text:
Can I use a Motorola Atrix without a SIM card?
My company purchased an Atrix for app development and would like to use it without a SIM card.  Unfortunately, on boot it is not possible to get past the "No SIM card. Emergency calls only" screen.  Is it possible to use the Motorola Atrix without a SIM card?
Edit: Is it also possible to skip or bypass the MotoBlur registration screen?

You can bypass the SIM card requirement by playing with the boot options:

Load Boot menu by holding the Volume Down button while starting the phone.
Press the Volume Down button until the option "Boot Android (NO BP)" appears at the top of the screen.
Press the Volume Up button to select this option.
On load, the phone will bypass the No SIM card screen

Next, you can either register for a MotoBlur account or skip it by entering the following keys into the virtual keyboard (press and hold the Menu key to bring up the keyboard):

?123
ALT
ABC
e
?123
ALT
ABC
e
b
l
u
r
o
f
f

Luckily, this process only needs to be performed once.  It looks like the phone remembers this boot option for next time :)  Thanks to XDA for the MotoBlur bypass steps!

Is everything working fine? I'm planning to buy an android tablet (without SIM/data plan) and use it for development testing and stuff, and I was wondering if you mind sharing what other hiccups you have met?

I haven't run into any issues with this approach.  You can still access the internet via Wifi.  The only things you can't do (as far as I've noticed) are make phone calls or send text msgs.

Heys cool, did you tryout the location stuff and Google Maps to see if its working fine as well ?

Yeah, as long as you have a data connection via Wifi or some other means.  The GPS always works regardless of a dataplan.

What happen if it went wrong...Is there any possibilities messing up the phone

@Pacerier - The issue you would have with Maps is that, if you have no data plan, you'll have to remember to cache your trip before you start it (off wifi). Otherwise, the maps can't update on the fly as you drive.


text:
VPN doesn't work on HTC Desire over WiFi
My phone is HTC desire, Android 2.2.
It seems to connect to the VPN server while using WiFi, but the browser and other applications can't be access the Internet any more.  The connection is disconnected after minutes automatically. However, the same VPN settings work well while using 3G.
Update: The router allows VPN connections -- My PC and a Milestone 2 can use the same VPN over the WiFi network.
Update 2: It doesn't work over all WiFi connection! My phone could access the Internet when connecting the same VPN over the WiFi network of my office. It looks like the VPN only doesn't work over the WiFi network of my home.
Update 3 - solution After updating my phone to HTC official desire 2.3.3 dev ROM, it works. So it looks like there is a bug fixed by Android or HTC rom in 2.3.3.
Does anyone know how to resolve or diagnose this issue?

@xavier_fakerat have you tried always on VPN? and disabling miui optimisations (or whatever it's called) in developer options?

After updating my phone to htc official desire 2.3.3 dev ROM, it works. So it looks like there is a bug fixed by Android or HTC rom in 2.3.3.

Perhaps, its a bug that can only be solved by upgrading/downgrading ROM since no other answer has clues, I will award your answer bounty for a good question and thorough research. Hopefully this bug will be resolved :)

A complete article on VPN on HTC Desire is present on the HTC Europe portal. Hope this will help you out.

Connecting to a virtual private network (VPN) From your phone, you can add, set up, and manage virtual private networks (VPNs) that allow you to connect and access resources inside a secured local network, such as your corporate network.
Depending on the type of VPN you are using at work, you may be required to enter your login credentials and/or install security certificates before you can connect to your company’s local network. You can get this information from your network administrator.
Also, your phone must first establish a Wi-Fi or data connection before you can initiate a VPN connection. For information about setting up and using these connections on your phone, see Data connection and Wi-Fi.
Setting up secure credential storage
If your network administrator instructs you to download and install security certificates, you must first set up the phone’s secure credential storage.

From the Home screen, press MENU, tap Settings > Security, and then tap Set password.
Enter a new password for the credential storage (at least 8 characters without any spaces).
Scroll down and confirm the password, and then tap OK.
Select the Use secure credentials check box.

You can then download and install the certificates needed to access your local network Your network administrator can tell you how to do this.
Adding a VPN connection

From the Home screen, press MENU, tap Settings > Wireless & networks > VPN settings.
Tap Add VPN, and then tap the type of VPN you want to add.
Tap the VPN settings and set them up according to the security details you obtained from your network administrator.
Press MENU, and then tap Save.

The VPN is then added to the VPNs section of the VPN settings screen.
Connecting to a VPN

From the Home screen, press MENU, tap Settings > Wireless & networks > VPN settings.
In the VPNs section, tap the VPN that you want to connect to.
When prompted, enter your log in credentials, and then tap Connect.

When you are connected, the VPN connected icon  appears in the notification area of the title bar.
You can then open the web browser to access resources such as intranet sites on your corporate network.
Disconnecting from a VPN

Press and hold the title bar, and then slide down your finger to open the Notifications panel.
Tap the VPN connection to return to the VPN settings screen, and then tap the VPN connection to disconnect from it.
When your phone has disconnected from the VPN, the VPN disconnected icon  is displayed in the notification area of the title bar.

source: Stack Exchange

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

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

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

sort: votes


text:
Browser clipboard copied but disappears immediately?
The web browser that comes with my phone (Nexus One) allows selecting and copying web page content to clipboard, through the Settings menu ("select text").
The problem is that when I select and copy web page to the clipboard, I receive a confirmation message: "Text copied to clipboard" but... the clipboard is still empty!
How is this possible?
I downloaded from the Android market the free Clipboard Viewer app so that I can see what's in the clipboard and it shows no data in clipboard.
What am I doing wrong?

I assume you've tried actually pasting it, rather than just using the viewer?

Was it having this problem before you installed the free 'Clipboard Viewer' app?

@Matthew No, I didn't try pasting it. I just tried to view it immediately after selecting & copying to clipboard.

@Uninspired I can't really answer your question because before installing the clipboard viewer I had no way of knowing whether there is anything in the clipboard.

Try actually pasting it.  You could try the often-built-in Memo app, GMail, Email, or something like Docs to Go if you want to save it.

Yes, pasting it works. Weird. I thought that a clipboard viewer was supposed to display clipboard content before being pasted.

Yeah I would have expected that too.

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


text:
Launcher disappeared, how do I restore it?
I mistakenly dragged an icon on the home screen (Nexus One) to the bottom area ("Main dock") that contains 3 main icons (phone, launcher, browser).
That icon replaced the launcher and now I can't access any of my other apps.
(My launcher is the ADWLauncher, that comes with CyganogenMod).
What do I do now?
How do I revert this back?
(I tried "Restore ADW settings" but unfortunately there was nothing in the backup location).
Is there a way to "restore it to factory settings"?

You should be able to go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications, find the launcher, and Clear Data for it.  Hopefully that will restore it to default.

Thanks! It worked. (I had to switch from the Downloaded to All first)

Great!  You can click the big checkmark to the left to mark this as the accepted answer if that's all you need.

This just happened to me too, and a simple Power off then Power on solved the problem.
(if one could avoid clearing data, this is even better)

You can create a launcher app shortcut on the desktop (long press on the desktop then shortcuts; or something like that, can't remember the exact menu), then drag the launcher to the middle button. I've also often had this as well, accidentally removing the launcher shortcut every time I want to delete the shortcut, it's part of the reason I no longer uses ADW.


text:
How to select ALL text in web browser?
On my Nexus One's built-in browser, I am able to copy web page text to the clipboard by:

selecting Settings > More > Select
text,
then dragging my finger from top to
bottom (of the screen), seeing page
content highlighted in pink,
then the moment I release my finger,
the pink highlight goes away and is
replaced by a friendly message:
"Text copied to clipboard".

I can then paste it to a clipboard "viewer" app (which is not really a clipboard viewer but rather a clipboard "paster").
The problem is that, no matter what I do, my finger doesn't seem to pick up the entire text on that page. There is always something missing: A few characters from the page start, or from the page end.
Is there something similar to Ctrl+A on Windows?

Just curiosity -- why are you wanting to copy the whole page?  Would saving the page serve your purposes?

@Matthew How do I save a page? (I tried Settings menu but there is only a 'share' option, which exports the link to a notepad).

You need to have a link to the page.  For example, to save the page for this question, long press on the title ("How to select ALL text in web browser?", which is a link) and choose "Save link" when the menu pops up.

@Matthew Sorry but that only saves the link. I need to have a copy of the entire page, preferably text-only (no HTML), just as Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V on a Windows browser does. Is this possible?

It should save the page that the link points to, that's what it does for me at least.  So you can save any page, as long as you can find a link to the page :P.  I agree a direct solution would be better, but I don't know of one.

@Matthew OK, I tried again and it only offers to save link, but when I go ahead, there is a brief message "downloading", and it saves it! Still, I am really interested in a clipboard operation. Is this possible?

On my device running 2.2 Froyo, that method (from 2.1) was replaced by long-pressing on text to select it.  Two "handles" appear at each end of the selection, and you can drag them wherever you want (e.g. to the top and the bottom).  Maybe try that.  If it doesn't work, what Android version are you using?

I am using CyanogenMod Android version 2.2.1. The function you described doesn't work for me (I tried it on the Yahoo home page).

That doesn't work on CM or stock Froyo on my Droid.  Is that a TouchWiz thing or part of your custom ROM?

Hmm.  It might be a customization, but I'm sure I've seen posts from other people (without Samsungs) about it.  I believe similar "handle" functionality is available when typing text in Gingerbread with the stock keyboard ...


text:
Calendar access from apps: only some calendars are displayed
I've Sony Ericsson X10 mini pro with Android 2.1 and root. I want to have a separate timetable calendat that will not be visible in some places (calendar app). I think I've some good reasons for creating a seperate calendar.
I sync calendars in my phone with my Google account. I've enabled auto-sync, but I've tried to force sync manually.
However, although the Sony Ericsson calendar app* can see all the calendars, other apps (e.g. Jorte, Business Calendar Beta, Profile timer and Android Agenda Widget) can't. They can see only some older calendars. Deleting visible calendars didn't solve this problem: the deleted calendars had disappeared, but the new calendars haven't been shown.
I've also tried to delete my account and resync, but it says "This account is required by some applications. You can only remove it by resetting the phone to factory defaults (which deletes all your data)...".
I've also tried to find something interresting in ddms. Error like this is displayed regurarly once a minute (almost exactly, see http://img6.imagebanana.com/img/8eey69l4/plochu1_086.png ):
ERROR/ActivityThread(2823): Failed to find provider info for calendarEx
*) Sony Ericsson has replaced the default calendar app by their one.

