Getting Started with Android

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Category: Opinion

Published on Monday, 20 May 2013 22:46

Written by Christian Dunn

As the Samsung juggernaut continues to grow, I have been fielding an ever growing number of questions from former Apple addicts trying to understand Android. Since the launch of the iPhone and iPod Apple has become the king of evolution, while Samsung and Android have now taken the title of innovation.

While the form and function may be different Android has everything the Apple ecosystem offers and more.

This is my quick guide to getting know Google Android.

Get a Google Account

Think of this as your new apple ID. Set this up immediately when setting up your device. Even if you don't use GMail this account will give you the ability to download and install apps from the Play Store (think App Store) and provide you with a login for the full range of Google Services.

Your google account can backup your device, upload your photos, remember your settings, process payments and more.

The Google Play Store

This is where you can download and purchase Apps, Games, Movies, Music, Books and Magazines.

So you can make the most of the Google Play Store and your new Google Account I recommend getting started with the following Apps which will either be preinstalled or you can download them from the App Store. All of these applications can be accessed using your single google account.

• Google Drive (online storage)
• Google Googles (search with video/pictures)
• Gmail (Google Email)
• Google (Google Now - your personal virtual assistant [think Siri])
• Google+ (Messaging and communities [think Facebook])
• Google Keep (Notes [think Springpad or Memo])
• Google+ Messenger (Chat Messaging)
• My Tracks (Google GPS map recorder - track drives, races, walks, cycling and more)
• Navigation (Google turn by turn Navigation)
• Play Books (Google Book reader)
• Play Movies (Google Movie player)
• Hangouts (Google chat/video conferencing [think Skype])
• YouTube
• CloudPrint (print from your device to your home/office printer)

Once Installed go into settings and under accounts check out the options for your Google Account.

Consider the following options:

• Latitude (This is location reporting so you can see where you have been each day and how long the trips were)
• Instant Upload (This is where you can have your photos instantly uploaded to google so they are accessible online or from your computer)

Google Now

This is probably installed already on your device and appears as the 'Google' app. Don't underestimate how useful this can be to you. Google Now uses your location info, calendar and history to provide you with real time personal assistance.

In addition to providing weather for your current location if you are near a railway station or bus stop public transport information will instantly appear, If you search for a business then a card will appear in Google Now offering directions, If you have put an address into a calendar meeting then not only will Google Now alert you to that meeting but it will advise you when you have to leave to get there taking into account traffic from Google Navigation and offer you a link to navigate.

Google Now also provides you with voice capabilities to provide Siri like functionality.

You don't need an app for that

The thing that surprised me when I started with Android (especially as I had an iPhone as well) was that the apps I deemed necessary on my iPhone were no longer required on my Android phone.

The Task Manager

Hold down the home button on your device to bring up the task manager. Here you can clear the cache, clear data, kill applications or restart them.

The Battery Monitor

Go into Settings and select Battery. Here you can see how charged your device is and what applications are using your charge. Click on an application for further options or suggestions to tailor battery use.

The Network Monitor

Go into Settings and select Data Usage. Here you can set data limits, enable roaming, restrict background data and view your mobile and wifi data usage by volume and application. Selecting any application can also show you what proportion is foreground or background usage enabling you to target applications killing your quota.

The Notification Panel

Drilling into settings to find and enable functions is no longer required. When you pull down on the taskbar at the top of any screen on Android a notification panel appears showing you ongoing applications, important notifications and providing options to disable/enable various services.

Many of the default options you may never change but there may be many more you require. Go into Settings, select Display and select Notification Panel. Here you can drag various service shortcuts from the Available Buttons pane to the Notification Panel. These will now appear when you drop down the notification panel from anywhere on Android saving you coming back into settings.

Power Saving

The Power Saving mode in Settings > Power Savings will allow you to configure your device to automatically adjust settings as your battery drains to extend your battery life.

Lock Screen

The Lock Screen settings in Settings > Lock Screen allows you to enable and configure application shortcuts, an information ticker, clocks and weather on the lock screen.

Try before you buy

I found the iPhone easy to use but what frustrated me was that everything I wanted cost me. As Android has a much larger developer community and a more open application store you can usually find what you want for free. I think in the time I have owned by Android phones I have now purchased 3 applications. For those applications you are considering purchasing there is also usually a free version available to try first.

Before the Apple fans jump down my throat, yes there is a risk of less savoury or secure applications being available on the Play Store. To get around this install a security application such as Lookout or AVG Antivirus which can check all applications as they are installed.

The closest thing to mobile office

Most Samsung devices come with Polaris which allows you to view office documents but try applications such as Documents To Go or my favourite, KingSoft Office, to get fully featured office applications for your mobile and the best bit is KingSoft is free.

Go Chrome

The default browser is okay but Google Chrome is fantastic. If you also use it at work or home then this is a must. Automatically synchronises your history between devices so you can pick up something you searched at work to follow up at home. Use incognito mode to hide your browsing history or easily switch through multiple tabs.

Remote Desktop

If your company supports it use Citrix, or if you are just using Remote Desktop try the 2X Client to get RDP access from anywhere on your mobile.

The basics

Just like the standard programs you install on your computer consider these other favourites from the Play Store:

• Adobe Reader - view PDFs
• Able 2 Extract - convert documents to and from PDFs
• AndroZip - create and open zip files on the go
• Dropbox
• Ebay
• Facebook
• Flipboard
• LinkedIn
• PayPal
• SkyDrive
• Skype
• Twitter

The Tech Tools

For those of us who have to hack, tweak and fix our way through the day check out my tech favourites from the Play Store:

• OpenSignal (mobile signal performance testing and reporting)
• Speed Test (network speed testing)
• inSSIDer (wireless network performance tuning/tweaking)
• WIFI Prioritizer (configure multiple wireless access points by priority)
• ezNetScan (network scanner)
• WiFi Mouse (control your computer using your phone as a mouse)

and Enjoy....

If you made it to here you now are ready to get started with your fully equipped mobile office and best of all, so far it hasn't cost you a cent. It may be worth setting up your google account credit details however especially once you find the games, movies, magazines and music you can rent and buy.