Tag Archive for Android

How To

[How-to] Backup your SMS and Call Log to Gmail

by Rohit Khurana • August 3, 2013

Android as we know is owned by Google therefore it integrates Google services most effectively compared to any other mobile operating system. Android has the best Google Apps experience but when it comes to fragmentation you might not disagree with the complaints.

Image Source : The Mobile Indian

There are times when you have to factory reset your Android device, reason may be some performance issues or just to wipe out your data. Every operating system has this factory reset option which deletes every single trace of data on your device so you should backup important files before proceeding with the factory reset. Media content and Documents can be stored on cloud storage or external memory but what about Call logs and Text Messages?

Android being an open source operating system obviously has this capability which let users extract each and each part of their data from the device and save it accordingly. There are two ways to store your call log and messages : one is backup and save it as .xls which can be restored anytime on any device or backup to your Gmail which when accessed can restore it whenever the user wants. There is an application developed for each purpose and we have a step-by-step guide below to backup your sms and call log on Gmail which can taken as a reference.

Download SMS backup + application from the Play Store
Open the application and sign in with your Google Account
Tap on ‘Backup’ button on the screen
It might take sometime depending on the number of entries
Now your backup is ready and it can be viewed on Gmail under SMS and Call Log labels on mailbox.

Smartphone

Smart Namo Phablet Coming with 1.5GHz Turbo Boost And 2GB RAM for Rs. 21,111

by Hans Gogia • August 2, 2013

Namo Android devices named after the Gujarat cheif minister of India Narendra Modi abbreviated as NaMo. These Namo devices are a range of devices out of one which is Smart Namo Android Phablet.

Image source: Android Advices

Smart Namo Android Phablet sports a 6.5 inch Full HD Display of 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution and is powered by a 1.5GHz clocked Quad Core processor and 3100mAh battery. Along with 2GB of RAM, the phablet has 32GB of internal memory which can be further expanded via microSD card up to 32GB. This device features a 13 MP auto focus camera with LED Flash which is capable of 1080p Full HD video recording along with the front camera of 2MP.
This Namo device runs on Jellybean 4.2.1 Android mobile operating system which can be upgradable to Jellybean 4.2.2 Android OS in near future. This phablet also comes with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, aGPS all of which is packed within 9.5mm of thickness and 230 grams weight.

Features

6.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD display
1.5 GHz quad-core MediaTek MTK6589T processor
Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean) (Upgradeable)
Dual SIM (3G + 3G) with Dual Standby
13 MP auto focus camera with LED Flash, 1080p Full HD video recording 2 MP front-facing camera
9.5mm thick and weighs 230 grams
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio 3G (HSDPA: 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA 5.76 Mbps),
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, aGPS
2GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB
3100mAh Li-ion-Polymer battery

Pricing and Availability

Smart Namo Android Phablet comes with the price tag of Rs. 21,111 along with the Free 32GB of Memory card. There is no information about the availability of the device yet but stay tuned we will keep you posted.

Comparison

Recently launched Namo devices is unlike any other budget smartphones in India which have already stagnated the market so what’s the point of something more. It basically is for the promotion of Gujarat Cheif Minister Narendra Modi as the elections are coming up which is pretty much understandable by everyone. This Smart Namo Phablet also uses MediaTek SoC alike every other budget smartphone in India. MediaTek has got so much from the smartphone manufacturers due to its low-cost and good performance which makes it the best option. This Smart Namo Phablet uses MT6589T which is the next generation chipsets which turbo boost. Now what we want to see is how well it performs because Rs. 21,111 for a 6.5 inch phablet is just touching its limits and who knows Namo might rise.

How To

[How-To] Turn Off Service Messages On Android

by Rohit Khurana • August 2, 2013

Service messages also known as Cell Broadcast Messages or Mobile Broadcast are a part of GSM standard. They are there on the mobile phones since mobile network has born. Cell Broadcast is designed for simultaneous delivery of messages to multiple users in a specified area. These are generally unwanted by the users because nowadays network providers use them to spam user’s inbox. They are usually pop up messages which have dialog box and tend to irritate users but no worries we heard you. Here is the step-by-step guide on how to turn off service messages on Android.

For Touchwiz:

Open Messages
Tap the Menu Key and select Settings.
Uncheck Push Messages.

For Stock Android:

Open Messages
Expand the Action Overlay Bar
Select Mobile Broadcasts
Expand the Action Overlay Bar again and select Settings
Uncheck all the options.

For HTC Sense:

Open Settings
Select Call
Select Other Call
Select Cell Broadcast and disable.

That’s it. Now all your push messages from the network operator shall be discontinued and you will not have to face those constantly irritating popups. In case of any questions leave us a comment below or contact us on our Facebook Page or Twitter handle @idigestindia.

