For a Cell phone that doesn’t have auto focus (Fixed Focus & EDof)

The device that uses either fixed focus or EDof (Extended Depth of Field) can’t change the focus distance, hence it’s not suitable to take close distance picture (Below 15 cm / 6 inches). The example of Android phone with fixed focus camera is Samsung Galaxy Mini.

However, if in some case you need to use this type camera to take short distance photo, it is suggested that you take a picture not so close with the object. Take a picture from about 30 cm or at range where you can still look at the object clearly (even thought it looks small). After you take a picture, you can crop or zoom the captured image. The result will more clearly than if you take a picture from close distance. Besides that, never use digital zoom because it will make resulted picture quality bad.

For a mobile phone that have auto focus

Auto focus is a feature where the camera can automatically adjust the point of focus. If your phone or tablet has this feature, here are tips to take macro shots beautifully:

1. Touch the screen before you take a picture

Before you take a photo, touch at the device screen at the object image. For example, if you want to take a shot of a car image on auto show magazine, then touch the car image that displayed on your phone screen. If it supported by your phone, the camera will adjust the focus distance; after you get clear picture then click the camera button. This feature is called Touch Focus. If somehow when you touch the screen and there is no response at all, read our next tips.

2. Press and Hold the Camera Button

If your Android phone or tablet doesn’t support touch focus feature, try to press and hold the camera button (don’t release the button immediately). Usually the camera will set the focus first, after that release the button to take a picture.

3. Activate the Macro

For Android device that use Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) operating system or newer, usually it has Macro Mode feature. Activate this mode whenever you want to take a really close picture. Here’s how to do it: Open the Camera App > Click Settings (at lower left) > Click the left side again (the 3 tiny box icon) > Click Focus mode > choose Macro. After you change to macro mode, still doing tips number 1.

4. Use Magnifier app

This application is quite unique. The main purpose of this app is actually as a magnifier by using digital zoom feature. However, surprisingly this app is very useful to take a macro mode picture, better than any camera app I’ve been tried.

This is how to use the application:

1. Install Magnifier HD by C.P.S from Play Store (previously called Android Market).
2. Open the App
3. Don’t use the digital zoom feature by sliding the zoom bar to the left.
4. Before you take a picture, click the “Monalisa” Icon for clearer image
5. Click the Camera button to take a photo

Below is an example image of close distance picture taken by Magnifier app (cropped and re-sized to save bandwith) :

Picture Taken by Magnifier app (Click to enlarge)

The superiority of this application over other camera or magnify apps are:

• The app size is small
• The permission is reasonable, not so much if compare with others.
• Very fast when taking one picture to another. It’s really handy when you want to take a picture some documents or few pages of book, because the camera won’t re-auto focus every time want to take a shot.

Things you need to print from Android wirelessly:

1. An Android phone, tablet or phablet (Phone Tablet such as Galaxy Note) that connected to Internet
2. A Printer that connected to PC or laptop that connected to the internet or you can use “Cloud Ready” Printer (you don’t need PC).
3. If you are not using Cloud Ready Printer, then you need a PC with Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows XP SP 3 (Service Pack 3).

Before we continue, it’s better if you know the advantage and disadvantage of printing from Android via Cloud (Wirelessly).

• Advantage: You can print from anywhere, not limited by time and distance, as long as the PC data connection active and also the printer is standby
• Disadvantage: To print, document, picture or file, You need an active internet connection

Now, here’s how to do it:

Part 1: Preparation on the Computer

1. Install Google Chrome browser on your PC, Laptop (Notebook/Netbook). You can download it here.
2. After installed, login using your Gmail or Google Account. Here’s how:
   1. Open Chrome, Click the wrench icon at the top right of  the browser
   2. Click “Sign in to Chrome”
   3. Enter your username and Password then click “Sign In”. If you don’t have it, click “Create a Google Account”
   4. If your login is successful, you can see your username at the top right of the browser.
   5. Activate “Google Cloud Print Connector”:
      1. Click again the “Wrench icon” at top right
      2. Click Settings > click “Show Advanced Settings”
      3. Find and click “Google Cloud Print” > Click “Add Printers”
      4. Let the Google Chrome Active (Don’t close it)

Part 2: Preparation on the Android devices

1. Install “Cloud Print Beta” App from Google Play (Market)
2. Open the app > Click Next > Choose your Google (Gmail) Account that previously you use to sign in on Chrome on PC.
3. To start print, click “Local” > click “Files” > Find and click the file you want to print from Android > when there’s a pop up notification says “Do you want to print.. (The file name)” > Click Yes > Click “Click here to print” > wait a moment while uploaded to the Cloud (it depends on your data connection speed) > When the file is received on the PC, it will start the print job automatically.

Besides a document files such as Ms. Word, Excel, etc, the Cloud Print Beta application can also print following files:

• Picture
• Drawings: You can draw using this app and then directly print in (but the paint feature is so simple)
• Contacts: you can print contacts that saved on your tablet or Smartphone
• Notepad / Clipboards: You can type or you can copy paste text on this menu then directly print it
• SMS: to Print your text message
• Scan Documents: With this feature, you can take a picture of documents, and then print it.

That’s the tutorial how to print from Android tablet or phone wirelessly using Google Cloud Print. Actually there are some others method to print file on Android, such as you can transfer the file first via Bluetooth, Wifi or data cable to your PC then print it like you use to do, or you can also use PrinterShare application that I will discuss some other time. Regards

If it cause by software, you can repair double (or triple) key input issue by upgrading the operating system to the newest one. However, the bad news is, in most case, the cause of this duplicate letters problem is cause by hardware. To really fix it, you have to take apart the case then cleaning or replacing the keytone of the keyboard. But, if you don’t have time to bring the phone to the service center or to repaired it by yourself, don’t worry, in this article I will give you a simple tips to fix “double” type input on BlackBerry with ease, hassle free and absolutely can be done by yourself.

