text:
Why does my Nexus One power off with 15% power remaining?
Once my Nexus One's remaining power drops to 15%, it automatically powers off. On turning it back on again, it reports that it's now on 0% power.
Do all Nexus Ones behave like this, or is it just mine?
Possibly relevant apps I have installed are:

BatteryTime Lite. This gives a percentage power in the notification bar. I thought it might be mis-reporting, but the value it reports always seems to match what the phone reports in Settings > About Phone > Battery Use
JuiceDefender. This turns the data connection on and off to try to preserve battery.

I can't see settings in either of these that would turn the phone off at 15% power.
I'm currently on Android 2.3.4, but I think this happened on earlier versions too.

Probably your battery does not hold as much charge as it used to, and so your phone's estimate of 15% is incorrect; the battery is actually almost dead.  To get a more accurate reading, try the following:

RECALIBRATION:
A recalibration is mostly needed, when dealing with different kernels (ROOT!). Most custom recovery images provide the option "battery stats wipe" under the menue "Wipe".
Here is how ya do it!

Enter Recovery Mode
do a full nandroid (or nandroid+ext) backup
Enter "Wipe"-Menue
do "Battery stats wipe"
reboot
Calibrate the battery by completely draining it until the phone completely shuts itself off.
Turn the phone on again and let it shut itself off one more time.
Then charge your phone while it is off for over 8 hours.
This will fully charge the battery so that when the Android is turned on, it now sees the battery as full.

Do all Nexus Ones behave like this, or is it just mine?

Mine does not do that, I cannot speak for any others though.
If I had to guess it sounds like for some reason the OS is tracking the battery health incorrectly so when it reports 15% the battery is actually all the way dead. When you try to turn it back on it fixes the reporting and (correctly) reports it as 0% and then probably turns back off a short time thereafter if it isn't plugged in. I think it is probably unrelated to the 3rd party battery monitor app that you use. Are you running the stock OS or did you flash a ROM onto it? If you are running stock the only suggestion I have is factory reset and hope that it is fixed after that. If you are running a 3rd party ROM it is likely a bug in the ROM that is affecting your device.
Edit: I would try @Matthew's suggestion before you resort to factory reset. That seems like it could be what is happening to your device.

Certainly not all but it happens from time to time, on any kind of Android phone. See e.g. this or this or this discussion. (My Nexus 4 also started doing it recently.)


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Is there any custom firmware for the LG Optimus U?

Possible Duplicate:
Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

A quick search shows that I'm the only one on this site with an LG Optimus U, or the only person who's ever curious about them, but maybe I'm wrong.
I was wondering, does anyone know of any custom firmware / ROMs for the Optimus U? There are a ton for it's brothers, Optimus T, Optimus V, Vortex, Phoenix and Thrive, but none for poor little US Cellular, as far as I can find. :(

Is it actually different from the Optimus One?  As far as I can tell it's just the name and carrier.

I've read things about how the various brothers all differ and can't necessarily use eachothers tools. I just got my phone replaced so it has no apps or anything on it right now anyhow, so I might as well give it a shot. Thanks :)

Places to look for: Where can I find a good comparison of available custom ROMs?, Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
All calendar events disappeared
Saturday at 10pm I checked the calendar and my events were there. When later, at 1am I checked again, all the events in the android calendar disappeared, while in the web calendar are still there.
How I can restore them?
I disabled autosync and did a manual sync, let some day to pass, did not resold the problem.

Open up main SETTINGS > APPLICATIONS > MANAGE APPLICATIONS
Press MENU > FILTER > ALL
Search for Calendar and Calendar Storage. Clear Data for both and then return to the Calendar App. Choose the Calendar(s) you want from the options within the calendar app (if you have more than the default calendar you wish to sync) and then sync.

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


text:
Unlocking Nexus One without pressing the power button
The power button on my Nexus One doesnt work smoothly any more, sometimes taking nearly half a dozen attempts before the unlock screen appears on the phone. I was wondering is there is any other way to invoke the unlock screen on my phone, apart from pressing the power button. I have Gingerbread 2.3.4 on my phone.

There are custom roms like CyanogenMod that allows you to unlock using your trackball, dont know if there on market is and app for that,... some minutes ago... hey here is one https://market.android.com/details?id=org.liberty.android.anyunlock&feature=search_result , there are other apps like this

also, you should consider to change you nexus one case/body, i mean a new housing http://shop.brando.com/google-nexus-one-replacement-housing_p4572c587d4.html

@yeradis, I can confirm that AnyUnlock and other similar apps do work on the Nexus One.  Go ahead and post that as an answer.

@Yeradis thanks a million! Problem solved, AnyUnlock works wonderfully on my Nexus One. Incidentally, also discovered Intelligent Keylock Unlocker which uses the proximity sensor to enable or disable the screen when things are close to it. Not the same thing I was looking for but again, quite nifty.   https://market.android.com/details?id=com.splunchy.android.keyguard

yes, really nice, the problem is that that using the proximity sensor will drain your battery because will be running always, is not like calls that just use it when you get it

@yeradis Nice about the new case, now I wish I had a Nexus :)

Here is my comment as an answer xD
There are custom roms like CyanogenMod that allows you to unlock using your trackball, dont know if there on market is and app for that...
--some minutes ago...--
hey there is one at https://market.android.com/details?id=org.liberty.android.anyunlock&feature=search_result called AnyUnlock,
there are other apps like this.... --as you discovered xD --
pd: rate with 100 for the effort :p


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My xperia x10 is booting again and again
I just installed busybox and then my phone is rebooting again and again!!
What can I do to stop it?
I don't know how to boot it into recovery. I did it once (before I installed busybox) by clicking the back button when it's starting, but it's not working now.
I tried to do it from quick boot (while my phone stays on for a minute or less) but it doesn't work.
I have xperia x10 rooted to android 2.2 with cyanogenmod 6

Read the issues that arises with Cyanogenmod ROM. I faced the same issue. Finally reinstalled the Original ROM that comes up with my Xperia Mini Pro using SEUS.

where can i read them?how can i reinstall it ? in fact this is what i was meaning to do when i had this problem.any idea how can i fix this plz.thanks

Search for your ROM related information here :http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=617

I guess there is a updated version of Cyanogenmod ROM available. Download it and install it using xRecovery. If nothing works then use SEUS to format the phone and install the original ROM that comes with the Phone and try doing the same.

Yup man. SEUS is Sony Ericsson Update Service. You must have a PC with internet to do this. Download that software from http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/support/softwaredownloads/detailed/updateservice/xperiax10?cc=gb&lc=en. Install it and follow the steps.

After installation just follow the steps. But before even doing that back up all your data. You will loose everything with this installation.

I guess the following are the steps.Turn off the  phone, run SEUS until you are asked to connect the phone
Now connect the phone to your PC do not turn the phone on
Hold the back key and insert the USB do not let go of the back key until told to do so
SEUS will auto detect your phone at this point.

this is what ive done.then it says my phoe is up to date and it quit

Follow the steps here. Check the step no-6. It shows the install option even your phone has the updated software. http://www.guidingtech.com/mobiles/update-sony-ericsson-xperia-x10-to-android-eclair/

One thing - Your mobile had 2.1. You installed custom ROM to have the 2.2 version. And in the next quarter or later Sony Ericsson is going to release 2.3 version. I strongly recommend restore your phone with  the original ROM. If they releases any updates you will get informed in the notice bar.

Oh Man, thats the reason why you're not able to install the Original ROM. Sorry my answers won't applicable for your mobile. In that case you need to see the XDA forums regarding the Cyanogenmod ROM.

Guys, don't do this in comments.  Take it to the chatroom.

I fixed it :)
in case somebody is in the same situation, here is what i did:
i flashed my phone to its original rom using flashtool  (if u dont know how to use it go here )
thats it
thanks everyone

Try holding the "Back" key while turning the phone on.
It sounds as if the phone is in a boot loop.  Why did you need to install Busybox in the first place?  CyanogenMod (and most other custom ROMs) already has it included.  I would recommend re-flashing CM6 again.

i was/am trying to reinstall the rom cause its not working properly,followed a thread,that was the first step. holding the back button doesnt work!!


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Why won't Jawbone headset invoke Voice Search/Dialing?
I have an Aliph Jawbone (original) which worked fine with Sony Ericsson dumb-phones (K750, K810) but on my HTC Desire S (Gingerbread, 2.3.3) I can't figure out how to use it for voice dialing.
The phone can find the headset, pair with it and connect to it.
If I double tap on the Jawbone's call button, it triggers the phone's last number redial and calls a contact; but a single press (which should invoke voice dialing on the phone somehow), has no effect.
With dumb-phones, I would just press the headset button, hear a low-pitched beep, then a higher pitched beep a second later when the phone responds, prompting me to speak. Then the phone would receive the noise I make, and go and do its thing.
With this Android phone, I don't hear that 2nd beep, so apparently the phone isn't responding to the Jawbone.
Am I going about this in the wrong way? Should I be using the Car Panel's Voice Dialer instead?
* Update *
I've tried the Voice Dialer, and it almost does what I need, but to use it I need the phone out and visible, with the screen on, and I have to tap on the screen to trigger the dialer.
I didn't have to do this with phones from five years ago.
Note
I am looking for a hands-free solution, so any advice that involves unlocking the phone, staring at it, and stabbing at the screen simply isn't an answer. It would also be illegal under English driving law.
I am considering buying Cyberon's Voice Speed Dial, because that seems to work the way I'd like it to (without needing a data connection to an online speech-to-text service); but I want to check that I'm not missing some daft configuration setting.

Do you have the Voice Dialer or Voice Search app installed?

@terry1769: I have Voice Search and Voice Dialer, but they both require me to look at the phone and tap on the screen to get started - they don't respond to Bluetooth input.

This link is a discussion of this issue on the Android Open Handset Alliance Project site.  Users on this page talk about the problem in detail and discuss some possible solutions. I would recommend you star this issue.  If the enhancement is implemented or there is a status change you will be notified and can try again on your phone.


