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REINVENTED

ISSUE 053

Can Android apps make your

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Welcome
To issue 53

ET THE TEAM

feature most excites you

Android M?

Jack Parsons
Editor
Android Ms super-smart
Now on Tap searching is
simultaneously exciting
and scary in the way truly
revolutionary tech always is.

Android M
is coming to
every screen,
learn more
on page 12

Jamie Frier
Staff Writer
The app permissions control
really is a great move. Im
glad I no longer have to give
access to all of my private
data to play a game.

Siobhan Maguire

Welcome

Production Editor
I think Android Pay is a great
addition, it really shows how
technology has developed,
and it will make shopping
so much easier!

Adam Markiewicz
Senior Designer

or [Android] M, weve gone back to the

basics, annouced an eight-foot-high
projection of Google head honcho Sundar
Pichai in front of me. Weve really focused on
polish and quality; weve literally solved
thousands of bugs. Watching a live broadcast
of Pichais speech in California from Googles
London headquarters, I heard a dozen Android
developers around me collectively sigh in relief.
After the bold redesign of Android Lollipop, no
one was in the mood for another overhaul.
Instead, it was all about the small xes; when
Google announced Android Ms volume controls
would be simplied, we all cheered.
For all its focus on renement, Google has
still managed to pack a lot of exciting new
features into its next big update, including
Android Pay for mobile payments, Now on Tap

for a smarter Google Now experience and free

unlimited cloud storage for every user with
Google Photos (page 28). Somehow theyve
managed to do all this and double the battery
life of your smartphone.
While Android M doesnt launch until this
autumn, nd out how to set up the Developer
Preview on your Nexus or for the rst time
ever Sony Xperia from page 12. You can also
nd out how Android is building a smarter home
on page six, unfolding the future of virtual reality
on page 20, and 10 other Google projects that
our going to change the world on page 10.

Im excited to use multiple

apps in split-screen mode.
Ill be able to text friends,
view Google Maps and play
games at the same time!

GET IN TOUCH
What do you think?
Let us know!

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qa@littlegreenrobot.co.uk

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youd like to see in the mag

/littlegreenrobot

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your comments

Jack Parsons
Editor

@lgrobot

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your thoughts

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3

Contents
Inside issue 53

www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk

CONT
26 Exclusive subscription offer 65 Special offer for intern

Launcher
Previews,
news and
speculation
from the world
of Android

12

Find ou
to set
insta
M to

GET
NE
W

AND
OID

N W

06 Nest Cam watches

over your smart home

P6rJoQteWcUCPFUuQr HbDattery life CE

e yo

After reinventing the

thermostat, Nest launches a
high-tech CCTV camera

W
t you
r priv IUZGF
acy

08 Holographic
ashcards
Teach kids their ABCs
with augmented reality

09 Amazing
messaging apps
Best apps for sending SMS

10 10 reasons how Google

will change the world
Discover more about the tech
giants most exciting
moonshot projects

20 CARDBOARD 2.0

How Google is making

virtual reality available to all

HackerZone This months top mods and tweaks

Visit the Android Magazine online shop at

for back issues and books

44 Hacking Tips & Tricks

52 Port unsupported apps

to any Android

Essential hacking advice

46 Customise your Xperias

Ultra Stamina mode

Run vendor-specic apps on your device

54 Prevent AMOLED screen burn-in

Tailor your Sony smartphones

battery mode to your needs

Top tips to protect your display

48 Run multiple ROMs at once

56 Monitor your internet data

on the go

Dual boot using MultiROM

Track mobile data and Wi-Fi usage

50 Send larger email attachments

Hack Gmail to send over
5MB messages

Get more from

your device

28 Masterclass: Sort your images

with Google Photos
Instantly organise your pictures with
the huge Google Photos update

51

INSTALL
CHROMEPIE

51 Get ChromePie for

Android Lollipop

Tutorials
32 Tutorials
32 Organise your music
with Phonograph
34 Enable push notications
from websites in Chrome
36 Make appointments in any
messaging app
38 Personalise your news updates
39 Share URLs by sound
with Google Tone

Add the popular custom pie

menu bar to Android 5.0

58

CHROMEBOOK
SUPERTEST

eviews

atest tech tested

70

BT HOME
SMARTPHONE
SII

66

66 Asus ZenFone 2
68 Honor 6 Plus
70 BT Home SmartPhone SII
72 Honor 4X
74 Vodafone Smart prime 6
75 Archos 50+ Oxygen

92 Droid Support

36

ARRANGE
MEETINGS
WITH EASE

58 Chromebook supertest
The new Chromebook Pixel takes o
its closest rivals

ASUS
ZENFONE 2

88 Buyers Guide
Monthly top 10 tech charts

Apps
Your complete guide
to Google Play
78 App reviews
The latest and greatest
apps on test

82 Head-to-head

84

MORTAL
KOMBAT X

What is the best live

streaming video app
Meerkat or Periscope?

84 Game reviews
The best games reviewed

20+ APPS
Check our website daily
for even more news

www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk

All the latest from the world of Android devices

Nest Cam watches

over your smart home
After reinventing the thermostat and smoke
detector, Nest launches a high-tech CCTV camera
Nest Labs, the home automation company bought
by Google for 2 billion last year, has launched
its rst new product since the acquisition a
home security camera.
The Nest Cam is an updated version of the
Dropcam, a product Google and Nest also bought
out together last year. However, this is more than a
simple rebranding. The new Nest Cam can shoot
full HD 1080p, has improved night vision and has
an added microphone so you can communicate
through the camera. It is also now much slimmer,

with exible zinc-alloy stand so you can angle it and

a magnetic base so it can be securely attached to
metal surfaces.
The main selling point for the DropCam is still
here though: the Nest Cam provides a constant
stream of video to your phone through a
companion app. You can also set Activity Zones
within the cameras 130-degree eld of vision, so
the device will alert your phone if anyone has
entered a particular area. To prevent false alarms,
Nest Cam uses intelligent motion sensors that can

tell the difference between a falling leaf and a

person. However, while the camera can identify
people, Nest drew the line at being able to
recognise individuals.
We didnt want to use facial recognition
because we felt it was unnecessary and a bit
intrusive. I wouldnt want to have to go up to my
cleaner and ask to take her photo so I can see
when she is in the room, said Billy Burnett, Nests
European communications manager.
The Nest Cam on its own costs 159/$200 on
its own, but has been released alongside a new
subscription service called Nest Aware. For 8/$10
or 24/$30 per month, video for the past 10 or 30
days will saved to your Nest Aware account so you

can review the days happenings at your leisure,

rather than have to just watch a live stream in
real-time on your phone or computer.
Each video will include markers highlighting
when the camera detected some kind of
interesting movement. This means you wont have
to scroll through an entire day to see if anyone had
entered a room, instead clicking on a marker will
allow you to jump to moments of high activity.
However, while a Nest Cam gives you the power
of all-seeing surveillance, following the recent
scandal involving Samsung TVs that listen to what
youre saying and the furore over the Xbox One
Kinect in 2013, you might have fears about who
else is looking through your Nest Cam.
Weve taken security very seriously, said Billy
Burnett. The device itself is encrypted and that is
something that cant be externally hacked.

The device will alert

your phone if anyone
has entered a
particular area

Keep an eye on everything happening in your home using

the new Nest Cam

Everything has 2048-bit SSL encryption, which is

a very high standard. Also, every individual session
is individually encrypted, so even if someone were
able to hack into your account, they wouldnt
have access to all the footage. Google has one of
the best security records going and Dropcam is
excellent too.
He also stressed that none of the manufacturers
would be able to spy on you. Inviting something into
your home to record is very personal so were trying
to give customers total condence in their privacy.
No one from Nest, Google or Dropcam can see any
of your footage, said Burnett.
As well as launch the Nest Cam, the company
also announced the second generation of its

The new Nest Protect smoke detector has many upgrades

carbon monoxide detector, the Nest Protect, and

upgrades to its best-known product, the Nest
Learning Thermostat.
At Nest, we always wanted to build more than a
thermostat, said Tony Fadell, Nest chief executive
ofcer. Our vision was to create a thoughtful home
a home that takes care of itself and the people in
it. Five years later, all the pieces are in place.
More than 9,000 developer partners are using
the Works with Nest developer program to help
seamlessly integrate everything from washers and
dryers to cars with our thermostat, smoke alarm
and camera, he added.
The new Nest Protect can detect smoke even
faster with its split-spectrum sensor. While the
original only had one photoelectric sensor, the
new model has two, so it can tell the difference
between fast and slow burning res. It can also
distinguish between smoke and steam to prevent
false alarms. Should the siren go off necessarily,
you can also now silence it from your phone.
The Nest Learning Thermostat will now alert you
if your homes temperature should suddenly rise
very high or plunge very low. The Thermostat will
also now work with the Nest Protect to shut down
the boiler if the smoke detector senses a leaks.
The Thermostat will even be able to shut down
fans, to prevent them from fuelling ames or
circulating smoke through your home.

A new approach to the Internet of Things

Brillo is Googles OS to connected everyting to the web

This is how Sundar Pichai describes Project Brillo,

Googles new platform for connecting everyday
products to the internet. While Nest Labs is
focused on the smart home, Brillo is intended to
create a smart world.
Imagine a farmer managing an entire farm from
a smartphone; the security cameras, the sensors,
the irrigation equipment, all of them can be
connected so that they work better together,
explained Pichai at Google I/O 2015.
Brillo is intended to be operating system that
underpins them all. Brillo is derived from Android
but polished to just the lower levels. It supports
Wi-Fi and low-energy Bluetooth. Pichai also

announced Weave, a cross-platform language

that will help Brillo devices, the internet and
phones to work together.
Android lovers with long memories will
remember this not Googles rst attempt to unify
the Internet of Things. Android@Home was
announced at Google I/O 2011, but was never
heard from again. However, there is more demand
for it now, as the success of Nest Labs proves.
But dont expect to buy any Brillo products any
time soon. In the here and now, a Developer
Preview for Project Brillo will only be available this
autumn for manufacturers, with more information
about Weave available in the winter.

Create a zoo
You can also bring several
animals to life at the same
time, so you can get
together your own miniature
menagerie on your desk or
bedroom oor

NEW TECH Animal 4D+

Holographi
ash card
Teach kids their ABCs
using augmented reality
With around-the-clock cartoons and the all-new
allure of phones and tablets, trying to keep a
childs attention is more difcult than ever.
This is especially hard when youre trying to
teach them something, like the alphabet.
However, Animal 4D+ proves technology doesnt
have to be your enemy.
This educational toy from Octagon Studio is a
set of augmented reality ash cards that bring
animals to life to teach toddlers their ABCs. Just
open the free app, hold your camera over a card,
and watch as animated animals instantly appear.
Featuring bears, elephants, turtles and more,
as well as being useful to teach toddlers their
ABCs, you can also view vital stats for each
creature in the app, including scientic
classication, feeding habits and where they
live in the world.
As well as 26 cards for each letter of the
alphabet, you can even feed the animals with
companion food cards. For instance, lay the
banana card next to the M for Monkey ash card
and watch in awe as the simian magically walks
off his card to gorge himself on fruit!

Real size
Although not
perfect, developer
Octagon Studio has
tried to scale the
animals to size, so
the ant is
signicantly smaller
than the bear

Feeding time
If you try and feed an
animal something it
doesnt eat naturally, it
will reject it. Putting
grass in front of a
monkey will only result
in it looking disgusted

Explore
There are currently
26 animals that you
can bring to life as
well as several food
cards, including
bananas and grass

At a glance
Product name Animal 4D+ alphabet cards
Available from 4d.octagon-studio.com
Price $9.99 for the cards, while the app is free
Bring animals to life and discover more about them
through scanning AR cards with your phone

Q&A
We spoke to Michael Healy, CEO
of Octagon Studio about their
augmented reality flash cards
How do you make the animals come to
life on the card?
The animals have been created in our
studios, using highly skilled animators,
artists and programmers to create remarkably
realistic animals in full 3D. Using augmented
reality technology and image recognition
software, we can identify each card from the
pack of ash cards and attach the 3D model
to the card. To add additional features, we
have sound and in some cases interaction
between the individual cards, hence the 4D+.

Whats the most difcult part of

creating these cards?

A
8

The most difcult part of bringing the

animals to life was to make them ultra

realistic and believable. The challenge was to nd

the best 3D artists, animators and programmers
available to us and to create an output that was
light enough to work seamlessly on mobile.

Do you see these more as a fun game or

an educational tool?

We see the animal cards as an educational

tool in themselves. They educate the user
as much about augmented reality (AR) and the
possibilities that AR has to offer and of course it
also brings the ash cards to life, which makes
the learning experience more enjoyable. Education
should be fun. We believe that everyone has the
right to enjoy learning.

Have you got any other 4D card creations

in the pipeline?
We have projects in the pipeline. We have
Dinosaurs 4D+, Space 4D+, and Octaland
4D+ all of which we are very excited about.

Octaland will be launched at the Augmented

Word Expo in Santa Clara in June.

Which of the animals is your favourite?

I like the elephant and the turtle [the
most]. The texture on the Elephant is
fantastic and the colouring and animation of
the turtle is beautiful.

The option to feed the animals and

have them refuse foods they dont like
is interesting. Was that always part of
the original plan?
Interactive image recognition is a very
interesting feature of AR. At Octagon
Studio we have been working on many
different interactive scenarios. We decided to
bring it into the ash cards to enhance the
experience and to also educate users of
the endless possibilities that AR technology
has got to offer.

GALLERY OF...
AMAZING MESSAGING APPS

4
1

Textra SMS

This good-looking
SMS app is highly
customisable, enabling
you to change the colour
scheme for every
contact. Messaging is
also made easy with
scheduled SMS
messages, a slide to call
feature and quick reply
pop-ups as well.
Messaging made easy!
Price: Free + IAPs

2 Hello SMS
This app uses
tabs to make it
simple to switch
between conversations.
This is quick and easy
and eliminates the
unnecessary clutter
that something such as
having an inbox can
bring. SMS messages
are free when you text
other Hello users.
Price: Free + IAPs

3 Facebook

Messenger
Chances are if
you are on
Facebook, then you
already use this app. Its
unique chat heads
feature enables you to
text while using other
apps and you can make
free calls to anyone in
the world, which is a
very useful feature.
Price: Free

4 LINE
Blurring the line
between
messaging and social
networking even
further, LINE: free calls
and messages offers
free messaging as well
video and voice calls.
You also have the
option to share daily
status updates and
images too.
Price: Free + IAPs

5 Telegram
If youre
concerned about
privacy, youll be
pleased to know
Telegram is heavily
encrypted, but still
provides the level of
service weve come to
expect. Chat with up to
200 friends, share les
and sync messages
across devices.
Price: Free

6 Go SMS Pro
While not quite as
pretty as some of
the other apps featured
here, GO SMS Pro is
packed with features.
Hide private messages
from prying eyes,
schedule messages for
a specic time and
blacklist nuisance
numbers to keep your
messages safe.
Price: Free + IAPs

Theyre building a fleet of

internet balloons

Two thirds of the world doesnt have internet

access. Project Loon is designed to connect
remote places using a fleet of helium balloons that
circle Earth broadcasting LTE bandwidth. Not just
a pie in the sky concept, working balloons have
been tested in New Zealand and Brazil, lasting over
a 100 days in the air, providing 10 Mbps
connectivity with 500metre accuracy. However,
this project is still considered a pilot with no formal
date announced for worldwide roll out.

Minority Report gesture

controls are coming soon

A recent announcement revealed that Google has

developed a radar emitter the size of a microSD
card that can detect your hand movements.
Codenamed Project Soli, the microchip is designed
to be used in wearables and will recognise and
respond to hand gestures, such as cranking an
imaginary volume dial up or down, or pressing a
button. Without the need for physical controls,
smartwatches and smart home devices can be
sleeker and more stylish.

Improving city living

Google are funding an institute called Side Walk

Labs, which aims to improve urban life. Working in
New York, this will include tackling issues such as
OCMKPIVTCPURQTVOQTGGHEKGPVNQYGTKPIVJGEQUV
of living and reducing energy usage. The institute
is led by Dan Doctoroff, who worked post-9/11 as
Deputy Mayor of Economic Development and
Rebuilding for the City of New York before
DGEQOKPI%'1QH$NQQODGTIPCPEKCNUGTXKEGU

10

reasons how
Google will
change
the world

3D mapping devices will

help the blind to see

Available to buy now, Project Tangos Development

Kit includes a smartphone and tablet equipped
with cameras and sensors to understand space
and motion. These gadgets can then build 3D
maps that have a variety of world-changing uses.
First and foremost, they could be used in
wearables that help the visually impaired see in
front of them
and warn them
about obstacles
in their paths.
The 3D maps
can also be
used to steer
robots and
develop
augmented
reality apps.

Transforming the US
wireless industry

Not content to be the worlds most popular phone

software provider, Google wants to be the most
affordable mobile network provider in the US as
well. Basic phone service will cost $20 a month,
but customers will get money back depending on
how much data they use. Leasing cellular tower
usage from established
networks Sprint and
T-Mobile, Project Fi also
promises that
subscribers will
connect to the fastest
network available.
Currently the service is
only available to
Nexus 6 owners, but
rollout will begin
this summer.

Self-assembly smartphones

Rather than buying a new phone every year,

imagine upgrading the one you already have with a
faster processor and bigger memory, or
customising your phone with a longer-lasting
battery and better camera when going on holiday.
6JKUOKIJVUQWPFNKMGUEKGPEGEVKQPDWV)QQING
have already shown off working models of this
so-called modular phone that they codename
2TQLGEV#TC)QQINGCTGCNUQUGVVQDGIKPVJGKTTUV
real-world trial later this year, selling Project Ara
phones exclusively in Puerto Rico.

Data-scrambling SD cards

WJKNGGXGT[PGY0GZWUNCWPEJEQPTOUVJG
Mountain Views preference for cloud computing,
)QQINGJCUPVHQTIQVVGPCDQWVGZRCPFCDNG
storage. Just as Project Abacus is trying to
revolutionise how we verify our
identity, another project
codenamed Vault
aims to protect our
privacy via the microSD
slot. Theyve developed a
new microSD smart card
that scrambles any sensitive
information stored on the
device. With a built-in
microprocessor and NFC chip,
the card can also communicate
with other devices.

Road safe self-driving cars

Touch-sensitive denim

Soon you will be able to dial a call on your phone

with just a stroke of your sleeve. Project Jacquard
has woven touchscreen controls into fabric using
conductive threads, so that it can interact with
[QWTRJQPGCPFQVJGTFGXKEGU)QQINGJCXG
worked with Levi Strauss and other partners to
create so-called Jacquard yarn that can be
created on an industrial scale and stitched
together by a tailor with only a basic understanding
of how the tech works.

)oogles autonomous cars have driven 1.7

million miles in the last six years. They have only
been involved in 11 accidents, but not once was
the self-driving car the cause of the accident,
said Chris Urmson, director of the project. Some
occurred while humans were driving (humans
drove the cars an extra
700,000 miles), while the
rest were caused by
other drivers
rear-ending the
)QQING
mobiles. Sadly,
there is no
sign of the
self-driving
cars going
on sale any
time soon.

Killing off passwords

A major feature of Android Lollipop was smart

locking, which tried to replace your lockscreen PIN
code with
facial
recognition
and using
)25VQUGVWR
trusted
locations.
Project
Abacus
takes this
concept a step further, learning to recognise
the unique way a user holds their phone or
taps on a keyboard to verify their identity.
Based on trials using 40TB of data at 33
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technology is ten times more secure than
WUKPICPIGTRTKPVUECPPGT

11

Feature
Get new Android now

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get the best Andro
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12

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Set up the Android M

Developer Preview
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6JG PKUJGF XGTUKQP QH #PFTQKF / YKNN TQNN QWV
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FGNKEKQWUPCOGJust like Android L became
Android Lollipop, Android M is expected to be
named after a sweet or dessert, with many
developers on forums nicknaming Android
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ECPVGUVQWVHGCVWTGUDGHQTGVJGQHEKCNTGNGCUG

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*QYGXGTKH[QWECPYCKVVQVT[UCORNGKVHQT
[QWTUGNHTGCFQPVQPFQWVJQYVQKPUVCNNVJG
5&-6JKUTGSWKTGUTQQVKPI[QWTFGXKEGYJKEJECP
FCOCIGKVKH[QWTGFQP VMPQYYJCV[QW TGFQKPI

desktop software
1 Install
Install the XDA developer tools Minimal

extraction
2 Zip
7UGCNGCTEJKXGTUWEJCU<KRVQGZVTCEV

#&$ CPF(CUVDQQVQPVQ[QWT9KPFQYU2%0GZV
head to goo.gl/ynHnwL and download the
#PFTQKF/KPUVCNNGTHQT[QWTFGXKEG'CEJKPUVCNNGT
KUURGEKEVQVJG0GZWUQT2NC[GTUQGPUWTG
[QWXGFQYPNQCFGFVJGTKIJVNGHQT[QWTJCPFUGV

USB debugging
4 Allow
'ZVTCEVGXGT[VJKPIHTQOVJG<+2NGENKEM
on Start>Devices>Printers, then click on your
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*CTFYCTG &GXKEG(WPEVKQPU 2TQRGTVKGU'PCDNG
75$FGDWIIKPICPFVJGPENKEM1-;QWNNPGGFVQ
WRFCVGVJG)QQING75$&TKXGTVQPKUJ

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PGGFVQOQXGVJQUGGZVTCEVGFNGUCETQUUVQ
wherever youve saved the Minimal ADB and
(CUVDQQVNG#NNNGUUJQWNFDG6#4NGUUQ
TGPCOGVJGOKHPGGFGF

3
#DQW
GPCDNG
QRGP &
CPF 75
2%CPF

VQ [QWT
Q F V G )QQING 75$ &TKXGT

Android M
5 Flash
Back up your device and launch Minimal

Android M
6 Get
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#&$ CPF(CUVDQQV6[RG adb reboot-bootloader

CPFRTGUU'PVGT[QWTFGXKEGUJQWNFGPVGT
(CUVDQQV5GGKHKVKUKP.1%-56#6'QTPQV+HKVKU
type fastbook oem unlock CPF'PVGT5GNGEV;GU
YKVJVJGXQNWOGDWVVQPCPF2QYGTVQEQPTO

UVTCKIJVHQTYCTF 6[RG flash-all CPF VJGP 'PVGT

4GDQQV [QWT RJQPG CPF [QW UJQWNF UGG #PFTQKF /
CRRGCT CU [QWT 15 %JGEM VJKU D[ IQKPI VQ
5GVVKPIU VJGP #DQWV RJQPG CPF PCNN[ EJGEMKPI
VJG #PFTQKF XGTUKQP

5QP[1RGP&GXKEGU2TQITCO
(QTVJGTUVVKOGGXGT5QP[:RGTKCQYPGTUYKNNDGCDNGVQKPUVCNNVJG#PFTQKF/
&GXGNQRGT2TGXKGY(QTOQTGKPHQTOCVKQPXKUKVhttp://goo.gl/zTgglm

Only intended for industry

use, not every Android M
feature works

13

Feature
Get new Android now

New polished desig

/CVGTKCN &GUKIP JCU DGGP PGVWPGFYKVJPGYHGCVWTGU
#HVGTNCUV[GCTUOCLQTTGFGUKIP#PFTQKF/U
PGYNQQMKUOWEJOQTGUWDVNGFor instance, the
origami-like app icons and colourful backgrounds
of Lollipops Material Design are still here, but you
can now choose between light and dark themes
for the settings menus. Perhaps the biggest
change to the user interface is that the app draw
has been completely changed. Android has used
a horizontally scrolling app drawer since Ice
Cream Sandwich, but has now ditched that in
favour of one that scrolls vertically with your four
most recently used apps appearing it the top of
the draw for added convenience. Another change
that will make Android easier to use is that you
can now uninstall apps from the homescreen,
rather than just deleting them from sight.
Android M also reintroduced many features that
Lollipop removed, such as Do Not Disturb mode.
No design update, however, could be complete
without new wallpapers. Android M will boast 11
new backgrounds, but sadly only one of these
made it into the Developer Preview. As you can
see on the right, this wallpaper is an aerial shot of
a rugged coastline, not dissimilar to many of the
backgrounds included in Lollipop.

it
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.C[GTU/CPCIGT Price Free Requires Android 5.0

If you want to get the look of Android M without all the features, this
app will help you theme your phone using RRO themes.

Adjust volume
Do Not Disturb was removed from Lollipop
something that proved to be an unpopular
decision with users and so it returns in Android
M. Push and hold the volume-down button until
it turns to Vibrate mode. Release and push
again to activate Do Not Disturb. The arrow
also opens up the audio and alarm settings.

14

Go back to black
To get rid of the bright white backgrounds of
Android Lollipop, you can now set a dark theme
KP#PFTQKF/+PVJG&GXGNQRGT2TGXKGYTUV
enable developer options in Settings> About.
Tap on Theme and change to Dark or
Automatic, where the phone will adjust the
theme based on the lighting conditions.

Delete apps from

the homescreen

You can uninstall apps from your homescreen

in Android M. Press and hold the app you want
to remove and youll get two options Remove
and Uninstall. Remove will delete the widget,
but Uninstall will delete the app permanently.

Feature
Get new Android now

Take faster photos

Capture HDR photos
without the delay

Android M is also
making navigation
around various
apps a lot quicker
and easier.
Developers will
now be able to
include a line of
code inside their
app that takes a
user directly to the
best app to open a
particular link. So,
for example, if you
click on a YouTube
link in your Twitter app it will take you directly
to YouTube, rather than asking if youd like to
open it in Chrome. This will make things
quicker for users and means each link is
opened in the best possible place.
Android M also brings Chrome Custom
Tabs to users. Instead of opening a link in
Chrome or having to develop web hosting
within the app, Chrome will now open over
the top of the app, marrying up the look and
feel of the app with the security features,
speed and saved passwords of Chrome.
These two developments will greatly improve
the user experience and make using apps a
much more pleasant experience, without the
user having to do a single thing.

The likes of Sony, Samsung, HTC and LG pride

themselves on the quality of their cameras,
competing for the highest amount of
megapixels, the biggest apertures and the
brightest flash. However, the stock camera app
has a big part to play here and Google has
updated it for Android M. In the new update's
ECOGTCVJGTUVVJKPI[QWPQVKEGKUVJCVVJGVKOG
between pressing the button and the photo being
snapped is lightning fast. HDR mode, which
traditionally takes a little while longer, has also
been sped up, making blurry images less likely.
The animation that plays while you are focusing
the camera has also altered, the circle now
expands and contracts rather than rotating. The
speed is the main draw though, and it will
hopefully make capturing that special moment
much easier to do.

it
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Google Camera
Price Free
Requires Android 4.4

You can try taking faster HDR photos on your

current-gen phone right now, just update Google
Camera to version 2.5.

Get multi-wi
Multi-window has been a feature of Samsung
phones for four years, but is now coming to
stock Android. It enables a user to view more
than one window on screen at the same time.
You can get up to four images on a screen at
once as the multi-window
customisable, enabling yo
windows in different ways
experimental feature that
crashing, this is only avail
to go looking for it, but it w
experience on large-scree
expecting this to be rolled

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Chrome
everywhere

QTFWTKPIVJGTUV/WRFCVGDWVKH[QWYCPVVQIGV
it straight away then you will have to alter your
build.propNGCPFLWORVJTQWIJOWNVKRNGQVJGT
hoops to get it. However, if you are prepared to
do so, it is a very useful and fun new feature

it
Getw
no

ActivityForce
New Task

Price Free
Requires Xposed Framework

Force your phone to start a new application when

clicking a link with this Xposed module. This
should take you to the best option for the job.

XM

P
R

If youre still yet to get And

download this Xposed mo
multi-window mode.

