text:
Is there a desktop / web app to manage Android contact linking?
Contacts on my Android phone come from different sources (Google account, Facebook, Skype, Windows Live etc.) and I can link them manually using the People app or how it's called. The user interface is not too bad but still, if there was a desktop / web application for this I think I would prefer that. Is there any?
Things I've tried and that don't support this:

Google Contacts (only supports Google account contacts, not Skype, Facebook etc.)
Samsung Kies
Remote Web Desktop
Airdroid

Unfortunately, no, there is no sort of cloud service that will handle this for you.  Since the combination of contacts from the various apps you have installed only exists on your phone, no one of the services you use will be able to make global changes to your contacts.
This is not to say that it's technically impossible to do what you're asking:  Since it's possible to write an app to make changes to contacts, and since it's possible to write an app that could act as a web server, there's nothing preventing a program from providing a web-interface to the contacts on a phone.

Yes, that's why I mentioned Remote Web Desktop, Airdroid and Samsung Kies. However, in none of these I have found the linking functionality, unfortunately. Maybe there's some other app that can do that?

Whoops. Sorry about that. Removed the app recommendation. As for what you're asking, its completely possible.  Happy searching and if you can't find it, sounds like a great app idea.

I don't know about a desktop/web app that will do this. However, I did this a few months ago by downloading a third-party contacts app (for Android, not desktop/web), using its (much smarter) merge function, and then uninstalling the app. I can't remember for sure, but I think the app I used was either Contacts by Contapps or GO Contacts EX. There's also Contact Analyzer 2, but there are some reports of it deleting all contacts instead of merging!


text:
How does Android contact linking work?
I'd like to understand how contact linking in Android works - or to be specific I'd like to understand it pretty deeply, almost from an algorithmic point of view.
What I've observed on my phone is that some contacts were linked automatically, some were not (even though when you go to manual linking screen Android will suggest pretty good matches) and I'm confused about this.
So my specific questions are:

What is the trigger for automatic contact linking? When does it occur?
Say that the answer to 1) is "when new contact is added, either manually or via account sync". So when this new contact is added what will happen? Will Android go through all existing contacts and try to find out if the new contact is just a linked contact?
When will Android recognize the new contact as a linked contact? When names match? Phone numbers? Emails? Some combination of those?

Any insight would help clearing this up for me, thanks.

See the section on Automatic Aggregation of Contact Data in the Using the Contacts API from the technical resources on the Android Developers site.
As the article explains:

When a raw contact is added or modified, the system looks for matching (overlapping) raw contacts with which to aggregate it.  It may not find any matching raw contacts, in which case it will create an aggregate contact that contains just the original raw contact.  If it finds a single match, it creates a new contact that contains the two raw contacts.  And it may even find multiple similar raw contacts, in which case it chooses the closest match.
Two raw contacts are considered to be a match if at least one of these conditions is met:

They have matching names.
Their names consist of the same words but in different order (for example, "Bob Parr" and "Parr, Bob")
One of them has a common short name for the other (for example, "Bob Parr" and "Robert Parr")
One of them has just a first or last name and it matches the other raw contact. This rule is less reliable, so it only applies if the two raw contacts are also sharing some other data like a phone number, an email address or a nickname (for example, Helen ["elastigirl"] = Helen Parr ["elastigirl"])
At least one of the two raw contacts is missing the name altogether and they are sharing a phone number, an email address or a nickname (for example, Bob Parr [incredible@android.com] = incredible@android.com).

When comparing names, the system ignores upper/lower case differences (Bob=BOB=bob) and diacritical marks (Hélène=Helene). When comparing two phone numbers the system ignores special characters such as "*", "#", "(", ")", and whitespace. Also if the only difference between two numbers is that one has a country code and the other does not, then the system considers those to be a match (except for numbers in the Japan country code)
Automatic aggregation is not permanent; any change of a constituent raw contact may create a new aggregate or break up an existing one.

The article then goes on to explain the various modes that an application can assign to the raw contacts that it creates.  Depending on the mode, the system will either:

Automatically aggregate the contact as similarities are found with other contacts.  Where similarities no longer exist, these aggregations will be removed.
Never aggregate the contact with any other.
Perform no further aggregation on a contact, even if that contact changes such that it would be taken out of an aggregate group.

Aside from this automatic aggregation, applications are also allowed to manually set up aggregate contacts.  In these cases, the algorithm depends on the application.
Finally, you may manually join contacts in the People app by editing one of a pair of contacts, and selecting Join from the overflow menu.

Can you summarize the link?  If it goes dead your answer becomes much less useful.

@MatthewRead sure. Because the explanation from the site is pretty concise, I decided to inline it with proper quoting and references.  For completeness, I also included details on manually aggregating contacts.

@Borek, i know it's a really old answer, but do you mind marking it as the answer to your question?

The link has gone dead. Could you @ctt by any chance update the answer with a new link?

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
View just the "App" apps, without the games?
The Android Market / Play Store is structured with three main headings at the moment (at least in Australia, might be different elsewhere):

Apps
Games
Books

However, when you delve into the "Apps" section, all the games are still present in the list, taking up an awful lot of the volume for something that has its own separate subcategory.
Is there a view of the market that does not include apps marked as "Games" in the "App" section?  Either in the on-phone version or a separate website.

I don't know of an app that shows just the non-game apps, but I thought I'd weigh in since you've not received any answers yet.
The best approach depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If you're looking for new apps to download, the featured apps are not often games (since they're covered in their own page). If you're browsing for apps, you could do it by category.

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


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Current Android font
Several months ago, I changed my base font using Font Installer. Now I can't remember the name of the font I changed to. Is there a simple way to find out?

Why don’t you attach a screenshot of your font? I might be able to recognize it.

If you are looking for the name of the font you have changed to, you can use the website What the Font.

That's a great tool, thanks! But there must be some way to figure out what it is via Android....

I think the easiest way would be to find a textarea where you can input big text, and then just take a screenshot and upload it to What the Font. That's probably the easiest way.

If you merely changed the font, then you can simply look at /etc/system_fonts.xml to see which font it's set to use. If you have a good file manager and a good text editor, then you can just browse to the file and look. You might need to make a copy on your SD card and rename the copy to end in .txt.
If you actually replaced a system font file, then you'll need to parse the TrueType file. Unless you get lucky with finding the right app, the format's too complex to parse for a simple Android-only answer. The next best thing is to copy the file to your computer (either via file manager + USB storage connection or pulling the font file with adb pull /system/fonts/Roboto-Regular.ttf) and try seeing if your OS includes a decent font preview/install program. Or you can use the Unix strings utility (probably only on your phone if you have BusyBox installed) like strings /system/fonts/Roboto-Regular.ttf.
Note that Roboto-Regular.ttf is the default font as of Android 4.x. Earlier versions use DroidSans.ttf instead.


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How can I check which mobile frequencies my phone supports?
I received a Samsung Galaxy Nexus as a present (in Australia), however I'm not sure where it came from so I'm not sure what mobile frequency bands it supports. Is there a way to check which frequencies it supports so I know which mobile networks I should be looking at?

Possible duplicate of How can I find out which bands my phone supports

Wikipedia and the XDA-Developers Wiki should be a good resource:

GT-I9250 on XDA Wiki
GT-I9250 on Wikipedia

I had a look at that but I noticed under LTE it mentions "region specific" so I'm wondering is there's a way to check this as I presume it may depend on the country or even the carrier the phone was released under.

There are actually two versions of this phone: Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Nexus LTE. I think the LTE device is available only in North America so far.

I don't think there is such option in Android, but if you know your phone's model you could always google it. For instance, if you look at Wikipedia article about Galaxy Nexus, you would see that it supports all four GSM bandwidths (850/900/1800/1900).
Just have a look at "Compatible networks" section in the box on right side.

You may want to expand your last sentence because it's fairly vague. (i.e. All four bandwidths for what? 3G has at least five, and there's others for LTE, WiMAX, etc. Do you mean all four GSM bands?)

Yes, the GSM bandwidths. I want to point out in this answer, that all frequencies are easy to find in wikipedia.


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Why do all the directories on my tablet have all these weird numbers?
I have a Samsung Galaxy 10.1, running Android 3.2, which I've rooted.
When I plug it in by USB to my Ubuntu computer, it looks like this:

There's about 24 or so directories, all numbered as shown in the image. As far as I can tell, they don't correspond to any directories actually on the device, and I can neither find any files I think should be on the device or transfer any files to the device. (To be accurate: I can copy files to one of the weirdly numbered directories, but then I can't find them if I try to look for them from the tablet interface.)
What's going on, and, more importantly, how do I get a normal connection to my tablet so I can transfer files back and forth?
Update 1: I have learned this is probably "MTP mode". I can't seem to find any option to disable or change it.
Update 2: I have tried turning "USB debugging" both on and off, and neither way seems to make a difference.
Update 3: I've asked about this issue also on the Ubuntu SE site, in case part of my problem is on the Ubuntu side.
Update 4: Here's another error message I get if I try to use mtpfs to connect to the Android device:

Voting to close as this has been rendered moot by upgrading the tablet to Android 4.

It seems that you're connecting the tab in Media Player (MTP) mode. Try switching it to Camera mode, it usually gives better results. If I remember correctly, this option can be found in Settings -> Storage -> Menu button (top right) -> USB computer connection.

Thank you for responding. However, there is no menu button at all under storage. There's just a bar graph showing me the device's storage memory usage. And I might be blind to the obvious, but I can't find any "USB Connection mode" option anywhere in the settings interface.

Hmm, I was almost sure it was there. Now I'm running ICS so I can't check. Then your best bet would be to try gMtp, here's some instructions: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13755464&postcount=1

Hey, can you find the menu Settings -> Wireless and networks -> USB Settings? This might solve your problem.

There's no Settings -> Wireless and networks -> USB Settings either, I'm afraid. The only USB setting that I have found anywhere in the settings is Applications->Development->USB debugging. As mentioned in the question, it has no impact on this issue.

Also, I tried to install gmtp as you recommended in a comment above, and I got through the whole process, but when I actually attempt to connect to my device through the gmtp interface, it hangs.

@DaveMG I'm running CM9 (Android 4.0.3) on the GT 10.1 and I definitely have that menu button at exactly the place onik mentioned. Are you sure you checked the top right of the screen? It's a bit nondescript.

