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Sunday 29 September 2013

How to change the Galaxy S4 lock screen message

Samsung Galaxy S4
The tag line for the Samsung Galaxy S4 is "Life companion." And that's a fine slogan. But if you're a little tired of seeing it on your phone every time you turn it on, you're not alone. 
Fortunately, it's easy to change. Samsung's taking advantage of the lock screen widgets in Android 4.2.2 to provide that custom greeting, clock and date as soon as you wake the phone. You can change the font, color and size, remove the clock and date if you want -- or get rid of the widget altogether.
Two ways to go about this:
  1. The long way: Go to Settings>My device>Lock screen>Lock screen widgets. That'll get you to the customization page.
  2. The easy way: From the lock screen, tap and hold on the "Life companion" line, then drag down. You should now see a little edit icon on the bottom right of the widget, about halfway down the screen. Tap it to go directly to the customization page.
And that's it. From there, you can change the slogan, change the font, size and color, or get rid of the clock and date if you want.
Or if you want to, you can just remove that widget altogether (tap, hold and drag up to "remove") and use something else.

Your 'I can't believe I missed that' Galaxy S4 tip of the day

At last count, we found some 37 pieces of thin, clear plastic protecting the (also) thin plastic that is the body of the Samsung Galaxy S4. They're on the side. They're on the top. On the bottom. They're not all that difficult to remove, but it's easy to miss one. And that's the smartphone equivalent of toilet paper stuck to your shoe. 
One of the trickiest protective pieces is hiding in plain sight. Be sure to check the camera housing on the back on the phone. There you'll find a clear  sticker. It's not affecting images, as it's got a cutout for the lens itself. But it will start to collect dust and dirt (which actually is how we first saw the damn thing), and nobody wants that. 
So give your Galaxy S4 a once-over and make sure you haven't left any plastic strips behind. Nobody wants to be that guy.

More on iOS 7 and motion sickness

More on iOS 7 and motion sickness
There's been a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about iOS 7 and effects its parallax scrolling, zooming, and other animations have had on some people with acute visual sensitivities. Lumped together as "motion sickness", the issue is, as you'd expect, far more varied and nuanced than a lot of reporting to date has suggested. If it doesn't bother you, great. Internet high-five. If it does, Craig Grannell has continued to provide some of the best coverage of the issue anywhere, more recently on The Guardian:
Triggers and symptoms vary, but TidePool mobile app developer Jenni Leder's experience is not uncommon. A self-professed power-user, she frequently switches apps; but on iOS 7, this has caused headaches and feelings associated with motion sickness. "I now have to close my eyes or cover the screen during transitions, which is ridiculous," she told The Guardian, adding that there's nowhere to hide: "It's not apps that affect me, but accessing them. Tap a folder and the view zooms in. Tap an app and it's like flying through the icon and landing in that app's micro world — and I'm getting dizzy on the journey there."
We've already shared a few tips on how to minimize what effects iOS allows you to minimize. Georgia recommends using a plain colored background, because it won't change visually even in those areas Apple doesn't allow you to disable. John Siracusa on the latest episode of Accidental Tech Podcast also suggested deliberately following zooming motions with your eyes when you can predict their point of origin.
Until Apple provides a global setting, developers can also allow the bigger motion effects to be turned off inside their own apps, like James Thomson has done with PCalc. If you're having trouble and have found any other workarounds, please add them to the comments. Every little bit might help.
Source: The Guardian

Sony Cyber-shot QX10 camera review

QX10

A stand-alone lens for your phone? It's so crazy it just might work

The Sony Cyber-short QX10 is here to fill a need you had no idea needed filled. It mates the improved pictures of a good point-and-shoot camera with your smartphone. Rather than build a phone with a high-powered camera like the Galaxy S4 Zoom, the QX10 is a stand-alone unit that works with any Android smartphone. (Or the iPhone, if that's how you roll.)
Using wireless (NFC and WIfi Direct) the QX10 pairs with your phone (or tablet if you're into that) and the device's screen becomes the live-view from the lens. It can be a little clunky, and there's some software between the two that allow it to happen. Often-times finicky software. To the point where it's almost easier to forgo the software and shoot blind, unconnected to a phone. Yes, it can do that, too.
To top things off, the QX10 costs as much as a good point and shoot camera does — $250. 
It's going to have to do two things well to find a place in anyone's gear bag — take great pictures, and be easy to use. Hit the break and see if it can do them.

