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SSH (and SFTP) server on Android discoverable through avahi/bonjour
I would like for my Android device (a Samsung Galaxy) to be discoverable through avahi/bonjour when it is connected to a WiFi network, and then to be able to access its filesystem via SSH (SFTP).
For me, that's a familiar and convenient way to access various devices in my local network: to discover their SSh service via avahi/bonjour (not to have to deal with IP addresses), and to ssh to them. I would use this way for my GNU/Linux systems (like Ubuntu).
Is there free (= libre -- because I appreciate the freedom of hacking) software for Android that would implement this, namely:

avahi/bonjour support for Android, so that the Android device would be reachable by name in the .local domain (instead of just by its IP address);
and an SSH server with support for publishing itself through Avahi/bonjour (mdnssd).

Just the same wish -- http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/20907/zeroconf-mdns-on-andriod : to ssh to Android not by its IP, but rather by the name acquired via zeroconf/bonjour/avahi/mdns (whatever you call it). It would be even better if the SSH service would be published via zeroconf/bonjour/avahi/mdns/dnssd (whatever you call it).

As for the SSH part of the wish, there are already Q&As: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/9905/is-there-some-ssh-server-for-android , http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/15503/how-to-start-ssh-server-in-my-android . (Although I'll have to find out whether the suggested solutions are free/libre software--to answer my question.) The avahi/bonjour/zeroconf support part of my question is without an answer though...

I know it's not the same, but while searching for the "final solution": I advised my routers DHCP to assign the devices a static IP, and then configured that with my local DNS (you could also do so via /etc/hosts). So I don't have to remember IPs, but the devices "nick names", which is quite easy in comparision.

@Izzy: I see, thanks, that's a very reasonable workaround. But unfortunately, in my case, it seems that I have (as the router) an Airport Extreme basestation which doesn't support "DHCP reservations". Also, it would be nice to be able to connect to the device by a "nickname" in the situation when I'm a "guest" (in a network not configured by me).

Sure, that was understood from the beginning -- that's why I thought it as a work-around undtil you find a real solution. There are apps available permitting you to configure a "fixed IP on demand / by network" (as opposed to the "fixed DHCP"), which should even work with your extreme airport basestation. If you're interested, I could sum this up and place it in an answer (together with my above comment).

I've stumbled upon some code where they try to use a Java mdns implementation and some source code from avahi on Android -- http://code.google.com/p/zeroconf-for-android/source/browse/trunk (It was a project to "create a simple android-application for managing devices (electronic devices like lamps) via zero configuration networking".) I'm not sure how it works, and whether this code can be adapted for publishing the SSH services...

I have been using the free SSHelper (without rooting) since it recently added zeroConf broadcasting. It provides an SSH and RSYNC (file transfer) server, while also broadcasting a ZeroConf name. Another avahi/bonjour client can connect without needing to know the android hostname. Explained in more detail in this other answer: Set hostname for SSHelper

Thanks alot for the information! Now at least I know of one possibility to set this up. I prefer to use free software (= libre, open-source). Should I consider SSHelper then?.. (I don't know yet whether it is free software.)

@glenschler Hi, I've just tried SSHelper but I haven't figured out how to connect o ssh using the name. I've checked out the source code and it seems to use "SSHelper" as the zeroconf name, but I can't connect to it like so: ssh SSHelper:2222. Any hints/tips ? Thanks

@george-profenza I did not know the source code was available. I'll need to investigate. You should browse your network for all "avahi" names. This will be different from your mac or linux machine.   http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/42358/set-hostname-for-sshelper/58165#58165

@glenschler I've used avahi on a Raspberry Pi and after installing it I could access my pi as rpi.local. On windows I had to install the bonjour service. I did try to access ssh/http use the SSHelper hostname (which I could see listed on a mac running dns-sd -B) but I couldn't connect to it. How do you connect to your phone by name(what name do you use) with SSHelper ?

There is a new version 5.5 of SSHelper. Yes, to answer the previous question, it is free software. You can now configure a custom name! My instructions are detailed here http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/42358/set-hostname-for-sshelper/66607#66607

Due to changes in API, it no longer works in Android 11 and up.


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Unable to dismiss calender alerts on Droid RAZR after 4.0.4 update
I updated my Droid RAZR to Android 4.0.4 last month. Ever since then I can't dismiss my calendar alerts. No matter what I do they just keep repeating every 5 minutes. I've tried using the dismiss button, the "X" to delete, and tried swiping the notification, but 5 minutes later I get a repeat notification. After about 30 minutes or so, they finally quit, but this is getting extremely annoying since I live by my calendar.

Have you tried clearing the app data? (I assume you're syncing to Google Calendar.) Have you tried a Force Stop on the calendar app? Have you tried removing the default reminder setting?

Hey this seemed to have worked.  Thanks for the advice.

http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/13347/app-x-isnt-working-correctly-how-can-i-fix-it

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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In Android Is it possible to access the physical layer of 2G/3G to transmit voice/data
I wanted to make an walkie talkie app in android, i know there are a lot of apps like these but they use the Wi-fi or they are just web services. But if we want to like transmit voice/data on 2G/3G frequencies, is there an option in android ? or "is it even legal ?" considering it will be a short range transmission.
i know that 2G/3G are not device-device communication systems but if we can directly access the physical layer of 2G/3G(the transmission hardware) of the phone then we can transmit data through it.

If you're looking for guidance on how to develop an app with this functionality then this is most likely outside the scope of our site. Development questions are handled on Stack Overflow whereas this site is for user questions.

It is already placed at stackoverflow.

Deja vu... saw that there on StackOverflow a while ago Oo

The short answer is No, the baseband firmware is not for public usage (read carefully, I am referring to the programmatic details of this, i.e. API's)
The baseband radio is isolated and proprietary and does not "exist" outside the realm of Android, rather, its using libraries which are closed source that interacts with the radio firmware.
If you are curious to know exactly behind the scenes in how Android works with the radio firmware, look at my answer on StackOverflow, it is technically orientated but will emphasize my previous paragraph.
And also, for consideration, to be honest, there is a grey area involved in using the GSM frequencies for short band transmission like as in Walkie Talkies, and furthermore, those GSM frequencies are explicitly reserved for the usage of GSM network traffic, 900Mhz, 1800Mhz, 2100Mhz.
Another aspect, you may have to acquire a license for this to be able to do so as far as laws are concerned within the jurisdiction of your country. - That I do not know!
Edit:
Radio FM apps that receives radio broadcasts of music, news etc, that is a different story, that uses a FM transmitter which is a S-o-C; this will vary depending on the chip-set used, so do not get that mixed up either with Radio firmware as far as 2G/3G is concerned :)
Disclaimer: I am not a legal expert, but if, and this is a big if this is possible, to do this - take heed and consult with your local laws.

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


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Are there any legitimate ways to watch NFL season on Android without cable/satellite subscription?
Are there any effective ways to watch NFL games (preferably live) on Android devices this coming season?  Ideally, they'd be available in high resolution and streaming, but what options are available?  I know there is a DirecTV app, but it seems to require having a DirecTV subscription, which many do not have.

Define legitimate? Unless you're not based in the US?

Ideally, it's one that wouldn't get you in trouble with some legal authority.  If your method is only legal in some areas, having that info in the answer is probably a helpful move.

The NFL keeps a tight rein on its broadcast rights. Further, the outfits that ponied up those huge payments for those rights are not going to be happy if there is a cheaper alternative. So, no, there is not going to be a way to watch live NFL games without subscribing to cable or satellite.
If you're okay with watching games after the fact and you have an Android tablet, there's Game Rewind.
Things may be different outside the U.S. Using a proxy to bypass such limitations skirts the edge of legitimacy (in my opinion).

Interesting to know! Are the US that bad with broadcasts? Just hearing about how there was a lot of disgruntled viewers on NBC trying to watch the Olympics Closing ceromony last night...

@t0mm13b: In this case it's mostly the NFL. They charge pretty exorbitant licensing fees to the broadcasters that want to carry their games, and they are extremely protective of their broadcast/distribution rights. If cable companies gave away the games for free/cheap they would be taking a fairly substantial monetary loss, I imagine.

@eldarerathis: Not just the NFL. MLB and NBA are just as ardent.

Yeah, from what I've seen all of the major sports leagues are on about equal footing, and the broadcasters don't have much choice but to give them what they want.


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Can I prevent ICS browser from using CPU while in the background (without back-button exiting)?
I'm running ICS 4.0.3, and I notice if I have the Web app (default browser) open, but not in the foreground, it still uses a lot of CPU (25-50%), based upon the built-in Android Task Manager.  Other apps are using 0%.  Looking at my battery usage, the Web uses about 33%, even when my phone is inactive.
Is there any way I can prevent the Web app from using so much CPU when it is not in the foreground, without using the back button to exit?
I'm running on a Samsung Galaxy S2.
Edit:  If the best answer is to use a different browser, I am open to that suggestion.

Long press the Home key, to bring up the task manager and swipe it to the right, now at this point, am not sure if its to the left either... :D

As I remember, it was swiping either side, that removes it from the task manager list, and also, for killing the task.. hence my poor brain performance in recalling which is it... :)

Change to Chrome, perhaps?

I have reason to believe that this may be a bug caused when the Web app has a large number of bookmarks.  In System Settings -> Accounts and sync I turned off Sync Web under my Google account.  Then I went to Manage Apps, clicked the All tab, and hit the Clear Data button.
This reduced the usage of the Web app to 1% when in the background.
When I enabled Sync Web to import all my Chrome bookmarks, then disabled it, the problem showed itself again.  I reproduced this problem twice.

That's interesting. How many bookmarks do you have?

@RichardBorcsik, I'm going to guess over 800.  My bookmarks were imported from desktop Chrome, which were imported from Firefox.  I just looked at my Firefox bookmarks, and I had 891.  I have a habit of bookmarking articles that I will never read again.

I have ~300 here without issues. If this turnes out to be the problem I suggest you move stuff that you'll never read to http://getpocket.com this way only the app that you never uses to never read the articles will be slow :) (that's how I do it.)


