When you think of Android smartphones, 'productivity' probably isn't the first word that comes to mind. But you don't have to use a BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 device or another boring 'enterprise-friendly' handheld to get a lot done in a little time - whether it be for work or play.
The following seven Android tips will help streamline your general
Android navigation processes so you can move around your device and
access your favorite apps, media and services, faster and more
efficiently.
1) Customising your Android home screens
Customising the individual home-screen 'panes' on your Android
smartphone is one of the easiest ways to make it your own, as well as
reduce the time it takes to access your most frequently used
applications. And you can move any application to any home-screen pane.
To move an app from either your 'app page', where all your Android
software is stored, or from one pane to another, simply press and hold
the application for a second or two until a coloured shadow appears
beneath it. If you're moving an app from your app page to a home screen
page, you'll immediately be returned to the last home screen page you
were on before jumping to the app page.
Moving apps around an individual pane or between panes is as simple
as dragging your finger to the left or right, up or down, after holding
the icon for a second to select it. And you can ditch unwanted apps from
your home screen panes by holding their respective icons until they're
selected, then dropping them into the trash can, or another similar
icon, that appears on-screen.
2) Create home screen widgets for favourite apps
One of the coolest things about the Android OS is the ability to use a
variety of widgets, or icons that sit on your home screen and display
information so you don't ever have to open the actual applications or
services that they're associated with. Widgets can save time and show
information you might have otherwise missed.
To assign an Android widget to one of your home screens, just press
and hold a blank space on one of those home screens, i.e., a place with
no other widgets or applications. Then choose the Android Widgets option
for access to third-party app-widgets. On the following screen, scroll
through all your third-party widgets and pick the ones you want to
display on your home screen panes.
You should see another widget-option after holding your finger on a
blank home-screen page, as well, for core system widgets. But its name
will differ based on model, manufacturer and OS version. For in example,
my Motorola Atrix 4G has another widget-option called Motorola Widgets
that offers another set of widgets, including ones that let me toggle my
various wireless-radios on and off as well as quickly start and stop
music.
Not all Android apps offer widget-functionality, but many do, so be sure to check to see if your favorite app has a widget.
(Note: Android widgets that update themselves can drain a lot of
battery power, depending on individual settings, so it's not a wise idea
to pack your home-screens with widgets that you won't actually use.)
3) Create Android home screen shortcuts for favourites websites
Just as you can create home screen widgets for certain applications,
you can also make home-screen shortcuts for your favourite web pages, so
you never have to launch your browser and navigate to those pages.
To assign a custom Android shortcut to your home screen, navigate to
the web page for which you want to create a shortcut, tap your Menu key
to bring up additional options and then choose More. On the following
screen, select the Add Shortcut to Home option. A new shortcut for the
web page of your choice will appear on the home-screen pane you were on
last, unless there's no more room for another shortcut, in which case
you'll be informed that you can't fit a new shortcut on that pane.
You can also create a shortcut to certain Android system options,
such as your Android Settings menu or your Contacts, by pressing and
holding a blank space on a home-screen pane for a second or two. But
instead of choosing one of the widget-options, as described above, pick
Shortcuts. Then choose the specific shortcut you wish to add from the
options on the following screen.
4) Quickly view and jump between your last used Android apps
One of the best ways to quickly jump back and forth between
frequently-used Android applications is by holding your finger on the
Android Home Button for a second or two, until a set of eight
application-icons labeled Recent appear on screen. You can launch any of
these eight apps by simply tapping their icons on the Recent page. The
apps included will change based on which ones you've most recently used.
5) See all Android home-screen panes on one screen
The Android OS lets you quickly view miniature versions of all of
your home-screen panes on one page. But the process for accessing this
all-pane-view is different depending on your device and OS version. To
access this view on my Motorola Atrix, I simply hold down the circular,
on-screen Home button until all of my home-screen pages appear. From
there, I can easily click on any pane to quickly access it, instead of
scrolling through multiple panes first.
To access this multi-pane-view on the HTC Droid Incredible running
Android 2.2, you must double-tap your Home button -not the on-screen
'key' but the actual button.
6) Employ custom Android folder to Organise apps
In addition to customising your home-screen panes and adding both
widgets and shortcuts, you can add folders to your Android home screens
to further customise and organise content on your smartphone. Create a
new folder the same way you would a new shortcut by pressing and holding
a blank space on your home screen until an options menu appears. Choose
the Folders option and a new folder will be assigned to your home
screen. You can then fill up your folders by dragging applications over
the folder-icons and dropping them in.
7) Double-tap your Android home button for custom functions
Some Android devices, including the Motorola Atrix 4G, let you
customise your home button, so it performs different functions when
double-tapped. For instance, you can set the Double Tap Home feature to
open up your camera or your phone's dial-pad, etc, whenever you
double-tap your Home button.
To do so, open up your Android Settings, scroll down and click the
applications option, then, on the following page, choose Double tap home
launch. Next, pick the function you wish to launch after double-tapping
your home button and you're good to go.
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