London Olympics 2012 Medal Count and Schedule on Google

The advertising area of Google searches is showcasing London 2012 Olympics details. The detail contains Medal Counts and Schedules of past, Live and forthcoming events to be held at the London 2012 Olympics.

Along with the medal counts the rank of every country is displayed so that you know where your country stands and pray for better and expect for more golds and silvers. Google tracks your country and shows your country at a fixed position in medal count frame. Google knows everybody loves and is proud of his nation.

Though this advertising area will show Olympics medal counts and schedules only when Google is searched for any thing related to Olympics like London, Olympic, etc.

The Best thing is that the details get updated faster than the official London 2012 Olympics site. The medal count and schedule events frames have scrollers so there is no need to scroll the entire page up and down to get access to details.

Every past events is marked 'completed' and current events are marked Live: with details. If you will search Google for keywords like 'Medal Count' and 'Olympic Schedule' then the respective frames will get displayed on top of search result.

The bottom most section of this showcase has the link to Google+ page of London 2012 Olympics and it is being updated actively. So you can have a glance of what's happening in case you are busy with you daily schedule.

Best Blogger Photography templates

It is is a fact that you won't easily get good templates for Blogger from Google Searches. But this don't means that good Blogger templates can not be made. This post features paid and free templates for Blogger users who are interested in photography. The best thing about paid Blogger template is they are never more than $15 an affordable price.

Sandal Jepit (Paid-$15)

Demo1|Demo2|Buy

This template comes in two versions. Demo1 and demo2 are links to two different versions of this template. The template in demo1 is better for creating photography portfolios, as it showcases images in lightbox when images on homepage are clicked. The related article will open when the title is clicked.


Features-

• Automatic working fancybox & slide toggle
• More than +14 widget area
• Easy to change and upload background
• Support more that +60 Google web font
• Unlimited color scheme
• Threaded comment system
• Social bookmark
• Advanced template designer
• Pages
• Support two type of navigation

Point of View (Paid-$12)

Demo|Buy

Features-

• Automatic Jquery image zoom
• Simple Image/content Slider
• Custom navigation
• Supports pages
• Supports Template Designer
• Easy to install

Sinjai (Paid-$11)

Demo|Buy

Features-

• Automatic Jquery image zoom
• Advanced Label Summary
• Custom Widget Bar
• Supports pages
• Unlimited body background colors
• Easy to upload your own background image
• 80+ Google Web-fonts.
• Easy to install

Wallbase (Free)

Demo|Download

Perfect way to showcase photography and that too fullscreen. Apart from showcasing you can put you blog posts too if you want. Standalone pages can be used to make perfect Contact Us, Hire Me and About Us pages. But the blog and pages are don't look as good as the homepage because of black background with a sidebar and text in white.
Background images can be changed only via HTML. If you are planning to use this free template then ask me how to change the background images by mailing me.

Design Cart (Paid-$15)

Demo|Buy

Features-

• Custom Header And Logo
• E-Commerce Feature
• Custom Slider Widget
• Custom Post Box
• Cart System Payment
• Custom Footer Widget
• Custom Sidebar And Single Post
• Custom menu And Page

Not a big list but has the best photography Blogger templates available online.

Automatically add subject in your mails

This tutorial is in accordance to Blogger but the HTML concept can be applied almost everywhere, if you have proper access to the HTML of the web pages.

Log in into your mailing account then try the two mail links below. Both the links will open your mail accounts Compose Mail section, but there will be a difference in both.

Contact without Subject.

Contact with Subject.

Now you have successfully figured out that Subject Field automatically gets filled when Contact with Subject is clicked.

How to do this?

If you are familiar with blogger. You know how to add a mail id.

1. In the editor area, click on the Link button, select Email address and put the email you want to use in the respective field, click OK.
2. Now open your HTML tab adjacent to Compose tab.
3. Use Ctrl+F to find mailto: 
4. The code you have to deal with is like "mailto:yourusername@yourdomain.com".
5. Just after you mail id ends add ?Subject=Your+Subject.
6. In case your subject is a word just type it. But in case your subject is more than a word and requires spaces in-between than use '+' symbol instead of every space.

