text:
How to show screen display during phone call on HTC Wildfire?
I have started using the HTC Wildfire, and have a small niggle with it.  When making a call, the screen blacks out to conserve power.  This makes it awkward when you have to enter a number i.e. for an automated phone call response.  Is there a setting to display the screen during a call?

I am having same problem with htc wildfire.  I have screen protector clear on. I wonder if that causes the problem. It only happens to me when I call a mobile noT landline. The screen goes blank and flicks on and off now and then. If I wAnt to end call can't have tp quickly press end when screen happens to go on, causing me to waste money ie might want to end the call quicker. I press the on, off botton and screen comes and goes, so as said quickly press end. Hope its not the protector as want to keep phone in good condition ie old phhones have value today.

i guess its the sensors...they sense if the phone is near ur cheek..in that case light goes off..if you remove it from ur cheek and hold it in ur hand the light comes back..its my understanding,..

I'm not sure about the Wildfire, but on my Desire HD when I take the phone from my face, the motion sensor detects it and re-awakens the screen automatically. I'm not sure if it's a setting, a Froyo feature, or maybe an HTC sense feature.

Not sure about the exact hardware doing this on the Wildfire, but this is often done with the "proximity sensor" that disables the screen when you put the screen up against your face to prevent your ear from pressing any buttons. You can often see this as a small round hole or mark hidden behind the fascia at the top of the screen.

This feature also works on Eclair.

I have a Wildfire and can confirm the behaviour is as for Andrew M's Desire.

What you're looking for is Screebl - a background service that monitors the phone's orientation, and based on that orientation decides when to allow the phone's power-saving features to operate.
There's a PRO version too that allows for integration with Locale amidst other extra features.
Also check out Shake Awake from Maplekey (in the market) - it allows you to wake the phone during a call with a shake.
I also think that pressing the HOME key should turn the screen on again. Try and let us know.

In your phone dialer enter the following sequence:
*#*#7594#*#*

will show you Shutdown App configuration - you can choose to have the device power off directly instead of showing the menu for Airplane Mode / Power Off etc. when you long-press the power button. There's also an option for keeping the LCD on during the duration of a call.

Does not work on my Samsung Vibrant, still on 2.1 :(

Works on my Spica, also 2.1

To use the above configuration code so graciously provided by sparx does the phone need to be rooted?

Nope. Not that I think. But the best way is to try. My phone is rooted, so I can't verify, just speculate. ;-)

Have you tried a longer screen timeout?
Settings | Display | Screen timeout

Al, thanks, but I have already increased the timeout to 2 minutes with no effect.  As soon as I take or make a call, the screen blacks out, and only displays briefly every 30 seconds. +1

I am not sure on Wildfire, but I am using HTC hero.
You could have a try to press the key (like home, return or anything) or press the optical mouse, then it back to the phone call screen, then you can press num key after pressing the lower left hand corner Bn from the UI.


text:
Is there a way to display calendar notifications without having to unlock the screen?
For SMS there is an application called SMS popup which will display the message over the lock-screen.
Is there anything similar for calendar notifications that allows you to clear or snooze the notification without having to unlock the screen?

what's the point of having a lock screen if you can circumvent it? :)

@LouisRhys the point of having a lock screen is to protect private data from being visible if I lost my phone. For me the easy access to the calendar is more important. That's why I have the same question. There are different kind of data. I write my diary on the phone. I want it to be only accesible by me, but calendar is not top secret.

WidgetLocker is a great lock-screen replacement that will allow you to put any widget installed on your phone on the lock-screen.  You can also configure it to allow your Notification bar to be usable.  The actual calendar popup I'm not sure about, but I know you'd be able to see it when it shows up in your notification bar, and from there you can open it up and snooze/dismiss it.

This app does not exist any more :-(

This works: Your Calendar Widget

source: Stack Exchange

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sort: votes


text:
Why do the buttons on my Incredible occasionally light up?
I've noticed that sometimes the four buttons at the bottom of my HTC Incredible sometimes light up for a couple seconds at a time, even when the phone is just sitting unused on my desk.  Until now I've attributed this to a software bug, but I recently noticed it doing this while I was digging around in my email on my computer.
Does this indicate data transfer?  Or does it have some other significance?

Your phone is becoming sentient.

You phone should light up when you activate it.
When an internal process either stops or wakes up you phone (like you said to start data transfer) or on other actions the lights can light up.
When a process crashes my phone lights up the control keys too, usually with a buzz.

My Incredible does this as well.  I have been told that this also is sometimes used by applications to indicate that an app has downloaded updated data.  For instance, if the HTC mail application has downloaded new emails.  But I haven't taken the time to see if this is accurate or not.

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text:
What alternatives are there to the Contacts application for X10 running 2.1?
My X10 was running 1.6 when I bought it (I think). I successfully imported the vCard file with all my contacts from my Palm Centro.
Then I exported my contacts to a vCard file, upgraded to 2.1-update1 and lost all my contacts.
When I try to import any of the vCard files I have I get the message (translated from Swedish) "Couldn't read the vCard data. (Invalid line: "[valid email address]")"
What do I do now?
Can I use a different Contacts application?

You could try opening the vcard file in Outlook, there is also other software out there if you google "vcard editor", find one you want and make sure there aren't any issues with the file. In this case, you could remove the offending line, save with a new name and then try to import again.
Another option, you could import your contacts into your Google account from a computer, then sync to a phone. Follow this link for help with that.
As far as other contact apps go, you will have to root your phone and install a ROM that uses a different contact system then the one that comes stock on your phone. Reason for this is most apps on the marketplace just put a different front end to the contact system already on your phone.
You could look at the marketplace and see if there is an app you like, that is a totally separate contact system from what is on the phone, but I still think this wouldn't help because your underlying issue would still exist.

The Contact application for 1.6 accepted the vCard file lock, stock and barrel, so I don't think there is a problem with it.
I'll try to import it to GMail and see what happens.

Good luck. Feel free to post back with further issues on this same question.


text:
Why does my HTC Desire browser crash on startup after update?
after I've applied recent OTA update (2.29.405.2) to my HTC Desire I can't use built-in browser anymore. It crashes every time I run it. Here is a stacktrace:

12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147): FATAL EXCEPTION: main
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147): java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: nativeEnableGifAnimation
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at android.webkit.HTCWebCore.nativeEnableGifAnimation(Native Method)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at android.webkit.WebView.fnEnableGifAnimation(WebView.java:13341)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at android.webkit.WebSettings.setIsEnableGifAnimation(WebSettings.java:1617)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at com.android.browser.BrowserSettings$Observer.update(BrowserSettings.java:335)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at com.android.browser.TabControl.createNewWebView(TabControl.java:707)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at com.android.browser.TabControl.createNewTab(TabControl.java:180)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at com.android.browser.BrowserActivity.onCreate(BrowserActivity.java:430)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1069)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2751)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2803)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at android.app.ActivityThread.access$2300(ActivityThread.java:135)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:2136)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:144)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4937)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:521)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:868)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:626)
  12-08 20:13:45.929: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(2147):     at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
  12-08 20:13:48.398: ERROR/ActivityManager(92): Error running process
  12-08 20:13:48.398: ERROR/ActivityManager(92): java.io.IOException: Error running exec(). Command: [/system/xbin/procrank] Working Directory: null Environment: [ANDROID_SOCKET_zygote=11, ANDROID_BOOTLOGO=1, EXTERNAL_STORAGE=/mnt/sdcard, ANDROID_ASSETS=/system/app, ASEC_MOUNTPOINT=/mnt/asec, PATH=/sbin:/system/sbin:/system/bin:/system/xbin, ANDROID_DATA=/data, BOOTCLASSPATH=/system/framework/core.jar:/system/framework/ext.jar:/system/framework/framework.jar:/system/framework/android.policy.jar:/system/framework/services.jar:/system/framework/com.htc.framework.jar:/system/framework/com.htc.android.pimlib.jar:/system/framework/com.htc.android.easopen.jar:/system/framework/com.scalado.util.ScaladoUtil.jar, ANDROID_PROPERTY_WORKSPACE=10,65536, ANDROID_ROOT=/system, LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/system/lib]
  12-08 20:13:48.398: ERROR/ActivityManager(92):     at java.lang.ProcessManager.exec(ProcessManager.java:226)
  12-08 20:13:48.398: ERROR/ActivityManager(92):     at java.lang.ProcessBuilder.start(ProcessBuilder.java:201)
  12-08 20:13:48.398: ERROR/ActivityManager(92):     at com.android.server.am.ActivityManagerService.logProcessResult(ActivityManagerService.java:9437)
  12-08 20:13:48.398: ERROR/ActivityManager(92):     at com.android.server.am.ActivityManagerService.access$900(ActivityManagerService.java:155)
  12-08 20:13:48.398: ERROR/ActivityManager(92):     at com.android.server.am.ActivityManagerService$9.run(ActivityManagerService.java:9614)
  12-08 20:13:48.398: ERROR/ActivityManager(92): Caused by: java.io.IOException: No such file or directory
  12-08 20:13:48.398: ERROR/ActivityManager(92):     at java.lang.ProcessManager.exec(Native Method)
  12-08 20:13:48.398: ERROR/ActivityManager(92):     at java.lang.ProcessManager.exec(ProcessManager.java:224)
  12-08 20:13:48.398: ERROR/ActivityManager(92):     ... 4 more

I have tried factory reset, but that doesn't help. Does anybody know how to fix the problem?

O.K. I've resolved the issue by re-applying the OTA update from sdcard with recovery mode.

@AI Everett Will do, the site says that I only can do that after 20 hours :)

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text:
When will Gingerbread be release on UK HTC desire

Possible Duplicate:
When will my phone get the Android 2.3 update (Gingerbread)?

Does anyone know when the 3 network will release Gingerbread for the HTC Desire?


text:
Can I install apps on phone without using the Android Market?
I have this Huawei Device that does not come with the Android Market installed.
Is there any work-around for this? As in how can I install Android Apps without the Android Market?
Is there a way to install Appbrain w/o having to go through the Android Market?

"Huawei Device" - is this a phone, a tablet, or what? Do you have a model number to throw at us?

