All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

There appears to be some work around's for it, unlike the newer 6 and 7" Fire devices.

Kindle Fire HDX 7" & 8.9" Android Development - XDA Forums

Turns out this Fire HD 6 is the PERFECT size for what I need, I can't put custom rom's on it, but I can sideload most android apps onto it. So I may end up keeping it and just sideload what I need on there. Until they get some roms out for it.

Looking at some of the 6" phones they are to small for that I need, this 6" tablet with the larger bezels makes the size perfect. Once I've got my project completed I will post pictures of what it is.

 

The xperia z ultra too small for you?

 

Just bough the Wikipad 7" is a pre black-friday sale for £89, down from £149, down from £249

Wikipad

John.

 

That one is pretty close, its a little smaller on the width but its pretty close. But again the price is over $300. Not sure if I want to solder/grind/glue to a $300 device on my first prototype.

I got the Fire HD 6 For $80. I made Amazon price match BestBuy's Black Friday Door Buster price on it a few days ago.

 

Guys, how do I remove a screen protector? I've had it on my HTC for a while, and I want to get it off. But it's so well put, that I can't find any angle from where I can peel it off. I've tried using duct tape to remove it, but still doesn't work. Any ideas?

 

Are you sure it's still there?

 

100% sure, it feels plasticky.

 

Could try slipping an exacto knife under it, or another razor blade. It might also help to heat it slightly to make the adhesive softer. Most screens now day have hard enough glass that a steel knife wont scratch them.

 

I did pick up this case for like $12. It works well enough, can't complain for the price, but I wish it was more adjustable. When I use it, I have to push it further away to get the screen at the right angle, but that makes text smaller.

 

Moto X (2014) camera update: low-light photos remain soft and noisy, but outdoors performance has improved significantly, especially with HDR mode on:

Spoiler

 

Yeah the Google/ASUS one is just a OEM cover/flip case. I think it is a bit basic but I think the 2013 version is a little bit better.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a replacement tablet for the Nexus 7 2013 version? Our stupid German Shepherd knocked my tablet off the bed onto the floor so its pretty much done. I can still get a new Nexus 7 for 179.99. I don't mind ponying up 399 for the Nexus 9, but is it worth it? Does anyone have it yet?

 

Nexus or no, I'd have trouble buying a tablet design that's nearly two years old. If I could buy a new tablet today, it'd be the Dell Venue 8 on a cheap budget (1920x1200 8", microSD, vanilla Android, Atom Z3480, all for $199) or a Nexus 9 on a larger budget (Google Play is currently offering $50 credit for the Play Store with every new Nexus 9). The Venue 8 is just a smokin' good deal. The Nexus 9 has some flaws (back of the case is flexible, screen is good but not great), but with the more square aspect ratio and unbeatable software support going forward, it's a good deal for a net price of $350.

 

Ughh, to buy the Kindle HDX 7" 16GB for 90 eur and root it, or to buy the Xperia Z ultra for 250 eur?
That is the dilemma. I do like the low price of the HDX.

 

I'm either buying a Nexus or an iPad. I honestly do want an Android tablet but I have no qualms about buying another iOS product. I'm honestly happy with the 7 and for 179.99 at my local Microcenter, I'm probably just going to buy that.

 

Will Gorilla Glass 4 Finally Keep iPhones From Shattering?

Good video for those that are interested.

John.

 

Why not a Kindle HDX and root it? It costs $220 for 64GB.

 

The chip times are a-changin': Intel agrees to build ARM chips | InfoWorld

John.

 

I'm considering a 10" Android tablet. Honestly I do not want that Nexus 9 (Tegra, build quality issues, poor battery life). Adunno about the Galaxy S Tab 10.5 or the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition. What about the old Nexus 10 with Android 5.0?

 

My WikiPad 7" running v4.2.2 does not have a "Format SD Card" option in the STORAGE section, even when i dismount the microsd it does not showing, I have had many Android phones and tablets and they have all that i can remember had the format sd card option.

