# Question
Title: Daily notification of bad traffic along commute home
Is there an app that will notify me at a time i specify for days i specify (or weekdays) if there is currently heavy traffic on the route from my current location to a location i specify? Ideally with the option of then viewing the route on a map.

Note: I'm in the UK, although i'm hoping for a solution that works with google maps traffic data, so fingers crossed for an app that works where google maps traffic works.

---

I know there are widgets that show route traffic status, but i'd like to avoid having to check my phone, instead relying on the (absence of a) notification.

# Answer
Not specific to Android, but traffic.com lets you define "drives" and will send SMS and/or email alerts if issues are detected. Other sites have similar features.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: applications, notifications
---


# Question
Title: How can I recover the files in LOST.DIR on my SD card, and what are they?
I've always had a LOST.DIR folder on my external SD card, which until now has been empty. Today my phone complained that my SD card was damaged and wouldn't mount it, so I pulled it out and looked at it on my computer. There's now a `70237` file inside LOST.DIR which is 128 MB. It starts with something like "ë\<MSWIN4.1", seemingly to indicate that it's a dump of a Windows 98 FAT boot sector (which makes no sense).

What did Android dump here and and why? (I think I may have disconnected my phone from my PC yesterday without ejecting the drives first, so that might be the "why", though it was from Windows XP and not Windows 98.) Is there a simple way to recover the information in this file?

# Answer
According to this Super User answer, `LOST.DIR` is the folder mac disk repair looks for as part of it's repair process.

> LOST.DIR is something mac disk repair looks for and will ask about as part of it's repair process. If it's related at all to the standard lost+found, then it's a special file that holds all the corrupted or orphaned files found during a file system check.
>
> Something is checking your drive and finding a problem it wants to make note of in LOST.DIR. **I think this sort of thing is more likely to happen with Macs on non-HFS drives.**

---

Android also creates this directory as part of it's filesystem check and puts files there which Android believes are corrupt.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: external-sd, files
---


title: Avoiding power drain

text:
# Question
Title: Avoiding power drain
I just got a samsung Indulge this weekend and I’ve noticed that the biggest power drain on the battery is from the display. I’m blind, so I really don’t need to be able to see it at all. Is there a way for me to turn it off completely like I do on other devices?

# Answer
I don't know how to turn the screen off completely but setting the screen brightness to the lowest possible value will help with battery life.

> Settings-\>Display-\>Brightness
> 6 votes

# Answer
There is this app.. Screen Filter. This would help you in achieving your desired brightness or rather making it completely off!
> 2 votes

---
Tags: battery-life, screen
---


# Question
Title: how to link contact with facebook, gmail etc?
I am on cm7 & HTC Desire. Old HTC Sence was linking my contacts with Facebook, Gmail etc. It gave me good suggestions what could be linked or an easy way how to link a contact item with some other kind of account. The current contact manager has a 'join' feature which I am not sure if I can use for Facebook.

Are there any advanced contact managers?

# Answer
You have to go to `Edit contact`, then press the Menu key, then select `Join`. This gives you the list of suggested contacts to join. Works for me between Google contacts and Facebook on Galaxy S + CyanogenMod 7.1.
> 4 votes

# Answer
If you're only looking to have your contacts' display images synced with their Facebook avatars, I recommend you take a look at the freeware SyncMyPix \- it's a little unwieldy but tends to do the job.
> 3 votes

# Answer
You can use the Join feature to merge Facebook contacts as well.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: contacts, cyanogenmod
---


# Question
Title: My HTC Desire has suddenly become full and is displaying the "Disk Space Low!" Message
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> HTC Desire low on internal storage, I'm clueless — Any help?

I have always had a problem with my Desire's phone storage capacity so recently I did a factory re-set and started again. Everything was fine for a few weeks, I had loads of space and could download and install to my hearts content. Then all of a sudden I have the dreaded "Disk Space Low!" message again. Thsi is despite having only 39.116meg of apps installed on the phone. All possiable apps are on the sd card and there is nothing in the cache. Also all contacts, dates etc are stored on google.

Can someone please explain what is taking up all this space i.e all 139 MB? I cant even download the latest software update!

# Answer
> 0 votes
Try viewing your disk usage with DiskUsage, it helps visualize the problem.

---
Tags: htc-desire, internal-storage
---


# Question
Title: How can I keep a folder backed up online with continuous syncing?
I've found that the dropbox support for Titanium Backup never works for me amd I've also tried using ubuntuone and idrivesync but neither of these support setting a directory to keep in sync.

Does anyone know of a free service, that can keep any directory of your choice backed up online?

The best would be a scheduled task so that the battery isn't drained by continuous sync.

# Answer
You can use DropSync. It can sync any specified folder and you can setup a schedule. Recent update of free version of the app removed limitation for the schedule.
> 3 votes

# Answer
Didn't dropbox native client worked for you?
> 0 votes

---
Tags: sync, backup
---


# Question
Title: Why are my auto-complete suggestions so bad?
When I'm typing into a text entry field, the auto-complete suggestions I get are much worse than they used to be (they have never worked well on this phone, but have worked great on previous Android phones). For example, if I enter "Th", my suggestions are "Rh" and "Therock", rather than "The". The only suggestions that seem valid are names out of my address book.

Any ideas? I've turned on all the auto-complete settings, but the suggestions are still terrible. I'm using a Nexus One running 2.3.4.

# Answer
> 3 votes
This appears to be a bug in the 2.3.4 update. It is being tracked here.

# Answer
> 1 votes
If you are looking for a solution, I suggest downloading a third party keyboard. I'm 95% sure each keyboard has its own dictionary. I use Go Keyboard, which I prefer over the stock Android keyboard anyway, based on the larger letters and the period that doesn't hog most of the space where the keyboard should be.

---
Tags: text-editor, auto-correct
---


# Question
Title: does it matter what version of Android I have before installing Clockwordmod?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S with recovery 3E. I want to install Clockworkmod on my phone, but because of the version of recovery I have, I need to flash CWM via Odin.

When I download the CWM recovery image, does it matter what version of Android I have, whether it's Froyo or Gingerbread?

# Answer
No, it doesn't matter at all for recovery.

Just make sure that if the Odin package contains anything beside CWM (e.g., a kernel) that the versions match. I've used a Voodoo kernel with built in CWM for replacing 3E recovery, and the kernel had to be 2.2 to match my 2.2 OS.

That said, you could actually flash a mismatching kernel with CWM as long as you already had the Cyanogen package on your device and ready to install. You'd be able to get into recovery and flash the package even if your OS wouldn't boot.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, clockworkmod-recovery
---


# Question
Title: Which older version of YouTube for HTC Hero?
I just put CM7 on my HTC Hero. Now I'm in the process of isntalling all the apps and the problem is that the YT app that's on the market is not compatible with HTC Hero. Does anyone have a clue which is the oldest supported YT app for Hero, and where I might get it?

# Answer
Apparently, it could not be installed because of market country restrictions.. So in case someone needs a solution - I tried using market enabler, and got it (YT) installed without problem.
> 0 votes

# Answer
What you need to download and install is called GApps, which is a package with all the Google applications that come built in with Android, but those are flashable and you can't just install them.

I suggest you to take a look at \[ROM\] Hero CyanogenMod 7 Nightlys-Android 2.3.2 Gingerbread (2011-02-27), download the GApps provided there(gapps-gb-20110120-signed.zip) and flash that using the `Install update.zip` on your unlocked bootloader menu.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: htc-hero, youtube
---


# Question
Title: Missing icons at the bottom of the home screen with TouchWiz
My son has recently got a Samsung Galaxy Ace android phone. Somehow he has managed to remove three of the four icons that are normally at the bottom of the screen ( typically the green icon for making a call, the contacts icons etc ).

The bottom screen has now only one button a blue box with four small white squares in it.

How do I get the missing buttons back?

To be specific the buttons that have gone are "Phone", "Contacts" and "Messaging". Instead of being on the bar at the bottom of the screen they are now on the wallpaper with all the other icons.

# Answer
That's a little bit tricky with Touchwiz.

In order to move app links in and out of the icon bar at the bottom on phones with Touchwiz, you have to *enter the app list (App Drawer)* via the blue menu icon. This is the only icon that can't be removed. Then press the left hardware key and *choose edit*, but make sure that you are in the "Customizable Grid" view type. You should now be able to reorganize all icons in the app menu and on the space where the lower 4 buttons are, by using **drag and drop**. Simply long press an icon and move it where you want.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: home-screen, home-screen-shortcuts, samsung-touchwiz, samsung-galaxy-ace
---


# Question
Title: is Google map navigation only available to selected country
I love using Google map to give me direction. however, I would like it to provide "turn left, turn right" voice while I am driving. I heard Google map navigation able to provide such feature. I search from android market but cannot find one. is it only available to selected country? is there any workaround, or other software I can try out?

# Answer
> 3 votes
It's limited to specific locations, and only available with a data connection. See this question on the location limitations and this question on alternatives.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Google's official list of countries with Google Maps Navigation (Beta) available is here: http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=172221

Currently 29 countries are listed there.

If your country is not in the list, the simplest workaround I found is brut.all ownhere modified changepn Google Maps apps on XDADev .

---
Tags: google-maps-navigation
---


# Question
Title: Why am I unable to view pictures sent to me by MMS from an iPhone?
If I receive a picture message from a friend with an iPhone, the MMS message appears with a "Slideshow" attachment. When I try to open the Slideshow, I get a message saying, "Unsupported media type".

Can anyone help? Why can't I view these messages?

Edit: I'm running the T-mod ROM with Froyo (2.2b)

# Answer
> 1 votes
A few things you could try... (good luck!)

---

**Reset the Messaging App**

Settings\>Menu\>Applications\>Manage applications\>Soft menu key\>Filter\>All. Scroll to the Messaging App and tap that. Tap Clear Data, Clear Defaults, then Force Stop. Powercycle the phone. Test MMS. If it fails to resolve the issue go the messaging application and tap the Menu soft key\>Settings\>Menu soft key again\> Restore Default Settings.

---

**Alternative Messaging Apps**

Try ChompSMS or Handcent from the Market.

---

**Download the message first**

I forget how you do this exactly :o/ Maybe long press or menu button? Then try viewing the image from the Gallery app.

