Android Powered Mall

For the month of July and August, Android fans have a great treat from Rockwell Powerplant Mall and Samsung Philippines. They set up a digital concierge at a strategic part of the mall where shoppers can have access to Samsung Galaxy Tabs. The tabs have been set up to help shoppers navigate and find their way around the mall, see shop listings, movie schedules and promos from mall tenants.

For those who are curious about the Android craze, this will be the best time for you to test drive Android's technology through the Samsung Galaxy tab. With the digital concierge at the Rockwell Powerplant Mall you can experience maximum entertainment by watching streaming videos, playing 3D games, surfing the internet and accessing your favorite social networking sites.

The lounge is also the place for those looking to upgrade to Samsung's latest 8.9 and 10.1 because it offers a preview of the said latest gizmos from Samsung which I heard is soon to take the Philippines by storm this August. Do watch out for a review of it here.

So head out to the Rockwell Powerplant Mall in Makati City and experience Android. For more info see this link.

Kindle for Android

Who says kindle ebooks are just for kindle devices? Amazon has a kindle device app specifically made for Android for you to enjoy those books in your Android Tablet or Smartphone. I have downloaded and installed the app in my Samsung Galaxy tab and it is just awesome.

I am one of those book lovers who purchases kindle ebooks even if I don't have my own Kindle device. When I was not yet aware of this Android app, I used to read my kindle ebooks in my laptop computer. Now that it is available in Android, I enjoy my kindle books reading it there.

This app works like a charm in my Samsung Galaxy Tab and it should be too in your own Android device.

You can download it from here.

How to set-up Samsung Galaxy Tab as Internet Access Point

One of the coolest feature of the Android powered Samsung Galaxy Tab which I like very much is its ability to share 3g internet connection to up to 5 devices wirelessly. This is very handy if you have no dedicated wired broadband internet connection at home or if you are frequently on the move and needs to access the internet on a laptop in a place without a Wifi access point.



To enable the Galaxy Tab to act as Wifi Access Point, tap "Settings", tap on "Wireless Network" and then tap "Mobile AP". Tap on the check mark to enable Mobile AP. You will then be prompted to disconnect from Wi-Fi and tap yes. The next ensuing page shows that the Mobile AP is already activated. Tap on "Mobile AP" to change its settings. This is the page where you will set the name of your access point. On the "Network SSID" field, you can type any name that you like or you can let the default name as is. On the "Security" field, the default is "Open" meaning that you can immediately connect to the Wifi access point of the Galaxy Tab without need to input any key. It is not advisable though because any one with a Wifi device in the vicinity of your Galaxy Tab can connect to it and use your 3G connection. So the best thing to do is tap on "Security" and choose "WPA2 PSK" and input a password. This will ensure that only you and the person you are sharing the connection will enjoy the Internet thru the Wifi Access Point of the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Zinio Reader for Android

Here's an Android App worth trying out from the Android Market. Zinio Reader, it enables you to read popular magazines, books and newspapers from your Android device. I installed it into my Samsung Galaxy Tab P-1000 and I found it cool and useful.

It came pre-installed into the Samsung Galaxy tab and upon the first opening of the application you will be given the chance to receive 12 free issues of magazines and newspapers. I downloaded the free newspapers and magazines and I was so amazed by the clarity and crisp appearance of the covers and pages.

Because I'm located in the Philippines, I downloaded the popular newspaper Philippine Daily Inquirer. For six days I was able to receive daily issues of the said newspaper and boy I was so delighted by the crispness of the pages. The newspaper was a joy to read than the printed version because the pages are truly flat, the images crystal clear and the "paper" truly white compared to the grayish newsprint, mushy images and crumpled appearance of the actual printed newspaper.

I was tempted to subscribe for the paid edition of the newspaper however, I did not pursue it because the cost of each issue is prohibitive for us here in the Phillipines being more than twice the price of the paper printed issue. If 99 cents of a dollar per issue is no problem with you, I highly recommend this for your Android device. The sample magazines are stunning also with the clarity of the images and pages.

Download it here .