[Q] Stupid question -- Does "android" include a mp3 player? - General Questions and Answers

Ok, I know this is going to be a stupid question, but I'm a total newbie to "smart phones".
My wife wants to get a "mp3 player" for walking, and she also wants a new phone. (She has a standard "candybar" phone with no data, etc.)
She says the phone just needs to be basic (no data plan is needed), but she wants a fancy touchscreen so it's easier for her to send SMS, etc.
So I was thinking... why not combine the two devices and get a cell phone that can also play mp3 files and has a touch screen?
I thought the iphone would be good, but ... holy cow! Even an old "3g" phone is still $300 on ebay.
So then a friend told me to look at Android phones... which led me here.
QUESTIONS:
1. Does the android system include a decent mp3 player? This will be for my wife who has something like 50gb of songs on her computer which are not organized by folder or anything else. (She uses MediaMonkey to organize.) She has no playlists or anything else. The phone "mp3 player" must be simple and easy for her to find whatever music she wants.
2. What do you think of the "Eclipse Novus phone from chinavasion.com? (I'm new here so the forum won't let me post a direct link.) It's Android 2.2, so I think it should be ok to play mp3 files? (I suppose this depends on the answer to my first question.) It's pretty cheap, so I'm not sure. (One of the reasons I like this phone is because it is quad-band so she can keep using it in France when we move there in August...)
3. Will the phone above work with Skype? (ie: Will any "android phone" work with Skype?) This is also important, because she'll want to use it (instead of her computer) to call home after we move to France.
Thanks for any help or suggestions.

First off, welcome!
Yes, Android phones have "mp3 players", they're in the form of music apps. There's a stock music app that comes with all Android phones, but there are also tons of free alternatives. I'd suggest checking out the Android Market from your computer if you want to see what Android has to offer. I have an iPod, but I use my phone for music just as often because I always have it on me.
I'm not familiar with the phone you're referring to, but it will definitely play music. I guess the final decision on which phone would be dependent on your carrier, what they have to offer, and if you're willing & able to switch.
Honestly, I'm not familiar with Skype... at all. I've never used it. I do know there's a Skype app, but I believe it's WiFi only in the US, with 3g calling available in Europe. I'm not 100% sure on this, so I would check it out on the market from your computer as well. You can also use Google Voice to place calls, and there are other apps as well.
One thing to note - most carriers won't sell you an Android phone without a data plan being a requirement. I'm not sure how this works if you buy the phone somewhere else.
I'd definitely recommend getting her an Android, though. Good luck with your search, and if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask

Thanks very much for your reply.
plainjane said:
One thing to note - most carriers won't sell you an Android phone without a data plan being a requirement. I'm not sure how this works if you buy the phone somewhere else.
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This is exactly why I'm interested in purchasing the android phone from a 3rd party provider and not from a telecom carrier... this way, it is unlocked and can be used for any GSM-based provider around the world on any plan.
In my wife's case, she doesn't need a data plan, so we simply won't tell the provider it is a "smart" phone. She can simply sign up for any basic voice-only service, and use the wifi capability of the phone if needed when possible.
If anyone has any experience with Skype on an android phone, please feel free to respond.
Thanks!

I feel behind the times since I'm not familiar with Skype, but I've never had a need for it. I'm sure there are some reviews of the Android app floating around the internet. Just be sure when reading reviews that they're recent - Android apps get updated and improved, so a review from when it first came out may be irrelevant.
Carriers can tell which phone is being used on your account, but of course they have to check. As long as there's a non-smartphone activated on the plan first, and you activate the new one yourself, you should be fine.

I use poweramp as the mp3 player.
Skype works only in audio mode on android atm.(no video)

yes of course it does...... and if she didn't like the built in mps3 player she can install another one fron android market

I'm using winamp, it's a free app and it is very fast. For me is the best app for music

Related

Stupid question that is probably more of a rant...

