text:
Cannot take pictures without SD card inserted. Any solutions?
I have no SD card in my Android phone's SD card slot. Therefore I cannot take any photos or upload any. I have tried installing other camera apps to see if one of them might have its own storage but really none of them have worked (all need an SD card to store their files on).
Does anyody know any apps for taking pictures that do not need an SD card and have self storage? Or is there even an option?

Oh and if possible I would like apps to be free! Thanks.

Camera apps can make use of internal sdcard or internal storage.

@Kristen can you elaborate by what do you mean by self storage? Do you mean internal phone memory?

@SachinShekhar He most likely has one without internal sd.

@KirstenStickney Check with your camera apps options. Some offer a "storage" option where you can chose where to save images (internal memory or SD-Card). If your device shipped without SD-Card, it should offer such an option. But if it provides a slot for SD-cards, consider buying one (they come cheap these days): you probably do not have too much internal memory available (it would help if you provided some specs on that).

Which phone do you have?

Every app that wants to make files publicly available to other apps on an Android device has to save to known shared location with read/write permissions to everyone (or at least the apps that need to). This designated location is /mnt/sdcard on Android and this is where the SD card or an internal equivalent (eMMC) is accessible.
Reason:

If multiple apps want to access some file (e.g. pictures like G+, upload service, Gallery viewer) they need appropriate rights to do so
Each app has its private storage section in /data/data/[App's Package Name]
This section is private, i.e. /data/data/[PackageName] is not accessible to any other package for security reasons
/mnt/sdcard or /mnt/emmc are the only sections with world read permissions (and write permissions for those apps with an appropriate permission)

Conclusion:
An app that takes pictures to save them in its private area would not be beneficial for other apps. It needs to write to /mnt/sdcard where other apps suppose shared data that is accessible to them.
Solutions:

Buy an SD card, it's cheap
I you have root, you could fake mount a tmpfs file system (mount -o tmpfs none /mnt/sdcard), this solution and all the data on saved to it will however not survive a reboot of your phone

For the record: Above said is not 100% correct but I think suitable for answering the question.

Great answer! Though I should add that the said camera app could allow access to the pictures. Hypothetically.

And having said that about faking a mount point: couldn't the same approach could be used to map some internal directory? If not, following your tmpfs mount, some symbolic link ("dcim") could be made to point there. This way, though the content (including the symlink) would not survive a boot, the saved images would.

@Izzy I think reading that directory would require the same permissions as  the one it was linked to, so in this case it would be useless. However with apps that don't recognize that there are multiple storage partitions it could be rather useful.

You could oft couse do a BIND Mount to an int. directory, and give permissions accordingly. I just see no point in doing that instead oft just buying a cheap SD card.

@RichardBorcsik see ce4s comment: having root permissions, things would be possible (you could change folder permissions as well). But I agree with ce4 on another point: it would be much easier and effordless to by (even a small) sd card for 10 bucks then to mess with the system and the good chance to break things.

I could see Camera ICS, a free app in Google Play Store.
It's feature list says "Configurable storage source (Internal/SD card)" (IMHO meaning "Internal Storage / SD-Card") which is what I think you want.
UPDATE: Please read the chain of comments for this answer. For clarification on what the developer of this application meant by word "internal", I got the following as a reply:

Thanks for asking. No, this feature is only for new devices that have /mnt/sdcard on internal memory and also have an external SD card.

Thought it will be useful for some one

Internal sdcard != internal storage. He most likely has an older phone without large internal memory.

Thanks, but I understood the '/' between the words Internal and SD card mean as 'or', which in turn was understood as internal storage.

@Narayanan Maybe you edit your answer to make this more clear. I understood it the way you meant, but some people tend to overlook the '/' -- and it could in fact be misinterpreted to mean "(Internal or external) card" by people not familiar with the terms. I'll do that for you -- you may change it again if you don't like it ;)

Thanks.  I took the string literal straight off the application's feature list in Google's play. Since I want to quote it literally, I thought of putting it with in quotes. I am sure @Richard was only trying to clean things up.

I sent an email to the developer of the app to confirm and here is the reply: "thanks for asking. No, this feature is only for new devices that have "/mnt/sdcard" on internal memory and also have an external SD card."  Thought it will be useful for some one.

@Narayanan thank you for your engagement! Maybe you edit this information directly into your answer to make sure it isn't missed.

@Izzy I didn't overlook it, I'm using this app so I knew that it can't do that. (For the reasons ce4 said)

@RichardBorcsik I didn't want to attack you -- it's just that others might get confused, so it cannot hurt to clearify (but to be honest: Yes, I thought you were "one of them", as your answer didn't include that detail ;)

@Izzy Don't fret I didn't think you did. I realized only after reading the follow-up comments that mine was ambiguous.


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Trying to solve Problem: Huge Contacts Database
On a HTC Sensation running ICS 4.0.3, something caused my contacts database to rapidly grow.
The DB is now 580 megabytes and growing (sometimes over a megabyte per hour) despite the fact that I:

disabled all syncs (I found out that the Google Contacts sync had been not working for the last couple of months)
uninstalled all 3rd party sync apps (LinkedIn, FaceBook)
removed all all accounts but my Google accounts from "Accounts & Sync"
disabled all network access (no WiFi, no Data)

None of the above steps made the problem go away.
Looking with Contacts Remover, some contacts have about 300 LinkedIn contact links and photos.
My goal is to save as much information as possible, sync that to my Google account, then ditch the Contacts database and reload from Google.
The constant memory pressure makes it hard to run applications (I need to move apps to SD to get some storage memory, then run something, and hope that while running the storage memory doesn't run out).
Basically my phone is now useless.
My idea to try solving the problem is this:

export the Contacts to VCF on the SD card (success)
copy the VCF to a machine that can run the Android AVD (success)
install an AVD that allows to add a Google account for sync (success)
copy the VCF to the AVD SD card using DDS in Eclipse (success)
import the VCF into the People app of the AVD (success)
sync the AVD to Google (fail)

The last step fails, but doesn't generate any error.
The AVD is using these settings to be as close as possible to my physical device:

Target=Google APIs (Google Inc.)
Platform=4.0
API Level=14
CPU/ABI=ARM (armeabi-v7a)

Two questions (given that I want to sync back the contacts to my Google account):

How can I make the last step work?
What alternatives can I use if I cannot get the last step to work?

The VCF files total to about 3 megabyte (with about 3000 contacts that is about a kilobyte per contact, not close to 200 kilobyte as in the DB)

Don't fall for the XY-Probem and ask for the last emulator step. You already have a working VCF, just import it using GMails web interface. If this VCF is still bad, you can apply simple text processing (regex search & replace) to it before importing it to google.

Thanks! I wasn't aware that gmail could import VCF (hence my second question: alternatives). Please post the VCF import into Google Contacts as an answer and I will accept+upvote. These are the steps to import VCF into Google Contacts: http://www.ehow.com/how_8404844_import-vcf-gmail.html

You already have a working vCard file (.vcf), just import it using GMail's web interface. If this VCF is still bad, you can apply simple text processing (regex search & replace) to it before importing it to Google.
Here are the steps to import a vCard file into GMail using the web interface.
Here's an excerpt from Google's help:

Click Gmail at the top-left corner of your Gmail page, then choose
Contacts.
Click the More actions dropdown menu and select Import....
Click the Choose File button and locate the vCard file you'd like to
upload.
Select the file and click the Import button.

Consider moving the steps required to your answer, preventing users from following the link to actually see the solution for the import procedure.

Hmm, not quite sure. It's Google's official help which might improve/change with time. Also: I did explicitly not link to the aforementioned ehow.com link (fear of link-rot!) because I consider Google's help links to be really permanent (also across languages!)

When reading your answer, I had to follow the link to see if it was providing a proper solution. If I was a user searching for this solution, I would have to click the link to see if I had already tried it. ;) Now that I don't have to click, here's my +1

Many thanks. Accepted and +1, especially because you took the effort of linking to the official Google documentation and including the steps in the answer.

You could also take a look at the Contact Cleaner app for an initial cleanup. Not sure how much help that will be in your case (with the LinkedIn stuff it doesn't care about).
Another thing to consider: temporarily remove the LinkedIn "provider" from your configuration->accounts (if it is still left there after you uninstalled the connected app) may get rid you of all the LinkedIn-connections (at least it works this way with some Xing stuff; not sure about LinkedIn as I do not use it) -- and probably restore them without duplication when you re-add it (make a backup before trying this).
I am aware this doesn't completely answer your question, but it may solve a big deal of your problem concerning the size of your contact database, giving you at least a "partly relieve" and more time to consider a final approach.

I forgot to mention that I already removed those providers (sorry for that, the edit corrects this). Backups fail too (probably because the low memory). I tried contact cleaner to clean parts, but it is such a tedious process (300 fotos and 300 links takes very long), and might not solve the underlying issue. Will try that if all else fails. Thanks for thinking in the same line I did. +1 for that.

Ah, OK -- was just a thought. Glad to know I caught your idea. As memory seems to limit your possibilities in this track, your best approach will probably be to import your VCF to a PC client (or via the WebIF into a separate address book on your Google account, as ce4 suggested above). That web client also offers you some tools for cleanup (e.g. merging entries).

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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How to get a more Linux like experience on Android?
Are there projects (e.g. ROMs) out there that offers a more Linux like experience on Android?
Here are some things that I hope for

easy installation on similar platforms
shell access
development tools such as gcc, Python

What's "easy installation on similar platforms"?

From Stackoverflow: Is there any way to run Python on Android?. I would recommend you to search at stackoverflow about GCC and Python, due to the nature of those applications.

@RichardBorcsik I'd like something similar to Debian that can run on a variety of platforms without much work by the end user.

On the multiple platforms and and Linux-like part, see the new Ubuntu Phone OS, How does the Ubuntu Phone OS relate to the Android OS?, though installing that will mean that you won't be running Android on your phone at all anymore.

