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Intentionally deleted Android system - how do I fix this?
Right now I own a Sony Ericsson Xperia x10 mini and I rooted it. I had this program installed from Android Marketplace that allows you to delete applications.
So guess what... I deleted several applications for testing purposes and I knew that if I uninstall Android System it would break everything.
I did that epic "mistake" for testing purposes (don't try this).
The thing is how do I fix this? I have spent some time reading through forums and installed Flashtool and downloaded the ftf file (X10a_v2.1.update-1_2.1.A.0.435_Generic.ftf) in C:\Flashtool\firmwares directory.
What I have to deal with right now: - My mobile phone switched off when deleted Android System so I decided to boot it to see if any error messages comes up. - Now my phone won't power off due to the lack of Android System. So I have to use a torx screwdriver to remove the screws and take off the battery (because Flashtool requires the phone to be switched off) but unfortunately the Torx I have is one size bigger than the required one for Xperia's screws. - I guess I have to wait until the battery is dead or I should just get a proper Torx screwdriver.
The thing is that I have another Xperia x10 mini as well (works for now - didn't try any uninstall) and connected it to FlashTool and followed the instructions to flash it but I keep getting this error message:

ERROR - ERR_SEVERITY="MAJOR";ERR_CLASS="SECURITY_CLASS";ER R_DYNAMIC="SIN header verification failed"

I tried to figure out what's causing this and I end up with the "locked bootloader solution". I tried the instructions read here: http://unlockbootloader.sonymobile.com/instructions but when I typed ##7378423## no service menu was available...
That happened to the working Xperia phone. How would I possible do that on a broken Xperia?
Any suggestions would be highly appreciated!
We're all learning through our mistakes after all.

Do you have custom recovery installed or made a nandroid backup by any chance?

Unfortunately no. I guess I have to completely re-install Android system on the phone but I don't know how to do this since the above didn't work.

Is the phone running Android 2.0 or 2.1? If it's higher than that, the referenced bootloader hack will not work.

It had 2.1 installed.

Try flashify to flash your custom recovery.

If you didn't already have your bootloader unlocked and tools in place to reload the Android operating system (ie, ROMs or disk images), I strongly suspected you are completely screwed.

Why's that? I mean how do companies install OS on mobiles? Can't I do that?

You can install an OS from scratch on your phone, but you need a specialized environment and tools to do so and those are often proprietary and/or secret.  It is far easier to load a disk image (ROM) than do a base install.  Either way, part of the process is an unlocked bootloader so that you can boot into an environment/tool instead of the existing OS. If you don't have a way to boot into something besides the installed system and have pooched that system - generally the only way you as a consumer have available to hack the bootloader - then you're up the creek.


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How do I update all my apps with the new Google Play Store?
I want to update my apps, but I can't find the option in the new play store. How can I do this?

On all my devices, if there are more than one app to be updated, I can see the Update <x> button above the apps list, in the header bar with the "Updates" text. This will update all apps that don't require manual updates.

How do I access that?

Open the Play Store, tap the Menu button (the three squares in the top right corner) or press the physical menu button, depending on your Android version, and select My Apps. This will list all your apps and those that need updates.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Switching to TouchNooter home from Stock Home
So I have just rooted my Nook with TouchNooter.
When I press the home button it asked me which I want to set as the default GO Launcher or Home. I chose Home as the default.
Now, I can't figure out how to get back to the TouchNooter homescren. How can I do so?
Thanks

possible duplicate of I checked 'use as default' when choosing the default launcher, but now I can't start ADW.Launcher any more

Nook Simple Touch doesn't have the settings options mentioned in the other post.

@moesef: I recommend editing your question to add a link to that other question and the reason why it's not a duplicate.

You can go to Settings>Manage Applications> All Applications> then, find & select the Home app--- scroll down, and select "Clear Defaults"
The next time you press your home key, it will give you the same dialog asking which app to use.

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


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Battery life depends on type of charger
When I charge my HTC Sensation mobile with the charger supplied by HTC the battery duration is more or less 1 day (depending of the usage). But (here comes my question) when I charge the mobile through usb connected to the PC, or with the cable supplied by Amazon Kindle, the battery duration is much lower, sometimes a couple of hours.
Could someone explain which is the electrical reason of this behaviour?
Thanks in advance

Your phone will charge much slower using a USB cable attached to the PC than with a wall-charger, but as long as you wait until it is 100% full then it should reach the same capacity and duration at the end. See Why is charging from computer using USB slower than using an outlet?

No. Since you mentioned the battery DURATION is hours shorter, it must be the usage not the charger.

Whether this is likely to be true or not, this is not an answer to the question. The question is why is the duration shorter, not if it is. You may not believe the questioner's circumstances, but if so, it would be more appropriate to ask them to provide usage data to verify their claim instead of outright dismissing it. It might turn out that usage is the difference, but you may also be surprised.

It's not quite an exact answer, but I try:
I noticed the same behaviour on other devices too: My Nook Color's supplied cable & wall charger feeds it with 2A. When using a normal cable this is limited to 0.5A (or so). When charging with 0.5A the Nook shows 100% far quicker than it can be possible but starts charging (silently) in the background again. My guess is this:
The device sometimes sucks more power during usage than your charger unit can supply and the internal charging circuit then decides to stop charging and shows 100% capacity reached from that time on. This might be to prevent charge/uncharge waves when your car charger does not supply your device's max power usage.
Some car chargers only provide 450mA... or don't have a stable enough voltage ouput.
This is the standard for generic USB chargers: EN-62684


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What is launcher.ebproductions.android.launcher?
I've just removed GO Launcher and now when I click the home button I get offered a choice of two different Launcher com.android.launcher and launcher.ebproductions.android.launcher
What is the ebproductions one? Do I need it?
Can I just remove it?

Eugene is a fairly well-known ROM cooker.

There's an app in the Market with the ID "com.ebproductions.android.launcher" that is Gingerbread Launcher free.
This appears to be a slightly modified version of the AOSP stock Gingerbread launcher that someone's made available for devices that don't come with the stock launcher installed.

I may have installed it when I had my GalaxyS and it came back when I synced my account.

Following the package name you provided, the app you are talking about is called Gingerbread Launcher free from the developer Eugene373.
You must have installed this launcher before install Go launcher. Go launcher was your default launcher and after you removed it the system is asking you to choose between the Android's launcher and this one.
If you don't need it you can remove it.


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Multitouch hardware on Android devices
Are all touch-screens on modern devices multitouch capable on hardware level (if software supports it)?
If not than how to detect if touchscreen screen by itself is multitouch or not?

A lot of the very cheap, non-brand name devices come with resistive touch screens, instead of the capacitive touchscreens used on the higher-end devices. Resistive screens very rarely support multi-touch.

Are all touch-screens on modern devices multitouch capable on hardware level (if software supports it)?

This is more or less impossible to answer without spec sheets for every Android device that has ever been created (within whatever timeframe you consider "modern"). Very broadly speaking, devices from major manufacturers over the last several years will typically support multitouch to some degree, but even that overall degree of support can vary between devices.

If not than how to detect if touchscreen screen by itself is
  multitouch or not?

There are a bunch of apps for this. I'd say pick one and try it. If you want to try to verify the results, pick several and try them all.

If you want to check programmatically, checking the system features via the PackageManager object works, as far as i can tell for my device. This method doesn't give the exact supported number, but rather a categorisation as follows:

TOUCHSCREEN_MULTITOUCH JAZZHAND (tracks 5 or more touches fully independently)
TOUCHSCREEN_MULTITOUCH DISTINCT (tracks 2 or more touches fully independently)
TOUCHSCREEN_MULTITOUCH (basic 2 finger gesture compatibility)

Depending on your task as hand, this might be sufficient enough, however GAThrawn's comment regarding low-tier phones makes me worry if it can be relied on that all those vendors actually set those values correctly before deploying the software.
Other than that, i don't know any way currently (but would also like to learn about one) - apart from maybe having the users test their devices as your app starts up, when the detected api level is less than 11 for instance.


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Any hack to get rid of the "Too many password attempts" lock?
My kids often play with my phone which has a pattern lock screen, and it gets locked due to many attempts, then the phone is locked out and requires a password.
I use 2-step verification, so in order to unlock the phone, I must get a connected computer, and regenerate a password and reconnect the email and other programs in it.
This all process is redundant to me and very annoying and frustrating.
Is there any possible way to disable this nasty "feature"?
p.s., my phone is rooted of course, if that says anything.

Nice Question...

The simplest solution would be to remove the lock screen but that leads to a whole new set of problems.
I would recommend switching to another type of lock screen such as PIN input or password input. That way the OK button must be pressed in order to submit a password attempt.
The most effective solution of course - don't give your smartphone to your kids. :-)

I do need the lock screen, I just don't want any features I never asked for.

Use a third party lockscreen like WidgetLocker. It should work as intended

@Sparks did u try it?

Paid user. I use the ICS-like animation where one has to drag the lock icon in one of four directions to either unlock or directly launch an app of choice. You can also set it to unlock using a hardware button like the home or back keys. Mind you - there's zero security this way.

@Shimmy - I've written about WidgetLocker, NOT GoLocker. :-) | https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.widgetlocker

oh it's a paid app, i don't use paid apps (and yes im a developer myself), anyway, it doesn't look like it's gonna solve my issues mentioned in my previous comments.

In order to unlock my S2, all i do is drag the lock icon downward and presto- i'm at my launcher homescreen. Of course, no pin/pattern lock enabled.

OK forget it. I wish I woulda been an Android developer, I would then make a custom ROM disabling too-many-attempts lockout.

I have used Secure Settings, although it does not always work as advertised. I use this with Locale to simply disable the lockscreen when I'm in certain locations.

Why not install a sandbox which will prevent this kind of thing from happening?
It is a form of parental control and content management so that certain apps are locked out from kids.
And the bonus - with the sandbox activated, you can still give it to your kids to play with. And no messing about with settings, deleting certain things such as contacts, sms etc.
For example (take this with a pinch of salt here), accidentally buying an app from the Google Play Store without your knowledge.


