text:
Android tablet not connecting to Wi-Fi while previously did
I have three devices:

Tablet running Android 2.2; (WPAD)
Tablet running Android ICS; (Samsung Tab 2)
A laptop. (Dell Studio 1558)
Wirelss Router: WRT120N (Linksys)

Wireless Router access is protected with WPA/WPA2 PSK. I can confirm that password given is correct.
My laptop (3) and Android ICS tablet (2), both connect fine to the wireless router.
But my other tablet (1) doesn't connect, it keeps "Scanning" and then disconnects. This tablet used to connect to router earlier, but now it does not. I have also observed that after a few seconds the wirless network is shown as "Not in Range, secured with WPA/WPA2 PSK" and then comes back with message "Remembered, secured with WPA/WPA2 PSK". So I am also not sure whether it is the problem with the tab!
Android ICS (2) is my new Samsung tab 2 tablet, so I have no idea whether this is caused due to new connection or not? To ascertain this, I have tried connecting only the first tablet (1), but still not working :(
The wireless router is connected to ADSL router provided by service provider. The ADSL router settings are password protected, i.e I cannot view ADSL router settings through web browswer.
Any thoughts on what could be causing the tablet to be losing the connection?

Try changing the mode, channel, frequency and security.

Exactly what tabs are we talking about here?

@roxan: How and where do I change channel, frequency and security?. I have updated my post to mention that the ADSL router settings are password protected. I only have access to my wirless router. Do you mean these settings are of wireless router?. thanks.

Yes on wireless router.

@roxan: Sorry for being dumb. I do not correctly understand what is channel, frequency and security. Could you please let me know what these settings should contain and to be set to ?

@pradeeptp does that behaviour persist -- or does the tab connect if you just wait a while? I encountered the same problem after updating my HTC Buzz to 2.3 -- sometimes I have to wait up to 30min, but it always solves finally.

I have resolved this issue myself. Here is what I did to resolve it:

Accessed wireless router's settings. Please remember I do not have access to ADSL router which is connected to the internet.
The linksys wireless router setting has "Wireless" menu. Under this menu, click on "Wireless MAC Filter".
Click on "Enabled" radio button.
Click on "Prevent listed computers from accessing the wireless network" radio button. I saw a list of MAC addressed in this list. One of the MAC addresses was that of the tablet which was not connecting. I removed this from this list and VOILA!!!! my tab was happy :)

(I still don't know how it got into this list!!)

Please mark the question as answered then

My Nexus 10 recently stopped connecting to the internet via WiFi after it had been connecting for 3 months. I simply rebooted off my wireless router by removing the power for 30-60 seconds and then powering up. Once the router rebooted, presto, my Nexus 10 was once again connected to the wireless network and the Internet.

many Android 2.2 users report the same issue1. I'd recommend trying:

Delete the network from known list and then reconnect

AND/OR

Set a static IP address for your 2.2 device: wifi settings -> menu -> advanced -> use static IP (depending on your network config, submask to use: 255.255.255.0, default gateway (router IP): 192.168.1.1) to something like 192.168.1.200

--
1See the original authors:
  http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/mobile/bbo7Y3CPOn8%5B1-25%5D

I have tried this settings but it is not working

Someone with access to that router may have accessed it through the internet just as you did and set up the MAC filtering. You have to manually enter every MAC address of every device that is running on your network in order to block just one MAC address or multiple addresses. Then you have to set what MAC address to block and save those settings just as you did to unblock your MAC address on that specific device.

Your statements are very confusing. Please re-read it, and edit. Which ones should they block or unblock?

I have encountered this problem twice, once with my HTC Flyer, originally with Android OS 2.3, but somehow after I updated OS to Gingerbread the problem's gone.
Second happened with my Google Nexus i515, running OS 4.04. Tried everything until i clicked Settings -> System -> Change wifi regulatory domain, and chose EMEA and Rest of World (the other options were US & Japan which weren't where I'm located) wifi settings resetted & problem's solved.


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Can any Android device be set to not auto power-off?
If I buy any no-name Android tablet from ebay etc, is there a chance it will not allow me to force it to stay on all the time?  In other words, is "never auto sleep" a universal feature of any android device?
If not, how can I tell?

Why do you want your tablet to be always on?

You probably mean the Screen? Because the Operating System never really shuts down on itself. It just stays in Stand-By.

@silent_cookie I think, if does shuts itself down, if you battery charge goes below 2%! :] Which is most likely in case OP is trying to make the screen on all the time, as we all know, that screens consumes enormous (the most) portions of battery charge...

Check out the free StayAwake app

Simple app to toggle a stay awake mode.
enables stay awake,

always
if plugged in to AC/USB

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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How to root Teac Tc-7120
I want to root my new Teac TC-7120 device, but couldn't find any rooting guide targeting it.
What should I do?
I used the following Guide:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/root-android-phone-superoneclick-2/
But even though my device is connected and in Debugging mode, I can't get the ADB to recognize it.

if you are using windows (which I assume you are since you mentioned using superoneclick), you will need the USB drivers for the device, otherwise ADB will not recognize the device.

Where can I get the driver? I guess you mean the "Install Drivers" option that appears when I connect my tablet. I've tried it, but no response from the computer.

The device tried to installed the driver but it says it is already installed.\

@RyanConrad Is it possible to clean the device completely and install a vanilla version of android 4.3 on him? (Like I would re-format a computer's hard-drive and install an OS on him).

consult the rooting index and try the rooting apps. Kingoroot haven't failed me yet, USB debug mode is the only requirement,

I don't know about rooting your device, but I can help with getting your device to be recognised by your computer.
Exact instructions will depend on what OS you are running, but basically you need to find the .android folder in your home directory, and replace the adb_usb.ini file with this one.  this tells your computer to let adb work with a load of different usb devices.  You may need to type this on the command line to get it to work after you do this:
adb kill-server
adb start-server

and now running this should show you your device
adb devices

Try to download and install framaroot in to your device I think that should work
Link:http://m.apkhere.com/app/com.alephzain.framaroot

Install king user it's a Chinese rooting program just continue clicking the blue button this program can root nearly any android device and works fine no bricking
And no computer needed only your phone

Can you provide a link for "king user", please.

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


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How to delete backups made using Clockworkmod?
Splitting this question from the comments to my answer to How to install ClockworkMOD Recovery on Sony Xperia Neo V (MT11a)?

Erik, one last thing. I accidentally made an extra backup which didn't even complete because my SD is full, how do I delete that backup, or any other previously done backup using CWR?

Clockworkmod stores its backups in /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup (replace /sdcard with the path for your external card if you're looking for backups to external memory). With versions prior to 6.0, you can move off (or delete) the entire directory to clear space. The entire backup is self-contained.
If you're using a 6.0 or greater version of Clockworkmod, this is no longer the case. The information about the backup is still in /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup, but the actual data is now stored in /sdcard/clockworkmod/blobs and is deduplicated between backups. The upside is that this should save some space between multiple backups. The downside is you can't just move off or delete a backup directory. With 6.0+, you now have to delete that folder, and then run the "free space" option. Initiating a new backup will automatically free space.

I suggest to center the answer around the version 6.0 behaviour and make <6.0 the exception. Will not do any harm and as soon as everyone has 6.0 (needs time but will come eventually) this will better.

So does it mean that I can't delete it when Adnroid is loaded?

This answer is actually somewhat innacurate now; more recently, CWM gives the option to use either the blob format or the full backup format, defaulting back to the full backup format (at least on the latest version I had on my SGS2). To answer your question, though, if you are using the full backup method, you can delete them while in Android. If you're using the blob method, you'll need to "free space" in CWM after deleting backups, either in Android or in CWM.

If you are using a version newer than 6.0 I'd recommend you use the delete backup function in CWM.
It's in backup and restore -> delete (and delete from external SD).
Doing this will ensure that you don't delete a blob that is being used in another backup, as all backups now share the same blob directory.
After deleting from either place use the function recover free space from that same menú to delete the unused blobs

Clockworkmod stores Nandroid backups in /clockworkmod/backup on the SD card. Each subfolder contains one backup and is named with the date and time you created it. This is the same information that you see in CWM's restore menu. You can remove them from within Android with any file manager or from your PC while you have your phone attached via USB.

I had this idea: If you have CWM installed, you can delete (and make) the  backup through the recovery mode. Go into recovery mode and select
- backup and restore
- delete from /sdcard
then select the backup to delete
done!
You also can do the backup through the recovery mode and ...
there is an option backup to /storage/sdcard1 - I bet this will do the backup into the external SD Card. I haven't tried it, but i'm pretty sure it will do it.

you can't remove them with your pc -- they are write-protected. it only works if they're on the external SD.

This is not true, internal SD storage is accessible from the PC on almost all devices.  Some devices don't even support external SD cards.

they are write-protected -- But I just deleted two backup right now in my Internal Storage from PC. Both ~ 3.0 GB in size.


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Package file is invalid

Possible Duplicate:
Package Install via Market sometimes fails and gives seemingly random error message

Every time i try to download a app from the android market place to my HTC desire it will download the app but wont install it, I've tried clearing the cache and data from the Market place and Download Manager. Nothing seems to be working does anyone know how to fix this problem?

Related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/15932/ But I don't think that this should be closed as a duplicate. IMHO the error is pretty common. I experienced it myself, but IIRC it did go away after a short time.

Maybe you check the question Flow mentioned. If that does not solve your problem, please update your question with some additional facts: Does it only happen for a specific app, some apps, or generally and for all apps? This does not get really clear currently.

See also: Package file is invalid and Server Error! Play Store failing. @Flow taking a look at the second one, I'd consider it a clear duplicate (though the question phrasing does not make it clear, the answer 100% does)


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Selectively restrict sync for some applications to wifi only
I know it's been asked here how to prevent applications from using data connections. But that is not my intent. I have a Galaxy Nexus running Jelly Bean 4.1.1 and I would like to restrict most of applications to use my data connection. But would allow some to use it.
For instance I would like to restrict Currents, Google+, Facebook, Maps and Google Now from using my data connection. But I would like GMail and Talk to use it.
How can I do this? And is it also possible to set sync frequency when wither on Wifi or Data connection?

