text:
Cyanogenmod: Profile redundancy?
I use Cyanogenmod profiles (on a Galaxy S2).
I've created a couple of custom profiles, "Silent" and "Totally Silent", and I switch to them by doing a long press on the power button. But I've noticed something disturbing: At the bottom of the dialog, there are 3 icons: A speaker with a cross over it, a vibrating phone, and a speaker. These look suspiciously like my profiles. When I switch to "Totally Silent", the icon gets switched to a vibrating phone. But when I switch back to default, it doesn't switch back to the speaker!
What's going on? Are there 2 separate profile selections? I want to have just one place where I set the profile, not two.

Profiles are just a way to change a bunch of settings at once. By long-pressing the power button and tapping ring/vibrate/silent (below airplane mode) you change a single setting however: The ringing behaviour.
The profiles work slightly different to what you expect.
You most probably forgot to enable some switches of the standard profile, most of them are on/off settings for which a profile has 3 actions:

activate
deactivate
modify / do-not-modify

This is for example very handy for a car mode that you activate to just switch off a security lock screen (+ enable GPS and leave all else as is).
The standard profile has a lot of those unset do-not-modify checkboxes (the checkboxes to the right), so unless you check them the profile doesn't actually change those settings.
Tick the checkbox and try again!


text:
Bluetooth HSP profile backward
I am deaf and use a cochlear implant and a hearing aid.
I have a device called a "microlink" which acts as a bluetooth 1.1 headset (amongst other things) and transmits audio received via BT to FM whence it is received by tiny FM receivers attached to my CI and HA.
This PHONAK Microlink device was expensive and works fine as a mobile phone headset (HSP profile), but when I had a NOKIA E series phone I could also play music from the phone's media player - which was fantastic!
Now, I have a Blackberry and a Nexus 7 and neither of them will send audio other than a phone call via the HSP profile, I assume they insist on A2DP for audio.
This is crippling to me, since I cannot now listen to music from either of my Blackberry or Nexus 7 without being wired up to it (or using a direct connection to the Microlink).
I cannot believe in this age of backward compatibility that there cannot be some way of sending media player output to (mono) bluetooth HSP as used to be the case.
Also, since the NEXUS 7 is not a phone - what the heck is the use of HSP on the device? (which shows in the profile list) - a nice port of Android, but why does it still think it's a phone!?
I came across an entry in some list some time ago (that I can't find now!) talking about being able to enter some secret AT string or something to a phone which caused it to redirect audio (from its speaker) to HSP bluetooth - does anyone know anything about this?

BTmono and BlueMusic app might do this.
Can you leave feedback when/if you tested it?
Here's a question on stackoverflow (for the programming part).

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Can't access my old files after switching ROM from AOKP to CM, even though they're still there
Initially I thought this was a problem with Google Play / Apollo, but I realize now that when I plug in my phone via USB, I can't see any of the many, many folders and files present on /sdcard that I could see previously.
If I copy a "new" mp3 onto my Galaxy Nexus, it's recognized just fine by both Google Play and Apollo. However, none of my old mp3s are recognized. They were placed in /sdcard/Music, a folder that I cannot see when I plug in my phone, only from the file manager running on the phone. The issue persists if I move an "old" mp3 from my music folder out into the sdcard root, it's still not recognized. This makes me think this might be permission related, but the file manager says that all files are readable and writable.
I've tried running "fix permissions" in both ROM manager and the CWM recovery, but it makes no difference. Any idea what has happened, and how to fix it so that I can use all my old files again? :)
edit If it's any help, I just ran ls -al in a terminal emulator and I can't see any difference at all between folders I can and cannot see. Example: I can see /sdcard/media just fine, because I created that folder from Explorer in Windows. Music in that directory works. I cannot see /sdcard/music. Here's the permissions:
drwxrwxr-x root sdcard_rw 2012-09-18 media
drwxrwxr-x root sdcard_rw 2012-09-16 music

This is a bit confusing.
edit2 When I try pulling and pushing a file with adb like so:
adb pull file.tar
adb push file.tar file2.tar

I get
failed to copy 'file.tar' to 'file2.tar': Read-only file system

As bk201doesntexist on the XDA forums pointed out, this is because you have to use an absolute path. However, when I do adb push file.tar /sdcard/file.tar the file gets transferred, shows up when i run ls, but it's invisible in the "Galaxy Nexus" unit in My Computer in Windows.
tl;dr When I push files with adb push they get transferred but don't show up in the "Galaxy Nexus" unit in My Computer. "Old" files from before ROM-switching do not show up. New files that I put in now work fine.

Can you check to see if there's a file called .nomedia inside either the /sdcard/Music directory or on the root of the card? An older version of CWM used to mistakenly create that file, which would prevent media from being properly scanned.

I've checked, and there's not. Remember that a lot of other folders also have "disappeared", such as DCIM, Download etc. (these I can also see just fine from my phone)

Also, try SDrescan app to manually launch the media scanner process to see if it picks up older media.

What happens if you adb pull an "old" mp3 to your PC and then adb push it back to either /sdcard/Music or /sdcard/media?

My initial adb pull/push test was incorrect, updated with new info now.

As a final resort, I tried doing a full wipe and reinstalling CM10 M1 completely, without restoring any settings or apps from any old installations. The issue still persists! Any files created with my now "old" CM10 installation no longer appear, even when they are moved within a folder where other "new" files are shown and working. Switching back to AOKP also did not solve the issue, so the issue does not only persist over reinstalls of CM but also across ROMs.
What finally solved this issue for me was reformatting my /sdcard partition with the newest version of CWM Recovery. This might not be a very clean solution, but in my case I needed to clean up the sdcard anyway.
If formatting isn't an option, try the other answer posted here regarding .nomedia files, I had no success with it as I was unable to find those files.

A few things that will do you good before you start resolving this issue.

This issue has been around since CM 9 and has been inherited by CM 10.
While ROM Manager (and not CWM) was the culprit some time ago, the issue has since been resolved by them.
The .nomedia file you are looking for should be inside /sdcard/Android/data. It may not be there but can't hurt to look for it.
Have a good file manager with root access installed and have it set up to search for hidden files. I recommend Root Explorer.

Okay, enough info. Let's get cracking. Follow this and let me know if it resolved your issue. Follow everything to the T. Do not leapfrog over steps or try to do anything else before you have gone through the entire process. All the best!

I don't understand. How can a .nomedia file in directory X cause directory Y to not show up? Also, with root mode on and "show hidden files" on, ES File Explorer reports no files matching when I search for .nomedia and *nomedia*. I'd also like to report that when I snap a picture, they show up as a black rectangle in Gallery, as opposed to not at all as the old files do. I'm sorry, but I don't see how your answer applies to my problem.

I don't know either but this did solve my problem which is exactly your problem except with a CM 10-based ROM called Paranoid Android on two separate devices, namely, the HTC Desire HD and the Galaxy Nexus GSM (codenamed maguro). Did you give it a shot anyway?

I did try to look for "nomedia"-files as I said, but didn't find any on my SD card whatsoever. No idea why, but reformatting the sdcard worked anyway so I'm satisfied, I needed to clean it up anyway.

Cool. Glad it worked out for you. :)

FWIW, I had a similar problem. After installing CM10, I could see the photos from my previous stock ROM on the phone, but not from my PC when plugged in via USB.
What I did was I used AirDroid to download the files to my PC, delete them using ES File Explorer, and then re-upload using AirDroid.

That is one way to solve the issue :) Still strange why this happens to begin with, as the files are obviously "there".

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


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Can I change gmail's format of displaying messages? Would like subject on top & bolded
I recently updated form Droid Bionic to Droid Razr M.  Now that I have ICS, I have noticed that in the gmail app, the messages are listed with the sender in bold and on top and the subject line smaller and underneath.  This is very frustrating for me as its often the subject not the sender that I am looking for.  Is there a way to update this?
If not, is there a different app I could install that would be like the gmail app but give me this flexibility?

Gmail is a proprietary app that cannot be changed. Your only course of action is to look for an alternative email package :)

In Gmail app I think there is no way to change the display format. You may try K-9 Mail.
It is the good email client for Android. It's incredibly powerful and 100% free
K-9 Mail is an open-source e-mail client with search, IMAP push email, multi-folder sync, flagging, filing, signatures, bcc-self, PGP, mail on SD & more!


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Transferring  files directly between Tablet and Phone
I want to copy files between my tablet (Toshiba AT100 with Android 4.0) and phone (Samsung Nexus S with Android 4.1) using the USB cable.
The tablet has a USB host port and once connected, the phone senses the host and asks to go into USB Storage mode. All looks good, select copy on the tablet, navigate to the mounted USB0 and to the desitred folder on the phone. However, selecting paste gives an access error. I assume it is a permission error. How do I fix this and allow the transfer. Do I need certain file explorer apps or is there a setting?

Are any of your devices rooted? (It might help if the requesting part is)

I have not rooted either of these devices.

If there is bluetooth on both devices, by using bluetooth you can choose what to copy using this tool called DroidCopy Disclaimer I am associated with this app :)

You nay also want to try using a variety of file transfer programs like Soft Data Cable or ES File Explorer File Manager; both of which should be able to transfer via Bluetooth, or over Wifi (ftp, etc) if you connect them on the same network.
Another alternative may be using a USB hosting app such as stick mount but requires root access!


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Path of music player playlist file?
Can any one explain me where save android's music player playlist files?
actually, I got problem when i format my SD Card after that no playlist in music player.
I am using samsung galaxy 551 with Android 2.2 froyo.

Possibly a duplicate of Where (and how) does Android store music playlists?

You can place .m3u files anywhere on sdcard which is under reach of media scanner. Playlist will be displayed in music player once media scanner will complete scanning sdcard.
Path of system-created playlists (playlists are common to all music players): /data/data/com.android.providers.media/databases/external-xxxxxxx.db where xxxxxxxx are random numbers. Path can be slightly different based on Android versions & devices.
If you want to backup your playlists, i'd recommend you to use Titanium Backup.

okay but i want playlists file path created using music player

@AnkurPatel Updated the question..