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Camera - Using the flash to illuminate in camera mode?
On my HTC One-X the Camera app can take videos or photos. When recording video you can turn the flash on to provide some illumination.
Is there a way of doing this while in the camera mode when composing a shot?
The other night I was in the garden in the pitch black trying to take some photos of some nocturnal animals. When in camera mode the viewfinder is also pitch black which made it very difficult to line up the photo. I ended up having to record a video, turn on the flash for some light and then take photos while the video was recording.
This is not ideal, and so I wondered if there is any way to get the flash to provide light while aiming the camera for a normal photo.

Within the camera App, if you tap "menu" -> "settings", do you have a "Flash mode" option?

No, not that I can see. There is an on-screen toggle to Force the flash on, off or set it to automatic, but forcing it on only makes the flash fire when taking a photo, it doesn't make it illuminate at all times.

I don't have a device with flash at hand, but you can give a go to Tiny Flashlight + LED, it's free and should not take more than 5 min to test.

I did try turning on the in-built flashlight device, but the light goes off when I swap to the camera app. I'll see if the linked app is any better.

It doesn't seen to be. @Zuul

I'll look into this to see if any configuration option is available... +1 to this question!

The built-in camera app (on vanilla Android and every other device I've personally seen) doesn't support this. The flash will only come on as the picture is being taken, and you cannot set it to provide continuous light when taking a picture.
There are two potential options, depending somewhat on the version of Android you're using. One option would be to use the video mode (with the flash enabled) and capture images as you're recording, then discard the video at the end. You should be able to do this on newer versions of Android by tapping the screen while video is recording. I believe this only works on Jelly Bean (or later), but manufacturers have implemented this themselves in a few cases (ex: The Galaxy S3).
A second option would be to use a third-party camera application. Camera MX, for example, allows you to put the flash into "torch" mode while taking pictures. Simply tap on the lightning bolt icon until the small infinity symbol appears on top of it:

Camera MX no longer has torch feature.

Camera Zoom FX has this feature


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How can I deal with mass texts from an Apple phone when using an Android phone?
Occasionally one of my friends using an iPhone will send out a mass text, and for the next few days I get spammed with texts from all the other numbers they sent it to, most of them unidentified on my phone, and since some of them are responding to each other, none of them make any sense. It's incredibly annoying. Presumably iPhones have something that can detect and properly order mass texts, as Apple wouldn't want to annoy their own users, only Android users. Is there something I can do to make the mass text make more sense on my end?

What's your end goal, organize the emails? move them to a specific location? ignore them? trash them? Sorry but I don't get the "make more sense on my end" :/

@Zuul - It's not emails, it's text messages. Apparently Apple recently added some mass text thing, where you can send out messages to a whole group of people, and they all appear, along with their responses, in a single conversation. As well, when any of them responds, it goes to everyone else the original message was sent to. At least, I'm guessing that's how it works. As I'm on an android phone, all these messages don't get put together, instead each person is in their own conversation, so the messages don't make any sense without flipping between conversations checking the timestamps.

Which app do you use to read your text messages? And btw, do you know which app your friends use?

I'm just using the default Android Messaging app. And I'm pretty sure they're using the default iOS Messaging app. The mass text thing is part of iOS.

By "mass texts", do you mean Iphone's group texting?

@JaredBurrows - Yes.

That is very strange. I just recently got the HTC Droid DNA and it supports group texting, so my phone gets along with iPhones.

I suspect newer ones support it. When I asked this, I was using a Samsung Galaxy S. I recently got an S3, but I haven't had an opportunity to see how it handles group texts.

Maybe use Whatsapp or Viber?

@JaredBurrows HTC will have modified the SMS app to support it :)

Jelly Bean upgrade (4.2) add support for group messaging.
So, two solutions :

upgrade your phone to Jelly Bean 4.2.
install a third party application that handles it : this one seems to have a fair number of good reviews.


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How to know if a Galaxy Note is a real one?
I'm in Thailand now and I've seen a Galaxy Note device that seems to be a real Galaxy Note phone, but it has an extremely low cost (about 100 USD). I'd like to confirm that the phone is real, how do I prove it? I had the chance to play with the operating system and it is like my Galaxy S, but with a larger screen. I cannot "open" or connect to laptop, but I can play with it.

Grab MAC address of Wi-Fi adapter of device. Go to Settings ~> Wireless and Network ~> Wi-Fi Settings and tap/press options key. Then, tap Advanced. Here, you can get MAC address. The method can vary based on firmware.
Look up this MAC address at http://www.techzoom.net/tools/check-mac.en or http://www.coffer.com/mac_find/ . If device isn't legitimate, you can detect here.

This isn't a fail-proof way. If they faked everything else what's the guarantee that they won't fake the MAC address?

@Richard Getting MAC of unit from manufacturer's range isn't easy. So, they don't generally care.

But yes, its still not a super solid way...

Generally these knock-offs don't have unique MAC addresses. Remember they're already violating laws so getting certified isn't on their agenda.

@Richard They can spoof only first six digits. After that, they'll fail. Most of lookup tools have access to manufacturer's database. Are you getting my point?

If I get the real address of a (or several) devices than those will verify. First six digits? There must be workarounds.

@Richard To get MAC to produce thousands of units, you'll have to break seal of thousands of official unit because addressing is done randomly.

First six digits are constant for a manufacturer..

Gadgets in Thailand are way cheaper than anywhere else but, there's a small heads-up - more than likely, it will have a CSC code for Thailand, Asia, so the updates on that would be somewhat, slower than the rest of the region zones.
Having said that, you can flash it with a different regional CSC code. So go for it, when the first Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" (P1010T with Wifi only) came out, it was on sale there in Thailand - a mate of mine was there, and got it for me - 200 euros - it was a steal, it would have been about 450euros to buy in the EU. And yes, it was genuine, the real thing! :)

Cheap? Yeah, but this cheap?  They're more than 7x the price in my country. Making the device costs more this price. If this was real I could make a fortune importing these :)

Funnily enough, my mate regrets it in not buying a few and make a few from selling it :)


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App searches in wrong directory
I just installed DroidID3Tagger, however it just searches for my music files in /mnt/sdcard, my music however is in /mnt/emmc.
Is there anything I can do instead of moving the files?
I'm using CM9 Nightly on a SGS1 with Icy Glitch Kernel. (for some reason the Kernel swapped sdcard and emmc)

In response to @Zuul's comment below his answer, usage of the ln -sf /mnt/emmc /mnt/sdcard is not the appropriate way of dealing with it, because it's a soft-link and forcing it that way, can lead to some mis-behaviour of apps who are relying on the SDCard's mount point, by way of refusing to work with it, Play Store can fail in this regard.
The best solution is to use this:
By using busybox, explicitly bind the mount point to make /mnt/emmc behave exactly like a SDCard, i.e:
/system/xbin/busybox mount -o bind /mnt/emmc /mnt/sdcard
Which will show up as a mount point in the proper way, if this was a soft-link it would end up like this -
/mnt/sdcard -> /mnt/emmc

Google Play store, as I mentioned has an internal checking mechanism to see if the directory is not a link (it will return a error of -22 IIRC).

This app reads files from the device internal storage located at /mnt/sdcard, not from the external storage or any other location.
Since the app was last updated on March 4 2011, I don't think this will get fixed.

However, if you have root on your device, you can create a soft link from one location to another thus tricking the app.
The command is used like this:
ln -sf {target-filename} {symbolic-filename}

So you should execute:
ln -sf /mnt/emmc /mnt/sdcard

When the app accesses the /mnt/sdcard the system will give it the contents of /mnt/emmc.

Just for clarification it does use /mnt/sdcard, but in my case it's my external SD. /mnt/emmc is my internal SD. (Something got messed up when I installed the Icy Glitch Kernel)                                                                    I tried this code in "Virtual Terminal", i get the error message "link failed No such file or directory".

hmmm... maybe ln is not the appropriate way to deal with it - perhaps using busybox as in /system/xbin/busybox mount -o bind /mnt/emmc /mnt/sdcard ?

Yes, that worked ;) I don't use the app anymore but it might come in handy on other things aswell

@wayback What end up solving the issue, the soft link or the mount?

@Zuul The busybox/mount solved it

@t0mm13b Your attention is needed here. Your comment solved the issue, perhaps moving it to an answer, thus allowing the OP to accept it and close this problem.

@wayback Thank you for the feed back, lets wait for t0mm13b's answer.


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How can I use su again after OTA-upgrading my rooted phone?
I had previously rooted my droid when it was running 2.2 froyo. Using the OTA upgrade, i got a gingerbread (2.3.4) for my phone. As obvious, the root privileges were gone..but the superuser app and the everything else related to it is still there in the system/bin and system/xbin folders. Now when i try to run "su" command from an adb shell to re-root my phone, it shows "permission denied".
Is there anyway that i can get the "#" shell i.e. the su privileges instead of the normal "$" shell, so that i can manually delete the previous root files?
Thanks.

Did you install any custom recovery, such as ClockworkMod (CWM)? And do you have the Android SDK installed on your workstation?

no..CWM is not installed..While I have android sdk installed with me.

I doubt you get root access directly, but you could try to adb shell and see whether you get a # (root) prompt or a $ (user) prompt. In the latter case, you could try to sudo and see whether that works. Unlikely, but possible. With CWM, you could have connected adb shell in recovery mode with root permissions, AFAIK.

In short, the OTA upgrade clobbered your root settings, am afraid to say you will have to run either SuperOneClick or zergRush to get root again.
[TECHNICAL]
The OTA reverted the original default.prop when on Froyo from this
ro.secure=0

to this after the upgrade
ro.secure=1

Thus you may still have the su binary etc, but it is the above line that is preventing you from trying to switch user to id of 0 (that's what su stands for! - S witch U ser)

Is there a way I can manually change the value of this variable "ro.secure" to 0 ? using adb shell or something..keeping in mind that i cant access the root privileges right now?

zergRush was showing the message "hellions with blue flames". So I guess it wont work here.