Can you see the new calendar on the Google Calendar web page using a laptop or desktop (i.e. not your phone)?

Yes, I can. The new calendars are also created from my laptop. BTW: I've found these calendars in database and they are neither shown nor synced, see http://pastebin.com/Pk6ZWn6J . I've also read that it is possible to enable them in the default Android calendar app, but, unfortunately, the Sony Ericsson's replacement is poor. :-( I've tried to extract calendar app from Android emulator, but there is no such app :-( But I've extracted the sqlite3 binary and analyzed it as mentioned above. I'm not sure if I should try update command. (I don't want to break anything.)

I just re-read the question and I'm suddenly not sure what it is you're looking for.  Is the problem that you've created a new calendar and can't see it in non-default calendar apps?  Or can none of the calendar apps see it?

The Sony Ericsson calendar app (which is poor) seems to be the only app that can see it. However, it behaves strangely: I add a new event and it is not displayed. I don't have checked whether these calendars are kept synced, but I don't think so.

So I've finally solved it using the update command (disable sync; restart; update; restart; enable sync) and ot seems to work well. The update command was like:
UPDATE Calendars SET sync_events=1, selected=1 WHERE _id > 3

I had tried compiling the Android Calendar from source, but I was getting sone errors about invalid NDK or SDK version.

I'm glad you found a solution. Don't forget to "accept" this answer so future readers with the same problem will know it's been solved.


text:
How can I control the frequency of synchronization with Google?
My phone syncs with Google pretty often.  Each time it takes a few minutes and makes the whole phone work slowly.
Is there any way to make the synchronization less frequent?
Barring that, is there any way to make it pause when I actually want to use the phone?  Is there any way to lower the priority of the sync tasks?
I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S with Froyo.

You might want to review whether you have any apps that sync that you don't really need. I have turned off background sync on my Twitter and Facebook clients (and let them sync when I launch them), and set the time intervals as high as reasonable on others that offer that choice.

I believe that Matthew Read is correct about there being no native way to sync this, and about Locale's ability to work around this, but I'm going to suggest some cheaper and simpler alternatives to the $10 Locale app:
Tasker ($6.50): Basically the same as Locale but cheaper.   With this (and probably Locale) you could set a profile that turns on AutoSync for only 5 minutes and repeats this every hour (or whatever timeframe you want). Also, Tasker can use Locale plugins.
JuiceDefender (free): I've used it before (although never tried what you are trying to do) and it's super easy to setup and use.  It allows you to control total connectivity and app by app connectivity control.  It also claims to allow you to schedule "Synchronization Events", which I've never tried by sounds like it would control general and app specific syncing.
Sync Schedule (free):  I don't think this will be as useful as the name suggests but if all else fails it's worth a shot.  It allows you to set times for the autosync to turn off and on but I'm not sure if it lets you set multiple time windows per day so this may be of limited use.
Also regarding your "is there any way to make it pause when I actually want to use the phone?" question, the native Android Power Control Widget has an Autosync as one of the options allowing  you to toggle it on/off at will.

@TomG: I think this comment would be better suited for the question than this answer, especially so the OP gets notified about it.

thanks.  I was thinking it of it as a supplement to your answer, but it does make sense with the question, so I've moved it up there.

I don't know of any way to set the sync frequency or to make syncing low-priority, unfortunately.  You could use Locale to turn off/on auto-sync based on profiles you set up, however.  There's a Locale plugin that might do most of the work for you: https://market.android.com/details?id=net.andvari.android.syncsetting


text:
Will rooting my Samsung Galaxy S before I activate it cause any problems?
I have a samsung Galaxy S (Fascinate) that I haven't decided if I want to keep, so I haven't activated it on my Verizon account. I'd like to root it and flash a new ROM (possibly a separate Kernel) but I'm wondering if doing so when it is not connected to any carrier will cause any problems, particularly with the voice/data connection settings?

You mean activate it with the carrier right? I don't think rooting will matter, as far as I know it's just linking the ESN to Verzion.

Yes, activing it on vzw.  The only reason I paused was the concern that certain relating to the apn or other carrier specific connection settings might get messed up if I rooted and flashed a new ROM when it wasn't activated on the carrier.  I forgot to mention the flashing of the ROM.  Is it just linking the ESN? I thought the provisioning process involved setting all the connection settings as well.

I doubt it.  I've done the same with a GSM Galaxy S (the Vibrant) with no problems.  Of course it probably depends on whether you have a really terrible ROM, but rooting alone shouldn't matter.  And it might be different for CDMA.  But worst case, you can just flash back to stock.  My Vibrant picked up the network settings on it's first boot with a SIM, I would again assume your first boot-up after activation would cause the same thing.  Plus, if the custom ROM is Captivate-based and not i9000-based, it might have the network settings already built in (and just need to pick up the phone number).

Sounds good, that's what I figured.  It was actually your question about your connection settings getting messed up after switching the SIM that freaked me out a little because on CDMA the closest thing we have to switching SIMs is going through the carriers provisioning.  I'll accept this from my Fascinate after I root and access the 3G with no problem.

Yeah I figured that might be the case.  I'll try to figure out which app not to restore data for ... but with a new device you presumably have no backup data to restore.

Ugh. I just activated and now it says I have no APNs configured.

Hmm I just found this app, would have been useful before: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.riteshsahu.APNBackupRestore.  But at least that means you can edit the APN.  Just a matter of finding the right settings ... and there's always the option of a factory reset.

haha, yes, this would have been helpful before.  I already did the factory reset and everything working now.  So rooting before activation won't cause any problems, but flashing a new ROM may?  That's what it seems like but I don't really feel like testing this further now that I have it working.

I extracted the /system/etc/apns-conf.xml file from stock EB01: http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~mread/apns-conf.xml Edit: Ah, good to hear.  Now we know, I guess :P

Thanks for the APN config file, that may come in handy some day.

The more I think about this, flashing a new ROM shouldn't have been a problem.  The Fascinate is only available on VZW so you'd think that any ROM compiled for that phone would have all the necessary settings as well.  Do you think it was just a fluke that my APN settings didn't take (specific to that ROM) or do you think this is a broader issue with custom ROMs?  I imagine most people activate their phones first so this may not come up much.

That was my thought exactly, custom ROMs should still have the right APN and everything.  I do see other people activating after flashig on XDA though, I wonder if this is relevant: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11619311&postcount=559

You will not get voice/data if it is not activated on your VZW account. But you can use it as a wifi device, like an iPod. I say root it and flash an ICS ROM to see what the device can do. I think you'll be surprised! Go here for all the info you need to root/flash/return it to stock if you decide to sell it.


text:
Support for Multiple Users on same device
Is there such a thing as a "current user" on Android and a way to switch it?
I'm interested in getting a Motorola Xoom and would like to share it with my wife when at home.  For my Windows laptop we us fast-user switching so that we can keep our own tabs and logins.  I'm not specifically interested in the privacy aspects of user-switching, so if the OS doesn't support separate users, is there a concept of profile switching?

This can be done by backing up and restoring repeatedly, but it's definitely not "fast" user switching; probably more trouble than it's worth.  Hopefully Google will support this soon, with the advent of tablets that are likely to be shared and such.

Instead of having to back up the user's ROM each time is there any way to setup a dual boot with two separate instances of Android?  That would allow for somewhat quickly switch users by rebooting (assuming the xoom has a quick boot time). Maybe something like this?

Matt, this is an interesting idea, but would double the storage space that Android occupies on the device.  It would make more sense to implement user profiles similar to how the various Linux desktop environments, Mac OS, and Windows support multiple user accounts.  There's no reason why Android cannot do the same.

@DerekMahar: there is a BIG reason why Android cannot do the same thing that Linux does for multiuser switching; the main reason is due to the way Android implements application security jail. In Android, every dalvik app runs under its own user account (barring a few exceptions); this means the user is constantly switching accounts while switching between applications. This does not mean that you cannot implement multi-user in Android, but it wouldn't be implemented the same way as it is on regular Linux desktop.

See this: http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/07/30/multiple-user-accounts-are-coming-miles-of-code-is-already-in-aosp-and-some-of-it-is-quietly-working-on-devices-right-now/ This was announced a day ago on reddit

This is available for phones starting in Android 5.0 (Lollipop):
http://www.android.com/versions/lollipop-5-0/
And for tablets starting in Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean):
http://developer.android.com/about/versions/jelly-bean.html#42-multiuser
As Tatjana Heuser mentioned, it's also available as hidden functionality in Android 4.1, but not accessible through the regular user interface.

Supporting multiple users has been discussed before, and I think that it is something that is needed as well. If I buy a tablet, and set it up for my email, calendar, etc. I don't want that device to be a community device. Which would mean that multiple tablets would be needed in a family household.
A problem with being able to support multiple users is the space required. If each user had their own settings, then the /data/data would have to be much larger to support these extra users. But not only settings, it would have to support all the apps installed by the user too, so /data would have to be much larger too. You couldn't use the same apps between users, because the paid apps are tied to the account that bought them.
I think this will eventually happen, but much larger storage would be needed for the devices. As it is, my device consistently fills the /data/cache and I have to clear that out because of the number of apps I have installed. Now just imagine have 2 (or more users) using the same device. And where do you set the limit on the number of users that can use one device? There are 2 adults and 3 teenagers in my household. So that is 5 people that could potentially be using one device.
I actually experience issues with Google TV about this very topic as well. It doesn't, currently, have gmail, or apps like that, installed, but I can log in to gmail via Chrome Browser, and then if someone else comes and uses the TV/Browser, now I am logged in. (I don't actually do this, but I noticed it to be an issue with services like youtube and such)

update
Google has been hard at work starting to implement this. No actually information on when it will be available, but the start of the foundation has been laid.
In the LockPatternKeyguardView is the following code:
public void onUserChanged(int userId) {
           mLockPatternUtils.setCurrentUser(userId);
           updateScreen(getInitialMode(), true);
}

So multi-user support is coming, at some point.
Update 2 (10/29/2012)
With the announcement of JellyBean 4.2, Multi-User support is available, but only on tablets.

