Having a calendar at your fingertips is practically a requirement these days. We’re all so busy that it’s the best way to make sure that we know where we’re supposed to be at any given time. The calendar and event function on the Samsung Galaxy Apollo really helps with this so make sure that you learn how to use it to its full potential.

Find your Samsung Galaxy Apollo Calendar

If you haven’t already located the calendar function in this phone, it’s simple. In the idle mode on the phone simply go into the applications and you’ll see the calendar right there for you to select.

Add Events to your Calendar

To get started with learning how to make the most out of this calendar, you’ll need to enter some events. You should add a few different events to get a feel for how it works. For example, you might add an upcoming birthday, a work meeting, a date that’s already scheduled and your gym time.

To add an event into the calendar, do the following:

• Press the MENU button.
• Select the option to “create”.
• Fill out the details of the event. The screen is self-explanatory, allowing you to enter information such as the date and time of the event.
• Select if you wish to add an alarm to the event. This will notify you when a saved event comes around
• Press “save”.

View the Events in your Calendar

After you have added several events to your calendar, you can go into the calendar and view them. This will give you a great idea of how you’ll be using the calendar in the future to keep track of everything you’re supposed to be doing.

There are several different ways to view the events in the calendar. When you enter the calendar (from the application list) you’ll see the different viewing mode options listed at the top of the calendar. Select the one that you want in order to sort the information in the way that makes it most clear for you.

One common option that people want to enjoy is the ability to see the events scheduled for a specific day. For example, you may want to know everything that you have going on tomorrow. To do this, go into the calendar and press the date on the calendar that you want to look at. Two alternative options are:

• Press MENU and select “go to” then use the +/- buttons to set the date manually that you want to see. Choose “set” when you are ready.
• Press MENU and select “today” to see the events scheduled for the current day.

Share Events with Others

Sometimes you will want to remind others about the date of an event that is on your calendar. That’s an easy thing to do on this phone. Simply go into the event, press MENU, select “send via” and then select how you want to send the information (such as via email). Enter the contact information and send.

Another Samsung Galaxy Apollo Tip: Autoreject Calls

The Samsung Galaxy Apollo comes with a 3.15 megapixel camera and although it has advanced features like face detection, geotagging and autofocus, that’s not a very advanced camera for today’s smartphones. Luckily, getting to know the features of this camera will allow you to take better pictures using the device.

Taking a photo

To take  a basic photo on this camera, open your application list and select “camera”. Turn to landscape orientation to show the camera screen. Use the volume keys to zoom in and out. Press the camera on the right side of the screen to take the photo.

Basic camera information

Before you take a photo, you can change some of the basic camera settings on the phone. Look at the horizontal bar that runs across the top of the camera screen and you’ll see the following information about your settings (in order from left to right):

• Resolution. You can take photos up to 2048 x 1536 pixels resolution. A higher resolution gives you better photos but takes up more memory on the phone. If you want to get a good photo, make room in your memory and keep the resolution on high.
• Exposure Metre Type. This setting relates to the amount of light that is being let into the photo. Changing it depending on your light situation can improve your photos.
• Number of Photos Remaining. This lets you know how many pictures you have left before you run out of room on the camera. Lowering your resolution will increase this number.
• Storage Location. Check here to see where the photos are stored so that you can access them in the future.

On screen camera settings

In addition to the bar running across the top of the screen, there are other settings that you can access from the screen to improve your photos. They are as follows:

• On the top left side of the screen you can change the shooting mode. For example, you may choose to do a “smile shot” or to do a series of continuous photos by selecting that option here.
• Beneath that you can change the scene mode. For example, you may choose to shoot photos and night and can select the night scene from this part of the camera.
• Beneath that is the exposure value. Increase or decrease it to change the exposure settings.

Advanced camera settings

As you get more and more familiar with your Samsung Galaxy Apollo camera you’ll be ready to change more advanced settings to get better pictures. Select the settings option from the bottom left corner of the camera screen. From there, you can alter the following settings:

• Set macro mode for close-ups.
• Set a timer.
• Change the resolution.
• Change the white balance.
• Apply a special effect like a sepia tone.
• Adjust the ISO.
• Change the type of exposure metre.
• Set the quality level for the photo.
• Change the contrast of the photo.
• Change the saturation of the photo.
• Change the photo’s sharpness level.

Despite the small size of this camera, it packs a powerful punch!

