Page 1 DROIDS Made Simple Martin Trautschold Gary Mazo Marziah Karch...
Page 2 10:00 AM Wi-Fi – Ch. 5 also has a DROID. I still have time so I reply to a few emails in the Email app while waiting for my Skype – Ch. 20 colleague. I am able to dictate my email using the Voice dictation feature.
Page 4 ■ CONTENTS AT A GLANCE DROIDS Made Simple For the DROID, DROID X, DROID 2, and DROID 2 Global ■ ■ ■ Martin Trautschold Gary Mazo Marziah Karch...
Page 5 Droids Made Simple: For the Droid, Droid X, Droid 2, and Droid 2 Global Copyright © 2010 by Martin Trautschold, Gary Mazo, and Marziah Karch All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher.
Page 6 ■ CONTENTS AT A GLANCE From Martin and Gary: This book is dedicated to our families—to our wives, Julie and Gloria, and to our kids, Sophie, Livvie and Cece, and Ari, Dan, Sara, Billy, Elise and Jonah. Without their love, support, and understanding, we could never take on projects like this one. From Marziah: This book is dedicated to my husband, Harold, the best stay-at-home dad our kids could ever have, and to our kids, Pari and Kiyan.
Page 7: Table Of Contents
■Chapter 1: Getting Started ................39 ■Chapter 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search ..........67 ■Chapter 3: Sync Your DROID With Your Google Account ....... 97 ■Chapter 4: Other Sync Methods ..............105 ■Chapter 5: Wi-Fi and 3G Connectivity ............127 ■Chapter 6: Organize Your Home Screen: Icons and Widgets .......
Page 8 ■Chapter 22: Fun and Games ................ 469 ■Chapter 23: Utilities: Clock, Calculator, and Weather ......... 479 ■Chapter 24: Troubleshooting ............... 493 Part III: Sync Media to your DROID ..............505 ■Chapter 25: DROID Media Sync ..............507 ■Appendix: DRIOD App Guide ................ 525...
Page 9 Contents ■Contents at a Glance ..................iv ■About the Authors ..................xix ■About the Technical Reviewer ................ xx ■Acknowledgments ..................xxi Part I: Quick Start Guide ..................1 ■Getting Around Quickly ..................3 Learning Your Way Around ............................. 4 Keys, Buttons, and Switches ..........................4 The Launcher Icon .............................
Page 10 How This Book Is Organized ..........................33 Quickly Locating Tips, Cautions, and Notes ..................... 34 Free DROID Email Tips ............................. 35 Part III: You and Your DROID................37 ■Chapter 1: Getting Started ................39 Getting to Know Your DROID ..........................39 What Is Included in the Box ..........................
Page 11 Performing the Search ............................. 93 Performing a Voice Search ..........................93 Adding the Google Search Widget to Your Home Screen ................. 94 ■Chapter 3: Sync Your DROID With Your Google Account ....... 97 Activating Your Phone ............................97 Activating Your Google Account ..........................98 The Wonders of the Cloud ...........................
Page 12 Supported Software (What You Need) ......................113 Before You Install ............................113 Downloading and Installing PC or Mac Software .................... 113 Installing and Setting Up the DROID Software ....................116 Troubleshooting Missing Sync ........................116 CompanionLink for Android ..........................117 Reviews of CompanionLink and DejaOffice App .....................
Page 13 Opening Other Apps While on a Call ......................157 Getting Back to the Phone From Any App ...................... 157 Using Speed Dial on Your DROID (DROID 2 and DROID X only) ................158 Adding Speed Dial Numbers .......................... 158 Using Speed Dial ............................159 Using the Recent View (Call Logs) ........................
Page 14 Bluetooth Stereo (A2DP) ............................. 194 Connecting to a Stereo Bluetooth Device ...................... 194 Disconnecting a Bluetooth Device ........................196 ■Chapter 9: Email on Your DROID ..............197 Getting to Know Gmail ............................198 Understanding Gmail Mobile ..........................199 Inbox and Archive ............................199 Priority Inbox ..............................
Page 15 When Is Your Contact List Most Useful? ......................257 Two Simple Rules to Improve Your Contact List .................... 258 Adding a New Contact Right on Your DROID ....................... 258 Start the Contacts App ........................... 259 Adding a New Phone Number ........................261 Adding an Email Address and Web Site ......................
Page 16 ■ CONTENTS ■Chapter 13: Managing Your Calendar ............273 Managing Your Busy Life on Your DROID ......................273 Accessing Your Calendar ..........................273 Viewing Your Schedule and Getting Around ....................274 Switching Between the Four Calendar Views ....................275 Adding New Calendar Events ..........................278 Adding a New Appointment ...........................
Page 17 Playing Videos ..............................321 Adjusting the DROID’s Video Controls ......................321 Clearing Your History ............................. 323 Using Netflix and Hulu on the DROID ......................323 ■Chapter 16: New Media: Reading Newspapers, Magazines, and E-books ............325 Newspapers on the DROID ..........................325 Popular Choices: The New York Times and USA Today .................
Page 18 ■ CONTENTS Mint.com ................................ 357 Cooking Capsules Taster ..........................358 Evernote ................................. 359 Pandora ................................360 New York Times ............................. 361 Google Voice ..............................362 WikiMobile Encyclopedia (Bonfire) ........................ 363 Yelp ................................364 ■Chapter 18: Taking Photos and Videos ............365 Understanding Your Camera ..........................
Page 19 Cross-Posting ..............................425 Aggregating Content With Readers ........................427 Making Phone Calls and More with Skype ......................428 Creating Your Skype Account on Your DROID ....................429 Log in to the Skype App ..........................430 Finding and Adding Skype Contacts ......................430 Making Calls With Skype on Your DROID .......................
Page 20 ■Chapter 24: Troubleshooting ............... 493 Basic Troubleshooting ............................493 What to Do If the DROID Stops Responding ....................493 Managing Your Apps ............................494 Resolving Issues With Placing a Phone Call, Syncing With Google, or Browsing the Web ......497 Turning Off Airplane Mode ..........................
Page 21 Selecting a USB Connection Mode ......................... 509 Changing USB Connection Modes ........................510 Dragging-and-Dropping Files ........................510 Disconnecting Your DROID Safely (Don’t Skip!) ..................... 512 Using doubleTwist .............................. 512 Downloading and Installing doubleTwist ....................... 513 Getting Started With doubleTwist ........................514 Importing Your Playlists ..........................
Page 22: Contents
■ CONTENTS About the Authors Martin Trautschold is the founder and CEO of Made Simple Learning, a leading provider of Apple iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry, Android, and Palm webOS books and video tutorials. He has been a successful entrepreneur in the mobile device training and software business since 2001.
Page 23: About The Technical Reviewer
■ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS About the Technical Reviewer Phil Nickinson spent 11 years at a daily newspaper as a sports clerk, page designer, news copy editor and news editor before becoming a full-time online editor with Smartphone Experts in December 2009. He cut his teeth on Windows Mobile and currently is editor of AndroidCentral.com, host of its weekly podcast and has more Android devices than he knows what to do with.
Page 24: Acknowledgments
■ CONTENTS Acknowledgments A book like this takes many people to successfully complete. We would like to thank Apress for believing in us and our unique style of writing. We would like to thank our Editors, Steve, Jim and Laurin, and the entire editorial team at Apress. We would like to thank our families for their patience and support in allowing us to pursue projects such as this one.
Page 25 ■ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xxii...
Page 26: Part I: Quick Start Guide
In your hands is one of the most exciting devices to hit the market in quite some time: a new DROID smartphone. This Quick Start Guide will help get you and your new DROID up and running in a hurry. You’ll learn all about the buttons, switches, and ports, and how to use the innovative and responsive touch screen and multitask.
Page 28: Getting Around Quickly
We’ll start with the nuts and bolts in our “Learning Your Way Around” section, which covers what all the keys, buttons, switches, and symbols mean and do on your DROID. In this section, you’ll see some handy features such as multitasking and adding and removing widgets.
Page 29: Learning Your Way Around
Figures 1 and 2 show all the things you can do with the buttons, keys, switches, and ports on your DROID, DROID 2, DROID 2 Global, and DROID X. Go ahead and try out a few things to see what happens. Tap the Search button (the Magnifying Glass icon) on the bottom of your phone, then tap the Microphone icon to try out Voice Actions.
Page 30: The Launcher Icon
Figure 2. The buttons, ports, and keys on the DROID X. The Launcher Icon You may wonder where all your icons are kept. Swiping left or right won’t show you them. To see them all, you need to tap the Launcher icon at the bottom of your main Home screen.
Page 31: The Four Buttons Along The Bottom
The Four Buttons Along the Bottom In addition to tapping or the touching the screen, you can use the Menu, Home, Back and Search buttons to help you navigate around your DROID. Menu button Press the Menu button to see a menu for the currently open app or the Home screen.
Page 32: Short Tap And Long Press
QUICK START GUIDE Long press to multitask and see the eight most recent apps you have opened. Back button Press the Back button to back out of any screen to the previous screen. Continue pressing to exit an app back to the Home screen.
Page 33: Adding, Removing, And Moving Widgets And Icons
You will quickly find that your DROID is highly customizable, starting with your Home screen. The DROID 2 and DROID X have seven Home screens, and the DROID has five. TIP: We explain more details about how to use widgets and move icons in Chapter 6: “Organize Your Home Screen: Icons and Widgets.”...
Page 34 QUICK START GUIDE To remove a widget or other item, you long press until it gets highlighted and drag it down to the Trashcan icon at the bottom Long of the screen. press & drag To move a widget, icon, or other Home Slide your finger off screen item, long press and drag that item either side of the screen...
Page 35: Switching Apps (Aka Multitasking)
If you are like most smartphone users these days, you definitely want to be doing more than one thing at a time. For example, you might like listening to free Pandora Internet radio while reading and replying to your email or text messages. The DROID is built to multitask (see Figure 4).
Page 36: Starting And Exiting An App
NOTE: Switches set to On are green, while switches set to Off are gray. You can back up to the previous screen or menu by pressing the Back button on the bottom of your DROID. For example, if you’re in the Wireless & networks menu, you can press the Back button to return to the main...
Page 37: Reading The Top Status Bar
Figure 5. Selecting menu items, navigating submenus, and setting switches. Reading the Top Status Bar Most of the functions on your DROID work only when you are connected to the Internet (e.g., email, your browser, the wireless sync to Google Contacts and Google Calendar, Android Market, and so on), so you need to know when you’re connected.
Page 38 QUICK START GUIDE TIP: If you touch and hold the status bar, then you can see today’s date. TIP: Touch and hold this status bar to see today’s date. Seeing More Detailed Status Messages Touch the very top of the device (above the screen), then swipe your finger down onto the screen to see detailed status messages.
Page 39 You can tell whether you are connected to a network, as well as the general speed of the connection, by looking at the right side of your DROID’s top status bar. Table 1 shows typical examples of what you might see on this status bar.
Page 40: Flying On An Airplane - Airplane Mode
TIP: Check out the “International Travel” section of Chapter 5 for many money saving tips you can take advantage of when you travel overseas with your DROID. If you need to turn off your DROID, long press the Power button on the top-right edge, and then tap Power off.
Page 41: Touch Screen Basics
The DROID has an amazingly sensitive and intuitive touch screen. If you own a DROID, DROID 2, or DROID 2 Global, you also can slide out the physical keyboard to type. We show you more typing tips in Chapter 2.
Page 42: Tapping And Swiping Or Flicking
To move quickly through Home screens, contacts, lists, and the music library in List mode, flick from side-to-side or up and down. Figure 7 shows both of these gestures. Note: The DROID Notice the red Gently...
Page 43: Scrolling
QUICK START GUIDE Scrolling Scrolling is as simple as touching the screen and sliding your finger in the direction you want to scroll (see Figure 9). You can use this technique in messages (email), the Browser app, menus, and more. The current letter “M”...
Page 44: Double-Tapping
QUICK START GUIDE Double-Tapping You can double-tap the screen to zoom in and then double-tap again to zoom back out. This works in many places, such as web pages, mail messages, and pictures (see Figure 10). Double-tap the Double-tap again Slide your finger around to screen to zoom in.
Page 45: Pinching
2. Gradually slide your fingers closed, so they touch. The screen zooms out. At some point, you Lift your hands from the Pinch your fingers open cannot zoom in any screen and then pinch to zoom in. further. The DROID will open again to zoom in vibrate and let you know. more.
Page 46: App Reference Tables
Getting Started Table 2 provides some quick links to help you connect your DROID to the Web (using Wi-Fi or 3G); buy and enjoy songs or videos; lock your DROID or power it off; unlock your DROID; and more.
Page 47 Press and hold Getting Started – Ch. 1 on or off. this key located on the DROID’s top edge. See all icons on your DROID in the Getting Started – Ch. 1 Launcher App Tray. Adjust settings Settings > Wi-Fi or and connect to Settings >...
Page 48: Stay Connected And Organized
Phone – Ch. 7 Call and chat with Social Networking and Skype mobile friends. Skype – Ch. 20 Control your iPod and DROID with your voice. Voice Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search – Command Ch. 2 (Press and hold the Home button.)
Page 49: Entertaining Yourself
Entertaining Yourself You can have lots of fun with your DROID; Table 4 shows you a few ways to get started. For example, you can use your DROID to view movies and TV shows, as well as to check out free Internet radio with Pandora.
Page 50 QUICK START GUIDE To Do This… Use This… Where to Learn More Browse and download apps Market DROID App Guide – Appendix A right to your DROID. See playlists, artists,songs, Music – Ch. 14 albums, Music audiobooks, and more. Listen to free Pandora Music –...
Page 51: Staying Informed
QUICK START GUIDE Staying Informed You can also use your DROID to read your favorite magazine or newspaper with up-to- the-minute vibrant pictures and videos (see Table 5). Or, you can use it to check out the latest weather reports.
Page 52: Networking Socially
QUICK START GUIDE Networking Socially You can also use your DROID to connect to and stay up-to-date with friends, colleagues, and professional networks using the social networking tools on your DROID (see Table 6). Table 6. Networking Socially. To Do This…...
Page 53: Being Productive
QUICK START GUIDE Being Productive A DROID can also help you be more productive. You can use it to access and read just about any PDF file or other document with the GoodReader app. You can also take notes with the basic Notes app or step up to the advanced Evernote app, which has amazing capabilities for integrating audio, pictures, and text notes, as well as the ability to sync everything to a web site.
Page 54: Part Ii: Introduction
Part Introduction Welcome to your new DROID—and to the book that tells you what you need to know to get the most out of it. In this part we show you how the book is organized and where to go to find what you need. We even show you how to get some great tips and tricks sent...
Page 56: Introduction
Congratulations on Your New DROID! You hold in your hands perhaps the most powerful smartphones available today, a phone that is also a media player, e-book reader, gaming machine, life organizer, and just about everything else available today: the DROID.
Page 57 Be sure to check out our DROID App Guide in Appendix A at the end of the book to explore more than 80 apps that the authors have reviewed and tested to help you get the most out of your DROID.
Page 58: Referring To Your Droid
Also remember that devices this powerful are not always easy to grasp—at first. You will get the most out of your DROID if you can read a section and then try out what you just read. We all know that reading and then doing an activity gives us a much higher retention rate than simply reading alone.
Page 59: Quickly Locating Tips, Cautions, And Notes
We also show you how to use Mass Storage mode to transfer media and documents using the USB cable. The more of your media you can load on your DROID, the more fun you will have with it. Appendix A: DROID App Guide...
Page 60: Free Droid Email Tips
Click the “Free Tips” link and register for your tips in order to receive a tip right in your DROID inbox about once a week. Learning in small chunks is a great way to master your DROID!
Page 61 INTRODUCTION...
Page 62: Part Iii: You And Your Droid
DROID, but we also include some fun and useful apps you can download from the Android Market. Sure, the DROID can help you get work done, but it’s for a whole lot more, too. We finish with some handy...
Page 64: Chapter 1: Getting Started
In this chapter, we will tell you everything you need to know to get up and running on your DROID. This chapter will go into a little more detail than you saw in the Quick Start Guide. First, we will go around the outside of the DROID and describe what each of the buttons and keys on your device does.
Page 65: What Is Included In The Box
What Is Included in the Box The DROID box may seem small, but it contains everything you need to get started (your DROID, a USB cable, and wall plug adapter) except for a good manual – which is why we wrote this book! The USB Cable This is the cable that connects your DROID to your computer.
Page 66: Volume Buttons
CHAPTER 1: Getting Started Volume Buttons The Volume buttons located on the upper- Volume buttons right side of your DROID perform multiple Raise or lower functions, depending on the context in phone ring tone, which you press them. music volume and phone volume.
Page 67: Slide To Unlock
Along the bottom of your DROID, you will find four buttons: Menu, Home, Back, and Search. Note that these buttons do not appear in the same order on all DROID models. (Be sure to check out the Quick Start Guide earlier in this book to learn what each of the...
Page 68: Slide-Out Keyboard (For Droid And Droid 2)
Slide-out Keyboard (for DROID and DROID 2) If you own the DROID, DROID 2, or DROID 2 Global, then you have a physical slide-out keyboard. Slide it out from the left side of the phone and turn the phone to Landscape mode to type using the keyboard (see Figure 1–2).
Page 69: Dedicated Camera Button
BATTERY REMOVAL HERE. The DROID X has a plastic tab you can pull to remove the battery. 4. Figure 1–3 shows where the memory card slots are located on your phone. You find these slots in different places on the DROID X and DROID 2 models.
Page 70: Adjusting The Date, Time, Time Zone, And 24-Hour Format
Figure 1–3. How to insert a memory card into your DROID. Adjusting the Date, Time, Time Zone, and 24-Hour Format Usually, the date and time is set and adjusted automatically on your DROID using the wireless network. However, there may be a few adjustments you might want to make, such as your time and date formats.
Page 71 CHAPTER 1: Getting Started 3. You can see that the Automatic box at the top is checked (set to On) in the figure to the right. If you want to manually adjust the date, time zone, and/or time, then you have to uncheck the Automatic setting (i.e., set it to Off).
Page 72: Adjusting The Droid's Brightness
Home screen. Adjusting the DROID’s Brightness The wonderful screen on your DROID is also one of the largest consumers of your battery life. The default is automatic brightness, which uses the built-in light sensor to adjust the brightness of the screen. When it is darker in your immediate environment, the auto-brightness control will dim the screen.
Page 73: Charging Your Droid And Battery Life Tips
Your DROID may already have some battery life, but you might want to charge it completely, so you can enjoy uninterrupted hours of use after you get it set up. TIP: We recommend charging your DROID every night, especially if you use it a lot during the day for phone calls or web browsing.
Page 74 CHAPTER 1: Getting Started Stopping the Verizon VCAST Video Auto-play (Windows PC) If you plug your DROID into a Windows PC, you might see your web browser pop up and start automatically playing a Verizon VCAST promotional video. If your computer speaker volume is turned up relatively high, you might be really surprised by this video.
Page 75 Getting More Out of Each Charge Following these tips will help you extend your DROID’s battery life: 1. Put the DROID into Sleep mode whenever possible: Tap the Power/Lock button on the upper-right edge of the device to put it into Sleep mode whenever you are not using it.
Page 76 Wi-Fi by going to Settings > Wireless & Networks > Set Wi-Fi to Off. TIP: DROID 2 and X users can swipe left to the second of the seven Home screens, and then tap the Wi-Fi switch that looks like this to turn Wi-Fi off or on.
