Google mentioned during its unveiling of Hangouts that it would gradually rollout to Gmail over the coming weeks, but if you’d like to turn it on immediately, you can do that today. All you need to do is sign-in to your Gmail account, login to Google Talk in the left sidebar, click on the image associated with your Talk account, and then tap the “Try the new Hangouts” option that appears at the top of the list.

Bam! Enjoy.

*Note – This trick does not seem to be working in Google Apps accounts, online Gmail.

Via:  reddit

Cheers Leo!

Tip: Manually Turn on Hangouts in Gmail With This Trick is a post from: Droid Life

Shortly after Google announced their new unified chat service called Hangouts, users discovered a handful of Easter Eggs embedded deep within. Actually, they aren’t deep at all and can be accessed with a simple command in a chat box on either Google+ or through the Chrome app (no mobile version support here). The whackiness of the Easter Eggs’ ranges from colorful ponies to KONAMI cheat codes, all of which are listed above thanks to Googler Moritz Tolxdorff. To tell you the truth, I thought there might be even more, but this is the entire list.

To flood your box with ponies, pitchforks, or a shy dino, type the commands listed into the text box of a Hangout.

Which is your favorite?

Via:  +Moritz Tolxdorff

Here are the Easter Eggs Built Into Hangouts [Ponies!] is a post from: Droid Life

The Samsung Galaxy S4 probably has too many features (not necessarily a bad thing). There are so many that our review couldn’t possibly cover them all, nor have we had a chance to use each individual addition to TouchWiz after having the phone for almost a month. It’s just not possible to use them all in every day life. With that said, some of these will come in handy from time to time, especially when it involves the camera. Who doesn’t love an animated GIF? 

Should you enter the camera of the Galaxy S4, you’ll find a new feature called “Animated Photo.” This feature has one purpose, to create amazing animated GIFs without having to touch a computer. When in use, Animated Photo records 5-10 seconds of footage at a resolution of 800×450. Once completed, you have the ability to loop the GIF, change the direction it animates, freeze specific areas that you don’t want to animate, highlight others that you do want active, and even trim it down to the best parts.

I’m sure you are coming up with all sorts of ways to take advantage of this, right? There is one major downside though, that I’ve already come across – the files can be upwards of 8.5MB when finished. That’s massive, and incredibly tough to share with anything other than a computer or other superphone. Still, pretty fun.

For those who already picked up the device, we’d love to see yours.

Example

(Click image or this link to see it in action.)

I posted another one over at our Google+ page too.

Cheers Arjun!

Galaxy S4′s “Animated Photo” GIF Camera Feature is Actually Kind of Awesome is a post from: Droid Life

I know that we have been quiet on the Pebble front since doing our review a couple of months back, but we were sort of waiting to see how the app ecosystem was coming along after the release of the SDK. To put it plainly, it’s booming. There are hundreds of apps, watchfaces, and games for you to download to your Pebble. The concept of the Pebble smartwatch that we first saw during its Kickstarter days is now becoming a reality. So to make sure that all Pebble backers and early adopters know how they can take advantage of this new 3rd party app and watchface experience, we thought it was time for a quick tutorial. 

In the video below, we’ll walk you through browsing the best sites for apps, finding ones you’d like, and then eventually installing them. It couldn’t be easier, in case you were wondering. Just make sure your phone is paired to your Pebble through the official Pebble app, load up one of the two sites we have listed below, and get to installing.

Fully detailed instructions in the video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links:  MyPebbleFaces.com | Pebble Forums

How to: Install Third Party Apps and Watchfaces on Pebble is a post from: Droid Life

When you pick-up your Samsung Galaxy S4 some time over the next few weeks (or month if on Verizon), we thought we should point out that the faux-metal band around the outside of the device is protected by a clear plastic sticker. It can be hard to see if you don’t know it’s there, so being the good samaritans that we are, wanted to make sure you knew about it. You could leave it if you’d like, I guess, but it’s not necessarily supposed to be there for the long haul. If you choose to remove it, you’ll find at least four pieces spread around the outside.

