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Adele Jordan
Welcome
Production Editor
After the CES tradeshow in
January of this year, I can’t wait
to see LG’s new foldable display
appear in the consumer market.
Fancy an Android TV you can roll
up and take with you?
Adam Markiewicz
Senior Designer
This year I’m looking forward to
Do you worry about whether your phone and On the theme of getting more from your seeing Google self-driving cars
on the streets cleverly using
the sensitive data kept on it is protected from phone, you can learn how to overclock yours in Google Maps. Is Google going to
take on Uber with its plan for a
hackers, malware and thieves? Worry no longer the Hacker Zone this issue, making it work fleet of self-driving taxi cabs?
– our complete guide to making your phone harder and faster to give you better
invincible is packed with tips and tricks for performance. Find out how on p45.
keeping your phone and its data as safe as This issue is also packed with a wide range of GET IN TOUCH
houses. Check it out on p12. tutorials, including clever ways to check up on What do you think?
Google’s apps are ever-present on our your car, an app for boosting your phone’s Let us know!
Android devices, to the extent that we can
sometimes forget quite how useful, and
speed without rooting it and some essential
tweaks for Google Now. Plus we take a look at
»email
qa@littlegreenrobot.co.uk
Drop us an email and let us know what
powerful, they can be. With new updates rolling the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3, the second generation you’d like to see in the mag
out to accompany Marshmallow, many of them
are packing new features too. Take a look at p18
to discover new additions and unexpected
of Moto’s 360 watch and much more.
Enjo »facebook/littlegreenrobot
Like us on Facebook to send us
your comments
features. Google Maps is also delivering much
more and becoming a serious challenge to
standard sat-navs. Our masterclass on p28 April
»twitter @lgrobot
Follow us on Twitter and send us
explains how you can get the most from it. Editor your thoughts
ww.filesilo.co.uk/android
3
Contents www.littlegreenrobot.co.uk
»Inside issue 60
CONTENTS
26 Exclusive subscription offer 67 Special offer for international readers
Launcher
I
Previews, news
and speculation
from the world
of Android
12
Keep your mobile
safe from snoopers,
hackers and thieves
MASTER
G t A d id d t
GOOGLE
APPS
TAKECONTROL
OFGOOGLEMAPS
VR available for preorder
18 Are you getting the most
from Google’s apps? 28 Highlights and hidden
features revealed
4
HackerZone This month’s top mods and tweaks Visit the Android Magazine online shop at
Tutorials
faster to give you better performance
Reviews
Latest tech tested
92 Droid Support
Readers’ questions answered
68
LENOVO YOGA
60 Big brand Android tablets
68 Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 37
REDESIGNED
TAB 3 70 Cat S40 GOOGLE+
70
CAT S40 74
71 Huawei Smart Watch
72 Asus Chromebit CS10
MOTO 360 74 Moto 360 2015
2015
76 Accessories
Beautiful Bose headphones and
an iconic speaker brand on test
88 Buyer’s Guide
Our official top 10 lists
78
apps tested in full
82 Head-to-head YOUTUBE
MUSIC
TripAdvisor takes
30+ APPS
on Yelp
84 Game reviews
The best new games reviewed
Is this going to
be Android’s
best year yet?
From foldable screens to dedicated VR headsets, the
future looks bright for the world of Android
The Android ecosystem is constantly changing, so market. We have already seen renders and heard the early pace for others to follow, combining a
much so that it’s far from being just a simple whispers of the upcoming Galaxy S7 from near-perfect laptop experience with a very
mobile operating system any more. However, Samsung, which is set to be another massive wallet-friendly price tag.
considering how far the system has come in the success for the popular Korean giant, but we We also shouldn’t forget just how much our
last few years, trying to figure out what lies ahead shouldn’t discount HTC’s One M10 just yet, as it Android displays could be changing in the
is a bit of a tricky task for anyone. Where in could very well be the Android device to help turn upcoming months. LG’s efforts in manufacturing
previous years we have seen some ground- the company’s fortunes around. Chromebooks are foldable screens are closer than ever before, with
breaking and pioneering launches into also expected to get a lot of love in the first half of the first tasters of its 18-inch foldable display
Chromebooks, 4K displays and smart TVs, there’s this year, primarily due to the hard work of Lenovo rolling to tech conventions all over the world in the
no real breakthrough product that we’re expecting and Toshiba. The former’s ThinkPad 13 is setting dawn of this year. There’s no real idea how long it
to see for the first time in 2016. It seems the
emphasis is going to return to smartphones this
year, but trust us when we say it’s still worth “It seems the emphasis is going to return to
getting excited about.
Over the course of the next few months, we’re smartphones this year, but trust us when we
expecting to see the industry’s leading
manufacturers unleash their latest devices to say it’s still worth getting excited about”
6
rowdfunded
Crowdfunding has played a massive role in the
past 24 months to help move several big Android
projects off the ground. Things like the Pebble
E-Paper, OUYA, Prynt and LIFX all received
monumental amounts of funding from Android
users, and offered new and exciting ways to get
hands on with the OS without relying on your
smartphone. 2016 is set to be another multi-
million pound year for crowdfunding and we
expect to see a whole host of Android-related
projects across both Indiegogo and Kickstarter. At
the time of writing, there are well over 3,000
projects currently looking for funding and, trust us,
it can be a bit of a tough ask to navigate your way
through it. For an easier solution, you can check
out issue four of our sister magazine Gadget,
which has gone eyes-on with 50 of the absolute
best crowdfunding campaigns that you can find
right now. Best of all, many of them can be used in
conjunction with your Android smartphone.
Use Cortana as your next Clean your cache Silence alerts using Android
personal assistant Your device’s memory cache can get full when Lollipop’s Priority mode
Microsoft’s virtual personal assistant Cortana is you’ve been using a lot of memory-hogging apps, You’ve left the volume up on your phone so that it
now available on the Google Play store and can causing a slowdown in performance. App Cache can wake you up in the morning with an alarm, but
help you with a whole Cleaner from I an be set up to remind then it spends all
host of tasks. One of you to clear yo i night ringing and
the great features is predefined le i g with every
the ability to track even automa
flights and packages clean it for y
for you, saving you up to do a d
the hassle of logging clean out w
on to or feeding data your phon
into a range of not in use
disparate tracking (when yo
websites or apps. bed, for
Plus Cortana can example
send you reminders, enjoy b
make appointments, perform
send emails or texts, withou
and much more. the ha
8
Create Make your own
custom automation apps
macros with If you’re a bit of a whizz with Tasker and you’d like to
make your own automation apps, but don’t have
MacroDroid the patience for
ArloSoft’s
extensive coding,
MacroDroid app lets
then give Tasker App
you set up custom
Factory a whirl. You
actions that are
will need the Tasker
triggered whenever a
app in order to use it,
particular set of
but you can make,
circumstances is
publish and sell your
met. For example,
own automation
you can get your
apps. Be aware that
phone to
it is a plugin rather
automatically upload
than a standalone
the last photo you took to Facebook when you
app so you may not
shake the handset. The free app is ad-supported
need to do any
and only lets you create five macros, but you can
coding, but knowing
upgrade to the Pro version via an IAP, which will give
your way around
you unlimited freedom to set up your own macros.
Tasker is a must.
Enable location-based
commands for ease of use Update apps automatically
Llama is a location-aware app from KebabApps that It’s an old app, it no longer has tech
you can use to automate functions based on where support and it has f
you are. It uses phone masts to locate your glitches when it
position and, when you reach a certain place, it will comes to paid apps
action the task that but Changelog Droid
you’ve automated. can be incredibly han
This means you can for updating your apps
order your phone to automatically. It looks
be quiet when you for updates to the
arrive at work or apps you have
automatically installed and lets you
launch your music know when there are
player when you get updates available for
to the gym. them. You can set it up
However, accuracy to automatically update
is limited by the them, but we would
number of mobile recommend you keep this
phone masts that functionality strictly for older
are in the area. and free apps to avoid errors
Send a text when you reach a Manage complex rules Set up battery sav
specified location Atooma is packed with a bunch of ready-made One of the best tasks to automa
If you’re driving and need to text someone to let smart actions or you can make your own, working minimises battery use when the
them know you’re on your way, you don’t have to along the principle of ‘if this happens, do that’. You low. When your
waste time pulling over to type out a message. can use it to program quite complex rules – it can battery gets below a
Instead, use the Automated Device app from handle up to t igger the certain percentage,
Daniel Herrero and set up a rule to get your device automated t Trigger to
to automatically text five reaction ly reduce
them when you reach that the aut htness
a given location. task does) f Wi-Fi,
However, you’ll need rule you se r phone
to set this rule up example, y ust that
carefully and get it to se nger. You
consider the location your phon have to
that you specify – you be quiet if yourself –
don’t want to you get nto the app,
automatically text home fro have to do
your contacts every work afte turn this
time you pass the the kids on and it’ll
corner shop! gone to e of itself.
9
NEW TECH Android-pow
AuraViso
Adjustable focus
If you normally wear
Android powered glasses, there’s no need
The AuraVisor is powered to squeeze them under
by its own onboard Android the headset – simply
computer, meaning that you
Wireless, affordable, Andro don’t have to plug the
adjust the focus instead
headset into a computer or
powered VR that’s not tethe pair it with a smartphone
to a smartphone
Virtual reality is becoming more and more
mainstream, but it’s not without its inconvenien
or drawbacks. VR units that link to your compute
generally need to do so with a wired connection,
which means that you run the risk of getting your
tangled in cables – or worse, yanking the cable o
when faced with a particularly terrifying jump sca
Other viewers require you to pop your smartphon
into the headset, which increases the weight and
means that the immersive experience can be
broken with a phone call, text or even a notificati
Enter the AuraVisor. It’s wireless and you don’
need to connect it to your smartphone because
it’s powered by its own onboard Android compu
You can play VR games – it supports the Unity Onboard controls
games engine – watch 3D movies, take There’s a separate,
bundled controller for
360-degree tours of iconic locations and much gaming, but all the
more. It ships with preloaded content and you c essential tools you need
add more via Wi-Fi or an SD card. There’s also a are right there at the
bottom of the headset
store connected to the Google Play store for you
purchase more content. Plus it’s available for
preorder now to ship in March 2016 and it costs
less than the Oculus Rift.
Virtually there
At a glance Stereoscopic 3D virtual
» Product name AuraVisor reality is delivered through
» Available from indiegogo.com the 5-inch TFT screen,
» Price $260 which has a resolution of
1920 by 1080p
A wireless, Android-powered virtual-reality headset
that has beaten the Oculus Rift to market and on price. Gaming is a truly immersive experience thanks to the
wire-free standalone headset
Q&A
obstacles are removed and controlling is easy People don’t want the hassle of setting up
either [through using] the onboard buttons or the a PC-based system or the inconvenience of
James Talbot, bundled game pad. being tethered by wires. By being wireless,
CEO of AuraVisor users can use their headset wherever they
Why was it important to you to take Why did you choose Android for the OS? are and have the freedom to rotate freely.
the smartphone out of the equation? Quite simply, Android is easier to work with
We felt that using a smartphone provided A as a developer and does not have the What VR app are you most excited
A a number of obstacles to complete same inherent limitations that Apple place[s] about seeing on the AuraVisor?
acceptance by users, mainly interfacing with VR. upon [its] OS. Educational based experiences. Not just
If you’re using a phone you have to remove it A for children – having the ability to drop
every time you change application, which is not How important do you think being wire- into an experience that you couldn’t easily
a small task. Additionally there were other free is to the VR experience and why? achieve, such as visiting a museum located
issues that arose, such as incoming calls, text We believe it’s the single most important on the other side of the world, or exploring
messages or notifications. Then there were A factor to ensuring maximum take-up by the inner workings of the human body. After
issues regarding battery life and visuals. users and mass adoption of virtual reality. I that, 3D movies are incredible and I feel [that
Because AuraVisor has been specifically think this can be endorsed by the number of VR] reflects the vision that the director
designed from the ground up, all of these cardboard-related headsets that have shipped. originally intended without glasses in the way.
10
1 2 3
GALLERY OF...
TOP MUSIC APPS
4 5 6
11
INVINCIBLE
Keep your mobile safe from snoopers, hackers and thieves with our expert security tips
In a world where phishing attempts are rife and
mobile hacking is as easy as one two three,
Things like virus scanners should be your first
port of call when it comes to diagnosing the level
of your device’s key settings that can be toggled
and tweaked for a quick security boost, as well
implementing security measures on your device of security you want to implement on your device. as to start downloading a handful of the key apps
is of vital importance. For Android specifically, the A quick scan with one of these apps can provide that you urgently need in order to beef up your
choices users have available to them when it you with all the information about the current security. Once you have completed these steps,
comes to securing their device are plentiful and threat level on your phone, as well as highlight have a read of our top tips for keeping your device
most of them should be explored when it comes the areas of your device that could potentially be secure. Follow our advice and your phone will be
to keeping a tight grip on your device’s security. in danger. It’s then time to start exploring some impenetrable in no time at all.
12
Lock your Top tips for
your lockscreen
phone up
The first line of defence is a frustratin
barrier for thieves to negotiate
Multiple
users
Sharing a device between
family members is a good idea
to save on money, but it’s
1. Set a SIM card lock
imperative that you implement For those who want to be extra cautious,
multiple profiles to make setting a SIM card lock will require all users to
sure that your personal enter a PIN before looking at your stored
data is kept safe at contacts. Open the Security section and
all times
select the SIM lock option that’s provided.
3. Password length
3 Set a PIN
One of the benefits of setting a PIN code is
4 Add a pattern
As an alternative, a pattern is equally as
It goes without saying that a longer password
is considerably harder to crack than a shorter
that it can be as complex as you need it to be. effective at keeping out intruders. Select the one. When creating a password for your
Select the PIN option from the list provided, before pattern option from the list of choices and use lockscreen, make sure to use a mix of upper
using the keypad provided to first type out a code your finger to draw an elaborate sketch on the case and lower-case letters for extra safety.
and then confirm it. three-by-three grid that is then shown on screen.