Page 77 CHAPTER 1: Getting Started Using the Battery Manager To see the Battery Manager (DROID 2 and DROID X) shown to the right, tap your Settings icon, then swipe up and tap Battery Manager. The Checkmark in the large Battery icon shows that the DROID is currently being charged.
Page 78 CHAPTER 1: Getting Started Tap Battery mode at the bottom of the screen to see available modes, as shown to the right. To save battery life, you need to reduce the frequency of automatic data updates and make the screen a little dimmer. The top two settings will allow you to get more battery life.
Page 79: Setting Up Accounts On Your Droid
No matter what you do, you will want to find more places and more ways to charge your DROID if you use it a lot. Table 1–1 shows you some other options for charging your DROID besides using your power cord or connecting it to your computer.
Page 80: Setting Up Your Google Account
Google Checkout app to complete the transaction. The default email account is Gmail, and the default calendar is Google Calendar. Here are a few of the default Google services you’ll get to know as you use your DROID: Gmail (Google’s email program), Google Calendar, Google Maps, Google Checkout (a payment system like the one from PayPal), Picasa (a photo upload and sharing site like Flickr), and YouTube (a video upload and sharing service).
Page 81: Setting Up More Types Of Accounts
After you get your accounts set up, you may be wondering where you can find your email. There are two icons for email on your DROID: Email and Gmail. The one called Email handles all email accounts except Gmail. And, as you might imagine, you use the Gmail app for all your Gmail accounts.
Page 82: Securing Your Droid
Securing Your DROID Your DROID can hold a great deal of valuable information. This is especially true if you save information such as the Social Security numbers and birthdates of your family members in your Contacts list. It’s a good idea to make sure that anyone who picks up your DROID can’t access all that information!
Page 83 If someone is watching you do this, however, then that person may be able to see your pattern code. By default the DROID will not lock for 20 minutes, so we recommend tapping the Security lock timer and setting it to a smaller interval.
Page 84 CHAPTER 1: Getting Started If you tapped PIN for the security method, then you would need to type a numeric PIN of at least four digits. You can definitely use more, if you like. In this screen shot to the right, we used nine digits.
Page 85: Locking Your Droid
CAUTION: We have heard that sometimes even entering the correct Google information will not allow you to unlock your DROID. If this occurs, then you will need to perform a Hard Reset. See Chapter 24: “Troubleshooting” for detailed information on performing a Hard Reset.
Page 86: Cases And Protective Covers For Your Droid
You could also do a web search for “DROID cases” or“DROID protective covers.” TIP: You may be able to use a case designed for another type of smartphone for your DROID. If you go this route to save some money, just make sure your DROID fits securely in the case or cover.
Page 87 Waterproof Cases ($10–40) What these do: Provide waterproof protection for your DROID and allow you to safely use the DROID near water (in the rain, at the pool, at the beach, on a boat, and so on). Pros: Provide good water protection.
Page 88: Saving Money On Phone Plans
TIP: Check with your workplace to see if it offers special deals on Verizon DROID and rate plans. You might be able to save some money through such a plan.
Page 89: Equipment Insurance Plans
At about $8 / month, you are paying $96 per year. If you add on the $90 deductible, you are still at just $186 in the first year and $276 for the second year. This is well below the $500 - $600 price to buy a new DROID without a service plan.
Page 90: Enhanced Voicemail Plans
Mobile Hotspot or Visual Voicemail. Our recommendation is that you put the service on a recurring monthly reminder on your DROID calendar. This reminder should be set to a day or two before your monthly billing cycle ends. When the reminder comes up, you should check whether there are any features that you want to turn off.
Page 91 Rates and plans vary by cruise line, so give Verizon a call to see what is available. Now that you know all about the various service plans, you are ready to start using your new DROID!
Page 92: Chapter 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, And Search
You can also fine-tune your keyboard to vibrate, click, or be silent when you press keys. Your DROID also comes with accessibility features such as Voice ReadOuts (where the DROID reads the screen out loud) and Zoom Mode (where you zoom in on a section of the screen for easier reading).
Page 93: Two Ways To Type: Multi-Touch And Swype
CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search Two Ways to Type: Multi-touch and Swype Your DROID also gives you two ways to type text on your virtual keyboards: Multi-touch and Swype. We recommend trying both methods and seeing which one works best for you.
Page 94 Swype and Multi- touch keyboards. Swype Typing (DROID 2 and DROID X only) When using the Swype typing method, you touch-and-drag your finger around the screen to cross each of the letters in the word you are typing. With Swype, you only lift your finger after completely touching all the letters.
Page 95 CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search Follow these steps to Using Swype to type the word “hope.” type the word “hope” with Swype: Lift your 1. Touch the Drag finger your keyboard on first on the finger letter (h). last to each Drag...
Page 96 CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search Word Choice Window If Swype cannot figure out what you are trying to type, it shows you a Word Choice window. Follow these tips to navigate the Word Choice window: Tap any word to select it or press the Space key to select the bold word (in this image, merck is bold.) Tap the arrow on the bottom of the...
Page 97 CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search Swype Tips and Tricks Here are some things to keep in mind while using Swype: Touch and hold the Swype key for tips and tricks about how to use Swype. No spaces are necessary. Skip pressing the Space key between words because spaces are automatically inserted.
Page 98: The Device Keyboard (Droid 2 And Similar)
CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search The Device Keyboard (DROID 2 and Similar) If you have a DROID 2 or DROID with a slide out keyboard – also known as the Device keyboard – you can slide it out to type (see Figure 2–3).
Page 99: Dictating Your Text
10-year-old daughter, Cece, did not get quite such accurate results. “My name is Cece,” she said. But the DROID typed out, “I’m a meanie cc.” OK, so it wasn’t quite right, but it gave us a good laugh.
Page 100: Quickly Delete A Word At A Time
Just be patient; it takes practice to become proficient typing quickly with two thumbs. TIP: If you have large hands and fingers, try flipping your DROID on its side to get the larger landscape keyboard! You will eventually notice that the on-screen keyboard touch sensitivity assumes you are typing with two thumbs.
Page 101: Moving The Cursor Around The Screen
CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search Smaller Portrait Keyboard Larger Landscape Keyboard Flip the DROID on its side to get the larger keyboard. Hold the DROID with Type the keys on the Type the keys on the both hands near the...
Page 102 Figure 2–6. Tap the screen to move the cursor around. NOTE: The full and half circles do not appear on the original DROID. Sliding to Exactly Position the Cursor If you need to position the cursor on the...
Page 103: Saving Time With Suggested Words
CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search Keyboard Vibration and Sounds When using the on-screen keyboard, you might find it useful to have some audible or sensory feedback as you press the virtual keys. Follow these steps to toggle a click sound or a short vibration on or off: 1.
Page 104 CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search select it. If the correct word were not highlighted, then we would need to tap the correct word to select it from the list. Suggested words Tap any suggested word or the Space key to select it.
Page 105: Using The Spell Checker
The spell checker on the DROID does not check words after you finish typing them; it only checks words as you type them.
Page 106: Editing Or Deleting Words From The User Dictionary
Accessibility Options There are a number of useful features on the DROID to help with accessibility. For example, the Voice Readouts feature will read text on the screen to you. It will tell you what you tap on, what choices are selected, and even read email. If you like to see things in a larger size, you can turn on the Zoom Mode feature;...
Page 107: Accessibility - Voice Readouts (Reads The Screen)
Accessibility – Voice Readouts (Reads the Screen) One cool feature of the DROID is that it has a Voice Readouts feature you can turn on to make the DROID will speak anything you tap on the screen. You can even get it to read to you from any email or other text-based document.
Page 108: Using Zoom Mode To Magnify A Portion Of The Screen
- = decrease zoom at the top or bottom. You can now see a zoomed in area of the screen inside this box. Figure 2–8. Using Zoom Mode to expand a portion of your DROID screen.
Page 109: Double Tap The Home Button Options
Social Networking, Text Messaging, Voice Command, and Voice Search. NOTE: Double tap home launch is not available on the original DROID. Pressing and Holding to Type Symbols (and More) You might wonder how you type symbols that aren’t shown on the standard keyboard.
Page 110: Toggling Caps Lock
CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search Several characters have special, additional characters associated with them, including all the vowels; the letters “C” and “N”; and the . (period) and $ (dollar) symbols. For example, follow these steps if you want to ¥...
Page 111: Quickly Change Text
CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search Quickly Change Text Sometimes you need to quickly change or delete some text you are typing. Follow these steps to do so: 1. Begin by selecting the desired text by double-tapping it. Notice that the word you tapped is now selected.
Page 112: Changing The Language And Keyboard Options
CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search Changing the Language and Keyboard Options The DROID includes a few keyboard options to make typing on your DROID easier. The keyboard options are located in the Settings app. Follow these steps to change these settings: 1.
Page 113: Voice Command
CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search Voice Command The DROID 2 and DROID X comes with a nice feature called Voice Command that allows you to control many aspects of your phone using your voice. Double-pressing the Home button will usually bring up Voice Command.
Page 114: Texting By Voice
Tap the Send button to send the message. NOTE: On the original DROID, just start the Messaging app and then touch the Microphone icon to speak your text. Using Copy-and-Paste The ability to copy-and-paste is very useful for saving time and increasing your accuracy.
Page 115: Selecting Text
Select all or Select text. TIP: In the Browser, you can save an image to your DROID by pressing and holding it until you see a pop-up menu. Tap Save image to save the image or Set as wallpaper to set the image as your DROID wallpaper.
Page 116: Finding Things With Google Search
DROID, as shown to the left. Follow these steps to start a search for something on your DROID: 1. Press the Search button on the bottom of the DROID and start typing your search word or phrase.
Page 117: Modifying Your Search
For example, you can check the Kindle app to search titles and authors of your Kindle books. You can also check Contacts to search your DROID contact list. Or, you can check Music to quickly search for artists, album names, and song names.
Page 118: Performing The Search
Speak loudly and clearly when you see the Speak now window as shown to the right. Once you stop speaking, the DROID will take a second and do its best to type what you just spoke and search for it.
Page 119: Adding The Google Search Widget To Your Home Screen
CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search In the image shown to the right, we searched for “pizza 32174.” This search quickly found all pizza restaurants in the ZIP code 32174. You could search for anything, including the following: Golf courses Bars Plumbers Libraries...
Page 120 CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search Now you have instant access to Google Search right from your Home screen.
Page 121 CHAPTER 2: Typing, Voice, Copy, and Search...
Page 122: Chapter 3: Sync Your Droid With Your Google Account
Sync Your DROID With Your Google Account In order to use a DROID, you must have a Google Account. You can still check your work email and use other accounts, but you must have at least one Google Account. When you activate a new DROID, setting up a Google Account is the second thing you’ll do, right after activating the phone number itself with Verizon Wireless.
Page 123: Activating Your Google Account
CHAPTER 3: Sync Your DROID With Your Google Account Activating Your Google Account You have two basic choices: you can use a Google Account you’ve already created, or you can create one. Once you’ve completed this step, you can also go back and add multiple Google Accounts;...
Page 124 CHAPTER 3: Sync Your DROID With Your Google Account 5. Google will indicate if this is a “strong” password. Our experience is that Google overrates the strength of passwords, so try to create a password that has at least one number, punctuation character, and at least one capital letter.
Page 125: The Wonders Of The Cloud
@ sign, and your DROID will autocomplete the rest. Once you’re done adding the first account, the DROID will ask if you’d like to add more Google Accounts. To add multiple accounts, just press the Google button and repeat the same steps.
Page 126 Google’s answer to Flickr. If you want to upload pictures from your phone to the Web, this is the default location for sharing such pictures on the DROID. You may want to set up your account with albums and public or private sharing permissions if you need to share photos as part of your job.
Page 127: What To Do When Your Calendar And Contacts Are Not Already In Google
TIP: Most DROIDs do not come with a SIM card. The exception is the DROID 2 Global. This is because they run on Verizon Wireless’ CDMA network and not on a GSM network. This means you won’t be able to transfer contacts by popping a SIM card between phones, but your Google...
Page 128: Fine Tuning Your Droid Sync
NOTE: If you can get the data to Google Contacts at http://www.google.com/contacts, it will appear on your phone after you setup your Google Account on your DROID. The backup plan, if none of the sync or import options work is that you can add your contacts manually. See Chapter 12: “Using your Contacts.”...
Page 129 CHAPTER 3: Sync Your DROID With Your Google Account Figure 3–4 guides you through the steps for enabling and disabling Google syncing; follow these steps to do so: 1. From the Home screen, press the Menu button. 2. Tap Settings, then tap Accounts.
Page 130: Chapter 4: Other Sync Methods
NOTE: We cover how to sync media and other files such as documents using free software options in Chapter 25: "DROID Media Sync." We discuss ways to sync your email in Chapter 9: "Email on Your DROID."...
Page 131 CHAPTER 4: Other Sync Methods Table 4–1 provides a brief overview of the sync options covered in this chapter. Table 4–1. Alternative Sync Methods for Your DROID. Type of Information Google Calendar Missing Sync Companion Link Sync Android Outlook Contacts...
Page 132: Backing Up Your Outlook Data
CHAPTER 4: Other Sync Methods Backing up Your Outlook Data Before you start syncing your Outlook data, we recommend taking a backup copy of your Outlook data. This may be a single file or several files, depending on how your system is setup.
Page 133: Google Calendar Sync For Outlook (Windows Pc)
Google Calendar. From the Google Calendar, you use the standard DROID sync software described in Chapter 3 to sync Google to your DROID. It is a two-step sync: Outlook to Google Calendar to DROID Calendar. For this sync to stay updated, your computer needs to be turned on, Microsoft Outlook needs to be running, along with the Google Calendar sync, and you need an Internet connection.
Page 134: Downloading And Installing
CHAPTER 4: Other Sync Methods Downloading and Installing Download the software from Google. To find the software, go to www.google.com/sync/index.html. You will most likely see a web page similar to the one shown in Figure 4–1. Click on PC to go to the Google Outlook Calendar Sync for Windows page. Follow the instructions on the website to install the software.
Page 135 4. Then choose your Sync Options. You probably want the 2-way sync unless you have a strong reason for 1-way sync. With the 2-way sync, any updates you make on your DROID Calendar will by synced to Google and back to Outlook and vice-versa. Everything is kept up-to-date.
Page 136: Troubleshooting Google Calendar Sync
6. When you are done, click Save to start the calendar sync from Outlook to Google. 7. Remember to follow the steps shown in Chapter 3 to get your DROID Calendar to sync wirelessly with your Google Calendar.
Page 137: Missing Sync For Android
Missing Sync for Android The Missing Sync for Android from Mark/Space, Inc. provides you the ability to sync from your Windows or Mac PC to your DROID. Items that you can sync are: Outlook or Entourage Calendar, Contacts, and Notes...
Page 138: Supported Software (What You Need)
Windows Media Player to sync media An active Internet connection Three free apps for your DROID to fully take advantage of the synced data. All three are available in the Android Market app. The Missing Sync for Android...
Page 139 CHAPTER 4: Other Sync Methods 3. Once you have installed the software, locate and double-click on the application icon on your PC or Mac. You should see a settings screen similar to the one shown in Figure 4–3. Figure 4–3. Missing Sync for Android Sync Setup Window. 4.
Page 140 Photos, Ringtones (create and sync), SMS Log (keep track of SMS messages received and sent), Video (copy and re-format videos to play on your DROID or copy videos recorded on your DROID to your computer). 7. When you are done configuring all...
Page 141: Installing And Setting Up The Droid Software
CHAPTER 4: Other Sync Methods Installing and Setting Up the DROID Software Go to the Android Market app and search for "Missing Sync for Android," then tap that application. Scroll down a little and tap View more applications to see all the applications by Mark/Space, the developer.
Page 142: Companionlink For Android
Google. The CompanionLink for Outlook software provides two-way sync from Outlook to Google (then you sync your DROID to Google) or Outlook direct via a USB cable to your DROID. In this book, we have chosen to focus on the CompanionLink for Outlook product with the setup that it syncs to your Google Account.
Page 143: Reviews Of Companionlink And Dejaoffice App
Keep in mind that you only need to install the DejaOffice app if you want to use the USB cable to sync directly from Outlook to your DROID and skip the sync to Google. If you go with the USB sync option, you have the benefit of not having your data pass through Google;...
Page 144: Supported Software (What You Need)
An active Internet connection A Google, Gmail, or Google Apps account DejaOffice app (free) on your DROID only if you choose the USB or CL Hosted Server Sync options. NOTE: At the time of publishing, the CompanionLink did not support any Mac software applications includingOffice 2011 for Mac.
Page 145: Downloading And Installing The Pc Software
Companion Link secure server then to your DROID. Android direct via USB — This will sync from your PC through the USB cable directly to your DROID. If you choose this option, you need to install the DejaOffice app on your DROID.
Page 146 CHAPTER 4: Other Sync Methods Figure 4–4. CompanionLink for Outlook Sync Setup Window. 4. Next, click (Select your Contact Manager) to select your software. In this case, we selected Microsoft Outlook 2000 - 2010. 5. Click Google Settings from the main settings screen to see the Google Settings pop-up window shown to the right.
Page 147 CHAPTER 4: Other Sync Methods 6. Next, click Outlook Settings from the main setup screen to see the screen to the right. Make adjustments to Selected Categories, if you choose. 7. Click the Applications tab to adjust how to sync your data. Each check shows you want to sync Contacts, Calendar, or Tasks.
Page 148 12. Finally, if you have not already done so, you need to follow the steps in Chapter 3 to set up access from your DROID to the Google Account to which you just synced all your Outlook Contact and Calendar information.
Page 149: Installing And Setting Up The Droid Software (Only Required For Usb Sync Or Cl Hosted Server Options)
If you are using the sync method just described above from Outlook to Google, you don't need to install any additional software on your DROID. Instead, your calendar and contacts flow from Google to your DROID native Contacts and Calendar apps after you setup your Google Account as shown in Chapter 3.
Page 150: Troubleshooting Companionlink
Calendar), and Release Notes (notes from the developer about this release of the DejaOffice app). 3. Think of DejaOffice as your mobile version of Outlook on your DROID. Troubleshooting CompanionLink The CompanionLink website provides a FAQ (frequently asked questions), video tutorials, Set Up Guides, and the ability to contact tech support via e-mail or purchase premium support for US$99 for 12 months (as of publishing time).
Page 151 CHAPTER 4: Other Sync Methods...
Page 152: Chapter 5: Wi-Fi And 3G Connectivity
Chapter Wi-Fi and 3G Connectivity Let’s face it, you wouldn’t buy a DROID if you didn’t want to go online. Going online doesn’t just mean using the built-in web browser in Android. Whether you’re using apps or checking your contact list, talking on the phone is just about the only activity that doesn’t involve using your data plan.
Page 153: 3G And 4G
Wi-Fi that can be broadcast for miles instead of several dozen feet. The bad news is that you will not be able to connect to 4G networks on your DROID, DROID X or DROID 2. Your phone must be specifically made to take advantage of 4G networks.
Page 154: Wi-Fi
4G signals and create your own portable Wi-Fi hotspot. Wi-Fi Wi-Fi signals are generally the fastest way to connect your DROID to the Internet. This is the same technology that connects laptops and other wireless devices to networks. It’s fast but short-range, and it’s not the same signal that telecommunications companies...
Page 155: Wi-Fi Security
The clear advantage of Wi-Fi is speed. Wi-Fi is superior when it comes to uploading or watching videos. Its chief disadvantage is distance. If you’re not within range of a Wi-Fi network all day or even most of the day, you can extend your DROID’s battery life by turning off your Wi-Fi signal.
