text:
How to determine what applications are using what features on Android?
With its multi-tasking, it's easy to launch lots of applications on Android. I understand that background applications use fairly minimal resources, but they often activate features (GPS WiFi etc.) that drain the battery.
How can you find out what applications are running and what resources they're using? and how can you stop them safely?

All Android applications have to be granted 'Permissions'. These 'Permissions' include internet access, GPS, etc.
You can see these 'Permissions' by going to the application in the market, hitting 'Menu' and selecting 'Security' (I think).
As for 'activating features', applications cannot activate GPS or WiFi if you have them turned off. Also, GPS, even when activated, is only 'awake' when an application is polling for location, then immediately goes back to sleep.
It's always good to remember to turn off WiFi and other features you don't need when you aren't using them, although Android is very good about only using these features when necessary.

To see the applications that are already installed on your phone, open the Market, tap the Menu and choose "Downloads".  And yes, your description of how to see the permissions is correct.

You can also find the permission list in Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications -> (app) and then scroll to the bottom.

If you go to Start screen / Menu key / Settings / About phone / Battery / Battery use you can see exactly how much different applications drained your battery since your last recharge.
To stop application you can use the file manager ASTRO or a Task killer like Advanced Task Killer.


text:
How to change calendar week start day in Android?
I prefer my week view of my calendar to start on Monday rather than Sunday. I already have my Google Calendar set that way (to which I sync).
How can I do the same on my Droid (Android 2.2)?

I wanna make the start day Saturday, any way to do that?

This is apparently not possible on a Motorola Droid with Android 2.1.
FroYo is slated to release next week. Maybe it will also change the ability to set this value. (If it does I'll change this answer.)
Sadly, this is still not possible with Android 2.2 either.

For what it's worth, I am able to do this on my Galaxy Nexus (Android 4.0) and, presumably, going forward, using the stock calendar.

I'm not exactly sure whether it's the same on general Android as my have a Hero with Sense but on my phone it's:
Open Calendar/Press Menu Key/ Press More/ Settings/Calendar View Settings/First day of the Week

Unfortunately, no such setting exists on my Droid.

The popular home screen replacement LauncherPro Plus comes with a home screen widget that does just this and sync's with your Google calendar

I just found the way to change start day of the week in Calendar app. It's related to Language ("Locale" in pre-2.3) settings:

"English (United Kingdom)" sets Monday as the start day of the week.
"English (United States)" sets Sunday as the start day of the week.

Where to find this option:

Android 2.1 Eclair (Samsung Galaxy Spica)

at Home screen -> [Menu] button -> Settings -> Language & Keyboard -> Select locale

Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread, (Sony Ericson Xperia ST25i)

at Home screen -> [Menu] button -> Settings -> Language & Keyboard -> Select language

Sadly, there is no such setting on the Motorola Droid.

Uninstall the app.
Cange the language of the device to an European one (English UK or Spanish)
Go to Play Store and download the Google Calendar app. Install it.
Now the week starts on a Monday
Change the language of your device back to your previous one (English US)
The week starts on Monday.

It worked for me.

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text:
Performance of Android 2.2 vs. earlier versions
One reason that I haven't switched to Android in the past is that it has seemed sluggish when I've tried phones that run it.  I see that Google claims performance improvements of 4x to 5x over previous versions, but those numbers are based on benchmarks, not on real-world use.
Does anyone have any information about how Android 2.2 affects typical smartphone usage.  Not just making calls -- scrolling through a long contact list, reading emails, browsing the web, navigating photo albums, playing games?  Ideally, a side-by-side comparison of device X running 2.2 and an earlier version.

This isn't a real question that can be answered; it's a request for Android performance anecdotes. Vote to close.

@Evan and others: point taken, edited to narrow the subjectivity gap.

This question is easily answered with a proper review that compares the Nexus One running 2.1 and Froyo.

This page has a couple of benchmarks that compare not only a Nexus One running 2.2 vs. one running 2.1, but also includes iPhones and the iPad. In both cases, the Nexus One running 2.2 outperforms the 2.1 version by over 2x.

Excellent.  Just the kind of information I'm looking for.

Google claims performance improvements of 4x to 5x over previous versions
No they didn't claim such, what they claimed is that JIT compiler can give 4x to 5x improvement on compute-bound process (CPU-bound process; processes doing heavy computations). If you're scrolling on a long contact list, browsing web or gallery, etc you're more likely to be I/O bound by slow network or slow disk rather than CPU-bound, and JIT only helps very little in those cases.
Outside of benchmarks and games, it is in fact very rare for applications to be CPU-bound.

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text:
How can I improve the battery life on my device?

Possible Duplicate:
What can I do to increase battery life on my Android device?

My Desire is absolutely great, but with my usage the battery life is really a big problem.
I have a few apps running and polling in the background, obviously the Google stuff (Gmail, Talk, Maps probably poll because of Latitude). Then I have Twitter running (checks every 5 minutes), Google Listen (checks every hour). Google Market also checks for updates sometimes apparently, don't think I can switch that off.
My usage is pretty heavy, on my bicycle I listen to Spotify or a podcast for 20 minutes, then in the morning train (45 minutes) I will usually read Twitter and Google reader (the web app). Then I get to work and my battery is down to about 75%-70%. I usually charge it but if I don't then I will be out of battery by about 6PM. So thats 9 hours of battery life. The commute back is pretty much the same, battery will be dead before I get home.
I don't want to give up on instant notifications, so the 3G will always be on.
When I went camping for a weekend I turned all of the above polling off and only checked Twitter about 4 times, didn't use the phone for the rest of the day. Battery life improved slightly to about 14 hours. Still not great, I was hoping for at least 24 hours.
WiFi is always off by the way!
I've tried rebooting but the timings are mostly the same. Is it wise to buy a battery that can provide more mAh? Is there any good solutions for backup power when I don't have power available, when camping for example (aside from buying extra batteries)?

Go to StartScreen/Menu Key/Settings/About Phone/Battery/Battery use. It tells you which of your applications are using how much energy. Then you can make a more informed decision about whether certain applications are worth their energy usage.

