The Evolution of Technology

Posts Tagged ‘Save’

Do you lock your Android device? If so, how tight is the security? There are plenty of reasons for locking a device, but no matter your reason it’s still a pain to unlock that way. Sure, it’s probably worth the trade-off. But if you had an easier way to protect your stuff, wouldn’t you use it? I was drawn to a recent post on the xda blog about App Lock, which allows you to protect specific apps rather than your entire device. That might make life a little easier for you.

With three modes of unlocking — numeric password, gestures, and swipes — you can protect any application on your device. In many ways this can work better than just protecting your device. This way you can enter in your key only when you go into a protected app, rather than every time you unlock the device. I’m not sure about everyone else, but I end up unlocking my phone dozens upon dozens of times per day. I’d much rather tie the password to specific apps than to the whole device. And that’s just the first advantage of the app.

Android users who stream a lot of media will inevitably run into battery issues. The faster the bitrate, the more battery the function will consume. I know plenty of people who counteract this by carrying multiple batteries — one friend carries two in his pocket. But for most of us, the best solution is to implement practices that help save battery life. Via Phandroid, there’s an app that can help you in many ways. It’s called WiFi Status, and it makes sure that you turn off WiFi when you’re out of range.

When you’re around a WiFi network, it’s always best to connect. It actually helps save battery life, since your handset isn’t constantly receiving signal from the mobile network (a signal that varies in strength a bit more than WiFi). But if you forget to turn off WiFi when you leave, you can experience substantial battery drain as your phone searches for another open signal. The more you move around, the more it searches, and therefore the more it drains your battery.