text:
How do I connect my Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tab to a hard wired broadband point (no wifi available)?
I have moved into student accommodation which only has hard wired broadband. Please can anyone tell me how I can connect my Galaxy 10.1 tablet to the internet via the wall point provided?

How to make Ethernet work on Android over OTG?

You can't.  The Tab doesn't have an ethernet jack and doesn't support it anyways.
If you don't want to get yourself a wireless router, you can set up a WiFi network through a computer with a WiFi card.  There's a guide on LifeHacker on this for Windows 7.  The basics:

Connect your PC to the wired network
Create an ad-hoc network on the PC (you'll want to encrypt it)
Enable ICS (Internet Connection Sharing)
Connect the Tab to the WiFi network broadcast by the PC

If you have trouble getting the PC portion to work, you should ask how to get it working on Super User since they handle PC stuff like this.

Many thanks Matthew - I'll look into getting a wireless router first as I don't have a PC available.

Similar to what Matthew said I'd also suggest a wifi router but use it as a repeater, any cheap wifi router will do just turn off DHCP, use as AP, change the gateway to something other than 192.168.x.x and probably check the option to use as a LAN extension.

There are some adapters that will provide yu with a USB port, where you could connect a USB-based network adapter. however, I had no chance with the one I had. I installed an access point in my wired setup, and it worked fine. Mine is a D-LINK DAP-1350.


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Is there a lock-screen that can unlock without swiping across screen
My father has an HTC Incredible, and a major source of frustration is that the Sense lock-screen uses a swipe gesture to unlock, which for some reason is very difficult for him, especially when trying to answer a call.
I can turn the lock-screen off, but this results in the answer and decline call buttons being active immediately, which could result in premature answering, or accidental hang-ups.
I've also looked into some of the security options, as replacing the swipe gesture wholly with a short PIN or password (skip the gesture, only enter the PIN) would likely solve this problem. Losing the ability to answer from he lock-screen is acceptable. Unfortunately, these options still require the gesture to get to them on Sense (and on my own phone running CyanogenMod, as well).
The hardware is out of warranty, so I can root and flash CyanogenMod if I need to lose HTC Sense to do something.

Similar to this question for the Droid 3.  You might be in the same boat, with no recourse, though it's quite surprising that CM doesn't give you the option.

Indeed similar. I saw that question as I was researching this, which is why I am open to whole-sale replacement of the lock-screen app. Just that every lock-screen I've found has some sort of dragging gesture to unlock.

CM does give you the option - see my answer. I was under the assumption that OP was running stock on this phone.

While it amounts to recommending major surgery for a small problem, CyanogenMod has customizable lock-screen controls. (My wife's G1 is configured to unlock when she pushes the menu button.)
Of course this requires rooting, modding, and hardware buttons...but it's a solution.

Don't I feel sheepish. Didn't even think to look in CyanogenMod settings. I mean, the top lockscreen option disables the lockscreen if a security lock is active. Staring me in the face, it was. :/

Is it any swiping motion that is difficult, or just the default left to right swipe?  If a small swipe in a different direction would work, you could try Ripple Lock.  This lock screen replacement requires that you drag an inner circle to the edge of an out circle.  The direction is not important, and the swipe distance is about half of the regular lock screen.

As far as I can tell (I never had a problem with it myself), it was the swiping gesture itself that was the problem.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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What are the features that Motoblur has that vanilla Android does not have?
What are the features that Motoblur has that vanilla Android does not have?

Did you have a particular version in mind?  Specifically do you mean to include or exclude the current version of Motorola's Android UI, which is no longer called Motoblur?

I would like to know about the latest released version

Motoblur has a bunch of widget-based applications which bring your social networks and/or emails together for ease of viewing, as well as weather, rss feeds and other simple UI elements/widgets that can come in handy. However, Motoblur keeps a process running in the background for each service (type of widget) and thus many people (myself included) forego it and install a non-Motoblur ROM to conserve RAM, CPU and battery. But if you are an avid user of social networking sites then it is a good choice and worth the battery drain.

OK, I see that while Motoblur just adds some widgets, Samsung TouchWiz adds real features: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/13582/what-are-the-features-that-touchwiz-has-that-stock-android-does-not-have

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


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What are the features that HTC Sense has that vanilla Android does not have?
What are the features that HTC Sense has that vanilla Android does not have?
This question is similar to What are the features that Motoblur has that vanilla Android does not have? but for HTC Sense.

integration with social networks (Facebook, Flickr, Twitter), including down to the contacts application, with contact pictures and everything
free "lost phone" functionality, without the need for a third-party application (eg. Lookout), including remote lock and wipe
an (arguably) easier to use keyboard, with quick access to numbers and common symbols
HTC-specific applications (Navigation, Sync, launcher, widgets, etc.)

Keep in mind that all of the eye-candy features offered by Sense do reduce battery life, so it may be desirable to install a third party ROM or remove them from the existing ROM using Titanium Backup.

I really, REALLY dislike Sense, and completely removed it from my phone, but I've not seen any concrete evidence that the extra processes reduce battery life in an appreciable way. Perhaps you can add a link? I know first-hand that it reduces performance, but also not by a great amount. Oh yeah, for completeness, you might want to add that it changes the look and feel of the UI, and adds some extra features to the notifications pane (on newer models).


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Is there any working implementation of Google Docs on Honeycomb?
Simple question. I need to edit some Google documents on my EEE Pad Transformer with Honeycomb 3.2. I want few basic features.

I want my changes to be displayed corectly in File/See revision history
I want to be able to browse the file only with keyboard (that means up and down keys on the physical keyboard).
I want to use my localized, non-US keyboard, which I have on Transformer and which works on most of the applications

There were few ways people told me. None of them works.

Google Docs in mobile version looks ugly on tablet, but mainly, I am not able to browse the file with up and down keys. Moreover, the cursor jumps like crazy, so I often delete some text accidentaly when I want to delete something else, and there is no undo in the whole thing.
the application "Google Docs" in the market does the same thing.
the external applications, like Documents to Go, which are paid, do work more sanely, but still, when I upload the document, it replaces the whole revision, so I don't see any changes in revisions, just one version replacing the other.The same thing happens when I remotely connect to my server with SSH and use the python API (yeah, I tried everything).
the desktop version of Google Docs doesn't work at all, I can't enter single letter, no matter how hard I try. It looks beautiful, though, which is awesome.

edit:

what sort of works is opening desktop version of Google Docs in newest Firefox beta. However - for some reason, Firefox takes all keypresses as coming from US keyboard, while I have clearly selected  localized keboard (which I have).

So, is there any working implementation for Google Docs? I thought that because Android is from Google and Docs are from google, it will work seamlessly, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

There was a recent (around 5-Oct-2011) update of the offical Google Docs App, with the following changes:
What's new in this version:

Optimized experience for tablet users, Honeycomb (Android 3.0+)

New 3-panel interface for improved browsing
Details panel showing a thumbnail and sharing information
Improved sharing experience with autocomplete system
Landscape or portrait mode

Improved video playback

Maybe it fixes the problems you described. I am sure Google will further work on the tablet compatibility of the Google Docs app, it's just a matter of time.

Well, it DOES improve the overview of all documents, but that frankly works in browser, too. But once I got into editing mode, I got switched back to the regular old mobile version.
And I wouldn't be so optimistic about the second thing, too. Google introduced new, better interface for Google Docs, that is completely redesigned. And guess what. It works even WORSE on Android tablets than the previous version.

One working solution is to remotely connect to linux server through VNC and do it there. But that feels so very, very wrong.


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What are the features that TouchWiz has that vanilla Android does not have?
What are the features that TouchWiz has that vanilla Android does not have?
This question is similar to What are the features that HTC Sense has that vanilla Android does not have? but for Samsung TouchWiz.

Good question.  I'd be inclined to say not much, but then I've barely used stock.  Did you have a particular version of TouchWiz in mind?

I would like to know about the latest released version

Home Screen

Up to 7 Home screens, with the ability to add and remove screens at will, and drag them around to change the order (pinch zoom the home screen)
Customizable dock area at the bottom of the home screen, allowing you to add/remove up to 4 apps.

Apps List

'Screen at a time' sideways scrolling apps list
Rounded square backgrounds added to all app icons in the app list (see here)
Pre-installed apps (or apps present during the last OS upgrade) are in alphabetical order, new apps are added at the end in the order they're installed.

Home Button

Holding the Home button brings up a list of 6 recently used apps, along with a Task Manager button
Holding the Back button and tapping the Home button takes a screenshot on the Galaxy S, for the Galaxy SII use Power+Home

Samsung Widgets
These are home screen widgets that Samsung include, and are in a separate Samsung Widgets category pre-Gingerbread, post-Gingerbread they are in the main Android Widgets list with the word "Samsung" under them instead of "Android". Exact widget selection varies depending on OS version and network.

AccuWeather Clock
Buddies Now (messaging shortcuts for nominated contacts)
Calendar Clock
Daily Briefing (News, weather, stocks, social media updates)
Days (create new entries in the Diary app)
Dual Clock
Feeds and Updates
Program Monitor
Y! Finance Clock

Samsung (and other) Bundled Apps

Samsung AllShare (DLNA)
FM Radio (for models with hardware FM radio)
Kies air (shares phone data, and allows control of some phone functions over wifi to a PC web browser, first pre-installed with Gingerbread, available in Samsung app store for older OSs)
Memo (notepad app)
Mini Diary (create diary pages with daily details, memos and photos)
My Files (file manager)
Samsung Apps (Samsung's own app store, currently only free content in there, but some of the apps are normally paid or ad-supported on the Android Market)
Social Hub (messaging app combining email, SMS and social networks)
Task Manager
ThinkFree Office

Modified Apps

Contacts (History and Activities tabs, linked to Social Hub and social network account updates, showing recent posts by contact and recent interactions with them)
Gallery (interface to select either scrolling wallpaper or static, portrait wallpaper)
Music (Disc View interface added, allowing sideways scroll through albums showing the artwork on a "CD" shape)
Videos (extra codec support DivX/Xvid in particular)

Region specific TouchWiz features

Throughout most of Europe and Asia, Samsung's Mobile Tracker feature is included in the Security settings allowing remote password setting, tracking and wiping of mobiles registered on the http://samsungdive.com website

Version specific TouchWiz features

Eclair (Android 2.1) - TouchWiz included Wifi tethering as a standard feature before it was brought to the main Android OS in v2.2.