15

ture
d now

Protect your privacy

with app permissions
At the moment, you have to accept lots of
permissions every time you download an app,
enabling access to everything from your
contacts to your microphone. However, Android
M heralds a move away from that, as apps will
now only be able to access certain areas of your
phone when it is necessary. When you download
an app in Android M, it will download without
asking you to accept permissions, but as soon as

app
an app it will now
s required for it to
e, a calendar app would
ha
ts and existing calendar
to be useful. C
t for these permissions if
you are happy with them.

permissions
4 Monitor
You will now see all the areas an app can

see or hear. To remove access for an area, for

example, the microphone, tap on the slider. This
will remove the permission for access. Dont
forget that this could potentially impair the apps
ability to function.

it
Getw
no

16

more permissions
2 Enable
When the app needs further access it will

you use a part of an app that requires access to a

section of your phone, such as access to your
microphone when you want to use speech-totext in Whatsapp, a permissions request will pop
up. You can also go back and remove previously
granted permissions if you no longer want an
app to have access. This tutorial will show you
what app downloading looks like in M as well as
how to remove certain permissions from apps.

advanced settings
3 Use
Pull down the Quick Settings menu and

DTKPI WRCFKCNQIDQZVGNNKPI[QWURGEKECNN[YJCV
permission it requires. If you tap the arrow on the
right it will give you more information. Tap accept
if youre happy, but if not, tap Skip. Doing this
might impair the apps performance, however.

select the cog icon. Scroll down till you reach

Apps and tap on that. This will bring up your entire
apps list. Tap on any app and it will bring up that
apps info page. Hit Permissions to see what
youve enabled the app to access.

settings
5 Advanced
Head back into the main apps list and tap

mass permissions
6 Alter
Tap on an area of your phone to see all the

the triple-dot menu in the top right-hand corner.

This will bring up a small drop-down menu. Tap on
Advanced and that will take you into the main app
information menu. Hit App permissions to see a
list of all permissions.

XPrivacy Price Free Requires Android 4.0.3

Choose which permissions you grant an app with XPrivacy. This Xposed
module can restrict access to any part of your phone or tablet.

apps that have access to a particular section.

From here you can tap the sliders to stop apps
accessing that area. This is a quicker way of
stopping apps seeing parts of your device than
going through each app individually.

Apps will now only be able

to access certain areas
of your phone

Feature
Get new Android now

Check memory usage

Google has made checking and managing your
RAM usage much easier with Android M. While
previous iterations of Android has shown the
amount of memory and storage an app uses, M
digs deeper into the data to tell you how much
RAM it uses on average and the maximum
COQWPVKVJCUWUGFKPCURGEKEVKOGHTCOG
;QWECPPFVJKUFCVCD[JKVVKPIVJG#RRUOGPW
in Settings, then Advanced from the triple-dot
menu and Memory. From this screen you can see
JQYGHEKGPV[QWTCRRUCTGCPFKFGPVKH[VJG
RAM-hungry ones that you may need to

Greenify
1 Activate
D
p and then go into the

Settin
sho
t

Accessibility and you

es list. Tap it and

a shortcut
2 Make
Open Greenify and tap the triple-dot menu.

Select Create hibernation shortcut and choose

either of the two options. This puts a Greenify
widget on your homescreen.

reconsider using. The time-frame it takes this

data from can be altered by hitting the triple-dot
menu in the top right of the Memory menu,
tapping Duration and then selecting your chosen
time-frame.

it
Getw
no

Greenify

Price Free
Requires Android varies

Until Android M arrives, keep those RAM-hungry

apps in check by using Greenify, which hibernates
URGEKGFCRRUYJGPPQVKPWUG

your apps
3 Hibernate
To hibernate any apps that are running

unnecessarily, all you have to do is press the

floating green circle that is located in the lower
right-hand corner. It is that simple!

uto-back up apps
ne will now automatically back up your
you delete an app or change your
data up to 25MB per app will be
e Drive, although it seems
wards your overall drive limit,
u might lose in a transition or
on can be restored instantly
e-installed the deleted app. Auto

it
Getw
no

back up happens every 24 hours, so there is a

chance that you could lose a bit of data from the
last day, but overall it should prove extremely
DGPGEKCNCPFYQPVTGSWKTG[QWVQFQCVJKPI
Data back up has existed in Android before but
VJKUNQQMUNKMGDGKPIVJGTUVCWVQOCVKEU[UVGO
that works and doesnt eat up your cloud or SD
card storage space.

Helium Price Free Requires Android 4.0

One of the Google Play stores best back up apps, Helium makes moving your
data to SD card or cloud storage easy.

17

Feature
Get new Android now

Customise your Quick

Settings
Quick Settings easily

Save apps
to your
microSD
If you use a microSD card, your device is
suddenly going to get a lot more free storage in
Android M. One of the many new features that
Google didnt really advertise about Android M at
its launch event was Adoptable Storage Devices.
Adoptable basically means that Android M can
adopt an external storage device like a microSD
card, and format and encrypt it so it acts like the
devices internal storage. It looks like Google no
longer sees microSD as for storing media only
with adoptable storage, you will be able to
move apps and their data to microSD or other
external storage devices. The caveat is that you
wont be able to use an adopted card on other
devices because of the encryption, but thats a
UOCNNUCETKEGIKXGPVJGDGPGVU
This move seem like a strange one, given that
Google's own Nexus devices don't have microSD
cards and Samsung recently dropped their
external storage port on the Galaxy S6, but it
looks like Google is willing to experiment.
Currently Adoptable Storage Devices even
supports USB OTG drives, so you could
theoretically use a USB stick or external hard
drive with your Android device.

it
Getw
no

Handle
ExternalStorage
Price Free
Requires Android 4.0.3

Until Android M, even devices with SD card slots

couldnt access them. This module gives read/
write access to those phones.

18

Developer mode
1 Activate
Scroll down your settings until you reach

Developer options
2 Open
Go back one step and you should now see

About phone. Tap it, then hit Build number seven

times to activate Developer mode and unlock
certain extra features of your phone.

a Developer options menu appear. Tap on that and

it will bring up a new menu full of new functions
that are unavailable to casual users.

SystemUI Tuner
3 Show
Scroll down Developer options until you

System UI tuner
4 Open
Go back one step to the Settings menu

see Show SystemUI Tuner. Set the slider to on. If

it isnt activated, slide the very top On/Off slider to
on as well.

Quick Settings
5 Organise
This will bring up your Quick Settings. Now

you can rearrange it to make it look how you want.

Press and hold an icon to select it then place it
where you wish.

it
Getw
no

and at the bottom you should see the System UI

tuner option. Tap on this and then simply hit the
Quick Settings option.

and delete icons

6 Add
Press on any icon in the Quick Settings

and drag it down to the Delete bin. You can also

add supported icons and reset using the top-right
triple-dot menu.

GravityBox [LP] Price Free Requires Android 5.0

This only works on vanilla Android but enables you to customise your Lollipop
Quick Settings amongst other changes.

Feature
Get new Android now

Google Now gets

sma
Double your
battery life

A headline feature of Android M is Doze mode, where your phone or

tablet is put into a deep sleep, prolonging your battery life while your
handset is on standby. The device knows when its not being used and
shuts down all functions, only waking up when it registers that its in use or
CJKIJRTKQTKV[PQVKECVKQPEQOGUVJTQWIJ6GUVUJCXGUJQYPVJCV&Q\GECP
FQWDNGVJGDCVVGT[NKHGQHC0GZWUYJKEJEQWNFUCXG[QWHTQOJCXKPIVQ
TGEJCTIG[QWTRJQPGQTVCDNGVQPCFCKN[DCUKU#NQPIUKFG&Q\GKUDCVVGT[
QRVKOKUCVKQPCPF#RRUVCPFD[6JGHQTOGTGPCDNGUEGTVCKPCRRUNKMGVJG
)QQING2NC[UVQTGVQDGWPCHHGEVGFD[DCVVGT[UCXGTOQFGUQWRFCVGUECP
QEEWTGCUKN[;QWECPCFFCRRUVQVJCVNKUVDWVDGCYCTGVJCVVJKUYKNNPGICVG
CNQVQHVJGDCVVGT[UCXKPIYQTMCNTGCF[FQPG#RRUVCPFD[KUCHGCVWTGNKMG
&Q\GDWVYQTMUYKVJKPFKXKFWCNCRRU+P#PFTQKF/[QWECPUGVEGTVCKPCRRU
to go to sleep when they havent been used in a while, saving battery power
CPF 4#/ (KPF VJKU KP VJG #FXCPEGF #RR OGPW QH [QWT UGVVKPIU

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Deep Sleep Price Free Requires Android 2.3

6JKUCRRUGPFU[QWTOQDKNGKPVQCFGGRUNGGRCPF[QWECP
EWUVQOKUGKVUFWTCVKQPCPFCRRUCHHGEVGF

Google Now is about to

revolutioned by a new fe
called 'Now on Tap'. #V VJ
OQOGPV)QQING0QYQP
QHHGTUDCUKEKPHQTOCVKQP NKM
local weather and the next
ZVWTGQH[QWTHCXQWTKVG URQ
VGCOUDCUGFQPMG[UGCTEJ
VGTOU*QYGXGT0QYQP 6C
DGCDNGVQQHHGTUOCTVGT
UGCTEJKPIDCUGFQPEQPVGZV
Soon youll be able to ask
Who is this? when listening
to a song on your phone and
Google Now will understand
because you're using Spotify,
HQTGZCORNGVJCV[QW TGCUMKPI
a question about the artist that
KURNC[KPI+VUPQVLWUVCDQWV
)QQINGUGCTEJGUGKVJGT+H[QW
OGPVKQPCRNCEGUWEJCUC
TGUVCWTCPVKPCVGZVQTGOCKN 0QY
on Tap will ask if you want to add
KPCTGOKPFGTHQTVJCVGXGPV#NNCP
this will take is a press and hold o
JQOGDWVVQPYJKEJRTQORVUVJG
U[UVGOVQUECPVJGEWTTGPVRCIG C
highlight key words to understand
EQPVGZVCTQWPF[QWTUGCTEJ5CFN[
VJKUHGCVWTGTON[WPFGTYTCRUCPF
KPENWFGFKPVJG&GXGNQRGT2TGXKGY +P
VJGJQOGDWVVQPYKNNQPN[DGITGGVGF

Pay with Android

Android Pay wants to become the new way to
shop. 6JKUKUVQDGOCFGRQUUKDNGD[VJG
UVCPFCTFKUCVKQPQHPIGTRTKPVKPIVGEJPQNQI[KP
#PFTQKF/;QWUGVWRCETGFKVQTFGDKVECTFQP
VJGRJQPGCPFUYKRGKVQPVJGECTFTGCFGT6JG
UGEWTGEJKRETGCVGUCQPGVKOGRC[OGPVVQMGP
so the card reader doesnt have access to your
ECTFFGVCKNUTGOQXKPICUGEWTKV[TKUM)QQING
expects the technology to advance so rapidly
VJCVECTFVGTOKPCNUEQWNFUQQPJCXGPIGTRTKPV
UECPPGTU5QYGOC[PQVDGHCTHTQO0(%
technology picking up the phone in your pocket,
OCMKPIVJGEQPPGEVKQPCPFCWVJQTKUKPIVJG

RC[OGPVVJTQWIJ[QWTPIGTRTKPVQPVJGVGTOKPCN
CNNYKVJQWVVQWEJKPI[QWTRJQPG
#PFTQKF2C[KUUGVVQDGUWRRQTVGFD[
/CUVGT%CTF8KUC#OGTKECP'ZRTGUUCPF
&KUEQXGTYQTMCVQXGTTGVCKNGTUCPFYQTM
HQTKPCRRRWTEJCUGU9KVJ#PFTQKFOCMKPI
OQDKNGRC[OGPVUGCU[VQUGVWRGCU[VQWUGCPF
UCHG#PFTQKF/EQWNFPCNN[UGGCRQRWNCT
#PFTQKFDCUGFRC[OGPVU[UVGO

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no

Samsung Pay Price Free Requires Samsung Galaxy S6

5COUWPI)CNCZ[5QYPGTUYKNNUQQPDGCDNGVQRC[HQTIQQFUCVPGCTN[GXGT[
OGTEJCPVNQECVKQPKPVJGYQTNFWUKPI0(%CPFOCIUVTKRGVGEJPQNQI[

19

Feature
Cardboard 2.0

Discover how Google is unfolding the future of

virtual reality and making it accessible to everyone

hat a difference a year makes in the

world of technology. Last year Google
gave away its Cardboard virtual reality
headset as a free gift to developers at the end of
the Google I/O conference. This year, the product
was rmly placed in centre stage during the
conference keynote. One million Cardboard viewers
have been shipped worldwide and over 500
compatible apps are available on the Play store.
But Google is not going to stop there. With a
new-look Cardboard viewer and an ambitious vision
to make sharing virtual reality experiences
accessible to everyone, the tech giant is pushing
the envelope of virtual reality.

20

VR for everyone
If youre not familiar with Cardboard, its similar to
the Samsung Gear VR that was also launched last
year. If that still doesnt mean anything to you, its a
headset where you insert your smartphone in the
front to act as both the display and the computing
power for your virtual reality experience.
Stereoscopic lenses in the headset then convert
compatible apps and games running on your phone
into immersive 3D worlds.
The big difference between Samsung's Gear VR
and Googles Cardboard headset though is price.
The Gear VR costs 200 and is only compatible
with Samsungs top-of-the-line phones, the Galaxy

yS
tle
Android phone. So why is it so cheap? Well, as you
may have guessed from its name, Googles
headset is made of cardboard.
Our goal with Cardboard was to make virtual
reality available to everyone, said Clay Bavor,
Googles vice president of product management,
speaking at this years Google I/O conference on
28 May. So we started with a piece of cardboard,
some velcro, added some lenses and a rubber
band. And amazingly enough, that was all you
needed to turn your smartphone into a fully
functional VR viewer.

Feature
Cardboard 2.0

How to use your

headset
1 Construction

The Cardboard viewer arrives as a atpack.

While the original took 12 steps to assemble,
it now only takes three. Remove the sleeve,
unfold the aps and your done.

2 Launch the app

Download the free Cardboard

companion app from the Play store or for the
rst time you can download it onto your
iPhone from the App Store.

3 Pair devices

Ofcially licensed viewers will include a

QR code for you to scan with your camera to
sync your headsets parameters with the
Cardboard app. If your headset doesnt have
this, just press skip.

4 Insert your phone

Once pairing is completed, insert your

phone and close the lid on the back of the
headset. Make sure the velcro is rmly stuck
together, so your device doesnt fall out!

5 Explore

The ofcial app includes demos to

sample what the viewer can do, but download
other Cardboard-compatible apps from the
Play store to really make the most of it.

Bavor then went on to announce an updated

version of the original Cardboard. However, rather
than upgrading it with complicated new features,
the update made it even more simplistic: the
atpack you assemble the Cardboard viewer from
now only takes three steps instead of 12. Google
has also got rid of the magnetic button that
only worked with phones with built-in NFC and
replaced it with a conductive one that will work
with all devices.
If Cardboard sounds like it is disconcertingly
low-tech, thats because it is. Android
smartphones already have the processing power
and display quality to match virtual realitys gold
standard the Oculus Rift. Oculus grabbed
headlines as a Kickstarter project that was bought
out by Facebook for $2 billion last year. A nished
headset isnt expected to appear until next year,

but developer kits are already publicly available and

sell for $350 (225). However, a teardown video by
the California-based repair rm iFixit, revealed that
the screen from the Oculus Rift Developer Kit 2 is
taken straight from the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. It
is perhaps no surprise then, that the Samsung
Gear VR is also built using Oculus tech and runs
Oculus apps. Its also the reason other phone
manufacturers are trying to break into the world of
virtual reality. Sony is set to combine the displays
from its Xperia smartphones and gaming expertise
from the PlayStation 3 with the Project Morpheus
headset, while HTC is working with games
publisher Valve on the HTC Vive.
However, there is one major mobile
manufacturer that's yet to enter the Matrix: iOS.
Looking to rectify this, Google has made the new
Cardboard viewer larger, not only so that it works

with 6-inch Android phablets, but the iPhone 6 as

well. The Cardboard app is also now free to
download on the iOS App Store. As Bavor put it,
So it works with any phone. It ts any phone.
The button works with every phone. But the
software, the Cardboard SDK, it needs to work
with every phone, too.

An open-source
ecosystem
If youre still not comfortable with the idea of a
paper headset, youll be glad to know that Googles
Cardboard viewer is like the Nexus of Android
phones; it represents Googles vision of how the
product should be, but is far from the only
Cardboard VR headset out there. As soon as
Cardboard was announced, Google made the

21

Feature
Cardboard 2.0

viewers are Knox Labs, I Am Cardboard and

DODOcase. DODOcase is particularly interesting
because up until the launch of the Cardboard,
it only produced iPhone and iPad cases.
However, Craig Dalton, co-founder of
DODOcase doesnt think it was that much
of a sea-change for the company.
DODOcase is a tablet and phone
accessory manufacturer.Smartphone VR
viewers are essentially a phone accessory.
We specialise in understanding how people
use devices and creating products that
complement that use.
Dalton also believes that Cardboard has a
distinct advantage over the Oculus Rift.
Smartphone VR [Cardboard] is the gateway to
the entire VR industry. Without it, the industry
will remain pigeon holed in the gaming community
for years and will fail to realise its full potential. The
price, portability and social sharing aspects of
smartphone VR make it the perfect entree to VR,
he concludes.
However, Cardboard has had its growing pains.
With so much variation on the original design,
some viewers have had slightly different optics
and dimensions, so they wont work as well

specications for the headset totally open source.

You can even download the Cardboard template
for yourself and make your own, just visit
google.com/cardboard.
This has led to an explosion of creative headsets
that work with Cardboards software, but are made
from different materials. For example, the Knox
Aluminium is made, you guessed it, from aluminium
but also wood, so it resembles the Morris Minor of
VR. A company named I Am Cardboard mostly

make near stock variations of the Cardboard

headset, but in a range a different colours.
However, it has also developed the premium XG VR,
which is made of plastic and includes a foam lining
for a more comfortable t. It even comes with a
Bluetooth controller, but it does retail for $279
(179). Mattel is also getting in on the act,
relaunching its classic kids toy, the View-Master, to
work with Cardboard VR this autumn.
The three biggest manufacturers of Cardboard

As soon as
Cardboard was
announced, Google
made the
specications totally
open source

Enter the
Matrix...

From exploring space to

getting a front-row seat to a
live show, here are the rst
apps to try on Cardboard

22

Titans of Space

Jack White: THIRD-D

Free

Free

Explore the solar system with the Titans

of Space app by DrashVR. The celestial bodies are
all reproduced to scale at one millionth of their
actual size, so you can explore them in your living
room. Each planet includes a fact le, and a guided
tour is available through an in-app purchase. While
the graphics are not as impressive as those shown
off in the new Expedition promos, Titans of Space
will give you a feel of what to expect from the
all-new VR experience.

Enjoy an up-close performance with

White Stripes frontman, Jack White, with this free
download. From the perspective of being on stage
with the rock star, you can watch him perform
three tracks: Freedom At 21 and Ball and Biscuit
at The Bleacher Theater at Fenway Park in Boston,
and Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground at Red
Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. To ensure the
sound is as immersive as the video, this app is also
mixed using cinema-quality Dolby Atmos.

Feature
Cardboard 2.0

Go on a VR field trip
with Expeditions
Low-cost, easy to use and with the power to
transport you anywhere, Google believes
Cardboard can be used in schools. The tech giant
has launched a new kit called Expeditions, which
will take classrooms on virtual tours of places
they wouldnt otherwise be able to visit.
Theres something amazing about visiting a
place, seeing it up close, and experiencing it with
your own eyes. But, of course, the school bus, it
cant go everywhere, explains Clay Bavor,
Googles vice president of product management.

It cant go to the moon, it cant go to another

country and back in a day, it cant go to the
bottom of the Pacic Ocean. But VR can help take
you to all of those places.
Schools will be able to buy Expeditions kits,
which contain Cardboard viewers and the phones
needed to make them work for up to 30 students,
plus a control tablet for the teacher. All of the
headsets will be synchronised, so when the
teacher chooses from a selection of ready-made
virtual eld trips, the whole class will jump there

together. For instance, a promotional video

showed students exploring the wonders of the
Great Wall of China together.
Google has already tested Expeditions in
hundreds of classes around the world and is
working with museums to develop new VR
experiences. Google says it has partnered with
organisations including The Planetary Society, the
Chateau de Versailles, the Smithsonian and the
American Museum of Natural History. Teachers
can sign up for the new program now.

Orbulus

Roller Coaster VR

Seene

Free

Free

Free

If you were a fan of Android 4.2

Jellybeans PhotoSphere camera mode, try
Orbulus. PhotoSphere let you shoot 360-degree
panoramas and upload them to Google Maps and
Google+. Orbulus lets you view PhotoSpheres from
around the world through your Cardboard headset,
including incredible landscapes and venues. A
particularly cool feature is that you start off in outer
space, and select a planet-like PhotoSphere by
simply holding your gaze on it.

Roller Coaster VR offers all the fun of a

theme park ride from the comfort of your armchair.
Made by Fibrum, this app will have you leaning from
side-to-side and gasping with excitement as you
complete loop-da-loops and corkscrews. For added
escapism, the ride is set in a tropical jungle and
even goes underwater. There are lots of roller
coaster simulators on the Play store, but this is the
one we most enjoyed though its also the one
that must us feel the most sick!

Seene was giving Android users the

chance to snap and share 3D photos long before
Cardboard was a glimmer in Google's eyes.
However, it also includes a View in Cardboard
mode, so any image shared on the social network
can now be viewed in your virtual reality headset. If
you lack the funds (or the skills) to operate a Jump
camera, this is a great alternative for sharing your
own VR experiences as well as get an idea of what
the Expedition program is like.

23

Feature
Cardboard 2.0

with apps. To combat this, Google launched the

Works with Cardboard program in April. This
enables manufacturers to input their key
parameters such as focal length and inter-lens
distance and receive a QR code to place on their
device. Users can then scan this code using the
Google Cardboard app, and their VR experiences
will be optimised for the viewer. Also, if youre
thinking of buying a Cardboard headset, look out
for the Works with Cardboard badge to ensure that
the product has been certied by Google.
DODOcase, Knox Labs and I Am Cardboard have
all signed up. Dalton stresses the benet of
working with Google rather than alone. Google and
DODOcase share a similar vision as to where the
market can go, he says.Googles support of the
software development community is critical in
increasing the number of VR applications and the
quality of those applications.Our collaboration is a
circle where top-quality viewers lead to more use
of software and top-quality software will lead to
more viewer sales.
While manufacturers have been creating new
viewers, app developers have been experimenting
with different kinds of virtual reality experiences.
There are now 500 Cardboard-compatible apps on
the Play store, including tours of the solar system
in Titans of Space, 3D live performances from Paul
McCartney and Jack White, as well as games, such
as ghost story Sisters by Otherworld Interactive
and space shootem up Vanguard V

While manufacturers have been creating new

viewers, app developers have been
experimenting with virtual reality experiences
sophisticated apps and games dont offer more
than a 30-minute experience. This is little more
than a gaming demo and isnt going to attract the
sort of hardcore gamers that are used to playing
Skyrim or Destiny on a games console. Currently,
Oculus doesnt offer games that are much more
in-depth either, but it has recently invested $10
million to help developers and is working with some
of the worlds biggest gaming studios, including
Square Enix, the creators of the phenomenally
popular Final Fantasy series.
In contrast, Google hasnt created a fund to
support developers, but continues to make lots of
tools available to developers for free, including the
new Google Design Lab app. This app includes user
guidelines for creating VR experiences. The
company also continues to hire internally, for
instance, it bought up the company behind Tilt
Brush, a 3D painting app.
Craig Dalton is very optimistic about the money
to be made as a virtual reality app developer.
Today, developers have a green eld opportunity.
Im encouraging our partners to go, go, go! he
says There will be new multimillion dollar

question I have is who they will be.

Robert Mao, the founder of mobile development
company Pixomobile, cancelled his pre-order of the
Oculus Rift Developer Kit 2 after trying Cardboard.
I actually don't think Cardboard is better than the
Oculus Rift itself, but based on the reason why I
want to buy a Oculus Rift DK -- to test out
prototype developments Cardboard works
better: it's much cheaper, it has decent quality.
Most important, it will be much easier to develop a
prototype and let many people test it, this is the
killer part," Mao said. "It's much easier to nd
testers you can even give away Cardboard along
with your beta apps, there is no way to do it with
Oculus," he added.

Virtual reality YouTube

However, being able to view virtual reality videos on
Cardboard is so 2014. Google thinks it's time to
share your own. You could already view panoramic
PhotoSpheres that youd captured with your stock
Android camera in Cardboard, however, this was
imperfect and sharing them was difcult. Googles
new system called Jump has been designed with

Feature
Cardboard 2.0

Make your own VR videos

Watch M
and Mag ike
gie
Cardboa 's
engagem rd
e
https://gont here
o.g
bQN64m l/

Multimedia designer Mike Rios proposed

to his girlfriend Maggie using Cardboard.
We asked him how he did and what he
thinks of Google's new Jump camera

Is the future of virtual

reality in DIY experiences or
is this a stop-grab for more advanced
developments?

Why did you propose using Cardboard?

I don't see why they both can't co-exist! I

mean there will denitely be large
Hollywood-style blockbusters and experiences in
VR, but there will also always be room for tons
of smaller DIY experiences. If anything,
companies like Google have widened the eld
for everyone in everything (applications,
videogames, lm, and music). That's Google's
real super power here, disruption, and I'm ready
and waiting to jump into the spaces they open
up with things like Cardboard!

I'm equal parts designer and tech dork;

and a huge fan of pick-up and play
disruptive open technology like Android and
Cardboard. I quickly realised Cardboards
incredible power to transport and alter the
perception of anyone with a modern
smartphone, some cardboard, and lenses after
its debut at I/O last year. Around the time I was
just starting to plan my proposal to Maggie. Up
to that moment I knew I wanted to propose to
Maggie with all of our family and friends in a big
grand gesture. I also really wanted to surprise
her while playing with her expectations to create
an experience she would never forget that was
also super creative, and Cardboard just seemed
like the perfect way to write my love note to her.

You created your proposal using

PhotoSpheres with no experience using
Cardboard. Would it be easier to use
Google's new Jump camera?

ate VR experiences, and then share them with

whole wide world.
We want to put professional, previously
ossible tools in the hands of any creator whos
tivated, says Clay Bavor, so that they can
ture the world around them and then share it in
ay that lets all of us jump to the top of that
untain, jump to any place or event on the planet
experience those sights and sounds as though
re actually there.
So how do you shoot VR videos? The answer is
ple: with 16 cameras working together as one.
ogle has developed the Jump camera, an
borate camera rig that can capture 3D worlds.
rst array has been produced in partnership
h GoPro, famous for its wearable action
mcorders. But no on sale date or price has been
ounced, instead you can apply online and
ogle says it will provide rigs to 'select creators'.
n theory though, wannabe VR lmmakers could
any type of video camera and even make their
n rigs. Bavor said they experimented with
ays made from 3D-printed plastic, machined
tal and of course cardboard, while testing
the product. Whats critical is the actual
ometry and we spent a lot of time optimising
rything, he says. The size of the rig, the
mber and placement of the cameras, their

To be honest, I don't know a whole lot

about Jump myself. As I understand it, in
addition to needing 16 GoPros and a custom rig
you need some serious server power to process
any video you make with it, which sounds
problematic for the average consumer. To me it
sounds like they have some plans in the short
term with some well known lm makers, which
makes business sense as it feels more
commercial in nature now. Whatever the case
I'm denitely interested to see where it goes
from here, maybe it'll be there for the layman in
a year or two.

What was it like to get a shout-out

from Clay Bavor in this year's
Google I/O keynote?
We actually knew about the shout out
well before it happened! [Google]
emailed me a few weeks before the event and
asked if they could use it in the keynote, and
given all of the help they provided through
sponsorship, it was the least I could do! It
was super exciting.

eld of view, relative overlap every last detail,

he adds. Just as it made the template for the
original Cardboard open-source, Google will
make this geometry available to everyone
later this summer.
However, the next step of the Jump process
relies on Google software. Called The Assembler,
this program stitches the 16 raw videos into a
seamless panorama with thousands of in-between
viewpoints. These videos are very high resolution
the equivalent of ve 4k TVs playing at once.

The nal, and important step, is to then make

your VR video available to everyone. Rather than
build an app from scratch to showcase your VR
experience or install an all-new player app, Google
will be making Jump part of YouTube in the near
future. You will then be able to search for VR
experiences alongside ordinary videos on your
phone, before donning your Cardboard headset.
With Googles new Cardboard headset and Jump
camera, it has never been easier to become a
member of the virtual reality fold.