13
Feature
»Make your phone invincible
Highlight
high risks
Eliminate malware
ur
o help. A
instantly Locate and remove detrimental
files from your device
show you If you notice some discrepancies on your device, malicious files on your device and then remove
just how safe y sults will you may find that it’s been infected with malware. them. One of the better ones is Malwarebytes: a
provide you with a privacy sco on the Where before this would cause pure panic in the free app scanner that’s able to pinpoint the apps
apps you have installed and the malicious nature of heart of a lot of Android users, there’s now a swathe that have infected your device and remove not only
similar apps. If the app then highlights any high-risk of simple, all-in-one apps that can quickly identify the app, but also any associated log files.
apps, you’ll have the option to completely remove
14
Feature
Make your phone invincible «
15
Feature
»Make your phone invincible
Stay backed up
If your device becomes unusable
Keep a virtual log of the
contents of your device
password vault
the necessary updated security features you
need to protect your device. Use the uninstall
menu often to keep these apps off your device.
17
Feature
» Master Google apps
MASTER
GOOGLE
APPSGoogle’s native apps are some of the
best on the Play store, but are you
really getting the most out of them?
No matter how much you spend on your device or did you know just how many apps Google has scoured through these apps to reveal the killer
where you buy it from, the one thing you can developed over Android’s lifespan? A quick glance features that you really need to be trying out on
guarantee is that it will ship with an abundance of at the Play store reveals just over 50 apps, many of your device. Many of the features we’ll be pointing
Google apps pre-installed. While they offer great which have gone largely unnoticed by the millions out won’t be immediately noticeable when using
entry points into some key areas of your Android, of Android users around the world, some with the apps, but by following our guidance, you will
they are also packed full of features that can make downloads that are merely in their thousands. A soon become accustomed to them. Once you have
them essential additions to any seasoned user’s number of these apps are particularly niche, but mastered our tips and tricks, you will find out
arsenal of apps. Plus, they receive constant they still offer some great added features that are first-hand just how powerful Google’s suite of apps
updates to make sure that each and every user is certainly worth checking out. is and it should prevent you from needing to
getting the best mobile experience. No matter what sort of Android user category download unnecessary third-party offerings for the
However, while we all get the likes of Gmail, you fall into, Google’s suite of apps is fantastic, but most part. The only question that remains is what
Chrome and Photos pre-installed on our devices, we could all be doing more with them. We have Google apps will you download?
18
Feature
Master Google apps «
in Chrome
Games to start a live stream of your
favourite game. You will now need to
select the resolution you want to stream at – if
your internet is patchy, make sure to use the
480p video option that’s provided.
1 Open settings
After loading up your Chrome home page,
2 List of sites
Chrome’s primary settings page is fairly
press on the menu icon that is located in the top convoluted, but you’ll want to find the Site Settings
right of the app. From here scroll down the list of tab that’s listed near the bottom. Once open,
options until you find the Settings tab; open this select an accessed website from the list of
up in order to continue. choices in front of you.
3 View permissions
Each website listing will include a segment
4 Choose to block
If you find there’s a permission you want
that lists the permissions that the website to block, select it from the list and press on the
currently has access to. Many of them are block option that appears. Repeat the process
harmless, but you’ll want to be wary of any that for any remaining permissions and websites that
can access your Phone app or contact list. are on the list.
19
Feature
» Master Google apps
Edit Photo
templates
The editing portion of the Photos app
is fantastic and the preset templates
are plentiful. However, it’s possible to
make changes to these presets and
improve your image tenfold. Select the editing
panel in Photos, before selecting one of the preset
templates found behind the picture icon. Before
saving the changes, use the toolbar cleverly hidden
at the bottom of the menu to adjust the colour
levels in the image. It’s a relatively simple way to
make sure that your image stands out from the
crowd. Unfortunately, there’s no way to save your
customised preset template.
20
Feature
Master Google apps «
“It’s a relatively
simple way of
discovering places
near you or around
the world” Places that are signposted with a black W symbol on a
white background have accessible Wikipedia listings
21
Feature
» Master Google apps
Turn your device into app, but it’s what you can do with created lists
that’s really worth checking out. Once you have put
something new a list together, select the people icon at the top of
the app. From here you can invite certain contacts
Stream anything! to access the list, as well as let them make minor
Format your list before entering the share menu
edits to it from their own device.
Chromecast has had a massive
update in the past few weeks,
meaning it’s better than ever at
streaming from your phone to your TV.
“While it has many
Whenever you’re in a compatible app, select
the familiar cast icon to get started.
similarities to
Create a Skype clone Evernote, Keep has its
While it still isn’t as popular as Skype,
Hangouts has come on leaps and
own very impressive
bounds. When in a video call, select
the + icon to the right to start up a group chat,
suite of features” Enter the email or contact name into the sharing menu screen
Calend minders
where you can send invites to as many extra
contacts as you like.
Replicate a Kindle
When you start reading a book
through the Play Books app, press on Switch views
the A button at the top. Through the Reminders are easier
drop-down menu that then appears, you will be to view in the daily
able to change the background, font and its select screen, but you While Calendar is a fantastic app for
can also switch to the
size to mimic that of a Kindle. monthly screen to managing your weekly schedules, it
view them. Press on lacked the detail to make it a useful
Create a fitness device the calendar icon at
the top to switch
app for monitoring your daily life – until
One of the benefits of the Google Fit now. A new reminder system has been
app is that it works with a plethora of implemented that enables users to add daily
different fitness trackers. Once you reminders to their weekly schedules. These
have used it for a significant period of time, reminders can be as detailed as you like and link in
make sure to use the backup option in order to with many of Google’s other apps, such as Maps,
send a complete log of your results to your Contacts and Gmail. Here’s how to find your way
Google Drive account for safekeeping. around this feature.
4 Add dates
Choose the date you want your out of
5 Input details
Type out both the title and body of the out
6 Just to contacts?
If you want to have your out of office work
office period to start on, before using the menu on of office reply you want to send. Feel free to add only when a listed contact emails you, check the
the right to select the date you want it to end. your number if you still want to be contactable. box that sits at the bottom of the menu.
23
Feature
» Master Google apps
Google Now has fast become one of the premier personal-assistant apps on the market, but
its big selling point is just how customisable it is. While the menu will provide you with a range
of default cards to enjoy, many of them won’t be to your exact tastes. However, with Now’s
consistently increasing range of cards to choose from, it’s a relatively simple affair to get the
cards you want on your screen. Here’s how to get the best, personalised Google Now experience.
App links
Some of the best cards used
in Google Now have direct 1 Open Google Now
Scroll through your app drawer and select
What to customise?
2 Select the menu icon on any card and
links to some of Google’s
other apps. The Play Music the Google Now app from the list to open the Now select the customise option that appears. From
app will show you suggested menu. Alternatively, just say the phrase ‘OK here, you will want to choose the type of card you
albums, for example Google’ to get started. want to add or remove.
Start to customise
24
Feature
Master Google apps «
“Import links
from websites
and Wikipedia
listings into any
of your created
documents”
Now get documents Use Sheets to insert Manage printers
read to you recommended charts with ease
If you need an overview of a Depending on the type of Cloud Print is an
document while you’re still data you enter into Sheets, incredibly useful app for
working on something else, Google will recommend a managing the settings of any
make sure to install and set up the chart to add some visual elements to connected printers. If you have a
Text to Speech app. Follow the your document. While you don’t have printing error then this is the best place
instructions and you will be able to to follow the recommendation, they to head, as you can perform a quick
get one of your documents read out are usually the best choice for a scan of the printer, see what faults
to you from start to finish. number-heavy worksheet. have appeared and how to fix them.
25
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» masterclass
Take control of Google Maps is one of the best Android
apps and it just keeps getting better. In this
Google Maps
Google Maps has been a central part of
guide we’ll take you through its highlights,
as well as a few hidden features
supplied via the Play store. It’s tied to your
Android from day one. It gave every user full Google account and syncs your searches Four things you didn’t
global mapping and street view, then routinely. Anything you search for on a
expanded to offer local search, turn-by-turn desktop will automatically show up in the know about Maps
navigation and even real-time public Maps app on your phone or tablet. It’s this 1. Material Design
transport schedules. Now it can replace any that really makes Google Maps stand out over Google Maps fully conforms to the Material
dedicated satnav, as the latest update brings the competition. The best alternative, HERE Design specs used in Lollipop and Marshmallow.
navigation and search without the need for Maps, continues to have superior offline It makes heavy use of the sidebar to store all
internet. This offline support fills the last gap functionality, but trails far behind in features. the main features and sections of the app.
in Google Maps: the ability to use it overseas. This guide will take in some of the features 2. Terrain views
Google Maps is available on every Android in the recent update, along with some of the Google Maps isn’t just limited to urban use. If
device. It’s pre-installed and updates are changes to the user interface. you’re heading off-road, swipe open the sidebar
and select Terrain from the list. This gives you an
Android uses three different ways to
Understand location settings pinpoint your location
Ordnance-Survey view of the map, showing hills,
water and other types of terrain.
Choose a mode Battery saving mode Calibrate the compass 3. Cycling routes
Go to Settings>Location and tap Mode. High Battery saving uses only wireless networking In order to further improve the accuracy in You can switch to see the cycling routes mode.
accuracy combines GPS and wireless technologies, which aren’t accurate enough for Google Maps, you may occasionally be This shows cycle lanes on the roads in green, as
technologies to find your location. It uses more routing. Devices that only use GPS are accurate, prompted to calibrate the compass. Follow the well as off-road cycle paths in brown.
power, but works faster and is more accurate. but a lot slower than High accuracy mode. on-screen instructions when prompted.
4. Your timeline
The Your timeline feature attempts to automate
information for you, in the way that Google Now
does. It stores locations you have visited in order
to predict journey times and improve search
suggestions. It can also be used to view where
you have been. If you’re concerned about the
privacy implications of this, you can turn it off.
28
Go
» le
og
m Ma
as ps
ter u
cla pd
ss at
Download maps Google Maps has
Contributions is
Google’s name for
e
revamped its offline reviews of local
min
to use offline map features
Google Maps has had some basic offline support for a few years, but in the most recent
gu de
businesses and
restaurants
update it has become an essential feature. You can now get turn-by-turn navigation, including
searching and routing, while in offline mode. You still need to download map regions first
Get started with
though, and here’s how to do it.
Contributions
1 Pick an area
Open the sidebar and select Offline areas
2 Save the region
You’ll now see the Download this area
from the list of options. You’ll see your list of offline window. It will show your current region by default,
map regions stored here when you have some. To but you can swipe the map to choose any region.
begin downloading one, hit the + icon in the Pinch to zoom in and out to save a larger or smaller
bottom-right corner of the screen. region — the size will be shown below the box.
29
Masterclass
Use Google Maps as a
system
Ta-ra TomTom and
greetings Google! Maps
can replace your satnav
s been a while since Google introduced That’s all changed now. With the advent of
n-by-turn navigation into Maps, but proper offline use, where you can even view
til now it has needed an internet points of interest and reviews for your chosen
nnection. Even though it was possible to regions without a data connection, Google
wnload regions, you couldn’t search for Maps is now a serious satnav tool. In this
cations or plot routes. As a result, Google tutorial we’ll look at how you get started, plot
aps was not suited to serious navigation a route, what you’ll see when you’re driving
nd was certainly not something you could and what else you need to know to navigate
ke on your driving holiday to France. The with Google Maps. Of course, you’ll need to
ata charges would just be too high. add your own windscreen mount.
1 Plot a route
Tap the Navigation icon in the bottom-right
2 Choose the right path
On adding a destination, the app will
corner. You plot a route by picking a From position search for routes, giving the option of three. The
(your current location is entered by default, but fastest will be selected by default, but you can
you can change it) and a Destination. To make the switch to the others – they’ll indicate how much
return journey tap the up and down arrows. slower they are, along with traffic issues en route.
Get driving
3 Once 4 The road ahead 5 Real-time updates
you have selected your preferred Along the bottom of the screen is a bar Once your journey starts, you need not
route, tap the arrow icon and start driving. Skip showing how long it will take to reach your touch the app. Your route will automatically update
past the Beta warning screen that may appear and destination. Tap this bar to see a preview of the if you take a wrong turn and it will check the traffic
the app will jump into navigation. Your next turn is route and tap again to preview it on the map, along periodically and alert you to potential problems up
shown at the top of the screen. with details telling you which lane you need. ahead – you will need a data connection for this.
30
Go
Message us! »facebook »twitter
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og
m Ma
Got a top tip for Google /littlegreenrobot @lgrobot
as ps
Get help from our Follow us to send your
Maps? Let us know!
ter u
Facebook community questions and thoughts
cla pd
ss at
Search public Google Maps is a complete mapping solution for every occasion. It’s great
in the car, on foot or even on a bike. One of the newer features is public
e
transport support. It’s been there for a while, but has recently been fleshed out
to offer live times for bus services around the UK and in other countries.
transport
Whether you’re on the train or the
It’s one of the more useful, but often overlooked features of the Google Maps
app, especially if you’re travelling in a city that you don’t know. Simply turning
on the public transport overlay will show you nearby bus stops or train
stations, and from there you can get live times and destinations. You can also
use the routing feature to show you what mode of public transport you need to
bus you can get live times get to your destination.
min
gu de
Google Maps interface tips
Discover some of the hidden ways to navigate the Google Maps app
31
Tutorials
Works with » Android 4.1 and up
Se
3 Tap 4 Choose apps to index Grant permissions
5 For
Settings and then Phone Search to All of the apps listed under Phone Search third-party apps to show cards in your
show a list of what Google Now can scan for the are indexed by default. If Google Now is trawling Google Now stream, you need to give Google
data it presents when you search for something. through apps you don’t use though, this could permission to track what you use. To do this, open
All apps will be catalogued, but only those storing drain your device’s battery and might slow it down. the Google Settings app and tap Personal Info &
data on your device, such as Contacts and Play By removing the tick mark beside a redundant app, Privacy. Then tap Activity Controls and check that
Music, will have their content indexed. it will tell Google Now to ignore it. Web & App Activity is switched to On.
32
Handy hints you will need if you’re new to Google Now
1 Go to G 2 Where are you? 3 Cards to collect 4 Launch with Now 5 Coming soon
tips
To access your cards, tap Google’s Some cards need location data, so Google has approved Now card Install the Google Now Launcher Repeat Step 8 periodically because
multi-coloured G icon and swipe ensure Location History is turned integration in over 100 apps, which and swipe left to right from Home some apps only request permission
up to view them. On under Step 5 below. are listed at bit.ly/1MZRgjf. to get instant Google Now. for cards if used regularly.
6 Pick a card
Some third-party apps can generate a Now
card every day while others rarely post cards.
