Are you tired of the standard, boring wallpaper on your Motorola DROID? We don't blame you.

Everyone needs a change from time to time and luckily for you, changing wallpapers on the DROID couldn't be easier.

There are two different ways to achieve a wallpaper change. We'll show you the easiest way in this guide.

From the settings menu:

1. Tap the applications launcher from the home screen
2. Tap the Settings icons
3. Tap Personalize
4. Tap the Home wallpaper option
5. Continue from Step 2 of the From the homescreen option

It's that easy! You now have a fresh new wallpaper configured on your Motorola DROID.

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iPhone users, eat your hearts out.

If you're making a list of features that the iPhone should absolutely have but doesn't, wireless synchronization with iTunes will likely be near the top of that list.

While iPhone users may forever find themselves wondering when or even if they will see such functionality come to fruition, Android users can partake in this fantastic phenomenon now with the help of TuneSync.

In this guide, we show you how to set up TuneSync on your Motorola DROID and start syncing with iTunes wirelessly on your Mac or Windows PC.

• Download and install TuneSync on your OS X or Windows-powered machine
• Launch the TuneSync software
• Organize and/or create the playlists in iTunes that you want to sync to your device
• Download and install the TuneSync client on your device by searching for "TuneSync" in the Android Market, or by scanning the following QR code

• Once you have the app installed, select the Host Computer option

• Wait for TuneSync to find and display your iTunes library, and then select it
• Once your device is connected to the computer, you will see a list of all the playlists
• Check the box next to each playlist you want to sync to your device

• Back on the main screen, ensure that Enable Sync has a check mark beside it
• Scroll down, and select Sync Now

And that's it! Once you have your playlists synced, TuneSync will automatically synchronize periodically, without any effort on your part!

For those who always like to keep their music up-to-date on their phones, four dollars doesn't seem like much at all for such an easy, effortless solution.

There is also a "Lite" version available, but it limits playlists to 20 songs each.

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Online videos are great. You can view them from just about anywhere, and much of the time, they're absolutely free.

But at times, especially while on the go, connectivity can be a barrier between you and the video you want to see.

When coverage-related issues arise, it's just handier to have the videos you want to watch stored right there on your memory card. If you have a Motorola DROID, achieving this couldn't be easier with YouTube videos.

In this guide, we show you how to locate the video you want and download it directly to you handset.

1. Navigate your phone's browser to the YouTube video you want to download

2. Click on the video's URL and use the Android Web browser to open it rather than the YouTube application

3. While in the browser, hit Menu and then Go To URL

Here's where the magic happens.

4. The video's URL should be in the URL field. Place your cursor directly after the "www." and type in the word "pwn" before "youtube.com"

The resulting link should look something like "http://www.pwnyoutube.com/videocode"

5. Hit Enter

6. Simply tapping the Download High Quality MP4 Video option on this page will download the MP4 file directly to your SD card

Now you have the video you wanted stored on your device for viewing whenever you want, whether or not you have wireless coverage.

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Google Voice provides a wide variety of functions to users, but many people aren't looking to take advantage of all the features Google Voice affords.

Even if simultaneous ringing and free SMS don't appeal to you, Google Voice can still be used as a great replacement for your carrier's standard voicemail system. What's more, Google Voice offers a free voicemail transcription service that uses voice-to-text to transcribe messages. Voicemail transcriptions can then be delivered to you via email or SMS.

In this guide, we show you how to set up Google Voice voicemail on your Motorola DROID and configure the attached voicemail transcription service.

