Fresh from launching the latest version of Android, Android 2.3/Ginegerbread with the new Google Phone Nexus S, Google offered Android tips & tricks in its blog. In addition to general tips, Google also offered some Android keyboard shortcuts and a few Android apps that every Android users will love. Here are the cool Android tips from Google. Check it out even if many of the tips are Android 2.3 specific.
How to Get Visual Cue for Scrolling?
If you are in a scrollable list, like Gmail inbox, and you will see an orange hue, if you reach the end of the list.
How to Make Sense of Notification Bar Icons for Wi-Fi, and Network Coverage?
Notification bar icon turn green, if you an uninhibited connection to Google,and white when you don’t.
If you’re in a hotel or airport using Wi-Fi, the bars won’t turn green until you launch the browser and get past the captive portal.
How to Use Voice Actions?
Press the microphone icon next to the search box on the home screen, or long press the magnifying glass and talk to your phone by telling what to do. For example, you can tell your phone to send an email or text message by saying something like
“send text to mom, see you for pizza at 7”), call someone (“call mom”), navigate somewhere (“navigate to pizza”), or listen to music (“listen to Mamma Mia”).
How to Find Things You’ve Downloaded From Your Browser?
All downloads are automatically collected in a Downloads manager. Go to the apps drawer to find it.
How to Turn a Gallery Stack into a Slideshow?
Put two fingers on the gallery stack the stack and spread them. The stack will spread out and the pictures flow from one finger to the other making it a moving slideshow.
How to Get Walking Directions?
Get directions in Google Maps and click on the walking person icon to get walking directions.
How to Copy/Paste Text From a Webpage?
To copy/paste text from a webpage, long press the text you want to copy and drag the handles around to select the text, and press somewhere in the highlighted region. Now the text you have selected is copied. To paste, simply long press a text entry box and select paste.
If you want to copy and paste in Gmail,
go to Menu > More > Select Text
How to Turn your Phone into a Wi-Fi Hotspot?
If you want to make your phone the mobile hotspot to provide Wi-Fi connection to Wi-Fi enabled devices
Go to Settings > Wireless & Networks > Tethering & Portable Hotspot.
Remember, often mobile hotspot comes with a price from the carrier. Also remember to switch hotspot feature, when not in use.
How to Look at Maps in 3D?
The latest version of Google Maps comes with 3D maps. If you want to see the map in 3D on your mobile,
tilt the map by sliding two fingers vertically up/down the screen, and rotate it by placing two fingers on the map and sliding in a circular motion, e.g., from 12 and 6 o’clock to 3 and 9.
Google also offered some cool keyboard tricks for Android.
- Shift+Key to capitalize a word: In Gingerbread (and supported hardware), you can Shift+Key to capitalize a letter instead of going to a separate all caps keyboard.
- Auto-complete: The space bar lights up when auto-complete can finish a word.
- Quick replace: Tap on any previously typed word, then tap on a suggestion to automatically replace it with the suggested word.
- Easy access to special characters (like numbers, punctuation): Press and hold any key to go to the special character keyboard. You can also press and hold the “,” key for an extensive punctuation keyboard.
Google also offered tips on some cool applications that will change the mobile experience on Android.
How to Send Anything From Chrome to Phone?
If you are using Google Chrome browser, you can send anything that you are browsing on your computer to your phone. Google demo-ed this cool feature at Google I/O 2010. For example,
if you are heading out to a restaurant or party and look up directions on your computer, just click the “send to phone” button (requires Chrome to Phone extension) and that exact page will open on your phone. Same with virtually any webpage.
How to Measure Your Heart Rate?
Use the cool app called Instant Heart Rate to measure your heart rate. The app uses the camera in the phone to measure heart rate. Just place your finger over the camera and hold it steady for about 10 seconds. You will see your current heart rate on the display.
How to Control Your Computer from Your Phone?
Use the app RemoteDroid to control your computer from your phone. The app converts the phone to a mobile wireless mouse and keyboard using your Wi-Fi connectivity and you can access your computer without using its keyboard at all.
How to Make Video Call Over 3G and Wi-Fi?
Use the free app Tango to make a high-quality video call. tango works fine on both 3G and Wi-Fi. It is a must have app, if your phone has a front facing camera.
Here are some more apps and the cool things they can do.
Angry Birds: Popular game that lets you knock down blocks by slingshotting birds.
Astro: Awesome file explorer app. Browse and access the directories on your phone, and take full advantage of its capabilities. Great if you’re a power user.
Flash: Install from Android Market to watch Flash videos embedded throughout the web. Runs even better on Gingerbread.
Fruit Ninja: A juicy action game that tests your ability to smash flying fruit. A fun time-killer on the bus or train.
FXCamera: Popular photo sharing app with slick effects and filters.
Google Maps: Use your device as a GPS navigation system with free turn-by-turn voice guidance, and take advantage of other Google Maps features like Street View, Latitude and Places.
Phoneanlyzr: Track your phone usage: who you text most, call most, average call length distribution, etc.
Shazam: Identifies virtually any song you are listening to.
SoundHound: Record a snippet of a song and get it identified instantly. You can even hum (if you can carry a tune!).
YouTube: New UI. Plus, portrait-mode player, and view comments and drop-down box video information
Related posts:
- Google Introduces Voice Actions for Android and It is Super Cool
- Google Launches Android Phone Gallery
- Google Launches Nexus S with new Android 2.3 Gingerbread
- Tips and Tricks to Extend Motorola Xoom Battery Life
- Android Gets Video Chat
- Google Reader App for Android is Finally Here
- Android Success By Numbers: Google I/O 2011