HTC BlinkFeed Tips and Tricks

HTC BlinkFeed is the go-to hub on your new HTC One for the day’s headlines and latest from your friends. If you’re familiar with HTC BlinkFeed basics, such as adding a new topic or moving to the next article by just swiping left or right, here are a few advanced tips so you can get the most out of your stream.

Jump to the top of your BlinkFeed stream

Scrolled pretty far down your stream and want to quickly jump to the top? Simply tap the notifications area at the top of your screen (where you see the clock and cellular signal indicators) and you’ll jump to the top of your feed. Easy!

Keep in touch

With BlinkFeed, you don’t need to go far to check your friends’ social network status updates. You’ll see their posts once you’ve signed in to your Facebook, Twitter, or other account and added it as a BlinkFeed service.

But did you know you can also post your own status update right from BlinkFeed? Pull down slightly on your BlinkFeed stream and hold for a moment until the menu bar slides down from the top of the screen. Tap the pencil icon and choose which social network you want to post to. You can also directly write on a friend’s Facebook timeline by tapping the “Post to” button and choosing on their name. Add a photo to your post to really get some attention.

Show updates from HTC apps

BlinkFeed isn’t just for news and social content, you can also view updates from HTC apps. Don’t miss important meetings by having calendar events show in your stream. Relive past events by adding photo and video highlights from your gallery. Plan out your TV watching by seeing which of your favorites are showing that day.

To switch your view to only see updates from apps, slide down and hold your BlinkFeed stream until the menu shows. Tap the left drop-down arrow (the default is “Highlights”), and then scroll down the menu and select “Apps”.

Manage your data usage

If you’re on a limited data plan or know you’ll be out of the country in data-roaming mode, you can set BlinkFeed to refresh content only when you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network. To change the data mode, slide down and hold your BlinkFeed stream, then tap the menu button and select “Settings” > “Auto refresh” > “Using Wi-Fi”.

Get a global view

HTC has partnered with providers around the world to offer you content targeted to your region and language. Curious what is happening in another country? You can change the local content sources that feed into your BlinkFeed. This is also handy when you’re travelling abroad and want to stay updated with local news. Want a more global perspective? Try choosing “Global English” for a selection of news sources with international coverage.

To make the change, open the BlinkFeed menu bar (slide down and hold on your stream) and tap the menu button. Then go to “Settings” > “Local content”. After selecting the region, choose which news sources and categories that you want.

Focus on the best content

Does a busy day leave you only with enough time to catch the highlights? BlinkFeed makes it easy. In the BlinkFeed header, tap the left dropdown (it will likely say “Highlights”) and then three-dotted menu icon beside “Highlights”. You can then choose which combination of content to show – such as just trending topics and HTC apps.

Change your home screen

You can also change your main Home screen to the standard Android home screen. In BlinkFeed, go to “Settings” > “Personalize” > “Customize home screen”. Press and hold the panel that you want, and then drag it to “Set as home”.

source:
http://blog.htc.com/2013/07/tips-and-tricks-for-using-htc-blinkfeed/