Go into Settings | Data usage. Then in the Mobile tab, you'll find a list of the applications that have recently used data.
Click on any of these applications and there will be a checkbox to restrict background data while the phone is using a mobile connection (as opposed to wifi).
I'm not aware of a way to control the sync frequency.

Thanks. I've seen that but was hesitant to check those checkboxes because it says that some apps may fail... I guess that's just a warning then that should be ignored most of the time then?

I've only seen one application "fail" with an error like "cannot download new content". As far as I'm concerned, that's exactly what I want while I'm not on wifi :)

Im also looking for a similar app.
I will try Root Firewall.

BTW: Restrict background data works pretty well in my expereince. Some apps may still do some very very minor traffic but I find it negligible.

To sync frequency go to Settings -  under Applications - email - manage accounts - tap on the account you want to sync - sync settings - sync schedule - set sync schedule.  This works on my Galaxy S5

This must be Samsung's customization because I can't seem to find settings you're referring to.

NetGuard is an app that does what you're looking for. It allows you to selectively block everything/anything from data/wifi. It's also 100% free and open-source, so you don't have to worry about ads/malware.
The F-Droid version has significantly more features than the less-powerful Google Play variant.


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Closing applications
I guess this has to do with our habit on desktop computers where we

open an application
use it
close the application

AFAIK there's no direct way from within the application to close it. And by pressing the Home button app just gets into the background. Still running.
I got a habit of pressing Home, then Recent apps and flicking all open apps out.
Is this a bad habit? Should I leave applications like GMail, FB, Currents, GNow, etc. running or is it better to close them and have as less apps as possible running?

AFAIK, flinging the apps from Recent Apps view doesn't close them but simply removes them from your view so it doesn't do anything at all other than clear up your Recent Apps clutter. Might come in handy if you have a lot of apps open.

For a slightly older perspective on this, including the difference between pressing the Home and Back buttons to exit an app, see What is the right way to close apps in Android?

See also: How can I stop applications and services from running?

Just to correct the comment @Propeller made (at least for recent Android versions), please take a look at What actually happens when you swipe an app out of the recent apps list?

From a developers point of view (my point of view):
Application's on Android work a specific way, they all have their own life cycle, the main ones we are talking about here is when the application is paused, or stopped (onPause, onStop) and when the application is destroyed (onDestroy), these two states are brought to light in different ways, onPause is when the user can no longer see the application, or screen, this is when the user presses home or clicks something on the screen that takes them to another screen, like pressing a link for example, there is still a possibility of you needing this screen, for example when you press the back button to get back to the screen, you still want it in the same state, so the application is still open and waiting for you to return.
The other state, when the application is destroyed, can happen three ways, firstly the developer might of added something in to close the application automatically, for example the Endomondo application you can press menu > exit, this will "close" the application and it will no longer be in memory. The next way is the user pressing back on it, as in there is no way to get back to the exact screen (for example you can't press forward to get to it) so the application is no longer needed so it is closed.
The third way that an application is destroyed, or closed, is when Android needs more memory, when this happens it clears the applications that haven't had interaction the longest. Android does this itself, if it needs more memory it will get it.
So in all leaving applications open isn't a bad happen, however some applications can still use a lot of CPU power and not memory when its in the background, if you think this is going to happen you should close it yourself, android should be able to pick up on this however
Have a look here at the states of a activity, or a screen:

EDIT:

Pressing back on a screen: Activity destroyed (onPause > onStop >
onDestroy)
Swiping application away on recent apps: Activity
destroyed (onPause > onStop > onDestroy)
Pressing home: Application
kept in memory, only if the developer hasn't added a self close
feature (onPause > onStop)
Navigating away from app, link etc:
Application kept in memory, as above (onPause > onStop)

I'm a developer too so this info is very easily consumed by my brain... :) So where in the flow diagram is the event when I press the Recent apps and swipe an app off it (I understand this act as actually closing the app)? Between onPause and onStop or between onStop and onDestroy? If it's the latter, then please explain the state transition between the first one. But if it's the first one, then I can see the transition to onDestroy similar to garbage collection? Non-deterministic event?

check out the edit, on think thats what you want.

Kinnda... But I think you're wring at #1 and #4. Pressing back gets the app to stopped state and not destroyed. It's still in recent apps. So the same as pressing home. and with #4: navigating away (i.e link) gets the app into paused state as per flow diagram.

BTW: While testing this with GMail app I actually found a bug in it when it resumes from stopped state. :)

The activity theoretically should be finishing on 1 and I was right on 4, onPause > onStop is correct

The answer is simple: Do not close apps when possible!
Android takes care of app managemnt by leaving them stick around (which is not necessary in memory) when possibile allowing faster startup times and resumption where you left. Swiping out a app of the recent app list is similar too closing it, but not the same.

This is not technically better. One of the main characteristics of Android is to simulate multitasking. When you switches the application to another (yeah, even the Home launcher is an application), Android pauses the current activity and tries to load the data of the next into memory. So, two things can happen here:

If there's enough free memory, the data is loaded and the new activity is started. In this scenario, there's no trouble to switch back to the last application, since it's already running;
If there's a lack of memory, Android have to "backup" the data of the current activity into internal storage. This has a cost and a delay; after doing that, Android can finally load the new activity into memory.

From a performance point of view, keeping as much data as you can on RAM memory is benefic. The fact that an app data is still on memory doesn't mean it's consumming battery resources, unless there's a service running, which is not always the case.
So, pressing Home or Back buttons has in practice the same effect on memory usage. Android is designed to manage RAM itself, and it's not a good idea to kill apps unless you really know what you're doing.
Many people start having problems when use many apps that run services in background. Some services tend to stay always in memory performing some task (like keeping you online, checking for new messages etc.). This costs more resources (memory and battery), and if your phone is slow everytime, it's a good idea to check which services are running and maybe uninstall some of them (you can see them in Configurations/Applications/Running services).
If you want to learn more things about that, you should take a look at this post: http://android-developers.blogspot.com.br/2010/04/multitasking-android-way.html

As far as I understand, Android is supposed to look after this itself. Many apps have services that run almost separately from the visible part as well and part of the lifecycle of Android apps is that the OS can indeed choose to close threads down as it sees fit.
But buried in the docs so well I don't remember quite where it is is the information that "Back"ing out of an app will tend to shut it down rather than if you just go "Home". Graphics-intensive apps like 'Angry Birds' should be closed like this, in fact, because the app gets the opportunity to shutdown processor-intensive threads properly.


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Does 'poor' reception deplete the battery quicker?
In the area where I live I sometimes have trouble with reception. The Internet stops working for me or it takes time to load pages. The phone tries and tries to connect.
It seems to me that when this is happening it depletes the battery much more quickly. Is my observation correct?

Cell signal
To add to ce4's answer: You can check that for yourself. If you take a look at your battery stats (they are always at a little different place in the system menu: Sometimes in the main menu, other times under phone info), it lists the apps which used most of your battery. One of the highest consumers in there is most likely your display -- and close to it you'll find an item cell standby (sometimes called phone standby). This describes how much battery was used to "keep the signal". Check that in times of good reception versus those of bad reception and see how much it differs.
Network stuff
This can even be "multiplied" if you have many apps running services to poll information from the net permanently -- like email apps using IMAP idle, or some social chat app keeping a push connection. It looks like the same is happening here: it tries hard to keep the connection, and thus pushes the cell radio further. Due to the bad reception, the connection gets slow, and those services keep longer "wake locks" (keeping the CPU alive to complete their task), which again eats battery.
How to find out if your reception was good?
The system does in fact provide this information (at least from Android 2.3/Gingerbread on), in the very same battery statistics mentioned before. On top of the first page you find a small graph1: tap on it, it brings up a bigger one2.

The screenshots are in German, but you still can tell the details: In the first1, you see the cell standby titled "Mobilfunk-Standby" right next to the Display, as said before. On top of that is mentioned "mini-graph". That tapped brings you to the page where you find the second image2 at the bottom. Here take a look at the first graph, titled Telefonsignal (phone signal). "The greener the cleaner": A bright green means "good reception" (the screenshot shows this at the begin and end, that is here: morning and evening -- so at home I have good reception). Getting yellowish: "Moderate reception". This uses more energy: compare it with the graph on top of it (not in the screenshot -- but the same as in the first screenshot), and you see the bar is almost flat where the cell signal is good -- but falls faster where it's not. See the little red spots: "no reception". And phone will power-up like crazy to find a new cell tower...
How to find out where the dead spots are?
Here we need to use 3rd party tools. I will mention two of them here: No Signal Alert3 and OpenSignalMaps4. Both can alert you when entering a "dead zone":

No Signal Alert lets you view a log of cell state changes, plus can show you a map of where the dead zones were3. OpenSignalMaps has the plus of showing you all cell towers in reach4, pointing out which you are connected to. It also offers you a "compass" giving the direction to the strongest signal.
How to automatically deal with those dead zones?
There are some little helpers available which watch your signal. If it drops or gets lost, they simply switch the radio off (so it cannot further power up searching a non-existing signal) -- and periodically activate it again to check whether the situation has improved. One of them is Battery Saver5, which also lets you define profiles so you can easily switch other things like Wifi. Then there are more powerful "automaters" like e.g. GreenPower free battery saver6, which even manage a lot more. And these two are not the only ones...

Great explanation and points to look at!

Yes, it does cost you more power.
The transceiver circuit is engineered with power saving in mind and will reduce sending power as much as possible if the reception is good. This also reduces the SAR value which is a measurement for exposure of the human body to radiation.
If the reception is bad sending signal strength has to be adjusted accordingly.
Additionally:
The underlying protocols are also designed to retransmit packages in case of a corrupted transmission. This might have an extra impact on your battery too.


