Showing posts with label tricks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tricks. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
50 Google Nexus 10 Tips and Tricks
Welcome to the most comprehensive list of tips and tricks for the Nexus 10 you’ll find anywhere on the Internet. This started off as part of a Nexus first impressions article, but quickly grew into a list of 50 tips, so I’ve broken it out on its own. Because this article is intended for everyone from beginners to experts, there will be some things here you already know here, but you’ll also find tips you won’t find anywhere else.
1. Upgrade to the latest version of Android – There have been several updates to Android since the first Nexus 10 tablets left the factory. Make sure to install the newest Android system update. If your tablet isn’t already running Android 4.2.2, and it doesn’t appear under Settings > About tablet > System Updates, scroll to the bottom of this article to learn how to force an update to Android 4.2.2.
2. Choose your screen orientation – The startup screen, volume control and speaker placement seem to indicate Google intended the Nexus 10 to be used horizontally in landscape mode. However I prefer the vertical portrait mode for the following reasons: First, it’s better suited for most web pages. Second, apps like Instagram and Spotify can’t be used in landscape mode. Third, it’s easier to hold the Nexus 10 vertically with one hand. Of course you’ll want to use portrait when watching most movies. In the end the choice is yours, just keep in mind if you use it in portrait mode the volume control will be reversed (e.g. pushing the lower button turns the volume up.)
3. Activate Google Now – Swipe up from the bottom of your tablet screen near the center to access Google Now. Before using Google Now you must go through a tutorial and then activate it. Then make sure location services are on. To do this you need to check the box next to ‘Wi-Fi & mobile network location’ and agree with the prompt. Then go through the settings for Google Now and enter your favorites sports teams and adjust a few other settings. When you’re finished Google Now will start presenting you with information tailored to your needs like the local weather. You can see what my first Google Now page looked like in the screenshot above. It’s worth mentioning I’ve never taken my tablet to the gym, or asked Google for my drive time to work. It provided that info based on my previous behavior. I know some people have privacy concerns, but I think this feature is great.
4. Download the official Nexus 10 Guidebook – Google just made available a new 159 page Nexus 10 Guidebook. You can download this excellent guide here. Once downloaded, I recommend you copy it to your tablet, so you can refer to it anywhere you go. Make sure you have a PDF reader on your Nexus 10 however. You can download Adobe Reader here.
5. Download some tablet-optimized apps – You’ll quickly discover not all of your Android smartphone apps adapt well to the extremely high pixel density of the Nexus 10.
For this reason, Google recommends you download some of the following apps: Autodesk Sketchbook Pro for Tablets, Cat in the Hat, Cut the Rope Experiments HD, Evernote, Expedia, Fandango Movies for Tablets, Friendcaster, Google Currents, Fancy, Heros Call HD Widgets, Hipmunk, Hulu Plus, Magic Piano, Mint.com, Netflix, News Republic for Tablets, Ocean HD, Office Suite Pro, OpenTable, Picsay Pro, Plume, Pinterest, Pulse News, SplashTop Remote Desktop HD, Strikefleet Omega, Sprinkle, SwiftyKey3 Tablet, Pocket, SeriesGuide, Taptu, TED, Trulio, Zappos and Zoomingo. In addition to the above apps, I would add the following apps which have all been optimized to run on tablets like the Nexus 10: 500px, AccuWeather for Android, AirCalc, BaconReader for Reddit, Business Calendar, Calendar, Flipboard, Google+, Hotel Tonight, Kingsoft Office, NYTimes for Android, Pinterest, Sing! Karaoke, Smart Tools, SkyDrive, Solid Explorer, Songza, SoundHound, Tasks, Temple Run 2, The Weather Channel, USA Today, Wunderlist 2 and Yahoo! Weather.
6. Install the Adobe Flash plug-in – Flash may be a dying format, but there are still millions of Flash videos around and the Nexus 10 should be able play some of them. To install Flash from the official Adobe website, follow the instructions at the bottom of this page.
7. Expand your keyboard – Since the Nexus 10 has such a large screen you may want to expand to a full-sized PC-style keyboard that includes number keys and extras like the screenshot above has. It’s tricky to set up, but worth it if you like to type in landscape mode. Go to Settings/Language & input and then touch the settings Sliders next to ‘Android keyboard.’ Next, touch ‘Advanced settings’ and touch ‘Custom input styles.’ It will say Deutsch and Francais, but you can ignore that. Touch ‘Add Style’ near the upper right. Then select your language and change the layout from QWERTY to ‘PC’ or one of the other styles. Now touch ‘Add’ and you’ll see your new style appear in the list. Touch ‘Enable’ and use the back key to go back to the Language & input screen. Now touch ‘Input languages’ near the top and uncheck ‘Use system language.’ Lastly, touch ‘English (US) (PC)’ and you’re done.
8. Control your tablet using your voice - Most people don’t know you can have your tablet open an app, create a calendar event, display a map, navigate to a place, send an email, set an alarm, define a word, show movie times, take a note, display a weather forecast, identify a zip code or area code, provide flight info, find a restaurant, run a calculator or provide a translation by simply speaking. Start by touching the microphone next to the search box. For more info, go to pages 58-64 in the Nexus 10 Guidebook (See Tip 3 to find out where to get this). There’s also a list of all 53 types of voice requests here.
9. Download a high-quality video – If you really want to see what the Nexus 10 display is capable of when it comes to video, download Timescapes. It it the first 4K movie that you can purchase for $29.95. It has almost twice as many pixels as a normal high-definition video. If you’re not ready to shell out $30 bucks, but want to watch a free 1080p preview of the movie click here. If you decide to buy the movie, make sure to download the 2560×1440 version and not the others. The movie is over 6GB, so you should back it up to your computer, so you can free up space on your tablet if you need to later. In order to play this video, you may have to download free MoboPlayer software (or equivalent).
10. Turn off haptic feedback if you don’t like it – When touch the screen on the Nexus 10 to navigate, you get a little vibration. If you don’t like this, go to Settings > Sound and uncheck ‘Vibrate on touch.’ Making this change will not turn off the vibration you get when you type on the onscreen keyboard. To turn that off, go to Settings > ‘Language and input.’ Then touch the Setting icon for the ‘Android keyboard’ and uncheck ‘Sound on keypress.’ Make sure ‘Vibrate on keypress’ is unchecked as well. If you’re using SwiftKey 3 Tablet, go to its settings page, touch Advanced. Touch ‘Audio and haptic feedback’ and uncheck Haptic feedback.
11. Shoot and edit video on your tablet – If this is your first Android tablet, you probably haven’t used ‘Movie Studio’ yet. Movie Studio lets you edit video clips together in a timeline with transitions, music, effects and titles. Movie studio has been around since Android 3.0, but the tablets back then didn’t have enough power to run it well. Here are some good instructions how to use Movie Studio.
12. Unhide Developer Options – Earlier versions of Android had a ‘Developer options’ area in Settings but that’s no longer present in Android 4.2. However, you can still put your tablet into Developer Mode by going to Settings and touching ‘About tablet.’ Then click the build number seven times. After you do that you will see ‘Developers options’ appear in the Settings menu! This great tip came from Wai Ho Cheung.
13. Try a tablet-optimized keyboard – If I had to pick one single app that softened my transition from the iPad 3 to the Nexus 10 the most it would be the SwiftKey 3 Tablet Keyboard. The reason for this is because I type a lot and I like to work in portrait mode. That squeezes the keys closer together and makes typing harder on the stock keyboard. I can’t say enough good things about this app. It takes a while for you to learn it, and for it to learn you, but when that happens, you’ll never go back.
14. Toggle between MTP and PTP – Here’s another tip you won’t see anywhere else: You can put the Nexus 10 into Camera (PTP) mode by going to Settings > Storage and then selecting the menu in the upper right-hand corner. From there, you can select ‘USB computer connection,’ which allows you to toggle between MTP (which is the default) and PTP which lets you transfer photos using camera software. PTP also works on computers that don’t support MTP.
15. Learn how to use Quick Settings – You can use the Quick Settings menu to turn on/off Wi-Fi, change screen brightness, turn off auto-rotate and more. To open Quick Settings, swipe down from the top right corner of any screen. You can even access the full settings menu from Quick Settings.
16. Try the new Notification Shade – To open the Notification Shade, swipe down from the top left corner of any screen. You can do this even when your Nexus 10 is locked. Certain notifications like emails or calendar events can be expanded to show more information. Some notifications let you take action by touching icons. For example, Calendar notifications allow you to Snooze or send email to other guests. To collapse a notification, pinch it. To expand a notification, glide using two fingers. When you’re finished with a notification, just swipe it to the right to make it go away. To dismiss all notifications, touch the icon at the top right of the notification shade. If you long-press on an open task, you’ll be taken straight to the settings page for that app.
17. Uninstall unneeded apps – After you’ve been using your tablet for a while you’ll probably have apps that you never use. You may want to remove any unused apps to free up space. The easiest way to uninstall an app is to press and hold the app icon in the app drawer and drag it to the top of the screen where it says ‘Uninstall.’ If it only shows App Info, it is a system app and cannot be uninstalled. However, if you drag the app to where it says App Info you’ll have the option to disable the app, which frees up memory.
18. Download a new game – Playing games on your Nexus 10 tablet is very different than playing games on your smartphone. The large screen, killer graphics, faster processor and great sounding stereo speakers take gaming to a whole new level. Make sure to download a game with great graphics like Asphalt 7, Dead Trigger, or Shadow Gun. All of these will cost you, but there are many great free games as well, including Temple Run 2.
19. Improve your gaming graphics – If you’re a hard-core gamer, you probably already know what 4x anti-aliasing is. You can enable this on the Nexus 10 if you know a secret trick. First, enable Developer Options as described above in Tip #11. Then go to Settings and click on Developer Options. You will now see an option on the right to enable Force 4x MSAA. Multisample anti-aliasing (MSAA) is a technique used to improve image quality. Since the Nexus 10 has a GPU capable of supporting MSAA, this setting should make your graphics look more detailed when you’re playing advanced games. Keep in mind this will also cause your GPU to work harder and your tablet may get hotter and consume more power than normal. It’s also possible that all games may not support this, but this seems to work great with games like Asphalt 7.
20. Use a gaming controller with your Nexus 10 – If you game a lot, you might try using a gaming controller with your Nexus 10. You have three options: If you own a Sony PS3, you can use up to four PS3 controllers with your Nexus 10 at the same time. Instructions here. You can also plug an Xbox gaming controller into the Nexus 10, as long as you have a micro USB to USB adapter. Lastly, you can purchase a wireless gaming controller like the Nyko Playpad.
21. Copy your media to your tablet – One of Android’s best features is the ability to plug your charging cable into the USB jack on your computer and have your tablet appear as a hard drive. Once you do this, you can easily copy over the music, photos, videos or documents you want to take with you everywhere.
22. Select a lock screen – If you plan to bring your Nexus 10 outside of your house, you should go to Settings/Security and pick a pattern (recommended), PIN or password-based screen unlock.
23. Connect your tablet to a television – The Nexus 10 has a standard micro HDMI jack, so you can purchase a high-quality cable which connects to your TV for as little as $3. This allows you to watch high-definition videos from YouTube, Netflix or any other site on your TV. Unlike other tablets, the Nexus will display a video on your tablet and television at the same time. It will also automatically scale 2550x1440p videos to 1080p, so your television can display them. As you can see from the screenshot above, the picture quality is great. Important: Make sure to power down your tablet and television before connecting or disconnecting an HDMI cable. If you don’t, it’s possible that you could damage your tablet.
24. Hook up an external keyboard and mouse – You can easily connect your tablet to an external keyboard, mouse, or other input device and use these just as you would with a PC. This can be done using Bluetooth or direct USB connection. To connect via USB you will need an adapter like this. To connect more than one USB device at a time, use a powered USB hub to reduce drain on your battery. I’ve tried a wired keyboard and a standard wired mouse with the Nexus 10 tablet and both work pretty well. The mouse had no issues whatsoever. The keyboard seemed to miss keys or spaces occasionally when I typed too fast. However, I really like using the arrow keys on the keyboard to precisely move the cursor around text on the screen. I also like the fact the tablet can tell there is a keyboard attached and does not display the onscreen keyboard. This saves a lot of space on the screen.
25. External keyboard tips – In addition to entering text, you can use your keyboard to navigate your tablet’s features: Use the arrow keys to select items on screen. Press Return after selecting an item is equivalent to touching that item. Press Escape to go Back. Press Tab or Shift-Tab to move forward on a screen with multiple text fields. For maximum typing speed, turn off auto-replace, auto-capitalization and auto-punctuate. To do this, swipe down on the top of the screen and ‘Select keyboard layout.’ To do this, swipe down on the top of the screen and ‘Select keyboard layout.’ Don’t forget you can use keyboard commands like Ctrl-V to paste text just like you would with a PC.
26. Expand your memory – One of the biggest complaints about the Nexus 10 is the fact it doesn’t have a memory expansion slot, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add your own memory by buying a short micro USB to USB cable and connecting a low-cost memory stick. However, stock Android devices do not automatically “mount” mass storage devices like USB sticks, so one additional step is required. If you’re Nexus tablet is rooted, the best solution is an app called Stickmount (Note: I was recently told there may be problems with it and Android 4.2, which the developer are working on now). Once StickMount is installed you connect a USB stick to your Nexus using a USB OTG cable and the device will show you a popup and ask if you want to open StickMount. You’ll need a file viewer app like ES File Explorer to display your files. More details. If your Nexus 10 is not rooted, you have two options: The first is a $3 app called Nexus Media Importer, which allows you to import or stream music, video, photos and documents from a USB flash drive or SD card. More info. The second option is free. You can enable PTP on your Nexus 10 by following the instructions in Tip #13 above. Once PTP is enabled, when you plug in a supported device it should immediately bring up the Gallery app with a new folder containing all of your photos. When you open that folder, you can either import, or browse the photos. All of the above options require a USB OTG to mini USB adapter.
27. Edit your photos like a pro – The Android 4.2 Gallery app is more than just a photo viewer. It now has some serious editing capabilities. In addition to all of the standard Instagram-style filters, this app has some advanced photo editing features that are similar to the ones you’ll find in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. The incredible screen on the Nexus 10 and fast processor, make it a serious photo editing station. For even better editing options, try Snapseed or Pixlr Express.
28. Learn how to take a screenshot – To take a screenshot on the Nexus 10, press the power button and the volume down button and continue to hold them until you hear a beep and see the screen zoom in. The volume down is on the top part of the volume slider when you are holding the tablet in portrait-mode.
29. Use the new Google Voice search – It doesn’t make sense to type your searches any more. Just touch the microphone near the top of the screen and talk, or say “Google” when you are on the Google Now page.
30. Set up a guest profile – You may want to setup a guest profile on your Nexus 10, so a friend can check their email, and install their own games, but can’t update your Facebook status. Their app settings, screen background, game-progress and high-scores remain separate. To add a new user, go to Settings/Device/Users. Touch ‘Add user’ and then touch OK. Touch ‘Not now,’ if your guest is not available. A generic new user should now appear in the list.