# Answer
> 0 votes
When my friend's send me photos through a text message through their iPhone's i am unable to retrive the message. It says that it is downloadimg... but it never downloads. Why is this the case?

---
Tags: htc-desire, images
---


# Question
Title: How scratch resistant is the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S 2?
I wonder if over time the screen of Samsung Galaxy S2 may get scratched? Is it necessary to use a screen protector?

# Answer
The S2 has Samsung's toughened Gorilla Glass screen, see the videos in this answer to a previous question for attempts to scratch the Gorilla Glass on an original Galaxy S: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2756/looking-for-a-robust-android-smartphone/2777#2777

I can say that I've had an original Galaxy S for over a year now, and regularly keep it in a trouser pocket with my house keys, have dropped it a few times, and other slight accidents, and while the back and sides of the cover have scratches and chips on them the screen is still absolutely unmarked.

However what you might want to consider is the fact that the camera lens on the back apparently isn't gorilla glass, see this question Is Samsung Galaxy S II rear camera Gorilla Glass too?
> 5 votes

# Answer
My SGS2 has a scratch. Normal use, probably my keys did it, I assumed the gorilla glass would be safe, but was sorely disappointed! Wish I'd shelled out for protection!
> 1 votes

# Answer
It is very tough but not magic, I do have a very tiny scratch on mine I have no idea how it got there.

The only way to scratch something is with a substance that is harder than it is, the Mohs scale is used to show the hardness of materials.

I have read that non-oxidized aluminum according to the Mohs hardness scale has a hardness of 2.75, Gorilla Glass is estimated to be about 7.5 but aluminum oxide, aluminum will get a coating it's like rust on iron but this is aluminum, the aluminum oxide has a hardness of 9. Aluminum oxide is better known as corundum Mohs 9 but high quality versions are called ruby and sapphire.

So if you have old oxidized aluminum car or house keys maybe some coins or whatever they will probably scratch a Gorilla Glass screen since they are harder than it.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Just got mine a few weeks ago. I don't think you'll need a screen protector but at the same time if you put your phone in the same pocket as your keys or even spare change, you're asking for trouble
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, screen
---


# Question
Title: Do all current Android versions require rooting for bluetooth tethering (PAN)?
Looking at apps like "Wireless Tether for Root Users" and "tether Blu", and questions like "Are there any Android phones that allow Bluetooth PAN off the shelf?" it seems that Android would require rooting for providing Bluetooth tethering (PAN).

However another app "PdaNet 3.02" boasts that it *"supports both USB Tether or Bluetooth DUN"* and *"does not require rooting"*. Also, coming from Symbian it would seem weird that what I've considered a basic feature isn't available without hacks.

I would try the PdaNet app myself, but the unfortunately it is incompatible with my phone, which is still running Android 2.2.

So what's the deal? Is bluetooth tethering available in 2.3 or will it require rooting even then?

*(Apparently in some countries tethering as a concept is restricted, and thus blocked from phones. However, I live in Finland so my phone is not tethering-restricted in this way, e.g. Wi-Fi tethering (creating a Wi-Fi hotspot) is a feature available for me out-of-the-box.)*

# Answer
My Galaxy S with 2.3.3 has no option for bluetooth tethering, but my Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet running 3.1 has such an option. I am not entirely sure if the option comes from stock Android because it doesn't get listed on wikipedia. So I assume that it's an modification from Lenovo.

2.3 will require root for bluetooth tethering if there where no modifications by the manufacturer and I think bluetooth tethering hasn't found the way in **stock** android yet.
> 3 votes

# Answer
For Android 2.2 I belive you do need to root the device to install a tethering app. However, Android 2.3 does have tethering over wi-fi or USB built but I find that it doesn't work that well so I have still rooted it and installed the app. I don't know if the problem with the built in tethering is a problem with my phone or android overall so you might find the built in version works fine.

Hope this helps
> 1 votes

---
Tags: bluetooth, tethering, bluetooth-tethering
---


# Question
Title: Can I use the stock SMS/MMS app on an Android tablet without UMTS module?
I just got my Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet. It does not have a GSM/UMTS/3G module but there is an SMS/MMS icon. What is the purpose of this app? Does Android allow me to send and receive SMS/MMS over my Wifi Internet connection, or is it just a leftover?

I am not interested *in any alternatives* to the stock app. I am more curious if it serves any purpose on a device without a UMTS module and if so, how to configure and use it.

So the questions could also be phrased like: **What purpose serves the stock Android SMS app on an tablet without GSM/UMTS module?**

# Answer
As for now I consider the stock SMS/MMS app a leftover on tablet devices without an GSM/UMTS module. I serves no purpose on such devices.
> 1 votes

# Answer
You can download an app such as TextPlus from the market for free and then send MMS & SMS from that app. I am not sure what app you are talking about since I don't have a ThinkPad tablet but I know that you can use TextPlus.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Another app/service to try would be Google Voice. You can get a phone number and send/receive SMS (and voicemail). This may only work (or work well in the US, though).
> 1 votes

---
Tags: sms, tablet, mms, lenovo-thinkpad-tablet
---


# Question
Title: How can I stop my phone from thinking it's connected to a computer?
I plugged my phone into my TV's USB port hoping to play video from my phone on the TV. This was not successful. It's been about 4 days since I disconnected from the TV and it still thinks it's connected.

I have turned the phone off and on, it may go away for a little while but keeps coming back. The top left status bar will have 2 arrows spinning in a cirle and when I drag downwards to see my notifications I see this:

> **MTP service status:**
>
> Connected to computer

Any ideas?

My phone is an HTC Incredible 2 running Android 2.3.3.

# Answer
> 2 votes
I solved this by plugging in my phone to a computer and choosing Charge Only. It was using CPU and draining my battery until I fixed it.

# Answer
> 0 votes
As a worst case solution, you could try factory resetting your phone. You might also attempt to connect your phone to a PC and enable USB transfer, then eject your phone to see if this clears the issue.

# Answer
> 0 votes
When you say you turned your phone off and on, did you actually *shut it down* (hold down power button to get the menu), or just press the power button to turn the screen off? I would expect a shutdown and restart to clear this problem.

---
Tags: usb, notifications
---


title: How to extract sqlite file

text:
# Question
Title: How to extract sqlite file
My *Samsung Galaxy S* was having an error on the notification bar saying `sd card blank or has unsupported file system`, so I was required to format my sd card. However, I couldn't format it using the phone, and my lappy couldnt recognize it either. So I formatted the card using my *Nokia 5800*, and it works.

I tried to recover lost images and songs using Photorec. However, I was only able to recover 3 files and all of them are sqlite files. One of them is 2gb in size which match the size of all the photos and songs that I used to have. Is the sqlite file my lost data or not? If it is, how can I convert it back to photos and songs that I mentioned earlier?

# Answer
> 1 votes
That's odd, photos are usually stored within a `DCIM` directory of the SD-Card. Never heard that one would store them as binary blob within a sqlite db.

Anyways, you cold discover the contents of the sqlite db with the `sqlite` (sometimes `sqlite3`) tool. But you need some basic understanding of SQL syntax.

---
Tags: data-recovery, file-management, sqlite, media-files
---


# Question
Title: Why does my Samsung GT-i9000 not detect USB connectivity (not a driver problem)?
I have made several searches across many boards but failed at finding a solution for my problem yet, even though it's been reported by some.

My phone was working fine for about a month, I was using the mass-storage technique without a problem until it stopped working one day.

Now, when I plug in my phone by usb to any computer, the connection screen will not come up, the battery charging icon sometimes fails to appear as well and I can hear the computer detecting a new device but it will not recognize it.

I did a hard reset on the phone, which ended up in 2.1 instead of the 2.2 i had, and the problem persists.

I have tried everything, from usb debugging mode to uninstalling/reinstalling drivers, even tried with my friend's cable and it does the same thing...I am very frustrated!

Anybody got a fix for me?

# Answer
How do you know it is not a driver problem?

You've tried different cables? hopefully one that is confirmed to work with another phone.

Have you tried a different computer?

If its still dead to USB- then it sounds like a hardware issue with the phone, if you're under warranty then take it back!
> 3 votes

# Answer
Turns out my center pins (2 and 3) on my Galaxy S were dirty. Try cleaning the port (or plugging in the cable many, many times)

See this question for the description of the pins Micro USB cables that only charge but no data, no mounting etc (Samsung Galaxy S)
> 2 votes

# Answer
Maybe this will help you thanks, to My Samsung Galaxy 3 (GT-i5801) is not being detected by my PC -- What should I do?:

1. Unplug the USB cable
2. On the cell phone, dial the following number: \*#7284# Once the last

# is hit, the PhoneUtil application is launched. Choose USB -\> Modem and then USB -\> PDA mode. The good mode should be PDA. Even if the

mode is PDA, switch to Modem and then back to PDA.
3. Plug the USB cable.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I hear these symptoms quite a lot from the Galaxy S: USB charging does work, but the Galaxy S does not get recognized and no USB data connection (mass storage, debug, etc.) is established.

This seems like a hardware design flaw, which hopefully got fixed with newer models. I think you should return your phone and have it repaired.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, usb
---


# Question
Title: Which one is more suitable Samsung Kies or PC Studio for Samsung GT-B7722?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Whats the core difference between Kies, New PC Studio, PC Studio 3.1 from Samsung?

I purchased SAmsungGT-B7722. I want to connect it with PC for internet, Contact swapping and other uses. Please advise which software is better SAMSUNG KIES or SAMSUNG PC STUDIO. Samsung offers for free download of both on its site

# Answer
According to the Download Center, Samsung PC Studio does not support Android Phones (though I did not try using that), and it directly points to download Samsung Kies.
Also, Samsung Kies - as far as I can say - is easier to use, with ability to connect to the device via WiFi as well. Therefore, I would recommend using Samsung Kies.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: samsung-kies, pc-studio
---


# Question
Title: minimal hardware requirements for Android
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> What are the minimum specifications for Android?

I would like to know the minimum hardware (memory, CPU) to run Android, good documentation is also a good answer.