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Using Android only with Outlook and not Google Calendar
When using Android ICS, can I use my phone without having my calendar and associated items going on Google Calendar but just synchronizing with Outlook (the desktop app) ? If yes, how may I do this ?

Related: Sync contacts and calendar from Outlook 2010 on my laptop with Android phone, avoid data in cloud?

Have a look at Sync Calendar. With the right settings I think it can accomplish what you want. If it's not what you're looking for you can try Outlook Mobile Calendar but it only has 3.5 (EDIT: 2) stars.

2 stars, at the moment.

Karya Outlook Mobile Calendar has been pulled from Google Play Store. It has awful reviews on AndroidPIT and they say it's a lie that it's free, it's only 30-day free trial, anyway people say it doesn't sync, it crashes etc. etc. Avoid.


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How to export bookmarks from default android browser?
I am using LG P500 phone, running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).
I want to export bookmarks from default browser of my android phone.
Can any one suggest me how to do that?
I have checked settings of default browser but no clue..

There are apps that can backup your bookmarks, e.g.
GMarks or TitaniumBackup (needs root).
You could also sync the P500 bookmarks with Google (by default on) and also set up sync for a regular desktop chrome browser (very prominently accessible in the settings).
You should be able to export your bookmarks then.


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How did I get my Nexus 7 homescreen into landscape?
I was playing around on my Nexus 7 today and somehow ended up in a landscape version of the homescreen. I haven't downloaded any apps that mess with it like Ultimate Rotation Control, or rooted it or anything. Somehow though, it was in landscape and I thought it looked pretty cool. As soon as I switched into a different app and came back it was stuck in portrait again though.
Does anybody know how that would have happened? I'd like to at least mess around with it in landscape, especially since it seems to be built in.
EDIT: It looks like if you open mVideoPlayer and lock the screen, then it will open up to the landscaped homescreen when you unlock. However it rotates back. It doesn't look like the orientation being in landscape messes up anything, so why would it be locked in portrait?
EDIT: The above method worked the first three times but doesn't seem to do it at all anymore.

Since this doesn't answer the question, Custom Launchers like Apex or Nova allow you to use your homescreen in landscape mode. They look like the stock launcher also.

More of a status update than an answer: Jelly Bean 4.1.2 allows a landscape rotation on small screens.
I previously had the same experience (accidentally changed the rotation but could not reproduce it) -- I received the system update yesterday and was pleasantly surprised after the reboot  :-)

Yup, I received a stock update to 4.1.2 the other day which added landscape support for the home and lock screens.


text:
File servers for Android?
Do any good file servers exist for Android that do not require root?  Ideally, it'd be nice to just be able to have an SMB share, but the only app I was able to find for this (Samba Filesharing) requires root.
I'm currently using FTPDroid, but it's pretty slow (I'm getting about 200 KB/s downloads on my n600 wifi).  Are there any better options?
I'm using a Verizon Galaxy S3.

There are tons of alternatives. Find a list of FTPServers in this German thread (Google Translate version), others like WebDAV and Samba can be found here (again: Google Translate version).
I'd say you could give FTPServer a try, sounds promising. No root mentiones, highly rated.
Alternatively, you might want to try DoMobile FTP share (very small: less than 30 kB!) or their new app eShare. Meanwhile I even managed to locate SwiFTP again (somebody continues the project, finally!), which should be fast and lightweight.

Still want to try the rest of the suggestions, but FTPServer is so far much faster than FTPDroid.

Yeah. But it's a real pity that SwiFTP seems no longer available -- small and fast and feature-rich, it seemed the best choice. But as for your requirements, when walking the list you might stick with DoMobile (small and handsome, and reported to be really fast). Make sure to let us know your choice then :)

DoMobile's new app called eshare turned out great.  Fast and reliable so far.  If you add that to your answer, I'll mark it.

At your service xD

If all you want to do is access your device from a Computer, my favourite app is AirDroid. Allows you to browse files file a lot more. Doesn't require root. I've found that I can get 1.5 / 2mb/s on a busy network

I do use AirDroid from time to time, and it's pretty cool.  I'd prefer to find something that I can access natively through Windows though, rather than through a browser.

I use SSHDroid, which doesn't require root (although if you have root, it will take advantage of it). This has the dual advantage that it can not only be used for file transfers (using SFTP), but since it's an SSH server, it also allows you to open a remote shell on your phone. I usually get ~1Mbps via WiFi.

I suggest you to try Servers Ultimate.

Would be nice to give a reason for your suggestion. Guess it's the "many different servers in one app" making you say so? Or did you try it, and can include some feedback on what you liked about it?

I tested it on an old device I owned and was really keen about it.
Currently I'am running a lightweight DNS server on my old device.

I created WiFi FTP Server for this purpose.

It's OK to name your own app. But it's a rule to disclose your involvement. Sure you found it good if you wrote it – otherwise you'd have to hit yourself for bad coding.

That's two questions, both with little information touting your own app. That sort of behavior is frowned on around here. If you don't want people to flag your answers as spam, I suggest you answer questions where you're not suggesting your app.


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Facebook message notification
Is there away to make my phone stop beeping when I get a Facebook message if I'm already on Facebook on a different computer?

Is there away to make my phone stop beeping when I get a Facebook message if I'm already on Facebook on a different computer?

Emphasis mine. No, there is currently no way for the Facebook app to only send you messages when the phone is the only device connected. The only option you have is shutting of certain kinds of notifications completely.

In my experience, if you reply on a PC to the person who is sending you the messages, the notifications will be silent on your phone. Other than that, it doesn't seem to be currently possible.


text:
Accessing a web server running in Android emulator from my local machine
I'm trying to access a web server running on the Android emulator from my machine. I know the reverse i.e., how to access the server running on my local machine from the Android emulator (using 10.0.2.2). I have searched a lot about this stuff but couldn't get any relevant information.
When the server is up and running inside the emulator I can access it using 10.0.2.15:portNumber. I can do a telnet to the emulator, but I wonder how that will be helpful. Any suggestions on how to get connected to the web server running inside the emulator?

You need to create a port forwarding to your Android device. This can be done with ADB.
adb forward <local> <remote> - forward socket connections
                                 forward specs are one of:
                                   tcp:<port>
                                   localabstract:<unix domain socket name>
                                   localreserved:<unix domain socket name>
                                   localfilesystem:<unix domain socket name>
                                   dev:<character device name>
                                   jdwp:<process pid> (remote only)

For example: run adb forward tcp:12345 tcp:23456 and then use the URI http://localhost:12345 to access the server running on port 23456 in the emulator. Note that some ports are reserved for Android and some can only be used after rooting, so I'd suggest using high ports (>20000) if you can.


text:
Bookmark current song
I don't know if I need an app for this or can I do it with the given music app. I've downloaded a bunch of lectures and they're all in one album.
 Sometimes I want to listen to music, but when I do, I lose my place in the lecture album. Is there a way to bookmark or save the current song/position so I can quickly switch back? Preferably free.

You'll probably need to find a music application which supports podcast/audiobooks, and then set your lectures as one of those.

Try using the Audiobook variant of MortPlayer. I believe it ought to suit your needs. Also - it's free.
One of its features is particularly useful:

List of 10 most recent events for each track (where did you press play, stop, got interrupted by a call, activate the sleep timer, ...)


text:
Uninstall the applications provided by the company

Possible Duplicate:
How can I uninstall applications that are locked by phone vendor?

I am using the LG P500 phone, running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).
I want to uninstall the applications provided by the operating system distribution, that is, the default applications. Is there a way to do this?

System apps are stored in the /system/ partition. You can only uninstall them if your device is rooted (see: How do I root my Android device?).
Preinstalled software are most likely system apps, so if you can't uninstall them through the Settings menu there is probably no other way than rooting.

Suppose one roots one's device and then uninstalls a few applications. Now after uninstalling can he "unroot" his device and go back to using the standard OS again?

Yes it's possible to unroot.

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


text:
What Android OS version is on the Kindle Fire HD?
Which version of Android is running on the recently announced Kindle Fire HD, Amazon seems to fail to mention that detail in the specifications they list for Kindle Fire HD

CyanogenMod 10 (as soon as it's hackable) ;-) currently http://es.engadget.com/2012/09/07/kindle-fire-hd-ics

Amazon confirms Kindle Fire HD models use Android 4.0 under the hood.

ups ... you beat me to it! +1

By this comparison between Kindle Fire HD 7" and Nexus 7 done by CNET, it uses a custom Android 4.0 version.
Scroll down to the comparison table to see it
From the official product page, there's no corroborating information about it.

Amazon confirms ICS is running the Kindle Fire HD. For more infos follow this
blogpost


text:
Adding an extra tab in the ICS Launcher
I'm on Android 4.0.4. When I open my launcher, I see two tabs — Apps and Widgets. I'd like to add a third tab for Games. Is this possible?
Since I have quite a few games, I'd like to keep them separate and a new tab would be great. If there's an app that'd be awesome.
Any other suggestions are welcome

It looks like the only way to do this would be to use a custom launcher. I've found three options that have this capability.
Nova Launcher Prime ($4.00)
Apex Launcher Pro ($3.99)
Holo Launcher Plus ($3.99)
There is also a free Holo Launcher, but I don't think it has the customizable tabs.

Nova Launcher Prime looks great. I'll give that a shot. Cheers.


text:
Rooting an unbranded tablet
I bought one of these simple cheap Chinese no-name tablets: HDMI, Bluetooth, HD display, dual-core CPU. Unfortunately, it came without official Google apps such as Market and Gmail. I tried different ways to install these apps. Every time I got a Force Close error.
I'm using Ubuntu as my workstation and looked with adb for the device. Found one, good! The command lsusb gives me
Bus 001 Device 031: ID 18d1:4e22 Google Inc. Nexus S (debug)

I've tried obtaining root access on this device, without any success. Information about the hardware is attached as a screenshot, made with Quadrant Benchmark.