I thought media scanner wanted the m3u in the directory as the media. In the past, it would delete an m3u if it was the only thing in the directory as it thought the media for the playlist had been removed.

@Ryan Location of m3u file was never a matter. If you open the file in text viewer, you can find path of mp3 files in it. Those paths are relative. One can always use Absolute path.

@SachinShekhar maybe it is only pls files this happens to then.


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Vibrator not working after upgrading to ICS - Samsung Galaxy S2
I have upgraded to the latest official version available through Kies. And I have noticed that after the update the vibrator of the phone is not working. Actually its working but not in Silent mode on receiving a call. When we switch to vibrating mode or at the boot-up the phone, the vibrator vibrates. So the vibrator is functional.
I have searched a lot and I could not find any valid solutions.

Go to Settings -> Sound and make sure Silent mode is set to Vibrate, then in RINGTONE & NOTIFICATIONS section, check the option Vibrate on ring, then call yourself and it should vibrate.

@Ajmal Nice, you are welcome.


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Sync Native Calendar (Galaxy S3) with Windows Live Calendar
I currently have a Galaxy S3 unrooted with the shipped ROM. I am attempting to sync the native Calendar App with Windows Live Calendar.
I can see under the Calendar list that my @live.com calendars are there, however when selecting the correct calendar to sync to and adding the event it doesn't appear on the web.
Are there any additional settings that need to be modified (previously I have only ever synced with a Google account which seemed a lot easier)?

Have you tried adding a "Corporate" account in Android and entering Exchange settings manually? (I'm not sure live.com offers this but I know Google does, and uses this as a workaround on iPhones)


text:
execute linux commands on android froyo

Possible Duplicate:
How can I use shell commands and interact with the Linux system underneath?

I want execute linux commands on my android (Froyo).
How can i do it? any idea?
Should I root for that or any applications for execute linux commands.

Android Terminal Emulator might be what you're looking for :)

I use the same emulator. Works great.


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Clear Default not enabled in 4.0
I'm trying to set Chrome as my default browser but cannot. I go to apps and the clear default button is not enabled and says no default is set.

Are you looking at the Clear Defaults button on Chrome or the built-in browser application? Chrome's button won't be enabled because it isn't the default, you have to find the button on your current default browser so that you can unset it.

You don't have to go via your browser (Chrome, or some other browser in this case) to reset your default app settings though, you can do this from Settings > Apps. Click the "settings" dots in the top right hand corner and then choose "Reset app preferences". Your phone will now reset all app preferences and start asking you again what browser to use.

I have this problem with Android 4.4 and Huawei's Emotional UI. Clear Defaults is disabled (greyed out) from built-in apps such as Browser and Music. I can change e.g. music player from Settings > Manage apps > Default app settings, but the default browser cannot be changed with that tool. I have a rooted phone, so I ended up removing /system/priv-app/browser.apk after installing Chrome.


text:
Why does my hotspot stop after a period of time?
I use the hotspot feature on my HTC One X alot for connecting to the internet with my laptop.  It's worked fine for months, but all of a sudden the last two days, the hotspot just stops for no reason that I can discern.  I have restarted my phone and haven't installed any news apps recently.  Any ideas?

You most likely have a hotspot timeout setting enabled.
You can disable it by going to your Advanced Hotspot Settings, and editing the timeout value to never.
Note that in some versions of Android in order to access the Advanced Hotspot Settings you need to first access the WiFi Hotspot Settings and then press the phone's Menu button.

Thanks for that, this was the issue.  Never noticed the Advanced tab for this!

I am using Google Pixel which has latest update of android OS. I am not able to see any timeout settings for hotspot ?

hi i using moto g4 plus but i am not able to see the advance option anywhere. please guide me.

Just a note for others out there, the setting is not very easy to find (at least on my Samsung Galaxy S3 mini Android 4.1.1).
Go to Wireless and network -> More settings... -> Tethering and portable hotspot -> Portable WiFi hotspot. Once there, you'll have to press the Menu button (bottom left of your phone) and up pops Timeout settings!
One can only guess why they decided to hide that setting in such a hard-to-find place....

Any idea where this could be found on a OnePlus2? I would like to turn this feature on.

Maybe my phone does not have any option to prevent this, I cannot find any "Timeout settings" for wifi-hotspot of my android phone. I have found an alternative solution:
1. I turn off the security(pattern lock/password etc.) when I use wifi-hotspot and it works fine. For all the android mobile it should work I think: Go to "Settings" -> "Security" -> "Screen Lock" (you may have to enter existing pattern or password for the lock) and set security to "None".
2. Also set the sleep duration to a low number such as 2 minutes or 15 seconds etc. To change the sleep duration go to "Settings" -> "Display" -> "Sleep".
After this your mobile will hopefully not stop wifi-hotspot when it goes to sleep mode.
When you have done with your work
Enable the security again later by going to the same menu and setting security to "Pattern Lock" or anything you need. And you can also change the sleep settings as you like.
I have faced this problem with my android phone that I am currently using. This solution works perfectly for my phone and I found this solution myself finding no solution in internet. Then I shared the solution here in stackoverflow.
My recent findings is that, maybe the second step(mentioned above) alone can also do the trick.

Which Android device and version did you use to test this answer? I'm aware that when the device goes to sleep, a particular Wi-Fi setting can cause disconnection but I didn't hear about this being an issue with hotspot.

Yes my phone has this issue, it does not stop wifi hotspot but the connected devices don't get any internet from the hotspot, they are being blocked probably. I am using Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S. Android version 4.0.4. Thanks.

I had the same problem.  And then I realized that I'd set up Tasker to turn the hotspot off if it detected my favorite wifi network nearby.  I've since removed that Tasker option, and the hotspot has stayed on.
I did not simply forget about the Tasker setting.  Rather, even when I was nowhere near my favorite wifi networks, the hotspot would turn off.  Tasker needs to briefly turn on the phone's wifi every so often, in order to see if it's near my favorite wifi network, and in so doing, it must also turn off the hotspot; my guess is that, somehow, it was unable to turn the hotspot back on after it shut wifi down.

Thanks for the reply, unfortunately I am not running tasker.  Glad you were able to figure it out though!

Try calling your service provider. I had the same problem and upon making the call discovered that the company had some weird stipulation on my "unlimited" data plan that didn't allow for the hot spot without first paying a fee. Maybe there was a change in your service that weren't informed of

The fix is simple: Got to the setting in your device that is called: "Data enabled (Enable data access over Mobile network)"  UN-check it OFF, wait about 30 seconds, then RE-check it ON.
You will notice then within 10 seconds the 4g will re-appear, and turn a beautiful blue - which means all good and working.
Works everytime.
On Verizon, you will need to do this every 2 to 3 hours. Why? Because that's how Verizon does it.  T-Mobile does NOT create this restriction.
Also, you will notice that MOST devices wil NOT charge the battery when data is being DOWNloaded/streamed, so be ready for that.

There is also another possibility
I installed a program named Du Speed Buster and it turn off hotspot in order to boost the system speed
I had to unmark that to solve the problem
check all of your programs, because it can be some program like it

That's the curse of auto-taskkillers: too many negative side-effects.


text:
How can I stream audio from my phone over wifi to a speaker or receiver?
I have a Galaxy Nexus and would like to be able to send music from it to speakers or a receiver.
Since I use a few different apps to listen to music (Spotify and Pandora mostly but sometimes also Audible) I don't want to have to use a specific player.
And I'd like to do it all over WiFi because Bluetooth doesn't provide enough range for me (I've tried, many different ways).
Is there a way to do this with android?
What I'm not looking for:

A way to stream to or from a PC.
Anything involving BlueTooth.
A new music player app on android - I want to stream music from any app on my phone to a wireless receiver or speaker.
Anything involving software running on a PC.

This should work when my PC is off. I should be able to pull out my phone, open spotify or pandora or audible or google listen or whatever and hear the output on any speaker in the house.

I think you should clarify that you don't want to stream to a PC at all.  You want a non-PC piece of hardware to receive the stream.

Replace audio cable with wireless solution may be relevant.

You would think in this modern day that it would be widely supported and easy enough to just press the menu, connect to wifi speaker. and play. Exactly like bluetooth but just over wifi

You would need to get the speakers accessible over wireless somehow.
This does that: https://store.google.com/product/chromecast_audio
Alternatively, you could plug your android phone directly into your speakers and remotely control your android phone over wifi with a laptop/PC. May need to be rooted for this however.

I've got a Logitech squeezebox which comes close but there are features in the android version of spotify that aren't in the squeezebox plugin. Seems like something that should be doable. If I can stream all audio through Bluetooth why not over wifi?

yes it should be doable and it is possible, but would require a service like the one i mentioned. bluetooth differs in that it has the built in protocol that allows device to device audio transmission. wifi operates on a broader set of protocols not specific to media. of course media can be transfered over wifi but to stream it you need an interpretor.

Netgear WN3500RP is what I would recommend to anyone who is looking for this functionality. It is a Wi-Fi Range Extender...meaning it connects to your existing Wi-Fi router and basically extends the Wi-Fi coverage. The USP of this device is that it supports Airplay/DLNA.
How to use it?

Plugin your speakers to its 3.5mm audio input port.
Get an app to stream music from your phone over Wi-Fi. Preferably BubbleUPnP.

That's it. Enjoy streaming music wirelessly!
P.S. You can also stream videos to any TV with an HDMI port, using this device. You probably need an Ethernet to HDMI cable for this. I haven't tried this though.

Does IOS / Andriod not have build in support for streaming to an audio device?

10 years after the question has been asked Get an app to stream music from your phone over Wi-Fi. Preferably BubbleUPnP still seems to be the perfect answer. The receiver could be any of the long-long list.

AirPlay  provides this but your airport express device which will be connected to Speakers and yes you will be able to stream from phone. This is all apple solution - not sure if there is an Android app which allows doing that (Wikipedia tells that there are experimental apps which do that.)