Versions : gingerbread or ice cream sandwich

# Answer
> 3 votes
According to an interview with Andy Rubin in 2008 this is the minimum requirements for android:

* 32 MB RAM
* 32 MB Flash Memory
* 200 MHz processor

\[Source\]
\[Source 2\]

For gingerbread, I could not find anything official, but I found a few sites that say the following:

* 1GHz processor
* 512MB Ram
* 3.5 inches or more screen size

\[Source\]

I also found an "official looking" site that has requirements, but this looks to be a couple years old and doesn't say what version of android this is spec'd for.

* ARM-based chipset
* 128 MB RAM
* 256 MB Flash External
* QVGA TFT LCD or larger, 16-bit color or better

\[Source\]

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, 2.3-gingerbread, hardware
---


# Question
Title: I've bricked my HTC Thunderbolt with Cyan... help?
Well, this is totally my fault. I had a little extra to drink last night and on a whim decided to upgrade the Cyan rom on my HTC Thunderbolt. There appeared a later version in my Rom Manager so I clicked the buttons, gave permissions and off it went... next thing I know, the phone does not get thru the white HTC screen.

Help? Can anyone provide a simple step-by-step?

Thank you kindly!

# Answer
> 2 votes
Are you able to get into the recovery boot menu? (On my phone, it is accessed by holding down the vol down button when turning on the phone). If so, there may be something that can help you. I have had this happen to me, and what I had to do was to try re-installing the ROM from the zip file, using the process described here (scroll down to Flashing CyanogenMod - method via recovery). On that page, it also states "As of right now CyanogenMod is not officially available for the HTC Thunderbolt". I did a bit of digging, and found that the only available CyanogenMod roms for the Thunderbolt are unofficial. At this juncture, I would suggest flashing a different ROM, or an earlier version of Cyanogenmod, if you still have the ZIP file you used before the update.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, htc-thunderbolt, unbricking
---


title: Why is my battery life fluctuating?

text:
# Question
Title: Why is my battery life fluctuating?
I installed CM7 on my LG P500, and ever since the battery sometimes lasts 30 hours, sometimes for 8 hours, under the same usage and same power state (conservative). How can I fix this?

# Answer
> 1 votes
I was having that problem, and the solution that helped me was to charge up the battery completely, then use the recovery boot menu to wipe battery stats. Then, I used the phone until the battery died and the phone shut itself off. During that time, it is important to not plug in your phone to USB or charger, it has to drain continuously. Then you can charge it back up again and use it as normal. It should help to make the battery percentage more accurate, and to drop in a more stable way.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, battery-life, lg-optimus-one
---


title: How to connect Superpad II P041 to pc

text:
# Question
Title: How to connect Superpad II P041 to pc
I've a superpad II P041 and I would like to connect it to my pc. I would like to use Logcat for check exception thrown by my application.

The problem is that when I connect it with the USB cable, the pc doesn't recognise the tablet. I've already enabled the Debug USB.

What can I try to let the pc to communicate with the tablet? Maybe I need the drivers?

Thanks for your help.

# Answer
Yes, try the drivers. This post looks like it contains a link to a package with drivers. Try installing the drivers from the Android SDK if the above doesn't work and you can't find anything more official.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: usb-drivers
---


# Question
Title: Why is the SD card mounted as read-only on PC when shared from HTC Desire HD via USB?
I just discovered that the SD card is now read-only when I use "disk drive" connection on the phone.

Why do I have to do in order to be able to write on the SD card from the PC?

I mention that the phone is rooted and is using the latest version of 2.3 available for HTC Desire HD (original rom).

# Answer
It may sound really strange but the real issue was the corporate policy of mounting the the unencrypted drives as read-only. This is specific to BitLocker and there is a registry workaround available.
> 1 votes

# Answer
From what i have found on the internets is that there are a lot of people that have had issues like this with the Desire HD.

They all said that either formatting the sdcard in Windows, or even using Windows 7 to "Verify Errors" solved the issue.

Before you format, you can copy all the content off the sdcard, and then place it back after formatting.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: sd-card, htc-desire-hd, usb-connection-mode
---


title: Google Talk on Samsung Galaxy S II

text:
# Question
Title: Google Talk on Samsung Galaxy S II
I bought a Samsung Galaxy S II, and it comes with the IM application for instant messaging, but the only messengers available are Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger, and I couldn't find any Google Talk application on the market.

How can use Google Talk?

# Answer
Flow's absolutely right, but if you want to try another messenger that supports GTalk you could try Meebo, eBuddy, or Trillian. There are others, of course, but those are the ones I've tried that work well.
> 1 votes

# Answer
There is no Google Talk app within the Market. Google Talk is more or less wired to the Android release. It's usually an icon in the app drawer simply named "Talk".

Your phone seems pretty locked down by the carrier (or somebody else). If it really came without Google Talk, which would be pretty uncommon, your only chance is to install the Google Talk apk manually.
> 6 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, google-talk
---


# Question
Title: Low disk space notification, but heaps of space free
A few days ago I put two large files (about 300MB all up) on the phone storage. I got a low space notification.

I connected the phone via USB to a Windows XP machine and deleted the files, but I still had the notification.

I have emptied trash. I have also connected via linux and done a find -printf '%b %p' to find the biggest files and the two that I originally put on are definitely gone.

I deleted even more cached files and now windows explorer reports 720MB (about 60%) free.

I am still getting the low space notification even after a reboot of the phone. How can I get rid of the notification?

HTC Desire running Android 2.2 with Sense. Thanks for any help rendered!!

# Answer
> 14 votes
Check your phone's internal storage, via Menu \> Settings \> SD & phone storage, and then look under Internal Phone Storage. If that's looking low, then you can try uninstalling some apps, or, since you're on 2.2, moving those that support it to your SD card (as that does seem to have plenty of space).

# Answer
> 0 votes
On HTC Phones, I found one big space stealer is the "Facebook for HTC Sense" app. It can easily take up 20+ mb of data. It is worth checking it out and clearing data (not cache)

---
Tags: notifications, internal-storage
---


# Question
Title: Automatic Input Method Change on Samsung Galaxy Tab
The tab frequently attempts to change input method from Swype to keyboard dock. I don't own a keyboard dock. How do I stop this? Can't find it in the Settings.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Have you checked in `Settings -> Language and keyboard`? Deselecting it from here should help.

---
Tags: keyboard, samsung-galaxy-tab, swype
---


# Question
Title: Folder or Folder Shortcut on Honeycomb 3.1 home screen
I have a Toshiba Thrive and want to have access to several files in a folder, but can not figure out how to do that without going through the effort of using File Manager? Is there a way to do create a shortcut like you can do in Windows desktop?

# Answer
> 1 votes
ASTRO File Manager can help you with this, just install it and run it once, then you can add folders by long-pressing the desktop, selecting More and tapping ASTRO. It will let you browse folders and one can be selected by long-pressing it.

---
Tags: home-screen-shortcuts
---


title: Is some of my internal memory missing?

text:
# Question
Title: Is some of my internal memory missing?
I have an HTC Wildfire (the original, not the S version). It is supposed to have 512MB of memory. When I check my free space in the app manager I noticed I have around 185MB. Why is this?

I am using CyanogenMod which is around 80MB, if this wasn't accounted for there is still a lot of space missing. Why is my phone reporting so little?

# Answer
ok. here is the thing. The space is there, the problem is that it is not accesible for applications.

Android systems have several partitions as explained here. Doing an df on my device I get:

```
Filesystem              Size      Used      Available Use%    Mounted on
tmpfs                   156.5M     32.0K   156.4M     0%    /dev
tmpfs                   156.5M         0   156.5M     0%    /mnt/asec
tmpfs                   156.5M         0   156.5M     0%    /mnt/obb
/dev/block/mtdblock3    250.0M    119.0M   131.0M     48%   /system
/dev/block/mtdblock5    175.1M    157.2M   18.0M      90%   /data
/dev/block/mtdblock4    40.0M      1.3M    38.7M      3%    /cache
/dev/block/vold/179:1   3.7G      2.8G     952.5M     75%   /mnt/sdcard

```

the space I see in the app manager is the same allocated for /data, the rest of the space is used for the cache and the android system (in the /system and /cache partitions).

A solution would be to find out how to resize the partitions in the internal memory of the phone (there is a procedure here). Another solution (which seems easier) is to put they regularly used apps in the /system partition along with the default applications so that all memory is used (root is needed)
> 4 votes

---
Tags: internal-storage, htc-wildfire
---


# Question
Title: Rooted, cyanogenmod. How to get back Sense UI from Titanium Backups?
Similar to Rooted the phone and installed cyanogenmod. How to get back Sense UI? but with the addition of full backups of the old Sense UI packages.

I am running Cyanogenmod 7 on a rooted HTC Incredible 2. I have Titanium Backup copies of all the original HTC Sense UI packages. When I try to restore some of them, Titanium Backup brings up the "Restoring ..." dialog but it just sits there with the message up. It never goes away, Android does not try to Force Close it, and the message also stays in the Notification bar until the app is manually closed via a task killer. (The system still responds; just Titanium Backup that seems to hang.)

How do I restore these system packages to get the Sense UI and widgets back?

# Answer
> 9 votes
It is impossible. You can only use Sense UI on a ROM that incorporates it. To regain it you will either need to return to your stock HTC ROM or see if there are any other ROMS that support Sense.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, htc-sense, titanium-backup, htc-incredible-s
---


title: How To Protect Mobile Internet Access?

text:
# Question
Title: How To Protect Mobile Internet Access?
I want to know how to protect mobile data connection function in Android. I don't want somebody or me accidentally switching it on.

I need something like **Smart AppLock** but to protect basic phone functions that control mobile data internet communication.

Thanks.

# Answer
Depending on your mobile network operator one solution could be to change the APN of your mobile network connection to an invalid value. On most mobile networks you don't get a data connection without a valid APN - however on some you always get a connection independently of the APN name.

There are plenty of tools that simplify APN setting/removing/changing - some examples:
> 2 votes

---
Tags: security, networking
---


# Question
Title: Will I damage my Android device by charging it using a generic microusb + car adapter?
I need a second charger and a car charger for my Evo 3D and the same for my wife's Nexus S, but I don't want to pay exorbitant prices for them. Will I fry or otherwise damage the devices using something like this couple with a cheap microUSB to USB cable priced about the same? Will the devices complain about using "unapproved" chargers and refuse to charge like some iPhone models do with some 3rd party chargers?

