If you're noticing your Wi-Fi connection turning off when you put your phone on standby, your Wi-Fi is likely set to turn off with your screen. This saves your battery but costs you data use; any applications like Gmail, Facebook, news, weather and others that sync in the background will be forced on to the mobile data network. Here's how to change the setting.

As you browse the Market and install apps on your Android phone, you may find your phone running low on storage space.

Moving apps to your SD card

or USB storage frees up space. The downside is that apps might take longer to launch, especially on initial start-up, and apps on the SD card or USB storage won't be available if you have your phone mounted as a USB drive on the computer.

Aqua Pets for Android

is a free game that lets you catch fish, store them in your fish tank and even use your tank as a

live wallpaper

. There are achievements to earn and rare fish to catch, and there is even money to be made that can later be spent on upgraded equipment for catching rarer fish.

Those of you who are

Android users

looking for a way to take Wikipedia with you on the go need look no further than

Wiki Encyclopedia

. This

free application

allows you to search both

Wikipedia and Wikitravel

right from your Android smartphone.

If you're looking for a

free language translation app

for your

Android phone

, then you're in luck.

Google Translate

is a free application that allows you to instantly translate text from one language to another. It can even translate SMS messages... perfect for tricking friends and family into thinking that you've finally finished that Spanish credit.

Android apps

are great and all, but they can really start to take up a lot of space once you've downloaded a few dozen. To counteract the decrease in both speed and available memory, you'll want to uninstall apps once in a while. We'll show you

how to uninstall Android apps

in this tutorial.

With so many

free apps on the Android Market

you're bound to come across apps that are ad-supported. Though it's impossible to disable these ads completely, there is an option to

disable interest-based ads

. Interest-based ads target you based on your Android usage and many people would be happier not to see them.

While one might think that radio would have no place in today's society in the Internet age, such is not the case. That's because with

Internet radio

programs like

TuneIn Radio for Android

you can listen to more than 50,000 radio stations from all over the world. In addition, you can

browse podcasts

and listen to those whenever you want.

On this week's show,

Amazon readies two Android tablets

for an apparent October release, and they look like killers. The

Android Market

hits 250,000 and gets an update to celebrate, and adopting the adage "if you can't beat 'em, copy 'em," Scrabble becomes Words with Friends. Also, Kate Abraham feeds hypochondria with the WebMD app for Android.

WebMD for Android

is the

free Android app

for those looking to solve medical mysteries. WebMD helps you define ailments and

search for medical treatments

. Whether you're an aspiring Dr. House, Dr. Howser or just a hypochondriac, WebMD is the app for you.

There's no better way to see what stores and businesses are around you than by using AroundMe. This

free app for Android

uses your phone's

built-in GPS unit

to home in on your location and

find nearby shops

ranging from

hotels and restaurants

to

bars and theatres

.

Many people have come to rely on Groupon as a way of finding

daily deals on local products or services

. Now with the

Groupon application for Android

, users can see current Groupons,

make in-app purchases

or even

redeem coupons

by presenting their Android phone.

Another stealthy Android Market improvement rips off Amazon and offers a breakdown of app ratings. Google Sites, the replacement of the now defunct Google Pages offers a simple mobile-friendly page option and Hulu comes to Android... assuming you have a supported phone, a Hulu Plus account ($8/mo.) and are in the US. Also, Kate Abraham scores some sweet deals with the Groupon app for Android.

There are a number of

puzzle games for Android

out there where the object of the game is to create a path for a

sliding block

to escape an enclosed area.

Mouse Trap

expands on that by using a mouse rather than a sliding block and offering up

more than 1200 levels

and a variety of

unlockable features

for added replay value.

Those who have found themselves caught up in the Sudoku craze may find themselves constantly running out of puzzles. Fortunately for

Android users

, there's the

Sudoko Free app

, a

free application

that can be found on

Android Market

. This app has four levels of difficulty and countless

Sudoku puzzles

.