If your device allows it (AT&T only recently started producing phones that do) there is a setting which allows you to install non-Market apps. Then you can install APKs from anywhere, assuming you can get them on your device.
On my Droid, at least, the setting is at Settings | Applications | Unknown sources.

You can get the .apk files from developers' sites or other forums like androidfreeware.org and alternative markets like slideme.org.
Al Everett's answer above is part of the solution.
After changing the settings to enable you to install 3rd party apps, you can either upload / add the APKs of apps that you want on to your SD card and then using a File Manager, install them by tapping them and letting the Package Installer run the setup.
OR
You can navigate the sites listed above and download the APK using the default browser - I recommend you install a file manager like Astro so you can navigate to your SD card and install apps.

Use slideME.
Download the apk from here tp your phone, then install the application from your phone and you can use that to download and buy apps.
See this question: Alternative Android App Markets for a list of Market alternative
Edit: Don't forget to enable non-market installation in Settings > Applications > Unknown sources

Look from List of Open Source Android Applications on Wikipedia.

F-Droid
SlideME

Yes you can
id device is 2.2 or below
just enable check Settings -> Applications -> Unknown sources.
on 3.0 +
enable check Settings -> Security -> Unknown sources

You can download apps from Play Store using Yalp Store app which doesn't require google account or services installed. It's free and open source.
Download it from:

GitHub
F-Droid

A correction is required. It says here: "By default Yalp Store connects to Google services using a built-in account, so you do not have to own a Google account to use it." So the app does require a Google account, but not necessarily yours.

First turn on an option to allow installing apps out of Google PlayStore : Settings > Applications > Unknown sources > accept the warning message.
Simple download the APK from apkmirror.com and install it.

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text:
How to prevent VZW drive from mounting when I connect my HTC Incredible to USB
Since the Froyo upgrade, when I connect my HTC Incredible, with the USB settings set to "Charge Only" to my computer with a USB cable, the phone still mounts a CD type drive that will install HTC Sync drivers.  This prevents my phone from using the SD card.
How can I stop this from happening?  Like I said, my phone is set to "Charge Only".

Do you have an app installed that makes your phone do that, like doubleTwist?

Winamp has that feature too. I hate it. (At least both apps let you turn it off)

You'll need to root your phone with Unrevoked and remove the CDROM.ISO file located in /system/etc/  That's the only way to prevent that.
The neat upside is that once you've rooted, you can replace that CDROM.ISO with any other ISO you'd like to auto-mount.


text:
How can I know which apps are currently connecting to the Internet?
I have a Samsung Spica running Eclair (rooted). I've noticed on a number of occasions that inspite of the Autosync option turned off, the sync icon appears in the notification bar. By default, Gmail, Calendar & Contacts are set to sync whenever the Autosync option is turned on.
I don't use any scheduler app like Locale or Tasker.
Is there an app or some way to see which app is connecting to the Internet at any given time? Or can someone verify if this sort of behaviour of the sync icon appearing is normal?

Why don't you disable wifi/3g when you don't need it?

@balki To receive notifications, maybe?

You may like to see the answer here which does this job and more, in terms of tracking real time app data usage

Related: How to view network traffic requested by a specific app?

OS Monitor does that. Shows the name of the app, and the IP address of the connection (including a WHOIS with a map when you click on it).
EDIT: I should mention that the sync icon TYPICALLY indicates a system-level sync. Do you have every item (GMail, Contacts, Calendar, Facebook) explicitly turned off in the settings?

No...in fact, I use Gmail, Calendar & Contacts (no FB) to sync. But my understanding was that they wouldn't and shouldn't, unless Auto Sync is enabled or a manual sync is performed from within the Accounts section of the settings.
I'll try OS Monitor for some time before reporting back. Thanks!

@Sparx: The system-level Sync option is voluntary, not mandatory, apps may ignore it and poorly written apps may still sync even though you have turned off system-level Sync.

True...I've seen this occur. But thanks to OS Monitor, one is aware of which apps are attempting to connect.

I'm using redmi note 4X running MIUI 9 and it says my device is not compatible with this version. Any pointers?

OS Monitor works only with Android 6 and below.  We're on version 10 now.

PhoneUsage keeps track of how much data you use each day, and gives a nice display of which apps used how much data.
Here is an example of what mine looked like this month:

Click to enlarge the Image
NOTE: It only starts tracking after installation.

Does it show usage in real time? Coz that's what the question is about.

Check out SPB Wireless Monitor. It can give you reports by date range of which apps have used data, how much data they've used, and breaks it down so you can see wifi data vs. data-plan data.
There's a new app, My Data Manager, which costs a fraction.
You can check that out as well. It does basically the same thing, though will also show you roaming data. Also, this one allows you to enter a monthly start date so you can align its data tracking with your billing cycle.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Onavo!
It works great! And a quite intuitive interface too!
UPDATE: Seems Onavo pulled data manager app from app store and created a VPN + Data Manager app. You can find it here. I haven't used it so don't know how helpful it is.

It seems to track only mobile data, not WiFi.

Google play store says "item not found".

@Sнаđошƒаӽ updated the link

Use Netlive. It'll give you stats of data usage by apps in real-time.

There is an app called Network Connections on Google Play also with Live Capture for example.

You could provide a link to the app in question, so readers could find the app directly.

Cm data manager
Is the best apps shows you wish apps are connected even system maybe viros to detect
And can block any apps data use

Yes, I use this application from Google Play called AndroidBooster from NetQuin. This app gives you with a list of apps that maybe using you internet.
Once installed, go to Utilities Tab > Network Manager and there you will see list of applications that maybe using the internet. It will on tell you if an app can use internet. It does not tell how much data each app uses or have used.
Good luck

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text:
What's the difference between the various lost phone apps?
I want to get a security app for my phone. I mostly need something in case my phone gets lost or stolen.
Researching this I have found several apps:

iTag
WaveSecure
LookOut

I am sure there are more out there too.
My question is why would I choose one of these over the others.
How do they differ? Does anyone have experience with wiping or finding a lost phone using one of these devices?
Thanks!

I use LookOut and have tested the lost phone function which works pretty well.  I need to upgrade my version of CM as soon as I have the time.  Before I do I'll try to remotely wipe my device and report back.

I'm using Prey myself. I'd just look at each one of them, check their features and see if they meet your needs.

What phone do you have? Some manufacturers (eg HTC and Samsung) make their own tracking apps that they embed in their newer phones. I have a Galaxy S and have Samsung Dive set up for mobile tracking.

I have a Galaxy S too, The AT&T Captivate. What's the Samsung Dive?

@Adam http://samsungdive.com/ integrates with the Mobile Tracker section under Location and Security in the phone's settings. Unfortunately I don't think that it's available on all of the US Galaxy S variants for some reason. According to this it should be coming to US AT&T Captivates "soon" http://www.theandroidsoul.com/2010/07/02/samsung-dive-unplugged-on-the-galaxy-s-enhances-security-features/

@GAThrawn - Yeah, Froyo is supposed to come to my phone "soon"; I'm still waiting. Oh well. Thanks anyways.

@Adam Mobile Tracker/Samsung Dive isn't specifically a Froyo thing, your phone company may be linking it with their Froyo release, but in Europe we had Dive and Mobile Tracking on Eclair. There's a chance they could give you access to this before Froyo.

I suggest LookOut.  I use it and it's quite good.  It also has the virus scanner and backup of data.


text:
Duplicate entries in 'All apps' list
I started to have for some reasons duplicated entries in 'All apps'. For many apps it was not a problem but one of apps is Google Maps - how to get rid of the problem without:

Restoring to factory defaults
Uninstalling Google Maps permanently

Edit: My phone is HTC Wildfire from 3 (to respond to comment).

model, manufacturer, and carrier please

Are these apps that are to replace built-in apps? If so there may be nothing for it.

@Al Everett: sorry - I do not understend.

Are you using mods or stock Android? What Android version? Did you install alternative updates (e.g. Brut's map hack, etc)? Generally, there can only be duplicate entry in menu if the application is installed under different identifier (e.g. com.google.android.apps.maps and brut.googlemaps for example)

Stock 2.1 android without any hacks or rooting. It is gone now after uninstalling one of app with duplicated entry.

Uninstall one of the duplicate apps

I realize this is an old answer, but I have this problem on 4.0 (LG Optimus G) and uninstalling one uninstalled both. The app isn't installed twice, just double entries in the apps list.  Rebooting resolved the issue.


text:
How do I hide contacts in HTC Sense?
How do I hide contacts that I sync from Google Contacts in the Sense? I removed them from My Contacts and filed them under an "Archived" group. I want to keep them, but not show up.
I can go to the second "tab" on the bottom to filter by group, but thats a hassle.

I don't have an HTC phone but on my Samsung Spica running rooted Eclair (2.1), here's how I restrict a particular group of contacts.
Start the CONTACTS app.
Press MENU > DISPLAY OPTIONS
Select "Show only contacts with phones" (personal prefs)
Below that will be a list of Google accounts linked to the device - each one will have system groups like FAMILY / FRIENDS / COWORKERS / MY CONTACTS etc in addition to user created groups such as "Archived" like you've created.
Just select those you wish to display and leave unchecked the groups you wish to ignore.
Hope this helps.

I don't have those in Sense. :(

Go to the People application, then press the menu button, choose View, and fiddle with the checkboxes. You need the first one "Only contacts with phone numbers", but the others could also be of use if you have a lot of different data sources.
This is on HTC Desire with 2.2 Froyo.

That does not work for me. I want to retain phone numbers for people but not show them in my main contacts list.


text:
Using headphone out to hook an alarm clock app to speakers
I own an Archos 43 Internet Tablet running Android 2.2, and I am looking either for an application or configuration option to allow using the headphone out port (if it is plugged in) for the alarm in an alarm clock app.
I'd like to hook my Android device to external speakers in order to make the alarm louder than the device's internal speaker is capable of reaching.
The ability to use the math alarm option would be nice, as well.
I've tried the integrated alarm clock, as well as the free version of "Alarm Clock Plus".  Neither of them seem to output the sound to the headphone port in their current configurations.
I am not opposed to spending money if I know that it will work as a viable solution.
Any feedback or solutions?

