MAKE YOUR UNEXPANDABLE PHONES EXPANDABLE

The HTC One? Nice phone, no question. But it's lacking a key feature: a microSD expansion slot.

That's a bummer, as expandability has long been one of the big advantages of an Android phone over an iPhone. (The other is a removable battery, which the One also lacks, but that's a topic for another day.) Does that mean owners of slotless Android phones like this one are stuck with a fixed amount of storage?

Not necessarily. Thanks to a USB specification called USB On-the-Go (OTG for short), you can add more storage just by plugging in a flash drive. Well, OK, there's a little more to it than that. Here's how to expand an "unexpandable" Android phone.

To connect a flash drive to your Android device, you'll need an inexpensive USB OTG cable.

Step one: Because you can't plug a full-size USB flash drive into a microUSB port, you'll need an adapter cable -- specifically a USB OTG cable. You can find these for as little as $5, sometimes less, on Amazon and eBay. Here's one that, is selling for $4.76. (Impossibly, it ships from Hong Kong, meaning it could take a couple weeks to arrive. But how does that price even cover shipping costs?!)

Step two: Fill a flash drive with music, videos, photos, documents, and/or other media you'll want to access on your device. The USB OTG solution is particularly great for bringing extra music and movies on a trip, especially if you're already low on on-device storage.

If your device supports USB OTG right out of the box, it should be a plug-and-play exercise.

Step three: Plug the flash drive into the USB OTG cable, then plug the cable into your phone's Micro-USB port. With luck, the phone will immediately jump into USB host mode, which is exactly what happens with my Verizon HTC One. From there I was able to fire up Gallery, Music, and other apps that support external storage, and use them to play videos, listen to songs, open files, and so on. If, however, nothing happens, read on.

Freeware utility Kingo Root can handle the chore if your device needs rooting for USB OTG.

Step four (if necessary): Not all Android devices come with the necessary USB OTG drivers. Does that mean you're out of luck? Not if you're willing to root your phone or tablet. Visit Kingo Android Root is a free app that can make short work of the rooting process on most devices.

Step five (if necessary): Now install an Android app that allows external drives to be "mounted" (i.e. visible to the operating system). One popular choice: USB OTG Helper. Run the app, then plug in your USB OTG cable with the already-connected flash drive. Now you should be able to access the drive in the same ways described above.

Unfortunately, there's no guarantee any of this will work on your device; your best bet is trial and error, though you could also do some googling to see if others have had USB OTG success with a particular model. For what it's worth, I wasn't able to get a rooted Virgin Mobile Supreme to recognize my flash drive -- though it wasn't really necessary given that that phone has a Micro-USB slot.

On the flipside, if you do get everything working, or have a model like the HTC One, you can also connect a variety of other USB devices, including keyboards and even game controllers.

Have you tried this option with your device? If so, hit the comments and tell us what worked and what didn't.

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Best Android Phone 2016: Know The One Which Suits You The Best

2016 is going to see a flush of the Android phones and choosing the best Android phone among all will surely depend on what you are looking for. Still some factors like Quick charge, 4K video support, fingerprint scanner, type-C port reversible charger, wireless charging etc. are something which will force you to change your mind.

Everyone looks for the best Android phone when something new happens in the Android industry. For example, recently Google released Developer’s preview of the latest Android with new features. And with the new Android N features, the Android market is once again burning hot with the speculation of which is the best Android Phone 2016?

So, odafeblog has decided to take a look at the list of the best Android phones and pick up the best Android phone in different categories for you. Our Android phone review will be categorized because we do not just want to declare a single winner but we want to pick out the best Android phones in different categories based on the different Android user types. So here is the list of the best Android phones from 2016 which have already been released or in the pipeline:

1. Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge: Best Android phone in high range

Samsung Galaxy S7 was released with lots of new features like dust proofing, water resistance, geo-tagging, quick charging etc. Below are some of the new features of Samsung Galaxy that we want to focus on:

• Dust proof and water resistant over 1.5 metres and 30 minutes
• Curved edge screen
• Camera: 12 MP, geo-tagging, 4K video
• Fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate
• Fast battery charging: 60% in 30 min (Quick Charge 2.0)
• Wireless charging (Qi/PMA) – market dependent
• OneDrive (115 GB cloud storage)
• Battery non-removable Li-Ion 3600 mAh battery

Get Samsung Galaxy S7 or Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 And Galaxy S7 Edge Are Waterproof Phones With No Surprises

2. Google Nexus 6P: Cheaper yet the best Android phone

This time, Google Nexus 6P comes from Huawei. Before its release, lots of rumours had been going on this phone about its energy efficiency, quick charging and aluminium body frame etc. So here are some of the major and new features of Nexus 6P that we have come up with:

• Crafted from aeronautical-grade aluminium.
• One of the best android phones for clicking pictures even in very dim light
• USB type C reversible charger is very quick to charge
• Nexus Imprint features are more secure withfingerprint sensor
• With new Android N roll out coming in near future, Nexus phones are the ones to get the updates first.
• Comes with a lot of Google apps preinstalled which are handy to use