31. Customize your home screen – Every one uses their tablet differently, so you should customize your home screen(s) to meet your needs. Here are some suggestions:
a. Make shortcuts on your home screens for all of your favorite apps. To do this go to the App locker and then touch and hold an app and drag it to the desired screen.
b. Create folders for different categories of apps (e.g. Games, Utilities, etc.) and move all of the related apps into those folders.To create a new folders drag on app on top of another similar app. After the new folder is created, make sure to name it.
c. Uninstall any unnecessary apps or widgets from your existing homescreens. To do this, simply touch and drag them into the text ‘Remove’ near the top of the screen.
32. Buy a carrying case – It’s a good idea to purchase a leather case for your Nexus 10. This will protect your screen from scratches and give you additional protection if you drop it. Most cases also act as a stand for your tablet. Nexus 10 cases are just starting to appear on sites like Amazon.com.
33. Don’t forget about the free music – Although you won’t see the free music that is included with your Nexus 10 in the “My Library” widget, if you go into ‘All Apps’ and open ‘Play Music,’ U.S. Nexus owners will find ten free songs from The Rolling Stones, Cat Power, M. Ward, The Lumineers, Bob Mould, Eskmo and more. Preloaded music in other countries varies.
34. Install tracking software – You paid good money for your Nexus 10, so you don’t want to lose it. Make sure to install software like ‘Where’s My Droid‘ which allows you to track your tablet if lost or stolen. If you spend $4 to upgrade to the Pro version, you can also remotely lock your tablet, enable the camera to see the thief and as a last resort erase your tablet remotely. If you install this app, make sure to run the setup and connect the Commander screen to your Google account.
35. Try gesture typing – The standard Android keyboard now allows you to slide your finger over the letters you want to type, and lift it after each word. You don’t need to worry about spaces, because they’re added automatically for you. This feature used to be only found in premium apps like Swype. Now you can use it whenever you like.
36. Zoom two different ways – There are different ways to zoom in on the Nexus 10. The first is called double-tap. You can quickly tap two times on most webpages in Chrome to zoom in. Double-tap again to zoom out. This feature works on most webpages, maps, and other screens. Android 4.2 also has an interesting new feature called magnification gestures. When enabled, you can triple-tap the screen everywhere (except on the keyboard or notification bar) and zoom in. The nice thing is that you stay zoomed in, until you triple-tap a second time. To enable this feature, go to Settings > System > Accessibility and touch Magnification gestures. Then slide it from off to on and hit the back button. It’s worth mentioning that the way you zoom in works differently when you double or triple tap. Both have advantages, try each and see which is better for certain things. One user has reported that enabling triple-tap doesn’t work well when playing games like GTA3.
37. Access your Google Play media offline – Normally Google Play streams your content from the cloud when you access it. This is done so the content doesn’t take up any of your precious storage space. However, there are times where you may not have access to the Internet, but still want to read a book or watch a movie. To do that you’ll want to download or ‘pin’ the media on your device so you can access it offline. To ‘pin’ a book, open the Play Books app, go to the menu and select ‘Make available offline.’ A blue dot with a pin in it means the book is available for offline, but has not been downloaded yet. To download it, tap it once and the pin should turn white. Once the book is finished downloading, the pin icon should be upright, white and surrounded by a blue dot (like “The Time Machine” book above). Keep in mind that downloading a movie will consume a substantial amount of storage space (~1.7GB).
38. Quickly change camera settings – You can now press and hold on the camera app screen and swipe to quickly change white balance, HDR and other camera settings. You can also go directly from the camera app to the Photo Gallery app by swiping to the right. Swipe left to return to the camera.
39. Improve your Internet download speeds – If you have Wi-Fi range issues like I do, you may want to purchase an Ethernet adapter. The Nexus 10 supports USB-OTG, which makes this possible. Although micro USB to Ethernet adapters are available, they don’t get good reviews, so you’re probably better of with a USB to Ethernet adapter and a micro USB to USB adapter. More about the types of things you can connect with USB-OTG.
40. Pinch-to-zoom Gmail – Gmail has a new setting called ‘Auto-fit messages’ which is not enabled by default. When you enable this setting, you can manually pinch to zoom in or out on an e-mail. This is really useful.
41. Learn how to decipher the notification LED – You’ve probably noticed there’s an LED on the front of your Nexus 10 that flashes occasionally. It’s there to let you when you have one ore more notifications waiting. Its LED is capable of displaying multiple colors so you can tell what type of notification you have without unlocking your tablet. Since there is no mention of this feature in the Nexus 10 manual, there is some confusion over the colors used. It appears Google uses white for Gmail or SMS texts, blue is for Facebook notifications, green indicates your tablet is 100% charged, and also may show Google Voice notifications, yellow is for Google Talk and red is for Google+. It appears third-party apps can trigger the notification LED as well. One thing I’ve noticed about the notification LED is it sometimes continues to flash after you’ve cleared your notifications. If this blinking bothers you, you can turn off the notification LED by going to Settings > Display and unchecking ‘Pulse notification light.’
42. Customize your LED notifications – A free app called Light Flow Lite allows you to take control of the colors of your notification LED. It also makes your Nexus 10 flash one color after another. This app allows you to set the notification color for the over 250 applications and system events including missed calls, low battery, no signal, voice mail, calendar reminders, Gmail messages, email messages, SMS messages, MMS messages, Twitter notifications and more.
43. Quickly silence or restart your tablet – To quickly silence your Nexus 10, press and hold the power button for 1-2 seconds. To restart your tablet, press and hold the power button for 8 seconds.
44. Make it easy for someone to return your tablet if lost – It’s a good idea to add a message to your lock-screen like the following: If found, please call [Enter your area code and phone number here]. To do this, go to Settings > Security > and touch ‘Owner info’ (or User Info, for other users). Then enter the text you want displayed on the lock screen.
45. Backup everything on your tablet – Although it’s true Google backs up some of your data, it doesn’t back up everything. My Backup Pro backs-up your photos, SMS texts, contacts, call log, browser bookmarks, system settings, Home screens, music playlists and apps. Your entire backup is stored online.
46. Use your tablet as a phone – You can turn your Android tablet into a phone with apps like Talkatone, GrooVe IP, Viber, Tablet Calling or others. A free Google Voice account is required by most of these programs. For best results, you’ll want to use a Bluetooth earpiece, since the mic used for this is located on the back of your tablet. For video calls try Skype or Tango. Video calls use the front camera on the Nexus, which works pretty well, however you still should use a Bluetooth earpiece for best results.
47. Let Google know where you live and work – In order to get the most out of Google Now you must enter your home and work addresses. To do this go to maps.google.com using your browser, touch the Menu icon in the upper right hand corner, and open My Places. From there, you can enter your home and work addresses.
48. Nexus 10 features to avoid – Because Android 4.2 and the Nexus 10 are still so new, there are several features you may want to avoid until the next update is available. Avoid using Lock-screen music widgets and Auto-brightness.
49. Get yourself some wireless headphones – The Nexus 10 is great for multimedia. After Google fixes the Bluetooth issues with Android 4.2.2 you may want to get yourself a wireless headset. It’s stereo, sounds good and also has a mic, so you can make calls with it. If you have problems pairing your Bluetooth headset, try it several times. It took me at least three tries before it worked.
50. Get help from Google – You can call (855) 836-3987 and ask Google questions about your Nexus 10 24/7. I know some people are bashing Google for their phone support, but my phone support experience was positive. Once I waited on hold for 15 minutes, but the person who answered my call was able to quickly solve a difficult problem.
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1. Upgrade to the latest version of Android – There have been several updates to Android since the first Nexus 10 tablets left the factory. Make sure to install the newest Android system update. If your tablet isn’t already running Android 4.2.2, and it doesn’t appear under Settings > About tablet > System Updates, scroll to the bottom of this article to learn how to force an update to Android 4.2.2.
2. Choose your screen orientation – The startup screen, volume control and speaker placement seem to indicate Google intended the Nexus 10 to be used horizontally in landscape mode. However I prefer the vertical portrait mode for the following reasons: First, it’s better suited for most web pages. Second, apps like Instagram and Spotify can’t be used in landscape mode. Third, it’s easier to hold the Nexus 10 vertically with one hand. Of course you’ll want to use portrait when watching most movies. In the end the choice is yours, just keep in mind if you use it in portrait mode the volume control will be reversed (e.g. pushing the lower button turns the volume up.)
3. Activate Google Now – Swipe up from the bottom of your tablet screen near the center to access Google Now. Before using Google Now you must go through a tutorial and then activate it. Then make sure location services are on. To do this you need to check the box next to ‘Wi-Fi & mobile network location’ and agree with the prompt. Then go through the settings for Google Now and enter your favorites sports teams and adjust a few other settings. When you’re finished Google Now will start presenting you with information tailored to your needs like the local weather. You can see what my first Google Now page looked like in the screenshot above. It’s worth mentioning I’ve never taken my tablet to the gym, or asked Google for my drive time to work. It provided that info based on my previous behavior. I know some people have privacy concerns, but I think this feature is great.
4. Download the official Nexus 10 Guidebook – Google just made available a new 159 page Nexus 10 Guidebook. You can download this excellent guide here. Once downloaded, I recommend you copy it to your tablet, so you can refer to it anywhere you go. Make sure you have a PDF reader on your Nexus 10 however. You can download Adobe Reader here.
5. Download some tablet-optimized apps – You’ll quickly discover not all of your Android smartphone apps adapt well to the extremely high pixel density of the Nexus 10.
For this reason, Google recommends you download some of the following apps: Autodesk Sketchbook Pro for Tablets, Cat in the Hat, Cut the Rope Experiments HD, Evernote, Expedia, Fandango Movies for Tablets, Friendcaster, Google Currents, Fancy, Heros Call HD Widgets, Hipmunk, Hulu Plus, Magic Piano, Mint.com, Netflix, News Republic for Tablets, Ocean HD, Office Suite Pro, OpenTable, Picsay Pro, Plume, Pinterest, Pulse News, SplashTop Remote Desktop HD, Strikefleet Omega, Sprinkle, SwiftyKey3 Tablet, Pocket, SeriesGuide, Taptu, TED, Trulio, Zappos and Zoomingo. In addition to the above apps, I would add the following apps which have all been optimized to run on tablets like the Nexus 10: 500px, AccuWeather for Android, AirCalc, BaconReader for Reddit, Business Calendar, Calendar, Flipboard, Google+, Hotel Tonight, Kingsoft Office, NYTimes for Android, Pinterest, Sing! Karaoke, Smart Tools, SkyDrive, Solid Explorer, Songza, SoundHound, Tasks, Temple Run 2, The Weather Channel, USA Today, Wunderlist 2 and Yahoo! Weather.
6. Install the Adobe Flash plug-in – Flash may be a dying format, but there are still millions of Flash videos around and the Nexus 10 should be able play some of them. To install Flash from the official Adobe website, follow the instructions at the bottom of this page.
7. Expand your keyboard – Since the Nexus 10 has such a large screen you may want to expand to a full-sized PC-style keyboard that includes number keys and extras like the screenshot above has. It’s tricky to set up, but worth it if you like to type in landscape mode. Go to Settings/Language & input and then touch the settings Sliders next to ‘Android keyboard.’ Next, touch ‘Advanced settings’ and touch ‘Custom input styles.’ It will say Deutsch and Francais, but you can ignore that. Touch ‘Add Style’ near the upper right. Then select your language and change the layout from QWERTY to ‘PC’ or one of the other styles. Now touch ‘Add’ and you’ll see your new style appear in the list. Touch ‘Enable’ and use the back key to go back to the Language & input screen. Now touch ‘Input languages’ near the top and uncheck ‘Use system language.’ Lastly, touch ‘English (US) (PC)’ and you’re done.
8. Control your tablet using your voice - Most people don’t know you can have your tablet open an app, create a calendar event, display a map, navigate to a place, send an email, set an alarm, define a word, show movie times, take a note, display a weather forecast, identify a zip code or area code, provide flight info, find a restaurant, run a calculator or provide a translation by simply speaking. Start by touching the microphone next to the search box. For more info, go to pages 58-64 in the Nexus 10 Guidebook (See Tip 3 to find out where to get this). There’s also a list of all 53 types of voice requests here.
9. Download a high-quality video – If you really want to see what the Nexus 10 display is capable of when it comes to video, download Timescapes. It it the first 4K movie that you can purchase for $29.95. It has almost twice as many pixels as a normal high-definition video. If you’re not ready to shell out $30 bucks, but want to watch a free 1080p preview of the movie click here. If you decide to buy the movie, make sure to download the 2560×1440 version and not the others. The movie is over 6GB, so you should back it up to your computer, so you can free up space on your tablet if you need to later. In order to play this video, you may have to download free MoboPlayer software (or equivalent).
10. Turn off haptic feedback if you don’t like it – When touch the screen on the Nexus 10 to navigate, you get a little vibration. If you don’t like this, go to Settings > Sound and uncheck ‘Vibrate on touch.’ Making this change will not turn off the vibration you get when you type on the onscreen keyboard. To turn that off, go to Settings > ‘Language and input.’ Then touch the Setting icon for the ‘Android keyboard’ and uncheck ‘Sound on keypress.’ Make sure ‘Vibrate on keypress’ is unchecked as well. If you’re using SwiftKey 3 Tablet, go to its settings page, touch Advanced. Touch ‘Audio and haptic feedback’ and uncheck Haptic feedback.
11. Shoot and edit video on your tablet – If this is your first Android tablet, you probably haven’t used ‘Movie Studio’ yet. Movie Studio lets you edit video clips together in a timeline with transitions, music, effects and titles. Movie studio has been around since Android 3.0, but the tablets back then didn’t have enough power to run it well. Here are some good instructions how to use Movie Studio.
12. Unhide Developer Options – Earlier versions of Android had a ‘Developer options’ area in Settings but that’s no longer present in Android 4.2. However, you can still put your tablet into Developer Mode by going to Settings and touching ‘About tablet.’ Then click the build number seven times. After you do that you will see ‘Developers options’ appear in the Settings menu! This great tip came from Wai Ho Cheung.
13. Try a tablet-optimized keyboard – If I had to pick one single app that softened my transition from the iPad 3 to the Nexus 10 the most it would be the SwiftKey 3 Tablet Keyboard. The reason for this is because I type a lot and I like to work in portrait mode. That squeezes the keys closer together and makes typing harder on the stock keyboard. I can’t say enough good things about this app. It takes a while for you to learn it, and for it to learn you, but when that happens, you’ll never go back.
14. Toggle between MTP and PTP – Here’s another tip you won’t see anywhere else: You can put the Nexus 10 into Camera (PTP) mode by going to Settings > Storage and then selecting the menu in the upper right-hand corner. From there, you can select ‘USB computer connection,’ which allows you to toggle between MTP (which is the default) and PTP which lets you transfer photos using camera software. PTP also works on computers that don’t support MTP.
15. Learn how to use Quick Settings – You can use the Quick Settings menu to turn on/off Wi-Fi, change screen brightness, turn off auto-rotate and more. To open Quick Settings, swipe down from the top right corner of any screen. You can even access the full settings menu from Quick Settings.
16. Try the new Notification Shade – To open the Notification Shade, swipe down from the top left corner of any screen. You can do this even when your Nexus 10 is locked. Certain notifications like emails or calendar events can be expanded to show more information. Some notifications let you take action by touching icons. For example, Calendar notifications allow you to Snooze or send email to other guests. To collapse a notification, pinch it. To expand a notification, glide using two fingers. When you’re finished with a notification, just swipe it to the right to make it go away. To dismiss all notifications, touch the icon at the top right of the notification shade. If you long-press on an open task, you’ll be taken straight to the settings page for that app.
