# Question
Title: What Launcher app lets me put the most on one screen?
I'm currently using LauncherPro which lets me have 4x5 icons and a bar at the bottom of my home screen. Are there any alternative Launcher apps that will let me cram more in?

# Answer
Not a launcher app itself, but MultIcon (review link) lets you cram multiple icons into a teeny tiny space. Also available via cyrket.

Now, that unconfigured screnshot is the extreme example -- but the density ranges from 4 incons in the space of 1 on down. It's pretty handy -- plus it comes with its own shortcuts widgets to a few things. Can't have icons for normal folders, however. Bummer.
> 10 votes

# Answer
Zeam (Zeam.org) is a great alternative launcher that offers an 8x8 workspace on each screen (up to 7) as well as multiple dock icons.

Zeam Is the Fastest Android Launcher We've Seen Yet (via Lifehacker)
> 2 votes

# Answer
You should try the ADW.launcher , its free and lets you have up to a 8 x 8 screen plus 4 dock icons . It also allows you to resize widgets ( I reduce my clock to 1x1 and increase a few others).
> 1 votes

# Answer
Don't forget you can use folders as well to cram lots of apps into one space, I usually keep apps in category folders, it's a nice way of being organised also!
> 1 votes

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Tags: applications, launcher
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# Question
Title: Phone keeps restarting / shutting down randomly is there any logging to help debugging
Sometimes my Samsung Europa restarts itself when it's on standby.

Does Android have any logging which I can access to see what caused the restart?

I have installed a few apps from the Android app market and some games. Haven't installed anything that I've developed myself.

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can install "Log Collector" from the android market, it's free. It can email the logcat to an email address. I am not sure whether the log clears or not if there is a reboot though. You should be able to see something in there regardless.

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Tags: reboot, samsung-europa
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# Question
Title: How to remove home-screens on a Vodafone 845?
Good day,

after playing around with the Vodafone 845 (Android 2.1) icons positions I ended up with additional empty home-screens (or are they desktops, not sure for the term). What is the proper way to remove those empty screens?

# Answer
> 0 votes
You can't with the default launcher. However, with a lot of home screen replacements you can define how many home screens to have. (Zeam, Go Launcher, and Launcher Pro do, for sure.)

# Answer
> 1 votes
Nicked from here:

> Menu -\> Edit. Click the red (-) button in the upper-right corner of the screens you want to delete. Use the \[+\] button at the bottom to add a new screen.

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Tags: home-screen
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# Question
Title: Where is my original Galaxy S task manager?
When I bought my i9000, there was a task manager kind of thing on the home screen which showed a memory status bar and the number of processes, and when I touched it it showed details of all process and active applications. I deleted it but changed my mind. How can I get that widget back?

# Answer
> 5 votes
long press the home screen, select samsung widgets--\> select program monitor

# Answer
> 2 votes
I think the "Task Manager" app was available from the Samsung Apps store in Android 2.1, I seem to remember downloading it from there at some point along with the "My Files" app. You can try going into Applications list on your phone, finding the "Samsung Apps" icon and looking through the list in there.

If your phone is running Android 2.2 then the Task Manager is "built-in" and is not easy to delete. You can see if it is still there by holding down your `Home` button for a few seconds until the recent apps list comes up, and you should have a `TaskManager` button at the bottom.

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, app-widgets
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# Question
Title: Looking for a Text Editor that doesn't truncate a file prematurely
I'm trying to find a decent text editor. I've tried the following apps (in order of preference): TxtPad Lite, Scribtor Notes, AmbleLink Notepad

All of them truncate the text file at 9025 bytes. The file is fully there, I've verified it with `cat` from within Terminal Emulator. Is it a limitation of whatever common text display widget they use or something? It's really annoying...

EDIT: After trying AK Notepad I got to thinking that maybe it was something with the text files themselves (this is happening on multiple files). Each paragraph of text was a single line and each file had Unix-style line endings (line feeds). I first changed it so that each paragraph was formatted with LFs in all the right places; each text editor displayed exactly 1 more character than previous, in terms of the text (it was many more characters in terms of bytes, though, given all of the added LFs. Next I tried converting from LF to CR/LF (DOS-style endings). Now I got a dozen more characters of text (which was, again, many more bytes) but they all end at exactly the same spot. I'm really at a loss to explain it.

EDIT: I found and tried Amoeba and it has no problem with the file; it displays the original file (and the other versions) with no problems. But the interface is not that great (in particular, scrolling is exceptionally tedious). Any ideas out there?

# Answer
Check out "Need To Write" in the Market! I just wrote this app so i'm shamelessly advertising it everywhere. I was facing the same problems, so I made it to have no file size limit other than your sdcard size. NTW lets you display and edit files small chunks of the file at a time.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Try AK Notepad. I'm not sure what the upper limit is, but I know I was able to create a 30kb file in there no problem.
> 1 votes

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Tags: text-editor
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# Question
Title: How can I configure time zones on my Galaxy S?
Yesterday I got a meeting email which I read on my SGS GT-I9000, which showed the time as:

> Wednesday, January 12, 2011 8:30 AM-9:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

But when I checked this on my PC in Outlook this was the time:

> Wednesday, January 12, 2011 7:00 PM-7:30 PM (GMT+05:30) Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi

How can I get my device to use the same time zone as my PC?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Seems to me that your PC and your Android are in different time zones. Since you've already mentioned that you're in India, I expect that your Android has the wrong setting.

`Settings | Date & time`

You may have to turn off "Automatic" so that you can set the time zone yourself.

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, time-zones
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# Question
Title: Is is possible to sync my Samsung Galaxy S with an exchange account, but only the calendar, not the emails?
I managed to **sync** my Galaxy Samsung S running Froyo with **an exchange server**.

But I am really **only interested in the calender data, not the emails**.

Someone knows how to do this ?

# Answer
I hope someone comes up with a different solution: as far as I can tell, the solution presented in the answer by Al Everett, doesn't work.

*My work around* : I have **created a folder called 'Inbox server'** on the exchange and set up a **filter to move all incoming mails from inbox to 'inbox server'**.

Since the sync only syncs the inbox folder by default , effectively, **no exchange emails are synced now**.

But if anyone else has another solution or comments, please let them know. I will be glad to read them.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Try this: Go to the account for the Exchange server and change "Email check frequency" to "Never". Check the box to "Sync calendar".
> 2 votes

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Tags: sync, calendar, exchange
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# Question
Title: Is it possible to show "all calls" on my Samsung Galaxy S?
Under phone -\> logs -\> menu key -\> view by there are options for all logs, dialled calls, missed calls, received calls, sent messages and received messages.

Is it possible to show "all calls" instead?

Is this more of a feature request than an answerable question?

# Answer
There's an "all calls" option in "Call History" on my phone. (Running 2.2 but on a HTC with their UI, which may be different, as pointed out below.)

When I hit "view", the option buttons are:

1. All Calls
2. Incoming Calls
3. Outgoing calls
4. Missed calls

Is this what you're after, or have I mis-interpreted your question?
> 1 votes

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, samsung-galaxy-s, call-history
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# Question
Title: Screen orientation on Samsung Galaxy 9000
When I have my samsung galaxy 9000 (with Android 2.2) on a flat surface (table) and start an application, then the application is shown in landscape mode, even when the start/home screen was in portrait mode.

This does not happen when I hold the phone in my hands.

Is there a way to disable this behavior?

**Update:** I think I got something wrong: the home screen is never rotated, so the problem is simply that the galaxy thinks it is in landscape-mode when it is lying flat.

# Answer
Try recalibrating the orientation sensor from `Settings -> Display -> Horizontal calibration`. My phone does this too occasionally, since when the phone is lying flat, the difference between portrait/landscape is very small in the sensors.
> 5 votes

# Answer
You can disable auto rotation all together , the phone stays in portrait mode than, but won't switch to landscape when you are holding it, either.

If you would like to do this anyway: slide down the notifiction bar at the top and disable the 'auto rotation' option ( on my phone this is the icon to the right).
> 0 votes

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, screen, orientation
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# Question
Title: Can someone describe how publishing an Adobe Air file on Android works?
I'm familiar with Adobe Air and I noticed it is on the Market. Does it accept .AIR files for install? If so, how does Air make adjustments for the small screen? Does air have access to all the neat features of Android? Such as access the contacts or the SD card? Need some help understanding how my Air application will perform on Droid. Should I still develop Android specif apps, or is Air ready for prime time?

# Answer
> 3 votes
You still need to develop Android-specific apps, but you should be able to reuse most of your code if you a rewriting a desktop Air app for Android. So users can't just grab a regular Air app and run it on their phone, unfortunately.

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Tags: adobe-air
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# Question
Title: Is there a way I can get a Windows 7 Phone  UI on my Android device?
Is there an App/Widget/Custom Rom that gives you a Windows 7 Phone-like User Interface?

Of course I don't need the Microsoft-specific stuff such as XBox Live, etc. But instead of app icons for phone/msg/settings/etc, you have the nice big ... windows... that you can slide around instead.

I hope its not too subjective. Basically I want the Windows 7 UI on my Android phone (even just in the home screen).

# Answer
There is an alternative launcher that purports to give the look-and-feel of Windows Phone 7. I can't imagine it's more than "skin-deep", however.

Some information (and a video) here: http://phandroid.com/2010/12/09/turn-your-android-phone-into-a-windows-phone-7-with-this-metro-ui-launcher/
> 6 votes

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Tags: user-interface, windows-mobile
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# Question
Title: Lag fixing using OCLF - could it do any harm?
I am wondering if the lag fix proposed by xda-developers could harm the device in anyway. Quote from Google Code "Original use was for 'One Click Lag Fix' for the Samsung Galaxy S series, to create a loopback EXT2 device on top of Samsung's RFS in order to improve response time for applications."

Link to forum page about this: here.

How does it work exactly? What does "create loopback EXT2" mean?

I know the forum post clearly states it's been tested on a huge number of devices and it's working, but I want to understand what it does exactly and if there is any compromise by installing it? Thank you.

# Answer
> 7 votes
Basically, it tricks the Android OS by using symbolic links and a large file formatted as ext2, rather than partitioning or formatting your device storage. In this way it's very safe. I've used it several times on several ROMs on my Galaxy S with no problems.