QX10 construction and specifications

When you consider that the QX10 aims to replace a point-and-shoot camera, it's fairly compact. It's about 2.5-inches in diameter, 2-inches tall (while the lens is closed) and weighs about 4 ounces. It's completely self-contained with on-board storage via an microSD card slot, and you charge the removable battery through a microUSB port hidden under a flap on the lens body. When it's all buttoned up, there's nothing dangling off to snag your pocket, and it fits nicely into a small bag. If you have room for a standard computer mouse in your satchel of goodies or pocket, you have room for the QX10. 
QX10  QX10  QX10
When you want to use the camera to take a picture, your Android comes into play. Using the two spring-loaded jaws to clamp to your phone, you can run an app that allows you to see what the camera sees on your phone screen. At this point, you're probably asking, "Why bother?" You already have a camera on your phone that you can use without any special apps or fiddling with spring loaded clamps. 
QX10  QX10  QX10
Because of the image quality. We'll take a long, close look at the pictures you can take with the QX10 further down the page, but for now just be aware that you'll get much better pictures from the QX10 than you will with even the best smartphone camera. Physics and math come into play, and you won't have the sensor size or the lens size and quality or the focal distance in a smartphone — even a great big smartphone or one with a big honking hump on the back. 
QX10  QX10  QX10

Sony Cyber-shot QX10 specs

  • Sony G series lens
  • f/3.3 - f/8.0
  • Optical image stabilization
  • Intelligent automatic settings to identify and adjust for macro, low-light, back-lit, motion and more
  • Multi-point auto-focus
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • BIONZ image processor on-board
  • 10x optical zoom
  • 18MP 1/2.3 inch Exmor R back-lit CMOS sensor
  • 1080p / 30 HD video capture in mp4 format
  • One-touch connection via NFC and Wifi direct (for supported devices with NFC)
  • 630mAh battery, good for about 225 shots
  • 62.4mm x 61.8mm x 30.0mm; 105g

The Sony PlayMemories Mobile Android app

All the fancy hardware in the lens isn't much good if you can't have a way to see what you're taking a picture of. While you can use the QX10 without an Android attached, you probably won't want to. The screen of your device is your link to what the lens sees. 
Setting things up is simple enough for most Android devices, just tap your phone to the NFC logo on top of the unit. Usually this works without any app open or even Wifi turned on, but you're better off starting the PlayMemories Mobile app before you get started. Things can be a little finicky, as we'll see later. Once you have a connection, you'll be able to see the camera images on your screen.
You can either use the clamps mentioned above to attach the QX10 to your phone, or hold and maneuver the lens and device separately. The connection seems to be good for about 20 feet. Most times you'll end up attaching things together, but with the QX10 on a tripod and a Nexus 7 in your hands, you can get a little more creative with your shots if you like by getting in the scene.
Once you have your picture properly framed, you can tap the screen to lock focus and tap the shutter button, or tap the shutter button for intelligent auto-focus. The camera will then snap a picture, and depending on your settings, you'll get a copy to review right on your screen.
shooting modes
You have three shooting modes to choose from — Superior Auto, Intelligent Auto, and Program Auto. While in Program Auto you're able to adjust the exposure manually, but things like aperture and shutter speed are not adjustable. The Automatic modes do a good job selecting the right settings, and your pictures will likely look good if you pick one and leave it there. Do experiment though, and find the setting you like. You can also set things like the image size and aspect ratio, or set a self-timer in the application settings.
The images you take are stored on the QX10's SD card, and a copy is sent to your tethered device. You can choose the size of the copied image, and the device settings also have options to transfer the untouched image to your phone, as well as format the SD card.
options
The app isn't without its problems. It seems to be at its best with the Nexus 7 or the Nexus 4. The farther you move away from "Stock" Android, the more disconnections and image lag you'll see. The app doesn't discriminate here — Samsung, HTC, LG and Sony devices are affected fairly equally. Be sure to go into your device's Wifi settings and turn off any options that offer "best" Wifi performance or battery-saving connections, as these greatly affect the connection with the QX10.
qx10  qx10
Sony needs to improve its app. But the good news is that it has a wide-open SDK and the QX10 and QX100 are well supported. Camera360 has already announced that it will update its application to work with these cameras, so we'll soon have more choices.

Image example

Here's the interesting part. Since this is a camera and not a phone or tablet, the most crucial part of the review is the pictures that it produces. While the QX10 is by no means intended to replace a "professional" camera — a phrase we hear so often it almost has no meaning anymore — at $250 it had better take some damn good pictures.
And it does. The QX10 won't turn you into Ansel Adams, but for most folks this is all the camera you will ever need. The images are crisp and clear, and look great both on your smartphone screen or the computer screen. Yes, enthusiasts and professionals have cameras that take "better" pictures. You won't want to use the QX10 if you're looking for a shot to use in a magazine, but you'll certainly have a nice collection of memories to look through or even print.
Look through these random images I've taken in the past couple weeks. Yes, some are better than others (I included an example even if it wasn't perfect), but all of them are pretty darn good. We'll talk about some of the highlights afterwards.