I believe the Sonus WiFi receiver does these things - not cheap though.  They have a system that you have to plug-into your amplifier and it works over WiFi.
http://www.sonos.com/search/wireless_speakers?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=sonos-speakers&utm_campaign=branded-terms&gclid=CJ3J0MXJu7UCFULf4AodmVAALQ

sonos doesn't do this. It will stream music from your phone but the files have to be on the phone or a PC or NAS mediaserver. I want to stream from spotify and/or amazon mp3's cloud player. They try to do this with apps but the apps are never as powerful as the desktop version of the program.

kaiser baas wifi music streamer seems to be able to do what you want along with the android app that comes with it.
I was looking for something similar and just ordered it myself.
http://www.orb.net.au/media-player/wifi-music-streamer

Use a HiFi-WiFi box. Connect it to your HiFi (AuxIn), then (using your smartphone and app) view all available devices with music and all available devices with speakers.
It's simple, costs about £150, but it's worth it. It also works with all devices connected to a WiFi network.

doesn't do it. streams music files from the phone but doesn't handle streaming music services like spotify or amazon mp3.

If you're not afraid to get your hands dirty with a little DIY, you may be able to adapt this to your situation.
You're basically connecting your phone (with WiFi) to a router, the router to speakers. The audio streams wirelessly with wifi and plays on any speakers that are hooked to the router (which is done with a cheap usb sound card).
enjoy!

And when that link no longer works will this answer still be useful?

I was looking for a similar solution and I just found the AwoX StriimLINK.
The video is in French but the description and specs are in English. This should work for my needs, and hopefully yours too.

I found an application that can do the trick, it is called "AirAudio" but you have to root your phone and I am not to sure about this, if some one have tested please let me know

So what: this app "can do the trick", or you don't know? Maybe you can provide a link to it to check?

Sony's Walkman player does the job. You can stream your audio to network PC

OP has already stated that stream to a PC is exactly what they're not looking for.


text:
Prevent Trebuchet from showing up in Recent Apps?
Here's the setup I have for my phone right now:

I am running on a custom ROM that has Trebuchet for the home application.
The custom ROM is ICS-based.
I have somewhat successfully gotten Google Now (the Jelly Bean feature) to work on my phone.
I decided to use Home2 Shortcut to map double-clicking on my home button to launch Google Now's voice input.

The above setup works fine aside from a single caveat. When I view the Recent Apps menu while inside another application, I can see Trebuchet on the list. This is not the behavior I was looking for and from what I can tell, it is appearing on the Recent Apps because I've set Home2 Shortcut as my new home app (to handle the double-clicks) and then Home2 Shortcut opens Trebuchet as regular application.
So yeah, now I want to know how I can make Trebuchet not appear on Recent Apps. Is there some kind of manifest-editing that I can do to make Trebuchet act that way? If not, what other approaches can I try?

Duplicate? http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/27963/how-can-i-exclude-an-app-camera-from-the-recent-apps-list?rq=1

Umm I think mine is a different case.

Trebuchet is CM's own version of the stock ICS launcher, have you not tried the CyanogenMod forums about this issue?

I don't think my ROM is pure CM though. It's a cross between AOKP and CM I believe.


text:
Will Android read any other non-FAT file-system on SD card?
I use Sound Juicer to rip all of my music. I have a lot of songs that published in a different language, and moreover that use different characters. I find the native file system doesn't support much in the way of file names...
cp -R /home/ecarroll/Music/Tom\ Morello\:\ The\ Nightwatchman/ .
cp: cannot create directory `./Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman': Invalid argument

It just doesn't like a lot of characters,
mkdir "foo:bar baz"
mkdir: cannot create directory `foo:bar baz': Invalid argument

cp: cannot create regular file `./Rebel Diaz/Otro Guerrillero/1 - Which Side Are You On?.flac': Invalid argument

Currently the device is mounted as VFAT
/dev/sdc1 on /media/87B0-1816 type vfat (rw,nosuid,nodev,uid=1000,gid=1000,shortname=mixed,dmask=0077,utf8=1,showexec,flush,uhelper=udisks)

Can I possibly reformat my SD memory stick, and put a different non-FAT FS on it that the Android can read? For reference I'm running on Ice Cream Sandwich but wouldn't object to rooting the phone if required to get around this crap. I even pay for these songs...

The Theory
I guess this very much depends on your device and the ROM used. Searching the net, I found people using different file systems on their sd-cards successfully:

NTFS seems to work at least on a Transformer, according to this post
A post on XDA mentions an app to be used with the Samsung Galaxy tab (and S2) which made NTFS usage possible
According to this German post, CyanogenMod supports EXTFS on sd-card
different sources mention what sounds logical from the Unix/Linux standpoint: on a rooted device, you can format the sd-card with any file system supported, and adjust the fstab accordingly

Praxis: What does the Playstore say?
So following that Google-Search of mine, I checked the Playstore for hints -- as there was that mentioned app for NTFS in one of the threads. And indeedy, there were some reasonable findings:

Ntfs Mounter (requires root) claims: Automatically mount and dismount NTFS/FAT/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4 formated USB Sticks, USB HDD, SD Cards
NtfsSd (root) claims to be able to mount SD Card using NTFS

Conclusion and final thoughts
To sum up: If rooting your device is an option, above hints should offer you a selection of alternative file systems you could use on your sdcard. Which of those might be your choice will probably depend on some additional thoughts -- such as other devices you want to use your sdcard on. If those include a Windows system, you better stick with NTFS (as Windows is not easily convinced to read EXTFS). If not Windows systems are involved, you're probably better off with one of the EXTFS versions.


text:
Will a Samsung Galaxy S3 4G/LTE bought in the US work or be made to work on UK 4G?
I'm researching which phone to buy next and have mostly decided on a Samsung Galaxy S3.  I'm on T-Mobile in the UK, which will probably transition to everything-everywhere in short order, who are launching a 4G service.
I'd like to get the US variant of the phone because it is built with 2Gb of RAM and a 1.5GHz processor, as compared to the UK's 1Gb of RAM and a 1.4GHz processor.
I've read that the carrier frequencies for US 4G/LTE are different from the UK's.

Is that true?
If it's true, can the US variant be persuaded to work in the UK, 4G-wise?  I'm not shy of flashing custom ROMs and so forth.

(I'm assuming that it will work without issue on 3G?)

Is that true?

Yes, this is true. The USA is currently using the 700, 800 (Sprint only, I think), 1700 and 1900 MHz bands for LTE service, whereas European providers are using 800, 900, 1800, and 2600 MHz (Wikipedia).

If it's true, can the US variant be persuaded to work in the UK, 4G-wise? I'm not shy of flashing custom ROMs and so forth.

No. The frequency limitation is not set by the software - it's the antenna. Flashing custom ROMs will not allow you to access frequencies that the antenna is physically unable to support, so there's nothing you can do short of modifying the hardware.

I'm assuming that it will work without issue on 3G?

This could potentially depend slightly on which specific variant you want, I suppose. The AT&T one supports 850, 1900, and 2100 MHz frequencies, the T-Mobile USA one also supports 1700 on top of the other three. According to this table, T-Mobile UK uses the 2100 MHz band, so either should be compatible with their 3G service in that case.

I would not read too much into EE's rollout of 4G just yet, for starters, the frequencies are different, give that time, EE and other 4G operators in the UK would have the final say on the compatibility of the handset. Here in Ireland, 3 and Vodafone are planning a merger which would see the in-evitable 4G being rolled out - do not know when yet...
Stick with what you have with GSM at the moment.

You don't need the US phone to begin with. If you're just looking for the RAM:
According to a Cnet article the UK Version has 2GB of RAM. Apparently the international version excluding US also has 2GB RAM.

The LTE variant is not out until sometime in 2013...


text:
Deleted some apk files - but the apps are still there after reboot
This seems really weird to me.
I followed the instructions given here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=835861
and deleted the apk files of some stock applications like Layar. I also removed the odex files if I could find them.
Strangely, even after wiping the cache and a reboot, I can still run the apps from my launcher.
Samsung Galaxy S with CWM 3.2

Have you checked that apk file exists after reboot or not?

try browsing /system/app using root explorer and delete from there. Then reboot.

@SachinShekhar yes, the apk file doesn't exist any more in the folder /system/app

@ Web-E that's what I did at the beginning in order to get it deleted.

Some vendors set up their phones to reinstall system applications at boot in case they go missing.  Try finding a directory that contains a copy of the APK that's used to reinstall it, and delete it from there.
A simple alternative solution is to freeze the unwanted apps rather than uninstalling them.  Titanium Backup and Link2SD can help you with that (both require root).  In ICS+, there's also a user-accessible mechanism to deactivate apps from the settings menu.

Solved it: For some of the installed apk files, there seems to exist a copy in the folder /data/app . Even though the files there follow a different naming scheme, it is possible to pick out the corresponding ones.      After deleting /data/app/com.sec.android.app.samsungapps-2.apk (and after wiping the cache) the app finally disappeared from my launcher.

Ah, good! These may have been auto-updated versions of the original apps installed in /system/app. -- Thanks for accepting!

Clear dalvik-cache, and you are done.


text:
sending messages off pc through phone, with only having app on phone.
I want to be able to send texts through my laptop, but without having to download anything onto it. Is there any app i can download on my phone to be able to tdo that?

Airdroid will allow you to do this and more.

Transfer files to and from your device via web browser. Wireless
operation via WiFi connection.
No client required on computer, enjoy all functions & features just
in your browser. Free of drivers or computer environment limits.
IM like interface, search contacts or copy the messages, chat with
your friends more conveniently. Quick and easy group texting from the
comfort of your desktop.
Organize music, photos, videos, messages and call logs with contacts.
Much easier apps install, uninstall and even backing up. Play music
and video clips stored on device, or view your photos on the big
computer screen.
Provide convenient management on your device. Including Device
Status, Processes Manager, Apps Manager and SD Card control.
Device screenshot, multiple desktops, weather, calendar, url
transfer, etc.

