# Question
Title: Motorola Milestone is constantly firing touch events
Starting this morning, when I turn on my Motorola Milestones screen, it starts to constantly press random positions on the screen (starting applications, etc.) which makes it nearly impossible to use the phone. Most of the clicks are along the right side of the screen.

It started while I was reading an email.

Looks to me, like it is an hardware issue. But since I installed Cyanogen Mod 7 a month ago, maybe it could be related so some sort of touch sensitivity setting I don't know of yet?

Anyone experienced the same issues? Any idea how to solve it?

EDIT:

Seams like a Software issue.

* First I wiped the cache, dalvic cache and reset to factory defaults. But the issue stayed.
* Then I restored the last backup I had using Nandroid and now I have the exact opposite:

> The most right part of the screen is not touchable anymore.

At least that is better, than touching all the time. Still a little annoying.

Any idea how I can fix this?

# Answer
> 3 votes
There is a lengthy discussion about this on:

http://androidforums.com/droid-support-troubleshooting/87515-my-droids-touch-screen-going-crazy.html

The main point seems to relate to either oil and dirt covering the screen and/or heating up issues from dirt within internal components.

There are some suggested solutions such as carefully cleaning the screen and the speaker opening. It also seems to be strongly affected by moisture.

# Answer
> 2 votes
I had this problem recently with my milestone 2. Unfortunately I had to send it to service. Now it works, but whole touch panel was replaced with a new one.

Just to clarify my problems: right column of touch panel (above search button, btw it didn't work as well) didn't work for more than one month. In more extreme weather conditions (temperature below 0 celcius) touch screen was pressed at random positions just like you have described.

# Answer
> 1 votes
This seems similar to an issue I had this summer: I ended up having to get a new phone.

Semi-Dead Zone on Touch Screen On Droid 1

Basically there was a horizontal bar worth of space on the screen that seemed to have random touches firing, and also in the same zone, it often wasn't registering my real touches. It was definitely a game of chance, and it was progressively getting worse. It got so bad I couldn't accept phone calls.

There was a comment on mine that suggested it was an electrical connection problem that could cause inconsistent contact -- which explains the spazzing out on my phone. This could very well be your problem, too.

I don't think it's a software issue. If you flashed a new image on there or restored a backup of before you started having issues and you're still having issues, that almost rules out software issue.

Though it's interesting that now you're having the opposite happen. But that's also similar to my problem, the fact that sometimes it'd go crazy with click misfires, and other times it'd be completely dead.

If it is indeed the same problem I had, unfortunately it's not really a user-servicable solution.. you're gonna have to either get a new phone or a warranty/insurance claim.

Good luck to you! Maybe all the issues people are having with their touch screens will convince the manufacturers to start using quality wiring. (Not really, but one can wish, right?)

# Answer
> 0 votes
This really doesn't sound like a software problem i'm afraid. Almost certainly hardware.

Your only choice really is to send it to the service center, as mentioned.

Sorry i couldn't be of more help.

P.S Before sending it to the service center, put the stock rom back onto it!

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, motorola-milestone, touchscreen, bugs
---


title: Video-out solution for an analog input

text:
# Question
Title: Video-out solution for an analog input
I just got a Galaxy Nexus and love it. My current debacle is trying to figure out how to hook up my phone the display in my car which only has analog inputs (composite.) That worked perfectly with my old Droid Incredible as it did video out with composite through the microusb port. So i've been looking around for a solution and have found two viable options:

1. Get a digital to analog converter box which is around $50 off amazon and I already have the TV out cable for the Galaxy Nexus which works fine.
2. Find a product like apple TV for android where I can push the video to screen through an independent device but I'm not about to install a wireless router in the car.

Right now I feel the only real option seems the converter box but that seems far to cumbersome of a solution for what I'm trying to do. Anyone have a better idea or cheaper idea?

# Answer
> 0 votes
I ended up getting the Digital to Analog converter off Amazon. I tried the suggestion of onik but Galaxy Nexus has different 3.5mm jack than other Galaxy phones. I even tried my old HTC Incredible video out cable that goes through a modified microUSB but I didn't fit the Galaxy Nexus microusb port. There was no solution, that I could find, for an analog video other than the Digital to Analog converter. I installed it today and it works perfectly so I my phone mirrors to my head units display without a hitch.

The only trouble I ran into was powering the AC powered unit. I already had a DC to AC converter so I just plugged the AC power of the Video converter box in to the power converter box and hit it away in my glove box (many conversions, haha.) It looks seamless until you open the glove box.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I'm not sure about the Galaxy Nexus, but the older Galaxy models can output analog video through the headphone jack. The cable is similar to Nokia CA-75U. Since the phone is a Google reference model without Samsung's addons, I'm not sure if this works, but I'd say it's worth a try.

---
Tags: streaming, samsung-galaxy-nexus, video-out
---


# Question
Title: What's the easiest way to create a QR code for a link?
The title is pretty self explanatory on this one.

# Answer
> 20 votes
Using the **goo.gl URL shortener**: http://goo.gl/a4Wv and **adding a .qr** to the end of it: http://goo.gl/a4Wv.qr

# Answer
> 15 votes
The Google Charts API is definitely the easiest. You just make a URL as follows:

`https://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chs=150x150&cht=qr&chl=<content>&choe=UTF-8`

Content is usually a link, for example, this is a link to this site:

`https://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chs=150x150&cht=qr&chl=https://android.stackexchange.com/&choe=UTF-8`

# Answer
> 7 votes
You can also make ASCII QR codes (mainly for websites like Reddit): http://asciiqr.com/

# Answer
> 2 votes
KAYWA

easy as adding a link and click generate. Can generate for sms, text or phone numbers.

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can turn the url of the page your are viewing into a QR Code easily with these bookmarklets:

1. This one creates a pop-up where you can edit the url. It's a two click process:

`javascript:var sCode=prompt('Enter URL to encode',window.location);void(window.open('http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=300x300&chl='+encodeURIComponent(sCode),'Qr code','top=100,left=200,width=350,height=350,status=yes'));`
2. This one is a one click and done process:

`javascript:(function(){if(document.getElementById){var x=document.getElementsByTagName('head').item(0);var o=document.createElement('script');if(typeof(o)!='object') o=document.standardCreateElement('script');o.setAttribute('src','http://qrbookmarklet.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/qr.js');o.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');x.appendChild(o);}})();`

Just create a bookmark in your Chrome or FF browser bar and paste the above code into the URL field of the bookmark.

# Answer
> 1 votes
If you're looking for an Android app that does that, try "**QR Droid**".

It lets you do this: \- In the Browser, when your viewing URL that you want to share, select "Menu" \> "More" \> "Share page" \> "QR Droid" \- There, you'll be able to generate QR code with a click, and to optionally shorten it first so resulting QR code has less data an therefore is easier to read by decoders

After generating QR code, it allow you to share image or URL from Google Chart as text

I hope it helps

# Answer
> 1 votes
I'm a big fan of QR Code Generator from the ZXing Project. It's a web app that quickly lets you enter in any text to create a QR code.

It will also allow you to enter structured info (URL's, Contact Info, Wifi-network credentials), and creates QR Codes from that. The benefit there is that you may have apps that are set up to handle structured data.
E.g.: a URL QR code will automatically open up your web browser at that address. Contact QR codes will create a new contact in your address book, and so on.

---
Tags: qr-code
---


# Question
Title: Reverse tethering hangs at netcfg (Cyanogen + Linux)
I'm trying to set up reverse-tethering from my Linux computer using the steps outlined in this post:

Mathieu Carbou Photography Blog

However, when I get to the last step, "netcfg usb0 dhcp" hangs and/or times out. (It does *not* return a 'permission denied' error).

I'm running Cyanogenmod on a (rooted) Incredible, so I'm not sure what the problem is.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Found the following on How to get internet on your phone via USB | forum.xda-developers.com

> It is working now. After setting up ICS type in console emulator on your phone:

```
ifconfig usb1 192.168.2.2 netmask 255.255.255.0 up
route add default gw 192.168.2.1 dev usb0
iptables -F
iptables -F -t nat
setprop net.dns1 8.8.8.8
setprop "net.gprs.http-proxy" ""

```

---
Tags: linux, tethering, reverse-tether
---


# Question
Title: App to allow me to set which contacts dial out with Google Voice by default?
I'd like to be able to set, at the contact level, which phone number is used to dial out. For example, I'd like to be able to set it so calls to my boss use Google Voice by default where as calls to my family use my cell number. Any suggestions?

# Answer
I still haven't tried Voice Choice, but I just downloaded this free app: Voice Plus

This looks perfect. From the description:

> Allows you to set rules for which number dialed will use your Google Voice number. Specify rules based on area code or by contacts (using contact groups). No more annoyance of having to press another button when dialing to choose where to call from!
> 5 votes

# Answer
I just found Voice Choice which claims to do what I want but I haven't tried it yet because its a big purchasing decision at $3. I will have to discuss with the family and check with my financial advisor. I'll report back if it actually does the job (or not).
> 4 votes

# Answer
The Google Voice app it self only lets you choose three things: all calls with regular number, all calls with GV number, or you can choose at a call-by-call basis. I do the call-by-call basis to get sort of what you want. I don't think there is any way to automatically have it choose one way or another per contact level.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Although it doesn't address the real request, the widget available with the latest version of Google Voice makes it easier to switch modes as you can step through 4 modes (do not use for calls/International calls only/ask for every call/use for all calls) from your home screen.

The widget is fast, so I think once you learn the sequence, you'd be able to rapidly select the mode you want for a call before opening the phone app. I only wish you could select which of the 4 icons in the widget you want displayed so it could use less than 3x1 spots on the home screen.
> 0 votes

# Answer
You can do this with voice plus
> -3 votes

---
Tags: google-voice
---


# Question
Title: How to sync contacts and calendar with Linux system, without using Gmail?
How can I sync my contacts and calendar with a Linux system?

I'd prefer to sync with my desktop, but setting up a server on the internet would also be possible.

I want to avoid Google mail for privacy reasons.

# Answer
It depends on how you are managing your contacts and calendar on your Linux system.

If you are using Evolution, Sunbird, Thunderbird, Lightening, Kontact or Yahoo then **MemoToo** will get the job done.
> 5 votes

# Answer
Take a look at Funambol (which I think MemoToo is built on). See also:
> 3 votes

---
Tags: contacts, sync, calendar, linux, privacy
---


title: Change name of shortcut icon?

text:
# Question
Title: Change name of shortcut icon?
I have created a shortcut to a single document. The home page icon carries the name of the file manager (Astro) that I used to create the shortcut (using the method explained here).

