text:
Are there any tools to sandbox a malware application even more than the granted permissions on Android?
Suppose I want to run some program which requests too many permissions. For example, record from the microphone or read IMEI of my phone. However, there are no practical explanation why recording from the mic or IMEI number is needed for this particular application, except for data mining.
I want to try this app, but restrict its permissions. For example, if it reads IMEI, it should get random IMEI (but the same every time). If it tries to read the mic, it should get silence.
Some other interesting permissions:

Phonebook read/write access -
returns zero contacts, pretend that
write is OK, but actually do
nothing.
Send SMS - pretend that SMS
is sent, but do nothing.
Get list of
visible Wi-Fi networks - return zero
networks.

Obviously the tool should require a rooted phone. Are there any such tools?

Could you use the emulator in the developer SDK to accomplish a lot of this?

Basically, yes. Using emulator as a sandbox is possible. But what if I want to run an app on the physical phone, but keep my privacy?

I know this question is old, but can you elaborate what context make you you want to test some malicious app on your own personal physical device and answer bogus personal data ? To me, current cyanogenmod solution (reject calls, do not produce fake data) seems enough.

XPrivacyLua is a module for Xposed framework which does exactly what you need. It is free and open source. Works on rooted devices. It's the successor of XPrivacy.
Install Xposed from here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3034811
You can then download the XPrivacyLua module from the Xposed repo through the Xposed Manager app, or manually from here:
https://repo.xposed.info/module/eu.faircode.xlua
Source:
https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacyLua

If you're running Android 5 or lower, you can use the legacy XPrivacy module.

Very good tool. Exactly what I was craving for.

MockDroid is another academic firmware with data faking capabilities.

It's a logical solution for a potential problem and a long time irritation of mine.
However, you must remember that whatever solutions are available for a security application would also be available for a malware app.  If a security app could block net access then a malware app could block it also, stopping a security app from updating data files for instance.
It needs to be done at the system level, not as another application.
See my post here for my thoughts.

Such tools would require root access to the phone, if you grant it, should have an ultimate trust in the tool, like "Permissions Denied". If you grant root access to a random application from the market, you just shot yourself in the foot :)

A translated version of the Chinese version of LBE is available on XDA developers, and it works very well on Jelly Bean. Apparently the Chinese version is still actively developed.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1422479

There is an ongoing research on this this subject. A non yet released proof of concept is implemented for some of the privacy sensitive APIs exactly as I proposed. The privacy manager is called TISSA, short for Taming Information-Stealing Smartphone Applications.

Marshmallow (Android 6) has a new permissions model. Applications targeting Marshmallow can now be restricted to fewer permissions at runtime, and these applications should fail gracefully, rather than the all-or-nothing permissions model of prior Android versions. In Marshmallow, this is a feature of the standard OS, and does not require rooting or additional applications.

Hi mattm! It would be good if you go in-depth here. For example, the new permission model doesn't give any control on internet permissions. If possible, use screenshots for a more better way to make us understand what you're talking about.

https://island.oasisfeng.com/
Island does most if not all of this...

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference.

I'm fairly certain that tool that you seek doesn't exist yet. But your idea is great. Few point though;
ofc; app can freely read and write it's own app directory
giving fake read acces : for every possible read (and there's a lot app can try to read) default response should be generate; lot a work but doable
however; giving fake write access is lot harder;  what if it uses sd card to store big temp files; like bitmaps. On unrooted phone; only place app can write is sd card; and using content provider (for stuff like contacts, and calendar). And app desiger isn't expecting to fail in writing data; so app could crash.
Good thing is that the worst that could happen is that app might crash.


text:
What are the drawbacks of moving an app to SD card?
Since I upgraded to Android 2.2, I noted some minor disadvantages of moving an app to SD card, like having to wait the SD card to be mounted after a reboot to be able launch the app.
What other disadvantages are there?

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


text:
Can you somewhere on you phone view a list of all applications and who made them?
In another question I was asked which Calendar application I was running on my Android 2.2 Samsung Galaxy S phone.
I found the Applications  - Manage applications setting, but that shows only the version if you click on an appication, and this doesn't show which company created it.
Is there a standard application which gives me this info: e.g. name of application,  version nr and manufacturer ?
Or if no standard application is available, any recommendations ?
It seems to me that a lot of questions in this forum should benefit of people specifying in their question which version of which program they are asking questions about, no ?

For applications installed from Market, you can go to Market > Downloads for application name and developer info; however built-in applications (e.g. Phone, Calendar, other applications installed by default) often are not shown in Market list (neither will they show in Manage Application either).

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


text:
Audit app permissions easily in one place?
Is there anyway to list all the applications installed on your phone and the permissions they require all on one page, or export the list so it can easily be audited?

Use market applications like Permission Watchdog or Permissions. Also, there are several others.

Unfortunately, Market application has a bug (or intended feature?) when not all permissions are listed when installing the application. This may a compatibility issue with software designed for older android releases... http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=9365

perhaps including comment into you answer would be simpler.

@Nikolaenko, apparently it is on purpose and changed now:  http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/605/why-do-so-many-android-applications-require-permission-to-use-the-phone

@BlackShift, what do you mean by "changed now"? Changed by Android dev. team?

@Nikolaenko, I think I was unclear because it is unclear to me. I'm running cyanogenmod 6, android 2.2, and almost all apps ask for the permissions that your link claims are implicitely granted. So I don't know who changed this (cyanogen or android team).

Another app that I ended up using instead of Permissions is RL Permissions.  I prefer the interface.  As far as which one works better, I don't know.

aSpotCat is also a nice app for permission audit.

Permission Friendly Apps will list installed apps by their order of most demanding to least demanding permissions requirements. (It doesn't actually track or audit or adjust their behavior, though.)

Since no Android version is mentioned in the question, I'm proposing  a command-line based answer relevant to Android version 4.2.1 and above. This ideally is an OS-independent solution, OS on PC, that is.
Dependencies

Requires adb to be setup in PC.
Requires busybox binary. If the device is rooted, install Busybox app. Else, download busybox binary from official source, rename the binary to busybox, set Linux compatible executable permission on that binary for everyone and move it into device using
adb push LOCAL_FILE /data/local/tmp/   # LOCAL_FILE is the file path where busybox binary is located in PC

Requires aapt binary. If you're running a CM or its derivative ROM then ignore this requirement. Otherwise, for Android 4.x, you can consider downloading the binary from here, rename the binary to aapt, set Linux compatible executable permission on that binary for everyone and move it into device using
adb push LOCAL_FILE /data/local/tmp/   # LOCAL_FILE is the file path where busybox binary is located in PC .

For Android 5.x users, ask Google for assistance.

Here's my little script that does the magic:

#!/system/bin/sh

# Check if the busybox binary exists under /data/local/tmp/ or /system/xbin. Set the detected binary's path into the variable busybox or exit if file doesn't exist or executable permission not set
[[ -x /data/local/tmp/busybox ]] && busybox=/data/local/tmp/busybox || { [[ -x /system/xbin/busybox ]] && busybox=/system/xbin/busybox || { printf "busybox binary not found or executable permission not set. Exiting\n" && exit; }; }
# Check if the aapt binary exists under /data/local/tmp or /system/bin or /system/xbin. Set the detected binary's path into the variable aapt or exit if file doesn't exist or executable permission not set
[[ -x /data/local/tmp/aapt ]] && aapt=/data/local/tmp/aapt || { [[ -x /system/bin/aapt ]] && aapt=/system/bin/aapt || { [[ -x /system/xbin/aapt ]] && aapt=/system/xbin/aapt || { printf "aapt binary not found or executable permission not set. Exiting\n" && exit; }; }; }

# List package name of all the installed apps and save them in the file packages.txt under /sdcard
pm list packages | $busybox sed 's/^package://g' | $busybox sort -o /sdcard/packages.txt

# For each package name in the output we just saved, get the app's label using $path and $label, print a line and then finally list the permissions granted to the app
while read line; do
    path=$(pm path $line | $busybox sed 's/^package://g');
    label=$($aapt d badging $path  | $busybox grep 'application: label=' | $busybox cut -d "'" -f2);
    $busybox printf "Permissions for app $label having package name $line\n";
    dumpsys package $line | $busybox sed -e '1,/grantedPermissions:/d' -e '/^\s*$/,$d' | $busybox sort;
    $busybox printf "\n";
done < /sdcard/packages.txt

Demo output:

Permissions for app DisableService having package name cn.wq.disableservice
      android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
      android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE

Permissions for app Indecent Xposure having package name co.vanir.indecentxposure
      android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED

Permissions for app Tags having package name com.android.apps.tag
      android.permission.CALL_PHONE
      android.permission.NFC
      android.permission.READ_CONTACTS
      android.permission.WAKE_LOCK
      android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
...
...
Permissions for app Themes Provider having package name org.cyanogenmod.themes.provider
      android.permission.ACCESS_NOTIFICATIONS
      android.permission.ACCESS_THEME_MANAGER
      android.permission.INTERNET
      android.permission.READ_THEMES
      android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
      android.permission.WRITE_SETTINGS
      android.permission.WRITE_THEMES

Save the script in PC into a file named perm_script.sh and move it into /sdcard using
adb push LOCAL_FILE /sdcard/   # LOCAL_FILE is the  path where you saved that file into PC

Run that file
adb shell sh /sdcard/perm_script.sh > OUTPUT_FILE   # OUTPUT_FILE is the path where you want to save the final output

The greater the apps installed in the system, the greater the time will be for the command to complete execution. In my device, it took around three minutes.
Related: Is there a native way to find all the installed apps that have access to a phone feature?

