Android

[Torgo]

The other phone OS...

[heroicraptor]

The best reason yet to root your phone: to remove Carrier IQ (http://lifehacker.com/5863895/carrier-iq-how-the-widespread-rootkit-can-track-everything-on-your-phone-and-how-to-remove-it).

[fortheloveofgod]

Can't wait for MIUI ICS or CM9. All this still on my HTC Inc. Carrier IQ FTW. F Verizon.

[fixate]

I'm using a Samsung Epic, which only just a few weeks ago finally got Gingerbread. I'm running a nice mostly-stock ROM and a very cool ICS theme, and of course, CIQ is removed.

I doubt my phone will ever see Ice Cream Sandwich, but I'm eligible for an upgrade anytime, and looking at the Galaxy Nexus (or whatever it's called now).

[Torgo]

I own a Droid Bionic with GO Launcher replacing my homescreen and widget lockscreen replacing my stock lockscreen with the new ICS look.

I definitely think that ICS looks supremely sexy. There's actually a launcher emulating it in the market, but I think I'll wait until my phone gets the real update.

Here's the basic layout of what my homescreen looks like (I like looking at how other people re-organize and create a look for their phones):

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/p480x480/310681_922088520053_213675_40826203_20037043_n.jpg





The best reason yet to root your phone: to remove Carrier IQ (http://lifehacker.com/5863895/carrier-iq-how-the-widespread-rootkit-can-track-everything-on-your-phone-and-how-to-remove-it).

Luckily that's only on Sprint phones in the US.

[dogsipod]

Luckily that's only on Sprint phones in the US.

In HTC's statement to the press they mentioned how carrier IQ was required by all us carriers. It's on more then just sprint. Current estimates I have read are putting install numbers around 150 million phones.

[blassster]

I'm waiting on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. In Canada it comes to Bell next week, but to my carrier in January-ish. Definitely going to check it out in a store first, though. It looks giant! Upgrading from a Motorola Milestone (aka the first Motorola Droid). Anyone on here have hands on with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus?

[Goldfoot]

The best reason yet to root your phone: to remove Carrier IQ (http://lifehacker.com/5863895/carrier-iq-how-the-widespread-rootkit-can-track-everything-on-your-phone-and-how-to-remove-it).

Not only do I have mine rooted, but I refuse to use OTA software. I have tried a few different ROMs and almost all of them are better than the OTA one. I haven't tried the stock ROM for long, but even that is better than OTA because it doesn't have all the useless shit the carrier/manufacturer think you need.

[Torgo]

In HTC's statement to the press they mentioned how carrier IQ was required by all us carriers. It's on more then just sprint. Current estimates I have read are putting install numbers around 150 million phones.


Hmmm... I had read somewhere that the one US carrier with CIQ was Sprint. At least Verizon has spoken out to say they don't have it and I know my phone definitely doesn't have it (Verizon)... *shrug*

[dogsipod]

Hmmm... I had read somewhere that the one US carrier with CIQ was Sprint. At least Verizon has spoken out to say they don't have it and I know my phone definitely doesn't have it (Verizon)... *shrug*

That may be what they are saying but CIQ, has also come out and said they install their stuff on phones for all us carriers. Right now not enough has been made public to know the extent, I wouldn't be surprised if PR ppl don't start playing "we didn't know they put that on their" card.

[imail724]

Droid X. Apex 2.0 RC4 Gingerbread.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y278/imail724/CAP201112041254.png
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y278/imail724/CAP201112041252.png
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y278/imail724/CAP201112041255.png

[sentient02970]

Upgraded my Moto Droid 1.0 to a Moto Razr yesterday. So far, so good.

[NotoriousTIMP]

I'm waiting on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. In Canada it comes to Bell next week, but to my carrier in January-ish. Definitely going to check it out in a store first, though. It looks giant! Upgrading from a Motorola Milestone (aka the first Motorola Droid). Anyone on here have hands on with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus?

Yup....

http://img.tapatalk.com/aefdda1a-ddfd-3195.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/aefdda1a-de1f-ad99.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/aefdda1a-de47-b623.jpg

I got the chance to play with my Samsung rep's phone and this is the first time I've been impressed with Android. I *might* get rid of my iPhone for this one.....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk!

[blassster]

<pictures of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus>
I got the chance to play with my Samsung rep's phone and this is the first time I've been impressed with Android. I *might* get rid of my iPhone for this one.....


The only thing I worry about the Galaxy Nexus is the battery life, due to the size of the display and the amount of pixels it has to draw (1280x720 screen!). Can anyone comment on the battery?

[NotoriousTIMP]

Been playing with the launch kit today at work and the battery life isn't all that great :( so far I've had about four hours of playing around with it and it's now down to 4% left

http://img.tapatalk.com/aefddaa7-bc20-8e93.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk!

