Zeam Launcher for Android

Today I was cruising the 'Tubes (Internet) when I stumbled across an article on Lifehacker.com about how to speed up your older Android phone.  Now my phone is pretty much brand new and quite powerful, but I'm all about speed and smooth operation, so I gave the article a look.  I was reading the comments when a poster mentioned an app called "Zeam Launcher".  He/She mentioned that it was a gazillion times faster than the currently installed launcher and it was quite smooth...so I decided to give it a whirl.  The stock launcher on a Samsung Fascinate is TWLauncher.  It's not bad, but has a nasty habit of going a little haywire at times on my phone.  I recently switched to LauncherPro and was quite happy with it, but I still felt is was a little bloated or sluggish.  Today I installed Zeam....and WOW!  Fast, simple, and to the point.  I was able to customize almost to the extent of LauncherPro...but man is it fast!  Applications just go "boing" and pop right up....scrolling between home screens is butter-smooth.  It's also VERY customizable...multiple home screens....lots of widgets...and you can put the icons anywhere you wish.  So, if you're looking to try something a little smoother and faster...give it a try.  The nice thing is...if you don't like it you can very easily go back.  You can use an app called "Home Switcher" (also available from the Android Market) to switch back and forth until you decide what you like.  Once you settle on one you can make it the default.  Grab Zeam Launcher from the Android Market...or scan the QR image below with your phone to go there automatically...

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Blogger-droid

Want to post to your blog using your Android phone? Use what I'm using right now! If you have a Blogger page from Google as I do then check out the awesome app called Blogger-droid. This apparently makes it simple to keep your blogs up-to-date with all your latest news and ideas. Check it out...grab it from the Android Market!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

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PrinterShare for mobile devices...Print right from your phone!

Have you ever been sitting in a waiting room or perhaps had a little downtime while in a restaurant or airport and wanted to do a little work on your smartphone?  Easy right?  Whip out the phone and fire up any one of a number of apps such as Google Docs (GDocs), Thinkfree Office, and more.  BUT...let’s say you wanted to print your document to share with someone else...or perhaps you have an itinerary or ticket you need to print.  Easy...if you have a computer.  Now you can use your Android (even iPhone) phone!  

PrinterShare Mobile is a mobile printing solution that allows you to print almost anywhere there is a networked printer.  This includes “shared” printers on a PC/Mac.  Print via Wi-Fi, bluetooth, bonjour, and even over the Internet!  PrinterShare features “Nearby Printing” which will allow you to scan the local network for available printers and print to them.  No need to load drivers or additional software.  You can print to Wi-Fi printers on the local area network (LAN) as well as printers that are connected to a computer and shared via Bonjour.  If you happen to be away from a LAN and still need to print something you can use Remote Printing.  For Remote Printing over the Internet, you need to either log in with your existing account or create new one right from your phone...no worries...it’s free.  Next you need to find and select the printer you want to print your document to.  The computer connected to the printer needs to have the PrinterShare software installed.  It’s a quick and easy download.  If you intend to print to your own printer, you should install the computer software first, create an account, share the printer(s) and then use the same account on your smartphone (Android or iPhone) to login.  This way you will see your shared printers automatically.  You can also look for printers shared by others.  

I’ve been using PrinterShare for a little over 3 weeks now and I’ve found it to be very handy.  I even upgraded to the premium version ($4.95) for the extra features.  There is a free version, but trust me, if you get hooked it’s worth the money to upgrade.  Recently I was out of the classroom for a day attending a funeral.  I do my sub plans on Google Docs Spreadsheet.  I had forgotten to leave my sub plans prior to leaving and thus my substitute teacher would have had a difficult time figuring out what to do.  No problem.  The moment I realized what had happened I pulled over to the side of the road and printed my sub plans to both my computer lab printer and the printer in the main office.  I then called the office and let them know.  Problem solved.  Sure...I probably could have emailed them, but printing was easier and more direct...after all, that’s what they needed in the end.  

Prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, my son made the local high school varsity basketball team (as a sophomore).  He was excited and telling Grampa all about his upcoming schedule.  While we were at my fathers house for Thanksgiving, I simply turned on printer sharing on his PC and printed the schedule right from my phone.  Handy!

Go ahead and check out PrinterShare for your Android phone or your iPhone.  Learn more here:  http://www.printeranywhere.com/mobile.sdf  or grab it from the App Store (market).  Let us know of any great uses you find for PrinterShare in the comments!  Enjoy!