Ok, so we all have the latest greatest most "open source" phone, right? LMFAO
Why is it, seeing as battery life is complete CRAP, that programs are not smart enough to be able to turn on and off the wifi, gps, wireless networks, etc as needed? When I open google maps, it should start up the GPS. When I try to get on the web, it would be nice if it could check for pre-configured wifi. When those programs are exited, or after an inactive time limit, the wifi, gps, etc should shut back down. It seems silly to fumble around in settings to turn things on and off all the time.
Since this is a problem with Google's software, I assume they will continue to support the "not our problem, let the developers figure it out" stand, while locking us out of the ability for a fix.
Am I the only one that thinks this way?
I completely agree! I am greatly disappointment in the direction Android is going. Leaving everything to 3rd party developers and then locking root access, yeah, really smart move! As soon as T-Mobile USA releases a 3G pocket pc, I am so gone. I would have left my HTC Wizard behind for another device (and G1) but I'm stuck with this strange 3G AWS frequency and no real option for a WM device except what my provider offers. Google still has a chance to fix this issues for Android but I am very impatient with things in general. One day, it could be a great OS but as of right now and the way the road looks ahead is a dismal path to possible destruction. My suggestions to Google would be to jailbreak all devices, create your OWN soft keyboard so all programs can be used with it, ADD SOME KIND OF OFFICE SUPPORT, add support for your own software (built in) to be able to control all settings (like speed racer mentioned), video recorder, better camera options, and better Marketplace support. Again, this is a new mobile OS and it will evolve somewhat but if things continue to happen in the same path or pattern, failure is practically the only option.
gospeed.racer said:
Ok, so we all have the latest greatest most "open source" phone, right? LMFAO
Why is it, seeing as battery life is complete CRAP, that programs are not smart enough to be able to turn on and off the wifi, gps, wireless networks, etc as needed? When I open google maps, it should start up the GPS. When I try to get on the web, it would be nice if it could check for pre-configured wifi. When those programs are exited, or after an inactive time limit, the wifi, gps, etc should shut back down. It seems silly to fumble around in settings to turn things on and off all the time.
Since this is a problem with Google's software, I assume they will continue to support the "not our problem, let the developers figure it out" stand, while locking us out of the ability for a fix.
Am I the only one that thinks this way?
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Hi, download Locale or Power Manager.
I have seen both, and they are good....but they dont do what I am asking.
NATIVE support. Its like Google has all these different departments, and none want to work with the others. Everything needs to be streamlined together, maps should be able to turn on and off resources....instead of me doing it with my keypad. Who chooses to leave GPS on all day? Same with Wifi?
I am fed up with Google thinking everyone needs to do the grunt work. They cant even get their own software working properly (for example, try using the search function in maps, then try to get directions to that search...good luck!) and instead of USEFUL updates, we get updates that RESTRICT us.
gospeed.racer said:
for example, try using the search function in maps, then try to get directions to that search...good luck!
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Hmm... seems pretty easy for me? Open maps application, start typing your search (e.g. "starbucks mountain view"). List of locations comes up. I tap one, it shows location on map. Tap on the address and it brings up menu. Choose Directions to this Address and click Route button.
true...but if you simply click on "directions" and type in the exact same items you searched before, it suddenly forgot how to search.
For example, if I search for "pdx" or "gresham" on the maps, no problem. But, when I click "directions" and type in the same thing, it cant find it. It cant do a search and come up with a list of results? Google cant? LMAO. Seriously? I guess I need to do a search, write down the results. Then do another search, get directions, and type in the previous location that I wrote down. Pretty handy if you ask me!
Never had this issue with the desktop version of google maps. I can type in "gresham" and "PDX" and it can get me there. On the phone, it cant figure it out.
Apparently no one can read or understand what has been said. Google hasn't left it to 3rd parties, they are working on these things as we speak. It is in their "roadmap"
OK so it doesn't do everything your home computer can. Why can't you give it time. Why did you buy something that is brand new if you weren't ready to be patient? That is like the people who claim Vista sucks just because they used the beta version and had problems.
Give it time. As for directions are you talking about Gresham, OR? I get directions just find typing pdx and then gresham, or
Obviously you have to type the state for the city, also that little bookmark icon can be usefull... just search for the two things you want first (PDX then do a search for gresham) then use the history bookmark to add those to the direction. Worked simple that way too.
And guess what... I also can use copy and paste too... wow I guess there are many ways to do it you just have to figure it out.
gospeed.racer said:
Ok, so we all have the latest greatest most "open source" phone, right? LMFAO
Why is it, seeing as battery life is complete CRAP, that programs are not smart enough to be able to turn on and off the wifi, gps, wireless networks, etc as needed? When I open google maps, it should start up the GPS. When I try to get on the web, it would be nice if it could check for pre-configured wifi. When those programs are exited, or after an inactive time limit, the wifi, gps, etc should shut back down. It seems silly to fumble around in settings to turn things on and off all the time.
Since this is a problem with Google's software, I assume they will continue to support the "not our problem, let the developers figure it out" stand, while locking us out of the ability for a fix.
Am I the only one that thinks this way?
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Click to collapse
No, it's not an open source phone (and I don't think google or T-mobile have said that the G1 would be), but the _software_ is. If you want a totally open phone, you should be looking towards the openmoko platform, or the dev version of the G1 that google have now announced.
neoobs said:
OK so it doesn't do everything your home computer can. Why can't you give it time. Why did you buy something that is brand new if you weren't ready to be patient? ....
... wow I guess there are many ways to do it you just have to figure it out.
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If Google was up front and said that it wasnt ready yet (why are WE the beta testers?) that would be one thing, but the way it is marketed in commercials and on the website, this is a phone that is ready for mass use. It is very much still in beta.
The problem with your "its not a home computer" logic is that is CAN do the functions I am referring to. It just doesnt. I used bad examples- try using something like "denny's" instead. In a search it will pull them up, but in the "directions" it will not. Apparently if there are more than one result it gets confused. My example was bad.
I have been patient, the updates so far have done nothing (for my phone at least) but fix problems and patch loopholes. There has been nothing updated that improves functionality that I have seen yet. I found their roadmap- Looks like some soft keyboard functionality next year, and more supported languages. Who hoo.
gospeed.racer said:
If Google was up front and said that it wasnt ready yet (why are WE the beta testers?) that would be one thing, but the way it is marketed in commercials and on the website, this is a phone that is ready for mass use. It is very much still in beta.
The problem with your "its not a home computer" logic is that is CAN do the functions I am referring to. It just doesnt. I used bad examples- try using something like "denny's" instead. In a search it will pull them up, but in the "directions" it will not. Apparently if there are more than one result it gets confused. My example was bad.
I have been patient, the updates so far have done nothing (for my phone at least) but fix problems and patch loopholes. There has been nothing updated that improves functionality that I have seen yet. I found their roadmap- Looks like some soft keyboard functionality next year, and more supported languages. Who hoo.
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Don't get mad a google for marketing... the commercial doesn't even say that it is google's OS... it just says Powered By Google. It blows for them.