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Tags: loopback, ext2
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title: Display On when plugged in

text:
# Question
Title: Display On when plugged in
Is there a way to keep the display "ON" whilst the device is plugged in?

I am running Android 2.2 Froyo on Samsung Galaxy S.

# Answer
Settings \> Applications \> Development \> Stay awake
> 13 votes

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, screen, standby
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# Question
Title: Can the Samsung Galaxy Tab be used as a wifi-hotspot?
Is it possible to use the Samsung Galaxy Tab as a wifi-hotspot so that non-3G iPads can use the Samsungs connection to the phone network?

# Answer
> 9 votes
The Galaxy Tab comes with Android version 2.2 (Froyo), this version of the Android OS comes with the ability to work as a WiFi hotspot for up to 5 devices built in. This lets you share your Tab's 3G connection out to other devices over Wifi.

I've tethered wifi only devices like my Kindle 3, and a wifi Skype phone to my Galaxy S's wireless hotspot in this way and connected them to the internet with no problem, so I can't see any reason you'd have trouble doing that between a 3G Galaxy Tab and a Wifi iPad.

(it is possible for your phone company to block this facility, to date I think Verizon in the US are the only company to block it)

# Answer
> 3 votes
Yes you can.

**Settings \> Wireless and Network \> Mobile AP**

This feature is built by Samsung, and different from the tethering feature that comes with Android 2.2 (Froyo). Using this one you can turn your Tab as a password-protected hotspot

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-tab, wifi-tethering, wifi-hotspot
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# Question
Title: How to reset Nexus One to Android 2.2.1 or 2.3?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

I have a Nexus One (with the radios for the AT&T network) which has an old beta version of 2.2 on it. It doesn't receive over the air updates, and I'd like to get it running something more recent.

Where can I find a download for Android 2.2.1 or 2.3? There's a link to an updater on Google's site that's given by numerous blogs but it's always broken. It's kind of bizarre to me that this phone is stuck in an OS limbo since it won't receive updates and there's no place to download the latest.

# Answer
You might have more luck installing a third party ROM as it's not always easy to get the original AOSP (Android Open Source Project) running on your device. Having the Nexus One is good for you since it'll be one of the first phones to actually get ROMs.

If you want 2.3, google for the "Oxygen ROM".

Otherwise, I think there's an original Nexus One ROM right on XDA Developers.

I also found another board topic that has several Nexus One Stock ROMs and you can even customize and "bake" them yourself.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Why not stick CyanogenMod on it? Essentially the same thing with a few extra bonuses ;)
> 3 votes

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, nexus-one, 2.3-gingerbread
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# Question
Title: Why does Google Talk never appear on the "Recent Applications" list?
I frequently will get a message on Google Talk. I will drag down the notification bar, click the message, and answer. However, if I then press "Home", and it occurs to me that I wish to send yet another message to this person, I am forced to go find the Google Talk app icon, launch it, select the relevant conversation, and enter my message. Why does Google Talk not appear on the Recent Applications list, accessible by holding down the Home key? Every other app I have does...

# Answer
Google talk and Gmail each behave this way. I found this out by asking here actually. So when you drag down the notification bar, GMail and Google Talk will not appear in the recent apps list. However, you will see them in recent apps if you navigate to them using an application launcher.

I'm not certain if the same is true for Google Voice.
> 4 votes

# Answer
This is because the Recent Applications list only displays the applications activities. In Android, an Activity is the "window" of the application. Google Talk and GMail always run in background, as a "Service", not an Activity. The application activity is killed by Android when it is not used, and this is the case with those applications, even if they still run in background.
> 5 votes

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Tags: google-talk, recents-screen
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title: Override detected WIFI parameters

text:
# Question
Title: Override detected WIFI parameters
I am trying to connect to our corporate WIFI network. I **know** that the type of the network is 802.1x because tech support told me so and I have colleagues that can connect to it using their iPhone with that type of authentication.

My problem is that my phone (Android 2.1) detects the network security as WEP and I can't override it. I tried to manually add a network with the same SSID and the correct configuration. However, when I look at the wireless networks, it says that only the detected network is in range, and that the one I added manually is out of range.

How can I fix this problem?

# Answer
You should probably talk to your IT department. They would certainly be able to help you, probably faster than you could get help on here too.

They may also have some settings that are restricting unauthorized devices from connecting.
> 2 votes

# Answer
I wasn't able to connect to 802.1x networks when I had 2.1 on my phone. I don't think they were supported. I can connect now that I have 2.2 though.
> 2 votes

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Tags: 2.1-eclair, wi-fi
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# Question
Title: How to configure HTC Desire for 3g connectivity in Peru?
How can I configure an unlocked HTC Desire for 3g connectivity in Peru?

I have managed to add an APN so that I have EDGE but I would like to use Claro's 3.5g.

I also have an iPhone with the same kind of dataplan that has 3g pre-configured so I am hoping that it is possible.

I realize that this is a very specific question but I can´t get any worse help than at the Claro office...

# Answer
> 1 votes
In order to connect to a given 3G/3.5G network, your phone must support the correct band.

Based on the sparse information I was able to gather, it seems that Claro is using bands II and V (1900 and 850)

It seems that there are at least three different models of the HTC Desire, of which the **HTC Triumph / Desire US A8182** and **HTC Desire Telstra A8183** support bands II and V. The third model, **HTC Desire A8181** supports bands I and VIII instead.

If your phone has the correct APN, supports the correct bands, and 3G is not disabled it should just work.

# Answer
> 1 votes
It seems that you need to configure the APN.

Go to the Settings of your phone -\> Wireless & Networks -\> Mobile Networks -\> Access Point Names.

Maybe you have none APN configured, so go to the menu to add one.

The list of APNs by country is here :

http://www.androidonhtc.com/wiki/Carrier\_network\_settings

In particular for Peru you have :

Claro Peru (America Movil)

* APN: wap.claro.pe

Username: claro

Password: claro

Proxy: 192.168.231.30

Port: 80

I hope that this information is useful. Regards!

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Tags: htc-desire, settings, 3g
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# Question
Title: Can I prevent the Android 2.2 browser from inserting "www" at the beginning of URLS?
I'm loving my Android phone (Incredible) but I cannot stand when the browser automatically inserts "www" at the beginning of any URL I'm trying to type. I am a web developer and work a lot with sub domains (not to mention blind usage of "www" is bad practice) and it gets frustrating.

Any ideas?

# Answer
It seems to be specific to the HTC Droid Incredible. When I first tried to search from the stock browser, I'd get an error page (I didn't notice the "http://www"). So I asked this question which gave some options in the form of browsers which are ready for search queries. (It turns out you can search from the stock browser once you delete the "http://www")

You may want to use another browser. In the Dolphin HD browser for example, the "www" isn't there so typing "android.stackexchange.com" works fine.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Two things to try:

1. Delete everything from the url textbox and enter the url, for example "android.stackexchange.com"
2. Remove the `www.` part and enter the rest of the url behind `http://`.

Both of these methods work on my Droid Incredible running stock 2.2 (rooted)
> 0 votes

# Answer
I don't have my phone here to try ... but can it be a specific keyboard which is selected ( and where words are automatically inserted ). F.i. using SWYPE and having word prediction on ?
> 0 votes

# Answer
On the HTC Desire HD (2.2, standard browser), the behaviour when you tap in the address bar appears to be:

* If the URL currently in the address bar **already** starts with `www.` then everything **after** the `www.` is auto-selected, meaning that whatever you type will replace it, leaving the `www.` in place.
* If the URL currently in the address bar **doesn't** start with `www.` then the full URL (everything following `http://`) is selected, meaning that what you type will form the full URL.

I can't find a way of disabling this, and quite regularly end up trying to go to `www.www.google.com`.
> 0 votes

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Tags: htc-droid-incredible, browser
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# Question
Title: Sending Map from PC to Archos 43 using Chrome to Phone?
Has anyone used this feature successfully? (C2DM feature explanation here - warning, it is a technical document) As a user, how do you do it?

The only app that I can find that looks like it does this is Chrome to Phone. Given the name, is the phone function crucial to pushing a Map to your Android device?

I'm looking to send directions from my PC to my Archos 43 that is paired up with a Bluetooth GPS.

Thanks!

# Answer
> 3 votes
Chrome to phone is a great app. It's one of my most used apps. Install Chrome to Phone from App Brain or the Android market. Next install the Chrome Extension. Finally find the directions on Google Maps and click the chrome to phone button. This will open up either the web page, Google maps, or Google Navigation (can't remember) on your device assuming your device is connected to the internet.

However, since this is not a phone I suspect you won't have an internet connection while you are driving which could be a problem if you are trying to use Google Maps/Navigation.

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Tags: archos-gen8, google-chrome-to-phone
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# Question
Title: Enable data roaming only for specified providers?
I'm living in a country A. My mobile phone provider is located in country B. Unfortunately, I have to enable data roaming to work both in country A and country B. This doesn't costs my roaming costs, because the providers in country A and B work together.

Unfortunately, I'm living also very close to country C. And a lot of time (during shopping, working etc) I go to country C. I always have to explicitly disable data roaming then. Sometimes I forget to do so and then I causes a lot of roaming costs.

So is it possible to allow data roaming only for specific providers? From the Android OS I don't think so, but it should be possible to do it progamatically? Every time the provider changes I would check if it it in the allowed list and if not I would disable data roaming?

Edit: Does anybody know if there are already apps which can do that? Otherwise I would start the development of suach an app.

# Answer
> 4 votes
What if you used tasker/locale with this plugin? You could then turn off data using APNdroid.

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Tags: htc-desire, data-monitoring, roaming
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# Question
Title: Galaxy S and Skype - Why am I getting an "Insufficient memory" error?
Galaxy S running 2.2. try to install SKYPE but get the error - "insufficient memory" when there is loads on the phone and i can install any other app quite normally. Any help appreciated.

# Answer
> 2 votes
I'm guessing Skype installs to the SD card by default, in which case you should check out this question: What does the 'Failed to move application. Not enough memory' error mean when choosing 'Move to SD card'?