Update:  As Leif points out in the comments, there is also one around the camera, which you certainly want to remove.

Just lookin’ out. 

Pro Tip: Don’t be the Guy Who Leaves the Hard-to-See Plastic Sticker Around the Rim of His Galaxy S4 is a post from: Droid Life

Lock screen widgets, one of our favorite features of Android 4.2, are indeed included on the Samsung Galaxy S4. Yes, that means all the DashClock you can handle on Sammy’s latest flagship device. Unfortunately, the process of getting them setup isn’t the easiest unless you know exactly what to look for. Out of the box, Samsung has actually disabled lock screen widgets in a sense, but with a couple of taps through Settings, you can get your device up and running them in no time.

In the video below, we take you on a detailed tour of Samsung’s take on lock screen widgets. It can be a bit finicky at times, to say the least, but once you get the hang of them, we think you’ll enjoy widgets at phone wake just as much as the rest of us who live and die with Nexus devices, do. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Update:  Reader Kevin pointed out that with a secure lock screen enabled (like pattern or PIN), you are unable to use lock screen widgets. The options to turn them off completely disappear should you go with a secure lock screen. This is unfortunate, especially since stock Android allows you to utilize lock screen widgets with a pattern or PIN.

How to: Use Lock Screen Widgets on the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a post from: Droid Life

I’ve now spent a full three days with the HTC One, so I’ve had just enough time to figure out and get used to all of the quirks that come with Sense 5.0. While it’s not a drastic change from previous versions in terms of big picture functionality, it is different enough that some of these tweaks may throw you for a loop the first time you see them. HTC certainly does things on a smartphone in their own way, something that is more evident in Sense 5.0 than ever before. 

So through this video, I run through 20+ tips and tricks that I have come across over the last couple of days. Some are pretty basic and not necessarily brand new, while others are new to the HTC camera and navigation experiences. It’s really a clip on how to get around your new One without having to experience the learning curve that I did.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video: 20+ Beginners’ Tips and Tricks for the HTC One is a post from: Droid Life

Since your phone is with you at all times, the likelihood of it getting left behind at a bar, restaurant, gym, or other location that you previously visited is probably pretty high. And since we live in a world that isn’t always filled with angels, the chances of that left-behind-phone getting stolen and fondled deeply without your approval is probably even higher. Your first line of defense against evil doers is your lock screen. 

In stock Android, you have six different options to choose from for your lock screen, all of which offer their levels of security. If you use a non-stock Android device like the Galaxy S3, you may see some differences in functionality between the types we’ll talk about in a minute, but for the most part they all act in a similar fashion.

First, to access your lock screen options, the universal location tends to be in Settings>Security. From there, you should see an option towards the top called “Screen lock,” which then takes you to your lock screen options once tapped.

As you can see in the screenshot below, stock Android offers options for None, Slide, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, and Password. Let’s talk briefly about each.

Slide to Unlock

Slide is probably the most commonly used lock screen of all – it’s basically the default. This lock screen is not secure by any means, and only asks that the user of the phone grab the circle with a lock inside and slide it outside of a larger circle to unlock the phone. There are no passwords or patterns, it’s simply a way to keep your phone from turning itself on and then accessing all sorts of info in your pocket or purse without your knowing.

The nice thing about using Slide, is that you can still access your notification pulldown without having to fully unlock your phone. None of the other lock screen options allow for this, as they are technically “secure.”

Face Unlock

Face Unlock was introduced back in Ice Cream Sandwich as a fun way to unlock your phone using your face. In order to set this option up, you have to place your face inside of a face-shaped ring of dots using your front facing camera until the device decides that it knows your face enough to be able to unlock with it. Once approved, you’ll also be asked to provide a backup option in case the device cannot recognize your face. The two backup options are PIN or pattern.

With Face Unlock setup, you wake your phone and then set point your front facing camera at your face. If it recognizes you, it will unlock almost immediately. If not, it will ask that you complete your backup PIN or Pattern unlock.