This week, we're closing out our list of

top ten free Android apps

that are real must-haves for Android users. Check out review the Xperia Play, AKA the PlayStation phone from Sony Ericsson

The

Alchemy app for Android

is an

interesting and addictive game

that allows you to combine elements to create entirely new elements and objects. While the premise sounds simple, this

free application

has more than 300 combinations to be found with more being added all the time for additional replay value.

Andy, once again flouting Lab Rats convention, decided to make the switch from the Apple to the Android camp. He's ditched the iPhone 4 and moved over the the reference design Google phone, the Nexus S. The Lab Rats have compiled their top-ten tips for Android switcher or really, anyone trying to come to terms with and get the most out of their shiny new Android phone.
On a related note: Anyone in the market to buy a lightly-used iPhone 4?

If you want to

sync your iTunes library

with your

Android smartphone

then you can do so by getting the

doubleTwist app

. This

free application

allows you to easily

transfer media between iTunes and your Android

. It can also be used as a media player on your computer.

In the first part of our top ten Android apps for smartphones, we run through numbers 10 through six. We've got a great social game, a better way to SMS, a way to keep your grocery list in sync and more.
We're also taking a close look at the Sonos S5 wireless music system and the Android app that controls it.

There are times where you may want to

purchase an app

and find that it's not what you're looking for. If you purchased that app from

Android Market

, then you've got a 15 minute window that you can use to get a

refund for your app purchase

. We'll show you how to do that in this tutorial.

Android users

looking to get some

games installed on their smartphone

need look no further than

Kongregate Arcade

. This app gives you access to a library of

more than 400 Flash games

ranging from role-playing games to puzzle titles and more. Create an account to

earn badges

and save high scores.

Every year, Google invites developers to attend Google I/O to learn where the big G sees things going. Android has never been better represented than it was this year. We take a look at some of the most interesting Android announcements coming out of Google I/O. We'll cover some some of these developments in-depth in coming episodes, most specifically, Ice Cream Sandwich, the tablet and smartphone Android OS, coming later this year.
We check back in on the location data debacle that has privacy pundits crying foul. Senator Al Franken stepped into the fray, holding a hearing that saw Google and Apple both testifying on location data stored in smartphones and how it's used.
We also look at the Android version of the Netflix app finally bringing streaming Netflix movies and TV shows to Android... at least, a select few Android handsets.
Finally, Kate Abraham brings us her review of the Air Control Lite game.

This week, we're switching gears a little for our Top five Android apps for tablets. We'll be taking a look at a great way to find news sites on your tablet, a way to keep your shopping lists in sync, the best means for finding an unobstructed Wi-Fi connection, a way to get the day's news and finally, a way to improve upon the stock Android media player.

Matt hits the Lab Rats set to see what scoops he can find. He learns about upcoming Lab Rats episodes on the best e-reader device as well as an upcoming episode dedicated to the BlackBerry PlayBook. Also, he previews 60-Second App on butterscotch.com, the show that brings weekly reviews of the best Android, iPhone and iPad apps going. Finally, he hints at an upcoming episode of Android Weekly looking at the top five apps for Android tablets.

In our final episode, we'll show you

how to install Android Market

and

Google apps on your NOOK Color

. Once you're done

rooting your NOOK Color to run Honeycomb

, this will allow you to

get apps from the Market

, use Maps and more.

StumbleUpon

is a

free app for Android

that will help you

find websites that match your tastes

. Much like a late evening stumble after a trip to the pub, StumbleUpon can take you to strange and unexpected places full of magic and wonder (and

random Internet humor

).

In this episode, we'll show you how to get

Android Market on your Nook Color

so you can

get Google apps

. This is a complicated process involving the

Android Software Development Kit

but we'll walk you through the whole process step-by-step.

We've been waiting for video calling to make its way to Android smartphones... though we're not sure why, given that we have no real intention of using the feature. Looks like it may be here soon. We're looking to Google I/O 2011 as the place for the official announcement.
You've likely heard about the location data debacle where Apple stands accused of tracking your every move in iOS. It's yellow journalism at its finest; check out this NBC Action News fear mongering.
Finally, what Android users already knew has been confirmed; Android offers more free apps than iOS.

