Droid Companion

Chapter One

How Do I Get Started with Droid?

In This Chapter:

Setting Up Your Droid Phone

Using External Controls

Browsing the Home Screen

Using the Menu Button

Exploring Google Apps and Services

Connecting to a Personal or Business Wi-Fi Network

Understanding Network Icons

Connecting a Bluetooth Device

Protecting the Droid from Unauthorized Access

To start with your Droid phone, you have to install the battery; activate it with your cellular service provider; familiarize yourself with the physical parts; join a Wi-Fi network; learn how to navigate the screens, menus, and other graphical parts; and learn a little about how to use the keyboard. After you’re acquainted with the device and can move around successfully in it, you may want to connect a Bluetooth device and protect the Droid from unauthorized access.

Setting Up Your Droid Phone

If you purchased your new phone at a physical store, it’s highly likely that the salesperson unboxed the phone, inserted the battery, turned it on, activated it, made a test call, and even guided you through inputting the required Google account. If that happened, you can skip forward to the Exploring Google Apps and Services section, stopping to read only the notes and such between here and there. If your new phone is still in the box and has not been activated, you need to continue here.

Unpacking, Charging, and Getting Ready

To start, carefully remove everything from the box. Lay the items out on a roomy table or desk, and take note of everything that’s there. You have several pieces of material to read, including information about activation agreements and pricing plans, coverage areas, consumer information, safety and warranty information, and something along the lines of how to master your device. The latter is important; it outlines how to insert the battery, attach the battery cover, and properly charge your phone. It may also tell you how to insert the microSD card, if applicable. The SIM should already be inserted.

Start by following the specific instructions for your device to insert the microSD card and battery, and attach the battery cover. If the directions tell you to charge the phone for a specific amount of time before using it, do so. While your phone is charging, read the rest of the information, specifically noting how to power on the device, what the external ports provide, and how to power off the device. Then, place the packaging back in the box, and keep the box handy. You may need to access the information later.

Completing First-Time Setup Tasks

When you first turn on your new Droid phone (by pressing and holding the Power button for a couple of seconds), you need to work through a few setup processes. Although tasks differ from device to device, they likely include the following:

Choosing a language

Activating the phone

Inputting your Google account information

Adding email accounts

Setting up some kind of backup assistant

Enabling phone location services from your carrier, from standard GPS, and Google location services

Follow these steps to set up the Droid X2 and the Droid 3 (and virtually any other Droid phone):

1. Turn on the phone and tap Select Language.

2. Select your language.

3. Tap the Android icon.

4. Tap Activate.

5. Tap Speaker, if wanted.

6. Follow the instructions to activate your phone, which involves the following:

a. Tapping a specific key, perhaps 1.

b. Tapping Next.

c. Agreeing to the Terms of Service.

After the activation tasks are complete, you’re ready to add your Google account. In the next section you learn how to get a Google account if you don’t have one, and how to input that account using your phone.

Creating and Inputting a Google Account

During the setup process, you are prompted to input a Google account and complete a few related setup tasks. You can skip the step that involves inputting a Google account and do it later if you want, but we suggest you take the time now. If you don’t already have an account, when you get to step 4, tap Create, and follow the prompts to create an account. When it is created, you can continue with the directions to input that information to your Droid phone.

When prompted to input your Google account from your Motorola Droid X2, Droid 3, the Droid Incredible 2, and the Droid Charge, follow these steps:

1. If the screen has gone dark, press the Power button.

2. Tap Next.

3. Read the information offered, and tap Next again.

4. If you don’t have an account, tap Create and follow the prompts. If you have an account, tap Sign In.

5. Input your Google Account username and password. If you use a virtual keyboard, tap Done.

6. Tap Sign In.

7. You’ll be prompted that you can use your Google Account to back up your apps, settings, and other data. Tap Next to set this up.

8. Tap Finish Setup.

Finally, you’ll be prompted to input a 4-to-8 digit PIN. Enter this, write it down, and keep it somewhere safe, and make any other configuration choices here. You can opt, for instance, to authorize Verizon to send your PIN to your phone if it’s lost. Tap Submit to complete these tasks.

WHAT IF I WORK FOR A COMPANY THAT USES GOOGLE APPS FOR ENTERPRISE, AND I HAVE ONE OF THOSE ACCOUNTS?

If your company uses Google Apps for Enterprise and you have a related account, you could use that account to set up your Droid phone. We warn against this. Instead, create a new Google account that’s yours and yours alone. You can always add the Google Apps account as a second email account if you want to, but this way, if you change jobs, you’ll still have your personal information through your personal Google account, and you can still use your Droid effectively.