Google Now can also be set to post cards based on
your location. To set card permissions for third-party
apps, go back to Google Now’s menu and tap
Customize to access the Now Preferences menu.
7 Review other app settings below the top search results. Tap on the one up by stating what app, eBook, song or video
you need to open it. you want Now to open or start playing.
Under Now Preferences, look for the Apps
& Websites option. If you haven’t entered your
transportation choices in Google Now, you’ll have
to scroll down below the settings for these.
Otherwise, you should see Apps & Websites about
halfway down the screen. Tap on it.
33
Tutorials
App used » KWGT Kustom Widget Maker Works with » Android 4.4 and up
Personalise with
Kustom Widget Maker
Design your own Widgets and a customisable interface are top that we can’t cover them all here. After completing
features of the Android operating system. While this tutorial though, you should get a good idea of
widgets and one- widgets make it easier to access information in apps what Kustom Widget Maker can do and feel confident
touch shortcuts without having to open them, the ability to tweak the about experimenting with features we didn’t cover.
layout and appearance of the UI means you can The first few steps show you how to make a basic
with this free and personalise your mobile devices. change to one of the preset widgets included with the
tile app Kustom Widget Maker helps you take advantage of app. We then dig deeper into the editing tools by
these qualities by giving you tools to add unique creating a simple widget from scratch that provides a
ts and handy shortcuts to your shortcut to a website. To start, download KWGT
reen. It has so many options Kustom Widget Maker from the Google Play store.
Load a preset
3 Tap 4 Meet the editor 5 Import a picture
on the widget to open the app at its Selecting a preset opens KWGT’s editor. Tap Pick Image to open your photo gallery
Root screen. To load an included preset design, Editing tools are under headings below the design. app, then select a picture. This will return you to
tap on Installed. Presets include battery meters, We are going to give our preset a photo backdrop. KWGT’s editor with the photo added as your
clocks and calendars. You can pick anything you First select Background, this should display fields preset’s background. If your image is imported
want for this part of the tutorial, but we are going labelled Type and Color. Tap the former and select with the wrong orientation, tap Edit Image and
to use the CircularBattery meter preset. Image. Formatting options should appear. correct this in a photo editing app.
34
Get in touch
We’re on Facebook and Twitter, or
»facebook »twitter »email
/littlegreenrobot @lgrobot qa@littlegreenrobot.co.uk
Like us on Facebook and Follow us to send your Need help? Got a question? Drop us
just drop us an email join our community comments and pics an email and let us know
Is it possible to
change my theme?
Indeed you can! Tap on the
paintbrush icon and you’ll be
able to select a new theme
without deleting your progress
and starting again. You might
need to reshuffle a few
6 Admire your work 7 Start from scratch elements, but it’s not too much
There are many other customisations you In the rest of this tutorial, we will explain work. You can also change your
fonts and background image
can make to presets, including those described in how to create a widget that takes you directly to
from the menu.
the rest of this tutorial. For now though, tap the your favourite website. First create a one-by-one
disc icon in the top right to save your creation. blank widget and open the editor as described in
Then press Home, swipe to the screen your widget Step 4. Then tap the icon in the top right that looks
is on and see how it looks. like a bent sheet of paper.
11 Pick an icon
Return to the Root screen again by
12 Touch it up
Next, go to the Touch tab. This is where
13 Link and save
Tap the URL field and then in the next
tapping the tick mark and then the back arrow. you will add the URL that you want to open in your screen type the web address in the Formula box.
Tap + and choose FontIcon. Back in the editor, browser when you tap the widget on your Tap the tick icon in the top right when you’re done.
tap the FontIcon field, then the Icon field. Pick an homescreen. Tap the + icon to create a Touch Finally, save the widget using the instructions
icon you like, tap it and use Size in the editor to field. Tap None in that field and None again, then described in Step 6 and go to your homescreen to
enlarge it to fit your window. select Open Link. double check if it works.
35
Tutorials
App used » Google Now Works with » Varies with device
36
App used » Google+ Works with » Varies with device
redesigned
You can also start your own
collections by selecting Yours
and then tapping the Create a
collection icon. Give your
collection a name, tagline and
decide whether it should be
public or not. Once you’ve
created a collection, it’ll
Find more of the content that you appear under the Yours tab
7
Tutorials
Apps used » WiFi File Transfer Pro Works with » Android 2.1 and up
Behind the scenes
You can run the app in the
background, so it doesn’t
have to be front and centre if
Move files
you are working on
something on your phone or
tablet. This way you will be
CDNG VQ SWKEMN[ CEEGUU VJG ƒNG
from your PC. It’s a really,
really handy system
over Wi-Fi
Transfer files without a USB cable using
WiFi File Transfer Pro
We’ve all been there, desperate to transfer
something from our Android device onto
a PC, but entirely incapable of finding a Logical layout
USB cable when it matters. That’s where This is the main page of the
WiFi File Transfer Pro comes in. It’s a app that will pop up once you
tap start. It’s all pretty
brilliant easy-to-use app that lets you self-explanatory. It might not
connect your phone and PC with a simple be easy on the eyes, but it
tap. You don’t need any technological know- presents everything that you
need in a simple and very
how to get it working and while it isn’t the
easy to access way
best looking app on the Google Play store, it
does what it should so damn well that it’s
hard to find fault with it. All you’ll need to
get up and running is a Wi-Fi connection,
an Android device and a computer. We’ll
The URL is the key
The URL that appears here is
walk you through some of the more what you need to connect to
complex parts of the setup here, but if all [QWT ƒNGU ,WUV V[RG KV KPVQ VJG
you want to do is send something to your browser and you’ll instantly
connect to the memory of
PC quickly, it really is a doddle. When you your phone. Make sure you
have all the equipment you need, head on
Settings
type it in correctly. You’ll need
Tapping the Settings button
down to the first step to get going or check to add http:// as well
at the bottom of the screen
out the image for more tips. lets you play around with a
variety of different options
that make the experience
“While it isn’t the best looking app... it even sharper. We’ll deal with
them in the next section of
does what it should so damn well that the tutorial, but there’s some
really useful stuff in there
38
Some more tips to get the most out of WiFi File Transfer Pro
1 Do I have to pay? 2 Does it need root? 3 When you’re done 4 Save some battery 5 Swap devices
tips
There’s a free version, so give Nope, there is no need to alter Just tap the Stop button Showing the folder size If you’re using multiple devices,
it a try if you are still not your device at all for the app to found on the main page to permanently in the list will use up end the connection on one
entirely sold yet. work effectively. end the connection. more battery on your device. before you start the next.
Is it possible to use
other mobile
devices to transfer
the files across?
Yes. You can use anything with
a web browser. Just point it in
the direction of the URL the app
4 Advanced settings 5 On the web produces for you and you can
get access to the files instantly.
In the Advanced Settings there are, as This is what the interface looks like on the
You can use it to transfer things
you’d expect, some more advanced tweaks. You web. Again it’s not super-pretty to look at, but it
across different Android
can opt out of Google Analytics if you don’t want to gets the job done very well. You’ll see on the right devices too. It’s an incredibly
send information to Google, as well as add SSL of the screen that you’re given information about versatile little tool and for the
encryption if you’re on a public network. You can the battery life of your device and how much price of 88p it’s ridiculously
change the look of the app too. storage your phone has left. good value for money.
What should I do if
I get stuck?
The app actually has a really
useful help section that you can
access from the main page.
Just tap it and there are some
hints and tips that should get
you through. For some reason,
the help section on the
web-based portion of the
service doesn’t seem to work
though. If you do find yourself in
a bind, make sure that you
Need help?
Got a problem with your
Android phone or tablet?
Get in touch with us...
»facebook /littlegreenrobot
Get help from our
Facebook community
39
Tutorials
App used » Torque Pro (OBD 2 & Car) Works with » Android 2.0 and up
6 Check your fault codes 7 Read the results time is harmless, but please be
Tap Fault Codes on the main screen and The ideal situation will be to see ‘No fault careful when you’re wiping fault
codes and make sure you know
then let the app thoroughly read your engine. This codes stored in ECU’, which means that everything
what they are first.
may take some time for the process to complete, should be running fine. In reality, most cars will
but be patient as it will be worth it to see how you pop up some errors over time and the majority will
can stop issues that could potentially turn into not cause problems later on. Modern engine
expensive problems in the future. sensors are extremely sensitive.
8 Real-time information
Go back to the main screen and tap
9 Change the dials
Tap and hold any dial to bring up new
10 Manage graph data
The graphing feature lets you log data in
Real-time Information to bring up a series of dials. options that will let you change the size, display real time and in a visual form. The logging can be
These will display the exact state of various type, title and even maximum and minimum saved and exported for later, and the actual
aspects of your engine and a simple test is to allowable values. You really can customise every results are impressively accurate throughout. They
depress the accelerator to see the Revs change single aspect of the real-time information feature are particularly useful for checking engine
immediately. It’s a very impressive setup. so that it suits your exact needs. performance over extended periods.
41
Tutorials
Apps used » Super Touch – Speed Sliding Works with » Android 3.0 and up
Main menu
This is the main menu page
of the app. It contains most
of the things that you’re going
to need to play around with.
In the top-right corner, there’s
a menu that opens up
advanced options and an
How to get a
About+help section too
speed boost
Speed up your touchscreen with this easy to
use app that doesn’t cost a thing
A lot of the apps that speed up your
Android device require root access. If that’s
not something you’re comfortable or familiar Change sensitivity
with, then your options can feel a bit limited. In the middle of the screen
The Super Touch app doesn’t require you to there’s the slider that lets you
adjust the sensitivity of your
have a rooted device though and it does some touchscreen gestures. It’s set
pretty impressive things without you needing to 190 by default, but you can
to have much, or really any, technical alter this by moving the slider
either to the left or right. It
know-how. All you will need to get things up
goes up to 9,999
and running are your Android device and a
Wi-Fi connection. The app isn’t a huge
download and it walks you through a lot of
what you need to know. Unfortunately, the
translation isn’t great, so we’ll guide you Stay unlocked
through the process. It shouldn’t take you Tapping the Start Smooth
very long to get things sorted and while there Touch button will begin
are a few fiddly bits that might require a little setting up your phone for the
new process. It’s best if you
more attention, with a bit of perseverance don’t lock your screen when
you’ll soon be swiping around your Android this is running, as it can
phone or tablet with the sort of speed and interfere with what the app is Save battery
trying to achieve The Battery Save option
grace you didn’t think was possible.
underneath the Start Smooth
Touch button lets you quickly
42
Get even more out of Super Touch with these tips
1 Go super high 2 Can’t go that high? 3 Check the updates 4 Check the Google Plus 5 Take a minute
tips
Start by setting the app to its You will need to unlock the You will find update logs in the help There’s a link to the Google Plus Remember, it can take
highest setting and then slide down Advanced Settings to access any of section in the menu of the main community for the app, found in anything up to a minute for the
if this doesn’t work. the settings over 300. screen in the app. the same menu. app to change your CPU.
4 If you go back 5 Head back to the menu screen resolutions and where it
would be best to set the
The Advanced Settings link in the When you have set up the Advanced
sensitivity of the app for them.
drop-down menu will now always tell you that you Settings, go back to the main menu. Now tap the
A quick Google search will tell
have enabled those settings, so you can pretty button that starts up the smoothing process. You you what resolution your device
much ignore it for the rest of your time with the will see a pop-up window that shows you the is if you don’t know.
app. It does include a help email address if you progress. If your phone is likely to lock in a couple
want to suggest tweaks to the app. of minutes, then turn off that particular setting.
The app starts
when my phone
does, can I stop it
doing that?
It’s not advised. If you stop the
app from running at start-up,
you will need to reconfigure it
every time you restart your
phone and that’s not exactly
the most effective use of your
time. If you need to speed up
your boot up, consider disabling
other apps instead.
6 Start it off
Once the progress bar has filled up, you will
7 Start the battery save
When you have Smooth Touch up and
see another pop-up window. You can scroll down running, you can engage the battery saving
and read about some of the changes you have just options as well. Rather than giving you a list of
made. When you’re done tap Start and Share. You options, the app controls everything for you. Tap
don’t actually have to share anything, but the app the button and it will set it up automatically. You
does give you the option to. can quickly turn them off with another tap.
Need help?
Got a problem with your
Android phone or tablet?
Get in touch with us...
»facebook /littlegreenrobot
Get help from our
Facebook community
8 Is it enough?
If you find that the default setting isn’t
9 Start it again
When you’ve selected the sensitivity you
»twitter @lgrobot
Follow us to send your
questions and thoughts
powerful enough to actually make that much of a would like, tap the button to start up Super Touch
difference to your swipes and taps, then you can
slide the marker further up the scale on the main
page to make the touchscreen more sensitive.
again. Follow the same process as before,
preferably avoiding locking your screen and then
check to see whether the new sensitivity level
»email
qa@littlegreenrobot.co.uk
Send your questions for our team of
This will turn off Super Touch though. suits you. Repeat as many times as you’d like. experts to tackle
43
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Radio When your phone tells you that its processor runs or game (even when it shouldn’t), you can use
‘Radio’ refers to the software on your Android device
that deals with making phone calls and data at a certain speed, that’s often a best-case overclocking to add a bit more oomph. The trade-off
connections. Updating your radio version can bring scenario. Seriously thrashing it might give you is that it will chew through your battery faster, but
better battery life and signal strength to your device.
Some ROMs require the latest radio. performance close to the specified figure (it’ll never that’s where underclocking comes in – enabling you
entirely match it), but quite often, less intensive to sacrifice speed for longer battery life. Read on to
Flash tasks will run at considerably lower speeds. discover more about over and underclocking, and
The storage in your device comprises flash memory, Overclocking your phone gives you more control the performance boosts these techniques can help
a type of solid-state storage. The terms ‘flash’ or
‘flashing’ mean installing new software onto your over the speeds your processor can achieve. For you achieve. We’ll show you how a few clever tricks
device’s storage. example, if it struggles with running a particular app can speed up (or slow down) your phone.
45
acker Zøne
erclock to
ake your
one go faster
w you can get more speed from your device by
rclocking the processor
Everyone wants their phone to be faster; processor’s cores. However, processors never
even with all the bells and whistles there’s run at their physical limit. Instead companies
still that nagging feeling that it could be set a top speed that balances performance
even quicker. While there are things you can and battery life. By overclocking, you’re
do to improve the perceived speed of your setting a higher top speed to make your
device – removing unwanted apps from your phone faster and more powerful.
phone, reducing background syncing, To overclock, your phone needs to be rooted
adjusting the animation speeds through the and you need a compatible kernel.
