-click, or two
Choose from a large range of channels
arranged into themed categories fingers to right-click. You can swipe
to scroll around, while pinch-to-zoom
Apart from a couple of live also works in many applications. For
streams, the app delivers extra precision, you can long-press
video clips sorted into to magnify the view in a circle.
channels, based on a TV station or Continuing to long-press enables you
show. This enables you to build a list to drag and drop files – or resize
of favourites by browsing categories spreadsheet cells and pictures, for
for Popular, News, Food & Home, instance. Double-tapping text brings
Long-press to bring up the magnifier and
Celeb, Sports, Tech, Fashion, Arts, up the standard Android selection then drag and drop files
Life, Comedy and EDU (education). markers and copy/paste tools. The
While US-centric, the line-up includes onscreen keyboard appears onscreen buttons) and choice of
BBC channels for news, food, Radio 1 automatically, or by tapping its icon, display resolution.
and Top Gear. while extra command keys (Shift, It all goes to make remote access
The process of adding channels is Ctrl, cursors etc) can be added to the more useful and far less frustrating,
laborious because you’re returned to bottom of the screen. although it’s a shame the Android
the main menu each time and have The app launcher is cool and you can
Other options include a desktop app lacks the iOS version’s special
to navigate back to whatever easily switch windows via the bottom bar mode, mouse pointer (with file browser function for even easier
category you were browsing. There’s navigation. About the only other
no search function to help either. »like this?
try this!
SPLASHTOP 2 REMOTE DESKTOP » Not quite as easy to navigate,
but it offers free access on a home network.
drawback we found was slightly jerky
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 can’t swipe up to
Owly Relive your day
through audio snippets
change channels. It also lacks that We’re used to logging our removed after a week, unless
version’s ability to download videos life in photo form, but what favourited. Sadly, we experienced a
for offline viewing. Also, despite the about audio? Activated at a few teething problems with audio
app’s claim to eliminate lag and certain (and customisable) sound recording; rather than record each
latency, we encountered a number volume threshold, Owly automatically sound snippet above the volume
of delays during playback. records ten-second soundbites threshold, it only seems to trigger
On the plus side, there are no known as ‘fragments’ to give you an every so often, when it feels like it.
video advertisements to annoy audio overview of your day – laughing So a manual record option would be
viewers (just static ones when with friends, listening to music etc. A a plus. Still, Owly has the potential to
playback is paused). A useful map shows where each geo-tagged be a fun app.
Chromecast function is currently in fragment was recorded, while a
beta, which we look forward to strong social aspect gives you the » Price Free
getting our hands on. option to share them with friends so
» Designed for Phone
» Requires Android 2.3
they can be liked and commented
» Price Free
» Designed for Phone and tablet upon. Recordings are automatically
» Requires Android 3.0
Replay the geo-tagged sound snippets »like this?
try this!
SAGA – AUTOMATIC LIFELOGGING » Saga logs your location
throughout the day, to which you can add photos, notes etc.
from each day

74 [Link]
 [Link]
quickhits
top apps for...
ROWING
» like this? try this! LANTS
Microsoft Remote Access
This official download allows you to
connect your phone to your Windows PC.

» specification
Price Free
Designed for: Phone and tablet
Requires Android: 4.0.3

» verdict
Performance
Design
Value EDITOR’S
So good, it’s almost like CHOICE
using a touchscreen
computer. Impressive
Double-tap text to bring
up the standard Android Gardens Free
markers and copy/paste tools This interactive magazine
offers a fair amount of free
content – text, photo and

“Parallels Access offers a unique 15min wonder

Want your money back?
video guides – plus more via
in-app purchases. There’s also a built-in

solution by adapting everything to

notebook for your jottings.
You’ve got 15 mins to decide!
»0-5 minutes
suit your Android device and its ! 5
15 10
It’s easy enough to set
everything up Gardenate £0.99/$1.99
smaller display” ! 5
15 10
»5-10 minutes
Cool app launcher and
A comprehensive companion,
it shows you when to plant
and harvest various
video playback. Setup is easy too. Facebook (or sign up). After a free full-screen windows vegetables and herbs. You
can also record your own plantings, make
Just download the desktop client for two-week trial, you’ll need to
! 5 »10-15 minutes detailed notes and add photos.
your Mac (OS X 10.7 or later) or PC subscribe for £13.99/$19.99 per 15 10
Lots of options to improve
(Windows 7 or later) and then sign year, but this gives access to up to ease of use

in on the Android application via five computers. keep refund

iScape Lite Free
Snap a photo of your garden,

PhonoPaper
then add in new plants, trees,
paths, fountains etc. It’s a
good tool for DIY landscapers,
once you’ve paid (£5.97/$9.99) to unlock.
Print sounds on a piece of
paper in wave form
Now here’s an intriguing Garden Plants Growing
idea. Upon recording a Guide Free
ten-second audio clip This simple guide provides
info on how to grow and care
(voice of music) via the microphone, for 48 popular flowers, 15
PhonoPaper transforms it into a herbs and 12 vegetables. The design is
pattern of waves that you can print pretty basic, but the content is helpful.
out on a piece of paper. Using the
app, you can then scan this pattern Scan the printed pattern to play the audio encoded within it
with the camera to hear the
recorded sound. In free mode, you experience as you hear a ghostly take off in a big way, but it’s fun to
Garden Manager: Plant
can scan by hand at whatever rate voice emanating from it. According to play around with. Alarm Free
Never forget to water your
you like. Results vary depending on its Russian developer, PhonoPaper plants again! The app lets you
the camera, angle and print quality, has the potential to be used like QR
» Price Free set alarms for watering and
» Designed for Phone other garden tasks. You can also take
but since it’s encoded in analogue codes – on billboards, for example – » Requires Android 2.3 pics and notes, and log plant heights.
form you’ll always hear at least a but to reveal hidden audio clips.
silhouette of the sound – an eery We’re not sure whether it’ll really

[Link]
Check our website daily
for even more app reviews »[Link] 75
Apps [Link]