Page 156: Bluetooth
Creating a Wi-Fi Hotspot with Your DROID If you pay for mobile hotspot access, which is an add-on service for DROID phones, you can use Verizon’s 3G Mobile Hotspot app to turn your DROID into a wireless modem for your laptop or other device, as shown in Figure 5–3.
Page 157 Hotspot and The SSID- Hotspot app. configure it for Service Set the first time. Identifier is the name of Connect to your hotspot. your DROID just like any Choose a other type of network. security. WPA2 is the Mobile default.
Page 158: Troubleshooting Connections
TIP: Creating a Wi-Fi hotspot uses a lot of energy and drains a battery quickly. Connect your DROID to your laptop with a USB cable to keep the phone charged while surfing. Users on Verizon’s support forum have also reported that June Fabric’s PDAnet program works on their DROID and allows them to tether their 3G connection through their USB port.
Page 159: Managing Power
Figure 5–4 shows how the Data manager settings can help you save battery time, as well as how to disable data roaming. On the DROID 2 and DROID X, you can also turn off data completely for those times you really need to preserve your battery.
Page 160: Airplane Mode
3. Use the same steps to exit Airplane mode. Your DROID also comes with a Motorola widget to toggle Airplane mode on and off. TIP: In addition to using Airplane mode to avoid roaming charges, you can use it to avoid calls, emails, and other distractions during important meetings.
Page 161: Vnc
CHAPTER 5: Wi-Fi and 3G Connectivity VNC, or Virtual Network Computing, provides a way to share screens remotely and control one device from another, even if that device runs on a different platform. If you leave your office or home computer on at all times and your office allows it, then you can use VNC to check documents, email, or execute work tasks from wherever you are.
Page 162: Chapter 6: Organize Your Home Screen: Icons And Widgets
DROID came with. You can customize your phone to match your personality and the way you use the device by adding and rearranging icons and widgets.
Page 163: The App Tray
“press” for clarity. You’ll generally feel some haptic feedback when you use the long press – the DROID will vibrate slightly to let you know that you’ve done something different than a regular tap.
Page 164: Adding Bookmarks To Your Home Screen
CHAPTER 6: Organize Your Home Screen: Icons and Widgets Long press Launch the app Your app icon will Long press on the appear on the tray by tapping desired app by Home screen. Long Launcher icon on pressing until you press and drag the the center bottom feel the vibration.
Page 165 CHAPTER 6: Organize Your Home Screen: Icons and Widgets Long press The shortcut will Long press on the Tap Add shortcut have a specific icon bookmark you wish to Home. The for some sites and to add to the Home shortcut will be a generic star for screen.
Page 166: Adding Shortcuts
CHAPTER 6: Organize Your Home Screen: Icons and Widgets Adding Shortcuts When you long press on the Home screen, you’ll see the menu shown to the right. One of your menu choices is Shortcuts. Shortcuts aren’t reserved for bookmarks. You can add shortcuts for individual contacts, Gmail labels, items in the Settings menu, and more.
Page 167: Widgets
Home screen. Figure 6–3. Some Android widgets. Your DROID comes with two basic styles of widgets: the standard Android widget and the Motorola widget. Motorola widgets were created as part of the Motorola DROID modifications, and they behave a bit differently than standard widgets by letting you resize them.
Page 168: Android Widget Size
CHAPTER 6: Organize Your Home Screen: Icons and Widgets Long press Tap on the desired The widget appears Long press on the widget. In this on the screen. Long Home screen Tap to select case, it’s the press and drag to where you wish to Android widgets.
Page 169: Motorola Widgets
Motorola Widgets Your DROID ships with a few Android widgets, and you can download a nearly endless supply from the Android Market. Your DROID 2, DROID 2 Global, and DROID X also ships with Motorola widgets that aren’t available for download. Table 6–1 has a rundown of the different Motorola widgets and what they do.
Page 170 Photo slideshow: This is a gallery widget that displays an interactive slideshow of photos you’ve taken from your DROID. You can also use it as a quick shortcut to your DROID’s gallery and camera apps. You can only have one Photo slideshow widget at a time.
Page 171 DROID. Toggle it off when you’re out of Wi-Fi range to save battery time. Motorola widgets have a lot in common with Android widgets, but they also give you an extra bonus in flexibility. Motorola widgets are resizable, so they’ll take up as much or as...
Page 172: Adding And Resizing Motorola Widgets
Once you’ve added a widget, you can follow these steps to resize that widget to fit on your screen: 1. Long press on a Motorola widget until your DROID vibrates and you see a green halo around the widget. 2. A frame appears around the widget. Drag the corners of the frame to resize the...
Page 173: Removing Unwanted Items From The Home Screen
Removing Unwanted Items from the Home Screen The Android Home screen Tips widget is only useful when you first get started with your DROID. After a while, you may want to remove it to make space for other app icons, widgets, or shortcuts.
Page 174: Live Wallpapers
Several Live wallpapers come with your DROID, including the red, lit robotic eye that you see in the DROID commercials. You can also download new wallpapers both as free and paid apps.
Page 175: Media Gallery
Media Gallery You might want to use a photo you took on your DROID as your wallpaper; this is easy to do, and it falls into the Media Gallery wallpaper category. Keep in mind that you can only use a portion of the photo, and the entire photo will not display at once. You might also notice that the portion of the image you see is actually thinner than your Home screens.
Page 176: Chapter 7: Making Phone Calls
Chapter Making Phone Calls The DROID is capable of so many cool things that it’s easy to forget that it’s also a very powerful phone. In this chapter, we will cover the many DROID features you would expect from a high-end smartphone. You can dial by name, save time by using your recent call logs, dial by voice, use speed dial numbers, and use Basic or Visual Voicemail features.
Page 177: Finding Your Droid Phone Number
TIP: You can also check your phone number using Voice Command on the DROID 2 and DROID X. From the Phone dialer screen, tap the Voice Command icon just to the right of the Green phone icon and say, “Check my phone number.”...
Page 178: Examining Different Phone Views
CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls Notice the mute icon is shown in status bar. Slide this to Slide again to mute your un-mute your ringer and ringer and other sounds. other sounds. Icon shows you are currently in mute mode. Slide Slide Figure 7–1.
Page 179: Using The Dialer Keypad
The simplest way to make a call is to use the Dialer. The numbers on the screen are large, so it’s easy to dial a number. Follow these steps to use the Dialer app or Phone app on the original DROID to make a call: 1. Tap the Dialer icon (see Figure 7–3).
Page 180 (Dial by voice.) the call. Figure 7–3. Dialing phone numbers with your DROID keypad. TIP: You can redial the number you just called by tapping the Green phone key on the Dialer pad. You will see the most recent number you dialed appear; tap the Green phone key again to place the call.
Page 181: Dialing Digits While On A Call
If you are in one of the many states or provinces where you cannot legally hold your DROID while driving a car, you will want to purchase a Bluetooth headset or use a Bluetooth car stereo connection to talk hands-free (please see Chapter 8: “Bluetooth on...
Page 182: Opening Other Apps While On A Call
Opening Other Apps While on a Call It’s easy to multitask on your DROID. This is especially useful when you are on a phone call. For example, you can press the Home button to jump back to the Home screen and start another app, or long-press the Home button to jump to a recently used app.
Page 183: Using Speed Dial On Your Droid (Droid 2 And Droid X Only)
Slide Figure 7–4. Getting back to the call in progress from any app. Using Speed Dial on Your DROID (DROID 2 and DROID X only) The Speed Dial feature lets you use the number keys on the phone’s dialpad to quickly dial phone numbers.
Page 184: Using Speed Dial
Using Speed Dial It’s easy to use the DROID’s speed dial feature to make a call. Follow these steps to do 1. Bring up the keypad on the phone by tapping the Phone icon and then tapping the Dialer soft key.
Page 185 CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls Tap this bar Tap the Recent soft to filter key to see this screen. your view. Select a You see only different phone numbers way to when they are not filter your in your contacts. view.
Page 186 Sending a Text Message to a Recent Caller Another cool DROID ability: You can send a text message to a recent caller. To do so, long-press the name or phone number in the Recent list and select Send text message.
Page 187 CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls 3. When done, tap Add at the bottom to assign this speed dial number to a recent caller. Tapping the Contact Icon to Access Other Features When you tap the icon shown to the left of the contact name in your Recent list, a little Quick Access pop-up appears above the icon.
Page 188 CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls NOTE: On the original DROID, you only see the contact icons in the Contacts and Favorites sections of the Phone app. NOTE: Certain icons will not appear in the Quick Access window if you do not have the related information stored in your Contacts app.
Page 189: Placing Calls From Contacts
One of the great things about having all your contact information in your phone is that it becomes very easy to place calls from your Contacts list on the DROID. Follow these steps to call someone in your Contacts list: 1.
Page 190: Using Favorites
CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls Using Favorites Your Favorites view shows both contacts you have specifically assigned as Favorites and frequently called contacts. This is a nice view because it can save you time by putting your contacts just a tap away.
Page 191 CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls 6. Long-press the contact you want to add as a Favorite and select Add to favorites. TIP: You can also make any contact a Favorite by just touching the star next to his name in your Contacts app. Calling a Favorite To call any Favorite, touch the Green phone icon next to the name of the contact in your Favorites screen.
Page 192: Voice Dialing
You can use your voice to dial names and phone numbers from a variety of places on your DROID. Here are three options you have for dialing a call with your voice: Tap the Voice dialing icon in the lower-left corner of the Dialer app’s Dialer screen.
Page 193: Conference Calling
Voice dialing icon in the lower-right corner of the Dialer app’s Dialpad screen. Conference Calling You can get a conference call going fairly easily on your DROID. Follow these steps to do so: 1. Call the first person and press the Add call button.
Page 194 CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls 3. Once the second person is connected, you see a large Green phone icon in the center of the screen and the green Merge calls button. Tap Merge calls to put the callers together in a conference call. 4.
Page 195: Accessing Voicemail
Setting up Basic Voicemail Setting up basic voicemail features on your DROID requires only a handful of steps: 1. Tap the Dialer icon or Phone icon on the original DROID.
Page 196 Getting Your DROID to Enter Your Voicemail Password Normally, you have to type in your voicemail password or PIN every time you call voicemail. This tip will allow you to have it automatically entered for you by your DROID: 1. Start your Contacts app.
Page 197: Visual Voicemail
– and without dialing them each time. We definitely recommend you secure your DROID with a password or other method if you choose to enter sensitive information such as bank access passwords in your DROID contacts.
Page 198 CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls Follow these steps to access the Visual Voicemail service from your DROID: 1. Tap the Dialer icon. 2. Tap the Voicemail icon in the bottom row of soft keys next to the Green phone key.
Page 199 CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls Unsubscribing from Visual Voicemail If you decide you want to turn off and stop paying for the Visual Voicemail service, you can do so, but the wireless carrier wants to make absolutely certain you want to stop using the service; you need to confirm your choice four times! Follow these steps to cancel the Visual Voicemail service:...
Page 200 CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls Archiving or Deleting Multiple Messages Sometimes you may want to archive or delete multiple voicemail messages at once. Follow these steps to do so: 1. From your Visual Voicemail inbox, press the Menu button and tap Select Multiple.
Page 201: Using Google Voice
CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls Using Google Voice If you already use the Google Voice app, you will want to install it on your DROID. If you are new to Google Voice, then you should know that this is a great service that gives you the following features for free: Ring all your phones simultaneously –...
Page 202: Setting Up Google Voice
The first time you start the app, you need to log in. You need to use the Google account you used to set up your Google Voice account. This account could be the same or different from your default Google account on your DROID. After logging in, you have a few things to set up.
Page 203 CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls Now select whether you want to use the Google Voice app’s Voicemail service on your DROID. We recommend doing this because it gives you free visual voicemail and transcription of all your voicemail messages. Make sure that you tap Google Voice when shown the screen to the right.
Page 204: Placing Calls With Google Voice
The caller ID displayed on the phone of the person you are calling will show your Google Voice number, not the number of your DROID. That way, the person will call you back on your Google Voice number. This also means that you can use the enhanced voicemail services of Google Voice.
Page 205: Customizing Phone Options And Settings
CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls Customizing Phone Options and Settings You can customize your DROID phone by going into the Settings app. Follow these steps to do so: 1. Tap the Settings icon. 2. Tap Call settings. From this screen, you can configure the following options: Voicemail service and settings –...
Page 206 CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls TTY Mode – This option specifies the deaf accessibility settings for the DROID. Possible values for this option are Off, Full, HCO, or VCO. DTMF Tones – This option sets the length of the tones you hear when you press a key on the dialpad between Normal (default) and Long.
Page 207: Sounds, Ring Tones, And Vibration
Balloons by Nena. Press the Menu button and select Use as ringtone. TIP: Check out Chapter 25: “DROID Media Sync” to learn how to get your music onto your DROID. Using Custom Ringtones and Alerts You can customize the way your DROID sounds by using the preloaded DROID ringtones and notifications.
Page 208: Copying Custom Ringtones And Alerts To Your Droid
TIP: The steps described in this section will also work for custom ringtones and alarms – once you have them synced to your device. You will learn how to sync these to your DROID later in this chapter.
Page 209 CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls 1. Connect your DROID to your computer with the USB cable. 2. Drag your finger down from the top of the status bar to open your Notifications screen, and then tap the USB connection setting.
Page 210: Selecting A New Ringtone For Text Messaging
7. Next, disconnect your DROID by unplugging the USB cable from your computer. This step is important; otherwise, your DROID will not be able to see the new ringtones and notifications you have added.
Page 211: Assigning Custom Ringtones To Contacts
Sometimes, it is both fun and useful to give a unique ringtone to a certain contacts in your address book. This way, you know who is calling without looking at your phone. You can use ringtones that are already on your DROID, or you can use one of the following options to get new ringtones: Purchase ringtones using the Amazon MP3 or DROID Market apps on your DROID.
Page 212: Purchasing A Ringtone From The Amazon Mp3
CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls NOTE: On the original DROID, press the Menu button, then press Options and then select Ringtone and choose a unique ringtone. Purchasing a Ringtone from the Amazon MP3 The Amazon MP3 app connects you to a site where you can purchase files that can serve as ringtones.
Page 213 CHAPTER 7: Making Phone Calls...
Page 214: Chapter 8: Bluetooth On Your Droid
Chapter Bluetooth on Your DROID In this chapter, we will show you how to pair your DROID with any Bluetooth device, whether it is another computer, stereo speakers, or a wireless headset. Thanks to the technology known as A2DP, you can also stream your music to a capable Bluetooth stereo.
Page 215: Understanding Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a small radio that transmits from each device. Before you can use a peripheral with the DROID, you have to “pair” it with that device to connect it to the peripheral. Many Bluetooth devices can be used up to 30 feet away from the DROID.
Page 216: Pairing With A Bluetooth Device
Your primary uses for Bluetooth might be with Bluetooth headphones, Bluetooth stereo adapters, or a Bluetooth headset. Any Bluetooth headphones should work well with your DROID. To start using any Bluetooth device, you need to first pair (connect) it with your DROID.
Page 217 CHAPTER 8: Bluetooth on Your DROID Figure 8–1. Bluetooth device discovered and in process of pairing. NOTE: In the case of a Bluetooth device, such as a computer, you may be asked to enter a series of numbers (passkey) on the keyboard itself or confirm that a passkey is being shown. See Figure 8–2.
Page 218: Using The Bluetooth Headset
Usually you can just press the main button on the headset to answer the call or answer it on the DROID. Move the phone away from your face (while the DROID is dialing), and you should see the indicator showing you that the Bluetooth headset is in use. In the image you see that the Bluetooth icon is activated.
Page 219: Bluetooth Stereo (A2Dp)
Bluetooth selected. Figure 8–3. Changing from Bluetooth headset back to the DROID while on a call. Bluetooth Stereo (A2DP) One of the great features of today’s advanced Bluetooth technology is the ability to stream your music without wires via Bluetooth. The fancy name for this technology is A2DP, but it is simply known as Stereo Bluetooth.
Page 220 You will now notice a small Bluetooth icon in the middle of top status bar. Touch the Volume buttons on the side of your DROID to adjust the volume of the paired Bluetooth device streaming your music (see Figure 8–4).
Page 221: Disconnecting A Bluetooth Device
CHAPTER 8: Bluetooth on Your DROID Disconnecting a Bluetooth Device Sometimes, you might want to disconnect a Bluetooth device from your DROID. It is easy to get this done. Get into the Bluetooth settings as you did earlier in this chapter.
Page 222: Chapter 9: Email On Your Droid
One of the big reasons to have a smartphone is to keep on top of your email. Your DROID allows you to keep track of both personal and corporate email. It works with Microsoft Exchange accounts, Yahoo! Email, and, of course, your Gmail account. You can sync your phone with all your accounts, and you can create signatures to let your recipients know you’re responding from your phone, if you choose.
Page 223: Getting To Know Gmail
“Organize Your Home Screens: Icons and Widgets.” Getting to Know Gmail Gmail is the default email app for Android phones, and your DROID ships with the Gmail app icon displaying on the Home screen. Go to http://mail.google.com to get started with a free Gmail account.
Page 224: Understanding Gmail Mobile
CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID TIP: Although it’s not a faux pas to use a Gmail address for professional correspondence, you can use Google Apps to send and receive Gmail through custom business domains. If you own a small- to medium-sized business, you can take advantage of their services from either the limited free “standard”...
Page 225 CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID If you don’t ever want a message again, by all means delete it. Email sent to the trash is permanently deleted after thirty days. However, messages you might need later should be archived. To archive a message from the Web, select the check box next to the message, and then press the Archive button.
Page 226: Priority Inbox
CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID Priority Inbox Google introduced a new feature called the Priority Inbox. What this is meant to do is filter your important email from what some call bacn. Bacn (pronounced “bacon”) messages are those newsletters, alerts, and coupons that you did at some point sign up to receive and you probably do want to read, just not right now.
Page 227 CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID You’ll notice that Starred is also a label. Click the empty star to the left of a message in order to “star” it or give it the star label. That highlights the message with a yellow star.
Page 228: Automatic Filters
CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID Automatic Filters Automatic filters are probably one of the most powerful tools in any email program. When combined with labels, Gmail lets you do quite a lot with filters. 1. Click the check box next to one or more messages.
Page 229: General Settings
CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID General Settings The first tab offers some general settings. Make sure your browser connection is set to always use https://. That makes sure you use a more secure connection to check your email when using a web browser. It’s also the default setting, so if you don’t have either one selected, it’s still using the secure connection.
Page 230 Your default address is the address you’ll use to compose new messages. You can also add more accounts from your DROID without joining them in your Gmail account. It’s just a matter of deciding how you’d rather manage your email accounts.
Page 231: Web Version From Your Phone
CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID Labs, Themes, Offline These are settings that apply only to the web-based version of Gmail. Gmail Labs allows you to add experimental features that may or may not make it into the main release. Themes allow you to customize the look and feel of your Gmail Web experience, and offline access lets you read and compose Gmail messages while not connected to the Internet.
Page 232: Sending And Replying To Email
Figure 9–3. Composing Gmail messages. 1. Navigate to the correct account, click the menu button, and select Compose. If you’re using a DROID or DROID 2 with a keyboard, you can slide it out or just use the virtual keyboards.
Page 233: Search
Gmail. Whenever you’re in the Gmail app, press the physical Search button on your DROID, and you can search through your messages. The search tool will auto-suggest as you type.