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How do I display/see the Valid List in a Google spreadsheet on Android device?
I made a spreadsheet in Google Docs and used data validation to restrict a range of cells to a list of valid values. When I look at the spreadsheet using a browser, the valid list is correctly shown in the dropdown menu. However, when I look at the spreadsheet in my Android phone, I don't see the list (there is a little [1] shown in the cell, but I don't see how to click this.)
Is there any way to make this list display on a phone?

Just to clarify, is this being viewed on the phone via the Google Drive (formerly Google Docs) app?

yes. i haven't tried it on an iphone yet, but i'd hope the same solution works there as well.

Using the Google Drive App I created a test spreadsheet to investigate your question. I found the [1] to be a footnote - at the bottom of the spreadsheet is a list of all notes about validation for each applicable cell. The same applies to comments made to cells and, I suspect, other types of advanced cell formatting that don't translate well to small screens. It's clunky, but at least the validation follows to mobile. There doesn't seem to be a way to change how validation information is displayed.
See here below the spreadsheet are two footnotes, one indicating valid data (by displaying the help text, [1]) and the other representing invalid data (by displaying "validationFailed[Help Text]," [2]):


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pin request at the startup lock screen
I was trying to set up a VPN connection and it asked me about medium and high level security and a password which I didn't understand well! I failed to use VPN but now each time I try to unlock the phone, it asks for that password/pin. I removed the created VPN connection to get rid of it but to no avail. How can I remove this pin request?

Go to Settings -> Security -> Screen lock, enter the PIN once more and select Slide (or what ever you had before).

If none of the other posted methods work, try the following solution, which solved this problem for me.
Open Settings and then navigate to More and then Security and tap Clear Credentials. After that you can navigate to My Device and then Lock Screen where you can change the screen lock to whatever you desire.
I'm not sure what other credentials it clears besides the screen lock but I haven't found anything so far.
I've tested this on a Samsung Galaxy S4 running Android 5.0.1. The exact locations and names of different settings may be located in different places depending on your device.
Hope this helps.

I had the exact problem for my galaxy note 2. I fixed it by following these steps:

Go to settings from the menu button on the home screen.
click "my device".
click "lock screen".
click "screen lock".
enter your passcode.
click whichever security setting you used before.


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How do I enter recovery mode on my Motorola Milestone 2 to unbrick it?
I own a Motorola Milestone 2, also called A953 (apparently this is different from the Droid 2 Global). It used to have Android 2.3 with Motoblur middleware. It was bought independently from any phone carrier (so it was not bought from Verizon for instance). I rooted it, installed ROM Manager, Droid 2 Global Recovery Bootstrap and ClockworkMod Recovery. From ROM Manager, I could successfully reboot my phone into Recovery mode, allowing me to back-up my data for instance. Until this stage everything went fine.
What lead to my problem : I also wiped the cache and installed CyanogenMod 7.2 and the Google apps from ZIP files and from the Recovery Mode interface. But now my phone is broken. When it now boots, it shows the stylised M logo, but then switches to an entire black screen. The phone is still on so I have to pull the battery to shut it down.
I would like to reboot into Recovery Mode but this doesn't work : I am never able to see the Recovery Mode logo (a warning sign with a little android). How should I do it ?
What I have tried : I tried to boot while holding the Power and the 'X' button, as adviced on different forums. This still leads to the black screen. At this state, pressing the Search hardware button does nothing. Holding the Power and the Volume Up button has no more effect.
I am able to enter Bootloader Mode by holding Power and Up Arrow.

I also tried to use a live CD from here with ezSBF, but I get errors in the process and then my phone reboots in Bootloader mode and shows the following error:
Critical Error:
FEBE 0047

After that I still cannot get to Recovery Mode.

For instance, does anyone know a better hotkeys combination ? Or could I use ADB ?

I managed to do it using help from XDA-Developers. Here is the procedure :

Download the best SBF file from here. Among those corresponding to your geographical region and carrier, choose the most recent one.
Flash it to the phone by using either "sbf_flash" if you are on Ubuntu, OSX or another Linux, or by using "RSD Lite" if you are on Microsoft Windows.

The result is that the phone is unbricked. Among other things, I now can go back to Recovery Mode.

Is it unplugged when trying to do this?  I could hold X while booting, then I would see the Android and exclamation.  Then hold Up/Down Volume and get the recovery. You have to press both Up & Down at the same time. It is not a rocker key and you can press them both. Use Enter key on keypad with the arrow above OK to make a selection.

+1 for the "up/down together" hint. My stone was caught in a boot-loop, so the "x" didn't help. Has CyanogenMod and TWRP installed. Shortly after boot starts, the LED lit up blue (which is when it's waiting for keypresses; I'd tried up, next time down, without success) – this is when to press both volume keys. Got me to recovery (via boot menu), and I was able to wipe cache/Dalvik to kick it out of the loop.

Boot while holding X gets you to the bootloader
Boot while holding volume up gets you to the recovery.
I myself can't get to the bootloader but can get to the recovery. (Flashed a wrong SBF, oops)

Power up while holding the X and when you see the yellow exclamation mark after the Moto Logo, hold Vol Up+Down. That should get you to the Recovery Screen.

As I said in the question, "I tried to boot while holding the Power and the 'X' button, as adviced on different forums. This still leads to the black screen". Hence the GIF in the question. But thank you anyway for your participation.

Hold power key , up volume key , and home button should go to recovery mode

LOL It's a MOTO device, not a Samsung. No such thing as "home button".


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Samsung galaxy S3 phonenumber sync facebook
I had the HTC wildfire S like a week ago. It managed to automaticly fill my contact list with phone numbers and pictures from Facebook. Is this function not in the galaxy s3?
If so, how can I get it?

I'd recommend using Haxsync to sync Facebook data to your phone, works great for me.

Does this work for phone numbers, though? This is my current issue.

Hmm, it doesn't seem to sync phone numbers for some reason. Good point, didn't notice that before!

I'm sure it used to, I recommended it for this exact purpose yesterday, but after research found it doesn't any more. Apparently Facebook have blocked all third party apps from this function. Grr!

Go to contacts....Press the left button (the settings button) and then Accounts. Here you can add your facebook account. (Also I guess if you use facebook app, it asks you whether you want to sync contacts or not.)


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How to log and visualize resource usage stats (to identify resource hogs)?
I want to be able to collect up to, say, a couple of day's worth of resource usage statics for my android, at the resolution of individual apps, and ordered according to their shares of the resource.  And I would like then to be able to view this information in such a way that I can easily identify the worst resource hogs.
Any suggestions for how to do this would be appreciated.
(FWIW, my phone is rooted.)
Thanks!
PS: There is a bazillion of apps for monitoring CPU usage, memory usage, etc., but all the ones I have found give only global statistics.  I.e. they will tell me that, e.g. 84% of my phone's CPU is being used, but none will give me a weighted breakdown of that percentage over the apps responsible for it.  Monitoring apps that do not collect and display statistics at the resolution of individual applications are of little use to me.  And of course, it goes without saying that "task manager" apps, or even for apps like Watchdog are even farther removed from what I'm looking for; these apps may be very good at what they do, but they simply are not designed to do what I want done.

Related App resource usage over time

You might be able to get some of what you want from Carat. This app is a project from UC-Berkeley to measure what's using your battery and how your battery life compares to other people's devices.
It doesn't directly measure CPU, but your resource hogs are going to use more battery by implication.
From the description:

Carat will tell you which apps it thinks are hogs (they use a lot of battery) and which are bugs (they use a lot of battery on your device but not most others). Being a hog or a bug does not make an app 'bad', but a user trying to improve their battery life can use these designations to adjust their behavior.
== Carat Features ==

Action List telling you how to improve your battery life and by how much
Device information detailing exactly what data we are recording
Reports apps that are using lots of energy and whether that is happening on other devices, too
Detail views let you dive down into the data and see graphs of energy use
Low-overhead sampling requires almost no energy or CPU
J-Score tells you how your battery efficiency compares to other users
Sharing features let you post/tweet/blog about your experience; more users means more data which means better recommendations for you


text:
What is a good guide that shows new Android users how to properly backup and Flash a new ROM?
I've had my Samsung Captivate for almost a year now, It's my first smartphone, and I've just recently decided to root it. Being new to root and not having the greatest understanding of the Android system or the Linux/Unix system I still want to install CyanogenMod.
Does anyone know a good guide for someone like me? It doesn't have to be CyanogenMod specific.

Good choice of phone. I've had mine two years now, and I love it. I'd recommend flashing the latest nightly of CM9, as ICS has a lot of improvements and excellent battery life.

CyanogenMod has a good overview with many devices and a full update guide per device (Captivate as example here). Here is an explanation of commonly used terminology (fastboot, adb…).
There are some differences between manufacturers/brands:

Google: very easy, with standard tools (adb, fastboot)
Sony: rather easy, all standard tools + special tool (flashtool by androxyde), locked bootloader that needs an unlock code from website (not possible for all branded phones)
Motorola: rather hard to mod, locked bootloaders
Samsung: rather easy, unlocked bootloaders (except for some branded phones)

I appreciated the presentation video of ROM Manager, the best known app to backup a phone and install a new ROM:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=psmI8KmBNeY

I have not seen the video, but I agree that ROM Manager is the easiest way to install CyanogenMod.


text:
Does "make offline" option in Google Maps works with applications that utilize Google Maps?
In newer Google Maps I can make area available offline.
Do other applications that rely on Google Maps (utilize Google Maps Android API) use offline maps?

No.
I have made my current city offline. But, when I do local search with third-party apps, the map is displayed after consuming internet connection.
Its task of third-party apps to cache fetched map data for future use.

Sure? What about the Maps API? And as for search: That may be a separate thing (as is route calculation) which may require a server connection. If a 3rd party app simply wants to display a map area: couldn't it request so via the API, and it would be delivered from cache?

@Izzy Google Maps also uses API. Its not a part of it. Its possible that An Android device may NOT have Google Maps app.

Sure, I know that (have a couple of those without maps). But the API is built into the system. So my question was rather whether caching (and cache access) is/can-be handled via the API. If so, this must be possible by 3rd-party apps as well -- which of course does not mean it's implemented with all of them.