Watch Olympic 2012 Live on YouTube

Broadcasting live on YouTube was released some year(s) ago. But this is the time to enjoy this feature to the fullest. Olympic Games are Live on You Tube. 

Now, it may all depend on your budget. If you have a high speed plan you can stream Olympic games from 240p to 1080p quality. You can also change the Audio Track. Track available are Natural Track, Spanish and English. So, you can listen to the broadcast in you language or the tack as it is from the stadium.

Just on the right side panel you can see the scheduled games list. You can filter them using sports or country in case you don't want to miss some special or precisely your favorite games.

The schedule date and time are shown in your own time zone. Here in the image you can see that time is being given in IST (Indian Standard Time). So no confusion from YouTube side, that can possibly cause if the time is being displayed in GMT, or according to London Clock.

So know the time so that you don't miss the best for you.

In case you do have missed the game. Even then no need to worry. The recorded broadcast is always available and that too just below the YouTube's video Panel. So you don't need to go to YouTube's homepage to search for your favorite broadcast.

Share buttons of Facebook and Twitter are also available so that you can share the Live broadcasts with your friends and college buddies.

Google's g +1 recommendation button is also available to give some recommendation.

This is the recorded video panel placed just below the video panel for a very easy access. So enjoy Olympics online.

G-Technology (TM) set to challenge the Samsung 3.0 HDD

USB 3.0 is the latest standard for flash drive technology. Samsung, since its acquisition of Seagate, has decided to spice up the market for USB 3.0 external hard disks by introducing 3 new as yet unnamed products that sport a colourful appearance and boast of disk space ranging from 500GB to 1TB. They are not particularly OS X friendly, but they offer great portability.

This comes as a response to G-Technology’s similar range of products. The major reason that G-Technology is viewed as a serious competitor to Samsung is because this product is well suited to both Windows and Macs. The 2012 era MacBook Air and MacBook with Retina Display come loaded with the OS X 10.7 Lion which has “Time Machine” as a major feature. This feature revolves around using a specially configured USB 3.0 external hard disk to take constant, timed back-ups of your computer’s state. This allows you to restore your PC to an earlier state in case you lose data, or your computer comes under attack.

To date, Mac users have not had a lower end option in the hard disk segment with existing 1 TB storage devices with FireWire ports and RAID 0 configuration cost close to $850. G-Technology’s HDDs have FireWire ports, they are compatible with OS X versions and even support devices like the iPad and iPhone. Further, their reduced price tag and superior performance make them a great buy. They are available with storage spaces that range from 500GB to 2 TB and cost lesser than $350.

Design wise, the G-Drive is beautiful. It resembles an aluminium brick, yet its fine finish and fully functional design is a treat to behold. As it sits on two folded and curled aluminium tabs in place of legs, its underside is exposed. This leaves the heat sink exposed to air, and keeps the drive cool even while it works at full tilt. The cables provided are unique in the fact that no other manufacturer offers the same variety of cables. The drive ships with 1x 3Gbit eSATA cable, 2x FireWire 800 (9-pin) cable, a 1x USB2.0 cable and a FireWire 400 port. Via FireWire, speeds up to 75 to 90 Mbps should be possible. The best part of these cables is that they are each over a metre long and not the restrictive 15cm variety of cables.

All in all, the G-Drive from G-Technology easily offers the best value for money on external HDD for serious users, while the Samsung drives may suit home users, or users who value portability over continuous reliability.

Author's Bio: Travis Ramsy likes writing articles related to Technology News, Gadget Reviews and How To. He also does guest posting for buycharter.com - a site that offers savings and current information on charter cable, as well as charter.com services.