Before we start, I want to inform you that the tips I wrote is for temporary only or we can say just for an emergency. If you have time and money or if it still covered by warranty, I suggest you to bring the BlackBerry to the service center. If it necessary to replace the key tone, the cost you have to spend is usually less than 15 USD.

To fix double typing BlackBerry, you can use the AutoText or word substitution feature. The idea is by using this feature, every time it gives you more than one characters, it will automatically convert it to just one character. For example, if displayed “aaaa”, the auto text will convert it to just an “a”.

Here is how to fix double-triple-quadruple (and so on) typing on BlackBerry device that use OS 4 and 5:

• 1. Open the “Option” menu (The wrench icon)
• 2. Click “AutoText”
• 3. Press the Menu button (Button with BlackBerry logo) > Choose “New”
• 4. Fill the “Replace:” with the letters of broken key. Fill it more than one letter. For example, if the issue is the “r” key, then fill Replace: with: rr
• 5. Fill “With:” with just one letter. In this example, you have to fill “With:” with r. (look at below picture)

AutoText Feature

• 6. Press the escape (Back) button > click “Save”

Now every time it shows up the “rr” letters, those letter will automatically converted to just an “r”. Repeat this process from two times until how many the “r” letter shows up. For example, if you type the r key and sometimes it reproduce the double r and sometimes triple r, then you have to set one more AutoText that will Replace: rrr With: r. Below images is an example of auto text I make to anticipate the r character if it displayed up to six times.

Six "r" AutoText

If you use BlackBerry device with OS 6 or 7, the AutoText feature is called Word Substitution. Here’s how to use it:

1. Open the Option (The Wrench icon)
2. Click Typing and Input (Typing and Language)
3. Click Word Substitution
4. Click the Menu button (Key with BlackBerry logo) > click “New”
5. Fill Replace: (for example) aaa With: a
6. Press the Back / Escape Button > choose Save
7. Repeat the process based on your need

That’s the tutorial how to fix double typing BlackBerry, hope it helps

Note:
Other names of Samsung GT-S5570: Galaxy Mini or Galaxy Next or Galaxy Pop
Other names of Samsung GT-S5570i: Galaxy Mini Pop Plus or Galaxy Next Turbo or Galaxy Pop Plus (They add “Turbo” or “Plus” Word)

Galaxy Pop Plus / Next Turbo S5570i Specifications:

• Network: GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 / HSDPA 900 / 2100 (7.2 Mbps)
• Size: 110.4 x 60.6 x 12.1 mm, weight: 106.6 g
• Screen: TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors, 240 x 320 pixels, 3.14 inches
• Camera: 3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, Video: 320×240 pixel @15fps
• Operating System (OS): Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread)
• Processor: 832 MHz, GPU: Broadcom series
• Others: Accelerometer Sensor, Digital Compass, 3.5mm jack, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v2.1, Micro USB Connector, GPS.

Sales Package Information:

Just for your information, in some country, the Pop Plus sales Package is written Samsung Galaxy Mini! Thus many people don’t know that their device is not the same as the original Mini (S5570). However, there is a hint to differentiate Mini with Next Turbo / Pop Plus. If you find a “Faster 832 MHz” sticker on the box, then the device is the S5570i (Turbo/Plus).

Design, Screen, Camera, Audio Quality and Battery performance

Samsung Galaxy Pop Plus

Samsung Galaxy Mini Pop Plus use 3.14 (240×320 pixels) capacitive screen, 3.15 MP (2048×1536) Fixed Focus Camera  without flash, mono loudspeaker on the back, and 1200 mAh battery capacity. For all specifications mention before, include the additional phone sensor, the spec is similar, even we can say it’s same with S5570. To make this article short, I won’t review the Next Turbo design, screen quality, camera, audio quality and battery performance. If you need further information about those specs, you can read: Samsung Galaxy Mini Review Click Here.

Samsung Galaxy Next Turbo

What makes Samsung Galaxy Mini (or SGM to make it short) and Pop Plus/Next Turbo different is the Processor and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) used on the device. Those two hardware’s have a big impact on the overall Android phone performance. That’s why in this Samsung Galaxy Pop Plus review, I will concentrate to discuss on the performance, gaming capability and the pros and cons of this phone if compared with the SGM.

Performance

Pop Plus use Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system. There is no problem or delay when switching between menus, it’s quick and responsive. This is because the phone use 832 MHz processor on small resolution (240×320 pixel) screen, therefore it only take a little procie resources to process the graphic displayed on the screen. The Next Turbo S5570i performance is not much different than Mini. However, because the Plus use faster processor, the performance is slightly better if we use it to open or edit office application or any data processing apps.

Gaming Capability

There many people or other websites said that the Pop Plus or Next Turbo doesn’t have GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). This is untrue, because when we install Quadrant application, it read that this smartphone GPU is Broadcom Series. The GPU itself is a processor that specifically has a function to process graphics and is have a big influence on the gaming performance. When we test this Android phone using benchmark app Quadrant, this phone score is 1160 (Above Samsung Galaxy S). With Neocore Benchmark apps, it gets 30-20 FPS (Frame per Second). GT-S5570i can play 2D and 3D games pretty well. Most of (not all) game downloaded from Google Play Store running smooth without problem.

