How to use your Android – for beginners

So you’ve received your brand new Android smart phone and are ready to start playing with it aren’t sure where to start.

If you’re reading this, then congratulations because you are about to discover all sorts of technologies, wonderful apps and amazing features on your Android smart phone. It’s easy once you get started, you just have to know how.

One of the most important things when it comes to navigating your Android smart phone is taking it slowly and following the instructions. Your Android will certainly try to make the process as simple as possible for you. One of the greatest features of the Android is all of the amazing apps that you’ll download and use, but first you have to set the phone up. A guide for beginners explaining how to navigate apps on your Android is available for you once you have your Android smart phone customized and ready for use.

The first thing you’ll find when you turn your phone on is the customary Android robot who will show you how to use the keyboard. If you are not used to a touch screen, spend some time playing around with this as it takes a little while to get used to.

The next thing your Android will do is prompt you to enter in your Gmail account details or set up an email account. If you do not have a Gmail account, create a new one immediately. Google along with Gmail is your key to the Android market on Google Play, giving you apps and features to completely pimp your phone. Gmail will also ensure that your contacts are always backed up and allow you to sync calendar events, reminding you of important dates. It is thus very important that you set up your Gmail account or create a new one on your Android smart phone.

This is a simple process. If you’re already a Gmail account holder, you just sign in using your username and password. If you’re not a member, you simply sign up by creating a username and password as well as filling in your details. You’ll also have to choose a security question so that if you forget your password, you can easily gain access to your account again. My favourite security question is what my first pet’s name was, but choose anything that is not common knowledge and you’ll always remember.

Once the important part of setting up your Gmail is done, you can sort out the minor settings like choosing if you want to turn the Wi-Fi on. If you say ‘yes’, you’ll have the benefit of a quicker internet function on your phone but you’ll also find that your battery doesn’t last as long as when your phone is just running off or your 3G. I only turn my Wi-Fi on if I need to and I know that I’m in an area that has wireless internet available.

The rest of the setting up process is quite simply, like backing up your data and choosing if you want location settings turned on. The Android will prompt you through all of these.

Once your Android smart phone is hooked to your Gmail account and you have gone through the set-up, you’ll be ready to start using your phone and downloading apps.