I'd like to rename the icon to something more relevant so I can distinguish it from shortcuts to other documents or folders. Is there any way to do this?

# Answer
Partial Solution

1. Long press on home screen to activate shortcut launcher
2. Tap on Shortcut
3. Tap on Activites
4. Tap on file manager (Astro)
5. Navigate to file location (internal or external SD card)
6. Tap on target file
7. Accept (or amend) suggested shortcut name \> OK
8. Named shortcut appears on home page under an icon for the associated app to display the document

To open the document, tap on the icon and then tap on the associated app in the menu .
> 3 votes

# Answer
Renaming shortcuts depends on what launcher you use. For example, with GO Launcher, you simply hold down your finger on whatever you want to rename and a box pops up asking if you want to rename it. The point being is that each launcher is different, but most are intuitive enough to where you just long click on the icon to rename it.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: home-screen-shortcuts, astro-file-manager
---


# Question
Title: How can I access a Mantis Bug Tracker from Android?
We track our bugs on Mantis, and I was hoping to find an Android App for it, since it exposes a PHP-SOAP API (see this question) which Eclipse uses.

Does anyone know of existing apps (or projects) for accessing a Mantis Bug Tracker from Android devices? I would be happy to contribute patches too, if needed.

# Answer
I have a Android app for Mantis Bug Tracker ready. I'll be releasing it soon. In case you want to have a preview, do send me a message. Soon I'll be posting an URL for android market.

UPDATE: The android app for mantis has been released and can be downloaded from - https://market.android.com/details?id=greatdevelopers.mantis

DISCLAIMER: I am not advertising my app. I am just informing you that something like that is available. For more details contact me. In case the community feels this is not correct, I'll
> 3 votes

# Answer
Probably you can use mantisconnect. It has got a java client as well. More info can be had on here:

http://www.futureware.biz/mantisconnect/downloads.php

http://sourceforge.net/projects/mantisconnect/files/Java%20Client%20API/1.1.1.1/
> 1 votes

# Answer
You should checkout MantisTouch which provides an interface that is designed from the ground up for mobile devices including Android, iOS and Windows Phone. You can use MantisTouch via the proxy at http://mantisbt.mobi or you can install on your owner server. The advantage of MantisTouch is the it works across a wide variety of devices and its license covers all users associated with your MantisBT instance including your team and your customers. Rather than having to buy an app per user.

For more details checkout http://www.mantisbt.org/mantistouch.php
> 0 votes

---
Tags: applications
---


title: DCS Service on HTC Desire Z

text:
# Question
Title: DCS Service on HTC Desire Z
I installed My Data Manager to see how much data traffic my phone generates and I noticed that there's some "DCS Service" using on average 180MB (!) per month.

DCS Service is not something I installed. It is listed under apps but I cannot uninstall it. Anyone got an idea what it is and how I can stop it from producing all that data traffic?

# Answer
> 2 votes
I asked htc what it is about and they responded with:

> The DCS Utility services and components are the programs on your telephone that allow connection to the internet provided by your mobile carrier. It stands for Data Connection Service.

A little vague. It also cannot be removed, they told me. And as the sense ui was constantly crashing I decided to install cyaogenmod. Best decision ever: not only is my data usage halved, the user interface is stable as a rock.

---
Tags: htc-desire-z, data-monitoring
---


# Question
Title: Phone will not vibrate for incoming text messages
No matter what I do, I can't get my phone to vibrate for text messages anymore.

I am running Cyanogenmod 7.1.0.

It vibrates for phone calls and for haptic feedback, so there's obviously nothing wrong with the hardware or notifications in general.

* Settings → Sound → Vibrate: Always
* Stock messaging app → Settings → Notification settings → Vibrate: Also vibrate when notified, Always, and Vibrate Pattern: Multiple short (which used to work)

I don't get it.

# Answer
I had a rom that failed to vibrate certain "very short duration vibrations" (or those of low strength vibrations). I am not sure if its just a hardware limitation of my phone or the rom in particular, but you could try an app like Handcent for now and play around the vibration settings in there. Handcent SMS allows you to fine tune the vibrations, adjust the intervals between each vibrations in milliseconds etc..
> 1 votes

# Answer
There's a workaround here that might work for you: Vibrate still not working for SMS/MMS notification
> 0 votes

# Answer
Do check the battery settings or profile settings as you might have selected the profile while is restricting the vibration notifications.

If still dosen't work it maybe due to some hardware fault ( assuming you have already checked the above settings ) but i would recommend flashing the ROM to customer CM7 roms and then check if you still have the same issue.

P.S.

You could try using the Hardware Reset Method also.
> -3 votes

---
Tags: sms, cyanogenmod, htc-desire-z, vibration
---


# Question
Title: If I do factory reset, set a different primary account, will I lose all the apps I already downloaded?
Assuming I purchased and downloaded a few apps, via the existing primary account from the Android Market:

If I do factory reset, then set a **different primary** gmail account, will I lose all the apps I already downloaded?

If not, what is really being erased when a factory reset is done?

# Answer
Yes, you will "lose" those apps, since they are tied to the Google account rather than to the device. As far as I know, there is no way to transfer a purchased app from one account to another.

A factory reset basically clears the `/data` partition.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: google-play-store, factory-reset
---


# Question
Title: 3G Connection Not Working on Samsung Galaxy S2
I have a Galaxy S2 that for some reason does not work when it's connected to a 3G network(or at least I think it's connected, there's a '3G' symbol next to my signal meter). When I say it doesn't work, I mean that I don't have any data connection what-so-ever. No internet, nothing.

When my phone is connected with the 'H+' symbol next to the signal meter then everything works perfectly. But the problem is that my phone is constantly trying to use 3G, which of course is useless.

**My phone details are:**

Model Number: GT-I9100

Android Version: 2.3.3

Baseband version: I9100XXKE7

Kernal Version: 2.6.35.7-I9100XWKF3-CL276555root@DELL101 #2

Build number: GINGERBREAD.XWKF3

If anyone has an idea why this would happen, please give me a shout. It's so frustrating having no data connection for the most of my day. Also if there's a way to just stop the phone completely from trying to connect/use a 3G connection. That would be great.

PS - I'm in South Africa and my carrier is 'Cell C'.

Thank in advance!

# Answer
Well, you could try going into Settings - Wireless and Networks - Mobile Networks - Tick use only 2G networks.

That will disable 3G connectivity.

If you wish to disable mobile data, then un-tick the mobile data option.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Airplane mode would kill the 3G connection.... but it would also kill the Wifi connection.

APNDroid can kill just the 3G connection.

As for the actual 3G problem... have you talked to your carrier? Does your phone have to know some sort of preferred roaming list that it is missing?
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, samsung-galaxy-s-2, 3g
---


# Question
Title: Angry birds loads, plays, but does not save
I have a TOMCAT with Android 2.3 Angry birds loads, plays, but does not save. When I restart it starts from the beginning and it does this from the first time.

# Answer
I recommend the basics - first try clearing the app's cache:

```
Settings > Applications > Manage Apps > All > Angry Birds > Clear Cache

```

Then if that doesn't work, try re-installing the program.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread
---


# Question
Title: Can I use tasker to turn LTE/4G mode on/off on my Droid Bionic?
I'd like to turn LTE on while I'm at work and off at home; I have the appropriate profiles, but I can't find an appropriate action. Is this something that could be done with an intent?

# Answer
I was hoping the "Wimax" or "Mobile Data 2G/3G" Net Actions would be what you need, but after looking around it doesn't look like Tasker supports 4G on/off switching. Per Tasker forum user Pent regarding this issue (on a different phone):

> > If this isn't currently a feature is there any way to implement it?
>
> It isn't and there's no 'official' way to implement it. I was hoping there would be something in ICS, but don't think there is after a quick scan.
>
> One day I'll have to do some research, but I prefer working on features that will still work going forwards and benefit everyone.
>
> Pent

Sorry for the bad news.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Why don't you just go to settings then wireless and networks then mobile networks and change it from both 4G LTE/CDMA to just CDMA when you get off work? Problem solved, check it out.
> -2 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, tasker, motorola-droid-bionic
---


# Question
Title: How can I download an MP3 to my phone instead of opening it in a music player?
I'm trying to download podcast MP3s to my phone so I can listen to them in my car. Ideally, I'd like to be able to Chrome-to-Phone them from my computer at home, and then choose to download and play them back from my device once I get in my car.

The problem is that when I send an MP3 URL to my phone, the browser only gives me the option of playing the audio directly in a media player. This is a really poor experience because it can't properly buffer the podcast file for smooth playback and it doesn't seem to allow me to play in the background.

I tried both Download All Files and using ASTRO's "Enable Browser Downloads". The screenshot above was taken with both apps installed. I've also tried using Google Listen to download podcasts, but I can never seem to use that without the download getting corrupted or the app crashing in some way.

Does anyone know what I need to do to be able to download MP3s instead of just playing them back immediately?

# Answer
Are you able to Chrome-to-Phone a page *containing* the link to the mp3 you want? If so, Dolphin (and most most every Android browser) will allow you to "save link as" (or similar) when you long-press on it. This will download the file instead of trying to play or stream it.

More cumbersome solutions include downloading the mp3 you want on your PC then transferring via Dropbox or syncing via doubleTwist (or even their AirSync for-pay feature). Doubletwist even has its own built in podcast features much like iTunes. BigCaseyDog's answer about Amazon MP3 would be a very similar alternative to Dropbox.

FWIW, I'm a Pocket Casts fan for the purposes of this very question - I was stuck with the same problem you describe until I fell in love with their download feature, among other things.
> 2 votes

# Answer
You could always upload the music to Amazon's free Cloud Player (included both online at www.amazon.com and in the Amazon MP3 app for Android) on your home computer. Then, download the Amazon MP3 app on your phone (if it's not already installed). Get it set up by typing in your Amazon account info, and sync in with your Cloud Drive, which lets you stream your music on your phone. Your music collection can either be streamed in the cloud, downloaded to the SD Card, or played with any media player on your phone.
> 0 votes

# Answer
The only way I've found to do this (without signing up for a new service) seems to be installing Opera Mobile. Opera has the ability to download files instead of just using Android's default Intents menu for MP3s.