@hheimbuerger: I'm not running 4.0.3. I'm running 3.2. I wanted to run ICS on my Galaxy Tab, but apparently there isn't support for the camera yet.

Most likely hidden directories used by Android to store hidden data, that are shown/visible when you connect it to your computer.
Try using root explorer on your tablet to see the directories.


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Do most devices support side-loading?
I've googled about application side-loading (i.e., installing an application on an Android device without having to go through an app store), and most instructions mention that the device might need to be rooted to do that.
I am looking for an Android tablet to host a custom-built application, but I don't want to root the device (for reasons of warranty, stability and support). Do most devices officially support sideloading of applications? I've tried googling but only found results related to particular devices.

Lists like this are off-topic.  I'm going to rewrite this to fit the answer, as it were, rather than close it.

Usually sideloading is not prevented by the manufacturer, but by the operator. All the tablets I've tried had no operator customizations and supported sideloading. Of course, this depends on your country and operator.

Agree, prevention of side-loading is very rarely something done by the manufacturer, it is the phone network that will change settings to block side-loading. Due to this, you can fairly safely assume that wifi-only tablets allow side-loading as they are independent of the phone-network.


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How can I disable voice commands when double pressing the home button on the Galaxy S 2?
On Samsung Galaxy S2 (not rooted) everytime I accidently double press the home button, the voice command app comes up.
How can I disable this?

Now I have installed Cyanogenmod 9 and this does not happen anymore. I don't think, this problem can be solved via settings of Samsungs Android version

For a non-rooted phone, this is the best I have found:

Double-tap, select Menu, Settings
Voice Talk Seetings -> Speak Prompts: uncheck

Now if you double-tap, a short sound will be heard, but you won't hear the "What would you like to do?" anymore.

So double tab started the voice input, right? I need to ask, because I have Cyanogen Mod now. If this setting is inside the voice input app, I had to accept some terms of use from Samsung, but I didn't want to.

Yes, that's right. That setting is inside Voice Input so you need to open it in order to change that setting as far as I know.

So I have to accept terms of use for the software I don't want to use to disable it. Good job, Samsung ...

I have disabled it using App-Freeze on Titanium Backup. This works well, and is entirely reversible, but appears to require both the Pro key (paid) and root.
A possible alternative would be removing it using either the terminal or ADB. The apk in question is /system/app/VoiceToGo.apk (com.vlingo.client.samsung), and my phone hasn't had a problem with it having been disabled. I would recommend backing it up, though, on the off chance.

Unfortunatly my phone is not rooted :/

This totally disables the voice input. OP only wants to disable launching of it by double pressing the home button.

Excuse my ignorance, but how would one go about "removing" the apk? Does this also require root?

From an article on WordPress,

Install Go Launcher from Google Play.
Open the app drawer.
Press and hold on the blue voice command icon until it starts shaking.
Click on the "X" button and choose uninstall. Follow the instructions.
Optionally, you can uninstall Go Launcher.

This totally disables the voice input. OP only wants to disable launching of it by double pressing the home button.

Double press the menu key in the S Voice application, go to Settings, and disable starting S Voice via double pressing the home button.

In the voice command settings there is no option to disable starting voice command via double pressing home button.

You can follow the following steps to disable Voice Command on ICS:

From the home screen go to Settings then Applications.
Find and select Voice Command in the Downloaded or All tabs
If the Disable option appears - select and then ok. It will not prompt again.
If not, select Clear data and then ok. The next time you mistakenly double click do not confirm the Samsung Disclaimer but select the back button instead.

I just upgraded my S2 to ICS and continued facing the same problem.. The solution for the problem is Settings -> Language and Input -> Keyboard and input methods. Make sure Google voice typing is unchecked... Problem solved...

This totally disables the voice input. OP only wants to disable launching of it by double pressing the home button.

Totally disabling the voice input would be okay. I can't remember I ever used it.

this doesnt work

On Droid Razr, running ICS, it is under Accessibility, in the system settings menu:
Scroll to the bottom and you should see a double tap home launch field, click it and it will allow you to set it to "none".

On the Samsung SGS2 with the original OS there was no setting like this.

I don't know about the S2, but I've just discovered that for the Galaxy Note, there's a setting "Launch voice talk" (launch by double-tapping home) that only appears when Vlingo is set as the voice recognition engine. If you choose Google, the option goes away.

Inside the voice command:

open settings → voice talk settings → motion
then uncheck double tap option
or
uncheck motion activation altogether.

This "double tap" option has nothing to do with double pressing the home button


text:
App optimization on every reboot?
I received the official OTA Google update to Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3 on my HTC Sensation. Every time now when I reboot the device, the system displays a notice stating that it is optimizing the installed apps. This should be just on the first reboot after the update and not every time?

This seems like it may be a bug in the update that HTC has released for their phones. It's been reported on the Android issue tracker and appears to affect various HTC models only. You can star the issue if you want, and some people have suggested that enabling the "Fast Boot" option in your settings may help (something like Settings->Power, I believe). On other devices it should only run at first boot or when the Dalvik cache has been erased.
If it's of interest, the details regarding what the optimization is actually doing have been covered in What kind of app optimizations do newer Android versions do at the first reboot?

This issue has now been fixed in a recent OTA update.  This updated the HTC Software version (NOT Sense) to V3.33.401.6. Applying the upgrade removes the issue.
This is further corroborated by other users previously experiencing the same problem: 1, 2, 3, 4.
Took them long enough!

In general, the "application optimisation", which I assume is JIT compilation of all the installed APKs, should only happened once during the first boot (and probably also during the first boot after flashing.)
Why it is running every time, I do not know. Sounds like an error.

That's hardly JIT, is it? :P

@MatthewRead: Actually, as far as I understand I is really the JIT process being performed during the first boot. I know that contradicts the term JIT (a bit). See the sources that eldarerathis provides, they confirm this.


text:
Where are drafts saved in gmail android app?
I wrote an email in gmail android app and saved as draft. Then I accidentally pressed send, although I have no connection (roaming). The gmail android app annoyingly doesn't allow the message to copy anymore. Now I need to access this message. Is there a way to copy it? If not, where can I find it in the file system?

Can you see the mail in the Outbox still?

Menu -> Go to labels -> Drafts. It's really just a label.


text:
Galaxy S firmware before Value Pack
Can someone tell me which was the previous version of Galaxy S firmware before the current/latest Value Pack (XXJV4)? I am considering to downgrade, but I am not sure about version/code of that. Thanks!

What region?  It should be something like XXJV3 or XXJU# (etc.)

I am in the UK.

Which phone network are you on and did they supply your phone? It also makes a difference whether your phone had any branding/customization/tweaking by your phone network, eg Vodafone tweak the firmware and have a VOD code in the firmware version.

Unlocked, no branding.


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Phone memory full and it shouldn't be
I have a weird problem with my android phone: for some reason, I'm getting a 'Low phone memory' error message, and before getting the message the phone was slow and unresponsive.
I have 2 GB internal storage; in the app manager, it says 1.2Gb used, 27Mb free. Where did the rest of the space go? I noticed this slowdown after installing an app (QR droid) from that Play Market (or whatever name it has now). When I first saw the error message, I had like 100 mb free in the app manager, and each time I reopened it the space was decreasing.
The phone is a Motorola Defy, rooted and using Miui, android version is Gingerbread.
So how can I fix this issue?

What filled my internal memory were 'tombstones', files located in /data/tombstones, and in total used about 800 MB. After some digging up, I found that these are crash dumps from applications, and are only useful for debugging, so they can be safely removed.

How did you "safely remove" these files? Can I do this using the default Android features, or do I need an App to do this?

@StefanLasiewski "Safely removed" meant that they can be removed without causing any problem. You need a file manager (for example ES File Explorer), and I think you also need root access, since you are removing files from the system partition.

Thanks for the clarification. I wasn't sure if there was a hidden button somewhere.

Simple solution. Press phone and select keypad. dial *#9900#. A new menu appears. press the second one down "Delete dumpstate/logcat" then just press home to exit.. Done, you'll have bags of extra device memory with no ill effects. Should free up to a gig of device memory, it did on mine.


text:
Google Reader App that fetches the full article content
I've been searching and hoping to find an app for Android that syncs up with Google Reader and has one key feature.  The feature I'm looking for is the ability to fetch the entire news article that you're reading.  Certain websites (CBC News in Canada for example) allow you to "read more", however this opens a new browser instance to view the rest of the article. I'm looking for the ability to have that content scraped inside the application for reading.
Reeder for iPad has this functionality. Does anyone know of an app for Android that does the same?

After posting the question here, I contacted all the different developers of google reader apps on the android market that I could find.  So far only one developer has answered whose app does exactly what I'm looking for, but 1 is good enough!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.droidlab7.reader.pro
I've tried it out on a Gawker Media RSS feed (Deadspin) and CBC Sports News, works perfectly and fetches the full article, no more annoying browser pop up!  In the top right corner there's a button that executes the "mobilizing" functionality, which is the scrape that I was looking for.   If/when I hear back from other developers I'll post it up more links.

NewsRob Pro also fetches the full feeds.  You can choose between Readability and some other methods. It works but I'm not a huge fan, it was just the best one that I found (I didn't try D7 though).

Noticed this app hasn't been updated since June 2010.. Also couldn't figure out how to download the full feed in line, so I returned the pro version

@BrianGarson The NewsRob Pro app is just an unlocker, that's why it hasn't been updated often. The actual app is very actively under development with regular updates, see also its Google Group: https://groups.google.com/group/newsrob

Hi I personnaly use gReader which has an integrated browser that lets you load the article inside the reader ! no need to open a new browser window, it's a no-friction process !

Beauty this one works great as well, I think I prefer it to the droidLab7 reader pro.  Thanks!

Try Feedly on the play store ;)

This doesn't seem to hook up with google reader (at least I can't figure out how to)

My app Full Feed does 50% of this and is free. It can fetch full content of RSS feeds on Android, but has no Google Reader sync yet.


