class="align-right" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/android-sd-card.jpg" alt="how to reset android" />Recently, I started a new job where I was offered a Blackberry Bold. Being a tech geek that loves playing with new gadgets, this was a pretty cool turn of events. However, it is also bittersweet, because I am absolutely in love with my Droid. In my opinion, no matter what other mobile phone I ever use, the Android will always be king. I love the ability to quickly multitask with different apps, click on an address or phone number from a website, instantly dial or navigate, and so many other features too numerous to mention.

With that said, my kids both want a smartphone, and by offering my Droid to my daughter, I can avoid having to purchase a new phone and add a new data plan. I realized that many families may be in similar situations – where phones may change hands but never actually leave the house.

In this article, I’m going to show you how to save your entire phone setup – including the OS settings, applications and data – to a storage area, and then how to completely reset the phone to factory settings and clear the SD card. In the future, if the phone is ever yours again, you can simply restore from backup and it’s like the phone was never gone.

Reset Your Android Like New Again

It is surprisingly easy to reset your Android phone. What you really have to worry about is making sure you don’t lose anything important that you might have saved on your phone at some point – and so that you always have the ability to reclaim the phone as your own again.

In the following case, I am running a Motorola Droid with the CyanogenMod ROM. The instructions below are nearly identical for your standard ROM.

Back Up Your Phone Settings & All Data

The first thing you’ll want to do is install href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.koushikdutta.rommanager&hl=en">ROM Manager off the Android Market and do a full backup of your current ROM.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh2b03.png" alt="how to reset android" width="280" height="498" />

Once you click “Backup Current ROM“, it’ll reboot your phone and then take a full backup of your apps, settings and OS configuration to your SD card. It can take a while so make sure your phone is plugged in. When it’s done, the next thing you’ll want to do is move that backup file (along with all of your photos, music and other data) onto your computer or some other external storage device.

To do this, plug your phone into your computer, pull down the top menu and click the USB status. On the next screen, click on “Turn on USB Storage“. This will mount your phone as a drive in File Explorer.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh304.png" alt="factory reset android" width="280" height="498" />

It’s as simple as highlighting all of the files in that drive, and copying them to a backup location on your computer or external hard drive.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh4.png" alt="factory reset android" width="514" height="432" />

In my case, the entire backup was about 2.35 GB and took about 2 or 3 minutes. Just let the transfer do its thing, and when you’re done, your Android phone settings are now completely backed up and ready for use at some future date.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh5.png" alt="factory reset android" width="513" height="425" />

Restoring Your Android To Factory Settings

Now that you’ve backed everything up, it’s time to wipe out everything and transform the phone back in time to the first day you bought it. Well, I guess in my case that actually means back to the first day I installed the CyanogenMod ROM, but you get my point.

The process to do this is ridiculously easy (which is why it’s so important to back up everything first). Go into the settings menu and click on “Privacy“.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh605.png" alt="reset android to factory settings" width="280" height="498" />

On the next screen, and click on “Factory data reset“.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh706.png" alt="reset android to factory settings" width="280" height="498" />

Read the warning screen carefully, because trust me, they are not kidding. Everything gets wiped. That’s Everything with a capital E.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh807.png" alt="reset android to factory settings" width="280" height="498" />

Upon reboot, you’ll need to go through the initial configuration steps that you did when you first bought your phone – including either logging into or creating a Google Account. Then the standard home screen will appear.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh908.png" alt="" width="280" height="498" />

Just to make sure everything is fresh and new on the SD card, it doesn’t hurt to go into settings and click on the SD card & phone storage settings menu. In here, unmount the SD card and then click on “Format SD card“.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh1001.png" alt="how to reset android" width="280" height="498" />

Now, you’ve completely and thoroughly wiped out everything on the phone and it is ready for the next user. It is currently using the same phone number and cellular account that I had previously. If you’re switching accounts, then you’ll want to take your SIM card out and insert the SIM card for the new user.

Have you ever traded your Android phone with family members or friends? How did you reset your Android? Did you use the same procedure as described here, or did you do anything different? Do you have any other preferences for taking a ROM backup? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Snappr-300x300.png" alt="" />You’ve probably noticed that nowadays the world is buzzing with citizen journalism. Whenever there’s civil unrest, accidents, celebrities and other news to be noted there often seems to be an average Joe with a phone camera on hand ready to record the event far sooner than any photo journalists or reporters. Maybe you’ve even done this on occasion yourself. If you saw something newsworthy like riots or some extreme weather, would you be taking photos and sharing them online? That would make you a citizen journalist – at least for the day.

But what happens when you don’t have Internet access on your phone? Maybe you’re outside your home country and haven’t paid for roaming Internet access? Maybe in your home country, Internet access isn’t really affordable? Maybe you don’t have a smartphone? There’s plenty of reasons this situation might come up. How do you share the pictures then? Here’s where class="vt-p" href="http://snappr.eu/">Snappr comes in. You can upload pictures to Twitter using Snappr and MMS on your phone.

What Is Snappr?

Essentially, class="vt-p" href="http://snappr.eu/">Snappr is the bridge between your phone, Twitpic and Twitter. It allows you to send an MMS photo to Snappr, which then forwards it on to Twitpic for you. Twitpic then posts it on your Twitter account for you, getting that photo out there where people can see it pretty much instantly.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Snappr-Splash.png" alt="" />

All this is done without the need for you to have a phone with Internet access, a Twitter application or even a smartphone. If you can send photo messages to people, Snappr will work. All you need to do is make sure you’re signed up with class="vt-p" href="http://www.twitpic.com">Twitpic and you’ve got the details for Snappr ready in your phone before you need them.

Set Up Twitpic

Sign up to class="vt-p" href="http://www.twitpic.com/">Twitpic using your Twitter credentials then check out your class="vt-p" href="http://www.twitpic.com/account/settings/mobile">Twitpic settings to find your secret email address for uploading photos.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Snappr-Twitpic-Email.png" alt="" />

Set Up Snappr

To set up Snappr all you need to do is have the MMS number in your phone – 84433. I’d personally advise that in the contact name you remind yourself of the format for sending messages to Snappr, which we’re about to go through.

Send Photos To Snappr

When you send your photo by MMS to Snappr using the phone number 84433, you need to add in the text of your message the word “PIC” followed by your Twitpic secret email address. If you remind yourself of this in the contact information for Snappr it will make your life easier.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Snappr-Howto.png" alt="" />

Once the MMS photo message has been sent to Snappr with the correct information they will forward it on to Twitpic and it will be in your Twitter updates in no time.