Configuring Additional Accounts and Enabling Location Services

As you can see in Figure 1-1, when you finish all the required setup tasks, you are prompted to configure any additional accounts you use. You might want to take this time to input your username and password for Facebook, Twitter, Photobucket, Google, Yahoo! Mail, and others. To input any of these, simply tap the icon and follow the prompts. If you have any difficulty using the keyboard (either physical or virtual), for now, refer to the information booklet that came with your phone. That tells you how to input an @ sign, _ character, uppercase letters, and so on. (There are also a few typing tips offered later in this chapter.) Tap Done Adding Accounts when finished. (If your screen goes dark, press the Power button, and move the Lock icon from left to right to unlock your phone.)

Figure 1-1: After setup, you have access to the Setup accounts screen.

Finally, you are prompted to enable various forms of location services. You can use location services to determine where you are currently positioned by using location data from cellular towers, Wi-Fi hotspots, or plain-old GPS. Actually, these can tell you where your phone is located, not you!

With your location information pinpointed, apps such as Maps can offer directions from your current location to another, inform you of transportation options in your area, and help you locate restaurants, coffee shops, bars, hotels, gas stations, and other places of interest. Third party apps may offer even more information, let you check in to establishments you frequent, tell others where you are via social networking, and more. It’s up to you to enable location services. Some people feel it’s an invasion of privacy; others, like us, look at it as just another useful service to help apps work better and our phones perform more effectively. You’ll be prompted by new apps, as you obtain them, to let them have access to your location, and you can generally opt to allow or disallow the first time you open the app. When you see a Home screen like the one shown in Figure 1-2, setup is complete.

Figure 1-2: When you see the Home screen, your phone is ready to use.

Using External Controls

Your Droid phone is composed of physical hardware. Many components are housed inside the device, including things such as video camera hardware, internal memory, Bluetooth and wireless hardware, and the processor. Your Droid has hardware available to you on the outside of the device, too.

Exploring What’s Available on All Phones

The external hardware that is unique to your phone is called out in the documentation that came with it, and you should take a look at that documentation now. However, you absolutely must be familiar with a few pieces of hardware, so if you can’t get your hands on the original documentation at the present time, you can use the list here to locate controls you immediately need. You may have to look carefully and closely to locate these items, but you should find them.

These hardware features are available on all Droid phones:

Power/Lock key—This button is normally located on the top of the phone. To power on or off, hold for 2–3 seconds. To lock or unlock, simply press quickly once. The Power button is nearly always one finger width in size. You can’t cause any harm to the phone by pressing these buttons, although you may find the screen goes dark if you press the Power/Lock key.

Volume—Volume controls on both the Incredible 2 and the Droid Charge are on the left side when the phone is held in Portrait mode. On the Droid X2 and the Droid 3 they are on the right side. Press the top button to increase volume and the bottom one to lower it. A Volume icon appears on the screen when you do this, as shown in Figure 1-3. You can also use these keys to zoom where applicable. The Volume controls are two finger widths in size.

LOCATING VIDEOS ON THE WEB

If you’re having trouble locating the external controls on your phone, and you can’t find the user’s guide that came with it, check out the information available on the web. At www.verizon.com for instance, you can access the Wireless section of the website, tap Support for Your Device, and look up the support pages for your phone. Many of the phones have a interactive how-to simulator section, which offers videos for how to do things, like turning the device on or off or working through the setup wizards.

Figure 1-3: A volume graphic appears on the screen when you increase or decrease the volume.

Headphone jack—The headphone jack is generally located at the top of the device.

Camera lens—You can find the camera lens on the back of the phone. You use it to take still pictures and videos.

HDMI Port—The HDMI Port is generally located at the bottom-left or bottom-right corner of the phone if you’re holding the phone in portrait mode. Use this to connect your Droid to a compatible HDMI device, such as a television or projector.

Mini USB Port—The mini USB port is generally located on the bottom-left or bottom-right corner, again when in portrait mode, of the phone and is often just above the HDMI port. It’s a small port that you use to connect the Droid to the USB cable that comes with it, for the purpose of connecting to a computer or charger. You can also connect and use additional compatible devices.

Microphone—Generally located near where you’d speak while on a phone call, the microphone is often recognizable by a small circular dot on the phone, near the bottom.

MicroSD Card Slot and SIM Tray—The MicroSD card slot and SIM tray are located inside the device. Some Droid phones come with a microSD card already installed; others provide a slot, but the card is sold separately. SIMs are usually preinstalled.

Soft or hard buttons—Generally, Droid phones have four buttons that run across the bottom of the screen. They can be hard buttons you physically push down, or soft buttons you tap. Often, with soft buttons, you feel a little vibration after pressing them. These buttons are often used to access menus (you might see four squares to denote this), to return to the default Home screen (you see an icon that looks like a house), to go back to a previous screen (represented by a backward arrow or U-turn arrow), and to perform a search (represented by a magnifying glass). Look at the icons that run across the bottom of your phone to see if you can make out what they do by looking at their icons.

WHAT EXACTLY IS A SIM CARD?

SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module. A SIM card identifies your device to a cellular data provider and includes information about your username, phone number, and other data as applicable.