According to comments in the original question, it looks like Android 4.0 can do this natively.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, cyanogenmod, downloading, mp3, samsung-epic-4g
---


title: How do I remove the search bar?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I remove the search bar?
On my Android 1.5 MID, there is a Google search bar in the main screen.

* Does this have any value to me if I don't use the Internet?
* How can I remove this from the main screen?

# Answer
> 12 votes
Long-press on the search bar; after a second or so, a trash can should appear at the top or bottom of the screen. Drag it to the trash can.
Alternatively, you could drag it to an open space on another screen by dragging it to the left or right edge of the screen. The screen will flip to the next panel and you can drop the widget on any open space large enough to contain it.

---
Tags: search, 1.5-cupcake
---


# Question
Title: When should I use the SD card to store data?
In what situations should I store data on my SD card? When it is best to put data on the internal flash? Is this simply used to expand the storage or are there some situations when using it for separate needs is important?

# Answer
In general, apps these days are built to put as much as possible on the SD card in order to save internal space. Some apps require being on the internal card for programming reasons, however. Generally speaking you can let them manage themselves.

Otherwise you should keep all your own media, etc on your SD card so as to keep the internal one free for things like system caches, etc.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: sd-card, internal-storage
---


# Question
Title: How can I detect Malware and/or viruses?
I'm buying a used Droid phone (Verizon) that has been rooted.

Is there anyway to scan it for viruses (and more importantly) malware? Or maybe even a firewall?

(I may be being overcautious).

---

Some preliminary research shows several malware apps. Well worth $1 or so.

I'd love any feedback on these.

```
Norton Mobile Security
Lookout Mobile Security
AVG / DroidSecurity Pro
Webroot Security
Trend Micro Mobile Security

```

# Answer
I use DroidWall for this purpose - it's a firewall with a whitelist or blacklist configuration. Also AVG Antivirus Free and Lookout for detecting virus and other malware.

Set DroidWall to Whitelist mode with log enabled, which disables internet access for all apps and services except the ones you explicitly allow. Then use the phone for a while, open up all the apps once, restart the phone (all this to give a malicious app a chance to get activated). Then, open DroidWall and view its log. You'll see all the apps which tried to access the internet and the IP addresses they tried to connect to.
> 4 votes

# Answer
First of I agree with @Lagos. You are buying a used phone, why not factory reset or install a new ROM?

Regarding Viruses and Malware, Chris DiBona, Open Source Programs Manager at Google, wrote the following on Google+:

> "Yes, virus companies are playing on your fears to try to sell you bs protection software for Android, RIM and IOS. They are charlatans and scammers."

It's up to you if you trust him or not but he should have some insight. And in you case it might be a bit different if you are staying with the custom ROM of course.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: security, malware
---


# Question
Title: How do I stop the 3g/4g radio from turning off?
When I watch youtube videos on my samsung epic 4g, most of the time when I click a video to watch it does the "Loading" spin gif animation forever, and I can see the little arrows on the 3g/4g symbol are off.

If I hit back and load again 3 - 5 times the arrows light up and the video acutally plays.

This is incredibly irritating.

Is there a way I can tell the phone to always keep the radio connection active while the charger is plugging in, or something like that?

Alternatively, does anyone know how if there is another way to fix this youtube issue?

Thanks so much, this is driving me crazy.

# Answer
> 4 votes
**If you see the 3G/4G symbol and the arrows are just *grey*, that just means that you have data connectivity but there is no send or receive activity at the moment.**

I guess you made an false assumption: The data radio is only off (deactivated) if you don't see the the symbol at all. Otherwise, if the symbol is there and the arrows are grey, your radio is on, but there is no traffic happening at the moment.

# Answer
> 4 votes
True network connectivity issues are usually pretty easy to identify as they would affect data to/from every app on the device. Are you also having trouble browsing the web, running speed tests, or streaming other types of video (like Netflix or other flash players)? Do you see the same issue on a stable WiFi connection?

If you're in an area where Sprint's Wimax coverage is spotty your phone might be switching back and forth between 2G/3G/4G trying to find the best connection - this could be the delay you're seeing. Even in areas with good 4G network coverage, some kinds of 4G radios can show inconsistent speed and reception results. If you disable Wimax/4G do videos load correctly? If you disable 3G as well?

This strikes me as a more app-specific problem. Does this occur with every YouTube video? Does changing the video quality ("HQ" button, top-right corner in landscape mode) change the symptoms? Check these areas, I suspect you'll find an operating mode that lets you view videos without frustrating delays.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Are you using a Battery saving app like Battery XL ?

If so, try to disable it, it caused me a lot of problems. Have you tried also to switch on Airplane mode and switch it back off and retry ?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Are you using the original YouTube app by Google? Alternatively, try using http://m.youtube.com using your stock browser.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, youtube, samsung-epic-4g
---


# Question
Title: Resistive Screen Zooming Option for PDF files
I'm looking to buy a resistive screen android tablet for reading PDFs. Is there an app that lets resistive tablets to zoom into the text for a PDF file? Or is their a specific resistive screen for it I heard there was a 2 point and 5 point but not entirely sure or are all resistive screens the same.Thanks.

# Answer
> 4 votes
Resistive touch and Capacitive touch will operate the apps the same way, the same way a laser and a mechanical mouse are two different technologies designed to do the same thing for the user. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, for instance try using your capacitive iphone screen with gloves or finger nails, it wont work. A capacitive screens are known to be more accurate in general, although some nokia n900 users would argue that point. If you are buying a cheap tablet, I would not expect a resistive screen to be as accurate or responsive as a capacitive screen used on most mainstream models out there.

You should be able to pan zoom even if the screen only supported "2 points" multitouch I wouldn't stress about that. All PDF viewers will be compatible its a matter of trying a few out for yourself one by one, probably start with the official Adobe PDF Reader and go from there, everyone will have different tastes in what they want from a pdf viewer app.

Keep reading if you are still interested, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreen#Technologies

---
Tags: touchscreen, pdf
---


# Question
Title: Android crashes after update unless I put another memory card
I have HTC Desire HD and installed an official update of the system: Android 2.3.5, HTC Sense 3.0, system 3.12.405.1.

After the update my phone runs very slowly and reboots every 2 minutes. If I remove the memory card it runs well. If I change the memory card to another empty one then everything is also good.

But I have a lot of apps and other data on that card and I don't want to format it.

I looked at a log, there are a lot of mistakes like this:

`W/ResourceType(13907): Failure getting entry for 0x7f0200df (t=1 e=223) in package 0 (error -2147483647)`

Link to the beginning of the log (250kb):

http://pastebin.com/P3zq0k5x

Full log (3.3Mb, phone rebooted several times while writting this log) is here:

http://file.karelia.ru/9kjwqz/

I don't understand anything in programming or Android. Can you help me? Maybe I should just remove one of the apps and problem would be solved?

# Answer
> 2 votes
I had a similar issue and resolved it easily enough by carefully reading the short messages that were regularly popping up on my screen informing me just what apps were causing my phone to "force close." In my case the culprit was the Volume+ app. As soon as I uninstalled Volume+ the phone was right as rain.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Sorry to hear your hassles however it is actually good news that your phone works well without the problem sd card. Since your phone runs like crap and reboots you may be forced to use a computer sd card reader to salvage what you can.

I hope someone can make sense of those log files, otherwise maybe mounting your sd card on a desktop pc and running scandisk for errors (depending on your platform). But I would backup all the data I could from it as soon as I could to your computer hd.

This is one of those times we hate computers and they remind us to back everything up 3 or four times ;) You can use apps like http://www.appbrain.com/ to make an online version of your apps. As for your data you could sync with a dropbox app or some other kind of sync app I use sftp on my linux desktop or cygwin ssh on windows with https://market.android.com/details?id=dk.tacit.android.foldersync.lite&feature=search\_result

Good luck

# Answer
> 0 votes
may be some apps is running from your SD card.

instead of internal memory. some of your application is stored in your memory card that's the reason.

apps like:

```
/mnt/asec/com.threebanana.notes-1/pkg.apk
/mnt/asec/com.mobillness.shakytower.full-1/pkg.apk
/mnt/asec/kr.sira.measure-2/pkg.apk
/mnt/asec/com.droidhen.irunner-1/pkg.apk

```

. . .

---
Tags: external-sd, crashes, htc-desire-hd
---


# Question
Title: How can I disable the Android Market temporarily?
My kids play games on my tablet, and I would like to **disable the Android Market and in-app purchasing for the duration of their use of the device**.

Is there any option, third-party software or any other way to stop my kids from buying stuff inside their games or installing any software?

I understand that I can remove credit card info from the account, but since that device is used by me most of the time, this is too cumbersome. I also don't want to stop Internet connectivity since some games are Flash games in the browser.

# Answer
> 6 votes
In the Market settings you can add a PIN to protect purchases; that should lock them out effectively enough. I don't know of anything offhand to prevent *all* installs, though. I would assume you'd need to be rooted for an app to intercept and prevent install attempts.

If you are rooted, you could use something like Titanium Backup to back and uninstall the Market, then reinstall it when your kids are done. That might be cumbersome as well though.

# Answer
> 3 votes
The Kids Place app (free) permits you to set up a locked screen with just the apps your kids are permitted to play; just make certain that Market is not one of those apps.

---
Tags: google-play-store, asus-eee-pad-transformer, 3.2-honeycomb
---


# Question
Title: Recovery Mode Fails on Samsung Galaxy i7500L
I'm trying these steps to root my Samsung Galaxy i7500L.

When I get to step 9, recovery mode, I just see a yellow exclaimation-mark icon over a phone icon. I can reset my phone to OEM settings, but I can't see any menu or enable SU/Root.

I tried copying the rectools.tar.gz to my root folder (I assume this is the folder that opens as a drive when you plug in to your PC via USB and select "open files/folder" -- I think you need Mass Storage mode enabled though). Is that the right place?

Also, even if I reset and then just run straight recovery (without running fastboot to flash first), I see the same screen.

What am I missing?

# Answer
For some reason you're not successfully replacing the stock recovery (the "yellow exclaimation-mark icon over a phone icon") with the new one they instruct you to download. Step 7 is key:

> 7) Type `fastboot flash recovery recovery.img`

This is where they have you 'flash' (copy/format) the modified recovery over the stock recovery. Is this step working for you? Simply copying the 'RECTOOLS.tar.gz' to your device's storage or SD card isn't sufficient.