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Failure to boot after rooting LG Optimus V and installing CM7
I recently bought an LG Optimus V (VirginMobile) to replace my current Samsung Intercept. Upon reciept, I rooted it following the procedure at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1070018. The rooting went fine, and I got to step 10 in flashing the CM7 Rom. What I get after the reboot specified in step 9 is the CyanogenMod animated splashscreen, which animates for a bit, then stops, and thats where the unit stays, for up to an hour. I can get to the installed recovery console, but have no idea what I need to do to fix this. I rooted this unit immediately after getas the main reason for needing a smartphone is the fact I need to have OpenVPN installed on any phone I have. I went crazy getting my previous Samsung Intercept rooted and then getting the tun.ko for the installed kernel. The final fix was to install a 3rd party rom which supplied the kernel module. I did not want to go thru that again on this LG phone. Whats my next step?

Those directions instruct you to wipe the /cache partition from recovery before installation but not /data. I would try that (if you have not already), since leftover files on the /data partition are a common cause of boot problems when going from one ROM to another. Note, this is basically a factory reset. It will erase your installed apps, accounts, settings, and so forth.

As the comments in the other answer(s) state, make sure to wipe both the /cache and /data partitions.
I failed to do this and my Cyanogenmod 7.2 ROM hung on boot. When I wiped both partitions (via the ClockworkMod Recovery console), the phone booted successfully.

Your problem is although you have reset your phone, somehow it can't find a partition to boot from.

This isn't necessarily true. It's entirely possible to bootloop (i.e. hang at the boot splash) even if you have a perfectly valid partition setup, which is why a data wipe is generally recommended when switching ROMs.

ahh.. figured it was something like that.. I'm an old-hand on Linux, but very new on Android.. I'm pretty sure I wiped the /cache and /data via recovery but I'll try it again..


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How do I move the gesture button in Dolphin HD?
Before the Sonar changes, I could move the gesture button by long-pressing it and dragging it to a different corner. Now long pressing brings up a menu to use a gesture or use Sonar.
How can I move the gesture button to a different corner?

I had looked around the settings menus for what felt like hours before I found those button's settings (see Sachin Shekhar's answer below). Glad to hear I wasn't the only one having trouble :-)

Sadly, the current version of Dolphin HD (V8) no longer offers the option to move it. Text is generally left-justified. Why isn't the button default to possibly hide content on the right?

And then they brought it back. While I appreciate being able to move it again, I sure would like if they just stopped messing with it.

Tap the gesture button to bring gesture drawing screen. On this screen, you can find a Gear icon in bottom-right corner. Tap it and you'll find 1st option on next screen for changing position.

On the Nexus 7 it is similarly hidden, you select

The gear
Gesture settings
Scroll to bottom <--
Change entry location
Select from (left,right,hidden)
Enjoy :-)


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Android tablet booting issue (Sanei n80)
I bought Sanei N80 android tablet two months back(android 2.3).I tried to root using z4root app.It stuck in the middle so i switched off and switched on the tablet.Now the tablet is not booting up stays in the splash screen (refer attached screenshot1.png). I also tried to reboot it using recovery mode, again its stuck and displaying warning icon with android image (refer attached screenshot2.png). I am pasting the logs for reference.
Kindly please please please help.I don't know how to proceed.
Log, while normal booting.
D/AndroidRuntime( 1309): >>>>>> AndroidRuntime START com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit <<<<<<
D/AndroidRuntime( 1309): CheckJNI is OFF
D/dalvikvm( 1309): creating instr width table
D/dalvikvm( 1309): DexOpt: incorrect opt magic number (0xff ff ff ff)
D/dalvikvm( 1309): ODEX file is stale or bad; removing and retrying (/data/dalvik-cache/system@framework@framework.jar@classes.dex)
D/dalvikvm( 1309): Zip inflate: partial write (will retry): (4056 of 32768)
E/dalvikvm( 1309): Zip inflate: write failed: No space left on device
E/dalvikvm( 1309): Unable to extract+optimize DEX from '/system/framework/framework.jar'
D/dalvikvm( 1309): Unable to process classpath element '/system/framework/framework.jar'
E/JNIHelp ( 1309): Native registration unable to find class 'android/debug/JNITest'
E/AndroidRuntime( 1309): Unable to register all android natives
I/ServiceManager( 79): service 'media.camera' died
I/ServiceManager(79): service 'media.audio_flinger' died
I/ServiceManager( 79): service 'media.player' died
I/ServiceManager( 79): service 'media.audio_policy' died
I/Netd ( 1311): Netd 1.0 starting
I/ (1310): ServiceManager: 0xacb0
E/AudioHardware( 1310): Can't load libsecril-client.so
D/AudioHardwareInterface( 1310): setMode(NORMAL)
I/CameraService( 1310): CameraService started (pid=1310)
I/AudioFlinger( 1310): AudioFlinger's thread 0xc7b8 ready to run
D/AudioHardware( 1310): AudioStreamOutALSA::setParameters() routing=2
D/AudioHardware( 1310): ### setVoiceVolume_l

screen shot one
Screen shot two

The screenshots didn't come through.  I suggest hosting them somewhere (photobucket.com for example) and then posting links to the pictures here.

I have posted the screenshots

z4root is for android version 2.2, as versions such as honeycomb have such methods of rooting patched. Try a hard reset.

I did it mistakenly :( any other way to make it boot again.

So do you still want to root your device?

No, i don't want to root it again.I need to make it work. Any help would be appreciated

I've updated my answer.


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Recognize and tag mp3s
Are there any Android applications which will recognize my mp3s from a directory and tag them automatically?
Some of my mp3s have wrong file names and tags. I want to organize them correctly.

There are many PC apps that will do this. You could simply plug your phone into your computer, mount the SD card, and configure the app to search the sd card.
I haven't tried this myself, but I found an app on the market called DroiID3Tagger that appears to automatically tag mp3s. There are plenty of others that allow you to edit the tags manually.

Could please let me know some good PC apps which can do this? Thanks in advance...


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Is there a way to organize the numbered MP3's from Google Play?
Music purchased from Google Play is stored on my phone as untagged, numbered MP3 files. Is there a way to get the information Play has about these MP3 files, then rename them and set the ID3 tag so that other applications can easily use these files?

For what it's worth, if you download songs via a web browser or the Music Manager application to a PC they will be appropriately named and tagged (mine are, anyway). I get the impression that the "offline" feature of Play Music is intended more for pre-caching than true downloading, so they didn't really bother to do it in a way that makes the files generically useful.

That's nice to know, and it would be an adequate workaround, but I'd still prefer an app that would organize them directly on the phone.

The Official Google Play Music app will download music as untagged, numbered MP3 files, as you said, and uses an internal mapping method to know which MP3 is which.
However, the app Offline Music Importer should do what you want. It is free for the first 50 songs; after 50 it costs $2.49 to unlock.
A description from their app page:

Why you need this app:
When you make your Google Play Music media available offline, you are storing cached music files in a special folder on your device. The media provider service within Android can’t see the music in there. Even if it could, the file names are meaningless and they don’t have any ID3 tags. The service would not know what the song title is, what album it belongs to, what track number it is, not even the artist. The files are just raw music. For all those reasons, you can’t play those files properly in any other music player except the Google Play Music player.
This app gathers those meaningless music files, applies the proper ID3 tags and artwork, moves the files to your /Music folder on the sdcard, and updates the Media Provider. All your imported music will be available to any music player installed on the device.

I would like to add that this app is free for the first 50 songs, then costs $2.49 to unlock.

Updated to reflect this information.

This app seems no longer available.


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Recover my SuperVault files
I had several files saved and encrypted on my Android phone using SuperVault.  I no longer have an Android phone but I do have my SuperVault folder with all the files.  Unfortunately I can't access them because they are encrypted.
Short of getting another Android phone (assuming I can move the files to another phone), is there any other way to recover my files?

Do you have any idea what the IMEI of your Android device was?

First, try to decrypt the encrypted vault on your PC/Mac using other encryption software (presuming, you've its password & encryption key). The encrypted vaults are generally universally compatible, but not necessarily.
If it doesn't work for you, setup an Android Emulator (virtual Android phone) using Android SDK. Enable Android Market in it. Install SuperVault & Dropbox using Market. Use Dropbox to download vault file in its virtual sdcard. Decrypt files & withdraw them using Dropbox.

According to the info on the play store, it won't be that simple.  Supervault uses the device+password method for its encryption, using the phone's IMEI, in addition to your password, as the keying to its top level encryption.  If you do happen to have the old device's IMEI, you'll need to patch and recompile the android emulator to allow you to set the IMEI.  If you don't have it, you're SOL unless you want to try to brute force the ~100 million possible IMEIs per device.


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How can you prevent a Kindle Fire from auto-mounting on a Mac when you plug it in to USB?
I've got a Kindle Fire and I like to plug it in to my Mac to charge up (and also to do some development.)  It works fine but it is annoying to have to unmount it every time.
Is there any way to prevent it from auto-mounting when you plug it into USB?

I don't know if this is related to your issue but check this out. Basically you could have another app on the system that is enabling that option for you...?

Check Your Phone it should show some setting named 'Connect to PC'. Change the "Default connection type" to "Charge only".

I figured this out.
This works with my 1st gen Kindle Fire and my Mac running OS X.
First, notice that the Kindle Fire mounts as the volume "KINDLE".
Second, realize that there is a file on your OS X installation called /etc/private/fstab which controls filesystem mounting.
Third, use the command sudo vifs in Terminal or otherwise edit the /etc/private/fstab file and insert the following lines:
# Kindle Fire
LABEL=KINDLE    none    msdos   rw,noauto

Fourth, try plugging in your Kindle Fire via USB.  It should not auto-mount anymore.
Bonus: this works for any Android device that auto-mounts when you plug it in.  My new HTC One (Verizon 32GB) auto-mounts HTC Sync Manager.  It uses the label "CDROM".  I added a similar line above, but substituting "CDROM" for "KINDLE" and now it stops prompting me to install HTC Sync Manager.  In this case, I inserted these lines into /etc/private/fstab
# HTC One
LABEL=CDROM     none    hfs     rw,noauto

There are some USB Cabes that don't support enough power to change data, so they just charge and don't mount. But I don't know how you could find them. Try google for it.