Finding What’s Unique to Your Phone

The best way to find out what’s unique to your phone’s hardware is to locate the external controls outlined in the previous section and see if there is any other hardware not yet accounted for. You may have a slide-out keyboard, for instance. Phones that become available after this book is published may include easily accessible microSD card readers. You may also determine from where sound comes (speakers).

Beyond what’s unique to your phone is the external equipment you can purchase. You might want to buy a second phone charger, a charging dock, a Bluetooth headset, or conversion kits for using your phone overseas. You have to learn how to connect those devices, which devices are compatible, and how to use them.

That said, it’s best to read the documentation that came with your phone now, especially if there are any external controls you see that you can’t define. You can also visit the manufacturer’s website to look for any must-have hardware. You’ll find all kinds of information. For instance, almost all offer video tutorials for performing tasks, including how to do what we’ll show in the next section on flicking, swiping, tapping, and the like.

CHECK FOR SYSTEM UPDATES

Occasionally, the software that runs in the background to power your phone is updated. You can check for updates manually. Now is a good time to do that, before going much further into the book.

To check for updates on a Motorola Droid X2, Droid 3, or a Droid Charge phone, follow these steps:

1. Press the Menu button. This is the hard or soft button with the four squares on it.

2. Tap Settings.

3. Scroll down and touch About Phone.

4. Tap System updates.

5. If an update is available, install it.

To check for updates on a Droid Incredible 2, follow these steps:

1. Press the Menu button, which is the soft button with the three lines on it.

2. Tap Settings.

3. Scroll down and touch Software Update.

4. Tap Check New.

5. If an update is available, install it.

Swiping, Flicking, Pinching, and Other Touch Techniques

You use touch techniques to navigate the Droid’s Home screens and its apps and menus. You also use touch techniques to surf the web with the browser, to type on a virtual keyboard (if applicable), to place calls, and more. You can learn techniques specific to apps as you work through this book. You need to know the basic techniques to start though, and following are a few of the techniques you can immediately apply:

You tap once to open an app, choose an icon, or apply an option.

You tap, hold, and drag an icon to move it. You can drag an icon to another area of the screen, to another screen, or onto the top of a folder you’ve created to group apps in. You can also tap and drag some widgets to resize them. You learn other uses for tapping and dragging as you work through this book.

A flick, also called a swipe, is a quick motion in which you move your finger quickly from left to right, right to left, bottom to top, or top to bottom. Use this gesture to move from one Home screen to another; to move among pages in an eBook; to move from one picture to another in a picture app; to scroll through a long web page; and more.

You can pinch to zoom in or out of a photo, map, or web page, among other things.

If you haven’t done so yet, use a flicking technique to view the other Home screens on your phone:

1. If the screen is dark, press the Power button.

2. On most Droid phones, you place your finger on the Lock icon and slide right. On the Droid Incredible 2, you place your finger on the Lock icon and slide down.

3. Note what icons are on your Home screen.

4. Use your finger to tap and drag (flick) left. Repeat.

5. Use your finger to flick right. Repeat.

6. To verify you’re on the default Home screen, press the physical Home button on your phone. (It has a picture of a house on it.) It’s at the bottom.

Rotating, Flipping, and Twisting

Beyond what you can do with a single finger, you can physically reposition your Droid to change the view. You can rotate it 90 degrees in any direction to change the view from portrait to landscape and back. Almost all the figures in this chapter are in Portrait view. Figure 1-4 shows Landscape view. Landscape view is often a more effective view to work in, because text seems to be easier to read, and if you have a model with a slide-out keyboard, it’s readily available.

Figure 1-4: Often, Landscape view is easier to work with than Portrait view.

As long as you hold on tightly to it, you can flip the Droid so that it faces away from you. This automatically positions it so the person sitting across from you can see what you’ve been looking at. Of course, you can rotate the Droid 180 degrees, too. Flipping is great when you want to share a picture with a person across the table from you.

Finally, you can twist the Droid. Twisting is often used when you play a game. You might twist the Droid while playing a driving game to make a sharp turn, or twist to make a ball fall in a hole in a labyrinth game. The accelerometer makes this possible.

Browsing the Home Screen

The Home screen is the screen that appears when you turn on your Droid phone. Because you can flick left and right to access more Home screens, we refer to the one that appears when you turn on the phone as the default Home screen. Figures 1-2 and 1-3 showed examples of the default Home screen on the Droid 3 and the Droid X2. Figure 1-5 shows the default Home screen on the Droid Charge.

Figure 1-5: The Droid’s Home screens are all similar.

Below the Home screen, not shown in Figure 1-5, located on the phone, are the hard and soft buttons detailed earlier. Use those to get to the default Home screen, go back, search for something, and access various menus. If you haven’t yet experimented with those, do so now.

THE TOUCH SCREEN

The screen is often referred to as the touch screen because you can touch it to interact with it. And, some items that appear across the bottom of the default Home screen appear on all of them. You can see those static icons when you flick left and right. It’s likely that those static icons offer quick