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Download Zip file attached on gmail
I recieved an email with a zip file. But I'm not able to download even having some installed apps that can open zip files.
Is there any way to enable the zip file download?
I'm trying to do this on a Motorola Xoom 3.0

Related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3533/how-do-i-download-pdf-documents-from-gmail

It doesn't work on xoom =(

There seems to be a way to patch your Email apk to allow this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=26270768&postcount=18 . I guess it would also work with Gmail. Once I've been able to try this, and if it works, I'll post an answer.

The gmail app doesn't support downloading attachments. It does support viewing a limited amount of mimetypes.
If you want to download the zip file, you'll need to go to gmail.com using the browser on the phone and download it from there.
Another alternative is to use another android email client. K-9 Mail works well with Gmail accounts and can both download attachment to the SD card as well as open them from the mail itself.

Or use an alternate email client like K9 to allow you to do so. If you frequently view/download attachments on your device, it might be worthwhile to look @ K9.

sorry for the duplicate ... was typing and didn't see the comment

Thanks for the answers. I'll use the web client everytime I want to download something.


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Motorola Defy does not sync to GMail
I have purchased a Motorola Defy some time ago, and imported my address book from my old featurephone using the SIM card.
Under Settings / Account now I have two accounts listed in the Motoblur section (the motoblur account and an email account), and one account listed under Other accounts (the gmail / google account).
Now I would like to sync all contacts to the google account, but it won't: it has synced only the new contacts I added, but the old contacts are in the telephone only. What is the correct way to sync contacts to the gmail account?
I am running official froyo firmware, french version.

Sounds like the contacts are save either "To Phone" or "To SIM", they need to be "exported" and created as contacts on the gmail account.

I suppose there's no Google logo in the contact lists for these particular contacts ? I don't think Android syncs contacts that are stored on the phone. They need to be associated with a Google account.

Yes I realized that they are not sync'd :) My question was indeet what to do, in order to have them exported to gmail.

So it turns out that there is no other way than to do it manually, and it is not difficult at all :)

Get MyPhoneExplorer (I am sure you can do it using the Phone Portal too, but MyPhoneExplorer is just SO convenient :)
Go to the Contact tab, right click on any contact, click on Export/Import, Export all contacts, and select the csv format
Check that the CSV file is OK opening it in Excel for example
Open GMail, go to the Contacts link and click on Import, select the CSV file and import
Now return to the phone explorer, and delete all your contacts
Click on android's Settings - Accounts, click on the GMail account and click on synchronize contacts. All your contacts are restored to your phone, but now they are linked in GMail.

I'm glad you got it sorted. You should "accept" this answer so that future readers with a similar problem will know that this was the solution.


text:
Is there a way to cache YouTube videos after playing them?
I have an HTC Desire, and the default YouTube app does not cache the video after it plays the first time. The second time you play, it downloads the same video a second time, but I would like to cache the video on the memory card.
Is there any way to do this with the default YouTube app? If not, is there a third-party app that can do something like this?

For all down-voters of this question and for all people who think as thinks @Chance: each computer caches videos of youtube, and you can watch them 1000000 times, until you don't close the browser's tab. Where are the problems with download?

It's possible that the android client differs from the desktop behavior in part because the android activity lifecycle means there's no sense of a "session" - how/when should it know to clean up the cache files, which they probably hope casual users won't find?  Set a timer so it can run a cleanup task 10 minutes after you've last viewed anything?

Google's YouTube app has an option to preload videos that are either in a channel you are subscribed to or that are in your "watch later" list. I haven't tested this but I think it will keep a video that you have preloaded cached for a while after you watched it for the first time.

They removed this option shortly after the answer was posted.  It's supposed to be coming back but the rollout may be staged by where you live.  India will be first, ostensibly because pulling a video over the cell network there is not a good solution.

I would think, that videos are not cached because of memory constraints on mobile devices.
Software developers have to design and implement software that works for the great majority of users. Perhaps adding an intelligent (device agnostic) cache function is not on the top of functionality they want to implement right now.

-1, if the phone can cache the video while it's playing it can keep it cached after it finishes until the user exits the application or views a different video.

I don't know of any device that currently caches the whole video, the devices that I know do a read ahead. When you skip ahead by more than the buffer size, I have to buffer again. When you skip back, I have to buffer again. Do you know any device that behaves differently?

The YouTube app is not device-specific as far as I know. I can start a video, pause it while it loads, and then jump to any part of the video without it buffering.

On my device (Samsung Galaxy S with Froyo) the YouTube app only buffers about 20 seconds into the future.

That's interesting ... I have a Galaxy S Vibrant with Froyo. Do you have the latest version of the YouTube app?

Version number says 2.1.6 at the bottom of the settings. The market does not want to update youtube. I am in Germany, in case that make a difference.

Hmm, 2.1.6 is the latest. Weird.

The first test that I did was with a video in HD (ca. 20 seconds buffer). I just switched to non-HD now the video buffers around 1 minute. As soon as I move the slider backwards, it has to buffer again. At least that's how I interpret the light red bar, that moves away from the current position thingy...


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How many DPI does the T-Mobile G1 phone have?
I've got a G1 borrowed from a friend and I was wondering what is the DPI/PPI for this phone.
I tried to Google for that, but no luck so far.
Thanks!

According to the specs at Wikipedia it is

320 x 480 px
3.2 in (81 mm)
HVGA 65,536 color LCD
180 pixels per inch (ppi)

Thanks! I was close :) tried the Wikipedia ppi forumula and got 181.98366059124237 because another site mentioned it the screen is 3.17″


text:
Minimizing data usage for users with data caps
To reduce my phone bill, I recently switched from an unlimited plan to a prepaid plan which only has a 50 Mb data cap per month. I think that should be adequate for email, google voice, and navigation.
In order to avoid going over the data cap, I would like to disable all data heavy applications such Youtube, Application Update, etc. while the carrier's data connection is on, and enable them only when WiFi is on. Is there any easy way to achieve that?
In general, what settings do I need to change in order to minimize my data usage?

If your phone is rooted, I would highly recommend DroidWall. It's a firewall application that allows you to restrict access to Internet by application.  It has separate permission settings for WiFi and Cell data, which allows you to restrict the data usage by the connection as well.  Chances are though that you will also need to be running a custom ROM or kernel that has "iptables" module built-in.
In terms of minimizing data usage in general, there are several settings you can play with.  I'd recommend going all manual by disabling "Auto-sync" and "Background data" options under Menu -> Settings -> Accounts & sync. Then take a look at interval update settings in all 3rd-party apps you use for services such as Twitter (Twidroid, Seesmic, etc.), Facebook, e-mail (K-9 Mail, E-mail, GMail, etc.), RSS feeders (NewsRob, FeedR, etc.), and others (widgets, weather apps, etc.) Most such apps let you configure the update interval via settings. Either make them all disabled/manual, or use the farthest update interval they allow. Also disable any notifications in these apps so that they use even less data.
You might also be able to use some apps/widgets that toggle the data connection (without affecting the cell signal) and only enable it when you need to use apps requiring data (retrieve e-mail, catch up on tweets, use browser, refresh weather status, etc.) and then toggle it back off when you're done.

You might try an application like Tasker. It detects state changes and events and allows you to change settings or take other actions based on that. It's really quite powerful in that regard. Here's a link to the app market
https://market.android.com/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm&feature=search_result
Please note that I am in now way affiliated with the company. I just like the product.


text:
Is it possible to add a keyboard layout and dictionary to Swype?
I used the official Motorola upgrade tool and updated my Motorola Defy to Froyo (French firmware). Before the update, when I held the Q key on the Swype keyboard, many languages options were offered, and among them there was the Polish language. Now I don't have that option anymore, as there are far fewer languages available.
Is there any way to have that language installed back? I have tried Manylocale2, but it does NOT what I need: it changes the locale, but it will not add any languages to the language menu...
Thanks

From Swype Help

Swype supports text entry in a number
  of languages. To switch between
  languages:
Tap the SYM key.
Tap the key showing the abbreviation code for the currently

active language (e.g. "EN" for
  English).
      A Language Choice window displays, showing available languages.
      Select the desired language by tapping it in the list.
To toggle between the current language
  and last-used language, Swype from the
  Swype key to the key with the current
  Language indicator.

However if the Swype was preinstalled (as seems the case by way of the update given to you) it seems that you are stuffed as there is no way to add a language, or if it comes to that, edit a preinstalled language with Swype.
This is probably the one downside of Swype, whereby they have a business model to sell to carriers not to the public and a preinstalled Swype is neither updateable or removeable.
Solution: spend a couple of bucks on the excellent SwiftKey in the Market, it has editable and readily available language dictionaries and is very full featured and is directly comparable to Swype.

That's a pity because I just started to be proficient with Swype and this would force me to learn it all over again. But I will try :) Thanks!


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Can I use 2 android phones as walkie talkie? (without internet!)
I want to use 2 (or more) android phones as walkie-talkie (i.e. they talk each other without needing internet/voice call).
Of course this should work with WiFi, because it doesn't make much sense a to have Bluetooth or USB connection for this application.

Wi-fi implies internet.  What do you mean "without internet"?

It does not. If I establish an ad-hoc connection between two android phones, I'm using wifi but not internet.

Kind of tangental: wouldn't you then be close enough to just talk to each other? I guess you might be separated by a wall or something, but the range of an ad-hoc network probably isn't going to be too large...

An entire town may be under the same wifi (there may be repetitors, lan/wan bridging an so on...)

@michel: but if you're under the same wifi, then you're not using an ad-hoc connection between the two phones, but rather relying on a third party.  Besides, as far as the phone is concerned, there's no difference between ad-hoc and other wifi.  Either way you're using TCP/IP over wifi.  The only difference is that your connectivity suffers.

Why not Bluetooth?

@Nathan: Yes, but again: wifi!=internet and wifi range may cover large areas, therefore my question is interesting.

