ANDROID
ISSUE
03 ADVISOR
BEST EVER
SMARTPHONES
HTC One VS Sony Xperia Z2
VS Samsung Galaxy S5
+
MWC F
R
014
2 us 8
O3 • NexWear
OT LG Gndroid
ROUND-UP H •A
Welcome...
W
elcome to the third edition of
Android Advisor, in which we take a look
at the three flagship smartphones vying
for your attention this year: HTC’s brand-new One
M8, the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony’s Xperia Z2.
We present our verdict from page 26.
Mobile World Congress kicked off in Barcelona
at the end of February. The technology tradeshow
serves as a launchpad for some of the latest and
greatest smartphones, tablets and wearable tech
running the Android operating system. We round up
the product announcements on page 44.
Of course, a lot has happened in the mobile
world since then. From page 20 we look at three
new and incredibly exciting products launching very
soon. First off, Google’s finally jumped aboard the
wearable-tech bandwagon, announcing its Google
Wear smartwatch OS, seen on the Motorola Moto
360 and LG G Watch. Then there’s the Nexus 8 –
has Google really dumped its 7in tablet? And finally,
LG’s upcoming G3 smartphone, which is expected to
pack a screen so tight with pixels it will leave the S5,
One M8 and Xperia Z2 shaking in their boots.
We’ve also got loads of opinion, including why
Nokia shouldn’t have bothered with its Android
handsets (page 10), plus useful tutorials, such as how
to get free Kindle apps on any tablet (page 89).
As always, please send us your feedback via
Facebook (facebook.com/AndroidAdvisorUK) or
email us at marie_brewis@idg.co.uk.
T
he iPad has been king of tablets for a number
of years, but Android has finally taken top spot,
according to new figures.
Research firm Gartner states that a whopping
195.4 million tablets were shipped in 2013 – up from
116 million in 2012. More interesting is that most of
these devices were running Android, not iOS.
Things were pretty even in 2012, with iOS leading
on 52.8 percent; Android saw 45.8. But 2013
witnessed a rapid increase in Android tablet sales,
2
013 was a year marked by malware targeting
mobile devices and Android was the top target,
according to latest findings by Fortinet.
Threat landscape research by FortiGuard Labs
found Android was the top choice for malware
developers, with 96.5 percent of all mobile malware
infections attributed to the platform.
In comparison, Symbian came a distant second
at 3.45 percent, while iOS, BlackBerry, PalmOS and
Windows together added up to less than 1 percent.
M
icrosoft may be comfortable with Windows
Phone and Android splitting time on a single
phone but, when it comes to PCs, forget
about it. Google also isn’t too thrilled with the idea
of Frankenstein Android-Windows computers, and The Asus
at least one PC maker may have to dump the hybrid Transformer
Book Duet
devices from its line-up as a result. TD300 was
announced at
Asus, maker of the Transformer AiO P1801 and CES 2014
P1802, is reportedly being forced to put the kibosh
on its year-old all-in-one-slash-tablet PCs.
What’s more, the anticipated
Transformer Book Duet
TD300 shown off at CES in
January is also headed for
the scrapheap, according to
The Wall Street Journal.
These devices run
Windows when they’re
in PC mode. Slide out
the AIO’s screen or flip
the laptop into a
Google grimaces
Google’s opposition is a little more curious. Reports
suggest Google simply doesn’t want Android sharing
space with another OS.
But, as far as we know, Google never objected
to Canonical’s concept for a hybrid Android-Ubuntu
phone, and Huawei plans on bringing an Android-
Windows Phone hybrid device to the US in the
coming months.
PCs are different, however, and perhaps Google
simply doesn’t like the idea of Android playing a
complementary role to Windows on a PC.
Device makers
need Google
on their side if
they hope to
offer access to
Google Play
O
ne of the worst-kept secrets of Mobile World
Congress was that Nokia was planning to
launch a trio of smartphones running not
Windows Phone but, shock, horror, Google Android.
And it did, with the dual-SIM Nokia X, XL and X+.