Lumosity Popular brain-training

program hits Android
Can brain-training really increase intelligence? The scientific 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
finally arrived on Android. To personalise their training program, new users are
Instagram
More control over your photos
asked to select multiple goals in five categories: memory, attention, speed,
flexibility and problem solving. This determines the games playable for each It’s pretty easy to spot an Instagram photo due to the limited
day. Those users that don’t subscribe range of filter effects available to users. So it’s difficult to make
(which costs £7.95/$9.95 per month) get your picture stand out from the crowd. Fortunately, the latest app
only three per day from a limited update adds some new options that should help with that. While the range
selection. Another drawback is that you of 20 filter effects is unchanged, you can now adjust their strength using a
can’t change your goals later on, so it’s slider and opt whether to add a frame or not. Nine editing tools are also
best to choose lots. available to fine-tune your photo: straighten, brightness, contrast, warmth,
The games range from simple reaction saturation, highlights, shadows, vignette, tilt shift (to alter depth of field)
test to more taxing affairs to challenge and sharpen. Most of these feature a slider control and you can apply as
your mental agility, such as comparing many of them as you like. The enhanced options bring the Instagram app
the values of maths equations. Sadly, into line with third-party image editors, so you shouldn’t need the latter,
most of them aren’t as fun as we might although you’re still restricted to square-cropped shots. As before, you can
like. Scores can be shared on social also shoot and upload videos.
media and are auto-synced with the
Lumosity website.
» specification » like this? try this!
» Price Free Flickr
» Designed for Phone and tablet Price Free Shoot and share your pictures on this
» Requires Android 4.0 Designed for: Phone social network for serious photographers.
In this simple game, you just have to swipe Requires Android: Varies
the direction of the middle bird
» verdict Compare original
»like this?
try this!
ELEVATE – BRAIN TRAINING » Fewer but more interesting games,
based mainly around reading and writing skills.
Performance As previously, you can long-press on the
photo to see the original unedited
version, which is very useful for
Design comparison purposes
Value
Quip: Documents + Messaging The ability to fine-tune
effects is a very Adjust filter
While the range of 20 filters is
Redesigned for even easier collaboration welcome addition unchanged, you can adjust their
strength. Tap the current one again to
Quip is a cross-platform word processor featuring an innovative chat bring up a slider control
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 »like this?
try this!
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP EXPRESS » A similar range of filters and
editing tools without the mandatory square cropping.
to share documents with colleagues who don’t 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
Get to know
imported from Dropbox, Google Drive
Use Instagram’s new editing tools and effect strength
and Evernote – while adding a powerful
sliders to fine-tune the look of your picture
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
five themes, plus a few headers and lists
– so it’s just as well that documents can
now be exported to Microsoft Word.

» Price Free Filter strength Tools menu Upload and share

» Designed for Phone and tablet After selecting a filter, tap Tapping the spanner icon Upon proceeding to the
» Requires Android 4.0.3 on it again to bring up this brings up a menu of nine upload screen, you can add
slider control. It starts off at editing tools – swipe left for details, tag people and
The chat screen looks more appealing 100, but you can slide it left more. Most of them feature share to other networks. You
than before and offers extra options to slowly reduce the a slider control to adjust the can also send the picture
strength of the filter. strength of the effect. direct to a friend.
»like this?
try this!
EVERNOTE » The standard free service offers syncing and sharing
of notes, but has very limited collaboration in comparison to Quip.

76 [Link]
 [Link]

Upload it
When you’ve finished editing the
picture, tap the top-right arrow to upload
it. You can also share it to a range of
popular social networks
1Password
Secure password vault with cloud sync
It’s 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 Store all your log-ins in one place; tap the
for credit cards and bank accounts. URL to visit it in the in-app browser
Secured items can be favourited
and organised into folders; there’s Still, there’s Dropbox support for
even a search facility. Once a login is automatic cross-platform sync, so
added, just tap it to visit the relevant every device has every login, plus a
site via the in-app browser, then tap locally stored Folder Sync alternative.
the key icon and select a login. To log An adjustable Autolock also protects
in using an external browser, or app, your data even if your device is lost or
however, you’ll need to copy and stolen. Note that access to
paste the password – not convenient 1Password’s full feature set requires
nor very secure. a one-off in-app purchase (price TBA
but it won’t come cheap).

“As well as » specification

Price Free
logins, you can Designed for: Phone and tablet
Requires Android: 4.0
store sensitive » verdict
data for credit Handy cloud sync and good
security, if you stay in-app
cards and bank
accounts”

Editing tools Tap the key icon and then choose from
Tap the spanner icon to bring up a menu
of nine new tools with which to fine-tune multiple logins for different accounts
the look of your picture
»Like this?
try this!
PASSWORDBOX FREE PASSWORD SAFE » It comes with its own
keyboard to enable one-tap login for other apps.

[Link] 77
Apps Playmarkers
[Link]
can these QR codes for direct
inks to the Google Play Store

The Guardian
Selphee
Read all about the
fully rebuilt news app
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 story’s
Share a photo importance and type. To save scrolling down to them, other sections can be
accessed from the pull-out left menu.
that turns into This also has icons for settings,
bookmarks, search and download – to
a video enable you to read articles offline. To get
the most out of the app, you’ll want to
People share lots of sign in (with your Guardian account,
photos and videos, so Facebook or Google). This then allows
why not combine the you to personalise the main menu by
two? That’s the idea behind adding favourite sections, topics and
Selphee. You take a selfie (or any contributors – as many as you like, rather
other photo, using either camera), than the previous limit of eight. You can
then shoot a short video. When even follow contributors to receive alerts
your friends view the photo, they’ll whenever they publish a new article.
be surprised when it suddenly Guardian Witness is now integrated into
plays video. There’s also an option the app too, enabling readers to share
EDITOR’S
to use an existing photo from the CHOICE photos, videos and stories.
gallery, but ours kept coming up
blank. Some basic photo editing » Price Free
» Designed for Phone and tablet
options let you add funky frames Jazz up your selfie, or other photo, with » Requires Android Varies
and speech bubbles. Then the some funky frames
A new card-based layout is just one of
video section allows you to record many improvements
multiple clips, Vine-style, by there’s a worrying privacy angle
holding the button repeatedly. You since it turns out that the videos »like this?
try this!
FLIPBOARD » This magazine-style app lets you customise your
news by choosing favourite topics.
can then share your creation via a are actually uploaded to the
weblink on Instagram, Facebook, ‘selpheeuploads’ YouTube channel
Twitter, Whatsapp or SMS. It for anyone to see. Lack of
sounds innocuous enough, but censorship is also a problem,
judging by one video we found. It’d
be far better if there was a private
Echo Lockscreen
Gesture-based, prioritised notifications system
weblink for each video with no
public access. If you’re anything like us, your phone receives countless
notifications. If only there were a way of sorting out the wheat from
the chaff to avoid notification overload. Echo could be the answer: it
» like this? try this! learns from your behaviour to identify the notifications that are important to you
and then only wakes the screen to show
Vine a priority message. It also groups them
Record short videos to share –
including via private Vine Message. into categories such as work, social and
media. Particularly useful is the
Mailbox-style gesture system used to
» specification manage individual notifications on the
lockscreen: tap one to open it, swipe left
Price Free to dismiss, or right to set a reminder – for
Designed for: Phone a certain time or place. Swiping fully to
Requires Android: 4.0 the right lets you manually categorise the
» verdict message. A slight downside is that Echo
currently lacks music controls, plus
Performance actionable items such as quick reply in
Gmail, but it still has good potential.
Design
Value » Price Free
» Designed for Phone
A fun idea that takes » Requires Android Varies
liberties with your privacy Swipe to dismiss a notification, set a
reminder or categorise it

Hold down the red button to record clips

»like this?
try this!
SLIDELOCK LOCKER » A similar gesture system for managing
lockscreen notifications, plus auto-wake option.

