text:
Is it possible to use two dictionaries at the same time in swype?
I type in two languages regularly - depends on who I communicate with, in perhaps 60:40 or 70:30 ratio. Sometimes I even use words from both languages in the same text. Both languages are supported by Swype. But I can only select one of them at one time, so when I need to type in the other language I have to change the settings, which is quite inconvenient. Can I merge two dictionaries or activate both of them at the same time?

you can long-press on the letter Q to quickly change language on Swype

wow you're right.. you can post that as an answer imo.

It's still inconvenient, multiple dictionaries active at the same time would be a neat feature.

agreed. Still this is better than having to change the Settings.

I also recommend suggesting this to the Swype people.

you can long-press on the letter Q to quickly change language on Swype

You could also try to just add the words you use most of the time, even it is from a different language.
That is what I do. When I'm using one language, and I need a word that is available in the other language, I just type it and add it to my personal dictionary. Over time I will have two dictionaries who will probably both have the words I use the most.

Swype from swype symbol to q to quickly change between two most recently used languages.
Easy language change on the keyboard

Another Stackoverflow question about using multiple keyboards on Android: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/20197421/adding-a-second-dictionary-to-the-spell-check-in-android-4-3/44033793#44033793
Here is how for example to have a French keyboard with French dictionary + French keyboard with English dictionary
Go to Android settings > Language & Input > Gboard (Google default keyboard).
Then in Languages, you can tick all the keyboards you want. In my case, French (France) and English (UK).
This will give you the usual AZERTY French keyboard and the usual QWERTY English keyboard.
If you want the English dictionary with a French AZERTY keyboard, you can go to Preferences > Personalised input styles and create a new keyboard Language: English (UK) Layout: AZERTY, then in the Languages menu, you will have a new keyboard in the list, English (UK) (AZERTY). Tick it.
You now have 3 keyboards in your list: French (France), English (UK) and English (UK) (AZERTY).
While using the keyboard, you can then switch from one keyboard to another either with the special button or by holding the Space bar. The Space bar also shows the current language being used.
Using multiple dictionaries at the same time: In Text correction, there is an option called "multilingual suggestions", this will use several dictionaries at the same time, recognising as valid all words from the selected languages. If active, the Space bar will show something like FR-EN, to indicate that several languages are active at the same time. I personally don't like it.


text:
Disconnecting a call
Can anybody tell me how to disconnect the call in between. The screen on my Samsung Galaxy 3 becomes disabled during the call , it becomes very difficult to get the screen back during the call to disconnect.

Generally you simply use the power button to re-enable the screen (if the proximity sensor doesn't automatically do it) and hit "end call". However, some people like to be able to do it with their hardware buttons, which is addressed in this question: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2972/hang-up-using-button

@Al I think that's good enough for an answer

Definitely a solid answer.

Okay, done.

Generally you simply use the power button to re-enable the screen (if the proximity sensor doesn't automatically do it) and hit "end call".
However, some people like to be able to do it with their hardware buttons, which is addressed in this question: Can I hang up using a button?

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
How do I upgrade to a new version of Android?

Possible Duplicate:
How do I update the OS on my device?

So, I got an ePad AKA zenithink zt 180 (I know, I know it's cheap and I should have got a better piece of hardware, but i was too eager to get a tablet and this one was affordable)
It has 2.1 on it and I want to upgrade to 2.2 (for adobe flash).
The copy of Android looks like they just took the developer edition (i see a dev tools app pre-installed... not sure) and slapped it on there with no customization.
So, can you guys help me with step-by-step instructions on how to upgrade and where to find the latest copy?
I have a developer account already if that helps...
I would appreciate any help as I'm afraid of bricking it. There's no way to automatically update this thing either (that i can find) :-/

You'll need a version that is specifically designed for your device that has all the drivers necessary to operate your specific hardware configuration.  If no one has compiled a ROM for it you'd have to build one yourself from scratch.  You best bet finding a 2.2 ROM for you device is over at the XDA Developers forum.  Then even if you're able to load 2.2, Flash is going to be a whole different story.  I had the Viewsonic g-tablet with Froyo (which as a Tegra2 Processor) but the Flash that I side-loaded wouldn't work at all.  Force close after force close.  Then with my newest tab, the Archos 70, even after they released 2.2 it was a while before anyone could find a version of Flash that would run without force closing and it still operates poorly.  I suspect you're going to be disappointed with your Flash experience, especially if you have cheap hardware.

You're confirming my suspicions. I found a forum for this tablet that directed me to the packages, but the compiled kernel (etc...) were on a site that was in Chinese. I'm afraid I'm going to turn this sucker into a brick if I try and load that stuff. I guess it's safer to stick with no flash and 2.1 :(

if you are just looking to watch flash video on the web, Skyfire is a good alternative to Flash.  It doesn't work on every site, but I had good luck with it.

and that works on 2.1? I would like to watch hulu...

I would too but Hulu blocks Skyfire :o(  It does work on 2.1 though, just not Hulu.

Yep just figured that out :( Hulu appears to blocking every mobile browser. I have 2.2 on my Droid X and Flash installed and hulu still says you need flash to watch these movies... I wonder whats up with that...

Probably licencing agreements with the studios. I wish theyd hurry up and port their iOS app to android.

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


text:
Has HTC Sync 3 dropped support for Windows 7 Contacts?
I've got an HTC Desire and since I got it, I've been synchronising the contacts on my phone with the "Contacts" folder in Windows 7 using HTC Sync 2.something
I noticed HTC Sync 3 was available, so I uninstalled version 2 and installed version 3, but it only seems to support syncing with contacts in Outlook or Outlook Express.
Am I missing something massively obvious? It seems odd to remove support for a current feature (Windows 7 Contacts) while retaining support for a program (Outlook Express) that hasn't been current since Windows XP.

Quite possibly, the Contacts folder has been officially deprecated. It exists for Vista compatibility where it was introduced for the first time.
I have not yet tested the 3.0 sync app. I am still using 2.x and sync with Outlook.


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Why doesn't my screen lock work (HTC Wildfire)?
I have a HTC Wildfire with android 2.2 (I can't remember if this problem started right before or right after upgrading to 2.2, but the upgrade was done recently and so was the first time I got this problem). Sometimes (and it seems completely random) the screen lock function never works. When pressing the power button and pulling down the clock it tells me the screen is locked, but there is no lock there! When I pull it down I get to my home screen instead of the screen where I need to enter my lock pattern.

Is this with the Sense UI?  My non-HTC phone doesn't have a pull-down clock thing ...

Perhaps, I don't know how it works with non-HTC android phones.

I think you'll find that is normal. I wondered about it at first too.. If you lock your phone by pressing the power button, your phone is LOCKED, but not SECURE. Because you have only just been using your phone, if you unlock it immediately by re-pressing the power button and pulling down the clock, you won't have to enter your pincode or pattern, because it's highly unlikely to have been stolen in the past 30 seconds. However if you lock your phone via the power button (or if it times out by itself) and then you leave it for a few minutes then the next time you drag down the clock to unlock it, you'll also have to enter your pincode or pattern, to verify that it's you.
If you want your phone to ask for your pincode every time, straight away, go to:
"Settings" > "security" > "lock phone after" > and select, "immediately".
I have mine set to 3 minutes for convenience.
Hope this helps..

hi..this does not seem to be working..i did exactly hat you wrote
even switched it to "immediately"..still it isnt...advice wud be welcomed :)

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


text:
Can I re-install a purchased app from Google's Play Store?
I've successfully purchased an app from the Market via my Android phone. It's currently too large for my internal memory (still running 2.1), so can I uninstall it and then re-install it at a later time?
Will uninstalling the app (after the 15 minute eval period elapses), also ensure that I can't re-download it again or do purchased apps remain linked to my Google account even if they aren't currently installed?

I thought the evaluation period was 24 hours.

Google changed it to 15 minutes in the latest market overhaul. I have no idea why 24 hrs was too long.  I think 15 minutes is excessively short.

So do most people, devs and users alike. The best compromise solution would be to allow the developer to choose a suitable time frame, IMHO

You can uninstall it and the market will remember that you bought it.  It'll say "purchased" in the market and you can reinstall any time. Every time I reflash a ROM I go into my downloads section of the market and I see all my purchased apps.

My friend and I tried it out, it was successful in the end. So if you do decide to delete it, I can assure you that it will comeback saying, "purchased".

Procedure for most Android phones is: Open the "Market" application, click your phone's Menu button, click "Downloads" or "My Downloads", click name of App that you previously purchased, click Install button.
Note: If you've also changed the Google Account associated with the phone, then you'll lose the ability to install apps purchased under the old account.

Yes, good points.

You have just to log in with the same Google Account when you bought the app. and you will be able to download/install it without paying again ...
Google store all app. / devices ... of each account
PS : Once on Google Play, go to My Application and you will find ever the purchased and non installed app. Or just look search for the app. and you will be able to download it without paying ...

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


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What is the dominant factor for evaluating performance for TTS & ASR?
We know that CPU speed ("MFLOPS") alone is not the only factor that determines the performance of an Android device.
Other factors include the I/O subsystem, memory speed and, of course, the software that drives this hardware.
But in the case of evaluating various phones in terms of TTS and ASR performance (e.g. minimal delay from the moment you say a word, until it is recognized, given the default built-in engine), can we say that MFLOPS is the dominant factor?
In other words, do you happen to know whether TTS & ASR involve mostly CPU cycles with relatively little memory and I/O transfers? Or is it the opposite?

I would expect TTS and ASR to be very memory-intensive as they process input (which needs to be stored and transformed) and generate output.  So slow memory would probably be a limiting factor with a fast CPU.  There should also be a little I/O -- loading voice samples for comparison and playback -- but I would not expect it to be as much of an issue.  I can't get any more specific since I don't know how the default engine works (I suspect few people outside Google do).
You might get a better answer on StackOverflow, since this is more of a question about the specifics of an algorithm and not really about Android use.

Thanks and +1 for your answer. It's a good idea to post this question on StackOverflow.


text:
Unable to install bootloader on MotoDroid with froyo FRG83D
I'm attempting to root my phone and have placed an update.zip in the root of my SDCard.  I get the message that the zip is not signed and the update fails.
I understand that VZN started added this checksum to make sure that only official OTA's can get installed.  Does anyone know howto get past this so that I can root my phone, so that I can install cyanogenMod, so that I can do wifi hotspot tethering?

