If you’re like me you’re gonna want to try to make the most of your Android phone’s battery life, so here are four tricks that I use to get the most out of my smartphone.

1. Airplane mode– Even when the screen isn’t on, your phone is using lots of battery because the wireless radios (3G, 4G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS etc.) in your smartphone are still working to connect with the cell networks. This means you’ll still get all your new texts, emails, Facebook messages, etc. but you’ll also still be draining your battery. So how do you solve this problem? Simple: Airplane mode. Airplane mode, which can be found in Settings –> Wireless and Networks, is a feature on your phone that turns off all those radios (which the airlines want you to do every time you go on a plane, hence the name Airplane mode). This way, there will be almost no battery use when the display is off. Since I usually don’t use my phone during class, I keep it in Airplane mode.

Now this doesn’t mean that I can’t play games, read Word documents, or watch videos (though you probably shouldn’t be doing any of those in class), it just means that your device has no access to the internet, texting or calling. So consider keeping your smartphone in Airplane mode during school or at times where you know you won’t be answering your phone or using the internet (when your phone is in Airplane mode you will be able to still use WiFi if you want to be online but in more power efficient way– WiFi doesn’t use as much power as 3G/4G).

You can save around 30-40% of the battery and still use it for non-internet activities. And don’t worry, you will still get all your missed calls, texts, and Facebook updates once you disable airplane mode and reconnect to the network.

2. JuiceDefender– Juice Defender is an app (found in the Android Market here) that “automatically manages the battery draining components of your phone.” So basically what it does is it turns off data connections when you are not using them. For example, when your phone is in your pocket and in sleep mode, it will turn off the 3G and WiFi radios, saving lots of battery. Similar to Airplane mode, it turns off your internet and data connections though it does so “smartly,” meaning that it detects when the screen isn’t on and when you aren’t using the phone. You will still receive texts and calls though, so allow the app to run 24/7 and it will save an hour or so of precious battery life. Since the app is free and automatically set up, just download and install the app to start saving battery!

Quick Tip: How do you use both JuiceDefender and Airplane mode together? So what I do is I keep JuiceDefender running 24/7 so that I am constantly saving some battery, and then when I am in class I turn on Airplane mode so there is almost no battery usage whatsoever during school. Feel free to change how you use these features based on your own needs.

3. Monitor your battery!– In some cases, you might not have much battery left but you need to make sure that it lasts for a certain time. Knowing how much battery you have is an important part to making your battery last longer.  In all Android devices there is a battery symbol in the upper right hand corner of the screen. However, this symbol overestimates how much battery you actually have left. So how do you know how much really have left? Well, a battery widget is a simple way to see how much battery you have (I would recommend this one). You can simply place it on your home screen, and each time you use your phone, you can what percent of your battery is left.

Another way to check battery use is through Settings –> About phone –> Battery usage. There, you’ll see a graph similar to the one above which shows your battery level over time and which activities have been using most of your battery. Use these tools to make sure you have enough juice for that important call.

4. Brightness– We understand that you want your screen to be bright, and that when the screen is brighter it looks better. However, setting the brightness at high levels will drain your battery very quickly. I would recommend keeping your brightness at around 50% (or even less) and using the Power Saving Mode of your device. Through Settings, you can set up this feature (just go to Settings –> Power) which can turn off WiFi and decrease the brightness when the battery reaches a certain level (I have mine set to do this when my battery hits 20%).

We hope that these tips help you to save battery on your Android device. After all, what use is a nice phone if it has no battery left? Have any battery saving tips of your own to share with other teens? We would love to hear about them. Leave a comment below!

We know a lot of you have been waiting for Verizon to finally release their latest Android superphone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and today we finally have the good news you’ve been waiting for: the Galaxy Nexus is available now for Verizon’s usual 4G LTE phone price of $300 with a new 2 year contract and data plan. Yes, you can finally pick up the latest and greatest Google phone and the first phone to run the latest and greatest version of Android, version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

But wait– things get better. If you look online you’ll see sites like Amazon and LetsTalk.com offering the Galaxy Nexus for a much better price of $250 when you upgrade your phone (Amazon is also offering the HTC Rezound and Motorola Droid RAZR for an even cheaper $230 on upgrade– $70 less than what Verizon charges). And did we mention that Verizon will also give you double the data for your data plan when you buy a new 4G LTE phone? Yeah, for any upgrade to a 4G LTE phone Verizon will give you double the amount of data (so for example, instead of paying $30 a month for 2 GB you now are paying $30 for 4 GB. This means you can actually do things like video chat and watch YouTube from your phone without constantly worrying about running over your limit and paying Verizon even more money). For more on this see Verizon’s site here.