"... but only on tablets." -- which makes sense because phones are usually not shared. Tablets are.

SwitchMe app just appeared featuring profiles for root users. The free version is able to manage 2 profiles. In order to manage more profiles you need to buy the key for around 3$. SwitchMe needs, not surprisingly, root.

SwitchMe is a unique application for root users that allows you to log
  in and out of multiple installations of Android just as you would on a
  desktop computer.
The technology behind SwitchMe saves all of your applications and
  data, protects it and stores it as a file in memory. You can then log
  out of an account and log into a fresh installation of Android or
  another account with its own unique content.
You may create as many profiles as the memory is capable of holding.
  Some of these may require very little free memory because they contain
  few apps, others will be larger as they contain many applications and
  lots of cache and data.

I am really impressed by the App: That was exactly what I was looking for to share my modded Kindle Fire with other people.

With the update to 4.1.2, multiple user profiles can be configured.
There's some documentation on xda:

Switch User Profiles on Jelly Bean
Discussion
Application (needs root)
Application SwitchMe (doesn't need root) and works starting 2.1, so this is probably what the OP might be looking for.

In JellyBean, according to XDA, using the commands (need root, so su prior to calling)
pm create user <name>
pm remove-user <number>
pm list-users

user accounts can be created, deleted, and listed (in this order).

I'll admit this isn't a great solution, but in case it helps somebody, Titanium Backup has very limited support for this:
http://www.titaniumtrack.com/kb/titanium-backup-kb/titanium-backup-howtos.html#multi-user-data-profiles

There is an app called Devide by Enterproid that may do the trick.  It's meant to be for deploying in a work environment so that a user can have a work profile and a personal profile on the phone, each separate and secure with different settings and apps specific to the work or personal environment.  I don't see why it wouldn't work with two different people's profiles instead of the work vs. personal setup.  I don't know about compatibility with the Xoom, or cost (it's probably not cheap) and they are still in an invite only beta but it's worth requesting an invite and checking it out.

From what I've read the "Work" partition of Divide is extremely limited, eg you can only load apps onto it that have been approved by Enterproid. If you're happy with these restrictions then it is probably the easiest way to divide a device between two users.

You can login with another user, by adding multiple user in your Android device. We can Enable Multiple User Accounts on Android 4.2 and Above.

Create another User Account by opening the notification by double pulldown notification to get the other quick settings.
In that other quick settings, on top-right corner you'll find a round icon. That is Admin user icon(if you're using it for first time).
Click on it and create a new user(it'll remain until you delete it) or use a guest user(it'll be deleted after using it, but you can also keep it).
After creating new/guest user. Just go to Google Play Store, install whatever app you want. Don't worry it'll use your existing same app files but not users data, so it won't download a new one.
You can login those apps with another id. Like this you can use Whatsapp, hike, facebook, twitter, paytm and more...
Before that, go to more settings Click and open that created new/guest user's settings and enable Allow phone calls and SMS. So that you'll get verification SMS or call.
If any help you can comment it, i'll keep on updating it if any change or improvement.


text:
Garageband equivalent for Android?
I am thinking about getting an iPad 2 just so I can record music on Garageband, provided I find a way to input a USB mic. Anyways, I am admittedly a Google and Android fan and would much rather go that route and record music using an Android tablet where there would for sure be much more interoperability and maybe even a cloud sync service where I could collaborate with another musician 1,000 miles away in high quality, lossless form. Is there an app on Android or a web app that would support this kind of user experience on par with the user experience of Garageband?
I don't mind sticking with an iPad 2 for a year and then going back to Android when something more mature for Android comes out, but just thought I would ask here first.

Wait, you can use a USB mic with an iPad 2?

Supposedly there is an adapter (ipad camera connection kit) used in this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbNu6nlywCo

@ElijahLynn: Microphone Drivers will not be supported by the iPad, this is why USB devices haven't been made for the iPad. It's strictly for camera connectivity so you can move photos from your camera.

Looks like the best options would be:

uloops
caustic
nanoloop

I haven't tried any of these on my tablet yet (advent vega). Let me know what you find

I just ordered a ASUS Transformer today and will try a few of these out.

Uloops is not really a recording app, you can make some repeated loops with it, but no recordings longer than the loop itself

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


text:
Samsung I5503 Arabic Froyo
Is there any Arabic Froyo rom for I5503 (Galaxy 5)?

I can't find one.  It may be possible to extract the language from Eclair and add it to a Froyo ROM, but I'm not sure.  Have you asked your carrier?

There doesn't seem to be one right now. Check SamFirmware for official ROM updates. (note - that's not an official site, they just host the official firmwares).
This site describes how to install a 2.1 Arabic ROM on a Galaxy 5. Hope that helps.

you can install Mirsal it's a prog that read arabic SMS but for entire arabic Rom.. if you find one plzzz inform me

That same developer also has other apps that help you use Android in Arabic including an Arabic keyboard, Notepad and Contacts viewer. https://market.android.com/developer?pub=Aziz+Huss


text:
How does it looks like on the galaxy tab?
Im wondering about the filesystem on the galaxy tab, could i for example connect it to a camera, transfer some images, fix red eyes and transfer the images to a storage device like a usb pen or a western digital passport, would it be possible?
How about connecting it to a NAS, transfer a episode on my favorite show, watch it and then delete it?

The Galaxy Tab is pretty much like any other android device. You can transfer images to it, but not directly from, say, your Camera.
It does not have USB ports on it for external devices, like thumb drives.
Connecting to a NAS, out of the box, also really isn't possible. The device does not support mounting NAS (NFS & CIFS) out of the box. You could use some file manager applications that do support SAMBA, like Astro File Manager. But you would have to copy the file to the Tab before you can watch a video or listen to the mp3 for example.
With that said, it would be possible, if rooted, to install the modules needed to mount NAS shares. I have done this with my Galaxy S device. The advantage of being able to mount the share on the system level, I no longer have to copy the files over to the device, since the shares are mounted on the device, it "thinks" they are actually on the device.

A bit more awesome then the IPad but it seems i would be better of with Asus EEE pc instead :-/

If your camera has an Eye-Fi card - a storage card with WiFi - it might be possible to transfer files (although I'm not in a position to verify this, ATM) via WiFi.
As of now, there is no way to directly connect an external storage device to the Galaxy TAB.


text:
Samsung I5503 weak Wi-Fi
Me and my friend's galaxy 5 has a weak Wi-Fi signal. Even in a few meters from access point, it has 2 lines of antenna.
Is there any solution for increasing signal?

Sometimes there may be interference from other electronic / microwave equipment.
In your router / access point's settings change the channel and see if there's any improvement.
Also, don't be taken in so much by the bars displayed. Very often, I see only 2 bars, but in the WiFi settings, I see the signal strength displayed as EXCELLENT.
The other usual rules apply - place your router as high as you can. Place it away from other cordless phones or electronic devices that can generate interference.

Thank you very much. I tested it by 5 or 6 access points. If the distance is above 10 meters, it disconnects frequently. But I should test channels.


text:
Share photo with caption on Facebook
I'd like to share a photo with caption pre-filled from my app, for example on facebook. How do I do it?
I know how to share photo or how to share text, but how do I share them together?

I'm using Android 2.1 and the latest official Facebook App.
I go to the gallery and long-press on an image. In the menu, select SHARE and in the list of apps displayed choose FACEBOOK.
I immediately am taken to a text field where I can type in a caption.
by default the images are sent to the MOBILE UPLOADS folder/album, but you can create a new album and specify that as your desired upload location.


text:
How can I tab in web forms?
I'm looking for a method of tabbing between web fields in the Android browser, similar to how one would with the Tab key on a PC.  Is there a keyboard or another app that will enable this?

Related: How do I type a tab character?

If you have a device with a D-pad like the Droid it will allow you to jump from element to element on a website like the tab button on a computer keyboard.  I believe the devices with a trackball like the N1 also allow this.  I've seen some apps that offer an on screen "virtual" D-pad but I can't seen to find them now.

Try Hacker's Keyboard, it has a Tab key, at least in the layouts I use. The keyboard can be pretty space-consuming on smaller screens, so be warned.


text:
Messages does not show HTC Desire Z
I have a problem with my HTC Desire Z, when I open messages it’s just blank, I have the option to write messages but I can see any of my old ones. I have tried restarting it and taking in an out the sim-card.
Is this a known problem? Anyone have a solution?

Are you capable of receiving new sms? Do new SMS messages pop up?
If you're using the default or stock messaging app, try installing another app like Handcent or GoSMS and see if the same behaviour is repeated.
Else, try clearing all the messages stored and see. Within the default messaging app, there's an option to specify the Message Centre number - you need to verify that the number entered is what your service provider has assigned.
If that doesn't result in any improvement, see if a Factory Reset will help. Beware that a Factory Reset will erase all user data.

Is your internal storage full? Usually you won't receive any message when your internal memory is getting full, but it could potentially be your problem.


text:
Why doesn't Skype on HTC Wildfire function properly?
I've tried downloading Skype on my HTC Wildfire, but the calls don't work. Every time I try to call the sound stutters and doesn't come out fluent.
I've tried it on 2 different Wildfires and got the same result on both. I have another VoIP application and it sounds fine.
Where can I find a Skype version that will work with the HTC Wildfire?

Until recently Skype had a small list of supported devices.  Obviously they branched out prematurely.

Why can't I answer this question? I have reputation greater than 10?