I forgot about this option! But it seems to be really wonky, it keeps saying that Gowalla is using 90+ percent of my battery, that's is just silly, I hardly even use the app, notifications are off an I killed it with a task manager..

This answer http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/9/do-i-really-need-to-install-a-task-manager suggests that task managers aren't the right way to go about this.

In the battery usage display, which category is 3G in?

I would say that unfortunately your experience sounds fairly common with android. I use this: http://us.kensington.com/html/15460.html it's like carrying around an extra battery but it has the bonus of working with any device's USB charger.

When I first got my Desire, I did the same as you because I had found on my previous phone (Nokia E71) that with WiFi turned on the battery would be dead in 4 hours vs. 2 days on 3G.
I have found the opposite to be true of the Desire. If you have a WiFi signal available, use it. The WiFi chip in the Desire appears to be much more efficient than the 3G data radio. When I am out and about on 3G, the battery drains as you suggest - lucky to get 10 hours from it. When on WiFi at home, I will usually have 30-40 percent remaining when I go to bed at night. So turn that WiFi back on!
GPS is the other big killer. I've you've got Latitude or something like it that requires positional updates, I have found using WiFi and cell positioning (rather than GPS) saves a lot of battery (although it does lose accuracy of course).

GPS and 3G are the big killers for me, too. WiFi seems to be way more energy efficient compared to 3G.
I have been to another country a couple of times and because I turned of data roaming my battery lasted for 3 days. Only had WiFi on when in the hotel and otherwise just used it as a phone.
But of course that cuts the 'smart' out of the Desire.
Probably just cutting back on the Twitter polling will already help.

The most crucial information for figuring out what EXACTLY and HOW exactly your battery is being used to find relevant remedies can be found by typing this on your phone:
*#*#4636#*#*

You will gain access to the testing facilities in Android and you can check DETAILED usage statistics, battery history and battery information.

Could you add a reference that verifies this works?

http://www.askvg.com/google-android-hidden-secret-codes/

http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-540483.html

It has been mentioned here quite a few times.

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Is there anyway to watch wmv and or divx videos on android?
I have a nexus one and would love to watch divx and wmv videos on it. Is there a way to do that?

The only one I'm aware of is yxflash, and I wasn't too impressed by it - the video was quite choppy. I am looking forward to the upcoming Android version of CorePlayer, though, because I was able to play smooth DivX videos with its predecessor TCPMP on my Tungsten T5 with a fraction of the power my Nexus One had.
edit: I just saw that there's a new media player out for Android called RockPlayer that will play DivX and WMV. I haven't had a chance to test it though.

I've installed RockPlayer from the Android Market on my Nexus One, limited testing for avi, divx and mkv formats has been successful. Have yet to check wmv's.

+1 on RockPlayer. I've used it for quite a while and it has been great. Combined with UPnPlay, I can watch just about anything on my home media server.

I've done it with both arcMedia and MoboPlayer to view these.  WMVs play fine with this.
An alternative is do send it to your gmail and watch it from the gmail app or to upload it to Picasa and view it in the Gallery or through the browser.  In both cases the video is converted in transit to something the video player understands.

Really? That's an awesome work around given the hassle of video conversion. Will have to give it a go...


text:
How to erase all contacts from an Android phone?
How to erase all contacts from an Android phone?
There are about 3200 contacts.
The full story
I don't manage my contacts with Google Contacts, but with another tool that can export to the VCF format.
The first time I imported my VCF file into Google Contacts, my Android phone synced and got all contacts, perfect.
After a while, having new contacts, I exported to VCF again, and imported again to Google Calendar. All contacts got duplicated on the phone.
I removed all contacts using Google Contacts web interface in Gmail, and re-imported, but contacts get duplicated every time.
I just want to start from scratch, remove all contacts, and import from my new VCF file.

Does this work for you?
contacts -> menu -> delete -> select all -> delete
If not there are apps "Delete Contacts" in the market you could try.

In the contacts app (came by default on my HTC Magic Android 1.5), the menu only contains: Search, New contact, Display group, Edit sync groups, import contacts. No "delete" option :-( Now I will look for the apps you mention.

The "delete contacts" application from "United Mobile Apps Pvt Ltd" works as advertised :-) It takes quite a long time, so the "close or wait" dialog appears, but just wait for a dozen minutes and a message appears when all of the contacts are gone. Thanks!

I cant find that option in my Nexus 7. It seems they have removed this in Jellybean or Kitkat. This is what i do.

Settings>Apps>All> Contacts> Clear data, clear cache
Settings>Apps>All> Contacts Storage > Clear data, clear cache

This will clear all the database of the People app.

Beware that clearing the DATA of "Contacts Storage" will reset the CALL LOG!!! Make a backup (i recommend this great app! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore)

that is very easy. you should go setting>app>all>contact and remove data

This answer already says so: How to erase all contacts from an Android phone? Is there a reason you posted a duplicate?

@Firelord: It is nice to have a screenshot, I would say.

@NicolasRaoul I'd say there is no point in adding redundancy unless you  add something more useful. How is that screenshot (without any editing (the clues, hints)) anymore useful then the one line steps in the other answer, I fail to see here.  That screenshot fits as a comment to an existing answer.

By image ppls have to understand more clearly. That gives more accuracy

@ShashankPriyadarshi It depends upon for what category of users you're posting your answer. You can argue that a screenshot provides familiarity in the answer, but there would also be users who would still  find it hard to follow the answer unless specific hints/marks in the screenshot(s) is/are provided. Anyway, I'll leave this answer for the rest of the users to decide. Please keep up the good work of answering though.


text:
How to use GPS/Maps without an Internet connection?
I need a way (possibly a third-party application) that allows me to use maps and GPS without an Internet connection.
I don't use it by car, just for walking in cities. It would be nice if I could just copy all data relative to a particular city before going there for tourism.
The Google Maps app does not store maps reliably, so it is risky to rely on it without an Internet connection.

Edit on 2016/10/30: On 2016/10/30, Mapdroyd's website indicated its cessation of operation.

I am now using OsmAnd.
It stores OpenStreetMap maps on the phone's storage.
OsmAnd uses a vectorial format, which means it can store a lot of information without taking too much space, and is visible in all zoom factors.
You can download the maps you want, for instance Italy, Bolivia, or any other country/region.