I have rooted my tablet if that helps.

John.

 

ArsTechnica reported some issues with Lollipop on the Nexus 10:

The Nexus 10, Lollipop, and the problem with big Android tablets | Ars Technica

 

I thought Amazon deliberately made it hard to successfully root and flash a ROM on the Kindle Fire line? They're motivated to do this since they're selling the hardware at a loss and hoping to make up the difference post-sale with media and app purchases.

Though this warning was from eleven months ago, it may still apply: Warning! Read before root or anything... | Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7" & 8.9" | XDA Forums

 

The HDX series is rootable now. Its their newer HD 6 & 7 that can't be rooted yet. Which is a shame because its one of the few 6 inch tablets on the market right now.

 

And you all thought Motorola was evil in regards to rooting.

 

They were.. I think they were even worse actually. They sold a typical Android OS and had it locked up. Where as Amazon is selling an entire eco-system, which makes more sense for it to be locked and you actually expect it.

lets not forget that you can side load nearly all apps onto the Fire HD 6 & 7.

 

Ah ok thanks. Makes a bit more sense than what HAL was explaining given what that Google guy was talking about at work (unfortunately I can't disclose anything on the topic, but yeah, like you said, it's not for the near future). I was just wondering how it was supposed to be any different than the Nexus line based on the initial premise I read about it (aka a line of phones that were subsidized by Google). I've asked around since though so it makes a bit more sense now.

 

How Google could kill the power button on Android phones | PCWorld

John.

 

Android 4.4 KitKat to run "comfortably" on 512MB RAM devices, here's how

John.

 

I ended up getting another Nexus 7 2nd generation. There are just no competitive 9-10" tablets that suits my needs. If Google just stretched the 7 to 9-10" dimensions, I would be happy.

 

Samsung rumoured to unveil Galaxy S6 at CES 2015 - GSMArena.com news

Mother of God, can Samsung not wait until MWC 2015?

 

Given that the Galaxy S5 is selling quite poorly even with discounts, they probably shouldn't.

 

I'm surprised they're slotting it so close to the Galaxy Note 4 in screen size and resolution instead of keeping it in the 5" range.

 

Desperate companies do desperate things.

But no amount of hardware or early release will counteract how bad Touchwiz has devolved to.

 

I would put money on it not being that big.

Samsung already produce 5.1" QHD panels, that seems like a much more sensible basis for the S6.

 

CoolReaper pre-installed malware creates backdoor on Chinese Androids • The Register

John.

 

Got cookies to work on Dolphin Browser. Had to downgrade to an earlier version, then login to the sites, then update back to the newer versions.

Haven't decided yet if I will tell the developer what I did to bypass the bug.

 

If you have an rooted android tablet and the battery discharges a lot when in sleep mode, try the free app "ds battery save" and use the profile "slumberer" , i lot on 1% in 10 hours overnight on my wikipad 7" when it can loose 10-20% normally.

Dont use this if you use the alarm clock, or test if it still works before trusting it.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rootuninstaller.batrsaver&hl=en

John.

 

Just got my Tegra Note 7 for my fiance, let's see if Tegra is really that bad.

 

Sounds like it imposes a max screen-off CPU frequency... probably around 192Mhz for Qualcomm, or whatever chipset it's using.

I can't get the UI over 20FPS in most places. Gaming is no problem, but UI is anything but butter.

 

That's pretty appalling for a device with Tegra 4, 1 GB RAM and near stock Android...

 

My previous post have been on the subject of battery drain while my Wikipad 7" is in sleep mode, i found an old guide from 2011 that talks about android tablets still having phone processes running in the background causing the tablet to wake up for no reason my v4.2.2 has these files, the guide below shows you how to delete two files com.android.phone and Phone.apk

You need a rooted tablet to do this, also if you have an combined wifi and 3g/4g tablet you might not want to do this, unless you don't use this feature.

You follow the guide below at your own risk.

