Posts Tagged ‘android’
Understanding Snapchat
Do you have trouble understanding Snapchat? Yeah. Us too.
I’m trying to understand Snapchat. All the kids are into it, but it confuses me.
The latest version of Snapchat allows you to make goofy animations of your face. Here’s a video from Buzzfeed of people using… well, they’re called New Selfie Filters.
The new filters were introduced in September but I didn’t notice because I don’t use Snapchat. Mostly this is because it baffles me. That said, these animations are very easy to use and pretty funny. Think Emojis, but animated, and with your face on them. We’re all doomed, but at least we can make short video clips of ourselves puking up rainbows before the inevitable apocalypse.
Want to puke rainbows or put horns on your head? This is how to use the new Snapchat Selfie Filters.
What We’ve Figured Out So Far
First: get the latest version of the Snapchat app on your mobile device (iOS or Android).
Second: switch the camera to Selfie Mode. Usually this is a little symbol with arrows on it in the upper right corner of the screen.
Third: hold your finger over your face. Not your ACTUAL face. The image of your face on your phone or tablet. When you do this, a bunch of little images should appear at the bottom of your screen. Scroll through them until you find one that you like.
Fourth: hold down the red Record button and make your video.
Fifth: send it to someone.
Having trouble? Leave a comment and we’ll try to help. Don’t be embarrassed; it took us way longer to figure out than it should have. But that’s OK. We’re good enough, we’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like us.
Related articles (Note: These are offsite links; DaddyTips takes no responsibility for outside content.)
Kiddie-Lockout Feature Should Be Standard on iOS and Android
I know I’ve said this before, but just in case I haven’t typed it on DaddyTips, I firmly believe that a kiddie-lockout feature should be standard on all mobile devices, iOS and Android.
Apparently there are others who agree with me.
For IOS on the iPad, they should implement the concept of multi-user accounts and the ability to lock down features for non-administrator accounts. This would be great when a family shares an iPad, but do not want their kids mucking around in the settings, or deleting stuff.
Now, it should be noted that the Samsung Galaxy S5 has this feature, at least according to one of their TV ads:
I’m fairly certain this isn’t a new feature for some Android devices. Read through the comments on the Engadget page; a few folks get specific there.
The S5 is also “dust and water resistant”, according to this spot:
But yeah, keeping the kids away from the stuff on your phone or tablet should be a standard feature across the board. I don’t want my kids reading my email, my texts, or even seeing what apps I use. Not that I would ever use my phone for anything inappropriate. But I’d like to have the option.
via I can’t believe Android or iOS still don’t have _______! – Engadget.
Related articles (Note: These are offsite links; DaddyTips takes no responsibility for outside content.)
Google Exec Wants People To Watch Their Kids Graduate On Their Phones
Buried within a New York Times article about cloud storage for businesses is this rather odd quote from Amit Singh, the president of Google Enterprise.
Android logo via Wikipedia
“You’ll be videoconferencing with someone, while editing a supply chain document with someone else in Hong Kong, while he watches his son graduate on his phone,” Mr. Singh said, noting, “you’ll need a lot of infrastructure to do that.”
(emphasis added)
No disrespect meant to Mr. Singh, but, um, what the hell? Is he actually comparing “editing a supply chain document” with a child’s graduation?
What Mr. Singh was attempting to explain, as far as I can tell, is how a businessperson (I’m going gender neutral here; apologies to Caesar and any other intelligent non-human creatures of the future) could make use of the Android operating system on multiple devices at once. But if his idea of quality parenting is not only working while your kid graduates but squeezing it in as if it were just another activity in the stream of a business day, I have to disagree. Strongly.
Google, Microsoft and Others Delve Deeper Into Cloud Storage for Businesses – NYTimes.com.
Related articles (Note: These are offsite links; DaddyTips takes no responsibility for outside content.)
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 16GB Android Tablet $279.99 (DaddyDeal)
Humdinger of a DaddyDeal from Amazon — the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Android Tablet for just $279.99.
I’m actually a bit tempted to buy this for myself. I’m primarily an Apple product user — Macbook Pro, iPad, although I refuse to get an iPhone on principle — and it would be nice to add an Android device to the mix. My phone is a Droid 4, but it’s not a snazzy as this Samsung Android Tablet. Among the differences between Samsung’s Galaxy devices and Apple’s iPads is the ability to have two windows open at once. Why Apple hasn’t snagged this for the iPad, I have no idea.
