Cool Gadget | PDA Phone

Making the jump to an Android smartphone

The Android platform was announced on November 5, 2007, along with the Open Handset Alliance. The latter is a consortium of hardware and software manufacturers, as well as telco operators committed to backing an open standard for mobile devices. The operating system runs on the Linux kernel and developers can write programs in Java with the software development kit. 



On the software, the interface is based on a multiple home screen concept that lets users have quick access to installed widgets. There’s also a default Google search bar on one of the three panels. Aside from the mini applications, users can add shortcuts, folders and switch wallpapers on these home screens. The notification area and main menu are designed like window shades where users “pull” down or “push” up on the capacitive touchscreen, respectively, to reveal more functions. 



Currently, there are only two Android smartphones in Asia. These are the HTC Dream (also known at the T-Mobile G1 in the US) and the Magic. The biggest difference, aside from the software version, is that the physical QWERTY keyboard has been taken out in the Magic, resulting in a slimmer chassis. The physics of the interface are largely similar for the pair, although the software version 1.5 (Cupcake) brings an onscreen keyboard along with other enhancements. The upcoming Hero, on the other hand, features Sense UI. This is a customized interface which offers a radically different user experience over the standard Android version. 

A few other manufacturers have Android devices in their sights as well. Samsung has the I7500 (also known as the Galaxy), while LG has said it will release three Android models this year. OEM makers such as Huawei andHaier have showcased their prototype Android handsets at the Singapore-based CommunicAsia in June this year.

Check this out (another new Google Android Smartphone made by HTC) : HTC Hero

Before you hop onto the Android mobile software, here’s a quick checklist of five things you should know about the smartphone operating system. 

1. Android market currently supports only Google Checkout

This is similar to Apple’s App Store which lets users download applications over-the-air on their devices. Currently, paid apps are available only in the US, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Australia via Google Checkout. 

2. Android has multitouch inherently

According to reports, Apple has asked Google not to implement it, but the latest version 2.0 Donut apparently supports multitouch and gesture input. 

3. Android OS is not the same as Chrome OS

Even though both operating systems hail from Google, Android OS is meant for devices such as handsets and Netbooks, while the Internet-centric Chrome OS is aimed at users who spend most of the time on the Web. 

4. Android is a software stack that consists of four layers

These are the application layer, application framework, libraries and runtime, and the kernel. Most users will come across only the topmost application layer where all the programs reside. Android applications are written using the Java, but they run on the Dalvik virtual machine which is different from the Java virtual machine. 

5. The Open Handset Alliance is one of the few “open” consortiums

The LiMo Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to create an open, hardware-independent Linux operating system for the mobile industry. There’s also the Symbian Foundation, also a non-profit organization, which was formed to drive the Symbian OS.

Setting up a smartphone for the first time can be a daunting task. Fortunately, most handsets come with a setup wizard to help you along. Once you get past the initial setup, you’d want to install applications, transfer multimedia content onto the device, surf the Web, send emails and, perhaps, also do a bit of work. The following sections will guide you along with these tasks. 

Installing applications

The Android Market is the central repository of applications developed for the Android operating system, although you can also download programs via the Web browser or install them from the microSD card. It’s not possible to install or run apps on the microSD card, although there are unofficial workarounds. 

To install non-Android Market apps, the “Unknown sources” option under Applications in Settings has to be enabled. An application installer program, for example AppsInstaller which can be downloaded from the Android Market, is also needed. You can copy the application files in .apk format onto the memory card via Mass Storage mode on the PC by selecting the Mount option. AppsInstaller would then list the installation files. The Android operating system doesn’t have a file manager program and we strongly recommend installing one of these so you know where your files are on the device. Note that the Magic comes with only 288MB of RAM. 

On the Android Market, featured apps are displayed in a row and the Home page brings users to Applications, Games, Search and My downloads. The applications are sorted into Communication, Entertainment, Finance, Lifestyle, Multimedia, News & Weather, Productivity, Reference, Shopping, Social, Tools, Travel, Demo and Software libraries categories. For games, these are divided into Arcade & Action, Brain & Puzzle, Cards & Casino and Casual. To uninstall and rate applications, users can go to My downloads option.

Transferring music and videos

The Magic isn’t marketed as a multimedia powerhouse, but it’s still able to handle basic music and video playback. By default, the device is preinstalled with a music player and videos are listed in the Gallery folder. 

The first step is to connect the device to the PC and select the Mount option after tapping on the USB connected notification. This is to let you copy files to the memory card. Once you’ve copied the files, the music will be sorted into Artists, Albums, Songs, Playlists. Within the player, you can set the play order, shuffle and repeat options and the usual pause, fast forward and backward options. Album art is supported as well. From here, you can also set the MP3 file as a ringtone.

Audio formats supported: AAC, AAC+, AMR-NB, MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC-LC, MIDI, OGG. 
Video formats supported: MP4, 3GP 

Surfing the Web

The Magic comes with a WebKit browser engine similar to the ones that power Safari and S60 browsers. You can connect to 2G/3G data networks or Wi-Fi to go online. To switch on Wi-Fi, go to Wireless controls in the Settings and select the Wi-Fi option. If you’re on a data plan, you can select Mobile networks to configure Access Point Names. The telco operator should be able to provide you the settings for these. There are options to toggle the always-on feature for push email and disable data connection when you are roaming. To save battery, you can also choose to use only a 2G network, although that would slow down your browsing speed considerably.

With the browser, you can bookmark your favorite Web sites, run up to eight windows concurrently, find words on a page, select text to copy onto the clipboard, and share the site via email and text messages. 

Sending emails

The Android operating system’s tight integration with Google services is evident right from the first time the device is being powered up. You will be prompted to sign in to your Gmail account and synchronize a suite of Google services including Gmail, Calendar and Contacts. These settings can also be configured later in Data synchronization. From here, you can enable background data usage and auto sync data.

Aside from the usual POP3/IMAP email protocols, the HTC Magic also has native support Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. This requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or Exchange Server 2007. To set up an exchange account, you’ll need your office email, server address, domain, username and password. Mail, Contacts and Calendar on the server can be synchronized with the device. 

Reading office documents

The Magic is preinstalled with a PDF viewer and a read-only version of Quickoffice. You can sort documents in Quickoffice by Name, Type, Size and Date Modified, and browse content in the microSD memory card. The PDF viewer when activated automatically searches the device for PDF files. 

[Damian Koh]