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Where is the gesture button?
Today I can't find the gesture button. I had it placed bottom right, showing faint on every page; now I have to go to menu /dolphin to bring it up. When I look at gesture settings all I can do is add extra gestures, but no menu list or other way to restore the 'always there' button. Has quick access been removed? I'm using dolphin version 8.0.0 on galaxy note. Thanks for any help

When you are in the Gesture Settings you need to click on the tab that says "Dolphin Sonar Settings" in the bottom right hand corner.  There you'll have the option to "Enable bottom left button."  This puts the new "dual purpose" Gesture & Sonar button in the bottom left hand corner.
FWIW, I think the whole Sonar thing is annoying and I don't understand why they reduced the customization options.  I prefer my gesture button on the right!

The gestures icon is now multi purpose.  When you click the icon and the dolphin sonar comes up, there are two buttons on the bottom.  That will toggle between sonar and gestures, remembering which one you had setup last.


text:
Integrate Facebook chat and SMS
Is there a way to seamlessly integrate Facebook chat and SMS messaging? I am looking for a method that hides the detail of how a message was sent to a given contact or number as much as possible.

The new Facebook Messenger released last week integrates SMS and Facebook Messages in the same app.

I am looking for one that hides the detail of how a message was sent to a given contact or number as well as possible.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by that. Do you mean you want it to not say whether it came through SMS vs. Facebook?
Anyway, there are numerous apps for this purpose. Some ideas:

GO SMS Pro plus the Facebook Chat plug-in
IM+
Yuilop
HeyWire
Pinger


text:
ICS App Drawers, how to give them a name?
I own a Samsung Nexus S and Yesterday I was able to upgrade to Android 4.0.4. When I upgraded, I saw that Google had created an app drawer full of Google apps, and it has the Word Google underneath it. I know it is possible to create app drawers by dragging app shortcuts on top of one another, but is there a way to give an app drawer a name the way Google has done with the Google drawer?

If it's done like on the Galaxy Nexus, just open the folder, tap the text Unnamed folder and write your own label :)

You know, I didn't see the text at the bottom of the expanded drawer until you said that. Thanks!

Yeah, took me about a week to notice it :) Glad to help!


text:
Backup files from an application for which I forgot unlock pattern
I have forgot unlock pattern for an app on my Galaxy S II. I have emailed the developer but he said he cannot help me.
I am wondering if there is a way I can take backup of the files in the app's folder [ if I can see it :( ] without rooting my phone. There might be some hope of using the data again.
Kindly guide me how can I take the files if this is possible in the first place.

Accessing the files in the app's protected storage directory will not be possible without root because you will not have proper permissions to access the directories. If the app saved any data to external storage (SD card, for example) then you can get it, but not knowing the app in question it's hard to say where it would be. Generally speaking it would likely live in /sdcard/Android/data somewhere assuming the standard APIs are used, but it doesn't have to use that directory.

the app in question is cashdroid


text:
Why does my Samsung Galaxy S keep crashing/slow performance?

Possible Duplicate:
My device is getting slow, apps start misbehaving/crashing. What can I do?

I have a Samsung Galaxy S which I've had for less than a year now. It has been working fine until the last couple of weeks, when I've noticed the performance slowing down. I don't use many apps, but lately I've downloaded a few games and whatnot. One particular recent issue is that whenever I access the keypad to call someone, it closes down automatically without letting me finish typing out the number. Other problems include: mobile internet crashes systematically every other night (when I use it the most); the FB app force closes automatically and since FB is an integral part of Zynga games, my Words with Friends is almost inaccessible because of FB crashing.
Anyone else with similar problems? I know HTC issues an automatic software update, but why haven't I heard of anything for Samsung?
Any help would be appreciated.

*Galaxy S GT-i9000

Have you installed any updates via Kies? If you've been running the same version for a year, I'd recommend either an update or a factory reset. Or both.

What Android version do you have on your phone at the moment? You can find out by going to Settings -> About Phone

You might want to take a look at: My device is getting slow, apps start misbehaving/crashing. What can I do?


text:
Remote path to Angry Birds Space savegames
I'm following this answer on how to backup Angry Birds settings and hi-scores using Android Debugging Bridge. The command:
adb pull /data/data/com.rovio.angrybirds/files/highscores.lua C:\ab_highscores.lua

works perfectly for Angry Birds original, Rio and Seasons. The paths I need to change are:

angrybirds for original Angry Birds
angrybirdsrio for Angry Birds Rio
angrybirdsseasons for Angry Birds Seasons

Now, what is the path for Space? The most obvious one, angrybirdsspace is giving me error "Remote object not found".
Alternatively, how can I list content of /data/data folder? I think it's not possible with ADB.

adb shell ls -l /data/data command will get you the file and directory listing you are looking for.
Specifically for Angry Birds Space, try adb pull com.rovio.angrybirdsspace.ads/files/highscores.lua C:\abs_highscores.lua


text:
Why does the STORE button on Amazon Kindle go to the website instead of the in app store?
I have the Android Amazon Kindle app installed on both my Galaxy S phone and my Archos 10" tablet.
I keep the software updated so I'm sure the latest version is installed.
I am logged in with my account on both devices.
When I press the STORE button I go to the inprog Kindle store. But when I press the STORE button on the Archos it starts the web browser in stead.
Now, I have bought ebooks before from both devices and I am sure that previously, the Archos also displayed the inprog store. It's much easier to use the inprog store display than the full Amazon web site version.
Does anyone now what could have changed this behavior ? I looked for some setting but found none.

Was this problem present when you firstly used your device????

I have this issue too, I think it has to do with having kindle app installed on a device with several users. I don't know how to work around it.

I'm not too familiar with how intents work exactly but this looks like the browser is mistakenly set as the default app for something it shouldn't handle. Try installing DefaultApp Reset and reset your browser as a default app. This will make sure it won't be registered as the default handler for anything at all. Then try going to the store again.

That did not work. I cleared the defaults for my Browser, then I went into my Kindle app and hit the Kindle Store button. Now it actually asked me which browser I wanna use. This is very annoying. I believe this is the same behavior on the iPad.

I have a rooted Lenovo A1 that is experiencing the same problem.  I cannot say for certain what is causing the problem, but I don't believe that it's being rooted is the issue.  I have been able to resolve the problem temporarily by decreasing the screen resolution using an app called "LCD Resolution" which I had installed for other reasons.  When the Kindle In App store stops working, I decrease the resolution from 240 to 210.  Normally after the device reboots, the In App store in Kindle works again.  I then reset me resolution back to its previous 240 setting and all is well... for a while.  This fix is only temporary and I haven't figured out what is causing the problem.  I'm hesitant to leave the settings at 210 because it has caused problems for some of the Google Apps, like "Play Movies" not to function properly.  If I find out anymore, I'll update this post.


text:
Samsung Galaxy S 2 doesn't switch on or go into download mode , yellow triangle with exclamation mark
I had Galaxy S2 with Gingerbread kernel, I needed to upgrade it to ICS. I used Odin 3 v3.04 to download the ICS kernel (I9100) to the phone. I followed the following steps:

You start with the phone disconnected from the computer and switched off.
Start the SGS2 in download mode: you do this by pressing "Volume down", the "Home" button and the "Power" button at the same time. Don’t release them until the download mode screen appears (it looks totally different from the normal starting screen).
Follow the on-screen instructions: 'Continue' by pressing "Volume up".
Start Odin 3 on your computer.
Click on PDA and select the tar-archive containing the kernel you want to install.
DO ONLY check the option boxes "Auto Reboot" and "F. Reset Time".
Connect the SGS2 to the PC via USB. The first field of "ID:COM" should turn yellow stating the COM Port of your device. Continue only after this has happened. It can take a couple of seconds.
Click Start and wait for the flashing process to finish.
After that it said "Reset", and I powered off the phone

10.When I switched on the phone Odin said Pass
*But now I have a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark in the middle, no switch on happening, not able to get into download mode also.*

I have the same problem. Seems that our phones are locked. Wanna try this http://androidflip.com/unbrick-samsung-android-phones-click-guide/

Well... you have experienced a soft brick!
You did some thing you didn't need to do, but it's not the end of the world and you can fix it.

You flashed an ICS kernel on a GB device - big NO NO,
ICS kernel goes to ICS ROM only
You used Odin 3 when you should have used 1.8

So, how to fix this?
Download speedmod kernel for I9100 (i prefer his work) from this
site and flash using the correct Odin version
If, as you said, cannot go into download mode you need to get a JIG that will force your device to go to download mode (you have to go into download mode or you can't fix it)
By the way, can you go to recovery? VOL UP + HOME + POWER?


text:
Preinstalled SNS Application
I have deleted the SNS application and now im not getting any of my Facebook notifications. Is there a way of getting this appplication back on my phone? I have looked in the app market and cannot find it. Cheers

The SNS framework is part of the firmware. It's not part of an App that can be acquired via the play store.

You either have to restore it from backup if you have one, or reflash the phone, either with a third-party ROM or an official one from your phone manufacturer. Can't go into specifics unless you mention your phone model.


text:
Restoring static boot logo and animation from ClockWorkMod backup for: Android Huawei Ideos X3 (U8510)
I have a rooted (and unlocked) Huawei Ideos X3 (U8510). I have complete backups of the stock ROM using ClockWordMod installed to the sdcard.
Then I started playing with different ROMs on the internet. At some point I also flashed the device with another GENERIC Stock ROM for this device. At this point, the generic Stock ROM permanently changed my static boot logo and the boot animation. Originally it was a static Huawei logo with Vodafone animation (Red Vodafone logo). That was replaced by the static Huawei logo AND Huawei generic boot animation. This is the problem as:

I need to replace with the original static boot logo and boot animation in the event of a warranty claim.
I need the assurance that recovering to the stock ROM backup will restore everything to the way it was except the bootlogo and boot animation.

Now if I revert to the stock ROM from the backup (via ClockWorkMod recovery), everything from the backup is restored EXCEPT for the static boot logo and the boot animation sequence.
Things I have tried:

From the installed terminal, as su: I tried copying the recovery.img from the backup to the root of the sdcard. Then as su, I executed the following command:
flash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery.img

The above command worked. I rebooted into recovery. Then I rebooted again but still am seeing the generic static Huawei boot logo and boot animation.
I can see the following files from my stock rom backup:
.android_secure.vfat.tar
boot.img
cache.yaffs2.img
data.yaffs2.img
nandroid.md5
recovery.img   ---> This is the file I copied to the root of the sdcard.
system.yaffs2.img

I have also tried asking in other forums to get the copy of the boot animation from the stock ROM with no success.
Questions:
Do I have the original boot logo and boot animation from stock rom backup (above file list)?
If so, is there a way to recover it? If not: is there a known source to get the original boot animation?
Thanks in advance for your help.

