Using Airdroid

Once you are at either the IP address or web.airdroid.com on your computer, you will see two tabs, Express and Secure on the right.

If you are at home or at your office, you can use the Express tab, while the Secure tab can be for settings such as a coffee shop, the airport, etc. You can now type in the passcode that is displayed on your Android phone’s screen, though you can also make up your own passcode in the AirDroid Android app settings if you typed the IP address. Or you can tap on the camera icon in the same screen of the phone app to scan the QR code on your computer screen.

I definitely recommend the latter method as it makes the connection much faster of course. Once you scan the QR code, it will take a few seconds to show you the beautiful “desktop” where you can see your phone’s memory and free space, manage your phone’s files, share URLs and more.

Introduction

In the past, we have reviewed many apps that could make your Android phone even more spectacular – MightyText & MobiTexter to let you send text messages from your browser,Auto SMS to schedule and automate text message replies, Site To Phone to share links and text to your smartphone, FTP Droid to transfer files to your device and many more. We do, in fact, have a great list of the best 100 Android apps we have encountered up to now, if you’re interested.

Today, I will take a look at another extremely useful Android app by the name of AirDroid, which was featured in Chris’ 6 Ways To Take Screenshots On Android and can do many of the things I have previously mentioned, plus a few more. Not only is it capable of many functions that could be achieved with additional third-party apps, but it also looks extremely slick. I say this because the website and the Android app itself, the “desktop” interface with which you manage your phone, all look like they were made by an Apple web designer or something.

Basically, You Won’t Regret Downloading AirDroid One Bit

The AirDroid’s web app is fast becoming one of my most visited sites on my computer for many reasons. AirDroid allows me to take screenshots easily, transfer and organize my files, uninstall apps, use my keyboard to type SMS’s instead of having to reach my phone for every new message, and more. If you have an Android phone, you will find AirDroid indispensable.

Manage Phone Memory, Kill Tasks & More

In the Tools tab of its Android app, AirDroid has a few more utilities that you may find handy.

You can open up Tasks to view a list of currently running processes, which you can even stop or kill.

With the Device tool, you can see a detailed view of your phone’s stats, including read-only memory, SD card space, and battery temperature.

Take Screenshots Wirelessly

If your phone is rooted (it’s really not that difficult – it just takes some time to read all the guides), you can even take screenshots of your phone and potentially record screencasts as well, though these are experimental features. Back when I didn’t dare to root my phone for fear of bricking it, I had relied on the Android SDK’s Dalvik Debug Monitor tool as well asAShot to take screenshots, both of which worked well, but involved finding and plugging a USB cable between the computer and the phone.

Now that I have the AirDroid app, I can take screenshots wirelessly and effortlessly. Just click on the Screenshot widget on the AirDroid web app, accept the root permission prompt on your phone that asks you to authorize AirDroid and screencapture away.

New screens on your Android phone will update in real-time on the Screenshot widget on the website with virtually no delay, which is a delight to work with if you frequently blog about Android apps.

Text

If you are away on other web browser tabs but keep AirDroid’s web app open, the AirDroid tab will even flash notifications when you receive new text messages.

Transferring files is another feature I absolutely keep coming back to AirDroid for.

It is seamless – just open the Files icon on the desktop interface and upload files from your computer. Or better yet, drag and drop files to the Files window.

You can also explore, download (in .apk) and uninstall your phone apps from the web interface.

There is also a clipboard widget where you can see the text that you copied on your Android phone, and a URL widget where you can paste links to open up in your Android phone’s browser.

Send Text Messages, URLs & Files From Your Computer

One of the other features I definitely enjoy is AirDroid’s messaging feature. Just click theMessages icon or the New Message icon in the top Google Play search bar that has AirDroid’s logo. You can read, delete and even send text messages, all from your computer and with the comfort of a full-size keyboard.

Manage SMS, Contacts and Calling List

If you feal more comfortable typing on your laptop, especially when you have to send a number of messages, Airdroid is the way to do it. You can send SMSs, delete SMSs and even search through your SMS inbox simply by typing the keyword in the search bar.

You can also manage your contact list, create groups, add new contacts, disconnect calls and dial numbers directly from your PC. In case you have a long list of contacts to call, Plug-in you hands free and just copy paste numbers from your list in Airdroid dialer. Yes, it will accept hot keys like Ctrl + V to make your life so much eas

- See more at: http://gadgetstouse.com/app-reviews/airdroid-review-features-tips/18520#sthash.hbtuYR4j.dpuf

Security

You can also use Airdroid directly to wipe data from a remote location. Yes, the same functionality can be sourced directly from Android device manager, but to have the functionality incorporated in my frequently used app, makes it more convenient. The intruder feature will take a selfie shot if you fail to enter the correct lock code. - See more at: http://gadgetstouse.com/app-reviews/airdroid-review-features-tips/18520#sthash.hbtuYR4j.dpuf

Manage Camera Remotely

Airdroid allows you to access both front and back camera via your PC and display real time footage. The feature is executed gracefully and you won’t waste precious battery juice as your smartphone camera app and display won’t be engaged.

You can use it to monitor your kids while you are engaged in another room or even use it as a spy cam. You can also fire Flash remotely just in case you have to have a night time remote view of another location in your house.

- See more at: http://gadgetstouse.com/app-reviews/airdroid-review-features-tips/18520#sthash.hbtuYR4j.dpuf