WordPress Plugins - The Benefits

If you happen to own a WordPress-powered website of any kind, you are probably familiar with all the plugins and widgets that are associated with this platform. This content management system is one of the most powerful tools available in the cyber world, and many have won different battles relying on WordPress. WordPress-powered websites are highly appreciated by search engines; the platform itself is easy to use, which attracts new users, resulting in millions of people using the popular platform.

What Do I Need to Start Using WordPress?

As cliché as it may sound, WordPress is a very modest companion. It requires very little of you as its future user, and this includes mainly the desire to learn, and a little time. So, if you want to start using WordPress, there really is no excuse not to do that right away. Creating a page on WordPress is very intuitive, and you should not have troubles getting through to your readership.

Why Do People Choose WordPress?

There are many reasons for why WordPress is so widely accepted today. The abovementioned ease of use, and a small number of things needed to enter the WordPress world are only two of the reasons for this. Next in the series of reasons is the fact that WordPress is a very cost-efficient solution for many business owners who want to expand their business and advertise all over the Internet. The platform allows its users to post and store their content, which brings them closer to their readers that are to become potential clients. On top of it all, it is not necessary to invest great amounts of money into this site.

If Not Money, Then What You Should Invest

It is not the financial aspect that you should focus on, but you should make sure you are investing sufficient time into WP. You need to have time to learn about the site, and in this process, you will most definitely come across WP plugins. These are not necessary, but they can make a big change. So, you are advised to enter the secret world of plugins, and start making good use of them.

WordPress Plugins – Enhancing Your WP Experience

WordPress has a lot up its sleeve, when it comes to plugins. There is so many to choose from, and whatever the choice, it seems impossible to make the wrong choice. Thank Me Later is one of the many useful plugins. It sends an email to all first-time visitors, saving the website owner time and effort. Another useful plugin is the Social Media Widget, as it displays a great number of social media websites. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and so forth – everyone is there.

All in all, there are a lot of plugins that can make your website better and more interesting. There is one thing though, that is worth your attention and that is the rating of plugins. Therefore, you should try to select only the plugins that are rated high, and designed by professionals. If you choose differently, your site may be slowed down, and this is something that will drive away your visitors. So, choose your WP plugins wisely.

With so many SEO plugins for WordPress to choose from at times it can be tricky to make a choice on which plugin to choose. 

Author's Bio: Abhishek is a SEO consultant and he like to evaluate different SEO plugins including client file upload plugins.

Necessary conditions to do online transaction via debit card

In accordance to PNB (Punjab National Bank). There are two necessary conditions that you must fulfill to do online transactions using your debit card.

These two conditions are-

1. Registration of mobile number for SMS alerts

    You can do SMS alerts registration through any of options below-:

    1. Calling our customer care toll free number 1800-180-2222 or

    2. At any ATM (selecting option as OTHER SERVICES)or

    3. At any branch.

2. Registration for 3d secure service

    Please go through below steps to register for 3d secure service -:

    1. Please visit www.pnbindia.in

    2. Choose the link "PNB 3D secure service"

    3. Register your PNB Debit card for 3d secure service.

    4. Create your own 3d secure PIN.

You can also directly search Google for "3D secure [your bank name]". In case you have an account with any other bank. Do make a call on Toll free number provided on the back side of your debit card. You can use the mail id also if given.

Note- Online Banking and online transactions are two different ways that lets you deal with your bank account online. The online banking requires you to fill a form and submit it in your bank, after that they will hand over your password and username.

How to register on 3D secure?

Small Business Marketing: Why a Facebook Page is Better than a Website

Launching a small business is often very costly. There are so many things to invest in before your business can really take off and start making a profit. Lots of entrepreneurs spend a chunk of their budget securing a domain name and designing their company website – this can cost thousands of dollars, especially if you want it to look as professional as possible. 

You want to save money so you can make more money, and there is a better way to secure an online presence for your company. It’s called Facebook. Perhaps you've heard of it? Your business’s Facebook page will be more beneficial to you in many ways. Here’s a look at why it’s better than your website.