There are quite a few options already:

Chroot to a full fledged linux (search for debian chroot android, it's got quite a few hits)
There are also native ports of Debian or Ubuntu for some phone/tablet models.
Shell access is already there: Terminal Emulator
If you install an aftermarket firmware such as CyanogenMod you will get  root access, busybox, bash, an ssh client/server amongst other things
Here's the SL4A project (scripting layer for android), it adds python, lua, perl and other interpreted languages to android
You can build Qt applications (yes, even those using QtGui) using Necessitas -- a port of most parts of the Qt Desktop framework to Android. Applications as complex as Quassel (an IRC client/server) can be built with very minimal source changes. In theory this would allow you to build much of KDE4, though some parts (e.g. the Plasma workspace) may be too heavily tied to Xorg/GLX.
Most C/C++ programs from GNU/Linux that do not require a graphical interface can be compiled to run on Android using the Android NDK

You can also use Qpython3 for python in android .
Features:

Run Python3 applications including script
and projects on Android device
Execute Python3 Code & File From QRCode
Support SL4A Programming, can access
android's feature, like network, bluetooth,
location
Support Python3 console
Support QEdit which allow you edit Python
code
Support FTP server, which can let you
transfer the Python3 project from your PC to
mobile easily

You can use kbox for linux utilities on your non-rooted android device.
Expand the Linux Capabilities on Android video shows how to install busybox without root.

Other things, you aware of. Feel free to add it here

If you feel your answer is incomplete and want to invite people to update it, you should make it Community Wiki.

Thanks for the hint @AlEverett, was my 1st time to do so.

Always happy to help.

botbrew is a fairly neat package manager for Android, too. Gives you some useful utilities like make, git. And since it's a package manager, you can add a ton more.

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


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Reasonable OneNote alternative for Android
I just wanted to know if there's a OneNote app for Android, that would allow me to actually use it to its full potential (unlike that crap released by MS).
I am thinking about getting a Transformer and it is very important to me since all my notes from classes and lectures are in OneNote. I found many apps that would allow me to work with Word, Excel or PowerPoint. But everybody seems to be forgetting about OneNote...

What's wrong with the official?

It lacks .. everything. I need the equation editor, tags, text formatting, charts, tables, customizable shortcuts (via AutoCorrect). The official only allows me to view already done notes and change bold, italic or underline and can do 2 types of lists. Not good enough to take notes

You should add that information to your question. As it stands, this question isn't a good fit for this site. Questions that "ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face" are what works here.

OneNote for Android?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.onenote&hl=en
hope I got you right - as my answer is... well... just tooooo obvious :)

You didn't. Quote from the question: "unlike that crap released by MS" the one you linked is the one described as crap.

Evernote
I consider Evernote to be the closest alternative to OneNote, available from Google Play Store.
For me, the biggest advantage of Evernote, which even OneNote doesn’t have, is the synchronization feature.

Key Features:

Sync all of your notes across the computers and devices you use
Create and edit text notes, to-dos and task lists
Save, sync and share files
Search for text inside images
Organize notes by notebooks and tags
Email notes and save tweets to your Evernote account
Connect Evernote to other apps and products you use
Share notes with friends and colleagues via Facebook and Twitter

Screen Shots (Android):

While I'm an Evernote user myself, it's really lacking in terms of note content. It doesn't have any of the feature that the OP lists in the comments.

@RichardBorcsik Hence why I said "closest alternative" ;) What the OP needs seems like a full Office Solution inside a Post-It application!

OneNote does have synchronization feature...

@SachinShekhar My bad, I don't use OneNote for a long time now... EverNote came along and throw it to the "box in the garage"! I'll provide an update to the answer. tks :)

I used Evernote for some time myself. While it is an ok app for casual notes, such as shopping list, todos and similar, it can't work as a paper replacement, in terms of taking notes in classes. Thanks, though

I know this is a very old discussion but so far the closest one I found (that nobody apparently knows yet) is Fiinote https://www.fiinote.com/#/
supports Android, Windows, there is an online HTML5 version, cloud sync, can write anywhere and move it, supports image attachment
I dare say that this has most of onenote's functionality we love and know on android even better than what Microsoft has provided!
BUT it is very cluttered and may be a mess for some who prefer OneNote clean look.
(that is kinda what is expected if you have the desktop OneNote client crammed into a 4.5 inch Android screen but it does the job pretty well so far and sync on all devices perfectly.)
I really hope OneNote team take a closer look at this software and make their Android version editable just like their awesome desktop version does beautifully!


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How to automatically enable WLAN when an app requests location info?
I currently have WLAN enabled all the time for triangulation,  even when I'm not near an access point I can use.  Is there any way to automatically enable it whenever an app requests location information, like it is done with the GPS?

I'm interested in this, see also https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=26119

As far as I know this is not possible. IMHO, it contradicts Google's incentive to have an as best as possible geolocation service.
Some background information:

Google maintains a huge database for its geolocation service ("Access coarse location" permission). It consists of:

Wifi access point mappings: Wifi MAC address resolve to a geolocation
Cell tower mapping: Cell tower ID's resolve to a geolocation

This database is "community" crowd-sourced by the huge Android user base, aka. everyone that has Google's location service enabled (see below)
Google is interested to have a high quality database, i.e. convince you to opt in to allowing your phone to be part of the crowd-sourcing
Hence: If you want to use 'coarse location' services from Google you opt in to constant data mining as long as it's enabled

PS:

Disabling Wifi only cuts you off from one of the possible information sources. Having Cell tower ID's will still give you coarse location, but with lower accuracy
Some may recall the Skyhook vs. Google dispute where Google seemingly pressured Motorola and Samsung to prefer Google's own geolocation service over that of Skyhook (out of fear for losing part of the crowdsourcing community if those two big players would have used the 3rd party Skyhook service). Source: TheVerge

IMHO, I do not see why the location service cannot save power and just activate the WiFi antenna when it needs it, exactly as it does with the GPS antenna. Sorry ce4, this has nothing to do with the opt-in on this screen. I mean, "Sure Google, use WiFi networks to determine my location, but kindly turn off the WiFi antenna when you're done."

it's more subtle, the service polls your location not only when you use it but reports your wifi&cell data constantly. I just wanted to give an impression why someone might wanted  it to not turn off when idle and why it's the way it is. It's more speculative than backed, I know, tough

There is now a feature that turns on WiFi for location purposes. Settings->Wi-Fi->Advanced->"Scanning always available"
You can turn WiFi off to save power, but still have location requests turn WiFi on temporarily.


text:
What Trusted Root CAs are included in Android by default?
There doesn't seem to be a central Android resource that lists the Trusted Root CAs included in the OS or default browser (related question on SO), so how can I find out which are included on my phone by default?
With the number of root certificates that have been compromised, and the number of fraudulent SSL certs created over the last couple of years, this is an issue for anyone relying on SSL for security, as otherwise you won't know if you want to remove any trusted CAs.
(not listing my manufacturer or OS version as I'm looking for a generic resource or solution that should be applicable to any device)

I have used this app (root required) to list and delete individual root certs: CACertMan or on Play Store. The guradian project also maintains an edited version of the standard keystore: https://github.com/guardianproject/cacert

Play Store link in previous comment is wrong - Here's the right one Play Store

@Michael: Thanks for the hint, seems I messed up with my copy/paste buffer (leaving the comment, as you and eldarerathis both provided the correct one)

On ICS or later you can check this in your settings. Go to Settings->Security->Trusted Credentials to see a list of all your trusted CAs, separated by whether they were included with the system or installed by the user.
Earlier versions of Android keep their certs under /system/etc/security in an encrypted bundle named cacerts.bks which you can extract using Bouncy Castle and the keytool program. The summary is to first pull the bundle using adb (you need a root shell) then you can use Bouncy Castle to list the contents of the bundle:
shell~$ adb pull /system/etc/security/cacerts.bks`
shell~$ keytool -keystore cacerts.bks -storetype BKS -provider org.bouncycastle.jce.provider.BouncyCastleProvider -storepass changeit -v -list

There's also at least one app that you can try if you'd prefer not to use the shell: CACertMan (requires root to modify the list, but should allow you to view the list without root). I believe it came about due to the DigiNotar fiasco since there were no particularly easy ways for a user to revoke the cert at the time. Since the certs are stored differently on ICS and later this app will only work on devices running Gingerbread (or earlier), but it is obsolete on ICS/JB anyway.

Yep, it came because of DigiNotar. Root is only required for editing CAs out (e.g. Chinese state CAs), not for viewing I suppose (IIRC).

@ce4: I don't recall if you need root just to browse with CACertMan or not - I'll check that real quick. Update: Think you're right, I can list them if I deny it root access, I just can't save a modified list. I'll clarify that.

Is there a (rooted) way to edit/add certificates from the shell?  The Settings method claims success on my tablet, but the certificates aren't actually installed.


text:
Bluetooth file transfers from Sony Arc S always get interrupted
I am not able to transfer files completely over Bluetooth because the the transfers keep getting interrupted. My phone model is a Sony Arc S LT8i.
I tried to send a 700 kb image file to my Mac and it started to transfer but got interrupted when 90% of it was transferred. Similarly, I tried to send the same file to a Samsung Galaxy Ace phone and it sent 99% of the file when it got interrupted, at which point the receving phone (Ace) showed a message stating "Remote device disconnected". How can I fix this?

I once got that on my Xperia phone when I was transferring a 150 MB file over bluetooth.
Some things you can try:

Try transferring another file. If it transfers, send the other file.
If your phone is too close to the other device try moving your phone away from it.
Turn off bluetooth, then turn it back on.
Pair the device(s) with the phone.


text:
Stop sideway movement of menu revealed from top
On my Galaxy S3, when I slide my finger from the top edge of the screen down, a sort of quick menu is revealed to switch WiFi, GPS, sound...
When it is revealed, the animation goes from top to bottom but also slides sideways. I would like to stop this sideways animation, but I don't even know how this menu is called to Google it and I found no setting for it so far.

I believe you are talking about the notification drawer, and the top row of icons that toggle functionality like wifi, GPS etc.
There appears to be no way to customize what appears in the top row when you are on Samsung's stock software/ROM. You'll have to switch to a ROM like CM9 for that.


text:
What's the difference between Android Beam vs S Beam?
What is the difference between Android Beam on the Galaxy Nexus and S Beam on Galaxy S3?
Are these two features inter-compatible? Can I transfer data between the two devices?

