Android Magazine Issue 34 - 2014 UK

+ SAMSUNG HTC SONY LG NEXUS
40
APP
REVIEWS
100% unofficial
www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk
App reviews Tips & advice

Hardware tested Hacking
12 FANTASTIC HACKS YOU HAVE TO TRY
Get started with hacking Android

Optimise your phone for gaming
Install incompatible apps
GET
THE BEST
KITKAT
FEATURES
SOLVED!
ON YOUR
PHONE
20 BIGGEST
ANDROID
REVIEW
SAMSUNG
GALAXY
PROBLEMS
ACE 3
The worst Android annoyances

and how to x them
ANDROID IN
THE OFFICE
Quickoffice & wireless printing
ALSO INSIDE
ISSUE 34
Do more with Google Now

Futuristic apps you can try today
How to test the latest apps first
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Welcome
To issue 34
Welcome
HOW TO
USE THE
QR CODES
Zero-click access to the best

apps in the Google Play store
A QR code is a 2D barcode that can act

as a shortcut for delivering information,
such as weblinks. Youll notice them
throughout the mag scan them on
your phone and you can download apps
and send us messages instantly.
Well introduce you to the world of Android

hacking, and give you a dozen practical hacks
you can use to make your phone better than it
has ever been
MY HOME SCREEN
On (and off) Andys
phone this month
TVPlayer
Solar:
Weather
APPS
OUT
Download this free barcode scanner

to use our QR codes. Handily, you can
scan normal barcodes with it too, to
help you nd bargains on all your
favourite purchases!
APPS
IN
ShopSavvy Free
365 Scores
ins and outs
This month
Ive been using:
Nexus 5
Clash of Clans
Back with our

favourite phone of
last year
Shifu
scanning
1 Get
Open ShopSavvy, hit the Scan a
Barcode button and then hold your
phone over a QR code so that it appears
in the window.
GET IN TOUCH
Let us know what youd

like to see in next issue
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/littlegreenrobot
his month we turn our attention

to how you can get your Android
phone or tablet working exactly
as you want it to. In our Hacking
Masterclass feature well introduce
you to the world of Android hacking,
and give you a dozen practical hacks
you can use to make your phone
better than it has ever been. From
solving that frustrating problem of nding apps that you
want to download but are listed on the Play store as being
incompatible with your device, to reigning in some of the
more intrusive permissions that apps are increasingly
requesting, to making your phone run faster, weve got
something for everyone.
Weve also set our sights on Androids greatest
annoyances. These are the kinds of things that everyone
encounters with their gadgets no matter how experienced
they are or how expensive their device was. Hopefully
never again will you nd your phone randomly drains for no
apparent reason, or will you get confused by the quirks
and inconsistencies of the Back button. Weve tackled 20
of them this month, but if youve got any other things
about Android that drive you mad then do let us know and
well see if we can solve those for you as well in future.
And for keen upgraders weve got guides on getting the
best bits of KitKat on your device whether or not youve
got the whole OS, and also show you how you can get a
sneak peak at the newest version of your favourite apps
before they hit the store. Enjoy the issue!
Like us on Facebook to send us

your comments
qa@littlegreenrobot.co.uk
the link
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You may need to choose an app to
launch it with.
Drop us an email and let us know what

youd like to see in the mag
@lgrobot
Follow us on Twitter and send us

your thoughts
Andy Betts Editor
Contents
Inside issue 34
CONTENTS
17 Special offer for USA readers 70 Exclusive subscription offer
Launcher
Previews,
news and
speculation
from the
Android world
06 Test drive apps
How to get a rst look at new

apps through the Android beta
test program
09 News
The latest announcements
from the world of Android
10 Million Sellers
We get the lowdown on the
popular Tagged app
56
12 ESSENTIAL HACKS THAT

EVERY USER MUST TRY
HA
KING
MASTER LASS
12 10 things you need

to know about Google
Now commands
Discover the speech
commands you can use to get
Google Now working for you
20
14 Oculus Rift: the future
of Android gaming?
We take a look at the upcoming
VR gaming headset and how it
will work with Android devices
16 Calendar apps
Replace your built-in
calendar app with something
altogether prettier
18 Messages
Let the world know your
thoughts on everything Android
28 Get the best features of

KitKat on your phone
How to upgrade to KitKat and what
to do if your phone doesnt get it
Hacker
Zne
Explore the limits of
your Android phone
Contents
Inside issue 34
Visit the Android Magazine online shop at
for back issues and books

54 Hacking tips and tricks
Top tips for hacking Android
56 Hacking Masterclass
12 great hacks every user must try
Your complete
guide to
Google Play
72 App reviews
Cutting-edge tablets and

smartphones on test
Essential guides to getting more

from your phone or tablet
The latest apps on test
86 Reviews
34 Master the Quickofce suite
Neon vs Timely
Get to grips with the fantastic free ofce

suite from Google
84 Game reviews
86 Samsung Galaxy Ace 3

88 Asus Transformer
Pad TF701T
90 Archos 45 Platinum
92 Acer Liquid S1
94 Accessories
Power up your phone or tablet
with this collection of goodies
92 Acer
Liquid S
1
Is t
h 20
phablis
et up t0o
scratch
?
96 Wireless gadgets
A collection of wireless
products you can pair with
your phone
86 ng
msu
Sa alaxy
G e3
Ac t phone
38 Tutorials
38 Explore Google Play Newsstands
40 View only the apps that you have
paid for
42 Check app permissions
43 Manage your location settings
44 Automate common tasks with
Atooma
46 Set unique screen-savers
48 Print wirelessly from a KitKat
device
50 Droid Support
Readers questions answered, plus

troubleshooting tips and tricks
Budgoen test
06 Test the latest apps rst

Try out the new version of your
favourite apps before they hit the
Play store
34 Android in the
up to speed with
ofce Get
Quickofce
Check our website daily

for even more news
82 Alarm apps
The latest games reviewed
App review index

77
77
81
73
77
79
72
77
74
81
73
74
77
81
76
81
74
77
79
77
77
78
76
73
73
79
81
79
76
79
75
81
79
500 Firepaper
Amazon Appstore
Automagic Automation
Camera Awesome
Dominos Pizza
doorbl
doubleTwist
FlightTrack 5
Flipagram
Gravity Screen Pro
HTC Footballfeed
iHeartRadio
iStoryTime Storybook
Library
LIFTTT
Lift Daily Motivation
Locale
MailDroid Pro
MapQuest
NFC Tools
noozy (classic)
PhotoBook in 2 minutes
Photo Sphere
Quip
Ruf
Swipe Panel
Tapmynote
Tasker
Timesheet NFC Add-On
Todoist
Trigger
Tweedle
Wolfram Alpha
WiFiTap WiFi NFC
All the latest from the world of Android devices
Test the latest apps rst

Learn how you can try out the hottest
new Android apps before they even hit
the Play store
he Android market is currently awash with

apps of all sorts, sizes and genres. New
examples are appearing on Googles Play store
all of the time, but what if thats just not enough?
What happens if your voracious appetite for apps
exceeds the output? Alternatively, what if you just
have to be rst in the queue and learn what new
apps are about to be unleashed onto the Android
rmament? Do you need to enter the company of a
receptive group of friends and talk authoritatively
about Gungeblob v.5 when v.4 has only been out for
three weeks? You could go one step beyond the
ofcial release date and become a beta tester.
Quite apart from the kudos that you bring to yourself
and your ego there are rather more serious benets
to be had for all concerned.
Firstly, being able to utilise an early version of any
program and test it in the real world improves the
robustness of the app as it faces possibly unknown
What if you just have

to be rst in the
queue and learn what
new apps are about to
be unleashed onto the
Android rmament?
situations that can lead it to fail, in programming
terms. Real life is a tough testing environment and it
allows the app to face new conditions, different
phone types, it brings it into contact with unique
Settings setups and app congurations and also
allows beta testers to keep in contact with the
Our view
If youve got a
favourite app that
youre waiting to be
updated then the
new beta testing
program is a fantastic way of
getting a sneak peak at whats in
store. There are loads of apps that
can be tested in this way, just
make sure you join in the
community too and report any
bugs or other issues that you
encounter. That way you will help
improve the apps too.
Andy Betts, Editor
Stay up to date
Catch up with the latest
Android news and gossip
twitter
@lgrobot
Follow us on Twitter for

the latest updates
Five apps that let you beta test

Test drive the latest features of your favourite apps by gaining access to the
developer codes, giving you the chance to pass on comment and criticism
Snapchat
Web www.snapchat.com/beta
Snapchat enables you to take a
photo, then add a caption and send
the completed image to a friend. You can add
the Snap to a Snapchat Story that acts as a
narrative and exists for just 24 hours. The idea
of the app is not to create an artistic print but
just to capture a moment that is then
immediately shared and binned.
Beta testers have helped to x a range of
bugs including a x for back-facing ashes on
some phones plus a new feature that allows you
to scroll to and from the Add Friends page.
Nova Launcher
Web www.novalauncher.com/beta
This is a customisable home screen
replacement for Android 4.0 that
features a range of colour themes as well as a wide
choice of icons and a scrollable dock. Speaking of
scrolling, you can enjoy a range of effects such as
Cube and Cardstock in addition to the Innite Scroll
that allows a continuous scroll. Other features
include backup and restore options plus gesture
controls. The Beta site shows an array of added
effects that are veried by the testers involved. In
addition, the designers have discussed a batch of
ideas that are served for possible implementation.
Nova unveiled its KitKat theme in beta form
Dolphin Browser
Sliding Message
Web play.google.com/apps/
Web play.google.com/apps/testing/
testing/mobi.mgeek
com.klinker.android.messaging_
donate/join
A mobile browser, Dolphin offers a personalized

home screen, plus interface enhancements
including voice control along with gesture
facilities to access the mobile and desktop
websites you use the most, tabbed windows
and a new web app store. You are also able to
customise its settings while many users will
appreciate its many sharing features and
add-on utilities.
Beta testing activity for upcoming versions
has included a x for those nding it difcult to
access their SD cards, an issue with a
checkerboarding effect under certain conditions
and unobtainable buttons on certain websites.
Sliding Message allows you to manage text

messages that utilise the same style and
formatting as the stock message app from Google,
but adds the ability to switch between
conversations. This is done by moving the sliding
menu on the left side of the screen or starting a
conversation by doing the same with the right
menu. The app includes plenty of Emoji choices,
themes and picture support.
The latest beta activity has surrounded MMS
support updates, the new version of the app
disappearing from the home page after updating
and queries on Google voice support.
developer: asking why feature X hasnt been

implemented fully and why cant the app do this or
that when it really should be able to?
Beta test in Google+

For the developer, this sort of testing means that
they can put the app through its paces before the
ofcial launch, thus attracting less complaints,
fewer poor reviews and, hopefully, higher sales. To
that end, Google has tried to encourage more
development by providing a supportive testing
environment, opening up facilities in Google+ for
beta testing. A similar service that provides
developers further options is the Staged Rollouts
programme. This is a staggered system that also
depends on instigating user restrictions where
developers can choose to only push an update to a
certain percentage of their testers, increasing that
gure later. In this way, any feedback that is realised
Check a developers website for more information
during testing isnt found on a public forum but goes

straight to the developer. As tweaks are initiated
and improvements are made, then the app can
become more accessible with a higher percentage
of testers allowed to see it and trial it, until it nally
goes public. Sounds attractive? You too could move
into the beta zone, banding together with other
Fleksy
Web bit.ly/eksybeta
This app provides an alternative
keyboard option for your Android
phone. Offering an adjustable keyboard size for
tablet users plus multi-lingual support that has
just included French, Arabic, German and Dutch.
It also includes a spacebar vibration slider to aid
typing while you are not looking at the keyboard
itself. The beta community is very active,
currently discussing varying keyboard issues for
new versions plus possible battery concerns,
the possibility of adding Chinese to the language
pack as well as quickly switching between
languages and modifying the app colour
depending on what app it is associated with at
any one time.
hardy coding pioneers, battling the data elements

and breaking new ground in app design. But how do
you do it? Well, there are a number of avenues. One
of the most basic ways is to ingratiate yourself with
the developer of the app.
When you are on the Google Play website and you
nd the app that you would like to get to know
better and help develop further, enter their page
and scroll down to the base of the page to the
Additional information section. In the majority of
cases, you will nd an Email Developer option
which, when clicked, opens their address in your
default mail client. At this point, its up to you to
politely convey how much you would like to become
a beta tester. If you have past experience of beta
testing, then all the better but, even if you dont, you
may have already noticed aspects of the current
program that could bear improvement. This and
other similar ploys will help to get yourself noticed
Stay up to date
twitter
@lgrobot

the latest updates
and possibly selected. Sometimes sheer

enthusiasm will do the trick.
If you cannot nd a link for a developer email
address then see if there is a link to the
developers website. Contact details will, more
than likely, be present on this site. Even if the
contact details dont directly refer to general
enquiries, dont be put off. Try any contact address
that might be present its a foot in the door.
Another way is to keep a look out for news of
beta testing programs and invitations to join. Some
of these can be found within the internet news
media but many others can be found if you hang
around the Google+ communities. News can be
Developers recruit
from these
forums because they
know that you
must have a measure
of enthusiasm
picked up here of forthcoming beta programs.
Developers quite like recruiting from these forums
because they know that, if youre the sort of person
to frequent these forums, you must have a
measure of enthusiasm in the rst place.
Just search for Google+, create your prole and,
when youre done, click on the Communities option
on your home page. When youre in, enter the word
beta in the search bar and a whole host of beta
programmes will appear, allowing you to investigate
and possibly join.
Google+ is used as a central location for accessing and providing feedback to beta versions of apps
Get cosy with developers

When you click on the desired icon, you will see a
host of comments from beta testers but also
instructions on how you too can become involved.
You can normally nd this category of information
on the About this community section.
Another new option is the Erli Bird website (www.
erlibird.com), a hub for start-ups and developers,
where you can nd new products. The website
matches you with developers who share the same
interests, support the same hardware as you (this
is not just an Android site but also iPhone, iPad,
Mac, Windows, Linux and more) plus lots of other
data. Developers can then see you and invite you
into their new programmes. Its a bit like a beta
testers dating site.
Once a developer has invited you to test their
product, you will be directed to their Erli Bird page,
given special access codes and, during the tests,
Many of your favourite apps
are available
for testing
Betas will often be downloaded through the Play store, and

can be updated easily
you will be encouraged to report good and bad

features, bugs, features that dont work as they
should, missing features that should be in the app
and much more. You may even nd a developer
assigning you with a specic task that covers only
a small part of an app.
What makes the beta testers on the likes of Erli
Bird any better than a beta tester found anywhere
else? Well, again, its a question of the degree of
enthusiasm. Any potential beta tester who takes
the trouble of signing up to a site like Erli Bird must
have more drive, commitment and enthusiasm
than a basic web browser who accepts a beta task
on a pure whim.
Taking part in the development of any new
product is an exciting and satisfying task. Quite
apart from the bragging rights and the fact that you
have an in on new advances, it is ideal for the
early adopter mentality and those users who are
just excited about new technologies and
developments. More than that, to know that you
played an active share in bringing a product to
market can be immensely satisfying.
On rare occasions, beta testing has lead to
more involved tasks being asked of the
individual and then full-time positions in a
company leading to a successful career in
software. It all depends on you, what you want
from the tasks and how much time and effort you
are prepared to put into it.
Get in touch!
Send us your thoughts

on all things Android
twitter
facebook
email
@lgrobot
/littlegreenrobot
Got questions or comments? Drop

us an email and let us know

all the latest gossip
Like us on Facebook to
send your comments
Android Magazine now on Google

Play Newsstand
P
Theres now even more choice to get
digital magazines on your phone or tablet
lay Newsstand is Googles
latest expansion of the
ever-growing Play store that
merges together your magazine
and news feeds in one place for
you to manage and read your
subscriptions. Users can build
their own virtual library of
magazine issues as well as
subscribe to particular news
outlets based on their
particular interests. The
news part of it works very
much in the same way
as Google Currents,
with users receiving
notications when a
new headline appears
from the outlets and blogs theyve
subscribed to with direct links to
Its a welcome and

somewhat overdue
development
Samsung renes its

Galaxy Camera
The second-generation Android camera promises
images of exceptional quality
ndroid-powered cameras are

yet to make a major splash in
the market, but Samsung is
persevering with the idea. The
Korea-based manufacturer has
unveiled the Galaxy Camera 2, the
companys fourth camera built
around the enhanced sharing
capabilities of the Android OS.
Surprisingly for a Samsung upgrade,
theres less of a focus on hardware
specs than usual. The processor, for
instance, has received a modest

bump from 1.4GHz to 1.6GHz, while
RAM has been doubled to 2GB.
However, the camera specs remain
the same as on the original model,
with images coming courtesy of a
16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor with
21x optical zoom. The Galaxy
Camera 2 follows the original, the S4
Zoom and the high-end Galaxy NX
with interchangeable lenses in
Samsungs line up.
the full article provided within the

notication. Theres also a
fantastic read it later feature if
you want to save an article on your
device to read at your own
convenience. Play Newsstand
makes it easier than ever to get
copies of your favourite digital
magazines, including our very own
Android Magazine, directly onto
your smartphone or tablet for you
to enjoy wherever you are. If you
arent using Play Newsstand, but
still want to get your hands on
some of your favourite digital
magazines, then make sure to
check out greatdigitalmags.com,
which homes some of the best
technology, knowledge and video
game magazines around.
Sony goes compact but

keeps the specs
The Xperia Z1 Compact is the Z1s little brother
here has long been a clamour

among a sector of Android
enthusiasts for a device with the
specs of a agship model, but in a
more hand-friendly size. Sony has
nally taken notice with the Xperia
Z1 Compact. Unveiled at CES in Las
Vegas, the Z1 Compact has all the
qualities of the Z1 from late last
year Snapdragon 800 processor,
20-MP camera with larger-thanaverage 1/2.3-inch sensor and full
waterproof build but packs it into

a device with a 4.3-inch display. Its
a welcome and somewhat overdue
development coming after most
manufacturers have stripped down
the feature set in the Mini
versions of their agship handsets.
The Z1 Compact will be available
from February, and all eyes will be
on its fortunes to see if there really
is the demand for smaller Android
devices as many have claimed.
twitter
Stay up to date
@lgrobot

the latest updates
Personalise the
content feed to
your
specication
Inside Androids most popular apps
Get detailed
results using
lters
Tagged
Downloads: 5mil-10mil Developer: Tagged Inc Launched: March 2011
Price: Free Play store rating:
mong the wide range of social media applications on the

Google Play store, Tagged stands apart from many in that it
is designed to cross over from the purely digital to the real
world. Tagged offers a mix of the best features found in the likes of
LinkedIn, Facebook and Vine to provide a free way of meeting and
connecting with new people.
The app includes a clever matching system that teams you up with
people to chat to based on the information you entered on your
prole and your search criteria. If you manage to nd someone youre
interested in talking to, you can then send them a message and
strike up a conversation in no time.
Tagged is a ridiculously simple concept for an app, but the amount
of features and users there for you to explore makes the app a
must-have for any social media addict.
Q&A Matthew Wardenaar
You can add

pictures to your
content feed
Head of Mobile,
Tagged
What different criteria can Taggeds
users use to search for people in
their area?
Theres a wide variety of ways people
can search for people in their area.
First and foremost you can search by
a specic name, as well as location
and age. Weve also included some
additional lters for users to explore if
they want more specic results. On
top of people in your local area, we
allow our users to make contact with
people all over the world, again we
match them on interests and the
details entered on their prole to
make sure the right people connect
with each other.
How easy is it to build your prole?
Its very simple to build your prole on
the Tagged app just upload a photo
A brief history of
Android
sales
10
and ll out the prole info youd like to

include. Weve tried to make your
prole really customisable, so users
can decide just exactly how much
data they want to add to it. In general,
the more data you include, the more
ways people can discover and nd you
through the Tagged app. But if users
dont want to add lots of data about
them, then thats no problem as the
app is still completely functional
without it.
What are your personal favourite
features of the app?
We made sure to explore some of the
best social media apps currently
available for Android and iOS users to
make sure we were delivering the
best possible experience to our
users. Personally, I love the content
Users can decide

how much data they
want to add
feed feature. This keeps me up to
date with everything that everyone
Ive connected to on Tagged is up to in
an easy and informative way.
In what ways can users message
each other?
I really like the messaging system
weve implemented into the app as
its really easy to use and its also
customisable as well. Users can send
quick messages to other users
through the app and also attach
certain images to their messages. It
works in the same way as WhatsApp
and Viber, so if youve ever used them,
Ever since it rst hit the stores back in

2008, Androids growth has been
seemingly unstoppable. What began as
an open source response to the iPhone
quickly took on a life of its own as it
soon overtook Symbian as the most
popular OS in the world, before
moving on to dominate tablets and
even other classes of products.
Soon, everything you own may be
powered by Android.
2009
8 million
Android ended its rst
full year on sale with
nearly eight million
devices in the hands of
users. It was dwarfed
by the nearly 80 million
Symbian phones sold
in the same year.
Browse and chat

with people in
your local area
then youll have the same sort of

experience when using Tagged.
Are you surprised with how popular
the app has been on the Android OS?
We knew there was a market for
Tagged, but the support it has
received, in terms of downloads, is
fantastic. Hopefully new people
continue to discover Tagged and tell
their friends about it.
Are there any new features youre
looking to implement into the app?
Were working on lots of exciting
features and design to honour the
Android platform and next year we
hope to have a few updates which will
bring some new features that weve
been working on. Nothing has been
conrmed, as of yet, but stay tuned!
2010
Overtakes
Symbian
Just a year later
Android outsold the
now declining Symbian
for the rst time, with
two million devices
more being sold than
Nokias tired OS.
Oppo launches the rst

CyanogenMod phone
The Oppo N1 is the rst phone to launch with CyanogenMod
he revolution is well on course for

CyanogenMod. The custom ROMturned-mainstream company raised
around $30 million in funding in late 2013,
and now the rst phone to run CyanogenMod
out of the box has gone on sale.
That phone is a version of the N1 from
Chinese manufacturer Oppo. Originally
launched last September running Oppos
own Color UI it now comes with
CyanogenMod 10.2 as an option.
The N1 has a few hardware innovations
including a touch-sensitive rear panel for
scrolling and a swivelling camera that use the
same 13-megapixel module in lieu of
separate front and rear cameras. It also
sports a 5.9-inch, 1080p display, a hefty
3610mAh battery and a last-generation
Snapdragon 600 processor.
CyanogenMod
shares the same
look and feel as
stock Android, but
is augmented by a
few of its own
exclusive features"
But the main appeal is the OS. CyanogenMod
shares the same look and feel as stock Android, but
is augmented by a few of its own exclusive features
including encrypted text messaging and enhanced
audio playback. It also promises smooth
performance and excellent battery life.
It is perhaps ironic that the rst CM phone should
run 10.2 based on Android 4.3 when one of the
2012
Samsungs
strength
2012 saw Samsung
take a stranglehold on
Android. The Galaxy S III
became the best selling
Android device ever,
and the Note 2 was also
very popular.
Imagine Publishing Ltd

Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill
Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 6EZ
+44 (0) 1202 586200
Web: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk
www.greatdigitalmags.com
Magazine team
Editor Andy Betts
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Contributors
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The Oppo N1 launches with the option to run the popular

CyanogenMod ROM right out of the box
most popular reasons to use custom ROMs at all is to

be able to try out the latest version of Android. And
the phone wont be receiving the nightly updates that
are so popular among enthusiasts subsequent
updates will need to be fully tested.
Yet the transformation of CyanogenMod from
custom ROM developed by amateur enthusiasts to
multi-million dollar business with hardware partners
and Google approval (the N1 comes with the full suite
of Google apps) marks a major milestone for the
Android ROM community. The next CyanogenMod
phone is likely to come from Chinese startup OnePlus,
a company whose mission statement includes the
line: We dont accept the excuse that you cant
create a perfect phone at a disruptive price.
2013
80% market share
2014
One billion
During 2013 Android was

accounting for as much
as four out of every ve
smartphones being sold.
That may prove to be the
peak as competition
hots up from other
operating systems.
Latest gures from

analysts suggest that
Android will pass the
one billion total device
sales at some point this
year. This includes
phones, tablets,
watches and other gear.
Founders
Group Managing Director Damian Butt
Group Finance & Commercial Director Steven Boyd
Printing & Distribution

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Distributed in Australia by Gordon & Gotch Corporate Centre,
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Distributed in the Rest of the World by Marketforce, Blue Fin
Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU
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Disclaimer
The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material
lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of
Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced
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
availability may change. This magazine is fully independent and
not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
If you submit material to Imagine Publishing via post, email, social
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agents or subcontractors shall be liable for the loss or damage.
Imagine Publishing Ltd 2014

ISSN 2047-1580z
11
Visit us daily for news and more
1General commands
Whether its to
nd out the author
of your favourite
book, the stock
price of a company,
or even a new
recipe, Google Now
can now be used to
search for nearly
anything you need
on your device using
your voice alone.
2Web browsing
Google Now integrates

fully with the power of the
Chrome browser to provide a
quick way to open up your
favourite webpages without
needing to actually load up the
browser itself. Theres also the
ability to open up any
bookmarks you created on
your phone or tablet, as well as
to perform a standard Google
web search.
3Show me the table

No matter your
sport of interest, you
can track the results
of your favourite
team or league
directly through the
app. Say Show me
the Premier League
table or How are
Arsenal doing? and
Google Now will give
you the answer.
10Beam me up
4Send SMS to
9 Navigate to
5Listen to
Theres
a selection of
hidden Easter
eggs that are
fun to explore
in Google Now.
Certain
statements
such as Beam
me up Scotty!, Do a barrel
roll and Who are you? will
get you an often unexpected
response from the app for you
to have a laugh at!
How far
is, Navigate
to and
Directions to
will get you a
series of
replies within
Now using the
power of the
Google Maps app on your
phone. Tap the icon within the
result and Maps will launch
with your route displayed and
ready to go.
8Square root of
If maths isnt
your thing, no
worries, as Google
Now can provide
answers to a range
of mathematical
problems as well as
conversions for
measurements. Say
Convert [currency]
to [currency] to get
your reply.
12
By speaking directly
into Google
Now, its
possible to
send an
entire text
message
through it.
Say Send
SMS to
Katie followed by the
content of your message. Its
pretty accurate, but is worth
checking before you send!
things you need to know about...
Google Now
voice commands
7 Remind me to
If youre an avid user of
Google Keep, then make sure
to use the note-taking
feature. With this command
you can set reminders of
everyday tasks, input details
of upcoming appointments,
create shopping lists, or even
set an alarm. All these notes
can be synced with your
Google Keep account. The
calendar works likewise.
Theres
a whole
host of
compatible
entertainment apps
for you to
explore in
Google
Now. Saying Listen to
and specifying a song and
band will play that track.
A similar trick works for
YouTube videos.
6What is the time