@Izzy The question asks different thing. It doesn't ask, an app can access cache or not. It asks: If one makes an area offline in Google Maps app, would it be offline for all apps?

OK, tnx anyway. If you take it that literally, the answer of course is a short "No".

@Izzy caching is implanted in the clients not in the api.

@RichardBorcsik Thanx -- short and precise answer!


text:
Downloading PDF file from browser
I have been trying to download a PDF file from my Samsung Galaxy 10.1, 32G, Wi-Fi Tab.
When I click on the download icon to check on it,it shows "Download in progress".
A one page file, for instance, will take FOREVER then I get "Download failed".This happens again and again.
Very frustrating! I would then like to transfer the file to e-book to read at a later date.
Can anyone help me please?

Can you open pdf files and doc files off your emails so u can read plans

Try with another browser, like the Android stock browser or Firefox for Android.

If you're using the Dolphin browser (which you should be using anyways), there is an add-on called MyPDF (available in Google Play). Check it out.

I've been having similar trouble.  I went into the Settings for Google Drive (which I guess is my default reader even though I have Adobe Reader downloaded?).  Under Data Usage, I de-selected "Transfer files only over wifi."  Don't know for sure if this will help others, but seems to have worked for me.


text:
What information is more reliable -- battery capacity or stand-by time?
Stand-by time (not talk) because I rarely use the phone actually ;-)
Let's say there are two phones -- Xperia Mini and Wildfire S -- both have very similar battery 1200 mAh and 1230 mAh (respectively), so one could expect similar stand-by times as well.
Yet for Xperia Mini it is "Up to 340 h (2G) / Up to 320 h (3G)" and for Wildfire S "Up to 360 h (2G) / Up to 570 h (3G)".
You can see that for 3G network the difference is huge (almost double). Wildfire S has slower CPU (600 MHz vs. 1 GHz in Xperia) but what kind of computation is done in stand-by mode? Another oddity Xperia is more efficient in 2G, while Wildfire in 3G.
QUESTION: without any head to head tests, what information is more reliable -- capacity or times? I.e. those two phones would stay on one charge for the same amount time or indeed not?

I copied the data from GsmArena pages: Xperia Mini http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_xperia_mini-3947.php and Wildfire S http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_wildfire_s-3777.php

In my view, battery capacity i.e. the mAh value is best the way to compare.  The reason why I say this is that the battery drain includes so many factors that even a small software glitch can show a remarkable difference.  Hence the standby time is a combination of several factors which are not reliable for comparison, unless they are from from same manufacturer (with a hope that there will not be variations in test situation).  The guide from GSMArena explains this clearly as:

Manufacturers measure talk time in controlled conditions and the quoted numbers are rarely reached in real-life scenarios. These numbers are best used as reference when comparing phones from the same manufacturer because battery life measurement methodology will probably vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

With battery rating at least you know your how much capacity the battery has and how it gets used or wasted is simply a temporary situation (i.e. by changing ROM, updates, platform upgrades etc).

Thank you for valuable answer, I will keep the question a bit longer open, maybe somebody else will come up with more info. As you noted, about the same manufacturer, the numbers for Wildfire are crazy (3G AFAIK should be lower). Strange world... ;-)


text:
Low Signal Strength after Firmware Upgrade
When I first bought my Samsung Galaxy S (GT-I9000) phone a month ago, it had it's factory installed 2.1 Eclair running. Despite many 'Android Market' apps not being compatable with it, my signal strength was half to full 3G signal wherever I went.
I then upgraded to 2.3 Gingerbread. My signal strength was lucky to get higher than half strength and often had an E or H next to the signal indicator instead of a 3G ledgend.
I have since upgraded again to CyanogenMod9 (4.0 ICS) with no change to signal strength. In the locations I got full 3G signal only a month ago, I still struggle to get over half signal strength with an H ledgend. The bars are usually grey but occationally turn blue.
I am wondering if the factory Eclair install had a preset setting making it suitable to work in Australia with the specific frequency bands we have here, and upgrading has over written these settings. If this is the case, my phone may be looking for frequencies used in Europe or America that arn't used here or are the 2G frequencies.
My googling has found many forum threads where people have lossed signal quality after upgrading, many blaming the carrier or ICS. Several people have subsequently downgraded to default Gingerbread to fix the problem, for me this would mean going back to Eclair. I don't really want to do that.
Is there anything I can do, changing settings or installing an app, that can bring me back to full strength?
UPDATE 26Aug12
I think I have deciphered the signal strength bars. E denotes EDGE (2G) signal, H is for HSPA and 3G for UMTS fast 3G connection. The signal bars are grey normally, and turn blue when you have an active data link (and little up/down arrows show data transfer).
I wonder if my phone is having trouble with UMTS and therefore not connecting at 3G speeds after the upgrade.

Chances are that Samsung simply changed the visualization algorithm from linear to logarithmic.

I agree with Flow, ICS did change the algorithm for signal strength, and it was a bug in the ICS 4.0.1 source, it should be fixed in ICS 4.0.4 or in JB for that matter :)

A logarithmic display only means that the indicator showing 3 out of 5 bars of strength is not 50% strength, but probably twice as strong as 2 bars etc. It won't affect the signal I am recieving, just how I see it. I also think having 2 blue signal bars is better than 4 or 5 grey signal bars. I just don't often get blue ones.

Blue signal bars is when there's background data or using google apps.

Flashing your Phone probably also changed your Modem/Baseband. Flashing another might give you better Signal.
Here you can download Modems for your phone:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1158783

How do I know which one to flash? I assume it doesn't matter the modems are listed as CM7 modems, and they should work on CM9? Looking in my 'About Phone', I currently have JVT installed.

They work on CM9. Look around in the thread users share their experience there. (JVT works best for me/in Germany)

After much googling as well as trial and error, I have settled on KG3 as the modem for me. I think is it unfortunate there isn't a more formalised way of determining the correct modem files. Maybe the community will improve this in time.


text:
Which consumes less battery: Wi-Fi or 2G data?
I just want to know what consumes less battery Wi-Fi or 2G Data.
My battery last long for 12- 16 hours only. I know there are lots of application which continually running and fetching data from internet.
I have both options available, in my office i have Wi-Fi and i also has 2G plan in my sim account, both give me desire speed.

I am sure that this is an duplicate of a previous question, but couldn't find it.

2011 question about this: How does power usage for data over WiFi compare to data over 3G? Covers 3G, 2G and Wi-Fi related with battery drain issues.

Friends i am talking about Wi-Fi & 2G comparison not about 3G.

@AndroidCoder that was not clear from the original phrasing of your question.

hummm... 2G Data... stepping back and looking at it, 2G does save battery, but data wise, very slow! Wifi on the other hand chews up battery, and in some cases, buggy drivers can cause the kernel to not release the wakelock on the wifi and drains the battery. Now this will sound contradictory, but.. using data over 2G can actually chew up battery as the browser,market, or any tcp/ip related app over 2G will "have to work harder to suck down data" over 2G... that's my thinking...

I already posted this in another answer. As it where different details that time (more a general "what consumes most"), here some details from a reference Motorola Droid. Data taken from a German article named Energiesparplan (Heise is a very famous technology publisher in Germany; Google Translate Version here):
┌────────────┬──────────┬────────────┬──────────┐
|  Standard  |  Upload  |  Download  | Standby  |
├────────────┼──────────┼────────────┼──────────┤
|  3G        |  1410 mW |   1349 mW  | 18,3 mW  |
├────────────┼──────────┼────────────┼──────────┤
|  2G        |  1179 mW |    853 mW  | 11,6 mW  |
├────────────┼──────────┼────────────┼──────────┤
|  Wifi      |   479 mW |   1158 mW  |  7,8 mW  |
└────────────┴──────────┴────────────┴──────────┘

Guess this definitly answers the question. Though the values may vary between devices, relations should roughly match.

According to data posted by you, i come to conclusion that Wifi is better than 2g & 2g is better than 3g. Thanks +1 for u.

Exactly. On my phones I completely turned of 3g -- and as soon as I get home, Tasker automatically turns on Wifi :)

It had to be a German publisher! I could not find a comparison table! +1

@AndroidCoder WiFi is not better then 2G. Compare WiFi download vs 2G download, that is what matters.

i just add both upload & download speed and then i compare, because both the things matter

@Flow maybe speed kicks in here as well as behaviour: when just transfering minor amounts of data, you're probably correct. The bigger the amounts, speed may make a difference: 1min Wifi download maybe would require 3min at 2G -- and now the numbers look different again.

Izzy: Correct, but IIRC 2G is also better in comparison to WiFI when it comes down to standby power consumption. If your device does not transfer data all the time, which should be true for some uses cases, then 2G will result in a longer battery life. But again, the real bad boy is 3G. I think LTE (4G).does there a better job.

@Flow Nope. Updated the table, look for yourself. That is why I turn Wifi on as soon as I reach home -- not for more speed, but for longer battery life :)

@Flow now the table turned to wifi, so i will fever wifi after seeing new data.

Interesting, I wonder how much this values differ from device to device. The Motorola Milestone is pretty old and I would guess that modern WiFi chips may behave different.

I will check to get their latest reports ASAP. Just read they kinda "repeated" their tests with a Galaxy S3 last months, but I could not yet get hold on the data. I saw some examples, though, where trends might be turning. Hopefully I remember to update my answer then... Only comparable value I currently have is 3g standby with 13.8 mW.

The generic perception is that networking via Wi-Fi cause less drain on your device's battery than connecting with 3G.
During the data transfer, if you use both connections to perform the same download, you will find that Wi-Fi is more efficient since it transfers stuff faster than 3G, thus leading to less consumption of your battery.
Rare exceptions may prove otherwise, but 3G faster and with stronger signal than Wi-Fi is a grandpa's fairytale ;)
One important thing to account for, is the network coverage:
If you stay a large amount of time within a limit coverage area, either for 3G or WiFi, disable the one who's suffering from low coverage. Your device will constantly be searching for available network, and that's just energy wasted on fruitless searches.
Being this usually the cause for complain on the battery life.