Galaxy Mini vs. Galaxy Pop Plus (Next Turbo) Gaming Performance

To directly compare the both phones is quite difficult. This is due the difference in the GPU used. SGM use GPU Adreno 200, while Pop Plus or Next Turbo uses Broadcom series. Therefore some game title that playable on Mini not necessarily can run well on S5570i and vice versa. If we use it to play 2D games, both of this smartphone have similar performance, most games will run OK.

The problem raise when we try to install intense graphic 3D games on Galaxy Pop Plus. In this sector, the Galaxy Mini performs better in term of compatibility. Adreno series is one of the GPU that widely used for Android phone, hence many game developers will optimized their apps so it can run smooth on device that use Adreno. We can say that on STANDARD condition, the game title that playable on SGM S5570 is larger than S5570i.

However, it doesn’t mean that Samsung Galaxy Next Turbo can’t play 3D games.  Some of popular games titles are playable on this phone.  For example: Pro Evolution Soccer 2012, GT Racing: Motor Academy, The Sims 3, and some others.  If you want the S 5570i support much more 3D games, there is a trick you can take, which is by rooting the phone (Read: What is root Android) then after that installing Chainfire 3D application.

The advantages and disadvantages of Samsung Galaxy Pop Plus / Next Turbo S5570i:

Pros:

• The screen size is quite wide, so it’s easy to use the virtual QWERTY keyboard
• Responsive performance
• Affordable

Cons:

• Low screen resolution (240 x 320 pixels) the images displayed is grainy if you look closely
• Fixed Focus Camera
• Broadcom GPU, some of games is incompatible with this GPU

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

• What is the different between Galaxy Mini (Next / Pop) S5570 with Galaxy Pop Plus / Next Turbo (S5570i)
• Answer: It’s the processor and the GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) used on the device

• Is Samsung Galaxy Pop Plus / Next Turbo has GPU?
• Answer: Yes, the type is Broadcom. For further information, read above article

• Is Galaxy Mini Firmware (ROM) can installed on POP Plus and vice versa?
• Answer: ABSOLUTELY NOT. Both devices had different hardware. Never ever try installing Mini ROM on Pop Plus. It can cause critical damage to your phone.

• Is it the GPU and Processor used on Next Turbo / Pop Plus S5570i is similar to Galaxy Young GSM?
• Answer: Yes, that’s right. Therefore the performance and the gaming capability are similar too.

Conclusion

Galaxy Mini Pop Plus or Next Turbo use 832 MHz processor that faster than the previous Mini / Pop that use 600 MHz procie. However we can say that this is not a significant upgrade.

To compare the S5570 with S5570i, I use Android application called Quadrant and Neocore. The function of both apps is to test Android phone (or tablet) performance. Quadrant app has a function to test processor, memory and graphic performance. For Neocore, it is more focusing to test the graphic performance.

The result? When we use Quadrant, the S5570i (Pop Plus / Next Turbo) get 1160 points score, better than Mini that get 600 points (use Froyo OS) and 870 point for Mini / Pop that use Gingerbread OS. This means, for everyday use, for example for multi-tasking, opening office file, browsing internet, etc., the Pop Plus S5570i will be more responsive. However, for gaming capability, especially for 3D games, the old Mini is more reliable. Which one is better? It depends on your needs. Regards

HTC One V price is approximately 320-340 USD unlocked on June 2012. Price may vary in different country. At that price range, this product will compete with Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo, Samsung Galaxy W, Huawei Honor and some others Android cellphone. What are this phone pros and cons? Is it worth to buy? If you want to know, don’t go anywhere; read our HTC One V review below.

HTC One V Sales Package

• The device
• Headset
• Micro USB cable for transferring data
• Charger
• Manual Book
• Warranty Card

Sales package may vary in other region.

HTC One V Review– Design

This Android phone have measurement 120.3 x 59.7 x 9.2 mm with weight at 115 g. HTC One v design has HTC Legend characteristic, which is it has a curvature at the bottom that looks like a chin. In my personal opinion, it looks attractive. The body is using unibody structure that makes it looks solid and strong.

HTC One V - Front

On the front side, there is earpiece above the screen, at the side of it, there are proximity and light sensor. At below the screen there three touch button which are (from left to right) the BACK button, HOME button and the Task Manager (Recent Apps) button. On the left of the phone, there is Micro USB port and on the right side, there are Volume rocker button. At the top, there are universal 3.5 mm audio jack, LED notification light and the power (lock) button. I love the LED notification light since many Android devices don’t have one. Besides that, I love the placement at the top because I’m still able to see it blinking even when I put the device facing down.

HTC One V - Side

At the bottom of the phone, there is only a microphone hole. While at the back, there is the camera lens with the LED flash light on its side. Loud speaker is located at the bottom of the back side. Since this Android using unibody design, so the user will not be able to remove or change the battery. The only part you can remove is only to change the SIM and Micro SD card. To remove SD card, it can be done without have to shut down the phone. But the user must “safely remove” (unmount) sdcard from Settings Menu first before removing card.

HTC One V - Gaming

There is one feature that I miss from HTC Legend that not exist one the V, which is the absence of track pad. Overall, HTC One V build quality is good and even it’s better than some of more expensive Android phone. When you hold it in your palm, it feels solid, not too heavy yet too light.