Cost

As I just mentioned above, it can cost thousands of dollars to buy the domain name you want, pay for hosting, and pay a designer to create an awesome website. How much does it cost to start and run a Facebook page? Nothing. Especially when you’re just starting out, free advertising is something you literally can’t afford to turn down. And just because it’s free doesn't mean it’s cheap – your Facebook page can get your business just as much exposure as a website can, and maybe even more.

Exposure

Not everyone uses Facebook, it’s true. But there’s a good chance more people will see your Facebook page than your website. This is because of the social aspect of it all. When someone “likes” your page, all of their friends (the average Facebook user has 120 friends) will know it. If someone checks out and enjoys your website, they’re probably not going to tell anyone. 

Ease of Use

If you don’t know HTML and CSS, it’s going to be hard to design your own website. Even then, you have unlimited options for design, which can be very daunting if you’re not exactly sure what you’re doing. It might take some practice to get used to a Facebook page, but it’s a hell of a lot easier than a website. It’s perfect for small business owners who aren't the most tech-savvy. Facebook gives you a lot of options so you can personalize your page, but the relatively limited potential is a great safety net. It gives you an easy starting point, and you can always jump into the deep end with a website as your business grows and you gain more online marketing experience.

Social Connectivity

The same social connectivity that will help you get more exposure can benefit your business in many other ways that a website can’t. You have a direct link between you and your Facebook fans, which will make it easier to communicate with them. You’re more likely to get feedback, as well as learn about your customers’ likes and dislikes. You can even connect with other local small businesses and establish a relationships if they’re mutually beneficial. People will be more active on your Facebook page than your website, and that engagement is what is so crucial to successful online marketing.

Author's Bio: Charlie Adams is a tech guru and entrepreneur who loves to write about the benefits of social media for businesses.

Photo Credit: farooq.aries

Schedule posts on Facebook Fan Page

Facebook launched a new feature, that lets the user schedule a post and the post will automatically get published at the selected date and time. But this feature is not for Facebook wall. It is only for those who own or manage a Facebook fan page.

The clock icon on bottom left, lets you set the future date and time in the order YYMMDD hours and then minutes. This feature stands out in case of future events like putting out contests, schemes or even updates that are yet to come.

After scheduling a post a notification will pop up showing the message below-

In case you have to delete a scheduled post, change the schedule time and date, or make it publish at that very instant. Simply go to Activity Log, all the options are available. Activity Log can be accessed from Admin Panel's menu (Edit Page> Use Activity Log).

From Activity Log you can access all of your scheduled posts. You can change time or publish it at that very instant.

Add posts from past to your Facebook timeline

Till now, you were posting updates that showed your present status. Now you can update your status with events that have occurred in the past.

The above status updating section shows a clock on the bottom left, positioned second. As you will select this the platform will ask you to enter year, month and date. In case you do remember the year but not the date and month. You can put the year only. You can put the date as much as you remember, you can give an update with YYMMDD or YYMM or YY only.

From now onward Facebook will get a bit more social with this new update. Though you may still need to have more than 50 good and caring friends or you must be Mr or Mrs Popular to have a good number of likes and comments.

Forms of Payment accepted while registering for Google Apps and domains via Google

Purchasing a domain is always a thing of importance. One simple step changes a weblog into a brand. While going through domain purchasing process for Blogger via Google Apps, I discovered the available forms of payment that are available.

Purchasing anything via internet requires you to be a debit card or credit card holder. Similarly, Google Apps also requires you to have these to successfully make payment and have a domain and enjoy Google's services. But Google is a bit picky in letting you use a credit card or a debit card. In some countries it accepts debit cards.

Google is not a domain registrar. Domain registration are done via Google Partners like GoDaddy and ENOM.

If you will try to use Debit Card when they are not accepted, a 'Authorization failed: No reason provided' message will be displayed while making payment.

