How to Choose an Android Phone: 14 Steps (with Pictures)

Google’s Android mobile operating system is an open-source platform that can be licensed and used by any smartphone or tablet manufacturer. This is the reason there are countless new Android-based devices hitting the marketing at a breakneck pace. This article will provide you with insight into choosing an Android phone that best suits your needs.
STEPS
METHOD 1 OF 2: SELECT A CARRIER AND DEVICE

1

SELECT A CELLULAR CARRIER THAT IS CURRENTLY CARRYING ANDROID PHONES. Some carriers may have a carrier-specific version of Android, which could ultimately impact your decision.

2

DECIDE BETWEEN A MULTI-TOUCH DISPLAY, A TRADITIONAL PHYSICAL QWERTY KEYBOARD, OR A HYBRID; THIS WILL GREATLY NARROW DOWN YOUR SEARCH.

3

DECIDE ON THE SIZE AND QUALITY OF THE SCREEN. Four inches has become the norm for multi-touch screens on smartphones, though they can go as big as five inches and as small as three. If you plan on watching HD video, 1280 x 720 (720p), is ideal. Any lower than that and the screen will be more pixelated and worse. Avoid lower than

3

20 x 480 resolution.

4

CHOOSING A PHONE WITH THE TECHNOLOGY YOU REQUIRE IS KEY. For example, if you would like to take high quality pictures, a device with a high mega-pixel camera is ideal. Likewise, if you’d like to use specific third-party peripherals, Bluetooth technology or integrated ports may be necessary.

5

CONSIDER THE MEMORY CAPACITY. Those that want to store music, videos, photos, and other files on their device will require higher internal memory storage or the ability to add expandable memory storage.

6

CONSIDER THE CPU (OR PROCESSOR) THAT THE PHONE RUNS ON. This is very important, as a higher CPU operating frequency allows you to do heavier multitasking and assures quicker global phone responsiveness and operation. A Quad Core processor is the fastest currently available. It is ideal if you plan to play games with amazing graphics. If you are on a budget but still want to use your phone for games, a Dual Core smartphone is also good. Unless you are only using the phone for the bare essentials, your Android performance will be hindered by any processor less than 1Ghz Single Core.

7

PICK A DEVICE THAT SUPPORTS WHAT MOST CARRIERS REFER TO AS “MULTITASKING”. This refers to the ability to use voice and data simultaneously. This is necessary to take advantage of the Android operating system’s full capabilities.

8

SELECT A PHONE THAT MEETS YOUR REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF WEIGHT AND SIZE. Android devices come in various sizes, ranging from tall, slender touch screens, to more compact designs. Selecting a device with a larger display will sacrifice portability and vise versa.

9

COMPARE THE BATTERY TALK TIME AND STANDBY STATS. For those that are using their device for work or other situations where a long lasting battery is key, this will be a major consideration when comparing devices.

10

SELECTING A DEVICE THAT IS CAPABLE OF HANDLING 4G TECHNOLOGY IS NECESSARY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF 4G NETWORKS, WHICH ALL CARRIERS WILL BE MOVING TO SOON. If you purchase a device that is only 3G-capable, you will not be able to benefit from the faster 4G networks once they become available.
METHOD 2 OF 2: DO YOUR RESEARCH

1

CONTACT YOUR SELECTED CARRIER AND INQUIRE ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE DEVICE YOU ARE CONSIDERING WILL RECEIVE FUTURE ANDROID UPDATES. Google is constantly updating the Android operating system, making past versions obsolete. It is best to select a recently launched phone that is guaranteed to receive future updates for at least the term of your contract.

2

UTILIZE THE “COMPARE” FUNCTION PROVIDED ON MOST CARRIERS WEBSITES TO COMPARE FEATURES FOR A NUMBER OF SELECTED ANDROID DEVICES.

3

READ CUSTOMER AND PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS TO GET A BETTER IDEA OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH ANY GIVEN ANDROID PHONE YOU ARE CONSIDERING.

4

FIND OUT WHETHER OR NOT THE PHONE YOU ARE CONSIDERING PURCHASING IS COMPATIBLE WITH ANY THIRD-PARTY PERIPHERALS OR DEVICES THAT YOU PLAN ON USING.
TIPS
In-store employees at your local carrier will be more than happy to guide you through the process of comparing Android devices.
Alternatively, search for Android smartphone reviews on YouTube to get a detailed visual look at the phone you're considering.
WARNINGS
Most Android phones purchased through a cellular carrier will be subject to a minimum two-year cellular plan and contract.