Even though Android Beam and S Beam serve similar purposes, they actually work very differently and are not compatible with one another.
Android Beam uses NFC to pair your devices over Bluetooth, then transfers files over the Bluetooth connection. I believe it can also transfer very small pieces of data (contacts, links, etc) directly over NFC, as the Ice Cream Sandwich version highlights page implies:

For larger payloads, developers can even use Android Beam to initiate
  a connection and transfer the data over Bluetooth, without the need
  for user-visible pairing.

S Beam, however, uses Wi-Fi Direct to perform data transfers instead of Bluetooth. Their reasoning for doing this is that Wi-Fi Direct offers faster transfer speeds (they quote up to 300 Mbps). Therefore, this will only work with other S Beam enabled devices, currently limiting it to communication between two Galaxy S3s.
However, the SGS3 also supports Android Beam, so you can use that to transfer something between a GNex and an SGS3. Here is a tutorial on Sprint's website (should be essentially the same for other versions of the SGS3).

Apart from the difference in data transfer method (Bluetooth vs. Wi-Fi Direct), Android Beam in Jelly Beam and S Beam are also different in how they use NFC. S Beam uses the  ICS Android Beam to do its work, while the new Jelly Bean Android Beam feature is not visible to an ICS device (it uses a different LLCP port). It will be interesting to see how this will be solved when (if?) the SGS3 is updated to Jelly Bean.


text:
Force debug in safe mode via USB?
I did something so stupid I'm almost kind of proud of it. I rooted my LG Optimus T (Froyo) using Gingerbreak, cleaned out a bunch of stuff, and accidentally deleted the home screen launcher. No big, I'll just install a new one... but I have a chicken and egg problem now, that requires debug mode to get out of. I can't just open settings on my phone to set debug mode. And the phone only starts up in safe mode.
So the tl;dr is this: I need to force my phone into debug mode via USB, in safe mode. If I can't do this, I will have to buy a new phone. Please help me!

With a proper Recovery (e.g. ClockworkMod) in place, and having made a proper Nandroid Backup, you should be able to restore that and start over. Or did you forget that backup?

Besides (I wasn't sure first), if your CWM is recent, it should also offer you a root shell (see here -- so you could copy the Launcher to your SD-Card on your computer, insert it to your Optimus, launch CWM, and push the app to the system partition.

I had a Titanium Backup but it got damaged somehow. Anyway, I can't get to the screen to restore from backup either. I do not have ClockworkMod.

I see. Then the best you could probably do is to follow Michaels advice (which was what I had in mind in case you had no backup and no custom recovery, call it a "last ressort"). And make sure to include the last mentioned step, and install a custom recovery. CWM is the most used, some prefer Ammon Ra (I go with CWM).

Ultimate I did what I describe here: I deleted my only launcher but I never got it into debug mode.

Thanks for the late feedback, beth! So you were able to solve it at last, despite of that? Not that I think you're still waiting for a solution, after 3.5 years :)

Yeah I did, it's in the linked question. I linked form here in case some poor soul having the same problem stumbles on this question.

Community bump prevention: this question was closed because the question seems to have been abandoned (OP hasn't visited the network for more than 5 years, and no answers have score above 0). If anyone can evaluate the existing answers, feel free to vote accordingly and reopen the question (or mod-flag the question requesting for reopening). For anyone else having the same issue, please post a new question and refer to this question as additional context.

The easiest way to recover your phone is to flash the original factory firmware on it.
After much searching I found a thread at XDA which explains how to do this for the LG Optimus series phones including the P509 (yours).
You can obtain the original firmware by following these directions (substituting P509 which you have for P500).
After you recover, remember that the first thing you should do after rooting a phone is to install a custom recovery (usually Clockworkmod Recovery) as this gives you access to tools to manage situations like this.

I have seen that thread before. The links to country codes and such are all dead. :(


text:
Can I delete Zinio pdf files?
There are password protected page1.pdf, page2.pdf, etc... under mnt/sdcard/com.zinio.mobile.android.reader/9380198313/123123231/32123213 etc...
Can I delete them?

If you don't need them anymore, then you should be able to delete them. I'm not familiar with Zinio, but is there a way to safely delete the magazines within the application? I would try that first.
Deleting these files may cause app instability if it is expecting them to be there (when they aren't). Try moving them somewhere else (don't delete them just yet) and see how the application behaves with them "missing/moved".

I did not need them in the first place, they were just there. I did not use Zinio either at all

@ChesnokovYuriy: Was the Zinio app ever installed on your Android device?


text:
Samsung Tab P7500. How to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich?

Possible Duplicate:
When will my device get the Android 4.0 update (Ice Cream Sandwich)?

is the update for Ice Cream Sandwich for the Samsung Tab 10.1 WiFi + 3G available yet? From where should I learn about it?

No official update to ICS is currently available for your device. However, Samsung says that they will be providing either an ICS update (Ice Cream Sandwich), or a feature upgrade that provides similar capabilities as ICS.
Source

NOTE: The following Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) tutorial can support you upgrading your Galaxy >S II to Android 4.0 ICS. It will be available for other Galaxy devices shortly.
  For select models where ICS will not be available a feature update alternative will be >offered giving similar functionality to ICS.


text:
Where can I find a list of the default emoticons on Ice Cream Sandwich?
My fiance has figured out how to make android emoticons with hearts as eyes, and a kissing emoticon, and I'd like to send the same emoticons back to her, but I can't figure out how. Is there a list of the default emoticons in Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean?
Edit: To clarify, I'm looking to find a table showing how different strings of characters translate into the icons that ICS displays when I receive an emoticon.

Is this in the Messaging app?

Here are all the emoticons from Ice Cream Sandwich with typed string. And a couple of extra ones that are not mentioned above.

From http://juxtaposedgraphix.blogspot.in/2012/09/android-40-ics-emoticons-ice-cream.html

I do not have a mapping between characters and images, but I was able to figure out where the images are stored and its contents.  The images are stored in  /system/framework/framework-res.apk.
Having pulled this file from ICS emulator, I extracted and found 16 files for emoticons grouped based on DPI.
The following are the files and its preview for ldpi.

and the hdpi:

I could not find the map between the string that we type and its corresponding image.  There are many Google search results that will help to replace these image files and add some more stuff as well.  The added emoticons will make sense only if both sender and receiver has this modification, else it will be seen just as a text only.
I know this does not answer your question, but while trying to find out one I stumbled on this information which could be useful for some one or some one knowledgeable enough can take it from here.
Mapping
Roxan shows us that Android's default keyboard has 16 emotions when you long press the ":-)" key. Let's see if we can figure out how the map to the symbols:
:-)   emo_im_happy
:-(   emo_im_sad
:-D   emo_im_laughing
:'(   emo_im_cyring
:-/   emo_im_undecided
:-[   emo_im_embarrassed
O:-)  emo_im_angel
:-!   emo_im_foot_in_mouth
:-$   emo_im_money_mouth
B-)   emo_im_cool
:-*   emo_im_kissing
:O    emo_im_yelling
=-O   emo_im_suprised
:-P   emo_im_toungue_sticking_out
;-)   emo_im_winking
:-X   emo_im_lips_are_sealed
o.O   emo_im_wtf

You can edit the answer if you found an error or a new mapping

While typing a message in default keyboard there is an emotion button in the right bottom corner. If you long press it, it will show you all the emotions.

Source:
http://androidspin.com/2011/11/20/ice-cream-sandwich-keyboard-available-for-download-and-install/

That shows me the characters used to create the emoticon. I'm looking to figure out how they translate into the icons that ICS displays when I receive one of these emoticons.

I don't know if I still understand you but its just direct mapping. For eg: characters that forms smiley face translates to smiley emotion, characters forming sad face translates to sad emotion and so on.

Type one of each into a text message, and Android will happily display the results for you.

Select the menu butyon at bottom when keyboard is open..not on keyboard but menu button on phone..then insert smiley will be an option.  Select that and default all smiley "icons" will display.  There are more than the keybaod smile displays.  Hope this helps.

On your phone go to the play store and look for emoji keyboards for galaxy, after you install it you should set everything up then it will show squares after it shows squares in the notification bar you should see something you need to download so that you can see the emojis download that and set it up and your emojis should show up.
There is currently no updates for the galaxy s2 all though i tryed to update it for colored emojis i will update you if i see any updates.
(this is for ice cream sandwhich)

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


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Download Archive of Old Google Apps (APKs) for G1 (1.6 Donut)
Are old APKs for Google Android apps available for download from some official or trusted source?
I just reset my G1, and would like to reinstall some of the (older) Google apps that don't appear to be available in the Market* anymore.
Google did make some older versions of their apps available, but not everything that I'd like to get back.  For example, I was able to update to Google Maps version 5.6.2, though the newest version in Google Play is (I think) 6.9.0, but Google Listen doesn't any longer appear to be available through the Market app on the G1.
Update: Though searching for "listen" or "google listen" within the Market app does not turn up a listing for the target app, nor does viewing a list of applications by publisher "Google Inc.", I was able to get the Google Listen app through the Market, by going to the web browser, and navigating to https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.listen, and then letting the Market app handle the redirected Intent.
I'd still like to know if an official or trusted source is available to download old APKs published by Google.
*It's still called the Market on the G1 running 1.6 Donut.  I'm guessing Google didn't bother to make the new Google Play store compatible with old devices/versions.

I do not think this question should be closed. While the number of phones out there with versions below 2.2 is vanishingly small, they are still out there. Being able to keep them viable and as up to date (as possible) is certainly on-topic for this site.

Closely related is this question: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/14910/where-can-find-older-versions-of-apps . The answers there provide a number of unofficial repositories. Caveat Emptor, of course. Some of them look pretty dodgy to me.

Official? No.
Trusted? Well that depends on who you trust. Rootzwiki has a list of the GApps packages for all Android versions.
Now for the rant part: Google understandably and thankfully doesn't support old versions.  The ROI is getting lower and lower with the older platforms. No person in their right mind would support 1.6 when they have 4.1 out there and a newer version in the works.