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Google's "My Tracks" app for Android

Ever wonder how far and where you walk during the day?  Have you ever wanted to map a hike, a running trail, or even a bike route to share with your friends?  Check out Google’s application for Android phones called “My Tracks”.  
I downloaded My Tracks after stumbling across it on the Internet while searching for cool Android apps for my new phone.  It also happened to be the beginning of hunting season for me so I had a great opportunity to test it out.  After loading “My Tracks” I fired up the GPS on my phone and headed out for a day of hunting.  Before long (and this is typical for me) I was way out in the woods and not entirely sure where I was in relation to everything else.  Remember...there is a BIG difference between being lost and simply not knowing where you are.  I simply wasn’t sure where I was.  So...I hauled out my phone...opened up the “My Tracks” screen which had already been recording my “walk in the woods”...and voila!  There I was.  Since “My Tracks” is a Google product which integrates with Google Maps, the software allows you to use either the traditional maps layer or you can also use the satellite layer.  Since I was using the satellite layer I was able to quickly tell where I was in relation to everything else and therefore, point myself in a better direction to get to where I needed to be.  As with Google Maps, you can zoom in and out to get a better look at your surroundings.  

When the day was done, I was able to share my map with others.  I had been hunting with my father, son, and some family friends.  Before heading out we each had our “routes” and had intended to keep the person next to us in sight.  As usual, that quickly dissolved into several people wandering alone in the woods as we become separated while finding easier places to walk or get into heavy underbrush which limits our visibility.  Sure enough, a couple of hours later I had no idea where anyone else was much less myself.  In fact, on the map below you can see my little “course correction”.  When my father asked, “Where were you?”  I was able to quickly show him on my phone exactly where I walked, but not only that, I also was able to upload my “Tracks” to Google Maps to share with him later.  “My Tracks” will calculate distance, elevation change, and even the time and speed.  

If you are hiking, biking, sightseeing, hunting or whatever, you may find Google’s “My Tracks” to be a very useful piece of software.  I wish I’d had it when I made my 600 mile weekend motorcycle trip around Maine in mid-October...oh well.  It would have been nice to be able to show my friends everywhere I went.  As soon as spring hits, I plan to use “My Tracks” quite a bit to keep track of my adventures on the road!  Visit the “My Tracks” site (http://mytracks.appspot.com/) or grab the application from the App Market on your phone.  It’s VERY cool and you’ll find many interesting ways to use it.  Be sure to share your discoveries in the comments...have fun!


View Chesterville Hunting in a larger map

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My new Android phone

I've been a cellphone user since the earliest days of the cellular phone technology. I started with a very large bag phone from a company called Unicel and through the years I've had many phones ranging from the bag phones to flip phones and eventually some pretty small "smarter" phones with cameras and so forth. As the years have progressed, my cellphone has morphed from being strictly a communication device to use in emergencies to a device that served as my digital hub. I sent photos, texts, inquired about movie times, fetched sports scores, and occasionally made a phone call. Through all of that though, I've never had a true "smartphone". Yes, I've had Palm Pilots, PDA's, and even a Nokia N800, but never a true smartphone.

For the most part, cost was the major factor in holding out as long as I did. As the years progressed, it became apparent that I was becoming more and more dependent on my phone to help manage and organize my daily life. I was a U.S. Cellular customer for many years and had fully intended to remain one, but I was specifically waiting for them to release an Android phone. I resisted the iPhone temptation primarily because of the cost and the AT&T network. I wasn't convinced that AT&T had the coverage in our area that I required. I'm also a Linux zealot and an Open Source aficionado, thus an Android phone made perfect sense for a guy like me. U.S. Cellular released an entry level Android phone called the Acclaim which didn't really interest me...I was waiting for the announced Samsung Galaxy S phone that was coming to U.S. Cellular. The first availability date I was given was sometime in August (2010)...that became September...then October...and so on. I couldn't wait any longer so after months of playing one vendor off another, I chose to switch to Verizon Wireless. They had the phone I wanted. A Samsung Galaxy S phone called the "Fascinate". Suddenly my life changed! I know...how could a cellphone change my life? Simply put, the Samsung Fascinate put all of the things I need on a daily basis at my fingertips. No more having to find a wifi hotspot and firing up my laptop or netbook to download a file or look something up on the internet. No more trying to find the right combination of words to send to Google via SMS in order to look something up. No more posting to Facebook and Twitter via SMS...I can now do it all right from my new Android device.

What I haven't mentioned up to now is that my digital life is very much tethered to Google and its various applications. I use Gmail almost exclusively. I have hundreds of documents on Google Docs, hundreds of contacts in Google Contacts as well as Google Voice, and my life is scheduled on Google Calendar. I even have an extensive photo library on Picasa. Given that Android is a Google creation for the most part, I was happy to see how easily my digital life integrated with my new phone. My contacts, emails, appointments, and even pictures...just showed up. That's pretty cool. Now my life is easy to access...from anywhere. I like that.

Over the next few days and weeks I'll be posting more of my adventures with my Android phone. I chose the Samsung Fascinate, but that are MANY Android devices now on the market. I'll be primarily addressing Android as an OS as opposed to any specific phone. If you are a lucky owner of an Android device I hope you'll follow along and join me on my adventure...if you don't have an Android device then come along and learn more about them! See you soon!

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