date stringlengths 10 10 | nb_tokens int64 60 629k | text_size int64 234 1.02M | content stringlengths 234 1.02M |
|---|---|---|---|
2010/07/18 | 1,959 | 7,541 | <issue_start>username_0: Why do so many applications require permission to read the phone state and identity?. Specifically:
```
Phone calls
read phone state and identity
```
For example Quickpedia is a Wikipedia portal, but wants access to the phone. What is the explanation for this?
<issue_comment>username_1: It allows the App to read a unique ID (a phone identifier named [IMEI](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mobile_Station_Equipment_Identity)) that's associated with your phone.
It can therefore help with copy-protection or the attempt to track the number of users.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_1: There is another reason for this than the unique ID. I would guess that half of the apps don't access those values at all. The problem is that for a lower version up to Android 1.5 this permission does not exist. Everybody could access these values without requesting something.
Therefore if you create an app that is compatible with 1.5 this permission will automatically be added to emulate the lower security of Android 1.5 because of that you could ignore this permission in most of the times because it tends to be just a compatibility issue.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_1: The reason is that Android 1.5 and earlier did not require the application to specifically request those permissions and automatically granted them. Since Android 1.6, those permissions have to be specifically requested by the app. However, if you specify that your application can run on devices with Android 1.5 and less, then that permission is added to the application by default and the market shows that permission as being requested by the application.
So in summary, the application may not actually be accessing your "phone state and identity" but if the developer specified that his/her application can run on devices with 1.5 or less then that permission will be shown.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Many ad publishers use this permission to get the Phone ID for all sorts of tracking purposes. There are other ways to get a unique ID, but unfortunately they are buggy in older Android versions (the story is more complicated, see e.g. <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2785485/is-there-a-unique-android-device-id> or <http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2011/03/identifying-app-installations.html> for a more complete story).
So if the app uses advertisements, there is a fair chance that the app itself does not actually need the READ\_PHONE\_STATE permission, only the ad provider does.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: This question has been bothering me quite some time. So now, finally, I decided to get to the bottom of the issue.
The Playstore has an app named [permission.READ\_PHONE\_STATE](http://m.aptoide.com/search/view?search=jp.ne.neko.freewing.ReadPhoneState), which requests `READ_PHONE_STATE` as the only permission, and does nothing else than printing out all data it can access with or without using it. I've installed that on my *LG Optimus 4X*, being rooted on stock Android 4.0.3, and revoked the permission using LBE. Results where pretty interesting, as the following screenshots show:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4mfq5.jpg) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2OSRC.jpg) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/f4mMn.jpg)
Information gathered by the app *[permission.READ\_PHONE\_STATE](http://m.aptoide.com/search/view?search=jp.ne.neko.freewing.ReadPhoneState)* (click images for larger variants)
As you can easily see, even some information the dev though inaccessible without the permission, was freely accessible: my mailbox number (remark: Yes, it's the correct one; with my provider that's the shortcut when dialing from your own device, so I can freely display it ;) At the end of the first screenshot you see:
* **`CALL_STATE_IDLE`.** So no phone call incoming, outgoing, or in progress. No app needs this permission to "background" itself on incoming calls.
It's even possible to see whether mobile data are active (`DATA_DISCONNECTED`; I was on WiFi when taking the screenshots, as you can see in the notification bar), which country you're in, your provider (including some technical data on him), whether you're having a SIM card, or if you're in roaming.
The only things ***not*** accessible hence are identifying data: IMEI, SIMID, IMSI, and your own phone number.
**Conclusion:** This permission is only needed for identification purposes, nothing else.
**Why do so many apps need it then?**
* For the ad modules, most likely1
* Because the dev *thought* he needs it (as pointed out by some answers here)2
* Because the app in question is designed to (also) run on Android 1.5 and below (easy to find out, as that's listed on *Google Play*).
Likelihoods in exactly this order, IMHO.
---
1 Note by [Dan's post on chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/13658805#13658805):
>
> Google Play policy now forbids apps from getting your IMEI to identify you for advertising purposes. All the ad libraries have been updated now to use the Google-Play-Services-provided "advertising ID", so any that still use the IMEI for this purpose should be reported to Google.
>
>
>
As it's hard for the user to tell what the app is using the IMEI for, you should ask the developer to explain first.
---
2 Another developer just pointed me to a subtle difference: while the permission is not needed to *read* the current call status (as I've pointed out), it might be needed to register a *listener* in order to be *notified* on *changes* of the call status (see: [Detecting incoming and outgoing phone calls on Android](http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/548416/Detecting-incoming-and-outgoing-phone-calls-on-And "CodeProject.COM: Detecting incoming and outgoing phone calls on Android")). While there seem to be means of handling this automatically when the system calls `onPause`, that might not always be suitable: think of your alarm clock. You might not want to have that automatically *stopped* on an incoming call – especially not when your profile is set to ringer volume "muted".
---
3 Again a [correction from Dan](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/13690825#13690825): *You only get the default extra permission if your app's "target" version is 1.5. If you target a later version but your min version is 1.5, you don't get the permission added automatically.*
---
Updates
-------
1. Interesting that there's an [open issue (21504)](http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=21504) to divide `READ_PHONE_STATE` in what's needed to a) detect incoming calls and related (telephony), and a second permission for the identification details (IMEI, IMSI, etc). Opened 11/2011, still not worked on. Star it if interested :)
2. And yes, there's a way to achieve the same (detecting incoming calls) *without* the `READ_PHONE_STATE` permission, as e.g. [pointed out by <NAME>zel](http://arnowelzel.de/wp/en/android-and-read_phone_state "Android and READ_PHONE_STATE"). As an incoming phone call would trigger the ringer, *that* event could be used with `onAudioFocusChange()`, which does not require any special permission: if triggered by that, the app could check the *CallState* (again, without any special permission required) to see whether there's an incoming call.
Upvotes: 4 |
2010/07/18 | 1,984 | 7,588 | <issue_start>username_0: You can post a link to an android market application by useing a link that looks like:
>
> market://search?q=pname:*package*
>
>
>
1. While browsing the market, is it possible to find an app's package name? Or is there a convenient way to get or share a link to a market app?
2. Is there any way to post a link to a market app that normal (non-android) browsers can make use of?<issue_comment>username_1: It allows the App to read a unique ID (a phone identifier named [IMEI](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mobile_Station_Equipment_Identity)) that's associated with your phone.
It can therefore help with copy-protection or the attempt to track the number of users.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_1: There is another reason for this than the unique ID. I would guess that half of the apps don't access those values at all. The problem is that for a lower version up to Android 1.5 this permission does not exist. Everybody could access these values without requesting something.
Therefore if you create an app that is compatible with 1.5 this permission will automatically be added to emulate the lower security of Android 1.5 because of that you could ignore this permission in most of the times because it tends to be just a compatibility issue.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_1: The reason is that Android 1.5 and earlier did not require the application to specifically request those permissions and automatically granted them. Since Android 1.6, those permissions have to be specifically requested by the app. However, if you specify that your application can run on devices with Android 1.5 and less, then that permission is added to the application by default and the market shows that permission as being requested by the application.
So in summary, the application may not actually be accessing your "phone state and identity" but if the developer specified that his/her application can run on devices with 1.5 or less then that permission will be shown.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Many ad publishers use this permission to get the Phone ID for all sorts of tracking purposes. There are other ways to get a unique ID, but unfortunately they are buggy in older Android versions (the story is more complicated, see e.g. <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2785485/is-there-a-unique-android-device-id> or <http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2011/03/identifying-app-installations.html> for a more complete story).
So if the app uses advertisements, there is a fair chance that the app itself does not actually need the READ\_PHONE\_STATE permission, only the ad provider does.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: This question has been bothering me quite some time. So now, finally, I decided to get to the bottom of the issue.
The Playstore has an app named [permission.READ\_PHONE\_STATE](http://m.aptoide.com/search/view?search=jp.ne.neko.freewing.ReadPhoneState), which requests `READ_PHONE_STATE` as the only permission, and does nothing else than printing out all data it can access with or without using it. I've installed that on my *LG Optimus 4X*, being rooted on stock Android 4.0.3, and revoked the permission using LBE. Results where pretty interesting, as the following screenshots show:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4mfq5.jpg) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2OSRC.jpg) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/f4mMn.jpg)
Information gathered by the app *[permission.READ\_PHONE\_STATE](http://m.aptoide.com/search/view?search=jp.ne.neko.freewing.ReadPhoneState)* (click images for larger variants)
As you can easily see, even some information the dev though inaccessible without the permission, was freely accessible: my mailbox number (remark: Yes, it's the correct one; with my provider that's the shortcut when dialing from your own device, so I can freely display it ;) At the end of the first screenshot you see:
* **`CALL_STATE_IDLE`.** So no phone call incoming, outgoing, or in progress. No app needs this permission to "background" itself on incoming calls.
It's even possible to see whether mobile data are active (`DATA_DISCONNECTED`; I was on WiFi when taking the screenshots, as you can see in the notification bar), which country you're in, your provider (including some technical data on him), whether you're having a SIM card, or if you're in roaming.
The only things ***not*** accessible hence are identifying data: IMEI, SIMID, IMSI, and your own phone number.
**Conclusion:** This permission is only needed for identification purposes, nothing else.
**Why do so many apps need it then?**
* For the ad modules, most likely1
* Because the dev *thought* he needs it (as pointed out by some answers here)2
* Because the app in question is designed to (also) run on Android 1.5 and below (easy to find out, as that's listed on *Google Play*).
Likelihoods in exactly this order, IMHO.
---
1 Note by [Dan's post on chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/13658805#13658805):
>
> Google Play policy now forbids apps from getting your IMEI to identify you for advertising purposes. All the ad libraries have been updated now to use the Google-Play-Services-provided "advertising ID", so any that still use the IMEI for this purpose should be reported to Google.
>
>
>
As it's hard for the user to tell what the app is using the IMEI for, you should ask the developer to explain first.
---
2 Another developer just pointed me to a subtle difference: while the permission is not needed to *read* the current call status (as I've pointed out), it might be needed to register a *listener* in order to be *notified* on *changes* of the call status (see: [Detecting incoming and outgoing phone calls on Android](http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/548416/Detecting-incoming-and-outgoing-phone-calls-on-And "CodeProject.COM: Detecting incoming and outgoing phone calls on Android")). While there seem to be means of handling this automatically when the system calls `onPause`, that might not always be suitable: think of your alarm clock. You might not want to have that automatically *stopped* on an incoming call – especially not when your profile is set to ringer volume "muted".
---
3 Again a [correction from Dan](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/13690825#13690825): *You only get the default extra permission if your app's "target" version is 1.5. If you target a later version but your min version is 1.5, you don't get the permission added automatically.*
---
Updates
-------
1. Interesting that there's an [open issue (21504)](http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=21504) to divide `READ_PHONE_STATE` in what's needed to a) detect incoming calls and related (telephony), and a second permission for the identification details (IMEI, IMSI, etc). Opened 11/2011, still not worked on. Star it if interested :)
2. And yes, there's a way to achieve the same (detecting incoming calls) *without* the `READ_PHONE_STATE` permission, as e.g. [pointed out by <NAME>](http://arnowelzel.de/wp/en/android-and-read_phone_state "Android and READ_PHONE_STATE"). As an incoming phone call would trigger the ringer, *that* event could be used with `onAudioFocusChange()`, which does not require any special permission: if triggered by that, the app could check the *CallState* (again, without any special permission required) to see whether there's an incoming call.
Upvotes: 4 |
2010/07/19 | 195 | 860 | <issue_start>username_0: Are there any side effects of Installing and uninstalling lots of apps on an Android smart phone?
Specifically are there any things that do not get cleaned up that I need to be aware off?<issue_comment>username_1: Shouldn't be any major side effects. Most applications are pretty good about cleaning themselves up.
However, a lot of times you will see a directory at the root of your SD card from an uninstalled app. This directory was most likely created by the app to store some type of data externally, whether it be downloads, backups, etc. You may have to manually delete these if they show up. Use a file manager to browse your SD card every once in a while.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Aside from SD card, if the application connects to a server to provides its service, it may stores data in the server.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/07/19 | 514 | 2,034 | <issue_start>username_0: When I first set up my Xperia 10 (running Android 1.6) I selected a 'dummy account', not knowing that it might be somewhat difficult to change it afterwards to a real account (I wasn't warned).
I want to avoid hard resets or losing too much data. Is there a recommended procedure for this case?<issue_comment>username_1: Should be pretty easy.
1. Just go to `Settings > Accounts & Sync`
2. Remove the 'dummy' account
3. Add the real account
You can even leave the dummy there for now. Android supports multiple accounts.
*Note: I'm running Android 2.1 so the menu options may be slightly different, but the idea and results should be the same.*
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: As a fellow Android 1.6 user (I'm on an HTC Magic), I can confirm that there is no easy and safe way to change the Google Account that your phone links to.
Anything you've saved into Google Contacts, Google Calendar, etc can be exported and imported into your other account fairly easy, other settings and data aren't so easy.
Factory resetting your phone is the only real option here, note that if you've bought any apps from the Market you are out of luck here. The Factory Data Reset option is under the SD Card & Phone Storage menu, and you really need to be careful about using it for the reasons above.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Try this:
`Settings > Applications > Manage applications`
Scroll down till you find “Google Apps” click on it...
Simply hit the "Clear data"....
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: Factory Reset is the only option that you have. But be sure that all your data is backed up.
If you are running on Android 2.1 version then you can try [Erazzer Free](https://market.android.com/details?id=dsoft.ErazzerFree) this app to change the primary google account. But to use this app your phone must be rooted.
As you are running on Android 1.6 resetting the phone is the only option you have.
Before doing anything just do a backup of all your data on your phone.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/20 | 796 | 3,019 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a rooted nexus one with the android 2.1 update1. I have received the OTA notifications for a system update for the 2.2, but it didn't succeed. I must have the phone rooted (for now) so I can have Hebrew on it.
Where can I download the latest android 2.2 (FRF 91) and how should I install it? Dows the upgrade also wipes the contents of the SD card?<issue_comment>username_1: The easiest way would be to install `ROM Manager` from the Market.
It is a fantastic application written by the guys that created CyanogenMod. From this app, you can download and install vanilla ROMs and custom ROMs with a few clicks. Highly recommended.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If you un-root your phone you should be able to tell it to re-check for updates and then re-apply the update.
Hopefully you used something like a recovery image to backup your phone before you rooted it, if so then you should be able to restore that backup to get yourself back into an un-rooted state. *(depending on the type of backup you took originally, restoring it may or may not overwrite your current user data, make sure you use all the available tools to backup any data you care about before restoring)*
Now you're unrooted you can go through the normal Android process to check for OTA updates:
You can see if there's a pending update by clicking the System Updates option at the top of that screen (this will only show the available updates if your phone already knows about them, it doesn't go back to Google/network).
There is a way to force it to go back the Google/the network if an update you're expecting isn't showing:
* Go to the homescreen.
* Tap on Dialer - to open the dialer screen.
* From the dialer type `*#*#checkin#*#*` (that is `*#*#2432546#*#*`)
* After a few seconds, you will receive an alert notification, accessible from the homescreen window shade "checkin result success".
* Return to the homescreen.
* Press the Menu key.
* Select Settings.
* Scroll down, and select About phone.
* Select System updates.
* If an update is available, you should see the update downloading.
* When the download is complete, you will be prompted to Install (now or later).
* You can now re-root your phone (after backing up again) to get your Hebrew interface back. If applicable you should be able to re-use the tools you backed your data up with to get it back again.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Does this help? <http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=715799>. I remember going down the rabbit hole here some time ago and getting the right binary and installing it on my Nexus One.
Hope this helps.
PS - I'd have left this as a comment if I could (not enough reputation :-()
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: try to flash Stock android 2.1 update1 ROM on nexus-1 and then dial this code: `*#*#2432546#*#*` in your phone/dialer application to receive system updates via FOTA.
Once you have updated to your desired version then proceed with rooting....
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/20 | 717 | 2,060 | <issue_start>username_0: I want to have it so that when I take a picture it automatically syncs to a private folder in picasa, is there a native way to do this? or maybe a third party way?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think you can sync automatically on the Galaxy S at present but I understand it is [supported in Froyo](https://web.archive.org/web/20110812080935/http://crave.cnet.co.uk:80/mobiles/android-22-froyo-vs-android-21-eclair-vs-android-15-cupcake-speed-taste-49305763/) which is [apparently](https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/reviews/samsung/71896-samsung-galaxy-s-phone-review) coming to the Galaxy S soon. In the meantime there is an app or two that does this.
[PicPush](http://blog.350nice.com/wp/products/picpush) has a free 30 day trial, then costs $4.99. QRCode for the Android Market below
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/A8gJ1.png)
(source: [350nice.com](http://blog.350nice.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/picpush_qr-150x150.png))
[Docs Pics](https://web.archive.org/web/20120706094829/http://www.androidzoom.com:80/android_applications/tools/docs-pics_gjeo.html) apparently does a load of things including syncing files to Picasa. It is free.
I've not used either app yet. I'll update if I get a chance to try them.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I believe this is now possible if you sign up to Google+.
Install the [Google+](https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.plus&feature=search_result) app. Open it. Then under Menu->Settings there is an Instant Upload option with the following description: "Automatically upload new photos & videos to a private web albumn."
There are also a bunch of settings to control it under Instant Upload Settings.
When you activate this and take some photos, they come up under an Instant Upload album in Picasa.
Upvotes: 3 |
2010/07/21 | 637 | 2,606 | <issue_start>username_0: I just got my 3rd Android phone, the problem is that I must reinstall all my applications every time I get a new phone. Is there any way to store the apps on the SD card so that I can insert the new card and all my apps are there?
I would prefer solutions that don't require rooting the phone.<issue_comment>username_1: This is a feature that requires Froyo, so unless you have a Nexus One you'll need to either root your phone (which you've already said you don't want to do) and install a Froyo ROM or wait for your manufacturer/carrier to issue you Froyo in an update.
Either way, moving apps to your SD card is pretty straightforward. Go into Settings, then Manage Applications. There you should have the option to move your apps to your SD card.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm stuck with 2.1 (HTC Desire) for the time-being, so the APP2SD provided by Froyo isn't available to me.
I use [Appbrain](http://www.appbrain.com) which allows you to keep a synchroised list of the apps installed on your phone in your own (free) online account - and then the Appbrain app on the phone will then automatically allow you to reinstall the apps you had before. I've used it numerous times when re-flashing my ROM.
Downside - it's a fresh install; so you lose any data within the apps. Upside - free, easy and takes the ball-ache out of reinstalling; it also allows you to install apps on the phone directly from the appbrain site.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Hopefully the next time you get a phone it's Froyo or better. I installed Froyo on my Nexus One and it knew what apps I had installed on the previous system and started to downloand and install a fresh copy for the new OS. Only downside was that any data with those apps was lost (like the data from My Tracks) but the NEXT time I upgrade I would imagine even that data will be transfered to the next phone!
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Google has now launched (a while back, I believe) a website for the Android Market you'll find on your phone at market.android.com - just log in with your Google account that you have your phone registered to. From there, you can install apps, browse ones that are compatible with your device, and also view all of your purchase history and library of apps, books, and movies found on your device. I'm not sure if it will let you transfer apps back and forth between phones, as I only have one device, but I'm pretty sure that there is likely a way to re-download purchased apps from there after you de-activate your first phone. Hope this helps!
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/21 | 539 | 1,962 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [What are the alternative Android app markets?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/216/what-are-the-alternative-android-app-markets)
>
>
>
I've had issues downloading paid applications from the Android Market and it seems I'm [not the only one](http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Android+Market/thread?tid=768ff3029eb670cf&hl=en). I've set up my account correctly (I've been billed) but the download sticks on "Authorizing credit card...". I've tried cancelling and rebooting, but without success. I see that some in the linked thread got it working after leaving it on overnight, I left mine on for more than a day and still no joy.
For the particular app I was after I found it at [slideme.org](http://slideme.org), but their selection is very limited. I'm looking for other sites that will allow me to purchase paid apps that have a comprehensive selection.<issue_comment>username_1: Answering the underlying problem rather than the symptom, I had the same problem with the market. It turned out to be a problem with Google Talk.
Try starting the Google Talk application, sign in, sign out then exit the application. Go to the market, cancel any pending downloads and start the download again.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: I am using [AppBrain.com](http://appbrain.com "AppBrain.com") and I am happy with it.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The only competing powerful market alternative available is [Amazon AppStore](http://www.amazon.com/mobile-apps/b?ie=UTF8&node=2350149011). It provides a paid app for free daily. The only thumbs down thing about it is that its available for only few countries. But, this limitation can be by-passed easily (Google it).
Another alternatives worth looking:
1. [SlideME](http://slideme.org/)
2. [AndroidPIT AppCenter](http://www.androidpit.com/en/android/market/app-center)
3. [GetJar](http://www.getjar.com/)
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/07/21 | 1,417 | 5,254 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm using the Samsung Vibrant, T-Mobile's variant of the Galaxy S, running Android 2.1. When I create a contact on my Android phone, I can choose to store it to the SIM, the phone, or to Google. If I choose phone, is there an easy way that I can move or copy that contact to Google (so it shows up in Gmail, for example) at some later time?
The edit menu for contacts shows options for *Edit*, *Delete*, *Link contact*, *Mark as default*, *Send namecard via* and *Copy to SIM*.<issue_comment>username_1: This works on a HTC Hero 2.1: Open the standard "Contacts" app, in the first screen where all contacts are shown press the menu button, choose "Import/Export" and the option "Import from SIM card".
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: [vCardIO](https://code.google.com/p/vcardio/) works on any Android device and can import-export any vCard 2.1 format, even those with multiple contacts.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: This is the simplest way that I found to do it with my Samsung Galaxy S:
1. From the main Contacts screen, hit *Menu*, then *More*, then *Import/Export*, then *Export to SD card*.
2. Connect the phone to the PC and mount the phone's SD card as a removable drive.
3. Open browser to GMail, select *Contacts* then *Import*. Select the file on the phone's SD card, then *Import*.
Voila! On the next sync, they're back as my phone as Google contacts.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: ### This is how I did it (I have a Samsung GT-S6102 with Android 2.3.6)
1. Go to the contact list.
2. Press the menu button [=] in the bottom left corner of the phone.
3. Choose Import/Export.
4. Choose Export to SD Card (remember the name & place of the VCF file).
5. Go to "My files".
6. Find the file `xxxx.vcf` file.
7. Long push on it.
8. Choose Share.
9. Choose Gmail.
10. Send it to your own email address.
11. On your PC, open your email in Gmail.
12. Find the attachment and choose "import to contacts"
13. Google will now guide you through the merging process.
14. You may want to delete the VCF file from the phone's SD card afterward.
### Afterwards, I hid all contacts but Google contacts
1. Go into contacts
2. Press the menu button [=] in the bottom left corner of the phone.
3. Choose More.
4. Choose Display Options.
5. Use the settings under "Select contacts to display".
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: Simple on Galaxy devices (and prob more)
1. Goto your Contacts main list.
2. Press the Menu soft key.
3. Select Merge Accounts.
4. Select Merge with Google.
5. All Device contacts will be merged with Google Account.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: I recommend [Contacts Optimizer](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.compelson.optimizer) (it's free) and you can remove duplicates, move contacts between accounts, mass remove contacts.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_7: A way I just did it as most of these options weren't available (transferring phone to phone)
1. Filter contacts by device only
2. Select all contacts
3. Share contacts to email or however you feel is necessary, I emailed to myself
4. On the new phone, download the contacts from the email
5. I got the option on import to save contacts to Google, which I will be adding a new contact to from now on
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_8: The easiest solution might be to use the "back up & sync device contacts" option as described in [Back up & sync device contacts](https://support.google.com/contacts/answer/9423168), this appears to work even if you don't have the latest Google Contacts app installed:
1. Open your device settings
2. Tap "Google" > "Settings for Google apps" > "Google Contacts sync"
This shows you how many Google contacts have already been synchronized, and how many phone contacts there are
3. Tap "Also sync device contacts" > "Automatically back up & sync device contacts"
4. Turn on "Automatically back up & sync device contacts"
After a short moment, you can open your Contacts app and should see that the contacts appear under your Google account.
---
If you are using the Google Contacts app, you can alternatively also move individual contacts from the phone to your Google Account as described in [Add, move, or import contacts](https://support.google.com/contacts/answer/1069522?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&oco=1).