FOR MORE ON GOPRO, CHECK OUT

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Tutorials
masterclass

Getstartedwith
Google Photos
Offering unlimited storage and a wide range of tools,
Google Photos is more than just a gallery app
Google has relaunched Photos as a
standalone service, no longer part of its
Google+ social network. Intended as a
competitor to Dropbox and Flickr and,
indeed, Apples own cloud storage service
also called Photos, Google has made Photos
completely free with no limit on the number
of images you can upload.

Not only does this include support for up to

16MP pictures and 1080p high-denition
videos, but it includes a some clever tools for
sorting your les by the date and location of
where they were taken, as well as turn them
into collages and create animations. Photos
also works across Android, desktop and even
iOS, so your pictures are always accessible.

Explore Automatic Sorting

Access and edit the categories that

Google Photos creates automatically

Navigate to categories

How these categories work

Perfect your categories

Search icon
To view the Places and Things categories, tap
the blue magnifying glass in the bottom-right
corner throughout the app, including in the
Assistant, Photos and Collections areas.

Automatic sorting
Places uses location data to group photos and
videos based on where they were taken. Things
groups your media based on contents, though
rogue photos can appear in the wrong place!

Remove results
You can remove media that have ended up in the
wrong category. Open the category in question,
tap the menu icon and Remove results. Tap the
items that shouldnt be there, then Remove.

Five ways to set up and

explore Google Photos
1. Get all of your Google Photos
content through Google+
You can view all your Google Photos media on
any computer via your Google+ account. Log into
your account, then navigate to the Photos
section and youll see all your synced Google
Photos content.

2. Access your content through

google.com/photos
Alternatively, you can access your synced Google
Photos content on your desktop, by going
directly to goo.gl/8YHYVw and then logging in
with the email address that you use for your
Google Photos account.

3. Desktop uploader
Do you regularly transfer photos from your digital
camera to your computer? Then you may want
to use Google Photos desktop uploader (goo.gl/
nbhvXQ) which automatically adds the photos
and videos stored on your computer to your
Google Photos account.

4. Set up desktop uploader

Once you have installed the desktop uploader,
launch it and log in with your main Google
Photos email address. Then, choose which
folders you want Google Photos to start
automatically backing up.

5. Google Photos across devices

You can upload photos from all of your devices,
from phone to tablet. Google Photos provides a
lifetime of back up, so your photos will be safe if
anything goes wrong and you can make edits to
perfect every image.

28

ss s
cla to
ter o
as Ph

e
m ogl
Go

Set up Google Photos

Create your unlimited account on Android
As part of Googles suite of apps, chances are you already have Photos installed, so just check
its up to date. If not, you can grab the app from Google Play. Launch Google Photos, open the
main navigation menu by tapping the menu icon in the upper-left corner, and lets get started!

min
gu de

There are a few areas

of the Google Play app
that you will want to
get to grips with
straight away

A guided tour of
Photos features

All your collages and animations are

stored in Creations. To navigate to this
area, tap the blue magnifying glass icon and
then tap Creations.

an email address
1 Choose
Photos usually picks up on your email

up and sync
2 Back
Photos syncs the media on your device, so

address and creates an account for you youll

nd this email address in the menus header area.
To use a different email, tap the header area,
select Add account and follow the instructions.

you can access your photos and videos anywhere

by logging in with the same email. To turn this
backup off, open the menu, select Settings, tap
Back up & sync and set the On slider to Off.

To see all your media arranged

chronologically, tap the Photos option in
the menu. Then tap the menu icon and switch
between Day view and Month view.

resolution?
3 What
Using Photos, you can store unlimited
media for free at 16MP (High Quality) or you can
opt for a higher resolutions (Original) but this does
count against your Google Drive quota. To switch
between Original and High Quality, tap Upload size.

useful settings
4 Other
Here, you can purchase additional storage
(Get more storage) or tell Photos to sync certain
folders (Choose folders to back up.). If youre
worried about Photos eating into your data, tap
Back up photos and then select Over Wi-Fi only.

Collections is a really interesting area of

Google Photos. Open it, then tap the
text in the toolbar to switch between All,
Albums, Movies and Stories.

29

Tutorials
Turn your photos
into collages,
stories and more
Check out the creations that
Photos cooks up
automatically and then
produce your own

Edit your stories

3 You
can edit stories in several ways, so
start by navigating to Collections. If you dont see
any stories, tap the toolbar text and select Stories.
Each story gets a default title which you can edit
by opening the story and tapping the title text.

30

Smartphones and tablets mean its never

been easier to take photos and videos, but
what do you do with all this content? The
Google Photos app gives you lots of creative
ways of enjoying your photos and videos.
Using Google Photos, you can combine your
media into animations and collages, or if you
have related photos or videos you may want
to arrange them into a stand-alone story,
complete with descriptions and location tags.
You can create these animations, collages
and stories yourself, but the Google Photo app
also takes a proactive approach and will
occasionally create animations, collages and
stories for you.
In this section, youll look at how to create
and view animations, collages and stories,
before taking a closer look at how to add
descriptions and locations to your stories.

Start to create
1 To
compile a story, animation or collage,

your creations
2 View
To view all your Google Photos creations,

navigate to the Assistant, Photos or Collections

area and tap the + that appears in the toolbar.
Choose either a Story, Animation or Collage, then
tap all the media you want to use and tap Create.

go to either the Assistant, Photos or Collections

area of the app, then tap the blue magnifying glass
icon in the bottom right of the screen. Scroll, then
tap Creations towards the bottom of the screen.

descriptions
4 Add
To add descriptions, open your story then
left-swipe so you see all the photos and videos
that make up your story. Move around these
items by dragging on screen. To add a caption,
tap Add description and enter your text.

or remove locations
5 Edit
Photos tries to assign a location to each
image, or group of images, that make up your
story. To edit an assigned location, tap the location
tag and select a new one. Alternatively, to remove
location information, tap Hide this location...

facebook twitter
/littlegreenrobot

@lgrobot

Get help from our

Facebook community

Follow us to send your

questions and thoughts

Share your
photos online
Pro tips for posting your creations to
Facebook from Google Photos

an album or story
1 Share
Navigate to Collections and open the album
or story you want to share. Tap the share icon and
select Get link. This creates a link to the album or
story and copies it to your clipboard. You can then
paste this link anywhere you want.

min
gu de

ss s
cla to
ter o
as Ph

Got any Google Photos tips?

Let us know online

e
m ogl
Go

Message us!

Part of the fun of photos and videos is sharing them with other
people. In Google Photos you can share individual photos, videos and
creations in all the usual ways, such as posting them to Facebook and
Twitter. But you can also share entire albums as well as the collages
and other creations youve produced in Photos.
To share the contents of a Google Photos album or story, you can
create a link and share this link with others. Anyone who has the
link just needs to open it in their web browser and then they will be
able to see the entire contents of your Google Photos story or album.
In the following tutorial, you will learn how to use this Get link
functionality to share large volumes of photos and videos to all of
your friends and family.

album or story link

2 Delete
At some point you may want to stop people
from accessing a shared story or album via its link.
To do this, open Photos menu and tap Shared
links. Find the link in question, then tap the
three-dotted menu and select Delete link.

multiple media
3 Share
When you only want to share a handful of
items it doesnt make sense to create a full album
or story. Instead, long-press on the rst item you
want to share, then tap the rest of the photos or
videos, before hitting that share icon.

Using Google Photos Assistant

Initially your Assistant area may be empty, but dont overlook this helpful feature!

Access Assistant

You can access the Assistant

from the Google Photos side menu,
or if youre in the Photos or
Collections area you can rightswiping once or twice across the
main portion of the screen, until you
see the Assistant area.

View alerts

The main Assistant screen is

where youll nd all Google Photos
recent notications, such as a
heads-up about any new creations
that Assistant has cooked up for
you. Tap to act on a notication or
swipe to dismiss it.

Customise alerts

The catch is that in order to

see these alerts, you need to
remember to keep checking the
Assistant area. If youd prefer to
receive these alerts as app
notications, go to Photos Settings
and enable Notify on this device.

Turn off creations

In Settings, youll also nd the

Suggest new creations slider. If
youre not a fan of the collages and
animations Assistant automatically
creates, you can disable this feature
by tapping the Suggest new
creations slider so its set to off.

31

Tutorials
Organise you
playlists with
Phonograph
App used

Phonograph Music Player Works with Android 4.1 and up

Add tracks
You can easily add songs to your
playlists from whatever screen
youre on without having to dip in
and out of your music. Each song
youre playing lls the screen, so
you can tap the menu and select a
playlist to add it to

Use Last.fm
The app also has Last.fm
integration. The main benet of
connecting Phonograph to the Last.
fm service is that it will
automatically download any
missing album cover art to your
phone as well as adding in
information about artists or song
titles that is missing

Enjoy the fresh look and feel of this Material

Design music player app
Mobile music players can be tricky apps to negotiate. It is easy to
get lost in a sea of album covers, playlists and artists. If you nd
this, then Phonograph Music Player might be the one for you. At
time of writing it is still in its beta phase with more features being
promised, but right now it is a simple, attractive, easily-navigable
music player. It works alongside Last.fm, giving users photos and
biographies of the artists that theyre listening to. The alwaysthere play/pause button also enhances the user experience,
making Phonograph a truly enjoyable app to use. If you are a
technical music fan, you can also change the equalisation of
individual songs to increase or decrease the bass at output of
certain frequencies, enabling you to create your very own versions
of your favourite songs. This tutorial will show you how to organise
your music onto the app as well as how to construct playlists, jump
to artists straight from their song and tag your music for much
easier future navigation.

If you are a technical music fan,

you can also change the
equalisation of individual songs

Get the app and music

1 Head
to the Google Play store and
download Phonograph Music Player Beta. Ensure
you have music downloaded on your phone.
Unfortunately music downloaded from Google Play
Music wont play on Phonograph, so you may have
to download tracks from another service.

32

Play/pause
There will always be the oating
play/pause button in the bottom
right-hand corner. This makes the
app really easy to use as you will
never need to go searching for the
pause button when creating a
playlist or just browsing through
your song library

Clean look
One of the main selling points of the app is
its Material Design. It looks fantastic and
enables users to enjoy Lollipop-inspired
ripples and transitions. The colour of the
background changes depending on the
dominant colour of the album cover that
youre listening to, which is useful

your music
2 Sort
You will see a screen featuring all your
music. Tap on the word Songs, Albums or Artists
to access your music sorted into those categories.
Playlists is an option but you wont have any set up
yet. You can also access these groups by tapping
the three-line menu in the top-left corner.

a playlist
3 Build
Head to the Songs menu and tap on the
three-dot menu on the right-hand side of one of
your songs. Select the Add to Playlist option and
that will bring up another menu where you can
decide whether to add it to an existing playlist or
create a new one.

A few tips for listening to music onto your phone

tips

1 Find free websites

There are free websites you can

visit that let you download
up-and-coming artists music free.

2 Try streaming sites

Services like Spotify and Last.fm let

you stream music through your phone
without downloading it.

3 Only use trusted sources

Some sites will lure you in with free

music but infect your phone with
malware instead.

4 Download in free trials

Many sites will offer an

introductory free trial. Make the
most of this while you can.

5 Discover new music

Most music apps have a sharing

option so you can recommend
songs to your mates.

Ask your own

question online at
littlegreenrobot.co.uk

What does beta

test mean?

a playing queue
4 Create
If you want to play a certain selection of
songs but dont want to create a playlist, you
can add tracks to the playing queue. Tap the
three-dot menu at the side of the song again
and choose Add to Playing queue. Phonograph
will then play that track next.

to artist
5 Go
If you hear a track from an artist and want
more, there is a quick move option available. Tap
on the three-dot menu again and select Go to
artist or Go to album. The app will take you to
your requested destination and play music from
that artist or album.

It means that the app is still in

the development phase, so
there may still be a few bugs to
work out and changes to be
made. You shouldnt lose your
settings, such as playlists and
album covers, once it becomes
a fully-edged app, unless a
particular feature of the app
gets removed in the period
between the beta test nishing
and the nal product being
rolled out fully.

Why cant I nd my
Google Play Music
on here?

tags to your music

6 Add
Tap on the three-dot menu next to a song
and scroll down to Tag editor. From here you can
add in certain tags, such as the song title or the
artist, for example. This is especially handy if
youve downloaded music without that
information, as you will probably need it.

your music
7 Edit
Tap the three-dot menu in the top

Unfortunately, Google Play is its

own standalone app and when
you download music from it, the
music is downloaded to the
app, rather than your phone.
Therefore, it isnt available for
Phonograph to see when it
searches your phone for music.
Its a bit like searching your
computers hard drive for a le
that is stored on your email
account, for example.

right-hand corner of the app and hit Equalizer.

Press the Off button to turn it on and play around
with the FX and boost levels. Unfortunately you
cant edit tracks on a song-by-song basis so may
have to change it regularly.

Need help?
Got a problem with your
Android phone or tablet?
Get in touch with us...

facebook
/littlegreenrobot
Get help from our
Facebook community

the design
8 Change
Tap the three-line menu in the top-left
corner and then hit Settings. From here you can
edit the look and feel of the app. You can change
the colour scheme, the transparency of the toolbar
and what page the app opens onto. This
customisation keeps the app fresh.

your albums
9 View
Tap on the Albums category header. Next,
tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner or
the menu button of your phone. This will bring up a
menu that has an option called Grid columns. Tap
on that to choose how many album covers you
want per row.

twitter
@lgrobot

Follow us to send your

questions and thoughts

email

qa@littlegreenrobot.co.uk
Send your questions for our team of
experts to tackle

33

Tutorials
d

Chrome Works with Varies with device

et notifications
rom websites
Get automatic updates about
websites on your lockscreen
and notication drawer
Notications are a quick and easy way of seeing
exactly whats going on in your Android apps.
With a recent update to the Chrome app, Google are
expanding notications to the World Wide Web. A
new push notication feature will gives online
services the power to send alerts to your device
about updates to their websites. For example, a

ur Chrome app
ve at least version 42 of the
nstalled. To check, launch
your Chrome p
tap the menu icon in the
top-right corner. Select Settings>About Chrome.
The version number is under Application version.

Agree to notications
4 Once
notications have been enabled,
whenever you visit a website that supports them
you will be asked if you want to receive updates.
Tap Allow and youll get notications on your
lockscreen and notication drawer.

34

shopping website might use notications to give you

a heads up about any sales that are coming up.
If this sounds like a good way to swamp your
device with notications from all corners of the web,
dont worry this is strictly an opt-in service, so
youll only receive notications from the websites
that you have explicitly approved.
While its still early days for browser push
notications, popular websites including eBay,
Facebook and Pinterest have announced theyll be
supporting push notications, so this is the perfect
time to get to grips with this new feature.

Site settings
2 Open
Currently notications for Chrome are

push notications
3 Enable
Make sure Notications is set to Ask rst.

not automatic, so you will need to opt in. To

check that notications are enabled for your
Android device, open Chromes menu and then
select Settings>Site settings.

If its set to Blocked, tap this option and push the

slider into the on position. Note, if you ever want to
disable all website push notications, return to
this screen and push the slider to off.

and Reset
5 Clear
To double-check which websites can send
push notications, open Chromes menu and
select Settings>Site settings>Notications. Youll
see a list of all your websites. To remove one, tap
and select Clear & Reset.

Add to homescreen
6 Another
Chrome feature to help you keep
track of your favourite websites, is creating a
shortcut and then placing it on your homescreen.
To do this, launch Chrome, go to the website, open
Chromes menu and select Add to Home screen.

Apps used

Prole Picture Editor Works with Android 4.0 and up

Edit your p
pictures

Undo and redo

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KP [QWT FGXKEGU )CNNGT[

Download and edit photos

directly from your various social
media accounts
We may be storing more and more photos
across various social networks, but the
image-editing options that are available
to your typical social network are still
fairly limited. While you could download
photos from your social accounts, store
them on your Android device and then use
a separate image-editing app, there are
some apps that help streamline this
process. Prole Picture Editor is one such
app. It connects directly to your account on
the best social networks, including
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+,
so you can edit any of the photos stored
there without having to leave the app.
Prole Picture Editor also has a good range
of editing features, which should be more
than sufcient for most of your basic photo
editing needs. You can download this app
for free from the Google Play store.

Find a photo
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CRR [QWTG IKXGP VJG QRVKQPU
QH NQIIKPI KPVQ (CEGDQQM
6YKVVGT )QQING QT
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CPF VJGP PF VJG RJQVQ VJCV
[QW YCPV VQ GFKV

More ways to perfect your pictures

Prole Picture Editor gives you lots of different
ways to edit your images, including more
experimental editing options that can create
some fun effects

Create a Vignette
effect
You can reduce the
brightness around the
edges of your image by
tapping Vignette. A circle
appears over your image
and the effect is applied
to everything outside of
this circle. Position your
circle and use the slider
to alter the brightness.

Change the
lighting

Experiment W
colours

You can alter the levels of

Brightness, Contrast,
Highlights and Shadows,
by tapping Lighting,
making your selection and
then using the slider to
tweak the levels in your
image. You can also
combine options to create
more unusual effects.

You can change the le

of Saturation, Warmt
Tint and Fade, by tapp
Color. For a more
dramatic effect, selec
Splash. Your image w
turn monochrome. Ne
select Free Color and
drag across the scree
create lines of colour

No imperfections
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CPF OCMG VJKU EJCPIG
RGTOCPGPV D[ VCRRKPI #RRN[

Perfect your pictures

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QP UETGGP YKVJ VJG GFKVKPI
QRVKQPU CNQPI VJG DQVVQO 6Q
GPJCPEG [QWT RJQVQ VCR
'PJCPEG CPF VJGP EJQQUG
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%QNQT (KZ 9JGP [QWTG JCRR[
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RGTOCPGPV D[ VCRRKPI #RRN[
KP VJG VQRTKIJV EQTPGT

More packs
;QW ECP FQYPNQCF HTGG
CFFKVKQPCN RCEMU HQT VJKU CRR
CPF EJQQUG HTQO GHHGEVU
HTCOGU UVKEMGTU CPF QXGTNC[U
6Q CFF C RCEM UKORN[ VCR VJG
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35

Tutorials
Make appointments in
any messaging app
App used

Sunrise Calendar Works with Android 4.0 and up

Sunrise Calendars new

Meet keyboard makes it
easy to arrange meetings

Switching between messaging and

calendar apps to organise a meeting can
be a pain. So is the necessity for ping-pong
emails to decide on a time thats suitable for
both parties. The ingenious new Meet
keyboard solves both problems, making it
quicker to arrange one-on-one meetings on
your phone. The keyboard is included with
Microsofts free Sunrise Calendar app.
With Meet keyboard set up, whenever

youre making plans via WhatsApp or even

by email, you only have to select the bottomright keyboard icon and it will replace your
keyboard with a mini calendar. You can then
choose a selection of free time slots, without
having to leave the conversation. When the
link is opened by the recipient they get to
select a convenient time. The meeting will
then be added to your calendar (and theirs if
they use Sunrise). Its that simple.

Sunrise Calendar
1 Open
Theres no need to download the Meet

Meet keyboard
2 Discover
After adding one or more calendar

keyboard separately, since its included with the

Sunrise Calendar app so either download that or
update the already installed app to the latest
version. If you havent used Sunrise before, youll
need to sign in via Facebook, Google or Email.

Enable the keyboard

3 Once
the video has ended, youll get a
prompt to Get started with Meet. To use the
keyboard, youll rst need to enable it via the
system language settings. Tap the Open language
settings button, toggle the Sunrise Keyboard
option to on and tap OK.

36

test message
4 A
Youre then invited to create your rst
Meet, which is just a test message. Choose some
time slots from the mini calendar, then tap the tick
to conrm. Tap the link to preview what the
recipient sees, then choose a time and conrm to
set up the meeting.

accounts, if youve never used Sunrise before,

youll arrive at the main calendar screen. A
Discover our Meet keyboard prompt should
appear at the bottom; tap it to watch a short video
about how Meet works and what its advantages are.

Location and duration

5 You
can now access the Sunrise keyboard
while writing any email or message just tap the
bottom-right keyboard icon and enable it. Before
choosing time slots, you can use the icons on the
left of the mini calendar to select a location and
set the duration.

Some more tips for arranging meetings and handling events in Sunrise Calendar

tips

1 Add a location

Tap the location marker to the left of

the Meet keyboard to list locations
used previously in Sunrise.

2 Choose a calendar

To choose which calendar the

meeting is added to, tap the cog
icon at the left of the Meet keyboard.

3 Visible calendars

To choose which calenders are

shown in Meet, tap the cog icon,
then the Visible Calendars tab.

4 Back to keyboard

To instantly switch back to the

default keyboard, tap the keyboard
icon to the left of the mini calendar.

5 Multiple invitees

While Meet can only arrange one-onone meetings, these can be edited
later to add extra invitees.

Edit meeting
min details in Sunrise

guide

If you need to change the time of an arranged

meeting, you can edit it just like any other calendar
event that you make

time slots
6 Choose
As in the test example, you can now
select some free time slots for the meeting from
the mini calendar. Tap the tick to conrm and a
link will be added to your message. The keyboard
will automatically switch back to the default so
you can add extra text.

1 Find the meeting

to the recipient
7 Up
If the recipient uses Sunrise Calendar (the

So, something else has come up and

you need to alter the time for a meeting youve
already arranged. First, open up the Sunrise
Calendar app and nd the meeting you want to
change you can use the search option at the
top if youre having trouble nding it.

2 Edit the event

Tap on your meeting in the calendar or

search results to bring up a summary on the
right-hand side of the screen. You can now edit
the selected meeting just like any other
calendar event. Tap the pencil icon at the top to
bring up all the details for it.

mobile app or desktop web portal), your link will

take them to it and show your suggested meeting
times within it. If they dont use it, the times will
appear on a webpage. Either way, they need to
select a time and conrm.

and confirmed
8 Notified
Once the recipient chooses a time from
the selection you sent them, a notication will be
sent to you that the meeting has been conrmed
at the selected time. Tap on this to see the
meeting within your Sunrise Calendar app, where
it has automatically been added.

the time
3 Change
Now tap on the start time to bring up a
clock. Move the hand to select the hour and
then to set the minutes. Once the time is set,
tap Done. If you need to change the day of the
meeting, tap the start date and then select a
new one from the calendar pop-up. It is simple
to adjust the details.

the invitee
4 Notify
Make any other changes that you need
to, such as switching the location or even
inviting extra people. Then tap on Save at the
top right to conrm the changes. You will now
be prompted to send a notication email to the
invitee(s); make sure you tap Send or else they
wont be aware of the meeting.

37

Tutorials
App used

Nuzzel: News From Your Friends Works with Android 4.0.3 and up

et personalised
ews updates
Discover what news your friends
are sharing with Nuzzel
News aggregating services like News360 or News
Republic can take some time to learn what kind of
news a user is interested in. Nuzzel: News From
Your Friends, however, has quite a head start in this
area because it brings you news from sources that it
already knows you like and are interested in,
specically your friends on social media. If one of
your Facebook friends or someone you follow on
Twitter shares a particular news story, it will appear

e app
pp from the Google Play
l give you the option to sign
book. Tap the options and it
will d
ouve got your log-in details
saved. It wont post nything on your behalf.

38

on the Nuzzel news feed. The apps assumption is

that if your friends or follow with someone you will
share similar interests and therefore be interested
by similar news stories.
So, its like Flipboard? To an extent yes, but Nuzzel
has much more streamlined interface for easy
reading. This is also why its preferable for reading
news stories in the app, rather than in the
overwhelming social network itself.
Read on to nd out how set up the app and
get news updates from further aeld with stories
from friends of friends.

your feed
2 See
Once you have signed in to Facebook,
Twitter or both, Nuzzle will open up your news feed
that is lled with stories shared by people that you
follow or are friends with. There isnt an option to
remove a story that you arent interested in.

Share favourite stories

4 Nuzzel
works on the principle of sharing. If

far and wide

5 Search
Tap the hamburger menu in the top left

you read a story and you think your friends or

followers may nd it interesting, click the Share
button in the corner of the news feed. It will bring
up sharing options, including Facebook and Twitter.

and select News From Friends of Friends. This

opens up a feed of stories shared by secondary
contacts. This menu also offers the chance to
read the news feeds of your friends.

text view
3 Activate
If a story is loading slowly, you can switch
to a text-only version. In the top right-hand corner
youll see the word Text. Tap, and a basic version of
the article will load. To return to the original
version, tap the same spot that now says Web.

an account
6 IfRemove
you nd that one of your accounts is
showing news you dont want, press the top-left
hamburger menu and click Settings. Tap on the
account you want taken off and click Remove. This
will stop news from that social media channel.

Apps used

Google Tone Chrome extension Works with Chrome browser

Share URLs by sound

with Google Tone
This experimental Chrome extension
lets you broadcast a sound to nearby
computers to share a link
Crank the
volume

Sharing a link to a webpage with a friend is as easy as copying and pasting

a link into an email or IM message and hitting send. However, if that friend
is sat right text to you, it just got even easier with Google Tone.
This Chrome extension lets you send a link to anyone within earshot with a
single click. Just tap the megaphone icon at the top of your browser and your
desktop will emit a burst of beeping sounds. Any other nearby computer with

If it didnt work, or just as a

precautionary measure, try
turning up the volume on
your computer. However,
Google Tone doesnt have a
100 per cent success rate:
it may not work in loud
spaces, over a distance,
with a poor Internet
connection, so beware

Send anything
If sending a URL sounds a bit
pointless, consider how all
encompassing this really is.
It includes news stories,
pictures, blog posts,
products, YouTube videos,
recipes even documents
saved to your Google Drive

Tap the megaphone

Install the extension

Google Tone is available for free from
the Chrome Web Store. As its an
extension, it will only work through
the desktop browser and not the
mobile apps. The computer(s) your
trying to send the link to must also
have Tone installed for it to work

When youre ready to send, just tap

the blue megaphone icon next to the
address bar (or omnibox if were
talking Google-ese). If it works, the
megaphone should turn green and
your machine will emit a pleasant
chirping sound to conrm

Check webpage
Google Tone will only share a
link to the webpage that you
are on, so make sure youre in
the right tab before you use it
otherwise you might end up
broadcasting something you
would rather keep secret to
everyone around you

Send a Tone via Hangouts

Though Google Tone is intended to use with
computers, it will also work over a video call

Hangout with friends

Tap a tone

Hit and miss

Start a video call. We did this through the Hangouts Chrome

extension on our desktop, but you could do this with the app on
your phone. It will work with other video call apps or a phone call.

If both of you arent talking via the Hangouts Chrome extension,

ensure your friend has their laptop and microphone turned on. Turn
your volume up and tap the megaphone to send your URL.

In our tests we found that Google Tone worked 75 per cent of the
time. If your own attempt didnt, ensure nobody was talking during
the transmission and there werent loud noises in the background.

39

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Galaxy
The Complete Manual

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Top mods and

tweaks for your
rooted device

HackerZne

Jargon Buster
Get up to speed on all the terms you
will need to know when it comes to
hacking your phone

OS
Short for operating system. Often the Android ROM will
be referred to as the OS this just means the system
les on the Android device that make up your user
experience, and is similar to Windows, Mac OS X or
Ubuntu on a desktop computer.

ROM
Stands for read-only memory. In the context of Android,
the ROM refers to all the les that make up the
operating system that is installed on your device.
Gaining root privileges allows for replacement of the
standard ROM with a custom one.

Root
Rooting your phone gives apps access to parts of the
OS that are normally hidden from consumers. This
enables you to run more powerful software and install
custom ROMs on your phone.

ROM Manager
An app available from the Android Market that enables
you to install a whole new version of your OS with a
single click. It requires a rooted phone to use and is
ideal for those new on the scene.

Titanium Backup
This app from the Market enables you to back up
everything on your phone apps, data, settings and all.
It means that you can restore your phone to how it was,
even after youve updated or changed the ROM.

42

Unrevoked
Available from unrevoked.com, this is a
one-click tool that can be used for rooting many
popular HTC smartphones.