Activate Google Voice voicemail on your Motorola DROID

1. Log in to the Google Voice website and click Settings in the top right corner
2. Locate the phone you wish to activate voicemail for and click Activate Google voicemail on this phone
3. On your Motorola DROID:
   1. Dial *71xxx-xxx-xxxx (where xxx-xxx-xxxx is your Google Voice phone number) and press Call
   2. Dial *90xxx-xxx-xxxx (where xxx-xxx-xxxx is your Google Voice phone number) and press Call
   3. Dial *92xxx-xxx-xxxx (where xxx-xxx-xxxx is your Google Voice phone number) and press Call
4. On the Google Voice website, click Done

Configure voicemail transcriptions and delivery

1. Log in to the Google Voice website and click Settings in the top right corner
2. Click on the Voicemail & SMS tab
3. Next to "Voicemail Notifications", check the box next to Email the message to and select an email address to receive your voicemail transcriptions via email
4. Beneath "Send a text (SMS) message to", check the box next to each cell phone on which you want to receive SMS voicemail transcriptions
5. Next to Voicemail Transcripts, check the box next to Transcribe Voicemails
6. Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the screen

That's it! Google Voice will now replace your Verizon Wireless voicemail, and it will deliver transcriptions of each message via email or SMS.

If at any point you wish to deactivate Google Voice voicemail:

1. Dial *73 and press Call
2. Dial *900 and press Call
3. Dial *920 and press Call

This will deactivate all call forwarding and the Motorola DROID will use the standard voicemail system once again.

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Have you ever accidentally removed an application from your phone? There are many ways it can happen and it's always a mini-panic-attack-inducing moment when you realize you've lost something -- especially if it's an app you've paid for.

However, if you do find yourself in this predicament, please try to avoid a shock-inspired repurchase. Instead, follow these quick and easy steps to re-download your lost applications for free.

1. Navigate to the Android Market application and launch the Market

2. Press the Menu button and select Downloads

3. Scroll through your list of downloaded applications until you find the one that you are looking for (any paid applications should show "Purchased" next to them)

4. Once you've found your lost application, just re-download it as you did the first time

That's it! This also works for free applications as well, of course. Your download history is saved in the market to provide easy access to all your applications if needed.

Another handy use for this is freeing up device memory. If there's an application that you use occasionally, but you don't want it taking up your device's on-board memory when you aren't using it, simply remove it and re-download when you need it through this process.

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So you have been customizing your Motorola DROID for quite sometime now, and you are wishing it could be wiped clean and set to the same state it was in when you first unboxed it. We show you step by step how to hard reset (wipe) the Motorola DROID and accomplish just that.

Please note that all data will be deleted from the DROID as a result of this procedure. The device itself will need to be re-activated using Verizon's over the air programming feature as well. This process does NOT delete data stored on the microSD card. We recommend backing up all of your personal data before proceeding.

1. Power down the DROID by holding the power button and then selecting Power Off
2. Hold the X key on the keyboard and turn the power back on, keep holding down the X key until you see a yellow triangle icon
3. Now close the slider and simultaneously press the Volume Up and Camera buttons (you may have to do this a few times)
4. A menu will appear and one of the choices will be "wipe data/factory reset" -- use the direction pad on they keyboard to select this option
5. Scroll down using the direction pad to the "yes" option and select it with the d-pad select key

Your Motorola DROID will now be wiped clean of all data and settings, with the exception of the data stored on the microSD card.

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The Motorola DROID has a big, beautiful screen that just begs for some quality video to show off. But what is the best way for you to convert your favorite videos and transfer them to your DROID? In this guide, we show you what software you need to convert videos for viewing on the DROID, and we also show you how to get your newly converted videos onto your handset.

Requirements:

1. Installed copy of Handbrake software version 0.9.4 for MAC/PC/Linux
2. Video files and or DVD of your choice
3. Motorola DROID with microUSB cable

Step I: Launch the Handbrake application on your computer and select the video source

(click to enlarge)

1. Launch Handbrake (figure 1)
2. In the menu on the right-hand side, select the iPod Legacy preset (figure 1)
3. Select your video source by clicking on the Source dropdown menu (we used a DVD for our testing purposes)
4. Select the destination and name for the file once it has been converted (both the .mp4 and .m4v extension work for the DROID)
5. Confirm that the container is set to MP4 File and that Large file size, Web optimized, and iPod 5G support are unchecked

Step II: Adjust Handbrake's Video Settings

Picture Tab:

1. Uncheck Keep Aspect Ratio
2. Set the desired Width and Height (the DROID supports a maximum of 848x480 pixels -- since our source file is 720x480, we are setting width and height to the same)

Video Tab:

(click to enlarge)

1. Set Handbrake's encoding settings by clicking on the Video tab (figure 2)
2. Confirm the Video Codec is set as H.264 (x264)
3. Framerate (FPS) should be set to Same as source
4. Under Quality, select the Avg Bitrate (kbps) and change it to 1500

Step III: Adjust audio settings

(click to enlarge)

1. Set Handbrake's audio settings by clicking on the Audio tab (figure 3)
2. Confirm the Audio Codec is AAC (faac)
3. Mixdown should be set to Stereo
4. Change the Samplerate to 48
5. Change the Bitrate to 160

Step IV: Save as a preset for future use

1. Click on the Presets menu and select New Preset
2. Enter DROID in the dialog box and click Add
3. "DROID" will now be saved as a preset and listed on the right hand side in Handbrake to be used in the future

Step V: Convert the video and copy to your DROID

1. Click on the Start button in Handbrake
2. A command line/DOS window will open and start to process the video conversion
3. Once the conversion is done, mount your DROID on to your computer via USB (figure 4)
4. Once mounted, create a folder named Video in the root folder on the DROID
5. Copy converted file into the Video folder

That's it! The converted video can now be played on your DROID using the Gallery app. It should look fantastic on the DROID's screen as long as the original source was of good quality.

A few things to keep in mind when converting video:

1. The DROID does not like video file sizes over 2GB (the settings in Step II should help insure that the file size is kept under 2GB)
2. Your converted video will only be as good as the source video
3. If your source is over 848x480, you must be sure to set the width and height to a maximum of 848x480 as noted in Step II

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You have invested in a Motorola DROID and you are happily paying Verizon Wireless for high speed 3G data access, but why then can't you use Verizon's mobile broadband network with your PC also? Well as a matter of fact, you can use your DROID as a USB modem and this guide will show you how to get it done.

Requirements:

1. Motorola DROID USB Drivers
2. PDANet Tethering Software ($29 to buy, limited trial also available)

Step I:

1. Tap the upward pointing arrow on the DROID's home screen to get to the app menu (figure 1)
2. Tap the Settings icon
3. Tap Applications
4. Tap Development
5. Check the box for USB debugging

Step II:

Install the PDANet software on both your PC and DROID -- when installed on the desktop, it should automatically install the USB driver for you but if it doesn’t, you will have to use the driver you downloaded above.

1. Connect your DROID to your PC via USB, then launch PDANet on your device
2. Click on "Turn PdaNet On" on the DROID
3. Right-click the PDANet icon in the taskbar on your PC, then click Connect

The DROID is now tethered and can be used for high speed wireless internet access on your PC.

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It took some time but the Motorola DROID has finally been "rooted" enabling users to gain direct access to the smartphone's file system. This enables user to modify the phone’s firmware so as to allow for things like custom themes, apps and custom operating systems/roms. It is similar to jailbreaking an iPhone in that it gives users abilities that are not enabled by default.

The rooting process for the DROID works on both the original Android 2.0 operating system/rom that shipped with early handsets, and the latest 2.0.1 OTA (over the air) software update that was recently released. We recommend that you update the DROID to version 2.0.1, as mentioned in step 1 below, prior to rooting your phone.

Disclaimer: While root access is easily achieved, it can void your warranty and have negative effects on the operation of your phone. We recommend that you do the necessary research on root access before you attempt the above as you could cause damage to your handset.

