An Android smartphone made by the Chinese company E-Ink Onyx International, which operates in the field of e-book readers, is a very unusual device that should definitely be mentioned, even if it is not a competitor to the iPhone or any other popular device.

The fact is that the screen of the creation is made on the basis of electronic paper. This is the first device in its class. By the way, it got the unpretentious name of E-Ink Phone.

At the first second, it seems that a smartphone with a monochrome screen is sheer idiocy. In fact, everything is not so simple.

The fact is that there is a layer of users who do not need too much from a smartphone. They do not play games, but they regularly read e-books, communicate on the Internet, and actively use e-mail. And e-paper is more than enough for mapping services and for not too in-depth surfing on the Web. But this approach has one serious advantage - the operating time of such a device is almost a week with active use, which is very unusual for an Android smartphone.

E-Ink Phone is based on ARM Cortex-A5 processor and supports 3G networks. Despite the rather large screen diagonal of 4.3 inches, the device weighs 70 grams (though it's not entirely clear whether this is an advantage or a disadvantage). Naturally, the device lacks a camera.

The screen remains legible even in very bright sunlight. But it will be difficult to use it in the dark. However, this issue can be solved, because there is already an electronic paper with backlighting.

By the way, with regard to games. Of course, modern 3D shooters cannot be played on such a smartphone. But here are various puzzles, like Sudoku, as well as games like checkers or dominoes. So the owners of E-Ink Phone will not be left without entertainment at all. You can listen to music without a screen at all.

Thus, E-Ink Phone can be regarded as an interesting experiment. The device clearly still needs some work, the manufacturer will have to solve some technical issues. However, the first step in this direction has been taken. And who knows, maybe in a few years smartphones with screens based on electronic paper will become quite commonplace. As the reaction of users on the Web has shown, such a device may well be in demand.

E-Ink Onyx International has announced that it will begin mass production of the E-Ink Phone next year.

I have been using Apple technology since the "classic era", since 1995. During this period, I found more than one sudden and significant (and sometimes frankly shocking) "revolution" in the development of the company. Which, in spite of everything, did not lose its charm. I believe that it will be so in the future.

The top-end Samsung smartphones feature a power saving mode, in which the screen becomes monochrome. It allows you to extend the battery life of the device, because the black pixels on AMOLED screens do not consume energy, since they are not backlit and no current flows through them.

In fact, the black dots on the AMOLED matrix are unlit pixels, and the more there are, the more energy is saved. There are only two types of color in a monochrome picture - white, which consumes power, and black, which does not consume the battery.

If you have a smartphone with an AMOLED screen, but it does not have such a saving mode, you can implement it yourself. To do this, you need to install the free Monochrome application from the Google Play Store. He needs root access or granting access to system files using an ADB command from a computer.

1. Go to Google Play and install the Monochrome app.

2. Launch Monochrome and give this application root access if prompted.

3. If your smartphone does not have root access, connect it with a cable to the computer and use the ADB program from Android Studio to run the following command:

adb -d shell pm grant com.suyashsrijan.lowbatterymonochrome android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

This command will allow Monochrome to force access to the system files it needs.

4. In the Monochrome application, activate color management by moving the single toggle switch to the right.

Now, as soon as your smartphone signals a low battery charge, the monochrome power saving mode will automatically turn on.

Note that Monochrome cannot be manually enabled. The fact is that this application does not hang in the device's memory and is turned on by a system command from the video chip, and the percentage of low charge is set by the operating system. The developers explain: if Monochrome could be turned on at any time, then this application would not save energy, but rather consume it, that is, it would be absolutely useless and even harmful.

Despite the fact that Android is a very simple and popular mobile operating system in the world, it is very powerful in terms of functionality and has a number of hidden capabilities, the existence of which a common user may not even suspect. In this article, you will learn some of these secrets.

1. Quick access to settings on the notification panel

It usually takes two actions with one finger to access the settings in the notification panel. First, we swipe the top panel down, and then either use the button to expand the settings, or open them again with a swipe.

But few people know that using a swipe with two fingers, you can go directly to the phone settings in the notification panel.

Instead of two actions, you need to perform one, but with two fingers. It's easier and faster than doing two.

