text:
How to launch the hidden Sound Recorder on Froyo?
I discovered a "Sound Recorder" in the application list on my Froyo handset. Why is it hidden like that with no 'launcher' or app icon to start it?
I'm curious.. also because of this app;
I need to open this thing and I want to know how to do it since it is already on my phone. I don't want to pay for an app that is just a shortcut.
NOTE: I recently flashed an unofficial cyanogenmod ROM for my phone and it has the hidden sound recorder shortcut now on the application drawer.

You're asking for a lot of speculation here. Your second paragraph is basically unanswerable unless the developer himself answers it.

Well, we do prefer concrete, answerable questions. (Read the [FAQ].) The only concrete question I can see is "How can I access the 'Sound Recorder' functionality of Android without going through a third-party (paid) app?" Or possibly "What is the 'Sound Recorder' I see in my application list?"

@Al Everett Alright, I just need to open the sound recorder app without using his app. Any idea? Terminal?

Well next time, I'll think about posting it as different questions; I just seem to link everything up in a single post, sorry. and hoping that next time I won't encounter any "similar post" comments when I do that. (ps. I made the question clear now, hopefully)

Yes, better, thanks. Please note that I wasn't being critical, only pointing out that you weren't likely to get helpful answers. Now I just hope someone knows something about Sound Recorder, because I'm curious about it now, too.

let us continue this discussion in chat

You could try launching it from the command line using the am command. Either from a terminal emulator or from an adb shell you can try:
am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.android.soundrecorder/com.android.soundrecorder.SoundRecorder

This works on my EVO and on my Xoom, and it's probably important to note that my Xoom does not display the Sound Recorder application in my app drawer (similar to your device).
Also, some custom launchers let you define shortcuts to either an activity or an intent. In ADW Launcher, for example, you can choose to set a shortcut to the Sound Recorder activity by long pressing your home screen and going to Custom Shortcut->Pick your activity and then finding it in the list (it lists every activity on the device).

CyanogenMod 6 (which is Froyo) has this available, so my guess is that your phone manufacturer or carrier has hidden it. Post more details about those two things.

That's very unlikely because I did /cust WIPE and /ALL wipe and am running a custom ROM. The hidden app still exists on the new ROM too. Right now im running Dronix 0.4 ROM (based on 2.2 froyo itself) and its Huawei IDEOS u8150.

This isn't what you asked for, but it might solve your problem. If you just want to be able to make short audio recordings from your phone, you can use the “Note to self” functionality of Voice Search.
Trigger Voice Search, say “Note to self” (on my phone it also appears by default in the text search results list before you type anything, but I think that might be new in Gingerbread) and then anything. A dialog will appear with a transcription of the recording, and options for sending an e-mail. If you just send it, you will recieve in your Gmail a message containing the transcription and the original audio.

Sounds nice.. but its slow and needs internet connection; also voice commands are currently for US English/Generic language inputs only. thanks for the tip though.

I have a suggestion that might help you. I have huawei ideos u8150 and I use messages whenever I want to record any audio.
Go to 'message' then 'create new message'. Select the menu button then select 'attach' Select record audio and the sound recorder is launched. After recording you can discard the message since the recorded audio has been stored on your SD card


text:
How to install kernel module for android?
I currently have a custom kernel and ROM installed on my android device. The kernel I'm using comes with a separate download with kernel modules that you are to install yourself if you want. However no instructions are given on how to do it, also I cannot find any tutorial on-line how to do it.
So I have a bunch of .ko files, Android SDK and my rooted android device. How do I install these kernel modules?

Use adb to push them to /system/lib/modules, then reboot. Android should load them at boot as long as they're in that directory, I believe.
shell> adb push module.ko /system/lib/modules/
shell> adb reboot

If you get a "read-only filesystem" error then remount /system as read/write first, then push them. Usually you can do this with adb remount. You could probably also put them onto an SD card and then use a file manager to copy them over if you want.
You can also use insmod to manually load a module into the kernel at runtime, but it wouldn't be reloaded if you reboot. This would allow you to skip the initial reboot, though, since you should be able to insmod all of the modules after you push them onto the device.

I don't have the folder /system/lib/modules/ is it ok to create it or does that mean the modules might be loaded elsewhere?

I've tried creating the folder modules and putting a module in there and rebooted and the module hasn't loaded. The module only seems to work if I insmod it.

@Brady: Hm, haven't seen that one before. I suppose you could add a bunch of insmod statements to your /init.rc, though that's kind of ugly. What kind of device is this?

galaxy tab 10.1 16GB wifi. I don't mind editing init.rc. If I am though do I simply edit init.rc in a text editor and at the end add: insmod /path/to/module.ko?

@Brady: That should be all you need to do, as far as I know. Here's a mailing list reference where someone mentions it (he also apparently couldn't get it to work when the modules were in /etc for some reason, but he says /lib/modules was fine).

ok modules are now in /lib/modules/ I edit my init.rc and at the end use the insmod command. It saves ok but when I reboot the modules have not loaded and the changes to the init.rc are gone...

also since reboot the modules have disappeared from /lib/modules

@Brady: That sounds almost like you're NAND locked, though I'm not sure how you would have a custom ROM/kernel if you were. You could try putting them in /data/local or on your sdcard, perhaps, and insmoding them from there, but you'd have to do it manually (or maybe use gScript or something) if the init.rc changes aren't sticking...

Thanks for all your help on this. I will look up about gscript. If I get stuck I'll start a new question.

One of my devices have them in /system/vendor/modules/ directory.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
New Facebook app activates GPS when launched -- how to disable?
This started happening with the latest Facebook app update.
I don't want to disable my GPS outright -- I like that it comes up automatically when I call Google Maps. (Which usually is in a "where the hell am I" situation.) But I see no valid reason to allow Facebook to query where I am all the time. Facebook's settings don't have an option to disable this.
Since my phone (Milestone I) is rooted (but still with Motorola's official 2.2.1 OS), I wonder if there's some app through which I could enable/disable GPS usage per app. Is there such a thing?
(If there is, I'd like to disable it in the browser too.)

By "the latest update" do you mean 1.7 or 1.7.1? They were apparently released on the same day. I simply reverted to 1.6.4 using Titanium Backup, but that won't work if you don't have the apk backed up already.

Similar to Permissions Denied, mentioned by Matthew is LBE Privacy Guard which also allows you to selectively disable permissions for apps. Also good for disabling geo-tagging on your photos as well as preventing Facebook and/or Twitter from broadcasting your location.

Stock Android doesn't offer ability to disallow apps use of specific permissions.  At install time, once you agree to accept whatever permissions the app requests - you are stuck with them unless you uninstall the app.
Since you are rooted, you can try using Tasker to automate enabling of GPS only when using certain apps like Maps, and disabling it when the app exits.  This way you can keep GPS disabled, so that Facebook and any other apps don't automatically lock in on you.
Also, the CyanogenMod 7.1 custom ROM does have this feature.  Here is a step-by-step installation guide on installing it on your Milestone.  In CM7, on the Manage Applications settings, when you tap on any app you can tap on any permission to revoke it (it will get crossed out.)  Tap it again to undo the change.  Keep in mind that although apps usually handle absence of Internet or GPS permissions gracefully, some more basic permissions (e.g. writing/reading to/from SD Card) might cause the app to crash or become unstable.

Thanks for pointing out there's a CM for the Milestone! It is most definitely in my plans, although I'll have to work up some courage to do that. In the meantime, I think I'll use one of the blocker apps described in the other answers.

An app like Permissions Denied (requires root) can help with that.  It says it doesn't work on every device and ROM but there are other similar apps that might if this doesn't do the trick for you.
Generally you could also unpack the APK, edit the AndroidManifest.xml file to remove permissions, repack everything, and install that modified version.  I'm not sure if it works for signed apps (are there encrypted apps?) though, I can't currently find the guide I had read to do this.  It may also be against the terms of use and so on, so make sure you know and take responsibility for what you're doing :)

very simple :)
goto settings -> Personal -> locations & turn off GPS satellites
worked for me

Tasker is nice, but I found another android app - "GPS Privacy", that removes the GPS coordinates automatically. You just define your "Privacy areas", and your pictures won't have GPS tags when taken in these areas. Very useful if you have kids who have the pictures uploaded automatically online.         https://play.google.com/store/apps/details…
Hope this would be helpful for you as well!

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


text:
Shortcut to particular document in Google Docs app?
Is there a way to make a shortcut to one particular document? I frequently need one particular document from a secondary account, so it's always a pain to come out of current document, change accounts and load the required document. Any ideas?

Have you considered sharing the document with the other account?

Workaround - use Google Docs via a browser, and bookmark that page.

It's easy to add bookmarks to the home screen, too.

These days you can add a widget that directly links to a Google Doc. It seems like it doesn't work on all devices (or perhaps all home screens?) though, as on my girlfriend's phone the widget doesn't appear even though Google Drive (the app that allegedly provides the widget) is installed.


text:
Can I change the level for "Connect your charger"?
My phone HTC Desire on cyanogen mod 7 shuts it down if the battery level is 18%.
Can I change this level to something lower?

I'm not sure if this is how it works, but try to re calibrate your battery and see if the battery level notification comes at a lower level..

I have a 3.2amp hour from seidio, 15% still have more volts available than the stock crap from htc at 30%

CM6/Magic here; my phone complains at 15%. If you're shutting down at 18, something is wrong with your battery calibration.
Use your favorite recovery to wipe the battery stats, get a full charge, and then use the phone until the battery runs out.
Your battery life will appear to be worse, but it's really that the number is more accurate.

Opinion: Also, HTC has this reputation for using really low capacity batteries, and people complain that they wear out pretty quickly. Try a new battery or an after-market one with extended life. Still will want to use the battery stats wipe though.

Could you suggest what battery I can use? I have no idea what "extended life" means. Also ... can I change 15% to some other number?

Not sure you can change 15%. The "extended life" battery is an after-market battery of a different size. You'll probably need to get a different back cover for the phone.