Developer options – to achieve real, tangible
benefits you need to get your hands dirty. You
need to overclock your phone.
Processors run at a range of clock speeds, Five top tips for working
the maximum (the fastest) being the one
listed on a device’s spec sheet. So a 1.8GHz with the kernel
processor might run at somewhere in the
region of 300MHz when the phone is idle,
1.What is the kernel?
giving enough power to keep the OS ticking, The kernel controls every interaction between
the hardware and software. Every resource an
and then gradually crank up when launching
app requires and each screen tap from the user
apps and playing games, to the point where it are all managed by the kernel. The kernel
runs at the full 1.8GHz across all the directly affects a device’s performance.
46
Overclock your phone
47
acker Zøne
A kernel Squeeze a little more power out of your phone by
overclocking the processor, in order to make it run faster
than the manufacturer intended
for HTC
In this tutorial we’ll look at how to on, the settings will be the same. You just
overclock a phone using the ElementalX need to experiment with the best ones for
kernel, which is available for Nexus and your own device.
HTC devices, and the companion EX Kernel Overclocking involves setting a new
Manager app. This app is available from the minimum and maximum frequency for the
rs
Play store priced at £2.50. Although there are processor, as well as tweaking a few other
other apps on the store that can overclock, settings such as the governor. The governor
this official app is worth getting for this controls frequency scaling or how quickly the
specific kernel. The app works in the same processor will ramp up to maximum and how
way as the franco.Kernel Updater app, as well long it will stay there before dropping back
eneric kernel tweaking tools such as down. This has the biggest effect on both
CPU. In short, whichever kernel you settle performance and battery life.
48
Overclock your phone
1 Create a profile
From the sidebar select Per-App Profiles.
2 Assign it to an app
Save the profile by tapping the disk icon in
3 Manage your profiles
The profile will be activated automatically
We want our game to run at top speed, so set the the bottom-right corner. You can now assign your when you launch the chosen game. Swipe to the
minimum CPU frequency to a higher number than it profile to apps and games. Swipe to the Apps List Manager tab to delete any profiles and edit them if
is currently at (and maximum to the maximum and locate a game. Tap it and you’ll see the profile you want to fine-tune its performance. Be aware of
speed). Also set the CPU governor to Performance. appear in a list – select it to assign it. overheating if you make high-power profiles.
1 Core performance
Select System Monitor from
Work the GPU
2 Swipe across to the GPU tab.
3 RAM usage
Swipe again to the RAM tab to
4 The processor
The CPU Frequencies tab
the sidebar in franco.Kernel Updater. If this is regularly hitting the top get in-depth analysis of RAM usage gives you an overview of the speeds
With the app running in the speed then it may be that graphics on your phone. This is often the main your processor has been running at.
background, the CPU tab shows the performance is your phone’s limiting factor in performance, A high percentage of higher
performance of all your phone’s bottleneck, rather than the CPU especially on a device with less than frequencies shows your CPU is being
cores. This shows whether you need speed. Overclocking may have 3GB RAM. However, don’t be tempted taxed, so if this is the case, you may
to overclock to boost performance. minimal benefit in this instance. to use a task killer to free up RAM. see changes from overclocking.
49
acker Zøne
Underclock A few choice tweaks to your kernel settings can
also extend the life of your battery
Changing the clock speed is always about finding the right balance
for better between power and battery life. Overclocking will likely require you to
sacrifice a little of the latter. Underclocking is the opposite: it involves
reducing the speed of the processor in an attempt to extend your battery life.
It isn’t a magic wand. Underclocking causes some tasks to take longer to
complete, which offsets the benefits of having the processor using less power
battery life at its maximum level. Nevertheless, for some tasks it can be beneficial and
switching the governor can have noticeable effects. As ever, the best
approach is to experiment with settings to find ones that work for you. And
don’t push things too far – if you set the processor clock speed too low it may
not deliver enough speed for your apps to work.
50
From the makers of
android
Unleash the power of your Android device. Whether it’s a
smartphone or a tablet, Android Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks is
suitable for all Android devices. Download essential apps and
improve the performance and security of your device.
Also available…
q hacks
You can record
with Google
Play Games
Ever tried to record your activity on Update Play Games
1 Check Record your game
2 In Adjust and upload
3 When
Android, perhaps to demonstrate that Google Play Games Google Play Games, open you’re done, tap Stop.
your progress on a mobile game or is up to date. Open the app’s Settings Play Now and use the Record Tap the buttons to disable audio
how to use an app? You probably and under About, check the version is gameplay button to choose between and the front-facing camera. Video
relied on third-party tools, but a 3.4.12 or later – if not, visit apkmirror. 720p and 480p resolution. It will warn can be edited and uploaded via
recent update means screen com and download the latest version. you that all activity will be recorded. the YouTube app. To exit record
recordings can be made natively. Install with Unknown Sources enabled. Now tap Launch and Record. mode, drag the disc to the centre.
52
Share your tips
Got a hack for Google Play?
»facebook »twitter »email
/littlegreenrobot @lgrobot qa@littlegreenrobot.co.uk
Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to Discovered anything good about
Let us know about it! join our online community send us your tips & tricks your Android phone? Let us know!
Refresh your
Google account
Problems with your Google account
might be blocking the installation of
apps. This can be overcome by Switching between mobile internet and
wireless can improve download reliability
removing the account from the
device and either installing the app tablet closer to your wireless router in
with another account or adding the order to maintain a high download
credentials back in after a restart. speed. Also, check that your router
Note that following these steps firewall isn’t blocking data from the
will remove your data completely Google Play store. If you’re using a
from the device. VPN, this may also slow downloads,
Open Settings, then Accounts and so consider disabling this until the
select the problematic Google app has downloaded.
account(s). Tap the menu button and For smaller apps, switching to
then the option to remove the mobile internet should be a good
account. While it isn’t necessary to option too, but of course you will be
reboot, it’s a good idea at the very unable to download large data for
least so you can be sure you have games in this way.
correctly removed the account.
When you’re ready, add your
account details again, as if you’re
Just sideload apps
setting up the phone for the first Another option to consider is
time. Make another attempt to install uninstalling Google Play. If you have a
the app or game – if it continues to rooted device, you can uninstall Play
fail, then you might consider looking and replace it with a different
at some further options. version, which you’ll find on
Hacking the easy way Get great new features without getting your hands (too) dirty
54
Works with » Android 4.1 and up » Difficulty Easy
55
Hacker Zøne
Works with » Android 5.0 and up Difficulty » Advanced
Remotely
control a PC
ndroid
You can control a remotely connected Remotely controlling a PC used to
involve purchasing expensive
PC for free thanks to Google software and then jumping
through many hoops to get
1 Download the app
Go to the Google Play store
everything up and running in a and search for Chrome Remote
reliable manner. There are still a Desktop. Download it as normal and
huge number of ways to then let the installation process
connect to your PC remotely complete. You will also need to check
nd many offer a number of that Chrome is installed on the
ul features, but we are computer you want to control and
show you how to do so that the latest version of Chrome is
me Remote Desktop on your Android device.
k and reliable
Chrome
device
ss is
use
oesn’t
d to how
beauty of
hat it is
cure as using
services, and it
6 One more
download
ackground software You now need to download the
o ensure that the Chrome Remote Host Installer, which
ction is valid and stable at will only require clicking OK. Once the
imes. There are no download has finished, install it as
mplicated steps to follow and you would do any other app on your
ou can rest easy because Google device and wait until it has
is behind the entire setup, both on completed. This is the last piece of
your Android device and in the software you need to install.
Chrome browser on your PC.
56
2 Nothing is
connected 3 Some useful
instructions 4 The PC side 5 Enable remote
In Chrome on your computer, connections
The Chrome Remote Desktop app A simplistic list of instructions that go to the Chrome Web Store and Open the app, where you will see a
will display a sparse screen with a you need to follow will appear within search for Chrome Remote panel appear. Now click Enable
message saying ‘Learn how to set the app. The main trick here is to be Desktop. Now click Add to Chrome remote connections in the bottom
up a computer for remote access’. patient because some extra to start the installation. Once section in order to start the set-up
Tap this message and you will be software will need to be installed completed, a new app will be process. You will only need to do
taken to the set-up process, which and this can take time to complete. available for you to use whenever this once, and then the panel
will mostly involve tweaking simple However, the entire process should you want to control your computer should change in the future to
settings on your PC. take less than ten minutes. remotely using your Android. enable one-click connections.
7 Create a PIN
Once the installation has
8 Finish up
The final part of the process
9 Time to connect
Go back to your Android
10 A mini PC
You can now control the
fully completed, you will need to involves accepting the remote device where your newly connected computer using the keyboard and
create a PIN to ensure that your connection from your computer by computer should now be displayed by tapping anywhere on the screen,
connection is completely secure. entering your administrator within the app. Tap it and then enter which should mimic a mouse
The minimum is six digits, but we password and then entering the your PIN. The screen of the PC pointer. Using two fingers lets you
would suggest that you use newly created PIN in the app. Once should now appear, ready for you to slide up and down within app
something much longer (that you this has been done, you are ready control it on a much smaller scale. windows and the entire setup is
can still remember!) just to be on to remotely connect to the PC from Use your finger to move around the extremely easy to use. You can now
the safe side. your Android device. PC desktop. control your PC from your phone.
57
Hacker Zøne
Works with » Android 4.0.3 and up Difficulty » Intermediate
Spoof your
Android’s
MAC address
Get around annoying data and time Chances are that you have heard of
IP addresses in your time, but MAC
restrictions on public Wi-Fi addresses are something that aren’t Gather your tools
1 You
connections using spoofing quite so well known. can find your device’s MAC
r IP address is usually address by opening the Settings app
ng and temporary, your on your Android and selecting About
C address is a permanent Device followed by Status. You’ll find
used to identify the the address under Wi-Fi MAC
k interface card inside your address. Next, download WiFi Mac
d device. MAC addresses Changer and BusyBox, both of which
permanent, they’re also are available to download for free
as a burned-in address or from the Google Play store.
a physical address.
u’ve rooted your Android
it’s possible to temporarily
that device’s MAC address
en use this spoofed address
ect to the internet. This has
if you’re concerned about
y, but spoofing your MAC
dress also has a very
ractical use, particularly if
ou regularly use public Wi-Fi.
Many places that offer
blic Wi-Fi also put restrictions
their signal. For example
our local cafe might only let
ou connect to their Wi-Fi for a
aximum of 30 minutes before
oting your device off the
etwork. When you spoof your
AC address, the network will
o longer recognise your device
nd you will get another 30
6 Compare
inutes of free internet access. addresses
Other venues may place a limit After a few moments, you should see
the amount of data you can a Mac Changed Successfully pop-up.
nsume before blocking your MAC Open your Wi-Fi Settings and try
ress. Once again, spoofing tricks connecting to your network. Once
network into thinking your connected, you can check you’re
roid is an entirely new device. using the fake address by opening
n this tutorial, we will look at WiFi Mac Changer and comparing the
eral options for spoofing your real address to the fake one.
vice’s MAC address.
58
2 Forget network 3 Simple change 4 Make a 5 Hard change
Open your device’s Settings If you have a specific MAC connection If the connection fails or
and select Wi-Fi. Find the network address in mind, you can enter it in If you see a Mac Changed seems to be stuck on
you plan on connecting to after the New MAC field. Most of the time Successfully message, return to authenticating then it’s time to try
spoofing your MAC address. Wipe though, you won’t have a particular your device’s Wi-Fi settings and tap things the hard way. Return to WiFi
the slate clean by long pressing on address in mind or care what it is, the network you want to connect to. Mac Changer and once again either
this network and then tapping so just tap Generate Random MAC Enter the network’s password, if generate a random MAC address or
Forget network. Launch WiFi Mac to save yourself the hassle. Start by requested. After a few moments enter a specific address of your
Changer and grant it super user trying to change your address the you should have connected to the choice. However, this time around
permissions when requested. easy way and tap Simple Change. network using your new address. tap Hard Change.
7 Switch back
If you want to resume using
8 Try an alternative
If you don’t get results using
9 Create a brand
new profile 10 Try your profile
To activate the profile you
your genuine MAC address, simply this app, one alternative you may Tap the + button at the top of the have just created, tap its
tap the app’s Set Real Mac Back want to try is MacMan, which you screen to create a new profile. Give accompanying arrow icon. Then
button. Alternatively, you can can download for free from the your profile a name, then either return to your Wi-FI Settings and tap
disable and then enable your Wi-Fi Google Play store. Once again, enter a specific MAC address or the network you want to connect to.
connection again, or reboot your make sure your device has generate a random one by tapping It should now connect successfully.
device. Both of these actions will forgotten the network you want to the blue arrow icon. Tap OK and this If you want to resume using your
cause your device to default back to connect to, then launch MacMan profile should now appear in your original MAC address, you’ll need to
its genuine address. and activate the main On switch. MAC Address List. reboot your device.
59
Group test
»Big brand Android tablets
60
Group test
Big brand Android tablets «
We
have scoured
the tablet market
WRͤQGWKHEHVW
$QGURLGWDEOHWWKDW
\RXFDQEX\
today
Big brand
Android tablets
Which of these top tablets represents the best that money
can buy? We put them to the test to find out
Picking an Android tablet to buy isn’t the easiest job in the To prove there is a world outside of the iPad, we have entries
world. As ever it’s an oversaturated market, bursting with from two of the big hitters in the shape of the Samsung Galaxy
budget, mid-range and premium models all shouting about Tab S2 and the Sony Xperia Z4 tablet, the Venue 10 tablet from
cutting-edge specs and having the best user experience. We desktop computer giant Dell and an entry-level option that
understand it’s tough to narrow down your selection, but that’s punches well above its weight in the form of Vodafone’s Tab
where we come in. We take our job as your personal product prime 6. They come in all shapes, sizes and operating systems,
advisor very seriously, so we’ve taken price out of the equation, and all boast some pretty impressive features. Which one will
rounded up four of the best Android slabs on the market and put come out on top? Let’s turn over the page and let battle
them head-to-head in the ultimate group test. commence. May the best tablet win!