Free, open source.

ⓘ Many of these applications use map data from a really cool free map project called OSM (OpenStreetMap), which anyone can contribute to. Most of the OSM-based apps won't have traffic information.
Free:

Google Maps

Google Maps does have some offline functionality (including offline navigation as of version 9.17), but the size of the area you can download is limited (you can't download an entire US state, for instance) and some countries or areas aren't available for download. See here for instructions: Download a map and use it offline

HERE Maps

Unless you specifically want an OSM-based app, this is probably the best free option out there. Has offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation, full street addresses, points of interest, alternate routes, traffic, public transport, and speed limits.

Organic Maps

Open-source fork of Maps.me, uses data from OSM. More user-friendly than OsmAnd. Features offline maps, cycling routes, hiking trails, elevation maps, turn-by-turn navigation, dark mode, and more. No traffic information.

OsmAnd

Open-source, uses data from OSM. Much more advanced than Organic Maps but potentially more complicated to use. No traffic information.

MapFactor

OSM-based offline navigation.  Fairly basic but promising. TomTom maps and traffic available as in-app purchases.

Many others based on OSM here: Android - OpenStreetMap Wiki

Paid:

CoPilot GPS

CoPilot Live is a very nice, full-featured app, which will let you download maps ahead of time and use GPS offline. I ended up using it because the US version was so cheap compared to the other paid navigation apps, but I've been very pleased with the quality, features, customer support, and free app and map upgrades. It has all the features I could want in a GPS app, the only downsides being you have to have a paid subscription for traffic data (the paid app includes a free one-year subscription), and you will have to buy new maps if you travel outside your purchased area.

Other paid apps that I haven't used:

Scout (formerly Skobbler): USA, elsewhere
Sygic
TomTom

There are detailed reviews of many Android GPS apps here: Android Sat Nav Apps

There's another great OSM-based offline map application missing: Maps.me. It used to be commercial but is now fully free. It has all the basic features I need (local maps, fast display, bookmarks + tracks). http://maps.me/en/home

Maps.me was purchased by a Korean money exchange company. The open-source fork is Organic Maps. I've added it to the list as it appears to be very well-reviewed and highly recommended.

Google Maps 5.0 now supports offline mode!

You don't have much control over the cached maps in the offline mode. And note that you may have an older version pre-installed on your device and the update to 5.0 is not announced automatically. Just search the Market...

Additionally the offline cache is automatically deleted after 30 days.

Not really.  You can cache a small area, but only the roads, not places, and it will be deleted after a few weeks, and you can't sync it except manually, and it doesn't work with navigation, etc. etc.  Remember that Google's in bed with the phone companies and their data plans.

It looks like there's some license problems with the maps. I've  managed to use Paris and Belgium offline maps, but it isn't possible for Brazil and Spain.

I haven't had a chance to try it myself yet, but I've heard good things about Maverick:
Maverick for Google Android - Code Sector
There is both a limited free and pay version.

I haven't had much luck with Maverick myself.

I like the fact that this one's cached maps don't vanish like Google Maps'. There is no way to download all maps for an area, so you have to navigate the area at various zoom levels will on WiFi before going.

I use Maverick all the time for car and walking navigation, with several GB of offline maps.  Maverick and Mobile Atlas Creator both had to disable Google Maps downloading because of legal threats by Google, but you can still use an old version of either.

new versions of Maverick work just fine if you download maps yourself and place them in the right folder. a few years ago I've made an explanation about that.

For England and much of Europe, ViewRanger is great. Supports Ordnance Survey and other official-type maps; also some open street map projects. But it is absolutely what I would use -- and do -- if I am hiking with a phone. For Android - ViewRanger

I regularly use Locus. It doesn't have much in the way of navigation support (although I think this is in the works), but for off-road and off-line use it's fantastic.
It allows downloading of maps for off-line use, supports SQLite and GEMF maps, which allow large map (2GB limit for SQLite, no realistic limit for GEMF) tile sets on your SD card without wasting masses of space.  It also supports vector maps as well as bitmap ones (more coverage, less disk space).  It has a very good interface and is well supported.
There's a free version with ads which doesn't support in-app map downloading (I think), although you can use your PC to download the maps. The paid version is not expensive.
That all sounds excessively glowing, so I should emphasise that I'm not the developer and have no affiliation; just a very happy user!

Have you tried BackCountry Navigator?
BackCountry Navigator
It has topo maps, open street maps, and aerial photography.
It has a 16 day demo and a paid license.

Maps (-) allows to store maps for offline use from OpenStreetMap, from OpenCycleMap and from Google Maps.

If you are looking for North American maps (and European maps as well I'm told), than I can recommend CoPilot Live. It's not free though.

You might want to use Sygic if you are in India. It comes with free maps.

Mapy.cz is the easiest to use app and now it has all the content of the whole world for download to offline in vectors (which means smaller files).
It is both for cities and tourism.
For navigation it currently needs a network, but they claim they'll make it offline as well.
It is free. The world is covered by a great render of OpenStreetMap. The Czech Republic has its own (great) cartographic data.

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text:
Clock to use when giving presentations
When I give presentations, I have to keep an eye on the clock to make sure my speech does not take more than alloted time, or in the end to know whether I can take more questions.
Looking at my watch is inconvenient, I would prefer my Android phone's large screen to:

Just display the time (for example 14:28).
Not go into standby mode.
Hugest font possible, black on white, landscape.

Sounds trivial. Is there such an app?
Priority to free apps, biggest priority to open source apps.

Make sure there is a hanging clock on the back of the audience. This promotes 'looking' at the audience and gives everyone a 'timeframe'. I'd also ask someone to keep track of the time if you need a really tight timing.

Digital Clock does almost everything you ask. Ignore the rubbish picture from the page, it is a full-screen clock with white text on black and it's free.
To configure it as you need, launch the app, then open the settings (tap the screen to open the options then tap Settings) then set:

Clock->Screen timeout to unchecked.
Clock->Orientation to Landscape.
Time & Date->Show date to unchecked.

You can also adjust the time format and colour if you wish. The time is about half the screen height, but I can easily read it on my phone from more than 20ft away so that may not be a problem.