As well as being
able to see forecasts
of the weather all
around the world,
you can also search
for the time in a
specic location. You
can use natural
language to ask
Google Now, and it
should speak the
answer to you.
Stay up to date
twitter
@lgrobot

the latest updates
Oculus Rift: the future

of Android gaming?
At a glance
Product name Oculus Rift
Available from www.oculusvr.com
Price Rumoured to be 250/$300
Say hello to the revolutionary

virtual reality device set to
take 2014 by storm
The Oculus Rift is a head-mounted virtual

reality gaming headset that puts the user
directly into the game. It also connects to
your Android smartphone or tablet.
The Oculus Rift

is set to be one of
2014s big talking points
aming on our Android devices has certainly

come a long way over the past couple of
years. One look at the Google Play store will
show amazing sprawling 3D adventures, AAA titles
ported over from home consoles and some of the
most addictive games on the market today.
But a new product is soon to hit the market that
looks to take the gaming experience on your Android
phone or tablet to the next level and beyond for
half of the price of either the Xbox One or Playstation
4 games consoles.
The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset that
puts the player in the game by attaching to the
users head and using an external controller. Using
the mounted display, users get really involved in
their favourite games and tether the headset itself
to their Android device to experience their mobile
games on a bigger and more immersive screen. On
top of being used as a platform to load games from,
there are future plans to be able to use any Android
14
phone or tablet as a controller for any game played

on the Oculus Rift headset via USB tethering.
The design of the Oculus Rift headset may look
strange to some, but it has several benets for its
users. As well as being able to interact with games,
the Rift includes positional tracking, from which the
user can control the direction they are looking in
within the game, as well as full movement tracking
capabilities that youd expect from a virtual reality
headset. Theres also things like 1080p support,
wireless operation and even a HDMI port to tether
the unit to your HDTV for other people to see what
youre seeing.
Many big name mobile game developers are
already onboard with several ambitious projects to
transform the ways users can experience their
games using a combination of the Rift alongside
their Android device. Games like Dead Trigger have
already seen great critical success on Android
devices, but will be heavily modied to support the
Many big name

mobile game
developers are
already onboard
with several
ambitious projects
Oculuss technology and immerse the player further
into the game itself. With developer units of the
Oculus Rift already available for users to get
experimenting with, and consumer units touted for
a mid-2014 release, expect to see a new era of
interactive gaming appearing soon on your Android
device and on your head!
Highlights of the Oculus Rift

Seven-inch display
The seven-inch mounted display has been designed to optimise
graphics for each game played. Although its built in the same
vein as an Android tablet, the actual processing power is built
into the surrounding headset. The chosen design helps the
display unit stop heating up after prolonged use.
Interchangeable lenses
One of the greatest additions to the Oculus Rift are its
interchangeable lenses, which can be used to move the
display to suit different peoples eye. With the intense 3D
gaming experience that the Rift provides, the ability to alter
how the display works and functions will certainly help
prevent eye damage.
The best games for

the Oculus Rift
Here are ve of the best conrmed
games that will be available for the
Oculus Rift at launch
Among The Sleep TBA/$20

Developer Krillbite Studio
Following on from
the likes of Silent
Hill, Among The
Sleep is a rst
person survival
horror game that
puts you at the
forefront of a young
boys terrifying
nightmare. Use the Rift to explore the dark and dingy
world youre plunged in to.
Kairo TBA/$5
Developer Locked Door Puzzle
Virtuix Omni
Alongside the Rift is the Virtuix Omni, a omnidirectional
treadmill that enables users to jump, walk, crouch and run
in their game. While wearing the Rift you can add to the
immersive nature of the game by stepping into the Omni
and taking your experience to the next level.
Q&A Oculus VR, CEO Palmer Luckey

What are the main ways the Oculus
Rift can transform a users gaming
experience?
The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality
headset that allows users to step into
the game. It provides an immersive,
stereoscopic 3D experience with a huge
eld of view 110 degrees diagonally and
overcomes latency challenges. Though
gaming is what we are most excited about,
weve also seen it used in other industries
and disciplines such as lm, architecture,
travel, real estate, military, medical
treatment etc. The skys the limit, and
weve seen the development community
continue to innovate across disciplines and
markets we never imaged to see the Rift
used in.
It has been conrmed that the Oculus

Rift will eventually be compatible with
Android devices. Can you shed any light
on how this will be made possible?
We will deliver a single Oculus Rift,
which will tether to multiple devices.
We are currently in the development
process of supporting tethering to a mobile
device such as an Android smartphone or
tablet. And with mobile hardware
moving so fast, we really believe that

Android-powered VR will be a key part of
the future.
Are you expecting more mobile game

developers to get onboard and start
developing for the Rift and also make
their current games compatible with
the Rift?
We certainly hope developers will get
as excited as we are about mobile. As
of now, we shipped more than 40,000 Rift
development kits and content developed
using that hardware should be compatible
with the Android SDK, which means many
of the Unity and Unreal titles weve seen
already from the community should be able
to be ported over.
Do you see any other ways users

might be able to use their devices with
the Oculus Rift in the future?
Another interesting possibility is
using phones and tablets as
controllers for the Rift. If the Rift and a
phone or tablet both have good positional
tracking, it would be possible to show the
tablet in the virtual world and use it as a
tactile interface.
Set in a minimalist
world, Kairo is a
puzzle game that
gets users
interacting with
everyday objects to
uncover the dark
secrets of the
world around them.
Puzzles get tricky quickly, so prepare to spend hours
solving everything the game has to offer.
Retrovirus TBA/$19.99
Developer Cadenza Interactive

As far as rst
person shooters
go, Retrovirus is a
very ambitious
project. Taking the
ght to a computer
virus, users need to
blast their way
through waves of
enemies and tackle a selection of truly terrifying
bosses along the way.
DARK 24.99/$29.99
Developer Realmforge Studios

After already being
released on most
home consoles,
DARK is one of the
few fully stealth
games announced
for the VR headset.
The Oculus Rift port
will see new levels
introduced to make full use of what the Rift can do.
DayZ TBA/$29.99
Developer Bohemia Interactive

DayZ promises to
be the biggest
MMO available for
Oculus Rift users.
In a zombie-lled
universe, each user
must scrape
together supplies
to ght off any
zombies they encounter on their travels.
15
twitter
Stay up to date
@lgrobot

the latest updates
GALLERY OF...
BEAUTIFUL CALENDAR APPS
4
1 Sol
Sol is without
question the
best-looking calendar
app on Android. A
minimalist interface
built-in weather is one
of the few extra
features and full
touch-based navigation
make it a pleasure to
use. The widgets are
great too.
Price: Free
16
5
2 Calendar+ Note
Everything
Calendar+ Note
Everything is a
fully featured calendar
app. It looks great and
includes extras like
importing birthdays
from your social
networks, along with
full cloud support. A
powerful option for
busier schedules.
Price: Free
3 Cal
From the makers
of the Any.Do
to-do list app comes
Cal. It is typically
understated, placing
elegance and ease of
use over functionality.
As such it is great for
those with light
agendas but not really
suitable for use by
business people.
Price: Free
6
4 Month
Calendar
Light on frills,
Month Calendar
is a simple calendar
widget that displays the
dates for the month
ahead. Best used in
conjunction with
another calendar app,
this is ideal for a quick
glance at the upcoming
weeks and months.
Price: Free
5 DigiCal
Calendar
Ultra stylish and

packed with
great-looking widgets,
DigiCal is the real deal.
With all the required
calendar views, the app
can handle even the
most crammed of
schedules. An excellent
update over the stock
Android calendar.
Price: Free
6 Agenda
Agenda is an iOS
favourite and
presents a nononsense approach to
organising your life. It is
typographically heavy,
and puts your upcoming
events front and centre.
Its also strongly
gesture based, which
means lots of swiping
to dig deeper.
Price: 1.23/$1.99
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Messages
Inside Android Magazines virtual mailbag
I shouldnt need
to root
m I alone in not wanting to root my Android

phone? I consider myself to be an enthusiast
I read Android Magazine, after all and I am
both competent and condent at working with
computers on quite technical things, I just dont feel
that I want to root it. I also get a little annoyed that
whenever anyone points out a problem with Android
the default reply is: Root it, ash a ROM, xed. Why
do we allow manufacturers and software developers
to get away with producing buggy or under
performing products just because an elite bunch of
users are happy to x it themselves. Nobody expects
iPhone users to have to jailbreak just to x things,
anymore than youd be required to rewire your
toaster. Ive got better things to do than ashing
ROMs and reinstalling my apps afterwards. Id rather
keep my warranty in tact and let the manufacturers
do what they are supposed to be good at.
Jon Forrbes
We say: We get many letters on the subject of
rooting. For many of our readers being able to root,
tweak, ash and mod is the primary reason for
buying an Android phone in the rst place. Well
agree with you that it isnt a substitute for a properly
working phone right out of the box, but the freedom
that comes from hacking Android is hard to beat.
We need
camera
innovation
In Trending in issue 33 you asked

what do you want to see from
Android in 2014. For me the answer
is simple: camera innovations. In my
opinion the camera is still the one
part of Android that is sub-par. I
agree that most of the big main
devices have perfectly okay
cameras, HTC, LG and Samsung are
what you would describe as good
enough. But there is nothing that is
as plainly useable as the iPhone 5s,
or with the quality of the Nokia Lumia
18
Is hacking an integral part of

the Android world?
1020. I hope that this gets rectied

in 2014. Theres some talk that
Google is going to add RAW support
to the camera app in Android. That
would send a big message to
camera phone enthusiasts who at
the moment are left to feel like the
camera on their devices is barely
more than an afterthought.
Carl Ross
Nexus 5
battery
rules
We say: Were with you, Carl. Weve

been pretty happy with the most
recent batch of cameras on the
Android agships, but we cant help
feel that theres a whole lot more to
come. Our moneys on Sony, who will
hopefully put its innovative Imaging
division to good use.
Weve been happy with the most

recent batch of cameras, but we
cant help feel that theres a whole
lot more to come
I recently became the proud owner

of a Nexus 5, and I must say that it is
the best phone I have ever owned.
The most impressive thing for me is
the battery life. This is the rst phone

I have owned with a xed battery,
and even though I have admittedly
never switched batteries on my
other phones, I did like the
reassurance that it was an option. I
was wary that the Nexus 5 would be
a problem. I had also read a number
of user reports online that suggested
the battery was only okay. Im not
Get in touch!
Send us your thoughts

on all things Android
email
Got questions or comments? Drop
us an email and let us know
facebook
/littlegreenrobot
Like us on Facebook to
send your comments
CROWD
SOURCE
Opinion from the
Twittersphere
I must say that

it is the best
phone I have
ever owned
sure what theyre doing with their
phones, or maybe they are just in
bad signal areas, because I am
getting fantastic performance from
my battery. I was happy with the
battery on my Galaxy S III, but the
Nexus 5 beats it by miles. I routinely
get between four and six hours of
screen on time according to the
battery stats, and I rarely actually
need to use my phone for that long,
which means it runs into the next
day with ease. Add in the other
great things like the screen and very
smooth performance and Im
starting to doubt whether I will buy
anything other than a Nexus device
ever again.
W Hall
We say: Weve also had good
experiences of the Nexus 5 battery,
although it is worth remembering
that battery life can vary wildly for
each user depending on what they
use their device for, whether theyre
using 4G, and what the reception is
like in their area.
Sold on
phablets
A few months ago my wife upgraded

to a Samsung Galaxy Note 2. After
spending some time mocking her
for its ridiculous size, especially
TRENDING
Let us know your thoughts on
these hot topics
Do you plan to buy a

smartwatch?
What is your all-time
favourite app?
How long does your
phones battery last?
Get in touch!
@lgrobot
So, Sonys Z1 Compact is a
4.3 phone with agship
specs. At last! Whats your
preferred screen size? Bigger,
or even smaller?
Phablets may look odd when

making a call, but the extra
screen size has benets
@djomlakus 4.3/4.5 perfect size

for me :)
@afcbandy I wanted something
smaller but then I got an S4 and
wouldnt want to go back. The
iPhone seems tiny now!
@lgrobot
And following on from that - do
you feel like a phone should
be useable one handed?
whenever she made a phone call on

it, Im worried that Im starting to be
won round to this phablet
phenomenon. Ive even been eyeing
up the new Sony Xperia Ultra, which
Ive never even seen in the esh but
gather is even bigger than the Note.
I think what won me round was
seeing how much my wife genuinely
enjoys using her phablet. With the
little ip cover attached she holds it
like a book and has embraced its
size in all its two-handed glory, while
Im left still trying to stretch my
thumb up to the top of the screen
on my HTC One X in resolutely
one-handed fashion. Im starting to
think that if I cant use my phone
properly one handed then why
compromise on size? My wife keeps
it in her bag so doesnt have to
worry about it tting in her pocket,
which may be my only problem.
Im due an upgrade in a couple of
months, by when there should be
even more phablets available to
choose from. Bring them on, I say.
The bigger the better.
Tim Harris
We say: Phablets may have seemed
like a gimmick at rst, but they
arent going away now. Well admit
to be surprised at just how many
phablets we see out in the wild. We
didnt dismiss them out of hand as
many commentators did when the
original Note was launched, but we
did think it would only ll a very
niche part of the market. That niche
has turned out to be far greater than
anyone could have predicted.
Nexus 4
support
I was disappointed to see that the

Galaxy Nexus was not going to be
getting the KitKat update despite
being less than two years old when
KitKat was launched. Some have
stated that this is due to the fact
that the phone uses a TI processor
which is no longer supported,
while Googles own reasoning
seems to be that the phone is
older than 18 months.
This leads me to wonder what
the prospects are for my Nexus 4
and original Nexus 7, upon both of
which the clock is ticking. The
reason I chose to go with
Nexus devices was precisely
because of their reputation for not
only being updated, but for being
updated quickly.
I can only hope that as these
devices both run processors that
are still mainstream (from Nvidia
and Qualcomm) that they will be
able to be easily updated to the
next version of Android when it
arrives, removing any practical
reasons for it not happening.
Stephen Dyer
We say: We wont know until the
update comes out, of course, but
wed be inclined to predict that it
will come to both of the Nexus
devices you refer to. The
difference between a Galaxy
Nexus and Nexus 4 is far greater
than a Nexus 4 and Nexus 5.
@afcbandy I can use it one

handed for the most important
things
@jglen_TNA Im rocking a Z1 and
can use it one handed with no
issues. The big screen makes
viewing stuff a proper experience.
@lgrobot
Anyone planning to upgrade
this year? What feature must
your new phone have that
your current one doesnt?
@yenrod A exible screen! - at
least a 2100mah battery also the xperia z compact looks good..
@neilybhoy1888 am not sure an
upgrade until next year :-( I do
currently have a the @htc one tho
so am happy :-)
@Vass88 ability to pick up weak
3G signals in a non remote area
like Guildford would be good.
never mind 4G
@Peter_Vernelen Android 4.4.2,
LTE connectivity a good camera
and a high capacity battery :)
@Mug_UK Got my Note 3 and it
works for me. A big screen for a
big hand .. unless Im playing
Carmageddon ;-)
@nerdyessence85 A decent size
screen, camera and longer battery
life would be nice.
Follow us @lgrobot to join

in the conversation
19
Feature
Solved! 20 Biggest Android problems
20
Feature
ts the bane of owning a smartphone

apps can, and will, demand data. And
when theyre not demanding it, theyre
sending it. While youre on a Wi-Fi
connection this will usually be okay. The
problems start when youre using metered
mobile internet.
There are several ways you can deal with
background apps, but rst a question:
does it actually matter? Do you really need
to worry about these apps?
It really depends on what theyre up to.
Battery discharging often? Metered
connection exceeded, resulting in big bills?
If either of these things have happened to
you, or your Android is just running slow
through the sheer weight of expectation
from all of the background apps currently
running, then yes, it matters.
You can get a handle on which apps are
causing problems by opening
Settings>Apps and switching to Running.
Here, all active apps and services are
listed, along with the resources currently
apportioned. Spot apps that shouldnt be
there? You can tap an app to force stop it.
This wont stop apps from restarting
later on, however. Unless you plan to
uninstall your data vampire apps, the best
way to proceed is to prevent them from
getting online in the rst place.
Using Androids data usage tool you can
manage which apps access the internet,
potentially saving yourself a bit of battery
power and even reducing your phone bill.
In Settings>Data Usage you can check
how much data your phone has used over
the past month. All web-connected apps
are listed, displaying the data use of
individual apps as well as a grand total.
To cap data use by apps while theyre
running in the background, open the menu
and select Restrict background data. Youll
nd this makes quite a difference to your
Androids performance.
Hotspots
Open the menu in order
to nd the Restrict
background data
option. Use the Mobile
hotspots screen to
block apps from
connecting via hotpots
Alerts
Alerts can be activated,
informing you when your data
usage limit has been reached.
Setting your alert point below
the actual limit is wise
Chart
The chart displays your
recent internet usage.
With the Data usage
limit activated you can
block apps accessing
the internet based on
your preset limit
There are too many junk apps installed
hile checking what apps are making a

connection to the internet, youll
probably notice a few that you had
forgotten about, or dont want to use anymore.
There may also be some that you dont access all
that often. You can tidy things up pretty easily,
either by disabling the apps, uninstalling or even
freezing them if your phone is rooted. You might
also move the apps to a secondary launcher, so
theyre visible only when you want to use them.
Open Settings>Apps to view your current apps,
tapping Disable to prevent the app from running
or Uninstall to remove it from your system.
Is your phone rooted? If so you can take

advantage of an application such as Greenify,
which will freeze a problematic app for you,
preventing it from running in the background. This
is ideal for apps you use rarely but still need to
run occasionally.
If your phone isnt rooted, dont worry.
Third-party launchers such as Go Launcher EX
or Nova Launcher can be installed and set up,
with your rarely used apps dropped into the new
home screen. Once youve done that then you
can go ahead and delete the shortcuts from your
main home screen, saving space.
To avoid stability issues, exit

an app before you disable it
Use Greenify to nd and

freeze troublesome apps
21
Feature
ondering why your friends Android

has a different look, or built-in
apps missing from yours? One way
to make your standard Android handset
look like your friends is to install a
launcher that supports themes, such as
Go Launcher EX. For instance, if you
like the look of the HTC One, you can
add a HTC Sense theme on your
phone or tablet. Meanwhile, if
youre a fan of the Galaxy S4
Lockscreen, its functions are
replicated in an app for
non-Samsung devices.
Search the Play store for
Galaxy S4 Lockscreen
to view your options.
Android phones slow down over time. When you switch your phone on it is
typically fast and responsive. As apps are launched and closed and tasks
switched, however, things tend to become sluggish, with the user interface
hanging and apps slow to launch.
These ve tips offer hope to lethargic Androids
Restarting your phone will refresh

Android and kill any resourcedraining apps.
Blocking apps from accessing

the internet (as described
previously) can speed things up.
Selecting an app and using the

Clear data button on a
troublesome app in Settings>Apps
will clear the app cache, although
third-party apps such as App Cache
Cleaner will do the job in bulk.
The System Monitor app by

Pavel Petrov (nd it in the Play
Clearing data can help to speed up your Android
store) displays resource use and
enables you to kill all non-essential tasks with a single tap.
Enjoy a HTC Sense

theme on your
non-HTC Android
Phone Notier offers excellent conguration options for

delayed alerts
It can be easy to miss a notication on Android,

especially if your phone is out of earshot. Rather
than keep checking your smartphone, you can use
an app to repeat audible notications until you
respond to them.
Phone Notier, available for free in the Play store,
is a good solution to this problem, and is easy to
set up. Open the app to display the settings. Here
you can tap the entries for SMS notications, MMS
notications and Missed call notications, each of
which can be congured with a different
notication sound, LED, repeat frequency and
repeat interval.
22
Widgets for email, social networks and other regularly updated services can
slow things down considerably, so drag these to your Android trash can.
Using Google Maps? Without an internet

connection, sooner or later youre going to walk off
the edge. With the latest version of Google Maps
(make sure yours is updated before setting off) you
can download map data for ofine use.
Just open the app to check the area youre
travelling to later, tap into the Search bar and tap
the Make this map area available ofine button,
which will appear at the foot of the screen.
A few moments later the map data will have
downloaded, ready for ofine viewing ideal for
trips to places with limited connectivity!
Clearing app data and cache can x force close problems
Downloading maps for ofine use is possible with one tap
Apps misbehaving? Continually seeing them force

closed by the system? There are a couple of
straightforward ways to x force close problems.
The rst method works for all devices and versions
of Android open Settings>Apps, select the app
youre having problems with and use the Clear Data
and Clear Cache options. Note that game progress
will be lost if its data/cache is cleared!
For rooted devices, you might reboot into
recovery mode to use the provided utility to solve
force closing apps by xing permissions. You might
prefer to save time by installing Fix Permissions, a
free Google Play utility.
Feature
Biggest Android problems

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How the back button works
23
Feature
obile websites can be useful, especially if you have limited

bandwidth. But what if you want to enjoy a feature that is
only available to desktop browsers, such as leaving a
comment or voting in a poll? Instructing the mobile Chrome browser
to open the desktop version of the site is the answer.
You can quickly do this by opening the browser menu and checking
the Desktop View option. The menu should close as the page reloads
in the background in desktop mode. If the text appears small,
double-tap the screen to zoom in for easier reading.
Find a desktop class browser
1
2
3
The Opera Browser includes a full, permanent desktop mode that

will bypass the mobile site in almost all instances.
If you still need Flash on your mobile device then FlashFox is just
about your only option. Dolphin with a hacked Flash player also works.
Switching to desktop
versions of websites is
simple, but youll need to zoom in
Firefox for Android has desktop quality rendering and supports a

growing range of extensions to enhance its useability.
Rooting your smartphone enables you

to run special utilities that require
enhanced permissions. Unfortunately
some apps can stop running correctly
after rooting.
You can easily deal with this by
nding a way of unrooting your phone
temporarily, so as to allow the
application that no longer works to run
as intended while enabling you to
quickly re-enable the root when you
require it to work.
There are several apps that allow
this all you need to do is search for
unroot in the Google Play store.
OTA Rootkeeper is one such example,
and is equipped with a handy
temporary unroot button however, it
Apps like OTA Rootkeeper can protect and
currently doesnt work with Android
temporarily disable root
4.3 or above.
Dont let annoying midnight

alerts ruin your sleep!
24
It would be great if alarms for all-day events

didnt go off when the clocks strikes midnight.
Switching off audible notications might sound
like a good idea, but you run the risk of missing
something important.
The best way around this is to employ a
third-party app. A popular option is AudioGuru
Audio Manager, which lets you set up volume
for everything from voice to alerts and alarms.
To do this, install the app from Google Play,
create a new prole and tap the clock button.
This opens the schedule screen where you can
specify a time for proles to be activated.
Sharing links is a great way to highlight

interesting material to friends, family
and even save links to read yourself
later when you've got a bit of spare
time on your hands.
With too many sharing options,
however, the share menu can become
bloated, overloaded with way too
much choice. If only there was some
way to speed things up, to organise
the sharing list.
Well, searching the Play store will
reveal Andmade Share (free and
premium versions available) a share
menu replacement that is fully
customisable. You can decide which
sharing services appear in the list, as
well as in which position, saving you
time when you want to share
Big sharing options lists like this can be
replaced with Andmade Share
something quickly.
Clear the notications box to

prevent future alerts
Rather than be disturbed by notications at

inopportune times such as pesky spam
notications from some apps you can easily
block notications.
When such an alert appears, long-tap the
notication and tap App info (or open
Settings>Apps and select the app in question),
looking for the Show notications checkbox.
To block future notications from this app, clear
the checkbox. A warning box will appear informing
you that no more notications will appear for that
app click OK to conrm. If you need to re-enable
notications for any app, tap the checkbox again.
Feature
battery is
ing Android
in
ra
all
d
ts
fa
he
s to affect
that seem
g
one
in
e
th
e
th
m
n
O
so
to time.
e
m
ti
m
o
at such
users fr
rprise us th
ouldnt su
sh
ch power;
u
it
m
d
n
a
so
h
s eat up
ce
vi
e
d
d
d
advance
re advance
hand, they
r
e
th
o
e
on th
y can
surely the
devices
last
be built to
a day?
n
a
th
more
might
While you
nnectivity
disable co
ttery
prevent ba
to
in
options
to a certa
s
rk
o
w
st
ly
n
o
is
th
,
ra
d in is be
drain
a battery
g
n
ti
a
n
,
ve
WakeLock
extent. Pre
rstanding
e
d
n
s
u
d
n
y
a
b
h
re that
achieved
ment featu
s
p
ge
p
a
a
n
a
to
m
y
r
powe
nd displa
er
th
your CPU a
f
ra
o
n
l
o
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y
tr
n
co
e to sta
your phon
ep. You
that want
cally to sle
ti
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m
to
u
a
ur
go
it
than
ht cause yo
w this mig
o
h
e
se
n
ca
bling
drain. Disa
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can be
ck
WakeLo
apps using
ear
ere is no cl
tricky as th
ich apps
essing wh
way of ass
y is to
it. One wa
are using
ave it for
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r phone,
u
yo
rt
ta
s
re
nd then
minutes a
around 30
s>
ings>App
open Sett
pen apps.
a look at o
ke
ta
d
n
a
m monitor
g
in
Runn
use a syste
to
e
ps
b
t
h
ig
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Another m
e identie
v
u
yo
l
a
ce
e
n
d
you
app. But o
s, how do
WakeLock
akeLocks?
W
le
are using
b
a
an you dis
C
?
m
e
th
with
Options
Tapping an app will
expand the entry to
display your
available options
Running apps
The native application
settings list displays
currently running apps
Numbers
The numbers reveal
how often
WakeLock has been
activated for each
application in use
Normal
Many of these apps
and processes will
be using WakeLock
There are two

stages of
WakeLock: partial
(CPU) and full
(display). Wakelock
Detector enables
you to check which
apps are draining
your battery in
standby mode. You
can then edit the
permissions or
uninstall apps.
Patience required
1 After
installing, make sure your
phone is charged above 90%.
Wakelock Detector will need a couple
of hours to assess which apps are
using the WakeLock function.
in focus
2 Apps
After a couple of hours, run
Wakelock Detector. A list of apps that
have used WakeLock will be displayed.
The clock icon switches between
screen and CPU Wakelock-using apps.
rid
3 Get
Want to close an app with
regular WakeLock activity? Tap the app
entry, then App Info and use the Info
screen to Force Stop, Disable or
Uninstall battery-draining apps.
25
Feature
ver dismissed a notication in error? Perhaps you were in the

middle of a call when it sounded. Either way, you want it back,
as soon as possible, as it might just have been a calendar
update informing you of a very important birthday. In previous
versions of Android, if a notication was dismissed, it was gone
unless you were prepared to go looking. Since Android 4.3,
however, notication history has been introduced
cations menu
1 Noti
Open the app drawer, then
Widgets, selecting Settings from the
Shortcut menu and dragging it to the home
screen. You will be prompted to select a
shortcut type choose Notications.
App
3 View
info screen
Tapping a notication entry will

open the corresponding App
info screen. From here you can
opt to disable notications for
the chosen app. Dismissed
apps cannot be reset.
You can disable
and force stop apps
and their pesky notications
In order for Android to open particular les with the right app, an association is
made that sets an app as the default for that le type. For example, you
wouldnt want an APK le to open with your image editor instead, it opens
with the Play store app.
When associations become
disconnected, problems
occur. If the wrong app is
set as the default for a
particular le type,
correcting this will ensure
the continued stability of
your phone. It's always
useful to pick a default app
for speed and simplicity,
but if you have multiple
apps that can handle the
same le you can also use
the app picker as an 'Open
To change the default app, open Settings>Apps>All. Tap
Clear defaults against the appropriate app, leaving it ready with' menu.
for association with the correct le type
26
widget
2 Find
Switch back to the home screen
where you dropped the widget, and tap to
open it. This is where you will nd a list of
all the notications you've received over the
past few hours.
In previous versions
of Android, if a
notication was
dismissed, it was gone
unless you were
prepared to go looking
Choose the right open to deal with your files
App picker
1 After
disassociating your app, you
can use the native app picker to set a new
default. This will happen when you try to
open the disassociated le type.
sure
2 AMake
box labelled Complete action
using will appear, prompting you to select
from two or more suitable apps. Make sure
youre happy before proceeding.
selective
3 IfBe
you want to try all available apps,
select the Just once option, choosing each
in turn to assess which you prefer. The
menu will appear until Always is selected.
Feature
Clearing data is a more effective x for troublesome

apps than reinstalling
Sometimes, apps just stop working. Probably

the most common way of xing this is to rst
turn your phone off and back on before moving
to the second choice x, that of uninstalling
and reinstalling the software. However, there
is one other x you can use when apps stop
working clearing data. This magic x
(Settings>Apps, select app, then Clear Data)
cures a multitude of app-related ills from apps
refusing to launch correctly, causing your
smartphone to hang and even force closing. If
you have continuing problems, check the
apps compatibility with your Android device
and delete if necessary.
Some Android devices come with surprisingly

quiet speakers. The obvious way around this is
to turn the volume up but what if its
maximum level is still too quiet? Before you
head to the Google Play store, check
Settings>Sound to conrm the volume for
ringtones isnt too low. Also check here to
conrm that any built-in audio enhancements
are activated. You can also use the Speaker
Boost app, available for free, but use this with
care as it is capable of damaging your
speakers if turned up too high. Also, if your
headphones are too quiet, check they are
connected correctly!
Make sure any built-in sound enhancements are

activated before installing speaker-boosting apps
Dont let spam text messages and PPI calls wake you up
in the middle of the night
Why is your smartphone waking you up with

notications in the middle of the night? It
might be that youve snoozed a reminder, or
that you have received a text message or
email. Nights Keeper (do not disturb) is a good
option for enjoying a good nights sleep,
enabling the easy scheduling of night time
hours within which your phone will not disturb
you. The app supports scheduling for
individual days or the whole week, saving them
as proles. You can also congure a white list
of important contacts who can contact you
even when the phone is muted, making sure
you don't miss crucial communication.
pdates come in thick and fast for Android apps hardly surprising with
regular system updates. But what happens when a key feature from
your favourite app has been removed? You can prevent this from
happening altogether by making regular backups with a utility such as App
Backup & Restore. If you do this you will then be able to restore your favourite
older version should you ever wish to. To roll back to older versions of system
apps simply nd it in the Play store and select Uninstall.
Five top tips for backing up apps
1
2
3
4
5
In App Backup & Restore, nd the apps you want to back up, checking the
boxes to select.
Tap Backup to proceed backing up apps; the more apps selected, the
longer it takes.
For devices without removable storage, backups will need to be synced to
your PC before performing an Android system restore.
When an app has been updated and a feature removed, use the Archived
list to Restore the older version.
Keep a backup of
your favourite apps
stored on your phones
removable storage
The Settings menu offers various tweaks such as changing backup paths
and activating Auto Backup.
27
Feature
Get the best features of KitKat
GET THE BEST

