title: Samsung Galaxy S Camera problem

text:
# Question
Title: Samsung Galaxy S Camera problem
When taking pictures with the Samsung Galaxy S's camera I get a rather large red spot in from the center of the image outwards. I've uploaded an image showing this.

# Answer
I have the same problem here in Brazil. Last year, I bought a Galaxy S, and the photos had that red color in the center. I went to the store and exchanged it for another one, which had the same problem. I went to the store and returned it. I decided for an iPhone 4. Now, I got bored with iPhone 4 and this week I bought another Galaxy S, it has the same problem (red color in the center of the photo), but I decided to keep it anyway.

For what I see in your post, the red color is a general problem. I just don’t understand why the Samsung has not already corrected that problem.

I have made some tests with the camera, and noticed that the problem occurs in low light conditions, especially under incandescent light, but outdoors the picture is normal.

Maybe the problem could be correct by some software or an update for Samsung.

I looked over in the internet and didn’t find any solution.

So, if somebody knows a solution, please post it here.
> 6 votes

# Answer
I would take the phone to where ever you bought it from and have them take a look at it. It's most likely some sort of hardware issue that they will be able to take care of.
> 1 votes

# Answer
It is a hardware fault and it may be unlikely you will find one without it I have only seen one that did not have the issue and it was an early sample. Returned several myself then got my money back Samsung should issue a public statement about this as the camera part of the phone is not fit for its purpose with this fault. probably best to get your money back and wait until Samsung come clean about what is going on with this issue. If you do decide to get a different phone with an 8mpix camera do check it out before buying as it could be to do with the sensor supplier and the same sensor may be used in other phones
> 1 votes

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


title: SMS not vibrating

text:
# Question
Title: SMS not vibrating
I'm using a USA T-Mobile G2, stock Froyo OS. My phone used to vibrate when receiving SMS text messages, but now it doesn't; I can't figure out why.

As far as I know, there are two settings that are supposed to control this:

1. Messaging App: Settings -\> Vibrate. Currently set to "Always."
2. Settings App: Sound -\> Vibrate. Currently set to "Always."

So why isn't my phone vibrating when I receive text messages?!

# Answer
As usual, the minute after I post a question, I figured it out. Timerrific had disabled vibration in some magical way.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, sms, vibration
---


title: best way to remove default apps on xoom

text:
# Question
Title: best way to remove default apps on xoom
What is the best way to completely remove the default apps that came with the xoom? Since android apps are self contain packages is it enough just to remove the application package on the device through adk?

# Answer
> 0 votes
With a little extra care (such as taking backups first in case you want to go back), if you have root, simply `rm`-ing the `.apk` in `/system/app` is sufficient to remove system apps. Take care though, as removing certain apps may cause the system or other apps to crash.

---
Tags: uninstallation, motorola-xoom
---


# Question
Title: How do I disable the Swype button I see in the virtual keyboard?
On my Samsung Galaxy Next, I enabled the Swype mode, but I don't find anymore where I enabled it, and where I can disable it.
I tried with the "Language and keyboard" settings, but I find only the Swype settings, under "Text settings."

How do I disable the Swype mode, and avoid the Swype button appear in the virtual keyboard?

# Answer
You should be able to change the input method by long pressing on a text box \> Input Method. The menu should give you a list of input methods, select the one that is not Swype.
> 5 votes

# Answer
From the Home screen, press the menu button and go to Language Settings, where you'll be able to select the default keyboard.

You can also change the keyboard by long pressing a text box.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: swype
---


# Question
Title: android 2.2 - extending phone storage to SD
I heard there is a way to "mount" some of the SD card's space and use it to extend the phone's storage. I need this so I can have space to install apps that only allow to be installed on the phone.

Anyone heard about it?

I'm using `Android v2.2`, with an `HTC Desire`.

# Answer
You can move any apps to sdcard if you are rooted. There are apps on the Market for it Move2SD Enabler and App Swap

Better yet, if you are using custom ROMs (e.g. CyanogenMod), some of them have settings to allow you to migrate any apps. You might want to check those out first if you're using custom ROM.

If you want to do it manually (not recommended for pregnant man, or those currently having a heart attack), then you can use Terminal Emulator or ADB to run a few fairly standard set of Linux/Unix commands. The `mount` command can rebind any folder in your filesystem another location in the filesystem. Alternatively, you may also create symbolic links using the `ln` command. See the `mount` and `ln` manual for this.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Android OS versions 2.2 and above have built-in functionality for moving apps to SD Card. Go to `Menu -> Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications -> SD Card`, then tap on any available app without a checkmark, and the button `Move to SD card` should be enabled. This will move a major portion of the app to the SD Card and free up space for more apps.

If you are rooted and running a custom ROM that supports Ext2/3/4 partition types, there are special scripts available that can "fool" your phone into thinking that a portion of your SD Card is actually part of the internal memory, thus allowing you to install tons of apps without most of the disadvantages of built-in method. Be advised that this method is fairly complicated to install, and requires re-partitioning of the SD Card, flashing a hacky script, and can cause instability of the phone.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: mount, app2sd
---


# Question
Title: How to lock screen besides pressing Nexus S right side power button
I was wondering, besides locking screen by pressing Nexus S right side power hardware button, is there any way to lock screen, using software button press instead of hardware?

# Answer
There are many widgets available on the Android Market that provide this functionality.

If you are running a custom ROM on your Nexus S (e.g. CyanogenMod) you might already have this feature within the Notification power widget. Go to `Menu -> Settings -> CyanogenMod Settings -> Interface -> Notification power widget -> Widget buttons` and enable the `Go to sleep` button (also enable the widget itself in the previous screen.) Now when you pull down the notification bar you can tap the "zzZ" button to lock the phone.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: lock-screens, samsung-nexus-s
---


title: USB tethering with Cyanogenmod 7.0.3

text:
# Question
Title: USB tethering with Cyanogenmod 7.0.3
How do I enable USB tethering with Cyanogenmod 7.0.3 and Ubuntu Lucid?

http://oldwiki.cyanogenmod.org/index.php?title=Tethering mentions *Settings » Wireless & networks » Tethering » USB tethering*, but there is no such option *Tethering*.

With http://code.google.com/p/android-wired-tether/ the phone application says that I have a bad kernel (on the phone). `ifconfig` on the laptop doesn't show `usb0`.

# Answer
> 2 votes
The built-in tethering should be `Settings->Wireless and Network->Tethering & portable hotspot->USB tethering`. I think the name of the menu simply changed between CM6 and CM7 from "Tethering" to "Tethering & portable hotspot".

**Edit:** Additionally, it appears that some phones are simply not supported due to kernel issues. For these devices, the menu option will not be present. This thread on the CyanogenMod forums discusses this, and notes at least two devices which fall into this category (the HTC Tattoo and the ZTE Blade).

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, usb, tethering
---


# Question
Title: Suddenly can't find several apps in Market
So I've been using several apps for a while now, and all of the sudden, I can't seem to find them in the Market anymore. If I look on the "My downloads" page in the Market, it does show as installed, and I can even update them if I hit "Update all". However I can't seem to navigate to the apps's page, neither through the "My downloads" page nor through simply searching for it. It just says it can't find the item. Note that this doesn't occur with all apps, just specific ones.

As mentioned before, the apps were installed earlier and I didn't have this problem back then.

The apps I've run across that have this problem so far are the following

* WhatsApp
* eBuddy
* PingChat!
* ebuddy XMS

I've tried uninstalling them through app management, but this leaves me with an uninstalled app with no possibility of re-installing it through the Market. I'm using a UK Motorola Milestone running the official Froyo update. Any ideas anyone? :D

# Answer
> 5 votes
It seems like the content rating filter on my phone was the culprit! I recently updated my phone to Froyo and the Market's content rating filter was added after the update! Just set it to "All Applications" in the Market's settings screen.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I would assume that the app listings were changed so that they don't show up for users with certain phones, OS versions, or carriers. The best way to tell for sure might be to try installing one of the apps from the Market website, like eBuddy, and seeing if it gives you an error (and what the error says).

---
Tags: applications, 2.2-froyo, google-play-store, motorola-milestone
---


title: 3G Radio Always on When Screen On?

text:
# Question
Title: 3G Radio Always on When Screen On?
According to JuicePlotter, my HTC Evo's 3G radio is always on when the screen is on -- even when doing absolutely nothing. I tested this by turning the brightness down to 1 and opening the settings menu and just leaving it there. The screen was set to never shut off. I got pretty significant battery drain.

I ask because I want to improve my battery life when reading downloaded books with the Kindle app. It seems to me that the radio should be in sleep mode when not in use. I'd rather not switch to airplane mode because I'd still like to receive calls/texts.

To clarify:

* I have a strong signal at all times
* When the screen is off, JuicePlotter says the radio is off (and the battery lasts practically forever)
* When in airplane mode with the screen on, JuicePlotter says the radio is off (duh) and the battery life is much better.
* Android reports that my display only consumes between 5 and 10% of power
* Android reports that Cell Standby consumes 30% (and that's with great signal)

I think these tests demonstrate that the display itself is not the problem, the radio is. So again the question is: **why does the radio use so much power when the screen is on but it's not being used?**

# Answer
> 1 votes
With cdma phones the data and voice use the same radio. Its going to run all the time anyway because its constantly syncing data, towers, location... If you want to stop it without turning off voice you should turn off the apn. Doing this will not put your radio to sleep but it will reduce your power consumption. Check into apndroid or quick settings, and tasker to set triggers and automation.

# Answer
> 0 votes
The radio is not "on" all the time. Just as in any other cellphone, it makes very brief contacts to the towers to update its registration with the network; this consumes a small amount of power, but the power management design of the radio and the coprocessor which runs it are pretty well done, so it can power up the circuity it needs just long enough and then power it back down again. Without that we wouldn't be getting multi-day battery life even from simple candy bar phones.

The screen in a smartphone itself consumes some power, but any any time the screen is on, the application processor - which runs linux and android - is also going to be on, and that consumes a lot of power compared to keeping the radio processor registered on the network but not actively exchanging data. With the screen off and nothing holding wakelocks, the application processor can try to go to sleep, and only wake up every few minutes to make quick checks. That's where your real power savings comes from, and yes, scheduling more or less frequent email polling can change this.