I did the battery wipe and full charge (mobile was turned on) then used till battery ran out and now the phone shuts down at 20% ... :-( The battery is one year old.

That's...amazing. I'm out of ideas, beyond doing the same thing but not wiping this time.

Now I did what you suggest but as I read somewhere else I did the full charge while the phone was off and it looks OK now. I mean it turns off at 15%.... So back to the original question :-) 15% is very far too early.


text:
How do I stop com.google.process.gaps force closing randomly?
Motorola Xoom running Honeycomb 3.1, for the last few days, every few minutes I get a popup in the middle of the screen saying:

Sorry!
  The process com.google.process.gaps has stopped unexpectedly. PLease try again.
  Force close

This happens when I'm running pretty much any app: browser, Google Reader, Gallery, GMail, File Manager HD, etc. Can't work out any pattern to i, sometimes  it happens every couple of minutes, sometimes I can go for 10 or more minutes without seeing it.
What's causing this (or how can I tell what's causing this) and how can I stop it?
Update
This does appear to only happen when I've got a network connection (mine's a Wifi only tablet) - after installing alogcat, I did a 40 minute commute on a train using Google Listen and playing Angry Birds, with no errors popping up at all (and therefore no way to catch anything in the log. Will have to wait until I'm home again to investigate further.

Any clues in the logcat?

After a lot of experimentation and backwards and forwards and disabling and enabling various things, I've got it to the point where I haven't seen that error popup for about a week now (which is a huge improvement over it appearing every 10 minutes).
Unfortunately Logcat never seemed to show any obvious, enlightening errors when the Force Close messages popped up, so there was nothing to work on there.
Various posts on web forums suggested that going into Accounts and Sync disabling sync on Calendars and Contacts, then clearing the data on the Calendar and Contacts app should help, but it didn't seem to for me.
In the end what I think solved the problem was:

Completely deleting all my non-primary Google Accounts off the device (I have a primary Google account, which is a Google Apps one, plus another Google Apps account and a normal GMail account)
Disabling all of the sync on my primary account
Clearing the data on the calendar and contacts apps
Leaving it an hour before re-enabling the sync on my primary account
Leaving it a day before adding back my secondary accounts, and enabling their sync

Not 100% sure which of those steps solved it, but after doing all of those steps in that order my problem has gone away.


text:
How to add an old podcast episode to Google Reader, so I find it in my Google Listen app?
I subscribe to podcasts via Google Reader, which puts them on the Google Listen app on my phone. But there are some podcast episodes that are very old that I can see in reader which I want on my phone.
How do I tell reader I want a specific old podcast episode to appear in Google Listen on my phone? Searching old podcasts from the phone is a miserable task.

Do you mean some very old podcast episodes?

I now edited your question to specify that you're talking about old podcast episodes instead of old podcast feeds. That way the question is more clear. I hope my assumption was correct.

The syncronization between Google Reader (web) and Google Listen (phone app for listening podcasts) is limited to podcast subscriptions and marking episodes as read/listened and unread/unlistened. There is no direct way to add episodes to your Listen "My listen items" queue from Reader.
You can still access old episodes from Listen by scrolling down and clicking repeatedly on the "Load more episodes..." link at the bottom, and you can add them to queue from there. Of course, this isn't as friendly as selecting them from Reader.
However, here's a workaround that might work:

In Google Reader, add a specific tag of your choice to the old episodes you are interested in.
In Google Reader, go to "Manage subcriptions -> Folders and Tags" to make your tag public.
Access the public page of the tag to get its Atom feed. That link should be a valid podcast feed containing only the episodes you have tagged (even from multiple different podcasts).
(This is the step I cound't get to work) Somehow subscribe to that created feed from Listen. Since you can't add a tag directly to a folder in Reader, you need to subscribe to the Atom feed of the tag, and from "Manage subscriptions" add that feed to the "Listen Subscriptions" folder. However, I coulnd't get Listen to show any items in that subscription, even though it looks ok when viewed in Reader.

These questions might also help:

Podcast app which supports old episodes well?
Alternative to Google Listen?


text:
How can I merge contacts in CyanogenMod?
Can I merge contacts in CyanogenMod 7 like I was able to do in HTC Sense?
Let's that I have my contact 'John Smith', then I import contacts from Facebook and a new John Smith appeared. I want these two contacts to be merged under one single contact.
Can I do that somehow in CyanogenMod 7?

possible duplicate of How can I force-link a Google contact with a Facebook profile?

Merge exists in CM 6 - edit the contact, select "join" - if it's not in 7, it's a regression.

Asker probably means automatic merging (or rather "linking"), which for example my Samsung's TouchWiz interface does.

Then OP needs to update their question. :)

Yup, very true. :)

Why do I need to update my question?

I still can't do it. Where can I find linking/join?

It's also available in CM9: If you have selected "edit" for a contact, the overflow/context menu will show the "join" option.


text:
How much does Android use Wi-Fi for network discovery when not connected?
When I have Wi-Fi turned on, but not connected to any network, how much does Android use the Wi-Fi function? I'm asking this because apparently Wi-Fi activity uses considerable* amounts of battery.
Is the device constantly scanning for Wi-Fi signals to find a network to connect to? Or does it only do it at some intervals to save battery, so that all significant battery use happens only when it's connected? Are there any settings related to this?
(I have Android 2.2.1 but I'm interested in information about other recent versions as well if there are significant differences.)
* - "considerable" should not be interpreted as a synonym of "large" or "too much". I'm not suggesting Wi-Fi drains my battery immediately, just that the energy consumption is worthy of considering.

I'm pretty certain the wifi drains more when scanning than when actively connected to a network. So when you are not going to use wifi, it is better to turn it off and use cell network (which you'll be using anyways while not actively connected to a wifi).

or no network, for those of us who don't have data turned on. :)

More? Wow... well it does make sense technically if it indeed is scanning all the time, but what a waste of battery life! Well, I'll accept this answer but since you're just pretty certain, I'll wait a few days first to see if anyone has more solid info.

I now continued this issue in a question about apps that might help with this

And I'm pretty sure you are wrong.

Why would it be wrong?  If your phone is already connected to a network, then it doesn't have to scan for a new one to connect to.  Scanning for new networks is what kills the battery, whether it's for cell, wifi, or what have you.  Go out in the middle of no where with a bad signal and tell me how your battery does vs. being in a built-up city.

Then again, doesn't the phone keep on scanning for other networks even when it is connected?

Once connected to a WiFi the phone will only scan manually, if you hit refresh, choose to view other wireless connections or use an app such as WiFi Analyzer that force the phone to scan.  It's been reported that if you have a strong stable connection it is better to have WiFi enabled for your battery.  However once out of range you should disable the WiFi.  As @BryanDenny stated, the phone will drain faster while actively searching for a wireless network.  If it's enabled and you aren't connected it will continue to actively scan.

@Vasiliy Borovyak Any further information on what's wrong with this?


text:
Reducing the list of language options
I would like to see an option that allows the list of available languages reduced to those I actually need.  When I use Voice Search, switching between English and Spanish is a pain: way too many options to choose from.  All I need is a selection of the  few languages that I speak, and not the entire list time and time again.
When I input using a keyboard, I can have different types of keyboards, eg. US international and Dutch.  It is easy to switch between those, but the voice input does not follow suit.
I don't know why Voice Input language should not be in sync with selected keyboard option.
This is on HTC Wildfire S with HTC Sense, btw.
Any views?

Not sure why people are voting to close. This seems like an actual problem and it may be addressed by Android (or a manufacturer) in the future.

Unfortunately, you can't. The list of available languages is a system configuration option that affects the Voice Search app, but can also be used by other apps, and by design isn't intended to be updated that often.
Google assumes that a user sets the desired language and performs actions based on it, as one tends to use the native language to perform such actions, the list is supposed to contain as much available languages as possible.
From the recent post on the Google Blog announcing 13 additional languages for Voice Search, it's mentioned:

Note that you can only speak one language into the app at a time, and you may need to change your language settings to use one of these new languages.

The list itself is extensive as to allow developers to provide support according to their target users, and as mentioned, to allow users to select their own desired language.
A workaround would be to have a custom ROM limited to the desired languages.

Hm, from a software design standpoint I'd say allow the user to select a subset from the full list of languages, and call those "favorites". Then a much smoother interface can be created where you initially only get the favorites, and the whole list as an option.  There is a lot of multilingualism in the world.
It can be done.  If there is a will, there is a way.  Go, developers, go!

@HarryD I totally agree with you, a feature request @ Google support forums may help with this.


text:
Firmware Update for Samsung S LCD I 9003 stops at "preparing firmware update"
I am trying to upgrade the firmware of samsung galaxy S LCD using Samsung Kies. I am using the recent version of Kies. But during when I click start update it is showing that the FirmwareUpdate has stopped working. and it is showing preparing firmware upgrade components forever. Please advice me what to do.

Have you attempted the update multiple times?

We've had multiple questions about updates with Samsung Kies. Have you already checked the questions tagged with [tag:samsung-kies]?

actually I have read some. But some of them are suggesting update through Odin rather than Kies. I read in forums that some of this Odin updates are creating issues with camera and audio. That's why I tried to update through Kies. I am using the latest version of Kies and upon connecting the phone it pops up a firmware update message. So I have tried many times and it is always showing the same error. Now I think it may be a problem with Windows 7? can I update it in Linux ?

I'm having the exact same problem and just received the following message from Samsung:

The Kies software does not detect the handsets, there are several
causes for this and a process of checks will discover the cause and
show the solution:

Check the system specification is correct for
the KIES software.
Check the correct and up to date version of the
software is being used.
Check that handset is set on the correct mode which is SAMSUNG Kies.
Be sure that the handset show connected ‘not connecting’ on home screen.
Try to test a different USB port and restart PC.
Check in device manager that the driver has been installed and update if required
If handset has device manager (download one from market place for android 2.1 or higher)
ensure that all tasks have been ended and handset is in the idle mode
before connecting ‘download the task killer, it is an application used
to close all the applications (not just minimizing them)’
Completely remove current version of the Kies software and re-install
the latest version from the website.
Test with different PC.