17. Uninstall unneeded apps – After you’ve been using your tablet for a while you’ll probably have apps that you never use. You may want to remove any unused apps to free up space. The easiest way to uninstall an app is to press and hold the app icon in the app drawer and drag it to the top of the screen where it says ‘Uninstall.’ If it only shows App Info, it is a system app and cannot be uninstalled. However, if you drag the app to where it says App Info you’ll have the option to disable the app, which frees up memory.
18. Download a new game – Playing games on your Nexus 10 tablet is very different than playing games on your smartphone. The large screen, killer graphics, faster processor and great sounding stereo speakers take gaming to a whole new level. Make sure to download a game with great graphics like Asphalt 7, Dead Trigger, or Shadow Gun. All of these will cost you, but there are many great free games as well, including Temple Run 2.
19. Improve your gaming graphics – If you’re a hard-core gamer, you probably already know what 4x anti-aliasing is. You can enable this on the Nexus 10 if you know a secret trick. First, enable Developer Options as described above in Tip #11. Then go to Settings and click on Developer Options. You will now see an option on the right to enable Force 4x MSAA. Multisample anti-aliasing (MSAA) is a technique used to improve image quality. Since the Nexus 10 has a GPU capable of supporting MSAA, this setting should make your graphics look more detailed when you’re playing advanced games. Keep in mind this will also cause your GPU to work harder and your tablet may get hotter and consume more power than normal. It’s also possible that all games may not support this, but this seems to work great with games like Asphalt 7.
20. Use a gaming controller with your Nexus 10 – If you game a lot, you might try using a gaming controller with your Nexus 10. You have three options: If you own a Sony PS3, you can use up to four PS3 controllers with your Nexus 10 at the same time. Instructions here. You can also plug an Xbox gaming controller into the Nexus 10, as long as you have a micro USB to USB adapter. Lastly, you can purchase a wireless gaming controller like the Nyko Playpad.
21. Copy your media to your tablet – One of Android’s best features is the ability to plug your charging cable into the USB jack on your computer and have your tablet appear as a hard drive. Once you do this, you can easily copy over the music, photos, videos or documents you want to take with you everywhere.
22. Select a lock screen – If you plan to bring your Nexus 10 outside of your house, you should go to Settings/Security and pick a pattern (recommended), PIN or password-based screen unlock.
23. Connect your tablet to a television – The Nexus 10 has a standard micro HDMI jack, so you can purchase a high-quality cable which connects to your TV for as little as $3. This allows you to watch high-definition videos from YouTube, Netflix or any other site on your TV. Unlike other tablets, the Nexus will display a video on your tablet and television at the same time. It will also automatically scale 2550x1440p videos to 1080p, so your television can display them. As you can see from the screenshot above, the picture quality is great. Important: Make sure to power down your tablet and television before connecting or disconnecting an HDMI cable. If you don’t, it’s possible that you could damage your tablet.
24. Hook up an external keyboard and mouse – You can easily connect your tablet to an external keyboard, mouse, or other input device and use these just as you would with a PC. This can be done using Bluetooth or direct USB connection. To connect via USB you will need an adapter like this. To connect more than one USB device at a time, use a powered USB hub to reduce drain on your battery. I’ve tried a wired keyboard and a standard wired mouse with the Nexus 10 tablet and both work pretty well. The mouse had no issues whatsoever. The keyboard seemed to miss keys or spaces occasionally when I typed too fast. However, I really like using the arrow keys on the keyboard to precisely move the cursor around text on the screen. I also like the fact the tablet can tell there is a keyboard attached and does not display the onscreen keyboard. This saves a lot of space on the screen.
25. External keyboard tips – In addition to entering text, you can use your keyboard to navigate your tablet’s features: Use the arrow keys to select items on screen. Press Return after selecting an item is equivalent to touching that item. Press Escape to go Back. Press Tab or Shift-Tab to move forward on a screen with multiple text fields. For maximum typing speed, turn off auto-replace, auto-capitalization and auto-punctuate. To do this, swipe down on the top of the screen and ‘Select keyboard layout.’ To do this, swipe down on the top of the screen and ‘Select keyboard layout.’ Don’t forget you can use keyboard commands like Ctrl-V to paste text just like you would with a PC.
26. Expand your memory – One of the biggest complaints about the Nexus 10 is the fact it doesn’t have a memory expansion slot, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add your own memory by buying a short micro USB to USB cable and connecting a low-cost memory stick. However, stock Android devices do not automatically “mount” mass storage devices like USB sticks, so one additional step is required. If you’re Nexus tablet is rooted, the best solution is an app called Stickmount (Note: I was recently told there may be problems with it and Android 4.2, which the developer are working on now). Once StickMount is installed you connect a USB stick to your Nexus using a USB OTG cable and the device will show you a popup and ask if you want to open StickMount. You’ll need a file viewer app like ES File Explorer to display your files. More details. If your Nexus 10 is not rooted, you have two options: The first is a $3 app called Nexus Media Importer, which allows you to import or stream music, video, photos and documents from a USB flash drive or SD card. More info. The second option is free. You can enable PTP on your Nexus 10 by following the instructions in Tip #13 above. Once PTP is enabled, when you plug in a supported device it should immediately bring up the Gallery app with a new folder containing all of your photos. When you open that folder, you can either import, or browse the photos. All of the above options require a USB OTG to mini USB adapter.
27. Edit your photos like a pro – The Android 4.2 Gallery app is more than just a photo viewer. It now has some serious editing capabilities. In addition to all of the standard Instagram-style filters, this app has some advanced photo editing features that are similar to the ones you’ll find in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. The incredible screen on the Nexus 10 and fast processor, make it a serious photo editing station. For even better editing options, try Snapseed or Pixlr Express.
28. Learn how to take a screenshot – To take a screenshot on the Nexus 10, press the power button and the volume down button and continue to hold them until you hear a beep and see the screen zoom in. The volume down is on the top part of the volume slider when you are holding the tablet in portrait-mode.
29. Use the new Google Voice search – It doesn’t make sense to type your searches any more. Just touch the microphone near the top of the screen and talk, or say “Google” when you are on the Google Now page.
30. Set up a guest profile – You may want to setup a guest profile on your Nexus 10, so a friend can check their email, and install their own games, but can’t update your Facebook status. Their app settings, screen background, game-progress and high-scores remain separate. To add a new user, go to Settings/Device/Users. Touch ‘Add user’ and then touch OK. Touch ‘Not now,’ if your guest is not available. A generic new user should now appear in the list.
31. Customize your home screen – Every one uses their tablet differently, so you should customize your home screen(s) to meet your needs. Here are some suggestions:
a. Make shortcuts on your home screens for all of your favorite apps. To do this go to the App locker and then touch and hold an app and drag it to the desired screen.
b. Create folders for different categories of apps (e.g. Games, Utilities, etc.) and move all of the related apps into those folders.To create a new folders drag on app on top of another similar app. After the new folder is created, make sure to name it.
c. Uninstall any unnecessary apps or widgets from your existing homescreens. To do this, simply touch and drag them into the text ‘Remove’ near the top of the screen.
32. Buy a carrying case – It’s a good idea to purchase a leather case for your Nexus 10. This will protect your screen from scratches and give you additional protection if you drop it. Most cases also act as a stand for your tablet. Nexus 10 cases are just starting to appear on sites like Amazon.com.
33. Don’t forget about the free music – Although you won’t see the free music that is included with your Nexus 10 in the “My Library” widget, if you go into ‘All Apps’ and open ‘Play Music,’ U.S. Nexus owners will find ten free songs from The Rolling Stones, Cat Power, M. Ward, The Lumineers, Bob Mould, Eskmo and more. Preloaded music in other countries varies.
34. Install tracking software – You paid good money for your Nexus 10, so you don’t want to lose it. Make sure to install software like ‘Where’s My Droid‘ which allows you to track your tablet if lost or stolen. If you spend $4 to upgrade to the Pro version, you can also remotely lock your tablet, enable the camera to see the thief and as a last resort erase your tablet remotely. If you install this app, make sure to run the setup and connect the Commander screen to your Google account.
35. Try gesture typing – The standard Android keyboard now allows you to slide your finger over the letters you want to type, and lift it after each word. You don’t need to worry about spaces, because they’re added automatically for you. This feature used to be only found in premium apps like Swype. Now you can use it whenever you like.
36. Zoom two different ways – There are different ways to zoom in on the Nexus 10. The first is called double-tap. You can quickly tap two times on most webpages in Chrome to zoom in. Double-tap again to zoom out. This feature works on most webpages, maps, and other screens. Android 4.2 also has an interesting new feature called magnification gestures. When enabled, you can triple-tap the screen everywhere (except on the keyboard or notification bar) and zoom in. The nice thing is that you stay zoomed in, until you triple-tap a second time. To enable this feature, go to Settings > System > Accessibility and touch Magnification gestures. Then slide it from off to on and hit the back button. It’s worth mentioning that the way you zoom in works differently when you double or triple tap. Both have advantages, try each and see which is better for certain things. One user has reported that enabling triple-tap doesn’t work well when playing games like GTA3.
37. Access your Google Play media offline – Normally Google Play streams your content from the cloud when you access it. This is done so the content doesn’t take up any of your precious storage space. However, there are times where you may not have access to the Internet, but still want to read a book or watch a movie. To do that you’ll want to download or ‘pin’ the media on your device so you can access it offline. To ‘pin’ a book, open the Play Books app, go to the menu and select ‘Make available offline.’ A blue dot with a pin in it means the book is available for offline, but has not been downloaded yet. To download it, tap it once and the pin should turn white. Once the book is finished downloading, the pin icon should be upright, white and surrounded by a blue dot (like “The Time Machine” book above). Keep in mind that downloading a movie will consume a substantial amount of storage space (~1.7GB).
38. Quickly change camera settings – You can now press and hold on the camera app screen and swipe to quickly change white balance, HDR and other camera settings. You can also go directly from the camera app to the Photo Gallery app by swiping to the right. Swipe left to return to the camera.
39. Improve your Internet download speeds – If you have Wi-Fi range issues like I do, you may want to purchase an Ethernet adapter. The Nexus 10 supports USB-OTG, which makes this possible. Although micro USB to Ethernet adapters are available, they don’t get good reviews, so you’re probably better of with a USB to Ethernet adapter and a micro USB to USB adapter. More about the types of things you can connect with USB-OTG.
40. Pinch-to-zoom Gmail – Gmail has a new setting called ‘Auto-fit messages’ which is not enabled by default. When you enable this setting, you can manually pinch to zoom in or out on an e-mail. This is really useful.
41. Learn how to decipher the notification LED – You’ve probably noticed there’s an LED on the front of your Nexus 10 that flashes occasionally. It’s there to let you when you have one ore more notifications waiting. Its LED is capable of displaying multiple colors so you can tell what type of notification you have without unlocking your tablet. Since there is no mention of this feature in the Nexus 10 manual, there is some confusion over the colors used. It appears Google uses white for Gmail or SMS texts, blue is for Facebook notifications, green indicates your tablet is 100% charged, and also may show Google Voice notifications, yellow is for Google Talk and red is for Google+. It appears third-party apps can trigger the notification LED as well. One thing I’ve noticed about the notification LED is it sometimes continues to flash after you’ve cleared your notifications. If this blinking bothers you, you can turn off the notification LED by going to Settings > Display and unchecking ‘Pulse notification light.’
42. Customize your LED notifications – A free app called Light Flow Lite allows you to take control of the colors of your notification LED. It also makes your Nexus 10 flash one color after another. This app allows you to set the notification color for the over 250 applications and system events including missed calls, low battery, no signal, voice mail, calendar reminders, Gmail messages, email messages, SMS messages, MMS messages, Twitter notifications and more.
43. Quickly silence or restart your tablet – To quickly silence your Nexus 10, press and hold the power button for 1-2 seconds. To restart your tablet, press and hold the power button for 8 seconds.
44. Make it easy for someone to return your tablet if lost – It’s a good idea to add a message to your lock-screen like the following: If found, please call [Enter your area code and phone number here]. To do this, go to Settings > Security > and touch ‘Owner info’ (or User Info, for other users). Then enter the text you want displayed on the lock screen.
45. Backup everything on your tablet – Although it’s true Google backs up some of your data, it doesn’t back up everything. My Backup Pro backs-up your photos, SMS texts, contacts, call log, browser bookmarks, system settings, Home screens, music playlists and apps. Your entire backup is stored online.
46. Use your tablet as a phone – You can turn your Android tablet into a phone with apps like Talkatone, GrooVe IP, Viber, Tablet Calling or others. A free Google Voice account is required by most of these programs. For best results, you’ll want to use a Bluetooth earpiece, since the mic used for this is located on the back of your tablet. For video calls try Skype or Tango. Video calls use the front camera on the Nexus, which works pretty well, however you still should use a Bluetooth earpiece for best results.
47. Let Google know where you live and work – In order to get the most out of Google Now you must enter your home and work addresses. To do this go to maps.google.com using your browser, touch the Menu icon in the upper right hand corner, and open My Places. From there, you can enter your home and work addresses.
48. Nexus 10 features to avoid – Because Android 4.2 and the Nexus 10 are still so new, there are several features you may want to avoid until the next update is available. Avoid using Lock-screen music widgets and Auto-brightness.
49. Get yourself some wireless headphones – The Nexus 10 is great for multimedia. After Google fixes the Bluetooth issues with Android 4.2.2 you may want to get yourself a wireless headset. It’s stereo, sounds good and also has a mic, so you can make calls with it. If you have problems pairing your Bluetooth headset, try it several times. It took me at least three tries before it worked.
50. Get help from Google – You can call (855) 836-3987 and ask Google questions about your Nexus 10 24/7. I know some people are bashing Google for their phone support, but my phone support experience was positive. Once I waited on hold for 15 minutes, but the person who answered my call was able to quickly solve a difficult problem.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks
Microsofts Windows Phone 7 operating system was a big surprise when it first appeared, not because it came out of the blue, but rather because it was so much better than everyone expected. The Windows Phone 7 Metro user-interface managed to almost perfectly combine a really modern feel with sublime ease of use.
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However, the operating system is quite deep and there are many hidden features that are not immediately obvious. Here weve put together 30 tips that will help you make the most of your Windows Phone 7 handset.
By default your lock screen is set up to show a background picture along with the time and date. However, when youre listening to music you can also get it to show album art for the artist youre listening to. From the start screen tap on settings and select the lock wallpaper option. Here youll see a slider for show artist when playing music. Switch this to on and now when you play a track the album art for the artist will replace your standard lock screen image. If a track isn’t playing it reverts to your normal image.
If you dont like the colour of your tiles, its easy to change them. Just go to settings and then tap on theme and choose a new colour from the accent colour list.
You can use your phone for other stuff while youre on a call. Hit the Windows button and youll find yourself back at the start screen. You can return to the call at any time by tapping the notification bar at the top of the screen.
If your phone is locked and you need to quickly take a picture, just press and hold the camera button. The phone will spring into life directly at the camera app ready to take a shot.
Accidentally deleted your Xbox Live tile from the homescreen and cant find it in the apps list? Look again, because its actually under Games rather than Xbox Live. Just tap and hold on the Games entry and then select Pin to Start to reinstate it.