# Answer
> 13 votes
USB, mini-USB, and micro-USB cables are standardized, the voltage and amperage are the same across all standard compliant USB chargers. As long as the charger is a standard, generic micro-USB charger then it should be alright.

That doesn't make it impossible for a manufacturer to create a non-standard plug that looks like a USB plug, but they're pretty much screwed up if they do so.

# Answer
> 6 votes
Micro-USB is standard size and pinout, so it will provide the power on the right pins no matter what charger that you plug into the device. Usually any charger that has the Micro-USB plug will work.

Additionally, in most modern batteries, there are a lot of charging safeties inside the device itself, including overvolting, undervolting, charging too quickly, charging when the battery is too hot or too cold, and reverse polarity. I would be surprised if it would be possible to buy a charger on the market today which would ruin a phone.

# Answer
> 5 votes
No it won't cause any damage. Any generic charger will do. I use a generic car charger like that all the time.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Whilst it won't cause an issue, I've noticed with my HTC Desire that non-official chargers are seen as "USB" chargers by my phone whereas the official chargers are seen to be "AC" types. This is significant because my phone will only draw 500mA in USB charger mode, but will happily pull 1A+ in AC mode.

It's all down to the USB Battery Charging Specification, which specifies that if the D+ and D- pins are shorted with a resistance of at most 200 Ω, additional current can be delivered. The short disables data transfer, but allows devices to detect the Dedicated Charging Port and allows very simple, high current chargers to be manufactured. The increased current (faster, 9 W charging) happens if both the host/hub and devices implement the new charging specification.

---
Tags: charging
---


# Question
Title: HTC Sync fails to start when phone connected "updating htc library"
I have an HTC Desire S wich is failing to connect to HTC Sync. I have downloaded and installed the latest version but one of 2 possible scenarios occur:

1. The phone is connected to the pc. USB connection sound chimes and I see the phone in my Windows devices list. I then start HTC Sync. It will show the splash screen and use about 40-50% CPU power, but it will not go any farther... It only shows the message "Updating htc library".
2. The phone is not connected to USB. I start HTC Sync and wait for it to fully load. Then I connect the phone. Once again the phone shows up in my devices list, but HTC Sync will not recognize it, nor will it show my phone.

I am using Windows 7 x64, HTC Sync v3.0.5551 (june, 6th update by HTC).

Any help is greatly appreciated...

# Answer
Your problem is due to errors related to HTC Sync, Windows 7 and Adobe AIR. There is a bug opened on Adobe site: https://bugbase.adobe.com/index.cfm?event=bug&id=2966976 The workaround should be to downgrade Adobe AIR to 2.6.xxx version. You can download it here. Upgrading to Adobe AIR 3.0.0.3880 RC1 didn't worked for me.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: htc-sync-3.0, htc-desire-s
---


# Question
Title: How to type a question mark without using the shift key in Swype?
One of the reasons Swype is so great is, of course, that I can write very fast no matter how lenghty is a word. But whenever I have to use a question mark, or an exclamation, I have to hit the shift key, then the punctuation, then shift again to continue writing. Is is possible to have a shortcut for this?

# Answer
> 24 votes
The fastest way I've found is to actually swipe from the "m/?" or "z/!" keys directly to the space bar. That'll insert a punctuation mark and then a space. In the same fashion, you can insert a period or a comma. The other similar shortcut I use creates an "'s" by swiping from the apostrophe to the "s".

Some similar suggestions can be found in Swype's online reference, specifically in the "Swype Gestures" section of http://www.swype.com/tips/advanced-tips/.

# Answer
> 13 votes
You do not have to use shift, if you hold down the 'm' key for a longer time it will insert its alt key, a question mark.

---
Tags: swype
---


title: Orange HTC Hero Unlock problems

text:
# Question
Title: Orange HTC Hero Unlock problems
Orange being the unhelpful company that it is, can't unlock phones in the shop. This was unfortunate as I was going overseas, but no matter, I called the helpline, and then was told it'll take three weeks - to get the IMEI sent to HTC, and get the unlock code back.

I had no choice so I waited, and after three weeks I got the code. Of course, it didn't work. I checked, and they've used the wrong IMEI number. This means another 3 weeks, at least, and I'm meanwhile stuck roaming with my smartphone, which is NOT cheap, plus I can't terminate my contract with them until it's unlocked.

Sooo...while I wait out the time again in the hope they don't screw it up *again*, I wondered if it's possible to either unlock it by other methods, or to root it and whether that would negate the need for unlocking?

HTC Hero originally running 1.5, now 2.1 update 1, with Orange UK.

# Answer
Try one of the online unlocking websites.

If you're paranoid, see if your bank still offers limited-use credit cards with a very small limit for online purchases, or use a pre-paid card.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: sim-unlocking, htc-hero
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to change the "text to speech" person's voice?
By default, it uses the robotic woman's voice for reading text to speech. Is there a way to change the voice to something else?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Yes install some other TTS engine like, this or this. And as the market page says,

> To enable it: 1. Menu \> Settings \> Voice input & output \> Text-to-speech settings 2. Check "eSpeak TTS". 3. Set your "Default Engine" to "eSpeak TTS".

---
Tags: text-to-speech
---


# Question
Title: What are potential problems/violations that malware apps can do?
There are some apps that I am considering to download which have many permission requirements and have few comments from other past users. The number of downloads are relatively low so I am considering the risks that I can be exposed to.

* Can the app record my internet browsing and send it to an outside source?
* Can the app upload to an outside source photos that I have taken?
* Can the app look at data from other apps and use it?

I am considering apps from the app store and not ones from other places.

Are there particular app permissions which are rare requirements that might indicate a malicious app?

# Answer
> 4 votes
# Can the app record my internet browsing and send it to an outside source?

It may depend on which browser you are using. The stock browser should save it's browsing history within its private storage. If there is no root exploit, an external app should be unable to access the browsing history.

# Can the app upload to an outside source photos that I have taken?

If the app requests and gets granted the write external storage permission, it would be able to access your photos. Then it would only need the Internet permission, to upload these photos so some site.

# Can the app look at data from other apps and use it?

Usually not. But again, if there is a root exploit available for your Firmware version, it could use it to access every piece of data on your Android device.

# Are there particular app permissions which are rare requirements that might indicate a malicious app?

Well, it depends on what the app should do and what permissions are requested. Most Apps that could also run offline, request the Internet permission for Ads. Contact the App developer if you are not sure why the App needs/requests a particular permission. I would be careful with permissions that could also cost you money: Send SMS and Call Phone. I've heard that some strange social network app requests now send SMS for some reason.

Also the READ PHONE STATE AND IDENTITY is pretty common, because it's needed for backwards compatibility with older Android versions. But it allows the app to read for example your IMEI, which is unique to your device.

---
Tags: applications, security, permissions, malware
---


title: Changing calendar display

text:
# Question
Title: Changing calendar display
When I first got my Android it gave me the monthly view of my calendar. It has switched to daily agenda. ARGH! How do I switch it back to weekly or monthly view?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Hit the menu button.

It should then bring up the day/week/month view options.

---
Tags: calendar
---


# Question
Title: Is there any low bandwidth VoIP software for Android?
I have measured Skype's bandwidth consumption:

* When just running Skype: ~0.09 KB/s
* When talking to someone through Skype: ~9 KB/s

Is there any VoIP software available in the Android Market that consumes less bandwidth?

**NOTE**: I'd like to be able to talk to someone on Ubuntu with this client, so it should also have a Linux version or be compatible with another Linux client/network.

P.S.: Are my measurements correct?

# Answer
Get the pcgod's mumble client for android (don't get it from the market because the market one is not the pcgod uploader and is very old and not updated).

Mumble is an open source VOIP client that is available for windows and linux. However, this VOIP is a client-server one , hence requires both the clients to connect to a server. While you may choose a public server in the list when launching the desktop application of mumble, it's better to configure and setup your own mumble server so that you have more choice of freedom and you can even set the voice quality and codec that can use lesser bandwidth. Further, mumble is more like Push to Talk, so it uses very little bandwidth (I was torrenting on my 256k connection while using mumble with just 2 people in the room and still it was fine!)
> 4 votes

# Answer
Bandwidth consumption depends on the codec that the app will use. Skype uses SILK or G729 (see wikipedia for their bandwidth consumption).

You can see here http://searchvoip.techtarget.com.au/articles/23239-VoIP-codecs-Day-Three-Low-bandwidth-codecs more low bandwidth codecs and search for an application that support one of them.

I have used SipDroid that has support for SILK and Speex too. For linux client you can use SFLphone or ekiga. I have used both with Asterisk and SipDroid and worked quite well.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Have you try with Fring, i don't know about the bandwidth but it does allow Google Talk.

You can also check What is Fring

If fring does not convinced you try TruPhone

Although if you ask me i'm quite sure that you won't be able to win skype app bandwidth usage on their own application, i mean they must (or should) know their stuff.

Let Me know
> 1 votes

---
Tags: skype, voip, bandwidth
---


# Question
Title: Why can't I download apps from the Android Market via my PC?
I was trying to find a free french dictionary for android, and indeed I found many. But I can't download them.

The problem is, I don't have access to the internet right now from my cell phone, and what I want to do, is to simply download the application to my computer (where I have access to the internet) and then transfer the installation package to my cell phone, and then install it.

Is it a wrong expectation? Is it an unusual practice for installing applications on mobile devices?

However, every application either wants me to directly connect to the internet and android market to download the application, or to use my cell phone to download it. Why it is so? What is the philosophy behind it?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Many developers have their own sites and there are other app markets that allow direct download. But besides that, we can't speak to their motives, you'd need to ask them. I would assume, however, that they're controlling distribution in order to control distribution :P. For paid apps this is obvious (piracy prevention), but even for non-paid apps there are developers and others who want to monitor, limit, etc. the download of apps.

---
Tags: installation, downloading
---


# Question
Title: How to make my alarm as stable as a server?
I have HTC Desire with original Android 2.2 (kernel 2.6.32.15-gf5a401c) with HTC Sence. I have not installed any task killers.

Now I have a stock alarm clock application.