---
Another option is to export all contacts, for example as a vCard file (`*.vcf`), and then re-import them again to your Google account.
See [How to migrate all of your Android contacts to Google | TechRepublic](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/pro-tip-migrate-all-of-your-android-contacts-to-google/). Though I am not sure how reliable that is and if all information of your contacts can be properly preserved this way.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_9: To make these sort of changes I use [MyPhoneExplorer](https://www.fjsoft.at/en/)
You install an app on the phone and one on Windows. From Windows you can suck in contacts, files, messages etc (for backup). But you can also edit the contacts. See screenshot, you can just change the account. And then sync the changes back.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pvrZG.png)
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/21 | 361 | 1,335 | <issue_start>username_0: Is there anyway to get Swype from outside the Market? Its not available there, and I see its already running on Droid X, so I was thinking it'd probably work on Droid as well.<issue_comment>username_1: Check this out:
<http://www.droid-life.com/2010/03/08/swype-beta-apk-file-for-those-who-missed-it/>
There is a download link, and step-by-step instructions for installing the beta.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There is no lawful way - you can download an apk of the production version on the internet but this is piracy and so unlawful and the beta has expired. You either need to have it preinstalled on your phone (like with the samsung galaxy s) or buy it from their site (which I can't see how to do - it is not on the market, at least not for my htc desire).
There are many other free swype alternatives on the market but I can't remember them off the top of my head.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Swype has just released a second beta, but I believe this is only for those who were on the beta before.
Nevertheless, you can try it here: <http://beta.swype.com/>
To install Swype, you install the "Swype installer" which will authenticate you as a valid user and then download and install the actual Swype APK. They are keeping tight control over the actual Swype APK.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/07/21 | 577 | 2,155 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [How do I perform a full pre-rooting backup of an Android phone?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/5667/how-do-i-perform-a-full-pre-rooting-backup-of-an-android-phone)
>
>
>
I am considering rooting my Motorola Droid, and I am wondering if it is possible to revert back to the exact state that my phone is in right now (ie unrooted, with all my apps, settings, etc).
I know I can backup all the files on my SD card (in fact I have that job running right now). But how can I backup/restore the phone's internal memory?
Is this what SPRecovery does? All of the 'how-to-root-your-phone' tutorials say that you start by installing SPRecovery, but I can't find any details on what, exactly, SPRecovery does, and how to use it. I suspect it does more than what is necessary to load a rooted ROM, but I just can't find any details.<issue_comment>username_1: Could you use [Nandroid](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=459830) to do this? I understand that this creates a full image of your phone for restore.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The Marketplace has a few different free and pay apps that do backup. They can backup apps and the data stored with the apps as well as other things on your phone like your call log.
Backup on Android has never been too big a deal because most of what is really important on a phone (contacts, email) are stored in Google's cloud.
Once you root your phone you won't want to go back anyway!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: Note that you do not need to backup Contacts & Emails etc. They are automatically backed up in your google account.
The state of your apps (i.e. the purchases you have made) is also backed up to your google account. So if you move to a different android phone, you can install them again without having to pay for them again.
For photos, I have been very happy with [**Lookout for Android**](https://www.mylookout.com/). Important features include:
* Data Backup (I use only photo backup)
* Anti Virus (which I never use)
* Remote Locator (in case your phone gets stolen/lost)
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/07/22 | 321 | 1,252 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm aware of the fact that the standard contacts/calendar app does not support birthdates synchronization (Android issue [1211](http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=1211)). But may be there is some third-party software which can make those synchronized for me?<issue_comment>username_1: [gCalBirthdays](http://code.google.com/p/gcalbirthdays/) is what you're looking for. It comes as a Google Calendar Sidebar Gadget and reads your contacts birthdays in one of your Google calendars which you can then sync to your android phone.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Is this still a problem? I see birthdays from contacts in Calendar.
I add birthdays to my contacts in Gmail, and I subscribed to the "Contacts' birthdays and events" in Google Calendar:
1. Under "Other calendars" Add > Browse
2. Select "Interesting Calendars"
3. Select "Contacts' birthdays and events"
This gives me a calendar in Google Calendar with my contact's birthdays.
When I got my android (a motorola xt720 running eclair), the birthday calendar showed in the Calendar app.
You'll probably have to open the Calendar app > Menu > My Calendars. And then Menu > Add calendars. You should see Contacts' birthdays and events.
Upvotes: 3 |
2010/07/22 | 512 | 1,993 | <issue_start>username_0: Sometimes I type in German and sometimes in English.
I seem to be only able to switch on autocompletion for one language and have to add the words of the other language one by one to the dictionary.
Is there a better way for those people who are multilingual?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, you can do this. Here's how:
Note: I'm on Froyo (Android 2.2), so if you're on a different version it may be slightly different.
* Go To your home screen.
* Choose Settings from the Menu
* Choose Language & Keyboard
* Choose Android Keyboard
* Choose Input Languages
* Select the English and German Languages
* Exit out by pressing the Home Key
You're now set up for German and English.
Here's how to test it:
* Open the browser
* Tap the address bar to bring up the keyboard
* LONG PRESS the address bar (or text field, whatever you want to call it)
* Look at the the space bar: it will have the following: < English >
* Now SWIPE/SLIDE your finger over the space bar, you'll see it change to < German >
Once < German > is selected, you're now using the German keyboard.
Swipe again to return to English.
Enjoy.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: What about installing an alternative keyboard, like [AnySoftKeyboard with appropriate language packs](http://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdfilter=anysoftkeyboard). (It's free/libre/open-source software, and it's available from <http://f-droid.org>, which means that it was independently rebuilt from the sources. So you have another guarantee that it doesn't spy, by the way.)
Configure it for multiple languages, and choose it as your default one.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: As Bryan has rightly said by installing third party keyboard apps will be helpful.
Try an app like the [SwiftKey Keyboard](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.touchtype.swiftkey).
It has a multilingual keyboard support and is much better in typing when compared to the stock keyboard provided.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/07/22 | 627 | 2,084 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [Can I install Android on my non-Android device?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6849/can-i-install-android-on-my-non-android-device)
>
>
>
I read somewhere that someone managed to get Android running on an iPhone 3G. Is there an easy tutorial on how to do that?
It's just for testing purposes.
Thanks!<issue_comment>username_1: This PC world article walks you through it mostly
<http://www.pcworld.com/article/196595/how_to_install_android_on_your_iphone.html>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: There are rater complete installation instructions on the wiki for the main project:
<http://www.idroidproject.org/>
Also, while you mentioned that it's just for testing, I can't stress enough how "beta" things are right now; this is not in a state suitable for end-users yet, and won't reasonably be until power management is complete. "Easy install tutorial" and "Android on iPhone" don't (at the time of this writing) go well together yet.
You'll have the most useful results with Android 1.6; while 2.2 (Froyo) builds are currently available (and I'm running it today), you'll find that it's a considerable amount of flux, with large pieces of basic functionality not there yet.
For additional questions or to search for common problems, the [iDroid forums](http://www.idroidproject.org/forum/) and IRC channel (#iphonelinux on irc.osx86.hu) are a good place to check.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: [Looks like](http://www.redmondpie.com/install-android-2.2.1-froyo-on-iphone-3g-2g-using-bootlace-in-cydia-no-computer-required/) a new app called [Bootlace](http://www.idroidproject.org/wiki/Bootlace) has just been released for the iPhone 2G and 3G which makes it an incredibly easy set of clicks to get Android 2.2 running on a 3G. All you need is a jailbroken iPhone, and Bootlace does the rest for you.
See the [first link](http://www.redmondpie.com/install-android-2.2.1-froyo-on-iphone-3g-2g-using-bootlace-in-cydia-no-computer-required/) for a step by step tutorial.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/07/22 | 872 | 3,334 | <issue_start>username_0: I have setup three alarms on my HTC Desire (running standard 2.1 with Sense).
1. Mo, Tu, We, Fr @ 05:45
2. Th @ 05:30
3. Sa @ 07:00
They are set as repeating alarms and the phone displays the little clock symbol in the top right corner indicating that an alarm is active.
I have been running the phone with DeskClock activated each night and this also says that there is an alarm active for 05:45 the next morning. However I have watched it (with it not working for some strange and bizarre reason I am waking up before the alarm goes off) and at the time the alarm is set for nothing happens.
Can anyone shed some light on this? My wife has a HTC Hero that is also running 2.1 and her's appears to be working correctly.
I also have ATK that is running and is set to auto-kill running applications and I have been wondering if this is the cause, however this does not kill the DeskClock app that is running so I am not sure if it is relevant.<issue_comment>username_1: I had lots of problems with this myself, as you suggest my taskkiller was closing it down, on changing an alarm setting it would start back up. You should be able to press and hold on a task in advanced task killer and tell it to ignore the alarm task. This seems to have done the trick for me anyway.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_1: You are certainly not the only one with alarm issues. Check out this [list of defects related to the alarm](http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/list?can=2&q=summary%3aalarm+type%3DDefect&colspec=ID+Type+Status+Owner+Summary+Stars&cells=tiles) on the issue tracker for Android OS. Unfortunately it seems like the symptoms vary depending on a lot of factors or do not seem to be consistent at a glance.
The symptoms you described for the HTC Desire running 2.1 are EXACTLY what I experience. Funny thing is... I have an HTC Hero running 2.1 (same as your wife's)! I can also tell you that the alarm used to work on my HTC Hero before upgrading from 1.5 to Eclair.
**I do have a workaround that worked in my case that you might want to try:**
I found that the alarm was not going off if the phone is not plugged into a charger. Once I started leaving it on the charger at night it works 100% of the time for me. If this doesn't work for you, or perhaps you already leave it on the charger and it still doesn't work, I would suggest doing some research on the [issue tracker](http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/list). If nothing there seems to help maybe enter a new issue to bring it to the Android team's attention.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: When you set the alarm, select the alarm sound that you like best, at the same time activate the volume control. I had a similar problem with my HTC Hero before I realised that the volume control had someohow been set to its minimum. I must stress that the volume must be activated whilst selecting the required sound. Hope this helps.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Go to > settings
Settings > sounds & notification
sounds & notification > do not disturb
do not disturb > play alarms (box must be checked)
Alarm will play even if ringtone is off, as long as alarm sound is turned up.
Press volume up or down
Tap ringtone settings icon (circle with squares around it)
Make sure alarm sound is all the way up!
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/22 | 520 | 2,070 | <issue_start>username_0: Is is possible somehow to distinguish between the phone being off or sleeping without turning it on in the process (this happens when pressing the power button)?
I appreciate that I can just use silent or airplane mode rather than turning it off, but was interested to see if there was a way.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think you can. I just did some tests and even the slightest press of the power button will turn it on if it is actually powered off. I didn't like the having to press the power button to 'wake' up the phone myself. Would prefer if you could hit the home button or similar as a long press.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: This is for the HTC 1. You'll have to see if it works for you. The charge light is red when the phone is off, and orange when it's on. Obviously, that's with the charger connected.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: On my username_2sung Galaxy S I can use either the home or power button to 'unsleep' the handset.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: You can make a call to your own phone number, it is faster than suffering a boot/shutdown cycle.
Also, you can keep some notification just to keep the LED always blinking.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: There are a number of "Shake to Wake" apps in the Market. Obviously if you use one of those, shake the phone and it doesn't wake up, then it's fully off.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You can install a custom lock screen application and use hadrware buttons like optical tracpad to wake up the phone. More info in [the blog post](http://www.absolutelyandroid.com/trackball-wake-up-for-nexus-one/).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: It is a bit of a hassle, huh. There is a slightly unusual solution though: Turn the phone on while holding down the Back key, which will do nothing special if the phone was merely asleep, but will display the HBOOT version within about a second if the phone was completely off.
From that screen, press Volume Up and then Power to turn the phone completely off again.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/07/22 | 256 | 884 | <issue_start>username_0: Can I save a web page to my SD card with the stock android browser? I'm using an HTC Droid Eris, if that matters.<issue_comment>username_1: There is an application called [Save Webpage](http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/tools/save-webpage_hymo.html) which will let you do it, I don't know of any other way to do it in the stock browser.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: [WebMemo](http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/tools/webmemo_jsbh.html) (Updated name [Save as Web Archive](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.fuukiemonster.webmemo)) does a similar thing, but seems a bit more at hand as it uses the *Share Page* menu, instead of having you manually input the url - as with the fore-mentioned *Save Webpage*
Google play [link](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.fuukiemonster.webmemo)
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/07/22 | 489 | 2,028 | <issue_start>username_0: Sometimes I download an app but it fails to download or install. The message just says that, no further details. It generally seems that the app never installs after that. Is there anyway I can find out more details about why it failed? Is there any good way to get stuff to install after this has happened.
I am using Android 1.5 on a T-Mobile Pulse/Huawei U8220<issue_comment>username_1: Can you get any app to install? First thing to always try is to reboot the phone.
If that doesnt work, try downloading aLogCat from the market (if you can install it). If it installs, then go to the market and try to download the app you're having issues with. If it STILL wont download, then open aLogCat and look at the system log entries. Then you should be able to glean a little bit of info of why its not installing. I know this is not a 100% answer of what you're looking for, but it does help and has helped me before.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: Are you out of internal storage for apps? Have you tried a hard reset? Can you upgrade your phone to a newer Android release? Personally I would try upgrading your device first then see if you still have problems.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Does the OS actually tell you it failed to download, or do you just notice? When i was running 2.0.1 i noticed a particular problem with trying to update/download multiple apps at once. If you are doing synchronous dls try one at a time.
Another option MAY be to try using Appbrain. It is an alternative installation app that hooks into market. (http://www.appbrain.com/)
Speaking of which, you could also try your QR reader and try to install via the internet using the programs' QR codes.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: When this happens to me there's one thing that helps every time:
Open the Market and go to the Downloads section, then perform a long click on the stalled download. Cancel the download from here. Now you should be able to reinstall / update the app.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/07/22 | 632 | 2,238 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [What are the minimum specifications for Android?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/34958/what-are-the-minimum-specifications-for-android)
>
>
>
Assuming that the handset and carrier both allow the OS to be upgraded, what is the minimum specification needed for Froyo in terms of processor, screen, and other capabilities?<issue_comment>username_1: Well, i'd say the G1 specs, since [Cyanogen](http://www.cyanogenmod.com/home/cyanogenmod-6-0-0-rc1) has it running on those, from what i understand it was a bit tight to fit froyo on a G1/Dream but it was possible
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Without rooting the phone, the Motorola Droid or N1 is probably the minimum spec for Android 2.2. I don't really see many older phones than the Droid getting 2.2.
With rooting the phone, I would say the G1 with CyanogenMod or similar, but it will not be feature complete as that phone simply cannot support some features, such as LiveWallpapers.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Almost any Android phone can run Froyo (if you root it and it can run [Cyanogen](http://www.cyanogenmod.com/)) but carriers won't be upgrading the majority of the phones that were out before the "Droid" era (which was out around November of 2009). Basically, if the phone came with 2.0 or above it'll probably get upgraded to 2.2 (Froyo) but lots of phones that came with 1.5 or 1.6 just arn't powerful enough for all of Froyo (Cyanogen had to disable a few features to get it to work on the first Android phone, the G1).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: [The Android CDD](http://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrusted_dlcp/source.android.com/en//compatibility/android-2.2-cdd.pdf) has the minimum specs. There is no minimum processor, it just has to be "fast enough".
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I can confirm that I am running CyanogenMod 6 (Froyo) on a HTC Hero - which is not the highest spec phone on the block in terms of CPU, RAM (and anything else come to think of it)
Performance is greatly improved over the standard HTC spin and has given my phone a new lease of life (so I can buy a new laptop instead of a new phone!)
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/23 | 691 | 2,513 | <issue_start>username_0: A few days ago I deleted all of my Android contacts (using the "Delete Contacts" app). Not a mistake, I really want to delete them.
From that day, Android always shows a notification "Sync: Too many contacts deletes".
When I click on it, a menu comes:
`Delete limit exceeded
There are 3960 deleted items for contacts, account <EMAIL>. What would you like to do?
- Delete the items.
- Undo the deletes.
- Do nothing for now.`
When I click `Delete the items`, the menu disappears, and nothing seems to happen. The contacts are gone but the notification still sits there. It has been like this for days. What should I do?<issue_comment>username_1: Your phone is linked to your Gmail account? If you log into your account in a web browser and click on "Contacts" in the lower left, does it still show your deleted contacts there? If you can fix up the list there, it should (?) sync to your phone.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: This happened to my wife's phone too, but I don't remember exactly how she fixed it. I *think* what she did was disable contact sync, then go to Gmail on the web and delete all the contacts from there, then re-enable contact sync on her phone.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: My phone is rooted.
* I made sure all of my data was correct at `www.google.com/contacts` .
Then exported the data (`.csv` file) from Google’s web site to my home computer for safe storage.
* I used the app [Titanium Backup](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup) to “Wipe data” for the apps Contacts 4.0.3 and Contacts Storage 4.0.3.
* Waited (approx 1 min) for my phone to re-sync with google and all of the contacts were restored.
* Finally, I went back into Titanium Backup and preformed a full back up for apps Contacts 4.0.3 and Contacts Storage 4.0.3.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: After switching to Android 2.2, it works better.
When the icon appears, just click to continue, and after a few times it is done.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: I was having the same problem as you are now. Here's what I did in the Gmail app:
1. Go to your Gmail account
2. Press menu buton
3. Press settings
4. select your mail id
5. Under data usage
6. Uncheck Sync Gmail.
That should do the trick. It worked for me.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: Just keep selecting the option to Delete items anyway. Each time you do, about 50 contacts more will be deleted.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2010/07/23 | 1,141 | 3,763 | <issue_start>username_0: I would like to read my Microsoft Excel files on my Android device. Is there anything built-in natively? Is there an application for viewing and editing Excel files on Android?<issue_comment>username_1: You can try [Documents To Go](http://www.dataviz.com/products/documentstogo/android/). You can create, edit, and view MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and even PDF docs.
As a free alternative, you can upload your Excel docs to Google Docs and use the free [GDocs](http://sites.google.com/site/gdocsforandroid/) app.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Here are two ideas:
* upload it to google docs (you can do it from the browser) and view it there.
* use an office application such as [OpenOffice](https://market.android.com/details?id=at.tomtasche.reader), [OfficeSuite](https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mobisystems.editor.office_with_reg) or [QuickOffice](https://market.android.com/details?id=com.qo.android.am3) or [Mobile Document Viewer](https://market.android.com/details?id=de.joergjahnke.documentviewer.android.free)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: My favorite app for this is [OfficeSuite Pro](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobisystems.editor.office_with_reg&feature=more_from_developer#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwiY29tLm1vYmlzeXN0ZW1zLmVkaXRvci5vZmZpY2Vfd2l0aF9yZWciXQ..) but I got it when it was the free app of the day, so I can understand not wanting to pay $14.99... it is a great program though!
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: [OfficeSuite](http://www.mobisystems.com/mobile/android/category/office-family/) is a great app for viewing and editing documents. There are two versions one as a [Viewer](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobisystems.office) (free), the other as a [Pro](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobisystems.editor.office_registered) (payable) version. There is also a [trial version of the Pro version](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobisystems.editor.office_with_reg), so you could try it out if you decide to buy it.
What you get:
* File browser
* Text document module
* Spreadsheet module
* Presentation module
* PDF Reader
* Email reader
Supported formats:
* Text format - DOC and DOCX, DOCM, RTF, TXT, LOG
* Spreadsheet - XLS, XLSX, XLSM and CSV
* Presentation - PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX, PPTM and PPSM
* Other formats - PDF, EML, ZIP
Bonus:
* OfficeSuite Pro is the only Android mobile office application that allows opening of password protected documents (*taken from the Google Play site*)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: You could try [WPS Office](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.wps.moffice_eng&hl=en). It's free and I find it very useful.
Here is a list of features highlighted on official page:
**Spreadsheets**:
* Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel
* Includes dozens of formula and function shortcuts
* Supports pivot tables, freeze frames, sorting, table styles and more
* Insert charts, including bar, pie, line and column
* Edit cell categories (number, text, percentage, etc.)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: Is [AndrOpen Office](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andropenoffice&hl=en_AU&gl=US) any good?
Supposedly its OpenOffice made for Android.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_7: If merely viewing is your requirement, something like [XODO Docs](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.xodo.pdf.reader&hl=en_IN&gl=US) would do the best for you
For both editing and reading, the official [Microsoft Excel for Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.excel&hl=en_IN&gl=US) would be the best choice
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/23 | 1,448 | 5,513 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm new to the Android platform, but am looking into doing some development for Android 2.x, with the hope of publishing an app to the Android App Market eventually. I'd like to be able to test my app on "real" hardware, but I already have an iPhone, which is plenty expensive itself, and I don't want to pay for an entire second cell phone plan just to test my code. So my question is, is it possible to buy an unlocked Android phone and operate it entirely over wi-fi? If so, what features (besides the obvious, like making calls), will I be missing out on?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, it is possible, but it might be tricky depending on the phone.
For instance, I bought a T-Mobile G1 (not the Android Dev Phone version) and had to have a SIM card in it. You can either borrow a friend's or you can do what I did, which was buy a prepaid-SIM card. It cost less than $40. If you have a friend's SIM card that has a data plan, then you can activate the phone. But if you don't want to have to have a SIM card in the phone anymore, you'll have to root the phone and [install CyanogenMod](http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=Full_Update_Guide_-_HTC_Dream) on it.
Now if you bought a pre-paid SIM card, then you can activate the phone over wifi by following [these steps](http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=G1_logon_to_google_via_wifi) (this is specific to the G1).
A G1 is probably the cheapest phone you can get if you're only wanting to use it as a hardware testing device. On ebay it is around the $100-150 range.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Prepaid is the way to go. You can purchase a T-Mobile [prepaid phone for $20-$30](http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/prepaid.aspx), sometimes they even throw in a free $25 refill card. The phone comes with a free SIM card with $3 worth of air time (10 minutes). You need to refill your prepaid phone every 90 days for at least $10 each time, or if you want to avoid the hassle, you can refill $100 which is good for a year and achieve the gold status, thereafter any amount you refill will be good for up to a year. If you already own a T-Mobile phone, you might be able to just spend $7 on the prepaid site to purchase a *T-Mobile Prepaid SIM Card Activation Kit*.
The [CallingMart thread](http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/788826/) and [ePhoneCard thread](http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/891270/) on Fatwallet tells you how to buy cheap refill cards with coupon codes.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Why don't you download and install the [Android SDK](http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html)?
The SDK contains an emulator that can simulate pretty much every aspect of the device.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: My Android Hero needed a SIM card to start up.
However a 10$ prepaid SIM card will do.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: As others have said, a pay-as-you-go SIM is a good solution for any phone. In the UK at least, you can pick up a free SIM card easily. Vodafone or O2 will send you one if you ask them or you can probably get one at any number of local shops. Just be aware that some handsets are locked to particular networks, so you will either need to get a SIM from that network or pay to have your phone unlocked.
However, some phones will work fine without a SIM. I use an HTC Legend for development without a SIM and there is no problem. I just use Wi-Fi and, since it can't make calls, it is effectively just a pocket computer.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I bought a new unlocked Nexus One when they were available to the general public and it was perfectly willing to start up and use wifi without having a SIM. That's probably an expensive option, though.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: There do exist phones that aren't even capable of accepting a SIM card. Phones meant to be used on Sprint and Verizon networks typically don't even have GSM capabilities. They'll start up just fine without one (obviously). For example, my HTC Evo doesn't have a SIM card slot -- this would be an expensive option though, I'm sure you could find cheaper phones.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: The [HTC Magic](http://www.htc.com/www/product/magic/overview.html) "Vodafone edition" at least requires a SIM card, even if it has been unlocked to use any operator. If there is no SIM present then a modal dialog (that cannot be closed) is shown that requests you to insert a SIM card.
**Update**: The SIM is only required to fill in the Google Account details (even if you do this over Wifi, as I did). Once the phone is "activated" in this way, you can run it SIM-free.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: I was able to do quite a bit on my phone before the activation was completed using wifi. There are some things you might not be able to test, such as app behavior after/during a call interruption, however, for the most part, the functionality available using wifi mode is sufficient. You can test call interruption type of behaviors using the android emulator.