People have found ways to trick Face Unlock from time to time, so I’d say that while it’s more secure than Slide, it’s not as secure as the next three.

Pattern, PIN, and Password Unlock

Pattern, PIN and Password unlocks are exactly as they sound – you either create a pattern, a numeric PIN, or an alpha-numeric password that needs to be entered in order to unlock your phone. These are likely the most secure of them all. If you don’t know the pattern, PIN, or password, you are not allowed to access the phone.

So those are lock screen security options. Any questions?

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An Overview of Android Lock Screen Security Options [Beginners' Guide] is a post from: Droid Life

(Samsung alarm)

Does anyone actually own a physical alarm clock anymore? You know, one of those big boxes with glowing lights, the worst radio speaker in history, and that likely has a broken limb thanks to being knocked off your night stand a time or two? For many, you could put these in the same category as dinosaurs as most have switched over to their phone full time as an alarm replacement. After all, your phone is with you every step of the day, including during times of travel, so why not make it your bedside and morning companion?

In this quick guide, we’ll look at setting up an alarm in the simplest of ways. This isn’t rocket science, but it’s definitely something you should all know how to do. The only tricky part depends on the type of device you have. Motorola, stock Android and Samsung all do things slightly different, so we’ll take a look at each. 

(Stock Android alarm)

Instructions:

1.  For the most part, you aren’t going to find an app in your app drawer that actually says “Alarm.”
2.  Instead, you’ll want to look for “Clock,” as this has become mostly universal.

*In some instances, like stock Android or Motorola phones, you can tap on your main clock widget to enter alarm settings.

3.  Once you have entered the clock app, the setup is going to vary depending on the phone.
4.  In almost all instances, though, look for the + as it will almost always create a new alarm.
5.  Once you have started a new alarm, you can tell it to do a variety of things

• Time:  The most important part is obviously the time. Pretty self explanatory.
• Repeat:  Repeat allows you to select which days to have your alarm continue to go off on. You can also set one time alarms by not selecting any day at all. Also, if you want a different alarm time for weekends, just set up a new alarm and only check Saturday and Sunday.
• Ringtone:  You can specify a ringtone to have play during your alarm. These can be from the stock choices on your phone or you could setup a custom ringtone that you’ve found.
• Vibrate:  You can also have your phone vibrate while its alarming you to wake up. Keep in mind that phones tend to move around while vibrating, so make sure it doesn’t slide off your night stand.

6.  Once an alarm is set, your screen should tell you a quick countdown for when it will go off next.
7.  To turn off alarms, a simple box uncheck or alarm icon tap should toggle them.

(Motorola alarm)

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How to: Set an Alarm on Your Android Phone [Beginners' Guide] is a post from: Droid Life

One of the most important features to Android smartphone owners, especially for those who travel regularly or want to take full advantage of high-speed LTE networks, is mobile hotspot. It’s also called “tethering,” but carriers have done their best to move away from that word for the most part and onto “hotspot” which is much more marketing friendly. With a mobile hotspot, you can turn your phone into an on-the-go WiFi router for your other WiFi enabled devices to connect to. No longer are you stuck with fingers crossed, hoping that you next location has free WiFi or a password available. With your phone, and hotspot enabled, you can be connected from anywhere. 

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when it comes to mobile hotspot, though. Your carrier typically provides a hotspot service at an additional charge, but there are also free ways to get your phone to tether, however, it typically requires rooting your phone and voiding its warranty. This tutorial is for the built-in hotspot service that can be activated through your carrier.

Instructions:

1.  From your main home screen, head into Settings.
2.  In the first section, you may see an option for Hotspot under WiFi and Bluetooth. Tap on it.

*If you do not see Hotspot from the main Settings screen, tap on the “More” button. You should see an option on the next screen that says “Tethering and mobile hotspot” or something along those lines.