2. Display finger touch points on the screen

In some videos with instructions on how to use certain features of the phone or any application, you may have noticed circles that mark the places where your finger touches the screen.

If you want to do the same for yourself, enable the "Visual response" option in the "Test input" section in the developer's settings. If you also activate "Draw touches", then you will see stripes on the screen that will remain from your last touch.

To access the developer section, you need to click on the build number 12 times in the system information section.

3. Look at the world through the eyes of a color blind person

In the developer's settings, you can also find anomaly simulation modes that allow you to switch the screen to black and white mode, as well as simulate visual impairments (color blindness) of various forms.

It is noteworthy that when you turn on this emulation, you can see the world as people with such ailments see it - turn on the camera and just look at the screen.

4. Disable background data exchange for selected programs

If your phone sits down quickly, but you do not want to delete many programs, then you can prevent them from transferring background data. In this case, applications will sync and exchange data over the Internet only when you launch them.

For some applications, such procedures are essential. Others may not be included. The gluttony of programs can be viewed in the statistics of Internet consumption in the settings of your phone.

5. Saving a site page to a PDF file

If you liked a page and you would like to save it to your archive or transfer it to someone else, but not as a link, but as a whole, then you can use the saving of the page in PDF.

6. Convenient navigation in the Chrome browser

If you use the Chrome browser on your phone, then do not forget to switch between tabs by clicking on the number to the right of the address bar, as well as close unnecessary tabs by swiping in any direction by their titles.

This will eliminate unnecessary tabs and make navigation much easier. This is especially useful when you need to switch between different tabs to collect data.

7. Fast switching between tabs

There is another quick way to switch between tabs - by swiping (swiping) left and right behind the address bar, you can instantly switch to neighboring tabs.

This is especially convenient when you no longer have unnecessary tabs (see the paragraph above).

8. Viewing files on the device through a browser

Type in your browser file: /// sdcard / and you will see a list of folders and files on your device.

From there, you can run some files and view them. Quite a handy thing if you don't have a file manager.

9. Play Hidden Dinosaur Game in Chrome

When there is no internet, the Chrome browser offers to play a toy.

All you have to do is run and jump at the right time, jumping over obstacles. Everything is very simple. To start the game, you need to click on the dinosaur.

10.Use the power button to interrupt calls

In the settings, you can enable an option that will allow you to use the Power button to interrupt calls.

In this case, you will not need to press the end of the call button on the screen, but simply click on "Off" to interrupt the call.

11. Protect your phone with a pin code

If you are worried that someone might gain access to your device, you can encrypt your device and protect it with a pin code that will be requested when you try to unlock your phone.

If you have a fingerprint scanner on your phone, then unlocking will be as convenient as possible, because you just need to touch the scanner with your finger.

12. Reboot in safe mode

If you hold down the power button, a menu will appear that will allow you to turn off or restart the device. If you hold your finger on the reboot point, the system will offer to reboot in safe mode.

In this mode, all third-party programs will be blocked.

13. Smart Lock

One of the most convenient features of the Android operating system. Allows you not to set a lock when you are in trusted places (at home or in the country, for example).

In this case, in other places the phone will be blocked and ask for a PIN code to unlock. This will significantly save time without unlocking the device in places where there is no need for it.

If you hide the contents of your phone from siblings or parents, then this feature will clearly not be for you.

14. Position the cursor at the desired location using the space

When editing text, every now and then you need to set the cursor to the desired position, but it does not get up where you would like.

In this case, the space bar on the standard Google keyboard will help. To move the cursor with it, slide left or right on the space bar - the cursor will move to where you move your finger. This will allow you to position it exactly where you want it.

15. OK Google

So you can not only call somewhere, find out the weather, get directions to the place, but also send a text message via the messenger.

16. Zoom in on the cards with a double tap

If you need to zoom in on the map, just double-tap the screen in that place (the action is called "double tap").

This method can be used in place of the classic two-finger zoom or zoom gesture.

17. Information for emergencies

The phone is also a very useful thing in case of emergency. If something happens to you, you can leave information on your phone, with the help of which you can save your life and contact your relatives.

In the phone settings in the "Users" section, you can go to the "Emergency Data" section. There you can indicate your name, blood type, address, allergic reactions, medications taken, organ donors, other medical information (for example, chronic diseases).

