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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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Click to collapse
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
Hi all,
I'm writing this because I really don't understand what's is the point with Apollo.
It seems that the developer was copying things from Play Music and trying to make an app from scratch.
But, it totally lacks features and doesn't address any previous shorcomings:
No Various Artists grouping
No Replay Gain
No settings at all
No album arts stored in the files/folders
Albums downloaded are bad resolution and not able to change them
Not so smooth interface
No folder selection to play music from
Unstable (Sometimes it just stopped playing)
Seems somewhat heavier that Play Music
And on top of this.. it is integrated in CM9 and with version 1.00. Then, voodoo sound doesn't get integrated. Not only that, but there is a plan to charge for "premium" features, like what? Change the album art or pick it from the files itself??
I'm happy with CM9 as they are adding features and addressing issues, but this Apollo is annoying.
Really.. Am I missing something?
I don't know, I think that Play Music is so much better than this one.
damianmb said:
Hi all
...
Really.. Am I missing something?
I don't know, I think that Play Music is so much better than this one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're missing the fact that Apollo is still a work in progress.
I'm using Apollo over PowerAmp Pro because the DSPManager from CM9 is incompatible with the latter (in my case, at least).
Trimis de pe Defy CM9
I think the biggest problem with Apollo (and all other 3rd party music apps) is that it isn't able to integrate with my Play Music library. This is of course a failure on Google's part for not providing an official API.
I've been moving toward uploading more and more of my library to Play Music so that I don't have to carry so much around on my external SD card, opening up more space for storing videos, pictures, etc. Eventually Apollo isn't going to have much to work with...
Well, not everyone has unlimited data plans and not all areas have good coverage. Also, I like to keep my data locally (at least important or large stuff).
Trimis de pe Defy CM9
vap_66 said:
Well, not everyone has unlimited data plans and not all areas have good coverage. Also, I like to keep my data locally (at least important or large stuff).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that. I certainly don't have an unlimited plan or the greatest coverage 24/7 either. But you can sync stuff from your Play Music library to your phone while on WiFi for offline playing, so you can kind of have it both ways.
And I guess that means you could potentially sync your Google music and then play it through Apollo. (Assuming Google syncs them as normal mp3 files and not some weird encrypted DRM format.) But it's still annoying to need multiple apps installed.
4. No album arts stored in the files/folders
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Click to collapse
Yep, that's retarded. I love the artist photo dowload, but why not use the album art that is already there (either inside the MP3 or in the folder) instead of downloading a craptastic low res image? I hope that's not supposed to be a future premium feature (I can only think it will, since using a local picture seems easier to implement than downloading it).
Also, no AlbumArtist/Band support, it seems. I have compilations and OSTs and they appear spread in the Artist tab, instead of appearing once under "Various" or "<Name of the film>"
I was removing Music.apk and replacing it with PlayMusic.apk before flashing. Will do the same with Apollo.apk for now.
(edit) Reading the author's google+ comments:
Settings are supposed to be that way. You don't need as many as you did in previous versions, but I will be including more in the Play Store version. One of which is a different way to set album art and such
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it seems local album art will be reserved for paying users, although most people there are asking for this feature. Goodbye Apollo, then; going back to Google player.
Yes, I was using apk replacement a while ago. I really wanted to download flash but I guess I will have to use PC, edit and then flash.
What I would really like to know is how difficult is to implement Replay Gain that is around for a while.
I can't stand how Apollo won't use the album art that comes with the songs. If it already has album art it'll still show the "Apollo - Illuminate Your Music" art since it can't find it online...even though I already have it.
It's stressing. And the art it does find is so grainy and low quality.
My biggest gripe is that Apollo doesn't use the equalizer. I just flash the old original cm9 music whenever a new build comes out. Even though it's kind of cpu heavy.
I simply can't understand why such an app can make it's way to cyanogenmod...
It has no settings at all, you aren't asked if you want to download covers or use those in the music files, the app simply starts downloading.
This is not the way a cyanogenmod app should be or behave!
I tried the January version of Apollo... well there are the missing settings but the rest of the old version is really slow and often not responding.
So I switched back to the old cm9 music app.. it is a nice feature of ICS that you can deactivate system apps ;-)
i expected it to be on the market by now
I guess one can freeze the app and use something else but I liked it for what it offers. It still seems there is much work to do. It works with DSP. That is nice. Downloads artist pics, but when you click on them, you get a FB's timeline type, rectangular frame where you can't really see the pic. Add some settings, and include a dark theme, don't let us download it.
keksberg said:
I simply can't understand why such an app can make it's way to cyanogenmod...
It has no settings at all, you aren't asked if you want to download covers or use those in the music files, the app simply starts downloading.