And for the maps... I haven't been able to get either the phone or desktop to map the locations for me. Besides that doesn't it make more sense to figure out where the dennys is before getting directions to it?
It hasn't even been a month in a half yet and you think you are patient. I don't remember any significant updates to any OS in the first month it was out.
I guess my point is that tmobile (not Google apparently) released a phone that isnt ready for the general public. It should be in beta still, until the bugs (like a battery that lasts half a day under light use, calls that do not ring through, messages that dont show up, and ringtones that sometimes work and sometimes dont) are fixed. There are many problems with the phone and the OS and if you cant admit that I dont know what to say. If you are happy then fine, but not all of us are. We did NOT sign up for beta testing, if we had then there is no issue.
Sounds to me that someone should have done a little bit of research before purchasing their phone? I mean, come on! It hasn't even been 2 months yet. Maybe a razr would fit your likings more? Tmobile has plenty of those.
I say if you aren't gonna get out there & learn to write your own apps to make it the phone you want it to be, don't complain. No one held a gun to your head & said buy the phone or else. You bought into the hype. Deal with it.
No one is perfect the first time out the gates. You should have known this if you came from a windows mobile device previously. Microsoft has been at it for how many years & they still haven't gotten all the bugs & kinks out. If you think you can do better than google, I'm all in! Lets see what you got. Till then, buy a phone that doesn't have all the hype you want. Then you won't be setting yourself up for disappointment.
I haven't had any issues with this phone. So you can't save apps to the SD (YET) but that can be fixed. So your battery isn't the best (YET) but that can be fixed. Give it time. You didn't come sprinting out your mothers womb did you? Didn't think so. Let Android learn to crawl before you expect it to run hundred yard dashes
gospeed.racer said:
I guess my point is that tmobile (not Google apparently) released a phone that isnt ready for the general public. It should be in beta still, until the bugs (like a battery that lasts half a day under light use, calls that do not ring through, messages that dont show up, and ringtones that sometimes work and sometimes dont) are fixed. There are many problems with the phone and the OS and if you cant admit that I dont know what to say. If you are happy then fine, but not all of us are. We did NOT sign up for beta testing, if we had then there is no issue.
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That is funny... I had all those issues on my wing... guess I should go complain in the herald forums about my beta testing that device too.
I admit it has errors... but that doesn't mean it is the worse phone ever made like you make it out to be.
Yeah go complain at the Herald forums! They'll just tell you that you're an idiot and to unlock your phone and flash a new ROM on it. Oh wait... you can actually do that with a wing and not this pos and it actually ends up being a decent pda. That's the difference... and yes a lot of this anger comes from people with stock RC30. Also, to the dude who wipes his ass with money, lol, a lot of tmo. customers didn't have much of a choice for pdas with 3g. It's not a matter of not having the facts but the expectations were very high for this os and phone seemed to have fallen quite short. I'm not going to repeat what the shortcomings are... for they have been hammered into our skulls enough already but Google basically copied a lot of things from different mobile OS and seem to have forgotten the basics and left them out. They other thing is they won't admit any mistakes were made but simply state that they will be left to 3rd developers. After that, a security update was pushed out that locked root. How will or why should this affect developers? Well, there are several applications that only be used on rooted devices and this number will continue to rise. Several developers have quit trying to port over a few applications because of this and the crappy java layers used on android. And finally, T-mobile, google, and htc all claim that this is an open source device and os. It used to be.... the security flaw was announced on every tech blog and web site so basically google (yes google!) Sent a quick patch to fix it and now open source is dead essentially. I guaranty that root will be locked down on every other android device released next year. I know we will find a way to unlock everything here but it's just bs and you guys know it. Of course, no fanyboys will admit it while having their lips firmly placed on google's ass. It's not open source and it won't be until we unlock root ourselves. And now one can argue with me until the next android device comes out. Yes, it is its infancy but it really seems more like a beta. Just disappointed like many others. It's such a stable OS and has a lot of potential but a lot of basic things have been left out, nothing less or nothing more...
I'm sorry, can you show me where T-mobile and HTC claim the G1/Dream is an "open source device" please? I haven't seen anything from either company stating that the G1 would be open source. Android, on the other hand _is_ open, and while, yes I will agree that it's frustrating that you need to "hack" the device to be able to use it to it's full potential, Google have addressed this by releasing the "dev" handsets. Ultimately, as a previous poster has pointed out no-one forced you into picking up the G1, and as you've discovered, frustration often comes with picking up bleeding edge hardware.
So basically your mad at htc/google/tmobile cuz you neglected to read the specs on their websites? Damn my headlight just went out on my car. I'm gonna go yell at chrystler for not putting a better bulb in it! Your forgetting to realize what I stated before, no one forced you! You can piss & moan all you want but again as I stated before, make your own apps to make it the phone you want it to be! So you want 3g? Why? Cuz its faster? Umm I forgot where htc/google/tmobile said this was a laptop? Can you show me? Cuz last time I checked, it was still a cell phone. 3g is a novelty. I don't live in a 3g area so maybe I'm just speaking on deaf ears. I by no means am a fanboy of htc. If tmobile got that touch blackberry, i'd be all over it like white on rice! Be angry but all your gonna get is white hairs & wrinkles. Its wasted energy. Take a seat & wait for android to grow & then you may speak. Or go out & do it better than google. Make your own os. Let's see how you do your first time out
And as far as the unlocking & flashing, how long did it take for that to be a reality? I wasn't there from the start of windows mobile but I'm pretty sure people weren't able to do that right out the box. It is a skill that needed to be learned, as with Android. Maybe you'll research your device better next time.
so I can write apps that will make me not to miss calls when they dont ring through? Will help battery life? Will keep me from missing messages?
I AM TALKING ABOUT THE ROOT GOOGLE SOFTWARE not just apps. Have you heard me complain about a video recorder? A video player? no, because those CAN BE FIXED. How do we change the way Google maps works? WE dont...Google does.
The OS itself is very nice. Coming from WM6.1 the stability is great. I dont need to reboot daily, constantly shut down programs, etc. I understand that WM has been around forever, I had a tmobile PPC2003, so I have been around this stuff for a bit. Android is new, given time it will get better. But I am missing calls NOW. I am constantly charging my battery NOW. These things are important as it is a "phone" after all. The roadmap addresses NONE of these things, just some multi language support and a keyboard.
I am quite sure that there will be many more replies to how f'd up my thinking is, but I am done. I am at the point where all I can do is repeat myself. Its NOT ready yet, and there are MAJOR things that need fixes.
gospeed.racer said:
so I can write apps that will make me not to miss calls when they dont ring through? Will help battery life? Will keep me from missing messages?
I AM TALKING ABOUT THE ROOT GOOGLE SOFTWARE not just apps. Have you heard me complain about a video recorder? A video player? no, because those CAN BE FIXED. How do we change the way Google maps works? WE dont...Google does.
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No, you DO fix the problem - you file a bug with google, and if you have the skills, a patch that fixes the problem, if it's all ok, then it'll get accepted into the source and fixed.
The only problem is, that as T-mobile have (I assume) insisted that the G1 is locked, google need to compile the release for you.
please, go read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source and, if you can return your G1, I don't think it's the phone you want.