Also, there you can select contacts who can be called in case of emergency, when you cannot dial the phone number yourself. You can add close relatives or close friends who you trust there.

All this information will be available without unlocking the phone and can be used by ambulance doctors, rescuers or simply caring citizens who want to help you in case of an emergency, or if they find your phone somewhere and want to return it.

18. WiFi control in sleep mode

In the WiFi settings, you can set the rules for WiFi in sleep mode. If you do not want your gadget to consume traffic in sleep mode, then select the appropriate item in the settings.

This will allow not only controlling traffic, but also saving battery power. At the same time, of course, you need to remember that you may have mobile Internet turned on, which will be used when WiFi is not available.

19. Guest mode

To hide private data from prying eyes, when you give someone a phone for a while, it is better to use the guest mode.

Its parameters can be seen in the settings, in the "Users" section.

20. Finding and blocking a lost device

If you lose your device, you can try to find and lock it.

For this, a special Google service is used, which will show the location of your device right on the map and allow it to be blocked. You can also call him if necessary.

21. View your notification history

Notifications in the phone come constantly and you can accidentally delete what you want, which you want to return back and see what was there.

To do this, on the home screen, press and hold your finger on an empty spot until the control buttons "Widgets", "Settings", "Wallpaper" appear and select "Widgets". Place "Settings" on the desktop and at the moment when you move the icon to the home screen, select "Notification log" from the list that appears.

Color Mode Monochrome

The simplest and most primitive color mode - Monochrome(Monochrome), which uses only two colors. The name "monochrome" implies one color (mono - "one", chroma - "color"), but the second is like a "background" on which we paint with one color. Usually black and white are used, but sometimes other combinations can be found.

Note

In Adobe Photoshop we will not find a color mode called "Monochrome", it will be called "Bitmap" - this is because one bit of information is enough to record information about each pixel.

In monochrome mode, you can save drawings, diagrams, text information, drawings in the graphics technique - in a word, all images in which high quality is not required and which need to be reduced in volume (Fig. 2.9).

Rice. 2.9. Monochrome images

When converting to monochrome, dithering must be used to simulate tints. Without mixing, the result will not only be ugly, but possibly unrecognizable. When mixing, you can achieve not only a recognizable, but also an original looking image (Fig. 2.10).

Rice. 2.10. Monochrome without blending (left) and blending (right)

Monochrome images are very important, but they are important not for the designer, but for the printing process. Inkjet and laser printers, printing houses use monochrome printing (ink or toner cannot be lightened and grayed out), and, looking at the page with the printed image, it is easy to notice that it consists of white and black dots. At the same time, different techniques for obtaining intermediate shades are used, which do not coincide with the color mixing technique offered by Photoshop, but the principle remains the same.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 Zavgorodniy Vladimir

Color Mode Monochrome

The simplest and most primitive color mode - Monochrome(Monochrome), which uses only two colors. The name "monochrome" implies one color (mono - "one", chroma - "color"), but the second is like a "background" on which we paint with one color. Usually black and white are used, but sometimes other combinations can be found.

Note

In Adobe Photoshop we will not find a color mode called "Monochrome", it will be called "Bitmap" - this is because one bit of information is enough to record information about each pixel.

In monochrome mode, you can save drawings, diagrams, text information, drawings in the graphics technique - in a word, all images in which high quality is not required and which need to be reduced in volume (Fig. 2.9).

Rice. 2.9. Monochrome images

When converting to monochrome, dithering must be used to simulate tints. Without mixing, the result will not only be ugly, but possibly unrecognizable. When mixing, you can achieve not only a recognizable, but also an original looking image (Fig. 2.10).

Rice. 2.10. Monochrome image without blending (left) and using blending (on right)

Monochrome images are very important, but they are important not for the designer, but for the printing process. Inkjet and laser printers, printing houses use monochrome printing (ink or toner cannot be lightened and grayed out), and, looking at the page with the printed image, it is easy to notice that it consists of white and black dots. At the same time, different techniques for obtaining intermediate shades are used, which do not coincide with the color mixing technique offered by Photoshop, but the principle remains the same.