Forms of Payment available on Google Apps

Region
Country	Currency	Form(s) of Payment
1. Africa
South Africa	US Dollars	Credit Card
Other	US Dollars	Credit Card
2. Asia and Middle East
Hong Kong	US Dollars	Credit Card
Israel	US Dollars	Credit Card
Japan	Japanese Yen	Credit Card
Turkey	Euros	Credit Card
Other	US Dollars	Credit Card
3. Australia and Oceania
Australia	Australian Dollars	Credit Card
New Zealand	US Dollars	Credit Card
Other	US Dollars	Credit Card
4. Europe
Austria	Euros	Bank account (direct debit) Credit Card
Belgium	Euros	Credit Card
Czech Republic	Euros	Credit Card
Denmark	Euros	Credit Card
France	Euros	Bank account (direct debit) Credit Card
Germany	Euros	Bank account (direct debit) Credit Card
Greece	Euros	Credit Card
Hungary	Euros	Credit Card
Ireland	Euros	Credit Card
Italy	Euros	Bank account (direct debit) Credit Card
Netherlands	Euros	Bank account (direct debit) Credit Card
Norway	Euros	Credit Card
Poland	Euros	Credit Card
Slovakia	Euros	Credit Card
Spain	Euros	Bank account (direct debit) Credit Card
Sweden	Euros	Credit Card
Switzerland	Euros	Credit Card
Turkey	Euros	Credit Card
United Kingdom	British Pounds Sterling	Bank account (direct debit) Credit Card
Other	US Dollars	Credit Card
5. North and South America
Canada	Canadian Dollars	Credit Card
United States	US Dollars	Bank account (direct debit) Credit Card
Other	US Dollars	Credit Card

This list is from Google Help Center. Data as dated on 23rd July 2012.

5 Great Sites to Find Recipes

cc licensed ( BY NC ) flickr photo shared by mrjoro

Whether you enjoy cooking for yourself and experimenting in the kitchen, or if you have an entire family to feed, searching online for delicious recipes is free to do and allows you to get creative with the ingredients you already have stocked in your own kitchen.

All Recipes

All Recipes (allrecipes.com), is a free online cooking website and a community that boasts thousands of homemade and professional recipes. All recipes on the site are free to use and browse, and the community allows users to register and become members to have a virtual "recipe box" and to create an identity on the site as well. There is also a premium membership option for additional tutorials and features to utilize while you are browsing the site, ideal if you cook frequently or if you are a professional chef.

Food on the Table

Food on the Table (foodonthetable.com) is an online cooking community that allows you to not only find recipes, but also to find local stores near you to easily generate recipes based on sales and the ingredients you prefer to use while cooking in the kitchen. Food on the Table includes a full list of weekly sale items regardless of the city you live in. You can also view what others are cooking on the site and saving money on to help with keeping on track with your own budget.

Food Network

Food Network (foodnetwork.com) is another website that is ideal if you are searching for "as seen on TV" type of recipes. If you have the Food Network at home, you can compare recipes you have watched on television by visiting the website, all for free. You can also search for recipes based on the chef you've seen prepare the food on a cooking show.

Epicurious

Epicurious (epicurious.com) is an online cooking website with thousands of recipes and articles based on how to cook, cooking techniques and methods, and understanding the tools needed to cook properly, regardless of your preference in cuisine. You can also look into wine pairings and seasonal fruits and vegetables depending on what you plan to cook.

Food Gawker

Food Gawker (foodgawker.com) is an online social community that allows users to find recipes from all over the web to create a large image board compilation of the options you have available based on trending and popular recipes as well as based on specific keywords you are searching for as well. You can use Food Gawker to not only discover specific recipes, but also to find new and exciting websites filled with plenty of cooking techniques, methods, and recipes for you to choose from for your own household or family.

Author Bio: Brought to you by the leaders in Philadelphia catering at ezCater. ezCater is the easiest, most reliable way to find and order food from local caterers.

Google plus has recommendation bar

Google launched its social networking site Google Plus. Along with Google plus came the 'g +1' button. Since then this button is being used to recommend content on Google by Google users. But now it has one more feature. Today I found that on hovering your mouse on 'g +1' button a small section shows up showing what is recommended on your site. This feature may still require a user to be logged in to publicly recommend but recommended feature will show even if you are not logged in.