I have tried these tools:

SuperOneClick
UniversalAndroot
EasyRootICS

BusyBox is installed but without su. Cannot remount /system, because its not permitted.
Cannot login with adb root, it fails with the following message
> adbd cannot run as root in production builds

You can try http://xray.io/dl for additional exploits (it's a security tool by a well-known researcher (J.Oberheide from DuoSecurity). It checks for common vulnerabilities. Also: Do you have a means to boot into recovery and/or fastboot mode? The recovery might come with root access and fastboot boot boot.img gives you the ability to start a custom boot image that can give you root (if the bootloader is unlocked). Generally, those cheap tablets have weak security.

If you don't know what device you have, it's hard to get any assistance.
Without any warranties of success, and without assuming any responsability by what may happen to your device, I can suggest that you visit UnlockRoot, known to work with tons of devices, may became a solution for yours.
The process is done with three steps:

Your device must be in USB Debugging mode. Turn it on, go to Settings-> Applications-> Development and check the box.（Look Here）
Connect your device to your PC, Run UnlockRoot.exe.
Click "Unlock Root", enjoy!

And it's reported to work quiet well, see last entry labeled "What are the Risks of Rooting?".
The FAQ section is also quiet useful.

Read the documentation from the website and proceed at your own risk.

This will not work with ICS, as it says in its FAQ.

You will really struggle finding a way to root a tablet running ICS, especially a 'no brand' one.
I have had the same issue with an Arnova Gbook.
Unfortunately, the answer to your question is that it would be very difficult, and maybe even impossible, unless a new ICS root exploit comes out, as Google patched the main one in Android 4.0.

try using VROOT, i've purchased a unbanded phone, (actually locally branded). Using VROOT i was able to get it rooted, now i am looking for a method to install CWM Recovery, and you just gave me a idea.. Thanks and i hope it works for you too !!

Please add a link to this app; I can't find it on the Google Play app store. Thanks!


text:
SMS-draft on incoming call
I have a tiny problem with my Android on HTC Wildfire. When I got incoming call and my screen is blocked, I have to move a ring to unblock and answer the phone; but if I move this ring fast enough and my phone doesn't capture my movement, I get a cancelled call and a sms-draft 'Sorry, I'm busy' etc. The problem is: is there any way to disable this option to have an sms-draft? I'd like to have not a possibility to slide to sms-draft with call cancel. My Android version is 2.3.5

This might be a hardware limitation, maybe the resolution of the touch digitizer is too low for your fast finger and it detects 2 taps instead. You can try to change to a different lock screen / answer screen which uses sth. different. Also custom ROMs usually come with many options for the lockscreen feature

Some phones have the capability to edit/remove the predefined call-refusal messages, see if you can find them and remove all, maybe this will disable the SMS sending.


text:
Limit YouTube to Wi-Fi only
My daughter loves to share videos on YouTube with her friends. As a result she's blown through her monthly 2GB data allotment on multiple occasions.
While I've educated her on the difference between 3G and Wi-Fi, and she's a smart kid, it would simply be easier if I could limit her YouTube app to only allow streaming while on Wi-Fi.
I looked in the app settings but unless it's in some weird location there is no such setting. How can I prevent YouTube streaming to be only allowed on Wi-Fi?
(If it matters: Droid Incredible 2, Gingerbread)

Don't know of any YouTube option for that end, but if you are open to use an app to limit other apps, you can give a go to Onavo Count | Monitor Data that has an option to limit the app to Wi-Fi only:

Save money on your mobile bill - avoid costly overage fees! Onavo Count puts you in control of your 3G data plan. Easy setup, three brand new widgets, tailored alerts and automatic blocking tools will keep you safe from bloated data bills.

Update September 2016:
It looks like Onavo Count is no longer compatible with some modern Android devices including devices like Nexus 6P. Onavo has a new "Protect Free VPN+Data Manager", which still has the above functionality in addition to some cool VPN features.

I installed this app, and I can't see YouTube in the list of apps (at 'details'). Am I doing something wrong? I did start up the app to make sure it at least used some data so that it should appear in the list.

avast! Mobile Security has, in addition to multiple layers of protection, a firewall module that allows individual control of each application with toggling of Wi-Fi/data/roaming access.
Onavo also works great as mentioned but doesn't have the other features that Avast has.

You can only use avast firewall if you have root access on your android

No Root Firewall can restrict cellular access on per app basis
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.greyshirts.firewall


text:
Remap menu key to multitasking
I'd like to remap the physical menu key of my Xperia Neo V running Cyanogenmod 9 to multi-tasking, the way it is on phones that were launched with ICS or Jelly Bean to begin with.
Apps built for ICS would then display the action overflow. With older apps, I guess an on-screen menu key would appear -- I think there is in fact an ICS phone that does this as it has only two keys, but I don't remember the name. Alternatively, the menu key would stay a menu key in these apps but this might be more difficult to achieve.
Is there any way to configure or modify Android to behave this way?

Just as a point of consideration, on devices that have physical menu buttons the action overflow button will not appear. Granted, with CM9 I wouldn't be surprised if someone came up with a way to force it (or something similar), but remapping menu might be a little funky.

My thinking was that if my physical "menu" button is remapped, I don't have a physical menu button any more :)

It would be kind of interesting to see how Android handled that, as I don't know how precisely it makes the determination that you do (or do not) have a physical menu button.

I'm using HTC Desire which has physical buttons. This awesome guy has a patch which displays soft buttons on screen making my phone act as a phone without physical button.

I'm not sure if I'd want that but it might be good as a starting point for researching where these things are defined.

So, you want to use a mod that decreases available screen space with no change in functionality?

Yeah, "I totally want to do that" is exactly what I wanted to say with "I'm not sure if I'd want that".

As I have just discovered, the latest Cyanogenmod 10 nightlies have this feature. Unfortunately it doesn't ever display an on-screen menu key. As a workaround, I mapped long-press of the menu key to its old function.


text:
Android mail client using Exchange Web Services?
I'm looking for an Android e-mail client that connects to a hosted Exchange 2010 server via Exchange Web Services (EWS). I know there are several mail apps (including the stock mail client) that can work with Exchange through ActiveSync and/or WebDAV, but my server supports neither of these.

can you please tell me how you fixed it

Here's what I've found:

AquaMail

"Support for standard Internet email protocols: IMAP, POP3, SMTP; Exchange: EWS" (reference)

Blue Mail

"Support for … Exchange (ActiveSync, EWS, 365)"
cloud-involved

Email TypeApp

"Supporting … all Exchange protocols including Exchange Web Services (EWS)"
probably cloud-involved

MailCal for Exchange

"email and calendar client that uses EWS/OWA/Webmail"

MailDroid

various forum postings discuss EWS support

MobiMail

"Exchange Web Services (EWS) is required on the Exchange server"

Newton Mail

"Supports Calendar for Gmail, Google Apps, and Exchange (EWS)"
cloud-involved

Stack Mail, a.k.a. Ginger Mail, a.k.a. Squash Mail

"Please make sure that EWS (Exchange Web Services) is enabled on your Exchange server"
this says Google was refunding purchases

Honorable mention:

AOL Alto - discontinued November 9, 2017

JWebServices for Exchange is Java API for Microsoft Exchange 2007/2010/2013 and Office 365. The API offers complete Exchange Web Services functionality including the ability to create/update/move/copy items and folders, search items and folders, send messages, send meetings requests and more. Supports JDK 1.5+ and Android 1.6+.

You can use Microsoft's EWS API which is Open Source for Android by doing the following steps:

download the source code available in the URL: http://archive.msdn.microsoft.com/ewsjavaapi
EWSJavaAPI_1.1.5.zip
Make the changes to above API to work for JDK 1.4 in Eclipse like remove override annotations, etc.
Download source code of javax.* package available in below URL
http://www.java2s.com/Code/Jar/j/Downloadjsr17310srcjar.htm
jsr173_1.0_src.jar.zip
Download source code of stax API available in below URL,
http://dist.codehaus.org/stax/distributions
stax-src-1.2.0.zip
Keep all the sources under the single Java project in Eclipse
Open the project explorer and select the package which are starts with "javax" and rename to your company name (e.g., com). Note: Eclipse will ask for all the naming contexts will change then click OK.
Export all the Java sources to one single jar file.
Then You good to go to use the jar in Android application with out any problems.

I used the same way explained above and it worked in Android application 100% perfectly.

This may be viable for someone who is familiar with programming, but isn't going to be helpful for most users.

it is not working for me, are these steps complete ? please help


text:
Does Google Play have a podcast feature?
Just grabbed a phone with 4.1. Most questions talk about the Google Listen app, but I can't find it. Did google remove the "podcasting" feature from their Play suite?

Yes, on August 3rd 2012 Google Listen was discontinued and is no longer available on Google Play. If you already have it, it will continue to work, but on November 1st 2012, the Podcast Search will cease to work.
This project was very limited in functionality anyway. There are other apps out there that are updated and actively worked on. I think the last time Google Listen was updated was a couple months after it came out in 2009.
A lot of the podcast apps out there now can make use of the "Listen Subscriptions" folder that is in Google Reader. This is where Google Listen stored your subscribed podcasts. I continue to use Reader to store my podcasts in this location, then I import it to the player on my phone.


text:
Can I buy apps from the play store without having an Android phone?
How can I buy apps from the play store with only a google account and no phone? Planning to buy the phone next week, but would like to grab the sale prices for various apps before they expire.

Generally, the answer is No. But there is a way to buy the apps first. Find a friend who is willing to let you add your account to his/her phone, then you can buy the apps under your own account.
Edit: Here's an article I just came across.

A similar train of thought - will using an Android emulator on a PC also allow one to remote install apps/purchase apps via the Play Store?


text:
Power button not working. Phone wont boot?
I have a Samsung Galaxy Ace GTS 5830i.
I somehow messed up the power button of my phone and now after the battery drained completely, It will not start.
I tried looking up online for going into recovery mode (without using the power button) i.e keeping home key pressed while inserting the charging but nothing works. Finally, I thought I must have an option to boot up my phone through Eclipse DDMS but I cant find any option there either (See screenshot)
Please help.