---
Tags: battery, screen, 3g, htc-evo
---


# Question
Title: Pattern lock screen on Froyo, what should I do if I forget the pass?
What should I do if I forget the standard pattern lock screen order/pass (the one that you need to join 4 or more points between the 3x3 matrix screen) on my android phone?

# Answer
If you have linked a gmail account on your android, dont worry.. just follow these steps:-

1. Input the wrong pattern 3 or more times till "forgot password" button appears
2. Click on forgot password button and check your inbox
> 11 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, lock-screens
---


# Question
Title: Market App Downloads always fails/never starts
Brand new LG GT540, everything works except for the Market. Clicking on Install on any App resultings in it sitting on 'Starting download..." for several seconds then as soon as it changes to "Downloading..." it fails with 'Download was unsuccessful, please try again'.

This is not a duplicate of 'Sometimes Market update get stuck downloading, how can I cancel?' which is 'sometimes' and about cancelling. The answers do not work/are not relevant. It is also not a duplicate of 'Android market - Application downloading problem' which sits at 'Starting Download...' for several hours.

There are several solutions floating around on the web, but like myself, it seems to not solve it for a vast amount of people. I believe there is more than 1 bug with downloading from the market but they are getting treated like one.

Firstly, there is the GTalk related issue. This is not relevant in this case. GTalk signs in correctly and works. Signing out of GTalk and back in does nothing to fix the issue. Neither does clearing the data out of the GTalk App and/or Google Apps and rebooting the phone. It is not a GoogleMail/GMail issue either as this is not in the UK and has always been a GMail account.

Secondly, it is not solved by clearing the cache/data out of Checkin Service/Downloader/Market, etc. I had done this clearing/force stop on ALL the applications suggested across the web and rebooting the phone. This has been done several times with no effect.

Thirdly a factory reset doesn't work either. Makes sense considering this behaviour has been straight out of the box.

**EDIT**: I have also tried unmounting the SD card, removing it, rebooting the phone and trying to download with no difference.

**EDIT 2**: Clearing everything and signing into the Market with a brand new account made no difference.

Any other ideas on what the **cause of the issue** is and **how to fix it**?

# Answer
The cause of these problems is a bug in Google Framework Services, at least in 2.1 and 2.2.

I have been able to fix it temporarily by clearing the cache for all Google apps -- GFS, Talk, Voice, GMail, Market, etc. -- but I do not believe there is a permanent fix. Perhaps in 2.3, I don't have it on my phone yet.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Is this a Google account issue or an issue with the phone+software combination? Is it possible for you to use the same Google account in another phone (or different Google account on the LG phone, since you seem to have reset it a few times)?
> 3 votes

# Answer
I uninstalled all updates to Market app (Android 1.6) and since then I'm able to download new apps/updates successfully
> 1 votes

---
Tags: google-play-store, stock-android, downloading, 1.6-donut
---


title: is Android DHCP server when tethering?

text:
# Question
Title: is Android DHCP server when tethering?
I am on cyanogenmod 7 and wonder when I do usb tethering if Android is DHCP server?

# Answer
Yes. Specifically, CyanogenMod uses Dnsmasq for its DHCP services. You can see it being invoked on this line in the TetherController.cpp file of their source code.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, tethering
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to log network traffic on an Android device without rooting it?
I would like to know if its possible to log network traffic on an android device and to see what app is causing each bit of traffic without rooting the phone.

# Answer
> 1 votes
A surely working, but hard to achieve solution would be to set up an access-point where you log all the traffic and connect your phone to it.

# Answer
> 0 votes
At lest some devices seem to have a setuid root copy of tcpdump installed

---
Tags: networking
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to exclude some folders on the sd card from being added to my playlist in the standard android player?
I use the android media player to listen to music. Last week I installed an app that brings a lot of sounds with it in mp3 format and saves them on the SD Card to prevent the app from cluttering my internal memory. Now the media player picked up this folder and added it to my playlist. Every time I listen in shuffle mode I hear a sound from this Application mixed in at least every tenth song I listen to.

Is it possible to exclude a folder from being indexed by the media player?

# Answer
> 6 votes
As I understand it it's possible to add a **.nomedia** file into a folder that you want to exclude from media scans. I've not had occasion to test this myself but the comments on this issue seems to confirm that it works.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Meridian Media Player (free in the Market) specifically facilitates this, allows digging deep into a folder structure and other goodies too.

---
Tags: media-player
---


# Question
Title: Can I automatically log in to open WiFi that requires web login/password?
There are lots of wifi hotspots that are open, but require a web-based login to use. Hotels, coffeeshops, workplaces. For password-protected wifi, it's easy to set up Android phones to remember the login and password. But I'd like to be able to use my workplace's open wifi with web-based password on a regular basis, without having to manually type stuff in. It should just automatically connect to the Wifi router, go to http://1.1.1.1 or whatever, type in my password, and then everything else should just work. Is this possible?

(HTC Evo running Android 2.2, fwiw...)

# Answer
> 9 votes
The best you can do is set it up to auto-connect to the network and then manually open a browser when you're in range. Save the username and password in the browser. That gets it down to 2 clicks (er... touches). Make sure Remember Passwords is on the the browser's settings.

There are some apps that claim to do what you want but I've never used them. Here is a list.

# Answer
> 8 votes
WIFI Web Login works great for those that require a username/password or an email, or even just a checkbox to agree the EULA.

---
Tags: wi-fi
---


title: Stop auto-scroll in Android browser!

text:
# Question
Title: Stop auto-scroll in Android browser!
I'm on a web page on my Android phone. When I select a text input, the browser scrolls (about a quarter-screen every 10 seconds). I don't know what causes this -- it doesn't look like any keys are stuck.

Further, it cancels the on-screen keyboard, so it's very hard to type.

This is *highly* bothersome. Can anyone help me before I destroy my phone out of pure aggravation?

# Answer
Same issue on an HTC Desire (Android 2.3.3)

I had a crazy scrolling when tapping a text input field (the field get the focus but was scrolled out of the screen) and even worst: when entering values from the native keypad, each keytap was creating an arbitrary scroll..

After seeing this article I looked for some specific -webkit-transform tags and after removing them the issue is gone!

The lines were not even used, it was leftovers from previous attempts staying aside in a css file!!!
> 2 votes

---
Tags: browser, user-interface
---


# Question
Title: Creating partitions through script in init.rc
Context/Resume:

* I'm changing the android platform to create two partitions in a SD Card. I need to do this as early as possible. I'm currently trying in `init.rc`
* It would be nice to obfuscate the access to one of the partitions. If I could keep it hidden would be better

And...the long story:

I'm trying to create new partitions on an SD card in a device, and I need to be done as early as possible. I thought that the init.rc should be the best location for this, so I tried to add a script call to perform the task, but I'm unable to create these partitions (or get the reason it fails). First of all, is this premise valid? Should I be able to do this?

I call the script by:

```
service myscript /system/bin/logwrapper /system/bin/myscript.sh
   disabled
   oneshot

```

at init-time. And the content´s of the .sh file is

```
fdisk /dev/sdcard < mykeys.input

```

where "mykeys.input" is the sequence of commands used to perform the task of creating the partitions.

Is this the recommended way of doing this?

# Answer
> 1 votes
```
service myscript /system/bin/logwrapper /system/bin/myscript.sh
   disabled
   oneshot

```

If you declare the service as disabled, it wont run unless you later explicitly start it.

But do you really want to repartition the card every time you boot the system? I would think you would want to partition it once, and then perhaps mount the partitions in the init script.

---
Tags: boot, internal-sd
---


title: Accessibility option in Android 2.1

text:
# Question
Title: Accessibility option in Android 2.1
I own Xperia Mini Pro which has Android 2.1-update1. I noticed Accessibility settings in my phones settings. What are these settings and why these settings are required ? I opened these Accessibility Settings. I can see an option "Accessibility" with a unchecked check box in disabled state. It always in disabled state. I don't know when it is going to be activated.

# Answer
> 2 votes
You need to install apps that are classified as "Accessibility Apps". The most used ones are part of the Eyes-Free suite (Talkback, Kickback, Soundback, Accessibility Preferences, Eyes-Free Shell, Talking Dialer, Rock Lock, Walky Talky, Intersection Explorer), plus several useful 3rd party apps such as IDEAL Web Reader, IDEAL Magnifier, and K9 Mail.

More info - https://eyes-free.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/documentation/android\_access/enabling.html

---
Tags: 2.1-eclair, accessibility
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to backup settings and apps for SGS with Samsung Kies?
I want to backup my phone (Samsung Galaxy S) before having the carrier upgrade the Android version. I don't want to root it because then the carrier won't upgrade it for me.

Is it possible to backup all the settings, SMSes, phone contacts (i.e. not those on google contacts), apps etc using Kies?

# Answer
Kies allows backups, but not the application settings, only limited content such as contacts, bookmarks, music, photo and videos. You can see the Kies tutorial on backup : Open Kies v2.0, "Help menu-\>Kies Tutorial-\>Backup & Restore mobile phone data" section for details and a movie. You can also try MyBackup free from market, which does not require root. Wish you luck!
> 4 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, backup, samsung-kies
---


# Question
Title: Set recurring notification for sms message
I have a Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro Mini and would like to know if it is possible to be alerted to a new SMS message every few minutes until it is acknowledged.

Sometimes I am away from the phone and miss the initial alert.

# Answer
The two more popular SMS apps in the market - Handcent SMS and GoSMS have options that allow you to set reminder tones and LED flashing to alert a user to unseen messages. Lots of configurable options in both apps.
> 3 votes

# Answer
Xperia mini pro has LED light that blinks in different colors. This LED blinks in regular intervals till you see your notification area.

This LED blinks for Mails, Messages, Missed Calls, etc. I guess by default it works. There is no need to enable it manually.

Coming to sound alert there is an application Notification Plus which does this job.
> 1 votes

# Answer
This small app may be what you wanted : https://market.android.com/details?id=os.checknew
> 0 votes

---
Tags: sms, notifications
---


# Question
Title: Can't do wireless tethering. HTC Hero with 2.2 ROM
Recently a friend of mine showed be his Desire HD, and it has an option on the Wireless settings section, which is something like "USB and Portable Tethering". So when it's activated, it creates a wireless network.