61
Group test
»Big brand Android tablets Cameras Display goodness
The Tab S2 does +VŨU VJG ƒTUV VJKPI [QW
nothing to suggest that notice when you turn on
Price £399/$399
»More information samsung.com
»Supplied by Samsung
technical specs
» Operating system........Android Lollipop 5.0.2
» Processor...........................1.9GHz octa-core
» Memory ...............................32/64GB storage / 3GB RAM,
microSD up to 128GB
» Dimensions.......................198.6 x 134.8 x 5.6 mm
» Weight...................................265g
» Display size .......................8-inches
» Display resolution........1536 x 2048 (320ppi)
» Connectivity.....................Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac,
dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct,
hotspot, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS
» Camera ................................2.1 MP front, 8 MP rear
»head-to-head
Design
No longer do Samsung products feel
Powerful insides
Stick an octa-core
cheap. The Tab S2 may well have a plastic processor with 3GB RAM
back, but the metal edges and Gorilla inside a personal device
Glass display give an air of sophistication. and you are sure to get
very good performance.
It’s built like a premium tablet. The Tab S2 is no different
and you won’t notice a
Display moment’s stutter
The Tab S2’s screen is among the very
Samsung Galaxy
best we’ve come across. It’s so good, you
won’t quite believe it’s real. Brightness is
sharp, colours pop and black is naturally
represented – a real highlight.
Tab S2
Performance
As is always the way with the Android spec A serious iPad-mini rival, Samsung has
race, no stone is left unturned in ensuring produced another memorable device
that you have all the tools necessary you
could possibly need. We felt we didn’t Released at almost identical times, the Samsung contains 320 glorious pixels per inch and an
touch the sides of what could be done. Galaxy Tab S2 is guaranteed to draw comparisons iPad-matching four-to-three aspect ratio. It’s
with Apple’s iPad mini 4. Apple’s tablet dominance effectively what makes a good tablet and Samsung’s
Value for money has been strong, but this 8-inch Super AMOLED effort Tab S2 looks unnaturally good. Colours vividly pop out
At £399, the Tab S2 represents very good from Samsung is a worthy rival that showcases how and the blacks look really deep. The screen is
value for money, even if it does fall out of far the Korean giant has come. Sadly, our usual excellent, whether you’re watching videos, photo
the impulse-buy category. Almost identical complaints about TouchWiz and an out-of-date OS editing or gaming. Sadly, sound isn’t particularly loud,
in price to the iPad mini 4, but with 16GB hold it back from being an essential purchase. but it never sounds tinny.
extra storage as standard. Design-wise, it’s a sturdy attempt from Samsung. Performance is excellent too. Samsung has kitted
Taking cues from Samsung’s smartphone overhaul, out the Tab S2 with an octa-core processor and 3GB
»Samsung’s
Verdict
tablet game
the Tab S2 has a Gorilla Glass front, premium-looking
metal edges and a matte-plastic back. Even though
it’s plastic, it feels much sturdier than before and
RAM. Whatever a power user could throw at this
tablet, the Tab S2 handles it with aplomb. We had no
issues with lag or stutter when testing it, although
is officially strong and given its price range, we can forgive it for not using battery life was a bit hit and miss. The 4,000mAh
the Galaxy Tab S2 is a top-end materials. The first thing you notice when you battery probably should do better and Marshmallow’s
pick up the Tab S2 is just how light it is. At just 265g Doze feature would definitely help.
powerhouse, but it had the for the Wi-Fi-only model, it is feather light and However, it won’t be any time soon. As Samsung
potential to be much more comfortable to hold. lays its TouchWiz skin over the Android OS, it is always
The tablet’s highlight, however, is that Super late to the party with OS updates. To ship with an old
AMOLED display that shapes up at 2048 by 1536 and and unpopular OS is a black mark.
62
Group test
Big brand Android tablets «
Vodafone Tab
prime 6
5GNƒG ECOGTC
If you make lots of video
calls, the front-facing 2MP
information
camera will get the job Price £150/$N/A
done. The main rear »More information vodafone.co.uk
Impressive camera won’t win any »Supplied by Vodafone
prizes, but will serve as an
connectivity emergency shooter technical specs
The Tab prime 6 houses its
SIM and micro SD ports at » Operating system........Android Lollipop 5.0
the top left of the back casing. » Processor...........................1.3GHz quad-core Cortex-A53
4G connectivity is a selling
point and the 16GB
» Memory ...............................16GB storage / 1GB RAM,
microUSB up to 32GB
internal storage can
be doubled » Dimensions.......................244 x 146 x 8 mm
» Weight...................................406g
» Display size .......................9.6-inches
» Display resolution........800 x 1280 (157ppi)
9GCM » Connectivity.....................Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-
RGTHQTOCPEG band, hotspot Bluetooth 4.1,
Quad-core processors GPS
should work well, but the » Camera ................................2MP front, 5MP rear
Tab prime 6 stutters its
way through most tasks.
You’ll want to reduce the
graphics setting to make
powerful games playable
»head-to-head
Design
A redeeming feature: it might not win any
beauty contests, but there’s a lot to like
about Vodafone’s Tab prime 6. A classy,
curved design in a light shell that’s easy to
handle. More of the same please!
Display
The specs don’t lie on this one. A 157 ppi
pixel density just doesn’t cut the mustard
against today’s super HD displays. The
Performance
A quad-core processor with 1GB RAM
A phone manufacturer tries to gatecrash the budget-tablet market should have enough power to make a
with decidedly mixed results tablet run smoothly, but it simply isn’t
the case here. It’s not like Vodafone has
The tablet market isn’t just for the big boys. The The main sacrifice is undoubtedly screen quality.
skinned Android heavily either.
Android budget market, in particular smartphones, is It’s not fair to compare it to Samsung’s display
thriving more than ever. Tesco, EE and Vodafone have because it’s simply leagues below. It’s the first thing
Value for money
all released brilliantly accessible devices in the past you notice. Looking at the homescreen of the Tab
On the face of it, Vodafone appears to be
year, and the latter’s Tab prime 6 tablet is another prime 6 is like looking at a tablet from five years ago.
selling you a bargain here. Only when you
enticing addition. For £150 you get 4G connectivity, a Massive improvements have been made, but
use the Tab prime 6 for sustained use do
quad-core processor and a 9.6-inch screen. So is it Vodafone hasn’t quite grasped them. The screen is
you realise that too many shortcuts have
too good to be true or a bit of a mishmash? In truth, pixilated and just 157ppi, which is at its worst when
been taken to lower the price point.
it’s somewhere in between. navigating your homescreen or when reading emails
Looks-wise, there’s nothing to complain about. The and web browsing. It’s less obvious when playing
Tab prime 6 is punching well above its weight. It might
be lacking any wow factor, but it’s well dressed and
properly trimmed. The back is a curved, soft-plastic
games or watching videos, which is a bit of a saviour.
Anyone who isn’t a beginner will notice the lag
when opening apps or selecting menu options, as
»If you’re
Verdict
on the lookout for
dark grey offering that feels great to hold, even for long these sometimes took long enough for us to press a budget tablet, there are
periods. The front is so similar to virtually any tablet, it’s the screen twice. 4G connectivity (the SIM card plenty of other options out
barely worth mentioning. However, the weight, or comes pre-installed) is an added bonus, but costs an
relative lack of it, is. At 406g, you’ll know it’s there, but extra £20 or so a month to run. Do first-time buyers or
there, but Vodafone gets top
it’s no brick. Build quality hasn’t been sacrificed either. children need a feature like that? We think Vodafone marks for the design!
This is a tablet that will take a bit of rough and tumble would have been better focusing on other areas first
and not suffer as much as a mark. So far so good. to crack the budget market.
63
Group test Clean screen
»Big brand Android tablets The glass is scratch-
resistant and is layered
YKVJ CP CPVKƒPIGTRTKPV Bundled apps
EQCVKPI +V FQGU C ƒPG Sony has thrown in some
Sony Xperia Z4 job of keeping your dirty
digits from marking the
screen, meaning you
common apps pre-installed
to give you a headstart.
information
Price £499/$599
»More information sonymobile.com
»Supplied by Sony
technical specs
» Operating system........Android Lollipop 5.0
» Processor...........................2GHz Snapdragon 810
octa-core
» Memory ...............................32GB storage / 3GB RAM,
microUSB up to 128GB
» Dimensions.......................167 x 254 x 6.1 mm
» Weight...................................389g
» Display size .......................10.1-inches
» Display resolution........2560 x 1600 (299ppi)
» Connectivity.....................Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac,
dual-band, DLNA, WiFi
Direct, Bluetooth 4.1
» Camera ................................5.1 MP front, 8.1 MP rear
Ultra thin
»head-to-head
At 6.1mm, this tablet is
incredibly thin, making it
lovely and light to hold. An
Design innovative design by Sony
that may appeal to some,
The Xperia Z4 tablet looks the part from
but maybe not to
afar, but we wonder if its build quality is for everyone
everyone as it’s quite flimsy. Design-wise,
it’s very Sony – black, curved, soft plastic
and very light.
Display
It’s a perfect display for media
Sony Xperia Z4
consumption, thanks in no small part to
Sony’s Triluminos display and X-Reality
engine. It’s 10 inches of pure goodness,
without a stray pixel in sight.
Tablet
Performance
Despite being powered by the infamous A tablet-laptop hybrid that does one part
Snapdragon 810 processor, we suffered extremely well. Guess which one?
no performance issues whatsoever on
this tablet. You fly through menus and Google’s new Pixel C tablet is going to shake up the Nevertheless, for others you may welcome the
selections without blinking. premium Android-tablet market. Consumers will have incredible lightness and feel like this is the first tablet
something to reference, so other laptop-tablet that you can actually easily carry around with you. It
Value for money hybrids need to be at the top of their game to take the bends and flexes, so it’s safe to say that Sony has
With the keyboard bundled, you’re looking challenge to Google. Sony’s Xperia Z4 with a picked the side of the market that doesn’t want a
at £500. That does represent value Bluetooth keyboard is the current flag-bearer and it’s heavy tablet and run with it. What’s more, it’s certified
for money for us, but you can drop the easy to see why as soon as you start watching Netflix, waterproof and dust-tight. If this light build isn’t an
keyboard, save yourself £100 and enjoy a videos on YouTube or play a graphic-intensive racer issue for you, the Z4 tablet is cutting-edge in almost
cutting-edge, 10-inch tablet by itself. like Asphalt. The screen is 10.1 glorious inches that every category you can think of.
pops out a 2K, 2560 by 1600 resolution and comes Anyone who owns a Sony smartphone or
»Verdict
You’ll find a tablet with a
equipped with Sony’s Triluminos technology. Its pixel
density is better than an iPad Air 2 for example and
shines most when you’re reading text. Everything is
PlayStation 4 will enjoy the tweaks that Sony has
made to Android 5.0. The Xperia branded apps won’t
appeal, but Remote Play will as it lets you use the Z4
gorgeous display and more crystal clear! We didn’t get enough oomph from the tablet as a second screen for your next-gen games
power than you could front-facing speakers, but that’s probably because console. The Bluetooth keyboard connects nicely and
the unit is so thin and light. It tips the scales at just naturally creates a device that is better for typing. It’s
imagine! Drop the keyboard 393g and a mere 6.1mm thick. brilliant for bashing out quick emails on the morning
for extra value However, when you’re paying big bucks you expect commute without coming close to replacing your
the very best in build quality. The Sony Xperia Z4 may laptop, but the touchscreen and keyboard
well look the part, but for some it may feel too flimsy. combination still needs work.
64
Group test
Big brand Android tablets «
Dell
Cast
Dell Cast transforms your
tablet into a desktop, by
plugging into the HDMI port
and casting your screen. It
gives you the full experience
Dell Venue 10
when paired with a
keyboard and a
mouse
information
Price £279/$293
»More information dell.com
»Supplied by Dell
technical specs
» Operating system........Android Lollipop 5.0
» Processor...........................Intel Atom Z3735F I.83GHz
quad-core
» Memory ...............................32 GB storage / 2GB RAM
» Dimensions.......................10.16 x 262 x 175 mm
» Weight...................................635g
» Display size .......................10.1-inches
» Display resolution........1920 x 1200 (224ppi)
» Connectivity.....................Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), USB
2.0, micro USB, micro HDMI,
micro SD, SIM, Bluetooth 4
» Camera ................................1.2MP front, 5MP rear
»head-to-head
Design
The design is functional if a little on the
Glorious HD large side. The Venue 10 is the biggest and
A genuinely pleasant
surprise, the Dell Venue 10 heaviest slab in the group test, so one-
comes equipped with a handed use isn’t advisable, but it’s never
HWNN JKIJFGƒPKVKQP FKURNC[ unusable as a result.
that is vivid and smooth.
It’s a shame the bezel size
Intel speed
leaves wasted space The Intel Atom quad-core Display
processor has its roots in A real triumph for Dell. The full HD, 1920
desktop computing and it
shows here. 2GB RAM by 1200 display is outstanding. Any sort of
might not sound like media consumption is a lot of fun on this
Dell Venue 10
much, but it was plenty tablet, but we really enjoyed zooming in on
good enough to handle
what we threw at it
our photos too.
Performance
There’s an Intel Atom processor inside that
Can Dell shake its well-known desktop tag and become king of the makes light work of any task you throw at
tablets? Let’s find out the Venue 10. Dell is big on the business
side of things, so it’s no surprise to see a
When you think of Android tablet manufacturers, you Turn on the Dell Venue 10 and you get a big powerhouse of a tablet.
don’t necessarily think about computer giant Dell. surprise. Anyone expecting a washed-out laptop
Well, maybe that’s all about to change. Dell has been screen will be mightily impressed with this full HD Value for money
slowly capturing the tablet audience’s imagination in offering. We were straight on YouTube watching The keyboard and mouse/stylus come as
the last year, releasing a series of impressive slabs videos and found the Venue 10 to be a really good additional costs, but even without these,
that come with a no-nonsense design and some entertainment hub. The bezel is disappointingly big you’re getting a 10-inch tablet with some
great specifications. The Venue 10 (we’re reviewing and while it’s not as bright as the Samsung or as great features at a very reasonable and
the 5050 model here) runs Android 5.0, has a natural as the Sony, it is crystal clear. Sound output happily mid-range price.
10.1-inch full HD screen and sports the sort of from the two speakers on each side of the tablet was
»
connectivity options that business users will thrive easily the best in this group test. The speaker
on, including HDMI and USB.
From the front, it looks like a traditional tablet. It’s
placement produces immersive sound that can go
really loud and doesn’t suffer the same muffled fate
Verdict
plain black (no surprise there) and has gently curved that a back speaker faces when lying down.