From their site: http://airdroid.com/


text:
edited outlook reminders not synced to Android device
My work laptops Outlook Calendar is synced with my Android calendar. new appointments show up, and also edited timeslots are updates on my device. But when I remove the alarm to remind me of an event then this removal is not synced to my phone
my phone: HTC Desire HD running Android: 2.3.3


text:
How do I recalibrate the battery of my phone?
After a year using my phone, I noticed the battery drains too fast, but after shutting down I manage to make it work again for a couple of minutes before it shuts down automatically.
I read that to recalibrate the battery, you should fully charge it and by various means  delete the batterystats.bin file. (examples with clockworkmod or using an app)
The thing is...

"When you follow the steps to recalibrate your battery and delete the batterystats.bin file from your phone, you are getting rid of more than what you think… Stored inside that batterystats.bin file, your phone keeps detailed logs of the capacity of your battery and uses it on how it can be utilized more efficiently." Read Full

or oppositely, quoting Dianne Hackborn

"It (refering batterystats.bin) has no impact on your battery life."

I know it's not possible to make it as good as new, but at least reset it in a way it would read that last bit of energy accurately?

Shutting down before the battery is fully depleted is by design. So it doesn't lose all the charge. I'm not sure if that could cause any damage, but you should be careful.

Android shuts down your OS before it actually becomes completely flat, in order to ensure it has enough power to do so safely and completely (which is why you can power it back up again, but then it shuts itself off again).  Over time, your battery does need to be recalibrated as the system stats on battery usage get wonky and the battery itself won't store as much of a charge as it could.
For most phones, the proper procedure is:

Let the phone run until it shuts itself off.
Without turning the phone on, plug it in and let it fully charge up.
Unplug, turn the phone on and let it run flat again.
Battery and battery stats are now recalibrated.

Deleting batterystats.bin isn't generally necessary.
You should find your battery lasting much longer now (I know this works well on my Samsung SK4G - I go from not being able to last the day to being able to last a full day and night)
If memory serves, one is supposed to recalibrate one's battery like this every 30-90 days.

Logos would you quote some source?

Most phone manuals will have this somewhere, and there are tons of references if you google.  The steps vary somewhat between them, but the ones I outlined are the most important ones.  Here's a few:
http://mugen.tv/2012/06/lithium-ion-smartphone-batteries-how-often-to-calibrate-to-prolong-life/
http://www.batteryfaq.net/battery-tips/some-tips-to-tell-you-how-to-calibrate-smartphone-battery-1738.html
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1616598

Recalibrating your battery won't actually make it last longer. What it might do is ensure that the battery level display is more accurate, so that when it says it's at zero, it's actually at zero.
Personally, I used an app like Battery Calibration (requires root) and it seems to help. To be fair though, I haven't actually tested the actual levels myself, so it's a qualitative judgement.
If you're having battery life issues it's more likely that you apps running (background or otherwise) that are draining your battery. Either go to Settings > Battery and check out which apps are draining your battery the most - typically it will be your screen, then cell/wifi radios.
Sadly, the only true "reset" is to go out and buy yourself a new battery. Sorry!


text:
SD Card as a Network drive in Wi-Fi Network?
Please help me to emulate my Phone's SD card as a network drive in my Wi-Fi network. I am able to mount it as a Media device which will only help us to play music with Windows Media Player. But I want my SD card as a network drive.

You are searching for an app that acts as SMB/CIFS server.

A good application to do that is the Samba Filesharing. It shares your sdcard, making it easy to transfer files from/to your phone.
Settings
After installing the application from Google Play, open it and fill a password by touching the password menu. The default username is SDCARD and the default Workgroup is WORKGROUP. You can leave it that way or change it in a way that suits you.

I'd recommend enabling and selecting your WiFi in the WiFi White List . That way it only enables Samba sharing when connected to your preferred Network.

That done, you only have to go to your Network Shares and look for a device called ANDROID.
Login

Name: SDCARD
pw: (the one you defined earlier)

Open the shared folder and it will ask again for credentials, and you're done.
Here you have a video that completes this information.


text:
How do I check the class of a micro sd card?
I'm thinking about getting a new sd card and read that the class of them really matters. I'm looking at getting a 16gb one with a class not less than class 6. How do I check for the class?

It's either displayed on the packaging or on the card, most likely on both. If you buy online, check the description.

While Android devices use SD cards, this really isn't an "Android question".

Even a class of 10 is really slow. It means minimum 10MB/s. Cards can be much faster then that. Buy a reputed brand (one that can be trusted) and look at the advertised speed.

An SD Card class basically the minimum sequential write speed that the SD card supports. Testing the class of an SD is quite easy, just copy a 1 GB file to an empty card and measure the time it took for the copy. A class 6 SD card should support at minimum 6MB/s.
Also check out the markings on the SD card, there should a logo like the following:

the number in the logo describes the speed class.

Specification sheets lie, packaging lies, the mark stamped on the card itself lies.
I have lost track of the number of "class 10" SD cards that only run at a couple of MB/s or the number of 8/16/32GB cards that have an actual capacity of 2GB!
If you really want to know how fast a card is (and whether you have been duped with a card which is smaller than it reports and will thus corrupt your data when it gets full) I would highly recommend testing every single SD card you buy.
Even branded products can be faked. I've bought what appear to be high end branded products, in convincingly authentic looking packaging which were actually fakes and failed when put to the test.
Testing under Windows
The best Windows test tool is h2testw, from Heise†.
† This page is in German, the google translate version is readable even though the formatting is poor.
This writes a unique, verifiable pattern to the drive, completely filling it. Since the pattern is unique, it can verify that the data read back is actually the same as was written and that the card isn't reporting that it has a higher capacity than it actually has.
Since the class is related to the minimum write speed and SD cards get slower as they get full, this also ensures that you are testing speed under the worst case conditions. Loosing one complete rewrite of the drive is a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Hardware required
In order to get an accurate reading on speed, you will need a card reader which supports the interfaces on the micro-sd card.
My card reader of choice is a Kingston MobileLite G4 as it's reliable, cheap and fast. The G4 can make full use of its USB3 interface, and supports memory cards with up to UHS-II (up to 312 MB/s half duplex). It will, of course, be limited to USB2 speeds (around 60 MB/s) if used on a USB2 port on your computer.
If you need to test a UHS-III device (up to 624MB/s), you will need a better card reader though.
Testing under Linux & OSX
There is an open source project called F3 (which is short for Fight Flash Fraud or Fight Fake Flash) which is very similar to h2testw for Linux and Mac, but I don't have any personal experience of this. It might however form the basis for an Android port (the source code is on github).
There are also some GUIs for F3:

F3 QT is a Linux GUI that uses QT. F3 QT supports f3write, f3read, and f3probe. Author: Tianze.
F3 X is a OS X GUI that uses Cocoa. F3 X supports f3write and f3read. Author: Guilherme Rambo.

Testing under Android/IOS
If anyone knows of a similarly robust and reliable Android application to test the SD card in a tablet/phone directly, I would happily update my answer.

This is not my experience. I stay away from generic brands, buy well known brands that I can trust to some extent. Also maybe your reader is slow, not the card.

I'm not sure how your comment helps me improve my question. As it is, I've bought what appear to be branded products, in convincingly authentic looking packaging which were actually fakes. That's why I always test every memory stick or memory card I buy, since I care about the integrity of my data. I think losing one complete drive write is worth the security of knowing that you haven't been duped into buying a fake.

You can test SDcard speed in command line :
adb shell
dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/sdcard/test bs=512 count=2048000
rm -f /mnt/sdcard/test

that will write a 1GB file with zeros bits in sdcard.

I suspect that writing zeros will result in best case performance rather than worst case performance, and the storage class is all about minimum sequential write speed.


text:
Problems with Adobe PDF reader on Android 2.2.1
I'm using a tablet computer (Archos 101 internet tablet) running Android 2.2.1.
On this tablet, Adobe Reader is installed. Unfortunately, I have problems while reading PDF files: the rendering process is very slow and sometimes the text is not rendered at all. Instead, it is showing a blank white page or rough pixels. I have to scroll and zoom around to force a new rendering and if I'm lucky, the PDF is rendered then. This happens with big (MB) and small (KB) PDFs.
Is this a problem because of :

slow tablet hardware
crappy Adobe Reader software
pdf files?

Does anyone else have those problems? Would be a change to a different reader, for instance ezPDF Reader, help?

Try it out and see what results you get :)

Thank you for your advice @t0mm13b :-) I thought some else has these problems and I do not have to try around by myself ^^

I have got the same problem with an Archos G9 101 tablet. The rendering of some PDF files is incorrect with the Android version of Adobe Reader and correct on other devices. So it is not pdf files otherwise they will not have a good rendering on other devices.


text:
Why do I get a phantom text message when I reboot my phone?
Every time I start up my HTC One X I get a notification of a new text message. That text message is blank and is 'from' a string of gobbledygook.
Here is a screen-shot of the message:-

Note that the From is an upside-down exclamation mark and those other two strange characters. This is always the same. I do not believe it is a function of the Go SMS program in use as it also appears in other messaging programs.
Any ideas on how to stop this admittedly minor annoyance?

corrupted contacts database? spanish style exclamation mark (upside down)... Has Go SMS messed up somewhere? What happens when you tap on the message? more details please :)

What you see above is what happens when I tap on the message from the main message list. the message itself is empty ( the blue section in the bottom left would usually contain the message text)

When I long press on that blue section and select Message Details I get a pop-up box saying just Type: Text message. From: (Same set of weird characters) Received: 7:10, 28th August

Some troubleshooting suggestions:

Does the SMS only show up in GO, or does it also show up in the stock "Messaging" app? If it only shows up in GO, we know it's an issue with that app. If not, an actual sms is being received by your phone.
If it's a GO problem, try clearing the GO app cache completely. If the issue still persists, explore if it might be contact related as someone else suggested. If you sync your contacts with Google, temporarily un-sync them so they go away and reboot. Do you still get an sms?
If you're actually getting an SMS (feels unlikely) you might want to contact your carrier just in case, they will probably be able to submit an error report so that someone can look into it.

Please supply more info on how your problem develops and I'll try to expand my answer.