He also has Android 2.2 (not a custom ROM). I've searched every option in my phone, and I don't have "portable tethering" only usb.

I tried downloading an app called "Wireless Tethering", but it creates an ad-hoc and it doesn't work very good.

So, can I do something, or I have to change my ROM to another 2.2 or even 2.3?

# Answer
I don't think there's much you can do beyond trying other wifi tether apps. You could also try using CyanogenMod (for the GSM version of the Hero, or the CDMA version).
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, htc-hero, rom, wifi-tethering, wi-fi
---


# Question
Title: Does Samsung Galaxy S Indian ROM (latest DDJP6) has Bengali support?
I've read in several forums that *Indian version* of **Samsung Galaxy S** (I9000) supports Hindi language. Some of them mentioned it should support Bengali/Bangla also.

Can anyone here confirm that- 1) The latest Froyo firmware DDJP6 for Samsung Galaxy S supports Bengali? I don't need IME/a Bengali keyboard, just ability to render Bengali websites (like, Bengali Wikipedia) properly would be great.

2) If it doesn't support Bengali out of the box, does installing a Bengali fallback font serve the purpose? Please note that merely showing Bengali characters won't help. As this is a *complex language*, a proper shaper must be present in firmware to render kar/matra and conjuncts correctly.

---

**Update**: I have recently bought a Samsung Galaxy series device. Yes, its Indian ROM has Bangla shaper, only replacing `DroidSansFallback.ttf` with a Bangla font will do.

# Answer
I have latest official firmware sgs. I can see hindi website, but no bangla.....at all!!!

u can use the procedure to see bangla fonts by http://suhreed.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/how-to-install-bangla-font-on-samsung-galaxy-tab/ or http://blog.mehedi.me/bangla-font-on-android/

thanking you
> 2 votes

# Answer
Here's a workaround using Opera Mini.

Download and install Opera Mini (OM). Try accessing a site like the one cited above - http://bn.wikipedia.org

If it doesn't work out of the box, do the following:

In the address bar, type **opera:config** Navigate to the option **Use bitmap fonts for complex scripts** and set it to YES

The fonts and script lettering should now be visible, albeit as images instead of text. That'll make content visible, but unlike text non-selectable.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, languages
---


# Question
Title: Is there any way to replace the back button using an application?
I own a new LG Optimus One. The buttons on the set are somewhat stiff. When I press it it feels as if it might break/get stuck somewhere in the near future. I was mainly concerned about the back button as it is used very frequently and has the maximum chance of having problems.

So I have been looking for an application that can help me use the back button. So instead of pressing the existing back button I would use the touchscreen to get it done. Any ideas?

# Answer
This is possible if you're rooted. There's two applications that I know of which give you a little persistent overlay on the side of the screen, then pop out a full set of soft buttons when you press the overlay. One is SoftKeys, the other is Button Savior.

I haven't seen anything equivalent for non-rooted devices, but there is an app called SoftHome which adds a home button to your notification bar. It doesn't have a back button, however, just home.
> 6 votes

---
Tags: buttons, lg-optimus-one
---


# Question
Title: Sync only Gmail "My Contacts" group on android 2.3
I have more then 2k contacts on other contacts, but i only want to sync the "my contacts".

Any hints?

# Answer
> 4 votes
You cannot select which contacts to sync, but you can limit which groups are visible in the Contacts/Dialer apps:

1. In the Contacts app go to `Menu -> Display options`.
2. Under the "Choose contacts to display" section, tap on the arrow next to your Gmail account to expand it.
3. Uncheck all groups except "System Group: My Contacts" and tap the "Done" button.

Now only the selected contacts should be displayed.

*\[Edit\]*
Found the official Motorola video on Youtube talking about their Contacts app. At the 1:00 mark they start talking about managing groups. It sounds like you should be able to create a new group and assign your contacts there, and then select to display only that particular group. Give that a shot.

---
Tags: contacts, sync, gmail, motorola-atrix-4g
---


# Question
Title: Adobe flash for Samsung Galaxy 551 with Android 2.2
There is any way to view flash animations on web with a Samsung with Android 2.2???

I already tryed to install the Adobe flash apk from market but it is disabled for my phone.

# Answer
> 5 votes
You don't say what model your phone is? Is it on the Adobe's list of supported devices at: http://www.adobe.com/flashplatform/certified\_devices/ ?

If you look at the Adobe's published minimum requirements for mobile Flash, they list Android 2.2, a Cortex A8 (ARMv7) processor, and a Hardware Vector FPU (floating point maths processor).

I'd have thought the two processor requirements are probably going to be more of a problem than the processor speed requirement, as they mean that Flash is going to be trying to use hardware instructions in the CPU that won't be available in older/lesser specced CPUs, this would definitely stop Flash working. Do you know what processor your phone has?

**EDIT**: According to this Wikipedia CPU page the Galaxy 551 has a Qualcomm MSM7227 chip which is ARMv6 compatible. As Adobe state you need an ARMv7 compatible processor, it looks like you won't be able to run Flash on your phone.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Note that in some older phone which aren't supported by Adobe Flash, it may be possible to install Flash Lite. It isn't close to full Flash, but can only play simple movie.

# Answer
> 0 votes
The CPU usually cant support it.. there isnt a hack around it except that if you really want to view flash, you can download rockplayer for your CPU type, and play the downloaded flv files.. (flv files work in software decoding mode).

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, adobe-flash, samsung-galaxy-551
---


# Question
Title: Issue with the Apps that are installed on SD Card after reinserting the SD Card
I am using an Xperia X10 mini pro (Android 2.1-update1). I rooted the phone and partitioned the 8GB SD Card into two parts. 1. ext3 2. FAT32.

I installed Link2SD to move the apps to SD Card. This has been very useful as this application has an option to move the installed/updated apps to SD Card automatically.

But recently it happened to remove my SD Card from phone and inserted another 2GB SD Card for some other purpose. I started the phone and the apps that are showing on phone aren't working as I installed them on my SD card. So I put my 8 GB Micro SD card back to phone. Now the problem arose. I was not able to access the apps installed on SD Card. I had to reinstall all the apps that are there in my phone.

Is it how it behaves ? Don't I remove my SD card from phone ?

I did a little amount of Experimenting on this and found that its happening only on inserting another SD Card. My mobile is searching for the apps on the newly inserted SD Card. As there are no apps found it might be deleting the links on phone memory. This is my guess only.

Still the question stays "How to overcome this kind of scenario ?"

# Answer
> 0 votes
Try rebooting the phone after re-inserting the SD Card.

Some older launchers (e.g. Eclair stock) simply don't refresh their app drawer when you re-insert the SD Card, even though the apps are re-mounted. You can check that the apps are indeed back by going to `Menu -> Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications` and seeing if the "missing" apps are listed there. If so, a reboot will fix it.

Alternatively, you can simply restart the Launcher app by going to `Menu -> Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications` then scrolling down to "Launcher" and tapping on it, and then tapping on the "Force Close" button. Now if you press the Home key, the Launcher will restart and should have all the apps back.

---
Tags: external-sd, 2.1-eclair, link2sd, sony-xperia-x10-mini-pro
---


title: Benchmark application for Android?

text:
# Question
Title: Benchmark application for Android?
There is any application to measure and publish benchmark results from Android devices?

# Answer
> 7 votes
Quadrant and Linpack are the two I use. Linpack is purely for measuring CPU performance, whereas Quadrant also takes into account I/O speeds, graphics performance, and the like.

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Tags: applications, benchmarks
---


# Question
Title: News features from 2.2 to 2.3 version of Android
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> What's new in Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)?

Which new changes/features are present on the 2.3 from 2.2 version of Android?

# Answer
> 5 votes
The top half of the Android 2.3 Platform Highlights page has a summary of the user-facing changes and new features in Gingerbread.

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, 2.3-gingerbread
---


# Question
Title: Free system information for Android such as Everest for Windows
There is any apk that shows the system and hardware information about my Adroid phone??? I mean an aplication such as Everest (or msinfo32) does for Windows.

# Answer
Quadrant also give me the same information that Android System Info.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Try Android system Info.

You will me amazed how much information this application provides.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Elixir is one of the most widely downloaded comprehensive system info app for android.
> 3 votes

# Answer
Quick System Info is what I use (and was preinstalled in my LeeDroid ROM)
> 2 votes

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Tags: hardware, system, system-info
---


title: EXT4 partition not recognized by system

text:
# Question
Title: EXT4 partition not recognized by system
I partitioned the sdcard with my linux box but it is not mounted by the system. I did fdisk in the phone's terminal and:

```
Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/block/mmcblk0: 7948 MB, 7948206080 bytes
4 heads, 16 sectors/track, 242560 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 64 * 512 = 32768 bytes

             Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks  Id System
/dev/block/mmcblk0p1   *          33      226176     7236608   c Win95 FAT32 (LBA)
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2          226177      242560      524288  83 Linux

```

I have CM7 for Milestone, it should be supported. Tried with mount -a but there is not even a /etc/fstab. Any ideas? Thanks!

Thanks!

# Answer
> 2 votes
**0.08-11.04.05 RC4:** \- 07app2ext script included in /system/etc/init.d - works via bind mount but is compatible with symlink versions. (warning - do not put more than one app2ext script in init.d as it could result in loss of apps)

Checked source from /update-cm-7.0.0-0.08-11.04.18b-Milestone-signed/

system/etc/init.d/05mountsd mounts /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 in boot: `$BB mount -o noatime,nodiratime,barrier=1 -t auto $SD_EXT_PART $SD_EXT_DIRECTORY;` That's reason for empty fstab. Next system/etc/init.d/07app2ext will create directories if needed, move some files if needed and finally bind mount directories from /sd-ext into /data/

Solution: Are you sure you created filesystem instead of only partitioning? Check logcat for errors. Try to mount with `mount -o noatime,nodiratime,barrier=1 -t auto /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 /sd-ext`.

# Answer
> 0 votes
CM does not support apps2ext since version 6.

I've heard some users say that you can use the simple2ext app to do this, though. Should be straightforward.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, partitions, ext4
---


# Question
Title: What are the benefits of moving apps to the SD card?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Other than portability, are there any other advantages (or disadvantages) to storing apps on external storage?