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/


text:
Is it possible to configure optical trackpad (trackball) to switch on the phone just like iPhone?
I find the power button hard to press with one hand. Pressing an optical trackpad (trackball) would be much more convenient. Are there any hacks for this?

are you referring to "waking up from sleep" or "turning on from shutdown"? If it's the latter, I believe you'd need to at least hack the phone's firmware (assuming htc does not hardwire the power on logic); the former should be trivial.

At least waking up from sleep.

I think turning on from shutdown is not possible without messing with the hardware.  I have a nexus one which is basically the HTC desire and using cyanogen mod i've been able to use the trackball to wake from sleep etc.  You will need to root etc and probably will void your warranty whatsoever.
Try the following link for more info:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=690477
also google  cyanogen mod (i can only post one link at a time)

Also check http://www.absolutelyandroid.com/trackball-wake-up-for-nexus-one/ for some applications in the market which do not require rooting.


text:
Is there a Twitter app that allows filtering of tweets based on source, hashtag, etc?
Tweet Deck for PC has a global filter that allows this but I cannot see this option in the Android client.
As above, is there an app that has this feature?
I would very much like to clear my tweetstream of Foursquare noise and the like.

Touiteur has been updated today and now has filtering. Please note that this feature may just be the paid version. I'll update this answer with a link and QR code when I've confirmed those details.
Edit: It would seem that filtering isn't a premium feature.
The filtering can be found under the mute settings in Touiteur -> More -> Mute.
You can choose to mute text (inc. hashtags), users and apps (sources).
Touiteur homepage


text:
How do I copy and paste text between applications?
Very often I find myself wishing that I could copy text from a tweet I am reading (in the Twitter app) and paste it in, for example, TweetDeck so I can retweet/reply. How do I go about doing this? Prolonged touch does not work in this case, as it does in the E-mail apps.

Outside of email and the browser, you can only copy text from editable text fields, so you can't directly copy text from other people's tweets in the Twitter app.
Workaround:
Install Copy to Clipboard from the Market. This integrates with the 'Share' menu. By sharing a tweet to this app it will copy the text to you clipboard.

You can use Hacker's Keyboard and use Ctrl+C to copy, and Ctrl+V to paste.


text:
Why do some (many?) Youtube videos not play?
Very often when I click on an embedded Youtube video or even access a Youtube video though the Youtube app, I get an error that curtly says "This video cannot be played". What gives?

There is a flag that people can set on their YouTube videos to allow or disallow those videos to be played on a mobile device. What you are seeing when you try to access those videos is that the person has set the flag to 'Disallow'.

Typically producers of popular music disallow their content to be played on mobile phones.

Is this flag set to disallow by default?

@S Red - It didn't used to be. I haven't uploaded a video in awhile, though, so I don't know. What videos are you trying to watch? As @Bryan pointed out, things like music videos aren't typically allowed on phones.


text:
How can I make my photos automatically geo-tagged?
Is there a way I can make photos taken by Camera be automatically  and reliably geo-tagged, so that the location is recognised when I upload them to Flickr?
I have 'GPS' enabled in the camera, but it seems that if the GPS is not enabled or not 'ready', it isn't recorded (when I check the photo's details in Gallery, the location is 'Unknown').
Alternatively, is there a way I can geo-tag a photo after I've taken it? (edit: made this a separate question)
If it's relevant, my phone is a Samsung Galaxy S.

As long as you have GPS switched on on your phone (on a Galaxy S the easiest way to do this is from the buttons that appear when you pull the notification bar down from the top of the screen) and have GPS switched on in the camera, you should see the "satellite receiver" GPS icon appear and start flashing when you open the camera app. As long as you see this then your phone is trying to geo-tag your pictures.
Be aware that even in the best of conditions your phone can take 30 seconds or more to get a decent GPS position locked, so wait a bit after you open the camera app before you take the picture.
You can also speed up the GPS lock by making sure that you have the assisted GPS features switched on, see this previous question for details on how to switch those features on.

Thanks. It's a pity the Camera app doesn't give any feedback as to if it has obtained a position lock or not...

The flashing satellite receiver icon stops flashing once it starts to get a lock in any GPS using app, it should on yours too?

the Camera app has its own icon, and I don't know that it ever stops flashing (if by flashing you mean the "radiation" kind of animation). I just took a photo after waiting around 15 seconds, the icon was still flashing but it DID geo-tag it.

You can install the application Tasker and use it to always enable GPS when the camera is launched.  Enabling GPS for apps that need it is one of the more common uses of Tasker, but it does so much more than that.
Here's an article with information:
http://lifehacker.com/5599116/how-to-turn-your-android-phone-into-a-fully+automated-superphone

Why would you switch GPS off at all? It's not as if it uses power at all until you launch an app that uses GPS?

Once I tested my location based android app while developing, I noticed it can take forever to get a location, when GPS is on. When just 'Location through network' enabled, the location comes within seconds. Use this anwer, when the answer of GAThrawn doesnt satisfy you.

It seems to me that Camera doesn't use 'Location through network' when GPS is disabled/slow, which is a shame.

Oh, too bad. Well, Location through network is not very accurate. Maybe useless for photo tagging...


text:
Is there any benefit to rooting the new T-Mobile G2, and what are the legal issues?

Possible Duplicate:
I've rooted my phone.  Now what?  What do I gain from rooting?
Are there any risks to rooting a device?

Given that the new T-Mobile G2 based on Android 2.2 (and so called 4G network) attempts to address much of the reasons people rooted previous phones, is there any benefit to still find a way to root this phone?
Other than potentially voiding warranty, what are the legal implications (e.g., DCMA ban on technical workarounds)?

Legal questions are off-topic, and the linked dupes should answer all other concerns (and probably the legal concerns regardless).

Rooting your phone, in and of itself, is not illegal (although, there have been some issues surrounding jailbreaking of iPhones...but that's a whole other discussion). Android as a platform is open source and installing a custom mod, or messing around with the internals of the operating system isn't a problem.
Now, as you pointed out in your comment to Bryan's post, there is some software that is licensed. As such, you are governed by the license that you agreed to for those applications (typically through purchase of the phone).
The real legal ramifications that come up would revolve around what it is that you do with your phone once it is rooted. Some would argue (and I don't necessarily agree) that using tethering with a rooted phone is illegal because you haven't paid for it (of course you have paid for the data...but...again, I digress). The phone service providers would most likely tell you its all illegal because they want to lock you in. By locking you in, they guarantee a revenue stream.
So, all-in-all, I don't particularly see a problem. However, I am not a lawyer, so I would ask one if you are truly concerned about the issue.

See my posts here on How to root your phone and You've rooted your phone.  Now what?
In short: you will void your warranty.  IANAL, but legally, it's your phone and you can do what you want with it, but the manufacturer can try to patch the holes that are used to root in order to prevent future rooting.
Other benefits: custom roms, overclocking, tethering, other root-only apps.  And who is to say that you won't get Android 2.3 before a custom rom like Cyanogen does?  With Cyanogen, you are guaranteed to get the next version of Android, whether tomorrow or two years down the road (look at G1s, for example), barring hardware capabilities.

There are definitely legal ramifications. While it is your phone and you can do what you want (Hardware), it is not necessarily your Software with which can do what you wish. You only own a license to use the software (Android 2.2). Any messing with it could be a violation of the terms of the license. I just do not know, without proper research, what the exact legal restrictions on Android are.

@S Red.: Android is released under free (as in libre, not as in beer) software license: Apache License and GNU/GPL. Free software license restricts the restrictions that manufacturer/carrier can impose on you, specifically free software license guarantees that users can modify and redistribute the free licensed software. However, note that not all software that comes with Android is released under free software license. Obviously, not all Market apps are open source, but also Google's apps (Gmail, Maps, etc) and carrier/manufacturer apps are not licensed under a free software license.


text:
Is it possible to change the Operating System of the K599 (chinese iPhone)

Possible Duplicate:
Can I install Android on my non-Android device?

I have an electronic device the model is K599 was built in China. The operating system of this device is a minimalist FreeBSD with java installed. I would like to know if is possible to change the operating system from Actual FreeBSD to Google Android.
Another doubt: Is it possible to install a new operating system inside the SD memory card?
I have been stuck on this for a long time.
Does someone have the same problem?
Please Help.

No.
Most chinese mobiles run on a processor like MTK62xx, which uses a MIPS instruction set. That's a possible hardware plattform for a Linux kernel to run on. Yet those phones are not equiped with enough memory to run Android. Android needs a lot more than the internal 90MB flash disk. And I assume the actual RAM is 32MB or less (judging from my last two and the remaining free Java mem.)
Your K599 does not run FreeBSD. That's a misinformation. The software and UI you see is a customized MTK/NucleuOS. There's no known way to run custom software, much less a complete foreign OS off the microSD.
There is the "Q8 / iRobot" chinese mobile, which runs a genuine Android 1.5 variant. But that was specifically designed for that, albeit I think it runs on a secondary MTKxxxx chip too. But all the other mobiles, specificall with dual sim/gsm modules are unlikely to ever will.

Thanks for your answer, it was everything I was in need to listen. Very good answer.

I have something very strange, when I use a network scan (like nessus) it find my device, and the operating system of it accuses to be FreeBSD.. it is very strange to me. or my scan is little bittle not well calibrated.. :-) anyway thank you very much, because I'm not to going waste my time trying to develop anything to this kind of chinese device. The best way to get some app to chinese device is JAVA.. yeah?

@FernandoCosta: It's very likely that all MTK phones actually use the TCP/IP networking stack from *BSD, so that might explain it being detected as FreeBSD. My OS fingerprinting tests with nmap -O were inconclusive. -- But you can run a couple of J2ME applications, yes. Opera Mini for example works well, but you'll have to be patient with both games and utility applications. -- Also btw, the "H6" or "A3000" are genuine chinese Android 2.1 mobiles.

nice tip, I learned one thing more about my chinese device. I have already opera mini and really work so well. Also I have skype working on my device, it is really funny but is true. But untill now I can't use the skype very well, sound like the program have a bug on calibration.. and I can't touch the functions..  anyway thanks again.

