Basically this idea came to me when I picked up a B&N Nook Color and I wondered if it would be possible to use the services available to my Cell phone on the Nook in some manner. My concept was to have an application that would "piggy-back" the available services on the phone to the Nook. Now I don't personally have any programming skills, but if any developers would be interested in picking up this idea; I would be more than happy to help out in whatever ways I can.
The first and easiest to do was to set my cell phone as a wifi hotspot to provide internet to the Nook. Since cyanogen mod has this built in, it was fairly painless to set up, and worked perfectly.
Next I was wondering about sharing the GPS service to my Nook. This would allow me to run google maps on a huge display while driving. After a little looking I found a few apps like Tether GPS that make this possible by using a client/server app on each device. http://www.appbrain.com/app/tethergps-lite/com.comptonsoft.tgps_lite
Finally I wanted to get some of my communication services onto the Nook. Mainly the SMS service since I don't really see a use for having my voice services carried to the nook, but the option to wouldn't hurt I suppose. For this I know there are several options available for doing this with a pc, but have yet to find one for another android device.
Not sure if there are any other services that we could make use of in this manner, but would love to hear some more ideas. Ideally I would like to see a single application that provides the ability to easily toggle each of these features on or off.
Also found an interesting link that was made in regards to gps, not sure if any of this could spark an idea on solving the other issues I posted above.
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5501719/how-to-get-gps-data-from-android-phone
Related
Afternoon all.
Perhaps someone here may be able to point me in the right direction.
I am looking at setting up a location based system for an voluntary ambulance service.
I recently tested 5 XDA orbits using TomTom's 'buddy' system. System worked well except for two items.
1. everyone had to have tomtom running for it to work
2. it was not dynamic, you had to update each time you wanted to find out where someone was
3. there was no web interface access to the system
wondering if there is a way of keeping tomtom running in the background and to automatically update all of the 'buddies' at a set interval. If there are any suggestions of alternative software would be interested in finding out about that. All i actually need is a basic system which shows where all the other phones are on a map
Thanks
Maybe Vito FindMe?
yes something like that.
the idea i have in my head is that there will be a map showing all the other devices, and showing them moving around updating automatically plus a web based version used by control that can see all the devices and their current location.
Is there a propritery solution where you would get the software for the phone and the back end server also?
Look for Trackme on the Kaiser forum. can send positions to Google Earth in real-time. not sure if it works with an external GPS unit
Hi
I know I'm well behind but recently I got my first smartphone and I can't believe how I've been without it since they were made available. I've plumped for the HTC wildfire as it fits my budget and its small size makes it very pocketable.
I've been playing around with various apps and installed "Where's my droid" so that if it gets lost/stolen I can turn it off silent and hopefully track it. However, reading something yesterday I became aware that changes to Android means that apps can no longer directly change system settings meaning that if the GPS is off, I can't track it. (Edit: yet it seems google navigation can do this?)
Is this correct and is there any other way I could implement a safeguard such as this in case the phone goes missing?
A few other queries I have:
> Can the messages widget be used as a more traditional inbox/outbox/drafts? I'm struggling to get my head around it!
> And I've been playing about with swype on another users phone but it won't work on mine due to the QVGA res, I've settled for slideit demo for now but it doesn't seem to work seamlessly, does anyone have anything to add to this?
> Lastly, my Dad (who isn't great with tech) purchased the same phone, apart from the user manual is there a "HTC for Dummies" youtube tutorials channel or anything similar I can point him at? I don't fancy adding another item that I need to maintain to the long list.
Hopefully at some point I can also work out a good way of utilising a speed camera and POI database for google navigation so I can replace the bulky tomtom unit!
Thanks in advance.
Paul
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?
Hello all!
New to XDA Forums here... well, new on posting, been lurking for years now.
So, I have this new pet project that I want to invest some time and money come 2017, and it's like this:
I want to get an Android tablet that will be kept permanently offline after initial setup, and will hold all sorts of personal information away from the interwebs.
After thinking about it, I decided to share thoughts, receive input and comments here and perhaps in some other forums to see if I can accumulate some interesting ideas.
I'll start with the most obvious question: which tablet brand and model would you think is interesting for something like this?
The ones I considered so far: HTC Nexus 9 for rooting, Samsung Galaxy Tab S or S2 for the fingerprint scanner, nVidia Shield Tab K1 for raw power and futureproofing.
Plan is to go full paranoia, disassemble the tablet, pull out stuff like cameras, microphones, possibly even speakers, and let this become a device that can only be accessed via touchscreen or connecting external speakers and microphones. Wi-fi chip and/or antenna will also go, Bluetooth, NFC if it's there, eventually modify the USB connector for power only. New stuff only via SD card perhaps.
Yes, this means I'll be forever locking it into a certain state, but it's a pet project to see how far I can go without rendering it useless... further, I'll see if there's a way to make those changes reversible, as long as you open the device up again and such. This is of course all gradual, just ideas, might not go so far.
OS and software wise, this will need a relatively recent version of Android for full disk encryption... though it would be kinda nice to have Nougat's file encryption instead. Pros and cons to consider with each device.