You may have a bad file, either from a bad source or it just got corrupted.  I would try again.  Follow this tutorial on DroidForums.net.  It reportedly works fine with FRG83D.

I downloaded twice and got the same result.  Thanks for the link to the thread.  I don't know how I missed that one on DroidForums.net


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Does the alarm work when my phone is turned off?
Will the alarm still go off if I turn off the phone before?
Example: when I have low battery, I have to go to sleep and wake up at X o'clock, and there is no charger around. Should I turn off the phone?
Note: If it makes any difference my phone is Galaxy S running froyo

Star this issue if you're interested in Google adding the necessary framework for a hardware alarm: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=1942 However, due to the open nature of Android, in the end, it is up to manufacturers to include the necessary hardware for powered-off alarm, and it is impossible for Google to force all manufacturers to do so.

Actually, it works on OnePlus One (https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/power-off-alarm.300539/)
The phone will start itself up, to trigger the alarm!
(Probably more brands have this, but experienced it on my OPO.)

Cyanogenmod has this feature. Its installed on OnePlus One. You can install it on Galaxy S though.

No, if the phone is off, it can't do anything.  If it's in sleep mode where the screen is off and it's not in use then the alarm will still function as will other types of notifications.  I have never tried this specifically on a Galaxy S but I am fairly confident this is a universal rule.

I'll confirm this as a Galaxy S owner.  When the phone is off, it's actually off.  Not a powered-down mode.

In the motorola razr d3 it's works when the phone is off :)

In motorola 2nd gen(2014) when the phone is off..no alarm rings..:(

I'm using Lenovo K5+.
Phone power off but the alarm clock automatic power it on.

This answer is not correct as a general rule, my galaxy s advance did support this feature on android 4.1.2, and some other phones do as well. It's disappointing that it is not widely implemented though.

My Samsung J5 did - up until a point in time. Then, an update disabled it.

As a universal statement, this answer is likely incorrect.  See: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/86500/alarm-is-working-even-when-the-phone-is-powered-off

Unfortunately, it doesn't work when phone is powered off as some have already suggested.
My suggestion: put it into Airplane Mode - this way, the phone almost consumes zero energy (due to not having any network connection and so on), and you have a good chance that the battery will last until the morning where the alarm shall go off!

But I like to have a soft reset of all the phone ram and components and co over night by turning it off. My Lenovo K6 automatically turned on when the alarm time came, why don't the more expensive phones support it...

I have a OnePlus2 and I got a new phone to replace it. I turned the OnePlus2 off and left it unplugged overnight but didn't disable the alarm. It automatically powered on and rung the alarm in the morning twice for me so far.
So, depending on your phone model, this does seem to be a thing these days.

Can somebody explain how this works?

It looks like for OnePlus it’s an added feature: https://forums.oneplus.com/threads/power-off-alarm.300539/ . The closest thing in Android API I can see is RTC_WAKEUP, but that only works when the device is on (the wakeup refers to the device being in sleep mode such as a locked screen). So, the way it probably works on OxygenOS is that the proprietary alarm app stores its state in a file which OxygenOS reads when shutting down and sets a power wake thing in hardware somewhere.

No
Tested it. It didn't go off when the phone was off.

The feature you are talking about is available in mobiles of companies that use their own custom roms like OnePlus, Huwaei (Honor Series) and Xiaomi [ I know about these only because that's all I have tried].
Although you could try using some kind of Automation or Scheduled Power ON and OFF (if your mobile support this feature}.
These two are the only workarounds. (In my knowledge!)

the feature does not only depend on roms. it also requires hardware support.

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


text:
Why is my Samsung Galaxy S not utilizing all of its RAM?

Possible Duplicate:
Why is my device not utilizing all of its available RAM?

Samsung Galaxy S GT I9000 comes with 512 MB RAM but it shows only 326 or less. Why?

Install Terminal Emulator from Market and run free -m command. What does it say?

Just noticed i gave wrong instructions to check RAM usage previously. I use Quick System Info PRO found on Google Play to check free RAM. On "Basic Info" tab you should see that and if you want additional details,  just navigate to "Memory".

Wrong.
Galaxy S does have 512 Mb. the problem is that you cannot use it all for programs.
From that 512 Mb of memory 128 Mb are reserved for graphical purposes and for phone modem.
You don't want any call to end because programs running took all that memory, do you?
The problem with the Galaxy S is that if we take into account that 128Mb we should have 384.
But for some reason it display 326 and 304 in some cases. That black hole is the mistery.
Still I could not find anyone that explains that to me.
Hope this eases your soul. You have 512 Mb. They just did not told you that you could not use it all. ;)

some source says that android 2.1 does not support 512 mb RAM thats why it shows less and 2.2 support 512 mb RAM. Is it true ?


text:
How can install a Hindi font in Android 2.1?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S GT-i9000 and I want to install a Hindi font on it. How can I do this?

There's NO support for Hindi or any other Indian languages built-in, in all Android versions up to and including FroYo (2.2). Gingerbread (2.3) does support Hindi as a language according to this post
If you're looking for a Hindi keyboard, you'll need the HindiIME APK from Samsung - they're usually installed on phones that Samsung sells in India. As a workaround, use Opera Mini for Android - it renders Unicode Devanagiri fonts correctly.

Actually i have some sms in Hindi font which i cant read, so how to read them

@Jeevan The new Google Translate has a feature to translate SMS.  I haven't tried it myself but I did notice there was Hindi available.  You may want to try that.
Once you open the app at the bottom left there should be the option for "SMS Translation".  From here you can select the correct message to translate.
Hope this helps

Your suggestions in last paragraph are pointless as there's no system font installed.

@SachinShekhar - are you referring to my answer? At the time of writing it, the Galaxy I7500 and the Galaxy Spica did indeed have Hindi keyboards.

Unfortunately SAMSUNG has not installed Hindi font on the Indian variant of the Galaxy S. But there is a workaround. For this you will need root access. You can replace the DroidSansFallback.ttf file which is located in /system/fonts/ on your phone with the font mentioned in the first post of this link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=798380.
Restart and enjoy. :)

This XDA post has instructions, summarized below:

Install HinKhoj Dictionary and then Go SMS Pro.
Open Go SMS, go to "Appearance Settings"

Hit "Scan Fonts Packages"
Go to "Conv. List Customization" from "Conversation List appearance", choose "Time and message font" and select "Hindi Hinkhoj Dictionary". It will automatically choose the "Mangal" font.
Press the back button 3 times and choose to save the settings.
Now go to "Conversation Customization" from "Conversation appearance" and change "Incoming font" and "Outgoing font" the same as above, and save this setting with different name.
Finally from both of "Conversation List appearance" and "Conversation appearance" apply the User Defined Settings as your saved name.

Exit the application and reboot your phone.

As others have noted Android does not support Hindi (or any other language that requires Complext Text Layouts, except for Arabic). Here is the relevant bug post for Hindi on GingerBread:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=12981
You can achieve some form of readability by installing a Hindi font, but it will not shape properly. If you can't live with that, than you will need to install third party apps that support Hindi. That said, the Galaxy 5 and Galaxy 3 sold in India (the Indian Variant) does have support for Hindi, but not the Galaxy S! Bug Samsung about it.

You don't need to install fonts, if you want Hindi to browse Hindi websites.
Use SETT Hindi Browser: https://market.android.com/details?id=lk.bhasha.sett.hindi
It's an exclusive browser for Hindi & it displays Hindi well in any device having Android 2.2 or above.


text:
Can I leave it plugged in for charge all the time? -Samsung Galaxy 3 I5801
In short my question is -
What is the battery level at which it starts charging again Samsung Galaxy 3 I5801 device when kept plugged in for charge all the time?
If you want to know background and why I ask this, read whole question below.
This question is based on below answer
Do I have to charge my phone before I use it the first time?

Can I leave it plugged in all the
  time? Yes, and no. This is very
  dependent on whom makes your device.
  For example, my Lenovo laptop will not
  apply a charge to the battery unless
  it is under 97%. When it does charge
  the battery it charges directly to
  100%, then stops until the battery
  sags below 97%. Many laptops did not
  do this, on most just applying charge
  if it is not 100%. This would put the
  battery through thousands of charge
  cycles in a week when you are not
  using the battery. This ages a battery
  quickly.
If your phone maker took the time and
  paid the extra cash then your phone
  will stop charging once it reaches
  full charge and just power the system
  from the wall outlet. It is
  significantly more likely that your
  phone is charging your battery on a
  short cycle and aging it thoroughly.

The answerer mentions that it depends on manufacturer. What's the answer for Android phone? Or if it depends on the Manufacturer what is the battery level at which it starts charging again Samsung Galaxy 3 I5801 device?
So this question is specific to the device - Samsung Galaxy 3 I5801.

As you can tell from what you quoted, it will depend on the manufacturer.

@Cry, my mistake. I've now clarified the question. In short, what is the battery level at which it starts charging again Samsung Galaxy 3 I5801 device?

See also Does constant charging harm my cellphone? http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1020/does-constant-charging-harm-my-cellphone

I don't know about your specific device/battery but here is a rather detailed article on the battery in android phones and the app used in the article to log battery information is called CurrentWidget
If the article is representative of most smart phones, which I suspect it is, to maximize your battery life your phone does an initial charge to 100% and then maintains the battery at about 93%.
My takeaway is that it is good to leave your phone plugged in and charging when you can but it is not good to frequently plug and unplug your phone.

I think it is safe to say that any modern equipment today will stop charging when the battery reaches full charge. And if it stays on the charger, the device will be powered on by the charger and the battery will not run down. So leaving the equipment plugged all the time should be the equivalent of leaving the device turned off with a full battery inside. As it is said in the reply mentioned in the comments, the best thing to do when storing a battery for a long time is to leave it to 40% charge, but 100% will not harm the device unless you leave it for a very long time.
As an example, since batteries are limited in their amount of charge cycles, it is better to leave it on the charger if don't use the device for a couple of days than to disconnect and reconnect it every day and use some of the cycles.
Personally, I have a 1st gen iPod Touch that is docked most of the time, even for up to a complete month, and the battery is almost at full capacity even after 3 years.