I'm afraid that if the official Skype app does not work then you are probably out of luck. Skype do not let third party applications use their service, so you are unlikely to find anything that works.
I suspect the issue is down to the CPU speed of the HTC Wildfire, which is only 528mhz. It's likely that the processor simply can't keep up with the demands of the application, which is why you get the stuttering, and why performance is the same on other Wildfire's.
Unfortunately you may have to stick with your other VOIP application.
Edit: There are a lot of posts on the Skype support forum where people are complaining of poor performance on the HTC wildfire. The Skype rep does say they are aware of it and trying to improve performance, so you may just have to wait for an update to the application sometime in the future.

Truphone app for example DOES have skype included and working, so it's not a technological problem. Sure a quick search on google will find that post. But it's not an answer. I've heard that old version of skype worked with HTC wildfire, but I couldn't confirm that or find a version that works.

I believe it is the CPU speed. The HTC Wildfire has a CPU speed of 528 MHz. The Skype app is only supported on devices with a CPU clock speed of 600MHz or greater. See the section on 'What do I need to run Skype on my Android phone?' https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA10653/How-can-I-get-Skype-on-my-Android-phone

Ok, but i had an app that supported skype communication... So why can't skype support skype communication ? Are their programmers that bad ?

I am guessing that the low CPU power of the phone cannot handle the Skype compression/decompression. I think the 3rd party apps would connect to their own server which would run the manage the Skype connection and run the compression/decompression so the CPU of the phone was not an issue.


text:
Should Vibration Feeback work on the softscreen on HTC Desire HD phone
I think this used to work on my phone and then stopped. Vibration feedback is enabled but only works for the four off screen buttons - Home , Menu, Back, & Search not for any icons on the home or other screens.
So how can I get it to work normally again?

Did you install a custom ROM? Besides I can confirm that the HTC Desire HD does have full screen vibrate, so there must be something else going on

As long as the phone has a vibrator (and you mention it does), then it should work, unless HTC modified their flavour of the Android software.
Go to 'settings'-> 'Language & keyboard' -> your keyboard (often 'Android keyboard' or 'Touch input') -> enable 'Vibrate when typing' (in case of 'Touch input' this is in a 'Text input' submenu).
The real 'vibrate' (on call)  function as you know it from your old feature phone is at 'settings' -> 'Sound' -> 'Vibrate'.

I don't have an HTC Desire - but on my HTC EVO in the sound settings there is an option to turn on "Haptic Feedback". (Settings, Sound, under 'Feedback' - I'm guessing since they are both HTC they will be similar)
Its says:

Vibrate when pressing soft keys and certain UI interactions

Edit: emphasis mine
if this is the setting that you have enabled then I think the functionality you are describing is correct since my phone only vibrates on soft keys and certain things like moving icons or widgets on the home screen.  Clicking icons doesn't vibrate.


text:
Blocking messages from a particular contact

Possible Duplicate:
Good app for blocking incoming sms?

how can i temporarily block all messages in an ANDROID operated Dell Streak by a particular contact....

Was it something she said? ;)

I don't think you can with the default SMS app.
The 2 best alternatives, HandCent SMS & GoSMS offer a feature called blacklisting - you can long-press hold a conversation and choose to add it to your blacklist. Such messages will be hidden (not deleted) and you won't receive notifications / popups.
You can also configure individual notification colour and ringtone for a particular user.

Your carrier may be able to block the contact for you.  For example, here is how you would do it on Verizon.

+1, you can also often text the number to short-code "SPAM" or similar.  (And with my vote, your rep is now OVER 9000!!)

IT'S OVER 9000!!!!! :)


text:
How can I set the locale and language?
How can I set the keyboard and language in Android, and how can I add more languages to the device?

possible duplicate of Install additional language support on HTC Desire HD

Go to 'settings'-> 'Language & keyboard' -> 'Select language' and select one. If there are only a few available then that was the (awkward) choice of your operator or phone manufacturer.
To solve that problem, an app like CustomLocale solves it only a little. It doesn't work all that well or complete. Rooting and installing a custom ROM with sufficient languages is the only way to fully solve it.
If only the virtual keyboard is bothering you, you can install others, such as the MultiLing keyboard, from the Market. Be careful for malicious apps though. You're granting them access to anything you type in, and since the keyboard is pretty much always loaded, it might render your phone slow or instable if the keyboard app is buggy.
The instructions above might differ per flavour of Android (provided by the manufacturer on top of the stock Android) but will be similar.


text:
What is the difference between GSM and WCDMA when switching to manual Network Mode?
I was reading this answer and I need to comprehend this better:
What is the technical difference between "selecting GSM" and "selecting WCDMA" in Network Mode settings menu? To save battery life, I'm planning to switch from the automatic to the manual mode, and I want to know what happens if I stick to GSM or WCDMA.
I am on HTC HD2 with Android 2.2 FroyoStone.

Oops, I accidentally voted to close this.  Please ignore!

@Matthew Read: No problem :)

What the phone's essentially asking you here is, do you want to use only 2G data networks, only 3G data networks, or automatically switch between them depending which is best?
The GSM setting will give you access to 2G (and 2.5G) data networks using GPRS or EDGE data standards and speeds.
WCDMA will give you access to 3G networks (using either normal 3G or HSDPA standards and speeds).
The normal setting would be Auto, which lets the phone automatically select the best (normally fastest) data network that it can pick up in the area that you're currently in, but as this involves using all the 2G and 3G chips and antennae this uses more power than forcing the phone to always use one or the other.
The downside to picking GSM is that it will stop your phone connecting to high speed 3G data networks, but will save power as the 3G (WCDMA) chips and antenna won't be used.
The downside to picking WCDMA is that it will stop your phone from using 2G networks at all (so if you're in an area with no 3G support, then your phone will have no data signal) but if you're in an area that you know has good 3G signal, then selecting this will save power.

You are talking about data signal, does this also affect the call signal? Are they the same?

...What about 4G?


text:
Default calendar app does not show all my online Google calendars
My Samsung Captivate's default calendar app only lists some of the calendars I have on my Google Calendar account, to the point where they do not even appear in the list of calendars available.  It shows my facebook and exchange calendars and some of my google calendars.
Any fix?

I've asked a similar question. They aren't necessarily related, but thay can be: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6676/calendar-access-from-apps-only-some-calendars-are-displayed . Note that I've a different default calendar app, so the problem can be more related that it can seem at the beginning.

Has your network released the Froyo update yet, I know it's being held back from a lot of the US networks' Galaxy S's for some reason? The Samsung Froyo update fixed a lot of the Calendar problems that existed in Eclair for me, including setting default calendars and getting them all appearing as expected.

Not all calendars are allowed to sync with the google calendar app - examples of this are NFL schedule calendars. Any calendar that are not in the XML format will not sync. I remember seeing a warning about some of the interesting calendars not being able to be synced with my phone when I first set some of them up.
Here is post with a work around on how to get them on your phone - if this is your issue:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?tid=70374da8b32c29e4&hl=en

This is probably due to the calendars not being in the right format. Some calendars added from within Google calendar is only in htmlformat (especially the sport calendars I think).
You can check the calender formats by pressing the down arrownext to the calendar name and select Calendar settings. On the page opened you can see the calender formats under calendar addresses.
I fixed the problem by removing the calendar and adding it through the team homepage.


text:
Alphabetize Apps Screen (not Home, maybe App Drawer?)
I have an Archos 32 with the 2.2.1 (or Archos 2.1.18) version of Android installed. When I press the onscreen button to show all installed apps, I noticed that some downloaded apps are out of alphabetical order. There seems to be no option to alphabetize them. Does anyone know an app or other solution that can correct this?
Note: Is this called the app drawer?

I don't have an Archos, but when I view all apps on my phone I can press the Menu button and select a view type from in there (including alphabetical).  Do you have anything similar?
You could also try another launcher, such as ADW.
And yes, it's often called the app drawer :)

No view type option. Would an alternate launcher automatically replace the stock one once installed?

@Richard I haven't done this myself, but I believe you can have two launchers side-by-side.  One will be set as the default, and if you want to switch back you can either uninstall the new one or go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications, find the new launcher, and clear the defaults.

Or don't press the check mark for USE AS DEFAULT and with an additional click choose which app you want to use each time the HOME button is used.

the gen 8s basically run very vanilla android so he won't have that option, he'll need an alternative launcher.


text:
How to run a notifier if connected to specific Wi-Fi?
Is there any way to run a notifier if I get connected to specified Wi-Fi? and, then get turn the notifier service off when disconnected?

cyanogenmod 7 + HTC Desire

You'll need apps like Tasker or Locale to perform the sort of action you want.

yup, Tasker can definitely do this.


text:
HTC Sense Keeps Crashing Even After Factory Reset
I just updated my HTC Desire today to the newest firmware. However, on booting up the phone I get this message saying:
Sorry!
-------------
The application HTC Sense (process com.htc.launcher) has stopped unexpectedly.
Please try again.
                                 Force Close

When you force close it pops up again in <1sec and keeps looping like this. Sometimes you can pull down the notification bar and open a text or email, but com.htc.messaging and com.htc.mail produce similar error messages.
I have googled for some answers, but the search and menu buttons do not work, I do not have an alternate window manager and cannot install anything using adb (permission is denied). I tried many hard resets and factory resets but to no avail. Any help is greatly appreciated.

@Callium this was an official update? if so were you already on a custom rom?

@Dan: It was an official HTC update on an unrooted phone to 2.29.405.1. It went wrong and damaged some library that all HTC apps depending on, I think.

OP fixed the issue with the following solution:

Edit: I fixed it by following the instructions from TheUnlockr - How To: Unroot the HTC Desire and flashing this ROM [Direct Link].

Community wiki under "best-practices" defined by this meta answer.


text:
how to use ext partition in my android?
I partitioned my MicroSD card and created 1GB ext3 partition.

What is the next step so I can use it to make the performance of my android better? It seems to me that it is mounted into /sd-ext
What are all the options I can use ext for?

