15
Chapter One:
How Do I Get Started with the Motorola Xoom?
in it. For instance, you can use the Calculator app to perform calculations, or the
Gallery app to view photos. You can use the Browser app to surf the Internet.
A shortcut to an app is simply a graphic; you tap it once, and the related
app opens. Everything shown earlier in Figure 1-7 is a shortcut to an app. Apps
can be games, productivity applications, e-book readers, and even photo- or
video-editing programs. You can also create shortcuts to a specific contact, to
a certain Map location you frequent, a music playlist, or even a web bookmark.
Widgets are an extension of
apps as they display real-time
information on your Home
screen and are interactive. You
can scroll through information
in a widget; get updated infor-
mation about breaking news,
the weather, or traffic; or flick
through the hoest YouTube vid-
eos without actually visiting the
website or opening the YouTube
app. Widgets may enable interac-
tion on the Home screen too—
again, saving your from actually having to open the program to access the
information you need. As an example, although Market is an app, the Market
widget, as shown in Figure 1-10, enables you to flick through the hoest
apps without actually having to open the app.
BE CAREFUL WITH WIDGETS Widgets can run all the time, in the back-
ground, to offer you up-to-date information about the weather, breaking
news, sports scores, stock prices, email, messages, and the like. When a
widget obtains its updates or when updates are sent to it, data is transmit-
ted. If you’re away from a Wi-Fi network, it can get those updates through
your data network. This can deduct data from the quota you have with
your cellular data provider. Additionally, running widgets use more battery
power than apps that run only when you need them. If you’re concerned
about battery life and data usage, limit widget use.
Figure 1-10 Widgets are interactive icons.
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