The vast majority of devices I have used do not switch away from battery power when plugged in.  It's certainly not safe to say even if my experience is not the norm.

What do you mean exactly? When the devices you have used are connected, they will charge until they reach full charge, right? but what are they going to do next?


text:
How to change Android device's default search engine?
I am trying to play with Android...To change the default search engine (now is Google, or add more selectables) when I press the "search" button on the device.
Is there anyway to do it? I have HTC Hero and HTC Desire, already rooted

It seems to depend on manufacturer and/or country: Motorola Permits Chinese Users to Change Android Phones Search Engine.

A search engine other than Google?  On an Android phone?  That's heresy!

@DaveRook That question is about changing the search engine in a browser. This one is about changing what happens when you press the search hard-key (which used to be common on phones).

Possibly helpful/similar http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/39575/how-do-you-set-the-default-search-engine-in-firefox

Not currently possible. It's not locked in to Google, but determined by manufacturer and/or carrier. (For instance, there was a bit of a tempest in a teapot when a new phone was released with Bing as the search engine.)
I do not know if this is something that can be got around by rooting.

Thank you. Any hacker way to do it? Such as replace a compiled file or something, haha?

Any app can offer to handle the intent generated when you press the search key, just like how an app can handle the intent from the home key in order to replace the default home screen. So all you need to do to change the search behaviour is to install an app with that feature.


text:
How to browse files on a Motorola Defy (Android) with ubuntu 10.04?
I want to browse files on my mobile with ubuntu.

Android 2.1 (Eclair)

Plug in your phone
Pull the notification bar; tap on "USB connected (Select to copy files to/from your computer)". Tap "Mount".
Ubuntu should autoprompt you to browse the phone using File Manager (Nautilus)

Android 2.2 (Froyo) (and probably Android 2.3)

Plug in your phone
Android should autoprompt you to enable USB Mass Storage.
Ubuntu should autoprompt you to browse the phone using File Manager (Nautilus)

(Froyo image shamelessly taken from http://droidfreeapps.com/2010/05/usb-mass-storage-tweaks/)


text:
How to install a custom keyboard in Android?
I read this article which says that I can "can install any custom keyboard as the default keyboard on Android". How can I do that? Does it require rooting?

No it doesn't require rooting.

In case somebody is interested in a command-line way, you can refer to my answer here.

Yes you can. I've used Swype as well as TouchPal Keyboard as alternatives.
Once you install any new keyboard, just go to Settings > Language & Keyboard to set your keyboard/text settings.

None of the links work.

Thanks. The question I linked to has been removed, so I removed the link. I fixed the link to Swype and added one to TouchPal.

I found that even after changing the setting it didn't use the new keyboard.  I had to do a long press in a text field.  That showed an option for which input method to use.  Once selecting the new keyboard it worked all the time.

+1 I don't recall Swype requiring this, but great point!

It also allows you to switch back if you're having a tough time getting used to the new keyboard.


text:
Is it possible to type accented letters using the Galaxy S English keyboard?
I have a Galaxy S, and my locale is English (UK). Is it possible to type accented letters, such as é to a textfield using the keyboard? If yes, how?
edit: I know I can use swype but please don't recommend it because my native language is not supported by Swype and it's really not comfortable to use swype in my case

I'm not sure if it is the same on all devices, but if you long press on the letter e then you should see a pop-up that allows you to selected accented variations of the letter e.
Example: ā ñ ī ē õ ū ķ even ś and it won't give you an option that doesn't go with the letter.

May I know what your model is? Mine is Galaxy S, apparently Samsung has a custom keyboard, and that doesn't work

The long press works on the HTC keyboard (Desire HD), and on the version of the Swipe beta I have installed.

@Friti Galaxy S comes with Swype keyboard, right? I have it installed on Motorola Milestone, and the long press works perfectly. Maybe it is the language?

it works with the Swype keyboard, but not with the default keyboard

This works on my Galaxy S using the custom Samsung keyboard.

not with me. May I know your selected locale and language?

@Fitri Works for me too on a UK Galaxy S i9000, running official Samsung Froyo release, using the Samsung Keyboard as input method, and locale set to "English (United Kingdom)" and the Samsung Keyboard Input Language set to "English (UK)" and portrait keyboard type set to "Qwerty Keypad"

Works fine here too. Using Finnish Galaxy S i9000, latest official Froyo (JPA), Samsung keyboard with English(US) layout and locale. Just need to long press for letter variants (àáâãåäæ).

As Luke Dunstan answers: but if I remember well, you do need to have Froyo (2.2) installed. I don't think I had the accented characters when I had Android 2.1 runnding on my Galaxy s.

Weird... I don't have that. I'm using English (UK) as locale and "English" as language

@Luke Dunstan: Are you running Froyo (look at my answer to this question) ?


text:
HTC Desire, Froyo - Gmail hangs when sending attachments
I have a HTC desire with Froyo, stock rom (Orange 2.17.61.3). I never had any problems with Gmail (version 2.3.2). However, since a couple of days when I try to send attachments (any kind, pdf, pictures, etc.) it just hangs.
The mails are in the outbox but don't get sent and Gmail doesn't synchronize anymore. If I delete the mails from the outbox, Gmail still fails to synchronize. To resurrect it I have to force stop it and clear its cache.
There is constant internet connection through WIFI and I can browse, access the net through other apps with no problems. Current space on the phone, 15.7MB internal and 55MB on the sd card.
Any clues?

I've found that Android experiences random hangs and lockups when there are less than ~20MB of internal memory. In particular, I've found that on startup there will be a few force closes from the latin keyboard and the system; also the phone becomes noticeably laggy. When there are less than 10MB, the phone is so laggy that it becomes totally unusable. You might want to clean up your internal memory and see if it helps with your problem.


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Can I Bluetooth tether my Android to iPhone?
I am very confused atm. My iPhone 4 says it has Internet Tethering (Settings > General > Network > Internet Tethering > On) via Bluetooth (Settings > General > Bluetooth > On).

Does this mean I can share my data plan with my Android phone? (A Dell Streak.)
When I activate Bluetooth on my Android phone (Settings > Wireless & Network settings > Bluetooth > turn on > Bluetooth Settings > Discoverable > turn on) I can both iPhone and Streak to see each other; I get the dialog saying "confirm that number xx appears on the other device's screen" and press the button to confirm that; but that's it. From then on both devices say:

Paired but not connected.

What else do I need to do?

While researching for a solution, I found that a lot of posts I see on the Mac forums say that your provider (currently Virgin Australia) must support tethering. Does that cover this use? How do I know if my supplier is stopping tethering from working?
If relevant my Android version is 2.2.

You won't be able to use BT-DUN on the streak unless there is something custom built into the UI.  My Archos 70 has a setting baked into Android for Bluetooth Tethering specifically.  Without that or some app to enable it, the Streak won't know where to get the internet connection from, even if the devices are connected.  Don't bother with PDANet because it only works when you are going the other way, sharing your Android internet connection with another device.
Another option, would be to put MyWi on your iPhone and make it a wireless access point, then you can connect to it via your wifi connection.  There is one problem: the MyWi creates an adhoc connection and Android doesn't recognize adhoc.  You can get around this by editing your wpa_supplicant file but you need to be rooted to do this.  Here are the instructions to do this: http://android.modaco.com/content/dell-streak-streak-modaco-com/316049/ad-hoc-network-connection-for-streak/

This sounds like something I need to root my device for right?

How about this - I am only using the data connection on my iPhone until my new account activates on the Dell Streak (with Optus directly). Is it easier to set up the Dell Streak (as a WiFi hot-spot?) so that the iPhone can use its data plan?

Good question.  I'm not sure.  I don't know if the Streak supports the native hotspot capability of Froyo (even if it does you'll probably have to pay your carrier extra).  Otherwise, you'll probably still need to root your Streak to use an app like Wifi Tether or Barnacle. Those, like MyWi, create an adhoc hotspot. Do some googling and find out if the iPhone can connect to an adhoc connection.  I believe it can, but I'm not sure.


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Android and antiviruses
This is actually three questions:

Are anti-viruses needed for smartphones running Android OS?
Is the Android Market absolutely safe (because all precautions are taken by Google to prevent any problems)?
Which are the big players in the Android Security Software market?

Thank you.

Note: A related question discusses whether or not Android antivirus software affects devices' battery life.

Yes and No.
No because Android's and Linux's security scheme is impenetrable as long as you don't give Root Access or Permissions. Without root, a malicious program cannot take over your system's integrity (there is very little zero day exploit in Linux/Android). And without Permissions, malicious program cannot risk your privacy, e.g. personal data, hardware that can risk your personal data (e.g. camera, mic), location, internet, SD card, etc.
However, Yes because nobody pays attention to those permissions and security warnings. Also, Android can still be a vector for Windows' viruses, even though the Android itself will not be affected by Windows' virus.
The Geinimi trojan that Matt pointed out relies on the program convincing the user to went through the standard install/uninstall prompt without being suspicious.
No, Market is not a safe place. Any developers can upload any program to Market, and Google does not screen those programs. However, Google will and do remove any reported rogue programs quite quickly.
Refer to Matt's answer.

Thank you. In regards to point 1: if my Android is not rooted the risk is almost inexistent? And when you say permissions, you mean the list of "requirements" in the manifest of the application?

@Francisc: there is practically no way for an unrooted programs to destroy the system's integrity. However, programs running with root privilege have the power to do anything that is allowed by the hardware (including replacing system files, and nullifying the system's security). However, a phone that is not rooted can still leak your private information. Every time you install a program, you are presented with a list of permissions the program requires; this permissions controls the personal information you would share with a program.

Also, whatever security measure you take, there is no way the system can protect itself from you. Rogue programs will try to convince you to give itself the necessary permissions to execute their payload.

Thank you, Lie! I writing this before, but it seems to have been deleted somehow.

Yes
No
I prefer Lookout but all the AV companies have apps: AVG, McAffee, Norton...

Thank you Matt. A bit "dry" but good enough.