+1 Yep, signal strength plays an important factor here.  A weak 2g/3g signal will force the phone to crank up it's radio power.  As will a weak wifi signal.

Additionally, Android will continually scan for open WiFi networks if you're not connected to one at the moment - that's the biggest drain of all.  (I believe that option can be disabled, but I don't use it - I just turn WiFi off entirely when I'm not using it)

The question has 2G, not 3G.

@SachinShekhar Check the question revision history! My answer was placed for the original question... :/

2G consumes less power than WiFi when it comes to standard usage (surfing, small downloads etc). The problem with WiFi: It constantly scans for Hotspots even when you are connected to one and not using it.
When it comes to big downloads etc, WiFi is more efficient. Reason: Due to slow speed, 2G will continue to drain battery for 2 hours when WiFi quits downloading within 5 minutes.

Use Wi-Fi.
In most cases a Wi-Fi radio will offer greater bandwidth at a
  significantly lower battery cost.
  As a result, you should [prefer] Wi-Fi whenever possible.

-- developer.android.com : Modifying your Download Patterns Based on the Connectivity Type
via
Transferring Data Without Draining the Battery.


text:
Problems accessing message logs on Jelly Bean with aLogcat
Summary
I have been having problems accessing the K9 log messages using aLogcat, see below for more details. What I would like to know is:

Why are no log messages from K9 appearing in the aLogcat log viewer?
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can see the full text of the errors which are occurring when trying to sync my K9 folders?
Could something have changed in Jelly Bean which lead K9's logging to stop working?
Since there seem to be remarkably few messages being shown by aLogcat in general, has something has changed in Jelly Bean which could mean that it is no longer able to access all messages?

Detail
I have recently been having connection problems with K9. My folders fail to sync and the folder list ends up full of socket errors (libcore.io.ErrnoException:) or ssl errors (javex.net.ssl.SSLException:) etc. where the last checked time should be. I get different messages depending on which problem is occurring at the time, but I can't see the full text of the error message, so it's difficult to guess what the cause might be.
Thinking that the log files might contain more information, I followed the instructions at Recording a debug log, enabled debug logging in K9, installed aLogcat and tried to look at the logs. Sadly, whichever log buffer I select (Main, Events or Radio), there appear to be no messages from K9.
If I add the suggested (k9|AndroidRuntime) regex filter then I see nothing in any of the logs. If I remove it then Main contains mostly garbage collection messages, Events seem to contain mostly messages from aLogcat itself and I haven't seen a log message in Radio yet.
If it makes any difference, I'm using a Nexus 7, but I would have thought that logging would have been to a standard location which wouldn't change between android versions.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can see the full text of the errors which are occurring when trying to sync my K9 folders?

It seems that there is no way to see these log messages on the device without root access, but if you do have root access, there are a couple of options, either grant the required permissions to aLogcat or consider using a horrible hackTM to view them directly.
View the log files on your PC or workstation via adb
If you can connect your Android device to a PC or workstation, then you can access the logs via the adb command.
To do this on Windows, first you will need to install the Android SDK (which will require the Java SE SDK) and add the android-sdk\tools and android-sdk\platform-tools to the system path. Then enable USB debugging on your Nexus 7, plug it in via USB, and install the Android Composite ADB Interface from android-sdk\extras\google\usb_driver (I had to force Windows XP to look here, it wouldn't find the drivers on it's own).
For details of how to get adb up and running without the full Android SDK install, or on Mac or Linux machines, see Izzy's excellent answer to
Is there a minimal installation of ADB?
Then you can open a shell (i.e. a cmd window) and run the command:
adb logcat k9:V *:S AndroidRuntime:E

I have confirmed that this works on my non-rooted Nexus 7.

Grant permissions to aLogcat
If you have root access, you could consider granting the READ_LOGS permission to aLogcat, as suggested in this post aLogcat/CatLog/Lumberjack not working? Do this ... on the xda-developers forum:
pm grant <pkg> android.permission.READ_LOGS

To grant this permission to alogcat or alogcat.donate, you would use one of the following commands, depending on whether you are running the donate version or not:
pm grant org.jtb.alogcat.donate android.permission.READ_LOGS
pm grant org.jtb.alogcat android.permission.READ_LOGS

According to one post on android-developers and the ticket, the permission grant survives reboot and update, but not uninstall/reinstall.
Sadly since this requires root access, whether I run this on the device or on my PC (prefixed by adb shell) I just get the error:
Neither user 12345 nor current process has android.permission.GRANT_REVOKE_PERMISSION

I cannot confirm that this works, since my Nexus 7 has not been rooted.

Consider using a horrible hackTM
If you have root access, you could consider making logcat setuid root and running logcat from the device shell, as suggested in this answer to my How can I access android log files on my Nexus 7 without root access?question:
chmod 04755 /system/bin/logcat
logcat k9:V *:S AndroidRuntime:E

Again, I cannot confirm that this works and I would probably only use it as a last resort, given the security implications.

Why are no log messages from K9 appearing in the aLogcat log viewer?
Could something have changed in Jelly Bean which lead K9's logging to stop working?
Since there seem to be remarkably few messages being shown by aLogcat in general, has something has changed in Jelly Bean which could mean that it is no longer able to access all messages?

This appears to be a change in Jelly Bean which affects all applications which may try to read the log files.
Apparently READ_LOGS permission is not granted to 3rd party applications in Jelly Bean. Since this link seems to be unreliable:

Today I've tested my application on newest (api 16) emulator before releasing it to Google Play. It turned out that Android now refuses to grant this permission to 3rd party applications. This is weird because I've looked through all Jelly Bean's documented changes and couldn't find anything that mentions READ_LOGS permission.

and later

The protectionLevel for READ_LOGS is now "signature|system|development". The new pipe syntax for protectionLevel is also undocumented (see http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=34785).

My suspicion is that aLogcat is only seeing messages generated by itself and it's vm.
For further information, see Flow answer's to my question How active should I expect my Jelly Bean system log file to be?

IIRC adb logcat is still able to get the full android log on Jelly Bean.

It does not require root but you need to enable adb on your device (usually under developer options).

@Flow - I've now confirmed that I can view the log on my PC using adb logcat from there and have updated my answer accordingly. It's still frustrating that I can't find any way to access the logs without root access from the device itself.

It is the whole point in the JB log change that a non-root user can't access the full system log.

@Flow - Yeah, and the whole point of log messages is that you can use them to find out what's going on. JB makes an app like aLogcat pretty pointless, since it can now only access log messages it has created itself!

I created a simple utility to access log files from a PC: https://gist.github.com/hrj/5983971

BTW: It does not require a Windows PC to use ADB. It runs fine on a Mac, too – and I use it without any issues on my Linux machine. Neither does one need a full SDK install with all its dependencies (see: Is there a minimal installation of ADB?). Apart from that: Great and thorough answer :)

Thanks @Izzy, I've updated my answer to reference your answer and make that section more generic.

Thanks, good job! One more detail: My linked answer also applies to Windows. The full SDK is not needed just for ADB to work :)

That's why I prefixed that para with For details of how to get adb up and running without the full Android SDK install. I prefer self contained answers, so I didn't want to remove my procedure, but I did want to highlight your as an alternative.

Thank you! adb logcat k9:V *:S AndroidRuntime:E showed me stacktrace of morning crash at night of the following day! Log was still there!

I've seen this behaviour in K9 when my mail server updated it's SSL certificates. The fix was to long-press the account, select Account settings -> Fetching mail -> Incoming server and just hit Next through the pages to confirm your settings until you get the popup about the certificate (this might not appear if everything is OK with the certificate, mine had a wrong vhost). Confirm the certificate and just go through the rest of the settings and you account should start to work.

@MarkBooth Perhaps you should have asked that, we generally prefer questions that don't presuppose a solution.

@MatthewRead I must agree with Mark here: The 4 items in his summary explicitly state he wants help with the logging issue, and I also do not see the "XY problem" here (presupposed solution). K9 is clearly just the example -- but maybe the question title should be adjusted to underline it: "Using logcat to determine the cause of problems" would match (and focus) better ;)

@MarkBooth Yepp, tnx -- much clearer now. Also tnx for the detailed answer! Please keep us updated about your progress.

Should I delete my answer, since it's completely off-topic after the edits and prone to be downvoted?

It's up to you onik. As I said originally I do appreciate you taking the time to post an answer, but now that I've updated the question your answer looks even more out of place. I suppose you could always wait and see if it gets voted below -3 so you can collect your peer pressure badge. *8')


text:
Get rid of 'battery-low' popup after some delay?
I'm using an Android phone (a Motorola Defy+ running CM9) with OsmAnd as a map solution mounted on my motorcycle (it just shows the map and a gpx-track as a driving hint).
It's not connected to a charger yet and I don't mind when it runs out of battery (I have spare ones).
However there's this "battery low" message popping up at 15% downwards. It covers a huge part of the map and stays there until you hit the OK button which does not work with gloves on and during the ride at all.
That remaining 15% still give >1h runtime which I want to enjoy withouth nagging popups!
Is there a way to hide it completely or get rid of it after some seconds automatically?

That is hard-coded into the framework am afraid.
Look in frameworks/base/core/java/android/os/Power.java
public static final int LOW_BATTERY_THRESHOLD = 10;

The alternative is to roll-your-own ROM to do this, there's a broadcast intent for battery low warnings (ACTION_BATTERY_LOW) but that's only for system signed apps AFAIK and cannot be intercepted.
The alternative is to listen for the ACTION_BATTERY_CHANGED broadcast and perhaps using Tasker, just to mute the battery warning sound...

