ANDROID SMARTPHONE
DID you unwrap your gifts this Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus to find that you’re the proud new owner of an Android? If so, welcome to the world of Google-powered smartphones.
Millions of others around the globe own phones running Google’s Android operating system, across dozens of devices with varying screen sizes and specs. These phones might be from one of more than a dozen hardware makers, running on just about every wireless network out there.
Given the variation, Android can be a bit fragmented, but no matter what your Android looks like, here are a few basics that can help you get started if you’re new to smartphone ownership.
1. Set up your Google Account: To use an Android phone you’ll need to have a Google Account, which means you’ll have to set up a Gmail.com e-mail address if you don’t already have one.
Your Google Account is, of course, the login identity that follows you as you use all things Google—Gmail, YouTube, Google Docs, Google Maps, Google Calendar, Blogger and anything else Google produces.
This can add some convenience to your life by automatically syncing your contacts and calendars across your computer and your smartphone if you make use of Google’s services for keeping track of all that information.
2. Get yourself some apps: The major differentiator between smartphones and other cell phones, aside from the ability to send and receive e-mail, is the mobile app. Android phones have the second largest app store, behind only Apple’s App Store for its iPhone/iPod/iPad lineup.
Unlike Apple’s i-devices, Android users have the option of getting their apps from Google or from third parties. The top two places to find apps currently are Google’s official Android Market and the Amazon Appstore for Android.
Both stores offer a wide selection of apps and games that have been tested and vetted before being sold, to help prevent apps filled with viruses and other malware from making it out to Android users. Amazon also allows you to test many apps, which can be helpful before downloading. Some basic apps we really like for Android: Pulse is a great news reading app if you like to read news from multiple web sites, and “Cut the Rope” is a fun game that can be a bit tougher than “Angry Birds” but is just as fun.
3. Social networking: Android phones are among the best choices for staying on top of your social networks. The official Twitter app is thoughtfully designed and can help you keep up with the fast-paced social network. Path is a social network that is by default private and designed for easily sharing what’s going on in your life with close friends, but you can also share to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Foursquare from Path as well.
And, of course, there is Google+. The Google+ Android app isn’t the greatest social networking experience in mobile apps, and falls far below Twitter, Path and Facebook in terms of looks and usability, but if you were lucky enough to receive the Galaxy Nexus smartphone this holiday, which runs Ice Cream Sandwich (the latest version of Android) this might not be as big of a problem.
In Ice Cream Sandwich, Google has baked-on Google+, allowing for automatic photo sharing and the ability to even read emails in your Gmail inbox by circles of friends on the network.
4. Check out Google Music: For many, the smartphone is also a portable music player, and if you’re not already a big iTunes or Amazon customer for music, Google’s own Google Music is worth a serious look. Google Music on a PC isn’t as easy to use as iTunes, but it does allow you to sync your purchases and music library to the cloud for streaming or easy downloads on the go.
Also, Google so far has done a great job on pricing, with hundreds of songs as low as 49 cents and albums as low as $4.99.
5. Talk to friends: As suggested by my colleague Deborah Netburn in her “Five Ways to Get Started With Your New iPad” post, talking to others who own and use Android on a daily basis is a good call.
This shouldn’t be too tough considering that Android is the most widely used mobile operating system worldwide.
iPHONE
GOT an Apple iPhone this Christmas? Well, you’re doing pretty well for yourself. It may or may not be Santa Claus’s smartphone of choice and you successfully avoided waiting in long lines as many Apple fanatics do once a year when a new iPhone launches.
But marketing and hype aside, the iPhone is one of the best smartphone lines on the market and each of the devices currently available—the 3GS, the 4 and the 4S—run iOS 5, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system. With that in mind, here are five places to get started if you’re a first time iPhone owner.
1. Photography apps: Apple’s App Store (the only place you can get iPhone apps), with more than 140,000 apps available, is a major bragging right for the iPhone versus its competitors, but not all apps are created equal.
However, no other smartphone platform can currently match the iPhone for slick apps that produce fun and artistic photos. The best place to start is likely Instagram, which combines a solid selection of filters to make photos look like they were shot on vintage film cameras and a social network of other users so you can see the world through other lenses.
Hipstamatic is another popular choice, which takes the vintage filter approach to another level with the ability to mix and match digital lenses, flashes and film choices to create a more customized look than in Instagram. Another app, called SwankoLab, allows you to alter photos already taken using a simulated dark room.
2. Games: The iPhone is also arguably the best gaming smartphone out there and the choices here are plentiful. “Angry Birds” is one of the most popular games available on smartphones and is a good place to start. But other, choices such as “Robo Surf,” “Cut the Rope,” “Tiny Wings,” “Bumpy Road” and “Kosmo Spin” are worth checking out too—each combining unique art styles, enchanting soundtracks and simple touch screen controls.
For those looking for a bit more of a gaming challenge, the third-person shooter “Minigore” and puzzle game “Scribblenauts” impress.
The sword fighting games “Infiniti Blade” and “Infiniti Blade II” show what the iPhone is capable of with detailed 3D graphics and fast-paced action.
3. Music: Apple’s iTunes allows for easy music buying, but there are plenty of other music-related apps worth checking out as well. Shazam can listen to and then identify thousands of songs. Band of the Day is a great way to discover new music.
Soundtracking is a unique social-networking app that allows you to share what you’re listening to with others, as well as check out what tunes they like. And if you’re a Spotify Premium subscriber, the Spotify app is a must.
4. Built-in Twitter: If you’re a big Twitter user, as I am, or even if you’re new to Twitter, you’re likely going to appreciate that the social network is baked into iOS 5. Checking out a web site you care to share in the iPhone’s Safari Web browser? You can tweet that directly from Safari without having to go and open up a Twitter app. Same goes for photos, videos and locations in the maps app.
5. Ask a friend: As always, talking to a buddy can generate suggestions that may line up with your interests on just about anything—same goes here. Ask a friend who uses an iPhone what they like about the phone or available apps and you’re bound to find something you may enjoy too.
IN PHOTO -- THE Sony Experia active is one of the many excellent smartphones powered by Google’s Android mobile OS.