(except where noted, all from TouchWiz 3 on a Gingerbread Galaxy S)

Holding the Back button and tapping the Home button takes a screenshot <-- Are you about this one? Doesn't work on my SGS2 running 2.3.3. Holding the Home button and tapping the Power button does take a screenshot though.

Positive, on my original SGS with 2.3.3 (and for a few versions before that). Obviously Samsung can't make their minds up, more screen shot variations for other devices/versions here http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1759/how-to-take-a-screenshot-with-an-android-phone

@sabre23t: they forgot to say double tap. :) it works on sgs1, and it should also work on sgs2. hold the back button & double click the home.

@Petar: Just tried on my sgs2 the hold back button & double click home button. Nope, didn't get screen shot. Get "Voice talk, wake-up command" screen instead (you get the same when just double click home button).

Excellent summary. Now the question is whether or not these would be missed, should we root our devices to "self upgrade" to ICS.


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Is it possible to add any arbitrary application as a shortcut in the Car Home app?
In the Google Car Home app, when I click "Add Shortcut" on one of the available Car Home icons, and then select "Other applications", I am only presented with two options:

Blast Monkeys
Launcher

Why just these two? Do apps have to register themselves specially to be available here? I know that is true for the "Car Applications" list, but I wouldn't think that were true for "Other applications". It's hard to imagine that Blast Monkeys (a game) would be car mode compatible.
Should I be able to add any app as a shortcut? Or should I just find another car mode app?

I rebooted my phone and the problem went away (I can now see and choose from all installed apps). Must be a a bug.

On my Nexus One (2.3.4) the “Other Applications” list has the usual list of everything.


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Proxy setting applies to internet browsing only ( on Galaxy S II )
I have done the setting for proxy server on my Galaxy S II. It works for internet browsing only. Other applications that use internet, do not work. Anyone has got that working?

It's up to the app to fetch the proxy settings from the system prior to making the first connection. If a app does not do this and your local firewall prevents outgoing connections without the proxy, it will not work.
You should contact your app developer about this problem and ask him to fix this.


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Launcher with long middle dock button
One thing I miss about HTC Sense is that their launcher button had an elongated middle button for the dialer. Is there a launcher or dock that replicates this kind of UI?
(I'm using CM 7.1 RC1 on an HTC Desire.)

CyanogenMod uses ADWLauncher by default, so one option would be to simply use a Sense theme for ADW.


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Can't lock onto GPS. Flash/Root possibly related
I'm really hoping somebody can help me out here because this is frustrating me. First off, I have a Samsung Infuse 4G with AT&T. I was able to lock onto satellites indoors pretty quickly before. So I rooted my phone with SuperOneClick last night, and everything was good. No problems. However, I was having trouble replacing my recovery file with a modified recovery file. So after some research, I came across Odin on XDA Developers(http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1092021&page=8), that was supposed to do exactly what I wanted: Flash me to a stock ROM with root and modified recovery. It was a successful flash, except for one little problem. Any application that used the GPS hardware would fail to initialize. So "luckily" for me, the thread I flashed to root+modified recovery also had a 100% stock ROM to flash my hardware with, so I did that. However, I had the same issue still of not being able to run GPS dependent programs. So I did a manufacturer's reset, and now every application will initialize and run, however I can't LOCK into satellites now! I've tried using GPS status to clear and download AGPS data with no luck. I've tried several different supl servers, including google and nokia, no luck.
I know this is my fault, but can somebody help me out of this mess? The only sort of location that works on my phone is mobile/wifi location.
Thanks in advance for any help I get.
Edit: It appears that even though I flashed a 100% stock rom to my device, there are GPS locking issues with the rom. Damn..

Go to the dialer and dial *#*#1472365#*#*.  Does it bring you to a menu called LbsTestMode? If so, I might be able to help.

No, but *#*#3214789650#*#* brings me to LbsTestMode

OK, I'll post an answer.

I fixed it!!! I appreciate ANY time you spent researching this for me. I will tell you exactly how I fixed it, so this can help other people with the same problem. I flashed back to the stock+root+modified recovery rom, and then I did a manufacturer's reset of my phone and now everything works flawlessly!

Great, glad to hear @Apple. I would have suggested something along those lines as well if I were more familiar with your device. You should post that as the answer.

It sounds to me like the flashing wiped out all the info your phone had about local satellites -- the good stuff it retrieves itself, not the aGPS crap :P. If that's the case then hopefully this will help; this a process I've used on my Samsung Vibrant.

Ensure GPS is disabled
Go to LbsTestMode
Hit Delete GPS Data
Go into Application Settings
Change Start Mode to Cold start
Back out to the home screen, then reboot your phone
Enable GPS
Go to LbsTestMode
Hit Get Position Test.  Let this run to completion (normally a good 15 minutes or so) — the lat/long info will get filled in and you'll see [*] next to several of the satellites it finds, the more the better.  This will work best if you go outside and walk around.
Back out and go into Application Settings again.
Change Start Mode back to Hot start.
Reboot and, hopefully, enjoy your functional GPS.


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Installing latest possible firmware and Android on HTC Desire HD
I have installed CyanogenMod on my HTC Desire HD a while back. Some things don't work, so I'd like to do these things:

Install latest possible firmware
Install latest possible standard (non-HTC) Android version
If compatible with above, install rooted version (not really necessary)

What steps do I need to take to do the above? Where and how can I find all necessary files to do this?

What version of CyanogenMod do you have?

There is no "standard non-HTC" version of Android, your device needs custom drivers and therefore a customized version of Android.  If you install a custom ROM it will most certainly be pre-rooted.
You should check XDA's Desire HD development subforum for custom ROMs.  Read a few threads and decide on one that sounds good, then follow the instructions to flash it.  If there are no instructions then just put the ROM .zip on your SD card, reboot into ClockworkMOD recovery, and follow the menus to flash it.


text:
How do I fix "Unknown reason -110"?
Whenever I try to install/upgrade an application, I get an "Installation Error: Unknown reason -110" message.  What does this error mean, and how do I fix it?
HTC Incredible 2 [Verizon Wireless]
Edit:
Updating/installing Market apps.  889MB available internal storage.
Cleared cache and data on both Market & Download manager applications.
Is there anything I can do, besides a hard reset?

From the Market only or all installs?  How much free space do you have?

@Matthew: See edits.

A hard reset solved the issue.


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What happens with configurations and app data, practically, if I mod my device with custom firmware?

Possible Duplicate:
How to backup an Android device?

If I want to install a  modified firmware like CyanogenMod, it seems like I should wipe the phone clean both before and after the operation.
But what will happen to all of my

Android configurations (known Wi-Fi networks, bluetooth pairings, etc)
installed apps
app data
app configurations?

Is there a simple way to make a backup of all of that and then restore them after the wipe on the brand new OS?
What about stuff on SD card? Should I wipe the SD card clean too? What about the apps that are installed there?
(I've tried to look for other backup related questions, but they have to do with restoring the device to the exact same state - which of course would be the usual case when restoring backups.)

You should read the answers to those questions, partial backups and restores are entirely covered.


text:
Is there a Wi-Fi-only mode?
Once I am connected to a Wi-Fi network (regardless of my other connections to 3G and 4G) is there any way to guarantee that all my data goes through Wi-Fi?

The first part of your question is covered by this answer.  I'm going to edit this to have only the second question -- in the future please ask separate questions separately :)

I'm pretty sure one if the automation apps, Tasker, Locale, or AutomateIT can do this. Just set it up to disable 3G when connecting to Wi-Fi, and then you can reenable it manually when you're finished with Wifi.

Your phone will default to WiFi when it's available.  If you're paranoid you can disable data while using WiFi but it's not necessary.  I'm not sure how to do it on the Bionic but you could see if it's in the menu that pops up when you hold the power button for a couple seconds or something like unchecking Use packet data in Settings -> Wireless and network -> Mobile networks.

Thanks @Mathew, but my Droid Bionic doesn't seem to have that option.

You have to be careful because if you let mobile data anabled, you phone will probably switch back to that mode when the screen is off and wifi connection is "resting".

@Balder Good point. I have mine set to never turn off but it would still be an issue if the connection to the network was spotty.

Though @Matthew answer is correct that a phone will default to Wi-Fi when it is available, that doesn't always ease the mind.
Something you can do to allay your concern is switch the phone into Airplane Mode. This will disable the cell signal and hence all data travelling through your carrier. However, it does not disable Wi-Fi.
Here's a link on how to do it on the Droid Bionic:

From the main screen, press your Power Button (located on top)
  Select Airplane Mode to disable mobile network signal

Of course, you won't be able to receive any calls, and this might not be what you want, but it will certainly allay your concerns of using data.

Good thought.  On my Vibrant airplane mode does disable WiFi initially but you can turn it back on without turning off airplane mode -- does the Bionic work the same way or is WiFi completely untouched?

I don't have a Droid Bionic but according to the article I linked to, the WiFi is untouched by the airplane mode. It is that way on my HTC Glacier.

You could also use a mobile data monitor/manager like Onavo Count | Monitor Data. You can block certain applications from using mobile.
Alternatively, avast! Mobile Security has a firewall module that allows for application specific data control.

Yes. All you have to do is:
1) Enable Airplane Mode
2) Now enable WIFI
Good luck!

Go to Settings > Wireless & Networks > Mobile networks and uncheck the box that says "Data enabled" to disable 3G, 4G etc.


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Unknown Tag Type collection
Since purchasing my Samsung Nexus S I have been bombarded by 'New Tag Collected' Tag Type 'Unknown'.
I have since learned how to turn this off, but I was wondering what these Tags are and where are they coming from?