This recommended section shows the post that have received at-least one +1 from a user. But as far as I have figured till now, the recommendation is based on priority-

• number of g +1's that a particular post has received
• the number of page views.

This section won't be shown if-

• You already have +1'd  the post.

In such case the window will show a sharing section. You might be knowing how to use this sharing section. A thumbnail, a title and small content is automatically fetched from the article. Now you can share the article on your Google Plus page. You can choose to make this share, a public share or select which circle member can see this on your Google Plus page.

How to change default search provider in Internet Explorer

Whenever you type text in search bar of a browser and hit enter, the typed text is searched over internet using a search provider like Bing, Google, etc. Sometimes, while installing some software, the software asks to change default search provider to their own search provider. If this option is left checked then default search provider changes automatically.

Default search provider in IE

IE has Bing has default search provider. 

How to change search provider in IE?

1. Open your IE.

2. On top right corner just adjacent to address bar you will find search bar.

3. Open the drop down menu and click Find more providers.

You will get redirected to Add-ons tab of Internet Explorer's Gallery. From there select desired search provider and click.

Now, click on 'Add to Internet Explorer' button

4. A window will pop up. Select to make it default or not. And whether to use search suggestion from this provider or not.

In case you already have your selected search provider installed. The window that pops up will show the message. In this case you will find search provider in search bar's drop down menu. Click to select your already installed search provider.

How to make my search provider default?

If you want to make your selected search provider default, then click on 'Manage Search Providers'.

Click to enlarge image. Image is blurred click to see the text clearly.

Click on 'Set as default' to make it default and 'Remove' to uninstall it.

Top Android Apps For Tracking Gold And Silver Prices

Gold prices rise and fall more than any roller coaster. Staying on track of the current value of gold can be extremely difficult. The traditional way to check the prices of precious metals such as gold and silver was to check the newspaper. The problem with newspapers are that they are only printed once daily, some may be printed twice at a push. Because of this you cannot see the prices of gold fluctuate throughout the day, this can be essential as you may need to know when the best time to invest money in gold is.

Luckily newspapers are not the only way you can check the value of gold. Technology has made it so much easier as now it is possible to check the prices of gold throughout the day using a smart phone.

Here are some of the best apps you can download and install to make sure that you keep on top of the value of gold no matter what the time of days is.

Gold Silver Live Prices

If your job involves trading or investing in precious metals then this is one of the best apps you can use. The designer of this app also claims that this app gives you the most live and up-to-date information there is about precious metals that no other app can offer. This app is packed full of 

useful and easy to use features and here are a few examples:

A price alarm- This allows you to set target prices and lets you know when these targets are reached.

Price Speaking – This feature allows you to stay updated on the latest prices when you are driving as the speaking feature will talk to you about the latest prices.

Gold Price Live

This applications is free and was released by a popular gold website. Although the name suggests it is just for gold, this app comes with both real time price charts for both silver and gold and displays it in your national currency. One of the great features of this app is that it allows you to call gold dealers right from within the android app. If your smart phone has the auto-rotate feature enabled you can view gold and silver charts both portrait and landscape.

Gold Live!

This isn't technically an app but is a widget that is displayed on the home screen of your smart phone. It updates regularly with precious and base metal prices, so you can see this important information as you glance at your home screen to check the time. You can ensure that the information is reliable on this widget as the data is gathered from Kitco.com a global metal market specialist.

Gold and Silver Price Checker

This app is used by many as it is designed to perform two functions really fast, instead of being jam-packed with a number of different features. The two functions that this app performs really fast is checking the current spot price of both gold and silver by the ounce and displaying today's silver and gold charts along side a history of the prices of gold and silver. If you just want to check the prices quickly then this app is for you.

Author's Bio: Daniel writes for Regal Assets, a  company with over fifty years of combined experience in the precious metals industry from buying and selling Gold Bullion and Silver Coins to giving advice on setting up a long term tax deferred retirement plan, commonly called a Gold IRA,. 