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Tablet Market: How to know if a game supports tablet size?
I'm shopping the android market on my tablet (TF Prime) but can't seem to find anywhere if an app/game support tablet size.
I don't want to spend money on a game that is zoomed so much that I can count the pixels =)
How to tell if an app in the market supports tablet size?

A new site purports to filter the Play Store to just show apps specifically for tablets: http://droidhorizon.com/tablified-market-hd/

One way is to ask the developer via the contact information provided in the application's Google Play page.
Where an application or game has a free- or paid-version, you could just try the free version.  Unless it's stated in the description that the paid version actually supports higher resolutions, it's usually a safe assumption that if the free version looks a certain way, the paid version will look similar.
A final way is to simply buy the application and try it within the 15 minute refund period.  If you're not pleased with the way the application or game is formatted for your screen, simply refund it.  Keep in mind, though, that you're only allowed to refund an app once.  If you re-install it after refunding, you will no longer have the option to refund and will be billed immediately.

Thanks, I like the refund option. I didn't know I could refund an app within 15 minutes. This way I can just try it out and see if it works well.

While not universally accurate, the easiest way to tell is to find apps with "HD" in the title; this is almost universally meant to mean "tablet optimized". This is most commonly done with games.
Hopefully in the future the market is sorted better and apps are developed better for tablets, but there currently is no sorting/filtering option or easy way to check if something is tablet optimized or not.
The Amazon App store is also a good place to look; all those apps are vetted to work well on the 7 inch Kindle Fire. Not the same size as the TF Prime but you can be sure they're not only designed for phones.

Thanks, I like the HD mark. I think it's a big design flaw of the market to not have filtering options for tablet sizes or support. Let's hope they will add it. For now I'm a bit wiser.

@Maurice it really is, unfortunately; it's something iOS does much better. Hopefully the ICS design documents will help make sure new apps start all being compatible with tablet and phone...but for now it's simply not the case.

Unfortunately at the moment is not possible filter the market by device resolution and maybe it will be never done, because Google does not test all apps and it relies on what publisher says. In addition could be not only a problem of resolution, sometimes the Tegra 2/3 chips are not still well supported by apps developer, or the problem could be related to ICS too.
I have an Asus Transformer (1280x800) and here are the rules that I try to follow before spending money on market:

As already suggested, if there is a FREE version of an app I try it first to check if is fully compatible with my tablet;
I always read the recent changelog to see if there are fixes especially targeted to ICS or Tablets/HD devices;
I check the User Reviews through Google Play website, so I can use my device filter to check reviews related to it:

In addition, if I look for tablets-ready apps, I check the page Featured Android Apps for Tablets;
You can do similar research through website dedicated to app reviews that support tablet filtering (like, for example, AndroidTapp)

Hope it helps!


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Run X11 natively via Chroot in Android?
Is it possible to run X11 natively in Android via Chroot ? Without any kind of VNC ?
Thanks.

Cf http://android.stackexchange.com/q/4426/13117 -- a question basically asking for the same solution.

I don't think it can be done, as a chrooted system is in some kind of jail, where it doesn't have access to your hardware (unless you mount the devices, probably). I always use Xnest for that purpose, but I doubt whether it's available for Android.

So you are asking about a native Android X server? That's the only article on a native X11 I found so far. All others seem to work with VNC somehow.
Not sure how the current state of the linked project is, as I could find no additional information (yet).


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Titanium Backup vs Android data backup
So somewhere along the line Android got a native "backup my data" option but I haven't gotten to use it. I used to use Titanium Backup and it was the main reason I rooted my phone, but I don't have Titanium or Root anymore.
Is there any significant difference in what's backed up between the native Android Backup from Google's servers vs the standard Titanium Backup? I mean a plain old backup, none of the freezing/bloatware melting/ect that Titanium also provides.
What do I end up with if my phone is bricked or I get a new phone and I restore from either platform?

I think you're better off using Titanium Backup if you want to ensure that when you restore your phone, you'll have exactly what you had when you performed the backup.  I find that Android's new built-in backup options are inconsistent.  For example, after re-installing some apps, some of the settings are magically maintained, however some data (usually authentication data) is no longer there.  I guess this is a good thing as storing everything in the cloud would be a bit scary, but when you use Titanium, there are no surprises: all of the data is restored.
Another benefit of Titanium is that you can do multiple backups at of a single app's data and restore any of those levels--not so for the built-in backup options.
So I'd advise using Titanium.

So it's mainly (or only) authentication data that's lost? That sounds consistent with iCloud (which I've had to restore from a few too many times)

This is usually the case.  However, because only some of the data is backed up (and because you have no control over when the backup occurs and when data is restored) it's a really good idea to perform your own backups, though.  This can guard you against outright data loss as well as data corruption--something that the built-in auto-backups do not really help you with.

True...maybe I'll have to try and see if Super One Click can root my phone yet

You should also be aware of the fact that for getting backed up by Google's "native" backup-to-cloud, an app must actively support that -- i.e. it must explicitely use the corresponding API, or it will not be included with those backups. While not all apps support this (<- euphemism), there's nothing excluded by Titanium Backup. As described, the latter backs up really everything -- while the former only backs up some data from some apps.
Another good thing to do from time to time is a full Nandroid backup, which is supported by most (all?) custom recovery images/modes (e.g. ClockWorkMod aka CWM). Once booted into Recovery, you can create a Nandroid backup (make sure to have enough free space on your sdcard), and having done this, you can move it from the card to your computer for safekeeping. If you've got enough space on your card, you could also keep the latest copy there: With Titanium backup, you can even extract single elements (such as a special app and its data) from a Nandroid backup. Or, if your system for some reason gets really messed up, you can restore it completely from this Nandroid backup -- again via the Custom Recovery.


text:
Is there a music player that can play music from the Google Music Store as well as Amazon MP3?
It's getting really annoying that the music I "buy" in the different music stores on Android (Google Play and Amazon MP3 specifically) aren't visible to other music players even when I make them available offline.
Are there any players out there that know to dig into these areas and make this music playable? It's really obnoxious to not have all my music in one place and have certain tracks tied to players I don't especially like.
The only solution I've come up with is to abandon getting new music when I'm out and about and download the tracks on a PC the old fashioned way and then add them to my music folder on my phone by hand. Surely there's something better that I haven't thought of yet.

Songs downloaded from Amazon's MP3 player app should be available to any music player on your device. They certainly are for me.

Have you tried CloudAround yet?  It's a music app that lets you listen to everything on your device as well as sync/stream from a few cloud storage providers.  This includes offline music you saved from Amazon MP3.  The app scans your device for all music files and gives you a handy list of everything available.  Once you login with the various cloud services, your music stored will show up too.


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Motorola Defy Plus - Apps are automatically closing few minutes after screen switches off
This is driving me crazy.
I just bought a new Motorola Defy Plus (MB526) this week and plugged in a 16 GB SD card to it. Like the features it offered like Moto-Blur and all that.
So after 2 days of use I dumped some songs to listen while traveling to office. I started the playlist (in Connected Music Player,i.e., the stock music player provided in defy plus) to listen to music. But after 30 seconds or so phone goes to standby and song continues. But before song duration is complete, the sound shuts off. If I check the phone there is no app running. I tried listening to radio, and it was same thing with radio as well. I thought it was some sleep timer problem in music player, but I did not find any settings to do so. I browsed for solution in many places in Internet. But could not find solution. I found similar problem for Android v2.2. But my phone has Android v2.3.6. In between I tried using other apps such as Live 365 and Remote for VLC. Live 365 felt like it ran for little longer but even that closed too. Same problem persisted for Remote for VLC also, i.e., it's active for a while. After 5-7 minutes or so the app has closed completely.
Can I solve this problem by enabling Factory Reset? If I reset using that, I know that apps I installed will go away, and that is not a problem with me. But will the stock apps provided by Motorola go away too?
Sometimes I found the irritating Voice Command(I dont know what is called exactly, maybe - Listen app) window popping up. How should I turn that off?

Are you using any task killers or "RAM free-up" type of apps?  Those may be interfering with Android's built-in memory management.  Also, if I remember correctly, MotoBLUR has its own version of a task killer (forget its name) which may be set too aggressively and is causing the phone to end active tasks.

Yes there is stock app - Task Manager. In that Connected Music Player, Live 365, Remote for VLC along with other apps were in auto-end-task list. I removed them from that list. In Live 365 there is delay in playing for every 2 minutes or so. Remote for VLC is ok now. But problem still persists for Connected Music Player

Installed MixZing Media Player just now. It is playing fine in stand-by mode (played 3 songs in standby mode, thats around 10 minutes). Now I think, I should use this third party player only. Even for FM Radio should I depend on third-party app?

Go to task manager icon from round lighted main icon at bottom center of phone. Once task manger is running , click on auto end list and remove your connect music app or any other app that plays music. Thats it.
Also notice before you do the operatino above that musics would stops playing after about 2 minutes. Because that is the default setting for the auto end list in the task manager app.

Yup you are right. I did that long time back. And its working. I almost forgot about this post thanks for the answer.


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Samsung GT-I5500 hangs after boot
After booting I receive this message:
Process system is not responding:
1. Close
2. Wait

Whatever I choose I got only black screen.
I'm using official unbranded latest rom -> 2.2.
List of installed apps.

Can you clarify - what "official unbranded latest rom" are you referring to?

How long are you waiting? Sometimes it can take a really long time to load.
What you'll probably have to end up doing:
Turn off your phone, then start up in Safe Mode by pressing and holding the big black dpad key plus the power button. Keep pressing them until you see "Safe Mode" on the screen. Uninstall any apps you've installed since your last restart. If you're rooted, do a nandroid backup first.

The OP's handset is not rooted!


