Tips for Android users Who are Beginners

Tips for Android users Who are Beginners-Customisation is one of the key benefits of buying into the Android platform. There's a lot you can do with your phone to make it your own. So, if you're not using your equipment to the maximum of its potential, here are a few tips for getting a little more on that front. Remember, press and hold anywhere on your desktop to get started.


Widgets

You’ve got plenty of desktop space. You might as well use it for something. Now widgets do drain battery, CPU usage and data in some cases as well, so the message is to pick and choose carefully. Fortunately, there are oodles of them out there to pour through and you’ll very quickly work out which will be good for you. You can download specific widgets from the Andoid Market, find some that come with your UI as standard and others which are actually part of apps that you’re already downloaded to your device.




Wallpaper

Ok, so live wallpapers can slow your experience down (see 29) but they're certainly not a no-no. Head into the Android Market and you can find all sorts of interesting ones to download which sometimes offer up to the minute interesting bits of information as well as a pretty background for you desktop. Of course, you can always just use a still image including snaps you've taken yourself. Hit the Menu key, head to Wallpapers and have a dig around.

Change your dock

Pretty much all Android phones come with a dock of icons which sit at the bottom of your screen whenever you're outside an application. The good thing is that, in some cases, you can switch items in and out of this. There's no play on straight Android Nexus phones or Sense but it is possible on Samsung's TouchWiz interface, and other heavier UIs, by heading into the app grid, pressing the Menu key and then hitting Edit. You'll have to remove an icon from the dock before you add another one of the apps by dragging it down into position.

Screen lock

Your phone is a gold mine of information, so look after it, eh? Head to the Settings menu, select Location and Security section and set up your personal screen lock pattern. Not only does it work rather nicely but it looks pretty futuristic as well. Just don’t pick the G pattern. It’s a little obvious.


Shortcuts to the web

Not every website has an app but a good way of making a version of it yourself is by creating a desktop shortcut for a page which you can click directly from your homescreen. For example a few us here at Pocket-lint are keen football fans and there's no football fan without the Newsnow page bookmarked on their browser. There's no Newsnow app for Android or iOS but one click of the shortcut launches the phone's browser and takes you straight through to the news portal. It'll work for any web page you choose.

Shortcuts to your apps

Of course, some of your favourite websites and services do have apps and you've probably already downloaded these from the Android Market. Whichever ones you find yourself using most often are worth dragging onto your homescreen which will give you one touch access rather than having to go into the app grid and find them from there. All you need to do to set it up is head into the app launcher, press and hold on the icon of the app you'd like to move and you'll be able to drag and drop it wherever you like.

Shortcuts to your contacts

So, we have the web and we've had apps but just as useful are shortcuts to your contacts. Chances are that there is a special someone in your life who you call or text most often, so head into the Shortcuts menu and plonk a direct dial or direct message icon for them on your homepage. That'll probably save you at least five clicks a day.

Homescreens

There are a lot of homescreens on your Android desktop. Use them. You don't have to fill every single bit of space until you can't see your wallpaper but it might be worth allocating a different function to each one. You could have one screen for your audio applications with radio, podcast, MP3 player and music recognition items; one for your imaging with shortcuts to your camera, gallery and a photo widget; and perhaps one for all your social networking or whatever else you use your smartphone for. Just an idea.

Folders

Six desktops or not, it's easy to get your homescreens clogged up with icons, widgets and shortcuts. That's what folders are for. As with shortcuts, widgets and wallpapers, you can set these up by pressing and holding anywhere on a blank section of your desktop until the customisation tools menu pops up. It might be worth creating folders for your web shortcuts or even your most used apps. You can put anything in them. Just don't forget to label them.

source:http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/40615/78-android-tips-beginners-set-up