[imail724]

Just got my galaxy nexus. I'm happy
http://img.tapatalk.com/a6f80283-a0cb-daf9.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/a6f80283-a0d9-2593.jpg

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[fixate]

So the Home/Back/Menu buttons are actually on the screen itself on the Nexus? Interesting.

I like screenshots too. Here's my Sammy Epic, with LauncherPro with an image dock with transparent icons, and a nice ICS theme.

http://f.cl.ly/items/3m3A2d1r3m1V1f43340D/shot_000002.jpg

[icklekitty]

I found out yesterday that the Google Maps app in Android has a bunch of exclusive features (that I previously thought were standard) - such as being able to add layers for traffic and maps you'd created. I felt well smug.

[BipolarMike]

I have a Galaxy S, Sprint version (Epic), and I'm debating on whether I should root it. Anyone have any success rooting this particular phone? Any good resources on how to do so without risk of phone implosion? I don't want anything fancy, just stock Android without all the fluff and stuff Samsung packed on (Ice Cream Sandwich if possible).

[NotoriousTIMP]

I'm thinking about ditching my iPhone for the Nexus now that I've had the chance to really play with ICS....has anyone run into any issues with their unit? I'd like to hear the pros and cons from someone who actually owns the device before I make the switch


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk!

[imail724]

I've had mine for about a week now and I haven't had any real issues yet. I'm rooting it right now so I plan on checking out some roms soon. Check out galaxynexusforum.com/forum for everything you need to know. Any issues there are with the phone right now should be fixed over time.

[chris]

I have a Galaxy S, Sprint version (Epic), and I'm debating on whether I should root it. Anyone have any success rooting this particular phone? Any good resources on how to do so without risk of phone implosion? I don't want anything fancy, just stock Android without all the fluff and stuff Samsung packed on (Ice Cream Sandwich if possible).
The Epic is an amazing phone, I've had it for over a year and the development is still going strong, there's talk of an official ICS being ported, but that hasn't happened yet. Rooting can be intimidating at first, but once you get the steps down, it's not hard, and if you fuck anything up doing it you can always go back. Just make sure you have a good USB cable. A shitty cable is often the problem when using Odin (the program used to root). The one that came with the phone is shitty, so if it doesn't work you may need to find a better one. HTC and Blackberry make good ones.

Here's a video on how to root:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWOLEXqAeCc
Here's the rest of his videos for the Epic:
http://www.youtube.com/user/qbking77#grid/user/95A1788B4D8F9941
Here's the ICS ROM that has been developed so far, but its a little buggy and I don't think the developer is still working on it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1340055
I've tried most ROMs, including ICS. My favorite is CleanGB, which is Gingerbread, but all the Sprint bloatware has been removed:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1344074

You'll have to register with XDA to download many of the files that developers have posted. Good luck, if you run into any questions/problems, send me a message!

[sentient02970]

Does anyone know how Verizon rolls out 4G LTE service? I know my area (Vermont) is not yet committed for service yet but yesterday my phone was picking up a solid 4 bar 4G signal for a good 4 hours. Do they test an area first before deploying thereby getting these "preview" signals? Or is my phone just lying to me?

[chris]

I want this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_Note) phone to come to Sprint ASAP. 5.3" screen with a stylus? Yes please.
http://youtu.be/TIfWg3s5JW4

[Corvus T. Cosmonaut]

N/M, I'm an idiot.

[cheddamash]

Does anyone know how Verizon rolls out 4G LTE service? I know my area (Vermont) is not yet committed for service yet but yesterday my phone was picking up a solid 4 bar 4G signal for a good 4 hours. Do they test an area first before deploying thereby getting these "preview" signals? Or is my phone just lying to me?

Yes they normally flip the switch well before they officially announce they are offering 4g in the area. They did this in the Green Bay WI and surrounding areas where I'm from. They are obviously starting in major metropolitan areas first, but also, due to their contract with the NFL, are focusing on team cities and branching out from there.

[sentient02970]

Google Now (http://www.businessinsider.com/google-now-better-than-siri-2012-7)...well, not "now" but whenever you get an Android device with Jelly Bean already installed or whenever they make the upgrade available. At least something new to look forward to.

[liquidcalm]

I just picked up a new Samsung s3, my HTC Wildfire was getting me down... seeing as I now have something more powerful than the laptop I'm writing this on in my pocket, are there any decent looking Android games? Otherwise I'm just gonna play emulators on this thing, oh and use the DLNA stuff to watch Adventure Time in bed. I'll probably find something more useful soon.

Also was there an Ouya thread? I backed it just out of curiosity, plus the Onlive stuff is pretty rad.

[Iran_Ed]

I just got a Samsung Galaxy S3 today and I'm enjoying it so far. I still can't believe how large in actual size and storage space these phones are getting.

[blassster]

Anyone excited about the Nexus 4? I didn't get the SIII specifically because in the Spring Google announced that they'd be bringing devices come Fall, and thought it wouldn't hurt to wait a couple of months even though my phone is shit.

