All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

I know I sound like a broken record... but I just want my damn GS2.

 

Wow. What a bunch of idiots! And these were the other members of the Ambassador's group?! Ugh... fanbois. They need to get their phone, hop in their car and drive off into a ravine... the internet (comment boards and Facebook especially) would be much better off.

And yes. Android always get's second place.

There's several things that don't line up in that picture. /turn head slightly and squint.

For one, if it's Gingerbread, it's against Samsung's current theme... which I haven't seen them break for any carrier. It has a stock Froyo battery icon. Also the "About Phone" screen wouldn't be green, it would be a shade of blue... like all Samsung Android devices.

Two... Touchwiz is wrong. They wouldn't release a phone with Gingerbread and TouchWiz 3. TW4 is what ships with GB on new models.

3... The physical theme of the device is off. I'm not sure Verizon would ship a phone with a competetor's color scheme all over it.

Overall, this strikes me as a questionable device... or somebody knows how to work tha 'shop.

How about I just comp everyone a GS2 on my company card? If only I knew no negatives would befall that action... *le sigh*

 

People noticed that the color scheme on TouchWiz is indeed different than "the usual" on the Droid Charge....that's 3.0 and 2.2 though....

Good catch on the keyboard theme. That's definetly Sprint yellow. The device PocketNow got photo's of had a traditional red color scheme:





The key placement looks swapped but that could probably be photoshopped fairly easily.

The thing that solidifies it for me is pocketnow's photo has My Verizon Mobile in the app drawer. Granted, I'm sure someone who takes the time to fake this stuff could easily shove My Verizon Mobile onto a Epic handset and take a photo of it and shop verizon logos/red colors on it...but still...It gives me something to cling to haha.

EDIT: There's more than MV-M on there...I spot Verizon's IM app, their Guided Tours program, and VZW's "4G Mobile Hotspot" app...adding further credence to this...I doubt someone would take the time to deconstruct and install or Photoshop those apps into the app drawer....or would they?

Step, those guys are jerks, but ignore them...win the prize, and have an awesome vacation.

Same, anything decent with a keyboard in my case.

 

Come on Hal, no one will ever find out! What's the matter? You chicken?

 

Poor thing. D: (The android) Yet it is hilarious, especially if you understand certain parts of the title.

On a more serious note, those SE guys sounds like a bunch of whiny 15yr old fanboys... OMG Y U NO WANT SE?

 

That. That. That.

I guess it's just because of what I do, but those types of people get me really angry. It's the type of person that thinks they're actually better than someone else because of their brand choices, which is just wrong.

Every OEM has their issues. Where HTC had the glass coming up issue, Samsung had NAND failure. Where Apple had antenna issues, SE had software update issues. I mean every company has their moment, and all of them are great OEM's for the their target demographic.

/rant over.

 

I ain't whiny nor a fanboy...





lol j/k

I am kind of a fanboy of SE tho, I really love their handsets more than anything else, but I also love HTC's recent phones and the GSII, so that takes me off the "ZE FANBOY" title

 

It leaves me in an awkward position though.

Part of me wonders whether I should ask if I can stay on the scheme but hand back the phone and be allowed to do the same with the HTC theme.
But I'd kick myself if they handed out Duos in a couple of months.

I guess I need to speak to my ADM, see what he says.
At the end of the day, nothing in the T&Cs says that I can't be involved with similar scheme from other manufacturers.

 

^I agree with what booboo12 said. Just win it and enjoy it. Personally, I'd stick with SE though... disregarding the fanbois though.

Meanwhile.... OMAP4 codec support... O_O

 

Thoughts?
Get GS2 or wait for Nexus Prime?

 

A few more details on Verizon's Samsung SCH-i405 slider | Android Central

WHYYYY! Gahh this is so irritating. Since when is the slideout QWERTY keyboard a licence to carriers/manufacturers to cripple a device spec wise? The only reason why the Droid 3 is high end is because of the processor, and (this one's argueable) the screen.

My main beef is the seemingly arbitrary 512 MB of RAM in both Droid 3 and this handset. Why so stingy? I have 256 now and have reached the limits of it in day to day performance...I know I will with 512...it'll be ok for the first few months then BAM..I'm back where I started, esp. with OS updates and stuff down the road.