You are in the middle of a phone call on your Sony Ericsson Elm handset. How can you make this call more interesting than usual? Here are five different options:

1. Add background music to the call. Did you know that you can play music on your phone during the call and you and the other person can hear it? During the call, press “music” and select the song or playlist you want to listen to. Press the volume keys up and down to increase or decrease the volume of the music. Note that the volume of voices won’t be changed if music is playing during the call. Press the centre selection button to end the music.
2. Add another caller to the call. Multi-party calling changes the dynamics of a phone conversation and makes it more fun. For example, add your siblings to the call when talking to one of your parents. To do this on the Sony Ericsson Elm, place the first call as normal. Press the phone icon to put that person on hold. Select “options” then “add call” then enter the second number and press the phone icon again to make the call. When that person answers, press “options” and “join calls”. You can add up to five callers to a single conversation on this phone using the same procedure.
3. Make a video call and share additional videos. You can use this handset to make a video call to another person. Do that by entering the person’s phone number, pressing “options” and selecting “make video call”. Once the call is connected, you can share the additional videos on your phone with the other person. Do that by pressing the navigation key left to switch to the video share mode tab and then choosing the footage you want to share by pressing “share”. How fun!
4. Record the call. Save the conversation that you’re having and listen to it later. During the call, press “options” and then “record”. When you’re ready to save the recording, simply press “save”. To listen to the recorded conversation, go to MENU, select “organiser” and choose “file manager” then go into “music”, press “play” and select the call that you recorded.
5. Mute the microphone. You can put your call on mute so that you can do something more interesting while the other person is talking at you. Simply hold down the “c” button during a conversation and you’ll see the muted call icon appear to show you that the microphone has successfully been muted. Hold down the key again to un-mute the call on this handset.

Sony Ericsson’s X10 Mini range combines all the best smartphone features into a pint-sized handset. But if you and your X10 Mini or Mini Pro aren’t seeing eye to eye then we might be able to help. We’ve compiled a list of apps available on the Android Market and included some useful tips to solve the most common problems, as well as information about improving your X10 Mini experience.

My phone doesn’t run as fast as I thought it would do/the battery runs out quickly.

While smartphones can be very handy for things like multitasking and supporting a huge range of different features, this can affect the battery life and the speed of your X10 Mini. However, you will be pleased to hear that there are some great apps out there that can help everything run smoothly.

If you want your X10 Mini to work at top speed, make sure you only keep the apps that you actually use. Saving them onto your phones internal memory will slow things down, so if you can’t bear to part with all your novelty applications, download App Saver to back them up on your memory card. This will relieve some of the pressure from your poor phones brain. Apps are also a key culprit for draining battery life, so make sure that you close them when you’re finished. If this sounds like something you might forget to do then Task Panel might be right up your street. It automatically “kills” any apps that you choose, as soon as it goes into sleep mode. Problem solved!

If applications aren’t the reason behind your battery life woes then don’t worry there are a few other things you can do to help. The screen brightness on the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini comes set at 100%. Simply turn it down and you’ll notice your battery lasting longer. Data connections can swallow up your power too, so switch off 3G and Bluetooth when you’re not using it. Try saving free app, Quick Settings to one of your homescreen corners for a shortcut to all of your X10 Mini’s settings including these connectivity options. Alternatively, you can download the Toggle Data Widget which turns all your connections on and off with a simple tap.

Pictures, videos and music can also take up a lot of storage on your X10 Mini and really slow things down. The easiest way to free up internal memory on your phone is to put any media files onto an external microSD card, but the AstroFile Manager app can also show you where you might be going wrong. This free application allows you to view all your photos and videos as well as see what files are saved where. If you find your memory card filling up quickly, transfer any pictures and videos onto your computer from your X10 Mini for safe keeping and delete them off your phone to keep everything freed up.

Improving your home screen features

Even though your X10 Mini comes with a tiny display, this doesn’t have to limit the amount of widgets and features that you can add onto your home screens. Try the Open Home application for starters as this can extend your desktop to accommodate up to 7 home screens to create any extra space that you might need.

Understandably, different people like different things and if you were left disappointed by the cornered layout of your X10 Mini then you can get the original Android look with the ADW Launcher. This rids your handset of the home screen corners and replaces them with desktop widgets instead, creating a more generic phone navigation system.

If you want to take your home screen experience one step further, you can decorate it with animated weather wallpaper thanks to the Beautiful Widgets app which also delivers the latest forecast direct to your phone.

Is there any way I can improve my Sony Ericsson X10 Mini’s web browsing?

Though your X10 Mini’s Android operating system can be updated with the latest version Froyo, you don’t have to wait for it to be released to improve your web browsing features. If you’re not so keen on the default browser installed on your phone, you can download some alternative ones to enhance your user experience.

If you fancy having a desktop like browser on the move, then you can now get the full version of Opera Mini which has features including a virtual keyboard for easier typing and visual tabs so you can quickly switch between sites. Skyfire is another browser available for download onto your X10 Mini which already comes with built in Flash support.