No LTE or microSD, but the price is right for an otherwise potentially kickass device. Runs Android 4.2, and you'll get OS updates directly from Google. 4.7" screen at 1280x768. Out November 13 on Google Play, unlocked and compatible with many carriers. The lack of LTE is because each carrier has its own implementation of it. I'm awaiting reviews...

$309 cdn for 8gb
$359 cdn for 16gb

Link:
https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_4_16gb


They also announced the Nexus 10 on Monday, which is a 10" tablet with 2560x1600 resolution (!) available in the same store in November.

[Conan The Barbarian]

Ill be getting one.

[blassster]

The guy who does some of the reviews on Anandtech has been discretely tweeting about some of his experiences with it.

www.twitter.com/nerdtalker

[Harry Seaward]

Just got a blue Galaxy S3 on Verizon about a week ago. It's my first ever real cellphone/contract. I've already rooted and flashed CM10. I'm in love.

[blassster]

Just got a blue Galaxy S3 on Verizon about a week ago. It's my first ever real cellphone/contract. I've already rooted and flashed CM10. I'm in love.

"Welcome... to the real world."

[Iran_Ed]

Updated my Galaxy S3 to Jelly Bean yesterday. This is what made me pass up an iPhone.

[blassster]

Updated my Galaxy S3 to Jelly Bean yesterday. This is what made me pass up an iPhone.

I was never a fan of iDevices, or Apple's philosophy. The final nail in the coffin for me was Steve Jobs telling people that they were holding their phone wrong (antennagate). Android has so much to offer, especially post ICS 4.0, people turned off by version 2.x need to revisit it. Jelly Bean on the SIII must be nice.


Is there anyone here from Canada that has ordered something from the Play store? Like a Nexus 7 for example. I'm wondering about bullshit customs charges for my potential Nexus 4 order...

[Iran_Ed]

I was never a fan of iDevices, or Apple's philosophy. The final nail in the coffin for me was Steve Jobs telling people that they were holding their phone wrong because of antennagate. Android has so much to offer, especially post ICS 4.0, people turned off by version 2.x need to revisit it. Jelly Bean on the SIII must be nice.

Nice yes, but I have Sprint. 4G is nonexistent where I live. I went to see Godspeed You! Black Emperor in Baltimore last month where Sprint has 4G towers. The speed was amazing up there. Plus I'm known to run Linux on my PC, so Android just feels right to me.

[xmd 5a]

I'm loving the Galaxy SIII. It's my first ever smartphone so I've got nothing to compare it to, but I know I made the right choice.

[Iran_Ed]

I'm loving the Galaxy SIII. It's my first ever smartphone so I've got nothing to compare it to, but I know I made the right choice.

The S3 is my third smartphone. My first was a Blackberry which was nice when I got it , but I quickly realized just how behind RIM were. They're almost nonexistent now. My second was a HTC Hero which I got late in the model's lifetime. Near the end of my time with the phone it was really dragging, but it was an awesome little device. I don't hate Apple, besides the iPhone I wish I had a lot of their products. I just find them overpriced and their fanboys annoying. I don't really have company loyalty I just want what best for me. In the end for me it came down to the HTC EVO 4G LTE and the S3. I wanted Jelly Bean and the EVO is a Sprint exclusive phone like my last phone was. Meaning Sprint and HTC will update it when they feel like it, whereas the S3 is on multiple carriers. On Sprint all firmware updates must go through and be approved them! The fact that AT&T and Verizon also have the S3 to me meant that Sprint had better make sure our Jelly Bean update had better not lag too far behind theirs. I thinkl I made the right decision.

[Harry Seaward]

The S3 is my third smartphone. My first was a Blackberry which was nice when I got it , but I quickly realized just how behind RIM were. They're almost nonexistent now. My second was a HTC Hero which I got late in the model's lifetime. Near the end of my time with the phone it was really dragging, but it was an awesome little device. I don't hate Apple, besides the iPhone I wish I had a lot of their products. I just find them overpriced and their fanboys annoying. I don't really have company loyalty I just want what best for me. In the end for me it came down to the HTC EVO 4G LTE and the S3. I wanted Jelly Bean and the EVO is a Sprint exclusive phone like my last phone was. Meaning Sprint and HTC will update it when they feel like it, whereas the S3 is on multiple carriers. On Sprint all firmware updates must go through and be approved them! The fact that AT&T and Verizon also have the S3 to me meant that Sprint had better make sure our Jelly Bean update had better not lag too far behind theirs. I thinkl I made the right decision.

Funny enough, I'm pretty sure Sprint pushed the S3 JB update before any other carriers.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Just got my Galaxy SIII and dammmmm is it a beautiful, fast, user friendly phone. I have to play with it some more though to give a full review.

[dpeters]

How does the SIII compare to an iPhone 4?

