As you know I am an Android user. Sorry Apple peoples but the iPhone was just not for me. I got a nice plan on Sprint for unlimited data and they had the HTC Evo for a good price and I am so glad I went with it. I wouldn’t trade it for any other phone out there right now (OK, maybe that waterproof one).

There are a few things I had to learn when I first brought my new Android phone home.  These are a few tips and links that helped me and I hope they help you too.

Organize Your Homescreen

First of all, I realized that I had to organize the homescreens so I could get the best use out of them.  The stock setup was OK but I knew that if I were to get the best use out of this ultra-cool smart phone it was going to need some customizations.  The ability to customize is one of the reasons Androids are so cool.

Anyhow, Lifehacker’s got this cool guide for those of you who want to learn how to customize your homescreen: A Guide to Organizing Your Android Home Screen

Watch Your Battery Life

OK, the rumors are true, many Androids tend to go through battery juice pretty quick, if you’re really getting use out of it.  For instance, if you tend to use WiFi, GPS and perhaps a very bright screen setting, then you’ll probably go through your battery pretty quickly.  There are many other tips that will help save battery life found in this article: Battery Saving Tips for Android Mobile Phones

Use Your Android To Make Driving Easier

Your Android can make many traveling tasks easier and I think I’ve personally only begun to scratch the surface in my own life.  Your Android can help in navigating (forget those old paper atlases), finding gas, using phone features hands free, and even for parking!  There’s more in this life-saving Lifehacker article: The Best Android Apps for Your Car

Get Some Cool Photo Slideshows Going

With your Android you can obviously do stuff like set whatever image you like as the wallpaper and even post little frames containing your favorite pics on your homescreen.  Personally, I wasn’t content to stop there with the customization.  I wanted slideshows flipping through all my photos.  Well, I hunted down a few apps that did the trick and wrote about them in an article for The Daily Buggle: How To Use Photo Slideshows To Make Your Android Even Cooler

Catch Thoughts And Take Notes On The Go

If you are like me, you are often faced with a thought or idea while going about your business and you struggle to remember it later on when you actually want to put it to use.  Your Android can help you there.  Actually, there are several options to choose from.  A popular app you can choose is Evernote which allows you to take pictures and write memos to have them later when you need them.  Another app that does about the same thing is Catch (via the comments from here) so try them both and see which one you like most.

There is so many more tips and tricks when it comes to using your Android phone.  I am going to be working on a manual containing Android tips soon so keep your eyes peeled.  In fact, if you have more tips, let me know

Believe it or not, I am actually new to the Android phone scene. Until somewhat recently I had been tethered to the basic run-of-the-mill non-smart phone scene.  There’s nothing wrong with having a basic phone so don’t get me wrong.  However, now that I finally have an Android phone in my paddy-paws, I’m not entirely sure how I got along without one.  Such is life, I guess.

I am finding out that there is much to know and learn about my new phone. For me it functions more as a computer than just my phone.  I am absolutely loving the operating system and all of the nifty-cool apps free for the downloading.  There are apps free on the market for doing everything from clipping mp3s for making ring tones to using your phone as a makeshift baby monitor.  Learning how to manage icons, files, battery-saving settings and even sound settings (already had my phone go off while preaching b/c of my ignorance) is almost a full-time job.

Hence this blog post. I have found several good sources of tips on line and they have helped immensely.  I am also working on putting together my own tips sheet but I am working on a way to keep it updated.  I think it’ll actually end up as either an article category or an actual page on this blog but I’m not sure yet.  I could use some help from my readers though.  My good friend Brett Barner has helped quite a bit already.

OK, so here’s what I need.  If you have any Android experience at all, please post some tips in the comments. When the day comes that I finally put this tip sheet together, I will list you as a contributer.

So, help a brother out and send in your Android tips… now!

That’s certainly the question, isn’t it?  The economy I am currently in just seems to be getting tougher.  More and more I am hearing about people making decisions based on their current financial situation and then a layoff comes along.  For example, signing a cell phone contract the day before losing a job.  Not fun times.

We also keep hearing about large companies either closing down or going overseas to cut costs.  Everyone’s cutting back and beginning to be more conservative.

That’s why I am writing this post today.  I wanted to give a tip on how to save a few bucks in today’s tough economy.  We can all use a few tips, right?

A while back I wrote an article about whether or not buying refurbished computers is a good idea.  I went through several things to look at but the main point was that buying new isn’t for everyone.  That made me think though.  There are a lot of things that we are just wasting our money when we buy new.  A car is another thing.  I’ve heard it said that many rich people choose to not buy new cars because of the rate of depreciation in the first year or so.  So they’ll buy them a few years old.

The list of things that are appropriate to buy used goes on.  I ran into this list on Billy.com that lists 10 things worth buying used (also check out Billy’s professional movers section and get some local moving help by comparing the prices for movers in your area).  One of the items on the list that popped out to me was books.  This is so true now since we can go online to sites like Amazon and easily find used books for cheap.  College students are always buying used books from upperclassmen who don’t need them anymore.

Anyway, one of the best ways to save a buck in a tough economy is to buy used products.  Maybe a future list should be “XX things NOT worth buying used.”  That could be fun!

Tell me, do you ever buy used?  What type of product will you NEVER buy used?  And What other money saving tips can you give to help us get by in a tough economy?

I have already given some pointers about how to stay safe on the ”Wild Wild Web” but today I want to give some tips specifically forkeeping children safe on the Internet.  We know that the Internet is a very huge source of information.  I see it as an unending source of knowledge and to hinder the use or the knowledge of such a tool would be almost crippling.  I know that sounds strong but, if you think about it, almost anything you want to research is on there.  Don’t get me wrong, the library is still a very necessary tool and should not be replaced but supplement.  I am saying the Internet is valuable.