(Did it forget that Microsoft just bought its mobile
business?) But it really shouldn’t have bothered.
Nokia’s X line-up is interesting in that it offers
something completely different in the smartphone
category. The trio of brightly coloured handsets,
blessed with the stylish design and excellent build
quality for which Nokia is known, makes a nice
change among a slew of samey-samey iPhones,
Samsung Galaxys and their numerous copycats.
Of course, ‘new’ and ‘different’ are not terms
necessarily associated with ‘good’.
Our main gripe is that, although the Nokia X line-
up runs Android, the operating system is a custom
version that is irrecognisable as Google’s platform.
M
WC 2014 set the scene for the smartphone
market in 2014. Trawl the web and you’ll find
a bunch of articles talking about trends in the
mobile world as evidenced by MWC. Some of these
include ultra-HD tablets and phones, wearable tech
and improved audio for smartphones and tablets.
These all speak to the same thing: the requirement
to get wealthy western punters to shell out for newer,
more expensive tech.
Cheap is
cheerful in the
smartphone
world
R
emember last summer, when Samsung
tweaked the system software on the
Galaxy S4 to run the processor at maxed-
Samsung out speeds during benchmark tests, generating
was in hot water
with the tech inflated scores? The controversy ended up bruising
press following
news its phones Samsung’s credibility among the tech press.
were cheating Samsung has had a change of heart, or at the very
on performance
benchmarks least, doesn’t think the optimisations are necessary
S
amsung has unveiled its second-generation
Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which runs Tizen not
Android. However, this could be a smart move
for the future of wearable tech, according to analysts.
The move will help Samsung seed the infant
smartwatch market with the relatively unknown Tizen
OS. In theory, it will let application developers build
Tizen apps for the Gear 2 on an HTML 5 framework.
Such development projects could be less complex
than re-working Android apps used on smartphones
for smartwatches, according to analysts.
Samsung has been working with Tizen, an
open-source OS, and was expected to announce
a Tizen smartphone last year, but did not.
The company has persistently said it co-operates
with Google on the Google-managed Android
ecosystem. However, analysts note that Samsung
doesn’t want to grow overly dependent on Android.
In recent years, Samsung has worked with at least
five operating systems for its products.
Samsung is by far the largest maker of Android
smartphones and its relationship with Google is
complex. Recently the two companies signed a
10-year cross-licensing deal on patents, while Google
also sold Motorola to Lenovo, allaying Samsung’s
concerns that it could get preferential treatment.
G
oogle has announced its new Android Wear
smartwatch operating system.
The company has already teamed up
with several consumer electronics manufacturers,
including Asus, HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung,
chip makers Broadcom, Imagination, Intel, Mediatek
and Qualcomm, and fashion brands such as the
Fossil Group to design Android Wear-powered
smartwatches later this year.
”Most of us are rarely without our smartphones
in hand. These powerful supercomputers keep us
connected to the world and the people we love.
But we’re only at the beginning; we’ve barely
scratched the surface of what’s possible with mobile
W
e’ve already got two versions of the Nexus
7 tablet from Google, but the Nexus 8 with
a larger screen and 64-bit processor could
be set to arrive this summer.
The rumour mill is gaining speed with details about
another Android tablet from Google. The Nexus 8 is
thought to be the follow-up to the Nexus 7, and could
be turning up within the next few months.
The Nexus 8 will not be announced at Google’s
I/O conference in June, but soon afterward in July. It
will be introduced with Android 4.5 and the I/O event
will focus on new Google services. That’s according
to Android Geeks, which cites an unnamed Dublin-
based Google employee.
The same source revealed that Google will no
longer produce a 7in tablet, instead moving things
up to 8in. This change would mean the Nexus 8 will
closer rival devices such as the iPad mini, LG G Pad
8.3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0.
According to a Digitimes report, Google has once
again partnered with Asus for the Nexus 8. The firm
has built both Nexus 7 versions for the online search
giant. This is despite being tipped to be partnering
with LG for a Nexus 8 tablet.