You may also want to note that many cell phone companies, including but not limited to att, have significantly cheaper rarely-advertised "data only" plans, should you discover you really do need to do testing using a real cell-phone network (eg: if you made a multi-media app, testing over wifi might perform differently than over the air). Pre-paid plans sometimes also include data-plan airtime as another option to consider, if needed.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/25 | 590 | 2,132 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [How do I disable the 'click' sound on the camera app?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/89/how-do-i-disable-the-click-sound-on-the-camera-app)
>
>
>
If the phone isn't in silent mode, taking a picture using the stock camera application always plays a "shutter" sound. Is there a way to turn the sound off?
I'm using stock Android 2.2 on a Nexus One.<issue_comment>username_1: The camera preference or system preference should have this setting, may be you can try to find?
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_1: I'm on android 2.1 and am on a Samsung so this may not be exactly the same for you. To disable the shutter sound I launch the camera then (with the camera in landscape mode):
1. Tap the triangle on the left of the camera frame to show the options round the camera.
2. Tap the Settings icon (cog) on the bottom right.
3. Tap the spanner tab on the top.
4. Tap the down arrow on the right to page down.
5. Tap the button next to **Shutter Sound**.
6. Select **Off**.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: * Download the [Ring Toggle](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.swwomm.ringtoggle&feature=search_result) App. This is a useful app to have anyway. It lets you switch between these modes: "Ring & Vibrate", "Ring Only", "Vibrate Only", "Silent"
* Set up the "Ring Toggle" Widget on your home screen
* Click on the "Ring Toggle" Widget and set it to either "**Vibrate Only**" or "**Silent**"
Now when you use the Camera app, the shutter will be silent.
Note that Ring Toggle affects everything else as well (i.e. incoming call, email, SMS, etc)
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_1: I located the audio file for the camera shutter: **/system/media/audio/ui/camera\_click.ogg**. Removing or renaming the file (requires root access?) should stop the sound from being played.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: If the stock camera doesn't provide you the option how about simply downloading another camera software that allows you to remove the shutter sound.
(I'm on HTC Hero with sense and it has the option)
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/26 | 694 | 2,641 | <issue_start>username_0: As of last couple of weeks, my phone has been having problems automatically switching between wifi and 3G. When i leave home, I have to completely turn off the radio and turn it back on for it to pick up the 3G connection. When i come home in the evening, I have to turn off the wifi, and then turn it back on in order for it to kick in.
Has anyone else experienced this problem or know how to fix it?
**EDIT:**
The problem is that the phone doesnt automatically switch from WIFI to 3G and vice versa. If I go out of range of a known wifi hotspot, my 3G data connection should be established (indicated by the 3G icon in the top row), but it never shows up. If i work-around this by going in and out of airplane mode, the 3G connection is re-established.
My carrier is Optus in Australia, but i dont think that matters, given that it USED to work and only in the last couple of week has this problem occured.<issue_comment>username_1: The camera preference or system preference should have this setting, may be you can try to find?
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_1: I'm on android 2.1 and am on a Samsung so this may not be exactly the same for you. To disable the shutter sound I launch the camera then (with the camera in landscape mode):
1. Tap the triangle on the left of the camera frame to show the options round the camera.
2. Tap the Settings icon (cog) on the bottom right.
3. Tap the spanner tab on the top.
4. Tap the down arrow on the right to page down.
5. Tap the button next to **Shutter Sound**.
6. Select **Off**.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: * Download the [Ring Toggle](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.swwomm.ringtoggle&feature=search_result) App. This is a useful app to have anyway. It lets you switch between these modes: "Ring & Vibrate", "Ring Only", "Vibrate Only", "Silent"
* Set up the "Ring Toggle" Widget on your home screen
* Click on the "Ring Toggle" Widget and set it to either "**Vibrate Only**" or "**Silent**"
Now when you use the Camera app, the shutter will be silent.
Note that Ring Toggle affects everything else as well (i.e. incoming call, email, SMS, etc)
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_1: I located the audio file for the camera shutter: **/system/media/audio/ui/camera\_click.ogg**. Removing or renaming the file (requires root access?) should stop the sound from being played.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: If the stock camera doesn't provide you the option how about simply downloading another camera software that allows you to remove the shutter sound.
(I'm on HTC Hero with sense and it has the option)
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/26 | 744 | 2,578 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a wireless network set up with a Sweex LC000070 router, WEP encryption and while my HTC Hero can connect to the network, internet doesn't seem to work.
Is there any setting on the router I have to change in order for Android devices to connect?<issue_comment>username_1: Apparently WEP support is thoroughly broked in Android 2.0.1 and above.
<http://answerguy.com/2009/12/11/android-2-0-1-update-breaks-droid-wi-fi-wep-encryption/>
<http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-general-discussions/1253-wifi-problem.html> (also includes a possible fix for WEP by disabling/enabling the router firewall, though I haven't tried it and ain't gonna...)
<http://www.draconos.com/blog/2009/11/19/wifi-on-the-droid>
<http://www.611connect.com/howto/merben_how-to-enable-wi-fi-on-the-motorola-droid> (comments) (also suggests that, if you initially upgrade to WPA to get it working, you can later drop back to WEP and it will continue to work...)
<http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=130d8d289ec5c8f2&hl=en>
That said, WPA is a better choice all around anyway.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_1: This kind of thing is real problem with non-computer devices. Upgrading to WPA (especially WPA2) will fix the phone but could break other devices (old laptops, TiVo's etc). Another solution is to give up on encryption, especially since WEP isn't really encryption. Almost all routers support MAC filtering, and most support "internet-only" connections, This way you can let any device on your wireless that you know about, and let polite people know they shouldn't connect. Hackers and jerks (not always the same people) can still spoof MAC addresses but that is what "internet-only" is for: you are not exposing your local network over wireless.
Obviously this setup won't work for everyone but it has worked for me in the past, and I might do it again if I get even one more device that can't talk WPA2
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Have had the same issue on my droid 2.3.6. It used to connect to wifi but could not browse the internet until I disabled:
Parental Control
from my wifi router.
Hope this will help someone.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_1: When I first bought my tablet, I, too, faced the same issue. I tweaked the wifi settings a lit bit and it worked. Here is what I did:
Click on advanced checkbox under your wifi network name and click "static ip". Your problem will be solved.
Alternatively, you can try either WPA2-personal encryption or no encryption at all.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/27 | 519 | 2,112 | <issue_start>username_0: In my contact list, I entered a number of "household" contacts combined together. For example, "Bob & <NAME>", with the corresponding e-mail addresses, phone numbers, etc. The problem is that, if the e-mail address is also associated with a Facebook contact, it overrides my preferred naming system and shows the name of the Facebook contact. For example, if the e-mail address were Bob's in my example, it would show "<NAME>" instead of the combined name.
Is there a way to force it to use the name *I* prefer it to use?
Note that this *may* be specific to my phone - Motorola Droid. A friend of mine has the Droid X and I might see if his does the same thing...<issue_comment>username_1: As always, it's a different Android device (but same Android version, however) so YMMV...
The Samsung Vibrant (aka Galaxy S) has a *Mark as default* menu option when you open a contact. If you have more than one linked contact (with different names), it allows you to select which name appears in the contact list.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: i use galaxy 5, my phone can choose which contact to appear, i just switch off other contact other than the phone number...problem solved. I used swype before to key in words but it will affect the contact in the messaging, if you encounter this problem, just choose standard qwerty keyboard or number pad.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: As someone replied [here](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6433/how-can-i-specify-a-default-contact-for-merged-contacts), if you edit the account info (in this case the name) you want to be displayed on the actual phone and save it, it will change the displayed name to the updated one. It worked on my xperia x10 mini.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: On **HTC Desire** (*Android 2.2*) you can just click on the **Link/contact source** icon in the top right when you are viewing a contact and in appeared screen there will be a name drop-down where you can choose the display name from all linked contacts (like phone and Facebook contacts in your situation).
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/27 | 491 | 2,024 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm still adjusting from going from my iPod to an HTC Incredible phone.
One thing that is very non-intuitive for me is to press the power button when I want to "wake up the phone" after it has dimmed out. I'm just so used to using the big button on the bottom of my iPhone for this that I instinctively hit the "optical joystick" button all the time by accident.
Is there any way to configure the button so the optical joystick button can pull the phone out of sleep mode?<issue_comment>username_1: Not come across any app that lets you reassign the functions of the keys, it may be possible with a custom ROM image but I've not seen it mentioned.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: This should actually be pretty easy and does not require rooting or custom ROMs, but you'll need a 'lockscreen replacement' app to do it.
The app 'WidgetLocker Lockscreen' allows 'Easy Wake' that allows you to customize which button (Home, menu, trackball, volume, etc) wakes the phone. Check it out on the market, it's $1.99.
There may also be other lockscreen replacement apps out there, but that is exactly what you need: a customizable lockscreen replacement app that supports the feature you requested. WidgetLocker is an example of this.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: CyanogenMod supports this on your phone, though you'll have to root and install it.
One thing I've noticed (and have seen others mention): It's not very reliable on the Droid Incredible. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes you have to press the button multiple times to wake the phone, other times holding the button works, other times I've just have to give up and use the power button to wake the phone. Other phones may be more or less reliable.
What does work well with CyanogenMod (and maybe other "lockscreen replacements") is using the button to unlock the phone. Of course, if you're using a pin code, swipe pattern, or some other security measure to unlock, then that won't work so well.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/07/27 | 1,087 | 3,905 | <issue_start>username_0: I've had an iPod Touch for a while and am used to controlling the music player without having to take the device from my pocket. I've had a look around for headphones that will work with the Samsung Galaxy S's TRRS connector and for players that would work with those headphones but haven't seen any combination that looks like it would work. Is this achievable? I'm also happy to consider alternatives like Bluetooth if that would work.<issue_comment>username_1: I've found a few Bluetooth headsets that would do this. for example the [MOTOROKR S9](http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/s9/):
>
> Works with any brand of Bluetooth®-enabled compatible phone or music device that supports Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) and Audio Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP).
>
>
>
However this is a bit offputting:
>
> For optimal outdoor performance, position music device in close proximity to and in line of sight with the S9's internal antenna, which is located in the base behind the user's head. Placement of the music device in a front pocket is not recommended.
>
>
>
So they'd be fine as long as I strap my phone to my back or hold the phone like the model in the photo on the linked page is. Hmm.
A few other Bluetooth headsets I've looked at include:
* [Motorola HT820](http://www.fommy.co.uk/view-full-page.asp?divid=Vodafone&model=Vodafone+Samsung+Galaxy+S+i9000&cat=Headphones&skuno=7009) (a bit bulky, but does have a wired option)
* [Nokia BH-503](http://europe.nokia.com/find-products/accessories/all-accessories/headsets/bluetooth-stereo-headsets/bh-503) (my current favourite).
I would still prefer a wired solution if possible so will keep looking. I have found that the Samsung Galaxy's TRRS connector is Left-Right-Mic-Ground, so it definitely won't work with iPhone headphones (which are Left-Right-Ground-Mic). However this does mean it *may* work with headphones from other vendors that have the same connection order, like Nokia, perhaps.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: I prefer to stick with wired headset, since they are betetr supported by the software. I just bought the Motorola EH25. It has a mic and button, kind of like the iPod Touch. Generally they are around $20-$30, but I found them [here](http://www.all4cellular.com/motorola-stereo-wired-headset-eh25.html) for $7.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_1: I have a Moto Droid and these two Audio enabled headsets:
[Sony DRBT50 Stereo Bluetooth Headset](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000PCCLPU) Good audio quality, especially bluetooth. Use with Pandora. Comfortable for serious listening. Works as both a Phone headset (Meh) and Stereo Audio (Yay!)
[Plantronics Voyager 855 Bluetooth Headset (Black)](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000UBNFT2) Good Conversation quality and microphone. Use this for Phone conversations and "talkie" podcasts. Supports both Phone (Yay!) and Stereo Audio (Meh)
Both of these headsets support audio controls in DoggCatcher and Music. Not sure about Pandora since I rarely use media controls now that my preferences are tuned.
Bluetooth is way more fragile than wired. You have pairing issues and interference issues, and battery draining/charging issues. Oh and it is way more expensive. Might be worth it, but don't start unless you think farting around with gadgets is a fun way to blow a weekend (and a couple hundred dollars).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I think Bluetooth is going to be your most flexible option. I have a pair of [Rocketfish Bluetooth headphones](http://www.rocketfishproducts.com/products/mobile-phones-gps/RF-MAB2.html). They are fairly low cost, sound great, and include player controls on the left ear unit. They support both the A2DP profile (for stereo playback) as well as the hands-free headset profile for voice calls. The mic is acceptable, but not great.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/07/28 | 293 | 1,059 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a few use cases for this - running or walking to track distance and time, hiking to know if I'm backtracking on myself, and driving aimlessly (well, when gas prices are cheaper than they are now) around an area to explore it so I know places that I've already been.
I did a quick look around the market and nothing stood out. Does something like this exist?<issue_comment>username_1: I've used [My Tracks](http://mytracks.appspot.com/) while walking, and a cyclist friend of mine is fond of Sports Track Live
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_1: I am using [Runkeeper](http://runkeeper.com/) for recording my sport activities.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I am using free version of [Endomondo](http://www.endomondo.com/)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Try [GPS Logger](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mendhak.gpslogger) for this purpose.
EDIT: GPS Logger is a free app for recording GPS Data. You can log in KML/GPX, upload directly to Dropbox or Google Drive.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/29 | 487 | 1,636 | <issue_start>username_0: How do I turn the cellphone (SIM) radio on an Android phone?
The radio consumes a lot of power (30-70%), especially when the phone is idle. Sometimes I only need to use other functions (e.g., clock, web browser), and make the battery last as long as possible.
"Airplane mode" does this but also turns off the WiFi (close to, but not exactly what I need).<issue_comment>username_1: Once you've put the phone in Airplane/Flight mode, you can manually re-enable WiFi. (On my phone at least) this leaves WiFi on and the phone radio disabled. It does involve a couple more clicks but I think it achieves what you're after.
A quick look round the market showed a few apps that manage this setting for you, for example the "[Airplane Mode Wi-Fi Tool](http://www.androlib.com/android.application.net-geekherd-airplanemode-qqiq.aspx)" and "[Airplane Autoswitch](http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-pis4vlg-airplanealarm-jtB.aspx)". Either of these may streamline the process slightly.
Airplane Mode Wi-Fi Tool QRCode:
Airplane Autoswitch QRCode:
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I have been using [Juice Defender](http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.latedroid.juicedefender) to good effect for a while. It turns off battery-sucking functions and turns them on occasionally to allow for syncing and is highly customizable.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/29 | 363 | 1,275 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an HTC Desire and would like to connect USB devices to it, for example an external USB thumb drive to transfer files or a USB keyboard.
Is this at all possible?<issue_comment>username_1: You want *USB host mode*, which requires [Android 3.1 (and up) and hardware support.](http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-3.1-highlights.html#DeveloperApis)
Android before 3.1 does not support *USB host mode*. i.e. you can't connect things like USB Thumb drives, keyboards etc.
However, for the Nexus One, someone has managed to modify the Android kernel to hack USB host support to the Nexus One running Android 2.2 (although apparently this hack will also work on 2.1):
* [**Nexus One USB Host driver**](http://sven.killig.de/android/N1/2.2/usb_host/)
And similar instructions for the HTC Desire:
* [**http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=702742**](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=702742)
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The Samsung Galaxy S2 officially supports USB On the Go (OTG). The official adaptor for the Samsung Galaxy S2 converts your handset's microUSB connection to a standard USB connection so you can connect a USB flash drive. Look for part number ET-R205UBEGSTD.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/07/30 | 462 | 1,258 | <issue_start>username_0: Last year I got a free Android phone at a Google event, and I would like to upgrade it to the latest Android version (probably with Cyanogen).
What is the quickest/safest way to do the upgrade?
It is a developer phone, so:
* The [Cyanogen instructions](http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=Full_Update_Guide_-_HTC_Magic_%2832B%29) do not mention my phone.
* I have no data plan, but the above instructions say "data plan required" ([workaround](http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=G1_logon_to_google_via_wifi))
HTC Magic, Model Number GDDJ-09, Build CDB56, Android 1.5, details:
```
SAPPHIRE EVT1 32B DEV S-ON G
HBOOT-1.33.3005 (SAPP20000)
CPLD-10
RADIO-2.22.19.26I
May 29 2009,14:38:09
```<issue_comment>username_1: [This section](http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=Full_Update_Guide_-_HTC_Magic_%2832B%29#Non-TMobile_32B_Magics_and_ION.2FADP2%3a_AMON_RA_Recovery) of the Cyanogen instructions seems to cover the developer Sapphire handsets
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Unfortunately Cyanogen have not build 2.3-Gingerbread yet but you can get Gingerbread on the MAGIC through Ginger Yoshi. Details on XDA: <http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=932118>
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/07/30 | 370 | 1,404 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [How can I transfer my contacts from an iPhone to an HTC Inspire?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/18796/how-can-i-transfer-my-contacts-from-an-iphone-to-an-htc-inspire)
>
>
>
I use Google to maintain my contacts, which syncs to my Android device. However, I'm switching to an iPhone 4. Will it be easy to transfer contact information?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think the iPhone automatically syncs, but you can download an app that will sync your Google contacts with your iPhone from the app store.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: The Mail, Contacts, and Calendars settings allow you to sync all 3 from multiple different web services to the built in Mail, Contacts, and Calendars apps. These should automatically sync when you open the different apps.
The contacts will be merged by default, but you can filter based on source i.e. Gmail, My PC, etc.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: It is very easy if you set up [Google Sync](http://www.google.com/mobile/sync/) on the iPhone. Sync can also work with multiple devices with the same account at the same time - I have an iPhone and an iPad set up this way. If I add a contact or appointment to one of them, it shows up on the other as well as in GMail. I'm fairly you could actually keep an Android phone and an iPhone synchronized this way.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/07/31 | 1,629 | 6,611 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [How can I stop applications and services from running?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/30332/how-can-i-stop-applications-and-services-from-running)
>
>
>
As I can't uninstall certain programs that come with a phone (My case HTC Desire (not rooted)) how can I prevent certain apps from launching or trying to sync? And hide them? Or "Auto-Kill" kill them
For example
* youtube app
* faceboook app
* stocks (including the sync feature)
* twitter (including the sync feature)<issue_comment>username_1: For apps that sync, any app with an ounce of politeness will have any entry on the Accounts & Sync page in Settings where you can disable syncing. This is certainly true of the official Facebook and Twitter apps.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: 1) Consider rooting your device, it's really easy now with the Unrevoked package
2) Settings -> accounts & sync. Here you can set options around what does it doesn't auto sync
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_1: There is also an app called startup cleaner. I found it useful in preventing some apps from starting.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: To remove bloat ware, rooting the phone and install titanium backup.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Most apps that runs in background should have a setting to disable background updates or something similar. If they don't, then just uninstall them and find an alternative app that are more acceptable. Alternatively, you usually can ask the developer; if the apps are any good then they would have a good development team that listens to their users.
Otherwise, I don't think there is any way to prevent apps from starting. There are several task killer apps that allow you to kill apps if they start; but without rooting or installing custom ROMs, I don't know if it's possible to prevent them from starting in the first place and still able to use the app when you need to.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: You have to uninstall them.
Android apps are able to register with the underlying Android system to receive certain events and service requests, and the system knows to start the app up if those events or service requests come in.
Unlike on a standard desktop apps "running" on Android are often not actually running at all (they are blocked until an event or update occurs ... or to refresh state from the network). In general, Android apps are much simpler to suspend and resume than desktop apps, so the system can swap them out if the CPU or memory are necessary for another app without much complication. So, other than having a clean list of running apps, there isn't much to be gained by killing apps.
That said, if a specific app is behaving badly and using too much CPU for the value you get from it, then uninstall it and/or ask the developer to fix their badly behaving app. But really, if the app doesn't show up on the 'battery usage' meter, then you don't really have anything to worry about.
See [this question](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/755/how-can-i-prevent-unwanted-apps-from-automatically-running-on-android) for some answers for more specific apps.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: [Autostarts](https://market.android.com/details?id=com.elsdoerfer.android.autostarts) allows you to view which apps receive which events and edit them so that you can prevent certain apps from receiving problematic events (the ones that keep restarting the app). As far as I know it won't help with some low-level apps that run all the time and restart themselves with no events occurring at all, but it should help with others.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: With the Samsung Galaxy SIII running Android 4 (and generally starting with Ice Cream Sandwich), it is possible to disable (some) pre-installed system apps without rooting the phone. I'm still going to root it, I think; factory apps imposed upon me which cannot be disabled or uninstalled basically creep me out, quite frankly. If nothing else, it's just...rude.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: Starting with ICS (Android 4.0), you can simply "freeze" bloatware you don't need. This means, you make them "unavailable" (or rather "un-executable") on your device -- which makes them invisible in the launcher, and stops them from being started in any way -- while being able to "unfreeze" them any time you feel the need. No root required anymore.
If you're not yet running ICS -- no way to really stop that without rooting your device. Then you have the choice to freeze or even completely remove the crap, e.g. with the excellent [Titanium Backup](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup) -- which, as a "side-effect" (*lol*) gives you the possibility to make complete backups of all apps and their settings, and that even scheduled. And for cloud-lovers, TB has support for Dropbox built in as well...
Other non-root solutions are only half-hearted: Without root, you cannot uninstall the pre-loaded bloat, and you cannot stop it from being autmatically launched (yeah, some apps promise they can -- but they are just shooting them as soon as they start, so im some cases they start again and get shot again and... you don't want that. The only decent solution in this group I know of might be [Autorun Manager](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rs.autorun) which, in non-root mode, detects such "restarters" and then ignores them. In root-mode it also allows to disable listeners to really prevent apps from auto-starting -- which might be nice if you want to keep the app for rare uses, but do not want it to run automatically).
**EDIT:** Beware that rooting the device might void your warranty -- and removing system apps (wometimes already generally modifying the `/system` partition, which is also done by "rooting" as it must place the `su` and `superuser.apk` there) might prevent future "official OTA updates", as those often check the CRC sum of the `system` partition -- which no longer matches after altering its content. This all does not apply to the "Freeze" of apps, of course -- at least not to the official ICS variant of it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: You can also consider an App Manager such as [Advanced Task Manager](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.infolife.taskmanager) that allows you to kill running apps. Also handy when you have opened a number of apps and they stay open in the background. Simply select and push 'kill'.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/07/31 | 236 | 998 | <issue_start>username_0: Is there a way to add a new contact into a particular contact group which I have in my Google contacts? Similarly, is there any way to move contacts from one group to another?
It seems as of now, I can only create contacts on Android but cannot put them in any specific group. To do that, I've to use the web interface of Google contacts.<issue_comment>username_1: Open the contact, click menu-->edit and scroll down.
You should see a drop down box titled groups just below the email addresses. Click that and you can then select the groups the contact should be a member of.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I have Android 2.3.3 on Samsung Galaxy Ace and it doesn't have any option to edit the groups. I'm managing the contact groups from GMail and then sync. It's a standart feature on Android 3. You can use a third party application to manage your contacts. Some applications have the ability to edit contacts' groups. *(DW Contacts & Phone & Dialer)*
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/07/31 | 623 | 2,438 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an HTC Desire phone running Android and I use the Google Maps application. I can search for locations using text entry but I would like to be able to use the [voice entry](http://androidcommunity.com/android-google-maps-gets-latitude-voice-search-and-transit-directions-20090616/) feature which was added last year.
>
> You can now search Google Maps for Android simply by speaking your query and Google Maps will search it for you.
>
>
>
I have the latest version of Google Maps from the Android Market but I don't see how to activate this voice search feature. I have tried opening Google maps, pressing the search key at the bottom-right of the phone, and then saying for example 'London' into the phone's microphone, but nothing happens.
How do I use the voice search in Google Maps for Android?
---
**Updates**
There is no microphone icon next to the search bar.
*Version Information*
* Android Version: 2.1-update1
* Google Maps version: 4.4.0 (#4414) gmm-android-htc<issue_comment>username_1: I have a Samsung Galaxy S on T-Mobile, so YMMV.
To use voice entry, I start the Navigation application, not Maps; one of the menu options it displays is "Speak destination". Navigation wasn't available on the phone when I first got it; I first noticed it about a week ago (I noticed Latitude and Places arrived at the same time, so might all have been part of the same push).
EDIT: To get voice entry in Maps, press and hold the Search key, which gives you a general search. To search for a location, I use Menu > Search, then there's a microphone icon on the search bar. In Menu > Directions, you can focus on either the `From` or `To` input boxes, and again you'll get the search bar with a microphone icon. If I use Menu > Directions to speak a location, it works as if I'm doing a map search, so I have to go back and select the location again in the Directions input box.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Press the search key, this brings up a search bar you can type into, with a magnifying glass icon on the right. To the right of this icon is a microphone which activates voice search.