On a separate note, have you investigated other means of rooting your device besides manually flashing via ADB? My favorite guide is Lifehacker's, and if I read it right you might simply be able to use SuperOneClick.

In any event, as always, tread lightly and read carefully.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: rooting, recovery-mode, samsung-galaxy-i7500
---


# Question
Title: How to tether lg optimus v without rooting
I am trying to create a wifi access point (hotspot) from my virgin mobile Optimus v to provide internet access.

It looks like there are several options if I root it but I'd rather not root it.

Bluetooth would be an acceptable alternative.

# Answer
Found a few options. The easiest seems to be : **QuickSettings** (free, works on an unrooted Droid, including Optimus V, reviewed here.). It did reveal the Wifi Hotspot setting so I could turn it on, but it didn't work. After more investigation this seems to be a limitation of Virgin Mobile (not allowing Tethering).

k
> 1 votes

# Answer
ClockworkMod Tether works for sharing your phone's connection with a PC, even if your carrier blocks tethering, without root.
> 2 votes

# Answer
You can use PDANet to do Bluetooth tethering.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: tethering
---


# Question
Title: How to sync with iTunes acting as an iPOD
Is it possible, and what is the best / best free way to sync iTunes to an Android device, having all the music transferred that would be transferred to an iPod?

Is it possible to have more transferred?

---

The main purpose is to transport the files from a mac to a windows machine so we can process it there, playing experience on the device is secondary.

We have music from many sources, in many formats, inside/outside of the library folder. Some are not stored but streamed from the Internet when we play them.

(When we try to burn CD's, or export with some app, typically only a few files are exported)

# Answer
> 2 votes
I do not think there is a way android will work on itunes natively. I would suggest look at media players that sync with the itunes program itself I have not tried this but http://www.winamp.com has this feature for a while and is free. Its also mac http://www.winamp.com/mac OS X 10.6 and above

http://blog.winamp.com/2010/11/30/sync-your-itunes-library-to-android-with-winamp/

The media you talked about that is streaming will hopefully be synced into winamp through playlists, however if this does not work that is a whole other question and may be different from stream to stream.

http://www.clementine-player.org/ is a good free opensource alternative for windows etc that syncs with android players quitewell and has many streaming features built in.

If your itunes is stuck on a powerpc you might not have a choice but to backup your itunes library and restore it to another computer. So on your itunes on your old powerpc backup the library to some removable media to restore on your windows itunes http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1382?viewlocale=en\_US there are also other methods here http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527 it all depends on your setup and needs.

# Answer
> 3 votes
**DoubleTwist** lets you sync your phone's music library with your music on your computer from iTunes (and Windows Media Player as well, I believe) either by plugging it into your computer's USB port, or by syncing wirelessly over-the-air (though the wireless feature costs a little bit). You can find it at http://www.doubletwist.com/ and in the Android Market at https://market.android.com/details?id=com.doubleTwist.androidPlayer.

Another option is to sync your collection wirelessly using **Google Music**, though you can only *stream* your music using it, or download it and play it only using the Music app (cannot be played by other media players on your phone). Google Music is free (for up to something like 20,000 songs) and it backs up all your music that you have on your computer (or that you purchase from the Android Market) both to your phone and your computer.

---
Tags: itunes
---


# Question
Title: My Epic Touch 4G can only boot into Odin mode
Installed ClockworkMod via ROM Manager, selected reboot into recovery via manager and the phone only boots into "Android System Recovery" now. OK button doesn't work to select "reboot now", though long depress does what it should.

I just flashed the EG30 tar file (see comments) successfully, but it booted back into "Android system recovery" again and the ok button will not select on "reboot system now" but long long depress will reboot it... back into recovery though. Any ideas on how I can get the phone to start up properly?

# Answer
My first instinct is to say the partitions are messed up. I would try using the "shipped ROM" from here and re-partitioning via Odin. I found the .pit file here.
> 3 votes

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


# Question
Title: How can I restore the display of the battery status on the lockscreen?
I have a Samsung Galaxy Fit - GT S5670 model. When I charge the battery, there used be a percentage on the pattern screen. Somehow it is not showing now. All it is showing the word "Charging" but no numbers. Any ideas how can I get back the percentage status?

# Answer
> 2 votes
I have noticed that when I connect my phone with high voltage socket for charging it always shows charging percentage, but when I use a low voltage socket(using extension box, spike or similar things) it shows only "charging".

# Answer
> 0 votes
Open the Phone app. Tap the number `*#*#4636#*#*` Before you can hit Dial, a screen with some info will pop up, including an option for Battery Info. Tap that and it will list.

source: Droid Incredible

---
Tags: lock-screens, charging, samsung-galaxy-fit
---


# Question
Title: Sync issues Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 on MS Exchange mail account
My MS Echange mail sync won't work properly on my Samsung 10.1 Tab.

It shows two flaws - whatever I try:

1. INBOX Mail sync is simply not complete. On Push, Manual or Timed delivery I will nog get all my mail in.
2. In my INBOX a lot of "empty mails" appear, dated 1-1-1970, the beginning of computer time. I simply delete them, but since they do not appear in my corporate email account or on the phone, they must be due to sync errors.

Interesting background input is that I also have a Samsung Galaxy SII Phone, looking at the same mailserver and account and this perfectly gets all email in on the Phone. It looks at the same Exchange sever using the same details in settings. So it obviously can't have anything to do with Exchange, but is has to do something with the Galaxy Tab. Or am I very wrong?

The tabmodel is GT-P7500, Android 3.2, kernel 2.6.36.3 The phone model is GT-I9100, Android 2.3.4, kernel 2.6.35.7.

Please help - I'm getting no response from Samsung and can't find a clue on the net yet. Thanx in advance!! Rob.

# Answer
> 1 votes
It maybye does make any sense but firmware update buildnummmer htj85b p7510xwkl1, fixes this problem on Android 3.2. Because we are based in The Netherlands and the original question also originated from here, i think a localization problem????

# Answer
> 0 votes
You must update the firmware of the Galaxy Tab. We had the same problem on a tab with Android 3.2, but not on one with 3.1. After we did the firmware update the problem was fixed.

Dré

---
Tags: sync, email, exchange, samsung-galaxy-tab-10
---


title: Is the Google TV platform Free?

text:
# Question
Title: Is the Google TV platform Free?
I know you can use Android free but is it possible to do the same with Google TV?

Let's say I want to build a box myself and use Google TV, do I need to negotiate with Google?

# Answer
> 5 votes
From the Developer's FAQ for Google TV:

> **Can I download Google TV? When will it be open sourced?**
>
> You can't download Google TV itself, but Google TV hardware manufacturers provide over-the-air (OTA) updates. We are working hard to open source the code for the Google TV project.

So, as it hasn't been open sourced (yet), and Google specifically say that you can't download it, it looks like you're going to have to negotiate directly with them.

---
Tags: google-tv
---


# Question
Title: Should I do the factory reset? If yes, what will I lose?
My HTC Desire S is working fine when I don't put my micro SD card in it (this card was free with the phone). But the phone keeps restarting every few minutes if I keep the memory card in it. By that, I could say that the phone is fine, but the issue can be either with the memory card or the phone not supporting memory card anymore. The phone and memory card worked completely fine for 8 months.

The thing is, if the same memory card is inserted in any other mobile, be it an Android or any other smartphone, that phone will not restart and the data is completely readable too. So, the memory card is fine. When I insert some other memory card on my phone, then my phone does not restart too. So that means the issue is with *my phone & that particular memory card* combo.

I am ready to uninstall each and every app from my phone, but will that solve my problem? Should I perform the factory reset? Will it solve my issue? What will I lose if will do the factory reset? Like: contacts, SMS, call logs, APN settings, etc. Any free software to backup all these?

But maybe I am going in the wrong direction. Maybe there is some easy way to get the phone and memory card working.

# Answer
Doing a factory reset *will not* modify the SD card in any way. Only the data on the phone will be deleted. Contacts that are set up to sync with your Google account will restore, but everything else will be gone.

If you have applications installed on the SD card, I would start there. Uninstall them, or move them back to the device storage. You say that it only crashes when it is in your phone, and not any other Android phone. This would make me think there is probably an app installed on the SD card for your phone. You also said that it doesn't reboot when a different card is in your phone, again leading me to believe that there could be an app that is installed to the SD card that is causing problems.

If you think there is something in your data that is causing the issue, then backing up the data with Titanium Backup will just restore any "issue" that there is.

If you think the problem is with the data on the SD card, then you can format it under storage in settings.

I would also consider the SD card itself could have issues. The SD cards that come with the devices are very cheap cards and usually one of the slower class type of SD card. I have had a few of them last only a couple of months before. I suggest getting a better SD card, one that is at least a class 6. If you have a slower class card, this could also potentially cause issues with some applications.
> 5 votes

# Answer
First, to answer one question simply, yes you will lose all of your data by doing a factory reset unless you back it up.

If you feel a factory reset is necessary, I would use a program like Titanium Backup to backup your data. This is if you are rooted.

As for the issue with your SD card, it could be a number of things. You said that it worked fine for 8 months - is there an app you installed recently that may be the cause of the problem? Something that didn't run properly when you first opened it? Or an app that has issues while running.
> 2 votes

# Answer
According to your explanation:

* The memory card works fine on other devices
* Your phone reads other memory cards just fine
* It's when they work together that it fails

You installed an app on your phone. This app was moved to the memory card either by you or another 3rd-party software, and this app is having memory consumption issues.

1. Go into the card and check all those "weird" folders like `com.android.mapguide` and the like and make a list of them
2. Remove the card and go to Manage Applications
    1. Make a note of the application on the list
    2. Uninstall the applications on the list
    3. Move the folders and files on the list to another media
3. Insert your card, the device *should* work
4. One-by-one reinstall the apps one at a time, writing down what you did and restarting the phone between installs

The data on one of the files/folders were creating the bug, but because you removed the files and folders from your phone.
> 1 votes

# Answer
You could always format your SD card.

If your phone is rooted, it might have an attachment to your SD card that's causing the issue.
> 0 votes

# Answer
Before you do a factory reset and lose some data, it may be more important to find out why your phone resets and fix this.

You can try to attach a debug-logger to the phone and watch in the debug log what happens before the restart. If you are lucky, the debug log contains a hint of what caused the reboot. If you donot know what "attach a debug-logger" means ask some android software-developper in you neighborhood for help.