FEATURES OF KITKAT
When will your phone get KitKat? And what can you
do if it doesnt? We take a look at all the ways you can
bring your Android device bang up to date
28
Feature
lthough your Android phone has served you

well in the time that you have been using it,
there is always room for improvement. In
order to keep getting the very best from your
handset, you need to keep it as up to date as
possible and now that the brilliant KitKat OS has
been released, this is the standard that you will no
doubt be aiming for.
First of all, though, we deliver some bad news.
Not every device is supported by KitKat, but this is
the case with all upgrades. The newest and most
powerful phones will have no issues in this regard,
but if you have a handset that fails to make the
upgrade list, then you are largely stuck with the
operating system you currently have.
To a degree, at any rate. KitKat is actually far more
accessible than many other operating systems. It
only needs 512MB of RAM to run and it has been
structured in such a way that only the core
components are included, with the rest being
separate upgrades. This enables less powerful
handsets to upgrade and it also makes it easier for
carriers to send the updates across.
The problem is that lower-end devices won't be
as readily supported by manufacturers that want to
continue the cycle of upselling. It means the KitKat
roll-out is less likely to break on older phones, even
though Google wants those who still use
Gingerbread to upgrade their handsets and take
advantage of the latest features.
Understanding upgrades
You'll know when your device is all ready to be
updated. The phone may ping you with a notication
and all you have to do is agree to it or you can take a
look in Settings under About Phone to see if the
upgrade is sitting there, waiting for action.
Different companies will make it available at
different times. If you have a Motorola handset, then
you may well be in luck because the company is
right behind KitKat. It swiftly announced a long list of
handsets that would receive it and users are able to

check whether their device is among them by going
to the upgrade checker on the Motorola website at
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/
software-upgrade-news/g_id/1949/action/auth.
Asus, HTC, LG and Samsung have also been on
the ball with the 2012 and 2013 editions of the
Nexus 7, the HTC One Google Play Edition and
Developer Edition, the Nexus 4, Nexus 10 and
Google Play edition of the Galaxy S4 all quick off the
mark. The HTC One Max and HTC One Mini and the
Huawei Ascend P6 were on the list for upgrades.
And Sony owners should check out the ofcial blog
at http://blogs.sonymobile.com/2013/11/07/
on-jelly-bean-4-3-kit-kat-4-4 for news regarding their
specic Android handsets.
But the list of have-nots is, unfortunately, too
long. Don't expect over-the-air upgrades for the Acer
Android tablets dating from 2012 and 2013, nor wait
Itoo long for the Galaxy Nexus to be given the

chance to surpass the last-gen OS. The Motorola
Droid 4, Droid Bionic, original Droid Razr, original
Droid Razr Maxx, Electrify 2 and Atrix HD Developer
Edition are all ruled out from upgrades by their
manufacturers. But don't lose heart.
There are ways around not getting an ofcial
rollout of KitKat. While Google has no control over
what the carriers do, the open source nature of the
operating system means it is readily available for
download on various websites. By downloading the
ROM and ashing it to your Android device yourself,
you can circumnavigate the ofcial channels with a
bit of patience and some technical know-how.
One way of doing this is via CyanogenMod
although it does have a warning for potential
upgraders. Lots of folks are reading into the
'512mb' item on the release notes, it says. No,
this does not mean a sudden resurrection of older
REPLACE YOUR BUILT-IN APPS

APP
REPLACE WITH
DESCRIPTION
Phone
ExDialer & Contacts
This app integrates with Skype and has the ability to see the most frequently used contacts
Hangouts
WhatsApp
An incredibly popular messenger app that lets you send messages for free. It has cross-platform support
E-mail
MailDroid
Comes with the ability to search for IMAP mail online, as well as password protection and customised inboxes
Camera
LINE camera
Boasting in-app photo editing, frames, stamps and 20 lters, this is a brilliant alternative
Music player
Sensor music player
This sensitive app lets you tap your phone or wave your hand to skip to the next track
Video player
BSPlayer
Plays an assortment of video formats and enables software decoding for greater accessible
Contacts
GO Contacts Ex
Batch SMS messages or email with group contacts and have people on speed dial
Search
Quick Search
Browse your device and the web in one app even search through your music, contacts and messages
Calendar
Jorte Calendar
Show the day's agenda, the monthly view and even integrate with Google Maps. Free and easy to use
29
Feature
hardware, there are dependencies beyond the RAM

(and CM has enforced that minimum since ICS).
Which, in better English, means KitKat needs more
than memory in order to work and that some older
phones can't cope with it.
That said there is little harm in giving it a go if all
else fails, you could always reash an older ROM. If
you want to install the OS direct rather than use the
CyanogenMod version, then search Google for
Android 4.4 OTA packages and use the latest version
of the Android SDK http://developer.android.com/
sdk/index.html in order to install it. When using this
method, you will need to place the .zip package into
the Android SDK/platform tools folder. Be sure to
carry out a full internet search for instructions on
your particular device and read and re-read them
before you attempt to do anything. Inexperienced
hands can lead to the bricking of a device so do be
aware. Follow things correctly, though, and there will
be few to no problems.
Make sure that

you upgrade to the
latest Maps so that
your device is
leading the way"
Replicate KitKat features

If, after all of that, you nd yourself stuck with an
older operating system because, try as you may, you
just cannot get the latest to run satisfactorily, then
you can just forget about updating and try to
replicate the features of the latest OS on your
current device instead.
For example, KitKat listens out for your voice so
when you say OK, Google it knows to get on the
case and keep an ear on your voice controls. But
older phones needn't go without this handy feature.
If you want excellent voice activation on a handset
running Jelly Bean, then you could do far worse than
downloading Open Mic.
Available for free, it will let you say OK, Google or
wave a hand in front of the screen and then deliver
some instructions. It runs in the background while it
absorbs and acts upon your vocal instructions, and
it uses ofine voice recognition so that the results
are faster and less data is used, making it perfect
for older, less speedy phones.
KitKat also has built-in printing which you can get
on any Android phone by setting up Google's Cloud
Print, a free app that can be downloaded from
Google Play. If you want to take advantage of
screencasting, then this is possible using the free
app SCR Screen Recorder Free *root but, as the

name suggests, you will need to have a rooted
phone in order for it to work.
Improve phone performance

Two other great features of KitKat are Caller ID and a
blocker that gures out who may be calling you if the
number isn't in your contacts and subsequently let
you lter them out if you are unhappy. To replicate
this feature, you need to try the WhoAreYou Caller ID
+ Blocker app. You can also download the new
Hangouts, which replaces Talk. It integrates SMS
and MMS and becomes a great communication
hub. Finally, do make sure that you upgrade to the
REPLACE THE LAUNCHER

Nova Launcher
A customisable launcher
that lets you adjust
animation speeds,
transitions and icon sizes,
Nova Launcher allows for
app renaming and has a
vast range of themes for a
bespoke look. Very popular
and easy to see why.
30
latest Maps so that your device is leading the way

far more effectively, and download the Google
Search app to replicate many of the latest search
features of KitKat too.
By updating your Android phone to KitKat, you will
be able to go a long way towards improving its
performance. Updates usually bring greater stability
and they tend to be more rened so that handsets
run faster, the feature set is bettered and the
connectivity enhanced.
But it's no good just updating the operating
system and believing you don't have to do anything
else to enhance the performance of your
smartphone, and this goes for anyone who just
One of the simplest ways to customise the look and
Action
Launcher
Lightning
Launcher
With a user interface that is

very much Ice Cream
Sandwich, folders can be
hidden behind applications
and you can see which
widgets are associated
with particular apps by
swiping them.
If you are using an

older Android smartphone,
then this will make a
marked visual difference
straight away. Scrolling
works vertically and
horizontally too, while it all
works fast.
Feature
Programmers work
hard to make their
code more efcient
and bug free"
couldn't get KitKat on their handset. Updating your
applications is also important. Alterations are made
to apps all the time by developers and they are
often doing more than just adding extra features.
Programmers work hard to make their code more
efcient and bug free so ensuring you're at the
cutting edge when it comes to your existing apps
will make them perform better and faster, and that's
something every Android user should aspire to.
From that point on, it's a case of delving into your
phone and making sure it is not bloated. Over the
course of using a phone, you will download apps
and store much data, and a lot of it will barely be
used. By understanding the capability of your phone,
you are better able to make a judgement over just

how much bloating it could possibly handle. Older
phones, for example, would benet from an
extensive spring clean, whereas newer ones give
you more leeway.
The rst thing to do, then, is remove any apps you
don't use or need. See how much data your tablet is
using by going to Settings>Data Usage. It will list the
apps that are most resource-hungry and you can
make a decision over what stays and what goes
based on this information.
Delete the apps you do not want by going to
Settings>Apps, selecting one for the chop and
tapping Uninstall. Apps that cannot be uninstalled
such as those pre-installed can be disabled via

the Disable button that will appear here. They will
disappear from the home screen and app drawer,
helping to reduce screen clutter.
You should also keep a check on your dynamic
widgets. If you have too many of them, then your
device will slow down. And if the widgets are pulling
in information from the internet, you're tapping into
a resource that most likely will be hampering the
performance of your handset. That's because they
constantly run in the background and are always
active. By all means use widgets because they are
very useful, but be selective and don't be afraid of
axing those that you barely glance at.
feel of your phone. Here's our pick of the best
Go Launcher EX
Launcher 8
A classic and well-known

launcher, this has the
benet of smooth
transition animations and
more than 5,000 themes so
you can really give your
operating system a
much-needed spruce up for
the new year.
Do you fancy making your

Android phone look much
more like Windows Phone
and its tile-based design?
You can with Launcher 8,
a free download from the
Google Play store, but
it can still be quite buggy
in places.
Smart
Launcher
It has support for live
wallpapers and drawers
organised by categories,
boasting that it is the only
launcher that sorts and
catalogues apps for you,
making it an intriguing
addition to explore.
31
Feature
FIVE MORE
FEATURES FOR
YOUR PHONE
Find a stolen phone
App name Top Security Anti-Virus

Price Free
As well as being an
anti-virus package, this app
by Lookout also has a Find
My Phone feature that can
be used to trace a stolen
or mislaid handset.
Scan bar/QR codes

App name Barcode Scanner
Price Free
Get straight to webpages

by scanning QR codes or
compare prices of goods
when out and about
with this great barcode
scanner app.
Manage les
One type of widget you may want to install,

though, are those that offer extended controls and
enable you to turn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and more on and
off. By letting you inuence the settings of your
phone from the home screens, you are more likely
to use them. Their convenience will help to boost
the performance of your phone since only the
features you really need can be enabled, leaving
those you don't deactivated.
Customise the phone

Now we turn our attention to launchers. These apps
at least make your Android phone look like KitKat
and they are available from Google Play. Apps such
as KitKat Launcher+ or KitKat Launcher are two
examples of offerings that replicate the look and
feel of the brand-new OS, although there are
limitations such as a lack of quick access to Google
Now and voice search. Two of the most popular
launchers, Nova and Apex have also recently been
updated to introduce a series of KitKat-esque
options, which can be activated or not depending
on your preferences. While you are not actually
getting KitKat, you'll be able to organise apps into
folders on the home screens, access the launcher
settings by pressing the menu button and do many
of the things you would expect of KitKat.
If youre an existing Android 4.4 user its also
worth taking a look at these launchers to x some
things that you might not like about the default
Google Experience Launcher, such as the largerthan-usual app icons or the now non-removable
App name ES File Explorer File Manager

Price Free
Get extra storage

App name Dropbox
Price Free
For more space to store

photos and other les,
Dropbox is a top choice and
you can use it to drop les
onto your phone from a
computer too.
Record phone calls

App name Auto Call Recorder
Price Free
32
Power up your phone

So youre up to date with a phone that runs, if not
KitKat, then at the very least a close approximation
of it. But your upgrading endeavours need not stop
there. One of the key elements of the entire Android
concept is that everything is up for grabs. Theres
almost no single feature in the OS that cannot be
upgraded or improved upon in some way.
To extend the functionality of your device even
further you can download a host of third-party apps.
Dolphin Browser, for example, has all of the
multi-touch zooming, tabbed browsing and synced
bookmarks that you would expect as well as in-page
search, but it also has themes and add-ons
available. You can also make websites open on the
desktop rather than mobile version and integrate
with Evernote or post pages to Facebook.
Opera is another brilliant browser that more than
matches Google Chrome. It has a download
manager that you can stop, start and resume.
Firefox is fast and you can add on features such as
ad blocking, while Skyre has the ability to add
extensions so you can go straight to Facebook or
Amazon and speed up your browsing experience.
Indeed, if inputting is a chore, then consider
upgrading your phone's keyboard. SwiftKey X has a
good memory and it will predict what you are trying
to type. It begins to understand your trends and it
This way you

can maintain
the fresh
look of the
new OS"
If you need to get to grips

with the les that are on
your phone, then you can
do far worse than this
cloud-storage compatible
le manager.
It may be a legally grey

area but you can record
phone calls in very high
quality with this
software and listen
back at any time.
search bar for the home screens. This way you can
maintain the fresh look of the new OS while still
maintaining control over the smaller details.
Nova+ (left) and

Tasker (right)
Feature
will grow to know the types of words you use. It can

even plug into your blogs, Twitter, Facebook and
email for greater learning. Meanwhile, Swype also
turns Android into something that is streets ahead
of iOS by letting you type with one continuous nger
or stylus motion across the screen.
Productivity will also rise if you use an app such
as Tasker. You can use any of the in-built actions or
create your own, and these take the sting out of
automating tasks on your handset. So you can get
your phone to perform a certain task if a text
message comes in, for example, or trigger
something according to the GPS location. You could
have the phone turn off Wi-Fi automatically during
certain times of the day, making your device far
more efcient. Some enterprising users have even
managed to combine Tasker with the speech
recognition software in Google Now and even some
remote control hardware for the lights and locks
around their home to produce a fully voice
controlled home. Thats one for the future, but there
can be little doubt that things are heading that way.
If you are looking for something that matches the
iPhone's Siri or Google Now on Android, then try
AVX. It actually goes one step beyond the default
services and for the price (12.99/$19.99) it
should do integrating with Google+, Evernote and
Tasker and enabling you to email, message and
send memos using your voice. A car mode is
included and there is a proles feature that lets you
change loads of settings in an instant.
Improve the hardware

Finally, we look at interesting accessories that
improve the existing hardware. Battery packs give
you a major boost of power just when you need it.
Many people get caught out on a regular basis and
have to run around nding an power outlet, but by
in KitKat to keep
BATTERY CHECKLIST Settings
your battery fresh
Close down any running apps by going to
Settings>Apps and selecting Stop next to any
that you want to cease.
KitKat continues to search for Wi-Fi

networks even when Wi-Fi is turned off. Go into
Advanced to disable this
Alter the brightness of the screen since the

more it shines into your peepers, the greater
the opportunity it has to burn away battery life.
Turn off automatic

updates in the Play
store to ensure you
don't encounter hefty
downloads when you are
least expecting them.
Update apps manually.
Use the new Location settings to control

which apps can use location features, and
whether they use GPS or Wi-Fi for it
plugging in an external pack via the USB port of the
phone, you can typically get a good 11,000mAh of
charge and often more if you are willing to spend
extra. Older phones that seem to lose their charge
far quicker will very much benet from one of these.
Wireless chargers are also brilliant additions and
they mean you can get your phone back up and
running again without having to fuss around with
messy wires. They're not cheap but more and more
devices allow for wireless charging these days, not
least the excellent Nexus 5. The Nexus Wireless
Charger is available from Google Play, but Amazon
and others of its ilk also have a great selection.
Keen photographers will enjoy the benet of
using clip-on lenses for their camera. There is so
much choice from Fisheye to Wide Angle and it's all
about improving the scope of your photographs and
revamping the camera. Some of them are
standalone cameras that link to the phone using
Bluetooth or NFC. All of them stick out so they can't
UPGRADE YOUR HARDWARE
be left on the phone when in general use but if you

have a handset that you love, then it can be a
low-cost alternative if you wish you had a better
camera function, although there are some very
ambitious models out there that would enhance
even the best performing Android phones.
In conclusion
What all of this shows is that, with some thought
and maybe a small amount of money, you can give
fresh life to an old phone. There is, contrary to what
many believe, a lot of life left in older phones even if
you cannot access and run the latest OS. Android is
such a versatile and fun operating system that is
fully expandable. Because it is open source, so
many people dedicate their time to workarounds
and getting the most out of their handsets. With a
bit of luck, you'll be able to enjoy your handset for a
little while longer and, best of all, get a lot of
satisfaction in doing so.
New software but same old phone? Here's

some KitKat avoured add-ons you can try
Improved sound recording
Audio enhancements
Product name iRig MIC Cast Price 29.99

Web www.ikmultimedia.com
Product name a-JAYS One

Price 39.99
Web www.amazon.co.uk
Plug in the external device to your Android's

jack and record podcasts, voice memos and
speeches with the utmost of clarity that works
close up and at distances.
With a set of tangle-free at cables, you can

listen to music with this comfortable set of
buds that will enhance the sound that comes
from your Android device.
Clip-on lenses
Product name SONY DSC-QX10W LensStyle Camera Price 149.99

Web www.currys.co.uk
A stunning 18.9-megapixel camera that pairs
up to your smartphone via NFC and Wi-Fi and
lets you take some high-quality images that you
can then store and edit on your handset.
33
Tutorials
masterclass
Master the
Quickoffice
suite
Create better documents,

spreadsheets and presentations
with the Quickofce app
uickofce is a fairly recent

addition to the plethora of
Google apps available to
smartphone and tablet users that
are completely free of charge. As far
as ofce suites go, Quickofce is one of
the best on the market, offering an
easy way to create, manage and edit
documents and other ofce suite
products. Compared to other ofce
suites available to Android,
Quickofce is fairly basic, but being
able to sync all your les with other
Google apps, including Google Drive,
makes it an app worth downloading
onto your phone or tablet. In the
following masterclass weve taken a
look at some of the apps best features,
which every user should check out,
including the various ways you can
format word documents and sync all
of your created les into the cloud
Ask your own

question online at
littlegreenrobot.co.uk
Can you
restore corrupt
documents?
If some les didnt
copy over properly and
appear corrupted,
when you open up the
Quickofce app, you
can automatically
repair them.
Depending on the
issue thats occurred,
it may take quite a
while for the repairing
process to complete so
be patient.
Being able to sync all your

les with other Google apps,
including Google Drive, makes
it an app worth downloading
Quickoffice hidden features
Five great Quickofce features

1. Any le you create in
Quickofce can be opened and
edited in many other Android
ofce suites. This adds a great
deal of exibility to how you
create and manage documents
and other les on your phone
or tablet.
2. Although you cant add
animations to your presentations
created in Quickofce, by opening
them up in Microsoft PowerPoint, you
can then add animations to it, which
will really make the presentation
stand out from the crowd.
3. By adding comments to your
documents and other les, you can
Theres more than meets the eye in Quickofce
Jump to cell
Explore
sharing
options
While making a
spreadsheet, instead
of scrolling through
every row of cells, you
can select the Jump to
Cell option from the
top menu to instantly
jump to a specic cell
on your created
spreadsheet.
Although all your les

are shared with
Google Drive
automatically, you can
also share your les
with various email
accounts, or also
share them with other
devices via Bluetooth.
Find a
specic cell
34
with the apps Google Drive

compatibility. Youll also nd
tutorials covering the process of
creating simple spreadsheets
and presentations from scratch,
as well as an easy solution to
open up documents stored on
your devices internal storage
without the need to access the
cloud at any point.
File sharing
Clear recent
documents
Clearing junk
Through the recent
documents page on
the main screen, you
can choose to delete
certain les. Not only
does this clear space
in your Google Drive
account, it also makes
it easier to nd other
les you want to keep.
Quickofce gives you

a fully featured ofce
suite on your Android
leave notes for colleagues or other

people who are allowed to make
changes to the documents. They can
then add their own comments for you
to see and work with.
4. If youre working on collaborative
projects, make sure to use the Shared
with Me feature on Quickofce. If
there is more than one person
working on the same le, here youll
be able to see a preview of the
changes theyve made and the latest
copy of that le.
5. Use the search feature at the top of
the app if youre looking for a specic
le or document stored on your Google
Drive account.
ss
cla e te
ter th ui
as ter e s
m as offic
M
ick
Qu
Works with
Varies with device
Create high-quality
presentations
Use Quickofce to create fantastic presentations from
scratch to wow your audience
ou may nd that many ofce suites available to Android users lack the PowerPoint
functionality you need, but thankfully Quickofce does contain it. Through the app
youll nd many of the same PowerPoint-creating functions that are found in Microsoft
Ofce, as well as some exclusive features that make it a feature worth checking out on your
phone or tablet. As well as being a great way of creating PowerPoint presentations, thanks to
Quickofce you can also add your own media les into the presentation and save them all
directly to your Google Drive account to access on other devices. It is a powerful tool that works
especially well on tablets and phablets.
2min
guide
Add and
implement
equations into
your spreadsheets
Make a
finance
document
After adding a new spreadsheet, begin

implementing your various data and
other equations into the spreadsheet before
adding the formatting options at the top.
from scratch
1 Start
Press the + symbol at the top of the app
and select the presentation option from the list
provided. You can now begin adding a title and
additional details to the initial blank slide youre
provided with before formatting the design.
a new slide
2 Add
Press on the + symbol at the bottom of
the app to begin the process of adding a new
slide. Once pressed, a menu will appear showing
you a range of different slide types. Some slides
are image based, where some are purely text.
To create and add equations into the
spreadsheet, press the FX button on
the left side of the menu. Manually type in the
equation and the app generates the answer.
media les
3 Adding
After adding a new slide, press the + icon
at the top of the app again. Here you can select a
media le to add from within the Gallery app. Once
an image is placed within the slide you can move it
around the slide by selecting it.
shapes
4 Implementing
From the same menu, you can also choose
to add a shape to the slide. The selection of
shapes is pretty vast and each can be coloured
and placed at a different spot in your slide. Simply
double-tap the shape to conrm your selection.
Through the + symbol at the top of the

app, you can begin to add a chart to
your spreadsheet based on the equations
and data you entered previously.
35
Tutorials
Correctly format Word
documents
Works with
Varies with device
Make your docs stand out with the

formatting features in Quickofce
he primary reason many of us use an

ofce suite app, such as Quickofce, is
for a quick solution to create word
documents from scratch. The process of
creating a new document from scratch is easy
enough, and by pressing the + icon at the
top of the Quickofce home screen, you can
select a blank document to choose from. One
reason in particular why Quickofce is a
great app to use for creating word documents
is that no matter what formatting options you
formatting options
1 Open
After opening up your document of choice,
Creating
eye-catching
documents is easy
Shades and colours

3 Scroll
to the right on the menu at the top of
the app and press on the paint option. Here you
can select a specic shade or colour for the font,
as well as add colour to any underlined text you
may have added to make it stand out.
36
press anywhere on it to open the keyboard on your

device. At the same time youll nd an array of
formatting options will appear at the top of the app
for you to use on the document.
paragraphs
4 Formatting
One of the best formatting options
available to users is the shift feature, which can
help align your text to a certain part of the screen.
This is also the section where you can number or
bullet point your paragraphs as well.
implement onto it, none of them will be

removed if you choose to edit and print the
document within a different app or on a
different device. Youll also nd the formats
you implement are compatible with the
desktop and Chromebook versions of the app.
In this tutorial weve explored some of the
best formatting options available to
Quickofce users, as well as a few extra tips
to make formatting documents in Googles
mobile ofce suite a pleasant experience.
fonts
2 Changing
Highlight a portion of the text and select
the Fonts menu from the top of the app. Here
youll see a small selection of fonts that you can
implement onto the selected text. After selecting
a font, the text will change automatically.
Comment on documents
5 After
saving all the changes to your
document, nd the list of all the stored
Quickofce documents on your device. Here you
can select the information button and add
comments to each of them for you to look over.
Get in touch via Facebook

and Twitter
twitter
/littlegreenrobot
@lgrobot
Get help from our

Facebook community
Follow us to send your

questions and thoughts
Works with
s
cla e ite
ter th u
as ter ce s
mMas offi
ick
Qu
facebook
Message us!
Varies with device
Sync and open

cloud files
You can open les stored in Drive within

the Quickofce app
Drive les
1 Find
When you rst open up the Quickofce
loud storage is common practice for most Android

users and there are plenty of apps out there offering
free cloud storage to users. Due to its Google afliation,
Drive closely links with the Quickofce app. Although you may
think that you can simply just save your created documents to
your Drive account, through the Quickofce app, users can
actually sync all their documents and other les to the cloud,
as well as open and edit any le stored in their Drive account.
If you have several Drive accounts, no worries, as through the
Quickofce app, its easy to switch between multiple Drive
accounts to make sure all your documents are edited and
formatted correctly.
a le
2 Selecting
One of the best things about Quickofce is
app, youll have instant access to all the Google