If you don't have that icon, check which version of Maps, and which version of the Android OS is installed. In the maps application, press menu, then choose "more", then "about". To find the phone version, go to settings, about phone, and see "firmware version".
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/31 | 583 | 2,264 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [Can I install Android on my non-Android device?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6849/can-i-install-android-on-my-non-android-device)
>
>
>
One of my friends recently got an HTC Touch Pro 2(US Cellular) and I really like it. It has Windows Mobile on it, but somehow he downloaded a special program to his SD card so that he runs some Windows program and it will boot Android. To get back to factory settings, he just has to turn the phone off and on.
I looked for a similar phone for my carrier(AT&T) and the closest thing to it is the HTC Tilt 2. I'm aware of some of the changes including different keyboard and no 3.5mm jack. Is it crippled in anyway which would prevent me from doing the same thing my friend did though? Also would it void the warranty or anything like that? Also, one last question. When running Android like that do you have "root" capabilities? Like can I install unofficial applications and/or get to a root terminal?<issue_comment>username_1: It is possible, however as you mentioned it is not completely compatible yet. Some hardware pieces like the camera (and I think speakerphone) will not work for the ATT T2.
Check out the [XDA-Developers forum](http://forum.xda-developers.com/), specifically rhodium (what our phones are) for more info on the Android developement & cooked winmo ROMs.I don't recall of the top of my head if you need to run Hard-SPL or not to boot into Android off the card of or not, but if you do need to, that'll void the warranty.
Although, in my opinion it's worth it to at least go with a cooked Winmo ROM or Android... even if it voids the warranty.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: You don't need HardSPL, as you cannot flash Android yet. It just boots from WinMo via Haret, and after a reboot WinMo returns. You might want to backup your SD card contents just in case.
There is work underway in the flashing area, so we can replace WinMo completely and get a nice performance boost to boot. I already have it on the Kaiser and love it, but with the newer MSM based phones it is not there yet (actually AFAICT the problem isn't the flashing itself but initializing the hardware without the help of WinMo).
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/31 | 358 | 1,221 | <issue_start>username_0: In a similar vein to [this question](http://gadgets.stackexchange.com/questions/487), I'm interested in finding any useful recipes for [Tasker](http://tasker.dinglisch.net/).
I've found several [profiles](http://tasker.wikidot.com/profile-index) and ["Step Throughs"](http://tasker.wikidot.com/step-throughs) on their wiki, but would be interested in any others that people have found helpful.<issue_comment>username_1: [Launching ConnectBot remote commands](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1315/are-there-any-command-line-ssh-clients-available-for-rooted-android-phones/1459#1459) in answer to another question.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Here's a good one I found on Lifehacker a while back.
<http://lifehacker.com/5611003/build-a-find-my-iphone-clone-for-android>
I changed a few things when I did it, like allow the text to come from any phone and send the reply to that phone, and making the SOS text a passphrase so that nobody accidentally sent it to me.
I also made one that turned my ringer up and played a song for when I lose my phone around the house. I can just text my phone 123findme and it will play a song even if I left it on vibrate mode.
Upvotes: 3 |
2010/07/31 | 629 | 2,314 | <issue_start>username_0: This is driving me nuts. I have SeePU installed so that I can see a CPU graph on my Moto Droid. When I unlock the phone after being idle for a while, the CPU is pegged by android.process.acore and the phone is unusable for 15-45 seconds, which is an eternity when you are trying to answer the phone!
Tech details:
* Moto Droid
* OS 2.2 CyanogenMod v6 (also happens with 2.1 stock)
* Launcher: LauncherPro (also happens with DXTop, and ADW Launcher)
* No task killer
Apps:
<http://www.appbrain.com/user/mark_porter/apps-on-the-phone>
**UPDATE:** I un-installed most of my apps, and I seem to have licked the problem for now. I'm gonna try adding one app back a day until it gets stupid again. If I can find a particular app that causes this problem, I'll post it here<issue_comment>username_1: Are you over/underclocking your CPU at all and/or using profiles?
A lot of users will underclock their CPU when the phone is sleeping, which may save battery. However, if you underclock too much (125 MHz), the phone will lag like crazy when it wakes. It is recommended to never underclock further than 250 MHz.
Aside from that, I'm not really sure anything would cause this to happen and would need more information to help you diagnose.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: I have had a lot of pegged-CPU, laggy-phone problems with my MT3G stock Android phone. At different times, I have thought it was due to specific apps, but it usually comes back. Certain apps make it worse, Better Keyboard seemed epecially bad, but I'm not sure any one app is the root cause. I have Master Re-Set a few times, it eventually comes back. Very, very frustrating. (I use Wing Tseng's Task Manager to see CPU usage.)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If it reoccurs again and you have trouble pinning down which app it is, I would recommend Watchdog (free version is more than sufficient). You can use it to to track down what is eating up CPU so you can eliminate the program directly instead of having to remove it all and swap them all in individually.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Instead of doing that, just try the [WatchDog app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zomut.watchdog) which finds which apps uses a lot of memory or slow down your Android phone.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/02 | 332 | 1,268 | <issue_start>username_0: When my HTC Desire boots, I can first see a purple Android (?) icon, then a white background and the 'HTC' text, then a short animation with text 'T-Mobile'. Does that mean that I got a branded phone? The rest of the system doesn't show any signs of T-Mobile and I'm on a Vodafone prepaid 'contract'.
I'm worried that I got a branded phone (which means I'll get Froyo later than other HTC Desire owners) even though I'm not with T-Mobile.<issue_comment>username_1: I think all that matters is which phone you have and which carrier you are on. Updates are always pushed out by the carriers to their subscribers. So, Vodaphone will send out the update to all Desire's on their network, including yours, and you will be good to go.
If there is an issue when the time comes, then a quick call to your carrier should sort it out.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_1: Being that you get a T-Mobile graphic then I would say yes you have a branded Desire. Having said that my father has a branded O2 Desire and he has already received the Froyo update (today - Monday). I too have an O2 branded Desire, but I have not received Froyo yet which I suspect is because I am on a Business plan with O2, whereas my father has a personal plan.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/08/02 | 582 | 1,864 | <issue_start>username_0: Is there a media player for android that can play an mp3 10% faster or slower if the user wants to?<issue_comment>username_1: [Rockbox](http://www.rockbox.org/) has a [very early port](http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/AndroidPort) to Android that allows speeding up an MP3 once the [Timestrech](http://download.rockbox.org/daily/manual/rockbox-sansae200v2/rockbox-buildch6.html#x9-1140006.10) option is enabled. The port is very functional, but the UI and integration with Android still leave much to be desired. <NAME> of LWN did a [good summary article](http://lwn.net/Articles/408626/) a few weeks ago. The most important [piece of advice](http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=14177.msg171653#msg171653) before using it:
>
> Imagine that your screen is a 3x3 grid, where the middle is used as the selector,
> left-right-up-down are used as cursor keys. The other directions have special
> functions in some screens, e.g. in Now Playing screen with the upper left you can
> access some playback mode settings.
>
>
>
Having previously enjoyed Rockbox on a several previous Sansa players, I personally excuse the UI shortcomings and use it when playing long stretches of podcasts. I like that set the playback speed (independant of the pitch) from 50% of the original speed to (at least) 200%. In increments of a tenth of a percent. Depending on the subject and the speed with which people speak, I will listen to a podcasts at 175%, 166%, 150%, 133%, or 125%.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I wrote [Osplay](http://www.aocate.com/osplay), which does this as its main feature. I consider it a stable product and am now only issuing bugfixes.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: VLC For Android has a feature to play faster or slower
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.videolan.vlc&hl=en>
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/08/04 | 670 | 2,612 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [What is the difference between: Rooting, Jailbreak, ROM, Mod, etc](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2885/what-is-the-difference-between-rooting-jailbreak-rom-mod-etc)
>
>
>
Is either possible, legal, contractually legit and does either damage the phone?<issue_comment>username_1: As I understand it, unlocking (with any phone) is allowing it to work with other carriers, as you've surmised.
In the Android world, the "correct" term for the equivalent of "jailbreaking" (which seems to be an iPhone-centric term) appears to be "rooting" (which is much more technically descriptive, anyway). Rooting, as I understand it, is gaining root access to the device, which allows you to basically do anything you can figure out how to (install custom ROMs, access previously locked-down functions such as wifi tethering, etc.).
Rooting/jailbreaking is now [apparently explicitly legal](http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/26/library-of-congress-adds-dmca-exception-for-jailbreaking-or-root/), although doing some of the things that many people root to be able to do is not, if it violates your carrier's terms of service (i.e. wifi tethering).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: If you were to unlock your Android phone, this would be to allow a SIM from any provider to be used in the handset. Phones are usually locked to a provider when they are purchased (the idea being to stop you using other SIM cards after buying your phone). You can however get a sim unlock code from the network when you contract runs out. You can also buy the handsets with no contract unlocked.
Jailbreaking (or rooting as its known on Android) allows you to do a few different things, the main use seems to be either tethering (however it seems that more phones are offering this as standard), or installing a custom firmware.
One thing to mention, is rooting your phone will invalidate your warranty, so if you get stuck, you will be on your own (however there are many sites out there full of people who will help you if things go wrong). There is a small risk of bricking the phone (however there are ways to recover from this too on some handsets).
Personally I've rooted my Android device and have enjoyed playing with custom firmware and it's generally been smooth sailing (although as it takes a long time to boot after flashing a new firmware, the first time I was a bit worried :P). However, I would suggest doing a fair bit of reading around first, and only approaching this once you're sure you know what you're doing.
Hope this helps!
Upvotes: 3 |
2010/08/04 | 282 | 999 | <issue_start>username_0: I want to be able to change the time interval between flashes of the LED when I have a new notification. Is this possible on the HTC Incredible running 2.1 (eclair) or even on 2.2 (froyo)?
I don't really want to flash my device or install a custom build of android, etc.<issue_comment>username_1: I'm pretty sure I've only seen this feature on rooted Android phones running custom ROMs.
I've seen it on some custom ROMs in the 'Messaging' app, but never as a general system-wide setting. I'm going to say that no, this isn't possible right now, at least on stock Android.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: My answer [here](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/393/phone-led-only-flashes-for-a-few-minutes-after-receiving-a-notification/397#397) for a similar question points to the [Missed Reminder app](http://www.appbrain.com/app/missed-reminder/ru.orangesoftware.areminder) which appears to have an adjustable LED interval setting. Hope it helps.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/08/05 | 240 | 1,006 | <issue_start>username_0: I use the android media player to listen to music. Last week I installed an app that brings a lot of sounds with it in mp3 format and saves them on the SD Card to prevent the app from cluttering my internal memory. Now the media player picked up this folder and added it to my playlist. Every time I listen in shuffle mode I hear a sound from this Application mixed in at least every tenth song I listen to.
Is it possible to exclude a folder from being indexed by the media player?<issue_comment>username_1: As I understand it it's possible to add a **.nomedia** file into a folder that you want to exclude from media scans. I've not had occasion to test this myself but the comments on this [issue](http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3129) seems to confirm that it works.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Meridian Media Player (free in the Market) specifically facilitates this, allows digging deep into a folder structure and other goodies too.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/06 | 304 | 1,073 | <issue_start>username_0: I love the Navigation app on Android. The voice it uses is fine, but I'd like a little variety. I'd settle for it using the British voice that's available on the phone. However, I've changed the `Text-to-speech` setting on the phone for language to British, but it hasn't changed the voice used by Navigation. There is not a setting in Navigation for the voice. Assuming it uses the "locale" setting, my only options on the Droid are "English" or "Español".
Am I stuck? Does this require root?
In case it matters, I'm still currently on Android 2.2.<issue_comment>username_1: This is apparently not possible with Android 2.2 on Motorola Droid.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The SVOX Classic TTS system replaces the (robotic) native Android Pico\_TTS
(and Pico\_TTS is generating the speech onboard the phone)
free main application
<https://market.android.com/details?id=com.svox.classic>
$3 voices like the British Victoria voice
<https://market.android.com/details?id=com.svox.classic.langpack.eng_gbr_fem>
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/07 | 348 | 1,309 | <issue_start>username_0: There are lots of wifi hotspots that are open, but require a web-based login to use. Hotels, coffeeshops, workplaces. For password-protected wifi, it's easy to set up Android phones to remember the login and password. But I'd like to be able to use my workplace's open wifi with web-based password on a regular basis, without having to manually type stuff in. It should just automatically connect to the Wifi router, go to <http://1.1.1.1> or whatever, type in my password, and then everything else should just work. Is this possible?
(HTC Evo running Android 2.2, fwiw...)<issue_comment>username_1: The best you can do is set it up to auto-connect to the network and then manually open a browser when you're in range. Save the username and password in the browser. That gets it down to 2 clicks (er... touches). Make sure Remember Passwords is on the the browser's settings.
There are some apps that claim to do what you want but I've never used them. [Here](https://www.appszoom.com/android-apps/auto-login-hotspots) is a list.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: [WIFI Web Login](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androidyou.wifiloginnew) works great for those that require a username/password or an email, or even just a checkbox to agree the EULA.
Upvotes: 3 |
2010/08/07 | 997 | 4,217 | <issue_start>username_0: I noticed that my Motorola Droid, running rooted 2.2 Froyo, has been acting sluggish sometimes. I fired up the terminal emulator, and ran `top`, and noticed that `/system/bin/mediaserver` is using around 90% of my CPU.
What does this program do? Is it safe to kill it? How can I prevent it from slowing down my phone in the future?
Some quick Googling has turned up other people with the same problem, but not really any answers.<issue_comment>username_1: The media server is responsible for indexing the images, videos and music files on the device. It then is queried by programs like the media gallery or the music player for filtered lists of certain media types.
I think that it would be restarted pretty fast after killing. I would assume that somehow there are many write options on the sd card and the media server will constantly reindex your mass storage. But I don't know a solution for that.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: As Janusz explained, this program scans and indexes media files on the internal and removable storage. Sometimes the media scanner using a lot of CPU can be a result of it trying to scan one or more corrupted files. This is usually a symptom of your SD card starting to fail. Try scanning your SD card's filesystem for errors on a proper computer (e.g. using `fsck` on a GNU/Linux system, or Scandisk on Windows). If any errors are detected and fixed, put the SD card back in your phone and see if the problem goes away.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Simplest solution is, if you can identify where in memory card you have junk image files, then just place a .nomedia file. Which avoids scanning that perticular folder for indexing media files (Note: It will also not appear in gallery).
In my case I did that to Whatsapp images folder, which had hell lot of images but I dont want it to be appearing in my gallery. So I thought it would work for me.
Same way you find out such content and then try to clean up unwanted stuff, also look for any corrupted media files also and remove them.
This is a dirty hack, not permanent fix.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: In my particular case the `mediaserver` process was spinning with scanning the temporary/junk files cached by the browser and other programs. As long as I started running a junk file cleanup program at least daily I no longer have this problem.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: >
> What is /system/bin/mediaserver on Android ?
>
>
>
as you may already know it's a binary file it is used by android to scan the phone's storage for media files (images , sounds and videos ) android usually run it on boot and on media storage changes (like sending new files from pc via mtp ,removing and inserting SD card or usb OTG storage devices ,downloading new media files ect .. )
>
> why is it pegging the CPU?
>
>
>
Now that can be for multiple reasons I will list some of them
1. SD card ,media Storage ,USB devices corrupted file system : in some cases the storage gets corrupted which make the `mediaserver` use more resources to scan and in some cases the process gets stuck with an i/o error that it can't handle.
2. some third party applications may abuse the use of `mediaserver` in so many ways ,like forcing the android system to rescan explicitly or passively ,explicitly is when the application developer made it so in this case only removing that app or contacting the developer may solve the problem but when the app passively make the media server run like when an app writes junk or cache media files (images ,sounds ,video ) in directories that are not exclude by the media scanner which forces the android system to rescan more often to prevent this you need to find the folder where this app puts junk files and exclude it from the media scanner by creating an empty file named `.nomedia` inside that folder in fact you can use this methode to exclude any folder from being scanned my the media scanner.
the point is ,the problem is not in the `mediaserver` binary it self because this binary can be used by any third party app which makes it difficult to determine who is abusing it's use.
I hope this answers your question
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/09 | 254 | 1,037 | <issue_start>username_0: One of the notable features missing from the HTC desire that is found on the Nexus one is the speech to text.
I am using google voice search and am impressed therefore what is the best software (free or paid) to enable the dictation of emails and text messages.<issue_comment>username_1: Have a look at Vlingo: <http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.vlingo.client>
It learns over time and many people find it more accurate than google's voice recognition.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I have an HTC Desire and speech to text works fine. Are you holding down the microphone keyboard button to the left of the space bar?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Full text to speech is only hidden and can be re-enabled in older HTC versions of android through a keyboard hack. Alternatively you can install goggle voice search just to enable search via voice.
Text to search is fully supported by HTC in the Froyo software update and can be accessed via the keyboard or holding down the search key.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/10 | 282 | 1,103 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [How can I uninstall applications that are locked by phone vendor?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6851/how-can-i-uninstall-applications-that-are-locked-by-phone-vendor)
>
>
>
My HTC Desire from Orange came with a number of pre-installed demo applications and games, these cannot be removed normally from the application settings or from the market place.
What is the best way I can remove them and free up the space for applications I actually want?<issue_comment>username_1: Generally the only way to remove these manufacturer-added apps is to root the phone.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Root your phone first, then use Root Uninstaller to remove all the bloatware. This is similar to another question Acer Liquid, but there Root uninstaller was not successful, but on my lg p500 it wokred perfectly. SO try it.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Other way could be to get a generic image for your phone and flash it. The Problem with that is that such a image is mostly not available in the net.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/10 | 559 | 2,157 | <issue_start>username_0: My phone (T-Mobile Pulse/Huawei U8220 with Android 1.5) doesn't have much on board space, so I quite often run into the low disk space warning. Looking through the list of apps, I see the facebook app has about 2.5 MB of user data. I suspect most of this is a photo album I looked at recently. But I can't seem to find any option to clear that cache ...
Does anyone know how to? I'm happy to use a file manager and go into the filesystem to delete stuff if I can find it and someone can reassure me that I'm not going to stuff up the facebook app at the same time.
And I don't want to uninstall and reinstall because [nothing will install any more](http://gadgets.stackexchange.com/questions/603/android-an-app-failed-to-download-install-what-do-i-do).<issue_comment>username_1: Here are the instructions for Android 2.2, not sure if it will work for 1.6, but you may want to give this a try.
* Home Screen
* Menu --> Settings
* Applications
* "All"
* Select "Facebook"
* "Clear Cache". If you want to delete ALL data, choose "Clear Data"
These instructions work for all apps, not just facebook.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: The only way you can clear that cache would probably be to delete system files which would only be possible if you were rooted. There might be a market app to help with that, not sure. Try googling something like "android app clear cache". Also keep in mind few apps were written for 1.5.
I would try upgrading to Android 1.6 at least and then see if you have more options. 1.6 is more stable and gives more options too. Plus the upgrade will likely clear out cache and give you a fresh start.
Also if you root your device there would be more opportunities for storing apps and such on sd card which would help with your internal storage issues. Check out XDA Forums to see if rooting your device is possible.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: The "clear data" option is available on Froyo (2.2) without rooting your phone. It doesn't show what data is there, however.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: So far I believe the only way to clear your cache is a hard reboot.
Upvotes: -1 |
2010/08/10 | 490 | 1,689 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [Can I install Android on my non-Android device?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6849/can-i-install-android-on-my-non-android-device)
>
>
>
I know it is possible to [install Android on an iPhone 3G](http://gadgets.stackexchange.com/questions/571/installing-android-on-iphone-3g).
How about the iPhone 4? Is it possible to run Android on it? If yes, how, and what are the risks?
If no, is that a "not yet" or a "can't happen, because of X"?<issue_comment>username_1: I'd say "not yet", at this moment.
My suggestion is to keep your eye on this page: <http://www.idroidproject.org/wiki/Status>
As you can see from the Wiki table on the iPhone4, the iDroid project participants aren't even sure exactly what hardware is in it yet. So writing code for it without that knowledge is a bit of a challenge.
Seeing as iDroid doesn't even run on iPhone 3GS, I would guess that it's gonna be a while before it runs on the iPhone4. Although, they do have it listed on the Wiki, so the iDroid devs are probably considering it at some point "down the road".
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: I have it installed on my 3G, and it's just for scientific purposes. I just want to learn more about the filesystem and innerworkings of both OSes. To that end, I think it's very interesting. Not at all useful though. It crashes frequently, [I have not yet been able to connect to a WiFi network](http://gadgets.stackexchange.com/questions/1076/connect-to-wep-secured-mywi-network-from-iphodroid), and when it does run, it's kinda sluggish. But if you've got an **\* EXTRA \*** iPhone, I would say go for it.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/11 | 269 | 1,086 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a Windows Mobile phone(HTC Tilt 2) and put Android on it(on the SD card only). When I was messing around with some stuff I accidentally set the display brightness of Android to 0%. So now nothing will ever show up on my screen.How can I fix this without doing a clean install of Android?<issue_comment>username_1: Is it the case that you can't see anything at all, or is it just really, really dark at the moment? Most LCD screens will show something faintly, even without a backlight, if you can get them in the right light.
If you can see something then the easiest way to turn the lights up (if you're using Android 1.6+) is to add the Power Control widget to the home screen and then tap the far-right button on the Power Control Bar, this should turn the brightness to half and then full, and you should be able to get to the rest of your settings then.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Use Apk 1.3 (PC) to access tablet and screen shot shows what is in the screen. Keep refreshing screen shot as you press tablet options.
<NAME>.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/11 | 384 | 1,439 | <issue_start>username_0: I deleted all of my contacts from Google and from my HTC incredible so that I could reload them all in just Google. As a result, the calendar on my phone has 2 entries on the "contacts birthdays and events" calendar on my phone. The calendar in my Google account only has 1 entry. The android calendar even has a birthday for a contact I deleted.
Has anyone else seen this and have a fix?<issue_comment>username_1: Remove the google-account from your android system (sync settings), than add it again. After that, go into your contacts and refresh / resync your contacts. Now take a look at your calendar, it should be fixed now
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: "
TomSawyer\_2112
Hey Guys,
I had to clear the Calendar Data for the Bday to show on my calendar. This is what I did,
Go to Settings-Applications-Manage applications, then select Calendar Storage then "delete data". After doing this the screen (HTC EVO) will reboot (white screen with the HTC Logo).
After clearing the data, go to the calendar setting and add the Bbay.
Hope this work for you.
"
Source:
<http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=58d284f1a1f36866&hl=en>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You have to go into your address book, select the contact to edit, and then delete the event (in your case, birthday). Then click save. Now, on the calendar, it should only show one entry for the birthday.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/12 | 340 | 1,394 | <issue_start>username_0: When I connect my iPhone to a secured WiFi network (at work), I'm prompted for my Username and Password. (And then I'm prompted to accept what I presume is an SSL certificate.)
But when I select the same network on my Motorola Droid or HTC EVO 4G, I'm prompted with "Enter the credential storage password". What is this password?<issue_comment>username_1: I went into Settings -> Location & Security (on Droid, Security on the EVO) -> Use secure credentials, and entered the credential storage password. Then I was no longer prompted for this password when selecting the WiFi network.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: With SSL you are using the RSA public/private key pairs to securely exchange the encrypt/decrypt key for a much simpler encryption algorithm.
The RSA keys are used so you can start with the bare minimum of knowledge of each other.
The public key of the SSL cert of the server needs to be signed by someone you already trust. Those are stored in the Trusted Root store. Most browsers ship with all the well known ones.
If they are not trusted, you will get asked to trust them, which is probably what you are getting asked, and then to store it, so it is now 'trusted' and they do not have to ask again.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: 1. Go to your Settings
2. Select Security
3. And Set a 4 digit pin.
It worked for me.
Upvotes: -1 |
2010/08/16 | 846 | 3,508 | <issue_start>username_0: How can I add and manage contacts on a SIM card with an Android phone (HTC Magic)? I'm aware of 1 application which is capable of doing this but it cost 4€ for SIMPLY managing SIM contacts o\_O<issue_comment>username_1: Is there some specific purpose or feature that would necessitate using the SIM?