What Else Could You Use?

Well, obviously, if you’ve got Internet access or the ability to send email from your phone there are numerous other ways to do this. But this method could come in handy at times, so it’s worth having it ready.

If you’re interested in tools for low-tech phones or Twitter generally, have a read of these articles:

• class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/low-tech-ways-to-twitter-from-a-cell-phone/">How To Twitter From A Low-Tech Cell Phone
• class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/2-simple-ways-send-audio-tweets-twitter/">2 Really Simple Ways To Send Audio Tweets To Twitter
• class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-set-up-email-on-a-basic-cell-phone/">How To Set Up Email On A Basic Cell Phone
• class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/regular-cell-phone-smarter-smsmms-data-plan-required-part-1/">How To Make Your Mobile Phone Smarter With SMS/MMS

Have you set up class="vt-p" href="http://snappr.eu/">Snappr yet? You may as well have it ready just in case! When could you have really used something like this in the past?

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image62.png?54167" alt="send text to phone" />I spend a large chunk of my life in front of my computer. For those rare times I need to leave my chair and actually go do something in the real world, I sometimes want to take a chunk of the Web with me. Perhaps it’s a link to a Google Map helping me get to where I want to go (assuming it’s not the bathroom), or a bit of text about the place.

Google already offers something called class="vt-p" href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.chrometophone&hl=en">Chrome to Phone, but it’s very limited. It works only with Chrome, and only with Android devices.   class="vt-p" href="http://sitetophone.com/">Site to Phone, despite the similar moniker, actually supports all major browsers (not just Chrome) and all major phone OS’s (not just Android).

Upon arriving at the website, you’re presented with a huge button that simply cannot be missed:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image63.png?54167" border="0" alt="send text to phone" width="580" height="212" />

Tapping the button generates an ID, and invites you to browse to it from the phone. This is something you’ll have to do manually. Grab your phone and tap out the address as it appears on the screen.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image64.png?54167" border="0" alt="send text to phone from computer" width="426" height="390" />

Let’s do that right now.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image65.png?54167" border="0" alt="send text to phone from computer" width="300" height="500" />

Rather than get an APK file or a Market link with a purpose-build Android app, we’re presented with a simple list of instructions using what the phone already offers. In other words, this is just a glorified bookmark. Some people may think it’s a bit low-tech, but personally, I like the idea of making my phone do more without actually installing new apps.

The instructions didn’t work exactly as planned, because I use an alternative launcher. I had to add the bookmark manually to my launcher ( class="vt-p" href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.gau.go.launcherex">Go Launcher EX), but once that was done, it looked like this:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image66.png?54167" border="0" alt="send text to phone from computer" width="300" height="500" />

Tapping the button indeed brought me back to the page, where I clicked the “Complete Setup” button. Instantly, the window changes – I’m in:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image67.png?54167" border="0" alt="image" width="580" height="389" />

That’s it! I can now paste anything in that box, hit Send to phone, and it will show up on the smartphone version of the website. Sure, the downside is that I won’t get push notifications and links won’t automatically open, but it took mere seconds, was free, and did not require any software installation. Also, note the huge range of mobile OS’s and browsers supported: Since Site to Phone is implemented in such a simple way, it can easily support just about anything that has Web access.

Okay, let’s try it out by sending some text. I just entered a bit of text on the desktop, hit Send, and tapped the shortcut on my home screen. The page reloaded on my phone’s browser, and I got this:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image68.png?54167" border="0" alt="send phone text" width="300" height="500" />

Yes, so they’ve added a needless escape character (I typed “I’ve” and they rendered “I\’ve”), but other than that, that’s exactly what I wrote. I can now easily copy and paste that text. Sadly, sending a link didn’t work as well as I expected it to:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image69.png?54167" border="0" alt="send phone text" width="580" height="361" />

As you can see, the URL wasn’t turned into a link. That’s a bit of a downer, but maybe I’ve done something wrong (please enlighten me in the comments, if so).

Back on the desktop side of things, you may not want to go to the Site to Phone website everytime you want to send over a quick snippet of text to your phone. So now would be a good time to look at the browser tools Site to Phone offers:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image70.png?54167" border="0" alt="send phone text" width="580" height="301" />

So there’s a bookmarklet (for anything and everything), an IE Accelerator and a Chrome extension. Let’s try the Chrome extension. We get a toolbar button, and clicking it instantly sends the current page to the phone:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image71.png?54167" border="0" alt="image" width="445" height="170" />

Tapping the link on my phone’s home screen launches me instantly onto the site I sent to the phone:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image72.png?54167" border="0" alt="image" width="300" height="500" />

But getting to my previous notes is difficult – going to the website on the phone just sends me to MakeUseOf again. I tried several times, but kept getting the same thing. This may be one case where this minimalistic app oversteps its bounds and tries to be a bit too clever for the user’s own good. To fix this, go into the class="vt-p" href="http://sitetophone.com/options.php">options page and enable Device control panel:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image73.png?54167" border="0" alt="image" width="439" height="197" />

Now, when you tap the shortcut icon on the phone home screen, you’re taken to the Site to Phone page even if you’ve just sent a link to the phone.

The Chrome add-on also lets you send text to your phone effortlessly. Simply select any chunk of text in Chrome and right-click it:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image74.png?54167" border="0" alt="send text to phone" width="523" height="193" />

Tapping “Send text to phone” just works; you don’t get a notification or any other bells and whistles, but when you go to the website on your phone, you’re going to find that text waiting for you right there.

Bottom Line

Site to Phone gets a thumbs-up from me. I love the minimalistic way this solution uses existing, simple and widely supported Web technologies, and the huge amount of devices and browsers it supports. If you’re looking for a low-fat way to get links and text to your phone, look no further.

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/site-phone-lets-easily-send-links-text-smartphone/">Site To Phone Lets You Easily Send Links & Text To Your Smartphone is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/winmobile.png" alt="" />A few years ago, I covered a list of Windows Mobile apps, like the class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/make-4-coolspy-gadgets-with-your-windows-mobile-phone/">4 spy apps or the 6 useful class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/cool-downloads-for-your-college-kids-cellphone/">apps for college kids. Karl also hit on a number of cool apps for Windows Mobile, like the full class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-makeuseof-windows-mobile-guide-pdf/">PDF guide, and his list of sites to get the class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-3-sites-to-download-windows-mobile-6-freeware">best freeware for WM6. But I’ve now switched to a Motorola Droid. The Cingular 8125 running Windows Mobile 5 has been stored away in my bedside drawer since 2010.