Anticipated that, sadly... Any idea how to automatically 'click' it away with tasker??? It's not the sound that annoys me but that it needs my attention and an action (click away) before I can see the map again (not possible with motorcycle gloves).

hmmmm....http://www.robotbriefs.com/tasker/2010/8/29/battery-low-profile.html

ah, a tasker profile. Not really good at tasker (although I have bought it once)... Thanks, looking at it atm... Maybe there's a way to click it away

I'm afraid t0mm13b is correct. Searching around, I found Low Battery Sound Silencer in the playstore. In the app description you can read: Note that the low battery window still will be shown, since it is not possible to eliminate it. for an app like that, I'd assume the dev really did look for it.


text:
How do I get these toggles in my notification bar?
I was reading an article talking about the Galaxy Nexus vs. the Galaxy SIII, and ended up buying a Nexus (was a steal, and I knew it was getting JB).
Anyway, I've recently updated it to Jellybean, but I realised that I didn't have something that was showing in the article - the toggles they showed in the Notification bar (in the right hand image).
Are these provided in the standard ROM, by an app, or in a custom ROM? I can't seem to find them.

I'd have a shot at guessing it's on a custom ROM. If you're using AOKP, these toggle settings are located inside ROM Control.

You're looking for exactly this design -- or just the functionality of those toggles?

@Izzy In the long run, I just want GPS, WiFi and Data connection toggles that fit the ICS/Jellybean notification theme nicely.

So in the short run, you might want to take a look at Elixier2 -- which at least could place some toggles there (so you'd have the functionality).

So the long-term would be learn to write my own?

That would require modifying the SystemUI component of the framework which controls the status bar/pull down notifications

Something tells me that modifying that component isn't going to happen without flashing.

These toggles aren't part of Android. Third party ROMs like CyanogenMod and MIUI, and certain skins that Hardware manufacturers put on Android include that.
If you want to have this functionality on a Nexus running stock Android you might want to try these two applications, I have used them both, and they are quite stable and useful.
Power Toggles :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.painless.pc
More Quickly Panel:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mabware.android.MoreQuicklyPanel

Looks like Power Toggles is SLIGHTLY off the theming I'm after, but otherwise it's perfect. Thank you very much.

The notification toggles are not part of standard Android OS (ICS, Jelly Bean, etc.)  Some 3rd-party apps give this feature, although they are usually not very stable.  Custom ROMs like CyanogenMod and AOKP provide this functionality as part of system settings.

I'm a developer, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around Android modifications. I did a custom flash to install Jellybean (local provider is slow off the mark), but otherwise I know nothing. Is there a good guide I can visit to work out which ROM I should look at? Do any of them do Jellybean yet?

The best (arguably) source for user guides and ROMs is xda-developers forums: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1336

I know this question question was already solved, but I have found another app that does exactly what you need: SwitchPro Widget. Maybe other users will be more comfortable using this app. You can fully customize as you want it to be. I am using it for some time now, and I really love it

Another app I would highly recommend is Notification Toggle.

Please add a link to the app


text:
Galaxy S2 mixing up contact shortcuts after exchange password change
I have a user with a Galaxy S2 running Android 4.0.4 complaining that after syncing with exchange his contact shortcuts have all been mixed up. For example a shortcut to his wife's contact when clicked now points to someone else entirely. The only solution is to delete and recreate the shortcuts each time he changes his password in exchange. Anyone else run into this very annoying bug?
Thanks for any assistance.


text:
Tap off raw RF data from antenna
I was wondering if it is possible to pull out the raw RF data from the antenna for use in an application.  I have a device that operates as a separate entity with an an antenna feed, but I am interested in trying to put our processing on an Android.  This would be the most useful if I could tap off the RF data from the existing antenna, rather than attaching a separate one.  I don't know much about Androids - just getting a feel for this before I put too much effort into the research.
Thanks,
David

You mean the antenna on in the internals of Android handset, underneath the battery or nearby it?
If so - the short answer is no - am afraid!
The firmware and radio base-band is definitely off-limits, closed and proprietary.


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Can Galaxy S2 ICS be updated to enable spell-checker without rooting?
I've read that Samsung disabled the ICS spell-checker by removing it from the settings application.  Can it be re-added/enabled without rooting the phone?

Based on Android ICS spell checker does not know how to spell (English)?, spell-checker seems to be enabled [but there's some issues].
Right now, I'm on Samsung Galaxy S2 ICS [using CyanogenMod], and there is a checkbox to enable Spelling correction. When I was using stock ICS, I could turn off spelling / auto-correction, but it might be because I was also using a 3rd-party keyboard [GO SMS Pro]


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Is S Voice slow?
Is Svoice taking like atleast 10 seconds (sometimes more) to accept a command and reply (even if the reply is "I didnt catch that" ? Or is my device this slow?

or is your Internet slow?

Do you really want to know if S Voice is slow or do you want to know how it can be made faster?

@Flow I want to know if it is normal to take 10 seconds or more for S voice to react

@roxan My internet is not slow (I am using 2mbps broadband and it works fine)

I don't have SIII but lots of videos in Youtube shows that its very fast.

I have found it takes a long long time.. I believe that it is sending the audio to a converter first, which may take time. However, even with 4G and Wifi it's still slow.

It's much slower than Siri with the same connection speeds. It is also less accurate.


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HTML5 geolocation does not work with GPS in stock browser
I am using a Motorola XOOM2 ME with Android 3.2.2.
Location settings are: no Wifi as source, but GPS as source enabled. Browser is allowed to access location.
If I go to maps.google.com in the Android stock browser, Google Maps cannot get a location. If I go to maps.google.com in Opera Mobile, Google Maps can get a precise location.
If I enable Wifi as a location source, Google Maps can get a location in the stock browser but it is very imprecise.
Using GPS status the GPS itself seems to operate fine.
What could be going on here? I am really out of ideas. TIA.


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Unwanted Toast Notifications
Android 4.0 3. HTC Sense 3.6. I have some app installed on my SD card (1 of 195), that pops up a toast notification on boot/SD mount that says "Have a good day!" And lasts for nearly a minute. Does anyone know an easy way for me to figure out what app is causing that? Since toasts aren't a permission, an app like addon detector won't work. Cheers!

Sounds like there's an app that is listening for the permission android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED and firing the toast much to your annoyance.
You need to check with yourself by asking yourself those two vital questions -

When did this happen?
What was the last app you installed?

And backtrace it to the offending app. For an example, check out this and narrow it down to that aforementioned permission and see which one is it and un-install it.

If your device is rooted, you can also check with Autorun Manager which app established listeners for BOOT_COMPLETED AND the media mount (don't remember the intent for that at the moment).


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Android update not proceeding beyond the point of earlier cancellation
I have a Samsung Galaxy Note N7000. An Android update was promoted. I started with the update download, but canceled it at 36 MB (total update size:110 mb) because of slow network. After that, whenever I try downloading it, the download stops at the 36 Mb(exactly at 35.88 where I had previously canceled it).
Interestingly, it is the same case with app downloads also, from Google Play.
Device: Samsung galaxy note - GT-N7000.
Android version: 4.0.3
Thanks.

What happens when an app size is less than 35.88 Mb?

It happens only for the apps/Android update which I manually canceled when the download is in progress.
For example, I'm canceling app1 in the middle. I'll be able to download any other app and install. But when I try to download app1 again, download stops at the same point, where I had canceled during the earlier installation attempt.

Wow.. interesting problem.. Have you reported this to Google?

Not yet. Just wanted to see if any one else out there with the same problem(and of course, any solution).

Try deleting the temporary file that is 36Mb in size and re-start the download again this time.
Please include the method in how you're downloading the update - if you are using Kies, be sure to exit Kies first completely, then look for that temporary file (it will be in a hidden spot within the temporary directory under Windows - not sure of the path C:\Documents And Settings\Users\XXXX\Local Data ** OR ** C:\Documents and Settings\Users\XXXX\Application Data or similar)
You can easily find that out by searching for it depending on where the Windows Environment Variabel $TEMP points to.

I am trying to update via FOTA. I am not using Kies. I have searched for any temp file with a nearly equal size(when my download was cancelled) in my phone, but couldn't find one.

The issue is solved now. I was able to update using FOTA now. (I haven't changed anything materially in my phone.)


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Premature editing interruption and keyboard disappearance when typing text
I have noticed a few times today an unusual behavior of the built-in virtual keyboard on my Nexus S with Jelly Bean 4.1.1. When I type text in different apps (e.g. Google+ Messenger, Google Drive), the keyboard suddenly and unexpectedly disappears, and text editing mode is terminated.
This premature interruption is triggered at apparently random moments after typing a different amount of text each time (from a couple to a few tens of characters), but approximately after the same amount in the same session. Rebooting the phone fixed the issue the first time, but had no effect in subsequent instances.
Some context and details. I use the device in Italy and the system language is Italian. I switch between using two languages with the keyboard, Italian and English. The premature interruptions seem to happen mostly when using the keyboard with Italian, and when typing fast. This issue never happened before today.
What causes this problem? How can I fix it?

I found a Google Mobile Help Forum thread reporting the same problem. A Google employee suggested a fix: deleting and reinstalling all the installed dictionaries. This worked for me.


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Does Xperia Mini have automatic camera flash?
Just today I learned that Sony did a nasty trick with Xperia Ray and it features only manual flash.
So I would like to be now super sure how it is with Xperia Mini -- does it have normal automatic flash for camera, or only a manual one as in Ray?

As an owner of the Mini ST15i, the answer is yes, it does have the automatic flash for camera in which it can be turned off if the need arises.

Thank you very much! Btw. does this symbol "ST15i" makes a difference between Mini and Mini Pro, or there are two different "regular" Minis?

The Xperia Mini Pro has the keyboard, Xperia Mini comes without it. ST15i is the name for the mentioned Xperia Mini. Also, ST15i is the 2011 model code to distinguish from the older model Xperia Mini which was in 2010.


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How to load public route into Google Maps?
Let's say there is a route:
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=pl&msa=0&msid=104314102588659350539.00043799567b09d5f132f&z=12
I have Google Maps (application) in my Android phone.
QUESTION: how can I load a route (as one above) so I could later turn it on (to see it over the map) and off (not to delete, just to make it disappear from the map)?
I am interested in downloading it (storing) for later off-line usage.

Is this the route you want to take offline in Google Maps app:

How did I take it to Google Maps app? Well, I opened this question in Dolphin Browser and tapped the link you provided. It gave me Share via.. pop-up from which I chose Maps. Done!
To push links to Android device, you don't need to publish it on web. There are plenty of options available viz. AirDroid. You can use Gmail too. In Android device, just open that link in web browser.
If Share via.. pop-up doesn't appear with your web browser, it means that its not tightly integrated with Android. I'd recommend you to use Dolphin Browser because I have tested it.
To make it offline, just hit Options key & you'll find Make available offline option...