Review HTC One V – Screen Quality

This Android ICS smartphone is using 3.7 inch screen with 480 x 800 pixels resolution. The screen type is capacitive that sensitive with the touch of your finger. The screen is not an AMOLDE nor IPS type, but the quality is more than enough to please your eye. The color that shows on the screen is vivid with good contrast. The screen already support multi touch, so you can zoom in and out by pinching the screen when you open the Gallery, Browser or other supported applications.

Review HTC One V- Processor and Gaming Performance

At the moment, HTC One V is one of the few device that already installed with the latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system (without have to upgrade first). But this is quite normal, because One V is available on the market just about two months ago. Like other HTC devices, the V also uses “Sense” for its interface skin. Therefore, it makes the interface is looking not as pure Ice Cream Sandwich OS.

HTC One V use Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon at 1GHz clock speed, 512 RAM, plus Adreno 205 GPU (Graphic Processing Unit). The specification used on this phone is typical and not much different than its competitor at the same price range. In fact, the GPU and the processor are same as Xperia Neo and Play. If compared to Samsung Galaxy W and Huawei Honor, the processor is still from same series (Qualcomm MSM8255), but “W” and “Honor” use the “turbo” version that running higher clock speed.

With that spec, One V is still able to run HD (High Definition) game. At our test unit, the device is already installed Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 2012 and ShadowGun. When we try to play it, the PES can perform well without lag. ShadowGun can run quite well but with some lag in some parts, especially when the many enemy appear on the game and at the graphic intense scene. But overall, it is still playable. Just for note, to ensure this phone perform well when playing games, it is suggested to use SD card with good quality, at least Class 6 SDcard. (Read: What is SD card Class click here)

For everyday use, this smartphone performance is quite ok. The interface looks good and smooth, there will be no lag to switch between screen menu, even it is smoother than some of dual core processor Android gadget that I tried. I must admit that HTC is one of the very few manufacturers that can create interface that looks pretty, have many extra feature but still responsive. You will notice some lag when you open multiple heavy applications at the same time. For example, when you open some excel file with a lot of data and you also open the browser. But this condition is normal happened on single core device.

HTC One V Review – Camera and Video Quality

This Android is able to capture still image up to 5MP (2592×1552 pixels) resolution. It has LED flash light and autofocus. It also can record a video up to 720p (1280×720 pixels) resolution. Unfortunately, the HTC One V doesn’t equip with front camera, so it will be a little bit troublesome for you who need to use video call.

If we saw the HTC One series advertisements, it seems that the camera and video feature is one of the major advantages from this series. Some of the features offered are:

• Capable to take a picture in low light condition
• Take a full screen photo while recording a video
• Burst mode or take couple of photos at the same time and the user can choose which one the best
• Zero shutter or able to snap less in a second.

The camera interface is quite unique, if in most of other Android phone we have to switch between photo mode and video mode, then this condition is different in HTC One V, they combine the interface in one screen. You will find two virtual buttons that have a function to take a picture and video. You can look the interface below:

HTC One V Camera & Video interface

If you want to record a clip, you just have to click the Video icon. While you record a video, you can click the Camera button to take a full screen picture while the recording still continue. There are a lot of extra features you can find, such as touch focus that have a function to determine the point of focus by touching at the screen, face detection, smile shutter, and other photo effect such as distortion, vignette, color adjustment (sepia, etc.), HDR, Panorama and many more. For zero shutter feature, in my experience, it’s not a completely zero second to take picture from one to another, however it still faster than most of Android phone out there.

For the camera quality, we can say it is good for 5MP class. The resulted image shows a lot of detail, quite sharp and full of color. The ability to take a picture in a very short time and in low light condition is a plus side on this sector. For the video quality, it’s quite OK but not special. The video shows good color with acceptable detail. When you record a fast object, sometimes it shows a little bit lag, but this is commonly happen for a single core phone.

Review HTC One V- Audio and Video Player

HTC One V equipped with Beats Audio technology. You can only feel the benefit of this feature when using headset or connected to external speakers. For the audio quality, I can say it’s good, we can hear the clean and powerful bass. However if it compared to other high end HTC devices that also use Beats Audio, the sound quality of HTC One V is not as good as them. This cell phone is also having FM Radio, but you can’t use the Beats for it. For the loud speaker quality is so so, it is loud enough but the quality is not so good.

The video player application on this phone can play a movie up to 720p resolution, but it also depends on the video bitrate. We found that some of 720p video with high bitrate not running so smooth, it can run but with some lag. The player doesn’t support some of video format such as .mkv and .flv, however you can easily install third party application from Google Play Store for free to handle the situation. Combined with a good quality screen, this Android phone can fulfill the need for those who love to watch a movie on the go.

HTC One V Review – Battery performance

The V is using Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery. At normal usage, the phone can standby for one full day without have to recharge it. However, it also depend on the signal strength of the network provider. Compared to most of other Android phones, the One V battery performance is on the average, not so good but not bad either.