I don't see why it is not possible (ever heard Android running on iPhone?), as long as someone writes a driver for it. However, if your device is a niche device, then it might not have enough user support to attract an experienced driver developer to release an Android driver for it.

Thanks for the answer. This kind of device is very popular speacially in Asia, in south america is not so popular, but have a lot.. I ll give a try. Thanks again.


text:
Is there a way of ordering the applications alphabetically?
Can I order the apps alphabetically or group them into folders?
Or maybe there's a better way of managing with an ever increasing number of installed apps?

Can I order the apps alphabetically

The app drawer already does this for you.

or group them into folders?

Long press on the home screen.  Click folders.  Click New folder.  Click on the folder to open it.  Click on the "Folder" at the top to rename it.  Drag and drop apps into the folder from the app drawer to place them into the folder.

Or maybe there's a better way of managing with an ever increasing number of installed apps?

I can also recommend Apps Organizer.

+1 for Apps Organizer (although my system appears to slow down with it installed - not sure if that's just my imagination, or what). Wish I could give another +1 because I'm a noob and didn't realize that Android had built in folders. You may want to update that it's a long click at the top of the folder to rename it.

Install AppZorter app.
This is for Froyo or newer devices with TouchWiz (Samsung devices only).


text:
Permanent Changes After Un-rooting
I've been playing around with rooting and I'm enjoying it (because I like to tinker). However, I have noticed that my applications tend to force close on me very frequently (particularly in Bugless Beast), or my Moto Droid runs very sluggishly (particularly with CyanogenMod).
So I am able to root my phone, I flashed my Vanilla back-up (made using Clockwork Recovery) and all is fine and dandy...except for one thing. Although my phone is now unrooted, I had made a few changes BEFORE I made my back-up...namely using SetCPU and AdFree. Now it seems as though, even though I don't have root access, my phone is still scaling the processor (when I go into "readonly" mode in SetCPU, it's still showing my scaling measures applying), and I am not receiving ads (this is not necessarily bad, but I want to know how to revert to the original way the system was - particularly because one application becomes very slow when it can't download advertisements).
Can anyone provide any help on how to revert completely (without flashing a Vanilla kernel that is not my backup).

Uninstall SetCPU and AdFree if you don't want to use them.  Beyond that, you should do a factory reset to erase your data and apps -- if the ROM/OS is vanilla, then that should be the only thing different from how your phone came in the box.


text:
Geo-Tags get lost when uploading to picasa website
The picasa website also offfers a map, where you can see the pictures of your album. Unfortunatly the upload doesnt support geo tags. They are no more with the pictures on picasa website ;(
You have the same issue? Maybe fixed it...?

Are you uploading directly through your phone, are you uploading through the Picasa software, manually uploading via the website? If the second option, what version of Picasa. (I don't think this is a phone issue.)

I am uploading through my phone. Select pictures in gallery - forward to - picasa

It works for me. I just tried using the "Share" command to upload a geotagged photo from my Android phone to Picasa, and I can see the map on the Picasa website.
I am using an HTC Dream with Android 1.6


text:
Which apps show up in the market on an Android tablet?
Is the market filtering the same as a phone (auto detects required features and OS version) or do developers need to specifically set attributes on their apps for them to be available on tablets running Android?

From what I read a few days ago, tablet cannot run Android Market (and therefore will not be distributed with it) until 2.3 is released in the early part of next year. I have heard of a few tablets being released using the manufacturers own market-type application but nothing using the official Android Market.
I think we'll have to wait until 2.3 is released before we hear about tablet support =(
Gary

thanks.  makes sense why they're pushing out all the new market changes including allowing devs to upload hi-res graphics and link to youtube videos.  that's probably mostly for tablets

Since the answer from gsteinert is a little bit outdated, I will try to give an update:
tl;dr
Apps on tablet will go to the same filter process as apps on phones on the Market.
Apps that appear on tablets follow the same filtering rules as with phones. Developers are given the ability to set attributes for their app in the, so called, manifest. For example: If an app declares that it's, for whatsoever reason, only compatible with small screen sizes, it will not show up on the Market on a tablet with greater screen sizes. Note that this case is very rare, because most apps that are only designed for small screens will either be upscaled or just use a small amount of the screen.
There is also a way to declare an app for honeycomb tablets only.

Again an update, as meanwhile Flow's answer also got a little outdated (LOL):
If you want to filter for good tablet optimized apps, for one there are specialized apps like Tablified Market or Tablet Market to help you out.
On the other hand, Google started to work on this issue meanwhile. So you find a tab titled Featured Apps for Tablets at least on the Google Play website. For details on this, you might also wish to read Google Play tablet apps getting special designation; according to that article, the Google Play Store is now only showing tablet-optimized apps in its top lists when accessed through a tablet.


text:
Disable notification for declined calls
I have a HTC WildFire (android 2.1) phone. I want to disable the notifications for the calls I knowingly decline. I still want to get the notification for the calls I miss. Does anyone know any setting/app to do this?

Try pressing the back button when you get an incoming call - that usually makes the caller continue listening to a ringing tone but the ringing on your phone stops.
Pressing the reject / call end button will make the ringing stop as well as cut the call for the caller.
If you'd rather stop the ringing / vibration but still want to answer the call after a few seconds (like walking out of a noisy room etc.), press any volume key on the side.

My requirement is slightly different. When I decline a call I get a notification in the notification bar for a missed call. I don't want to get the notification as I have knowingly declined the call. Currently, I have to unlock the phone and clear the notification bar after I decline the call. Otherwise, the LED keeps flashing which is kind of annoying.

Well, you Wildfire's behaviour is different to my Samsung Spica's. In my case, i don't get a notification when i decline a call, either via the END key or the BACK key. YMMV.


text:
How can I free up more space on my Android (2.2 Froyo) phone?
I have already moved all the applications that allow it to the SD card. So what I am really looking for here are some tips like clearing internet cache or something like that. (I have an HTC Desire.)
Edit: In my case the top space hogs are:

Google Reader - 19.1 MB
Swype - 10.7 MB
Maps - 9.2 MB
Contacts Storage 8.9 MB
SliceIt - 8.2 MB
doubleTwist - 6.4 MB
Facebook for HTC Sense - 5.9 MB
Handcent SMS - 5.0 MB
Adobe Reader - 4.7 MB
Gmail - 4.2 MB

and there are many more after that (TweetDeck, Bloomberg, Angry Birds, Shazam, ...).
Now I know that I have a lot of apps but that's what I want from my smart phone and I don't really want to have to uninstall anything. I've also got a 16GB SD card which is over 50% empty so if only more of the apps would allow themselves to be moved to the SD.
EDIT 2: I found this question - How can I deal with "Low on space" messages on my HTC Incredible?  which deals with the same issue and the accepted answer there is very good.

Clearing caches will not really clear up space, it will just slow your page loading down until the cache is regenerated and fill up your memory again; and if there is not enough space to regenerate the cache, you will just experience the slow down. Anyway, the Desire has a half gigabyte of internal memory, it is roomy enough for almost anything you need after you moved applications to SD and your data should all be in SD as well, are you really sure you actually need more internal memory?

Closely related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2065/what-can-i-do-to-manage-my-phones-internal-storage

@Lie: That's what I hoped when I bought the desire and I wish it was true but in practice I find myself constantly running out of space and then being forced to uninstall apps that I think I could do without at that moment.

The latest incremental OTA update for froyo started to install apss to SD card if it supports it.

See here how Android calculates your personal space limit: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=4991#c145

I have an HTC Desire, too, and I really had the same problem for a long while.
Until I found this post:
http://www.getele.com/how-to/how-to-install-apps-to-your-sd-card-on-android-froyo.html
You do NOT have to root the phone, or something like that. It tells you to download the Android SDK to your computer, then connect it via USB and enter only one small one-line command. After that, ALL apps (except system apps) will be moveable to SD card, and also have SD card as default install location.
Since then, I really get the most out of my phone, and have dozens more apps. At the moment about 130 apps. Some of them shrink from 23mb to 120kb, others are not so drastic, but it REALLY helps.
Hope I could help,
Heval

Thanks. Is this really true? Can someone else confirm this?

Yep this works..

If you have problems installing the driver on Windows go to this link: http://android.dkszone.net/setup-install-adb-android-debug-bridge-windows-7

I'm having a similar problem.
One that freed up a bit of space was moving the Dolphin Browser cache as well (within Dolphin go to Settings -> Cache to SD), of course this doesn't help if you're not using it!
In my case my top storage users* are:

Contacts Storage - 14MB
Adobe Flash Player 10.1 - 10.96MB
Maps - 9.94MB
Twitter - 4.66MB
Gmail - 4MB
Kindle - 3.8MB
HTC Sense - 3.7MB
Adobe Reader - 3.22MB
Dolphin Browser HD - 3.16MB
London Journey - 2.66MB

(followed by a couple of dozen other apps using 2MB or less)
It's worth noting that of that list, only 2 (Adobe Reader and Dolphin Browser) support Move to SD Card.
So the real answer is hoping that more app developers (including Google!) take this problem on board and allow Move to SD Card and optional usage of the SD card for caching.  And of course uninstalling apps you're not using.
One thing I can say from experience is don't clear your HTC Sense data since it'll reset your desktop layout!
In some cases I could free up a bit by clearing caches, but as Lie Ryan notes this is only a temporary measure.
*The storage usage was found with Settings -> Manage Applications -> "All" tab -> (menu) Sort By Size.

Thanks. Also check out the answer in the link in my second edit.

