cool things you can do on Android

Last week we wrote a piece on some cool things you could do with the Android operating systemfrom Google. This week we take a look at some more things you can do on Android that you can't traditionally do on other competing operating systems like iOS and Windows.

Connect to a USB Flash Drive

Every Android phone has a Micro USB port that is used for charging and for transferring files to and from your PC. Most people do not know however, that by simply connecting a USB On The Go (OTG) adapter cable to your Android phone, you can actually access a USB flash drive on your phone and transfer files to and from the USB device on to your phone. This feature will even work with an SD card reader that connects to a USB dongle. This means you can transfer files to and from a digital camera without ever having to use a PC, and then upload them to the cloud right after.

Connect and use a wireless mouse

By using the same On The Go USB adapter that was mentioned in the tip above, you can also connect a mouse to your Android phone and use it to navigate through the phone. The phone will provide enough power for a 2.4GHz wired or wireless mouse. You can also connect a keyboard to the actual phone too, but in that case, you would have to route your connection through a powered USB hub. Still, it's a pretty cool feature if you want to use a keyboard on your phone.

Undervolting your phone for longer battery life

While one of the top Android handsets, namely the Samsung Galaxy S4, allows you to replace the battery and even purchase a new higher capacity one, some Android phones like Nexus devices and the HTC One have sealed backs which means that you can’t replace the battery. You can however, enhance the battery life of the phone by simply adjusting its CPU frequency and voltage. This process is known as undervolting and can add an extra hour to an hour and a half to your battery life. This will only work if you have rooted your phone though.