International Travel

Hello again. This week's post will be short, and not about an app! I know hard to believe isn't it?
  I am leaving for an international business trip and i am thankful for my Motorola Electrify, which is a world phone from US Cellular. What this means is I can take my smart phone with me and when I get to my destination I will purchase a sim card for a local carrier and it will be just like I had bought the phone there! Isn't that cool?
  So if you are planning a trip abroad or are a frequent international traveler, it would be a good idea for you to check out US Cellular's international phones.
  More to come when I return!

As always if you have questions about US Cellular, Android phones in general or if I can help you with an app feel free to message me through Google+ or in the comments.

John USCC Customer Crew Member

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Dragon Go

  Hello again. Have you gotten your Android powered phone from US Cellular yet?
If so this weeks post is a must read!
  This is a voice search engine powered by Nuance, the makers of Dragon Naturally Speaking for your computers.
  Dragon Go! Just Say it, Get it and Go! Say goodbye to endless blue search links!

Wouldn’t life be simpler if there were one app that you could simply tell it what you want – and it delivered it within seconds? Say ‘hello’ to Dragon Go!

With Dragon Go! you can do more in less time like book your next trip while riding the bus, buy movie tickets as you walk into the theater, go shopping at local boutiques while you wait for your nails to dry, settle a bet at the breakfast table on the square root of Pi, or plan and invite guests to that night’s happy hour – all with just one ask of Dragon Go!

Dragon Go! is finally the friend that truly ‘gets’ you – after all you know what you want, so why not spend more time enjoying the experience and less time searching for it? And only with Dragon Go! do you get direct access to 200+ of the most recognized destinations on the Mobile Web today spanning mobile entertainment and streaming media, social networking, shopping, and every other online content need imaginable simply by using your voice – such as Ask.com, YouTube, ESPN, LiveNation, OpenTable, Pandora ® internet radio and hundreds of others!

What’s more, Dragon Go’s dynamic Dragon CarouselTM not only delivers you to the best site featuring what you want, it also delivers complementary results that enable you to slide the carousel from side-to-side to compare information across the most relevant sites for your Dragon Go! ask.

Say, ‘What are the planes flying overhead?’ and get up-to-the-minute information from Wolfram|Alpha on all the flights currently crossing over your location.

You can also easily share your find with whoever you want via Skype, Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, and many more! And that’s not all! In a place where it’s not convenient to speak? You can also type your Dragon Go! request for the same fast, accurate results! 

If you would like to see a short video of Dragon go check here http://goo.gl/7nh6d.

As always if your have questions about switching to US Cellular, general Android questions, or questions about this app, feel free to message me through Google Plus or in the comments section of this blog. 

John USCC Customer Crew Member

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Quora

  Good morning! It is time for another installment of "My Android life". This week I am going to write about a new app I found called Quora. I recently installed this so I haven't played with it much, but it seems to be an interesting little app.
  Quora connects you to everything you want to know about.

Quora for Android makes it easy to get the information you need, wherever you are. With your Quora account, you can ask and answer questions, connect with friends, and follow topics to get updates in your feed.

FEATURES:
• Find an answer right away with fast, voice-enabled search
• Add Quora to your phone search for integrated results
• Stay up-to-date with rich push notifications
• Install the widget to see a feed of the best answers on Quora right now
• Share interesting Quora content with friends on any social service you use

NOTES:
Quora is only for English-language content at this time. In order to promote transparency and authenticity, we require that everyone have a Quora account using their real, full name.

  Just ask a question and someone will hopefully answer it. Follow subjects, places or people and see the questions already asked or ask your own!

Watch this review below.

  To get started with this app, go to your nearest US Cellular Store, and pick out your favorite Android powered smartphone, then pick the Belief Plan that best suits your needs, then download the app and have fun!

  As always if you have questions about switching to US Cellular, Android in general or apps, feel free to contact me through Google Talk, Google+, or the comments of this blog post. 

John USCC Customer Crew Member

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My Wireless carrier

  Good morning! (At least it is here). I hope everyone had a great and safe Labor Day holiday. Most of you know that I normally write about Android powered phones or the latest "must have" app from the Google Play Store, but in this weeks blog I would just like to take a few minutes to tell you about my wireless provider, US Cellular.
  I have heard several people complaining about this phone or that service being down lately, but all carriers have their problems, but in my opinion US Cellular has no more than any other provider.
  With USCC you get free incoming voice calls, SMS (text messages), and MMS (Multi-media messages), from any carrier any time! You also get free nights and weekends starting at 7:00 PM (not 9:00 like the other providers). You get reward points just for paying your bill on time, who else does that? You can use these points to cover an overage of voice or data, early phone upgrades, and in certain cases for a free phone! They also offer up to 4  free  battery swaps per year, for the times you are out and your battery dies!
  One more neat thing I have found from US Cellular is the ability to send Text messages from your computer, which will appear to be from your wireless phone number.