Recently, I’ve been building a home web server that I have running in my office without a keyboard or monitor attached. I connect to it class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-spy-on-your-spouse-with-your-computer/">via VNC from my laptop whenever I want to work on it. The other night, I stumbled upon my old Windows Mobile phone and at that moment, my brain started turning. Why do I have this great device stashed away in a drawer, when it could be put to good use? Even though there’s no cellular service, it still has Wi-Fi capability, so it can still serve as a little mobile computer.

Realizing that there are probably a lot of other people out there with devices like this collecting dust, I decided to transform this seemingly useless phone into a highly-useful, productive mobile network device.

Accessing Music & Information

Basically, I wanted to transform this device into a bedside tool that I could use to get instant access to news, music, and of course the time and calendar. I also wanted the device to have constant connectivity to my home network, for troubleshooting and working on the server.

The first order of business was to load up useful Internet-ready content apps. The first choice I went with was class="vt-p" href="http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-open-web-radio.html">OPENweb Radio. This application gives you access to streaming content from local radio stations all around the world. After installing the app and launching it, I found a few stations around here.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/wm5apps0011.png" alt="" width="375" height="500" />

When you click to listen to the station, the streaming audio comes up in Windows Media Player. If you want to use the device as a bedside clock, having a radio is an obvious feature that it really needs.

I also wanted to make sure that the mobile device could also stream podcasts from around the web. I have a number of NPR (National Public Radio) podcasts that I really like, and being able to plug my headphones into my old WM5 phone and listen to them while lying in bed would be very cool. The best app for that is class="vt-p" href="http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/get-ppcpodcast-beta-6.html">PPC Podcast.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/wm5apps0071.png" alt="" width="375" height="500" />

You can choose podcasts from the list of categories included with the app, or you can do like I do and just manually type in the RSS link for your favorite podcast feeds from throughout the Internet.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/wm5apps008.png" alt="" width="375" height="500" />

Just like OpenWeb Radio, the content streaming takes place in Windows Media Player on the device.

Finally, I wanted to load the highest quality bedside clock app as possible on the WM5 device, and I discovered a pretty cool full-screen alarm clock app called class="vt-p" href="http://wolfclock.en.softonic.com/pocketpc">WolfClock that works on Windows Mobile 5 just fine.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/wm5apps009.png" alt="" width="375" height="500" />

WolfClock is a fully customizable alarm clock application. You can completely change the color scheme and background of the display, and you can also modify how and when the clock runs, and what the alarm sounds like when it goes off. You can even set it to start the alarm soft and then increase the volume over time.

Network Monitoring Device

Even more than using the old device as a bedside clock and media device, I also wanted the ability to pick up the device and use it to access remote systems on my home network. One very useful app, particularly in a bedroom where you might have a computer running a video display across the room as a television, is class="vt-p" href="http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-remote-control.html">PPC Remote Control.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/wm5apps0021.png" alt="" width="375" height="500" />

As you can see from the image above, you can use this app to control just about everything the computer can do. This includes launching and controlling PowerPoint presentations, controlling Windows Media Player, and even remotely controlling the PC mouse and keyboard.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/wm5apps003.png" alt="" width="375" height="500" />

Surprisingly, mouse and keyboard control is very intuitive and easy to use, even on an old Windows Mobile 5 device with an old-style touchscreen that requires a little more pressure than today’s touchscreens.

The app that I was really looking forward to using was the class="vt-p" href="http://www.jamlent.com/2009/11/remote-control-your-pc-with-vnc/">VNC Viewer. All I needed to do was install a VNC Viewer on this old WM5 phone and I can connect to my web server just like I’m sitting in front of it.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/wm5apps005.png" alt="" width="375" height="500" />

Of course, when you’re network troubleshooting, you want the ability to quickly check out the integrity of your connections. Ping is required for that, and the perfect app to perform ping with your old WM phone is class="vt-p" href="http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-pingbox-v1-4.html">PingBox.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/wm5apps006.png" alt="" width="375" height="500" />

Just type in the IP to check, click on “Ping“, and the app takes care of the rest.

Finally, the last monitoring tool that I find nice to have handy is the PPC Interface tool which provides a graphical display of all traffic in and out of the Windows Mobile device.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/wm5apps010.png" alt="" width="375" height="500" />

As you can see, it seems silly to store away a perfectly good smartphone in the back of a drawer, when there are so many cool things you can still do with that device. The fact that it can still access the Internet through Wi-Fi means that it can become a fully-functioning mobile computer. All you have to do is install the apps above, and you’re in business.

Do you have any old mobile devices hanging around the house? Have you reused them as useful wireless devices on your home network? Share some of your own ideas and experiences in the comments section below.

Image Credit: class="vt-p" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/988579">Stephen Davies

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-apps-windows-mobile-phone/">10 Apps To Make Your Old Windows Mobile Phone Useful is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-48.jpg" alt="quick launch android" />One of the cool things about having a smartphone is that there’s a virtually endless supply of apps. Granted, not all apps are created equal, but with time, you will probably find more than a few you like and use on a daily basis. And that’s where the question of launching those apps enters the picture.

Sure, you could always just drag a bunch of icons onto your homescreen, and go back to the homescreen whenever you want to run a new application. But you probably have more than one homescreen (most launchers start you off with five or more), and then it’s a matter of scrolling around until you find the icon you need. In short, it can be a bit of a hassle, especially for those few applications you tend to use constantly.

Another concern is that launchers sometimes crash. I won’t name names, but I’ve recently had a fairly catastrophic launcher meltdown, where I ended up having to use the search button to launch voice search, use it to access the browser, use the browser to access the market, and finally set up a new launcher through the market. That wasn’t much fun, and that’s exactly the type of thing href="https://market.android.com/details?id=mobi.conduction.swipepad.android&feature=search_result&pli=1">SwipePad would have helped me avoid.