It's quite a number of possibilities being mentioned.

Had same problem.
Open the App Drawer, tap on Settings > Storage, tap on Unmount SD card
Then you have to physically remove the SD card. Worked now!

yeah okay..Actually I have asked it in 2011. Anyway now also I am using the same phone and running on custom firmware now :)


text:
How do I find out what wifi chipset my phone has?
I've got LG Optimus One phone (model LG-P500h). How do I find out what wifi chipset my phone has? Is there a general mechanism that will work for all phones?

I don't know the answer, but...This is an excellent example of the kind of questions we like here. It's asking how solve a particular problem and has applicability for future readers.

You can see the chipset model under 'Device' in CPU-Z application. Type that in Google and see if it gets you to a specification page that also specifies 'WiFi' connectivity.

I just run: getprop | grep connectivity
Which outputs:                       [ro.connectivity.chiptype]: [bcm43xx]                  [ro.connectivity.sub_chiptype]: [bcm4359]

Well without some specialized program, there's always dmesg.
Turn on wifi, then run dmesg in a terminal/adb shell/ConnectBot. Towards the end of the file you'll see debug statements about your wireless.
dmesg | grep -i lan can be useful if you have busybox installed.
I get lines like this:
TIWLAN: 1251 PG 1.2
tiwlan0: no IPv6 routers present

The first one isn't interesting on its own, but the second one screams "network adapter" due to driver naming convention for network adapters. "tiwlan0" is closer to OpenBSD's naming convention than Linux's (Linux native drivers would just call it wlan0) but...not unexpected.
A few web searches later - and yep, it's a TI wireless chip.

The sure fire method that will work for any phone is to crack open the case, write down the name and part number of the chips, and then research them individually.  That can be pretty intensive though, not to mention that you might damage your phone in the process.  Manufacturers typically do not publish the parts list for their products.  The product spec sheet may contain the CPU type (a Qualcomm MSM7227 in the case of your phone).  They may also list the GPU (Qualcomm Adreno 200 for your LG Optimus One P500).  No guarantee on that though.
The folks over at isuppli.com teardown hardware and inventory the parts.  Most of their reports you have to pay for, but some get published for free.
Most handsets use a chip from Texas Instruments, Broadcom, Royal Philips Electronics, or Atheros Communications.  Using those chip maker names as a filter may help you to zero in on the particular chip in your handset.

I simply used the dmesg command in a terminal emulator and scrolled until I found anything named bcm432x... and wlan. Think thats it. I have lg p500.

Use Wi Mark BenchMark Receptor from google play.
OR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQtxZ4MbaFA

Could you include some more details please? For one, where to find that app you mention (a link would be most helpful). And secondly: What is that Youtube link for? Not everybody can access it (e.g. because of firewalls or Chinese walls), so a few explanatory words should accompany it. In this context, also remember that links might die (and Youtube videos taken offline for "copyright" issues etc.).

Unfortunately I haven't found a phone yet whose wifi chipset it has detected.

I simply googled "what chipset is in galaxy j100" (my phone) done some reading and got answer..... fyi this one has chipset by marvell...
And yours, the LG has a Qualcomm msm 7227

I've deleted the duplicate answer you posted earlier. In future, if you want to add more information to your answer, you can edit it using the edit link. Don't just post a second answer, as that will lead to confusion.


text:
Can One Increase the Mobile AP Hotspot Timeout?
I have a Samsung Captivate (Galaxy S) and I have an AT&T plan that includes tethering.  I can turn on the Mobile AP hotspot and then other devices can connect to it.
However, after several minutes, the Mobile AP turns itself off.  If I manually turn it back on again, it works fine again, but this gets pretty annoying.
Is there any way to make it stay on, or to lengthen the time it will stay on?

Go to your WiFi settings and hit the menu button and click the Advanced menu item.  Check the WiFi sleep policy, and if it isn't set to Never, try setting it to Never to see if this resolves the issue.

Thanks, but it was already set to Never.

I had the same problem and solved it on a Samsung Captivate (Galaxy S - SGH-I896) with Rogers in Canada. The problem was an annoyance at first (disconnecting every 10-20min) but got worse one day when it stopped allowing tethering altogether with a message "This Account is not configured for Tethering.  Please Contact Rogers Customer Care."  Calling Rogers solved nothing as the problem is not at their end.
  The problem stemmed from a bad version/copy of a file /system/app/TetheringManagerRoger1126.apk
I first rooted the phone using SuperOneClick: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682  (Had to turn off my antivirus to unzip the files and they contain linux exploit code.)
After ensuring I had successfully rooted my phone, I got the app: "ES File Explorer" from the market.  In that app, I had to go to Menu->Settings and turn ON "Root Explorer" which required SuperUser permission.  And turned on "Mount File System" as writable.  Once that was done I could browse to the: /system/app/TetheringManagerRoger1126.apk file and just rename it to .bak
  That solved both the error message and the constant disconnecting and I can tether indefinitely on the phone now.
  I assume that if you're on AT&T, there is a similar TetheringManagerApp file that is the cause of these problems and renaming it should fix it.
  Hope that helps.


text:
Turn on Wi-Fi periodically to do a quick network discovery
Regarding the answer to my previous question of Android's idle Wi-Fi use, it seems like a huge waste of battery life to have Wi-Fi constantly scanning and draining battery. So it seems it would be better to turn Wi-Fi off.
However, I'd still want my Android to connect automatically to my home network, for podcast sync and other large transfers. This wouldn't need to be immediate, since I usually spend a long time at home.
I do know there are apps that give me a Wi-Fi toggle widget, but I don't want to be constantly switching Wi-Fi on and off manually. I know it's only a minor bother, but it just seems silly to have to do that since it would be pretty easy to have logic that does it for me.
Question: Is there any way to periodically (say, once every 15 mins) turn Wi-Fi on just to do a quick network discovery, then in case a known Wi-Fi is found keep it on as long as I am in range? (3rd-party apps are also okay)
(I expect this would in any case require rooting the system, but that's understandable and not a problem.)

One solution to this problem: use a tasking program such as Locale or Tasker and create certain conditions that will enable your wifi (essentially writing a script as you described).
For example:  Use GPS and determine if I'm at my home (I believe you can use real GPS, which will consume quite a bit of power, or base it off of which cell tower you are connected to, which you would already know anyways if not in airplane mode).
Or you could even setup certain times of the day you know you will be at home, or work, or wherever you regularly have wifi.

Thanks for the suggestion! In case there's no simple way to do what I describe, basing Wi-Fi activity on cell tower -based location would indeed be a very good alternative.

In fact, looking through the documentation it seems it might be possible to use Tasker even for exactly what I wanted to do - turn Wi-Fi on periodically to check if there are networks in range, and keep on if there are. I'll have to try and see.

Did you get this working in Tasker? Any other apps that could solve this problem too?

Auto WiFi Toggle
This app periodically turns on WiFi. After a while, it checks whether a WiFi connection has been made. When you do not have a WiFi connection, the phone WiFi is turned off.


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Home screen bottom bar buttons
I don't understand why the Android 2.3 SDK docs show the home screen dock as beeing this:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Google_Nexus_S_smartphone.jpg
And I have this, unchanged from 2.1 to 2.3.4 now:
http://blog.nimbuzz.com/files/2010/06/samsung-galaxy-s-android-launches-2.jpg
Is it a Samsung thing?
Is there an official launcher for 2.3 and the Samsung one?
Thank you.

Basically, yes. That's Samsung's UI/framework, TouchWiz. Other manufacturers have their own UIs as well, including HTC's Sense and Motorola's Motoblur. The Nexus S has the "stock" Android UI.

Aaa, so that's where TWLauncher comes from. OK. Is there anyway to get the "stock" launcher as an installable app rather than mess with the firmware?

@Francisc: There seem to be versions of it on the Market, but I don't know much about them, personally (never used them). Here's a quick search that has a few, though, and also looks to have some themes for other launchers (like ADW) that make it look like the stock GB one. I wouldn't be surprised if there's an .apk version floating around on XDA, too.

I searched the market, none looks reliable. But the XDA suggestion is good. As long as it doesn't require rooting, I'll give it a go. Thank you, appreciate it.


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Why are the checkboxes different on different devices?
Why is there a difference in the look of the checkboxes between this device and this Samsung device?
Is this affected by the launcher, in which case the reason is clear?

That images are kind of big for that I think.

Fair enough, I've inlined the imgur versions so that we're not relying on two third-party sites.

Theming is independent of the launcher, although both may be considered part of the UI; for example, the TouchWiz launcher and theme are elements of Samsung's TouchWiz UI.
My Samsung Vibrant is running a custom ROM called Bionix, and they've re-themed the device so my checkboxes look like this (perhaps the only thing I dislike about the ROM):

I see. How can I change checkboxes (and anything else that goes with it)? Is it a different application than the Launcher?

What's the (64) thing in your screenshot? Looks mysterious.

@Francisc I don't know the specifics, but it involves editing various images in the ROM; on most phones you'd need root to do it.  I still have the TouchWiz launcher but the images and some color settings have been changed.  The (64) is my battery percentage.

Very Bionix I must say. Thank for the answer.

@Francisc: The drawables generally live in a /system/framework/framework-res.apk file (the pathing might be different depending on the device/ROM). Here's a screenshot of the drawable-hdpi folder in the framework-res.apk file that ships with CM7. The PNGs that I've outlined are the drawables used for the checkboxes, as a example. Editing can be a a little tedious, and has a tendency to cause bootloops (for me, at least...)


