Click here to view the embedded video.

We love to tinker with apps, so whenever something new is released by Google, we almost always dive into the settings to look for developer options or new Labs features. Sure enough, Chrome for Android has just that in a feature called “Tilt Scrolling.” It’s not the most practical of all features, but the cool factor is too high to not show off.

When you are in your “stack view” of open tabs, Chrome can use your accelerometer to spread your tabs apart or close them together. Again, the day-to-day usefulness of this can be questioned, but I think the point is to show you what this browser and a mobile device are capable of. We’re officially impressed.

To enable this option, head into Settings>developer tools and check the box to “Enable Tilt Scrolling.”

Other tips that you would like to share?

One of our favorite features in all of Ice Cream Sandwich is the set of quick controls that the stock browser offers. We featured these controls during one of our Android 4.0 tutorials and have even turned to 3rd party browsers like Browser Plus because it offered an expanded set of them. They really do make your browsing experience that much more fluid should you get the hang of the idea. Unfortunately, we felt like we were stuck with two extremes when it came to stock or Browser Plus controls. What I mean by that is, the stock browser only offered the ability to switch tabs, load settings or activate the address bar, while Browser Plus seemed to offer too many controls, making the experience a little overwhelming.

In Android 4.0.4, Google has found the perfect balance in activating a couple of extra controls. As you can see from the screenie up top, you now have the ability to add a tab and jump into bookmarks. These probably should have been activated initially, but for whatever reason, we are just now getting them in 4.0.4.

If you have yet to use “Quick Controls,” I highly suggest that you give them a shot. Head into Settings>Labs through the browser to get started.

You can install Android 4.0.4 on you Galaxy Nexus using these instructions.

*Note – As many have pointed out in the comments, these were available in 4.0.3 as well, but only those that were able to flash ROMs could experience them.

Cheers samuel!

Let’s be honest, notification toggles should have been built into Ice Cream Sandwich. Custom ROMs have had them for months, plus OEMs have even started building them into their skins. For whatever reason though, Google left them out and non-rooted users who own stock devices are stuck looking for options. One of those is Power Control Plus, an app that I was a huge fan of pre-ICS. This used to be a go-to app for customizing home screens as it gives you a ton of options for making the ultimate power widget. Once Honeycomb (Ice Cream Sandwich too) was released though, the app was given the ability to dock itself in the notification bar.

You don’t need root or a custom ROM – this can be installed with the tap of a couple of buttons. Colors, toggles and other goodies can be added thereafter.

Market Link ($1.99)

Cheers TheAndroid1!

One of our readers discovered yesterday that through a loophole in the Android Market and browser, you could install Google Wallet. After the community got a hold of this method, they quickly realized that this not only works for Wallet, but just about any app that a carrier has blocked from your phone. As you can see in the screenshot above, I was able to download and install both Google’s Car Home app and Wireless Tether.

There is a good chance that this will be patched before too long, so for now, feel free to load up just about any app that you would like. For the most part, this will get you into just about any tethering app you want, but there are bound to be other hidden options. In the comments, feel free to drop as many that you can think of to help out the rest of the community. 

Instructions:

*Tip:  You may want to clear data and defaults on browser and Market before doing this.

1.  From your phone open the browser and head to http://market.android.com.
2.  Search for “Google Wallet.”

*If your browser prompts you to open the Market, don’t. Just stay in the browser.

3.  When the results come back, tap on the Google Wallet icon.
4.  Tap the “Install” button from within the browser and then sign into your Google account.

*Again, this is all from the browser, not the Market app.

5.  Once you have signed in, you should be redirected back to the Market page in the browser.
6.  Obviously, you will not have the option to install there since the VZW Nexus is not supported.
7.  Tap the back button until you are prompted for the Market or Browser again, this time choosing the Market.
8.  The Android Market should open to the Google Wallet page with an option to install.

Video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cheers Jigga_z and everyone else!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Our instructions for installing Google Wallet to your Verizon Galaxy Nexus were giving people enough trouble earlier that one of our readers made a quick video to help everyone out. He went with the lengthy version that the majority of folks have had luck with. Hopefully this helps and gets you all on the official market version of Wallet.

Step-by-step written instructions here.

*Note – This method will apparently work on almost any app that Verizon has decided to have blocked from the market.

Huge cheers to Joey!

We just discovered that Google Wallet has been given the green light for the Galaxy Nexus as long as it has an AT&T SIM (sorry T-Mo users), but the reason we discovered that in the first place, was a tip from a reader who claimed to have installed it on his Verizon LTE G-Nex. After following his instructions, we also were able to install the app directly from the Android Market without flashing a zip or doing anything that a non-rooted phone could not do. How did we do it?  Instructions below.  

Instructions:

*People are having much better luck with the long version below.

1.  From your phone, open the browser and head to http://market.android.com.
2.  Search for “Google Wallet.”

*If your browser prompts you to open the Market, don’t. Just stay in the browser.

