Auto Ring is an Android app which ensures you don't miss any important calls even if you have your phone on mute. I usually have my phone muted overnight but I don't want to miss any calls from my immediate family, especially my son who is away at University. Auto Ring is easy to set up and works. Simple and easy, just what smart phone use should be about. If you want more details click here
Bigger battery gives me more up time.
I wrote recently about an Android update to my Vodafone UK branded HTC Magic which had made the battery life dreadful. Well I decided to get a bigger capacity battery which arrived yesterday. It is a bit thicker than the original battery and came with a new back which has increased the overall thickness of the Magic but it has made a difference to the standby time of my phone. With the original battery, if it was fully charged at 11pm, the battery would be dead before I woke up. Obviously not ideal. Last night I went to bed with a battery at about 85%, after some heavy use during the evening, and the battery lasted for a total of 24 hours before I started charging which was a major improvement. It has made my Magic a much better phone and has helped me keep productive all day.
Using my HTC Magic at work
Well today was my first day back to work after the Christmas break and there was a lot to catch up on. As usual my Magic was invaluable when I needed to check up on some settings needed for the network at work when it wasn't working (I have a Google document with lots of useful information in it - there is no way I would be able to remember all of it). I was able to use my Magic to browse to the information and before too long everything was working again. I would be lost without my HTC Magic
Christmas traditions
Christmas Eve is a special day for me and one I try and keep clear for my family. It is a day we spend together and usually involves watching a cheesy Christmas film - the soppier the better - and a meal of finger food because we know we are going to over indulge tomorrow. Even my HTC Magic plays a part in one of my favourite traditions, the making of the brandy butter. I should know the recipe by heart now but I still like to check it on my phone to make sure. I've been making it for over 30 years, firstly as assistant to my brother-in-law's Mum (who gave me her recipe), and now as head cook but I still like to check the recipe just to make sure. These days, with my smartphone it's just a little bit easier.
I wish you all a very Happy and peaceful Christmas
Smartphones are so versatile
I had a reminder today to show me how much easier my life has become since I have had a smartphone. I dropped my son off for his first shift of the holidays at a local supermarket this morning. The first thing he had to do was go through orientation, part of which required him to tell his employer his National Insurance number so he sent me a text asking if I knew it. Using my HTC Magic I was able to browse to my Google Documents account where I keep information like that for all my family, find his number and copy and paste it into a text message reply. The whole process took me about two minutes. Brilliant and simple.
Vodafone UK HTC Magic on Froyo
So I've had the update to Android 2.2 on my vodafone HTC Magic for a couple of days now and I am pretty pleased to have it. The update process was painless and pretty quick. The best change is I can get my work emails using the inbuilt email app as it supports activesync - something sadly lacking in Android 1.6. I can also integrate my work calendar in the main calendar app which will be very useful. The UI is better - for example I now have 5 home screens rather than 3 - but not noticeably quicker. The main disappointment is the battery life which I thought might get better. It is still rubbish. I can't go a whole day without having to charge the battery so I am going to have another look at changing my screen brightness and other wireless settings to see what difference I can make.
UK Vodafone pushing out HTC Magic Android update
It looks as though Vodafone UK have started pushing out an update to Android 2.2.1 (Froyo) for their HTC Magic customers. The Forum is aglow with people posting messages. Here's one from one of the moderators which looks pretty positive. My phone hasn't had part one of the update yet but I'll confess to being slightly excited at the prospect. Once I've got it I'll post an update on any changes (hopefully all good) to my trusty Magic.
Google Reader for Android
Google have recently released an official Android app for Google Reader. I have been trying it out for the past few days and first impressions are pretty good although there are still some functions which are missing, for example notification of new articles. It is a beta however so I'm sure Google will sort this out but in the meantime I will stick with NewsRob, which is an excellent app for your Google Reader account.
World Cup updates on my Magic
I managed to keep up to date with the developments of today's World Cup announcements using my HTC Magic to check in with the BBC website. Congratulations to Russia and Qatar for becoming the host countries for the next two world cups. As a football lover I really enjoy the spectacle of a World Cup. Yes I'm disappointed England's bid was unsuccessful but that aside it will be fascinating to see how two such different cultures present themselves to the world.
Weather on my Magic
As most of the UK is gripped in freezing conditions I have found my HTC Magic very handy in keeping me updated on the weather conditions. I use WeatherBug which is a very comprehensive application. It alerts me when there is a weather warning for any of may locations. So far I have been lucky in that the bit of the UK where I live and work have been largely unaffected by the snow but I'm still keeping a lookout.