Sony's latest flagship phone, the Sony Xperia Z3,
comes with a new feature -- Remote Play. While it wasn't available when
the phone was launched, Sony recently turned it on. If you own a PlayStation 4,
you'll be able to stream games to your phone and play those games with
either a PS4 DualShock controller or with onscreen controls.
If you already own the Xperia Z2 or Z2 Tablet, the good news is that Sony has enabled Remote Play for those devices as well. And while modders have managed to get Remote Play working on other devices,
that involves a bunch of work that most people won't bother with, since
it involves rooting and flashing certain files to trick the app into
thinking it's running on a Sony-certified device.
Anyhow, if you already own the official devices, here's how to get started. I used the Xperia Z3 for this.
Setting up
Setting up is really easy. First, you'll need to download the PlayStation Remote Play app from the Google Play Store.
Remember how I said it doesn't work if you don't have a compatible
device? Google Play won't let you download the app unless you do.
Once you have the app installed on your Xperia phone, you'll need to
ensure that Remote Play is turned on in your PlayStation 4 settings.
Navigate to Settings > View Controller Guide > Register and turn it on.
When you first start up the app, it will ask if you want to connect
the PS4 DualShock controller to the phone. If you only have one
controller, I suggest skipping this step for now. This is because you
may need to use the controller when setting up and if you only have one,
you won't be able to do so since it will be locked to the phone until
you pair it again to the PS4. That said, you can return to doing this
any time by clicking on the settings button in the app.
Before
you begin pairing the Xperia phone and the PS4, make sure both devices
are on the same home network, then hit the search button on the app. If
the phone doesn't detect the PS4 (like in my case) automatically, you
can still use a number code to pair up your devices.
Ideally,
you'll want the PS4 to be on an Ethernet connection, but Remote Play
will still work even if both devices are on Wi-Fi. Also, if you're away
from home, you can also connect to the PS4, though it's best not to do
this with a mobile connection as it will chomp through your data plan.
Connecting this way does take a while, so it's really not recommended.
Latency was also an issue -- it takes ages for your input instructions
to be relayed back and forth through the Internet.
If you have a fast connection, you can also make the video quality better by heading to Settings > Video Quality for Remote Play and switch it to High.
Ta-da! All set up and ready to go.
One controller to rule them all
To get the best experience from Remote Play, it's best to use the
DualShock controller with the phone. You can buy a clip-on mount, the Game Control Mount GCM10,
that lets you attach your Z3 to the controller, though this method can
be tiring after a while as the combined weight is fairly hefty.
Just simply stick the Z3 to the suction cup and you're all set to go.
I suggest putting the phone somewhere you can see, such as on the
table, and holding the controller normally. It's also best to have a
dedicated controller if you think you'll be using Remote Play a good
deal, since it's quite tedious to switch between pairing with the phone
and the PS4.
If you choose not to use the DualShock controller,
the Remote Play app does have onscreen controls, but they take up quite a
bit of screen real estate, and aren't very useful for fast action games
such as Call of Duty.
What you can expect?
While streaming quality was generally smooth, the whole process is
really dependent on your router being able to handle the load
(especially if you choose the highest quality stream). Depending on the
action on the screen, you may see artifacts and noise that aren't
apparent in the original on the TV.
Also, if you're trying to
aim on the comparatively tiny display in first-person shooters, good
luck. Unless you have exceptional eyesight, you'll be squinting most of
the time or holding the screen really close to make things out.
Of course, if you're using Remote Play on the larger Z3 Tablet,
that shouldn't be a problem. Smaller screens are less of an issue with
games such as Driveclub, in which you're just driving a car around.
Sony and Android
Sony will keep this exclusive to its own devices for now (it needs to, given the company's dismal mobile business results),
so it's unlikely you'll see this feature appearing on other Android
handsets any time soon. That includes those that have been certified PlayStation-compatible, which only means they're able to use DualShock controllers to play Android games.