Marketplace "copy protection" cracked

I will not do anything with this, or publish how. But you can be assured the "warez" guys from that one site will figure this out within a day or so as well...
As most of you will know I am a software developer by trade, with some commercial offerings from my company.
And then there was Marketplace. For commercial devs, something nice to have. But if you have followed the news, the piracy protection for commercial developers is not much to speak of. See this document http://download.microsoft.com/downl...tplace for Mobile Anti-Piracy White Paper.pdf.
I will refrain from quoting the obvious mistakes in this document, if you give this thing a read, you will notice them soon enough. What it all comes down to is that there is no copy protection, not even at the advanced level, at least if they implement it in the way I interpret from reading that document.
So today I started up Marketplace and it worked. Hurrah. The current level of protection is making sure the CAB files are deleted upon install - which is obviously not a way to protect anything - but even this, I thought, should easily be circumventable.
Now, because I wanted to see how fast it could be done, I went with a hunch instead of doing any investigation. And that hunch worked like charm. It took me less than five minutes to circumvent this "protection", and get the ability to save the CABs the MarketPlace app downloads to a different folder. As the CAB file is the same for every downloader, you could just give this CAB you payed for out to all your friends.
Obviously I will not disclose the method, because that would be working against other commercial developers, and ultimately myself. It's just to let you know how ridiculously easy it is, and to give fair warning to those looking to sell apps on the Marketplace.
So, the moral of the story is... WTF MICROSOFT?
I know firsthand there is no such thing as perfect copy protection, but this is just plain ridiculous.
What we really need is for apps to be able to use our own copy protection schemes... you know, like the good web-based app stores out there.
EDIT: l3v5y has also succeeded in doing something similar, and it seems the WMPowerUser admin also found another easy way to do it... Yay, and it ain't even out yet!
Not even 12 hours after launch...that's pretty quick
Oh noes.... that's not good!
Imagine Microsoft reads this and decides to offset tomorrow's Marketplace launch...
Or even worse, Microsoft launches the Marketplace but developers decide not to submit their apps because they're concerned that their apps get pirated.
Thats what happens when devices aren't locked down.
That sounds bad, but it's really no different to how things are today. Perhaps there are some apps that have more security than either nothing or a serial key, but none that I use have anything more sophisticated.
Even as a developer myself, I'd easily take this over some DRMfest.
So, if I'm reading this correctly, when you buy something from marketplace it's not tied into your username with a password like most apps? Instead, you just buy it and it installs the app, but doesn't give you a cab? Yeah, I don't think it's that hard to work around that and get a cab for yourself. Some of the cheaper apps at Handango are like that. Can you re-download an app onto a new device or if you have to hard reset, and is it free or do you need to buy download protection like form Handango?
Good, copy protection pisses me off, all it does is piss of the genuine users. We have to deal with codes and activation to be legit, while people getting it free, just click here and there, copy a code here and huzah.
Copy protection doesnt work, someone will always find a way around it. Unless its linked to a windows live profile/xbox live profile. Which I can see probably happening when they bring out Zune on mobile phones, which sounds like it might be sooner rather than later!
I did something like this earlier... MS haven't quite got security done yet, though my guess is the iPhone is no better...
I'm really surprised by the lack of any drm; what's the point of signing in w/ one's Windows Live account? The easiest thing to do is to associate valid applications w/ one's Window's Live account. That's what itunes does for music at least (I don't know about apps as I don't have an iphone/ipod touch). Of course, what would happen is that an internet connection of some form is needed when the application is first installed, which could become inconvenient.
The truth of the matter is that the percentage or ratio of people who would bother to do this is pretty small. Most WinMo usersbarely even know how to setup e-mail not to mention install a cab file.
Most of the people in this forum already know how and where to get cracked apps or warez if they wanted too. I don't see this so called "flaw" as being an issue to MS or developers.
Must admit that I find it a bit worrying that your not able to make a backup of the applications you buy by taking a copy of the cab file somewhere safe.
After having sent back 4 HTC phones (two different models) in the last 10 months, and having an SD die on me I'd really like to know that I have a backup of anything I've paid for.
Can anyone confirm if its possible to reinstall something you've paid for through the Marketplace app if it gets removed from your phone, or you get another phone? ie if you log into Marketplace with the same Lice ID does it show apps that you've bought but which aren't on the phone your connected with?
If I look at an app that I have installed through Marketplace there is no install button anymore and Marketplace tells me that it is installed... so no obvious way to get the application back...
Not enough free apps on the UK store for me to mess about with really (have installed Shazam trial but don't want to risk uninstaling it just to see what happens).
-FM
fatmonk said:
Must admit that I find it a bit worrying that your not able to make a backup of the applications you buy by taking a copy of the cab file somewhere safe.
After having sent back 4 HTC phones (two different models) in the last 10 months, and having an SD die on me I'd really like to know that I have a backup of anything I've paid for.
Can anyone confirm if its possible to reinstall something you've paid for through the Marketplace app if it gets removed from your phone, or you get another phone? ie if you log into Marketplace with the same Lice ID does it show apps that you've bought but which aren't on the phone your connected with?
If I look at an app that I have installed through Marketplace there is no install button anymore and Marketplace tells me that it is installed... so no obvious way to get the application back...
Not enough free apps on the UK store for me to mess about with really (have installed Shazam trial but don't want to risk uninstaling it just to see what happens).
-FM
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looks like it keeps track of all apps you purchased.
ow well, I guess it's a matter of time when there will be sites that point to all the cabs available on upload sites and stuff. Just like those sites exists for iphone/ipod (appulo.us for example)
I guess that's what happens when people see that there a lot of apps available on other country stores..
what do you think...
double post
thedicemaster said:
looks like it keeps track of all apps you purchased.
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Hi dicemaster,
How did you try this? Uninstalling and reinstalling on the same phone or another phone? Or the same phone after a hard reboot / content erase?
I'm just interested to know from what state you can get back to your purchased applicationsand whether is purely your windows live id that connects you to your purchases or if there is some device specific stuff checked as well.
Cheers,
FM
Is there anything to stop Software Authors implementing (or continuing to use) their normal Serial number protection systems?
Looking at the Market Place, there are obviously some of the Big Names we all know and love, and I don't see why they would remove protection systems they have in place already, unless it was a MarketPlace requirement.
Personally, I can't say I'm at all impressed with the MarketPlace implementation - it heralds back to the early days of PocketPC. Maybe they're going for lowest common denominator hardware support, but frankly even the relatively poor Android marketplace on Hero is massively better. And the Appstore even more so. And I think Cydia tops most of them!
Let's hope that the MarketPlace at least drives prices down.
V
I am assuming it's more difficult then just going to \Windows\AppMgr\Install folder while the installer is running and copy the CAB file to another location. This is how I get the CAB files from PC only installers.
I personally use SKTracker a lot. I take a snapshot before, and then during the install and see what has changed. That generally tells me right where any install files/CABs are that I need to grab.
vijay555 said:
Is there anything to stop Software Authors implementing (or continuing to use) their normal Serial number protection systems?
Looking at the Market Place, there are obviously some of the Big Names we all know and love, and I don't see why they would remove protection systems they have in place already, unless it was a MarketPlace requirement.
Personally, I can't say I'm at all impressed with the MarketPlace implementation - it heralds back to the early days of PocketPC. Maybe they're going for lowest common denominator hardware support, but frankly even the relatively poor Android marketplace on Hero is massively better. And the Appstore even more so. And I think Cydia tops most of them!
Let's hope that the MarketPlace at least drives prices down.
V
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Microsoft does not support your own serial systems. There is no information you can compare runtime vs purchases either, so you can't roll your own. Well ok, you DO actually have device ID information you could use, but that way purchasers can only run the application on the phone they actually bought it on. It is not clear how 're-download' information will be transmitted. If that also transmits a device id, then it is possible to roll your own, though it would be pretty nasty.
zim2323 said:
I am assuming it's more difficult then just going to \Windows\AppMgr\Install folder while the installer is running and copy the CAB file to another location. This is how I get the CAB files from PC only installers.
I personally use SKTracker a lot. I take a snapshot before, and then during the install and see what has changed. That generally tells me right where any install files/CABs are that I need to grab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft ActiveSync on your PC, you'll probably find an archive of many things that you installed over active sync.
SK Tools is a good way to re-pack any installed programs into cabs. I would guess that it works with programs from Market Place.
good find bud..i sent it to engadget for ya
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/08/dev-finds-windows-marketplace-drm-severely-lacking-easily-circu/