  So in closing if you need a new wireless provider consider switching to US Cellular, and if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me through the comments section or message me through Google+.

John USCC Customer Crew Member

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Phone Security

Hello! Another week has passed and as always there is a lot of Android news this week, but I am going to talk about something that hasn't been in the news lately, unless you are an Androidaholic!

  I am talking about mobile security for your Android powered US Cellular phone. Now there are differing schools of thought on this subject but I personally see no harm in having a security app on your mobile device just as you do on your home computer. 

  Here again there are several different types and levels of security, so I will list some from basic anti-virus to full blown security suites.

  First is AVG Mobilation, it is a fairly well rounded anti virus app for Android. 

 AVG Antivirus for Smartphones & Tablets detects harmful apps & text messages

AVG Mobilation™ AntiVirus Free for Android™ is a mobile security solution that helps protect your mobile device from viruses, malware, spyware & online exploitation in real-time.

Download AVG Mobilation™ today for free and:
√ Scan apps, settings, files, and media in real time
√ Find/locate your lost or stolen phone via Google Maps™
√ Lock and wipe your device to protect your privacy
√ Kill tasks that slow your mobile device
√ Browse the Web safely and securely
√ Monitor battery, storage and mobile data package usage on your device

AVG Mobilation Antivirus Free – mobile security software for Android. Keep your device safe with just one click!

With the AVG Mobilation security product for Android you’ll receive effective, easy-to-use virus and malware protection, as well as a real-time app scanner, phone locator, task killer, app locker, and local device wipe to help shield you from threats to your privacy and online identity.
Real-time security scanner protection keeps you protected no matter how or from where you download your apps or games.

Another is avast! Mobile Security, which is a little more of a full blown security app.

The MAIN FEATURES

• NEW Network Meter: Measures incoming/outgoing data transfers.

• NEW Widget: Let’s you control the app from your Android desktop.

• NEW Web Interface: Control remotely with anti-theft features (phone lock, GPS tracking, memory wipe, etc.).

• NEW SiteCorrect: Automatically fixes mistyped URLs.

• NEW Shield Control: Advanced settings of the app, web, and messages scanning.

• IMPROVED UI Design: Better readability on tablets.

• Antivirus: Scans installed apps and memory card content on-demand and each new app upon first use.

• Privacy Report: Scans and displays access rights and intents of installed apps.

• SMS/Call Filtering: Filters out particular contacts that you select.

• Anti-Theft: Hidden component that gives you remote control via SMS or Web (lock, locate, siren, memory wipe, etc.).

• App Manager: Lists apps and their sizes (MB), CPU load, memory used, etc.

• Web Shield: Scans each URL that loads and warns you if it’s malware-infected.

• Battery Save: Runs only when performing tasks.

• Firewall (works on rooted phones only): Serves as gatekeeper for network traffic.

And then there is the security app I use, Webroot, which in addition to protecting you smartphone, it also allows you to block phone numbers and text messages.

  Key Features & Benefits:

THE BEST ANTIVIRUS FOR ANDROID:
• Automatically scans your apps and files for viruses, spyware, Trojans
• Antivirus security shields block malware before it has a chance to install
• Alerts you when your device and settings are vulnerable to attack
SECURE WEB BROWSING:
• Automatically scans web links and URLs to block phishing and other harmful content
LOST DEVICE PROTECTION:
• Remote Access – Use your Mobile Security Website (https://mobile.webroot.com/auth/login) or another mobile device to remotely lock, wipe, or locate your device
• Device Lock – Remotely locks your device if it’s lost or stolen*
• Device Wipe – Remotely wipes your contacts, text messages, other personal information* (Premier Feature)
• Device Scream – Sounds an alert to help you locate your device nearby
• Device Locate – See your device’s location on a map*
• SIM Card Lock – Automatically locks device when your SIM card is removed* (Premier Feature)
CALL/SMS BLOCKING:
• Spam blocking – Blocks text spam and unwanted calls
• Virus blocking – Automatically blocks messages containing malicious URLs (Premier Feature)
APP INSPECTOR (Premier Feature):
• Scans all apps and identifies those that can:
o Access to your Email/SMS messages
o Cost you money
o Access sensitive information
o Track your location
o Drain your battery
• Battery Monitor provides battery status and power usage by apps (Premier Feature):
• Network Monitor provides details of apps that are accessing the network (Premier Feature):
SUPPORT:
• Please join us on the Webroot Mobile forum, submit any questions and product feedbackhttp://forums.webroot.com
FOOTPRINT:
• Runs quietly in the background
• Light on device memory and battery utilization
• Checks for security updates automatically to ensure latest antivirus and security protection