The surprise package in this
edges. All the ports live on either side and there’s a The Dell Venue 10 stretches far beyond test. For your money you get
keyboard connector at the base for interfacing with the entertainment though. The Polaris Office suite is dependable design, a full HD
optional add-on keyboard. Flip the tablet around and it bundled in, as well as Dropbox. The optional keyboard display that you’ll fall in love
looks like any Dell laptop from the 2000s. It’s also and stylus obviously gives extra choice, as does Dell with and enough power to
easily the thickest and heaviest tablet in this group Cast, but it’s connectivity ports like USB, microSD and
test. It’s not ungainly, but one-handed use would be a HDMI that really help. Dell’s Android skin is tasteful
please heavy business users
stretch for an extended period of time. It’s also plastic, too: it’s minimal and also gives access to key Google
which lets it down in the build-material category. apps in a drawer on the right.
65
Group test
»Big brand Android tablets
GROUP
TEST WINNER
The Winner...
One of the most pleasing aspects of doing smartphones, it’s a big upgrade compared
this group test was seeing that the tablet to many other tablets on the market, and
market is still going strong. While arguably the first tab that we could
production of tablets has slowed down, the recommend for both shooting video and
Memory 32/64GB storage / 3GB RAM 16GB storage / 1GB RAM 32GB storage / 3GB RAM 32GB storage / 2GB RAM
Dimensions 198.6 x 134.8 x 5.6 mm 244 x 146 x 8 mm 167 x 254 x 6.1 mm 10.16 x 262 x 175 mm
Display resolution 1536 x 2048 (320ppi) 800 x 1280 (157ppi) 2560 x 1600 (299ppi) 1920 x 1200 (224ppi)
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), USB 2.0,
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band,
Connectivity Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
hotspot Bluetooth 4.1, GPS
DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, micro USB, micro HDMI, micro SD,
Bluetooth 4.1, GPS Bluetooth 4.1 SIM, Bluetooth 4
Camera 2.1MP front, 8MP rear 2MP front, 5MP rear 5.1MP front, 8.1MP rear 1.2MP front, 5MP rear
Overall score
66
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Reviews
Lenovo Yoga Tab 3
A budget tablet that has the features to make its big-name
rivals sit up and take notice
In a tablet market where it’s virtually tablet, but the build quality can’t be questioned really up close, but you would still find use for it.
impossible to tell apart the competition, it’s and neither can its performance. Tablet photography is still a touchy subject, but
refreshing to see something different and So far, so good. The Yoga Tab 3 has room for the Yoga Tablet gives you everything you need to
that’s exactly what the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 is. just one camera, which lives in the bottom-left challenge the stereotype.
Lenovo has designed an Android tablet that corner as part of the stand itself. However, the What’s more, to the side of the kickstand
looks to make a marked improvement on areas 8MP camera rotates 180 degrees, meaning you there are two front-facing speakers. The Yoga Tab
that traditionally are neglected. Have you ever get a high-quality front-facing camera too. It’s a 3 has Dolby Atmos audio-enhancement
heard of an 8-inch tablet that combines a wonderful idea and one that makes so much technology on board and the result is a
kickstand, a great-sounding speaker, excellent sense! The camera has a good range of manual cinematic experience that is virtually unmatched
battery life and a camera that you can actually controls that let you select ISO, exposure and by any tablet. Audiophiles can head to the Dolby
see yourself using? We haven’t. Coming in at white-balance levels to get a great-looking app that comes pre-installed to tweak the sound
under £150, it’s easy to see why the Yoga Tab 3 picture. There’s a gesture control that can be further, but we found the manual settings
is an enticing product. enabled to let you take a picture by opening and worked brilliantly. Films sound loud and dynamic,
The kickstand is the first thing you notice. closing your hand. It doesn’t work when you’re with YouTube and social-media videos crystal
After all, it’s the feature that gives the tablet
flexibility (it can be moved in four ways: stand,
tilt, hold or even hang) and presumably also Lenovo skin Revolutionary camera
gives the tablet its name. The idea is that you The Yoga Tab 3 ships with Lenovo has built just one
can use the tablet in virtually any way you need. Android 5.1. While it isn’t camera into the Yoga Tab 3,
Marshmallow, it’s just about but it rotates 180 degrees to
It may protrude in a slightly ungainly way from a the best you can hope for. act as a front and rear-facing
side angle, but it feels well built and it makes it Lenovo has added a series shooter. Finally, there’s a Skype
easy to hold. There’s a pop button within easy of its own business-centric camera worth using. You will
apps out of the box love the quality too
reach round the back that springs the sturdy
metal stand into use. It adds some weight to the
Thunderous sound
Great sound coming from a
tablet isn’t the norm, but the
Yoga Tab 3 utilises Dolby
technology to give you
absolutely brilliant performance.
.QCF C ƒNO CPF GPLQ[ VJG
immersive experience
68
Review
Battery goodness
Another standout feature is the
Yoga Tab 3’s battery life. The
6,200mAh cell will last 20
hours on a single charge and
nearly three months on
standby. mpressive!
Technical specs
»Operating system............. Android 5.1 Lollipop
»Processor ................................ Qualcomm Snapdragon 210
1.3GHz quad-core
»Memory..................................... 16GB storage / 1GB RAM
»Dimensions............................ 209.8 x 145.8 x 7 mm
»Weight......................................... 467.2g
»Display size ............................ 8-inches
»Display resolution............. 1280 x 800 pixels (188 ppi)
»Front camera........................ 8MP, rotates 180 degrees
Multitalented »Rear camera.......................... N/A
Flick the kickstand into action »Connectivity .......................... Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4
and you can manoeuvre the »Expansion slot..................... microSD up to 128 GB
Yoga Tab 3 into a variety of
positions: stand, tilt, hold or hang Battery life
A real break from the mould. The 6,200mAh battery is
among the very best in the tablet market
Good for
Media consumption
The speakers create a real cinema experience and the
kickstand gives you all the viewing angles you need
Camera
The rotating 180-degree camera is a real triumph. Expect
There’s even a hole in the stand to let you hang the tablet in to see a host of copycats in 2016
the kitchen, while you prepare a recipe for example
Bad for
Average performance
We noticed a lot of lag when opening apps, so power
users need to be wary that there’s just 1GB RAM
HD display
Average display It’s not bad by any means, but it doesn’t compare well to
While so much of the other market-leading rivals, such as Samsung
Yoga Tab 3 thinks
outside the box, the
display is okay, but Verdict
nothing more. This
translates to overall We praise Lenovo for trying to be
performance as well,
as 1GB RAM just
different. The outstanding points
doesn’t cut it in 2016 easily outweigh the usual cutbacks
for good multitasking
69
Reviews
IP68 protection
One of the gleaming
features of the S40 is its Built to last
HWNN +2 EGTVKƒGF While it’s non-removable,
protection. It can boast to the 3,000mAh battery will
be both dustproof and
waterproof for up to one
metre for 60 minutes
keep you going for a
couple of days before
needing to be charged. It
Cat S40
may prove to be a godsend
if you’re away from a £329.99/$399.99
mains supply for a while
»More information clove.co.uk
»Supplied by Clove
Best deal
Cat S40
802.11
Can the Cat S40 prove that looks »Expansion slot..................... microSD to 64GB
really aren’t everything? Battery life
One of Android’s many niches is the emerging There’s no real custom skin involved on the Expect the 3,000mAh battery here to keep you going for
a couple of days between charges
market for work phones. These rough and ready S40, so it’s as close to vanilla Android as we
devices often compromise on high-end hoped it would be. It includes everything we fell
specifications to offer a device that’s capable of in love with when we began using Lollipop 5.1, Good for
withstanding anything you throw at it – usually but there are a few extra menus available to
Being robust
they sport a robust design and full IP68 help out completely novice users. The lack of
Tough and rugged with enough protection to protect itself
protection. Cat is one of the leading real bloatware pays dividends, as the quad-core from the elements
manufacturers of these devices and the S40 is Snapdragon 210 looks slow on paper, but does
its latest to hit the market. enough to keep the device ticking over quite
Lollipop
A nearly vanilla Android experience with barely any
In a similar fashion to many of these types of nicely. It won’t be enough for demanding tasks, bloatware in sight
devices, the S40 is bulky and won’t be but then again, this isn’t a device built for that
something that seamlessly slides into your sort of function. Bad for
pocket. However, the entirety of the reinforced What it’s built for, however, is being a device Display
shell protects the device from dust, high drops, that offers stellar battery life. If you’re working Colours can look washed out, which in turn affects how
water damage and scratches – it really is that away from home, the 3,000mAh battery included your snapped images turn out
robust. As you’d expect, ports are covered and here will keep you going for more than a day High-power users
we were glad to see the inclusion of a microSD without any problems. A nice feature that we The Snapdragon 210 1.1GHz processor doesn’t cut it for
port sitting alongside the SIM slot for when you sincerely hope some higher end competitors will any demanding tasks
use up the 16GB internal storage. take due notice of.
Display wise, it’s a 4.7-inch IPS LCD offering, The Cat S40 isn’t a device for the mainstream
which is average at best. It caters for the basic Android market, but the niche end of tough and
Verdict
functions with colours washed out, but the sturdy work phones is what it’s looking to cater If you fit into the niche of needing a
ruggedness comes through with the Gorilla Glass for and it does the job quite well. Compared to robust work phone, this is one of the
4 lining on the display. Just below sits a series of its predecessor, the S50, there’s little change,
hardware buttons, useful if your job involves you but if you’re looking for an entry point for a
best you’ll see in 2016
wearing gloves that don’t sit well with capacitive device that lives up to your rough and tumble
buttons, but they feel flimsy to touch. day job, this could be a solid choice for you.
70
Review
71
Reviews Shared computer
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72
Review
Asus Chromebit
CS10
£89.99/$84.99
»More information asus.com
»Supplied by Asus
Technical specs
»Operating system............. Chrome OS
»Processor ................................ Rockchip quad-core RK3288C
processor
Google Drive »Memory..................................... 16GB storage / 2GB RAM, plus
The Chromebit comes with 100GB Google Drive cloud
free 100GB Google Drive storage for two years
storage for two years and your » Dimensions............................ 123 x 31 x 17 mm
ƒNGU CTG CWVQOCVKECNN[ U[PEGF
so you have access to them in
» Weight......................................... 85g
the cloud whenever you need » Connectivity .......................... Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac,
them on any device Bluetooth 4.0
» Expansion slot..................... HDMI out, USB 2.0
considering you still need to pack Bluetooth everyday tasks pretty effortlessly, but that’s what
peripherals. Connecting to your display is as you’re limited to with Chrome OS because the Good for
simple as taking the cap off and plugging it into operating system doesn’t support high Cheap computing
your HDMI port. Depending on your setup, you bandwidth apps like Adobe’s Creative Cloud. For under £100 you can turn any TV or display into a fully-
can take advantage of the foot-long HDMI What you’re getting is effectively tablet fledged Chrome OS machine
extension that comes in the box, to ensure the performance, yet for under £100, you’d struggle Performance
dongle is stable. Once you’re happy that you’re to find a tablet that runs this well. You also get For everyday tasks, like web browsing or email, the
connected properly, follow the set-up instructions 100GB free Google Drive storage for two years Chromebit provides a good solution
on screen and you can’t go wrong. However, it with every new Chromebit. Log into your Google
did take us a few attempts to pair our keyboard account and all your files will be there. So while Bad for
and mouse, and we were continually frustrated you can’t do high-end image editing, you can get Chrome OS
with a regular loss of connection if we moved by with Google Docs, Gmail, Chrome and It may run smoothly, but it is limited in terms of what it can
outside a six-foot perimeter of the dongle. There YouTube. Stretch your needs further and you’ll do. Definitely not an option for big power users
is a mini-USB hub in the box too, so you can use need an alternative machine. Connectivity issues
wired accessories, but that effectively limits you We can certainly see a place for Chromebit in When wireless peripherals are so important, we don’t
just to desktop use. the market. In education, for example, schools expect connections to drop so frequently
For obvious reasons you can’t upgrade the should be ordering them in droves and small
internal components, so you have to make do businesses could really benefit too as a cheap Verdict
with the Rockchip quad-core processor, which is digital signage solution or as a guest-computer
backed up by 2GB RAM and full HD graphics kiosk for hoteliers. It’s in these sectors that We like the implementation, but
capabilities. You might have more raw power in Chromebit provides a valuable solution, not least we’re not sure it’s necessary.
your smartphone, but Chrome OS fires up quickly as a get-out clause for anyone with a low-end, Consumers should look at tablets,
enough and we suffered no lag when performing convoluted Windows 10 machine. However, if you but Chromebit could appeal to
general tasks, such as web browsing and emails. want more of a power-user experience then the
business and education sectors
Video playback was stutter-free too, as was Chromebit just won’t come near it and if you
music streaming. This led us to conclude that want a media centre then you’re better off
the Chromebit is powerful enough to handle buying a Chromecast.
73
Reviews
Moto 360 2015
Does Motorola’s second-edition
Added protection
Both sizes of the second-
generation Moto 360 have a
coating of Gorilla Glass 3 on
their display. It adds protection
to the screen and will prevent
any deep scratches from
appearing on it
revised smartwatch give us the wow
factor that we loved in the original?
For a long time, the Moto 360 was the one Does size
smartwatch that we could really get behind and actually matter?
recommend to readers. In our eyes, it was the The larger 46mm
first well-built, robust and genuinely stylish piece face will certainly split
opinion. Those who
of Android wrist wear that we had come across, crave a bigger screen
but it still had its issues. While the market for will certainly love it,
smartwatches has drastically changed since but it can tend to look
overly big when it’s
then, we can’t help feeling rather excited to see sat on your wrist
what Motorola has included in its second-
generation 360 device.
Customisation has always been at the heart of
the Moto 360 range and that continues here. If
you opt for the base model, you’ll find the design
is nearly identical to the original. That isn’t
necessarily a bad thing, but it still remains
chunky at 11.4mm. What is new is the choice of
size variants, with the 46mm option being one of
the biggest smartwatch screens we’ve seen. It
looks big on the wrist, perhaps too big, but the
smaller 42mm is there for those who want
something daintier. That said, this is a quality
design from top to bottom. It isn’t as fancy as its
competitors, but it feels good and the stainless-
steel chassis offers no flex. We highly
recommend you take the time to consider the
type of strap you purchase if you buy one of
these, as the base Horween-leather strap is a
little flimsy. However, Motorola’s expensive bands
have always been good so you’ll find something
better if you don’t mind splashing the cash.