It’s unclear whether Android 4.5 will be a new
version of KitKat, or whatever OS comes next.
S
preading like wildfire are rumours regarding
the next smartphone to head LG’s range,
which is thought to be the G3. Leaks suggest
the yet-to-be-confirmed smartphone could harbour
next-generation technology that could have even
Samsung against the ropes.
The standout feature is a reported 1440x2560-pixel
screen that measures 5.5in. If this is true, it means the
LG G3 will have an unparalleled 534ppi density. In
comparison, Apple’s Retina-grade iPhone 5s has
a pixel density of 326ppi, while Samsung’s brand-new
Galaxy S5 touts 432ppi.
These numbers originated from members of the
Korean media and have been cited by TechRadar.
No smartphone to date features a 1440p display,
and neither do the Sony Xperia Z2, HTC One and
Samsung Galaxy S5 (read more about these flagship
devices from page 26). Equipping the G3 with a 1440p
screen would put it in a league of its own.
Pictured: LG’s G2
HTC One M8
Storage:
The HTC has 16GB
of internal storage, Sense 6.0:
and now comes The latest version
with a microSD of HTC's user
card slot that can interface, Sense
accept cards up to 6.0, is paired with
128GB in capacity. Android 4.4.2 KitKat.
The phone also You can personalise
comes with 65GB BlinkFeed to a
of Google Drive greater degree,
cloud storage and change the
theme of the
software and
even the font
Battery:
A larger
2600mAh
battery and an
Extreme Power
Saving mode
means the HTC
One can last up
to 30 hours on
just 10 percent
of charge
Samsung Galaxy S5
Dust- &
waterproof:
With IP67
certification,
the Galaxy S5
is resistant to
sweat, rain,
liquids, sand and Finger Scanner:
dust, so you can In common with
just get on with the iPhone 5s, the
whatever activity S5 allows you to
takes your fancy unlock the handset
without worrying with the swipe of a
about protecting finger. You can also
your phone use the fingerprint
scanner to make
PayPal payments
and purchase
content through
Samsung apps
Battery:
The S5 features a
2800mAh battery.
Combined with
its Ultra Power
Saving Mode the
Samsung can last
24 hours on just a
10 percent charge
Sony Xperia Z2
Processor:
Sony pairs
Qualcomm’s
2.3GHz
Snapdragon
801 quad-core
processor, which is
75 percent faster
than the S4 Pro,
with 3GB of RAM
and Adreno 330
graphics. You’ll
get super-fast Sound:
performance with Sony has a strong
minimal drain on legacy in audio
the battery technologies,
and the Z2 won’t
disappoint. Digital
noise cancellation,
stereo speakers
and Clear Audio+
technology will
help your music
come alive
Battery:
A 3200mAh
battery promises
up to 740 hours
on standby.
Battery Stamina
mode can
minimise drain,
automatically
turning off
functions you
don’t need, while
keeping the
notifications you
want
H
TC, Samsung and
Sony have each
unveiled their
flagship smartphones
for 2014 in the One M8,
Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2
respectively. With three
brand-new and very
stylish Android handsets
on the market, which
should you buy? We
compare the Samsung
Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and Sony
Xperia Z2 spec for spec to find out.
Display
There is very little difference in the sizing of these
three smartphones’ screens, with the HTC the
smallest at 5in, the Samsung slightly larger at 5.1in,
and the Sony biggest of the bunch at 5.2in. All three
offer a full-HD (1920x1080) resolution, but the HTC’s
smaller screen means it offers the highest pixel
density at 441ppi. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy
S5 offers 432ppi and the Sony 423ppi, although you
won’t be able to tell the difference between them.
Samsung employs a Super AMOLED panel in its
Galaxy S5, which it says can automatically adjust to
lighting, thereby optimising the display for whatever
the conditions. Sony uses a ‘Triluminous’ display,
and its X-Reality mobile picture engine and Live
Colour LED technology (which is said to
increase colour depth and gradation)
result in a gorgeous-looking screen
that is sharp, colourful, vibrant and
immersive. HTC, meanwhile, has
increased the size of its super-sharp
panel and moved the navigation
buttons onscreen, allowing for a
handset that’s only slightly chunkier
than the original HTC One.