[APP REQUEST] Tablet-to-Phone integration (see post)

There's been similar App requests before but mine is a little different.
I want my phone to seemlessly with one app (ideally):
- Tether my phone's 3g with my tablet
- Allow me to browse my phones files with my tablet:
- See photos in the gallery off my phone​- Listen to music files on my phone's SD card on my tablet​- Be able to make phone calls off my tablet through my phone including contacts integration​- Have documents written on my phone or tablet be saved on both, so if I only have my phone on me I still have all my important documents/homework with me.​
I could go on and on, but I think this tight integration with smartphone and tablet is the future, especially with the Transformer since its more of workhorse and the phone is more of a personal organizer.
I want my phone to seemlessly with one app (ideally):
- Tether my phone's 3g with my tablet​
Enable Wifi Tethering on your phone. Easy.
- See photos in the gallery off my phone​
Easy, make sure you sync/upload all your camera pictures to Picasa Web Albums (All Google account come with it) And it'll show up on the Transformer in the stock Gallery app. You can use a program like Pixelpipe to auto upload every picture you take on your phone to upload to Picasa. Or you can do it yourself, check mark all your photos, share, select Picasa.
- Listen to music files on my phone's SD card on my tablet​
Why store music to your sd card? Get Amazon Cloud Drive (Free 2 gigs, buy an album and you get 20gigs free), upload your music to Cloud Drive, and use the Amazon MP3 app to listen to your music! Or, run AudioGalaxy on your computer, point it to your mp3 folder, and use AudioGalaxy to listen to your computer's music on your tablet/phone.
- Be able to make phone calls off my tablet through my phone including contacts integration​
Contacts integration is already done with Google Contacts, auto syncs as long as your Google account is logged in. Making phone calls on your tablet? Seriously? Just grab your phone. This is sorry, but a stupid request
- Have documents written on my phone or tablet be saved on both, so if I only have my phone on me I still have all my important documents/homework with me.​
Keep your documents on Google Docs. Download the Google Docs app on your phone/tablet and you can have it on both.
Or better yet, Get DropBox also free. works on phone/tablet/pc/mac/everything. Modify one, and it comes across EVERYWHERE.
I could go on and on, but I think this tight integration with smartphone and tablet is the future, especially with the Transformer since its more of workhorse and the phone is more of a personal organizer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the stuff you want to do is already doable and easy to do. Most important thing is moving away from local storage to cloud storage, that's the future and we're seeing already with Amazon/Google/DropBox.
What I'd like is to be able to control the tablet with my phone. Especially now that I have Plex, as being able to link my tablet to the tv and stream video with plex but sit on the sofa with my phone as a remote would be awesome.
AFK_Matrix said:
What I'd like is to be able to control the tablet with my phone. Especially now that I have Pled, as being able to link my tablet to the tv and stream video with plex but sit on the sofa with my phone as a remote would be awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This would be a very useful function...
What I'd like is an application to send/receive SMS/MMS from my tablet through my phone.
YES, I have Google Voice, but using that sends from your GV number. I'd actually like the sending and receiving to be done by my Droid X, but have a client application on the tablet that can interface with the SMS client on my phone.
FrayAdjacent said:
What I'd like is an application to send/receive SMS/MMS from my tablet through my phone.
YES, I have Google Voice, but using that sends from your GV number. I'd actually like the sending and receiving to be done by my Droid X, but have a client application on the tablet that can interface with the SMS client on my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Port your number to Google Voice. I did, love it. Also no contract line with T-Mobile.
I suggest that you might have more luck posting this request in the general Android apps forum here.
You might also give an indication of how much you'd be prepared to pay for such an application!
Regards,
Dave
nxt said:
Port your number to Google Voice. I did, love it. Also no contract line with T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those of us not in the US have issues with that though :-(
It should be easy for Google to do though, as they could route all SMS as data to a phone on your Google account, then send it as SMS from there using the phone's regular contract.
An SMS app for the tablet that meant I could recieve texts on it and reply whilst keeping the phone in sync with what's being sent and received would easily be worth a fiver. And that's Stirling, too
nxt said:
All the stuff you want to do is already doable and easy to do. Most important thing is moving away from local storage to cloud storage, that's the future and we're seeing already with Amazon/Google/DropBox.​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing with your suggestions is that its a ton of different apps and lots of hoops to jump through.
I want one. single. app.​
nxt said:
Port your number to Google Voice. I did, love it. Also no contract line with T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That only circumvents the problem partially... then if I want everyone who has my (current) cell number to txt me directly to my phone (I can't hear the notifications I set in GV on my DX worth a crap!), I'd need to give them another number.
I think a client/server type thing that would let me interact remotely with the SMS app on my phone would be ideal.
FrayAdjacent said:
I think a client/server type thing that would let me interact remotely with the SMS app on my phone would be ideal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this out.
I think what the OP wants is definitely coming. But, read all of the posts by the OP on the thread I posted for the Sync SMS app and you will see some of the difficulties placed on the devs for such a project. Add in the large number of device manufacturers(custom software implementation b/c they refuse to use vanilla android)/different hardware (DroidX for example doesn't support infrastructure Wifi - only ad hoc) and types of connectivity (BT/WiFi/Cellular/USB) and it will become a very complicated project. I'm not saying it won't be done... I think it will be done. But, it is just a little ways farther off from happening. It'll take awhile for the software devs to work out the kinks and with Android/Honeycomb constantly evolving/constant hardware changes.... It makes this a daunting project for a single dev/small group.
Also, when it does come battery drain (constant polling for change in data) and data usage (carriers moving to tiered data plans) issues will have to be addressed. Many of the push API's are being figured out by devs so that will decrease the polling - but, data usage is only going to go up. I only had my TF for one day and I was having to watch my data over 3G because I knew if I continued to use it without worrying about getting onto Wifi I would go over my 2GB cap.....
The Sync SMS app dev has some good ideas and has been hard at work. I suggest reading his posts to better understand the difficulties.
@OP - it'll come with a little patience. In the meanwhile you can do what the second post suggested and use multiple solutions.