78 [Link]
 [Link]
quickhits
Reddit Cluster Snapkeys Cross DJ – Mix
offline Share short videos and
Zones (BETA) your music
photos with friends Load SoundCloud tunes
Read ‘the front page of Get into the zone for typing onto your turntables
This photo-sharing app
the internet’ offline focuses on private groups, This replacement keyboard Already the best DJing app
The clue is in the name: called spaces, enabling you features a standard on Android, Cross DJ now
this solid little app enables to share your pics with selected Qwerty layout divided into has support for
you to download selected friends and family. To this end, it tells zones. The idea is that you simply tap SoundCloud. So as well as mixing
subreddits to read later when you you exactly who you are sharing your anywhere in the zone containing the locally stored tunes, you can search
have no internet connection. Its photos with, along with who has letter you want and it’ll predict what the cloud service for tracks, from
rather basic interface comprises a viewed the ones posted. The app you’re trying to type – a bit like unofficial remixes to friends’ songs.
scrolling list of posts, but they also enables you to share short old-school predictive text. And just Logging in isn’t obligatory, but
contain all the usual content, videos and post large text notes to a like that, it’s very hit and miss with its enables you to access your sets and
including comments and images. group. The UI has been optimised for predictions and you often need to favourites. Elsewhere it’s just as
Tapping the tablets, with separate columns for select an good as before with an impressive
drop-down menu spaces and photos in landscape. alternative. Also, if range of mixing options.
at the top lets you you hit the wrong
switch between zone, there’s
selected no way it can
subreddits, correct it. It also
while the top-right caused a display
icon lets you glitch on our Moto
add more. G handset.
» Price Free » Price Free » Price Free » Price £5.99/$9.99
» Designed for Phone » Designed for Phone and tablet » Designed for Phone » Designed for Phone and tablet
» Requires Android 2.2 » Requires Android 4.0 » Requires Android 4.0.3 » Requires Android 4.1

Audio Path Hike BallTune

Visualizer Live Divided opinion on redesign messenger Check your ball’s bounce
Sound-sensitive live In the same vein as Cluster,
is in good working order
Chat snoopers can
wallpapers for Android Path is a social network now take a hike Before practising your footy
with a focus on privacy: you skills, it’s best to inflate
If you’re tired of static or get to control who sees each and India-based instant your ball correctly.
even standard live every post (text, photo, location or messaging app Hike has Amazingly, the BallTune app can
wallpapers, this app will music clip) you make. However, the added a hidden mode. This accurately discern a ball’s pressure
provide something new. It offers a somewhat arbitrary 150 friend limit protects access to your private chats (within 1 PSI) by analysing how it
choice of four music visualizer has now thankfully been removed. with a pattern passcode. Ironically, it bounces. Just drop it from a height
wallpapers that react to external Another change is that, like took us a while to find it, by tapping and film with the camera. It’s a bit hit
sounds to create pretty patterns. It’s Facebook, Path has farmed out its the Hike logo at the top-left. The app and miss getting it to work, but the
a bit weird seeing your homescreen instant messaging aspect to a new is now also more lightweight, to app then shows the height of each
background react in this way and Path Talk app – featuring Snapchat- suit low-end devices. Other bounce and tells you whether it’s
could soon get a style self- interesting over- or under-
bit tiring on the destructing features include inflated, or tuned
eyes when trying messages – which colourful sticker perfectly for
to navigate. Also, will annoy some art, chat themes power, accuracy or
it doesn’t respond users. Back in the that change for control. Only size 5
to music played main Path app, we both users, plus balls are currently
on headphones were also unable the ability to send supported, but 3
so is useless for to take or import messages to and 4 are
that purpose. any photos. offline friends. promised soon.
» Price Free » Price Free » Price Free » Price Free
» Designed for Phone » Designed for Phone » Designed for Phone » Designed for Phone
» Requires Android 4.0 » Requires Android Varies » Requires Android 2.2 » Requires Android 4.0

[Link] 79
 [Link]
head tohead
to head
Which one of these apps is best
for editing your videos?

ANDROVID
vs
PRO
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
» specification store, but which » specification
Price £1.69/$1.99 one comes out Price £1.78/$2.99
Designed for: Phone Designed for: Phone
Requires Android: 2.3
on top in our Requires Android: 2.2
testing?
AndroVid Pro Video Editor VideoShow Pro
Choose between cutting You can only edit the
chunks of video for easy beginning and ends of video
editing, or zoom in on your to adjust the overall length,
video timeline to cut frame by EDITING TOOLS but you can also merge
frame. Videos can also be videos together and even
split into separate files. mix in still images.

Add fades to videos or While retro filters aren’t for

convert it to grayscale if you everyone, the options to dub it
want to get really art house. with your own voice-over or
You can also add subtitles, SPECIAL EFFECTS add subtitles are very useful.
but the audio options are a The option to trim music is
bit too basic. superior to AndroVid.

Though its UI is bare bones, A lot more effort has been

AndroVid remained highly put into the design of
functional and a help button VideoShow, both in terms of
was never far away. An optional INTERFACE the look and the feel, with
horizontal mode made it easy features and files easier to
to edit landscape videos. find as a result.

As well as exporting them as As well as supporting YouTube,

different file types, your Facebook and Twitter,
mobile movies can be VideoShow has its own social
uploaded to all the usual SHARING OPTIONS network. It’s basic, but you
social networks. Video frames can like and share other users’
can also be set as wallpaper. videos in your feed.

Using a series of drop-down VideoShow only has two

menus, it’s easy to not only export options: Keep Video
select the quality and Quality and Compressed
resolution, but also convert it EXPORT OPTIONS Quality. The former
to different video formats, supports 1080p, but takes
including MP4, MPG, VOB. ages to export.

And the Although it ultimately depends what you are looking for in a video-
winner is... editing app, AndroVid Pro proved itself the superior app. VideoShow
Pro had the upper hand in terms of adding filters and audio, but it
ANDROVID PRO couldn’t compete with AndroVid’s broader range of editing tools.
80 [Link]
 [Link] Games
Angry Birds Epic
Angry Birds has become
Can the Angry Birds clan
tackle the RPG genre?
one of the staple game
series available from the
Google Play store. What we’ve seen
previously is a tried and tested
format, but Rovio’s 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 you’ve
come to expect. Oh, and don’t 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 you’ll encounter
different landscapes, and as you’d
expect with any Rovio game, each
one is beautifully animated.
Occasionally you’ll 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 it’s Foes come in all different shapes and sizes
up to you to figure which combination There’s lots of humour that will make the process a little faster. For a
works well against the enemy. make you snigger and the fast pace first attempt in the RPG genre, Angry
As you beat enemies and explore of the game means it’s a perfect Birds Epic is certainly a laugh-out-
further, your characters level up and pick-up-and-play title. An increasing loud affair. Despite the rather basic
you’ll earn new weapons and trend we’re finding in these types of upgrading options, it’s a great
upgrades to use. The choice of games is the amount of in-app addition to the Google Play store.
upgrades isn’t vast compared to purchases on offer. Although you can
many of the countless RPGs on the happily progress through this title
» Price Free
» Designed for Phone and tablet
Play store, but it’s ideal for those new without them, the grind of levelling » Requires Android 2.3.3
to the genre. Above all else, Angry up your character can feel like a
Birds Epic is just simply fun. Upgrade weapons the more you fight chore, so people may choose to