Perfect. After the easy configuration steps you described, it does exactly what I was looking for :-)

The link is dead.

I use Ovo timer: a minimalist app to set your timer by dragging an arc on your screen. Also, you can set time by voice (it needs Internet connection for this). It runs on Android 2.1 and up. The only con I've found is that it only supports times not greater than 1 hour.

About what you're asking for:

Just display the time (for example 14:28). Check.
Not go into standby mode. Check: You can configure it to do so via Preferences.

Hugest font possible, black on white, landscape. Close enough: It rotates as your device does. Also the red/white arc animation gives you a clue about remaining time.

Free app. Check.
Open source app. I think not.

+1 Not exactly what I was thinking, but Visually showing remaining time as a circle is a great idea!

I use
Stopwatch & Timer
 Goes full screen when you change into landscape orientation, also I used the lap times when we had to give a team presentation.

I use Flow Timer for this, it displays the (countdown) time in the largest possible width in black on white (default).
Furthermore by default it just dims the screen but doesn't turn it off (in the settings there is a choice to keep it at "bright", that is, to not even dim the screen a bit).
Landscape mode (even tablet) as well.
You can also add several timers after each other for different parts of the presentation. No interaction required, it just makes a small beep (configurable) and continues/finishes.
Full disclosure: I'm the author


text:
com.htc.bg 'process stopped unexpectedly' on HTC Desire when Facebook sync active
Once per hour, I get a message on my HTC Desire saying that a process has stopped unexpectedly. It is the com.htc.bg process. The problem disappears if I disable the syncing of my Facebook account to the phone. To back this up, I have found that the list of contacts downloaded from Facebook is incomplete, so I am wondering if it is crashing halfway through the sync process.
Rather than just disabling it to stop the error, I want the Facebook contact sync to work properly. Is there a way to fix this?

Please change the title of your question to indicate that your problem is with Facebook contact sync. "Process stopped unexpectedly" is very generic and could apply to anything. Thanks.

I've had a similar problem with the contacts sync for an Exchange account.  I found that deleting the account on my Desire and re-adding it made the errors go away.  Give it a try.

I found this in another forum:

Go to the People (contact list) app
Go to the Online Directories (Globe) tab
Select Facebook
You will be asked to log in to your Facebook account. Once logged in, you will see all of your contacts on your Facebook account.
Return to the full list of your contacts on the phone and try and sync


text:
How can I send a contact from one Android to another?
While I can chose Share by a contact on my Droid's contact list, the Droid on the other end seems unable to open, or really do anything with, the resulting attachment if I receive it via Gmail or the normal mail client. Am I missing something? How do I import what I've shared?

There is an app called Hoccer which allows transfer of arbitrary data (contacts, pictures, links, ...) by making gestures with your phone. It also works with the iPhone but of course requires both devices to have the app installed.

It's a known issue that Android (at least pre-2.2) does not support import of .vcf files via email or sms, see http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3537
However, it does appear to work in Froyo on my Nexus One, when importing from email. As far as I'm aware it's still not catered for over SMS, and the thread above suggests it doesn't work for downloads in the browser either.

Amazingly, still true, I think, for Android 6.0.  Issue 3537 was marked as a duplicate of 2412, which is "Obsolete" with no fix that I noticed in a quick perusal.   What's up?   https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=2412

If both droids are in the same room the following will apply - You can both install Barcode Scanner and then on your device, open the contact, tap share, then tap Barcode Scanner. This will generate a QR Code. On the other phone, open the barcode scanner app and scan the QR Code. The second device will be able to add the contact via the scanned QR Code via the Add as Contact button after the scan successfully completes.

There's also Bump.

Bump™ makes sharing photos, contacts,
  and apps with people as simple as
  bumping your phones together.
HOW TO USE BUMP™:  1) Open Bump™ on
  both phones 2) While holding the
  phones, gently bump your hands
  together  3) Confirm the exchange
Compatible with iPhone too!

I've got an Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and while viewing a contact, I just press the menu button, Send Business Card and choose between Bluetooth, Gmail, SMS or Moxier Mail (Exchange Client I think).
I've send contacts back and forth between my Android phone and my Palm phone. I don't have two Android phones, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Previously I was using 1.6 which was fully compatible with all my contacts on my old Palm phone, but since upgrading to 2.1 this does not work as well as I had hoped.
So, no software to install, works right out of the box for me.


text:
How to be woken up when receiving a text message with an Android phone?
I am on call sometimes and I am getting SMS and email from our systems. The sender is an email to SMS gateway that is unique to this and always the same, the messages start with the same words. I need to be woken up by them, but right now, that isn't happening.
I use Locale, and the Locale "Inbound SMS" Plug-in, but that does not seem to be working yet (with a test account, it does not go full loud and alt ring tone).
I would like it to do something like have a song start playing loudly. It would also be nice if it sanely handled getting 200 pages in 10 min (probably just disable Locale).
I have T-Mobile G1 on Android 1.6. I could root it if it is needed, but really rather not.
Any tips or thoughts?

I went with Tasker, it is a bit cheaper (especially when you realize that you are less likely to need plug ins with it, though it can use Locale plug ins it seems), it is trickier to get running, but allows for a much wider range of options than Locale.
So when it sees an SMS come in with "PROBLEM" in the subject, it turns music playback to maximum volume, and then starts playing a song in a loop, until you click on the stop button. I need to add the feature to not trigger again for a few minutes (to deal with the flood issue).
I looked at Setting Profiles web page, but have not tried it.

I'd probably set it to do that based on the sender's no. rather than the text asotherwise my family sending me a message asking for help with their PC would be liable to set it off

Tasker is undoubtedly a powerful answer to this and MANY other wants, so you have probably solved your need. I will just add, a good point-solution for this specific need would be Where's My Droid. It is a free app, geared toward finding a misplaced phone. But it would work for this use case as well, with the exception that you don't get to select a custom ringtone.

I am the developer of Locale.
This can be accomplished with Locale, with a slight tweak to the current setup.
As current described, you have a race condition: Locale is increasing the volume but only after Android has already posted the notification, so the volume increase appears to have no effect.
To get this to work correctly, try the Locale Notification Plug-in to post a separate notification when the text message comes in.  The Notification Plug-in has a "force volume" option that will turn the volume up and ensure the notification is heard.

