❯❯
❯❯ You can purchase microSD card adapters to allow a computer to read the card’s data on a computer. The adapter allows the microSD card to insert into a standard SD memory slot or the USB port.
❯❯ Refer to Chapter 18 for more information on phone storage.
The phone’s battery may have enough oomph in it to run the setup-and-configuration process at the Phone Store. If so, count yourself lucky. Otherwise, you need to charge the phone’s battery. Don’t worry about flying a kite and waiting for a lightning storm. Instead, follow these steps:
1. If necessary, assemble the charging cord.
Connect the charger head (the plug thing) to the USB cable that comes with the phone.
2. Plug the charger head and cable into a wall socket.
3. Plug the phone into the USB cable.
The charger cord plugs into the micro-USB connector, found at the phone’s bottom.
As the phone charges, you may see a charging-battery graphic on the touchscreen, or a notification lamp on the phone’s front side may glow. Such activity is normal.
The phone may turn on when you plug it in for a charge. That’s okay, but read Chapter 2 to find out what to do the first time the phone turns on.
❯❯ I recommend fully charging the phone before you use it.
❯❯ Older USB cables use the micro-A connector, which plugs in only one way. If the cable doesn’t connect to the phone, flip over the cable and try again.
❯❯ Newer USB Type-C cables and connectors plug in any which way.
❯❯ You can use the phone while it’s charging, although the phone won't turn on when the battery charge is too low.
❯❯ The phone also charges itself whenever it’s connected to a computer’s USB port. The computer must be on for charging to work. Some phones may charge only when plugged into powered USB ports, such as those found directly on the computer console.
❯❯ Cell phones charge more quickly when plugged into the wall than into a computer’s USB port or a car adapter.
❯❯ Unlike with the old NiCad batteries, you don’t need to worry about fully discharging your phone before recharging it. If the phone needs a charge, even when the battery is just a little low on juice, feel free to do so.
❯❯ Some Android phones can be charged wirelessly. See the later section “Adding accessories.”
❯❯ Also see Chapter 23 for battery and power management information.
No one told the first person to ride a horse which way to sit. Some things just come naturally. Your Android phone most likely isn’t one of those things. It requires a special introduction and orientation.
Finding things on your phone
I think it’s cute when people refer to things that they can't name as doodads or thingamabobs. Cute, but inaccurate. Take a gander at Figure 1-2, which illustrates common items found on the front and back of a typical Android phone.
FIGURE 1-2: Your phone’s face and rump.
Not every item shown in the figure may be in the exact same spot on your phone. For example, the Power/Lock key might be found on the top of the phone, not the side.
The terms referenced in Figure 1-2 are the same as the terms used elsewhere in this book and in whatever scant Android phone documentation exists. Here are the highlights:
Power/Lock key: The Power/Lock key does more than turn the phone on or off, which is why it’s the Power/Lock key and not the On/Off button.
Volume key: The phone’s volume control is two buttons in one. Press one end of the key to set the volume higher; the other end sets the volume lower. This key might also be used to control the phone’s camera, as covered in Chapter 13.
Touchscreen display: The main part of the phone is its touchscreen display. It’s a see-touch thing: You look at the display and also touch it with your fingers to control the phone. That’s where it gets the name touchscreen.
Front camera: The phone’s front-facing camera is found above the touchscreen. It’s used for taking self-portraits as well as for video chat.
Speaker(s): The primary phone speaker is located top center on the phone. One or more additional speakers might also be found on the phone’s bottom edge or backside.
Microphone: Somewhere below the touchscreen, you’ll find the microphone. It’s tiny, about the diameter of a pin. Don’t stick anything into the hole! A second, noise-canceling microphone might also be found on the back of the phone.
Headphone jack: On the phone’s top or bottom edge, you’ll find a hole where you can connect standard headphones.
Rear camera: The rear camera is found on the phone’s back. It may be accompanied by one or two LED flash gizmos.
Take a moment to locate all items mentioned in this section, as well as shown in Figure 1-2, on your own phone. It’s important that you know where they are.
❯❯ Additional items you might want to locate on your phone, items not illustrated in Figure 1-2, include the SIM card cover and microSD card slot. Use of these features is covered earlier in this chapter.
❯❯ Some phones, such as those in the Samsung Galaxy line, feature a physical button called the Home key. This key is found below the touchscreen. On some Samsung phones, the physical Home key also serves as a fingerprint reader.
❯❯ The Galaxy Note line of phones features a pointing device, in the form of a digital stylus called an S Pen. It docks at the phone’s bottom edge.
❯❯ It’s common for some LG and other phones to feature controls on the back. You may find the power button near the top center on the back of the phone, a volume key, or a fingerprint reader.
❯❯ The phone’s microphone picks up your voice, loud and clear. You don’t need to hold the phone at an angle for the microphone to work.
Using earphones
You can use your Android phone without earphones, such as the common earbuds, but they are certainly a nice thing to have. If the nice folks who sold you the phone tossed in a pair of earphones, that’s wonderful! If they didn’t, well then, they weren’t so nice, were they?
The earbud-style earphone