Storage
The Samsung, Sony and HTC are each available
with 16GB of internal storage for your apps, music,
Cameras
At last we have an area where these Android
phones are less evenly matched. On paper you
might be tricked into thinking the 20.7Mp Sony
Xperia Z2 is the best suited to the amateur
photographer, while the 4.1Mp HTC One M8 is about
as useful for taking photos as an envelope, and the
16Mp Galaxy S5 sits somewhere in the middle. But
achieving decent photographs depends on a lot
more than the number of megapixels offered by a
sensor, and each of these three phones offers some
interesting technologies in this department.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 has gone from 13Mp in
the S4 to 16Mp here, with its 1/2.6in sensor boasting
a super-fast auto focus that lets you take a
shot in 0.3 seconds, a selective focus
mode that blurs the background
and makes your subject
really stand out, and
a pretty decent
HDR (Rich Tone)
mode. There’s also
a 2Mp front-facing
webcam, and the
S5 is capable of
4K video at 30fps.
Connectivity
Whether you buy your smartphone from HTC,
Samsung or Sony, it’s going to come with the latest
connectivity technology. That means 4G LTE mobile
connectivity, Bluetooth 4.0, the very latest in Wi-Fi
technology – 802.11ac – and NFC.
Sony also allows the sharing of 4K content
between your smartphone and TV via MHL, and
Software
Unsurprisingly, all thee handsets run the very latest
version of Google Android: KitKat 4.4.2. None is a
vanilla implementation of Android, however, with the
Sony Xperia Z2 perhaps the closest.
Samsung has performed a bit of a clean up of
Android for its Galaxy S5, with round icons found
in the notification bar and Settings menu. Similar to
BlinkFeed, Samsung’s Magazine interface is placed
to the left of the main Home screen, and we couldn’t
find a way to remove it. Three
extras are worthy of mention:
Kids Mode offers a fun,
colourful interface for children,
restricting content and access
to other features with a PIN;
S Health is paired with the
heart-rate monitor on the
S5’s rear to help you track
your fitness; and Private
Mode is a place in which
to store all those naughty
or embarrassing photos
and videos you don’t want
anyone else to see (the
fingerprint scanner is used
to gain access to this mode).
Battery life
Battery life is always a bit of a sticking point for the
most powerful Android phones, with few able to last
more than a day without needing a recharge. So
it’s pleasing to see phone makers include special
power-saving modes that can drastically improve
the runtime. The Galaxy S5’s Ultra Power Saving
mode, for example, switches the display to black and
white and turns off unnecessary features, allowing
the Galaxy smartphone to last 24 hours with just 10
percent charge. HTC’s Extreme Power Saving mode
is even better, allowing 30 hours of runtime once the
battery drops to 10 percent.
Verdict
We won’t be able to form a decision on which is the
best smartphone until we’ve had all three into the lab
for benchmarking. However, on paper alone, the Sony
Xperia Z2 appears to lead the pack. With an extra gig
of RAM over the competition, a promising stills- and
video camera that lets you display 4K footage on
your 4K TV, one-touch sharing, listening, mirroring
and backup via NFC, a gorgeous screen, excellent
dust- and waterproofing credentials and the largest-
capacity battery prior to the existence of any power-
saving mode, Sony is surely on to a winner with the
Xperia Z2. The Samsung Galaxy S5’s fingerprint
scanner and heart-rate monitor also impress, as does
the HTC One M8’s Duo Camera, but none is on our
list of priorities.