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, skype, insufficient-memory
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# Question
Title: HTC EVO with Evernote App - pictures upside down
I'm trying to use the Evernote app to take a photo and upload it.
I create a note, take a picture of a business card. I'm holding the camera sideways, aiming down at the card on the table in front of me. When I see the note in the Evernote app on the EVO or on Evernote site, the business card is upside down.

I've even tried rotating the pictures in the gallery and attaching them, but they always come out upside down.

I'm new to the phone, so could be I'm doing some really wrong. Or maybe Evernote has a limitation for the "free users"?

Update: I just uploaded pics to my PC, and they were upside down there to. So the rotate/orientation on the EVO must own be for display there, not in the actual photo-file itself?

I'll try flipping the camera the other way... seems like I tried that last night, but will try again.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Try turning the camera 180 degrees. Clearly Evernote is confused about where the top and bottom are.

Also, I have found when editing in the gallery then uploading to Evernote, if I only rotated the picture the edits don't seem to take. It does work however if I rotate it, then crop it (I don't really crop anything out, but just go through the motions) and save it. On those photos, Evernote recognizes the edits.

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Tags: camera, photos, evernote
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# Question
Title: Is there a way  to schedule hibernate/shut down on an HTC Desire HD?
I'm planning to get SleepPhones, a sort of comfortable headphone which I plug into my HTC Desire HD. I would play music which puts me into sleep (hopefully) for up to 60 minutes.

Is there a way hibernate/shutdown the phone say after 90 minutes or perhaps at 2am every day to save power?

# Answer
> 2 votes
You should be able to use either Locale or Tasker to setup a condition (i.e., at 2 am) to do something (turn volume down, stop media player, or turn off wifi or other services). But as far as I know, neither program will let you shut down your phone.

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Tags: settings, htc-desire-hd, power-on, standby
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# Question
Title: Gingerbread with ext4: will it burn my flash?
2.3 Gingerbread will use ext4 instead of YAFFS.

My question is: YAFFS is for flash based filesystem, but ext4 is not. Will it lead to premature death of the device due to wear leveling?

# Answer
> 8 votes
Not likely, the flash storage itself *usually* have built-in hardware wear leveling, YAFFS2 is only advantageous when the flash storage does not have hardware wear levelling.

However if you're reformatting a flash storage, do check that the flash storage have hardware wear leveling; most flash storage that originally ships with ext4 (e.g. Nexus S) should come with hardware wear leveling, but if the device originally ships with YAFFS2 or other file systems that does not do wear leveling, they might not have hardware wear leveling. On these file systems, you might need additional steps to ensure that a lower level driver do software wear leveling if you want to safely install ext4 (or other filesystems that does not do wear leveling).

# Answer
> 2 votes
Where did you see that all Gingerbread devices will use ext4?

The Nexus S uses ext4 and that is because the Galaxy S devices uses a very slow and laggy file system developed by Samsung called RFS. Google decided to change the file system on the Nexus S from RFS to ext4.

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Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, ext4
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# Question
Title: Difference between VLingo and the built in Voice functionality in Android?
My wife is contemplating an Android phone, and loved the demo she saw of VLingo on a Blackberry. I keep noting that this is all built in and free on Android. I imagine since they are cross coding anyway, might as well offer it for Android at least (It IS offered for Android, as well as iPhone and Blackberry).

So a couple of things: What are the differences between VLingo and the built in functionality? Are there other alternatives?

I like the Google technology currently used, and am playing with VLingo on my Blackberry, and am not so impressed yet. I am waiting to be wowed.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I tried VLingo for a while on my Evo and wasn't impressed. It did not seem to offer any value to me above that provided by the built-in voice actions. I uninstalled it after trying it for a couple of months.

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Tags: voice-recognition
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title: How can I set a Screen Lock Timeout?

text:
# Question
Title: How can I set a Screen Lock Timeout?
I'd like to have to enter the PIN not immediately after pressing the standby button, but only after some time, e.g. 30 minutes.

I know there is Password Delay, which is better than nothing. But it works only if you keep the application running and the application itself is not password-protected. **Update**: newer versions of Password Delay work okay (no more need to keep it running, application is now password-protected).

Are there better solutions? Or do technical limitations of Froyo prevent better solutions?

For Reference: tested.com (found via https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/780/what-is-a-good-lock-program-for-android-phones) mentions Lock Delay and AutoLock, but these work only on 2.1 or below.

And How to disable screen lock on my HTC desire Z? proposes No Lock, but this is a solution of a different problem (complete disable the lock, not just delay it).

# Answer
> 4 votes
I have a HTC Desire running Froyo, and I can go to **Settings | Security | Lock phone after** and choose the timeout to "Immediately", 3, 5 10 or 15 minutes.

Doesn't the Galaxy Tab have this setting?

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, samsung-galaxy-tab, lock-screens, password
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# Question
Title: How to access bootloader and what functions are available?
How can I access the bootloader on a Android 2.2 (or on other version)?

Is the bootloader vendor or model specific?

What are the options offered to the user when accessing the bootloader?

(I know that the bootloader without interaction "boots" the android, please do not specify that)

# Answer
> 3 votes
The bootloader is vendor AND model-specific. It is not consistent across Android versions.

A common way to get into the bootloader (also called "recovery mode") is to hold a volume button down and reboot the device, releasing the button when you get to the bootloader. On my Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant, the easiest way is to hold both volume buttons plus the power button, releasing the power button once the phone reboots and you see the "Vibrant" logo, and releasing the volume buttons after the bootloader comes up.

On my Vibrant, the options include doing a factory reset and installing "update.zip" from the root of the internal SD storage. Your mileage may vary. Something like TWRP can be installed on many devices, which provides additional options including backing up and restoring your phone's ROM (OS, kernel, data, etc.).

You should be able to Google "\<device\> recovery mode" to find instructions for your particular device.

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo
---


# Question
Title: Are IPv6 Privacy Extensions supported and how can they be enabled/disabled?
I just read about a potential privacy issue with IPv6 addresses on phones. While the article mainly talks about Apple devices, Android *is* mentioned so I wonder:

Does Android support IPv6 privacy extensions and how can they be enabled/disabled?

According to this question, Android currently has *partial* support for IPv6.

# Answer
If your device is rooted go to the terminal after each boot and enter
`sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.default.use_tempaddr=2
sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.all.use_tempaddr=2`

For automatic activation you could also add these lines to /etc/sysctl.conf
`net.ipv6.conf.all.use_tempaddr = 2
net.ipv6.conf.default.use_tempaddr = 2`
> 2 votes

---
Tags: security, networking, ipv6
---


title: Bigger Notification Bar?

text:
# Question
Title: Bigger Notification Bar?
Is there a way to make the Notification Bar thicker?

I recently bought this case and it makes it incredibly hard to pull down the notification bar.

I was wondering if there was a way to thicken the notification bar, without completely hacking the phone?

I have a Motorola Droid X

# Answer
If you have a launcher like LauncherPro or ADW Launcher, you can just hit the menu button in any homescreen and click NOTIFICATIONS. That however doesn't help if you're in another app and want to bring down the Notification area, unfortunately.

In LP, you can also configure a swipe action to pull down the Notification area.

There's also HelloStatusBar which is an app that when clicked will bring down the bar. One workaround maybe to launch it and then while in another app, long-press HOME to make it show in the recently used app list.

If it works, I would recommend exsbar which allows you to assign the long-press search button or long-press camera button to this function.
> 4 votes

# Answer
No, you would have to modify the core files in android in order to do that.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: motorola-droid-x, notification-bar
---


# Question
Title: Why does "Preparing SD card" message appear on Optimus One P500 3-4 times a day?
On my Optimus One P500 it shows.

```
Preparing SD card

```

The above message shows at least 3 to 4 times in a day.

During this Apps on SD cards are automatically closed. Any files opened(Music/PDF) as not accesible.

Is this a issue with me or Optimus or android 2.2

# Answer
The problem is resolved with the new update available from LG
> 2 votes

# Answer
I had a similar problem that was fixed by formating the card in the phone.

Settings -\> SD card & phone storage settings -\> Unmount SD card. Then format the card on the same screen.
> 2 votes

# Answer
It is not a problem with 2.2 in general, although it may be specific to 2.2 on the Optimus. (Did you ever have 2.1?) This should normally only happen when the SD card is manually dismounted from the phone settings or by connecting the device to a computer. It might be an app causing this problem -- you could use Titanium Backup to "freeze" your apps one by one until you hopefully discover the culprit.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I suppose this might happen if the SD card is losing its connection, although that would be more troubling.

Have you checked to ensure that the SD card is well-seated in its slot?

(This assumes, of course, that you can access the card.)

Another worrying possibility is a flaw with the card itself.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I just discovered that this is not a random error. It occurs with some sd cards when you touch the proximity sensor of the phone. The screen becomes black and inactive and then the sd card is removed from the phone. I hope this will help to solve the issue
> 1 votes

---
Tags: external-sd, lg-optimus-one
---


title: How is the default PATH set?

text:
# Question
Title: How is the default PATH set?
On another linux system I might expect to find a .profile file, or something in /etc used by default. I'm unable to determine what sets the system path for processes not running in a shell.

# Answer
> 7 votes
It appears to be defined in /init.rc, at least on my device:

export PATH /sbin:/system/sbin:/system/bin:/system/xbin

I don't think you can edit this file directly though, even with root access, because it is part of the read-only boot image, not the /system partition. If you want to edit it then I guess you would have to unpack, edit and re-pack the boot image as described here:

http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?title=HOWTO:\_Unpack%2C\_Edit%2C\_and\_Re-Pack\_Boot\_Images

I haven't tried this though.

---
Tags: system, shell
---


# Question
Title: Market Downloads, GTalk and GMail notifications fail when on company VPN
I've noticed that when I login over WIFI to my company VPN the following problems occur:

1. GTalk does not login.
2. No GMail notifications received.
3. I can access the Android Market but when I attempt to download an application it fails.

All these work ok on my home WIFI and 3G connections. Does anyone have any idea what would cause this? What protocols/ports do these services use and is it possible to edit them?

# Answer
> 2 votes
I think GTalk uses port 5228, and the notifications and Market downloads both use the GTalk protocol internally.