To later use this map, just tap Layers icon on top bar (on bottom bar in ICS) & choose the route:

Note: I've put screenshots from a Gingerbread device. My ICS device is currently not available. If you're running ICS or above, it'll be slightly different.

Thank you very much! Unfortunately I have ICS, and here when I select "make available offline" in Google Maps (application) GM stores the map (of the region) not the route. So when I get back to the data I stored, all I have is pure map, without any route. Any idea how to make a difference for GM between route and map (region)?

@macias When you are connected with internet, tap Layers icon & choose the route you opened from Dolphin. After that, you can go offline & send Google Maps in background.

Google hasn't implemented pure offline navigation yet. You can just pre-cache map, currently. But, with my trick, you can enjoy navigation offline.

Ok, I understand, thank you for clarification. I hope they will add this feature, because this "cache" (it is not a cache really, because if you switch to pure map by mistake, you cannot go back -- in ICS at least) let you work with only one route. And this would be a killer feature.

@macias Google has announced about offline navigation, but I don't know why they are late. I hope, we'll have that by the end of this October. It would really be killer feature.


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Prevent ICS From Mounting USB Storage
I have a Motorola Droid Razr Maxx running Android 4.0.4. I'd like to prevent ICS from mounting USB storage every time I plug it into a USB host. I just want it to charge by default. I am very dissatisfied that they took away this option in the upgrade from Gingerbread to ICS.
I am willing to do stuff in the terminal that requires root privilege to prevent this from happening, but I would be happier if there is an app for it. I want my phone to Charge Only when I plug it into a USB host.

If you enable USB Debugging Mode, the phone will connect to your computer and charge as usual, but you will not get any auto-mounting for the phone storage.

Enable USB Debugging in Android 4.0

Click your device home button;
Tap "Settings";
Scroll your way to "Developer options" and tap it;
Check "USB debugging".

Enable USB Debugging in Android 2.3

Click your device home button;
Tap on "Settings";
Tap on "Applications";
Scroll your way to "Development" and tap it;
Check "USB debugging".

This method works for me to charge my phone without mounting the storage.

This method does not work for me. I tried toggling USB Debugging on/off and it does not make a difference. When I plug my handset into any device, whether it's an Android tablet, a Windows PC or a Linux PC, it connects for USB Mass Storage mode. That said, I am not going to downvote your answer, because it may be a handset-specific thing. But I can't accept your answer as the correct answer because it simply doesn't work.

FWIW... This works for me. I still get the notification of new hardware, but no storage devices are mounted.

@w3d which handset are you using? Maybe this problem is specific to my phone if you're using a Razr Maxx on ICS...

@allquixotic: I'm using a reasonably generic 7" tablet - DGM T-703 with Android 4.0.3

Interesting. The only way I can plug anything into the USB of my phone without having it try to mount mass storage is to plug it into a "dumb" charging port, like the USB wall wart (120VAC to USB adapter) or a portable USB battery pack. Anything with "logic", like a computer or tablet, does connect to USB Debugging correctly, but it also tries to mount mass storage. Simultaneously. And both of them work. :/ That would be fine if I wanted that behavior, but it prevents me from accessing files on the handset's MicroSD card from within the phone itself.


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How do I get the Google Plus app to ignore videos I loaded onto my phone?
I recently loaded some videos from my PC to my phone (running Jelly Bean) and got the most recent Google Plus app. I was going to turn on 'Instant Upload' so that it backs up my photos quickly, but realized that it also wants to upload the videos I put on my phone.
Is there a way I can get it to not upload videos from my phone (or have it ignore things in a certain directory on my phone)?

Why not try putting in a .nomedia in a certain directory, an empty file that is. IE, a dot filename which is marked as hidden by the Linux filesystem...?

I don't think there is any way to stop the Google Plus from auto uploading video if you have instant upload turn on.
The work around I can think off is to use a file manager like "Astro" to move all your video file from /DCIM/Camera folder to a different folder in your sdcard.  I believe Google Plus will ignore the folder outside of /DCIM/
EDIT: Re-read your post, looks like you were uploading video from your PC to your phone which you probably just placing those under some folder in sdcard.
You can try this app StudioKUMA .nomedia Manager and set the folder that contains video with .nomedia and perhaps the entire folder will be ignore by Google+

I seriously doubt that he moved the videos there.

Or skip using the app and just add your own .nomedia file to the folder.

There is: open photos app (Google's one of course), go to 'on device' menu and tap right-hand side cloud icon on any folder you want.


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How can I boot my Nexus S with a broken power button? Can only boot to "Do not turn off target"
My Nexus S power button has stopped working and Samsung will not honor the warranty. The farthest I've gotten is to the Downloading screen with the yellow work ahead sign, that says "Do not turn off target" and USB Control Init USB Control Init End.
My computer does not find the device via the Android SDK.
I looked up this post Turn phone on with ADB or Fastboot? and others outside of this forum (eg: removing and inserting battery with charger connected), but it does not work for me.
Once I boot it I can use it by plugging a battery charger or cable to turn on the screen.
Is there a way I could boot it?

What exactly is broken with the power button? Perhaps there is a way to bypass/fix it. And why won't Samsung honor the warranty? This issue seems to be common with the Nexus S.

It does not work at all. They said it has water damage, but it has never been wet and the square under the battery is perfectly white. Just an easy excuse that they seem to be using a lot. They said it is not repairable, but did not give me a new one.

All the methods you've tried, and the ones I've been reading for the past hour, exploit a circuit "bump" that shouldn't even happen in the first place.
If they don't work with your phone, be happy, your phone is not suffering from further defects. Some I'm referencing are:

Plug your phone to your computer using the USB cable. Remove and add the battery several times to make the phone start booting: This video or this video.
Gently flick (tap) the back of the phone, right under the lens, with a finger.

What you should actually do is to repair the phone, it costs a certain amount, but at least you get the problem fixed by professionals and can take preventive measures to prevent this from happening again.

To repair, you can use Nexus S Power Button Repair or other near you.
As a preventive measure, to avoid degrading the power button, you can use an app to lock/unlock the phone. With it, you'll give less use to your power button, and in turn it may last longer.
Even if it gets broken again, with an app, you still have alternative methods of controlling your phone (lock/unlock).
Fix Broken Power Button by Destil available from Google Play Store.

Note: An app installed on your phone CANNOT power it on. So, if the power button breaks again, be sure to not let your phone's battery get empty.

Thanks Zuul. I've already taken it to a repair shop and they said it cannot be fixed :(

Ordered the fix ($45). Will update on what happens when I get it back :)

That app will allow you to unlock it without using the power button, but I don't think it will let you turn it on without it.

@SaintWacko Bad wording, thanks for the heads up! Rephrased the misleading part.

@zuul I got it back from repair. Unfixable. Great service,communication and all. Will try again in the future if I run into more problems. Will disasemble the phone now and try to learn something with it. The camera will probably end up in my Raspberry Pi.

I experienced the same problem with my Nexus S phone after many years of usage.  The power button no longer works, and I believe it is due to wear and tear in my case.  One android app I use is Button Savior.  It provides soft power and volume keys.  Try it if it fixes your problem.
Another option is if you had rooted the phone already, you can remap the keys by modifying the layout files.  I remapped the following kl files. I mapped the search button at the bottom of the screen to go power off or go to airplane mode.  And mapped one of the volume rocker to wake up the phone, as the soft button cannot wake up the screen.
The files modified are /system/usr/keylayout/cypress-touchkey.pl and
/system/usr/keylayout/mxt224_ts_input.kl. Here are the contents.
mxt224_ts_input_input.kl
key 158 BACK   WAKE
key 139 MENU   WAKE
key 217 ASSIST WAKE
key 102 HOME   WAKE

cypress-touchkey.kl
key 139 MENU   VIRTUAL
key 102 HOME   VIRTUAL
key 158 BACK   VIRTUAL
key 217 POWER  VIRTUAL WAKE

I believe I can squeeze a few many years of usage from this phone with this change. Finally, saving money to get a new cel phone is the most viable option for me in the long run. :-)

Incredibly smart and unordinary approach. Very good and I laughed for a while.

Thanks, and glad you like the solution. :-)  I got the new Asus Zenfone zoom, and the Nexus S had become a good android development machine.


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How can I track my days activities on Android (Similar to Track and Share on iPhone)?
There is a app called "Track and Share" available for iPhone.
This app helps us track as to how we spend our day, doing what activities and doing what category of activities.
I wonder how I could do the same on Android. Maybe a similar app exists?

Could you please add a description of the app (or, especially, of the features you find most important) to the question? It'll save us all time searching around their website wondering what the app does. And of course, we might guess the wrong features as important to you.

@derobert I have edited my question.

There are many for Android, this two seem to perform the tasks mentioned by "Track and Share" (additionally, you can check the left column from Google Play Store for related apps):

Time Recording - Timesheet App

Timesheet manager - easy to use, highly adaptive. Manage your timesheet.

Check in & out
Task assignment
Daily & detailed notes
Overview of day, week, month
Data export & email as CSV, HTML or XML
Integrated backup & restore

Check the Lifehacker review.

Daily Task Tracker

Keep track of your tasks that you repeat on a daily basis.
This app allows the user to keep track of daily tasks that are important to them. Add each task and then throughout the day or at the end of the day check off the ones that were completed.


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open-gpstracker: Export all tracks or access the SQLite database
I am using open-gpstracker to track routes. After quite some time I have collected a large number of tracks that I like to export as GPX files. The application allows to do that, however, there is no export option for all tracks at once.
I am using a device without root access. Is there any way I could access the SQLite database of the application? I also thought of modifying the source code of the opensource application to my requirements, but I am afraid of losing my data when I install the customized version of the app on my device. Am I right, that this can be a problem?