EDIT : Thanks to the answer by Sparx, I have solved this problem. Connect the phone via USB to your computer. If you have installed the Android SDK, go in the android-tools folder and execute adb devices (if on a mac, run ./adb devices)
If your devices shows up in the list run ./adb reboot

Have you tried plugging in the charger? or else plugging in the charger and while plugged in, remove and then re-insert battery. Some phones tend to start up in that manner.

Also if you can connect via adb (even if your phone is powered down), the "adb devices" // "adb reboot" ought to start your phone. If you're rooted, there are apps like Quick Reboot that allow you to reboot to Recovery or Download mode with a tap, provided you have CWM.

ADB reboot works ! Thank you. If this were an answer, i'd have accepted it.

@Sparx Consider making your comment an answer, as the OP already edited the question mentioning that the issue was solved thanks to your information.

Have you tried plugging in the charger? or else plugging in the charger and while plugged in, remove and then re-insert battery. Some phones tend to start up in that manner.
Also if you can connect via adb (even if your phone is powered down), the adb devices followed by adb reboot ought to start your phone. If you're rooted, there are apps like Quick Reboot that allow you to reboot to Recovery or Download mode with a tap, provided you have CWM.

You need to first plug your phone then insert the battery. I have followed this on my HTC Desire phone.


text:
How to restore my IMEI on Galaxy S if I don't have a backup of /efs?
I installed CyanogenMod 10 Nightlies on my Galaxy S1, coming from CyanogenMod 9.
On every reboot I get the message:

Warning! A problem was detected with your device. Your device IMEI number is invalid. And invalid IMEI number could cause network issues including the inability to call emergency numbers.

Sometimes I have network issues and my handy just won't connect to the Internet(even though it shows E/H Connection)
I once made a backup of my /efs/ partition, I already restored it but the message still appears.

FYI

The CyanogenMod 10 is the first update with the code to detect an invalid IMEI.
You could already have an invalid IMEI and don't know about it.
The issue with an invalid IMEI is that you may have emergency calling problems (inability to do emergency calls).

Confirm IMEI
Does the IMEI reported match the number under your battery?
Dial *#06# and the IMEI will be presented on your screen.

Possible Solution
From this code.google.com thread, the user at comment 5 managed to solve the issue:

Steps I took to solve the problem:

Flash my phone by Odin to version 2.2.1
Update to CM9 using Recovery with stabile version od CM9
http://download.cyanogenmod.com/get/jenkins/5805/cm-9.0.0-galaxysmtd.zip
Update to CM10 using last version of kernel.
I used cm-10-20120822-NIGHTLY-galaxysmtd.

Between steps I did wipe data/factory reset and wipe cache partition. Now my IMEI is correct.
After cleaning the phone and updates do CM10 I recommend installing gapps-jb-20120726-signed, because your phone will be clean as a baby after birth.

Okay, i just checked it my IMEI is invalid, now I would be intrested in a solutions apart from Reinstalling/Flashing. Another question comes up why are calls and (sometimes) Internet without a valid IMEI? I always thought it would be necessesary. Thanks for your very informative Answer!

Short research reveals, i'm not the only one affected (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=842775) [I have the same IMEI].

@wayback Do you have a backup of the efs folder which contained IMEI? If you have, you can restore it and fix the issue..

I only had the one I already applied :/

@wayback Sorry, that would be the alternative, without it, AFAIK, you have to follow the solution on my answer.

It worked I reverted to JVU Firmware with Repartition enabled in ODIN.

Can I do this with heimdal, without Odin?

@imz--IvanZakharyaschev I have not used Heimdal, but by the information about it, you should have no problems..

@Zuul Thanks for the answer about heimdall! Now I just wonder where to get the 2.2.1 system image from. I thought that Odin perhaps knows where to get it, but that this might be a problem if I use heimdall...

@imz--IvanZakharyaschev On my answer, there's a link to the CM9 for Galaxy S, under Possible Solution on the point n.º 2.

I thought I must first flash the Samsung 2.2.1 system. Is that true? Or is CM9 enough? If I need the Samsung ROM, I will have to search for the Samsung ROM suitable for flashing with heimdall.

This is usually caused by a wrong/corrupted/replaced /efs/nv_data.bin.
If you have a backup of /efs
It is likely, that some ROM installer created one for you.
If you have a backup of the /efs folder on your SD-Card then it's safe to simply copy the files from the backup to /efs:
adb shell              # open a shell
su                     # become root
cd /sdcard/backup/efs  # change directory to the backup
cp -r * /efs           # copy the backup to /efs

This should restore your IMEI back to the factory value.
If you don't have a backup of /efs
Then you have to go with Zuul's answer.

Just flash your device with official firmware.  It may be a problem with the CyanogenMod 10 nightly builds, not your device.

But these nightlies are also working for other people.


text:
How can I easily edit / add contacts to my phone book without them showing on Google?
I got my Galaxy Nexus and now I'm stumped how to get my contacts right? There's no phone book anymore here. These are just my Google contacts of which I have just a handful with phone numbers.

What's the best way to get my phone numbers into those contacts without editing every and single one? So merging phone numbers on my SIM with google contacts.
Add new that are missing in my google contacts but are present on my SIM?

Why can't I have separate phone contacts from Google contacts? And what's the rationale behind the decition they've made with this?
Is it also possible that phone-only contacts (with name of course) woudl not show on my gmail afterwards? I mean on the web. On my computer...

If you'd rather keep your primary Google account separate, why not create a fresh account for use with your phone? That way you'll enjoy the benefit of the cloud to sync/restore your contacts while avoiding "cluttering" your phone. Also, most Samsung phones (non-Nexus) have the ability of adding contacts to the phone alone and NOT sync to Google.

Rationale
The traditional concept of mapping names to numbers which many people know from cell phones doesn't really apply to smartphones. Here the idea is that there is one central instance, the contacts app, that holds information about your contacts and how you can reach them, which could include a phone number but not mandatorily. Often there is also e-mail, third party messaging (whats app), third party VOIP (skype) social (micro) blogs (Twitter, Google+) or various social networks. (Facebook, LastFM, ...).
Use www.google.com/contacts
I recommend to move all information about contacts that is stored on your SIM card to the Google contacts. Furthermore Gmail will only show contacts that have a e-mail address. So there is no need to have something like phone-only contacts.
The cloud idea is to have every piece of data (or information if you want) everywhere available. Why do you want to have some contacts just on one device? I know it's hard for some people that their contact app suddenly shows hundreds of contacts from different sources, but Google/Android provides techniques to deal with that too: Use contacts groups. Most Google software is able to show only certain contact groups (but will run contact searches for the whole contact set).

Ok. This seem reasonable. But what about merging SIM+Google contacts. And you're mentioning Skype ones as well. I have a bunch of Skype contacts many of them with phone number but without Skype account in the first place. Can I sync them into the same list as well? Will I get duplicates? Will it nicely match by something?


text:
DualBoot CM7 and CM9 for HTC Desire Z?
I want to be able to switch from CM7 to CM9 and vice versa without losing my apps and data everytime. Is it possible to make a dualboot?

Making a dual boot is possible, there's a nice app for that end available from Google Play Store.
Boot Manager Pro (2,17€) and the Boot Manager Lite (free), both from Init 2 Winit Apps.

Boot Manager is Android's first multi-boot application. It allows you to install boot ROMs from your sdcard and boot between then with just a reboot. The application acts as your recovery for your sdcard slots. Install your kernels, themes, and ROMs all through the app and use your normal recovery for your phone ROM only.

Unfortunately, I haven't found any supporting information if this will or will not share apps between ROMs, but at the very least it solves the dual boot problem.
Ps:
Since apps when installed on the SDcard still leave a portion of their code on the main installation directory of the current ROM, it doesn't seen possible to have apps shared across different ROMs.

I'll try this now!

This actually soft bricked my phone, I had to flash it again with CM7, so I'll just deal with one ROM :)

@ChristianNikkanen Consider also emailing the developer and let him know about your device, in order to have him providing better support in future releases.


text:
How to make point to point VOIP call between two Android devices?

Possible Duplicate:
How can I make a point-to-point VoIP call over Wifi?

I am searching for a way to make a point to point VOIP call between two Android devices without having any intermediate server(SIP server) or an internet connection.
I just have an access point (or multiple access point connect via LAN) and I want to make VOIP calls over Wi-Fi only.
Is that possible? And if it's possible is there any tutorial that could help me in applying such solution?

I've edited and rephrase your question to have it on-topic here. Developer questions or questions like "Is there an app for X?" are considered off-topic. (see the FAQ for further details)


text:
How to turn off vibration during a factory reset?
I am experimenting with my phone quite a lot, and I need to do a factory reset quite often (several times per day).
Everything works fine, but it vibrates several times during the factory reset. And it's really annoying. Maybe someone know, how to turn those off - some setting maybe?
I'm using Android 2.3.6, Alacritous v3 Mod.

I would think that is a normal operation for factory reset - it does vibrate to let you know that the reset is in progress.

I'm assuming you are using the menu found under settings when the phone is fully booted.
Doing a factory reset from clockworkmod recovery shouldn't make the phone vibrate. Boot to recovery and choose wipe data/factory reset. The effect is the same as the menu in the settings.

Yeah, I'd even say you shouldn't reset the device from the regular settings menu, better to do it from CWM as you'll have quick access to ROM installs and all that.


text:
How do I reset the fade effect on ICS?
I recently installed ICS on my Samsung Galaxy Ace and I have accidentally enabled the fade effect throughout the phone, but now I cannot find the setting that I changed. I don't want to perform a factory reset. Does anyone know how to reset this fade effect on ICS? The effect is being applied throughout the phone, while displaying system popups, pressing menu buttons etc.

