David Lim's Auckland, Aotearoa Blog, Apple iPhone iPad Repair

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Power user tips and trick: How to capture screen shot in the HTC One X

Taking screenshots of a mobile phone interface is one of the most regularly done things by the users, no matter if they are a general user or a developer. There are several reasons for taking the screenshots, especially when you are trying to capture anything in the interface or messages as a record, or are trying to share your highest score in a game to flaunt about that amongst your friends, or are sharing the screens to teach someone how things are done in the device. We won’t list out more reasons, but would actually explain how the screenshots are taken in the HTC One X without any usage of the applications.

There are two ways of taking screenshots, and these are both included in the Instructions manual too, but users usually ignore that part. The screenshot capturing can be done in either the HTC way or the Android way. And to make the confusion lesser, the screenshots are stored in different folders.

HTC One X Screenshot

Capturing screenshot in the HTC One X – HTC Method

The screenshots when taken in the HTC’s trick, would be stored in the camera folder directly, i.e. in the DCIM folder. This would be a little annoying as HTC is including these screenshots in the folder where all the captures from the camera are located. To capture a screenshot in this method, you need to press down the Power/Lock key and along with that, you need to press the Home key (the 2nd touch sensitive key in the bottom).

HTC One X Screenshot HTC One X screenshot saving

Capturing screenshot in the HTC One X – Android Method

Many might already be knowing about this one, the standard volume down along with the Power/Lock key and this would put the screenshot into a separate folder named “Screenshots” and this would appear separately in the file manager and gallery.

Quality won’t be different in both the ways and it would be the best quality, the format being the PNG one. These images are of 1280 x 720 pixels quality. It totally depends on the users and the accessibility on the way they want to get it done but we would still go for the Android 4.0 way, as it would involve the physical keys and the images are placed separately and not amongst the camera captures.

If you want to have something using the Android apps, there are several of them and most of them would work when the phones are rooted. Rooting is not usually suggested, so you would have to cash out a few dollars to get the paid apps which help in taking screenshots without rooting the device, but when we have the direct tricks of capturing the screenshots, looking for something else would be of no much use.

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How to maximize your HTC One X, 1X's battery life?

The HTC One X is a beast of a device. It is arguably the best Android smartphone around right now. But no device is perfect, and neither is this one. It seems a little issue with a large consequence slipped through HTC when making this device, and now the battery is draining faster than it should.

It seems the issue is that an app called NvCPLSvc.apk was placed in the wrong directory. It should be under the system\app directory, and it is located at system/bin, instead. The fix is relatively simple: one needs to move the file to the right place and change the file’s permissions.

This is possible via ADB, and instructions can be found at XDA Developers’ site. Users have been reporting a 10%-20% increase in battery life, so this little trick might very well be worth a shot. Extra juice is always good.

Some Hidden Features of the Galaxy S3 you might not know about....

Shed some light with a slide

We’re often adjusting the brightness of the Samsung’s huge SAMOLED plus screen, if not to read it outside, then to reduce battery wear and tear.

Now, instead of using the power management options deep inside the settings menu, there’s a clever shortcut you can get to from any app or menu on the phone; you can quickly adjust brightness by holding your finger on the status bar at the top of the screen; slide to the right to increase, to the left to decrease the screen brightness.

The Galaxy S2: The secret code

Key in *#0*#, and you’ll have access to the inner test functions of your phone. There’s actually not much to see here, but it’s worth trying if you want to check to see if all your pixels are functioning. The sensor button is pretty fascinating too, you’ll see all the data the accelerometer, magnetic and proximity sensor picks up.

Phonebook and contacts tricks

Get into the keypad on the phone app, and type in the first few numbers, and the Galaxy S2 will cross-reference your bulging contacts book, and suggest who you’re trying to ring. You can also ‘type’ the name, in 90s retro style. Tom, for example, would come out by pressing 866.

Post-call extras

Ever forgotten that vital last detail in a business call, or forgot to warn someone that you’re running low on milk when they go to the local shop?

When you finish calling someone, look back to the screen, and you’ll notice you have the option to redial, videocall (!) or send a text message to the person you were just speaking to.