I think there is one file on the SD card (or an error in the filesystem of the card) that causes the reboot. Maybe the media scanner crashes because of an invalid MP3 or video file.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: external-sd, factory-reset, reboot, htc-desire-s
---


# Question
Title: When is a free app removed from your google account?
I install a free app from android market, then I uninstall it. Then I still see it linked to my google account. But after some time, the app is no more linked to my account. Other apps instead are always present under the "Not installed" category... When is an app unlinked from an account?

# Answer
Only the paid apps you've purchased will be listed under the "Not installed" category indefinitely. I believe it takes a few hours (or sometimes days) for the Market app to sync with Google servers to refresh the list of installed apps.
> 4 votes

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


# Question
Title: How can I access my Google Reader entries offline?
I am without a mobile internet plan on my smartphone, hence I am looking for a way to, whenever I'm on wifi, download my Google Reader entries for me to read offline on the road.

I don't mind installing a third-party app, even if it costs a few bucks.

# Answer
I've used two such apps, and they both work.

I suspect that Newsrob will let you save more articles offline, but am not sure.
> 3 votes

# Answer
I would start with gReader, which is a very nice unofficial Google Reader app. It supports offline syncing (and can default to only sync on wifi), and multiple other options to customize it (update intervals, number of items to sync, full page/content only/content with images).

If you like it, there is a paid version gReader Pro which removes advertisements and has some additional features.
> 3 votes

# Answer
I snatched Read it Later Pro last month during the Christmas promos on the Market. There's also a free version as well, if you want to try it without paying. You can easily download the entries from Google Reader -- select "Share" and then choose "Add to Read it Later" from Google Reader. It will then snatch the whole webpage and even apply some formatting to make it easy to read. I don't think you can do this automatically for all your feeds though -- you will have to do it separately one by one for each item.

However, if you install the Read it Later addon for Firefox on your desktop computer (not sure if there's one for Chrome), you can quickly mark all the entries you are interested in (there's a special bookmark icon in Google Reader's web interface), and they will appear later on your device when you refresh your reading list.

Additionally, there's an option in Reader to synchronize your frequently read feeds for every hour offline access, but I haven't used this in particular. There doesn't seem to be an option to control when feeds are downloaded, and which ones in particular.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: offline, google-reader
---


# Question
Title: My Device Keeps Rebooting (LogCat attached)
For some reason, after I changed my device's battery. It just keeps rebooting and here's a LogCat of the error:

```
E/JavaBinder( 1305): *** Uncaught remote exception!  (Exceptions are not yet supported across processes.)
E/JavaBinder( 1305): java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException: length=5; index=6
E/JavaBinder( 1305):    at com.android.internal.os.BatteryStatsImpl.updateAllPhoneStateLocked(BatteryStatsImpl.java:1907)
E/JavaBinder( 1305):    at com.android.internal.os.BatteryStatsImpl.notePhoneSignalStrengthLocked(BatteryStatsImpl.java:1937)
E/JavaBinder( 1305):    at com.android.server.am.BatteryStatsService.notePhoneSignalStrength(BatteryStatsService.java:211)
E/JavaBinder( 1305):    at com.android.server.TelephonyRegistry.broadcastSignalStrengthChanged(TelephonyRegistry.java:564)
E/JavaBinder( 1305):    at com.android.server.TelephonyRegistry.notifySignalStrength(TelephonyRegistry.java:325)
E/JavaBinder( 1305):    at com.android.internal.telephony.ITelephonyRegistry$Stub.onTransact(ITelephonyRegistry.java:95)
E/JavaBinder( 1305):    at android.os.Binder.execTransact(Binder.java:338)
E/JavaBinder( 1305):    at dalvik.system.NativeStart.run(Native Method)

```

# Answer
Almost everything in the full logcat is an error. I would suggest going a full wipe of Data & Cache and then reinstall your custom ROM. There is no way to know for sure that the part you posted in the original question is the one causing the reboot. They system rebooting may not allow the actual app that is causing it to write to the logcat.

You are hiving errors in everything from Telephony to the Installer. It sounds like there is something in the system that is causing a problem, See if clearing the Data and Cache fixes it, especially if you never cleared it before switching from one ROM to another.

---

Based on your comment that you have tried clearing the cache and data, i would suggest then to try and clear the battery stats. This can be done in Clockwork Recovery, I think there are apps in the market that can do it too, but I dont know if you can get to those as your device is rebooting all the time.

If that doesn't solve it, I would try a different battery because if you have cleared the cache and data and also tried multiple ROMs and still have the same problem, then it sounds like faulty hardware.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: logging, battery, reboot
---


title: Android Market: Comments not consistent

text:
# Question
Title: Android Market: Comments not consistent
I've noticed that for each app i see different comments if i'm going from the web version or mobile version of the market althought I click "Read All User Reviews" on both.

Have you also noticed this?

What is the reason?!

App: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.vodafone.mCare

Web Version: http://d.pr/WJz5 (Logged with my Google Account)

Mobile Version: http://d.pr/ldxN (Logged with other Google Account)

Ps: Nevermind the language, it's portuguese, it's an example.

**UPDATE:**

I've confirmed it has to do with the Google account that you'r logged in. But what are the criteria?! Shouldn't we all see the same?! (at least if we're not the app owner).

# Answer
Ok. I found a even more strange thing. The differences are **due to the language**.

If I set my browser language to portuguese suddently I see all the comments that I saw on the other account (that I was seeing on an Android device set to Portuguese). This is very strange as all comments are written in Portuguese. I haven't discovered yet how they associate the language to the comment...

My **guess**:

Comments are only visible on the language that they are added. For example: (this is a guess)

* If i add a comment with my browser in Portuguese, only people with browsers/devices in Portuguese will see it

Shouldn't the market show all anyway, with somekind of language filter (our language vs all) or use Google Translate to translate all from the start?

*Does anyone else has a clue about this?!*
> 4 votes

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


# Question
Title: Disable syncing of contact that belongs to multiple groups
I have few Contact Groups.

**Friends**
**Coworkers**
**Schoolmates**

With someone whom I haven't communicated in many years, I add an additional group called **Archived**. So, for example, a person can be in multiple groups like **Friends** and **Archived**. Is there a way I disable syncing contacts to the Android device, which has the **Archived** group, but sync all other entries?

What I see is:
if the contact has only the **Archived** group attached to it,
=== then I can disable syncing that contact.
But if the contact has any other group present, along with the **Archived** group,
=== then I do not know how to disable it.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You could look at this the other way around and create another group called "not archived" or "active" or something like that, and put all of the contacts that you do want to appear on the phone in that group.

Then you could just sync this group to the phone (and don't select "Friends" "Family" or anything else to sync) and it should work.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I don't think you can stop contacts from syncing, even by group, but you can select what groups to display (well, this may depend on your device and the version of android). And if you can "stop syncing" for specific contacts/groups, I think that just "hiding them" and letting them to continue to sync is a better option, then you don't have a black hole of contacts that never get updated on your device.

If I go in to Contacts -\> Menu -\> Display Options

Here you can select what groups display in your contacts, but still sync them all. So when you decide to start talking to this person that you "archived", you go in to the contact and move them to somewhere that is visible.

Now if you have "Friends" displayed, and "Archived" not, and a person is in both, they will be displayed.

---
Tags: contacts, sync
---


title: What are the benefits of 2G+3G mode?

text:
# Question
Title: What are the benefits of 2G+3G mode?
Some of the advanced power control widgets or 2G/3G switching widgets allow the following options for the radio mode:

* 2G
* 3G only
* 2G+3G

What are the benefits of 2G+3G over running 3G only? Are there any drawbacks?

# Answer
If you choose 3G only, you have no connectivity if you are in an area where no 3G is available. With 2G+3G, the phone will fallback to 2G if it can't get a 3G connection.
> 8 votes

# Answer
2G+3G is not recommended if you're in an area with spotty 3G coverage, as a radio switching back and forth will drain the battery much quicker. This is the major reason this widget option exists, to allow users to switch between 2G and 2G+3G on the fly.
> 4 votes

# Answer
when traveling with trains in germany "2g+3g" does not work for www for my phone. when setting to "2g only" i have a much better chance to get the www altough its very slow then but enough to read text.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: 3g, cellular-radio, 2g
---


# Question
Title: How to solve "insufficent space on the device" error on Samsung Captivate
I have a Samsung Captivate, running the stock Froyo ROM, rooted. When I try to install a large app from the Market, I get the error "insufficent space on the device", for apps of ~40 MB, with 700+MB free. I first noticed it with "Jelly Defense" on Google's Christmas-week sale, but you can see it for yourself if you try the free "Reiner Knizia's Labyrinth" which is also quite large.

This is a common problem -- just Google it and you'll see dozens of posts around the Internet going back almost a year. From those posts, I've tried two free apps that are supposed to help, "Market Fix" and "Cache Fixer", but neither has done the trick yet. As I understand it, both are supposed to re-mount /cache as a loopback file on the SD card. I don't know why they don't work. If anybody has fixed this specifically on the i9000 series (SGS1, Captivate, Fascinate, etc), please let me know how!

# Answer
> 2 votes
Always the way, innit? 5 minutes after I ask, I stumble across this. It's not super elegant but its success is in its simplicity. Simply replace the dedicated /cache partition with a link to the internal SD card, and Bob's your uncle. Has to be repeated on reboot, so not perfect, but way better than not installing at all!

# Answer
> 1 votes
The reason you're getting that error is because your /datadata cache is filling up. The way I solved it on my phone was to get the MarketFix app from the market, and run that. It's a small app, so you shouldn't have any trouble downloading it. This probably does the same thing you found, but you only have to run it once.

---
Tags: google-play-store, cache
---


# Question
Title: Can I buy the Samsung official extended battery for the UK Galaxy Nexus?
Samsung have released an extended battery for the US Galaxy Nexus. I know the US and EU versions have a slightly different shape, so was wondering if this extended battery would fit my UK Galaxy Nexus? Or if there's a version which would fit?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Engadget has a great comparison shot of the battery differences between the HSPA+ and LTE versions in their review of the Verizon (LTE) Galaxy Nexus. The short answers seems to be 'no'; the link you provided is to an extended battery for the LTE Galaxy Nexus and therefore wouldn't be compatible with your HSPA+ version.