Why not just use Handcent SMS and configure a custom "loud" ringtone for that particular sender. you can also configure the app to repeat the alert every X minutes, so you keep getting reminded until you dismiss the alert.
In Handcent, open the conversation thread you want to customise and click the Personalization icon (in the top bar, to the right of the name of the person). you can then set different notification icon / ringtone / vibrate pattern and LED settings (if your device has one).

I saw a tip recently: You can set your "Where's My Droid?" passphrase to be that string that you're expecting. That'll change the device from silent mode and go to maximum volume.

You can do this using Android Automate, an app I personally prefer to Tasker for most things. Here's a screenshot of the flow I used to trigger an alarm when a text is received from a specific phone number. Use this screenshot to see the order in which the blocks need to connect to each other.
And the details of the blocks:
SMS received
This block waits for a text to be received. Set the "Phone number" field to the number you want to watch.
Sound play
This is what we'll use to simulate the alarm. Set the "Proceed" option to "Immediately." This will ensure that the sound plays continuously until we manually stop it using another block. For good measure, check the "Repeat sound indefinitely" checkbox as well.
Set the "Notification channel" to a user-managed channel with "Urgent" priority. If you don't already have one, in the dialog that appears, click the plus button at the top of the dialog to create the new channel. You'll then need to save out of the block and flow, all the way back to the list of all flows. Then tap the hamburger menu at the top of the screen and click "Settings" > "Notification channels." Then tap on the name of the new channel you created. This will take you to your phone's settings for the channel. Set "Importance" to "Urgent", and turn on both "Vibrate" and "Override Do Not Disturb." Then go back to the Automate app and return to editing the new flow.
Dialog message
This displays a dialog that you have to manually close before we'll stop the sound.
Set the title and message options to whatever you wish, and check "Show window directly if possible."
Sound stop
This is what stops the alarm once you close out the dialog. It's important that you connect this block's "OK" circle to the "IN" circle of the "SMS received" block. Doing this ensures that the flow will loop and continue listening for SMS messages once an alarm is dismissed.
Finishing Setup
Once you've finished creating the flow, save it, rename it to what you wish, and click the "Start" button. It's also a good idea to go to the app's settings and enable "Run on system startup." This will ensure that the SMS alarms flow will resume immediately when you restart the phone.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Why do so many applications require permission to read the phone state and identity?
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?

Its not really, for "yeah yeah, this app has this permission to send sms and ring a premium number behind your back" which is what people assume. @Christian's answer below has hit the nail on the head! It is legitimate in a lot of cases, and quite often, devs tend to forget about whittling down the permissions (perhaps a hold-over from the early days of development of an app).

@t0mm13b I don't think there's much of a demand for reduced permissions outside of techies and privacy geeks (self included). So if app makers just make it the norm to require the full suite of permissions, then consumers will assume lots of permissions are fine for any app. Government is not pressuring them to use minimum permissions, and so far the market is not pressuring them. I.e. there is little-to-no cost for apps to require lots of permissions.

It allows the App to read a unique ID (a phone identifier named IMEI) that's associated with your phone.
It can therefore help with copy-protection or the attempt to track the number of users.

See this SO question about getting a unique ID of a phone, looks like the (currently) most reliable way for a developer to get a unique ID from a phone requires the Read Phone State permission http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2785485/is-there-a-unique-android-device-id/2853253#2853253

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.

The same happens with SD card access.

That's true – but doesn't explain why apps for 2.x and up want it so often.

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.

Have you got a link to any documentation showing this?

@GAThrawn: see http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers/browse_thread/thread/6d2fe71f4690ae22/e8ebe400cbb73feb and http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=4101

http://developer.android.com/reference/android/os/Build.VERSION_CODES.html
gives a full list of target version identifiers and the changes in permissions (among other differences) between them.

Right. But probably no longer "interesting", as apps for 1.5 and lower got quite rare :)

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, 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:

Information gathered by the app permission.READ_PHONE_STATE (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:

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). 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: 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

Interesting that there's an open issue (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 :)
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 Arno Welzel. 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.

I think you need to remove the part where you say no app needs this permission to background on incoming calls.  You already make this point in footnote 2, but it's contradictory.  See also http://developer.android.com/reference/android/telephony/TelephonyManager.html#ACTION_PHONE_STATE_CHANGED

@Mikel You're partially right. Using this permission is the "easiest" way to accomplish the task, but it's not the only one. It can be done without, as some developer pointed out (was it on chat? Unfortunately, I've lost the link). As with many things, using Google's APIs makes some things much easier to accomplish (while it also binds your app to the Google eco system). I'm not a developer, so I cannot tell how much more work the other way would mean.

I'm not an Android dev yet either, and I agree it sounds like some use cases are covered by onPause().  Just saying that "No app needs this permission" sounds wrong to me.  It sounds more like "some apps may need this permission", e.g. if they run in the background.  Also note that receiving the broadcast intent must surely be more efficient than repeatedly polling the phone state.

@Mikel See my update. And yes, "no need at all" might be a bit exaggerated. Maybe in 0.5% of all current requests, it might indeed be needed, with no alternative available #D And yes again: onPause() was what we discussed on chat for that! But using onAudioFocusChange() might be less overhead even (the little polling then might be ignorable).

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.

That's IMHO the main issue behind it all! Well figured.


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How to post a link to an android market app?
You can post a link to an android market application by useing a link that looks like:

market://search?q=pname:package

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?
Is there any way to post a link to a market app that normal (non-android) browsers can make use of?

This isn't possible, simply for the fact that except for the few apps that are featured on the  Android Market site, there isn't a way to browse the catalog of apps from anything but an Android device. You can link to the app if it's on the site, and if it's not your best bet is to see if the author has set up a web page for the app.
Google did say in their IO keynote (31:08) that they're working on a web interface for the market and demoed buying an app in the browser and having it pushed to the device instantly. It's likely that that interface will have the ability to link to specific apps, but until then it's not possible.

What about getting package names or Android friendly links while browsing the market?