@Dan: Bluetooth is too short ranged, and bluetooth tethering requirest at least a rooted phone (plus a bluetooth access point... a bit too much complicated for my tastes)

@michele If you want to talk via ad-hoc, then you're close enough to drop the phone and just talk.  If you want to talk over a large WiFi network, you'll also have internet through that network, no?

@Mattew The real problem is talking WITHOUT cordless/landline and WITHOUT internet. What if someone is confined within one room and need to talk outside? What if internet is down/unavailable/expensive? What if I OWN my wifi and don't want to relay on internet? What if I don't want my voice data to go over untrusted network?... I hope my point is clear.

I found WiFi Walkie Talkie useful. Very small and simple, open-source, requires no permissions except reading the mic.

Here is what I use that do not need an internet connection:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androidintercom
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.remaller.android.wifitalkie_lite

The project mentioned by BobFlemming is the Serval project, and they are also on twitter. The android application will be available soon apparently.
Thought I'd mention because not entirely straightforward to find it through the youtube link and that the twitter account isn't advertised on the site. Also I cannot +1 or comment yet so adding it as a reply.

Its been tested by a group here:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/01/researchers-enable-mesh-wifi-networking-for-android-smartphones.ars
So it is possible.

The previously mentioned serval project now has an android app available - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.servalproject

And here's another app like that - Walkie-Talki by Wi-Fi and BlueTooth - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androidintercom

i wonder if someone has the tutorial how to make the simple mash-wifi app just like they created that app..... @Varrah

here is a project on sourceforge , please refer whether it help your need or not..
just link here,

http://android-ptt.sourceforge.net/

Seems to have died before it really took off.

I just started using the WiFi Walkie Talkie app. It doesn't have much in the way of flash, but it works extremely simply.
As a bonus, it is open-source and ad-free.

"or create a mobile access point on one device and connect all other devices to this access point."

Wifi Walkie Talkies is a free app I found. I use it round the house and garden to talk to the wife and kids.
It doesn't use any of your data, call or text allowance, it just works on your home/office wifi. No need to configure anything it just works.. Test on and Android and Backberry Z10.

Does this work without an internet connection? Your answer (and the app description) doesn't specify if it works with ad-hoc connections or if it requires full internet access.

I thought you were referencing the Wifi Walkie Talkie app, and upvoted for that app, which just works. But, this post promotes a different app.

There are many push to talk apps on the Marketplace, but they all required an Internet connection. As far as I know, Android doesn't support ad-hoc WiFi connections.

Android doesn't support ad-hoc WiFi connections without rooting (the only thing that prevents it is explicit check in the system library, so rooted phones and custom ROMs like CyanogenMod support it), but you can build an ad-hoc network from managed connections too and Android supports becoming AP.


text:
One click calling on the Epic 4G?
I've got an Epic 4G (aka Samsung Galaxy S) and one of the things I'm flummoxed by in my transition from my trusty old HTC Dream/G1 is that there are way too many steps to make a phone call.

Power key to wake the screen;
Motion to unlock the screen;
Phone button to pull up the keypad;
Logs tab to find the last few calls.

Am I the only one trying to use this thing as a phone? Am I the only person who mostly calls the same three people all the time?
Is there a faster way to get to my call log? On the G1 I could press the phone button, unlock and I was there.

Solution ... I got a new phone.

After unlocking, when I press the Phone icon (on the TouchWiz interface's dock at the bottom of the home screen) it takes me to the last dialler view I used, whether that's the keypad, Log or Favourites. Doesn't yours do that?
If you literally mean the same 3 people, then the quickest way would to put a shortcut for them on your home screen. Just long-press on an empty bit of homescreen background, select Shortcuts, select Direct Dial, select your person.
Alternatively, Star the contacts in GMail, then put a Starred Contacts folder on the homescreen (long-press on an empty bit of homescreen background, select Folders, select Starred Contacts).
PS yes you probably are one of the few using it as a phone, these are smart phones for people who love email/messaging and internet apps, not dumb-phones for making calls on ;-)

I prefer to think of mine as a "mini super computer with phone attachment" given how rarely people seem to use them as actual phones.

you tell that to my father. "She'd love to call you to chat, but that's not how phones work anymore, old man."

Anyway, it isn't really the same three people, but it tends to be "Now I have an answer for M and I can call her back."

@Amanda have you tried either of these apps that claim to give you a shortcut straight to your recent calls list? https://market.android.com/details?id=com.nexmon.CallLogShortcut https://market.android.com/details?id=com.cyphasignals.calllog

I forgot to mention that I refuse to log in to Google, so I have to be able to get the app outside the market! I've got Dialer One, which is a slight improvement: https://code.google.com/p/dialerone/downloads/list

I wouldn't count unlocking the phone against the steps needed to make a phone call.  It's an equivalent of opening up a flip-phone, for example.  You can also disable the lock screen altogether if you're willing to trade the security for a little convenience.
In terms of making it easier to dial contacts, you can always add a "Contact" or "Direct dial" shortcut to your home screen (Menu -> Add -> Shortcuts -> Contact or Direct dial).  This way after unlocking the phone you have a one-tap-dial for your most used contacts.  Also, most manufacturer overlays (like Touchwiz, Sense or MotoBLUR) come with various contacts-related widgets that you can place on the home screen for faster access to contacts.  Not to mention a plethora of 3rd-party Launchers, apps and widgets from the Market that provide a similar functionality.
[Edit]
CyanogenMod ROM allows you to add another configurable "unlock" slider to the lockscreen which you can assign any application, including the Call Log. This way unlocking using that slider places you into whichever app you specified. For stock ROMs you can try the Widgetlocker Lockscreen app to give you similar functionality.

If I had a flip phone, I'd be able to long press the call button and call. It'd be even easier.

I did my fair share of butt-dialing on my old Nokia dumbphone before I learned to lock the darn thing.  CyanogenMod custom ROM allows you to add another configurable "unlock" slider to the lockscreen which you can assign any application, including the Call Log.  This way unlocking using that slider places you into whichever app you specified.  For stock ROMs you can try "Widgetlocker Lockscreen" app to give you a similar functionality.

Hi maybe this app can help you https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mafko.instantcall&hl=en

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts, Martin! Just throwing a link without explanation is not considered an answer here. Could you please [edit] your post and include how this app can be of help? What does it do? Also note OP wants a faster way to access the call logs – not to make an "instant phone call".


text:
Microsoft "web safe" fonts on Android?
I was testing various Android web browsers (but I think the stock one is fine) and noticed that the MS "web safe" fonts (Trebuchet, Verdana, Tahoma and the like) were displayed with substitute fonts. It took me quite some time to notice, which means that it is a minor annoyance.
Out of curiosity, I was wondering if there was an easy way (I'm not talking about rooting here) to install these fonts. A quick Google search did not help me.
Anyone?

There's no easy way to do this. Android ships with two fonts: Droid Sans and Droid Serif. They are used for, well, everything. In Ice Cream Sandwich, it also ships with Roboto, a grotesque font similar to Helvetica and Din.
This will become less and less of an issue in the future as design-conscious web developers are using @font-face and serving up the fonts they use.
Also, keep in mind, those fonts you name aren't free. They're "web safe" because they ship with Windows. They are commercial fonts owned by Microsoft.

Yes, these fonts are free. Microsoft has released them as freeware years ago even though they don't distribute them any more.

@Erik The versions you're referring are free, but that doesn't mean they're not commercial fonts. Ascender/Fonts.com sells them, for example.

@Fitoschido So the fonts are free but there are other versions of them that are not.

You might be able to change fonts in the browser depending on your phone, whether it is rooted, and whether the phone supports changing the Core Fonts. If it does support changing the Core Fonts you will need to apply the fonts wrapped as an .apk (there are lots available) or do it manually (but I suspect that needs root).
There may be other explanations - but in Best font for Captivate? is one which though poorly written is a pretty good explanation.

I don't think fonts are stored as application APKs ...

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


text:
Google map (and VZ Navigator) rotates in wrong direction
When I use Google Navigation or VZ Navigator on a Droid Incredible 2 it is supposed to align the map to the direction I am pointing the phone. But when I turn around the map rotates in the wrong direction. It seems to work fine in Compass applications but not in Google Maps or VZ Navigator and not with other augmented reality apps.
I went to VZ store and saw that other Incredible-2 phone has the same issue, but Thunderbolt and some Samsung phone do not.
How can I fix this?

Seems to be a known issue :(( http://community.htc.com/na/htc-forums/f/124/t/11224.aspx

Upgrading to Gingerbread (Android 2.3) resolves this issue.

This happens a lot to me. I wish I had a more technical answer but it seems like the compass needs to be reset and shaking it hard for a few seconds usually resets mine. I've had to shake it, reboot, and reopen the app and it comes back fine.

Have you tried calibrating the compass? Settings->Location & Security->Calibrate Compass

Hold the phone flat and make a figure 8, do this a few times. These are the instructions found in this app: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.apksoftware.compass


text:
Which system files are safe to delete?
I got only 160MB internal storage out of which 100MB is reserved by android operating system.
Which System files and folders are safe to delete?
For example:

de, fr, es and it files in /system/tts/lang_pico/  seems useless
/cust/hw/es folder seems uselss
As I have moved many of my application to SD Card, many folders in /mnt/asec seems useless

So which files/folders of Android system are safe to delete so that I can make more space for applications

3rd party applications do not install to /system, as that's normally/supposed to be read only.

The data and system partitions are separate, so removing data from /system won't give you any more room on /data. I think you would need to flash a different SPL with a different partition table.

How can i give more space to data partition?

What device is this?

I think it should be same for all devices, perhaps? BTW OS is Froyo 2.2

Kindly tell how to delete system files

Not a description of all system files that can be removed but the Cyanogen Barebones page gives a pretty good description of which system applications can be removed and how. This may help you clear out some space.
Details here:
http://oldwiki.cyanogenmod.org/index.php?title=Barebones


text:
Backup stock HTC Desire ROM with Unrevoked
I want to play with different ROM's for HTC Desire (which is still under warranty). Based on my understanding, in order to keep the warranty and still play with custom ROM's, the following steps are required.