Acer Liquid E3
Acer is one of many smartphone
manufacturers to release a mid-
range Android smartphone at
MWC. In terms of design there is
nothing overly different about the
Acer Liquid E3, which runs Android
Jelly Bean 4.2. It has a decent 4.7in
(720x1280, 312ppi) IPS screen and
a relatively slim bezel. It’s a nice
weight, too, at 135g, and feels solid
in the hands. There’s just 4GB of
internal storage, but a microSDHC
slot lets you add up to 32GB. A
1.2GHz quad-core chip is coupled
with 1GB of RAM, and performance
is pretty good – opening- and
closing apps, and navigating
the home screens and menus is
speedy. The 2Mp front camera
is equipped with a flash, which is
perfect for the selfie generation,
and there’s a 13Mp whopper on
the rear. The £164 Acer Liquid E3 is
expected to hit the shelves in April.
A
n all-expenses-paid trip to Barcelona for
Mobile World Congress (MWC) and a few
days out the office might sound like fun to
you, but the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.
Here we list five things we hate about MWC to give
you an idea of what it’s like to be a journalist at a
technology tradeshow.
The food
This isn’t unique to MWC, but there’s a real danger of
becoming malnourished at technology tradeshows.
Our delicate stomachs can struggle with the foreign
food, and your eating times inevitably get screwed
up. In CES the press get a packed lunch each day;
not so in Barcelona.
The queues
We’re English, so apparently we’re good at queuing.
The queues are MWC are nothing short of horrific.
No matter what you’re trying to do or where you’re
trying to go there will be a gigantic queue. There
are out-the-door queues for food at lunch time,
picking up your badge to get you into the show,
queues as far as the eye can see for taxis at the
end of the day and, yes, more queues to see the
best devices with which everyone wants a hands-on.
You’re alright with the rubbish products.
Expenses
This is most definitely a first-world problem,
but expensing a trip like MWC is a nightmare.
Remembering to get a receipt for everything you buy
is hard enough; not losing said receipts is even more
difficult. If you manage to do all that, sorting through it
all when you’re back in the office is worse still. It’s not
only logistically tricky, but working out what you’ve
bought on a Spanish receipt is practically impossible.
Online editor
David Court
wrangles with
his expenses
A
RM may rule the roost in the Android
hardware world, but it’s not running a
dictatorship. Rather than fabricate and sell
its own chips, ARM simply designs architectures
and instruction sets, which it then licenses to chip
manufacturers across the Android land.
It’s a somewhat generous approach, and ARM
even encourages its hardware partners to alter
reference designs however they like. As a result,
companies as diverse as Apple, Qualcomm, Samsung
and nVidia have cooked up their own ARM processor
variants, creating something of an arms race.
64-bit dreams
While Apple’s move to 64-bit has motivated the rest
of the mobile industry to follow, don’t expect to see
dramatic dividends in upcoming Android phones and
tablets. Apple’s tightly controlled vertical integration
– in which system software and device hardware
are made by the same company – makes it easier
A
lthough smartphones are now available with
Windows, as the most popular operating
system for handheld devices, most of us are
using Android while we’re on the move.
This means that we have to juggle two operating
systems – Windows on our desktop or laptop,
something quite different on our phone or tablet.
Many of us are used to sharing data between these
devices – either by synchronising in the cloud or
transferring documents locally via Bluetooth or USB.
Lookalike apps
Our main emphasis here is on how to use exactly the
same applications on our mobile devices as we use
on our Windows PC and vice versa. However,
for some purposes, it’s possible to manage with
lookalike apps while you’re out and about. In
essence, we make do with apps on our Android
devices that provide some of the functionality of
Windows applications.
PDF files
In some cases they work in a way that’s
indistinguishable from the Windows version.
Android’s reader for Adobe PDF files, for example,
is just about perfect. However, apps that provide
compatibility with Microsoft Office documents –
namely Word, Excel and PowerPoint files – while
very desirable, are something of a mixed bag.
Quickoffice
Quickoffice isn’t 100 percent
compatible with Microsoft
Office. We found that opening
a Word document that was
formatted with multiple text
columns appeared as a single
column, but it will probably
meet most of your needs.
Image files
You may also need a means
of editing photos and other
graphics files in standard
formats such as Jpeg or Png.