CM7 on HTC Desire

well it seems to me that it is not the best idea to use ext3 for swap. And we can store app on FAT so I will not user ext3 at all ....

As discussed, you can store apps on the ext3 partition which will free up internal phone memory. There are also apps like Swapper2 which allow you to put your swap file on the SD Card.
Be warned, that this will degrade the life of your SD Card and will also chew up battery due to frequent read/writes to the card. Weigh the potential of additional free space in view of this.

I am after the second paragraph you wrote down. Could you elaborate more so I can choose better if I am going to use ext3 at all or not. So far it seems to me that it is not the best thing to do for me ...

Could you explain why you feel so? What part do you need clarification on?

I do not need much of clarification but more info why yes or no. Let's say I have never thought that swap will degrade the life time of SD card and that it will also chew up battery. So I am happy to hear any more info on that topic from somebody who knows ... more than me :-) that's it.

@Radek Using the SD card for swap will degrade it because the device will be writing to it all the time, just as it does with main memory.  SD cards are designed for storage (infrequent writes).  And as Sparx said, all the reads and writes take battery power.

@Matthew: I understood that never thought about that before so I was wondering if there are more 'points' like that to consider why YES or why NOT :-)


text:
Select text using keyboard only
I know how to select text (in a view) using the touch screen.
Is it possible to do the same via keyboard only?
If possible, please provide a way to do this on the emulator (I need this for a programming task).

You can indeed, just hold down the Shift key and move the cursor with the dpad/trackbal/etc.
From the comments:
The center key in the D-Pad activates the two text-selection hands, which can be moved anywhere using the D-Pad directional keys. Then, pressing the D-Pad center key again, copies the selection to the clipboard.

@Romain Guy Thank you. I am trying to do that on the emulator, but the moment I click the SHIFT key (with the mouse), I receive the message "Text copied to clipboard". How do I move the D-Pad cursor (on the emulator) while the SHIFT key is down?

Use your computer's keyboard :)

@Romain Guy Thanks again. I tried that, too, but the my computer's SHIFT key isn't recognized by the emulator. What am I missing?

@Romain Guy Got it! I don't need to use the SHIFT key at all. :)  The center key in the D-Pad activates the two text-selection hands, which can be moved anywhere using the D-Pad directional keys. Then, pressing the D-Pad center key again, copies the selection to the clipboard. Thank you!!! :)

That last part should be in the answer :-)

@Ivo Flipse Easy for your to say. :) What's obvious to many, may not be so obvious to n00bs like me.

Which is exactly why it should be in the answer, so it will help others too ;-) @an00b


text:
HTC Hero - How to delete all calendar entries?
Currently i am developing a calendar based application from which i am inserting events into the native calendar of HTC HERO (Firmware version: Android 2.1 update 1).
At this point, calendar is full of events so i have tried lot to delete events, but by one by one event it takes long time to delete all events. I have also try to "Remove calendars" and then "Add calendars" shown as below:

This options are showing while clicking on "Press menu button -> More -> Calendars" while watching a calendar view.
One more try i have done, that is, i have also done "Clear data" in "Calendar storage" from "Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications -> Calendar storage -> clear data". I think this is not deleting events actually as it is showing events inside the calendar same as earlier.
So, how do i delete all the entries from the Calendar?

Since the Calendar App syncs with Google Calendar - why don't you create a "Test" calendar, add events to that calendar and then delete the calendar from a web browser on your computer?

I just did this myself and it worked fine.

@PM - Paresh Mayani did this answer your question?


text:
Root the Samsung Infuse (i997)
Does anyone know how to root the Samsung Infuse (i997)?
I have tried two methods already:

Visionary
Samsung One Click Root

Visionary simply doesn't work, while the Samsung One Click Root manages to push the update.zip to the sdcard, but the Samsung recovery rejects it based on signature verification failure, as it is the FroYo supplied recovery.
I am hesitant to try Project Voodoo, because I'm afraid to brick the device with a non-compatible Odin tar image.

Please do not put tags like "SOLVED" in the title. Accepting an answer changes the look of the question in the list. By virtue of there being an accepted answer says that the issue was solved.

SOLVED:
While the rageagainstthecage exploit is not working with the Infuse, you can root it with the psneuter exploit. Easiest way to do it is with the SuperOneClick application.


text:
How do you sync Jorte with an Outlook Calendar?
I am trying to convince my wife to switch from the Motorola stock calendar app to Jorte. Is there a way to synch Jorte with your Outlook calendar? If not, is there another calendar app that beats the pants off the stock one?

From Jorte's description, it looks like you can synchronize Jorte with Google Calendar. You can also synchronise Outlook with Google Calendar using Google Calendar Sync.
So if you're happy using Google Calendar as a "middle-man" then it would be possible to sync the two.

Thanks. I really would rather not route the Outlook calendar through Google Calendar. I was hoping there was another option for synching your Outlook Calendar and Google Calendar to the same calendar app.

Try the app MyPhoneExplorer. Free to download at Google Play. Easy to sync Outlook on PC to Android smartphone and Jorte. Works like a charm.


text:
incoming call ring volume ( sound - silent - vibrate )
I used to be able to change the incoming call ring volume from sound to silent to vibrate using the volume buttons. Today I went to Sound settings and unticked "Audible touch tones" and since that I cannot use  the silence mode. Only volume or vibrate is available.
any idea how to make it back to sound <-> silent <-> vibrate

HTC Desire on CM7

I don't think the Audible Touch Tones menu item is actually related, since that controls whether or not you hear dial pad tones when dialing a number.
The setting you want should be CyanogenMod Settings->Sound->Silent State, and you'll just need to make sure that it's checked. I have Audible Touch Tones disabled as well, but it doesn't interfere with my ability to enable/disable the Silent State option.

I thought that Audible Touch Tones won't matter but I wanted to state what I did.

any way to change the order? Right now I have sound - vibrate - silence. It used to be sound - silence - vibrate

@Radek: Hm, that one I don't know. It's always been Sound<->Vibrate<->Silent for me, as far as I recall. I don't see any obvious way to change that order, either.

it's not necessary to change the order. I am happy as I have my 'silent' mode ... but you know humans ... they don't want any change :-p

@Radek: Oh yeah, I can understand that. I use a theme on Firefox 3.6 that basically makes it look like 1.5 ;)


text:
Use the USB cable as an audio interface when the phone is plugged in
Whenever I'm at my desk, my phone is plugged into my PC and I use both my phone's (internal) headphones and my PC's (external) headphones. The reason is that I use my phone for podcasts and my PC for everything else.
Is there a way (an app) to make the USB cable behave as an audio interface? So my PC would see an extra microphone (which would be the phone's audio output), and I could just set my PC's headphones to reproduce whatever is coming in from the phone. This way I could get both audios delivered through the same headphone, instead of having to use two.
I realize I could use a regular audio cable with two out's, but I'm trying to reduce the amount of cables running around my desk. :)
I'm not sure if I made myself clear. So please complain if I didn't.

also having the similar problem

I don't think there is, but you could use a Bluetooth A2DP headset which would allow you to wirelessly listen to audio being outputted by your phone.
Some PCs / laptops can also output audio from a paired bluetooth device like a phone.

I thought of that, but my PC doesn't have bluetooth. I might buy an adapter if I'm sure it will work.


text:
is it possible to disable Google remote kill switch?
our company is considering using the Android platform for future developments.
Some folks raised concerns  over Google ability to remotely delete applications on the device. they are arguing that if Google can (and did) remotely un-installed apps from a device, than who knows what else they can do.
this is a valid concern over the nature of our software (sensitive medical records managment)
is there any way to block Google remote control?  for instance by  recompiling  the OS minus any Google back-doors.

Those folks must really not know much about what actually happens in these cases, else they'd be happy that Google does this to protect their future app for "sensitive medical records management" from potential hackers.

@Chris: you speak as if it it is widely accepted as absolutely fine and good that a 3rd party (Google, Apple, whoever) be allowed to access your device in your pocket without your knowledge. It is in fact a very controversial subject and given the option, I would be the first to expel them from any device I own and risk "potential hackers". If it was hackers they were worried about, they could have decided to send notifications, e.g. "you seem to be using app X which we consider spyware: remove (yes/no)?". But they didn't, did they? Anyway, user3346's question is valid...

When you first used the Android Market, you are presented with Android Market's Term of Service. One of the clauses is this:

2.4 From time to time, Google may discover
  a Product on the Market that
  violates the Android Market Developer
  Distribution Agreement or other legal
  agreements, laws, regulations or
  policies. You agree that in such an
  instance Google retains the right to
  remotely remove those applications
  from your Device at its sole
  discretion and without notice to you.

So, if you want to block Google from using their remote uninstall, you cannot use Android Market. However, note that their Term of Service only allows them to uninstall applications that "violates the Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement", this implies that Google can only uninstall applications that are installed from Market (since an application that was not distributed from the Market never accepted to be bound by the AMDDA, and therefore cannot "violate" the AMDDA). If you sideload your application, Google cannot touch your application.
If your company want to use Android Market but you don't want to allow Google to use their remote uninstall on your company's devices, I suggest you contact Google to make a special TOS agreement.

I agree. The only apps they are concerned with are apps downloaded from the market.  Without the market app this would not be an issue at all. If you are realyy concerned with compliying to local and federal data security laws for health care providers id contact google. I know that android has been deployed in health care, law enforcement and military applications so I'm sure they have met all the compliance standards.

It was recently confirmed that they can only remotely remove apps that were installed via the Market: http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/16/the-android-kill-switch-mea-culpa/

It is possible to run android devices without the google apps and thus without a google account. In such cases I don't think google would be able to do anything remotely.
Google could only remotely 'zap' applications because those devises used their market application and the phones would have been associated with a google account.

CyanogenMod is a prominent example of living without Google. After C&D letter Google Applications have been removed from the distribution and now must be installed as separate package, including Android Market. The package is installed through Recovery, as it modifies system partition.


text:
How to clear up SMS space?
I just got a notification that I can't receive an SMS because "the space/memory was full". Which is it, the internal or SD space, and what's the best way to free it up?
Note - I just installed a bunch of apps, so I'm suspecting it's the SD.