It appears in other SMS programs also, the stock messaging app and Handcent.

Can you try with a different SIM card?

Unfortunately I don't have access to an alternate SIM. Saying that though, the last few times I've restarted the phone the phantom text hasn't returned...

Factory resetting your phone should be the classic first thing to try here, to eliminate software problems. It's most likely your GO app or some other software related issue doing this, but you'll know for sure after an FR.

The only problem there is that I /really/ don't want to restore my phone!

If you don't want to do any troubleshooting then just accept the problem.

If I don't get any other suggestions then I'll do exactly that. I just don't personally think that it is worth my while factory resetting the phone to potentially resolve this minor irritation. I'd rather put up with it than have to reconfig the handset all over again. It's a fine suggestion, so please do not think I am being dismissive of you.


text:
Can't mount my sdcard rw
I really messed up my HTC Desire today. I need to copy some files to the sdcard, but my Android phone won't let me mount the SD card with write access.
Here's what I've done in short:
(boot to recovery, phone rooted)
$ sudo -i
#./adb root
adbd is already running as root
./adb shell
~ # mount -o rw /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 /sdcard/
~ # cd sdcard/
/sdcard # ls
ls: ./internal: I/O error
/sdcard # touch test.txt
touch: test.txt: Read-only file system
/sdcard #

/sdcard/internal is a folder I created and copied some files to before the sdcard ceased to be writteable.
From now on I can't do anything, my system is down, It won't boot, and I can't copy a ROM to the SD-Card.

I/O error as shown, sounds like a badly damaged sd card... best to ditch it and get a new one instead...

I tried to format /sdcard/ via the recovery, but it would do nothing, contrary to what it logs.
So finally i've formatted it via newfs_msdos (/system/ needs to be mounted, the command is located at /system/bin/newfs_msdos ) :
/system/bin # ./newfs_msdos -F 32 /dev/block/mmcblk0p1
./newfs_msdos: warning, /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 is not a character device
./newfs_msdos: Skipping mount checks
/dev/block/mmcblk0p1: 5992960 sectors in 93640 FAT32 clusters (32768 bytes/cluster)
bps=512 spc=64 res=32 nft=2 mid=0xf0 spt=16 hds=4 hid=0 bsec=5994496 bspf=732 rdcl=2 infs=1 bkbs=2
/system/bin # ./newfs_msdos -F 32 /dev/block/mmcblk0p1
./newfs_msdos: warning, /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 is not a character device
./newfs_msdos: Skipping mount checks
/dev/block/mmcblk0p1: 5992960 sectors in 93640 FAT32 clusters (32768 bytes/cluster)
bps=512 spc=64 res=32 nft=2 mid=0xf0 spt=16 hds=4 hid=0 bsec=5994496 bspf=732 rdcl=2 infs=1 bkbs=2

and then my sdcard was fine, I could write on it and use it via USB. I guess it was somewhat corrupted.

Could be worth noting that there might be a reason it got corrupted in the first place; don't rely on it for important information in the future :)

Yeah, I think it's effectively corrupted. now I had some other trouble, and it won't even detect it :/ . The point is, my laptop has no problem with it.

Hate to say it, but it might be your SD card slot in your phone as well :'(

erf, haven't thought of that. Poor old Desire, you were such a good mate ...

update: I have done some research and my symptons looks like something called "usb brick", I'll seek through it

You should try this command to remount as rw (read-write):
mount -o remount,rw /mnt/sdcard

remount doesn't work!

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


text:
Is clearing app data the same as uninstalling, reinstalling app?
I know some app developers say that I should uninstall then reinstall their app if experiencing problems or updating,  but I wondered if stopping the app and clearing data via the Manage Applications setting would accomplish the same purpose. I'm running ICS 4.0.3.

The answer is no, you're not uninstalling the app by clearing the App data.
Clearing the application data is more or less resetting the application to an initial state before being customized based on the application settings, such as preferences, databases.
I am aware it sounds contradictory, but the crucial element is that the Dalvik cache has the pre-cached dex class within the Dalvik VM for the said app.
All Android apps have a dex bytecode cached in as a layout file embedded - the word is odex When the app is installed for the first time, the cache of the dex bytecode is loaded into the Dalvik VM's cache, thereby speeding up the initialization and execution of the app. Some ROMs are odexed, others are deodexed, if there's no odex file within, the Dalvik VM has to generate it - i.e. Slower at the start! When clearing the App data, that is in /data/data/pkg_name/ does not imply uninstalling! To uninstall an app, the Dalvik's VM cache has to remove the odex for the said app... –

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


text:
Email, Text Messages, What's app
Is there any way to get all messages in one application. I use 5 email accounts, text messaging and WhatsApp. I dont' want to have to go to 3 different folders when I get 3 different types of messages.
Is there any application, or way to set up my Galaxy S3 to get all messages in one place?
thanks

also, my emails are gmail, hotmail and exchange...

Why don't the Notifications work for you?

For what it's worth, I've now seen a number of people online lamenting that their Android device doesn't gather incoming messages the way their dearly departed BlackBerry did. Android just does things differently. I don't even know if it would be possible to create such an app.

Note, of course, that the stock email app should be able to connect to all of your email accounts, including Gmail, so those messages you can at least get into one place.

thanks, yes it connects to all my accounts, but I also want text and What's app in the same spot..so all my notifications come in one place. The Notifications work, but I still have to go to different folders to read the email, then to a different spot to read the text messages, and a 3rd spot to read the What's App messages. Too many clicks for my liking ;)

The BlackBerry Priv (BB's first Android phone) has a Hub.

You can get most of that if you buy into the Google ecosystem.
I use Gmail for all of my email. I have several addresses. Those non-Gmail addresses I have are auto-forwarded (or pulled via POP3) into my Gmail inbox. I have Gmail set up to send as any of those addresses.
I use Google Voice and only ever give out that number. Any SMS messages sent to my number are forwarded to my Gmail. I can respond to those message by replying to the email message.
Voicemail, similar, is sent to my Gmail. While I can't listen to the voice message right in the email client on Android, it's just a hop and a skip over to the Google Voice app. In any case, I usually just use the automatic transcription to gauge whether I want to call the person back or not.

oh, my..it takes long enough to get my emails..I'm not forwarding them too.. ;) I would prefer just to get all notifications in one spot, like my BB used to have. Makes sense to not have to set more things up.

You can always get to the individual apps (gmail, sms etc) via notifications.  This is probably as close as you're going to get.

I've tried the app Executive Assistant and it's pretty good, but missing the ability to add other messaging applications, like What's App

Try Contacts + from the play store.It is powered with text messaging, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and much more - all in one place.

You have to switch to Blackberry to have the Blackberry HUB or you can try the HUB for Android.


text:
I don't know how to sync contacts between my phonebook on Samsung Galaxy Europa i5500 and Gmail?
I am the new one with android samsung-europa, and I need help. All my options for syncing with Gmail acc. and my phonebook on my Europa are checked. But it doesn't seem to sync them. I did it manually ( copied contacts on SD card then copied them to my PC and then uploaded them to gmail). But later, as I am adding my new contacts (on my Phone, or SIM, or Gmail) it doesn't sync them :( . Do I need to download some application to force syncing or what???


text:
Where the system updates get installed in HTC explorer?
I am seeing a message on my taskbar System updates are available. When I am tapping to that message it is showing some 29 MB updates. I am running sort of internal memory, so every-time I am postponing the updates to later(I think it will consume 29 MB internal memory). Is this  true that on installing the updates will consume internal memory? I am using HTC explorer having gingerbread(2.3) version of Android.

I think in many cases updates are to the system partition. The storage on your phone is split across different partitions, the system one is not where you download third party apps to and usually run out of space. So anything an update does on the system partition would not count against you, unless it repartitioned the storage to give system more room, which is rare and usually only heard of in bizarre cases where the device just couldn't support a newer version of Android any other way.
Please make sure you have gone through the list of apps in your settings and moved any that you can to your SD card, by the way, if you have one. If your phone is rooted, there are other options as well, such as removing system apps that have been updated and are using space in the usual user partition for their update data, etc..


text:
Information regarding /proc file system
Yesterday I rooted my android phone. By using Es File Explorer when I see the file listing then I find various folders.
For the sake of curiosity I would like to know that what the proc file system contains.

It's a virtual file-system from the Linux kernel which contains information about the running processes

You could have a detailled explanation of what is in the /proc directory in the linux man page


text:
How to prevent applications from discovering my phone as being Rooted
I have to install an application that has discovered my device to be rooted.
So this is a two part question.

How did it discover in the first place that my phone has been rooted
How to prevent the application from discovering my phone as being rooted

To detect rooting status of device, an app issues su command. If exit status is 0, it means device is rooted.. otherwise, not.
To prevent this, you can simply Deny the root access using SuperUser's pop-up (Provided its allowed from SuperUser settings, a pop-up appears when an app issues su command). After this, the app will get non-zero exit status & it can't determine rooting status.
Update:
Some apps can use other ways to check root status (like checking the su binary file existence). I'd like to admit that none are perfect methods without false-positive result, but sometimes they are successful with luck.
The best universal method to prevent detection: Restrict the permission of app's daemon. I can't suggest exact permission limitations because I don't know functions of the app. It can mess up with app's functionalities.
In the last, I'd like to say: Technically, there's no way to prevent detection by 100% success rate. In case of permission limitations, the app can still suspect that something is wrong.

Not to be pedantic or nitpicky, another way is to check on the binary /system/xbin/su if it exists - that is actually a bit "quieter" then attempting to execute su, sneaky I know :)

@t0mm13b Its not a real test because if someone has put su text file at that location by temporary root, the app will tell false result.

@SachinShekhar The application has not requested su previliges as my SuperUser app wuld throw a notification.
is there something I need to do by logging into term on phone and changing something

@user1654218 Make sure Always Allow option of SuperUser isn't active. You can prevent detection by Always Deny or Deny All too (option texts may vary depending on version).

@user1654218 What's the app in the question? Its possible that the app is using wrong method with good luck.