For anyone who hasn't yet learnt how to turn this off, see this other question How do I Switch off NFC? http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/5188/how-do-i-switch-off-nfc

Sounds like NFC terminology to me.  Presumably either NFC is malfunctioning or you've been in the vicinity of NFC tags that are of a type your phone doesn't recognize.
Looks like ID badges and probably some credit cards and so on could trigger this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-989630.html

Looks like this previous question has someone getting this exact message when their phone is near their Oyster Card (contact-less public transport payment card used in London), so it looks like you're right, especially as some banks are starting to also embed these in their credit cards now too.

I had just activated my new credit card and it was sitting beside my Nexus S and this kept happening. After reading this I tested it and it was the credit card causing it to happen.

you can search and buy protection sleeves ( https://www.google.de/search?q=credit+card+protection+sleeve ). If you wonder what kind of data can be read without protection sleeves: Pretty much, a german researcher recently published a small app that showed it (it got booted both from github and google play though).


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How to change bottom bar apps in MIUI launcher?
I have installed a ROM based on MIUI. The default launcher has 4 buttons on the bottom bar; is it possible to change the app shortcut of them?

You may Drag n drop the icons. A maximum of six is allowed

Are there any alternatives? I would like substitute the default message app but still maintain the same icon.

Sorry, I misunderstood. You have to install the program you want and switch the icons which are stored in /data/system/customized_icons_1

If you are replacing a default app you might need to get the icon from the apk in /system/app

you can install atom launcher, it has a swipe-able bar which can hold up to 12 icons/buttons


text:
HTC Desire Z Stock ROM

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

Does anybody know how I can find HTC Gingerbread Stock ROM? I've just found an old Froyo (2.2) ROM through google search.
Thanks! :)

Your best bet when looking for ROMs is to search the XDA subforum for your device.  Stock 2.3.3 is linked in one of the first few posts there, and I'm sure they'll have instructions if you need them as well.


text:
What determines which application acts to a bluetooth AVRCP command?
Background: I have a A2DP/AVRCP bluetooth headset (Nokia BH-505) which I use actively to listen to both podcasts and music. Of course, I listen to these with different apps. The bluetooth headset has some "command" (AVRCP) buttons, relevant to audio - in specific: "next track", "previous track" and "play/pause"
Currently whenever I press any of the commands, one of the music players I have installed (Meridian) always gets the command - even when it's not active. So when I click "play/pause" intending to pause a podcast (DoggCatcher), instead Meridian is activated and starts playing music along with the podcast.
Both players are set to be using the headset: DoggCatcher has "Bind to headset" turned on, and Meridian has "Headset Buttons" turned on. I'm currently using unrooted stock Android 2.2.1 on GT-S5570 but may be rooting and upgrading to 2.3 CyanogenMod (or such), in future.
Ignoring the specifics, my question about this is more general:

How does Android determine which app gets to react to these commands? I'm interested even in a very techincal answer.

On the practical side I'm interested in:

Do I have to fiddle with each applications settings to determine which application takes the commands, or is there some general way of determining this?
Is there a way to configure this so that the application that's actually active would automatically always get the priority? (as was asked partly in another question)

How this question differs from similar questions:

"How to Set 'Play' Button Behavior on Bluetooth Remote" - only practical, different focus, so far has no answers, and I'm also interested in answers that would require rooting or custom firmware (especially CyanogenMod).
Change default application for handling headset controls - an exact issue that got fixed, the but not in a way that would answer my questions, though it does gives some hints as to how things work.
How can I make the button on my headphones control something other than the stock music player? - partly similar question on practical side, but no focus on explaining how it actually works, and the only answer is focused on the part I'm not asking about (making only one app receive the commands).
why do all sound apps get bluetooth button events, all at once - very similar, but asking about a specific issue (all of the media players getting the AVRCP command)

I did manage to find some good information related to this from an Android developer blog - discussing the proper way that this should be implemented by applications in 2.2: "Allowing applications to play nice(r) with each other: Handling remote control buttons"

In 2016 this is still a problem -.- Moving from iOS this might be the most irritating part of android for me so far :/

They finally added a section to answer this exact question: https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/media-apps/mediabuttons.html

Related? https://android.stackexchange.com/q/218823/693

media-button-router, already mentioned in one of your linked questions, tries to figure out what app is currently playing music and to dispatch the AVRCP events to it. In addition, it lists all apps installed, that declare to listen to AVRCP events.
What makes AVRCP complicated: Some apps, like Sony's Music Unlimited, seem not to declare android.intent.action.MEDIA_BUTTON in their manifest. For this (or maybe some other) reason they can't be controlled via media-button-router. I know that e.g. Music Unlimited can be controlled via AVRCP since I read it in a user comment and also I was able to get it running once but unfortunately it's not reproducable. So in those cases it seems that we have to wait for an app's update with a clean implementation of AVRCP event handling.
According to media-button-router's wiki "Media Button Intent handling is done through ordered broadcasts, and each app sets it's own priority for receiving." So maybe it could be possible to write an app that displays theese priorities and, in effect, would allow you to determine what application will start. However, I don't know about such an app.

Perhaps this will help a bit:
Samsung S5 --> Bluetooth receiver + In Ear phone plugs
I am using Samsung S5, first with 7digital app to download and play music. Then I changed and used Cloudplayer. But every time while Clouplayer is playing and I press the pause/play button on my Bluetooth receiver my 7digital app will start to play music. I could not change any setting to change the bluetooth play/pause towards Cloudplayer. I then deleted all my 7digital downloaded music and tried again. Problem solved! Play / pause is somehow linked to Cloudplayer now.

It is not a problem with your BT device. When paired with you phone, Bluetooth Headset plays active A2DP stream initiated from Mobile Phone. If it is some standard media player on your phone, It can react to all AVRCP control commands like play pause skip, fw etc. Now when you play something on the web or some other player which does not implement all such controls over AVRCP, for BT Headset it is still an active A2DP stream coming. It will dispatch AVRCP Control messages to your phone. It is now your phone which is supposed to route these commands to the respective app in most cases to the active A2DP streaming source or in your case your phone is still forwarding AVRCP commands to the default music player.
Your best bet would be to try configure your mobile provided the source you are playing does support AVRCP control. If it does not then anyway you can't do anything. If it does, then definitivly Mobile should allow these AVRCP commands to be handled by your active A2DP streaming source.

This app would be "Media Button Router"
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.harleensahni.android.mbr

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


text:
Can I make a full backup of my phone with Odin and without root?
As a follow up to this question, is it possible to use Odin (or Heimdall) to save a complete image of my phone without root?
Odin already allows me to completely overwrite pretty much everything on my phone without root.  Can Odin be used to read the entire contents of the phone over USB without root?  Ideally, I'd expect the output of such a read to be something I can write in the future with Odin.
While this question is somewhat general, I'm guessing that by asking about Odin and Heimdall I'm limiting it to Samsung phones (though I may be wrong).

Better to do Nandroid backup...

Odin is Samsung-only, you're right.  (And as far as I know it isn't for all Samsung phones either, though I could be wrong on that.)  Since Heimdall is, as far as I know, just an unofficial port of Odin I would assume it's the same, but I've never used it.
Odin3 has a "Dump" function that I had never used.  It seems to be disabled in v1.8x and v1.7, but not in v1.52.
I just tried it in v1.52 and it didn't work.  You hit the Dump checkmark under Option, select an output file via the Dump button under File [Dump], then hit Start.  Odin will say "OneNAND Dump Start" or similar as it backs up the device.  It only backed up 1 KB of something before halting, though.  Odin just sat there without giving an error message.
You might have different results with a different device (I have a Vibrant).  I'm also wondering whether my Ext4 lagfix might be affecting this.  Perhaps later I'll flash to stock 2.1 and try again.  Edit: No change on stock 2.1 JFD.

Did you ever try this after flashing to stock?

@NathanFellman I tried just now, thanks for reminding me.  The behavior was the same.

Heimdall (open-source alternative to ODIN) also allows to dump data from the Phone, maybe that is something you're looking for: https://github.com/Benjamin-Dobell/Heimdall/blob/v1.3.2/heimdall/source/Interface.cpp (See Action "Dump")

Check the Nandroid Backup application

Doesn't this require root?


text:
How can I install ClockworkMOD Recovery on a Sony Ericsson W8?
Is it possible to install ClockworkMOD Recovery on a Sony Ericsson W8 with Android 2.1? ROM Manager is asking for the phone model, and W8 is not listed nor any Xperia phone.  Is there a different version for my device?

According to directions on this site, there is a non-official (and therefore unsupported) version of Clockworkmod Recovery for the W8 available here.  It doesn't provide instructions on installing it, but I imagine you do it with either fastboot, or ODIN/Heimdal.
Alternatively, use xRecovery as described in these instructions.  It's very similar to CMR, but according to the site you will need ROMs packaged specifically for this recovery:

Note: Make sure that the zip files are made for Xrecovery. (zip
  files for cwm are different)


text:
How can I stop my phone from thinking it's connected to a computer?
I plugged my phone into my TV's USB port hoping to play video from my phone on the TV. This was not successful. It's been about 4 days since I disconnected from the TV and it still thinks it's connected.
I have turned the phone off and on, it may go away for a little while but keeps coming back. The top left status bar will have 2 arrows spinning in a cirle and when I drag downwards to see my notifications I see this:

MTP service status:
Connected to computer

Any ideas?
My phone is an HTC Incredible 2 running Android 2.3.3.

I would give a check under Manage Applications and running services. See if there's an "MTP Service" or HTC media sync or something like that running, find it, and hit "clear data" and then force stop. But obviously, if there's no such service, this wouldn't be a very good answer!

@DavidAP When I go there I see something called Accounts & sync and it has the same icon as the spinning arrows I am seeing in the status bar. However when I open it Clear data and Force stop are both disabled. The only option enabled is Move to SD card.