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Seems like my SD Card just died... can I insert a new one?
So today my HTC Desire randomly froze, then started acting strangely - only showed the background image, nothing else. Didn't respond to power-off or anything so I pulled the battery.
After this, it simply would not boot up, just gets stuck on the boot up screen.
The phone is flashed with InsertCoin ROM so I can still get into fastboot but can't make backups - it can't load the SD Card. Error given is: E:Can't Mount /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 (Invalid Argument)
When I try to mount the SD Card to my computer it fails (ie. computer doesn't recognise it at all). Tried other random SD Cards and they mount no problem (thus shouldn't be a problem with the reader)
Main question... can I insert the original SD Card that came with the phone, and will the phone bootup and be usable? (note: this SD Card would be pretty much 'as-is' since I used a diff SD Card pretty much from day 1)
Sub question... anyone with ideas on if I can salvage what is left of this original SD Card? (can't seem to get anything to recognise it at all...)
Thanks in advance!

There's no reason you can't use the original card.

Ok, after a lot of headache (the replacement SD card I got sent from where I originally purchased turned out to be a 2GB card rebranded to be 16GB!), I think I now understand everything a bit better.
This is my understanding of the situation:
Flashed with Insertcoin ROM (and possibly other ROMS)
The SD card needs to be partitioned in a particular way for the custom ROM to work (ie it requires an ext2/3/4 partition to boot up). So inserting a brand new unpartitioned SD card would not work. You will at least need to format the card accordingly. With the correctly formatted card, I would imagine you can then boot up the phone. Data on the SD card will obviously be lost, but data on the phone should be ok.
Note: When I put in the new SD card, I wiped all caches, phone memory etc and re-flashed the ROM, so I lost everything. Though having played around with it a bit more, I do think it would have been possible if I just partitioned the SD card and booted the phone up. (Not tried, just an educated guess, and if it is true, it will hopefully mean you lose less data in the unfortunate event that your SD card retires)
Stock non-flashed phone
My guess is that you will be able to insert a new card and things should work. Data on the card will obviously be lost.


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Disable smileys in SMS

Possible Duplicate:
Is there any way to change the emoticons in the standard android sms app?

I find graphical emoticons (smileys) seriously distracting. How do I disable them?
My device is a rooted HTC Desire running CyanogenMod 7.10 RC, but I don't think that'll limit the applicability of the answers.

I think "disable" can sort of be equated to "change to text", and the answers in that question actually talk about disabling them. The summary is "no" on the stock app, and you can track this ticket on the Android issue tracker regarding it.

@eldarerathis - hmm, while it IS true that Handcent allows you to do this, it is a truly awful looking SMS app (and that's even after customisation). If you answer with your second comment, that'll have to do I suppose.


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Problem with connection to home Wi-Fi - how to debug?
My Android device (GT-S5570 running 2.2.1) is having connection problems with my home Wi-Fi network (ZyXEL adsl P-660HW-D1). The device connects ok, gets an IP address, and sees all other computers on the network (using Overlook Fing). I have good signal strength, and there are no conflicting Wi-Fi networks around.
However, ping results are rather mixed. Depending on the attempt results come back with packet loss of anything from 100% to 0%, usually one or the other, but something around 20% or 60% happens quite often too. This happens with all the devices on network, including the gateway. Other devices can ping each other just fine, independent of connection type (Wi-Fi or Ethernet wire).
There are also some other wlan problems with one (but only one!) of the computers: 1) It has some random touble connecting to the wlan (authentication failure), but when it gets a connection it stays connected without connection issues. 2) Sometimes ping results show some random packets with weirdly long latency, and occasional lost packet (<2% if even that). This would point to trouble with the Wi-Fi settings. However, the packet loss doesn't appear parallel: The Android can get packet loss while the computer at the same time reports perfect ping.
The Android device always gets a connection, and stays connected to the Wi-Fi even when it's getting 100% packet loss. The Android device also works perfect in any other Wi-Fi I've tried. Also, any visiting computer I've tried connecting to my home Wi-Fi has had no trouble.
The router has the original (which is also the latest) firmware, and I haven't meddled with the settings it came with - I woudn't know which settings to meddle with.
How do I debug this further? What Wi-Fi settings could be causing this?
(This also seems oddly similar to the trouble described in this question.)
(Cross-posted to Super User since while the main problem is with the Android device, the problem itself appears wider.)

It does seem similar, so: Has this always occurred? Did the device come with the version of 2.2.1 you have?

@Matthew Yes, I just got the device last week and it came with the 2.2.1. (No updates to 2.3 available, officially.) Also, the other problems (with the laptop) have always been there as well.

My Android tablet also stopped connecting to my home wireless and reports connection out of range even when sitting in the same room as my access point (AP). I've looked everywhere for a solution doing everything from restarting my AP and tablet, changing the PW and even security mode (WEP, WPK, etc) with no success. My AP is an old router set to AP mode and uses a single broadcast channel. I went in and reset the channle from 13 to 11 and VOILA! Instant connection with my tablet.

Use the combination of these 2 tools, it could be that the neighbouring Wirelles is interfering if that is the case you can chage the channels.
2 nice tools to use:

inssider
Fing - Network Tools


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Android Language Change
I have a LG Android.  How do I change language settings on the phone itself?  Sometime today, the language on the phone displays changed from English.  I'd like to return to English.  I suspect it'd be in settings, but where?
Thank you.

You can change it in Settings/Language & keyboard.
To do this, hold down the menu button, and choose Settings.  In your Settings list, you will see Language & keyboard.  The first option in the Language & keyboard section is Language.


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Google+ 1.07 Widget not working
I installed the latest Google+ app version 1.07 and now the widget has stopped working, and when I go the widget list, it is no longer listed as a choice.  Has this happened to others and is there a solution?

The latest version also gives the option to move the app to the SD card. Did you do that?

Yes, I did.  Is that why it's not working?

Indeed. Widgets won't work when run from the SD card. However, I moved the app to my phone and I don't see the option for the widget. Either it's a 2.3 thing or they removed it from the app. If the latter then that would explain what you're seeing. Try moving the app back to the phone.

I did try moving it back.  No widget.

Then I'd say it looks like they removed the widget functionality, either accidentally or by design. I've not been able to find anything about it in the Google+ app help pages.

For what it's worth, comments on this Google blog post have people seeing the same thing as you.

Widgets don't work when the app has been moved to the SD card.
When I originally tried moving the app back to the phone to test this, I couldn't get the widget to show up in the list either. However, I restarted the phone and then the widget was available to be used.
So, if you want the widget back, move the Google+ app back to the phone and then restart your phone. If you want to keep the widget, you can't move the app to the SD card.


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How To Access Uploads?
When I upload a video to YouTube and exit that tab, I can no longer get back to it later. I think this also happens with other uploads. The only way is to upload something again. So far I can only see "Downloads" in Android menu:

Go into the YouTube App > Press 'Menu' > Select 'My Channel'

You then have 3 tabs of Uploads / Favourites / Playlists

Et Voila

I think he was talking about upload list from the mobile browser, but he better use the youtube app rather than that..

@Power-Inside I agree; he wants to see the list of files being uploaded from his device, just like he can view the list of files being downloaded to his device in the browser.

@Power-Inside This is exactly what i need to know.


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Is it possible to root the Samsung Galaxy S II without installing a custom kernel?
Is it possible to root the Samsung Galaxy S II without installing a custom kernel or otherwise flash custom firmware?

Why do you want to avoid flashing Chainfire's kernel?  From XDA:

This rooted kernel is for the "rooting beginners" and those who want to keep as close to stock as possible. CF-Root takes the kernel from an original Samsung firmware, and just adds root, busybox, and ClockWorkMod (CWM4) recovery.

Rooting voids your warranty just the same as flashing does, and Odin is virtually guaranteed to save you if you ignore the instructions while flashing and screw something up.
You can also re-flash the stock kernel afterwards, which will remove CWM while still leaving you rooted.

Edit: Gingerbreak apparently only worked on test devices.


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Why do I have less internal storage space after moving Google+ to my SD card?
I'm having a puzzling problem. I was pleased to see that the latest version of Google+ now supports being moved to the SD card.
However, I just installed it on my HTC Desire and, having moved it to the SD card, find I now have 2MB less internal storage space on the phone than I did before! Since the previous version was over 12MB, surely the new version should have freed up a significant chunk of internal storage space? I thought this would help address the problem of constantly running low on space, but it seems to have made it worse. Would be grateful for any suggestions / advice!

Version 1.0.7 is significantly larger than previous versions. Even after moving to the SD card I'm showing 14.5MB taking up system storage. That'll account for your 2MB reduction in space.
Google generally hasn't allowed for their apps to be moved to the SD card, presumably so they can be sure widgets will work or other performance considerations. However, since this version weighs in at over 24MB I guess their hand was forced.

Ah, I hadn't realised that Android only moves part of the app to the SD card. So any space savings from the moving it to the SD card have been offset by the fact that the new version is just a lot bigger anyway... That would explain it I guess. Thanks for clearing that up!

24 mb? That's insane!

Huge apps like these are a nightmare for my poor old HTC Magic.

@SooWeiTan: My Droid isn't much better off.


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Will encrypting my Droid X2's SD card make me lose the ability to view files on it from my PC?
I recently purchased my first smartphone, a Droid X2.  I was listening to the radio and heard security advice about protecting data on smartphones.  It specifically said you should install antivirus software, password protect and encrypt your data on the smartphone.
Under Settings & Security it has the option for Data Encryption.
Should I set up data encryption and will I lose the ability to plug in my phone to my laptop and edit or view data on the SD card?
We have data encryption on a laptop at work.  If I use this feature and encrypt my memory card I am unable to read the data on my personal computer at home.

According to this forum post, the SD card is not fully encrypted.  Rather, after you enable encryption any new data is encrypted.
So for example, if you take a picture, then enable encryption, then take another picture, the first picture will be unencrypted but the second will be encrypted (assuming your pictures are saved to the SD card).  If you pull out your SD card and try to look at the pictures elsewhere you'll only be able to view picture #1.
However, putting your phone into PC mode and connecting it to a PC will allow you to view and copy both the encrypted and unecrypted files.  At least according to that post.  So to answer your question: No, you will not lose the ability to plug in your phone to your laptop and edit or view data on the SD card.