Yesterday evening I set my alarm for 6:30am, but got up at 10 being 2h+ late for my work. When I took my phone, I noticed 3 things

* it was showing a message like "Adobe Flash Player cannot be installed without internet connection";
* second thing I noted is "Low on space" notification --- common problem for HTC Desire;
* my alarm was silently asking me if I want to snooze or dismiss it.

**I want**

* to have an alarm clock on my phone as stable as my bicycle, i.e. which
    + works as expected;
    + does not turn off automatically after 1, 5, 10 or 100500 minutes;
    + does not stop working in case of update or any other event (except airplane mode);
* to have Android update like Debian Squeeze, i.e. not to update automatically (at least if it causes problems), but gently suggest to install only security critical updates and to give any other suggestions only by special request;
* some logging for my alarm to "debug" problems with waking up.

In the list above I mention not only the alarm, but the whole system (Android update), because I think that tuning off the system can help to stabilize my alarm. Correct me if I'm wrong.

**Question**

* What can be done to make my system and, importantly, my alarm, very stable?
* What is the most stable alarm clock app?
* Is there any way to make it even more stable (for instance, turn off updates to stick with a stable version)?

**What is done**

I have found the following relevant threads:

**Future**

Probably at some point I will reinstall Android with a question of solving low internal memory problem in mind. So if there are some solutions for a different version of Android (say 2.3) or advice for installation to make my system and alarm stable I would like to know them.

**Update** As roxan pointed out, probably alarm rings just for a few minutes. If it is so, I would like to turn off this feature or set this time to something big (2 hours or more).

# Answer
> 2 votes
I also use Desire and this has never/ever happened to me under any circumstances. Alarm would not work if you had killed it but you have clearly specified you don't have any task killer.

As you said there is Snooze/Dismiss screen, the alarm indeed went on. Are you sure you didn't miss when the alarm rang at the correct time? Or are you sure the volume is loud enough?

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, htc-desire, updates, alarm
---


# Question
Title: Email App: How to select a subset of IMAP folders to subscribe to?
I would like to set up my email client to subscribe to only a couple of the tens of folders in my work IMAP account. I can't seem to find an option to subscribe/unsubscribe folders in the Android email app on my Samsung Galaxy S2. Am I just not finding it? Or is there another Android email app that provides this (in my opinion rudimentary) functionality?

# Answer
> 1 votes
There are some additional options available in K-9 Mail, but it offers only the following choices: "All", "Only 1st Class folders", "1st and 2nd Class folders", "All except 2nd Class folders", "None". Not sure if this helps in your case, depends on your folder structure.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I believe you are talking about Gmail app and your work account is also Google account. If its so not only you can chose what IMAP folder to subscribe but also what notification you want on that folder.

* Press Menu -\> More -\> Settings
* Under Account Settings click your email address
* You'll see a option "Sync inboxes and labels".
* From there you can chose quantity and folders.

---
Tags: email, imap
---


# Question
Title: Podcast app with Google Reader integration (Google Listen alternative)
I'm looking for a podcast app that would have the same features as Google Listen without the buggyness...

From what I've seen, most apps that feature "Google Reader integration" only offer importing, not syncing.

Is there an app out there that does podcasts and only podcasts, that I could simply point to my Google Listen folder in Google Reader, and have it sync subscriptions and read status?

# Answer
There are a lot of apps in Android Market which offer import from your Google Reader subscriptions. The best of them according to Lifehacker is DoggCatcher Podcast Player. BeyondPod Podcast Manager also offers import from Google Reader. But ACast's description claims that the app has integration with Google Reader, not just import *(sorry, can't test it myself, this app crashed for me)*.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I'd have to double-check on the reality of the sync/import part of the question, but you may want to look at BeyondPod. It claims that it will sync read/unread status, but I've not used that capacity. I've used it for years (on WinMo long before Android was available on a phone) and have loved using it.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: applications, sync, podcast, google-reader
---


# Question
Title: Hide secondary account in Android Market
I have a problem with my android phone: I have two Gmail accounts. The first on is my main account, with everything synchronized on my Android phone (mails, contacts, calendar, apps, ...). The other account is only for emails, and as such I've set it up to ONLY synchronize the mails (and only the mails!), BUT this address shows up in the Android Market app nevertheless. To make matters worse, this secondary address seems to be always chosen by default when I launch the Market app, and I also receive notifications for some apps.

So my question is this: Is it possible to only have the main account showing in the Market app, while still having mail synchronization enabled for other accounts?

Thank you very much

# Answer
You can remove the account that it "defaults" to and try to re-add the account. I think there is some type of bug in the newer version of the market because I have the same issue from time to time. it is not the "default" account, and I have like 8 accounts on the device (all google accounts) but it always wants to use this one.

I found that it "fixes", but usually only temporarily, if I go in to the Application Settings and clear the data for the market app.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: google-play-store, google-account
---


title: How to filter 3G traffic

text:
# Question
Title: How to filter 3G traffic
Are there a way to block all 3G traffic for specified apps?

# Answer
> 6 votes
***If you have a rooted device*** you can filter which specific apps can access the 3G connection with **DroidWall**.

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can block all 3G usage by going to SETTINGS \> WIRELESS & NETWORKS \> MOBILE NETWORKS and then clciking USE ONLY 2G Networks to disable 3G usage.

There are also lots of widgets available that will allow you toggle between 2G / 3G usage.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Onavo will let you do this, and it doesn't require your device to be rooted:

"Data hog blocking: Restrict specific apps to Wi-Fi, or block your 3G data altogether once you exceed your data cap to avoid any additional costs"

note that it's only free for a limited time (http://www.onavo.com/help).

---
Tags: data-monitoring, 3g, filter
---


# Question
Title: Connect to internet via internet cafe PC when no wi-fi or 3G is available?
We are developing an Android data-entry application for use in places with very limited connectivity. We'll be using old/discarded Android devices in areas outside towns in Kenya, Uganda, etc. where there is no wi-fi; the devices themselves are not signed to a phone service. Users collect data in the field & return home, where typically internet access is available only via shared PCs at internet cafes.

I'm wondering if there is an easy way to connect an Android phone to a PC via the USB cable such that it shares the PC's internet connection for outbound connections? ie. reverse tethering... which seems to be a common topic, but all of the solutions seem to involve installing software on the PC, which I'm not sure would work at a cafe. Is there "an app for that"?

I can provide more details if it helps find a solution! Thanks

# Answer
No; a device-side app can't force the PC to share its internet connection.

One option might be to connect the device and mount the storage to the PC, so the data could be uploaded to a website or emailed. This has its own issues -- depending on the PC OS and the particular phone, drivers might be needed -- but it should work in some cases.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, tethering, internet, reverse-tether
---


# Question
Title: Are there any side effects of uninstalling Apps
Are there any side effects of Installing and uninstalling lots of apps on an Android smart phone?

Specifically are there any things that do not get cleaned up that I need to be aware off?

# Answer
Shouldn't be any major side effects. Most applications are pretty good about cleaning themselves up.

However, a lot of times you will see a directory at the root of your SD card from an uninstalled app. This directory was most likely created by the app to store some type of data externally, whether it be downloads, backups, etc. You may have to manually delete these if they show up. Use a file manager to browse your SD card every once in a while.
> 12 votes

# Answer
Aside from SD card, if the application connects to a server to provides its service, it may stores data in the server.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: applications, google-play-store, installation, uninstallation
---


# Question
Title: How to use my phone to transfer Wi-Fi to other devices?
I'm using Nexus S, recently I got a Kindle, however, the Kindle couldn't connect to my company's Wi-Fi (seems it doesn't support the encryption method), so I'm wondering this method:

1. My Nexus S connect to company's Wi-Fi
2. Nexus S performs like a adhoc , create a new wifi
3. Kindle connect to the new Wi-Fi.

The problem is how to perform step 2. I found a software `Wifi tether`, but it can only tether 3G network to other devices, not Wi-Fi.

Any suggestions? my phone is rooted.

# Answer
> 6 votes
It's not possible to share a Wi-Fi via Wi-Fi, this would require two Wi-Fi chips. Only mobile data tethering is supported via Wi-Fi.

---
Tags: samsung-nexus-s, wifi-tethering, ad-hoc-networks
---


title: Sleep Apps and Shared Beds

text:
# Question
Title: Sleep Apps and Shared Beds
I've seen on the marketplace now several alarm clock applications that claim to analyze your motion patterns in your sleep, so as to determine the ideal time to wake you up such that you feel refreshed. I am intrigued by this possibility; however, I do not sleep alone. Does anyone know if these apps work well, or even at all, if there are multiple individuals in the bed, each presumably moving on their own sleep cycle?

# Answer
> 1 votes
No, it would probably not work if you don't sleep alone unless the one you sleep with don't move at all in their sleep.

# Answer
> 1 votes
In short. It doesn't work.

The movements you have when you sleep indicates "muscle paralyzation", which is one of the factors that indicates your REM sleep cycle. However, this is one of the not-so-accurate ones. If you want real accuracy, you will need those that measure ECG with a headband (Zeo, for example).

In addition, most apps in the market does not give an accurate reading of your movements due to interference and sensor sensitivities.

---
Tags: applications, sleep
---


# Question
Title: Why would the Netflix App want to "read sensitive log data" on my device?
I just noticed that that Netflix App wants the "Read Sensitive Log Data" permission to run.

* What exactly does this permission allow? (besides the fairly generic/scary sounding description in the market)
* Why do you think the Netflix app might need it?

# Answer
Some apps use this to retrieve debug information and send it to the company to help improve the app (eg. Evernote\[source\]). Couldn't find any information on how Netflix uses the data and can't test but maybe there's a "Send debug information" button or something similar. This, of course, is pure speculation, so you'll have to think "Do I trust this company with my data?"

As to what information is made available by this, you can check this by using aLogcat or the Android SDK and logcat. There's a public Google+ post which describes an example of logcat information.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: permissions, netflix
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to make my HTC-Incredible phone use the optical joystick button to wake up?
I'm still adjusting from going from my iPod to an HTC Incredible phone.

One thing that is very non-intuitive for me is to press the power button when I want to "wake up the phone" after it has dimmed out. I'm just so used to using the big button on the bottom of my iPhone for this that I instinctively hit the "optical joystick" button all the time by accident.