Yup, this is the bane of my existence right now, to the point that i'm considering ditching my Desire in favour of a Samsung Galaxy S (or Google Nexus-S) with 16gb internal storage. Having to remove apps every few days is just rubbish.
I've done a bit of playing around today, and found my biggest issue is contacts storage.. here's my findings:
Original:
 - Google: 1662 contacts
 - Facebook: 344 friends
 Space Used:  17.64mb
Cleared data for Contacts Storage App
Remove Facebook Contacts Sync, and resync:
 - Google: 1662 contacts
 - Facebook: n/a
 Space Used:  7.12mb
Add Facebook Contacts Sync and resync:
 - Google: 1662 contacts
 - Facebook: 344
 Space Used: 15.21mb
So really didn't help much.. It seems most of the data space is used by Facebook, probablky because of the photos, which is a feature i really like so dont really want to stop syncing Facebook.
I think I need to go through my google contacts and archive any I don’t need… reduce them down to a few hundred and see how that goes.  I'll report back how I went with that once I've had a chance to do it, but really it seems there's only 7mb of usage there so not sure its worth the effort.
WHY oh WHY can't we selectively sync groups from google… that's just rubbish that you can't.  C'mon google - they're all your systems, surely y ou can figure this one out and make our lives so much easier!!??
Oh, I also did the "Uninstall Updates" for the Adobe Flash 10 app to free up 10mb of space . Flash still works fine.. Maybe not the latest version, but really I don’t need it if its going to hog 10mb of precious space!

I also like having the Facebook pictures automatically linked to my Google contacts so it would be nice to keep this feature. Can't they just put those on the SD card? It seems like it's somewhat peripheral and thus could be moved to the SD card but I don't know how the API and development details work. I hope Google and HTC pay attention to this and fix this up.

Some apps, like Touchdown, store huge amounts of data in internal memory by default.
Often, they offer some option inside the app to save their data on SD card.

If it's internal storage you need I would suggest rooting and getting rid of stock apps you don't need. But if it's internet memory you need I would suggest rooting anyways and installing advanced task killer and turning autokill on. If you still want more memory... lower the security level to low. Even though it kinda has to refresh everything it frees up a lot. That's why I'm still happy with my old motorola cliq. Hope this helps :)

It is quite obvious that the OP was talking about internal storage space.


text:
App to hand write notes
I am looking for an app that would be good for taking hand written notes on a 10 inch screen tablet
The closest app that i found is "note everything"  What makes it short of my requirements is
1(most important) Drawn notes that i can write on are each 1 tablet screen size.  I want something that can be scrolled down forever as i need more space.  Something the way a normal document works.  At worst it should let me instantly page another full canvas forward, not have to create a new note for every page
2. text notes and hand written notes are separated into separate files.  I would like the whole note to be hand written, but be able to add typed ares
3. There are no lines in the paint section.  Makes it hard to write
Can anyone suggest anything better?

Quick notes is alright.

This app only allows one page per note.


text:
How can I restore the original ringtones and sounds?
Without really thinking, I used the "clear data" command on the Media Storage app, which deleted all the stock ringtones and notification sounds from my Nexus One. How can I get them back?

"all the stock ringtones and notification sounds" cannot be deleted without root. What happened here is, you've "dropped the index": the "Media Storage" app is what scans your media files from all over the device (including those on SD card), and maintains an "index" in form of a database. This is done for faster access, so apps using your media files have not all to scan the entire device themselves, but use a "cheaper and faster" call to that database instead.
What your "clear data" on this app did was not removing the media files themselves, but emptying that database – so apps relying on it won't see the files anymore. This gets fixed the next time the media-scanner runs. If you don't want to wait for that, the easiest way to force the media scanner to run is rebooting the device, as it always runs on "boot completed".
See also:

our media-scanner tag-wiki
most frequented questions using the media-scanner tag

It really helped after forcing media storage App.

If you are rooted, you can push this collection of media files to /system/media/
Without root, android should still locate the files if you place them in a folder on your SD card called "media" and retain the rest of the file structure from the zip.

I did a restart of my phone and everything was back to normal. Hope this helps someone.
I have been constantly facing no-enough-space-remaining errors, which would block certain services and this had probably did some messing up with my ringtone settings. After restart, I was able to find my ringtones back where it should have been.

Considering the lack of details I suggest you make this a comment since it is a one liner low quality answer right now (flagged as VLQ already).

This answer is an ample answer. Be it a one line or one word. I had my ringtone lost since couple of weeks. If you don't agree, downvote at your will, but be reasonable :)

@linuxeasy "reasonable" is exactly the keyword here: could you [edit] your answer and include the reason this should work for? Some more background would already make it justifyable.


text:
How does the automatic brightness settings work?
Maybe a dumb question, but I couldn't find any official documentation to confirm.
Does it use the light sensor? Do most devices support it?

Yes, it uses the light sensor, and yes most of the smartphones support it.
As for how does it work;
Smartphones, generally, have a light sensor located in the bezel right next to the screen that measures the ambient light together with control software that appropriately raises or lowers the screen brightness based on the measured light level. If you are watching in the dark the screen should be appropriately dim. When the ambient light level is higher the screen needs to be made appropriately brighter for two reasons: because of glare from ambient light reflected off the screen, which washes out the image, and because the eye's light sensitivity decreases substantially as the ambient light level increases.

One last thing, if you are asking for whatever reason that is related to saving battery please tell so, because there are much more information, if it's related to battery, that should be told.

the light sensor has a standardized interface in the Android framework; in my answer, I pointed out to the official documentation of the programming interface that can be used by applications that want to use the light sensor.

Yes, as you have guessed on devices that support automatic screen brightness, there is a light sensor, it's typically a small hole on the side of the screen.
Not all phones have a light sensor; for example Samsung Spica lacks one, though you can use the Power Control Widget to quickly change the brightness.


text:
What can you do with Samsung Kies for Android phones?
I only recently managed to connect my Galaxy S with Kies via USB. And I've upgraded it to Froyo 2.2. What can you do in Samsung Kies other than upgrading your firmware. I've seen the interface and there doesn't seem to be a lot of interesting that you can do with it

As you noted, you can upgrade the device software.  You can also back your contacts, text messages up, and you can sync photos or videos/movies both ways.
You can view movies from your phone on your pc directly, that goes both ways; watch from cell on pc and from pc on cell. I believe you also can download apps from kites onto your cell but that doesn't work anymore because of google's market policies.  Apparently, you also can make your cell work as a modem, but I didn't try that so...
Anyways, as edelcom and mru said before me it still needs some work to live up to what it should do and to keep up with handset itself.
Lastly, in samsung defense, kies isn't just for androids, it's their software for the whole cellphones lines, and many users are happy with it, obviously not us, android handsets' owners.

But the thing is, other than checking for and loading firmware through Kies it's actually far easier to do all that without Kies. All my contacts and calendar are constantly syncing and backing up to Google Mail, I can already just drag and drop movies between phone and pc, and the Samsung Apps link on the phone works, whereas the one in Kies is for their legacy non-Android phones. When you have the Froyo update you can use Android's built-in tethering to use your phone as a modem, none of this needs Kies. Once Samsung start using OTA updates I'll uninstall Kies as it will have no further use.

Yes, I agree to all of that, and I, also, don't use it at all, I just tried those things out for the sake of answering the question.
The question is; do you really think that Samsung will do OTA updates?! I hope so.

I think you are correct . At least I don't use KIES for anything apart from upgrading the firmware.
Lately it's better, but I think that the KIES software is far from the quality of the Galaxy phone and it's operating system.

Basically you are right. You may use it for synchronizing your data between the mobile and the computer, but nobody really wants to do so with such crappy kind of software.

I had to install kies because i needed the samsung-win7-usb-dirvers, that are neccessary to connect laptop to internet via cellphone via usb. found no other source where i can get the drivers.

This software may be used for:

Data backup
Data transfer (between a Windows or Mac PC, and a Samsung    mobile
device), limited to certain media file formats
Multimedia    (audio,    photos, video, etc.) management, but limited
to certain file       formats; for example, Kies does not recognise
.avi files
Purchase/acquisition of additional or special device    features
Device     firmware and operating system (OS version)    upgrades

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Kies


text:
A better way to take screenshot in Galaxy S 2.2?
In Galaxy S with Froyo installed, you can take a screenshot of your phone by holding the back button and tapping the home button. However, this involves the back key, and a lot of application close when you press or hold the back button.
Is there a way to get around this? It's a nice addition, but there is no point really if the only thing you can take screenshot of is the main menu, the desktop, and some very few application that doesn't close when you hold the back button.

See these other two, older questions, about how to take screenshots: taking a screenshot of an android phone? and Can I screenshot my HTC Legend without rooting it?

If you are in an app, and push the back button, you'll back out of the app.
However, while holding the back button, open the app and then press the home button; then you'll have your screen shot of the app.

You're supposed to hold the back button for a long time, and then press the home button.  When you hold the back button for a long time it doesn't close the application or take you back.  This works from inside applications and even when the screen is locked.
Just try pressing the back button long enough.

Press the back button then the home screen button its kind of control then print screen on a desktop

I FOUND A WAY! First things first, hold onto the home button, and DON'T LET GO. Then press the "back" button while still holding on to the home button. Place another finger on the "back" button. You should now have two fingers holding both the back and home button. With your other hand, lock the screen and turn it back on. After unlocking the screen, go into the message thread you want to copy, and then take your fingers off the home and back buttons. VOILA! The screen will capture the messages and you don't have to worry about backing out of it.


text:
How can I geo-tag a photo after I've taken it?
Is there an app for that? :)
(For when automatic tagging fails)

Actually I found such an app, after a fair bit of searching.
Photo Geolocator (Google Code)
Currently you can't look up locations via an address, so it only really works for nearby locations, but that's still better than having to edit images on a PC, IMO.