If you opt for the larger 46mm, you’ll find the
1.56-inch LCD display is the same as the original,
with a slightly smaller 1.37-inch display on the
42mm variant. It’s a highly responsive screen
and the slight protrusion gives better viewing
angles. Motorola has also cleverly adopted the
always-on display mode, so there’s no need to
shake your wrist when you want to view the time
Pixel perfection
There has been a slight bump
in resolution on the device.
Users now get a 360 by 330 px
display compared to the
OK Google
Voice control still plays a big
original 320 by 290 px. Colours
part of the Android Wear
look fairly impressive and
experience and for many, it’ll be
images look sharp
the preferred way to navigate
around the second-generation
Moto 360. You’ll be surprised at
Moto Maker once again lets you fully personalise the what you’ll be able to achieve!
second-generation Moto 360 to your tastes
74
Review
Technical specs
Keep it »Operating system............. Wear OS
customised »Processor ................................ Snapdragon 400
Customisation options 1.2GHz quad-core
are plentiful when it »Memory..................................... 4GB storage / 512MB RAM
comes to picking your
second-generation Moto
»Dimensions............................ 46 x 46 x 11.4 mm / 42 x 42 x
11.4 mm
360. Users are able to
pick a different bezel, »Weight......................................... N/A
case, band and even the »Display size ............................ 1.56-inches / 1.37-inches
default watch face »Display resolution............. 360 x 330 pixels (233 ppi)
360 x 325 pixels (263 ppi)
»Connectivity .......................... Bluetooth 4, Wi-Fi
»Expansion slot..................... N/A
Battery life
A small upgrade to a 400mAh (300mAh on the 42mm
model) hasn’t changed much battery-wise. It’s good, but
still not amazing
Good for
Body tracking
Motor Maker
Moto Maker enables you to craft the perfect wearable
/QVQTQNCŦU QYP ƒVPGUU based on your tastes
tracking software, Moto
Body, takes centre stage The Snapdragon
on the software side. t’s A decent processor enables for a lightning-quick user
largely the same as experience when using apps and moving between menus
Google Fit, but we do
prefer its overall simplicity
Bad for
Being chunky
The larger size will split opinion, but it still remains one of
the chunkier smartwatches on the market
Poor battery life
Battery life hasn’t been improved despite a bigger battery
encased within this watch
Verdict
Better smartwatch competition has
made the Moto 360 no longer the
must-have smartwatch, even if it’s
still a great device
75
Reviews
Bose SoundLink around-ear
Headphones II Lightweight and wireless headphones with
excellent sound quality
Not all headphones are created equal. If you standard headphone jack via an audio cable,
have got used to a life of standard earbuds and although Bose does point out that you won’t get
cheap plastic cans, these Bose beauties will be a all the benefits of the electronic power EQ that
revelation. Even if you are a Beats fan and are runs when they’re charged up.
prepared to invest in the headphones you They can pair with not one, but two Bluetooth If your Bluetooth charge has run out or you want to
purchase, these will teach you a thing or two devices at once – enabling you to answer a call listen to a non-Bluetooth device, you can use a
about quality audio. on your phone while watching videos on your standard headphone jack
Weighing in at just 149g and upholstered with tablet, without having to manually switch devices
sleek, well-padded leather and soft suede, what’s or take off the headphones. And if your device
immediately apparent is just how comfortable has an NFC chip, well, they will even connect to
they are to wear. These are headphones that you that too! Flawless and comfortable performance,
can use for a long time without discomfort. straight out of the box.
That’s borne out by their excellent play time – up » Price £239.95
to 15 hours with a full three-hour charge and two » More information bose.co.uk
hours after a quick 15-minute burst. Even if you
do run out of juice, they can be connected to a
Volume controls
The volume controls sit on
the bottom of the right
headphone, enabling you to
control the volume that goes
into your ears rather than the
volume that comes directly
out of your phone
76
Accessories
Controls
Volume controls and the power
and pairing buttons can be found
on the right – or the top, if you flip
the speaker up the other way
Sound waves
The curved design isn’t just for
the sake of aesthetics. Not only
does it reference the iconic KEF
Muon design, it also helps the
The speaker can sit vertically as well as horizontally – you
sound to carry better can even pair two Muo speakers sitting vertically to get a
dynamic stereo experience
Cable connections
A microUSB charging port and
audio-out jack are tucked away at
the back so that they don’t
detract from the speaker’s looks
77
Apps
YouTube Music When Google recently only does this enable you to listen to
Ad-free music videos and much
more for subscribers
»like this?
try this!
VEVO – WATCH HD MUSIC VIDEOS » Create your own playlists
and browse recommendations, albeit with the odd advert
78
HomeUX While many third-party
Your homescreen has been
completely reimagined
you can place up to five QuickApp
Further options, including app grid
dimensions, are available in the
settings, although some (such as
enabling iOS-style notification
badges) are only unlocked by
purchasing a Pro key (£1.20/$1.49).
launchers offer a fairly shortcuts for favourite apps. Just It’s flexible enough to encompass
similar experience to drag an app icon into the panel and some very different custom
the stock-Android choose a mini icon. There’s also a arrangements. On the downside, we
version, HomeUX aims to provide a floating QuickApp button; while experienced some glitches and
truly different user experience. The tapping this lets you search your crashes, so it still needs a bit of work
first thing you’ll notice is the way apps by default, it can be set to to fulfil its potential.
that the solitary homescreen is split launch any app you like.
into two panels: a top action panel
and a bottom one that replaces the » specification
app drawer; just swipe left or right
to navigate screens full of icons. The
Price Free + IAPs
Designed for: Phone
real difference comes once you Requires Android: 5.0 and up
create some folders – it’s not
immediately obvious how to do this, » verdict
as you need to swipe the top panel Not quite there yet, but has
left to the folders view and then tap great potential as an
the + icon. Since no folders from the Swipe vertically to switch the homescreen alternative launcher
default launcher are carried over, to different folders
you’ll have to set them all up organised, you can easily switch the
manually, choosing a name and a bottom panel between folders by
mini icon (from a bewildering array) swiping vertically.
and then selecting apps – or But what about that top panel?
» like this? try this!
subsequently long pressing a panel Well, it’s a bit like a dock. As well as EverythingMe Launcher
Smart folders and a Prediction bar that
to add the widgets or shortcuts. The containing a clock widget (which it Up to five app shortcuts can be added to the shows apps based on time and location
good news is that once everything is seems can’t be replaced), it’s where top action panel
79
Apps
Apple Music
Yes, you heard that right:
an Apple app
While Apple’s debut
Android app, Move to iOS,
Roundme Since the Roundme iOS
Explore 360-degree panoramas
and immersive stories
camera option, although you can explore an interactive map to find
was an attempt to get app launched in 2014, always use the standard Google Spaces near you or far afield. Tap on
users to switch platforms, Apple over 20,000 Camera app’s Panorama mode to a circle to see a preview picture and
Music is more useful, particularly for photographers have signed up to create a Space. title; tap on that to view the
those already using the music- use the service. Users are able to So the Android app is solely for panorama, using either swipes or
streaming service. Meanwhile, publish interactive 360-degree viewing purposes, but it performs gyroscope motion-sensing to
newcomers benefit from a three- panoramas, known as Spaces, for this role very well, offering a highly explore. It’s an even more immersive
month free trial – after which it costs others to view. It’s disappointing polished experience. Along with a experience if you use a VR headset
£9.99/$9.99 per month. then that unlike its iOS filterable search facility, the main such as Google Cardboard.
As on iOS, you’re prompted to counterpart, the Android app screen offers three tabs: Best, Some locations feature several
select genres and artists you like or lacks an option to upload your Recent and Collections – which sorts panoramas taken from different
dislike, enabling the app to make own panoramas. To do so, you’ll selected Spaces into curated spots, which can be quickly switched
smart suggestions for you to check have to visit the Roundme website collections such as beaches, classic to by tapping floating bubbles.
out on the For You screen – although instead. Nor is there an in-app cars and cemeteries. You can also Panoramas may also feature text
this was hit and miss in our case.
The genre-filterable New screen
offers new music and curated
playlists, or you can search for artists
and songs. Tracks you like can be
added to Playlists and My Music,
which also shows iTunes purchases
and music uploaded to the iCloud
Music Library via iTunes 12.2+. The
Connect feature lets you follow
artists and read blog posts, while
Radio offers genre and mood-based
stations (playlists), plus Apple’s own
Beats One. On the downside, unlike
Google Play Music, the app won’t
play locally-stored music.
Tourist hot spots, such as Venice, provide Zoom in on the map to see more circles Some scenes have floating bubbles; tap
some spectacular scenes – tap one to view the panorama one to view it from that point
Fallout C.H.A.T.
Not quite what it seems use elsewhere. Still, it may offer
some fun for fans, enabling them to
Another spin-off from the exchange messages in classic
Fallout videogame series Vault-Tec style. As well as a standard
arrives, following the Qwerty keyboard, there are four
excellent Fallout Shelter, but it’s not screens’ worth of (over 60)
quite what it seems. At first glance Fallout-themed emoji to add to
we thought it was a new text-chat messages, along with 20 GIF Vault
service, but instead messages are Boy character animations. It’s a
sent in picture form via any other app shame there’s no option to change
in the standard Android sharing the background from the default.
menu. Even then, it seems a strange
design decision to only permit
» Price Free
Based on our likes, the smart » Designed for Phone and tablet
recommendations proved a bit off access via the Fallout C.H.A.T. app » Requires Android 4.2 and up
itself and not offer a more
» Price Free
» Designed for Phone convenient keyboard extension to
» Requires Android 4.3 and up
»like this?
try this!
KANVAS KEYBOARD » This replacement keyboard lets you quickly
send custom messages with photos or GIFs
Add emoji or a GIF to your message, which is
shared as a picture
80
quickhits
f
descriptions and technical
information. A social aspect lets you
add comments and likes.
While not all the Spaces are that
picturesque – there are even some
of toilets – many are truly
spectacular to see, enabling you to
become a virtual tourist on a
round-the-world trip of a lifetime. You
can even visit other worlds thanks to
a few panoramas from games such
as Star Conflict!
One thing we’d like to see is an
option to download panoramas for
offline use, but the developer is still
working on that one.
» specification
Price Free
Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 4.1 and up
» verdict Movies by
Performance Flixster Free
This multifunctional app lets
Design 2 hour wonder you browse the top movies and DVDs,
view trailers, find showtimes at local
Value Want your money back? You’ve cinemas, read Rotten Tomatoes reviews,
got 120 minutes to decide! manage your Netflix queue and stream
No upload facility, but it’s your Ultraviolet collection.
still great for exploring all ! 40 »0-40 minutes
Some amazing panoramas
120 80
sorts of locations from around the globe
IMDb Movies &
! 40 »40-80 minutes TV Free
There’s no option to create or
120 80 Take 360-degree With its vast database, IMDb
upload your own
tours of the world is the go-to app for finding anything out
» like this? try this! ! 40 »80-120 minutes from your phone about films (and TV shows), including full
It’s great fun to explore a cast lists, trailers, plot lines, trivia,
Google Street View 120 80
wide variety of scenes photos, goofs, reviews and user ratings.
Explore countless 360-degree photo
spheres, or create and upload your own
keep refund
My Movies Pro
£4.99/$6.99
ArrowLauncher
Microsoft Garage’s
A simplified launcher
activities (plus five recently used
Got a large movie collection
and find it hard to keep track
of exactly what you own? This is a good
app that will help you to catalogue it all,
sync the info between devices and share
simplified launcher apps along the top). Interestingly, it with friends.
automatically places your there’s a wraparound feature so you
most used apps on the main apps can swipe endlessly through them,
homescreen. However, to start with which works better than the usual
Netflix Free
it asks you to select at least nine end-to-end arrangement. By long While some streaming
favourite apps to put there. You can pressing the background, you can services are restricted to
also pull up the bottom of the screen also opt to hide screens and enable North America, Netflix is universally
available and lets subscribers watch a
for extra apps and quick settings – two others: Widgets (the only place large library of films (if not the latest
rather superfluous since they’re still you can put them) and a handy Notes releases) and TV shows.
accessible from the top-right corner. & Reminders page.
Instead of multiple homescreens
to place apps and widgets how you
» Price Free RunPee Free
» Designed for Phone If you need to take a
like, there’s just the one for apps, » Requires Android 4.0.3 and up bathroom break mid-film, but
with others for People (with calls, don’t want to miss a vital
messages and emails) and Recent scene, RunPee tells you the best times
to go for it and also provides a synopsis
of what you’ve missed!
The main apps screen has a pull-up pane for »like this?
try this!
SCOUT LAUNCHER » This smart launcher learns your habits and
lets you set up homescreens for app categories
quick settings and extra apps
TRIPADVISOR
vs
Checking out user reviews is a surefire
way to guarantee that you’re eating in a
top restaurant, staying in a reliable
hotel or visiting a worthwhile landmark.
» specification But while TripAdvisor and » specification
Price Free Yelp are great at offering Price Free
Designed for: Phone and tablet this service, which one Designed for: Phone and tablet
Requires Android: Varies with device comes out on top? Requires Android: Varies with device
TripAdvisor Yelp
TripAdvisor’s core The type of places that you
categories are concise, but can search for in Yelp are far
include a wealth of listings superior to TripAdvisor, but
within each. For something SEARCH SYSTEM each category does sadly
more specific, make sure to include fewer options for the
use the search bar. users to look through.
And the winner is... Despite both apps having plenty of similarities, it was the more
TRIPADVISOR thorough review creation tool in TripAdvisor that put it slightly ahead of
Yelp. At their core, these apps are based around their users and
TripAdvisor is generally better at dealing with its audience than Yelp.
82
From the makers of
Samsung
GalaxyThe Complete Manual
No matter what Galaxy device you have, this book will help you
get the most from your phone or tablet. Packed with easy-to-
follow guides to all the essential features, functions and apps,
h l ou master your Galaxy.