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What does "fastboot oem lock" do?
I've had my phone for months, loading with several firmware, ROMs and OTAs, without ever running this command.  What does it do?
What I know is that "fastboot oem unlock" displays the confirmation screen and obliges me to wipe my device data, and that "fastboot oem unlock" is the first step to flashing firmware unto my phone.
Am I okay not relocking my phone?

Simply put, fastboot oem lock puts your bootloader into a mode that prevents you from overwriting your recovery image, without a subsequent  fastboot oem unlock.  This serves as a security precaution, primarily where the default recovery and firmware is installed.
Because:

The default recovery will only allow manufacturer/Google signed firmware to be installed and doesn't allow you to do much of anything else.
Unlocking the bootloader will erase all data.

....you can rest assured that, under this configuration, no one can take your phone and, say, bypass a screen lock by installing a custom firmware where the security considerations are different.
Note that as this merely locks in your recovery, and then again only from bootloader-overwrites, this is most useful where the recovery is stock, and the installed ROM is an official one that has no security vulnerabilities.  This is important because in most recoveries, and in some ROMs, there are ways to clandestinely access data via USB, bypass security settings with fixed button presses or unpatched backdoors, or install custom recoveries.

A locked bootloader on many/most devices will not allow you to flash any partition on the device unless the partition image is properly signed with the manufacturer's signing keys. On some devices I think it also disables the fastboot boot command (I recall that from the Xoom, I think).

I wanted to fastboot oem lock my Nexus 5X phone and a prompt appeared, that this would do a factory reset too. I knew that unlocking would do that, but I would have not expected that to happen during a lock procedure.

I used this command on my OnePlus 7T Pro. It is essentially a factory reset. Apps, data, everything. I did it because I wanted to use Google Pay and couldn't while unlocked. I had OEM ROM installed and everything backed up so it worked out. Make sure you back up. Especially 2FA like Google Authentication if you use it. If you are using a custom ROM I wouldn't advise doing this.

From this xda thread by albundy2010
I have seen quite of few people screw up their devices by not knowing what they are doing. So I am making this thread to simply tell people not familiar with fastboot what they should and should not do.

Fastboot oem unlock will unlock your bootloader and do a complete wipe of your device. As far as I know the only way for something to go
  wrong here is if you're device is low on battery and shuts off during
  the process. Either plug it in or have a "good" amount of juice left
  in your battery. To be 100 percent sure plug it in.
Before I get into oem lock IMHO you should only use this command for
  one thing only. Getting the device ready to send into motorola for the
  LGT upgrade or a another warranty repair or some sort. When done
  properly it is completely safe but there is no reason to do to go back
  to "stock".
Fastboot oem lock. Do not issue this command unless you are absolutely sure you have the correct software on your device. The
  correct software is what you get from the motodev site for your
  device. You need the official sofware images for your specific device
  AND REGION. If it is not released then DO NOT re-lock the device. If
  you have a OTA installed you will need to flash back to the motodev
  images first.

this doesn't really explain what fastboot oem lock does. it only explains one use case in which you would want to do it. "there is no reason to do to go back to stock" seems a bit extreme. There are plenty of reasons why someone would want to run a stock OS.

I agree with davidbb on both of his points. =)

I'm reading this as there being a present danger if fastboot oem lock is attempted on devices with OTA installed or with OS otherwise altered. @roxan please clarify

I had to use fastboot oem lock on my Galaxy Nexus. At my unlocked device I couldn't see the filesystem in explorer (MTP).

I strongly disagree. MTP and an unlocked bootloader don't correlate in any way. unlocking is for installing non-original firmware. relocking enhances your security (protects against evil maid attack)

The command locks your bootloader. What the consequences are really depends on your device. Most devices enable signature-verification for the boot partition (kernel) which prevents you from booting any kernels not signed by device manufacturer (unless you exploit some security breaches like 2nd boot). They also disallow you to flash any partition via 'fastboot flash' command, but not on all devices.
So no, you are not okay with relocking your phone: If you use custom firmware, you typically use a custom kernel and in this case, re-locking your bootloader via 'fastboot oem lock' will put your device in a state where it will not boot anymore! Be careful with that.

Oopsie i glanced at this but didn't read it till after I relocked .... so did I just brick my LG ;-(( ?? It was working so good


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How to localize Android OS for new locale
I've been looking for the Android "localization project", assuming that there is one (like you have for LibreOffice or Mozilla) but so far, I have only found thousands of pages about localizing apps, but nothing about the operating system itself. Which suggests it's more complicated than I expected...

Assuming that it can be localized, anyone know if end users can then download and install such a new locale on their phones? I'm under no illusions about Scottish Gaelic ever getting shipped by default :/
If the answer is yes, then does anyone know how the localization process for Android actually works and where I need to go?

Thanks!

That depends on manufacturer. What's your device?

You'll need a copy of the OS with the needed locale. Since it's part of the OS it can't be added by a simple app download or anything. You can Spoof your locale string on any device but that app doesn't actually offer localizations beyond what shipped on your phone; it won't translate system text ect unless your phone has those localizations native.
As per the Android SDK docs:

Note: The Android platform may support more locales than are included in the SDK system image. All of the supported locales are available in the Android Open Source Project.

You'll have to reflash your device with a system image that has your locale; the Android Open Source Project includes more locales but you/someone would have to actually compile them into a working system image/ROM. Making it work on your device is also another matter; ideally if your manufacturer has another official ROM out there with the locale on it you want, you should find that ROM and use it.
Unfortunately I don't know of any sites that have ROMs by supported locale.


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Cannot connect to Facebook, hosts file seemingly ignored
I have a Motorola Atrix.
My country used to block Facebook, so I decided to add its ip to the /etc/hosts file about 3 months ago and it worked in the browser, but the Facebook app did not.
Now my country has unblocked Facebook so I would like to clear my hosts file and use Facebook as normal. However, my phone cannot connect to Facebook normally even after I performed a factory reset. Other devices still work without the modified hosts file.
Also, if I add some test lines to the hosts file such as:
127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.0.1 test

then try to ping test in a terminal emulator it returns unknown host.
Is my hosts file being ignored? Did I miss something? I have OTA Root Keeper and it seemed to keep root after I did a factory reset. Did it keep something related to networks, too?

Could you include exactly what you enter to perform your ping test and into which program?  If the host file looks like what you provided and a ping of, say facebook.com results in unknown host that would imply that your DNS server is still trying to hide Facebook and that the host file is indeed being observed.  If your ping test was of test keep in mind that (at least what I've read is that) you may need to restart your phone after modifying the hosts file.  I must admit I haven't actually done this but I have read other reports where some programs actually cache DNS results.

I use Terminal emulator to do that (with root permission)

I already restart it

What did you use to edit the hosts file?

Before that I copy it to another folder, modify it then copy it back. When I remove host data, I delete it then create a new blank one :D

I have OTA Root Keeper and it seemed to keep root after I did a factory reset - Performing a factory reset will not unroot you because it will not touch the /system partition. I don't think it will modify /etc either, which could be why it did not reset your hosts file.

I meant what application on what device (phone/pc)           @eldarerathis yes you're correct /etc is actually /system/etc.

@RichardBorcsik I type the following command on Terminal Emulator: echo "127.0.0.1 localhost" >> /etc/hosts

Do you know if your friends can use the facebook app on their devices in your country? There's a small chance that the country unblocked the main facebook domain, for example, but forgot to unblock other domains used by the facebook app. Just throwing out ideas.

Yes, my friend can use FB for now. no bloking anymore. It's just my phone did not forget the host setting. I just want to clear it .....

It's just like the host file my phone used is not the host file it see in /etc/hosts anymore.

Go to the Applications menu in settings -- at least that what I think it's called on Gingerbread, on on ICS it's just Apps -- select the Facebook app and clear the cache as well as the data. Then go to the /Android folder on your SD card and delete anything starting with com.facebook.
Finally, reboot your phone. If your problem was related to the Facebook app it should now be fixed.

I've already do a factory reset. Did not work at all :(

I didn't even mention a factory reset. In particular, a factory reset doesn't affect the SD card.

Already try, caan not connect to fb services :(

The point is not only facebook app, but I've try fb in browser... Cannot connect either.
I just wanto get rid of the host file...

Using a root explorer application, navigate to /system/etc and delete anything that is named hosts including any backups, then restart the device.
You may also need to clear the facebook app data as well.

Tried, not work. I have to unlock bootloader then reinstall OS :(


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Change IMAP folder subscriptions on default email client
I've set up an IMAP account in the default email client (android 2.2.1), and have added and removed some folders on the IMAP folder. How do I change the android email settings to subscribe to these new folders?

Email APP
If you are referring to the APP named "Email", you don't have to make any adjustments, the subscription process is fully automated, I just test.
Ps: No options available on this application for that type of settings, perhaps the reason as to why its fully automated and by default in sync.

Gmail APP
If you are referring to the Gmail APP, you need to:

Open the APP
Tap your device "menu"
Tap "more", then "settings"
Tap your account
Scroll down until you find "Sync inboxes and labels", and tap
A list should appear with all your folders, tap over the ones you need to Sync and select the desirable option.


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Stop Bluetooth Auto Sync Contacts to Pioneer Avic Z140
Am running Cm7.1.  I have about 2,000 contacts. My Nexus One and Pioneer headunit insist on exchanging all 2,000 contacts if my Android Contacts "Display Options" are set to "My Contacts." Problem is that this really makes Voice Recognition unusable (too many contacts to parse).
To get around this, I created a "Car" label in Gmail for the 21 contacts I want. If I change the "Display Options" to just "Car," only the 21 contacts are synced and VR works great. Problem is that when not in the car, I would like "My Contacts" to visible on my phone.
I would like to sync only the "Car" label, or only sync manually. I can't figure out a way to control this.