Page 234: Custom Signatures
Do you want the phone to vibrate? Do you want an update in your status bar? Or, you may want your DROID to do nothing, so you can review new email when you choose? These are options listed under “Notification settings.”...
Page 235 CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID Silent turns ringtone notifications off. Swipe Tap OK when done. Press the Menu button and Scroll down tap More. to see the Notification settings. Settings Tap Select from the ringtone to More change the menu.
Page 236: Labels
CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID Labels Another way you can cut down on your inbox clutter is to sync only certain Gmail labels. Choose Labels in from the Settings menu of the account you want to change, and you’ll see the Synchronization menu as shown on the right.
Page 237: Google Task List
Accounts. To add another Gmail account to your DROID, follow the same steps you’d use to add any other type of email account, as shown in Figure 9–5.
Page 238: Switching Between Accounts
CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID Tap on the My Enter your email Accounts app address and in the App Tray. password. This success Choose the message indicates type of account. the automatic Choose Email settings worked. for a generic email account.
Page 239: Deleting Accounts
Global Address List (GAL). Turning Off Ringtones in the Email App Turning off the “Droid” ringtone in the Email app is similar to the way you do it in Gmail. 1. Launch the Email app.
Page 240: Outlook Web Access
Universal Inbox Your DROID organizes all your non-Gmail email accounts, your text messages, and social networking status updates into a Universal Inbox in the Messaging app, so you can read all your messages from one central location. The Universal Inbox is shown in Figure 9–6.
Page 241 CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID Click the plus Click the plus sign to sign to compose a new compose a new message. message. The Universal The symbol Inbox shows indicates the messages from type of account everything but for the Gmail.
Page 242: Reading Attachments
CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID Pull down the Notifications Swipe bar to see a down preview. Tap to go to the message in the Email app. Navigate to previous messages by tapping the side. Tap the Messages This indicates...
Page 243 Figure 9–8. Emailing attachments. If your DROID has more than one app capable of handling an attachment, you’ll see a dialog box that lets you choose how you want to handle the file. Click your preferred app, and you can view your attachment.
Page 244: Third-Party Apps
CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID Third-Party Apps If you want an alternative to Corporate Sync, you may be able to use third-party apps. One popular app is TouchDown by NitroDesk. You can get more information here: www.nitrodesk.com/dk_touchdownFeatures.aspx. TouchDown comes in both a free and paid version.
Page 245 CHAPTER 9: Email on Your DROID...
Page 246: Chapter 10: Sms, Mms, And Instant Messaging
In this chapter, we will cover how to send and receive SMS text and MMS picture/video messages on your DROID. As shown to the right, your DROID has only one Messaging icon, but on your DROID 2/X, you will see two icons Messaging and Text Messaging. The Text Messaging icon is the faster way to get into messaging when you have a DROID 2/X.
Page 247: Sms Text Messaging On Your Droid
It is much less disruptive than a phone call; and you may have friends, colleagues, or co-workers who do not own a DROID – so email may not be an option. One of the this book’s authors uses text messaging with his children all the time – this is how the generation his kids are part of communicates.
Page 248 CHAPTER 10: SMS, MMS, and Instant Messaging Follow these steps to send a new SMS message: Tap here to view 1. Tap the Messaging icon (DROID) or Text your Contacts Messaging icon (DROID 2/X). (for DROID 2/X). 2. Touch New message or New text message at the top of the screen.
Page 249 CHAPTER 10: SMS, MMS, and Instant Messaging To SMS someone in your Then touch to select their name. Usually Contacts, just type a few letters you can only send SMS to mobile of their first / last name. phones. Touch to When Select ready to...
Page 250: Options After Sending A Text
TIP: If you prefer, you can use the larger Landscape mode keyboard for sending text messages. It can be easier to type with the larger keys on the DROID X or the keyboard on the DROID and DROID 2, especially when your fingers are a little larger, or it is hard to see the smaller keys.
Page 251: Composing An Sms Message From Contacts
Composing an SMS Message from Contacts You also have the ability to send a text message right from your Contacts list on your DROID. Follow these steps to do so: 1. Tap your Contacts icon. 2. Find the contact you wish to send a text to by searching or scrolling through Contacts.
Page 252: Replying To A Text Message
Figure 10–2. Sending an SMS message from your Contacts app. Replying to a Text Message When a text message is received, your DROID will play an indicator tone or vibrate – or both – depending on your settings. A notification will appear on the screen in the notification bar at the top.
Page 253: Viewing Stored Messages
Once you begin a few threaded messages, they will be stored in the Messaging DROID) or Text Messaging (DROID 2/X) app. Touch the Messaging icon to scroll through your message threads. Sometimes you will want to continue an earlier conversation with someone. Follow these steps to do 1.
Page 254: Messaging Notification Options
CHAPTER 10: SMS, MMS, and Instant Messaging Messaging Notification Options There are a couple of options available to you with respect to how your DROID reacts when an SMS message arrives. Follow these steps to customize those options: 1. Start your Text Messaging app and press the Menu button.
Page 255: Multimedia Messaging
MMS format, including picture and video messages. MMS messages appear right in the messaging window, just like your SMS text messages. NOTE: You can send multimedia messages from your DROID that includeimages, videos, locations (from maps), audio (from Voice Memo), and vCard files (from Contacts) in MMS format.
Page 256 CHAPTER 10: SMS, MMS, and Instant Messaging 3. To take a photo, follow the instructions in Chapter 18: “Take Photos and Videos.” If you touch Pictures or Videos, just navigate through your pictures/videos and find the item you would like to add to your message (see Figure 10–3). Figure 10–3.
Page 257 CHAPTER 10: SMS, MMS, and Instant Messaging 5. Select a recipient and type in a short note if you like. 6. Touch the Send button. If you already have a threaded discussion with that particular contact, then the picture will show up in that threaded discussion.
Page 258: Choosing A Picture From Your Gallery To Send Via Mms
You can also send multiple pictures in an MMS message. Start your Gallery app as you did in the previous section. On the DROID, touch and hold one picture until you see a check mark. On the DROID 2/X, press the Menu button and choose Select items. Now tap as many pictures as you want to add.
Page 259: Instant Messaging On Your Droid
Figure 10–4. Selecting multiple photos to send in an MMS message. Once you have chosen all the pictures you want to send, on the DROID, touch the Share button and choose Messaging. On the DROID 2/X, press the Menu button and select Share then tap Text Messaging and the pictures will appear in the message, along with an arrow that allows the recipient to play a slideshow of the images.
Page 260: Google Talk
CHAPTER 10: SMS, MMS, and Instant Messaging Google Talk Your DROID is made to operate in the Google world, so it makes sense to start with the instant messaging app designed by Google: Google Talk. Google Talk is an instant messaging client available to anyone with a Gmail or Google account.
Page 261: Aim And Other Instant Messaging Apps
CHAPTER 10: SMS, MMS, and Instant Messaging Using Google Talk Using Google Talk is just like using your Messaging app. Start the Google Talk app and choose the contact you wish to chat with. Type your message in the Type to compose box and then touch Send.
Page 262 CHAPTER 10: SMS, MMS, and Instant Messaging Follow these steps to download AIM from the Android Market. 1. Start up the Android Market (see Chapter 17: “Exploring the Android Market” for more information on how to do this). 2. Search for AIM and download the app.
Page 263 CHAPTER 10: SMS, MMS, and Instant Messaging Figure 10–6. Logging in to your AIM account using AIM or Facebook.
Page 264: Chapter 11: Surfing The Web
Chapter Surfing the Web Now, we’ll take you through one of the most fun things to do on your DROID: surfing the Web. You may have heard web surfing on the DROID is a better experience than ever before—we agree! We’ll show you how to touch, zoom around, and interact with the Web like never before with the web browser on your DROID.
Page 265: An Internet Connection Is Required
Why Do Some Videos and Sites Not Appear? (Flash Player Required) Some web sites are designed with Adobe Flash Player. At the time of this writing, the DROID fully support Adobe Flash through the Flash “lite” app that is making its way onto select Android phones.
Page 266: Layout Of Web Browser Screen
Settings. Figure 11–1. Web browser page layout. NOTE: On your DROID 2/X the icons shown on the menu items may appear slightly different than shown in figure 11-1, but the names and functions they perform will be the same. As you look at your screen, notice the Address Bar in the upper left side of the screen.
Page 267: Typing A Web Address
CHAPTER 11: Surfing the Web Typing a Web Address The first thing you’ll want to learn is how to get to your favorite web pages. Just like on your computer, you type in the web address (URL) into the browser. 1.
Page 268: Moving Backward Or Forward Through Open Web Pages
Figure 11–2. Typing a web address. TIP: If you turn the DROID sideways, you get a landscape keyboard which might be easier for those with “big thumbs” to use. Moving Backward or Forward Through Open Web Pages Now that you know how to enter web addresses, you’ll probably be jumping to various...
Page 269: Using The Windows Menu Command
Figure 11–3. Returning to a previously viewed web page. Using the Windows Menu Command When you press the Menu button and then select the New window button, the DROID keeps track of all the open windows in the browser. Just press the Menu button again and choose the Windows button to see all the open Browser windows.
Page 270: Zooming In And Out In Web Pages
Figure 11–4. Jumping between open web pages on the DROID. Zooming In and Out in Web Pages Zooming in and out of web pages is very easy on the DROID. There are two primary ways of zooming—double tapping, and pinching.
Page 271: Activating Links From Web Pages
Figure 11–4 above. Working with Browser Bookmarks As soon as you start browsing a bit on your DROID, you will want to quickly access your favorite web sites. One good way to do this is to add bookmarks for one-tap access to web sites.
Page 272: Using Bookmarks And History
Once you have set a few bookmarks, it is easy to view and work with them. In the same area, you can also see and use your web browsing history. A very useful tool on your DROID is the ability to browse the web from your History, just as you would on a computer.
Page 273: Managing Your Bookmarks
It is very easy to accumulate quite a collection of bookmarks, since setting them up is so easy. You may find you no longer need a particular bookmark, or you may want to organize them by adding new folders. Like other lists on your DROID, you can reorder your bookmarks’ list and remove entries.
Page 274: Browser Tips And Tricks
Browser Tips and Tricks Now that you know the basics of how to get around, we will cover a few useful tips and tricks to make web browsing more enjoyable and quicker on your DROID. Finding Something on a Web Page Sometimes, you need to find something specific on a particular web page.
Page 275: Emailing A Web Page
CHAPTER 11: Surfing the Web Figure 11–5. Use the Find command on a page the browser. Emailing a Web Page Sometimes while browsing, you find a page so compelling you just have to send it to a friend or colleague. Touch the Menu key and then touch More select Share Page (see Figure 11–6).
Page 276: Printing A Web Page
Figure 11–6. Share a link to a web page. Printing a Web Page The DROID (at the time of this writing) does not have a built-in Print command. You have a couple of options, but neither is very simple. Option 1: Email yourself or a colleague the web page link and print it from a computer.
Page 277: Watching Videos In Browser
You will find videos in many web sites. You will be able to play most but not all videos. If the Flash Player installs properly on your DROID, you can play Flash videos right inside the web browser window. YouTube videos should also play right inside your browser window.
Page 278: Remember Form Data And Passwords
Once this is enabled, just go to any web page that has a field to fill out. if you have your DROID set to remember your login information, you should see it displayed already in the proper fields. Just touch the Login button to enter the site.
Page 279: Adding A Web Page Icon To Your Home Screen
CHAPTER 11: Surfing the Web For Usernames and Passwords The first time you go to a web site where you have to enter a username and password, you type them and press Submit or Enter. At that time, AutoFill will ask if you want to remember them.
Page 280: Adjusting The Browser Settings
CHAPTER 11: Surfing the Web Adjusting the Browser Settings There are settings you can adjust in your Browser app. 1. Press the Menu button from any browser page and select More. Select Settings at the bottom. 3. Choose to adjust Text size, Default zoom, Text encoding, Enable plugins, Set home page, and more from choosing the Drop down arrow...
Page 281: Speeding Up Your Browser By Clearing History And Cookies
CHAPTER 11: Surfing the Web Speeding Up Your Browser by Clearing History and Cookies In the middle of the Browser settings screen, you can see a heading marked Privacy settings. The Clear History, Clear all Cookie data, and Clear Cache drop down arrows are all next to the appropriate item.
Page 282: Chapter 12: Working With Contacts
Finally, you will learn a few troubleshooting tips that will save you some time when you run into difficulties. The beauty of the DROID is how it integrates all of the apps so you can email and map your contacts right from the contact entry.
Page 283: Two Simple Rules To Improve Your Contact List
CHAPTER 12: Working with Contacts Two Simple Rules to Improve Your Contact List Here are a couple of basic rules to help make your contact list on your DROID more useful. Rule 1: Add anything and everything to your contacts.
Page 284: Start The Contacts App
CHAPTER 12: Working with Contacts Start the Contacts App 1. From your Home screen, touch the Contacts icon and then the Menu button. Tap the New contact button to add a new contact, as shown in the figure to the right. Tap here to add a new Contact entry To start...
Page 285 CHAPTER 12: Working with Contacts 2. Touch the First name and Last name buttons to enter the new contact’s first and last names. You can also add a company name by touching the green + sign next to Organization. TIP: Keep in mind that the contacts search feature uses first, last, and company names. When you add or edit contacts, adding a special word to the company name can help you find a particular contact later.
Page 286: Adding A New Phone Number
TIP: Don’t worry about parentheses, dashes, or dots—the DROID will put the number into the correct format. Just type the digits of the area code and number. If you know the country code, it’s a good idea to put that in as well.
Page 287: Adding An Email Address And Web Site
This is easy to do on the DROID. You just add a Pause which shows up as a comma between the main number and the extension like this: 386-555-7687, 19323. To add a pause, tap the * # ( key in the lower left corner of the keypad and tap Pause.
Page 288: Adding The Address
CHAPTER 12: Working with Contacts Adding the Address Below the Email field are the fields for adding the Postal address. Input the Street, City, State and Zip Code. You can also specify the Country and whether this is a home or work address. When you are done, just touch the Done button right below the Address field.
Page 289 CHAPTER 12: Working with Contacts To choose an existing photo, select the photo album where the picture is located and touch the corresponding tab. When you see the picture you want to use, just touch it. You’ll notice that the top and bottom of the photo are now grayed out and that you can manipulate the picture by moving it and then arranging it in the picture window.
Page 290: Searching Your Contacts
Contacts list, as in Figure 12–3. Figure 12–3. The contacts search box. NOTE: On your DROID you may not see the Android contact icon to the left of your search window, but it still works the same way!
Page 291: Quickly Jump To A Letter By Scrolling And Sliding On The Contact Card
First Name Last Name Company Name The DROID begins to filter immediately and displays only those contacts that match the letters typed. TIP: To further narrow the search, hit the space key and type a few more letters.
Page 292: Adding Contacts From Email Messages
CHAPTER 12: Working with Contacts Adding Contacts from Email Messages Often you’ll receive an email message and realize that the contact is not in your address book. Adding a new contact from an email message is easy. Open the email message from the contact you’d like to add to your contacts list.
Page 293 In this example, Martin, the sender of the email message, is one of my Facebook contacts, and I want to link his picture and birthday to my DROID contact information. Here is how I can link his contact information in my DROID to the information I have in Facebook.
Page 294: Sending A Picture To A Contact
Verify profile for contact. Choose Sync with existing contacts. Now, DROID contact information is more complete. Figure 12–4. Linking social networking contact to an existing contact profile. TIP: Learning the names of parents of your school-age children’s friends can be fairly challenging.
Page 295: Sending An Email Message From Contacts
Showing Your Contacts Addresses on the Map One of the great things about the DROID is its integration with Google Maps. This is very evident in the Contacts app. Let’s say you want to map the home or work address of any contact in your address book.
Page 296: Contact History And Social Networking Screens
TIP: To return to your contact information, tap the Map button and then touch the Back button. Contact History and Social Networking Screens On your DROID 2 and DROID X, you can see Contact History and Social Networking feeds for your contacts by swiping left and right from the contact detail screen. (See Figure 12-5.) You can also see history and social networking information for all your...
Page 297: Contacts Troubleshooting
CHAPTER 12: Working with Contacts Swipe left to see Swipe right to see You first see the main communication history Social Networking Contact Info screen. with this contact. feeds with this contact. Figure 12–5. Swipe left or right to see Contact History and Social Networking screens. Contacts Troubleshooting Sometimes, your Contacts app might not work the way you expect.
Page 298: Chapter 13: Managing Your Calendar
DROID and other places. If you choose, you can also use your DROID in a standalone mode, where you do not sync to any other calendar. In the latter case, all the steps we describe for events, viewing, and managing events still apply equally to you.
Page 299: Viewing Your Schedule And Getting Around
CHAPTER 13: Managing Your Calendar TIP: If you use your DROID’s Calendar app often, you can also create a Calendar widget (see Chapter 6: “Organize your Home Screens: Icons and Widgets”); this Calendar widget will show today’s date and any upcoming appointments for the day.
Page 300: Switching Between The Four Calendar Views
CHAPTER 13: Managing Your Calendar Tap to see appointment details. Swipe to the right to see the next day. Event topic Event location Colors show events Swipe up or from particular down to view calendars. more. Day view. Tap to see additional calendars or to adjust calendar settings.
Page 301 CHAPTER 13: Managing Your Calendar Day view: When you start the DROID’s Calendar app, the default view is usually the Day view. This allows you to quickly see everything you have scheduled for the day. You can bring up buttons to change the view by pressing the Menu button;...
Page 302 CHAPTER 13: Managing Your Calendar Month view: Touch the Month button at the bottom to see a layout of the full month. Days with appointments have a small dot in them. TIP: To return to the Today view, press the Menu button and touch the Today button at the bottom of the screen .
Page 303: Adding New Calendar Events
CHAPTER 13: Managing Your Calendar Adding New Calendar Events You can easily add new events or appointments right on your DROID. These new events and appointments will be synced (i.e., shared with) your computer the next time the sync takes place.
Page 304 CHAPTER 13: Managing Your Calendar 3. Touch the From or To tab to adjust the timing of the event. To change the date, touch the day and date field to bring up the month, date, and year adjustments. Next, touch the + or - buttons above and below to adjust the date and start time of the appointment.
Page 305: Setting Calendar Reminders
CHAPTER 13: Managing Your Calendar Setting Calendar Reminders You can have your DROID give you an audible reminder, or alert, about an upcoming appointment. Alerts can help you keep from forgetting an important event. Follow these steps to create an alert: 1.
Page 306: Adding Recurring Events
CHAPTER 13: Managing Your Calendar TIP: Here’s a practical example that illustrates when you might want to set up two calendar reminders. If your child has a doctor or dentist appointment, then you might want to set the first reminder to go off the night before.
Page 307: Choosing Which Calendar To Sync
Editing Appointments Sometimes, the details of an appointment may change and need to be adjusted (see Figure 13–3). Fortunately, it’s easy to revise an appointment on your DROID: 1. Tap the appointment that you want to change. 2. Press the Menu key and then tap the Edit button to see the Edit screen...
Page 308: Editing A Repeating Event
CHAPTER 13: Managing Your Calendar Tap any field to change it. Tap here Tap any Then, press Tap here to save event to Menu and the event. to delete view it. tap the Edit this event. event button to make changes.
Page 309: Switching An Event To A Different Calendar
NOTE: Remember that only those calendars configured to sync with your computer will update when selected. If you switch to a calendar that doesn’t sync with your computer, the change will only be visible on the DROID, and the event will no longer display on your computer. Deleting an Event...