If you know where the photo was taken then a desktop app that lets you edit the picture's  EXIF info, like Microsoft's Pro Photo Tools, will let you add a Geotag later. In Pro Photo Tools it's as easy as using the built-in Bing map viewer to put a pin on the map, no need to mess around with latitudes and longitudes if you don't want to.
As for editing on the phone, I can se a lot of apps that let you view or erase the EXIF info, including plotting your pictures on maps, but can't see one that lets you add this info on the phone.
You could use something like GeoLogger to log your position on the phone, so that you can use that later on to add to photos if they haven't been properly geotagged.

On Android you can use the free a Photo Manager/a Photo Map/androFotoFinder  app:

Select one or more photos in gallery view that should receive the same geo-info
From Menu use "set geo"
pick a geo from a map
press ok

For details see Howto-geotag-multible-photos.
The app is available via f-droid.org installer or as apk internet download but not on google play store.
Note I am the author of the app and i manually geotagged more that 10 000 jpgs with the app


text:
How can I get the stock mail application in Android to sync all my Exchange/Outlook contact folders?
Device: Samsung Galaxy (T959)
OS: Android 2.1 (stock from T-Mobile USA)
Exchange Server 2007 Enterprise
How can I get the stock mail application in Android to sync all my Exchange/Outlook contact folders?
I have several contact folders off my "Mailbox" root. Here is the directory structure:
Mailbox - [my name]
..Contacts (<< correctly sync'ing to phone)
..Contacts - Family (<< not sync'ing to phone)
..Contacts - PRC (<< not sync'ing to phone)
..Contacts - Vendors (<< not sync'ing to phone)
..Inbox
I know that originally the iPhone didn't sync all the contact folders but it does now. Any hints on how to get Android 2.1 to do it?

Possibly related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2536/native-exchange-email-app-does-not-synchronize-folders-properly

Touchdown is your only option to fix this. An admin at my company got his Motorola Droid 2 and had the same problem. We tried everything we could find online in an attempt to sync all his contacts. Eventually we came across touchdown, paid the 19.99 and it worked fine. With the exception of notes it cleared up all the short comings of the stock Android Exchange sync.
Side Note: I don't personally use Touchdown nor am I affiliated with them in any way.

EDIT: it was a Droid 2


text:
how to carry my HTC Desire on me? no bag, no pocket
In winter time I used to carry my HTC Desire in my jacket's pocket...
It's summer time now :-) and I have no pocket (I don't want to use my jeans pocket) and I don't carry any bags on me when going to work.
I was thinking of carry my Desire around my neck but how can I do that? What is the safe way to do so?

I have a similar problem; there's no gap to tie a strap onto on the HTC Desire Z. Seems a major omission, particularly when distributing in the UK where phones get grabbed out of hands on a frequent basis - it's nice to have a strap around your wrist to make phone-snatching a little more difficult.

I thought this question was a joke when I first saw it, but looking at the Desire and Desire Z manuals I can't believe they missed off the hook for the wrist strap, I thought that was a standard feature on phones for years!

@GAThrawn - I'm REALLY missing a hang-up button. I'm never buying another phone without a hang-up button ever again.

If the Desire does not have a strap hole, then perhaps you might be able to find a phone case that have an attachment for neck strap.
If there is no such case, you might be able to find a cheap silicone case, and punch a hole in it.
Alternatively, if you wears a belt, some phone cases attaches to your belt.

acutally I am using silicone case already. Wasn't sure if the making hole is safe. I don't want the phone fall on the ground.

You can try to use the plastic ring (part of a main black panel piece) around a 3.5 jack to tie a strap. You may need to cut the grooves for the strap in the back panel to be tightly attached after that. Sure way to void a warranty due to an "alteration" or s "mechanical damage".


text:
Why are some songs are not named correctly in media players?
Most songs in my collection display correctly. However some will display the name of the song as "01 Song name" instead of "Song name". Note that the file name is "01 Song name.mp3".
They also appear out of order in the album so doesn't seem to be taking the track number into account.
When I check the id tags all the information is correct.
This occurs in all media players that I have tried.
Does anyone have any ideas why this occurs and how to correct it?

Are you sure your tags are correct, it sounds like they're not?
Try looking at the files with something like MP3Tag or MediaMonkey they should show exactly which tags are in there and let you clear out any corrupted tags.

I think you are right. But it is a little strange. On my PC the Tags look correct. Some players show that the tags are correct but PlayerPro shows empty tags. If I load them in iTag the correct values come up and then I save them. Then they are correct all the music players.

It's not that strange once you start to see the mishmash of different tagging pseudo standards.  Between ID3v1, ID3v1.1, ID3v2.3, ID3v2.4, and APEv2 it's bad enough.  Then you have the differences between how different players use those tagging standards to store information.  Add in the various tag parsing, writing, and codepage bugs and hacks in different players over the years, and it's amazing that any info can be passed between programs at all.


text:
What is the best way to provide feedback to an app's developers and request a feature?
Following on from an earlier question that I posed on how to free up space on my Android phone it became clear that a key issue is to request that more developers allow their applications to be moved to the SD card.
What is the best way to let the developers of my favourite apps know of this request?
I considered giving them a low rating in the market and writing in the comment that I would give them 5 stars if they included the "Move to SD card" option. However since I really like the applications and want them to be widely adopted to encourage further development on them I don't really want to turn away potential new users by giving a low rating.

If you want to provide feedback and/or do have a feature request that you want to have answered it would be best to write an eMail provided in the Android Market.
It's located below the description and images of the app.
Also you could check out the website if the developer does have a bugtracker and/or forum (which is often the case).

I considered giving them a low rating in the market and writing in the comment that I would give them 5 stars if they included the "Move to SD card" option.

Please, please, please don't do this.  Us developers hate it when we are "threatened" with ratings.  "5 stars if you do X", usually when X is the most random and obscure feature request, often not related to the app.
The rating of an application should be based off it's current quality.  If it's missing a feature that you think would be good for it or if you encounter a bug, then email the developer.
The problem with rating down an application (that does not completely deserve it) is that the user typically does not change their rating, even if their "threatened" feature request was added.  Additionally, developers cannot respond directly to comments to make the user aware that they added the feature or fixed that bug.  If you email the developer, then they will be able to contact you back!
In the case of "Move to SD Card" option, it might not be recommended to do such a thing.  For instance, if an application has widgets, it is not recommended to move to SD Card.  See more examples and info here.

I'd like to add that there is no way for a developer to contact a commentator from a market comment. That's why I also don't like bug reports or feature requests there, because I can't ask the commentator for more input. The comments in the Android market are meant to tell other users what you like and what you don't like about the app.

Don't give them a lower rating !
I , for one , really look at the rating to see if a program is worth investigating. A fine program , just without the option to move to SD , is not, all of a sudden, a bad program.
Look at their web sites, or at an email address visible in the market of in the program.
If none is found , clearly specify it in the comments, but do not give it a worse reading.
At least, that't my opinion, here :)

If "Move to SD card" is an important feature for someone, they should rate the app lower if it doesn't have that. When I rate an app, I'm giving it a rating for how it works for me, not what I think other people should rate it.

There are applications that are not able to be put onto SDCard, due to some features that need to be within the system's borders, i.e. Widgets, so it's not fair towards the developer for rating the app lower due to some of Android's restrictions.

I've seen quite a few apps where the developer specifically says to leave feedback on their website, not on the Market comments. Remember that if you open up the details for an installed app from your Downloads list in the Market app most of them have a "Visit the developer's website" link.
Apparently they can't see any more of the comments than we can and don't get a way to search through them or see historical comments, so your comment is very easily lost in the list quite probably before they ever get a chance to see it, whereas if you click the link to go to their website most of them have somewhere that you can leave constructive feedback and requests (normally either blog post comments or a forum).

This is a good question, and one that I changed my mind on after reading each of the responses.  After some thought I'd say consider your audience.
The audience for the comments is the Android community.  Most devs probably look in there but some might not.  You should rate and comment on the app honestly, and with the intention of providing a useful resource to other Android users.  If you want to point out that it lacks some functionality, then go ahead, but first off be sure you are correct, and that it is functionality that is possible.  As far as "5 stars if you do X" comments, it isn't a very clear and efficient way to critique the app.
To communicate with the developer, you should email or post in their support forum if they have one.  It gives them the opportunity to respond, ask follow up questions, correct any misunderstandings and possibly educate you on how to better utilize their app and the platform.

Every app has an associated e-mail address, most also have a website (on which you may find a contact form, Facebook/Twitter account or other means of communication).  Use these to get in touch.
Feel free to leave your request in the comments, it may be useful information for other users, but you don't have to give an unnecessarily harsh 1-star rating at the same time.  Unless it is an app that attracts hundreds or thousands of comments, I suspect that the developer will read every comment that is posted anyway, regardless of the rating.  If you give the app an artificially low rating you are hurting the developer.  A lower average rating means fewer downloads.  Also, it's counter-productive.  Like anybody else, developers don't like being threatened/blackmailed.
Send a polite e-mail and you are more likely to get the response you want.  Appeal to their ego.  Tell them how awesome their app is, how you can't live without it and how your life would be complete if only they would add the feature you want.
In the specific case of SD card installation, this is such an incredibly simple thing to implement that, if you let the developer know that somebody wants it, they will almost certainly add it in the next release.


text:
Is it possible to clear the 'program installed' icons at the top notification bar?
When you perform an update of an installed program, the top notification bar displays a 'downloading' icon.
When it is downloaded, it displays a 'successfully updated' icon.
Is there a way to clear these 'successfully updated' icons?
I found no other way than to pull down the notification bar, and click the installed notification messages, but this always starts the updated program.
I was just wondering if you can clear these icons without having to start the program.
A minor thing, I know, but once I get a question like that in my head...

