1.Change
the launcher on Android
Almost
every smartphone maker overlays Android with its own
interface, be it Samsung's TouchWiz or HTC's Sense. They spend
enormous amounts of time making sure they get it just right, trying
to improve on stock Android while standing out from the crowd.
But
despite their best efforts they can't please everyone. Features are
lacking or forced on you and things just don't look or feel right.
Thankfully
there's a solution. Smartphone makers aren't the only ones who can
develop an interface (or launcher) for Android and many third parties
have unleashed their own creations onto Google Play, allowing you to
download new launchers and replace whatever one your phone came with.
A
quick search for 'launcher' will turn up many, but some are better
than others. Nova Launcher is among the best. It closely resembles
stock Android, but gives you a number of powerful tools to further
customise it, and there are free and paid versions.
Another
option, particularly if you want a launcher you can show off, is Next
Launcher 3D. As the name suggests, it uses a 3D effect to make icons
pop out of the screen.
Fancy
effects aside, it's also got a robust feature set, including the
ability to create custom themes and app icons. At £11.49 it's not
cheap, but can you really put a price on the sense of satisfaction
you'll get from having the showiest launcher around?
2.Control other devices with infrared
More
and more Android phones are being released with infrared blasters,
particularly high-end handsets like the Samsung Galaxy
S6 and HTC One M9.
If
your phone has one of these, in theory it can control anything that
responds to infrared signals. You'll likely find that your phone
already has an app that makes use of it hidden away somewhere, which
can be programmed to control your TV or set-top box.
But
even if your phone doesn't have a built-in infrared control, or you
just don't get on with the one that is included, you'll find that
Google Play has a few available to download, such as the Peel Smart
Remote, which is often just re-skinned by manufacturers anyway.
3.Use your smartphone as a level
Most
smartphones include an accelerometer, which is used to identify your
phone's orientation, so that the screen will know when to auto rotate
and means your phone can be used as a spirit level.
If
you have an Android or BlackBerry phone, you can download apps to do
this, but if you have an Apple device running iOS 7 or higher, the
function is built in.
Having
said that, it can be hard to find it, as you have to launch the
compass app and then swipe across to a second screen. It's not the
most obvious location, but now you know where it is you can get to
work checking your bed/table/sofa/TV/house/cat is level.
4.Speak any language
Even
the best linguist can't be expected to rattle off complex sentences
in various languages, and many of us struggle to say anything more
complicated than 'hello' in another country. Your smartphone can make
speaking and understanding other languages a whole lot easier.
If
you've got an Android phone you can just ask Google Now to translate
a word or phrase for you and get both a spoken and written response,
while the app iTranslate, available on iOS, Windows Phone and
Android, works similarly.
5.Create
Contact-Specific Vibrations
It's
easy enough to make custom ringtones, but iPhone users can also
customize specific vibrations per user.
For
those with iOS 7, it's as simple as modifying a person's contact
information. Choose the contact, hit Edit, and scroll down to
Ringtone or Text Tone — whichever you'd like to customize. For each
of those options, you'll find the Vibration setting. Tap it, and
choose from different vibrations or create your own. For older
iPhones, the same option is under Accessibility in Settings.
This
built-in option is sadly not available for Android, but that doesn't
mean it's outside the realm of possibility. Vybe is an app
that will create custom vibration for you to assign to contacts.