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Why can't I see live wallpaper option in HTC wildfire after updating to 2.2 (Froyo)?
Hi I updated my HTC Wildfire from 2.1 to 2.2(Froyo) i can't see an option to set live wallpapers also i don find the Android wallpaper option. Is there any fix available to this.

Live Wallpapers aren't available for the Wildfire.

hey
i have a wildfire updated to 2.2 and live wallpapers work just fine on mine :)

How do you update the wildfire to 2.2?

Rooting it @Ali, so it allows to install custom roms

Live walls are available for wildfire if you install custom ROM. For example i use WildpuzzleROM. But there are lags while you use some walls. Processro is too slow. You can install custom kernel and increase frequency up to 768MHz.


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Android Antivirus Software (solution and battery life relevance)
Is there a security solution for Android that's vastly regarded as "the best" one at the moment or is it like in the PC world where there are 3-4 which are "the best"?
Also, what should I expect to happen to the battery life between charges if I were to install an antivirus?
Note: I am running Android 2.2, soon to be updated to 2.2.1.

To be honest, I don't think you really need an antivirus in Android.  All applications are sandboxed from each other and therefore cannot touch each other except via intents.  Additionally, you are warned about permissions everytime you install an app.  The only real way to damage to your phone is if you install an unsavory app that asks for root access (if your phone is rooted). If you're worried about an app, read other people's comments or reviews, check it's rating and see if the developer has a good reputation in the Android community.

Thank you for the comment. My phone isn't rooted, I'm still pondering wether I need that or not. But that aside, I didn't know that root requirement was one of the permissions that can be set in the manifest of an application.

@Francsic sort of.  Instead, the application makes a sudo/root call, and the superuser application on your rooted phone will popup a dialog telling you that the application is asking for root access, do you wish to give it or deny it.  No app can just start using root access without your permission.

Hmm, thank you. I've not encountered such an app yet. I suppose that if I were to install security software it would ask for that.

@Brian while technically Android malware may not be a virus, there could be many trojans. Many apps require access to contacts, call history and such. It's difficult to know which of them should be trusted not to do bad things with that info.

An antivirus app will have a major effect on your battery life. A friend with an HTC Desire couldn't understand why he could never get more than 4 or 5 hours out of his battery, even turning most things off, until he remembered installing one of the AV apps to try it out. Removing that brought his battery life back up to what it should be.
When the first Android troojan virus hit back in August last year, similarly to the recent Geinimi trojan, in both cases the affected user had to willingly install an app that was from a third-party source, and go through the permissions screen where the app specifically asks for permissions that it shouldn't really need.
An attentive and careful user can protect themselves from these kind of threats just by taking care to only install apps from trusted sources, and to read which permissions an app asks for as it installs, and stop to think whether it really needs to do things like read your contacts and send SMSs.
The real problem will come when a virus learns to either break out of its app's sandbox and into another, or learns how to give itself root access, or take advantage of the root access that someone else has installed. This is what the iPhone worm of about a year ago did, when it took advantage of the fact that the most popular iPhone jailbreak app left all jailbroken phones with the same root password by default, and most users never bothered changing the password. No Android virus has yet been shown to be able to do that.

Thank you GAThrawn or as I like to call you, GTA hrawn. :)

An Antivirus solution would really be waste of processing resources and battery life. Each application is running in a locked environment and it cannot really infiltrate or break anything on other applications nor on the OS.
The only thing I'd be looking into are malicious applications that are sending your private info to a remote server. In order to do this, a user would need to accept the list of permissions to access their private content.
Follow these simple two rules to protect yourself about such malicious applications:
- Never install applications that just came out on the Market.
- Read the comments, usually a malicious application should be rapidly identified and the users will report it in the comments.

Thank you, jmbouffard. I wish I could have two correct answers.

Kaprica Security have twisted this on the head. Simply connect your Android device to the Skorpion charger and it will be scanned for malware, viruses, and malicious rootkits while it charges.
A review entitled A Smartphone Charger That Sniffs for Malware was written on 4th October 2013 by R. Metz for The MIT Review.

There is apparently a trojan on the loose on some Chinese Android phones.
AVG has a version for your Android phone.

The Trojan got me thinking about this Muad'Dib. I know about AVG, but from experience with it from the PC world, I can't say I like it very much. The most popular seem to be Lookout, Norton, McAfee (forgot the name of the AV itself) and AVG.


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Does uninstalling apps leave any traces?
I come from a Windows background where anything you install-uninstall usually leaves traces which are sometimes hard to detect and remove.
Does the same happen when you remove Android apps? I know there is no registry in Linux/Android, but is there any place where traces can still remain?
I have seen some apps creating folders on the SD Card, but that's easy to spot and delete.
Thank you.

I've only seen cases where games/apps will download/store extra content on the SD card.  The market keeps a psuedo-history of what you have recently downloaded/installed in the downloads tab.

On an unrooted phone, apps run as distinct users, and don't have access to any files created by other users or system files, i.e. they are 'sandboxed'.  Since they can't make any such changes, I would say the only thing they can leave behind is a little detritus on your SD card.
On a rooted phone, an app which has been granted root access can do pretty much anything that is possible in the hardware. Apps that have root permissions can write on non-read-only storage media (including modifying the bootloader), modify other programs' private data, modify system settings, modify system files, etc. A rooted app can also hide itself from the system, and pretend to be uninstalled while being perfectly well and alive.
Basically, rooted apps can do anything that the hardware allows
Updated to include Lie Ryan's info on rooted apps.

Hmm, thanks Matt. Could you please give me a few examples of what kind of debris apps with root access can leave? As I said I am new to the non-Windows environment.

@Francisc: apps with root access can do pretty much anything that is possible in the hardware. Apps that have root permissions can write on non-read-only storage media (including modifying the bootloader), modify other program's private data, modify system settings, modify system files, etc. Rooted apps can also hide itself from the system, and pretend to be uninstalled while being perfectly well and alive. Basically, rooted apps can do anything that the hardware allows.

@Lie - should I edit my answer to include your (very helpful) extra info about root apps?  (Don't want to steal rep or anything)

sure, I'd be happy if you do

Non Rooted Apps can also abuse their permissions. SD Card is an easy one, but you have other examples such as abusing contacts to put stuff there. So I feel like there are ways for apps to leave traces.


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Rooting HTC Evo on Froyo 2.2 and installing a custom rom
I just received the latest update from HTC. They have installed more bloatware on my phone and I've finally had enough.  I want to root.  I found this rom and this guide on how to root.  But the root guide says outdated so I'm worried.
Firstly, however, is my concern about ruining my phone.  I consider myself tech savvy, and I plan on following directions exactly, but in my experience sometimes following the directions doesn't yield expected results.  Is there a way to back out once I've started rooting/flashing?
Phone Information (HTC Evo)

Android Version: 2.2
Kernel version: 2.6.32.17
Software number: 3.70.651.1
HBoot: 2.10.0001

Is that guide going to work?  is there a better way to root?  I'm assuming the version of the HTC software doesn't matter for rooting.  How do I root and then flash in the custom rom?  Do I even need to root to flash in the custom rom (does the rom it come rooted?)  How do I flash in the custom rom?

You've got a bunch of questions going on here, but I'll see if I can break this down in a reasonable manner.
For starters, there's another key part of your phone that can be useful for determining which rooting methods will/won't work - your HBoot version. This is effectively a first-stage bootloader for your phone, and you can access it by powering on your EVO while holding the volume down button. You'll know you're at the HBoot screen if you get a mostly white screen with some skateboarding androids on the bottom. It will look something like this, and will have text that says "HBOOT-<some numbers>" near the top. This is your HBoot version, and it's good to remember what it is.
Second, that rooting method is, as noted, outdated. I believe people currently use this method or this method on the 3.70 software. You could also try Unrevoked if you want, but I don't know how nicely it plays with 3.70 (especially if you have an HBoot version of 2.02 or later). I have not had to root in a while, though, so I'd just look through some threads a bit to see what is working on your software versions.
You do need root in order to flash a custom ROM image on your phone. Pretty much every rooting process now will unlock the permissions of your NAND, which is the portion of flash memory where system files live. You need to be able to write to NAND in order to flash a custom ROM, and you need root to perform the unlock.
The easiest way to flash a ROM is through a custom recovery image. You can put a flashable .zip file on your SD card, then boot into recovery and flash the .zip to install the ROM. The ROM itself will pretty much always be rooted, unless it's just an unmodified OTA that's been packed into a .zip format. You can also flash ROMs directly from the ROM Manager program, but it can be a little finicky, so I recommend doing it manually. The two main custom recoveries are Amon RA's recovery and ClockworkMod recovery (brief discussion on the differences here on XDA).
Custom recoveries can do other things, too, such as partition your SD card and perform NAND backups. If you're going to start rooting, I recommend making a NAND (also called "nandroid") backup any time you are getting ready to make a modification to your system. The backup is a literal 1-to-1 image copy of your NAND when the backup is made, so you can completely restore your phone's current condition (settings, system, apps, everything) by restoring from a backup.
Lastly, it is possible to unroot your phone. If something gets really messed up, you can use one of HTC's ROM Upgrade Utilities (RUU) to effectively re-flash the phone back to stock HTC software. When mucking around with dual-booting ROMs on my EVO I managed to wreck my boot partition at one point. I couldn't get into my ROM, I couldn't get into recovery, but I could still get to HBoot. From HBoot I could still run an RUU, so I just restored to the 3.30 software, re-rooted, restored my NAND backup and went on my merry way. Although there is always potential to brick your phone completely, I've never actually seen a scenario where a phone couldn't be recovered via HBoot somehow (either RUU or another method). There are guides available for this as well.
Also, just as a note, if you only want to root so that you can get rid of Sprint's bloatware, you don't need a custom ROM. Once you unlock your NAND you can just delete apps from the /system/apps directory via an adb shell or a terminal emulator. I personally think it's worth it to dive into a custom ROM (I'm a CyanogenMod guy myself), but that's up to you.
And of course, if Sprint finds out that you rooted your phone your warranty is void. I think it's worth the risk, but it's something to always keep in mind.