Some offline apps I put in a consideration list... some of them I haven't tested just yet, but will be looking into soon enough:
Apps: AppLock
Files: Crypt4All Lite, ES File Explorer
Calendar, Contacts: Flock, Fruux
Passwords: KeePassDroid
Assistant: Utter!
Dictionary: Offline Dictionaries
Translation: Bing Translate
Maps: HERE Maps
Notes: MonoSpace
Again, the idea is to have the tablet fully functioning and connected at first - update, install, configure and load it up with everything needed, and then permanently make it an offline device. I'm not sure how many of those will actually work without any network connection, but my research has been around apps that have offline options.
Any inputs are welcome, I appreciate any recommendations for hardware, apps and custom roms for the task.
You can imagine the device overall as a personal assistant, media consumption device that will securely hold private information like calendar, passwords, contacts and files in general. Not meant to be disposable, but of course, inaccessible if stolen or lost.
Thanks for reading so far, I'll keep this thread updated with progress, but I'll probably only start working on it early next year.
XSportSeeker said:
Hello all!
New to XDA Forums here... well, new on posting, been lurking for years now.
So, I have this new pet project that I want to invest some time and money come 2017, and it's like this:
I want to get an Android tablet that will be kept permanently offline after initial setup, and will hold all sorts of personal information away from the interwebs.
After thinking about it, I decided to share thoughts, receive input and comments here and perhaps in some other forums to see if I can accumulate some interesting ideas.
I'll start with the most obvious question: which tablet brand and model would you think is interesting for something like this?
The ones I considered so far: HTC Nexus 9 for rooting, Samsung Galaxy Tab S or S2 for the fingerprint scanner, nVidia Shield Tab K1 for raw power and futureproofing.
Plan is to go full paranoia, disassemble the tablet, pull out stuff like cameras, microphones, possibly even speakers, and let this become a device that can only be accessed via touchscreen or connecting external speakers and microphones. Wi-fi chip and/or antenna will also go, Bluetooth, NFC if it's there, eventually modify the USB connector for power only. New stuff only via SD card perhaps.
Yes, this means I'll be forever locking it into a certain state, but it's a pet project to see how far I can go without rendering it useless... further, I'll see if there's a way to make those changes reversible, as long as you open the device up again and such. This is of course all gradual, just ideas, might not go so far.
OS and software wise, this will need a relatively recent version of Android for full disk encryption... though it would be kinda nice to have Nougat's file encryption instead. Pros and cons to consider with each device.
Some offline apps I put in a consideration list... some of them I haven't tested just yet, but will be looking into soon enough:
Apps: AppLock
Files: Crypt4All Lite, ES File Explorer
Calendar, Contacts: Flock, Fruux
Passwords: KeePassDroid
Assistant: Utter!
Dictionary: Offline Dictionaries
Translation: Bing Translate
Maps: HERE Maps
Notes: MonoSpace
Again, the idea is to have the tablet fully functioning and connected at first - update, install, configure and load it up with everything needed, and then permanently make it an offline device. I'm not sure how many of those will actually work without any network connection, but my research has been around apps that have offline options.
Any inputs are welcome, I appreciate any recommendations for hardware, apps and custom roms for the task.
You can imagine the device overall as a personal assistant, media consumption device that will securely hold private information like calendar, passwords, contacts and files in general. Not meant to be disposable, but of course, inaccessible if stolen or lost.
Thanks for reading so far, I'll keep this thread updated with progress, but I'll probably only start working on it early next year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're going to keep it offline then there is no reason to be paranoid about it.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
If you're going to keep it offline then there is no reason to be paranoid about it.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it's going to be offline, but still mobile.
I realize I'm still going overboard with it, but it's mostly for testing purposes... honestly, I'm not really all that paranoid about it, boring life with nothing to hide blah blah.
I wanna see if the tablet can even work if I take all those modules off (cameras, wi-fi, bluetooth, etc). I've tested some smartphones that can work perfectly well even if you physically disconnect cameras, not sure about the rest.
I also have another pet project to have a device that is still online, but with the most security and privacy oriented measures in place... so it's a bit of testing for that too.
The underlying purpose is to see if I can modify multiple types of devices to be used in highly secure and privacy oriented scenarios. Part of my curiosity as a journalist I guess. Already turned an old laptop into a locked down Linux machine, but I didn't do much on the hardware side.
Other stuff like encryption and a strong user login system would need to be in place in case of robberies and such.
In any case, think of it as a testing platform... I know no devices will ever be completely secure and private, but willing to do as much as possible with a single device and no specialized tools to enhance things.
Using Note 9 on Pie version Android. As far as I can tell, it's not yet possible to add things to a Google keep list with the headset that your phone is off. Google will just add them to a shopping list.
I'm fine with using a new productivity system and I've been looking at todoist even though I like Google keep and I also have an Evernote premium subscription that I really haven't taken advantage of but mainly I need a place to immediately put down thoughts without having to pull out my phone. Can anyone point me to a good system that someone else uses? I have a decent amount of experience using Tasker and could probably put something together with an app like IFTTT. However, this seems like such a common need in a common problem that there must be a viable solution that exists already. Again my main problem seems to be that the Google assistant is different when your phone is off versus when you are using Google now on the phone itself.
Thank you for any help and I'll be sure to edit if I find a good solution.