Home-made videos and those available on the web can be formatted
using various codecs and this can be problematic if you just want to load it up
and play it straight away. There are tools available that let you convert your
movies to different formats, but the quickest way around the problem is to look
for apps that come with the ability to play all of the most popular codecs. MX Player
is one among many that can help.
Streaming data
If you stream movies or music often, you will need to ensure
that your data plan allows you to do this. Go to Settings> Data usage and
you can set a data limit to make sure you do not receive any expensive overuse
charges. You can also check to see what exactly is using all of your data in
this screen and the general rule of thumb is to try to watch movies that are
stored on your device if possible or use a connected Wi-Fi network when it is
available. Keeping the Wi-Fi antenna on all of the time is not a huge battery
drain.
Quick file transfers
When you are moving large selections of music, movies and
photos to your Android device from a desktop Mac, you want the process to be
easy and quick. Android File Transfer (available from here: http://www.android.com/filetransfer
) is an official tool that will immediately open when you connect your device
and which acts like the Finder app software. Simply drag what you need over to
the right directory and all of your installs will be done in one painless go.
Windows users do not need a tool like this to transfer Android files, however.
Use live widgets
There are many live widgets available for Android devices
that are constantly updated in the background. Whether you want to see your
latest emails or calendar entries or anything else, there will be a solution
available. They will enable you to quickly glance at your device and see what
you need with no further interaction, which can be a huge time-saver if you are
checking information many times a day. Remember that battery and performance
can be affected if you use too many of these, as they will often continue to be
updated even when they are not in the foreground.
One calendar
Try to set up just one calendar to synchronise with your
Android device and use this one every day. The temptation to create multiple
calendars and to have every entry colour-coded in the right category is great,
but ultimately all it will do is slow you down when you enter new appointments,
which no one wants. Sometimes a simple list of appointments in the same colour works
best and will make the synchronisation process much quicker as well. Multiple
calendars only work well if you have a ‘very’ busy schedule and need to be able
to keep certain parts of it separate from one another.
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