[Q] Triumph, Google Voice, and mac basic questions

I've put off getting a smartphone as long as possible, but did enough research that I think the Triumph on Virgin's $35 plan with Google voice is a smart way to go. I still have some questions about this new OS, programs, and environment, and really like the smart people on this forum, and hope you won't mind a few questions.
-What’s the best VOIP app for working with Google Voice? I've come across GrooVe IP, but would like reassurance whether it's the best option. I'd like to make calls over wifi, but I'd also like to know whether Virgin Mobile's 3g coverage is fast enough for voip (generally...). I wouldn't want to do this routinely as I'd be afraid they'd throttle me. But I would like someone who knows to share their opinion.
-How do I find out my wifi signal strength? 3G strength? GPS strength? Or even just where I can learn what the icons on the top bar stand for, and what their range is? There must be a good app for this, and I'd love a recommendation.
-If I wanted the option, how (specifically) would I switch from making a voip/data plan outgoing call to the regular phone cell plan? Would Android be smart enough to do this automatically without a wifi signal? Or would I need to change a setting in Google Voice? Any thoughts most appreciated.
-How do I find what apps are running (in background?)? Percentage of system resources, and how to kill them? I’m guessing there are apps for that. Does Android kill a process when you return to home screen? What are some of the general rules?
-I have a mac. I’m guessing most of the programs that let you manage files, root the phone, install Cyanogen mods, etc, are PC based. I found Android File Transfer, but am not clear on it's limits. Are there better options? What will the AFT program be good for? [Emulating PC’s is a pain I would rather avoid, but I have been thinking of running virtual box to donate some processing time to the Large Hadron Collider, so I might be able to run some of these PC programs]. Any advice most welcome.
-Any skins or options to turn the google apps into light text on dark background? (I'm aware of and have used the option in Gmail). I hate black text on white background. I'm kooky that way.
This Android phone is good looking, the plan costs much less than a thousand a year (which I refuse to pay), and I LOVE the Google voice options to turn your text and calls into computer files which you can archive as you wish. The Google voice activation / text / search is far superior to iAnything, voip/wifi is the balls, and I think a lot people who've been holding off from getting a smartphone will jump on this combo, and this thread may help them. Many thanks...
dcnblues said:
-How do I find out my wifi signal strength? 3G strength? GPS strength? Or even just where I can learn what the icons on the top bar stand for, and what their range is? There must be a good app for this, and I'd love a recommendation.
-How do I find what apps are running (in background?)? Percentage of system resources, and how to kill them? I’m guessing there are apps for that. Does Android kill a process when you return to home screen? What are some of the general rules?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With respect to these questions, I'm not an expert, but I'll provide a list of programs I use.
For WiFi signal strength, I'd recommend Wifi Analyzer from the Market. For 3G strength, I'd recommend Cellumap. For GPS Strength, GPS Status + Toolbox or GPS Test.
The manual for the phone can be found on either the VMUSA or Motorola web site. It will explain some of the icons. Although when using the phone, I often see stuff not explained in the manual.
For examining the phone's processes, I recommend SystemPanel from the Market (paid for version has history), and/or Android Status.
There are people that tell you NOT to kill anything on the Android OS manually. I use 1Tap Cleaner and Advanced Task Killer from the market if I see the phone behaving a bit sluggish. Android OS loads stuff in memory readying it for future use. How it does so (intelligently) I don't know. I see stuff being partially loaded I never use. I have never had a problem using either program.
YMMV
GrooveIP works great over 3g...I dunno how much we will be able to use it once they start capping data..bastards
dcnblues said:
-What’s the best VOIP app for working with Google Voice? I've come across GrooVe IP, but would like reassurance whether it's the best option. I'd like to make calls over wifi, but I'd also like to know whether Virgin Mobile's 3g coverage is fast enough for voip (generally...). I wouldn't want to do this routinely as I'd be afraid they'd throttle me. But I would like someone who knows to share their opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GrooVe IP is actually the only thing i've bothered to use because it worked well enough, I havn't put it to test over 3g... In the future, you can root the phone and update it to sprint PRL (Their towers instead of VMU) - People have reported up to like 6-900kbps doing this... I would suggest to not factor this last suggestion in yet as you won't be extremely comfortable with your first smart phone being messed with (But a possibility nonetheless)
dcnblues said:
-How do I find out my wifi signal strength? 3G strength? GPS strength? Or even just where I can learn what the icons on the top bar stand for, and what their range is? There must be a good app for this, and I'd love a recommendation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i will back the suggestion of wifi analyzer, it will map out locations of wifi/cellular tower, it gave me beef on another phone that ran @ 600mhz but this one is 1000mhz.
dcnblues said:
-If I wanted the option, how (specifically) would I switch from making a voip/data plan outgoing call to the regular phone cell plan? Would Android be smart enough to do this automatically without a wifi signal? Or would I need to change a setting in Google Voice? Any thoughts most appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With grooveip and google voice it will ask you on all outbound calls after you press dial: Would you like to make this call with.... A) non-Google Voice B) Google Voice (same story w/ sending an sms except it will ask when you create the sms because google voice has it's own sms application, keep in mind w/ gvoice you can forward calls to your google chat account (and that's what makes grooveip ring instead of forwarding the call to your cellular number[i think])
dcnblues said:
-How do I find what apps are running (in background?)? Percentage of system resources, and how to kill them? I’m guessing there are apps for that. Does Android kill a process when you return to home screen? What are some of the general rules?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are tons of application managers and task killers, I recommend to ignore all of them.... Someone brought a Samsung Prevail(Boost mobile Galaxy) into work the other day(Radioshack) - Anytime they killed tasks their touchscreen went out till reboot.... Android is supposed to self manage tasks and processes... realistically you just have to make sure not to leave your bluetooth wifi and gps on all the time... Also taking the screen brightness down a fuzz from max will help batt life tremendously... Android will suspend a process and kill an activity when you return to homescreen.... What I mean by that is that if you're in the browser and you hit home then you go back to the browser, you're on the same page still... but likely not to have any of your text still there if you were in an input field.... (This is probably an inaccurate example due to programmers being able to add a save activity state [this is something that when you for example hit back or hold the home button down to switch applications will store your current information, so when you're editing the text field it will save that data, THEN kill the activity/suspend it so that when you return it is still there, but the process is not draining the battery down at the moment.])
One of androids key attributes is the quick application switching via holding down the home button but some applications like pandora will run 'ongoing' so that you can multitask, while others will suspend so that you can save battery.... Kind of as a rule of thumb, unless it is monitoring or actively outputting it will be suspended.... so apps like pandora and wifi tethering continue to function when you switch applications because tehy'er ongoing whereas a note editor application would suspend itself untill it's brought back to focus because how are you going to type without it forefront?
dcnblues said:
-I have a mac. I’m guessing most of the programs that let you manage files, root the phone, install Cyanogen mods, etc, are PC based. I found Android File Transfer, but am not clear on it's limits. Are there better options? What will the AFT program be good for? [Emulating PC’s is a pain I would rather avoid, but I have been thinking of running virtual box to donate some processing time to the Large Hadron Collider, so I might be able to run some of these PC programs].
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off nice LHC Mac joke I take it we're running the server edition cause hey, more is never enough.
I honestly can't tell you much from the mac POV other than that it would hopefully work the same as the linux instructions but i kind of expect version/dependency differences... to be fair this triumph is rootable by application ran on the phone (Which you can GMail to yourself and download as attatchment, bluetooth, wifi shared folder, usb mounting, or download directly to the phone..) The custom recovery is installed via drag and drop on USB Removable Disc so it's not nearly as bad as some of the other phones would be,
dcnblues said:
-Any skins or options to turn the google apps into light text on dark background? (I'm aware of and have used the option in Gmail). I hate black text on white background. I'm kooky that way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feel free to, they exist, I would however suggest against them... I walk to work a lot and it's a pain in the ass to read those emails when you have the sun on the screen; granted everything is harder this was damn near impossible... Nonetheless check for the black apps listed in xda/android/themes and apps... I'll link soon. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1206774
dcnblues said:
This Android phone is good looking, the plan costs much less than a thousand a year (which I refuse to pay), and I LOVE the Google voice options to turn your text and calls into computer files which you can archive as you wish. The Google voice activation / text / search is far superior to iAnything, voip/wifi is the balls, and I think a lot people who've been holding off from getting a smartphone will jump on this combo, and this thread may help them. Many thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to point out that with the GVoice extension/app for google chrome
you can continue your SMS conversations that way... I recieved one of the CR48s and this has been AWESOME for me.
As far as voip services, I have found using 3g too slow. That said I do recommend sipdroid. It will setup a pbx account for you using your google voice number. Upon connecting to wifi, sipdroid will start running allowing you to make and receive calls.
Sent from my MOTWX435KT using XDA App
Thanks guys for the very useful help. I'm kind of burned out on all the research, and kind of bummed that this red-hot, billion dollar business seems to be run by such morons. SO many unnecessary complications to offering consumers simple, workable products and services.
This has been a great help.
bigvandal said:
GrooveIP works great over 3g...I dunno how much we will be able to use it once they start capping data..bastards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm actually kind of grateful to Virgin Mobile for the $35 dollar plan. I can communicate via voice to text, for a fair price, so until I have a real problem, I'm not going to call them bastards. Until I have a problem, of course...
I do hate the BS in advertising 'unlimited' plans, but having them smirking in their headquarters as they say to themselves 'but we didn't say at what rate...'
On the other hand, people downloading movies over cell frequencies aren't exactly providing solutions to the problem either...
rubbachicken said:
GrooVe IP is actually the only thing i've bothered to use because it worked well enough, I havn't put it to test over 3g... In the future, you can root the phone and update it to sprint PRL (Their towers instead of VMU) - People have reported up to like 6-900kbps doing this... I would suggest to not factor this last suggestion in yet as you won't be extremely comfortable with your first smart phone being messed with (But a possibility nonetheless)...Android is supposed to self manage tasks and processes... realistically you just have to make sure not to leave your bluetooth wifi and gps on all the time... Also taking the screen brightness down a fuzz from max will help batt life tremendously... Android will suspend a process and kill an activity when you return to homescreen....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, thanks very much. For this and all the information. Colossally useful.
Groove IP is actually having a problem today due to some change in the Google servers. Hope it's resolved soon as I'd like to get this running.
Quick confirm: Triumph is LCD and not AMOLED, Correct?