Get Google Nexus 32 GB Graphite or Huawei Nexus 6P – 64 GB Aluminum

Also Read: Google Announces Two Nexus Phones: LG Nexus 5X and Huawei Nexus 6P

3. LG G5: Best Android phone to look out for design

While Android phone makers like Samsung, Google, and Huawei have added a little more design features to their phones, LG G5 is a phone we wait to watch out for. It has not been much time when LG G4 was launched and in it’s G series phone, LG has walked beyond the boundaries to add some of the unconventional features which are hardly seen in the Android phones or other smartphones today. Here are some of the features we would like to bring your focus on:

• Unibody metallic design
• Removable cap for accessing removable battery
• 16 MP rear camera
• Faster software

Also Read: LG G5: The First Modular Smartphone From LG Makes Android Exciting Again

4. OnePlus 3: Best Android phone – The future Samsung killer?

Even though OnePlus 3 has neither been launched nor the release date has been announced, but this is the Android phone something to look out for. The market of speculations is hot that this phone is coming with some of the unconventional and unthinkable features which are enough to make it an attention-seeker. Some of the rumoured features of this phone are:

• Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor
• Retina sensor
• Heartbeat sensor
• Projection lamp
• QHD Screen
• Depth Sensor camera
• Comparatively much cheaper price

Also Read: 5 Ways to Get OnePlus One Invites in India

5. Sony Xperia Z6: Music and video redefined

The Japanese mobile giant is known for producing one of the finest quality multimedia products. Besides, Xperia Z6 is known for some of the qualities which are hard to find in other phones. Here is a list of some of the features of Sony Xperia Z6:

• compact display and resolution
• compact processor and RAM
• Type-C port reversible charger
•  Quick charge 3.0

6. Xiomi Mi 5: The Beast

Xiomi Mi 5 can be an alternative to OnePlus 3. Xiomi Mi 5 is a beast in itself because it will give a tougher competition to other high-end smartphones which are available in the market at higher prices. Here are some of the features in this upcoming mobile:

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
• Quick Charge 3.0
• Full HD IPS screen
• 16 MP camera with image stabilization
• 4K video support
• fingerprint scanner

7. Moto X Style: A well-balanced and the best budget Android phone

Moto X devices have always been able to make a great impact on the user experience. With Moto X Style, Lenovo is trying to hit a balance between price, simplicity and the performance needed in a mobile phone. Moto X Style is a good competitor to Nexus 6, OnePlus 3, Xiomi Mi5 etc. Here are some of the features of Moto X Style:

• 21 MP rear camera
• IPS LCD display
• Non-removable 3000mAh battery
• 4K video support

8. Huawei Mate 8: A dream Phablet

Huawei Mate 8 has surely left to left an impact on the users. There are a lot of reasons why we are terming it as a dream phablet for many tech lovers. Just take a look at the features of this phone and decide it for yourself:

• 6-inch Display
• IPS LCD display
•  CMOS sensor in both cameras
• 4000 mAH, Li-Po, Non-removable Battery

Get Huawei Mate 8 32 GB or Huawei Mate 8 64 GB

9. LG V10

If you do not want to wait for LG G5 and you want something funkier than LG G4m then LG G10 is the perfect phone for you. There are certain features of LG V10 that set it apart from the other versions of the LG mobiles. Moreover, these features are hardly available in any other mobile phones.

• 16  MP rear camera
• A ticker display as a secondary screen which shows weather, apps, time etc. without any need to turn on the mobile
• Two front facing camera for wide angle selfies
• Finger print sensor
• Shock absorption feature
• The first phone to take a video with manual code

Get LG V10.

10. Samsung Galaxy S6

Samsung Galaxy S6 was truly a smartphone Android users were looking for after not-so-bad performance of its previous version. If you are thinking of buying a stable Android phone which has already been tried and tested by the users and has a nice review, then you should go for it. Here are some of the features of Samsung Galaxy S6:

• Glass front and metal back
• very high resolution
• no microSD card expansion

Get Samsung Galaxy S6.

Editor’s recommendation:

• Go for Samsung Galaxy S7 if you are a Samsung lover and you want the best Android phone from a well-known company in high range
• Go for Moto X Style if you are looking for a budget phone with a good performance
• Go for Sony Xperia Z6 if you love taking pictures, making video in rugged condition and if music redefines you

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Amazing Google Chrome Tips And Tricks You Must Know

Google Chrome is recognized as one of the best web browsers out there. Its simplicity and speed speak volumes for itself. We bring to you some amazing Google Chrome tips and tricks that might prove very useful and come in handy for you.