The reason I bring it up is that the fear of the dangers the Internet can move parents to totally cut any connection.  Well, I would like to give some safety tips in order to keep your child safe while utilizing such a tool:

1.  Be Involved!

Be involved in your child’s life!  Create an atmosphere that you child can come to you and talk to you about things that happen and what they learn.  Ask them questions.  Accompany them.  Share with them.  The next point is imperative to doing this:

2.  Learn All You Can

Are you ever faced with the problem of your kids knowing more about computers and the Internet than you do?  This is a very common problem.  It is often difficult to know what your kids may be up to if they know how to keep things out of reach for you.  Well, the bad news is that this may never change.  It’s just the way it is!  I was a teen when the Internet became mainstream (mid-90′s) so I kind of grew up learning about it as it developed, but as fast as the Internet changes, I find it almost impossible to find the time to keep up with EVERYTHING the web has to offer.  Someone a few years older may find it even more difficult because PC’s weren’t really around while growing up.  We need to do our best to keep up with the times.  We need to learn about “Myspace” and “Facebook” and whatever new tech comes out.  We need to learn what sites our kids visit.  A good filtering program can help us with this:

3.  Filter, Filter, Filter

Find a good filtering program and then don’t totally rely on it.  Let me explain the benefits and then explain the dangers of solely relying on it.  A good filtering program will give you the flexibility to block such content as language, nudity, violence, and dangerous sites containing viruses and such.  A good filtering program will also log such things as sites visited, attempts to disable, time spent, etc.  The program I use will even let you designate the hours to allow access to the Internet.  The tools are almost invaluable to keeping your children safe.  My advice would be to be open with your kids about what is being filtered and logged.  Explain to them the importance of accountability in everyone’s life, even adults.  Another good idea would be for each parent to come up with and memorize half of the password.  This way the children will know that the parents are being held accountable AND that any changes to be made are known and approved of by both.  The filtering software I use is K9 Web Protection.  All this being said, you should not rely totally on a software program.  The involvement of parents is imparative.  Besides, sometimes software fails and you want to be involved in case it does.

4.  Limit Time

Another great use for K9 Web Protection is the ability to limit internet use to setup time frames.  You have the control to set specific times the kids are allowed to be online.  As useful as the internet is, moderation is key!  The temptation would be for children to constantly be online.  Well, the temptation does not stop with children, does it?  You can set it so the only time the internet can be accessed is when people are around.  There is a need to limit time spent and software can’t replace the parents but it can HELP.

5.  Social Networking Standards

Social networking is huge right now.  If it’s not big in your home, believe me, it probably is in the homes of the kids’ friends.  Oh, and it’s HUGE in the homes of preditors!  What we have here are two specific ways the social networking sites can be dangerous: your kids’s expression and misbehavior, and an inlet for preditors into the lives of your kids.  I remember reading about a year ago some articles by prominant Christian authors about the dangers of Myspace.  Many of the dangers are real and they are present on other sites too.  What we end up with is minors expressing themselves on their pages in ways they would never dream of in public OR in front of their parents.  Obviously if a child is expressing themself in an undesireable way, there are other issues that need to be dealt with.  However social networking sites become dangerous because such expression ends up in public.  Also, preditors go where they can find victims without supervision and believe me they know about the opportunities that the internet afford!

All of that being said, should you just ban your children from the use of such sites (K9 can do this for you)?  If you as a parent sees this as necessary, by all means, be my guest.  You can definitely save a lot of fuss by going that route.  However, if there is a certain set of standards set up, socail networking sites can be safe.  Most sites have settings that can keep just anyone from seeing your profile, make it so comments are moderated by the user before they are public, friends are agreed apon before being added, etc.  Certain peices of information should not be shared publically:  address, phone number, email address, parents’ names, birthdays, whether parents are home, whether the home is empty, etc.  Most of this may seem obvious but when a stranger is befriending you and you begin to trust him/her, they can begin asking questions to get the info they need.  Parents NEED to be involved in this aspect of the kids’ lives.  Know every friend on their lists!  In fact, be one of the friends on their lists! There should be no secrets here.  The child may not like it but this is too important!  Talk to your kids about social networking standards and then be there to protect them!

6.  Teach Your Children Good Internet Practices.

I won’t go into much detail here but I just did a post about staying safe on the internet; you can refer to that for further help.

7.  Get The Internet Out of the Child’s Bedroom!

Move the computer into a public place in the home, immediately!! In fact I would say the same thing about the television and cable.  Wondering what you child is be exposed to?  Well, make accountability a bit easier by bringing everything into the light.  Less temptation and more information.  They may “hate” you now, but they will love you later!

8.  Rules About Strangers In the Real World Apply On the Internet

Many of the rules that apply to strangers in the real world apply online.  Check out this site for some good safety tips concerning strangers: http://www.itsamomsworld.com/strangersafety.html

9.  Teach Them How Much and What Type of Information is Appropriate To Share

Children need to understand that any information shared online can be used to hurt them.  I already touched this when talking about social networking sites, but it deserves and honorable mention!  Teach them to be vague and to never share personal information.  In fact, teach them what personal information is!

10.  Instill a Healthy Fear

In this case, fear, reverence, and respect for the dangers on the internet is healthy!  Talk to them about the reasons you are so strict with them about the computer and the internet.  Have them put themselves in your shoes as their parent so they can see how you’d feel if anything ever happened to them!  Fear shouldn’t imobilize us motivate us to do what is best.

That is the 10 ways to keep your kids safer online.  It is possible I missed something so if I did, feel free to comment!