Quick-calling from contacts screen

Slide your finger across to the left to immediately call a contact. You can also slide to the right to open a text message window.

Button bonuses

We’ll start with a feature that went viral; several new Android phones can now take ‘screengrabs’, snapshots of whatever is currently displayed on your phone. The Galaxy S2, naturally, has the new feature, just press the home button in the middle at the same time as the power button on the right edge. You’ll hear a shutter sound, and a picture will appear in your gallery. Presto!

Holding the button: task manager

Holding the home-button for a few seconds will push you into the task-manager, with shortcuts to the recently used apps. You’ll also find a link to the task manager, where you can kill any apps you don’t need and stretch your battery life a little longer.

Fly into flight mode

Looking to lock-down your phone’s wireless connections? Hold the power button for a moment, and alongside the option to shutdown the phone, 3G data, or silent mode you can switch immediately to airplane mode.

Two-for-three. You can still search

You may notice the Galaxy S2 only has two Android buttons alongside its home button. It’s missing the search button. Fear not; generally speaking you can get the search button functionality by holding the menu button on the left.

Screen-lock for video

Fed up of your phone shutting down during long videos? Press the power button and you can lock the screen on. Press it again, and it’ll be unlocked. We’d love to see this feature on YouTube and the BBC iPlayer.

Wider widgets

One of the best features of Android phones is ability to add larger widgets to your homescreen, displaying more information than an icon, like weather forecasts, your calendar and music playlist.

We suspect you may have gone a little widget happy, like we have, but we were relieved to find that several widgets can have their size adjusted; perfect for fitting into those important first few screens.

Hold onto the widget then release without moving it, and you should see a yellow frame work appear, and you can stretch and adjust the widget to fit.

It works on most of Samsung’s own widgets, but you may find the likes of Spotify are less willing to have their size tinkered with.

If you’re still having trouble getting between homescreens, pinch the screen to see an overall view of all your home-screen. Tap on one to be taken immediately to it.

Pinch-to-zoom will also work on your monthly calendar, drawing out into an annual view. If in doubt, give it a pinch, there’s often something hidden there.

One final way to zoom between those seven home screens; use those smalll grey dots at the bottom of the home screen. Whilst you can tap to go immediately to a specific page you can also swipe across the screens in record time.

Galaxy in motion

The Galaxy S2 has several motion settings that may have been ignored when you first got the phone. (They appear when you first open apps and features that can use motion gestures.)

Go into the settings menu to turn some of the one; several are well worth making the effort for. Our favourite is ‘turn over’ which will silence your phone mid-call. Very useful if you’re in the middle of a conversation or somewhere that appreciates silence.

‘Tilt’ works by using two fingers to hold a picture or webpage, and arching the phone towards or away, acting as a zoom function. We found it was ideal for group photos when you’re looking to spot faces.

Choose those four sticky apps

You may not be satisfied with the four app shortcuts that stay at the bottom of the phone screen, but these can be changed.

It’s slightly more complicated than adding and removing icons for your homescreen, but tap on applications in the bottom-right corner, then tap the physical menu button on the left of the phone’s main button. You can now rearrange both the four ‘main’ apps and reorganise all the apps on your phone.

Tap on the applications icon and choose list to get them organised into a very easy-to-navigate alphabetical list.

Camera cunning

The high-end camera on the Galaxy S2 also has some hidden features; you can use the volume keys to act as zoom, whilst holding the menu button down will allow you to customise all the camera options you see on-screen.

There you have it; a load of secret tips and tricks hidden inside the Galaxy S2. We haven’t seen this many secret shortcuts and hidden features since the iPhone 4. And we're exhausted.

Alright, one last easter egg; go into settings, then about phone. Tap on Android version bar, several times, very fast.

Yeah, we have no idea why either.

Some helpful Samsung Galaxy S2 Tips and Tricks (repair, unlock, drmobiles.co.nz)

Shed some light with a slide

We’re often adjusting the brightness of the Samsung’s huge SAMOLED plus screen, if not to read it outside, then to reduce battery wear and tear.