Smartphone

HTC One Mini Is Here– Is It A Good Choice? Lets Find Out!

by Rohit Khurana • July 31, 2013

Following the success of the HTC One, the Taiwanese company has shrunk its flagship device, in the form of the HTC One Mini. In a bid to prove that “bigger is not always better”, it’s HTC’s way of venturing into the miniature smartphone market. Since the launch of the Galaxy S4 Mini, what can this palm-sized Android contender offer in the mobile phone arena? Let’s find out.

Design

Keeping the premium aluminum build, the Mini was brought down to a handier size of 4.3-inch from the original’s 4.7-inch display. It’s 5mm slimmer and 20 grams lighter than its big brother. Perhaps, the only difference in the design is the white plastic band clad around its edge, which breaks up the aluminum embellishment at the top and bottom parts of its back. This provides an added protection on the device.

[How-to] Switch To US PlayStore Permanently

by Rohit Khurana • July 31, 2013

Android developers might release a lot of applications for the mobile operating system but when it comes to availability they restrict themselves to US region only. You might have observed some of the applications do not show up in search results and when you purposely hunt them on Google and the links redirect back to the play store which end up showing the error message “This item is not available in your country”. This is annoying because even Google knows that this won’t stop us from installing the application Android can’t be much restricted but still they do such things. US region being the hub for all such services has a lot more to offer its residents than only other country in the world. Therefore we bring this guide for users who wish to exploit some of these opportunities.

Install HideMan application from your Google Play Store.
After installing the application, select United States.
Uninstall Google Play Store updates and Play Services updates from the Application Manager.
After uninstalling the updates, launch HideMan and start VPN by selecting US region.
Launch Play Store and wait till it detects the internet connection and then your US Play Store will be ready.
Now you can stop VPN by terminating HideMan application because Play Store has downloaded the region specific files and has changed your region to US.

Now you can download any US region specific application directly from the Play Store without any issues and enjoy the features which earlier you could not.

How To

[How-to] Share files using FTP on Android

by Rohit Khurana • July 30, 2013

Android is the most versatile mobile operating system. It has loads of functionality which other mobile operating system restricts. FTP which is the acronym for file transfer protocol is the popular way to exchange data between two machines. Web hosting generally use this or HTTP for file transfer. Android being a complete mobile os supports this protocol as well but needs a client to unleash its productivity. Matching the needs we found a suitable app for this purpose called as ES File Explorer.

The application itself is a complete package which completely manages files and additionally has support for FTP, LAN and cloud storage as well. We shall for now focus on how to share files via FTP. Below is the step-by-step guide on how to make your Android device as a FTP client and use a different machine to extract files from it.

Download ES File Manager application from Google Play Store.
Tap the globe icon on the top left corner.
You shall see a dropdown menu, expand network and select FTP.
Make sure you are connected on a WiFi network.
Tap on ‘Turn on’ button.
Your FTP server is now ready.
On your computer or any other device use the IP address as shown on the screen with the port number after ‘:’ on any FTP client like FileZilla.
You can also type the address exactly in any browser or file manager on your machine to access the files directly.

FTP gives you the access to exchange data that is you can add and delete files from the Android device easily that too wireless. Therefore this can be an alternative for users using OS X or linux which don’t have MTP support.

How To

[How-To] Change App Launcher On Android

by Rohit Khurana • July 27, 2013

Android being an Open source project has its pros and cons with pros dominating the cons. Open source projects have this great advantage over that of proprietary that anyone who wishes can fork this project and can improve or develop different apps, tools and tweaks for the operating system. As a result Android operating system has number of applications that can change the functionality of the operating system in the desired manner. For example, if you are fond of stock UI and have Samsung, or a LG or any other device you can too get some of the UI layering on your handset or tablet with minimal tweaking.

Image source : Android Beat

Nova launcher, Apex launcher, Holo launcher and many more are simple applications which can be found on Play Store which make some changes in the basic UI layering plus adding advanced features. These launchers change the way your home screen and app drawer behave and look along with some additional features like gestures, home screen lock, etc. Its very easy to get these tweaks on your device because they don’t require any hacks.
To install launcher on your launcher simply follow the steps below.

Decide which launcher do you want on your Android device. Some of the options being Nova launcher, Apex launcher, Smart launcher, etc.
Search for the launcher on the Google Play Store
Install the application.
Now your launcher has been installed. Press the Home key and Select that launcher as Default.
Remove the previous launcher from RAM making it available for further use.

In case you want your stock launcher back, go to Settings->Application Manager->All Applications->Launcher Name->Clear Defaults. Still left with any doubts?