5 Ways to Make Your Android Smartphone Faster

Does your smartphone seem to run slower than usual? Or has an observable delay before it responds to your touch when you launch an application, and restarting it does not solve the problem? The slowdown is not caused by a single factor alone but most of the time it is a result of a combination of  situations. Here are the most common reasons and what to do about on each.

1. Clear up running out built in memory

Every application we download is saved in the internal memory of the phone by default and run from there. The more apps we download, the more likely that the available space will soon be running out. This will result in the slowdown of performance.

Solution to this is to move the applications to the external SD storage. The problem is only a handful of applications can be moved without rooting your phone first. To see which applications can be moved, go to settings, general, application manager then tap any of applications. If the move to SD card button is greyed out(1,2), this means it can not be moved. As you can see, these apps, usually have large total byte size(3).

The move to SD card (4) button is active to apps that can be moved to an external storage. Tapping this button will transfer all files related to the apps into the SD card.

The fact that not all apps and usually the large sized applications can not be moved,  the simplest solution here is to choose wisely which one to install and uninstall(5) those we seldom use or never used.

2. Update the firmware

If your phone is not set to auto update, you can do this manually by going to the settings, general, about device. You need to be connected to wi-fi rather than data connection and it is advisable to connect it to the mains charger. Tap software update, then update(6) to see if there is an available download for your phone. This will take sometime so be patient. You can tick auto update(7) to check for updates automatically. Because the updates contain usually big files, it is better to tick wi-fi only(8).

3. Install antivirus

Like computers, smartphones are also vulnerable to infections, viruses and other malwares. These could significantly affect the performance of your phone. As these are usually concealed to other softwares when we download apps, we do not know we got them until symptoms appear. It is also advisable to download antiviruses from reputable and popular companies. Avast (9) and AVG two of the leading names in internet security, have free versions to download from the play store.

Once downloaded, it is advisable to check for the recent update before you begin your first scan.

4. Restart the phone

Closing up applications do not mean the programs has already shut down, sometimes there are programs that are still running on the background. As they are still running in the phone's processes, they are still using the phone's random memory without us knowing, and this results in the phone's sluggish performance. . Restarting the phone will cure this and also get rid of various glitches when apps become corrupted that impedes performance of the device.

Restarting the phone do not only includes powering off the phone. It is also a good practice to pull the battery out and reinsert it before powering it back on again.

5. Reset the phone

If you have done everything and you think the phone's performance is still not improving, the best remedy is to reset the phone into it's factory setting. This means, everything in your phone will be wiped out, including contacts, photos, downloaded applications, account settings and etc. So before you do this, you need to back(10) these up otherwise you will lose them all. To reset, go to settings, general, backup and reset, factory data reset(11)!

Do More With The Samsung Note 3: IR Blaster

It's been a while that Note 3 is out, and I have not exploited even half of it's practical features. One of these that captured my curiosity is its built in IR blaster. The infrared technology has been around since the birth of remote controlled devices live TV's, DVD's and other electrical appliances. And before bluetooth technology became a standard for mobile phone's data exchange, it was already present to some models. The only thing that makes it awkward to use is it needs line of sight to make a connection. 

Now the aging technology is making a comeback, not only using the ordinary mobile phone as it's vehicle but the top of the range smartphones, Samsung Note 3 included. 

What it does?

Infra Red signals are used to control appliances with built in IR receivers. It could be anything from TV, DVD, Set Top Box, Air Conditioning, toys and many more. The ability for an IR blaster to control something is dependent to the built in application that drives it. In terms of the IR on Note 3, it can control TV's, DVR's or set top box from SKY or other providers, DVD's, Blu-Ray Player, AV Receiver,Streaming Media Player like Apple TV, and even Airconditioning units, with the use of the built in Samsung Apps WatchOn. 

How to set it up?

It is easy, no need to download as it is a native apps in Note 3. Just go to the Samsung Apps folder and tap WatchOn. You can put a shortcut at the Home screen by keeping your fingers on it until it can be dragged out from the folder. You need to be connected into the internet whilst setting up.

1. At launch, you will be required to provide your location (1), the TV service provider(2, I am receiving SKY basic with satellite dish), before you can set up your devices(3). Note that the third picture already have the Sky Shows on it.

2. The first device to set up is the TV(4).  Make sure it is plugged and in standby mode. The popular brands are in the list (5) but if your TV is not included, you can access the complete selection(6). Then press the power button (7) to send the control code to your TV.

If the code is correct, then the TV will turn on and press the code works(10). You can send the previous code to try again(8). If not carry on with the second code(9) and so on until your TV is turned on.

3. Next is the Set-top Box(11) provided by TV company.  There is SKY+ in the selection and I tried this first. The code is not perfect so I researched for the make of my box and I found out that it is Amstrad(12), similar to the picture below.