If you're feeling adventurous, you can always check out our guide on how to root your phone, and then with a bit of work, you can get Remote Play working on your Android device.
If you want to install other apps and use Android as it was meant to be
used, you'll need to root your Kindle Fire HD. Here's how.
The
Kindle Fire HD
is a cracking little tablet, but it's very much Amazon's way or the highway (the highway in this case being the
Google Nexus 7
) -- you're stuck with Amazon's customised interface,
Amazon's choice of apps, and Amazon's favourite services (like Lovefilm
and the Amazon Cloud Player). If you want to install other apps and use
Android as it was meant to be used, you'll need to root your device.
After rooting, you can revamp the Kindle Fire HD interface if you wish.
If you're new to rooting, it gives you advanced control over your tablet. While your Kindle Fire HD
won't seem much different after you've completed the process, you can
then do all kinds of tweaks and customisations -- remove the adverts,
run the stock version of Android, install apps from Google Play, and so on.
It's not all sweetness and light, though. You will void your warranty,
so you need to be extra careful about what apps you install in future.
Many users happily run rooted Android devices, and I worked through the
following steps without any major issues, but as you're turning off the
official Amazon-approved main road, CNET can't take responsibility for
where you end up.
If you're ready to supercharge your Kindle Fire HD and give it the life it's always dreamed of, read on.
Before
you start: this process has been tested on a Kindle Fire HD running the
newest 7.2.3 firmware (check your version by visiting Device/ About in
Settings). For help upgrading to this version, see the official Amazon page.
You'll also need a decent level of battery left on your
tablet (at least 60-70 per cent is recommended). Finally, make sure
everything precious on your Kindle Fire HD is safely backed up, should
the worst happen.
1. Download the rooting tools
You'll need a selection of rooting tools first of all, some available
from official sources and some put together by Android enthusiasts. Make
a new folder on your desktop to hold these files, called 'rooting' or
similar.
Download the ADB Drivers (debugging tools) for the Kindle Fire HD and Bin4ry's Root Tool listed on the first post from this thread on the Phandroid forums.
Run the Kindle Fire ADB drivers.exe executable first, clicking through
any warnings or security alerts you see. If the drivers fail to install
correctly, try switching to the alternative driver download link from
the forum post I just mentioned. Once this is done, extract the contents
of Root_with_Restore_by_Bin4ry_v17.zip to the same folder.
Install the drivers necessary for your computer to recognise the Kindle.
Now a fiddly bit. Go to your Windows user account folder (eg
C:\Users\Dave) and create a new folder called '.android.' -- Windows
will remove the final dot, but you must include it to begin with. Save a
plain text file into this folder called 'adb_usb.ini' containing just
the line '0x1949'. This informs the rooting tool what device you're
working with. Once that's done, your software is ready to go.
This is what your customised .ini file should look like.
2. Prepare your Kindle Fire HD
Next, turn your attention to your Kindle Fire HD and say goodbye to it
in its unrooted state. Open the Settings screen (tap 'More' on the
notification bar) then go into Device and ensure 'Allow Installation of
Applications' is set to 'On'. In the Security section tap the 'On'
button next to 'Enable ADB' (you'll receive another security alert,
which you can dismiss). These two settings let the rooting tools do
their stuff.
'Allow Installation of Applications' needs to be switched to On.
'Enable ADB' needs to be switched On too.
3. Root your device
Now for the rooting proper. Connect the Kindle Fire HD to your computer
using a USB cable and give it a few moments to be successfully detected.
Open up a command prompt window (type: cmd in the Start screen on Windows 8, or click Start and type: cmd in Windows 7 or Vista, then press Enter).
Switch to the folder containing your root files (type: cd desktop\rooting, where 'rooting' is the name of the file you created earlier, then press Enter). Then type the following command:
stuff\adb devices
and hit Enter.