---
Tags: vpn
---


# Question
Title: How to optimize energy consumption during GPS tracking?
Very often I use my phone and the app MyTracks or GPSTrackerLite to track my hiking/biking tours.

This really works great and I'm thrilledy by the lot of possibilities in combination with google maps, facebook etc.

However there is one problem: If I'm tracking the battery lasts only a few hours. This is enough for most hikes, but for daytrips, it isn't sufficient. Do you have any tips how to save energy? For example using plane mode? Would this decrease the energy consumption? Are there any other functions I could disable?

I'm using HTC Desire.

# Answer
> 2 votes
See my answer here on some ways to save battery power on your phone.

# Answer
> 2 votes
I never used those tracking apps, but maybe you can decrease their polling frequency?. This will decrease the accuracy of the tracking, but generally you don't need the app to track every meter you move.

---
Tags: gps, battery-life, gps-tracking
---


title: How to login to Htcsense.com

text:
# Question
Title: How to login to Htcsense.com
I heard HTC is providing online services via HTCSense.com. I have HTC Desire phone. How do I login to this site. when I open it it asks for authentication :(

**Update:** The service is live now. I just checked. Currently only two phones are supported: `Desire HD` and `Desire Z`. Heck I need for Desire :(

# Answer
> 1 votes
This is how I got it working:

1. I registered a new account through my Mobile phone (HTC Desire HD, during phone setup).
2. I got an email from htc sense with a link in it to confirm my account
3. clicking the link open a page to htc sense, and tries to complete the registration and log you to your account page, but in my case it kept hanging
4. While in the confirmation page, I clicked on login again and were able to log in even though registration was still ongoing. Apparently the acocunt gets registered even though the page hangs.

---
Tags: htc-desire
---


# Question
Title: How can I make my Droid2 push Facebook-originated contacts to Google?
On my Droid2 (Android Version 2.2) (System Version.2.3.20.A955.Verizon.en.US), I fully utilize the phone's ability to log into a Google, Facebook, and Twitter account, and link the contacts together. Often it chooses the wrong name to display, but that is another question entirely. I have already set the option in ...

```
(Contacts) -> [Menu] -> "More (+)" -> "Settings"

```

... to automatically push any newly created contacts to my Google account. If I create a new contact traditionally, via ...

```
(Contacts) -> [Menu] -> "Add contact"

```

... then it works exactly as expected, creating a new contact in both my Phone Contacts and Google Contacts. However, sometimes there are people I know whom I have no contact information for until I friend them on Facebook. At this point, the only contact I have for them is my Facebook contact. I don't like having to rely on only a Facebook contact, and I always take this opportunity to start a Google Contact for them, duplicating what Facebook has already told me. This is where the unexpected behavior begins.

If I select a contact from my phone which is purely a Facebook contact, and click ...

```
... [Menu] -> "Edit"

```

... it brings me to the traditional contact editing screen, presenting me with all of their Facebook information as immutable fields, allowing me to manually duplicate this data into what I would expect would be both a Phone Contact and a Google Contact.

But it's not!!! After manually re-typing in, say, their birthday, e-mail address, and cellphone number (information traditionally available via Facebook), and I click ...

```
"Save"

```

... the resulting contact reads as ...

```
Linked profiles (2)

Facebook: John D.
Phone Contacts: John Doe

```

... with a Google contact nowhere to be seen!! Even if I initiate a manual resynchronization via ...

```
(Home Screen) -> [Menu] -> "Settings" ->  "Accounts" -> "[my Google account]" -> [Menu] -> "Sync now"

```

... the information is still not pushed to my Google Contacts!!

Does anyone know how I can fix this?

# Answer
So far, my only work-around is to recognize a new Facebook contact, navigate away from it, manually create a new completely empty contact by the same name, link the two, then begin duplicating the data. This is cumbersome and should not be necessary.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Another work around is to use yahoo mail to export your Facebook friends then import them into gmail. It's not a very sustainable workaround for keeping things in sync, but would make the initial sync much easier than manually duplicating the contacts.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, contacts, sync, facebook, motorola-droid-2
---


# Question
Title: Is PNC Bank's Virtual Wallet accessible from Android?
I am a college student in need of a new bank account. PNC Bank's Virtual Wallet service really appeals to me, except I have one unanswered question: Will I be able to keep an eye on it from my Android phone?

Virtually every major bank appears to offer some sort of free downloadable app for Android, but I read comments that the standard PNC Bank app does not work well with, specifically, a Virtual Wallet account, due to it's three-fold Checking-Reserve-Savings system. Nowhere on PNC's website do they clarify this issue.

Seemingly in response to this issue, PNC Bank has published an app specifically for Virtual Wallet customers, but this app appears to be available only on the iPhone, not for Android.

Since a real app does not seem to exist, one might wonder whether the Virtual Wallet website is well-behaved in the standard Android mobile browser, and how much functionality I might be able to expect. There appears to be no way to find out except to open the account first and try it for myself, which is unacceptable, hence my question here.

Can anyone with a PNC Virtual Wallet attempt to log into the administration website from their Android phone (I have a Droid2) and tell me if it's even slightly usable?

# Answer
It is actually very usable! I use it all the time and am quite pleased with it. The interface is slightly different then the desktop site but you can tell that it was redesigned to run on mobile phones. Just go to PNC.com and log in, it will auto-detect that you are on a mobile browser and load the mobile version of the site. I was a little upset at first that there was no PNC app for Android but after using their mobile site I honestly don't care anymore, it is just as good as a dedicated banking app. Definitely do not make your decision because there is no app the mobile site provides all the info you need, and it doesn't take up space on your phone.

EDIT: I'm on a Droid 1 BTW. Just in case it doesn't auto detect your browser Here is a link to the mobile site.
> 2 votes

# Answer
I have a HTC incredible and there is currently no v wallet.app for Android. There is a mobile version of the admin site and It works for some basic functionality but does not have all the options v wallet carries. U can get to the regular or full site via the internet but runs slow and is very difficult to manage the v wallet functions. Hope his helps
> 0 votes

---
Tags: browser
---


# Question
Title: Delete the "Phone" part of a contact whilst keeping the "Google" part?
HTC Hero with HTC Sense - Android 2.1.

Contacts can be either stored on "SIM", "Google" or "Phone". Many contacts are duplicated on "Phone", but I want them all in "Google" so I can manage easily. I've managed to copy all "Phone" to "Google", but now want to remove from "Phone". However, whenever I try to delete a contact (e.g. Bob), it deletes Bob from "Phone" AND "Google". I can't find a way to delete Bob from just "Phone" - any ideas? Factory reset is throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and not a great technical solution...

# Answer
> 5 votes
To answer my own question - here's a different approach to achieve this (Google-only contacts)

* Ensure all required Android contacts are synced to Google
* Export the contacts to CSV on a computer
* Delete all contacts from the Android (that'll be both "Phone" and "Google")
* Import the contacts from CSV to Google
* Google will then sync to the phone

Kind of obvious in hindsight. Hope this benefits the community in some way!

# Answer
> 3 votes
This is the procedure I use on my phone; hope there's something similar for yours:

On the Samsung Vibrant (also Android 2.1) when I open the contact, there's an entry for **Linked Contacts** that shows both the Google contact and the Phone contact (and a SIM contact if you have one). If you select that, you get a new screen showing the linked contacts; each one has a `-` button next to it to unlink it from the others on that screen. Go back to the main contacts list and you should have two entries for that contact -- delete the one with the phone icon next to it.

---
Tags: contacts, htc-sense, htc-hero
---


# Question
Title: Can I install Android on my HTC Touch HD?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Can I install Android on my non-Android device?

I have an HTC Touch HD running Windows Mobile 6.1. Is it possible to run Android on my phone instead of Windows Mobile?

If so, how do I install Android and will it be possible to revert to Windows Mobile if the need should arise?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Yes, this is possible with a custom build of the Android operating system, available from the XDA Developers Forum.

The latest version available as of January 2011 is Android 2.2 and there are download, installation, and troubleshooting instructions in this **XDA Developers forum post**.

---
Tags: windows-mobile
---


title: Deferring GSM data connection

text:
# Question
Title: Deferring GSM data connection
Frequently I am in the range of WiFi. Still when waking up my phone (Motorola Milestone) it usually makes a GSM data connection (visible in the top bar), and only after few seconds the WiFi connection is made.

I understand that WiFi takes some time to connect to. Is it possible to somehow stop the GSM connection opening so quickly? I get billed for each such connection, and even though it is a very small price (0,01PLN/100kB), it is annoying to see all such attempts in billing, one by one.

I think it would be enough if I could defer any internet connection for few seconds after wakeup to give WiFi channel to get opened.

I do not want to block all GSM data connections, it would be a chore to unblock it when I really need it, and then I would keep forgetting to block it again when in WiFi range.

# Answer
Go to SETTINGS \> WIRELESS & NETWORKS \> Wi-Fi SETTINGS

Press MENU and choose ADVANCED.

Click Wi-Fi SLEEP POLICY and make sure NEVER is selected.

This might help your WiFi connection remain connected.

These are available on my Samsung Spica running v2.1 (Eclair).
> 4 votes

# Answer
I'd say your best bet is to set your phone so when Wifi is turned on then 3G is disabled.

I'm running Cyanogenmod and the built in power widget offers an option to turn off 3G automatically when the Wifi is turned on. I don't remember if this was part of the stock Android, but I'll bet it's part of the custom ROM. That being said there are a number of apps that will toggle off the 3g when the Wifi is on (like Network Switcher).

The drawback to this is that you'd have to toggle data manually when you have your wifi on but aren't in range of any networks.

If all the WAPs that you use are known to you, you can use Y5 - Battery Saver to automatically turn wifi on and off when you are in and out of range to know networks. You can also do this with Tasker.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, data-connection
---


# Question
Title: how to take a screen shot and send it via MMS?
can I somehow take a screen shot of a google maps in a `easy way` and then send it via MMS?

---

HTC Desire on 2.1 (not rooted)

# Answer
> 5 votes
Only if you're rooted. See this answer: How to take a screenshot with an Android device?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Try **Map It!**

It won't let you send anything from the Maps App, but the Map It! app uses Google Maps and lets you draw routes and put push pins into the map, then take a screenshot of it and send it via email or MMS.