I'm trying to decide if I should make the move. I was hoping moving apps to the SD card would have them magically show up if the OS is wiped but from a little reading it looks like even apps on the SD card are unique to the OS they're installed on. I'm not really seeing another good reason to move them.

# Answer
> 1 votes
The main benefit (I think of) would be to save space on the internal memory of the device.

That is also the main reason I have my apps in the SD card with my old Treo (with palms there was this option too, depending on the launcher you used).

---
Tags: app2sd
---


title: ARM6 or ARM6 VFP?

text:
# Question
Title: ARM6 or ARM6 VFP?
I wanted to know if my Huawei IDEOS u8150 is ARMv6 or ARMv6 VFP. One thing I know is that it is ARMv6 but is it VFP? Any good ways to find out? Huawei documentation/site/forums doesn't say anything about this. I need to know because in the Android Market for video players, there are different versions for different processor types like ARM6 and ARM6 VFP versions.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Enable USB Debugging and download the SDK Tools. Then it's super easy:

```
$ adb shell cat /proc/cpuinfo
Processor       : ARMv7 Processor rev 2 (v7l)
BogoMIPS        : 162.54
Features        : swp half thumb fastmult vfp edsp thumbee neon
...

```

Note that on my device, it's `ARMv7`, and has (among other features) `vfp` support.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Is the video player you're referring to is RockPlayer? There is an app Know CPU for RockPlayer that lets you check that.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I don't know of a way to differentiate between various versions of ARMv6 processors, but I can recommend a good media player. Try MoboPlayer on your Huawei u8150 and see if it plays your media. They also have various codec packages for better compatibility, but again I have no idea to tell which specific type is in a given handset.

---
Tags: huawei-u8150
---


# Question
Title: How can I disable the "Send Message?" warning with emails having blank subjects/bodies?
I frequently email attached files from my phone to myself. I am not worried about cataloging or anything, so most emails have blank subjects and blank bodies. However, whenever I send the email, the "Send Message?" warning message asking, for the hundredth time, "Send this message without text in the subject?"

Although yes, this might be a life-saver for others here or there, it is more of an annoyance for me and my usage; so how do I disable the error? (Yes, I am aware of other apps to make files accessible by cloud, but email is seems fastest and most universal for on-demand stuff.)

\[2.2.2\]\[FRG83G\]

# Answer
It appears it's not possible, even on gmail.com, according to this answer. Gmail does understand the "EOM" tag at the end of the subject and will not prompt you about having an empty message body if that exists anywhere in the subject (even if it's the only thing in the subject).
> 2 votes

# Answer
Use a different email app that doesn't do it or allows you to shut it off.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: email, alerts
---


# Question
Title: Yellow, Green, Red icons with contacts and with sms messages
I have seen these icons coming in front of sms messages and in contact list. What they stand for?

These icons are just like a "clock"

# Answer
The icon refers to that contact's "availability":

> * Green: Available. You are online and ready to chat.
> * Yellow: Idle. Your status automatically changes to idle when you're away from your computer for 15 minutes. You can't manually select to appear idle
> * Red: Busy. This lets your contacts know you're busy and don't want to be interrupted
> * Grey: Signed out of chat, or Invisible. If you set your status to Invisible, you'll appear to be signed out of chat even when you're actually signed in.

Source: Google Chat support answer
> 3 votes

---
Tags: contacts, sms
---


# Question
Title: How to configure Amazon Cloud Player (Amazon MP3) to ignore podcasts in list of on-device music?
Amazon Cloud Player (aka Amazon MP3) displays all mp3 files, even those that are podcasts (which I use the DoggCatcher to listen to). Is there some way to tell the Cloud Player to ignore podcasts so that my list of downloaded music is only music?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Haven't tried it as the cloud player's not available in my country yet, but does the trick that makes the normal music player ignore folders work?

Try creating a file called `.nomedia` in the folder that your podcasts are saved into, and see if that makes the Amazon player ignore them.

---
Tags: music, mp3-player, cloud
---


title: Garageband equivalent for Android?

text:
# Question
Title: Garageband equivalent for Android?
I am thinking about getting an iPad 2 just so I can record music on Garageband, provided I find a way to input a USB mic. Anyways, I am admittedly a Google and Android fan and would much rather go that route and record music using an Android tablet where there would for sure be much more interoperability and maybe even a cloud sync service where I could collaborate with another musician 1,000 miles away in high quality, lossless form. Is there an app on Android or a web app that would support this kind of user experience on par with the user experience of Garageband?

I don't mind sticking with an iPad 2 for a year and then going back to Android when something more mature for Android comes out, but just thought I would ask here first.

# Answer
Looks like the best options would be:

I haven't tried any of these on my tablet yet (advent vega). Let me know what you find
> 4 votes

---
Tags: music, audio-recording
---


title: Loud Tick with Headset

text:
# Question
Title: Loud Tick with Headset
My phone (Samsung Galaxy S) has a loud "tick" on some actions (opening and closing applications or menus) It is fine when I don't have my headset on, but with earphones in it is unbearably high pitched. Is there a way to control this noise so it it doesnt' happen when I've got my headphones on?

# Answer
On Android 2.1 Eclair, one can turn these clicks off by navigating to SETTINGS \> SOUND & DISPLAY:

Scroll down to AUDIBLE TOUCH TONES & AUDIBLE SELECTION and uncheck both options.

Hopefully, there are similar options on your SGS.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: audio, headphones
---


# Question
Title: problems with sync of contacts to google
my samsung galaxy europa seems to sync ok with my google account. but the contacts do not appear in my google account on the web \[whereas updates to calendar and email do\]. any advice appreciated.

# Answer
By default the contacts you see on the web are your most used contacts. You have to choose all contacts to see everyone.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Is your phone configured to sync contacts with your Google account?

To verify this go to Settings --\> accounts & sync, tab on your account and verify that the Sync Contacts option is checked.

If this option is checked then the contacts are synced to your account but you are probably using a configuration in your gmail web account that only shows you the most used contacts instead of all contacts.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: contacts, sync, google-account, samsung-touchwiz
---


title: OTA updates to CM nightly

text:
# Question
Title: OTA updates to CM nightly
I know that premium version of ROM manager allows OTA updates to the nightly builds and there is also the old(deprecated) cyanogen updater on google-code. Is there any way to do an OTA without using ROM manager? How does an OTA work? Does it actually just replace the existing firmware.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Of course you can do OTA updates manually, without ROM Manager Premium.

1. On the handset open up a browser of your choice and navigate to http://download.cyanogenmod.com/
2. On the left column, under the "By Device" section tap on the codename for your device (e.g. "passion" for Nexus One)
3. Optionally, you can filter the download list by type (Stable Vs. Nightly) by tapping on the type right above the list of downloads.
4. Tap on the filename to begin download. Obviously a WiFi connection is recommended because the ROMs are fairly large, at around 100 MB.
5. Once the download completes, reboot into Recovery (Clockworkmod, Amon-RA, etc.)
6. Perform a NANDroid backup, so that you can do a restore in case something goes wrong in subsequent steps.
7. Wipe Cache and Dalvik-cache partitions (you'll need to find the relevant menu entries in whatever recovery image you are using.) This step is not mandatory, but can help resolve stability issues, so always I perform it.
***\[Edit\]*** 7.a. Note that if you are upgrading to the same ROM (i.e. flashing a newer nightly of CyanogenMod) you don't have to wipe data. This way all of your current apps and settings are retained. Only if you change to a different ROM altogether (i.e. going from CM to a Sense port) would you need to start over by wiping the /data partition.
8. Select to flash a Zip from SD Card from the "download" folder (could be a different directory, depending on the browser you are using.) This can take a while, and the progress bar might appear to be stuck, but don't cut power to the phone or you'll risk corruption. Once the "success" message appears you can move forward.
9. Optionally flash an alternate kernel image (for overclocks, etc.)
10. Reboot your phone. This step will take longer than usual, since the caches are being rebuilt.

ROM Manager Premium automates most of these steps so that you don't have to muck around the recovery too much, but you can always to this yourself. It's still Over-The-Air, since you're not hooking your phone up to a PC to transfer the files.

**\[Edit\]**
Furthermore, you can even automate the notifications of new builds being posted for CyanogenMod via RSS feeds. The trick is that the CM download page doesn't provide its own RSS feed, so you have to create your own via one of the free services:

1. Get your device's link (e.g. `http://download.cyanogenmod.com/?type=nightly&device=passion` for Nexus One Nightly builds.)
2. Go to one of the free RSS-from-website creation services and create an RSS feed for the link above. You might need to tinker with advanced settings to get the listing. For example, I created this RSS feed for Nexus One nightly builds.
3. Subscribe to the newly generated feed in your favorite RSS reader (e.g. Google Reader
4. Use an Android RSS reader app that has notifications feature (e.g. NewsRob) and set up a notification for this feed.

# Answer
> 5 votes
If you want to update CyanogenMod nightly builds Over The Air you'll need the premium version of ROM manager, this is the way to obtain donations to the project.

An OTA update is basically a download of a full ROM or a patch of some files that is saved to the storage of your phone and once it’s downloaded it installs automatically the full ROM or the patch to the phone. This system is used in many Android phones to deliver updates without the need to connect the phone to a computer to update the system.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod
---


title: different way of securing applications

text:
# Question
Title: different way of securing applications
In my phone instead of unlocking screen by providing "symbol", I'd like the phone to unlock to most of my applications without the "symbol". But for selected important applications (eg. gmail) I'd like it to ask for the symbol. It would be useful eg. when I borrow my phone someone to play games. Is there application which would help me to achieve something like that?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Sounds like you are looking for an app which allows you to password-protect other apps. There are many on the Market, but I haven't used them so cannot comment on their reliability.

---
Tags: applications, security, password
---


# Question
Title: Access synced Exchange calendar from desktop browser
I know this is a bit tangential, but bear with me. The Exchange calendar sync works perfectly for me, however, it would be AWESOME if I could see my exchange calendar with my other Google calendars in the desktop browser, just like it does on my phone. :) It looks like the Exchange Sync uses Google Calendar to merge both my personal Google calendar and my business exchange calendar on the phone.

Any way to recreate this on the desktop browser and see all my calendars together? I have a rooted Nexus One running the stock Froyo 2.2 rom.