Go to SETTINGS > DEVELOPER OPTIONS and change WINDOW ANIMATION and TRANSITION ANIMATION to 1x for the default or 0 for the speediest UI response

thanks a lot man, you saved me from doing factor reset, thanks a lot


text:
How do I run an application on my phone from my PC?
I have a phone with a touch-screen malfunction, I want to run applications on it from my computer, connected by USB. Is that possible?
I've tried applications like http://mymobiler.com, but that has failed me (I can see the screen, it's not responsive).
Sadly, I have ADB turned off, so I cannot use applications like the android screencast, or DroidExplorer.

Can you not reboot the device up in a recovery mode that doesn't require the touch interface?

What exact phone model is it? If it is some of the hackable ones (Samsung, Sony, HTC) you could enable adb via some other means like fastboot or flashing a custom recovery or firmware that has adb enabled.

HTC HD2, and I managed to activate ADB, so thanks for the help :D

LogMeIn Ignition may work for what you want to do. It really remote controls the pc but to truly run a PC app it would have to be on a PC.

I don't want to run an app on the PC, I want to run an app on the phone, from the PC.

If you are a developer, you can install apps directly from your PC by accessing and enabling:
Settings → Applications → Development → USB Debugging option.

Have you read the question? ADB is off, and I am without a touch screen. I cannot activate it. Also, I want to RUN and application, not INSTALL it.


text:
Why does HTC Incredible not update?
My HTC Incredible (Verizon) has tried to update to either Ice Cream Sandwich (android 4.0.x) or just build # 4.x (I'm not sure which) for the past two weeks or so.  Either way, it has not been succesful.
Sometimes I'll get a notification telling me that the update has been downloaded, and asks me whether I wan't to reboot to install.  I tried that a bunch of times, but neither time did it even shut down after the ten second delay/grace period.  Once I tried going to Settings > About Phone > System updates, and downloaded the update and tried to install, but the same thing happened: ten second countdown, then nothing.
Now, the notification never pops up, and Settings > About Phone > System updates indicates that no new updates are out.  What's happening?
Thanks!

I have had this problem with previous OTA updates on my HTC.  The problem I ran into is that my phone didn't have enough "space" for the update to actually install gracefully.  The bigger problem is that there are many different places the phone can run out of "space".  I ended up booting into the recovery to wipe the cache partition (for some details see "Low on space" warning with over 50% free).  I also ended up wiping the app cache and data on a number of apps (including the launcher -- lost all my icons, gmail, maps, etc) to reduce "space" used until the update installed.  I don't recall what exactly pushed the install over the edge and made it go, but it was painful enough that I'm not bothering with the latest update (its just a point release, despite the version number they're showing you its not an ICS update).

thanks for the clarification about the version (too bad: I was really looking forward to ICS, guess I'll just use CMod or something).  As for the whole cache partition wipe, I'll let you know if that works (I didn't realize until now that I actually have a lot of free space, and that the low space notification is actually a glitch).

If you have installed a custom recovery (Clockwork or other) you won't be able to install the OTA update. You have to be stock ROM, with stock recovery in order to install OTA updates.
I am assuming that you have rooted and installed a custom recovery since you listed rom-manager as a tag.
If you want the update you will first have to get back to stock recovery and rom. Your best bet at this point is to install a custom ROM that was built from the latest update. That should stop Verizon pushing the update to your device.

I have not rooted (yet) nor installed a custom ROM.  Where can I find an original, factory ROM from Google?

You could look at the XDA forums for ROMs. I'm sure the factory image is available there somewhere: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635 If you have not rooted your phone and aren't using rom-manager, you should remove that tag from your post.


text:
Phone doesn't ring or show missed call, later a voicemail appears
I have an AT&T Samsung Galaxy 2 and have had a sporadic problem:  A person calls me, my phone doesn't ring, kicks them over to voice mail, doesn't show as a missed call, and then the voice mail shows up on my phone as much as an hour later.  I have tested this from my land line and sometimes the phone does everything it's supposed to and other times doesn't ring and doesn't log a missed call but records a voice mail.

I've been having the same problem with an HTC Sensation. And contrary to what the answer below says, I have a perfectly adequate connection when this happens.

Go to Settings > Apps > Dialer > Check "Show notifications". That fixed my problem.

I had the same issue. You will have to change your phone notification settings. Go to "settings," then "call", then "phone settings" under "other call settings."  Scroll all the way to the bottom of the call setting screen and select "phone notification preview" (To show caller ID for missed calls and voicemails on locked screen and status bar).
Most likely, you downloaded an app on your phone that adjusted your phone settings. I hope this helps.

Is this something specific to Samsung phones? I cannot find that setting on my LG Optimus 4X (Android 4.0.3).

This is probably because you do not have a good reception when the phone call happens. If you have a good reception but is still not getting the call, contact your operator; standard voice mail is managed by your operator not the phone (that's why you can still get a voice mail even when the phone is turned-off/out-of-service-area, but it won't show in missed calls, which is managed by the phone itself).


text:
Removing stock browser on Jelly Bean

Possible Duplicate:
Unistall a system app without root?

Chrome is the default on Jelly Bean OS. When I bought Nexus 7 tablet it came preinstalled with JB, but when my Galaxy Nexus got upped the old stock browser is still present.
How can I get rid of the stock browser on Galaxy Nexus in JB? Is it at all possible?

You'd basically do the same thing as if you were removing carrier bloatware (see How can I uninstall applications that are locked by phone vendor? and Unistall a system app without root?)

@eldarerathis: Actually your second link really helped me. I removed stock browser from JB, Email (that's used for exchange), Exchange services and News & Weather. Put your comment as an answer and I'l accept it. Don't know why you haven't done so in the first place anyway? :)

This does not really remove the app from your device, but "freezes" it (i.e. makes it "hidden", so it no longer shows up in your App Drawer etc.):
From your Homescreen, open the menu and go to Settings → Apps → Browser, and there hit Disable.
If you later decide you want it back: Same path, and Enable it again.

Be sure to install Chrome first, so that you actually have a browser...

@MichaelHampton: No worries about that. I have Chrome and Firefox as well. Although not liking any of these on GNex. Chrome on Nex7 is very similar to desktop experience and I like it lots!


text:
Set a particular browser as "always"
I have Galaxy Nexus with JB. I got stock browser on it and Chrome and I also installed Firefox just to keep it there since I'm a developer and I can test stuff on all three.
But the question I'm having is, what happens if I set a particular browser as "always" when it asks me which one I'd like to use? I keep pressing "just once" because I don't know hot would I change it later if I desire to do so?

Is it possible to change/reset this later? How?
Does "always" set it as default just for that particular app that's redirecting to browser or does it set OS-wide?

Disabling the default action for an intent is easy enough to do on ICS.

From the launcher, press the menu button, and choose Manage apps.
Select the app that you chose as the default for the action.
Scroll down and touch Clear defaults.

Great! I suppose JB should be no different in this regard?

I don't see why it would be. This functionality has been in Android since nearly the beginning.

@RobertKoritnik I just booted up the JB emulator and it looks identical there. So go for it.

If you can not find an appropriate setting on your device, you may have another app take care for that. There are some on the playstore addressing exactly your problem, e.g.: DefaultApp Reset1 explicitly states This will work on android 1.5-2.3.3+ & 3.0-3.2+ & 4.0-4.0.3+ & 4.1+, Default App Manager2 does not explicitly state (but is free, so you could check).

To your second question: It's rather system-wide for the same action. For example, if you open an audio file from the file manager, and select the player for "always" -- this will also be used if you select an audio file from, say, the browser. A second screenshot3 from the Default App Manager app may be helpful to understand this part:

AD1: Is there no other way to reset this apart from third party apps?

AD2: But sometimes I get asked to select a browser, but sometimes browser+youtube? What happens in the second case if I set browser as always when an app asked me and only presented browsers? Do you know what I mean?

I guess I get what you mean -- and maybe I wasn't clear enough with my explanation: If you select an .html file, it might ask you only for a browser. In this case, your selection will be remembered for .html files, regardless of from where you called it. Some Flash stuff (e.g. a Youtube link) might ask for browser+youtube -- again, your selection would be remembered for this special "file type" -- but not for .html (so in that case, you should be asked again when encountering an .html). Hard to explain in words -- I hope I made it this time?

Makes perfect sense. I just didn't know that this is related to file type. It makes perfect sense now. I can see myself selecting some "always" from now on. :)

At least it is revertable, in case of an error. Besides: It automatically reverts if you update/re-install the affected app (it does so in Gingerbread at least). Besides: If this solves your issue, feel free to accept the answer by clicking the checkmark next to it ;)

On the Kindle Fire (Gingerbread), I go into Settings > Applications > Third Party Applications and select Dolphin Browser, my usual default browser.  There is a Clear Defaults button on Dolphin's page.  That button un-defaults my browser and restores the question.
I would expect you'd have to do something similar - use system-settings for a given application - to undo it's default-ness.

Thanks but... Gingerbread is a completely diff OS than ICS or JB (which could at least be considered very similar to some extent). And second, you're talking about Kindle Fire which is an Android but I think we agree that of all the companies that skin Android Fire is the most changed OS. Long(er) story short: No such setting on my Galaxy Nexus with JB.


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how long does an OTA update normally take?
I am using the Oxygen ROM on my LG P500 (Optimus One) and I just did an OTA Update and the ohone restarted and it has been in a flashing mode every since, the bar is at about 15% for the past 30 minutes so I was wondering if there is a problem or the firmware upgrade normally takes a while.

The progress bar being stuck for a while is not unusual as progress bars are fairly difficult to get right. An update taking more than half an hour, on the other hand, doesn't sound right to me. Of course your phone could simply be slower at this task than mine.

Yeah it was a bit slow but eventually it pulled through thanks for your answer.


text:
When I back out of an app is it still using up my data?
When I am coming out of an app such as facebook, do I just back out of it and is it still using up my data?

Yes, such internet-based applications normally use background services to stay connected with their servers and use mobile data when Wi-Fi is not available. But data usage is often very low for such background apps.
If you want to stop any data usage of any app when you are not using internet apps, you can disable mobile data temporarily. To do so, Go to Settings -> WiFi and networks -> Mobile data and uncheck the option to disable mobile data.
Also, if you are using Android 4 ICS or newer, you can disable background mobile data usage for some apps. Just go to Settings and under Wireless and Networks, click on Data Usage. Then you will see a list of apps that has used your data. Select the app you want to restrict and in newer window, scroll to bottom and check option "Restrict background data". Then, no background mobile data for that app is allowed.