If you have an Android phone then presumably you have a Google account. Any contacts added to your Google phone will by sync'd automatically to the signed in Google account unless you turn that function off. Why not just use Google to manage them? Then you can keep your SIM and sd card free of unneeded data and if you lose or trade up your phone you never lose your contacts. They would still exist in Google. Plus you can sign into Gmail to manage contacts that way.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The default (well, default on my Samsung Galaxy S - I guess default in Android doesn't mean much) contact manager can do a part of this. When creating a new contact, it gives the option of storing it on the SIM, Phone memory, or a linked account (like Google).
There's the option of copying contacts from SIM to Phone or Phone to SIM (Contacts->Menu->more -> Copy contacts). Import/Export is in the same spot.
I know these suggestions aren't quite what you're looking for. I don't know if contacts can be stored on a SIM card in different ways depending on the Phone. From what I've seen the software that comes with Android phones might (depending on manufacturer) let you move contacts around.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_1: For managing your SIM contacts you can try [SIM Contacts Manager](https://market.android.com/details?id=ice.andrea.contactmanager).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: New (manual) contacts should get backed up if your gmail account is linked, and they should show up in your gmail contacts.
But my old ones (on sim and phone before email was linked) did not. I had to copy the ones from my sim and phone to my SDcard by going into contacts (people) then `menu -> export` to SD (as for example `SIM.vcf`).
And after that `menu -> import` to (my email) linked gmail address. And i just told it to import all `vcf` files on the SD.
And that was it, they were now all in my gmail contacts.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: I wanted to delete some contacts on my SIM card on my HTC Sensation. I tried and tried and it didn't work. So I took out my old Nokia phone and it can read and write to the SIM card. Deleted the contacts I didn't want. It worked.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: In general, don't store your contacts on the SIM card. There is no advantage in doing so. Modern smartphones are usually only able to import/export contacts stored on the SIM card.
The contact App from **Android 4.0** on provides a feature which lets you import your contacts form SIM card to either Google contacts (which I highly recommend) or simply local phone contacts.
`Open Contacts > Menu > Import/export > Import from SIM card`
Furthermore the "Messaging" app of **Android 4.0** is able to mange the text messages stored on the SIM card.
There are only a few very narrow reasons for storing contacts on a SIM. Some like to be able to swap the SIM card into a small feature phone when performing certain activities (like trail running).
However, note that contacts stored on the SIM card are unprotected. Everyone who has access to the SIM card can read your contacts. This impacts your and your contacts privacy.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/08/18 | 544 | 2,325 | <issue_start>username_0: I understand that you can completely "brick" (render unusuable) your iPhone by attempting to Jailbreak incorrectly.
Whether or not this is actually the case, is it possible to do the same with your Android phone? Or is the nature of that operating system and the handsets such that you can always install a new ROM on it if everything goes pear-shaped?
I assume there could be a difference due to how closely the iPhone is tied to iTunes, compared to how independent Android phones seem.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes it is possible to brick and that is why all root methods and custom roms give warnings on their threads. But that said, it is very hard for someone without much knowledge to "brick" a device as long as you follow the directions given. HTC does a great job on their devices and makes it difficult to brick them. Almost always there is a fail safe of some kind.
Most people that claim they bricked their device are mis-using the term and just throwing it around. Even someone that completely cracked their screen and could not use the screen of the phone was still able to successfully root and pull off needed files. The brick cries are no different now then they were with Windows Mobile devices that people tried to unlock. Every time someone saw the bootloader screen they cried brick, but just didn't understand that screen was normal.
If you want more reading on the topic, check out XDA Forums. Also I [wrote a guide on XDA forums for rooting and backing up information, tips, etc](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=710513). While the article was specifically written for the Evo 4g, most of the information still applies to any Android phone. I recommend checking it out for more info.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: To get specific: Bricking your phone generally requires damaging the bootloader, called a "hard brick". Webs is correct that most bricks are actually "soft bricks", where the phone won't boot up *past* the bootloader but can still be fixed. If you can get into the bootloader, you can normally re-partition the phone and flash good software.
In some cases of hard bricks, you can use a USB jig to force the device into a mode where new software can be loaded when the normal methods for getting into the bootloader fail.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/08/18 | 415 | 1,620 | <issue_start>username_0: Is it possible to use VoIP over gprs from an Android phone? Either using a SIP client or Skype?<issue_comment>username_1: [Try Fring](http://www.fring.com/default.php) it is all in one, Unfortunately they do not support Skype anymore, But ther is SIP, Gmail, MSN and many others.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_1: There a quite a few SIP clients last time I looked, but you need some sort of ID you have to purchase elsewhere to make use of them. Skype is supposedly coming soon and I think is available right now for Verizon Android phones.
Ditto Fring. Its a great app and probably one of the easier ones to use. Plus you can do video conferencing with Fring.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There are a number of sip clients available such as Sipdroid, CSipSimple, and Linphone. Sipdroid includes an option to create a pbxes.org account linked to your Google Voice account, allowing you to make and receive calls to and from PSTN numbers for free, assuming you are in the US. (After the account is created, any sip client can be used with the pbxes.org account.)
If you want to setup your own Asterisk server, you can [configure the trunking with Google Voice](https://wiki.asterisk.org/wiki/display/AST/Calling+using+Google) yourself. Or you can use any other VOIP service that provides SIP/PSTN trunking.
An alternative option is GrooVe IP, which is a Google Talk client with voice support. This uses XMPP/Jingle directly between your android device and Google Talk/Voice. The free version only supports WLAN networking; the paid version works over mobile networks.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/08/18 | 485 | 1,400 | <issue_start>username_0: In our area there is gadget called "IRobot" which the supplier claims has Android 1.4 inside. I am afraid that it might be a "fake" version of the Android OS. I do not have experience with Android so are there any guidelines I can use to check that a device is really running Android? Also, is there a way to check if a version of Android can be updated?<issue_comment>username_1: I've never heard of Android 1.4, but it could exist. It could be a dev release or something but just was never widely used.
Go to your wireless carrier store and see what OS the phones should be running. Then make a purchase.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: You could try entering `*#*#4636#*#*` into the phone's Dialer application. This should open up a menu with all kinds of data about the phone.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Android 1.4 doesn't exist. Instead, 1.1 went directly to 1.5; and each release were alphabetically named:
1. **A**ndroid / **A**lpha (1.0)
2. **B**eta (1.1)
3. **C**upcake (1.5)
4. **D**onut (1.6)
5. **E**clair (2.0)
6. **F**royo (2.2)
7. **G**ingerbread (2.3.x)
8. **H**oneycomb (3.x)
9. **I**ce Cream Sandwich (4.0.x)
10. **J**elly Bean (4.1.x - 4.3.x)
11. **K**itKat (4.4.x / 4.4W.x)
12. **L**ollipop (5.x)
13. **M**arshmallow (6.x)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: Go to setting and check for device version located at the end.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/21 | 212 | 718 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [Monitor wifi usage?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/15066/monitor-wifi-usage)
>
>
>
Is there a way to have an alarm warn me every time I spent another 100MB and telling me the total I've spent on the last billing period to avoid going over my limit and into debt in Android?<issue_comment>username_1: It looks like [NetCounter](http://www.jaqpot.net/netcounter/) will do what you need
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: I'm using [Network Monitor](http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.aob.android.mnm). With this free app you can track 2G/3G and WiFi traffic as separate stats. Also you can set up warning message for each stat.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/22 | 249 | 865 | <issue_start>username_0: I have 1gb of traffic per month. Internet speed is 2.2mbits, so it's pretty easy to waste all gb in a few days. I don't usually watch youtube from my phone, and 500-700 kbits would be pretty enough for me. Is there an application or way I can manually limit 3g speed manually, without rooting the phone?<issue_comment>username_1: If all else fails, you could set the “Use only 2G networks” option...
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: Try [NetSentry](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.googlecode.netsentry) or [3G Watchdog](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.rgruet.android.g3watchdog).
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: 3G Watchdog is capable, when coupled with APNdroid or JuiceDefender, to automatically disable mobile internet connections when you reach a configurable % of your quota.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/08/23 | 475 | 1,775 | <issue_start>username_0: Is there any app for Android that would assist me on tagging the pictures I take with my non-GPS DSLR camera by using a log of the phone GPS that Android can store?<issue_comment>username_1: [GPS Essentials app](http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.mictale.gpsessentials) will let you set waypoints of you location, so you could set a waypoint when you take a picture.
You could then use software like [GeoTag](http://geotag.sourceforge.net/) to tag your images on your computer when you get home.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I was looking for a similar solution. Does [this](http://www.androiddevelopers.in/2009/10/geotagging-photos-from-your-dslr.html) help?
**Update**:
In short, use *MyTrack* app on android to generate a GPX log and then use *GPicSync* to use that log to geotag your pics.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: This application would solve your problem
[Geo tag photos](http://www.geotagphotos.net/en/)
This system uses the phone to track the time and location and then you upload your photos from the DSLR to a website and the site will help you geo tag your photos based on your phone's information. Basically the phone keeps track of where you are and sends the info to the site and then when you upload the photos the site matches the timestamps on the photos with locations.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: Just make sure you sync the time on phone and camera. You can edit time in your .gpx files later, if needed, but it can take some time.
In case you have had different time on your camera and GPS, you can use command line utility [ExifTool](http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/#shift "ExifTool") for time shifting. For your convienience, there is also a GUI frontend for that tool.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/08/23 | 1,446 | 5,425 | <issue_start>username_0: What is the easiest way to move Nokia (Symbian E series) content, such as contacts, inbox, photos, etc. to an Android phone? I can extract a backup from the Nokia but it's in `.nbu` format<issue_comment>username_1: By far the easiest way to transfer anything contacts related to an Android phone is via GMail.
When I moved from an old Nokia phone to my Android HTC Magic about a year ago, I downloaded and installed the Nokia Suite of tools for my phone from the Nokia website, installed them, copied my contacts into the Nokia Suite app on the PC, then did an export from the Nokia Suite contacts app to a CSV file. I remember seeing the Noklia-only NBU format as an optin, but if you're in the Contacts-only part of the suite it should also allow the CSV export (as this is also the easiest way to do a one-off import to other apps like Outlook).
At that point you can go into GMail, click the Contacts link, then at the top you should see an "Import" option, use that to upload your CSV file. All that you should lose from this is the contact's photos, but you can easily back up your contact's photos from the Nokia suite, and then just upload them to GMail one by one, or alternatively let Android on the phone sync with Facebook, etc and pull the Contacts photos from there itself.
You might find that if you already had some people in your GMail address book that you'll have a few duplicates now, just tick the relevant Contacts in Gmail and select "Merge these contacts".
For content, such as photos or music, which are probably just files on the Nokia's SD memory card, the easiest way is to attach the phone to a PC, select Data Storage/Transfer Mode on the phone, then open the SD card drive on the PC, drag all the relevant files onto the PC, then attach Android phone, mount SD card and drag all the content into the relevant folders on the Android's SD card.
As for messages, do you mean SMS/MMS text messages? As far as I know there aren't easy ways to transfer those between phone OS's at all (unless you're already doing something like sync'ing them to GMail).
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I have to agree with username_1, that using GMail to transfer your contacts and calender items is probably the best way. But there is an IMHO easier solution to get your data from the Nokia phone to GMail: Nokia's [Mail for Exchange](http://europe.nokia.com/find-products/nokia-for-business/messaging) together with [Google Sync](http://www.google.com/mobile/sync/). Google provides a couple of [help topics](http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/topic.py?topic=14298) to get you going.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: 1. Samsung create an app called [Samsung Smart Switch Mobile](http://www.samsung.com/smartswitch), it support transfer data from Nokia to Samsung mobiles. You can have a try although your phone is not Samsung.
2. Wondershare software named [MobileTrans](http://www.wondershare.net/phone-transfer/) also can transfer data from Nokia to Android.
They can both transfer contacts, messages, photos and videos to Android.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: There is a easy way that transfer contacts from Nokia to android phone.
Android Devices: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge/S7 /Note 5/S6 edge/S5 | Huawei | Sony | LG | Nexus | HTC | Moto
Nokia: Windows phone/ Symbian/ android
Transfer File: Contacts, Music, Videos, Photos.
[Transfer contacts from Nokia to android phone](https://www.doctor-telephone.com/nokia-transfer/transfer-data-from-nokia-to-android-phone.html)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: Here's how I moved content from a Nokia 808 PureView (Belle FP2) to a Samsung Galaxy S8 (Android 7.0 (Nougat)).
Contacts and calendar
=====================
To transfer contacts and calendar, I synced via Gmail (see other answers for details).
Photos and videos
=================
To transfer photos and videos:
1. Connect the Symbian phone to a computer via USB in mass storage mode and copy the contents of the DCIM folder from the mass storage and memory card
2. To copy to Android
* from Windows: connect via USB in mass storage mode and copy to the DCIM folder on Android
* from Mac: install and open [Android File Transfer](https://www.android.com/filetransfer/) then connect via USB and copy to the DCIM folder on Android
SMS messages
============
To transfer SMS messages:
1. Open Nokia Suite (I used 3.8.54)
2. Connect your Symbian phone
3. Go to the Messages tab (fourth icon along the top)
4. Click "Sync messages" at the bottom
5. Wait for sync to finish
6. Select File > "Export text messages..." and save as csv
7. Copy CSV to Android phone
8. On Android, install [Anything With Sms from Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.toilelibre.libe.athg2sms)
9. Open Anything With Sms
10. From the import tab choose the CSV file
* The format switched from Nokia Csv to Nokia Suite 3.8
11. Toggle "Default App" for Anything With Sms to be the default app for SMS. This is only temporary for when importing the messages and we'll turn it off later.
12. Click the blue import button in the bottom-right corner
13. Click OK at the info screen about "Change messaging app"
14. Wait for import to finish
15. When finished, click Great! and toggle to turn off default app
Close Anything With Sms
16. Finally, open your Android messaging app and select the menu > "Mark all as read"
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/24 | 356 | 1,409 | <issue_start>username_0: I've just got my phone upgraded to Android 2.1. It's a HTC Hero running HTC Sense. One of the features I was really looking forward to in Android 2.1 was the microphone button on the keyboard which you can use to dictate into any text field.
However, this button doesn't seem to be there on the HTC Sense keyboard. Is there any way to enable this?<issue_comment>username_1: Go to Settings, Language and Keyboard and see if there is another keyboard you can enable and use. If there is one, check the box to enable it. Then go out and open something that requires text input like an text message. Long click on the text field and choose Input Method. Then change to the keyboard you just enabled. See if it has the microphone.
If you only have one keyboard to enable you could try a third party one like Swiftkey Beta. I use it and it has a microphone option for speech input. Plus the keyboard rocks with all kinds of great features.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The new OTA update of Android version **2.10.405.2** included a voice-to-text option on the keyboard. The *microphone* key is located on the left of the *comma* key.
NB: I believe this update has only so far been released to unlocked HTC phone users only... if your phone is locked to a network you must wait for your network to push the update.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/08/24 | 545 | 2,089 | <issue_start>username_0: I've just had my HTC Hero upgraded to Android 2.1, and I have heard about the Car Home function, which sounds great for when I use the new Google Maps Navigation in my car. However, this doesn't seem to be on my phone. Is that because of HTC installing HTC Sense? If so, can I get Car Home back again?<issue_comment>username_1: Check out the marketplace have a look at 'CarUI' similar but not identical. Might have to root our Heros to get it, as it probably only compatible with 2.2 *sigh*
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Take a look at some alternatives, such as [Car Dashboard](https://market.android.com/details?id=net.mandaria.cardashboardfree&feature=search_result), which is a Car Home replacement app.
*Discalimer: I am the developer of this application*
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You may want to try the following link:
<http://androidforums.com/htc-desire/177579-froyo-car-panel-desire-htc-navigation-panel.html>
The first post should have links to three different "Car Home" applications: Google Car Home, Google Car Launcher, and HTC Navigation Panel. You will need to either go to this site on your phone and click the links or download the .apk and transfer it to your phone. After reading a little more down the page it seems if you choose the Google one then you need to install both not just one of them.
I haven't tried these on my Hero yet (I will tonight after work) but in my experience trying to install apks either works or it doesn't - so give these a shot and see if any of them work. If anyone has had different experience installing non-market apk's please sound off in the comments.
I also just found this page:
<http://geekfor.me/hero/downloads/fresh21removedapks/>
These are apps that are removed from the fresh ROM 2.1 for the Hero. As you can see from the list the HTC Navigation Panel is in there. However I don't know if you need to be on fresh ROM for these to work.
All that said, Byran's Car Dashboard look like a pretty cool replacement if you don't need the official Google or HTC car app.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/08/25 | 690 | 2,792 | <issue_start>username_0: I've seen references to this posted elsewhere, but never a solution. I'd like to only sync the "my contacts" group of contacts from my gmail (really google apps, but should work the same) account, rather than "all contacts". I can not find an option to change this. Any suggestions?<issue_comment>username_1: I like to sync all contacts and then in contact list I choose to only show the ones with phone numbers. To do this open Contacts > menu > View > select "Contacts with phone numbers". Not sure if that is what you are looking for but is the only thing I could find for a solution on Evo.
Strange, the directions below will work on other Android devices, but not an HTC Sense devices.
Open contacts > menu > Settings > Edit sync groups. Select "Sync all contacts", "My Contacts" or "Starred in Android".
For HTC sense do the following, contacts (people) > Groups tab > menu > Sync Groups.
Note, on my Evo neither option worked for me. I'm running 2.2 and suspect that is part of the reason.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I don't know if the Evo uses the vanilla contacts and dialing app, but if it does, it's a two step process. First, you have to organize your contacts into groups in GMail. Adding a star to any contact on your phone will add it to the "Stared in Android" contact group in GMail. This will be principally for contacts that you wish to sync, but don't feel like putting into another group. For me, these are mainly the phone numbers of local taxi companies. Now, on your phone, open your contacts, hit the menu button, and select Display Options, expand the google contacts, and then start deselecting groups, especially All Other Contacts. All Other Contacts include all the contacts that are in My Contacts (added liberally by GMail) but aren't in any groups.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: So this is a complete workaround, but worked for me and I'll keep it this way until there's a better solution. It's a real pain to have contacts updating each time you send an email to someone. I for instance, sell items on craigslist occasionally and in a 5 day period got and replied to over 60 people, most of them offering some sort of offshore job offer scam.....yet they all go in my EVO 4G contacts! Irritating for sure.
What I did was this, it took me a half an hour:
Set up a New Account Group in Google called Temporary (name is irrelevant)
Moved all of the contacts that I didn't want on my phone into this group
Deleted all of them
Deleted the group altogether
Then I set my Auto-Sync settings on my handset for contact-syncs to Manual.
So now, I have only the contacts I want on my phone. Not sure how this will play out once I want to add contacts, but for now my contact book is very clean and tidy.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/08/28 | 1,924 | 8,224 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm new to the Android platform, and this is probably a dumb question, but...
How do you close an app?
When I'm in an app, and I want to get out, I just click on "Home" and move on, but I just installed a Task Manager app, and I noticed *everything* is left running.
Is there a way to exit apps? Or do I need to use the Task Manager every time I exit something?<issue_comment>username_1: Some apps have an "Exit" option in their menus. Most don't.
You don't really need to worry about it. You can just go to whatever app you need next. Android does a pretty good job freeing up resources when required.
*Update*: [AndroidSpin did some real-world research](http://androidspin.com/2010/08/04/do-android-devices-need-third-party-task-killers/).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm pretty sure that everything I've ever read says that the `Back` button is the right way to exit out of apps.
Pressing `Home` leaves them running in the background until Android decides that they're not needed any more, which can be handy if you just need to switch between apps to check something (holding Home for a couple of seconds gives you the list of recently running apps you can switch back to on most phones) but coming out using the back button tells the app that you want it to close.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: If you exit the app using the `BACK` button then it will call `onDestroy()` on the current Activity, If you press `HOME` it only calls `onPause()`
Don't be too worried about it though, Activities won't drain battery they are just left in memory so they can be opened faster in the future.
I wouldn't recommend using one of those task killer apps Android is designed to keep that stuff in memory for a reason, using a task killer is only one more extra service tugging away at your battery.. What you need to watch out for is apps that run services in the background like twitter or email clients pulling their servers, any good app that has a service like that will have an option to turn it off.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: In Android, applications never need to be closed and the OS is taking care of cleaning the memory of any remaining applications when the resources are needed elsewhere. Using a task killer will just break the normal operation of the OS and could even slow down the device because the applications will always have to be reloaded from the start.
Android application life cycle is working in a way that applications that are not on top are moved in a paused state that doesn't use any cpu anymore; only the memory content is kept in case the application is opened again; and the memory will be freed if needed.
This being said, the application developer has the responsibility to follow the application life cycle when he creates his application so some bugs or mistakes can happen that will result in an application that never really stops or pause. If you encounter such application and what to close it you can do it through the "Settings" -> "applications" -> "Manage applications" by selecting "Force stop" on the application.
But I would really not recommend using a task killer that is constantly running on the device.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Just want to add in schwiz's answer that it's just few lines of code needed to override the functionality of the back button. So it's not always reliable to close the app. So if the app developer doesn't want to close the app on pressing the back button, it won't get closed.
Although most good app developers popup an username_1rt dialog on pressing back button on home menu of the app, asking if the user intends to exit the app or not, if you click on exit, it does close the app.
The correct answer could be this, the closure of the app is completely upon the app developer, if they wants the app to close on pressing the home button, they'll put the exit code in `onPause()`. If they want it on back button, they'll put it in the `onBackKeyPressed`. So it's not really in hand of the user.
The user can just avoid using the apps which doesn't provide the proper closing functionality, when not needed. The task managers are not a good way to close the app, since it can crash the app and doesn't give them a chance to save their state.
The OS does close the app whenever necessary, so you should not worry too much about it.
**Edit:**
There's an option to destroy the applications, as soon as you leave the app i.e. when you click the home key. You can go to `Settings`->`Developer Options`->`Don't keep Activities`. Although it's a developer option, but if you're too concerned about the apps running in background, you can use this option. But keep in mind that it's not recommended to be used by non-developers.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: Activities don't run in the background
======================================
In Android, *activities* (that is, the part of the app you can see) never run in the background. They can only run (and use battery power) while they're on the screen. The activity stops running regardless of whether you use *home* or *back* to leave it. The only difference is what data Android asks the app to save, so neither option is "the right way". It just depends on what you want to do.
Home
====
If you use *home*, Android leaves the app in the same state, so that if you come back to it later (e.g. through the recent apps list), it'll still be in the same state you left it: on the same screen, with the same stuff shown. For example, if it's an email app, and you were looking at one email, then it'll remember which email that was, and show you the same one.
Eventually (after about half an hour), Android concludes that you're not coming back to the app, so it resets this state: next time you start the app, it'll start from the front/main screen. To continue the example, the email app will forget which email and folder you were looking at, and show you the inbox.
Back
====
If you use *back*, you're telling Android that you don't want to come back to this view. It'll destroy the information about what you were looking at right away. Next time you start the app, it'll show the front screen (e.g. the inbox).
As others have said, apps can control the behaviour of the *back* button: for example, web browsers use it to go back in the browser history. What I've described is the default behaviour of the back button, and developers are urged to keep the behaviour like that to avoid being confusing.
Cached background processes
===========================
Whichever method you use, Android will leave the app in memory (but not running) for as long as it can. This is to be more efficient. When you come back to the app, if it's still in memory, Android can run it again right away; if it isn't still in memory, then Android has to spend time and energy loading the app from storage again.
In old Android versions, apps left in memory in the background this way were included in the list of "running apps". This is a little confusing for users - it makes people think the app is really still running - so newer versions call these apps "cached background processes", to make it clear they're only cached, not running.
What about background apps?
===========================
Earlier on, I said that activities don't run in the background. So how does your email client check for mail? As well as activities, apps can have *services*. Services don't have any GUI for you to see or interact with, but they do run in the background. Usually, a service will only run infrequently, such as to check mail once an hour, but it's possible for the app developer to run the service all the time, draining your battery.
Leaving an activity with *back* or *home* doesn't change how Android treats any services from the same app: the service can continue to run, or be triggered later at a given time (next time the mail check is due).
Summary
=======
In summary, it doesn't really matter whether you use *back* or *home*: it only changes what the app shows you next time you run it. It doesn't have an effect on battery use. Neither of them corresponds to "exiting" a program on your PC.