There are a few 3rd party websites that do let you browse and search the Android Market. Most of these show all the text description, screenshots, review comments and rating from the Market as well as having a QR code 2D barcode that you can scan with your Android phone to jump straight to that app's page in the on-phone Market app. Doing a search in any of those should show you the full package name (usually in the page URL as well as buried in the page).
A few of them (off the top of my head and in no real order) are AndroLib, Cyrket and AppBrain.


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Are there any side effects of uninstalling Apps
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?

Related: Is the data associated with an app cleared when an app is uninstalled? http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/12320/is-the-data-associated-with-an-app-cleared-when-an-app-is-uninstalled

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.

There are apps like NoDir that helps you clean empty folders .. could be handy.

Aside from SD card, if the application connects to a server to provides its service, it may stores data in the server.


text:
How do I change a Google account for Android mobile (Xperia 10)?
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?

Should be pretty easy.

Just go to Settings > Accounts & Sync
Remove the 'dummy' account
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.

Note that Android 2.0+ is substantially different when it comes to handling (multiple) sync accounts. There is no Accounts & Sync on 1.6, and the only near equivalent "Data Synchronisation" menu has no option to change accounts.

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.

Try this:
Settings > Applications > Manage applications
Scroll down till you find “Google Apps” click on it...
Simply hit the "Clear data"....

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 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.


text:
Enable or disable notifications based on location on Android?
I really wish that I could make my Android beep for business emails when at work, and home emails when I'm not in the office. Is there any applications that easily facilitates that?

Sure are. Check out Locale or Tasker. Both are great (and very powerful) tools for customizing settings based on location, time, etc. Neither are free but are well worth a purchase.


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How to install android 2.2 (froyo) on Nexus One
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?

2.2 has some support for Hebrew on it. So try to unroot and get the OTA in my opinion.

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.

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.

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 :-()

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....


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In Android (Galaxy S), is there a way to automatically sync photos from camera to picasa?
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?

I don't think you can sync automatically on the Galaxy S at present but I understand it is supported in Froyo which is apparently coming to the Galaxy S soon. In the meantime there is an app or two that does this.
PicPush has a free 30 day trial, then costs $4.99. QRCode for the Android Market below

(source: 350nice.com)
Docs Pics 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.

I believe this is now possible if you sign up to Google+.
Install the Google+ 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.

In reality Google should have built 2-way sync into Picasa from the start.

Absolutely. I've heard rumours that it is coming in Android 3.0 but not sure.


text:
How can I store Android apps on my SD card?
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.

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.

This answer is a bit misleading - while you can move apps to SD card on Froyo, this just means that the bulk of the app will be stored there. But they still need to be explicitly installed and will not be available on a new phone by just swapping the SD card.

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 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.

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!

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!


text:
Alternatives to the Android Market

Possible Duplicate:
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. 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, 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.

Your best bet is to remedy your problem. Alternatives will leave you disappointed. Try clearing your Market cache (from the Settings > Applications > All Applications menu) to see if that helps.

You can try removing your credit card on Google Checkout and adding it again.

thanks for the suggestion, but see my comments on some of the answers, I've tried several variants without success.

I am using AppBrain.com and I am happy with it.

AppBrain just redirects to Android Market for downloads & purchases.. It works just like a catalogue, not a full-featured Market.

The only competing powerful market alternative available is Amazon AppStore. 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:

SlideME
AndroidPIT AppCenter
GetJar

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.

Just a quick note on Google Talk. According to Gina Trapani on This Week In Google a couple of weeks ago, the Google Talk Service is not as most would assume to be the messaging service but in fact the service that pings back to Google with your phone presence on the network. It is also what receives the push from Google with any app to install as these are done via push rather than pull.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I've tried repeatedly variations of "turning it off and on again". This includes removing and re-adding my details, signing in and out, actually rebooting. I understand t he problem is with Google's authorisation server and it is luck of the draw if your purchase is authorised, see the first link in my post.


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How to move phone contacts to Google?
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.

use SUPER BACKUP --> Backup --> Restore --> Done - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.idea.backup.smscontacts

vCardIO works on any Android device and can import-export any vCard 2.1 format, even those with multiple contacts.

Thanks.  It seems this functionality is built into my phone's Contacts app (so I didn't need to use vCardIO), but it set me on the right track.  I'm accepting your answer because it seems that not all phones have this feature and I hope it will be useful for people using them.

Mine didn't (GeeksPhone) in fact until I found it I was facing the possibility o inputting all my contacts by hand, which is a painful process since i don't have 10 contacts precisely

This is the simplest way that I found to do it with my Samsung Galaxy S:

From the main Contacts screen, hit Menu, then More, then Import/Export, then Export to SD card.
Connect the phone to the PC and mount the phone's SD card as a removable drive.
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.

i just did this on my phone and it worked great!

does it would work for Export to SIM card too ?

@URL87 I don't believe there's a way to mount the SIM card as a removable disk on the PC, so I don't think it would. IIRC, the phone's user interface had a way to convert SIM contacts to phone contacts, and then you could use this method to move them to Google.

I've just found a way how to do all this without a PC (at least for Android 2.6.35). You export the contacts to sdcard and then use the same dialog to import. If you have your Google account set up, it'll ask you where do you want to store the contacts, so you select the Google account and there you go. Optionally force contacts sync in the account settings to get it to the cloud.

(latest April 2019) the easiest way to do this, is to install Google's new contacts app. They have an option to migrate all SIM/Phone contacts directly to google. That's a one-click operation. No import/export required.

This is how I did it (I have a Samsung GT-S6102 with Android 2.3.6)

Go to the contact list.
Press the menu button [=] in the bottom left corner of the phone.
Choose Import/Export.
Choose Export to SD Card (remember the name & place of the VCF file).
Go to "My files".
Find the file xxxx.vcf file.
Long push on it.
Choose Share.
Choose Gmail.
Send it to your own email address.
On your PC, open your email in Gmail.
Find the attachment and choose "import to contacts"
Google will now guide you through the merging process.
You may want to delete the VCF file from the phone's SD card afterward.

Afterwards, I hid all contacts but Google contacts

Go into contacts
Press the menu button [=] in the bottom left corner of the phone.
Choose More.
Choose Display Options.
Use the settings under "Select contacts to display".