Drive les currently linked to your account. If youve
recently uploaded a le, youll want to navigate to
the Recent folder listed halfway down the page.
its compatibility with many le types. You can open

any normal document le, but also preview photos
within the app, although the editing options for
them need to be completed in a different app.
documents
3 Editing
Once youve nished editing any
documents, use the save function. Thanks to the
apps cloud functionality, youll nd the document
is automatically saved to the cloud with all the
changes you added.
2min Edit files stored in internal storage

guide
It isnt just cloud-stored documents that can be edited in the Quickofce app
When you rst open up the

Quickofce app, youll nd the
Internal Storage option listed at the
bottom. Although you can use this
option to explore local documents, it
can also be used to open
documents stored on an SD card.
After selecting the Internal

Storage option, all the folders
included on your phone will now
load. If you know where your le is,
simply scroll through the list until
you nd it. It can take a few seconds
for the document to load in the app.
If youre struggling to nd your

le through the list of folders
on your device, make use of the
search feature at the top of the app.
Here you can search all of your cloud
les, as well as everything stored in
your devices internal storage.
Select and open one of the

documents stored on your
phones internal storage. You can
now add an array of formatting
options to it and choose to save it
back to your internal storage, or over
to your cloud storage.
37
Tutorials
Explore Google Play
Newsstands
Works with
Varies with device
Manage your magazines

and news feeds within
the Newsstands app
ombining together the best

elements of Google Play
Magazines and Google Currents,
Newsstands is your destination when
you want to read the latest headlines or
manage your magazine subscriptions.
Through the app you can subscribe to
thousands of magazines that are
currently available through the Play
store, as well as download and read the
latest issues of your current
subscriptions. On the news side of things,
users can explore various news sources
based on their hobbies and interests and
subscribe to the latest feeds of some of
the biggest news outlets around the
world. If you arent always near a secure
Wi-Fi connection, no problem, as you can
take advantage of the Save to Device
feature, meaning you can read the latest
headlines on your device no matter
where you are. In this tutorial well be
exploring the new Google Play
Newsstands app and show you where
and how to access all of its best features.
Side menu
1 After
opening the app, read the guide to
managing your subscriptions that youll be
prompted to look through. Now open up the side
menu for the app by pressing on the Newsstands
icon in the corner of the app.
38
Search
Due to the sheer amount of
publications stored on Google Play
Newsstands, youll certainly want to
make use of the search feature at the
top of the page. This will let you nd a
specic title or news feed in a matter
of seconds
Further options
By pressing the menu icon at the top-right
of the app, a whole selection of options will
be opened to you. Through the Settings
menu you can switch Google accounts or
even integrate them together
Magazine feed
All your subscribed magazines are
stored together for you to access.
Whenever you open up the
Newsstands app, youll be notied of
any new issues that are available for
you to download onto your device
News feed
Both news outlets and RSS feeds will be
stored within your news feed section. Not
only can you read the latest headlines, you
can also see recommendations of new
blogs to follow
new material
2 Add
Press the Explore option at the bottom of
the menu. Here you can begin searching for
magazines and news feeds to subscribe to. You
must rst choose a category from the various
ones listed within the app.
feeds
3 News
There are hundreds of news feeds to
subscribe to within each category. Simply scroll
through the options listed until you nd something
of interest and press the menu icon underneath
the icon to subscribe to it.
Master the new features you can use when reading an article
1 Bookmark a story
Press the + icon at the top of the

story to Bookmark that specic
story for later reading.
2 Send to someone
Similar to sharing magazine

details, you can also send a story to
a friend.
3 Quick scroll
Swipe left and right to access the

latest stories from one of your
favourite news outlets.
4 View in Browser
Press the menu option and then

View in Browser to open up the
storys webpage.
5 Take a closer look
To get a detailed look at a storys

image, simply press on it to get it in
all its glory.
Ask your own

question online at
Is there a way to
look solely at the
news saved on
your device?
latest headlines
4 The
When you then open up the news feed
youve just subscribed to, youll be able to see the
latest headlines published by them, as well as
links to any various social media accounts that the
outlet has created.
RSS feeds
5 Add
As well as many news outlets, Newsstands
also enables users to subscribe to the RSS feeds
of some of the most popular webpages. After
subscribing to the feed, youll be notied of any
new content they add.
Yes. By accessing the My News

section of the app and selecting
the menu icon, you can tick the
On Device Only option, which
will simply show you the feeds
and articles that are stored on
your device. This is a great way
of saving the data allowance on
your device.
Im nding it hard
to read certain text.
How can I change
the way it looks?
You may come across text that
isnt correctly formatted, which
often makes it a lot smaller. Go
to the Settings page of the app
and youll nd an option to
resize the text shown to make
it easier to read.
Now
6 Read
Open the side menu once again and select
the Read Now option at the top. This option will
show you the latest headlines across your
subscriptions, as well as quick links to download
the articles onto your device.
a story
7 Reading
For Google Currents users, youll notice
immediately the formatting used in Newsstands
as its near enough the exact same. Text can be
customised and images can be enlarged by
pressing on them.
Need help?
Got a problem with your

Android phone or tablet?
Get in touch with us...
facebook
/littlegreenrobot
Get help from our
Facebook community
Magazines
8 My
Through the My Magazines section not only
can you manage your current subscriptions, you
can also add new magazines to your list. Use the
search function or the category system to nd a
magazine of interest.
a magazine
9 Share
If youve found a magazine that might be of
interest to someone else, then use the Share
function to share the details of it. Press the menu
icon and then Share to send the details over to
someone to follow and download.
twitter
@lgrobot

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email
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experts to tackle
39
Tutorials
View only the apps
that you have
paid for
Works with
Android 2.3.3 and up
Purchased Apps lets

you see only the apps
youve bought
lthough the Play store is

capable of many things,
its missing the capability
to check through all your
previously paid-for apps that
youve downloaded onto your
device. Users can indeed go
through the My Apps section on
the Play store and see every
single app theyve downloaded,
but the lack of a sort function to
simply view paid apps makes the
task a whole lot harder.
With the Purchased Apps app
from the Google Play store, its
now possible to quickly access a
list of every paid application
youve downloaded, as well as
see how much you paid for them
without having to trek through
lists of the free apps that have
been downloaded.
Missing apps
After the Purchased Apps app has
nished scanning, make sure to
check through the list carefully. If
youve noticed any purchases are
missing, use the refresh button at
the top to scan again
Payment amount
As you scroll with the list of paid
apps, each listing will come with
the amount you paid for the app.
This offers a great way to quickly
check the most expensive, or
cheapest apps youve purchased
for your phone or tablet
Side-loaded apps
If youve previously side-loaded an
APK of a paid app onto your phone
or tablet, in some cases they may
be listed here with the price of the
app also listed, but most of the
time they wont be included
Make use of Purchased Apps

Purchased Apps is really helpful, but by following
these three steps, you can get an even better
experience when using it
Scan for apps

When you rst open up
the Purchased Apps app,
dont be worried if it
takes a while for the app
to gather your list of apps.
The scanning process
takes a while, especially
if youve downloaded
hundreds of apps.
40
Sale prices
One of the best features
of Purchased Apps is
being able to see all the
apps you bought that
were on sale. Simply
scroll through the list and
pay close attention to the
listed prices to see where
you got the best deals.
Re-download
apps
Each listing in Purchased
Apps also contains a
quick link to the apps
listing on the Play store.
Simply press on the app
and you can then choose
to re-download the app, if
previously downloaded.
Switching accounts
When logging in to Purchased Apps,
it will use your primary Google
account to gather your list of paid
apps. Youll need to manually sign
out and then sign in to another
Google account to see the apps
linked with it
Chronological
Although one or two might be out
of place, for the most part youll
nd your most recent purchased
apps at the top of the list. Scroll to
the bottom to see the very rst few
paid apps you purchased
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Tutorials
Check app
permissions
Works with
Android 2.2 and up
Use F-Secure
to keep an eye
on malicious
and costly app
permissions
ecurity is a massive thing for a

lot of Android users and whether
its keeping our phone from
being stolen, or the sensitive data we
dont want people to access, knowing
exactly whats on your phone is vital.
Although theres an abundance of
mobile security apps on the market
that are great for discovering and
removing malware on Android devices,
one of the commonly overlooked areas
that users should really be regularly
checking on is how the apps on their
Filter permissions
1 When
you rst open the app, it will perform
a scan on your phone to show you just how many
permissions each app on your device has. Press
on the F-Secure icon in the top corner of the app
to open up the side menu.
42
device function. Each

and every app you
download onto your
device requires a certain
amount of permissions to
run properly and its these
permissions that you need
to be careful of. With the
F-Secure app, users can quickly
scan and identify potentially
harmful and costly permissions that
could leave you out of pocket and
render your phone useless.
Keep an eye on your

app permissions
that cost money

2 Apps
The rst lter youll want to check out is to
permissions
3 Check
Take a closer look at each app by selecting
see the permissions that could potentially cost

you money. After selecting the option, youll be
able to see which apps contain these permissions
and how many of these each app has.
it from the results page. Now you can see exactly

how the permissions affect your device. The
problematic permissions will be highlighted in blue
for you to read through.
information
4 IfLocation
you dont want your phone tracking your
an Advanced lter
5 Start
Theres also the option to perform a lter
location, then make sure to check the location

information lter. You might be surprised with just
how many apps require some location information
while running on your device.
based around a specic set of permissions. Open

the side menu and press the Advanced lter
option before going through the permissions you
want to scan your apps for.
the results
6 See
The app will now perform a full scan on
your phone searching for the permissions you
outlined. After gathering the results, you can press
on an app to take a closer look at the other
permissions it requires to function on your device.
Works with
Android 4.0 and up
Manage your
location settings
Find out how to take control of location data for your device
and heavily used Google apps and services
eeping track of a users location is set on

a per-device basis. This enables specic
apps to offer more accurate information if
location access is switched on. The same
principle applies to Google apps, but Google has
its own set of location settings. These refer
specically to any installed Google apps, eg
Google Maps, and will only be associated with

the Google account that the device is logged in to.
The Google settings effectively offer two options
that work together: Location Reporting and
Location History. The rst option ensures that
your location is reported, while History lets you
view location data by day, week or month.
[FIG 3] Location
History data is
stored for as long as
Location Reporting is
switched on. Delete
at any time by going
to Location History
[FIG 5] Google
stores location
data, which can be
accessed to view
where the user has
been in your
Google Maps app
1. Locations settings
3. Google Settings
To manage the location settings on an

Android device, the rst thing you need to
do is to make sure they are switched on.
Head to your Settings app and select
Location access and switch on the Access
to my location option. This will activate the
Location sources.
To take care of location settings for Google

apps, head to the Apps screen and locate
Google Settings. This will include the
Location option. Tap it to open. By default,
the Access location option is switched on.
Deactivating the Access location option
will in turn deactivate the associated
options. Note these settings are related to
the account that the device is signed in to.
2. Location sources
By default, switching on location access
will turn on both the GPS Satellites and
Wi-Fi & mobile network location options.
Either of the options can be switched off if
you dont want location data sent to
Google. However, both cannot be turned
off at the same time.
4. Location Reporting
Googles location settings has two options
associated with it: Location Reporting and
Location History. Both of these options are
only related to Google apps and can be
switched off if desired. Switching off the
Managing your location

settings is important
options will not affect a devices general

location settings. Location Reporting lets
Google store and use a devices recent
location data. This includes activities such
as walking and cycling.
5. Location History
Location History works in conjunction with
Location Reporting and lets Google store
location data from any device logged in to
a specic Google account. Keeping the
Location History on means that certain
Google services can often provide more
accurate results. Users can view the
Location History of a Google account by
visiting maps.google.com/locationhistory.
This offers two display options: Map and
Dashboard. Map provides a visual display
of routes on a specic day. The
Dashboard, currently in beta, provides a
selection of graphs for you.
Ask your own

question online at
I cannot nd
the location
settings on my
device. Where
are they?
Googles location
settings can differ
depending on device
and version. On
devices running 4.3 or
lower the location
settings can be found
under Location. On a
Nexus running Android
4.4 there are
additional sub-menus.
43
Tutorials
Automate common
tasks with Atooma
Works with
Android 2.3 and up
Boost your
productivity by
automating tasks
with scenarios
and outcomes
he life of a mobile device is all about processes

performed by the operating system and tasks
actioned by the user. And, its the users who
want to spend less time performing tasks and more
time doing what they want.
The simple solution is to automate everyday or
regular tasks. Sounds easy, and with the help of
Atooma, it can be. Atooma uses the if this happens do
this premise. The user chooses a scenario and
conclusion via an intuitive visual interface. It can
automate simple tasks such as popping up a message
when the battery reaches a certain level. But, this is

just a simple example of what can be achieved. Plus,
there are a host of If options that can be extended by
signing in to a Google account.
So, what else can users do? Users can automatically
store les in a selected folder, or a favourite cloud
service like Dropbox. There is the option to shake a
phone to switch to silent mode and much more. The
possibilities are almost endless, so the best thing to
do is experiment to get all the rules you want and
need. Heres how to get up and running.
Sign in
1 The
Atooma app can be accessed in a
Make your Android
device work even
better for you
If actions
3 The
Mobile category will display a selection
of related options in a circle. To view the options,
tap, hold and spin the dial. The selections come
under the If banner. This is the rst part of an
action (known as triggers) that can be put together
to do a specic task. We will start with Battery.
44
variety of ways. There is the option for Facebook

and Google+ users to sign in with their accounts.
This offers better integration with the app and the
accounts. Alternatively, hit the Skip button to get
started without signing in.
actions
4 Battery
Tap the Battery icon to view a further
selection of options; spin the dial to see all. On
offer is Level, Plugged and Unplugged. Select Level
to add the trigger. This will now display the related
options. In this case there is a Less/Greater option
with a percentage slider.
Atooma
2 New
The My Atooma screen is initially empty. To
add a new Atooma, rst tap the My Atooma icon in
the top-left corner of the home screen and select
the rst option in the drop-down, New Atooma.
This will present a visual collection of categories to
choose from. Tap Files to get started.
element
5 Set
To set the condition for the battery level,
select Less or Greater, tap the option and select.
Now set the battery level, for example 10%. Once
set, tap OK to continue. Note that the new addition
has a red close icon next to it. This allows for the
user to delete an item.
Get in touch
Were on Facebook and Twitter, or

just drop us an email
facebook
/littlegreenrobot
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Like us on Facebook and

join our community
@lgrobot

comments and pics
email
Need help? Got a question? Drop us

an email and let us know
Ask your own

question online at
Is this similar to the

more famous
Tasker app?
option
6 Do
After setting the If part of your new
Atooma rule the Do button makes a welcome
appearance. This takes the user back to the Do
menu, which offers the same menu options as
displayed previously. Tap Mobile and select
Notication this time.
message
7 Add
The notication option offers two further
options: Pop Up and Status. Both of these enable
the user to add a message. Tap Pop Up and insert
the text of the message to go with the previously
selected If option. For example, Battery is now at
15%. Press OK to continue.
Atooma does cover the same

sort of ground as Tasker but is
much more accessible as it
doesnt require the basic
understanding of programming
logic that you need to get the
most from Tasker. That app is
probably more powerful for
advanced users.
rule
8 Complete
The Do element works in the same way as
your Atooma
9 Tap
To complete the New Atooma, rst tap on
different rule
10 A
The example shown in the previous steps
the If element. The newly added element can be

removed and replaced if necessary. An equals sign
will now appear on your screen; tap to complete
the New Atooma. Tap the Title text to add a title for
the new rule.
the Tag your Atooma option. This will display a long

list of tags that can be applied to a new rule. To
add a new tag, simply tap to activate the
checkbox. Multiple tags can be added. When
nished, tap Apply and Save.
is relatively straightforward. To extend the power

of Atooma, a user can tap the Apps option and log
in with a Google account to add apps to the rule.
Try using Twitter to create a new rule. Note a
Twitter account will be needed.
rule
12 Stop
By default, the newly created rule will be
and delete
13 Icon
By default, a new rule is assigned a default
active, or running. To stop the rule from being

active, tap the on/off button icon. This will turn to
grey to indicate its state. Tap again to switch back
on. Go back to My Atooma and the icon will be
greyed out as well.
colour and icon. To change the default, rst tap

the icon in the top-right corner. Now choose a
colour, select a new icon and tap OK to apply.
Finally, to delete a rule, simply tap the trash icon at
the bottom of the screen.
rule
11 Edit
The My Atooma window displays all the
rules created within the app. To view and edit a
rule, simply tap the associated icon. This will
display the construction of the rule. Tap the pencil
icon up in the top-right corner to edit or add
conditions to the rule.
45
Tutorials
Works with
Android 4.2 and up
Activate the
Daydream
Set unique
screensavers
After customising your Daydream,

make sure to select when you want
the Daydream to activate. By
default, the Daydream wont work
when your phone is on charge or
docked, but this can be changed
within the settings
Stop daydreaming
Use Daydream to add a custom

screensaver to freshen up your
phone or tablet
While the Daydream feature is

running, by pressing on the screen
you can quickly exit from it. Through
the Settings menu, you can also
set how long your phone has to be
inactive for the Daydream feature
to start running
ne of the most overlooked customisation

features available to Android users is
Daydream. Accessible through the Display
sub-menu within the Settings on your device,
Daydream is a custom screensaver that you can
implement to your device when it isnt in use. Although
its a fairly basic addition to the variety of
customisations you can make on your device, it does
offer several unique features worth checking out.
As well as offering both photo and clock options,
which are fairly standard screensaver options, you can
also use several third-party apps as part of your
Daydream. Both Flipboard and Currents offer the latest
headlines in a customised Daydream and apps like
Tasker and Locale are also compatible. Apart from this,
theres a whole host of additional apps that bring more
functionality to the Daydream feature, including a
launcher built around it, the Daydream Launcher.
Currents integration
Google Currents is one of the
additional compatible apps. When
set, Currents will provide the latest
headlines for you to read through,
and you can open up the story
through the Daydream as well
Other apps
As well as Google Currents, there
are a range of other apps that are
compatible with the Daydream
feature. Popular apps such as
Tasker and Locale can be added to
make your Daydream a bit more
functional for you
Set a new Daydream

From clocks to Google Currents, theres a wide range
of choices when it comes to adding and implementing
a new Daydream on your device
Notication
If you choose to also download the
additional Daydream Launcher app,
you can add a separate notication
that enables you to quickly access
and open your customised
Daydream whenever you want
1 Choices
Open the
Daydream Settings
app and select the
Pick a Daydream
option. Here you can
see the types of
Daydreams you can
add. Certain third-party
apps are compatible,
like Tasker.
46
2 Pictures
There are
several options
available to users
wanting to use a
picture as their
Daydream. You can set
a single picture or
select a few and
arrange them into a
collage-style effect.
a clock
3 Set
The most
traditional Daydream
you can set is a digital
clock. There are
different styles of the
clock interface you
can choose to
implement if the
standard display isnt
to your exact liking.
You can also use several

third-party apps as part of
your Daydream
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Tutorials
Print wirelessly from a
KitKat device
Works with
Android 4.4 only
Send and print

documents
directly from a
device to a
wireless printer
rinting a le or document has long been part

of the desktop experience. However, transition
to a mobile device hasnt always been so easy.
Plugging a device directly into a printer has never
been a feasible option. The obvious solution is via a
wireless connection, but this relies on the OS
providing the support. And, this is exactly what the
KitKat update brings to Android users.
The latest version brings with it wireless printing.
The obvious issue here is that the printer being used
in the process has to have wireless support. The

addition of wireless printing comes in two guises:
cloud printing and standard wireless printing. Cloud
printing enables those who do not have access to a
wireless printer a selection of alternative options. If a
Google Drive account is available, a document can be
saved there. Another option is to save the current le
as a PDF. The wireless printing option works in the
same way as standard once connected. Simply select
a printer and hit the Print button job done.
you have KitKat?

1 Do
To implement the printing process, the rst
step is to make sure that you have KitKat installed.
Head to Settings and locate System, tap About
and this will give you a rundown of the current
version. If necessary, update the OS according to
the onscreen instructions.
printer is needed and that the Wi-Fi on the device

to print from is switched on. To check that Wi-Fi is
switched on, head to Settings>Wi-Fi. Tap Wi-Fi to
check the connection. The device must be on the
same Wi-Fi network as the printer.
Printing services
3 Head
back to your devices main Settings
print
4 Cloud
The premise of cloud printing is that users
HP printers
5 The
alternative default printing service is
screen and locate the Printing option. Tap Printing

to reveal the printing services currently available to
you. By default, there are two options: Cloud Print
and the HP Print Service Plugin. Both of these are
on by default.
can print to any web-connected printer. Cloudready printers are the ideal choice. Selecting Cloud
print will search for any available printers. If none
are available, the option to save to Google Drive
will still be available.
provided by HP. The HP Print Service Plugin is

pre-installed. Tap the link and your device will start
searching for nearby wireless printers. Any
available printer will appear here and in the print
list below.
KitKat
provides new
printing options
48
network
2 Wi-Fi
Wireless printing means that a wireless
Check the different settings to get the printout you want

1 Save as PDF
Instead of saving to Google Drive,

use the Save as PDF option. This
allows up to A0 size.
2 Check the colour
It may seem obvious, but check the

colour setting to see if you can print
in colour as well as black and white.
3 Cloud printers
For the best experience use a

wireless printer. See google.co.uk/
cloudprint/learn/printers.html.
4 Get Google Chrome
To work with wireless printing it is

recommended that the Chrome
browser is installed.
5 No cloud please
Once connected to a wireless

printer the cloud print option can be
switched off in Settings.
Manage and add

min new printers
guide
Take control of the current crop of printers and discover

how to add a cloud-ready or wireless printer
printing
6 Start
Open the document you wish to print. We
are using a Word document created in Quickofce.
Tap the menu icon and select Print from the menu.
When there are no printers available, the Save to
Google Drive option is default. Tap Print to save to
the current Google Drive account.
settings
1 Cloud
Head to Settings>System>Printing and
to paper
7 Print
Where wireless printers are available it is
tap the Cloud Print option. This displays the

available options, typically including Save to
Google Drive. To view the current settings, tap
the menu button and select Settings. This will
display the account being used. Tap to add
another account.
jobs
2 Print
Under Settings>Manage resides the
Print job option, which lists the documents
saved to Google Drive. To Refresh the list all you
need to do is tap the refresh arrows. To select a
document for removal, quickly tap your le of
choice, or hold and wait for it to turn blue. Tap
the Trash icon to delete.
simply a matter of selecting the appropriate printer

from the list. Check the paper size, typically A4 as
default, and the Colour and Orientation options
before hitting Print. This will differ depending on
the printer being used.
HP settings
8 Change
The HP Plugin enables users to modify a
few settings. These can be found via
Settings>System>Printing. Select HP Plugin and
tap the menu button in the top-right corner and
select Settings. Now tap the 2-sided off button to
allow for two-sided printing.
Cloud printing
3 Google
Google Cloud Print printers connect
directly to the internet and will be available
without the need for a laptop or desktop
computer. Under the Cloud Print option, tap the
menu icon (top-right) and select Add Printer.
This will redirect the user to the online location
with more information.
a printer
4 Add
There are a couple of options for adding
a standard printer. The rst is to follow the
previous step and select Add Classic printer.
The other alternative is to select HP Print
Service Plugin (via your devices Settings app)
and tap the menu icon, select Add printer and
tap on the + icon.
49
DroidSupport
troubleshooting advice hints and tips
expert
emailGotan
an Androidrelated problem that
you need solving?
Let us know!
Share your tips & tricks
Join us on Facebook and Twitter
to share and receive some
great tips and advice
facebook
/littlegreenrobot
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in our Android community
twitter
@lgrobot
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your thoughts and questions
Did you know?

Google has launched the Android Device
Manager app that enables you to track
the whereabouts of your Android
devices. Its essential if you have both a
phone and a tablet as it means youll be
able to nd, or remotely wipe, one from
the other should you ever lose it.
Missing features
on the Nexus 5
Ive recently upgraded from a
Samsung Galaxy S III to a Nexus
5. I love pretty much everything
about the phone, but I am
missing a few of the features
that I took for granted on my S
III. These include things like the
quick settings shortcuts in the
notications pane, and
advanced video and camera
apps. What are your
recommendations?
Paula Vine
The Nexus 5 is indeed a

fantastic phone, but as
youve noted it does
lack a few of the subtle
usability touches that Samsung
incorporates into its devices.
This represents the different
attitude of the manufacturers:
Samsung wants to produce a
phone that does everything you
could want it to do right from the
outset, while Google is producing
a pure smartphone that you
customise with apps in order to
get it to do exactly what you
want. This means that there are
apps for everything you are
missing. For example, to add
shortcuts to the notications
pane you can use the Settings
Extended app. This will enable
Settings Extended gives you full control of

your phone via the notications shade
you to toggle Wi-Fi and data on

and off, control the backlight
and even have a quick shortcut
to a torch feature. Its one of our
favourite apps for the Nexus 5.
For video, check out MX Player,
which supports just about every
kind of video format youll ever
Chronus is our
pick of the best clock
and weather widgets
encounter. And as for a better

camera app, there are literally
dozens in the Play store that you
can choose from. Shot Control or
Camera FV-5 are our choices for a
more professional app, while
Camera Zoom FX or Camera
Awesome will add the more
consumer-friendly options youll
be used to from Samsung. While
were recommending some apps
you might also want to try
Battery Percent for KitKat (free
from the Play store) to display
vital battery information, Textra
as a classier alternative to
Hangouts for text messaging,
and Chronus, our current
favourite home screen clock and
weather widget (which also
works on your lock screen too).
Why cant I swap

picture messages?
I am in the UK, my friend is in Australia. We have no problems
texting and calling but for some reason we cannot swap picture
messages. I have a Samsung S3 and a contract with T Mobile/EE. I
am not sure what phone she has, but know that she is pay-as-you-go
with 3. I dont believe it is a smartphone.
Laura Davis
This is a difcult
problem to solve
because we do not
know all the information
required to see where the
process is failing. If your friend
does not use a smartphone that
will immediately rule out many
potential solutions such as
WhatsApp, which would make
swapping pictures easier,
quicker and less expensive. Our
rst thought is that one of you
does not have picture messaging
enabled and we have seen in the
past that you will not always see
a warning advising you of the

fact when sending fails, it simply
fails to send messages. Also, you
mention that your friend does
not have a smartphone. Is it even
capable of sending and receiving
picture messages? Our advice
would be for each of you to
contact your providers to make
sure that picture messages can
be sent before you do anything
else, and to check the costs of
doing so across countries
because they could be extremely
expensive. Next, try to nd a way
to use free apps like the
/littlegreenrobot
Get help from our
Facebook community
email
Send your questions for our team of

experts to tackle
Try to nd a way
to use free apps
like WhatsApp,
even if that does
mean your friend
purchasing a
budget device
Picture messages can be very expensive to

send abroad
aforementioned WhatsApp, even

if that does mean your friend
purchasing a budget Android
device. Potentially that could
save you both a lot of money in
the long run. As we said, we
DroidSupport
facebook
Ask your questions
Got a problem with your Android phone or tablet?