This is not the way a cyanogenmod app should be or behave!
I tried the January version of Apollo... well there are the missing settings but the rest of the old version is really slow and often not responding.
So I switched back to the old cm9 music app.. it is a nice feature of ICS that you can deactivate system apps ;-)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same feeling here, rest of CM is working really nice. Also battery is nice, I can get 1 day with normal usage.
It's in the market from today, 5.31. Description is lacking imo. Cost: 4.64. No free version listed in developer's other app section. Weird thing:i downloaded app from web and market showed as the app already installed. If true that it's the exact same app as the 5.21 release, it's definitely not worth the price at this point. Imo. Also, imo, based on developer's track record, I'm not sure how quick updates will be.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
rnrstar said:
It's in the market from today, 5.31. Description is lacking imo. Cost: 4.64. No free version listed in developer's other app section. Weird thing:i downloaded app from web and market showed as the app already installed. If true that it's the exact same app as the 5.21 release, it's definitely not worth the price at this point. Imo. Also, imo, based on developer's track record, I'm not sure how quick updates will be.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The dev said it would be 2.3+ compatible. Could you send me the link to the app on Play Store? I can't find it
Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2
Hi,i think someone might've been trying to steal the dev's work. Was wondering this after my first post as there was no communication from Dev's site today. i can't find the app in the market now either. maybe Google took it down.someone did link to it on dev's g+ page in the comments section today. But someone there also suggested the app was probably not official. Sorry for the confusion. I'm just as curious as the next person to see what the official app looks like, hence my 1st post.
Edit: just checked link on Dev's g+ page and link still is live. The app in the mkt is listed under the developer name: living water. another issue is the mkt icon is not the Dev's official icon which should've been a red flag for me. sorry again.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
I cant seem to find it in the market
Anyone have news about the Market version? He said almost 2 weeks ago that it would be on Play Store in a couple of days, and nothing until now...
Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2
i don't know how long the play store upload process takes but for some reason this taking so long doesn't surprise me; might be awhile longer (but i hope not). If u catch comments in Dev's g+ page, he has been absent since like the day he posted on 5.21. Some communication might be good from him
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Change
Where can I submit a request for the app?
One feature that I would really love is being able to listen to music by folder. It seems to have everything else but this. EG Artist, album, genre, etc.
I store my workout music in a workout folder and I would like to be able to just select that.
I know I could create a playlist for each folder but then I need to update it all the time.
PLEASE ADD FOLDER PLAY OPTION.
As the title states, do you guys think it is wise to develop an application for the Nexus Player if Google isn't going to allow apps other than games and entertainment (no truth behind the statement, just looking at the play store as it stands)? I have a couple of apps that I have been currently working on and I believe they would work well with the player in the home. Just a thought, have any insightful ideas of what you may want the Player to do?
N!TROO said:
As the title states, do you guys think it is wise to develop an application for the Nexus Player if Google isn't going to allow apps other than games and entertainment (no truth behind the statement, just looking at the play store as it stands)? I have a couple of apps that I have been currently working on and I believe they would work well with the player in the home. Just a thought, have any insightful ideas of what you may want the Player to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great thing about android compared to most other systems, you can basically do what you want. I definitely see a lot of useful non-entertainment apps on a system such as this. The Xbox-Playstation interfaces give some good ideas about integrating social media into the living-room, but well beyond that as well. Cooking apps, Do-it-yourself apps, Kahn acadamy, World Science U, etc, etc. The system is ripe for growth in the app department.
Elrondolio said:
Great thing about android compared to most other systems, you can basically do what you want. I definitely see a lot of useful non-entertainment apps on a system such as this. The Xbox-Playstation interfaces give some good ideas about integrating social media into the living-room, but well beyond that as well. Cooking apps, Do-it-yourself apps, Kahn acadamy, World Science U, etc, etc. The system is ripe for growth in the app department.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, I guess only time will tell when the "Play Store with Nexus Player" updates to more than limited selections that we currently at the moment.
N!TROO said:
I agree, I guess only time will tell when the "Play Store with Nexus Player" updates to more than limited selections that we currently at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd assume they'll expand the leanback interface as time moves on. But, again, a great strength of android on the tv is you don't have to stick to what Google gives you. I have no doubt other launchers will be adapted or created in short order, from Nova, etc. It'll be interesting to see how Google handles the visibility of alternative launchers considering how tight they've integrated search in the existing leanback and, I assume, want to preserve that built-in advantage. Unlike other systems like the Roku, AppleTV or even FireTV, however, being based on android means the end user will always have other relatively easily installed choices.