One of the most popular, fast, simple and secure web browser out there is Google Chrome. The fact that it holds about 45% of the worldwide usage share of Web Browsers further bears testimony to Google Chrome’s popularity amongst the masses. With its unparalleled speed, effective security measures and handy customization options, it sure packs quite a punch for a web browser. So, let’s add a new dimension to your Google Chrome experience with our guide on amazing Google Chrome tips and tricks you must know:

Common keyboard shortcuts for Google Chrome

We begin our guide with some of the common keyboard shortcuts which shall help you save your time and make your Google Chrome experience a lot easier and enjoyable.

Ctrl+T – Open New Tab
Ctrl+N- Open New Window
Ctrl+W – Close Current Tab
Ctrl+Tab- View Next Tab
Ctrl+L-Put Cursor in Search Bar
Ctrl+R-Reload Current Page
Ctrl+F-Open the Find Bar
Ctrl+D- Bookmark the Current Page
Ctrl+J- Open Downloads Page
Ctrl+Enter- Add ‘www.’ and ‘.com’ to input in address bar and open the corresponding URL

For a more detailed list of such keyboard shortcuts visit: SUPPORT

How to make notes using Chrome

Every once in a while you may need to note down something important for future reference or other purposes. So, instead of having you scramble across your desk for a pen and a notepad, Google Chrome provides a much better alternative. Simply type in:

” data:text/html, <html contenteditable> ” on your search bar and take down notes at your leisure.

Reduce data usage in Google Chrome

Most people who use Google Chrome on their phones are often found complaining about the excessive amount of mobile data that Chrome uses up. Well good news for all of you, the ‘Data Saver Feature’ introduced by Google may just help you work your way around this problem. Simply open Google Chrome and go to Settings-> Data Saver -> Turn On Data Saver and surf the web for less data.

    

Detail Read: How To Browse Faster On Chrome For Android

Play media files in Google Chrome

Did you know, you can play a wide variety of movie and music files (.avi, .mov, .mp4, .mp3, .mkv, .ogv, .ogm,.webm, .wav etc) using Google Chrome? Simply drag your file into the search-bar and enjoy watching it play.

What’s more? Chrome can even be used to view images, open Microsoft Office files and PDF files as well.

Pin tabs in Google Chrome

One of the most overlooked features of Google Chrome is the Pin Tab feature. It enables the user to lock their most used/favorite tabs (ones they might want to keep open all day) onto the left side of the browser and reduce it to the size of an icon so that it occupies less space. A pinned tab can’t be closed accidentally and opens up by default every time, one opens Google Chrome. It provides a handy way of organizing tabs in Chrome. In order to pin a tab, simply ‘right click’ on the tab and select the Pin Tab Option.

Google Chrome Task Manager

Google Chrome provides a built-in Task Manager. Just like the Task Manager of a Windows System, it allows the user to monitor the amount of memory a particular site is using, CPU Usage and its network activity. Chrome treats each tab as a separate process. In case your browser seems to slow down or stop responding, you can simply open up the Task Manager and kill the tab which seems to be hogging down the system resources, to prevent the browser from crashing. You can open the task manager by pressing the ‘Shift+Esc’ key or by clicking on the drop-down menu at the upper right corner and going to More Tools -> Task Manager.

Desert Dino Run game in Google Chrome

Google loves hiding features here and there within its browser. One such feature is the Desert Dino Run. You must have seen the image of the dinosaur which appears on the screen when you are either unable to connect to the internet or are offline, it turns out that it is not just an image but a game that can be played by simply tapping on the screen once the T-Rex pops up.

Detail Read: A Hidden Game in Your Google Chrome, Works on Android and PC

Use the Search Bar as a Calculator or Unit Converter

You can use Google Chrome even as a calculator or a unit converter as well. All you need to do is type in the calculation/conversion into the search bar and watch as Chrome works its magic.

   

Drag and drop downloads in Google Chrome

Instead of changing the download location of a file or manually cutting and pasting it at the desired location. You can simply drag the file to the folder where you want to save your file, thereby saving effort and time.

Chrome Flags feature

Another treasure trove of Google Chrome features are the Chrome Flags. They enable the user to enable certain functionalities in Chrome that may not have been implemented fully up till now or may be un-standardized. Here are some of the Chrome Flags that are worth giving a try, but beware that some of these features could turn out to be buggy and cause your browser to crash.

In order to enable them simply type in chrome://flags in the search bar and then enable the one which you wish to, from the list provided.

• Enable Multilingual Spellchecker- It allows the user to turn on support for performing spellchecking in multiple languages at the same time.
• Download Resumption- It allows for downloads that may haven’t been interrupted to be continued or restarted. This features comes in really handy in case you have a slow internet connection.
• Password Generation- This feature allows the user to have Chrome generate passwords when it detects account creation pages. Passwords created by Chrome may seem to be gibberish, but mind it they are super safe and nigh impossible to crack.
• Mute Tabs- Ever so often you might have multiple tabs open, each of which may be playing its own audio. In order to avoid such a situation and mute unwanted audio, just enable this flag and Google Chrome shall provide you with audio indicators in the tab strip as tab audio mute controls

Have some more tips and tricks of your own to add? Do post them in the comments below.

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