Is there any way to configure the button so the optical joystick button can pull the phone out of sleep mode?

# Answer
> 2 votes
This should actually be pretty easy and does not require rooting or custom ROMs, but you'll need a 'lockscreen replacement' app to do it.

The app 'WidgetLocker Lockscreen' allows 'Easy Wake' that allows you to customize which button (Home, menu, trackball, volume, etc) wakes the phone. Check it out on the market, it's $1.99.

There may also be other lockscreen replacement apps out there, but that is exactly what you need: a customizable lockscreen replacement app that supports the feature you requested. WidgetLocker is an example of this.

# Answer
> 1 votes
CyanogenMod supports this on your phone, though you'll have to root and install it.

One thing I've noticed (and have seen others mention): It's not very reliable on the Droid Incredible. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes you have to press the button multiple times to wake the phone, other times holding the button works, other times I've just have to give up and use the power button to wake the phone. Other phones may be more or less reliable.

What does work well with CyanogenMod (and maybe other "lockscreen replacements") is using the button to unlock the phone. Of course, if you're using a pin code, swipe pattern, or some other security measure to unlock, then that won't work so well.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Not come across any app that lets you reassign the functions of the keys, it may be possible with a custom ROM image but I've not seen it mentioned.

---
Tags: htc-droid-incredible, screen, settings
---


# Question
Title: What does the blue 0 mean in the top right hand corner of my camera?
I have a Samsung Galaxy s II and recently a 0 in a white box has appeared in my camera on the right hand corner. Why is this? What does it mean? How do I get rid of it?

# Answer
> 3 votes
The user manual (p.58) only shows one possible display of a number, which would be the number of photos you can take given the available space (No. 4 in the below screen example). It is in the top right, below the button to switch between front and back facing cameras. Zero would imply that you cannot take any more photos.

If you still have this problem, please try get someone else to take a photos of the screen as suggested if you don't have another phone or camera.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, camera
---


# Question
Title: How to NANDroid a phone without ClockWorkMod?
I'm almost sure that there is no ClockWorkMod Recovery for my phone (I've been reading some questions and answer in the forum and also google it with this result. So when I installed ROM Manager the first thing I was asked to do was selecting my phone model which wasn't in the offered list.

I want to do a NANDroid but I'm not sure how. In the question I read here I saw Odin, Amon-Ra and Heimdal. I really have no idea what this three tools / apps are and how to use them. What is each one of them? How can I make a NANDroid?

If it helps I have a Samsung Galaxy I551

Thanks!

# Answer
First, some disambiguation is in order.

Amon\_Ra is a developer who created one of the recovery consoles (named after himself.) Just like ClockworkMod (which was created by a different developer named Koushik Dutta, a.k.a. Koush) Amon\_Ra's Recovery performs various low-level tasks on Android devices.

Odin is a Windows application that can be used to flash firmware onto various Samsung Android handsets and tablets.

Heimdal is a cross-platform application (available for Windows, Linux and OS X) that uses the same protocol as Odin to interface with Samsung devices in "download" mode.

NANDroid is a script which runs in Android Recovery mode and dumps the image of the devices' partitions onto the external media such as SD Card. It requires root and some other libraries to function properly. For restoring, the recoveries use a different script which utilizes the fastboot binary to flash the image files created by NANDroid back onto their appropriate partitions.

With the above said, neither Odin or Heimdal can be used to take backups of devices; they are purely for flashing firmware onto them. ClockworkMod or Amon\_Ra Recoveries do include the NANDroid script. However, due to the differences in partition layout, they need to be modified specifically for a given device they are ported to. If you are knowledgeable enough, you can try to adopt the NANDroid script for use with Samsung Galaxy i551, and run it manually via ADB shell while the phone is in Recovery mode. Again, you will need root privileges and other libraries compiled specifically for this device.
> 10 votes

---
Tags: backup, clockworkmod-recovery, samsung-galaxy-551, nandroid
---


# Question
Title: Will CyanogenMod run on the HTC ChaCha, and is it stable?
Has anyone tried to install CyanogenMod on the HTC ChaCha? What is the level of compatibility I should expect from it with with CyanogenMod?

# Answer
You cannot just install CyanogenMod on any rooted device. It has to be one of the supported devices. There a lot of differences between builds of android and cyanogenmod for each device. They have different chipsets, gps, cameras, etc. They are always looking for other people to help support new devices though.
> 6 votes

# Answer
We are working on SuperOSR, discussion here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=18609103#post18609103

A full list of Cyanogen and other alternatives here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1698206

All ChaCha ROMs seem to have some bugs but otherwise quite stable. You could also take the latest official ROM and remove stuff you don't use. There are some already prepared, but you can also do such modifications yourself. Make sure to learn to use backup & restore before you start :)
> 6 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, htc-chacha
---


# Question
Title: Do Verizon 4g phones degrade to 3g when 4g is not available?
I'm thinking about getting a Verizon Android 4G phone. But I have a question about how 4G works...

4G is supported in my city, however if I move into a part of the city where 4G isn't covered or it's spotty, does the phone degrade to 3G service (assuming that is available)? Or does it degrade all the way down to normal slow cell service (the same service you get when 3G isn't available)?

# Answer
> 9 votes
I will say yes, but, that answer doesn't necessarily hold true 100% of the time. It really depends on the bands that the device supports.

On the device spec sheets you will usually see something like this:

> 800/1900/700

These are the bands that the device will operate on. I pulled these numbers from the Droid Bionic. From that spec sheet, it goes even further and shows that it supports EV-DO rev.A (CDMA/3G), and LTE (4G). So this phone does support Verizon's 3G & 4G networks, which means that if 4G is not avaialble, then it will fall back to the CDMA data network (which is what the device will uses for Voice even when data uses LTE.

The same rules apply for GSM networks like AT&T and T-Mobile. The device spec sheet will say what bands the device can operate on, and if the carrier's network operates within that band, then the phone will work. This is why iPhone users can use unlocked AT&T iPhones on T-Mobile's network, but they only can get EDGE data. This is because the iPhone does not support the band that T-mobile uses for its UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ (3G/4G) data networks.

T-mobile bands:

* 850/1900 (GSM/GPRS/EDGE)
* 1700/2100 (UMTS/HSPA)

AT&T bands:

* 850/1900 (GSM/GPRS/EDGE)
* 580/1900 (UMTS/HSPA) (3G)
* 700 (LTE) (4G)

Verizon bands:

* 800/1900 (CMDA/EV-DO) (3G)
* 700 (LTE) (4G)

Sprint doesn't know if they want to use LTE or WiMax so I am not listing their bands.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Yes, the current Verizon 4G phones all have support for the 3G network. As Matthew Read points out, it would not make sense until 4G coverage is available everywhere that 3G is.

If you have an active data connection, your phone will get a new IP address when it lands on the new network (4G-\>3G or 3G-\>4G); apps must be able to handle this event (any app that can handle a temporary loss of data on a 3G network should be fine here)

This document from Motorola's developer site includes the following description:

> "As the connected device moves from cell to cell, it tries to maintain its network connection. It will generally be successful if the network type doesn’t change between cells. However, if the device moves into or out of the 4G coverage area, the data connection will be dropped and your IP address will change. Because this can happen while an app has an active data connection open, Android sends an android.net.ConnectivityManager.CONNECTIVITY\_ACTION broadcast whenever there is a change in the network. If your app needs to be aware of network changes, register for this broadcast. "

---
Tags: verizon, 4g
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to create a shortcut that launches a web page in Firefox when using another browser as default?
I have a web page that I visit that I'd like to open in Firefox via a home screen shortcut (it uses SVG, which isn't supported by the default browser). Firefox doesn't show in the list of possible shortcuts, nor do I see any option in Firefox to create one. Btw, I like Firefox, but I'm not ready to make it my default browser yet, so I really want to continue to use the stock Browser for everything but this one shortcut.

I'm running Firefox 7.0.1 / Fennec 7.0.1 on Gingerbread 2.3.4

# Answer
I've never used Firefox for Android, but if it is the same as other Android browsers, then you should be able to create a home screen bookmark and choose which browser to open the bookmark in (unless you previously saved defaults, then you need to clear the defaults first).
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, home-screen-shortcuts, firefox-for-android
---


title: Disable SMS Syncing on Outlook

text:
# Question
Title: Disable SMS Syncing on Outlook
I've already asked this question on Superuser (given it's Outlook related), but now I'm trying to see if anyone else on Android Enthusiasts can help me. The details are as below.

I've paired up my Samsung phone with an Outlook Exchange inbox (probably Outlook 2010), and now I've got the outstanding SMS syncing feature. Only, of course, it sucks, since my inbox get's flooded with SMS's that I already have on my phone.

After looking around the internet for quite a while for a option that would allow me to disable that kind of syncing, the only guide I got was designed for Windows Phone 6.x.

I want desperately to disable it. Anyone has any clue as to how?

# Answer
> 8 votes
I had the same problem and think I found the place to correct it: 1) Open the e-mail client program on the Samsung 2) Go to "menu | account settings" 3) Disable SMS-sync

Hope it works!

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, sms, email, outlook
---


# Question
Title: How can I find out what devices support Skype video calling over Wi-Fi?
How can I find out what devices support Skype video calling over Wi-Fi? (I'm particularly interested in tablets.)

# Answer
> 3 votes
The Skype application description in the market lists the list of devices that supports video calling. As of Skype 2.5.0.108, video calling is supported on these tablets:

* Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 (Wifi, Verizon, Sprint, Plus)
* HTC Flyer
* Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (T-Mobile)
* Acer Iconia Tablet (A500)
* Motorola Xoom
* Acer Iconia Smart

Devices that are not listed may still be able to do video calling, but Skype says that the video quality may not be as good as on supported devices. Check out Skype's application description page for the latest list of supported devices.

---
Tags: wi-fi, skype
---


title: Is there a SMS to bluetooth router app?

text:
# Question
Title: Is there a SMS to bluetooth router app?
I have a bluetooth device that is paired with my phone. The BT device can receive and send text.

How can I route incoming SMS text messages to the BT device? And conversely, how can I have the BT device send an SMS via the phone?