Even 768 MB of RAM would be fine. I just want a phone that I can buy for 2 years and ensure I'll get 2 years of great performance out of it. So far the only phone that looks like that'll be doable and fits my needs is Galaxy S II.

 

Ahh... So it is indeed a Hummingbird device. That would explain the TouchWiz version. The Galaxy S has 512MB of RAM now and I actually enjoy using it a LOT more than the dual-core-1GB-of-RAM Atrix I have. My Captivate is noticibly faster than the Atrix, and actually, app loading aside, can more than keep up with the GS2 or Atrix game wise. The only place where it's not so hot is flash material in the browser. The GS2 handles flash like a ninja.

The GS1 has Voodoo (Sound, Color, Lagfix), CM7.1 (2.3.4), a TON of custom kernels and ROM's and it handles itself QUITE well. It actually runs Gingerbread better than it did Froyo or Eclair, so it should handle the next update competently as well. Actually, out of all the Android devices I've used and tested, the Galaxy S 1&2 are the smoothest. The iPhone has nothing on them.

I'd say, if you're waiting on the GS2 on VZW or Sprint, it may be some time, and there won't be a GS2 with a slider keyboard initially.... If a keyboard is your priority, I could think of much worse devices. I guess it comes down to how bad you really need a new phone. If you need one poste haste, then this would be it for me.

EDIT: So today I get to use the LG Thrill. This ought to be interesting. 3D gives me headaches. -_-

 

Hmm, so I think I have an app idea to submit to SE for this month's task.

Anyone fancy reading through it?
It's not very long...

 

I'm glad to hear that the Galaxy S 1 still has legs and is still pretty smooth. It makes going for the slider a bit easier...and yes there are worse devices *glares at Motorola Devour still stinking up VZW showrooms* that have qwerty keyboards. :lol:

As far as needing a replacement, I need one soon, as even with a 1.2 ghz overclock, my Droid's still stuttery when using Go Launcher EX w/ Go Weather's animated wallpaper among other things. That and the headphone jack annoyed me for miles today as I had to fuss with it, finally...my Camera or Gallery stopped working today. I'll successfully take photos but they won't show up in the gallery nor appear on the SD card.

EDIT: a reboot fixed it

I'm game.

 

Ok, here goes:

Spoiler

My submission for the Be an App star challenge is an app to allow users to connect their Android smartphones to their PS3s.



Within this suggestion there are actually two basic ideas.



The first would be to allow Aino-esque remote access to the media content of a user's PS3, a fairly standard sort of media-streaming affair, the groundwork of which already exists in the Aino, it would just need to be adapted for the Android OS.
This app could either be exlcusively available for the Xperia Android range or could be made available to all PS3 owners via the Android Market.



The second idea would be to use the link between the PS3 and the Android handset to allow for cross-platform gaming.
This could be implemented one of two ways (or both).

One option would be to allow users to play the games stored on their Android handset using their PS3.
Users could connect via 3G, wi-fi or even USB (if the necessary drivers could be integrated into the PS3 OS) and when connected, an Android gaming entry would appear in the PS3 games menu, allowing the user to browse the games installed on their handset and to play them.

The other option would be to allow users to play PS3 games (or more realisitcally just downloaded games from the PSN store) on their smartphone.
Using the same basic idea as the Aino of remotely accessing the content of their PS3 on the go, via wi-fi or 3G but adding the gameplay aspect found in the PSP Remote Play function.

Obviously, as this is a more complex idea there are a great deal many more stumnbling points - copyright issues, game compatibility (in both directions) and given the recent issues Sony have had, security concerns especially if accessing PSN content.

As for which handsets this functionality/app would be available for, the obvious answer is that the Play would have this app bundled or made available via a software update.
It could be extended to all Xperia handsets but it would make more sense to offer it as an exclusive feature of the Play.



Once you have the app(s) in place, there's obviously a fair amount of scope to add features/expand functionality.
For example, the ablity to remotely purchase new PSN games from your smartphone and to have the automatically download to your PS3 (very much like downloading an Android app via the Market's desktop website) - or, on the same note, some sort of Android Market integration into the PS3 OS, so that users can purchase/download apps using their PS3 and have them automatically download onto their Android handset.

