How To

Preorder e-books from Google Play

Popular Web sites that sell e-books like Amazon and Barnes & Noble allow you to preorder titles with your credit card. Google Play Books now offers the ability to do the same, from the Web or your Android device.

To allow preordering of titles, you'll need to make sure you have a payment option available in Google Play, like Google Wallet or carrier billing.

Step 1: Open Google Play Books in your Web browser or on your Android device. When using an Android device, just open the Google Play Store and tap on Books.

Step 2: Search for the … Read more

Disable lock screen widgets, camera access on Android 4.2

At first glance, the lock screen widgets in Android 4.2 may seem like a convenient feature. But you may soon realize having all of your personal information plastered on what was once a secure screen, isn't ideal. Removing the widgets is simple, but you're still left with the box outlines every time you wake your device, which can get annoying. And there's no way to disable widgets, or camera access for that matter, on the lock screen built into Android 4.2.

Thankfully, an Android developer has released a free app titled Lockscreen Policy, enabling you … Read more

How to unlock Android 4.2's hidden Daydream 'BeanFlinger'

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean includes a new feature called Daydream. Daydream is nothing more than a different name for a screensaver, but for your Android device. You can choose from one of the five default Daydreams to start playing when your device is docked, charging, or both.

It turns out one of the available Daydreams is hidden by default. It requires the device owner to perform a task in order to unlock the dream. Had it not been for this post on Android Central, I would have thought it was visible by default.

One of the first things I … Read more

Quickly view original photo while editing on Android 4.2

Have you ever begun to edit a photo and before you know it -- three filters, a border, and a crop later -- you've lost track of where you started? Going back to view the original photo is an option, but then you risk saving the current edit, or losing it altogether and having to start all over.

A post on Droid Life reveals a new feature in Android 4.2 that allows you to view the original photo during the edit process. It's simple to use in order to compare an original photo to the freshly edited … Read more

Four YouTube players square off for a spot on your iPad

When iOS 6 was released two months ago, the native YouTube app went away. Google has since released a YouTube app for the iPhone, but it has yet to release a YouTube player optimized for the iPad.

I have taken a look at a number of third-party YouTube apps -- Jasmine, Video Tube, YouPlayer, and vTube -- for the iPad so you don't have to. Let's do a quick CNET Reviews breakdown for each to determine our winner.

Jasmine The good: Jasmine lets you sign into your account and comment on videos, create playlists, and play audio in … Read more

Watch full-screen YouTube videos on the iPad with vTube

When iOS 6 was released two months ago, the native YouTube app went away. Google has since released a YouTube app for the iPhone, but it has yet to release a YouTube player that works with the iPad. After its most recent update, my recommendation for the best all-around YouTube player for the iPad is Jasmine.

A YouTube player for the iPad such as YouPlayer or Video Tube plays videos in a small window while displaying other relevant content such as related videos and comments alongside it. You can, of course, tap again to expand the video to fill the … Read more

Download YouTube videos to your iPad with Video Tube

When iOS 6 was released two months ago, the native YouTube app went away. Google has since released a YouTube app for the iPhone, but it has yet to release a YouTube player for the iPad. After its most recent update, my recommendation for the best all-around YouTube player for the iPad is Jasmine. If you'd like the idea of being able to download videos to your iPad to view when you are offline, however, Video Tube is the way to go.

Before we get to the good part, let's quickly cover Video Tube's drawbacks. The biggest … Read more

Getting started with lock screen widgets on Android Jelly Bean

Earlier this week Google released a new line of Nexus devices along with a small update to the Android operating system itself. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean includes a few new features for both smartphones and tablets alike.

One of the new features included in Android 4.2 is the addition of widgets to the lock screen. These widgets (a total of five currently available) provide a preview of your inbox, the clock, messages, calendar, or a shortcut to your camera and a widget to quickly identify a song.

You'll, of course, need to be running Android … Read more

Restore the Developer Options menu in Android 4.2

Perhaps you've just ordered a Nexus 4 or a Nexus 10, or maybe you just updated your Nexus device (among other rooted Android devices) to Android 4.2. Either way, you're likely to notice that Developer Options is missing from your Settings menu. For whatever reason, Google decided to hide the Developer Options item in the latest Android release. As Android Central posted a few days ago, you can easily unlock the Developer Options listing and restore it to its rightful place.

First, you'll need to open the Settings app and scroll down to the bottom. Once … Read more