Root the Phone with Unrevoked Method
Take a backup of the stock ROM
Restore a custom ROM
And when warranty is required restore the stock ROM from backup

Am I going in the correct direction?. If yes where can I find the guides to perform all of the above mentioned steps.
*NOTE: I don't want to lose the warranty of the phone. I know it will get void once I root it but then there should be options to unroot the device and get it back to factory settings. *

Your steps are correct and I would add to the end of the list to remove the rooting as well.
Two sites that will provide the majority of the information you are looking for are Android Forums and XDA Developers
Edits:
Video and Guide - HOW TO ROOT THE HTC DESIRE (UNREVOKED METHOD)
Video and Guide - HOW TO LOAD A CUSTOM ROM ON THE HTC DESIRE
In order to backup your stock ROM, after you root your phone and before you install a custom ROM you will need to install "ROM Manager" (available in the Market). After "ROM Manager" is installed and you start it you will need to install ClockworkMod Recovery (the first option in ROM Manager). Once the custom recovery is installed, look further down ROM Manager's menu and you will see an option to backup your current ROM, which is what you want to do.
Once the backup is made copy the file to your computer so you have a secondary backup. In fact, copy the entire contents of your SD Card to your computer because sometimes the card is formatted or wiped during the install of some ROMs.
That will get you started but definitely do a lot of research so you understand what you are doing and more importantly what options are available. There are probably 30 ROMs available for the Desire and they all offer something different. You'll have to find the one that you like the most in order to get the best experience.

can you point me to the exact guide locations and also how do I take a backup of the stock ROM

If you root or install a custom ROM you void your warranty.  It doesn't matter if you undo it.  You might be less likely to be caught, but that depends on the carrier/manufacturer.  And if you're running a custom ROM and your phone breaks, you will often not be able to restore the backup (depending on how it broke).  If you want to keep your warranty, don't do anything that is against its terms.


text:
Help getting Arabic on Android
My Friend is going to sell his Nexus S because it does not natively support Arabic.
I have found several websites that claim to have a solution to this issue.
http://ardoid.com/ Seems to be the easiest solution to implement.
Has anyone tried this or any other solution?
Do the characters run together like how Arabic is written and not the single characters?
Will the menues change to Arabic?
Can he store contact names in Arabic?
What arabic does it use?
Will the push updates work?
Will the spell checker work?

I'm Persian and also have Nexus-S. You can upgrade your ROM to Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4).
This version of android has Arabic in it's localization and has all you want. If your provider support oem upgrade you can simply upgrade it by phone OR you can flash the latest Cyanogenmod ROM to your phone and have fun with your mobile.
You can always download latest Cyanogenmod Naghtly from HERE

upgrading to ICS (android v4.0) will fix your problem, I would suggest that you wait for the Official ICS Rom (the official update published by Samsung) according to engadget
it will be coming very soon.
However, if you do not want to wait and want to install a Custom Rom you can have a look at XDA-Developers they have several roms that you can install on your device.


text:
Open Source Email Application
Does anyone here know of an open source email application for Android?
Thanks in advance

K-9 Mail is open-sourced and is equipped with features like search, push email, multi-folder sync, flagging, filing, signatures, bcc-self and more
Project Hosted on Google Code

Android's own Email application is, in fact, open source.


text:
Droid X attachment download location
I'm just trying to figure out where in the phone the attachments get saved after you open them?
I remember opening a PDF attachment from my email using my Droid X. The email was deleted so I'm trying to find the PDF that was downloaded by my phone when I opened the attachment.
I have an MSN account.
Anyone knows the default location in the phone?
Thank you

Via the GMail app? I'm not sure that it keeps the attachments it previews.

By default, email attachments and browser downloads are stored at:
/sdcard/download

Can also be identified by some File Managers as:
/HWUserData/download

If the device doesn't have a user-replaceable SD card the location should be:
/mnt/sdcard/Download

Some apps may have their own default location, or save to appropriated locations based on the file extension.

Mine is at /mnt/sdcard/Download, presumably because I don't have a removable SD card.

@AlEverett Yes, you're correct about that! I just recently added a removable SDCard, and my previous locations was the one you've mentioned. Thank you for the comment, I'm updating the answer now.


text:
My Nexus One cannot connect to Wi-Fi being broadcast by a Windows 7 laptop
My Android (Google HTC Nexus One) is not detecting Wi-Fi being broadcast by my Windows 7 laptop. However, my iPhone can detect the laptop's network. Why is that?
Is there any solution for connecting my Nexus One?

It sounds like you're trying to broadcast a wireless signal using your laptop so that your mobile devices can connect to it. If you set this up via the standard Windows 7 networking tools it would have created an ad-hoc network, and Android does not support ad-hoc connections out-of-the-box.
You can, however, use a "softAP" (that is - software access point) to broadcast a signal as an AP instead of in ad-hoc mode. Connectify works great for me, and I would recommend giving it a try. A list of their supported wireless cards can be found here.
Additionally, you can try to "enable" ad-hoc networking on the Nexus One using the steps described in this forum thread. These steps will require that you have rooted your device, however.

I have tried Connectify too but my iphone and android device was not opening any website, while they were connected with connectify. I'm getting the message device "connecting" all the time in connectify but not "connected". for both iphone and android

@Jitendra: Hm, I suppose it could be a firewall issue or your card might not be fully supported. I'd also check to make sure the correct device is selected since I think it defaults to re-broadcasting the wifi signal. You can see that if you right click the tray icon and select Show All Options.

@Jitendra: Oh, so they never fully connect to Connectify, then?

They detect the wi-fi signal but unable to connect to internet

@Jitendra: I'm not entirely sure how to troubleshoot that, to be honest. Connectify "just worked (TM)" when I installed it, and I use it without issue almost every day. They have a support page that you could try, or maybe it would make for a good question on Super User. Sorry I can't be more helpful with that :-/

If you're using a different band of wireless-N, your wi-fi may not be detected by your phone, but can be detected by your laptop. I.e. I have a dual band D-Link wireless router at home. All my laptops can detect both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands, but my phone, iPod and Nook only "see" the 2.4Ghz band.
Check your router's band to verify it matches what your phone can see (usually 2.4Ghz only).
Another thing to check in the router is security measures: you (or whoever set up the router) may have limited access or visibility, based on MAC addresses, or a manual access page.
Update:
The original question was changed after I posted my reply - which was right at the time. Should I delete it completely, or just leave it here to collect negative replies?

specially should check the  CHANNEL on the router wifi, because somethings something above 12 does not work N1

The computer is connected to the router in this setup, not the phone. The router band is irrelevant to whether the phone can connect to the computer.

The OP changed the question after  answered.


text:
Other than portability, are there any other advantages (or disadvantages) to storing apps on external storage?
Are there any particular advantages/disadvantages to storing apps on the external storage of an Android device? As I have a Nexus S,  I can't think of advantages for me as I can't remove the storage, also the internal storage is more than enough for my needs.
I noticed that on phone start up, when I had all my apps moved to USB storage it was quite sluggish to register all the apps on the menu/home screens.
I also read somewhere that having a wallpaper set from a photo that was stored on the external memory actually drained quite a bit of battery too with all the reads (although I think this may have been a bug).

You haven't got an HTC phone, you don't have all their problems with tiny internal storage. There's no real reason for you to move any apps to SD.

See also http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3298/what-are-the-drawbacks-of-moving-an-app-to-sd-card

Advantages:

Extend the available space on internal memory for installing more apps.
Although some parts of the app still stay on the internal memory (data and settings,) it still frees up a significant amount of space. For older handsets with 150MB of free space (G1, MT3G, etc.) this is a huge improvement. For owners of these devices this advantage alone outweighs any disadvantages that this method brings.

Disadvantages:

Cannot use apps moved to SD Card if it's unmounted.
Kind of self-explanatory: if you un-mount the SD Card for removal, the apps that reside on it need to be stopped and um-mounted as well to prevent crashes and data loss if you do remove the card.
Inability to use widgets or sync adapters when you move those apps to SD Card.
This is a design limitation that stands from the above point. Since the apps stored on SD Cards need to be able to be removed on demand, things like widgets or apps that hook into your account settings (e.g. Skype, LinkedIn) will crash, with no easy way to re-start them. So Google made a compromise by requiring these apps to stay on internal memory. Even if you do manage to force them to the SD Card (some custom ROMs allow this), you simply won't be able to use them.
Longer boot-up and shut-down times when the system mounts/un-mounts all of the apps stored on SD Card.
Apps that were moved to SD Card are not stored in plain sight to prevent rampant piracy. Instead, Android sets aside some space and creates a virtual partition for each app that you move. This means that at the initial boot-up, all these virtual partitions need to be mounted before apps stored on them can be accessed. The same holds true when you turn the handset off - each virtual partition is un-mounted before other shutdown processes can happen. Depending on the number of installed apps this can take an extra minute or even longer for the system to "stabilize" upon boot-up (and about 20 extra seconds for shutting down.) Once this happens though, launching these apps doesn't take any longer than those on internal memory.
Extra wear on the SD Card.
This point is debatable, since writing to SD Card (which causes wear) doesn't happen that often. And besides, the SD Cards these days are cheap enough to not worry about their life time.
Apps require an update to support this functionality.
Ability to be moved to SD Card is not automatically granted to older apps. Developers must change their apps to support this feature and issue an update via Market (or whatever distribution method they use.) Some older apps may not be supported any longer, and so may never get this feature. Although some custom ROMs can override this, for most people that are running stock firmware, this is a problem.

For newer devices with gigabytes of internal memory moving apps to external storage is not necessary, since space is not an issue. However for handsets with low memory it's an invaluable tool that extends their shelf life for their owners.

Another drawback: when restoring from backups, all restored apps go into main memory - which causes the restore to fail when main memory fills up.