It's useful if you want to send a picture of a particular place on a map or some kind of mock up to a map, but it's no good if you're trying to send the route that you already mapped out in the separate Maps app. To do this, I believe, you'd have to draw the route by hand on the map in Map It.

Also, you should note that it puts an ad at the top of the screen (in the same way other apps do this), and when you take your screenshot, it will show that ad too. There is an Ad Free version that I haven't tried.

---
Tags: mms, screenshots
---


# Question
Title: Tool for accessing android files on a linux pc over wi-fi
What is the best app to browse, explore and access android files on a Linux machine over wifi?

# Answer
> 3 votes
FTPServer is very good, SwiFTP is another option. I believe they're both in the Market.

# Answer
> 3 votes
I use QuickSSHd. It costs $1.50 US but is worthwhile for me because it gives command line access as well as full root filesystem access. Does require root.

# Answer
> 2 votes
I use WiFi File Explorer. It's for accessing (and moving, etc) files on your phone, nothing else, but it does it wonderfully.

---
Tags: files
---


title: Receiving Google Voice calls to my EVO

text:
# Question
Title: Receiving Google Voice calls to my EVO
I recently set up a GV number and seemingly activated the number for my cell phone, HTC Evo. I can make outgoing calls using the GV# and send/receive texts fine but whenever someone calls the number it gives an 'unable to connect' error and hangs up. Anyone have a solution for this issue?

# Answer
This is still just my best guess, but I would definitely check to be sure that Google Voice is linked to your cell number and that it is set up to forward your calls. You should see something like this in your settings:

If that's all set up properly then you might want to consider starting a discussion thread over at Google's support forum.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: google-voice
---


# Question
Title: Does Google Maps Navigation for Mobile work on Verizon Android phones
Verizon has a history of blocking navigation apps so we'll be forced to use their proprietary navigation system (VZNavigator) and pay the $10/month subscription for it. Can someone confirm that this does not apply to Google Maps Navigation for Mobile on a Verizon Android phone? I'm specifically thinking about the Droid X.

# Answer
Yes, it works on Droid X on Verizon (although the app might have unrelated issues): http://androidforums.com/1208709-post1.html
> 5 votes

# Answer
It doesn't apply to Google Maps Navigation AFAIK but you should ask this specific question to your local Verizon dealer.

For instance, I use Google Maps Navigation on my HTC Droid Incredible and a friend uses it on the Motorola Droid, each with Verizon (but again, be sure to ask before you buy the phone).
> 5 votes

# Answer
I had a Droid 1 for about a year. Google maps works great. Recently switched it out for a Samsung Fascinate. The Fascinate comes with Verizon Navigator pre-loaded. But I downloaded and installed the Google Maps without any issues. I do not pay for the Verizon Navigator application at the additional $10.00 a month. I also have used TitaniumBackup to "freeze" lots of the preloaded programs from Verizon. Have had zero issues with doing that. The Fascinate had an issue with the GPS taking a while to lock on, but it has recently been addressed in a software update. Using Google Maps and Navigation is something that I use daily.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: verizon, navigation, google-maps-navigation
---


# Question
Title: Moto Droid - Screen Going Crazy / SD Card Contents
So about an hour ago I was texting and noticed that when I would try to hit certain letters using the on-screen keyboard that it would think I pressed the keys to the left or right of a certain area. It seemed like a deadspot to me and already I was disappointed but it wasn't a giant issue as I could just use the hardware keyboard til I got it fixed. Now, however, after ~1 minute of being booted up, the screen just starts going crazy, loading random applications, zooming in on stuff, flickering left and right like I was swiping it. I was wondering if anyone had any experience as to what can cause this (other than hardware failure) and if you think doing a factory reset will help at all (assuming I can get through the options fast enough before the screen goes nuts).

Also, before trying a factory reset, I was wondering what all is stored on the SD card by default. I'm not really worried about apps (I'll just re-download them) or contacts (synced with Google I believe), but more media (pictures / videos \[both that I took and downloaded\] / music). Now common sense would suggest that media items would all be stored on the SD card, but I know from experience not to assume things like this. If you could fill me in it would be much appreciated.

# Answer
Pictures, videos, downloads, and music are all stored on the SD card by default. You can get at them by popping your SD card into any card reader. (probably have to get an adapter)

App settings are stored on the phone. But if those apps support google's backup service those settings will be restored on your new phone.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I decided "F it" and pulled the SD card and did a factory reset. The problem still persists so it is most definitely a hardware issue. I guess I'll have to take it in :/.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I had a Droid 1. Screen got very jittery when I used a non-OEM charging cable, unless I held the back of the phone in a certain way. Also noticed this when running Cyanogen ver 6.0 . Went back to the stock ROM. Finally starting doing it again. I ended up sending it back and getting a warranty replacement. Factory reset did not fix it. Warranty replacement works fine.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: motorola-droid, sd-card, screen, storage
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to upgrade my HTC Legend to Froyo without waiting for over the air updates?
I've heard that HTC has released its version of Froyo already on some other phones.

# Answer
HTC now has an official way for Vodafone users to do this
> 5 votes

# Answer
Use ROM Manager to install this ROM from XDA. You need to have root. Otherwise just wait, I'm sure it won't be long till you get the OTA update since it was supposed to be released by all carriers yesterday.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, htc-legend
---


# Question
Title: Shoutcast Stream not running in Android Browser - File Is Not Supported Error
I have android phone and I am trying to run following public Shoutcast stream http://core.crystalone.net:9000/listen.pls in my phone. However, it is not working and when I open it; it gives me error “File Is Not Supported”.

This is very strange since In Android 2. 2 and higher, I think shoutcast streaming is default and does not require any additional application to play them. I have searched through net and have following questions.

1. Is android by default play shoutcast stream in browser and does not require any additional app or anything? If anything required then can anyone please provide details?
2. Any settings required in my phone to play it by default since if it is required then I can do it? Like make sure that .pls files are played in default media player or something?
3. I have heard a lot about “Tunewiki” and “Streamfurious” so do I need it to install any app or winamp in my phone before I can play this shoutcast streams?
4. Any settings required in shoutcast stream creation in order to get it played in android, I have window based stream with version 1.9.5?

I am out of clue right now and any help will be greatly appreciated. Also can anyone check this URL in their android and let me know if it runs and if yes, then it runs in browser or in some other way?

***Update***:

I just tried the listen.pls opened in new Motorola touch screen, Android 2.2. It open the default player but then no streaming is done or nothing is played. It is just opening but playing nothing.

Can anyone just confirm that Shoutcast stream will not work on any android phone browser till i install Winamp?

And suppose i install it and i open listen.pls in browser, will it automatically go in winamp to play or will I need to do any setting?

# Answer
> 1 votes
I believe you need to install Winamp or another Shoutcast-streaming client.

---
Tags: shoutcast
---


# Question
Title: Power draw from GPS - Does granularity affect amount of power drawn?
We all know that GPS draws a considerable amount of battery power. Does anyone know of any studies that test the "granularity" of a GPS signal with how much battery is consumed?

I'm not talking about the device-GPS vs cell network triangulated GPS either, the applications in Android can select a distance (1 meter, 5 meters, 500 meters, etc) at which they will be notified of a changed location. I imagine that regardless of what this value is set at, the GPS is actively getting a new location very rapidly, and only notifying the app as soon as it wants.

Does anyone know of any studies for power draw with different GPS settings? Thanks!

# Answer
GPS is a passive technology - it doesn't get notified of a new position, it works it out by listening to the GPS signals it receives and doing some maths.

The options in GPS apps that allow you to choose the minimum distance are there to make your location appear more stable - small variations in your calculated location would otherwise make for lots and lots of waypoints on your track (if that's what you're recording), making for a much increased filesize.

Depending on what your app does when you change position, you might get some power savings by increasing this value, but that would be down to the app doing less with the position once it has it, rather than by getting your position less frequently.

The Glympse app, for example, continually sends your position to the Glympse servers. If you could choose how often to update that position you could maybe save some power, but you wouldn't be saving any power on the GPS side of things.
> 6 votes

# Answer
First reason, the GPS can reduce power consumption if the GPS is turned off, however if the GPS is turned off and the user moves too far away, the GPS will have to redo a lot of initialization calculations (which can take about 5 minutes in typical GPS device, though can be slightly faster if the device knows an approximate location or if it does not need to be too accurate), this initialization wastes a lot of power and so Android usually keeps the GPS turned on for a while. The GPS driver uses those parameters to make decisions whether to turn off GPS or keeping it turned on will be much more economical.

Second reason, poorly written applications are much more difficult to write with how Android's GPS API is. If the GPS driver simply fired callbacks as fast as it can, then poorly written software can just process as much as it can, instead of filtering only those that it needs. Also, this kind of API forces programmer to explicitly think about their frequency and accuracy requirement, and allow the driver to better manage power vs accuracy tradeoff.

In many cases, in areas with high cell tower density, Android might decide to simply use network location and on other places to use GPS when the network location is unreliable. All that can be done transparently to application programmers.
> 6 votes

---
Tags: battery-life, gps
---


# Question
Title: can I bypass screen lock request to log in to google (Samsung Galaxy S)?
My two year old kept getting into my phone, so I put a pattern lock on it. She played with this too many times and the screen is now locked, which shouldn't be a problem as it has just asked me to log into my google account to get past it, but it isn't accepting my google password for some reason. I've spoken to people at Samsung and Vodafone who say I need to take my phone in to a technician. I'm pretty sure they will just wipe it clean and make me start over. I'd rather not do this, and even if I have to I'll have to go to another city to do it, which is a pain. Does anyone know how to get past this password request since it isn't working?

# Answer
Try logging into your Google account on your computer and changing the password to something very simple like "123456". Then try it on your phone again. I had a problem once logging into my Nook account on my Droid so I logged into the website and changed my password from the standard complex string of random numbers and characters to a plain string, and it let me in.
> 6 votes

# Answer
Have you tried recovering your Google password? https://www.google.com/accounts/recovery

Note: this may be worthless if you never set up a secondary email account to recover your google account. Because there is no other way to recover a Google password.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, lock-screens, password
---


# Question
Title: Make Google Search app use Google.com.au
I purchased my HTC Desire (2.2 FroYo) from the UK and by default I guess the Google Search app uses Google.co.uk whenever I run a search through the app.