So, what’s this SwipePad thing, anyway? In its simplest form, it’s a quick-launch pad (for Android 2.1 and above). It constantly runs in the background (and takes up a line in your notification area). When you touch one of the edges of your screen (configurable), it pops up a grid of twelve buttons that looks like this:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-51.jpg" alt="quick launch android" />

That circle you see at the bottom is my finger. The white space (or rather “black” space) at the edges is very useful, because it gives you a spot where you can rest your finger while looking for the icon you need. Then, once you find the icon, just slide your finger over to it, and it turns blue:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-52.jpg" alt="quick launch android app" />

If you let go at that point, the app simply launches. But if you keep your finger on that button for two seconds, it turns orange:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-53.jpg" alt="quick launch android app" />

At which point you can let go and get the following menu:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-54.jpg" alt="quick launch android app" />

Quite straightforward, really. The first two options let you set an application or a shortcut for that slot. The third, AppLauncher, is an “extra” (paid) add-on that is supposed to allow you to launch even more apps. To me, that defeats the purpose of the app – what I like about Quick Launch is that it’s simple and minimalistic. The fourth option, Tasking, lets you bind the button to a “recent task” switcher, which also costs a modest sum. I did buy this add-on, and we’ll have a quick look at it later on.

Last but not least, “Hide” is an interesting option which lets you completely remove that button from your grid, in case you keep activating it by mistake. Here’s what the grid looks like with a hidden button:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-55.jpg" alt="launch app android" />

Next, let’s look at the preferences:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-56.jpg" alt="launch app android" />

Note the two red strips lining the screen. That’s not a bug: it’s a graphical display of the “swipe areas”. Touching those areas in any app would activate SwipePad. On my phone, the right area is bound to SwipePad itself, while the left launches the Tasking add-on to quickly switch between recent tasks. But you’re not limited to just these two areas:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-57.jpg" alt="launch app android" />

As you can see, they covered pretty much every possible area. In fact, after I originally wrote this review, they released a new version including “bottom half” options (both for the right and left edge). “Top edge” probably had to be omitted because on most devices, that opens the notification area.

Next, let’s take a quick look at the paid add-ons:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-58.jpg" alt="" />

Kudos to the developer for using this business model; the app is completely ad-free and nag-free, and works well without any add-ons. But if you want to show your support (and get a bit more out of the app), getting an add-on is the thing to do. I felt the first two add-ons, AppLauncher and MoreSpace, might complicate the app. So I went with Tasking, which looks like this:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-59.jpg" alt="" />

I love the bold typography at the bottom-left. As I mentioned, I invoke it by swiping from the top-left edge of my screen, and it works just like the launcher but with a different context menu:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-60.jpg" alt="quick launch android" />

This is what you get when you long-press an app in the Recent Tasks list. Carefully-picked options, and quite powerful.

Using href="https://market.android.com/details?id=mobi.conduction.swipepad.android&feature=search_result&pli=1">SwipePad becomes faster with time, thanks to muscle memory. You only need to memorize the position of twelve apps, and swiping from the edge of the screen to one of the twelve buttons quickly becomes a single, intuitive motion that you can do without even pausing to see what icon you’re pressing, kind of like touch-typing. With skilled use, SwipePad is pretty much the fastest way to launch an app on your phone, short of binding it to a hardware button. />
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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/miren300.jpg" alt="android web browser" />The stock Android browser isn’t half bad. For one thing, it works. You type in a Web address and it takes you there. For most people, that’s enough. But if you’re reading MakeUseOf, chances are you might be looking for a mobile browser with a bit more oomph.

When people ask me about an alternative Android web browser, I usually point them in the direction of title="Dolphin Browser – Better Surfing Experience for Android" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/dolphin-simply-android-browser-alternative/">Dolphin Browser or href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/optimize-mobile-browsing-opera-mini-browser-download">Opera. But there’s now a new kid on the block called  href="https://market.android.com/details?id=cn.miren.browser">Miren. Miren tries to provide “the most intuitive browsing experience” for Android. But does it deliver the goods?

The first thing we’ll look at is, naturally, the first thing you’ll see as you launch Miren:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/miren_start.jpg" alt="android web browser" width="580" height="348" />

This is the startup screen. The attention to detail is evident right from the get-go. As I rotated my device to landscape mode to take the screenshot, a clear overlay suddenly appeared with a “lock” icon. This is the orientation lock, and if you’ve ever tried to browse the web while lying on your side in bed, you know how important it is. The button goes away after a couple of seconds, but reappears every time you change the orientation of the device.

Next, let’s have a look at a website:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/fullscreen.jpg" alt="android browser" width="580" height="348" />

What you see above is my entire screen — I did not crop out the top notification bar. Miren automatically goes to full-screen mode, but if you swipe down, the notification bar becomes visible. Also, you’ll note that even though there’s just one website active, it still gets a tab (and you lose a bit of screen space). This can be changed in the settings.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/miren_overlay_buttons.jpg" alt="android browser" width="580" height="348" />

As you touch the screen, two or three transparent (yet large) buttons appear along the bottom. I say “two or three” because the middle one is an RSS feed button, which only appears if Miren has detected an RSS feed. We’ll be coming back to this one. The other two are the Back button and the Full-Screen button. You tap it to toggle the tab bar and address bar.

Another interesting usability touch you can see here is that the active tab does not waste any screen space on a label — it’s just a big, easy-to-hit X. Miren’s creators probably assume you already know what website you’re currently browsing, and that you’ll only need the tab bar if you want to close it. Elegant.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/miren_non_mobile_view.jpg" alt="android browser" width="580" height="348" />

I switched off MakeUseOf’s mobile theme, and this is how Miren handled the site. Overall loading was snappy, and the layout was flawless. There’s pinch-to-zoom, and it worked quite well (as well as it could, given the flaky multi-touch on my cheap Acer device).

Now let’s look at the menu:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/miren_css3_and_menu.jpg" alt="best android browser" width="580" height="348" />

I switched tabs for these, so you could also see how Miren handles a bit of href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-incredible-css3-effects">CSS 3. That box up there (in my homepage) is implemented using CSS 3 rounded corners, transparency and shadows, and the font is a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/customized-fonts-wordpress-blog-google-blog-directory">Google Web font (i.e, implemented in CSS as well). Miren ate up all of this CSS 3 goodness without a hitch, and spat back a great layout.

This screenshot is a 2-in-1, so you can also see the menu. The options are fairly straightforward; we’ll be looking at the Settings menu in a moment, but what intrigued me most at first was the Brightness option:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/miren_brightness.jpg" alt="best android browser" width="580" height="348" />

Sadly, it wasn’t all that exciting. The Night Mode toggle did nothing; that’s the only part of the UI that didn’t work right in my entire testing session. I flipped it on and off repeatedly, and it had absolutely no impact. The brightness slider does work, and does what you’d expect it to.