Page 310: Calendar Settings
CHAPTER 13: Managing Your Calendar When a meeting invitation goes to your Gmail or Exchange account, you will receive an email with the invitation; however, the meeting will automatically get placed into your calendar, as shown to the right. Just pull down the Attending drop-down window and respond with either Yes, Maybe, or No.
Page 311 5. Touch the drop-down box next to Vibrate and choose when you want your DROID to vibrate for alerts: Always, Only when silent, or Never. 6. Touch the Default reminder tab and select a default reminder time prior to calendar events.
Page 312: Chapter 14: Enjoying Your Music
Bluetooth, so you can listen to beautiful stereo sound from your DROID! TIP: Check out Chapter 8: “Bluetooth on your DROID” to learn how to hook up your DROID to your Bluetooth stereo speakers or car stereo.
Page 313: Buying Music From The Amazon Mp3 App
CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music Buying Music from the Amazon MP3 App You can purchase music and ringtones right on your DROID from the Amazon MP3 app. 1. Tap the Amazon MP3 app to get started. 2. Now you will see the main screen of...
Page 314 CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music 3. Tap Bestselling Albums to see a list of albums for sale. You will see similar screens when you tap Bestselling Songs. 4. To purchase a song or album, simply tap the price, enter your amazon.com account information and confirm your purchase.
Page 315 CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music 8. You can also search for a particular song, album or artist by using the search field in the first screen you see when you enter the app. Viewing and Playing Downloaded Songs and Albums 1.
Page 316 CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music 3. Tap any item to start playing it in your DROID Music player. Enter an Amazon Gift Code, Log Out and Adjust Settings You can enter an Amazon Give Card code, log out or adjust settings from the Setting screen.
Page 317: The Music App
The Music App Most music is handled through the Music app – you find the icon for this app on the Home screen of the DROID. Touch the Music icon and, as Figure 14–1 shows, you’ll see four soft keys across the...
Page 318: Changing The View In The Music App
Sometimes you want to look at your songs listed by the artist. Other times you might prefer seeing your library organized by album name. The DROID lets you easily change the view to help manage and play just the music you want at a given moment.
Page 319: The Albums View
CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music The Albums View The music on your DROID is also organized by albums, which you’ll see when you touch the Albums icon. Again, you can scroll through the album covers to find the album you are looking for.
Page 320: The Songs View
Creating Playlists on the DROID The DROID lets you create a playlist from recently added music. You can change the playlist whenever you want, removing old songs and adding new ones – it couldn’t be...
Page 321 2. Tap the Delete button towards the bottom of the list. The song will be removed from your music library on the DROID. Follow these steps to move a song up or down in a playlist: 1. Touch a playlist to display the songs.
Page 322: Searching For Music
Figure 14–2. From any of the music views, just touch the Search button on the DROID. Tap once in the Search window and type a few letters of the name of an artist, album, playlist, video, or song to instantly see a list of all matching items.
Page 323: Viewing Songs In An Album
CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music Viewing Songs in an Album When you’re in Albums view, just touch an album cover or name and the screen will slide, showing you the songs on that album (see Figure 14–3). To see the songs on an album that is playing, tap the List button.
Page 324: Playing Your Music
CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music Playing Your Music Now that you know how to find your music, it’s time to play it! Find a song or browse to a playlist using any of the methods mentioned above. Simply tap the song name and it will begin to play.
Page 325: Pausing And Playing
Previous Song goes to the beginning of the current song (and a second tap would take you to the previous song). Adjusting the Volume You can adjust the volume on your DROID by using the external Volume buttons on the side of the phone.
Page 326: Repeating, Shuffling, And Moving Around In A Song
CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music Repeating, Shuffling, and Moving Around in a Song In play mode, under the album art, you will see the controls for Repeat and Shuffle. At the bottom of the Now playing screen, you will see a timeline below the Play/Pause indicator that shows you where you are in the song.
Page 327: Repeating One Song Or All Songs
CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music Repeating One Song or All Songs To repeat all the songs you’re listening to, touch the Repeat symbol at the left of the top controls twice until you see it turn green and display Repeating all songs. To repeat the current song in the playlist, song list, or album, touch the Repeat icon again until it displays Repeating current song.
Page 328: Now Playing
Tap that button and the view switches to a list of all the songs on that album on your DROID. Touch another song on the list and that song will begin to play.
Page 329: Exploring Your Music Options
Delete will delete the song from your DROID. NOTE: On the DROID 2/X, you will see another menu item called Audio Effects. Use this to adjust things like which speakers are connected and adjust the sound profile or use an equalizer.
Page 330: Getting Started With Pandora
CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music NOTE: Pandora may have some competition by the time you read this book. Right now there’s one other competitor called Slacker Personal Radio, but there will probably be more. If you want to find more options, try searching the Android Market for “Internet Radio.” Also, please note that Pandora is a US-only application and Slacker is available only in the U.S.
Page 331: Pandora's Main Screen
CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music Pandora is also available for your Windows or Mac computer, as well as for most smartphone platforms. If you already have a Pandora account, all you have to do is sign in. Pandora’s Main Screen Your stations are listed on the screen.
Page 332: Thumbs Up Or Thumbs Down In Pandora
CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music Once you select a station, the music begins to play. You’ll see the current song displayed, along with album art – very much like when you play a song using the Music app. Touch the Information icon in the upper- right corner, and you’ll see a bio of the artist, which changes with each new song.
Page 333: Pandora's Menu
CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music Pandora’s Menu From the Now playing screen, press the Menu button on your DROID. Touch this and you can Bookmark the artist or song, go to Amazon MP3 to buy music from this artist, or Share the station with someone in your Contacts list.
Page 334: Adjusting Pandora's Settings - Your Account, Upgrading, And More
CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music Adjusting Pandora’s Settings – Your Account, Upgrading, and More You can sign out of your Pandora account, adjust the audio quality, and even upgrade to Pandora One (which removes advertising) by tapping the Preferences icon after pressing the Menu key from the Now playing screen (see Figure 14–4.) Figure 14–4.
Page 335 CHAPTER 14: Enjoying Your Music To save your battery life, you should set the Auto-Lock to On, which is the default. If you want the force the screen to stay lit, then switch this to Off. To remove all advertising, tap the Upgrade to Pandora One button. A web browser window will open, and you’ll be taken to the Pandora web site to enter your credit card information.
Page 336: Chapter 15: Viewing Videos, Tv Shows, And More
NOTE: These apps change quickly. We expect that services such as Hulu plus will also make their way to the DROID. We suggest that you go to the Android Market frequently and type in “videos” to see the changing options.
Page 337: Loading Videos Onto Your Droid
DROID. Make sure you don’t violate any copyright laws in the process of doing so! Video conversion software is widely available on the Web. The optimal output settings for ripping videos to play on the DROID are to use MP4 with the following video/audio codecs and settings: Video Resolution: Up to WVGA (854x480) Codec: H.264, Baseline profile...
Page 338: Video Categories
Menu key and select More. Next, touch Get info to display the details of the video. On the DROID 2/X, tap the video thumbnail to view it in full screen, then tap the information (I with circle) to see...
Page 339: Playing A Movie
CHAPTER 15: Viewing Videos, TV Shows, and More Playing a Movie On the DROID touch the movie you wish to watch, and it will begin to play (see Figure 15–1). On the DROID 2/X, tap the video thumbnail, then tap the video again to start playing it.
Page 340: To Pause Or Access Controls
Music player. Tap the Pause button and the video will pause. NOTE: On the DROID 2/X, you will not have Rewind or Fast Forward buttons, instead you can drag the slider bar back or forth to rewind or fast forward.
Page 341: Using The Time Slider Bar
To rewind in five-second intervals, tap the Rewind button. To rewind to a specific part or location, move the slider bar to the desired part of the video. On the DROID 2/X, use the slider bar at the bottom to move around the video.
Page 342: Deleting Videos
NOTE: Deleting a video deletes the video only from your DROID – a copy will still remain in your video library, assuming that you have synced your DROID with your computer after purchasing or...
Page 343: Using Youtube On Your Droid
Figure 15–3. Deleting a video. NOTE: On your DROID 2/X, the Play, Delete, Share and Edit buttons will be in a drop down menu in the middle of the screen instead of along the bottom as shown. Using YouTube on your DROID Watching YouTube videos is certainly one of the most popular things for people to do on their computers these days.
Page 344: Searching For Videos
CHAPTER 15: Viewing Videos, TV Shows, and More Searching for Videos When you first start the YouTube app, you usually see the Featured videos on YouTube that day. Just scroll through the video choices as you do in other apps. Using the Bottom Icons Touch the Menu key and the YouTube app will display five icons along the bottom: Search, Upload, My account, Categories, and Settings.
Page 345 You can also Rate, Comment on, Share, or Flag a video after you watch it. You can also search the huge library of YouTube videos from your DROID. Touch the Search box as in previous apps, and the keyboard will pop up. Type in a phrase, topic, or even the name of a video.
Page 346: Playing Videos
Once you make your choice, touch the video you want to watch. Your DROID will begin playing the YouTube video in Landscape mode. There is no way to force the playback into Portrait mode, so you will need to turn the DROID sideways to watch the video (see Figure 15–4).
Page 347 2. Type the recipient’s name (see Chapter 9: “Email on your DROID” for more information on how to send content via email). 3. Write a short note to provide some context for the link to the recipient, if you so desire.
Page 348: Clearing Your History
Hulu is a Flash-based video service for watching recent TV episodes. While you can get to the Hulu website on your DROID, the Flash lite player available for the DROID will not play the episodes available on Hulu. There is a Hulu plus subscription service available for other smartphone platforms;...
Page 349 CHAPTER 15: Viewing Videos, TV Shows, and More...
Page 350: Magazines, And E-Books
Well, those days may be gone forever. You now have the opportunity to interact with the news and even get your paper delivered every day—but to your DROID instead of your driveway. Many newspapers and news sites are developing apps for the DROID, with new apps seeming to appear every day.
Page 351: Popular Choices: The New York Times And Usa Today
NOTE: You can always go and visit the dedicated web site for any news source. Some are optimized for the DROID, while others offer you a full web experience. Some require registration or a paid subscription to view the paper’s full content.
Page 352: The New York Times App
CHAPTER 16: New Media: Reading Newspapers, Magazines, and E-books You must first find, download, and install a news app on your DROID to use these. Here are the steps: 1. Locate your desired news app in the Android Market. You may find one or more news apps in the Featured section, and there’s...
Page 353 CHAPTER 16: New Media: Reading Newspapers, Magazines, and E-books Navigate to sections. Pull Down Figure 16–2. Navigating to another section. Navigating The New York Times app is as simple as touching an article and scrolling through. Drag your finger up and down to scroll through an article, and drag your finger sideways to navigate to the next or previous article in the section.
Page 354: Usa Today App
Viewing a Video: Tap a video to start playing it. Usually, this plays the video in the same manner as any other video. See Chapter 15: “Viewing Videos, TV Shows, and More” to learn how to navigate videos on your DROID.
Page 355: News Widgets
Yahoo News, and there are lots of ways to view news headlines on topics that interest you. On your DROID X, DROID 2, and DROID Global, you can use the Motorola News widget to view custom bundles of news feeds on subject and categories that interest you.
Page 356: Magazines On Android
Android offers a totally new way of reading magazines that might just give the media industry the boost it needs. Pictures are incredibly clear and brilliant in magazines on your DROID. Navigation is usually easy, and stories seem to come to life, much more so than in their print counterparts.
Page 357: Comic Books On Your Droid
One genre of “new media” poised for a comeback with the advent of mobile is the comic book. Reading a comic book on your DROID really makes the pages come alive. Readers can also appreciate comics that would otherwise be harder to find, such as lesser known works or imported Japanese manga.
Page 358: E-Books
CHAPTER 16: New Media: Reading Newspapers, Magazines, and E-books E-Books Unlike the iPhone, Android doesn’t come with a standard e-book reader. That doesn’t leave you out of options, however. You can choose from a large selection of readers, both for open and proprietary book formats. Keep in mind that there are several formats for reading books, and some companies put Digital Rights Management (DRM) on their e-books to prevent them from being illegally distributed or read in unauthorized readers.
Page 359: Proprietary Readers
Kindle app directly from your DROID and read them from your DROID or any other device that runs a Kindle app. You can find free Kindle books as well as paid books, although you must be registered in order to purchase these free downloads.
Page 360 CHAPTER 16: New Media: Reading Newspapers, Magazines, and E-books TIP: If you use a Kindle device, don’t worry about signing in from your DROID. You can have several devices tied to your single account. You will be able to enjoy all the books you purchased for your Kindle right on the Kindle app on your DROID.
Page 361 CHAPTER 16: New Media: Reading Newspapers, Magazines, and E-books NOTE: Touching Get Books from the Kndle menu will start up your Browser. From there you can purchase Kindle books. Once you are done, you will need to exit Browser and start up the Kindle app once again.
Page 362: Open E-Readers
Noble has released a Nook app for Android. Register with an account either through the Nook app on your DROID or on the Web. One of the selling points for the Nook app is that it allows you to lend books to other Nook users for up to two weeks.
Page 363 CHAPTER 16: New Media: Reading Newspapers, Magazines, and E-books Kobo Kobo is an e-book reading device owned by Borders and other investors. Just as with the Kindle and Nook apps, you can register with an account and download books directly to the Kobo app. It was formerly known as Shortcovers.
Page 364 Epub formatted books. You can download some books through the Android Market for use with Aldiko, or you can download any Epub book and place it in the eBooks folder on your DROID’s SD card. O’Reilly Media sells DRM-free e-books through the Android Market specifically for use with Aldiko.
Page 365: Reading E-Books
Just as with newspaper apps, there are no standards, but there are a series of things that are generally true of most e-reading apps for your DROID. When you first launch an e-reading app, nearly all of them offer a tips menu for navigation.
Page 366 CHAPTER 16: New Media: Reading Newspapers, Magazines, and E-books Search: You can also search to find specific text within a book. Just look for the magnifying glass button. You can usually either press the Search button or the Menu button to find it. Customize Your Experience: There’s almost always a Settings menu, and you can usually find this by pressing the Menu button.
Page 367 CHAPTER 16: New Media: Reading Newspapers, Magazines, and E-books...
Page 368: Chapter 17: The Android Market
Right now, there are several versions of Android shipping on a wide variety of phones, and the Android Market sells apps for all of them. So how do you know if your DROID will run the latest Twitter app? The general rule is that, if you can see an app in the Android Market on your phone, you can run it.
Page 369: Browsing The Android Market
You can generate your own codes at http://zxing.appspot.com/ generator. Your DROID likely did not ship with a barcode reader, but it’s easy to get one. There are countless apps in the Android Market that allow you to scan QR codes, including Google Goggles and ZXing’s Barcode Scanner.
Page 370: Navigating By Category
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market If you know exactly what you want or how to frame what you want precisely, use the Search button at the top of the screen. Use the search box to You can search for a name or keywords. find apps For instance, searching for “Twitter”...
Page 371 CHAPTER 17: The Android Market 4. Tap the name of an app to see the details page associated with that app. You’ll see something that resembles Figure 17–1; and as you scroll down, you’ll see the app’s name, rating, two screen captures, the price, and a description of the app submitted by the developer.
Page 372: Paying For Apps
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market 6. Comments aren’t located at the bottom of the page; rather, they have their own section, as shown to the right. There are Up and Down buttons under each rating. This gives site users a quick-and-easy way to give a thumbs- up or thumbs-down to a given comment.
Page 373 CHAPTER 17: The Android Market Google Checkout is an online payment-processing system. Register for a Google Checkout account by going to https://checkout.google.com/buyerSignup and using the same Google account you use as the main account for your phone. You can enter your credit card information, and Google will store it.
Page 374: Downloading Apps
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market Downloading Apps Other than payment processing, the basic steps to downloading an app are the same: 1. Go to the Android Market by tapping the Android Market app icon. 2. Navigate to the details page. 3.
Page 375 CHAPTER 17: The Android Market NOTE: Android 2.2 (Froyo) allows developers to give you the option to install apps on your SD card instead of the phone’s hard disk. This can potentially save some space. However, it is up to the developer to allow the option in his app (see Figure 17–2).
Page 376: Uninstalling Apps
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market Uninstalling Apps There are two basic ways to uninstall an app. The more complicated method is to go to the Home screen, press the Menu button, and then tap Applications > “Manage applications.” Tap the app you want to remove, and then tap Uninstall. The second, much easier method is to find your app in the Android Market, navigate to the details page for that app, and tap...
Page 377: Updating Apps
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market Updating Apps Occasionally developers will add features or bug fixes. When there’s an update available, you’ll see an alert in your Notification bar at the top of your Home screen. You can tap the alert to go directly to the Android Market, or you can launch the Android Market app, press the Menu button, and then...
Page 378: Rating And Commenting
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market Rating and Commenting If you’ve installed an app, you may want to go back and tell other users how well it works. Even a comment verifying that it works on your model of phone is helpful. The first step is to rate the app.
Page 379 1. Go to the Home screen 2. Press the Menu button. 3. Tap Applications. On the original DROID, touch Settings and then applications. 4. Check the box next to Unknown sources. Now you can download apps that aren’t in the Android Market.
Page 380: Ten Apps To Install Right Now
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market Keep in mind that this isn’t a move without risks. Apps could have been removed from the Android Market for malicious activity, and those apps can be remotely removed from your phone when you install them using the Android Market. You can still see the permissions required by the app, so be mindful of these permissions before you install it.
Page 381: Lookout Mobile
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market Lookout Mobile Lookout Mobile is a free app that provides three valuable services: phone location, virus protection, and backup. You can enable or disable the services as you see fit. For remote location and backup, you need to register with the company’s website at www.mylookoutmobile.com.
Page 382: Mint.com
You can also download a widget that gives you access to this software on your DROID. You can choose whether the phone remembers your data or requires a password each time you log in.
Page 383: Cooking Capsules Taster
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market Cooking Capsules Taster Cooking Capsules is an innovative approach to selling recipes. The Taster module is free, but the Brunch app is a premium app. However, at $0.99, even the premium version isn’t going to break the bank.
Page 384: Evernote
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market Evernote Evernote is a web service available at www.evernote.com that allows you to keep virtual scrapbooks of notes, pictures, web clippings, and audio files. You can add tags and search terms to your notes and access them anywhere on the Web. This means you can make a grocery list and have it available on your phone.
Page 385: Pandora
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market Pandora Pandora is an Internet radio service that lets you create custom “radio stations” based around a song or artist. The playlist won’t consist entirely of songs from that act, but it will share common style features as analyzed by the Music Genome Project.
Page 386: New York Times
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market New York Times The official New York Times app is a free app that lets you see the newspaper’s content in a format optimized for mobile viewing. It’s also easier to carry around than a full paper. There’s no registration required, and at this point there appears to be no advertising for anything other than home delivery of The Times.
Page 387: Google Voice
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market Google Voice Google Voice is Google’s free phone-call forwarding and visual-voicemail service. It allows you to use a single telephone number as your point of contact, even if you’re not always at the same phone. You can also use it for free SMS text messages and discount international calls.
Page 388: Wikimobile Encyclopedia (Bonfire)
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market WikiMobile Encyclopedia (Bonfire) WikiMobile Encyclopedia may not be the most accurate encyclopedia, but it’s certainly a great first start. If you find yourself looking things up in Wikipedia all the time, it makes sense to have an app that can do that for you.