1. Update to the latest Android 2.0.1 operating system over the air (your device should prompt you to update the system software automatically) or use our guide to update your phone with a PC or Mac
2. Download the Android 2.0.1 "super user" update file
3. Rename the file downloaded in step 2 to update.zip
4. Plug your DROID into your computer via USB and go to the notifications bar, select USB Connected then tap Mount
5. Once the device is mounted, the SD card will appear as a removable device on your computer
6. Copy the update.zip file created in step 3 to the root (top) directory of your SD Card
7. Unmount the DROID and power it off
8. Hold down the 'X' key on the physical keyboard and simultaneously press the power button
9. Continue to hold both buttons from step 8 down until you see a triangle symbol with an ! (exclamation point)
10. Release the 'X' and power button and now press both volume+ and the camera button -- you will then be presented with a menu
11. Using the directional pad on the physical keyboard, highlight apply update.zip and press the select key
12. Once the upgrade is complete, select the option to reboot the phone

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Just like any other Android phone, users don't have to wait for an OTA update to upgrade their OS. In fact, Android phones are among the easiest to update. All you need is a Mac or a PC and a data cable and you're all set! As always, proceed at your own risk and don't forget to back up your data first.

Here is the simple nine-step procedure for updating your Motorola DROID's OS:

1. Download the latest compatible Android OS to your desktop (right now the latest is version 2.1, which you can download from Google's Android site)
2. Right-click the downloaded ZIP file and rename it to "update.zip" (no quotes)
3. Connect your DROID to your PC or Mac using the data cable and put the phone in mass storage mode
4. Once your DROID appears as a drive, drag the update.zip file to the root directory of your memory card
5. Unmount your DROID, disconnect the data cable and turn the phone off
6. While holding the "X" key on the DROID's keypad, turn your phone back on (this will enter recovery mode)
7. Once an exclamation point within a triangle appears on the screen, press the camera button half way down and press the volume-up key simultaneously
8. Highlight “apply update.zip” and press the select key on the directional pad to begin installing the update
9. Once the update has been installed, reboot your DROID

Congrats -- you now have a freshly updated Motorola DROID with the latest version of the Android OS!

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So you have a large iTunes library and now you have a Motorola DROID – but how can you make them work together to synchronize your music? The following guide shows you how to quickly and easy set up your computer to sync your Motorola DROID with music from iTunes.

The first section details how to acquire a small piece of software called "iTunes Agent", that allows you to use your DROID with iTunes on a Windows-based computer (we are assuming that you already have iTunes installed, and have an existing library of music). Mac users can achieve the same results by installing a program called iTuneMyWalkman.

1. Download and install iTunes Agent
2. Once installed, the application runs in the system tray and monitors iTunes
3. Plug the DROID into your computer's USB port and mount it (figure 1 above)
4. Create a folder on the mounted DROID called Music

The second section, below, details how to create a configuration for the DROID in iTunes Agent's Preferences (figure 2 for all steps below).

1. Right-click on the iTunes Agent icon in the system tray
2. Click Preferences
3. Leave all defaults checked and click the New button
4. Give the device a name (DROID in this case)
5. Leave Synchronize pattern: set to iTunes
6. Click the Choose button and select the Music folder you created on the DROID
7. Click the Create button and select the Music folder you created on the DROID
8. Click Save and then Close

The final section explains how to add music to your DROID (figure 3 for all steps below).

1. Launch iTunes and you will see a playlist folder called My Devices, under which you will see the DROID
2. Simply drag the music you wish to synchronize from your iTunes library to your DROID into this playlist
3. Finally, right-click on the iTunes Agent icon in the system tray and select Synchronize devices

Music is now copied to your DROID and can be played using the DROID's Music application.

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Google is making strides in the smartphone marketplace and the recently released Motorola DROID is the first handset to feature Google's Android 2.0 OS. 

Android-based smartphones include two email clients, one for Gmail and one for other types of email servers including Microsoft Exchange, IMAP and POP3. The following guide will show you how to set up the built-in email application to access an IMAP or POP3 email server for incoming email and an SMTP server for outbound email. The setup for both IMAP and POP3 is the same so for the purposes of this guide, we will use POP3.