Towards the top of your notification bar there should be a Clear button. Click this to clear your notifications (this will clear all pending notifications, not just application installed/updated ones).

Would you believe I never noticed that button there ? It's to the right of the name of my provider and I just skipped that line completely in me viewing the list :)

Sometimes it's the simplest things we just don't notice!


text:
Does the gmail app stop syncing once the "Low on space" message appears?
Based on casual observation and anecdotal evidence it appears to me that once the "Low on space" message appears in the status bar the gmail app stops syncing and stops notifying me of new emails.
Can anyone confirm whether this is the case?

But you can still watch a video over one hour long in YouTube. So, what's the logic behind this? Planned Obsolescence again?

Yes, if you are in fact really low on space then gmail stops syncing. You might also stop receiving SMS's and other data until you have made some space.

Thanks for your answer. Would you be able to expand a bit more on that, i.e. is there a particular API signal or a percentage threshhold of available internal memory that triggers this behaviour?

@snth sorry, pass...

On the Milestone with Android 2.2 I have observed that as soon as the Low Memory icon appears the phone stops to sync contacts, gmail, calandar, etc. Moreover applications installation and updates from the Market are failing.

But you can still watch a video over one hour long in YouTube. So, what's the logic behind this? Planned Obsolescence again?


text:
"Battery use" information screen not reporting apps
I've got a Samsung Galaxy S (international version) that I've just upgraded to Android 2.2 (Froyo) and now the battery usage page in settings (Settings => About phone => Battery use) only ever reports the following items: Display, Cell standby, Phone idle & Voice calls.
Although I upgraded only a couple of days after having the phone, I'm sure that it originally showed usage of other things like apps & live wallpaper... It's kind of useless how it is now, any ideas on how I get it displaying all usage again?

That does sound odd. Is there perhaps a threshold setting of some sort?

@AlEverett - That was what I thought at first, but even if I play a CPU intensive game for an hour or so, it doesn't register and if I dial ##4636## I can see other things using CPU, etc that I would have thought would be enough...

I've noticed the same thing having switched from Eclair to Froyo on a Galaxy S as well. I thought it was intentional although it does seem like a downgrade in terms of features. Perhaps it ironically caused excessive battery use, so they removed it? Just speculating.

Though I do not have an answer to your question - I suggest you check PowerTutor (at powertutor.org) and see if it helps in the interim and/or long term


text:
Phone calls over headphone jack?
I'm looking at buying a new car.  Many of the cars I see now come "standard" with an audio-in jack.  The option of a Bluetooth connection is usually much more expensive.  My question is:  If I plug my phone into the audio-in jack with a cable to the headphones port, can I use the phone "handsfree" effectively while operating the vehicle?  That is, will the incoming sound come over the speakers, and not echo hopelessly into the input on the phone itself?  Or do I basically have to spring for the Bluetooth, either at purchase time or aftermarket?

I have tried to do this in my own car - here's my experience with it.
From a "hearing the person" perspective, the headphone jack into the car's speaker system works great. What's even better is that the person doesn't (generally) hear themselves talking either (no echo or feedback). This is using an original Moto Droid, so your mileage may vary.
The problem that I have with this kind of setup is having the person hear me. I still, generally, have to hold the phone up to my mouth for the person on the other side to understand what I am saying. I have found it helps a little bit to enable speaker phone, but then the person sometimes gets the echo feedback. It's really a no-win situation.
Most likely, you'll have to get an aftermarket blue tooth headset.

It's interesting that we have the same phone but different results from the mic.  I suppose one should expect inconsistent results when hacking together a solution.

It's possible to use it this way but the quality of the results are going to depend on your phone, the car and how loud you have the speakers.
I have done something similar with my Moto Droid 1 and will share my experience:
The only difference between my configuration and the one you are inquiring about was that instead of plugging directly into an audio jack in my car I used an FM transmitter that I plugged into my headphone jack on my phone (which then wirelessly beamed the phones audio to 88.1 FM on my stereo).  In the past I have done the same thing with a tape deck adapter.  Needless to say the result was that all audio on my phone was coming out of my car speakers.  I did this to listen to music and podcasts and accidentally discovered the hands free component when I got a call while it was hooked up this way.
Needless to say I was surprised to find that there was no feedback loop, no echo, and the person on the other end couldn't hear the speakers at all.  It was also reported to me by the person on the other end of the line that my microphone was picking up my voice just fine, even though the Droid was sitting in my cup holder.  None of this really seem logical to me but it worked.  That being said I don't know how a different phone would respond with a different car.  I suggest that you bring a male to male 3.5 in headphone cord when you test drive the vehicle and place a test call to someone you've already briefed on the situation, so they can help you evaluate the quality of the call.


text:
How does NFC on Google Nexus S and Android 2.3 work?
I'm curious on the Near field communication, NFC that the Google Nexus S has. From what I understand, this techonlogy can be used to read RFID-tags, or am I wrong about that?
What can I read with an NFC enabled Google Nexus S? Can I read all RFID-tags? can I read something else than RFID-tags?

Your title is a little ambiguous. Are you asking "how well does it work" or "how does it work"?

@Al Everett: I'm not a native english speaker, but I have updated now. I hope it's better.

I get that, and that's fine. We try to help out non-native speakers (well, writers) whenever possible. Your title is much clearer now. Thanks.

Using NFC enabled phone like Nexus S one can read NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) message content present in NFC tags. Gingerbread (i.e. Android 2.3) is capable of reading NDEF format which is specified by NFC Forum Type 2 Specification.
NFC operates in the 13.56 MHz frequency range. NFC, is a subset of RFID that limits the range of communication to within a few centimeters.
Based on what I read and understood, my guess is Nexus S should be able detect NFC tags and not the RFID. May be in later releases hardware would be capable enough to do that as well!
EDIT: Here's some additional info.
EDIT2:
Android blog states following are the new NFC related features in Android 2.3.3:

A comprehensive NFC reader/writer API that lets apps read and write to
  almost any standard NFC tag in use
  today.
Advanced Intent dispatching that gives apps more control over how/when
  they are launched when an NFC tag
  comes into range.
Some limited support for peer-to-peer connection with other NFC
  devices.

NFC runs at 13.56MHZ which is HF.  HF NFC with NDEF is indeed an RFID.  However the RFID industry has for the most part moved away from HF to UHF, 860MHZ-960MHZ, due to longer distances and standardization (EPC gen2).  Most supply chain implementations, IE: Walmart, DOD, are UHF for the longer read distances and the greater vendor selection/maturity.

Check wikipedia... NFC is backward compatible.. Cool stuff.!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_field_communication

what do you mean it's backward compatible?


text:
Will the Android OS Support Higher-Resolution Screens?
As of Android 2.2, the screen resolution for an Android device is capped at 854x480, which has pretty much become the standard resolution for recent Android handsets. However, with the current generation of the iPhone sporting the so-called "Retina display", is there any information on if and when this cap will be raised? I haven't been able to locate any definitive information on whether or not this cap is altered in Gingerbread.

Gingerbread is adding support for "extra hdpi" and "extra large screen" devices, but this primarily geared towards tablet devices than actual phones (but who is to say that won't change).  More information can be found here on the updated dev guide on supporting multiple screen sizes.

Unfortunately, it looks like the supported resolutions are still the same (according to the grid on that page)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab has 600 x 1024 pixels on it's 7 inch screen. So I'm not sure that 854x480 is actually a cap?

There is no "cap" on the resolution. In the froyo (and gingerbread) emulator, you can enter any screen dimensions you want, and there's no real problems with apps or anything (unless they're doing something wrong.) Apps just probably don't take advantage of the extra pixels or different physical size.
I think you're confusing "not supporting large screens" with "not optimized for large screens"
Honeycomb will allegedly make big screens look and feel awesome ;)


text:
What are some Android eBook options & eReader Apps (Kindle, Nook, Google Books, etc.)?
What are my options for reading ebooks on my Android device?
There have been a number of questions about ebooks but I thought I'd pull the basics together into a Community Wiki.
Quick note on cross platform ebooks. It's possible to read the DRM'd Epub files on several devices, for example the Google books can be viewed by the Nook app.  You have to do a couple things like sign up for Adobe Digital Editions... (this needs more explanation).

Lets try and keep the same formatting.  If you come up with a better format then change this template too...
App Name:
( link to the app ↑ )

Marketplace - Where can you get books?
Format -  What file formats does it support?  Does it use DRM?
About - Simple explanation of what it's features, pros and cons are...

You can copy and past this for easy formatting:
##App Name:

 - **Marketplace -**
 - **Format -**
 - **About -**

Aldiko:
Only does non-DRM'd ePubs.  There are thousands of these books available but you're not going to be getting newly released copyrighted books.  Great user interface but the no DRM limitation is a problem.  Aldiko also has a paid app that has more features but it still doesn't let you load new DRM'd books from the major retailers.

The best part about Aldiko is that you can hook it in to custom catalogs, such as Drinkmalk http://www.drinkmalk.com/stanza/

Kindle:

Marketplace - Amazon.com
Format - .azw (DRM'd), .txt, .mobi
About - I like this app.  It's easy to switch your reading settings (brightness, font size...) on the fly.  You can note and lookup text.  It automatically syncs with all your devices so you can put one down and pick up reading on another right where you left off. As of v2 you can subscribe to magazines and newspapers via the Kindle store which will be regularly delivered to your Android device. Wikipedia and Dictionary.com word lookup whilst reading.

I know you can read PDFs, DOCs etc on a real Kindle, don't think the Kindle app will open them, and pretty sure Amazon's free conversion service will only deliver to physical Kindle devices? Will check later (as I have a Kindle 3 and the app on my Android). Probably worth mentioning the Kindle store has both DRM'd pay books and free classics available (Amazon say around 500,000 books currently).