Odd, I don't see an option to restrict background data. Nexus 7, android 4.1.1. I looked at the entry for Chrome.

@offby1 If you see that option for other apps, so it's most probably Google has disabled it for Chrome. However, I don't have 4.1 JB and maybe the option location is different in, or removed from your Android version.

It's also worth looking at the app's own settings, they often have an option to limit or stop their background checking and syncing. For Facebook in the Facebook app you can go to Menu -> Settings and in the General Settings section there's a "Refresh interval" settings that you can change to set how often (or if) Facebook will use your data connection while it's running in the background.


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Remove Snooze -button in Android Alarm-lock
I always by accident hit the Snooze button instead of Alarm -and it is irritating, alarm starting afterwards again. Is there some better alarm -lock with better UI or how can I remove the alarm-lock "Snooze" that is totally useless?

Check out alarmdroid: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.splunchy.android.alarmclock

Use Alarm Clock Xtreme. Its reliable & it has everything you want.


text:
Have a widget activating something in an app?
I have the SyncMe app, and I would like to have a widget activating a fuction in the app.
Now I have to open the app -> Click on a button -> Click on another button.
Can I have a widget doing this by just clicking it?

I've edited your question to have it on-topic, since development questions are considered off-topic. Refer to the FAQ for further information.

In short, you can't.
Only the application can interact with itself internally, unless an API was created for that end. External applications aren't able to know what to do in order to follow your desired "path".
The best you could achieve is opening the application, but you still needed to manually tap the buttons.
My recommendation:
I believe you are trying to have some sort of "Sync Now" functionality without having to open the application and clicking some buttons to achieve that. Either case, Email the developer and request such widget, I'm sure it's useful enough and interest will arise.

Working on it, you will have a shortcut in the next release of Syncme. Not a widget, gone through all the source code of the Android music app widget to figure out that will be an overkill :)


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Which specific storage space is low, when getting "Low Space" on Samsung Galaxy S?
I'm getting the alert "Phone storage space is getting low". Here is my Samsung Galaxy S running Cyanogenmod 9's space status:
Name: Cache
Path: /cache
SIZE: 17.50MB
USED: 2.47MB
FREE: 15.02MB

Name: Data
Path: /data
SIZE: 1889.83MB
USED: 576.64MB
FREE: 1313.19MB

Name: SD-card
Path: /sdcard
SIZE: 5654.56MB
USED: 2011.00MB
FREE: 3643.56MB

Name: System
Path: /system
SIZE: 250.00MB
USED: 240.23MB
FREE: 9.76MB

You'd think it's /system, but /system has been like that forever. In fact, after installing cyanogen it only had 1mb free. I actually deleted some system apps (wallpaper crap mostly) to free up a little more.
I am not asking how to get rid of the alert. I want to know which specific storage space does the alert refer to?

Please don't provide answers in questions. Instead comment on the answer that helped you or maybe even edit the answer to put the solution that worked for you at a prominent position.

If you read carefully you will see that the original question was not HOW to solve the problem, but which space does the alert refer to, which was well answered below by you.
The update was only meant to help whoever finds this question but is looking for a solution not an explanation.

It is usually /datadata that gets full on the Galaxy S. Interestingly this partition is not displayed in the Storage Setting Menu. The quirk is that /datadata is mounted on a special very fast flash chip that only provides 170MiB of storage space.
While this was enough in the "early days" of Android when the Galaxy S was released, it can easly become tight with modern Apps. /datadata is used to store application user data, and while many apps only place a few KiB there, some apps require to store more. Typical candidates that store around 20MiB in /datadata are Google Chrome and Google Currents.
ATM the best practice is a fix that lets you control which apps can store data on the fast chip and which are outsourced to the slower RAM. This script can also be installed with an app called datafix.
To find the apps that consume the most space use su && du -s /datadata/* |sort -gr |head. For example on my device:
shell@android:/datadata # su && du -s /datadata/* |sort -gr |head
39180   /datadata/com.android.chrome
20809   /datadata/com.google.android.apps.currents
16763   /datadata/com.google.earth
9431    /datadata/com.google.android.apps.plus
8938    /datadata/com.inisoft.mediaplayer.a
8270    /datadata/com.google.android.apps.maps
3015    /datadata/com.google.android.apps.docs
2160    /datadata/udk.android.reader
2096    /datadata/com.android.providers.contacts
1597    /datadata/com.fsck.k9

+1 - Excellent answer.  Many HTC phones also used a /datadata partition for app data.  Facebook (especially the Sense version) is another app that will use lots of space.

Thanks, this definitely seems to be what I need, but the "datafix" directory in /data/local did not get created for me...

You can eliminate /system from your list: It is mounted read-only, and (usually) never changes (except when flashin a ROM or applying an OTA).
We can also eliminate /sdcard as possible candidate, for multiple reasons: First, it still has 2 GB free space available. Second, Android devices should also work without an SD card inserted. And third, plus most directly clear: The error message says "Phone storage", not "External storage" or simply "Storage".
Which leaves us with the other two candidates (if your above list is complete).
Usually, this alert refers to /data (or /data/data, if that's a separate partition). Reason: /data is where your apps store their data, and also where apps are installed -- so here the activities take place: Installing and using apps. Don't be confused by the "relative value" (about 30% free space). It's rather the absolute value which counts (here: 1,313 MB). Considering that some devices ship with less than this available altogether (e.g. HTC Buzz), this should be sufficient free space, and thus not trigger such an alert.
Which would leave us with /cache as the most likely candidate here.
You can ensure this by deleting some caches (you can do so from Applications → Manage Applications and walking through the apps, hitting "clear cache" for each one that has caches -- or use some helper app which does this for you, like e.g. App Cache Cleaner or Easy Cache Cleaner. If this makes the error disappear, it was /cache triggering it -- otherwise it could only be /data.

Why would I get such an alert when only 30% of the space is used?!

The "relative" amount (in %) is not important, it's rather the "absolute size". I don't know the exact value triggering this alert; I simply used a simple "exclusion mechanism" here: As said, it cannot be /system. /sdcard is very unlikely (it still has 2GB free, and I'm not even sure if it would trigger such an alarm as the device should even work without a card inserted). Which leaves us with /data and /cache. To decide between those two, I showed you how to clear the cache: if the alert is gone with that, it was /cache then -- otherwise /data.

Besides, another reason against /sdcard: The error says "Phone storage", not "External storage". I will add that to my answer.

OK, updated my answer. Should be more clear (and exact) now.

And corrected it once more -- no longer confusing "free" with "used" space dooh! xD


text:
cannot mount sdext for link2sd?
I have a huawei u8160 running Cyanogenmod 7.2.
when I restart my phone I have to remount the sdext myself using terminal emulator.
su
mount -t ext2 /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 /data/sdext2

but now it returns :
mount : mounting /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 on /data/sdext2 failed : invalid argument

so I want to know how can I mount it again?

I've found it out,
the ext2 partition magically turned into ext3 without formatting I don't know how but it happened,
Formatted my ext3 partition into ext2 again and it worked,I couldn't find anyway to bring lost data back.


text:
widgets not working when app is moved to sd card
When I move my applications to the the sd card using the "Move To SD Card" feature in ICS the widgets for particular application stop working it says "Problem loading widget".Does anyone know a solution to this? or do I just have to keep the application in the internal memory for the widgets to work?,

There are some technical reasons explained on the Android developers website that justify why the widget may have stopped working:
Any of this ones aren't recommended to move to an External Storage due to possible failure:

Services

Your running Service will be killed and will not be restarted when external storage is remounted. You can, however, register for the ACTION_EXTERNAL_APPLICATIONS_AVAILABLE broadcast Intent, which will notify your application when applications installed on external storage have become available to the system again. At which time, you can restart your Service.

Alarm Services

Your alarms registered with AlarmManager will be cancelled. You must manually re-register any alarms when external storage is remounted.

Input Method Engines

Your IME will be replaced by the default IME. When external storage is remounted, the user can open system settings to enable your IME again.

Live Wallpapers

Your running Live Wallpaper will be replaced by the default Live Wallpaper. When external storage is remounted, the user can select your Live Wallpaper again.

App Widgets

Your App Widget will be removed from the home screen. When external storage is remounted, your App Widget will not be available for the user to select until the system resets the home application (usually not until a system reboot).

Account Managers

Your accounts created with AccountManager will disappear until external storage is remounted.

Sync Adapters

Your AbstractThreadedSyncAdapter and all its sync functionality will not work until external storage is remounted.

Device Administrators

Your DeviceAdminReceiver and all its admin capabilities will be disabled, which can have unforeseeable consequences for the device functionality, which may persist after external storage is remounted.

Broadcast Receivers listening for "boot completed"

The system delivers the ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED broadcast before the external storage is mounted to the device. If your application is installed on the external storage, it can never receive this broadcast.

Copy Protection

Your application cannot be installed to a device's SD card if it uses Google Play's Copy Protection feature. However, if you use Google Play's Application Licensing instead, your application can be installed to internal or external storage, including SD cards.

As you've guessed, your widgets, live wallpaper etc won't work once you move them to SD card. If you're rooted you can use solutions like link2sd and data2sd which creates an extra partition in your SD card to move your app or part of the app.


text:
ICS disable sound/vibrate when keys pressed
I want to disable the sound/vibrate effect when typing a message in Ice Cream Sandwich. I have disabled it in Settings > Sound Now there is no touch sound when I am typing a phone number or selecting an application to run, but there is still sound/vibrate when I type messages. How can I disable that too?

On vanilla Android you do this by going into Settings -> Language & Input and then pressing the settings button to the right side of "Android Keyboard" (or, generically, whatever keyboard you're using). There are two checkboxes on the keyboard settings page, one for "Vibrate on keypress" and one for "Sound on keypress". Uncheck both of these to disable the keyboard sounds/vibration.