[Q] Syncing andoid with itunes (with no computer?)

I realize this might be more of an apple question but i feel like ive already searched to the ends of the interweb on apple forums and gotten nowhere and when i ask a question over there the only answer i seem to get is "shouldve bought an ipad"... So I'm wondering if there is a way to sync an itunes library with an android device without a computer? As far as i know, all of the common apps out there (doubletwist, airbind, etc) need to be set up on a computer first. Im trying to bypass this step with my little brothers iphone 5 and a rooted android tablet with ICS. I bouht him the tablet for xmas, but decided to give it to him early when his laptop was stolen earlier this week. He doesnt live near me or i would let him use my laptop to sync with his itunes. Is this even possible? Or will he need to find a computer? Please help!!!
There's doubleTwist player on Play Store which I've heard is pretty awesome at syncing iTunes- all for free. If you dkm't need a whole new player then there's quite a few other apps on market, not sure how reliable they are though...
Soryuu, thanks for the reply. My understanding is that you still need a mac or Windows computer to set up doubletwist I initially? Or am I wrong? Can I do this with just an iPhone and an android device??
Edit: Yeah, you need a desktop to work doubleTwist/Airsync and so on.
An iPhone and an Android device?
I don't think there's any easy solution to this except using cloud storage like Google Drive or something- which would be slow enough on its own- and even then, depending on how many songs you have it'd be a tediously slow process downloading them onto the tablet. If you are using cloud storage... I've never used iPhones so I don't know but can they make zips out of files? If you can that may make it slightly easier- zip the music up (if possible), upload to the cloud and then download it as one package.
There is this app that seems to work like NFC: http://m.wikihow.com/Use-Bump-Between-an-iPhone-and-Android
But 1.) Not sure about tablets- I assume so if its that popular of an app but there was no mention and
2.) Apparently its semi-functional according to some of the reviews I've seen.
I guess you could try it out and see what happens.
Other than that I don't think there's much else...
Sent from my GT-I9000

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