what we’ve Soar What many of you will notice about

Soar before anything else is the
been playing Take flight with the Phoenix amazing abstract graphics. It helps
add to the overall style of the game,
Hitman GO There’s a fine line between but it may not be to everyone’s
£2.99/$4.99 making a game addictive tastes. It’s so different that it’s likely
We’re slowly getting through and too simple, but Soar to divide opinion.
the vast Hitman GO and really
enjoying the strategic elements used thankfully finds the medium Soar has managed to find a good
throughout. If you haven’t already, make between the two. The app takes twist on the infinite runner, which is
sure you download this! inspiration from Temple Run and so already a packed genre on the
many other endless runner game, Google Play store. It definitely isn’t a
but instead puts you in control of the must download title, but the polygon
Worms 3 legendary Phoenix. graphics alone are worth checking
£2.99/$4.99 Users need to control the Phoenix out. We think you’ll be surprised
Although the premise of
Worms hasn’t changed, the through the air, avoiding contact with by what you find.
gameplay still feels new and fresh in this the mountains and collecting the fire
version. There are plenty of levels to
power-ups to keep momentum as
» Price Free
explore and crazy gadgets to use. » Designed for Phone and tablet
they go. It sounds simple enough, » Requires Android 4.0
but the game is surprisingly difficult
Recommend a game… from the get go. Enjoy Soar’s lush abstract graphics

»twitter @lgrobot
[Link]
Check our website for
even more game reviews »[Link] 81
Reviews
[Link]

LG G3 The LG G3 is big and packed with features,

with an astonishingly good screen the highlight
from the premium end’s new flag bearer
Design
T
he new LG G3 is quite simply the most feature-rich
handset to be launched in the UK. It has a stunning array LG has put a lot of thought into the design of this handset and Infrared
Infrared is
of features that put it right at the head of the pack in worked hard to keep it as pocket-friendly as possible. The becoming quite a
terms of technical capabilities, and for the most part, we are 5.5-inch screen is just a few millimetres away from the long popular addition to
very impressed indeed. edges and very close to the short edges too, so that the overall tablets and
handsets, and LG
couples it with an
app that lets you
remotely control
your range of
IR-supporting TVs
and other
equipment

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
Multi- reading ebooks, and
tasking its 5.5 inches is
packed into a
help surprisingly slim
The ability to run chassis
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

82 [Link]
 [Link] s
size of the phone is relatively small. Yes, it is still
difficult to reach across for one-handed use, but as “The ace in the
handsets with large screens go the overall size is
impressively svelte. pack for the LG G3 is
The Android buttons take up screen space
rather than being on the chassis, so that there is a its screen. It is
loss of screen area for apps, but a gain in terms of
keeping the chassis size small. sharp, bright and
The power and volume buttons are on the back
of the chassis. We first saw this arrangement in clear, and
the LG G2, and here the buttons seem better
designed. There is a sight indent on the volume immediately shines
buttons and a slight raise to the power button that
sits between them, and this helps you find all out as something
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
quite special”
volume up and down buttons to launch LG’s We often say that pixel count alone is not enough
QuickMemo and Camera apps respectively when to make us enthuse about a handset’s screen. An
the screen is off. we hold to that here.
The LG G3 is available in black, gold and white The screen is certainly a cut above the
shades. It has to be said that for a flagship average, but we aren’t convinced that all those
handset we’d have liked a more premium quality extra pixels make a huge difference to the clarity
feel to the design. The backplate has a brushed and quality of what you can see when compared to,
metal look but is made from plastic, and when say, the 1920 x 1080 pixels of the 5.1-inch
compared to the superbly built HTC One (M8), the Samsung Galaxy S5 and five-inch HTC One (M8). As
LG G3 seems second class. But then so does every this pixel count becomes more widespread we may
other handset. see apps that really take advantage, though. We’ll
hold judgement for a while.
Screen Other plus points for the screen include its ver
The ace in the pack for the LG G3 is its screen. The good viewing angles and brightness levels, both o Big and little
size we have already noted. It is sharp, bright and which add to its appeal. Yes, it is very good and 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
clear, and immediately shines out at you as whether you are watching a movie or reading an
so that it is relatively small to drop into a pocket
something quite special. In fact it is a quad HD ebook, playing a game or writing email, the
screen that packs in 2560 x 1440 pixels. That gives screen’s high resolution and general quality is
it a massive 534 pixels per inch, putting every other definitely a plus point that’s not to be ignored. This Performance and battery
handset currently available in the UK in the shade. is just about as good as it gets. 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

Performance tests the handset. If you can get hold of a 32GB G3 then
there’s 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 specifications 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 day’s 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 G3’s superb screen than it would a
Our Vellamo tests show just how The LG G3’s AnTuTu benchmark fails to Benchmark tests are a great way of
much difference you’ll notice if you’re top HTC’s One (M8), despite it being breaking down the components of smaller, lower quality one.
upgrading to the LG G3 the first next-gen handset available your smartphone So there is inevitable effect on battery life. And
the brighter you have the screen, the more power it

[Link] 83
Reviews
[Link]
LG G3
information
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 Price £492
it a power boost in the late afternoon or early »More information
evening to survive. [Link]
»Supplied by
[Link]
Software
The LG G3 runs on Android 4.4 making it bang up to
date. You’d expect that from a flagship phone. LG Battery life
has always been keen on skinning Android and that
The battery will
remains the case here. The net result of all the falter if you have
software additions is that the 16GB of installed the screen on
memory is reduced to 10.4GB. maximum
brightness so
While LG adds an awful lot to Android it feels guard against that
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
technical specs
area. You can, for example, as we’ve seen before
»Operating system...............Android 4.4
from LG, fiddle with the Android hotkeys so that
»Processor...................................2.5GHz Qualcomm
Snapdragon 801
they are in your preferred order. And there are »Memory.......................................16GB storage
facilities to change the position of the dialpad and Button placement »Dimensions..............................146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9mm
Following the same design as the
keyboard to make them hug the left or right of the G2, the G3 places its buttons on »Weight ..........................................149g
screen for easier one-handed use. the back – and we like it »Display size...............................5.5-inch
Gesture controls are plentiful with recognised »Display resolution...............2560 x 1440 pixels
staples like answering an incoming call by lifting separate task manager called, erm, Tasks, which »Expansion slot.......................micro SD
the phone to your ear and turning the LG G3 face lets you set due dates and issue reminders. A file
down to silence incoming calls being accompanied manager is useful for keeping track of all your bits
by using that same face-down motion to pause and pieces, and an app called Quick Remote lets LG G3
video or stop an alarm. you use the built-in infrared as a remote control for
There are several multitasking features. You can your TV and other equipment. It is easy to set up Samsung HTC One
Galaxy S5 (M8)
open a number of apps from a QSlide menu so that multiple ‘rooms’ and multiple devices.
issue 01
they sit in a window on top of what you are doing. issue 038 issue 037