@DavidAP - I followed your advice and it worked! I went to Settings-->Applications-->Manage Applications-->Running (tab on top,far-left). Scrolled until I found the 'MTP Service', selected it and chose the 'Stop' button. It will present a alert box, but just say ok. I have not seen it re-appear (yet). I will repost if it does.

I solved this by plugging in my phone to a computer and choosing Charge Only.  It was using CPU and draining my battery until I fixed it.

As a worst case solution, you could try factory resetting your phone.
You might also attempt to connect your phone to a PC and enable USB transfer, then eject your phone to see if this clears the issue.

When you say you turned your phone off and on, did you actually shut it down (hold down power button to get the menu), or just press the power button to turn the screen off? I would expect a shutdown and restart to clear this problem.


text:
Changing SD Card Just a Simple Copy & Paste
I'm migrating to a larger SD Card and I'm wondering if it is just a straightforward copy of the data from one card to the other in Windows?  Specifically, can I just copy the card using Windows Explorer and paste to a temporary folder, then copy the contents of that temporary folder to the new card and have the phone be non-the-wiser (so long as I preserve the directory structure)?

Joel,
I've done this before, and I've had mixed results. Make sure you have Windows set to see hidden files and folders, then drag everything over. Your phone may refuse to remember the SD card-stored apps you have (as in, you've moved an app to run off the SD card), but it may also work. App settings, as far as I remember, seem to come over. I'd say it wouldn't hurt trying.
I know it'll preserve the link to Gallery pictures and videos and music and such.

If the phone is off before you take out the original card and until you insert the new one, and the cards have the same filesystem format, it seems strange that it might not remember apps.  Then again I don't know whether Android might have some sort of SD filetable backup on internal storage that would allow it to detect a change.  I had no problems moving to a bigger card so it must not be size-based.

It must have something to do with the way Android stores apps that were moved to SD Card (native implementation, not the hacky ext partitions.)  Windows doesn't seem to be able to access anything stored in /sdcard/.android_secure/ folder.  @Joel B, you might have better luck either copying the SD Card's contents on a Linux machine, or using some Windows utility that copies the card's structure, as opposed to simply moving the files.


text:
Pre-caching limitations and reliability in Google Maps
The latest version of the Google Maps application bundled with Android allows me to pre-cache map areas. Each time a pre-cache a point it saves the map in a 10 km hamming radius of that point.
I'm about to take a long vacation in various destination. Can I pre-cache those destinations and reliably use Google Maps there without data connection? Is there a limit to how many areas I can pre-cache (aside from the obvious memory required)? Is the map data guarantee to remain after a few weeks or months, or does it expire after some time?

The number of areas you can pre-cache is limited by the amount of system storage you have available.  It is important to note that the cache is stored in system storage, not the SD card.  Also, the stored data is the base map tiles and landmarks.  You will not be able to get directions based on this downloaded data, but you can browse it offline and track your current location.
The cached data expires and is deleted automatically after 30 days.  If you are not able to refresh your offline data in that time, you may be in trouble.
More data on the feature is available on the Official Google Blog post.

Well I just checked and it turns out the number of cached areas is limited to 10, regardless of how much storage I have remaining on the SD card :\

To those coming across this now, note that the Google Maps app now offers Offline Areas. While similar to caching, it offers more features including directions (obviously not with current traffic information though!) However, they currently do still expire after 30 days.


text:
Revert back to factory defaults after rooting and installing CM7
Rooting your Android and flashing CM7 seems pretty straightforward (SGS2 as an example).  I'm a complete notice and notice that you have to replace the recovery partition thingy in the process.  Lots of people say doing this invalidates the warranty, understandably.  This leads me on to wonder if it's irreversible.
Is there a way to completely un-root, put the stock ROM and recovery thingy back onto the handset - so that it is back in the exact same state when you opened the box?  Are there prerequisites to this, i.e. can I backup the recovery and the ROM before I start rooting, etc, and how?

The Galaxy S II doesn't have a locked bootloader, so DavidAP's (deleted) post doesn't really apply in this case.  It's also theoretically possible to exploit a flaw in a bootloader or something and re-lock it, though I don't know of such a method.  But anyways.
As noted here, it may be possible to fully back up a Samsung device through Odin, though we haven't been able to get it working.  Doing so would allow you to backup your stock ROM and restore it in perfect condition.  Via Odin you can also flash a stock firmware image, completely obliterating any trace of rooting.  This also might not be perfect, depending on where you get the firmware image — some of them are re-packed OTA updates and so on, and different from any "real" Odin package Samsung might use internally.
The problem is not with the real data on your phone, though; as noted it's easy to go back to stock and leave no trace of rooting.  There's a counter that gets incremented when you flash your phone with Odin.  It's possible to reset this counter, but that increments another counter.  Samsung does check this counter sometimes so you should flash with ClockworkMOD or Mobile Odin to avoid that.
If you brick your phone, that's certainly your fault and I wouldn't expect help from the carrier/manufacturer.  If you need them to fix a cracked screen or something I wouldn't expect them to care about any flashing you may have done, though who knows.  That said, I of course am not encouraging you to void your warranty; that's up to you.

Hi, and where can I find the original stock rom of my Galaxy S II and put it back into my phone with Odin? would I only nee Odin for this? I have Sunrise Galaxy S2 registered in Switzerland and with the new ICS 4.0.3 the mobile banking app does not install anymore from the market tells me wrong country...

@DavidePiras See this question.  You'd be better off creating a new question asking how to fix your issue directly though, I think.


text:
Is the Google GMail client able to download attachments for arbitrary file types?
I emailed myself an epub the other day and went to the GMail app (v 2.3.5) on my android phone to download it.
While it showed me the attachment, I could not figure out how to download it. The email shows a pretty paperclip icon next to it, and at the bottom of email I get another pretty icon with a paperclip. But I cannot click(/press) on it. There is no preview/download button. The menu has no option to download it.
So my question is, is it actually possible?
I've seen a fair bit on forums suggesting it is not, but those are fairly dated threads. It seems somewhat inconceivable to me that one would not be able to download an attachment - as one person has put it, this seems like a feature shortcoming that is bordering on a bug.
An example of what I see is:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/703/attachwhat.png/
My phone: Samsung Galaxy S 2 running VillainRom 2.4.2, Gmail 2.3.5, email sent from Thunderbird 3.1.14 on Windows 7.

As far as I know this was a new addition to the app recently, so it's surprising that it doesn't work for you.  I just tried emailing myself a .epub file and it worked just fine, I had a Download button to the right of the paperclip icon and attachment name.
I know that the Browser on many devices won't let you download any files that don't have a handler registered for their extension; perhaps this is related.  You can solve that issue via an app that registers for all files, such as Download Crutch; perhaps it will solve your attachment issues as well.  I'd reboot after installing it.  I have Download Crutch installed and have had no problems with it.

Fascinatingly enough, I forwarded the email to my friend on a Nexus Prime with GMail app ver 2.3.4.x (I forget the x) and he is able to download/preview the attachment. The other  odd thing is that he doesn't read ebooks it seems like he would be less likely to have so he is less likely to have an epub extension handler

didnt find Download Crutch but another appp Download all files did the job pretty well.
Have fun
Navneet

This answer is useless unless you share with us what other app you used.

He did give you the name of the application. It is 'DownloadAllFiles'.

authors: موجود في كل مكان


text:
How can I chat with BlackBerry users?
Is there an app that lets me chat with BlackBerry users just by adding their PINs? Something that simulates that my Android phone belongs to the BlackBerry network?
I know there are multiplatform options like WhatsApp but I am talking about an app that lets me chat with people who are using the native BlackBerry Messenger.

You can't.  RIM's PIN system and BBM are proprietary.  You can only communicate with a BlackBerry user via PIN messages or BBM if you have a BlackBerry.
Get a new Bold 9900 / 9930, they're great! Full disclosure: I work for RIM. This is not an official statement from RIM either, this is me speaking as a user in my off time at home. I honestly think the new Bold is the best BB yet.

Wasn't RIM working on making BBM multi-platform? I thought I read that somewhere.

@Chahk I haven't heard anything about that myself.


text:
How to flash Darky's ROM from Cyanogenmod 7?
I want to give Darky's ROM a try on my Samsung Galaxy S; I'm currently running CM7 RC1. How would I go about doing this? Can I flash using recovery, or do I need odin? Do I need to revert to stock first?

Related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/13021/can-i-install-darky-rom-using-cwm-even-if-im-not-coming-from-a-previous-darky-ro

Most Darky's packages I've seen are your normal update.zip variety that are flashed through recovery, so you should be good to go.  If it's an Odin package it should say so — always vet your sources (here's a good one).
I see no reason to believe flashing from CM would be a problem either unless it messed with your partitions.  If you have problems you can always Odin to stock and then root, install ClockworkMOD, and flash Darky's again.  The whole process only takes a couple minutes.  (So if you're concerned, go right ahead and Odin to stock, it costs you nothing; just save your backups to a PC first.)


text:
what is updated in honeycomb 3.2.1?
My wifi Xoom was just updated to 3.2.1.  Anyone know what this update contains?

Motorola's Xoom Support forums has a thread that is updated when updates go out, and contains links to the lists of changes in the updates which (for US Wifi Xooms) is here.
According to that two software updates have gone out in the last few weeks, HTK55D and HTK75D the first contains security updates, the second updates to included apps. Specifically they contain:
HTK55D

Platform security fixes :

DigiNotar certificate revocation
The
security fix removes a compromised root Certificate Authority (CA).
libpng security update Libpng has been updated to version 1.2.46 to
correct for multiple publicly-known security issues.

HTK75D

Android™ Market has been updated.
Android™ Books has been updated.

The android developers web site has the new features for users and developers listed under the "Android 3.2 platform". Digging into that page, under the revisions heading it lists "3.2, Revision 1" as the only revision. I would guess that this would be the 3.2.1 update then.

New user features

Optimizations for a wider range of tablets

Android 3.2 includes a
  variety of optimizations across the system to ensure a great user
  experience on a wider range of tablet devices.