I'm thinking about upgrading--despite losing so many apps in Apple's ecosystem.

Specifically, how do the following compare:
Camera?
Battery life?

[nemesiswontdie]

I've been wanting a SIII. I love my current phone, HTC G2. It's definitely the best phone I've had so far, but I think it's time to move on to better things.

[blassster]

How does the SIII compare to an iPhone 4?

I'm thinking about upgrading--despite losing so many apps in Apple's ecosystem.

Specifically, how do the following compare:
Camera?
Battery life?

The iPhone 4 came out in 2010, the s3 came out this year and would be a much better choice.

Check out www.anandtech.com for numbers in the s3 review. For battery, they seem to beat each other in certain situations, but remember that the S3 is driving more pixels to a larger screen, has true multitasking and has LTE. I don't think iPhone 4 has LTE.

[NotoriousTIMP]

If camera and battery life are important, get the iPhone 4.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Had a quick question about rooting my galaxy S3. What are the major risks for rooting it? I really want to be able to connect my ps3 controller and get rid of some apps since you cannot save you apps to your sd card out of the box (so stupid). I have the guide on how to do it, just need some reassurance.

[Kodiak33]

My S3 gets great battery life on LTE. I'm running Jellybean on Verizon (through a leaked Jellybean release). Fantastic phone!

I play games on my iPad (since they seem to have more), so I would prefer to keep that as a tablet. I like having customization options for my phone (assistant), so I prefer Android for the phone and iOS for a tablet.

[blassster]

So I got my Nexus 4 and it's amazing. I came from a Motorola Milestone (aka original Droid) that I got in 2010, and was stuck on 2.1 until now. Needless to say there's a huge difference, but this new device is much better than I expected. I just wish the 360 panoramas were in the full resolution once put onto Google+ (unless I'm mistaken and they are).


Also, here's a Dragon Tattoo wallpaper I edited to fit the Nexus 4 native wallpaper size:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/12965440/Dragon Tattoo stuff/rooney mara TGWTDT Nexus 4.jpg



This is what it looks like when applied. Scrolling to the sides will reveal more of the image, as you probably know:


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12965440/Dragon Tattoo stuff/2013-01-13 19.26.03.jpg




Edit: here is the PSD file for this, which also has the screen panel guides visible in Photoshop. If you open it, there is a text box in the bottom right corner (floating near the back of the chair) where you can place contact info if someone is nice enough to return it if lost. It shows up nicely in the lock screen, as long as you keep the text box where it is, and I find it looks better than the "owner info" text that's built in. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12965440/Dragon Tattoo stuff/rooney mara TGWTDT Nexus 4 - contactinfo_template.psd

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

I am having some trouble getting the image to move with the screens on my S3. I never had a problem with my other phones... gr this is frustrating me. Love that picture though.

EDIT: Figured it out, Youtube is your friend :)

[DVYDRNS]

Thinking of snagging a nexus 7 so I can install Ubuntu on it.

[blassster]

I am having some trouble getting the image to move with the screens on my S3. I never had a problem with my other phones... gr this is frustrating me. Love that picture though.

I heard about this today, my nephew told me about this same issue. Doesn't look like there is a way to change it in the menus, but there might be a launcher/home screen replacement out there that enables wallpaper scrolling.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

I heard about this today, my nephew told me about this same issue. Doesn't look like there is a way to change it in the menus, but there might be a launcher/home screen replacement out there that enables wallpaper scrolling.

I read on an android forum that samsung got rid of it. I had to download an app to make it scroll but it is still not the same as my other past phones. When I scrolled on my other phones the picture would always keep the same position on whatever screen it was on, when I scroll with the app the picture constantly changes.. it works but it is flawed. I just went with the still :(

[Conan The Barbarian]

To answer your question SDP,

Rooting your phone is the way to go to get freedom. Go to the XDA forums and go through all the available ROMS and decide which is best for you. Just remember that some are buggy and such so you will expierience some hiccups here and there.

Also rooting will help fix your screen situation. Or get ADW ( or AWD) launcher.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/

[Conan The Barbarian]

Got my nexus 4 today. So pretty.

[blassster]

So 4.2.2 is out, but when I manually check for updates it doesn't show up for me on my N4. Is it just me/Canada, or does anyone have this running on their N4 via OTA automatic update?

It can be installed on a rooted phone manually, but I don't really want to do that.

Edit: oh, there's a non-root installation method. (http://www.droid-life.com/2013/02/12/guide-how-to-use-adb-sideload-to-update-a-nexus-without-root-or-custom-recovery/)

[blassster]

If you're on Android 4.2 or above, I *highly* recommend this lock screen widget: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.nurik.roman.dashclock

[Conan The Barbarian]

Is there a way to make the main lock screen the actual app? Its kind of lame to scroll the lock screens.