Also available…
84 »twitter @lgrobot
quickhits
Don’t miss out
Starific – Endless Reactor Endless action and
chain reactions
Resembling a radial along with a wide variety of
version of the classic power-up effects, including a split
Breakout, Starific is an paddle, multiple stars and score
intense and endless arcade game multipliers. There are also quests to
requiring fast reactions to keep complete, such as collecting a
your shooting star in play. At least, certain number of bombs. Money
that’s the case at first, in the earned (including from watching
default Arcade mode. Later on video ads) can be spent on prize
you’ll unlock extra modes – wheel spins in the game to unlock
including Moves, which involves a more items, including a vast range
more strategic style of play. of colour themes.
Since each octagonal arena is The game is highly customisable
generated procedurally, it’s too, with options for difficulty, arena
different every time you play. And size and controls. With stylish visuals Beneath The
with your star making rapid accompanied by an impressive Lighthouse Free + IAP
changes in direction whenever it electronic soundtrack, it all adds up Rotate mazes to get a boy to the
encounters a block, you need to to a stellar experience. exit; it sounds simple, yet is anything but.
As well as avoiding deadly spikes, you
stay alert and position your need to beat a timer to win medals. Ads
rotating exterior paddle
» Price Free are annoying, but removable via an IAP.
» Designed for Phone and tablet
accordingly to knock it back into » Requires Android 2.3 and up
the arena. Adding interest are
Move your paddle around the outside and
bombs that start chain reactions, collect the power-ups Target Number
Free + IAPs
Using four operations, you need
Word²
to reach the target within a time limit
using swipe controls. While most sums
are fairly easy to solve, the challenge lies
in using fewer moves to earn stars.
Unscramble acrostic grids
This unusual word-based puzzler involves
unscrambling a grid In Between
of letters to form a £0.89/$0.99
Hand-drawn backdrops add to
perfect acrostic square, with the atmosphere in this gravity-defying
the same words going across platformer, where the hero can walk and
and down. It starts off easily fall in four directions. The brutal difficulty
Move emergency vehicles around to level may cause frustration though.
enough, with simple nudge the baddies off the screen
three-by-three grids, but the
difficulty is gradually ramped
up as you progress to larger Car Toons
Clearing the road
Lost Echo £2.38/$2.99
This old-fashioned point-and-
ones, eventually tackling click adventure features some
six-by-six grid squares. There This weird physics-based puzzler requires you to really smart visuals, plenty of puzzles
and an intriguing storyline. Greg is
are 80 puzzles in total, plus knock the bad cars off the screen while keeping hunting for his girlfriend who no one else
seven-by-seven grids coming the emergency vehicles safe and parking them can remember. Hmm…
soon, so there’s plenty to in their spaces. While the main method involves shunting
keep you busy. Correct words are highlighted baddies off ledges, parts of the scenery can also be used,
once they are arranged
We came up with a horizontally and vertically including vanishing platforms, switches, rotating hammers Dead Effect 2
letter-counting tactic, since and good old explosive red barrels. It starts off easy, but Free + IAPs
any odd letters must go in the top-left to bottom-right the difficulty level is gradually ramped up through over 100 Stuck on a zombie-infested
spaceship, your super-soldier must fight
diagonal. In addition, highlighted given letters on some stages. To help you out, some stages offer a limited his way out. If you can ignore the dodgy
grids help, as does the overall symmetrical pattern. On number of special powers to use: the police car turns 180 storyline, it’s a pretty playable shooter
later puzzles, however, we often had to resort to using degrees, the ambulance jumps and the fire engine has a with good graphics and okay controls.
hints (given letters) and clues (word definitions) to even rocket boost. Often, you’ll need to discover the correct
get started. However, only a limited number of each type order for moves and get the timing right to succeed. If you
can be used, after which an IAP (£0.78/$0.99) is required get stuck, you can skip a stage by using a tow truck – Crimsonland
to unlock more – a bit cheeky in a paid app. available via IAP or from watching video ads. £6.49/$9.99
A reboot of the classic 2003
» Price £0.79/$0.99 + IAPs Xbox game, this twin-stick shooter
» Price Free + IAPs features a huge arsenal of weapons to
» Designed for Phone and tablet » Designed for Phone and tablet unlock. You’ll need them to survive the
» Requires Android 2.3.3 and up » Requires Android 3.2 and up often-insane onslaught of creatures.
86
quickhits
top games for...
tower
defence
Kingdom Rush
Free + IAP
The Kingdom Rush series –
also including Origins and Frontier – is
long established as one of the best in
the tower defence genre, boasting large
maps, varied towers and intense battles.
» specification
Price Free + IAPs
Designed for Phone and tablet
Requires Android 4.0 and up
2 hour wonder
Want your money back?
» verdict You’ve got 2 hours to decide!
Defense Zone 2
Performance ! 40 »0-40 minutes
120 80
It’s a lot easier to get into HD $2.34/$2.99
than most MOBAs Eschewing the typical
Design free-to-play model, with no IAPs, it also
! 40 »40-80 minutes Destroy enemy towers and push the
employs refreshingly realistic graphics.
Value 120 80
The short time limit hurries orb towards the enemy base
The difficulty level is ramped up brutally,
battles along a bit but if you want a good challenge, this is it.
A simplified MOBA that
actually works really well on ! 40 »80-120 minutes » like this? try this!
the mobile platform 120 80
The IAPs are quite expensive,
Vainglory This slightly more
but at least not obligatory
sophisticated MOBA features a more Plants vs
keep refund complex arena and longer matches Zombies 2
Free + IAPs
Not your average TD games, both PvZ
titles are great fun as you plant seeds to
88
Buyer’s Guide
TOP 10 SUPER SMARTPHONES THE BEST FLAGSHIP AND MID-RANGE
ANDROID PHONES ON THE MARKET
1
Samsung Galaxy S6 £479
Samsung has come out fighting after the humdrum response to the S5, with this stunning handset
made entirely of metal and glass. Samsung has had to sacrifice microSD support and a removable
battery to make it so thin and light to hold, but it offers a 16MP camera, wireless and superfast See issue 52
charging, an improved fingerprint scanner and a benchmark-beating processor instead.
Nexus 6P £449
2 Finally, we have a Nexus that is truly a device without compromise – a worthy flagship for Android
heading into 2016. The camera is one of the best in the business, while the beautiful screen could
truly see the end of your tablet use. Even the 64GB model represents a real bargain. See issue 58
LG G4 £372
3 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 bright and
crisp images that offer vivid colours, while its 200GB microSD port offers lots of extra storage. See issue 52
HTC A9 £449
8 The M9 remains a great device, but the A9 feels like a change in direction for HTC. Taking on board
criticisms of its flagship device, HTC has kitted the A9 with bleeding-edge specs and even shipped it
with Android Marshmallow. As you’d expect, the build quality is of the highest order. See issue 58
89
Buyer’s Guide
TOP 10 BUDGET BUYS IF YOU’RE SHOPPING FOR A SMARTPHONE ON A SHOESTRING, CHECK
OUT THESE LOW-COST MOBILE MUST-HAVES
1
Vodafone Smart ultra 6 £115
Our newly crowned best budget phone in the world marries excellent specs and a smooth user
experience to topple the ZTE Blade S6 back into second place. We love this phone’s octa-core
processor, 1080p screen and 2GB RAM – specs you’d expect to see in a premium handset. Throw in See issue 56
the fact it looks good and the cameras work brilliantly, and you’ve got a serious bargain.
Honor 4X £148.86
9 The biggest and best of the mid-range Honor phones, the 5.5-inch Honor 4X has a lot going for it,
including a 13MP camera, off-brand octa-core processor and 4G connectivity. However, you pay for the
high specs at a low cost in other areas: it only runs Android 4.4 KitKat and has a mediocre screen. See issue 53
In case you missed it… Games not to miss Read more in issue 58
SirVival Beacon 38 Swords & Crossbones A Moon for the Sky
WINNER » Price Free + IAPs » Price £2.29/$2.99 » Price Free
» Price £2.99/$4.99
This side-scrolling Navigate your tiny Ahoy there, a The interesting
runner casts you as a scout spaceship turn-based tactical gameplay mechanic
brave knight riding on through a dangerous RPG without the usual sees you drawing elastic
horseback, avoiding alien world using freemium model! lines to repeatedly
hazards and bashing enemies using sonar pinging to detect hazards in Build up your pirate island and go bounce a moon up through vertical
a comic lance tipped with a big red your way. It’s a unique gameplay on ocean voyages with your crazy stages. It takes a while to get the
boxing glove. It’s good fun with cool mechanic and the art-deco visual crew in this enjoyable madcap hang of the controls, but it eventually
cutesy visuals and also features style is captivating. There’s a adventure. The comedy comes proves quite addictive. Pretty
NPC races and a crafting system. definite sense of peril, though. straight from Monkey Island. graphics enhance the experience.
90
Buyer’s Guide
TOP 10 BEST TABLETS WHETHER YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A SEVEN OR TEN-INCH DISPLAY,
THESE ARE THE TOP TABLETS AVAILABLE ON ANDROID
1 £505
Sony’s lightest and brightest tablet ever, the Z4 has made us fall back in love with the 10-inch tablet
when the Nexus 10 left us cold. With a clip-on keyboard and Microsoft apps bundled in, it is a top
tablet for when you want to set up a mobile office. But all work and no play makes for a dull device, so
the Z4 also supports PlayStation Remote Play and has a crisp 2K display screen, a Snapdragon 810 See issue 54
processor and 3GB RAM to ensure it can keep up with console-quality frame rates.
NEVER MISS AN
ISSUE OF ANDROID
MAGAZINE
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check out our great w
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91
DroidSupport
»troubleshooting advice »hints and tips
»Gotemail an expert
Lockscreen errors
an Android-
related 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
are drivingme mad
»facebook
/littlegreenrobot
“Help! I keep seeing ‘process.motorola.process.
Like us on Facebook and join
in our Android community system’ appear on my Moto G and no matter what I
»twitter
@lgrobot
try, I have been unable to stop it from popping up. I
Follow us on Twitter to send
your thoughts and questions have removed recently installed apps and also tried
rebooting each time it appears, but still it comes
back to ruin my day!” Martha Bowles
Hi Martha. This Time change, you may want to computers were not so long
A problem is somewhat
common and the
try this trick again and see if it
res d time. When
ago, it is more surprising that
more errors like this do not pop
solution for it is very easy. Why it you up for many Android users, but
happens we cannot answer, An eem to have an
You can customise the way the LED solution we will offer works, but
notifications present themselves on your
Android using an app called Light Flow it does. If the message pops up
- LED & Notifications. You can change the on the lockscreen, you should
colours for events, adjust the vibration see a Force Close option that you
and also customise the patterns
can tap to carry on booting the
device, at which point you need
to go to Settings. Look for the
Date & time option and then tap
it. Now make sure that Automatic
date & time and Automatic time
zone are disabled, by tapping
each of them accordingly. Now
tap Select time zone and then
choose a random city that is
different to the one you would
normally use. Finally, switch t
two Automatic settings on aga
and the problem should go aw
One area that we believe ma
cause the problem is when
Daylight Savings Time cha
and it appears that this m
cause corruption in the ti
database of some devices
s purely a guess of cours
f it comes back the next
here is a Daylight Savin
s to problems can appear in
ely of places
92
»facebook »email
DroidSupport
Ask your questions
Got a problem with your Android phone or tablet? /littlegreenrobot qa@littlegreenrobot.co.uk
Get help from our Send your questions for our team of
Send it to us and we’ll find the solution Facebook community experts to tackle
hints&tips Push emails and disable notifications with our handy hints
Manually receive emails Stop unwanted app alerts Stop Wi-Fi pop-ups
2 3
One of the best ways to manually receive Some apps will bombard you with unwanted If you have a sporadic Wi-Fi connection
emails is to download Blue Mail from notifications, but they are easy to stop. Long and keep seeing connection notifications,
It lets you set up your inbox in press any notification, tap the i button and you can go to Wi-Fi settings>Advanced,
to replace the then choose Block to stop them. You can also where there’s an option called Network
delete the app if the alerts are an intrusion. notification. Disable it to stop the alerts.
93
DroidSupport
Why can’t I shortcut option in Settings that
enables you to add your own Can I turn a
send words. When you do so, you can
also set up keyboard shortcuts in
phone into a
profanities? your personal dictionary so that
you can say anything you like by
tapping just a couple of keys. computer?
Often I am finding that my
smartphone auto-corrects This may sound like a hassle, but
I would like to turn my old
profanities when I send text once you have got used to how it
works it will actually save you
Samsung phone into a basic
messages or even emails. At times
this can really get in the way of a time. For text messages, you can computer for use at home. I
funny conversation. Any ideas how I also look at an app called Textra know it sounds like a strange
can get around this? SMS, available from the Google request, but part of me likes
Warren Smith Play store, which uses its own the idea of experimenting to
set of rules. In tests we have see how effective such a
Hi Warren. There are found that you can type almost setup would be and I am
A two ways to get around
this and as we are not
any word you like with ease. genuinely curious as to
whether this could work. Any
prudes, we are happy to help you
spice up your conversations. You Is it possible You can easily record both sides of a phone
conversation, just don’t share the recording
pointers to get me started?
Jeremy McDonald
can first look for the keyboard
to record a it orks for you before you buy Hi Jeremy We can see
Magazine team
Editor April Madden
april.madden@imagine-publishing.co.uk
01202 586218
Production Editor Adele Jordan
Features Editor Oliver Hill
Senior Designer Adam Markiewicz
Photographer James Sheppard
Senior Art Editor Andy Downes
Editor in Chief Dan Hutchinson
Publishing Director Aaron Asadi
Head of Design Ross Andrews
Contributors
Andy Betts, Christian Cawley, Phil King, Shaun McGill, Philip
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5 The best solution of all? 6 A very simple solution Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
© Imagine Publishing Ltd 2016
ISSN 2047-1580
Perhaps the best compromise of all is an If you are happy with the screen size of your
app called AirDroid, which is designed to let you Android, a Bluetooth keyboard with a slot that fits
access all of the important parts of your Android the device will offer a PC-like experience without
device from a desktop. It can actually make a Mac setting up software and attaching peripherals. It’s
or PC feel like it has Android OS running on it and it not ideal for pushing the PC/Android experiment,
is extremely reliable and fun to use. but it may work better for most people.
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98
Turn on your
imagination
Paint with light
Turn your everyday lighting into an extraordinary experience.
Play with coloárs or sync lights with your music, TV and games for an
immersive effect. The possibilities are endless once you start exploring.
And with hundreds of apps to choose from,
Sync lights with
the only real limit is your imagination.
music and movies