The range of apps supported includes a calculator, Camera better than worse than
internet browser, phone dialer and more. You get to The LG G3’s cameras are both very competent.
the QSlide menu from the notifications area. The back-facing 13-megapixel camera benefits
You can also split the screen and view two apps from laser autofocus. A laser is used to measure
at once. Not all apps are compatible, but the range the distance between lens and object, to allow for
Performance
includes plenty that are useful such as maps, much faster focusing. This can help with taking
Some stuttering, and we’d like the battery
to be amazing rather than just good
YouTube, email and web browser. Looking at two shots in gloomy locations. The dual LED flash also
apps at once is a bit of a squeeze on the 5.5-inch helps in low-light situations. Optical image Design
screen, but it might be useful at times. stabilisation helps improve the clarity. It’s a real achievement getting the stunning
And, of course, LG adds a few apps to the LG has taken a ‘less is more’ approach to screen into such a small chassis
Android standards. It is nice to see an FM radio working with both cameras, with the screen left
here as a basic addition. QuickMemo+ is the pretty much clear to act as an unobstructed Features
note-taking app of choice and you can either type viewfinder. The Dual mode is one of the few Lots of features, yet the feeling of bloat has
or draw with a finger to make notes. There’s a camera options available, allowing you to take a been avoided, which is a very clever trick
photo with front and back cameras simultaneously.
Plastic case Value for money
You can resize the smaller of the two images – If you want top of the range, then the LG G3
For a premium an set reta ing
at the cost it does, the G3 could, which by default is that from the front camera – is a good example
in our eyes, e ui t wit and invert the smaller image to be that from the
somet ing nicer t an p astic.

»
back camera by tapping the screen.
HTC has the right idea here

Verdict Verdict
The LG G3 is a lovely phone. Yes, it is expensive, The screen is outstanding
but it does have a very strong mix of features that and overall this is a very
come toget er in a ti y package. The screen,
obviously, is a highlight, but the well thought out
attractive handset. It sets a
and small set of software additions, good high benchmark for premium
overlay to Android, impressive cameras handsets to aim at
and hassle-free performance are all
endearing too. If only the
chassis quality were better.

84 [Link]
 FOR THE GNU GENERATION
[Link]
[Link]

Available
from all good
newsagents &
supermarkets
today

ON SALE NOW:
» Linux Mint 17 » Raspberry Pi video player » Open source education
THE LATEST NEWS ESSENTIAL GUIDES DEFINITIVE REVIEWS INDUSTRY INSIGHT EXPERT OPINION

BUY YOUR ISSUE TODAY

Print edition available at [Link]
Digital edition available at [Link]
Available on the following platforms

[Link]
[Link]/LinuxUserUK [Link]/LinuxUserMag
Reviews
[Link]
EDITOR’S
CHOICE

OnePlus One
Can the sub-£300 OnePlus One live up to the
W
hat do you do if you’re a small Chinese
company spun out of Oppo and you want
company’s Never Settle mantra, or is it pure hype? to make the world sit up and take note of
your new smartphone, but you don’t have a
Screen magic massive Samsung-esque marketing budget to do
The 5.5-inch 1080p screen (providing 401 it with? Here’s how. The first step is to tell your
pixels per inch) is excellent. The colour of the
display has been calibrated and tuned by potential customers that you’re going to make the
renowned community member (now best device in town. With its Never Settle motto,
Cyanogen employee) @SuperCurio, and it
shows. Brightness is ample and outdoor
OnePlus made it clear from the start that the
visibility is excellent device was going to be a monster. Next, simply
announce that you’re going to sell it insanely
cheap, undercutting not only everybody else’s
Button flagships but a bunch of mid-range devices too.
placement And so goes the story of the OnePlus One, the
The OnePlus One has £269.99 (in 64GB specification no less!)
capacitive buttons below
the screen, albeit in the super-phone that does indeed pack the very
rather retro ‘menu, home, latest technology in almost all areas of the
back’ layout. The good
device. So what do you get for your money?
news is that you can
disable these and they The processor is a 2.5GHz quad-core
disappear, allowing you to Snapdragon 801, which is the best CPU you will
use the onscreen buttons
find right now. This is backed up by 3GB of RAM
and that 64GB ROM (each equalling the best
we’ve seen in any device). The screen is a
5.5-inch 1080p unit with Gorilla Glass 3 for

Sharp shooter
A twin LED flash 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

Connectivity
Five LTE bands are supported on the
OnePlus One, but band 20 (800MHz) is
not. Three plan to use this band in the Wireless connectivity
future in its 4G rollout, although
currently only band 3 (1800MHz) is
used, which is supported
for... Every form of wireless connectivity you could
want for is supported.

86 [Link]
 [Link]
Review
OnePlus One
Noise cancelling
Dual speakers can be found on the bottom of the device.

information
While the overall volume and quality can’t match the
BoomSound speakers on HTC devices, the placement
means less compromise on size. Three microphones are
included for noise cancellation
Price £269.99 (64GB)
protection. Every networking technology you »More information
[Link]
could wish for is included, with the possible
exception of AptX Bluetooth audio, which isn’t
» Supplied by
OnePlus
included due to the stock Android nature of the
software build. Battery life
The phone is unquestionably targeted at The OnePlus One’s
enthusiasts and with that in mind, the darling 3100mAh battery offers
ROM of Android fans everywhere is preloaded fantastic stamina,
easily lasting through
– CyanogenMod. Right out of the box you get the the most strenuous of
enhanced CyanogenMod 11S, support for working days
switching to regular CM nightly builds and an
unlockable bootloader. An Android nerd’s dream!
technical specs
Of course, all the lovely bits inside wouldn’t
»Operating system...............Android 4.4.2
mean anything if the device looked and felt
»Processor...................................2.5GHz Qualcomm
Snapdragon 801 processor
horrible, but thankfully that isn’t the case. The »Memory.......................................3GB RAM
design is simple – it looks a lot like a scaled up »Dimensions..............................152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm
Oppo Find 5 – but it works, in the same way that »Weight ..........................................162g
Nexus devices just work. The device has a plain »Display size...............................5.5-inch
black front with a silver trim and is available with »Display resolution...............1920 x 1080 pixels
either a soft-touch textured Sandstone Black »Expansion slot.......................No
back or in Silk White, which is a more
conventional smooth white finish. Build quality is
absolutely top notch, with no flex or creak at all.
So the specifications are right, the build and Minimal design
design are up to scratch, what is it like to use? The design is simple to the extreme, almost Nexus like, but OnePlue One
Impressive. The screen is bright and sharp with what design features there are on the device are well
executed. A silver recessed trim around the screen might go
exceptional colour tuning, the sound is loud and Samsung N/A
unnoticed at first, but it’s a neat detail Galaxy
clear and the device positively speeds along, as Note 3
you’d expect given the internals. The tweaks to received attention is the Camera app. It’s been
issue 031
CyanogenMod for the One are minimal so the enhanced to really make the most of the One’s
build feels very stock Android. One area that has excellent 13-megapixel camera and the equally better than worse than
impressive five-megapixel front-facing shooter.