The filtered contacts list solves this problem, but unfortunately if you are like me you are constantly needing to look at the larger list of contacts and you will not remember to turn the filter back on afterwards. So when you get back into the car, it will start sending the whole list again. I just found a workaround.
There are a ton of alternative contact apps in the marketplace that will sync to your gmail contacts. I installed GO Contacts EX https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jbapps.contactpro&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5qYmFwcHMuY29udGFjdHBybyJd
It appears that the bluetooth address book is only controlled by the stock contacts app, which I've left filtered. I banished the stock app from my home screen/launcher. All good now.


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How to check success status of opened URL in Tasker?
In Tasker, I have created a profile to open a URL when I visit certain place during certain time. It works.. When conditions are met, my default web browser (Dolphin) is opened to handle that URL visit.
I have setup another profile to kill Dolphin when I leave that place or time duration ends (whichever comes first).
Now, I want to make logic flow more complex: If URL fails to load, don't kill Dolphin.
How to check that URL was opened successfully or not? The rest I can do by myself.

You could use an "HTTP Get" action to query the site.  The response code sent back by the website is stored in the %HTTPR variable.  So %HTTPR = 200 means the site loaded sucessfully.  You can then make the rest of your task conditional on that variable, eg. IF %HTTPR = 200 THEN Go Home (or however you are "closing" Dolphin).  I know that %HTTPR is dependent on the mime type of the HTTP Get request so you'll have to tweak that a bit, and you may choose to look for different response codes to trigger different actions.
There's probably other ways to do it but it would depend on the site you are trying to reach.

This is just like pinging web service status of server. I need to open webpage so that I could see it.

Yes I realize that and assumed that you were doing that with the "Browse URL" action.  The HTTP Get action would be a separate action and while it is not exactly checking to see if the site loaded in the Dolphin browser, it stands to reason that if you are opening http://google.com in a browser and at the same time you send an HTTP Get request http://google.com and get the proper response, it probably loaded in the browser with no problem.  I'm not aware of any scenario where Tasker could communicate with the server but Dolphin can't.

There may be other ways to do what you want to do but I'd have to know more about the site(s) you that you'll be loading and how Tasker could interact with them before I could offer and other suggestions.

Its my own website with plain HTML generated by PHP after fetching data from MySQL database. Please, advise. GET method is fine, but its not the reliable way.

How about having your site load a cookie and then use the Test action to check for the specific cookie file. I'm not sure where cookies are stored but you'll probably have to be rooted.


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Autopublish album in Google+ photos
Okay, in spite of the hate being heaped on by iPhone elitists, I have installed Instagram on my Android phone and have started playing with it a bit.
How can I get my Instagram photos to automagically appear in a public album in Google+ Photos?
Felicia Day, for instance, has a public Instagram album.
I can see, on my phone, an Instagram album (which was automatically created by the app), but there is no such album in my Google+ Photos. The options for the phone album do not include a "make public" option, and there's nothing in the Instagram settings. At best, the photos are appearing in the default "Photos from your phone" album.
I know that I can manually share them, either through the website by making a public album and moving/copying them there, or using the Share features on my Android, but I'd rather have something automatic.
Is this possible, or just a pipe dream?
(Cross-posted at Web Applications.)

"That girl"? That's funny. She mentioned that she's using instaport.me, but all that does right now is offer to let you export your Instagram photos in a zip file. She's obviously not doing it automatically at the moment.

You can use IFTTT (If This Than That) and setup a recipe that auto posts from Instagram to a specific Picasa album online. This doesn't require you to leave anything open. Then you can set your Instagram album in Google+ to be public. You will need to follow the directions found here.
The only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to share something to my timeline whenever a new post arrives into that album.

Well yes, that's what I did. (Shouldn'ta cross-posted.)

hehe, sorry, it was and old post and I was searching myself. 8^D Did you ever get your album to auto post to your stream once your photo was uploaded?

No, but I'm okay with that. I'd rather have a bit more control.

Someone posted a how-to recently to do exactly what you're asking for.

You'll need a few tools to get started here, and luckily they are
  available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. This method uses Dropbox and
  Picasa3 to keep things synced up, and a side benefit is that photos
  are available from anywhere -- not just the device that took them.
To get started, you need to install the Dropbox client on your home
  computer. If you already have a Dropbox account, you can use the same
  login and you'll find that having Dropbox installed on your computer
  is a good thing anyway. Just visit this link and download the correct
  version for your computer platform. Install it, and you're done with
  the first step.
Next, you'll need to install the Picasa3 program from Google. It's a
  pretty good photo organizer and viewer, but what we're interested in
  is the way it can sync a folder to your Google+ photos. This is where
  the magic will happen. Visit this link and download the appropriate
  version, and install it. Windows and Mac users have it easy, but if
  you're running Linux you'll need to install Wine 1.3 or higher, and
  use winetools to install the bits from ie6 to get the account Oauth
  working. There's plenty of tutorials on the net for this, and if you
  hit a snag, holler at me.
Got those installed? Good. You're just about finished. The next step
  is to visit Instadrop and setup the Instagram to Dropbox sync.
  Instadrop is a web-app, running on Google's appspot engine, and is
  what makes this all work. You'll link the Instadrop app to both your
  Instagram account and your Dropbox account, and anytime you post a
  picture to Instagram it will get copied to a folder named "Instagram
  photos". All you need to do is link your accounts, and the app does
  the rest. You can do that here, and if you're the suspicious type, you
  can inspect the source code on Github and see exactly what's going on.
A couple final steps setting up Picasa and your Google+ album. Open
  the Picasa program, and click File > Add folder to Picasa. In your
  Dropbox folder, find the Instagram photo directory (if it's not there,
  upload a picture to Instagram to create it) in the tree and mark it to
  "Scan Always" (the blue circular arrow). This means that Picasa will
  hit that folder each time it scans for new content, and automagically
  import any pictures it finds. Click the OK button.
Now in the Picasa program, look in the upper right. You'll see a spot
  to sign-in with your Google account. Do that, and make sure the Sync
  to Web switch for the Instagram photos folder is set to on. Open your
  Google+ page, and make sure the Instagram photos album is set up to be
  shared with the folks you want to share it with, and that's it.
What's happening is that anytime you post a picture to your Instagram
  stream, the Instadrop web-app pushes it to the Instagram photos folder
  in your Dropbox. When your computer is on, Picasa uploads it to your
  Google+ album. Is it perfect? Not by a long shot. But it's a way to
  get that content merged without waiting for Google to have a public
  API for content posting and sharing on G+ from third party apps.
Note that these pictures aren't shared to your Google+ stream be
  default. Until we get some sort of G+ API from Google, that's not
  going to happen (at least not easily). But if you share your album,
  people can visit and check them out, and of course you can easily
  share a photo from the album yourself. Click on it and hit the Share
  button in the bottom right.

Ick. I saw that how-to and it's a no-go for me. I really don't want to keep Picasa on all of the time, for one thing. But thanks. If nothing else comes up this looks like my best option.


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How can I change the behavior of the volume buttons vs. the orientation of the screen
On the Acer Iconia A200, when you change the orientation of the screen, the function of the volume rocker flips. In landscape mode, with the volume rocker on the right side and at the top, you find that 'down' on the rocker turns down the volume.
Now, flip the device 90 degrees left to a portait orientation, with the volume rocker on the top left. Now the same press that was 'down' before is 'right' and it turns the volume UP.
In other words, the action of the volume rocker is sensitive to the orientation of the device.
I haven't found any way to control this yet in the settings - is there any way to change this behavior? I'll eventually get used to it, but for the moment it's driving me batty.
Added: After seeing Zuul's answer talking about the gpio_keys.kl file, AND getting a bluetooth keyboard, I did some experimenting. When using a bluetooth keyboard, the bluetooth vol up/down buttons are independent of tablet orientation. So either some bit of software checks where the key is coming from and remaps or not as appropriate, OR the swap is happening at some lower layer (i.e. before it becomes a key code).

How things currently work
The Android OS uses a file to map the volume buttons in order to know what to do when they get pressed:
The file:
/system/usr/keylayout/gpio-keys.kl

Contains two lines for the volume buttons:
key 115 VOLUME_UP WAKE_DROPPED
key 114 VOLUME_DOWN WAKE_DROPPED

They aren't "orientation sensitive", just like their physical position on the device.
The issue you're facing, many other tablet owners face, that has to do with the logical position on the action. If we press the down part of the button, the volume should go down, but depending on the orientation, the down part actually raises the volume.
I do believe that the device rotation should account for factors such as this, as to prevent users from having to "create" weird habits for a simple "lower the volume" action. But on the other hand, that's why the volume buttons on your tablet are punctuated by three raised dots for easy tactile recognition.

Possible solution for rooted devices
Since this buttons in order to be changed need to be altered at a "system level", the action must be performed with root privileges on the device.
While the following two solutions cannot deal with orientation-specific scenarios, they are useful to remap the buttons as to have them adjusted to the tablet orientation in which we get most confused about:

Application: ButtonRemapper - Beta v0.2.4

Tool to remap the hardware buttons. Or better: a generic tool to edit the key layout map file Android uses to map the keys.

XDA Developers forum thread with extensive details by the author

Manual Edit of the file: gpio-keys.kl:

With a root File Manager, travel to /system/usr/keylayout and long touch the file gpio-keys.kl;
From the pop up menu, select "Properties";
Change the file permissions to rw-rw-rw- in order to be able to alter its contents;
After having the new permissions, open the file with a text editor;
Search within the file for the following two lines:
key 115 VOLUME_UP WAKE_DROPPED
key 114 VOLUME_DOWN WAKE_DROPPED

Update the lines by swapping the key numbers so it becomes:
key 114 VOLUME_UP WAKE_DROPPED
key 115 VOLUME_DOWN WAKE_DROPPED

Save the changes and reboot your tablet.

You should now have the actions of the volume up/down buttons toggled as they best fit your portrait orientation.
To undo it, just reverse these directions.
Credits for the file edit solution are attributed to user jbeige from thriveforums.org.

After reading your device manual, other tablet manuals and the specifications from the Android OS, this are the best solutions I was able find to work around your issue.