OK: After some more reading, it looks like ClockWorkMod did not back up the /cust partition ie: /proc/mtdblock7 in which the vodafone logo and boot animation was stored. When I flashed my device with a generic Stock ROM that overwrote the /cust partition permanently. When I flashed my recovery.img, it only restored the recovery partition (which was the CWM Recovery image after rooting).
The only way I can now get back the stock voda animation is backup the partition (via dd maybe) from another device to an sd card and flash back to my device partition from the sd card.
Moral of the story: Backup all partitions (via ROMDump or dd) and not just rely on ClockWorkMod backup which ignores these partitions.
I arrived at this conclusion by checking my logs from the saved data partition (after rooting) when I saw this file in: /data/load_oemlogo.txt which references /cust/vha/au/logo/oemlogo.mbn
load_oemlogo begin
command_line_is: console=ttyDCC0 androidboot.hardware=huawei
androidboot.localproppath=vha/au androidboot.network=umts
androidboot.swtype=normal androidboot.mode=boot mem.size=256M
ret_str = vha/au androidboot.network=umts androidboot.swtype=normal
androidboot.mode=boot mem.size=256M

custom len = 6
custom : vha/au
logo path /cust/vha/au/logo/oemlogo.mbn!
stat file error!
load_oemlogo end

Update: Yes I can confirm that the /cust and /userdata2 partition are not backed up by CWM backup and restore.
I quote from translated version (german) from here: http://66.163.168.225/babelfish/translate_url_content?.intl=us&lp=de_en&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.android-hilfe.de%2froot-hacking-modding-fuer-huawei-ideos-x3%2f203731-how-flash-partitionen-von-supertoast-anpassen.html
Completely importantly! Make always only times with CWM a Backup.

backup_partitons.
zip load down and in the CWM over “Install zip from sd-card” would drive out.

The two partitions are cust and userdata2 secured, which does not make the standard Backup of CWM.

Afterwards cust_backup.tar and userdata2_backup.tar should be to the SDCard the two files.

Now would drive the file out install_new_partition_layout.zip.
A new boat and Recovery image are installed, because in both the new Kernel COMMAND LINE must be contained.

Auserdem becomes still the volume demon (/system/bin/vold) and its configuration file /system/etc/vold.fstab it then a few volumes to mounten gives less replaced there.

Now one bootet by means of advanced->Reboot Recovery into the again installed CWM.

There one re-establishes over backup and restore - > advanced restore - > Restore DATA the data partition from the previous Backup.

EDIT: More info and updates.


text:
Can't Pull Bar to Mount Storage
I don't know what's wrong with my phone. Things are breaking left and right ...
To mount the phone so I can access files on it (I don't have an SD card), I:

Disable USB debugging
Enable Mass Storage Mode
Plug the phone in
Go to the home screen
Drag that bar down on the top of the screen
Click on the USB item
Click "Mount Storage"

Viola,  I can access my files. The problem now is that the bar at the top doesn't drag down. I fear that it's a hardware issue (is there some way to disable/enable it from the software side?)
Having said that, how can I now mount the storage to transfer files onto my computer? I have several (100ish) 1.5MB images I need to copy over.
I have a Samsung i7500g running Android 1.6.
I wrote my own app, which can trap events on the top bar part of the screen; it seems that it's only the home page bar that doesn't allow me to drag it down. Is there some setting I'm missing?
Edit: Even stranger, sometimes, the pull bar works perfectly.

When was the last time you switched the phone off? Have you tried rebooting it? That often sorts out a lot of these odd problems that crop  up when the phone's been running for quite a while, particularly with older Android versions like 1.6.

@GAThrawn I think it was rebooted recently. Someone sending  a text somehow enabled the bar. It's not my phone, so I'll check it and let you know tonight.

Try a different USB cable.  Some cheap cables can make the screen act strange when plugged in.

Sorry for the delay. The cable seems okay. Restarted the phone and nothing happened. But my app, which runs full-screen, can handle click events for that high up; just the top bar doesn't work.

Check logs using CatLog app.. Try to pinpoint event exactly when you drag status bar...

And, apps can disable dragging.. For example, Widget Locker app allows users to do that..

Okay, I'll try that. I haven't installed any apps recently, so it can't be that.

@SachinShekhar CatLog doesn't do anything for me. I can see the "Texture" something input event not handled; no other information. (This is strangely inconsistent.)

When you're done transferring these files, it is more important that you eject the device from the computer than it is for you to unmount the SD from the statusbar.
Once your computer says the device is ejected, the problem should be resolved after you unplug the phone--
If not-- you can transfer files via adb without 'mounting' the sdcard.
In this case, you would not disable the debugging option (Which you don't really need to do in the first place, btw).
=D

This has absolutely nothing to do with the question. He can't pull down the notification bar.

His application very well could be the cause of the frozen bar. Who knows what could be the cause-?- Especially when he cannot get it to consistently fail.
(Thus it very well could be a memory issue.)
This is a potential solution.
Unplugging the device from the USB should free up the bar again.

I'm not aware of any api that could lock the bar. Memory issue? What does ram have to do with this? He can't mount it in the first place, so he can't unmount it.

There isn't one. But if we were all aware of every bug in existence, we'd have exterminated them all by now.
Ahm, I was thinking he said the screen was frozen- you're right, it has nothing to do with RAM.
But he said he could mount it--
See^ "Voila" just after the bullets.

One solution would be to use an app like Auto Mount Your SD Card, which would automatically switch to UMS (USB mass storage) mode when your device gets connected to a computer via USB. If you still want to manually decide, this seems to be provided by MountUSB Widget (which is not free, but costs ~EUR 1).

A possible cause would be using a custom launcher (ADW, Go Launcher, Apex, Nova, Launcher Pro, etc..). Some of these launchers allow you to hide the status bar at the top, and trigger it with actions like double tapping the home screen, swiping up or down, swiping with two fingers, etc..
What might be happening is that you are unintentionally triggering the show/hide status bar. When hidden, you can no longer pull it down.
If you are using a custom launcher, go to the launcher settings, there you will find an option that allows you to customize behavior .
I can also tell you if the issue is with the status bar, it is most definitely not a hardware issue.

I'm not using a custom launcher. Thanks for coming out though :)


text:
Does moving apps to the SD card negatively affect performance?
Does moving an application to the SD card negatively influence I/O performance of the app or of Android in any way, in particular loading times?


text:
Is there any way to launch an app (and keep the screen on) when a Galaxy Nexus is docked?
Using the official desktop docking station, my Motorola Xoom (running official Honeycomb 3.2) by default launches the Clock app when the tablet is docked, and keeps the screen on whilst it's docked.
The Settings app on the Honeycomb Xoom has a Dock category with two options "Dock Application" and "Dock Insertion Sound", I can't find any similar options on the Galaxy Nexus.
Is there any (preferably built-in) way to get similar functionality with an (unrooted) Galaxy Nexus using the official Samsung dock?

I've spotted that when I put my phone into its dock for the last few days, it now displays a clock (digital style, with the date below, in ICS blue) on the screen while it's charging.
This has happened since the recent Android v4.0.4 update for the Galaxy Nexus. This has also added a "Dock" category under the "System" section in Settings. This has options to enable a "Dock Insertion Sound" and change Audio settings for the dock.
Exactly what I was looking for!

Sounds like you could use DockAwake! Dock Manager for this. To just keep the screen on you can set Settings -> Developer options -> Stay awake.

Thanks, but DockAwake seems to be Motorola Droid only from the Market comments, and the website, no free version, so haven't tried it. And the Stay Awake while useful, is less useful without an app displaying at the same time.


text:
adb su permission denied, no rom, rooted, need to fix internal sd card
can someone please help. im pulling my hair out lol
im trying to fix a friends phone GT-I9000.
basically i get error in mounting sdcard.
after searching endlessly and installing 100s of stock rom. still no luck.
i assume that the partition on my internal sd card is corrupted.
i have come across this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1253036
im hoping i can reset my partition on the sdcard.
but i can't get su permission on android sdk adb shell command
phone is in clockwork recovery mod when running the adb commands
i.e. this is the code i have to do..
adb shell
mount /sdcard
su
parted /dev/block/mmcblk0
rm 1
rm 2
rm 3
quit

but it ends up like...
adb shell
~ $ mount /sdcard
mount /sdcard
mount: permission denied (are you root?)
~ $

the su command it not recongised.... any ideas?
the phone will not boot into any rom. only option is recovery or download mode.
i have rooted it with CF-ROOT, which in turn installs CWM
therefore i can't install or turn on debugging
HELP please!!!!!!!!

You can install CyanogenMod, see the full update guide here: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S

Quoting your code:
adb shell
mount /sdcard
su

And now your output:
adb shell
~ $ mount /sdcard
mount /sdcard
mount: permission denied (are you root?)

it becomes quite clear why your su is not recognized: it comes too late. You need to move it one line up, as mount already requires root. Still, that would launch another shell, and wait for your input. Once you exit, the remaining commands would be executed. So correctly put, it should look like this:
adb shell
su
mount /sdcard

or like this:
adb shell su -c 'mount /sdcard'

So this part would work. The next part is something completely different:
su parted /dev/block/mmcblk0
rm 1
rm 2
rm 3
quit

The first line is your command. But the remaining lines are no shell commands, but the input to parted, so this needs to be handled differently:
su parted /dev/block/mmcblk0 <<MyCommandsHere
rm 1
rm 2
rm 3
quit
MyCommandsHere

That's a so-called Here-Doc.


text:
Who can see how many people have uninstalled an app?
A few months ago I installed a free comic viewer app from a local publisher because I always have bought the comics on paper anyway so it seemed a logical way to do.
This publisher is boasting about the thousands of downloads he got for his app.
However, having seen the app, I uninstalled it the day after because it simply was not good enough (and took to much memory).
So I am just wondering: we always see how many downloads an app has. But can we see somewhere how many uninstalls have occurred?

I think only the app's publisher can see this, but I'm not positive.