# Answer
> 1 votes
If you have Outlook 2007, you can use the built-in Publish My Calendar feature to publish it to Microsoft servers, which will make the ICS feed available to add as a calendar in Google Calendar.

In Outlook 2007, go to the Calendar section and click the "Publish My Calendar..." link. Fill out that dialog and it will start syncing.

If necessary, feel free to adjust which calendars are shown in your Android device via the Calendar app's Option menu item "Calendars".

# Answer
> 0 votes
Everything that's synced to your Google Calendar on your phone should also be on your Google Calendar on the net (https://www.google.com/calendar). You can have multiple calendars in Google Calendar, perhaps the calendar you're phone is syncing to isn't set to be visible in the web view?

# Answer
> 0 votes
My workplace has Exchange email and I've managed to have it sync with my Google account and NOT use my main Google calendar, with relatively little work.

I have the following setup:

* Me@google personal Google account
* Me@work Exchange account
* Me@work Google account (go to Google, *Sign Up* for new account, use Me@work as "existing email address") that is separate from my main Google account
* Google Calendar Sync on my work computer linking to my Me@work Google account
* Me@work Google calendar shared with my Me@google Google calendar

It does have the downside of needing the a computer to be active (no easy way around that that I know of) but it has the upside that it partitions my work events into a separate calendar and integrates tightly into my heavy personal Google use.

There IS a .NET application that someone wrote that lives as a service on a Windows server and periodically does the sync itself. But I can't seem to find it now, and it does require you to have a Windows server you'd be allowed to run it on. And if you have to leave a Windows machine running anyway, you could just put Outlook on it and use Google Calendar Sync.

If you had admin rights on the Exchange server, this might also be an option: http://code.google.com/p/google-calendar-connectors/wiki/Overview

---
Tags: nexus-one, calendar, sync, 2.2-froyo
---


title: Android widget to lock my android phone

text:
# Question
Title: Android widget to lock my android phone
Is there any android widget which allows me to lock my phone? The 'power' button on my android phone is broken? I can't use that to lock my phone screen.

Thank you.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Short answer is no.

\[Extended Answer\]
This would require the use of PowerManager.gotoSleep(long time), and the use of that method requires the android.permission.DEVICE\_POWER permission. DEVICE\_POWER is only available to applications signed as system applications. Only applications that ship with the device and signed by the manufacture would be allowed to use the method.

---
Tags: samsung, app-widgets
---


# Question
Title: How can I uninstall Lock Screen Widget from my Nexus One?
I am trying to Lock Screen Widget, But I am getting the following error from 'adb logcat' as I uninstall it.

> W/PackageManager( 96): Not removing package com.droidmania.lockscreenwidget: has active device admin

Can u please tell me how can I uninstall it?

Thank you.

# Answer
> 4 votes
You might need to remove the Lock Screen Widget app from `Menu -> Settings -> Location & security -> Select device administrators` screen before trying to uninstall it.

---
Tags: nexus-one, uninstallation, device-administrator
---


# Question
Title: How can I backup my contact list without rooting my phone?
Up until now, I was always storing my new contact phone numbers on my SIM card because that way, when I buy a new phone, I have all my numbers transfered automatically.

However, it really is nice to be able to store pictures and more information next to a phone number.

I am thinking therefore, on beginning to store new contacts on my phone.

**How can I backup and restore all contacts on a new phone without rooting my current phone** ( which is a Samsung Galaxy S, by the way ) ?

# Answer
Did you try it over the build-in Android \<-\> Google Account synchronization? That keeps your contacts always synched up and moreover you have them available also online within Gmail. From there you can even export them in different kind of formats as an additional backup if you like.

More details, perhaps...: In contacts-\>menu-\>more-\>contacts storage (translated from my non-english-speaking phone...), you can select Google. That will store any new contacts you add there, but as far as I know does not handle pre-existing contacts on your phone. What I did to sync up these old contacts was contacts-\>menu-\>import/export, and exported the contacts to a file on the SD card. I then used the gmail app on the phone to send this .vcf file to myself as an attachment (menu in the gmail application to attach a file) and used gmail from my PC to import the contact list from that message, merge any duplicates etc. etc.
> 10 votes

# Answer
I also have a Samsung Galaxy S. If I open contacts and hit the "menu" button, one of the options I have is "Import from SD card" (also, "Export to SD card") -- that should backup your contacts.

I installed Funambol Sync to sync my contacts to my laptop -- that's another good option if you don't like Google having your data.

If you turn on USB debugging (Settings \> Applications \> Development) you can connect your phone to your computer with a USB cable and copy the export file to your computer so you know you've got it backed up.
> 4 votes

# Answer
There is an application(Backup and Restore) that comes with android phones to back up all your contacts, messages, call logs,etc. Use that and backup all your contacts. Its going to place the file in SDCard. You can even store that in your Computer. So later you can use the same file to import the contacts.

I don't know why Root come into Picture..
> 2 votes

# Answer
The Samsung Galaxy S comes with SIM Toolkit which allows you to move contacts from the SIM to your Google Account. Once done then your contacts are automatically backed up.
> 2 votes

# Answer
For a quick backup of your contacts to your SD card, you can use the Export functionality of the contacts app. This is on a HTC Desire S (running 2.3) - I'd imagine that this is common functionality though:

1. Open the *People* application
2. Press the menu button
3. Select *Import/Export*
4. Choose *Export to SD card*
5. Choose which account you want to export - in this case you're probably wanting the Phone contacts, but you could choose SIM instead.
6. Copy the created backup folder to your computer, the internet, etc.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: contacts, backup
---


# Question
Title: How do you trace incoming/outgoing HTTP connections on a rooted Android?
I would like to get a trace of any incoming & outgoing requests over HTTP from my android phone over a period of time (like you can do with Fiddler on a PC) - is there tool apart from WhisperCore that can do something like this?

The reason i don't want WhisperCore is because it needs to encrypt your whole device before it lets you use the tracer

# Answer
Shark/Sharkreader in market (tcpdump frontend)
> 3 votes

---
Tags: firewall
---


# Question
Title: Why doesn't Skype on HTC Wildfire function properly?
I've tried downloading Skype on my HTC Wildfire, but the calls don't work. Every time I try to call the sound stutters and doesn't come out fluent.

I've tried it on 2 different Wildfires and got the same result on both. I have another VoIP application and it sounds fine.

Where can I find a Skype version that will work with the HTC Wildfire?

# Answer
I'm afraid that if the official Skype app does not work then you are probably out of luck. Skype do not let third party applications use their service, so you are unlikely to find anything that works.

I suspect the issue is down to the CPU speed of the HTC Wildfire, which is only 528mhz. It's likely that the processor simply can't keep up with the demands of the application, which is why you get the stuttering, and why performance is the same on other Wildfire's.

Unfortunately you may have to stick with your other VOIP application.

Edit: There are a lot of posts on the Skype support forum where people are complaining of poor performance on the HTC wildfire. The Skype rep does say they are aware of it and trying to improve performance, so you may just have to wait for an update to the application sometime in the future.
> 4 votes

# Answer
I believe it is the CPU speed. The HTC Wildfire has a CPU speed of 528 MHz. The Skype app is only supported on devices with a CPU clock speed of 600MHz or greater. See the section on 'What do I need to run Skype on my Android phone?' https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA10653/How-can-I-get-Skype-on-my-Android-phone
> 2 votes

---
Tags: audio, skype, htc-wildfire, voip
---


# Question
Title: Are there alternative ways of downloading free applications from Android Market?
I can't download applications from the Android Market very well. The most common problem is that it sends an HTTP request and the remote server replies, but no data follows: the TCP connection just stalls. The Market app shows an animated progress bar (before "0%" or sometimes always "0%") indefinitely until I cancel the download.

Sometimes using another network connection helps. (Note: I don't have data plan yet and use only WiFi):

* Connection over Wi-fi access point to my laptop that is running VPN and doing NAT: stalls
* Connection over Wi-fi access point to my laptop that is running VPN and doing "-j REDIRECT' to tcpsocks that is connecting throught "ssh -D" from my server: sometimes works
* Ad-hoc Wi-fi connection to my laptop that is running VPN and doing "-j REDIRECT' to tcpsocks that is connecting throught "ssh -D" from my server: stalls
* Connection over Wi-fi access point to my laptop connected to university network and doing `-j REDIRECT` to tcpsocks that is connecting through the `ssh -D` (connections originating from my server): sometimes works, very very slow
* VPN connection from the device throught the access point (without using laptop): works
* Connecting through the ProxyDroid (running redsocks internally) redirecting to `ssh -D` (connections originating from my server) started on my laptop over Ad-hoc wifi network: stalls
* Connecting through the ProxyDroid (HTTP mode) redirecting to proxy server running on my laptop (with by chain of proxy servers finally originates connections from my server) started on my laptop over Ad-hoc wifi network: stalls

The only workaround I found is to capture the request from device with Wireshark and execute it (using netcat) on my desktop computer. It downloads the apk file from the Market which I can put on the device as usual. Obtaining such links is hovewer inconvenient (especially when it uses HTTPS).

Trying to use ProxyDroid does not help.

* How can I debug stalled downloads from Android Market?
* What are alternative approaches to obtaining apps from Market? Would using the Android Market in the emulator be better?

# Answer
If you can download from your PC without stalling\*, you can then copy the `.apk` over to your phone and open/install from the file-system.

---

\*Q: how to initate android download in a PC browser?

A: I don't know, but it's possible for other markets, anyway)
> 2 votes

# Answer
Have you tried using AppBrain http://www.appbrain.com/ it has all the apps from the Android Market but it also lets you push installs from your computer.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: applications, google-play-store, downloading
---


# Question
Title: Exclude App from Android 2.1 on Android Market for Performance Reasons?
I published a computationally intensive app for Android 2.1+ that has been very well received.

But there have been some negative reviews and comments pertaining to performance. These are from people who want to use the app, but can't because they say it's running way too slowly.

It works smoothly on my Sprint Evo 4G (Android 2.2). Moreover, from the many positive comments, I can see that many people do not have performance issues running this app on their devices.

Let's assume there are no programming issues and the code is maximally efficient. I am considering blocking the app from Android 2.1, and making it accessible only for 2.2 and above.