If youve got music playing and leave the Zune app, you can call up the playback controls at any time just by tapping the volume button on the side of your phone.
If youre taking a picture in a quieter place such as a library or museum you can feel like a bit of a Muppet if the shutter sound goes off. Luckily Windows Phone allows you to mute the shutter noise. From the start menu tap on settings and choose ringtone sounds. To turn off the sound just untick the box for camera shutter.
If youve missed a call and need to call someone straight back you can do it with just two taps. Form the start menu tap on the phone icon. This will show you the call history. Now instead of tapping on the persons name and selecting the call mobile option, just tap directly on the telephone icon next to their name and your phone will immediately dial their number.
There are quite a few extras in the Pictures menu that are not very obvious, but really useful when you know where to find them. One of these is the Auto-fix feature that can be used to quickly correct under- or over-exposed photos. Select a photo in the camera roll and then tap and hold on the picture. A menu will slide up from the bottom of the screen. Scroll to the bottom of this list and select Auto-fix. After a couple of seconds of pause for thought, your phone will automatically adjust the exposure to make the photo brighter or darker. You can compare the results with the original by tapping on the magic wand icon. If you like what you see just tap the save icon, or alternatively hit the X icon to reject the changes.
If your apps list reaches more than 43 apps (this doesnt includes games, as theyre stored separately in the Xbox Live menu) Windows Phone will automatically add letter blocks into the list. This helps you find your apps faster. Just tap any of the letter blocks and the screen will fill with all the letters of the alphabet. You can then jump to apps beginning with a letter just by tapping on it. Remember, for this feature to appear you must have at least 44 apps in the list.
In the Mango update of Windows Phone Microsoft has added some improved battery management options to help you eek a bit more life from your battery when its running low. The first time your battery level is low youll get a message asking you whether you want to turn on the battery saver mode. However, you can set up your phone to always use the battery saver mode when you get down to the last bar of power. From Start, go to settings and then select battery save. Now tick the box marked always turn on battery save when battery is low. Basically, this mode stops your handset from automatically checking for new emails, updating most live tiles and letting apps run in the background, helping to conserve power.
Remember those hidden extras that we talked about in the pictures menu? Well, heres another one that may have escaped your attention. You can use your Windows Phone to tag faces in your pictures before uploading them to social networking sites. From the start menu enter the picture menu and select a picture of a friend. Tap the more button at the bottom of the screen and select Share or Share on Facebook. If your handset detects an untagged face it will draw a box around it. You can press the whos this text to tag it. Alternatively, tap the tag button at the bottom of the screen and tap the face you want to tag. You can then either choose a contact from your address book, or just type in a tag.
You don’t need to download any Soundhound or Shazam apps for your phone, as this functionality is already built-in. Just press the search button to call up Bing and then tap the music button at the bottom.
Are you annoyed that when you use the video camera on your phone you have to keep setting it to 720p mode every time you switch it on? Actually, Windows Phone can remember your settings, but you need to instruct it to do so. In the camera app switch to video mode and then tap on the settings button. Scroll down to resolution and select 720p. Scroll back up to the top of the list and select save settings. Now your video camera will always start up in 720p mode.
When youre typing and get to the end of a sentence theres no need to enter a full stop. Simply double tap the space bar on the onscreen keyboard and Windows Phone will automatically enter a full stop and space for you so you can start right away on the next sentence.
You can pin email folders to your start screen for faster access. Open the email account with the folder you want to pin to the start menu, then press the more button at the bottom of the screen and select folders. Tap on the show all folders option and then press and hold on the folder you want to pin. From the pop up menu that appears select Pin to Start.
You can command your phone to do lots of stuff purely by voice. Press and hold the Windows button and the phone will go into listen mode. Try asking it to open calendar or search for a curry house in your local town. You can also get it to do lots of other stuff like texting or calling a contact.
Usually, to add punctuation other than a full stop to text that youre writing you press the &123 button on the keyboard. However, you can access common punctuation marks quicker by simply pressing and holding on the fullstop button. Extra options will pop up above it.
To turn on caps lock on the Windows Phone keyboard, just double tap on the shift key. To turn it off, just double tap it again.
When you open the keyboard in Internet Explorer youll notice that it includes a .com button. Thats handy for most sites, but not so useful if you visit a lot of UK sites. However, there is actually a quick way to enter .co.uk. Just hold down the .com button and options for .co.uk, .org and .edu will pop up. Handy, eh?
You can select words on a webpage and then quickly use them to perform a search. Just tap and hold on a word and then move the selection tools to select more words if necessary. Once youve got the whole phrase that you want to search for selected, tap on the hardware search button. Windows Phone will then take the phrase and perform a Bing search using it.
If theres a website that you visit often, why not pin it to your start screen. Open the browser and got to the website. Wait for the browser to full load the page and then tap on the more button at the bottom of the screen. Now select Pin to Start from the list that appears.
One of the cooler features that Microsoft has added with the Mango update is the groups option and it really is worthwhile to learn how to use it. From the start menu press People. Scroll across to All and then press the button. Select New Group. Enter a name for the group – Family, for example – and then press add a contact. Keep adding contacts to expand the group. When youre done press the save button. The new group appears at the top of your contacts list. You can also add a group to the start menu by pressing the pin button. The Live Tile for the group will show social networking posts, new messages and missed calls from all the members.
When you receive a new text message you might not have your hands free to access your phone to open and read it. However, you can set up Windows Phone to automatically ask you whether you want it to read out a text message to you when it arrives. From the Start menu go to settings and then select speech. Turn on the Play audio confirmations setting and under Read incoming text messages aloud select Always on. When you get a new text message the phone will ask you what you want it to do. You can say Read it to have it read it aloud, or say Ingore to simply wait and read it onscreen yourself later.
You can pin locations that youve found in the Maps application to your start menu. To do this just open up Maps and do a search for the location that you want to pin. When Maps has found it, the app will mark it with a flag. Tap on the flag and then tap the pin button at the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, to pin one of your stored favourite places, just tap the more button at the bottom of the screen, select Favourite Places, tap on the place and then tap on the pin button at the bottom of the screen.
Need to get your laptop or tablet online, but aren’t near a Wi-Fi hotspot? Luckily your Windows Phone can create its own hotspot allowing your laptop or tablet to make use of its data connection. From the start menu go to settings. Select Internet Sharing and then turn on Sharing. The phone will display the Wi-Fi network name and a password that it has automatically created. You can change this SSID and password if you want by pressing the set-up button. If internet sharing is not used for a few minutes it will automatically turn itself off to save battery power. If your operator doesnt support this feature - and some dont - it will be greyed out in the menu. Also, be careful using this feature if youre on a tight monthly data allowance.
Windows Phone 7 lacks a Forward button in the web browser. However, the folks over at xda-developers.com have come up with a way of adding one. In Internet Explorer tap on the more button and then tap add to favourites. In the name box enter Forward and then in the web address box add the following piece of code without the quotation marks "javascript:history.forward()" and then tap the tick mark icon. Now to use the forward command, tap on the more button, select favourites and then select Forward.
Unfortunately Microsoft has removed the Find on Page option in the Mango update, but again theres a clever work around for this thanks to the clever bods at xda-developers.com. The javascipt code is much longer than the Forward option, so its best to visit www.1800pocketpc.com/shared_files/Bookmarklets.txt and cut and paste it. Like the Forward code, you add it as a bookmark using Find On Page as the name and the javascipt code as the web address.
In the email app you can cc loads of friends just by typing their email address or contact names in the to field. Unfortunately, its not obvious how you blind copy people into your emails – where multiple people are copied in to an email, but they can’t see the contact details for other receptients. However, its actually pretty straight forward. In the email app simply create a new email by pressing the button, or hit reply. Then press the more button at the bottom of the screen and select Show cc & bcc. The Cc: and Bcc: lines will now appear at the top of the email that youre composing.
In the People Hub, you don’t have to scroll all the way through the list to find the contact youre after. Instead tapping on a letter block, "a" for example, will bring up a grid of letters on the screen and you can just tap on one to jump to all the entries in the Hub beginning with that letter.
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However, the operating system is quite deep and there are many hidden features that are not immediately obvious. Here weve put together 30 tips that will help you make the most of your Windows Phone 7 handset.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Use album art as your lock screen picture
By default your lock screen is set up to show a background picture along with the time and date. However, when youre listening to music you can also get it to show album art for the artist youre listening to. From the start screen tap on settings and select the lock wallpaper option. Here youll see a slider for show artist when playing music. Switch this to on and now when you play a track the album art for the artist will replace your standard lock screen image. If a track isn’t playing it reverts to your normal image.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Change the title colour
If you dont like the colour of your tiles, its easy to change them. Just go to settings and then tap on theme and choose a new colour from the accent colour list.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Multi-task while on calls
You can use your phone for other stuff while youre on a call. Hit the Windows button and youll find yourself back at the start screen. You can return to the call at any time by tapping the notification bar at the top of the screen.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Jump straight to the camera app
If your phone is locked and you need to quickly take a picture, just press and hold the camera button. The phone will spring into life directly at the camera app ready to take a shot.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Re-instate your Xbox Live tile
Accidentally deleted your Xbox Live tile from the homescreen and cant find it in the apps list? Look again, because its actually under Games rather than Xbox Live. Just tap and hold on the Games entry and then select Pin to Start to reinstate it.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Access playback controls outside of the music player
If youve got music playing and leave the Zune app, you can call up the playback controls at any time just by tapping the volume button on the side of your phone.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Turn off the shutter sound
If youre taking a picture in a quieter place such as a library or museum you can feel like a bit of a Muppet if the shutter sound goes off. Luckily Windows Phone allows you to mute the shutter noise. From the start menu tap on settings and choose ringtone sounds. To turn off the sound just untick the box for camera shutter.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Quick call back
If youve missed a call and need to call someone straight back you can do it with just two taps. Form the start menu tap on the phone icon. This will show you the call history. Now instead of tapping on the persons name and selecting the call mobile option, just tap directly on the telephone icon next to their name and your phone will immediately dial their number.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Quickly fix photo
There are quite a few extras in the Pictures menu that are not very obvious, but really useful when you know where to find them. One of these is the Auto-fix feature that can be used to quickly correct under- or over-exposed photos. Select a photo in the camera roll and then tap and hold on the picture. A menu will slide up from the bottom of the screen. Scroll to the bottom of this list and select Auto-fix. After a couple of seconds of pause for thought, your phone will automatically adjust the exposure to make the photo brighter or darker. You can compare the results with the original by tapping on the magic wand icon. If you like what you see just tap the save icon, or alternatively hit the X icon to reject the changes.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks - Get letter blocks in the apps list
If your apps list reaches more than 43 apps (this doesnt includes games, as theyre stored separately in the Xbox Live menu) Windows Phone will automatically add letter blocks into the list. This helps you find your apps faster. Just tap any of the letter blocks and the screen will fill with all the letters of the alphabet. You can then jump to apps beginning with a letter just by tapping on it. Remember, for this feature to appear you must have at least 44 apps in the list.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Better battery management
In the Mango update of Windows Phone Microsoft has added some improved battery management options to help you eek a bit more life from your battery when its running low. The first time your battery level is low youll get a message asking you whether you want to turn on the battery saver mode. However, you can set up your phone to always use the battery saver mode when you get down to the last bar of power. From Start, go to settings and then select battery save. Now tick the box marked always turn on battery save when battery is low. Basically, this mode stops your handset from automatically checking for new emails, updating most live tiles and letting apps run in the background, helping to conserve power.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Tag faces in photos
Remember those hidden extras that we talked about in the pictures menu? Well, heres another one that may have escaped your attention. You can use your Windows Phone to tag faces in your pictures before uploading them to social networking sites. From the start menu enter the picture menu and select a picture of a friend. Tap the more button at the bottom of the screen and select Share or Share on Facebook. If your handset detects an untagged face it will draw a box around it. You can press the whos this text to tag it. Alternatively, tap the tag button at the bottom of the screen and tap the face you want to tag. You can then either choose a contact from your address book, or just type in a tag.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Name that tune
You don’t need to download any Soundhound or Shazam apps for your phone, as this functionality is already built-in. Just press the search button to call up Bing and then tap the music button at the bottom.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Always start your camera in 720p mode
Are you annoyed that when you use the video camera on your phone you have to keep setting it to 720p mode every time you switch it on? Actually, Windows Phone can remember your settings, but you need to instruct it to do so. In the camera app switch to video mode and then tap on the settings button. Scroll down to resolution and select 720p. Scroll back up to the top of the list and select save settings. Now your video camera will always start up in 720p mode.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Automatically add a fullstop at the end of a sentance
When youre typing and get to the end of a sentence theres no need to enter a full stop. Simply double tap the space bar on the onscreen keyboard and Windows Phone will automatically enter a full stop and space for you so you can start right away on the next sentence.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Pin email folders to the start screen
You can pin email folders to your start screen for faster access. Open the email account with the folder you want to pin to the start menu, then press the more button at the bottom of the screen and select folders. Tap on the show all folders option and then press and hold on the folder you want to pin. From the pop up menu that appears select Pin to Start.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Voice control
You can command your phone to do lots of stuff purely by voice. Press and hold the Windows button and the phone will go into listen mode. Try asking it to open calendar or search for a curry house in your local town. You can also get it to do lots of other stuff like texting or calling a contact.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Quicker punctuation
Usually, to add punctuation other than a full stop to text that youre writing you press the &123 button on the keyboard. However, you can access common punctuation marks quicker by simply pressing and holding on the fullstop button. Extra options will pop up above it.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Turn on caps lock
To turn on caps lock on the Windows Phone keyboard, just double tap on the shift key. To turn it off, just double tap it again.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – A quick way to enter .co.uk
When you open the keyboard in Internet Explorer youll notice that it includes a .com button. Thats handy for most sites, but not so useful if you visit a lot of UK sites. However, there is actually a quick way to enter .co.uk. Just hold down the .com button and options for .co.uk, .org and .edu will pop up. Handy, eh?