---
Tags: battery, samsung-galaxy-nexus
---


title: How do I root my Kindle Fire?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I root my Kindle Fire?
There are a half-dozen or so questions on the Kindle Fire here where the answers involve having already rooted your device (including my recently-asked How can I get the Android Market installed on my Kindle Fire?). Ok, fine - doing dodgy stuff requires dodgy prep work. But... *How?*

I checked The Master List of Rooting Techniques, and found SuperOneClick suggested as the solution for the Fire... But as pleasant as this sounds, in practice this seemingly-easy-to-use tool proves inadequate: the device has been updated to break the technique it uses.

So what's the story (morning glory)? Am I stuck using the device *the way it was intended to be used* (shudder)? If not, what *arcane magick* will free me from these chains of conformity?

# Answer
You can use Kindle Fire Utility to easily get root and Market with Google Apps.

It has support for the latest Kindle Fire firmware (6.2.1 currently).
> 5 votes

# Answer
*BurritoRoot* seems to be the way to go for root on the Kindle Fire. I rooted mine with this tool and then installed TWRP to get ICS on the Fire.

BurritoRoot is a simple .apk that needs to be installed. Rooting itself is then easy as with SuperOneClick. **Here are the resources for BurritoRoot:**

---

Once you have root access, Amazon's Prime video service will lock you out of downloading or watching streaming video. Installing OTA RootKeeper will let you remove root when it's not needed, and allow video to work.
> 11 votes

---
Tags: rooting, amazon-kindle-fire
---


# Question
Title: How can I get the Android Market installed on my Kindle Fire?
There are a couple of apps I'd like to install that aren't available in Amazon's store. Is there a way I can get the normal Android Market app set up on this thing, so I can get apps (and updates for those apps...) without involving Amazon?

# Answer
You can use Kindle Fire Utility to easily get root and Market with Google Apps.

It would automatically perform steps described in the above answers and even more.
> 6 votes

# Answer
You can set up the Market on a Fire, but **only** if you have root by doing the following (guide originally from this XDA thread):

> **Prerequisites**
>
> Root your Kindle Fire
>
> Download the following apks
> GoogleServicesFramework.apk
> Vending.apk (Latest Version 3.3.11)
> See HERE for .apk downloads (complete GApps zip file)
>
> Root Explorer App (or similar that lets you change ro/rw permissions)
>
> Side Loading Apps activated on Kindle Fire On the Kindle Fire Settings screen, go to “Device” and turn On “Allow Installation of Application From Unknown Sources”
>
> Instructions
>
> 1. Transfer the .apk files to your Kindle Fire via PC / Mac (remember where you put them)
> 2. Open Root Explorer App, and navigate to the transferred .apk files
> 3. Select the GoogleServiceFramework.apk and install
> 4. When complete, click "Done" and return to the file location for Vending.apk
> 5. Long-press Vending.apk and select the "Move" option on pop-up menu Navigate to /system/app folder
> 6. Change mount option from RO to RW (read-only to read-write) Paste Vending.apk into the /system/app folder
> 7. Long-press Vending.apk and select "Permissions" from pop-up menu Change permissions to match all other apps in this folder (rw-r--r--)
> 8. Install Vending.apk
> 9. Reboot your Kindle Fire

You can also use `adb` instead of a file manager to perform all of these steps. Simply use `adb install <apk>` to install an apk file. To move Vending.apk to `/system/app` you'd probably need to first push it to the sdcard (`adb push Vending.apk /sdcard`) and then copy it over from a root shell (`cp /sdcard/Vending.apk /system/app`). When changing permissions you would need to use `chmod 0644 /system/app/Vending.apk` from a root shell. To remount the system partition as read/write you would need to execute

```
mount -o rw,remount /dev/block/platform/mmci-omap-hs.1/by-name/system /system

```

from a root shell.

After performing the above steps the Market won't appear in your apps list or on your carousel. You can work around this by either installing a 3rd party launcher or by using the Market Opener app, which basically just bootstraps it.
> 11 votes

# Answer
eldarerathis's answer got me going on the right track... Since I already had the Android SDK installed on my Windows PC, I configured it to recognize the Fire:

* Edit `*<sdk location>*\extras\google\usb_driver\android_winusb.inf` to add the following to the `[Google.NTx86]` and `[Google.NTamd64]` sections:

```
;Kindle Fire
%SingleAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_1949&PID_0006
%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_1949&PID_0006&MI_01

```

Then plug in the Kindle, and update the driver.
* Edit `%USERPROFILE%\.android\adb_usb.ini` to add the following line:

```
0x1949

```

Then restart the adb server: `adb kill-server`

Then rooted the device, and ran the following commands to push the market onto it:

```
adb root
adb remount
adb push GoogleServicesFramework.apk /system/app/GoogleServicesFramework.apk
adb push Vending.apk /system/app/Vending.apk

```

Finally threw on that handy Market Opener app eldarerathis pointed out, launched it, logged into my Google account, and away I went...
> 5 votes

---
Tags: google-play-store, amazon-kindle-fire
---


title: Swype for Kindle Fire?

text:
# Question
Title: Swype for Kindle Fire?
Now that the latest update has been pushed, is there a way to install Swype on the Kindle Fire without rooting it?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Still no way without root. (

But I'll post some quick links for root users.

The old method (need to edit settings.db with SQLite Database Browser): http://blog.pathany.com/2011/12/swype-on-kindle-fire.html

New easier methods:

\[Guide\] Get Swype working without having to edit settings.db

Four simple steps to use alternative keyboards

With Kindle Fire Utility it's rather easy to obtain and revert root.

---
Tags: swype, amazon-kindle-fire
---


title: Kindle Fire: Google Services Framework

text:
# Question
Title: Kindle Fire: Google Services Framework
So I rooted my fire using Burrito Root.

The SuperUser app was available once that was complete. I got a version of Google Services Framework from http://code.google.com/p/androidmarketu/downloads/list

When I try to install the Google Services Framework, it tries to install it but then it says "Not Installed".

I have the Allow Other Applications set to ON.

I don't wish to change the stock ROM. All I need is the Google Talk application to work on the Kindle Fire.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Kindle Fire Utility provides an easy and automated way to get root, Android Market with other Google Apps including Google Services Framework.

Alternatively, you can use quite nice imo messenger to connect to GTalk, Skype, etc even with no root.

---
Tags: amazon-kindle-fire, google-apps
---


# Question
Title: Unable to install any application on my android phone
I am an absolute newbie on the android scene, recently I purchased a cheap android phone.Unbranded,chinese make. Mainly to experiment. I am trying to install the apps but it simply won't allow me to add anything . Not even a bigger Phone book.

The menu system - settings-\> Applications is simply not there. I have downloaded the .apk's from the computer ,but it simply will not allow me to place it anywhere. I am getting the reply "unsupported media". Why is this and how do I work around it?

I shall be grateful for any help.And what is a T-flash Card?

# Answer
I'm wondering if this isn't a knockoff Android with a different OS that is skinned to look like Android, or one that's running some kind of weird custom ROM. There are a huge number of "Android" tablets and phones coming out of China lately; some are legit and some aren't. If you look at sites like dealextreme.com, you'll see some pretty wild stuff.

If it's an actual Android phone, the contacts can be synced from a Gmail account, or manually added in Contacts. Unless the phone has a SIM card and you're saving contacts directly to the SIM, you won't really run into a hard limit on phonebook entries. The small phonebook, the "unsupported media" error and the missing Applications menu makes me a little suspicious that the phone might not be what it seems.

I would be extremely interested to see some pictures of the phone if possible. Aside from general interest (I'm sort of a knockoff phone enthusiast, if there is such a thing), maybe some photos would help us figure out what type of phone it is and whether or not you'll be able to load any apps on it somehow.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: installation
---


title: How to monitor Wi-Fi usage?

text:
# Question
Title: How to monitor Wi-Fi usage?
Is it possible to monitor Wi-Fi usage in a similar method to how 3g watchdog monitors 3G usage? I have android 2.2 on my phone. I doesn't need to do everything 3G watchdog does, all I need to see is how much data I am using.

# Answer
> 8 votes
Netcounter can monitor both cellular data and wifi usage levels.

# Answer
> 4 votes
My Data Manager also does a great job.

Tracks wifi and cellular down to the app level. You can have it warn you when you are near a data cap. You can set it up to track by calendar month or by your billing cycle.

It has a widget as well as a notification bar item.

I used it to track down my runaway data usage (Doggcatcher) on my phone as well as a build.prop error causing huge data usage on my son's MIUI Incredible.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Take a look at DU Meter for Android. DU Meter can show current network transfer rates in the notification area, it includes a home screen widget which displays daily or monthly data usage, etc.

Disclaimer: I'm the author of DU Meter.

# Answer
> 0 votes
For more options, you can also try Traffic Monitor; it monitors both cellular and wifi usage as well. And you can also check usage per app.

---
Tags: wi-fi, data-monitoring
---


# Question
Title: Why does Google+ Messenger deliver messages with long delays?
Google+ Messenger conversations are supposed to take place in real time. Yet when I use Messenger with the Google+ app for my Nexus S Android 2.3.6 phone via 3G (Vodafone IT), the messages I send or receive from others are often delivered with delays ranging from a few tens of minutes to a few hours.

Does Messenger require push notifications, i.e. setting the Settings -\> Accounts & sync settings -\> Background data checkbox?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Google+ Messenger does require the Background data checkbox to receive messages/updates while it's not the active app. However your messages should be sent instantly since the app would be active then.

Are you experiencing delays with other messengers using background data as well? e.g. WhatsApp

A good discussion about background data, sync etc can be read here

---
Tags: google-plus, chat
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to list the local dns cache?
I would like to get a list of my current cache on my phone, what is the command to issue in order to retrieve that list ?

I would like to get a command and not an app that does that, since i want to incorporate that command into a script that i am write.

Thanks.

# Answer
In Android, the DNS Cache is not on the OS level (Linux), but on the Java level (managed by java.net.InetAddress). Therefore, it is not possible to list the cache contents from the shell, however you can access it from the Java code.

Please see Java DNS cache viewer question on StackOverflow, one of the answers has a sample Java code that prints the positive and negative DNS cache. You can incorporate that code into whatever solution you're building.
> 9 votes

---
Tags: shell, cache, dns
---


title: How do I start/join a G+ Hangout?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I start/join a G+ Hangout?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> How to start a Google+ Hangout from android/mobile phone?

