How To

How to send pictures directly from Android camera to Dropbox

Dropbox is one great way to share pictures, video clips, and other files across devices and between people. Its Android app has a sneaky feature that lets it take over your camera, camcorder, voice recorder, or text editor to create a file that is saved directly to the appropriate Dropbox folder. It's terrific for sharing media quickly with groups or just for making life easier when it's time to edit or send your files. Here's how to do it:

If you haven't already done so, pick up a free 2GB Dropbox account and install the Dropbox app … Read more

How to give presentations with a PlayBook

One of the coolest features of RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is how well the device works as a multimedia presentation tool. With its integrated HDMI output and suite of Documents To Go apps, you can deliver high-resolution presentations with ease.

RIM also added a few tweaks to give the PlayBook an advantage over the iPad, such as the capability of selectively locking presentation content to the HDMI output while freeing up the tablet screen for private use and shuffling elements behind the scenes.

For those who want to learn more, I've put together this video and slideshow to … Read more

Android Atlas Weekly 47: An Android phone for the fairer sex (Podcast)

The 404 co-host and known iPhone user Wilson Tang joins us this week and gives us Android guys a fresh perspective on this week's Android news. Speaking of the news, getting around your carrier's tethering restrictions just got a bit harder with carriers blocking tethering apps in the Android Market; Amazon and Barnes & Noble prepare to go head-to-head in the next round of the tablet/e-reader war; and we get news of a whole slew of upcoming Android phones, including a massive 4.5-inch model and the first Android phone targeted specifically at women. All of that, plus the answers to your emails, on this week's episode of Android Atlas Weekly with Antuan Goodwin and Justin Eckhouse. … Read more

How to customize search on your Android device

Google does search like nobody else and, with a few tweaks, your Android search tool can help you easily keep track of all the bits and pieces of your life. With a quick run through your settings and one fairly simple change of habit, you can save yourself plenty of time and get personalized hits you might otherwise have missed.

To get started, just click the menu button, then "Settings," then "Search." Click "Google search" to look at the big picture. If your search results are cluttered, try disabling one or more of the … Read more

How to connect your iPad to a Wi-Fi network

Connecting your iPad to the Internet is essential in order to get the most out of your tablet. We have already shown you how to connect your iPhone or iPod Touch to a Wi-Fi network in four easy steps, in this guide we are going to show you how to connect your iPad to a Wi-Fi network in the same amount of steps.

… Read more

Pandora apps put comedy in your pocket

Recently I finished a three-month trial of SiriusXM Radio. And despite a relentless onslaught of calls and e-mails from the company, I elected not to continue my subscription. The only channels I really wanted were the comedy ones, which, frankly, weren't that great.

Pandora to the rescue! Yesterday, the incomparably awesome Internet-radio service introduced comedy stations. My first thought: "Please let them be available in the mobile apps. Please let them be available in the mobile apps." Because I figured that such an incomparably awesome addition to the service must come with a catch.

Huzzah! Turns out I can enjoy the likes of Daniel Tosh, Bill Cosby, Steven Wright, and Mitch Hedberg on my iPad, iPhone, Android phone, and so on--wherever there's a Pandora app. And make no mistake: Pandora's comedy stations are infinitely better than the ones on SiriusXM, if only because the mix caters directly to my tastes.… Read more

How to take screenshots on your Android device

There are lots of reasons you might want to take a screenshot on your Android device. Maybe you want to show off your amazing home screen, or maybe you want to show a distant friend something cool they can't do with their iPhone. Unless you've got the native screen-capture function that comes with Android 2.3.3 or better (and that's not very many of you at the time of this writing), your options are limited, but you can still do it without paying a cent or rooting your device. Setting up your Android device to take … Read more

How to capture your PlayBook's screen

There are going to be times when you want to show someone something on your PlayBook and they aren't around, or the only way to explain an issue on your tablet is to e-mail someone the screen and show them exactly what you are seeing. This simple guide will show you the trick to taking a screenshot on your PlayBook.

We had previously covered how to take a screenshot on a BlackBerry smartphone, which required an application to be installed, settings to be properly setup, and customization features to be set. You will find the screenshot process on the … Read more

Android Atlas Weekly 46: Desire and the Cute Girl Index

Nielsen thinks that Android phones are finally more desirable than iPhones, but Antuan could have told you that based on less than scientific observations. Justin shows us a phone that he does not desire, the HTC Droid Incredible 2. The unlikely Barnes & Noble Nook Color is rapidly becoming the most desirable Android tablet thanks to a new firmware update. Meanwhile, Motorola plans to give hardcore users what they truly desire, quad-core processors and more hacker friendly Android phones. All of that plus more news and the answers to your emailed questions on this week's episode of Android Atlas … Read more