The GOOGLE | ANDROID Thread

[ryan99tt]

plannin to try one of these tablets, any recommendations?

[Swisha]

i'd suggest u wait till the honeycomb tablets come out which is soon.

the Motorola Xoom looks awesome so far...

[Wolfie]

I've been away from this forum for a bit because my profile/posts were getting edited.

Anyway...


Did you get through Silva?

You can up your firmware to 2.2.1 if you have a standard international Galaxy S.
(i don't know what hardware rev. TSTT sells)

You can also do alot of other things such as change the filesystem to ext 2/4/jfs and enable unused features of the wolfson(WM8994) sound chip to make it sound better than any Ipod/Iphone.

Also Cyanogen mod is almost done for the Galaxy S, which should bring us some nice stock Google fun.

I've never had any problems with mine hardware wise but then i didn't buy it from TSTT.

To check if your phone can be flashed safely, press and hold
Home - Power - Volume Down
If your phone boots into download mode, you're golden.
If not, it may not be safe to flash it without a risk of bricking.

Let me know if you guys need help with your Galaxy S devices.

Any Galaxy S users having ...... the phone, any suggestions?

fellas, i am taking the phone in to tstt, i tried hard resetting twice and the same issues started up a little while after again, anyone thinks its software related or could it be a hardware defect?

Clean your screen, use one of those microfiber cloths. Avoid alcohol/ammonia based cleaners, (although I use RUBBING alcohol sometimes on my phone, bad practice?). The recommendation is to use a lightly damp cloth (with water) if you really must. Don't ever spray anything on your phone.

Thing is these screens are VERRRY sensitive and need to be kept clean. The screens are what you call capacitive and if wet or dirty may act wonky. Chemicals can cause these screens to go crazy.

If this is not the problem, you may be short on memory. In THIS case replacing your phone solves nothing. (1) If you are ambitious / a techie, try flashing a new ROM which would definitely be better than stock in memory management. (2) Get a better class of microSD card, all are not created equal or (3) Get a task killer from the market (some people say this helps, some don't), this kills apps in the back ground that aren't in use (which android is supposed to do anyway).

PS I use swype on my Desire no problem.

well its not swype thats causing the phone to go crazy, i did a hard reset twice , phone worked well for a while and started acting up again when i was sending a text with swype disabled, the screen itself is kept clean with a microfiber cloth, when i took it into tstt naturally the problem did not occur while the customer rep fiddled, he told me that it will have to go to the repair centre and it could take 6-8weeks to come back, sigghh!!

he also told me that if they could not replicate the problem then as far as tstt is concerned the phone is not faulty, so i will be stuck with an expensive phone i cannot rely on...as for the replacement phone they would give you while yours is in for repairs, the rep told that its not company policy to give a replacement phone but rather a discretion they exercise once a phone is available, he first brought out a beat up looking samsung wave that had no battery, then after some time he came back with what looked like a new sony ericsson walkman slider in box, so i was somewhat relieved, when i got back to the office and plugged the phone in to charge....NOTHING, the phone or the charger is defective, so today i am heading back with replacement phone for another replacement ...if they have one.

Anyone besides me think tstt selling refurbished phones.

On another note, should the galaxy come back with no fix, is there anyone here on the forums who can upgrade the software?

[~*SiLvA MeRa*~]

Wolfie, i sent you a Pm bro.

[Wolfie]

Alright man once it's a software issue we'll get you sorted and loaded up with the latest goodies.

[Swisha]

Google Music and web-based Android Market could be announced tomorrow



Google's last Android-centric event, Google I/O in the middle of last year, treated us to a pair of delectable demos that may now finally be turning into mobile realities. One was a web client for the Android Market with OTA installations -- you just browse to an app you want to install while on your desktop and choose to push it to your Android device -- and the other was a cloud-based music backup and streaming service. The latter has since picked up the moniker of Google Music in subsequent rumors, and today both are receiving some speculative support for a launch at tomorrow's Honeycomb event. Android and Me has an insider source claiming the web-based Android Market is finally ready to roll out, whereas BusinessWeek reports Andy Rubin is heading up Google's digital music team and also has software ready for release, potentially at some point this month. Given the importance of both new additions, it's highly logical for Google to at least announce and show them off once more tomorrow. Then we can get back to waiting for the next Android update.