How to Remotely Set Your Android Phone's Ringer to Full Volume Using Tasker

You've misplaced your Android smartphone. Of course you can call the phone from a friend's phone or your landline to try to find it, but what if you've left the phone on silent? We can fix that situation with a simple Tasker script. Tasker is an app for Android Smartphones that lets you write scripts to do just about anything. In this article, I'll show you how to write a script that lets you control your ringer volume by SMS.
STEPS

1

IF YOU DON\'T ALREADY HAVE TASKER, DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL IT FROM THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE. Open up the Play Store app, search for "Tasker", and download the app. At the time of writing, it costs £2.99 in the UK.

2

LAUNCH TASKER. You will see a menu bar along the top of your screen listing Profiles, Tasks, Scenes and Variables. We will be using Tasks and Profiles to create our script.

3

CREATE YOUR TASK. Tap on Tasks on the top menu, and then the green "+" button at the bottom of the screen.You will be invited to give your new task a name. Call it something like "Volume Up". Tap on the green tick button and a "Task Edit" window will pop up.

4

ADD ACTIONS TO YOUR TASK. Tap the blue "+" button to see a list of all the action categories that Tasker has to offer. The two actions you need to add are both in the Audio Settings category. Tap "Audio Settings", then "Silent Mode". Select "Off" from the dropdown menu, and then tap the green tick button to continue.

5

ADD YOUR SECOND ACTION. You will see your first action in the Task window, but if your phone is lost you will want it to ring at full volume. We can do that with a second action. Tap the blue "+" again, and tap "Audio Settings", then "Ringer Volume". This time, instead of a dropdown menu, you will see a volume slider. Slide it all the way to the right for full volume. Again, tap the green tick button. Your task is now finished, so tap the green tick button on the Task Edit screen to continue.

6

CREATE A PROFILE. Here, you can tell Tasker what you would like to cause your task to activate. In this case, we will use a received SMS (text message). Tap the green "+" button to begin, and call your task something descriptive like "Phone Finder". Tap the green tick button and the "Context" menu will pop up.

7

ADD A CONTEXT. A Context is a situation that triggers your Task to start running. Tap "Event", then "Phone", and then "Received Text". in "Content", type the wording of SMS that you want to set your ringer volume. It should be memorable, but not be the sort of a message that anybody would ordinarily send you. You should keep it to yourself until you need to use it. Type your own code into the "Content" box, but for this example I will use "Lost12345" (without the quotes). Tap the green tick to continue.

8

THE "TASK SELECTION" MENU WILL HAVE POPPED UP. Choose the "Volume Up" task that you created in step 2. You will now see the list of profiles that you've set up in Tasker. Your "Phone Finder" task should appear here. A green tick will indicate that the task is active, and a lit-up "On" button in the bottom right will indicate that Tasker is set to run in the background. Press your phone's "Home" button to get out of the Tasker interface.

9

TEST IT OUT! Set your phone to silent mode, then send yourself a text saying "Lost12345" (or whatever your secret code is) The phone should set itself to loud mode within a few seconds. Now you can call it from another phone and it will ring at full volume.
TIPS
Tasker can do much more than turn your volume up. Play around in it and write the scripts that will make your life easier.
WARNINGS
When your friends know that you have this on your phone, they might use it to play pranks on you. Once you've had to use this to find your phone, go back into Tasker and change the secret code.

How to Sync Android to PC: 5 Steps (with Pictures)

If you want to sync files from Android to your PC,you can do so using a free program like Motorola Device Manager.
STEPS

1

SEARCH FOR"MOTOROLA DEVICE MANAGER" IN YOUR WEB BROWSER.

2

SELECT THE "DROID PRODUCT SUPPORT" WEB PAGE FROM THE LIST OF RESULTS THAT APPEARS.

3

CLICK ON THE "SOFTWARE $ DEVICES" TAB THAT AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN.

4

CONNECT YOUR ANDROID TO YOUR COMPUTER WITH THE USB CORD. The Motocast USB screen should launch automatically. If not, you can access it in the taskbar.

5

CLICK "SYNC FROM DEVICE" IN THE TOP RIGHT. Check each media type you want to sync, such as music, photos, videos, and podcasts. Click "Sync" to sync Android to PC.
Know another method for How to SYNC ANDROID TO PC? Add it here... 1. Add Method
TIPS
Make sure you select where the files will go on your computer so you can find them later.
ARTICLE INFO
Categories: Android
Recent edits by: Allies23453, Laura
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