So Verizon users, which phone do you want for the holidays: Droid RAZR, HTC Rezound, Galaxy Nexus or iPhone 4S?

More info: Verizon

Looking for a new AT&T 4G LTE phone this holiday season but want something with a more powerful screen than the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket or HTC Vivid? Well, then you should check out AT&T’s latest 4G LTE beast, the LG Nitro HD. Like the Vivid and Galaxy S II Skyrocket, the Nitro HD is an absolute beast of a phone with all the latest and greatest specs you’d expect on a top-of-the-line Android phone today: 1.5 GHZ dual-core processor, 8 megapixel back camera with 1.3 megapixel front camera for video chat, Android 2.3 Gingerbread (with an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich likely coming next year), and of course, support for AT&T’s growing 4G LTE network (and 4G HSPA+ network for the places that don’t have LTE yet. See our post here on what the differences are between AT&T’s 4G networks).

But the biggest news here is the screen. Like Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus and HTC Rezound, the Nitro HD packs a 4.5 inch 720p HD screen (the first phone on AT&T to do so). This means that everything from pictures to videos to games to websites will look beyond amazing on here (think of this as the awesomeness of the iPhone’s Retina Display, but on a screen one inch larger). If you plan on using your phone for a lot of video watching (it comes with 20 GB of storage) or gaming we definitely recommend checking this guy out.

The Nitro HD will be available this Sunday, December 4th, for a pretty expensive price of $250 with a new 2 year contract and data plan (and who knows, hopefully it’ll get some holiday discounts as we get closer to the end of the month).

While this month has seen a whole bunch of awesome new Android superphones for Verizon (like the Droid RAZR and HTC Rezound), there still may be some more awesomeness left before the year is out. Yes, it looks like the long-awaited Samsung Galaxy Nexus is finally on its way to Verizon, and according to the latest rumors it should be out December 8th (or a week from this Thursday). In fact the Galaxy Nexus has even begun appearing in ads this weekend, such as a leaked Verizon Holiday ad and the December issue of Best Buy’s Buyer’s Guide (the same ad where we first we first saw the Droid Bionic a few weeks back. We’ve got some of the shots from the Best Buy ad after the break, but you can see them for yourself on pages 11, 21 and 44 in the ad).

But that’s not even the best part. From the looks of that leaked Verizon ad there is a chance that Verizon will price this beast at just $200 with a new 2 year contract and not their usual 4G phone price of $300. Verizon, Google and Samsung haven’t officially confirmed any of this yet and it can change, but like you we’re really hoping it’s true.

For those who don’t know, the Galaxy Nexus is the future of the Android phone. It is the first phone to run the latest and greatest version of Android called Ice Cream Sandwich and is loaded with all the top of the line specs you’d expect: a massive, 4.65 inch Super AMOLED HD curved screen (which will make everything– games, videos, pictures, texts– look absolutely incredible on here. Think of this as a HDTV in your pocket– the screen on here is that amazing), 1.2 GHZ dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM (for speed), 5 megapixel back camera (with the ability to instantly capture pictures the second you tap the screen) with a 1.3 megapixel front camera for high quality video chat, and of course, support for Verizon’s blazing fast 4G LTE network. It may not be as thin as the Droid RAZR or pack built-in Beats like the Rezound, but if you want the latest Android has to offer (and don’t want to wait until who knows when for the Ice Cream Sandwich update to come to those phones) you’re gonna want to check this out.

We’ll make sure to keep you updated once Verizon finally makes this all official, so stay tuned!