• Tap the upward pointing arrow to get to the app menu (figure 1)
• Tap on the Email icon (figure 2)

• Enter your email address and password, then tap Next (figure 3)
• Select POP3 account (figure 4)

• Enter your Username, Password, POP3 server (pop3.domain.com, etc) and Port (default 110) (figure 5)
• Click on Security type; a new window will pop up and allow you to select the level of encryption (None, SSL or TLS) (figure 6)

• Once the Security type has been selected the pop up window will close and you can continue to the next step
• Select when to delete email from server; the options are "Never" or "When I delete from Inbox", then tap Next (figure 5)
• Enter outgoing SMTP server settings, which consist of SMTP Server, Port, Security type (None, SSL or TLS) (figure 7)
• If your outgoing or SMTP server requires you to login then check the box next to Require sign-in, enter your username and password, and tap the Next button
• Select email checking frequency and notification options (figure 8)

• Finally, name the account and input your display name (figure 9)

Email will begin synchronizing once the credentials and server information is entered correctly.

Once the setup has been completed, you are presented with a list of your messages. While viewing the message list, you are also able to change the settings that are assigned to this account by tapping the Menu icon -- which is directly to the left of the Home icon -- and then tapping Account settings. The following options are available:

1. Account name
2. Your name
3. Email check frequency
4. Default account (make the current account the default email account on your DROID)
5. Email notifications
6. Select Ringtone
7. Vibrate
8. Incoming settings (to modify IMAP or POP3 server settings)
9. Outgoing settings (to modify SMTP server settings)

The menu icon also gives you more options which include refresh, compose, folders, accounts and account settings.

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Naturally you have seen the awesome Motorola DROID screenshots we have taken for our user guides and you are wondering, "How did they do that?"

The DROID runs on Android 2.0 and as of now, no applications are available that allow for on-device screenshots. This guide will provide you with the software you need and show you how to get stunning screen captures from your Motorola DROID.

Three separate pieces of software are required and must be installed in a Windows environment:

1. USB Drivers for the DROID
2. The Android software development kit (SDK)
3. The Java SE software development kit (SDK)

Once your downloads are complete, a few steps are needed to get things ready.

On your computer:

1. Extract the USB drivers to a folder on your desktop
2. Extract the Google Android SDK to a folder on your desktop
3. Install the the Java SE SDK

On the DROID:

1. Tap the upward pointing arrow to get to the app menu (figure 1)
2. Tap on the Settings icon
3. Tap on Applications
4. Tap on Development
5. Check the box for USB debugging

Now you're ready to get started.

1. Plug your DROID into your computer via USB and Windows will attempt to install all of the drivers; one of the drivers will not be found and thus you must proceed to Device Manager in your Control Panel and find the device that is denoted by a yellow icon named the Motorola A855
2. Right-click on the A855 listing and select properties; simply instruct Windows to update/install the driver for this device and when asked, browse to the folder on your desktop where you extracted the USB drivers earlier
3. Browse to the Android SDK folder you extracted to your desktop and double-click SDK Setup.exe to start the program
4. Once the application has launched you will be presented with a window as shown above (figure 2)
5. Click on the Refresh button so the application can update its list of operating system SDKs available from Google
6. Check the box next to the URL that is shown in the main application window (figure 2); you are now presented with a list of Android SDK's and Google API's available for installation -- it is recommended that you select all available packages for maximum compatibility
7. Once the files have been downloaded, exit the application
8. Browse to the Tools folder, which is inside the Android SDK folder you extracted to your desktop
9. Double click on DDMS.BAT to execute the Dalvik Debug Monitor
10. The application will launch with a DOS command window and eventually a Windows based application will open -- click on your handset once it appears to make sure it is selected
11. Click on the Device menu and select Screen Capture or use the CTRL-S key combo
12. The capture now appears on your computer screen
13. We recommend that you click on the Copy button and paste the screenshot into your image editor of choice (Microsoft Paint, Adobe Photoshop, etc) -- the reason for this is that there is a known bug that does not carry over the colors of the actual screenshot inside the capture utility

Voilà! You now have a stunning capture of your Motorola DROID's screen.

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The Motorola DROID is one of the newest Android-based smartphones on the market today. Modern smartphones need to have a variety of applications available to ensure users have access to various social networking platforms, including Twitter.