3.  From there, you’ll find shortcuts to change all sorts of settings.
4.  You’ll want to enter “Mobile Hotspot settings” to at least find out the name of the network you’ll be creating.
5.  From this menu you’ll also be able to enable a password, change the network type, etc.
6.  Once you have it setup, all you need to do is activate it.

*On most phones, there will be a check box at the main Mobile Hotspot settings screen.

7.  Once activated, your phone will add a running notification that shows hotspot status.

*If you have not yet activated the service through our carrier, you will likely be prompted to do so at this point.

8.  It’ll also notify you as connections are made to your hotspot network.
9.  Once it shows that it’s live, you can jump on your laptop or other WiFi device.
10.  You connect just like you would to your home WiFi network, in your WiFi device’s WiFi settings.
11.  Enjoy your mobile internet!

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How to: Setup and Use Mobile Hotspot [Beginners' Guide] is a post from: Droid Life

Whatever the circumstances may be, sometimes we need to wipe our phones of all of their content. Maybe you are getting ready to sell it through eBay or Craigslist, and whoever is buying your phone certainly doesn’t need to see all of your stuff on their new phone. So, how do you factory reset an Android device? This guide will serve as a brief look into how to rid your phone of all of your personal pictures, documents, contacts, and more with the help of the built in reset option that Android offers.

Let’s get to it.

Instructions:

1.  Open the Settings menu on your device.
2.  Under the Personal category, select “Backup & Reset.”
3.  At the bottom, you will see “Factory data reset.”

Note: If you select to factory wipe your device, all info will be wiped including contacts (unless they’re sync’d to your Google account), pictures, documents, and everything else. It returns the device to as it was when you just opened the box.

4.  After selecting Factory data reset, the device asks to make sure this is the task you want to perform. If yes, hit, “Reset phone.”

Once hit, the device boots into recovery and wipes it clean. After it is done, it will reboot and your device will act as if it is brand new with all of its content gone. At this point, you can go ahead and do what you will with the device with no worries of anyone seeing those pictures you took in Vegas.

It wouldn’t be Android if there wasn’t at least a few ways of doing things. For anyone running a manufacturer’s skin atop their Android OS, things sometimes look different. Also, depending on which version of Android you are running, the Reset option could be under a subcategory in the Settings menu. For example, for users on Gingerbread, the option to factory reset a device is under the “Privacy” settings menu. The above image is how you find this option using Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, which is almost identical to stock Android in terms of location.

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How to: Factory Reset Your Phone [Beginners' Guide] is a post from: Droid Life

When the Android team first unveiled Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), one of the flagship features shown off was a new way to quickly switch between recently used apps or remove those same apps from running. On stock Android devices, or devices that use on-screen navigation keys, the button to access this new app switcher menu looks like two rectangles on top of each other (see image above). On devices like the Galaxy S3 which utilize a physical home button, a simple long press on that button will bring up the same menu. 

In previous versions of Android, a long press on Home popped up a simple app switcher, however, it lacked much functionality or design flair. In the newest versions (Android 4.0+), you can see thumbnails of your recently used apps that show you a preview of where you last left off. A simple tap on the thumbnail then jumps you into the app, again, exactly where you last left it.

On the flip side, you can kill off apps just as easily as you would switch to them, thanks to a new swiping gesture. If you would no longer like to see an app appear in your recently used app list, touch your finger to it and swipe it off the screen to either the left or right. Not only does this remove the app from showing up in your list, it also kills the app from continuing to run in a position that you last left it. Should you need to open a killed app again, you’ll notice that it opens from a fresh spot.

Instructions (killing recent apps):

1.  From any screen tap the app switcher button (the double rectangles).
2.  A list of your recently used apps should appear.
3.  To remove one, touch and hold on the app while swiping it off the screen.
4.  You can also long-press on the app and tell it to “Remove from list.”
5.  You can also long-press and enter “App info” to uninstall an app or stop it completely.
6. If you continue to swipe apps away until they are gone, you’ll be left with the screen on the left.

