From the mail bag: Getting new fonts on the Galaxy Tab

George writes, 

I was just wondering if there was any other legit way to get fonts onto this (Galaxy Tab) device. No offense but the stock one on the ICS version, of the Galaxy Tab is fugly. And that's being polite. I tried the whole search online thing, but as I don't speak Korean there were very few I could choose from.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hey there George, thanks for writing in! And don't worry, we take no offense to the fact you think the Roboto font on ICS is "fugly". Some of us like it, some don't, but what's most important is that you're given a choice to use what you like -- and Samsung has you covered there.

Hit Settings > Screen > Screen display > Font Style and you'll see the image above, with a limited selection of built-in fonts. If none of those tickle your fancy, tap the "Get fonts online" button and have a look in Google Play. As you noticed, many of the fonts in Google Play are not English (Latin) fonts. Makes sense, Samsung is a huge Korean company. Luckily, third party developers have you covered.

Fire up Google Play and search for Fontomizer SP. Or just click right here to see it on the web. Get it installed, look in Settings > Security and check the box that says "Allow installation of non-Market apps", then run the app. It has a huge database of free fonts to choose from, and will download and install them, making them available in your font selection setting. No need for root, or any hackery of any kind, you just have to allow the app to install the downloaded fonts. Fontomizer has been around for about a year now, and we think the developer is pretty trustworthy. If we didn't we wouldn't have recommended it.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Have a question you need answered? (Preferably about Android, but we're flexible.) Hit up our Contact Page to get in touch!

Put a little Ice Cream Sandwich in your computer with Roboto fonts

We're all frustrated at the wait for Ice Cream Sandwich on our phones and tablets, but maybe a little Roboto on your computer can help fill that void. The Android design team has popped out some official Roboto fonts that can be installed on just about any device that can display True Type fonts, and they look great on your desktop or laptop. Getting them is easy, just download them from the Android Design page, and install according to your OS specifications.

They'll give you a fresh, clean look that's easy to read and scales great. The best part is that they're absolutely free for use and "without restriction" for use in applications, so developers can use them in things like Web apps and desktop widgets. Sure beats the Comic Sans look. See the source link for downloads and the specimen book.

Source: Android Design; via +Android