And then there's the Playstation-certified Sony tablets en route later this year that could also be integrated into this system.

 

I like it! I'd skip on mentioning the whole hacked thing...company employees can get offended over the stupidest things and, while I know you aren't trying to come across this way, they could take it as insinuating that they couldn't secure their stuff.

The idea though is pretty cool, it would kinda nip Wii U in the bud in some ways too.

 

The people I'm submitting the idea too work for some sort of PR company contracted by SE, who in turn are not the same as Sony.
So I doubt they'd be offended.

Plus, all I've got to do is submit an idea, there's no saying they'll ever try and implement it.

 

Any more feedback would be appreciated.


On a separate note, I suddenly don't feel I'm going to win that screenshot competition

 

I think it is an interesting idea, and if implemented well could be very convenient. As you mentioned though, I could see there being issues with copyright issues as well as potential competition issues between the PSN and Android market.

 

Wasn't aiming at you. You just happen to fall into that particular demographic.

@Step666...Perhaps also allow for the use of PS Move controllers for Android games? Motion control > controllers for (what was originally) touch screen games.

 

Thanks, that's a nice touch.
It would work well, motion control isn't well suited to complex games and mobile games tend to be some of the most-polished simple games around.



On a separate note, the HTC rep came into the store today and handed a Sensation and a ChaCha over to two of my colleagues.
No selection process over than the fact I was precluded as an SE Ambassador.

The HTC scheme has none of the quizzes and tasks that the SE one does, no required work on behalf of the people involved and you can keep the phone when you leave. Oh, and if you break or lose it, they replace it - with SE, the Ambassador would have to cover any charges for repairing or replacing their handset.

I foresee the HTC set-up changing or being shut down in the not too distant future, it's simply going to be impractically expensive the way things are.

 

Then just steal the Sensation from one of your coworkers since HTC is so generous with the replacements. lol

 

For some reason, my stored message limits are no longer working...I have it set to keep the last 500 messages per conversation, and to delete older ones as newer ones come in. In the past week, they're no longer staying at 500; I have a couple conversations with well over 1,000 messages now and it's seriously starting to make this phone lag even worse than usual.

I checked the messaging settings, and nothing's changed. I don't know if it makes a difference, but I use Go SMS Pro...but that shouldn't affect anything since that setting is part of the default messaging app, and yet the message counts are still way over 500 in the default app too.

 

I told myself I wouldn't beg but screw it, I want to win...

Any/all votes for my screenshot in the LauncherPro Icons Slick Homescreen contest would be greatly appreciated.​

My drop-off of confidence yesterday was well-founded as this late entry is proving popular, not to mention this one ( though I don't know why).
You can see all the entries here, it displays 9 random one on the page and you hit 'refresh' to update.


edit: to vote you press the large + towards the top left, between the title and the description - merely 'liking' it doesn't count...

 

For those (including me) who are eagerly awaiting the SGII, let's hope it comes next month:

Samsung Galaxy S II US release date set for August - Phone Arena

 

Awesome! hopefully I can afford it next month!

 

Bah, there's some dodgy crap going on in that screenshot competition.
Not to mention, the one leading the voting just now shows zero imagination.

 

I have a MyTouch4G with a 2GB 4G/Unlimited 3G data plan. If I use my phone as a mobile hotspot for my laptop, are there any other charges associated other than the data plan charge?

 

If you're using stock software, they might bill you for mobile hotspot usage. When you're using stock software they put limits in place to know when you're using the tethering app, so they can bill you accordingly.

The MyTouch 4G has a pretty good community... you could probably just install a custom kernel and "WiFi Tether for Root Users" and it work just fine with no extra charges...

I'm not entirely familiar with T-Mobile's plans ATM though, so I'm not 100% sure they bill for hotspot usage.

 

The Motorola Triumph is now available from Virgin Mobile:

Motorola Triumph Android Smartphone | Virgin Mobile

...unfortunately, the plan I've been paying $25 a month for is now $35 a month, for the same 300 minutes and unlimited messaging and data. The $40 1,200 minute plan is now $45, and the $60 unlimited everything plan is now $55. Great deal for those already on the unlimited plan, but well...screw us cheap folks, right?

