Android Resources

Updated Last : 08-05-2011

I seem to have more and more people I know using Android phones.  I thought I'd start a page of Android resources I have found they may find useful.

First thing to know: Android is an operating system for phones like Windows 7, or Windows XP are operating systems for PCs.  Any manufacturer can get Android for free and put it on their device (not just a phone).  There are various Android versions.


Android Versions (version numbers and codename)

1.5 Cupcake
1.6 Donut
2.0 & 2.1 Eclair
2.2 Froyo
2.3 Gingerbread (released 12-6-2010)
3.0 Honeycomb (for tablets, not phones)

Sources of Information about Android

The Complete Guide to Android is an eBook.  You can purchase as a paperback, or a PDF file, or read free online.

They also have a great one page quick reference guide for new Android users.

Beginner's Guide to Setting up Android, from Lifehacker.com

Have you run into a term you do not know?  Try AndroidCentral's Andriod Dictionary

I have bookmarked sites I find to my Public Bookmarks.  I have Android Apps, Android in general and Android Development tags.

Security for your phone, from Lifehacker.com.

Here is a really good infographic about the history of Android.

Apps I Use
(free unless otherwise noted)

Listen by Google - downloads podcasts

Evernote

Google Voice

Dropbox

Documents to Go - edit word and excel documentws - $14.99 (a someday app)

Maps

IMDB

TweetDeck (pulls in Twitter and Facebook - now owned by Twitter, so I may have to replace when
the Google Plus API is released.  I doubt Twitter will modify it to pull in G+)

Google Reader

Kindle

Google eBooks

Words with Friends


Missing Apps Available on iOS but not Android (yet)

Netflix (coming sometime in the future to select Android phones)






















Popular posts from this blog

Notes Folder : My new note taking system

Image
I'm in the process of moving to a new way to keep my notes. It would be best to make a separate post on my long time notetaking app, Evernote, and how it now disappoints me.  Bottom line, I no longer trust the company behind Evernote since it was acquired. My first inclination was to finally look at alternatives. like Notion, Joplin, Obsidian, etc. I was not enamored with any of them, so I gritted my teeth and stayed with Evernote. The situation made me think about how I use Evernote. To keep up additional posts on this topic, search on the tag Notes Folder Updates : January 24, 2024 and in updates noted here. Most of the things I store are quick notes, lists, online receipts for online bills, that sort of thing; kind of an online file cabinet if you will. If I were a doctoral student though I could see storing PDFs of papers and research materials.  If were working on a large project, then plans, communications etc. would all be there. Back when I began using Evernote way b...
Read more

Recording your own notes with Google Voice

Image
Note :   April 2016:  Frankly I don't know if this works anymore.  It is 7 years old. I stopped using this when Google Now became useful on my phone, and I could dictate reminders using it. I found a way a while ago to use Google Voice to record a personal note, transcribe it, and email it to me. A recent Lifehacker post "Five Things We'd Like to See in Google Voice" lists that need as their #5 request, so I realized what I'd figured out is not common knowledge. In GV's Contacts, create a Group "Special Transcription" To avoid listening to my standard voice mail when I call, I recorded a short voice mail greeting for this group simply saying "Record note now" I added a contact with my own cell phone number as the only number, and made it the sole member of this group. In GV's phone settings, I edited the settings for my cell phone. In the section "Direct access to voicemail when calling your Google number from th...
Read more

Your First Day with Evernote

Image
I've written many times before about Evernote .  I love this program.  It is my brain's memory on steroids.  I have over 6000 notes in it now.  And I keep finding ever more uses for it. While originally written in 2009, this post has been frequently updated. New January 2012:  If you like what I write about Evernote, check out my 136 page e-book,  " Get Productive Fast with Evernote ".  Just $10. Sunday October 11, 2009 I wrote about Evernote in my print column, Family Tech. If you are wondering what is Evernote, and why would I want to use it, start with the column . I promised in that column this post to help new users get efficient fast with Evernote. I thought I'd write a quick plan for someone's first day with Evernote. This is really meant for after you've installed the client to your computer, so this picks up after you've gone to  Evernote's Get Started Page and created an account and downloaded and installed a clien...
Read more