Click to enlarge

]]> http://teenstalktech.com/2011/11/27/verizon-galaxy-nexus-ads-leak-release-coming-next-week/feed/ 1 http://teenstalktech.com/2011/11/15/ask-teenstalktech-whats-the-difference-between-atts-4g-networks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ask-teenstalktech-whats-the-difference-between-atts-4g-networks http://teenstalktech.com/2011/11/15/ask-teenstalktech-whats-the-difference-between-atts-4g-networks/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:14:37 +0000 Eli Blumenthal http://teenstalktech.com/?p=10154 Ask TeensTalkTech is where we try to answer your questions on technology– from computer problems to cell phone questions and everything in between. Have any questions of your own? Either comment below, email us at ask@teenstalktech.com or tweet us (@teenstalktech) and we’ll try to answer them in a future post!

As you’ve heard by now, AT&T has this month released their first two phones capable of using their brand new, much faster 4G LTE network. 4G LTE is AT&T’s true 4G network, and looks to really give you all the speed of your home internet wherever you go.

Now we know a lot of you are really confused right now– “didn’t AT&T already have 4G? What about phones like the Atrix 4G, Thrill 4G, and Infuse 4G? Aren’t they 4G?” Well, the answer to that is yes and no– we’ll explain.

What is 4G HSPA+?

Earlier this year, AT&T announced that this year they will launch two 4G networks, one based on a tech called HSPA+ (the 4G T-Mobile uses, pretty much a faster, upgraded version of their current 3G networks) and one based on LTE (the same tech as Verizon’s blazing fast 4G network). Back in January when AT&T made this announcement they had to call their HSPA+ network 4G because at that same time Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon were already in the process of expanding their 4G networks and releasing 4G phones. AT&T needed some sort of 4G of their own to keep up in the marketing game while they began setting up their LTE network, so like T-Mobile they called their HSPA+ network 4G even though it is only slightly faster than their 3G (which is unlike T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network which, even though it’s not LTE, provides some pretty fast speeds right up there with Verizon’s 4G LTE network).

All the 4G phones AT&T has so far been releasing this year that they say are 4G (i.e. the above phones, Galaxy S II, Torch 4G 9810, Atrix 2 etc.), are just phones that could connect to the faster, HSPA+, upgraded 3G network and cannot connect to the new LTE one.

And while HSPA+ is capable of 4G-like speeds (again, just look at T-Mobile’s network), at least in our tests all along the East Coast they were pretty much the same on those “4G” phones as they were on some of AT&T’s top 3G phones (like the 3G-only iPhone 4). Now don’t get us wrong, AT&T’s HSPA+ network isn’t bad and the speeds we got were solid and at times even really fast, it just wasn’t true 4G like this new LTE network will be.

What Is 4G LTE– And Why It’s The Real AT&T 4G

4G LTE is AT&T’s true 4G network that should give you much faster speeds– we’re talking download speeds from 5 Mbps to 20 Mbps, or up to 10x faster than 3G and just like your home internet (and Verizon’s 4G network). This means even less time waiting for things to download (full albums of music can be downloaded in seconds), even faster web browsing, and even HD video chatting and intense online gaming without needing to be on WiFi (though we wouldn’t really recommend much of that last one because of those 2 GB monthly data limits). In short, this is the 4G network we’ve been waiting for.

Now there are a few things to note here. The first and most important is that come this Sunday, AT&T will have only launched this faster LTE network in 15 cities:  Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Atlanta, Athens (Georgia), Baltimore, Boston, Washington, D.C., San Juan, Puerto Rico, Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Kansas City and Chicago. This means that if you’re not in one of those cities (or really close to it) you won’t yet be able to take advantage of this new network (AT&T plans to cover most of the US by 2013 and plans to add a lot more cities next year– but we don’t yet know which ones).

Yes, 4G LTE is that fast

The bright side of all of this is that even if you don’t live in one of those cities you can still take advantage of AT&T’s HSPA+ network which, while not LTE fast, is still very solid and much faster than Verizon’s and Sprint’s 3G networks (which you drop to when you don’t have 4G coverage on their networks). As confusing as this all is, we gotta say it’s nice to know that AT&T has a solid backup network behind LTE.

The second big thing here is what we mentioned above: all those older “4G” phones won’t be able to work with AT&T’s LTE network as they don’t have the right chips in them. Again, they can still use AT&T’s HSPA+ network, but you’ll need one of those new 4G LTE phones to use the LTE network.