 

SwiftKey X is free on the amazon app store today, I heard it was better than swype/standard android keyboard so I grabbed it. I figure even if it sits unused on my phone, it was free so why not!

 

Heh it's really nice, I have been using switfkeys since pre-release beta over a year ago. Remember to let it learn your writing style from you text messages!

 

Nexus S coming to ATT for $99 on the 24th. Very tempted.

 

Wait for August and the Galaxy S2!!!!

 

Played with the Samsung Galaxy S II, it's pretty freaking amazing.
My ol' Samsung Galaxy S looks like a chubby teenager compared to the sleek, light and shiny SGSII.
Oh-well I'll find a way to live through the remaining 26 months of my contract.

 

And, never mind!

 

Well some apps that I havent been able to live without:

Connectbot
androidvnc
ES file explorer (best ftp client ever!)
Android WebEditor Pro
Sketchbook Mobile Pro
Documents to go
Opera Mobile
IM+

All of these apps see hours of work a day on top of the usual pandora, tapatalk etc.

Wow thats a loooong contract!

 

Canada = 3 Year contracts

 

Resist! :|

 

Oh I probably will, but there is just something special about owning a Nexus device. lol

 

How do i use my headphones (no mic) as a handsfree on a SGS?

On my old phone i used to be able to take calls and just speak to the phone while i can hear from my earphones

 

Hmm, Verizon offered me an early upgrade today.

I've had my Droid X replaced twice already because of headphone jack issues, and had called in today to have another replacement sent. The rep informed me that he was willing to offer me an early upgrade because of the issues I have been having. Sounded appealing, so I told him I'd think about it and call back.

Is there any phone on Verizon that is worth upgrading to from a Droid X currently? I have no 4G LTE in my area, and it will be years before they introduce it here. Droid X2? Only downside is I would lose my custom roms and gingerbread for the time being.

I still have about a year left until I can upgrade again, so I wonder if I should take advantage of the offer.

Suggestions?

 

Headphone jack logic with the SGS is in the kernel, so you would have to have a kernel that is setup for a situation like that... PM Hardcore on XDA and see what he says about it.

If you enjoy custom ROMs and such you would REALLY enjoy the Droid Charge... Just turn the LTE radio off.

One of my friends is developing for the Charge, actually, so I know it has quite a nice community. Unlocked bootloader from the get-go, and if you care anything about audio quality, Voodoo Sound will blow you away.

I guess it just depends on what you want your phone to do. The X2 and D3 are both dual-core devices, but they're both locked down VERY tight.

 

Supercurio is eff-ing awesome.

 

You got that right!

 

What's Supercurio?

 

+2

He has god like ears

 

Samsung Galaxy S receives Gingerbread port right from the Nexus S source (video) -- Engadget

Supercurio tweets good things about Galaxy Tab 10.1 LCD and audio Dragonbytes

Basically he's the author of Voodoo Sound, Voodoo Color, and for the Galaxy S... Voodoo Lagfix, which converts the RFS partitions to EXT4. He's made the Galaxy S, which was already a KICK *** phone, into an amazing piece of tech. Compare stock audio to Voodoo Sound injected kernels and it will blow your mind at how much better it is. He rewrote the entire WM8994 kernel driver from source at Wolfson Audio. Voodoo color for AMOLED/PLS LCD panels is also pretty nice. He took away the blue tinge that was a part of Samsung's AMOLED/PLS color profile and completely rewrote the gamma table, giving it more natural white's and colors.

He also works with Samsung engineers on product improvements. Could be part of the reason the GSII is so awesome. He's also ported Voodoo Sound to other devices with the WM8994 DAC, including the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Asus Transformer, LG Optimus 2x, and I believe is working on the HP Veer.

I know right. I've tried to listen to music on other phones than my GSII or Captivate and it's just not enjoyable anymore. Voodoo Sound has spoiled me.

 

Samsung/Carriers really needs to release Gingerbread for the original Galaxy S.

Running Cyanogen or MIUI (Built on CM), my battery drains fast enough for me to actually watch the bar go down barely doing anything.

 

...a guy.
Right