ADB
Stands for Android Debug Bridge. ADB is mainly used
for software development, but it also has some uses for
hacking your phone. It can be used to push les onto
the system folder, for instance.

Nandroid
You might come across the phrase perform a Nandroid
backup. This means using a custom recovery tool
to make a backup image of everything currently on your
phone: OS, apps, data, etc. Its very useful should you
wish to restore your phone to its previous state later.

Radio
Radio refers to the software on your Android device
that deals with making phone calls and data
connections. Updating your radio version can bring
better battery life and signal strength to your device.
Some ROMs require the latest radio.

Flash
The storage in your device comprises ash memory,
which is a type of solid-state storage. The terms ash
or ashing mean installing some new software onto
your devices storage.

41

Hacker Zne

Become an
Android Pro
Can the new Google-backed Udacity
Nanodegree kick-start your dev career?
Google wants to make it faster and easier for the
next-generation of hackers to become Android
developers. It has partnered with the online
education centre Udacity to produce an program
that promises to help you learn to develop for
Android and transform your career outlook over
the course of 6-12 months.
Called the Android Nanodegree, the program
offers free video content, along with the option of
personal help, tuition and feedback for $200 a
month. Its aimed at established or intermediate
developers who want to jump to Android or improve
their general skills. Tying together other Android
learning programs into a structured whole, the new
nanodegree is developed and taught by expert
Google instructors, and covers everything from UX
design to integration with Google Play services.

Google and Udacity are both keen to promote

the new course and get students enrolled (you can
sign up online at specic times throughout the
year). In fact, Google is going to hand-pick 50
Android Nanodegree graduates to attend a
hackathon in Mountain View in the near future. In
Googles words, its an education credential that is
designed for busy people to learn new skills and
advance their careers in a short amount of time
from anywhere at any time.
For those not familiar with it, Udacity began life
in June 2011 as one of the rst wave of companies
offering Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs),
partnering with various education centres to bring
free learning courses to anyone over the Web. The
Android Nanodegree, produced in partnership with
Google, epitomises the new direction Udacity is

taking; bringing together existing coding courses to

provide a quick and intense path to the top of the
Android development tree.
The subscription fee gives you access to tutors
who review your code, offer guidance on your work,
and answer your questions plugging some of the
gaps in a standard, free MOOC. According to
Udacity, Google has invested $4 million and
thousands of hours of developer time into the
project. The course covers Android fundamentals,
advanced development skills, integration with
Google Play services, Material Design UI and more.
Among the practical projects are a media player
with Spotify compatibility and a joke-telling app that
relies on Googles cloud services.
That 9-12 month estimate is based on
committing ten hours a week, by the way if you

What the Nanodegree covers

42

Google Play services

Build a Spotify streamer

Master Material Design

Create your own app

Learn how to integrate your apps

with all of the Google Play services
plug-ins that are available: analytics,
AdMob, Maps, user identity and
others. Each service is covered
in a short standalone course,
meaning you can master the
techniques in a couple of weeks.

Dealing with APIs is essential if you

want your app to work with other
programs and indeed Android itself.
Building a media streamer on top of
Spotify helps you acquire this
knowledge by teaching you how to
control music playback, and display
the top artists for a particular user.

To ensure your apps look their best,

the Android nanodegree devotes
around six weeks to studying
Googles design guidelines.
This includes approaches to the
Material Design aesthetic, image
handling within an app, performance
proling and more.

At the end of the nanodegree you get

to work on one of your own ideas,
from the original UI design and
mock-ups to getting the app ready for
publishing. You get feedback along
the way and by the end of the
process youre going to have an app
ready to submit to Google Play.

can devote more time then you might nish sooner.

At the end of the course you get a professionally
recognised certication and, as we mentioned
earlier, maybe even the chance to go and attend a
few Google-sponsored workshops.

The expert view

To nd out how MOOCs in general and the Android
Nanodegree in particular are viewed by those
outside the walls of Google and Udacity, we spoke
to two academics working in more established
educational institutions: Peter McKenna, principal
lecturer and head of the undergraduate e-learning
unit at Manchester Metropolitan University, and
Peter Reed, lecturer in Technology Enhanced
Learning at the University of Liverpool.
Many MOOCs use fairly old techniques lecture
plus test, drill-and grill via relatively new
technologies, says McKenna. On the plus side,
the sage on the stage can be paused and
rewound, and the course is accessible to millions;
on the negative side, there is less scope for
individual communication. Personalised
communication is not just troubleshooting and

Of course, at $200 per month, they are cheaper

than an undergraduate degree, but perhaps its not
a fair comparison.

The Udacity alumni

Since summer 2011, more than 1.6 million
students have passed through Udacitys virtual
doors. One of those is Dmitry Mina, a Ukrainian
coder who switched from Web to Android
development using the sites courses: Mina went
through the system before the arrival of the
Android Nanodegree, but used some of the other
Android sessions to move into apps.
Millions of people use smartphones, and its
our chance to inuence the world through our
code, he says of why he swapped Web coding for
app coding. Udacity provides mentorship and
support. Also local group meetings were really
helpful. The learning process is well organised.
Just know that if you start, do not give it up! he
adds. If you do not understand anything or
something does not work, ask a mentor or a fellow
student. This happens in real life as well. In the end
you will be able to write a working app yourself and

At the end you get a professionally

recognised certication and maybe the
chance to attend Google workshops
personal mentoring, its part of a cyclical learning
process that is intrinsic to deep understanding.
The potential danger with MOOCs is that you get
a one-size-ts-all approach, says McKenna.
Udacitys nanodegrees are narrower than
traditional degrees, but will demand less of your
time and your money. The best MOOCs provide
learners with a scaffolded but realistic coding
environment where they can interactively enter
code and get debugging feedback. Authentic
problem-based learning, however, is best
experienced in a traditional face-to-face
environment, where you can build actual apps for
actual clients and develop soft skills that are often
missing from online courses.
McKenna says courses like the Android
Nanodegree are ideal for tting studies around
existing commitments, but you have to bring a lot
of the motivation and discipline yourself.
Peter Reed, meanwhile, sees both advantages
and disadvantages to the new nanodegree. On
the surface, this is an ideal opportunity for budding
developers, he says. After all, who better to teach
Android development than Google? The
partnership ensures the content and activities are
directly relevant and up-to-date, so participants will
build a useful portfolio. The course will also be
progressive so activities and projects will increase
in complexity over time.
There are plenty of factors to weigh up in your
decision, however. At this point its still unclear as
to how employers view this certicate, says Reed.

that is the biggest reward.

Today, Dmitry Mina works as an Android
developer for Danish studio Ciklum, so he is living
proof that a Udacity course can work.
We also spoke to Hayden Lee, originally a
mechanical engineering student from the US who
used Udacity courses to build up his Web coding
skills from scratch. Having tried to build a videobased Wikipedia on his own for six months, he
nally noticed Udacity and took three of the coding
courses, gaining condence along the way.
The courses were amazing, he enthuses. My
favourite was the Web development course, taught
by [Reddit founder] Steve Huffman. Having a young
teacher made it particularly great, as Steve would
often give real-world examples from his time at
Reddit, which I loved. The most valuable learning
resource was the real coding projects they made
you do at the end of the course I had a
functioning website rather than some abstract
project that I couldnt show anybody or use.
Although Lee focused on Web development at
Udacity, he now works on a social virtual reality
project called Convrge, which involves some
Android coding. What advice would he give to
prospective students of the Android Nanodegree?
Be prepared to go all in set a goal and just do it.
Spend time looking up extra Android lessons on
YouTube and really get to know the latest
happenings in Android development.
For more information and to sign up,
head over to udacity.com

Alternative
online courses
Udacitys Nanodegree is not the
only way to learn to code online

Codeacademy
Price Free
Duration 1-5 hours per course
Unlike the Android Nanodegree, Codeacademy
(codecademy.com) starts with the basics and
moves on from there. The lessons take the form
of interactive exercises that run in your browser,
and cover HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery,
Python, Ruby and PHP. It doesnt cover advanced
programming but its very accessible.

Code School
Price $29 per month
Duration Varies between courses
Code School (codeschool.com) has a learn by
doing mantra and it isnt for beginners like the
Udacity Nanodegree, youre going to need some
level of existing knowledge to be able to make
sense of the course. There are many
programming modules to choose from and
some resources can be accessed for free.

Treehouse
Price $25-49 per month
Duration Around 45 hours
in total for all courses
Of all the online education platforms featured
here, Treehouse (teamtreehouse.com) is one of
the most comprehensive. It offers students a
vast array of different tracks and topics
(including Android development), with strong
community support, and you can choose a
tailored route through to match your existing
talents and your ultimate goals.

Coursera
Price Free
Duration Typically around four weeks
Coursera (coursera.org) partners with top
universities from across the world and enables
you to access different study options, including
mobile development for Android. Theres less
interactivity than other portals, with lesson
grading often done by computer algorithms or by
your fellow students, for example.

edX
Price Free
Duration Varies between courses
A non-prot run by Harvard and MIT, edX (edx.
org) follows the Coursera model of partnering
with universities to provide courses, a number of
which cover programming. The quality can be
more hit and miss than it is on Udacity, but aside
from some veried certicate fees the courses
are free for students to follow.

43

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status update
Which devices are best for
the hacking scene?

ZTE Blade S6
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
QQQ Medium
The Blade S6 boasts
great specs and a low
price. But its MiFlavor UI
is Marmite for many, so
why not try hacking it
and adding a new ROM?

LG G4
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
QQQ High
The LG G4 has not
been availalbe for long,
but it was quickly
rooted. Unlock it now to
try out new features,
ROMs and apps.

Nexus 7
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
QQQHigh
Google didnt release
Android M for the
Nexus 7, so check
the XDA Forums for
Xposed modules that
imitate M features.

Tips & Tricks

The forgotten art
of wired tethering

What if you need to get online and

dont have wireless access?
The answer is a USB cable
connected between your Android
phone and desktop computer. While
it means making sure you have your
phones charger cable with you, USB
offers the fastest tethered
connection, and gives the most
benet from your 4G contract.
After connecting the devices,
open Settings>Wireless & networks
>More and nd Tethering & portable
hotspot, then check the USB
tethering checkbox.

In the notication area, a symbol

will indicate that the connection is
active, and if successful, a similar
icon will appear on your computer. If
a USB cable isnt available, see our
quick hacks box for help on Bluetooth
tethering instead.

Unlock your phone

with other devices
What if Android could conveniently
unlock itself? This is possible with
Lollipops Smart Lock feature, found
in Settings>Security.
This feature doesnt just let you
use NFC and Bluetooth enabled
devices to unlock your Android phone
or tablet based on proximity. It is also

Moto 360
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
QQQ High
Motorola keep slashing
the price of the Moto 360
so pick one up now its
cheap to experiment with
smartwatch hacks.

No Wi-Fi? Use USB to share your Internet

connection with a PC or laptop

Use an NFC tag to unlock your phone

designed to let you keep your phone

unlocked if it can spot your face, your
voice, and even by location, such as
your home, for example.
As soon as the phone changes its
physical state or location, the lock
activates. This is a particularly useful
feature, especially for things like
Bluetooth car stereos. Rather than
unlock your phone before loading up
Tunein Radio, as soon as the Bluetooth
connection is established, your
favourite station will be ready to play!

Resist Hangouts
for SMS
Google Hangouts is the default option
for SMS messages on Android Lollipop,
but this isnt necessarily convenient for
many. After all, there was nothing
wrong with the old native SMS reading
and sending app, was there? While you
can see why Google would want to tie
Hangouts messaging with SMS
messaging (to keep native messaging
tidy and accessible via a single app), a
great deal of users dont even use
Hangouts, making the app around 50
per cent useless.
Fortunately there is a solution as
you can switch to an alternative SMS
app with ease. Begin by installing a
new SMS app. In Android 4.1 KitKat,
you should already have the old
default SMS app, so open Settings,
then SMS and switch the Default
SMS app to this.

hacks
Bluetooth tethering
for kaptops without
using Wi-Fi
Ever needed to get an old laptop
online but unable to get Wi-Fi
working? While USB tethering is
an option there is another
alternative Bluetooth tethering.
Although a Bluetooth dongle
may be needed, you should still
be able to get connected.

44

Activate Bluetooth
1 On
Android activate the
Bluetooth ensure you have a
mobile internet connection. On your
computer nd the Bluetooth icon in
the system tray, right-click, select
Open Settings and check Discovery.

Pair your Android and PC

2 You
should now see the name
of your computer. Tap it and pair your
devices, conrming the security
code matches. In Settings>More>
Tethering & portable hotspot,
activate Bluetooth tethering.

3 Get online with

Bluetooth
Open Control Panel>Hardware
and Sound>Devices and Printers.
Right-click the phones icon and
select Connect using>Access
point. Youll now be online.

Share your tips

Got a great tip, or found
a cool shortcut? Let us know!

facebook twitter email

/littlegreenrobot

@lgrobot

Like us on Facebook and

join our online community

Follow us on Twitter to
Discovered anything good about
send us your tips & tricks your Android phone? Let us know!

you might like to adjust. For example,

youll nd your Account History, where
the activity of any Google accounts
currently setup on your phone can be
toggled and tweaked. Youll nd Web
& App Activity, where any previous
searches on other devices using
Chrome are factored in for faster
search results. Alongside this, youll
nd settings for your YouTube activity
and even your Location History.
If you have any concerns about
privacy and security, you should
disable this option and use the Delete
Location History button to discard any
information collected to date.

Hangouts really isnt ideal for sending and

receiving SMS messages.

In Android 5.0 Lollipop, its a little

more complicated as the old SMS
app is not present. Instead, check
Google Play for an alternative and
install this. Open Settings>More>
SMS and under Default SMS app,
select Messenger (or whatever SMS
app you have installed).
You might also want to remove the
Hangouts icon from the apps dock
and then replace it with the
replacement SMS app.

qa@littlegreenrobot.co.uk

other options are present that will

reduce battery drain. Were not
talking managing display brightness
or vibrating key presses here, either.
Manual limits can be applied to
Androids background processes,
enabling you to reduce the impact
apps running in the background have
on your battery.
Begin by opening Settings>
Developer options (you can enable

this in Settings>About phone and

tapping Build number repeatedly)
and enabling the Dont keep
activities setting, which will kill any
app you stop using. If this feels too
much of a nuclear option, then just
use the next settings Background
process limit which you can use to
disable background processes
entirely or limit those that are
running up to four.
Forget third party apps
you can manually
reduce the impact of
background processes

Limit background
processes
Concerned about battery life? Of
course you are. While Lollipop comes
with its own battery limiting tool
(Settings>Battery>Battery saver)

Dont overlook
Google Settings
We regularly discuss tweaks and tips
on these pages but the Google
settings in Android, accessed via the
app drawer, are often overlooked.
Google has packed a lot into this
screen, so if youre using a Googleavoured ROM (as opposed to one
adhering to AOSP) youll nd a few
security-related settings in here that

Hacking the easy way

It is good to know where your privacy settings

are in Android Lollipop

Get great new features without getting your hands (too) dirty

Kernel Tasker
(Root)

Trickster MOD
Kernel Settings

Price: Free
From: Google Play
Need root? Yes
Overclocking your Android
can improve performance,
but you dont need it for
some apps. Kernel Tasker will
boost custom kernel settings
when certain parameters are
met which will improve the
battery and speed.

Price: Free (paid

version 1.72/$2.92)
From: Google Play
Need root? Yes
Custom kernel users need
a good kernel management
app to adjust clock speed,
CPU governor, MPU voltage
and more. Use this app to
get your ngers dirty and
start tweaking.
Check our website daily
for even more tips & tricks

CCleaner
Price: Free
From: Google Play
Need root? No
The worlds most popular
cleaning app for Windows
and Mac OS X is now on
Android. It is designed to
safely remove junk, reclaim
your space and monitor
system performance while
you use your phone. Its
worth downloading.

www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk

45

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Works with

Android 5.0 Difculty Intermediate

Customise
Ultra Stamina
mode
Tailor your Sony Xperias batteryboosting mode to your needs

One of the best features of the Sony

Xperia range of devices is the
excellent battery life. Where other
nufacturers often struggle, Sony
ured out its
not only have
t are often bigger
mpetitors, but
lso done a great
ing its software
ly efcient.
as the built-in
eatures, which allow
to intelligently
s activity when the
urned off
g that really makes a
ence in Android
vices also include
mina mode.
tamina mode is ideal
when your battery is
unning low and you
know its going to be a
while before you can get
to a charger. It limits the
ctivity on your device to a
w core features such as
hone, messaging and a
ew ofine apps, while also
disabling mobile data and
Wi-Fi connectivity.
This is great if you are in a
ght spot, but what if you
want the extended battery
ife in addition to more
nctionality than phoning
d texting? This is where the
ack from XDA Forum
eveloper androidexpert35
omes in it takes the core of
a Stamina mode and adds a
er of useful features that can
ed without draining your
es battery life.

a deodexed
1 Use
ROM
Normally ROMs are odexed, which
means that there is what amounts to
an integrity check on the core les
and if those (framework) les are
modied, the device wont boot. For
that reason you will need to ash a
deodexed stock or a custom ROM
found at the XDA forums.

6 Use the new

Stamina launcher
The altered SuperStamina.apk le
in the modication provides an
updated launcher, which adds a link
to the WhatsApp application,
Walkman app, Chrome Browser and
Google Maps apps all changes that
greatly improve the experience in
Ultra Stamina mode.

if ROM is
2 Check
addicted
You can easily check whether your
current ROM is odexed by looking in
the /system/app directory using a
le explorer. If you only see the APK
in app directories, your ROM is not
odexed. If you see .dex or .oat les,
your ROM is odexed and you will
need to ash another.

the
7 Customise
new settings
The modied USMHome.apk le
lets you access settings features
that couldnt be changed before.
This includes access to display,
application, Wi-Fi, sound and
location settings this gives you
granular control. Features like Wi-Fi
will lower battery life, however.

3 Download the
mod
After you have ashed a custom
recovery and a deodexed ROM, you
can download the modication from
goo.gl/JOIkN1. Note that there are
two different links depending on if
youre using a KitKat or Lollipop
ROM on your device its important
to use the right variant.

8 Request new
features
The Ultra Stamina mode
modication has been created by
androidexpert35, who still
frequents the XDA forums. He
invites users to suggest new
features and when people have
done so, he has added them. So if
you have an idea, go and share it.

4 Flash using
TWRP
After downloading, you need to
place the zip on an SD card or push
the le to your device using ADB.
You can then reboot to recovery
using adb reboot recovery or an
app like Quick Boot from the Play
store. Use the menus to navigate to
install the ZIP after backing up!

9 Restore stock
settings
When you downloaded the
modication ZIP installer, you also
downloaded a restore tool called
USM_Restorer.zip. This will revert
the les that have been changed,
restoring stock functionality. This is
ashed in the same way as the
installer, using TWRP.

5 Wipe the
dalvik-cache
You will need to wipe the dalvikcache on your device before
rebooting this will ensure that the
new, modied code is picked up by
the system on boot. From the wipe
menu in TWRP, select the dalvikcache option (with care!) and you
will be ready to go.

10 Reashing
your ROM
If you want to return your device to
a stock state, including the recovery
image, you should use the Flashtool
to ash the stock FTF le. The
correct FTF for your device can be
downloaded using the XperiFirm
tool, which downloads directly from
Sonys servers for peace of mind.

47

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Works with

Android 4.1 and up Difculty Intermediate

Install multiple
ROMs on
y
evice
Struggling to choose between
ROMs? You can learn how to dual
boot your device

The great thing about Android is

that there are so many possibilities
for customising your device, but
sometimes too much choice can be
a bad thing! Maybe youre struggling
to choose between a handful of
custom ROMs, and wish there was a
way to quickly test them all out
without having to go through
the laborious process of wiping
r device and ashing each
turn. Or maybe you like
ects of one ROM and
s of another, and
way to easily
If either
en it

1 Download
MultiROM Manager
Download MultiROM Manager from
the Google Play store. Launch the app
and make sure it has super user
access. In the apps Status section
you may see a doesnt have
kexec-hardboot patch message. If
you see this warning, it means you
need to install a patched kernel.

d then
M to test
.
rks with all
ices (4, 5, 6 and
dful of other
nd a complete list
le devices over at
M Managers Google Play
This customisation also
uires root access before you
ntinue.
Before getting started, be aware
that MultiROM does carry a risk, so
make sure you create a full backup.

new ROM
6 Select
To see all the ROMs that are
installed on your device, tap the
Internal tab. Then simply double-tap
the ROM that you want to boot into
and your device will boot into the
selected ROM. You can switch ROMs
at any point, by booting into your
custom recovery and repeating the
previous few steps.

a kernel
2 Choose
To install a kernel, tap the
Kernel text in the card below and
select one of the kernels from the
dropdown menu. Note, youre
choosing a kernel for your current
ROM not any of the ROMs you
install subsequently via MultiROM,
so choose something appropriate
for your current ROM.

via
7 Boot
MultiROM
If the ROM you want to boot into is
already installed on your device, you
can switch ROMs via the MultiROM
app. Launch MultiROM and tap the
lined icon in its upper-left corner.
Select Manage ROMs. Youll see a
list of all the ROMs currently
installed on your device.

MultiROM
3 Install
To install MultiROM, tap the
Install button and wait while your
device installs all the required les.
When prompted, tap Reboot
followed by Boot Now. Once your
device has rebooted, attach it to
your computer via USB and copy all
the ROMs you want to install onto
your Android device.

8 Rename your
ROMs
To boot into any ROM on this list,
simply give it a tap and then select
Boot. On this screen you can also
rename any of the ROMs installed
on your device. Tap their
accompanying pencil icon, then
enter the new name and tap
Rename to conrm.

4 Boot into
recovery

the timer
5 Beat
Keep tapping the Back

Boot into your new MultiROM TWRP

recovery. To add new ROMs to
MultiROM, tap Advanced followed
by MultiROM and Add ROM. Select
Android then tap Next and tap ZIP
le. Navigate to the ROM you want
to install and give it a tap. Swipe to
conrm the installation.

button until you get to the rst

screen. Tap Reboot and then select
System. During the boot process, a
popup will appear on screen. If you
want to access any ROM besides
your primary ROM, tap Cancel
before the four second timer runs
out of time.

Ubuntu Touch
9 Try
You can also use MultiROM

up space
10 Free
If youre struggling for space,

to install the Ubuntu Touch ROM.

This ROM is a mobile version of the
popular Ubuntu operating system.
To install Ubuntu Touch, launch the
MultiROM app and scroll to the
Install Ubuntu Touch section. Tap
Install and then follow the
instructions on the screen.

at some point you may want to

delete some of the ROMs installed
on your device. To do this, boot into
recovery, then tap Advanced,
followed by MultiROM and List
ROMs. Select the ROM you want to
delete, then press Delete and
conrm the deletion.

49

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Works with

Android 5.0 Difculty Level Easy

Send larger email

attachments via Gmail
Lift Gmails 5MB
limit on email
attachments with
the Xposed
framework

espite its name, you can use Androids

Gmail app to send and receive emails
through non-Gmail addresses. There is one
catch though if you use a third party email
provider, Gmail puts a 5MB limit on the size of
your email attachments.
Typically this meant that if you wanted to send
non-Gmail emails with attachments, you had to
download an additional email app. However, if you

Xposed
1 Install
framework
Go to http://goo.gl/TWSWpv and download the
xposed-arm and Xposed Installer les. Boot into
the custom recovery, then ash xposed-arm by
selecting Install from SD card, going to
Downloads and tapping the xposed-arm le.

4 Download module

Read the onscreen information, then

right-swipe to the Versions tab. Tap Download
and when prompted, tap Install. Once installed,
tap the Download button in the toolbar to open
a dropdown menu. Select Modules and then the
GMail Attachment Size checkbox.

50

dont fancy juggling multiple email apps, there is an

Xposed module that lifts the 5MB limit.
We will show you how to install the Xposed
framework and the necessary GMail module. To start,
you will need a rooted device with Gmail 5.1
installed. Although this tutorial shows you how to
install the Xposed framework on Lollipop, you can do
it on earlier versions of Android youll just need to
install an earlier version of the Xposed framework.

2 Enable Unknown
sources
Reboot and check you can install apps from
sources other than Google Play by launching your
Settings and selecting Security. Ensure
Unknown sources is set to on. Next, use a File
Explorer app to go to your Downloads folder.

5 Reboot your device

In the toolbar, tap the Modules button

and select Framework from the dropdown
menu. Give the Reboot button a tap and your
device will reboot with the module already
active. Test its working by launching your Gmail
app and trying to send a large attachment.

3 Search for module

Find your XposedInstaller le and tap it,

then follow the instructions to install. Open your
app drawer and launch the Xposed Installer. Tap
Download, then the magnifying glass icon and
start to type GMail App Attachment Size. When
the GMail module appears, tap it.

6 Deactivate module

If you want to deactivate the module for

any reason, launch the Xposed Installer and tap
Module in the toolbar. Tap to deselect the GMail
module. Youll need to reboot for it to take effect,
so tap Modules in the toolbar and select
Framework. Then tap Reboot.

Works with

Android 5.0 Difculty Level Easy

Get ChomePie for

Android Lollipop
Add the popular
pie menu to Chrome
for Android 5.0 for
custom controls

Smartphones and tablets are improving all the time,

but the small screens and keyboards means that
browsing the internet on your Android device isnt
always easy, particularly when compared to
traditional desktop computers.
ChromePie is an Xposed module that can make
browsing in the Chrome app easier by adding swipe
controls. Instead of navigating Chromes menus and
toolbar, swipe on the screen and out pops a

1 Download ChromePie

Open Xposed Installer and tap Download.

Tap the magnifying glass icon and search for
ChromePie. When the module appears, tap it.
Read the information, tap Versions and
download the most recent. Once downloaded,
relaunch Xposed Installer and tap Modules.

4 Edit your shortcuts

You can change the shortcut that

appears in each slice by tapping Pie menu.
Select the slice you want to change, tap Pie
Item 1 and choose a new action from the
popup. Also in the Pie menu, you can increase
the number of slices by tapping Add new slice.

ChromePie menu that you can customise with your

own personalised shortcuts.
We will show you how to get ChromePie on
Lollipop. The catch is that Xposed for Lollipop is only
compatible with Android 5.0, so if youre running a
higher version youll need to downgrade.
If you havent already, you can grab Xposed for
Lollipop from the XDA Developers forum from the
following link: http://goo.gl/wS8x9F

2 Try your new ChromePie

Tap the checkbox to enable ChromePie

and reboot your device. Once rebooted, launch
Google Chrome and side-swipe from your screen
your new ChromePie menu should appear. The
default slices are shortcuts to: Settings, Back,
Edit URL, Show tabs and Bookmarks.

trigger positions
5 Change
You trigger ChromePie by dragging
from the right, left or bottom of the screen.
You can turn these positions on and off by
going to the main ChromePie screen, tapping
Trigger positions and toggling the Left, Right
and Bottom options.

3 Select a slice

Once ChromePie is open, you can select

any of the shortcuts by dragging your nger onto
that slice of ChromePie. When it turns orange,
release your nger and ChromePie performs the
action. ChromePie is also customisable, so open
your app drawer and tap the ChromePie app.

6 Trigger the area size

If youre struggling to launch ChromePie

or are launching it by accident, you may want to
change the Trigger area size. Select this option
from the main ChromePie screen and drag the
slider. Whatever customisations you make, youll
need to tap Restart Chrome before they work.

51

Hacker Zne
Works with

Any version of Android Difculty Advanced

Port apps to
unsupported
ROMs
Run vendor-specic apps on any
device by porting both the APK le
and the libraries

Android may be an open platform,

b t that doesnt mean that every
roid app will work on your
ce. Some manufacturers sneakily
e apps that only work on their
ces, like vendor-specic camera
, for example.
re, we will show you a useful
karound that you can use to
y port vendor-specic apps to
r ROMS, before ashing the ROM
ur own Android device.
pending on the app youre
ng to port and the ROM youre
ng to port to, you may encounter
e differences. Some common
gs to look out for are folders
les that are laid out differently
d apps that require additional
ependencies. When youre
xamining your apps manifest
t is always a good idea to look
r any additional dependencies
t this particular app may
equire, just in case.
Due to every app and ROM
eing slightly different, youll
perience varying levels of
ccess with your ports. Generally,
he less dramatic the port, the
higher the chances of it working.
or example, trying to port a
amsung Galaxy app to a HTC
ne is going to be trickier than
rting to a Nexus device running
n unmodied version of Android.
if you are struggling with your
it may be worth considering a
rent ROM to try.
fore you start, youll need two
s downloaded onto your
puter the ROM that contains
pp you want to port and the
you want to ash to your device.