Here, we’re not concerned with
compatibility with particular
Remote
Desktop can
give you
access to
Windows on
Android, but
it has some
limitations
A
reading app that claims to enable you to
read up to 1,000 words per minute has
attracted a lot of attention, but how does it
work? We explain what is Spritz, and how it works.
It’s not surprising that an app that claims to enable
its users to read at 1,000 words per minute has
attracted attention – especially when we tell you the
average reading speed is a lowly 220 wpm.
Spritz will initially appear on only the Samsung
Galaxy S5 smartphone and Galaxy Gear 2
smartwatch. However, Spritz’ CEO Frank Waldman
claims to be in talks with the likes of Google, Yahoo
and Amazon. So watch this space.
What is Spritz?
In its simplest form Spritz is an app for the Samsung
Galaxy S5 and Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch
O
ver Christmas an app called Cartoon HD
began causing a stir, but it was quickly pulled
from Apple’s App Store. Now a plethora of
copycat apps have launched. So what is Cartoon HD,
and is it safe to use?
Cartoon HD copycats
If you search the Google Play store for ‘Cartoon HD’,
many Android apps appear in the results fighting for
your attention. Descriptions will no doubt state that
the app is legitimate and collecting content from
YouTube and websites in the public domain – but
just because they say that it doesn’t make it true.
Y
our smartphone and maybe even your tablet
is likely equipped with GPS, which means you
can use it as a satnav in your car or, indeed,
for walking. That means you don’t necessarily have
to go out and buy a standalone satnav. Here are the
best satnav apps for Android.
There’s a wide range of free and paid-for apps
on the Google Play store to choose from, so we’ve
rounded up the best five. You can go far with a free
app, but note that you’ll need a data connection –
these will suit users with unlimited or generous data
tariffs. Paying for apps will provide downloadable
content, but watch out for in-app purchases for
additional features.
4. TomTom – £37.99
One of the biggest and most recognisable names
in the satnav market is TomTom. Its Android app is a
little on the expensive side, but it has a lot to offer.
Since you’re paying a lot for the app, it’s not
surprise that downloadable maps are included.
You must download them to your device before you
A
re you shackled to Google’s app store in a
nightmarish, never-ending Play date? If so,
break off your chains and explore a new
land of apps at Amazon’s Appstore, no Kindle Fire
tablet required! That’s right, you can install Amazon’s
Appstore on just about any Android smartphone
or tablet, providing your device with a whole new
destination for app discovery.
Amazon knows it needs to provide an incentive
to get you using its app store, and it does just that
by continually giving away apps and games. Every
day of the week, 365 days a year, the Amazon
Appstore offers up a new ‘pay’ app or game, totally
free, for 24 hours only.
Another advantage is title availability. In the past,
popular games such as Plants vs Zombies and Angry
Birds Rio have launched exclusively on Amazon’s
Appstore, only landing on the Play store weeks later.
W
hen you’re working, you use a full
keyboard, with a mouse or touchpad,
because you want to maximise productivity.
Then you receive a text, and you can be found
hunched over your phone, pecking away at your
tiny distraction machine.
When you’re sitting in front of a full keyboard and
large display, you should be able to use it to answer
texts. More than a few developers have heard our
cries, and have created some fantastic Android
tools to give you the power to text (and more) from
your PC. Let’s dig into what’s possible, starting from
smallest to biggest commitment.
Pushbullet
Not everybody needs to send text messages in an
on-demand fashion. Maybe you only need to know
what is buzzing on your phone, so you can safely
ignore it. If that’s the case, Pushbullet is what you
want. The core function of Pushbullet is sending
links, images and map locations back and forth from
your phone, which saves time and frustration, but it
also shows notifications in a browser extension.
Install Pushbullet on your Android phone, then
install the Chrome or Firefox extension on your
desktop. Pushbullet on Android will ask you to enable
DeskSMS
With DeskSMS, you can receive
and respond to texts pretty
much anywhere you can open
a browser or check your email.