HTC One V Pros and Cons

HTC One V Advantages

• Unibody that looks premium and have good build quality
• It has LED Notification light
• Able to take a picture while recording a video
• Attractive and responsive interface

HTC One V Disadvantages

• No front camera
• No Compass sensor
• Battery is irreplaceable

HTC One V Specification

• Network: GSM Quad Band 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100
• Size: 120.3 x 59.7 x 9.2 mm, Weight: 115 g
• Display: 3,7 inch, 480 x 800 pixels capacitive, 16M Color
• Memory: Internal 4 GB (Available for the user only 1 GB) + SD up to 32 GB
• Camera: 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, auto focus, LED flash, Record video up to 720p
• Processor: Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon 1 GHz, GPU Adreno 205, RAM 512 MB
• Operating system: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4.0 interface
• Connectivity: Bluetooth A2DP, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, micro USB v2.0
• Battery: Li-Ion 1500 mAh
• Others: FM Audio, 3.5 mm Audio jack, proximity and accelerometer sensors, GPS with A-GPS, Beats Audio

Review HTC One V – Conclusion

If you are looking for a smartphone that attractive and look premium, then HTC One V can be one of your main choices. The phone performance is ok event thought it’s not prominent from others. The camera feature is complete, you won’t need to install third party application to enhance or add camera effect. Also, it has some feature that you can’t find on other Android device except the HTC One series. The Ice Cream Sandwich plus HTC Sense 4.0 is also an advantage you can get. One of the major flaws from this cellphone is the absence of front camera that it is important for some people.

Note: If you want to know other tips about Android, you can read: how to use Android >> tutorial for dummies

How to set Android Ringtone:

1. Press the HOME Button
2. Press the MENU Button
3. Choose Settings
4. Click Sound

Inside Sound menu, you can find these options:

• Volume: To adjust Ringtone and/or notification volume
• Phone Ringtone: To choose ringtone sound for incoming call
• Notification Ringtone: To select ringtone for notification, such as incoming messages or email

If you make an adjustment on Settings > Sound Menu, it will affect all application that use ringtone or notifications. However, if you want to choose specific ringtone for specific application, you must enter the application first.

For example, if you want to set notification ringtone for incoming SMS, you can do it this way: Open the SMS app (Messaging) > click the MENU button > click Settings > click Ringtone. If you want to use same ringtone as in “Sound” menu, then choose “Default ringtone”. If not, choose other available notifications.

To set ringtone for other applications is almost same; you just have to enter the application “Setting” or “Options”.

Now, if you want to add or use MP3 for Android ringtone, you can do it by several ways as in below tutorial:

#1. How to Set Mp3 Ringtone in Android Using File Manager Application

To use MP3 as ringtone in Android, you just have to put the MP3 files on the specified folder. Here’s how to do it:

With file manager application, you must to copy or move the desired music files to:

• If you want to use the file for incoming call ringtones, put the mp3 on: sdcard/media/audio/ringtones
• If you want to use the MP3 for notifications (SMS, Facebook, etc.), put the file on: sdcard/media/audio/notifications.

After you put the files on those folders, the MP3 music will be available to choose as a ringtone or notification via the “Sound” menu.

If the folder not exists, then you have to create it first. Here’s a detailed instruction:

1. Install the file manager application if you don’t have it. For example, in this guide we will use “Dual File Manager XT”
2. To navigate inside the file manager app: Click on folder to enter it, press BACK button to go to previous folder
3. Open the Dual File Manager XT, then read the text on the upper left corner screen, it usually: /mnt/sdcard/ or /sdcard/. It means that currently you’re in root folder (not inside any folder) of your SD Card.
4. On the “sdcard” folder, find and click “media” folder. Usually this folder is already exist, but if you can’t find it, then you can create it by pressing the MENU button > Click Create > Click folder > type “media” (without quotes) > click OK. After finish, enter the media folder so the text on upper left screen will be: /mnt/sdcard/media or /sdcard/media.
5. Inside “media” folder, click the “audio” folder, if not exist, create it first > inside “audio” folder, create two folders, first you must create “ringtones” (without quotes) folder and second, create “notifications” folder.

After all required folders have been made or already exist, then you can copy the mp3 ringtone or notification file to that folders. But first, you must know where you keep the MP3′s files. For example, if you received files from your friend via Bluetooth, then you can find the files inside the /sdcard/bluetooth folder.

Example to copy music files from sdcard/bluetooth folder to sdcard/media/audio/ringtones:

From /sdcard/, click the bluetooth folder > give a check mark on the MP3 / music files > press the MENU button > Click Edit > Click Copy (or Move) > press BACK button once, you will be taken back to /sdcard/ folder > click the media folder > click the audio folder > click the ringtones folder > press the MENU button > click Edit > click Paste > Done.

Now to activate or set MP3 as a ringtone, you can press the HOME key > press the MENU button > click Settings > click Sound > Click Phone Ringtone. If the MP3 files that you already copied inside “ringtones” folder not show up as a ringtone selection, then you have to reboot your Android phone or tablet (turn off your device then turn it on again).

Note: You can use music files beside .mp3 format, for example .m4a, but it depends on your device capability. So, if you already copied the files inside required folders and you already reboot the device yet you can’t find the music files on the ringtone or notifications selection, then it’s probably the file format is not supported by your device.

#2. How to Use Mp3 as Ringtone on Android Using Zedge

You can use third party application to download and set mp3 ringtones for your Android phone or tablet. As an example, we will use Zedge this time. To use this application is very easy. First, download the app from Google Play Store, then after that you can search for thousands ringtone and notifications that available to download for free!

To narrow down your search, you can choose Ringtone Categories such as Blues, Bollywood, Children, Classical, Dance and many more. You can also sort it by newest, featured, most downloads all time, etc.

After you finish download the music file, you can set the ringtones directly from the Zedge app, or you can set from the Settings > Sounds menu. When you click phone ringtone, it will show pop up menu and you can choose to use Android System or Zedge Ringtones as in below picture.

Use MP3 as Ringtone on Android

Just for note in case you never install Zedge, with this application, you can also download Wallpaper for your phone. That’s the tutorial how to set MP3 ringtone in Android, hope it helps. Best Regards

What is screen capture Android?