There is no way to see this fro the user's end.   Generally read through the comments.  People are very vocal about their opinion.  And if it has truly been uninstalled that many times, beleive me, people will say why and you will get a good indication.
And yes, a developer does get daily statistics on installs/uninstalls.


text:
Strange .txt file that has the names of different presidents inside the android system folder
Browsing the systems files of my LG P350 I discovered a strange file inside what seems to be the XT9 files: there's a txt file called heads_of_state.txt, which contents are the following:
Hamid
Karzai
Bamir
Topi
Sali
Berisha
Abdelaziz
Bouteflika
Ahmed
Ouyahia
Andorra
Joan
Enric
Vives
Sicília
Nemesi
Marquès
Oste
Nicolas
Sarkozy
Christian
Frémont
Albert
Pintat
Jaume
Bartumeu
José
Eduardo
dos
Santos
Paulo
...

The list continues and I can spot a few presidents names. It's located in system/usr/xt9/databases/mdb/
What does this means?? Why the file is there? What it is porpuose?
For the curious, here's the full list: http://pastebin.com/V8hHYZmz
(I'm using the V10F firwmare, rooted with Gingerbread)

It's probably for the auto-complete/spellcheck dictionary so that political leaders can be added and removed more easily due to their often transient nature (but I can't prove that, so comment instead of answer).

I tried to type the names in a SMS with XT9 enabled and it didn't recognized the words or tried to correct them. Paranoia is attacking me :F

Interesting that this exists! I would agree with @eldarerathis it is most likely used for AC or spellcheck

Why would some head of state be removed from dictionary, even if (s)he is no longer in office? Besides this list is little outdated, some of those names are not in office anymore.

I insist, this words aren't used in the XT9.

@Tschareck: It's kind of moot at this point, but you don't see the value in being able to add new political leaders on the fly without having to replace the entire dictionary file? You certainly don't have to remove people who are no longer in office, and it seems they don't by your own observation, but even for just adding new names it would provide a lot of benefits.

@eldarerathis I think the real question here is why we need a dictionary for the name of the presidents. And why it's bundled to the stock firmware.

Is this a stock ROM?

If it was a dictionary, then maybe it would make a point to have separate file, because names are common to all languages. But as @Andres (and me too) pointed out, XT9 doesn't use them.

@Flow Yup, version V10F: http://csmg.lgmobile.com:9002/swdata/WEBSW/LGP350/ACISSV/V10F_00/V10F_00.kdz. Also i found it in a LG Keyboard apk of another phone (not remember which one, because it was only the apk file)

@Tschareck: Your previous comment doesn't make any statements regarding XT9 or whether or not the file is used by it (or even a dictionary), so I have no idea what point you're even trying to make now. That seems like a complete non sequitur. Andres: Are there any other files in that directory or is this the only one? Does it look like it's been accessed at all recently? (ls -l should show you)

Strange.  I'll be this is left over from testing of some kind.  They probably just imported a random list to test some function.

@eldarerathis Yes, there are more files in the folder:
DE.txt
EN.txt
ES.txt
FR.txt
heads_of_state.txt
IT.txt
mdb.py
mdb.txt
The files with two charaters in the name are 2 bytes long (2 hex numbers)
Python file contents are:
#!/usr/bin/env python3.0
import codecs
filein = 'heads_of_state.txt'
fileout = 'mdb.txt'
setHeads = set()
for line in codecs.open(filein, 'r', 'utf-8'):
setHeads.add(line.strip())
liHeads = sorted(setHeads, key=lambda a: (len(a), a))
liHeads = filter(lambda a: len(a) > 4, liHeads)
codecs.open(fileout, 'w', 'utf-8').write("\n".join(liHeads))

Ooops, no formating in comments! Here are the contents of mdb.py: http://pastebin.com/n3jUrdEA Contents of mdb.txt: http://pastebin.com/WeVq2pHF

@eldarerathis ls -l result is: -rw-r--r-- root root 6265 2011-04-18 10:22 heads_of_state.txt. All the other files show the same date.

I found a related github repo but don't know if its official or from some ROM developer. From the source the file heads_of_state.txt is listed under IME but has been removed in the latest commit (the only other commit). The commit message is "Deleted uneeded LG's Calibration apk". I can't conclude anything from this but maybe this will be helpful.

Just found this strange python script that is included in the XT9. Note that it uses the 'heads_of_state.txt' file as input for something. Seems like a sorting script or something.

I think that's the pastebin i used to post the mdb.py contents in this comment

i searched the internet for it, and the file seems is for developers testing purpose, this file can be found in other platforms either.
i found it in:
Python
Android
PHP

seems like foo bar case

Please provide a link, I didn't find any references to such a list being used for testing. Though it indeed does look a lot like foo bar case.


text:
Can't get into Clockworkmod recovery on LG Optimus 2x
I flashed a MoDaCo ROM this afternoon just to try it on my LG Optimus 2x P990, which was on ICS (CM9). I see that it's based on the offical LG Optimus 2x ROM, but I decided to flash it back to Android 4.0.4 ICS again, the one I was coming from.
But I can't get into ClockworkMod Recovery. I didn't find ROM Manager on my phone after flash (it works, except for Market and has very many bugs), so I reinstalled it by sending the *.apk to my email. I installed CWM successfully, but I can't get into it. I have tried the volume and power button method and reboot from ROM Manager. None of them worked.
My phone does works (call and such), but I can't get into CWM, which is really annoying.

A successful flash of CWM should boot you into CWM, so how do you know it was successful?

I fixed it by flashing ClockWorkMod and the boot image manually. Then, I used the volume down and power buttons to get into it. Now, I'm running Android 4.0.4 ICS again.


text:
How to install new Recovery image from .img file
I recently found that I could upgrade to the new CWM touch recovery version for my EVO 4g! However, to do this through the ROM manager app or get it directly onto the phone at all, it required a payment, although they specified it could be found (the same version) for free on their website. So naturally, I went and downloaded it as soon as I could.
But instead of a .zip file, as things that I usually flash, it is an .img file. This made sense, since I figured I wouldn't be installing a new recovery through the current recovery version, but I am unknowing as to how to install this new recovery image.
Anyone know what my next step is?

where do i fine that recovery.img file? Link please

If you have a fastboot-enabled bootloader version (such as the old 0.76.0000 engineering HBOOT in the EVO's case) you can use that to flash it from a PC via USB. Reboot into your bootloader, then select the "Fastboot" option from the boot menu (if it has one, it may start up fastboot automatically). Once it's ready, go to your PC's shell and execute:
fastboot flash recovery /path/to/recovery.img

You should also be able to use the flash_image binary if your ROM has it (or you install it from XDA). Copy the recovery.img over to your device somewhere then do the following:
C:> adb shell
$ su
# flash_image recovery /path/to/recovery.img

used the second method. worked like a charm!! Thanks to both of you

where do i fine that recovery.img file? Link please

It depends on your device and the version you're looking for. Team Win Recovery Project has a list on their devices page that can find the .img file for your phone. You can also visit Clockworkmod, who doesn't seem to provide .img files anymore, but prefers you do it through their app (linked there).

One way is to open ROM Manager and choose "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery".  Select your device when it prompts and wait for it to download the latest (non-touch) recovery.  Using a file browser, go to /sdcard/clockworkmod/download/<site>/recoveries and paste your .img there.  <site> may be mirror.kanged.net or something else, just check the folders till you find an IMG file with the current date.  Rename the existing .img to something else and rename yours to the exact same name as the existing file was named.  For example, rename recovery.clockwork-3.0.0.0-evo.img to bak.img and then name your file recovery.clockwork-3.0.0.0-evo.img.  Then return to ROM Manager and flash the recovery normally.
Another method is to use fastboot from your PC.  Put your device into fastboot mode and then:
fastboot flash recovery <path/to/your-recovery.img>

Another is to use a terminal on your device:
/data/data/com.koushikdutta.rommanager/files/flash_image <path/to/your-recovery.img>

(You can move flash_image somewhere more manageable first, just make sure it has execute permissions.)

thanks! Edited the question. Which option do i chose in ROM Manager though? Each button to flash a Recovery doesn't let me chose it from my SD card..

@jlehenbauer I should have added that, it's not exactly straightforward through CWM.  The second and third options are better.

where do i fine that recovery.img file? Link please


text:
Do Google Talk and Play Store still require background sync on Ice Cream Sandwich?
When I used Android versions up to 2.x, some apps like Google Talk and Android Market (now Play Store) required background synchronization to be activated via Settings -> Account and synchronization -> Background data. I recently upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich and noticed that both Google Talk and Play Store now work also when that setting is switched off.
Do such apps still require background synchronization, possibly in a way that is no longer controlled by a user-accessible setting?

Yes, background data is always enabled since Ice Cream Sandwich. See the note in the documentation for android.net.ConnectivityManager.getBackgroundDataSetting():

As of ICE_CREAM_SANDWICH, availability of background data depends on several combined factors, and this method will always return true. Instead, when background data is unavailable, getActiveNetworkInfo() will now appear disconnected.

Vending (the internal name for the Android Market, in fact com.android.vending) uses C2DM to receive install requests (take a look at its application manifest; even on ICS, it still has c2dm receivers). AFAIK, C2DM only works when background data is available.
Some time ago, I read a blog post somewhere (which unfortunately I am not finding right now) explaining how the Android Market (the post was from before it was renamed) worked. IIRC, even when you asked to install an application directly on your device (instead of indirectly via the https://market.android.com/ web site), all it did was to send a request to the Google servers, which then sent your device (via C2DM) an install request. This explains why Vending needs background data—it cannot do anything without being able to receive requests via C2DM from the Google servers.
I do not know about Google Talk, but from what I have heard, it has used C2DM since before C2DM was available to the public. Again, this would explain why it needs background data to work.
AFAIK, background sync is completely separate from background data, other than the fact that obviously it cannot sync in the background if background data is disabled, and the fact that you could change it from within the sync screen in the settings application.

I have a Samsung Galaxy Nexus running ICS 4.0.4.  When I navigate to the Settings->Accounts & Synchronization screen and select an account (specifically the account I use for Google Talk and the Google Play store) those two apps are not present in the list of apps that can be enabled / disabled for background synchronization.  If these apps are performing background synchronization, it is no longer a user settable option to disable it.