On most Samsung devices, a long-press of the physical home button will bring you the same recently used apps menu. Swiping them off the screen will also kill them off, but you will likely see a trash can button in the bottom right corner as well. Should you press that, all of your recently apps will be removed.

On most HTC devices released in the last year, there is an app switcher button, however, the recently used app list looks much different. The apps tend to show up as 3D cards that can are viewed through a horizontal menu. If you would like to remove a single app from appearing, a swipe up on the card will do the trick.

Most Motorola devices released in the last year have the standard Android task switcher button.

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How to: Quickly Kill Off or Switch to Recently Used Apps [Beginners' Guide] is a post from: Droid Life

Beginner or not, we are always looking for ways to accomplish tasks faster on smartphones and tablets. One area in particular would be in app management. How often do you install a new app or game only to realize after a couple of minutes that it has no place on your device? As someone that installs multiple apps per day, I can tell you that it happens to me on a regular basis, so uninstalling quickly has become more important. And thanks to updates in Android, this task is now easier than ever to do. 

Instructions:

1.  From your app drawer, find the app that you want to uninstall.
2.  Grab it by long pressing on it for 2-seconds.
3.  With control of the app, depending on your device, you should see shortcut options in the notification bar.

*In the screenshot, you can see that I have “Uninstall” and “App info.” Some devices are different in this area.

For example, Motorola phones only show a “More Options” area. Once dropped there, you’ll get a menu with an option to uninstall.

Samsung phones running TouchWiz do not have either shortcut. To quickly uninstall, hit Menu>Uninstall while in the app drawer and then select the apps you want to remove.

HTC phones tend to show an “Uninstall” options.

4.  If your phone shows the “Uninstall” option, drop your app there and then hit “OK” to uninstall.
5.  If you only see “App Info” or “More Options,” drop your app there.
6.  You should then see a box which allows you to uninstall the app.

And that’s it, you are now on your way to removing apps in the fastest way possible.

Presented by Norton 360™ Multi-Device. Protect your new computers, smartphones, and tablets with Norton 360™  Multi-Device.

How to: Quickly Uninstall Android Apps [Beginners' Guide] is a post from: Droid Life

I think we can all agree that Google Now is nothing short of amazing, right? It continues to learn from our Google searches, so that it can recommend everything from travel routes to nearby photo spots. But one thing it also does well, is suggest topics that you may be researching, through the Research card. 

Thanks to its tie-in with Google, it knows every time you search for something, whether that be a travel destination, or in today’s case, a recipe for dinner. Now, I’ve seen the research card in action before, but up until this afternoon, I had yet to see it recommend recipes for items I had previously searched for. A reader of ours noticed the same thing at almost the exact same time as well, so I’m tempted to think this new recipe integration is somewhat new.

As you can see from the card, I spent a few minutes last night looking for a cucumber salad recipe to round out my Valentine’s Day feast. Today, it’s still trying to help by suggesting other recipes. While it may be a day late, I still appreciate the recommendations.

Have you found other Research cards? Anything else new in Google Now since the last update?

Cheers @Tim87D!

Tip: Google Now Will Show You Recipe Recommendations Too is a post from: Droid Life

We’re still diving into the latest Google Now update, as Google tends to slip in features here and there that it doesn’t necessarily list in the changelog. One of those being more control over the traffic card. In past versions, the traffic card would appear before you took off on your daily commute or oft-traveled locations, however, there wasn’t much control over it. In today’s update, that changes for the better. 

If you go into Google Now Settings>Google Now>Traffic, you’ll see a new “Transportation Mode” section that lets you specify the mode of transportation for your commute or other trips. If you typically take the bus or bike to work, you can tell Google Now to suggest routes based on those transportation types. For other trips, non-commute-related, you can specify similar biking, walking, public transit, or driving options.

What else have you noticed in the new Now update?

Cheers Mike!

New Google Now Allows You to Specify Mode of Transportation for Commutes or Other Trips is a post from: Droid Life