Screen capture or often called screenshot is a feature to take photos or image of your phone screen. In the Windows PC, it is same as print screen. Screenshot is useful for example when you are playing a game and get a high score, then you want to show off to your friends; you can take a screenshot at the game score and show it to your friends or upload the image to the social networks, etc.

Another example is if you want to take a picture of your text messaging conversation, emails, status on Facebook, etc. Below is an example of screenshot at the Android SMS application.

Screenshot of the Android SMS application

How to Take Screenshot Samsung Galaxy Mini That Use Android Froyo (2.2) Operating System:

1. Make sure you already insert the SD Card (Micro SD)
2. Open the application that you want to screen capture
3. Press the BACK button (inverted arrow) then the HOME/center button (without releasing the BACK button). If it successful, you will hear the shutter sound and the phone will vibrate.
4. You can view the captured image from the Gallery, look for the ScreenCapture folder. If you want to view via file explorer (My Files), the resulted image stored on SDCard/ScreenCapture folder.

Note: If it’s not working, try to press the BACK button for 1-2 seconds, and then press the HOME button while BACK button still pressed.

How To Do Screen Capture On Galaxy Mini That Use Android 2.3 Gingerbread Operating System:

1. Make sure the SD card is properly installed
2. Open the screen you want to capture
3. Press the HOME button (middle button), then immediately press the POWER/ LOCK button (the button on the right side)
4. You will hear the shutter sound, and you can see the image at SDCard/ScreenCapture folder or you can view it on the Gallery application

That’s the tutorial how to screenshot on Samsung galaxy mini, i hope you find it useful. Best Regards

How to Save Battery on Android Manually

Put your Android phone or tablet in a place that not blocking any telephone signals

We recommend you to not store or carry your device in place that potentially blocking the signals. For example, deep in the thick bags, closed desk drawer, inside refrigerator , etc. Because if you put your phone in that place, it will cause the phone is always looking for signals and that process is drain battery fast.

Adjust your phone display brightness to minimum levels

You can change display brightness by doing this: press the HOME button > press the MENU button > click Settings > click Display > drag Brightness slider to minimum level. Do not thick the “automatic brightness”

Use wallpaper, background, and themes with dark color.

This method will improve Android battery life, but it’s only work in a cellphones or tablet that uses AMOLED screens. If this method used on non AMOLED screen, there will be no difference in the battery usage.

Turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS when not in use

To activate or deactivate Bluetooth or Wi-Fi can be done by pressing HOME Button > press the MENU button > click Settings > select Wireless & Networks > to turn it off, clear the check mark on the Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

To turn off GPS can be done from Settings > Location & Security > uncheck the GPS and A-GPS (assisted GPS).

Turn off Animation

Animation does look beautiful, but it use CPU that can drain battery. To save battery on Android, it’s better to turn off all animation, include the live wallpaper.

To turn off animations can be done by pressing the HOME button > press the MENU button > select Settings > select Display > Click Animation > select No Animation.

Turn off sound button and haptic feedback

When not needed, you should turn off the button sound and vibration. You can turn it off from this menu: Settings > Sound > clear the check mark from the following options:

• Audible touch tones (play tone when using dial pad)
• Audible Selection (play sound when making screen selection)
• Screen lock sounds (play sounds when locking and unlocking screen)
• Haptic Feedback (Vibrate when soft keys are pressed and on certain UI interactions)

Remove widget

To save battery life on Android, its better if you remove widget that animate and also the one that use internet connection. For example, weather widget forecast is looks cool, but if you rarely use it, it’s better if you remove it because it will drain the battery.

Set your data connection in 2G mode (GPRS / EDGE)

We suggest you to set 2G only connection whenever the signal condition in your area is not so good. For the record, if the connection is set to 2G only, the Android’s battery life will be more efficient, but the internet connection speed will be reduced. Therefore, if you want to download a large file, it’s better if the 3G connection is activated because if it still in 2G connection, the download time will be longer and it will draining battery more.

Turn off synchronization and background data

If you turn off this feature, it will greatly improve Android battery life, but of course it also has its disadvantages. For more information about this topic, you can read article: how to turn on and off synchronization and background data on Android (click here)

Completely turn of internet connection

If you done this, your android battery can last up to two times longer compared to when you always activate the data connection. If you don’t use internet or you don’t wait some urgent email, then it’s better to turn off internet while you sleeping. To do this, you can read article: “how to turn off internet connection on Android” (click here)

Remove (uninstall) rarely used applications

By removing applications that you rarely used, it will free up phone memory space that will make the system work more efficiently thus will safe battery on Android. Less application also means fewer problems. If you rarely use the application but you don’t want uninstall it because you think someday maybe you’ll need that app and you don’t want to re-download the app, then you can back up the application first.

For further information to backup Android Android application, you can read this article: how to backup Android apps (click here).

Set the screen time out

The screen is one of the hardware that consumes battery a lot. You should set the screen time out as fast as possible and always to turn off the screen when it is not needed. Why we have to set the screen time out? Because when you carry your device on your pocket, there is a chance the power button is accidentally pressed and it will turn on the screen. Therefore, if you not set the screen time out, the screen will stays on and you not knowing it.

To set screen time out, you can do it through Settings > Display > click Screen Time Out

Log out from applications

If you not use it, you should log out from any applications that use services or background data. For example, if you use social networking apps such as Facebook occasionally and you don’t need active notification, then you should log out from your Facebook accounts. If you don’t do it, the apps will continually use internet connection on the background and it will consume the battery.