Next, let’s have a quick look at the settings:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/miren_settings.jpg" alt="best android browser" width="215" height="359" />

Another lovely usability touch here: Rather than go for a “one size fits all” approach, Miren split settings into two clear tabs. You start off with the Common settings menu, which includes options such as “load images“, “scroll using volume button” and other options most users might want to tweak. The Advanced options menu is for the nerdier folk. Here you can tweak settings such as “don’t always display the tab bar“, etc.

Next, the built-in RSS reader:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/miren_rss_reader.jpg" alt="android web browser" width="580" height="348" />

Yes, that’s right – I said built-in RSS reader. This is one perplexing choice; mobile applications are supposed to be lean, fast and effective. Bolting an entire RSS reader onto Miren must add at least some bloat, and I suspect not many users would find it useful. The reader does not sync up to Google Reader. You can read your feeds only on your mobile devices, and only from within Miren. With applications like href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/pulse-rss-feed-reading/">Pulse and the official Google Reader client available for Android, I find it difficult to understand why Miren would invest time, effort and storage space in such a feature. Nevertheless, it does seem to work.

Bottom Line

Miren is an extremely capable Android web browser. It’s a serious contender to Dolphin Browser HD, and it’s my new default browser, at least for now. That’s saying something.  Let us know in the comments what you think about it. />
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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/intro1.jpg" alt="mobile phone reviews" />As development of mobile platforms and apps soars, it’s hard enough to keep track of Android news and iOS apps, but at least we’ve got you covered with our list of class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-android-websites-you-should-check-out/">best Android-related websites and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-websites-you-should-go-to-for-iphone-apps-reviews/">iPhone app review sites. As these new updates always get released in newer smartphones and tablets, all of which seem to promise to out-do even the more recent models, it’s also hard to keep track of all these portable devices.

There are a few mobile phone review sites which not only help you keep track of the latest news and devices, but also do a very thorough job of examining the pros and cons of each device so you know what to expect when you’ll acquire your new mobile phone. You may already know class="vt-p" href="http://news.cnet.com/crave">CNET and class="vt-p" href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget as gadget review providers, so in this list, we’ll see other, perhaps lesser-known but very complete sites that cover a great deal of mobile phones and tablets.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/mobiletechreview">Mobile Tech Review

This YouTube channel offers more than 200 video reviews mostly of smartphones, but occasionally also laptops and tablets. Most reviews are about 10 minutes long or less, some running more than 20 minutes, such as this review on the class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RLsQGlIlGk">Motorola Atrix 4G mobile phone.

Lisa, the host of the videos does a really good job at explaining features and going over hardware, design and software in a very soothing voice that makes the reviews more professional sounding and easy to enjoy these videos for the viewers as well.

Here is the latest smartphone review as of this writing, which covers the the new Nokia E7, a QWERTY keyboard version of the N8. You can also check out class="vt-p" href="http://www.mobiletechreview.com/">the website for text-based reviews.

width="580" height="430"> name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QcMrxnFWJes?fs=1&hl=en_US" /> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="430" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QcMrxnFWJes?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheDigitalDigest">The Digital Digest

The Digital Digest offers about 38 reviews as of this writing, and mainly covers tablets, but also has video reviews on cell phones, such as this demonstration of the Motorola Droid X.

width="580" height="430"> name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/l822YX2YwN0?fs=1&hl=en_US" /> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="430" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/l822YX2YwN0?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

The video reviews are fast-paced but also very thorough as most videos run close to 10 minutes long. Not only does Ed, the host of the videos explain features thoroughly, he also does it very eloquently, barely pausing because he does go through all pros and cons of the devices.

Since he mostly focuses on tablets, there are many reviews of devices from a variety of prices that he showcases so if you’re not interested in the iPad or are looking for smaller alternatives, you should definitely check out this channel.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/phonedog">PhoneDog

A favorite channel of mine, PhoneDog has a variety of tablet, mobile phone, and unboxing videos (try 1,100+ videos) but what makes it stand out is the addition of reviews covering feature or messaging phones (for anyone that just wants a working phone without the extra data fees), as well as 101-type videos explaining what 4G is, and comparisons of similar phones, which they call “dogfights”.

width="580" height="430"> name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s_8akjL14V8?fs=1&hl=en_US" /> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="430" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s_8akjL14V8?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

What’s also cool is that the class="vt-p" href="http://www.phonedog.com/">website contains mobile-related news and updates on the latest and upcoming phones, and it also constantly offers sweepstakes, where the prizes may be iPod Shuffles, smartphones or tablets.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/phonearena">PhoneArena

With over 1,300 videos, PhoneArena has reviews of mostly smartphones and tablets, usually over 5 minutes long, but it has also many video reviews of phone accessories, as well as sample videos shot with the smartphones so viewers can appreciate the quality of the phones’ video-recording capabilities.

width="580" height="430"> name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mfi4dVNxa_w?fs=1&hl=en_US" /> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="430" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mfi4dVNxa_w?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

The website is also a blog with the latest mobile news but a distinguishing feature is the excellent class="vt-p" href="http://www.phonearena.com/phones">phone finder tool, which has lots of very specific search fields, perhaps the most thorough ones I’ve seen.

Honorary mentions go to class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/phonescoop">PhoneScoop, which offers short video tours on the latest and upcoming phones. All of these channels definitely give you detailed mobile phone reviews so you actually learn lots. Which sites are your favorite?

Image credit: class="vt-p" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/takapprs_flickr/4937208753/">TAKA@PPRS />
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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/intro1.jpg" alt="mobile phone reviews" />As development of mobile platforms and apps soars, it’s hard enough to keep track of Android news and iOS apps, but at least we’ve got you covered with our list of class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-android-websites-you-should-check-out/">best Android-related websites and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-websites-you-should-go-to-for-iphone-apps-reviews/">iPhone app review sites. As these new updates always get released in newer smartphones and tablets, all of which seem to promise to out-do even the more recent models, it’s also hard to keep track of all these portable devices.