[blassster]

Is there a way to make the main lock screen the actual app? Its kind of lame to scroll the lock screens.

Yep, just hold it down and drag as far as possible to the right

[PooPooMeowChow]

I received a Samsung Galaxy S3 for xmas and its my first smart phone too.
It's awesome but it's slowed down a lot after the first update. Any tips how to speed it up?
& do I need any kind of anti-virus? suggestions?

[blassster]

I received a Samsung Galaxy S3 for xmas and its my first smart phone too.
It's awesome but it's slowed down a lot after the first update. Any tips how to speed it up?
& do I need any kind of anti-virus? suggestions?

Did you update to 4.1? 4.1 (and 4.2) is supposed to be faster, not slower. Strange, if so. Do you know if you installed a lot of apps that might run in the background? The xda forums (or Google) might have some information if you are still unsure. An anti virus would probably make it slower, personally I don't plan on using one for mine.

[PooPooMeowChow]

Did you update to 4.1? 4.1 (and 4.2) is supposed to be faster, not slower. Strange, if so. Do you know if you installed a lot of apps that might run in the background? The xda forums (or Google) might have some information if you are still unsure. An anti virus would probably make it slower, personally I don't plan on using one for mine.

It has 4.1 right now. I just let it auto update. I've added a couple apps. Various news apps and Scrabble (lol). But I noticed it had slowed before I added them. Its' not unbearably slow when loading an app. But its slow when I rotate the screen and when I start tapping out a text message I have to wait for it to catch up some times.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Well, I guess the next big thing is already here.... cannot wait to play with this baby.

http://www.ibtimes.com/samsung-galaxy-s4-be-released-six-variants-will-it-have-dotted-back-what-does-episode-1-suggest

[BipolarMike]

Anyone here an Android developer?

I made a Windows app to help solve an annoying issue I've noticed more and more frequently... Ugly status bars in screenshots!!

No one seems to pay much attention to what's going on in their screenshots when they upload them. Here are some prime offenders (so many notifications, etc!!):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nytimes.android&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDNd
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instagram.android&feature=apps_topselling_free#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLG51bG wsImNvbS5pbnN0YWdyYW0uYW5kcm9pZCJd

Now wouldn't it be nice if all status bars in screenshots looked as nice and clean as this:
https://googledrive.com/host/0BzN5ZIZr-WtnVGgwNkZNaUw2LWM/assets/StatusBarBlue.png


You can download my Android Status Bar Cleaner free here:
https://googledrive.com/host/0BzN5ZIZr-WtnVGgwNkZNaUw2LWM/statusbars.html

[Space Suicide]

I am now a proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy S II, I now have joined the Android family!

[Iran_Ed]

I am now a proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy S II, I now have joined the Android family!

Meet the S4 http://laughingsquid.com/samsung-announces-the-galaxy-s4-android-smartphone/

[Space Suicide]

Meet the S4 http://laughingsquid.com/samsung-announces-the-galaxy-s4-android-smartphone/

I know I'm outdated. :p

[the duder]

About the S4, from that article: "With Smart Stay, the phone detects whether or not you’re looking at it, and will automatically pause videos if you look away, and restart them when you look back. The phone doesn’t feature automatic eye-scrolling like rumors suggested, but users can scroll by tilting the phone up and down."

WHAAAT?!?!

[Iran_Ed]

The S3 already can detect if you're looking at it or not. I guess that's the next step. We all know what's next...Skynet!

[the duder]

Man...I'm livin in the GOTDAMN stone age with my Razr MAXXX...

[blassster]

Some of my favorite apps: DoggCatcher, Tasks, Light Flow, Tasker, Ultimate Rotation Control, DashClock Widget, QuickPic, Battery Widget, SwiftKey, Explorer, Team Viewer, Wifi Analyzer, MyFitnessPal.


Tasker is the shit, but it may take a lot of patience for some. Use the help icons in each of the sections, and the online help/examples are good if you want to do something and get stuck.


An example set of Tasker tasks I made just today, to automatically text someone if I previously set a "busy" variable using a widget if I know that I will be too busy to reply for a bit. Order of events:

1. Tap a widget that put on the home screen, which I labeled "busy", it sets a variable "busy" to "1" and automatically clears the variable after waiting 20 min.


2a. If I receive a text while "busy" is set to "1" from a phone number that I white listed for this task, it will auto reply to them saying "automatic text: I'm busy, will get back to you when I can". The white list I have is actually a variable I created, which can be used for other tasks. Sets a "lasttxt" variable to the person's phone number who texted me, which this same task always checks first for before auto replying. If they text again, it won't reply if the latest text phone number is equal to the previous "lasttxt" variable.

or

2b. The same as above, will auto text them if they are in my white list, busy is set to "1", "lasttxt" is not equal to them, but they CALLED instead of texting me. Saves their number to the same "lasttxt" as above, in case they text me with something after they tried to call and already received my auto text.