Update: I came up with the idea that I could use the ContentProvider of the application, if there is one included and if it is public. I could write another application that uses the interface to access the database. Do you think this is possible? How can I see if there is a public ContentProvider?

Each app on Android stores its data on internal storage by default, below the /data/data/<package_name> directory. Due to the sandbox princip, except the app itself and root nobody has access to that if not explicitly defined otherwise by the developer (e.g. Skype currently has a serious security flaw giving everybody read/write access to all its data, including plain-text passwords). So no, you won't be able to get access to the database, which most likely is located in the /data/data/nl.sogeti.android.gpstracker/databases/ directory without having root access to your device.
As for your second question: You are assuming correctly. As you don't have access to the developers certificate (for good reasons), you cannot "update" the original app with your modified version. You would have to uninstall and then re-install -- or giving your modified version a different package name. In both cases, you won't have access to the original apps data.

You can backup the app data using TitaniumBackup and restore (only the app data) onto a differently signed app with the same package name though (root required).

Good point -- I didn't consider that. Sure, that should do -- thanks for pointing it out!

@ce4 Interesting option. However, I do not have root access. How about my updated question regarding the ContentProvider?

The full path of the database file should be /data/data/nl.sogeti.android.gpstracker/databases/GPSLOG.db. Source: 1

There is a solution for debuggable apps. Another post here.


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How to retrieve Android contacts from Galaxy S3 to Windows 7 on a non rooted phone
I am hoping someone can help me with this. My brother passed away yesterday and we both have the same phone a Samsung Galaxy S3 on the Sprint network. I was wondering if there is a simple way with adb or some software on Windows 7 that I can use to get a list of his contacts off of his phone as I need to try to contact all his friends and let them know when his funeral is going to be as I don't have any of his friends phone numbers. I am familiar with rooting phones and installing roms as I have my xoom rooted but I have not rooted my Galaxy S3 or my brothers phone either since we had both just got it and dont want to void the warranty just yet.
Can anyone help me? I am not a programmer and really just want to get a list of his friends to contact to let them know what has happened. Please help me if you can time is of the essence as I am making funeral arrangements today with my mom and would really like to let his friends know that he is no longer with us.
Thank you all and hopefully you can help me!

Just wanted to add his phone has been locked so I can't open the phone or I would just of course look at his contacts that way.

Do you have access to his Google account?  If he was syncing his contacts to Google it might be easier to get them from Gmail web interface.

This one might be worth a shot: http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=14300

Thank you Chahk and thank you very much Richard Borcsik, I am going to see if I can go to my mothers and get a copy of the death certificate from the hospital today. I have his wallet with his license and stuff so I have his ID. Maybe google will help me. God bless you both for your quick replies.

The thing is I am not sure what his google account is since he didnt have one until two days ago when he setup the phone. He always emailed me from his Yahoo account maybe I should contact Sprint to see if they will help me also to find out what was the new gmail account that he created with google on the phone...he didn't even get a chance to send me an email from his google account so I don't know what it is.

I don't think Sprint will be able to help you, as they have nothing to do with on-account phones AFAIK. However, if you attempt to lock yourself out from the phone ("guess" the password many times), it should prompt you to log in with the account.

@Jeeva is right. If you attempt to unlock the device too many times, it will give you an option to log in with the Google account. It will show the account name there.

Yahoo must have some similar policy for accessing accounts of deceased relatives, so you may want to check with them also.

@Chahk They don't. Not without a court order. source

Jeff, you could search for some past invoices and go through the (if recorded) calling lists on it. Else, here's a guide how to root it. After that you might be able to 'adb shell' into the device and 'sqlite3 /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db .dump' to show all stored phonebook entries. Alas, the VZW S3 model has a locked bootloader which complicates all this.

I had the same problem trying to get contacts off my broken galaxy s3, and the solution was a program called "My Phone Explorer" from http://www.fjsoft.at/en/
I had tried everything, but couldn't find a solution that worked for retrieving contacts AND SMS messages.

This is an old question and my answer may be of little help. Since you know your brother's number, just call. Then answer the phone your self and viola! It is unlocked.access the contacts from there.
I have always wondered why this security hole is overlooked.

Answering the phone doesn't unlock it.  Do you mean you can browse contacts via the Phone/Dialer app while in a call?

You may find the contacts have been uploaded to Google Contacts. From there, you can click "Export", download the file to the device you wish to upload them to, and reimport them. Unfortunately, this only works if you can get access to a device that has his Google password saved on.


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Does rooting mean I will always run my device as root?

Possible Duplicate:
How exactly does “root” user access/account works? Do all applications run as root on my phone after rooting?

I understand the root user under Linux and the goal of rooting an Android device. Though, when people say "rooting", does it mean I will always use my device as root? Or just while I apply my changes?

No. Rooting in that case means that apps are able to request root. If they do so, then usually a pop-up appears asking for your permission.

It also means you are able to use su and sudo in a terminal emulator. Although I guess that's really just prompting the emulator to request root.


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How to restore the official firmware on Samsung Galaxy Note?
I have a question for you guys. When I bought my Samsung Galaxy Note, it came with custom firmware with lots of bugs. It's being over 3 months I bought this phone and it freezes a lot. My question is, does anyone know how to restore the original firmware from Samsung? Thank you..
My Android version   : 2.3.6
Model number         : GT-N7000
Baseband version     : N7000XXLB2
Kernel version       : 2.6.35 14-FM-2.0-g399c932
                       frank_m@VirtualBox
Build number         : GINGERBREAD.XXLC1
Rom version          : KingDroid Elegance Deluxe v7.0

I just found this tutorial do you guys think, is this what I am looking for? I really don't want to mess up my phone :(

This question could become the standard "How can I flash stock Android on the Galaxy Note?" question

I just didn't know it was called stock Android :/ I am new to the whole Anroid concept.

No problem. That's why everyone can edit your question. :)

thanks friend! btw, i found another tutorial and this looks promising :)

Be aware that you can answer your own question to gain reputation and help others that are having the same question. If the tutorial works for you, please write the steps as answer down.

The second tutorial will work well for you.  Just make sure to download the firmware for your particular international model of Note (N7000) and not the T-Mobile (SGH-T879) or AT&T (SGH-I717) versions.

It was easier than I expected. Just follow this tuto will guide you well.

Download Odin
Download the related firmware
Launch Odin, click on ROM
Select the firmware
Click on Start button.
Pray!

Thank you for everyone who took their time to help me.


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UDP multicast with reverse tethering
We are using a Wi-Fi network to communicate with other devices running our applications. And, we are using UDP multicasting.
However, due to some new restrictions we are no longer allowed to use wifi.
Is there a way to connect all the devices (via USB) to different computers (connected to the same local network) and have them all receive and send data with UDP multicasting?
We don't need internet, just the LAN. This is only used for testing purposes.

I am looking at this post about reverse tethering. Has anyone used UDP multicasting with this setup? Will the mentioned method solve my problem?
We do not currently have a linux machine setup and it would take us a while to get one setup. So if anyone could confirm this, from experience, before we start doing down that road, that would be fantastic.

Your question is very specific and IMHO you are following the wrong approach. It seems like you are in a situation where using multicast is just no more adequate. You want to forward the multicast packets form a PC via reverse tethering to an connected Android device. I am pretty sure that this would require some sort of specialized daemon software running on the PC (and maybe even on the Android device). I think that this question is to localized.

Instead of going the whole "multicast over reverse tethering" way, which to me, doesn't make any sense at all, you should evaluate if a VPN setup with multicast enabled (plus optionally reverse tethering) may be a solution to your problem.
On a second thought: VPN + reverse tethering is basically "multicast over reverse tethering"

We are not allowed to have a VPN.


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How can I make the stock browser continue running while the screen is off?
I am running a JavaScript compliance test in the Android stock browser which takes quite a long time. How can I prevent the browser from pausing when the screen goes off?
Meanwhile, I am using the "Stay Awake" debugging option, but I would rather avoid this because it may burn my screen.
I am looking for a solution that allows the screen to go off while preventing the device to go into sleep mode and thus allowing the browser to continue doing its computations.
Device: SGS3 running CM9

stay awake (cpu running) is not the same as screen on (cpu+screen running)! You can switch off the screen and the cpu should still be running with this option (not really sure about this though, but give it a try)

Stay Awake behaves like cpu+screen active. If I turn the screen off using the power button (or after a timeout), the browser stops doing something. Verified it with some Javascript that prints an increasing number each second. When I switch applications (go away from the browser), the code stops executing.

Ok, thanks for the clarification, it was just an idea. Another try then: lowering brightness lowers screen burn risks. Plus: Your S3 is obviously rooted, you could 'play' around a little with some /sys/.../brightness variables (or so). Search for backlight/brightness/power ('find /sys |grep bright') with root and 'echo $VAR > /sys/.../some-file'. Not getting it to work on my amoled S2 atm, but I know it did work with my Nexus S/HTC Desire. It circumvents the whole Android subsys and prevents an Android state change

Thanks for the suggestion, but my actual_brightness does not go below 30.

@ce4 the cpu sleep policy is different on different phones. For example, on my nexus one with cm7.2, the cpu goes to sleep (i.e. slows waay down) when the screen turns off, but on my g1 it fully stays active.

I don't believe there is any way to get it to keep running while the display is off, though I could be wrong.
What you could do is turn the screen brightness down all the way, and then use an app like Screen Filter to make the screen even darker.  At it's minimum setting, this will almost have the effect of turning the screen off, while letting everything still run.
I'm not sure modern screens even still suffer from burn in though.  Some do suffer from ghosting, but that goes away fairly quickly.  Burn in like on old CRT monitors was permanent.

The issue is with your cpu going to sleep once the screen turns off. This behavior is different on different phones (some do it, some keep it active), but it can be changed with a special app such as these:
Since you're using cyanogenmod, I assume you know what you're doing, but it bears saying: pay attention to the warnings.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tegrak.overclock
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.sineo.android.noFrillsCPU
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mhuang.overclocking

CM9 has a built-in ability to change the CPU governor (e.g. performance), I do not think the linked applications are really necessary.

@Lekensteyn then edit my answer with instructions!