There are a few mobile phone review sites which not only help you keep track of the latest news and devices, but also do a very thorough job of examining the pros and cons of each device so you know what to expect when you’ll acquire your new mobile phone. You may already know class="vt-p" href="http://news.cnet.com/crave">CNET and class="vt-p" href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget as gadget review providers, so in this list, we’ll see other, perhaps lesser-known but very complete sites that cover a great deal of mobile phones and tablets.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/mobiletechreview">Mobile Tech Review

This YouTube channel offers more than 200 video reviews mostly of smartphones, but occasionally also laptops and tablets. Most reviews are about 10 minutes long or less, some running more than 20 minutes, such as this review on the class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RLsQGlIlGk">Motorola Atrix 4G mobile phone.

Lisa, the host of the videos does a really good job at explaining features and going over hardware, design and software in a very soothing voice that makes the reviews more professional sounding and easy to enjoy these videos for the viewers as well.

Here is the latest smartphone review as of this writing, which covers the the new Nokia E7, a QWERTY keyboard version of the N8. You can also check out class="vt-p" href="http://www.mobiletechreview.com/">the website for text-based reviews.

width="580" height="430"> name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QcMrxnFWJes?fs=1&hl=en_US" /> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="430" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QcMrxnFWJes?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheDigitalDigest">The Digital Digest

The Digital Digest offers about 38 reviews as of this writing, and mainly covers tablets, but also has video reviews on cell phones, such as this demonstration of the Motorola Droid X.

width="580" height="430"> name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/l822YX2YwN0?fs=1&hl=en_US" /> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="430" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/l822YX2YwN0?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

The video reviews are fast-paced but also very thorough as most videos run close to 10 minutes long. Not only does Ed, the host of the videos explain features thoroughly, he also does it very eloquently, barely pausing because he does go through all pros and cons of the devices.

Since he mostly focuses on tablets, there are many reviews of devices from a variety of prices that he showcases so if you’re not interested in the iPad or are looking for smaller alternatives, you should definitely check out this channel.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/phonedog">PhoneDog

A favorite channel of mine, PhoneDog has a variety of tablet, mobile phone, and unboxing videos (try 1,100+ videos) but what makes it stand out is the addition of reviews covering feature or messaging phones (for anyone that just wants a working phone without the extra data fees), as well as 101-type videos explaining what 4G is, and comparisons of similar phones, which they call “dogfights”.

width="580" height="430"> name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s_8akjL14V8?fs=1&hl=en_US" /> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="430" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s_8akjL14V8?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

What’s also cool is that the class="vt-p" href="http://www.phonedog.com/">website contains mobile-related news and updates on the latest and upcoming phones, and it also constantly offers sweepstakes, where the prizes may be iPod Shuffles, smartphones or tablets.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/phonearena">PhoneArena

With over 1,300 videos, PhoneArena has reviews of mostly smartphones and tablets, usually over 5 minutes long, but it has also many video reviews of phone accessories, as well as sample videos shot with the smartphones so viewers can appreciate the quality of the phones’ video-recording capabilities.

width="580" height="430"> name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mfi4dVNxa_w?fs=1&hl=en_US" /> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="430" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mfi4dVNxa_w?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

The website is also a blog with the latest mobile news but a distinguishing feature is the excellent class="vt-p" href="http://www.phonearena.com/phones">phone finder tool, which has lots of very specific search fields, perhaps the most thorough ones I’ve seen.

Honorary mentions go to class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/phonescoop">PhoneScoop, which offers short video tours on the latest and upcoming phones. All of these channels definitely give you detailed mobile phone reviews so you actually learn lots. Which sites are your favorite?

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/superuser2.jpg" alt="how to root your android phone" />Since I first bought my Motorola Droid over a year ago, I’ve done everything with it. I’ve gone on GPS-based href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/summer-fun-geocaching/">geo-caching adventures, I’ve transformed my phone into a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/android-media-center-remote-control/">media center remote control, and I’ve installed some of the coolest surveillance apps available. However, the one single thing that I could not let myself do is root my Android phone.

The fear of “bricking” my expensive mobile device was too much, even for a guy that prides himself on his moderate hacking abilities. What convinced me to take the plunge and learn how to root my Android phone? Well, the first thing was seeing how easily my iPhone-toting MUO colleagues could href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/jailbreak-iphone-slide/">jailbreak their phones. The second thing that convinced me was my need to take screenshots on the go, not only when I’m attached to my PC via a USB cable. The final thing was seeing how many cool apps on the Android Market require root.

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Root Options Available To Android Users

In the early days of Android ownership, the process of “rooting” your brand-spanking-new and expensive Android device involved a fairly complicated 10 to 15 step process that involved the very real and present danger of “bricking” your Android phone and making it a worthless block of metal and glass.

If you’re in the same boat and you’ve been fearfully avoiding the complicated rooting process like the plague, I’ve got some good news for you. There are now a fair number of one-click applications out there that will root your phone for you. These apps work on the large majority of Android devices. Don’t get me wrong – the danger of “bricking” is always there, but if you check to see that the app has been tested with your phone and version of Android, you should be safe enough.

Just to give you some options to look at, some of the top one-click root apps for Android include href="http://androidspin.com/2010/08/10/universal-1-click-root-app-for-android-devices/">Universal Androot, the href="http://www.ryebrye.com/blog/2009/08/16/android-rooting-in-1-click-in-progress/">Recovery Flasher,  href="http://www.androidtapp.com/one-click-android-root-with-easy-root/">Easy Root, href="http://phandroid.com/2010/09/07/unrevoked-3-2-provides-1-click-root-for-2-2-sense-devices/">Unrevoked, and last but certainly not least – href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682">Super One-Click from XDA Developers. SuperOneClick is the app that I went with, and I believe it’s the app that will work for the majority of people reading this. But before you get started, don’t forget to enable USB debugging on your phone by going to Settings->Applications->Development and enabling “USB Debugging”.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/super42.jpg" alt="how to root your android phone" width="253" height="450" />

Also, SDK is required. Just follow my instructions in the href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-capture-screenshots-with-your-android-mobile-phone/">taking Screenshots article that I wrote a while back to install the SDK developers kit. Nothing else below will work until this is done. Take the time to do it, because it’ll also open up a lot of cool features like high-resolution screenshots, file exploring and easy file transfers. Once you’ve set it up, you’re ready to roll.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/super12.jpg" alt="android root access" width="576" height="398" />

Download Super One Click, make sure you have the Android debugger (SDK developer kit) running, expand the Super One Click zip file and click the SuperOneClick icon to run it. When SuperOneClick launches, you’ll see several large buttons at the top of the screen. Make sure your phone is connected to the computer via USB and that the debugger can “see” it (activity will start logging). Make sure your SD card is not mounted, and go ahead and click “Root” in SuperOneClick.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/super21.jpg" alt="android root access" width="565" height="372" />