@David That really depends on the application you are using for backup/restore purposes.  Better ones (Titanium Backup for example) will give you an option for the restore location, and allow to restore either directly to SD Card, or to the original location.

"Wear" on an sd card?   C'mon, no more or less than "wear" on internal storage.

taken straight from android developer site

There is no effect on the application performance so long as the external storage is mounted on the device.

The .apk file is saved on the external storage, but all private user data, databases, optimized .dex files, and extracted native code are saved on the internal device memory.
The unique container in which your application is stored is encrypted with a randomly generated key that can be decrypted only by the device that originally installed it. Thus, an application installed on an SD card works for only one device.
The user can move your application to the internal storage through the system settings.

Also -> Applications That Should NOT Install on External Storage (more details on android developer site)

Services
Alarm Services
Live Wallpapers
Live Folders
App Widgets
Account Managers
Sync Adapters
Device Administrators
Broadcast Receivers listening for "boot completed"

Widgets won't work if they're on the SD card.

Applications installed on SD card cannot run if you remove your SD card or you're turning on USB Mass storage (so it can be accessed from a computer). That's the only drawback I have been experiencing.
I've actually seen performance improvement since moving to SD; before I moved to SD I had exhausted the internal memory (about a few kilobytes left) and the phone lags quite badly. Since moving to SD (and therefore freeing some space in the internal memory), and the lag disappears.

For some phones and devices (especially the older ones) the internal storage is quite limited. Every application (and it's data files) take precious space. I.e. my Ideos has 512MB and was nearly full before I started "evacuating" apps to the SD card.
Another factor is the ability to backup your apps and data, or move them to another device.
Other than that, you are right in your observation that apps load slower from the external storage compared to the internal storage. This is very visible if you have those apps' shortcuts on your home screen - you'll see a generic Android icon for the first 30 seconds until the app is located on the card.
I found that switching to a class 6 microSD (I had the default class 2 that came with the phone) improved the situation considerably. Still, it takes my phone about 20 seconds to "equalize" following a cold start.

Ooh, default class 2? That's harsh.

Security and Performance Implications
The application resources stored on external storage are read-only and
  hence there are no performance issues with loading or launching
  applications on SD card.

From: http://android-developers.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/apps-on-sd-card-details.html
The post is written by a 'Suchi Amalapurapu, an engineer who worked on this feature.' The feature being the ability to put apps onto the SD card.

Why external storage being read-only the reason why launching an application isn't slower? I would have assumed that reading performance is more important for that.

In my experience there has been little or any perceptible performance problem. I was having a really annoying experience managing my memory with my Nexus One. I used S2E to migrate and have not looked back. Amazing to be able to not have to delete apps just to install new ones.

I think that moving apps from internal to external does not affect the performance.
But it does add on an extra few milliseconds to open the app from external storage instead of in internal storage. mileage will vary from device to device, depending on speed, Android version etc

Apps that have a service that is constantly open, like for example Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, etcetera can slow down the ui a lot if there are a lot of these running, so its preferable to keep apps with a constant service on the phone memory, since the impact there is non noticeable by comparison.

If it's constantly running, then it's loaded into memory and it doesn't matter where it's installed after that initial load time.

Never ever move your apps into your external SD card. It will make your phone to lag more and the phone will reboot more slowly than usual. You might even have to restart the phone daily or once per week.  It will take longer to process all the information that those apps have. I speak from experience.

Can you provide us something hard to trust or verify which we can use to evaluate your answer in a technical manner? (Hint: benchmarking)

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


text:
Can't connect to phone network, banned?
I need a sanity check here. I was sitting on the train listening to music over 3G, and we went in to a tunnel. Lost the signal, tried to reconnect and couldn't. Now I can't connect to my phone service at all, even though
1) I have a strong signal
2) I can see my phone service in the list of available networks.
When I try selecting the network, it says it's not available to connect, and that I should try later. The thing is, my coworkers have similiar service and phones, and their works.
My question is; can the service ban my specific phone from connecting?

Stupid question, but have you rebooted?  I've had similar issues with network and with WiFi, but a reboot has always fixed it so far.

The basic test you should do is to just switch the SIM card: have a coworker of yours try their sim in your phone, or try your sim in their phone, and see if it works. If your sim can not log into the network on a different phone, you should contact your phone company for explanation. On the other hand, if it is your phone, then you should look into that.


text:
Read APK permission by shell command
I want to read the requested permissions of an .apk file on the computer (android sdk is installed) via command line.
I.E.:
$ android read-permissions /path/to/someapp.apk

I know this is possible, I just cant find the proper command.

If I'm interpreting "on the computer" correctly to mean "I want to use the command line on my computer to read an .apk file's permissions" then you can do that with aapt on a local file like so:
C:\>aapt d permissions "MyApp.apk"
package: com.app.myapp
uses-permission: android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
uses-permission: android.permission.INTERNET

If you mean that the .apk is on the device, then I'm not aware of a way to do this aside from pulling it and running aapt as above. pm has a list permissions command but it just lists all available permissions on the device and does not accept a package as a parameter (as far as I know, anyway).

If you are on Mac, you will have to get the path to your aapt, based on the build-tools for Android, something like this, just change the placeholders for your username (of the Mac), build-tools version and path to the APK you want to test:
sudo /Users/YOUR_USER_NAME/Library/Android/sdk/build-tools/BUILD_TOOLS_SDK_VERSION/aapt d permissions 'path_to_the_apk_file'

On the device it will probably be easier to look for the relevant section in
/data/system/packages.xml
(which can be read, even though its directory cannot be browsed or listed) as this is a text file, while the AndroidManifest.xml in an apk is in a compressed format.
There is code around on the net for interpreting the compressed manifests on the device, but that's a bit more complicated.


text:
Lock screen clock cut off?
I have a new Samsung Epic 4G which has a clock on the top of the unlock screen. For some reason, however, most of the date gets cut off. So what I see is "Fri May." and the time. It seems like a font problem, but the phone is brand new.
I'm not even sure where to look for fixes or insights.

This was resolved. Unfortunately, I don't have any recollection of how it was resolved. Presumably a software update?

You could download a third party customizable lock screen such as magic lock or go locker, both free.

This is alternative but not the solution.


text:
Hiding System icons in Notification area?
Does anybody know a reliable way to remove system icons from the notification area? I have a smaller screen on my (rooted, default ROM) Optimus T and I find some of the system notifications icons unnecessary. I would prefer to find an app to do it rather than have to do it myself, I'm always nervous about changing framework pieces by hand in a text editor.
For instance, I work full time and use my phone as my alarm clock. I will, for the entire life of my device, have an alarm set. I do not need an icon telling me I have an alarm.
Also, I have no need to know if headphones are plugged into my device. If they're plugged into my device, they're plugged into my ears, and that's an easier indicator while not taking up screen space.
Lastly, I keep my phone on vibrate. I never want my phone to ring because if I'm talking to somebody and my phone goes off, if I answer, I'm rude to who I'm face to face talking to. If I don't answer, then the person I'm talking to knows that I blatantly ignored a call; I'm worried if they call me, they'll think I didn't answer because I did the same thing. On vibrate, I'm the only one who knows what calls I answer/ignore.
Does anybody know an app to let me turn off these system icons in the notification area?

Here is an excellent thread on XDA on how to do this the really hard way (manually, with de-compiling and recompiling the framework.) I would highly recommend not flashing the different mods from that thread because they are based on files from a different device. Also, backing up the files you will be playing with is a must.
I have not found any 3rd-party apps that can do this. Could be because this mod requires edits to system files that are very device-specific.

That's what I was afraid of, I've stumbled across this as well but I'm very reluctant about changing up these files myself. I was hoping there was an app that could properly/reliably make these changes for me. But that seems to be less and less of a possibility...

You can always chime in on that thread and ask (beg, bribe) for a kind soul to help you edit and re-compile your specific services.jar file.  :)

I'd rather do it myself than let them do it. I'm a software developer. I've worked in large systems which is why I have a healthy fear/respect for modifying them. On the other hand, with the system being as complicated as it is, I don't trust my phone to somebody else to do it. I'll think it over and may do it myself...


text:
Set Calendar default reminder to "none" for new appointments
When I input a new appointment on my HTC Desire S (running Android 2.3) the meeting has a 10 minutes reminder by default. I can manually set it to none for each appointment.
However, as I rarely want a reminder, how can I change the default to be None?
Thanks all
Andrew

Open the calendar app then select:
Menu->More->Settings->Default Reminder Time
and set to none.

This offers me options from 1 minute to 1 week but not none. If only it was that simple. The coder forgot to include none in the dropdown list.

Bummer. I'm on Android version 2.3.4 and on my device it has none right at the top above 1 minute.

I'm on Android 2.3.3 and HTC Sense 2.1 on my HTC Desire S (bought very recently unlocked from Amazon).


text:
Unable to have reverse-tethering on Samsung Galaxy Fit
I was implementing reverse-tethering using Samsung galaxy fit and ubuntu 10.10
I have followed the following post for the procedure:
How to browse Internet in Samsung Galaxy Fit using Broadband in Windows 7?
I am using a DSL connection(BroadBand) and upon running
sudo ifconfig eth01 0.0.0.0

I got
SIOCSIFADDR: No such device

so i renamed the DSL connection to eth0 ,then it worked fine.
The main Problem occured in implementing the third step: on running
./adb shell netcfg usb0 dhcp

I got error:
device not found

Usb tethering on the Mobile is on. The Mobile is new and I have not much with it.

I am trying to do the same thing on my Samsung Captivate (Galaxy S) with no success. I have followed this tutorial:
http://blog.mycila.com/2010/06/reverse-usb-tethering-with-android-22.html
And I think that the problem is, and may also be for you, that "tethering and Usb debugging don't work simultaneously on this device". Bummer.

After running the following command:
sudo ./adb shell netcfg usb0 dhcp or
./adb shell netcfg usb0 dhcp

I get:
action 'dhcp' failed (Permission denied)

I think this is because the phone needs to be rooted, aka it is not possible to have reverse-tethering without rooting, at least not on Samsung Galaxy. If I'm wrong (and I hope so), please correct me.
Luca

"Permission denied" can also act like "command not found" on Android. There's no distinction between the two in the default shell shipped with Android.