3. I also made a "not busy" widget on the home screen, if I am no longer busy and want to clear the "busy" and "lasttxt" variables before it eventually automatically clears them after the 20 minute mark.


Note that the checking against the "lasttxt" variable for prevention of sending repeat texts to someone may not work well for those who get many texts or calls. This is because the lasttxt variable is set to the last person who tried contacting me. A better solution could be arrays or using a regular expression to check against a "lasttxt" variable that APPENDS numbers rather than replacing them.


Another Task I made is similar to iPhone's do not disturb feature for calls, with VIP (another white list variable I created) and some more stuff. Sets screen brightness to 0, though. 0 brightness is more dim than auto brightness setting at its lowest.

Last example: when my phone connects to my Wifi (like when I get home after work), Tasker will automatically launch my DoggCatcher podcast app, then minimize it. DoggCatcher has its own setting where it will automatically check the podcast rss feeds for updates, so it will already have started downloading new stuff when I'm on wifi.


So... lots of fun, lots of flexibility. Someone even made a text based game using Tasker.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Is anyone familiar with APN settings for AT&T?? I need to know what the APN settings should be on my Galaxy S3 and google hasn't really been giving me a straight answer.

[blassster]

Is anyone familiar with APN settings for AT&T?? I need to know what the APN settings should be on my Galaxy S3 and google hasn't really been giving me a straight answer.

Try this (I think the 4g option they refer to is what you need):


http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=30665485&postcount=2

If that doesn't work, try searching elsewhere within xda. Good luck!

[Conan The Barbarian]

So for us android users, what did you think so far of the Google i/o? Loving all the new updates so far

[blassster]

So for us android users, what did you think so far of the Google i/o? Loving all the new updates so far

Really happy about the new reminders system in Gnow, the old way of it just making an alarm for handling the reminder felt cheap/clunky. Will test the location based reminder for it tomorrow, but I like it in theory.

[DVYDRNS]

So I picked up an S4. Its pretty cool i think.. Hard wandering away from the iPhone. I prefer iPhones simplicity... a little overwhelmed by Androids functionality! Which sounds weird. but I think I Like it... I think.. ha

It seems obvious to me, but why cant I find any custom backplates for this thing. I think it would be cool to have a clear back so you can see the internals. Any ideas?

[sentient02970]

Really happy about the new reminders system in Gnow, the old way of it just making an alarm for handling the reminder felt cheap/clunky. Will test the location based reminder for it tomorrow, but I like it in theory.

Agreed. This new function has me depending more on what my phone does than I had previously and it has helped me a lot in my day to day. Finally. Location awareness is so nice.

[DVYDRNS]

Took the S4 back and traded for a HTC ONE. So far it seems like this phone is FAR superior.

Not sure why there is any question about it on the internets

[NotoriousTIMP]

I'm also thinking about ditching iOS for Android....after playing with the S4 I was blown away at how awesome it is. Just the fact that I can have my email open and browse the web at the same time is very convenient

[DVYDRNS]

I think the S4 is OKAY. its way better than the android i bought and returned 2 years ago. that being said... I think its built like shit. and it has way too many weird glitches.

I am enjoying the ONE. However the ONLY reason I got an android in the first place is because I have lots of clients that have android devices and I realized I didn't know enough about them to be able to accurately handle their needs.

IMO... iPHONE is still far superior. And I will be getting another one as soon as I move for my Northern California number.

Just waiting to see whatever Apple announces next week. If they announce an iPad Mini Phone I'll buy it on the spot.

But seriously... Screw the S4. Get the One. its pretty sweet. especially if you're switching from iPhone.

[BipolarMike]

Hi guys, I made a thing! It should work on almost all Androids :) I hope some of you are as nerdy as I am and have an unhealthy obsession with tetrominos/puzzles (if not, try the game and maybe you will)!

http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/threads/1738-I-made-an-Android-game!-Neon-Snap-The-tetromino-puzzle-challenge

[Space Suicide]

So, I finally updated to Jelly Bean 4.2. Unsure how I think about it.

[NotoriousTIMP]

Goodbye iPhone 5, hello galaxy s4!


tapatalkin'

[Conan The Barbarian]

If you ever get bored with the design of the s4's launcher. Try this app called buzz launcher. Toy can download user made screens and you can create you own.

Welcome timp, to the right choice.

[NotoriousTIMP]

Yeah, I've been looking at the different launchers and whatnot. I just downloaded Swift Keyboard which is amazing and blows the doors off the stock keyboard from Samsung. It's insanely accurate (swipe) and the keys are bigger which makes it easier for me to type. Check it out if you haven't already....

I'm porting over my number to tmobile now that I have an employee account....can't beat $5 a month for service :)

[DVYDRNS]

picked up a nexus 7.

this thing is pretty neat.

hoping to put ubuntu on it at some point.