The Android Market also has some apps available that can enhance your browsing experience beyond your X10 Mini. Take Bookmarks to SD for example, which can save all the bookmarks on your Dolphin Browser to your phone’s memory card. This can come in useful if you find yourself switching between devices. While we’re on the subject, you can also make your X10 Mini a Wi-Fi hotspot using the Easy Tether application. It’s $9.95 on the Market (that’s around £6) but provides a great alternative connection to the Internet on devices other than your phone. You can download the Lite version of this app for a free trial.

Messaging shortcuts and solutions

If you find getting around on your X10 Mini a bit a fiddly at times, then there are plenty of free app solutions. The best way to access these essential functions fuss free is by installing shortcut apps such as Superdial. Simply spell the name of the contact you want to call on your screen and this app will bring up all the matches. Handcent SMS provides a similar solution for texts. It has an easy to view layout and enables on screen pop ups for whenever you receive a new message. You can extend your searches to your media files too by downloading the Google created GestureSearch app. Just write a letter on the blank screen to find the matches for your picture, video and music files, as well as people in your contacts list.

Voice messages are another great way to get in contact with someone quickly, TiLK is a walkie-talkie style app that can do just that. Though the other person needs to have it installed on their phone too, this application uses your X10 Mini’s data connections to allow you to talk to each other without having to mess around with any buttons.

If you often find yourself missing important calls or messages on your X10 Mini, the Missed Calls app may be exactly what you’re looking for! It changes your phone’s service light depending on what’s new, for example a missed call, new text or email.

I’m bi-lingual, but my X10 Mini doesn’t have all my languages I speak on it. Can you help?

Yes we can! Just download MoreLocale2 off the Android Market to add extra languages to your X10 Mini that aren’t already pre-installed. Regular travellers may also find the Talk to Me app useful. Just type in a word and this will translate it into 40 different languages and even speak the correct pronunciation back to you too.

How can I get the most out of my phone’s GPS feature?

Your Sony Ericsson X10 Mini comes with all the trimmings when it comes to connectivity including GPS tracking. This feature can prove to be a lot more useful on your phone than you may have initially thought. Take Places Directory for example, which finds all the businesses and attractions that are close to your location. Your X10 Mini can also become your very own sat nav with the Google Navigation app. This application is available as a free trail on the Android Market and does just about everything from voice navigation, to street and satellite view and live traffic info en route.

While we’re on the subject of travel, Traffic4England provides live motorway updates. You won’t need a GPS signal for it to work, but can prove to be a real treat for those who find themselves hitting the road often.

Are there any other applications out there worth knowing about?

The missing piece to your Sony Ericsson X10 Mini problem may just be that need for a little extra special something on your handset to make the most out of the features on your phone. If you consider yourself to be a bit of a gamer, try Labyrinth Lite which is a pinball style game which uses your X10 Mini’s built in motion sensors. You can even watch TV on the go with the Yamgo.mobi application, which streams live UK television programmes directly to your phone and you don’t even need an Internet connection to use it.

Smartphones are all about packing in as many great features as possible, so why not treat your X10 Mini’s music player to your favourite tracks by streaming them onto your phone using Spotify. You will need a premium subscription to use it on your handset but if this sounds like your cup of tea, it will be money well spent! Applications can also be mighty useful, as well as being plenty of fun. Key Ring scans all your reward cards onto your X10 Mini to save you having to carry them all around and Xperia Flash turns your phone’s light into an easy to access torch.

We hope that this guide has solved any problems that you may have encountered with your Sony Ericsson X10 Mini or Mini Pro handset. If you are still having trouble, let us know below and we’ll get our experts on it.

The Vodafone 360 Samsung M1 has a lot of cool advanced features. It also has some neat retro features like the option to listen to the radio on the phone. Since many people no longer listen to the radio, you may not quite know how to take advantage of this option. The following tips will help guide you through the process so that you can enjoy this quirky little feature of the phone.

• Always use a headset when listening to the radio on this device. It serves as the antenna to help the radio come in more clearly. Note that if the headset comes unplugged while you’re listening to the radio, the radio will automatically turn off.
• Access the radio by going to “apps” and choosing “radio”. Yes, it’s that easy!
• Scan through the radio stations by using the < and > buttons. However, you probably don’t want to have to scan through the stations every single time that you want to use this feature so make sure to note the following tip.
• Set saved stations. In the radio feature, select the option to “open the station list”. (Its icon looks like a little memo pad). Select the radio icon and “continue”. The phone will scan through all available stations and save them so that you can access them without using the < and > buttons in the future.
• Set favourite stations. Maybe you really only have a few radio stations that you want to listen to. That’s fine. Set them as your favourites. Simply go to the station in the radio feature and then select the plus sign icon from the bottom of the phone. It’s automatically marked as a favourite.
• Bonus tip: record your favourite songs! You can actually record radio songs on your Vodafone 360 Samsung M1 phone. Just press the record button (a grey dot inside of a black square) and record.