Tips | Google Android Blog

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Android is full of options to customize and control your device as you see fit. This section lists the tips, tutorials, and tricks we think every Android user should know. They may not all be relevant to you but they may be useful. Here are some of the highlights, but feel free to browse the entire section.

DIY hobbyists build Android-powered Robots for only $30

8. March 2010 | by Andrew Kameka

80190 Comments2010-03-08+12%3A11%3A40Andrew+Kameka

DIY hobbyists build Android-powered Robots for only $30

My cellphone could kick your cellphone’s butt. However, both of our phones would get demolished by the work of Tim Heath and Ryan Hickman. The two tech workers got together in their free time and built a mobile robot controlled by a G1. By sending commands to the phone through a telnet session, Heath and [...]

Tips: Android phone won’t download apps? Log-in to Google Talk

1. March 2010 | by Andrew Kameka

779016 Comments2010-03-01+20%3A14%3A16Andrew+Kameka

Tips: Android phone won’t download apps? Log-in to Google Talk

My phone won’t download apps from the Android Market! My phone gets stuck downloading apps from the Android Market! You’ve probably experienced this problem at some point and become desperate to discover a fix for the issue. When this started happening to me a few weeks ago, I did some prodding around the Google Help Forums [...]

HTC Sense UI ported to Moto DROID

1. March 2010 | by Christopher Smith

77760 CommentsHTC+Sense+UI+ported+to+Moto+DROID2010-03-01+17%3A20%3A40Christopher+Smith

It appears that HTC Sense UI has been ported from the HTC Desire/Bravo to be used on Motorola's DROID. The developers at AllDroid have been working on the port ever since the HTC Desire/Bravo's ROM leaked to the web and now it looks like they finally have something to show off.

Select Windows Mobile HTC smartphones “hacked” to run Android 2.1

24. February 2010 | by Christopher Smith

76158 Comments2010-02-24+15%3A00%3A29Christopher+Smith

Have an old HTC Tilt, Polaris, Niki, or Vogue laying around collecting dust because you can't stand using Windows Mobile? Well, according to the XDA Developers forum you may be able to get a little more life out of your old device by hacking it to run the latest version of Android.

Review: Mobile Stream’s EasyTether for non-rooted phones

16. February 2010 | by Ed Clark

73637 Comments2010-02-16+22%3A26%3A56Ed+Clark

Review: Mobile Stream’s EasyTether for non-rooted phones

Good news for owners of non-rooted phones: Mobile Stream’s EasyTether app, already available for Palm, Blackberry, and WinMo users, is now available on the Android Market as a free beta. EasyTether allows you to use your phone’s data connection to provide internet connectivity for your laptop or other device via a USB cable. Because the app [...]

Tip: How to fix your Android’s battery issues (rooted devices)

11. February 2010 | by Ed Clark

71634 Comments2010-02-11+20%3A48%3A47Ed+Clark

Tip: How to fix your Android’s battery issues (rooted devices)

Here’s a quick tip I found on the cyanogenmod wiki for people with rooted phones and battery life issues. Many users report increases in their battery life meters after using this fix, but please note that this method does NOT provide any benefits for those with healthy batteries battery meters. How do you know if you [...]

How to install Swype on a G1, myTouch, Hero, or HVGA device

7. February 2010 | by Andrew Kameka

700530 Comments2010-02-07+17%3A28%3A13Andrew+Kameka

How to install Swype on a G1, myTouch, Hero, or HVGA device

Swype is an Android app that enters text simply by moving a finger over letters. The Android keyboard alternative then predicts what word you meant to type, correcting errors and speeding up the data-entry process. Previously, the beta version of Swype was available only for WVGA devices like the Motorola Droid and the Nexus One. Now, [...]

Having 3G issues with your Nexus One? There may be a simple fix

20. January 2010 | by Robert Nelson

64506 Comments2010-01-20+10%3A54%3A36Robert+Nelson

Not owning a Nexus One myself I cannot verify this personally, but I have heard from several people that there are certain issues surrounding the 3G connectivity. Thankfully though, there seems to be a fix, and an easy fix at that. According to Kevin Tofel from jkOnTheRun, he was having issues with the 3G on his [...]

Verizon Droid Eris, Google Voice and the “Network Busy” error message

18. January 2010 | by Robert Nelson

64126 Comments2010-01-18+20%3A00%3A28Robert+Nelson

Verizon Droid Eris, Google Voice and the “Network Busy” error message

I will clarify that I am not sure how wide spread this problem is, but it happened to me and also to another Droid Eris user that I am friends with. Given that I will assume that it may be happening to other Droid Eris users also. That said, I recently received a review unit Droid [...]

Hack for rooted phones promises faster 2G/3G speeds

14. December 2009 | by Ed Clark

57247 Comments2009-12-14+21%3A15%3A34Ed+Clark

A quick hack posted here on the XDA Android Development forum by “Stimpoff” may allow you to achieve faster download and upload speeds on 2G and 3G networks. I say “may” because it didn’t work for some people, including me up here in Minneapolis. However, there are enough happy users that have reported successes (up [...]