Let’s get this out of the way right now – this subject is a bit geekier than much of what we discuss here at 40Tech. It involves serious hacking to your Android phone. Specifically, we’re going to discuss the pros and cons of flashing to a custom ROM on Android. Think of a ROM as a customized version of your phone’s operating system, including the kernel, apps, and just about everything else. Should you take the plunge?
You can never have too many backups. That is true with your smartphone, as well. If you want an easy way to backup some of the contents of your Android phone’s SD card, check out DropSpace for Android. Read more
Microsoft’s Windows Live SkyDrive may come with caveats relating to filesize and the like — it’s certainly no Dropbox — but any way you slice it, it is still hard to argue with 25 GB of free cloud storage. Now all of that space is accessible on your Android device with a simple app called Sorami.
Sorami allows you to use your Android device to dip into your SkyDrive and view, download, or share files, and even whole folders. You can also send files to SkyDrive from your phone’s SD card. The interface is pretty straightforward, even a bit Spartan, but it does the trick — but it should be mentioned and remembered that the app is still in beta. There are a few things to watch out for:
If you have an Android device and need 25 GB of storage space for files that are no larger than 50 MB, give Sorami a try. Let us know in the comments how it works out for you.
Sorami Opens Up SkyDrive’s 25 GB Cloud Storage to Your Android [Lifehacker via @edbott]
Today, 40Tech is pleased to present a guest post by Tim Graves .
With all the various productivity apps floating around on the internet, it can become hard to filter through them all and pick one which suits your needs. In addition, with the rise of numerous paid apps, it can be difficult to determine whether one is right for your uses. Astrid, however, has made a name for itself among the prominent Android blogs. It is well-respected as one of the best task list apps available for Android users, and to boot, it’s free! So what makes Astrid so popular? Aside from the price point, the simple answer is: it works, and works well. Read more
We’ve previously written about how to root your Android phone. One of the reasons that some people root their phones is so that they can install a custom ROM. Put in overly simple terms, your smartphone’s ROM consists of the core data of your phone, and can include such data as boot data and the phone’s operating system. A custom ROM is a customized image that alters the function of your device. You can find custom ROMs online – or you can cook up your own ROM with an online tool if you have a Samsung Captivate or Galaxy S.