We take 60 seconds to show you

8,500 Drink Recipes for Android

. That might sound like a lot, but considering that number includes

drink-making instructions

for both

alcoholic and virgin cocktails

(as well as several that contain Tabasco sauce) you're bound to find a few that you love (or hate).

This week, Andy and Sean welcome 12-year old super fan Quinn Mitchell to the show all the way from Calgary, Canada. Quinn has been watching Lab Rats since 2002 and amazed the guys with his almost encyclopedic knowledge of the show. Not only could Quinn identify the episode number of favorite segment Episode 25: Multi-Core Processors Demystified, but he also remembered the name of the infamous Episode 0 of Lab Rats: Testing 1-2-3.
Quinn is also something of a computer whiz-kid: creating his own video content for his YouTube channel as well as putting together desktop computers by himself. On today's episode, he wanted to show off some of his favorite apps for Tweens. Because he's an avid Android user, all his choices were for that operating system, however, he points out that many of these also appear on iPhone and other mobile platforms.

There are a number of reasons you might have for

rooting the Barnes and Noble Nook Color

to

run Android 3.0

, also known as Honeycomb. In this series, we'll explain some of the

benefits of running Honeycomb

and show you

how to root your Nook Color

and use a

Windows or Mac computer

to install Honeycomb along with

Android Market and other Android apps

.

In this tutorial, we'll show you

how to get Android apps

using the Android Market

. We'll also show you how to

manage your applications

by going through the

Android settings

, and then show you

how to uninstall an app

.

If you've ever had trouble

calculating a tip

, then

TipNSplit Calculator

is the app for you. This

free Android application

allows you to quickly and easily

calculate the tip amount

and even

divide the bill equally

depending on how many people are in your party.

If your

Android device

is missing a

unit conversion app

, then you can't do much better than the

free ConvertPad application

. This app allows you to

easily convert units

to

calculate speed, weight

, or virtually any other measurement in any way you want.

If you've run out of

new games on your Android

, then you might want to try

Air Control Lite

. This

free application

lets you

play air traffic controller

and direct the flight paths of aircraft as they try to make a safe landing at the airport.

In this tutorial, we'll show you

how to use the Maps application

on your

Android device

. Maps is the default application that you'll be using if you want to

get directions from one place to another

,

locate a restaurant or gas station

, or just

figure out where you are

at the moment.

If you're an avid Facebook user and an Android owner, then you should definitely download

Facebook for Android

, an app that lets you quickly and easily keep all of your contacts up to date on what's going on in your life. It's a

free application

and the straight-forward interface is sure to please.

Have you ever looked at a bridge and thought that you could do better? Well

X Construction Lite for Android

is a

physics-based game

that puts you in charge of building bridges capable of supporting a speeding locomotive. Build bridges with enough structural integrity and the train will traverse the gap. Fail, and the train falls.

If you don't make

shopping lists

(or if you forget to bring your shopping list), you might find yourself wandering around aimlessly in stores while scratching your head. Not if you have the

Grocery IQ app for Android

though. Grocery IQ is a

free Android application

that lets you

make shopping lists

,

scan product barcodes

and

share shopping lists

with family or friends.

If you're a frequent

Facebook or Twitter user

, then you may be looking for an

Android application

that allows you to post to both at the same time. The

free Tumblr app for Android

allows you to do just that, letting you easily

post to Facebook and Twitter

and share things like

quotes, text, audio and video

.

While there are lots of

weather applications for Android

available, the best we've seen so far is the

free Weather Channel application for Android

. This application lets you pick

multiple cities

, add them to your favorite locations and

check the current weather

at any time. You can

see the weather

over the next 36 hours or the next 10 days, and even

see traffic and cloud coverage

.

The

FxCamera app for Android

is a

free application

that allows you to

take pictures

while applying one of a number of

different visual effects

. These effects range from Fisheye to Symmetricam to the entertaining and colorful AndyWarholizer. FxCamera also lets you

share your pictures with friends

using

Facebook, Twitter

and more.