Re: your rant: Except that Android 4.x represents less than 12% of the currently active Android phones, so supporting older versions isn't necessarily so crazy. On the other hand Android 1.6 is only 0.5% of still active phones, so... (source)

this link is only for the "Google Apps" that are part of the "google experience" devices, like the "market", youtube, gmail, maps. I think he is looking for other apps as well, that were only released in the "market/play store", like listen, translate, google+, etc.

@AlEverett What I meant was not that Google should drop support for all older version, but supporting 1.6 doesn't make much sense, and he shouldn't blame Google. Of course 2.2 and 2.3 are going to be here for quite some time and they should be (and currently are) supported. But 1.6? It's going to be 3 years old this year.

@RyanConrad The only site I'm aware of that host older versions (as in really old versions) also host warez so  I'm not going to link to it here. If the OP wants it he can contact me.


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How to provide Internect connection via proxy server in Emulator
I am developing an application in my university lab.
   My lab administration provides a proxy server instead of a real internet connection to our university computers.
I don't know how to configure a proxy server with the Android emulator.
Any ideas?

Maybe would be better at stackexchange very slightly.

@liamwli No it wouldn't. This has nothing to do with development.

I see this blog post explaining how to configure APN settings to browse through a proxy.  At first, I could not believe that the APN mentioned (as TelKila) in the post will be available in my emulator. But to my surprise I find a APN is available though with a different name (as T-Mobile US).
Since I do not have a proxy server environment, I could not check and confirm this.  However the comment in the blog seems to confirm it.

Thanks lot.. after setup my proxy server Environment i can able to connect with internet..

Very badly, there isn't a way to do this. Emulators are just like androids - no way to add a proxy, unless you use an external app, and you must be rooted to do so.

my problem is i can't able to connect with internet in emulator

I know, and I said there is no way to connect via a proxy in the emulator.


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Can I monitor my phones temperature?
Recently in the UK we've had an unexpected bout of nice weather which means wherever I leave my phone it tends to get quite warm. I know the operating range of my phone (Sony Ericsson Arc) however is there an easy way to find out how warm it is?
It's never left in the sun, always in the shade. If I need to root it I'm open to options - currently running stock 2.3.4 Android.

You can use TempMonitor available from Google Play Store:

System temperature reading in your status bar updating at your choice interval.
TempMonitor is the oldest CPU Temperature monitoring app on the android market. This app is built to do one thing: Temperature, and it does it well.

Some features that you might like:
The temperature can be displayed on the status bar or in the APP Screen. You can also select what you want to see:

Choose from Celsius or Fahrenheit.
Choose what temperature to display (Battery, CPU).
Choose the update interval.

You must, however, note that most devices don't have a temperature sensor. Only a battery temperature sensor, so it may not work.

@liamwli Yes, the APP will only work if there's hardware to extract the information from :) I'm not 100% sure, but I believe that this phone (Sony Ericsson Arc) only comes with a battery sensor. Still, is better to know some than knowing nothing :)

The app is no longer available on play store, do you have the apk of this app?

Note that the app is not available on the Play Store anymore, so future readers might have a difficulty in downloading it (you may still be able to see the entry on the Play Store if you have installed it before).

Battery Temperature Guard free is another cool app to monitor your Android's battery temperature. This will warn you if it gets too high.
This app was very useful during my summer vacation in south France :-)

Note that the app is not available on the Play Store anymore, so future readers might have a difficulty in downloading it (you may still be able to see the entry on the Play Store if you have installed it before).


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HTC Wildfire won't boot
My HTC Wildfire will not boot up. When I boot normally with the SD card in, I only get a screen that says "Fastboot" with the options bootloader, reboot, reboot bootloader and power down. It says to use the volume keys to select the option and press the power button to select. Using any of these buttons does nothing.
I then need to take the battery out, and power up while pressing the volume up button. I get an HBoot menu with the options fastboot, recovery, clear storage and simlock. The volume button does not allow me to select anything, but when I press the power button to select fastboot I get a number of messages saying SD checking load image [xxxx.zip] No image found This happens too quickly for me to see the name of the files missing.
I am able to connect my phone to a computer using USB, but I can do nothing there also.
Anybody got any suggestions?

Basically something wrong and bad happened and hence your phone is unable to boot.  I am not sure this is the answer, but I am just trying to help as I too faced such problem and was in panic during initial days with Android.
This XDA site beautifully explains the boot related problems and how you could get over.  Basically you have to reflash the ROM for which you need few USB drivers + flashing tool and original or some other ROM.  Though I am unable to point you to exactly to sites that provide these, I guess you can easily search for it.
TIP: Had if your phone Clockworkmod recovery, things will be bit easy. This is one convincing reason, I made up my mind to root and install CWM recovery as a first step on all my devices.

Before facing problems, make some backups : Nandroid for full and Titanium for partial ones.
When problems occurs, use restore from this backups.


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Using External Bluetooth dongle in ICS 4.0.3 Tablet
I have a HCL Me U1 Tablet with Android ICS 4.0.3 OS. Specification
It does not have internal bluetooth but has a Micro-USB and USB port.
I would like to know if bluetooth devices can be accessed by connecting an external bluetooth dongle through the USB port. And are there any apps for the same?
I have not rooted my tablet yet.
Any guidance on how to achieve it?

State what kernel version is it? Settings > About > Kernel version will tell you what it is :)]

@t0mm13b : The kernel version is 3.0.8


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Mobile data limiter keeps enabling itself
I'm 'grandfathered' in on Verizon's old 'unlimited' data program so I'm trying to get the data limiter to be completely disabled (or removed if that's possible).
Going to system->data usage->and unticking 'set mobile data limit' works to disable the mobile limits for a few days but after a while it re-enables itself and I get the 'mobile data limit exceeded' notification. Setting the data limit to some ungodly amount (terabytes) doesn't seem to have any effect.
The phone is a Razr Maxx with stock ICS 4.0.4. Not rooted currently but if that would help in solving the issue I have no problem making it happen.
Any ideas?

Try checking the limit box and then setting limit and warning bars higher some other forums have said it should work


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Changing android.os.build.serial
In terms of using android.os.build serial as a unique identifier

How/when is it generated
When does it change
Is it possible to manually change the value back to something that I had before
Is it something that can be expected to be available across devices and operating systems

most of these properties are in /system/build.prop (or a file like that). But i believe the android.os.build.serial is actually set when the device first boots. The system gets the device serial number and adds it to the properties.
I actually found a commit in some cyanogenmod code that you can see how exactly it is set:
(now this does say it is somewhat of a hack, but it is set when the device boots).
From Git:
57| sprintf(buf, "ro.serialno=%s", serial);

So can this value be easily changed (also considering that some users may be root)?

no, but i guess it could be changed with a custom ROM. if the custom ROM defines how the serial is retrieved from the device differently then how it is now.

I mean, given root privileges, can a user modify build.props or some other file (possibly modifying the sqlite database) to alter this value?

no, it comes from the hardware.

So if the number changed when I upgraded my rom (CM7 -> CM7.2) theres no easy way to change it back?

@arc Titanium Backup Pro supports backup and restore of this id.

any way to do it manually?

@RyanConrad, no I believe it does not come from the hardware, but it should behave as if it came from the hardware - it is supposed to be the equivalent of an IMEI/IMSI (which comes from a telephony device's hardware) for device's without telephony.


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How to manage Android's filesystem from a Mac?
Is there some way that I can explore, and possibly modify, my Android's file system from my Mac?  IOW, I would like to use my desktop Mac as the interface to access and modify my phone's filesystem, thus benefitting from full-sized keyboard and screen, mouse, etc.
(FWIW, my phone is rooted.)
Thanks!

As an extension question: I am wondering if the Android File Transfer program works on rooted devices? I ask because if it does, then that's one possible answer to your question.

As your device is rooted, you could try to install come SSHd app:

QuickSSHd explicitly mentions root support
DropBear SSH Server even requires it
SSHDroid mentions root as option

So all 3 of them should be able to "export" the full file system via SSH. So on a Mac (and Linux/Unix/BSD as well) you could directly connect from a terminal, or integrate the device's file system using e.g. SSHFS or Fish, on Windows you could use the famous WinSCP -- and probably many others.

The answer to my question turned out to be rather trivial (at least for my rooted HTC Incredible). Trivial to the point that I'm embarrassed I asked the question in the first place!
To explore/manipulate my phone's file system, all I had to do was connect it to my computer via USB, and choose "Disk drive" as the connection type.
Then the storage on my phone shows up as two additional volumes: one for /sdcard and one for /emmc, which I can manipulate like any other volume.
EDIT
Unfortunately, the approach as I've described it gives access only to those areas of the phone's file system that a user can modify without root access.
This approach is good enough for my purposes, but if you want free rein over your phone's file system, and don't mind going over to the "dark side" to get these powers, see this XDA Forum Thread.


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Stop Media Playback through adb
I'm testing some settings on a phone, and unfortunately the only control I have is through adb right now. My issue is that while I can start playback of a music file through the following command, I have no way of stopping it so I can perform the next iteration.
adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.View -d "file:///sdcard/Music/mediatest.mp3" -n "com.android.music/.MediaPlaybackActivity"

I don't know if it's possible to end the playback using another adb command, but it doesn't look like it to me - I see there are no Intents that seem to perform that function, nor any activities that are made to stop the media playback.

When you run the command, does the terminal "lock up" until the song has finished, or does it execute instantly and then return to the terminal prompt?

Use KeyEvent to do the job.
adb shell input keyevent 85

85 corresponds to KEYCODE_MEDIA_PLAY_PAUSE. More keycodes can be found  here or here.
Alternatively, if the activity featuring Play/Pause options is in foreground then you can do:
adb shell input touchscreen tap <X> <Y>

where <X> and <Y> are the coordinates of the tap that you would perform for Play/Pause using your fingers. See my answer here to know how to obtain them (step 1 and 2 under Instructions for Tasker and Xposed Additions).
Or, you can opt to completely kill the app using:
adb shell am force-stop <PKG_NAME>

Edit
Kitkat and above has the command media whose usage goes as,
adb shell media dispatch KEY

KEY can be play, pause, play-pause, mute, headsethook, stop, next, previous, rewind, record, fast-forword. (Source)

Though launching the app from scratch and sending different Mp3 location as data would also be easy thing to do.