This is quite annoying as you could imagine since none of the local services/locations are show since it's searching on the UK domain.

Is there a way **without rooting** that this could be modified?

# Answer
> 5 votes
So I figured out a while back that it's my phones locale that is affecting this but never really thought I could change it.

This morning however as I was doing a Goolge search for "how to change Android locale" I though about trying to search for an app on the Market.

Sure enough there are a few that can. The one that I've gone with is made by inKa.

Custom Locale

# Answer
> 2 votes
I'm not sure that it fit exactly your question, but it may be help:

* Open the web browser, and go to http://www.google.com
* Go to the footer an follow the link `Settings`
* Consider to check `yes` at the question `Allow use of device location?`
* Then follow the link at the top right `More setting >>`
* Finally, set your languages preferences

# Answer
> 1 votes
Does this do the trick? `Menu > More > Settings > Set home page`

---
Tags: applications, htc-desire, localization, google-search
---


# Question
Title: What purpose does the Notification Flash/Email setting serve?
The Notification Flash/Email setting (Settings \> Sound & display \> Notification flash \> Email) appears to have no influence on the stock mail app or gmail app. So does it serve any purpose?

In the stock mail app, even if Email notifications (Settings \> Notification settings \> Email notifications) are on, the flash doesn’t occur, regardless of the system wide Notification Flash/Email setting.

In the gmail app, the Email notifications (Settings \> Email notifications) setting controls whether the flash occurs or not, regardless of the system wide Notification Flash/Email setting.

# Answer
The Notification Flash settings are supposed to enable/disable flashing the LED on the front of the handset for events such as receiving an email or SMS. If your handset has no LED (my HTC Desire does, my ZTE Blade does not) it has no efect but the option is usually still present as it's a stock option.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: settings, notifications
---


title: iPhone-style "Stocks" app?

text:
# Question
Title: iPhone-style "Stocks" app?
I was playing around with a friend's iPhone the other day. I'm a total anti-Apple, but I can recognize niceties when I see them. The Stocks app on the iPhone seemed much more concise and useful than any I've tried on Android.

Specifically I like how it is laid out with all your pertinent information right there. Symbol, price, and change. **WITH** the chart also shown on the screen. The little top section with the symbols is scrollable within its own space if you have more than fit in it, but the chart stays where it is.

Does anyone know if there is a port (or highly similar app) of the iPhone's "Stocks" app available for Android?

Ideally, it needs to be an app which can also handle symbols for mutual funds well (with charting), as my investments are all in mutual funds, not direct stocks.

I've tried the Yahoo stocks app, Google's, TD Bank's and most recently E\*TRADE's. But they all seem to have a very cluttered feel, or don't bring together your basic information all in one place leaving you to flip between several screens.

Cheers, and thanks!

# Answer
Try Google's own 'Finance' app from the market.

> Finance for Android brings you streaming real-time quotes in this stock quote and portfolio application. It synchronizes with your Google Finance portfolios, allows quick access to charts and lets you view the latest market and company news
> 3 votes

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: How can I reload original software back to nexus one
I unlock my nexus one, and compile and install the ginger bread build load to the phone. But now, I realize that it does not have all the google software e.g. gmail, map, market, etc.

How can I reset my nexus one back to the original froyo with all the google software?

I have tried 'factory reset' but it does not revert back to android 2.2. Thank you for any idea.

Thank you.

# Answer
Check out this thread, Original ROM, which is about returning a Nexus One to an unmodded ROM.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Is your phone also rooted? You could install ROM Manager, and then Clockwork Recovery. ROM Manager has an option to flash a stock ROM back onto a phone (with or without root status).

Or you could try out CyanogenMod. CM7 nightlies just started, so we should see a stable version soon. (CM7 has Gingerbread with optional Google Apps. CM6 is Froyo.)
> 1 votes

---
Tags: nexus-one, stock-android
---


title: Icons changing screen postion

text:
# Question
Title: Icons changing screen postion
Every so often I will unlock my phone and notice an Icon is missing on my home screen. Upon further investigation it seems that I can always find it on the home screen to the left or right. My question is: how does this happen? I have tried everything I could possibly think of to reproduce moving the icon from screen to screen. It doesn't pertain to a particular icon or icon position, it can happen with any of them. Until recently I thought this didn't affect widgets but I noticed it happen with the Google search bar... It's not that big of a deal because I can quickly delete the icon and put a new one on the proper home screen. I just want to understand how this is happening, it has been going on long enough and frequently enough to make think it is not the phone but something I am doing. I have replaced my original DROID 3 times since I got it and have seen this problem since 2.0 on my the original one.

# Answer
> 5 votes
It's possible that you're long-pressing the icon and then sliding it over to the other screen. This is also how you could put it back where you want it without deleting and re-adding the icon/widget. Several times I've inadvertantly rested a finger on the keyboard long enough to bring up the menu.

---
Tags: motorola-droid, app-widgets, home-screen, home-screen-shortcuts
---


# Question
Title: How can I fix Droid2 "Link Contacts" so it chooses the right primary name?
I'm having a problem with my Motorola Droid2 (Android Version 2.2) (System Version 2.3.20.A955) when it comes to linking contacts.

When I link any Google Contact and/or phone contact with a Twitter contact, the meta-contact's primary display name always changes to the Twitter handle. If I click "Edit Contact", it very clearly lists all of the correct information, including all components of the correct Google Contact name, but as soon as I leave the "Edit Contact" menu and return to viewing the contact, the name returns to being the Twitter handle.

This, apparently, used to be a problem with Android itself, but has since been bugfixed. Apparently this latest incarnation of the same issue is specific to at least Droid, if not specifically just the Droid2. It is apparently a very common complaint from Droid2 users, and it seems to common solution is to log on the Motorola forums to rant and rage.

I am looking for a more proactive solution to the problem. I am not against rooting my phone to install a different version of Android if it fixes this issue, especially if it means I get to lose all the Motorola bloatware and unremovable apps.

Is there any way to solve this issue within the current OS on my phone? If not, is there another ROM without this issue that will behave properly with my Droid2?

# Answer
> 2 votes
The Droid2 has a protected bootloader, meaning custom ROMs can't be loaded unless it is cracked. (It hasn't been cracked yet).

That said, you can root the phone and you might be able to replace the Contacts app with another one. The problem is that the Contacts.apk file is more than just Contacts -- it's also the Dialer. Kind of an important file. Replacing should be OK though as long as you back up the original and can restore it, but don't expect the replacement to work.

Googling "2.2 contacts.apk" should give you a few different versions of the app that you can download and test out. Note you probably need to deodex your phone before you can replace a system app. To actually replace it, use an app like Root Explorer to browse to /system/app, mount that folder as R/W, rename Contacts.apk to Contacts.backup or something, and copy in the new Contacts.apk.

# Answer
> 1 votes
> The Droid2 has a protected bootloader, meaning custom ROMs can't be loaded unless it is cracked. (It hasn't been cracked yet).

This is only partially true. The Droid 2 does have a locked bootloader but that does not stop you from loading a custom ROM. Look here for several custom ROMs available for the Droid 2. The Fission ROM is vanilla Android and they also have a Fusion ROM that adds back some of the Motorola apps.

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, contacts, motorola-droid-2
---


# Question
Title: shoutcast not working in android 2.2 - not even in latest winamp
I have spent for 30 hours searching for a solution, however, I need help. I want to provide live stream on an android phone with a user having to download an app.

I have used shoutcast but that does not help and when i go to m.mysite.com and click play from android browser it gives unsupported format.

however, this site: http://stream.radiojavan.com/radiojavan if I go to it, and then from android browser it plays the stream.

Any help will be a great help.

# Answer
> 1 votes
What phone and Android version have you got? The description for WinAmp in the Market says that Shoutcast support in WinAmp is only available for phones running Android 2.2 or above.

This previous question Stream Sound from Ubuntu to Android has an answer that says that XiiaLive (official site) should support Shoutcast.

---
Tags: streaming, shoutcast
---


# Question
Title: Locale powersave plugin & Power Control widget
I use Locale app with powersave plugin. 3G is usually switched off except during scheduled syncing to save power.

There are occassional situations when I would like to use 3G and I would like switch it on by hand. I would like to use Power Control widget. I have two problem with it.

* I can't reenable 3G that powersave plugin disabled previously
* I cannot override the behaviour of the Locale. In the Default profile 3G shouldn't be allowed so it would disable it all the time when it's enabled.

For now I can't found any Power Conrol plugin for Locale.

Do you have any idea how to solve this problem or do you have any workaround?

Thanks,

Hubi

# Answer
I am the developer of Locale.

To get started, please read this article on our website about toggling 3G which should answer your questions: http://feedback.twofortyfouram.com/forums/5655-locale-feedback/suggestions/67867-3g-support-for-network-setting?ref=title

From that article, I think you'll find that using APNDroid will be the best solution: it is free, has a Locale plug-in, and it contains a widget that can be used to manually toggle Internet access on the phone.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: app-widgets, battery-life, locale
---


# Question
Title: How to update HTC Wildfire to froyo (android 2.2)?
This is not duplicate of "When will my phone get the Android 2.2 update (FroYo)?" as I read there that official UK update was on 20 December 2010. I have phone in 3 and I cannot find any way to update.

If I enter into settings and try to do scheduled check it informs that phone is up to date. Firmware version is "2.1.-update1".

How to update to froyo

# Answer
> 3 votes
I expect the same way as any other update.

`Menu | Settings | About phone | System updates`

If it tells you that "Your system is currently up to date" then your carrier hasn't released the update for your phone yet. (They usually do staggered rollouts so as not to overload anything.)

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, htc-wildfire
---


# Question
Title: Can you use the screen on a Samsung Galaxy S as camera flash for the front facing camera?
The Samsung Galaxy S doesn't have a camera flash, are there any apps for Samsung Galaxy S to make use of the front camera and screen as a camera flash?

For a samsung galaxy s android phone. could that work? I couldn't find one. it would be useful.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Even on models that have a built-in flash, using it isn't worth your time. Point flashes almost always make the picture look bad, especially when the camera is a crappy phone camera. I suggest making sure the subject is well-lit instead. That all said, the screen isn't bright enough for a flash. Best case it would provide a little "ambient" lighting in a dark room and you'd have to take the picture up close.