To disable vibrate on the SwiftKey keyboard:
bring up keyboard
long-press Swiftkey/123 button
click Settings
Advanced
Typing Audio & Haptic Feedback
disable Haptic Feedback


text:
Force Trebuchet to reload my widgets?
Whenever I install a new widget, I don't know if it supports ICS or not immediately because it won't show up on the Widgets tab until I restart the phone. It is highly inconvenient. Is there a way to force Trebuchet (my home app) to reload the widget list everytime I install a new app?

In my experience, Trebuchet does always reload the list. I just have to wait a couple of seconds.
If it really doesn't, you can go to the Applications section in the settings menu, select Trebuchet and Force Stop it. That should force it to drop any state, including the widget list.


text:
What does ROM Manager consume so much internal storage for
My Nexus S is running out of internal storage. I looked at the space consumed by individual apps in Titanium Backup. ROM Manager is consuming over 200Mb internal storage for "data". That is pretty much from 1Gb of storage. Is there any way to reduce the space consumed by it?

Have you at some point downloaded a ROM through ROM Manager, or made a backup of your phone through it? That 200Mb is about the size a ROM usually is.

@SaintWacko I have done both multiple times, but that is really not the case, as they go to the sd-card. I was able to find a xda post related to this. I think it is about somebody accidentally putting a rom as a icon in the rom list, so as you browse it, it starts downloading the rom instead. I will leave it as an answer later on when I find the post again

Oh, you mean that internal storage. Sorry, I thought you meant the internal SD. Didn't make the connection with it being 1Gb. Also, that's somewhat worrying that ROM Manager allows something like that to happen.

@SaintWacko I thought the same about the ROM Manager. I don't think the maker ever excepted the "thumbnail" to be anything else than a thumbnail. I don't know how long it was there, and it may be fixed already. EDIT: Actually just recently upgraded to cm10, and wiped the phone, so it IS pretty new

You'd think they'd put some simple constraints on what could be set as the icon. How is CM10 running? Is it at daily driver level? I'd like to flash my cappy up to it, but I need to be sure it's reliable.

@SaintWacko It might be hard to find out what a file is without downloading a part of it. There could of course be at least a size constraint. CM10 is running very nicely. I have a nexus device, so there are not that many hardware issues to begin with

That's exactly what I meant. A size constraint, and an extension constraint. I'll have to flash CM10 later today. I love JB on my N7, and I've been looking forward to getting it on my phone.

This behaviour of ROM Manager was not intended, and according to the maker of the app, it has been fixed now.
The reason for this is the downloading of ROM icons when browsing the ROMs list. Somebody had posted a ROM as the icon causing it to be downloded in the background. I just ended up deleting the big file with Root Explorer. I don't know if I should have, or whether it broke anything, but I really needed the space.
The article on XDA, where this was discussed


text:
LG Optimus 2X ICS Rom
I came across a rom that i would like to try out on my LG Optimus 2X P990, but the xda page i found isn't for that phone. Any ideas on where i can download it?
the rom is called: [Rom] FB Jellybean Fusion Beta 3.2.2 [ICS | Fast][Jellybean Features & Theme]
Link to xda for the version not for my phone: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1828606

I don't think that developer released a version of that ROM that's compatible with your device so my advice to you would be to go to the Optimus 2X forum and find a Jelly Bean ROM there or you can check out this
link other roms:


text:
Is there a TODO app with nested todo lists?
There's a sea of todo apps out there, with all kinds of bells and whistles. I only need one feature: nested lists. I should be able to start with a general goal ("finish that course") and specify it further ("buy course literature", "turn in homework", "prepare bribes" etc) without cluttering the main list. Is there any app with this feature?
Except for that, I just want it to be simple. I don't need alarms, due dates, syncing, colors, etc.

Google Tasks allows for nested tasks, and there are multiple clients that support it.

You could check out Astrid Task or Checkmark they supports nested todo lists.

These links are dead.


text:
SD card will not format within Android therefore cannot mount. Works fine on laptop
I bought a 64GB SD card for my Galaxy S3, and it worked perfectly. Today I turned on device encryption (worked fine) then I turned on SD card encryption. Since then I am stuck with the phone reporting that the SD card is blank or has an unsupported file system. Android gives me the option to format. The screen displays it is erasing, but then nothing happens.
I have tried removing the SD card and turning the phone on and off again. I have manually formatted the card using Windows 7 (ExFAT file system). I am able to read and write files to the card on the computer but the phone refuses to acknowledge a mountable SD Card.
I have also tried turning off the SD card encryption.
Any ideas on a fix?

I had the same problem...new 32gig sd card works just fine with Windows, but in my Samsung S2,S3, and EVO it says damaged, or unsupported, etc. I then read on another droid forum about this issue, and here is the easy fix:
Put your sd card into a usb reader for mem cards etc. You will notice that your card reader has a drive number like G:, or H:, etc. Make a shortcut on your windows desktop and make the shortcut location as (cmd). You may remember that cmd is the DOS-box command line prompt. Now your shortcut to cmd is on your desktop. Right click that shortcut and select "run as administrator". Now at the DOS prompt type
chkdsk <drive letter of the sd>: /r

Let it run through it's checks, etc. Once done just pop your sd card back into your phone and enjoy!

You can download the tool MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition and make a fresh format of the memory card. Here is a guide you can follow to complete this task.
N.B just ignore the steps about ext2 etc. and format using your desired File System. Ensure that you create as Primary.

Thanks Joel, I managed to workaround the issue. To get Android to recognise the card I had to turn off password unlock! (Went back to pattern). After which I was able to format and use the card again. I was able to reproduce the issue again. So it looks like there is a some defect with SD card encryption? Possible limited to the S3 and/or 64GB SD Card types... For now I will just live with Device encryption only.

alright man glad your card still works.

For reference.
I was able to fix the issue by turning off password unlock in security. I went back to Pattern unlock.
I was able to reproduce the the issue again. As soon as I enabled SD Encryption the Card becomes "Blank" and Android refused to use it, Format does nothing. Card is not mountable
So it seems there is a issue possibly limited to the S3/64GB Card with SD Card Encryption.
I have not been able to find any reference to this issue else where. Its not a show stopper so I will continue without SD Encryption.

authors: وليد تاج الدين


text:
images blurry in stock browser
How do I disable the automatic zoom-in in stock browser? It makes the images very blurry and eye strain. What I want is small but sharp (which is what opera does)

in ICS 4.0.4: Open stock browser, click Menu, click Settings, from the list, got to Advanced section, about middle of page, click on Default Zoom and select Medium.
in other versions, if available, it is somewhere near that!

-1 It is already set as that.


text:
Ankidroid -- What does the rectangular button in the action bar mean?
I have wondered for a long time what this toggle  does. It saves some changes but doesn't indicate what has changed.

It allows you to "mark" a card.
It is a kind of bookmark that allows you to find this card easily later.
The most common case is when a card needs editing, but you do not have time/tools to edit it right now, so you mark it, and you will fix the card when you are back home.
Why not edit the card right away, instead of just marking it? Examples:

You are reviewing in the bus, and you notice a kanji that you probably entered wrongly, so you need to check. But you need the library's huge kanji dictionary, which is too heavy to carry in the bus.
You realize you made a typo when entering a LaTeX formula. You will only be able to fix it next time you are at your desktop computer.
You have a doubt about a card, and must ask a native speaker, but there is none around.

Reference: http://ankisrs.net/docs/manual.html#editing-and-more
The button now looks like a star, like in web browsers:

Thanks for using AnkiDroid!

would this marked card be updated on the desktop app as well?

@Ooker: Yes :-) After you synchronize.

I think you should redesign the button so that it looks more like a bookmark button

Also, the link has been deprecated


text:
Sony Xperia Pro is stuck in bootloop. How to fix?
Yesterday, my rooted Xperia Pro decided to go into perpetual restart mode. I tried removing the SIM and SD cards to no avail. I tried reflashing the ICS upgrade. I tried throwing my phone across the room. (Well, OK, so I haven't tried that yet.)
What exactly happens

I turn on the phone.

The Sony logo comes up.

It lights up for 1/2 of a second. I cannot get into recovery mode ever since I reflashed the ICS upgrade.

The Xperia logo comes up.

The phone vibrates very briefly. (Like a haptic feedback vibrate.)

The lockscreen used to flash for one second before I tried reflashing the ICS upgrades. Now, it just shows a gray background with the status bar.

The phone reboots one second after the status bar appears.

Other information
Recently, my battery would randomly go from 70% to near 10% in a few hours or so while it was in my pocket. (As opposed to the regular 1%/hour rate.) Sometimes, it would open up the status bar or unlock my lockscreen. I had an OTA notification in my status bar -- it's possible this might have been selected accidentally.

So I guess the problem was either fixed or not solved.
But Just if anyone has the same problem it may be nice to know the solution.
I had the same problem and when I done the flashing the android would just start for around a second. We are using stock here, if you get a bootloop with an unlocked bootloader you should use fastboot to install a recovery or use the recovery.
So first you need to get Flashtool and find the right Firmware(ftf) for the phone.
I haven't found the exact same as I had before but It worked.
So when I first tried to flash it wouldn't let me I was getting a loader.sin error.So I Built a new ftf in Flashtool and removed loader.sin.
After that it flashed and started for a second just like yours.
After I did the same again an wiped all data it worked again.

Dear Master Witcher, I'd sent in this phone for repair but they claimed it was water damage (which makes some sense since I do remember spilling a bit of water on it).


text:
Looking for an app for "boosting" dark photos
I've used an app called "color touch" for boosting dark images whilst maintaining the global contrast (similar to PhotoShop).  Unfortunately this app doesn't work anymore since I flashed my Galaxy S2 with CyanogenMod v10.
So I'm wondering, is there a similar app which allows boosting dark images (e.g. from inside a club)?

Photoshop Express comes to mind.