You first install DeskSMS
on your phone, then give it
permissions to read and send text
messages. You also authenticate
your primary Google/Gmail
account, then let it test its
connection to your Hangouts
account, your email, and/or a
browser extension for Chrome or
Firefox. If it goes through, you’re
now receiving text messages
as chats/emails/notifications,
Google Voice
This one requires more commitment than the other
options, but it’s an established system.
AirDroid
How would you like to send, receive and start
text-message conversations from inside a browser
window? AirDroid can do that. Install it on your
phone or tablet, then head to web.airdroid.com on
any computer and you’ll see custom desktop within
your browser window. As long as you have that page
open, you’ll see text notifications, and you can click
Messages to check your archive or send texts.
You see those other apps and widgets, though,
right? See how you can browse and launch files,
apps, photos and music on your phone from any web-
connected computer? See how you can remotely
control your camera from inside AirDroid? Take a
screenshot, check the battery, trade links and notes
W
elcome to the 21st century, where all
of your childhood fantasies have come
true – just like that of having a handheld
computer that talks back to you.
Granted, computers have long had this ability.
Text-to-speech (TTS) is usually meant to help those
with visual impairments. But on Android it also powers
a few other neat features, like having a book read out
loud or helping you learn a new language.
More than a year ago, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
introduced a new conversational text-to-speech voice
Enable text-to-speech
First, you’ll have to enable the Text-to-speech
functionality from the Android Settings menu.
In Android 4.2.2 or later, head to the Language &
Input panel, and then select Text-to-speech output,
located toward the bottom of the screen.
Tap on Preferred Engine to set up the language
your device should speak. From this page, you
can also install any additional language packs, if
necessary, and choose whether or not Google can
update the TTS app using your cellular data.
Get reading
Third-party e-book and reading apps will work with
Google Text-to-speech only if they utilise the API.
Unfortunately, Amazon’s Kindle app doesn’t, but
you can take full advantage of the feature with
Google Play Books.
You can easily enable the Read Aloud feature to
dictate stories to you from the Settings menu. Just
turn it on, and your Android device will begin to read
to you; it’ll heed to semi-colons and commas and
pronounce words to the best of its ability.
T
he worst part of using a smartphone is dealing
with the damn battery! If you actually use your
phone it’ll be lucky to make it through the day.
So we’re left plugging and unplugging and plugging
again. This is the bright promise of wireless charging;
if you plug your phone in at the same place (like your
home or office), you can just set your phone down on
a little pad, and it’ll top off the battery.
While the ever-popular Galaxy S4 doesn’t come
equipped with wireless charging out of the box, it’s a
N
o-one wants to carry around multiple
smartphones or tablets, but using your
personal devices for work raises a host of
concerns. Will your personal data be subject to your
corporate policies? Can your IT department see
everything you do on your device even when you’re
not at work? Does someone else hold the key to all
your data, business and personal?
Here are some things to consider before you
decide to go bring your own device into the
workplace and, if you decide to go forward, some
tips on how to proceed.
”
ISSUE 3 • ANDROID ADVISOR 111
M
any Android devices have notification lights:
small LEDs that blink to indicate missed calls,
new text messages and battery status. These
lights are great – silent and unobtrusive to those
around you (unlike ringtones and vibration patterns),
and colour-coded to denote different types of
notifications. A hastily blinking red light, for example,
usually means your phone is about to die.
Think of how helpful these lights would be if you
could harness the LED and force it to blink custom
colours for different apps, contacts and system
statuses. You’re in luck, because you can customise
your handset’s notification light with a simple, free
app called Light Manager.
I
f you live in a multi-person household where your
Android tablet is frequently used by more than
one person, you might want to take advantage
of Android’s built-in ability to manage multiple user
profiles. You never know who is going to pick up
your tablet to quickly check their own email, so
you might as well keep your personal data safely
shielded away from prying eyes.
Google enabled multi-user accounts almost two
years ago with the release of Android 4.2.2 Jelly
Bean, and added restricted profiles with Android 4.3
(think: Kids Mode). The functionality is still limited to
tablets at the moment. Here’s how to properly share a
tablet between friends and family.