All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

So does ics actually improve battery life?

Sent from my samsung galaxy s2 using tapatalk

 

Not much. At least not now. ICS isn't even in its official form yet, even though XXLPQ+ fw is considered "official"... AOKP promises a nice battery life, gotta test it.

 

Aside from offering a proper tablet-optimised interface, Honeycomb brought support for multi-core processors, hardware acceleration and an improved/simplified multi-tasking interface to the table; all of which set both Honeycomb and ICS apart from previous versions.

And?
Gingerbread took 11 months to become the most common version of Android in use. It didn't even reach the 50% mark until after ICS was released.

It was released in October, it was showcased in May.
Honeycomb hadn't even been released a year before ICS, claiming that it was on people's radars that far back would be like claiming that we're all talking about Android 6.0 even though Jelly Bean doesn't exist yet when in actual fact the only person even talking about Jelly Bean is you.

 

You have to remember, though, that RAM management isn't just how much free RAM you have when nothing is running. It's how well the OS uses it's minfree settings to cache userdata, and frequently used apps. AOKP has some big RAM tweaks, where CM9 is mostly how Google left it. I find Google's implementation works better. Total usable system RAM on the SGS2 is like over 800MB, so when you kill all tasks (which you really shouldn't do on ICS, it messes up the scheduler/cache), the amount of RAM you see free is considerably less since it's using a good deal as a dalvikVM heap and app/userdata cache.

 

Why does "Jelly Bean" remind me of this?

Mmmm, so the only solution is to go to init.rc and change minfree settings manually, or downloading minfreemanager?

 

I keep getting an out of space warning when trying to install Titanium. I have 1.3GB of space left, what the hell?

Any other apps that will back up your apps with their data?

 

Peanut butter jelly, peanut butter jelly, peanut butter jelly and a baseball bat! lol

 

lolz, now that image is stuck in my head

 

Have mission critical information coming to your Android device? Patient data? Items you need security clearance for? Financial information?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/...9nbGUuYW5kcm9pZC5hcHBzLmF1dGhlbnRpY2F0b3IyIl0.

I've been setting my clients up with this for a while, but it's only recently undergone the ICS transition. It's now fully Holo integrated. This app provides a time-based 2-step account authentication for your entire Google account. Includes everything on your Android Sync Profile based on your Google Login ID. It maybe a bit overkill for some people, and it's a bit complicated to begin with... but this is worth every bit of time it takes to get the hang of.

Matter of fact, I've been trialing this for quite some time, but on GB it was a bit too clunky. It's been streamlined for ICS, and I'm rolling it out to all my company's Android users this week, so I just thought I'd share this with you guys if you haven't heard about it.

 

That reminds me of a keyfob I had to carry around when I worked on a contract. Logging in required username/password, and the code on the keyfob, which changed every 60 sec. Big pain, though it did helkp with security. I don't ever have classified/propriertary info on my phone, but I would use that if I did. Is there anyway to password protect/encrypt specific documents on the phone?

 

I'm pretty sure there's an app for specific documents, but on ICS you can encrypt the entire phone/tablet right from settings.

 

That's exactly what we're replacing with Google Authenticator. Those Verisign Tokens are a pain and a half. The both work the same way though... a time-shift code base.

Yep.

@DR650SE... make sure to update your phone to the latest CM9 if you want to encrypt. The earlier packages had some issues there that have since been ironed out.

 

Nice. Thanks for the info. I'll have to update next week when I get back home. Yea was never a fan of the tokens

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk.

 

I just saw MS Office Mobile has been released for Symbian Belle handsets? Seriously... Symbian?

I'm not into IT or computer programing and all that... but can the software experts here tell me how difficult it is for MS Office to get a mobile suite out for Android (so that, all the compatibility 'issues' with various other suites like Quickoffice or polaris or similar can be just got rid off)..?

I mean, I just wonder why there is no THE solution for MS Office files (viewing/editing) on a widely popular OS such as Android? Is it so difficult to build / make / create an office suite for Android?

 

It can't be hard. But Android is a WP7 competitor, and so MS probably wants to keep Office a WP7 exclusive. As far as Symbian goes, it's probably because MS and Nokia are in a pretty deep partnership.

 

Nokia and MS announced Office for Symbian S60 years back, so it would also make a certain amount of sense for them to update that, even if Nokia hadn't moved to WP7 - though clearly that can't've hurt.

 

Ugh: I hate how amazon is slow on the uptake....tapatalk 2 is still not up.

Surprisingly the best suite for me hasn't been any of the big names but oddly enough, Kingsoft Office. Only downside is that it doesn't have a auto save function.

The transformer prime forum over at XDA has compared office suites: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1085173

Its a great read and a well done comparison.

 

Yes, I understand MS has this partnership going with Nokia, still it kind of baffles me to see there is no 1 particular Android office suite that does the job neat and clean (considering how many apps keep coming up almost everyday on the Android market).

@Booboo - Yes, I've seen that thread in the XDA forums... and in fact, I've tried 3-4 different office suites, but none seemed to be fine.

While one messed up the formating, another just doesn't display the symbols properly, while another doesn't display embedded images in Word documents... Similar issues with the PPT files, and to a lesser extent with the excel files (though they did mess up my excel plots big time).. Of course, none that wasn't already known and almost all those issues are dealt with in that nice comparison thread at the XDA forum.

I haven't tried Kingsoft Office though.. You've made me try it now..

PS., on a side note, what do you people use for creating PDF from word (or in general, Office) documents? Thanks

 

Verizon Wireless

Upgrade Fee

 

Oh Verizon, allowing me to continue to loathe you. Only reason why I'm still with them is my family (they refused to jump ship with me if I switched to sprint) and unlimited data.