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


# Question
Title: Why does the default Email app download the same (POP3) message over and over again?
For the most part, I haven't had too many problems with the stock Email app on my Moto Droid. I have both ActiveSync (Exchange) and POP3 accounts set up and never have trouble with ActiveSync. But for some reason, with the POP3 account, sometimes the app gets into this endless loop and won't stop downloading the exact same message and showing it as unread.

I'll open the message, delete it, and then next time the app checks for new e-mail, the message is back again as if I'd never opened it in the first place.

Usually the problem seems to go away if I either (a) delete the message from the message list without opening it, or (b) delete it from within the message and then immediately hit "Load more messages". But neither of these methods work *all* the time; sometimes the message still comes back!

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this and knows why it happens (I assume it's got to be some connectivity issue - I do know that the Email app flakes out a lot due to 3G/WiFi switching, but that's hardly a complete explanation), and if there's any foolproof way to either ensure the message is deleted "for good" or to prevent the problem from ever happening in the first place.

Unfortunately I've never been able to reliably reproduce the issue - it seems to be random or at least intermittent.

Any ideas?

# Answer
> 1 votes
I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS ISSUE (sorry for caps but I have been dealing with it for a while). I don't have a fix but I do have work around: hit the show pictures button at the top of the message and let all images render before deleting. I wish I had a permanent fix for you. I wonder if this happens on other phones and not just the Moto Droid?

# Answer
> 0 votes
On my Motorola Droid, I was able to set up Hotmail as an Exchange Active Sync account. I followed the settings in http://windowsteamblog.com/windows\_live/b/windowslive/archive/2010/08/30/hotmail-now-supports-push-email-calendar-and-contacts-with-exchange-activesync.aspx and everything worked fine. Now that I access Hotmail through ActiveSync, my email sync works great and deletes work too.

---
Tags: email, pop3
---


# Question
Title: How to get to your settings without a home screen app?
I hadn't used my old HTC Hero for a while, but when I rebooted it I got an error saying:

`LauncherPro has expired, please download an updated version.`

But wifi was turned off and when I tried to get to the home screen, it kept sending me back into the browser. So how can I get to my settings, so I can turn on wifi to download it?

Or is there another way of updating it without me requiring to go to my settings?

# Answer
Found this at: http://orlygoingthirty.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-uninstall-expired-launcherpro.html

> I finally found a workable solution: download the latest LauncherPro APK (or hopefully any other APK). Connect your phone to your PC and mount the SD card. Copy the new APK to the top-level of the SD card and rename it to something short (like lp.apk).
>
> Unmount the phone, then in the phone browser (which is the only thing LP lets you run), type the following in the URL bar:
>
> file:///sdcard/lp.apk
>
> (notice the three slashes)
>
> This will force-launch the Installer application on the phone. Now on my phone, it was set to disallow non-Android Market apps from installing; since the APK is not off the Android Market, the phone popped up an error and offered to let me change the application setting. Which launches the Settings application.
> 10 votes

# Answer
Really all that was really necessary was to click on the phone's search button and type in "settings". The top result should be the "Settings" application. You click on that and it opens your settings app so that you can got to Applications:Manage Applications where you can scroll down to LauncherPro click on it and then click on the "Clear defaults" button. Now when you click on the home key it will bring up a list of any Launcher programs you have installed, including the factory installed one which you can now select.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: settings, launcherpro
---


title: Load images only on wi-fi?

text:
# Question
Title: Load images only on wi-fi?
Can I somehow tell my phone to load images in (for example) browsers, gmail, twitter, etc. only when connected through a wi-fi connection? Mobile internet is pretty expensive in my country so I don't want images to spend more bandwidth than needed.. Or do I have to manualy turn it off for each app I'm using at the moment?

if it means anything, I'm using android2.2

thanks

# Answer
> 4 votes
There's currently no way to set a system-wide policy for this. Some apps do support doing things on WiFi only, however. Here's some info on the apps you mentioned:

1. You can go into the browser settings and uncheck Load Images.
2. GMail does not load images unless you view a message and click a button to display them.
3. I believe the Touiteur Twitter client allows you to disable images.

# Answer
> -1 votes
I believe this could be done with Tasker but it would be a very long and complex setup (actually several) and you'd need to know the specific intents that turn the images off in each application.

---
Tags: wi-fi, internet, images, 3g
---


# Question
Title: any way to edit id tag inside android phone?
any way how to edit (mp3) id tags inside my android? HTC Desire 2.1

I am used to play my music using winamp with right click on directory and select 'play in winamp'. In that case it doesn't matter if you have id tags set up or not. I miss that on Android a lot.

# Answer
> 2 votes
I've used this app in the past to edit my tags AudioTaggerFree

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


title: archos 7 wlan receiver antenna

text:
# Question
Title: archos 7 wlan receiver antenna
Do you know in which side the wlan receiver antenna on archos 7 HT is located? I'm just wondering if it will affect the signal strength received if we cover the "spot", e.g. with our palm.

# Answer
Slashgear has an article with a set of pictures showing the internals of the Archos 7, Slashgear: Archos 7 Home Tablet clears FCC picture 6 on this page has the wifi module and antenna labelled, unfortunately as I don't have one I can't quite work out the orientation of the parts in that picture as to how they relate to the full device, you might be able to.

There are also a number of videos on YouTube and elsewhere on the web of it being taken to pieces by owners where you can see the internals, search for something like "archos 7 disassembled" to find them.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, network-signal, archos-gen7
---


# Question
Title: How does the phone know it has been docked
How does the Android phone phone it has been docked in a car holder?

I think the HTC Desire car dock can launch Car Home, but how does the phone known it's been docked?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Some Android phones, like the Nexus One, have special contacts that tell the OS when the phone has been docked.

The Desire actually doesn't have these so can't automatically detect that it has been docked. Car Home can still be launched manually.

Another option is to look at an app like Tasker. You could configure Car Home to be launched when certain conditions are met, like the phone is on charge and in a vertical position (so docked). There are many other ways you could use tasker for this.

# Answer
> 9 votes
Typically, the phone knows whether it has been docked by the placement of a magnet on a certain area on the back of the phone. You can therefore create your own cheap dock using a magnet and some sort of stand. Here is an example with the Droid.

---
Tags: htc-desire, car-dock, docking-station
---


# Question
Title: No MAC address di iMX51_bbg froyo 2.2 Epad 8'
I've bought an iMX51\_bbg Froyo 2.2 Epad 8', but I cannot find the MAC address. Can you help me with that?

Is there any USB Modem compatible with this Android device? I've tried many and can't get them to work! The phone works properly with WiFi, but it's annoying if I have to go to free WiFi place if I just want to surf.

# Answer
You should be able to find the MAC address in your Settings.

`Menu | Settings | About phone | Status | Wi-Fi MAC address`
> 1 votes

---
Tags: internet
---


# Question
Title: In google contacts where is the contact for me?
I'm not sure if it matters but my phone has 'HTC sense'.

I have all my contacts sync'd with my google account.

I have a normal contact called "me" in my google contacts that through various merging has accumulated all my contact details.

However on the phone that shows up as a normal contact called "me" rather than going into the special "my contact card" thing.

I would like to fix this, but preferably without having to copy all the stuff over manually.

# Answer
The contact record for you I assume just has your name. If you link the two (top right corner when editing a contact) it will pull all of the information in. On the down side it will eliminate the "Me" entry. At least that's how I remember it working when I went through this. My Wife just left with my phone for the evening...
> 1 votes

# Answer
Perhaps "Me" is a reserved name in the Android contacts app. Try renaming your "Me" contact in your Google account and then see what happens in Android after syncing contacts again.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Mine too, also HTC Sense. My "My Contact Card" isn't called 'me' but rather has my name - it's linked to my facebook account which I think happened during set up. The HTC site says this about "My Contact Card"...

"My contact card provides a convenient way to store your personal contact information so that you can easily send it via MMS. In addition, you can log in to your Facebook and Flickr accounts to receive notifications of your contacts' updates and events. On the All tab of the People screen, tap Me, and then tap here \[??\] to edit contact."

Anyway the result is that my phone has a perfectly good contact record for me from Google Mail/Talk (with my various phone numbers, email and physical address) and another useless one sucked in from Facebook - it doesn't seem possible to link my personal Google contact record to my Facebook Record or to delete the 'My Contact Card'. That's a bit of a mess really, shame as the rest of the gmail/facebook integration is very good.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: contacts, htc-desire, gmail, htc-sense
---


# Question
Title: How do I get a windows xp laptop to be able to use the internet via droid X?
My friend has a droid x and her laptop has windows xp. She tried several ways to try to get the droid to work so it can be able to allow her computer to get on the internet via droid. I have come to find that there wasn't any drivers on her computer for the droid, even when installing drivers from

http://www.verizon-phones.org/verizon-motorola-droid-x-usb-drivers-pc-charging-drivers-download.html

her computer still does not recognize it. What should I do to resolve this?

# Answer
> 1 votes
There are two options, but they both require connecting to the Android device via WiFi:

* Root the phone and use Wireless Tether - (unofficial method) **Warning: this may void your warranty, so don't blame anyone if it causes you an issue, least of all me! Proceed at your own risk.** Once the phone is rooted (you can search via Google for rooting your device and it *usually* not the most complicated thing to do), you can install Wireless Tether from the Android Market. This will basically turn your Android phone into a mobile router that you can connect to with your PC.

or

* Pay for the 3G Mobile Hotspot option from Verizon - (official version) This is the carrier provided method for tethering your device (getting a computer to access the internet using a wireless device). I believe that it is currently $20 per month and there is a limit to the amount of data that you can use.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Try downloading the drivers straight from the source (Motorola) here.

Make sure any drivers you already installed are uninstalled first, then install from Motorola.

---
Tags: tethering, windows
---


# Question
Title: Is moving apps to SD only available to rooted devices?
1. Can I move any apps to SD?
2. Is there a specific version of Android that I should run: 2.1, 2.2?
3. Should my phone be rooted for that? Or does it work for stock versions too?