Upvotes: 3 |
2010/08/29 | 479 | 1,969 | <issue_start>username_0: On the motorola Droid X there is a favorite contacts shortcut. I'd like to add this on another screen but I can't figure out how to create a new one. Any ideas?<issue_comment>username_1: Some widgets might only be able to be placed once. If you only want one instance of it, but on another screen, just long click (click on the widget and keep your click/pressure on it or keep your finger pressed to the screen) till you have control of it. On my Android device I feel a vibrate and the widget shakes on the screen. Then just move it where ever you want. To go to another screen hold the widget to the edge of that screen and you should be on the the next screen.
Another tip that might be easier than moving apps and widgets on homescreens, just long click on them till you have control and remove them by dragging to the bottom of the screen. Then go to the screen you want and add it. Long click on an empty space of the homescreen and choose "widgets" then find your widget and add it.
Update:
So at the very top of my widget list is something that says, "Get more HTC widgets". You could see if you have that. Not sure if Motorola has their own option there or not.
Also try looking at your widget list and then see if you have "Contacts" or "People". On my phone I have "People" and that allows me to add one of those favorite listings for my contacts.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_1: while all of the above is true, you can simply click menu -> add -> shortcut -> dialer -> favorites to recreate the shortcut if you accidenatlly delete it. that is if you are talking about the little red icon with the star that takes you to the favorites tab in the dialer.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: * "long touch" on the screen (the wallpaper) so the *Add to Home screen* option opens.
* touch *Motorola widgets*
* touch *Contact quick tasks*
* choose the contact you want to add
* choose the contact method(s)
* done!
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/08/31 | 737 | 2,588 | <issue_start>username_0: is there some easy way to get a better keyboard on the Nexus One? The default keyboard has way to small buttons and it's hard to use.<issue_comment>username_1: There should be some stuff on XDA Developers (<http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=560>) just do some searching at that link. I've seen droid keyboards floating around and I bet someone has one ported for the Nexus.
I would also check out Swype (have to go to their website to get it <http://www.swypeinc.com/>) and Swiftkey Beta (can be downloaded from marketplace. Both of these are the best keyboards I have used because they both allow quick typing and aren't overly annoying with suggestions.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There are a ton of keyboard apps out there -- check out the market for both free and paid.
I hate tapping and tapping, and there are at least two slide-the-finger virtual keyboards available:
Swype is my favorite -- but that's only been out in a limited beta for Android, so far. Maybe again....
ShapeWriter is a good substitute... but that's off the market due to a post-merger company re-org (kids, THIS is why FLOS is a Good Idea). Hit up google, and you'll find a few people that have the .apk available, though. [Here's one](http://vivin.net/2010/06/22/download-shapewriter-apk/) (as of Sept 2, 2010).
[JetKeys](http://download.cnet.com/JetKeys/3000-2094_4-30838.html) is one of the weirdest that I've seen. Not a glider -- touch in the center of key, then slide in a direction to select alternate characters. Great idea, weird to use.
---
I have some more notes in a [blog post.](http://www.bestandroidresources.com/Blog/Data-Entry-for-the-touch-screen-challenged)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: The just-announced Android 2.3 has a much-improved keyboard. The Nexus One will almost certainly get Gingerbread, and sooner than most.
However, you can get the Gingerbread keyboard on your phone now. <https://market.android.com/details?id=com.moo.android.inputmethod.latin.free>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: You can try SlideIt from the Android Market : - <https://market.android.com/details?id=com.dasur.slideit.vt.lite&feature=search_result>
Its much better than swype in my experience !
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: I recommend [ThickButtons keyboard](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thickbuttons) which I have been using for years. Free tool, and it uses predictive text algorithm to enlarge the most-probable keys for the next character. Really good for my fat fingers and thumbs.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/09/01 | 406 | 1,674 | <issue_start>username_0: I have to send two contacts in my phone book to another contact, on my Nexus One Android 2.2. How can I do this easiest?
On my old SonyEricsson this function was on a nearby menu, but I can't find it on Android.
I have also tried to copy the phone number when in edit mode of the contacts, but I can not paste it when composing the SMS to my contact. Is there really no way to transfer a contact via SMS or MMS on Android other than writing the numbers down on paper and then write them in the SMS message later as in the stone age?<issue_comment>username_1: On my HTC Evo I can open contacts, then long click on the contact I want, and then choose "Send contact as vCard". This opens another menu that allows me to choose what portions of the contact to send along and how to send, via text, email, bluetooth.
Also you can try the app "Shacts" which allows you to create QR codes of contacts very easily and then share them or scan them right from the screen.
[Update]
Another app to try for older Android releases is QR Contact 1.6.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Copy and paste from Contacts app to Messaging app should just work without any problem, I've used it a few times before to copy lines from addresses, emails and that sort of thing into an SMS.
Are you sure you long-pressed long enough in the SMS message to get the input menu up with the `Paste` option on it? Or that you copied it properly in the first place? Copying data from a Contact is most easily done by `Edit`ing the Contact, then long-pressing on the field you're interested until the input menu comes up with the `Copy All` option.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2010/09/01 | 1,093 | 4,358 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [How can I view and examine the Android log?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/14430/how-can-i-view-and-examine-the-android-log)
>
>
>
My android (2.1) phone (a HTC Wildfire, if that matters) sometimes reboots without an apparent reason. Not extremely frequently, but too much to simply ignore it.
I'd say once every couple of days.
It always happens when I'm not using the phone, I take it out of my pocket and am greeted by the SIM unlock screen, so it's hard to pinpoint the app or service that is causing it.
I browsed the filesystem a bit but couldn't immediately find anything like `/var/log`, so I wonder if anyone knows where logfiles are located, if they exist at all?
Or any other way to easily pinpoint the offending process on my phone?<issue_comment>username_1: How do you know your phone has rebooted? Just because the lockscreen appears doesn't mean it rebooted. Check your battery stats, Settings > About Phone > Batter and look at the up and awake time. If the phone has been up for a long time its unlikely your phone is rebooting on you. Just check this after a time when you think the phone has rebooted.
I think you are going to have to use logcat to get logs from an Android phone. If your phone is rebooting on you, you could attempt to run logcat, but you would have to have logcat running continuously to capture what is going on and making it reboot. This is not very practical. But look below for info on logcat.
Instead of using logcat I would try just starting from a fresh install of Android. If you are rooted I would backup, wipe, and install a ROM from scratch. If you are not rooted, I would download the latest version of Android for your phone from HTC and install it. This will wipe your phone, but running from a clean slate should fix the reboot issue.
Once on your fresh Android install open Market place and install your apps starting with essentials only. DO NOT INSTALL any task killer of any kind. Reboot and see how the phone runs for a few days. If things seem fine then move on and install your other apps a few at a time. Give it a few days and continue on to the next few apps until you find the app that is giving you problems or maybe all you needed was a fresh start.
**Logcat:**
Install the Android SDK on a computer and then open a terminal shell (cmd.exe in Windows) and run adb logcat. On windows it looks like:
>
>
> ```
> adb logcat
>
> ```
>
>
Sometimes I have to specify the whole path for that command to work. For me it would be:
>
> C:\Downloads\evo\android-sdk-windows\tools\adb.exe logcat
>
>
>
You mileage will vary depending on where you install the SDK...
After running that command you will only be able to view what the terminal shell can contain or hold in memory. My recommendation would be to increase the buffer size of the terminal shell so that you can capture more information. More advanced shells might be able to output a text file, I would try that too. If you do not have this option just copy and paste everything in the screen to a text file yourself. In cmd you do this by right clicking, mark, highlight what you want, and then go to the text file and paste.
Also this is not always the best route unless you know what you are looking for because logcat will essentially show output of everything your phone is doing. So there will be a ton of data generated.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: The best you can do if you want to examine the log files is to install the free Android market app called **aLogCat** (just search for it on the market).
It allows you to inspect, filter for different levels of log categories and also to send you a log to your email or save it. For sure the easiest way to inspect the logs.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: If you want to examine the log outside the environment of your phone, there is the application [LogCollector](https://market.android.com/details?id=com.xtralogic.android.logcollector&feature=search_result).
It's free and it allows you to send/upload the log to/with the program of your choice. I just send the log via gmail to my home email account.
It is always easier to read such log files on your pc screen, compared to reading it with whatever application on your (small) Android screen.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/01 | 844 | 3,015 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an Adroid phone and want to set it up to sync with my business email account. My account is hosted on my own domain, but we use email "provided by gmail" (gmail interface, connected to my domain).
Question: can I just add this as a normal gmail account on my Droid? I tried this and my username and password don't work (which makes sense, b/c I don't have a real gmail/google account).
Or, do I need to add it as a generic POP or IMAP account? If so, will push still work?<issue_comment>username_1: Try opening the Gmail app, then hit menu and click "Accounts". Try to add your account this way. If that doesn't work then you will need to use the Mail app and add the account as pop or imap.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_1: When you add your email account through the Gmail app (Menu → Accounts → Add account), you'll usually need to use your full email address for the "username", rather than just your internal username.
In addition, if your company uses single sign-on for Google Apps (that is, if the login page for your business Gmail is **not** on google.com and doesn't look like the Gmail login page), you may need to set up a separate password for accessing Gmail from a non-web interface. For this you'll need to talk to your IT department.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Google apps has [special setup (expand the "hidden" section for Android)](http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=114408) -- not hard at all, though. I've set it up in more than one app as I try them out:
>
> To configure the 'Email' app on an
> Android device for access to Google
> Apps email, just follow the steps
> below:
>
>
> 1. Enable IMAP in your Mail settings.
> 2. On your phone, press < Home >, then open the Email application.
> 3. On the 'Your accounts' page, select Next to get started with setup.
> 4. Enter your full Google Apps email address and password, then
> select Next.
> 5. Select IMAP account and then select Next.
>
>
> On the 'Incoming server settings' page, some fields may be
> pre-populated. Make sure to change the
> following:
> 6. For 'Username,' enter your full Google Apps email address
> 7. For 'IMAP server,' enter 'imap.gmail.com'
> 8. For 'Port,' enter '993'
> 9. For 'Security type,' select 'SSL (always)''
>
>
> 1. Select Next.
>
>
> On the 'Outgoing server settings' page, some fields may be
> pre-populated. Make sure to change the
> following:
> 2. For 'SMTP server' enter 'smtp.gmail.com'
> 3. For 'Port,' enter '465'
> 4. For 'Security type,' select 'SSL (always)''
> 5. Select Next and continue through the setup options.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You should be able to add your business email (and calendar) as an additional Google account (I have with mine) - obviously making sure you enter your full email address including your company domain. If this is not working then speak to your domain admin in case they have locked down mobile access somehow :o/
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/09/02 | 562 | 2,100 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm looking for a way of subscribing to and watching [TED](http://www.ted.com/) talk videos on the HTC Desire, but I want support for off-line viewing.
The [Mother TED](http://www.motherapp.com/en/showcase/motherted) app seems to require an active network connection, which isn't suitable since I want to be able to watch videos on the underground.
There's an RSS feed of the mp4 videos [here](http://feeds.feedburner.com/TEDTalks_video) - is there anything like Google Listen that supports mp4 video?<issue_comment>username_1: I use [BeyondPod](http://www.appbrain.com/app/mobi.beyondpod) (the full version) to watch TED Talks all the time. It pulls in a list of the videos from the feed and you can choose to download which ever ones you want and then play them right in BeyondPod. There is no data connection required.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I would suggest using [doubleTwist](http://www.doubletwist.com/). doubleTwist will re-encode any video to be suitable for your device, simply by dragging the video onto your device listed in the program.
doubleTwist has built-in functionality for subscribing to podcasts, but I use iTunes to organize podcasts, then use doubleTwist to send the content to, and play the content on, my HTC Hero.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: As of this date, simply download the official TED app and select the talk you like to view offline. Then tap the download icon to the top-right corner to download. You can then play the downloaded videos offline from `My Talks` tab.
If you are a kind of person who like to play the videos at higher speed, you can get apps that support fast playback such as `VLC for Android` or `Dice Player`. Since all the downloaded files are stored in `/sdcard/Android/data/com.ted.android/files/`, you can point the video player to that path.
Hope this helps someone.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: The official app for TED Conferences is what I use. It has saving and sharing capabilities.
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ted.android>
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/04 | 420 | 1,706 | <issue_start>username_0: I use the Kindle app for Android. I had 'bought' one of the classic titles which they have - *War and Peace*, which, like many of the classics, had no cover image.
They have since updated the title on the Kindle store with a picture for the cover. I would like to update the title on my device so that it shows the cover art. How can I do this?
I tried "deleting" the title (it then goes to "archived items") and then redownloading it but this did not work. I also checked in *Quick App Clean Cache* to see if there was a cache I could clean, but Kindle is not listed. I also tried doing a 'sync' from within Kindle. None of these steps has helped.
My device is a Samsung Galaxy S Captivate, running Eclair yet (I think I'm getting my Froyo sometime this month).
If possible, I would certainly prefer to do this in such a way as to not lose my positions in the books I'm reading.<issue_comment>username_1: You could try deleting the app cache. Go to Settings > Applications > Manage Applications and find the Kindle app. Click on it and then hit the button that says "Clear Data". This will clear cache and start you off at square one again with the app. Then see what happens.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I recently "bought" a selection of the classic, free books for Kindle a few days ago. On Amazon (UK)'s webpage they were showing with full colour book covers, when they downloaded to my Android's Kindle app a few minutes later they came down with blank, default covers.
Have tried a lot of playing with it too, and can't see a way to get the covers for these books to download. Maybe they just don't send covers for free books to the Android app?
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/09/07 | 429 | 1,852 | <issue_start>username_0: When using the default browser on my Galaxy S, I can't see a cursor in text boxes that have focus. With no cursor I don't know where letters I type will appear. This seems to occur on all sites I have tested. Can someone with this phone confirm there is something wrong? Note that the address bar at the top is fine and behaves as I would expect.
Input method is the Samsung keyboard. No third party apps or firmware installed. Feel free to ask questions if you need more info. Thanks<issue_comment>username_1: Try using a different browser. Also you could try going into settings, apllications, manage applications, find the browser you are using and clear data, if that option isn't there, try cache. Reboot and see what happens.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Just tried on my Samsung Galaxy S with the search box at the top of this page in the built-in browser and I get a flashing cursor all the time I'm not typing (it disappears while I'm typing but comes back if I pause for a moment) I'm using the built-in Swype keyboard.
Also tried switching back to the Samsung Keyboard (by long-pressing on a text field, then selecting Input Method and selecting Samsung Keyboard) and still see a cursor in the search box on this web site.
My Galaxy's running the standard Samsung version of Android 2.1, pretty sure I don't have any apps installed that affect the keyboard or browser.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Press and hold the **?123** key at the bottom, left corner of the standard Samsung Galaxy S keyboard. The keyboard switches to a four arrow cursor pad that you can use to move around a text field. There's also a delete key, select, cut, copy, and paste; click the *Text* key to switch back into keyboard mode.
This works with just about all text fields in all applications that I use.
Upvotes: 3 |
2010/09/09 | 576 | 2,175 | <issue_start>username_0: How can I copy a file into micro SD of an Android phone connected via USB to a PC with Windows?<issue_comment>username_1: ```
Settings >> Connect to PC >> USB Connection Type
```
should be set to "Disk drive" (you can set this as a default connection type, but I prefer to do it manually when I need it).
Also, you can set it via the notifcations bar by clicking on the USB connection type as it appears; a selection box of the various options should appear.
Once mounted, you can open on your PC, and drag-n-drop, or what-have-you.
NOTE (from the Incredible manual, p29):
>
> **Disk drive**
>
>
> This mode is available only when you
> have installed a microSD card on your
> phone. Select this mode when you want
> to use your storage card as a USB
> thumb drive, and copy files between
> your phone’s storage card and your
> computer.
>
>
> **When Disk Drive mode is
> enabled while your phone is connected
> to the computer, you will not be able
> to run applications that use the
> storage card, such as Music or Photos.**
> For more information, see “Copying
> files to and from the storage card” in
> this chapter.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You don't mention which Android phone you've got, depending on which phone (and how much your manufacturer's customised) you've got, it may be slightly different from OtherMichael's instructions.
With stock Android (as on the Nexus One, HTC Magic, G1, etc), when you plug your phone into the PC's USB you should see a USB icon appear in the notification area. Pull the notification area down and you should see "`USB connected: Select to copy files to/from your computer`." Press this and you get the option to "`Mount`". Pressing this connects your phone's SD to the PC.
Other manufacturers customize things slightly with their custom UIs, for instance if you have a phone with Samsung's TouchWiz UI on it, you get a menu up as soon as you plug into USB, with options to select USB Mode, on the you'd pick Mass Storage, and then do as above. I think HTC's Sense UI also customizes things slightly, but I can't remember exactly how that works.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/11 | 1,081 | 3,707 | <issue_start>username_0: A lot of people like iPod Touches because they're almost identical to iPhones, but without cell service (and the monthly fees that go along with it), while still being able to connect to a wireless network. Are there any alternative devices that run Android?
Bonus points if it has at least 24 GB of storage.<issue_comment>username_1: Just buy an Android phone. The newer ones are supporting 32gb of storage. You don't have to activate the phone if you don't want to and you will get all the functionality. Or just upgrade to an Android phone and then have the best of both worlds. The way Android handles music works beautifully.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: Nothing of quality yet (at least IMO). Archos has just announced a new product line of Android tablets and smaller devices. Also Samsung has announced the Galaxy tablet (http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938\_105-20015395-1.html) that looks impressive.
I think you'll have a ton of options around the Christmas shopping season.. Keep an eye on Engadget, not a day goes by they're not showing another "leaked" Android tablet.
ETA:
here's a link to the Archos 101 tablet.. Looks pretty impressive:
[http://www.archos.com/products/ta/archos\_101it/index.html?country=us⟨=en](http://www.archos.com/products/ta/archos_101it/index.html?country=us&lang=en)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_1: As Don says, Archos are releasing a range of "tablets" (most are really PMPs, like the iPod touch) during September and October.
The register have a good breakdown of the full range here: <http://www.reghardware.com/2010/09/01/archos_android_tablets/>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The Archos tablets have not generally received good reviews to this point. The Dell Streak has also received bad reviews. Further, Google has said the current version of Android is not optimized for tablets. I would personally wait for Android 3. By then, the first gen tablets will be passed and the lessons learned will drive a much better second generation of tablets with an Android OS designed for them.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: The recently announced [Samsung Galaxy Player SD](http://innovator.samsungmobile.com/bbs/stars.ThreadBoard.do?starMbrId=SteveHa&viewType=rss&messageId=96626) is Samsung's go at an Android based PMP (Personal Media Player) in a similar vein to the iPod Touch.
It has Wifi connectivity and no phone voice or data capability built-in, but other than that, [from the recently released offcial video](http://www.samsunghub.com/2010/10/20/video-samsung-galaxy-player-yp-g50-ad/), it appears to be running exactly the same software with the same Samsung apps and Samsung TouchWiz interface add-ons as the full Galaxy S, albeit in a smaller form factor with a lower spec camera.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I own an [Archos 43](http://www.archos.com/products/ta/archos_43it/index.html?country=us&lang=en) (16GB internal with an microSD card slot), and I really like it. Keep in mind with the Generation 8 Archos tablets (Archos 28, Archos 32, Archos 43, Archos 70, and Archos 101), only the Archos 70 and Archos 101 have capacitive touchscreens, so they are the only multi-touch capable devices in the product line.
UPDATE:
Since posting my answer, some new products have been announced. Check out the [Amazon Kindle Fire](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0051VVOB2) and [Samsung Galaxy Player 50](http://www.samsung.com/galaxyplayer50/), although both of those are larger than an iPod Touch.
Also, Archos has announced some new [ninth generation tablets](http://www.archos.com/products/gen9/index.html?country=us&lang=en), the Archos 80 G9 and the Archos 101 G9.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/12 | 352 | 1,225 | <issue_start>username_0: is there any audio player that works similar to winamp? so it can play
* most importantly files from within a folder (whole folder or one file)
* playlists
* streams<issue_comment>username_1: Any HTC username_3id phone should have two music players by default, username_3id's and the one made by HTC. Both should be able to do what you want. If you don't like them there are at least 4 or 5 others you can download from the marketplace that should have the features that you like. A few popular ones are MixZing and Meridian.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: As [Webs said](http://gadgets.stackexchange.com/questions/1848/audio-player-ala-winamp-on-android/1856#1856), there are any number of decent username_3id audio players out there.
The one I use is [MixZing](http://www.mixzing.com/android.html) -- however, streaming support is not yet supported, and still listed as "And even better to come..."
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Yes! It's Winamp for username_3id :)
See [Winamp for username_3id](http://androlicious.com/details/com.nullsoft.winamp) for QRCode
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: For audio streams [XiiaLive Lite](http://www.xiialive.com/) is perfect.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/09/13 | 1,456 | 5,717 | <issue_start>username_0: We have a client who are switching away from Windows Mobile (and IE Mobile) to Android based devices.
We have some specific software that we deploy to their WM workforce by an ActiveX applet that loads in IE Mobile, but obviously Android will have no support for ActiveX. So we will need to re-do our application to an Android-specific platform, and Java is the obvious choice for this.
Are there any Android browsers that support loading a Java Applet in-browser, in much the same way an ActiveX applet loads in IE (i.e. it fully integrates into the browsing experience).<issue_comment>username_1: Similar questions have been asked here before, the short version, JAVA applets are not supported on Android. The version of JAVA used on Android is not just your run of the mill JAVA so you would need to get a JAVA compiler on the phone first to run any applets. Which I don't think is possible or at least feasible.
Why not just download the Android SDK and make your own app? You don't have to sell it in the marketplace, but if your app could be used by others you could do that which might help recover some money spent on development.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The closest I've found is <http://www.apogee.com/products/cjre-a>
Unfortunately as stated on that page:
>
> Note that Apogee temporarily suspended further development of CJREs+A
> in June, 2012, because of insufficient demand for them. Please,
> contact Apogee if you are interested in a CJRE+A targeted at a an
> Android-running device of your choice for "volume" distribution to
> your customers and/or other third parties.
>
>
>
...and a download/demo is nowhere to be found.
Taken from their products page <http://www.apogee.com/products> it does sound like it would have been a great thing to have:
>
> CJRE+A - The “CJRE for Android” is suitable for devices running
> Android v4.x or higher, which need to execute the Java SE 5 and SE 6
> applications in addition to executing the Android applications.
>
>
>
We can still dream. I have not contacted them. I am aware of many companies that are looking for this functionality. I can't imagine it will dwindle all too fast (or let's say slower than flash)?
I have not reached out to Apogee, might be worth a try...If anyone ever finds a solution, please keep us updated! Thanks.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: There is a post entitled **"Is there a possibility to run applets on Android or Blackberry"** over on Stack Overflow which will provide you more insight, it can be found here:
<https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2433338/is-there-a-possibility-to-run-applets-on-android-or-blackberry>
I have looked elsewhere however there appears to be no conclusive evidence that java applets are supported.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Android still does not support Java applets, nor will it, without major work.
The Java in Android isn't 'real' Java - it is a custom written version by Google. Android apps may be written in Java, but they are converted to Dalvik at compile time.
As such, it would be nigh on impossible to develop a browser that has compatibility for Java Applets.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: The only two options I can think of, is to make a HTML5 cross-platform mobile app that will work across the spectrum, having said that, I can understand corporate environments wanting to cling on to IE to support ActiveX apps within the browser, which is leading you to think that the Java on the desktop is the same as on Android, *which is not true*.
For the most part, and the second option, the SDK covers a subset of Java 5, collections, apache, etc, syntax wise, are identical, so maybe a recompile on the business logic and a new User Interface for the front-end for Android platform. (Yes you can recompile that targetting the Android SDK...)
In short, no can do unless there is a motive and drive to re-build it to be compatible with devices now and in the future.
Edit
====
After comments left below, to recap:
* The browser does not support the running of Java applets within in itself. JRE != Android's Java Runtime aka DalvikVM. Desktop Java uses JavaVM/JRE as endorsed by Sun/Oracle and the OpenJava JDK which is sanctioned by Oracle. *JRE = Java Runtime Environment*
* Terminal IDE which does contain "a java compiler", chances are (I will install it and report feedback on this btw) it is a extremely limited cut down version of OpenJDK, it is the only one available natively for ARM, according to this [blog](http://www.webpronews.com/will-openjdk-ever-come-to-android-2012-11) which ***cannot do*** native Java Windowing apps such as Swing or JavaBeans due to the simple reason that the version of the Java Runtime Environment is very different for Android, and highly optimized for the native processor.