Top Ten Android Tips

The top Android tips you need to know

Welcome to the sometimes wild, often wonderful, but always fascinating world of Android!  Chances are the Android OS is a bit different than what you're used to, even if you are moving over from another smartphone platform.  We want to help you get settled in and familiar with your phone or tablet as painlessly and quickly as possible, and what better way than to pass along the ten best tips from a bunch of salty old pros?  So have a read, give these a try, and if you hit any snags or just want to get to know some Android peeps, check out our forums for the best Android discussion on the Internet.
One thing to note here -- your screen may not look like the screens you see below.  Android comes in many different flavors, and while they all are pretty darn good, they do often look and act different.  But that's OK! Chances are the instruction that go along with the pictures will work just fine, and if you get stuck somewhere, someone has likely already figured it out for your specific model of phone, and you'll find it in the forums.  Besides being generally awesome, Android users are also a pretty crafty bunch of folks.

Tip 1. Use Adobe Flash "on demand"

Plug-ins on demandYou've probably heard that Adobe Flash is available for Android devices.  Maybe that's even a big part of the reason you've chosen an Android phone -- you want the full web experience on your smartphone.  While Flash on a mobile device isn't the big resource-eating monster some make it out to be, it does make web browsing a little bit slower.  And let's face it -- a lot of Flash content is punching monkeys to win a prize-style ads, and often we aren't interested in seeing those.
That's an easy fix.  Open your web browser, and tap the menu key.  Look through the menu until you find the settings.  In the browser settings you'll find an entry titled "Enable plug-ins."  Tap it, and choose On demand.  This way once a web page is loaded, you'll be able to tap any Flash content to view it, and ignore any you don't want to view.

Tip 2. Set your Wifi sleep policy to never

Wifi sleep policyThis one sounds counter-productive, but trust us here.  If you have access to Wifi throughout the day, and use it often, this will help save your battery.  Use this tip with a Wifi toggle widget (see the homescreen section below) and it's easy.
On your phone, tap the menu button and choose settings.  From the list, choose Wireless & networks, then "Wi-Fi settings".  this is where you can choose what Wifi access point to connect to, but there's also some options hidden.  To see them just tap the menu button again and choose advanced.  What we're interested in is "Wi-Fi sleep policy".  Tap it, and set it to "Never".  What this does is keep your phone from switching to the 3G or 4G radio when the screen shuts off.  Those radios need more power than the Wifi radio does, so any time we can keep Wifi alive we're saving energy.  Remember to put a shortcut or widget on your homescreen to quickly turn Wifi on and off for those times when you're not around an access point.  This will keep your phone from scanning for available networks.

3. Set up your Homescreens

Add to homescreenYou've got several of them, and with Android you can really put them to good use.  Besides choosing a picture or a live wallpaper app for your background, there's all sorts of ways to put information and tools right at your fingertips with widgets, shortcuts, and folders. 
Widgets are a favorite of many, including yours truly.  You can find one for just about anything, ranging from instant weather information to rolling dice.  While many are important tools, a lot of them are just plain fun, too.  A good number of them will come on your phone, and the Android Market is full of many, many more. 
Some apps will add items to the Shortcuts menu, and give you a one-click way to perform the associated tasks.  Same goes for folders; included with your phone are a few live folders for contacts and files, but apps like Facebook can give you new ones.  Of course, you can also create a regular folder to store app shortcuts in.
To have a look at what's included with your phone as well as anything you've downloaded, just long press on a blank area of your home screen.  Choose the option from the list, and drop it somewhere it fits.  If you change your mind, Just press and hold on the widget, shortcut, or folder and in a second or two you'll be able to drag it down to the trash can.  This doesn't delete the app from your phone, it just removes the content from your home screen.

4. Move apps to your SD card

Move apps to the SD cardSince version Android 2.2 (Froyo), Android has included the ability to move apps from your device's internal application storage to the microSD card you've placed in your phone.  Not all apps can be moved -- the developer has to code them properly and things like widgets, live wallpapers and anything else that needs to run as soon as the phone boots up shouldn't be moved to the SD card at all.  But things like games and other big apps will usually move right over, leaving only a small bit of information behind.
Moving them is easy as pie.  From your homescreen, press the menu button, then choose settings.  From the settings menu, choose applications, then Manage applications.  Find the app you want to move in the list, and tap it's list entry.  If it can be moved, you'll see a button that says "Move to USB storage".  Press it, and go!