Have you checked how much space you've got free and where? Go into Settings -> SD Card and phone storage and it should show total space and free space in each part of your phone. That would at least tell you where the space has run out, and if you've hit the 20MB free space limit mentioned below.

@GAThrawn - yeah, I'm at 22mb internal storage.

I got this some time ago, and even after deleting all of messages (I back them up to my Gmail) I got the same thing. The problem was that when the internal memory fell below 22M or so (I forget exactly), this message appears. The SMS themselves take up very little space, so deleting them had no effect.
You may also be suffering from this bug, as I was, which it is important to know about:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=4991

Thanks. Here is a follow-up question: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6815/android-tool-to-find-whats-taking-space-and-delete-it

SMS messages are stored in your internal phone memory, usually in this location.
/data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db

Also, if you installed some apps, by default apps are usually installed to the internal memory unless you've specified otherwise ans you're using Froyo or higher or some other variant of Apps2SD etc.
You can use an app like SMS Backup and archive SMS to your Gmail account or an alternate SMS app like GoSMS which has a provision to backup/restore SMS from the SD Card.
As an aside, try freeing up some space by moving / uninstalling apps that you don't require and clearing up your browser cache and app data from other apps. An app like Cachemate might help if you're rooted.


text:
Can I install applications in memory card in Samsung Galaxy 3

Possible Duplicate:
How to install APK files on SDCARD.

Hi ,
   I ran out of phone memory installing various applications . Looks like there is no obvious way to install apps into my memory card ?
Is there any way to do so ?

You need Android 2.2 to install applications to the SD-card.

My galaxy 3 runs Android 2.1 . Can it be upgraded to 2.2 ?

@vinoth According to the Galaxy 3's entry in the When Will My Phone Get Froyo question http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2696/when-will-my-phone-get-the-android-2-2-update-froyo Froyo (Android 2.2) should be available for your phone. You can check for and install the update by connecting your phone to a PC that is running Samsung's Kies software, if it doesn't show as available there, then it could be down to your phone company being slow to approve the update.

If your phone is rooted you can also use an app like Link2SD after partitioning your SD card to install apps there.
I'm using a rooted Samsung Spica on 2.1 and have done it myself without any issues.
Follow the step-by-step instructions in this question/answer.


text:
Problem installing Google Chrome to Phone
I installed Google Chrome to Phone via AppBrain. AppBrain displays the app as installed (both the website, and my AppBrain app). When I click 'open', I get "This app is not executable".
When I click 'uninstall', I get 'The application was not found in the list of installed applications.'
I indeed do not see it in the list. What should I do to install it? (BTW, I also can't find it on the Google Market)

(BTW, I also can't find it on the
  Google Market)

If you cannot find an application in the Market, this means the application is not compatible with your device. AppBrain cannot install applications that you cannot find from the Market, since in the AppBrain installation, you are brought to the Market to install your application (AppBrain is application discovery service, not alternative Market).
Are you possibly using Android 2.1, which does not have the Cloud-to-Device Messaging API, and therefore cannot use Chrome to Phone? Or possibly you have multiple phones linked to your AppBrain account?

I'm using Nexus One with Froyo (2.2), it should work. Only a single phone is linked to my AppBrain account.

@ripper234 It may be because you're from Israel? They might have released it to only specific countries.

Possibly, this has happened before. Is a direct installation link?

@ripper234 see my answer for a possible workaround.  I don't see a download apk link, but the app appears to be open source

It may be because you live in Israel.
Try using Market Enabler to circumvent that problem and see if it'll show in the market for you then.

Or more so that he lives in Israel. The market isn't discriminatory is it? ;)

For some reason the Market Enabler never worked for me.

@gary haha, fixed my grammar :)  @ripper234 hmm, I've personally never used it but everyone recommends it for non-US country downloading app problems


text:
Android tool to find what's taking space, and delete it?

Possible Duplicate:
What can I do to manage my phone's internal storage?

Basically, I'm looking for an Android version of SpaceMonger or WinDirStat.

DiskUsage is what you're looking for. Shows a very nice (zoomable) graph of directories and how much space each one and their files are consuming.

Install ES FileExplorer and use the SD Card Analyst tool.


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Calendar Agenda view won't stay on today
I have the Optimus V.  I use Google calendar for all my calendaring needs.  I'm using the standard Calendar app that came with my phone, build 2.2.1.
I start the Calendar app, and go to Agenda view.  It's scrolled so that yesterday is the top.  Weird, I don't know why I'd care about my agenda for yesterday.  Any normal person would want to see today's agenda plus however much of tomorrow that fits.  So I go to menu->Today.  Now Today is at the top.  So far so good.
Now I go to menu->More->Settings, look at my settings and hit the back button.  Grrrr.  Yesterday is at the top again.  So I go to menu->Today.  Now Today is at the top again.
Now I hit the phone's power button.  Then I hit the power button again and unlock my phone.  Now the top entry in agenda is TWO DAYS ago, and today isn't shown at all.
Is there any way to prevent this extraordinarily irritating behavior?
I want "Today" to always be at the top of agenda view.  Not some completely random day.  Today.  Always Today.

Did you happen to have an event that started yesterday and finished today? Or perhaps a multi-day appointment?

Good theory, but no.

For what it's worth, I have seen similar behavior in the past. I cannot, however, duplicate it now.

good instincts re multi day events, al. that is indeed a bug that's been fixed upstream: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=21605

Well, I tried "Business Calendar" which seems a lot less flaky and is free, so I guess the answer is to switch to another Calendar application.

Update: Business Calendar is no longer free now that it's out of beta. There's probably a decent free calendar app out there, but BC is worth the 6 bucks, IMO


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Android Log Output KINETO
On my T mobile G2 there is always a lot of action in my Log output that has the tag KINETO these are the two most common things it puts in there:
ERROR/KINETO(9304): KLOG0C3- xmk_QueryOSQueue SDL Queue empty : WAIT_FOREVER
ERROR/KINETO(9304): KLOG0A3- ibs_os_GetMsg: Timeout forever for UKCC qHnd 0x80c34e3c

but there are a lot of others that it does as well. I am wondering what these logs are related to, because they seem to be happening basically all of the time on my device. I did a google search for KINETO and got a bunch of results for Wifi Calling related stuff, which kind of makes sense. My phone came with a Wifi calling app on it. But I never use this app. My suspicion is that I am getting these messages in the log because the wifi calling app does not have access to the internet on my device because of DroidWall. But my question is why does it try so often? and does anyone know if there is a way to stop it from trying so much I am sure this behavior has some negative impact on my battery life.

Kineto is the company that makes the Wifi calling software that is present on some Tmobile phones such as the G2.  Unfortunately this software is poorly written.  To make matters worse it is only possible to stop or remove the software if you root your phone.  (More accurately it isn't your phone - it is tmobile's phone to do with as they please.)  Coincidentally I contacted Kineto support yesterday to complain.  If more people do that maybe it will get fixed.

It constantly spews out log messages at the ERROR level every second or so, despite the messages not being errors
You cannot stop the software (needs root) and the constant logging still happens even if you disable wifi calling
Sometimes the software gets confused and you have to reboot the phone to get it working again
They haven't structured it like most Android apps separating the user interface from the service

It looks to me like they had an existing codebase that they ported to Android hence its poor structure and operation.

Carrier apps like WiFi Calling generally try to run constantly as a background service, and stay connected so that they're instantly available.  Beyond that, we can't be any more specific about why it runs all the time (you might get specific details from the carrier, but don't count on it).
If you don't use it and don't want it to drain your battery, remove it!  It's probably a system app, which means you need to be rooted to remove it; you can use an app like Titanium Backup to remove it easily.
Another option is to allow it to connect.  Presumably it will stop "spinning" and trying to connect if you just allow it to succeed, and use less battery.


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Where the driver for CDMA/GSM hardware?
i.e. I have a phone in CDMA from HTC, who provides the CDMA hardware driver (radio-firmware ?),Google Android source tree or HTC?
If the driver is provided by Google Android source tree, then I can compile a custom version of Android for my phone, If from HTC, then I don't know how can I compile an Android and drive the HTC CDMA hardware.

The radio is closed source and provided by the manufacturer.

Where to get? Where to put? system.img or other?

@lovespring The manufacturers generally do not provide radio firmware for users to experiment with.  People may have extracted it from various ROMs, however, and posted it.  You should check the XDA forum for your device, search for "modem" or "baseband".  Normally you flash it directly to the device.

@Matthew Is radio firmware just a .so and living in flash memory?

@lovespring I don't believe it's a library, no.  I just opened a modem package for my device and the file is modem.bin and it is written to a specific part of memory, in this case /dev/block/bml12.

@Matthew So, baseband is a device from the point of view of linux. Is the baseband firmware a linux driver? if not, then how to communicate to linux kernel?

I'm noy sure.  This might help: http://developer.android.com/guide/basics/what-is-android.html


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Temporarily protect email/sms when giving device to others?
Say my cousin wants to play with my phone/tablet for a while. Let's pretend I'm really nice and pleased to let him play with it as long as he wants, but deep inside I'm a little worry about him reading my emails and sms out of curiosity. And I have other things to do so I can't stay around and watch.
If the current GMail or SMS applications don't have a 'temporary lock' feature, is it possible to write a separate application that controls access to existing applications on the device? For example, something like "com.google.android.gmail.Main is temporarily protected, draw the correct pattern to open".

It's crossed my mind when letting others play with my device too.

Give this application a try App Lock you sound be able to lock the application you want to keep private.

Check out the app called "App Protector".

The two best SMS replacement apps - Handcent & GoSMS both have options for putting up a pin input screen before allowing access to the app.
Both also allow this functionality to be extended to the default in-built SMS app as well.
GoSMS also allows a user to apply this security screen to ALL apps, but that tends to hinder rather than help, IMO.


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Baseband and radio in Android
In the below picture
1, It seems that the radio firmware don't need a linux driver in Android, It just need a user space shared library, is it?
2, what is baseband?