Elrondolio said:
I'd assume they'll expand the leanback interface as time moves on. But, again, a great strength of android on the tv is you don't have to stick to what Google gives you. I have no doubt other launchers will be adapted or created in short order, from Nova, etc. It'll be interesting to see how Google handles the visibility of alternative launchers considering how tight they've integrated search in the existing leanback and, I assume, want to preserve that built-in advantage. Unlike other systems like the Roku, AppleTV or even FireTV, however, being based on android means the end user will always have other relatively easily installed choices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I figure they are going to keep this environment very closed and tight knit for some time. I read somewhere, where they are individually reviewing each app as it has to meet a certain criteria. This is good for a couple of reasons, I hated how Google TV apps work so poorly or never worked at all. Also, this will allow the users to add an app to their "custom" environment like a nova launcher. Only time will tell. Enjoyed this convo, look forward to hanging out with this community.
hulu plus app
Can anybody grab hulu plus app apk file and send link over here, so that non US users can install that.
Thanks
bobbyd-nexus said:
Can anybody grab hulu plus app apk file and send link over here, so that non US users can install that.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can find the latest apk's for most of the more well known publishers from apkmirror.com. For Hulu in particular:
http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/hulu/
There are other apk downloading services you can find through google for a wider variety of apks as well.
Good luck.
Bluetooth Keyboard and mouse (or wired over OTG) and google docs or some other cloudbased office. I don't see why not use it like a miniPC.
Sent from my Oneplus One with Tapatalk Pro.
reverenddak said:
Bluetooth Keyboard and mouse (or wired over OTG) and google docs or some other cloudbased office. I don't see why not use it like a miniPC.
Sent from my Oneplus One with Tapatalk Pro.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, I feel like if its done right, the possibility is honestly there.
I think if you're using it primarily as an entertainment device, you might not want business apps or document apps on there; for example, I don't mind that anyone in the house can pick up the remote and watch Netflix or listen to my Google Play Music, but it's probably for the best there's not a Facebook or Gmail app on it.
However, if you intended to use it just as a mini PC, you'd want those.
We have emails, clouds, folders, files, devices, just so many things to keep track of. Can we keep up with them all? If you said yes, then this app is not for you. If you said yes but want to make your life easier or give your brain a break then listen up folks.
I believe most of us would remember where a particular file is, who wrote an email a couple of days ago, what kind of attachment it was, etc. But what if the only thing you remember is a phrase or a certain keywords of the sentence. How would you find it? Your client or manager wants you to resend a report back you've submitted 5 months ago and you just don't remember which cloud services you've uploaded to. Perhaps, you remember a certain parts of the PDF file but can't find the file because the file's name is something completely different.
KonanLink is here to solve all these problems. This is probably the most advanced file search app out on the market right now, perhaps a bit too advanced for normal users IMO. There's computer & mobile side of the app. The benefits of having the KonanLink computer version is that the app will index your computer and use it as a search engine. This means you would be able to search through content of files Also, it turns your computer as a server so when you need to search your PC remotely for files, you would also be able to download it to your mobile.
Features
-Searches emails, cloud services, PC, mobile devices at once.
-Searches through contents of PDF, Word, Excel, Power Point files.
-Search remotely from anywhere in the world.
-100% control over your privacy. Nothing gets stored on the server anywhere.
Download Link
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.konantech.konanlink&hl=en
We have released this app early last year and just started to market the app. It has about 10K downloads from the Google Play Store. We are constantly trying to improve the product and add more features. If you guys have any feedback or suggestions, please let me know and my team could make the adjustments accordingly. I also think our UI is a bit on the weak side so if any of you UX guys want to bash on it, I would love it! Give it a try you guys. I know file search app market isn't too big but don't want to give up on the app....just yet.
I linked up my mac, gmail, dropbox but I can't seem to find files from my mac? Is this a bug?
Good afternoon,
With the release of Android Pie for more and more Galaxy phones, Samsung is deploying new versions of their own apps following the One UI scheme. It is the case for Samsung Music, which is now available on the Samsung Store in a new version with an updated interface.
The problem I have is that I don't want to update my A8 from Oreo to Pie as I hate the new One UI interface (general look and layout, icons, multiwindow...), and that the new Samsung Music app theme follow the Pie mode: dark if night mode is enabled, white otherwise. So, when the app is used on a phone under Oreo, one can't switch to a dark theme and has to endure the bright background interface.
I therefore chose to keep the previous version of the app, but since the release of the new one, each time I launch Samsung Music after it was closed (not if only sent to background) and if wi-fi is on, the app shows a pop-up asking for update. I can discard it by clicking on "later", but it is painful to have to do this each time, and I am afraid of clicking on the "update" option, and then having to uninstall the app, reinstall the previous APK, reconfigure it and etc...