4. Same steps follow like sending a code (13) and confirming (14). The remote interface(15) is easy to familiarise, at this point you can turn off the set up equipments by the power button(15) which will prompt you a specific equipment to turn off or you can add more devices by swiping upwards with the button at the bottom of the screen(16)

5. Press the remote device(17) and add another device(18). It will again ask you to press a button to turn it on. Be sure the device is on standby. After successful addition, you can change which device to control by again pressing the remote devices button(17,20), then the corresponding name(21). The interface or the remote(22) changes depending on the active component.

Luckily, the TV was set up with the first code, the Set top Box with the first code with the right product, and the DVD with the 5th code. 

The Quickest Way To Back Up Android Mobiles

My mobile phone contains almost all of my important files like contacts, messages, photos, videos, and music. Backing up these data is the best way not to loss them in case disaster strikes, like losing the phone, or a break beyond repair. There are backup softwares available there that can offer free online storage but usually are limited in service and in space. Here's something that let's you back up your mobile phone's content via cloud storage, direct to your PC or to a removable memory device.

In this post, I used Galaxy Note 2 as a source, PC as a backup location and the Nero BackItUp application. Here's the free, quickest and easiest way to backup your android device.

1. Download and install the application Nero Back It Up.

• In your PC, go to https://www.nerobackitup.com/eng/downloads/ and install the application.

• In your Android device, go to play store, search for NeroBackItUp and install it.

The good thing about this application is you do not need to create an account to use it unless you use the online storage as a target.

2. How to Back Up

In order for this application to work, both the android smart phone and the target storage laptop should be on the same wi-fi network.

• Open the application in your computer and mobile backup(1).
• A new window will pop up(2), a QR code(2a), and the path of the back up file(2b).

• Open NeroBackItUp on your mobile device and select target(3). This time I like to back it up using my computer(4). Then press scan now(5) and scan the QR code from the computer(2a).

This might be the trickiest part of the procedure specially when this is the first time for you to scan a QR code. One tip is to keep the phone steady by resting your hand holding your phone on a flat surface.

• Now you are ready to back up. Just press back up now(6) and it will start the back up process. This will take from few minutes up to an hour or more during the first back up. 

3. How To Specify Files To Back Up

The time to back up is determined by the amount of data you have in your phone. Photos and videos usually make the back up process a pain when there are too many and the files are large. You may want to leave the videos to make things easier. You can do this selecting files before selecting the target(3).

• Choose mobile(8) then untick the source file(9) you do not want to back up. Click next and proceed back up.

4. Where's the Back Up Files?

On your computer, your back up files(10) will be on this path(2b).

c://Users\Richard(username)\Documents\Nero BackItUp Device Backup

The AVG Uninstaller

I've been a fan for a long time of the AVG brand, from anti-virus to internet security suite. Though I use it's free products, I have not encountered any problem like major virus infection in any of my devices. The AVG program is easy to use and easy to configure to suite everyone's surfing habits. And here's something interesting for mobiles exclusively, and of course free!

The AVG Uninstaller.

I have heard about this product before, but I do not really know if I will need it. As the name suggests, it is a program  uninstaller for mobile devices. But not the regular uninstaller, it gives you a "reason" to uninstall a program. Here's how.

According to App Usage

The application starts collecting data with your phone the moment you first open it up. It takes 72 hours to see which application you use the least and the amount of memory each program has taken.  It also sorts out the number of days each app has not been used. From this data, you will know which one is not really needed and just taking up space.

According to Data Usage

If you bring with you your mobile whilst going away from the country, then be careful to monitor your online activity. This program tells you which application does eat all your data allowances. If you happened to know the incident when a teen ager raked up a bill of $6000 when she went overseas for a holiday, this application will give you the hint, to which one incurred the bill. The useful  point here is  it gives you the total data used for that day, rather than the accumulated data. This will give you an idea, whether to still use the application or keep it closed for the time being.

 If you go online with free wi-fi, then this is not relevant.

According to Battery Usage

If you are puzzled on what's going on with your battery that it doesn't last that long, chances are you are blaming the screen that is too bright and is taking all the power unnecessarily. The next usual step is to turn down the screen brightness up to the minimum. But is this worth it? For me, I can not see anything when I am in the broad daylight when the screen is too low. Wouldn't be able to use the phone because I won't be able to tap on the numbers for my unlock code. This move makes my phone useless.

It is not just the screen that is causing the battery to drain, but the applications that are running in the background, or other apps that doesn't look like power hungry. Tapping the "Battery Usage" will tell you which application uses the most power. And from there, you will know which one to turn off or force to shut down, or even uninstall.

According to Storage

If you are annoyed that you can no longer add file to your phone because of storage shortage, then tapping "Storage Use"  gives you the answer. Not like "Data Use" that gives you the day to day summary, this sums all the data being kept by a certain application. You can clear the data of the application in question or delete it.

To delete just tick(1) the box of the application, then tap the uninstall (2) button which tells you how many of the apps are selected for deletion, then just tap OK(3) to uninstall.

To get the AVG uninstaller  follow this link

http://www.avg.com/gb-en/avg-uninstaller

or

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avg.uninstaller