Google has doodle for your birthday

If you are a Google user then you must have seen a doodle. The concept of doodle was born in 1998 by Google's founders Larry and Sergy. 

What is Doodle?

Doodles are the fun, surprising and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries and the lives of famous artists, pioneers and scientists.

From 1998 onwards these doodles used to show up instead of official Google logo on different events. But on 1st July, my birthday I accidentally opened Google with myself logged in into my Google account. I saw Google logo with a doodle I thought it must be because 1st July is Doctor's day. But when I hovered my mouse...

I was, at first thought, just amazed for what just happened. Then I suppressed my nerves and looked for possible reason then I saw myself logged in. But still I was happy because Google has a Doodle for every persons birthday.

A surprise by Google but for it you need to be logged in.

Top 8 Pros and Cons of Android Jailbreak or Rooting Android

It was the iPhone which popularised the term 'jailbreaking', which essentially means removing manufacturer restrictions in order to load custom, unsanctioned software on to your device. But what are the pros and cons of doing this with Google's already fairly open Android platform?

Pros

Network Liberation

Many people choose to root their Android smartphones because they no longer want to be shackled to whichever network provider subsidised and provided them with the handset in the first place.

This means that your phone will no longer be locked into using SIM cards from a single carrier and you can explore the best broadband on Broadband Expert`s website using a data connection from any of the available providers to get the most affordable mobile experience.

Early Updates

Another reason to root your Android device is that you will no longer have to wait around for a manufacturer and then a network provider to approve the roll-out of the latest version of the Android operating system, which can take months.

You will be able to add subsequent iterations of Android at will and get early builds before anyone else, with no delays to endure.

Customization

A rooted Android phone can be used in conjunction with a large array of software that would not be available to standard users.

You can customise your user experience to a far greater degree with apps and services that unlock the potential of your hardware and even set up your phone to boot more than one operating system if you wish.

Stock App Removal

This customisation can give you the ability to remove any app that you wish, which includes the programs that are normally included by default and are impossible to delete from a standard Android build.

You may want to erase or modify services that your handset's manufacturer or the network provider has added so that your phone runs more smoothly or simply lives up to the expectations which you place upon it.

Cons

Warranty Issues

What puts most people off the idea of jailbreaking or rooting an Android phone is that doing so will usually void the warranty provided by the manufacturer.

This means that if something goes wrong with the phone you will be liable to cover the costs of repair or replacement, even if the problem has nothing to do with the act of rooting itself.

Software Faults and Instability

Another issue is that there is no guarantee that the rooting process will result in a stable and consistent user experience on your phone, as is the case with official software updates and the factory settings,

It is possible to experience abnormal phone behavior after rooting, particularly if the process has not been properly completed or if there are innate issues with it on your particular device.

Instability can also be caused if you use rooting to over-clock your phone's processor so that it operates faster than its stock settings. This can improve performance, but it can also result in downsides such as overheating, erratic software issues and even hardware damage.

Unavoidable Independence

Once you have rooted your phone, it will not be possible to receive subsequent Android updates direct to the handset over the air, which is something that is widely available to those who do not alter the pre-installed platforms.

This means that you will need to continue to update your phone yourself by looking for the latest rooted software and staying involved in the community.

Skill and Time

The final problem with jail-breaking or rooting your Android smartphone is that you need to learn several skills in order to perform the process and you will also need to invest your time in keeping your modified device up to date.

This may be too much for many people, who will choose to stick with the official, more restricted route rather than attempting to jailbreak their smartphone. For others, this challenge will all be part of the fun.

Ultimately you should only root your Android device if you are confident that you can do it safely and are willing to accept the consequences. It is an advanced process but is one which is enjoyed by large numbers of people who want a more customised user experience.

Author Bio: Sarah James is a writer who contributes to many technology blogs and websites. Those who wish to explore the best broadband on Broadband Expert`s website will find that her expert advice will help them to make the right choices.