Engadget

[Swisha]

Google said to be hiring 'dozens' to boost Android app development



We've already heard of some changes that Google's planning to make to boost app purchases in the Android Market, and it looks like it's now also undertaking a considerable in-house effort to increase the number of quality apps that are available. According to The Wall Street Journal, Google is planning to hire "dozens" of software engineers, product managers, user-interface experts and "others who have ideas for mobile apps," and it's apparently already shifted some of its current employees to work in this new "apps lab." As you might expect, that's being done at least in part to close the so-called "app gap" with Apple, and it looks like the new apps will reach far beyond Google's usual properties -- the WSJ even specifically mentions games as one area they'll focus on. The apps would also apparently all be free (but possibly ad-supported), and Google is said to be trying to woo developers with its distribution power, noting that it will be able to promote the apps in the Android Market and even have them pre-installed on many phones.


Engadget

[Swisha]

Google Art Project offers gigapixel images of art classics, indoor Street View of museums



Google's been hard at work over the past 18 months on something not many of us have been paying attention to lately: art. Specifically, the search giant has hooked up with 17 art museums around the world to offer tours of their internal galleries, using its familiar Street View tricycles, while also doing high-res images of 1,061 artworks that may be viewed on the newly launched Art Project web portal. Also there, you will find 17 special gigapixel images -- 7,000-megapixel versions of each participating venue's proudest possession. The resulting level of detail is nothing short of astounding and we've got videos of how it's all done after the break.





Engadget

[2NR Smurf]

3 button download mode does not work on the tstt i9000s, the GT-i9000T

Wolfie you using 2.2.1 on your SGS? what rom?

[Swisha]

LG confirms Optimus 3D for MWC 2011: glasses-free screen and 3D camera



We've had a feeling that LG was going to tackle 3D smartphones heads-on sometime in February, and after a spat of rumors today purported to be showing off the Optimus 3D (pictured above, via Phandroid), the company's flat-out confirmed its Mobile World Congress debut. The Optimus 3D sports a dual-lens 3D camera, a glasses-free LCD display, and HDMI / DLNA for sharing on whatever 3D sets you have. A live demo will be at Barcelona, but whether that means we'll get to hold it in our own hands. Other specs? We'll have to wait and find out.


Engadget

[Swisha]

New teasers confirm the Samsung Galaxy S2 unveiling at MWC 2011



Samsung just released a new batch of new Galaxy S2 teaser videos to get the excitement going again. With just 12 days left to the MWC in Barcelona, who knows what Sammy will throw at us next.

Unfortunately, the videos don’t reveal much of the device itself. They only suggest that the Galaxy S2 looks ridiculously thin, which is probably due to its sAMOLED plus screen.
Here are the teasers themselves:







GSM Arena

[Swisha]

Black People Like BlackBerries and Asians Like iPhones



Nielsen doesn't just track TV watching stats, they track mobile phone usage as well, and their 2010 smartphone stats are quite interesting. Did you know Asians love the iPhone? And black people hate it, but love BlackBerries?

It's also interesting that the Hispanic and White columns are so similar, because when you compare that to this following graph:



it shows that actual smartphone penetration is much lower among Whites than Hispanics and Asians. So even though Hispanics and whites use the same types of phones—when they do use smarpthones—whites use smartphones a lot less.

And if this chart is more-or-less accurate, we're at the meeting point where Android, BlackBerry and iPhones are holding pretty much equal marketshare. This will definitely change after the next quarter or two, when Verizon iPhone users show how much demand there really was.





Gizmodo

[Wolfie]

Yeah Smurf, XWJS3. With ZSJPE modem.



That sucks about the download mode not working but there are ways to get it fixed although it may be risky.

Anyone want to try?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=785201

3 button download mode does not work on the tstt i9000s, the GT-i9000T

Wolfie you using 2.2.1 on your SGS? what rom?

[2NR Smurf]

^theres also the method using a usb jig, which seems easy enough to make.

but should i up to 2.2.1, how difficult would it be to roll back to 2.1, should the need arise?

[Wolfie]

Erm...

To roll back you will have to back up your apps with something like Titanium backup then repartition and flash.

But why would you want to roll back?

The only reason i went back to 2.1 once was to set up my partitions after i wiped my internal sd card clean.

I think after you have 2.2.1 up and running you won't want to go back to 2.1


About the bootloader though, it doesn't look that risky to do after all.
If my phone didn't have 3 button download mode, i would do it.

^theres also the method using a usb jig, which seems easy enough to make.

but should i up to 2.2.1, how difficult would it be to roll back to 2.1, should the need arise?

[ryan99tt]

yea, i plannin on waiting untill honeycomb release but i just wanted ah lil list of tablets to keep an eye on...