You should see that an Android device has been detected (under 'List of
devices attached'). If it isn't, there's likely to be a problem with
your drivers -- try uninstalling and reinstalling them, or visiting
Device Manager in Control Panel and updating the Kindle drivers from
there (right-click on the Kindle entry and choose 'Update Driver
Software'). Ideally you should see two entries for your Kindle in Device
Manager. With the device detected successfully, type: RunMe and press Enter.
This
batch file contains the instructions needed to root your Kindle Fire
HD. Check the device is unlocked, then press '1' (on your computer's
keyboard) and Enter. Keep an eye on the Kindle's screen and choose
'Restore' when you get the option to.
The device will reboot and
may run slowly during the rooting process, but keep your eye on the
command prompt window for further instructions. Unlock your Kindle each
time it reboots, and when you see the confirmation message on your
computer, the tablet has been successfully rooted. Your customisations
can begin!
You'll see a confirmation message once the rooting is complete.
The Kindle Fire HD is more difficult to root than many other Android
devices, and the procedure doesn't always run smoothly -- the plethora
of forum threads across the Web on the topic are testament to this.
If you're experiencing problems I'd recommend this excellent thread on Phandroid,
which I'm indebted to for helping with this guide. After the initial
post you'll find a list of issues and potential troubleshooting fixes.
In
some cases it may be necessary to download the full Android SDK from
Google; in other cases running a factory reset on your Kindle Fire HD
before attempting the above steps may resolve your problem. I wouldn't
want to put you off, however -- I managed the job in an hour with only a
couple of minor hiccups. Keep an eye on CNET UK's How To section for some ideas on how to make use of your newly unrooted Kindle.
If you run into problems check the drivers are successfully installed.
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Snapseed simplified photo editing on android with its cleverly designed
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The advent of smartphones and tablets has revolutionized the way
we keep in touch with our social circles. The days are long gone when
messaging meant web chats through specific IM applications on personal
computers or costly SMS over the cell phone network. The new generation
messaging apps use the Internet connectivity to transmit messages from
the mobile devices, which virtually makes it a free-service with the
added benefit of being accessible even on the go. Here are some of the
most popular apps on the Android platform for messaging:
a.
Whatsapp: Founded in 2009, this Android app has more than 400 million
users in the world. The premise of this application's operation is
simple: it uses the phone number associated with your Android device to
uniquely identify you on its network. Then, it scans your contact list
and provides a list of all users who are signed up with Whatsapp. Apart
from text messages, users can also send images, videos and audio
messages through the Internet. The latest statistics indicate that this
messaging service handles over ten billion messages through its system
every day. The best thing about Whatsapp is that it is still a free
service in the Android ecosystem and do not host any advertisements as
well.
b. Google Hangouts: Hangouts was first introduced as a
video-conferencing tool with a tight integration with its Google's
social network, Google+. However, over the last couple of years, Google
Talk and Voice applications have been merged with Hangouts, which now
serve as its unified messaging app. The Android app is designed to work
efficiently with both smartphones and tablets, and can seamlessly switch
between the simple text-mode to high-resolution video-chatting.
c.
WeChat: It is one of the many Asian organizations that have
revolutionized the messaging industry. Its USP lies in the fact that it
supports a wide range of languages, thereby making it popular among
several non-English speaking Android users. Apart from text-based
messaging, WeChat also supports voice messages, group conferences,
social network plugins and many more.
d. Facebook Messenger:
Facebook had a simple messaging tool for its users to send private
messages to specific people on their network. However, with the rising
popularity of the messaging tool, Facebook decided to launch it as a
separate app on Android, which laid the foundation for Facebook
Messenger. This app can be used to chat with your Facebook friends, and
integrates extremely well with the web and mobile app versions of the
original social networking site.
Messaging apps work extremely well on smartphones like GT-I9300 and GT-I9500 S4. These smartphones can be purchased online from trusted web stores.