From the picture it would appear you are correct.  Note #2, however.
The baseband is the modem firmware.


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How do I configure existing Power Controls widget in Android?
I've added stock Power Controls widget to the home screen of my Android 2.3 (Cyanogenmod).
While being installed it displayed its settings screen.
Now I'm unable to reconfigure the widget. The only option I have is to remove and add the widget to home screen, so that the settings screen will reappear.
Is there any place where I can configure the Power Controls widget without re-adding it?

Not that I have found.  Looks like you only get that one opportunity.

I've only used CyanogenMod for a few days before reverting back to SamdroidMod since CM on Spica is too unstable for daily use. But I think I remembered seeing some settings that seems related to Power Widget on "Settings > CyanogenMod Settings".

Under Settings > CyanogenMod Settings > Interface Settings there is an option for the notification shade power widget but not for the regular home screen widget


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Can we uninstall Symbian and install Android?

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

I have an Nokia 5233 mobile which has Symbian OS installed. I was wondering whether its possible to remove that Symbian OS and install Android OS? Something like we remove Windows OS and install Linux instead ???
Reason for change?
1) Symbian is giving me lot of problems including viruses, mobile getting hang frequently, applications not working.
2) Want to try Android OS

No because the Android operating system is targeted specifically by the handset manufacturers.

This is just plain wrong.  The Android project is open source and theoretically can be run on any phone with the correct drivers, as long as it has enough space etc.  In fact, several non-Android phones have had Android installed on them.

@Matthew Read Just pondering.. wouldn't android require a touch system on the phone anyway?

@Matthew Read: I suppose I should have written 'No - not easily -..." because I think the O.P. was getting at simply removing the os and replacing it much in the same way Windows can be removed from a PC and a standard distribution installed.


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Is there a portable scanner connect to an android phone?
I dont know whether my question is right to ask here. please advise me if I need to ask this kind of question at other areas.
I am investigating to find a right portable scanner to connect with an Android mobile phone (such as HTC Desire). After scanning a paper from a portable scanner, the mobile phone will receive the file as a pdf or jpg. That's it!
Would this be possible to do?
Thanks in advance.

Try to look for Bluetooth scanners. Android supports bluetooth and there is SDK API for it so you could create your own app to receive and process data from scanner.
One such device I could find: http://www.planon.com/products/docupen/xseries

Android has USB host capabilities as of 3.2. Accusoft USB Scanner is a well made app that lets you take advantage of this and connect many USB scanner models directly to your phone or tablet.
Accusoft USB Scanner
Accusoft USB Scanner on Play Store

The second link is dead. An update is required here.

As far as I know, there isn't a way to connect a USB scanner to an Android device - most if not all phones don't have a USB host in any form. I suppose someone could hack an adapter into the MicroSD port, but it'd be a lot of work. You'll have to use a laptop or computer.

Hi Jam. Thanks but most of the android Phones that have a USB port and I thought that a portable scanner would use a USB port to plug in with a PC so it would be doable with a mobile device as well. I hope there would be a solution...

Android phones have a USB slave port, which means they can't talk to other slave devices. (well, maybe they can, but it would involve a lot of hacking)

There are lots of scanners like that.  Query "bluetooth document scanner for android"  About 15 will show up.  5 at least from amazon


text:
Can I install Android on my non-Android device?
Many people want to try/use Android without buying a new Android phone.  How can I install Android on my current phone or device running Nokia Symbian, Maemo, or MeeGo; Microsoft Windows Mobile or Windows Phone 7/8/10; Apple iOS (iPhone); RIM's BlackBerry OS; Palm's WebOS; Samsung's Bada; HP's WebOS; Mozilla's Firefox OS; or other phone / operating system?

The Short Answer
Theoretically, all devices that meet Android's minimum requirements can run Android, it's just a matter of customizing Android for the device.
The Long Answer
While Android is open source and can be modified to suit many devices, firmware and hardware drivers are most often not made readily available -- especially not the source code.  Android won't run on a device without drivers for that specific device, so this means that you can't simply compile the code for Android and run it on your phone.
Android is a very different operating system than other phone platforms; Android and Windows Phone 7, for example, are just as different as Ubuntu and Windows 7 for the PC.  This means that even if you have WP7 drivers for your device, those drivers won't work on Android.  You'll have to modify those drivers to be compatible with Android, and you may need to reverse-engineer a lot of code.  This is very difficult and time-consuming, and sometimes even a team of people have little success with it.  Even getting a new version of Android to run on an Android phone can be hard.
The upside is that many phone manufacturers are now putting out versions of the same device with different operating systems.  One example is the HTC HD2, which runs Windows Mobile 6 but is very similar to the Android HTC Desire Z.  The Desire Z ROM only requires slight modification to run on the HD2.
Android ROMs/projects for non-Android Phones
Various developers have gone through the effort of creating an Android ROM that can be installed on other devices, or have started to do so.  The following statuses will be used to describe each project/ROM:

Pre-alpha: Concept stage.  You cannot use Android at all yet.
Alpha: Android is technically usable, but many major features are missing.
Beta: Most major Android features are usable, but it's fairly buggy.
Complete: This is almost as good as "real" Android!
Unknown: It's, well ... unknown.

Apple iOS Devices
There used to be a project iDroid for porting Android 2.3 to a jailbroken iPhone (2G or 3G), but the project died in 2014 without ever becoming stable. Nobody seems to be working on a port for iPhone or iPad any more.
Bada devices

badaDroid (German site)
Android on Bada (XDA; based on cyanogenmod; also see here)
Android porting @BadaForums

LG Devices (Proprietary OS)

LG Arena / KM900

See the Arenoid project.  Pre-alpha.

WebOS (HP) Devices

HP Touchpad

Android 4.4: Touchpad Toolbox.  Beta.

Windows Mobile 6 Devices
HTC

Gene / P340x

Android 1.5: See this XDA thread (Wing Linux).  Alpha.

Leo / HD2

Android 2.2: See XDA's guide to running Android on the HD2.  Complete.
Android 2.3: See various 2.3 ROMs available on XDA. Unknown.
Android 4.0: NexusHD2. Complete.

Tilt / Kaiser / TyTN II / MDA Vario III

Android 2.1: See this XDA thread (CM5).  Beta.
Android 2.2: See this XDA thread.  Beta.

Touch CDMA / Vogue 100 / P3050

Android 2.2: See XDA's Touch CDMA - Android Development subforum.  Beta (most ROMs).
Android 2.3: Same subforum.  Alpha.

Touch Cruise / Polaris / P3650

Android 2.1: See this XDA thread (CM5).  Beta.
Android 2.2: Apparently "Fresh Froyo" may work, which is a Touch CMDA ROM.  See XDA's Touch CDMA - Android Development subforum.  Unknown.

Touch Diamond / MDA Compact IV / P3051 / P370x

Android 2.2: See this XDA thread.  Beta.

Touch Diamond 2 / Pure / Topaz / MDA Compact V / T5388

Android 1.6-2.2: See this XDA thread.  Beta.

Touch Dual / Nike / MDA Touch Plus / P5500

Android 2.2: See this XDA thread.  Alpha.

Touch GSM / Elf / P345x

Android 1.5: See this XDA thread (Wing Linux).  Alpha.

Touch HD / Blackstone

Android 2.2: See this XDA thread.  Alpha.

Touch Pro / Fuze / Raphael

Android 2.2: See this XDA thread.  Beta.

Touch Pro 2 / Tilt 2 / Rhodium

Android 2.2: See this XDA thread.  Beta.
Android 2.3: See this XDA thread.  Alpha.

Samsung

Omnia II / i8000 (See also: MoDaCo thread)

Android 2.1: See Omnia2Droid.  Beta.
Android 2.2: See Omnia2Droid.  Beta.

You may be able to boot Android from an SD card on your WinMo device as well, leaving WinMo intact on your device.  This guide shows how to do so, and it works on many WinMo devices.
Windows Phone 7 Devices
None yet.
Maemo and MeeGo (Harmattan) Devices

Nokia N900

Android 2.3: See NITDroid for N900. Alpha.

Nokia N9/N950

Android 4.1: See NITDroid for N9. Alpha.

Symbian Devices (Nokia and Sony Ericsson)
There aren't currently any known successful attempts to port Android to devices originally designed for Symbian.

Nokia N95

Android Port for Symbian phones blog (Gizmodo mention of that project). Unknown

Other Proprietary OS Devices

Samsung Jet S8000 / S8003

Android 2.3: See JetDroid.  Beta.
Android 4.0: See CM9.  Alpha

x86 Tablets/PCs
The Android-x86 project develops distributions of Android for x86-based systems, such as Apple Macs, most Windows PCs and tablets. Some Android devices already have x86 SoCs, such as the Dell Venue series and the HP Slate series.
Android-x86 comes with the GRUB bootloader, which allows it to be dual-booted with Windows/Linux/OS X. It can be installed to a hard drive/SSD partition during initial setup.
There is no LiveCD functionality in Android-x86. It is regularly updated with the latest Android version.
For more information about Android-x86 and more specific help, look at our frequently asked android-x86 questions.

Feel free to add to this answer as new ROMs come out for more devices!

I think android-x86 does have a liveCD.


text:
Uninstall apps locked by phone vendor
I'm using a Samsung I9000 and I have some annoying apps that came pre installed by the phone vendor, like a music store, a custom web browser and other memory leaking apps.
Those crappy apps can't be uninstalled neither by Manage applications tool, nor by editing the apps tiles in the front menu.
I guess I have to be a root user or something to get rid of those apps, but I don't know how.

For options for unrooted devices (though more limited), see How can I deal with unwanted system applications without rooting?.