 

I don't think MS is going to release Office on iOS or Android anytime soon. It's one of the golden eggs that MS is using to attract users to WP.

 

glad i upgraded like 2 weeks ago.

 

That's crappy.

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk 2

 

how so? 10 char

 

Yay I'm on tapatalk 2 finally! Its a great update, especially visually.

I think he was saying that the upgrade fee was crappy, but quoted you by mistake. *shrugs*

Sent from my XT862 using Tapatalk 2

 

thats what i was thinking too.

 

Yea I quoted the wrong post. The upgrade free is crappy. Upgrading just before is not crappy

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk 2

 

Well, to be fair, AT&T and Sprint charge $36 activation/upgrade fees.

Really crappy, though I've never paid one of those fees.

 

Anyone have any info on what carriers are looking at the GSIII? If Verizon skips out on it like they skipped on the GSII, I will be pissed beyond belief. Why do they have such a big love affair with moto?

Sent from my HTC Vivid

 

Verizon is still the best carrier in my area(s) in NYC, otherwise for the crap they pull... ugh. Frustrating sometimes!

Doubt they'd skip the GS3 this time around.

 

When May comes around I'm purchasing my first Android phone: the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro. It's also one of the final Sony Ericsson handsets before Sony decided to buy out Ericsson's stake in their joint venture.




Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro review | from TechRadar's expert reviews of Mobile phones

Not really a fan of how smartphone screens have been growing in size, so I decided to look the other way.

 

That is a really nice looking phone. I'd like something like that, assuming it's not underpowered.

 

You could look for hands-on videos on YouTube demonstrating the interface and the general speed of the Xperia Mini Pro, to give you an idea. From what I've seen, it looks plenty fast enough for me.

Sony (Ericsson) did a swell job of tweaking/optimizing Android 2.3.4 for the small screen, too.

I shunned their phones for the longest time due to silly design choices just so they can flout their ridiculous proprietary stuff (FastPort for headphones, Memory Stick M2 for external storage). They really turned a corner with their 2011 Xperia Android lineup when they finally just went for practicality.

 

If I'm not mistaken the Mini Pro runs an MSM8255, so underpowered is something it's not. Especially for it's size.

The only thing that totally and completely kills the Mini Pro for me isn't the screen size, it's the resolution of HVGA (320x480). They could have easily went with at least a 480x800 and just given it a higher DPi for the UI.

 

So I'm getting a Sony Ericsson LiveView - only £15.

For that price it's worth getting one just to mess around it.

 

Indeed!

Let us know what you think of it! I considered getting one a while back, but I just couldn't get myself to push the purchase button.

 

By all accounts the new SmartWatch is a lot better but I can't justify spending that much for something I'm not sure I'll like.

Not to mention, I'm enamoured with this watch instead.
I'd buy their Android app if only it worked as a widget - it'd look great on a lockscreen IMO.



On a non-watch-related note, this article reminds me of a question I have - why on earth does Google compress/downsize contact photos?
I know that facebook limits the size of the images it'll let you sync, so I went out of my way to manually assign larger images to some of my contacts and they still look terrible.

 

I hate that too


Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk 2

 

Quick question - on AT&T, Verizon etc, how much per month does it cost to get a plan with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited data ( if possible, if not the largest standard allowance).

Just trying to get a feel for how the prices compare to over here.

 

Nowhere has unlimited data but Sprint anymore, and it costs $99.99 plus a $10 data charge for a $110 total.

 

What's the highest allowance the other networks offer and how much would that cost?

 

On AT&T:

• Unlimited Minutes = $69.99
• Unlimited Texts = $20
• 5GB of Data (highest tier) = $50
• Total = ~$140 +/- $20-30 in taxes and regulatory fees.

On Verizon:

• Unlimited Minutes = $69.99
• Unlimited Texts = $20
• 10GB of Data (highest tier) = $80
• Total = ~$170 + taxes and regulatory fees.

It's a crapshoot.

 

Wow.

T-Mobile over here offer unlimited everything for £41/month - ~$65.
And you get pretty much any handset that isn't an iPhone free on that tariff ( even the One X), not even an activation fee.

 

On T-Mobile prepaid, you get 5GB's of data, unlimited text, and unlimited talk for $70.

 

No phone though I'm guessing?



I've been thinking, Samsung need a 'look', a style they can carry across all the devices.

And when I say 'style', it needs to be stylish - the leaked images of the Galaxy S3 all look awful IMO and show little-to-no imagination compared to the Galaxy S2.

 

Virgin Mobile (Sprint's prepaid/pay-as-you-go service) has unlimited minutes, messaging and data for $55 per month, no contract. Phones are more expensive than contract-subsidizing carriers, but it's not terrible. I paid $300 for my Motorola Triumph. They have a handful of other cheaper Android phones as well.

 

Is it possible to add notes on the Amazon Kindle app for Android? I see there is a bookmark available but I'm trying to figure out how to add / is it possible to add, notes? Thanks.

Cheers...

Edit: Nevermind, got the answer.. Long press the text where I'd want to make a note, and then chose Note from the top of the app window..

 

Anyone want to buy a Captivate?

Only thing not OEM is I did the silver speaker mod. (Silver earpiece speaker grille)

 

T-Mobile USA's highest tier is 10GB of high speed data (then unlimited slow, unusable speeds after that) for $124.

 

wat

With tmn, I pay 30€/month, and get unlimited texts and calls, 1GB data with their highest speed!