Compatibility zoom for
  fixed-sized apps

Android 3.2 introduces a new compatibility zoom mode
  that gives users a new way to view fixed-sized apps on larger devices.
  The new mode provides a pixel-scaled alternative to the standard UI
  stretching for apps that are not designed to run on larger screen
  sizes, such as on tablets. The new mode is accessible to users from a
  menu icon in the system bar, for apps that need compatibility support.

Media sync from SD card

On devices that support an SD card, users can
  now load media files directly from the SD card to apps that use them.
  A system facility makes the files accessible to apps from the system
  media store.

These were 3.2 feature additions, not 3.2.1. I am guessing 3.2.1 must be a bug/security release though it would be nice to know.


text:
Windows cannot detect the Galaxy S I9000 when connected through USB
When I connect my Galaxy SI900 with the PC, I get the message, "A USB device connected cannot be recognised". I reinstalled drivers on the PC and it resintalled Kies. Thses didn't resolve the problem. Any suggestions.

Have you restarted your phone? I recall having a similar problem with my Samsung Fascinate and I ended up fixing it by rebooting the phone.

Make sure, you are connected with Internet while connecting the device... Windows Update can help.. I'm not sure Windows Update needs to be turn on or not, to search drivers..

I was having the same issue with Kies. Latest version of Kies and latest USB drivers solved my issue.

Sometimes a damaged usb cable, low quality cable, or one that's too long can cause this as well. So perhaps make sure you're using the original cable that came with the device.
Also if you're using a usb hub with a desktop computer try plugging the cable directly into the computer instead.


text:
How can I disable Kies in Samsung Galaxy S2?
Whenever I connect my S2 to the power outlet (not to a computer), the Kies application pops up. Where do I disable this auto-activation?

Samsung Kies is one of the worst pieces of software I think I've ever come across. I had to install it to upgrade my mother's SGS, I was astonished by how much it clogged up my system (3 separate autorun entries, 2 services), and how unbearably slow it was.

@fredley Kies Mini is a lot better, just a small standalone app.

Go to Settings > Applications > Development > and check USB debugging
After that if you connect your S2 to a PC it will connect in USB mode and you won't get the KIES application popup.

Sounds like there's something funny with either your USB cable, the charger or the socket on your phone that's causing it to detect it as a full PC connection, rather than just a dumb charger.
You should be able to get rid of that prompt for the moment by going into Settings -> Wireless and Network -> USB Settings and selecting the Mass Storage mode rather than the Samsung Kies mode.
However you really ought to try with another charger and cable to see if that fixes the actual problem, pure-charger cables shouldn't be detected as a PC, the signal on the cable is different and the phone should detect that.

I don't have USB Settings under Wireless and Network.

@ripper sorry you must be running a different update then, I know Samsung have moved that setting around at times. Have a look under the other headings in Settings to see if you can see the USB settings, I think it might have been under the SD Card and phone settings in the past too?

haven't found it.


text:
How to set MP3 ringtone in Android (Nexus S)
I am using Music (latest up to today) and TTPOD as my MP3 players.
After Googling, I suppose I can set my MP3 ring tone, by long press on the song through Music application. However, once I long press, there are only the following selections

Play
Add to playlist
Delete
Shop for artist
More by artist
Search

I was expecting I am able to get a selection choice Set as ringtone, but I didn't find one.
May I know what is the "correct" way to set MP3 as ringtone in Android?

possible duplicate of How do I set a custom MP3 as a ringtone for other notifications?

Are you doing the long press on the music in the built-in Music app, or in your 3rd party Music app? In the built-in one you should definitely get a "Set As" option when you long-press on an individual tune.

I am using built-in Music app. They have a new version right now. I get the above options, but not "Set As".

v3+ of the Music app just doesn't have a Set As menu option. You could try uninstalling the updates and using an older version if you want.

This isn't the "correct" way, but IMO it's a good way: use Ringdroid. With it, you can cut a suitable part of the MP3 to be used as a ringtone. This way you can get rid of those pesky intros on songs that have a slow start and save space by not having the entire MP3 duplicate in your ringtones folder.

It wants to read my contacts. That's too much for only  setting a MP3 from Google Music as ringtone. Is there a better solution after more than 1 year?

There's another similar app called Ringtone Maker, but it also requires read/write permissions to contacts because it allows you to set contact-specific ringtones.

In last versions of Android (at least in Nexus S) it's kinda hard to set MP3 as a ringtone. There was an option before in the menus called "Set As" but in the new Music app it disappeared.
What you can do is copy your mp3 to /sdcard/media/audio/ringtones,
that ringtones folder might be empty or even not exist, in this case just create it.
Then you go to Settings -> Sound -> Phone ringtone and select your mp3 from the list.
Good Luck!

Casey_Miller - thanks! Yours is the only solution that seems to work, and it works perfectly (I have a Nexus S with Android version 2.3.4).

I use Ringtone Maker, which is a free app.  This app allows you to select a part of your song as the ringtone.  It has some preselected portions (based on popular edits included in the database), or you can select your own portion of the song to set as the ringtone.
If you simply want the beginning of the song as your ringtone, @bakytn's answer is the way to go.
Some other music apps will give you the option to choose a song as a ringtone, such as the $5 PowerAmp, but I'm not sure what they offer in terms of choosing a portion of the song.

Download MP3 music download app. Select song tab, and press the selected song. You will get option set as ....

Can you provide a link?


text:
Do any UK banks have Android apps?
I'm researching a new current account, and an Android app would be a big bonus for me. None of the big few banks (Lloyds, Natwest, Barclays) seem to have apps. Santander has one but it doesn't work in the UK. Does anyone know of any UK banks which do have an Android app for viewing my balance, making transfers etc.?

From a quick search of the Market, only Northern Bank has anything obvious in there at the moment, and they're not quite one of the really big UK High St banks.
(Barclays have a couple of apps but they're all related to their marketing/sponsorship nothing to do with personal accounts).


text:
Is my Exchange email encrypted on my device?
If I setup an email synchronization with our Exchange server, is the mail I store on my phone encrypted or readible if someone finds/steals my phone?
I have enabled the unlock password (although it's not easy to unlock), but it is very easy to remove the sd-card from the phone. Is the information on that SD-card readible for a "finder", or is it not stored on the sd-card anyway.

Honeycomb can do full-device encryption, hopefully that's in Ice Cream Sandwich as well.  I'd think about seeing if you can find an email app that features encryption ... as The_Brink says I wouldn't trust the stock app.

By default email will be stored in the phone's internal memory, not on the SD card.  (Though you can 'move' the app to SD storage, so it is possible that the SD card gets used).  As others have said, once your mail is on the SD card, there is no protection as the SD card is removable (since the data is unencrypted).
For mail that is stored in the phone's built-in memory, an attacker would have to unlock the phone to get the data.  Either directly through the mail app once unlocked, or to put the phone into "USB disk mode" to read the phone's state from a USB-attached computer.  (A really sophisticated attacker could probably disassemble your phone and wire the flash to a custom reader, by passing the phone lock and read your unencrypted emails off of the flash.)
Note that the Exchange connection allows the Exchange server to send a command to wipe your device.  (I believe this is contingent on some setup by the Exchange admin.)  In the web UI for my Exchange email server, there is an option to list authorized devices and to wipe them remotely.  Of course, the phone needs to be on a network to receive this command, so an attacker could delay this command by preventing the phone from using its networks.

Emails shouldn't be stored on the sd-card, but if they are then they can be easily extracted. I would say that your emails on the device are not safe. I would recommend an app like webroot mobile security. You can wipe all your data or locate your phone with this app. There are other apps just like it.  This is the best bet to keeping your data safe unless you are a spy then the only way to get ride of your data is through burning the phone.


text:
How can I update my HTC Desire when the OTA update is missing?
I have an HTC desire and have Orange as a provider in the UK. The software information displays my firmware version as being "2.1-update1".
I discovered that my phone is not up to date, because after hours of searching I discovered that the reason I cannot find the google app 'phone to chrome' is because the version is not recent enough. There are no updates pending as I have the system software updates check box for schedules updates checked. On checking for updates a message states that there are no updates available for my phone. Is the reason that other users are able to update because they have different devices and service providers? From looking around for update news, my phone should be updating.
From various webpages (example) it is said that this update can be done manually by using HTC sync; is this safe? Are there risks from not getting the update automatically? Or are you only bypassing the service provider in this way and not much harm can be done? A warning that this removes all previous saved data is given, but this will not equate to rooting and voiding any warranties though?

Yes, it's up to the carrier whether to distribute the update over their network, but it looks like the update did roll out on Orange.  Strange that you didn't get it and can't see it.
That said, updating via HTC Sync is perfectly safe and will not void your warranty.  It's nothing like rooting.
I would think you should be able to take it into an Orange location and they'll update it for you, but I would just do it with HTC Sync myself.  Your link is for the 2.3 update, rather than the 2.2 update; I don't know whether you can go directly from 2.1 to 2.3 with that update, but it shouldn't hurt to try.

would me not being able to see updates maybe be due to having unlocked my phone in the past to use foreign sim cards while abroad? And can I still then take it to orange? Thanks

@Vass It shouldn't have affected it, no. Updating won't re-lock you either :)

after installation of the new android update via HTC sync, will I even have a browser installed, or even the android market app to download programs to set it up again? thanks

@Vass Yes, it's an official update with the Google apps.  You're overthinking this :P


text:
Do I need to (re-)partition my SD card for app2sd to work?
I have a rooted HTC Hero, currently running VillainRom (Android 2.1). I want to install FroydVillain (Android 2.2), which supports app2sd, but I'm not sure whether I need to repartition my SD card before I install 2.2 and if yes, how, if I want app2sd to work. Any ideas?