Why You Should Get An LTE Phone Now

If you’re looking for a powerful smartphone on AT&T today, and don’t want the iPhone, we really recommend looking at AT&T’s new LTE phones. While specs wise they may seem just as powerful as other AT&T phones (similar screens, processors, cameras, prices), the LTE phones not only will be able to use this much faster network once AT&T launches it in your area, but they all can also use AT&T’s 4G HSPA+ network so you’ll still be getting solid speeds right now while you wait.

Remember, you’re buying this phone for 2 years and trust us– come next year you’re really gonna wish you had an LTE phone.

For more info on AT&T’s 4G networks, see AT&T’s site here.

If you’re on Verizon and were waiting for the HTC Rezound (aka the first US phone with built-in Beats Audio) to be your next phone then today is you’re lucky day. As planned, Verizon has today released the Rezound and it’s now available for you to order for Verizon’s usual new 4G phone price of $300 with a new 2 year contract and data plan.

For those who don’t know, the Rezound is much more than just a phone with Beats– in fact it’s one of Verizon’s best new phones and right up there with the Droid RAZR and upcoming Galaxy Nexus (which is said to be coming out before the end of the month). And like those other two phones, this bad boy is absolutely loaded, with specs like: a 1.5 GHZ dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM (so everything runs fast and without freezes or lags), support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network, Android 2.3 Gingerbread with HTC Sense, 8 megapixel back camera with a second 2 megapixel front camera for HD video chat, 4.3 inch 720p HD screen (or the same, awesome HDTV-like screen as the Galaxy Nexus. In short this is one of the best screens you’ll find on a phone today) and 32 GB of storage (16 built-in and 16 on an included microSD card– so you can load this up with all you music and videos right out of the box).

Oh, and did we mention that HTC and Verizon are also throwing in a pair of Beats in-ear headphones in the box (headphones that would otherwise cost you $100)? Yeah, while this may not be as thin or physically strong as the Droid RAZR and not be running the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich like the Galaxy Nexus (something the Rezound will be getting “early next year”), if you’re looking for phone that is awesome at playing videos and music we think you’ll love this.

For more info on the Rezound see Verizon’s site here.

However, like me, you’re probably also disappointed knowing that these same joys are not shared when you want to access your Facebook account from a PC or Mac. You know the drill: opening a new browser window, accessing the Bookmarks Bar or Favorites window, entering your account info after that, and only then finally logging on to Facebook. It’s not the worst process, but it’s not as easy as your tablet or phone where all it takes is a press of a button (or touch screen).

However, there is a solution. Enter Facebook Desktop…

A non-official Facebook app (in other words, this is not made by Facebook and is just an app someone else made), Facebook Desktop brings your Facebook account to your System Tray (the bottom of Windows where things like the Start menu and time are) or Mac OS Dock. In order to be a part of this anti-browser uprising, simply head over to Facebook Desktop’s website, download yourself a copy and install it.

Once the app installs, just enter your Facebook Account info (username, password) so Facebook Desktop knows exactly which account to pull information from.

After clicking Log In, Facebook will then need you to grant Facebook Desktop access to your account. Simply click Allow when presented with the above window.

Great! You will now notice a small Facebook logo appear in your Windows System Tray (the bottom left of the Start bar near the time) or Mac OS Dock. That’s it! You will be presented with small pop-ups that let you know when you receive any additions to your News Feed, Messages, Pokes, Friend Requests, you name it. In addition, you can also post Status Updates by right-clicking on the Facebook Desktop icon and selecting you guessed it, Update Status.

In fact, you can right-click on the Facebook Desktop tray/dock icon to configure exactly what events will trigger a notification (so you aren’t completely bombarded with notifications from every new status update your friends post).

What’s more, the same menu allows you to:

• Re-check for any updates that Facebook Desktop may have missed
• Display your last five notifications
• Pause Facebook Desktop– which may be helpful if you’re in the middle of working on a paper due in a few hours and really need to concentrate.

And as always we wanna know your thoughts– have you used Facebook Desktop? Know of any better alternatives? Or are you happy with using the website and plan to just keep using that? Sound off in the comments.

Daniel Kipping is all about helping you get the best out of your computer, cell phone and tablet. When not writing here at TeensTalkTech, he discusses all things tech-related on his blog, ItsAKippingThing.