I just tried with my Archos 70 and alarm clock plus v2 and it didn't seem to work at first but when I played with the headphone-jack and pulled it out about half a millimeter and it worked.  This would seem to be a problem with the jack, but it works just fine when playing videos or music.  I think the issue might be that the alarm clock apps are sending the audio out on just one channel and it's not getting picked up for some reason by the stereo speakers.  I remember I used to have a similar problem with my old walkman and certain headphones and I'd have to pull the jack out just a little bit.  I know theory doesn't make complete sense because it still should work just out of one speaker but it's something I've noticed about 3.5" headphone jacks for years and can't explain it.
Also, if you don't want to mess around with playing with the depth of the jack or trying a mono speaker, you could set the Alarm Clock Plus to launch Pandora which would probably play just fine over the stereo speakers.

I would think it's deliberate rather than a problem. For those times you fall asleep listening to music, but still want to be woken up even when the earphones fall out when you roll over. Pulling the jack out a bit stops it detecting the headphones are even there (they've probably gone mono instead of stereo too).

Hmmm, this may be the case but I don't like that very much.  At the very least they should make that optional.


text:
the application Settings has stopped unexpectedly
I've installed few new apps; and when I went to deinstall some of them; I got this error.
Now I'm wondering is there a way to "fix this error"? I can still deinstall apps using adb from command line
my configuration : htc hero , 2.1, unrooted

It seems that old installation of Locale was making problems; since after uninstalling it problems disappeared.
I still don't understand how is it possible for app to influence android systems so badly, since every app should run in it's own sandbox, but at least problem is solved.


text:
How can I remove 'Orange' apps?
I have a bunch of complete crap apps on my phone which I can't move to the SD card, so they are taking up about 10mb of space on my phone, which is irritating when I want to update my phone as I need 25mb, so have to delete loads of apps.
I was considering rooting my phone, but this apparently doesn't allow you to delete them. So how do I go about this? I don't want to run a custom rom and am happy to stick with HTC's regular firmware, but I want to 'unbrand' my phone.
Any ideas please?

Rooting your phone without a custom ROM can be used to removed crapware. I have a french "Orange" HTC Desire, and here is what I did to remove the Orange apps:

use Unrevoked to root your phone (close Eclipse because it can prevent Unrevoked from detecting the reboot, use USB Drive Mode if you try to root on a Mac as they say it's more reliable)
once you're finished, reboot your phone in recovery mode (shutdown, press the - key and the Power button at the same time)
mount the /system partition as read/write (easy, it's a simple GUI)
open a shell on the phone with the command "adb shell"
get a root shell with the command "su"
go the /system/apps folder and remove whatever you want with rm (remove both APK and ODEX files that you don't need)
close your shell
unmount the /system partition
reboot

With this method, I removed the useless Tetris and other games demos that were on my phone.
I still don't know if rooting your phone will prevent me from getting OTA updates in the future, that's why I haven't got a custom ROM yet.

As far as I know, rooting your handset will prevent you from getting any OTA updates, yet it's the only way, I know of, for getting rid of any app  that was added by the maker.

In general rooting by itself shouldn't prevent OTA updates, but removing system apps probably will.

Use Titanium Backup, it will let you uninstall system apps simply and easily if you have root.  Rooting will not prevent you from getting OTA updates (how would the network know you're rooted?) in general, and you can almost certainly un-root if you want to update later.


text:
Can I auto-rotate the screen 180°?
Is there any way to make the Android 2.1 automatic screen rotation rotate all the way up to 180°, instead of just 90° either way? I would very much like to be able to use my phone upside down, because the audio jack is on top.
I've looked all over the web and the only advice I found was to install a custom rom (like Cyanogen,) but I haven't found any builds suitable for my Samsung Galaxy S.

There are log of apps available now for auto rotate on play store and I don't think anyone is using 2.1 anymore.

I do not believe Android 2.1 allows this. I've read that the latest release Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) will have this feature.
Sorry I couldn't find the post that mentioned it but here is the API link.

You should be able to get this functionality if you have a custom launcher, like LauncherPro.  Samsung's TouchWiz does not support the 180 degree rotation.  You also need Android 2.2+, however, which introduced the getRotation() API.


text:
Is it possible to install Android on a PC?
Is it possible to install Android on a PC?  If so, how would this be accomplished?

You can run the emulator on the PC....  Otherwise... you'd have to make drivers specific to the hardware you are running it on?

See also: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6849/can-i-install-android-on-my-non-android-device

The HowToGeek has a set of instructions on how to Run Android on Your Netbook or Desktop here. It uses the Android builds from Android-x86.org but I don't know how active that project still is?
However if you just want to try Android out you're probably far better off just using the emulator on your PC.

Well, I've got a project for this weekend now.  Thanks!

Checkout Bluestacks or GenyMotion

I bought an Acer Aspire netbook, and it has Windows 7 and Android 2.1 pre-installed.

Which model of Aspire have you got? Is it fully functional Android? Does it come with the Android Market and the other Google-only apps?

@GAThrawn it's an Acer Aspire One D255. Actually, I am an Android-noob, but I think it is a fully functional Android. Android Market Store is not preinstalled. I had to install it myself.

@GAThrawn But Android is clearly not made for use on a netbook. I can not scroll with the touchpad, and I can not increase mouse-acceleration, so the mouse is pretty slow.

@GAThrawn Firefox is also preinstalled, and Flash works out of the box.

@Natrium thanks for filling us in with more details. Android shouldn't have any big design disadvantages for running as a 2nd OS on a Netbook, unfortunately it sounds like your problems are more down to Acer not spending time getting the drivers for their hardware right on Android. Have you looked to see if they've released any updates for it?

@GAThrawn no, I did not check that yet. Good idea anyway; I will check it out and post a reply here.

There are many ways to run android on PC

Using Official Android Emulator
BlueStacks
YouWave
AppSurfer (run Android app in browser)
Android-x86 Project
Windroy
Genymotion

I came across another way to install Android on a PC from MakeUseOf via this Android Enthusiasts question, and thought I'd post it as an alternative answer.  It's a live CD called, appropriately enough, "Live Android."

Yes, it is possible. I am running a fully functional Android 4.0.4 (ICS) on my Acer ASPIRE ONE D255E.
Amazing how fully functional it is, out-of-the box, without me having to spend any time tweaking or hacking.
Use these up-to-date instructions on How To Install Android On Your Netbook.


text:
How do I get emoticons to show as images rather than text in SMS messages?
I've got a Motorola Droid X running Android 2.2 (Froyo), and when sending and receiving SMS/text messages in the default text messaging program, I don't see the Android emoticon images in the message.  I instead only see the text representing that emoticon.  For instance, I only see :-) rather than the smiley emoticon image.
Is there a setting somewhere that turns that feature on or off?

See also this question that's from someone trying to turn the robot emoticons off http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2916/is-there-any-way-to-change-the-emoticons-in-the-standard-android-sms-app no one's found the setting there yet but if they do it could help you out too.

I did some research and was not able to find any way to do this on a stock device. However here is a link for you root users that allows you to remove the stock emoticons and replace them with standard ones, I'm sure it will let you do other emoticons as well.


text:
Bluetooth Peripheral Device Driver? - Droid X
I'm trying to transfer a picture via bluetooth from my Motorola Droid X - Android 2.2 to my Windows 7 32bit machine.
When I do the normal troubleshooting steps it tells me "No Device Driver found."
Does anyone know where I can find the driver, or what I can do to solve this issue?

I updated my phone to Motorola System Version 2.3.340 and it took care of this issue.
Steps to update:

Press the menu button from the home screen.
Touch `Settings`
Touch `About Phone`
Touch `System Updates`


text:
Is it somehow possible to change the format of a telephone number being displayed?
On my Samsung Galaxy S phone a local telephone number is displayed in the format 999-999-999.
Is it possible to change this format ?
Our local numbers are normally displayed as 99-999-99-99 , certainly the first two numbers are the area code.
Maybe is has to do with my language settings, because I used English as language.

What happens if you change your locale?

@Al Everett: Yes, the format changes. I have set my language now to English (UK) in stead of English (US) and now the numbers are formatted without hyphens (I prefer using English in stead of Dutch because of the references in sites like these: please press : settings - that option - this option . It's much easier to be able to just follow the text in stead of having to translate each and every guide line. However, I was still hoping for some setting to be able to set the format string myself.

Well, I'll add that as an answer. I don't believe there's a more direct method, but if you find one please be sure to add it as an answer.

did you succeed in your search for manually format the numbers?

Try changing your language setting from "English (US)" to "English (UK)".


text:
Any fix for audio stuttering (incoming and outgoing) when making Skype calls?
I have an HTC hero with Android 2.1, and the latest Skype available in android marketplace (december 2010) stutters badly on wifi.
(I did not even try to make a skype call over 3g data, i think that would be silly, and in my market where data charges are exorbitant, a waste of money.)
I believe it's a performance problem with my phone.  I have tried to uninstall some other apps, and not very much seems to be open and running on my phone (just skype, the phone main UI panel).
Audio coming to my headphones stutters terribly and is full of clicks.  The audio going out is reported to be bad when I tested it with human callers, but when I used the echo123 skype service, my audio came back to me mostly perfectly.
It looks like Skype's website lists the following as compatible android handsets:
"Android devices: DROID by Motorola, DROID ERIS by HTC, Motorola DEVOUR™, HTC Droid Incredible, LG Ally, Samsung Fascinate™, Motorola Droid X, Motorola Droid 2, Samsung CONTINUUM, Motorola Ciena, Motorola Droid 2 Global."
[Note that HTC hero is not in that list]

not unique to HTC Hero, I think, I had this as well on Spica. Incidentally, it also turned my phone into a pocket warmer.

P Were you on wifi or using 3G?

I was using wifi.  3g would be so slow I wouldn't be surprised if the audio stuttered. Plus who pays data rates (3g) for voice on Skype?  Silly...

@Warren: That actually makes sense when you have a flat rate 3G subscription.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the HTC Hero doesn't have enough CPU to handle the audio codecs.
You may have some success rooting it and overclocking the CPU, but it'll shorten the life of your hardware and void your warranty.