I stopped music player using "top" command inside adb shell and killing the process id of music app with superuser(ROOT) access.

More in depth instructions would make this a nice answer.

@Peanut top shows the full package name on it, you don't need further explanations. Using keyevents and sending media stop is the way to go.


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Why does my myTouch 4G lose battery so fast?
So I formatted my phone today. I have not used it, and it was at 100% this morning. No apps installed, the screen was only on for about 10 minutes. Yet when I go to check it now, about 12 hours later, its battery is at 13%. I got a new battery a few days ago, so the battery isn't worn out. My phone is a myTouch 4G from t-mobile. My android version on it is 2.3.4

Please check if one of the following is helpful for you: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3052/what-does-battery-use-tell-and-how-is-it-implemented / http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/12347/what-can-cause-android-os-process-to-use-high-percentage-of-battery / http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/24675/battery-usage-by-certain-applications / http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/17382/how-can-i-find-out-what-causes-android-os-to-consume-battery

You can install BetterBatteryStats (from Play Store or from XDA, the latter is free) and see which is causing this.
If you're running the phone without a SIM card this might also be the reason:
Some phones aren't tested well if there's no SIM inserted (my old Xperia X8 is such a phone for example).
Narrow it down this way:

Switch the phone to airplane mode (switches wifi/bluetooth/gsm off)
Then re-enable wifi (plus maybe bluetooth) again. Just leave it for a while and see if it's better now.

I am running it with a SIM card, and need my wifi and stuff one.


text:
YouTube 3D on Nexus 7
How can I enable blue/red 3D for yt3d videos in the YouTube android app? I tried watching a yt3d-enabled video on my Nexus 7 but it just plays normally, with seemingly no way to enable 3D.


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Stereo audio input on any Android device?
Is there any Android device with a stereo audio input available?
I understand there is the analog microphone input commonly available on the headphone jack, but I am hoping there is a device out there that might have a stereo audio input hidden away on a dual-use USB port or something.

Good news!  Android 5.0 has support for audio capture via USB class-compliant devices.
You'll probably have to use your device at 48 kHz, and mixer control isn't supported, but at least it's something.
My Zoom H4n works out of the box with a Galaxy S6.

Try the Olimex OLinuXino A10S - https://www.olimex.com/Products/OLinuXino/A10S/


text:
Disable 'end call' tone?
I would like to disable the "beep" that is played when I hang up.
My Android 2.3.4 phone has no option to do that in the settings.
What can I do? Do I need to upgrade my Android version, or what?

Judging by this SO exchange That is specific to the ROM, I have GB here, and do not have  Settings -> Call settings -> All calls, nor is it present on my recently upgraded ICS either.

What do you mean by ROM. Do you mean memory or a specific Android version?

@yasserbn The ROM he is referring to is the Android OS installed to the phone. An example of a ROM is CyanogenMod (cyanogenmod.com)

If there's no option, you cannot do anything except trying to locate the tone's .ogg file and delete it, however this is a modification of the firmware (ROM) and comes with a risk. You also need to root your phone first to be able to alter the firmware.

For those who may encounter this in the future (trying to rip this tone perhaps?)
apparently, this tone is not saved locally as a file but rather appears to be generated on the fly by android:

While weird as to why do you hear that sound, you can look for it with a free APP:
Explorer by Speed Software available from Google Play Store:

Download and Install the APP
Open an browser your system to:
/system/media/audio/ui
Listen each file there to identify the one that corresponds to the sound you hear
If you are able to identify it, you can then buy the Root Explorer by Speed Software available from Google Play Store. (3.59€).
With this version you can delete files, thus deleting that audio file or replace it with an empty one to avoid issues with the system, but remove the sound anyway.

I did not find the file. Are you sure it should be there?

@yasserbn That is the location of the system UI sounds, like keypress, clicks, etc. That's the most probable location for that sound you've mentioned gets stored at.

@yasserbn You can check the remaining folders inside /system/media/audio/ for that sound! Despite being a bit strange not having a sound of that nature at the ui folder.


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Wi-Fi won't work on Motorola Droid
I bought a Motorola Droid A855. I don't have a verizon plan, but i was going to use it on Wi-Fi only. I turned off the phone radio, I also turned the Airplane Mode on. After I turned the Wi-Fi on. It showed that I'm connected, but I can't go on the web or anything requiring Wi-Fi. I tried going into the market and it said I don't have a data connection, but I don't need one since I'm using Wi-Fi. So, if anyone has any tips pleae help.

1st switch to airplane mode (shuts everything down), then re-enable wifi.

Many phones will show Wi-Fi as connected, but won't work unless Airplane Mode is turned off.

Wi-Fi won't work if Airplane Mode is on.
This is because Airplane Mode disables ALL wireless communications, for use on a plane.
On Stock ROM's, Airplane Mode also disables the FM Radio.
Solution:
Turn Airplane Mode off.

Funny. On my Droid2 as well as on my HTC buzz it works fine the way the OP describes it: 1) turn Airplane mode on, then 2) turn Wifi on. Of course it won't work the other way round, as turning Airplane mode on would include switching Wifi off. But once in Airplane mode, I can activate parts (here: Wifi) just fine, while all others stay off until explicitly activated (or Airplane mode turned off again).


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How do you test the disk integrity of your Android tablet's file system?
My Lenovo ThinkPad tablet is rather new (only a few months old), but I'm worried that it might be starting to contain some disk errors.
I just got a "Cannot read page from file system trouble ahead" error message from the LectureNotes application and I'm not sure what it means, especially since a Google for the error produced no results.
Anyways, is there a chkdisk, Hard Disk Sentinel, or something for the tablet's SSD drive that I can use?

Tools like fsck would only check the file system. However, internal memory uses NAND-Flash, which should handle bad blocks itself with internal "bad block tables".
For file system checks, you would find a corresponding article on XDA: "[HOW TO] Check your filesystem (a la 'fsck')". Fortunately, there's also an article on the NAND-Flash level: "Is there a tool for checking the nand memory for bad blocks?".
As this is a very special thing (and most likely not interesting for too many of our readers), I permit myself to not elaborating the details, and just linking the relevant sources ;)


text:
Where Can I Get The Latest GApps (Google services framework)?
I need the latest version of GApps for my rom (running Android 4.1.2), however none of the sites that I found allow me to download it (I think it is an issue with my internet).
What is the best place to get them from?

The most frequently used site for downloading Google's proprietary bits is Goo.im (formerly goo-inside.me).
However it can be a little confusing as it list all version so I recommend you check out this Rootzwiki page as it list the recommended versions as well as the changelogs.

Dead link! You should update it with the amount of page views/upvotes. Thx

Hey @AaronGillion, I'm no longer and android users, so I'm not up to date with this kind of stuff. I've made this into a community wiki, feel free to update it ;)


text:
Android: POP3-only email clients without mandatory SMTP settings?
I have a few email accounts at a free email service (and all accounts are old but I prefer to use them as non-primary), and I'd like to connect them to my Android email client. In free mode, that email service only allows POP3 access so I use that for registering at message boards, services etc for really long time. When I was trying to add those accounts to my Android email client, I failed to do that because my client also requires SMTP settings. Sure, as a work around, I can use Gmail to import those accounts to my primary Gmail, but I'd like to keep them separated.
So, the question is: is there an Android email client that does not require mandatory SMTP access?
Thanks in advance.

questions about mobile devices are off topic on superuser, have a look at the faq. better have the question migrated to android.SE.

@WalterMaier-Murdnelch oops, I was not aware of Android StackExchange. Thanks!

No problem, but please do not repost your question there, wait for migration :)

Found it myself:
K-9 Mail @ Google Play


text:
Are there any alternate mirrors for downloading Android Source
Presently I am trying to download the android 4.0 source from
https://android.googlesource.com/platform/manifest -b android-4.0.1_r1

The package and project paths are accessible here https://android.googlesource.com/platform/manifest/+/c4e4db1a85b9bea00b9fe8c6a18f9d3357adab0c/default.xml
Currently I am using ubuntu based curl , gitcore and repo to download the source.
I tried to search but could not find any public HTTP or FTP mirrors that shares the entire source code in a compressed iso or rar file. Is anyone aware of such public mirrors.

Well such mirrors would defeat the purpose of using git - version control.

True , I do lose version control but for now I am looking for just having a local build and at the same time share the entire source code in a portable iso or zipped format across the lab network.

I don't think this is within the scope of our site - it's not an end-user question about Android devices. You could try Stack Overflow but first I would search to see if this has been discussed (one possible example: Is there a working public mirror of android.git.kernel.org).

Thanks @eldarerathis. I did see the question on stackoverflow however it did not provided on any open HTTP or FTP based compressed download. Anyways, thanks for your efforts and my apologies if this question went out of end user latitude and I did found one mirror to be precise :http://fosbase.com/android/

you wouldn't regret downloading the version-controlled version; it's unlikely you would never want to update it in the future, and updating the git tree is much, much faster than redownloading the whole thing again every time.

Here are the mirrors I know of. GitHub I know is an "up to date" mirror, not sure about the rest.

GitHub
Code Aurora

Code Aurora (CAF) is slightly tweaked for qualcomm devices... you need the aosp/.... branch and manifest to get at the pure AOSP sources.

Can I ftp to github and download entire folder at one go ?

@MossFarmer: You can download a zipped archive

@Ryan : Thanks for the link , but its a package level zipped download and not the entire branch for a particular version for example (all projects under - 4.0.1_r1)


text:
How do I prompt the user for "Device Administrator" on Tasker?
I made a Tasker app via the Tasker App Factory that locks the screen based on various occasions. My app works fine except from the initial run which would require the user to enable it as "Device Administrator". How do I prompt the user to do this instead of having to instruct them to go to Settings > Security > Device Administrators? I'm quite positive it has to be done by using Send intent (a Tasker function) but I'm not sure how to go about doing it.
Just to clarify, I want to show the user the dialog box for "Device Administrator" automatically on first open of the app.