I think so.
I have files that I used to copy from my SD card to my PC using the USB Mass Storage option under the "USB connection" pop-up that I could use -- no problem.  I checked the flag under Settings->Location & Security->Data encryption->Storage encryption and now I can't read them.  I tried unchecking the box, it says that future files will be decrypted, but existing files will remain encrypted.

If you have a question please post it as such rather than asking it in an answer.

I did that originally, and the interface asked me to consider this question instead.  I'll go ahead and start a new question and link to this one.


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Save default installed sounds on Original Droid
I have an original Motorola Droid. Is there a way I can save all the original pre-installed sounds/ringtones?

It looks like all of the default ringtones and notification sound files are in /system/media/audio.
If you can't get to them when mounting via USB, you should be able to use something like ASTRO file manager to copy the files to your SD card and then get them that way. They just appear to be ogg files.


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Play Store is missing apps after restored from backup (EVO 4G)
I've seen some similar issues, but nothing quite the same as what I am having. Hopefully that means it is easy to fix.
So, I recently backed up all my apps to my sd card using MyBackup and then performed a factory reset. Afterwards, I reloaded all my apps back and everything went fine.
The problem is that now, in the "my apps" section of the market, it doesn't show anything except for my purchased apps, even though I have all my apps currently downloaded and installed on my phone.
Is there anyway I can update the market to reflect what is already installed on my phone??? I've already tried multiple times wiping the cache for the market and reseting, all to no avail.
Any help on this?
Thanks.

Your backup program may not save the market links and the other info regarding how your app was acquired. As I'm not familiar with MyBackup I can't tell you thats it for sure. I use Titanium Backup which backs up the market info if you so select the option to back it up.

So is there anyway to backup/restore market links without being rooted?  From what I can tell, its not looking likely...

Download Titanium Backup, press Menu -> Market Tools -> Market Doctor. This will attempt to repair the links between your installed apps and the Play Store. It may take a few times, I ran it several times once, and it got different apps fixed each time, but I eventually got all I needed.

Go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications -> All, find the Market, click Force Close then Clear Data, and reboot the phone.  I've needed to do this a few times before TB had the option mbobino mentions.


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How to Stop Applications & Services from Starting on Boot?

Possible Duplicate:
How can I stop applications and services from running?

I know how to kill running applications and services via Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Running but they keep coming back after I restart the phone.
Is there a way (or tool) to suspend their restart on boot?

@Al, thanks for providing the link to the exact duplicate. When I searched for an answer before posting I was surprised that no one asked this question before. Apparently I didn't use the right keywords. A search engine that actually finds answers based on proximity of phrasings may be a Google killer startup idea. :)

No problem. This is worth a read: http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/dr-strangedupe-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-duplication/


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How can I install Android built from source on a bare device?

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

I did look at this
Can I install Android on my non-Android device?
But my question is a little bit different.
I am trying to install Android on Sony Ericsson Satio (Symbian S60).
Can it be done? If yes, then the question is how?
Are there guides/installers/tools available?
Thanks,
Aseem Chiplonkar

Aseem  hi and welcome to the site, we've already had a few questions about installing Android on Symbian devices, see these http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6840/can-we-uninstall-symbian-and-install-android and http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2889/is-it-possible-to-get-android-on-a-nokia-e65

Dev questions are off-topic here, thought GAThrawn's answer may help you with that.  The question you linked covers the user perspective.

It won't just be a case of installing from the source, the internals of those phones are different enough from the internals of most Andoird phones that you'll have to port the OS, write hardware drivers and more.
This StackOverflow question Is it possible to port Android for a Symbian phone? goes into some of the work that would be needed to port Android to a Symbian device.


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Durable settings of Screen timeout
I often set Settings -> Sound & Display -> Screen timeout to never timeout. When I turn off the device the settings is 1 minute again.
Do you know how to make the settings durable? My version is 2.2 (Froyo)

my device is Archos 7

Try this if you added apps and somehow changed some obscure setting. Nothing to do with firmware, whoops.
Setting > About device > Repair and formatting tools - Delete device configuration and installed applications
Failing that or if you're using it for reading & something similar. You should try one of those apps like "Tasker" where you can prevent screen dimming events during other apps of your choice. There's dozens (possibly hundreds) of apps that will keep your screen active.

Screen On Toggler
KeepScreen
Setting Profiles
Profile Scheduler
FastBright (if you're having trouble with it routinely waking up and using power, once you've got it working right that is)

If you haven't already, go here to Customer Service & contact the professionals that are paid to provide you with support. Perhaps this is a defective tablet.
Good luck.

Yes, if you post the right answer, you should get the bounty. And considering that xralf, that asked the question, wrote a comment a few minutes ago, I  think it would be safe to say that he hasn't solved it yet

There is a thread on archosfans.com about the precise issue you're having: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=34624&view=previous

I did a complete restore it started saving the screen timeout setting.

What is complete restore? If it's pushing the needle to the little hole, this didn't help.

@xralf: I wouldn't pretend that I am 100% sure what he meant, but my best guess is Factory Reset (Settings > Privacy > Factory data reset).

I accepted the other answer because I can't do complete restore now, but I believe that this could help too. Thank you

A Verizon Customer Care person had me power down, power up in safe mode, then power down, power up normally. Now the timeout works as expected: 2 minutes is 2 minutes.


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How scratch resistant is the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S 2?
I wonder if over time the screen of Samsung Galaxy S2 may get scratched? Is it necessary to use a screen protector?

The S2 has Samsung's toughened Gorilla Glass screen, see the videos in this answer to a previous question for attempts to scratch the Gorilla Glass on an original Galaxy S: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2756/looking-for-a-robust-android-smartphone/2777#2777
I can say that I've had an original Galaxy S for over a year now, and regularly keep it in a trouser pocket with my house keys, have dropped it a few times, and other slight accidents, and while the back and sides of the cover have scratches and chips on them the screen is still absolutely unmarked.
However what you might want to consider is the fact that the camera lens on the back apparently isn't gorilla glass, see this question Is Samsung Galaxy S II rear camera Gorilla Glass too?

My SGS2 has a scratch. Normal use, probably my keys did it, I assumed the gorilla glass would be safe, but was sorely disappointed! Wish I'd shelled out for protection!

It is very tough but not magic, I do have a very tiny scratch on mine I have no idea how it got there.
The only way to scratch something is with a substance that is harder than it is, the Mohs scale is used to show the hardness of materials.
I have read that non-oxidized aluminum according to the Mohs hardness scale has a hardness of 2.75, Gorilla Glass is estimated to be about 7.5 but aluminum oxide, aluminum will get a coating it's like rust on iron but this is aluminum, the aluminum oxide has a hardness of 9. Aluminum oxide is better known as corundum Mohs 9 but high quality versions are called ruby and sapphire.
So if you have old oxidized aluminum car or house keys maybe some coins or whatever they will probably scratch a Gorilla Glass screen since they are harder than it.

Just got mine a few weeks ago.  I don't think you'll need a screen protector but at the same time if you put your phone in the same pocket as your keys or even spare change, you're asking for trouble


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Can a GPS enabled android device provide lat/long underground?
Just what the title says; In a closed environment like a subway tunnel, or a deeper subterranean tunnel - will a GPS enabled phone be able to provide lat/long?

GPS relies on your device picking up radio signals transmitted by satellites orbiting above us, an awful lot of things can block these relatively weak signals. From Pocket GPS World: How does the Global Positioning System work?

Buildings, terrain, electronic interference, or sometimes even dense foliage can block signal reception, causing position errors or possibly no position reading at all. GPS units typically will not work indoors, underwater or underground.

(my emphasis)
This is the same whether you're using a dedicated GPS receiver, or a smart phone, if the radio signal can't get through your device won't be able to pick it up.
In addition phones tend to have less sensitive GPS receivers than large, powerful, dedicated GPS devices with large antennae so there are likely to be marginal places undercover where your phone won't be able to pick up a GPS signal when a dedicated device may be able to.


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Tasker: How to trigger recheck of state context?
As I understand it, when I set Tasker to execute a tasks in a profile that has a state context it executes the tasks once - when the state condition becomes true.
Is there a task command to make Tasker re-run the profile (in case the state condition still remains true, of course)?
Background: I'm trying to make Tasker do some actions when net wifi closes, wait a while, then check if net connection is still closed to run the same actions again (effectively creating a loop that only ends when net connection becomes active).

Add a time context to your profile. There is a repeat option (check box).

Right, of course. Silly me, didn't realize you can actually uncheck the start and end times from the timer, leaving only the repeat option. This suits my needs perfectly. Though, still interested if there's a specific way to trigger the recheck by a command of some sort.

It is possible very easily.

First make a profile for the context you want to trigger a check for (this is optional as you can select the same profile also)
Then make a task about for what you want to do if the context is still satisfied
Add "IF" condition to the task with variable %PACTIVE (for Profile Active) and put the name of the profile with the context you want to check in the 'Value'

Another workaround: do a wait on entry to the task, and then for subsequent actions check if the current context is still active, using %PACTIVE. Example:

profile "NoWiFiAtNightAndSleeping" (time context 23:00 till 08:00, no repeat; Display state off; WiFi connected)
action 1: Wait 15 minutes
action 2: WiFi set off IF %PACTIVE ~R .*,NoWiFiAtNightAndSleeping,.*

One workaround for this seems to be to add a variable state check as additional context for the profile - then adjusting that variable to a different value and back triggers the check.
Seems like a rather silly way to do it, though. :)


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How do you open an EVO 3D to access the battery or SD card?
How do I open an EVO 3D? I have one right here and I tried googling it, but I dont have the manual and it isn't intuitive. I would like to view the microSD card and switch it out at will.

i found dropping it does the trick too.

On the bottom, near the primary mic, is a slot to "pry off" the battery cover. Be careful, of course!