Laputa:

Marketplace = Project Gutenberg, ManyBooks, Avayewn + internal bookshelf
Format = ePub
About = Recommendation / Chinese Supported / RSS / Brightness Adjustment / Display Awake Control / Save to SD card / Page Flip Animation / Customizable Fonts / Day Night modes / Search / User defined categories

Moon+ Reader:

Marketplace - Any 3rd party seller. No dedicated marketplace
Format -  Supports txt, html, epub, fb2, umd and zip files.
About -      Full visual options: line space, font scale, shadow, alignment, alpha colors, fading edge and more.

10+ themes embedded, includes Day & Night mode switcher.
Various types of paging: touch screen, volume keys or even camera, search or back keys.
21 customized operations (screen click, swipe gesture, hardware keys), apply to 15 customized events: search, bookmark, themes, navigation, font size and more.
5 auto-scroll modes: rolling blind mode; by pixel, by line or by page. Real-time speed control.
Adjust the brightness by sliding your finger along the left edge of the screen.
Intelligent paragraph; trim unwanted blank spaces options.
“Keep your eyes health” options for long-time reading.
Real page turning effect.
My Bookshelf design: Favorites, Downloads, Authors, Tags; self bookcover, search, import supported.
Highlight, Annotation, Dictionary, Share functions.

Additional features include:
* Analyze chapters list automatically
* Mini reading status bar.
* Management for reading history, bookmarks, notes and highlights.
* Support outside font types.
* Support outside background images.
* Keep screen awake on reading.
* Switch full screen mode.
* 4 flip animations.
* Indent paragraph, trim blank spaces.

Nook:

Marketplace - Barnes & Noble
Format - Epubs (DRM'd), .PDB, PDF
About - This app syncs your books across devices and has the ability to look up words.  My only complaint is that it's a pain to change your reading preferences (brightness, font...) on the fly.

iReader:

Marketplace = Any 3rd party seller. No dedicated marketplace
Format = TXT, CHM, PDB(EReader, Mobipocket), UMD(popular Chinese ebook format), HTML and Image files
About = Real book page flip / Auto-scrolling in cover mode / Support Font file / separate DAY and NIGHT theme sets / customizable action for side volume keys.

Google Books:

Marketplace - Google Books and 3rd party sellers
Format - Epub (DRM'd),
About - Simple 1st gen app.  It automatically syncs with all your devices so you can put one down and pick up reading on another right where you left off.  It is easy to change the fonts and font sizes and switch between night and day mode as your read.  There is a very cool feature that I have not seen in the other apps where, when you are reading one of the books that Google physically scanned, you can switch from the normal view to viewing the actual scanned in page.  My only complaint is the lack of ability to make notes and lookup words. Currently US only.

aReader:

Marketplace - FeedBooks, ManyBooks, Gutenberg, Smashwords
Format -  Epub, PDF (With a pluggin), txt, chm,
About - aReader is a good alternative to other readers, it supports the major formats and is easy to use. You can left a book half-read and when you return the app remembers where you were. It allows you to configure the font size, page orientation, and the other usual stuff for readers.


text:
My SGS cell headphone's button doesn't work, what should I do?
My wired headphones, the ones supplied by samsung with the Galaxy S, button doesn't answer calls, open music player, play a track, or even pause tracks. But when I downloaded the trial version of powerAMP, the button interacted only with the app. What should I do to make it work with the whole android again?
Mind that I'm running samsung's froyo on a rooted galaxy S handset.

What Galaxy S model do you have, and is it an official Froyo release or a leaked version?

GT I9000, official froyo release

According to this thread you aren't alone:

Poweramp hijacks the headset
  controls(wired & BT) from all my other
  media players... I use headset
  controls with the stock mp3 player,
  pandora, xiialive, & fm radio.. they
  all surrender the headset controls
  when not in use, but when I bring
  poweramp in the mix the headset
  controls only work with poweramp.. I
  went into the headset options in
  poweramp and disabled everything, that
  stops the controls in poweramp, BUT
  doesn't restore the headset controls
  to the other players when I want to
  use them...

but according to the last post by the dev this should fix it assuming you are running latest version (uninstalling would probably restore control as well):

Not exactly. I've made today a
  workaround I mentioned above - so
  unchecking Headset Buttons option in
  PowerAMP now should properly redirect
  next button presses to other players
  (applies to 2.2 only). This will be
  included in next minor release, coming
  beginning of the next week.
Thanks for the report again.

Unfortunately, I've tried both things, I've tried bringing PowerAmp off the headset controls and it didn't work. And I tried uninstalling it and it didn't work either.

What about clearing PowerAMP's defaults under Android's Settings - Manage Applications?  Try clearing the defaults then uninstalling PowerAMP then run another music player.

:'( didn't work either

If the bug has been fixed in PowerAmp as ToxMox says, I would try a factory reset.  Hopefully that will fix whatever happened to the system and the fixed PowerAmp won't do it again.  You can backup everything with ROM Manager or just your apps/data with Titanium Backup (both require root).
Edit: I suppose my final suggestion would be to flash a stock ROM (e.g. this official 2.2.1) through Odin with "Re-partition" checked.  Steps:

I recommend using ROM Manager to make a complete backup of your system, then copying that backup to your computer (because Odin will format your phone).
Take out your phone's battery, plug it into USB, and put in the battery while holding both Volume buttons.  This will put it into firmware download mode.
Start Odin.  If it doesn't see the device, unplug it and plug it back in.
Load the "s1_odin_20100512.pit" file (comes with Odin) in the PIT field of Odin.
Load the downloaded ROM in the PDA field of Odin.
Make sure Re-Partition is checked.
Hit Start.
If Odin fails or it seems like nothing is happening for about 10 minutes or so, try again from step (2).  Sometimes Odin is finicky.

This should get you a completely clean system.


text:
How can I get the official froyo ROM for SGS to use with heimdall?

Possible Duplicate:
Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

I want to upgrade my SGS to froyo, but have given up on Kies which seems to be the most unreliable piece of software I've ever encountered. I've got heimdall running, and now I want to upgrade to the official ROM for my device (GT-I9000/optus). Is there a way of getting hold of the official ROm from somewhere?
Cheers,
Victor

Did you see this? http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/181/how-do-i-upgrade-firmware-on-my-samsung-galaxy-s-without-windows

have you tried one of these solutions to fix your kies problem? http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3246/fails-to-install-mtp-usb-device

XDA is the best place to look.  This thread even has Optus ROMs for the GT-i9000 Galaxy S.

authors: Юра Белоненко


text:
will samsung galaxy 5 get android 2.2 update

Possible Duplicate:
When will my phone get Android 2.2 (FroYo)?

will samsung galaxy 5 get android 2.2 update ??

should a mod remove the email address?

duplicate of http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2696/when-will-my-phone-get-android-2-2-froyo

You can upgrade to Froyo for the Galaxy 5 already - it was just released by a few guys recently. See this post on Samfirmware - samfirmware.com/WEBPROTECT-i5500.htm, for more information. Otherwise by mid-December almost all regions should have it appearing on your official Samsung Kies tool.
PS. I don't have a Galaxy 5 but a college does.

perhaps you should clarify if it is an unofficial way to update and requires rooting?

The official date is some time in November/December 2010, should depend on your location.
See also When will my phone get Android 2.2 (FroYo)? for a centralised location of all phone froyo update schedule.


text:
How to install APK files on SDCARD?
I have samsung galaxy 3 (I5801). I have downloaded many APK files from internet. I have no problem in installing APK files. By default when APK file is selected it installs itself to phone memory. I want it to install application on SDCARD. I have made my phone memory full.
So my queries are

How to install APK on SDCARD? APK should install itself to SDCARD.
How to move already installed application to SDCARD from phone memory?

If you're using Android 2.2, you can move your applications to SD from Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications. Before 2.2, you need to have root, create a separate partition in your SD card, and install a custom ROM that supports app2sd.

It should be noted that developers need to specifically make their apps moveable to the SD card under Android 2.2+.

In addition to what @Al said, you Cyanogen mod can force apps to install to sd card (but may not be recommended depending on what type of app it is).

all thanks a lot for answer. I think my mobile is running Eclair version, which i think 2.1. So do i need to keep installed application count low in order to utilize space on phone memory?   I dont see any option like "move to sdcard" or "install on sdcard" while installing or in 'manage application' from settings menu.

Yep... Lie Ryan's answer is spot on. JRC, you need to juggle the apps that are installed or get a device like the first Galaxy 7500 with 8 GB internal memory.

I have root but there isn't a custom ROM for my phone (Moto Flipside) running standard 2.1, am I S.O.L.? I'm willing to do some command line work with the SDK if necessary.

@travis: I have never done it on Android, but it is usually possible to move Linux applications around (or actually any files/directories) by creating  symbolic links.

@Lie Ryan if you could give me some info on how to accomplish that with my phone, I'd really appreciate it, thanks.

@travis: from adb shell or Terminal Emulator app, use mv /source/path /destination/path to move files and use ln -s /actual/file/path /symbolic/link to create symbolic link (the -s stands for symbolic/soft link, if you do not specify this, you'll be creating a hard link, which may not cross partition boundary). Note that you need root to modify apk files stored in /data/app/ and app data in /data/data/. If you're not familiar with ln or mv, it's a good idea to play around with them in safe files before messing with the system. Make a backup! Do this as a last resort only.

@travis: I can think of several complications doing this might bring, such as when upgrading and uninstalling apps; take careful note of random crashes from apps moved this way. You might want to consider that this is uncharted territory, and I'm not responsible if you bricked your phone or if your phone turns into a sentient being.

@Lie Ryan understood :-) After backing the phone up, I'll try it with something trivial, like Angry Birds. Thanks!

