Android

 Zhengdian Toolbox really is handy! It bundles the features that most Android users need, including data usage, app lock, and app management, and you can put its widget on your home screen for quick management. Things that would normally require installing a bunch of separate apps, it handles all at once! This is very convenient for people who just got an Android phone, since they don’t need to download a pile of apps to get the everyday features working~ And even though it packs in so many features, the app itself is only about 2 MB. ...

You often see people recommend Android apps online without giving a URL, just a barcode to scan for the download. That barcode is actually a QR Code, and a decoder app on Android can read the download link stored inside it. Apple Daily’s Animated News app also offers a square barcode like this. It’s also a QR Code, so you need special software to decode it into a URL. ...

Most of the well-known smartphones today have a built-in market. For example, iOS has the App Store and Cydia, and Android has the Android Market. A market makes it easy to install programs on your phone or tablet, and the process is simple: installing an app takes little more than a tap of a finger. Today I'll introduce the market built into the Android operating system. Recently, the Android Market released a new version that changed the trial period for apps to 15 minutes. The interface was also completely overhauled and looks much better than before....

Dolphin is the browser I recommend most after using an Android phone. It has so many features that it nearly rivals a proper desktop browser. It supports tabs, RSS, and mouse gestures, and it has built-in sharing, so you can send a web page to others through Facebook, Twitter, SMS, and other services. Android's built-in browser also supports multiple tabs, but you have to press the window button to switch between them. Dolphin puts the tabs right at the top of the browser, which is convenient (though it takes up some space). Dolphin can also subscribe to RSS feeds automatically when it detects one on a page. The whole package is far beyond the built-in browser. It can also sync bookmarks with Google....

P.S. Image from the Apple iPad official site The most common tablets on the market right now are the ViewPad (there are the ViewPad 7 and 10; this post covers the ViewPad 7), the Galaxy Tab, and the iPad. The ViewPad and Galaxy Tab both run Android 2.2, and only the iPad runs iOS. Recently the iPad finally went on sale in Taiwan (so exciting!). On launch day I rushed to Apple’s store to try an iPad. Since I still can’t afford one, I could only play with it, lol. I expected the place to be packed, but it was only a bit busier than usual, and I got my turn with the iPad right away. Having played with the iPad today and comparing it with my earlier experience with the ViewPad and Galaxy Tab, I think the iPad will be a long-lasting product, while the ViewPad and Galaxy Tab may fade from people’s attention by next year. Many more tablets will come out next year, so my advice to anyone who wants a tablet is to wait a year or two for more choices and better prices. Personally, I think the iPad will not disappear even if many tablets come out next year, because of Apple’s brand reputation and its customer service. The ViewPad and Galaxy Tab, however, are just short-lived products. I expect everyone will have forgotten about them by next year. ...

Recently I needed a new phone. This is actually my first mobile phone. To pay for it, I even sold the iPod Touch I bought last year. I had bought the iPod Touch because the school had a rule against phones. But now that I’ve moved on to vocational high school, the school doesn’t really care about phones, and it even has WiFi. My mom also set up a phone plan for me, so I saved up and bought this little IDEOS phone～ To be honest, the story is pretty funny… Buying an HTC Hero would have meant waiting until December, when I’d have NT$4,000 in income. But since I had sold the iPod Touch, I had nothing to get online with, and that was really hard to put up with…… I’m used to pulling the iPod Touch out of my pocket to go online whenever I want, so I couldn’t stand it and rushed to the phone shop to buy the cheapest IDEOS. I’ll save next month’s NT$4,000 instead～ ...