Page 389: Yelp
CHAPTER 17: The Android Market Yelp There are countless restaurant-finding apps for phones these days, but Yelp has a vibrant user community and ratings for just about every location. You can use this app to find a restaurant, bank, gas station, or drugstore near you, at home, or on the road.
Page 390: Chapter 18: Taking Photos And Videos
Not every phone is created equal when it comes to cameras, and the same is true for DROIDs. The DROID X sports a higher resolution camera than the DROID 2 or the DROID, but all three are capable of replacing your point-and-shoot in a pinch.
Page 391: Megapixels And Image Size
Many entry-level video cameras don’t even support that rate. The DROID X will shoot 720p at 24fps. That means it will shoot a video of 1280x720 pixels at 24 frames per second. It also uses three microphones to capture better audio.
Page 392: Zoom
Unlike with some apps, the position of the buttons on the screen will not change as you rotate the phone orientation. (This isn’t true if you’re using an original DROID.) Figure 18–1 shows a typical screen.
Page 393 Figure 18–1. The Camera screen (for DROID 2 and DROID X only). You have more options than simple pictures. Your DROID will let you choose the mode best for your images by using Scenes, and even apply some Effects before shooting your picture.
Page 394: Flash Modes
One of the most common things you may want to control when taking photos is whether you use a flash. In most cases, the DROID camera will automatically detect the lighting conditions and make the right choice, but there are cases like shots lit from behind where you want the flash on, or museums and performances where you want the flash off, no matter what the camera seems to think is appropriate.
Page 395: Reviewing And Sharing
Android apps can take advantage of photo sharing, so your sharing choices can include all sorts of apps, as shown here. Your DROID ships with the ability to share with Bluetooth, Email, Facebook, Picasa, Photobucket, Text Messaging, and Print to Retail.
Page 396 3. Tap the Share icon. 4. Tap Send to Retail. 5. If your GPS is enabled, your DROID will find a retail location near you. Alternatively, you can tap the Search by City or Zip Code button instead. Use this when you are on vacation or sending photos to another city for someone else to pick up.
Page 397: Set As
CHAPTER 18: Taking Photos and Videos Set As You use the Set as button to use a picture to personalize part of your phone. You can set a picture as a Contact, your profile picture, or your Home screen Wallpaper. To create a Contact icon from a photo, do the following: 1.
Page 398: The Camera Roll
CHAPTER 18: Taking Photos and Videos The Camera Roll When you take a photo, you see an image for review briefly on the screen. After that, the review image goes to the bottom corner of the screen, as shown in Figure 18–2. If you tap the previous image, you’ll see the Camera roll, as shown in Figure 18–3.
Page 399: Scenes
Table 18–1. NOTE: On the original DROID, touch the settings icon and then scroll down to Scene Mode. The icons pictured here are not available on the original DROID. The icons may look slightly different on your DROID 2 depending on your software version.
Page 400 CHAPTER 18: Taking Photos and Videos Scene Icon Description Macros are close-ups and detail shots. Use this to focus on something small and near the camera. Use this for better sunset pictures. Rather than focusing on the low lighting in the foreground, the camera will capture the pretty colors in the background and silhouette anything in the foreground.
Page 401: Creating A Panorama
CHAPTER 18: Taking Photos and Videos Creating a Panorama You can create a panorama using your DROID by using the Panorama Assist feature. It’s not completely intuitive, but once you figure it out, you can have some fantastic panoramas. Rather than one continuous shot, a panorama is a long, skinny shot made from stitching photos together.
Page 402: Camera Settings
Upload album, the length of time you preview images, or even ISO settings on your phone’s camera. To get to the Camera Settings menu, press the Menu button and then tap Settings. On the original DROID, touch the Settings icon (farthest to the right) and scroll down for settings to adjust.
Page 403: Picture Resolution
Web, you probably don’t need the highest setting, but if you’d like to print some of your photos and have room on your phone’s memory card, increase this. The highest resolution on a DROID or DROID 2 is 5 megapixels, and the highest on a DROID X is 8 megapixels.
Page 404 CHAPTER 18: Taking Photos and Videos that. Faster speeds mean grainier/poorer quality pictures. Slower speeds mean more chance of shaky hands and motion blur. In most cases, your best bet is to leave this setting as Auto and use Scenes to compensate for different lighting situations. Exposure This is a simulation of film and exposure or how light-sensitive the sensors on the camera are.
Page 405 CHAPTER 18: Taking Photos and Videos In order for location tags to work, your phone GPS must be enabled. You can also disable location or geotags separately from custom tags. Figure 18–6 shows how this works. Figure 18–6. Adding tags. 1.
Page 406: Shooting Video
CHAPTER 18: Taking Photos and Videos NOTE: On the original DROID, touch the Store Location icon (second from right) to turn on geotagging. Shooting Video You can shoot video using the same Camera app and slightly adjusted settings. Drag out the Photo Capture Settings tray, as shown to the right, and tap the bottom button: Switch to.
Page 407: Scenes And Effects
Just as with still photos, you can choose Scenes and Effects. Just as with still photos, you just need to tap the Scenes button and slide through the available choices. Table 18-2 shows the available Scene settings for your DROID. Scenes for video adjusts audio quality as well as video.
Page 408: Flash And Video
3. Press the Menu button. 4. Tap Video Modes. You’ll see choices like those on the right except for the original DROID. Normal video is self-explanatory, and this is the setting you’ll use to return to your regular video settings.
Page 409: Sharing Videos
CHAPTER 18: Taking Photos and Videos Sharing Videos Once you create video, you can share that video using the Share button. Just as with still pictures, you can tap the screen right after the video is shot, or you can go to the Camera roll, tap the video, and then press the Menu button.
Page 410: Using Picasa
CHAPTER 18: Taking Photos and Videos TIP: You can upload or delete multiple photos at once through the gallery by viewing an album and pressing the Menu button twice. Gray check marks will appear on each photo or video. Select multiple items by pressing each one. You can then mass-delete them with the Delete button, or upload them to Picasa or YouTube using the Share button.
Page 411: Using Photos As Wallpaper And Widgets
CHAPTER 18: Taking Photos and Videos To upload a photo to Picasa, click the Share button when viewing a picture in the Gallery app or reviewing a picture in the Camera app. 1. Select Picasa. 2. Choose a Google account. 3.
Page 412: Copying Photos To Your Computer
Syncing media is explained in more detail in Chapter 25: “DROID Media Sync.” Editing Photos You can apply effects and choose Scenes, but what if you want to do something more advanced? What if you want to add an effect after you’ve already taken...
Page 413: Photoshop Mobile
CHAPTER 18: Taking Photos and Videos The advanced editing tools allow you to add frames and stamps, but you can also use it to change the color settings, resize, and crop photos. Photoshop Mobile Adobe Photoshop is probably the most trusted name in photo-editing software, and Adobe has expanded to also offer a mobile version of its product, as shown here.
Page 414: Other Photo Apps
The $4.95 pro Android app allows you to print directly to Wi-Fi printers and doesn’t have a page limit. Remember that the resolution on your DROID or DROID 2 is still only enough for quality 5 7-inch prints or smaller.
Page 415 CHAPTER 18: Taking Photos and Videos...
Page 416: Chapter 19: Finding Your Way With Maps
Cell phone towers WPS (Wireless Positioning System) There are dozens global positioning satellites orbiting the Earth. Your DROID’s GPS unit attempts to find the signal from at least three of them and triangulate your position. However, this requires your phone to have a chip that detects GPS signals and be in an area that can detect them.
Page 417: Understanding Google Maps
Understanding Google Maps Your DROID ships with Google Maps, and it comes with several related apps, all of which will be covered in this chapter. Google Maps-related apps include Google Maps, Places, Street View, and Navigator.
Page 418: Driving Directions
The smaller the circle, the more accurate the prediction. Your location may be indicated as a blue arrow if the DROID can determine which direction your phone is facing or moving. If you don't see any circle around your blue dot or arrow, then your location is as accurate as possible - usually about 3 meters (about 10 feet).
Page 419: Map Layers
These layers can be turned on and off individually. Follow these steps to use this app: 1. On the DROID 2/X press the Menu button and then Layers to see some of the available layers, as shown to the right.
Page 420: Traffic
CHAPTER 19: Finding Your Way With Maps Traffic Much of the information you see in Google Maps comes from contracts with third parties, and the traffic information is no exception. Traffic information is only available for large cities, and it’s shown by color-coding the roads. Green indicates smooth traffic, yellow indicates delays, and red indicates major snarls.
Page 421: Google Labs Layers
CHAPTER 19: Finding Your Way With Maps Google Labs Layers The Google Labs layer is shown to the right. It is a collection of experimental features you can turn on and off. They’re not always reliable, and they don’t always last, but some Google Labs “graduates” have turned into solid and popular features, such as the public transportation directions in the Google Maps app.
Page 422: Location Sharing With Latitude
CHAPTER 19: Finding Your Way With Maps Location Sharing With Latitude Google’s Latitude service is a way to let your social network know where you are. You can use it to make sure people know you made your flight, or let your contacts know you’ve got a trip in their city.
Page 423: Google Place Pages
CHAPTER 19: Finding Your Way With Maps The friend will receive an email inviting her to join Latitude or accept your request. When someone sends you an invitation, you’ll receive an email asking if you’d like to ignore the request, share your location back, or accept their request and hide your location. If all of this sounds a bit too personal, you can ratchet it down a notch for more casual business contacts.
Page 424: Google Places
CHAPTER 19: Finding Your Way With Maps If there’s an available phone number, you can call it by tapping the Phone button. NOTE: If you need to give someone an address in a hurry, go to the location’s place page, tap Share this place, and send it as an SMS text message.
Page 425: Starring Locations
Follow these steps to access your list of starred items in Google Maps: 1. Press Menu. 2. Tap More. On the original DROID, tap Starred Places. 3. Tap Starred items. NOTE: When you travel for business, put a star on the convention center and your hotel before you arrive;...
Page 426: Google Street View
CHAPTER 19: Finding Your Way With Maps Google Street View At first the idea of the Google Street View service seemed a bit creepy: Google used cars with mounted cameras and other equipment to take 360-degree photos of roads everywhere. It’s still a bit creepy in light of the company’s admission that it inadvertently snooped on users in open Wi-Fi hotspots (this is another reason to use caution when using...
Page 427: Using Your Phone For Gps Navigation
Google Maps data. When you get driving directions, choose the Navigate option. You can select Navigate from within Google Maps or just launch the Navigation app. Directions will be spoken from your DROID’s speaker or Bluetooth headset when attached.
Page 428: Cardock
CHAPTER 19: Finding Your Way With Maps You can purchase special accessories for your DROID such as car mounts for charging your phone while using it to navigate. You can also use a cigarette lighter adapter to power your phone while navigating. It’s a good idea to have some sort of dock or charger because navigation eats up a lot of battery juice.
Page 429 CHAPTER 19: Finding Your Way With Maps Figure 19–2. CarDock as seen in Night mode. NOTE: On the original DROID, this is called Car Home and the icons are somewhat different. Adding a Favorite App You may notice that CarDock has six buttons, and one of them is labeled Add App.
Page 430: Email And Text Directions
CHAPTER 19: Finding Your Way With Maps 2. Tap Preferences. 3. Select Custom. 4. Choose an app. You must use the Preferences method if you’ve already chosen a custom app for CarDock and want to change it to something else. Email and Text Directions Many apps link to Google Maps, and Google provides plenty of alternative ways to find directions and locations.
Page 431: Location-Based Social Media And Games
Yelp and Geodelic, as well as apps that tag photos or messages with your location. Your DROID camera can also tag your photos with the location they were taken. See Chapter 18: “Photos and Video” for more information.
Page 432: Foursquare
CHAPTER 19: Finding Your Way With Maps Foursquare Foursquare was cofounded by ex-Googler Dennis Crowley, who worked on a similar project, Dodgeball, which was purchased and abandoned by Google. However, Foursquare takes the social network to a new and different level by adding a gaming component.
Page 433 CHAPTER 19: Finding Your Way With Maps check in. This makes it ideal for walking tours and pub crawls, but not so great for check-ins within a building or anyplace where the GPS will not work well. In the next chapter, we'll explore social media in more detail.
Page 434: Chapter 20: Social Media And Skype
6: “Organize Your Home Screens.” Let’s begin by reviewing the two social networking Motorola widgets: Social Networking and Social Status (see Figure 20–1). NOTE: The original DROID has a separate Facebook and Twitter widgets as opposed to the Social Networking widget.
Page 435 Motorola Widgets. Figure 20–1. The social networking Motorola widgets. Both of these widgets are interactive. Tap on a widget to expand it for more choices. The Social Status widget expands to allow you to make status updates to your Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Page 436: Twitter And Microblogs
CHAPTER 20: Social Media and Skype It’s possible you’ll never need another social networking app for your DROID. It’s also possible you’ll find features or social networks missing from your collection if you rely only on the included Motorola widgets.
Page 437: The Mechanics And Culture Of Twitter
CHAPTER 20: Social Media and Skype The Mechanics and Culture of Twitter We tend to think of Twitter like a noisy party where everyone has to speak loudly. As you walk through the party, you can hear snippets of conversations, but you can’t always be sure who is being addressed.
Page 438 Your DROID doesn’t support directly uploading photos to Twitter from the Social Networking app at this time, so you’ll need to use a service like TwitPic or a Twitter client that supports such a feature to attach pictures to your updates.
Page 439: Finding Twitter Apps
That doesn’t mean the official app is the best or the only possibility you should consider. You can also use the Social Networking app that comes with your DROID, and many third-party apps provide enhanced features not available in the official app.
Page 440 Twidroyd was formerly known as Twidroid, but its publisher, TweetUp, changed the name when it purchased the service to avoid any branding confusion with the LucasArts trademarked term, droid. Verizon Wireless actually licensed the term droid for your DROID.
Page 441 CHAPTER 20: Social Media and Skype Touiteur offers nice features like trend search, but you must upgrade to the 1.99 (about $2.60) version to upload pictures or manage multiple accounts. Tweetcaster (shown on the right) is a $4.99 app with a pleasant user interface that supports saved searches.
Page 442: Yammer
There’s no shortage of microblogging services, so there’s no chance of naming them all. Some, like Jaiku, seem to be short on dedicated apps. Others have a large selection of dedicated apps, but none of these other microblogs are included in the Social Networking widget on DROID.
Page 443 CHAPTER 20: Social Media and Skype Tumblr is worthy of mention. It allows short microblog posts, but it also supports multimedia better than Twitter by directly embedding it in threads. It also enables threaded responses to posts. Tumblr users create rich Tumblogs with pictures, videos, links, and text.
Page 444: Social Bookmarking
CHAPTER 20: Social Media and Skype Social Bookmarking Social bookmarking is a method of sharing sites you like. In the purest form, Delicious, one of the leading social bookmarking services (www.delicious.com), allows you to save a bookmark with a quick note and tags to organize the bookmark by category. You can also network with other users to see their bookmarks and measure the relative popularity of bookmarks by seeing how many other users have marked a particular site.
Page 445: Creating Fan Pages
CHAPTER 20: Social Media and Skype assume anything you say is completely visible to the world; indeed, you should make this same assumption for any website you post information to. Facebook allows multiple types of posts, from quick status updates to photos, videos, and longer notes.
Page 446: Facebook Apps
CHAPTER 20: Social Media and Skype Facebook Apps Your DROID already supports Facebook through the Social Networking app. Original DROID owners can use Facebook’s official app, which is shown to the right. Facebook’s official app is great for personal networking. You can also use it to sync status updates with your contacts, check into locations, and you can upload photos directly to Facebook.
Page 447: Blogging
CHAPTER 20: Social Media and Skype LinkedIn has grown in popularity among business users by adding features for use beyond a simple chart of connections. LinkedIn claims to have more than 65 million users in 200 countries. As it has grown in popularity, LinkedIn has added features that go far beyond job seeking.
Page 448: Phone Posts
However, you probably don’t want as many options when you’re trying to type them in on a slide-out keyboard or touchscreen. If you need more access on the road, you can log into your account from your DROID’s Browser app.
Page 449: Bump
Bump user’s phone. You’re not limited to just DROID users. Android and iPhone Bump users can share contact info with each other this way. You do need a...
Page 450: Cross-Posting
Fortunately, you can take advantage of cross-posting tools that let you focus on the tool or format that is easiest and/or most rewarding for you. The Motorola widget, Social Status, does exactly this. Follow these steps to use the Social Status widget: 1.
Page 451 Facebook fan page, WordPress blog, and Delicious bookmark. Any post you make to that group is automatically cross-posted. NOTE: Ping.fm is the web service, not the DROID app that enables cross-posting. The DROID app for using the Ping.fm service is called AnyPost.
Page 452: Aggregating Content With Readers
CHAPTER 20: Social Media and Skype NOTE: As far as cross-posting is concerned, there’s a fine line between posting the same message to multiple groups and simply spamming. The more places you cross-post, the more places you’ll also have to monitor comments. Aggregating Content With Readers If you want to read all your content in one place rather than posting it, you’ll want an aggregator (aka feed reader).
Page 453: Making Phone Calls And More With Skype
Amazingly, you can make phone calls using the Skype app from your DROID. Calls to other Skype users anywhere in the world are free. A nice thing about Skype is that it works on computers and...
Page 454: Creating Your Skype Account On Your Droid
If you need to set up your Skype account and have not already done so on your computer (see the “Using Skype on Your Computer” section later in this chapter), then follow these steps to set up Skype on your DROID: 1. Tap the Skype icon from your Home screen.
Page 455: Log In To The Skype App
CHAPTER 20: Social Media and Skype Log in to the Skype App After you create your account, you’re ready to log in to Skype on your DROID. To do so, follow these steps: 1. If you are not already in Skype, tap the Skype icon from your Home screen.
Page 456 CHAPTER 20: Social Media and Skype 3. Tap Add a Contact. 4. Tap Search Skype Directory and then type someone’s first and last name or Skype Name. 5. Tap the Magnifying Glass button to locate that person. 6. Once you see the person you want to add, tap his name.
Page 457: Making Calls With Skype On Your Droid
So far you have created your account and added your contacts. Now you are ready to finally make that first call with Skype on your DROID. Follow these steps to do so: 1. If you are not already in Skype, tap the Skype icon from your Home screen and log in, if asked.
Page 458 Tap the call button. Figure 20–3. Placing calls from Skype on your DROID. NOTE: You can call toll free numbers for free using Skype Out on your DROID. The following notice comes from the Skype website at www.skype.com: “The following countries and number ranges are supported and are free of charge to all users.
Page 459: Receiving Calls With Skype On Your Droid
Skype call! TIP: If you want to call someone whom you know uses Skype on her DROID, just send her a quick email or give her a quick call to alert her to the fact you would like to talk to her using the Skype app.
Page 460: Chatting With Skype
Chatting with Skype In addition to making phone calls, you can also chat via text with other Skype users from your DROID. Starting a chat is very similar to starting a call; follow these steps to do so: 1. If you are not already in Skype, tap the Skype icon from your Home screen and log in, if asked.
Page 461: Adding Skype To Your Computer
You can also use Skype to make video calls on your computer if you also have a web cam hooked up. NOTE: When you call from your computer to a DROID, you will not be able to make a video call. To create a Skype account and download the Skype app to your computer, follow these steps: 1.
Page 462: Chapter 21: Working With Notes And Documents
We will show you two apps in this arena: Quickoffice, which may be pre-installed on the DROID 2 and DROID X models; and the full version of Documents to Go. Both of these apps allow you to open, view, create, and edit Office documents.