Have other people encountered this situation? Are there really some 2.1 phones out there that are very slow, say, using the speed of the Evo as a benchmark?

# Answer
> 3 votes
> Are there really some 2.1 phones out there that are very slow, say, using the speed of the Evo as a benchmark?

Yes, absolutely. I can't play Angry Birds on my HTC Hero running 2.1 because of poor performance. The game plays fine on my wife's newer Evo.

My advice would be to see if you can buy an old used handset to test your apps on yourself. That way you'll be able to head off any negative reviews by targeting devices where you know your app performs well.

---
Tags: google-play-store
---


# Question
Title: Is there a RAW (canon) image viewer or gallery hack for android?
I have a samsung galaxy and it has a brilliant screen. I would love to use it to review photos taken on a DSLR while out and about but I haven't managed to find any way to view RAW images in android. My camera is a canon so I guess it would need to have specific support for cacnon's raw format.

Are there any photographers here that can recommend some apps?

# Answer
Searching the Market, I found RawDroid Demo. It says it'll open raw files from DSLRs including Canon. I haven't tried it and it doesn't seem to have many downloads, so I'm not sure if it will work.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: images, photos, gallery
---


# Question
Title: Can I set Calendar default reminder to "none"?
This question has been asked recently, and the answer was "Menu-\>More-\>Settings-\>Default Reminder Time". On my Galaxy S II running 2.3 there is no "More" on the Calendar Menu. There is a "Settings" which allows the Default View to be set but no Default Reminder Time. Under Notification settings is the option to Set alerts and notifications, but that is simply the choice between alert and status bar. Like the previous poster I set most of the entries via the web and it is extremely frustrating to have every one appearing on the phone with a 10 minute notification set.

# Answer
I have a Nexus S running 2.3 and when I go to Calendar -\> Menu -\> More -\> Settings, I see this screen. If you click the Default reminder time you have the option of None.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, calendar, samsung-touchwiz
---


# Question
Title: How can I tell the Android Market that I'm running an updated version of Android?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Why are some apps on the market incompatible with my device?

My phone (Orange San Francisco) came with Android 2.1 and has not been officially updated in the UK so I'm now running a nightly beta of Cyanogen 7 (Android 2.3.3) which works pretty well.

I'm trying to install an app from the Android Market that requires 2.2 (Froyo) and up but the Market insists that the app is incompatible with my phone and greys it out in the install dialog box.

Is it possible to either update the Market with my details (couldn't find this option in 'My Market Account' settings) or to spoof another phone/android version so that I can download apps?

# Answer
> 2 votes
There are several reasons why apps could be listed as incompatible with certain devices. It could be Android version, screen size, OpenGL version, camera configuration, touch screen type. The list goes on and on. You could try going to Menu -\> Settings -\> Applicataions -\> Manage Applications and force close the Market and Clear the Data. This would cause the market to download the lastest version of the Market and rescan your phones capabilities. If that doesn't do it then you may have to wait until 2.2 is officially supported for your device.

---
Tags: applications, google-play-store, 2.3-gingerbread, installation
---


# Question
Title: How to install Hebrew on a Samsung galaxy s vibrant
We have a Samsung Galaxy S vibrant, bought in the US from T-mobile. It's unable to read text messages in Hebrew, write in Hebrew, or anything else. We tried to install the language through the languages section in the settings, but we couldn't find an option for Hebrew. We tried to install a language pack through the market, but it didn't work.

How can we install full support for Hebrew?

The phone is Samsung Galaxy S vibrant, bought from T mobile in USA (NYC). firmware version is 2.1 with update 1.

# Answer
> 4 votes
If you root your Vibrant, you should be able to get Hebrew characters support, as described here. Basically you are just overwriting a system default "fall-back" font with the one that has Hebrew. This will get your phone to recognize the incoming text. Next you can install a virtual keyboard with a language pack, such as AnysoftKeyboard and the Hebrew language pack.

# Answer
> 4 votes
Unfortunately I don't think you can. It looks like Samsung hasn't released a Hebrew version. See this related question: Does Froyo include full Hebrew support for all devices? as well as Is Hebrew support built into Android?

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, languages, hebrew
---


# Question
Title: How do I get rid of the draft message that shows up when I try to respond to an SMS?
When I read a text and go to respond, for some reason there is 1/2 of a text that I sent a long time ago still in the reply text box and I have to erase it every time. How can I fix this?

# Answer
> 6 votes
Since you mentioned text-messages my guess is that maybe you have a draft that the messaging app wants you to finish, although with my HTC Evo it doesn't do what yours is doing. Try opening the message app and on the screen where you can see "All Messages" open the menu and you might see an option to select "Drafts" (looks like a old 3.5" floppy). If you have any drafts delete them and see if this fixes your issue.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Had this problem for the past couple days, and finally was sick of it. This morning, I tried deleting all my SMS messages. After that didn't work, I did this: Menu - Settings - Applications - Manage Applications - All - Messages, then hit "Clear Data". That resolved the issue. You can try doing this before deleting your SMS messages, but it may delete them when you clear the data -- not 100% sure (it does warn it will wipe them). problem solved!

# Answer
> 2 votes
Menu - Settings - Applications - Manage Applications - All - Messages -\> Clear Data worked for my HTC Thunderbolt.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I have the same problem sometimes with my Thunderbolt too. I deleted all the drafts and it does nothing, but you are on track because mine have been text that I typed in before either by mistake or never finished. Here is the problem.

The way I cleared it out before was to create an entirely new conversation since it is limited for a particular person, in my case.

# Answer
> 0 votes
On the main messages screen open the menu, then select drafts-\>menu-\>delete drafts.

Select the messages you want deleted, then press delete.

---
Tags: sms, htc-thunderbolt
---


# Question
Title: How to delete gReader stored RSS feeds from Phone memory manually
I was just fiddling with gReader when I noticed that by default the application saves the feeds to the phone memory. So I immediately changed that to SD card memory. However, on doing this all the existing feeds were lost and I had to do a resync. I have a feeling the app didn't delete the existing feeds from the phone memory. Any idea how I can delete those feeds from Phone memory manually?

# Answer
From your Home Screen go to Menu -\> Settings -\> Applications -\> Manage Applications and find gReader. Then click the Clear Cache and Clear Data button. This may lead to you having to sign back in but it will synch with your feeds so you won't really lose anything.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: internal-storage, delete, google-reader, rss
---


# Question
Title: Updating Droid X running leaked Gingerbread to official release without root
I have a stock unrooted Droid X running a leaked version of the Gingerbread update (system version 4.5.588). How can I update to the official release (system version 4.5.596) without root?

# Answer
There should be someone who has the official release that you can download and just upgrade like you did with the leaked version. Like this post here. It says it's for rooted users, but I don't see anything in the instructions that should require root.
> 1 votes

# Answer
You going to want to sbf your phone back to .340 first. Here is a great forum post showing how. I did it with my linux box, you can do it with windows but drivers can be an issue from what I have heard. Once you sbf your phone you can pull it down OTA. Warning this erases everything and you will loose root. The official release has not been rooted yet to my knowledge.

I have done it 2 times now I was running lexlite gingerade and sbf to install leaked gingerbread and then I sbf to install the offical release.

**Edit: ** Looks like I was wrong it has been rooted there is just no easy root method. See @CaseyB post.

Let me know if you need any more help.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, updates, motorola-droid-x
---


# Question
Title: Is there a complete conversation convergence app?
I was very impressed when I saw the first demo of WebOS quite a while back. I loved the way they integrated SMS, email, and social media all into one stream. Their point was that the most useful view was one oriented around the people, not the media. I think that's a very good point.

I've heard that FriendStream on HTC is pretty good but I have a samsung device.

I'm a big fan of Tweetdeck which brings together four (currently) social networks. You can post to all four at the same time, for those soap box moments :-)

I'd like to see an app that brings together EVERYTHING! even the voicemail and call log!

Am I asking the impossible?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Many have tried. It's arguable whether anyone succeeded yet or not.

The big ones are Motorola's MotoBLUR, HTC's SenseUI, Samsung's TouchWiz - they all try to bring together the disconnected social aspects of different applications such as e-mail, text messages, and various social networks. Each does it differently, with varying degrees of success. Unfortunately these aren't stand-alone products. They usually come pre-installed with their respective manufacturers' devices, and overhaul more than just social aspects.

There are also 3rd-party apps and widgets that attempt to do this merge. One of the best that I've used is SlideScreen. I didn't like the fact that it replaces your launcher, but it sounds like exactly what you're looking for.

---
Tags: contacts, email, twitter, sms
---


title: New contact besides Google Contact

text:
# Question
Title: New contact besides Google Contact
1. Every-time I try to add a new contact, my Nexus S force me to put the contact under "Google contact from \[my address\]@gmail.com". Is there any way to change this? As I am concern on privacy. I do not want to let Google server to have every of my contacts.
2. After adding new contact, I have to go to "Display options". Under \[my address\]@gmail.com, there is a no name group (The first group with name is System Group:My Contacts). Is there any way I can assign name to the no name group?

# Answer
> 3 votes
You should get the option to add them unsynced. Like this:

# Answer
> 0 votes
As far as I know, contacts are always filed under some account. Presumably the design intent is that contacts are usually stored somewhere else, in some reliable storage, in case you lose the data on your phone.

I'm not in a position to try this myself, but here's a possible way to get an “unsynced” account: Install the free “The Missing Sync for Android” app. This app is intended to sync contacts directly with your desktop, and the desktop half is a paid app, but the phone side can be installed for free, and if you never sync it the data will stay on your phone.

The Missing Sync app will generate an account on your phone called “MissingSync” (which will be labeled “unsynced” even though it actually is synced via the Missing Sync app), which you can add contacts under.

---
Tags: contacts
---


# Question
Title: I downloaded Angry Birds but can't actually find it on my phone (Samsung Galaxy Ace)
I downloaded Angry Birds onto my phone, but I now actually can't find it anywhere. Does it go into a certain folder?

# Answer
> 1 votes
It may have been downloaded, but has it been installed?

Open up the Market app and click "My Apps". If it isn't listed there - i suggest you reinstall it.

Also, is your device capable of running it?