Thank you for your concise answer.  I followed the first guide you posted and it worked like a charm.  By flashing the rom in the guide I learned how to flash the fresh rom onto my phone.


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Remote login into the phone from a PC

Possible Duplicate:
Any VNC solutions for an unrooted device?

Is it possible to remotely control an Android phone from a PC. Is there a program similar to VNC server that runs on the phone, with the client displaying phone's UI on the PC?
When I'm at my desk, it would be much easier to manage the phone (read/type SMS, install apps etc.) from the PC instead of poking the tiny touchscreen.
Searching brings many solutions in the other direction (VNC server on PC, VNC client on phone).

Yes, but your phone needs to be rooted: Droid VNC
With an unrooted phone and other apps you can do certain things like access the SD card, send SMS messages and manage apps, but to gain total control of the device it needs to be rooted.
See my related inquiries here and here.

Team viewer had recently provided app for Samsung phones. After installing this app in, the phone can be remotely accessed from PC.  The following is the screen shot from its site:

Webkey (Play store link, AppBrain link) is an open source app for remotely controlling your phone from a web browser.
Your phone must be rooted to use Webkey.

On your phone, search the app store for 'TeamViewer Host'. You can then connect from your PC.


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How can I play music from my HTC Desire Android phone in my car?
My car is a 2002 Toyota Camry and the stereo is old-fashioned like this:

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=hao&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&biw=1440&bih=672&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=2002+toyota+camry+stereo&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

I did some research and found out that I could use FM transmitter from iRiver:

http://www.amazon.com/iriver-AFT-100-Mobile-Transmitter/dp/B00067LYFW

Is that the recommended way to play music from my Android without investing too much?
If yes, that also creates a new problem which is the Power Socket needs to be shared between iRiver and Android (which is power hungry). How do I solve that problem?
Thanks all.

I have something similar to this Parrot handsfree kit that I use for handsfree calls, but primarily for playing music from my Desire through my car stereo (which is of similar vintage).
That approach has the advantage that you can control the music from the handsfree kit, not having to worry about which pocket your phone is in.

Yeah I'm curious too.. it seems to use Bluetooth. I don't think my car stereo has Bluetooth support

It does, but it handles all of that. My stereo doesn't have Bluetooth either, but the phone connects to the handsfree kit, which then hands either a mono audio stream (handsfree) or stereo (music) to the stereo's appropriate inputs.

That looks great - much better than dangling wires everywhere! +1 How does the parrot connect to the car's stereo for the music / call output?

Yeah I'm curious too.. it seems to use Bluetooth. I don't think my car stereo has Bluetooth support

The FM transmitter solution works, but can be a bit unreliable as you drive around, moving through areas with different interference etc.  The transmitter works by sending the radio signal out at low power on a particular frequency, so if there's something bigger (like a real radio station) broadcasting on the same frequency you'll hear that instead.
I have a transmitter that can be battery-powered or plugged into the cigar lighter - it only works satisfactorily when plugged in.
The quality of the sound also depends on how good the FM reception is in your car.
As for the power issue, you can get splitters for the standard car cigar lighter; search Amazon for "car power splitter" for examples, such as:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001JPRLPM/ref=mp_s_a_5?qid=1293873275&sr=8-5
If the transmitter works for you in your car and your location, and you can put up with the wires dangling around the car, then it's an ok (not great) solution. Another simple method would be to replace your stock car stereo with one that has a 3.5mm AUX input, and plug the phone straight in.

Thanks Matt. How do I find out which car stereo would replace and fit into the slot in my Camry? Which one would you recommend which has 3.5mm AUX input?


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Music player that utilizes ReplayGain tags and can scrobble to Last.fm?
Is there a media player that can read ReplayGain tags from the music files and adjust play volume accordingly? Also it will be appreciated if it can live scrobble playing tracks to a chosen Last.fm profile.
As a bonus: Can it display currently playing song to a bluetooth handsfree with screen, like SE MW600?
Thanks in advance.

I finally have decided to "normalize" all my music, specially for the car radio. The good thing is that you can revert ReplayGain changes easily losslessly.

Normalization is not the same as what ReplayGain does as the latter is way better.

Winamp supports ReplayGain in its desktop versions, so the Android version might also support it (I'm not positive, but it seems reasonable). It definitely does support scrobbling, though I've not used it myself. You could give that a try and see if it fits your needs.

DeaDBeeF supports replaygain and many file formats. Also has a nice interface, but its integration with the standard music library is not as good. Still, well worth a try.


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How to stop a phone from ringing without rejecting the call?
Sometimes I don't want to take a call, but I don't want him to know that. So I left the phone be until it stops, so it would appear that I'm away from phone or something and I miss the call. Can I silence the ringing tone and the vibration while doing that?
Info: My phone is Galaxy S

I suspect this is very much device dependent, but on the HTC Desire HD, you can press the physical volume down button to silence the ringtone whilst allowing the call to continue.

My phone is Galaxy S. Edited that in the info. Will try this next time I get a call.

Can't verify this, but the following forum thread suggests that the volume key should work on the Galaxy S too. Have you given it a go? http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s/124007-mute-ringtone-alert-when-receiving-call.html

This volume-down trick works on my Droid 2 Global (Motorola) as well (running Android 2.2).

I've a Galaxy S, but the volume down trick does not work. I called my S a few times but couldn't figure out a way to do this.

@mark: For SGS, hold the button. See my answer.

The HTC Desire allows you to flip the phone face down to silence that call. If that doesn't work with the Samsung then you can probably use Tasker to arrive at a similar result (put the phone into silent mode when it's face down).

Interesting idea!

There are a couple of apps out there that will do the same.

Side question: after having used this exact feature (called "silence incoming calls" on my phone), as of a few months ago, my phone only rings or vibrates once (shorter than a 1s), as if "silence incoming calls" kicked in, in spite of me not having touched the phone which is lying on its back, not upside down on the screen. Is this a bug, is there a workaround, is it a HW failure of some sort? P880 user, BTW. Would this make more sense as a separate question, rather than a comment?

For Samsung Galaxy S, the way is to hold the volume down button. If you just press, nothing happens (or maybe you have to press it several times before it completely stops ringing, I don't know, but holding it makes it stop immediately)

Works also for Galaxy Ace. Maybe it would be a good idead to update the question with some devices that have been tested so far?

For Samsung Galaxy S, you have press the power button to put your phone on silent when it rings

and if you keep the power button pressed, it stops all annoying noises :)

Holding down lower volume button also works on LG stylo 2


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How much internal storage for Apps does Nexus S have?
I have a Nexus One now, and the internal storage is very limited. For the moment I have only 164 MB internal storage for apps (From DiskUsage).
Nexus One seem to have totally 512MB of internal storage. And Nexus S seem to have totally 16GB of internal storage. But Wikipedia wrotes: 16 GB iNAND (partitioned 1 GB internal storage,
15 GB USB storage
Does this mean that Nexus S only has less than 1GB of internal storage for Apps? I find my 164MB very limiting on Nexus One and I consider to buy a new phone because of this.

Nexus S is only using 1GB of its 16GB memory for internal storage which only left 971MB for applications. This is very limited. I read this from Test av Google Nexus S - a deep review in swedish.

I believe the 1 GB is for the /system folder, which is not normally mounted via USB.  The rest of the space is usable for your apps!  I have a Galaxy S and this is how it works, plus there's an external SD card.

Thanks, this sounds good. Then I can sell my Nexus One with very limited memory (~180MB) for apps and buy a Nexus S with 15GB.

This was actually false. Only 1GB was dedicated for internal storage and only 971MB of them is avaiable for Apps.

Then what exactly is the 15gb for?

You can store data there, use it as a USB-memory and also store applications that is specifictly designed for beeing stored on the SD-card. Far from all applications is designed for SD-card storage, that's why I'm running out of memory on my Nexus One.

That's unfortunate.  Hopefully more and more app developers make their apps support apps2sd.

Yes, it's false. I experienced it the first-hand. Did you find any solution for this? How to enable this 15Gb for apps?

The other answers (except for Matthew Read's original answer) are completely incorrect. You can choose whether your installed apps are stored on the 1gb system memory or on the 15gb data memory. I have a nexus S and can confirm this is the case. You do not need a rooted phone or apps2sd to do this; it's built-in to the standard build.

I think this only works if the app is designed for being stored also on SD-cards.

E.g. see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=868772


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How can I configure my phone for MMS?
I can not send or receive MMS-messages (containing an image) on my Nexus One phone. And I can't find many settings to set for it.
I have set an adress for APN. But there is also an IP-address, a proxieaddress and a port number that I should set.
How do I set up MMS on Nexus One?

You will need your operator's APN details (hint: ask the operator's customer service or search on Google), which you can enter through Settings > Tap "Wireless & network settings" > Tap "Mobile networks" > Tap "Access Point Names" > Press "Menu Button" > Tap "New APN" (eclair/2.1).
Alternatively, many operators can send a special service message that will automatically configure the correct APN settings. You might need to contact your operator's customer service or send an SMS/text message to a special number before they send you the autoconfigure service message.


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What are some Facebook contact integration alternatives?
I'm using HTC Hero.
I really love its seamless integration with facebook contacts.
My favorite thing about this feature is that I can link my google contact to facebook contact then automatically get profile picture and birthday information from facebook.
since I can't get any decent froyo ROM for HTC Hero, I use this non-htc-sense ROM and now I miss that feature.
is there any application that (or any way to)  bring similar feature?

This is not Sense-specific.  It should work with the Android contacts app regardless.

@Matthew maybe I miss something. But with the new ROM, I can't figure out how to connect my contact to a facebook profile.

OK, added an answer with steps.

First, in the Facebook app, go to settings -> Sync Contacts -> check either Sync all or Sync with existing contacts.  Then in the contacts app, go to Display options and find your Facebook account in the list, then check All contacts.  They should show up in your contact list then.  To join them with existing google contacts, go into one of the contacts, edit it, hit menu and select Join, then find the other contact and select it.

Bonus: If you have contacts that aren't linked (most probable cause: name differences), if you edit the contact and tap the menu icon, there's probably going to be a "Join" item that lets you manually select the Facebook contact.