You’ll see the scrolling activity as SuperOneClick does it’s job, with “OK” appearing after each task. You may see warnings, but so long as it doesn’t “hang” on waiting for device, things should keep scrolling until it finally returns the “Success!” message.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/super31.jpg" alt="android root access" width="425" height="477" />

At this point, check out the installed apps on your phone and you should see a “Superuser” icon that looks like a Droid skull and crossbones. If you see it, you’re rooted. If you don’t see it, reboot the Droid. In fact, I’d suggest rebooting even if you do see it, as I had some issues getting rooted apps to work until I actually rebooted my own device.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/super51.jpg" alt="how to root android" width="253" height="450" />

When you open up SuperUser, you’ll see that you can configure notifications so that no app can actually run with root access unless you give it permission. Also, according to the folks at Nexus One Forum, SuperOneClick doesn’t actually unlock the Bootloader, so you still retain your warranty. I haven’t confirmed if that’s true or not, but if true it’s a pretty good plus to using SuperOneClick with the SDK approach.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/super61.jpg" alt="how to root android" width="253" height="450" />

Whenever you run an app that requires root (superuser), you’ll see a notification requesting permission. I like this because it also means that if an app gets installed and tries to utilize superuser access without your knowledge, it can’t.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/super71.jpg" alt="how to root android" width="253" height="450" />

If you check off “Remember”, the program gets added to the list of “approved” apps with superuser access. You can see the ones on your list when you click on the “Apps” tab.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/super81.jpg" alt="how to root your android phone" width="253" height="450" />

As you can see, once you have SDK installed and connected to your phone, the process is as simple as installing and running SuperOneClick. The program takes care of rooting your phone from the PC. Finally, you can enjoy a rooted Android phone, and all of the fun and excitement that offers!

Did you give any of the one-click Android root apps a try? How was your experience? Share your rooting adventures in the comments section below. />
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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Act-1-Player-200.jpg" alt="" />Android has quite a few mobile video players available, so as users, it can be difficult to choose the best without trying them all one by one. There are so many things to be considered – and you can’t always rely on ratings alone.

To help narrow down the choices for you, we’ve collected a list of Android’s top mobile video players, so you can just get on with the fun of watching your videos.

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1. VPlayer

href="https://market.android.com/details?id=me.abitno.vplayer ">VPlayer is my personal favourite simply because it’s so versatile and can be kept on the SD card, which is handy since it’s over 3MB. It plays all the major video formats, plus it can handle a variety of streaming video types. The free trial is fully featured, and the paid version is only a few dollars if you choose to upgrade.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/VPlayer2.jpg" alt="" />

2. RealPlayer

href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.real.RealPlayer ">RealPlayer is an audio player as well as a video player. It has a handy interface to navigate between media types easily and can even display your photos. Sadly, it’s 3MB and can’t be moved to a SD card, so it’s only useful for users without space issues on their phone. It doesn’t say exactly which files it will play, but it couldn’t play my MP4′s. It played my home videos beautifully though.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/RealPlayer.jpg" alt="" />

3. Act 1 Video Player

href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.hyperaware.videoplayertrial ">Act 1 Video Player is designed to play iPhone formats like 3gp, h263, and h264 baseline profile. It also claims to play some baseline MP4 files, but not all (it had no problem with mine). Other files will need converting, but the href="http://www.hyperaware.com/android/video-player/market.html ">developer page does point you in the direction of some href="http://www.hyperaware.com/android/video-player/encoding-howto.html ">free software that will do the job nicely. Act 1 is not only a tiny 500KB, but it can also be moved to your SD card.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Act-1-Video-Player.jpg" alt="" />

4. Arc Media

href="https://market.android.com/details?id=sns.arcMedia.playerInterface.arm6 ">Arc Media player can support a wide variety of video formats, including AVI, DIVX, MKV, MOV, MP4, RMVB, WMV, VOB and XVID. It’s still in beta, but is widely appreciated by testers so far.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Arc-Media.jpg" alt="" />

5. Meridian

href="https://market.android.com/details?id=org.iii.romulus.meridian ">Meridian is a huge 2.5MB, but can easily be moved to the SD card. It asks where your media is kept and quickly finds all of it. Gestures for navigating are intuitive and quick to use.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Meridian.jpg" alt="" />

6. mVideoPlayer

The href="https://market.android.com/details?id=afzkl.development.mVideoPlayer ">mVideoPlayer app comes with rave reviews in the Android market. However, this app will only play whichever formats are already supported by your phone. Its 2.6MB install can be moved to the SD card, which is good news. The first search for video files will take a while, but it should load quicker in the future.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/mVideoPlayer.jpg" alt="" />

7. RockPlayer Lite

href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.redirectin.rockplayer.android.unified.lite ">RockPlayer is an ad-supported media player which at a massive 13MB fails to live up to the light impression. Thankfully, it can be moved to the SD card. Plays video smoothly and well.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/RockPlayer.jpg" alt="" />

8. VitalPlayer

href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.dgo.VitalPlayer ">VitalPlayer’s 5MB install can be automatically installed to your SD card. Sorry, VitalPlayer isn’t yet supported on Gingerbread.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/VitalPlayer.jpg" alt="" />

More Android Apps

For more neat Android apps, read these articles:

• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/post-wordpress-wptogo-android/">Post To WordPress From Your Android Phone with WpToGo
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/write-google-android-application/">How To Write Your First Google Android Application
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/introducing-highlyanticipated-makeuseof-android-app/">Introducing The (Highly-Anticipated) MakeUseOf Android App
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-android-websites-you-should-check-out/">6 Android Websites You Should Check Out
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-best-addicting-free-multiplayer-android-games/">5 Best Addictive Free Multiplayer Android Games

If you’ve had a go using some of these media players, let us know what you thought and which ones you think are best!

 

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class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/0-cloud-print-intro.png" alt="print from your cell phone" width="210" height="210" />Have you ever had a situation where you needed to print something and you couldn’t find a way to get it done? Printing can be hard sometimes, especially if your printer is broken, out of ink/paper, or just giving you fits. Or sometimes, you just run out of time, like when you’re running late for work in the morning. It would be nice to have a quick, easy way to print from, say, your phone while on the way to your office.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/google/">Google has just made this possible with Gmail for Mobile and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/google-cloud-print-print-from-anywhere/">Google Cloud Print. It allows printing from any device, OS, or browser without the need to install drivers, and it’s a life saver. In this article, I’ll show you how to set this up so you can take advantage of this easy-to-use print service.