---
Tags: angry-birds
---


# Question
Title: Always open links from apps in a new browser tab
I often catch up on feeds (twitter/facebook/rss/email) when off line. There are often web links included that I want to check out, however, as far as I can tell, Android limits each link source application to one tab and, more annoyingly, if the same app sends a second link it creates a new tab in place of the old one with no browsing history+ - so I can't just go back and forward through the links i've tried to access while off line.

Is there any way to: Force the browser to create a new tab for each link clicked on an app - even if it means many tabs related to the same app being open at the same time. Or add these sites to the history of the tab (even if not loaded successfully) so I can get to them via the back button. Store links (ideally with information about their source) for later investigation?

Nb Since I'm on android 3 these are real tabs - with no limit to their number i've found - rather than the 8 cards/slots on earlier versions.

* I'm minded to raise this as a bug. It seems daft.

# Answer
> 1 votes
As stated in the comments under the question, Opera mobile acts in a much more sensible manner, creating a new tab for each link clicked.

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.opera.browser

---
Tags: browser, 3.0-honeycomb
---


# Question
Title: Can I tether a Motorola Xoom w/o 3G to my HTC incredible phone?
I am considering buying a Motorola Xoom and would like to tether it to my HTC incredible phone for internet when there is no Wi-Fi available. I've already successfully tethered my laptop using either USB or Bluetooth and am wondering how I could do likewise for the Xoom?

Do I need to root either device?

# Answer
If your incredible will create a WiFi hotspot it will work with the Xoom. You can test this with your laptop before buying the Xoom.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: htc-droid-incredible, tethering, motorola-xoom, reverse-tether
---


# Question
Title: Twitter app that also posts to Facebook, intelligently
Is there a twitter app that also posts to facebook, but does it intelligently? Like instead of posting the link with the post, it attaches the link to the post (while posting to facebook). And Uploads pic to the wall instead of just posting the tweetpic link.

# Answer
You can also get an app on Facebook that will grab your Twitter feed. That's what I do and it does a pretty good job.
> 0 votes

# Answer
Seesmic and TweetDeck are good for spamming updates. If you use Foursquare or PicPlz these both post the "intelligent" version of the checkin or picture to Facebook while doing the normal text + link with Twitter.
> 5 votes

# Answer
Seesmic Well designed, good for Facebook, Twitter and Buzz.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: facebook, twitter
---


# Question
Title: I just ordered on ebay an HTC incredible 'flashed to cricket,' is android still installed on the phone?
I only want to use the phone as a dev tool and I need the android 2.2. What does 'flashed' mean exactly?

# Answer
In short, the phone will still have the Android OS as 'flashing to cricket' is NOT in reference to the ROM or Operating System.

The seller may be referring to moving the phone off of Verizon as the carrier to Cricket, another CDMA mobile carrier in the US. This seems to be a normal process as Cricket does not have the expansive collection of Android compared to that of Verizon Wireless.

Here are a few thread topics explaining this -

http://androidforums.com/incredible-all-things-root/82397-flashing-htc-droid-incredible-cricket.html

http://androidforums.com/cricket/232152-flashing-phone-verizon-cricket.html

Hope that helps!
> 2 votes

# Answer
I would suggest asking the seller which Android OS version the ROM they flashed is based on.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo
---


# Question
Title: How can I send a text message to a group that has more than 10 contacts in it?
I made a group that has around 18 contacts. I wanted to send a text message to everyone. When I was prompted to select contacts from the group, it would not let me select more than 10. Anyone know how I can get around that limitation? I have a Samsung Infuse.

# Answer
> 5 votes
Handcent should let you send more than 10 messages at once. It has a nice interface for selecting multiple contacts too. I haven't tested this (I don't want to send 10+ people a random text :) ).

# Answer
> 2 votes
If you are constantly sending group messages you may want to check out some of the Group apps for Android.

GroupMe - creates an independent phone number for the group to text for those without data. - https://market.android.com/details?id=com.groupme.android&feature=search\_result

Disco - a google owned or backed group messaging app - https://market.android.com/details?id=com.disco.android&feature=search\_result

---
Tags: sms
---


# Question
Title: If I buy an ebook an Amazon, can my son, with another Android device, read my books?
When I buy a pocket book both my son and I can happily read it.

I bought some books on the Amazon Kindle store (which I read on my Samsung Galaxy S), and am now wondering: **can my son read these books too ?**

Knowing that the price of an ebook is not that much lower than a pocket version of the same story ( I even found some where the ebook costs more than the pocket equivalent ), I am just realizing that this could not be a good thing to do.

**\[--- UPDATE ---\]**

Having read the first few answers, I must clarify something: **the Amazon account of my son is NOT the same as my Amazon account**.

I think that for him to access my Kindle store ( as I do as well with my Archos 101 tablet ), I need to give him my login credentials, or am I mistaken ?

*It's not a matter of trust that I should not give him my login credentials. It's just that, I have a lot of items in my wishlist/saved basked that are items I may give to him as a present. And of course , I do not want him to see these items.*

# Answer
As per their FAQ:

> **How many Kindles can I use to access titles in my library?**
>
> Most books you purchase from the Kindle store may be simultaneously accessed for your personal use on up to six Kindles or Kindle-compatible devices (such as Kindle for PC or Kindle for iPhone) registered to your Amazon.com account. If the limit is less than six simultaneous copies for a specific title, you'll see the message "Simultaneous Device usage: Up to X simultaneous devices, per publisher limits" on the Amazon.com detail page.
>
> If you reach the device limit and want to replace one of your current devices with a new one, you must first deregister and delete the content from the device you wish to replace before you can access the content in question from your new device. For device registration instructions, please see the Help page for the device you wish to register/deregister on the Kindle Support pages.
>
> Subscription content such as magazines and blogs can only be downloaded to one Kindle at a time and cannot be accessed from Kindle for PC.

So yes, you can read the ebook on multiple devices, but be aware that there is a limit of 6 (or fewer) devices.
> 8 votes

# Answer
You should be able to register multiple Kindle apps or devices to the one Amazon account. For example I can read the same book on my Kindle, HTC Desire using the Kinde app and the desktop application on work and home computers.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Some Kindle books have "Lending" enabled on them, so that you can loan them to another Kindle user for up to two weeks. The downside is that this can only be done once per book, and not all publishers allow their books to be leant out.

More info here Amazon.com Lending Kindle Books
> 1 votes

---
Tags: ebooks, kindle-for-android
---


# Question
Title: Chrome To Phone error "Device not registered for user"
I installed Chrome to Phone on my Droid 2 device and everytime I try to send a webpage to my phone, I get this error "Device not registered for user."

Does anyone have any ideas?

**Additional Information**

Google Chrome version: 11.0.696.77

Windows 7

# Answer
sounds like your phone is using a different google account to attempt to log in to chrome-to-phone. try signing out from the chrome extension, and "Disconnect" the phone from the android app and re-sign in to both.
> 2 votes

# Answer
After you installed chrome2phone on your phone, you need to open the chrome2phone app on your phone and login to your google account.

Then after installing chrome2phone extension in your browser, you also need to login to the same google account.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: motorola-droid-2, google-chrome-to-phone
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to visualize music from the microphone?
With all the media and 3D graphics capabilities available on modern hardware I'd like to see a nice visualisation application that listens to the microphone.

If anyone knows the G-Force winamp plugin they know what I'm talking about.

# Answer
Some 3rd-party apps can do this, such as:

* Spectral Audio Analyzer

> Free real-time audio analyser with 8 kHz spectral bandwidth. Display any sort of audio from the microphone as a coloured spectrogram. Identify environmental noise, search for annoying tones, view harmonic patterns of instruments and voices, analyse the frequency range of your speaker... .
> 3 votes

---
Tags: audio, music
---


# Question
Title: What system app stores the cellular network settings?
Before installing a new ROM, I backed up all data from my system apps using Titanium. I installed the new ROM, and also put in a new SIM card from a different network (so it was in on first boot-up of the new ROM). Everything worked great on the new network, until I restored my backups. The settings for the network (matching the current SIM) were overwritten by the settings for the old network (matching the previous SIM), and data completely stopped working.

My question is, **what app stores the data network settings?** If I know then I can restore data for everthing except that app (or apps) and not need to start from scratch if I change SIMs again. Additionally, is there any way I can trigger the phone to go "Oh look, the settings don't match this SIM, how 'bout we update the settings?"

I have a Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant running Froyo (Bionix v1.3 with TouchWiz).

# Answer
`[SMS/MMS/APN] Dialer Storage 2.2`.
> 2 votes

# Answer
I would think that the following would probably be likely candidates:

* TelephonyProvider
* SettingsProvider (maybe)

Does the data network work if you reboot? What if you restore with the "old sim", then put in the new sim?
> 2 votes

---
Tags: applications, settings, data-connection, system
---


# Question
Title: How to set As Lower Brightness as in Clock application, without rooting
I noticed that with the Froyo "desk clock" application, when you put it in low light mode, it forces the back-light far darker than you can manually make it in the settings.

My question is: is there an application or a non-root hack that can make the back-light really dim just like in the desk clock application? As that clock can set brightness lower without rooting, there should be a way to do that without rooting.

# Answer
> 2 votes
The Clock app is setting flags on its own fullscreen window that override the system default screen brightness, but this only affects that app's window.

See the source for DeskClock.java

```
 551             winParams.flags |= WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_FULLSCREEN;
 552             winParams.dimAmount = DIM_BEHIND_AMOUNT_DIMMED;
 553             winParams.buttonBrightness = WindowManager.LayoutParams.BRIGHTNESS_OVERRIDE_OFF;

```

The flags used are documented on the Android Developer site, in particular:

> float BRIGHTNESS\_OVERRIDE\_OFF Value for screenBrightness and buttonBrightness indicating that the screen or button backlight brightness should be set to the lowest value when this window is in front.

So, the DeskClock is not using anything special to dim the screen, but it can only affect its own window.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Try Screen Filter.

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you want to read books in low light, use Foxit Reader, it can dim the screen nearly as clock.

---
Tags: screen-brightness
---


# Question
Title: How can I install Skype on my NexusOne phone?
I search for `Skype` in Android Market application and cannot find it. I live in Vietnam.