Now, instead of using the power management options deep inside the settings menu, there’s a clever shortcut you can get to from any app or menu on the phone; you can quickly adjust brightness by holding your finger on the status bar at the top of the screen; slide to the right to increase, to the left to decrease the screen brightness.

The Galaxy S2: The secret code

Key in *#0*#, and you’ll have access to the inner test functions of your phone. There’s actually not much to see here, but it’s worth trying if you want to check to see if all your pixels are functioning. The sensor button is pretty fascinating too, you’ll see all the data the accelerometer, magnetic and proximity sensor picks up.

Phonebook and contacts tricks

Get into the keypad on the phone app, and type in the first few numbers, and the Galaxy S2 will cross-reference your bulging contacts book, and suggest who you’re trying to ring. You can also ‘type’ the name, in 90s retro style. Tom, for example, would come out by pressing 866.

Post-call extras

Ever forgotten that vital last detail in a business call, or forgot to warn someone that you’re running low on milk when they go to the local shop?

When you finish calling someone, look back to the screen, and you’ll notice you have the option to redial, videocall (!) or send a text message to the person you were just speaking to.

Quick-calling from contacts screen

Slide your finger across to the left to immediately call a contact. You can also slide to the right to open a text message window.

Button bonuses

We’ll start with a feature that went viral; several new Android phones can now take ‘screengrabs’, snapshots of whatever is currently displayed on your phone. The Galaxy S2, naturally, has the new feature, just press the home button in the middle at the same time as the power button on the right edge. You’ll hear a shutter sound, and a picture will appear in your gallery. Presto!

Holding the button: task manager

Fly into flight mode

Two-for-three. You can still search

Screen-lock for video

Fed up of your phone shutting down during long videos? Press the power button and you can lock the screen on. Press it again, and it’ll be unlocked. We’d love to see this feature on YouTube and the BBC iPlayer.

Wider widgets

One of the best features of Android phones is ability to add larger widgets to your homescreen, displaying more information than an icon, like weather forecasts, your calendar and music playlist.

We suspect you may have gone a little widget happy, like we have, but we were relieved to find that several widgets can have their size adjusted; perfect for fitting into those important first few screens.

Hold onto the widget then release without moving it, and you should see a yellow frame work appear, and you can stretch and adjust the widget to fit.

It works on most of Samsung’s own widgets, but you may find the likes of Spotify are less willing to have their size tinkered with.

If you’re still having trouble getting between homescreens, pinch the screen to see an overall view of all your home-screen. Tap on one to be taken immediately to it.

Pinch-to-zoom will also work on your monthly calendar, drawing out into an annual view. If in doubt, give it a pinch, there’s often something hidden there.

Galaxy in motion

The Galaxy S2 has several motion settings that may have been ignored when you first got the phone. (They appear when you first open apps and features that can use motion gestures.)

Go into the settings menu to turn some of the one; several are well worth making the effort for. Our favourite is ‘turn over’ which will silence your phone mid-call. Very useful if you’re in the middle of a conversation or somewhere that appreciates silence.

‘Tilt’ works by using two fingers to hold a picture or webpage, and arching the phone towards or away,acting as a zoom function. We found it was ideal for group photos when you’re looking to spot faces.

Choose those four sticky apps

You may not be satisfied with the four app shortcuts that stay at the bottom of the phone screen, but these can be changed.

It’s slightly more complicated than adding and removing icons for your homescreen, but tap on applications in the bottom-right corner, then tap the physical menu button on the left of the phone’s main button. You can now rearrange both the four ‘main’ apps and reorganise all the apps on your phone.

Tap on the applications icon and choose list to get them organised into a very easy-to-navigate alphabetical list.

Camera cunning

The high-end camera on the Galaxy S2 also has some hidden features; you can use the volume keys to act as zoom, whilst holding the menu button down will allow you to customise all the camera options you see on-screen.

There you have it; a load of secret tips and tricks hidden inside the Galaxy S2. We haven’t seen this many secret shortcuts and hidden features since the iPhone 4. And we're exhausted.

Alright, one last easter egg; go into settings, then about phone. Tap on Android version bar, several times, very fast.

Yeah, we have no idea why either.