[~*SiLvA MeRa*~]

Wolfie, i guess my Gt-i9000T would not be able to boot in download mode then since it is a TSTT phone, soooo what options do i have that won't have me ending up wth an expensive paperweight??

3 button download mode does not work on the tstt i9000s, the GT-i9000T

Wolfie you using 2.2.1 on your SGS? what rom?

[Wolfie]

The only option left without flashing the bootloader is to use Kies.

The official 2.2 should be out on it, if not in our area Kies can be fooled with some registry hacks.

But even when you use Kies, there's still a risk of brickage.

Wolfie, i guess my Gt-i9000T would not be able to boot in download mode then since it is a TSTT phone, soooo what options do i have that won't have me ending up wth an expensive paperweight??

3 button download mode does not work on the tstt i9000s, the GT-i9000T

Wolfie you using 2.2.1 on your SGS? what rom?

[Swisha]

Android Market gets a web store with OTA installations, in-app purchases coming soon



Google's Android Market now has a web client. Finally! And guess what else, it's already live. Hit the source link below to get exploring. It's very simple, really, you can browse the entire Market catalog on your desktop or however else you're accessing the web, you can purchase anything that takes your fancy, and then -- via the magic of over-the-air transfers -- it downloads and installs onto your Android handset. A neat phone management section will let you nickname your registered devices to make them more recognizable as well.

Google has also just announced that Android will soon support in-app purchases. Widespread developer interest has been cited as the major reason for doing it, so you've got those lovable coders to thank for the oncoming wave of micropayments you'll have to deal with in your Android apps. The in-app purchasing SDK is releasing to devs today and will be "live to users prior to the end of this quarter."

market.android.com



Engadget

[r3iXmann]

market dont wuk

"We're sorry, there was an error. Please try again later."



looks good though

[zcarz]

works fine for me, it's cool

[Wolfie]

woohoo google checkout with payment options for Trinidad!

I just bought Poweramp legitimately.

Could my days of pirating be over?!

dun dun dun....

[r3iXmann]

woohoo google checkout with payment options for Trinidad!

I just bought Poweramp legitimately.

Could my days of pirating be over?!

dun dun dun....

checkout always worked in trinidad

[Swisha]

woohoo google checkout with payment options for Trinidad!

I just bought Poweramp legitimately.

Could my days of pirating be over?!

dun dun dun....

u actually got thru? anytime i try to buy an app i get a msg saying ''this item cannot be installed on your device''

tried updating the Maps app and got the msg "this item is not available on your carrier"

seems like the only apps i'm able to get thru with are the usual free ones i get access to on the mobile version

[Wolfie]

Use a program called Marketaccess, it will let you view all apps by spoofing your carrier id to Tmobile or another that you choose.

After you emulate remember to clear your cache. And don't have it on at boot because it will mess with your apns while active, once you're done with your apps you can reboot and it will be back to normal.

If you need the apk let me know.

woohoo google checkout with payment options for Trinidad!

I just bought Poweramp legitimately.

Could my days of pirating be over?!

dun dun dun....

u actually got thru? anytime i try to buy an app i get a msg saying ''this item cannot be installed on your device''

tried updating the Maps app and got the msg "this item is not available on your carrier"

seems like the only apps i'm able to get thru with are the usual free ones i get access to on the mobile version

[Wolfie]

idk this is the first time i am able to purchase apps from the Market without using a US address.

woohoo google checkout with payment options for Trinidad!

I just bought Poweramp legitimately.

Could my days of pirating be over?!

dun dun dun....

checkout always worked in trinidad

[srnoth]

Use a program called Marketaccess, it will let you view all apps by spoofing your carrier id to Tmobile or another that you choose.

After you emulate remember to clear your cache. And don't have it on at boot because it will mess with your apns while active, once you're done with your apps you can reboot and it will be back to normal.

If you need the apk let me know.

I use an app called Market Enabler... worked perfectly from day one, was able to purchase apps using my trini credit card & google checkout. I even have it set to enable at boot, never had any problems with my APNs. Works great.

[Wolfie]

Yep i remember trying enabler but it was not working for some reason.

I'll check it again since it seems like it has been updated.

Thanks for the info

[Swisha]

was trying to not have to root, guess i'll have to...

[sekhar_777]

^yep. Motorola seems to have their updates in order as well...

Awesome...



http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/01/27/amazon-order-page-for-the-motorola-atrix-leaks-150-on-contract-600-off/