Would you like to be sure that no one is going to mess with your phone? Secure it with a numeric PIN, a password, or even with a pattern. I like the pattern option the most because it is visual, fast and more fun.
In order to secure your phone with one of these options, go to Applications => Settings => Location and security =>Change screen lock.
Then simply choose the option you want.
This Android tip is really useful, as security is important. Make sure you try the Pattern option. Really fun.
#2 Multitasking
Android is a very powerful Operating System. One of its main features is the ability to multitask, or in other words, run multiple applications at the same time.
For example, if you have an application such as a web browser opened up, and you are writing an email and would like to quickly check your SMS messages without turnhng the browser off, all you have to do is click the home button. The browser will not be closed (to close an app in Android you have to hold the back button) but will simply be minimized and continue to run in the background. Now you can use any other programs. Once you want to go back to the application you have minimized or have recently used, just hold the home button for 2 seconds and a box will come up asking you which app you would like to open up. This is really useful.
Remember that you can run many applications at the same time.
#3 Quick search
Android's user interface is relatively easy and fast to navigate, however, there is a way to open apps and contacts faster then having to navigate up a huge hierarchy of levels until you find what you are looking for.
When you are at the home screen, just hold the menu key for a few seconds and a window with Google local search will come up. Whats good about this search app is that as you are typing, the app will do real time updating, hence in most cases you will only need to start typing a few letters and the app, contact or setting that you want will come up.
So, for example you want to open up the Photoshop Express app. You could hold the menu button (left button), and when the search app opens up, you could start typing "Photoshop" or "Express". After typing a few letters of any of these words, Photoshop Express would come up in the search results.
You can also use this search app to search for stuff online.
#4 Voice commands
One of the more interesting features of Android is voice commands. You can basically tell your phone to do all kinds of stuff ranging from initiating a phone call to playing a song or sending a text message using voice.
To start a voice command, you need to once again hold the menu key for two seconds, just like in Tip #3. This brings up the search app. Now, click on the little microphone icon near the search bar to activate voice commands and say a command. Here are some examples:
In order to call John B mobile number (remember that each Contact in Android can have multiple numbers assigned to different places, like home, work or mobile, so you got to specify that too) you would have to say "call John B mobile".
To send a text message "I am not coming tonight. I am busy reading a lens about Android tips and tricks." to George, you would have to say "send text to George I am not coming tonight. I am busy reading a lens about Android tips and tricks".
To open up a song "Under The Bridge", you would have to say "Listen to Under The Bridge".
To load a map of London, you would have to say "map London".
To open a website www.squidoo.com you would have to say "go to squidoo".
There are other commands too, but these are the most common ones. Also, remember that this will get your voice in a wrong way in many cases. After some practice, it will get easy.
#5 Take a screenshot
This is a cool one. I have used this just a moment ago to take the image you saw at tip number 3.
To take a screenshot, all you have to do is hold the home button and then quickly press and release the screen lock button and later release the home button too. It is important to release the screen lock button first. Note that this does not work on some versions of android.
If you have a new Android device, it should work fine.
The image is saved to the memory.
#6 Locate your phone if lost or stolen
This is a lifesaver. Just imagine how nice it would be if you could remotely locate and track your Android phone if it gets lost or stolen. There is an app to do it. As if that would not be enough, imagine if you could install that app AFTER your phone goes missing. Well, Plan B is the first mobile app that does just that, and yes, it is completely free. You can install it remotely using the Android Market remote installation feature.
If you have not yet lost your precious Android phone, instead of Plan B, you can use LocateMyDroid app which is actually free, or the more advanced but paid alternative, iHound (paid).
All three apps are great.
#7 Disable everything you don't need
So, how to disable or enable them? Well, you can either go to the settings or just add a Power Savings widget to the home screen.
The home screen widget option is better as it will save you time. To add the widget, imply tap and hold on any empty area in the home screen, and when a menu comes up choose Widgets. Then navigate to Power Savings widget and tap-and-drag it to the empty area on the home screen. This will add a widget which you can use to quickly manage the power options for different features.
For 3G network, you might need to go to Applications => Settings => Wireless and Network =>Mobile Networks. Here you will be able to turn on or off the 3G network data, by checking "Use Packet Data" on or off.
#8 Kill the apps you dont use to save energy
(This tip is similar to number 7, but #7 talks about disabling hardware features, and this talks about disabling software programs).
The more apps are running the harder the processor works, and hence the more battery power is used up. You should close the unnecessary applications in Android by using a task killer or a task manager.
You can also use this to close applications that are stuck or not functioning.
Some of the best free options are the Advanced Task Manager and the Task Killer. You can get both of these by searching for the titles in the Android Market app in your phone.
Once you install any of them, simply open it up and choose the apps you are not using. Just make sure that you don' accidentally kill something useful.
#9 Turn your Android phone into a WiFi hotspot
To enable tethering, first make sure that you are connected to internet on your phone.
Then, go to Applications => Settings => Wireless and Network => Tethering and Portable Hotspot. In some Android versions you will find this option directly in the Settings menu.
Now, click on "Portable WiFi Hotspot Settings" button, and then "Configure portable WiFi hotspot". Now you have an option to set the name for your hotspot, and set the security setting. I recommend using the WPA2 PSK option for Security, as it will ask you to set up a password without which no one will be able to access the internet through your phone. Once you have configured the settings, go back to the previous menu, and enable the Portable WiFi hotspot.
Now, people will be able to connect to your hotspot and use your internet, as long as they have the password that you have set up. Your phone will act just like an ordinary hotspot.
#10 Solve sudoku puzzles in 20 seconds
OK, this one is more of a trick than a tip. With a wonderful optical recognition app called Google Goggles, you can solve a Sudoku puzzle in just a few seconds.
Well, actually you just have to take a picture of the puzzle and the application will do the solving.
Google Goggles can do a lot of other tasks such as translate the text that it recognizes in a picture in to any other language, or recognize various logos and products.
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