“With its Never OnePlus’ Never Settle mantra slips only on a

couple of occasions. The first is the fact that Performance
The fastest CPU available with a huge
Settle motto, there is no micro SD onboard, which many
enthusiasts are fond of. In reality, with a amount of RAM. Blisteringly fast

OnePlus made whopping 64GB available, it is a non-issue. The

other is the lack of a QHD (2K) screen. The LG Design
The design of the One is inoffensive, but
it clear from the G3 has shown that at this point in time, QHD
screens aren’t a noticeable step up in quality
it does have a certain utilitarian style

start that the and certainly not worth the hit in battery life or
device performance.
Features
If the One hasn’t got it, you probably
device was oi So, you want one?
Sadly, OnePlus simply
don’t need it! No micro SD expansion
Value for money
to be a monster” don’t seem to be
able to make enough
devices, and as such
The amount of technology you get for
the price is almost scandalous
chasing is currently

»If you
possible with a
hard-to-find invite.
Pro uction should
Verdict
however scale up in the
can get one, and handle
near future. We hope. its 5.5-inch size, the One is an
Hacking Quick charging Movie watching
absolute must buy. Epic
This phone is a hacker’s dream and Supports Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 2, The large, perfectly calibrated screen makes
community support will be excellent. although a compatible charger is not included. watching movies on the phone a joy.

[Link] 87
Reviews
[Link]

HTC Desire 610

Producing compelling devices at the low to mid-range is
I
t feels like every time we talk about a HTC device
nowadays we say that it’s vital to the future of
vital to HTC’s business. Does the Desire 610 deliver? the company. This is as much about the gaps in
its product lineup as it is the less-than-ideal
financial state of the company. While flagship and
halo products are the devices that grab all the
headlines, it’s the low to mid-range phones that
sell by the millions that can really contribute to a

Connectivity
Unrivalled LTE connectivity is included
(with support for all bands
sound used by UK networks),
BoomSound is one of HTC’s together with Wi-Fi (2.4GHz
signature experiences and b/g/n only), Bluetooth 4.0
it is present on the Desire and NFC. Signal strength is
610. This means volume very good on the Desire
and clarity of sound is 610, no doubt helped by
unmatched by devices from the device’s alluring
other manufacturers, with plastic construction
dual front speakers and
dedicated amplifiers
sending sound towards you
rather than away

It’s just not HD

The Desire 610 has a
4.7-inch screen like last
year’s HTC One, but the
resolution is qHD (960 x
540) rather than 1080p.
That’s quite a downgrade
and it’s very noticeable. The
bezels around the screen New design
aren’t exactly thin either language
The Desire 610 follows
HTC’s new design
language for the Desire
series and as such looks
exactly like a reduced
size Desire 816. It has a
Processing matte front and
matte sides, but the
power extremely glossy back is
The quad-core Snapdragon very susceptible
400 processor can be to fingerprints
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

High-definition fun
for... Can record 1080p video, even though the qHD
screen can’t display HD content at full res!

88 [Link]
 [Link]
Review
HTC Desire 610
company’s 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 today’s potential
customers. It’s reasonably priced (the £225
SIM-free price is not as important as where
information
Price £225
operators pitch the phone on their contract and » More information
[Link]
prepay plans), it wears the Desire brand that still
carries a certain amount of gravitas among
» Supplied by
HTC
consumers, it has a 4.7-inch screen to appeal to
those looking for bigger screens and it includes Battery life
4G LTE connectivity. Many of these features it The Desire 610 sips the
shares with the Desire 816, its 5.5-inch big 2040mAh battery when
idle, but it can drain
brother, but although the phablet form factor quickly when worked
does well in a lot of markets, the 610 is hard. A full day is no
expected to be more popular in the UK. problem though
Choosing a processor for this type of device
seems particularly easy nowadays. Qualcomm
technical specs
Snapdragon 400 quad-core. Job done. Thankfully,
»Operating system...............Android 4.4.2 with HTC Sense 6
that’s a great choice – it’s a very capable
»Processor...................................1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon
400 quad-core
processor, clearly cheap and very power efficient, »Memory.......................................1GB
particularly when idle. Devices such as this one »Dimensions..............................143.1 x 70.5 x 9.6mm
are all about compromising in the right places. »Weight ..........................................143.5g
The Desire 610 has 1GB RAM and 8GB storage, »Display size...............................4.7-inch
expandable via micro SD. Connectivity is good »Display resolution...............960 x 540 pixels
even though 5GHz Wi-Fi is omitted, NFC support »Expansion slot.......................micro SD
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
HTC Desire 610
rather than the five megapixels we are more
used to seeing on HTC devices now (including HTC Motorola
the Desire 816). Desire 500 Moto G
So far so good then, but there is one issue 031 issue 033

compromise that might be a step too far and Ever-important skin

that is the inclusion of a qHD screen. The The Desire 610 runs Android 4.4.2 with Sense 6. Despite it
being a relatively low-end device, the Sense experience is better than worse than
resolution itself is not uncommon, but the recreated faithfully, including the useful BlinkFeed
problem is that the screen feels sub-par at homescreen. HTC’s take on Android genuinely improves on
the stock experience
4.7-inch. Text can appear a little fuzzy, particularly Performance
when compared to competitor devices such as The 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400
the Moto G, which has a 720p 4.5-inch screen.
In fairness to the Desire 610, the similarly priced “That’s a great choice is a well proven processor by now
Design
LG G2 Mini also has a 4.7-inch qHD screen.
Where the G2 Mini excels and the Desire 610 – it’s a very capable HTC needed a mid-tier design language
and that’s what it got
suffers is in overall dimensions. While the LG has
very slim bezels and an impressively compact processor, clearly Features
overall size, the Desire 610 is the polar opposite.
Wide bezels at the sides of the screen and a cheap and very All of the most important features are
present, but the qHD screen isn’t great
very tall design overall thanks to the BoomSound
speakers means the phone feels large in the power efficient” Value for money
hand – at 9.6mm it’s not particularly thin either. Reasonably priced, but it can’t touch the
The smooth back and curved sides do make the – one benefit of a lower resolution screen is that Moto G LTE for pure value for money
phone comfortable to hold and use, though the processor doesn’t have to work as hard,
one-handed use is a stretch. Literally. The phone
is available in a number of colours, subtle in navy
blue or vibrant in white.
which has benefits both in overall performance
and battery life. The Desire 610 won’t disappoint
on either front.
» Verdict
The Desire 610 won’t be a
The Desire 610 runs HTC’s respected Sense 6 The Desire 610 certainly isn’t a game changer
atop Android 4.4.2, with a design language that among its peers but at the same time, as with
blockbuster device for HTC,
isn’t too far removed from what we’ll see later almost all mid-tier devices nowadays, it is a very but it’s a step in the right
this year in Android L. Performance is very good easy phone to live with. direction. On a cheap contract
Sturdy design Music Storage expansion it’s definitely worth a look
The plastic construction of the Desire 610 BoomSound speakers and Bluetooth 4.0 AptX The Desire 610 has 8GB of storage, but this is
makes it surprisingly robust support make it a good choice for music expandable via micro SD up to 128GB

[Link] 89
 Accessories
[Link]