Always press the BACK button instead HOME button
If you already done using Android application, always click exit button from the app menu or always press the BACK button instead the HOME button to exit from the app. By pressing BACK button, in most case, it will completely terminate the app. But if you use the HOME button, the Android apps will run in the background and sometimes it’s still use the CPU (processor) thus drain the battery slowly.

How to prolong standby time using the best android battery saver apps

Below are some applications that I already tried that can prolong battery life.

Watchdog Task Manager

This app is actually not an Android battery saver application. However, it is really handy to monitor Android application that running in the background. The function is to notify you every time some apps use CPU excessively. When there is one of the app use CPU more than normal, you will be informed immediately through the notification panel + vibration and you will be given the option to turn off  (kill) the app, ignore it, or put it in a white list (you let the app use CPU as much as needed).

If you know which applications that are often use CPU while running in the background, you can make the decision to remove (uninstall) the app to save your Android battery or you can keep it, but at least you know that apps is the one that drain your battery.

Watchdog Task Manager

Above picture shows that the 6.7% CPU is used by applications that running in the background. To find out what apps that are using CPU, you can simply click the “CPU” tab as below picture.

Watchdog Task Manager CPU Tab

You can also directly kill Android applications when you thing not necessary. However, if the application is running in the background but it doesn’t use the CPU, then it doesn’t need to be turned off. For further information about this matter, you can read: “Don’t use automatic task killer Android” (click here). Also, we suggest you to not turn off the “system” apps and also any apps that contain word “Google”. For example, you can look at the red circled apps in the above picture.

Just for note, all the monitoring apps (just like Watchdog Task Manager) is using CPU a little bit, so if you already install this application and you don’t get notification at all for a long time, then you can uninstall this app. But, it you often installing many applications or just update it, then it’s better if you keep the Watchdog Task Manager to make sure you don’t have any bad application.

ShutUpBatterySaver

This application is quite unique and pretty helpful in saving Android battery life. It has a function to activate auto synchronization only at the specified time. For example, you can set auto sync feature active every one hour for ten minutes. This means that every hour, Android phones will synchronize with Google server (or with any applications server) and after ten minutes the auto synchronization is turned off. You are free to determine when and how long you want to active auto sync. It also has a feature to automatically turn off internet connection if the phone signal in your area is weak.

ShutUpBatterySaver

Caption:

Autosync Scheduler:

• Autosync scheduler enable: click to activate or deactivate Auto sync scheduler.
• AutoSync OFF Interval: Click to set when you want to activate auto sync. If you choose 1h, then its means autos sync will active every hour
• AutoSync ON Interval: Click to set how long the phone is allowed to do synchronization

Low Signal Control:

• Low Signal Master Switch: click to turn off and turn on this feature. This allows you to turn off the Auto Sync feature and / or internet connection if the signal is weak
• Autosync threshold: Sliding the bar to the right means more powerful signal. This means if you slide the bar full to the right, then if the signal just drop a little, it will turn off the auto sync.
• Mobile internet threshold: Slide to the right to turn off internet connection whenever the signal is bad.

The side effects of using this application is you will be late receiving notification or data from any application that requires auto sync feature. For example, if there is a new email, you will get a notification at the next synchronization schedule. But in other hand, it will improve Android battery life quite a lot.

Quick Settings

Quick Settings

This application is just a shortcut to access Android settings. To use this application, you can simply install it then put the application icon on the main screen. Each time you press the application icon, the settings will appear as shown below:

Conclusion

Actually there are still a lot off other Android battery saver application that you can try. But based on my personal experience, the best way to save battery on Android is by doing manual settings just like in the above article. Currently I only use Quick Settings and Watchdog Task Manager (because I often install many applications), I don’t use ShutUpBatterySaver because I don’t need auto sync feature that much hence I only activate internet when I needed. If I find other useful tips in this matter, I will update this page. If there is something you want to ask, feel free to fill out comments form bellow, I will respond you as soon as possible. Best Regards

This condition is generally experienced by Samsung Galaxy series owner and of course it will be a little inconvenient and troublesome when the user wants to send long SMS messages to friends or relatives.

To overcome long SMS messages being converted to MMS, you can do several things:

• If possible, shorten the messages or words used on your SMS; make sure it’s bellow 480 characters.
• Send SMS two times or more. Write up to 480 characters > send it, then write the rest > send it.
• I know the two suggestion before are impractical, so you can use the third suggestion. To overcome this situation, you can use third party messaging application such as Go SMS Pro or Handcent SMS to send your message. You can download this apps from Android Market (Google Play) for free (data charge may apply).

That’s the tutorial how to stop SMS converting to MMS by cellphone88.com. Hope it helps, if you have any question; feel free to ask via comment form bellow. Regards

It seems Samsung targeting all segments in their Android line up. They produce from high end, mid end to low end or entry level products. Previously, Galaxy Mini is the cheapest variant in Galaxy Family but now is replaced by the Samsung Galaxy Young. Will this product will be as successful as Mini? How the performance? What are the pros and cons? If you want to know, read this review further more.

Samsung Galaxy Young Review – The Design

The word “Young” on the name means that this phone is likely intended for younger consumers. However, judging from the design, Galaxy Y model is quite simple and little bit look elegant like its older brother, Samsung Gio. There are several colors available on the market, which are Black, White, Silver, Pink and Orange. However, some colors option might not available in your Area.

Samsung Galaxy Young S5360

Samsung Galaxy Young size is 104 X 58 x 11.5 mm, the weight is 97.5 grams. This phone is comfortable to hold, light weight and of course it will slip easily in your pocket. The entire body is made by plastic, well it’s not surprising consider the price; the Galaxy Note body is made by plastic too anyway.