I recently got a Galaxy Nexus. The commercials for it tout the ability to do Hangouts with G+ Friends. When I start up G+ Messenger, a few things:

1. I don't see any list of online friends from my circles. How am I supposed to start a chat with someone if I don't know who is online and who is offline?
2. I started a conversation with a friend (who ended up being offline even though I couldn't tell). He later replied to me. I couldn't figure out how to start a Hangout with him. I've seen screenshots where there is a video chat icon at the top in conversations. But I don't see this icon in my Galaxy Nexus...
3. Should I be able to see a list of hangouts that I can join somewhere? If my friends started a hangout, how would I join it unless I was specifically invited to it?

It seems like this shouldn't be so complicated. The interface certainly isn't complicated, so maybe I'm missing something?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Make sure you have updated to the newest version of the G+ app. You should have version 2.3.1.242969 that came out yesterday.

From there you need to go to messenger and find the person you want to hangout with and send them a message. Once you send them a message you will see a hangout icon appear in the top right corner. See here for more information.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You may tell whether your contacts are online by checking their online status via Google Talk. The online marker should be green (online and active) or orange (online but idle), but not gray (offline).

---
Tags: google-plus, google-hangouts
---


# Question
Title: How to start a Google+ Hangout from android/mobile phone?
So Google just released a new version of the Google+ app that has Hangout support. **But how do I start a Hangout on my mobile phone?**

# Answer
> 3 votes
It's a bummer but currently you can't. You can only join a hangout from the phone. From the Google+ help:

On Hangouts for mobile, you have the ability to:

* Join a hangout

You can't currently:

* Start a hangout
* Invite people to join a hangout

(The January 2012 update of the Google+ app changed this, however.)

# Answer
> 7 votes
That is actually not true. As of yesterday you can. Here are the instructions.

Make sure you have updated to the newest version of the G+ app. You should have version 2.3.1.242969 that came out yesterday.

From there you need to go to messenger and find the person you want to hangout with and send them a message. Once you send them a message you will see a hangout icon appear in the top right corner. See here for more information.

---
Tags: google-plus, google-hangouts
---


# Question
Title: Activating swap at boot with an init.d script?
I have a rom that supports swap, but the swap script is missing.

How would i make that swap script manually?

I.E: What code would be in the file /etc/init.d/07swapon?

# Answer
How about this?

```
Open a console, navigate to the android SDK tools folder.
Type "adb mount /system", without the quotes doh!
Type "adb shell".
At the shell copy paste the following commands one by one and press enter after pasting them.
echo "#!/system/bin/sh" > /system/etc/init.d/05userinit
echo "swapon -a" >> /system/etc/init.d/05userinit
echo "/dev/block/mmcblk0p3 swap swap" >> /system/etc/fstab
chmod +x /system/etc/init.d/05userinit
chmod g-w /system/etc/init.d/05userinit
chmod o-w /system/etc/init.d/05userinit
chmod g-w /system/etc/fstab
chmod o-w /system/etc/fstab
exit

Now you are back at the normal command prompt, type "adb reboot".
Device will reboot, when its done open a terminal and type "free".
It should show swap space allocated.

And with some programs in memory you can see swap being used:

adb shell
free
total used free shared buffers
Mem: 407860 399940 7920 0 872
Swap: 249596 16596 233000
Total: 657456 416536 240920

```

Information from here
> 4 votes

---
Tags: swap, init.d
---


title: Enable the Android market on a kobo vox

text:
# Question
Title: Enable the Android market on a kobo vox
Based on its cheap price, I'm considering purchasing a Kobo Vox. The only downside I see to it is that it the market isn't enabled on it. Is there a way to enable the Android market on it once I get it?

# Answer
Well, only if your rooted. You would manually have to install the g-apps recovery update zip.

If you tell me your country and phone type, i can provide a link, or you can see all available versions here:

GApps Downloads
> 1 votes

# Answer
The kobo box is a cheap (price) tablet and it does have some issues. You better google and read about them before buying one.

That being said it can be made to run the Google Android Market. Note that you'll need `adb` or root'ing your device to do so. You'll also need to repeat those steps every time an update is available for the tablet (since it will rewrite the partition were you're making the changes).

Still interested ? ;-) If so then the best instructions for rooting and installing the market are available on mobileread.com.

Have fun!
> 1 votes

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


# Question
Title: How can I purchase apps from the Amazon Appstore without downloading them?
I've been procrastinating on swapping out my full 2 GB SD card for a 16 GB one I have, so I can't install many apps at the moment. It's annoying to have to wait for a download and cancel the install that the Appstore attempts, and when updating other apps it only downloads one in the background (needlessly prolonging the experience, which leads to other issues).

Is there any way I can buy an app, or add the Free App of the Day to "My Apps", without downloading and installing it? I can't just wait and do it another day, since the daily deal obviously won't apply then.

# Answer
You can buy them from the website without downloading them. Any apps purchased through amazon.com simply get added to your account. I think that's the best you can really do.
> 6 votes

---
Tags: applications, amazon-appstore
---


# Question
Title: launch application by name in android phone
How can I launch some android application by name on android device? Like in Linux, I pressed alt+f2 and typed name of application. May be it is some alternate launcher.

# Answer
Gesture Search will do something similar. It finds apps, contacts, bookmarks and music tracks.
> 1 votes

# Answer
The home launcher *Go Launcher Ex* gives you a search field for this, type in first letters and it will show matching apps. But it only lists apps, no music tracks or bookmarks.
> 0 votes

# Answer
It really depends what you mean applications in android are usually run using something similar to com.company.theirapp so you would need a "hashmap" for example which relates the application name to the actual apk name.
> -1 votes

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: How do I check tcp packets when they were blocked by droidwall?
I'm using cyanogenmod's rom with droidwall activated with whitelist mode, and nothing checked.

I've seen some strange ips being called, and droidwall blocking them. I wan to analyse these packets. Which is the best way?

PS: I dont have Android Market installed.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Cyanogenmod has tcpdump installed. You can run it from the shell, just make sure you select the correct interface:

> tcpdump -i tiwlan0 -vv

Or, you can write the dump to a file on your sdcard, and analyze it with Wireshark on your desktop later:

> tcpdump -i tiwlan0 -w /mnt/sdcard/tcpdump.out

There is also software like Shark for Root, which will capture the packets like tcpdump (it requires root, but does not require tcpdump, which is available on my Cyanogenmod 7.1, but I'm not sure if it is available in all versions of Cyanogenmod).

---
Tags: firewall
---


title: Sub keys always lit

text:
# Question
Title: Sub keys always lit
By sub keys I mean the two keys next to the home button on my Galaxy Ace. Even when the screen is off they are still lit up. Other than that the screen being off acts as normal.

So my question is: Is there a setting or way to get revert to the normal behaviour for the subkeys backlight? (e.g. off when the screen is off)

# Answer
From what I have read, which could be wrong, these buttons light up where there are notifications, do they stay lit when you clear the notifications too and turn off the screen?
> 1 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-ace
---


# Question
Title: Where did the internal space go on my HTC Desire?
I know this a common problem, but my experience has been a little freakish. I am using an HTC Desire 2.2 and usually try to maintain approximately 40 MB space free. I have installed the bloody gigantic Google+ which took up about 20 MB and there was an option to move it the SD card, which I did. Apparently only some of the 20 MB was moved, I think about 12 MB. Okay no problem, I thought, used Google+ for some time, not my thing, so I uninstalled it and couldn't believe that I'm still short the 8MB of space!

My question is where did it go? And can I get it back? 8mb is precious on the Desire.

# Answer
The problem with moving applications to the sdcard is usually not the application, the problem is their data. The google+ app is like 8mb or so, but if you look in the application manager it will show a lot more then that. Mine is ~40mb. This is because the amount of data that the application stores.

Android needs to address the /datadata and /data locations and allocate more in them or allow users to move this information to other storage locations. I have had to, on multiple occasions, go in to the application manager and clear the data for apps like google+, and I have a Galaxy S device. Granted, I do have over 70 applications installed total, but only a small percentage of them actually use up 95% of the storage.

A lot of people bring up, usually with tablets, the ability to support multiple users, this is one of the reasons this will not happen in the foreseeable future. If the devices can support the data storage needed for one user, how can they support multiple users.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, htc-desire, internal-storage
---


# Question
Title: difference between ninesky and ninesky cn
Ninesky is a browser for android. What is the difference between Ninesky and Ninesky CN?

# Answer
The screenshots of the CN version are all in Chinese, also the language code for Chinese Simplified is "CN".
> 1 votes

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


title: How do I root the Dell Streak 5?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I root the Dell Streak 5?
I have a Dell Mini 5 (the original Streak). As in the title, how can I root this device?

# Answer
Disclaimer: "Safe" does not mean nothing can go wrong, particularly if you don't follow the instructions exactly. I make no guarantees, and you take the risks of rooting upon yourself. See this post for general rooting guidelines and an index of other devices for which we have rooting guides.

---

**If you have the original Android 1.6 Donut firmware on your device, upgrade it to 2.1 or higher.** The official update page should bring you from 1.6 (or 2.1) to 2.2.

# The Easiest Method (Still Safe) — 2.1 Eclair, 2.2 Froyo

The easiest method is with Gingerbreak. (The 2.3.3 update patched the vulnerability used in Gingerbreak, so if you have Gingerbread then see the next section.)

1. On the device, go to `Settings -> Applications` and make sure **Unknown sources** and **USB Debugging** (under `Development`) are checked.
2. Download the Gingerbreak app via your PC and put it on the device's SD card, or use the browser on the device.
3. Install a file browser like Explorer since it appears the Streak doesn't come with one.
4. Navigate to the Gingerbreak .apk, install it, and run it to root your device. You're done!

# The Safest Method (Still Easy) — 2.2 Froyo, 2.3 Gingerbread

You can attempt to root via other vulnerabilities but the safest method is probably to replace the stock recovery with StreakMod and flash the SuperUser package through it, bypassing the need for hacks. This might work for 2.1, but I haven't tested it.

(Wondering why this is safe? The Streak replaces the recovery with stock on boot. If you screw it up, it will fix itself!)

1. Install the Android SDK on Windows. (You can use Linux, but then you have to locate the fastboot package put out by HTC at one point since it's not bundled with the SDK for Linux.)
2. Download StreakMod and extract `recovery.img` from the .zip file to somewhere easily accessible, say `C:\recovery.img`.
3. Download the SuperUser package and put it on the device's SD card.
4. Connect the phone to your PC via USB and put it into Fastboot Mode.

