How to Guides

Feb 20 2012

How to Listen to Internet Radio on Android Phones

Some Android Phones come equipped with FM radios built in, but technology is changing and the Internet provides a natural medium for delivering a huge number of live radio stations to your handset, and the Tunein App provides a brilliant tool for finding the ideal station for you.

We have previously looked at TuneIn for Windows Phone in this Article.

20120214-223554.jpgThe TuneIn app can be found free of charge in the App Market, and provides access to over 50,000 live Internet Radio stations, covering most popular stations spanning all genres.

You can either manually browse through a number of different categories including type of station, language, location or you can search for a radio station by using the Apps search tool. You can also search through a large selection of podcasts.20120214-223612.jpg

The Android version of TuneIn appears to lack some of the integrated Social Networking features that is found in the fantastic Windows Phone version of TuneIn, but this shouldn’t distract from the fact that this is a great App which will meet all of your Mobile Radio needs.

TuneIn works over both  Mobile networks and WiFi , but be aware that if you are using a mobile network make sure you have a Unlimited Data Plan, for example Three’s The One Plan to avoid any extra costs.

By Gadget Phil • Android, How to Guides • 0 • Tags: , ,

Feb 16 2012

How to use your Android Phone as a WiFi Hotspot

Since the release of Android version 2.2, the facility to turn your phone into a  personal WiFi Hotspot has been available to users of Google’s Mobile OS. This is a very powerful tool as a WiFi hotspot enables you to provide Internet Access to your Laptop, Tablet or games devices where ever you are, often providing a free option to expensive or slow public access points.

Activating your personal HotSpot on an Android phone is easy. (First make sure you have Android version 2.2 or above. This article explains How to Check which Version of Android you are using)

How to activate your Personal Wifi Hotspot on an Android Phone:

1) From your Home Page press the Menu button and select the Settings option.

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2) From the Settings Screen select the Wireless & Networks Option.

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3) From the Wireless and Network screen select the Tethering & Portable hotspot option.

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4) Tick the Portable Wi-Fi hotspot option to activate your personal hotspot

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5) You will be asked to set a password, setting a password will prevent unauthorised users from using your Hotspo

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6) To show that the process has worked the WiFi icon will be shown in the status bar on your phone.

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To preserve battery life make sure you turn the hotspot off when you aren’t using it, and a word of warning, make sure your data plan allows tethering ( Eg Three’s The One Plan) or else you might receive an unexpected bill

By Gadget Phil • Android, How to Guides • 0 • Tags: , ,

Feb 15 2012

How to find out which version of Android you are using

Android continues to receive frequent software updates, each of which bringing new powerful features to your device, but how do you make sure that you’re using the latest version of Android.

Fortunately there’s a very easy way of finding out which version of Android you are using.
To find out which version of Android you are using:

1) From your Home Screen press the menu button to bring up the Android menu and select settings,
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2) From the Settings Menu select the About phone option

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3) The Android Version is displayed on the About phone screen.

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By Gadget Phil • Android, How to Guides • 0 • Tags: ,

Feb 11 2012

How to Watch Live TV on Android

There are several ways to watch high quality Video on Demand on Android devices, but it’s also possible to watch a large selection of live Freeview Tv on your mobile device over either WiFi or 3G thanks to the brilliant TVcatchup.com service.

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Originally available for Desktop computers, TV Catchup is also available for mobile devices as long as you live in the UK and complete the quick and free registration. When you first log in to the site you are presented with the selection of available channels, most of which are amongst the most popular channels in the country.
The video quality of the streams is good, the mobile streams don’t appear to be as good as the desktop versions but they are very watchable with a good free rate even over 3G, be warned though if you are using a mobile network make sure you have a Unlimited Data Plan, for example Three’s The One Plan to avoid any extra costs.

Accessing the service is easy, simply point your browser at http://android.tvcatchup.com where you’ll be able to login or register.

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By Gadget Phil • Android, How to Guides • 0 • Tags: , ,

Feb 1 2012

How to Watch Premier League Goals on Windows Phone

Premier League football is extremely popular in the UK, and it’s shown regularly on Premium TV Sports Channels, but if you are out and about and can’t watch the match or you can’t wait until the evening highlights then there is an option to watch the latest highlights free on your Windows Phone handset, thanks to the sports Broadcast ESPN who have released the ESPN Goals App.

20120122-180826.jpgThe ESPN Goals App is completely free and is a great way to watch all the Premier League goals, when matches are underway  video updates are provided at regular intervals so you don’t even have to wait until the conclusion of the game before you can view the goals. Shortly after a match has finished a complete highlights package is available for that game, and shortly after, a highlights for all that days matches becomes available.20120122-180847.jpg

The video quality is good and even works well over 3G, so you can watch the highlights when you are mobile, but be warned if you are using a mobile network make sure you have a Unlimited Data Plan, for example Three’s The One Plan to avoid any extra costs. The ESPN Goals App is a great App, free of charge and is available from the Market Place

By Gadget Phil • How to Guides, Windows Phone • 0 • Tags: , ,

Jan 31 2012

How to Listen to the Radio on Windows Phone

As smartphones continue to become more powerful and more popular, traditional media is starting to move away from it’s traditional home  of large screen and radio onto your mobile.