# Answer
There is no standard for this in the Bluetooth protocol stack, so the solution depends highly on the manufacturer of the device. If the manufacturer hasn't created an app for Android, it's probable that you would have to program it yourself or have someone do it for you. This would require that the manufacturer has public protocol definitions available for the communication between the devices.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: sms, bluetooth
---


# Question
Title: How can I install .jar files on my Android?
I downloaded some 3D games, unzipped them, and got `.jar` files. How can I use these in Android? I have a Galaxy S running 2.1.

# Answer
Although Android uses Java, it doesn't support normal JAR files. Instead, it uses an Android specific format called APK. The main difference is that Android does not use the normal Java Virtual Machine, but contains its own Dalvik Virtual Machine that's optimized for Android.
> 14 votes

# Answer
I'd like to partially disagree with Ryan Conrad & onik.

I have a Samsung Spica and it came pre-loaded with an app while it was running v1.6 and now running 2.1 (both official Samsung India versions) - called Java ME Apps.

I am running multiple Java apps (meant for non-Android phones) through it.

Both are JAR files and once run via the Java ME app, both run as expected.

So to sum up, there is a way to run JAR apps on Android. I do however, agree with everything else mentioned w.r.t. APKs and Dalvik.
> 9 votes

# Answer
Android doesn't actually even "use" Java. The language that the code is written in is Java, but the Android SDK takes the compiled bytecode and converts it in to the Dalvik bytecode.

So, it is really a misconception that Android runs Java. Android runs Dalvik, which the core libraries are based on the Java framework, but the end resulting binary files are not the same, and the virtual machines are also completely different.

Just like the Dalvik VM will not run Java bytecode, the Java VM will not run Dalvik bytecode.

Converting libraries to Dalvik is probably possible, if all the features are available in Android (or additional libraries), but anything that has a Java UI, will not work.
> 4 votes

# Answer
# If the jar file is for JavaME

There is MicroEmulator which emulates JavaME with help from JavaSE. This makes it possible to convert these jar files to an apk and install it on your device. The process is described here.

NetRunner provides a similar functionality.
> 3 votes

# Answer
No, you cannot install JAR files on Android. To install applications from JAR, we need J2ME support which is not in Android phones.
> -3 votes

---
Tags: java, j2me
---


# Question
Title: Change MAC address Android using ip link?
I am trying to change the MAC address on a device running Android. It has been rooted and a command line installed ("ConnectBot"); I was looking around Google for methods of changing the MAC address on it and I found something called `ip` and `ip link`. Initially I thought I would use `ifconfig` but I haven't found the name of the network interface to change.

How would this be done on an Android device?

# Answer
As superuser run:

```
# netcfg

```

A list with the interfaces will appear. For example my interface was eth0

```
# ifconfig eth0 down
# ifconfig eth0 hw ether your:new:mac
# ifconfig eth0 up

```

Note that not all drivers support this operation, and the Android `ifconfig` do not support these commands. You will need another `ifconfig` executable, perhaps that from `busybox` will be suitable.

After the reboot these changes are lost.
> 4 votes

# Answer
`ifconfig -a` to list interfaces.

`ifconfig wlan0 hw ether ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff` to set the MAC address, replacing wlan0 with the interface you want to use, and the MAC address with the one you want to spoof. Not all drivers support changing the MAC address though, so this may not work.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: networking, mac-address
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to have separate user accounts in an Android tablet?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Support for Multiple Users on same device

I would like to buy a tablet and share it with someone else, but I wouldn't like us to mess with one another's configuration, i.e., having to log out and log in from GMail, Facebook, Twitter etc etc etc. Also, separate bookmarks. The issue here is not as much privacy as tidiness.

Will any Android tablet allow me to do that? Maybe if I install CyanogenMod on it? (If not, this question automatically becomes a feature request for CyanogenMod.)

# Answer
CyanogenMod has Profiles, but they are not profiles like you are asking. They have more of profiles for the type of notifications and sounds that can happen when that profile is enabled.

Supporting multiple users has been discussed before, and I think that it is something that is needed as well. If I buy a tablet, and set it up for my email, calendar, etc. I don't want that device to be a community device. Which would mean that multiple tablets would be needed in a family household.

A problem with being able to support multiple users is the space required. If each user had their own settings, then the /data/data would have to be much larger to support these extra users. But not only settings, it would have to support all the apps installed by the user too, so /data would have to be much larger too. You couldn't use the same apps between users, because the paid apps are tied to the account that bought them.

I think this will eventually happen, but much larger storage would be needed for the devices. As it is, my device consistently fills the /data/cache and I have to clear that out because of the number of apps I have installed. Now just imagine have 2 (or more users) using the same device. And where do you set the limit on the number of users that can use one device? There are 2 adults and 3 teenagers in my household. So that is 5 people that could potentially be using one device.

I actually experience issues with Google TV about this very topic as well. It doesn't, currently, have gmail, or apps like that, installed, but I can log in to gmail via Chrome Browser, and then if someone else comes and uses the TV/Browser, now I am logged in. (I don't actually do this, but I noticed it to be an issue with services like youtube and such)
> 2 votes

# Answer
**Vanilla Android has no Multi User Support at the moment.**

But there is an issue report in the offical Android tracker, that asks for Multi User Support. **You can find and star the issue here, which will hopefully raise the importance on this feature request**. Please just star it and don't leave comments like "me too", because it will just spam everyone who has stared the issue.

They are 3rd party apps that claim to add support too. I have never used one, because I think that this feature has to be provided by OS itself for a good experience.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: tablet, multi-user
---


# Question
Title: How can I edit the title of saved/starred places in Google Maps Android?
In Google Maps Android 5.10 you can save a place by clicking and starring the place. However, the name of the saved place is automatically generated by Maps, and can't be edited.

Is there a good way to edit that title, to show the correct/actual name of that place for example?

Googling I only found a solution involving editing the starred place in Google Bookmarks webapps. Is there a better solution?

# Answer
> 7 votes
*Update 11 Jan 2016* In latest Google Maps Android (version 9.18.2 2015) there is now an "Add Label" feature/command available when you view a saved/starred place. See Give a place a private label for detailed instructions.

*Old workaround (no longer necessary)* After starring a place in Google Maps Android, you can open Google Bookmarks webapps to display your bookmarks. Sort by date to show your latest bookmark and clicking on the `Edit` button allows you to edit that place bookmark title. The new title would display in `My Places` (now shown as `Your Places`) on Google Maps Android. Not an ideal solution, but a workaround involving additional webapps.

*Update 13 July 2015* Unfortunately latest Google Maps Android (version 9.11.0 2015) doesn't show the place bookmark titles that you have edited in Google Bookmarks webapps.

*References*:

---
Tags: google-maps
---


title: Kernel HTC Hero

text:
# Question
Title: Kernel HTC Hero
I have an HTC Hero GSM with CyanogenMod 7.1.0 (stable). Before i had elelinux mod (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=10956118)

This thing is, after installing CyanogenMod i still have FlyKernel-13.

Should the kernel be changed to the cyanogenmod one? (Screenshot here: http://d.pr/3Sgv )

I have some stability problems with the phone rebooting when using GPS, i'm afraid that's causing it...

Where can i download the correct kernel ?

# Answer
Some phones' partitions have a separate partition for the kernel (often called "boot") that is separate from the one that holds /system.

Unzip the CynanogenMod update.zip - there should be a boot.img inside. If you have fastboot and know how to use it, you can flash boot.img with `./fastboot flash boot /path/to/boot.img`(You will need to be S-OFF for this; sounds like you are.)

Another option is to go back to stock & flash CM again. If you're flashing CM over top of itself you *may* be able to get away without wiping /data (you may still want to wipe /cache)
> 3 votes

# Answer
Did another thing, downloaded Kernel Manager - https://market.android.com/details?id=com.teamwin.kernelmanager.free \- and downloaded kernel and flash through there. Worked smoothly (ok, not at first, but the second try worked!).

Thanks
> 0 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, kernel
---


title: The name of the default android browser

text:
# Question
Title: The name of the default android browser
does anyone know if the standard Android browser that comes pre-installed on the cell phones has its own name? Every browser on the market has one - Safari, FF, Fennec, Dolphin, etc. But the "standard android browser" seems lacking it. Or I'm wrong?

I'm writing small blog posts about JavaScript and Android and I'm really tired of writing "Standard Android browser works differently from Fennec" instead of "Foobar works differently from Fennec"

# Answer
Not as far as I know; it's name is just "Browser". To distinguish it from the other browsers, sometimes I call it "stock browser".

btw, it's called Firefox now (or Firefox Mobile), and no longer Fennec.
> 4 votes

# Answer
You can use a ActivityManager to get the message about process

in my phone,Browser is "com.android.browser",it's the same in all the android.

Is different OS,the name we see may be different , like different language,and so on.

In English,it's Browser.

Hope the answer is useful.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: browser, stock-browser
---


# Question
Title: Associate a file type with an application
I want to change the default application starting when opening e.g. an mp3 file. Now the android music player starts when I open an mp3, I want e.g. spotify to start instead.

# Answer
> 7 votes
Go to `Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications -> Music player -> Clear defaults`. This will clear the association between the Music player and MP3 files. Now, if you open an MP3 file, it will ask you what app do you want to use to open it, and you have the option of setting a new default app.

*PS: This works with any application you have installed*

---
Tags: default-applications
---


title: SD card unpartitioning

text:
# Question
Title: SD card unpartitioning
I own an HTC Chacha and I partitioned my SD card for phone rooting and discorved my phone is s-on so it cant be rooted! So how can I unpartition my SD card to reuse the partitioned space (this partitioned space cant be read by my phone)

thanks

# Answer
> 2 votes
The easiest way is to backup the contents of the SD Card to your PC, then delete all partitions, create a single Fat32 partition, and then restore the card contents.

Simply either use the same partitioning tool you did when you partitioned the card to begin with, or one of many free partitioning tools available. I highly recommend GParted.

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, external-sd
---


# Question
Title: Trouble installing Cyanogen on Galaxy S II using recovery console method
After replacing my ailing Nexus One with with a SGS2 yesterday (an ordeal in and of itself, but neither here nor there), I decided to replace the stock ROM including TouchWiz with something a little more familiar, hence Cyanogen. I've was following these instructions, and it was going relatively well until step 9 under Method via Recovery. The first time around, I had placed the zip files directly on the root of the SD card, but I couldn't find them. After several more attempts, using different locations, attempting to put them on the internal storage, etc, I still haven't found a way to load those zip files.