5. Enable "sideloading"

Unknown sourcesSideloading simply means the installation of apps without going through the official Android Market.  That in and of itself is by no means nefarious, as there are several other marketplaces and app stores for Android.  There's no need to root or jailbreak your new Android phone to do it, it's a simple affair.  Smell that?  It's called open :)
From your homescreen, press the menu button and choose Applications from the list.  At the top of the screen, you'll see an entry called Unknown sources.  Check the box, and read the warning.  The warning is real, so be mindful of what apps you download  -- there are some folks out there that get a kick out of hurting others.  But if you get your apps from somewhere reputable, you'll be just fine.
If you use an AT&T-branded Android phone, you won't have this option.  In their infinite wisdom they have decided that not allowing this somehow keeps you safe.  But that's easy to work around, just have a look at the Sideload Wonder Machine.

6. Uninstalling downloaded apps

Uninstall an appWith over 150,000 apps in the Android Market, and countless others from other app stores, you're bound to install something and decide you don't want it any longer.  You can uninstall an app tied to your Android Market account right from it's page in the Market, but for those sideloaded apps (and if you want to do it offline) there's an easier way.
From your homescreen, press the menu button and choose Applications from the list.  In the next screen, choose Manage applications.  Find the app you no longer want in the list and press it's list entry.  After that, uninstalling is an easy affair -- just press the button.

7. Copying ringtones to the right place, so they appear in the ringtone menu

Ringtones foldersCustomizing your Android phone with your favorite sounds is easy!  Download a few in either .mp3 or .ogg format and save them on your computer.  Connect your phone to your computer as described right here and look for a folder named media.  If you don't have one, that's not a problem -- just create it.  Inside the media folder, you can place your sounds in one of three places; notifications, ringtones, or alarms.  Again, if those aren't there just create them.  Decide what your sound would be best suited as, and place it in the correct folder.  That's all there is to it.  Unplug your phone following the direction in the link above, and you'll find your custom sounds bundled in the menu with the built-in sounds, ready to use.

8. Change your screen brightness level

Screen brightnessWe throw words like AMOLED, or Super-LCD around like candy, because Android phones usually come with the latest technology.  But no matter what type of screen you may have, there will be times you need to adjust the brightness, and it's quite easy to do.
From your homescreen, press the menu button, and choose settings.  From the list that appears, choose Display.  Tap the Brightness entry, and from there you can either have the screen change the brightness depending on the surroundings (Automatic brightness setting), or uncheck it and use the slider to set it to a level that's most comfortable for you. 
Like we mentioned in the Wifi sleep policy section, this is another great candidate for a widget.  One may have been included with your phone, but if not, there are plenty of options in the Android Market.  One thing to keep in mind here is that the brighter you keep the screen, the more battery it will use.  Choose wisely.

9. Setting individual volume levels for different types of alerts

System volume levelsWhile there's a handy volume rocker on the side of your Android phone, there's also a settings menu that lets you adjust things with a bit more control.  It's a great way to make sure you're going to hear your morning alarm, even if you have lowered the ringer volume for class or an important meeting. 
From your homescreen, press the menu button and choose settings.  In the window that opens, choose Sound, and you'll see a whole slew of options for control of the noises your phone makes.  Check them all out, but be sure to tap the Volume entry and you'll get a set of sliders for individual levels for Ringtones, Alarms, Media, and if you like you can set Notifications to their own level separate from the phone ringer.
There are a few other settings that are hidden, including a master volume level.  If you need to get to these, you can download apps from the Market that show all the volume levels for the ultimate in control.

10. Password-protect your phone

Password protectionIf you're like any of us, you have your phone with you 24/7.  That means there will be plenty of chances to lose it, or even worse to have it be stolen.  While the cost of replacing the phone is a big concern, often the chance that someone can get into your stuff is the biggest nightmare. 
With Android 2.2 and higher, you have plenty of options for locking your phone. There's the tried and true pattern unlock (which will be the only choice on phones running 2.1 or lower), and we also have the ability to lock via a personal identification number (PIN), or by alpha-numeric password.
To get to the security options, from your homescreen press the menu button, then choose Settings.  From there your phone may say Location and Security, or it may just say Security.  Security is what we're looking for so choose what's appropriate. Once there, choose Set up screen lock and follow the instructions for whichever method you choose.  Once you set your security option, you can set how quickly you want the phone to lock itself. Could be immediately, could be after five or 10 minutes.  If you use your phone in a corporate Exchange environment, you may have other options or even set rules to follow, but for most of us this is the best way to keep things safe.

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