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Stock 2.2 Clock app locks phone
Last week, my LG Optimus V started having a strange problem. Steps:

Open Clock
Tap "Alarms" icon at the bottom of the screen
I must enter my pattern to access alarms
Do anything else in Clock
… ?
Exiting Clock requires entering lock pattern

This happened once before, but I don't remember what I did to fix it, or even if I did anything (it might have just fixed itself).
Had anyone else had this problem? What did you do to fix it?
Edit: The screen is locking when the main Clock screen (Activity?) is displayed. Exiting from Alarms (for example) doesn't require unlocking the phone again.
Edit (2011-12-20): My solution was to download Alarm Clock Launcher and just bypass opening Clock. My Optimus still has this issue; we'll see if I end up having it on my new Motorola Triumph.

Have you tried clearing the cache and/or data for the Clock app? This might help: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/13347/app-x-isnt-working-correctly-how-can-i-fix-it

All that did was delete my alarms. :-/

This resolved itself a day or two ago. I have no idea how. Wish I could vote to close.

The issue has returned. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so hasty in requesting that this question be closed.

I haven't figured out what the problem was, but I did find a workaround for my particular use case: Install Alarm Clock Launcher (donate version).
That way, I can change the alarm clock settings without having to unlock my device twice.

I had the same problem. Phone screen used to get locked when i tried to access clock(from widget or from home.) Had to disable the lock pattern.
Anyhow, my solution:

goto -> setting -> applications -> Manage Applications -> Running -> Clock
Clear data.

activated the lock pattern & clock was working now!!
Cheers!

Sounded like it was worth a try. Tried: disable screen lock security and clear data for Clock, then 1) set up lock pattern & test Clock and (after clearing/disabling again) 2) run Clock then reconfigure screen lock. No joy. It sounded so plausible, too. :-/


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Deleting Google Image Search History
On my Android device, the Samsung Galaxy S, I frequently use Google and its search functions. Now have I noticed that I cannot seem to delete the Image Search history. When I search something using the regular search I can easily delete that search afterwards. But an earlier search in the Google Image Search does not seem to be possible..
Am I wrong? I have already tried things like deleting the search history through Google, which did not help, and deleting the history on my browser app, which also did not help.
If anyone has some helpful information it will be appreciated!
Kind Regards, Floris
EDIT: This has not been solved yet. The issue still remains. I can delete the history of the regular Google website, the Browser on my Phone and the history of the Google Widget. Yet after doing a search through the Google Widget you come to a Google page with the results, if you search again on that page then the autocomplete comes on with all my old history. Still searching a solution.
EDIT 2: This question is not relevant to me anymore. Due to some other issues I had to go back to factory settings which deleted most of my data. I cannot accept any answer as I am not able to check whether that answers works..

There are two cases:

You are logged in your google account on your device browser
You are not logged in

In case 1, go to www.google.com, scroll down and click on "settings" at the bottom. You'll get to a page which gives you the option of wiping your search history
In case 2, go to www.google.com, start typing something in the search box, you'll see in the autocomplete the option to wipe your search results.
What Matthew suggested wipes the search history of your device not on google's servers.
You have to do both if you wanna clear everything.

I've tried it and the history on the Google website was gone, which is good. But, when using the search on my Google Widget on my phone I can still see my history. I do not mean the history of the widget, but the history you see after you have searched something and then move on to search a new thing. It seems likes eventhough it is Google, it is not the actual Google website.

Have you tried to delete the cache of the Google Search app (setup -> apps -> manage apps -> Google Search)?

Go To Settings, More at the top right of the screen, then click on storage, then click applications, find the Google Maps application in the list and click it.  Once inside click Clear data and Clear cache.  This should fix the problem

History in the browser is your history of visited sites.  Saved form information (your searches) is different and separate.  Hit the Clear form data option in the browser settings.

This did not work, I cleared everything I could in my browser settings, yet the Google Images Search history still remained.

That's bizarre.


text:
Device stuck on "obtaining IP address", then sets network to "disabled"
I've just arrived at some place which offers wireless internet. When I try to connect my computer, it sends me to some specific URL in which I need to accept some terms of use, and then the Internet works fine. When I try to connect to that network with my Android, however, it's stuck on the "obtaining IP address" stage of the connection for long minutes.
After a few tries, it just gives up and moves that SSID to a "disabled" status - which I haven't seen until now - in which it is remembered but it doesn't attempt to connect to it.
I can't navigate to any special address on the device's browser because it outright refuses to connect to the network.
How can I solve this issue?

The issue is not with your device but with the wireless provider. That is the typical behavior when connecting to a defective hotspot, either over capacity or just a tad too far for a reliable connection...
Sadly there is nothing you can do about it. It happens a lot to BT hotspots in the UK, in London most of them are overloaded during working hours.

I tried again this morning and this time it worked - which reaffirms your answer, since nothing changed on my end, but maybe there is now less load on the hotspot. Thanks!

This exact symptom can be fixed by changing permissions on
system/etc/dhcpcd/dhcpcd-run-hooks
to execute on all accounts: user group and others
As mentioned here
You need rooted device and root browser.
Hope this helps any fellow Googlers


text:
Not able to upgrade my galaxy ace through kies
When i connect my ace through kies the update starts, it downloads the firmware from the internet and then it shows "preparing firmware upgrade components" and it stuck their as it is, nothing changed and it was taking a hell lot of time....I left it in the same condition over nite but still no changes.....help me.

There are a number of questions here tagged [tag:samsung-kies] that describe similar issues but with different phones. Have you checked to see if any of those solutions help you?

Just reboot the phone, restart Kies and try again.


text:
Google plus application is 24 mb after wrong update
I was updating from the market this app and I got a package error. I uninstalled it and installed it again from scratch. No problem.
Now the app is 24 mb!
To me it sounds like the broken package is still sitting somewhere in my internal memory...
Cleaning dalvik and application cache didn't help :(
Any hints?

Possible duplicate: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/13743/why-do-i-have-less-internal-storage-space-after-moving-google-to-my-sd-card

The new update has made the size bigger.

Not possible 24 mb!

The size may also include your Google Plus data.
Also check the comments at Android Market, there are other people with same issue. For case in point, a guy by the name Dai is saying "It says that its 9.77mb but when I download it, it jumped up to 23.something..."

8.06 MB for me after install, data is only 180 KB not 16 MB.

The app most certainly can be 24MB. See this question: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/13743/why-do-i-have-less-internal-storage-space-after-moving-google-to-my-sd-card

Can confirm 24MB, just checked my phone and it's 24.34MB/24.27MB/72.0KB (total/applications/data).

Check that the application is only installed once in these directories:

/data/app/ for user-installed app directory
/system/app/ for pre-installed system app directory

If an app comes preinstalled with the phone or your custom ROM ships with it, then the original .apk will be installed in /system/app/ (which is read-only, unless you root your phone and remount the directory to be writable) so that you can uninstall the updated version of an app or do a Factory Reset to restore all apps to their original version. This can also happen if you have rooted phone and do an installation by copying an apk to /data/app. In short, updated system apps takes double the space than user-installed apps as the system stores the original .apk as well as the updated .apk in separate directory/partition.
If you are 100% sure that you will not downgrade or do a Factory Reset, then you can root the phone and delete /system/app/BlahBlah.apk to save some space; although this might not actually give you more space for storing data or applications unless you repartition the internal memory since the /system/ directory is usually a separate partition from the user-installed app directory. In short, don't do anything unless you really know what you're doing.

Thank you, great answer! It seems I can't find this app :( do you know Google plus app name? Maybe when you update applications their temporary download is stored somewhere else with a different name...


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Sprint Android Sends Same Text 30 Times
Why does my HTC Evo 4G send a single text message to the same person 30 or 40 times? Sprint won't help us and it drains my battery and annoys people. Thank-you.

Has this always happened?

You should use a third party SMS client that generates a log message for every message it sends. These log messages can be read out with alogcat or catlog (or with Androids SDK adb logcat). This way you could prove that the message is only send once from your phone. If the receiver then gets the message multiple times this would proof that the failure is on the carrier (mobile network operator) side. Otherwise, ff the receiver only get's the single message, this would mean the error is within Android's SMS App. Try cleaning the app data and, if this doesn't help, do a factory reset.
Unfortunately I am not sure which third party SMS Apps provide such a log feature. I would start by checking out handcent and goSMS, as these are the 2 alternatives I am aware of.

I don't know why, but I would first try using a different SMS app like Handcent.  If that doesn't work I'd try a factory reset.

I have had this problem with T-Mobile, on multiple phones. They usually have me do a full power off and wait for my phone to fully log off the network (not the same with Sprint, but you get the idea). I would report the issue to Technical Support. It has usually means a failure on the server side, in my experience.


text:
Where exactly does Android get its contact suggestions from?
I have a phone right here (Evo 3D), it has no service (except my wifi) and I've only added an obligatory gmail account which has one contact.
No Facebook, no Google+, no Twitter, etc.
Yet I got a "matched contact suggestion" notification. What is that? Where did it come from?
My main phone (TMO G2) with all of the services never gets these things and I'm not familiar with that at all.
Insight appreciated.

As long as your WIFI has internet connectivity, Android will be able to communicate with Google's servers.
There is one thing that people get wrong when it comes down to contact suggestions, be it Facebook or Google: They imply that they are the only ones that have saved the contact somewhere. But it's also the other way round. Which means that, the contact that was suggested to you has most likely your gmail e-mail address saved in his address book.


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Update Galaxy Tab's Android by internet
Can I update my Galaxy Tab's Android version by internet?
EDIT:
When googling, I found some solutions for updating Android on Galaxy Tab, using connection to PC and special programs. But I know, that HTC devices ("Desire", for example) can update its Android by internet connection (Wi-Fi or 3G). The matter is, I can't find such option on my Tab.
Current Android version is 2.2

You need to be way more specific.  What version of Android do you have now?  Are you trying to download an update?  From your PC or on your phone?  Over WiFi or the cell data network?  Are you trying to update a device remotely?

@Matthew, see my edit, please.