Make sure that your Facebook account is set to sync contacts (Settings -> Accounts and sync -> Facebook -> Sync Contacts).  Then in the Contacts app, Select a contact -> Hit the Menu button -> Join contact -> Select the contact to merge.

thank you. but @maxpower47 answer is 4 minutes earlier. +1

My one complaint about touchscreen phones: Slow typing :P


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What is the default browser in Android?
What browser runs on Android? Is it Chrome or a modified version of it?

The default browser is, as far as I can make out, simply called 'Browser', and is based on the WebKit rendering engine.  Android 2.2 and above use the V8 javascript engine.  The combination of WebKit and V8 makes the browser very similar to desktop Chrome.

The web browser utilizes WebKit for rendering. WebKit was originally forked by Apple from the KHTML rendering engine, which powers the Konqueror web browser/file manager.   The WebKit engine has been open source from the beginning and is used in many browsers including Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and a few other smaller browsers.
The Android Browser's Javascript engine is Google's V8 engine, which is also used in Chrome.
However, while Chromium is the open-sourced code base from which Google Chrome is derived, I believe the Android browser has its own codebase.  I do not think the Android browser derives from Chromium, which contains code for integrating with window management, tabbing, extensions, and many other features that are well-suited for a desktop experience.
Browsing on a mobile phone is a different experience and I believe that the Google Android Browser application is NOT derived from the Chromium code base directly, though it does implement components that are built into Chromium as well.

indeed, the android browser & chrome are both based on webkit (or more specically the webcore rendering engine) but were developed seperately. With android 2.2 the browser switched to the v8 javascript engine that was developed for chrome.

The default browser is based on WebKit (the same as Chrome). It also has the same V8 Javascript engine. So I would say Android's default browser is a modified version of Chrome.

Every version of Android has an "Android browser" that is basically a cut of the open-source Chromium browser. For example, the Android Browser that lives in the AOSP v4.4 (KitKat) is based on the same code as Chrome v30.0.0. Applications that use WebViews use this Android Browser (not the user's default browser).

Date
API Version
Android version
Codename
WebKit

2009-04-30
3
1.5
Cupcake
528.5

2009-09-15
4
1.6
Donut
528.5

2009-09-26
5
2.0
Eclair
530.17

2009-12-03
6
2.0.1
Eclair
530.17

2010-01-12
7
2.1
Eclair
530.17

2010-05-20
8
2.2
Froyo
533.1

2010-12-06
9
2.3
Gingerbread
?

2011-02-09
10
2.3.3
Gingerbread
533.1

2011-02-22
11
3.0
Honeycomb
534.13

2011-05-10
12
3.1
Honeycomb
534.13

2011-07-15
13
3.2
Honeycomb
534.13

2011-10-19
14
4.0
Ice cream sandwich
534.30

2011-12-16
15
4.0.3
Ice cream sandwich
534.30

2012-07-09
16
4.1
Jellybean
534.30

2012-11-13
17
4.2
Jellybean
534.30

2013-07-24
18
4.3
Jellybean
534.30

2013-07-24
19
4.4
KitKat
537.36

Original table
https://developer.chrome.com/multidevice/webview/overview
https://decadecity.net/blog/2013/11/21/android-browser-versions

It is an Android version of Chromium, which is what Google built on top of WebKit.  The browser we call Chrome is built on top of Chromium with separate versions for Windows, OS X, and Linux.
Some functionality was removed or slimmed down for the Android version.
It's similar to Safari and Mobile Safari in the sense that many of those apps' codes are WebKit, and on top of WebKit, there's similar/identical code between the two, but they also have many parts of the code that are completely different.
Google was just up for Open Sourcing Chromium
https://sites.google.com/a/chromium.org/dev/Home

Several.
You have:

Opera Mini
Firefox 4 Beta version (the newest)
Skyfire (great one, and fast)
Dolphin Browser.

All of them with pros and cons.
You have them in the Android Market.

Thanks Lordinario, however, I what I meant was default browser.

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


text:
Access Android Phone on local wireless network from Windows device
Is what the subject implies possible?
Typing \\{phone IP} doesn't seem to work as it would with other Windows running devices on the same network.
Thank you.

If you mean you want to remote-control the Android phone, that's been addressed in this question: http://android.stackexchange.com/q/1931/1683

This is also quite similar (but not exactly the same) to this question: Is there a SMB Server app that does not require root access?

No, no, no, I don't mean remote control but rather file sharing. I want to type \\192.168.0.100 and see files in my phone as I would if it was plugged into the USB of my PC.

For this to work seamlessly you would need an SMB server on your phone.  There is such an app, available via this forum thread.  It needs root, and it looks like results vary by device.  At least one reason why root is required is that normal users aren't allowed to open ports below 1024, whilst by convention, SMB servers use ports 135-139.
An alternative is the On Air (Wifi Disk) app, available in the market.  Whilst not quite seamless, this does give you access to your SD card via AppleTalk, WebDAV or good old FTP.  I've just tested with an HTC Desire HD and Windows XP over WebDAV and it appears to work well.
The Windows XP WebDAV client is a bit ropey, but that's not really the fault of Android or On Air :)
The On Air app itself warns of issues using the built-in WebDAV clients for Vista and Windows 7, and recommends a standalone client.

I wonder why it has to be so complicated considering the FAT is FAT32 and Windows is perfectly capable of reading that.

Wandering off of this particular Stack Exchange's subject a little, but I think you need to understand that when you enter \192.168.0.100 on your PC, you're not actually looking directly at the target machine's disk, but rather connecting to a server on that machine. Windows just happens to make that server quite easy to configure, by simply 'sharing a folder'. A phone has different requirements from a desktop PC (battery usage, for instance) so it's understandable that you get less of this kind of functionality 'in the box'.

well in that case u can use software data cable in your android phone. it'll install the ftp server on your phone and you can get access to your phone storage from the browser.. remember they should be in the same network....

miki, I guess the downvote is because you've missed the link to that app (and people thinking about "stupid WiFi cables?!?! WTF?!?" :) Maybe you want to [edit] your answer and add the link?


text:
Android and other OS at the same time

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

Is it possible to have Android 2.2 as well as say Windows 7 Mobile on my smartphone?
Any idea how that can be done?
Thank you.

I don't believe a way has been found to dual-boot.  However, the HTC Desire Z (Android) and the HTC HD2 (Windows Mobile 7) are basically the same phone, so I'm sure a dedicated developer could make it work for those.  Windows Phone 7 doesn't work on any phone the way Windows works on any PC, and Android is mostly the same.
N.B. Something called "Gen.Y DualBOOT" allowed for Android and Windows Mobile 6 to run on the same phone, but I don't believe it has been updated for WP7.  There's a netbook that does it, but not very well.

Thanks, Matthew. I read about Gen.Y DualBOOT and some others, but it seems it's possible to do if you have Windows 7 Mobile installed then getting Android and rarely the other way around. I'll give it a bit more time to see if someone has found a way, prefferably a "clean" way that doesn't require messing up the current Android installation or that will stop working once 2.3 arrives etc.

Yep, Android on a WP7 device is more likely to work.  Good luck!


text:
How to select default application
How can I change the default application for a given file type or protocol?
For example, I have multiple browsers on my smartphone and have selected "Internet" (the default browser) to be "the default browser" because it kept asking on every link.
How can I change that to ask me each time or at least select a different option?
Thank you.

Go to:
Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications -> All -> Web [or Internet]

Hit "Clear Defaults" and that will change it to again ask every time.


text:
urlfilter.ini for Opera Mini
For Opera or Opera Mobile it's possible to block certain URLs by adding a file urlfilter.ini to the user profiles. On Opera Mobile this file would be placed at /data/data/com.opera.browser/opera/profiles/smartphone/urlfilter.ini.
But this approach only seems to work for Opera Mobile, not Opera Mini. Is there a way to block certain URLs in Opera Mini so that the normal user can't change it via the Opera UI?
Another idea I had (my app runs on rooted devices with secured su access) but which wouldn't entire cover all my requirements:
Modifying the /etc/hosts file and change all urls to 127.0.0.1 - but the problem is that I don't just filter entire domains, but also just certain suffixes, etc. *.apk, and /etc/hosts doesn't allow wild cards just for file suffixes.

I don't think this line of thinking would work. The Opera Mini experience is built on the premise of the client being able to connect to Opera's rendering server farms and having a web page that's optimised for mobile view being sent to your phone/device after being compressed in order to save data network costs.
I don't think modifying your hosts file would work on Opera Mini - Mobile and your default browser - yes, because they connect directly from your phone to the page you're trying to view.

and it probably won't work on Opera Mobile with Opera Turbo as well.

+1 With Opera Mini the page isn't built on your phone, it's built on the server, so blocking URLs of adverts etc on your phone won't do anything, they need to be blocked on the server, which would affect everyone, so isn't in your control.


text:
Change image size before sharing an image via email
When I first used the share functionality (Share via email) from the gallery, Android asked me what should be the size of the images (fullsize / normal / small) that will be shared. I opted for regular then, and now I want to change this setting.
I cannot seem to find this setting option anywhere, anyone knows where I can change this ?
(Note: The "crop" feature in the gallery).

I went against the original clause in my question and used Image Shrink Lite.

If anyone else has alternative apps or ways, please mention & I'll be happy to have a look at it.

It's an Email setting, not a gallery setting. You need to go to  Settings → Applications → Manage applications → All → Email
Then hit "Clear data" to remove your settings.
You will have to reset up your email.

I found the option to arrange image size from within the email application itself(i use stock email app of samsung s4)

Nice for you! Mind to share where it is? ;)


text:
Change application to be launched using Voice Action
Is there a way I can change which app will launch upon Voice action? For example when I say "Listen to Pink Floyd", it currently opens Last.fm app which is more or less useless for me since Last.fm doesn't have streaming in my location.
Can I configure it to open, say, Winamp instead of Last.fm? If yes, how?

I believe if you uninstall the Last.fm app, then use the Voice Action "Listen to..", a pop up should show asking which of the default players listed here, will show up and be used.
If however, you'd prefer the default in-built player to play, use Listen To or the app Choice Dialer, available in both free and paid versions in the market.

If I choose to uninstall last.fm, my scrobbles will not be recorded - I don't want that. BTW - why did you mark the answer as CW ?