The back of Galaxy Young is textured like most of Samsung Android lately. It quite helpful to make the phone not so slippery and it hide fingerprints. The loudspeaker hole is located next to the 2MP camera lens.

Samsung Galaxy Y Back View

On the left side, there are volume buttons and the holes for accessories or for strap. On the right side, there is only a power button that also has a function to lock screen. At the top, there are 3.5 mm audio jack and a micro USB port. At the bottom, there is only a microphone hole.

Samsung Galaxy Y Display Quality

The screen size is 3 inches with resolution 240 x320 pixels. The screen type is capacitive that is responsive to finger (skin) touch. It supports multi-touch up to two points. The displayed colors is fairly standard, it looks a bit pale and have poor contrast. The text and image looks not so smooth because of its low resolution. The screen quality could be better, but because this is an entry level phone, it’s still forgiven and after a while using it, you won’t be bother about the quality.

Samsung Galaxy Young Performance and Gaming Abilities

Galaxy Y using an 832 MHz processor, 290 MB RAM plus Broadcom GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). When we tested using synthetic benchmark application Quadrant Standard, this cell phone get score around 1100 and when we tested using Neocore, it gets 41-43 FPS (frames per second). In general, if the Android phone is able to run Neocore application, it can also run 3D Games. Thus we tried to install some 3D games for Galaxy Young from various genres such as soccer games, RPG games and Racing games. All games can run pretty smooth without a problem. Combination of high speed processor (in its class), Android Gingerbread OS plus low resolution screen makes this phone has snappy performance for everyday use.

Samsung Galaxy Y Review – Cameras and video quality

Samsung Galaxy Young equipped with 2 MP fixed focus camera and no flash light support. This phone doesn’t have front camera. If the camera is used to take close distance object, for example to take a written text, the result will be a little blurry because the camera has no auto focus function or the focus distance can not be changed. The overall camera quality is fairly standard, not good nor bad. The resulting image looks a little pale and low detail if we see it using computer. However, if the images displayed on the phone screen, you can say the quality is acceptable.

This Android phone can record video up to QVGA resolution (240 x 320 pixels) at 15 fps (Frames per second). When used to record fast moving objects, the result not so smooth. Just like image quality, the resulting video is only good when viewed through the phone screen.

It is clear that this Galaxy Y is not a camera phone. If this feature is important for you, then it seems that this gadget is not suits you. But, if you need the camera and video only for capture everyday event and upload it to Facebook or other social media service, then it is sufficient enough.

Galaxy Young Review – The Audio Quality

Samsung Galaxy Y loudspeaker quality is pretty good and clear but nothing special. Placement of the speaker hole at the back of the phone is a downside because it will muffle the volume if the phone is placed on the soft surface such as bed or sofa. But most of phones nowadays are same anyway. The audio quality when using headset is much better than the loudspeaker.

Music player application interface is simple. You can sort the music files by artist, by album or you can make your own playlist. To enhance the sound quality, there are several preset equalizer you can choose, such as Normal, Rock, Classic, Jazz, etc. There is also 5.1 channel selection to create surround sound effect, even though we didn’t feel the “surround” effect too much.

Samsung Galaxy Young Battery Life Review

Galaxy Y uses 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery. Because it uses Lithium Ion battery, this phone can be charge anytime, no need to wait until battery exhausted. The battery life performance is so-so if compared to other Android phone. If  it used to make a call less than an hour, browsing internet for an hour and used for other usage such as playing games, watch video player, etc for an hour, this Android phone can only last for one day in single charge. Note: the battery life is also determined by telecommunication provider signal strength.

Samsung Galaxy Young Specification:

• Network: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, 3G 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
• Size: 104 x 58 x 11.5 mm, weight: 97.5 g
• Screen: 3″ TFT capacitive touch screen, 262K colors, 240 x 320 pixels
• Camera: 2 MP, 1600 × 1200 pixels fixed focus. Video recording QVGA (320 × 240 pixels) @ 15 fps
• Processor: 832 MHz ARMv6, Broadcom GPU, 290 MB RAM
• Operating System (OS): Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• Memory: 160 MB internal, external up to 32 GB SD card
• Connectivity: Bluetooth v3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, wifi tether (hotspot), Micro USB
• Battery: Li-Ion 1200 mAh
• Other: GPS (A-GPS), FM Radio, proximity sensor, compass, Accelerometer sensor, Document Viewer.

Samsung Galaxy Young Pros and Cons

Samsung Galaxy Young Advantages:

• Affordable
• Use 832 MHz processor, one of the fastest in its class (as the time this article written)
• Good performance
• Small size and lightweight
• use Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS

Samsung Galaxy Y Disadvantages:

• Not so good screen quality
• Fixed focus Camera

Samsung Galaxy Young Review – Conclusion

Samsung Galaxy Y price is not so much different from “stupid” phone (the opposite of Smartphone ). If you never used a Smartphone (phone that use operating system), this phone is perfect for your stepping stone. You will instantly realize the difference and find out whether the latest advance technology is suitable for you or whether you would prefer a simple and practical thing like most of non operating system phone.

Samsung Galaxy Young Price

Samsung Galaxy Y price is different in many countries, but for unlocked type, it sold around 120 USD.

Note:
The Samsung Galaxy Young that we reviewed is a GSM version. There are slightly differences in specification for the CDMA version. The difference is the network (GSM or CDMA) and the CDMA version has slower processor, which is 600 MHz.