Well I don't care too much weather I don't have the permissions or the command is not available. By the way I think the command is there because if I run:
sudo ./adb shell netcfg
I get all network interfaces listed.
So what I care is: why is Step 4 of the tutorial not working for me?
Step 4 is:
./adb shell netcfg usb0 dhcp
For me it fails with following error:
action 'dhcp' failed (Permission denied)
My hypothesis is that step 4 fails for me because it is not rooted. So if someone knows that this is not true, please correct me. Luca

The instructions for USB Networking Replicant are here. Replicant is a Free Software-Only fork of CyanogenMod, so it's more or less a rooted Android.
(It's entirely possible that USB networking requires root, as Replicant ships with root out of the box.)
I've done similar steps on other phones running Linux (OpenMoko FreeRunner). The scripts on the host PC is for Linux users, so it's not as applicable to your question as I'd like, but it's something.
Short version, on phone:
echo 1 > /sys/class/usb_composite/rndis/enable
ifconfig usb0 up

As of note, this may require busybox pushed to your phone, which is common in rooted environments.


text:
How do I disconnect Bluetooth headset while in call
Does anyone know how to disconnect from a Bluetooth headset/handsfree device while in a call? Sometimes when I'm getting into my car while on a call, the handsfree in the car will take over the call before I'm ready to hand the call off. I've been turning off the Bluetooth to take the call back, but that is cumbersome,  my palm phone before had an option on the call screen whenever on a call with Bluetooth to simply disconnect the hands free device.

Depending on your phone (please update your question with your specific model), the call screen does have an option to turn off Bluetooth. That will turn off Bluetooth Audio Routing for just that current call (and conference calls made while that one is active/on hold).
I've only used CyanogenMod; CM6 & CM7 both have this option on the call screen. If your phone's UI has been customized by the vendor, it may have been removed.


text:
Is there a solution to 'Windows does not recognise this device' trying to connect a Samsung Galaxy S?
I have tried loads of ways to connect my phone to my PC (it used to work!).
The PC will not even recognise the phone as a device anymore. I have also tried reinstalling the drivers via Samsung Kies. What is the solution?

Have you installed other USB drivers that might be conflicting with it?  I had the same problem and eventually found it was caused by an old version of Microsoft ActiveSync.  Once I removed ActiveSync, I was able to connect my Galaxy S again.

Try some other USB cables and ports as well.

Just wanted to echo what @Matthew said.  I've had experiences with bad USB cables.  Also, Samsung Galaxy S phones have a somewhat recessed micro-USB connection, so you have to make sure that whatever cable you use really gets down in there.

Remove the SD card and the SIM card. Restart the phone and only plug it in when its restarted completely. Make sure the phone is set to USB Kies. Check the cables too!

Try to uninstall the Galaxy S drivers from the Device Manager in Windows while it is plugged in, and then reconnect the phone to the computer.

I had this problem with Ubuntu and Windows. Just today after installing Dropbox ( which is a good workaround BTW) after the following steps, my phone was recognized as if it were a flash drive:
power off.
connect USB to PC.
charge for a while ( irrelevant I assume)
power on while connected.
I don't know whether Dropbox changed some setting or permission, whether something else I played with did, or the power-off-on sequence fixed it.

Try to disable USB debugging. When you connect you will then have a button labelled "Connect USB" on the phone. Press it and it will install itself. It worked for me.


text:
can i install windows phone 7 on HTC desire?
I own a android phone, desire . I wish to install windows phone 7 on it .
 Can I do so ? and if the answer is yes, how ?
Thanks

If you had a Desire Z it would be easier since the reverse is quite doable: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6849/can-i-install-android-on-my-non-android-device.  That said, I think this is off-topic since you're asking about WP7 and not Android. We can't help you with that.

Nope you can't. Android phones are a bit "blocked" for other OSes to be run and installed on the device... By the way the first approach for this can be found at HD2 ToolBox and Hot Bootloader, which may help developers to build boot some other OSes on top of Android.
Different from the Windows Mobile era, that for example my HTC Touch Pro2 can run Android(fully featured) and Ubuntu(with some restrictions), not to mention al those OSes that have been ported to the HTC Leo(HD2).

i saw that you can install windows 95 on Desire. Why is WP7 so different ?

You can install Win95 on a x86 emulator for Android. That's the difference...


text:
How do I disable the Swype button I see in the virtual keyboard?
On my Samsung Galaxy Next, I enabled the Swype mode, but I don't find anymore where I enabled it, and where I can disable it.
I tried with the "Language and keyboard" settings, but I find only the Swype settings, under "Text settings."
How do I disable the Swype mode, and avoid the Swype button appear in the virtual keyboard?

You should be able to change the input method by long pressing on a text box > Input Method.  The menu should give you a list of input methods, select the one that is not Swype.

I had the same problem yesterday and couldnt figure out how to turn it off! The first answer up there ^^worked for me...I went into a text ready to answer it held my finger on the area you text and it bought up options Swype and samsung keyborad.

The method is not very intuitive. But that's the way. Long tap on message text box (or whats app chat etc.). There u find the "input method".

From the Home screen, press the menu button and go to Language Settings, where you'll be able to select the default keyboard.
You can also change the keyboard by long pressing a text box.

In the "Language and keyboard" settings, there are just the settings to change the language, and the settings for the Swype and the keypad; none of them allow to select the default keyboard.


text:
Can I set Calendar default reminder to "none"?
This question has been asked recently, and the answer was "Menu->More->Settings->Default Reminder Time". On my Galaxy S II running 2.3 there is no "More" on the Calendar Menu. There is a "Settings" which allows the Default View to be set but no Default Reminder Time. Under Notification settings is the option to Set alerts and notifications, but that is simply the choice between alert and status bar. Like the previous poster I set most of the entries via the web and it is extremely frustrating to have every one appearing on the phone with a 10 minute notification set.

I have a Nexus S running 2.3 and when I go to Calendar -> Menu -> More -> Settings, I see this screen.  If you click the Default reminder time you have the option of None.

Interesting - it confirms that the earlier answer was correct for some phones. Mine, however, has only the other three options. The "Default reminder time " is missing.


text:
How can I change media volume when no media is being played?
Sometimes I want to play games in (near) silence, and don't like the background music to disturb people. If I use the volume buttons, the ringtone volume is changed instead of media volume. When I'm already in the game, the volume buttons do change the volume of background music, but it's kinda too late.
Is there a way for me to change the media volume to a level I like, from the home screen, before starting apps/games?

I used to go to settings-sounds-media volume, but since the 2.2 update that feature seems to be gone. I figure it has just been moved but I can't find it anywhere. Any ideas where it went?

Cyanogenmod 12.1 or 13 has an option to make the volume buttons always control multimedia volume (settings, buttons, control ringtone) and this is a lifesaver for me.

You can go to Settings > Sound > Volume and turn down the Media volume all the way to 0.
I used AutomateIt to Mute Media sound unless the earphone is plugged.
A hack that I used to do is to just cover up the speaker hole until I can turn down the volume.

Nice answer! (1) can be used without an extra app, and (3) is just awesome :)

On AOSP Android 6.0 Marshmallow, this feature is integrated into the OS.
From an article on Pocket-lint,

Android 6.0 Marshmallow: Volume controls
One of the places where Lollipop went a little haywire was with the volume and controlling those new notifications. These new fangled volume controls sent ripples across Android devices on Lollipop with manufacturer skins that followed, and have been tweaked by all and sundry ever since.
On Android 6.0 Marshmallow, they have changed. Hooray!
Hitting volume down or up will open the volume controller and a drop-down arrow will let you change the ringer volume, alarm volume and media volume independently. That means you can ensure that game you're about to start up in bed doesn't blare out music as soon as it opens.

Image courtesy of TrustedReviews

What's annoying is that sometimes the drop-down isn't displayed, for reasons that I can't fathom. Any idea why that happens?

If you have Tasker, you can use it to adjust your media volume based on proximity to a WiFi network and many other conditions.   I have mine configured to set the media volume to 1 when in range of the office WiFi (as well as setting the ringer volume to an appropriate level, etc.).   You can also configure gestures as triggers, but I have not tried this.

On some firmware (e.g. Xperia Z series, WanamLite Jellybean ROM), when you hit the hardware volume keys, a slider pops up with a settings icon next to it. Tapping on this icon allows you to change the Media Volume:

Click image to view larger version

It is not the standard volume control box and may be OEM specific or only available in custom ROMs. Hence this might not work for all the phones.

@k1chy, oh really? So it's still necessary to go all the way into settings on vanilla Android 4.1? This screenshot is actually from the WanamLite ROM, but I thought the same feature was on stock Jellybean actually.

yes. Even in stock 4.4 (Nexus 5) it is the same way. Custom ROMs have the expandable volume control for ages though.

Works for me on my S4! Exactly what I was looking for.

This works on my jelly bean phone too. I guess it works on Samsung ROMs.

Much simpler way to do,

Open your music player(any) app
Without playing any song just lower the volume from the volume rockers(buttons) while in the app.

This will lower the all media Volume. :-)

The people at bug #65491 and Android Central suggest the app Rocker Locker.

Install Rocker Locker.
Launch it (screenshot).
Tap “Enable” (screenshot).
Remove the automatically created app shortcut from your launcher/homescreen (do not uninstall it, of course) because you are never going to need to open it again.

This app was created specifically to address the annoyance with the functionality of volume buttons in Android 5.x (Lollipop). The app causes the volume buttons to always change the media volume instead of ringer volume. It works from the lock screen. It claims to work across restarts, though I haven’t tried this.