If you hate getting off the couch (and you probably do) we've got a great

free application

for your

Android phone

. It's called

Gmote and it turns your Android phone into a

remote control

that can

control your computer

. It can

act as a mouse

,

browse files

,

create media playlists

and more, all for free!

In our first episode on

how to use Gowalla

, we'll show you

how to create a Gowalla account

. Once you've created an account, you can start

checking in with Gowalla

either with your smartphone app or through the Gowalla website. You can also

add friends through Facebook or Twitter

or through your address book.

If you find that your Android's battery doesn't last long enough, then you should try using the

Tasker app for Android

. This application lets you

create power-saving profiles

to

cut down on power usage

during certain situations. We show you

how to use Tasker

to

maximize your Android's battery life

in this tutorial.

In this tutorial, we show you

SwiftKey for the Android

, an app that can save you time and keystrokes when

composing messages

. This app can

translate voice to text

using your

Android microphone

and can

predict words

in your message with a high degree of accuracy. We show you

how to use SwiftKey

in this video.

Tracking your favorite NFL team

is easy

using NFL Mobile for Android

. This app lets you

check league standings

,

view the NFL schedule

,

watch team videos

and more. You can even

listen to NFL games broadcast

over NFL Mobile whenever you want from wherever you are.

If you enjoy

listening to audio books

, then the

Audible app for Android

is just the thing for you. Audible lets you

play back your audio books

and also allows you to

shop through Audible's library

for new audio books to get. We show you how to use the app and

find the audio books

you're looking for in this episode.

In this episode we'll show you an

Android application

that you can use to

import and export bookmarks

.

Bookmarks to SD

is a free app for Android that's easy to use and can even

sync bookmarks

through Gmail.

If you need to

create reminders for yourself

on a regular basis, then maybe you should check out

RemindMe for the Android

. It's great for setting reminders for yourself about

upcoming events

or

tasks to be completed

. What's more, it's free.

If you're a fan of YouTube and an Android user, then you'll be happy to hear about the

YouTube app for the Android

. It should look familiar to regular

YouTube users

as it has many of the same features as the YouTube website and allows you to

watch videos on your Android

wherever you want.

Here we show you

LogMeIn Ignition

for Android devices. This handy Android application allows you to access and

control your computer remotely

using your

Android phone

. You can use it to

access files remotely

while across town or even to control your computer from the other room. It's like magic.

Firefox users

rejoice! There is now a

Firefox beta for Android

devices that you can download for free. We'll show you where to go to

get Firefox for free

and show you how to start using it to

browse the Internet

, as well as how to

sync Firefox with your desktop

.

You may have seen some of our

Android phone tutorials

and wondered how we manage to

capture the screen

on our computers. Well in this episode we're going to show you how to

stream your Android phone screen

to your computer, whether it's a

PC, Mac or Linux

machine.

In this episode we show you

JuiceDefender, an Android application

that you can use to get the most out of your

Android handset's battery life

. There are several settings included that you can use to

maximize your battery life

and

minimize your power consumption

, which we will show you in this episode.

In the United States, the annual Thanksgiving Day holiday will be one us before you know it. Maybe you want to cook all your traditional favorites. Maybe you don't. And maybe you'd like to find something new and exotic to cook, just to be different. Well, here are five free Android recipe apps that will meet every need.

In among the Android Market's 70,000+ apps, Kate figures there's got to be some sexy stuff. Sure enough. While Apple's draconian stance on sexy apps, sex education and just about anything to do with sex keeps the App Store sterile, the Android Market's more liberal stance means these sexy apps have found a home on this open platform.

There are a number of reasons you might have for rooting the Barnes and Noble Nook Color to run Android 3.0, also known as Honeycomb. In this series we'll explain some of the benefits of running Honeycomb and show you how to root your Nook Color and use a Windows or Mac computer to install Honeycomb along with Android Market and other Android apps.