I also have come to this conclusion.  600 mhz, or whatever the Hero is, isn't 1 ghz, which is the what the newer handsets run at.  Whatever profiling and testing the developers of Skype for Android did, the Hero's cpu wasn't their acceptance test criteria, certainly.

This would be related to your data network speed rather than the application. Try to test it with a wifi connection and see if that gets you better audio.

I was using WIFI not the data network.  I wouldn't dare try it with the data network.  My guess is that the CPU in my Hero isn't up to running skype.

Okay that is strange. I guess you checked signal strength?

My guess is that this is a carrier problem.  When the Amazon Mp3 app recently updated it had a warning message to contact Sprint if there was any stuttering with the music since Sprint's network doesn't work well with streaming audio.  I haven't had an issue yet so I removed the notice otherwise I'd post it here for you to see.  It's only a guess though so since I'm basing this completely on what I read in that notice from Amazon.

No, because I was using Wifi.


text:
How do I download PDF documents from Gmail?
When I receive a PDF attachment, the Gmail app only gives the option to preview it, not download. It opens in the default PDF reader (I have Adobe's reader).
How can I save the PDF instead?

Good question. I couldn't figure out a way with Adobe Reader or Quick Office.

Attachment2SD will do the trick.
After you install it when you click on the PDF attachment in the Gmail app it'll pop-up the "Complete Action Using..." dialog.  Choose Attachment2SD and it'll download to a directory on your SD card, where you can immediately open it or save it for later.  This works with all kinds of files, not just PDF.

That does the trick, thanks. There really ought to be a download option in the Gmail app itself though.

Agreed, it baffles me how they could leave something so basic out.

Don't use the Gmail app, instead use your browser, go to gmail.com, mobile or desktop view doesn't matter,
open the mail you want to download the pdf from
click  on the pdf icon and it will be downloaded automatically.
About doing so with the Gmail app specifically, I've no idea, and that was how I dodge the pdf problem.

I use the Internet Download Manager.You open the pdf in new tab and then copy your url and then click Add url at Internet Download Manager, paste to your url.


text:
How do I copy text from my PC to my phone?
I am looking for a way to copy text from my home computer to my phone, sort of a shared clipboard. Right now I go to the zxing QR code generator and paste the code, take a picture of the screen with the phone, and set the barcode scanner to copy text to the clipboard. It seems like there should be a simpler way. Does anyone know of a way to do this?

You can install the WiFi Keyboard app from Android Market. A good app, supports both USB and WiFi input. You need to follow information carefully, to get work around.

Thanks for pointing this out. The WIFI Keyboard works great. I'm more and more amazed of what's possible with our little devices  :)

Great! Now I'm not scared of those password fields anymore!

Some more information would be useful, to make it a complete.

The app is longer on Google Play :(

Chrome-to-Phone

Looks interesting, but I like that WiFi Keyboard does not require any software on the PC, just a wifi connection.

chrome to phone doesn't require any software too, and it's simpler in its use than WiFi keyboard, you just highlight the text you want to copy then click on the icon besides the address bar in your chrome browser

Sadly, it says "This item is not available on your carrier" :(

That app is longer on Google Play :(

Google DocsDrive allows collaborative editing between phone app and webapp. Updates typically propogate from one to the other within a few seconds, and just appear in the document on the updated device, with markup to show that it came from someone else.
I use it for brainstorming sessions with my colleagues on the go, I like it better than SMS/Email because it's easier to see what they're talking about (their text appears in the pertinent part of the document)

As of now the new "Docs" native android Apps is awesome: it shows you live the text being taped on your PC!!! Thanks for sharing this trics!

Try ClipSync
It's an app I have written that will update the clipboard on your PC once it has detected a change in the android clipboard over WiFi. (And vice versa.)
So you can do:

ctr+c (win) -> long press - paste (android).
long press - copy (android) -> ctrl+v (win).

QRCopy is a free app that lets you share your clipboard between your PC and nearly any other device.  It uses qr codes to transfer information, so it works on any device that has a QR code reader.  The Windows version includes a fast QR code reader that works using your webcam, and it has a mobile app that runs on most other devices.  Once you have some text in your clipboard you just press windows-v and it pops up in an onscreen qr code ready for you to scan using your mobile.  To send text back to your pc you use it's qr code generator on your mobile to copy your text to a qr code, then on your pc you just press windows-c and it will fire up your webcam and use it to read the qr code on your mobile device.  It only takes a second or two, and it works in any program.
http://www.qrcopy.net
[Disclaimer: I am a friend of the guy who created QRCopy.]

Perfectly valid answer IMO. Worked great for me. There's a bug (or a feature?) however. I wan't able to type my text into the text box on the page, just the URL bar.

You can try Pushbullet app (also requires the chrome extension for windows). It's includes universal copy and paste (currently only supported on Android and Windows).

To enable the feature, you'll have to go to the advanced settings on
  each device you want to sync. Once you turn it on, copying text on one
  device will automatically send it to the clipboard of all the others.
  The developers state they're working on adding iOS and OS X support,
  but for now it works pretty well between Android and Windows devices.

How, specifically, does this solve the OP's problem?

PushBullet has a shared clipboard between Android devices and your PC when Pushbullet is installed in chrome and on the android devices.

You can use AirDroid. It has a clipboard feature and works over Wi-Fi.

Works like a charm. Allows sending files, URLs, and app APK's as well. Thanks for the recommendation.

Clipboard doesn't work on newer phones.

Use UniClip. It has a desktop client, with global keyboard shortcuts to copy, paste text to/from your other devices.
To copy text from PC to Android,

Copy a text in your PC, then hit CTRL + Shift + C.
Your mobile will be notify you about the incoming clip, you might have to shake your mobile few times (this can be changed in preferences) to copy the
clip to your mobile's clipboard.

To copy text from Android to PC:

Copy some text on your mobile device.
You will be notified of an incoming clip on your PC, press Ctrl + Shift + V to put the  clip on your PC's clipboard. And then paste it like usual on any
application.

Download the desktop client from: piyushagade.xyz/uniclip
Features:

Users can decide if/which their devices should update their clipboards. So, if you want only only one of your device to update their clipboards, then you can achieve this by shaking only that particular device.
The applications are very light on resources.
Android application maintains session's clipboard history.

Disclosure: I am the developer of the app

I use a standard text file synchronized through Dropbox. Works in both directions.

Thats is easy! Have whatsapp running on your PC. And paste/write text on to your account and access it on phone immediately!! enjoy the super fast sync.
and the other way around to get it on PC.
No extra apps, whatsapp is always on the most easily accessible part on your phone anyways!
and you always have a history. Who else messages yourself on whatsapp? :)

clipbrd is a chrome extension and android app works great across multiple pcs, macs, and android phones

I wrote bash script that will do that (for linux). It will require internet too. All you need to do is

create a launcher for the script and put it on the panel.
Highlight the text you want to transfer and click on the launcher.
A barcode will appear on the screen and you can scan that.

Link to script

I use Evernote to sync text between PC and phone.

I use AutoRemote and Tasker to copy text, as well as files. It does have a steep learning curve to use it, but it is an extremely powerful tool to transfer data, and there are many tutorials online to help.

I would recommend Alt-C app. It has 2 parts a small desktop application that runs in the system tray and an Android app. Basically, you copy any text with the keyboard shortcut alt-c and then you can long click and paste it on your phone and vice-versa for a phone to PC copy paste. The advantage this app has over ClipSync and Clipbrd(Both apps I've used before), is that Clipsync only works if both your device are on the same wifi network and Clipbrd requires you to keep Chrome browser running, which eats up resources. Also unlike other apps that only allow copying and pasting a single item, Alt-C keeps a list of up to 50 items synced across your devices.Personally, I feel the ideal solution would be a clipboard manager app like Ditto or 1Clipboard with cross-platform cloud synced shared clipboard.

So how does Alt-C work since you said clip synch needs devices to be in same network?

@xavier_fakerat they pass the data through their cloud servers.

+1 but then its also a disadvantage if you're not exclusively connected to an internet connection. I prefer local connection however, but this is still worth a good answer!

I use airdroid.
But a very simple & handy solution should be with default APP.
gmail is installed in everyone's mobile -android/iOS (I think)

goto gmail in browser
type anything in new message
close it. this saves it in draft.
Open gmail APP in mobile.
Goto draft. You will find your message (text) over there.

I have skype on my pc and phone. if i like a url i can paste it into there and send it to any address then it pops up on my phone as well.

I recommend My-Clipboard.com, paste from phone (browser/app), then open in browser on PC and click copy :)

Many good solutions in this thread, my suggestion is Snapcopy (http://snapcopyapp.com/) that i've used for some time now and does exactly what OP needed. Cheers!

Can you provide steps to use this for the objective?

Sure: 1. Install the app 2. Install the chrome extension 3. Copy, paste

You can use my app, Reader’S Checkpoints (RSC) which supports this functionality. The app can be downloaded free from Google Playstore, here is the link. With this app installed on your android phone, all you have to do is, head over to the website http://rscweb.in/ on the computer from which you need to transfer the text and click “send text to phone”. On the field that you see just type in/paste the text which you need to send to your android phone. Now click “Generate QR”, a new QR code will be generated. Now just open the Reader’S Checkpoints (RSC) app and scan the QR from your computer to receive the text instantly on your app.
Further details regarding the app can be found here
The app also offers a ton of other features like sharing text from android device to computer, adding a note and sharing it using a unique url, share text from any app on your phone to pc without even opening the Reader’S Checkpoints (RSC) etc.

try https://etell.me no registration needed. Simply create a customised tag e.g https://etell.me/my-temp-text and you can update text there e.g on your phone; then visit the same URL on your laptop. It’s based on Google Firestore so the data are synced between devices on the fly.


text:
Can you restart the launcher apart from restarting the phone?
On my Galaxy S Android 2.2 , I just got the 'Activiate Starter took too long to respond . Force close ?', which I did.
Now the home screen is black.  :)
So I killed the starter program, so it seems. I should have looked at the message closer.
Apart from turning off and restarting the phone, is it possible to restart the main program on a phone ?

