AndroiDreamer: From the Forums: Dropped phone in the toilet, personal finance apps, and more

Friday, July 25, 2014

From the Forums: Dropped phone in the toilet, personal finance apps, and more

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From the Forums: Dropped phone in the toilet, personal finance apps, and more

fromtheforums

This week’s edition of From the Forums comes with a lesson about properly handling your phone when handling your business in the bathroom. While you wait for the rice to dry out your beloved digital companion, take a few minutes to catch up on everything else that has been going on over at the internet’s largest gathering of like-minded Android enthusiasts. We call it Android Forums. Let’s do this!

Your worst phone disaster stories (and how to deal with a dead device)

rice

It’s a familiar story: user brings home new phone and treats it with kid gloves only to accidentally drop said new phone into [insert body of water]. In this case DungeonMistress managed to lose her beloved Samsung Galaxy Mega to the depths of the toilet bowl. The water damaged device is now on life support and she is hoping some Android Forums user might have some helpful advice. This got us thinking, what are your worst phone disaster stories? Sharing might not do much to resurrect DungeonMistress’ phone, but perhaps your experiences can provide a few tips on coping with early device loss.

Taking better lowlight pictures with the Galaxy S5

lowlight-pics

Taking photos in lowlight conditions is one of the biggest challenges for the average smartphone camera, and the same applies to powerhouse Android devices like the Galaxy S5. Unsatisfied with nighttime performance and grainy image quality, pasqo83 is wondering how this could be the case for such a highly-praised device. He welcomes any thoughts on capturing better photos in poor lighting conditions.

Best personal finance app for Android

money roll

We’re always searching for the best apps around, and so are Android Forums members. This week personal finance is on the mind, and alternatives to Pocket Money are being sought. What are you favorites? Be sure to hop over the thread at Android Forums and share your thoughts.

Is your display draining more battery than normal?

Nexus 5 battery life

How much battery drain is too much battery drain when taking your phone’s display into account? That’s the question andre_scb asks after noticing what appears to be anomalous power drain attributed to his phone’s display even with brightness set at a minimum. The response so far has been quite the opposite, with fellow users instead congratulating him on what looks like pretty good overall battery life. Funny how these things work.

And more…

What to do when Google Play won’t launch

Verizon bent on killing off unlimited data

Custom ringtones keep reverting to defaults

You learn something new everyday is an understatement when considering the trove of knowledge we call Android Forums. If you haven’t already signed up for an account, we implore you to do so. Who knows, you might even see yourself in next week’s From the Forums.

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New app lets you control Tesla Model S functions using an Android Wear smartwatch [VIDEO]

We’re not sure how many of our readers have a brand new Tesla Model S sitting comfortably in their garage (if you do, we hate you), but we’re sure just about everyone will own this modern marvel of engineering (or a similar model) at some point in the near future. For those already saving up, you can now look forward to your Tesla being compatible with the latest Android Wear smartwatches thanks to a brand new app.

Tesla Command for Android Wear is the latest app from Harth Labs Inc., makers of popular apps like the “Naughty by Nature” ebook, and games like “Say What?” on Google Play. Shown off in a video by Android developer Matthew Patience, the app simply taps into the Tesla Model S to enable control of basic car functions via voice commands. While there are only 5 commands currently available — lock/unlock doors, honk horn, and open/close sunroof — the developer does promise more features will be added in the future.

Now, we don’t know about you guys, but we’ve been dreaming about controlling our car by voice since since Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman flick hit theaters. Now if only the developer can find a way to activate the Model S’ shields, we’d be all set for some late night crime fighting.

Download on Google Play: Tesla Command for Android Wear

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Mobile Roar Podcast 55: Dude, Where’s My Phone?

“Dude. where’s my phone?” We’ve all muttered a similar phrase at one time or another. Losing or having your phone stolen is a big fear these days. We share some of our stories of phone theft, and what we do about it. Other topics include the Xiaomi Mi4 having a very difficult name, the Fire Phone and soccer moms, Samsung marketing, Windows Phone campers, and much more! Thanks for watching/listening!

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