OK, You didn't mention that Last.fm was a requirement. BTW, Meridian Player supports scrobbling (with help from scrobbledroid) if you want to take a look at it.
Community Wiki because I felt this question could benefit from other users editing it (even if they didn't have sufficient editing privileges).

Just had a look-see and Winamp seems to support scrobbling too, via the official Last.fm app.

@Sparx sorry I should've mentioned it explicitly in the question. Winamp supports scrobbling, but requires the last.fm app which results in the question I posed.

Have you tried the apps I mentioned?

For scrobbling from various players without the official last.fm app, I use this: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.adam.aslfms&hl=en

You can clear the preferred program from "Settings > Applications > Manage applications > Last.FM > Clear defaults"
Then the next time you launch the Voice Action, you'd be prompted with a list of players, click on the "Make default" then on your new preferred application.

Clear defaults is disabled, says No defaults set


text:
How can I make my hacked WPDN run faster?
I have a white Pandigital Novel that I hacked to run Android 2.1.  Is there any way I can make it and the apps it runs go faster?  It's already overclocked to 800Mhz and I have no home screen shortcuts.  Is there anything else I can do?

the question is not "is it fast?", but "is it fast enough?"; is there any specific goal why you want to make it faster? Are you feeling the device is laggy, or are you just aiming for faster benchmark?

@Lie: Certain apps and sometimes the device itself are somewhat/very laggy.

Using JIT (Just In Time) compiler (e.g. installing Froyo, Gingerbread, or "Frozen Eclair") will typically increase CPU-bound processes by 3-5 times.
If your device use FAT, RFS, or NTFS filesystem, your device might be faster by converting to ext2/ext3/ext4 filesystem. However, if you want to prolong the lifetime of your internal memory, use YAFFS2 filesystem.

I am not familiar with JIT. -Googles- Looks good.  Can you elaborate on how I apply it here?

@John: upgrade to Froyo/Gingerbread, which comes with JIT. Alternatively, it is possible to backport Froyo's JIT to Eclair or possibly earlier, I've used the "Frozen Eclair" mod which gives a similar performance improvement to Froyo's JIT (on benchmarks).

in order to use JIT and installing froyo, search cm6 wpdn. its a cyanogenmod 6 hack where you can make all sorts of tweaks, including the ones the other guy gave you

Instead of instructing the OP to do a search, can you not do a search, find the information, and summarize it here (with a link, if needed)?


text:
How can I add the market to my device?
I have a white Pandigital Novel that I hacked to run Android 2.1.  The firmware I have did not come with the market.  Is there a way I can put the market on it?  Is there a "market.apk" somewhere?

Android Market is not a freeware, unlike the rest of Android OS, so I'm not sure if there is a legal way to install it on your custom OS. I suggest you take a look at these threads:

Alternative Android App Markets
Install Apps on phone with no Android Market

Androidtablets.net has a topic about a ROM for your device that has the Market on it.  I'm not sure if you can just take the market.apk from that one or if you'd need to flash the entire ROM, but it looks like you can get the market on that device.

Yes, I know my device can support the market.  I would like to know how I can add the market to it and I'm hoping to avoid another full flash.

I downloaded the linked firmware but could not find a specific market file.  Through Googling I did find a file a believe to be the market named "Vending.apk".  I first tried installing that on an emulator to see if that was the market but I received an error:PARSE ERROR: UPEXPECTED EXCEPTION OCCURRED!.  I put it on my SD card then ran "Apps Installer" but it refused to install it.  It just said: Application not installed

You probably need to put it in /system/app (you need root to do so) and the device should register it, reboot possibly required.


text:
Widget to show alarm information on HTC Desire
Is it possible to have information about scheduled alarms always visible on the screen? Ideally, as a widget with the list of alarms, or at least just the time of the next alarm somewhere, so I could always know this information at a glance, without opening alarm settings screen.
For now, I have to regularly check my alarm settings by clicking on the clock widget, which is inconvenient. Also, there is an alarm icon in the status bar, which is rather useless because I have several alarms at different times and at least one is always enabled.

I use a widget called "Digital Clock Widget", free from the Market. It's a simple clock/date widget, which can be configured to also show the day and time of the next alarm.

There were many apps with the same name, but I found what I needed, thanks. In case somebody else will be interested, here is the link: http://www.appbrain.com/app/red.extension.DigitalClockWidget

Sorry for not being more exact, but yes, that's the one I meant :)

Alarm Master has a widget that shows the next alarm, but i think you need to set alarms from within that app, not the default alarm / clock app.
There's also Upcomings, which has a similar widget for showing the next event.

For the next calendar event the Desire (and all HTC I think) don't need a 3rd party app. The HTC calendar widget which comes with the phone has 3 different view modes, the third does exactly that.
Unfortunately it works only with calendar events and not alarms...


text:
What percentage of devices have each of the Android versions?
We're starting out with some Android development in our company, and I'm working out which  Android versions we should support.
In one of Google's videos from 27th May 2010 (22:34 minutes in) there is a pie chart showing roughly a third of users each for Android 1.5, 1.6 and 2.1.
Does anyone have a more up-to-date source for the percentages of active Android devices with each version of the platform?

Check out Official Android Developer's Dashboards.
Data as of September, 2017 1

Version
Codename
Distribution

2.3.3-2.3.7
Gingerbread
0.6%

4.0.3-4.0.4
Ice Cream Sandwich
0.6%

4.1.x
Jelly Bean
2.4%

4.2.x

3.5%

4.3

1.0%

4.4
KitKat
15.1%

5.0
Lollipop
7.1%

5.1

21.7%

6.0
Marshmallow
32.2%

7.0
Nougat
14.2%

7.1

1.6%

1 Data collected during a 7-day period ending on September 11, 2016.
Any versions with less than 0.1% distribution are not shown. (Note: Beginning in September 2013, devices running versions older than Android 2.3.3 do not appear in this data because those devices do not support the new Google Play Store app. As of August 2013, devices with versions lower than 2.2 accounted for about 1% of all devices.)

Just a tiny side note for those who don't follow the link: That data is based on devices hitting Google Play (I presume this includes devices checking for updates), so it should be representative of devices in general use.

If you're interested in the distribution over time, there's a guy on the Wikimedia Commons that makes a nice graph from the Developer Dashboard data, which is updated ~monthly.

FYI Google has stopped publishing the Android version data on their dashboards page. Android Studio offers similar data but that doesn't seem to be regularly updated.

As the Google dashboards page has stopped giving version percentages for some time, years to my memory, I thought I'd give an updated answer to this salient issue. First off, when you create a new project, on the screen where you enter your minimum sdk among other items there is a 'help me choose' link which will bring you to a list of android version use percentages, info similar to that given in the old dashboard pie chart. Also similar to the old dashboard chart, it is terribly obsolete.
Websites with current use version info include https://www.appbrain.com/stats/top-android-sdk-versions, https://gs.statcounter.com/os-version-market-share/android/mobile-tablet/worldwide, and https://apilevels.com/. The latter appears to give the most current numbers.
 Android Studio Chart - Obsolete

 apilevels.com - Current as of Jan 6 2022 on this writing Jan 23

I use the Pareto Principle, that roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes, in determining the percentage of devices to support. In this case, 80% of the issues (and potential 1 star ratings) come from the bottom 20% of android API levels. I found this out the hard way starting out. My minSdkVersion is now 28, which still covers the top 78.4% of android versions according to apilevels. Coincidentally, android tends to support only the top 80% of API levels, so that could be another metric for the 80/20 maxim. Oreo is no longer supported.

Here's the latest from Android Studio. It appears to have been last updated on Aug 4th of 2022:

Thank you for posting this update.  Does Google make this data readily available to people who don't have Android Studio installed?

I couldn't find a way besides Android Studio...I did use Androidcoder's source from the answer above as a sanity check: https://apilevels.com/

Thanks for the update.  Appreciated!

Browsing the source code for the dialog on Android Studio, looks like the data is taken from https://dl.google.com/android/studio/metadata/distributions.json (download only) // cc: @RockPaperLz-MaskitorCasket


text:
App for reading CSV files?
I use the free version of Documents To Go to open Excel and Word files on my phone, but I was disappointed when I tried to open a CSV file.  The only app I have that responds to the Intent for opening a CSV file displays it as plain text.
Does anyone know of a good free app for viewing CSV files in a grid/spreadsheet layout?

And, boom. A whole slew of essentially one-line answers with little information, and they just keep coming. This is why we don't like requests for app recommendations.

@AlE.My points on this SE site don't matter to me, but I'm curious why a legitimate question asked almost 4 yrs ago would cause you to downvote (comment and downvote activity at the exact same time == likely correlation).  IMO, StackOverflow and the whole SE network are being horribly affected by what looks to me like an obsession with negative responses (downvotes, votes to close, snarky response).

Focus changes I guess. Al is one of our most active "hunters", helping us to keep the site clean. I was no member back when this question was asked, so I cannot tell whether it was on-topic then. // Nevertheless, it's off-topic now according to the rules. But if you're still (or again) on the hunt for that office app: be welcome to take a look at my list of Office Suites and Text Editors (Al: No, I won't make that an answer ;) Instead, I'll throw in my VTC as well.)

Simple Spreadsheet is freeware and lists import/export of CSV as a feature.
Shead Spreet Lite also has similar features.
In the non-freeware category, see CSV Viewer and AndrOffice

Documento - office viewer can open and view CSV files. I believe it costs $1, though it can open other files as well.

Data Bee is the best. It can handle large files without problems. I has been using it for so many years.


text:
Android Browser that Saves and Fills Passwords
Is there a browser I can install that stores passwords just like regular desktop    browsers?
I'd only use it for unimportant passwords, so I'm really not worried about security. Anything that saves and auto fills my passwords is fine.
Running a motorola-milestone.

The standard Android browser does this for me on most (non-banking type) websites. When I start typing my username into the login box it shows a drop down of names used in that login box before. Selecting one of those fills the password box in too.
If you go into the browser and press Menu -> More -> Settings and then scroll down the settings window to the Privacy Settings section, there's a tick-box there for Remember Form Data, then if you scroll down a bit further to Security Settings, there's a tickbox for Remember Passwords. make sure that both of those are ticked and you should be ok.
I'm on a Galaxy S running the official Samsung Froyo 2.2 release, and I'm sure my old HTC Magic running stock Android Donut 1.6 did this too.