I think you've missed the question a bit. You see, on this device they ARE orientation sensitive. I have two buttons - '1' and '2'. When the tablet is in landscape mode with the buttons on top, '2' lowers the volume, and '1' raises it. When the tablet is in portrait mode, with the buttons on the right, '1' lowers the volume and '2' raises it. This orientation sensitivity is a SERIOUS pain in the neck because I have other devices that DON'T posses this feature, making it devilishly hard to change the volume when I switch devices. Also, see my edits about bluetooth keyboards.

This feature is cooked into the ROM, itself, so it will be entirely dependent on what the chef cooked into the ROM.
You can find ROMs such as CM9 and AOKP that have various options for the volume rocker--- but forcing the rockers to stay static on devices like this where it changes is not one I've ever seen.

Please don't call CM and AOKP cooked roms and it's developers chefs. Cooking a rom is modifying it with a zip tool - something that's trivial and looked down.

Button Savior is an application which will provide you on screen soft keys for all your device's hard keys.  Though it requires rooted device, some features are claimed to be working with non-rooted devices.  The paid version will allow you to customize the soft keys including its position. Please give a try.

Not the solution for me - I don't like adding extra on-screen controls.


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Disable "vibrate" in lock screen
When in lock-screen, I have to move the middle circle over the "lock" on right hand side. The device vibrates 3x during it - is it possible to disable all the vibrations?
(Using ICS)

No, this is not an option.
Actually this seems like a bug as this should be controlled by the option, Vibrate on Touch under Sound in the settings.  Either that, or the option Vibrate  on Touch should remain visible when setting the screen security option to Slide in the Security part of the settings.
You may want to report this as a bug to the Android team using the Android Issue Tracker.

Settings - sound & notification - Other sounds

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Although above steps may help answer the question, you should include relevant details in your own words, explaining how it is done, and add screen shots to exactly locate the settings to make your answer more constructive!


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Galaxy Nexus going into Airplane mode on its own
Sometimes I will notice that my phone has no signal and if I hold the power button down it will tell me it is in airplane mode.  To fix it I need to reboot the phone.
Clicking the airplane mode option once, waiting and clicking it again will fix it but often not.  While in this mode wi-fi continues to work fine, just connectivity to the phone network is gone.
This is a pain because I could be missing calls etc while this is going on.
If the phone is put into airplane mode by me I get the little plane icon.  This does not happen when it goes into airplane mode on its own.

From what you described, I don't think it's because the phone is going to airplane mode, it seems more likely that only the 3G connection our the cell connection goes bad and toggling airplane mode causes the phone to try to reconnect to the access point. Without further details, it's hard to figure out what's wrong with your device; best bet is to call your provider's customer service while this is happening from a second phone and ask them if your phone is registered to the cell towers and if they see something abnormal with the connection.

Might be the same issue is this.  http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/21376/my-galaxy-nexus-cant-hold-on-to-a-signal


text:
How can I save contacts on the SIM card alone by default?
Using ICS, is it possible to store and use all my contacts on SIM only?
If it is possible I don't really want to copy all my contacts to the phone and I would prefer all the new contacts to be stored only on SIM card.

Note, that while saving on the SIM, you can store far fewer entries and each entry would correspond to ONE number so multiple phone numbers for a single contact would still occupy multiple slots and capacity. Also, other fields like address, birthday, email etc. can't be used.

Yes, that's ok.

You haven't mentioned which phone you use.
Unsure about ICS, but on Gingerbread, go to Contacts - press MENU > MORE > SETTINGS > SAVE CONTACTS to - SIM
This is available on newer versions though, YMMV.

I don't have such menu path... There is no "MENU > MORE > SETTINGS > SAVE CONTACTS to - SIM". I'm running 4.0.2.

Same here. No Settings menu at all. There are five options: "view group", "fast call", "accounts", "import/export" and "view profile" that all. No settings.


text:
Why did the Market app disappear on its own, and how can I get it back?
The Market application recently disappeared from my device. I did not install any OTA updates or other system upgrades to cause this. Why has the Market disappeared on its own, and how can I get it back?

Google officially renamed the Market (and its associated products) to Google Play, which they announced on March 6th. Google Play encompasses all of the content distribution/sales services previously provided by Google such as music, movies, and apps. Due to this rebranding, the various Android apps have also been renamed:

Google Music is now Play Music
Google Books is now Play Books
Google Movies/Videos is now Play Movies
The Market is now the Play Store

The last one I've bolded because it will update itself, meaning that the Market will suddenly seem to "disappear". In reality, the application has simply been renamed, so open your app drawer and look for the "Play Store" app instead of the "Market" app. The icon will resemble the same shopping bag as the Market icon, but it will be white:

The other three will not update on their own, but can be updated from within the Play Store as per usual. The functionality and visual design of the Play Store app is almost identical to that of the most recent Market app versions (3.4+ or so). Again, it is simply a renaming/rebranding of the original Market app.
However, if the Market did get completely uninstalled for some other reason (not associated with the Play Store update), you may need to look at Android Market disappeared! How do I get it back? which also discusses how to re-install the Market.


text:
How can I wipe data with no display ( e.g. magnet )?
I dropped my phone and broke the LCD. Now I can turn the phone on ( I feel the little quick vibrate that happens when you power the phone on ) but I have no display at all.
I got a replacement with the insurance plan, but I need to send the broken phone back. How can I wipe my data? Can I just rub a magnet all over it? How big a magnet?
Any other options? I thought about trying to navigate to the bootloader's reset function without being able to actually see what I'm doing, but I won't know if I succeed or not, and there are a few menus to navigate.
I also was going to ssh to the phone, but apparently I never made it so sshd starts automatically ( doh! ).
Any ideas?

can you boot it in fastboot mode?

You can't use ssh but is USB debugging enabled so that you can use adb? Do you have a custom recovery installed? Is the phone rooted?

Flash storage is not affected in any way by magnet. I guess you'd better liaise with the insurance provider how best to deal with the situation, they probably may arrange a licensed technician to physically disconnect the flash storage in front of you (probably at a price).

A less invasive method if your device supports video out, try connecting the video out cable.

Assuming USB Debugging is on connect it to the computer via USB and wipe it with ADB.  If that doesn't work you could throw it in the microwave.

But, its not reliable as you can see in accepted answer. Plus, it has side-effects too..

Yikes... is it safe to microwave a device like that? Seems like a bad idea... even just for the microwave.

Dunno, never done it and I'm going to try to keep it that way, but if I were in the OP's position I probably would risk the microwave.

Go to recovery mode of device and wipe data from there. In recovery mode, you need to work with physical keys (touchscreen doesn't work in this mode even in normal situation). Generally, volume keys are used for navigation and home key for Enter/OK.
How to click wipe data option when I can't see it.
See YouTube video of your recovery mode or check it in your friends' device. You can really do it after learning series of keys which needs to be pressed. E.g. down key 5 times, then home key, then down key 3 times and again home key.
How to ensure I am in Recovery Mode when I miss it many times even after proper key combination?
After you think you should be in recovery, leave device idle. If you hear boot music, remove battery, re-insert it and try again.
How about SSH/FTP?
Its very difficult without working touchscreen because it needs particular app/service running on device.
What about other physics based methods like magnetic wiping?
What you see in hacking movies can't be applied in real world. Particularly, powerful magnets can affect data on hard disks. Device storage doesn't store data using magnetic attributes.
Even if you find something which could wipe data such way, I'd strongly not recommend it because there's no reason why it can't damage hardware capabilities if it can wipe data from flash storage. In the last, this part is off-topic on this site.


text:
is it possible to mask esn of a smartphone?
On a computer, it's possible to trick a server that you are using a different computer by masking MAC address.
Is there something like that for android?
Rooted phones have full access. So I'd think it should be possible.
I don't mean wi-fi mac address, I mean 4g/3g alternative to mac, I assume it's ESN.
If that is possible, than there is a security problem. Someone can pretend that they are using your phone. Of course, there is still Google account password but still, is this possible?

Since the nature of your question is simply "is this possible", the answer is yes, there are ways to spoof your ESN. Often this is a form of phone cloning, which is also simply referred to as ESN cloning. The concept is that you take one phone and then configure it to broadcast using the ESN of a different phone, effectively "cloning" the second as far as the network is concerned.
However, it's important to note that in most Western countries (and possibly elsewhere) doing this is illegal. In the US it is considered "cell phone fraud" or "subscriber fraud" and is covered on the FCC's website in some detail. I believe it's similar across much of Europe.

I read the fcc statement. In every instance it talks about a third party using a legitimate party's legitamate esn to make free calls. Their statement does not address a legitimate party who wishes to use their legitimate esn on a different cell phone they have legitimate possesion of. The problem as I see it is the programing for such things is beyond the capabilities of most people so most people would be subject to possible fraud and privacy issues in using software that possibly has code in it to do bad things with your private information.


text:
How to use "street view" in Google maps on Xperia Mini ST15i?
I'm unable to switch to the street view when using the Google maps on my android phone. I updated the Google maps to the latest version and also the street view but unable still though. I turned off the satellite view and tried but the street view was still disable. I tried to finding informative videos regarding this and some forums but they didn't helped me. I would really appreciated if any one help me about this.

To make absolutely sure that street view is disabled because of your hardware, try to access street view on a street in a major city.  There are some streets where street view hasn't been captured.  These are usually back streets in small towns.

@ctt it is not supporting anywhere for me.

Working ok for me on same handset, might be down to the fact I have ICS on it...

Most probably, Street View imagery is not available for your location (yet).

Cross check the web version with any PC for the same location that doesn't work on your phone
Check a well-supported Street View location such as Google HQ on your phone

It may take a couple of second for the Street View button to become enabled. Just leave the button for up to half a minute?

I leaved it at least for 1 minute but the button still disabled. :(

Check the tables of supported countries on Wikipedia. Most likely, Street View is not yet available where you live.