I think Rocker locker is battery drainer because it play empty media file on background service and it makes white noise.
I suggest utility app named NGC 4388 on Play store is better than before. The app doesn't make white noise and battery drain.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=catchpower.gogo.blackholeaddons

I suggest Rocker Locker, the best choice for android, keep it auto-run when restart. The ringtone volume can be adjust by drop-down shortcut, and volume-up,down button can be used to adjust media volume, it's perfect. can't live without it Lol:)

btw, NGC 4388 which @user206070 suggested is good, but it's too heavy for me that only want to controller media volume users.

go to settings, then sound and vibration, look for "use volume keys for media" turn it off! it took me 2 weeks of HORROR to find it. s8 plus owner

if you have samsung s7 + I know you can enable Media Volume to be adjusted without playing media by default, just press volume key down up then pie swipe handle down then press use volume keys for media or on Oreo press the arrow in top corner then at bottom press use volume keys for media also found in device settings tab sounds.


text:
ARM6 or ARM6 VFP?
I wanted to know if my Huawei IDEOS u8150 is ARMv6 or ARMv6 VFP. One thing I know is that it is ARMv6 but is it VFP? Any good ways to find out? Huawei documentation/site/forums doesn't say anything about this. I need to know because in the Android Market for video players, there are different versions for different processor types like ARM6 and ARM6 VFP versions.

Additionally, It'd be great if anyone can suggest me a working/tested good video player on my handset that plays things smoothly.

UPDATE: Someone on other forums told me that my CPU is Qualcomm MSM7201A CPU, which is just ARMv6 without VFP (FPU). So now I wanted to know the best video player app that is fastest on a huawei ideos u8150.. if anyone's got this handset and tried video apps, i'd be thankful if you could share your experiences

Enable USB Debugging and download the SDK Tools.  Then it's super easy:
$ adb shell cat /proc/cpuinfo
Processor       : ARMv7 Processor rev 2 (v7l)
BogoMIPS        : 162.54
Features        : swp half thumb fastmult vfp edsp thumbee neon
...

Note that on my device, it's ARMv7, and has (among other features) vfp support.

thanks, though it still doesn't list out what manufacturer/model it is (like Qualcomm etc), this is close to what i've wanted. :)

Is the video player you're referring to is RockPlayer? There is an app Know CPU for RockPlayer that lets you check that.

I know about that app.., interestingly, that cpu tool is not compatible with my phone.. hence I cant download it

I don't know of a way to differentiate between various versions of ARMv6 processors, but I can recommend a good media player. Try MoboPlayer on your Huawei u8150 and see if it plays your media. They also have various codec packages for better compatibility, but again I have no idea to tell which specific type is in a given handset.

I tried MoboPlayer with both VFP and non VFP ARMv6 codecs both of them and it failed to run videos smoothly.. I get around 5 fps on a normal AVI movie (divx) I am looking for other alternatives that are easy on my ARMv6 processor

Sounds like it's using software decoding.  Have you tried forcing the hardware decoding via settings in either RockPlayer or MoboPlayer?

Yes I've tried HW decoding.. it says it doesn't support that and switches to software decoding.. :/


text:
SMS not vibrating
I'm using a USA T-Mobile G2, stock Froyo OS. My phone used to vibrate when receiving SMS text messages, but now it doesn't; I can't figure out why.
As far as I know, there are two settings that are supposed to control this:

Messaging App: Settings -> Vibrate. Currently set to "Always."
Settings App: Sound -> Vibrate. Currently set to "Always."

So why isn't my phone vibrating when I receive text messages?!

As usual, the minute after I post a question, I figured it out. Timerrific had disabled vibration in some magical way.


text:
How can I export a list of currently installed applications to a file?
When switching between ROMs, I've found it helpful to have a list of the applications that I had installed before wiping and flashing the new ROM.
Is there a way to export such a list to a file so I don't have to create one manually?

Old question but anyway: you can export packages installed from f-droid from within the app. You get CSV formatted data with quite a bit of detail.

With a Terminal Emulator app (or via adb shell), you can use the following command to get a list of installed applications:
pm list packages

There are some optional switches for this command that will give you more information, such as the location and name of the APK file as well.  Keep in mind that this command lists both 3rd-party app as well as system ones that came pre-installed on your device.
If you are generating the list for the purpose of re-installing the apps on the new ROM, you might want to look into the AppBrain App Market app.  Once you are signed in with your Google account and synced up, it will save the installed apps as a list that you can view and manage online.  After installing a new ROM, you simply download the AppBrain app from the Market first and use it to re-install other apps from the saved list by doing the following:

Launch AppBrain app.
Select the Manage And Sync option.
Sign in with the same Google account as you did before.
Tap the My lists... button and select the list you've created previously.
Tap the Add all apps button.  This will queue up all of the applications you had installed on the previous ROM for installation.
Go back to the previous screen and tap the Execute changes button which will automatically bring you to the Market page for installing the apps.

Fyi this didn't work for me on Android 8

I would suggest the open-source app "List my apps".
This app displays a list of installed apps and lets you:

different output formats (txt, html, ...)
Share with other apps, such as a text editor
Copy text to paste somewhere
Define format for output (version, datadir, ...)

https://f-droid.org/packages/de.onyxbits.listmyapps/

This appears to be no longer maintained. Also it doesn't export links to f-droid for apps installed from there

packages.xml located in /data/system/ contains it

Some interesting links that might answer your question:

Export Installed Apps List
Export list of apps with links?

Doesn't work with stock Android 4.3 -- the /data folder appears empty (probably due to SELinux).


text:
How to lock screen besides pressing Nexus S right side power button
I was wondering, besides locking screen by pressing Nexus S right side power hardware button, is there any way to lock screen, using software button press instead of hardware?

Such as a widget on the home screen?

why?

@Lie: I guess that can be useful... Maybe in case the button is broken.

There are many widgets available on the Android Market that provide this functionality.
If you are running a custom ROM on your Nexus S (e.g. CyanogenMod) you might already have this feature within the Notification power widget.  Go to Menu -> Settings -> CyanogenMod Settings -> Interface -> Notification power widget -> Widget buttons and enable the Go to sleep button (also enable the widget itself in the previous screen.)  Now when you pull down the notification bar you can tap the "zzZ" button to lock the phone.

I don't have custom ROM yet. Out of curiosity, how do you unlock the phone after you press "zzZ" button?

You can unlock it normally, with the Power button.  CyanogenMod ROM also has a feature that allows you to unlock with other hardware buttons as well, such as the trackball on Nexus One, or Volume keys on Nexus S.


text:
android 2.2 - extending phone storage to SD
I heard there is a way to "mount" some of the SD card's space and use it to extend the phone's storage. I need this so I can have space to install apps that only allow to be installed on the phone.
Anyone heard about it?
I'm using Android v2.2, with an HTC Desire.

Didn't know we had one of those :)
How can I migrate it?

The question has been flagged and will be migrated by a moderator shortly.

You can move any apps to sdcard if you are rooted. There are apps on the Market for it Move2SD Enabler and App Swap
Better yet, if you are using custom ROMs (e.g. CyanogenMod), some of them have settings to allow you to migrate any apps. You might want to check those out first if you're using custom ROM.
If you want to do it manually (not recommended for pregnant man, or those currently having a heart attack), then you can use Terminal Emulator or ADB to run a few fairly standard set of Linux/Unix commands. The mount command can rebind any folder in your filesystem another location in the filesystem. Alternatively, you may also create symbolic links using the ln command. See the mount and ln manual for this.

Good answer.  I am wondering if he means using an Ext partition on the SD card, though.

@Matthew Read: What does Ext partition mean? I assume I do mean it, but just don't know it.

@RonK: ext partition is the de facto standard filesystem used in Linux (the equivalent in Windows is NTFS and used to be FAT, the equivalent in Macs is HFS+). It is basically a specification that specifies how files and folders are written on a storage medium. However, Windows can't read ext filesystem (at least not without extra software), that's why most manufacturer used FAT for external SD card, despite the fact that FAT is an inferior filesystem.

ext partition used to be necessary for app2sd since FAT partition does not have any security scheme, and Linux (in fact, most Unix systems) relies on filesystem permission to enforce security. ext, being developed specifically for Linux, has the advantage that its security scheme closely resembles the OS' security scheme.

Android OS versions 2.2 and above have built-in functionality for moving apps to SD Card. Go to Menu -> Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications -> SD Card, then tap on any available app without a checkmark, and the button Move to SD card should be enabled.  This will move a major portion of the app to the SD Card and free up space for more apps.
If you are rooted and running a custom ROM that supports Ext2/3/4 partition types, there are special scripts available that can "fool" your phone into thinking that a portion of your SD Card is actually part of the internal memory, thus allowing you to install tons of apps without most of the disadvantages of built-in method.  Be advised that this method is fairly complicated to install, and requires re-partitioning of the SD Card, flashing a hacky script, and can cause instability of the phone.


text:
best way to remove default apps on xoom
What is the best way to completely remove the default apps that came with the xoom? Since android apps are self contain packages is it enough just to remove the application package on the device through adk?

The Xoom has a locked bootloader that will restore the system image if it notices a missing app, if I'm not mistaken, so I think there are extra considerations here.

Unlike on their phones, they made the Xoom's bootloader unlockable.

@Matthew: As Chris already noted, the bootloader on the Xoom is unlockable (via fastboot).

Ah, awesome. I've updated my answer on the other question, so I'll vote to close as well.

Question (which is possibly in the wrong place): Which apps? I was led to believe the xoom sported vanilla hpneycomb withput any motorolatweaking - certainly it lacks touchwiz...

@syntheticbrain US Xoom models are "Google Experience" vanilla Android devices, Xooms sold in other countries may look like vanilla Android, but officially aren't "Google Experience" and do have a small number of pre-bundled apps (off the top of my head I think there's a wifi printing app and a Citrix client, there may be others). This is also why US Xooms get updates pushed to them months before the other models (also conversely why international models had working SD slots months before the US ones).

With a little extra care (such as taking backups first in case you want to go back), if you have root, simply rm-ing the .apk in /system/app is sufficient to remove system apps. Take care though, as removing certain apps may cause the system or other apps to crash.


text:
Is there any way to lock the screen without turning off the display?
I just purchase a Nexus S.
Currently, to lock the screen, I need to

Press the power button.
Screen locked.
Display turned off.