Essent
Take your audio experience to new levels with these brilliant products
io

EDITOR’S
CHOICE

GROUP
TEST WINNER

Bose Quiet
Nine Audio Vega Shure SE535 Comfort 15
» Price £59.95/$TBC » Price £389.00/$499.00 » Price £259.95/$299.95
» More information [Link] » More information [Link] » More information [Link]

The stylish colours of the Vega headphones give Shure’s SE535 earphones are expensive, but you One of the first things you’ll notice about the QC
them a nice aesthetic look, but the lack of certainly get what you pay for. Sound quality 15s is just how light they are, and how their
padding on the headband can lead to some comes from dual woofers that deliver ergonomic design means they can be folded up
discomfort. Each of the 40mm drivers provide a tremendous levels of bass, without creating with the attractive travel case they come with.
good, if not spectacular, sound experience, with distortion in other areas. The SE535s ship with As far as noise cancelling goes, the QC 15s are
bass being a particular highlight. The hands-free different earbuds depending on your tastes and far and away the best headphones we’ve tested,
mic is a bit hit and miss and doesn’t seem to the cable feels sturdy enough to last. And they offering a truly immersive experience. Thanks to
work with every device, but for the price you pay, offer users a full 360-degree rotation of each the advanced signal processing used, music is
it’s a compromise many could make. earphone to get them to your exact specification. an absolute joy to listen to – especially acoustics.

90 [Link]
 Accessories
[Link]
“The materials used
just ooze that
premium feel… Worth
every penny”

EDITOR’S
CHOICE

Sennheiser Jabra Revo

MOMENTUM Sony XBA-H3 Wireless
» Price £169.99/$199.95 » Price £249.00/$349.99 » Price £199.99/$287.37
» More information [Link] » More information [Link] » More information [Link]

Sennheiser’s colourful MOMENTUM series Sony does a good job with the sound quality on Wireless headphones tend to be a mixed bag,
certainly have everything we could have hoped all its headphones, but the premium XBA-H3 but the Revo Wireless headphones work without
for in the looks department. Some may find the earphones go a step further. The three drivers a hitch. Connecting via Bluetooth is easy, but
ear cups a bit too small, especially if you really used here help keep sound nice and balanced there are no playback controls. The design is
want an immersive audio experience. Sound and no matter what your tastes in music are, rather bland and the ear cups, although suitably
quality is nicely balanced, with no static or you’re well catered for here. Thankfully the padded, will be too small for most. Similarly, the
distortion, but a real attention to detail. Looking XBA-H3s are comfortable to wear, and the headband is uncomfortable and the soft texture
past the ear cup sizing, then the MOMENTUMs materials used just ooze that premium feel. The of it helps the headphones slip around when out
are a fantastic addition to the headphone scene. XBA-H3s are worth every penny of that price tag. and about. Sound quality is impressive, however.

[Link] 91
 [Link]
Spaced360
» Price £250/$TBA » More information [Link] EDITOR’S
The peculiar shape of the Spaced360 may initially put some people off, CHOICE
but it actually does a good job at maximising its sound output. Sound
quality is really good and there’s a nice balance no matter what music
you’re 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. It’s a touch on the heavy side, which can
impact on its portability, but it’s far and away one of the best Bluetooth
speakers we’ve had the pleasure of testing.

92 [Link]
 Accessories
[Link]

Universal
Charging Station
» Price £60.00/$102.99 » More information [Link]
Enabling users to charge numerous devices at the same time is the
defining 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 you’ll find 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.

[Link] 93
 [Link]

BUYER’S GUIDE
Discover the best smartphones, tablets and accessories
to buy in our top ten charts

94 [Link]
 [Link]
Buyer’s Guide
TOP 10 SUPER SMARTPHONES THE BEST FLAGSHIP AND MID-RANGE
ANDROID PHONES ON THE MARKET

1
HTC ONE (M8) £549.99
A combination of a completely chrome unibody and a big, bright screen make HTC’s flagship 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 flagship a powerful, portable Issue 37
entertainment system. The BlinkFeed UI is also one of the best stock Android alternatives.

LG G3 £492
2 Piping Samsung, HTC and Sony to the post to launch the first 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 aren’t enough to top the HTC One (M8). See issue 41
NEW ENTRY

Samsung Galaxy S5 £466.80 GOING DOWN

3 A relatively modest update on the Galaxy S4, the S5 is nonetheless an impressive handset. Its range
of fitness features and thumbprint scanner give it a unique selling point, while its specs, though high,
are no different from HTC or Sony’s flagships. A rubber back and metal edging add a premium finish. See issue 38

Sony Xperia Z2 £439 GOING DOWN

4 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 waterproofing is a plus. See issue 38

Google Nexus 5 From £299

5
GOING DOWN
As a Google product, the Nexus 5 is a long-term investment as it is guaranteed to have first 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 – it’s less competitive than it used to be. See issue 32

One PlusOne From £269.99

6 This Chinese device offers flagship 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. See issue 41
NEW ENTRY

Motorola Moto X From £299.99

7 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. See issue 36 GOING UP

HTC One mini 2 From £379.99

8 A cut-price version of the M8, the HTC One mini 2 retains the gunmetal finish, BoomSound speakers
and BlinkFeed interface, but the camera features and motion sensors have been sacrificed. Still this
remains an attractive prospect, even if the price is higher than the average mid-range phone. See issue 39
NEW ENTRY

LG G2 £340
9
GOING DOWN
While this is a last-generation phone, the LG G2 remains a low-cost alternative to the new breed of
flagships. The specs may be slipping behind, but when you’re using it in your hand you’ll still be struck
by how well it performs. The range of camera features are also a plus. See issue 32

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 From £448.99

10
GOING DOWN
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. See issue 31

In case you missed it…The best phablets Read more in issue 36

Acer Liquid S1 Huawei Ascend Mate Sony Xperia Z1 WINNER
» Price £239 » Price £294 » Price £306 Samsung Galaxy Note 3
» Website [Link] » Website [Link] » Website [Link] » Price £448.99
A good basic phablet, but lacks the The Ascend Mate crams a 6.1-inch Though not strictly a phablet, the » Website [Link]
power or the overall finesse to display into its boxy frame, making it Xperia Z1 is virtually the same size as The current Note comes with the
compete with the very one of the largest the Note 3 and isn’t unique S Pen stylus
best. However, the two phablets going. In comfortable to use with with support for
SIM slots makes it terms of software, the one hand. Its specs are drawing and writing
perfect for business UI skin offers a major cutting-edge, with a directly onto the
users wanting to break from the 20-MP camera a 5.7-inch screen. The
balance SIMs. traditional look. highlight of ours. screen is stunning.

[Link] 95
Buyer’[Link]
Guide
TOP 10 BUDGET BUYS IF YOU’RE SHOPPING FOR A SMARTPHONE ON A SHOE-STRING,
CHECK OUT THESE LOW-COST MOBILE MUST-HAVES

Moto G

1 From £120
The Moto X’s 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 NEW ENTRY
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 confirmed Moto G’s next See issue 33
upgrade will be Android L, ensuring future proofing for some time.

