Teach Yourself VISUALLY Android Phones and Tablets 2nd Edition

I am so happy that I ordered this book. My hubby and I finally got "smart" phones, and we had such a horrible time with them, until I got this book. Now we can take pictures and accept calls, and we love playing games also. Don't laugh. When you aren't brought up with computers and new gadgets and gaming systems, it is hard to adjust. But this book makes it easier than the other two books I bought on the subject. I will probably order one for my 83 year old mother, now.

"Teach Yourself Visually" sounds appealing, right? Just look at some pictures, learn the basics of the phone first, and then gradually go on to later chapters which explain additional features that you may (or may not) wish to use; nice concept...which this author totally IGNORES! Example: you just bought a phone---first thing, you want to want to know how to make and answer phone calls. This "author" doesn't even get to that until PAGE 148! First, there is page after page of extraneous crap that only a nerd would care about. There are "hang-ups"---of various kinds, although the differences among them aren't spelled out very clearly, Google Chrome, Google+, Facebook, twits, several different types of e-mail accounts, etc. Many of theses services MAY be useful at some point, but the order(?) in which things are presented in this book is patently ridiculous. The explanations are largely inadequate. As you might have guessed, I SENT THIS BOOK BACKSamsung's Korenglish customer manual is actually more understandable than this piece of tripe!

Bought this for husband who knows nothing about tablets or android phones (of which he has both) but even with the visual pictures it is still a little daunting for novices, but is much better than how-to books with no pictures.

It is OK if it were for the correct version of Android, not Marshmallow. I have Samsung 7 with Nougat. When purchased, I did not see anywhere that it was for an older version of Android. It is obsolete, albeit some functionality is relevant.

Just what I needed to learn how to use on of these smart phones.

These are the best books to get if you hate reading manuals. I am more a visual/hands on type of person and these books are great.

good

I'm new to cell phones, so this really helped me understand all the basics. I know a lot more than people who had phones for years, but never really learned how to use them.

As my new tablet's user manual is pretty useless, I thought this book would help me. While it must be difficult to write for all Android devices, the author's repeated advice to 'consult the device's documentation' doesn't help if you don't have any. The book certainly isn't 'The Fast and Easy Way to Learn'. I gave up at page 25 following a lengthy presentation of the mind-boggling concept of 'Skinned Versions of Android'. Oddly enough, towards the very end of the book, there are a few useful sections on basics - added almost as an afterthought - on how to use the built in camera, how to send e-mails and so on. As a retired teacher, I have been treating the Android learning process as a discipline - like learning mathematics, playing a musical instrument or driving a car, but it isn't like this at all. It cannot be learned from any book or course of study. It is a skill you 'pick up' with the aid of a special creative, street-wise mindset, which I'm afraid I do not possess.

Does the job

best book Ive seen so far

These "TEACH YOURSELF VISUALLY" books are all,and there are many for many subjects. They are the answer for anyone not Techy.They are not books that one sits down and reads from start to finish, but are a tutorial in print. Go to the index and look up the subject one wants to learn how to master, and follow the steps as discribed on each subject. The drawing are excellent and the instructions are easy to follow.I have bought and used many and simply would not attempt a new device without haveing one of these books on hand.

As a senior to the world of tablets, I found the visual aids in this manual very helpful.