The long awaited lost phone tracker for Android is finally here. This simple browser based solution allows users to locate Android devices registered to their Google accounts. Going over to the Android Device Manager page will locate the misplaced phone accurate to a couple of meters, depending on location.
Continue reading Track your lost device with Android Device Manager
While pinch-to-zoom is a really simple and intuitive gesture, it’s awkward to do while holding your device with one hand. This little known alternative lets you zoom in and out with just one finger on the screen. Double tap, slide up to zoom in, down to zoom out.
Super useful when navigating unfamiliar territory with your hands full. This simple gesture will likely save your phone from hitting the pavement, and it appears to be working on both Android and iOS versions on Google Maps. Continue reading Zooming in Google Maps with one finger
Got a favorite webapp or website you’re constantly checking on your Android device? You can pin it to your homescreen, and it will appear just as any other native app. This allows quick launching with a single tap.
In this example we will pin this Checklist webapp to the homescreen on Android 4.1 with Chrome, but the process will be similar on different versions as well. The main idea is to create a bookmark to the URL, and add the bookmark to the homescreen.
Continue reading How to pin a webapp/website to Android homescreen
Android Beam is the NFC based sharing feature introduced in 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich that allowed the sharing of contacts, web links, directions, and other small pieces of information by tapping two NFC equipped devices back to back.
One of the more subtle improvements of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is the ability to share photos and videos between Android 4.1 devices. Open a photo or video in the Gallery app, and hold your device to the back of another 4.1 device, and you will see the Beam animation, then tap to beam. You will notice that it will instantly initiate a Bluetooth file transfer between the two devices (without the need for pairing beforehand).
Continue reading Use Android Beam to share photos/videos between devices