Those two were never there.


text:
Voicemail indicator won't go away
On my Atrix running 2.3.6, there is a permanent icon in my notification bar saying that I have unread voicemail. I understand that this icon is flagged on the SIM card itself: sure enough, if I pop the SIM card into another phone, the icon shows up there too.
How do I get rid of it? I've tried every suggestion on Google, which amounts to leaving myself a message and then deleting it, or calling customer service. The only kosher method of getting rid of it is to have my carrier send me the special SMS that clears the icon, which is normally sent when you listen to your messages (but it's not happening for me). Customer service reps seem to have no idea what this means so I can't get them to manually send that SMS. For what it's worth, I'm on Rogers in Canada (but my Atrix is running the AT&T build of Android).
Some versions of Android allegedly have a "Clear voicemail indicator" setting, but I have no such thing.
If it's possible through executing code on the Android, then:

Has someone written an app to clear it from the SIM card? I can't find anything, but I can't imagine something like that would be allowed on the market since it would use hidden libraries.
Does anyone have experience writing apps that use hidden libraries and can point me in the right direction? I've been able to follow tutorials that set up an Eclipse environment  for compiling apps that use hidden libraries, I just have no idea where to start with the SIM card stuff.

If not, then do I just have to live with it?
EDIT: Using standard carrier voicemail, not Google Voice.

Are you using Google Voice to handle your voicemail?  I had a similar issue when I got a new phone.  I got a voicemail before I finished setting up my Google Voice account on the phone.  After I got it set up I couldn't clear the VZW voicemail notification until I disabled Google Voice then went into the VZW voicemail to delete it.

I forgot to mention that I'm using standard carrier voicemail.

I'm sure there is a way to do what you want to do but if all else fails you could try getting a new SIM card.

Yeah, I guess that's workable. I could "accidentally" drop it into Lake Ontario and then ask for a new one. Funny thing is, the notification icon was there as soon as I got the card, before I even had VM enabled on my plan :P

Simply long press the notification and select app info. Then tap on FORCE STOP.

Same issue here with Galaxy S5 on Cricket Wireless. Turns out there was an unknown message sitting in the inbox that never showed itself as "new". Once I completely scrubbed the voicemail of all messages including the hidden one, the icon went away. It now works quite well. Doublecheck your voicemail messages.

Easiest fix is to ask your carrier for a new SIM, but it would be worth reporting it to them as a problem so they can investigate it. It might be a problem at your carrier's end and they just don't know about it yet.

Yes, it's a "message" sent by the network operator. I resolved it by just calling and listening the message.
Yes, this costed me money but the icon disappeared after. (Another "message" was sent by the operator telling my SIM that I have no more unlistened voice messages)

Call yourself and leave a message. Listen to it, then erase it right after. Turn the phone off then on, it will then be gone.


text:
LED wont turn off
After receiving a message the LED was blinking for notification. After reading the message, the LED shines in dark blue and wont go into previous state, i.e. turn itself off. I tried to restart the phone, remove battery, but nothing helps.
Please, how can I make the LED not to light?
(Galaxy Nexus, 4.0.2)

Do you have an app called Light FLow installed? That might have an impact - see under ACCESSIBILITY.

No, it's clean install (no apps at all).

Try starting it in Safe Mode and see if the LED still acts up, Link - http://www.myvusers.com/forums/samsung-galaxy-nexus/10880-safe-mode-galaxy-nexus-samsung.html

Thank you for the tip! It all of sudden stopped to shine, when I started to charge the battery. I don't understand. Now, GPS stopped working, hmm..

reboot after using Safe Mode. Is the light still stuck in normal mode? For GPS issues, use GPS Toolbox and check that you're in sight of satellites.

I tried both GPS Toolbox and GPS Essentials, and I think the latter worked better. Anyway, thanks for the answers!

Try starting it in Safe Mode and see if the LED still acts up.. Link - http://www.myvusers.com/forums/samsung-galaxy-nexus/10880-safe-mode-galaxy-nexus-samsung.html


text:
Bluetooth error on my Nexus S
I have a Nexus S phone, GingerBread 2.3.5. When I start my phone, or try starting Bluetooth, it gives me an error saying:
'Application Bluetooth Share(process com.android.bluetooth) has stopped unexpectedly.'
Iam given only two options, Force close, and Report.
The exception is a Null pointer exception, and the source file is Parcel.java.
How do I solve this problem??
Also, I get a message saying I can update my phone to ICS 4.0.4. If I update, will that get rid of the Bluetooth problem??


text:
How can I set up email (mostly yahoo) so that no matter which device I delete an email on, it will be deleted on the other?
I finally switched to Android from Apple, and I've tried setting the email account as both premium and not, and it either stays independent when deleted (not deleted on the server), or it's just downloaded again. K-9 seems to make them stay independent, but there's a lot of settings. Is there anything I can do so that if I delete a message on either the mail site or the app, it will be deleted on the other?
Basically, if you're aware of how the mail app works on the iphone, etc, I want it to behave like that.
EDIT: I found out how to do it in K-9 (change the 'when i delete a message' setting), but is there a way to do it stock?

Use IMAP instead of POP.

@roxan: that should be an answer; OP: your email client is configured using POP, which is just a glorified message downloader; if using IMAP instead, deleting, reading/unreading, changing folders, etc will be automatically synchronized to the server across multiple devices. The stock Android Email client and K9 supports both POP and IMAP. IIRC, Yahoo Mail does not support IMAP for free account, so you'd either have to get the paid one or use the official Yahoo! Mail Android client (not stock Email or K9), which does provide an IMAP-like experience.

As roxan already pointed out: What you want is IMAP for all your E-Mail accounts, configured with an Android client (e.g. K-9 Mail).

You can simply download Yahoo! Mail and manage your e-mail as you want.


text:
Can Tablets deal with USB Sound Cards?
I've found this thing on eBay. It converts the USB to a microphone input and a jack-speaker output. I'm just curious, if my tablet is compatible with it as the description doesn't explicitly mentions it.
My device is rooted if that makes any difference.

Please DO NOT use URL shorteners here. Use the full, real, URL.

As far as I know, the Galaxy SIII is the only android device that currently supports USB Audio.  I heard that Cyanogenmod also enables this though.

Extremely doubtful, to the point where I'm confident saying no, it wouldn't work.  It would require either the OS dev team having included Linux drivers that would work with the USB device, or the USB device manufacturer having released Android-compatible drivers that you could install on your tablet yourself.

It's not vendor specific - these things use the USB Audio standard, and don't need device specific drivers.  All it would take is google enabling USB Audio in the stock OS.  Really don't understand why they haven't done this.

I believe that product is an DAC. As long as your device has OTG/USB host support, it'll work.

As far as I know, the Galaxy SIII is the only android device that currently supports USB Audio.  Stock ICS does not.


text:
Dropbox LAN Sync on Android Device
Dropbox provides LAN Sync for PCs to save time & money. Is there any way to enable it for Android devices? All Dropbox sync apps use only internet for syncing.

Good question! But I think you have to contact Dropbox directly on this topic and maybe add a feature request.

@Flow They don't provide even sync feature.. how can I request this feature?

You don't need a full sync for LAN sync. The Android device could pull the file in question from you local PC with a Dropbox instance running without performing a full sync. I think feature requests can only be done by paying customers, but you would post to the forum

@Flow The whole point of LAN sync is to speed up normal sync. Technically, LAN sync is possible without internet sync, but how can it hold prime aim of Dropbox when files aren't uploaded to online Dropbox account.. And, what about your other devices not in LAN.. Is it really a sync? To provide LAN sync, they need to provide internet sync. LAN sync is a subset of normal Sync.

@Sachin The Dropbox app itself doesn't support syncing but you can use Dropsync or another third party app for that.

@Erik Oops.. I have already mentioned that in my question.. No sync app supports LAN Sync…

What you can do is use both Dropbox and a LAN syncing tool like Unison. I couldn't find any LAN syncing tool for Android but if you mount your device in Mass Storage Mode, running Unison purely on your PC should yield acceptable performance. It may also be possible to compile Unison on Android (it works on GNU/Linux), but that would be fairly difficult.


text:
How to set gmail sync frequency?
I want to know how often Gmail checks for new emails because I need longer battery life. How can I see/set this? I want to set it so that, for example, it checks for new mail every 10 minutes and never more often than that.
I use this notification application on a Samsung GTi5800 that has Android 2.1update1

First, Gmail provides push email.. means, you get emails exactly when they arrive (if you are connected with internet).
Second, Gmail doesn't have dedicated sync module. It makes use of global Google Services Framework and Account sync module. You can turn off background data and Auto Sync from Accounts and Sync setting. When these are ON, sync is carried randomly.. but it runs when you connect to internet or turn these settings on.
To save battery, you can use toggle widgets (like Widgetsoid) to turn those settings on/off manually. Some provides way to force sync, too. To automate it, use Tasker app.
If your prime goal is to save battery, I would recommend you to use, Juice Defender. It takes care of all these effectively.


text:
Refresh POP Accounts
In my Gmail account, I use "Refresh POP accounts" by Emmanuel P to add a simple button at the top of my email list to quickly refresh all the POP email accounts I have attached to my Gmail account.
I cannot, for the life of me, find a method to do this on my LG Optimus. Is something like this available for Android?
Update
I use the official Google Gmail app. Gmail automatically checks pop accounts, but does not check the accounts on a regular schedule. The POP accounts can be checked manually via "Refresh POP accounts" Labs plugin in desktop browswers. However, this is not available in the Gmail app or in mobile browsers.

Not an answer but if you use Gmail app, you don't have to bother with this.

I do use the Gmail app. You may want to read about Gmail and POP accounts. Gmail automatically checks pop accounts, but does not check the accounts on a regular schedule. The POP accounts can be checked manually via "Refresh POP accounts" Labs plugin ins desktop browswers. However, this is not available in the Gmail app or in mobile browsers. - Added to Question edit.

I have some bad news for you. You may not wish to hear this, but it looks as if it is not possible. Or, at least it is not possible until google make it possible. Sorry about this!

I am also pretty sure that Google won't provide a solution: To check mails on a POP account you have to pull them, and that's what every service provider wants to avoid in terms of resource consumption.

have you considered using an alternative email client like K-9 for both your GMail as well as your POP3 mailbox?

No interest. I am happy with Gmail as my client. I simply want to be able to check the POP accounts from my Android phone the same way I can from Gmail in a desktop browser.

You could give POP3 Refresh for Gmail app a try. It sounds like it does what you are looking for.