Did you try pressing the HOME key?

@Sparx: Yes , I'm 99% sure I tried all sorts of combinations, including pressing the home key. But as in all such things, one cannot be 100% sure, sometimes you overlook the obvious. Next time, if ever it occurs again, I will certainly try this.

Just a hint, not an answer: you can reboot the phone quickly by holding the power button until the boot screen appears (about 10 seconds) instead of holding it for a second and choosing "Power off" and powering on again.

10 years later...
The first step is to find the name of your current launcher a.k.a. "Home app". Unless you switched away from the one provided by default, you probably don't know that. The default launcher can be different on every phone. Finding its name also depends on your Android version. Fortunately, there are plenty pages on the Internet explaining that for every Android version so I won't copy/paste them all here. With a recent Android 11, go to Settings -> Apps -> Advanced -> Default Apps -> Home App.
Once you found the precious name, go back to Apps and scroll down until you find it. Tap on it then "Force Stop", done!
If you still can't find your launcher in the list of Apps then click on the three dots and try "Show system (apps)"

You could probably start the application with the abd shell
in the shell type
am start [DETAILS]

the usage is
usage: am [start|broadcast|instrument]
       am start -D INTENT
       am broadcast INTENT
       am instrument [-r] [-e <ARG_NAME> <ARG_VALUE>] [-p <PROF_FILE>]
                [-w] <COMPONENT>

       INTENT is described with:
                [-a <ACTION>] [-d <DATA_URI>] [-t <MIME_TYPE>]
                [-c <CATEGORY> [-c <CATEGORY>] ...]
                [-e|--es <EXTRA_KEY> <EXTRA_STRING_VALUE> ...]
                [--ez <EXTRA_KEY> <EXTRA_BOOLEAN_VALUE> ...]
                [-e|--ei <EXTRA_KEY> <EXTRA_INT_VALUE> ...]
                [-n <COMPONENT>] [-f <FLAGS>] [<URI>]

Some examples can be seen on this page.
It would require you to know a few details about the launcher in question though. It may be worth reading this thread about am usage from the android-framework google group.

I don't understand, if my launcher application is not running, and my screen is blank, how am I going to be able to start an abd shell ?

You'd have to connect via usb

Note that whatever home screen you use, you can always use am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN  -c android.intent.category.HOME to start your default home screen.

Pressing the home key on my Dell Streak prompts me to choose a launcher program if there isn't currently one running after it's crashed or re-installed.

Note that some Home launchers may have the option built into the user space for convenience.  For example, I use Nova Launcher myself, and under the settings you can find this option:


text:
Can the Droid Eris be charged on a PowerPlate Wireless Induction Charging Base?
Can the Droid Eris be charged on a PowerPlate Wireless Induction Charging Base?

Nevermind the question was more appropriate listed here: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3543/can-the-droid-eris-be-charged-on-a-powerplate-wireless-induction-charging-base

That's the URL for this question.

eldarerathis is right.  The PowerPlate is a two part system.  1. The Base and 2. The Receiver.  The receiver clips onto the phone and is specific to the phone.  It looks like the powerplate system replaces the battery cover on the blackberry and is a snap-on cover for the iphone.
Duracell makes an inductive charger that is compatible with the Eris. PowerMat doesn't have an Eris receiver but they have some universals.  Or you could hack your own solution.

I would definitely consider the PowerMat.  IMHO, they have a better known product.  The prices for some of their products are also comparable to the PowerPlate.  I'm sure the myGrid is also a good product.

So it looks like you can use the power cube to charge it with the PowerMat, but at that point you mightas well just plug it in (http://twitter.com/#!/Powermat/status/14807354381959168)

Yeah, the power cube is a little silly, but I guess if you had several powermat compatible devices and one stray, it'd be a decent alternative.  You could still go with the Duracell MyGrid, although I'm not a big fan of the little nub that would end up poking out.

The product description on Brookstone's site (and the Amazon one mentions this, too) seems to indicate that you can't. They specifically list that there are receivers for iPhone 3G/3GS and Blackberry Curve 8900. You can't charge something without the receiver/case, so if they don't make one for the Eris (which it appears they do not) then it won't work.
That being said, you could always stop by or call your local Brookstone and ask, I suppose.


text:
Market App Downloads always fails/never starts
Brand new LG GT540, everything works except for the Market. Clicking on Install on any App resultings in it sitting on 'Starting download..." for several seconds then as soon as it changes to "Downloading..." it fails with 'Download was unsuccessful, please try again'.
This is not a duplicate of 'Sometimes Market update get stuck downloading, how can I cancel?' which is 'sometimes' and about cancelling. The answers do not work/are not relevant. It is also not a duplicate of 'Android market - Application downloading problem' which sits at 'Starting Download...' for several hours.
There are several solutions floating around on the web, but like myself, it seems to not solve it for a vast amount of people. I believe there is more than 1 bug with downloading from the market but they are getting treated like one.
Firstly, there is the GTalk related issue. This is not relevant in this case. GTalk signs in correctly and works. Signing out of GTalk and back in does nothing to fix the issue. Neither does clearing the data out of the GTalk App and/or Google Apps and rebooting the phone. It is not a GoogleMail/GMail issue either as this is not in the UK and has always been a GMail account.
Secondly, it is not solved by clearing the cache/data out of Checkin Service/Downloader/Market, etc. I had done this clearing/force stop on ALL the applications suggested across the web and rebooting the phone. This has been done several times with no effect.
Thirdly a factory reset doesn't work either. Makes sense considering this behaviour has been straight out of the box.
EDIT: I have also tried unmounting the SD card, removing it, rebooting the phone and trying to download with no difference.
EDIT 2: Clearing everything and signing into the Market with a brand new account made no difference.
Any other ideas on what the cause of the issue is and how to fix it?

Have you tried from a WiFi connection? Could it be a network limitation

I have a HTC Desire HD that is working perfectly from the same location, not on WiFi. Have literally tried it right next to the tower when out in town with no difference.

The cause of these problems is a bug in Google Framework Services, at least in 2.1 and 2.2.
I have been able to fix it temporarily by clearing the cache for all Google apps -- GFS, Talk, Voice, GMail, Market, etc. -- but I do not believe there is a permanent fix.  Perhaps in 2.3, I don't have it on my phone yet.

This sounds like one of the other issues. I have cleared EVERYTHING then rebooted the phone with no difference. I think If I tell my wife she has to enter her gmail user/pass one more time... lol. This is on Android 1.6 btw.

Since it's the same problem with the same apps I would still guess that it's the same bug, even if it's aggravated in your case.  Do you have multiple Google accounts on the phone?  I have begun wondering if that might trigger it.

Well, not really. In a lot of the other cases GTalk has issues as well. GTalk in this case has worked flawlessly. That's also a big no to multiple Google accounts as well. It's my wife's phone and only gets set up with her gmail account.

Ah, I misinterpreted "Signing out of GTalk and back in does nothing" to mean you couldn't sign out.

Is this a Google account issue or an issue with the phone+software combination? Is it possible for you to use the same Google account in another phone (or different Google account on the LG phone, since you seem to have reset it a few times)?

Brand new account made no difference, unfortunately.

I uninstalled all updates to Market app (Android 1.6) and since then I'm able to download new apps/updates successfully


text:
Bluetooth GPS compatibility list for Android 2.2 / Archos 43 tablet?
I've been looking at a very inexpensive bluetooth GPS (DeLorme Earthmate BT-20) to pair with my Archos 43 Internet Tablet running Android 2.2.  Is anyone aware of a compatibility list that I should be referencing when considering pairing my device with a bluetooth GPS?  I assume that the Android app will be used to reference maps, and the GPS will simply provide coordinates, but I may be mistaken.

I don't believe you need to worry about hardware compatibility beyond the BT specs.  Your A43IT uses Bluetooth 2.1 EDR so as long as the BT GPS supports that it should be all set.  You'll either need an internet connection to use Google maps, or like you were planning, an app that downloads the maps, like CoPilot.
I haven't gotten around to buying one yet, but I've been doing some digging in preperation.  Here's some links that may help:

BlueGPS4Droid - App over at XDA that interfaces with the BT GPS
This guy is using his Nexus 1 to give his A70IT WiFi and GPS
Here's another relevant thread... and another.

Let me know what you end up doing and what works in case you beat me to the setup.

Globalsat BT-359CS works fine with mine.  Watch the screen saver though.  If it kicks in the bluetooth connection gets messed up.

I finally purchased a BTGP35KM and everything is fine. Also, I have discovered Google Labs Zone which enables downloading a 10 sq miles map on your Android, thus enabling offline (only found the french version here).


text:
no sound alert to let me know i have a text message received
I can't seem to get an audible sound when text message received.

Any more details would be useful - stock message app or another?

I have the sam problem using Samsung Galaxy S2.
Had sound tones from soundboard apps, now nothing, even when using tones that previously worked.
I don't have an SMS APP just whats on the phone.
When chosing a tone from the list they play fine, but not when receiving a message.
Unsure exactly what was done before the loss of sound.

Things to check include:

You have configured a sound for your SMS app
The notification volume is reasonable (in line with the ringer volume is probably good)
You don't have either silent or vibrate silent mode selected
You've enabled notifications in your SMS app


text:
What are workable/straightforward methods for using external game controllers (bluetooth, USB) with the Android platform?
I own an Archos 43 IT running Android 2.2.  It is my understanding that the Archos devices in this product line support USB Host and Bluetooth.
What are workable/straightforward methods for using external game controllers with the Android platform?
I am aware of the WiiMoteController project, and the capability of hooking up a Wii Classic Controller to a Wii Controller via bluetooth for emulator usage such as here.
The thing is that I don't already own any Wii controllers and it seems like a waste to go out and get those controllers if I already own several Logitech Dual Action USB gamepads, and could use those instead.

Voted to close -- "What's out there?" isn't a real question.

I have changed the wording to be less subjective.

"Best" is still pretty subjective.

I changed "best" to "workable/straightforward".  I just want to see solutions with as few steps as possible.

This question is more an open question than an straightforward one. But I think it has a great value, should stay and become community-wiki when more good quality answers show up.