Relevant: How to uninstall a system app using adb uninstall command (NOT remove via rm or any other way)

Yes, you have to be rooted.  To get rooted, see this question: How do I root my Android device?
One of the easiest ways to uninstall system apps after rooting is to use Titanium Backup.  You can just click an app and choose Uninstall.
Note: Be careful what you remove!  You might want to use Titanium to back them up before you remove them, in case it makes your phone unstable or stop working.
Also note that the bootloader may restore system apps on reboot.  If possible, unlock your bootloader; you may also need to install a custom ROM that's deodexed, or to edit the image that is restored by the bootloader.  That depends on your particular device, but with the SGS you should have no bootloader-related problems.

Important caveat: removing stock apps will usually cause OTA updates from your carrier to fail.  You are generally speaking better off to simply use TiBU to "freeze" the apps so that updating is hassle-free.

Freezing is the best solution even if you don't need OTA updates. Freezing is equivalent to uninstall if you ignore space on ROM. With this, you can revert changes if you need it in future...

You may also use ADB to remove applications, but the application methods are easier. Since use of ADB does not require a market, this will work for users who are rooted but who cannot or do not wish to use Android market or similar marketplaces.
./adb remount #ROOT IS REQUIRED TO REMOUNT /system read-write
./adb shell
cd /system/app

To see what's installed:
pm list packages
To remove a package:
rm PackageName.apk
pm uninstall class.name.of.package

CyanogenMod, as far as I can tell, only requires the rm step, not the pm step; if you are running a de-odexed version of Android, you may only need the rm step.
If you are concerned you might need the application in the future (over the air updates), you can use adb pull to copy the apk to your desktop (instead of moving it to another location on your phone) or just mv the apk to your uSD card or USB storage.
See http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Barebones for more information.

adb remount is not an optional step. You need to re-mount your /system partition read-write.

I see. thanks. I uninstalled using the Titanium backup app. seems that is safer for removing system/app packages. Anyone who is absolutely sure that he does not want an app can remove packages from the shell as you have shown. Geeky but risky :-)

My answer is here because there is a group of Android users that don't have (or don't want) Google's Android market, but do have root access to their devices. It's easy enough to adb pull the apk to your desktop before removing it from the phone. I will add that to my answer.

I also like pm disable com.package to freeze apps. It is easy to enable them again if something breaks. Use adb shell then su to switch to root.

Here's a more in-depth tutorial for those interested: How to Uninstall Carrier/OEM Bloatware Without Root Access

At the time I posted my answer, Freezing apps was not a feature that even existed. It was implemented to allow people to disable built-in applications that, if removed, would block system updates. My answer is old, but at the time, that is how you did it.

You can't remove them without root, they're installed to a directory that cannot be accessed without root.  However, you can do the next best thing, close your eyes, stick your fingers in your ears, and go la-la-la-la, pretending they don't exist.  The way to do this is to get a launcher (such as ADW if memory serves), that allows you to hide icons.  In that case, they will still be installed (and if something triggers them, they'll pop up), but at least you won't have to look at them any more.

ADW is doing the trick more or less. I could not find a way that "hides" the apps, but I'm able to move all the offending app icons into a folder so that they are out of the way. If someone knows how to "hide" them in a more effective way, please let me know.

LauncherPro can hide the apps from the app list so that they won't bother you (Menu -> Preferences -> General Settings -> Hidden Apps). But they still show up in search results etc. but this is probably the closest you can get un-rooted.

Yes, you have to root your phone in order to remove preinstalled apps.
See these questions here and here.
Before you remove any applications, MAKE SURE YOU MAKE A BACKUP via Nandroid. You may delete an app that the system relies on (for one reason or other). Do some searching and make sure it is safe to remove the apps you want to remove.

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


text:
How can I make sure I've quit a specific app?
As far as I know, some apps quit by pressing the Back button while on the main screen of that app; and some quit by pressing the Menu button and selecting Quit. Should I always first check the Menu button? How can I make sure that I have quit a specific application? I don't want my battery drained by unquit apps running in the background without my knowledge.
By the way, I'm on HTC HD2 with Android 2.2.

An application can only run in the background if they spawn a service, so rest assured that unquitted program is not actually "running", they're "sleeping". Sleeping program stays in the RAM, but they do not use any battery. Also, Android will automatically "kill" sleeping applications when the foreground application requires memory. This system means you do not have to worry about quitting applications; unless the app is very poorly written, and they deliberately spawn services for too long or register alarms too often; for dealing with poorly written app, simply uninstall them.

Any application which contains a “Quit” button does not understand the Android platform and UI principles — and might well be misdesigned such that it wastes power when not quit. (Lie Ryan's comment is not quite accurate; a program can (but should not) run in the background without starting a service, it just isn't guaranteed to keep running.) I would recommend choosing applications which do not have a Quit button, all else being equal, to promote good practices and possibly save your battery.

That's the thing about the Android OS. A "quit" or "exit" button is not really necessary.  Why? Because the operating system automatically kills applications that are no longer used. For this same reason, there is no need to install a task killer or similar. When you're done with an application, the OS will clean things up for you so you don't have to worry about it.

Bryan's answer is correct.  However, if you don't want to wait for the OS to kill something, you should use a task manager (different from an always-running task killer).  One is built in to the 2.2 ROM on my Galaxy S, and you can get to it by long-pressing the Home button.  I've used this for frozen apps and for when the OS hasn't quite realized it needs to kill something so the in-focus app doesn't lag.
Additionally, you can set how aggressive your OS is in killing idle apps.  I do this on my phone using RyanZA's One Click Lag Fix (the lagfix is just for the Galaxy S, but I'm not sure if the app-killing settings can be used on other devices).

I'd recommend Advanced Task Killer, which does a great job of showing you which of your apps are currently running and giving you a one-button solution to stopping any that you want.

You shouldn't use a Task Killer.


text:
How can I put a link to an SD card folder on the home screen on HTC Desire Z?
I have a folder on  my SD card that I regularly access to open documents of different types.
Is it possible to have a link on the home screen that opens the contents of this folder, e.g. using a File Manager application?
Currently I'm using the Adao File Manager to open the folder, but every time I have to select SD Card and Folder to get there.

The answers to How do I copy pictures onto a folder on the home screen? provide a couple methods of creating shortcuts (it requires another file manager).
As well, the Root Explorer file manager allows you to set the default path when it opens; you could set it to the path of this folder, so you wouldn't need to browse to it.


text:
How should I stop media players from constantly auto-starting?
I have a lot of problems whenever I install media players. Some times one will trigger another player, othertimes both players will be triggered if I plug in the aux output cable into my car. Othertimes pandora will keep starting and stopping very rapidly (a bug) when I plug in the aux cable.
Here is what I want:
No auto starting ever, at all. Is this achievable with a simple imperative setting?

In the future, please try to add relevant tags to your question. Using [android] as the sole tag is both redundant and unhelpful, since every question on this site (in order to be on-topic) will be about Android.

You can use the Autostarts app (requires root) to modify which apps can listen in to particular events.  In your case, you'd remove the media player apps from listening to the event(s) triggered by plugging in the audio cable.

I had some problems with music apps autostarting on my Droid. See my answer here on how I handled it.


text:
Can an app save data on the SD card?
I have noticed that when I remove an app, which is placed on the SD card, this also frees up space on the main storage. The space freed up corresponds to the "data", which an app stores. My question is, therefore, why does an app, which is placed on the SD card, still choose to store its data on the main storage? Is it because it is impossible not to, or lazyness on the part of the developer?

Apps can store data in both places, but the SD card has a FAT filesystem which does not support file permissions.  This means that a malicious app could erase or change app data very easily if the data was on the SD card.  As well, you can swap SD cards or format your card, and then the app would have "forgotten" all its settings and lost all the other data.  So it's a very good idea to put app data in the phone storage, where Android can manage access to the data and protect it.
On newer versions of Android, the SD card filesystem can be virtualized to enforce permissions.  Couple this with encryption, and the above issues go away.

I understand the security issues, but why would I want to have available an app data without the SD if it is installed in the SD? Also, could this be the answer of my lost 40MB here: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/12131/internal-storage?

@Diego You're right that there's no use for the data if you eject your SD card with the app on it, but that's not the purpose. It's to prevent apps from snooping your data.

Yes, I get it. Is there any way to say Android which apps are trusted? (I've just updated the question I linked before) I'm having seriously storage problems :(

@Diego All apps you install are trusted with the permissions they request -- the permisions are shown on the Market page or when you install an app. Since the SD card is intended to be removed and altered -- you could plug it into a computer and wipe it if you wanted -- it doesn't really make sense to try to control it.  I'll take another look at your other question.

It's not something I would look to developers and blame them for.  Quite frankly, there are many cases in which our apps don't even work while living on the SD card.  I've had situations where music and podcasts are stored on my SD card because the app in question puts them there, but if the card is out, doesn't register on boot, gets swapped, etc, and something doesn't work when it's time to use the app, users run straight to the Market to bash the app developer when it's their own fault.
Developers often try to save users from themselves, because quite frankly we as users do stupid things, and sometimes that can be viewed as being lazy.  When in reality, we're doing what makes sense because we can predict how things can break down.

Good point! I see the picture more clearly now.

+1 for "Developers often try to save users from themselves, because quite frankly we as users do stupid things, and sometimes that can be viewed as being lazy.".. Very true!


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How much space do the data of apps take on the phone storage?
As I am seriously out of space on my phone storage on my HTC Desire, I would like an overview of how much phone storage each app takes up. The point is that I can see how much space the data of each app takes up, but not where this data is placed, hence I cannot conclude how much space each app is taking up on the phone storage.

Your question is very close to this one: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2065/what-can-i-do-to-manage-my-phones-internal-storage

The Disk Usage application can show you all this information in a nice graphical format, allowing you to explore the space taken up by applications in your phone memory, or the space taken up by files on your SD card.
App2SD will also display information for all apps, although it doesn't split the space into segments based on app/data/cache like Disk Usage does. However, it will allow you to move all apps that you can to the SD card from the phone memory, and provides an easy way to see all the apps installed on the phone, and one click access to the main application settings to uninstall applications.

I'm pretty sure that the space shown for each app is the space used on the phone storage, and does not include space used on the SD card.  You can verify this by checking an app in Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications, then unmount and remove the SD card and check again.