If I were the programmer, I'd simply check possible locations for the su binary, as t0mm13b already suggested. If I cannot find any, there's not even the reason to invoke su: As it obviously is not in the $PATH, the call has to fail. Unless someone set up something more tricky (e.g. using an alias, but that my check could cover as well). I doubt any serious developer would rely on being allowed root access by default on a rooted device.

@SachinShekhar Its a corporate app from my company that is blocked on rooted devices for no gorram reason.. I am simply trying to revoke its ability to detect my root condition. Or does it look for the the Yellow Triangle flag on Samsung devices.

@satts See my answer update...

I use OTA Rootkeeper, which includes a feature to backup su and temporarily unroot the phone. Once temporarily unrooted, it can re-root by restoring the su backup.
(In addition it also attempts to preserve root when you apply an OTA update from your wireless carrier, which is a really nice feature.)

Here is what worked for me:
1- You need to have Xposed framework installed, you can install it from here: http://repo.xposed.info/module/de.robv.android.xposed.installer, Xposed is a framework for modules that can change the behavior of the system and apps without touching any APKs.
2- Download the Root Cloak xposed module from here http://repo.xposed.info/module/com.devadvance.rootcloak and enable it.
3- Add the app your trying to hide the root from.
Reboot will be required a couple of times within the process.

Superuser already has a temp unroot tickbox, works fine, tested

Welcome to [android.se]. Thank you for your contribution. It'd be better if you could expand this answer a little bit by explaining where it's located, and whether it needs pro version or not (if available) :)

This question has already been asked and answered:
To summarize, look for the application called "SuperUser" (as one suggestion).
-edit- Per suggestion should the link go down:
How can I disable root on a modded device?

If you install SuperUser you can control which apps are allowed root
  access. By default it blocks all requests and asks you what you want
  to do. You can give an app access indefinitely and revoke it at any
  time, or allow only specific requests with a timeout. Most rooted ROMs
  come with it pre-installed, including CyanogenMOD, and many rooting
  methods will install it for you as well.
As an alternative, you could remove the su binary and Busybox from
  your device to effectively un-root it.

Disabling and hiding roots are two different things. Also answer with only a link is not considered helpful. If the link dies the answer is less than useful.

@Cookster I wanted to prevent applications from detecting my phone as rooted. I do not want to disable root on my customRom phone

"If you install SuperUser you can control which apps are allowed root access." Am I missing something here? Block all applications from accessing root and keep the phone rooted.

Yes, you miss something. The question was not "how to prevent apps from gaining root privs", but "how to prevent apps from detecting root privs might be available.

Rooting is reversible. So if you unroot your phone, the applcation will not see anything.

Not a helpful solution. The questioner and many others rooted their phones for good reasons, and probably need the root privileges for something.


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Is there a in-built setting to login to public hotspots?
I have a SIM-lock free Galaxy W with Android 2.3.6 on it.
The other day in the public library I found out that I was not able to login anyhow to the public Wi-Fi.
It shows that the DHCP gives the phone an IP address and then labels it as connected, but on the PC a "further data needed" kind of notification would appear in order for me to put username and password in.
Now I found the "Free Wi-Fi hotspot" that deals exactly with this and am going to test it today, but it looks just like a frontend. Really there is not a way to access them using only built-in options on Android?
EDIT: Trying opening my browser after connecting doesn't automatically redirect me anywhere. That's why I avoided using the term "captive portal" as I cannot see any portal.

Just for your information, newer Android versions, at least 4.1.1, show the notification you mentioned on hotspots that use a captive portal.

If you open your browser when connected to that hotspot, it should automatically get re-directed to the login page for it. That is what most of these Hotspot apps try to automate using macros. After having logged-in via the browser, the internet connection should be available to your apps.

Strangely enough, trying my browser after connecting doesn't automatically redirect me anywhere. That's why I avoided using the term "captive portal" as I cannot see any portal.

That's strange. Did you ask the provider for that? To me it looks like a configuration problem with the proxy they probably use, as the procedure I described is IMHO standard.

Did you try going to a generic webpage? Most redirect Google.com to the login page if you are not authenticated.

As you have said that it isn't a 'Captive Portal', could it be an internal VPN connection? I doubt it, but it is possible.
Most hotspot's that require login use these portals - so you should just go to google.com in your browser and it should take you to a webpage that is the portal, where a login is required prior to accessing any other website.
This login, may require a registration or some form of payment, depending on who is the provider of that portal. Has this ever appeared before?
When you use your laptop - what does the balloon notification say, something along the lines of "Wifi Hotspot detected, click here to connect" or similar. On my laptop, it just opens my browser to my home page, to get redirected to the portal to login.


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If I put mkfs.ext3 file from another Linux system on my android ,will it work?
I want to know if I take the mkfs.ext3 file, or any other mkfs file, from another Linux system like Ubuntu, and put it with my mkfs.vfat and mkfs.ext2 located at /system/xbin, Would it work?
And how can I call them from terminal emulator?
If relevant, I have a Huawei u8160 running Cyanogenmod 7.2.

EDIT:
I realized that it cannot be taken from Ubuntu or any non-ARMv6 built system ,so my question now is: Where can I find binaries that are built for ARMv6 phone? (at least mkfs ones(except mkfs.vfat and mkfs.ext2,I already have them) ).

Native binaries (as the mkfs.* tools are) need to be compiled for the platform they should run on. So if you take the mkfs.ext3 from your Ubuntu workstation, which probably is either x86 or x86-64, it will not work on your Android device, which most likely uses ARM architecure.

is there is any other way to make it work ,take it from another android phone maybe?

and yes,it uses ARM v6.

if you take it from a compatible platform (i.e. also ARM v6), it could work. When compiled statically, it should work. Otherwise (compiled dynamically) it depends of the libraries used: if those are available on the target system, it should be no problem. (btw: this explanation was not specific to the binary in question, but rather generic to all native binaries).

could you find anywhere that I can find ARM v6 binaries (at least mkfs ones)?

In case you find a compatible one: You call it as usual by its name. When called without parameters, it should yield its syntax requirements (as it did last time for your mkfs.vfat). In case you get some "not found" instead, invoke it with the full path, e.g. /system/xbin/mkfs.ext3.

no I mean where can I find the file because I don't know anyone with ARM v6 phone

come meet me in chat http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/25/android

Since I think there aren't reliable sources for these binaries you could prefer to compile it (statically) using busybox with a cross compiler.
You are using cyanogenmod so should be also easy to compile it using the cyanogenmod source code (search on their site since I can't post more link :)), busybox is in the external/ directory.

For to compile, using CM, requires to download around 9GB of source code, it would be nightmare just to download one small tiny part of what makes up CM, or basically, use google-fu to navigate around the net as am sure others would have attempted it :)

I understand, but at first I talked about downloading directly busybox so downvoting seems a little bit excessive to me :). Also is not a good practice to install on your phone software found around the web

Hummm... I did not downvote you...

ok, sorry for the misunderstanding


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Disallow JavaScript Setting
I know I could disable JavaScript in most Browsers. Is one able to disable it for WebViews also? I mean every App could specify its own WebView and is able to turn JavaScript on/off inside their app and they could inject JavaScript that infects my phone somehow. I'm aware that this WebView may lose its function or behave in an unexpected way. If it matters I have a Galaxy Nexus with JellyBean.

nothing can infect your phone if it's not root,especially Java Script.

WebView is usually used to display web pages that the app developer has predefined, if you don't trust the app developer only giving you trusted web pages, you have a bigger problem, why do you have that app installed in the first place? The app is more dangerous than the web view.

Also, since  Android apps runs in sandbox it has a very good security, the worst an injected script can do is run amok with the apps data, and even that is only if the app developer had allowed them to do that. Given there's four layers of security, the JavaScript sandbox, WebView sandbox, app sandbox, and kernel security; you don't really have much to be worried about with malicious JavaScript. WebView isn't IE.

shure, I understand all these. I just thought, that it might be, that a devolper kind of "outsources" his malicious Code inside JavaScript, so no-one who is checkin the source of the App will find something supect.

Javascript is a totally sandboxed environment - in fact, there are limitations with Javascript - cannot access files, and is contained, so there is very little chance of a javascript exploit that will cause your phone to boot-loop or reboot...

If the developer do not give you access to the (Web)Settings of the WebView, you will not be able to disable JavaScript in the WebView.


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How can I close Skype so that it stops running?
I installed Skype on my wife's phone (HTC Desire), played a bit with it and then exited using the back button as suggested in other question. I can still see her account saying she is logged-in though. How can I exit Skype so that it really stops running?

On my N7 there is a button in the top right of the main screen which logs out an exits. Is that there on your phone?

Related: How to quit Skype on Android?

In the Skype app, press Menu -> Sign out, or use the Sign-out button on the top-right corner of the app's home screen, then confirm.

Try signing out first. And than back button.

pressing the back button only stores it in the stack (keeps it running in the background)

Well first off.  Theres no true way to stop it.  Secondly, The way I do it.  I sign out of skype first.  Then, i use the manage apps or task manager.  Stop the app first. Then, make sure it has been cleared from the cached background processes.  A phone restart might be required to start the app again or other apps.  I am fine with having to restart my phone.  It gives me the chance to control everything I do on it.


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How can I use a custom prefix for international calls?
In my country, we have to use a prefix before dialing an international number, depending on which provider we use. For example, I use an international calling company for which I have to dial 019 before dialing the international number.
Now, having to edit each and every international phone number in my address book to add a 109 would be annoying. And when I move providers, having to do the whole process again would be very annoying.
Is there a way to tell Android, "every time you see a +, just dial 019 instead"? Or any other solution?
(I use Cyanogenmod.)

The world would be a better place if every carrier/phone provider would just recognize the canonical number format E.123. Shame on your provider ;)

be easier to just insert/add a new contact with international dialling code prefix with their number; that's what I do, so if I was to go abroad, I can dial the contact as the number is there already!

@t0mm13b: that would require me to edit each and every contact, and duplicate each phone number to have both + and 019 (or whatever the international dialing prefix is).  I don't think your suggestion saves any effort at all.