That looks perfect. Being it was just released today, I think I will wait a few days to check out the feedback. Yes, I realize it is only $1.29, but I don't buy Andriod apps unless they have fantastic user feedback.

Great support as well! There was a bug and it was fixed promptly!

Using the desktop vesion of gmail works, even though it's a bit clumsy. Here's how to access it:

open Chrome, go to gmail.com
click "go to the mobile Gmail site"
open Chrome's options menu (3 vertical dots), tick "Request desktop site"
roll out the hamburger menu in gmail (button with 3 stripes), scroll down and click "View Gmail in: Desktop"
switch to the "standard" Gmail view instead of "basic HTML" (at the bottom right)
you should now see the standard gmail app, which has a refresh button

click it and wait for a bit, your POP3/IMAP emails should be fetched

Alternatively to a standalone app, I’ve just added this link to my home screen, after saving my Gmail credentials, and click the “Check mail now” link next to the account to do the POP3 refresh.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&fs=1&view=pu&st=labs#settings/accounts


text:
How can I forward SMS via Jabber (XMPP) to read them on a PC?
I want my received SMS to automagically be forwarded via Jabber (XMPP), so I can read them on my current PC.
I don't want to send SMS from my computer, though I would not mind the feature as an extra bonus.
How can I achieve this?

Why Jabber? Try Air Droid..

@SachinShekhar Because I want it :) I want to instaread my SMS on my current PC.

Related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4738/how-can-i-be-informed-through-my-computer-if-a-new-sms-is-received and http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1784/how-do-i-send-sms-from-pc-through-android-phone-or-to-android-phone

If you want this for a separate phone number (not relayed over your android device or similar) you could look into https://jmp.chat

GTalkSMS (Google Project Page) does what you want (and much more).
Edit: After actively developing GTalkSMS, I decided that it's time to spawn a new project called MAXS. See my second answer.
Note: According to the FAQ I have to disclose that I am involved into GtalkSMS. GTalkSMS is an open source GPL licensed Android app. Everyone can contribute.

MAXS (Modular Android XMPP Suite) does what you want, and much more. You can reply to incoming SMS messages or send them via XMPP. All you need is a standard XMPP client on your PC.
Note: According to the FAQ I have to disclose that I am involved into MAXS. MAXS is an open source GPLv3 licensed Android app. Everyone can contribute.

If XMPP is not a must have you should check out MightyText app and Chrome extension.
I use it every day. You don't need to have your phone near you because you see SMS messages and you can respond from the app. You can even initiate a phone call from the extension (web app).

@al-everett, thanks for correction, I learn a lot with that :)

Always happy to help.


text:
Bluetooth audio streaming issues with Droid X
When I stream audio from my Droid X via bluetooth, the playback is very stuttered.  The audio skips approximately every 30 seconds to a minute.  Each skip lasts about 0.5 to 1 seconds.
This is the case for every app that I've tried so far (Pandora, Stitcher, Google Music).  Whether I'm listening to talk or music doesn't seem to make a difference, and in all cases, playback works flawlessly over the phone's speaker.
The bluetooth device I'm using is my car's Ford SYNC.  My wife's iPhone 4 streams brilliantly, so I don't think it's the car.
Does anyone know of any workarounds or fixes for this problem?

I solved this by turning off Wifi on my phone.  Not sure why having Wifi turned on would be a problem, but I don't get any skipping when Wifi is off.


text:
Does Sony always check if the bootloader has been unlocked when repairing the phone?
I'd like to unlock my Xperia Neo V's bootloader, but on the other hand I don't want to lose my warranty. Obviously, that isn't possible. So my question is: Do Sony Ericsson's repair centres always actually check -- or care -- if the bootloader has been unlocked and if so, how often do they?

Impossible to predict what their techs would do. Theoretically they certainly can deny repair service on bootloader-unlocked phones, since it clearly says that you are voiding your warranty when unlocking the device:

Important information
  Please note that you may void the warranty of
  your phone and/or any warranty from your operator if you unlock the
  boot loader. Sony Ericsson can then no longer guarantee the full
  functionality of your phone, and will not be responsible for any
  unsigned custom software being flashed to the phone after the boot
  loader is unlocked. ...

However, unlike the carriers (who 100% always check the bootloader status,) manufacturers have been known to turn a blind eye on this from time to time.  For example, I've sent my Atrix 4G to Motorola for repairs twice after unlocking its bootloader.  Both times their techs repaired the device, and even re-locked the bootloader for me.  HTC is also known to be lenient towards repairing unlocked handsets.
You can always try calling Sony's support department and anonymously ask where they stand on repairs for bootloader-unlocked handsets.  You may not like their answer though.


text:
What are com.sonyericsson.usbux and com.sonyericsson.capabilities?
This list tells me that I should not remove them, but what do they do?

According to this post, com.sonyericsson.usbux is enhancedusbux.apk app, which handles USB support.
com.sonyericsson.capabilities belongs to DefaultCapabilities.apk app, but I haven't been able to find anything about its functionality, other than a cryptic "hardware capabilities" description.


text:
Are there any other launchers that display a folder's contents instead of the generic icon?
The Xperia Neo V stock launcher displays a 2x2 grid containing the first 4 apps that a folder contains instead of a simple icon. Is there any other launcher that does this or something similar?

The stock Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4) launcher has something similar built in (it shows a cascaded view of the first three icons in the folder).

This won't help people who are still waiting for their phone to be upgraded, but the stock Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4) launcher has something similar built in - it shows a cascaded view of the first three icons in the folder.

ADWLauncher EX has this feature as well. It can display either a generic folder icon or a circle with the apps within it much like stock Ice Cream Sandwich.
To change from Folder Icons to the Preview Icons:

Go to your home screen

Hit the Menu Key

Go to ADWSettings

Go to UI Settings

Go to Folders

Make sure Show Contents is checked

Where is the setting for this?

Edited to show where to find this option

The folders section or submenu doesn't exist on my device. Are you running ICS?

I run Gingerbread and ICS and it showed up on both. It may be that I have the paid (ADWLauncer EX) version and it is not in the free version.


text:
How to root my Epic 4G on mac?
Hello i am trying to root my samsung epic 4g (galaxy s) with my macbook air. I was going to use superoneclick but i cant find a version for mac, does anybody know how i can easily root my phone using my mac?

SuperOneClick supports Mac. You simply need to have Mono installed.

This confuses me, why do you have a Mac... and not an iPhone. I mean, if you were smart enough to choose Android instead of iPhone, why do you even have a Mac?

Also, the above comment is true, you can use Mono to run SuperOneClick to root your phone easily. WINE won't work.

See also: Root Samsung Epic Galaxy 4G (SPH-D700) on FC09 Gingerbread?

There's an article over there at the XDA Forum, titled Epic 4G Touch Root on Mac or Linux using Heimdall!. I'm not sure whether these steps apply to your device (not having the "touch" mentioned) -- but as there was no real answer yet, I thought you might give it a try.
The linked article includes a video tutorial, which you might want to watch first. Described steps are as follows:

Put your Epic 4G Touch in Download Mode by holding down Volume Down button and Power button together for about 10 seconds then hit Volume Up button. Connect your phone to your computer via a USB cable.
Go download the appropriate binaries for your Mac (OSX) or Linux 32-bit or 64bit at glassechidna.com.au
Get the file with "Binary" or "Binaries".
For Mac, you will get a .DMG file you can install and for Linux, you will get a .deb file you can install.
Install these files and open up a command prompt and type:
heimdal
You should get a bunch of syntax stuff, if so that's good, you have heimdall installed and working.
Go download a rooted kernel, I recommend Zedomax Epic Touch Kernel v3:
Download Zedomax Epic Touch Kernel v3
*Note - You can also download any other kernel .tar file of your liking.
Browse to the directory you've download the tar file by using command "cd":
cd /home/myusername/Downloads
Untar the tar file:
tar xvf SPH-D710_Zedomax_EpicTouchKernel-v3.tar
Double-check you have a zImage file in the directory by typing:
ls -l
Type the following to flash:
heimdall flash --kernel zImage
Reboot and you can check that you've rooted your phone by going to Settings->About phone and see "ZedomaxEpicTouchKernel" in Kernel version.
Also you will see a new app called "Superuser" in apps.

Congrats, you've been rooted with a Linux or Mac.

Several more methods are described at How To | Epic 4G Touch Root, and may be even more up-to-date. So please make sure to check them as well before you start. When done, we (the community) of course appreciate your feedback which method(s) you tried and how you succeeded.


text:
Is there a way to clear your Google Play App history? (Not the search history)

Possible Duplicate:
How to remove apps from “all downloaded” in Play Store

I'm looking to see if there is a way to clear the actual history of installed apps in Google Play, as opposed to the history of searches (which one can do right from the app).
It'd be nice to be able to wipe out the old apps that I tried months ago and uninstalled. The sorting of the "All" apps list is actually pretty good, in that such apps tend to be at the very bottom; but if I go on a tangent trying a dozen different similar apps until I decide on one, I'll have those in my list for a bit.
And, sure... there are a few apps in that list I installed then removed that might generate a blush or two if someone else saw it.
I wouldn't expect to be able to remove apps that I have installed on any of my devices (nor would I want to, anyway)... just apps that I installed previously but do not have any longer.

Certainly doesn't appear to be any way.

@eldarerathis Yup; definitely a dupe!  Sucks about the answer.

I would delete, but the stack exchange twitter bot tweeted this!

I think this is a good title to keep around anyway since the other one doesn't use the word "history" anywhere (and it's probably a search term that a lot of people will use).

@eldarerathis Excellent point.

Is impossible the only way is changing of account. That way the apps you have deleted or uninstalled will not appear because is not the same account.
EDIT:
It is now possible
Go to apps then choose all
From the list hold the app you wish to delete, remove will appear in top right corner, tap remove and your done


text:
Disable key shadowing?
I have a Galaxy Ace (bought today) and I hate how the keys pop up as you type, iPhone style. On my Nexus S (stolen) you could change it, but I can't seem to find it on this.