Page 463: Finding And Installing These Apps
Notes-Based Apps on Your DROID We will cover two of the many notes-based apps that you can use on your DROID. The AK Notepad app is more of a standard, easy-to-use notepad app. Evernote is a more of a full-featured note-taking app that includes the ability to attach multimedia items to your notes, including pictures, files, and voice notes.
Page 464 (#) like this: #mytag. When done typing, press the Back button on your DROID to save your note and return to the list of notes. If you are not satisfied with the pre-...
Page 465 Notification settings.) The alert will pop up in the very top status bar. Drag your finger down from the top of the DROID screen to see all the reminders. Now you can tap the Groceries list to view your list as you go through the store.
Page 466 Catch.com account and tap the Sign In button. Now your list of notes on your DROID will instantly display any new notes you have added from Catch.com, as well as the Welcome to Catch.com note.
Page 467: Evernote App
“Starbucks” in the image. The other nice thing about Evernote is that there are apps for multiple mobile devices, so you can view notes you synchronize from your DROID, PC, or Mac on an iPod touch, iPad, iPhone, or BlackBerry.
Page 468 New note (add a new note which can include attachments of pictures, audio, video or files) Snapshot (take a picture with your DROID camera) All Notes (view all your notes) Tags (view your notes organized by their tags) Notebooks (view your notebooks)
Page 469 CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents Viewing and Finding Notes To view your notes, press All Notes, Tags or Notebooks from the main screen. Follow these steps to find a note: 1. Press the Search icon from the main screen. 2.
Page 470 CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents 4. To assign one or more tags to this note, tap the Tag icon 5. From this screen you may type a new tag and click the plus sign (+) in the upper right corner to add It to the list.
Page 471 To locate pictures you have taken on your Select File to browse to a file DROID, tap the dcim folder on your DROID or SD Card to and then tap the Camera attach to the note. folder.
Page 472: Sharing Files And Documents
Append text (add text to the note), Email, view Note info, Delete, or View in full size (see the image in full size on the screen). You can also create an icon or shortcut to this note on your DROID Home screen by selecting Create shortcut from the menu.
Page 473: Sharing Files With Usb Mass Storage Mode
CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents NOTE: You will need an SD card to transfer files to and from your DROID. This section assumes you have an SD card installed in your DROID (most DROID models come with an SD card pre- installed).
Page 474: Dropbox File And Document Sharing
50 GB of storage costs $9.99 per month, and 100 GB of storage costs $19.99 per month. TIP: You can also use Dropbox as a backup service for your important files. If your DROID or computer crashes, you will still have a backup copy of your files in your Dropbox account on that company’s servers.
Page 475 CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents 7. Open a web browser on your computer and go to www.dropbox.com. 8. Click the Download Dropbox button to get the software for your Windows PC, Mac, or Linux computer. 9. Double-click the file you downloaded to start the Dropbox installation.
Page 476: Installing Dropbox On Your Droid
Installing Dropbox on Your DROID Once you have set up Dropbox on your computer, you’re ready to repeat the process on your DROID. Follow these steps to do so: 1. Install the Dropbox app from the Android Market and tap the Dropbox icon to start it.
Page 477 Dropbox app on your DROID. The same thing works in reverse: if you place a new file in the Dropbox folder on your DROID, it will appear in minutes in the Dropbox folder on your computer (see Figure 21–3).
Page 478 Figure 21–3. Copy files into your Dropbox folder on your computer, and they appear in the Dropbox folder on your DROID. Moving Files from Your DROID Follow these steps to move files from your DROID to your computer and Dropbox account: 1. Tap the Drobox icon to start it. 2. Press the Menu button and select...
Page 479: Working With Microsoft Office Documents
TIP: Check your list of applications; you may already have the full version of Quickoffice pre- installed on your DROID. Be sure to check whether you already have it before you buy any third- party software for creating or editing Office documents.
Page 480: Finding Product Reviews
NOTE: Imagine putting the core of Microsoft Office on your DROID and just how many many features and functions it includes. We could easily write 50 pages or more about either Quickoffice or Documents to Go;...
Page 481: Moving Documents To And From Your Droid
Another popular way to move documents is to attach them to email messages. You can receive and send attachments to yourself and others. Learn more about working with email in Chapter 9: “Email on Your DROID.” Follow these steps to transfer documents between your computer and DROID via email: 1.
Page 482: Quickoffice
CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents Quickoffice You may already have Quickoffice pre-installed on your DROID. Take a look through your app icons; if you don’t see it, then you can purchase it for about $10 from the Android Market.
Page 483 CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents Formatting Text in Quickword Once you have a Quickword document open, you can change its text formatting by following these steps: 1. Select text by double-tapping it, and then tap the screen above or below the selected text to expand the selection.
Page 484 CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents Getting Around in Quickoffice Once you understand that you get to most of the commands by pressing the Menu button, you can access all the functionality in the Quickoffice apps. What follows is a list of menu commands accessible from the various apps: Quickword menu commands –...
Page 485: Documents To Go - The Full Version
CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents Zooming in Quickoffice The best way to zoom in or out is to pinch open or pinch closed with your fingers on the screen. Double-tapping only works to zoom in or out in Quickpoint; otherwise, it will move the cursor and start a selection.
Page 486 CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents Word To Go Tips You’ll probably spend the most time using the Word To Go app. In the upcoming sections, we’ll look at several tips for getting the most out of this app. Zooming in or out Tap the screen once to bring up the (-) and (+) Magnifying glass buttons at the bottom of the...
Page 487 CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents Menu Commands You may be amazed at the number of features and functions available to you in Word To Go. Just press the Menu button to see the following commands: File – New, Open, Close, Save, Save As, and Send via Email Edit (this brings up the same options as long-pressing the text) –...
Page 488 Slideshow To Go menu. This menu lets you do almost anything possible from this app. Remember that you can flip your DROID on its side to make a slide fit its screen better.
Page 489 CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents Editing Slide Text (Using Outline View) Editing text on a slide is easy to do. Simply long- press anywhere on the slide and select Edit Slide Text. This switches you into Outline view. This will give you a screen similar to the one shown to the right.
Page 490 Excel, you can just click cells to reference them. However, to add a cell reference in a formula on your DROID, you need to either type out the cell reference (e.g. “E8”); or press the Menu button, select Cell Reference, and then tap the cell.
Page 491 CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents Adding Functions While you are editing a cell, press the Menu button and select Function. This displays a list of virtually every function available in Excel. To narrow the list, tap the All dropdown list at the top of the window.
Page 492 CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents Adjusting Row and Column Sizes (and Hiding or Unhiding Them) Now let’s look at some tips for adjusting the sizes of rows and columns. Press the Menu button, tap More, and then tap Row or Column to see a menu similar to the one shown to the right.
Page 493 CHAPTER 21: Working With Notes and Documents...
Page 494: Chapter 22: Fun And Games
(which we will show you later in the chapter.) NOTE: There is enough fun stuff to do with the DROID that we routinely discover that the DROID has disappeared from its charger and we have to yell out: “Where is my DROID? I need to finish this book!”...
Page 495 Raging Thunder. itself to steer. You do this simply by turning the device. You can touch the DROID to brake or tilt it forward to accelerate. The game on the right, Raging Thunder, is so fun and fast that it might make you car sick! Tap to brake.
Page 496 On some games, such as the new Guitar Hero, you really have to “strum” to keep pace and score points. The DROID also has a very fast processor and a sophisticated graphics chip. Bundling these together with the accelerometer gives you a very capable gaming device.
Page 497: Acquiring Games And Other Fun Apps
CHAPTER 22: Fun and Games Acquiring Games and Other Fun Apps As is the case for all DROID apps, games can be found in the Android Market (see Figure 21-1). You can get them either through doubleTwist (See Chapter 25: “DROID Media Sync”) on your computer or through the device’s built-in Android Market app.
Page 498 Games tab. You will also find many games in the Featured section of the Android Market. Figure 22–2 shows the App Purchase page for a game available for the DROID. Touch Games. Touch to Scroll down to...
Page 499: Reading Reviews Before You Buy
Being Careful When You Play You might use the DROID to cast your line in a fishing game, as you would in real life. You can also move around a bit in driving and first person shooter games. So be mindful of your surroundings as you play! For example, make sure you have a good grip on your device, so it doesn’t slip out of your hand;...
Page 500: Two-Player Games
CHAPTER 22: Fun and Games CAUTION: Games such as Angry Birds can be quite addictive! Two-Player Games The DROID really opens up the possibility for two-player gaming. In this example, we are playing checkers against one another, using the DROID as a game board.
Page 501: Playing Music Games With Your Droid
Android Market to see what’s available. One of the apps that was in the Top 5 of the Free DROID apps category when we were writing this book was xPiano, which turns your DROID into an on- screen piano.
Page 502: Other Fun Stuff: Football On The Droid
Menu key to see the main menu of options. When you first register the app, you pick your favorite team. The favorite team on the DROID in this example is set to the Patriots. Touch the My Team tab to go to your team’s page.
Page 503 CHAPTER 22: Fun and Games Touch the News and Videos tab and you can see the days NFL headlines. You can also watch video highlights by touching the Videos tab. Touch the Live tab from the menu to watch TV broadcasts of live games. If no game is currently on and an upcoming game is going to be televised, that will be indicated at the bottom of the Live screen.
Page 504: Chapter 23: Utilities: Clock, Calculator, And Weather
Weather app, but also how to download other free weather apps you might want to add to your DROID. We will also show you how to add a Weather and Clock widget to your Home screen for easy viewing.
Page 505: The Clock App (For Droid)
TIP: You can always find additional utilities in the Android Market. Check out Chapter 17: “Exploring the Android Market” for more information on the DROID’s official marketplace. The Clock App (for DROID) Your DROID comes with a built-in clock that also provides various alarm options.
Page 506: The Alarm Clock (For Droid)
CHAPTER 23: Utilities: Clock, Calculator, and Weather The Alarm Clock (for DROID) The DROID’s alarm clock feature is flexible and powerful. You can use it to easily set multiple alarms. For example, you might set one alarm to wake you up on weekdays and a separate alarm on weekends.
Page 507 CHAPTER 23: Utilities: Clock, Calculator, and Weather Touching Set takes you to the Alarm Options screen. From this screen, you can adjust the Repeat, Ringtone, Vibration, and Label of the alarm. If this is a one-time alarm, then leave the Repeat option set at Never.
Page 508 CHAPTER 23: Utilities: Clock, Calculator, and Weather To adjust the Snooze feature, press the Menu key from the Clock app and then choose Settings. Snooze will be in the default 10 minutes position. NOTE: The pre-set Snooze duration is 10 minutes; however, you can adjust that value to anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes.
Page 509: Using The Alarm (For Droid 2/X)
NOTE: An alarm will not turn your DROID on if it is completely powered off. However, if your DROID is in Sleep mode (see Chapter 1: “Getting Started”), then your alarms will ring just fine.
Page 510: Using The Timer (For Droid 2/X)
Using the Timer (for DROID 2/X) On the DROID 2/X the Timer app provides a count-down timer that can prove handy in a number of situations. For example, you might use it in lieu of a kitchen timer to remind you to take something out of the oven in 30 minutes or to ensure that you cook your pasta for exactly eight minutes.
Page 511: The Calculator App
NOTE: You can continue to use the phone for other tasks without stopping the timer. The Calculator App Another handy app included on your DROID is the Calculator app. The DROID’s Calculator app can handle almost anything a typical family will throw its way,...
Page 512: Viewing The Basic Calculator (Portrait Mode)
Menu key and then touch Advanced panel soft key. Viewing the Advanced Panel Once your Calculator app is in Advanced mode, turn the DROID sideways to enter Landscape mode (horizontal). This gives you a bit more room to work with your calculations.
Page 513: The Weather App
NOTE: By default, GPS is not turned on at first boot on the DROID 2 and DROID X devices. Thus the News and Weather app may use your wireless connection or cell-tower triangulation, but it won’t use GPS by default.
Page 514 Figure 23–1. The current and hourly views of the weather from the built-in Weather app. Adding a Weather Widget One of the great things about the software on your DROID is that it is highly customizable. One way to customize it is to add widgets to your Home screen. A widget is essentially a live, updating shortcut to another app.
Page 515 Widgets from the menu. 4. Choose News and Weather to make a widget for the News and Weather app. 5. On the DROID 2/X, you will then be asked to configure the widget to show Weather, News, or News and Weather.
Page 516: Other Weather Apps
CHAPTER 23: Utilities: Clock, Calculator, and Weather Other Weather Apps The Weather app bundled with the DROID is certainly functional, but there are alternatives available. Most of the weather apps are free in the Android Market, but some also offer premium versions for a modest fee.
Page 517 AccuWeather Another weather authority, AccuWeather, has put together a very comprehensive weather app for the DROID. You can download this app from the Android Market, as explained earlier. When you fire up the AccuWeather app, you will be prompted to use your location for determining local weather –...
Page 518: Chapter 24: Troubleshooting
DROID. Basic Troubleshooting We will begin by covering a few basic tips and tricks to get your DROID back up and running. What to Do If the DROID Stops Responding Sometimes, your DROID won’t respond to your touch because it freezes in the middle of...
Page 519: Managing Your Apps
“Managing Your Apps” section. If your DROID still won’t work after trying all these steps, then you will need to perform a factory reset of your DROID or look at more advanced troubleshooting techniques or additional resources that we’ll touch on later in this chapter.
Page 520 Resolving Memory Problems We all love to install cool new apps on our DROID. However, at some point, the love must come to an end when we receive an “Out of Memory” error. At that point, we can either remove unused apps or try to move some apps from our main internal memory to our SD card.
Page 521 TIP: If you do need to free up some space on your SD card, try moving some of your media files to your computer and deleting them from your SD card. This should free up SD card space, so you can move apps (see Chapter 25: “DROID Media Sync” for more information). Changing the Launch by Default Setting Sometimes you set the default open or launch setting for an app and want to change it later.
Page 522: Resolving Issues With Placing A Phone Call, Syncing With Google, Or Browsing The Web
There are several reasons you might not be able to place a call, sync with Google, or browse the web. One simple reason is that your DROID might be in Airplane mode. You can tell if you are in Airplane mode if you see the Airplane icon in the top status bar, as shown to the right.
Page 523: Turning Off Airplane Mode
If you are out of an area with good wireless coverage for 15 minutes or more, your DROID will switch to Airplane mode to conserve battery life. You just need to turn off Airplane mode to fix this problem.
Page 524: Cycling Your Wi-Fi Connection
Few things are more frustrating than hoping to listen to music or watch a video, only to hear no sound coming from your DROID. Usually, there is an easy fix for this problem: 1. Check the volume by using the Volume Up key in the upper-right edge of your DROID.
Page 525: Resolving Problems When Making Purchases
Bluetooth stereo device or connected to your car stereo’s Bluetooth (and the car stereo volume is turned down), no sound will come out of the DROID itself. 4. Make sure the song or video you want to play is not in Pause mode. If you see the Play button on the screen, then your song or video is currently paused.
Page 526: Increasing Your Text Message Limit
CHAPTER 24: Troubleshooting CAUTION: Performing a Factory Data Reset will erase all the data you have on your DROID. If you are syncing to Google or another application, all the data synced automatically will be saved. Don’t worry about pictures and videos stored on the memory card; those will not be lost when you do this reset.
Page 527: Additional Troubleshooting And Help Resources
In the following sections, we provide some good resources that you can access from the DROID and from your computer’s web browser. The Motorola support site and knowledgebase are helpful if you are facing a troubleshooting problem that is proving especially difficult to resolve.
Page 528: Droid-Related Blogs
Also, make sure you are posting your question on the right section (e.g., DROID) of the blog. Otherwise, you may incur the wrath of the community for not doing your homework first! Finally, you can do a web search for “DROID blogs”...
Page 529 CHAPTER 24: Troubleshooting...
Page 530: Part Iii: Sync Media To Your Droid
DROID. We cover two simple solutions including doubleTwist and using Mass Storage mode to transfer media and documents between your computer (PC or Mac) and your DROID. Soon, you will be able to fill your DROID will all sorts of media.
Page 532: Chapter 25: Droid Media Sync
(e.g., music, pictures, and videos) between your computer and your DROID. These software products will help you sync your iTunes or Windows Media Player music and playlists, as well as your pictures and videos from your computer (PC and Mac).
Page 533: Where To Enjoy Your Media On Your Droid
Where to Enjoy Your Media on Your DROID You can view, play, or listen to media on your DROID in a few different programs. As you have seen, we have chapters devoted to each type of media supported on the DROID in this book (see Table 25–2).
Page 534: Selecting A Usb Connection Mode
CAUTION: You may not be able to play video files that you have just dragged-and-dropped onto your DROID SD card using a USB connection. This is because most video files need to be encoded in a specific format to play on your DROID.
Page 535: Changing Usb Connection Modes
Step 1: Open your DROID SD card window on your computer On your Windows computer, open Windows Explorer and look for the removable disk that is your DROID SD card. On your Mac, use your Finder to locate the removable disk that represents the DROID SD card.
Page 536 Open a window on your computer with the type of media you want to drag-and-drop. This media could be your music files, pictures, or videos. Next, locate the correct folder on your DROID SD card for the same type of media. Table 25–3 lists typical locations for common media types on your DROID.
Page 537: Disconnecting Your Droid Safely (Don't Skip!)
CHAPTER 25: DROID Media Sync Disconnecting Your DROID Safely (Don’t Skip!) Because of the way your DROID handles files, you will want to be sure to Eject the DROID from your computer prior to yanking out the USB cable. On either a Windows or Mac computer, you can right-click the disk drive that represents your DROID SD card.
Page 538: Downloading And Installing Doubletwist
CHAPTER 25: DROID Media Sync Downloading and Installing doubleTwist The first step to getting your media onto your DROID using doubleTwist is to download and install the application on your PC or Mac. Follow these steps to do so: 1. From your computer, visit www.doubletwist.com...
Page 539: Getting Started With Doubletwist
CHAPTER 25: DROID Media Sync Getting Started With doubleTwist Once you have the program installed on your computer, you are ready to set it up and start syncing your playlists and media from iTunes or Windows Media Player to your DROID.
Page 540: Importing Your Playlists
CHAPTER 25: DROID Media Sync Importing Your Playlists You’re now ready to import your playlists from iTunes or the Windows Media Player: 1. Click Library from the main menu at the top. 2. Select either Import iTunes Playlists or Import WMP Playlists (Windows Media Player) to import your playlists.
Page 541: Connecting Your Droid To Doubletwist
DROID 2, or DROID X. TIP: Troubleshooting USB Connection Problems If you do not see your DROID in doubleTwist, then try using another USB port on your computer. Also, double-check that you are in Mass Storage mode and not some other USB connection mode.
Page 542: Fine Tuning The Sync
If you have a large amount of music or podcasts, you will want to fine-tune the sync process by clicking the appropriate tabs at the top of the window. Follow these steps to use doubleTwist to fine-tune how your DROID syncs various types of media: 1. Begin by syncing your music.
Page 543 CHAPTER 25: DROID Media Sync 4. Next, import new pictures and videos that you have taken on your DROID to your computer. Click the Pictures tab and check the box next to Import new pictures from my device, as shown in the image to the right.
Page 544: Dragging-And-Dropping Media Onto Your Droid
Occasionally, you will see the following error after you sync or drag-and-drop music files onto your DROID: “Sorry the player does not support this type of audio file.” If you see this, try powering your DROID off and then on again. If that does not correct the problem, open the back of the device, remove the battery for a few seconds, and then put the battery back in again.