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Highlight words to perform a search
You can select words on a webpage and then quickly use them to perform a search. Just tap and hold on a word and then move the selection tools to select more words if necessary. Once youve got the whole phrase that you want to search for selected, tap on the hardware search button. Windows Phone will then take the phrase and perform a Bing search using it.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Pin a website to your start screen
If theres a website that you visit often, why not pin it to your start screen. Open the browser and got to the website. Wait for the browser to full load the page and then tap on the more button at the bottom of the screen. Now select Pin to Start from the list that appears.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Get to grips with groups
One of the cooler features that Microsoft has added with the Mango update is the groups option and it really is worthwhile to learn how to use it. From the start menu press People. Scroll across to All and then press the button. Select New Group. Enter a name for the group – Family, for example – and then press add a contact. Keep adding contacts to expand the group. When youre done press the save button. The new group appears at the top of your contacts list. You can also add a group to the start menu by pressing the pin button. The Live Tile for the group will show social networking posts, new messages and missed calls from all the members.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Get your phone to read out text messages
When you receive a new text message you might not have your hands free to access your phone to open and read it. However, you can set up Windows Phone to automatically ask you whether you want it to read out a text message to you when it arrives. From the Start menu go to settings and then select speech. Turn on the Play audio confirmations setting and under Read incoming text messages aloud select Always on. When you get a new text message the phone will ask you what you want it to do. You can say Read it to have it read it aloud, or say Ingore to simply wait and read it onscreen yourself later.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Pin locations to your start screen
You can pin locations that youve found in the Maps application to your start menu. To do this just open up Maps and do a search for the location that you want to pin. When Maps has found it, the app will mark it with a flag. Tap on the flag and then tap the pin button at the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, to pin one of your stored favourite places, just tap the more button at the bottom of the screen, select Favourite Places, tap on the place and then tap on the pin button at the bottom of the screen.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Create your own W-Fi hotspot
Need to get your laptop or tablet online, but aren’t near a Wi-Fi hotspot? Luckily your Windows Phone can create its own hotspot allowing your laptop or tablet to make use of its data connection. From the start menu go to settings. Select Internet Sharing and then turn on Sharing. The phone will display the Wi-Fi network name and a password that it has automatically created. You can change this SSID and password if you want by pressing the set-up button. If internet sharing is not used for a few minutes it will automatically turn itself off to save battery power. If your operator doesnt support this feature - and some dont - it will be greyed out in the menu. Also, be careful using this feature if youre on a tight monthly data allowance.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Add a forward button to the browser
Windows Phone 7 lacks a Forward button in the web browser. However, the folks over at xda-developers.com have come up with a way of adding one. In Internet Explorer tap on the more button and then tap add to favourites. In the name box enter Forward and then in the web address box add the following piece of code without the quotation marks "javascript:history.forward()" and then tap the tick mark icon. Now to use the forward command, tap on the more button, select favourites and then select Forward.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Add find on page to the browser
Unfortunately Microsoft has removed the Find on Page option in the Mango update, but again theres a clever work around for this thanks to the clever bods at xda-developers.com. The javascipt code is much longer than the Forward option, so its best to visit www.1800pocketpc.com/shared_files/Bookmarklets.txt and cut and paste it. Like the Forward code, you add it as a bookmark using Find On Page as the name and the javascipt code as the web address.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Use the bcc feature in emails
In the email app you can cc loads of friends just by typing their email address or contact names in the to field. Unfortunately, its not obvious how you blind copy people into your emails – where multiple people are copied in to an email, but they can’t see the contact details for other receptients. However, its actually pretty straight forward. In the email app simply create a new email by pressing the button, or hit reply. Then press the more button at the bottom of the screen and select Show cc & bcc. The Cc: and Bcc: lines will now appear at the top of the email that youre composing.
Windows phone 7 tips and tricks – Find contacts faster in the People Hub
In the People Hub, you don’t have to scroll all the way through the list to find the contact youre after. Instead tapping on a letter block, "a" for example, will bring up a grid of letters on the screen and you can just tap on one to jump to all the entries in the Hub beginning with that letter.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
HTC Desire 816 Tips and Tricks
Here are some How Tos for your HTC Desire 816. These How Tos may still not yet complete and I am finding some time to work on the others:
How to Factory Reset (Hard Reset) HTC Desire 816
Resetting your HTC Desire 816 will restore the default settings of your device. It will also delete all your files on your phone, so it is recommended to have a backup of your important files on your computer. There are two ways on how to reset your HTC Desire 816 . It can be done through the settings or through the hardware buttons.
Resetting HTC Desire 816 on Settings:
- Slide the Notifications panel open, and then tap the Gear Icon or Settings.
- Select Backup & reset.
- Tap Reset phone.
- If you want to delete all your files, then tap Erase all data.
- Then tap OK to confirm.
These steps is also helpful when your HTC Desire 816 is unresponsive or frozen and theres no way to access the settings.
- First, press and hold the Volume Down button, and then do the same way on the Power button.
- Hold the two buttons until the three Android images appear on the Lcd.
- Release the button when the three Android images appear and press Volume Down.
- Tap on Factory Reset, and then press the Power Button to confirm.
Contacts is very important for everyone of us. We cant connect to our friends without a contact number. If you have a new phone, saving contacts on the phone one by one is so hassle. But now, theres an easy way how to transfer or import your contacts from your old phone to your new phone.
Use your PC to transfer contacts to your new phone. This process is applicable in several phone brands, including iPhone, Samsung, HTC and Nokia.
You just need an Internet Connection on your PC, your old and new phone and their own USB cable.
Then you need to install the PC Companion program. This is a free application and the installation files are already saved on your new phone. This program can also be used in updating your phone software.
Please note that if you are using the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system on your PC, make sure that the AutoPlay setting is enabled.
To check your settings:
Click Start > Control Panel, then type "autoplay" on the search box. Click the AutoPlay, and mark the check box Use AutoPlay for all media and devices.
Installing the PC Companion:
Installing the PC Companion:
- Turn on your new Phone and connect it to your PC.
- On your new Phone, tap "Install" to install PC Companion on the PC.
- On your computer, if a pop-up window that appears notifies you about available PC Software, select Run Startme.exe.
- Then click Install to start the installation and then follow the instructions to complete the installation.
If you are not prompted with a pop-up window to install the PC Companion, you can also download the PC Companion here.
Transferring your contacts to your new phone:
- Make sure that PC Companion is installed on your PC.
- Open the PC Companion application on your PC.
- Then click Contacts Setup and follow the instructions to transfer your contacts.
How to Send a Multimedia Message and Create a Slideshow on HTC Desire 816
Text messaging has grown its popularity over the years especially to younger generations. People, especially teens, prefer to communicate with friends and relatives thru texting instead of the traditional call. But whether your reaching out to friends thru text or a call, what matters most is the effort for still trying to keep in touch despite distance and even on busy schedules. We should be more grateful these days as it only takes minutes, even seconds, for a quick response unlike the old school snail mail. Now, everyone is just a text away. And more to that, you can even send multimedia messages (MMS) especially on special occasions to add more touch to a simple text-filled Lcd. Heres how you can send a MMS on HTC Desire 816.
1. On your devices homeLcd, tap on
and go to Messages.2. Then tap on
3. On the To Field, key in a contact name, mobile number or email address. You can also send it to a group of friends by tapping on
4. To add a subject line, tap on
and go to Add Subject.5. Tap on the box that says Add text and there you can type in your special message.
6. Choose an attachment for your message by tapping on
7. After you browse and select an attachment, tap on Send or press
to save it as a draft. You can also tap on
to see options like replacing, viewing and removing your attachment.Now if you wish your Mutimedia Message to reach an extra mile, you can have it on a slideshow format. Heres how you can create one:
once again and select Slide.2. Then choose where you want to insert the next slide.
3. When youre done adding the next slide, you can either do the following:
- tap onand choose to add a video or a photo
- tap onand then audio if you want to add a voice recording or a music to the slide
- tap on Add Text to add a caption
- tap onto view options like replacing, viewing or removing your attachment.
select Preview. If you dont see Preview, scroll down the menu. To view the playback controls, tap once the preview Lcd.5. When its all set and done, press on or tap on Send to save message as a draft.
or tap on Send to save message as a draft.Now you can make someones day a very special one with this creative and personalize MMS.
How to Set HTC Desire 816 into Sleep Mode
How to Set HTC Desire 816 into Sleep Mode
Like any other device, setting HTC Desire 816 into sleep mode will somehow save its battery life. Sleep mode puts your device into a lower power state while the display is off. It also prevents accidental button presses when its in your pocket or bag. Heres how you can set HTC Desire 816 into sleep mode.
1. Briefly press on your devices Power button to turn off the display. Then switch to Sleep Mode.
2. To change the time before your device sleeps, just go to Display & buttons settings.
3. To wake it up, manually press the Power button and unlock your Lcd.
4. Your device will also automatically wakes up when you have an incoming call.
How to Extend Battery Life of HTC Desire 816
1. Briefly press on your devices Power button to turn off the display. Then switch to Sleep Mode.
2. To change the time before your device sleeps, just go to Display & buttons settings.
3. To wake it up, manually press the Power button and unlock your Lcd.
4. Your device will also automatically wakes up when you have an incoming call.
How to Extend Battery Life of HTC Desire 816
Battery Life depends on how you use your device. For HTC Desire 816 device, if you want to save your battery to last longer hours, you may need to adjust your settings. Follow these suggestions:
• Turn on the power-saving option on the device. Then lessen the Lcd brightness and the Lcd lock timeout.
1. Slide the Notifications panel open.
- You can also choose which phone features to conserve the power. Just tap the Power saver notification first before you turn power saver mode on.
2. To turn the power saver mode on or off, tap the check button next to the Power saver notification.
• Turn down your device volume with the volume keys.
• Close any apps or features when you are done using it so they will not continuously running in the background.
• Turn off the network connection if you are out of range so that your device will stop searching for a network signal.
• You should use the latest version of the software update. Software updates improves some features and fixes some bugs on the previous software version.
• Turn off the camera flash.
• The camera viewfinder can be a power drain, so after youve finished taking photos.
How to Take Continuous Camera Shots on HTC Desire 816
Want to take photos continuously on your HTC Desire 816? You just need to set the settings and you can now capture the moment of the action. Every movement of the action counts, so take the photo continuously.
Follow these steps:
1. First, make sure that youre in Normal scene to use this feature.
2. On the Viewfinder Lcd, just press and hold on
.
- It should take 20 consecutive shots since it is the default settings.
- If you want to capture more than 20 shots, just tap on the Gear Icon or Settings, then Continuous shooting. After that, clear the Limit to 20 frames option.
3. You can also select the photo that you like most by tapping Best shot. If you dont want the other photos, then you can delete it.
How to Use HTC Zoe on HTC Desire 816
With HTC Zoe feature, your photo gallery will never be the same. It brings captured moments into life. This feature on HTC Desire 816 allows you to automatically capture 20 photos and a 3-second video once you press the shutter. You can now create a living photo album with HTCs ultrapixel camera that promises to quickly shoot vivid, true-to-life images even under low light conditions. Heres how to capture those memories with HTC Zoe.
1. On your devices Viewfinder Lcd, tap
to switch HTC Zoe on.
2. Once youre ready to capture, just tap
.
3. When the shutter release icon slowly turns to red
, continue holding the phone steadily as it still captures a few seconds of shots.
Take note though that camera features like zooming is not available when youre using HTC Zoe feature. To add a little touch of creativity on those pictures, just open and edit them in the Gallery app.
Share what youre viewing on HTC Desire 816 onto a big Lcd TV.
About HTC Media Link HD
You can plug in HTC Media Link HD to any TV with HDMI port, and use it to display content wirelessly to your TV.
How to Check Battery Usage and History on HTC Desire 816
Keeping our phones at top shape at all times is a serious task. As much as possible, we try to save as much power as we can for our phones to last longer especially if were hitting the road. If youve noticed, here in Zakyri, we always make posts on our blog on ways to save a phones battery life. I might as well share these steps for all HTC Desire 816 users out there on how you can check battery usage on your phone. In this way you can see a ranking list of apps that are consuming up your battery life and even how long youve been using up your phone since the last charge. This is a pretty good information when you badly need to save up your battery life.
To check on each apps battery consumption:
1. On your homeLcd, slide the Notifications panel open.
2. Then tap
3. Choose and tap on Power and go to Usage.
4. And tap an app to check how its using up your phones battery and other use details.
If you see a button while viewing an apps battery use details, you can tap that button to adjust its settings that affect your battery usage, you can stop the app and more.
To check on your battery history
1. On your homeLcd, slide the Notifications panel open.
2. Then tap.
3. Choose and tap on Power and go to History.
4. Now swipe left or right ( or spread or pinch your fingers) to scale the graph that details your battery usage over the time.
How to Clear Call History on HTC Desire 816
Either your call logs are just piling up or you simply want to achieve a clean call history list, then you can do the steps below. Heres how to delete or clear call history on your HTC Desire 816 device.
To delete one name or number
1. On your devices Call History tab, press and hold the name or number you wish
to delete.
2. And tap Delete from call history.
To delete the entire call history list
1. On Call History tab, tapthen go to Remove call history.
2. On the Delete from call history Lcd, tap
3. Choose Select all and then tap Delete.
How to Hide Missed Calls and Messages on HTC Desire 816 LockLcd
Some mobile users want to check if theres any missed calls or messages right when they pick up their phone even if its locked. But if youre like me who prefers a clean lockLcd, free from missed calls and messages notification, then you might as well follow these steps to keep them hidden. Heres how you can hide those info on a HTC Desire 816 lockLcd.
1. First, slide the Notifications panel open.
2. Then tap
.
3. Now go to Security.
4. And clear the Phone notification preview and Message notification
preview options to hide missed calls and messages on the lockLcd.
Now you can appreciate more how your phone looks like when its locked. Looking clean
and free.
How to Personalize HTC Desire 816 Launch Bar
A launch bar is a one stop hub on your homeLcd for commonly used apps. By personalizing your launch bar you can now have a one-touch access to apps that you often use. These apps and shortcuts on your launch bar are also what you see on the lockLcd. Heres how you can personalize your HTC Desire 816 launch bar.
1. On your devices homeLcd, tapto go to the All apps view.
2. Now press and hold the app you want to be replaced and then drag it out
of the launch bar.
3. Then press and hold an app you frequently use and drag it to the empty slot
on your launch bar.
If you have couple of apps to place on your launch bar, you can group them into
a folder and place them in the launch bar. Heres how you can group apps into
a folder.
1. On the All apps view of your device, press and hold an app and drag it over
to another app to automatically create a new folder for these apps.
2. To add more apps, press and hold an app and drag it to the folder.
3. Now drag the folder from the All apps view to the launch bar.
4. If you want to remove an app from a folder on the launch bar, you need to
switch first to the All apps view and then drag the app out of the folder.
Congratulations! You have just personalized your HTC Desire 816 launch bar with your favorite apps.
How to Set up Speed Dialing on HTC Desire 816
Speed dialing is definitely a must-have feature on any phones. Whether youre in a hurry or in an emergency, this feature lets you call important contacts right away by just dialing a number key on your phone. For all HTC Desire 816 users, heres how you can set up speed dialing on your device.
1. First, open the phone app on your device.
2. Then tapand go to Speed Dial.
3. Now tapand select a contact from the list.
4. On the Speed dial Lcd, choose the phone number of the contact to use
and a speed dial key to assign for that contact.
5. Once your done, tap Save.
Take note that the number 1 key is generally used and reserved for calling voicemail and retrieving voicemail messages.
How to Make Your HTC Desire 816 a Wireless Router
Smartphones these days can now share its mobile data connection and act as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot. And like those high-end gadgets, HTC Desire 816 is sure to let you experience the benefits of making it as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot. Heres how you can make your HTC Desire 816 phone the next Wi-Fi hotspot.
• Turn on the power-saving option on the device. Then lessen the Lcd brightness and the Lcd lock timeout.
1. Slide the Notifications panel open.
- You can also choose which phone features to conserve the power. Just tap the Power saver notification first before you turn power saver mode on.
2. To turn the power saver mode on or off, tap the check button next to the Power saver notification.
• Turn down your device volume with the volume keys.
• Close any apps or features when you are done using it so they will not continuously running in the background.
• Turn off the network connection if you are out of range so that your device will stop searching for a network signal.
• You should use the latest version of the software update. Software updates improves some features and fixes some bugs on the previous software version.
• Turn off the camera flash.
• The camera viewfinder can be a power drain, so after youve finished taking photos.