That is not an answer by referring to a linky to wikipedia - suggest you re-edit your answer!


text:
Wireless doesn't work on college campus
I can connect to the school's campus wifi, but when I try to get on Opera, it will not let me connect to any website. Apps that use the internet do not work. I get bars on the wifi. Usually, on the first connect from a new device, it will ask me to register my device. I am guessing that since I haven't registered with the new device, I cannot access the internet with any apps. The problem is that I usually get the page that asks me to register my new device when I try to connect to a website. Opera doesn't take me to that site, though. The wifi works on all other devices.
Edit: When I connect to the home wifi, it works.

Have you tried other browsers?  This sounds like it might be something your campus IT would have to sort out.

Yeah. Depending on the mode its in, and Opera will try to render sites using an intermediate server. This may not work out if your gateway is interfering with things in order to shoe you an authentication page. As Matt suggests, confirm that the stock browser also doesn't work. If it also gives problems and you're sure you're allowed to use the Wifi,  work with your IT folks.

You didn't specify whether you're using Opera Mini or Opera Mobile, Opera Mini uses compression proxy server to optimize the page for your device; and this almost invariably breaks in-browser wifi authentication page since the browser will try to connect to its proxy which it can't do because the gateway blocks access to the proxy until you authenticate. Opera Mobile by default do not use the compression proxy, but if you turn on the Turbo feature then it will use the proxy.
You still can use Opera Mini or Opera Mobile with Turbo if you authenticate using the regular Browser then switch to Opera.  If you're using Opera Mobile, then switch off Turbo temporarily for the authentication page.

I've seen some lame WiFi gateways (especially at hotels) that only intercept correctly for top-level URLs like "http://www.somesite.com", but more specific URLs like "http://www.somesite.com/this/that/another" don't work because they get redirected to "http://192.168.0.1/this/that/another" which doesn't work on the lame gateway.
So, try browsing to "www.google.com" or any other bare URL to trigger the login page.

I used to face the same problem for long time. But now I've got the solution. Very easy:
Go to Menu → Settings → Advanced → Protocol and choose HTTP only.
It works for me :)

Wi-fi is used for just wireless networking (not necessarily for internet sharing). So, if you get bars on wi-fi, it doesn't mean you've got internet access. Wi-fi can be used to share files or gaming, for example.
In your case, I suppose.. your school's campus wi-fi would be providing internet (the only purpose they advertise wi-fi campus). If you are unable to get to the internet, it means access control of wi-fi router is blocking you. Why? Ask wi-fi administrator. The probable reason: You haven't registered your device.
But, before asking wi-fi administrator, use Fing - Network Tools to check TCP connection with external host. If there's really a problem, contact wi-fi administrator. There's nothing more you can do.

Disclaimer: I answered after presuming that your apps can connect
  to internet over other wi-fi networks.

Reasons explaining downvote would be nice..


text:
Deleted Google Talk on accident
Okay, got a bit carried away in Root Explorer and deleted GTalk. Cant access Google Play. I tried reinstalling versions online, those crashed instantly. Then, i grabbed my ROM zip and pulled out Talk.apk and put it into system/App and installed it. Google Talk doesnt crashes anymore, but play still does. Any ideas? I am using a Virgin Mobile WFS.
Sorry for the lack of ' characters, my autocorrect on my phone is being weird.

Have you tried clearing Google Play cache and data?

I was just browsing around for this issue and found this,

    I had exacly the same trouble with Google Play and I have managed to revert it
    back to original working version of Android Market. In Options (Android system
    settings) go for Applications. Choose Google Play. Clean cached data. Remove this
    application. After these steps Google Play dissappeared from my droid and I could
    put back Android Market icon onto my desktop and I can use it for installing new
    programs.

Link to source : Link to forum


text:
Disable list "bounce" effect on Samsung Galaxy Mini
I have a Samsung Galaxy Mini (GT-S5570) with Froyo (Build FROYO.XWKE3 in case this is relevant). When scrolling a list it allows the list to scroll past the end, and then slowly scrolls it back.  This prevents me from using the technique I've used on other Android devices where I flick a list and let it hit the end in order to select an item from the last screen (it takes about a second for the position of items to settle down, which is really annoying, and I'm not accurate enough to select them while they're moving).  Is there any way (short of a custom ROM) of disabling this behaviour?

No - as you've correctly ascertained, a custom ROM is most likely your best bet. Also, the bounce effect is a Samsung "feature" - by default Android uses the glow effect to indicate the end of a list. I'm also unsure if this is a Froyo only feature, because IIRC, one of the UI updates was the glow effect, which Samsung did incorporate into their later ROM releases.


text:
How to import old SIM contacts to Galaxy Nexus?
I would like to import the contacts from my old phone to GN. I read this guide here, but there is no "Menu" in the People app. I'm running 4.0.2.
Please, does anyone know how to proceed? Why there is no "Menu" if the manual says there should be?

Ok, there has to be at least one other contact, then there are these "three dots".


text:
Transformer Prime, VPN and password protection
I have VPN connection on my Android tablet (Asus Transformer Prime) and it required me to set up a password protection for my tablet. I don't want to use any dummy passwords to open my tablet, so how can I disable that without deleting the VPN connection?

really desperate for a solution to this too. I have a feeling it might be something that needs patching so root would be necessary. Having to unlock my phone is a ball ache, I'd rather have it just ask for a password when I connect to the VPN, typical, non-configurable bad defaults

Those finding this a nuisance should vote for the bug at https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=41130 to request a fully supported fix. Especially since the current workarounds are arguably security holes and might be "fixed", leaving us stuck.

Found this, it's a hack but it works for on my galaxy nexus 2.1.2
Here's the steps:

Set your lock screen security to what you want, slide/none
Go to create VPN profile
Create a pattern lock
Setup VPN profile
Lock device
Unlock but input the wrong pattern until device locks for 30.
Tap "Forgotten Pattern"
Enter your google account details.
Cancel the "Screen Security" page
Now device will unlock without pattern requirement

Source: Connecting to VPN forces having secure screen lock

Awesome! Thanks!  It worked on HTC One S, but my tablet doesn't seem to have option to reset the pattern in the lock screen...?

Sorry, it required the slide protection instead of pin :)

Step #1)
Create security lock through Settings (pattern, pin, password).
Step #2)
Add VPN connections
Step #3)
Plug the phone in and run these commands (requires adb to be setup properly and drivers).  I am sure there is a way to do this directly on the phone but this is easier for me.
Commands to remove security:
adb shell
sqlite3 /data/system/locksettings.db
update locksettings set value=0 where name='lockscreen.password_type';
.exit
exit

http://www.teambamf.net/topic/4488-guidehow-to-use-vpn-in-jellybean-without-security-lock/

I did it directly on my (rooted) phone, using the same commands, in a terminal window, using the sqlite3 executable in my http://linuxonandroid.org/ environment. If you don't have sqlite3 on your phone, see http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3645319/why-do-i-get-a-sqlite3-not-found-error-on-a-rooted-nexus-one-when-i-try-to-op You might also try copying the locksettings.db file to your PC and running sqlite3 there. Of course, you need write access to /data/system. Sigh. Let's just say that if you're rooted and have sqlite3 installed, this is the way to go.

On some devices this settings is in settings.db: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/35847/can-not-unlock-my-android-device-as-have-no-internet-connection

After set value=0 and reboot my VPN page says: "type the password for credential storage"

Variant 1 - answer by kiiwii with locksettings.db
Variant 2 - settings.db, SYSTEM, lock_pattern_autolock
Variant 3 (when there's no lock_pattern_autolock in SYSTEM):
/data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db

SECURE

none:
lockscreen.disabled|1
lockscreen.password_type|65536
lock_pattern_autolock|0

slide:
lockscreen.disabled|0
lockscreen.password_type|65536
lock_pattern_autolock|0

pattern:
lockscreen.disabled|0
lockscreen.password_type|65536
lock_pattern_autolock|1

pin:
lockscreen.disabled|0
lockscreen.password_type|131072
lock_pattern_autolock|0

password:
lockscreen.disabled|0
lockscreen.password_type|262144
lock_pattern_autolock|0


text:
How to set up tablet to use a local DNS server thru VPN rather than Google's DNS?
I have a Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise server running in our home network. It has VPN functionality installed and fully working.
If I connect with a computer, the computer will get right DNS servers. If I connect with Android tablet (Asus Transformer Prime), the tablet will still use Google's DNS servers.
The problem with this is that I can't resolve local website addresses such as intranet. Getting the access to that site is more than necessary.
I want the (non-rooted) Android tablet to use the DNS servers provided by the VPN server.
How can I fix this?

You can do this from server side. As all DNS queries are going thru server, mapping Google DNS IP with your DNS IP would work..

You can solve this issue either from the Android side or from the Windows side:
From the Android side

Tap your device "menu" button, and select "settings";
Tap "Wireless & networks";
Tap "Wi-Fi settings";
Tap your device "menu" to bring up extra options and select "advanced";
Tap "Use static IP";
Fill in your local network static IP details and dns server details;
Tap your device "menu" to bring up extra options and select "save".

From the Windows side

Open the DNS management;
Add a new Forward Lookup Zone for the Google DNS and set a Host A record to your local IP.

I believe the Android settings you give are valid for Android 2.3+ (which might well be OK for the OP). However, these appear to have changed under Android 4.0 (which I've added in my answer).

This is really a continuation of @Zuul's answer, to cover the DNS settings in Android 4.0+ (ICS), which is a little harder to find IMO. AFAIK Zuul's answer covers Android <2.3 settings.
From the Android side (Android 4.0+ ICS)

Settings
WiFi (click on word "WiFi", not ON/OFF switch)
Press and hold (long tap) your wireless network until dialog pops up
Select "Modify Network"
Check "Show advanced options" checkbox at the bottom
Switch "IP settings" to "Static"
Fill in your local network static IP details and DNS server details
Tap "Save"

(Whoever made long-taps a standard interface feature is a dummy!)


text:
Something causes my phone to hang and reboot
This problem always happens after I restore my apps from Titanium Backup and move them to the SD card, regardless which ROM. However, I noticed that this problem has something to do with the SD card. Since the logcat is too long, I posted it here:

Logcat #1: http://pastebin.com/5qAEz3n7
Logcat #2: http://pastebin.com/Hd7uXPrc
Logcat #3: http://pastebin.com/Xc6evYsM
Logcat #4: http://pastebin.com/yQFuXdTu

P.S. all these logcats occured during the same session, after that, the phone started becoming slow, hanging, then rebooting.

