5 Tips for Android's Ice Cream Sandwich

The latest version of the Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), combines both the phone and tablet operating systems. Not only does it help with compatibility on all Android devices, but it also offers some new features as well. Here are 5 tips for the new Android ICS operating system.
Voice Commands - Everyone knows about Siri with Apple, but Android has actually had voice commands for quite awhile. Voice Actions let you call friends, send emails, get directions, set alarms, and perform several other common tasks by simply speaking into your phone. To activate Voice Action commands, tap on the microphone that appears in the search bar on the top of your home screen. Then speak the command into the phone.
Swipe to Close Apps - Android 4.0 offers a new and intuitive way to close apps that are running on your device. Tap on the multi-task button on your device and you will see a list of all running apps. To close an app, simply swipe the icon for that app to the left or right.

Browser Tips - The stock web browser that comes with ICS is actually quite good and is a big improvement over previous stock Android web browsers. With the browser open, long press on the back button to bring up your Bookmarks, History, and Saved Pages. Saved pages are especially convenient because you can view them offline.
Also, add Quick Controls to give you more space for your browser and easy access to your browser controls. Open the default web browser and tap on Menu > Settings > Labs > Quick Controls. Now simply slide your finger from the left or right edge of the screen to bring up a quick control panel. Here you can access the tabs you have open, the URL bar, and menu.
Notification Bar - In ICS, there are a few new features involving the notification bar. First, you are now able to access the notification bar from your lock screen. When you get a notification, you can swipe down on the notification bar without unlocking your phone. This will save you a couple seconds each time.
Also, you now have the ability to dismiss a notification with a swipe of your finger. When a notification appears in the bar, simply swipe your finger left or right to dismiss it.

Take a Screenshot - Unlike with the iPhone, taking a screenshot with an Android phone was not an easy task. Previously with Android, in order to take a screen shot on your phone, you would need to root your phone and then install a separate application in order to capture the screenshot. Now with ICS, you can easily take a screenshot by holding down the Power button and Volume Down button. You can find the screenshots in the gallery on your device.
This list contains just 5 of the cool new tricks with Android's newest operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich. Google is currently in the process of rolling out ICS to several Android devices.

Android Forking From the Linux Kernel

Google's Android operating system originally designed for phones and eventually tablets and netbooks has broken off of the mainstream Linux kernel. There are enough changes that are being made that Android has "forked" the kernel and aren't using the most up to date Linux kernel with no real indication that Android ever will be. What does this mean for the future of Android and Linux working together?
A fork happens quite a bit with open source software. Everyone has access to the code. At some point in time one group moves in one direction with the code while another group does something else. The intention is generally to stay together but at times for various reasons this does not happen.
While it is nice that Google picked to use Linux as the base, it doesn't seem that their intentions were to contribute to the kernel over the long term and develop with the Linux community. It seems that previous version of Linux was just a good starting point for their project to build the basic operating system on.
This means that as of right now it doesn't look like Android and Linux will be working together. There still are applications that can be shared and possibly drivers, but Google is large enough to pave it's own path if need be with enough programmers to patch up any issues as time goes on.
It should be expected that this would happen eventually because Android doesn't really need many of the kernel updates since it's currently running on very limited hardware.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3695119

Protect Your Android Phone Against Viruses

The phenomenal growth of Google Android has in part, been due to open nature of the Android Applications Market. Google provides little vetting for third party developers, looking to promote and sell app's, meaning the number of applications available has grown very quickly. This has also made it vulnerable to hackers pushing malware and viruses. We look a few known malware types, currently targeting Android devices.
SW.SecurePhone (virus) collects data and personal information then sends it to a remote server for 'harvesting' by hackers. Most of these viruses only result in annoying adware and unsolicited spam emails rather than cleared out bank accounts. However, in the wrong hands it could be disastrous and serious threat to your personal 'wealth and safety'. Like most viruses, it runs in the background without any icon being displayed, making it very difficult to remove. Windows users will be more than familiar with this annoying problem, as the operating system is highly vunerable to attacks.
Most malware runs after users unwittingly install, it after downloading external software. The exact sources have not been reported, but the Android Market may well have been compromised. Remember, only download applications from trusted sources and be sure to analyse the developer information before downloading. Often comments and reviews are bogus, so do your own research first.
Soundminer is another malware that asks permission to access the handset's microphone, under the guise of some innocent service. It then records calls and applies a pattern analysis coder capable of 'predicting' the likely content of a voice call. Valuable calls with automated bank systems for example, are recorded and given a hackers 'value rating'. This applies to the data spoken and input into the phone, via the keypad.
When the rating is high enough, the malware sends it to a distant server for analysis and possible action. It is simply a case of collating enough data and putting it together in the right context. The open nature of theAndroidphone Market and the granting of access to third party operators, has been criticised for not being secure enough. Summary Google seem to have a fairly relaxed approach to vetting developers and their products.

Just offering a disclaimer about 3rd party apps will not endear them to customers facing serious malware issues. They need to take responsibility and work at making key products like Gmail secure, as this is typically where viruses and malware strike. Apple has no known viruses and the malware is very tame in comparison to the Android or its dreaded PC cousin. Try and use complex passwords, that use numbers and letters, where possible and keep an eye out for virus announcements, it is ultimatley upto you to stay safe online.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6686706

Designing Websites for Tablets - The Mobile Design Challenge

Up until recently, mobile website designers just had to worry about what their applications would look like on small-screened phones and other mobile devices. But with more and more types and sizes of tablets entering the market, mobile designers are finding themselves at a loss.
What happens when a traditional phone application gets displayed on a large screen tablet? The viewer sees lots of empty space and sparse content. And likely won't remain on the site for very long.
To fix that and keep visual interest in the application, Mobile Tuts+ recommended having a ListView on the left side of the screen and a details view on the right side. Use WebView to update the content.
Size and resolution also factors in to design for tablets. The Android operating system can dynamically load resources based on lists of device criteria. Have layouts available for small, medium and large screens.
There are four basic screen according to Android Developers:
• Xlarge screens at least 960dp x 720dp
• Large screens at least 640dp x 480dp
• Normal screens at least 470dp x 320dp
• Small screens at least 426dp x 320dp
Android Developers recommended providing alternative layouts for the different sizes, although the operating system will resize a layout too, so there's no need to design different layouts for each screen size.
When it comes to designing mobile sites that will look good regardless of what type of mobile device a viewer sees it on, keep it simple is the mantra of Developer.com.
Keep screens streamlined and free from clutter to make sure buttons and other touch controls are an adequate size. The site also recommends using flexible layout controls that adjust to screen size, including RelativeLayout and LinearLayout.
Try to keep in mind the people who will be viewing the mobile content. Even the best thought-out mobile plans can go awry and cause users to drift away from the site.
Mobile devices aren't just another ways to reach customers, but are a way to engage them, said Tom Wentworth of Mashable. The gadgets are the most important innovation since the introduction of the computer mouse.
A smartphone user is transaction-oriented and will expect a more no-frills interface -- so stay away from using a lot of Flash and complex sites. Tablet users are looking for more of an experience that could include video, images and other content, but keep the tablet websites easy to navigate.

Betsy is a freelance writer in the UK and Tel Aviv. She specializes in writing creative copy for web, print, film, mobile devices and http://www.Wix.com. Wix is a free mobile website builder mobile website builder that lets users create and customize mobile websites with drag & drop - no coding is required.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6680968