I never take the time to go through the owner’s manual of any device I purchase before I start pushing buttons and learning through what is often a painful trial-and-error process. I just do not have that kind of patience. But then I am often intrigued later by user-manuals written by third-parties who have explored the device via a much more thorough trial-and-error process than my own. Android: Fully Loaded is one such manual that caught my eye. Even though I have been using my Android-based cell phone for about nine months (after switching from one of the now failed Palm phones), I learned things from Rob Huddleston about my phone and its capabilities that I probably never would have discovered alone.

Huddleston begins with several chapters on the general layout and screens of Android smart phones. These chapters cover subjects that all but the newest users of smart phones will already be familiar with: various screen displays, using the phone to actually call someone, where to find new applications (both free and sold), the Google calendar, and the set-up and use of Gmail and Email (which should be set-up for the owner by the sales staff).

Part II of Android deals in more detail within the specific areas of maps, music, taking pictures and video, and using the web from an Android smart phone. It was in the music chapter of the book that I had my first revelation, in fact. Listening to music via my phone is not something that I do a lot of mainly because this is a real battery-eater for most phones, so I was perfectly happy with what I could do with Pandora (which allows the user to create his own “radio stations”). Huddleston, though, introduced me to Google Music, a service through which I uploaded much of my song collection to a Google server (20,000 songs can be uploaded at no charge) for playback at my leisure anywhere I can connect to the web.

The book’s third section is entitled “Working and Playing” and includes chapters on documents, games, cool apps, troubleshooting, and more advanced topics. These chapters will almost certainly introduce most users to a few applications that will make them wonder how they lived without the apps for so long. In my case, it was applications like “Where” (uses the phone’s GPS system to locate businesses and the best gas prices close to me), “Walkroid” (a pedometer that works better than some I have paid as much as $40 for), and “Zedge” (which offers countless free ringtones).

Android: Fully Loaded is likely to have something helpful for all but the most sophisticated smart phone users. Newbies will appreciate the full-color illustrations (actual screenshots from the author’s on cell phone) and more intermediate users will make use of the tips, shortcuts, and new applications found in the book. Android, which also covers Android tablets, is one of the best books of its type I have seen in a while.

Rated at: 5.0 ( )