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What Is Google Cloud Print?

Google Cloud Print makes printing more intuitive, accessible and useful, by allowing you to print to your printers from Google Cloud Print enabled apps on any computer or smart phone.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011-01-26_2304.png" alt="print from your cell phone" width="285" height="416" />

By ‘enabled apps’, they mean Google Chrome. In order to connect your printer to Google Cloud Print, you will need to install the class="vt-p" href="http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/p/cloudprint.html">latest beta version of Google Chrome on a computer that’s connected to a printer. If you’re already using a version of Google Chrome and you’re not sure if it’s the right one, don’t worry. Just proceed with the next steps and if you run into a problem you’ll know you need to update.

How Can I Start Using This Print Service?

To get started, the first thing you need to do is connect your printer to Google Cloud Print. Right now this step requires that you have a Windows PC (XP, Vista, or 7), but Linux and Mac support are supposedly coming soon.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011-01-26_2304_001.png" alt="print from your phone" width="394" height="280" />

To connect your local printers with Google Cloud Print, you need to enable the connector in Chrome. In order to do this, open up your Chrome browser, click on the wrench icon in the upper right-hand corner, and select Options.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011-01-26_2304_002.png" alt="print from your phone" width="506" height="496" />

Next, visit the Under the Hood tab and scroll to the bottom where it says ‘Google Cloud Print’. Click Sign in to Google Cloud Print and a dialog will appear asking you to sign in to your Google Account. Once you sign in, Google Cloud Print will be enabled.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011-01-26_2305.png" alt="print from your phone" width="379" height="345" />

After signing in, you will see a confirmation page which asks you to print a test page (if you like) or click OK to continue.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011-01-26_2305_001.png" alt="print from your cell phone" width="508" height="553" />

Your options pane in the Under the Hood tab should now have two new options, Disable Google Cloud Print and Manage Print Settings…

Now that you’re all set up, you can print from your cell phone. Just head to Gmail on your iPhone or Android browser, select the email you want to print, and choose Print from the drop-down menu in the top right corner to use it. You can print email attachments, like PDF’s or Doc’s, by clicking the Print link that appears next to them.

Conclusion

Google only recently announced that they were rolling out this feature in US English, so if you don’t see it right away they advise you to check back. There is also a class="vt-p" href="http://www.google.com/support/cloudprint/?hl=en">Google Cloud Print help center that you can check out if you’re curious as to what exactly Google Cloud Print is or how you can connect to it. The page offers many resources, including help articles, basic information, and troubleshooting techniques in case you run into any number of various problems you may encounter while trying to print, or set up printing, on multiple printers.

I think this is a really useful workaround for trying to print something on the fly. If you enable this on a printer at your office or at home, you can effectively print something important from your phone and have it waiting for you when you get there. If you’re in a rush for time, this should certainly help.

What do you think of Google Cloud Print? Will you be printing from your phone? />
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class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/0-cloud-print-intro.png" alt="print from your cell phone" width="210" height="210" />Have you ever had a situation where you needed to print something and you couldn’t find a way to get it done? Printing can be hard sometimes, especially if your printer is broken, out of ink/paper, or just giving you fits. Or sometimes, you just run out of time, like when you’re running late for work in the morning. It would be nice to have a quick, easy way to print from, say, your phone while on the way to your office.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/google/">Google has just made this possible with Gmail for Mobile and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/google-cloud-print-print-from-anywhere/">Google Cloud Print. It allows printing from any device, OS, or browser without the need to install drivers, and it’s a life saver. In this article, I’ll show you how to set this up so you can take advantage of this easy-to-use print service.

id="more-64350">

What Is Google Cloud Print?

Google Cloud Print makes printing more intuitive, accessible and useful, by allowing you to print to your printers from Google Cloud Print enabled apps on any computer or smart phone.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011-01-26_2304.png" alt="print from your cell phone" width="285" height="416" />

By ‘enabled apps’, they mean Google Chrome. In order to connect your printer to Google Cloud Print, you will need to install the class="vt-p" href="http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/p/cloudprint.html">latest beta version of Google Chrome on a computer that’s connected to a printer. If you’re already using a version of Google Chrome and you’re not sure if it’s the right one, don’t worry. Just proceed with the next steps and if you run into a problem you’ll know you need to update.

How Can I Start Using This Print Service?

To get started, the first thing you need to do is connect your printer to Google Cloud Print. Right now this step requires that you have a Windows PC (XP, Vista, or 7), but Linux and Mac support are supposedly coming soon.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011-01-26_2304_001.png" alt="print from your phone" width="394" height="280" />

To connect your local printers with Google Cloud Print, you need to enable the connector in Chrome. In order to do this, open up your Chrome browser, click on the wrench icon in the upper right-hand corner, and select Options.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011-01-26_2304_002.png" alt="print from your phone" width="506" height="496" />

Next, visit the Under the Hood tab and scroll to the bottom where it says ‘Google Cloud Print’. Click Sign in to Google Cloud Print and a dialog will appear asking you to sign in to your Google Account. Once you sign in, Google Cloud Print will be enabled.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011-01-26_2305.png" alt="print from your phone" width="379" height="345" />

After signing in, you will see a confirmation page which asks you to print a test page (if you like) or click OK to continue.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011-01-26_2305_001.png" alt="print from your cell phone" width="508" height="553" />

Your options pane in the Under the Hood tab should now have two new options, Disable Google Cloud Print and Manage Print Settings…

Now that you’re all set up, you can print from your cell phone. Just head to Gmail on your iPhone or Android browser, select the email you want to print, and choose Print from the drop-down menu in the top right corner to use it. You can print email attachments, like PDF’s or Doc’s, by clicking the Print link that appears next to them.

Conclusion

Google only recently announced that they were rolling out this feature in US English, so if you don’t see it right away they advise you to check back. There is also a class="vt-p" href="http://www.google.com/support/cloudprint/?hl=en">Google Cloud Print help center that you can check out if you’re curious as to what exactly Google Cloud Print is or how you can connect to it. The page offers many resources, including help articles, basic information, and troubleshooting techniques in case you run into any number of various problems you may encounter while trying to print, or set up printing, on multiple printers.

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What do you think of Google Cloud Print? Will you be printing from your phone? />
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