Apktool
1 Setup
Go to http://goo.gl/5vVCKx
and download the latest version of
Apktool, plus the relevant helper
script for your operating system.
Follow the instructions to install. Then
create an apktools folder in your
home directory and move both the
apktool.jar and helper script into this
folder to use later.

6 Check manifests
minSdkVersion
Check the Manifests minSdkVersion
to make sure its compatible with the
version of Android youre ashing as
part of your ROM. This value is the
minimum version of the Android API
this application requires to run. If
necessary, you can change this value
and save the edited Manifest le.

your
2 Extract
APKs
Navigate to the ROM containing the
app you want to port. Unzip the
ROM and nd the apps APK. Move
this APK to the apktools folder that
you just created. You may also need
the ROMs framework-res.apk, so
nd this le and move it to your
apktools folder as well.

your
7 Compile
APK
Compile your APK using the ./
apktool b command, followed by
your decompiled APK, for example:
./apktool b sonyApp. Youll get a
newly-compiled APK, but before this
can run on a device youll need to
sign it. Download SignApk (bit.
ly/1xeEWtn) and unzip.

framework3 Add
res.apk
Open your Macs terminal and
change directory (cd) so its
pointing at your apktools folder.
Your command should look like: cd
/Users/username/apktools. Next,
youll need to install the devices
framework, so issue the following:
./apktool if framework-res.apk.

your APK
8 Sign
Move your newly-compiled
APK into the SignApk folder.
Change directory so terminal is
pointing at this folder, then run:
java -jar signapk.jar certicate.
pem key.pk8 followed by the name
of your newly-compiled APK and
the name of the signed APK you
want to create.

4 Open Android
Manifest.xml
Decompile your APK using the ./
apktool d command, followed by
the name of your APK. If the APK
decompiles successfully, a new
folder will appear in your apktools
folder. Open this folder and nd the
apps Manifest.xml le. Open this
le in a text editor.

your ROM
9 Modify
Now it is time to turn your
attention to the ROM that you want
to ash. Unzip this ROM and add
your APK to its system/app folder.
Next, open the system/lib folder
and add any library les that the
APK requires. Then nally, zip and
copy the ROM to your chosen
Android device.

5 Locate any
libraries
Check if your app needs any
libraries by searching the manifest
for uses-library. If your app does,
open the APKs lib/armeabi folder.
This should contain the necessary
library le. Store this le
somewhere safe, as youll need to
add it to your ROM before ashing.

your ROM
10 Flash
As always, make sure your
device is fully backed up before
attempting to ash a custom ROM.
Boot into your devices recovery and
follow the onscreen instructions to
ash your custom ROM. Once its
nished, reboot your device and
check whether your ported app
is working correctly.

53

Hacker Zne
Works with

Android 5.0 Difculty Advanced

Protect your
AMOLED
Simple tricks to make sure
you are not ruining your
ay
ns offer a lot of
ver LCD screens, but
t without their
namely screen
This is a phenomenon
urs when areas of your
re constantly
ng the same
tion such as your
en and the pixels that
g used start to hold a
age even when you
something else. There
mber of ways you can
his and a couple of ways
an try and correct a burn
ats already occurred. The
iggest problem area for
most devices are the
navigation buttons at the
ttom of the screen, as
yre almost always there
nd theyre almost always
white the worst colour for
ausing screen burn-in.
re, we will show you some
he ways you can avoid
reen burn-in and walk you
rough a simple process for
rying to correct any burn-in
hats already occurred.
othing is that difcult and
ull only need a rooted device
r a couple of the steps. The
st thing to do is make sure
uve actually got an AMOLED
n. Most agship devices use
nology nowadays, so its
a quick Google of your device
what sort of screen its actually
g. Some of the steps here
have a negative effect on LCD
s, so its really important to
sure you know what youre
ng with.

Get the app

1 First,
head over to the Google
Play store and download AMOLED
Burn-in Fixer. As well as being able to
x your screen efciently, this app will
be will be able to diagnose whether
you actually need to use it or not,
which is useful. It is free and simple
to download, so get it installed before
you continue onto Step 2.

out
6 White
The app will now turn your
screen white. It is essentially evening
out the spread of colour on your
devices screen and in doing so, its
waking up the burnt-in area. It might
take a couple of tries for it to clear up
completely, so its quite sensible to
run this regularly for the best and
most permanent results.

a diagnostic
2 Run
Open the AMOLED Burn-in

grey
3 Going
Once you have tapped the

on an area
4 Focus
Once you have seen where

the colours
5 Swap
Once youve selected the

Fixer app on your device, then tap

across the main screen to the Test
Burn-In page. You will then see a
button that says Hide UI. Tap on
that and then the test will run. Keep
in mind that you are going to have
to have a good close look at your
screen at this point.

button the screen should display

everything in grey. Have a look at
the top and the bottom of your
screen to see if there is any trace of
a ghost image. For example, it could
just be a hint of discolouration
around the navigation and
notication bars.

the problems are, go to the main

screen of the app. The drop-down
box near the top of the screen will
let you select whether you want to
focus your attentions on the
notications bar, the navigation bar,
or even both of them, so have a
look at what you would prefer.

effected area, tap the button

marked Enable Inverted Colors.
This will then take you to the
accessibility settings menu. Tap to
swap the colours round and then
head back to the app. Now it is time
to sort out your burn-in. Hit the Hide
Settings button to make a start.

burn-in
7 Fix
One way to stop AMOLED
screen burn-in from happening is to
hide your status and navigation
bars from the outset. The best app
for this is Full!screen. Its free to
download from Google Play, but
requires root, and it lets you disable
the menu bars and reveal them
again with gestures.

balance
8 Check
There are some Xposed

out Lollipop
9 Sort
Lollipop might be a bright

framework modules that can help

prevent AMOLED screen burn-in as
well. Screen Filter is one of the
best, as it adds a lter over the
whole screen that means you can
set your minimum brightness level
lower than with your devices
default settings.

and breezier version of Android, but

bright colours come at a cost.
Theres a lot of white and thats the
worst colour for AMOLED screens.
Try installing Xposed GEL Settings
from the Google Play store and
tweaking the background colours
and app icon sets.

launcher
10 New
If youd rather go for a full
overhaul, try installing Nova
Launcher. This free download gives
you more control over the colours
on your screen and, in particular, it
will let you use more dark shades.
This should save you battery power
too because black pixels arent
turned on in AMOLED screens.

55

Hacker Zne
Works with

Android 3.0 and up Difculty Level Easy

Monitor your mobile

data on the go
Keep track of how
much mobile and
Wi-Fi data your
device is using

Out of the box, Android smartphones and tablets

display the strength of your internet connection in
the status bar. But if you want a more detailed view
you will need an additional app.
If you want convenience, Internet Speed Meter
adds your internet speed to the status bar, so its
always visible. It also creates a permanent

Enable notications
1 Launch
the app, create your prole and
log into your new prole. Youll be taken to the
apps Dashboard. To add information about your
internet connection to the status bar and
notication drawer, drag the Notication switch
to the on position so it turns from grey to green.

4 Conserve battery

Once youve enabled Add Wi-Fi/Operator

Name you can add the signal strength to the
permanent notication, using the Wi-Fi/
Network Signal Strength slider. When you
disconnect from the internet, push the Only
Show on Connect slider to pause monitoring.

56

notication, so you can see how many bytes your

Android device is sending and receiving per second
just by opening the notication drawer.
This app distinguishes between mobile and Wi-Fi
data and it stores information for up to 30 days.
Download the app free from the Google Play store
it doesnt require root.

2 Open your
notication drawer

3 Customise your
notication

The current speed of your internet connection

will show in the status bar. Open your
notication drawer and youll see a permanent
notication, tracking how many bytes your
device is sending and receiving per second.

To customise, open the Internet Speed Meter

app, tap the menu icon, then Notication
Options. Here, you can add the Wi-Fi or operator
name so it shows in the permanent notication
when your device is connected to it.

5 Enable oating widget

6 Track your data usage

In addition to the notication, you can

see your upload and download speeds as a
oating widget. Go to the apps Dashboard,
then push Floating Widget into the on position.
You can also completely stop monitoring your
usage by turning the main switch off.

This app tracks your data usage over

Mobile and Wi-Fi for up to 30 days. To see this
data, open the menu and select Data Usage.
You will see a graph overview and a table with
more detailed information about the amount of
Wi-Fi and mobile data youre consuming.

FOR THE GNU GENERATION

www.linuxuser.co.uk

Available
from all good
newsagents &
supermarkets
today

ESOURC
ER

VERY IS
DE

E FRE
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ED

ON SALE NOW:

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Reviews

58

Group test

Chromebook
supertest

Which of the lightweight laptops running Google Chrome will be the best?
The rst Chromebook launched in 2011, a joint
venture between Samsung, Acer and Google. It
was a lightweight device that ran Googles Chrome
operating system and stored the majority of its
data, les and documents in the cloud, rather than
on an internal hard drive. This model proved to be
very popular and very soon other manufacturers
started making their own Chromebooks. The fact
that the laptops didnt need much internal memory
or storage made them weigh and cost less and the
cloud storage meant that losing your computer no
longer meant losing all your important documents.

Another key feature of the Chromebook was fast

loading times. As they have barely anything to load
up you can go to web browsing in under ten
seconds, which makes nipping online a breeze.
Weve got together four of the latest
Chromebooks to nd out which is quickest, easiest
to use and looks the best. The four weve tested
are the Asus C300, Lenovo N20p, Acer 15 C910
and Googles very own Pixel (2015). As they all run
on the same operating system, it will be a straight
test of their looks and the quality of the user
experience that they deliver.

59

Reviews
Information

Asus Chromebook
C300

Brushed nish
The brushed aluminium
look is just that little bit
different from its
competitors and creates a
very appealing nish, even
if it doesnt exactly look like
a top of the range device

Screen quality
The pixel density of the
1366 x 768, 13.3-inch
screen is fairly low at just
117ppi. Although this isnt
very noticeable when on
the web itself, it does
become an issue when
viewing videos, which
become a bit pixelated.

179.99/$229
More information asus.com
Supplied by Asus

Technical specs
Processor ................................ Intel Bay Trail-M Celaron N2830
2.16GHz dual-core

Memory..................................... 2GB DDR3L 1600MHz SDRAM

Dimensions............................ 339 x 230 x 20mm
Weight......................................... 1.4kg
Display size ............................ 13.3-inch (117ppi)
Display resolution............. 1366 x 768 pixels
Camera...................................... HD web camera
Connectivity .......................... Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports............................................. 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0,
1 x HDMI, SD card slot

head-to-head

Layout
The trackpad is a very large
one, making navigation
around the C300 nice and
easy. It feels secure in its
housing as well, so the
build quality is high here.

Ports
The left-hand side holds
just a USB port, while the
left has another USB port,
HDMI input, SD card lot,
headphone jack and
charger port. All are placed
towards the back, which
works very well.

Design
The C300 has nice, rounded, curved edges all
around, making it a very comfortable machine
to carry and use. The brushed look is polarising,
however, and it does feel extremely plasticky. It is
quite slim at just 20mm thick.

Performance
The dual-core and quad-core processors zip
through basic tasks but arent quite up to anything
too intense. Gamers will not appreciate this, but
the limited performance is one of the things that
will keep the C300 going for 10 hours.

Battery life
The battery life is the big selling point on the
C300. Asus claims that it can last 10 hours and
it certainly does last very well in normal, everyday
tasks, but when the processors are working
overtime the battery life suffers quite a lot.

Usability
This is a really well balanced machine. It is a nice
height to work at and the keyboard has accurate
keys that you have to press rmly, but they dont
feel sticky. The trackpad is nice and large, giving
users a big range of movement.

Verdict
The C300 was enjoyable to use and
only suffered a small amount in
performance but it looks okay and
has that long battery life

60

Asus Chromebook
C300

The long-life Chromebook that will ensure

you keep going all day

The C300 is the largest of Asus limited range of

Chromebooks. It sports a 13.3-inch screen and
weighs 1.4kg, which is very reasonable for its
size. It denitely doesnt feel heavy or bulky
when youre carrying it around. It has got a very
clean and simple design, although the
polycarbonate case does feel a little bit scratchy
and collects ngerprints quickly. Once youve
opened it up its got an attractive brushed
aluminium look and sits at just the right height
for you to type away without nding your wrists
resting painfully on the fairly sharp edge. The
trackpad is the largest in its class and it is very
big, making pinch zooming very easy to control. It
feels secure and well made, even if there may
have been a little bit of skimping on materials.
The keyboard is a generous size and, although
it took a little while to get used to the keys all
being slightly more to the right than were used
to, the keys were responsive and hit the sweet
spot between rmness and sensitivity. It runs off
an Intel Celeron 2.16GHz dual-core processor

and an Intel Celeron 1.83GHz quad-core

processor. In general these are speedy enough
to deal with everyday Chromebook tasks, such
as writing documents, playing videos and surng
the web. Things do become a little jerky and
laggy when playing graphics-rich games so if you
are a hardcore gamer, this might not be the best
Chromebook for you.
The battery life is the C300s big sell,
promising that it can deliver up to ten hours of
use. While performing standard browsing tasks it
looks like it could make good on that promise,
so as a workstation it would be a very useful
machine for a working day or taking with you on
a long-distance journey. Things werent so
impressive away from browsing gaming did
chew quite dramatically into the battery life, so it
is much better suited for professional use.
The video camera is quite sharp, although it
did struggle when up against a backlight, so if
you enjoy Skype video calls, youll need to think
twice about how the Chromebook is positioned.

Group test

Viewing angles

Touchscreen
Flip the N20p on its hinge
and you can make the
most of its 10-point
touchscreen, turning it
from a laptop into a tablet.
It is as responsive as youd
expect a tablet to be,
which is impressive.

Unfortunately the top and

bottom viewing angles on
the N20p are very narrow,
making watching
something with someone
else a bit tricky. The
side-to-side angles are
extremely good, however.

Information

Lenovo N20p
Chromebook

210/$329
SD card storage
Even though the highlight
of the Chromebook is its
use of the cloud, the SD
card storage is a useful
addition as it holds just
16GB of eMMC storage.
This will help with saving
photos on your device.

Speaker
placement
One big downside of the
N20p is the fact that the
speakers are located on
the bottom of the machine,
projecting any audio into
the surface its on.

More information lenovo.com

Supplied by Lenovo

Technical specs
Processor ................................ Intel Celeron 2.16GHz quad-core
Memory..................................... 4GB DDR3L
Dimensions............................ 295 x 212 x 17.9mm
Weight......................................... 1.4kg
Display size ............................ 11.5-inch
Display resolution............. 1366 x 768
Camera...................................... 720p
Connectivity .......................... Wi-Fi , Bluetooth 4.0
Ports............................................. 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0,
1 x micro HDMI, SD card slot

head-to-head
Design
We really like the look of the N20p. It is sleek,
a lovely shade of silver and has the ability to
transform itself into a tablet with a stand. This
adaptability sets it apart from its rivals.

Performance

Lenovo N20p
Chromebook
Lenovos ThinkPad range is very well regarded in
the world of the PC, so it comes as little
surprise that the Chinese company is turning its
attention to Chromebooks. The N20p is Lenovos
11-inch offering, providing a compact
Chromebook option at a low price point.
The N20ps big selling point is the fact that its
hinged, so you can fold it right back so the
keyboard acts as a stand. This turns the
Chromebook, which has a touchscreen, into a
upturned tablet, making it perfect for watching
lms. We found that it did feel a little unstable
when tapping on it in this mode, but if you just
want to use it for viewing, it is ideal.
Although the 1366 x 768 screen isnt razor
sharp, it still plays videos with a high level of
clarity and the processors are capable of keeping
up with the frame rate. It is impressively bright
and colourful, managing to provide the user with
a very positive experience.
If you can manage to ignore the overly shiny
Lenovo logo on the front, this is a very pleasingly

All tasks we put to the N20p were performed to

a high standard. We couldnt fault it when playing
games or videos. Admittedly nothing was lightningfast, but then nothing felt slow either, so it would
suit all but hardcore users.

The Chromebook that

is tiny but mighty

designed laptop. The silver is nice and resistant

to ngerprints and it has a mixture of straight
edges and curves that complement each other
well. It is very smooth all over and the inside has
a matt black nish, which works well.
Despite its size it weighs a fairly hefty 1.4kg.
This is comparable to the other models, but
considering its the smallest of the bunch that is
something of a disappointment. The bezels
around the edge of the screen are very large,
cutting quite dramatically into the screen size. In
a larger machine this wouldnt be so bad but as
its already a small model, this could present an
issue for some users.
The keys are very at and light, which does
occasionally lead to a missed letter when typing
but in general it is a well laid out and spaced
keyboard. The trackpad is very secure in its
housing and is responsive to scrolling.
The webcam isnt great at dealing with low
light conditions but is nice and sharp, capable of
producing high-quality images and video.

Battery life
The battery is lacking a bit at eight hours and
does take a hit when playing games, but it should
just about see you through a day of medium use
without needing to be plugged in.

Usability
The Lenovo unfortunately comes up a bit short in
both screen clarity and its keyboard. Neither are
a particularly major problem, but the slightly pixellight screen and slim keys could possibly become
an issue for some users.

Verdict
The N20p is the smallest model
in the group, but is still powerful
enough to deal with most tasks. Its
downsides are large bezels around
the edges and a disappointing
weight for its size

61

Reviews
Information

Acer Chromebook
15 C910

ComfyView
The 15 comes with Acers
ComfyView screen, which
is essentially an LCD,
LED-backlit screen that is
designed to limit glare and
improve visibility when
viewing the screen while in
bright environments

Memory
It comes with 4GB of
DDR3L SDRAM as well as
16GB storage, with the
allowance to be boosted
with the use of an SD card.
This is mid-range for the
majority of Chromebooks.

229.99/$229.99
More information acer.com
Supplied by Acer

Technical specs
Processor ................................ Intel i3 1.5GHz dual-core
Memory..................................... 16GB storage / 4GB RAM
Dimensions............................ 383 x 245 x 24mm
Weight......................................... 2.2kg
Display size ............................ 15.6-inch
Display resolution............. 1366 x 768 (100ppi)
Camera...................................... 720p webcam
Connectivity .......................... Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports............................................. 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0,
1 x HDMI, SD card slot

head-to-head

USB ports

Boot up

As well as an HDMI output,

the 15 has a USB 2.0 and a
USB 3.0 port on either side
of the machine. The port
placings are towards the
back, nice and compact
and well organised.

The time it takes the 15 to

go from off to on is just
seven seconds, which is
among the quickest in the
industry. This quick boot-up
time is one of the key
features of Chromebooks.

Design
Although the speakers are well placed for
excellent audio, the overall design isnt attractive.
The backing is strange and plasticky and its too
big for a Chromebook. The keyboard is one of the
better ones in the test, however.

Performance
Videos and games do occasionally lag due to
the below-par processor, which is a frustration.
The screen resolution also is fairly low and is
noticeable when there is a lot of action in screen,
despite the colours being quite rich.

Battery life
There is plenty of juice in the 3,270mAh battery
to keep you going throughout the day when
engaged in low intensity tasks. Gaming does
quickly crunch through the battery, though,
which soon becomes an issue.

Usability
The Acer is the thickest of the four Chromebooks
tested here and that is noticeable when using
it as the edges do dig into your wrists a bit. The
keyboard is the most easily used of the four as it
is the widest and best spaced.

Verdict
Acers entry could be the answer
if youre looking for a laptop-sized
Chromebook, but otherwise it
is difficult to recommend the
underpowered C910

62

Acer Chromebook
15 C910

The C910 is the size of a laptop, but

is bigger really better?

The C910 bucks the trend of Chromebooks

rather by being a very big machine. The screen
is a massive 15.6-inches, and the wide bezels
make it even wider. It is unfortunately lacking
somewhat in terms of style. The backing is a
scratchy, textured plastic that put us in mind of
those pull-down blinds for car windows. It is
certainly unique but it failed to appeal to us.
Opening up the C910 reveals two large
speakers either side of the keyboard, which is
great for listening to audio and lls the gaps
either side of the keyboard nicely. The keyboard
is widely spaced so you have plenty of freedom
while typing, and helps ensure typing accuracy.
The trackpad is an absolute magnet for
ngerprints, though, and does not sit comfortably
at all. Even a slight press looks like youre going
to push it right out of its housing and it doesnt
seem to quite t, sporting a huge gap along the
bottom and right-hand side. It is the heaviest on

test at 2.2kg, which is getting far away from

normal Chromebook territory and towards
notebook and netbook levels.
The screen resolution is a very low 100ppi and
this is clearly noticeable when viewing video and
images, although it doesnt spoil basic browsing.
The Intel Celaron 1.5GHz dual-core processor
isnt quite up to the task of playing games or
video, occasionally freezing or lagging mid-action.
The viewing angles arent great on the horizontal
level, but you do get a high range of viewing on
the vertical plane, which is handy.
The 3,270mAh battery has a life of around
nine hours, which is one of the main positives
for this machine as it could keep you powered
through an entire standard work day.
The camera for web chats is very good,
producing a clear video that has a lot of detail.
Even when backlit, faces can be seen so Acer
has done well with its camera technology.

Blue glass lens

The webcam is made with
blue glass. This acts as a
more effective lter than
clear glass and can be
smaller because the angle
required to gather light is
less than normal.

Sharp screen
The 239ppi screen is really
sharp and the depth of
eld in even the wallpaper
is superb. Google has
improved the sRGB colour
gamut as well for more
glorious colours.

Group test
Information

Chromebook Pixel
(2015)
From 799/$999
More information store.google.com
Supplied by Google

Technical specs
Processor ................................ Intel Core i5, 2.2GHz

or Intel Core i7, 2.4GHz

Lightbar
On the top of the machine
is a lightbar in Googles
colours that illuminates
when youre using it. For an
extra trick you can tap on it
while closed and itll give
you a battery estimation.

Type-C charging
The Pixel supports Type-C charging, which
means that it can charge its 12-hour battery
much quicker than before. It can also charge up
much bigger devices, so youre now no longer
limited to just your phone or your tablet.

Memory..................................... 8GB or 16GB

Dimensions............................ 298 x 224 x 15.3mm
Weight......................................... 1.5kg
Display size ............................ 12.85-inch
Display resolution............. 2560 x 1700 (239ppi)
Camera...................................... 720p HD
Connectivity .......................... Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports............................................. 2x USB 3.0, SD card reader,
2 x USB Type-C charging

head-to-head
Design
Although some may not be fans of the straightedged design, its a clearly premium device, which
is smooth and lovely to hold. It looks and feels
excellently made, but we found that there is a
slight issue over its weight.

Performance

ChromebookPixel
(2015)
Is Googles own Chromebook
worth the money?

As the developers of Chrome, it stands to

reason that Google should produce its own
Chromebook and the Pixel has long been held
as the standard bearer for all Chromebooks.
That still appears to be the case as the latest
Pixel has an awful lot going for it.
The colour scheme is all silver and it is very
distinctive with straight lines all round and a very
at nish, setting it apart from the others. This
design could put some people off as it is quite
metallic and rigid but it certainly looks like a
premium machine. It is quite weighty at 1.5kg
but that is mostly down to the metal casing that
gives it that smooth, premium feel.
The keyboard is edge-to-edge and very nicely
spaced so you are unlikely to accidentally tap
more than one key. They are very at so dont
take a lot of pressing, which is a great advantage
during prolonged use.

Boot up time is lightning quick, which is

excellent as that means you get to see the
stunning screen as quickly as possible. It really is
absolutely glorious. It is superbly sharp, picking
out tiny detail in everything with clarity and
precision. The resolution is 2560 x 1700 and on
the 12.85-inch display that translates to a pixel
density of 239ppi, way better than its
competitors.
Under the hood is an Intel Core i7 2.4GHz
processor that deals with pretty much everything
you throw at it with ease. It plays videos and
games without any visible lag and navigating
around web pages happens instantaneously. It
ships with an excellent 16GB of RAM and 64GB
storage, plus has a microSD slot.
Its camera has a wide angle lens that helps
get more people in shot if you are trying to take
a group picture.

The performance is absolutely impeccable. It

boots at speed, loads pages in double-quick time
and there is no issue whatsoever when playing
games and videos. The i7 processor is effortlessly
top of its class here.

Battery life
The battery life is an excellent 12 hours at the
maximum, but youll generally expect to get a little
bit less than that. There is no denying that it is
affected by gaming, but not to the extent of the
other models. It will easily last you a day.

Usability
This Chromebook is the perfect height to use as
it doesnt dig into the wrists but you dont have
to reach too far for the keys. The touchscreen is
really sensitive and you dont feel like youre at risk
of breaking the hinge when using it. Overall, it is a
pleasure to use and intuitive.

Verdict
The Pixel is by far the best
Chromebook on the market, but
you are having to pay an extremely
heavy price for that quality

63

Reviews
GROUP TEST
WINNER

The winner... Chromebook Pixel (2015)

Youre paying a lot of money but there is no way
we could say anything other than the
Chromebook Pixel is the best device out there.
The screen is streets ahead, the processor is far
and away the most powerful on the market and it
looks great. The Type-C charging is another huge
advantage so it ticks every box in terms of looks,
practicality, battery life and quality of use. The
only slight faults are with the weight and price, but
if youre after a brilliant Chromebook that actually

The Asus Chromebook C300 is next up. It is a

very good machine, and was generally up to task
but fell short a little bit in terms of the processing
power and the general look and feel of it.
Finally, the Acer Chromebook 15 brings up the
rear. It just felt too big, too heavy and too slow to
be a quality Chromebook and we reckon there are
much better models out there for the price. It could
be a good option if you want a laptop-style
cloud-based computer, though.

Asus Chromebook
C300

Lenovo N20p
Chromebook

Acer Chromebook
15 C910

Chromebook Pixel
(2015)

Processor

Intel Bay Trail-M Celaron N2830

2.16GHz dual-core

Intel Celeron 2.16GHz quad-core

Intel i3 dual core

Intel Core i5, 2.2GHz

or Intel Core i7, 2.4GHz

Memory

2GB DDR3L 1600MHz SDRAM

4GB DDR3L

4G RAM, 32GB storage

8GB or 16GB

Dimensions

339 x 230 x 20.3mm

295 x 212 x 17.9mm

383 x 256 x 24mm

298 x 224 x 15.3mm

Weight

1.4kg

1.4kg

2.2kg

1.5kg

Display Size

13.3-inch

11.5-inch

15.6-inch

12.85-inch

Display Resolution

1366 x 768

1366 x 768

1366 x 768

2560 x 1700

Connectivity

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0

Wi-Fi , Bluetooth 4.0

Wi-Fi , Bluetooth 4.0

Wi-Fi , Bluetooth 4.0

Camera

HD web camera

720p

720p webcam

720p HD

Ports

1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0,

1 x HDMI, SD card slot

1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0,

1 x micro HDMI, SD card slot

1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0,

1 x HDMI

2x USB 3.0, SD card reader,

2 x USB Type-C charging

Overall score

64

offers some storage capabilities as well, then this

has to be the one you choose.
It is followed by the Lenovo N20p. This
performed very well in tests and does everything a
Chromebook should. It is small, portable and works
quickly and quietly. We enjoyed using the
touchscreen and the ability to turn it into a tablet is
a great touch. If you want a quality Chromebook
that doesnt cost an arm and a leg, this should
certainly be a contender.