How to Take Continuous Camera Shots on HTC Desire 816
Want to take photos continuously on your HTC Desire 816? You just need to set the settings and you can now capture the moment of the action. Every movement of the action counts, so take the photo continuously.
Follow these steps:
1. First, make sure that youre in Normal scene to use this feature.
2. On the Viewfinder Lcd, just press and hold on
.- It should take 20 consecutive shots since it is the default settings.
- If you want to capture more than 20 shots, just tap on the Gear Icon or Settings, then Continuous shooting. After that, clear the Limit to 20 frames option.
3. You can also select the photo that you like most by tapping Best shot. If you dont want the other photos, then you can delete it.
How to Use HTC Zoe on HTC Desire 816
With HTC Zoe feature, your photo gallery will never be the same. It brings captured moments into life. This feature on HTC Desire 816 allows you to automatically capture 20 photos and a 3-second video once you press the shutter. You can now create a living photo album with HTCs ultrapixel camera that promises to quickly shoot vivid, true-to-life images even under low light conditions. Heres how to capture those memories with HTC Zoe.
1. On your devices Viewfinder Lcd, tap
to switch HTC Zoe on.2. Once youre ready to capture, just tap
.3. When the shutter release icon slowly turns to red
, continue holding the phone steadily as it still captures a few seconds of shots.Take note though that camera features like zooming is not available when youre using HTC Zoe feature. To add a little touch of creativity on those pictures, just open and edit them in the Gallery app.
How to Show Screen on TV With HTC Desire 816
Share what youre viewing on HTC Desire 816 onto a big Lcd TV.
- If you have a home theater system thats DLNA® compliant, you can share your photos, videos, movies, and music from HTC Desire 816 to your TV through your home Wi‑Fi network.
- Dont have a DLNA setup at home? Dont worry. Just purchase the HTC Media Link HD and hook it up to your HDMI TV. You can then wirelessly share what youre viewing or listening on HTC Desire 816 to your TV.
About HTC Media Link HD
You can plug in HTC Media Link HD to any TV with HDMI port, and use it to display content wirelessly to your TV.
Easy to set up and use
With just a three-finger swipe, connect HTC Desire 816 to HTC Media Link HD and share on the big Lcd.
Multitask with dual-Lcd display
HTC Media Link HD gives you dual-Lcd display when youre:
While youre playing media on the big Lcd, you can multitask and do other things such as take calls, browse the Web, or send email on HTC Desire 816.
Turns your TV into a digital photo frame
Use the TV Lcd saver feature to store up to 30 photos from HTC Desire 816 on HTC Media Link HD, and display them as a slideshow on your TV.
To find out more about setting up HTC Media Link HD and using it with HTC Desire 816, refer to the HTC Media Link HD user guide
With just a three-finger swipe, connect HTC Desire 816 to HTC Media Link HD and share on the big Lcd.
Multitask with dual-Lcd display
HTC Media Link HD gives you dual-Lcd display when youre:
- Viewing a video in Gallery
- Playing music in the HTC Music app
While youre playing media on the big Lcd, you can multitask and do other things such as take calls, browse the Web, or send email on HTC Desire 816.
Turns your TV into a digital photo frame
Use the TV Lcd saver feature to store up to 30 photos from HTC Desire 816 on HTC Media Link HD, and display them as a slideshow on your TV.
To find out more about setting up HTC Media Link HD and using it with HTC Desire 816, refer to the HTC Media Link HD user guide
How to Check Battery Usage and History on HTC Desire 816
Keeping our phones at top shape at all times is a serious task. As much as possible, we try to save as much power as we can for our phones to last longer especially if were hitting the road. If youve noticed, here in Zakyri, we always make posts on our blog on ways to save a phones battery life. I might as well share these steps for all HTC Desire 816 users out there on how you can check battery usage on your phone. In this way you can see a ranking list of apps that are consuming up your battery life and even how long youve been using up your phone since the last charge. This is a pretty good information when you badly need to save up your battery life.
To check on each apps battery consumption:
1. On your homeLcd, slide the Notifications panel open.
2. Then tap
3. Choose and tap on Power and go to Usage.
4. And tap an app to check how its using up your phones battery and other use details.
If you see a button while viewing an apps battery use details, you can tap that button to adjust its settings that affect your battery usage, you can stop the app and more.
To check on your battery history
1. On your homeLcd, slide the Notifications panel open.
2. Then tap
.3. Choose and tap on Power and go to History.
4. Now swipe left or right ( or spread or pinch your fingers) to scale the graph that details your battery usage over the time.
How to Clear Call History on HTC Desire 816
Either your call logs are just piling up or you simply want to achieve a clean call history list, then you can do the steps below. Heres how to delete or clear call history on your HTC Desire 816 device.
To delete one name or number
1. On your devices Call History tab, press and hold the name or number you wish
to delete.
2. And tap Delete from call history.
To delete the entire call history list
then go to Remove call history.2. On the Delete from call history Lcd, tap
3. Choose Select all and then tap Delete.
How to Hide Missed Calls and Messages on HTC Desire 816 LockLcd
Some mobile users want to check if theres any missed calls or messages right when they pick up their phone even if its locked. But if youre like me who prefers a clean lockLcd, free from missed calls and messages notification, then you might as well follow these steps to keep them hidden. Heres how you can hide those info on a HTC Desire 816 lockLcd.
1. First, slide the Notifications panel open.
2. Then tap
.3. Now go to Security.
4. And clear the Phone notification preview and Message notification
preview options to hide missed calls and messages on the lockLcd.
Now you can appreciate more how your phone looks like when its locked. Looking clean
and free.
How to Personalize HTC Desire 816 Launch Bar
A launch bar is a one stop hub on your homeLcd for commonly used apps. By personalizing your launch bar you can now have a one-touch access to apps that you often use. These apps and shortcuts on your launch bar are also what you see on the lockLcd. Heres how you can personalize your HTC Desire 816 launch bar.
1. On your devices homeLcd, tap
to go to the All apps view.2. Now press and hold the app you want to be replaced and then drag it out
of the launch bar.
3. Then press and hold an app you frequently use and drag it to the empty slot
on your launch bar.
If you have couple of apps to place on your launch bar, you can group them into
a folder and place them in the launch bar. Heres how you can group apps into
a folder.
1. On the All apps view of your device, press and hold an app and drag it over
to another app to automatically create a new folder for these apps.
2. To add more apps, press and hold an app and drag it to the folder.
3. Now drag the folder from the All apps view to the launch bar.
4. If you want to remove an app from a folder on the launch bar, you need to
switch first to the All apps view and then drag the app out of the folder.
Congratulations! You have just personalized your HTC Desire 816 launch bar with your favorite apps.
How to Set up Speed Dialing on HTC Desire 816
Speed dialing is definitely a must-have feature on any phones. Whether youre in a hurry or in an emergency, this feature lets you call important contacts right away by just dialing a number key on your phone. For all HTC Desire 816 users, heres how you can set up speed dialing on your device.
1. First, open the phone app on your device.
2. Then tap
and go to Speed Dial.3. Now tap
and select a contact from the list.4. On the Speed dial Lcd, choose the phone number of the contact to use
and a speed dial key to assign for that contact.
5. Once your done, tap Save.
Take note that the number 1 key is generally used and reserved for calling voicemail and retrieving voicemail messages.
How to Make Your HTC Desire 816 a Wireless Router
Smartphones these days can now share its mobile data connection and act as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot. And like those high-end gadgets, HTC Desire 816 is sure to let you experience the benefits of making it as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot. Heres how you can make your HTC Desire 816 phone the next Wi-Fi hotspot.
- Slide the Notifications panel open, and then tap the Gear Icon or Settings.
- Under Wireless & Network, tap More.
- Select Mobile network sharing > Portable Wi-Fi hotspot settings.
- Enter your preferred router name, or you can also use the default name.
- Choose the type of security and set a password for your wireless router. (If you selected none, then you dont have to enter a password.)
- Select the Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot option to turn on the wireless router.
When you see the router wireless icon, then your HTC Desire 816 is ready to be used as a router.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Samsung Galaxy Fame Tips and Tricks
How to Factory Reset (Hard Reset) Samsung Galaxy Fame
We have our own reasons why we factory reset our device. Maybe we want to delete all the files and restore the device to its original state. It could also be the device may be malfunctioning or so slow and it needs to be reset.
Restoring the default settings or factory reset your Samsung Galaxy Fame will delete all your existing files. It is recommended to backup your important files on your computer before attempting to reset your device.
The steps below are the instructions on how to factory reset your Samsung Galaxy Fame:
Step 1. On your HomeLcd, tap on MENU icon.
Step 2. Select "Settings", then scroll down and tap "Backup and reset" option.
Step 3. Then tap on “Factory Data Reset”.
Step 4. Read warning carefully before tapping the “Reset Device”.
Step 5. If you want to proceed in resetting your device, tap on “Erase everything” to confirm the Reset.
Now, you just need to wait while your device is resetting. It should reboot itself and you will have a new start on your Samsung Galaxy Fame.
You may also use the shortcut method using the code: Enter *2767*3855# on your device.
Hard Reset:
1. Turn off your device.
How to Reduce the Battery Consumption on Samsung Galaxy Fame
Battery Life depends on how you use your device. For Samsung Galaxy Fame device, if you want to save your battery to last longer hours, you may need to adjust your settings.
All of us want to have a longer battery life on our phones. Follow these suggestions to reduce the battery consumption:
How to Reformat Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy Fame
Formatting the memory card on your Samsung Galaxy Fame will delete all the files that is stored on the memory card. It is recommended to backup your important files on your computer before attempting to format your memory card.
You may not be able to reformat your memory card on your computer. So try it through your device:
1. On your Home Lcd, tap Apps.
2. Select Settings.
3. Go to Storage.
4. Then tap Format SD card > Format SD card.
5. Tap Erase everything to confirm the action.
How to Import Contacts From Old Phone to New Phone (on Sony, iPhone, Samsung, HTC and Nokia)
Contacts is very important for everyone of us. We cant connect to our friends without a contact number. If you have a new phone, saving contacts on the phone one by one is so hassle. But now, theres an easy way how to transfer or import your contacts from your old phone to your new phone.
Use your PC to transfer contacts to your new phone. This process is applicable in several phone brands, including iPhone, Samsung, HTC and Nokia.
You just need an Internet Connection on your PC, your old and new phone and their own USB cable.
If you are not prompted with a pop-up window to install the PC Companion, you can also download the PC Companion here.
How to Secure Your Samsung Galaxy Fame (Face Unlock, Face and Voice Unlock, Pattern and Password)
How to Upgrade With the Latest Software on Samsung Galaxy Fame
Keeping your device updated with the latest software fixes bugs on your handset thus contributing to its efficiency and life span. Samsung allows you to install those updates in two ways- through Samsung Kies or Over-the-Air. Well heres how you can install those latest software firmware using this two methods.
Upgrading with Samsung Kies
1. First launch Samsung Kies.
2. Then connect your phone to the computer using the USB cable that came with it.
3. Now Samsung Kies will automatically recognizes your device and a dialogue box
appears showing the available updates, if any.
4. Click the update button in the dialogue box to start upgrad ting to te latest software.
While youre upgrading the device, you shouldnt turn off the computer or disconnect
te USB cable and dont connect other media devices to the computer as it may interfere
the upgrading process.
Upgrading over-the-air
1. Go the Applications Lcd and then tap Settings.
2. Then go to About device.
3. Select Software Update then hit on Update.
How to Make Your Samsung Galaxy Fame a Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot
Smartphones these days can now share its mobile data connection and act as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot. And like those high-end gadgets, Samsung Galaxy Fame is sure to let you experience the benefits of making it as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot. Heres how you can make your Samsung phone the next Wi-Fi hotspot.
1. On your device, go to Settings Lcd first.
2. Then tap Wi-Fi and tap
for more options.
3. Select Advanced options to customize your Wi-Fi settings.
4. Go to Tethering and portable hotspot.
5. And choose Portable Wi-Fi hotspot to share the devices mobile network connection.
And you now have a portable Wi-Fi hotspot using your Samsung Galaxy Fame.
How to Install and Uninstall Apps on Samsung Galaxy Fame
Read More..
Restoring the default settings or factory reset your Samsung Galaxy Fame will delete all your existing files. It is recommended to backup your important files on your computer before attempting to reset your device.
The steps below are the instructions on how to factory reset your Samsung Galaxy Fame:
Step 1. On your HomeLcd, tap on MENU icon.
Step 2. Select "Settings", then scroll down and tap "Backup and reset" option.
Step 3. Then tap on “Factory Data Reset”.
Step 4. Read warning carefully before tapping the “Reset Device”.
Step 5. If you want to proceed in resetting your device, tap on “Erase everything” to confirm the Reset.
Now, you just need to wait while your device is resetting. It should reboot itself and you will have a new start on your Samsung Galaxy Fame.
You may also use the shortcut method using the code: Enter *2767*3855# on your device.
Hard Reset:
1. Turn off your device.
2. Then press and hold Volume Down + Home Button + Power On.
3. Wait for a few seconds until the Factory reset menu appears.
4. Select "wipe data/factory reset" by using the Volume Down button.
How to Reduce the Battery Consumption on Samsung Galaxy Fame
Battery Life depends on how you use your device. For Samsung Galaxy Fame device, if you want to save your battery to last longer hours, you may need to adjust your settings.
All of us want to have a longer battery life on our phones. Follow these suggestions to reduce the battery consumption:
- Switch to Sleep mode by pressing the Power key when you are not using your device.
- Close any apps or features when you are done using it so they will not continuously running in the background.
- Turn off the network connection if you are out of range so that your device will stop searching for a network signal. (deactivate the Bluetooth feature, turn off the Wi-Fi feature when not in use, etc).
- Deactivate auto-syncing of applications.
- Decrease the backlight time.
- Lessen the Lcd brightness and the Lcd lock timeout.
How to Reformat Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy Fame
Formatting the memory card on your Samsung Galaxy Fame will delete all the files that is stored on the memory card. It is recommended to backup your important files on your computer before attempting to format your memory card.
You may not be able to reformat your memory card on your computer. So try it through your device:
1. On your Home Lcd, tap Apps.
2. Select Settings.
3. Go to Storage.
4. Then tap Format SD card > Format SD card.
5. Tap Erase everything to confirm the action.
How to Import Contacts From Old Phone to New Phone (on Sony, iPhone, Samsung, HTC and Nokia)
Contacts is very important for everyone of us. We cant connect to our friends without a contact number. If you have a new phone, saving contacts on the phone one by one is so hassle. But now, theres an easy way how to transfer or import your contacts from your old phone to your new phone.
Use your PC to transfer contacts to your new phone. This process is applicable in several phone brands, including iPhone, Samsung, HTC and Nokia.
You just need an Internet Connection on your PC, your old and new phone and their own USB cable.
Then you need to install the PC Companion program. This is a free application and the installation files are already saved on your new phone. This program can also be used in updating your phone software.
Please note that if you are using the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system on your PC, make sure that the AutoPlay setting is enabled.
To check your settings:
Click Start > Control Panel, then type "autoplay" on the search box. Click the AutoPlay, and mark the check box Use AutoPlay for all media and devices.
Installing the PC Companion:
Installing the PC Companion:
- Turn on your new Phone and connect it to your PC.
