An Android Guide

Having switched from an iPhone to an Android smartphone (specifically, Google's Nexus One), I would like to provide this guide on how to get the best usage out of an Android phone. One problem is that there are numerous Android phones - each with their own peculiarity and each with different versions of the Android operating system on them. This makes it quite difficult to provide a guide for all Android phones. All the more so, as I only have one phone to test. Therefore, this guide should be taken as general advice. I think most of the advice will be applicable to many of the Android phone, particularly the more recent ones (Evo, Incredible, Droid, etc.).

1. Power management
Power management is the most critical concern for any Android owner. Because the Android can operate several programs simultaneously, the battery will get drained rather quickly. If your phone came with an app (widget) for turning on/off various functions provided by your phone, be sure to learn how to use it. If it didn't come pre-installed, there are numerous applications in The Market that provide this functionality. Basically, if you don't need WIFI, turn it off. Same with Bluetooth, GPS, etc. Turn them on as you need them. Some applications will tell you that you need to turn such service(s) in order to function.
Don't use the Active Desktops. Those massively drain your battery! And I have read that darker Desktops save on power.
One other application that you must have is Advanced Task Killer. This will allow you to terminate (kill) those applications that are running in the background. Depending on the application, this can really help in conserving power.

2. WiFi management
The one annoying feature of my device is that it puts the WiFi to sleep, whenever the screen of off and never reconnects the WiFi, when the screen is on. Apparently, this was to save on power. 
Well, someone written an app to overcome that - WiFi Keep Alive.

3. Bluetooth Music
What a disappointment! One thing I was really looking forward to was listening to music through Bluetooth stereo headphones. It works, but not too well. Depending on the location of the phone, the music can breakup a lot and will even speed up to catch up and then slow down to return to its proper tempo. I have found that wearing the phone on my arm or leaving it stationary in a car in front of me seems to be the best experience. 
HOWEVER! It turns out that part of the problem is that the bluetooth software uses two methods for transmitting speech and music. The two method or protocols end up fighting with one other for priority (I guess). So, if you go into the settings for your bluetooth headphones and uncheck the telephone option, then the experience is much better. Unfortunately, should you get a call, you have to revert to picking up the phone. 
This problem has existed for a long time and I'm very surprised that Google has not addressed it.

4. Must-Have Applications

>>Antivirus - yeh, that's the name of the application and I have to assume it does in fact add a level of AV protection to your phone. This is particularly important if you install applications that aren't in The Market (although that in itself is not a 100% guarantee of the application being clean).

>>Chrome to Phone - (Froyo only!) If you use the Chrome Web Browser you can install this extension to Chrome and the application on your phone. Then when browsing in Chrome, you can send links, directions and applications to your phone. Depending on how you set the application up on your phone, the sent item can open up automatically on your phone.
I don't think these two applications are available in The Market, but you can get it from Google at: http://code.google.com/p/chrometophone/downloads/list

>>Adobe Flash - (Froyo only!) Yes! You can do Flash on a phone!

5. Froyo
Since I've mention Froyo a couple of times, this would seem to be the moment to address Froyo. Froyo is the name of the latest version of the Android operating system (version 2.2). The Nexus One and Droids were some of the first phones to get the new operating system. Although Google and the various phone developers are working to get Froyo to many of the other phones, it will not be available for many of the older Android devices. They simply do not have the processing power. To find out whether your phone will get the Froyo update, you can go to the following website:
http://blogs.computerworld.com/16310/android_22_upgrade_list

6. Application/Memory Management
I think most Android phones use an additional memory card. This means there is the primary memory built into the phone. Until Froyo all applications were installed into the primary memory. So, you could get into the situation where you don't have enough free memory on your phone, although your memory card is practically empty. As of Froyo, however, you can install those applications that have been written to permit it onto the memory card. In order to do this, you have to go into the Settings under Application Management and individual open the properties for each program and tell those programs that have the option to be installed onto the memory card.
As a side note, and I believe this to also be only in Froyo, but you can also tag an option for each individual application so that they update automatically.


If you have an Android phone, or something about your phone that you wish to share, let me know and maybe I'll include it in a future newsletter.