As can be seen, I don't have a mount point named sdcard as is typical. I do have that external\_sd folder, but whenever I try and enter it to select a zip, I get an error saying something like "No Files Found" and am just returned to this folder.

Any help would be appreciated.

# Answer
The folder you're seeing is the internal SD one. Just put your update.zip file there and search for it, it might be hidden in the scroll, just go down and it will show more files in the folder.

To make the process a lot more easy, just rename your \*.zip to update.zip, but the file in the root of the internal SD card folder and use the *Install update.zip from internal SD* method.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, samsung-galaxy-s-2, rom-flashing
---


# Question
Title: Play DVDs on an Android device (preferably Google TV) as DVDs without conversion
I have a collection of DVDs I own and have ripped and would like to play on my Android device. I want them to play on my Android device *exactly like a DVD* -- with menus, etc. I can easily do this on my PC with various DVD playing software (i.e. VLC Media Player). I do *not* want to convert the file to DivX or MP4 or whatever. (as the answers to those questions suggest) I do not want to lose the menuing and the scene selection, etc. Instead, I want a full 4.5 GB rip stored on my hard drive and I want to "point at that" (and over the network to boot).

I saw these two questions:

However, neither of these questions addresses what I would like to do.

Is this possible?

# Answer
> 1 votes
As far as I know there is no DVD-player software for Android. Nothing that can emulate a DVD experience from a network (or even local) location.

What are you needing from a *full DVD experience* that you cannot get by transcoding the movie to a portable format? Scene selection? That's really just a way to visually access chapters in the movie. I've used HandBrake to transcode my movies for my Droid X2 while keeping the chapter markers.

If you need things like different languages and subtitles, HandBrake can include those as well into your MP4/M4V output.

---
Tags: video, usb-on-the-go, media-player
---


title: Update Server Connection Issue

text:
# Question
Title: Update Server Connection Issue
I Have bought Galaxy Sl - GT I9003 , two days back. *Region: India*

I have Android

**Firmware Version: 2.2.1 , BuildNumber: FROYO.DDKF1**

When vere I try to to update the firmware OTA,it gives me message "Connection failed", even if the connection is working for other applications.

And when I try to upgrade from Kies, it shows that, It is the latest firmware available, which is certainly not.

How to upgrade the build - firmware for my device?

# Answer
> -1 votes
Don't bother using Kies or OTA to update your phone. If you do, you will probably update it in the next decade. (I am curious if OTA worked in someone...)

Just find an appropriate ROM for your phone from a trusted forum (eg XDA) and flash it using ODIN.

---
Tags: updates, samsung-kies, device-firmware
---


# Question
Title: Is there an app or method that will let me use a cloud-synced folder on the SD card?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Complete dropbox implementation for Android

In my case I have a bunch of roms and save files I want to keep in sync across devices, the desktop dropbox app lets me store these files in a "real" folder in windows so any application can access them normally, but once they're changed on my pc/server they get updated. Is there any app that lets me do something similar on android? The cloud apps I've looked at so far (dropbox, box.net, boxroid) only allow for downloading single files at a time.

# Answer
> 1 votes
SugarSync does this. They specifically market it as a way to keep your photos backed up, but it works for any file/folder. They describe their "Autosync" system in this blog post.

---
Tags: sync, dropbox, cloud
---


# Question
Title: Can I use ODIN to just back up my phone's data?
The goal here is to be able to quickly get all my settings and apps back when moving from ROM to ROM, but do so without overwriting the kernel, themes, etc., in the new ROM. I know I can use Titanium Backup, but ODIN would definitely be faster (and half the time with my Droid Charge, it's what I'm using to flash the new ROM anyway).

# Answer
No, Odin is just for flashing. The Dump command doesn't seem to work, at least not as of Odin3 v1.85; see Can I make a full backup of my phone with Odin and without root?
> 4 votes

---
Tags: rom-flashing, odin
---


# Question
Title: How do I control my second Android tablet mouse?
I have two Android tablet devices, and I want to use the first device to control the second device. The first device should act just like a keyboard and mouse. But I can't find the solution to do this. I am using Android 2.2, and the Android OS have the mouse cursor.

# Answer
Install DroidMote Server on the one you want to be controlled and DroidMote Client on the one with which you want to do the controlling.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: remote-access
---


title: Link2sd: boot loop at reboot

text:
# Question
Title: Link2sd: boot loop at reboot
I'm happy with link2sd functionality (just installed: everything looks awesome, lots of free space). I reboot and my Acer liquid metal is stuck in bootloop. I take the sd out, boot again and everything is ok. I pop the sd in while the phone is one and I can't see my apps on sd :( Something is wrong with link2sd mount script but how can I debug this?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Have a look at the following Issue with the Apps that are installed on SD Card after reinserting the SD Card

I was one of the Hard user of Link2SD application. What I observed from this app is that you should not remove your SD card once you have applications on your SD Card. While phone booting some of the applications gets initialized.

If the phone system does not find the SD Card and its applications then it is going to break the link between the SD Card applications and the system.
You might be seeing those applications on `Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications` but they won't be accessible.

To answer your question there might be a way but not known to all. You can mail the developer of Link2SD mentioning the issue. They might give you a solution.

---
Tags: link2sd, boot-loop
---


# Question
Title: Getting the features of HTC Sense in vanilla Android?
I've had an HTC Desire for a year or so and am due an upgrade. I'm weighing my options and I'm fairly sure I'm going to go with the Galaxy Nexus.

Thing is I've gotten used to HTC Sense and all the extra features it offers over vanill Android. What apps/widgets can I get to add the functionality that I lose by not having Sense?

Also what will I lose by not having sense?

# Answer
> 2 votes
You could replicate many Sense features with 3rd-party apps such as Launcher replacements, dialer/contact apps, various widgets, etc. However, you will likely lose the deep system integration of such apps. You will also most definitely lose the integration with the HTC Sense site.

---
Tags: htc-sense, vanilla-android
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to track what information on your phone an app is uploading?
If you are concerned about what information an app is sending about you (your privacy concerns) is there any way of tracking this? Can you see if an app is sending photos on your phone? Can you see if it is sending the text that you type in it?

In general can you log the information that an app (application) sends over the network from your phone? Would it be readable? Or at least should it be readable?

# Answer
Sniffing the network traffic would **require root** for the app that does the sniffing part. This can easily be done with "shark for root". *But you won't get any end-user friendly information, just the raw packet data that's been send and received from your phone.* That information needs to be matched to a particular app and action (e.g. app xy is uploading photo file x123.jpg).

Generally you don't want an app to be able to read and log another apps network traffic for security and privacy reasons. That's why you need **root** for that.

Even if you could read and log the packets from other apps, it's easy to disguise the malicious data as something normal. It is not so easy to reveal that.

Side Note: If you don't trust an app which has network access, don't install it. If you really need the app **and** you know that it works also without Internet although the app requests permission to use it, some custom mods will allow you to block internet access without the app knowing.
> 6 votes

# Answer
You can run tcpdump on the background(compiled for Android processor of course) in a shell, save the captured file and analyze later with wireshark on your pc. That solution will not tell you what application sent the data, but enables you to examine what your phone sends and where. The great benefit is tcpdump under normal situations does not consume many resources, so you will not experience any lag on your phone.
> 3 votes

# Answer
Is it possible to track what personal information an app is unloading? In general, the answer is **no**.

Sniffing the precise data the the software is uploading - either through installing some specific software on a rooted device, or by sniffing the traffic elsewhere between the device and the Internet (e.g. on your wireless router) - is a *very good idea* and will help you understand what the application is doing, but unfortunately the actual information might be mangled in some form or even encrypted, in a way which will prevent you from really knowing what the application is sending.

Actually, it's a known security problem - for instance take a look at this academic paper, which proposes a way to track how your personal data is used during the application execution; though its proposed approach does have some limitations and can be circumvented by other tricks.

My personal rule of thumb is to avoid applications which require both Internet access *and* access to private data, unless I have a high level of trust in the author.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: security, logging, malware
---


title: Will any headset work with android?

text:
# Question
Title: Will any headset work with android?
I'm looking for a good headset, preferably with mic, answer button and volume controls. I see iPhone compatible everywhere but no mention of Android compatible. Do they use the same specifications, and do I need to worry about compatibility when buying a wired headset?

# Answer
Headsets with mic, answer button and volume controls which are iPhone compatible, in general, will not work with Android headsets. The mic and the sound will work, but the buttons will not.

Headset with mic and only one button will work without problems.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Android phones mostly use the standard layout of the 3,5mm jack, but there are some special cases. For example, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 uses a slightly different jack than Galaxy S. The difference is barely visible by the naked eye, but when I use the Tab headset in Galaxy S, the music sounds like it's mono, not stereo and the answer button doesn't work. I'd advise you to test before buying if possible in order to eliminate any unfortunate surprises.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: headphones
---


# Question
Title: VW car bluetooth - Android 2.3.6 (Nexus S) phonebook display
I have had great success using my Android Nexus S 2.3.6 with my new 2012 VW GLI Autobahn with RCD-510 stereo, which has bluetooth integration for A2DP audio thru the stereo and phone, as well as the built in speakerphone of course. I'm very happy with how well it's worked except for one problem.

The display of the phonebook via the car's MFD (multifunction display, between the speed and tach gauges), shows all my contacts EXCEPT those on my favorites, like my wife, best friend, mom, brother, i.e., the people I call most often. I can usually find them thru recent calls, but it seems silly that those don't show up in the phonebook when people I haven't talked with for years show up by virtue of not being favorites.

Anything I can do to help the phone show the favorites to the car as part of the phonebook? I have done phonebook update a couple times, but no luck so far.

Thanks!!

# Answer
For some reason this just worked itself out. One day I did "update phonebook" in the bluetooth menu, and then everyone showed up. Before that, I thought I was going to have to remove my wife, brother, mom, etc, from favorites to get them to show up in the car's bluetooth menu.

So, if this happens to you, try "update phonebook" in your VW/Audi bluetooth menu.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, bluetooth
---