How to vastly improve Android tablet battery life - CNET

John

 

A quick look at Snapdragon 810, 2015’s first flagship mobile chip | Ars Technica

John

 

That's really sad that products like that are shipped. Should never have had those two files to begin with if it weren't a WWAN model.

 

KOTOR (Knights of the Old Republic)--one of Bioware's best RPGs of all time and not to be confused with the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic--has been ported to Android and has come to Google Play.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aspyr.swkotor&hl=en

 

Is it similar to the MMORPG game? I played it for a bit and enjoyed it, but I avoid MMO's as much as I can so I can still have a life.

 

Not very much. KOTOR is a single-player story-and-character-driven RPG, much like BioWare's other single-player RPGs that made the company's name: Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and Dragon Age: Origins. SWTOR, on the other hand, is exclusively an MMO, and you either like MMOs or you don't (I don't; the stories are inherently weaker than single-player RPGs, the missions are typically repetitive and grind-y, and I don't want to coordinate with other people about when I play games). I mean, they're both Bioware products so they'll have a somewhat similar feel to them, but they're very different in terms of structure, class system, inventory system, etc.

 

It was faster to download and play it. Its substantially different than the MMO game. Not sure if I like its battle system yet.

 

Dude, that was a four-sentence post, not a wall of text...

 

So, I ended up getting a smartwatch. Specifically, the LG G Watch R. I narrowed it down to that or the Moto 360, as my only real requirement was a round face, and those are pretty much the only choices. The GWR was $50 more, but that $50 bought a faster processor, more memory, larger battery with longer life, and a higher display resolution, and the display covers the full circle (the Moto 360 has a "flat tire" cutoff at the bottom to house the ambient light sensor). Overall, I'm happy with it. For starters, as a watch, it's great. Always synced to my phone so I never have to worry about the date or time being off, and literally infinite possibilities for faces. The watch comes with 20 or so pre-installed, and you can download new ones, as well as apps to make your own. I usually roll with a mock analog face with dials for date, weather and watch battery. But I occasionally switch to the Fallout Pip-Boy interface or LCARS from Star Trek for the purposes of showing it off

It activates and shows its face when you tilt your wrist up to look at it, and has an optional "always-on" mode where it shows a face even when it's not being looked at, but at a lower brightness, and slimmed down faces; typically the faces switch to black and white in always-on mode, and second hands disappear. The display only updates once every minute, and the whole face shifts a few pixels at a time every minute to help prevent constantly-lit pixels from burning into the display. All the stock LG faces have very thin elements in always-on mode for this reason, so no pixels stay lit the entire time. Obviously you have to be careful with third-party faces, as not all are designed to account for that, but many are. I personally disable always-on mode anyway, so the display turns off until I tilt my watch to look at it.

Beyond the whole timepiece aspect, it connects via Bluetooth to my phone. I have an LG G3, but it should theoretically work on any Android phone running 4.3 or higher. Texts sent to my phone pop right up on my wrist, and I can reply via voice command. I can answer or reject calls, control music playback and volume (though song/album selection has to be done on the phone itself), read and archive emails without touching my phone. And if I'm using my phone for GPS navigation, turn-by-directions show up on the watch. It also tracks how many steps I take, and has a heart rate monitor, though the sensor doesn't usually pick up my pulse if I wear it normally; I have to rotate the band so the watch is on the underside of my wrist and tighten it a notch tighter than normal.

Anyway, here's a few photos of it, including the Pip-Boy and LCARS faces. I swapped the stock plain black leather strap for the one from my Armani watch that I've been wearing for years so it's nice and broken in. It doesn't look drastically different. Pardon the quality of the last two; those faces are much brighter than the first, so they didn't show up well on camera. They look much better in person.

Spoiler

 

wow, that looks really nice.

I too was put off by the moto 360's "flat tire"

 

Thanks for the in depth review Mastershroom!

After the flat tire screen on the Moto 360, I was apprehensive about the LG GWR. At least I know now it does perform like a smartwatch. I wonder how it is charged though? And if wireless charging is available for it?