Android tip: 7 ways to operate quickly

                  Android tip: 7 ways to operate quickly

When thinking of Android smartphones, the word “productivity” may not come to mind first. But that doesn't mean it can't replace BlackBerry or Windows Phone 7 smartphones.The 7 Android tips below will help you move more quickly and effectively on your device or by accessing your favorite apps, media, services, etc., by simplifying common Android mobility.(Note: The Android tips and techniques introduced below have been confirmed to work on Android version 2.2.1 of my Motorola Atrix 4G. However, some features may not work on other devices or other OS versions.)

1) Customizing your Android home screen

Customizing the individual home screens of Android smartphones is one of the easiest ways to quickly find frequently used apps. Any app can be moved anywhere within the home screen window.

When moving an app from the “Apps page” where all apps are stored, or moving from one window to another, simply press and hold for 1 to 2 seconds until a colored shadow appears under the app. 

If you move an app from the app page to the home screen, it will immediately return to the last home screen page that was just before you turned on the app page. .To move an app within or between windows, simply press and hold for a while until the app is selected, then simply drag your finger left or right, or up or down. If there is an app you want to delete on the home screen, tap it to select the icon, then move it to the trash bin or similar icon that appears on the screen and throw it away.

2) Create widgets for frequently used apps on the home screen

One of the biggest advantages of the Android OS is that you can check information on the home screen without opening a real app or related service using various “widgets”. Widgets save time and show information that can be easily forgotten and overlooked.To register a widget in a window on the home screen, simply press and hold an empty space without other widgets or apps. Then, if you want to add a third-party app widget, select the Android widget. On the screen that comes up, scroll through the widgets and select the widget you want to register in the window on the home screen.Like the main system widgets, other widgets can be added by tapping on an empty space on the home screen page. The names of these widgets depend on the device model, make and OS version. In the case of Motorola Atrix 4G, there is an item called Motorola Widget that collects widgets with functions to control whether the device uses wireless Internet or plays music.Not all Android apps support widgets, so you need to make sure your favorite apps support widgets.However, Android widgets that are periodically updated can cause a lot of battery consumption depending on the settings. So it's not a good idea to fill your home screen with widgets you don't use.

3) Register a website shortcut on the Android home screen

You can also create shortcuts to your favorite web pages just as you did widgets for your app on the home screen. This eliminates the need to launch a browser and go to these pages.To create a custom Android shortcut on the home screen, navigate to the web page where you want to create the shortcut, press the Menu key to bring up additional selection options, then tap More. When prompted, choose Add Shortcut to Home. A new shortcut will be created in the last home screen window unless you receive a message stating that you cannot create a shortcut in the window because there is no place to add another shortcut to the window.You can also create a shortcut to your Android system options, such as Android settings or contacts, by holding down on an empty space on the home screen window for 1-2 seconds. However, you must select the shortcut item you want to add from the window that appears after selecting the shortcut described above, not the widget option.

4) Check and move the last used Android app

The best way to quickly move back and forth between frequently used Android apps is to press and hold the Android home button for a second or two, until 8 app icons that have recently been used appear on the screen. You can launch any of these eight apps by simply tapping the icons shown on the Recent page. The list of apps shown will change based on what the user has used most recently.

5) Check all Android home screen windows on one screen

The Android OS shrinks all home screen windows so you can quickly view them on one screen at a time. However, the way to access all of these window views can vary depending on the device or OS version. To access these viewing features in Motorola Atrix, simply press and hold the round home button on the screen until all of the home screen pages appear. Instead of having to scroll through multiple windows and find them, you can easily access them quickly by clicking on any window there.To launch all of these window views on HTC Droid Incredibles running Android 2.2, simply double-click on the actual button, not the “key” on the home button screen.

6) Organize apps using custom Android folders

In addition to customizing your home screen windows and adding widgets and shortcuts, you can add folders to your Android home screen to better optimize and organize your content on your smartphone. Create a new folder the same way you added a shortcut by tapping the space on the home screen until you see the options menu. After selecting the folder option, the new folder will be placed on your phone's home screen. 

7) Perform the desired function by pressing the Android home button twice

Some Android devices, such as Motorola Atrix 4G, can be configured to perform different functions when the user presses the home button twice. For example, if you press the Home button twice at any time, you can set the function to open the dial pad of the camera or phone.

To do so, open Android Settings, scroll down and click on App Options, then double-tap Home on the next page and select Double tap home launch. Then press the home button twice to select the function you want to run, and you can go out and use it.