@Lie Ryan in Windows you can create Junctions for entire folders, is that the same way that symbolic links work? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFS_junction_point

Yes, hard link and symbolic link is similar concept to NTFS Junction point and .lnk shortcut; though they are very different implementation, so the details differ widely, be careful in applying what you know about one to another. Of particular note, symbolic link in Linux can point to files and directories, and it can cross file system boundaries. Similar to junction point, but unlike .lnk shortcut, symbolic link is for the most part transparent to applications.

If you're using Android 2.1 you can use Link2SD app. To use this your phone must be rooted and your SDCARD should have ext2 [OR] ext3 partitions. Then it installs on phone memory and moves the installed application to SDCARD.
Moving the already installed Apps to SDCARD: Open the Link2SD application and Filter the apps which are phone memory. Select each application which is installed on SDCARD and choose the option Create Link. Done, this solves the problem.
There are tools available to partition your SDCARD. On Windows Machine you can use Minitool Partition software and on linux you can use gparted.

Simply download and install the android SDK, in cmd prompt, go to the directory of SDK, cd into "platform-tools" directory, and type adb shell.
A $ should appear in new line, then type pm setInstallLocation 2 and press enter. the text pm setInstallLocation 2 should appear in the new line again.
Now close the command prompt, disconnect the phone and restart the phone.
Your apps should now move to SD card by default.


text:
What does the 'Failed to move application. Not enough memory' error mean when choosing 'Move to SD card'?
When I choose 'Settings - Applications - Manage applications' , and a 'Move to SD card' I get the 'Failed to move application. Not enough memory' error.
Anyone know why ?
I am running Froyo 2.2 on a Samsung Galaxy S phone.
I have 1.7GB free of system memory and 13.1 GB internal memory free on the internal SD card.
*UPDATE *
Can someone with an Galaxy S phone please confirm this ? I have seen it on two phones, and really would like to know what's happening here.

I've only had it say this when my SD card is full

@Bryan Denny: As I would expect. But both me and my colleague (who also has s Samsung Galaxy S phone) receive this message. You don't have to format an internal SD card, do you ? Or make it available in any other way ?

The Galaxy S phones have three sets of memory, System Memory, Internal SD card, and External SD card (if plugged in), have you checked the free memory on both SD card memories?

@GAThrawn: no external SD card ( no slot as far as I can see ), internal SD card 13.43 GB , 13.09 Free and internal phone storage Available space 1.71 GB. The Internal SD card has a section : Format SD card' with underneath 'Format (erase) the SD card'

Assuming you've got a standard Galaxy S, and not one of the US variants the external SD card slot is under the back cover right beside the SIM card. As far as I know all Galaxy S variants have an external SD slot, just don't know where it is on the variants.

@GAThrawn: You are correct. I thought an external SD card meant that an external slot was visible and available. Indeed, one is underneath the back cover. Still doesn't explain why I get the not enough memory error, though.

Hy see if you have microsd card in your phone.

This is a known problem with leaked 2.2 Galaxy S Vibrant software (happened to me).  Even if you're not using a Vibrant I would suspect the issue is the same, since the software is mostly the same.
You can fix it using this post at XDA if you have a Vibrant or i9000.  If you have another model just check the subforum for your device (or take a risk and try this anyways).

Thanks for pointing this out .. will investigate further.

I received the same message on unrooted android 4.0.4, Alcatel 992D, with 12G free space on SD card. I am posting here, cos maybe it helps on 2.2, as well.
Installed AppMgr III, 3.10 (App 2 SD), and it also listed the same apps as movable, were not even marked with the gray X (supposed to tell you that by moving app you will lose some functionality, e.g. widget stops working on main screen).
It seems that only those apps gave me this message when trying to move (via AppMgr AND via the built in option in android) which came pre-installed on the phone.
Below article says moving/deleting pre-installed apps is not possible on unrooted phone: http://www.brighthub.com/mobile/google-android/articles/82517.aspx
It seems likely to me that in this case, the option "move to SD Card" not being grayed out is the bug, and maybe AppMgr receiving this misleading data causes it to show them as moveable, as well, while the inability to move them is by design.

For people that have this problem in the future. It is an ODEX issue. Some unused thing in there is causing it to think space is all eaten up. Find an app that cleans ODEX files. Chances are you are rooted which allows apps that mess with the ODEX files to screw stuff up by accident.

Good answer, but do you have any recommendation for an app that cleans odex files? Please edit it into your answer. :)


text:
Angry Birds Seasons "Installation Unsuccessful" -- Help?
I have tried several times to install Angry Birds Seasons from the marketplace.  Every time, I get a notification saying "Installation unsuccessful" without anything more descriptive.  Has anyone else run into problems installing it?  Is there any way I can get a more detailed error message explaining what part of installation failed?
HTC Evo 4G
[Update]
7.15GB free on my SD card
196 MB free internally
[Update 2]
I got this error again when attempting to update to the Valentine's day version of Angry Birds Seasons.  Once again, unmounting the SD card and installing it seemed to work successfully.  Further, my save data was still in tact after remounting.

Have you tried an alternative marketplace, like GetJar?

@Al GetJar doesn't seem to have Angry Birds Seasons available. Do you know of any alternative marketplaces that offer the game?

Angry Birds and Angry Birds Seasons both installed straight to my SD card without me ever asking them to for some reason, have you got enough free space on your SD card?

@GAThrawn 7.15GB free on my SD card, 196MB available internally

@Dave: GetJar is supposed to be Rovio's official outlet. According to their blog you should be able to download it from http://www.getjar.com/angry-birds-seasons

@Al Hmm, it seems that Angry Birds Seasons doesn't support the Evo.

I've seen several articles online people referencing playing this on their Evos. Any Evo owners have success installing this? If so, where'd you get it?

unmounting the sd card worked for me too thanks! so it looks like ALL of my apps are installed with internal disk space. do they eventually start installing on the SD card? Can you manually move apps over to the sd card to free up space on the internal drive?

I'm glad to hear that unmounting the SD card worked for you.  As for your question, it really should be asked in a separate question on the site.  To provide you some quick feedback, though, there is an app called "App 2 SD" which will allow you to move installed apps onto your memory card.  It may require your phone to be rooted though, I'm not sure.

@Dave @Bobby : There's an app called SDMove that will facilitate moving already installed apps to the SD card.

omg yes! unmounting from SD card was the answer! thanks! that was driving me insane

Now with Angry Birds Rio, I get the install error with the SD card mounted and you can't install with the SD card unmounted.  Not sure what to do next...

@Alex I had the same problem, and I did the fix found at the end of this post.  I can confirm that it worked, but it seems to have uninstalled or unlinked all the apps I had on my SD card.  Quite strange. http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A89RQ02UGWINV/ref=cm_pdp_rev_title_1?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview#R65O2PCLAF0P9

@Alex - Also note that all my user data regarding the apps seems to still be present.  Once I reinstall an application (Twidroid, for example), it's like the app was never uninstalled, even though I never added my account back.

I had a very similar issue on my HTC Incredible. Try unmounting the SD card (Menu->Settings->SD & phone storage->"Unmount SD card" on my Incredible) and then installing the app. After it finished installing, you can then remount your SD card.

I'm not entirely sure why, but this worked very well.  Thank you!

No problem, glad it worked for you. I think I discovered this when I noticed that all of the apps that were unsuccessful were ones which supported or had just been updated to moving to SD.

do you mean internal or external SD?

Probably the most detailed error message you'd be able to get would be the logcat logs.  You can use a terminal emulator on the phone and just type in 'logcat' shortly after the installation, you can use a market app called aLogcat, or you can use the Android SDK from the computer, open a command prompt and navigate to the tools directory of the SDK and run:
adb shell

and then
logcat

Another thing you can check would be to ensure you don't have another version installed.  Sometimes if you download an .apk file and install it using a file manager, then try to download a different version (or even the same version) of the app via the market, it will fail with that error as well.

Find any other app you can and install it. Once installed exit the marketplace. Then go back and try installing the Angry Birds app again. This usually fixes most marketplace issues.
If it still doesn't work go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications -> All -> find the marketplace app and click on it. Then click clear data. Make sure it cleared cache too, if not clear cache. Then reboot. Then run the marketplace and try again.
These tips should help.


text:
Why is DoubleTwist launching and playing when I remove the headphones?
I can't figure this out.
It appears that if I'm using Google Listen, and I remove the headphones from the jack, Listen automatically pauses (which I expect). But then DoubleTwist launches, chooses an MP3 at random, and starts playing (which I don't want).
Further, it seems that if I pause Listen before I pull the jack, it doesn't happen.
I say "seems" because I'm having trouble getting consistent results.
The long-and-short of it is that DoubleTwist is launching and playing a track when I remove the headphone jack for no apparent reason.
Has anyone else encountered this? How can I stop it?
(Unrooted Motorola Droid, Android 2.2)

Of course, now I can't get it to do it. I hate irreproducible errors.

I can't reproduce it. It may have been fixed during an OS upgrade.
If it comes back I'll refresh the question.

Sounds just like a simple bug in DoubleTwist's app, and you should probably send them an email reporting it.  Programmers have access to system "events" (for lack of a better word) and we use these events in conjunction with the state of our app to trigger certain behaviors.  Like, if I created an app similar to DoubleTwist, I'd handle the system event of you unplugging your headphones to check if an mp3 is playing, and then I'd immediately pause it so that my app doesn't embarrass you by blasting your music out loud every time you unplug your headphones.  They could be performing this type of check (when receiving an alert from the system that the state of the user's headphone jack has changed) and either reading the state of the headphone jack incorrectly or evaluating the "are we playing audio" state of their own application (or both).

Have you tried using Headset Blocker?

Related: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=5134&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Stars&start=100