Page 545: Finding And Subscribing To Podcasts With Doubletwist
CHAPTER 25: DROID Media Sync Finding and Subscribing to Podcasts With doubleTwist You can find just about any podcast you want using doubleTwist. Follow these steps to do so: 1. Click Podcast Search in the upper portion of the left column in doubleTwist.
Page 546: Finding Apps In The Android Market With Doubletwist
3. Click the Barcode button, also known as the QR code, to enlarge it on the screen. 4. Use the Barcode scanner app on your DROID to scan the QR-code. (You can download this app for free from the Android Market.) 5.
Page 547: Buying Music From The Amazon Mp3 Store In Doubletwist
CHAPTER 25: DROID Media Sync Figure 25–5. Locating and downloading apps to your DROID with the Barcode Scanner app and doubleTwist. Buying Music from the Amazon MP3 Store in doubleTwist It’s possible to purchase music from the Amazon MP3 store using your DROID’s built-in Amazon MP3 app;...
Page 548 CHAPTER 25: DROID Media Sync Figure 25–6. Finding and purchasing music in the Amazon MP3 store from doubleTwist.
Page 549 CHAPTER 25: DROID Media Sync...
Page 550: Appendix: Driod App Guide
This appendix includes information on apps you can download and install for your DROID. We’ve included QR codes, so you can use a barcode scanner app on your DROID to navigate directly to a given app. Read Chapter 17, “Exploring the Android Market,”...
Page 551 QuickOffice US$9.99 This is a complete software solution offering Mobile Suite good capabilities for creating and editing from Microsoft Office documents on your DROID. QuickOffice, For some PowerPoint editing it has better Inc. capabilities than Docs to Go. OfficeSuite Free The free trial is for 30 days.
Page 552: Printing
Table A–2. Printing Apps. App Name Price Notes QR Code PrinterShare Free Use the free trial’s test-print feature trial/$4.95 before committing to a purchase. Be Droid Print, by aware that Office files are not supported, Mobile Dynamix but PDF files and photos are.
Page 553: File Management
Table A–3 lists the available file-management options. TIP: To learn more about Dropbox, check out Chapter 21. To learn about which folders store all your pictures, videos, and ringtones, check out Chapter 25: "DROID Media Sync. Table A–3. File-Management Apps.
Page 554: Virus Protection, Backups, And Security
Your DROID already ships with the ability to remote wipe and back up your phone data. Lookout Mobile is our top pick in this category. It’s free and provides three services within one app.
Page 555 APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Table A–4 shows virus protection and other security apps. Table A–4. Virus Protection, Backups, and Security Apps. App Name Price Notes QR Code Lookout Mobile Free This app provides virus scans, remote Security Free, by location, and file backup. The remote location can either show you where your Lookout phone is on a map (if GPS is enabled) or...
Page 556: Presentation Software
Docs to Go or the slideshow feature in your phone gallery in a pinch. At this time, the DROID and DROID 2 do not support TV out, so you can’t just plug the device into a TV or monitor and see video images.
Page 557: Web Conferencing
Web Conferencing At this time, none of the DROID models covered in this book have a front-facing video camera, so they can't be used for video conferencing. However, Web conferencing from your phone is starting to emerge as a real possibility. WebEx and GoToMeeting don’t have official apps at the time of publication, but that may change as their competitors eliminate the need for a PC.
Page 558: Notetaking And Mind Mapping
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide App Name Price Notes QR Code Fuze Meeting, by See note Fuze Meeting is a subscription web- FuzeBox conferencing service. The dedicated Android app is free, but the presenter must have a Fuze Meeting account. More information is available at www.fuzemeeting.com.
Page 559 APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Table A–7. Notetaking Mind Mapping Apps. App Name Price Notes QR Code ColorNote Free This is a virtual sticky-note app for Notepad Notes, your phone. It lets you take quick, color-coded notes or make simple to- by Notes do lists.
Page 560: Email Management
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Email Management We discussed email in Chapter 9: “Email on Your DROID.” Android has very capable native options for email; however, in the corporate world, you may need more than what comes in the Android box, and you may not want to pay Verizon for monthly access to Corporate Sync email accounts.
Page 561: To-Do Lists
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide App Name Price Notes QR Code SpamDrain, by $30 per SpamDrain is a web-based spam- _SpamDrain_ year filtering service. All filtered messages are still available via the website, and messages not marked as spam are delivered to your inbox. The app comes with a 30-day trial.
Page 562: Expenses And Finance
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide App Name Price Notes QR Code Astrid Task/Todo Free Astrid is an open source task- List, by Todoroo management tool that syncs with Remember the Milk. It’s a solid choice for anyone who doesn’t need Google Tasks syncing. Got To Do Lite, by Free/£2.00 This app is based on the “Getting...
Page 563 APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Table A–10. Expenses and Finance Software. App Name Price Notes QR Code Mint.com Free You must have a Mint.com account to Personal Finance, use the Mint.com Personal Finance by Intuit app, but both the service and the app are free.
Page 564: Travel
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Travel If you have to travel for work, you’ll appreciate travel apps that track your mileage, list your schedule, help you find places to eat, and make sure you don’t say anything embarrassing to the locals. Kayak is a great app for comparing airfares across all airlines, hotel prices and even learning information about your local airport.
Page 565: Health And Medicine
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide App Name Price Notes QR Code Gaia GPS, by $4.99 This app provides offline road and Trailbehind topographic maps for times when you’re traveling out of cell tower range. It’s aimed primarily at outdoor sports, but it’s still very useful for traveling to rural areas.
Page 566 APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Table A–12. Health and Medicine Apps. App Name Price Notes QR Code Epocrates Rx, by Free Epocrates Rx is a free reference app for Epocrates drug information. At the time of publication, the software is still in beta, so Epocrates may choose to charge for a premium service or full version in the future.
Page 567: Law And Legal
For those working in or around law offices, there are reference materials and news sources available for the DROID. DroidLaw is a good example of such an app. You can use it to sort through legal procedures, but you can also use it to track many popular legal blogs and news feeds.
Page 568: Real Estate
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Wathen Legal Free This app provides international legal news stories and allows you to News, by Genwi comment. Lawyer’s Free/$1.99 This app calculates target dates and the number of workdays between two dates Calendar Calc, by for legal billing purposes.
Page 569 APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Table A–14. Real Estate Apps. App Name Price Notes QR Code Mortgage Free/$4.99 This is a fairly straightforward mortgage and autopayment estimator with PMI Calculator, by Siva (private mortgage insurance). It relies on data from Bankrate.com. The pro version offers more options.
Page 570: Sales And Crm
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Sales and CRM CRM (customer relationship management) seems like something that was meant to be done from your phone. You can find tools that work with Microsoft CRM, and Salesforce.com is developing tools that are not yet on the market. There are also plenty of smaller CRM companies that are willing to work with Android, such as Simply Sales, and several developers have introduced standalone apps for the...
Page 571: Retail
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Simply Sales, by Free Simply Sales is a simple CRM app MyOlive.net Small that integrates with Gmail and Business Portal Google Maps. The app was written by MyOlive.net, which also offers a small business CRM portal. Retail Small business retailers will really appreciate being able to accept and process credit cards from their phones.
Page 572: Finance
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide App Name Price Notes QR Code Mobile Credit Card Free It requires you to manually input the Processing, by credit card information into the phone, rather than giving you a swipe reader. Merchant Swipe More information is available at www.merchantswipe.com.
Page 573 APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Table A–17. Finance Apps. App Name Price Notes QR Code Google Finance, Free This is the official Google Finance app; it by Google includes stock quotes and financial news. Personal Free/ Personal Assistant combines investment- $7.00 Assistant, by portfolio and personal-bill management Pageonce...
Page 574: Project Management
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Project Management Project managers have to keep track of a lot of parts and people in order to do their jobs. It seems ideal for them to be able to do some of that tracking from a mobile device, rather than having to lug around a laptop or transfer handwritten notes.
Page 575: Education And Training
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide App Name Price Notes QR Code Time Tracker, by Free This is a simple time-tracking app Sean E Russell for figuring out the time spent on a project or task. It also generates reports on projects and tasks. Education and Training Higher education institutions have begun offering apps and services aimed at students.
Page 576: Social Media
This is a scientific calculator and Lite/Formula (about formula reference guide for students; it includes things like periodic tables and $1.95) Droid, by Abhishek a web reference. The paid version Kumar removes ads. Social Media Social media has become an important part of doing business and interacting with the world.
Page 577 Facebook, by Free The official Facebook app Facebook is different from the Motorola Widget on the DROID X and DROID 2 phones. WordPress, by Free If you have a WordPress Automattic blog, whether on WordPress.com or on your...
Page 578: Information Technology
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Information Technology Your IT staff may have already installed, modified, and mastered the apps for Android covered in this section; however, if you’re looking into using an Android phone, it’s good to know you can manage your server or answer help-desk tickets from your phone.
Page 579: Other Apps
APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide ConnectBot, by Free ConnectBot is a simple, open source SSH Kenny Root and client for Android. It’s difficult to see the tiny Jeffrey Sharkey text, but it makes up for this by giving you the ability to copy-and-paste. IPConfig, by Free This is a simple utility that provides...
Page 580 APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide Firehouse Scheduler is another great app. It was created for emergency responders, and it is designed to keep track of shift schedules. Finally, if you or your business owns a car, aCar is a great app to use to make sure you take care of it.
Page 581 APPENDIX: DRIOD App Guide...
Page 582: Index
Index ■ Google Account, 98–100 Special Characters phone, 97 add a VPN option, 135 and Numerics Add account button, 56, 213 $ key, 85 Add alarm button, 481 ?123 key, 68–69, 465 Add App button, 404, 406 1-way sync option, 110 Add as a Contact option, 271 2-way sync option, 110 Add Bookmark icon, 241...
Page 583 Index Advanced Settings option, CompanionLink, AndFTP app, 554 Android Comic Reader app, 332 Agenda button, 275–276 Android icon, 267 Agenda (List) view, 275 Android Market, 343–364 Agenda view, 275–276 apps in aggregating content, with feed readers, 427 downloading, 349 AIM app, 236–237 installing, 349 Airplane icon, 14, 497 purchasing, 347–348...
Page 584 Index accepting meeting invitations, health, 540–541 284–285 information, 26 deleting, 284 IT, 553–554 moving to different calendar, 284 legal, 542–543 recurring events, 283 moving apps to SD cards, 496 apps, 21–28, 525–555 notetaking, 533–534 AK Notepad, 438–441 presentation software, 531–532 adding and labeling new notes, printing, 527 438–439...
Page 585 Attending drop-down window, 285 Blockbuster app, 24 audio folder, 184 blogging, 422–423 Audio note option, Evernote app, 443 blogs, DROID-related, 503 audio notes, adding to Evernote app, 446 Bluetooth, 131, 189–196 Audio option, Dropbox app, 454 Bluetooth Stereo (A2DP), 194–195...
Page 586 Index Browser app, 239–256 accessing, 273–274 activating links in, 246 creating appointments, 278–282 Back and Forward buttons for, 243 one-time, 278–279 bookmarks in, 246–249 recurring events, 280 adding, 246–247 reminders for, 280 adding to home screen, 254 editing appointments, 282–285 managing, 248–249 accepting meeting invitations, using, 247–248...
Page 587 Cell Network Audio Quality field, 309 installing Cell Reference option, Documents To Go on computer, 120–123 app, 465 on DROID, 124–125 cells, selecting and editing, 465 requirements for, 119 Change all events in the series option, 283 reviews for, 118...
Page 588 SMS from, 226 Crowley, Dennis, 407 linking contact to another app, 268–269 cursor, moving on screen, 76–78 loading onto DROID, 257 Custom battery saver setting, 53 making list useful, 257–258 Custom date/time option, AK Notepad app, order of, 271–272...
Page 589 Functions, 466 Directions option, 393 adjusting row and column sizes, 467 Disconnect and Unpair button, 196 freezing panes, 466 disconnecting DROID, safely, 512 inserting various elements, 466 Discover button, Kobo app, 338 selecting and editing cells, 465 Disk icon, 512...
Page 590 Corporate Sync accounts, 215 searching for videos, 319 Gmail app, 199–211 using bottom icons, 319–320 and archiving messages, 199–200 using Netflix and Hulu on DROID, automatic filters, 203 Confirm Delete option, 211 as video player, 311–313 Labels in, 201–202, 211 DroidLaw app, 542 multiple accounts in, 212–214...
Page 591 Explore option, 457 form data, remembering in Browser app, Exposure setting, Camera Settings menu, 253–256 Format option, 458, 462 Formulas Lite/Formula Droid app, 551 Forward arrow, 243 ■ Forward button, for Browser app, 243 Forward icon, 241 Face Detection setting, Camera Settings...
Page 592 Index Free DROID apps category, Android Market notifications for, 209–210 app, 476 overview, 198 free trials, games, 474 Priority Inbox, 201 Freeze Panes option, Documents To Go replying to email, 207–208 app, 466 searching in, 208 freezing panes, 466 sending email, 207–208 From field, 213, 267 settings for, 203–206...
Page 593 Google Talk, 211–212, 235–236 folders, 141 Google to Outlook option, CompanionLink, shortcuts, 141 App tray, 138–139 Google Translate app, 540 Motorola widgets, 144–148 Google Voice, 176–179, 362 overview, 137 installing app, 176 pinning notes to, 440–441 placing calls with, 179...
Page 594 Kindle for Android app, 554–555 apps outside Android Market, 353–355 Kobo app, 338 CompanionLink on computer, 120–123 ■ on DROID, 124–125 doubleTwist, 513 Label option, 482 Google Calendar Sync, 109 Label settings area, 202 Google Voice, 176 Label tab, 483...
Page 595 Index Library soft key, 304 leather, 62 Libris app, 339 rubber/silicone, 62 Like button, 360, 420 screen protectors, 63 Linda File Manager app, 529 waterproof, 62 Linked app, 422 where to buy, 61 LinkedIn, 421–422 making calls, with Skype app, 432–433 LinkedIn app, 27 man-in-the-middle attack, 130 links, activating in Browser app, 246...
Page 596 Messaging app, 215–216, 226, 228–230 Most Viewed icon, 319 Motorola Android Support page, 502 Messaging icon, 185, 222, 226, 228, 230 Motorola DROID support pages, 502 Messaging option, 233–234 Motorola icon, 49 Messaging settings, 185, 501 Motorola widgets, for social media, 409–411 Messaging widget, 214–216...
Page 597 308 Need For Speed app, 25 Thumbs up or Thumbs down, 307 Netflix Mobile Queue app, 24 Music app, 292 Netflix, using on DROID, 323 options, 304 network connections, 127–136 playing, 299–303 3G and 4G, 128–129 adjusting volume, 300...
Page 598 Pandora app, 25, 360 Pandora icon, 305 ■ Pandora Internet Radio, 304–310 OCS (Oracle Collaboration Suite), 57 adjusting settings, 309–310 Office documents, 454–467 creating new stations in, 308 moving documents to and from DROID, getting started, 305–306 main screen, 306–307...
Page 599 Index menu, 308 question mark icon in, 163 Thumbs up or Thumbs down, 307 sending text message from, 161 panes, freezing, 466 viewing contact details from, 160 Panorama assist option, 376 returning to call from app, 157 panoramas, 376–377 ringtones for, 181–186 Party shuffle soft key, 304 assigning to contacts, 186 Password field, 429...
Page 600 Index adding to Evernote app, 446 pausing and playing, 300 copying to computer, 387 Previous or Next songs, 300 editing, 387–389 repeating songs, 301–302 other photo apps, 389 shuffling playlists, 302 using Photoshop Mobile, 388 shuffling songs, 301 using PicSay, 388–389 viewing other songs on albums, 303 and Gallery app, 384 Playlist view, 296...
Page 601 Skype app, 434 for Missing Sync, 113 Recent apps list, 494 Reset Phone option, 501 Recent Files option, Documents To Go app, resources, 502–503 DROID-related blogs, 503 Recent list, 90–91, 158, 161–163 Motorola DROID support pages, 502...
Page 602 Index retail apps, 546–547 Screen timeout setting, 51 retweets, for Twitter, 412 scrolling, 18 Review Time setting, Camera Settings SD cards, moving apps to, 496 menu, 378 Search box, 93 reviews Search button, 4, 6, 16, 42–43, 91, 165, 167, for CompanionLink, 118 341, 393 games, 474...
Page 603 Index Send chat invitation window, 235 Share option, 233, 308 Send IM button, 435 Share Page option, 250, 419 Send MMS button, 232 Share this place option, 271, 399 Send option, 235–236 sharing Send text message option, 161 documents, 447–449 Send to Retail option, 371 location, with Google Maps, 397–398 Send via Email option, Documents To Go...
Page 604 420 and Skype credits, 434 Google Buzz, 424–425 Skype Name field, 429 LinkedIn, 421–422 Skype option, 432 Motorola widgets for, 409–411 Skyscape Medical Resources app, 541 social bookmarking, 419 Slacker app, 305 Twitter, 411–418 apps for, 414...
Page 605 Star icon, 400 Sync to DROID via Google option, Starred Files option, Documents To Go app, CompanionLink, 117 Sync to DROID via the CL Hosted Servers Starred items option, 400 option, CompanionLink, 117 starring locations, in Google Maps, 400 Sync with Android Calendar App check box,...
Page 606 45–47 Android Market search in, 521 Time field, 279 automatically syncing with, 516 time slider bar, 316 connecting DROID to, 516 Time Tracker app, 550 dragging-and-dropping files in, 519 Timeline slider bar, 299 importing playlists, 515 Timer app, 485–486...
Page 607 Index DROID-related blogs, 503 editing or deleting words from Motorola DROID support pages, 502 dictionary, 81 sound issues in music or video, 499–500 turning off Airplane mode, 498 ■ ttTumblr app, 418 TTY Mode option, 181 underscore key, 242 Tumblr app, 418...
Page 608 Scenes setting, 382–383 User dictionary screen, 81 using flash, 383 Username field, 100 troubleshooting sound, 499–500 utilities, 479–492 using YouTube on DROID, 318–323 Calculator app, 486–487 adjusting video controls, 321–322 portrait mode, 487 clearing history, 323 viewing advanced panel, 487...
Page 609 Visual Voicemail, 172–175 Wi-Fi settings option, 15 changing ringtone for, 175 widgets, 142–144 deleting all messages, 174 adding, 8–9 Motorola widgets, 144–148 selecting multiple messages, 175 adding and resizing, 147–148 unsubscribing from, 174 for social media, 409–411 Voicemail icon, 170, 173, 179 Voicemail service option, 180 moving, 8–9...
Page 610 Zoom buttons Yammer, 417 Documents To Go app, 464–465 Yelp app, 364 web pages in Browser app, 245 YouTube, on DROID, 318–323 Zoom Mode feature, 67, 81, 83 adjusting video controls, 321–322 Zoom Mode option, 83 clearing history, 323 zoom, on camera, 367...
Page 613 Index...
Page 615 Index...
Page 617 Index...
Page 618 Free Tips to start receiving Made Simple Learning is now offering these informative tips. some free DROID tips and tricks via email! We have selected 10 tips from our new book to help you get more out of your DROID.
Page 619 Index What individuals say about Making our video tutorials: Technology “Turns on the light for features that are not intuitive!” Simple - Lou “Easy to follow. I learned a lot!” - Nicky For You “Short & sweet! Definitely recommend!” - Sandy Get Started Today! 1.

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