Simple on Galaxy devices (and prob more)

Goto your Contacts main list.
Press the Menu soft key.
Select Merge Accounts.
Select Merge with Google.
All Device contacts will be merged with Google Account.

This actually appears to be the simplest of all the methods.

A million times, yes! In Lollipop the menu item is called "Move device contacts to."

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".

Thanks.  My phone doesn't have the menu options you describe, though my eventual solution was similar.

A way I just did it as most of these options weren't available (transferring phone to phone)

Filter contacts by device only
Select all contacts
Share contacts to email or however you feel is necessary, I emailed to myself
On the new phone, download the contacts from the email
I got the option on import to save contacts to Google, which I will be adding a new contact to from now on

I recommend Contacts Optimizer (it's free) and you can remove duplicates, move contacts between accounts, mass remove contacts.

Moving contacts is not in free plan!

The easiest solution might be to use the "back up & sync device contacts" option as described in Back up & sync device contacts, this appears to work even if you don't have the latest Google Contacts app installed:

Open your device settings
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
Tap "Also sync device contacts" > "Automatically back up & sync device contacts"
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.

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. Though I am not sure how reliable that is and if all information of your contacts can be properly preserved this way.

To make these sort of changes I use MyPhoneExplorer
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.


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Android phone lost, what data can I get onto new phone?
Sorry about the clumsy question.
My Android HTC Magic was lost/stolen last night. I had an unlock swipe code, power-on SIM code and have called the phone company and had it blocked, so not too concerned about the phone itself being used by someone else.
What I am thinking about is when I get a new phone, what data/info can I get back easily as I can't just copy it from the old phone now? Obviously GMail/Contacts/Calendar are all stored on the web, any purchased apps are linked to my Market login, and I'm not concerned about photos, music etc that were on the SD card.
What I'm more concerned about are my preferences, settings, SMS texts, list of installed apps, prefs, data from those apps, etc. Are those all gone?
Addendum: I was thinking of rooting the phone, so did take a standard Nandroid backup a week ago that I have a copy of on my PC, if I get an identical model of phone and restore that, will my data come back? Also what happens if I try to restore that onto a different model of phone (I'm assuming bad things would happen)?

As long as you didn't turn these features off, simply adding the same Google account you used on the old phone to the new phone will restore a lot of your data.
Backed up:

Google Contacts
Installed apps
Wi-Fi settings
Bluetooth settings
Purchased apps

Not backed up:

Sim-only contacts
Preferences
Settings
Texts
Application data

To answer your second question: the Nandroid restore should work on an identical phone. However, this will not work for a different phone unless you only copied data in the backup. Any system data will cause problems on a non-identical device.

Note: This needs to be updated to reflect the backup features available in later versions of Android.  A lot of applications now support having their data backed up through the Google account, for example.


text:
Is there any way to get Swype on my Moto Droid?
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.

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.

As of Feb 20, '11 there is a beta available at the URL Sam Pride mentions; I just installed it on my Droid and it works fine.   Now for the learning curve...

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.

That works, but its just a trial and its expired.

That beta version expired months ago

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.

It's on the market for me on a Galaxy S4, but it may not be compatible with all devices  yet. SwiftKey has a 'flow' feature ala swype and Google Keyboard has it too (and is free) so they may be alternatives. I loved Swype but SwiftKey (after a few weeks of learning) is the only one I use these days. It was 2 Euro on sale, well worth it. Maybe try Google keyboard first!


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Backup/Restore Android

Possible Duplicate:
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.

Could you use Nandroid to do this? I understand that this creates a full image of your phone for restore.

Does it require rooting the phone? I've galaxy I5801

@Ismail In most cases, yes.

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!

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. 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)


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How can I not use the Facebook for HTC Sense on my HTC Incredible?
I'm trying to add my Facebook account instead of using Facebook for HTC Sense. However, when I go to Accounts & sync > Add account > Facebook, nothing happens. If I tap any other account, I get prompted for login information (or, if I'm already logged in, the ability to change settings or add a second account). I really dislike the Facebook for HTC Sense, so there's got to be a way to add my Facebook account without using Facebook for HTC Sense.

You could download the actual Facebook for Android app from the Marketplace. This would mean that you use the actual Facebook app rather than Facebook for HTC Sense. Not sure if there is any difference between the two, but I know I have both installed on my Desire and use the actual Facebook for Android app.

I have the Facebook for Android application made by Facebook and I use it. However, I am unable to sync from it on the Accounts & Sync > Add Account menu.

For the syncing I use the HTC Facebook app. I just use Facebook for Android to view and comment on Facebook rather than the HTC Facebook app.

Do you know how to sync using the Facebook for Android instead of the HTC Facebook app, if it is possible? That's really what I want to do.

It doesn't look like it is possible, The Facebook for Android app displays in Accounts & Sync, but you cannot select it to make use of it. Also tried removing the HTC Facebook App from Sync, but it still doesn't allow Facebook for Android. I guess Facebook will just have to work on a better Android experience as even though it is better than the HTC version, it is still pretty rubbish.


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How to synchronize birthdates from contacts with google calendar on HTC Hero?
I'm aware of the fact that the standard contacts/calendar app does not support birthdates synchronization (Android issue 1211). But may be there is some third-party software which can make those synchronized for me?

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:

Under "Other calendars" Add > Browse
Select "Interesting Calendars"
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.

Likely this is just a change in Google Calendar since 2010, but when you go to "Interesting Calendars" you have to select the "More" tab as it defaults to "holidays"

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.


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Flashing and re-flashing and HTC Hero with different versions of Andorid
I want to try different versions of the Android OS on my HTC Hero (namely 2.2) but be able to revert back to the stock image.
What are the steps required to do this?
How can I extract the stock image from my handset?
I am on T-Mobile UK if that makes any difference.

Do a backup first with nandroid backup, it's included in most recovery images used to flash os roms


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Multilanguage Keyboard with Android
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?

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.

I'm on HTC Hero with 2.1 at the moment and it this process seems to be froyo specific. It makes me want to root my phone ;)

I cant do this on my 2.1 milestone. Can anyone confirm its Froyo specific?

I am trying to do this for English & French, but my phone only has English & Chinese in input languages. How can I add French please?