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Reviews
Asus ZenFone 2
Asus latest ZenFone looks to excel on value, but can the
Intel-powered newcomer deliver on quality, too?
Asus latest assault on the Android phone
comes via the ZenFone 2, the successor to the
ZenFone 4, 5 and 6. The previous generation
devices had 4-, 5- and 6-inch screens, hence the
names. The ZenFone 2 has two different screen
sizes, with 5-inch and 5.5-inch variants available.
Confused yet? The variations dont stop there
both 720p and 1080p resolution screens are
offered, storage on the devices varies between
16GB and 64GB, RAM is either 2GB or 4GB and
there are two different versions of the Intel Atom
processor available. The phone is single SIM in
some markets and dual SIM in others. Asus
certainly doesnt make choosing easy!
Our review device is at the higher end of the
range, with a full HD screen, 32GB storage and
the 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z3560 rather than the
quicker 2.3GHz Z3580. The stand-out item on
the spec sheet for this phone is denitely the
4GB RAM, which should mean applications
virtually never get swapped out of memory. At a
time where some agships are still being
shipped with 2GB RAM, this is a pretty signicant
feature for what is, even at its very highest
specication, a mid-range device.
From a design perspective, the ZenFone 2
integrates the DNA of its predecessors with a
sprinkling of inspiration from competitors. The
area containing the capacitive buttons on the
front retains the hallmark spun metal look, but
switching around to the back of the device youll
notice that the volume rockers have moved from
the side in a feature that is very reminiscent of
LGs handsets. The power button is on the top of
the device, which makes it a little bit of a stretch
to reach. The benet of having the buttons on
the back is that it enables Asus to shrink the
bezels alongside the screen, although a 72 per
cent screen-to-body ratio is good but not as
exceptional as weve seen on devices such as
the LG G2. And you should make no mistake
the ZenFone 2 is not a small device. The phone
has a removable plastic back under which sit the
SIM and microSD slots despite this, the
battery is not replaceable. The back cover has a
brushed metal effect and is available in white,
black, red, grey and gold.
Imaging on the ZenFone 2 comes courtesy of
a 13MP camera on the back and a 5MP camera
on the front. The rear camera uses a Toshiba
sensor together with a dual tone LED ash to
provide what Asus calls class leading low-light
performance. For a mid-range device, pictures do
generally come out well, but the ZenFone 2 is

66

Fast charging
The ZenFone 2 supports
BoostMaster fast charging, with
an 18W charger included in the
box with the 2.3GHz device. Ten
minutes power provides 2.7 hours
of 3G talktime. The battery can be
recharged from empty to 60
percent full in under 40 minutes.

Customisabe look
Asus version of Android Lollipop is
called ZenUI and is fully
customisable with colours, icon
packs and fonts. ZenMotion
provides gesture control and a
double-tap on the home button
shrinks the screen with a clever
one-handed mode.

Responsive screen
The IPS screen on the ZenFone 2
is bright, sharp and extremely
responsive a 60m/s touch
response time contributes to the
overall impression of smoothness
and speed on the device. Gorilla
Glass 3 plays its part to help
protect the display from damage.

Super-fast
connectivity
The ZenFone 2 supports 4G LTE
connectivity at up to 250Mbps
CAT4+ speeds and Wi-Fi 802.11ac
at up to 433Mbps. Bluetooth 4.0
and NFC are included to complete
the connectivity suite. The dual
SIM model supports dual active
SIMs (2G on the second SIM).

Review
Information

Asus ZenFone 2
210/$300

More information Asus.com

Supplied by Asus Europe

Best deal

10

per month
(PAYG)

10

per month
(PAYG)

16

per month
(PAYG)

Technical specs
Operating system............. Android 5.0 Lollipop
Processor ................................ Intel Atom Z3560
1.8 GHz quad-core

Up tness tracking
The ZenFone 2 comes pre-loaded
with the Jawbone Up tness
tracker companion app. If you
dont own an Up band, you can
use the phone itself to track your
activity, which is a good way to try
out the Up ecosystem.

Memory..................................... 32GB storage / 4GB RAM

Dimensions............................ 77.2 x 152.5 x 3.9 ~ 10.9 mm
Weight......................................... 170g
Display size ............................ 5.5-inch
Display resolution............. 1920 x 1080 pixels (400ppi)
Front camera........................ 5 MP (f/2.0)
Rear camera.......................... 13 MP (f/2.0)
Connectivity .......................... 4G
Expansion slot..................... microSD (up to 64GB)

Battery life
The 3,000mAh battery provides an easy full days charge
with fast charging available with a compatible adaptor

Good for

64-bit performance

Quick performance

The Intel processor included in the

ZenFone 2 whether the 1.8Ghz
Atom Z3560 or the 2.3GHz Atom
Z3580 is 64-bit ready to take
advantage of the latest
improvements in Lollipop. RAM
uses the fast DDR3 standard.

If you demand fast performance without paying flagship

prices, the ZenFone 2 is a great option

Wireless connectivity
The ZenFone 2 ticks all the boxes on the spec sheet,
particularly around wireless connectivity

Bad for

Auto focus
Although the ZenFone 2 camera is okay, auto-focusing in
particular can be a little slow

Svelete design
Despite Asus claim of shrunken bezels, the phone is still
quite big and chunky, and therefore not for everyone

Verdict
slightly modied core apps and a sprinkling of
add-ons of varying utility. Privacy protection tools,
a kids mode and downloadable themes are the
highlights but on the whole the software build
feels well done and not excessively heavy.

buy today. Given that the 1080p device performs

so well, we expect that the 720p phones would
feel blistering fast. Wed have no hesitation
recommending the ZenFone 2 from a
performance perspective.

The ZenFone 2 is a little bit different

but all the better for it. All in all, a
great value phone

67

Reviews
Honor 6 Plus
As Honor graduates to offering devices on contract with Three,
can it better the excellent Honor 6 with its latest device?
When we reviewed the Honor 6, we called it
very impressive and gave it a four out of ve
rating. Can the Honor 6 Plus go one better? On
paper it looks promising. As well as boosting the
full HD screen from 5-inches to 5.5-inches, the
Honor 6 Plus has an extra camera on the back,
a better front camera, a faster processor, more
storage and a bigger battery.
When holding the Honor 6 Plus with the
original device, the family resemblance is clear.
The glass front and back with the curved plastic
base is retained and, as with the original, its a
good-looking device. It does feel big in the hand,
but with 5.5-inch devices becoming more and
more popular, it is less of a concern than it
might have been six months ago. At 7.5mm thick,
the device doesnt feel too bulky. The
dimensions are particularly impressive given the
huge battery that is included. The buttons on the
device are sensibly placed and click reassuringly.
Both the volume and power buttons are on the
right-hand side, just above the main SIM slot and
the secondary SIM slot (which can be used as a
microSD slot). The 3.5m headphone port is on
the top of the device alongside the IR blaster.
One of the more polarising aspects of the
Honor devices is the EmotionUI skin. The Honor
6 Plus ships with Android 4.4 KitKat, with a
Lollipop upgrade due in the next few months. We
are seeing a lot of Lollipop devices struggle for
performance and battery life, two things that the
6 Plus certainly doesnt have an issue with. In
use the device is extremely fast and as smooth
as anything else on sale. Unquestionably,
EmotionUI does make a lot of changes to base
Android. It brings new colours, new icons, a
drawer-free home screen / launcher; all things
that might not be to everyones taste. While
some tweaks arent what wed consider a
worthwhile change, there are a lot of changes
that do enhance the base Android experience.
Its only as you get to know the device that youll
come across them. Enhanced permission control,
improved device storage / memory management,
double-tap to wake and screen off gestures;
version 3 of Huaweis skin is nally starting to
provide genuinely useful features.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the
Honor 6 Plus is the camera (or rather cameras).
On the back of the device youll notice a parallel
dual 8MP camera setup, designed to provide
improved performance in low light and an
ultra-fast focus time of 0.1 seconds. The setup
also enables a dual aperture mode, with an

68

Speed demon
If you are a fan of benchmarks you
might be surprised that the Honor
6 Plus, while not matching the
latest Snapdragon or Exynos
chips, isnt far behind. The Kirin
925 is a very capable processor.

Touch to control
The Honor 6 Plus uses on-screen
buttons as standard, like Nexus
devices. An optional TouchPlus
overlay can be purchased, which
adds capacitive buttons at the
bottom of the screen in addition
to touch sensitive areas at the top
of the display.

Draw to open
The Draw feature on the phone
allows a shape to be drawn on the
screen while the phone screen is
off, to then open an associated
application. Note however that
only c, e, m and w can be dened.

EDITORS
CHOICE

Review
onscreen slider allowing variable levels of
background blur. The camera application itself,
while appearing pretty basic at rst use, provides
a lot of manual controls. So what are the photos
like? Impressive, particularly for a mid-range
device. While they cant match the likes of the
Samsung Galaxy S6 or LG G4, the camera
innovation is worthwhile, easily outperforming
devices at a similar price point.
Its unexpectedly hard to nd things not to like
about the Honor 6 Plus. If you are a big stock
Android fan then you might nd the Emotion UI

skin jarring at rst, but give it a chance and youll

be pleasantly surprised. Its a shame you cant
use dual SIMs and a microSD card, but this is
offset by a generous 32GB of storage as
standard. Honor is so condent of the phones
battery life that you can even use it as a battery
pack to charge another device!
Big name manufacturers should be concerned.
As with the Asus ZenFone 2 we reviewed on
page 68, the Honor 6 Plus marks another stride
from lesser-known manufacturers towards
making more expensive devices unnecessary.

Information

Honor 6 Plus
289.99/$468
More information hihonor.com
Supplied by Three UK

Best deal

24

per month
(Contract)

15

per month
(PAYG)

15

per month
(PAYG)

Technical specs
Operating system............. Android 4.4 KitKat
Processor ................................ Cortex-A15 1.8 GHz quad-core &

............................................ Cortex-A7 1.3 GHz quad-core

Memory..................................... 32GB storage / 3GB RAM
Dimensions............................ 150.5 x 75.7 x 7.5mm
Weight......................................... 165g
Display size ............................ 5.5-inch
Display resolution............. 1920 x 1080 pixels
Front camera........................ 8MP
Rear camera.......................... 8MP (dual camera)
Connectivity .......................... 4G
Expansion slot..................... microSD (up to 128GB)

Picture quality
Although the Honor 6 Plus camera
is good, it doesnt have Optical
Image Stabilisation (OIS) which is
a disadvantage in low light. The
dual 8MP cameras can combine
to create a 13-megapixel image.

Pick a colour
Three colours of the Honor 6 Plus
are available globally; black, white
and gold. Three UK is ranging the
black version while black and
white can be bought from Honor
directly. The black is actually our
favourite pick of the options.

Battery life
The 3600mAh battery means the 6 Plus goes on and on
outlasting almost any other device available today

Good for

Media mogul
The 5.5-inch IPS screen is sharp and bright, making the
Honor 6 Plus great for media consumption

Signal strength
Reception and signal are excellent. Dual band Wi-Fi is
included, as well as Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC

Bad for

Overly emotional
Despite its customisation features, purists will still hate
the Emotion UI and its Android iteration is out of date

Forced to share SIM slot

If youd like to have a dual SIM phone and expand the
memory, youre all out of luck with the Honor 6 Plus

Storage beast
Honor 6 Plus users are not likely to
want for storage 32GB is on
board as standard, which is
expandable via microSD. In an
unusual conguration, the
microSD slot doubles as the
second SIM slot, meaning you can
use one or the other.

Verdict
The Honor 6 Plus is more than
enough phone for all but the most
demanding of users impressive

69

Reviews
BT Home SmartPhone SII
Can adding Android apps make your landline relevant again?
When was the last time you used
phone? If youre struggling to reme
not alone. Over half of the UK say
never use their landlines to make
three in four adults admitting that
home phones as a thing of the pa
news for BT, the telecom company
the lions share of the countrys ph
make the home phone central to
again, it has come up with the Ho
SmartPhone SII. Reinventing what
can do, this handset is not only co
sporting a touchscreen display, but
powered, Wi-Fi enabled and with a
to the Google Play store.
The SmartPhone SII has a 3.5-in
touchscreen, 2MP front-facing cam
memory, HD audio, a 1,400mAh ba
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. None of wh
consider even relatively good spec
intended as our main device, but a
SmartPhone SII is only going to se
companion to our mobile, were wi
slide. Also, while the memory is ve
claims it is enough to store 1,500
you can throw away your old addre
also has a microSD slot so you ca
expand the memory if you so wish
The actual build quality of the S
is very good. While it is only made
handset has a stylish curve and si
band, which make it stand out from
run-of-the-mill home phone. The SI
a cradle to store and charge your
as a base station.
Running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, t
pre-installed with all the Google ap
can download all your third-party fa
the Play store. Twitter and Faceboo
bundled in, along with some own-b
Some of these seem unnecessary
if you have a BT Sport subscription
stream live football matches to yo
SmartPhone. But who would want
watch anything as long as that on
3.5-inch, low-resolution screen?
An app that is better suited to a
home phone is Nuisance Calls. Wit
the power to block all those prerecorded PPI claim calls and the
telesales that always ring at teatim
feature made us sit up and take t
SII seriously. Nuisance Calls works
ways. Firstly, you can restrict incom
the Do Not Disturb button, which w
calls except numbers saved as VIP

70

Disappointing
display
At 3.5-inches the SmartPhone SII
not only has a much smaller
display than your average
smarpthone, but the quality is
also very poor for a 170 handset,
with low resolution and
disappointing viewing angles

Play apps
While the original SmartPhone SI
could only access the restricted
Opera Mobile Store for apps, the
SII comes pre-installed with
Google Play so you can download
all your favourite apps and games

Block nuisance
calls
One of the SmartPhone SIIs best
features is the ability to banish
telesales callers. Its Nuisance
Calls app is highly customisable,
so that you can blank ban all
unwanted calls with Do Not
Disturb mode or add individual
numbers to a black list.

Review
Considering the personal nature of
apps, using Facebook and Twitter didnt
feel conducive to a shared phone
Android Lollipops Priority Mode). For a degree of
automation, you can also set Do Not Disturb to
switch on and off between set times, for
example, overnight. Alternatively, you can tweak
your block list to only affect international calls or
withheld numbers, or manually add ten numbers
to a block list. Not only will blocked calls not be
able to ring your home phone, they wont be able
to leave an answerphone message. You can also
restrict outgoing calls so that no one can use the
landline to call expensive numbers, such as
mobile phones or international numbers.
However, having used the SmartPhone SII for
four weeks, we ultimately found little use for it.
The peace of mind Nuisance Calls afforded us
was great, but we didnt nd ourselves calling
from the house phone any more than we did

before. We also didnt nd ourselves using any

apps other than Chrome on the SII. Considering
the personal nature of apps which generally log
into your private accounts or learn your habits to
become more personalised round an individual
using Facebook and Twitter didnt feel
conducive to having a shared phone, which could
be picked up any time by anyone else that we
live with. Which is where, BT would say, the base
station comes into play. This router-shaped box
can be used to register multiple SII handsets, so
everyone in the house can have a private
headset. This might suit a family environment
with children who arent yet trusted with a proper
smartphone, but seems rather pointless and
worse still, expensive. The SII on its own costs
170, with additional handsets sold separately.

Wireless calling
The SmartPhone SII is cordless so
you can use it anywhere within the
50m range of the base station. It
also connects to your Wi-Fi so you
can surf the web just as you would
on your smartphone.

All about that base

Along with the handset and
charging cradle, when you buy the
BT SmartPhone SII you are also
supplied with the base station.
This device plugs into your landline
and transmits calls to your
handset. You can also register
other SII handsets to the base
station as well, but you will have to
buy these separately.

Information

BT Home
SmartPhone SII
169.99/$N/A
More information bt.com
Supplied by BT

Technical specs
Operating system............. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Memory..................................... 2GB storage
Dimensions............................ handset: 150mm x 70mm x 20mm

charger: 35mm x 125mm x 71mm

base unit 125 x 14mm x 45mm
Weight......................................... 123g
Display size ............................ 3.5-inch
Front camera........................ 2MP
Connectivity .......................... Wi-Fi
Expansion slot..................... microSD

Battery life
Though it is better to store your SII in its charging
dock, the handset boasts 65 hours standby time,
which should be long enough to find it again when
you lose it down the back of the sofa

Good for

Second screen
The SII was useful for web-browsing when we couldnt
find our actual smartphone or for sharing with children

Call blocking
Highly customisable settings for blocking incoming and
outgoing calls did manage to go some way to greatly
improve the home phone experience

Bad for

Poor display
The 3.5-inch display is far too small and low resolution to
watch video for an extended time

Shared device
The communal nature of a landline doesnt gel with
personally-focused and often highly private apps

Verdict
BT has done its best to make the
home phone relevant again, but
were afraid the time has come to
pull the plug on the landline

71

Reviews
Honor 4X
Can Huaweis monster-sized budget device prove the company deserves
recognition as one of Samsungs closest competitors?
Despite being the third biggest smartphone
manufacturer in the world, Huawei is still not a
household name outside of Asia. While the
high-end P7 showed off the companys technical
prowess, it faced stiff competition to really stand
out in the already saturated smartphone market.
The Honor 4X is a different device entirely, aimed
at the truly budget market and one that asks the
question: what do you expect for 150?
Well, a lot it would seem. Sporting a 5.5-inch
display, the Honor 4X is one of the biggest
budget devices weve ever seen. While the size
will certainly split opinion, the device is
surprisingly lightweight and thin enough to use in
one hand just. The addition of a lightly textured
back gives the device a premium nish, but the
rest of the device is purely made of plastic.
Thats not to say the plastic shell of the 4X isnt
robust, but theres a slight and we mean slight
ex in the shell. Housed behind the removable
back plate sits a microSD and dual-SIM slots for
increased network coverage, but unfortunately
the 3,000mAh battery is non-removable.
Turning on the device reveals Huaweis own
Emotion UI. The colourful animations and enlarged
icon arrangement certainly wont be to everyones
tastes, but its one of the easier custom
interfaces to move around. Theres an array of
gestures to help get around the device quickly
and we especially liked being able to use three
ngers on the screen to open the Customise
menu. Due to the scale of animations used
throughout the UI, youll be relying heavily on the
2GB RAM and octa-core processor. Its certainly a
lot of power for a budget device, but it never really
seems youre getting the full force of this
combination. It could be down to the conguration
that Huawei has chosen to use, but it does leave
the device feeling a little sluggish from time to
time when it really shouldnt.
Youre dealing with a 13MP camera on the rear
of the 4X. Image quality tends to be mixed, but
with the right combination of settings, the
nished products can be impressive. Theres
also the addition of a superb Beauty Shot mode
that instantly improves the quality of any image
youre lining up to take. Video recording is
available in 1080p, but the display only sports a
720 x 1280 resolution, so you wont really be
able to enjoy any true HD content. While saving
these snaps on the 4X is a possibility, youre
going to want to keep a microSD card to hand.
Although 8GB of storage is advertised, half of
this is usable. This shows the extent of how

72

Price is right
You cant argue with the 149
price tag of the Huawei Honor 4X.
No matter how you look at it, this
is great value for money and many
of its errors can be forgiven.

Lack of Emotion
While there have been some
noticeable improvements to the
Emotion UI, it still feels clunky to
use at times. We recommend
cutting down on some of the
built-in animations.

Gesture control
To help move around the device
easier, Huawei has added several
intricate gestures into the device.
Youll nd a dedicated menu
within the settings apps that
enable you to alter the ones that
you want to have installed.

Review
large the Emotion UI really is, especially when
you consider theres little in terms of bloatware.
One of the primary cutbacks we nd with
budget devices is their choice of battery size.
However, we were happy to be proved wrong
with the 4X. While the intensive Emotion UI wont
do the 3,000mAh battery any favours, youll be
able to get 10 hours of life from heavy use. It
perhaps doesnt sound impressive, but for a
device of its size and price, its fairly remarkable.
Huaweis aims at making a name for itself
overseas is admirable, but its going to take a

device that really stands out from the rest to

make even the smallest dent in Samsungs or
HTCs sales in either the US, UK or most other
major territories. While the Honor 4X is certainly
impressive for what it offers for 150, and its
undeniable youre getting a lot of smartphone for
your money, there are similarly-priced alternatives
on the market that are just a little more rened.
This is denitely a solid start by Huawei, but
there are necessary improvements to be made
with the Emotion UI before this can ever be
considered a must-have device.

Information

Honor 4X
149.99/$299.80
More information hihonor.in
Supplied by Huawei

Best deal

10

per month
(Contract)

11

per month
(Contract)

11.50
per month
(Contract)

Technical specs
Operating system............. Android 4.4.2 KitKat
Processor ................................ Cortex-A53 1.2GHz octa-core
Memory..................................... 8GB storage / 2GB RAM
Dimensions............................ 152.9 x 77.2 x 8.7mm
Weight......................................... 165g
Display size ............................ 5.5-inch
Display resolution............. 720 x 1280 pixels (267ppi)
Front camera........................ 5MP
Rear camera.......................... 13MP
Connectivity .......................... 4G
Expansion slot..................... microSD (up to 32GB)
Snap happy

Battery life

The 13MP camera is great for

most situations, but the added
Beauty Mode is its best feature. It
enables you to transform the style
of your photographs with a single
swipe of a nger.

The 3,000mAh battery will give you enough power to

see you through a day of medium use

Good for

Those on a budget

Textured nish
The svelte back plate is not only
pleasing on the eye, but it also
has a great feeling when in hand.
Wed have preferred a more
metallic feel, but for the price, this
is a good substitute.

You really cant argue with the lowly price of the Honor 4X,
its a lot of device for little money

Easy handling
While the design is nothing special, it feels great in the
hand and fairly robust for a bigger device

Bad for

Power use
Emotion UI still needs a little work to be less powercentric. Animations are also garish.

Display resolution
At 267ppi the display lacks the high-quality finish weve
seen in similarly priced smartphones

Verdict
Power conundrum
Although youve the power of an
octa-core processor at your
ngertips, the device still suffers
from some occasional lag. The
2GB of RAM does help with
intensive tasks, however.

Huawei has potential to be a

massive player on these shores, but
the Honor 4X isnt going to be the
breakthrough device

73

Reviews
Information

Vodafone
Tab Prime 6
150 / $N/A

No bulk
The bezels on the tablet
are nice and thin, meaning
there isnt too much extra
bulk to the device. The
backing is said to have a
satin-touch nish. Its not
quite satin, but it is soft
and easy to grip.

Current OS
As the Tab Prime 6 comes
with Android Lollipop 5.0
installed, it means that it is
very up-to-date in terms of
the operating system,
increasing the number of
apps that can be
downloaded onto it

More information www.vodafone.com

Supplied by Vodafone

Best deal
17

per month
(Contract)
Exclusively on Vodafone, you can buy this tablet for
150 pay as you go with 6GB data, or get it on
contract for 17 per month with an upfront cost of
19 and get 1GB data

Technical specs
Operating system............. Android 5.0 Lollipop
Processor ................................ Qualcomm Snapdragon 410
1.2GHz quad-core

Memory..................................... 16GB storage / 1GB RAM

Dimensions............................ 244 x 146 x 7.9mm
Weight......................................... 406g
Display size ............................ 9.6-inch
Display resolution............. 1280 x 800 pixels (157ppi)
Front camera........................ 5MP
Rear camera.......................... 2MP
Connectivity .......................... 4G
Expansion slot..................... microSD (up to 32GB)

Battery life
It has a sizeable 4,060mAh battery but drains rather
quickly, especially when being used for gaming

Good for

Easy to hold
This tablet is very comfortable to hold and is surprisingly
light for a device of its size

Quick browsing
A big plus is its 4G signal capabilities, so you can enjoy
super-fast internet connections

Bad for

Watching video
The screen is a very low resolution, something which is
painfully obvious when watching videos

Performance speed
The processor definitely struggles with high-intensity
tasks and got a low benchmark score for this area

Verdict
This is a well-packaged tablet that
is reasonably priced and perfect for
web browsing on the go

74

Screen woes
The Tab Prime 6 is sadly let
down by its 1280 x 800
screen that has a pixel
density of just 157ppi. This
leads to sketchy, pixelated
videos and a home screen
that unfortunately looks a
bit dull and lifeless.

Task master
Under the hood is a
quad-core processor,
which deals reasonably
well with most mediumintensity tasks. It is able to
pick up 4G signal as well,
which makes it useful for
browsing the web and
online messaging even in
areas with low signal.

Vodafone Tab Prime 6

Is it prime time for the 4G tablet?
Vodafone is building up a range of devices
locked to its network and the Tab Prime 6
claims to be the carriers biggest, best and
fastest tablet to date.
We cant disagree with it being the biggest.
The mammoth screen is 9.6-inches. Despite this,
it only weighs 406g, so Vodafone has worked
well to keep the bulk down. The backing is a
smooth, grippable rubber, which feels neither
premium nor cheap and is ngerprint-proof. It is
nicely designed, with two protrusions for the
power and volume buttons. The slot for the SD
card and SIM card tucks in nicely, as does the
headphone jack. Its comfortable to hold, despite
the size, even though one-handed use is unlikely.
However, the screen is where we nd the
Prime 6s rst aw. At 157ppi, the pixel count is
low and you can see the difference between this
model and most other tablets out there. Videos
are pixelated and the viewing experience is not
good. On the subject of videos, the Snapdragon
410 processor struggles with playing them and a
benchmarking test conrmed that the Prime 6s
video and game playing speeds were below
average. Web pages loaded and ran snappily,

however, so this is clearly a tablet for casual use

and not streaming.
Tablets are notorious for their poor-quality
cameras and the Prime 6 doesnt push the boat
out here, offering a 5MP rear-facing camera and
a 2MP front-facing camera. However, both
cameras are good as long as youre not shooting
anything too close. Anything less than a foot
away is blurry, but the further away things are,
the sharper it seems to get. Seles are grainy
with the front-facing camera but on the whole,
both do a satisfactory job.
It ships with Android Lollipop, which is a
positive inclusion, is 4G compatible and comes
loaded with 1GB RAM and 16GB storage, which
can be supported by microSD up to 32GB. It
retains the majority of that storage too, as its
not laden down with extra apps, so 16GB isnt
too bad. It does come with Peel remote control
pre-installed, designed to work with the subtle IR
blaster on the top of the tablet.
The battery did drain quickly, dropping over 20
per cent after less than an hour of medium use,
so that is something to consider if youre
planning on playing games or using a lot of 4G.

Review
Information

Second SIM
As with a number of
phones in this price
bracket, this phone comes
with dual SIM capability,
making it ideal for the
regular traveller

Busy buttons
The two SIM ports, the
power and volume
buttons, are all found
along the right-hand side,
making it look very busy

Archos 50
Oxygen+
149.99 / $169.99
More information www.archos.com
Supplied by Archos

Best deal
Secure battery
Light and airy
The Oxygen weighs just
125g, which is lighter than
pretty much every other
phone on the market,
thanks to its plastic build
and non-hefty battery

Archos has decided to seal

in the battery by going for a
unibody but has stuck with
a plastic backing

15

per month
(Contract)

15

per month
(Contract)

10

per month
(Contract)

Technical specs
Operating system............. Android 4.4 KitKat
Processor ................................ Mediatek MT6592
1.4Ghz octa-core

Archos 50 Oxygen+
How does this light-as-air phone manage to stack up
against its budget rivals?
Archos has been around for 17 years, but it was
only in 2013 that it expanded into the
smartphone market, generally hovering around
the 100-150 price bracket. The 50 Oxygen+ is
at the top of its list in terms of specs and price,
taking it right into Moto G and Asus ZenFone 5
territory. Low-price phones is an increasingly key
battleground and manufacturers are having to
pull the stops out on all devices, including the
bargain basement ones.
The spec sheet on the 50 Oxygen+ is pretty
impressive. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat on a nippy
1.4Ghz octa-core Mediatek MT6592 processor. It
packs 1280 x 720 pixels into the 5-inch HD
screen at 294ppi and the colours are rich and
deep, for an enjoyable user experience.
It comes with 1GB RAM and a reasonable
16GB storage, expandable to 64GB via the
microSD slot. This is fairly standard for handsets
in this price range and the lack of pre-installed
bloatware means that well over 12GB of that
memory is still available out of the box.
It runs a very vanilla version of Android with
little in the way of customisation. The only
difference we really noticed was in the camera

app that is very limited in terms of additional

features, but the swipe method to show the
menu is pleasingly innovative.
The Archos has an 8MP rear-facing camera
and 5MP on the front. The former is quick to
focus and adapts well to various lighting
conditions, while the latter doesnt cope quite so
well when the light is bright or dark, although in
normal conditions it is a good sele snapper.
Visually Archos has clearly gone down the
route of the iPhone 6, with a black front, grey
rear and camera placement in the top corner. Its
a very basic design that looks sleek and its
smooth enough to feel comfortable in the hand
but is also rough enough to provide grip.
Overall were going to have to give the Archos
50 Oxygen+ a lot of credit. It is light, looks
attractive and doesnt feel too cheap. The
cameras are fairly limited but perform well and
we didnt suffer any grainy images like some
budget phones. Its not particularly fast despite
the octa-core processor, but you dont feel like
youre hanging around. Games and videos all play
ne. In the 50 Oxygen+ Archos has created a
real contender in the budget mobile market.