[NotoriousTIMP]

picked up a nexus 7.

this thing is pretty neat.

hoping to put ubuntu on it at some point.

Let me know how you like it after a few weeks. My girlfriend wants either the Kindle Fire HD ( gotta support her employer), the Nexus 7", or the Samsung Note III. I'm leaning towards the Note, but we're open to the other two if it fits her needs better

[DVYDRNS]

I like it. I like that its stock android. I dont like all the crap samsung bloats their stuff with. and its built really well. way better than the samsung toys.

and for the money id say it kicks the kindles ass all over the place because its a full functioning tablet, right out of the box. i got the 32 gig version. after tax it was like 290 or something. I wish they had an LTE version.
NotoriousTIMP

[Mutilated]

Hey All,

I'm currently using an iPhone 4 and really feel its time to upgrade and I'm thinking of getting a Galaxy S4. I had a Samsung phone a few years ago, I hated it, it wouldn't play Apple audio files in numerical order, only alphabetically.

So, my question is for people using using Apple audio codecs on a Galaxy S4 - is everything playing correctly? Are there any issues?

Thank you for your help!

[dpeters]

Hey All,

I'm currently using an iPhone 4 and really feel its time to upgrade and I'm thinking of getting a Galaxy S4. I had a Samsung phone a few years ago, I hated it, it wouldn't play Apple audio files in numerical order, only alphabetically.

So, my question is for people using using Apple audio codecs on a Galaxy S4 - is everything playing correctly? Are there any issues?

Thank you for your help!

I've used various players but recently started using Google Play Music. It has my library uploaded to the cloud with no subscription--and, with the sub, it's like Pandora radio.

[nemesiswontdie]

Hey All,

I'm currently using an iPhone 4 and really feel its time to upgrade and I'm thinking of getting a Galaxy S4. I had a Samsung phone a few years ago, I hated it, it wouldn't play Apple audio files in numerical order, only alphabetically.

So, my question is for people using using Apple audio codecs on a Galaxy S4 - is everything playing correctly? Are there any issues?

Thank you for your help!

I've had no issues at all with the music player on my GS4.

I love my GS4. Easily the best phone I've had. I had a HTC G2 before my S4 and it was good for a few years but eventually it just got really outdated and literally every app would crash on me for no reason at all. Hell even contacts would crash on me.

[Harry Seaward]

Hey All,

I'm currently using an iPhone 4 and really feel its time to upgrade and I'm thinking of getting a Galaxy S4. I had a Samsung phone a few years ago, I hated it, it wouldn't play Apple audio files in numerical order, only alphabetically.

So, my question is for people using using Apple audio codecs on a Galaxy S4 - is everything playing correctly? Are there any issues?

Thank you for your help!

Poweramp. Enough said.

[Pillfred]

Still on my run with budget phones, picked up an LG optimus f-3 (?). My first dual core phone! Not to bad overall for a cheapy, the video quality is pretty crap though . Not a huge deal for me but it is annoying. Jelly Bean or whatever is a nice upgrade though from my last one. I'm on virgin so it's cash in hand and this time I had no phone. My last one had a disagreement with the ground.

[Pillfred]

Yeah, I've been looking at the different launchers and whatnot. I just downloaded Swift Keyboard which is amazing and blows the doors off the stock keyboard from Samsung. It's insanely accurate (swipe) and the keys are bigger which makes it easier for me to type. Check it out if you haven't already....

I'm porting over my number to tmobile now that I have an employee account....can't beat $5 a month for service :)

Gonna give Swiftkey a go, seeing as how well I like teh tapatalk I figure I'd take this suggestion a go with it as well. Also I'm sick of Gina pooping up instead of gonna.

[Clownboat]

Just got a Nexus 4 after five years of using iPhone. This is cool.

[miss k bee]

Loving my new Samsung Galaxy S4. It is so quick and powerful and now better than my laptop. My laptop's days are numbered..

[Conan The Barbarian]

Just flashed KitKat 4.4 on my nexus 4. Its bad ass.

Two of my favorite features are purely cosmetic, full screen album artwork on lock screen, and no more god forsaken cropping of an image for a wallpaper.

So far totally tits.

[imail724]

Just flashed KitKat 4.4 on my nexus 4. Its bad ass.

Two of my favorite features are purely cosmetic, full screen album artwork on lock screen, and no more god forsaken cropping of an image for a wallpaper.

So far totally tits.

Flashed it on my gnex. Its awesome but so buggy right now. Hoping the devs can iron out the bugs soon. Like hangouts a lot

[Harry Seaward]

I just got the HTC One M8 about two weeks ago. Verizon fucked me upside-down, backwards, and inside-out and somehow I'm now signed up for two lines. I tried the Verizon Edge early-upgrade program but that didn't work well for me, as I'd have had to pay ~$150 down for the phone upgrade, an extra ~$25 per month tacked on to my regular $75 bill (unlimited talk/text + 2GB data), plus they wanted me to pay a $200 nonreturn fee since I wouldn't be able to send back my Galaxy S3, since I totaled destroyed and mangled it in a failed screen repair attempt... So yeah, no.

