Android guides

One of the key things about Android is the fact that it’s based on the Linux operating system. Along with that comes many of Linux’s benefits, not the least of which is its open nature, made even more so by gaining root access or ‘rooting’ your phone. It’s when you think outside the box that you find Android capable of some wonderfully creative solutions — including turning your Android phone or tablet into a server.

In the early days, you were pretty safe taking your smartphone online; now you can’t afford to be complacent. As we’ve said before, smartphones are just tiny computers that fit in your hand. And just like any other computer, they’re susceptible to virus attacks and hackers. Here we look at three free Android security apps and other tips.

If you have an Android smartphone, you’ve no doubt already spent too much time exploring the Android Market, which now has over 200,000 apps. Android does pretty well on most counts, but I’ve found four apps that I would definitely find hard to do without now. And you don’t need to root your phone to take advantage of them. You'll find each of these tools with a quick search of the Android Market. 

Custom versions of Android can be great, but that doesn’t mean you’ll fall in love with every one of them. As much as I liked the T-Mod/LeeDrOiD 2.3d ROM, for example, I found it slow to boot, which was a problem because I like to turn my phone off if I’m not using it. So it’s worth asking: if you root your Android phone and install a custom ROM, can you take it back? While the exact solution will be different for each phone, the answer is generally yes. We’ll show you how to do it for an HTC Desire from Telstra.

Rooting your Android phone (or hacking it to give you root access) allows you to play in areas phone makers and telcos would rather you didn’t, and it allows you to take full control of your Android phone. You can perform tasks such as full backups and overclocking your phone’s CPU, which can provide added performance; for example, the 1GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 processor in the HTC Desire can be overclocked to 1.2GHz. You can also underclock your phone in order to improve battery life.