@Zoot: Better, although the whole "would anyone like to share their experiences" still runs afoul of the guidelines.

@Al Everett The "share your experiences" paragraph has been removed.

The best option (albeit a rather pricey one) appears to be the iControlPad.  It was originally designed for use with an iPhone but now uses bluetooth to communicate with all bluetooth-enabled devices.  It sounds like developers plan on supporting it, but I'm not sure how well it will work with current games.
EDIT:  I recently became aware of another bluetooth gamepad that caters specifically to smartphones.  It's called the Bluetooth Game Gripper.  There is an Andoinica article about it here, and the kickstarter project is here.  However, it doesn't appear that the maker has garnered enough VC to get the project off the ground, so I'm not sure of the current status.


text:
Can I edit Swype's user dictionary to remove typos?
Swype has become populated with numerous words that don't exist due to typos.
As a result it frequently gets words wrong or pops up with its hidden word tip.
Is there a way of viewing all the user added words in its dictionary to selectively delete them?
I'm not sure if this is os/handset specific so I haven't tagged it as such, but I'm on Froyo on a Galaxy S.

If you are getting lots of typos it sounds like you are using it wrong.  The swype mode doesn't add words to the dictionary, you have to type them out.  So you should only need to type a particular word once and just be more careful at that stage.

There is unfortunately no way to directly edit the dictionary.
You can delete any user-added word by highlighting it and hitting the Swype key.

According to the Swype guys this sort of thing is in the pipeline but a way off. http://forum.swype.com/showthread.php?1233-quot-Hidden-Word-quot-Tip-Notification

Good to hear :)


text:
Notify when connected to working Wi-Fi point
I use my phone to receive all my calls over SIP.  Sometimes when I need to make a call I'm not around a (working) access point.
Let's say, if I'm walking around is there an app that can notify me (via vibrate or ringtone) when I've connected to an access point? So basically whenever SIPdroid lights up green.

"Notify when open WiFi access point is found" is available in stock Android. Is this not what you're talking about?

You could probably user Tasker to create your own alert too.

Quick Marketplace search for WiFi Notify resulted in the following:
WifiNotify


text:
How to "report" a mis-behaving app?
I purchased a very popular IM app from the Marketplace, as it was the only one that was able to connect to my company's Jabber server, and I've been using it successfully for months now.  On November 30th or December 1st it stopped working, I assumed due to an issue on my company's server, since they're always tinkering with it.  Late last week I started looking into it and I found out, much to my utter horror, that it wasn't my company's server that was at fault, it was the IM app's server -- I have been logging in to my company's server through their server for months now, meaning that their server had access to my password (which can be used for just about every system I use at work).  I verified this by rooting my phone, installing WireShark and looking at the network traffic.
I've asked for my money back, since I paid for the app, but I really want to get the app removed from the marketplace, as it's a huge danger to anyone using it.
Please note that I have no proof that this company was harvesting anyone's password, but they could be doing it.  Regardless, they're transmitting my login credentials in the clear (though they are encoding the password, which I'm sure will deter all but the most hardened hackers -- not!).

A lot of the IM apps that allow you to connect to more than one IM service at a time work this way. If anything a lot of users are going to see this as a benefit as it means you can connected to Jabber, MSN, GTalk, AOLIM, etc all with only one network connection using up your battery and data limits.

@GAThrawn - that's an interesting point; I hadn't looked at it that way.  OK, so maybe nothing malicious is happening, but it's still dangerous.  Not sure what to do, now.

and you're right that it's the sort of thing that any app should definitely warn you that it's doing. I'd be concerned too about apps sending my logins to their own third-party servers without any warning. Obviously as we don't which app you've had this with we don't know whether they do warn or not.

When you uninstall an app from the Market, it asks you for a reason.  If you choose "It's malicious", it will prompt you for a report.  And you can leave a comment on the app (before uninstalling) to warn other users.
Since you have no proof they did or intended to do anything wrong with your info, there's nothing else you can do.  You won't get the app removed from the Marketplace.

Not all apps ask for a reason when you're uninstalling them. I believe this is something that a developer needs to include of his own volition.

App developers don't ask for that information.  (Actually, as a developer, I wish that I was able to see that information.)  I think it only happens when you uninstall via the Market app instead of another App manager.

@shmuelp Exactly.

The Market app no longer thinks that the IM app is installed for some reason, so I don't have the option to uninstall it. (sigh)

Install it from the Market and then immediately uninstall ;)

You can do what Matthew Read mentioned but if you visit the app details page in the Android Market and scroll all the way to the bottom there is a Flag as inappropriate link that will allow you to report the app.

Ah, I missed that!  That does seem to be more oriented towards reporting obscene or malicious content, however.


text:
How to delete/edit one in series of reoccuring events
Is there a way to delete or edit just one event in a series of reoccuring events?
Htc Desire
Kernel Version 2.6.32.15-gf5a501c
Software Number Version 2.29.405.2

please point out phone model and android version

phone software specifics added

Yes, when you choose the particular event you want to edit or delete you are given 3 options (at least on my Droid 1 I am):

Change only this event
Change all events in the series
Change this and all future events

Choose #1 to change just that one event in the series.

this option is not available in "later" versions of android.


text:
Android 2.3 Keyboard on SE X8 running 2.1
Recently I've found out that it's possible to install new Android keyboard on 2.2 version of Android (here's the installer).
I was wondering if the same applies for 2.1?
I own SE X8 which I've recently updated to 2.1.

I've read that it only works on 2.2.

The 2.3 keyboard cannot be installed on 2.1 as-is.  It relies on the 2.3 Voice Search app, which uses API methods not present in 2.1.  (See this XDA post.)  I'm sure someone is in the process of hacking the keyboard to work though.  To be honest, the only difference I see with the 2.3 keyboard is that the keys are smaller, which I dislike.


text:
Anyone found a way to move the insert marker one character to the left of to the right?
The new insert marker in Android 2-2, you get when pressing a text field in edit more, and which gives you the ability to move it to the point where you want to start editing, is all very nice. Compared to the previous way of long pressing the men key to shop up the cursor keypad, it's quicker and gives you more options.
But has anyone found a way to move this marker one character to the left or to the right (apart from the obvious of course, which is holding it and moving it to the left or to the right).
I found that positioning the marker to the exact place is hard. 90% of the times you put it just one character to the left or to the right. If you than want to move it again, it's very hard to move it just one character, especially when that character is s small one ( a space, an i or an l).

Uh, isn't that new marker part of Android 2.3?

@Al Everett: Don't know, at least it's on my Samsung Galaxy S now that I have upgraded from 2.1 two weeks ago.

Might be specific to the Galaxy S.

The Galaxy S phones don't have a track ball or optical track pad, do they?  That's normally how it would be done.

I just drag it one to left or right, it's pretty accurate and doesn't seem to go too far by accident at all. MBraedley's right, Galaxy S's don't have the trackball/pad, this is a Samsung TouchWiz addition that came with Froyo and massively improves text selection and cursor control. I find it easier than using the trackball was on my old HTC Magic.

If you are using Swype, slide your finger from the Swype button (bottom left) to the SYM key. This will display a set of navigation buttons - including a dpad that lets you move the text input.

Yep, the answer is basically "Yes, if your keyboard has arrow keys".  The Android keyboard really should.

The asker didn't mention anything about using Swype, which is still in closed beta. This isn't really a useful answer.

Swype is installed from the factory on the SGS line, and the tags implied he had that device.

Ah. My mistake. Withdrawn, then.

The awesomeness of Swype continues to amaze me.

I really don't like SWYPE. Maybe I should try it out more, but I want to press keys - even soft keys is preferable to the SWYPE method. But that's just me , of course.


text:
Storing passwords on your phone?
I'm considering switching to a service/app like 1Password, Keepass, LastPass, etc. but before deciding on which to use, I was wondering if anyone else had experience with one of these services and using it on their Android phone?
Ideally, I'm looking for something that is very accessible to use on my phone.

Sure I remember answering a question on here before where I recommended SplashID, but can't find it, maybe it was never migrated from gadgets?

Ahh found it, was on ForceClose, hadn't realised it was that long ago http://www.forceclose.com/questions/2360/what-is-the-best-password-manager

I use LastPass and the Dolphin Browser Add-on on my phone and the desktop app with Chrome and FF extensions on my computer.  I really like the way it works on the desktop.  With the Dolphin Add on it is very easy to fill in login info, however there is no easy prompt to save the password like there is on the desktop version (and like the Dolphin Browser does by default).
The other drawback is that I have set a very complicated master password which is a pain to type in Android.  I have set lastpass to save my master so it's pretty easy to use but not as secure.  The main app has a cool feature that lets you set a pin for the mobile use but this doesn't translate over to the Dolphin Extension.
The other benefit to LastPass is that they just bought Xmarks which is a good service, and I like keeping things consolidated when I can.

Another vote for LastPass, which I just started using recently.  They have a great series of videos on their site, letting you experience most aspects of the service without installing anything.  I haven't used the Dolphin Browser add-on yet; I'm just using the LastPass app to look up passwords as needed.  It has a feature to copy the password to the clipboard so if you're using it all on the phone, it's easy enough to use without the browser add-in.  It's also easy to generate random passwords that are secure and non-onerous to type if you're often typing them into a browser on a foreign PC.

I've been using Keepass with Dropbox (just put your Keepass file in a Dropbox folder).  It's worked well so far, but I haven't been using it on Android for long.

Same here, and that way you have everything synced with your desktop machines too (linux and windoze)

You might want to reconsider. Dropbox mobile clients do not use HTTPS. http://lifehacker.com/#!5781788/dropbox-mobile-apps-less-secure-than-the-desktop-utility

SplashID is outstanding.  I like it because it has a desktop component, so you can easily manage your passwords on a human-sized keyboard.  Synchs with Droid when both are on the same wi-fi network.  Is very accessible on the phone too.

+1 I've been a happy SplashID user right from when I got it for my new (at the time) Palm III. The Android version does WiFi sync with a desktop client, the password database is 256-bit Blowfish encypted. Available on the Market http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-splashidandroid-pnq.aspx

I like the looks of this.  I'm going to have to check it out.

