A few phones (including Samsung and Motorola) require their own special software or drivers to connect properly generally, you’ll have an easier go of it on a Mac or Linux system (easy, at least, in the way you’ve come to expect to edit system files in Linux to make things work). You’ll also need to enable “USB Debugging” on your Android phone (usually in the “Applications” or “Development” section of your settings), and then make sure your computer can “see” your phone when it’s connected by USB. You’ll need to have a Java runtime installed on your system-not a browser plug-in, but the full Java motor. Installing the Android SDK isn’t that painful, really, but it’s not self-explanatory, either.
Install the Android SDK on a Windows/Mac/Linux computer On the SII, holding down the (soft) Home button and (physical) Power button at the same time should activate a screenshot, which then appears in your main image Gallery.
Update: Reader Jay points out that certain Android phones, like some models of the Galaxy SII, have their own screenshot abilities baked in. But the apps I once vouched for in this regard are no longer in the Market/Play Store, and rooting is quite a bit more difficult, and much more risky, than the SDK method that yields about the same results. There is a third option that involves rooting your Android phone and installing root-required screenshot apps. You have two real options when it comes to snagging a screenshot on Android phones that aren’t up to the bleeding edge. Select any photo and choose the Share option (sometimes revealed by tapping on the photo again), which then allows for emailing, Dropbox-ing, or any other means you’d like of sharing your screen. Inside, look for a “Screenshots folder,” where you’ll find your snaps.
Head to your “Gallery” app (which could be named “Photos” or something similar on certain phone brands). You’ll see a notification that the screenshot was saved, and a camera-like flash and sound. Hold the “Volume Down” button, then click the Power/Sleep/Wake button.
If your Android phone is running Ice Cream Sandwich, or Android 4.0, or any later version of Android, screenshots are nearly as easy as the iPhone. Your best bet, though, is to grab the free Dropbox app, then use it to upload photos from your device and share links to entire photo galleries. From there, you can email the photo to yourself, or send it via messaging. It’s not in the Photo Stream, but in the main Photos section. Once you’ve taken a screenshot, you can find it in your Photos app. You’ll know it worked if you see the screen flash briefly and, if you have sounds enabled, hear a sound like a camera shutter. One combination will probably feel more right than the other, but either works. On any iOS device, you take a screenshot by holding down one button while clicking the other: either hold down the power/sleep button (on the top-right of your device) and click the main home button in the bottom-center, or hold the home button and click the power/sleep button.
So let’s review how to grab a screenshot from an iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone. Even on the phones where it is easy, the shortcut isn’t apparent. My editor, big-picture person that she is, noted that screenshots are not easy on some phones. Image via Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows.Ī little while back, I asked readers and passing viewers how they organized their smartphone home screens.