The CyanogenMod wiki has some info on this.
Basically, their old version of apps2sd (now called apps2ext) required an EXT partition on the SD card.
Their current version does not require partitioning, it's just a matter of overriding the preference of the app and moving it to the SD card anyways.
Since FroydVillain is based on CM6, you don't need to format your SD card; CM6+ uses the new apps2sd, not apps2ext.


text:
Why does the 3G connection drop issue happen on all Verizon 4G LTE handsets?
OK, after having reviewed the Samsung DROID Charge, reviewing and owning a DROID BIONIC, and hearing from many Thunderbolt users, it seems like one problem is common to all Verizon 4G handsets: a dropping 3G data connection. So far, I've observed the following:
My BIONIC often refuses to get a 3G data connection back when switching from Wi-Fi or 4G back to 3G. If I switch to Airplane Mode and back, sometimes I'll get the 3G connection back, sometimes I won't. In the About Phone -> Status menu, it says the mobile data network is "connecting." Sometimes I end up having to reboot.
Additionally, when attempting to use the phone in CDMA-only mode, the phone seems to decide to drop its 3G connection at random and refuse to get it back - even on reboot the phone is slow to acquire signal. I noticed a similar problem on the DROID Charge.
Is there any theory as to why this is happening? Do all Verizon's LTE phones share a common chipset model? Because it sounds to me like whoever makes the chipset is doing a real bang-up job of shipping phones with near-defective radios or radio firmware. As it appears to happen across three different manufacturers, the buck falls on Verizon and their LTE chip partner. I'm frankly getting very, very annoyed with this problem and think it needs some public exposure with good empirical evidence that it happens on all LTE handsets on Verizon.
So, I'm asking for your assistance in that regard as well. Leave a comment about your experiences with Verizon's LTE phones and connection drop issues, with as much detail as possible. Of course, the answer I'm looking for here is as to why this is happening, but I think this is going to be a fairly long ongoing investigation.  If you've found a method of fixing or working around this issue on your Android phone, please leave that an an answer as well!

As a Q&A site we're not well-suited to gathering experiences, so I amended your question to solicit experiences as comments rather than answers.  I also added an explicitly Android-specific aspect (workarounds) so it's on-topic.  That said this is a really interesting question, hopefully we can get some solid info about the LTE chips.

Thanks for the edit, Matt. I'm still pretty new around here!

This is the primary reason why I didn't switch to Verizon after having enough of Sprint's crappy 3G. I have been testing the Tbolt that Verizon doesn't want back (test unit), and it still do this day has this very issue, which is especially apparent when moving on the train to and from work. I wanted to like Verizon, but I just can't. At least Sprint it more stable in that regard.

I've been having the exact same problem with my Bionic. I've been into the local Verizon store 5 times now to have the problem investigated. They've changed settings (CDMA-only), replaced the SIM card, replaced the entire phone (with a refurbed one that was probably replaced for another customer for the same reason), and the last time simply restarted the phone and handed it back to me with a "tada". (#$^@!) I've installed the "Restart Connections" app that Cameron Wright suggested, but it shouldn't be necessary. Verizon shouldn't have released the phone in the first place if it wasn't ready.

It seems the issue is network authentication problems caused by Verizon's switch to a UICC SIM-based authentication for both 3G and 4G connections on all of its 4G LTE devices. See this article:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/12/19/this-is-why-your-verizon-galaxy-nexus-or-other-4g-lte-vzw-phone-is-losing-data-signal/

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.dazbradbury.restartConnections
While not an actual solution - this app does remedy (99% of the time, in my experience) the connectivity issues.

At least for the Droid Bionic, this appears to be a known software issue.
This post on the Motorola support forums includes the following listing.

Marginal 4G to 3G transition: Loss of data connectivity - The
  device may display 3G service indication but no data connections are
  possible. Action: The user will need to power cycle the device or
  enable/disable Airplane Mode. Resolution: A fix for this issue is
  under review and will be included in  the first post launch
  maintenance release software for this device. The  tentative release
  date is early November 2011.

The "November 2011 update" has not been released as of December 6, 2011.

5.5.893 just landed on my phone. Hopefully I've seen the last of the connection issues.

5.9.901 (Changelog) and 5.9.902 shortly after solved many connectivity issues on the Bionic.   Comments on the Motorola Bionic support forum seem to suggest that it solved the problem for many, but not all, Bionic users, including mine.


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Which app should I select when inserting my phone into the car dock?
I have a Tasker profile conditional on the phone being in the Car Dock.   When I insert the phone in the dock, I sometimes get a prompt to choose which application to launch -- either Tasker or "Smart Dock", a built-in app.  (When I don't get the prompt, neither seems to be notified).  There is also an option to make the setting stick.   I want Tasker to be notified, but the built-in app to launch.   Which should I choose?
edit: I get the same prompt when removing the phone from the dock.

I have not narrowed down the case(s) where the prompt doesn't occur, but I suspect it has to do with having an app in the foreground when the phone is inserted in the doc.

Tasker should be seeing the event even if the system doesn't have it set as the default handler, so you should be safe setting Smart Dock as the default. (That said, you could also have Tasker handle the launch of Smart Dock.)


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"Local calendar cannot sync with Google calendar..." but it can? What?
On my totally stock Bell Samsung Galaxy S2 I have my main GMail account synced to it, it is also synced to my iPod using Exchange ActiveSync.
My phone's default calendar has all the events from my Google Calendar that I had been organizing and creating events from my iPod calendar with. However, when I create a new event I get this error. I tried going to the Account and Sync settings, then syncing the calendar, but the wheel stops spinning after a little bit, then just disappears and the problem remains.
I tried creating a test event, then checking Google Calendar on the website from my laptop and the event was there. Even today, I made an event on the phone and it's on the web page. In fact, I just corrected the time of the event from the web page and the change was reflected almost instantly on my phone.
I tried unchecking the account sync and then deleting local calendar data, then rebooting and resyncing. But the problem persists.
What's wrong? Is there anything I can do? (besides factory reset please!) Or should I just check the "Do not show again" box? Or would that cause a problem later on?
As a side note Samsung Kies popped up first saying it couldn't sync, but I couldn't care less about that since I only made a Samsung account for the find my phone feature and the developer stuff.

If you go into the Calendar app and press the Menu button, then select Settings you should see an options at the top for Calendars this should show all of the individual calendars on your device that are being merged together into the Calendar displayed.
The top one is probably My Calendar then below that should be an entry for your GMail calendar, then maybe Facebook, or Contacts' Birthdays, and any other calendars you may have access to. The My Calendar calendar is purely held locally on the phone, it doesn't sync to GMail at all.
If you don't want to use that, then take the tick out to stop showing it as it sounds like you'd rather have everything syncing to the GMail calendar. Next time you create a new appointment in your calendar scroll down the Create screen to where it says Calendar with a right poiting arrow, select that to make sure that it is saving to your GMail calendar. If so, then you can safely tick the "Do not show again" box on your warning, as you don't care about the phone's local calendar you're saving straight to your GMail calendar anyway.

Some calendar apps also have a Default calendar option that selects the, well, default calendar. I think on your phone the default is the one where the last new event was saved.

All I have is "Calendars" which lists: All, my, email@gmail.com, Canadian holidays, phases of the moon. I tried un-ticking all calendars except the gmail one and all except my calendar option. Neither solved it.

I honestly couldn't fix it but it was saying to my email bu default so I told it to not bother me again.

@Portaljacker the point is that I don't think that message is telling you that there's a problem that needs fixing, it's just a badly worded way of letting you know that if you save to the local calendar it won't sync to the web, and that if you want to sync to the web you should save appointments in your GMail calendar. Once you've read the message and decided which you want to do you can safely tick the Don't Show Again box and forget about the whole thing.

related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/25210/how-to-backup-the-android-calendar-file-is-there-such-a-file

I experienced the same, and followed your suggestion to ignore the message.  Now it works fine!  You should do that as well; no sense in not ignoring the error message if everything else works.


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SMS rules application

Possible Duplicate:
Good app for blocking incoming sms?

There is a service number that always sent me sms messages. 10 or 20 times in a day.
Can you suggest an app. for creating a rule for that number ( just ) so no notification will be showed ?
regards..

Whoever closed this question, it would be great if you could provide a link to or at least the question title of the duplicate question.


text:
Is there any way to let Facebook run only when I want?
Is there any way to let the Facebook app run only when I want to use it and really close it when i don't need it?
I've already disabled it with autostarts, moved to sd, yet it is still running 24/7.
I don't want to appear on the Facebook chat, also don't want to waste 30mb of ram, and of course there are no FB widgets on the home screen

See also http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/9181/how-can-i-turn-off-facebook-im-permanently which looks to be a similar question, but more focussed on the chat.

I suppose this is the one time when it would be okay to run a task-killer. I suspect it'd by like playing Whack-A-Mole, though, with the app constantly re-starting.

Did you turn off syncing for that account?

Related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/9181/how-can-i-turn-off-facebook-im-permanently

You do know that you can log out from the chat? Open the Facebook app, press Chat and then the menu button and "Go Offline"

With root, it's possible to use an app like Ice Box to freeze the app and unfreeze it only when needed. It can be set up to freeze the app again when the phone goes to sleep. In this way the most invasive apps like Facebook, Instagram, will only run when the user want it. (Of course no notifications will appear)

You could always install Titanium Backup (a GREAT app to have) or App Manager (was just released today by JRummy) and "Freeze"/"Unfreeze" the app when you want it to run or not run. This is a very quick/simple/painless operation and there's absolutely no chance for it to run (taking up resources or draining battery) while it's "Frozen" - it just takes up a bit of storage space is all.

I'll try that App Manager. If only they didn't translate from english using google translator... (i don't understand why developers are translating apps with google translator instead asking actual users to do that)

As the person before me said, a good way to do it would be to install TitaniumBackup pro (it's a really great app, can't recommend it enough, and the market commenters seem to agree) and set up a label called facebook which only contains the face book app. Then, create 2 widgets (one that freezes on one that defrosts facebook). It's a bit clunky and takes up 2 home screen cells but it's guaranteed to work :)

There's  an awesome  app called "Tinfoil  for Facebook" that offers all the benefits  of  FB without being so resource - consuming .  Link:  http://www.cnet.com/how-to/use-tinfoil-for-facebook-to-protect-your-privacy-on-android/

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

Greenify prevents apps from running when they are not actively in use.  It works seamlessly without needing to manually freeze and unfreeze it.