Send it to us and well nd the solution
Apps like WhatsApp almost

make picture messaging obsolete
cannot offer a full answer due to

lack of detail, and this applies to
all questions we get. Please
supply all of the detail and we
will do our best to make your
Android dreams come true
Get more from your Android phone with our handy hints
Change volume
settings quickly
On many Android devices you can change the

volume settings by holding down a volume key
and then tapping the icon cog. This will then let
you tweak the system volume, ringtone,
notications and media sound levels. You can
also use a widget to do this.
Magically add
an SD card
Not all devices support SD expansion, but

Meenova (www.meenova.com) makes an
accessory that will work through a standard
Android port and use an SD card for expansion.
It is tiny, can connect to your PC and works on
many different devices.
up valuable
memory
3Free
Apps will use up memory even after you have

stopped using them, but App Cache Cleaner
Pro from the Google Play store will let you clean
up the caches with one tap. This is particularly
useful if you nd your device slowing down or if
memory is low.
51
Did you know?
DroidSupport
I have
forgotten my
password!
If you use your device with a desktop cradle you can go into
Settings>Developer options and set the screen to stay awake
when charging. We are past the time where leaving the screen
on will cause damage and this will give you a useful desk clock.
Caring for
the elderly
I have an elderly Zepad running

ICS 2.3.4. Do you think it possible
to upgrade to a later version of
Android? I notice that the device
is already rooted as it shows a
SuperUser app and a Terminal.
I own a Smart Pad EP750 and

managed to forget my password
after being interrupted. The pad
has no volume control, only an
On/Off switch with a reset
hole on the rear. What can I do?
Some budget tablets have unusual software

and hardware setups
Normally when you lose

the password you will
have serious problems
trying to get a device working
and you mentioned in your full
question that you may have to
send the device back to the
manufacturer to get the problem
sorted. We would suggest visiting
http://bit.ly/1beJJsK and looking
for the rmware download that
is specic to your model and
then downloading the PDF
instructions as well to be on the
safe side. According to the
instructions the tablet needs to
be turned off at the start of the
process so in theory you should

be able to update the rmware
and get it running properly
again. These are the ofcial
downloads from the
manufacturer and so should
present no problems in the
slightest, but you could also
consider rooting the device and
doing it that way instead.
However, the Smart Pad that you
own is not a well-known brand
and so your options may be
limited in this area. Once you
have updated the rmware and
everything is working as it
should, dont forget to write
down your password!
J Keane
Paul Reitman
The problem with

updating tablets and
phones that are quite old
is that you can give yourself new
features, but at the expense of
less reliability and slower
performance. This is exacerbated
if a device was not highly
specied in the rst place and so
our rst inclination is to advise
to just use it for what you can
and not try to push it beyond the
limits of the processor etc.
However, if you are determined,
take a look at http://forum.
xda-developers.com to see if
anyone has made a ROM that
will work on your device. The
fact it is already rooted will save
Not all devices have enough power to

support software upgrades
you a lot of time and if reviews

from other users are favourable,
it could be worth trying. The
worst that could happen is that
you will have to purchase
another tablet if it fails to
respond, but to match the
Zepads specications you should
not need to spend very much
at all.
Nexus-PC connection issue

I am a new owner of the Nexus 7 and when I connected it to the USB port
of my desktop computer for the rst time everything was ne, but on a
second attempt (the next day) I could not get connected.I found a message
today (in Computer) that an unknown device was connected.The leads
are OK.Is my Nexus 7 faulty? Dave Brock
This seems to be a common problem, but
there is some hope because there are a
number of things you can try. Firstly, we
would advise to download Android File Transfer
from http://www.android.com/letransfer and see
if that lets your computer see the Nexus. In our
experience, many PCs will be able to see a
device using this software even when the
standard le manager cannot. If that does not
help, check to see if USB debugging has been
enabled accidentally in Settings. If it has, disable it
for the moment. In Settings>Storage look for the
button in the upper-right and make sure that MTP is
checked. If neither of these work, try going to http://
bit.ly/xvSSl and downloading and installing the
ofcial Google USB driver. It sounds as though some
settings have changed on the PC as it worked
initially and then failed, but we remain sceptical
52
The ofcial Google USB driver is always

worth downloading
purely because this problem is not uncommon on a

Nexus 7. If you are brave, some people have actually
made their own drivers to resolve connection
problems like this, and a quick search on the net will
highlight which are available. You will of course
need to carefully consider what to install if its
coming from an unofcial source. Good luck getting
your Nexus connected.
Got a great tip, or found a cool

shortcut? Let us know!
My device
is slow
My Galaxy S3 sometime struggles

to cope with certain tasks, and
despite trying various ROMs, it
still slows down when I push it.
Any ideas?
Clive Morgan
The problem with device

performance is that
everyone has a different
usage pattern and so
specications are rarely the main
factor in determining how well a
phone or tablet will perform. The
fact that you have tried ROMs
means that your device is rooted
so you could try an app called
Seeder, which is available from
the Google Play store. It is
designed to speed up Android
tasks that try to take large
amounts of data from limited
sources and potentially it can
speed up your device when you
are pushing it very hard. It isnt
guaranteed to help you for every
task you use as an individual, but
it does highlight that there is no
one guaranteed way to deal with
all performance issues. As we
said, we are all different and it
may come down to trying tweaks
and ROMs out until you nd a
solution that works acceptably for
you, but by far the best way to
ensure good performance most of
the time is to buy the very best
device you can, and one with the
best specications. In theory, all
new high-end Android devices
should be able to cope with
anything users and third-party
developers throw at them.
/littlegreenrobot

join our online community
twitter
@lgrobot
Follow us on Twitter to
send us your tips & tricks
Discovered anything good about your

Android phone? Let us know!
Cant connect to Wi-Fi

I have had my Nexus 7 for ve months with no problems. I went
away for a week and when I returned home I nd that I cannot sign
in to get a Wi-Fi connection. All the time Ive been away there has
been no problem connecting to Wi-Fi hotspots. Can you help
please? Jack Gowing
This is unusual
because most Wi-Fi
connection problems
we receive usually involve
devices losing Wi-Fi parity
some time after connecting, but
the fact you cannot connect at
all is unusual. We would
suggest looking at our rst
related tip to forget the router
you are trying to connect to and
maybe also doing the same for
other connections that are
currently listed on your Nexus.
The rest will be trial and error
until you can nd the exact
cause; can you connect to other
routers from the Nexus? Can
other devices connect to your
router? Is the password correct
and have you tried to change it?
The last option may sound
strange, but it can often x
problems where devices are
having problems connecting.
Finally, it will be worth checking
to see if others have a similar
problem with the router you use,
but as it was not quoted in the
Update
60% Complete
update update
We bring you the news and
rumours on the latest Android

updates, and the phones that can
run them
T
Wi-Fi connection problems are common
question it is difcult to be more

specic as to an exact answer. It
could well be that a full factory
reset will be needed eventually,
but there are many different
things you can try before you
reach that stage.
the router
1 Forget
If you are having problems connecting to a
specic router or hotspot, go to Settings>Wireless
and networks, select the router and then tap
Forget. Now try connecting to it again and it may
work perfectly.
Fixer
2 Wi
Wi Fixer is a free app available from
Google Play that deals with all kinds of Wi-Fi issues
and is worth having installed even if you only
occasionally suffer Wi-Fi connection problems. It
could make a huge difference.
sleep
3 Dont
When devices fail to connect to a router
Seeder will help performance in a
non-obvious way
email
DroidSupport
facebook
Share your tips
after not having been used for some time, it is

usually the Wi-Fi sleep policy causing problems.
Look for the advanced Wi-Fi settings and select
Always to resolve the problem.
he Moto G has become

one of the rst phones
to get the full KitKat
update. The budget device
was already one of the most
impressive on the market
thanks to its combination of
low, low cost and much better
than expected build and
performance. It is now an
even more compelling
purchase and highlights the
Google-owned Motorola as
being one of the
manufacturers to watch over
the next year. Other devices
in the budget range have yet
to be earmarked for updates,
and past history suggests
they may not be. Meanwhile
then the wait continues for
the rollout proper to begin.
The Nexus devices have been
updated to 4.4.2. The second
update was a minor bugx
release following the rst
which was aimed primarily at
the Nexus 5 and brought with
it a considerable upgrade to
the performance of the
camera. Other phones
expected to be getting KitKat
include the HTC One, One
Max and One Mini; the LG G2;
several older Motorola
handsets including the the
RAZR HD; the agship Galaxy
devices of the last year or so;
and several key members of
the Sony Xperia range
including the Z and Z1. The
Huawei Ascend P6 is also
among scheduled recipients.
53
Explore the limits of your Android device
Hacker Zne
status update
Tips and tricks
Which devices are best for

the hacking scene?
with most modern rooted devices.

Download it from http://bit.
ly/19jG6Ws.
Google
Nexus 5
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
QQQHigh
As easy to root as any
other Nexus, the 5 will
almost certainly
become a test-bed for
ROMs and mods.
Nexus 7
(2013)
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
QQQMedium
Easily rooted and with
almost unlimited
potential for hacks
and mods should you
need to improve on
what youve got.
Samsung
Galaxy S4
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
QQQMedium
If you want to remove
some of the Samsung
bloatware or optimise
the phones
performance youll nd
many options.
HTC One
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
QQQMedium
Not a massive number
of ROMs available.
However, most of the
popular names are
present and correct on
the device.
Unlock the
Nexus
bootloader
If youre planning on rooting and
hacking your Nexus device youll
need to unlock the bootloader
rst. Its a good idea to do this
straight away as the process will
completely wipe your storage.
54
GravityBox has some awesome

hardware tweaks
Control
music with
the volume
buttons
One of our current favourite Android

hacking tools is the Xposed
Framework, with the GravityBox
module. We looked at this in some
depth back in issue 32, and it is the
gift that keeps on giving.
Of the numerous essential tweaks
you can perform in GravityBox one of
the absolute best is the ability to use
your phones hardware volume keys
to control the music app. In short,
when your phone is in your pocket
with the screen turned off you can
skip tracks forward and back simply
by long pressing either volume up or
volume down. This option is found in
Media Tweaks in GravityBox. The
Xposed Framework is compatible
1 Install the SDK
Download the Android SDK to

your desktop computer from
developer.android.com/sdk/index.
html. Open a command line or
Terminal window and use the cd
command to change the directory to
the platform-tools directory in the
SDK download folder.
Access
notications
while locked
Another Xposed hack that we could

not live without comes through the
Notication mod module. This, as
you may gather from the name,
houses a host of modications for
the notications pane. The one we
nd most useful is the Lockscreen
Notication option that enables you
to pull down the notication pane
even when the phone is locked.
Without it you can only view
Dont let a lockscreen stand between you

and your notications
2 Enter the command

Connect your Nexus (youll need
drivers for Windows from developer.
android.com/sdk/win-usb.html) and
boot into fastboot mode by holding
the power and volume down keys.
The command to unlock is fastboot
oem unlock. On a Mac or Linux
machine it is ./fastboot oem unlock.
notications on the lockscreen if you

dont use any of Androids security
options. Using this feature, your
devices notications can be easily
viewed and swiped to be dismissed.
If you want to tap to open the
application associated with them you
will be prompted to unlock before you
can proceed.
OTA updates
when rooted
Over the air updates come out on a

semi-regular basis, especially for new
devices, and are often a source of
confusion for rooted users.
Most rooted devices will accept
over the air updates so long as the
system itself has not been modied.
So, for instance, rooted with custom
recovery should be ne, but if youve
deleted some system apps any
attempt at installing an OTA will fail.
And, of course, if youre running a
custom ROM then youll need to ash
an updated version of that rather than
trying to ash an ofcial update.
If you do have problems on a rooted
device then you should try disabling
Superuser rst in the settings area of
the Super SU app (assuming that is
what you have installed). And if youre
using a framework like Xposed youll
need to disable that too use the
Uninstall option with the Framework
settings rather than uninstalling the
3 Check its unlocked
The process will now begin. It

will only take a few seconds, but
make sure you dont interrupt it.
Once done you can reboot your
device. On the boot screen you
should now see an unlocked
padlock icon this means the
unlocking was a success.
Discovered a great hack or

tweak? Let us know!
/littlegreenrobot
You may need to disable Super SU when

trying to install an OTA update
entire app itself. On installing the

update you will almost certainly lose
root and may even have your custom
recovery replaced with stock. In most
cases re-rooting is as easy as it was
initially, although do check for
updated versions of Super SU and
your preferred recovery before you
attempt to do it.
See masses
of app info
Youll see info
Process Stats is packed with info on what

your apps are getting up to
Hacking the easy way

Anti-theft (rooted)
Free
From: Play store

Need root? Yes
This new security app
from AVAST offers the
usual tricks youd
expect from a nd your
lost phone app and a
lot more. The app
cannot be uninstalled
or even removed after
a factory reset.

send us your comments
maximum amounts of RAM the app

has been using and also what other
services it has been connecting to.
You can also switch between
background and foreground apps.
Google itself describes these as
geeky stats and they are, but they
are also useful for identifying any
apps that are using excessive
amounts of system resources when
running in the background. Android
is generally very good at controlling
background apps, but some apps
Theres a new feature in KitKat called

Procstats (as in Process Stats) that
gives you masses of detailed
information about the apps running
on your phone. You can nd it by
going into the Developer options
these are hidden by default so if you
havent already you can show them
by going to Settings>About phone,
scrolling to the bottom and then
tapping Build number a few times
and hitting Process Stats.
What you will see is a list of all the
apps that have been running on your
device recently and for what
percentage of the time they have
been running. Tap on one of the
apps name and youll see
information detailing the average and
email
detailing the
average and
maximum
amounts of RAM
the app has
been using and
other services it
has been
connecting to
Is there anything youd like to see us

cover in the mag? Drop us a line!
are required to be running in the

background at all times and well
written ones should ideally use as
little RAM as possible.
Upgrading
the Galaxy
Nexus
Despite the fact that Android 4.4 has

been optimised to work better on
less powerful hardware, and that the
main selling point of Nexus devices is
to get the latest OS updates, the
Galaxy Nexus has been overlooked in
the recent KitKat rollout.
This is likely due to the fact that
the phone runs on a Texas
Instruments chip, and the company
is no longer in the smartphone
business. But that has not stopped
Androids eager army of modders.
The Galaxy Nexus is now in
possession of a full and (for the most
part) stable ROM. It is based on
CyanogenMod 11 and after a month
of development all the functions of
the device are now fully working.
There will inevitably be a few quirks to
using it, since it is one of the more
unofcial updates, but reports from
users wanting to keep their devices
up to date are very positive.
Download CyanogenMod 11 for the
Galaxy Nexus from http://bit.
ly/1e7Rqcr.
Get up to speed on all the

terms you need to know
when hacking your phone
OS
Short for operating system. Often the
Android ROM will be referred to as the
OS this just means the system les
on the Android device that make up
your user experience, similar to
Windows, Mac OS X or Ubuntu on a
desktop computer.
ROM
Stands for read-only memory. In the
context of Android, the ROM refers to
the les that make up the operating
system installed on your device.
Gaining root privileges allows for
replacement of the standard ROM
with a custom one.
Root
Rooting your phone gives apps access
to parts of the OS that are normally
hidden from consumers. This enables
you to run more powerful software and
install custom ROMs on your phone.
ROM Manager
An app available from the Android
Market that enables you to install
a whole new version of your OS with
a single click. It requires a rooted
phone to use and is ideal for those
new on the scene.
Titanium Backup
This app from the Market enables you
to back up everything on your phone
apps, data, settings and all. It means
that you can restore your phone to how
it was, even after youve updated or
changed the ROM.
Unrevoked
Available from www.unrevoked.com,
this is a one-click tool that can be
used for rooting many popular
HTC smartphones.
ADB
Stands for Android Debug Bridge. ADB
is mainly used for software
development, but it also has some
uses for hacking your phone. It can be
used to push les onto the system
folder, for instance.
Nandroid
Test out KitKat on your Galaxy Nexus
Get great new features without getting your hands (too) dirty
One Power Guard
Droid Backup & Share
From: Play store

Need root? Yes
One Power Guard is a
complete toolkit for
extending your phones
battery life. From
optimising the kernel to
closing down power
draining apps it is an
extremely
comprehensive app.
From: Play store

Need root? No
With Droid Backup &
Share you can back up
and restore your
devices data to either
an SD card or straight
to the cloud. Key data,
plus text messages
are included and root
is not required.
Free
Jargon
Buster
Hacker Zne
facebook
Share your tips
Free
Check our website daily

for even more tips & tricks
You might come across the phrase

perform a Nandroid backup. This
means using a custom recovery tool
to make a back-up image of everything
currently on your phone: OS, apps,
data, etc. Its very useful should you
wish to restore your phone to its
previous state later.
Radio
Radio refers to the software on your
Android device that deals with making
phone calls and data connections.
Updating your radio version can bring
better battery life and signal strength
to your device. Some ROMs require the
latest radio.
Flash
The storage in your device comprises
ash memory, a type of solid-state
storage. The terms ash or ashing
mean installing new software onto your
devices storage.
55
FROM BEGINNER TO ADVANCED: 12 BRILLIANT HACKS YOU MUST TRY
ne of the biggest appeals of Android is its

openness and the ease with which it can
be hacked and modied. When you buy a
phone or tablet you hope that it will be able to do
everything you want it to do, in the way that you

want, but inevitably you will encounter a few
things youd like to change. Android is unique
among smartphone operating systems in that
almost any of the frustrations that you encounter

with the OS can be xed one way or another.
Sometimes its just a simple app that you can
install from the Play store; often you need to go a
By hacking your
Android device
you can overcome
any problem
you can even
install a whole new
version of the OS if
you want
56
Hacking Masterclass
Get started with

hacking Android
We guide you through what you need to know
before you hack your phone or tablet
little deeper. By hacking your Android device you
can overcome any problem you can make your
phone run faster, install apps that are listed as
being incompatible with your device (even though
theyre not) and even install a whole new version of
the OS if you want. It is these kinds of hacks that
well be focusing on in this masterclass.
First steps
Before you can undertake any hacking on your
device you will need to root it. The term root comes
from the Linux world where root is the name of the
default account on a Linux machine, and has full
access to the entire system. The equivalent in the
Windows or Mac world is the administrator
account, and that is essentially what rooting your
device gives you: administrator privileges over your
phone or tablet.
Despite Androids reputation for openness an
out-of-the-box Android device is pretty well locked
down. You can do what you like within the connes
of a walled garden, but access to the system itself
is strictly off limits. This is primarily a security
measure. If you can access crucial system les
then you can also edit and delete them, and if you
edit or delete the wrong le you can render your
device unbootable. Likewise this locked down
state also prevents third-party apps from
accessing the most sensitive parts of the device.
Theres plenty of discussion about the rise of

malware on Android, but they are mostly designed
to steal data from devices. What they cant do is
properly infect your device by modifying the OS.
Rooting removes all such restrictions and gives you
full access to every part of the Android OS.
Rooting isnt ofcially sanctioned by device
manufacturers but there is a general acceptance
throughout the industry that it is something
enthusiasts want to do. Sony, HTC and Motorola
tend to take a fairly relaxed approach to the topic,
making it easy to unlock their devices and
frequently publishing resources to aid those who
create hacks for the products. In recent months
Samsung has been gaining a reputation for being
less hack friendly, although its devices can still be
rooted and modied.
So how do you root your device? Unfortunately
that is a difcult question to answer. Not because
rooting is especially hard on some products it is
trivial but because the process differs on virtually
every device. Most often root access is gained by
exploiting a security hole in the OS. This needs to
be discovered in each instance by a developer, who
will then document the process.
Before you undertake the rooting you will need to
make sure that the bootloader on the device is
unlocked. The bootloader is a piece of software
Hacking Dos and Donts

DO Make a full backup before
you undertake all but the most
basic hacks. Back up your data
using an app like Titanium Backup or
Helium, and make a Nandroid
backup if youre ashing ROMs. It
will help you recover from any
problems you encounter.
DO Follow the instructions fully
for everything you do. Most tweaks
are largely risk free and user error is
by far the most likely reason for
problems to occur through them.
Don't be complacent!
that boots the OS, and so needs to be unlocked if

you want to install a custom ROM. On some
devices it is unlocked already. HTC and Sony
devices can be unlocked using ofcial tools at
htcdev.com and unlockbootloader.sonymobile.
com. For other devices that need it unlocking it will
be incorporated into the root process. Note that
unlocking the bootloader will completely wipe the
device, so its a good idea to do it as soon as youve
decided youre going to root.
The rooting procedure differs from one device to
the next, with varying degrees of difculty. For
some devices there are one-click solutions or
toolkits that run on your desktop computer. These
are useful for beginners, although getting your
hands dirty at an early stage will probably benet
you in the long run.
Rooting involves several steps, and they may be
automated or may require some user input. The
steps include the installation of a custom recovery.
Recovery is a small partition that boots
independently of the OS and is used when ashing
ROMs, making full backups to x problems. Devices
have a stock recovery installed but it is not
designed for user use. A custom recovery is
essential, and your root process will normally give
you either CWM (ClockworkMod) or TWRP (Team
The quick guide to hacking Android
DO Ensure your phone or tablet

is at least 50% charged and
preferably also plugged in to the
mains supply when ashing
anything. A loss of power during the
procedure could brick your device.
DO Report problems to the
developer as many hacks and
ROMs are a perpetual work in
progress and bugs can be xed. But
also check it isnt your mistake
many root apps have one-star
reviews from users whose devices
arent rooted.
DONT
DONT
Try and ash a ROM or mod that isnt

designed for your specic handset.
It will not work and may break it.
Double check the model number
too, as some have international and
country-specic variants with
incompatible specs.
Expect performance of ROMs to be

as smooth and stable as the one
that shipped with your phone.
Although the best are excellent for
daily use, it is inevitable that you
will likely encounter bugs from time
to time.
DONT
DONT
Fiddle with things unless you know

exactly what they do. Many of the
options youll see are not designed
for consumer input and refer to the
core workings of your device.
Panic if things go wrong. As long as

there is some sign of life when you
press the power button on your
phone then even the worst
problems can be recovered from.
57
Win Recovery Project), which look different but

perform the same role.
Then the su binary gets injected into the system.
su stands for Switch User and is what gives you
root access where literally nothing is off limits.
Finally a superuser apk is installed. This is an app
that runs within Android and controls which apps
and services can have root access.
To nd the best rooting procedure for your
Android device head over to forum.xda-developers.
com and locate the forum dedicated to your
handset. Each forum will have an up-to-date guide
to the best method for rooting, along with links to
the software required to complete the process. Be
sure to read the instructions and follow them to the
letter and it should complete very quickly.
Hacking options
Now that your device is rooted you can do a whole
lot more. The rst thing to try is to head to the Play
store, search for root and youll see a whole
selection of apps that you previously would not
Before you begin

Rooting and hacking your device
is a relatively easy process, and
everything you do to it can be
fully undone. So should you
ever need to restore your phone
or tablet to its original state you
will be able to. There are
however three potential
downsides to rooting that you
should consider. First is that a

few select apps may no longer
work. These are mostly apps
that require a certain level of
security, such as banking apps
or some commercial media
streaming apps. Second, is that
you may not be able to install
over-the-air updates anymore,
have been able to use. Greenify, Titanium Backup

and Root Explorer are three you should check rst.
After that you can begin to explore the world of
custom ROMs an entirely new version of the
Android OS that often has new features, a different
look and is based on a newer version of the OS
than youve got ofcially installed and kernels,
which enable you to control the hardware and to
optimise it for better performance or longer battery
and if you can they will almost

certainly unroot your device in
the process. (You can still
update manually, of course.)
Third, rooting may invalidate
your warranty. Should you ever
need to make a warranty claim
you should restore the device
to its factory conditions rst.
life. Or if youd rather stick to smaller

enhancements and problem solving you can
investigate the wealth of mods and tweaks. A
couple of our favourites, that weve included in this
guide, are ones that enable you to run different
keyboards depending on whether youre holding
your phone in portrait or landscape mode, and how
to revoke certain permissions from apps and stop
them tracking you or snooping on your data.
After that you can begin to explore the world of custom ROMs an entirely new
version of the Android OS and kernels
Works with
Varies with device Difculty Easy
Increase your phones storage

Want to add extra storage for your media content? Heres how to use USB ash drives
ven with the gradual shift towards

keeping content in the cloud there are
still times when you need as much
local storage on your Android device as
possible. When travelling on a train, for
instance, you might frequently pass through
root
1 IfCheck
external USB storage is not supported
natively on your phone and it tends to be on
agship devices from HTC and Samsung your
best bet is to use the StickMount app from the
Play store. This needs your device to be rooted in
order for it to work.
58
areas of poor network coverage and so be

unable to access your important les; or
when youre overseas youll be mostly
restricted to Wi-Fi areas to avoid running up
huge roaming bills. For some devices the
simple answer is to add the largest micro SD
the drive
2 Add
Launch StickMount and give it root
permissions when prompted. Plug your USB OTG
cable into the USB port on your phone or tablet,
with the Flash drive also connected. OTG adapters
can be picked up inexpensively online. Tap the
Mount button to access the drive.
card that your phone will support (check the

specs for your specic device as it is often
limited to either 32GB or 64GB). For Android
devices without a memory card slot you can
often use a USB On-the-Go adapter and add a
ash drive.
the storage
3 Access
You can now go to Settings>Storage and
you should see the USB drive and its associated
details, such as the amount of space used and
available. The content stored on the drive should
show up in related apps. Tap the Unmount button
before you remove the drive.
Works with Android 4.0 and up

Difculty Easy
Varies with device Difculty Easy
Solve problems
with Safe Mode
Booting in to Safe Mode is the easiest way to deal with
apps that start misbehaving
or the most part, downloading and installing Android apps is a pretty safe and
reliable process. You may occasionally come across one that is poorly written and so
crashes frequently, but the problems it causes will be limited to the app itself. On rare
occasions however you may nd an app that causes wider problems and makes it difcult for
you to use your phone, maybe an app that is conicting with a mod youve made to your
device, or is causing other system apps to crash in such a way that you cannot even uninstall
it normally. Safe Mode is the solution to this problem.
Auto-brightness in Android can be

quite patchy either too bright or too
dark. Heres how to make it better
Configure
autobrightness
Hacking Masterclass
Works with
Install the app Lux from the Play store

and then enable it when prompted. Set
the Adjust setting to Dynamically to ensure
the brightness level changes based on
ambient conditions.
crashing
1 Calamitous
As you can see in our example weve
got an app conict that is causing the Dialer app to
crash repeatedly. This error message pops up the
moment we dismiss it, leaving the phone to be
completely unusable. Even powering off is proving
to be some challenge.
reboot
2 Safe
Once weve got the phone off we can
reboot into Safe Mode. Hold the power button until
the Google logo appears, then hold volume down
until the phone has nished booting. Youll see the
Safe Mode notication in the bottom-left corner of
the screen to show that it has worked.
You can now set the brightest and

darkest levels for the app to use. Move
into bright conditions and move the backlight
slider to a level youre happy with. Hold down
the chain icon to remember the setting.
the app
3 Remove
Youll notice that none of your widgets will
have loaded. This is because Safe Mode runs only
the core OS and no additional apps. As a result
your persistent crashes will no longer happen.
Open the Play store and uninstall the app that was
causing you problems, then reboot.
your widgets
4 Restore
When you reboot your phone you will most
likely need to restore your home screen and
lockscreen widgets once again. You may also nd
that you have been logged out of certain accounts
on some of your apps. None of your data will have
been lost, however.
Now move into a dark area and repeat

the process. Note that moving below
zero in the backlight settings wont improve
your battery life as it places a lter on the
screen rather than using less power.
59
Works with
Android 4.1 and up Difculty Easy
Enhance your
phones UI
Use the GravityBox app to add useful shortcuts to your phones UI
ravityBox is a module that runs on

the Xposed Framework and is
compatible with Jelly Bean and
KitKat devices. It opens your phone up to a
whole host of hacks and tweaks of the kind
that would previously have required you to
ash a new custom ROM to get. To get it up
and running your phone must be rooted.
Then download and install Xposed Installer
from bit.ly/19jG6Ws. Open Xposed and go to
Framework, then tap Install/Update to
activate it. Youll need to reboot when done.
Next reopen Xposed and go to Download.
Locate GravityBox and choose the right one
for your device. Download and install it, then
press Back and select Modules. Tick the box
next to GravityBox then reboot once more to
activate that. Youre now ready to start
exploring GravityBoxs great features.
quick
3 Get
torch access
Finally on the lockscreen tweaks is the Enable

torch setting. This is a simple one: hold down the
unlock ring on your lockscreen and the LED ash
on your phone will illuminate. Long press it again to
turn it off.
60
shortcuts
1 Lockscreen
In GravityBox head to Lockscreen tweaks.
Here you can congure how the lockscreen works
when you dont have a pattern lock set. Tap Unlock
ring settings and tap On to add as many as ve
app shortcuts to the unlock ring.
ever-present
4 The
app launcher
From the GravityBox main screen, locate