Great, much better.  I don't have a Tab but lots of Android phones have a way to check for updates in Settings -> About phone, have you looked there?  It might not work because that's normally for OTA updates and I'm assuming the carriers aren't pushing out updates for tablets.

There is no any "Update" option in About menu :(

I think that Samsung started using OTA updates on Gingerbread, i.e. since 2.3, so you'd have to update to this either via Kies or Odin before you can update the firmware without a PC. After that, the availability depends on your carrier if the firmware is branded or Samsung if it's a nonbranded version.


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Galaxy S II via Freebox server to TV
Any idea how can I connect my Samsung Galaxy S II to Freebox server? I have no idea how to set up wifi connection between them. Please note that I want to connect my phone to Freebox server as described here, I just want to get pictures straight off of my phone onto the Freebox server to TV.

what's a "Freebox"? From a quick google search, you could be referring to a certain French ISP or to an music Jukebox software.

If you are speaking about Free as the french ISP...
The freebox is an ADSL modem that the french ISP Free provides to his client. It includes a modem / nas / tv and other funny stuff... It provides also multimedia features like photo gallery and video player 1
It presents a nas system accessible thru FTP, and other protocole. To answer to your question, you can install a FTP client on your mobile and connect directly to your server to put your photos. But the prerequisite is a configured server...
To go further and help you to configure all stuff, we need to know which version of freebox do you have, v5 or v6 (HD)
You can find a really good tutorial in french on this page: 2

An extract of configuration needed for the HD version.
You need to configure your freebox server if it's not already done via the following site: mafreebox.freebox.fr/
The freebox server is accessible thru the following parameters / put it into your android ftp client:

address : mafreebox.freebox.fr
login : freebox
password configured one on : mafreebox.freebox.fr


text:
Can't download some apps from Google market after phone software update
My phone is Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.
I just updated my phone's software to the latest Android version (2.3.3), however, I've found that I can't download some applications. It would start the download and within 5 seconds, I get a message (from my notification bar) informing me that the "download was unsucessful" I have tried downloading it several times after with the same result. Please advice!

I would trying Force Closing and clearing the data for the Market in Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications and rebooting your phone.


text:
Search for apps based on language
Can I search for  Android APPs that are in Hebrew or Kurdish?
or are all apps automatically translated into all languages?

Can I search for Android APPs that are in Hebrew or Kurdish?

No. AFAICT, there is nothing that marks the language used in the app.

Are all apps automatically translated into all languages?

No. The complexity of reliable machine translation so is currently beyond our current technology; natural language processing and machine translation is still a hot research topic.


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"Parse error" when updating swype
When I try to update the swype beta via the Swype Installer app, it starts downloading the Swype Installer, but then I get the error message "Parse error".
I tried downloading a new Swype Installer from beta.swype.com/android/get, but had not had any luck with that either. (same result)
Swype however does not let me keep using they swiping technology (or whatever it's called) and tells me I should update. (While having no built-in update functionality)
I am currently using Swype version 3.6.84.26668.t100.26701 (who uses version numbers like that, seriously...) and the Swype Installer version 1.1.26483 (12.15)
My phone is a branded HTC desire with Android 2.2
How can I update Swype or get a new version of Swype without losing my dictionary.
Update:
I uninstalled and reinstalled the Swype installer (now v 12.16), but now it seems to think my version is up to date and does not provide me a possibility to update. (only the ususal menu - watch video, etc) My Swype however still is in the old version and gives me a warning.

From Swype Forum:

Swype 3.25 update problems - Parse Error, Data Error, Download Failed, Password Reset
[snip]
If you are experiencing either of these problems please uninstall SwypeInstaller and get it again from our beta site: http://beta.swype.com/android/get This should get you up and running.

Don't forget to uninstall the previous SwypeInstaller (I don't think you need to uninstall Swype itself, only the SwypeInstaller).
If you still have any issue after uninstalling and reinstalling SwypeInstaller, you should bring the issue to the Swype Forum; they will be able to help better than anyone here.

Thanks. I uninstalled and reinstalled the Swype installer (now v 12.16), but now it seems to think my version is up to date and does not provide me a possibility to update. (only the ususal menu - watch video, etc) My Swype however still is in the old version and gives me a warning.


text:
Is there an 'offline' version of Google calendar for Android?
For the PC there is a plugin for the google calendar so that edits to the calendar can be made offline. On my Android 2.1 there does not seem such an option.
I am using the calendar though the browser and not an app. On the app market place I cannot find the app so I am using the browser..

Am I missing something here? The native Google Calendar app has offline editing capability.

Because phones often don't have connectivity, by and large apps are made to work "offline". The exception, of course, are apps that are just wrappers around a browser for a web app. I use my Calendar app without connectivity all of the time. There's no concept of an "offline" calendar option because it's baked into the app. Are you perhaps accessing the calendar via the browser?

@Al Everett yes... I worded it wrong, but I am using the calendar though the browser and not an app. On the app market place I cannot find the app so I am using the browser.

Please update your question with this information, and included what device you're using. No calendar app installed with the OS? It doesn't look like it's one of the apps that Google has updated, but there are plenty of alternatives. All that said, the built-in Android browser doesn't support any sort of extensions like the browser on your desktop does. What you're asking for doesn't exist. Use an app.

much related IMHO: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/21246/how-can-i-search-the-google-calendar-from-the-android-phone?rq=1

As I said in several comments, the Calendar app is the way to interact with your calendar offline.
If you're interacting with the calendar via the browser, you need to be connected. The Android browser doesn't support any sort of "plug-in".

If you sync the Google account used with the calendar to the phone, the calendars can be synced too and viewed/edited offline with your phones' Calendar app.


text:
Caller ID for SMS doesn't recognize contacts unless I add the country code to all
If I have a contact with the number 099123456, the caller ID doesn't recognize it, I need to change it to +59899123456.
My phone is a Galaxy S2. I have friends with other android phones (Galaxy S1, Nexus S) and the same carrier, but they don't have this problem. Could it be some kind of setting?

It's always a good idea to save numbers in canonical format, this ensures that you will be able to call the contacts if you are roaming in an foreign country.
You issue is surely related to the Android ROM you are using. You could try to use another ROM. But as I stated before, saving the numbers in a canonical format will be the best solution.


text:
Bought Samsung Galaxy II in China, need to change alerts, etc. to English
I just bought my phone here in China and have changed the language settings to English.  I get all my alerts, error messages, ets. in Chinese characters.  Wish I could read them, but since I can't, how do I make my phone communicate to me in English?  I am a total Android newbie having dumped my iPhone and it's lackluster battery for this phone.  As soon as I tweak it a bit, I'll be thrilled.
By the way, pretend I am in kindergarten when explaining what to do, otherwise I'll have to ask my son to help and I really don't want to give him more tech power over me than he already has.
Thanks in advance for the help!

If you've changed the language settings to English and still see Chinese characters in the stock apps, i'd be worried about the authenticity of the phone...

You could get a US/UK Firmware from samfirmwarec.com and flash it with heimdall / odin. But you will lose your warranty and I can not guarantee that it will work (it could even leave your phone in an unusable state).
Flashing can be done with three easy steps:

get your phone in download mode
connect it with usb
configure heimdall/odin and start the process

There are some other things that you need to be aware off, but everything is documented in the links I included. Maybe you son will also help you. :)

Can you once try Menu-> Settings -> Language & Keyboard.
The first entry is "Select language".
English is third in the list in my phone.

You can change to English: Go to Settings , then select language.
I bought mine in Beijing and I only use English.


text:
Power saving tips for Galaxy S2 that don't involve turning it into a dumbphone
My Galaxy S2 has always shown not more than 8 hours of battery life.
This is with the stock ROM, as well as the recent 2.3.5 update and a rooted kernel.
All the battery saving tips I've seen essentially boil down to 'turn off everything that made you buy the damn phone in the first place and use it only for voice calls like a dumbphone.' - i.e. disable 3g/EDGE/wifi/gps/bluetooth/screen brightness.
Of the lot, I've done the following:

Screen permanently set to 10% brightness, i.e. the lowest.
Bluetooth/Wifi/GPS only on when needed, which isn't much (Couple of Foursquare checkins everyday).
Sync disabled.
Haptic feedback/vibrations disabled.
The 2 capacitative buttons are set to only glow in the dark, so during the day they are never on.

Yet my battery goes down like crazy, and if I don't carry my charger with me the phone can't even make it through the day. Is there a way to find out what apps hog the battery?
The battery usage graph and list of apps by battery usage doesn't really help; it only shows me the apps that I've run myself recently.
So is there anything else one can do to improve battery life, or am I resigned to carrying around a charger always?

There are lots of battery tips questions here. Did you look at any of them? (I see a whole host of likely candidates on the right under "Related".)

That was exactly my point - if the solution is to turn off everything it negates the purpose of having a smartphone. And all the tips I've seen so far boil down to just doing this.

I'd recommend experimenting with other kernels.  On my original SGS Vibrant the stock kernel gives me a full day if I don't use it, whereas my current one gives almost a full week without use (just syncing over WiFi).  It's never less than a day unless I have the screen on for hours.

A larger "extended" battery may be your only solution if you're not willing to give up on functionality.  Of course a thicker battery means a fatter phone, but function before aesthetics, right?

In my Galaxy s2, the battery live about 24+ hours in normal use. The main causes of consuming the battery that I noticed are the high traffic on WiFi or 3G, playing 3D games, and lighting the screen for hours.

@Chahk - I can't exactly stick a battery thicker than the internal bay now, can I :)

@Rex Actually, you can.  Most extended batteries come with a custom battery door.  As an example, do a search for "samsung galaxy S II extended battery" on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=samsung+galaxy+s+II+extended+battery&_sacat=0&_odkw=samsung+captivate+extended+battery&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313 and take a look at the photos.  It does make the phone look somewhat uglier though.

For what it's worth, your question and all of the answers are not specific to the SGS2. I suggest genericizing the question.