Did you try Force Quit?
You can always force quit an app:

Go to your settings
Scroll until you see App manager, Apps, Application Manager (You might need to go to general tab if your Android is not the old version)
Swipe left or right until you arrive at Running tab
Find Facebook app (or whatever app you are trying to force quit)
Press Force Quit on top.

Additional steps (That will erase stored facebook's data on your phone):

Press Clear cache
Press Clear Data
Press Remove or Uninstall (Or Disable if it was installed with as system app)

Use Greenify to cut off the wake up paths of the Facebook app after greenifying it. This is the best method I know.

Use a modded android Facebook app. The version might differ from the ones in Google Playstore but at least you will still be able to have the same browsing Facebook experience. The best part is the modded Facebook App won't auto start itself unless you wanted it to.

Please add a link to one such official app from Play Store

https://apk4free.net/facebook-color-mod-messenger-apk/

! This might be something too basic and obvious... But since this was happening to me too, you might be experiencing the same issue... When you press that square on the bottom right of your screen to visualise all the apps you have open, at the top right of your app window, there is a cross and a lock.. as seen in the image attached... The lock should be unlocked.. just click it to unlock it.  If it is locked, the app will never close.
(https://i.stack.imgur.com/j0b4r.jpg)

i wanted exactly the opposite, to kill it when not on foreground, not making sure it kept open forever (which for facebook is never needed)


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How to save attachment from Gmail?
I've got two MP3 files from my friend via Gmail. How can I save them to my phone? There is only a Preview button...

What version of the Gmail app are you using? What phone? What version of the OS?

After I installed the ASTRO file manager and I went to "Preview" - ASTRO popped up, and saying, "give a filename" ok, then it saved the files!! (the files must be ex.: zipped!!) - and then I was able to extract the files in the zip.

Sounds like you have a crippled version of the app.
I emailed myself an mp3 file and got "Download" and "Preview" buttons. Pressing "Download" downloaded the file (as one would expect) to /sdcard/download.
(This is an original DROID with Froyo.)

You can't, at least not with any consistency, and it looks like you can't request the feature anywhere either. You'll need to use a different email client, or wait for the Google Apps team to implement this out of the blue.

I found a number of apps just for this purpose:

Download All Files
Save My Attach

All of these apps function by becoming options when you click on the Download or Preview button. These are just a couple that I tested out. Download All Files was my favorite. I'm sure there are other apps out there with similar functions.


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How can I encode an MP3 file in Android using LAME?
Can anyone tell me how to encode a MP3 file in Android (as you would by using lame.dll in Windows or lame.so in Linux)?

You can't use the Linux or Windows versions of LAME in Android, just like you can't run the PC versions of MS Word or OpenOffice in Android.  Applications are written for particular OSes and architectures, or for cross-platform frameworks like Java.  (Android doesn't have a true full JVM, though.)
A quick search returned Lame4Android, an Android app you can use to encode WAVE files as MP3.  It doesn't look like it can do anything else; if you need more functionality then you probably need to find or make a native port of LAME or another encoder.


text:
Audible difference in bluetooth A2DP sound quality - how change A2DP settings?
After moving from Symbian to Android, I noticed an audible* drop in audio quality when listening to music via bluetooth (A2DP). I woudn't say the quality is poor, but bad enough for me to investigate the issue. While it probably is audible all the time in some way, it's not easy to pinpoint - I can only notice the difference in some music passages. Unfortunately it's usually most audible in the passages with most impact, where it also bothers the most.
As audio quality issues are notoriously subjective, I did wonder whether I'm just imagining the effect or not. Turns out, I'm not - I haven't done any blind testing or anything, but comparing the same file A2DP streamed from my computer to the one streamed from Android (and for control doing the same comparison with wire-plugged headphones) it's easy to spot the difference.
Doing a bit of research into the issue, it seems A2DP can be used to stream audio into bluetooth receiver with multiple different codecs and setting. As far as I've understood the discussions related to this, it looks like this could be either caused because Android is using SBC codec instead of MP3 or because it fails to use high enough bitpool setting. There seem to be multiple reports of this problem around the net.
So my question is: How do I fix the sound quality?
Is it possible to change A2DP settings to get bluetooth audio quality matching that of Symbian and my laptop?
My Android device is GT-S5570 running 2.2.1.
* - I don't consider myself an audiophile, and I don't spend money of pro audio gear. This isn't something that's hearable only in perfect conditions at a sound analysis studio - I hear it using the cheapest stereo bluetooth headset I could find (BH-505 at 50€).

Looking into this problem further, I also found a google code issue about it. The discussion there points out that the problem seems caused by the bitpool issue, and is fixed in CyanogenMod (at least the latest versions). Also, even stock 2.3 is reported to improve the situation slightly.
So switching to CyanogenMod seems to be one (and only?) way of resolving the issue.

Since there seem to be no futher answers with other information, I'm marking this one as solved.


text:
Can Android phones be set to automatically wipe all data after a certain amount of failed logins without an app?
A new policy at my work is being drafted regarding email access on phones. A requirement will be that the phone must automatically have all data erased after a certain amount of failed login attempts. Let's ignore the fact that it's pretty silly to a.) be allowing work email access on personal phones when such stringent expectations are in place, and b.) expect to be able to enforce something like this across a variety of phone platforms. Is it possible to set this up in vanilla Android without any apps?

Not related to the number of logins, but if you use the default email app with Outlook, and Outlook is configured properly, you need to accept the ability for remote wiping. Presumably then the Outlook administrators can wipe the phone's data remotely. (There are other questions here about how to prevent that that might be useful for you.)

related: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/69486/lock-screen-security-reboot-after-x-invalid-pins - if you encrypt the phone and reboot after a certain number of failed attempts, you force the attacker to potentially use a different, much stronger passphrase.

Apparently, this might not be a built-in security option in the OS itself, but Exchange ActiveSync can enforce this requirement.

The problem is that wiping data requires to overwrite it. On todays devices with lots of in-device flash memory and large SD-cards this can take a while - up to several hours. This leaves a lot for the attacker to interrupt this process and try again. Therefore wiping triggered by false login attempts is only reasonable if your data is encrypted. Then you wipe the device by simply erase the key from memory that is required to read/write your data.
Since Android Honeycomb (3.0) you have the possibility to encrypt all your data and to erase the device if the wrong password/pin has been entered several times. Therefore what you want to achieve is only possible with android tablets at the moment. For smartphones you have to wait for Android (4.0) Ice Cream Sandwich.

Right on.  You can quickly make the device unusable without encryption, but you can't quickly make its data unrecoverable without encryption.

"Since Android Honeycomb (3.0) you have the possibility to encrypt all your data and to erase the device if the wrong password/pin has been entered several times.  For smartphones you have to wait for Android (4.0) Ice Cream Sandwich." --- could you shed some more lights here please? Is it actually available?

Most Android 4.x devices include encryption support. However this only applies to the internal memory. The encryption is based on your lock scree passwoard which there has to be 8+ chars to be secure. External memory on an SD-card can only be encrypted by certain Samsung devices.

@Robert: encryption is a good thing, but it's helpess against brute-force. If you've lost your device and it's locked by sim or gesture - then it will take less than a day to brute force manually. For 8 chars password you may use some intelligent way of bruteforce - I'm sure there are some. That's what the auto-wiping feature useful for. PS: not even mention that you'll get bored soon to enter 8 char password each time you unlock your phone


text:
Not able to login in Gtalk when using GPRS connection working perfectly when using WIFI connection
I am using a Samsung Galaxy S2. I am not able to log in to Gtalk or Gmail. The apps cannot load conversations when using a GPRS connection (error message: could not connect to server). But when I access Gmail through the browser using GPRS it works perfectly. Internet runs perfectly without any error.
Also these apps works perfectly when using a Wifi connection. Any suggestions on what the problem might be?

Which mobile network provider are you using and which APN?

Ask your cellular provider for "full" internet and not just WAP access. Most Indian carriers also route data via proxy servers. Ensure the correct settings are entered and the APN being used is for full access.

Besides being an APN issue, as pointed out by Aadi, it could also be that your current mobile contract does not allow some type of mobile communication (like GTalk). You should contact your mobile carrier and ask him.

It is an AP issue, call your operator and ask him to send the GPRS settings again. Once done, choose it and if it doesn't work, restart phone, it should work.

GPRS settings generally have APN values that matters. His web browser is working seemlessly.. So, there's no need of it..

In the phone's settings: Communication -> cellular network -> access points
(The actual names/path may vary by language/type, but that should give you an idea)
I switched from WAP to INTERNET. The operator was providing it all along, just the phone was defaulting to WAP.


text:
What is the criteria that Android depends on to join contacts from different accounts?
I'm synchronizing my contacts from many accounts (Hotmail, Facebook, Gmail), everything have worked well and the OS has joined (or shows them as one) the accounts that refer to the same person. But not all accounts, since some accounts have not been joined although both accounts have the same name and one email exists in both as well.
I wonder what is the criteria that Android depends on to join the accounts?
Note: I do know that I can join them by myself in the contants list, but I would let it know them by itself.

Raw contacts are joined according to rules described at Using the Contacts API:

Two raw contacts are considered to be a match if at least one of these
  conditions is met:

They have matching names.
Their names consist of the same words but in different order (for example, "Bob Parr" and "Parr, Bob")
One of them has a common short name for the other (for example, "Bob Parr" and "Robert Parr") One of them has just a first or last name and it matches the other raw contact. This rule is less reliable, so it only applies if the two raw contacts are also sharing some other data like a phone number, an email address or a nickname (for example, Helen ["elastigirl"] = Helen Parr ["elastigirl"])
At least one of the two raw contacts is missing the name altogether and they are sharing a phone number, an email address or a nickname (for example, Bob Parr> [incredible@android.com] = incredible@android.com).