Also, DalvikVM knows zero about Swing, JavaBeans, etc hence why it goes some way in explaining that the Java on the desktop is not the same as the Java on Android.
As for having the view that Android is very much like Linux, that view I stand by, is this, it is *not* Linux, the kernel is linux itself, but user-land tools are supplied by *busybox*, furthermore, the native C run-time library under Android is called *[bionic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bionic_%28software%29)*, and is limited due to those wee processors like ARM. When compared to the desktop Linux version, there's the run-time library supplied by gcc - *GNU C Library* or more commonly known as *glibc* - which supports vast more C/C++ idiosyncratics such as STL, Boost, full exception handling. That is my view and is separate from the topic and straying off the beaten path here. :)
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/13 | 634 | 2,053 | <issue_start>username_0: Is Hebrew support built into Android? If so, is it in all versions?<issue_comment>username_1: Froyo/Android 2.2 added support for displaying text in Hebrew and Arabic (among other languages), including [the needed fonts](http://android.git.kernel.org/?p=platform/frameworks/base.git;a=tree;f=data/fonts;h=54e235b011be9e1e38a2b9be787d0a196493d89e;hb=0cccec0a9bdc59700a4720daf5ac5f4c86b6ed14).
Unfortunately, previous versions [do not have Hebrew support in the stock source](http://android.git.kernel.org/?p=platform/frameworks/base.git;a=tree;f=data/fonts;h=54e235b011be9e1e38a2b9be787d0a196493d89e;hb=0cccec0a9bdc59700a4720daf5ac5f4c86b6ed14), though I would not be surprised if a device maker added support to their device on an ad-hoc basis.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Here is my understanding as a developer:
Android 1.5-2.1: Right-to-left support is built-in, but most ROMs do not contain the letters. This means that Hebrew in most applications will show up as boxes (but in the correct order). This does allow individual applications to include their own fonts and thereby display Hebrew correctly.
Android 2.2: The default system fonts now include Hebrew characters. Right-to-left layout still works. (Although the rules for justification did change, annoyingly.) Based on some bug reports, Google did not yet consider support for right-to-left languages to be final in this version. (Note the comments by Google engineers, such as <NAME> here: <https://review.source.android.com/#change,15955>).
Android 2.3: The SDK has been released, but no updates for actual devices. The SDK does include a Hebrew locale for the first time (<http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-2.3.html#locs>).
Also note that locale support ultimately depends on the vendor of the actual device (either the carrier or handset manufacturer). They may choose to remove locales they deem unimportant to save space, or they may choose to add some that they deem important for their targeted market.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer] |
2010/08/16 | 533 | 1,964 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [How can I receive phone calls through WiFi on an Android phone?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/8449/how-can-i-receive-phone-calls-through-wifi-on-an-android-phone)
>
>
>
I have an unlocked Nexus One. I barely use the voice function, mostly just use data. However, I'd like to have the voice function just in case.
Is it possible to use something else (possibly VOIPish) to replace the voice plan that I am currently paying? Perhaps Skype, or Google Voice or something else. Has anyone had an experience with this?
Thanks<issue_comment>username_1: Since the cell network was originally built for voice, the cell companies kind of have a focus on voice. While this might be technologically possible, I can't imagine how you'd convince a cell phone company to sell you a data-only plan for a device that supports voice. I'm not sure it makes business sense for them to do so - after all, why not rip you for at least a little voice, along with the data. If you don't use it much, then so much the better because they save on capacity.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: You could buy a plan for a data card (T-Mobile sells PCMCIA cards that pick up a wireless signal, or maybe a 3G iPad plan with AT&T) and swap the SIM card out. Haven't heard any stories about this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
AFAIK, Google Voice doesn't support VOIP.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: This isn't really an option unless you're deaf or hard-of-hearing, but there are plans like this that do exist. On AT&T, it's called the [Text Accessibility Plan (TAP)](http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/articles-resources/disability-resources/text-accessibility-plan-for-iphone.jsp) 1, and it offers you unlimited messaging/data while still having calls at 40¢ per minute.
1. These plans are not exclusive to the iPhone; I don't know why it lists those phones as the only options.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/09/08 | 615 | 2,312 | <issue_start>username_0: Whenever I connect my Nexus One to the official car dock, my phone heats up rapidly, and eventually restarts. Obviously, the phone is restarting to prevent it from damaging itself. So the question becomes why is it over-heating (the phone can draw too much current for its own good?) and how can I prevent it from happening. As a side note, I have never observed this happen while I had the phone charging in the official desk dock, although most of that time I was asleep, and it has happened infrequently while I was charging it and still using it.
Thanks in advance.<issue_comment>username_1: Can you check with the GPS turned off for a while?
I've heard reports of heating and restarts most of which refer to multiple things being active increasing current demands from the dock.
Here are a few references,
1. [N1 heat issue while charging + GPS](http://www.nexusoneforum.net/forum/nexus-one-general-discussion/6710-n1-heat-issue-while-charging-gps.html)? at the nexusoneforum
2. [Nexus One is overheating in car dock, becoming unresponsive](http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=423fb3c32a62f109&hl=en) (google android forum)
here is a quote from the second link,
>
> have use car dock overheat problem before, But I solved the problem now! The car dock 12V to 5V adaptor it can provide max. 2A current maximum, the phone voltage is 3.7V, when you use this adaptor direct connect to the Phone Car Dock, the phone begin charging, the charging current supplied by car adaptor, if you at same time your phone operating like navigation (GPS, Data) or video streaming and just not the screen off , this time the phone's power provided by car adaptor through the phone itself, therefore the current = charging current + operatin current provided by car adaptor.
>
>
> This probelm very easy to solve, you just need to buy USB car adaptor from car accessories shop, the USB car adaptor maximum supply current not more than 1A or less, and then buy a micro USB cable connnect to the car dock body, the overheat problem have been solved.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Place it on the air conditioning vent and velcro it on. Now you have a speed charger with no overheating. I had the same issue and this solved it.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/08/30 | 290 | 1,157 | <issue_start>username_0: I recently came across some free money and am considering buying a tablet. Specifically, the entourage edge because it would be in my hands the day the money is. What I'm curious about, however, is how well this baby can take notes. The floor model had been on for several days and had had sever people screwing around with it and had hence crashed.
So:
* Can the entourage edge take notes in real time (ie what is the latency when dragging my pen over the ereader screen) when it has not been abused?
* how many pages of notes can it store without extending the memory?
* how well does the edge sync with a parent computer, specifically a mac?<issue_comment>username_1: According to the [review on Engadget](http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/12/entourage-edge-review/), note-taking is laggy; up to a second between writing a letter and it appearing.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: That was an early review. The note taking has been sped up considerably and although it is not quite as fast as a real pen on paper it is now a natural feel and I have not found a better writing experience on any electronic device.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/09/14 | 564 | 2,192 | <issue_start>username_0: Is there an application manager that would easily
* **kill/close** an application from memory
* install applications
* unstall applications
---
Platform: [HTC Desire](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_Desire) and Android 2.1.<issue_comment>username_1: If you are running Android 2.1 or 2.2 you do not want to use app killers. It actually hinders performance and could cause more problems because Android has built in app killing functionality into the OS.
No app currently exists that can do all three of those. You can get an app that can do the first one, there are lots of those but I wouldn't recommend any of them. Or you can get an app that can do those last two...
* Native Marketplace
* Uninstaller
* AppBrain App Market
* My Market
* App Center - by AndroidPit
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: I agree that it could potentially cause problems (I've only had one problem app [SportsTap used to give me a pop-up when I'd force-kill it], and that has subsequently been fixed), but they definitely have their place. Sometimes I want to kill everything possible in one fell swoop because of a problem with the app. For example, the built-in newsfeed widget sometimes messes up my touch screen, and killing it corrects my touch issues.
Nonetheless, I'm using TaskPanel these days. As Webs said, it doesn't do install/uninstalls, but since he covered those, I figured I'd recommend my task killer of choice.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: [ASTRO file manager](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.metago.astro&hl=en) does all those things, although I have to agree with Webs and say that you shouldn't use task killers as they are no longer needed. For more information, go to *[Application Fundamentals](http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/fundamentals.html)* and scroll down to component life cycles.
Just trust the system, the way Android is designed means you don't need to do memory management, the OS does it for you. Even the developer of [Advanced Task Killer](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rechild.advancedtaskkiller&hl=en) said in an interview that his application is no longer needed.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/28 | 1,759 | 6,685 | <issue_start>username_0: I usually disconnect my cellphone from the charger some time after it's fully charged because I'm afraid the battery could lose capacity over time if I don't. However, I believe modern electronics should be able to handle this kind of scenario and automatically stop charging the battery once it's full. Does this apply to modern Android phones? Or do I need to continue disconnecting it all the time?<issue_comment>username_1: The phone I have (OpenMoko FreeRunner) specifically states in the documentation that it will live happily on the charger; it was made in 2006 or so.
If your phone's charging circuits are sophisticated enough it should be able to trickle charge and not overcharge or poorly condition the battery.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_1: Modern cell-phones all use lithium-ion batteries, which work best with frequent top-up charges.
They have circuitry to monitor the input voltage and prevent over-charging.
Some chargers get quite warm while connected to the mains supply, and that's just wasted energy; so you might want to disconnect the charger from the mains once your cellphone is fully charged, but there will be no damage to the battery if you leave it charging a few hours longer.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: As njd pointed out, most cell phone batteries are Lithium Ion now.
Although constant charging cannot hurt, it looks like **you may want to periodically run the battery all the way down so the digital circuits can correctly calibrate**:
>
> Although lithium-ion is memory-free in terms of performance deterioration, batteries with fuel gauges exhibit what engineers refer to as "digital memory". Short discharges with subsequent recharges do not provide the periodic calibration needed to synchronize the fuel gauge with the battery's state-of-charge. A deliberate full discharge and recharge every 30 charges corrects this problem. Letting the battery run down to the cut-off point in the equipment will do this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate.
>
>
>
As for battery life, temperature is apparently a factor -- the hotter the environment, the more capacity loss over time. And storing the battery at 100% charge is actually unhealthy for Lithium Ion batteries!
Great set of Lithium Ion battery use tips here: <http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm>
>
> * Avoid frequent full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep one. Recharging a partially charged lithium-ion does not cause harm because there is no memory. (In this respect, lithium-ion differs from nickel-based batteries.) Short battery life in a laptop is mainly cause by heat rather than charge / discharge patterns.
> * Batteries with fuel gauge (laptops) should be calibrated by applying a deliberate full discharge once every 30 charges. Running the pack down in the equipment does this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate and in some cases cut off the device prematurely.
> * Keep the lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car. For prolonged storage, keep the battery at a 40% charge level.
> * Consider removing the battery from a laptop when running on fixed power. (Some laptop manufacturers are concerned about dust and moisture accumulating inside the battery casing.)
> * Avoid purchasing spare lithium-ion batteries for later use. Observe manufacturing dates. Do not buy old stock, even if sold at clearance prices.
> * If you have a spare lithium-ion battery, use one to the fullest and keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Do not freeze the battery. For best results, store the battery at 40% state-of-charge.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 8 <issue_comment>username_3: All devices should stop charging once they're full. However, they might start recharging when the charge drops down to 80-90% depending on the manufacturer.
If I'm rights most batteries should be rated for about 1000 charge cycles before serious degradation occurs. If you charge the phone at night, in the car and at work that would be about one year. After that you might as well buy another battery since they are getting really cheap. Just dispose of the battery environment friendly.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Here are the real expert answers from *Electrical Engineering*, our sister site:
[Effects of smartphones always connected to AC power?](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/36248/consequence-effects-and-solutions-mobile-phone-always-connected-to-ac-power)
Not directly related, but also a nice read:
[Tricking the charging circuit considered harmful](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/33003/is-there-any-sense-in-this-technique-for-charging-li-ion-batteries)
TL;DR: The charging circuit is safely engineered to be connected to the charging circuit 24/7.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Modern electronics will not overcharge battery, and phone should be able to handle being constantly plugged in.
However keeping battery constantly in high state of charge and charge cycling in high voltage will increase battery degradation. It's best for battery when phone is minimal time in full charge.
My personal experience is that my android phone SGS1 handled overnight charging all well so it's not wise to get too worried about this, but if your battery never last long keep eye on that.
<http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries>
>
> Some portable devices sit in a charge cradle in the on position. The
> current drawn through the device is called the parasitic load and can
> distort the charge cycle. Battery manufacturers advise against
> parasitic load while charging because it induces mini-cycles, but this
> cannot always be avoided; a laptop connected to the AC main is such a
> case. The battery is being charged to 4.20V/cell and then discharged
> by the device. The stress level on the battery is high because the
> cycles occur at the 4.20V/cell threshold.
>
>
> Chargers made for operational readiness, or standby mode, often let
> the battery voltage drop to 4.00V/cell and recharge to only 4.05V/cell
> instead of the full 4.20V/cell. This reduces voltage-related stress
> and prolongs battery life.
>
>
> To minimize stress, keep the lithium-ion battery at the 4.20V/cell
> peak voltage as short a time as possible.
>
>
>
<http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries>
>
> Most Li-ions are charged to 4.20V/cell and every reduction of
> 0.10V/cell is said to double cycle life.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/08/23 | 841 | 3,527 | <issue_start>username_0: Does it highly affect the stand-by time to leave wi-fi open all the time on my phone?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, I would imagine leaving WiFi on all the time would drain the battery faster. Even if you're not actively connected to an Access Point (AP), the phone is still constantly scanning all the APs in the vicinity of where you are and that takes energy.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_1: The general rule is to turn off what you are not using.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This has been my experience with HTC's Evo:
WiFi uses less power compared to 3G when actively downloading/uploading large amounts of data. Even when doing a lot of browsing. However, unlike 3G, the WiFi radio never goes to sleep. So when you aren't actively downloading data, it's best to turn it off. This is unlike GPS and Bluetooth where if they aren't being used, they don't use much power at all.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Turning off anything that isn't in use will generally increase battery life. Also remember that the biggest drain on the battery is generally the display. Setting your brightness to the lowest level (or at least auto) can do a lot to save your battery life. Also, if you typically connect to WiFi at home, but don't have access at your work, there are apps that can automatically turn off the WiFi radio (among other things) in the morning, then turn it back on in the late afternoon/early evening. I use [Advanced Volume Mode Scheduler](http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.webcipe.AdvancedModeScheduler) to do this.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Wifi uses significantly less power then 2G or 3G and in fact uses less while connected and inactive than when it is searching for an AP. So I leave it on all the time and my battery lasts longer.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: As username_4 pointed out, leaving WiFi connected and inactive uses less battery than if it has to keep searching for an AP.
I use a HTC Desire and initially had my WiFi set to sleep after 15min, but then realised that every time I unlocked my phone it would wake the WiFi, and in turn it would start searching for an AP. Afterwards, I set WiFi to never turn off - this actually resulted in more battery power left at the end of the day (even with the occasional sync of my accounts - email, twitter etc).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Yes, it decreases standby time because WIFI is one of the more significant things draining the battery. As long as WIFI is enabled, your phone is constantly scanning for new networks and "listening" on TCP ports.
Additionally it will be sending data from applications, requesting updates, etc.; and if you have the Play Store set to automatically update apps then it will also be downloading and installing apps, which also significantly drains the battery.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_7: By my experience it seems that if WiFi is connected to a network then leaving it on will improve standby time as all the periodic data access that an Android phone does will go through WiFi. And accessing data over WiFi is more battery efficient than 2G/3G/LTE.
On the other side, if WiFi is not connected to a network then it will constantly search for one and decrease the standby time.
So what I try to do is to leave WiFi on whenever I think I will be around a known WiFi AP for some time but I leave it off the rest of the time. The drawback is that it forces me to change the setting at least a couple times per day.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/18 | 693 | 2,716 | <issue_start>username_0: Since cellphone application software requires extra power for processing. Is there any application software that indicate power consumption by particular application?<issue_comment>username_1: I'm guessing it would be a no for all platforms, but Android is the only one I can speak to with certainty.
However, Android phones can tell you battery information for specific items and apps. Also if you are rooted you can use a command line command that gives even more information. If you have a Sprint phone you can try dialing (without quotes):
```
"*#*#4636#*#*"
or
"##DATA#"
```
Both are ## codes that give detailed info. The first is a battery info code and the second is one that gives cell radio and all other kinds of detailed info. But I don't think it gets that granular for cell radio.
Sprint might be able to give this information from their 4g app they have in their 2.2 Android OS, but I haven't looked into at all so that is just a guess.
An Android app called "OS Monitor" will give information about CPU utilization, but not cell radio. I think such an app doesn't exist.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: I don't think this is going to be a popular answer, but you have to realize that your modern smart-phone is an incredibly complex beast, and battery life is affected by all sorts of things:
1. CPU usage (your phone might get warm, or use a system activity monitor for more details)
2. Bluetooth radio, is it on, is it in use (ie, headset or tethering)
3. Wireless radio, what protocol is it using? HSPA, EVDO, EDGE?
4. WiFi radio, are you actively using it? What version?
5. Proximity and power of nearest cell towers (weak towers = cell phone tries harder to connect, using more power).
6. Baseband version (this is the part of the phone os written and maintained by your carrier)
As you can see there are a lot of things that affect battery life, so it's tough to guarantee that any given App will have a given profile, since it's data usage might be over weak signal (which will reduce your battery life more).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: Linux-based phones (with a GNU or Busybox userland, I'm unsure about Android) might be able to run [powertop](http://www.lesswatts.org/projects/powertop/). It was designed for desktop/laptops but it could be useful on a phone.
Intel wrote it so there may not be an ARM build, but it's GPL-licensed so some enterprising hacker could port it.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Settings > About Phone > Battery Use
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_1: Why not [PowerTutor](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.umich.PowerTutor) app which is freely available in Android Market.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/14 | 597 | 2,502 | <issue_start>username_0: Recently I bought an HTC Desire overall I'm very happy with it. There seems to be one major flaw, it overheats quite easily causing it to reboot. I've run into this several times while driving using the navigation whilst recharging. Does anyone have any suggestions to workaround this problem? I've searched around but haven't found any helpful information.<issue_comment>username_1: [I also have a HTC Desire]
Your device overheats because its hardware is strained a lot during heavy use such as turn-by-turn navigation. This is compounded by the fact you probably have plugged it in the car charger as well, which is also known to generate some amount of heat (you probably have noticed this yourself when charging your phone normally).
There doesn't seem much that you can do to alleviate the problem, except turning off turn-by-turn navigation and only use the map to show you the route. You might also want to check whether there are other apps and services that strain unnecessary the device (frequent syncing could be an issue, as well as Bluetooth and mobile internet).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I also have the username_3e problem i bought my HTC desire 3 weeks ago and if i stay on the internet for around 5 minutes, the phone starts to become extremely hot and if i continue ton use it it will cut of and reboot. my solution was take of the back cover and expose the battery. Taking this measure it kept my phone a little cooler and did not have to reboot.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I have a rooted HTC Desire. My phone used to overheat and reboot.
I tried to solve it by moving some of my apps from Phone to SD. The phone is generally good but the battery runs out very quick. I advise nobody to get a task killer application from the market as i have experienced that it kills the phone battery more.
I tend to use 3G mobile-internet and that made my phone to overheat and crash - after I started using WiFi, it made a difference. Also this phone has problems in general with the battery the best advice would be to get a new battery of Amazon or E-bay and it lasts twice as long and the phone doesn't overheat at all.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: Do not install unstable software. It is not stable. Then your mobile overheat.
Do not change CPU pulse rate. Keep normal number.
Keep free RAM and free space. Overload can heat mobile.
Some games need more RAM. It can overheat mobile.
Update operating system.
Upvotes: -1 |
2010/07/15 | 1,162 | 4,015 | <issue_start>username_0: Whats the best way to break in a new cell phone battery?
I just got a replacement battery for my Motorola Droid and so far through 2 cycles it is barely lasting a few hours.<issue_comment>username_1: You may need to [recalibrate the device](http://online.tmtxusa.com/faqs/item/?lc=en&p=motorola_motoroladroidverizon&a=battery_drains_quicky_calibrate_the_battery) for the new battery, especially if you got a 3rd-party replacement:
1. Allow the phone to drain completely to the point where the device no longer powers on
2. Plug the device in and allow it to charge completely. Do not use your device during this time.
3. After the device charges completely, keep the device connected to the charger for an additional 2+ hours.
4. Repeat this process once more to ensure that the device is being charged to maximum capacity.
If this doesn't cure your battery problems, make sure you don't have apps running in the background wasting power. Culprits include zealous Twitter clients and apps that constantly use the GPS.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You don't need to "break-in" a typical cell phone (lithium-ion) battery. It doesn't help the battery at all.
Having said that, as Kyle mentioned, calibrating it may be necessary.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Is it a lithium polymer battery battery? Discharging it probably won't have any effect:
>
> This used to be true for NiMH
> batteries, where discharging fully was
> thought to help extend both voltage
> depression effects (where cell voltage
> would start to drop more quickly when
> in use) and general capacity (the
> "memory effect").
>
>
> Fully discharging cells cures voltage
> depression in NiMH cells, but if you
> fully discharge a whole NiMH battery
> pack then the stronger cells in the
> battery will "reverse" the weaker
> ones. The weaker ones go flat first,
> and then get charged backwards by the
> others. This is bad for the weaker
> cells, and will kill a NiMH battery
> pack more quickly. Model enthusiasts
> will use a proper electronic
> discharger that discharges the cells
> without damaging them.
>
>
> There is no need at all to
> purposefully discharge a lithium
> polymer battery. The chemistry is
> totally different. Each cell in a lipo
> pack has a working voltage between
> 4.2v (fully charged) and 3v (fully discharged). If you run any lipo
> battery based RC models then you'll
> know how carefull you have to be.. fly
> your lipo helicopter for a few minutes
> after the power has dropped each time
> and then youll have to chuck the
> battery away within a few charges as
> youve completely messed it up! A
> laptop will switch off when any of the
> cells in the pack reach 3v to protect
> the battery. Then when it is charging
> it will charge each cell individually
> and balance them all out. There is no
> memory effect though.
>
>
> Model enthusiasts preserve your lipo
> batteries when not in use by keeping
> them in the fridge. Even better if
> they are discharged half way
> (apparently).
>
>
> Totally impractical for a laptop
> battery, but a cold laptop might be
> nice on a warm day.
>
>
>
(Lifted from [this discussion](http://www.under-score.org.uk/pipermail/underscore/2009-December/090186.html) on laptop batteries, but pertinent anyway)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Discharging the battery is not about the battery, it's to calibrate the phone to the batteries capacity. It needs to go from 0 to full a couple times to know what 0 and full are. Makes no difference what chemistry the battery is
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: You are ALL very WRONG! Discharging ANY LiPo to 0V makes it puff up. Do it every day and your battery will suffer the very first week I guarantee. There is no "Battery Level Calibration". That is an imagined myth. The Battery % is a table of Voltage Vs. % Capacity, with some guard band to save your battery from total discharge, which will hurt it!
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/07/29 | 763 | 2,878 | <issue_start>username_0: HTC directly updated over-the-air (OTA) from 1.5 android to 2.1 android firmware on my handset. Since that time, the touch-screen (which is miscalibrated) can no longer be recalibrated, because the menu item has disappeared.
I have, of course, requested support from HTC via email, but I doubt that they will find an answer here, and I suspect my phone is now junk, unless some enterprising Phone-savvy person can figure out how to restore this thing. There is sadly no backup that I know of that I can use to restore this phone, and going back to Android 1.5 has a host of issues associated with it.
How can I get this working again? I could use any technique that will let me recalibrate the touch screen, even if it isn't the built-in menu item, maybe there is a way to bring that up indirectly somehow, or through an add-on app?
Incidentally, [HTC HERO](http://androidforums.com/htc-hero/24348-screen-not-responsive-when-flat-surface.html)'s seem to be famous on internet cell-phone forums for glitchy capacitive touch screens.<issue_comment>username_1: Unfortunately I'm pretty sure this isn't possible. How long have you had your phone? If it's still under warranty/insured, you should be able to get it replaced and can make sure that the new one has a good screen. Sounds like a hardware problem to me.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: Saw this on SDX Developers forum. You might want to try it out
===============================================================
<http://forum.sdx-developers.com/android-1-5/htc-hero-virtual-keyboard-on-moment/>
This is a quick guide on how to get the htc hero vk onto your moment.