As more of us start to use smartphones there is an ever increasing audience available for Internet based radio so its no surprise to see a large selection of Apps starting to appear, and there are a number of Radio Apps Available for Windows Phone, both dedicated apps for specific Radio Stations and multi station Apps are available and can be downloaded, one of the best is TuneIn Radio.

20120119-231018.jpgThe TuneIn Radio App provides access to hundreds of live Radio Stations from all over the world. You can search for a radio station by using the Apps search tool or you can manually browse through a number of different categories including type of station, language, location and you can also search through podcasts.

When listening to a station you are presented with the current program details, or you can view the stations program line up, the facility to view Twitter posts about the currently playing station is a really nice touch which adds a whole new dimension to listening and a list of related radio stations can be viewed. It’s a perfect example of how technology and traditional media can interact for a great user experience.

TuneIn works over both WiFi and Mobile (e.g. 3G ) networks , but be warned if you are using a mobile network make sure you have a Unlimited Data Plan, for example Three’s The One Plan to avoid any extra costs.

TuneIn is a fantastic free App and can be found in the Windows Phone MarketPlace, it’s easily on par with any similar app available for the iPhone, and if you like listening to the radio or want an alternative to your music collection then this App is a must to download.
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By Gadget Phil • How to Guides • 0 • Tags: , ,

Jan 30 2012

How to rearrange the icons on the Windows Phone Start Menu

Windows Phone is relatively new to the market, and the way the system works may be different to many of us are familiar with.

This post is part of a series of articles looking at the basics of Windows Phone, in this case the very impressive Nokia Lumia 800 from Three . To see the rest of the posts in the series click here.

It’s possible and easy to re-arrange the tiles on the the Windows Phone Start Menu.

To rearrange the tiles on Windows Phone Start Menu:

  • Scroll to the Tile that you wish to move
  • Hold your finger down on the tile until it becomes highlighted
  • Drag the tile to the location you wish to position it.
  • Press the back button the bottom left hand side of the screen.

The tile is now placed in its now position.

By Gadget Phil • How to Guides, Windows Phone • 0 • Tags: ,

Jan 30 2012

How to Uninstall an App from Windows Phone

Windows Phone is relatively new to the market, and the way the system works may be different to many of us are familiar with.

This post is part of a series of articles looking at the basics of Windows Phone, in this case the very impressive Nokia Lumia 800 from Three . To see the rest of the posts in the series click here.

To free up space on the phone you may wish to remove apps that you have previously installed but no longer use, the process is easy but only do this if you are sure that you want to remove the app.

To uninstall an App on Windows Phone:

  • From the Start Menu Swipe Right to move to the Apps screen
  • Scoll up and Down until you find the App that you want to uninstall
  • Press on the App until a new Menu appears.
  • Select uninstall on the menu

The App will now be uninstalled.

By Gadget Phil • How to Guides, Windows Phone • 0 • Tags: ,

Jan 28 2012

How to remove an App from the Windows Phone Start Menu

Windows Phone is relatively new to the market, and the way the system works may be different to many of us are familiar with.

This post is part of a series of articles looking at the basics of Windows Phone, in this case the very impressive Nokia Lumia 800 from Three . To see the rest of the posts in the series click here.

If there is an unused tile or App on your Start Bar you may prefer to move to off the Start Menu, this won’t uninstall any apps but  will keep your Start Menu well organised with your favourite tiles.

To remove an App or Tile from the Windows Phone Start Menu:

  • Find the tile you wish to remove
  • Hold your Finger down on the Tile until it becomes highlighted.
  • Press the unpin icon that has appeared on the tile.

You can still see all your installed Apps by swipping right on the screen to move to the apps screen.

By Gadget Phil • How to Guides, Windows Phone • 0 • Tags: ,

Jan 26 2012

How to add an App to the Start Menu on Windows Phone

Windows Phone is relatively new to the market, and the way the system works may be different to many of us are familiar with.

This post is part of a series of articles looking at the basics of Windows Phone, in this case the very impressive Nokia Lumia 800 from Three . To see the rest of the posts in the series click here.

Windows Phone allows you customise the start menu by adding links to installed Apps.
All the Apps installed on your Windows Phone can be seen by swiping to the Apps screen on the right hand screen.

To add links to your start menu on the Windows Phone:

    • Swipe right on your phone to move to the apps screen
    • Scroll down until you find the App that you want to move to Start Menu
    • Hold you finger down on the App, until it becomes highlighted and a new menu appears.
    • Select the ‘pin to start’ option.

The app will now be visible on the bottom of the start menu.

By Gadget Phil • How to Guides, Windows Phone • 0 • Tags: ,