So here is my question: is there a way to prevent this pop-up to appear ? Auto-updates have been turned off under the Galaxy Store, but it seems that the check for update is built in the app itself. This pop-up is not considered as a notification by the Android OS as disabling them has no effect on it.
Thank you in advance if someone has got an idea.
I used to use that app and was somewhat happy you could tag with it and it might work. You may not want to switch, but if you give this app, musicolet a try, you might not need the samsung app anymore. No ads or anything and it gives you an eq, but if you want you can switch to system eq in the app. Very easy editting for tagging. If you export the M3U playlist, it'll be pretty much ready for car audio sd cards. Give it a go.
One thing, and i am not sold on pie either, but i've noticed the bluetooth operates consistently with any chosen eq and it's possible the days of "maybe the dolby will turn on this time" are gone.
First try musicolet. Colour it up too.
I think the Samsung app will not allow you to add lyrics, only show by tapping the art (if it's there)
The app i suggested you can add. You can also omit any directory or just allow one folder. No more ringtones or stuff that you can't omit. Sure, .nomedia but that is ridiculous. I am going to see if i still get Over the Horizon in my music collection. Gonna be sweet!
Thank you very much for this suggestion, I am going to give this app a try.
After all, it is what Samsung deserves, people dropping their apps because they behave in such a stubborn way, ignoring all negative feedbacks from users and willing to force them to accept silly changes (the same could be said about the new browser, which lose the video player).
I think you'll be happy with it. It has a lot of settings but you can back it up. It gets updated every so often and always gets better.
As far as Samsung goes i seem to either really like or really dislike what they offer. The email app is perfect for me now and i am as i said very pleased with the audio system functioning, as it should, without errors. It will bring up eq settings the way you set them for each audio source.
You can give it a try, can't recall if you did, and revert. I made a debloated one and posted it as a ROM but it isn't really. Just snips. Unless you're a W anyway...
Set Musicolet to system eq if you use viper and it'll use Samsung tone as well so i flattened the stock tones and let viper colour it.
Can't believe i am promoting pie, but besides the goofy icons and (likely temporary) theming options, it appears that it may be the beginning of major audio improvements. But, until i can plug my guitar into my phone and get zero latency and link with identical pc programs....
Anyway ever gone bald trying to install Viper? See the photos? I installed the apk from the xda labs app, rebooted because why not, played music and ticked that box. Never tried in Oreo. Tell me if it is the same. Huge leap for that app since i spazzed out a couple years ago installing it.
* just noticed it is aided by Magisk module. Not credit to Samsung i think.
Wow i screwed up a screw up. The magisk module was left over from the magisk version. Uninstalled that and after reboot the one i have needed to install the driver, reboot and works the same. Oops. A bit off topic too.
So, I tried the app you advised me, and I must say it does the job. At the beginning, I was a bit disthraugted in front of the complexity of settings, but once it is done, the UI is rather intuitive (far simpler than PowerAmp for example), and you easily find whatever command you need for a daily use. Editing tags in the app is a useful feature, I have been using MixPlorer Silver tagging plugin for that purpose so far.
I certainly am not as demanding as you are regarding audio quality and other features, as my needs are rather basic: plug earphones, navigate through my music files, play them, and control with the buttons of the earphones.
I could not install Viper, as it needs root. I have this phone only for two months, and I want to make sure it has no defect before voiding the warranty. I also need to read more thoroughly the posts dealing with the process and its consequences, as it seems that rooting the A8 induces some losses of useful features, such as the use of the fingerprint reader.
As for the email client, did you try K9-mail ? I don't know if the app works well under Pie, but it has exclusive options, such as the possibility, in IMAP mode, to delete a mail on either the client or the server, but keep it, on the contrary, on the server or the client.
Thanks again for everything.
I tried the email app and was impressed at how minimal the apk was. I have to get more information to set it up with my a accounts later and if all goes well it's stayin'.
So, in case you don't already know, the music app has a great feature that's a time saver and puts the whole idea of playlists consisting of the same song different in folders to rest.
When you look at it as text it's easy as hell. I think almost everyone here knows that. It's just a location like any computer file. But anyway use the export as M3U in playlists. I have all my songs on ext sd in a folder called music. Musicolet treats the music folder as root, so you'll get an output as i've pictured if you keep everything contained within one folder. All i have to do is stick my playlists outputted to an sd card and paste everything WITHIN
the music folder which is root, so all tunes are now as such and you need only edit.... NOTHING. Now this may be common to xda users, but think how many people have no idea the simplicity or that if they wanted they could type it out. That was me not long ago. If they had called M3U files, "buddy this is just written text of a filing system representing a portion of your music" it would have been..... stupid. But helpful.
So easy it's crazy.