# Answer
Skype publish their app directly into specific country's Android Markets, they don't publish it to the "Rest of the world Market", Vietnam doesn't have its own Market, it uses the "Rest of The World Market".

Skype's FAQ says:

> Why can’t I download Skype from the Android Market?
>
> The Android Market only distributes applications in certain countries, so it’s possible that your location isn’t supported. To find a full list of supported locations, please visit Android Market Developer Help.
>
> If you live in a country that's not listed, then you can still download Skype for your Android phone from GetJar.com. Simply search for “Skype” and download it for free.
> 6 votes

# Answer
You can search for Skype on the Android Market or you can download the APK file directly from the Skype website, click here.
> -1 votes

---
Tags: installation, skype
---


title: App2sd - Changing the SD Card

text:
# Question
Title: App2sd - Changing the SD Card
I plan to purchase a new micro SD card for my phone, I use app2SD for most of my programs, so what I wonder is what will happen if I get the new SD card, will I be able to copy the content of the old card onto the new card and still operate the phone as if nothing was changed?

# Answer
Yes, I did that myself, like this:

1. power the phone off and remove the old SD card
2. mount the old SD on a PC, copy its entire contents somewhere on your hard disk
3. mount the new SD card on a PC, format it as FAT or FAT32 (make sure it's the same file-system as the old one)
4. copy the contents of the old SD card onto the new one
5. insert the new SD card into the phone, power it on.
> 8 votes

# Answer
I don't actually know for sure, but you can certainly test it out. You can turn on USB debugging, which will let you mount your phone as any other external drive, or you can get a micro-SD adaptor if you have an SD slot already.

It should just work.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: external-sd, app2sd
---


# Question
Title: How to read comments to app of another country?
Google Market allow me by default to read only comments of my country (Italy). Unfortunately not popular application have only few or even no comments. How can I read comments from other country (USA, UK, etc.)?

# Answer
> 8 votes
When using the Google Market website, go to the bottom of the page and change the language in which you are viewing the Market pages. You will then get user reviews based on the currently selected language.

Note that the system seems to display comments only in the language the users have been using when posting them, so if you are looking at applications that make sense only for a specific country, you will probably see English comments interspersed with others in the native language.

Nothing precludes you from leaving a comment on a Swedish application on the Italian page written in Urdu, should you choose so.

# Answer
> 3 votes
If you search for your app on Cyrket, they show the latest comments from all of the Markets in one list under the app.

AndroLib lets you change which country's Market you're searching by clicking the flags at the top of the page, this also changes the comments displayed to ones from that country's Market.

# Answer
> 2 votes
If you are on your phone, you'll have to change your phone's locale to a more popular one, such as English, in order to see that country's comments.

---
Tags: google-play-store
---


title: Mice and Keyboard support in 3.1

text:
# Question
Title: Mice and Keyboard support in 3.1
Apparently, Android 3.1 will support USB devices such as mice and keyboards.

1. How much of an issue is driver support? If you have a "normal" keyboard or mouse, will it just plug and play?
2. Does the OS provide support for these input devices through standard Android controls, or will each program have to be modified seperately to support these input devices?

# Answer
> 7 votes
Most (pretty much all) USB keyboards and mice support the USB HID protocol. You might not be able to use some special "media keys" or other advanced features, but standard features will work without additional drivers.

As for routing USB Input to standard Android UI events, I suspect they'll do it (they'd be stupid not to) but couldn't find any conclusive information as of yet.

# Answer
> 3 votes
I've just tried a normal Microsoft USB mouse on my ASUS EEE Pad Transformer running Android 3.1.

It works just fine both in pre-installed applications (I tried the browser) and in third-party applications that I'm pretty sure have no dedicated support (they are not even adapted to 3.0 yet).

And as @Patrick noted, pretty much all USB mice and keyboards support the USB HID protocol, so you won't need specific per-mouse drivers.

---
Tags: usb, 3.1-honeycomb
---


title: Can I format SD to FAT32 from FAT16?

text:
# Question
Title: Can I format SD to FAT32 from FAT16?
I saw that my SD card is FAT16 formatted. In order to improve performance, can I reformat it as FAT32? What filesystems does Android support for external storage?

# Answer
> 6 votes
Yes, you should be able to use FAT32 with no problems. Android supports FAT/FAT16 and FAT32, and I believe raw / unformatted cards may work with some phones. You can also use EXT partitions but this requires some extra work, see for example how to use ext partition in my android?

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, external-sd, partitions
---


# Question
Title: What settings does Sprint Gingerbread (2.3) update reset?
After installing the Gingerbread upgrade on my EVO, I noticed that my alarms have been reset. Now I'm wondering what, if any, other settings were reset or changed.

I have not been able an official list anywhere.

Which settings get changed or reset with the Sprint Gingerbread update?

# Answer
> 2 votes
As far as I'm aware, there really shouldn't be any other settings which are affected by the OTA. In fact, Android Central has a thread where people are compiling a list of new features and apps along with reported issues and bugs. They've put this (losing your alarms) in their list of bugs. It looks like it also broke Netflix and Wireless-N support, for what it's worth.

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, settings, updates, htc-evo
---


# Question
Title: How to access Remote Desktop from Android 2.1?
Suppose I am developing my application in WPF, for windows 2008 R2, and the tablet will be running Android in a LAN with Wi-Fi, and I would like to try to use the existing .net technology via RDP on the Android Emulator.

How to install Remote Desktop Client on Android 2.1?

# Answer
Try PocketCloud on the Android Market. It's free for one PC connection.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Search the Market for Remote Desktop.

I use "Remote Desktop Enterprise".
> 1 votes

# Answer
Xtralogic has a RDP client for Android.

There's also Omnidesk's free app.

And there's Remote.

If necessary there are implementations of Teamviewer for Android, and no doubt there's VNC apps.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: remote-access
---


# Question
Title: Can you change the options when long pressing the .com button?
When you longpress the `.com` button on the keyboard, (on my 2.2 htc legend anyway) it gives you the options to select `.net` `.com` `.org` `.edu`.

Is it possible to change these to other options?

# Answer
> 1 votes
With the stock keyboards, no. Some 3rd party keyboards may allow this, but I don't know any. There are some keyboards that have additional options too.

---
Tags: keyboard
---


title: Motorola Defy does not sync to GMail

text:
# Question
Title: Motorola Defy does not sync to GMail
I have purchased a Motorola Defy some time ago, and imported my address book from my old featurephone using the SIM card.

Under Settings / Account now I have two accounts listed in the Motoblur section (the motoblur account and an email account), and one account listed under Other accounts (the gmail / google account).

Now I would like to sync all contacts to the google account, but it won't: it has synced only the new contacts I added, but the old contacts are in the telephone only. What is the correct way to sync contacts to the gmail account?

I am running official froyo firmware, french version.

# Answer
> 1 votes
So it turns out that there is no other way than to do it manually, and it is not difficult at all :)

1. Get MyPhoneExplorer (I am sure you can do it using the Phone Portal too, but MyPhoneExplorer is just SO convenient :)
2. Go to the Contact tab, right click on any contact, click on Export/Import, Export all contacts, and select the csv format
3. Check that the CSV file is OK opening it in Excel for example
4. Open GMail, go to the Contacts link and click on Import, select the CSV file and import
5. Now return to the phone explorer, and delete all your contacts
6. Click on android's Settings - Accounts, click on the GMail account and click on synchronize contacts. All your contacts are restored to your phone, but now they are linked in GMail.

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Tags: contacts, gmail, google-account, motorola-defy, motoblur
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title: browsing broken

text:
# Question
Title: browsing broken
Sometimes when I am trying to use my phone after work, the browser gets stuck and nothing seems to fix it. I have tried tweaking 4g and wifi settings, but even after toggling them the browser is still not working. I know I can hard-reset my phone, but I don't like having to wait for the reboot. Is there anything else I can do besides a reset?

# Answer
I had a problem like this with my Sprint EVO Shift, except toggling 3G would usually get things to work. While I was debugging I found a free app called reset connections that was at least faster than toggling data services off and on again. I don't know if that will solve your problem, but it's something to try.
> -1 votes

# Answer
I had the same problem with my Galaxy S and home WiFi, but it got fixed by disabling and enabling WiFi to register it again to my router. Maybe you could try to go to flight mode and then back to normal mode to re-register with your network?
> 1 votes

# Answer
Have you tried force closing? `Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Browser > Force Close`?
> 0 votes

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Tags: browser, connection-issues
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# Question
Title: Is It Possible To Backup Settings And All Customized Stuff I Made On Android Cellphone?
Which backup is that? Full backup that backs up **whole system**? Or is it only backup that backs up **settings and customized stuff**?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Use Titanium Backup, it'll fit your needs.

# Answer
> 1 votes
If you're rooted and have a ROM that supports Recovery like ClockworkMod, a full Nandroid backup is akin to taking an image/snapshot of your device. When recovering from that image, your phone will be restored to exactly that same state when the backup was taken.

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Tags: backup, system
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# Question
Title: How to save and recover icon and folder positions?
How can I save and recover the position of icons and folders?

They get wiped every time I patch Android.

# Answer
> 4 votes
If you're using LauncherPro go to your home screen, press `Menu -> Preferences ->Backup homescreen & settings` to backup and `Restore backup` is in the same place. This can't restore your widgets but remembers their places though. Also some app-specific shortcuts need to be recreated (in my case, shortcuts to K-9 Mail mailboxes).

# Answer
> 4 votes
I am using Go Launcher Ex Home launcher which saves the current configuration and we can restore it whenever we need. If you have a different launcher check for Backup/Restore configuration settings.

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Tags: home-screen-shortcuts, home-screen-folders
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# Question
Title: Can an unlocked Nexus One without a carrier be used as a standalone device?
I'm interested in playing around with the new open android open accessory development kits but don't want to pay a monthly fee for having a cell-phone. If I buy the Nexus One/S unlocked and forgo getting a wireless carrier, would I still have access to the full set of phone features minus 4G/Calls/Texting? In the past, cellphones minus the carriers were crippled from doing anything useful. I'm wondering if this is still the case with the newer smart phones. Essentially it'd be an android-powered iPod Touch.

# Answer
Yes, it works fine for me without SIM-card. I can still use WiFi for accessing Internet.
> 4 votes

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Tags: nexus-one, sim-unlocking
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