- On your new Phone, tap "Install" to install PC Companion on the PC.
- On your computer, if a pop-up window that appears notifies you about available PC Software, select Run Startme.exe.
- Then click Install to start the installation and then follow the instructions to complete the installation.
If you are not prompted with a pop-up window to install the PC Companion, you can also download the PC Companion here.
Transferring your contacts to your new phone:
- Make sure that PC Companion is installed on your PC.
- Open the PC Companion application on your PC.
- Then click Contacts Setup and follow the instructions to transfer your contacts.
Securing your Samsung Galaxy Fame is also important, specially if you have a private files that you dont want others to access it. So to prevent others from using your or accessing your personal data without your permission, then you may need to activate the security features. The device requires an unlock code whenever unlocking it.
Setting a pattern:
1. On the Applications Lcd, tap Settings.
2. Select Lock Lcd.
3. Then choose Screen lock.
4. Tap Pattern.
Draw a pattern by connecting four dots or more, and then draw the pattern again to verify it. Set a backup unlock PIN to unlock the Lcd when you forget the pattern.
Setting a PIN:
1. On the Applications Lcd, tap Settings.
2. Select Lock Lcd.
3. Then choose Screen lock.
4. Tap PIN.
Enter at least four numbers, and then enter the password again to verify it.
Setting a password:
1. On the Applications Lcd, tap Settings.
2. Select Lock Lcd.
3. Then choose Screen lock.
4. Tap Password.
Enter at least four characters including numbers and symbols, and then enter the password again to verify it.
Setting a pattern:
1. On the Applications Lcd, tap Settings.
2. Select Lock Lcd.
3. Then choose Screen lock.
4. Tap Pattern.
Draw a pattern by connecting four dots or more, and then draw the pattern again to verify it. Set a backup unlock PIN to unlock the Lcd when you forget the pattern.
Setting a PIN:
1. On the Applications Lcd, tap Settings.
2. Select Lock Lcd.
3. Then choose Screen lock.
4. Tap PIN.
Enter at least four numbers, and then enter the password again to verify it.
Setting a password:
1. On the Applications Lcd, tap Settings.
2. Select Lock Lcd.
3. Then choose Screen lock.
4. Tap Password.
Enter at least four characters including numbers and symbols, and then enter the password again to verify it.
How to Upgrade With the Latest Software on Samsung Galaxy Fame
Keeping your device updated with the latest software fixes bugs on your handset thus contributing to its efficiency and life span. Samsung allows you to install those updates in two ways- through Samsung Kies or Over-the-Air. Well heres how you can install those latest software firmware using this two methods.
Upgrading with Samsung Kies
1. First launch Samsung Kies.
2. Then connect your phone to the computer using the USB cable that came with it.
3. Now Samsung Kies will automatically recognizes your device and a dialogue box
appears showing the available updates, if any.
4. Click the update button in the dialogue box to start upgrad ting to te latest software.
While youre upgrading the device, you shouldnt turn off the computer or disconnect
te USB cable and dont connect other media devices to the computer as it may interfere
the upgrading process.
Upgrading over-the-air
1. Go the Applications Lcd and then tap Settings.
2. Then go to About device.
3. Select Software Update then hit on Update.
How to Make Your Samsung Galaxy Fame a Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot
Smartphones these days can now share its mobile data connection and act as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot. And like those high-end gadgets, Samsung Galaxy Fame is sure to let you experience the benefits of making it as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot. Heres how you can make your Samsung phone the next Wi-Fi hotspot.
1. On your device, go to Settings Lcd first.
2. Then tap Wi-Fi and tap
for more options.3. Select Advanced options to customize your Wi-Fi settings.
4. Go to Tethering and portable hotspot.
5. And choose Portable Wi-Fi hotspot to share the devices mobile network connection.
And you now have a portable Wi-Fi hotspot using your Samsung Galaxy Fame.
Apps developers are remarkably making good money out of every apps they build. No wonder online stores are mostly visited by smartphone users just to check on the hottest new apps online. If youve found the perfect app for your Samsung Galaxy Grand, then follow these steps in installing and perhaps uninstalling those unwanted apps.
Installing apps
1. First tap on Play Store on the applications Lcd to view available apps online.
2. You can browse available apps by category or simply tap
to search with a keyword.
3. Then select an application to view. To download it on your phone, tap Install. Make sure to double check the app info like its price and ratings before hitting the install button.
4. If theres a charge for that app,tap the price and follow the onLcd instructions to purchase it.
5. To install apps that are from other sources, just go to Applications > Settings > Security > Unknown sources.
Uninstalling apps
1. In uinstalling the apps purchased from the Play Store, tap
2. Then go to My Apps.
3. And select an application you want to delete, then tap Uninstall.
Installing apps
1. First tap on Play Store on the applications Lcd to view available apps online.
2. You can browse available apps by category or simply tap
to search with a keyword.3. Then select an application to view. To download it on your phone, tap Install. Make sure to double check the app info like its price and ratings before hitting the install button.
4. If theres a charge for that app,tap the price and follow the onLcd instructions to purchase it.
5. To install apps that are from other sources, just go to Applications > Settings > Security > Unknown sources.
Uninstalling apps
1. In uinstalling the apps purchased from the Play Store, tap
2. Then go to My Apps.
3. And select an application you want to delete, then tap Uninstall.
How to Change Font Size and Style on Samsung Galaxy Fame
Android phones running older version of OS can easily allow you to change its font size. However, changing its font style requires rooting of your device or installing 3rd party apps. Well the good news is, Samsung Galaxy Fame allows you to customize your phone’s font with just few taps. So if you think your Fame’s font is way too serious to fit your personality, then you can change into a more light-hearted one. Check out these steps on how to change Fame’s font size and style to suit your style.
To change the font size, follow these steps:
1. On your device, go to Settings menu by pulling down the Notification drawer.
2. Now you’re on the Settings menu, scroll down to Display and tap.
3. Under Font, tap on Font Size.
4. You’ll see five options (tiny, small, normal, large and huge) to choose from. Just choose from the list and you’ll immediately see the results within the Settings menu Lcd.
To change the font style, follow these steps:
1. Pull down the Notification drawer and tap on Settings icon.
2. Then scroll down to Display and tap.
3. Under Font section, tap on Font Style.
4. You’ll see four font style ( default font, Choco cooky, Helvetica S, Rosemary)
5. Choose the desired font style and tap on Yes to apply it. Take note that fonts on a web page will still be displayed as they always have.
6. Now if you wish to use other fonts, just tap on the tab Get fonts online at the bottom of the list for available font styles.
7. Once you tap that tab you’ll be redirected to Google Play Store where you can download additional fonts for Fame. Some are free and others cost on average of $0.99.
How to Activate NFC Feature
You can use this feature to make payments and buy tickets for transportation or events after downloading the required applications.
Note: If the Lcd is locked, your device will not read NFC tags or receive data.
How to Activate S Beam Feature
Use this feature if you want to send data like music, videos, images, and documents.
Warning: You should not send copyright-protected data via S Beam. Doing so may violate copyright
laws.
Android phones running older version of OS can easily allow you to change its font size. However, changing its font style requires rooting of your device or installing 3rd party apps. Well the good news is, Samsung Galaxy Fame allows you to customize your phone’s font with just few taps. So if you think your Fame’s font is way too serious to fit your personality, then you can change into a more light-hearted one. Check out these steps on how to change Fame’s font size and style to suit your style.
To change the font size, follow these steps:
1. On your device, go to Settings menu by pulling down the Notification drawer.
2. Now you’re on the Settings menu, scroll down to Display and tap.
3. Under Font, tap on Font Size.
4. You’ll see five options (tiny, small, normal, large and huge) to choose from. Just choose from the list and you’ll immediately see the results within the Settings menu Lcd.
To change the font style, follow these steps:
1. Pull down the Notification drawer and tap on Settings icon.
2. Then scroll down to Display and tap.
3. Under Font section, tap on Font Style.
4. You’ll see four font style ( default font, Choco cooky, Helvetica S, Rosemary)
5. Choose the desired font style and tap on Yes to apply it. Take note that fonts on a web page will still be displayed as they always have.
6. Now if you wish to use other fonts, just tap on the tab Get fonts online at the bottom of the list for available font styles.
7. Once you tap that tab you’ll be redirected to Google Play Store where you can download additional fonts for Fame. Some are free and others cost on average of $0.99.
How to Activate NFC Feature
You can use this feature to make payments and buy tickets for transportation or events after downloading the required applications.
Note: If the Lcd is locked, your device will not read NFC tags or receive data.
- On the Applications Lcd, tap Settings.
- Select More settings.
- And choose NFC.
- Drag the NFC switch to the right.
How to Activate S Beam Feature
Use this feature if you want to send data like music, videos, images, and documents.
Warning: You should not send copyright-protected data via S Beam. Doing so may violate copyright
laws.
- On the Applications Lcd, tap Settings.
- Select More settings.
- And choose S Beam.
- Drag the S Beam to the right.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
LG G Pro 2 Tips and Tricks
How to Factory Reset LG G Pro 2
Resetting your LG G Pro 2 will restore the default settings of your device. It will also delete all your files on your phone, so it is recommended to backup all your important files on your computer.
Luckily in LG G Pro 2, you can backup your data through your phone on privacy settings before wiping all the data on your phone. But if you want to erase all the content on your phone, then there’s no need for you to backup your data.
To backup your data:
You can only backup app data, Wi-Fi passwords, and other settings to Google servers.
Step 1. Tap on the Home Icon > Menu icon.
Step 2. Select System settings > Backup & reset.
Step 3. Double check if the Backup account is correct.
Step 4. Then tap Back up my data. (A blue checkmark will appear.)
Step 5. If you want to set to the automatic restore backups, tap Automatic restore. (A blue checkmark will appear.)
To Factory Reset Your LG G Pro 2:
Step 1. Tap on the Home Icon > Menu icon.
Step 2. Select System settings > Backup & reset.
Step 3. If you want to proceed in restoring the factory settings, tap Factory data reset.
Step 4. Then tap Reset phone.
Step 5. Enter the unlock sequence if you have, then tap Erase everything to confirm.
How to Hard Reset LG G Pro 2
We have our own reasons why we hard reset our device. Maybe we want to delete all the files and restore the device to its original state. It could also be the device may be malfunctioning or so slow and it needs to be reset. Use this method only if the factory reset wont work.
Restoring the default settings or factory reset your LG G Pro 2 will delete all your existing files. It is recommended to backup your important files on your computer before attempting to reset your device.
Step 1. Turn the phone off.
Step 2. Press and hold Volume Down Key and Power/Lock Key at the same time.
Step 3. Release the keys when the FACTORY HARD RESET screen appears.
Step 4. Read the warning and press the Power/Lock Key to confirm. Press the Volume Keys to cancel.
Step 5. Press the Power/Lock Key to confirm once more or press the Volume Keys to cancel.
Step 6. Your device will perform a hard reset.
How To Make Your LG G Pro 2 a WiFi Hotspot
Do you want to share your Internet connection for your friends? With LG G Pro 2, you can now share your connection with up to 5-8 devices by turning on the portable Wi-Fi hotspot. You will notice an icon in the Status bar when your phone is sharing a data connection.
When this feature is turned on, you can beam app content to another NFC-capable device by holding the devices close together. For example, you can beam Browser pages, YouTube videos, contacts, Polaris Office 4 files, and more. Just bring the devices together (typically back to back) and then touch your screen. The app determines what gets beamed.How to Connect a Wi-Fi Network on LG G Pro 2
To use Wi-Fi on your phone, you need access to a wireless access point, or "hotspot." Some access points are open and you can simply connect to them. Others are hidden or implement other security features, so you must configure your phone in order to connect to them.
Turn on Wi-Fi:
From the Home Screen , open the Notifications panel and tap on the Wi-Fi icon to turn Wi-Fi on. A blue colored Wi-Fi icon indicates that Wi-Fi is on.
You can also use this method:
To connect to a Wi-Fi Network
Turn off Wi-Fi when youre not using it to extend the life of your battery.
Step 1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu icon and tap All settings > Networks tab.
Step 2. Tap the Wi-Fi switch to turn it on and begin scanning for available Wi-Fi networks.
How to Extend Battery Life of LG G Pro 2
Battery Life depends on how you use your device. For LG G Pro 2 device, if you want to save your battery to last longer hours, you may need to adjust your settings. Follow these suggestions:
To view the battery charge level
Step 1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu icon and tap All settings > General tab > Battery.
Step 2. The battery status (charging or discharging) and level are displayed on the screen.
To monitor and control what uses the battery
Step 1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu icon and tap All settings > General tab > Battery .
Read More..
Resetting your LG G Pro 2 will restore the default settings of your device. It will also delete all your files on your phone, so it is recommended to backup all your important files on your computer.
Luckily in LG G Pro 2, you can backup your data through your phone on privacy settings before wiping all the data on your phone. But if you want to erase all the content on your phone, then there’s no need for you to backup your data.
To backup your data:
You can only backup app data, Wi-Fi passwords, and other settings to Google servers.
Step 1. Tap on the Home Icon > Menu icon.
Step 2. Select System settings > Backup & reset.
Step 3. Double check if the Backup account is correct.
Step 4. Then tap Back up my data. (A blue checkmark will appear.)
Step 5. If you want to set to the automatic restore backups, tap Automatic restore. (A blue checkmark will appear.)
To Factory Reset Your LG G Pro 2:
Step 1. Tap on the Home Icon > Menu icon.
Step 2. Select System settings > Backup & reset.
Step 3. If you want to proceed in restoring the factory settings, tap Factory data reset.
Step 4. Then tap Reset phone.
Step 5. Enter the unlock sequence if you have, then tap Erase everything to confirm.
How to Hard Reset LG G Pro 2
We have our own reasons why we hard reset our device. Maybe we want to delete all the files and restore the device to its original state. It could also be the device may be malfunctioning or so slow and it needs to be reset. Use this method only if the factory reset wont work.
Restoring the default settings or factory reset your LG G Pro 2 will delete all your existing files. It is recommended to backup your important files on your computer before attempting to reset your device.
Step 1. Turn the phone off.
Step 2. Press and hold Volume Down Key and Power/Lock Key at the same time.
Step 3. Release the keys when the FACTORY HARD RESET screen appears.
Step 4. Read the warning and press the Power/Lock Key to confirm. Press the Volume Keys to cancel.
Step 5. Press the Power/Lock Key to confirm once more or press the Volume Keys to cancel.
Step 6. Your device will perform a hard reset.
How To Make Your LG G Pro 2 a WiFi Hotspot
Do you want to share your Internet connection for your friends? With LG G Pro 2, you can now share your connection with up to 5-8 devices by turning on the portable Wi-Fi hotspot. You will notice an icon in the Status bar when your phone is sharing a data connection.
Follow these steps on how to make your LG G Pro 2 a WiFi hotspot:
Step 1. Tap on the Home Icon > Menu icon.
Step 2. Select All settings > Tap Networks tab.
Setting Swipe, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, Password to Unlock Your LG G Pro 2
You can slide the screen without entering any information, utilize facial recognition, draw your own unlock Pattern or enter a PIN or Password to add more security to your device.
To set Swipe, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, or Password:
WARNING: You are allowed 5 attempts to enter your screen unlock information. If you used up all 5
opportunities, you will have to wait 30 seconds to attempt unlocking the phone again.