I use SplashId. Used if for many years with my PALM diveces - different models. And when I was looking for a program to keep my passwords with me on my phone, I was very pleased that SplashData had an Android version so I was able to keep my complete list of passwords !
All in all this tells me that this company is a) still in business - for many years now, and b) they follow the market and operating systems - a big plus if you ever switch device.
And the fact that they have a Windows desktop program with a very cool synchronization build in, makes it even better. The synchro works so easy, you turn on Wifi, you start the program both on the desktop and on the phone, and choose syncro.
The android version will recognize the SplashId program running on the PC. In fact, yt will show a list of all PC's running the desktop version of SplashId. You select the PC name in the list on the phone, and press synchro. All in all , very quick and very easy.
That's is how such a system should be.

Roboform also has an Android client which allows you to login to sites from within the native Android browser. The caveat however, is that you must store your credentials on the Roboform servers using their Roboform Online service.

There is currently no edit or update
  ability within the application. This
  is a high priority to add in a future
  update.

PassPack mobile isn't a standalone app, but a nice mobile interface to your existing Passpack account.
I use passpack all the time on the desktop, but haven't really gotten used to using it in my phone's browser.


text:
Can I prevent the Android 2.2 browser from inserting "www" at the beginning of URLS?
I'm loving my Android phone (Incredible) but I cannot stand when the browser automatically inserts "www" at the beginning of any URL I'm trying to type. I am a web developer and work a lot with sub domains (not to mention blind usage of "www" is bad practice) and it gets frustrating.
Any ideas?

Then how would you know that you are on the world wide web?

I have never seen this behavior.  It must be Incredible-specific.

Is it entering it as you type or after you hit Go?  It is also helpful to mention what browser you are using when you see this behavior.  The Dolphin Browser HD doesn't do this to me however certain sites automatically redirect to the www. when no subdomain is submitted.  This is controlled at the site level by any url rewrite rules they have.

@Matt: He does say that he's using the Android browser. I've not seen this behavior either.

@Joel, I don't have this problem here either (Android 2.2 on HTC EVO).  Is it simply remembering a previous URL?

@Al: where does he say that?

"Can I prevent the Android 2.2 browser..." I definitely could've been clearer, sorry!
Thanks for the answers, guys!

It seems to be specific to the HTC Droid Incredible. When I first tried to search from the stock browser, I'd get an error page (I didn't notice the "http://www"). So I asked this question which gave some options in the form of browsers which are ready for search queries. (It turns out you can search from the stock browser once you delete the "http://www")
You may want to use another browser. In the Dolphin HD browser for example, the "www" isn't there so typing "android.stackexchange.com" works fine.

Two things to try:

Delete everything from the url textbox and enter the url, for example "android.stackexchange.com"
Remove the www. part and enter the rest of the url behind http://.

Both of these methods work on my Droid Incredible running stock 2.2 (rooted)

I don't have my phone here to try ... but can it be a specific keyboard which is selected ( and where words are automatically inserted ). F.i. using SWYPE and having word prediction on ?

On the HTC Desire HD (2.2, standard browser), the behaviour when you tap in the address bar appears to be:

If the URL currently in the address bar already starts with www. then everything after the www. is auto-selected, meaning that whatever you type will replace it, leaving the www. in place.
If the URL currently in the address bar doesn't start with www. then the full URL (everything following http://) is selected, meaning that what you type will form the full URL.

I can't find a way of disabling this, and quite regularly end up trying to go to www.www.google.com.


text:
want to get my Droid back to stock, but don't want to reinstall apps
I foolishly rooted my Motorola Droid and fumbled around until I got Cyanogenmod 6.1.0-RC3-Droid installed on the thing.
There's really no reason I should have done this, however. It didn't exactly solve my problems. Now, I have a few additional problems and would just like to get back to stock.
My first question is this:
What is the easiest way to just get this phone back to stock? Some posts talk about booting into recovery and just choosing factory reset - other posts say that isn't enough, etc.
Second question:
Can I use AppBrain to make the installation of all of my apps easier once I have the phone back to stock? I have 75 apps. I am hoping that I can just install AppBrain as the first app, then have it do the installs.
Has anyone done this?
Thanks.
UPDATE: I bricked my phone. I'm stuck in a loop of "Droid" and the animated eye icon.

Ideally, you would have made a NANDROID backup immediately after rooting your phone.  Then you could restore to the backup and perform the unroot method of whatever root method you used.

which steps did u take to brick your phone?

Thanks to everyone who has helped. I really had no business trying to do what I did. I have 3 kids and no time, so my impatience led to some bad choices.

I tried to use ROM Manager to download stock. Then I booted into recovery and tried to apply stock rom. It appeared to work but I got a "needs to update" message. It did something, rebooted, required another update, then got into a continuous loop of splash screens. Now I can't even boot into recovery. It just gives me an ugly ! with a triangle around it.

That's the stock recovery.  If you download a signed ROM (like a Master OTA), rename it to update.zip, and put it on the root folder of your SD card, you'll be able to flash it from recovery.  See the last link in my answer below for details.

Your phone is almost certainly not permanently bricked.  Chances are you can boot into recovery to flash a new ROM.  Worst case, you'll have to flash the phone back to stock with RSD Lite.
That said, there's really no way to unroot the phone or flash a stock ROM without having to re-install your apps.  You can try flashing a stock ROM without wiping data & cache (or doing a factory reset), but it's probably not going to work very well.
The major apps for restoring 3rd party apps & their data, like Titanium Backup, require root.  You can use other avenues to re-install apps (like AppBrain), but you'll have to reconfigure them by hand if you're not rooted.  Since you say you're having problems, this might be the safest course of action for a large # of your apps anyway.  It's just a bear to lose complex configurations or progress in games.
Since your're already in trouble, the course of action I'd recommend is using RSD Lite to flash the latest SBF availble -- FRG22D in your case.  It's available for download from Peter Alfonso's Site.  Your phone will update to FRG83 via OTA.  Flashing the SBF will wipe all your phone's data.  You may even need to reactivate your phone with Verizon, but that's not difficult to do (just dial *228 and press 1).  This will not wipe your SD card, so things like backups you have or pictures/videos/downloads on the SD card will be safe.  Despite the dire warnings or bricking one's phone, as long as you don't do something foolish like unplug the phone (or pull battery) in the middle of flashing (or have bad luck with a power outage), you should be OK.  Using SBF to root and unroot @ DroidForums
If you can still boot into recovery, you can flash the stock ROMs from there and accomplish nearly the same thing -- though I'm not sure it will do things like update baseband. Unroot w/o SBF @ DroidForums
The DroidForums guides are very thorough, and their Rescue Squad group is very helpful.

Thanks! I am back to stock (FRG83D). Now I need to see if AppBrain can help me do all of the installs to get my apps back.

Before you un-root I'd recommend upgrading to the Stable release of CM 6.1 which may fix your problems.  If you do unroot you can use Appbrain to reload all your apps but you'll still have to re-enter in all your settings and what not.  If you stay rooted and use Titanium Backup you can reload all your apps from your SD card with all their settings intact.
As far as how to unroot I believe that is going to depend on how you rooted in the first place.  I am admittedly not an expert on this but I'm sure some others will chime in with some more details.

You cannot just do a factory reset.  Factory reset removes data and apps, it does not restore the entire OS/firmware on the phone.  Titanium Backup is probably the best to backup and restore your apps.  The best way to go back to stock would be:

Install ROM Manger from the Market (requires root)
Open it, click Flash ClockworkMod Recovery, choose your device if it asks
Click "Download ROM", and select the appropriate option (should be "Stock Droid" or something)
Click the notification when the download completes to install said ROM from ROM Manager.

If you had been using ROM Manager originally, you could have backed up before installing CyanogenMOD and you'd just have to do a simple restore from ROM Manager.


text:
USB host mode with class compliant audio interfaces
I have an HTC EVO, and it is my understanding that the hardware supports USB host mode.  I am still working to confirm this, but even if it doesn't, I understand other devices do, and that the Android kernel supports USB2Go.
Assuming the hardware is capable, what would it take to get Android to use a USB audio interface?  I am only interested in trying to get it working for class-compliant interfaces, as anything else isn't worth the effort.
I understand this is a bit of an general question.  I am hoping someone has already tried this.  I'm a software developer but have not dug into Android much.  This would be a heavy first project for me, but any information on how/if this could even be done would be much appreciated.
Edit:  Seems this guy got it working on a Nexus One:  http://sven.killig.de/android/N1/2.2/usb_host/
Edit #2:  So, since there seem to be drivers available... how would I load them?  Is ADB the only way?  Is a kernel update required, or can I simply drop the modules in place and load them?  If a kernel update is required, can I replace the kernel without losing everything else?

I think this is to development-oriented to be here.  Try StackOverflow.  That said, if the hardware supports it then there's no reason it can't be done, as illustrated by it working on the N1.  You might want to talk to that guy!

@Matthew, given that it is working on the N1, I guess that means I need to figure out how to load device drivers.  Editing my question now...

I'm still inclined to say this is a development question, but you can't drop drivers in place that the kernel doesn't support.  You can update the kernel and replace it without problems in general, however.

Fortunately, Android 5.0 properly supports class-compliant USB audio capture!  It doesn't seem to work in all applications, but many work just fine.  I just used my Zoom H4n on a Galaxy S6 with the getUserMedia test page on Firefox.

I think USB Audio support was initially built into Android 4.0 ICS but there may be earlier implementations and not every hardware that supports USB OTG and runs ICS+ supports USB Audio.
The capability of an Android device to handle USB audio mainly depends on the Kernel running on your System and your hardware being able to handle USB devices (USB host). Custom kernel and ROMs can void this. I have been able to connect (to my stock Samsung Galaxy Note 2):

an Alesis I/O4 USB Soundcard from Alesis (4in, 4out, phantom power)
a Harman/Kardon v1 USB speaker system and
a Shure x2u soundcard (1in, 2out, phantom power)

all playing stereo (Alesis could not be configured to play on all four channels) and the soundcards also record (alesis recording 4 tracks in sync) in very nice quality. I used Urecord (mono/ stereo) and USB Audio Recorder PRO (multitrack) and I have been told that Audio Evolution is also able to record from a USB source.


text:
How to make Skype Mobile for Android permit PC-to-PC calling?
I purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab from Verizon Wireless without a contract, so no 3G support -- only WiFi. I went to Skype.com/m and installed Skype Mobile for Android. After installation, it lets me only do Skype Chat. If I try to do a Skype Call (PC-to-PC calling), it won't let me -- the call just dies. Does anyone know how to make it permit PC-to-PC calling, even though this "PC" is actually a Galaxy Tab on my end?
I mean, Android is built on Linux, and my Linux PC has a version of Skype that permits PC-to-PC calling, so I don't understand what the issue is here for Skype.com on this.