The process below will show you how to search for and install an application for use with Twitter and later, it will show you how to configure one of the more popular apps, Twidroid.

• Click the Market icon on the home screen (figure 1)
• Click the Search icon, denoted by a magnifying glass, in the top right corner (figure 2)

• Enter "Twitter" (without the quotes) in the search field (figure 3)
• You are now presented with a list of Twitter applications, along with ratings and prices (figure 4)

• Select the application of your choice and click the Install button towards the bottom of the screen
• The phone will inform you of the application's access rights and you must either select OK or CANCEL
• Once you are in agreement and OK is pressed, the background download process begins

The selected application will be downloaded and installed in the background, and you are returned to your search results where you can select more applications. If your search is complete, simply tap the Home icon to return to the main screen.

Twidroid is the client chosen for the purposes of this guide and is available in the Android Market in both a free standard version and a paid professional version. The professional version offers a few additional features that may not be necessary for a general every day users.

The following are the additional features in the professional version:

1. Full Twitter-Lists integration
2. Multi account support
3. 2 desktop widgets
4. Native bit.ly support
5. List of your followers and friends
6. Color themes
7. Different application icon
8. Shake phone to refresh
9. $4.99 approximately (at the time of this writing)

Once the application is downloaded, it becomes available via the home screen. Simply tap on the Twidroid icon and you are presented with the Start Setup button which, once pressed, begins the simple process of preparing the application for use. (figure 5)

1. Accept the End User License Agreement.
2. Enter your Twitter ID, password and click Login (figure 6, above)
3. You are now given the option to follow @Twidroid on Twitter; your choice (figure 7)
4. Twidroid now will update your tweets and synchronize your account (figure 8)

Various functions are available in Twidroid by simply tapping on the menu icon: Settings, Profile, Faves, Exit Application, Accounts, and a More button (figure 9). Settings simply allows you to make changes to the way the application behaves on your device in regard to notifications, the display, etc. Profile shows you your profile on Twitter. Faves lists the Tweets you have marked as favorites. Accounts allows you to see which accounts you have configured (standard version only allows one account, professional allows multiple accounts). More will give you the option to view and/or manage lists, but this feature is only available in the pro version.

The bottom row of the application, denoted by icons, gives you the following options:

1. Home -- View your Twitter feed
2. Compose new Tweet -- Compose and post a new tweet
3. Mentions or @ -- Tweets that mention your Twitter handle
4. Search -- Search your feed for whatever you wish
5. Refresh -- Force a refresh of the feed, mentions, and direct messages

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The Motorola DROID was released on November 6, 2009 by Verizon Wireless and runs on the Google Android 2.0 operating system.

While the device is based on a full integration with Google services, it is also possible to setup and use Microsoft Exchange-based services. The email application on the DROID will allow you to setup your Exchange account and synchronize your email, email folders and contacts.

• Tap on upward pointing arrow to get to the app menu (figure 1)
• Tap on the Email icon (figure 2)

• Enter your email address and password, then tap Next (figure 3)
• Select Exchange account (figure 4)

• Enter your Domain\Username, Password, Exchange Server information (name@company.com, etc) and check the box next to Use secure connection (SSL), then tap Next (figure 5)
• Configure the remaining options (sync schedule, etc) according to preference, then tap Next (figure 6)

• Assign an account name (optional) and your display name, then tap Done (figure 7)

Email will begin synchronizing once the credentials are entered correctly as required in step 5 above.

Once the setup has been completed, you are presented with a list of your messages. While viewing the message list, you are also able to change the settings that are assigned to this account by tapping on the Menu icon -- which is directly to the left of the Home icon -- and then tapping Account settings. The following options are available:

1. Account name
2. Your name
3. Email check frequency
4. Amount to synchronize
5. Default account (simply if this will be the default email account on your DROID)
6. Email notifications
7. Select ringtone
8. Vibrate
9. Incoming settings (to modify server settings)
10. Sync contacts

The menu icon also gives you more options which include refresh, compose, folders, accounts and account settings (above).

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