(1) You will need to go onto the android market and download an app installer. 'appmanager' should work.
(2) Download the HTC virtual keyboard apk
(3) Connect phone to computer, mount the phone, then move file onto a folder on the sdcard. unmount.
(4) open appmanager -> press 'menu' key -> select 'Install from SD'. There you can install the .apk file. If the file is not visible, press menu again, and select 'Whole SD' so that you can see the file.
(5) Go to your home
-> go to 'Settings' -> 'Locale & text'. Select 'Touch Input'.
(6) Go to someplace where you input text, such as messaging. Long-press on the text input field, and select 'Input Method'. Select 'Touch Input'.
If you would like to calibrate the htc vk, download this file: calibration apk
(1) follow steps 3 and 4 above.
(2) to calibrate: go to 'settings' -> 'Locale & Text' -> 'touch input' settings -> 'text input' -> select 'calibration tool'
Thanks to bjb\_nyj101 for locating the htc vk; and hokansoc for locating the calibration tool.
Also note: the calibration tool isn't necessary for it to work, so you should be ok even if you can't get it to install.
=============================================================
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/08/13 | 556 | 2,123 | <issue_start>username_0: I've read mixed reports online about which radio uses more power -- 3G or 4G. Has anyone done any semi-scientific tests that would answer this question?
* When constantly downloading data over the same period of time, which uses more battery (battery drain per second of download)?
* When downloading the same amount of data, which uses more battery (battery drain per KB)?
* Do both radios sleep with the same consistency? Do they use the same amount of power when sleeping or is one better than the other?
I don't think this is a simple question since the different frequencies might take different amounts of power to transmit/receive, since 4G is faster and may get to go back to sleep sooner, since the process of holding onto a signal may be different, etc.
My city won't have 4G until the end of the year but I'd really like to know.<issue_comment>username_1: So I can't give you a scientific (or even semi-scientific) answer, but I can give you an anecdotal one based on my experience over the past couple months..
We have 4G here in Atlanta, and while it works most everywhere I go during the day, I've found myself leaving it off most of the time because it has a noticeable impact on battery drain.
The way I understand it, the 4G radio is separate from the 3G radio, and I'm not sure the 4G radio turns "off" the 3G. I say this because when you use 4G it's possible to receive data during a voice call, which you can't do otherwise.
That said, using the 4G widget it's really easy to flip it on when you need it, and leave it off when you don't. It's not inconvenient, and will help your battery life..
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Anandtech did some testing with the Evo 4G and found the battery life to be the same when using 4G as when using 3G. <http://www.anandtech.com/show/3791/the-sprint-htc-evo-4g-review/12> It is the only semi-scientific testing I've seen.
I find that in Portland, Oregon 4G coverage is spotty so if I leave 4G enabled the battery drains faster. My guess is that it takes more battery power to search for unavailable 4G networks.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/09/16 | 770 | 2,583 | <issue_start>username_0: Is there a DLNA compatible media player app available for Android?<issue_comment>username_1: A similar question exists on stackoverflow <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3682430/android-developing-plugins-for-media-sharing> (For which I gave the info I was aware of)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: [UPnPlay](http://www.appbrain.com/app/upnplay/cx.hoohol.silanoid) is an Alpha release and apparently still a bit glitchy, but still some positive reviews.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: All Share is an app on samsung phones that plays & downloads DLNA media from a DLNA server. All Share can also be used to play files of the phone onto a DLNA device, or stream files from a DLNA server via the phone then play back on a 3rd DLNA device.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I've looked into [2player](https://market.android.com/details?id=com.twoplay.twoplayer) and it seems to work well (not great thou).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: try twonky <https://market.android.com/details?id=com.pv.twonkyremote>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: You can use [Skifta](https://market.android.com/details?id=com.skifta.android.app). It will play files from DLNA server in any player installed on your device. Also it can be a media server and controller. The description says the app is DLNA Certified.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: I have been using [MediaHouse](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dbapp.android.mediahouse), UPnP/ DLNA Browser with [Plex Media Server](http://www.plexapp.com/) (get the beta with DLNA) on my home computer and it works great!
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_8: [uPNP](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cx.hoohol.silanoid&hl=en) works perfectly for me for streaming. I use the stock video / Mobo video alongside that and have been able to stream anything I've put on my server.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_9: Sure, you need an UPnP controller, like [BubbleUPnP](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bubblesoft.android.bubbleupnp) and an player (e.g. [MX Player](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mxtech.videoplayer.ad)). That's all what's need to stream via UPnP. At least it works well for me with [MediaTomb](http://mediatomb.cc/).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_10: For this purpose I've used Sklift and some other DLNA apps.But Now I'm using [ArkMC](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.arkudadigital.arkmc.gm&hl=en) because it let me to stream photos and 1080p videos Flawlessly.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/09/16 | 1,049 | 3,811 | <issue_start>username_0: Can I make these work on Android or is there a google place to create or convert bookmarklets to make them Android Compatible?<issue_comment>username_1: It isn't so much being "Android compatible" as being compatible with the specific browser.
That being said... I haven't gotten URL-based javascript to execute in Dolphin, but that proves nothing.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Finally got it to work and it wasn't complicated at all.
Simply create a bookmark and paste the javascript into the URL field. I've tried it on this bookmarklet that does a google definition search:
`javascript: s = (window.getSelection ? window.getSelection() : document.getSelection ? document.getSelection() : document.selection.createRange().text); if (s == '') { l = parent.frames.length; if (l != 1) { for (i = 0; i < l; i++) { s = parent.frames[i].document.getSelection ? parent.frames[i].document.getSelection() : parent.frames[i].document.selection.createRange().text; if (s) { break; } } } } if (s == '') { void( s = prompt('Google Define:
Enter a term or mark some text.','') ); } if (s) { s = String(s); s = s.replace(/^s*|s*$/g,''); s = escape(s);void( bmw = open('http://www.google.com/search?num=100&start=0&q=define:'+s+'','GoogleDefineBM'+String(Math.round(Math.random()*1000))) );}`
To get it saved as a bookmark I just saved the text in evernote then copied it on my phone an pasted it in the url field of "new bookmark." To make it even easier to access I created a custom dolphin gesture that opens it as "Go To URL". Now when I'm browsing and I want to lookup a word I hit the gesture button and draw a "d" and it brings up a popup that allows me to lookup the word.
I've only tried this on Dolphin Browser HD.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: "Simply create a bookmark and paste the javascript into the URL field."
Bookmark a page that you have not bookmarked, then modify the bookmark, Name, Address, Folder (to something like "Bookmarklets"), and Assign a Gesture, then Add.
Suggest you create a gesture to create a bookmark and draw a five pointed star as that gesture. (or use the "+" at the left end of the address bar.)
For more information see <http://dmcritchie.mvps.org/dolphin/dolphin_mygestures.htm>
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: [Chrome to Phone](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.chrometophone) and also...
[Phone to Chrome](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.chrometophone),
Once the the linkys gets synchronized, then its merely a matter of bookmarking it.
The only onus, is that Chrome is installed on the PC Desktop, in that way, linkys can be shared.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: Works in Chrome mobile. Here's the recipe:
### PREPARE
Create a bookmarklet = add a script to your bookmarks:
* on Chrome PC¹, then sync (so your bookmarks show up in Chrome mobile on your phone)
* or directly in Chrome mobile on your phone²
### USE
Do not invoke/call the script (on phone) by looking it up in Chrome Bookmarks (menu [ **⋮** ] / Bookmarks) → that doesn't work. You have to tap the URL bar and start typing the bookmarklet's name. Select the bookmarklet from the list (it'll begin with *javascript:blahblahblah…*).
---
¹) on any webpage hit Chrome's button [ **⭐** ] on URL bar then [**More**] in the popup that appears, then enter the bookmarklet name, URL (=code beginning with *javascript:blahblahblah…*), optionally choose folder, then hit [**Save**]
²) on any webpage hit Chrome's button [ **⋮** ] then [ **⭐** ] then [**Edit**] on a bar that shows down the screen, then enter the bookmarklet name, URL (=code beginning with *javascript:blahblahblah…*), optionally choose folder, then hit [**←**] to save and go back
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/16 | 1,283 | 4,798 | <issue_start>username_0: I would like to be able to use [userscripts](http://userscripts.org/) in Android. Is this even possible? I read that it was a couple months back and tried a tutorial which I can no longer find but it didn't work.
This question may be related to [this other one](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1053/is-there-a-way-to-use-pc-browser-bookmarklets-with-the-android-browser-or-dolphin) I submitted but I believe they may have totally different answers.<issue_comment>username_1: Use [OilCan](http://oilcan.jsharkey.org/) - "Greasemonkey on steroids for Android".
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: 2019 Update:
------------
My preferred way to get userscripts on Android would now be to use the Firefox browser, which has working, well-maintained Add-ons available for both Greasemonkey and Tampermonkey (search for them through the Add-ons menu in the Firefox app).
Pasting the javascript into the address bar still works (at least on Chrome), but note that Chrome now strips out the `javascript:` prefix when you paste in the code. If you don't retype it, it will just do a web search.
The mobile versions of Chrome and Opera (also now based on Chromium) don't support userscript add-ons, but the Tampermonkey standalone app is still available from the Play Store. It hasn't been updated since 2013 but still just about works. However, given its age, it won't support many of the features of the current Greasemonkey/Tampermonkey API, or modern websites in general. As a result, many userscripts won't work without modification. It's also tricky to figure out how to install them in the first player (use the 'Textarea' utility hidden under the Advanced Settings). There are also Tampermonkey extensions for the Dolphin and UC browsers available in the Play Store. I haven't tried them, but they haven't been updated since 2016.
Original 2013 answer:
---------------------
Solution 1. Use [Tampermonkey](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.biniok.tampermonkey). Tampermonkey is more popular as an extension for Chrome, but it is also available as a standalone Android app. It functions as a lightweight browser, and allows you to manage and automatically run user scripts. Unfortunately it doesn't have many of the features found on other popular browsers, but it does support the Greasemonkey API.
Solution 2. Use Opera Mobile, which has built-in support for userscripts, but no script management features, and doesn't support the Greasemonkey API. Navigate to the User Prefs section of `opera:config`, then tick "Always Load User JavaScript" and "User JavaScript". Enter the path to a folder (not a file) in the "User JavaScript File" field (I use /sdcard/userscripts/), then store the settings. Save your userscript in that folder with a `.user.js` extension. NB this works in OM12, but the OM14 beta doesn't seem to support userscripts at present.
Solution 3. Launch your userscript manually via a bookmarklet or pasting this javascript directly into the browser address bar:
```
javascript:(function(){var a=document.createElement("script");a.src="http://path.to/myscript.user.js";document.head.appendChild(a);})();
```
This technique is tedious, but the principle should work in most browsers. You don't get Greasemonkey API support though. The code above should work without modification in the stock Android browser, and can be saved as a bookmarklet. In Chrome Mobile the space in the `var a` needs escaping, i.e. `var%20a=`, and bookmarklets don't seem to work, so you have to paste manually every time.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Use either the [Habit Browser](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.ddo.pigsty.HabitBrowser) or [Slepnir Browser](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.fenrir.android.sleipnir) apps. They both support Userscripts. I had to tweak my scripts slightly to get them working (they handle events differently) but they both work really well.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: There is a Greasemonkey-like add-on for Dolphin called [Tampermonkey](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.tampermonkey.dolphin&hl=en). There is also a stand-alone Tampermonkey app, but Dolphin is a more full-fledged browser than that thing.
There is also a similar add-on for Firefox for Android, called [USI](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/userunified-script-injector/).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: You can run userscripts on your phone by installing [Violentmonkey](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/violentmonkey/jinjaccalgkegednnccohejagnlnfdag) on [Kiwi Browser](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kiwibrowser.browser) or [Iceraven](https://github.com/fork-maintainers/iceraven-browser).
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/09/16 | 1,335 | 5,096 | <issue_start>username_0: The scenario I would want to have this is if I want to quickly drain the battery so I can charge it fully again. Some say that this will help extend the battery life by fully draining/charging the battery.
How to drain the battery quickly?<issue_comment>username_1: This question is along these same lines: [What causes battery to drain faster than it can charge?](https://android.stackexchange.com/q/418/15)
So there may or may not be an app *designed to drain the battery* but you probably just need to turn on an app that uses the GPS. This will help to fully drain your battery but I don't know that doing so before recharging will extend the battery life.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I know that my phone -- HTC's Evo -- actually has a diagnostic tool thats sole purpose is to drain the battery as fast as possible. Open up your dialer and enter:
```
*#*#3424#*#*
```
You don't need to press send or anything. A recent update for the Evo blocked these tools so hopefully you can still access them. You can also look up device specific codes if yours happens to be different. Rooted users have [found a way](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=737594) to get these tools back.
The utility turns up brightness all the way, prevents sleep, turns on the camera and flash, turns on the GPS and constantly polls it, etc. Basically everything that can drain the battery but not damage the phone is done (ie it doesn't constantly vibrate because that would probably be bad).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Activating WiFi network sharing should empty the battery in a couple of hours.
After the first couple of charge cycles, the battery should be at optimum performance. How this works, I don't really know. But after an initial couple of days, I had a little more use out of a fully charged battery.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: **Do not do this**. You are actually *harming* the lifespan of your battery when fully discharging it before a recharge. [See this site](http://www.mpoweruk.com/life.htm#dod) for a discussion of how depth of discharge affects battery life.
The only reason you might want to fully discharge before a recharge is if you have a NiCad battery that is susceptible to the memory effect. Your smartphone most likely uses a Lithium-ion polymer battery, so there is no good reason for you to totally discharge your battery. The lifetime is longer if you have a shallow depth of discharge.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Enable your GPS and use navigator to some location you are not going to that is far away. Then watch a movie on your phone with brightness on max.
This will get the job done.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: If you know some basic programming, you can write an application that just do some random calculations (e.g. calculating primes, factorials, or even folding proteins), request CPU lock, prevent screen from turning off, turn on GPS, Bluetooth, Wifi, turn on vibrators, record videos, etc.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: Watch a movie with full brightness, download a large file, while enabling WiFi tethering (this is a great battery drain), GPS, Bluetooth, and WiFi at the same time.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: Just play [The Elements](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.idkjava.thelements). A very CPU-intensive game. If you add a lot of stuff to make the simulation very slow, you are sure to use the CPU in full.
Meanwhile, you could use a GPS fix to constantly use your GPS. And you could leave your Bluetooth on. All this at the same time (especially with the Samsung Galaxy S2 & Cyanogenmod) you might end up using more power than your phone can recharge.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_9: I found a combination that draws more than 2 Ampere on my phone without requiring any non-built-in app.
* Flashlight
* Brightness to the maximum. Obvious yet easily forgotten.
* Disable adaptive brightness. Sleep after 30 minutes, or better: play a video.
* Picture-in-picture video streaming (YouTube, Netflix,...). This keeps active:
1. The video decoder
2. The screen
3. WiFi (or cellular if you can afford it).If you can't use the network, try [Video Looper](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bradsbrain.videolooper), no permissions required. There's also a "loop one" option buried in the options of [MX player](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mxtech.videoplayer.ad)
* GPU load like for instance <https://jbouny.github.io/fft-ocean/> or <https://webglsamples.org/aquarium/aquarium.html> keeps the GPU active with just a web browser; no app needed.
* GPS navigation
* A fan to avoid thermal throttling
Some apps show the total battery drain.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_10: * Connect a USB device with a motor, like an external HDD or cooling fan (to the USB port using a USB OTG cable.)
* Play HD videos at full brightness and sound (from an external HDD)
* Turn on GPS, WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth, and do searching
* Unlimited vibrator
* Run a virus check
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/07/23 | 240 | 897 | <issue_start>username_0: If I connect an iPhone to a PC it is not possible to copy files between the PC and the iPhone. I would like to be able to do this because it would be useful.
What happens if I connect an Android phone to a PC? Do I see it as a disk or is it similar to the iPhone?<issue_comment>username_1: Absolutely, and it's very easy. This is the procedure for my Samsung Galaxy S; other phones may be different:
1. Plug in the USB cable and a USB icon
appears in the notification area at
the top of the screen.
2. Pull down the
notification and tap "USB
connected".
3. Tap "Mount" on the
dialog box that's displayed.
4. Two
removable drives show up on my PC;
one for the built-in flash memory,
and one for the expansion SD card.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: On my HTC Desire you choose "Disk drive" mode although you only see the SDCard not the internal memory.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/16 | 409 | 1,782 | <issue_start>username_0: On my old Nokia phone I was able to create groups of contacts. I found this very useful and had groups such as Co-workers, Neighbors, Doctors, Friends, Family, etc.
Is there a way to do this on my Moto Droid? The only way I've found to group contacts so far is to mark them as Favorites, or create custom folders with direct contact shortcuts on my home screen.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know of any way to do that on the Android device directly. But you can create groups within your contacts in Gmail, and it will sync down to your device.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Sunpech is correct about that. However, it doesn't quite work in the way you are envisioning it. Your groups in your Google contacts don't sort your contacts in your phone, instead you are simply able to specify to Android which of those groups you want synced. When you are in your contact list (in Android) you can hit Menu and go to "Display options" and choose your preferences there. The actual appearance of the "Display options" screen will vary depending on your version of Android, but ultimately, you will be able to choose which groups to include in your contacts, and even specify to only display those with phone numbers.
I hope this clears things up for you.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Matt, Contacts GroupU is a free app that let's you create groups and sync w/ gmail groups. I stopped using it months ago because it turned out seperating my contacts wasn't that impoertant to me afterall. I do recall that it was a little quirky at first which caused some duplicate groups. Play around with it and figure out the difference between groupU groups and synced groups before you spend time getting things organized.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/09/16 | 404 | 1,616 | <issue_start>username_0: I have HTC's people widget on one of my home screens. I like its functionality but sometimes when I touch a contact, another one gets selected. A completely different contact gets the green selection box and it starts to call them. With my luck this usually results in calling my parents at some ungodly hour.
I've used touch visualizers to see if that area of my touch screen is having problems but all looks fine. The people widget is the only thing that seems to be affected.
I've also tried removing and re-adding the widget. Is there a fix for this? Or a comparable replacement?<issue_comment>username_1: You could try [Call Confirm](http://www.appbrain.com/app/net.nanabit.callconfirm), which gives a popup to confirm if you want to call said person.
I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard it is recommended for accidental touch screen issues.
QR Code for Call Confirm:
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There probably isn't much you can do to fix HTC's widget. On the other hand you can purchase LauncherPro Plus which has its own *People Widget* which works perfectly fine for me.
LauncherPro QR Code:
Otherwise you can look around on the Market and I'm sure you'll find another *People Widget* somewhere.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I believe I observed a similar issue... I simply waited a few seconds and then pushed the screen side-to-side without leaving the screen. I saw the widget sort of refresh with the contacts back in order.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/09/16 | 892 | 3,208 | <issue_start>username_0: A friend of mine has an HTC Aria on AT&T. On his application settings screen, he does not have the option to allow installation of apps from unknown sources. Is there any way to change this option to allow him to install downloaded apps (\*.apk files) without rooting the phone?<issue_comment>username_1: Unfortunately, it seems like the HTC Aria [does have that ability](http://www.htc.com/www/howto.aspx?id=7129&type=1&p_id=322), but AT&T has [removed it](http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/06/15/lesson-not-learned-att-locks-down-the-htc-arias-app-selection/).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You can install apps on the HTC Aria using the ADB client.
You'll need to install the android SDK on your PC, and then use ADB to install the .apk files.
To install the android SDK, follow the steps in the [Android Developer's guide](http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/device.html#setting-up) to setting up your phone for development.
If you're on Windows, you'll need to go to HTC to get the device drivers, as Google only provides drivers for their devices. For some reason HTC doesn't publicise the ADB driver well, but it is included in the HTC Sync software. You can grab the latest version from HTC's Aria downloads page.
Mac and Linux users do not need to install device drivers to use ADB.
Finally, connect your device to your PC, making sure that debugging mode is enabled on the device. You should see an entry in the system tray stating that the device is in debug mode. On your PC, run the following command:
```
adb install yourapp.apk
```
This will install the app on your phone, and you'll be good to go! Note that you'll either need to have the android-sdk/platform-tools directory in your path, or run the command from that directory.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I know this is a really old (and probably no longer relevant) post, but as I have an HTC Aria and I shared the same issue, I thought it was worth posting another option. I would suggest checking out a program called [SuperOneClick](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682). With it, I was able to permanently enable my Aria to install non-market apps. It will also allow for the installation of the Amazon market. All of this without having to root your phone or do anything to void the warranty (at least to my knowledge). It was very easy to use.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: You could try the instructions in [this XDA post](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=14448678&postcount=1). Be aware that doing this will disable your ability to send/receive MMS messages, and will require a hard reset to fix:
>
> 1. Go To Your "Settings"
> 2. Go To "Applications"
> 3. Go To "Manage applications"
> 4. Go To The "All" Tab (or any tab that will display all your apps)
> 5. Find The Applications "Customization Settings Provider"
> 6. Click On "Clear data"
> 7. Go Back To "All" Tab (or any tab that will display all your applications)
> 8. Find The Program "Settings"
> 9. Click On "Clear data"
>
>
> Finished If You Go Back To "Applications" You Will Now Have The Option To Enable "Unknown Sources"
>
>
>
Upvotes: -1 |
2010/09/16 | 490 | 2,028 | <issue_start>username_0: I want to be able to redefine what the hardware buttons on my Motorola Droid do. By buttons I mean the 4 capacitive buttons on the bottom: Back, Menu, Home & Search and the Camera button and Volume buttons on the side. I have seen several apps that allow you to change what the Camera and Search buttons do but I want the ability to redefine them all. Can this be done? If so, how?<issue_comment>username_1: [Tasker](http://tasker.dinglisch.net/) looks like it allows you to remap at least some of the hardware buttons.
Note that the Android OS spec has some very specific requirements for Android devices. You may not be *able* to remap certain things.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: [Button Shortcut](http://www.appbrain.com/app/button-shortcut/com.socialnmobile.buttonshortcuts) will let you assign shortcuts to the camera and search buttons.
The home button could be replaced with another home launcher-like app that handles that intent.
However, I do not believe you will be able to re-map the menu and and back buttons without root access to the phone's system due to security reasons. Although within an application you should be able to programatically take control over these buttons with listener events (but it is strongly discouraged to override the default behavior of the back button without valid reasons).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Got it, [ButtonRemapper](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=850464).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: I own a Droid (or rather, its brother Milestone, the GSM version of Droid) and I found its hardware keys not so durable: my power/lock key stopped functioning after a year and the volume down button is failing too. So you might wanna give it a second thought if the durability is ever a concern (I cannot lock/unlock my phone with a press of button anymore). In fact there are quite some apps out there trying to do the reverse, i.e. mapping hardware keys to on-screen touch buttons.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/09/17 | 536 | 2,169 | <issue_start>username_0: For the most part, I haven't had too many problems with the stock Email app on my Moto Droid. I have both ActiveSync (Exchange) and POP3 accounts set up and never have trouble with ActiveSync. But for some reason, with the POP3 account, sometimes the app gets into this endless loop and won't stop downloading the exact same message and showing it as unread.
I'll open the message, delete it, and then next time the app checks for new e-mail, the message is back again as if I'd never opened it in the first place.
Usually the problem seems to go away if I either (a) delete the message from the message list without opening it, or (b) delete it from within the message and then immediately hit "Load more messages". But neither of these methods work *all* the time; sometimes the message still comes back!
I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this and knows why it happens (I assume it's got to be some connectivity issue - I do know that the Email app flakes out a lot due to 3G/WiFi switching, but that's hardly a complete explanation), and if there's any foolproof way to either ensure the message is deleted "for good" or to prevent the problem from ever happening in the first place.
Unfortunately I've never been able to reliably reproduce the issue - it seems to be random or at least intermittent.
Any ideas?<issue_comment>username_1: I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS ISSUE (sorry for caps but I have been dealing with it for a while). I don't have a fix but I do have work around: hit the show pictures button at the top of the message and let all images render before deleting. I wish I had a permanent fix for you. I wonder if this happens on other phones and not just the Moto Droid?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: On my Motorola Droid, I was able to set up Hotmail as an Exchange Active Sync account. I followed the settings in <http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2010/08/30/hotmail-now-supports-push-email-calendar-and-contacts-with-exchange-activesync.aspx> and everything worked fine. Now that I access Hotmail through ActiveSync, my email sync works great and deletes work too.
Upvotes: 0 |