Okay so I tried using Intent Intercept but even that, doesn't seem to intercept the Device Administrator prompt. See my video below on how the Device Administrator prompt appears when I select it to be enabled on Secure Settings (a Tasker plugin).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TprkAYoDVDI
As you can see above, Intent Intercept never prompted me and the Device Administrator dialog still popped up.

What's the difference between "prompt the user" and "instruct them"?  I'm guessing that you mean you want the app to open the security settings along with a popup that tells them to enable it as a Device Admin when they initially run the app.  Am I understanding correctly?

@Matt Yes, you understood my aim exactly. :) I figured it would be a better user experience if they are simply prompted.

I'm no expert on intents but this is the best answer I can offer...
There are intents that can enable the Device Admin status but since Tasker is not yet a device admin I don't think your prompt will allow the user to enable this directly.
The next best thing would be to have Tasker open the Device Administration settings page with a popup that instructs them to enable it.
In tasker, using the "Settings Dialog Action" you can create an action that opens to the Security Settings page but the user would have to manually go to the next step to open the "Device Administror" menu.  You can create a popup message directing what to do with the "Alert/Popup Action".
If you want to go directly to the Device Administror Menu you may be able to do that with the "Misc/Send Intent Action."  To find specific intent for the Device Admin Menu you can try an app called Inent Interceptor.  If you are able to identify the specific intent that opens that menu it's pretty straight forward from there.

Hi, I used Intent Intercept and updated my question above along with a demo video of how I want it to prompt others. The problem is, Intent Intercept didn't seem to catch it as well.

Try: com.android.settings/com.android.settings.DeviceAdminSettings


text:
Is there a reason Google Reader drains this much battery?
It doesn't strike me as normal that Google Reader should drain more battery than even my screen. Is this a known bug, or is it a settings issue? I'm using 4.1.1

Are you using the app a lot?

How frequently is it set to update?  Do you have it set to download content for offline viewing?  What phone are you using?  My guess is that it is frequently updating in the background and transmitting a lot of data.

14+ hours on battery with 35% left? Doesn't seem like a problem to me.

Al: I'm almost certain that is a bug, the time wasn't reset when it started charging it again (not shown in the chart).

Try installing BetterBatteryStats or GSam Battery Monitor Pro.  Both apps can provide you granular data about how your phone's battery is being drained.  You know the power hog is Google Reader but these apps can help you determine if the app is killing the battery because it's using a ton of data or if it's initiating long or frequent wake-locks...
If I had to guess without any more info, I'd guess that Reader is updating in the background frequently and consuming a lot of data.


text:
USB transfer speed ridiculously slow
My Android connection to my computer is ridiculously slow. Just previous to this, I used Banshee to transfer some songs to my Android, and it took nearly two hours two transfer 23 songs. (The problem is not limited to Banshee, but any file transfer.)
I thought this might be a problem on the Ubuntu side of things, but I'm starting to think that the problem is either limited to, or more pronounced with, my Android device.
While I was doing variouos tests to try and diagnose the problem, by adding and removing various USB devices on my system and then testing file transfers, I saw speeds of up to 2MB/second, which I could live with.
However, no matter what I did, and regardless of what speed I have been able to achieve, after some amount of time, the problem returns. The speed becomes something more like 50KB/s or less.
Two hours to transfer 23 songs is practically unusuable.
Assuming for a moment that maybe my Ubuntu machine is not the problem, how can I determine if my Android phone is doing something to hold up the USB transfer speed?

Samsung Galaxy S2, Model number GT-I9100, Android version 4.0.4, Kernel version 3.0.34-Siyah-v3.3.2, Cyanogen 9-20120624.

As this isn't a solution but a workaround I won't post it as an answer: you can transfer files wirelessly instead if you're on the same network using Airdroid

You're running an outdated build/kernel, could you install the latest RC or nightly? There are now more recent CM9 builds you could try, e.g. RC2 or a nightly here. Just to check if this alone fixes your problem. PS: It's definitely kernel related (either Ubuntu's or Android's kernel)

Are you transferring to the internal memory, or the MicroSD. What spec is the MicroSD? If MicroSD then do you have a card reader that can accept it?

@w3d The problem seems to be with both the internal memory and the MicroSD. I do not have a separate card reader for the microSD. The MicroSD is a 16GB class 4 card made by Sandisk.

@ce4: I updated the kernel and the ROM, and now my GPS doesn't work. So I guess I'm back to playing feature-whack-a-mole.

"feature-whack-a-mole" made me smile :-) Have a euro S2 for some days, strange: No problem at all here, proved fairly stable so far. Except for the battery runtime but this is another story.

For another alternative, when I transfer music, I simply use ADB or as previously stated, over the internet such as Wifi and Dropbox.

This is a common problem with Android and Ubuntu. I got around this by using ADB to transfer the data.
Turn ADB on in your phones settings and make sure you have downloaded the ADB package on your computer (http://www.webupd8.org/2012/08/install-adb-and-fastboot-android-tools.html). Then run in terminal:
adb devices

to check that your device is recognized. Once you have done that you can transfer files using:
adb pull /sdcard/place_on_phone ~/place_on_computer

and
adb push ~/place_on_computer /sdcard/place_on_phone

Apparently still a problem, and this answer still works. You saved my day when I was getting an appalling 3.0 MB/sec transferring several GB to an Android 10 device.

Hi, CodePlex Archive will be shut down after July 1st, 2021, and we'd like to let you know about the current link to the (currently non-existent) wiki page. Considering that the project has been canceled, I'm not sure if there's a mirror of it. It'd be great if you can provide the content of the small shell script, or otherwise, is okay with removing the link to the CodePlex (or perhaps rewriting that part of the answer). Thanks for your understanding.

Hi, the shell script was really just a dialog around the commands in the answer, so I think it's fine to just remove the link.

this is the only working solution, BUT you need to turn on USB DEBUGGING in the developer settings (you'll need to enable developer mode first)

Thanks.  You're my hero today.

I too was having this problem, However after turning on the "USB debugging" in mobile, transfer speed increased to >10 MBPS.
Also important is to find where this device is connected to the computer USB2 or 1 . Use
lsusb -v then go to your device and look for value in bcdUSB field. Should be either 2.00 or 1.01

I saw a big improvement turning USB debugging off.

I played with this a few more times.  Here is what worked for me
Disable ptp mode which is used for transfering pictures from phone to mac.  I suspect it was using the mode in background to sync photos and thus using a portion of my bandwidth.
3 files pulled. 0 files skipped.
7016 KB/s (734352024 bytes in 102.214s)

Just in case, I have stepped in the problem, and have been stuck on it for 5 hours.
It might sound stupid, but as you may know, USB Ids sometimes collide. And this causes all kind of strange bugs. My recommendation is that you change the usb port you where connecting the phone to.
I own a nexus 4 and a nexus 7, and the 7 was being recognised as the nexus 4. Changing the port fixed it for me.


text:
Auto-Enhance Multiple Photos In Gallery?
Is there a way to auto-enhance multiple selected photos without picking one by one which supposedly takes more time since it returns me to start of photos list and I have to navigate and find last photo I shot and once again navigate to "Auto-Enchance" option.
If there's only app that can accomplish that, it is fine, I would like to know which one is it.
Andorid 2.3.5
HTC Desire S

There is a fairly new app called Perfectly Clear which allows you to select multiple images and apply corrections to all of them at once in batch. You could also set a preset and apply the enhancements the same way for all images. Fair warning, for the more advanced features they have in-app purchases.

Thanks, but is this the only app currently capable of doing this?

if you really do that often, compile/install image magic and use a script.  https://github.com/lilac/Android-ImageMagick
you will dread the though of going back to the lame algo in those apps.

I am UNrooted with stock 2.3.5 and suppose this is for advanced Android users.
What did you mean by lame algo? Does Image Magick replace camera Auto-Enchance effect in camera's editor?

you can compile and install your own APKs on non-rooted phones. or if you trust the link i sent, you can use the APKs ready from there. People usually mix up installing APKs with root-only or pirate apps. this is nonsense. installing apks is easy, but out of the scope here. The algo comment is just an allusion to the code quality and age in image magick. you don't get that quality/speed with 2.99 apps.


text:
Strange (unfamilar screen) on my Galaxy Tab?
I have a Galaxy Tab 10.1.  It was powered off and charging when my nephew picked it up and turned in on.  When he handed it to me on the screen was a graphic of an open box, the android logo with the words downloading.
It has been in this state for 4 hours now and I cannot switch the device on or off.  Please help me understand what has happened and what I should do.

Your device is in Download Mode. I don't have that device, but if the battery doesn't come out, you will probably need to use ADB and send an adb reboot to get it out of Download mode. If you don't know how to use ADB, then you can just let the battery die. I don't like that option though because the same image will be on the screen for an extended period of time.
Does the screen look like this:

To use ADB:

Download the USB Drivers from Samsung
Download the Android SDK
connect the device to your computer via USB cable
open a command prompt where the Android SDK was installed and change to the platform-tools directory. for example, my sdk is installed at c:\android-sdk so I run the following:
C:\android-sdk> cd platform-tools

then try to reboot with adb:
C:\android-sdk\platform-tools\> adb reboot

if that doesn't work try the following command:
C:\android-sdk\platform-tools\> fastboot reboot

Thanks, what is an adb reboot and do I execute?

yes, Thats the screen.

see my updates, hopefully it helps

I appreciate your efforts, but this wont help.  My computer OS is Ubuntu 12.04 (linux) and the drivers you are suggesting are for WIndows. I didnt include this information in my question stem as I didnt think it was relevant ( and its clearly stated on my profile)

Make sure you have the linux sdk tools installed, and then, with the USB cable from your PC to your tablet plugged in, do this from your terminal, sudo fastboot reboot

download mode is different from adb. That most probably won't help, or am I missing sth. here? I'd say, as in my answer below: Let it drain or issue an innocent command via odin or heimdall (linux). LIke 'heimdall detect' or 'heimdall download-pit'

Also note for the recovery: Issuing 'adb reboot' will reboot again to the recovery (at least from my experience with my Desire/Nexus S)

if you use ubuntu, its even easier, just get the android sdk for ubuntu and run "fastboot reboot". you dont need drivers.