To unlock screen, I need to

Press the power button to make screen visible.
Slide the touch screen to unlock.

Is there any way I can?

Press a button to lock the screen.
The screen remains visible, but get much less bright to preserve power.

Slide the touch screen to unlock.
Brightness of the screen back to normal.

I am guessing some themes do this job. Not sure.

I'm not aware of such an app/feature right now, but you could use the collective effect of a couple of apps to get almost the desired thing.

Lightning Bug: This is a cool free app that has
always-on display feature and shows the clock, (and weather, etc.) and
more.
Screen Filter: This app will allow you to reduce the
brightness even lower than what the Android system would allow you
to.

However, when you want to put your device into standby, you will need to open these apps to get the effect. Also, running these apps does not mean it's in "lock" mode.
I see a great potential for an app that does both of these together and also put the device into lock mode at the same time.

Try this widget for locking your screen with just one click.
What exactly do you mean by your second question?

I think you misunderstood -- he's not looking for a one-click lock, he already has that. He's just looking for a way to lock the screen without the screen turning off.

I have same issue with my s5, the screen flickers and once it dims it's hard to turn back on. So i downloaded keep screen on app so it doesn't turn off, then i downloaded touch lock app to prevent apps from being pressed when it's in my pocket.

Which apps did you use?

The app is called Advanced Screen Control, the feature is called Proximity Wakelock and its based on the proximity sensor.
Its my app.  :-)

Are you sure the app does what the question asks? As far as I understood from the app description, it just locks the screen, but doesn't dim the screen or leave the screen visible.


text:
USB tethering with Cyanogenmod 7.0.3
How do I enable USB tethering with Cyanogenmod 7.0.3 and Ubuntu Lucid?
http://oldwiki.cyanogenmod.org/index.php?title=Tethering mentions Settings » Wireless & networks » Tethering » USB tethering, but there is no such option Tethering.
With http://code.google.com/p/android-wired-tether/ the phone application says that I have a bad kernel (on the phone). ifconfig on the laptop doesn't show usb0.

The built-in tethering should be Settings->Wireless and Network->Tethering & portable hotspot->USB tethering. I think the name of the menu simply changed between CM6 and CM7 from "Tethering" to "Tethering & portable hotspot".
Edit: Additionally, it appears that some phones are simply not supported due to kernel issues. For these devices, the menu option will not be present. This thread on the CyanogenMod forums discusses this, and notes at least two devices which fall into this category (the HTC Tattoo and the ZTE Blade).


text:
Pattern lock screen on Froyo, what should I do if I forget the pass?
What should I do if I forget the standard pattern lock screen order/pass (the one that you need to join 4 or more points between the 3x3 matrix screen) on my android phone?

Hmmm.. I had been using the pattern lock since I had this phone and only now realized I didn't see the usual gmail unlock that you usually can use if you forgot the pattern.

Does this solves your problem?

If you have linked a gmail account on your android, dont worry.. just follow these steps:-

Input the wrong pattern 3 or more times till "forgot password" button appears
Click on forgot password button and check your inbox

It is not available in modern Android. Using it will only increase timeout.


text:
Suddenly can't find several apps in Market
So I've been using several apps for a while now, and all of the sudden, I can't seem to find them in the Market anymore. If I look on the "My downloads" page in the Market, it does show as installed, and I can even update them if I hit "Update all". However I can't seem to navigate to the apps's page, neither through the "My downloads" page nor through simply searching for it. It just says it can't find the item. Note that this doesn't occur with all apps, just specific ones.
As mentioned before, the apps were installed earlier and I didn't have this problem back then.
The apps I've run across that have this problem so far are the following

WhatsApp
eBuddy
PingChat!
ebuddy XMS

I've tried uninstalling them through app management, but this leaves me with an uninstalled app with no possibility of re-installing it through the Market. I'm using a UK Motorola Milestone running the official Froyo update. Any ideas anyone? :D

It seems like the content rating filter on my phone was the culprit! I recently updated my phone to Froyo and the Market's content rating filter was added after the update! Just set it to "All Applications" in the Market's settings screen.

Ah, I should have thought of that :P

@MatthewRead You did point me in the right direction I looked on market.google.com and found an article on it in the knowledge base! :D

I would assume that the app listings were changed so that they don't show up for users with certain phones, OS versions, or carriers.  The best way to tell for sure might be to try installing one of the apps from the Market website, like eBuddy, and seeing if it gives you an error (and what the error says).

Nope, it doesnt give me an error, it says it will be installed on my device shortly, but it never does.

That's quite bizarre.  Maybe you should try clearing the Market data (Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications -> All, find the Market, click it, click Clear Data).

Found out! Check my answer! Thanks for your help anyway! :D


text:
deleted drafts remain in conversation chain
In the gmail app, I keep finding conversations that display multiple draft versions of replies that have long been deleted via the drafts folder. Is there a proper way to remove drafts from all conversations, or perhaps a settings available to fix? v2.2.1, Samsung Charge.

Have you looked to see if they're still in the Drafts folder in the web interface?

yes, they are not there. only on the droid.

once the account syncs again, the drafts will most likely disappear.

If that were the case, I wouldn't have made this post.

Only way I found around it is to find the conversation in the normal gmail web interface, scroll all the way to the bottom where it says "n deleted messages in this conversation. View messages or delete forever." where n is a number and press "delete forever". Certainly not a satisfying solution.

I had this problem on a Galaxy Nexus with version 4.6 of the GMail app.  Clearing the app's data via Settings > Storage > Apps > GMail > Clear Data forced GMail to reload all my messages, and when the troublesome threads reappeared, the drafts were gone.

For posterity: Clear Data clears your GMail notification (sound and vibration) settings too.  There's a Clear Cache setting right below Clear Data that may solve the drafts problem without clearing notification settings; I didn't test that.

The question is old but the issue is still very alive today. My mailbox in Gmail is a mess. After much digging I've found a solution in this web site. The post was the one from "Jim R", I'll post it in here. It's actually for people with Mail on OS X but just the part in Gmail should (hopefully) suffice.
Gmail (web site) side:
1) Quit Mail.app.
2) Log into Gmail in your favorite web browser.
3) Click on the gear menu and select “Settings”.
4) Click on the “Labels” tab.
5) Under “System Labels”, next to “Drafts”, click on “show if unread” and uncheck the “Show in IMAP’ box.

OS X side:
1) Launch Mail.app.
2) Select Mail > Preferences…
3) Click on the “Accounts” button in the toolbar.
4) Click once on the account name and then click the “Mailbox Behaviors” tab.
5) Uncheck the “Store draft messages on the server” box.
6) Close the window and opt to save your changes when prompted.

It worked for me on 2 accounts out of 3 (in Android Gmail). In one account the boxes in "5)" didn't show up in Gmail setting in the web site so the spam of drafts is still there.
UPDATE:
I did some additional testing, and I've found out that at least in that account the drafts were stored in the trashcan in the Web interface. Now emptying the trashcan for good they finally disappeared from Android Gmail (they didn't show in OS X Mail anyway) and with the new OS X Mail settings it seems they do not get generated anymore.


text:
How to change the color of specific calendars?
I'm using the default calendar application that came with my phone (Samsung Galaxy S 2), which is kept in sync with Google Calendar. I have multiple calendars there, but I was not able to find a way to change the colors of specific calendars, which is unfortunate as calendar #1 and #5 share almost precisely the same color by default. Those are not the same color I see in the online Google Calendar.
Is there a way to control the colors of specific calendars, or is there a similar, alternate calendar or tool I can use that will allow me to do so?

Mine appear to match the colors I use in the web version of Google Calendar.

@AlEverett maybe my device uses a different calendar app by default?

Perhaps. Mine is an original Droid.

@AlEverett is there any way I can check which application is used as my calendar? Wasn't able to find it in the application manager.

Mine also matches the colors that I use in Google calendar on the web

Well, the problem seemed to have gone away on its own after a few more synchronizations, so I guess the solution is to just wait a bit.

Samsung has their own Calendar in TouchWiz, it is not the "Stock" calendar. And from what I remember, you cant change the color of the calendars in the TouchWiz calendar. I stopped using the touchwiz calendar and bought "Business Calendar" - there is a free version too that has ads and missing a couple features like "drag&drop". It works great, and has a good home screen widget too.
I used it as a replacement for the limited calendar in touchwiz, and now that I have a ROM that has the "stock" calendar, I still use it.


text:
Does the HTC Desire support 'microSDHC'?
The HTC Desire spec states that it supports:

microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

I saw on the Secure Digital entry on wikipedia that there are 3 protocols: SDSC, SDHC and SDXC - how can I know which of them my device supports?

the "HC" in every SD-Card name simply means "high capacity" - i.E. every SD card with more than 8GB is a SDHC card. Every "SDHC" Card is SD-Standart 2.0 ("SD 2.0"). Which means your device is compatible with a microSDHC card up to 32 GB.

In general, you can assume that "SD" refers to "SDHC".  It's the standard.  If your phone supported SDXC, it would definitely be advertised.

The HTC Desire supports only microSD and microSDHC up to 32GB.
SDXC is still relatively new and at present no handsets support it.

Thanks, any chance you know this from official documentation - something you can refer me to?

I have a 8Gb Class 10 microSDHC in my Desire.

16GB microSDHC here with no problems.

32GB Lexar microSDHC class 10 card. With SD tools benchmark I get 23.7 MB/s read and 9.1 MB/s write performance on CyanogenMod 7.1-RC1. On stock 2.2 ROM it had considerably lower values with read even less than write. The benchmark is run just after reboot to prevent caching mechanisms inflating the real values.

HTC Desire HD and HTC Inspire 4G supports SD cards up to 32Gb capacity. But 64Gb isn't supported. I've checked it by myself. So you can buy 32Gb card and be sure that it will work.