3.  When the results come back, tap on the Google Wallet icon.
4.  The phone will prompt you to leave the browser and go to the Market. Choose the Market this time.
5.  You should now be sitting in the Android Market with Google Wallet up.
6.  Tap “install” and enjoy.

If that short method is not working, here is the full method that our tipster gave us:

*Tip:  You may want to clear data and defaults on browser and Market before doing this.

1.  From your phone open the browser and head to http://market.android.com.
2.  Search for “Google Wallet.”

*If your browser prompts you to open the Market, don’t. Just stay in the browser.

3.  When the results come back, tap on the Google Wallet icon.
4.  Tap the “Install” button from within the browser and then sign into your Google account.

*Again, this is all from the browser, not the Market app.

5.  Once you have signed in, you should be redirected back to the Market page in the browser.
6.  Obviously, you will not have the option to install there since the VZW Nexus is not supported.
7.  Tap the back button until you are prompted for the Market or Browser again, this time choosing the Market.
8.  The Android Market should open to the Google Wallet page with an option to install.

Video instructions (Cheers Joey!):

Click here to view the embedded video.

*Note 1 – This method should work to get almost any blocked app installed on your phone.

*Note 2 - The market is also now recognizing it as being installed:

Cheers Mbanicek!

If there was one concern that rooted users continue to bring up whenever a new OTA update is on the horizon, it’s whether or not it will break root. Just so you know, almost all updates break root and this question has become sort of a running joke at this point. But for those that are still worried, we wanted to turn you on to an app called Voodoo OTA RootKeeper that we have yet to feature for some reason.

The app makes a “protected backup” of your phone’s root that can be restored after updating your phone. So the next time your phone prompts you to update, be sure to load up RootKeeper, create that root backup, then apply the update, and then restore root. 

RootKeeper can also perform a “temporary un-root” which is like spoofing your system into thinking it is no longer rooted. You know how apps like Google Videos block you from watching anything if you are rooted? This would be a way around that. The developer is not encouraging you do use it for this reason though, but for “development” purposes instead.

Almost all Honeycomb tablets and Nexus devices should be supported by this. If you thumb through the comments on the market listing, you will see many more though including a bunch of Motorola devices like the DROID 3 and Atrix. Basically, any device whose OTA updates do not format your /system partition, should be supported. Even the Rezound is supported. Since it’s free, why not give it a shot?

Market Link

Cheers Jigga_Z!

Before you laugh at this tip, you have to understand that Motorola – for whatever reason – has made it increasingly more difficult with each new version of Blur to set custom ringtones. You used to be able to do it through the stock music app, but that option appears to have been removed. When I first setup my RAZR MAXX yesterday, the first thing I went to do was rid it of those awful DROID ringtones that they continue to include in each phone. While I’m the biggest “DROID” advocate around, the ringtones that Moto has associated with the brand will blow your ear drums in seconds while also making you the angriest person on the planet. But I digress.

So, back to this setting of the ringtones business. If you aren’t using a ringtone app and are weird or anal like me and create your own, this is how you get them to appear in the “Ringtones” and “Notifications” lists. Since simply dropping them on your SD card or internal storage doesn’t work, you will need to follow these simple steps.  

Instructions:

1.  Download the ringtones or notifications to your internal storage.
2.  Create separate folders on your internal storage for “Ringtones” and “Notifications.”
3.  Drop your custom ringtones and notifications in each.
4.  Give your phone all of 3 seconds, cruise into your sound settings and they should appear.

From day 1 with the Galaxy Nexus, many of you (including the DL crew) have been on the hunt for a Google-branded replacement battery cover. In fact, we tried swapping our GSM cover with the Verizon-branded cover the minute we got the device and came up empty. Something about having a “Nexus” without a Google logo on the back just drives some of us die-hards nuts.

Since then, we have searched the web for possible replacements. After all, accessory companies could probably make a pretty penny off of these skinny pieces of plastic should they make one that would actually fit. So far, none have worked including the one we have pictured up top that was purchased from Amazon. This post is really just a heads-up to not purchase it even though it says it will fit the SCH-I515 aka the LTE Nexus. As you can see from the picture, when you get it snapped into place, it doesn’t fit properly and bows a bit in the middle. Also, I took a knife to it a number of times to try and shave off pieces in order to get this sucker to fit and still ran into issues. At almost $20 a pop, proceed with caution.

If you stumble upon one that fits, be sure to let us know!

I’m not sure that I can even count all of the flashlight apps in the market these days (nor would I want to try), but one of them in particular has been downloaded somewhere between 10 and 50 million times. That app is called Tiny Flashlight. Now, normally we wouldn’t waste your time with a flashlight app, but this one just so happens to have been updated to version 4.0 within the last week. And in version 4.0 you get the handiest of features, which is the ability to activate the light with a simple shake at your lock screen. You will have to go into settings and manually tick the feature to “on,” but let me tell you, this sucker has come in handy more than a couple of times over the last few days. Just had to share.

Market Link

Cheers Logan!