Navigation bar tweaks and select that. Tick Enable
navigation bar (even if youve already got one) then
Show app launcher key. Now press Back and nd
and select Application launcher.
notication
2 Battery
Next in the Lockscreen tweaks is Show
battery arc. Tapping this adds a nice visual ourish
to the unlock ring, showing the status of the
battery inside it. This tweak will not work if you use
security to lock your screen.
your apps
5 Choosing
Pick up to eight apps you want to assign to
this omnipresent app launcher. You can also
choose shortcuts to common tasks you perform.
When done reboot your phone youll see the app
launcher icon in the Navigation bar. Tapping that
will show the apps.
Android 2.3 and up Difculty Intermediate
Installing
problem apps
An app in the Play store listed as incompatible

with your phone? Dont worry about it
build.prop editor
1 The
Get Build Prop Editor from the Play store,
launch it and grant root privileges. The rst task
is to ensure youve got a backup of your build.
prop le, so open the sidebar and tap Create
backup. You will also restore it from here should
you wish to in future.
Works with
ts a fact of life with Android that you will, from time to

time, come across apps that are listed on the Play store as
being incompatible with your device. Sometimes theres a
good reason for this a high-end game that wont run on
low-end hardware, for example. Other times it seems like an
entirely arbitrary restriction. You can get around the problem
by editing the build.prop le in the System folder.
You need root access to locate this le. build.prop contains
identifying information for your phone, and by changing how
it identies itself to the Play store you can access apps that
were previously unavailable.
the ID
2 Change
In the main window scroll down to ro.
product.model, tap on it and change the Property
Value to that of a different Android device. You
may need the product code rather than its
common name, for example, the Samsung
Galaxy S4 is the I9505.
Hacking Masterclass
Works with
and test
3 Reboot
You may also need to change the ro.
product.manufacturer value to that of the
manufacturer. When you are nished you will be
prompted to reboot. Do this and then test that it
works. You can restore your backup if not, or
make further changes.
Android 2.3 and up Difculty Intermediate
Block spam calls and texts
The more you use your smartphone as your main phone the more youll be on the receiving end of junk calls and texts. With the
root app Call Master you can reject or block them without ever even knowing they existed
Root permissions
1 Call
Master requires root so
you will need to grant that when
prompted. Also take note of the
warning when you launch the app
incorrect use of the options could
result in you blocking numbers that
you dont want blocked!
Create a list
2 Tap
on the List option from
the main screen. This is where youll
assign instructions to specic lists
of numbers. Well be creating a
whitelist of allowed numbers and a
blacklist of those we want to block.
Tap the Block option to proceed.
and allow
3 InBlock
the Block screen tap the +
icon to add numbers that you want
blocked. You can choose from
contacts, or add them manually.
Swipe left shows you Special
options, such as blocking any
number that shows up as Unknown.
Start the service

4 Repeat
Step 3 for the Allow
function to create your whitelist.
Now head back to the apps home
screen and select Settings. Tick the
box next to Enable service then
reboot your phone. Once started,
call blocking will be in progress.
61
Works with
Android 4.1 Difculty Intermediate
Revoke unwanted
app permissions
XPrivacy enables
you to take
control of which
apps can access
your data.
our Android device is custodian to a whole

host of your private data. How condent are
you that your information is safe? XPrivacy, an
app that links deep into Android using the Xposed
framework, lets you take back control of your
sensitive information. On a granular, app-by-app and
category-by-category basis, the application lets you
restrict exactly what information is made available.

You can block access completely or you can feed an
app fake data, such as an empty contact list or a
pre-determined location. Unlike some tools, XPrivacy
doesnt revoke permissions from apps, which can
result in them stopping working. Instead it tricks
them into thinking everything is working normally.
Check the prerequisites

1 The
key requirement for using XPrivacy on
your device is that your device must be rooted.
XPrivacy uses the Xposed Framework, which
allows Xposed modules to hook into the low-level
functionality of the Android operating system.
Remember that rooting your device may invalidate
Take greater control
your
warranty and is an expert operation.
over your security
Get installation utility

3 After
you have installed Xposed and
rebooted, you need to get XPrivacy. The easiest
way to do this is via the Play store. Although
XPrivacy itself is not deployed this way, the
Installer, available at play.google.com/store/apps/
details?id=biz.bokhorst.xprivacy.installer, will take
you through the steps needed.
62
Xposed Framework
2 The
The Xposed Framework is installed via an
APK. Point your device browser to http://repo.
xposed.info/module/de.robv.android.xposed.
installer, download the APK and then click Install.
You will need unknown sources checked in
security settings. After installation, open Xposed
Installer and complete the Framework steps.
XPrivacy
4 Enable
After downloading the Installer, youll see a
apps
5 Filter
After the reboot, you can uninstall XPrivacy
XPrivacy Installer icon in your launcher. Click this

and a wizard will take you through each of the
required steps checking root, checking youve
enabled unknown sources, checking youve made
a backup, checking your Xposed install, enabling
the module and rebooting to enable the mod.
Installer and use the main XPrivacy icon. Upon

launch, youll see all of your apps listed. You can
use the drop-down to choose specic permissions
to limit (and lter the apps). Although XPrivacy will
prompt for new apps, you should ensure you set
the required privacy settings for existing apps.
Android 2.1 Difculty Intermediate
Automatically change
the keyboard you use
Hacking Masterclass
Works with
Keyboard Manager enables you to switch software keyboards based on

screen orientation and running application
fake data
6 Dening
In the Settings menu of XPrivacy youll nd
a Fake Data section. This is where you can dene
the data passed to apps where you have marked
that they should not receive your real information.
These are primarily text input elds; for your mock
location a search box to retrieve the appropriate
latitude/longitude co-ordinates is provided.
and install
1 Download
Keyboard Manager
the data access log

7 Using
Also in the Settings menu, the Usage
your
2 Dene
preferred keyboards
Keyboard Manager can be downloaded from

the Play store. Two versions are available a
free version which offers basic orientationbased switching and requires root, or an
enhanced Plus version, currently priced at
1.28/$1.99, which removes the need for
root and adds the ability to switch based on
the running application.
After installation, if you are using the paid

version, you will need to enable the
application in Accessibility settings. You will
be prompted if this is required the rst time
you open the app. Pressing the Keyboard
Preferences button lets you set keyboards for
portrait and landscape orientation, as well as
for different dock congurations.
app-specic
3 Add
keyboards with
Keyboard Manager Plus
compatibility
4 Retain
with multiple
hardware keyboards
If youve splashed out the on the Plus version,

you also have a button labelled Apps
Keyboard. As the name would suggest, this
lets you set a keyboard based on the
currently running app, great for switching to
Hacker Keyboard when in your SSH client or
an Emoji-lled keyboard for your IM chats.
Some devices (particularly the Asus

Transformers) require that the stock keyboard
is enabled when the hardware keyboard is
docked, or the key mappings are incorrect.
Keyboard Manager allows you to specify a
keyboard specically when a hardware
keyboard is connected, avoiding this issue.
data menu item lets you see exactly which

applications have been using your information.
Youll see the time of access, the app icon, the
apps user ID and the function used. You can see
requests that were blocked in here as well as
requests that were allowed.
careful with root apps

8 Be
Although XPrivacy does a great job of
keeping control of your data, you should be wary of
root apps. By their very nature (root equals full
access to your system), root apps are the only
applications that can circumvent XPrivacys
restrictions completely. You should be very careful
when granting root access to untrusted apps.
63
Works with
Varies with device Difculty Expert
Optimise
your phone
for gaming
Take performance
to the next level with
a custom kernel
A custom kernel can help you eke out every ounce of performance
odern Android devices have more

than enough power to handle any
task thrown at them, normally
with capability to spare. The one exception
to this however is games, which as in the
PC world have a tendency to work available
processing and graphics hardware to the
limit to provide the best possible experience.
Android devices are built much like cars,
they are designed for stable, safe everyday
use by general buyers. In the same way that
cars can have software upgrades chips
to push the hardware that little bit further,
phones and tablets can do the same with a
customised kernel. Custom kernels consist of
xes, tweaks and extra functionality. The
process for using a custom kernel is very
similar to using a custom ROM and carries
the same caveats ashing a kernel will
likely invalidate your warranty.
you have a
3 Ensure
recovery plan
Before you start modifying your device you should
ensure that you have a way to revert back to stock
should things go wrong. This could be in the form
of a stock ROM ash (eg a RUU for HTC or an Odin
ash for Samsung) or with your own backup made
using a custom recovery.
64
availability
1 Check
Custom kernels are reliant on three
factors. The rst is a public release of the source
code. The second is an unlocked bootloader to
allow ashing. The third is an active developer
community that is creating the custom kernels.
Checking your device area at XDA-Developers is a
good place to look for kernel activity.
a custom recovery
4 Flash
Now that you have your bootloader
unlocked, you should ash a custom recovery.
Depending on your device, you may or may not
need to use the custom recovery to ash the
kernel, but either way it is very useful for creating
your own backup. Ensure you pull the backup off
your device in case you accidentally wipe!
your bootloader
2 Unlock
After you have conrmed that a custom
kernel is available for your device, you need to
ensure the bootloader is unlocked. The exact
process depends on your manufacturer for HTC
devices you need to visit HTCDev.com, Samsung
devices come ready to ash and Motorola also has
its own unlock site.
Choose your kernel

5 For
the more popular devices, there will
likely be a whole host of custom kernels available,
offering many different features. The best place to
look is the development forum for your device at
XDA-Developers compare features, feedback and
update frequency when choosing. Remember you
can try different ones too!
Varies with device Difculty Expert
Double tap the screen to

wake your phone
Hacking Masterclass
Works with
Popularised by the LG G2, (double) tap-to-wake can now be retro-tted to most

devices with a custom kernel. Heres how
the kernel
6 Flash
The support topic should include ashing
instructions. Kernels are often ashed using
custom recovery, the Odin app on Samsung
devices or the fastboot utility, particularly on
Nexus devices. Double check before ashing that
the kernel is denitely for your model of device.
for a
1 Check
custom kernel
for companion app
7 Check
Many kernel developers such as faux123
and franco offer companion apps. These allow you
to enable and disable functions as well as tune
specic settings for features like voltage and clock
speed. These are normally downloaded from the
Play store. Prices vary some are free and some
offer more fully featured paid versions.
updated
8 Stay
Custom kernel developers tend to update
their kernels frequently with new features,
optimisations and xes. For this reason its a good
idea to try and stay up to date with the latest
version. If you are using a companion application it
may offer an auto-update option, otherwise
subscribing to the support topic will help.
The rst step is to check whether a tap-to-wake

kernel is available for your device. The best
place to look is the development forum for your
device at XDA-Developers. Kernels with
tap-to-wake support are usually marked with
DT2W search for this term to nd kernels.
your kernel
3 Flash
Follow the instructions in the kernel
support topic to ash your kernel. Depending on
your device this may be using your custom
recovery, a manufacturer tool such as Odin for
Samsung or fastboot. After ashing, check for a
companion app to let you congure features.
your device
2 Prepare
If you havent ashed a custom kernel or
custom ROM already, you need to prepare your
device. Unlock the bootloader, ash a custom
recovery, backup (and pull the backup from the
device) and ensure you have a recovery plan
should things go wrong for example a stock
ROM ash.
tap to wake
4 Double
After installation you should nd that a
quick double tap on the device screen wakes
the device. You can also congure a similar
action to put the device to sleep using custom
launchers such as Nova Launcher (although this
action will only work from the home screen).
65
Works with
Varies with device Difculty Intermediate
Install CM
with an all-inone tool
Root your device, unlock
your bootloader and change your
ROM with CyanogenMod Installer
CyanogenMod
Installer is an
easy way to get
into rooting
yanogenMod is the biggest

name in Root Town, and its
new installer is like a
welcome pack for anyone moving
in, containing everything youll
need. CyanogenMod Installer
doesnt care whether or not youve
rooted your device beforehand, or
if youre already sporting a custom
ROM it scans your device, works
out what it needs to do and then
installs CyanogenMod, requiring
you to do nothing more than follow
some simple instructions.
Its a fantastic tool, and though
its a shame that it was pulled
from the Play store (for
encouraging users to void their
warranties by getting rid of the
default manufacturers OS), its
still available to anyone with a
browser. All you need to do is
boot up your PC, grab your
droid and then hit a
download link on each device.
The Installer comes in two
parts: one for Android and one for
Windows. Once the two parts
are talking to each other, your
computer will then download all
the les before passing them
across, via USB, to your Android
device. Your device will then
reboot into Download mode, and
youll see it restart a few times,
but soon enough it will boot up
again into a brand-new interface.
If you get into a little trouble at
any stage, or nd that the
Installer doesnt work properly for
you, head over to the
CyanogenMod Installer support
page: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.
org/w/CyanogenMod_Installer.
up your data
1 Back
The rst thing to do is make
sure that youve backed up your les
and data using an app like Titanium
Backup or Nandroid Manager, both
free on the Google Play store. After
that, head into your Settings app and
then tap Security. Scroll down to nd
Enable Unknown Sources and then
give it a tick.
the
6 Download
Windows Installer
Fire up your browser and go to beta.
get.cm, which is another ofcial
CyanogenMod page. Youll see a page
of instructions, so scroll down to Step
4 right at the bottom. Click on the
underlined link to download the
companion installer, which will take
care of almost everything from here.
Hacking
HackerMasterclass
Zne
the
2 Download
Android Installer
Now open up your browser and

head to get.cm/app. Its a direct
download link from the ofcial
CyanogenMod download page, so
you can safely accept the warning
to begin downloading the le. Once
its nished, youll receive a
notication. Tap it to continue.
continue
7 And
Run the Windows Installer
once its downloaded. After it opens
up, it will then take a little time to
update itself rst. Once thats
nished, youll be asked to
temporarily disable your antivirus
program, so that it doesnt interfere
with the installation. Do so; just
remember to enable it later.
installation
3 Begin
The rst thing youll see is a
conrmation screen, where you
need to grant the app permissions.
Tap Install, and then tap Open once
the installation has nished. The
CyanogenMod Installer app will then
load up, displaying a welcome
message with instructions. Tap
Begin once youve read it all.
in your
8 Plug
Android device
Next, youll be asked to connect

your device to your computer with a
USB cable. Once youve done that,
tap OK on your device to give your
computer permission to connect.
After that, the Windows installation
will continue (and you can put your
phone down again).
the
4 Follow
instructions
and switch
5 Finish
Next up is enabling PTP
First, you need to enable USB

debugging, and an image shows
you which section of your Settings
app it should be located in. When
you tap Continue, youll be taken
straight to that screen, and after
you tick Enable USB Debugging
youll return to the Installer.
mode, and you will again be shown

where that setting is located. Hit
Continue and make the setting.
With that done, youll be prompted
to continue the process with the
CyanogenMod Windows Installer.
Leave your device on that screen
and switch over to your PC.
installing
9 Start
CyanogenMod
it be
10 Leave
Your device will now reboot
With everything ready to go,

CyanogenMod Installer will now
download the CyanogenMod ROM
plus all the system apps. This can
take a while, but eventually it will
nish and youll see a reminder to
back up all your les and data. If
youve done so, hit Install.
into Download mode, which means

that it is waiting to receive
instructions from your computer.
Fortunately, the installer takes care
of everything for you no more Odin.
Sit back, wait for the nished
message on your computer, then
check out your new device.
67
Works with
Android 2.2 and up Difculty Expert
Tweak everything
with Pimp My ROM
Change lots of
inaccessible
settings on your
device with ease
imp My ROM is a multi-device, multi-feature

toolkit which enables users to modify lots of
normally inaccessible settings on their device.
Many of the options that can be congured are
normally only modiable via the command line or by
editing system les, so Pimp My ROM makes the
Install the app

1 To
download and install Pimp My ROM,
Rescue Package
2 Build
When you rst open the app, youll see a
your CPU
3 Pimp
Also in the Tools section youll see an
search for the app in the Play store. A couple of

different versions seem to be available, so before
downloading make sure you check the last update
date. Youll need root access and its also a good
idea to have a custom recovery such as TWRP.
number of tabs, including one labelled Tools. Click

this and select Rescue Package to build your
ashable safety net. Should things go wrong, youll
be able to boot into your custom recovery and
apply the Rescue Package to reverse the changes.
option labelled Pimp My CPU. By selecting this

youll be able to change the minimum and
maximum clock speeds of your device as well as
the Governor and IO Scheduler. The Apply at boot
option is probably best left alone for now.
Explore tweaks
4 The
tweaks are grouped into categories. In
your GPS
5 Improve
On the Tools tab, GPS Conguration allows
apps and mods

6 Bundled
Pimp My ROM includes additional bundled
the Network & Internet tab, adjusting the default

WiFi Scan Interval can help improve battery life.
Multitasking settings can help prevent apps being
swapped out of memory. The Telephony section
lets you optimise in-call settings.
68
process much easier. The hacks are logically grouped

by category in the very slick app and in many
instances clearly explained. Pimp My ROM requires
root access and, as with all apps of this type, could be
potentially dangerous its important to ensure you
have a backup before you start changing things.
you to download and install a custom GPS.conf

le. Installing this le will speed downloading of
the ephemeris data, which in turn will help your
device get a faster and more accurate lock when
you rst re up your GPS.
features youll nd these under the Apps & Mods

tab. From here you can install enhanced Beats or
xLoud/ClearAudio sound, the Sony Bravia screen
engine or an enhanced Sony album app. You can
also easily add OpenVPN support to your device.
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15min wonder
Scan these QR codes for direct

links to the Google Play Store
doubleTwist
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Youve got 15 mins to decide!
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missing artwork, spoiling the effect.

While there is a facility to get artwork
for the currently playing tune, this is
one of several premium features
requiring an in-app purchase more
on this later. Even then, the artwork
didnt always appear for the current
track in portrait mode.
The apps pull-out side menu also
holds entries for Artists, Playlists
(which are easy to add to and
manage), Songs and Genres, along
with Radio, Podcasts and Videos. As
you might infer from this, doubleTwist
is a one-stop shop for all your
listening needs, eliminating the need
to switch between a handful of apps
for specic purposes. Here you have
everything you need in one place. As
youd expect, you can subscribe to
New interface looks good, bar

our missing art
5-10 minutes
Quite a few features require

an in-app purchase
10-15 minutes
Works well now weve

unlocked everything
keep
The veteran audio app gets a complete revamp

The doubleTwist app
has been around for a
good few years now,
starting out as a
swisher, more feature-packed
alternative to the stock Android
music player of yore remember
that? The arrival of Google Music
was a game-changer, but
doubleTwist isnt done for yet and
this new version features support for
Android 4.4 and a new interface
designed specically for tablets.
The user interface certainly looks
very clean and polished, focusing on
album art. The default view shows a
grid of album covers arranged by
title. Unfortunately, quite a few of our
albums dragged and dropped to
the device from iTunes were
0-5 minutes
podcasts and have new episodes

downloaded automatically as they
become available. While its easy to
search for podcasts, for some
reason theres no such facility for
radio stations, so you have to browse
by genre.
Returning to the main music-player
functionality, the app will naturally
pick up any music stored on your
The Equalizer is a paid-for feature
refund
device or SD card (but, as with most

third-party apps, not tracks pinned
using Google Music). However,
doubleTwist has always been very
iTunes-friendly and can be synced
with your desktop iTunes library and
playlists once youve installed the
free doubleTwist software. While its
free to sync music playlists, photos
and videos with iTunes via USB, the
handy ability to sync via Wi-Fi (known
here as AirSync) is another of those
premium features. You can either
buy it separately (4.99/$6.99) or
pay for the Pro version (7.99/$9.99)
to unlock all the premium features
including AirPlay, (to stream to Apple
TV or compatible speakers), AirTwist
(to stream to PS3 and Xbox), an
Equalizer and ad-free podcasts.
Alternatively, you could subscribe
to doubleTwists Magic Radio
streaming service to get all premium
features and obtain access to over
13 million songs if you live in the
USA, that is, as the service is
currently limited to that territory. A
less costly rival to the likes of Spotify
and Google Music All Access, Magic
Radio even looks at the songs in your
library to tailor stations to your taste.
Lets hope they roll it out
internationally soon, as it seems to
be the nal piece in the jigsaw to
make doubleTwist indispensable.
specification
Price Free
Designed for: Phone and tablet
Requires Android: Varies with device
verdict
Performance
Design
Value
A versatile music app for all
your listening needs
Swipe up for the play controls
The Album Grid
view works well,
if you have all the art
Like this?
Try this!
WINAMP No podcasts, but it includes internet radio and offers a

host of premium features.
Camera
Awesome
HTC
Footballfeed
Ruffl
Swipe Panel
Camera Awesome
Take better pictures and edit them in one app
Originating on iOS
devices, Camera
Awesome has now
made the leap to
Android. And, to be honest, theres
probably a greater need for it here,
as most stock Android camera apps
arent that great. While the Google
Play store is already awash with
third-party camera apps, Awesome
really stands out by offering a greater
degree of control for photo taking
while also providing built-in pictureediting facilities.
Just tap the camera button and it
takes an instant shot with no lag
whatsoever. The various viewnder
icons lead to a whole range of useful
like this? try this!

ProCapture
Offers a wide range of shooting
options, including a reduced noise mode.
options. Firstly, there are overlays to

help you compose a better shot: the
standard Thirds criss-cross grid, a
Square frame, Golden spiral and
Trisec. Even more useful is the
spirit-level tool, enabling you to line
up pictures perfectly with the horizon
using a rotating guide never take a
wonky landscape shot again.
Tapping the small triangle brings
up a selection of shooting modes,
some of them device dependent.
These include big button (just tap
the middle of the screen), burst
mode, timer, interval, HDR, face
detection, panorama and image
stabilisation. Those with shaky
hands will appreciate the latter as it
only takes the photo when the
device is still. One extra trick is the
ability to set separate focus and
exposure points: just tap the screen
with two ngers and you can then
focus on one item while setting the
exposure level from another. Other

controls include front/rear camera
toggle, ISO and white balance. You
can also switch to video mode, with
an option to pre-record ve seconds
so you never miss anything.
Tap the thumbnail pic and you can
edit your photos, including moving
EDITORS
CHOICE
Alongside a wide range of

shooting modes, theres a
helpful spirit-level tool
the Awesomize bar to auto-enhance

them and applying a range of lters,
textures and frames. Its all here in
the one awesome app.
specification
Price 1.87/$2.99
Designed for: Phone

Requires Android: 4.1
verdict
Everything you need to take
better photos on your phone
Editing facilities enable you to enhance pics
HTC Footballfeed
Ruffl
Swipe Panel
Keep up to date with the beautiful game
Eat out in London

with condence
Get a new lockscreen for a

fresh look
General business and

restaurant-nding apps
sometimes bombard you
with too many results. Ruf is
designed on the principle that less is
more although wed disagree
where food is concerned! For
starters, it focuses exclusively on
London. Also, when you search for a
particular restaurant by price and
number of people it only offers ve
results. As well as
avoiding overload,
this enables Ruf
to hold seats at
each of the ve
restaurants while
you choose. You
can then book a
table via the app.
Since this is an extension

of the GO Locker screenlocking app, youll need to
download and install that rst of all.
You then have to choose a
replacement lockscreen from within
GO Locker, before activating Swipe
Panel via the settings Plugin
manage screen a bit of a palaver.
Now, whenever the new lockscreen
is shown, you can swipe from the
right side of the
screen to reveal a
panel of up to six
app icons (which is
easily
customisable) for
quick launch from
the lockscreen.
Very handy.
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Requires Android 2.2
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Things move fast in the world of football, but HTC Footballfeed will
help you stay ahead of the game or at the least the Champions
League and Europa League. With info supplied by UEFA itself, the
latest news, stats and live match updates are sent direct to your phone. And
since you might not be all that interested
in Maribor vs Shakhter Karagandy, theres
the option to tailor the apps info by
selecting your favourite club(s).
The UI is slicker than Lionel Messi, with
the photos on the news section tilting as
you scroll up. Tap the top-left to switch
between the two competitions, then
swipe right for other sections. The Stats
menu shows next matches, standings,
results and info relating to individual
clubs including players and their stats
while the Gallery showcases photos of
players and managers.
Price Free
Designed for Phone
All the latest news stories and stats are
provided in a super-slick interface
Like this?
Try this!
SKY SPORTS LIVE FOOTBALL SC Skys score centre also

includes info and live match stats for domestic competitions.
73
Playmarkers

MailDroid Pro
An advanced email client with some clever features
The stock Android Email client
(rather than the specic Gmail
app) is known for being a bit clunky
and limited in features. No wonder there are
so many third-party alternatives around. Built
from the ground up, MailDroid (also available
in a free ad-supported version) works well
with most accounts and permits push email
for many of them, including Yahoo. Features
include a spell-checker, custom mail rules,
cloud storage integration, spam lter and full
WYSIWYG editor.
Of particular note is the connection
management option, which can be used (by
creating custom rules) to set up exactly how
and when MailDroid connects to your
accounts mail server. Another useful feature The combined inbox colour-codes
messages for each account
is the ability to bookmark email folders for
easier access. Ideal for business
Price 11.87/$17.99
users, MailDroid offers a desktop-style
Designed for Phone/tablet
email client on Android, although you
might well want to try out the free
version rst.
Like this?
try this!
K-9 MAIL This open source community-created client is a

favourite of many Android owners.
MailDroid
Pro
Flipagram
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio
Go radio gaga with your own
custom stations
Currently only ofcially available in the USA and Australia (though

there is a web proxy workaround), iHeartRadio lets you listen to
favourite stations and create your own custom ones based on an
artist, song, station or show much like in Pandora. You are then able to
save the station to your favourites and tweak it to your liking by icking a
rotating dial to listen to Familiar, Mixed or Less Familiar tunes.
Alternatively, the Perfect for option offers preset stations designed for
such things as driving, the gym and working for the man. While listening to a
track, there are buttons to instantly purchase it on either Amazon and
Google Play. You can also give the
song a thumbs-up or down, which
specification
provides feedback for the custom
station. You do have to put up with
on-screen ads from time to time, but
Designed for: Phone/tablet
this is still a very polished radio app.
Requires Android: Varies with device
Price Free
verdict
Buy it
Really enjoying the currently playing
song? These handy buttons enable you
to buy the track instantly from either
Amazon or the Play store and download
it to your devices music library
Performance
Design
Value
A slick, US-centric radio app
with cool custom stations
Flipagram
Skip it
Tap this button to skip the current track.
Note that theres a limit of skips per
station (six per hour) and for each day
(15) across all custom stations
Turn your photos into ipbook-style videos

The idea of making videos
from still photos isnt a new
one, but Flipagram makes it
very easy to create effective short video
stories accompanied by whatever
music you want. You can import
pictures from either your Gallery or
Instagram account. If you need some
inspiration for what to use Flipagram for,
just tap the link on the opening screen
to see other users creations.
Once ready, choose to add a
moment, select the photos, then
arrange them in the order you want. You
can then preview the video and add a
title and optional audio from tracks
stored on the device or on Google Drive. Adding audio to your video gives Flipagram a
real boost
By altering the speed, you could create
anything from a standard slideshow to a
Price Free
fast-moving ipbook-style video which
Designed for Phone
works particularly well if the photos
were taken at regular intervals during a
journey or holiday.
Like this?
try this!
74
TWEETCASTER Create fast-moving videos from photos, although

youll have to pay for longer ones.
Try this?
Like this!
TUNEIN RADIO Lacks custom stations, but the tiled Live

View of genres is great for music discovery.
Get to know
The iHeartRadio app offers a range of options and
screens to nd the music you want to listen to
Live radio
Perfect listening
Talk radio
See the stations near your

location or swipe left to
switch to an entirely new
city. Swipe right to browse
genres and talk radio. Or just
manually search for
something in particular.
The Perfect for screen

offers a selection of preset
custom stations designed
for certain situations.
Working for the man
quickly came up with Take
this job and shove it!
iHeartRadio also offers a

special section for talk radio.
Tap the Featured option at
the top to choose a genre,
such as comedy, health,
news, sports, spirituality or
even technology.
Tweedle
Make a favourite
EDITORS
CHOICE
Tap the + sign at the top to add the current

station custom or otherwise to your list of
favourites. The latter can be accessed from
the top section of the pull-out side menu. Up
to six stations can be stored here
Tweedle
EDITORS
CHOICE
A lightweight and customisable Twitter

client for your Android
The high number of
third-party Twitter clients
is partially a result of the
Twitter API limiting the number of
tokens available to each developer.
This effectively limits the
number of users for each
client and some popular ones,
like Falcon Pro and Tweetro, have
already hit the buffers.
While some Twitter apps try
to grab our attention with
extended feature sets, Tweedle
keeps things simple with a
very clean user interface.
Recently rewritten from
scratch by its developer, its
new design is heavily inspired
by Google Now cards. You
can change the colour
scheme by selecting a
preset theme (including a
Falcon one) or creating your
own, picking shades for each
element. Its not just about the
aesthetics, though: you can
customise the main screen by
rearranging columns and adding
extra ones, such as Favorites,
Search Items and Trends. There are
also extensive notication and alert
options to tweak, plus the ability to
add multiple accounts.
Tweak the
station
The tweet details screen

shows any photos, websites,
location maps and replies
Back on the main feed screen, you

can tap a tweet to bring up a details
screen including any website
previews, photos, location maps and
replies. Its slick and easy to use.
Like this? try this!