Memory..................................... 16GB storage / 1GB RAM

Dimensions............................ 143 x 72.5 x 7.2mm
Weight......................................... 125g
Display size ............................ 5.0-inch
Display resolution............. 1280 x 720 pixels (294ppi)
Front camera........................ 8MP
Rear camera.......................... 5MP
Networks.................................. 3G
Expansion slot..................... microSD (up to 64GB)

Battery life
You can expect to get no more than a days
usage out of the 2,000mAh battery

Good for

High-quality display
The screen is one of the phones best features. Its sharp,
bright and wonderfully colourful.

Easy handling
At 72.5mm wide and 125g, it is a comfortable fit for the
hand and pleasantly light

Bad for

Speed demons
Performance can lag a little bit at times and the 50
Oxygen+ is slower than some of its rivals

Basic features
The phone is a little bland, both in terms of
design and the apps it ships with

Verdict
We would certainly suggest it as a
bargain device, unless you need your
phone to be super fast

75

iRig UA
Turn your Android into an
amplier with the iRig UA
Lugging around an amplier wherever you go can be a right
pain for guitarists, but luckily the iRig is here to save all you
budding Slashes and Hendrixes. The iRig UA is a palm-sized,
ultra-light device that you use to transform your mobile into a
music amp in seconds.
The companys popular Amplitube app has an excellent
user interface, which manages to recreate the look and feel
of an elaborate amp setup. Each screen has a number of
dials and switches that you can alter to your liking, which you
can then queue up on your phones screen in order to create
the exact effect you are going for.
The app enables you to alter dozens of different sounds
and even includes options to tweak feedback levels and a
wah pedal, giving guitarists the full creative experience. Its
ideal for almost any genre of music, possibly apart from very
heavy metal as the sound produced is a bit too clean and
lacks that meaty edge, but on the whole you can
successfully adapt the sound to most styles.
The sound latency the time difference between playing
and hearing a note is absolutely superb, with audio
occurring almost instantaneously. This is vital for a musician
to hear music as its being played and the iRig is certainly
one of the best products around for transmission speed.
However, using the iRig does drain your phones battery
quite considerably. Our tests showed a loss of 25 per cent
of battery in just 20 minutes of playing. If youre planning on
having a long music session, it would be wise to have a
replacement battery ready as the iRig plugs into the
microUSB port where your charger would normally go. This is
quite frustrating, but battery drain is inevitable when an app
is running and the speakers are at full whack as well.

Price 89.99/$99.99
More information ikmultimedia.com

76

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Apps
edjing Pro

2 hour wonder
Want your money back?
Youve got 120 mins to decide!
! 40
120 80
! 40
120 80
! 40
120 80

Mixing made easy in this premium DJ app

The free edjing app has
been around since
2012, but now maker
DJiT has launched a Pro
version. It looks like a completely
different app, with a new interface
and plenty of extra features unlike
most DJing apps, everything is
unlocked from the off (so no IAPs).
The standard view shows scrolling
waveforms for the two tracks
loaded from locally stored music,
streamed from Deezer (premium
account required) or SoundCloud. As
in the rival Cross DJ, the latter option
is a welcome inclusion, enabling you
to search the vast library and browse
genres. However, we did experience
occasional issues with certain tracks
not downloading to the app.
Traditionalists will be glad to see a
turntable view option, although it
lacks access to some features,
including the FX panel. In either view,
tapping a tracks Sync button will

automatically sync it with the other

so long as the BPMs arent too
different. While the automatic beat
detection works well, theres a nice
option to halve/double the BPM, or
even tap it out manually. In waveform
view, a Freeze function enables you
to pause the waveform scrolling and
play slices of the track like a sampler
it works best with synth intros,
drum breaks and vocal solos.
Whats really neat about the
at-design interface is that the menu
bar for each track, at the top and
bottom, never obscures the main
view. This bar enables you to easily
switch between the full waveform,
cue points, loops and tempo adjust.
There are four colour-coded cue
points, while a loop can be set for up
to 16 beats or as low as 1/32. By
default, both of these features are
auto-synced with the beat, as are
effects, although purists can toggle
this off in the settings.

0-40 minutes

Most features are accessed

via the intuitive interface

40-80 minutes

A few SoundCloud issues,

plus occasional freezes

80-120 minutes

Some excellent effects,

though wed have liked more

keep

refund

Purists can switch to the decks view, although it lacks access to some features

One slight annoyance is that when

you tap the FX button for a track, its
panel takes up most of the screen
on a 7-inch device, so you cant
access the other track or do any
scratching. However, DJiT informs us
that on larger tablets theres a
smaller pop-out panel for FX. While
wed have welcomed a greater range

of effects, the ones present are high

quality. The Shape effects are
especially impressive, with touch
pads for three slip roll effects and
three grid-based ones, the latter
jumbling up the order of the beats for
some scintillating rhythmic results.
Four Colour effects comprise Echo
Out, an all-in-one Supalter, plus
standard Reverb and Delay. Theres
also a four-frequency equaliser.
Additional main options include
recording your mix (locally stored
tracks only), pre-cueing (using a
headphone cable splitter) and an
Automix feature for parties. Overall, a
neat user interface combined with
the auto-syncing of effects, cues and
loops makes for great ease of use.

specification
Price 12.95/$14.99
Designed for: Phone and tablet
Requires Android: 4.0

verdict
Performance
Design
Value
Has a few limitations, but
it really does make mixing
music a cinch

The FX panel offers some cool effects, but takes up most of the screen on smaller devices

78

best free
alternative

DJAY 2 A well-designed DJing app with Spotify integration, plenty

of features and easy-to-use controls

Music Radio - 6 Seconds

An innovative way to listen to music via internet radio
This is the latest
creation of digital
music entrepreneur
Michael Robertson,
founder of the original MP3.com
streaming service, 6 Seconds. It
also claims to be the rst free
mobile music app to offer unlimited
track skips unlike Spotify and
Pandora along with a search tool.
It works by tapping into internet
radio: just search for a track and the
app will scan 100,000+ stations
and list where its being played or
if not, which stations are likely to
play it soon. Naturally, this works
best with recent chart hits or
well-known golden oldies.
Alternatively, you can search for an
artist to view a list of their tracks
currently being played; the ones
nearer the top are near the
beginning typically within the rst
six seconds of the song.

Tapping a track takes you to the

minimalistic player screen, with
album artwork, track and artist
details, and radio station. Tapping
the art stops the music rather than

Search for an artist or song to nd it on internet

radio; the ones near the top have just started

FreshFeed
Personalised news based on your Facebook Likes
Ever wondered what purpose all your Facebook data serves? Apart
from enabling the social network to target you with adverts, of
course! FreshFeed: Trending Content employs your Likes to work out
your personality to deliver a news feed of content youll nd interesting.
Within a few seconds of giving it
access to your Facebook account,
FreshFeed generates a feed for you,
delivered in an attractive interface with
large photos. Swipe up to see more
items, or left to switch between tabs for
All, Entertainment, Stories and Products.
Tapping the arrow icon shows whats
trending globally or with Facebook
friends. The nal icon shows your
personality wheel, which was accurate
in our case, so it was disappointing to
nd many of the resulting feed stories
were of little interest.

Price Free
Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 4.0

best free
alternative

pausing it, since its a live stream.

Everything else is controlled using
gestures. Swiping left takes you to
another track from the same genre
not from the last search, as
claimed in the app description. Still,
its easy enough to swipe up to
return to your search results, or tap
the artist name for a list of tracks.
Swiping down elicits a list of genres
to choose from, along with any
favourites currently playing you
can easily favourite tracks and
stations (but not artists) by tapping
the star next to them on the player
screen, making it nice and easy to
nd them again later.
While lacking some of the features
found in more sophisticated radio
and music-streaming apps, such as
social options, 6 Seconds offers an
innovative concept and an intuitive

NEWS360 Personalised news based on your interests, including

those on Facebook, Twitter and Google+

interface thats good for music

discovery. There are no annoying
adverts every few tracks either,
unless you count those you might
hear on commercial radio stations.

specification
Price Free
Designed for: Phone and tablet
Requires Android: 4.0

verdict
A free and innovative way
to stream music with
unlimited track skips

like this? try this!

TuneIn Radio
A sophisticated radio app with social
features the paid Pro version lets you record

Kanvas
Keyboard

AudioPocket
(Alpha)

Send custom photos and

GIFs from the keyboard

Stream audio from

YouTube videos

This replacement
keyboard enables you to
send custom messages
with photos or GIFs. Theres a large,
searchable library of preset GIFs and
stickers to choose from, but the
main attraction is customising your
photos (or coloured backgrounds)
with captions in a variety of fonts,
sizes, colours and
angles. You can
also draw on
them. Content is
unlocked via
virtual coins
earned from using
this or the Kanvas
app. A cool idea.

AudioPocket will turn any

YouTube video shared to it
into an audio stream. This
enables you to listen to the music in
the background while using other
apps. The biggest benet, however,
is the reduced bandwidth required
for audio streaming, which means it
uses a lot less mobile data than
video. The app
design is basic but
functional. One
annoyance is that
while you can
queue multiple
videos, you cant
see the play queue
only the history.

Price Free + IAP

Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 4.0.3

Price Free
Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 4.1

79

Apps
Handpick
Pick ingredients and
discover dishes
Sourced from millions of
food-related posts on
various social networks,
blogs and websites, Handpicks
curated content helps you to
discover quality new recipes. Our
mouths were watering upon viewing
the photos of delicious dishes on
the main screen, which can be
ltered to show those only
containing recipes. As well as
browsing dishes, you can search the
database for exactly what you want.
The Ingredients tab also helps you
nd recipes containing any number
of items, selected from a list. Simply
start typing a name to narrow it
down. Itll even suggest what an
ingredient pairs well with.
Because the photos arent
labelled, youll need to tap on one
you like the look of to see its name
and list of ingredients. Tap the
recipe list icon at the top and youll
be taken to it on the source site.
Hitting the plus button adds the
recipe to your favourites list,
arranged into topics, which you can
make public so they can be followed
in the social Topics section of the
app. About the only thing missing is
a grocery list feature.

VoxelMaker
Building stuff with
blocks is undeniably a
big part of the fun in
Minecraft, and some creative
folks have built some truly
amazing structures. The
VoxelMaker app offers users a
way to construct similar 3D
pixel-art models from coloured
blocks, but makes the process a
whole lot easier with a bunch of
editing tools and options.
If creating a model from scratch
seems too daunting on your rst
visit, youll want to play around
with modifying the built-in
assortment of sample models,

Create 3D models
from building blocks

Some impressive sample models tempt you

with what can be achieved

including characters, scenes (such

as a house interior) and vehicles. The
well-thought-out interface has
everything you need to hand, via a
set of icons in each corner. Four main
modes Draw, Select, Paint and
Light Direction bring up context-

Just type in some text and itll instantly be rendered in 3D blocks

reTXT

Search for a dish or browse the scrolling

selection of photos yum!

Price Free
Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 4.0.3

80

Change and delete your

sent messages

Ever sent someone an

instant message only to
then instantly regret it? If
this is something you do more than
youd like, youll do doubt be
interested to hear that the standout
feature of reTXT is the ability to alter
or delete any messages youve sent,
simply by tapping the pen or minus
icon next to them.
After signing up for the service, via
text or email verication code, you
arrive at a mainly blank screen, which
will eventually show all your
conversations. Note that you can
only message other reTXT users, on

like this?
try this!

sensitive options. In Draw mode, just

tap the screen to add a block of the
colour selected in the top-left palette
(to which you can add shades), or
swipe to draw several blocks.
Naturally, theres an undo option
(essential in the early days), plus
delete and toggle/move modes. For
more precise control of the cursor, a
set of arrow icons comes in very
handy. Even with this, editing objects
can still prove a little ddly, though,
particularly when trying to select
several blocks. You get to control the
camera via two-nger swipes and
this can be toggled between rotate
and move modes.
One thing we soon discovered is
that you can only build blocks within
the canvas area. Although that
doesnt seem like such a big thing, it
took us a while to nd the Resize
option (under the right-hand disk icon
menu). Other than that, it proved
fairly intuitive to start building and
get creative. The ability to move and
copy sections, which can be mirrored
and rotated, helps to speed things
up, as does the ability to render 3D
versions of typed-in text. Its even
possible to insert one model within
another, ideal for placing characters
in a scene. Finished models can be
exported in several le formats.

Android or iOS, so youll probably

need to invite some friends before
you can begin. In addition to altering
your own messages, you can swipe
right to ask for clarication on
someone elses, which saves time.
Another welcome addition is the
ability to leave group chats and
return later. One slight downside is
that after the rst 60 days, youll
need to pay a $0.99 annual fee.

Price Free + IAP

Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 4.0.3

CONFIDE Send self-destructing, screenshot-proof messages to

help protect your privacy from snoopers

Oops! Tap the pen icon to correct a message

that has already been sent

quickhits
top apps for...

ealth and
itness

Calorie Counter
MyFitnessPal
Free + IAPs

specification
Price 3.95/$4.99
Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 2.3

verdict
Performance
Design
Value
The app is a bit ddly to
control, but its a lot of fun
building things from blocks

2 hour wonder
Want your money back?
Youve got 2 hours to decide!
! 40
120 80
! 40
120 80
! 40
120 80

RunKeeper GPS Track

Run Walk Free + IAPs

0-40 minutes Its not

immediately obvious what all

the icons are for

The copy/paste and rotate options help to

speed up your building

40-80 minutes The

cursor arrows come in very
handy for precise control!

80-120 minutes The

ability to quickly render text

saves a lot of hard work

keep

refund

Alfred

like this?
try this!

like this? try this!

Also compatible with GPS

Android Wear smartwatches,
it tracks your runs and other
activities, shown on a
customisable dashboard. It syncs with
many other apps and you can compare
your runs with friends.

Spacedraw A fully featured

CAD-style tool for creating wireframe
models and rendering them

Keep an eagle eye on what is happening at

home when you are away

Alfred offers a free

alternative to dedicated
security cameras. It links
two devices via your Google account
one is the camera, the other is the
viewer. You can even have multiple
cameras in different rooms.
Its easy to set up and youll soon
be monitoring the live camera view
remotely. The video quality is
adjusted for network speed, so
theres little lag and while our frame
rate was low around 10fps it
proved adequate. We did encounter
an upside-down view, but theres an
option to rotate it, as well as for LED
One nice feature is the ability to rename
each camera to suit its location

Set a target weight and use the apps

vast database of foods to count the
calories (and nutrients) of everything you
eat, plus any burnt off by exercise. An
amazing amount of analytic detail.

light on/off, front/rear camera and

night mode. A mic button lets you
talk through the cameras speaker,
to deter an intruder or talk to your
child if using as a baby monitor.
Alfreds killer feature is motion
detection, which works really well,
taking a series of photos and
sending an alert to the viewer device.
The only thing missing from the
features is a video recording option.

Price Free
Designed for Phone
Requires Android Varies

ATHOME CAMERA HOME SECURITY A security camera app

which also works with PCs and offers timed video recordings

Check our website daily

for even more app reviews

Google Fit Free

Google Fit acts as a useful
hub for other tness apps, so
you can view all your data in one place,
along with the suggested goals. It can
also be used by itself to track your
walking, running and cycling.

The Walk: Fitness

Tracker Game
2.39/$2.99
This app offers an audiobook-style
interactive story to motivate you to get
walking. Your real-life steps move you
along a map to unlock clips and clues.

Sleep Better
with Runtastic
Free + IAPs
Place your phone by your pillow at night
and Sleep Better will analyse your sleep
patterns and provide insights on how
theyre affected by factors such as
alcohol and caffeine. Fascinating stuff.

www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk

81

head tohead
to
We pit two of the hottest new social
media apps against one another

PERISCOPE
vs
Periscope and Meerkat are rival apps that
allow you to broadcast live video from
your phone and share it via Twitter.
Periscope is an Twitters ofcial
product, while Meerkat
is a third-party rival, but
which one does it
better?

specification
Price Free
Designed for: Phone & Tablet
Requires Android: 4.4

Periscope
Set up for Periscope takes a
little bit longer than its rival
but is still up and running
reasonably quickly. The extra
step is nding your friends to
connect, which takes up time.
Although it involves slightly
more navigation than
Meerkat, Periscope is much
better laid out with separate
menus for your videos and
those of others.
If someone likes your video
they can send you hearts,
which propel you up the Most
Loved list. You can also save
your broadcasts for up to 24
hours, which is useful.
Although the streaming
speed and quality is very
high on Periscope, it isnt
so easy to respond to the
viewers via text, which is a
real let down.
Watching a stream is really
easy to do and the screen is
clear of too many
distractions, apart from the
number of oating hearts
that are in the corner.

specification
Price Free
Designed for: Phone & Tablet
Requires Android: 4.3

Meerkat

SET UP

With Meerkat you can go

from downloading the app
to creating your rst
stream in a matter of
minutes with very minimal
and quick set up.

DESIGN

Meerkat is set up very

simply for users to
create their Meerkast,
but its not as easy to
nd your friends through
the app as Periscope.

EXTRAFEATURES

EASE OF
STREAMING
WATCHING A
STREAM

With Meerkat you can like and

retweet video streams. You
can also comment on streams
as they are happening, so the
Meerkaster can see and
respond with speed.
Streaming is easy enough
and is very similar to
sending a tweet so there is
not much to get the hang of.
You can write on your own
stream too, which is cool.
It is easy to pick up on a
friends stream and also
watch Meerkasts by top
ranked users. The prole
pictures along the top are
poorly placed though.

And the winner is... The differences between each app are minimal but Periscope just
PERISCOPE
82

takes it. The ability to nd your friends streams and the clean layout
of those videos are better in Periscope. Although Meerkats simplicity
appeals, Twitters own app feels like a more complete product.

EXPERT
REVIEWS
WHEREVER YOU ARE
NOW

100

DIGITAL

iOS&ANDROID

OVER300REVIEWS

TIPS&TRICKS

APPGROUPTESTS

BESTFREEAPPS

DOWNLOADTHEFREEAPPNOW

Games
Broke
Originally split into two act
on PC, but reunited on
Android, Broken Age is far
from your average point-and-click
affair. This captivating piece of
interactive ction starts off as two
separate adventures in unrelated
settings, starring two teenage
protagonists whom you can switch
between at will, yet you immediately
have a deep inkling that their stories
must surely be linked in some way.
In the idyllic village of Sweet
Bunting, Vella is about to have the
honour of participating in the
Maidens Feast; this, it turns out,
involves being sacriced to a giant
monster called Mog Chothra, which
must be fed to appease it. Theres
plenty of witty dialogue and dark
humour, including young maidens
desperately trying to outdo each
other to make themselves more
alluring to the hungry Mog. However,
the rebellious Vella manages to
escape its slavering jaws and soon
nds herself in a village in the clouds,

Access items in the inventory and switch to

the other character at any point

what weve
been playing
Dragon Hills

A game of two halves

The mysterious Marek asks Shay to rescue creatures using a robot arm

(voiced by Jack Black), which forms

the basis for countless jokes.
Meanwhile, Shay (Elijah Wood) is
bored to death with his solitary life
aboard a spaceship, stied by
overprotective virtual parents. There
are shades of The Truman Show in
this fake, sanitised setting, as well
as Groundhog Day as hes forced to
repeatedly complete phony, childish
missions such as rescuing cute
knitted yarn pals from an ice-cream
avalanche and a runaway train. All of
this changes when he manages to

encounters the mysterious Marek in

the bowels of the ship; dressed in a
wolf suit, this strange character
encourages Shay to hack into the
ships systems and complete
missions to rescue creatures.
All isnt necessarily as it seems,
however, and there are some
excellent twists (including one
amusing red herring), culminating in
the two worlds of the protagonists
colliding at the halfway point.
Admittedly, following this
denouement, the second act isnt

some recycling of locations and

characters. There are also some
rather obscure puzzles to solve,
which may well prove frustrating.
However, the overall experience of
Broken Age is a highly memorable
one with plenty of LOL and WTF
moments, so its denitely a game
well worth persevering with.

Price 7.86/$9.99
Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 4.1

Mortal
Kombat X
Who ripped its brain out?

Free + IAPs
The sheer fun of wreaking havoc
on a kingdom with a fearsome dragon
keeps luring us back for another go. Part of
the appeal lies in continually upgrading its
abilities and power-ups.

Joe Danger
2.29/$2.86
The fun-lled motorbiking
mayhem gets our throttle revving every
time. Were still trying to get all the medals
on the 80 obstacle courses and we wont
stop until we succeed. Its so addictive.

Recommend a game

84

twitter
@lgrobot

Mortal Kombat has always

been notorious for its gore,
but it also featured skilful
beat-em-up gameplay. Fighting to
the death involves tapping to attack
and holding with two ngers to
block. Occasionally, youll get an
instruction to swipe to perform a
blood-splattering combo, for which
youre given ample time. You can
also unleash the special moves
that are gradually built up during a
ght and tag in another team
member or guest ally.

Follow the occasional on-screen swipe instruction to execute a combo

One disappointment is that you

mainly get to battle anonymous
goons who ght in a similar way,
with only the rare familiar opponent.
At least the freemium aspect isnt
too overbearing as you gradually
upgrade your ghters skills using

cards, although energy is required

for each and every battle.

Price Free + IAPs

Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 4.0

quickhits
Marvel Future Fight
Assemble a three-man
team of superheroes in
this epic RPG with an
original story about a collapsing
multiverse. Itll take quite a while
to unlock the characters (nearly
40 in total), each of whom has
their own powers that may prove
advantageous. While various IAP
currency bundles are available to
speed things along, its possible to
progress without them. Each
mission does cost energy, but
youre given a generous supply
before waiting to recharge it.
The gameplay has a standard
structure you take on enemies in
each zone before progressing to
the next, culminating in a boss
battle. You can switch between
heroes at will to make use of their
special powers, which are limited

A marvellous and
heroic action-RPG

Addictive gaming

Earn to Die 2
Free + IAPs

Captain America unleashes a special shield attack against a boss

by cool-down timers as is the

powerful multi-hero attack.
An engaging experience with
long-term appeal, Future Fight one of
the better Marvel mobile games.

Indefinite:
Interrogation
Game

Price Free + IAPs

Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 3.0

The Firm
Buy! Buy! No wait, sell!

Following a
catastrophic global
event, youve been
brought in for questioning.
The aim of this bizarre game
with ultra-minimalistic
presentation is to answer as
many multiple-choice
questions as you can. The
twist is that you choose what
answer to give, but must then
give an identical response the
next time youre asked. It
therefore amounts to a test of
Answer however you like, but
memory and with the timer
make sure you are consistent
rapidly ticking down for each or youll be rumbled
question, you can feel quite panicky. Get an answer
wrong, or take too long, and its game over.
While it gives you an idea of what it might feel like to be
interrogated, with spooky music adding to the air of
menace, theres not actually an awful lot to it and the
novelty wears off after a few goes.

Price Free + IAPs

Designed for Phone
Requires Android 2.3

Price 0.84/$0.99
Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 2.3

Check our website for

even more game reviews

Wings Remastered
4.29/$4.99

Based in the world

of high nance, The
Firm offers
fast-paced twitch gameplay.
You simply swipe left or right
to sell or buy each stock,
based on its graph. On
green charts, you need to
buy rising stocks and sell
falling ones; however, the
rules are reversed for red
charts. Special reports also
need to be tapped and
swiped. Its a real test of
Swipe a series of stocks
mental agility against the
correctly to increase the score
clock. If your stack of papers multiplier
reaches the top, or you make too many mistakes, you
get red. While this is inevitable, you continue as a new
trader the next day. Promotions are gained upon
reaching certain prot levels; money can also be spent
on helpful power-ups. The gameplay also gets trickier
with the addition of papers without charts for these,
you have to memorise newspaper reports about which
stocks to buy and sell. This helps mean that the
gameplay is not quite as shallow as it rst seems.

How long can you keep it up?

Featuring a longer story mode

and new city setting, it has the same
premise as before: drive through hordes
of zombies to survive! Unoriginal and
repetitive, yet fun to pick up and play.

Fully remastered from the 1990

Amiga game, this WWI aerial combat
classic features three mission types:
strang and bombing runs, plus excellent
rst-person-view dogghts. Chocks away!

Grim Fandango
Remastered
7.87/$9.99
Double Fines revamped version of its
1998 PC epic adventure features some
seriously tough puzzles and no item
highlight function to help! Its well worth
persevering with, though.

Goat Simulator GoatZ

3.99/$4.99
Rather than just causing
mayhem, this fun sequel sees
your goat trying to survive a
zombie attack! New elements include
item crafting and even driving a car, but
the bugs can be frustrating.

TinyKeep 3.99/$4.99
Best played on higher-spec
Tegra-powered devices,
TinyKeep features randomly generated
3D dungeons to explore, with the
prospect of permadeath at every turn.
Its hugely challenging but absorbing.

Spirit Lords Free + IAPs

In this spooky action-RPG, you
collect the spirits of the dead
via a sub-game and then use their
powers in battle. This is best played on a
larger screen, and features some decent
combat and multiplayer.

www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk

85

Games
Does not
Commute

Plunder Pirates

Just try not to crash

into yourself!

Ahoy there me hearties, here be treasure!

This game sees you driving

every vehicle on the road.
Well, you control each one
in turn using on-screen buttons to
steer and take it to the required
destination on the map. Its journey,
exactly how you drove it, is then
repeated when you drive the next
car. So you end up having to keep
clear of the vehicles youve already
driven. Crashing into them, or
scenery, wastes precious seconds
theres an overall time limit to
complete all the journeys in each
stage. A rewind option is handy, as
are upgrades such as turbo.
The birds eye view features nicely
rendered vehicles, crash effects,
weather and headlights. The
amusing stories of the characters
also add to the fun, as you gradually
discover what they get up to.
While the game is free to
download and ad-free, an IAP
((1.60/$1.99) unlocks the ability to
continue from checkpoints. With only
seven levels, it is a bit short, but
youll certainly enjoy the ride.

Launched on iOS last

year, Midokis seafaring
strategy MMO has
nally landed on Android shores.
It plays identically and you can
even continue your existing iOS
game on Android by entering a
special code a nice touch for
those who are juggling devices.
Plunder Pirates offers a
well-balanced combination of
resource building, maritime
exploration and good-oldfashioned plundering of rival
bases. The early focus is on

building up your island base,

unlocking new structures and
upgrading your defences and
attacking capabilities. Key to all of
this action is the production of gold
and grog, from mines and distilleries
respectively. The third currency in the
Plunder Pirates universe is gems;
these are more difcult to source,
found occasionally while seafaring or
earned via certain achievements.
Fortunately, while IAP bundles are
available to speed up things such as
building, the freemium aspect never
becomes overbearing. Indeed, you

Build up your island base, unlocking new structures and defences

Skullduggery!
A delightful brain-stretching
puzzle platformer

Get each vehicle to its destination, while

avoiding those youve already steered

Price Free + IAPs

Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 2.3

86

Working as a tax collector

in the afterlife, you need to
collect coins and other
valuables. Bizarrely, this involves
pulling back your stretchy brain to
catapult your skull around the
scrolling levels. Enemies can be
smashed, best done with a
head-shot, and their brain stolen for
an extra life. You can even sneak up
behind foes by hiding in chests and
trash cans. Other hazards include
cannons, a sliding wall of death and
some giant bosses. To help you out,
long-pressing results in a Bullet
Time-style slowdown, for changing

direction in midair. While somewhat

repetitive, the games light-hearted
appeal is prolonged by secondary
objectives. An IAP (2.35/$2.99)
removes ads and unlocks a
split-screen two-player mode.

can play the game perfectly happily

without ever needing to shell out any
of your real gold.
Merrily sailing around the high
seas is the other main part of the
game. Your ships crew is recruited
from the tavern; the pirates come in
various types and can be trained up
in order to give them special powers
for when you are in battle. In addition
to attacking all of the AI bases on the
map, you can act like a real pirate
and plunder those of other players to
earn gold and grog. You only get
three minutes to mount your attack,
with a bonus earned for achieving
100% destruction. Naturally, this
means that your own base may be
targeted by others, so an essential
part of the gameplay is to build some
serious defences such as cannons,
mines and walls.
A friendlier aspect is the guild
system, enabling you to team up with
other players to chat, gain bonus
perks and battle rival guilds in the
newly added rumbles. It adds an
extra facet to a fun, compulsive
experience with a decent amount of
strategy. The only slight, but
obviously necessary, downside is the
inability to play it ofine.