# Answer
1. The app has to support moving to the SD card.
2. The feature should be in Android 2.2+.
3. Your phone doesn't have to be rooted in order to do it.
> 11 votes

# Answer
There are 2 methods of app2sd:

* The Official method

+ Pros:
        - give the best experience with the least hassle, as you would never mistakenly move apps that should not be moved
        - officially supported
        - does not need rooted phones
    + Cons:
        - Only available in Android 2.2 and above
        - only apps that are specifically marked as movable by the author can be moved.
* The Rooted method:

+ Pros:
        - works on pre-2.2 phones
        - You can move apps that you know are safe, but the author have not yet updated the app to support app2sd.
        - more variations to suit your specific need, some variants of rooted app2sd will just move all applications, while some other variants allows you to choose which apps you want to move, or move only applications that supports app2sd.
    + Cons:
        - Phone must be rooted
        - May cause system instability if you move apps that are not supposed to be moved (e.g. home screen widgets, apps with background services, etc)
        - Not officially supported

*Can I move any apps to sd?*

Yes if you use rooted app2sd; No, if you are using official app2sd.

*Is there a specific version of andoid that I should run: 2.1, 2.2?*

For rooted method, any version should be fine. For official method, you need Android 2.2 or above.

*Should my phone be rooted for that? or stock version works too?*

Yes, for rooted method, you need rooted phones. For Android 2.2 and above, no, stock version works.
> 7 votes

# Answer
**NO, IT IS AVAILABLE FOR NON ROOTED DEVICES AS WELL.** For non rooted devices it is possible to move apps to SD too. But only for new Android versions, starting at 2.2.

Usually the apps must be prepared to allow the system to move it to the SD, but you can on your Android device (2.2) move any app to the SD, prepared or not.

This is done with this commands:

**`adb shell pm setInstallLocation 2`**

So answering you:

Q1) Can I move any apps to SD? **A : YES**
Q2) Is there a specific version of Android that I should run: 2.1, 2.2? **A : 2.2**
Q3) Should my phone be rooted for that? Or does it work for stock versions too? **A : No root needed, should work on every Android 2.2 Device**

Note: do it at your own risk, I mean, widgets on SD will not be able to show on desktop, running services can stop working if they are moved to SD and you umount your card, etc.
Note 2: you need the Android SDK in order to use ADB, you only need to download it from here http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html access and perform the necessary steps to download the SDK. The ADB command is on the TOOLS folder.
Note 3: if you run this command, only new installs will automatically go to the SD card, already installed apps need to be moved manually.
> 4 votes

# Answer
If you are rooted, you need at least Android 2.1. If not, you need at least Android 2.2. Additionally, you can't move apps that don't support it.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: app2sd
---


# Question
Title: How do I stop apps from installing themselves to my SD-card?
It seems that some apps default to saving to SD-card when they're first installed on Froyo rather than defaulting to internal memory, this is annoying because whenever I mount the SD Card as storage in Windows the icons for those apps disappear from my home screen, and I have to go into the apps list and find them to add them back onto the home screen. If I even notice they've gone.

I have a Galaxy S with over 1.4GB of internal memory free, so have absolutely no worries about apps taking up space on the internal storage, or running out of memory, so I'd like to use that space and save the SD storage for my files (ie pictures, movies and music).

Apps that had somehow moved themselves onto my SD Card when I checked just now were SliceIt and Open Signal Maps. In the past I remember that both Angry Birds and Angry Birds Seasons had done this too until I moved them back onto the phone (in fact I thought for a bit that Angry Birds Seasons had replaced Angry Birds as the original disappeared from the home screen around the same time that I installed Seasons, I then got suspicious a few days later when Seasons disappeared too and found them both on the SD).

# Answer
> 7 votes
Thanks to this answer to this question Is moving apps to SD only available to rooted devices?.

I've discovered the `getInstallLocation` ADB command and set the install location to internal on my un-rooted phone.

With the Android SDK installed, and my phone connected via USB with USB Debugging mode switched on, enter the following commands:

`adb devices`
(check that ADB can see my phone, and start necessary services)

`adb shell`
(connects a shell to the phone)

`pm getInstallLocation`
(returns `0[auto]`)

`pm setInstallLocation 1`
(sets the default install location to internal memory)

`pm getInstallLocation`
(run again to check that it is now set to the correct location, returns `1[internal]`)

`exit`

Safely Remove Hardware, unplug phone and all done, without any need for root!

# Answer
> 5 votes
I haven't tried it yet myself, but here is an XDA thread featuring a program that lets you move any app on or off your SD card and set the installation default to Internal, SD or Auto. I believe Auto is the default.

---
Tags: applications, 2.2-froyo, sd-card
---


# Question
Title: open messages to a contact at bottom of list
When I open my messages list with a contact (I presume this is the same across all androids, and not my htc legend) it has the message history with that contact...if you have just received a message from them, the new message is at the bottom and you always have to scroll to it...is there a way to make it so that the new message is focused? or that newer messages are in view by default or by sorting?

**Edit**
Seems to be a HTC Sense messages app bug...Anyone with HTC Sense not have this problem?

# Answer
> 1 votes
HTC Desire stock Froyo rom. I don't see this behaviour. Default message app shows the last messages by default. If I use the contact app (tab with message conversations) I see the more recent messages at the top.

I can confirm that like Kevin M on rare occasions the messaging app will show the earliest messages instead and I have to scroll to the bottom. That's a bug for sure, I've seen it only a couple of times though...

# Answer
> 2 votes
HTC provided the Froyo (2.2) update for my phone for my carrier which I've now installed and it is no longer a problem. Furthermore, the messaging app in 2.2 is a lot better than 2.1, so happy user all round here.

---
Tags: contacts, htc-sense, sms
---


title: *Flickering* red notification light?

text:
# Question
Title: *Flickering* red notification light?
I have a Droid 2 Global that I got a few days ago. Today, its notification light started ***flickering*** red. Not flashing or blinking, but flickering. It will be dim and then get bright randomly, but never turn off. The light is on when the phone is on, sleeping, and even when powered off - the only way to make it go away is to pull the battery.

Here's a quick video I took; apologies for the poor quality. When it looks like it has turned off, the light is really just very dim.

Any ideas what's wrong? I'm having a real WTF moment.

# Answer
> 3 votes
If it happens when the phone is off it's gotta be a bad hardware connection. I'm guessing on of the leads just barely makes contact or something. You may want to get a replacement.

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Tags: motorola-droid-2, notification-led
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# Question
Title: How can I remove Sense UI from the HTC Desire?
So I'm pretty much sick of HTC Sense (and therefore my Desire in general) for the following reasons:

1. THE BIG ONE: Lack of space on the phone partition
2. The Sense UI calendar is rubbish. No view of the day of the week you're picking when creating a new event ... WTF?
3. Contacts sync with Google Contacts: I have absolutely no way to sync selected groups. I've spent hours going through forum posts ... seems to be a very common problem, and for the desire I see no solution to this one. When my contacts are taking up 15 MB of precious space, I have 2 options: delete a stack of them from my Google account, or find another option on the phone (this is the option I'm leaning towards).
4. Speed. I played with my friend's Nexus One with Gingerbread, and the speed is incredible. My Desire's speed is lacking.
5. Battery life. I'm pretty sure Sense and all its background processes are sucking a lot of battery power unnecessarily. I cannot get through a day without charging. If I go to work and forget to charge it during the day, it'll be dead before I get home. And I hardly use my phone at work.

So, assuming Sense is the cause of all or most of the above issues, I figure my Desire and I would be much better friends if I could rid it of all that Sense gunk.

Has anybody done this? Got any links to tutorials I can follow (since I haven't even rooted my phone yet).

# Answer
> 3 votes
Okay so i've solved all of my issues. It was quite simple really, and involved the following:

1. Root the phone. Easy done - here's a tutorial: http://theunlockr.com/2010/09/20/how-to-root-the-htc-desire-unrevoked-method/
2. Backup the current phone setup just in case i want to rollback... tutorial: http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/how-to-perform-and-restore-a-nandroid-backup/
3. Download a new custom ROM to install. I went for the Oxygen V2 RC6 Gingerbread ROM for HTC Desire. Its excellent... fast, stable, resolves the space issues by enabling user to force apps to install to SD card, calendar shows the day when picking dates and even in agenda view, selective contacts sync is supported, and battery life seems better. It also makes it super easy to switch between 2G and 3G modes which saves heaps of battery (in 2G mode that is). The ROM is here: http://android-roms.net/desire/2011/01/06/oxygen-v2-0-rc6/ Tutorial on loading custom rom here: http://theunlockr.com/2010/06/07/how-to-load-a-custom-rom-on-the-htc-desire/

Reboot and enjoy the wonders of a pure Android experience... no HTC gunk, no Telstra rubbishware, just pure unadulterated Android excellence.

Note: I do have an issue with this setup... the network seems to drop out occasionally (Telstra). Monitor this thread for a solution: How to fix Telstra network dropouts on Gingerbread Oxygen ROM?

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Tags: htc-desire, htc-sense, uninstallation
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title: Exchange Client That Supports Rules

text:
# Question
Title: Exchange Client That Supports Rules
I set up rules in Outlook (which is synched to a Microsoft Exchange server) to automatically filter emails to specific folders, based on sender.

I have been able to sync the Android email client to my mail server, and the inbox contains all of the folders I had set up in Outlook.

My problem is that the Android email client offers no way to sync ALL email folders at once. I have to sync each individually, which is not really feasible with over 20 folders.

Is there a better email client that will sync with Exchange AND allow synching of all folders under the inbox?

Thanks, Seth

# Answer
> 0 votes
You can configure your rules on your server account to do that, so you don’t need the filtering rules on every client. Is very practical.

But don't remember now if K9 Mail client offer filtering/rule system

Also there is SEVEN Mail client that if i´m not wrong you can **create and modify server-side email rules**. With SEVEN you will get PUSH mail notification for mail, exchange, imap, yahoo, etc...

Note1: Your can create the rules through OWA(Outlook Web Access). Rules created through OWA are Server side rules. Your Exchange server should have a OWA access point. Usually something like : https://owa.yourserverdomain.com

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Tags: applications, email
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