When comparing
  names, the system ignores upper/lower case differences (Bob=BOB=bob)
  and diacritical marks (Hélène=Helene). When comparing two phone
  numbers the system ignores special characters such as "*", "#", "(",
  ")", and whitespace. Also if the only difference between two numbers
  is that one has a country code and the other does not, then the system
  considers those to be a match (except for numbers in the Japan country
  code).
Automatic aggregation is not permanent; any change of a constituent
  raw contact may create a new aggregate or break up an existing one.

There is also explicit aggregation, that can be set for raw contacts, if a user explicitly wants two contacts to be joined. Read more about it in the article.


text:
Samsung galaxy S freezes while upgrading to gingerbread and doesn't want to turn on?
and the pc doesn't even recognise it (i've tried the volume and power buttoms but sure it didn't work because the phone didn't turn on) when i connect it to pc using kies it gives me a black screen on my phone with the drawing of my phone and pc with "!" between them but as i mentioned b4 the pc doesn't feel a thing plzz help me

Just happened to me too and the solution (hold volume down and home then insert battery) totally worked!!! Thank you! Thought I lost everything

I'd try removing the battery and plugging it into USB.  Then, while holding both Volume Down and Home, insert the battery and wait.  This should get you into Download Mode (screen with yellow triangle) and Kies should be able to update you.
If this doesn't work try other key combos -- both volume buttons, or VolUp+Home.  If they don't work either, disconnect from USB and put the battery in.  Then while holding one of the key combos, click the Power button and wait.  Yank the battery and reinsert to try a different combo if need be.


text:
Can an Android device be locked down by an administrator?
I would like to know if it is possible to use android devices in a work environment with restrictions on the phones usage.
These phones would be given to members in the field to log data, and only that. Is there a simple solution that exists for this purpose?

Yes indeed.  Android 2.2 and higher supports Microsoft Exchange security policies as well as administrator applications.


text:
Anyone have an alternative dowload site for a fastboot binary?
I'm working on rooting my android kernel and most sites list http://android-dls.com/files/linux/fastboot as the place to look for the fastboot binary. However, I've been getting a 404 (Page not Found) error when attempting to access this site.
Does anyone know of an alternate download location for fastboot?
I'm currently running Ubuntu Linux.

HTC used to have a copy of the Linux binary, but they changed their developers portal and now I can't find that one anymore, either. The only other pre-compiled version I've been able to find is here (link originated from this thread on droidforums.net, which also has a link to a pre-compiled OSX binary).
I checked with readelf on my Linux VM and it looks like it's a 64-bit binary, so I've also uploaded a 32-bit version to my Dropbox public folder, and it can be downloaded here. This is the binary I use on my machine, which I believe I got from the aforementioned HTC site that's now missing.
Aside from that, you can compile Android from source to get it...but that's kind of a terrible solution for a single small binary file.

I'd just use someone else's hard work, someone who makes their builds available - see my answer. :P

The Replicant Project builds tools with every release; you can find their tools here (go down the directory tree in a path like replicant-2.3/preview/0002/tools/), along with notes about which git version was used for the source. Go one directory up and read COPYING for details.
Note: They only offer Linux builds.
Source code is here.

This one worked for me (and it's reasonably trustable).

You want the Android SDK.  From the CyanogenMod wiki:

After installing the Android SDK or ADB Standalone you can use 'fastboot' in addition to the more common ADB.

After installing the SDK you will need to add the Android SDK platform-tools package.

Here it is: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11347040&postcount=105

Can't say I'd trust this binary - it's the right size, but I'm not giving that root access on a box I care about.

@Broam I found what appears to be the source.  Slightly more reputable; you can review the thread and see if anyone else complained about it, at least.

Yes, that is where I found it.


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can my Device ID # on my Android Samsung Epic be changed?
I was Banned from an App (for quoting Monty Python no less!) but want back in.  Is there a way to change my Device ID # so that I can start anew and sign up with the App again?  I don't want to get a new phone, and I'm not super techie, so if there is a way it has to either be relativly easy, or smeone I can ask to do it for me.  Thanks

What device ID?  IMEI?

If you're talking about IMEI I'd recommend against changing it. It's very easy to cause trouble to your service provider with duplicate IMEIs and tampering it can brick your phone.

I don't believe @Mark Dorsey is talking about the IMEI, I think he means the Device ID that android assigns to a device.
This ID is generated when the device first boots, but it will be recreated if you do a factory reset.
Reference

More specifically, Settings.Secure.ANDROID_ID. This is a 64-bit quantity that is generated and stored when the device first boots. It is reset when the device is wiped.
ANDROID_ID seems a good choice for a unique device identifier. There are downsides: First, it is not 100% reliable on releases of Android prior to 2.2 (“Froyo”). Also, there has been at least one widely-observed bug in a popular handset from a major manufacturer, where every instance has the same ANDROID_ID.

With that said, there is no guarantee that the application you are looking to gain access again with uses the Device ID, it may use other means to identify the device, like mac address, or some other information, or even a combination of them.


text:
How to access phone via USB cable (not SD Card)
I am using a HTC G2 running Android 2.3. I would like to access content on my phone (not on the SD Card). This includes phone contacts and any data in the phone memory. Also is there a way to access the contacts inside the SIM card via USB cable and the phone.
Thanks for any assistance.

You need root to access most of the phone storage, such as the data partition and databases (e.g. contacts).  Even then you need to use adb from the Android SDK which is not particularly user friendly.  There's no way to access the SIM over USB that I know of — it would be pretty complicated to make that work.

If I download the SDK and use ADB will I be able to access the phone? When you say I need root access is there anything special I must do to gain that access?

I just re-read what you said. Basically I must root my phone to gain access is that correct?

@Lynda Yes, that's right.  There are some things you can access without being rooted, but half the time you need to know their path and filename since there aren't always directory permissions.  Not helpful if you're trying to find something, and most data is off-limits regardless.  Rooting eliminates those problems.

if you want to access your contacts and stuff i have an alternative, Android Sync Manager. Just an alternative.


text:
Export contacts/text messages in a readable format
I would like to export both my contacts and my text messages. But I would like be able to easily read the file formats that it exports to. I can export the contacts as a VCF yet when I view it there is a lot of other data that I do not need. Is there a way to export the contacts as a file formate that excel can open and read without the other excess data.
Then I would like to export my text messages. I use GO SMS PRO as my text message APP and I can backup the messages yet they backup in a format that I cannot read. Is there a way to export text messages into a format that can be easily readable?
Thanks for the assistance.
(I am running Android 2.3 and using a T-Mobile/HTC G2)

What excess data is in the VCF?

It looks like random numbers/letters. I assume that it is data that an email program uses to classify what is what.

Contacts are stored in an sqlite db.  so you can export them in a csv, by finding the db file and querying it. See this blog post data/data/com.google.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts.db is the database file you want.

If you don't need to do this on the phone, and you're syncing the contacts to your Google account, you can easily export contacts to a .CSV file from the Gmail website.

At least if using the stock Messaging app SMS Backup + can backup your messages in a readable format to your Gmail. And for contacts I'd recommend syncing them to Google Contacts and exporting them from there (as Chahk mentioned in the comments).


text:
How to make HTC Tattoo a Wi-Fi Hotspot
Can the HTC Tattoo act as a wifi hotspot, so that I am able to make my Tattoo an access point and share its internet connection with other wifi enabled devices? If so, how can I do this?
I have rooted the phone and I am running a CyanogenMod with Android version 2.2.1. I have already tried the following:

Barnacle wifi tether, Android wifi tether - neither of the two worked.
I have also seen if there were any default settings to make my phone a wi-fi hotspot, but found there were none of these settings in my phone.
I have also tried a new ROM: nFinity Android 2.3.5, but on this ROM also points 1) and 2) stated above were applicable.

It's possible the Tattoo's wifi chipset does not allow hostap mode. Try tethering with USB.

There are some more suggested apps for the Tattoo here on XDA.  It sounds to me like they have stock firmware that is rooted, however — perhaps that's required.  I've heard of other devices that don't work for tethering with CyanogenMod (and I'm not familiar with nFinity).


text:
Why did my battery usage on 3G grow with the Android 2.3 update?
There were different nice features followed by the official update of Xperia X10 to Android 2.3 like the sound stuttering, but the most annoying is the following.
I live in the Netherlands and here it's nice to use 3g a lot to have internet connection whenever you need it. Both on 1.6 and 2.1 I never run into the problems with battery using 3g. Moreover, there were problems rather with WiFi which ate battery a lot.
Unfortunately after I've updated the phone, things have changed. WiFi  is working fine now though it seems to me that it's off when the display is off: it establishes connection for about 10 sec each time I turn on display. But when I turn on 3g for the night, on the morning the phone is out of charge.
I don't think it's about apps using 3g, since:

if these apps need the internet connection, they will use WiFi as well, but if I leave my phone with WiFi for the whole night, only about 2-5% of the battery are lost for the whole night long.
in settings->applications->battery usage I can see that Cell Standby = 35% while apps in total are about 6%.

That gives an idea that 3g connection is rather expansive for my battery - but I don't have an idea why did it happen after an update on v. 2.3.
I've never rooted the phone, so all updates were made in the right way. Hope someone can help me.

I would suspect that the modem software in the update is buggy, or possible the kernel.  Rooting and flashing different modems, if available, may help.

"cell standby" = "background sync". And if your Wifi turns off on screen off, apps will use 3G instead.
You might want to check your Wifi policy, which is hidden in the "advanced" menu: When in "network & wireless" -> "wifi", hit the menu button and select "advanced". Here, switch your Wifi policy to "always on" -- so it will stay on when the display is switched off, which means no 3G fallback as long as Wifi is available.
I've read about this issue a couple of times, and many report setting the Wifi standby policy as described above largely improves the situation.

UPDATE:
I obviously wrote bullshit here. I left the bullshit in (but striked it so you can see where I was wrong). Closer investigation brought me to this: What is Cell standby and how can I keep it from eating my battery?.
So basically my reasoning here was wrong, but luckily the recommendations still match somehow :)