Plume for Twitter
While listening to a
custom station, you
can move this
rotating dial to one of
three positions, to
listen to More
Familiar music, a
Mixed selection or
Less Familiar tunes.
Naturally, the latter is
the best for nding
new music
This attractive client offers plenty of

customisation and even lets you post updates
to Facebook.
specification
Price Free
Designed for: Phone

verdict
Slick Twitter client that has a
lot of potential
Create a custom interface theme by
choosing colours for each element
75
Playmarkers

Quip
A mobile-rst word
processor with
advanced features
Launched as a web
and iOS app last
summer, Quip was
designed to be a collaborative
mobile-rst word processor.
To this effect, it appears to
combine aspects of wordprocessing (such as text
formatting and insertion of
tables, pictures and document
links) and note-taking apps
(syncing and sharing). Basic
membership of the service is
free and allows up to ve
users to collaborate on
documents via shared folders
and cross-platform syncing. A
unique feature is the chat-like
thread for each document,
showing any edits and
messages which makes for
easier collaboration.
At the time of writing, the
Android app is still a preview
version. This means that
users are only currently able
to view (not edit) existing
documents and reply to
conversations. Still, its useful for
existing Quippers to have a play
with and it should eventually offer
all the same features, including
the ability to import documents
from Word, Google Drive, Evernote
and Dropbox.
Lift Daily Motivation

Just get on and do it!
Need a bit of extra guidance and motivation to reach your goals?
Whatever it is you want to achieve be it career, tness or home
related the Lift app could help. Rather than simply adding your goals
to a to-do list, it provides a host of step-by-step plans written by its experts and
other users you can write your own. For
instance, you could learn to play guitar in
ten hours by following the 21 steps in the
programme, which include links to blog
posts and videos. You can even join in
with a discussion about it, conversing
with other users. This community aspect
is key to the whole ethos of
encouragement and you can follow
friends Twitter-style and see their daily
activity. Also, like a standard to-do list,
you can set regular reminders to send to
yourself via notications or email. So now
there really is no excuse.
Each plan comprises several steps
Like this?
Try this!
MOTIVATE ME! A very simple tness-focused app encouraging

you to keep working out.
Todoist
As well as
formatting text, you can
insert pictures, tables and weblinks
like this? try this!

Evernote
specification
Price Free
Designed for: Phone
Requires Android: 4.0.3
verdict
Performance
Design
Value
Very limited in
functionality for now, but
looks promising
76
Todoist
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Offers syncing and sharing of

notes, but limited collaboration.
A chat-style thread shows all document

edits and messages
Lift Daily
Motivation
Quip
Personal task manager integrated with Google Now

Considerably more sophisticated than the average personal task
manager, Todoist is a premium option costing 18.99/$28.99 per
year for the full service (covering all platforms). Still, you can try out
the core functionality from the free app, the latest version of which adds Google
Now support. So, for instance, if you
speak note to buy bread and milk into
the latter, it will save it as a task in
Todoist. This makes it much quicker to
set tasks without having to launch the
app. In addition, version 2.1 links up with
the DashClock lockscreen widget to
show tasks within the latter, including
info on when theyre to be done. The
Todoist app is well designed and you can
set priority levels for tasks. You can also
create projects comprising multiple
tasks (setting their levels and priorities),
which is ideal for work-related matters.
Price Free
Designed for Phone and tablet
Create a multi-task project with levels
Like this?
Try this!
WUNDERLIST An alternative cross-platform task management

service with optional Pro subscription.
Amazon
Appstore
A major revamp for
Amazons own app store
FlightTrack 5 Dominos
MapQuest
Track ights all over the

world from one app
Satnav and trafc app for

North America
Pizza
A feast for the eyes and

the stomach
The old Appstore app was

clunky, so this is a much
needed major update. It
brings with it a much slicker user
interface and smoother scrolling for
easier navigation around the store.
The main screen has sections for
featured apps, recommended ones,
plus free, paid and new apps. The
pull-out side menu
offers links to all
categories. This
app doesnt just
run on Kindles and
you might well
want to install it
just to get the Free
App of the Day.
Rebuilt from the ground up,

the brand new version of
the popular ight-tracking
application lets you create trips that
comprise multiple ights useful for
those ying non-direct. Just search
for an airport, then either view a list
of scheduled departures or search
for a destination and select a date
from the apps calendar. Once youve
added a ight, you get all the
information for it
plus airport
weather reports
and can see the
current position of
the plane over a
smooth satellite
map. A very
slick application.
A vast improvement on the

previous version, this app
features a slick interface
that makes it easy to order your
favourite pizza. Just enter your
postcode to nd your nearest store
and then browse the special deals,
pizzas (with some mouthwatering
photos), sides, desserts, drinks and
wraps. You can
even create your
own custom pizza.
One slight snag is
that not all stores
deliver and theres
no easy way to
nd a local one
that does.
The newly rebuilt version of

the MapQuest satnav app
enables you to show
layers for trafc info and points of
interest (gas stations, parking, bars,
hotels etc) on the map. Choose a
destination and it offers step-by-step
navigation with voice directions, plus
live trafc updates and rerouting
just like a dedicated satnav. One
major drawback is that it currently
only covers the
USA and Canada.
Some previous
features have also
gone, such as
multiple routes
and the ability to
enter destinations
by voice.
Price Free
Price 3.05/$4.99
Designed for Phone
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Requires Android 2.3.3
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Requires Android Varies with device
iStoryTime
Storybook
Library
noozy (classic) PhotoBook
500 Firepaper
The app offers a slim

selection of 29 childrens
books, most of which are
based on lm franchises such as
Madagascar, Ice Age and Kung Fu
Panda. As well as making purchases,
you can opt to subscribe to the
whole library. However, upon linking
via Facebook, you
get four free
books, which is
pretty generous.
You can opt to
have it read aloud
or read it yourself,
although the text
is quite small.
Audiophiles will feel right at

home with this specialist
app. As well as functioning
as a highly polished music player, it
offers built-in EIZO advanced digital
lters to enhance the sound
although it must be noted that not all
devices support this. Effects range
from the MaxxBass II bass enhancer
to the detail-enhancing Crysalyzer
and vocal-focusing NuVocal
Ultralinear. High-end headphones or
speakers are
recommended to
really appreciate
the quality. In
addition, this
classic version
enables you to
switch to external
FX on your device.
Photo books seem to be all

the rage at the moment
and this app enables you to
have one printed containing up to
180 pictures. Alternatively, you can
order calendars or postcards. Just
choose a book style, tap the pics you
want, add a title, then rearrange the
photos in the
preview. We found
the interface a bit
awkward in places,
but you can get a
free digital version
of your creation to
share via social
media or email.
There are plenty of

wallpaper apps around, but
this one is a bit special. It
provides a live wallpaper and
daydream that updates with new
hi-res images throughout the day.
Upon launching the app, you get to
choose from various settings,
including the update interval, Wi-Fi
only updating and a vast array of
picture categories. You can then set
500 Firepaper as your wallpaper and
enjoy the changing
scene. The images
are impressive and
you can even
triple-tap the
wallpaper to open
the current picture
on the services
main website.
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Price Free
A limited library of
childrens books
Powerful digital effects for

your tunes
in 2
minutes
Get a printed photo book

made from your pictures
Live wallpaper with hiresolution images
77
Futuristic apps special
Photo Sphere Free

The updated Photo Sphere now enables you to create Street View images
hoto Sphere is a brilliant addition to the stock Google camera app that
lets you take 360-degree panoramic pictures and convert them into
gorgeous 3D bubble worlds. Its an impressive piece of photo-stitching kit,
and you can also share the images you take with the rest of the world by
uploading them onto Google Maps. Essentially, youre creating your own Street
View, adding to Googles library of images and letting people see a chunk of the
earth the way it was when you were there. And all you need is a phone with a
GPS connection, so you can tag your Photo Sphere image when you take it. In
this brief tutorial well walk you through how to get started with creating your
own personal little slices of Google Street View, wherever you nd yourself.
Create a 3D Street View image

sure
1 Make
youre
your
2 Take
Photo
3 Share to the
world
geo-tagging
Sphere
First you need to make sure

your Photo Sphere includes a
location. Tap the settings
menu, then tap the little
geo-tag and your phone will
automatically add the info.
Now take your Photo Sphere.

Hold the camera steady and
line up the dots in a smooth
movement to get the best
results. It may take a couple
of attempts to get right.
Once the panorama is

stitched, head to your
Gallery and hit the share
button. Tap Google Maps,
and then submit it, and
youre done. Youll be notied
when its live.
Like this? Try these other augmented reality apps
78
Wikitude Free
Sky Map Free
Layar Free
SpecTrek 1.69/$2.58
Turn on Wikitude, hold up your

phone and the app uses your
camera, location and other
information
to display a variety of
points of interest. You
can choose what it
displays, and nd out
more information with
a tap. Perfect if youre
somewhere new and
looking for something
to do.
This powerful app is a wonderful

way to explore the sky above and
below you. Turn on the app and
Google Sky
Map shows you the
constellations of the
night sky, as well as
the planets, the moon
and other points of
interest, and lets you
explore and learn
about the universe
around you.
Layar bridges the gap between

the digital and physical worlds. If
you see some text or a QR code
with the
Layar mark, scan it in
the app and youll be
treated to video and
web content designed
around the product
youre checking out.
Its not that common
at the moment, but
its growing.
Make a wander in the real world

that much more exciting by
booting up this neat app and
chasing some ghosts instead. A
map mode helps you search for the
spectres, and
when you get
near to a
spook you can
reel it in by
holding up
your devices
camera.
Use NFC to automate

your life
Pick up some NFC tags and
this handy app lets you use
them as triggers. Put one
on your nightstand and the second
your NFC-enabled phone touches it
you can set the ringer to vibrate, the
screen to dim and switch an alarm
on, for example. Theres loads of
other clever stuff you can do, and
other triggers to set as well, like Wi-Fi
or Bluetooth. A pro version adds even
more triggers and actions.
Price Free
Create your own custom

tags for using with your
NFC phone
WiFiTap
WiFi NFC
top apps for...
CREATING A
DIGITAL HOME
Connect to Wi-Fi networks

with ease
NFC Tools is a great free

app that lets you read the
information from any NFC
tag you might nd, as well as letting
you create and save your own. Its
free and super-easy to use. All you
need to do is put your NFC-enabled
Android device near an NFC tag while
the app is
running and it
takes over.
Perfect if you
need to set up
some NFC tags
for the other
apps to be found
on this list. The
app works well.
This app lets you take the

Wi-Fi connection data
from an NFC tag and input
it into your device, meaning you can
connect without having to ask for
the password and input it manually.
You can set up your own tag at home
as well so
friends can
simply shake
their phone over
it to connect to
your wireless
network. A good
idea, but not
always 100%
successful.
Price Free
Requires Android 4.0 and up
Price Free
Timesheet Tapmynote doorbl

practical NFC-powered
A great concept for the
NFC Add-On Aadd-on
for the popular
future, but unlikely to be
Track your time using
NFC tags
PS
AP
IC L
ST IA
RI EC
TU SP
FU
NFC and wireless apps

Trigger
NFC Tools
Evernote app
used as yet
Youll need the Timesheet

app installed for this to
work, but its a clever way
of tracking the time youre spending
on projects. Attach a product to an
NFC tag, then hover your phone over
to start the clock
running, and
hover again to
turn it off. Its
quick and really
smart, and very
precise as well. A
great tool for
those working
from home.
Tapmynote is an add-on for

Evernote that lets you
attach notes to NFC tags.
With a few taps you can set up an
NFC tag so every time you place your
phone close to it that note will open.
How about a to-do list that pops up
every time you
sit down at your
desk? Or a
shopping list
that appears
when you get
into your car. The
app is a doddle
to use and looks
pretty great too.
Doorbl is a clever app that

lets you set up an NFC tag
for your door. If youre not
in, the person whos calling taps their
device on the tag. Then they can let
you know that theyve been, and
leave a number for you to call them
back on. Its a
brilliant idea, and
a wonder that it
hasnt caught
on. The app is
easy to use, and
you can print a
QR code for
people without
NFC devices.
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Requires Android 2.3.3 and up
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Requires Android 2.3.3 and up
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Spotimote 1.99/$2.58
An app that lets you control a
Windows version of Spotify
from your smartphone or
tablet. Perfect for a party.
Unied Remote Full

3.00/$3.99
An impressive
remote control
application for
loads of PC
programs. Use a Windows
PC as a media centre? This
is the app you need.
Plex 3.05/$4.99
Connect your
smartphone to
your PC and
watch and
listen to the content from
your home server when
youre out and about.
Netix Free
Stream a
huge
library of
lm and
TV to your Android
device. A great way
to avoid arguing over the TV.
PowerAmp 2.49/$3.99
An incredibly
powerful and
easy-to-use
music app
that lets you take control
of all your music collection
with no fuss.
79
Speech apps head-to-head

There are loads of speech recognition apps on the Google Play store, and a decent one is essential if you want
to get that futuristic feel. Here we compare three of the most popular to see which comes out on top
Iris
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Skyvi
Price Free
Designed for Phone
Assistant
Price Free
Designed for Phone
How do they look?

A simple, minimalist interface, but
theres not much clue as to what
you have to tap or swipe to actually
try and get the app working.
A bit unremarkable, the buttons are

laid out quite nicely, and its easy to
know what to do, but theres an
objectionable ad front and centre.
Easy on the eye and quick to show

you what you need to tap to make
things work. A bit odd that theres
actually a picture of a woman there.
WINNER: Assistant The only app to introduce an element of personality to its UI
Recognition
Once you work out what to do the
recognition is okay, although the
app missed a few words on simple
sentences that the others didnt.
You need to be a little closer to your

handset than with the other apps,
and it needed some things
repeating before it understood.
Uses Googles own speech

recognition software, and tended
to perform better than the others.
Quick to pick up words and reply.
WINNER: Assistant The best understanding of our speech, and the quickest to reply
Ease of use
All controlled by a few taps and
voice. Its unwieldy, and there were
a few times when the app crashed:
not great if youre driving.
Reasonably easy to use, but theres

no keyboard if you want a quiet
word, and it took quite a while to
answer some questions.
A Google account sign-in means its

already got a lot of info about you.
You can type your answers, and its
the quickest of the three.
WINNER: Assistant Fast, and taps into Googles existing knowledge about you
Knowledge
Often sends you in conversational
loops rather than giving answers,
and rarely comes up with anything
that looks like the right answer.
Tends to look for local things rather

than general ones, so is stumped
by quite simple questions. Very
good for nding things near you.
Quick, to the point and usually right.

Links you to webpages and maps
where necessary and, in spite of a
few glitches, is the best on test.
WINNER: Assistant The most intelligent feeling of the three apps in our test
Send a message
Goes a long way around, getting
you to speak your text before
adding the contact. Its not as easy
to do as it should be either.
Easy to use and pretty clever, it

gives you the chance to cancel the
message before it sends, and will
read back replies that you receive.
Not quite as easy to use as Skyvi,

and requires some taps if youve
got multiple contacts with the
same name. Still better than Iris.
WINNER: Skyvi Fast and simple to do, and works exactly as you would expect it to
VERDICT:
And the winner is...
ASSISTANT
80
Assistant is hands down the best of the speech recognition apps. Its quick, simple to use and links in with a variety of
other services to make sure youre always getting the best information. With a better message sending provision itd be
an essential download, but even now its impressive.
PS
AP
IC L
ST IA
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FU
Intelligence and learning apps

LIFTTT
Tasker
A new standard in intelligence
The ultimate automation app
A clever and supremely easy-to-use app that

looks gorgeous as well. LIFTTT lets you set a
variety of recipes that trigger when you go to a
certain place. You can essentially use the app to join
together a variety of apps, so you dont need to remember
to mute your phone at work, for example. It goes a lot
deeper than that though, and you can set routines to
basically automate a huge chunk of your digital life.
Theres something ridiculously pleasing about

planning your life through Tasker. The app lets
you set a variety of parameters, changing the
state of your phone depending on the time, where you
are, battery life and a huge number of other settings. If you
want to control and automate your Android device down to a
granular level, then this is the perfect app, letting you tinker
to your hearts content. Youll wonder how you ever did without it.
If you want to control

and automate your
Android device, then
this is the perfect app
LIFTTT is a powerful automation tool
Price Free
Price 2.99/$2.99
Tasker is packed with options
Wolfram
Alpha
Automagic
Automation
Locale
Gravity
Screen Pro
This positioning tool

automates tasks based on
your location
The smarter side of the

search world
A complex but potentially

powerful app
A remarkable reference app

that teaches and learns in
equal measure. Its
essentially a huge repository of
knowledge, but presented in a
conversational way. Have a problem
you need solving? Ask the app and
theres a pretty good chance its going
to come up with an answer.
Responsive and
quick, you can use
the app to generate
reports on a vast
number of different
topics. Its like
having a Star Trek
computer in
your pocket.
This neat tasking app lets

you create automated
actions on your Android
device with a series of ow charts.
Its not as simple to use as some
similar apps, though. In one way
thats good, because it means youre
going to be able to take ner control
of the tasks youre setting, but it also
means that if
youre less
condent with
code and HTML,
youll be better
looking elsewhere
to begin your
automated
adventures.
An very clever, simple-touse app that recognises

the position your phone is
in using the accelerometer, and
turns it off accordingly. That means
no more pocket dialling and no more
battery-sapping when youve put
your phone down. You can tweak the
angles to suit how you carry your
phone too, and the
app is designed so
it doesnt use up
your battery by
checking the angle
constantly. Its so
simple you wonder
why it hasnt been
done before.
Locale uses your position

to change a variety of
parameters on your phone.
It can change your wallpaper, turn on
your Wi-Fi and silence your ringer
when you get near work, for example.
More than that though its a
constantly expanding app, with new
add-ons being built by the
community on a pretty regular basis.
Its expensive, but
considering how
little battery it
uses and how
useful it is, youre
not going to
begrudge the
premium price tag
too much.
Price 1.86/$2.99
Price 2.40/$3.90
Price 1.10/$1.77
Designed for Phone
Price 7.99/$9.99
Designed for Phone
An app that reacts to how

you are holding it
81
Which one of these alarm clock apps

should you use to help wake up?
One of the best things about the range of

alarm clock apps available on the Google
Play store is just how customisable they
are. Weve put two of the best offerings
head-to-head to
nd out which
one you
should download
specification
Price Free
Neon Alarm Clock

Use the interactive dial to
quickly set the time of your
alarm. Theres also a series
of predetermined alarms for
you to choose from for
quick access.
From sounds to animations,
Neon contains a plethora of
features for you to use to
personalise each alarm.
Nothing unique, but all the
bases are covered.
The timer function in Neon is
fairly basic and lacks the
additional customisation
features that can be applied to
alarms. Neon is focussed on
the morning alarm.
Although you have the
standard selection of alarms
available, the low volume
levels might not suit deep
sleepers. MP3s can be used in
the paid version of the app.
If you use the same alarm
continuously, make sure to
use the label feature that
saves it within the app. It
enables you to have alarms
for different purposes.
And the
winner is...
TIMELY
82
specification
Price Free
Requires Android: 4.0.3
Timely
SETTING AN
ALARM
Although you can choose to

manually set an alarm within
Timely, theres also an easyto-use interactive dial that
enables you to quickly set
an alarm.
CUSTOMISE
OPTIONS
Customise options are few

and far between in Timely
the key to this app is
simplicity but what is on
offer can help differentiate the
look and sound of any alarm.
TIMERS
Timers play a big part in the

Timely app, which are easy to
create and can be added to
your phones home screen. It
is a more fully featured time
app than Neon.
RINGTONES
You get both the stock range

of ringtones, as well as any
ringtones downloaded
through other apps or stored
on an SD card. Its a
comprehensive approach.
ADDITIONAL
FEATURES
There are some fantastic

gestures to explore in Timely.
It is also a beautifully
designed app that ranks
among the very best looking
on the platform.
Although Neon Alarm Clock includes some great features, its the
additional features available in Timely that make it the best app to
wake you up. Having the added benet of the timer function means its
an app of multiple functions that users should denitely download.
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Playmarkers

Assassins
Creed
Pirates
Final Fantasy
IV: The After
Years
Assassins Creed Pirates

Assassins Creed takes the battle to the sea
It can be quite worrying
when companies attempt
to port big console brands
to Android devices, so we met
Assassins Creed Pirates with some
reservation at rst. The game is a
spin-off on the recent console hit
Assassins Creed Black Flag, seeing
you play as Alonzo Batilla, a young
pirate aiming to control the seven
seas. To do so he must ght in
various naval battles and take over
opposition ships.
After the lengthy tutorial, youre
thrown in the deep end of the game
and are required almost instantly to
ght off an enemy pirate attack and
its from there where you start to
notice a few key issues. Although it
may use the Assassins Creed name,
thats all that the console games and
this instalment have in common.
Instead of controlling a single
character much of the gameplay
sees you tapping away on your
screen to get to different areas on a
map which trigger different missions.
Some missions see you having to
race against other ships, while
others may see you needing to
scavenge some loot. Theres no real
difculty in completing many of the
missions so you may blow through
the game at a fairly rapid pace.
what weve
been playing
Football Manager
2014 6.99/$9.99
Any football fanatic will
immediately love FMH 2014. The new
version has a redesigned training and
tactical interference for you to explore
and tinker with.
Train the Brain:

Memory
0.69/$0.99
The daily challenges in Train the Brain will
help improve your memory. For those
wanting to put their brain through its
paces, this is a great download to have.
Recommend a game
84
twitter
@lgrobot
Follow your compass to different missions and checkpoints
Line up cannons to cause the most damage
What we did like, however, was the

epic boat battles you can get
involved with. These battles see you
needing to strategically blast away
certain areas of enemy ships to
make them sink, without taking
much damage to your own vessel.
Thankfully these battles come along
fairly often and break up what is a
rather bland game most of the time.
The other area which we cant fault
AC Pirate on is with its graphics.