@RyanConrad: Don't Samsung devices have 4 modes of operation: "download mode" (use with odin/heimdall), "fastboot mode", "recovery mode" and "normal mode"? Which mode is this device in, when it shows 'downloading..."? I'd guess, the first? Question to the OP: which of the following commands shows something:  "heimdall detect", "fastboot devices" or "adb devices" (run all as root)?

@ce4 i dont know if samsung devices have a true "fastboot" mode, but adb or fastboot can detect the device when in download mode, so it should be able to send the reboot command to it.

Just to be clear I am accepting this answer (however I just let the battery die and turned the device one again.  I will look to install the linux sdk tools and prepare both my device and PC for future occurrences should they happen.  Thanks to everyone

You most probably see this, right:

This is the Galaxy Tab's 'download mode' to install new firmware as a last resort via Samsung's Odin or to side-load aftermarket firmware.
You can wait for the battery to drain by itself without taking further action.

Nice to know it helped you. The easiest way  for a regular consumer but it needs some time though (until the battery ins empty)

I don't own a galaxy tab but some tablets have a hard reset button similar to windows power reset button. It's generally a small hole  and you can use a pin to reboot the device by pressing  the pin in the hole for few seconds. Basically what it does is it reboots the tablet. You don't require to wait for the battery drain.


text:
How do I use Google Talk with only one Google account?
I have two Google accounts set up on my Verizon Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX.
I wish to use Google Talk with only one of the two accounts, but not the other. But I still want to use Google Talk with the second account when I use it from the desktop and in other places.
Is there a way to have Google Talk sign in to only one of my two Google accounts?

Yes. You chose which account(s) to sign in with and what status they have individually. Just ensure you've signed out of any account you don't want to use.

And how exactly do I do that? There doesn't seem to be any option in Google Talk's settings to sign out of an account

Open Google Talk
Select your current account, to show a list of all accounts
Chose the account you want to sign out of
Select your own account
Change from Available to Sign Out

Aha, I finally found the Sign Out option, in the menu after selecting the account in question.


text:
Navigation Buttons (Back, Home, Menu, etc.) in the Notification/Statusbar?
I am remotely controlling an old Nexus One attached and talking to a Lego NXT robot. The Nexus One has a broken Home button. In the past I remember overcoming that by finding an app which added an emulated Home button placed in the Android notification/status bar pulldown.
The Nexus One is running CM7, I am controlling it by pushing/running scripts (ssh and http/https servers) and full GUI control (VNC server). Even with all of that control, I am still missing basic button/navigation control.
Any ideas on how to overcome this? I once used an OSD trackball emulator. Anyone know of OSD buttons or recall what I may have used to get a Home button in my notification menu?

You may be talking about Button Savior, but even if not, this APP allows you to trigger click on your phone buttons:

Relevant Features with or without root
Simulates:

Home key
Power key
Volume key
Camera key
Call key

Brilliant! Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for sharing, I was completely unaware of this app. Works as expected.


text:
Doing a clean install of Android on a Nexus phone or tablet
Recently I had a problem where my Nexus S phone would not upgrade to Jelly Bean. During the upgrade process I was getting an error message saying one of the files on my current system is corrupted, so the upgrade cannot be applied.
I knew clean install (instead of an upgrade) would fix the issue, but I had a really hard time finding clear information on how to do this. Most tutorials require you to download the new OS from untrusted sources (shady download sites) and assume your phone is rooted.
Thankfully as it turned out you can do this using official Google software only and you don't need to root your phone (you can - it doesn't matter).
I post instructions for the method I used, as an answer below. This is also useful when you need to do a true factory reset. The "factory reset" function in Android only clears user data, leaving the OS as it was - useless if your operating system is damaged or if it was modified and you would like to bring it to an original, stock state. This solves the problem.
This instructions should work for any Nexus phone or tablet.

Beware: The instructions are for clean installing an OS. That means ALL YOUR DATA will be permanently LOST. If your phone was previously rooted it will be brought back to an unrooted state (whether you want it or not).
Please, remember to make backups of any important data on your phone. It will be lost.

1. Turning on USB debuging
Turn on USB debugging on your device:
Go to System settings / Developer options and check "USB debugging".
2. Fastboot
You will need the fastboot tool. It's an official Google command line tool intended for developers. You can follow the official instructions for installing the tool, but they are pretty complicated. If you are on Mac OS X or Linux you should probably do what I've done and use the adb-fastboot-install open source tool.
Just download it, unzip it and use one of the following command line instructions (depending on your operating system):
sh ADB-Install-Mac.sh

or
sh ADB-Install-Linux.sh

Obviously while doing that you need to be inside the directory containing those files.
There are plenty of instructions on how to install fastboot on Windows (for example this one). See also user17512's answer for an alternative method for Windows users.
3. Going to device's fastboot mode
You need to connect the device to your computer using a USB cable and then access your device's fastboot mode:

On Nexus S: Turn off your phone. Press and hold Volume Up,
then press and hold Power.
On Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 5 and Nexus 10: Turn off your phone. Press and hold both
Volume Up and Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
On Nexus 4, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 and Nexus 9: Turn off your device. Press and hold Volume
Down, then press and hold Power.

4. Unlocking the bootloader
Execute the following command on your computer:
fastboot oem unlock

Note: this step will remove all your data from the device.
5. Downloading the factory image
Download the factory image for your particular device and your desired Android version directly from Google.
6. Installing the system
Unpack the archive (if you are on Windows you will probably need to download additional software for unpacking .tar.gz files. 7-zip will do the job. Mac and Linux users have all the required software installed already).
Go inside the newly unarchived directory and execute the following command:
./flash-all.sh

Note: This will wipe all data from your device
After some time your device should reboot and boot to your newly installed operating system :)
7. Relocking your bootloader
This step is not strictly necessary, but it's a good idea for security reasons. Reboot to the fastboot mode again (see step 2 above) and execute the following command on your computer:
fastboot oem lock

This worked great for me, I hope it will be helpful to other people :)

Very very helpful, it works for me on a Nexus S.
Thanks a lot for sharing, knowledge is the power.

If you have Windows, the excellent Nexus Root Toolkit will automate the process that was given here into a one click 'flash to stock & unroot' plus an additional option to OEM lock afterwards.  Of course it will unlock and root just as easily and other advanced features. You can get it at:
http://www.wugfresh.com/dev/nexus-root-toolkit/


text:
Is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 really incapable of connecting to ad hoc Wi-Fi?

Possible Duplicate:
Does any version of Android support ad-hoc connections?
Why can't my device see an ad-hoc WiFi network?

I created an ad hoc Wi-Fi network on my Windows XP laptop but I don't see it in my Samsung's network list. Why? I found instructions online on how to unlock ah hoc Wi-Fi support on Android. Is it really impossible to connect to ad hoc networks by default? What is the alternative? How can I connect my laptop and Tab?
UPDATE
I saw that ad hoc Wi-Fi is now called Wi-Fi Direct. Is this true? But settings for XP's ad hoc Wi-Fi are unrelated to Android's Wi-Fi Direct: the former requires an SSID and a key, while the latter requires only a device name. Also, Android's Wi-Fi Direct scanner sees no ad hoc network being published by the XP laptop.

WiFi direct is not related to Ad-hoc netwroks

So should Android support ad-hoc or not?


text:
If I root my Asus Transformer, will I still get and install the manufacture updates?
I have an Asus Eee Pad Transformer which I recently upgraded to 4.1 Jelly Bean from the manufacture.  If I were to root my device, will I still be able to get updates from the manufacture?
Its great that Asus has been so great about keeping such an old device up to date, but it makes me more apprehensive about making changes like rooting.  I need to root it to change the hardware keyboard to the dvorak layout.  I still need to find if I can even root it after I've upgraded to 4.1.

I don't know about how the hardware keyboard differs from the normal Android keyboard, but Jelly Bean does have Dvorak support out of the box. See my post for instructions (for stock Jelly Bean, at least).

When you root your device you're gaining administrator access to it (root). Nothing more nothing less.
So, unless you install a third party ROM, you will continue to receive updates and be able to use the source code you download. One small issue, updates may unroot your phone if you install them.

Some useful reading on this subject:

What does “to root a phone” mean?
Are there any risks to rooting a device?

I understand root as my main box at home is linux.  My concern is that having root will make the updates behave poorly on accident or on purpose by the manufacture.  A friend of mine had a droidx that wouldn't update after he rooted (though now that I think about it, it might have been the bootloader that got put on when he rooted).  Sounds like generally I'll still be able to get updates from the second link you posted.

@Dan: Custom bootloader and/or recovery are the usual culprits of stopped updates.


text:
How can I deal with unwanted system applications without rooting?
There are a lot of system apps in my mobile that I do not use, and have no intention of ever using. I know that is is possible to uninstall system apps and bloatware with root, but is it possible without root?
Are there any non-root options that will help me to deal with unwanted system applications?

No, that is impossible -- as only root can make the system partition writable (which is required to delete a system app, which is stored there). However, using ICS (Android 4.0) or above, you can at least "freeze" them (make it "invisible and unusable") -- and, if you later decide otherwise, also unfreeze them again (see e.g. How to Remove / Disable the Bloatware Apps in the HTC One X or Bye-bye, bloatware: Disable system apps in Android Ice Cream Sandwich).