@user1073203 You may need to download a 3rd party keyboard that supports those languages

I'm wanting to set up the three language keyboards I all use every day: Japanese, Swedish and English. I have a Sony Xperia (Android 4.0.4) and am unable to do the above. There is nothing called "Android Keyboard" (I only find three different kinds of "Xperia *** keyboard" (English, Chinese, Japanese) in my settings. So the above doesn't help.

As Bryan has rightly said by installing third party keyboard apps will be helpful.
Try an app like the SwiftKey Keyboard.
It has a multilingual keyboard support and is much better in typing when compared to the stock keyboard provided.

What about installing an alternative keyboard, like AnySoftKeyboard with appropriate language packs. (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.


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Installing Android on iPhone 3G

Possible Duplicate:
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!

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 and IRC channel (#iphonelinux on irc.osx86.hu) are a good place to check.

This PC world article walks you through it mostly
http://www.pcworld.com/article/196595/how_to_install_android_on_your_iphone.html

Looks like a new app called 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 for a step by step tutorial.


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Why does the alarm on my HTC Desire not work correctly?
I have setup three alarms on my HTC Desire (running standard 2.1 with Sense).

Mo, Tu, We, Fr @ 05:45
Th @ 05:30
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.

mine doesn't work when the phone is off... and now I am also using LiveHome on my android and the alarm doesn't work at all!!!

I take it back! I have started using Live home on sunday and my alarm isn't set on sundays..... all week days but sundays so I mixed things up a bit

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.

Cookey, Just tested this by setting up a new alarm, then ATK'ing the Clock app and the alarm didn't go off. I then setup a new alarm and this time 'ignored' the Clock app in ATK and sure enough this time it worked fine. Thanks for your help.

You are certainly not the only one with alarm issues.  Check out this list of defects related to the alarm 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.  If nothing there seems to help maybe enter a new issue to bring it to the Android team's attention.

@Saul, thanks for the reply. I always have my charger in at night so I don't think this is the problem. I also assume that this is more to do with HTC Sense than Android itself, but could be wrong on this.

@TravisPUK, your best bet as a starting point would still be the issue tracker.  I'd trust the Android team to be more responsive to feedback than HTC or anyone else involved.  They may be able to help you narrow it down a bit even if it's not something in the OS causing the problem.

@Saul, see above ATK was definitely the culprit in this little failure. Thanks for your input though.

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.

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!


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How to check HTC desire is off without turning it on?
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.

do you mean "phone being off"?

Nexus One has the same issue.  Bugs the heck out of me!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

On my Samsung Galaxy S I can use either the home or power button to 'unsleep' the handset.

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.


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Can I save a web page to my SD card with the stock android browser?
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.

There is an application called Save Webpage which will let you do it, I don't know of any  other way to do it in the stock browser.

WebMemo (Updated name Save as Web Archive) 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


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Android: An app failed to download/install - what do I do?
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

Were you trying to download Talking Santa also?

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.

I like the idea, but my phone seems to be stuck unable to install aLogCat :/ Can I view the logs any other way?

Using ADB, you can play with the logcat command.  Google around if you have no idea what that means, there are lots of instructions on how to set up ADB.

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.

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.

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.


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What is the minimum specification for Android 2.2 (Froyo)?

Possible Duplicate:
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?

Almost any Android phone can run Froyo (if you root it and it can run Cyanogen) 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).

The Android CDD has the minimum specs.  There is no minimum processor, it just has to be "fast enough".

IIRC, SDK targets ARM5. OpenMoko FreeRunner has ARM4, and so an Android port has troubles running apps which use native code. Still, there is a build of Froyo for Freerunner and it works fine if you don't need apps that use native code, or use only those which were recompiled for ARM4.

Well, i'd say the G1 specs, since Cyanogen 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

True, but remember that the G1 doesn't support all the features of 2.1+ (i.e. LiveWallpapers)

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.

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!)


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Contacts on Android: Delete limit exceeded
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 xxx.xxx@gmail.com. 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?

Did you ever manage to resolve this?

Just keep selecting the option to Delete items anyway. Each time you do, about 50 contacts more will be deleted.

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.

I have zero contacts in GMail. But "Sync: Too many contacts deletes" always appears on the phone :-(

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.

What worked for me: I deleted all contacts using the Gmail web interface, then rebooted the phone.

I speaked too fast, the icon reappeared :-/

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 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.

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.

I was having the same problem as you are now. Here's what I did in the Gmail app:

Go to your Gmail account
Press menu buton
Press settings
select your mail id
Under data usage
Uncheck Sync Gmail.

That should do the trick. It worked for me.


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How to open Microsoft Excel files?
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?

You can try Documents To Go. 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 app.

Note that you cannot edit Google Docs from an Android phone.

Note that you can now, you should now be able to edit from a mobile at the website at http://docs.google.com or by installing the official app https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs More info at http://www.google.com/mobile/docs/

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, OfficeSuite or QuickOffice or Mobile Document Viewer

My favorite app for this is OfficeSuite Pro 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!

OfficeSuite is a great app for viewing and editing documents. There are two versions one as a Viewer (free), the other as a Pro (payable) version. There is also a trial version of the Pro version, 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)

You could try WPS Office. 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.)

Is AndrOpen Office any good?
Supposedly its OpenOffice made for Android.

While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference.  Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - From Review

If merely viewing is your requirement, something like XODO Docs would do the best for you
For both editing and reading, the official Microsoft Excel for Android would be the best choice


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How can I improve the reponsiveness of the virtual keyboard on my HTC Droid Eris?
I've noticed that sometimes the virtual keyboard on my HTC Droid Eris can be very laggy.  While composing a text message, it will take a second or more to respond to some button presses.
Is there anything I can do to reduce the lag and make the virtual keyboard more responsive?

If someone with enough rep could create an htc-droid-eris tag and add it, I would appreciate it!

@Nick - done...

I suggest checking out 3rd party keyboards. There are some free and paid alternatives that may show a nice improvement for you.
There are even stock keyboards for other phones that have been ripped out and placed online as APKs to download and install. Check out your favorite Eris/Android message board to get some suggestions, and also check the Market and try them there, too.