Price Free + IAPs

Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 3.0
Sneak up behind this enemy skeleton to
avoid being batted away

quickhits
top games for...

rain-boggling
uzzles

The Room Two

1.99/$2.99

specification
Price Free + IAPs
Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 4.0.3

verdict
Performance
Design
Value
Youll soon be hooked
and eager to discover
some hidden depths

Improving on the awardwinning original, the more expansive

sequel soon draws you into its dark,
atmospheric world. Fiendish,
multilayered puzzles require lots of
poking, prodding and lever pulling.

2 hour wonder
Want your money back?
Youve got 2 hours to decide!
! 40
120 80
! 40
120 80
! 40
120 80

0-40 minutes Building

Monument
Valley 2.99/$3.99

up your island base is a

satisfying experience

40-80 minutes

Plundering a rival pirates

base is great fun

80-120 minutes Theres

Sail uncharted waters to discover new

places, battling ships and sea monsters

like this? try this!

denitely more to the game

than rst meets the eye

keep

Inspired by MC Eschers
famous impossible reality art, this
isometric 3D puzzler forces you to think
laterally as you visually connect
pathways so that your character can
move between them.

Clash of Clans
The original mobile strategy management
MMO, is still great fun to play today

refund

Trainyard
1.99/$2.99
This classic brain-boggler
sees you placing tracks to guide trains to
colour-coded stations, sometimes
needing to merge them or blend their
colours. The tougher levels may well end
up driving you loco!

LEGO Star Wars TCS

May the Force be with you at last
TCS stands for The
Complete Saga and thats
what this epic game
offers: all six episodes and over 120
characters to unlock. Its a
conversion of the classic console
games created long, long ago
(2005-6), which arrived on iOS back
in 2013. Why its taken so long to
appear on Android is a mystery, but
its still very playable. There are some
complex puzzles to solve, plus
precision platform jumping. The
latter can prove frustrating due to
imprecise touch controls, so an
external Bluetooth controller is
denitely recommended.

Starting off in the Mos Eisley

Cantina, you can practise all the
moves including deecting shots
with your lightsaber and using the
Force on items before heading
through the Episode I gate. Each
episode comprises six levels, and
replay value is boosted by secret
areas to unlock later with new
characters. The presentation is
polished, with some brilliant
cut-scenes, while the stud-collecting
and brick-building LEGO gameplay is
familiar but fun.

like this?
try this!

World of Goo
2.99/$4.99
A golden oldie to tax your logic
and patience, it has you building bridges
and other structures from gooey balls
some with special properties to get
enough of them to each level exit.
Switch between characters and get busy
with that lightsaber

Price 4.22/$6.99
Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 4.0

STAR WARS REBELS: MISSIONS Pilot vehicles, wield a

lightsaber and battle bosses in this polished platform shooter

Check our website daily

for even more app reviews

Tiny Thief
Free + IAPs
Rovios Robin Hood concept
sees the eponymous hero stealing
treasure from the rich. Youll denitely
need all your cunning to outsmart
enemies, solve endish puzzles and
unlock all the tasty bonus rewards.

www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk

87

BUYERS GUIDE
Discover the best smartphones, tablets and accessories
to buy i
t t
h t

For the most up-to-date reviews, head to www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk

THE LATEST ONLINE INCLUDE... MOTO E (2015) XPERIA Z4 TABLET ALCATEL ONETOUCH WATCH

88

Buyers Guide
TOP 10 SUPER SMARTPHONES

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

THE BEST FLAGSHIP AND MID-RANGE

ANDROID PHONES ON THE MARKET

Samsung Galaxy S6

Samsung has come out of ghting after the humdrum response to the S5, with this stunning handset
made entirely of metal and glass. Samsung has had to sacrice microSD support and removable
battery to make it so thin and light to hold, but it offers a 13MP camera, wireless and superfast
charging, improved ngerprint scanner and benchmark-beating processor instead.

LG G4
The LG G4 is a close second for the phone of the year behind the Galaxy S6, with a distinctive
leather-back case and superior camera. Its unique Quantum IPS screen will amaze with images that
are bright and crisp and offer vivid colours, while its 2TB microSD port offers lots of extra storage.

Sony Xperia Z3
Artfully crafted from glass and metal, the Z3 is not just stylish, its also 100 per cent waterproof. Its
20.7MP camera is one of the most powerful weve seen and the PlayStation Remote Play feature will
appeal to gamers. The launch of the Xperia Z3+ is also set to bring down the price of this older model.

HTC ONE M9
We marked the M9 down for only being a very minor update on the M8, but it is undeniably a superb
phone. Underneath its elegant silver and gold chrome shell, it houses a superfast Snapdragon 810
processor, 20MP camera, 3GB RAM, 32GB memory and some clever customisation tools.

Moto X (2014)
e second-gen Moto X remains a contender for best phone, despite launching last year. It offers a
ock Android experience with a 13MP camera, 15-minute Turbo charging, but is much cheaper than
e Nexus 6, which has the same features. Its other specs are starting to look a bit dated though.

Nexus 6
Googles rst phablet, the Nexus 6 is larger than either a Galaxy Note 4 or OnePlus One. This can
make it an awkward t for one-handed use, but the gigantic 5.9-inch QHD display looks fantastic. It
also has a super-fast processor and 3GB RAM for zippy use, along with a commendable 13MP camera.

LG G3
Though its been superseded by the G4, the LG G3 continues to impress us with its pin-sharp QHD
5.5-inch screen, laser-focused 13MP camera and lightning-fast processor. However, its faux metal
plastic casing is no comparison for the G4s leather back, and its mono speaker is disappointing.

HTC One (M8)

While the M9 has bumped the M8 down a peg in our chart, it remains a fantastic phone. An
all-aluminium design, with a bright 1080p screen and critically-acclaimed dual BoomSound speakers.
Not only has its price slashed with the launch of the M9, it can be upgraded to Android 5.0 as well.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

To look at, the Note 4 is a modest update on the Note 3, with a same-size display and continued
emphasis on using the S Pen stylus. However, it has been revamped in almost every area. The
TouchWiz interface handles better than ever, it has a 16MP camera and has an extra-long battery life.

Honor 6 Plus
Quite literally the bigger brother of the Honor 6, this phablet upgrades the display from 5-inches to
5.5-inches, adds a 13MP rear camera, a faster processor, bigger battery and more storage. However,
it only runs Android 4.4 out of the box, which is heavily skinned with a rather clunky interface.

559
See issue 52

519.99
See issue 52

499
See issue 44

579.99
See issue 50

395
See issue 45

499
See issue 47

276.99
See issue 41

336.99
See issue 37

599
See issue 45

249.99
NEW ENTRY
See issue 53

In case you missed it... Festival essentials Read more in issue 52

Cobra MT975 PMR
2 Way Radios

iWalk Extreme TRIO1000

Backup Battery

Lava BrightSounds
Portable Bluetooth Speaker

Price 69.99/$TBC
Website maplin.co.uk
Most music festivals take place
in elds, so phon ig l
isnt guaranteed.
walkie talkies co
wide distances a
include 121 differ
radio channels.

Price 64.99/$89.99
Website iwalkuk.com
Its no good keeping your phone
harged if your festival buddys
ndset i
ttery pa
u charg
ee dev
once.

Price 39.99/$TBC
Website amazon.co.uk
This Bluetooth s
k
the festival fun g
ter the headlin
nish their third
ncore. A built-in
ashlight also e
u can party all

ill k

WINNER

Cobra JumPack

Price 79.99/$149.95
Website argos.co.uk
W lking back to the festival car park,
alise you left your headlights on
ekend. Never
his giant
mAh battery
can even jump
our car!

89

Buyers Guide
TOP 10 BUDGET BUYS

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

IF YOURE SHOPPING FOR A SMARTPHONE ON A SHOESTRING, CHECK

OUT THESE LOW-COST MOBILE MUST-HAVES

ZTE Blade S6

While its price puts it at the top-end of what we would call a budget phone, the Blade S6 is the best
ZTE Blade in years. It runs Android Lollipop, has a 64-bit Snapdragon processor, 2GB RAM and the
exact same IMX214 camera as the Sony Xperia Z3 which costs around three times as much! Its
overall iPhone-inspired design is a bit boring, but at 7.7mm, it is a surprisingly slender handset.

Moto G 4G (2015)
The third generation of the Moto G 4G, it is the same shape and size of the Moto X (2014), with a
5-inch screen, booming dual speakers and customisable rear case. As well as offering 4G
connectivity, it is packing an 8MP rear camera, near stock Android 5.0 and boosted 2390mAh battery.

Moto G (2014)
If superfast 4G connectivity isnt a priority for you, the Moto G offers many of the same features as the
Moto G 4G (2015) but for slightly less money, including the camera, speakers and option to upgrade to
Android 5.0. It also includes a Snapdragon 400 quad-core and dual-SIM support.

Moto E (2014)
Available for under 100, SIM-free and no contract, the Moto E is the ultimate no-strings-attached
smartphone. With a sturdy, splashproof case, 1980mAh battery that will go the distance and microSD
slot to expand the tiny 1GB memory, the Moto E is an impressive build that wont break the bank.

Asus ZenFone 5
While it is one of the most expensive phones in our budget buys chart, the ZenFone 5 offers an awful
lot for less than most mid-range phones. A stylish metal design is available in a range of colours, it has
a sharp 5-inch screen, powerful Intel Atom processor, and 8MP shooter with a range of modes.

Sony Xperia M2 Aqua

Just like Sonys agship Xperia Z3, this mid-range marvel is waterproof up to at least 1.5 metres.
Sonys other top feature is here as well, with an 8MP rear camera and a suite of photography tools.
The only downside is that, after you factor in all the preloaded apps, it only has 4GBs of storage.

Honor Holly
The low-end alternative to the Honor 6, the Holly manages to offer 16GB storage, an 8MP camera, a
ve-inch HD screen and dual-SIM with only a double-digit price tag. However, you get what you pay for,
as the build quality feels quite cheap and it only runs Android 4.4.

HTC Desire 510

At 4.7-inches, with a budget price tag and LTE connectivity, this is HTCs answer to the Moto G 4G.
However, cost-saving measures such as a 5MP camera and poor screen quality, mean it just cant
compete. HTCs Sense 6 UI is still here though, offering one of the best custom interfaces for Android.

Samsung Galaxy Ace 3

While Samsungs high-end handsets get a lot of attention, the company has a much broader range.
The Galaxy Ace 3 has been superseded by the Ace 4 now, so we might have hoped the price might
have dropped further, but it still offers a few impressive features, including 64GB microSD support.

Honor 3C
This frugal 5-inch phablet is a bit behind the times running Android Jellybean and only offering 3G
signal and 8GB storage. However, a 2MP front-facing sele camera, generous 2GB RAM, expandable
memory and dual-SIM support help to make this a great phone for rst-time users.

In case you missed it TV quiz games

90

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Read more in issue 51

Catchphrase 2015

Pointless Quiz

The Chase

Price Free + IAPs

Price 1.49/$2.49 + IAPs

Price 1.49/$2.31 + IAPs

This free download is

good, but its not right.
Actually this Android
adaptation isnt bad.
As on the TV show, you have to
identify a phrase shown by each
cartoon animation. But instead of
typing the answer, you assemble the
answer from a word jumble.

While missing the

comical banter
between the TV
show hosts, this app
nicely adapts the show for mobile.
Guess the most obscure answer
to score the least high score and
stay in the game. Play against an
AI or challenge Facebook friends.

Take on the mighty

minds of The Beast
and co in this battle
of knowledge. It
follows the format of the TV
show, culminating in the tense
Final Chase. As an added bonus,
up to four players can play on
one device for ofine fun.

Tipping Point
Price 1.49/$2.46 + IAPs
WINNER

What might seem

like a daft idea for
a TV show works
well as a mobile
game. Answering quiz
questions is secondary to
the business of playing a
giant coin-dozer machine.

Buyers Guide
TOP 10 BEST TABLETS

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

WHETHER YOURE LOOKING FOR A SEVEN OR TEN-INCH DISPLAY,

THESE ARE THE TOP TABLETS AVAILABLE ON ANDROID

ony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact

h its 8-inch screen and premium price tag, Sony is pitching the Z3 squarely against the iPad mini in
d to compete with its rivals. Weighing just 270g, it is slim and slender with a stylish minimalist
sign that belies the blazing processor and 3GB RAM under the hood. Its Triluminos display can give
msungs Super AMOLED screens a run for their money and works fantastically with Sonys PS4
mote Play feature so you can enjoy console-quality games on the go.

Google Nexus 9
A mighty Nvidia Tegra K1 processor and 3GB RAM mean that even running the most graphic-heavy
games wont slow this 64-bit tablet down. The built-in BoomSound speakers also offer great sound
quality, making Googles new tablet an all-round media consumption device.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5

Ultra thin and ultra bright, colours look vibrant and details distinct on this powerful Super AMOLED
screen. Samsungs iPad slayer also puts many other Android tablets to shame, with a multi-window
mode to display several apps at once and octo-core processor ensuring lightning-fast performance.

Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet

Arguably one of the most portable 10-inch tablets available, the Xperia Z2 Tablet is waterproof and
can support a SIM card for 4G use. It is also surprisingly thin and light to carry, and includes
power-saving modes to ensure longer battery life. Reasonably high-spec, it has a whopping 3GB RAM.

Tesco Hudl 2
This sequel to the supermarket chains own-brand tablet cant compete with premium models, but
sets a new benchmark for budget tablets. Upping the display size from 7 to 8.3-inches, the Hudl 2 also
runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat and can handle anything you throw at it thanks to an Intel Atom processor.

LG G Pad 8.3
A well-rounded tablet, the LG G Pad 8.3 offers solid specs with a selection of impressive built-in apps.
These include Polaris Ofce so you can write documents on the go, and QPair, which shares your
smartphone notications to your tablet so you never miss important updates.

Samsung Galaxy TabPRO 8.4 Wi-Fi

The smallest tablet in Samsungs collection, the TabPRO 8.4 proves that good things do come in small
packages. A stunning 359ppi screen puts the Nexus 7 to shame, though wed prefer higher-quality
speakers. However, an 8MP camera and intuitive interface are good compensation.

Archos 101 Oxygen

This wedge-shaped tablet is seemingly tilted to give you a better angle for watching videos, plus a
mini-HDMI port to connect it to your TV. But were not sure why as it has a spacious 10-inch screen of
its own, with full HD display and good viewing angles. Speedy ARM Cortex A17 CPU is a bonus though.

Alcatel ONETOUCH Pixi 7

This 7-inch tablet cant be faulted for its price, which is one of the most affordable on the market. It
runs Android KitKat 4.4, offers 1080p video playback and has a triple-core processor. Its also
incredibly lightweight for added portability, but lacks memory with only 4GB RAM.

Amazon Fire HD6

Despite only having a 6-inch display and a budget price tag, the Fire HD6 is a decent tablet for
watching movies and listening to music. However, the inferior forked OS and lack of third-party app
support make the Fire HD6 hard to recommended for regular, let alone heavy-duty use.

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91

DroidSupport
troubleshooting advice hints and tips
an expert
Gotemail
an Androidrelated problem that
you need solving?
Let us know!

qa@littlegreenrobot.co.uk
Share your tips & tricks
Join us on Facebook and Twitter
to share and receive some
great tips and advice

facebook
/littlegreenrobot

Like us on Facebook and join

in our Android community

twitter
@lgrobot

Follow us on Twitter to send

your thoughts and questions

How safe is it to
tether my Android?
Is it safe for me to use my Android phones
internet connection with my laptop. I would like to
be able to work from anywhere, but am concerned
about the speed, reliability and data allowances.
Also, is 3G more secure than public Wi-Fi?
Bernadette Lewis
Hi Bernadette.
Tethering is a great use
of any Android phone if
you make sure that you have all
of the bases covered before you
start. We will cover the question
of security rst and after some
research, we would say that 3G
and 4G are generally safer ways
to connect to the internet when
mobile than public Wi-Fi
networks. Many types of
encrypted networking
technology have been hacked,
but to do so over 3G requires a lot
of motivation, considerable
expense and the ability to strike
a potentially moving target. With
public Wi-Fi, and in particular
unsecured networks, this process
becomes easier and that is why
we give the edge to mobile
echnology in terms of how
ecure it is. Wi-Fi networks do
end to offer a more consistent
peed, but if your mobile
etwork is offering a fast enough
nnection, even a drop of 30 per
nt in speed should not slow
u down, but of course signals
ry depending upon location.
rhaps the most important
nt to consider, however, is the
a allowance that you have

Did you know?

If you are running Android Lollipop, go to
Settings>Security and look for the Trust
agents section. Here you can add
locations where your device will unlock
automatically, such as home. Make sure
you only choose very secure places where
others ca t

thering is one of the most benecial

es of an Android phone

attached to your mobile contract.

It is extremely easy to run up
heavy usage when tethering with
a laptop or even a tablet, so
please check the exact terms of
your con
b f re you start
Always
data li
tethe
lapto

tethering. Many contracts offer

lots of mobile data with a
reduced tethering allowance so
be aware and ensure you check
your data usage in Settings>Data
Usage on your device.

facebook email
/littlegreenrobot

qa@littlegreenrobot.co.uk

Get help from our

Facebook community

Send your questions for our team of

experts to tackle

Where have my
notications gone?

DroidSupport

Ask your questions

Got a problem with your Android phone or tablet?
Send it to us and well nd the solution

Do you know why I do not receive alerts when in conversation with

someone on my Galaxy S5? I will see an alert from other contacts,
but not from the person I am talking with which is annoying if I leave
my phone for a while. Don Sobal
Hi Don. From what we
can ascertain, this
would appear to be an
Android feature that affects
almost everyone, but it isnt
necessarily a fault. When you
think about it, the system is
presuming that you are looking
at your phone while a particular
conversation is open and so it
doesnt see the need to alert you
for every message thats coming
in. Imagine if you are in a deep
conversation with someone
where each reply is short you
would likely be annoyed if you
were constantly pinged and
buzzed for every message that

comes in. You receive alerts for

other contacts because the
system presumes that you are in
one conversation and that youd
like to know if someone else is
contacting you. In many ways its
clever, but if you are not happy
with this we would suggest to try
some third party apps to see
which ones will still offer you
alerts. There is, however, a
quicker way to deal with this
and that is to make sure you
back out of the conversation on
your S5 before you leave your
phone alone for a while. You will
then receive alerts for every
message that comes in and you

Third party apps may well solve the

problem for you

can continue as normal. No

system will be perfect for
absolutely everyone, but in this
case we happen to think that
Google really has considered the
setup very carefully.

hints&tips Get more from your Android phone with our handy hints
Try Chrome experiments
In Google Chrome, type Chrome://ags
into the browser bar to bring up a range
of experimental features you can try. Not
re stable, but ones like the Reader Mode
uld change how you use your browser.

Look for memory hogs

Limit background processes

In Developer options, limit the number of

processes that run in the background by
scrolling down and selecting Limit
background processes. Select zero to four or
select Standard limit for normal behaviour.

If you have Developer options enabled,

scroll down until you see Process stats.
You can now tap on any app in the list to
see how much RAM it uses and for how long it
runs in the background.

93

DroidSupport
I dont want
autobrightness!
I like to set my screen brightness to
be very low for most of the day and
so have turned off the autobrightness setting. The problem is
that recently no matter how many
times I turn it off, it keeps turning
itself back on again. Help!

Bill Massy
Hi Bill. We can start by
saying that this is not
normal behaviour at all
and that there is nothing in the
Android operating system that
should cause this. You
mentioned that it used to work
ne which offers us a clue and
barring an update to

Where did
my RAM go?
I have recently been digging into how
my Galaxy Note 3 works and
noticed that there is not much
RAM free. My phone can run slow
at times and even using ta
managers has made no
difference. How can I incre
the amount of RAM availab
speed up my device?

Martyn Lee
Hi Martyn. Tr
us on this whe
say that you do
need to worry too muc
about free RAM. Your N
should come with 3GB
RAM which is more th
enough to run a myria
apps simultaneously a
keep everything runn
smoothly. There will b
occasions when it may
down under a very he
load, but that is perfe
normal and is someth
that we all see on des
computers from time
time as well. If you sp
too long looking at ev
single stat, you will lo
time enjoying your p
and using it for tasks
are necessary. You ca
always stop running
in the Application
manager in Settings
we would advise to a
task managers as th
can have little impa
covered a similar to

Apps can cause all sorts of strange

problems on your device

94

Recovery
apps that dont
need root are
less effective

the OS itself, we will have to

presume that a newly installed
app is causing this behaviour. If
you are able to check which apps
you installed roughly when the
problem started happening, you
should be able to use trial and
error to nd the culprit. Delete as
many as you can and see if the
problem goes away, then
reinstall them one at a time. It
could be caused by a
combination of apps which
makes thing even more difcult,
but you should eventually be
able to resolve the issue once
and for all.

How can I
recover
deleted les?
I lost some important
that I had stored
A les
on my SD card and now
Dont worry about free RAM unless you
are really suffering

the last issue which included

looking at an app called

I cant seem to get them back.

Im not sure if I deleted them or
not, but do remember deleting
a batch of les and suspect that
they may have been swept up
in the process. Is it at all
possible to get them back?
deleted
ce that
but it will
ngs. You
t your
rooted
ves you
ions, but
he les
D card,
some
o you.
these in
and
will work
recover
ou need.
nswers
here are
that we
sful here
ng with
not an
and even
ecialist in
nnot
st iron
us know
works and
uck you
retrieve
s.
ope

Did you know?

You dont have to live with the default icons on your Android phone
or tablet. Go to Google Play and search for icons to nd many free
icon sets that can be used in launchers such as Nova. You really
can customise almost every aspect of your Android device.
Imagine Publishing Ltd
Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill
Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 6EZ
 +44 (0) 1202 586200
Web: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk
www.greatdigitalmags.com
www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk

Magazine team
Editor Jack Parsons

jack.parsons@imagine-publishing.co.uk
 01202 586279

Staff Writer Jamie Frier

Senior Designer Adam Markiewicz
Photographer James Sheppard
Senior Art Editor Will Shum
Editor in Chief Dan Hutchinson
Publishing Director Aaron Asadi
Head of Design Ross Andrews

Contributors

a solution
1 Get
Go to Google Play, look for GT Data
Recovery (root), and then install it. Be aware that it
requires some high-level permissions which are
necessary for the task, but if this concerns you,
perhaps avoid all recovery apps. Recovery apps
that dont need root are less effective.

your device
2 Scan
Open the app and then select the type of
le that you want to restore. Not all types are
supported, but if you see what you need simply
tap the Start new scan option. Let the scan
complete and try not to open any other apps while
it is running.

Christian Cawley, Joanne Cole, Oliver Hill, Phil King,

Siobhan Maguire, Shaun McGill, David Nield, Paul OBrien,
Harry Slater, Jessica Thornsby

Advertising
Digital or printed media packs are available on request.
Head of Sales Hang Deretz
 01202 586442
hang.deretz@imagine-publishing.co.uk
Advertising Manager Alex Carnegie
 01202 586430
alex.carnegie@imagine-publishing.co.uk

FileSilo.co.uk
Assets and resource files for this magazine can be found
on this website.

Support filesilohelp@imagine-publishing.co.uk

International
Android Magazine is available for licensing.
Contact the International department to discuss
partnership opportunities.
Head of International Licensing Cathy Blackman
 +44 (0) 1202 586401
licensing@imagine-publishing.co.uk

Subscriptions
For all subscriptions enquiries
 0844 245 6963 (UK)
 +44 (0) 1795 414 972 (Overseas)
Email: android@servicehelpline.co.uk
13 issue subscription (UK) 51.90 (CC)
13 issue subscription (Europe) 65
13 issue subscription (ROW) 75

Circulation
Head of Circulation Darren Pearce
 01202 586200

Production

recoverable les
3 The
When the scan is complete, you will
hopefully see a list of les that can be recovered.
We should highlight that the chances of success
are completely random, but if you see what you
want tap each to select them for restoration. The
entire process is very quick and highly efcient.

a destination
4 Select
You can now choose which folder to send
the recovered les to and you can choose any
destination. Once you have chosen a folder and
tapped the green icon, you will eventually see a
Recovery success message appear. The les you
need should now be safely restored for your use.

Production Director Jane Hawkins

 01202 586200

Finance
Finance Director Marco Peroni

Founder
Group Managing Director Damian Butt

Printing & Distribution

Printed by William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road,
Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT
Distributed in the UK, Eire & the Rest of the World by:
Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London,
SE1 0SU,  0203 148 3300, www.marketforce.co.uk
Distributed in Australia by: Network Services (a division of
Bauer Media Group) Level 21 Civic Tower, 66-68 Goulburn
Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia
 +61 2 8667 5288

Disclaimer
The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material
lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of
Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced
in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher.
All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose
of criticism and review. Although the magazine has endeavoured
to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and
availability may change. This magazine is fully independent and
not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
If you submit material to Imagine Publishing via post, email, social
network or any other means, you automatically grant Imagine Publishing
an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free license to use the material across
its entire portfolio, in print, online and digital, and to deliver the material
to existing and future clients, including but not limited to international
licensees for reproduction in international, licensed editions of Imagine
products. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although
every care is taken, neither Imagine Publishing nor its employees,
agents or subcontractors shall be liable for the loss or damage.

card restoration
5 SD
If your Android device is not rooted and the
les were originally stored on an SD card, you can
try recovery software such as Recover My Files
which is designed to recover deleted les of any
type using a Windows of Mac computer. Again,
there are no guarantees, but its worth a shot.

safe future
6 A
You should always think ahead when it

Android is a trademark of Google Inc.

Imagine Publishing Ltd 2015
ISSN 2047-1580

comes to deleting les on your Android device and

the best way around this is to use a le manager
that includes a trash option. File Commander-File
Manager from Google Play, is a good example
which could save you lots of trouble in the future.
Check our website daily
for even more tips & tricks

www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk

95

Resources
YOUR FREE RESOURCES
Log in to www.filesilo.co.uk/android and download the latest
smartphone software, video tutorials and free wallpapers

10 free wallpapers

ollection of designs

OUR BONUS
ESOURCES
ON OUR BRAND-NEW
FILESILO THIS ISSUE
YOU WILL FIND AN
UNMISSABLE
COLLECTION OF
ANDROID RESOURCES
xclusive hands-on video of the
hromebook Pixel (2015)
deos to guide you through some
Android M's best new features
Chromebook wallpapers
t h
ll

Unboxing videos
Hands-on with the latest devices

15 Expert video guides

www.filesilo.co.uk/android

TOTAL NUMBER OF
FREE RESOURCES

96

Walking you through new features

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FILESILO THE HOME OF PRO RESOURCES
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Follow the
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GET IN TOUCH WITH ANDROID

MAGAZINE
Head over to www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk for all
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Issue 54 of Android Magazine is on sale 06 August 2015 from GreatDigitalMags.com

98

O ut noW
www.feralinteractive.com

MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR 2015 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Originally developed by Monolith. In association with WingNut Films. 2015 New Line Productions, Inc. The Saul
Zaentz Company. MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR, THE HOBBIT, and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middleearth Enterprises under license to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Developed for and published on the Mac by Feral Interactive Ltd. Mac and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered
in the U.S. and other countries. Feral and the Feral logo are trademarks of Feral Interactive Ltd. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
MONOLITH LOGO, WB GAMES LOGO, WB SHIELD: & Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
(s15)

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