I usually get by the day by carrying a USB charger since I always have my laptop or other computers around me. Some people get through by buying a second battery pack or a thick extended battery.
Any apps that syncs every 15 minutes is battery sucker, since it prevents the phone from sleeping. Syncing every hour or so shouldn't affect battery by much. If possible you should prefer apps that uses C2DM (i.e. push instead of poll). Many apps that polls for data have configurable polling frequency, try to have the same polling frequency for all apps or integer multiples.
For mailboxes that need to receive occasional urgent emails, don't use the stock Email client, instead use Gmail client or Exchange which uses push. If your email server supports IMAP IDLE extension (a push extension for IMAP protocol), you should use third party IMAP client, e.g. K9 Mail. However, don't use push for low priority high-traffic mailbox. You might be able to find a sweet spot for yourself by using two or more mailboxes for your high urgency and high traffic mailbox.
If you're rooted, underclock. Most phones have much more CPU than is needed for daily usage; underclocking will curb the phone to not go full power state unexpectedly, remember to restore the clock before doing CPU intensive activities (e.g. games) and to underclock it again afterwards.
I hope you know to disable Live Wallpaper. They're good for showing off, but not if you want your phone to last the day.
Secure the phone in your pocket. I found that my phone drains battery faster when in a tight pocket since the hardware button are often accidentally pressed which activates the screen and prevents the phone from sleeping.
In some custom ROM, e.g. CyanogenMod, the notification bar have power widget, which is handy for quickly enabling/disabling battery sucking features, e.g. GPS, 3G, etc.

However, remember that in the end it's all a tradeoff:

There are two apps, Juice Defender and Woofi, which, when used together can dramatically increase the battery life of your phone. The idea is that if you don't need to be notified the instant that you receive a message via the internet, your mobile data doesn't need to be on all the time. Juice Defender (among other things) will disable your mobile internet, and then re-enable it at a specified interval so that your phone will check for new notifications. It does not affect text messages and phone calls.
Woofi uses your network location as a basis to disable and enable wifi, so that you only have your wifi antenna turned on when you are somewhere you can use it. If you are a control freak like me, you could also do all of this with Tasker. I have it set up so that when my screen turns off all internet connections are disabled until I turn the screen back on. Then if it does not connect to wifi within 30 seconds, wifi is diabled. It turns data on every 10 minutes to notify me if I receive an email.
I put a shortcut to enable/disable this on my homescreen, and my battery life almost doubled.
Finally, if you just flashed a new rom, your battery life will be bad for the first week or so, until the Dalvik cache and battery information caches are built up. You should notice a significant boost in battery life after a few days.

didn't know that about flashing +1

Biggest battery-killer for me is being in a place with little or no cell signal and having the cell antenna on. The phone is constantly trying to connect with the network and it just sucks the battery dry.
When I'm at work I can't get any signal in my office, so I put the thing in Airplane mode. (I can't make or receive calls anyway, so might as well.) I easily end the day with 80% battery. If I forget to do that, I'm out of juice by early afternoon.

Sounds drastic..I've also seen my signal waltz up and down while at work. The thing is, this is my first non Nokia phone, and my previous N8 still managed to last 15 hours or so at work, with email sync enabled.

Thanks for the answers, ZShakespeare, Al Everett and Lie Ryan :)
It's true, the cell network signal is quite poor at work - that could be why it drains so fast. I've tried out all your recommendations and in the interests of others, I'm going to document what I did:
First, for unrooted users. If you don't have Tasker, get it - it's the most powerful task automation tool for Android, though somewhat aimed at power users. There's no free version(15 day trial) but it's worth every penny. (It's a little cheaper when bought direct from the developer instead of from the Market). I have already set Tasker to kill wifi and disable autosync when I enter my office. Now in addition, I've created a profile to turn off the data connection(EDGE/3G) when the screen is blank.
Next for rooted users - and this is where I see the most drastic power saving - by underclocking the CPU.
I am using 2.3.5 and have experimented with 2 kernels - DarkyROM's SuperCore 2.0 and Hacre's Ninphetamine. The latter is a high performance kernel with voltage regulation features (SuperCore doesn't support changing voltages).
I've installed SetCPU, and set it to downclock from 1200 MHz to 800, and reduce the CPU voltage to 975 mV (at 800 MHz, lowering further will cause problems). I've also set it to further reduce the clock to 500 MHz when the screen is off. By doing this, I got a boost of nearly 4 hours in battery backup.
Looking at this, I wonder why Samsung doesn't do the same thing in the 'power saving' mode that is available by default; not everybody would want to/be able to experiment with rooting their phone.
Finally, about syncing apps and email - I turn off autosync while I'm in office, and at other times I use the built in mail client to sync my gmail every hour. My office Exchange mail is sync disabled while I'm in office, and set to push mail at other times. I don't get more than a couple of mails a day during non office hours.

I find Power Saving Mode feature pretty good, anything not being used is shut off but turned on when needed automatically.

My battery woes are despite having the powersaving mode always on :(

I work in a secure room that has cinderblock walls with poured concrete in the voids and a heavy mesh screen (like heavy duty chicken wire or chain-link fence) embedded in the walls, the door is steel - and security cameras too to add to the fun. It acts like a Faraday Cage but even with all that I can get a signal sometimes but yes it can certainly drain the battery.

You've already turned most off the features and yet if it only gives less than 8 hours, chances are there is some hardware fault. Maybe in battery.


text:
Alarm/Cal Event repeating every alternate day and that which does not sync with google
I need to create an alarm or calender event that repeats every alternate day at same time. I can not associate it with day of week, or date. I am using HTC Desire S.
I also need create entries in HTC Desire S calendar that which does not sync with Google calendars.

I am able to add such an event to Google Calendar and sync. But I don't want to have this on Google Calendar as it syncs with my Outlook.

Are you able to create a second calendar in your Google Calendar that doesn't sync to Outlook and adding it to that?

@GAThrawn, The Google Calendar Sync, syncs all the calendars to Outlook. I don't have an option to choose specific calendar.

When you say "alternate days of the week" is it always Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or is it literally alternate days and could be Mon, Weds, Fri, Sun one week, and then Tues, Thurs, Sat the next week?

@GAThrawn, I was saying literal alternate days (not alternate week days).

The application Touch Calendar Free  create entries in phone-only calendar called 'PC Sync'. It also has repeat option as 'repeat every x day' where I have set as x=2. These entries are visible in HTC Calendar too.

Create an event in Google Calendar with the repeat/reminder frequency that you want.
To avoid synchronizing the event with external calendars, put the event on a phone-private calendar: http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=168512&topic=21414#1077952

Somehow I don't have 'eye' icon on my mobile.

Can you create a separate calendar and just not sync that to Outlook?  See http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Calendar/thread?tid=7c043560b80212cc&hl=en.  Can you edit your question to include the not-sync'ing in the title and body, too?

I created an entry in HTC Calendar app with PC Sync as the selected Calendar. It doesn't sync with Google, which solves one of my need. But, as already said, HTC Calendar can not create entries repeating alternate days. Here is where I miss Nokia Symbian. Any idea if new versions of Android (2.3.5) or HTC Sense 3.0 have it?

@TheMaskOfZero I don't know if new versions are better.  You might look at alternative Calendar apps in the market?  I believe the limitations you're hitting are in the app, and not platform limitations.

Finally I got the solution. The app in the market called 'Touch Calendar Free' was able to create entries in phone-only calendar called 'PC Sync'. It also has repeat option as 'repeat every x day' where I have set as x=2. These entries are visible in HTC Calendar too.

In the Clock app, you could create two alarms. One that's set to go off on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday; and the other to Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Then you just need to alternate which one is off and which is on each week.
Not a perfect solution, but it will work with the built-in tools. (Otherwise you're going to need to get someone to write you a custom solution.)


text:
Save accepted untrusted certificates on email app (HTC Sensation)
I have a problem with the mail (not gmail) app on my HTC Sensation, that I'm guessing is part of HTC Sense 3. I'm using a server that has an untrusted certificate, and every time I try to refresh my email a dialog requesting the certificate to be accepted pops up. The problem is that when I try to send an email from that account the messages get stuck in the outbox until I manually refresh the mail forcing the certificate to be accepted again.
Is there any way of storing the known/already-accepted certificates for the mail app?
Thanks!

Option 2 seems most promising.  And another method.

Did you check whether that would work with server certificates? In both cases, topic are Certificate Authorities (CAs) -- which are the ones who sign those server-certificates the OP has trouble with. Would be interesting to know whether one of the described methods is applyable here.

I'd suggest switching to an alternative mail app -- K-9 Mail probably is a good choice. I use it for about 2 years now with a mail server having an "untrusted" (self-signed) certificate, and never experienced what you describe -- so this should solve your issue.


text:
Where can I get he CIFS kernel add ons to run CIFS?
I use a GB ROM on my Infuse 4g but it does not have CIFS built in.  I am told there is an external way of adding this in.  Does anyone have a link to this?

For accessing CIFS shares or hosting them?

I should have been a bit clearer - I am looking to be able to use a Mount Manager or COFS Manager so the shares can be mounted and act like normal folders/files for apps that just load and play files.  It seems its the mounting that is the main issue.

What do you want it for?
There's 3 ways to get CIFS client support on Android:

3rd party apps implementing it themselves.  Many file managers (e.g. Astro, FX, etc.) go this route.
Replacement kernel with CIFS support compiled in or as a loadable module included.  This is the most common route, IME with Android phones.
Pre-built loadable module for the vendor's kernel.  This seems pretty rare, since the kernel interfaces can vary, and it can be difficult to find the right combination of compiler switches that yield the correct binary interface.

With 2 & 3, you still need some way of loading/activating the module and mounting shares.  This might involve editing boot scripts or loading a 3rd party program (e.g. Mount Manager) to handle the mounting/unmounting.  Even then, not all your applications will nicely handle the paths to files on a network share.
Now, if you want to serve CIFS shares out from your phone, that's a whole different ball of wax, and there's a number of apps in the Market that will handle that.