The only apps I have found to be able to do this kind of editing are SIP dialers like CSipSimple and SipDroid. They integrate into the regular call setup and can run a set of rewrite rules and filters to decide where and how to place the call.
I believe both can do this even for regular (cell) calls, and even when no SIP provider has been configured.

Nightmare. I can't believe an Android phone would ship with such a bug.  Bought phone at Best Buy, traveled to Europe, bought a local SIM card. All my Google contacts have + (country code) in front of them. I can dial numbers direct, but without the Plus Sign (+). I can't dial anything in my address book. Researched it and painfully so, I found a third party app (prefixer) that does the trick after trying a few. You basically want to add "00" in front of the +.
It's simple enough, but I don't care for the fact that it's not native to the phone. Here is the configuration below - best of luck

This is a good solution. Could you add a link to the app you're recommending?


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Change the number of home screen panels in Android
A phone user manual (HTC Wildfire S. Android 2.2) says

'Home screen has seven panels that you can customise'.

The system settings do not contain an option to modify the number of panels.
I was searching for this on the web and was not able to find any solution that does not involve third-party applications.
If this requires programming, please, move the question to StackOverflow and respond with detail.

You'll need to at least provide the phone model and Android version. The ability to change the number of home screens varies greatly between different vendors and versions.

on my galexy s2 I press home, home (I am now on home screen), menu, edit, +

typically, pressing the settings button while looking at your home screen, then pressing edit screens brings up the menu that allows you to add and remove screens.

Install ADW Launcher, LauncherPro or Go Launcher EX which provide such options...

If you don't want use 3rd party apps:
This requires decent computer skills and a rooted phone, but here are the steps for android 2.3 Gingerbread.

Copy /system/home.apk from your phone to pc.
Decompile home.apk using apktool.
Goto [decompiled folder]/res/values/integer.xml
Change <integer name="number_of_desktop_panes">5</integer>, to 7 or whatever you want.
Save it,and compile the apk using apktool.
Copy it back to phone i.e to /system,change its permissions to -rw-r-r.

Editing an XML file is hardly considered compiling.

after editing XML,you are going to compile back the "apk".

That's not programming either.

I do not see a file manager in the phone and when I mount it I do not access /system/ ?

Phone needs to rooted.Then you access /system.

It's probably a good idea not too set this too high either, taking memory and performance into account.

When you are on home screen, press the Menu button, then Edit submenu and you will have all the panels displayed. A long press on one of it will select a panel, then you will be able to move it into the trash.
You will be able to reduce the number of panels but no way to have more than 7 panels on a SGS2.

There is no Edit submenu. I press home button twice and see a list of panels (like thumbnails) on the screen. I can drag and re-arrange them, but I do not see how to remove.

Home screen has seven panels that you can customize.

You can't change the number of home screen panels. The quoted part simply means that there are seven panels that can be customized to your liking e.g: add shortcuts, widgets.
If you want to decrease that simply switch to a 3rd party launcher like Go launcher Ex.


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Google Play Store App error
I upgraded my Samsung Galaxy Note GT N7000 from Gingerbread to ICS. (Had used the software update option:
Settings → About Phone → Software Update → Update[check for updates]

And thus the Google Play Store app also got updated to the version 3.8.17 which is compatible with ICS.
But the app on my phone plus the Play website apparently still have the old Android version. As a result apps which are now compatible with ICS (for example Adobe Photoshop Touch) are still:

Shown as incompatible on the website and
Not even displayed in the app on the phone.

I have already tried:

Clear cache and data of the app;
Uninstall all updates of the app;
Installed the app version 3.8.17 again via another source on the net but it did not help. So now I also, don’t have the original app provided by Samsung.

Question: How do I solve this? Is there someway I can download the app via Samsung without installing the whole of ICS again?

Did these apps appear as compatible with your device before you did the update? There are many other factors that determine compatibility, your version of Android is not the only one, so is there any evidence to assume that your version of Android is the problem? Related: Why are some apps on the market incompatible with my device?

I'll take the example of Adobe Photoshop.  Adobe Photohsop Express is compatible with Ginger Bread. Whereas Adobe Photoshop Touch is compatible with ICS but not Ginger Bread. I installed PS Touch via some other source on the net and its working fine. PS Touch is not being displayed by the app on my phone and the website is showing it as incompatible with my phone. Earlier on when I had Ginger Bread then PS Touch didnot work on my phone (Parse Error).

That doesn't answer my question in my previous comment. Did the Play Store show it as compatible with your phone before you updated to ICS? Installing from a 3rd party source may not be relevant (it could be bypassing whatever requirements your phone does not meet), especially if it was not an officially provided download.

That's what I'm saying. Ps Touch is not being displayed by the app on my phone in the search results. And the website displays it as incompatible. Before the update and also after the update.

I understand what you're saying, but I don't think you're quite understanding what I'm asking you. Before you updated your phone to ICS, when it was still running Gingerbread, was it possible for you to install PS Touch from Google Play? (I'm guessing no, it requires 3.1 now and I think it always has)

It has never been possible to install PS Touch from Google Play (before or after upgrading). Yes, it requires 3.1+ But for the sake of experimenting I had tried installing it (via another source - had downloaded the .apk file) on GingerB and had got "Parse Error". But now it is working fine after upgrading to ICS.


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Reading fixed-layout ePubs
I'm looking for a way to read fixed-layout ePubs; nothing I've found supports this format.
Aldiko supports epub, but surely not a fixed-layout epub.
Is there a possibility here to have the same support here that we have on iOS?

Did you try Moon+ Reader? It has a "preview with publisher format" option, which could work for your case.

Damn… there is the point on every android ebooks apps I could find : Is there one that follows the epubs spec (which in that case is not the publisher format) ? Or do they all try to set their random format ?


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How can I move dalvik cache to a custom location(permanently)?

Possible Duplicate:
Can I change the dalvik cache location e.g. with a symbolic link?

I have Huawei u8160 running Cyanogenmod 7.2.
I have activated sd-ext partition using Link2SD, so it's mounted on /data/sdext2, all the ways to move Dalvik cache to sd-ext requires ext partition to be mounted on /sd-ext .
Is there any way to move Dalvik cache to anywhere I want? Or at least to the specified location?

@Flow the ways mentioned in the answer don't work

@MohamedEssam Did you also check the linked information there?

@Izzy I think that http://forums.androidcentral.com/lg-optimus-s-rooting-roms-hacks/106807-moving-data-dalvik-cache-sd-card-fix-market-issues.html I should start off from 6 ,or what? but the problem is in 7 which I'll have to mount my sd-ext on /sd-ext to make this app work

@Izzy A2SDGUI script won't install ,CWM says "AMEND scripting (update-script) is no longer supported. AMEND scripting was deprecated by Google in Android 1.5. It was necessary to remove it when upgrading to the ClockworkMod 3.0 Gingerbread based recovery. Please switch to Edify scripting (updater-script and update-binary) to create working update zip packages. Installation aborted." , That means that I'll have to contact the developer to see why this error is happening with so I could be able to move the dalvik cache to my sd ext2 partition successfully ,that removes any link to that question.


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Update Android on non famous manufacture Android Phone
I have a QMobile A100 with Android 2.2.1 (which is very old). I want to upgrade it to the new version (2.3 Gingerbread). In Settings > About phone it shows that there are no updates to the firmware.
How should I update my device? It is not a popular phone and I cannot find an updated ROM for it.
If it matters, the phone has a 500 MHz CPU, 200 MB RAM with 250 MB ROM.

please state if you are ready to root your phone or not (because you'll need to root before anything.

I couldn't find any thing about your phone could you tell me more specs (resolution,GPS, WIFI ,etc.)

@MohamedEssam I've edited the question and added the link to the device product page.

@Zuul there isn't any custom ROM made for this phone so I searched for the nearest specs phone it was only one called Gigabyte GSmart G1317 Rola which also had no custom ROMs ,unfortunately nobody can answer this Q unless he makes a ROM specifically for this phone or the other one(the one that's very near it,so the conclusion is there is no answer to this Q.

Related: When will my phone get the Android 2.3 update (Gingerbread)? and Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?


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Set my phone contacts to sync to Google not Google to phone
I want to set my phone to pull contacts from my Google Contacts so that it uses google as a master.
I organised my contacts on Google Contacts page and when I synced my phone it messed everything up again because instead of pulling down from Google it uploaded everything from the phone. :(
I am using Samsung Galaxy S2 with CM9

When you're done organizing them on the Google Contacts page, and before syncing with your phone, go to Applications->Manage Applications and clear data+cache of the contacts app (plus some other service I cannot recall currently, something like a contacts provider if there is). Then open your contacts app to verify no contact is left. That done, sync again -- as there are no contacts on your device, it should simply download the data from the Google server.

@Izzy - recommend you post above comment as an answer.

@Sparx OK, done :)

Just FYI, it doesn't sync with either as a master - it performs a merge.

On GMail's website there should somewhere be an option to roll back an older snapshot of your contacts, just before it's been messed up.

When you're done organizing your contacts on the Google Contacts page, and before syncing with your phone, go to Applications->Manage Applications and clear data+cache of the contacts app (plus some other service I cannot recall currently, something like a contacts provider if there is). Then open your contacts app to verify no contact is left.
That done, sync again -- as there are no contacts on your device, it cannot upload anything (and thus not mess things up again), but should simply download the data from the Google server.


text:
Flash a smartphone with vanilla Android ROM
Is it possible to flash a smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy SIII or an LG Optimus 4X with a vanilla Android ROM like the one that has been flashed on Galaxy Nexus or Motorola phones (I think)?
I am asking because manufacturers like Samsung, LG, HTC tend to make ROMs for their smartphones and tablets with preinstalled launchers like Touchwiz or HTC Sense. They explain their decision by saying that they want to make their devices to look unique against their rival devices. The problem is that Android updates for their phones and tablets get delayed and there are incidents in which some devices - which are more than capable of running the upcoming version of Android - fall way behind or never get updated at all.
So, what I am basically asking here is if there is a way to install vanilla Android, excluding CyanogenMod or any other modified vanilla ROMs, on an Android based smartphone?