Everyday, Amazon offers a paid Android app for free. Even better: these apps aren’t like the many useless apps that are usually free in the Android Market, but many times they are actually really good apps and games. In the past, they have offered apps like Guitar Hero, Plants vs Zombies, and Doodle Jump– apps that usually cost from $1-$10 — for free. In fact, today, they are offering the game 3D Bio Ball HD for free. It’s a twist on the classic game Labyrinth where you guide a ball around a maze to a target.

So how can you get these apps? Instructions after the break.

First, on your phone, go to Settings > Applications, and check the box for “Unknown sources.” What this does is it will allow the Amazon appstore to install apps on your phone (this is telling your phones to install apps not directly from the Android Market).

Next, you’re gonna want to download the Amazon appstore. From your Android phone or tablet, open the web browser and go to: www.amazon.com/amazonappstoreapp (or just click on that link from your device). Click the “Download now” link and then click OK for the message box that pops up. You will then be redirected to the Android Downloads app. After the download has finished, click the file that you just downloaded and install it (it should be called “Amazon_Appstore”).

After the application has installed, click “Open.” Now you can enter your Amazon account information and log in to the Amazon appstore (if you don’t have an Amazon account you can make one for free on their site). From there you will have access to the thousands of Android apps in the Amazon appstore (both free and paid– just like you would in the Android Market. Amazon also has discounts from time to time on other paid apps, so for example, a $10 app in the Android Market may only be $5 in the Amazon appstore), and, of course, the Free Paid App of the Day which will be at the top of the home page of the appstore. You can install the app by pressing the “Get App” button and following the directions.

If you are on your laptop or desktop computer and want to check out the Free Paid App of the Day (or just see what apps are in the Amazon appstore), you can go here.

We hope that this has helped all you Android users out there and if you have any app recommendations of your own feel free to share them in the comments!

Want the Droid RAZR to be your next Verizon phone? Then get ready because Verizon and Motorola have announced the awesome release date and time for their latest Droid: November 11th (or this Friday) at 11:11 AM. Yes, on 11/11/11 at 11:11 you’ll finally be able to go into your local Verizon store and buy the Droid RAZR.

For those who don’t know, the Droid RAZR is Verizon and Motorola’s latest and most amazing Droid yet. Like Verizon’s other upcoming Android superphones (the HTC Rezound and Galaxy Nexus) this beast is loaded with the latest and greatest specs like: a 1.2 GHZ dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM (so everything on your phone is fast and without freezes or lags), 4.3 inch super sharp screen (not as powerful as the Rezound or Galaxy Nexus’ but still pretty amazing), Android 2.3 Gingerbread (with an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich promised to be coming next year), support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network, 8 megapixel back camera with HD front camera for video chat and a RAZR thin (like literally almost paper thin!) waterproof design made of Kelvar (the same material used to make bulletproof vests!). Yeah, this is a pretty amazing phone.

As previously announced the Droid RAZR will cost Verizon’s usual 4G phone price of $300 with a new 2 year contract and data plan (yeah, we wish it was $111.11 too).

So, is this gonna be your next Verizon phone or will you instead go with something like the Rezound or Galaxy Nexus?

Today is November 6th, and you know what that means– AT&T’s first 4G LTE phones are finally available. As promised, AT&T today released their fist two superphones capable of using their brand new, blazing fast 4G LTE network: the HTC Vivid and Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket. Not expected? AT&T has apparently dropped the price of these two beasts by $100 each, with the Vivid now available for just $100 while the Galaxy S II Skyrocket is now just $150 (both with new 2 year contracts and data plans).

Now we don’t know why AT&T dropped their prices or if this is just a temporary thing, but we’re not complaining (I mean, it beats the garbage out of the $300 Verizon usually charges for their new, top of the line 4G LTE phones). At these prices both of these phones look to be amazing deals, and if you’re looking for a new AT&T phone we really recommend you look into picking one of these up while you still can.

UPDATE: Well it was fun while it lasted. Looks like AT&T has switched the prices back to the originally announced $200 for the Vivid and $250 for the Skyrocket. So, anyone able to score one of these at the cheaper price?

More info: Galaxy S II Skyrocket, HTC Vivid