android power user | Mobiles365

How (and why) to root the LG G Watch

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Joe Levi

There are many reasons why you’d want to root your phone, but an LG G Watch root via a custom ROM? Yup. And it’s awesome!Smartwatches powered by Google’s Android Wear operating system are starting to show up on wrists across the world. Right now people are starting to get used to the idea of notifications showing up on their watch, and beginning to see the utility of talking back to it to get things done — even though it still looks a ...

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What you need to know about smartphone screens, part 2 (video)

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Joe Levi

In our last episode we talked about the glass that covers our smartphone screens. Today we’re diving into the types of displays under that glass, the pros and cons of both types, and which you’ll want in your next smartphone or tablet.Touch ScreensScreens recognize touch by one of two technologies: resistive or capacitive. Resistive touch screens all but require a stylus or similar device be used to register accurate touches. These are the types of screens that ...

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The next versions of Android will have even more Root headaches

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Joe Levi

Root and SuperUser access (“su“) are two terms that are often used interchangeably. Essentially, if you have Root access, you can modify and replace system files. With this access level a user can run an app that will automatically sync the clock on their smartphone or tablet with the Atomic Clock, tweak the color settings of their display, or make a complete backup of their device. Users can replace radio firmware, or even swap out an entire ROM with something that’s been customized by the community.It’s just as easy for a malicious user to utilize Root as a vector ...

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Pocketnow Power User: Everything you need to know about the CPU (video)

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Joe Levi

We live in a day and age where electronic devices are an integral part of our daily routine. What’s inside them that gives them the power to do so many amazing things? On today’s episode of Pocketnow Power User we’re going to talk about the brain that powers your device: the CPU. The Central Processing Unit, or CPU for short, has been around for quite some time, but has changed significantly over the years. Traditionally the CPU has been the “traffic-cop”, the component that handles and routes all the commands flowing through the system to the place where they ...

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Introducing the Pocketnow Power User (video)

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Joe Levi

We live in a day and age where our phones, tablets, and wearables are an integral part of our regular routine. Metal versus plastic, megapixels, screen size, battery capacity, CPU cores, RAM, storage capacity, and more all get thrown around by marketers when trying to convince us their product is somehow superior to that of their competitor. Sure, all those all important, but what do all the numbers really mean? How does each item on the spec sheet translate into value for your dollar? If you’re interested in the nuts and bolts, the hardware that powers your devices, you’re ...

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Which tethering method is better: WiFi, Bluetooth, or USB cable?

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Joe Levi

Tethering is one of those things that many of us got really excited about way back in the early days of cell phones. Here we had a little phone that we could connect to our laptop which would let us access the Internet or closed network (the office, university, etc.) without having to plug into a land-line to do so. Speeds weren’t all that great, but being able to work from anywhere often trumped that. Today we have our choice of various high-speed technologies offered by any one of a handful of cellular carriers. We also have numerous ways to connect our laptops to our phones ...

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Dual-booting: the pros and cons

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Joe Levi

Over the last little while we’ve heard that various devices (typically tablets) may be released that have the ability to dual-boot into your choice of operating systems. Some may know what dual-booting is, and others may not. The majority are probably scratching their heads and asking, what is dual-booting, and what are the pros and cons. What is dual-booting? Let’s start with something basics. What is “booting” when it comes to smartphones, tablets, and even computers? The basic explanation is “turning on” or “starting up”. In more ...

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How to speed up your original Nexus 7, and others?

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Joe Levi

The original Nexus 7 was quite a piece of work when it was originally released back in 2012. Pocketnow’s own Brandon Miniman even rated the device an 8.7 out of 10 in his review. Not bad for a tablet that cost less than US$200. What starts to happen almost immediately after we get our fancy new devices? They start to slow down. At least that’s what it feels like, right? Usually this perception is caused by installing a whole bunch of apps that take up more space in the ...

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Android is changing the way root works

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Joe Levi

Power users will likely recognize the name +Chainfire as one of the developers who brought superuser to Android and helped make rooting achievable for countless others. As you might expect, he’s still very much into the “guts” of Android, and recently came across something a little troubling. When some power users pointed out a recent commit to the AOSP master tree, Chainfire found a significant amount of Android root changes — which could break the majority of today’s root ...

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What is TRIM support in Android 4.3 and why should you care?

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Joe Levi

When I first got my original Nexus 7, I loved it. Over time, however, it got slower and slower. As it turns out, I wasn’t alone. These tablets that started out snappy got gradually slower over time, until they were almost painful to use. Then Android 4.3 came along, and much of that slowness went away. Why? Google sneaked in a feature that’s slowly helping restore my sanity: Android TRIM support. Let’s get some terminology and technology out of the way. When you think about how computers store files, you probably picture a hard drive (HDD), a rotating set of platters that ...

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How to get LTE on your Nexus 4

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Joe Levi

Google’s Nexus 4 is essentially an LG Optimus G, which has LTE support — so why don’t we? In short, Google disabled it. But we’re Android Power Users, aren’t we? Yes, we are! Here’s how to get LTE on your Nexus 4. First up, some disclaimers. This information has been around for a little while and some of you may say that it’s “old news”. That’s partially true. Although the radio in the Nexus 4 has support for LTE, it doesn’t have the ...

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