Best in Mobile Security, Android Security, app security

As always if you are interested in switching to US Cellular or have questions regarding Android or any of the apps mentioned in this blog, feel free to message me through Google+ or in the comments sections. 

John USCC Customer Crew Member 

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Caller ID

  Hello again. Are you looking for a new caller ID app for your US Cellular Android powered phone? Let me suggest "Current Caller ID". I just recently found this app so this will not be much of a review, but more of a overview of the app.
  ID unknown calls & texts, enhance Caller ID with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Get Call, Text and Social ID all in one app with Current Caller ID by WhitePages! 
  Over 300 million home, business and mobile phone numbers identified free, from the #1 and most trusted people directory.

Stay in the know with those you are closest to - Current Caller ID brings in the latest social updates from your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn friends. Don’t miss an update from your mom because that guy you went to high school with keeps posting about his breakfast on Facebook.

Being up to date makes conversations easier and more fun, so we’ve also included local news and weather for your top contacts, even if they’re not keen on the social networks.

Caller ID is no longer just about a name.

- Stay up-to-date effortlessly with social and local information for each caller and texter
- One app manages all your calls and texts and contacts with Frequent and Recent lists.
- ID incoming and outgoing numbers, including Businesses and Cell Phones*
- Fun infographics about your calling and texting habits with friends and family
- Frequent Caller Widget puts your favorite people a tap away

The neat thing about this app is that you not only get the caller, texter's ID, but you also get the contacts Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter status.

If you have any questions about Android or need help switching to US Cellular message me through Google+ or leave a comment below. 

John USCC Customer Crew Member.

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Twitter

  Well another week has passed, and the heatwave here in the Midwest seems to have broken!
  But back to the Androids!! First go to your local US Cellular store and pick up a new Android phone!
 This week I am going to spend just a little time on some of the top Twitter clients out there. For those of you who don't know what Twitter is it is a micro-blogging, social network client which limits your post to 140 characters or less.
  Now there are several Twitter apps for Android, so I am just going to speak to a few of my favorites and a couple you may not have heard of.
  The first one is a new app I just discovered called "Tweedle". Having just found this one I have just started using it but it seems to be very simple, clean and super easy to use. Great for beginners or those of us who don't like or need all of the gadgets and glitter of the super powerful twitter apps.
  Twitter client for Android. Free, ad-less, and simple.

  Tweedle was built out of the need for a better, cleaner, and faster Twitter client for Android. It allows the user to select whatever color scheme they can imagine, why should we be the ones to choose? Tweedle is young, it is still growing. Although we may not have all of the features the other clients have, we are doing our best to make that possible. We take all feature requests and feedback seriously and we strive to provide the best customer service possible.

Next is another fairly new app called "Boid for Twitter", this one has been my daily driver for Twitter for a couple of months. But it only works on Android 4.0 or higher. It is very light and customizable, and is easy to use.

Another new fairly new Twitter client is "Slices for Twitter". I have been using this app for the last couple of weeks. Slices is a gorgeous new Twitter app with a cutting-edge design, loads of features, and remarkable speed and responsiveness. But Slices is more than just a Twitter app.

Slices is the world’s first Twitter experience that lets you browse a Twitter directory by category, easily follow live events, slice your timeline into manageable streams, bookmark favorite accounts, and synchronize with a web experience.

In short, Slices is a completely new way to experience Twitter. It brings content discovery to the forefront and solves some of the biggest frustrations users have with the Twitter experience.

And there are still the standby and arguably more powerful  official Twitter client, Ubersocial for Twitter, TweetDeck, TweetCaster apps. So in short go find the twitter client you like and tweet away!!!

If you have any questions about switching to US Cellular, or Android in general feel free to message me through Google Plus or post a comment. 

John USCC Customer Crew Member

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