Then the customer retention agent on the phone conned me into signing up for a new line, promising me that I could sign up for a new line to get a new phone, transfer the new phone onto my old line, and downgrade the new line to their cheapest plan, which she quoted me at $15/mo. So effectively I'd only be paying $100 down for the new phone, plus an extra $15 per month, which was doable to me. Long story short, she was lying out of her ass and their cheapest plan is like $40 so I got totally fucked around in the end.

Anyway. Verizon bitching aside.

I'm enjoying this M8. I rooted and unlocked the bootloader the day I got it. Running Cyanogenmod 11, which is more stable and snappy than it ever was on my Galaxy S3. It's quite nice. The build quality and body is super beautiful. The speakers sound great and very loud, and the fact that they're on the front is fantastic. But it has a few downfalls. The power button on top is a pain in the ass, although that problem is easily solved with a 'double-tap to wake' mod.

But seeing as how this was a complete irrational impulse buy, there are some regrets. Number one is absolutely the camera. It's terrible. It might be because I'm running CM so the native camera software doesn't jive well, but the camera is just awful in general. It's neat how it takes great pictures in low-light, but it doesn't really matter because the pictures are so low-res and filled with artifacts. I often (see: used to) take "close-up" pictures of bugs and this phone can't focus on anything closer than several inches away. And when it does focus, there's no point in cropping the picture or zooming in because the image resolution is so shit. My Galaxy S3 from two generations ago blew this camera out of the water in almost every conceivable way. I hate that I didn't take this into consideration before buying it.

Another thing that sucks about this phone is the hardwired internal battery. In my last phone, I had a secondary 7,000mAh battery which would give me about 10 hours screen on time on average. With this new phone I can get about 2.5 at best. Which I guess works for most people, but it takes some major getting used to.

So I buy this phone and then all of a sudden, this newcomer enters the arena and it's everything I want and need in a phone. -_-

The LG G3 is like my dream device. It has a quad-core Snapdragon, 3GB RAM, 1440 x 2560 screen resolution... Normally these specs would be scary in the battery life context, but IT ALSO HAS A REMOVABLE BATTERY. I thought this would be dying out since it seems like Samsung is the only company that does it anymore, but along comes this fucking phone! Not only that, but removable storage! This combined with a hi-res camera with OIS, I can't think of a single negative thing about this phone. It's beautiful and perfect and I need it.

So... Anyone want to buy a 'like-new' Verizon M8?

[Pillfred]

Been using my old, but tough, back up phone since my iPhone took a dump in the toilet this spring. Ended up getting an LG Volt which for 100$ is pretty big upgrade from my 4-5 year old phone and holds up pretty well from what i recall of my iPhone, OS differences aside. quad core, decent size screen, kit-kat i believe etc... And it comes with the mobile hot spot option for a 5$ a day fee (virgin mobile) which is kind of nice not that i think ill use it much but perhaps it will come in handy a time or two. I bought a cheap case for it at the mall that i may take back as it blows but other than that it's nice to have a smart phone that actually works good. Old faithful it tough as nails and I'm convinced i could use it in a self defense scenario but on the day to day i'd rather have a good phone to use. And it seems that unlike the cheapie I bought either just before or after my iPhone this one actually is able to get on the LTE network.

[TheyCallMeDrug]

just got the samsung galaxy tab s 10.5 and my wife got the galaxy s5 a month ago. very happy with both so far. love android compared to apple. removable memory ftw.

[theruiner]

I finally just got a smart phone. I went cheap because I don't need much (and the thought of paying as much for my phone as I did for my laptop was just something I would not do) but I think it's a pretty great phone, especially for the price. I got one of the newer Motorolla Moto phones. Pretty nifty. I have to say, though I was a bit ambivalent at first, I kind of love it now. It's got Kit Kat on it which took some getting used to (and has some flaws) but overall I like it quite a bit.

[binaryhermit]

So, I have a Nexus 6 coming my way.
And by "coming my way" I mean it's supposed to ship December 3rd :rolleyes:

[orestes]

Who's all upgraded up to Lollipop yet?

[millionmilesaway]

finally jumping on the smartphone bandwagon, I'm taking a chance and purchased a One Plus One. It is a super awesome phone for super cheap (well cheap for a smartphone)

http://lifehacker.com/pick-up-a-oneplus-one-without-an-invite-for-the-black-f-1664344430

[orestes]

Upgrade coming up soon and I'm looking to switch from iOS to Android. Anyone here have either the Moto X (current generation) or the HTC One M8 Google Play Edition?

[binaryhermit]

Who's all upgraded up to Lollipop yet?
I got my Nexus 6 last week, running Lollipop out of the box.