A beginner’s guide to rooting on Android: What is rooting?

• March 19, 2014

We talk a lot about things you can do with a rooted device on Getting Things Tech, but we tend to assume that you know what that means and how to root an Android device. In reality, only a small subset of Android users even know what rooting means. Let’s change that!

Video: How to fake your location on Android

• March 19, 2014

Anyone interested in privacy has probably felt a little uncomfortable about carrying a GPS-enabled device in their pocket all day. You can learn how to fake your location on Android to throw the scent off your trail, be it precautionary, a way to get around blackouts and censorship, or something else entirely.

F-Droid, the free and open-source Android app market

• March 19, 2014

If you are into the open-source movement, need an alternative to the Google Play Store, or just want more app selection, F-Droid is for you. It is an app marketplace, somewhat like the Google Play Store, but with a few key differences.

Video: How to enable developer options on Android in less than 60 seconds

• March 18, 2014

The first video on our brand new YouTube channel concerns a common problem for Android users on newer versions of the operating system (4.2+): how do you enable developer options? They were there in Android 4.1 and earlier, but they were removed from sight in newer editions.

Deals: All-time low price on Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

• March 8, 2014

As part of a sale at Newegg, you can get the active digitizer tablet from Samsung for just $260, along with free shipping. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 comes highly recommended from us, as we use it daily.

Active digitizers: The feature you didn’t know you wanted in your tablet

• March 4, 2014

Affordable and lightweight touchscreens changed the consumer electronics market forever. The promise of touchscreens was full control with precision. Navigating our screens with hardware, like we did on our computers or non-touchscreen phones, was precise but didn’t give us the same sense of control that reaching out and touching our target does. Of course, things did not work out quite as smoothly as we found out that our clunky fingers were really imprecise and so were those soft-tipped styli we bought to fix that problem.

What could bring us the greater precision that we seek? Not better fingers nor bigger screens. Instead, a different touch-sensing system entirely.

9 reasons to root your Android phone or tablet

• March 2, 2014

“Rooting” is in some ways the Android equivalent to “jailbreaking” on iDevices. You get to unlock features that the phone or tablet’s developers did not intend you to have. The kinds of features you get are different, though, since many of the jailbreak-enabled features for iDevices are ones that come standard on Android. However, there are still several reasons to root your Android phone or tablet.__

What should you look for when buying a laptop? Part 1: OS, size, and types of use

• February 27, 2014

Buying a laptop can be a stressful process for even the most seasoned veteran buyer. If you aren’t an expert, things can be even more overwhelming. You might resort to paying more than you need to just to be sure you get something that works. A cheap laptop may come with an unexpected problem or shortcoming. Let’s take a step-by-step look at the many considerations that go into being happy with a laptop purchase. Some, but not all, of these suggestions apply to desktops, which we’ll look at on a later date.