Ubisoft has done tremendous work
here to bring some superb animation
onboard, but dont expect your older
Android devices to run it, as this is
one meaty game.
Price 2.99/$4.99
Designed for Tablet
Final
Fantasy IV:
The After
Years
Another successful JRPG
port on Android
Each character has a different story to play through
Square Enix has been

gradually porting over the
popular Final Fantasy series
to Android devices with great
success. FF IV: The After Years
follows on closely from the original FF
IV, offering users some classic RPG
moments with a great bit of
storytelling. Where The After Years

stands out from the rest is that there
are multiple storylines for players to
get to grips with. The story changes
so much that it might be a little
daunting for people new to FF, but
seasoned players will love the
changes. As youd expect from any
FF game, youll easily plough many

hours into it and the 3D redesign of
the game is fantastic.
Price 10.99/$15.99
The Rivers of
Alice
Ridiculous
Fishing
Sonic Dash
The Rivers of Alice
A mesmeric adventure through an alternate universe
The Rivers of Alice is

without doubt one of the
most beautiful and well
designed games weve
encountered on the Google Play
store, and if you mix that in with
the superb puzzle gameplay,
youre onto one of the most
rewarding game experiences for a
while. The game sees you play as
Alice, a girl lost in an alternate
world and you must guide her
through it solving problems as you
go. Theres no controls as such
and instead you guide Alice
through taps on the screen to
move from panel to panel; certain
objects on each panel are
interactive. These objects often
contain puzzles for you to solve
and gradually get harder as you
Nakama
Free
With a simple combination of
button bashing and 8-bit graphics,
Nakama is a fantastic little platformer
that is the perfect pick-up-and-play title.
Puzzles get harder as you progress
progress. Although the selection of

puzzles isnt as vast as certain other
titles, its enough to keep things
interesting for the duration of the
game. With the addition of Alices
journey being the main story, The
Rivers of Alice is a great story and
puzzle combination that delivers on
Sonic Dash
Classic Sonic with a modern twist

Weve seen numerous Sonic ports appear on the
Play store over the past couple of years, with the
results producing some stellar titles. Instead of
the classic Sonic action many of us are accustomed to,
Dash is instead an endless runner game, very much in the
same vein as the likes of Temple Run. Each level you play
sees you collect stars and coins which can be used for
power-ups to help you get past tricky parts in certain
levels. Due to the speed
of the game, chances
are youll be needing to
use different power-ups
fairly often, and without
the necessary stars
youll need to buy in-app
purchases. Where Sonic
Dash does play homage
to previous instalments
of the franchise is with
its epic boss battles at
the end of each level,
but it still isnt the
quality Sonic game
weve become
accustomed too.
Collect stars and rings to get points
Price Free
Designed for Tablet
all fronts that both phone and

tablet users should get playing
right away.
Price 3.80/$6.06
Ridiculous Fishing
As extreme as shing could get
Its important
to cast away
preconceived
ideas of shing games
before playing
Ridiculous Fishing,
because as its name
suggests, its all a bit
over the top. Instead of
casting with your
standards rods,
Ridiculous Fishing sees
you shing with
chainsaws, toasters
and other random
items that you acquire.
Although in essence
Avoid the smaller sh to reach the
ocean oor
you still need to catch
sh to progress, the
main objective is to avoid many of the smaller sh and
navigate your bait to the ocean oor where the bigger sh
await you. Its a simple enough concept, but the
numerous stages you come across are varied enough to
keep it interesting. Latter levels also become frustrating
and theres little room for error if youre trying to get the
big scores. If you mix together a shing game with some
slapstick humour,
Price 1.99/$2.99
Ridiculous Fishing
is what youd end
up with.
Check our website for

even more game reviews
Micro Miners
0.57/$0.99
Micro Miners is a devishly
difcult puzzle game that requires quick
reexes. The screen is constantly moving
and you need to expertly avoid obstacles.
Double Dragon Trilogy

2.69/$2.99
The classic beat-em-up Double
Dragon trilogy has nally been
ported to Android. Although its great for
re-living some classic gaming moments,
its highly buggy and the game seems to
stutter a lot on older devices.
Farming Simulator 14
2.20/$2.99
From harvesting crops to taking
care of cattle, theres a
surprising amount of detail in Farming
Simulator 2014. The main aim is to build
and maintain your farm from scratch, but
it soon starts to feel a bit repetitive.
Chicken Boy Free

Although Chicken Boy does
borrow from other platformers,
its cute and colourful design
makes it a title worth checking. Theres
lots of levels to get through and the
range of superhero powers that Chicken
Boy has will give you a few giggles.
Dr Who: Legacy
Free
Instead of ghting with Daleks
and Cybermen, Dr Who Legacy is a fairly
mundane colour matching game, which
sees you travel through time and space.
85
Samsung Galaxy
Ace 3
The Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
is a low-cost 4G handset that
bears clear Samsung hallmarks
4G
The 4G support is a
pleasant surprise in such a
low-cost handset. Whether
4G tariffs are suited to
entry-level users is another
matter, however
Small enough
With a four-inch screen the
Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 is
small enough for little
hands to cope with
hile Samsungs 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 210 it sits neatly in
the budget to mid-range category.
This is a 4G handset with a distinctive Samsung
look and some distinctively Samsung features. It
has to be said right at the outset though, that, like
all handsets hovering around this price range, it
sits in the shadow of the Motorola Moto G. Theres
good news in that it betters Motorolas offering in
some respects, so all is not lost.
The Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 has the distinctive
Samsung physical Home button beneath its
screen, and the very recognisably Samsung shiny
plastic chassis too. That chassis means it suffers
from the same problem other Samsung phones do
of lacking grippiness.
This is a neat little handset with a four-inch
screen. The screen size isnt really a problem
plenty of people want to prioritise a handset they
can pop into a pocket and whose screen they can
reach across one-handed over a larger phone with
a bigger screen.
But the resolution is lower than were now used
to at 480 x 800 pixels. Text can lack clarity and the
ner detail isnt great. While that might not be a
problem for some people, its difcult to smile
about it when you consider the Moto G, which is
Near Field
Communications
Shiny
The Ace 3 sports
Samsungs usual glossy
plastic. It feels more at
home on an entry-level
device than a agship one,
but its still not great
It isnt often you see near eld

communications in a low-cost
phone like this
good
for...
86
4G
You get fast web and data speeds at an
affordable price
Review
The key plus point is
its 4G capability this
isnt something you
see very often at such
a low SIM-free price
considerably less expensive (150), has a 1,280 x
720 pixel, slightly larger 4.5-inch screen.
Samsung fans will be pleased that the Galaxy
Ace 3 has some of the special gesture and
motion-based features that make its handsets so
distinctive. There is Smart Stay that keeps the
screen on while you are looking at it, and Smart
Alert which gives you a little vibrating alert to
missed calls and messages when you pick the
handset up as well as the ability to mute calls by
turning the handset over.
Theres a dual-core processor keeping the
Galaxy Ace 3 running and as long as you dont force
things too much it should be ne. Certainly for
everyday stuff like web browsing and all but the
upper end of game playing you should be okay,
though average is denitely the best way to
describe performance.
Samsung includes its usual gamut of add-on
apps too, including its S Voice, S Translator, S
Planner, ChatON, Game Hub, Music Hub, Readers
Hub and its own Samsung App store too. Theres
also the standard Samsung easy mode a less
complicated home screen arrangement that is
ideal for users who dont want, or want to build up
to, the full Samsung user interface.
This is a 4G handset, and NFC is also here, giving
you a degree of future-proong that is welcome in
an entry-level handset and two features that the
Moto G does not have. The same goes for the

presence of the micro SD slot. You can use a micro
SD card to boost the 5GB of available memory out
of the 8GB thats installed. These are not
inconsiderable benets.
Battery life is reasonable, though depending on
your usage pattern you may well need to recharge
daily. Certainly if you are a keen internet user or like
some gaming during the day you might do well to
budget for a mid-day power boost. If youre buying
on a pay as you go deal and are more limited in your
data usage you should be able to get through the
day more comfortably.
The key plus point of the Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
is its 4G capability this isnt something you see
very often at such a low SIM-free price. But in the
end every handset at this kind of price is going to
be pitted against the Moto G for a while to come.
Unless you specically need the features the Ace 3
has that the G doesnt, then we would still
recommend that device ahead of this one.
Samsung Galaxy
Ace 3
information
Price 210
More information
www.samsung.com
Battery life
The battery should
last a day on fairly light
use, but if you are a
big gamer then you
may need an
afternoon top-up
technical specs
Operating system...............Android 4.2

Processor...................................1GHz dual-core Cortex-A9
Memory.......................................1GB RAM, 8GB storage
Dimensions..............................121.2 x 62.7 x 9.79mm
Weight ..........................................119.5g
Display size...............................Four-inch
Display resolution...............800 x 480 pixels
Expansion slot.......................micro SD
Samsung Galaxy Ace 3

Samsung
Galaxy
Ace 2
issue 021
better than
Motorola
Moto G
issue 033
worse than
Performance
Not a speed demon, but smooth
enough for most basic functions
Design
Compact, plastic and therefore
distinctly Samsung
Features
4G and NFC plus lots of Samsung apps
and extras make a good package
Smart Stay
Many of Samsungs quirky
software features are
onboard including Smart
Stay, which keeps the
screen on when you are
looking at it
One-handed use
The four-inch screen makes for easy
one-handed use
Value for money

Good value if you really need 4G in
your new device
Buttons
Verdict
Youll find better value phones,
Samsungs commitment
to hardware buttons is
still here, with the menu
and back buttons
positioned as always the
opposite way round to
most other phones
Touch communications
NFC is here, giving the phone a certain level of
future proong
Memory expansion
but the Samsung Galaxy Ace

3 offers a good package for
an entry-level phone
You can add a micro SD card to augment the

5GB of available onboard storage
87
Asus Transformer
Pad TF701T
Asus brings the Transformer

line up to date, but the idea is
beginning to look a little tired
Top heavy
The screen and keyboard
sections are fairly evenly
weighted, so if you try to use
the touchscreen the whole
thing can topple over
he rst time we saw the Asus Transformer

Pad idea we were blown away. How clever, to
produce a high-end tablet and a keyboard into
which it slots to make a very useful laptop device.
How much cleverer to build a second battery into
the keyboard section and to support USB
peripherals like keyboard, mouse, stick and hard
drive. What a stunner.
Time marches on, and since that very rst
Transformer Pad, Asus has updated and upgraded.
Now the latest model in the series, the Asus
Transformer Pad TF701T has appeared. It has
retained many of the features of earlier models,
including some of the downsides, and while it is a
very clever and very desirable piece of kit, it does
feel a bit dated and we think Asus should have
addressed a couple of fundamental issues that
have arisen.
Essentially, we have two main problems with the
Asus Transformer Pad TF701T. One is about
Splendid screen
The super high-res screen
can be tweaked with Asus
Splendid app to alter the
colour hue
Twin set
Screen and keyboard clip
together to make a
laptop-style device
88
good
for...
Ofce work
Polaris Ofce is included for real productivity
on the work front
Review
Asus Transformer
Pad TF701T
information
Price 460
More information
www.asus.com
Battery life
USB 3.0
Power packed
A USB slot on the

keyboard section
caters for storage,
mouse and keyboard
As well as a battery in the tablet

section theres one in the keyboard
too for extra long life
The Transformer concept remains a great

one, and Asus has done well to bring the
Transformer Pad TF701T bang up to date
usability. The keyboard section and screen are
fairly evenly weighted, so that if you tap the
touchscreen when youre in laptop mode, the
whole thing can topple backwards. What Asus
could do about this we arent entirely sure. The
screen section has to contain a lot of tech because
it has to function as a standalone tablet.
To prevent toppling, the keyboard section would
have to be even heavier than its 570g. Added to the
585g tablet you are looking at 1.1kg of weight
which is a lot for anything with a 10.1-inch screen.
More weight would not necessarily be well
received, so weight loss from the tablet would be
required. The keyboard is great, though, with
well-sized keys that are light to touch, and theres a
good array of Android-specic buttons to help you
work efciently.
Our other problem is price. At a whopping 460,
the Asus Transformer Pad TF701T costs more than
many laptops. Yet it isnt a laptop. Many people will
nd it hard to justify the expense of something that
could be matched, though nowhere near as
elegantly, with a good all-round Android tablet and
a separate keyboard.
Still, there is a great deal here to like. Theres a
very solid build for both keyboard and screen. The
screens 2,560 x 1,600 pixels deliver superb clarity
and Acer includes the Splendid app weve seen in
recent devices, which lets you alter colour
Long life
Two batteries provide long life that you wont
be able to match
saturation even going down to black and white if

you want to so you can get things looking just
how you want.
Theres 32GB of built-in storage, 5GB of Asus
Webstorage, a micro SD card slot on the tablet
section, SD card and USB 3.0 on the keyboard.
That latter can be used for storage options or for
mouse or keyboard. It coped perfectly well with a
hub with three slots occupied during our tests.
The 1.9GHz Tegra4 processor is amazingly
capable, and 2GB of RAM is in support. Battery life
is excellent with up to four hours from the keyboard
section and 13 from the tablet. The proprietary
charge cable annoys, though.
While the Asus Transformer Pad TF701T is
obviously no Windows laptop or MacBook, Asus
has tried to give it a strong range of onboard apps.
So theres a tray of apps you can call up to sit on
top of what you are doing, SuperNote for drawn and
typed jottings (it also supports handwriting
recognition) and Polaris Ofce for much more
serious document creation.
The Transformer concept remains a great one,
and Asus has done well to bring the Transformer
Pad TF701T hardware up to date. But we would like
the next version to be slimmer, lighter, better
weighted and with some new ideas to support
existing ones. At present, its looking dated but has
plenty of potential to recapture former glories.
Good viewing
The high-resolution screen is superb work
and play is perfectly crisp
Masses of storage
There are two

batteries
available, so
automatically
this makes it
market leading
technical specs

Processor...................................1.9GHz quad-core
Dimensions..............................263 x 180.8 x 8.9mm (tablet)
263 x 180.8 x 7mm (dock)
Weight ..........................................585g (tablet) 570g (dock)

Display size...............................10.1-inch
Display resolution...............2,560 x 1,600
Expansion slot.......................micro SD on tablet,
USB 3.0 on dock
Asus Transformer Pad

Sony Xperia
Tablet Z
Gemini
Devices
JoyTab 9.7
issue 027
issue 017
better than
worse than
Performance
Blistering performance, handles
everything you throw at it
Design
Solid but stocky when you take the
dock into consideration
Features
Theres plenty going on to keep you
busy, but nothing particularly innovative
Value for money

Theres no doubting that you get a lot
for your money, but do you need it?
Verdict
A good
device, but we want
more innovation next time
You can even use external hard drives thanks

to the docks USB 3.0 support
89
Archos 45
Platinum
Archos builds dual-SIM support

into the heart of its current
smartphone series
Viewability
The screen measures a
healthy 4.5 inches, but its
resolution is low at just
960 x 540
rchos might once have been best known

for its music players, but the company is
busy reinventing itself as a maker of tablets
and smartphones. The Platinum range currently
includes three handsets, all of them dual-SIM and
with quad-core processors. If money is tight or you
dont particularly need a quad-core processor, then
look to the Titanium range, whose handsets are
also dual-SIM, but which have dual-core engines.
The Asus 45 Platinum has a 4.5-inch screen. This
sounds pretty healthy by modern standards, but
take a look beneath that headline and things are
not necessarily all that wonderful. The resolution,
for example, is just 960 x 540 pixels. The screen is
quite reective too, and theres a denite lack of
zip to its touch responsiveness. Sometimes we felt
it was holding us back.
Thats a bit of a problem for us, as we tend to
think of the screen as one of the most important
aspects of a handset. Theres also an issue with
memory. The 4GB of built-in storage is not all
available to you. In fact, youve got about 2.6GB to
install apps to. Dont expect to have many
leading-edge games on the go at once.
You can at least augment the built-in storage
with a micro SD card, and the slot, which is under
the backplate, can be reached without removing
the battery. So you can easily side-load audio or
video if thats what you like to do.
That dual-SIM support will be a draw for some
people and if you fancy the phone but dont have
two SIMs you only need to use one slot youll just
Search button
Theres a dedicated search
button beneath the screen
that calls up Google Now
Musical
matters
Theres an FM radio
and support for
lossless audio les
among the devices
multimedia goodness
good
for...
90
Budget buyers
This is a relatively low-cost handset, one for
the bargain hunters
Review
This shows Archos can do originality and be
quirky, but sadly theres not enough of this
kind of thing on offer
get a no signal symbol in the notications area for
the SIM-less slot. Bear in mind, if you do go for this
phone, that only one of the SIM slots supports 3G.
The other is 2G.
Given Archoss history of selling portable music
players you might expect some sophisticated
capabilities in the multimedia department. But
youd be wrong to do so. Theres an FM radio and
Archos provides a pair of multimedia apps called
Archos Music and Archos Video. But theyre pretty
mundane, to be honest. The music player does
have an equalizer, and its nice to see support for
the lossless OGG Vorbis format, but theres nothing
really standout about either app.
If you are feeling a little nonplussed by the
Archos 45 Platinum, the build may cement that
feeling. Its a fairly blocky design, and rather taller
than it needs to be for the screen size, with a big
bezel top and bottom. Archos has been clever in
putting a Search button beside the more standard
three touch buttons beneath the screen. Tap this
Four cores
and Google Now opens up. This shows Archos can

do originality and be quirky, but sadly theres not
enough of this kind of thing on offer.
It is disappointing that the Archos 45 Platinum
runs on Android 4.1 when we are now at 4.4 KitKat.
That quad-core processor is a way off the leading
edge, being a Snapdragon 200 running at 1.2GHz.
Its fast alright, but not blisteringly so.
And theres been a bit of fudging with the battery
too, which is just 1600mAh. Corners do have to be
cut to reach the kind of price Archos has achieved
here, but cutting battery capacity is going to be
problematic for some, including those who like to
use their handset for music playing. Many users will
need to budget for an afternoon shot of power.
In the end this is a frustrating handset. We do
understand that Archos will have had to think
carefully about how to meet its price. And we like
the dual-SIM approach. But the screen and battery
life are both key components in any phone, and
both are disappointing.
Archos 45
Platinum
information
Price 169.99
More information
www.archos.com/gb
Battery life
You may need
a midafternoon
battery boost
to keep the 45
up and running
technical specs

Dimensions..............................71.8 x 9.2 x 142.5mm
Weight ..........................................150g
Display resolution...............960 x 540 pixels
Archos 45 Platinum
Two sims
The quad-core processor is at the

lower end of the range from
Qualcomm but it is good enough to
meet budget level expectations
There are two SIM slots under the

backplate. One supports 3G for
voice and data capabilities, while the
other supports only 2G for voice
ZTE Blade
lll
issue 032
better than
Motorola
Moto G
issue 033
worse than
Performance
Quad-core but at the lower end of the
performance scale
Design
Blocky and a bit oversized for the
screen, but nice and original in places
Features
Fairly basic feature set on show doesnt
inspire confidence
Value for money

You can do better on a tight budget if
you have a look around
Verdict
Shop
around for a better
Music
Micro SD support and an equalizer are handy
for music fans
Travellers
Support for two SIMs will appeal to frequent
travellers scared of roaming charges
Simplicity
budget buy or just head for

the Moto G aisle
Android is not overpowered by added apps or

a complex skin
91
Acer Liquid
S1 Duo
Acer comes up with a smashing

low-cost phablet that has some
very neat features
Two SIMs
There are two SIM slots
under the backplate
Big screen
The screen measures 5.7
inches, making it large
enough for video viewing
and rewarding hours of
web browsing
Pop-up apps
Long press the multitasking
button for access to a
range of pop-up apps
e cant pretend to like the term phablet

but it does do a fairly good job of
describing a device that is too large to be
strictly speaking called a phone and too small to
be strictly speaking called a tablet. Screen sizes
below seven inches but over 5.5 inches fall into this
category and, for want of a better descriptive word,
were sticking with it.
A lot of phablets are expensive and for the most
part you are looking at more than 500. While
Samsungs Galaxy Mega is under 300 theres
nothing in the phablet category that can match the
220 of the Acer Liquid S1 Duo, which has the
added advantage of two micro SIM card slots.
Considering its relatively low price there is an
awful lot going on here. We did nd a bit of ex in
the chassis, but the overall design is attractive and
the 5.7-inch screen nestles quite well without too
much bezel adding to the overall device size. Even
so, the Acer Liquid S1 Duo is large for holding to the
ear to take a call and slipping into a pocket.
The screen itself is not the highest resolution,
but its 1,280 x 720 pixels are good enough for the
full range of activities from watching video to web
browsing. More expensive phablets like the Galaxy
Note 3 have since moved up to full 1080p HD.
One big disappointment is that theres only 5GB
of accessible internal storage from the 8GB thats
installed, but that is partly assuaged by the fact
that there is a micro SD card slot that you can use
to add more storage if you need it.
The quad-core processor is good enough too. It
is not a top of the range model, but it handled what
we threw at it well, and really, considering the price
of the Liquid S1 Duo it is perfectly acceptable.
Acer adds a fair range of apps to Android 4.2,
and many of these will please you if you want to
use the Liquid S1 Duo for work. Theres a print
utility for using wireless printers, and support for
wireless displays too.
Theres also Polaris Ofce. Add in that dual-SIM
capability, which means you can have both work
and personal SIMs in the same device, and the
Acer Liquid S1 Duo might make a very good
business phablet. There are also some other
good
for...
92
Phablet rst steps

The price is attractive, especially compared to
other phablets on the market
Review
Acer Liquid
S1 Duo
information
Price 220
More information
www.acer.co.uk
Battery life
Quad-core
The quad-core processor
seemed to handle our
requirements nicely
Slightly
underpowered
battery at a time
when battery
expectations on
phablets are high
technical specs

Dimensions..............................83 x 9.6 x 163mm
Weight ..........................................195g
Display resolution...............1,280 x 720 pixels
Writing
words
Polaris Ofce is on board
so you can write all those
important documents
Acer Liquid S1 Duo

Samsung
Galaxy
Mega
issue 028
better than
Theres nothing in the phablet category that

can match the 220 of the Acer Liquid S1 Duo,
which has the advantage of two SIMs
utilities including a notes app called LiveScreen,
which lets you annotate screen grabs or photos,
Evernote, Facebook and a le manager. Its quite a
nice bundle if were honest.
Acer has taken a cue from those other handset
makers who let you run pop-up apps that sit on
top of whatever app you are running at the time.
You can long press the multitasking button to call
up a menu that offers a selection of these
including a calculator, a couple of notes apps,
timer, web browser, Google Maps and even a
camera applet making it easy to take a quick photo
without leaving the application you are in. This
long press action also pops up an additional eight
app shortcuts so you can have all your favourites
readily accessible.
Multitasking
Pop-up apps are useful and aid productivity on
this large screened handset
This is a really useful added bonus feature, and

theres another that might not seem so useful at
rst thought. The two cameras, front and back, can
take photos when you say cheese. This is probably
most useful when the front camera is in action and
youre taking a group shot that includes yourself as
you can stand back from the camera to better
frame a photo. An added bonus on that front is that
the front camera has a wider angle lens than usual,
so that when used in wide screen mode in
particular you can cram more into a shot.
If you have wanted to dip your toe in the phablet
waters before now, but have found the options
available just that bit too rich, the compromises
the Acer S1 has made to reach its 200 price point
are small enough that it becomes worth a look.
Video viewing
The big screen works well for video, especially
with the HD resolution
Work and play
Samsung
Galaxy
Note 3
issue 031
worse than
Performance
Responsive and speedy. Handles most
common tasks with ease
Design
Slightly flimsy but visually attractive.
Very large, obviously
Features
Some good ideas to make full use of
the big screen
Value for money

A very affordable phablet. Good options
for those on a budget
Verdict
A good
value phablet for
those that want to test big
screen devices without
saddling themselves with
expensive contracts
Two SIM slots give you support for both work

and play modes
93
Android
essentials
Our round-up of the best Android extras
Supertooth Disco 3
Price 69.99/$99.99
More information www.supertooth.net
The Disco 3 is a small and portable Bluetooth speaker

available in multiple colour options ranging from a bright
yellow to the more conservative grey we were testing.
Its one of the those products that just works. Theres
minimal setup time, produces good and loud audio and
has excellent battery life in standby mode, making it
ideal for the more casual user. Heavier use, especially
at louder volumes, does strain the battery more.
Wacom Bamboo Stylus

Price 24.99/$24.95
More information www.wacom.com
If youre trying to do creative things with your tablet then the Bamboo stylus is
a real benet. Whether for artistic endeavours or for more productive tasks like
annotating PDF documents and the like, it comes in very handy. The pudgy,
soft-tipped ending is not for the most delicate details in your artwork but is
highly responsive and very comfortable to use. It doesnt have any of the
smartness of the S Pen seen on Samsungs Note devices, but it is beautifully
designed and something you will want to use.
94
Minx Go
Accessories
Groovez headphones
Price 59.95/$TBA
More information www.stk-acc.com
Price 99.95/$149
More information www.cambridgeaudio.com
Despite the rather plastic feel of the Groovez

headphones, they feel rigid and well built. Theyre also
comfortable to wear, thanks to the cushioned pads and
lightweight frame. The frame also includes a range of
playback controls, as well as a micro USB charging
port. Youll be using the micro USB port a lot with the
Groovez, as the eight hours music playback that is
described on the box is a bit far fetched while we were
using them. Music quality is superb, however, and
having options to connect to your phone via Bluetooth
or 3.5mm audio jack offers users multiple options to
enjoy their music at all times.
The Minx Go is an impressive speaker

system. Compact and very unassuming
it has a style that would suit any home,
and it packs a surprising punch. It
connects easily to your devices over
Bluetooth and delivers very good sound
quality at good volume. It is powered by
either mains or the built-in battery that
charges in only a couple of hours and
lasts for a good few days of heavy use.
EDITORS
CHOICE
Misfit Shine
Activity Tracker
Price 99.95/$119.95
More information www.mistwearables.com
Wearable tech is on the rise, and it is in the tness sector where it

is moving into the mainstream rst. The Mist Shine is a tiny,
coin-sized device that comes with a wrist strap, although you can
keep it in your pocket or wear it round your neck if you prefer. It
tracks your motion, including while youre in bed to determine the
quality of sleep, and syncs the data to the Shine app on your phone.
EDITORS
CHOICE
RHA MA750
headphones
Price 79.95/$129.95
More information www.rha-audio.com
The MA750 headphones from RHA are a high-quality mid-range set. They come with no
less than ten different-sized and shaped tips for a perfect t in your ear (although
ironically they are rather difcult to t onto the headset itself), and use an over-ear
design which helps reduce some of the weight of the heavier-than-average cord. Sound
quality is excellent, with good dynamic range, and though there are no extras such as a
remote or accompanying app we never felt like we were missing out.
95
Wireless
gadgets
Wire-free fun for your Android devices
Minix Neo A1+

Price 22.95/$30.72
More information www.minix.com.hk
The Neo A1+ is described as a wireless gaming mouse. It houses a full

Qwerty keyboard plus mouse buttons activated via the IR port on top and
supplied adapter for a desktop machine. It is designed primarily to work with
one of Minixs Android media devices, and also has a built-in gyroscope
which can detect motion, giving you an element of Wii-style control. We had
issues with the ergonomics of the keyboard it wasnt the most comfortable
product to hold and we struggled to stretch our thumbs to hit the most
central of the keys.
96
BeeWi Scara Bee

Price 84.84/$109.99
More information www.bee-wi.com
The Scara Bee is a remote-controlled buggy for your

smartphone. Install the app, connect via Wi-Fi and youre
able to drive it as far as 30 metres away. Theres a small VGA
camera attached to the front which streams live back to
your phones screen. Its fun for a short while, but a few
connection issues made it occasionally frustrating to use.
Freedom
Bluetooth keyboard
Price 39.95/$TBA
More information http://freedomtechnology.com.hk
This version of the Freedom Bluetooth keyboard has backlit keys and comes
with its own compact stand and water resistant case. It runs off its own
internal battery, recharged via the micro USB port. The keyboard is quite small
and so is a tad cramped, although we were able to type at decent speeds,
and far faster than using an onscreen keyboard.
Accessories
EDITORS
CHOICE
Sync by 50
Price 169.95/$229.95
More information www.smsby50.com
Although you may not be familiar with 50 Cents music, his new SMS Audio range
has enjoyed rave reviews. The Sync by 50 is a premium-feeling wireless speaker
that is small enough to be portable, but big enough to deliver big sound on a
regular basis. Connecting to the speaker via Bluetooth is easy enough to do, with
the fascia of the speaker including a selection of standard music controls to use.
Mainly due to the dual 50mm drivers built in to the Sync, music is surprisingly
clear. It isnt as loud as similarly priced speakers, but both the clarity and overall
quality is second to none and should please both casual and audiophiles alike.
Viewquest
Hepburn
Price 149.99/$TBA
More information www.viewquest.co.uk
This DAB radio/Bluetooth speaker system is as beautiful and

50s-styled as its name implies. With its large front speaker,
chrome effect buttons (theyre actually only plastic) and full-on
attention to every retro detail wed be inclined to recommend it on
looks alone. Thankfully its also pretty good. Predominantly a DAB
radio, it isnt a full replacement for a dedicated speaker system for
audiophiles, but the ability to stream your own choice of music
over Bluetooth adds real value.
97
NEXT
MONTH
30 KITKAT
SECRETS
REVEALED
The tastiest bits of Android
4.4 that Google forgot to tell
you about
ANDROID
EVERYWHERE!
From Darren Abbott

Used Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Hot Shots
Your amazing Android snaps
From Chris Everall
Used Samsung Galaxy S III
Taken a great shot with your Android

phone or camera? Send it to us at:
email
From Mike & Valeria Finch
Used Samsung Galaxy S III
From cars to TVs to laptops

and more. How Android will
soon be powering every
device you own
HOTTEST
NEW
PHONES
OF
2014
The best Android gear
heading your way over the
next few months
From Zilll Niazi

Used Samsung Galaxy Note 2
THE BEST NEW

DEVICES ON TEST
The hottest new Android
phones and tablets tested
in full
Issue 35
goes on sale:
20 Feb
Designed
by Philippe Starck,
Parrot Zik are the
worlds most advanced
wireless headphones
+ Wirelessly stream music via Bluetooth from smartphones and tablet + Active noise cancellation
only hear your music, not background noise + Companion App to customise and optimise audio
settings + On-ear controls no need to reach for your phone or tablet + Automatically pause and
restart music when taken off/put back on + Carry case and spare battery options also available
+ Available now in four gorgeous colours
Buy now from top retailers including

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