Skype today released Skype 1.0.2, and mayor change is support for Samsung Galaxy S. Maybe this will affect your phone too. Update and see

New development! You may be the guy I check off with the answer. Somehow I have triggered my Skype (don't know how) to support calling again using the new Skype. Turns out that 1.0.2 is actually 1.0.0.659, I think, because people have speculated this and no one has countered that. Anyway, I found that if I go into my Galaxy Tab settings (where I am wifi only) and change Settings > Mobile Network > Data Roaming, and turn it off, and then switch Settings > Mobile Network > System Select to "Home only" -- my Skype calling now works reliably at least for now, under multiple attempts.

What's odd is that there seem to be three different Skype apps for Android, but most people can only see one or the other available.
There's Skype available in the Market and currently at v1.0.0.659. This lists:

Skype-to-Skype calls over 3G or WiFi
Data plan or WiFi connection required
  (calling in U.S - WiFi only)

Then there's Skype Mobile for Verizon, which I think is at v1.5.0.16. This one says this but doesn't mention WiFi in its description currently:

Unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls and Instant messaging without using your plan minutes

Finally the 3 network in the UK have a special version of the Skype app where you're never charged for Skype calls over their network, get that here (only works if you're on the 3 network).
It looks like the Market must be doing a check on your country (or maybe which phone network your device is locked to?) to decide which to give you, and so which restrictions to apply to you.
It looks like your device is only offering you Skype Mobile, and not Skype.
Gotta love how the phone companies are desperately trying to keep themselves relevant in the face of customers who really would rather do things another way!

I believe this is a Galaxy S/Tab specific issue.  I and many others cannot get Skype to work on our Galaxy S devices, and the Tab is very similar.


text:
Do any phones other than the Samsung S have gyroscope capabilities?
The Samsung S, Android's first official phone to support 2.3 will have gyroscoping capabilities. Do any other phones have a gyroscope?

This one's a good question, specific and objective :)

The Samsung Galaxy S series phones have a 6-axis accelerometer, which is not a true gyroscope although a good approximation.  Hopefully it is actually a true gyroscope in the Nexus S.  Motorola's next big phone is rumored to have a gyroscope, but who knows.  I don't believe any other Android phones have a gyroscope, but the iPhone 4 does.

so the iphone4 is 2.3 compliant, awesome.

Well the iPhone 4 does use a processor made by Samsung that is very similar to the Snapdragon used in the Nexus S. Overall it's practically begging to be an Android phone!

After a little search I've found the following Android devices with built in gyroscope:

HTC Sensation
Samsung Google Nexus S
Samsung Galaxy S2
Samsung Galaxy R
LG Electronics P990 Optimus Speed

Can't say anything about whether they have a true gyroscope or not

Most Android phones from the original G1 upwards have an accelerometer (often called the G-Sensor in HTC phones) and compass inbuilt which performs the same job. There's very little you'd get from a true gyroscope that these don't offer you.

You actually need a gyroscope and an accellerometer to fully sense motion.

Accelerometers cannot detect rotation.  And what about motions at constant (or near-constant) speed?

My only true (and deep) interest in this is first person shooters. Nova 2 and Modern Combat 2 on iphone are just too awesome. I wish I had a gyroscope on my Acer Liquid Metal :(


text:
Why does "Preparing SD card" message appear on Optimus One P500 3-4 times a day?
On my Optimus One P500 it shows.
Preparing SD card

The above message shows at least 3 to 4 times in a day.
During this Apps on SD cards are automatically closed.
Any files opened(Music/PDF) as not accesible.
Is this a issue with me or Optimus or android 2.2

Update: The problem had gone after I hard reset the device. I assume it was some application which was offending. I have the list of application previously installed on App Brain. I will try to find the culprit and update.

Hello  guys,
I have similar problem on my LG P500. From time to time the phone just stack (you can't touch and do anything). After ~ 1 minute phone is restarted.
Does anybody figure out the root cause of this ?

The problem is resolved with the new update available from LG

What update? 2.3?

I had a similar problem that was fixed by formating the card in the phone.
Settings -> SD card & phone storage settings -> Unmount SD card. Then format the card on the same screen.

It is not a problem with 2.2 in general, although it may be specific to 2.2 on the Optimus.  (Did you ever have 2.1?)  This should normally only happen when the SD card is manually dismounted from the phone settings or by connecting the device to a computer.  It might be an app causing this problem -- you could use Titanium Backup to "freeze" your apps one by one until you hopefully discover the culprit.

I suppose this might happen if the SD card is losing its connection, although that would be more troubling.
Have you checked to ensure that the SD card is well-seated in its slot?
(This assumes, of course, that you can access the card.)
Another worrying possibility is a flaw with the card itself.

I just discovered that this is not a random error. It occurs with some sd cards when you touch the proximity sensor of the phone. The screen becomes black and inactive and then the sd card is removed from the phone. I hope this will help to solve the issue


text:
How to deactivate Motoblur and undesirable services on Motorola Defy?
Is it possible to deactivate Motoblur sync and undesirable services on Motorola Defy like:

FeedRecieverService
NewsRecieverService
WeatherService

(all lanched by app.)
Because I really don't care about Weather, news, feed, and must of all, I HATE this Motoblur account who "backup" my personal data without any possibility to limit him : It's just here, in the top of the synced accounts, with a little lock to the left...
If it's possible to do that without rooting the device or install a custom rom, it's for the best: I'm looking for the less intrusive method.
Thanks by advance for your help.

Ok, I've found a way to deactivate Motoblur without rooting the phone!

Reset the phone to factory

Settings ⇒ Privacy or SD and Storage ⇒ Factory data reset

When the phone reboot, cancel the configuration of Motoblur
Take of the widget who remind you to configure it

And it's done !

How do you cancel the configuration of motoblur? It does not seem to be skip or cancable?

Sorry, I don't remember... maybe with home or back button...

While on the Setup screen, press Alt+E twice and then type "BLUROFF"  This should bypass the Setup Wizard and bring you straight to the Launcher.

I just configure another Defy, and you have a "Cancel" button when you start the configuration of Motoblur...

You need root to do something like that, sorry to say.  Rooting is probably less intrusive than screwing with system services, though.
You could use Titanium Backup to "freeze" an app which will prevent if from running or being altered.  If that causes problems, you can simply unfreeze.
You could use Autostarts to control what events trigger what services.  If a service is never triggered, it won't run!

Ok, so even if I root my phone, how can I stop Motoblur sync?

You should be able to freeze/uninstall it with TB.  If you still want the app but not the sync service (if that makes sense, I don't have a Motorola phone), then you can use Autostarts to change what events trigger the service -- remove it from all events.

Root the device and then flash a custom ROM.  That will replace the Motoblur.  Once you are running the custom ROM, if you still see that these services are still running, since your phone is rooted you can uninstall the offending system apps.

And I don't know if a rootkit is hidden in the custom rom. I prefer Motoblur at this state...

I actually misread your question.  I will say I'm pretty confident that the major ROMs like CyanogenMod, are rootkit free.

What evidence do you have about this assertion? Everybody seems to be confident, but when I see how it's easy to hide some obfuscated code in Open Sources programs, I just don't see how you can be confident in those "borderline" peace of software without even accessing the code? (it's not a rhetorical question, I'm relay aware of it)

I don't have any evidence. I'm basing it on the fact that Cyanogenmod ROMs have been installed over 80K times.  Many of the people who use CM are developers/hackers or generally technically savvy & inquisitive tinkerers... People who closely monitor their processes, network traffic, performance... people who probably have hacked & modded CM themselves.  I feel pretty confident that of this sampling, if CM had an embedded rootkit, someone would have figured it out & the internet would be abuzz.

Also if a substantial botnet was created with Android phones its only a matter of time before the security world would be buzzing about this and we'd be hearing about it.

Just discovered a much easier method. Do a factory reset. then press the bottom left button, and select Skip Setup.


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How to switch the layout of a hardware keyboard without changing language?
I have bought German T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream), and thus I have German hardware keyboard. In stock firmware I used English language, but the keyboard was still German - that was OK. I got used to that layout, and all was well.
Then I upgraded firmware to CM6.0, keyboard was still German.
Then I went restored backup of stock 1.6 firmware, and suddenly android thinks that I have US keyboard. I can't type quickly because the symbols printed on the keyboard are for German keyboard, but the keystrokes generate characters for US English.
Is there a file containing the key mappings, that I can save using adb with correct layout and restore on the firmware with wrong layout? Thanks.

Isn't there any settings for the keyboard?

There is no file that I know of for changeing keyboard layout.
You might want to try to change the settings for your phone to English and then back to German.  That might help reseting the keyboard layout, depending how HTC have set up the firmware the you used when you reinstalled the phone.
If that doesn't work, you could try to use adb from Googles Android developer site.  There you can set Localization for your phone without using the menu in settings.  That should be the same thing though.

Tells how to change Localization on a device through menu and using adb command (which is advanced!).
Android Developers Dev Guide, device
Also some instructions how to change/test localization on an Android device when you test their Tutorial program on Localization.
Android Developers Resources, test localized

If this doesn't work, you could always try to install another software keyboard from the Market or reinstall the Android firmware in the phone.

thanks, but downloading another software keyboard isn't relevant, as I was having problems with hardware keyboard layout

I think the easiest way would be to flash a stock German ROM, and completely wipe out the broken settings.

I solved this by overwriting keyboard layout in my ROM backup file from stock german ROM, and flashing the new "backup" back.