I don't know if you can change that but you can always install the same Keyboard that you had in Nexus S. Search market for Gingerbread keyboard and/or Ice cream sandwich keyboard.
Those keyboard are the keyboard that ships with Android. Samsung like HTC modifies/creates keyboard that differs from stock keyboard. Samsung keyboard is very much similar to ios. But unlike iPhone style, you can always change keyboard in Android OS.


text:
how do I download jorte calendar on new tablet
I cant download my jorte calendar from my htc phone to my new tablet becuz the port to recharge my phone is faulty and so the battery keeps dying and wont hold a charge and according to the sprint store, that is the same port that connects my phone and tablet, so therefore I cant link phone to tablet, and the phone keeps dying,  and the sprint store says it can't save my calendar to a new phone becuz its not a goggle calendar.and i cant charge the phone to access the calendar. I need to access and download my calendar at least, even if i cant save it to my new phone. ideas?

Unless that calendar is stored on the SD card and you can access it that way, you're out of luck unless you can charge your phone.

If you can turn the phone on, set jorte to sync with a google calendar. Then you can get it on any android device you want.
If the phone is dead and you can't charge it you may try charging the battery with an external charger then following the step above.


text:
Atrix will boot up but unlock screen is unresponsive
I'm having my first major issue with my phone, the Atrix (not Atrix 2).  The phone is stock Gingerbread, not rooted, and I don't download any dubious or non-Market apps.  While using my phone today it suddenly rebooted.  Upon reaching the unlock screen, neither the screen nor the buttons would respond to any kind of input, nor have they since.  I can't even turn on the screen by pressing the power button; I have to plug it in to the charger.  The only way to try to restart is to pull the battery.  It seems to me that the problem is with the unlock screen, which I think belongs to the launcher app.  The menu bar at the top of the screen seems to indicate that other systems are functioning properly -- the clock in the corner stays up to date, while the lock screen's clock doesn't change after booting.  The icons at the top indicate that bluetooth and wifi are active and the strength of the wifi signal varies when I move around.
Let's see, what else -- I wasn't doing anything unusual with the phone when it rebooted.  It has suddenly rebooted a couple times in the past couple days before this, but had no noticeable problems once it started back up.
Can anybody suggest what I should try next?  I'd like to avoid having to wipe it clean if possible.  I have managed to get into the boot options by holding the volume key and pressing the power button, and try to boot into recovery mode from there, but that just hung.  I have the android sdk with adb installed on my linux laptop, so i can try connecting the debugger in the morning, but i'm not sure what to try when I do.
Sorry if this is an incoherent jumble -- I'm tired and I'm going to bed.
UPDATE:
I connected the phone to my computer and looked at the logs in LogCat (I've done a little bit of Android development).  I'm not seeing any obvious signs of what the problem is.  Admittedly, I have no idea what to look for.  The closest I can get is this INFO message when I try to unclock the screen when it's active:
04-15 16:34:39.719: INFO/InputDispatcher(1652): Application is not responding: Window{40a2fb20 Keyguard paused=false}.  11148.9ms since event, 5009.5ms since wait started
and this is all that happens when I press the power but to try to turn the screen on:
04-15 16:38:00.369: DEBUG/KeyguardViewMediator(1652): wakeWhenReadyLocked(26)
There are no error stack traces being logged for either event.  Ideas???
UPDATE 2:
It appears to be the Home app. See details in the comment below.  Can I use ADB or another tool to remove and reinstall the Home app?  I know that with my own apps, I can just use adb install and adb uninstall, but I don't know if it's that simple with other apps, or where I would get a clean copy of it from.
FINAL UPDATE:
I tried everything there was to try, including writing an app to programmatically wake up and attempt to unlock the screen, which worked on my tablet but not the phone, so I could try to salvage some data.  I finally had to just do a hard reset on the phone, and that worked, so for now the phone is working again.

Personally, I had pretty much the exact same thing happen to a Droid X.  Phone would boot, but it was impossible to unlock the phone.  I wiped the phone to no avail, took it back to Verizon, they re-flashed it, but ultimately it was decided that it was some sort of hardware fault, and I was given a replacement.

Strange. The error makes it sound like you might be saved by a factory reset, but otherwise I would suspect the touchscreen has failed.

It's not a touchscreen failure.  The first debugging message I listed there is happening in response to touching the screen.  I have now confirmed my initial thought that it's just the home application -- I received a call and was able to unlock the screen to answer it.  Once I answered it, I got a popup saying the Home application was not responding and forced closed it.  During the call I could use the features specific to the call, but couldn't use the home button or the power button, as before.  So I would like to remove and reinstall or repair the Home app over ADB.  Is this possible?

i had the same issue with screen not coming to live after proximity sensor has turned it off once. I tried to boot in safe-mode and the phone is working perfectly  and there is no such issue in safemode. I know this is not permanent solution (there must be some limitations of safemode, though i have no idea about them), but it atleast points us that this is not hardware problem and some application is messing up with the proximity sensor.

I have read at xda that you could boot your Atrix in safe mode and only load essential system files. From there you can delete the defective home app or replace it with an other home app.

To do this, power off your Atrix, and press the power button to turn
it on. Once the boot ANIMATION starts, immediately press and HOLD the
vol up + vol down buttons until you get a long vibe, then release.
you'll then see 'safe mode' at the lower left of the screen when the
lockscreen comes up. (from xda-developers)

Here is the XDA thread about Atrix in safe mode

As you have said yourself, you could install/uninstall through ADB.
My advice would be to install a alternate Home screen app through adb and restart the device.
(Installing an alternate home app would clear the previous home app's defaults).
When the Home Application is about to be started, it would show you the option to choose one of the Home apps from the list. Simply select the alternate one.
You would need an Home app's APK for this, which you will have to download on your PC.
Just get any alternate Home app APK, install it, boot into your device. Launch Google Play and install another Home App and uninstall the one which you installed through adb.
You could uninstall the stock Home app (I am assuming, your are on stock) easily, since you are rooted via Root Explorer or any similar app.
If you don't want to install an app downloaded through internet, simply create an launcher app yourselves.
Here is the android's sample home app.
Android Developers - Home Sample
or get source code for launchers like ADW Launcher here-
ADW-Launcher-Android Google Code
In all this, I am assuming you have USB debugging enabled on your device.

Thanks!  I'll give this a try when I get home from work today.

No luck - I installed an external home app, and it's there, but I never get asked to use it, and still can't get beyond the lock screen.  Maybe this question would be appropriate to take over to StackOverflow.

Hmm.. give this app a try, install via browser, and re-boot. MotoBlur Homr Google Play
or try force starting the alternate home app via adb as shown here - Start app via adb - stack overflow

MotoBlur home won't help, because it just allows you to choose the regular home screen when an alternate has been installed.  But I have managed to install Go Launcher Ex, and start it via adb using those instructions and this package/Activity name combo:  com.gau.go.launcherex/com.jiubang.ggheart.apps.desks.diy.GoLauncher.  It starts up, but does not affect the locked state of the screen.  I think I'm going to have to try to write a simple app that attempts to unlock the screen and run that from adb.


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How to detect that an app is linked to Play Store or not?
Previously, Android Market didn't show Uninstall button for apps which aren't installed using it. So, this button was a nice identifier of linking status. Now, Play Store displays the button for every app.
Problem starts here: Titanium Backup started to show some of my purchased apps as unlinked from Play Store. It was unexpected.. Something had broke it. I could re-link apps using Titanium Backup, but I needed confirmation to avoid more problems. Well, I checked it using other apps like  App Manager of ROM Toolbox Pro. Interestingly, all such backup apps are displaying different linking status. So, I am screwed up.
I want to discover linking status without any help of third-party apps.

Go to https://play.google.com/store/account, with a regular desktop. Then click on the tab 'orders', you shall find there all the apps you downloaded via Google Play.
After clicking Install or Installed button, you'll get pop-up having device list. If app is already installed in a device with linked status, device would be inactive to send install signal. It can be used as identifier.

Do you know what linked status is. I'd downvote if I was capable of it.

How is it an answer? Read my question carefully..

I already know I have purchased/downloaded this app.. but, I don't know its linked with Market or not. That's the point..

Once an app is unlinked from Market, it becomes an app from external source. So, it doesn't receive updates from Market.

Maybe I don't get the question right, but, if you open The Play Store (not on your phone's Store app, but on the web of any pc), Then you can click on any item of a list of your apps, and see its status on all of your devices (if you have more than one), it's to say, if it's not linked to google store, it'll appear as not installed, even if you have actually installed it trough the apk. See the image I just uploaded on the answer. If that's not what you want, sorry, I missunderstood you.

Thanks.. few months ago, web interface allowed me to install over device in which app was already installed. :) Now, its fine..

I have edited your answer to add last paragraph for clarification..


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Can I disable MTP mode and just have a regular USB connection?
I have a Galaxy Tab 10.1, and it's been rooted.
Whenever I try to connect it by USB, it goes into MTP mode, which isn't working for me when connecting to my Ubuntu Linux computer.
I'd really rather not have to deal with some software to make transfers. I'd rather just have it show up as a USB exernal drive like my phone does.
Is there a way I can disable MTP and make my tablet just show up as a USB external drive?

Adding this so that the questions are linked, not a direct answer to your question but goes through other options that could be used: Better way to connect Galaxy Nexus (ICS) to Linux

I'm not 100% sure. But IIRC, the problem with normal USB storage is Android has to partition your phone for internal storage and USB storage. Your computer can then umount the USB storage from phone and mount it in your computer. So in many phones without MTP, even though the internal storage had capacity like 16GB, only 1 or 2 GB was available for app installation. While some phone gave up to 8GB for app, that space was wasted for people who didn't need that much for app but needed space for music and photos.
With MTP mode, there isn't separate partition but a whole single partition. So if you have 16GB internal storage in your phone, you can use whole 16GB for apps, music and photos.
MTP mode is available from Honeycomb and I don't think it's an optional component. I mean I don't think you can say I don't want MTP mode, I want USB storage mode.

Okay, so I need to forget about trying to not have MTP and instead focus on how to make it work on Ubuntu. Thanks for clarifying.

The galaxy nexus has this same storage configuration as the tab.  Perhaps this will work for you in Ubuntu as well.  http://rootzwiki.com/topic/12524-how-to-mount-your-galaxy-nexus-in-linux-ubuntu/

Well, is there any way to switch it between MTP and USB...? Because using MTP is a lot slower than USB as far as I experienced it.

No other way for disabling MTP Mode, except you have Android generic smartphone such as local manufacturer smartphone.