EE Kestrel £100
2 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 flair.
Good battery life ensures it can handle its quad-core engine and 4G’s inevitable drain. See issue 40
NEW ENTRY

Moto E £99
3 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 won’t break the bank. See issue 40
NEW ENTRY

Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 £174 GOING DOWN

4 While Samsung’s 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. See issue 34

HTC Desire 300 £174

5
GOING DOWN
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. See issue 36

Acer Liquid Z5 £95

6 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. See issue 39
NEW ENTRY

Nokia X £89
7
GOING DOWN
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. See issue 38

Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini £79.99

8 The understated style and low-end specs make the Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini a great option for
first-time or light users. SwiftKey as the default keyboard is a welcome addition, however it’s hard to
justify the excessive bloatware on a phone that only has 4GB storage. See Issue 39
NEW ENTRY

Huawei Ascend Y300 £69.95 GOING DOWN

9 While only offering a dual-core processor is going to damn this Huawei in the eyes of many potential
buyers, it shouldn’t 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. See issue 28

ZTE Blade V £89.99

10
GOING DOWN
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. See issue 32

In case you missed it... portable chargers Read more in issue 33

HoneyDru MobileLite Wireless TYLT Syncable WINNER
» Price £14.99/$19.99 » Price £55.19/$59.99 » Price £25/$29.99 Maxell Air Voltage Qi
» Website [Link] » Website [Link] » Website [Link] Charging Mat
This in-car charger has a full USB port Despite the primary use of the The eye-catching flat build of the » Price £49.99/$TBA
at the top of its head for easy MobileLite being a superb SD and TYLT Syncable stops any » Website [Link]
connection to your smartphone or USB reader, it also has a great tangles and tears Wireless charging is still a fairly new
tablet. Despite the charging function. It’s more from happening, with concept, but the
novelty lightweight than the thin rubberised Maxell Charging Mat
appearance, the many other coating being makes the process
build quality portable tough and easy. Ideal for
is fantastic. chargers. durable. keeping topped up.

96 [Link]
 [Link]
Buyer’s Guide
TOP 10 BEST TABLETS WHETHER YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A SEVEN-INCH OR TEN-INCH DISPLAY,
THESE ARE THE TOP TABLETS AVAILABLE ON ANDROID

Google Nexus 7 (2013)

1 From £199
Sleek minimalist design coupled with the latest Android OS (and promises that it will be first in line for
upgrades), the Nexus 7 both looks and acts the part of a flagship device – but for half the price you NEW ENTRY
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 See issue 29
16-32GB of storage, some will be disappointed that it lacks a micro SD port.

Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet From £394.99

2 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. See issue 39
NEW ENTRY

Google Nexus 10 From £319 GOING DOWN

3 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. See issue 20

LG G Pad 8.3 £199

4 A well-rounded tablet, the LG G Pad 8.3 offers solid specs with a selection of impressive built-in apps.
This includes Polaris Office so you can write documents on the go and QPair, which shares your
smartphone notifications to your tablet, so you never miss important updates. See issue 40
NEW ENTRY

Samsung Galaxy TabPRO 8.4 Wifi £369

5
GOING DOWN
The smallest tablet in Samsung’s 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 we’d prefer higher quality
speakers. However, an eight-MP camera and intuitive interface are good compensation. See issue 38

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) £475

6
GOING DOWN
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. See issue 35

Samsung Galaxy Note PRO 12.2 £650

7
GOING DOWN
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. See issue 37

Advent Vega Tegra Note 7 £179.99

8
GOING DOWN
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. See issue 33

Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7” £199.99

9
GOING DOWN
The ultimate media-consumption device. Buy movies, music and books through Amazon, then view
them on the Fire HDX’s bright, colourful display. The Amazon fork OS isn’t as customisable as stock
Android, but for those looking for a no-fuss UX that just works, the Kindle is a great choice. See issue 35

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 £169.99 GOING DOWN

10 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. See issue 35

NEVER MISS AN
ISSUE OF ANDROID
MAGAZINE
For the latest reviews, SAVE
check out our great
subscription offer on
50%
on first s
issues ix
page 28
[Link] 97
 [Link]
NEXT
MONTH
ANDROID
WEAR
REVIEWED
Find out if smartwatches
are really worth the hype

BEST TV
STREAMING
From Gabriel Grabany
Used Samsung Galaxy S3
STICKS
We put the Chromecast,
Roku 3, NEO G4 and EyeTV

Hot Shots »
Your amazing Android snaps
Taken a great shot with your Android
phone or camera? Send it to us at:

email
qa@[Link]
W through their paces

HACKER
From Martin Birbeck From Russ Lewis ZONE
Used Sony Xperia Z1 Used Samsung Galaxy S3 Get the latest hacking tips
and tricks with our tutorials

THE BEST
NEW DEVICES
ON TEST
The hottest new Android
devices tested in full
From Tim Browning
Used HTC One (M8) TOP ANDROID
APP REVIEW
Featuring latest releases

Issue 42
goes on sale:
04 September
[Link]
 Minx is a trademark of Cambridge Audio. Other product and company names mentioned within this advert are trademarks of their respective owners. These are only used for reference purposes and are subject to the terms of their registration.
[Link]

Portable Bluetooth speaker

STREAM MUSIC FROM

YOUR SMARTPHONE,
TABLET OR PC

The Minx Go is the ideal go-anywhere speaker. Using the

latest Bluetooth technology it’s easy to stream music from your
smartphone, tablet or computer for an epic 18 hours from a single
charge. Don’t let its size fool you, the Go’s five-speaker array will fill
a room with beautiful, deep, crisp high quality sound.

Buy online or exclusively from

For more information visit [Link]/minx-go

Follow us for the latest news, offers and giveaways

Your music + our passion

[Link]
 [Link]

WIRELESS.
WATERPROOF.
POWERFUL.
WORLD-BEATING BRV-X & BRV-1 SPEAKERS
ARE READY FOR ANYTHING – INDOORS OR OUT.

BRV-X
Rugged, waterproof design
BRV-1
Rugged, waterproof design
EXPERTS SPEAK! 20W of music power W of music power
12+ hours battery life 2 hours battery life
5200mAh powerbank charges 400mAh powerbank charges
external devices via USB xternal devices via USB
TrueWireless™ Technology Built-in internal speakerphone
PC MAGAZINE allows stereo pairing of a
The BRAVEN BRV-X is a fantastic 3.5mm line-in and AUX port
second BRV-X
portable Bluetooth speaker that delivers Comes with lanyard
powerful audio in a rugged design… Switch between indoor and
outdoor modes to optimise audio Black/blue or Black/orange
lNISHESAVAILABLE
ANDROID MAGAZINE Built-in internal speakerphone
The BRAVEN BRV-X is a speaker you Bluetooth connectivity with NFC
should be checking out…
3.5mm line-in and AUX port
GEEKANOIDS Comes with heavy-duty strap
Very highly recommended – BRAVEN & set of international plug adapters
make some fantastic speakers… "LACKORGREYlNISHESAVAILABLE

[Link]