1. The easiest way is through adb on the command line (adjust the path if needed):

    ```
    cd C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools
    adb reboot bootloader

    ```

    Alternatively, turn off the phone and then turn it on while holding the Camera button. When you reach a white screen, release the Camera button. When it loads, tap the `FastBoot` text button in the top right corner of the screen.
    2. You should see `FASTBOOT_MODE` in the bottom left of the screen when it's ready.
5. From the command line (adjust the paths if needed):

```
cd C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\tools
fastboot flash recovery C:\recovery.img

```

The device should show `Download RECOVERY Done!` when complete.
6. Continuing from the command line, enter `fastboot reboot` and immediately hold down both volume buttons on the device until you reach Recovery Mode.

If the device boots, go back to step 4! The custom recovery has been overwritten with stock by the init scripts; you need to get into StreakMod before this happens.
7. Using the volume buttons, scroll down to `2. Software upgrade via Update.pkg on SD Card` and select it by clicking the Camera button. This will take you to StreakMod Recovery.
8. Using the same buttons as in the previous step, select `apply sdcard:update.zip`, then `choose zip from sdcard`. Select `Superuser.zip` from wherever you put it (e.g., `download/`). Choose `Yes - Install Superuser.zip` and let it install. Then back out (using the Back touch button) and hit `reboot system now`. You're done!
9. If you want to keep StreakMod Recovery, use your new root powers to rename `/system/etc/install-recovery.sh` to something else like `install-recovery.bak`, then repeat steps 4-6a above. Note that stock recovery can be downloaded and flashed just like StreakMod, so there's not much to worry about if you decide to do this.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: rooting
---


title: Sync contacts with ubuntuone?

text:
# Question
Title: Sync contacts with ubuntuone?
It doesn't look like UbuntuOne has a sync app for contacts. Files and music, yes, but not contacts. Are there any workarounds to this?

I've successfully avoided linking my phone to a google account thus far and I'd like to keep my contacts off of Google.

I'd like a good way to sync my Ubuntu One contacts to my phone without going through google.

# Answer
> 2 votes
NOTE: As of June 1, 2011 the current Ubuntu One contacts sync for mobile will no longer be active. We’re stopping support for our current service so we can focus our energy on launching a much better service sooner than we could otherwise.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOne/PhoneSync/

Probably not the answer you were looking for. I am Ubuntu (3 PC, only one dual-boot) and Android ( 2 Android phones) user myself. I will recommend migrating to google contacts. I suppose all of your contacts are stored in "Phone" (if you are not syncing them) Most phones can easily export your contacts to a SDcard and then re-import them. When asked, select your google account, not "Phone". You should select only google contacts to be visible, to avoid duplicates.

If you want to sync your desktop mail app with online service, and you use Thunderbird (or you are OK with it), installing zindus will provide sync between thunderbird and gmail contacts. G contacts and android contacts are auto-sync with the correct options anyway. To sum it up: If you want a simple online solution, select google contacts (gmail) If you want an offline desktop app mail client, add Thunderbird +zindus to the equation

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, contacts, sync, linux
---


# Question
Title: Can I safely remove "Android keyboard" if I have installed an alternative keyboard application?
I know it's potentially a Bad Idea (tm), but hear me out.

I've got an HTC Desire, and its internal storage space is severely limited (150 MB, barely), running Cyanogenmod 7.1. I'm not entirely happy with the supplied keyboard, and have tried Swiftkey X Keyboard, to a great satisfaction. Now, since keyboard apps cannot be installed on the SD card when they are used, this eats up more than 15 MB of that precious internal space and severely limits the number of apps I can install.

It occurred to me that I could convert Swiftkey to a system app and integrate it in the ROM, and after that freeze and remove Android Keyboard -- using Titanium Backup. Naturally, I'm not too keen to try it without asking around first, for it can have disastrous consequences.

So, my question really is:

> Can I remove *Android keyboard* if I have an alternative input method application?

# Answer
> 7 votes
Hi Martin Tapankov: Yes. It is safe to remove the stock Android Keyboard application if you have already installed an alternative IME (Input Method Editor) on your phone. You may go to "Settings-\>Local and text-\>Text settings-\>Select input method" to select ONLY ONE preferred IME and then reboot your phone to ensure it automatically picks up your IME. Please bear in mind you should NOT install or move your preferred IME application to the SD card because, after your phone is restarted, the default IME will revert to Android keyboard (if you still have the stock Android Keyboard application installed) or your phone will show a lot of ForceCloses (if you have uninstalled the stock Android Keyboard application). Good Luck!

FYI, I have already done this before on my Samsung Galaxy S Epic 4G (SPH-D700) which comes with a hardware slide-out keyboard, so my risk factor has been much smaller than yours. :-)

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, keyboard, titanium-backup
---


title: Galaxy Tab 10.1 on windows xp 64bit

text:
# Question
Title: Galaxy Tab 10.1 on windows xp 64bit
I've installed samsung drivers from mobile v1.4.103.0 on windows xp64 from the latest kies package (I've only installed usb drivers).

I see `Android ADB interface` in windows devices but adb still says `no devices`, I've tried by adding the vendor id to `adb_usb.ini` without success.

Perhaps using linux on vmware and passing the usb device works fine without adding the vendor id.

Suggestions?

No luck also with drivers 1.3.1500.0

# Answer
> 2 votes
Ok I answer myself:

after installing samsung drivers you need to find oem??.inf file that contains `ssudserd.inf` comment out all references to wdf stuff version 1.7 and decomment the ones referring 1.9

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Tags: usb, adb, samsung-galaxy-tab, windows, usb-drivers
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# Question
Title: How can I unlock and configure my Nexus One without a SIM card?
I have a Nexus One which I want to send to my mother. Where do I go to have it unlocked?

Does it run the latest version of Android and can I install apps without a SIM card?

# Answer
If you mean unlocked so any SIM can be used, the device comes from Google SIM Unlocked.

From Wikipedia Article:

> The device is sold SIM unlocked (not restricted to use on a single network provider). Google offered T-Mobile USA and AT&T versions of the phone online in the United States before closing the online store in July 2010.

The difference between the AT&T and T-Mobile version is the bands that the phone uses for its network. If you don't have the right bands, the network will fall back to the common network, which is EDGE. For example, if you have a T-Mobile version, and you mother has AT&T, then when she is browsing the internet she will only get EDGE(2G) speeds. Voice there really is not noticeable difference.

So to answer your question, you don't have to take it anywhere, and it costs nothing extra. You paid for it to be unlocked when you bought it.

You should be able to install applications without having a SIM card. At the very least, you will need to have wifi available so you can download the applications. I would suggest a factory reset, then start the device and configure it how you want for your mother, with apps, and email setup, etc.
> 4 votes

# Answer
To address your second question, you can pre-configure the phone to your liking before sending it to your mother.

You may wish to factory reset it first (or reinstall the custom ROM you're using, if you are), and then configure a 'clean' image, depending on what you had installed on the phone.
> 1 votes

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Tags: nexus-one
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title: Prevent overheating when tethering

text:
# Question
Title: Prevent overheating when tethering
When I tether my phone and download big files or large numbers of them, and download is non-stop for a few hours, my phone (Nexus One) overheats. Is there any way to prevent that, except avoiding overusing the net?

This has happened in multiple devices, so it's not a hardware malfunction; it also happens both in the original ROM and CM7.

# Answer
> 3 votes
You could physical approaches, such as setting a fan blowing across the phone or other airflow maximization (e.g., if you can stand it up, then both the back and front are exposed to air).

Lastly, if it doesn't interfere with the radios, you could try resting it on an upside-down heavy-duty aluminum jellyroll pan ("cookie sheet") which will function as a heat sink.

You can combine approaches of course; a fan blowing over the jellyroll pan will be even better.

That you're getting several hours before overheat tells me you're close, so you probably won't need to do much to dissipate the heat. Standing the phone up may be enough. A fan almost certainly will be.

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Tags: tethering, overheating
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# Question
Title: Why does my phone sometimes reboot when playing music?
My Droid X spontaneously reboots when it's playing music. I've confirmed this behavior with the native music player, Amazon's MP3 player, and now Spotify (though, with Spotify, it seems to happen less often).

No warning, and no pattern, the phone just goes silent mid-song, then reboots. Sometimes it does it on consecutive days, sometimes it doesn't do it for a week.

It's perfectly stable at all other times, and has never spontaneously rebooted outside of when I'm playing music.

# Answer
I think it was a memory issue. I installed Auto Memory Manager, set it on "mild" and never had the problem again.
> 1 votes

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Tags: motorola-droid-x, music
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# Question
Title: How to make a screenshot with Android 2.3.5?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> How to take a screenshot with an Android phone?

How to make a simple screenshot with my HTC Desire S with the Android 2.3.5 version?

# Answer
> 0 votes
My HTC Amaze takes screenshots if I press the power button and the home button at the same time. You should hear a camera shutter sound and the screenshot will be in your Gallery App under "Camera Shots". Many of the HTC phones with the newer version of Sense have this functionality now.

If this doesn't work, there are a lot of apps you can get from the Android Market that allow you to take a screenshot from your phone without rooting it. I've used Shoot Me, Screenshot It and Screenshot UX with good results, although not all of them are free apps.

You can also take screenshots while the phone is attached to your PC or Mac if you have the Android SDK installed (doesn't need to be rooted), but this is a little more involved and you have to have the phone connected to the computer with the USB cable. You don't need Eclipse to do this, just search "DDMS" for some more info, although this is probably way more involved than most people want to get into.

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Tags: screenshots
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title: Use my device as laser pointer

text:
# Question
Title: Use my device as laser pointer
I'm not sure if this is possible, but knowing that is possible to use the device as mouse I think this should also be possible: Somehow connect the phone with a PC, then in the place you touch from the phone, in the computer should appear a red dot (or something).

Is there any app for this?? Is it possible?

# Answer
It is totally possible, and there are a lot of remote touchmouse apps available on the Android market. Just search remote mouse, touch mouse, etc. That being said, I think that will be even nicer is to have an app that uses the orientation of the device as the cursor position, i.e. it works like a real laser pointer. (That i have not seen yet and I am coding one.)
> 0 votes

# Answer
One solution would be to use a program such as TeamViewer and set the computer's cursor to a red dot, or just use the regular cursor. Teamviewer has a program that runs on the computer, and an app that allows you to control the computer from your phone. I think it would work quite well for what you have in mind.
> 0 votes

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Tags: applications
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