I agree with Izzy's answer mostly, however technically it is possible to do so without.
Background:

System apps reside at /system/app/*
/system is a separate partition that is mounted read-only during normal use
Some phones (HTC) even lock the flash partition to disallow any write
Normally one gains root on the normal system to make /system writeable and remove stuff with root rights there
Rooting is the process of becoming root on the normal Android system and make this persistent by installing some file (/usr/xbin/su and such)

To remove apps without rooting one would have to not root his phone but find another means to remove unneeded apps from /system

On Google Nexus devices one would unlock and boot a temporary custom recovery to do that (no rooting of the normal Android instance)
With Samsung devices one could use the same approach like CF-Root does (download partition, modify, write back)
Or just run an exploit withouth the rooting procedure afterwards and use that temporary root to do all needed cleanup

Bottom line: Rooting and then doing it is far easier. I just wanted to explain that it is indeed possible technically

Can you tell about doing it for Samsung (Galaxy Y) in a little more detail, or may be provide a link?

I have no links, sorry. I'd say the easiest way to do it is root/remove-junk/unroot see here. If you really would like to do it without rooting: You can see the contents of unroot.zip and create your own update.zip that removes just what you don't like. However: You need to learn how to do it and how the scripting works, but beware of the risks: You could easily break your phone. Better root+unroot afterwards, it's a known path.

Just thinking out loud here; but wouldn't you be able to connect your phone to a Linux computer, and mount the /system partition from there?

No. The block dev for /system cannot be accessed via USB  mass storage without having root. Also regular linuxes don't support yaffs2 out of the box.


text:
Why does my Nexus S not see the Jelly Bean update?
My Nexus S is running the stock "soju" build of ICS from Google (build IMM76D). However, I have not seen the OTA update for Jelly Bean. Am I running the wrong version? Do I need to change some settings? Or should I expect the device to see the update soon?

You can try forcing your device to ask for a free download slot:

Settings > Apps > All
Find Google Service Framework in the list, tap on it
First tap Clear Data, then Force Stop

After this procedure the last checked date under Settings > About Phone > System Update should have been reset to 1970 or so. Tap the Check now button there and see if the update notification pops up now.
If this fails even after multiple tries, you can follow a slightly longer procedure described in this post, which involves taking out the SIM card.
Apart from that, you could just wait (you'll definitely get the update with your current config) or flash it manually.

I tried that; it still didn't see the update.

As I said, just a try not a guarantee although many users had success after doing this procedure multiple times. But, as the other comment points out, the rollout also depends on your carrier because Google doesn't roll it out at the same time all over the world but rather carrier by carrier. But there're definitely users with Nexus S on AT&T who got the update: http://erik.thauvin.net/blog/posts/3981/how-i-upgraded-my-att-nexus-s-i9020a-to-jelly-bean-android-411

Okay I followed the instructions in that guide, and it worked. I think removing the SIM was what caused it to work. (I suggest putting the link in your answer so more people will see it.)

good suggestion, added another short paragraph with the link. Have fun with Jelly Bean

My hunch is that you will indeed see the update eventually; I think the schedule depends on your carrier.
If you're impatient, you can download it directly from http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/google_crespo/9ZGgDXDi.zip, although I confess I was never able to get that to apply; you might also try downloading the entire 4.1 image and running the "flash-all" script; that worked for me on previous releases and thus I assume it'll work for you: https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/soju-jro03e-factory-c9f5a67d.tgz

Why should it depend on my carrier? It's the stock Google image so I thought it got updates from Google. (It's on an AT&T prepaid plan if that matters.)


text:
Removing Apps from "Other apps in my library" in Google Play?

Possible Duplicate:
How do I remove an app from the “My Android Apps” page?

Is it possible to remove some apps from appearing in "Other apps in my library" in "My Apps" in Google Play when logged in from my Google Account?

No. This is up as a 'Known Issue' on the Google website.
See: http://support.google.com/googleplay/bin/static.py?hl=en&page=known_issues.cs&ki_topic=1319135
Under 'Google Play Website'
Sorry.

Not quite true anymore, see How to remove apps from “all downloaded” in Play Store :) So it is possible now (but right, it wasn't possible for a long time, and probably not at the time you gave your answer).


text:
How to I force a bluetooth connection with a paired device while that device is currently connected with another paired device?
I have 3 jellybean devices (xoom, N7, & GNex) all paired with a single set of bluetooth headphones (Sony DR-BT21G).  Occasionally I get settled in with a device to watch netflix, only to find that my headphones are currently connected to the last used device in another room.  Right now I have to get up and find the other device and either shut it off, or manually disconnect the bluetooth connection with the headphones before I can manually connect with the device I want to use.  Seems pretty clumsy, especially when I'm feeling exceptionally lazy.
So.. How can I tell the device I'm holding to just "take over" the connection, forcing the other device to disconnect?


text:
Why are all contacts grayed out in Google Talk?
I have just noticed that all my contacts in Google Talk are grayed out. I can't chat, see their online status or otherwise use the app. What happened? Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot or fix this?
I have a Nexus S. I don't use Google Talk often, so this is the first time I have noticed the issue. There were a couple of recent events that may be related. A few days ago I received the official Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean OTA update from my carrier (I previously had 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich). Also, there was a major Google Talk outage that affected most desktop and mobile users.
I searched around and found possibly related reports, but with a few differences. For example, I don't have settings for turning off data usage. Also, I can correctly use Play Store and other Google apps. I cleared the Google Talk cache but nothing changed.

It turns out that I had somehow inadvertently gone offline. I went online again and Google Talk works now.

If you had gone offline then you wouldn't have been able to use the Play Store either?! That google talk outage was bizarre. I couldn't find anything about it in the news, but caused my Google Chrome browser to crash... "googletalk plugin has stopped responding".

I did some tests, and turns out that the contacts are grayed when your phone's APP isn't able to communicate with Google Talk servers.
This is also the behavior when using Google talk on other systems, or even from Google web pages, like Google+.
You didn't noticed this before, most likely because you never had a communication issue with their server, witch is good. I have my grayed contacts all the time :(


text:
Why does my phone keep telling me it has low storage?
My LG Android phone keeps telling me that it has low storage available. I have looked through the apps and have 5 text msgs on the phone.
It seems like I keep deleting and deleting and it keeps coming back!
Why do my actions not work and what can I do?

Many times it is not the apps themselves taking up all the internal storage, but rather data they keep cached (i.e. not your mentioned 5 text messages, but rather things like browser cache, temporary files (though the latter should be gone on reboot), and the like).
Now while you can go to the place mentioned by Narayanan to check all apps separately (Settings->Applications->Storage use) for cache used (and tap the delete-cache button where appliable), and you probably have to start that way as your limited internal storage most likely doesn't allow for additional apps being installed, there are apps around to ease these steps:

eClean is a high-rated app claiming to automatically care for a lot of cache storage like app cache, search- and browser history and more, and even claims it can do so automatically (starting an on-boot service)
1Tap Cleaner is a similar, also high rated app
1-Tap Clean Cache has a high rating as well, and cares for your apps cache
Cache Cleaner is another high-rated app caring for caches and history

Many more apps are available on the play store, but the mentioned four give you a good starting point. Of course, if you are low on internal storage, and run at least Android 2.2 or higher, you could also consider moving some of your rarely used app to SD using App2SD. Moreover, uninstalling apps no longer used is always a good idea.

In a normal usage, low storage warning comes up when the internal memory is getting nearly full.  The most likely reason for this is the applications count is on the rise over a period of time.  To know what are the applications that occupies more space, you can goto Settings->Applications->Storage use.  You can see entire applications that are installed on your phone (both pre installed and that you had installed).  Together with the name of the application, you can see its size.
How to get rid of this warning:
The only way to get rid of this warning is to free up the internal memory.  This can be done in several ways.  The best would be to investigate the above said list to spot the applications that you do not need and uninstalling them.  The next best option would be to move the application to your SD card.  Few applications, they themselves does this during installation and few does not and requires little force. Among the later there are few which are stubborn to work only on internal memory.
There are apps like Link2SD, Apps2SD etc. that will enable you to move apps from internal memory to SD card. I use Link2SD and I would recommend it. It is best to try the application after moving to SD card for its proper working.  The system applications are best to be left on internal storage.
SMS/Text messages and contacts do occupy some memory but in par with the applications, their foot print is quite small.
Could you post about the contents of those text messages? Sometimes service provider do send few text messages for APN settings.


text:
Android USB tethering to an OpenWRT router
I'd like to USB-tether my Android phone to a local router. I have a tether plan, so that's not an issue.
My reasons why I want it this way:

the router should expose the internet to all clients, not the phone
reduced cross-chatter, no additional (second) wifi
local connections are handled by the router, not the phone

I know there are other devices out there, like ZyXEL's routers and apps like ZoomTether.  That last one is almost like what I need — but I want a device, not a computer connected.
Has anybody done this?

BTW, the official word from ZyXEL: "Phone tethering will not work as there is no way to load the usb drivers for the phone onto the mwr222 to allow the tethering to work.."

Use OpenWRT 10.03 or later. Install the following modules:
kmod-nls-base
kmod-usb2
kmod-usb-core
kmod-usb-net
kmod-usb-net-cdc-ether
kmod-usb-net-rndis
kmod-usb-ohci
kmod-usb-uhci

Then edit /etc/config/network. Under the WAN configuration, change option ifname eth1 to option ifname usb0. Then enable USB tethering on the phone and reboot the router.
This article has some information about how to get the configuration smoother so you don't need to reboot the router each time you want to tether. This article has a simpler way.

Note that on some (all?) phones you need to manually enable USB tethering after each USB connect (or reboot). That may cause a connection loss after a blackout and you need to manually 'fix' this each time. You may want to change that behaviour via some /etc/init.d/* script (root required though) or so

Awesome, thanks David!  This will take me a while to test out - I'll let you know the results. fingers crossed

@end-user - how'd it go?

I wasn't able to get it to work.  Granted, I didn't convert over to OpenWRT from dd-wrt.  I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that they share a common ancestor and have access to similar modules.  I was able to find some of them, but it looks like dd-wrt uses an older-model package management system (a little surprising).  Up-shot is I don't have a lot of time to fiddle and haven't kept at it.

Thanks. I'll be sure to check out OpenWRT if / when I ever get LTE in my city. Cheers.

I think that link provided has a better package list than yours opkg install kmod-usb-uhci kmod-usb-net-rndis kmod-usb-acm I think you're requiring dependencies of those packages.