Anyway, if you’ve been thinking about an Android Tablet, this seems to be a good price. As always, caveat buyor, your mileage may vary, and don’t blame us if you buy the thing and don’t like it.
Amazon.com: Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 (16GB, Brown-Black): Computers & Accessories.
Kindle Fire HD Limited Time Deal (Again)
DaddyDeal for you — Amazon is selling the Kindle Fire HD for $159, $40 less than the regular price of $199. Again. But that’s a good thing!
You might remember this DaddyDeal from such deals as Kindle Fire HD Limited Time Deal. To continue our Simpsons references, there’s this gem from the episode “Radio Bart”:
Announcer: … But order now. Supply is limited.
Homer: Gasp! Limited!?!? [frantically dials the phone]
Do you have any of those microphones left?
Clerk: [standing in a warehouse filled to the roof with boxes of microphones] Yeah, a couple…
(Above via SNPP.com; see also DeadHomerSociety.com, which is the best name for a website ever so far this week.)
Now that this Kindle Fire HD Limited Deal has returned, we would forgive you for thinking, “Limited? Oh please. I can get this price anytime I want.” We can honestly say that this is not the case. We don’t recall the exact moment that the price on the device (hey, that rhymes!) went back to $199 from $159, but it did happen. And now it’s back down again.
Bottom line: if you want an Amazon Kindle Fire, you may as well get it now while Amazon is offering it to you for a cheaper price.
Check out our original DaddyDeal page for more info on the Kindle Fire HD.
Handy links to buy these things (aren’t we nice?):
Kindle Fire HD 7?, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi
Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies
Kindle Fire HD Limited Time Deal
Quick DaddyDeal for you — Amazon is selling the Kindle Fire HD for $159, $40 less than the regular price of $199. (We did the math for you. We’re nice that way.)
For the uninitiated, the Amazon Kindle Fire is a 7-inch color tablet. It runs Android. It is not an iPad. It is, however, less expensive, even when it is selling for its regular price of $199 rather than this $159 deal.
Usually $159 gets you the regular Kindle Fire, which has a lower-resolution screen (1024 x 600). The Kindle Fire HD has a higher-resolution screen (1280×800) — hence the HD in the name. More pixels means better image quality, nicer-looking videos and easier to read text. The Fire HD also has better audio, better wi-fi, and more internal storage than the regular Fire, sayeth Amazon. All of these are good things. Getting them for $40 less than you usually would is even better.
Gearheads / Android fans might find this little tidbit intriguing:
| System Requirements | None. Kindle Fire HD is ready to use right out of the box – no setup, no software to install, no computer required to download content |
“System Requirements: None.” When was the last time you saw those three words together?
If you are a member of Amazon Prime
Nothing against the iPad. We have one… OK, two, one is for the kids… and we love it. That said, $159 is a damn good deal.
No idea how long the deal will last, caveat shopper, disclaimers, your mileage may vary, the price may change… you know the drill. We saw this deal and wanted to share it with you. Because we’re super nice.
Now, a confession. Every time we hear the words Kindle Fire, we think of the Jimi Hendrix song “Fire
Now go get a Kindle Fire HD on sale before the deal disappears!
Kindle Fire HD 7″, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi
Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies
New Android Software Has Parent-Friendly Feature
From TechCrunch, a report about the latest version of Google’s Android software, which includes this parent-friendly feature:
New to Android 4.3: advanced multi-user support, bringing in “restricted profiles”. Restricted profiles lets parents limit what their child’s account can do, for example.
Haven’t looked into the specifics yet but the concept is great. Reporting from the announcement, TechCrunch’s Greg Kumparak writes:
Hugo is running through a demo of the restricted access feature, walking through how you can limit an account to only run certain apps. Apps can even be configured to hide in-app purchase items from kids.
An account that only runs the apps you want your kids to use would be awesome.
According to the article, this feature is part of Android 4.3, which will be installed on the new Nexus 7 Android Tablet announced today by El Goog. For more, including a photo of an enormous tray of bacon, visit TechCrunch.
via Live From Google’s Mystery Announcement With Android Head Sundar Pichai | TechCrunch.