Well Google only develops "vanilla" Android (called AOSP for Android Open Source Project ) for some selected phones (the Nexus Series).
Manufacturers use this as base for their phone's OS. So you probably won't get a "vanilla" Rom from your manufactures, but there are probably a few AOSP-based Ports for your phone. (CyanogenMod is also based on AOSP) Rom-Developers tend to use an existing ROM like AOKP or Cyanogen as base because it's already compatible with a lot of devices. Porting "vanilla" AOSP is quite difficult and time-consuming because it lack's drivers and phone-specific code.

So let me see if I got this right.Basically you are telling that Android OS is not Cross-Platform in terms of diversity of each device?

Well the official Android is only programmed for the Nexus Devices, it's lacking drivers for other phones. (The OS needs to be small) It's up to developers to add these to make it work on their phones. So basically yes.

I am kind of disappointed now.Anyway,thanks for your answer.

There are some guides on porting Android on the xda forums, if you're interested.

Yes,but this will not give me the opportunity to get Android updates like the GNex does right?

@el10780 - Correct. Android can't be truly cross-platform by default, because the resulting OS would be massively bloated with the drivers for the huge variety of hardware android can run on.

They should build databases and give people the opportunity to download the vanilla Android for that specific phone that they own,which it will contain the drivers for that device.But again that wouldn't mean that the people's devices are going to receive the latest version of the Android OS,because after the version comes out manufacturers must updates their drivers in order to make them work with it.The best they can do is that they should find a solution like the OSs that we run in our PCs.For example Windows/Ubuntu have programs which automatically find the correct drivers for your system.

Supposing you had the drivers for your device, how hard would it be to customize vanilla to run on your device? Would it require modifying the kernel code or can it load the drivers from a config file?

http://www.androidcentral.com/why-you-ll-never-have-latest-version-android.
I found this link on android central which basically explains the same thing that wayback mentioned as well with more details and comparisons with iOS and Windows Phone.I found this very informative so I though that it would be nice to post it here. :)
Basically it explains that the variety of the Android-based devices uses different hardware.As a result of the aforementioned is that there are different drivers for the variety of hardware that can be found on different devices.Unfortunately Android Jelly Bean (4.1) itself was build by Google on TI's OMAP 4460 chipset,like the one that we find on the Galaxy Nexus and NVidia's Tegra 3 chipset like the one that it can be found on Nexus 7.So when it comes to flash the Android on the device in order to make a device usable over the Android UI manufacturers start to modify/enhance Android in order to enforce it to use/handle/manipulate the hardware that they have used to build their device.This is something very difficult and demands a lot of time to implement and because time == money they just decide to drop the updates on older devices.
Even if they are some similarities in hardware in between different devices there are other hardware and not only hardware mismatchings.For example,Nexus 7 and HTC One X (International Version) have the same Tegra 3 chip.The problem is that HTC uses also another chip,the HTC ImageSense chip,which can not be found on the Nexus 7.Plus consider the fact that the internal storage on the HTC One X is defined/used/organized differently from the one on the Nexus 7,as it uses a different partition for the media.All of a sudden,as Android Central's article mentions,porting the Jelly Bean update on the HTC One X from the Nexus 7 or vise versa becomes very difficult.
Moreover,consider the carriers' custom Android ROMs as well.Well I am not an expert in this field,because in my country carriers do not lock the devices,but I will try to explain it with the help of Android Central's article.Carriers,such as Verizon,I suppose,use different/custom ROMs than the one that it can be found on the unlocked version of the same device.For example,if I am not wrong,in order to make an OS to start whenever you push the Power Button,a bootloader starts to load basic/necessary files for the OS from the storage device that it is programmed to do so.What carriers do is that they lock bootloader,in order to restrict users not to boot other ROMs that they may have transferred in some storage device on the phone.So what do they care if we boot something different from the official?They care,because they want to prevent users to use other cellular networks(such as AT&T,Sprint,Vodafone) because that way they are going to lose their customers (==money).It is not only the bootloader of course.If you have already done a small research over the Internet,you will see many valid website that offer unlocking services on carrier's devices for a small amount of money without reflashing you device with a different ROM.If you notice in the whole procedure of the unlocking they will ask the user to type on the dialling pad a string of numbers and symbols such as pound key and the star key.If someone types the string write the device will open a hidden menu,which contains information about the network settings.The whole point of mentioning this is to show you that this menu requires more coding,which differentiates the Android OS from device to device in order carriers to use it and manipulate it they way the want and insert their own settings according to the operation of the network.Of course,the procedure that you have to follow in order to unlock your device may vary from unlocking service to unlocking service.For example,most of these services ask only for the device model,IMEI and the carrier who has locked the device,so may not come across to that menu that I am referring to.
Carrier's as the article mentions are moving very slowing on the procedure of approving an Android ROM for a device that they offer on their networks.This happens because they "move" with caution and they have limited resources in order to approve software for the devices offered alongside with their network's services.And because they care about profits,they do not waste time on older devices or devices which haven't sold many units.They will pay attention on the newer and the one that sells the most in comparison to the others.Thus,they approve devices which are already profitable for them or they will be profitable if we are referring to something newer or something that it will keep selling for a longer period of time.Let's face it,most people would not care about the Samsung Galaxy SII,they will care about the SIII(a.k.a : "THE NEXT BIG THING") and in a few weeks they would not even care for the SIII they will care about the LG Optimus G (for example),which is the newer and the more improved in comparison to the SIII.It is like somehow the new ruins the older.But it is doesn't.It's all in our heads.Like Jimmy Kimmel said on his show when he referred to the iPhone 5 and to how iPhone 4S owners react to the announcement of the 6th iPhone.
And now you may be wondering why many or most of the Windows Phone or iOS smartphones receive update to the newest version of the OS that they have installed.The answer is simple.There are fewer devices who have installed these platforms and most of them are carrying the same or almost the same hardware.Even if there are some dissimilarities they spent time to adjust their platforms to make them work on every on almost every device that they have.
But it is not only that.iOS and Windows Phone are more static to changes like memory quotas or button setups,or changes at the UI.I mean take a quick look on iOS 6 and iOS 5.Both look very similar in terms of visualisations on the UI and the buttons on the newer devices are the same in number and in operation with older ones.They might have added a few extra operations on some buttons but it is not like they changed something dramatically.They same thing with Windows Phone 7.5 and 8.The UI is the same and if you take a look to the buttons on the older and newer devices you will find out that they are pretty much the same.On the other hand,Google does some heavy changes from an update to another.Take a look on Gingerbread,Froyo,Honeycomb,Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean.ICS and Jelly Bean look the same,but what about Jelly Bean and Gingerbread or Ice Cream Sandwich and Froyo or maybe Cupcake and Honeycomb.They hardly look the same in terms of UI.Consider this,when it comes to build a device which is planned to run Froyo and you intend to update it to Jelly Bean.Basically this happens because manufacturers lack of warning for what it is going to follow to the Android updates.This was mentioned by Sony and Google responded by stating that is going to help manufacturers with PDK (PDK stands for Platform Developers Kit) which it will give the manufacturers a limited sneak peak to the framework of the upcoming Android versions.Limited because it will give early access only to some parts of the Android's upcoming versions framework.

Would you mind to add at least a summary of what you linked to? It is not considered good style here to have off-loaded content elsewhere (links may vanish, users have to follow the links).

It is the same thing as wayback mentioned already but with more details.

Can you add a TL;DR summary instead.... its too long to read... :)

It is too long but it explains a few things further.Plus it contains the main parts from the Android Central Article.Listen you can't have both.Ce4 told me at least to write a summary in case the link stops working at some point in the future.I did that I just enriched it so people can understand more easily in case the link doesn't work.

The least you could have done is add a summary and a link to the article instead of duplicating...AndroidCentral site is relatively safe and not disappear overnight, just saying :)

I didn't duplicate exactly.I duplicated the main parts and enriched them with examples and explanations.

TL;DR - No, you can't.
But your understanding of vanilla (in the question) seems flawed. Technically Motorola (and any other non-Nexus!) uses a modified vanilla.
The reason they don't update much is just to save money. Google develops android so their "vanilla" has almost no upgrade cost. For vanilla derivatives used by other hardware (from Sony phones to chinese tablets) it requires re-modding the newest vanilla--this is non-trivial in the case of major version changes. Even in the trivial cases updating may not be worth the cost if it means supporting old phones.
So your non-vanilla phone lags behind because the OEM doesn't bother to "copy-paste" their drivers and tweaks to the latest vanilla (or gives it a low priority). Google is just more diligent in copy-pasting drivers (due to being very familiar with the OS), but even older Nexus phones eventually get left behind.


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Physical keyboard bindings?
I'm using an MK802 android device with 4.0.4 and an RC12 2.4ghz keyboard mouse combo.  I'm wondering if there is any way to bind specific keys on the keyboard to actions in android?
Specifically it'd be great if I could have a home key, and an application key.  Escape seems to perform the back function nicely, but if I could have hardware keys for the rest of the main android functions this setup would feel a lot more comfortable.

Actually, it seems somehow some of the keys have bindings.  F10 is settings.  F1 and F2 open some chinese websites??

I have spoken with the Measy the manufacturer of the RC12, they claim their .kl for the RC12 is proprietary, so I was unable to get an actual layout to install in the system/usr/keylayout/Vendor_XXXX_Product_XXXX.kl
In order to map the keyboard/KeyEvents you need to figure out the Vendor# and Product# of any USB keyboard/mouse device.
adb shell
dmesg | grep usb
This gives you the Vendor/Product#s.
Now you generate your own .kl file. My suggestion is to use the Generic.kl file in the /system/usr/keylayout/Generic.kl for reference.
adb pull /system/usr/keylayout/Generic.kl

Then modify it as you see fit and CHANGE the name to /Vendor_XXXX_Product_XXXX.kl
adb push /system/usr/keylayout/Vendor_XXXX_Product_XXXX.kl
adb reboot