Now that you mentioned, I tried a couple other sites and it worked. Looks like it's this specific one I'm having trouble with. That is weird, it's a standard login and it works fine on desktop browsers.

@Bruce could be the name of those fields?  Browsers typicall look for username/password ids on the text box fields

Could be, the ids are not in English so it might not be recognizing them. Still strange though, cause I'm using the Portuguese version of the OS (browser included).

Opera Mini 5 also includes the ability to save / remember a user's login credentials.
LastPass and KeePass also have Android editions that remember your logins / passwords, although they aren't browsers.

Paid version of LastPass includes an Android browser

There's a LastPass plugin for Dolphin browser that's great.  It will remember all of your passwords and sync with the desktop if you use LastPass there as well.  Personally I also prefer the look and performance of the Dolphin browser to the stock Android one.


text:
Alternatives to a hard reset when screen is frozen on Android Froyo?
My Nexus One has been freezing up a lot lately, particularly in Settings. Are there any good alternatives to pulling the battery when this happens?

As mentioned below, try nailing down what process(es) cause the freeze(s).

Watchdog Task Manager (and the Light edition) is good at highlighting apps which peg the CPU.

This may not apply to the Nexus One but when this happens to me on my droid I turn the screen off wait a couple seconds and turn it back on. Sometimes it comes back fine other times it comes back with an option to force close the hanging program. Either way I never have to pull the battery just force close the process.

Yeah, I can't turn the screen off at all when this happens. Sometimes the option to force-close pops up, which usually solves the problem.

Wow, turning the screen off is one thing that always works for me. I wish I had some more advice for you. What process is hanging when you do get the force close option?

I've gotten the force close option when I was switching wireless networks. Even then, sometimes it takes on the order of a minute or so to get the force close option. As for totally locked up, Angry Birds is one app that has done that a couple of times to me.

Try pressing the home button, on unrooted devices, the Home button can only be overriden by Home Screen apps so unless your Home Screen is freezing as well, it usually can bring you back to the home screen so you can force close the freezing app from the application manager (Settings > Manage applications > "app name" > Force stop).

None of the 4 buttons shows any response that I can elicit when this happens, unless there's some combination or holding of a button for a period of time that can interrupt the freeze.


text:
Podcast app which supports old episodes well?
I am looking for a podcast player app which will let me subscribe to a podcast and listen to the earliest episodes first, eventually catching up to the current episodes.
I've tried Google Listen and PodCat, and neither one seemed to handle this case well. I don't want to install a paid app and start a 15-minute-trial until I know what to expect from it.
It should also be reliable at remembering the current position in a paused-and-ignored-for-a-while podcast, and download/delete automatically so I generally don't have to manage it except to actually listen.

BeyondPod ($7 but well worth it) will do everything you mentioned in your question.  I have tried DoggCatcher and a slew of free apps and I've found BeyondPod to be the best.
You sort you podcasts from newest to oldest, or oldest to newest, or longest to shortest, or shortest to longest.  You can also break them up into categories which I find helpful.
Also, it is very good at remembering you place.  I regularly start one podcast then switch to another, then another and find that I can always return to the unfinished shows without losing my place.
There are also numerous autoupdate and auto delete options.  You can set certain categories of feeds update on a certain schedule.  You can set the auto delete globally, on the category level or at the podcast level, telling it to delete podcasts of a certain age, or tell it to only keep so many podcasts, or delete after listening.  Its also easy to mass delete all "listened to" podcasts with just two clicks.

I’ve installed BeyondPod and it seems to be doing just what I want. The app is free to install; it appears that only automatic downloading of new podcasts is a paid feature, and there's a 7-day trial!

Personally, I use DoggCatcher and have had no problems with it.
It will always remember where you last were in the podcast, even if you went and played a different podcast instead and came back to that one.
It'll auto-delete based on how you set it up.  For me, it auto deletes after I've listened to it.  It usually happens pretty quickly too (15 min or so).
You can also tell it when to update and how many episodes of a podcast to download that you haven't listened to yet.


text:
Where is my original Galaxy S task manager?
When I bought my i9000, there was a task manager kind of thing on the home screen which showed a memory status bar and the number of processes, and when I touched it it showed details of all process and active applications. I deleted it but changed my mind. How can I get that widget back?

A task manager comes with the Galaxy S in 2.2.  There isn't a task manager in 2.1, which is what I assume you had one the phone when you bought it.  Perhaps you're using the wrong terminology?

long press the home screen, select samsung widgets--> select program monitor

I think the "Task Manager" app was available from the Samsung Apps store in Android 2.1, I seem to remember downloading it from there at some point along with the "My Files" app. You can try going into Applications list on your phone, finding the "Samsung Apps" icon and looking through the list in there.
If your phone is running Android 2.2 then the Task Manager is "built-in" and is not easy to delete. You can see if it is still there by holding down your Home button for a few seconds until the recent apps list comes up, and you should have a TaskManager button at the bottom.


text:
Is there a way to see what application is performing a sync?
Sometimes you see the sync symbol appearing in the message bar at the top of the screen (mine being a Samsung Galaxy S running Froyo).
At that time, most of the times, the screen freezes.
So I was wondering : is there an application / widget that shows which application is performing a sync operation at the moment ?
And/or is there a log somewhere of all sync operations ?

I've had, over the last few days (since updating to FroYo -- yeah a bit late, I know) an issue with Google Reader sync running forever and crippling the perf of my phone.  As @Ryan says below, you can see what is synching in one of the menus -- look for the spinning arrows next to the app in question.  Non-synching apps will have the arrows appearing static.

You can check the Accounts & Sync in the settings. This will show you what is syncing.
I am going to throw out a guess that you have the Official Twitter client installed and have sync data enabled. I used to get the "lock up" you describe all the time.
The lock up is not really just from the app that is syncing, but it is causing it... Samsung decided when they designed the Galaxy S that the file systems that existed were not good enough for them. So they decided to use a proprietary file system that was developed by Samsung called RFS. This file system is slow, like, Really Fricken Slow. It is the cause of the "Galaxy S Lag".
Even Google decided, with the Nexus S, that they were not going to use RFS on the device, it uses ext4. There are "fixes" out there to convert the RFS to ext4, but they do require you to have root access, a custom recovery (like clockworkmod) and to flash a ROM or a kernel.
Voodoo is one of the best. Roms like Nero3 from TeamWhiskey have voodoo built right in to their ROM.
Now if you don't have root access and don't want to, there is really nothing that can be done to "correct" the lag that you are experiencing... except to disable the syncing of data that cause the lag.

+1 for R eally F ricken S low.  And a great answer otherwise also.


text:
Why does my Android 2.2 powered Samsung Galaxy I5510 receive duplicated messages (SMS)?
I own a brand new Samsung Galaxy I5510 (Android 2.2). Everything works fine and I really like the device.
My problem is:
Every time Some times I receive a message from a phone number that is not in my contact list, the phone continues receiving it every few hours.
Facts I pointed out:

The time between those messages is not constant.
It never happened when the number was in my contact list.
Deleting the thread does not solve the problem.
The senders do not fool me and send the message again and again.
It seems to stop after a day or two.
restart of the phone does not solve the problem.
I am not sure if it really receives the message again or if it just copies the old one.

Does anybody has an idea what could cause the described behavior?
Thank you!
EDIT: Another point why it is not likely to be a provider issue: I never received a duplicated message while the phone was turned off. Means: I never switched the phone on in the morning and received one or more such messages instantly.
EDIT 2: I looked through all the phone log. It happened by now for two numbers. Both were not in my contact list. The occurencies and their time of day are:
+491773**4537
15:38
17:23
19:19
21:41
00:37
phone off
13:20
16:12
20:48
phone off
09:59
10:16
14:10
phone off
12:46
21:04
--------
13 times

+491635**4554
23:39
phone off
12:20
13:09
14:44
16:16
17:51
19:28
21:02
23:39
phone off
07:28
08:16
09:32
10:51
12:17
15:28
17:00
18:27
20:04
21:21
22:47
--------
20 times

Message from numbers that did not repeat:
+491762**21169
+491797**1598
+436508**7821
+336782**105

What's your carrier?  I experience "duplicate" messages all the time on Verizon.  I believe it's a carrier issue.

@Al Everett: Why did you remove the android tags?

@Bryan Denny: My carrier is www.o2.de (Telefonica). But I don't think that its their issue: I didn't change my simcard and had no problems on my old phone. Maybe the I5510 does not confirm the receivement of a sms which sender isn't in the contact list...

@Simon Android tags are considered redundant here (because you're already on a site about Android, there is no need to tag it unless you're tagging a specific version of it, 2.2-froyo, etc.)

@Bryan Denny: Ok, I thought tagging it 2.2-froyo might be right as I thought it could be a issue to the OS (at that specific version). Why do general android tags exist?

How many times does it repeat? Does it always stop after a certain number or does it last until you shut the phone off?

@Kyle — First 13 times, secound 20 times. Shutting down and restarting does not help! Please see my edit! Thanks!

i hope that samsung comes with a sollution fast, because i5510 has a lot of software problems

@Simon: Android tags exist primarily because when questions are migrated from other sites they are (correctly) tagged "android" there, and the tags are maintained in the migration.

The problem simply disappeared after a few weeks. I guess the carrier changed something or my phone got updated without informing me... Who knows.

Those are the worst. Glad you got it sorted.


text:
What is the meaning of "Root Access Required"?

Possible Duplicate:
How do I root my phone?

what is root in android OS, some time i read rooted OS uprooted phone what it mean and recently i read "Root Access Required" on an android article.

The accepted answer to this question should tell you everything you need to know (and a bit more) - How do I root my phone?

@Matt H: thanks a lot, how to check weather i have rooted my phone or not ?

If you did not root it then it isn't rooted. Unless you bought it used, then it is possible, but doubtful.

As Matt pointed out, you can find your answers at http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1184/how-do-i-root-my-phone