How to Add Applications to the Homescreen on LG G Pro 2
Step 1. Tap on the Home Icon > Menu icon.
Step 2. Select All settings > Tap Networks tab.
Step 3. Then choose Tethering & Networks.
Step 4. Go to Mobile Hotspot checkbox to activate the feature.
A blue checkmark indicates that the feature is active. Tap Set up Mobile Hotspot to change the SSID, password, security type, and other hotspot options.
Step 4. Go to Mobile Hotspot checkbox to activate the feature.
A blue checkmark indicates that the feature is active. Tap Set up Mobile Hotspot to change the SSID, password, security type, and other hotspot options.
Setting Swipe, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, Password to Unlock Your LG G Pro 2
You can slide the screen without entering any information, utilize facial recognition, draw your own unlock Pattern or enter a PIN or Password to add more security to your device.
To set Swipe, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, or Password:
- From the Home screen tap the Menu icon.
- Select Lock screen settings.
- Go to Select screen lock.
- Then choose from Swipe, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, or Password and enter the desired information.
WARNING: You are allowed 5 attempts to enter your screen unlock information. If you used up all 5
opportunities, you will have to wait 30 seconds to attempt unlocking the phone again.
How to Add Applications to the Homescreen on LG G Pro 2
By adding applications on your homescreen, youre creating a hassle-free phone experience. Important apps or apps that you usually open are accessible if you put it right on your homescreen instead of going thru lot of tapping and clicking. Now heres how you can add applications that you use most often on your LG G Pro 2 smartphone.
To add shortcuts to apps or Widgets on the Home screen:
1 Select a location (Home screen canvas) to add an item by swiping the Home screen from left to right or vice versa.
2 Touch and hold an empty part of the Home screen.
3 Tap the type of item you want to add on the screen: Apps, Downloads, Widgets, or Wallpapers.
4 Tap the desired App or Widget.
5 You will see a new icon on the Home screen.
To place it on a different canvas, touch and hold it to drag it to the desired location and release your finger from the screen.
TIP: To add a preloaded application or an application you have downloaded from Play Store to the Home screen, simply touch and hold the icon you want in the Apps screen and drag it to the desired Home screen canvas.
How to Turn On Direct/Android Beam on LG G Pro 2
To add shortcuts to apps or Widgets on the Home screen:
1 Select a location (Home screen canvas) to add an item by swiping the Home screen from left to right or vice versa.
2 Touch and hold an empty part of the Home screen.
3 Tap the type of item you want to add on the screen: Apps, Downloads, Widgets, or Wallpapers.
4 Tap the desired App or Widget.
5 You will see a new icon on the Home screen.
To place it on a different canvas, touch and hold it to drag it to the desired location and release your finger from the screen.
TIP: To add a preloaded application or an application you have downloaded from Play Store to the Home screen, simply touch and hold the icon you want in the Apps screen and drag it to the desired Home screen canvas.
How to Turn On Direct/Android Beam on LG G Pro 2
When this feature is turned on, you can beam app content to another NFC-capable device by holding the devices close together. For example, you can beam Browser pages, YouTube videos, contacts, Polaris Office 4 files, and more. Just bring the devices together (typically back to back) and then touch your screen. The app determines what gets beamed.
To activate Direct/Android Beam:
NOTE: You must enable NFC to activate Direct/Android Beam.
- From the Home screen, tap the Menu icon.
- Select All settings, then go to Share & Connect
- Finally, Direct/Android Beam.
NOTE: You must enable NFC to activate Direct/Android Beam.
To use Wi-Fi on your phone, you need access to a wireless access point, or "hotspot." Some access points are open and you can simply connect to them. Others are hidden or implement other security features, so you must configure your phone in order to connect to them.
Turn on Wi-Fi:
From the Home Screen , open the Notifications panel and tap on the Wi-Fi icon to turn Wi-Fi on. A blue colored Wi-Fi icon indicates that Wi-Fi is on.
You can also use this method:
- From the Home screen, tap the Menu icon.
- Tap All settings.
- Choose Networks tab.
- Then tap the Wi-Fi switch to turn it on.
To connect to a Wi-Fi Network
Turn off Wi-Fi when youre not using it to extend the life of your battery.
Step 1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu icon and tap All settings > Networks tab.
Step 2. Tap the Wi-Fi switch to turn it on and begin scanning for available Wi-Fi networks.
How to Extend Battery Life of LG G Pro 2
Battery Life depends on how you use your device. For LG G Pro 2 device, if you want to save your battery to last longer hours, you may need to adjust your settings. Follow these suggestions:
- Turn off radio communications that you arent using, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or GPS. Wi-Fi will be set to On the first time you use your newly purchased phone.
- Lower screen brightness and set a shorter screen timeout.
- Turn off automatic syncing for Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, and other applications.
- Some applications you have downloaded may cause your battery power to be reduced.
- While using downloaded applications, check the battery charge level.
To view the battery charge level
Step 1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu icon and tap All settings > General tab > Battery.
Step 2. The battery status (charging or discharging) and level are displayed on the screen.
To monitor and control what uses the battery
Step 1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu icon and tap All settings > General tab > Battery .
Step 2. Tap the battery icon.
Step 3. A list all of the applications or services using battery power from the greatest amount of energy used to the least amount. You can also use it to turn off applications or services, if they are consuming too much power. Tap any of the listed items for more options.
Creating Application Folders on the Home screen of Your LG G Pro 2
You can create application folders to hold similar applications if you wish.
On the Home screen:
Step 1. Touch and hold an icon to unlock it from its positions. Then drag it over another icon and release it.
Step 2. A folder will be created.
On the Apps screen:
Step 1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu icon to open the Apps screen.
Step 2. Tap , then touch and hold the desired icon to release it from its position.
Step 3. Drag the icon over another icon and release it to create a folder.
Customizing the Apps screen on Your LG G Pro 2
Step 1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu icon
Step 2. Tap the Apps tab at the top of the screen to go to the Apps screen, if it is not already selected.
Step 3 Touch the Menu Key to customize the Apps screen using Search, Sort by, Show large icons, App menu wallpaper, Hide/Show apps.
Adding and Editing Email Accounts
To add an email account:
1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps Key > Email icon.
2. Select the desired email provider.
If an email account is already set up, the wizard is not activated automatically.
In this case, tap the Menu Key > Settings > + sign.
To change account settings
1. Open the Email application.
2. Tap the Menu Key > Settings.
3. Tap General settings to adjust the settings that affect all accounts. Or tap an individual account to adjust settings only for that account.
To delete an email account
1. Open the Email application.
2. Tap the Menu Key > Settings > Trash bin icon.
3. Select the account(s) you want to delete and tap Remove.
4. Tap Yes to confirm.
Adding an account to your phone
1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu Key > All settings > General tab > Accounts & sync.
2. Tap ADD ACCOUNT.
3. Tap any social networking service you want to use.
4. Enter your email address and password that you set up for your social networking account, then tap Log in.
Syncing accounts on your phone
You can sync information from your social networking accounts with your Contacts and other functions on your phone, if applicable.
1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu Key > All settings > General tab > Accounts & sync.
2. Checkmark Auto-sync data to activate automatic synchronization.
3. Tap the account you want to sync.
4. Check the desired options, such as Contacts.
A checkmark indicates that synchronization has been enabled.
Removing accounts on your phone
1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu Key > All settings > General tab > Accounts & sync.
2. Tap the account(s) you want to delete, then Menu Key > Remove account > OK.
Setting a photo as the wallpaper
1. Tap the photo you want to set as wallpaper to open it.
2. Tap the Menu Key > Set image as > Home screen wallpaper.
3. Crop the image as desired and tap OK.
Recording a video and taking a picture while recording
1. From the Home screen, tap Camera icon and slide the Mode Switch button down to change to Video mode. The Capture icon will change to Record icon.
2. The video camera’s viewfinder will appear on the screen.
3. Holding the phone horizontally, point the lens towards the subject of the video.
4. Tap Record icon once to start recording.
5. A timer showing the length of the video is displayed at the top left corner of the screen.
6. Tap Stop to stop recording.
TIP: Tap the Picture icon on the screen to take a picture while youre recording.
How to save music/video files to the phone
Connect your phone to the PC using the USB cable.
Youll receive a notification that the USB is connected and the USB connection type prompt is displayed. Tap Media sync (MTP) or Camera (PTP) and open the folder you wish to view from your computer.
Save music or video files from the PC to the phone.
- You may copy or move files from the PC to the phones removable storage using a card reader.
- If there is a video file with a subtitle file (.smi file with the same name as the video file), place them in the same folder to display the subtitle automatically when playing the video file.
- When downloading music or video files, copyright must be secured. Please note that a corrupted file or file with a wrong extension may cause damage to the phone.
- Tap Sharing requests to select an action to perform when receiving sharing requests.
- Tap Receive files if you would like to allow the other devices to upload media files to my phone.
4. Tap Shared contents and select what type of file you want to share.
NOTE: Make sure that the Receive files option in the Settings menu is checked.
5. SmartShare is now activated and ready to share contents.
To control your renderer devices
Let your renderer device (e.g. TV) play multimedia contents from your remote content library (e.g. PC)
NOTE: Make sure that the DLNA functionality of your devices is properly configured (e.g. TV and PC)
1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps Key > SmartShare icon.
2. Tap the Player button and select the device from the renderer device list.
3. Tap the Library button and select the device from the remote content library.
4. You can browse the content library.
5. Tap the Menu Key > Play.
To share contents from your phone to your renderer device (e.g. TV)
NOTE: Make sure that your renderer device is properly configured.
1. While viewing pictures and videos in the Gallery application, tap at the top of the screen.
2. Select the device from the renderer device list to play the files.
NOTE: Follow the similar steps to use the Music, Videos or Polaris Office to share contents.
NOTICE: Check that your device is connected with your home network using Wi-Fi connection to use this application. Some DLNA enabled devices (e.g. TV) support only the DMP feature of DLNA and will
not appear in the renderer device list. Your device might not be able to play some contents.
To download contents from the remote content library
1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps Key > SmartShare .
2. Tap the Library button and select the device from the remote content library.
3. You can browse the content library.
4. Tap and hold a content thumbnail and then touch Download.
NOTICE: A few types of contents are not supported.
To upload contents from the remote content library
1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps Key > SmartShare .
2. Tap the Library button and select My phone.
3. You can browse the content library.
4. Tap and hold a content thumbnail and then touch Upload.
5 Select a device from the remote content library to be uploaded.
NOTICE: Some DLNA enabled devices do not support the DMS upload functionality and will not upload files. A few types of contents are not supported.
To add an email account:
1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps Key > Email icon.
2. Select the desired email provider.
If an email account is already set up, the wizard is not activated automatically.
In this case, tap the Menu Key > Settings > + sign.
To change account settings
1. Open the Email application.
2. Tap the Menu Key > Settings.
3. Tap General settings to adjust the settings that affect all accounts. Or tap an individual account to adjust settings only for that account.
To delete an email account
1. Open the Email application.
2. Tap the Menu Key > Settings > Trash bin icon.
3. Select the account(s) you want to delete and tap Remove.
4. Tap Yes to confirm.
Adding an account to your phone
1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu Key > All settings > General tab > Accounts & sync.
2. Tap ADD ACCOUNT.
3. Tap any social networking service you want to use.
4. Enter your email address and password that you set up for your social networking account, then tap Log in.
Syncing accounts on your phone
You can sync information from your social networking accounts with your Contacts and other functions on your phone, if applicable.
1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu Key > All settings > General tab > Accounts & sync.
2. Checkmark Auto-sync data to activate automatic synchronization.
3. Tap the account you want to sync.
4. Check the desired options, such as Contacts.
A checkmark indicates that synchronization has been enabled.
Removing accounts on your phone
1. From the Home screen, tap the Menu Key > All settings > General tab > Accounts & sync.
2. Tap the account(s) you want to delete, then Menu Key > Remove account > OK.
Setting a photo as the wallpaper
1. Tap the photo you want to set as wallpaper to open it.
2. Tap the Menu Key > Set image as > Home screen wallpaper.
3. Crop the image as desired and tap OK.
Recording a video and taking a picture while recording
1. From the Home screen, tap Camera icon and slide the Mode Switch button down to change to Video mode. The Capture icon will change to Record icon.
2. The video camera’s viewfinder will appear on the screen.
3. Holding the phone horizontally, point the lens towards the subject of the video.
4. Tap Record icon once to start recording.
5. A timer showing the length of the video is displayed at the top left corner of the screen.
6. Tap Stop to stop recording.
TIP: Tap the Picture icon on the screen to take a picture while youre recording.
How to save music/video files to the phone
Connect your phone to the PC using the USB cable.
Youll receive a notification that the USB is connected and the USB connection type prompt is displayed. Tap Media sync (MTP) or Camera (PTP) and open the folder you wish to view from your computer.
Save music or video files from the PC to the phone.
- You may copy or move files from the PC to the phones removable storage using a card reader.
- If there is a video file with a subtitle file (.smi file with the same name as the video file), place them in the same folder to display the subtitle automatically when playing the video file.
- When downloading music or video files, copyright must be secured. Please note that a corrupted file or file with a wrong extension may cause damage to the phone.
Using SmartShare
The SmartShare application uses DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) technology to share digital content through a wireless network. Both Phones must be DLNA certified to support this feature.
To turn SmartShare on and allow sharing contents
1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps Key > SmartShare .
2. Tap the Menu Key > Settings.
3. Tap Contents share to allows sharing contents with nearby devices.
- Tap Receive files if you would like to allow the other devices to upload media files to my phone.
4. Tap Shared contents and select what type of file you want to share.
NOTE: Make sure that the Receive files option in the Settings menu is checked.
5. SmartShare is now activated and ready to share contents.
To control your renderer devices
Let your renderer device (e.g. TV) play multimedia contents from your remote content library (e.g. PC)
NOTE: Make sure that the DLNA functionality of your devices is properly configured (e.g. TV and PC)
1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps Key > SmartShare icon.
2. Tap the Player button and select the device from the renderer device list.
3. Tap the Library button and select the device from the remote content library.
4. You can browse the content library.
5. Tap the Menu Key > Play.
To share contents from your phone to your renderer device (e.g. TV)
NOTE: Make sure that your renderer device is properly configured.
1. While viewing pictures and videos in the Gallery application, tap at the top of the screen.
2. Select the device from the renderer device list to play the files.
NOTE: Follow the similar steps to use the Music, Videos or Polaris Office to share contents.
NOTICE: Check that your device is connected with your home network using Wi-Fi connection to use this application. Some DLNA enabled devices (e.g. TV) support only the DMP feature of DLNA and will
not appear in the renderer device list. Your device might not be able to play some contents.
To download contents from the remote content library
1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps Key > SmartShare .
2. Tap the Library button and select the device from the remote content library.
3. You can browse the content library.
4. Tap and hold a content thumbnail and then touch Download.
NOTICE: A few types of contents are not supported.
To upload contents from the remote content library
1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps Key > SmartShare .
2. Tap the Library button and select My phone.
3. You can browse the content library.
4. Tap and hold a content thumbnail and then touch Upload.
5 Select a device from the remote content library to be uploaded.
NOTICE: Some DLNA enabled devices do not support the DMS upload functionality and will not upload files. A few types of contents are not supported.
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