Actually I don't think this is related to the SD card per se. Some applications just don't handle being placed on SD or being back-upped and restored with Titanium Backup too well. I've experienced trouble with restored apps myself and solved the problems with removing the app and installing a fresh copy from the Market.

Can you mention a few apps? I've never experienced anything like this.

In your logcat there is an Exception that appears to be related to some sort music application: E/DatabaseUtils( 3297): android.database.sqlite.SQLiteException: no such column: album_artist: , while compiling: SELECT _id, album, artist, composer, date_added, duration, mime_type, _size, title, track, year, album_id, album_artist FROM audio WHERE ((is_music=1 OR is_podcast=1)  AND (date_added >=?  OR date_modified >=?  )) ORDER BY date_added
So my bet is that it is a music player. Did you restore the default music player with Titanium Backup by any chance?

Could it be you restored system app data from a different ROM?
I/ActivityManager( 3000): Start proc com.google.android.apps.maps:LocationFriendService for broadcast [..] pid=5275 [..]
W/dalvikvm( 5275): threadid=1: thread exiting with uncaught exception (group=0x4001e578)
E/AndroidRuntime( 5275): FATAL EXCEPTION: main
E/AndroidRuntime( 5275): java.lang.NoSuchFieldError:            static:

Similar error quoted in above comments by Paul. This usually happens when you restore system databases from one ROM to another, where the database structur may be different. Apps in this case often force-close, things become laggy.
IMPORTANT: If you want to restore system data to a different ROM with Titanium Backup,

be VERY careful
best only do so for one app/database at a time (to be sure it went OK)
use TB's migration feature (that's an option to be explicitly turned on -- it takes care e.g. not to overwrite databases, but migrate the data into the existing ones)
optional, but often helpful: in the configs troubleshooting section, enforce the systems SQLite engine to be used.
repeat from 1. only if you are sure everything did fine!


text:
How can I get the mobile Version of stackoverflow.com on Evo3D?
I just got a new phone (HTC Evo 3D / Android 2.3.4) and opened stackoverflow.com in the browser.
I noticed I got the desktop version of the website. On my old HTC Desire (Android 2.2.2) I get a mobile version, which is friendlier on the device and probably more lightweight.
What can I do to have the mobile version on the Evo 3D as well?

Do any other sites "prefer" the desktop version instead of mobile on your Evo?  If so, it could be a setting in the Browser app.

One option or the time being is to click the "mobile" link at the bottom of the page.

Thank you for your answers; it was a setting in my browser (Mobile view was OFF). Also, the mobile link is a good option. Can you promote your comments to answers? You both deserve votes.

If you want to just browse through questions and answers try StackDroid from the app store. You cannot post or answer due to API limitations but on the move it serves the purpose, the only real time you have questions to be asked is when you are working with a desktop.

The Stack Exchange sites provide a "Mobile" link in the footer that will give you the mobile layout. It should work regardless of your browser's settings or which browser you happen to be using, so in that sense it's actually a very portable solution.


text:
Does the HTC One X support GLONASS?
I'm looking to buy the brand new HTC One X (Tegra 3 version) but I want to know if it's compatible with GLONASS (Russian GPS satnav equivalent).
I already know that the Snapdragon S4 version supports it but does the Tegra 3 support it as well?

It's extremely difficult to find technical information on the Tegra 3, and I can't find a single mention of GPS capabilities.  Nor can I find anything specifically about the Tegra 3 One X's GPS capabilities.  I would guess that you're out of luck but it's difficult to say for sure.

Acccording to this XDA thread, it does NOT support GLONASS
They ran GPS tests on both Galaxy Note and HTC One X, the former of which does officially support GLONASS; and the former showed 2x the amount of detected satellites.

according to AnandTech's review, it does.

@Eshwar - you may want to post that as an answer with a quoute and some details, I'd be interested.

The number of detected satellites doesn't really tell you whether GLONASS is supported or not.  I can't find any information about the satellite ID numbers (SVNs) used for GLONASS, so I'm not sure if you could check whether any of the visible satellites are GLONASS.

yeah apprently it supports GLONASS (the hardware does) but it's not enabled so if someone finds a patch to enable it that would be great!

@DVK seems I was mistaken, the GLONASS support I read was for the Snapdragon SoC so not sure about the Tegra 3 version!


text:
Can't boot my Htc Wildfire S after deleting Sense
I wanted to free up some internal space.
So I decided to delete some pre-installed apps.
Then I accidently removed an app called HtcSense.apk.
As I rebooted it didn't manage to start anymore.
I would assume I could download the app from somewhere, but how will I be able to put it back on my phone?

Can you see your status bar with blank area below it?

no, I cant boot at all. I can only go to the bootloader.

I assume your bootloader is unlocked then -- you'll need to flash firmware to restore it, unless you have a custom recovery that will let you remount /system as RW via ADB so you can push the file over.

@MatthewRead, I have managed to install a custom recovery on my phone. The problem is, which files have I deleted?

I assume you're using a custom ROM as you were able to delete pre-installed apps.  If this is the case, have you considered simply re-installing the ROM?  Unless you provide more details on what actually happens instead of a clean boot, it'll be difficult for anyone to even begin diagnosing which files you deleted to cause these issues.

I am actually not installed a custom ROM. I am not sure how i could install a Rom on my Device. I have a HTC wildfire S and the bootloader is unlocked and it is rooted.

Not so scold you or anything, but most of the explanations for rooting a device and unlocking the bootloader include steps on installing a custom bootloader and taking a Nandroid Backup.  Have you taken one?  If not, there may still be hope.  On a site like xda-developers there may be a community of users who have the stock images for your phone.  If so, you can take these and hopefully restore your phone to the way it was when you got it.

I have finally fixed my phone. Thank you @Matthew Read @ctt for your help!!!:) I am really sorry that I asked more then one question about this. I was just panicking that my phone wasn't working.
I have managed to install a custom rom to my Htc Wildfire S. This is the rom I used.
I had to to a factory reset and I had to delete all the cache.
Thanks again for all your support! :)

Glad to know it's fixed..


text:
Disable LiveWare manager
I have rooted my Sony Ericsson Neo V by downgrading to .42 and using Zergrush, without unlocking the boot loader. Now I want to remove the LiveWare service. NoBloat and similar apps don't show it. How can I delete or at least disable this serivce?

Look in /system/app/ for com.sonyericsson.extras.liveware.apk or similar.  Remove it and any .odex file with the same name if present and that should get rid of it.  (Note that I have no idea if this is required by the system or will otherwise screw up your phone, so do it at your own risk.)

The file was called LiveWareManager.apk and removing it doesn't seem to have any ill effects.


text:
Access root directory?
Assuming that I am not able to start up my phone due to a file that is missing on the file system. Would it be possible to get to my phone's root directory on my computer and to place the missing file?
Maybe by using fastboot?

No.
If you have a custom recovery that supports adb / root, you can boot into it and use adb to remount /system as read-write and push the missing file over.  But otherwise you don't have access to most of the phone.

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!! I have managed to get the cmd-based recovery running. Now I can finnaly use adb to get the file which is missing to its place. The only problem is I am not sure there I could get the file i need.

@NitramRelisch I'd recommend looking over at XDA -- their Wildfire S subforum is a good place to start, specifically here.

okay, I'll try that, thx for ALL ur help!


text:
Display data usage by application

Possible Duplicate:
How to monitor the amount of data traffic?

Is there a way I can monitor how much data all the individual apps use? All the traffic monitors I have found only show the total amount.

That question only asks about total data usage.

It doesn't state that explicitly anywhere, and several of the answers track per app data usage.

There's a program on Google Play called Network TrafficStats Lite that does this in most Android versions.  If your phone happens to be compatible to Ice Cream Sandwich, consider upgrading as this feature is built in.


text:
How to send multiple contacts by email?
I've searched all over the place and couldn't find a solution.
I want to send around 30 contacts (names + phone numbers) by email, to someone. Now I can't seem to succeed with the feat! What can I do to send a simple list (or a table) containing the name and phone number of an entire group of people (they're already organized in a group).
Offering free cookies and upvotes for any good info!

I won't consider this an answer but a tip would be to use one of those backup programs to backup your contacts to CSV.  You can then pretty-up the CSV file and filter for the contacts you'd like to send.

I've though about that, but it can't be that there's no simple solution for this...

You're actually right.  The very fact that a program can dump all contacts implies theres a way to dump just some.  Its probably a case of there being no app to do this yet.

Do you need to do if from your phone?
Because if not, you can just use the Gmail desktop interface to do this, I do this quite often and it's fairly easy:

Go to your contacts (click Gmail in the upper left corner)
Select the contacts you want to export
Put them in a new group you can call Tmp or something random
Then click on that group and find the Export menu item in one of the menus (I think More actions)
Export to Google CSV if the receiver will import them through Gmail as well, otherwise you can consider vCard format. The file will download automatically.
Compose a new mail and put the newly created file as attachment.
(If you used Google CSV, the contacts can be imported using the same Contacts interface just by clicking Import in one of the menus)

As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I did 2 days after I asked this question. +1, thank you :)

@MadaraUchiha
Is there any way to do the same from mobile?
Any app that does this task?

@coder you're asking me this? I'm the one who asked the question to begin with!

@MadaraUchiha, yes.. just checking if theres any news about it..

Open your sms app
compose a new message
Add text and then choose to add contact
add your contacts here is a message area
copy the text message

Welcome to the site! Could you expand your instructions a little? I think your answer works but it's very hard to follow.

I managed to do this from my phone just now.

create a temporary contract group, and add the contacts you wish to export to it.
change the peoples app settings of "contacts to display" to only show this group
when viewing the contacts, go to the menu "import/export" option
select "share visible contacts"

That's it. I hope it works for you.