1st time android user updating phone - General Questions and Answers

I jumped on the android bandwagon when the Atrix came out. I love the phone and I love android - kinda sad WM didn't take off liked I hoped it would as I came from the HD1 to the atrix, but that is besides the point.
Over the last year or so i have really gotten into apps and such. I am upgrading to a galaxy phone. I know I can just log into the google account on my new phone and download ll my paid for apps, and xfering contacts and such isn;t a huge deal, but here is where I am stuck. I play alot of games and I have made alot of progress on those games and I don't want to be doing 1000 angry bird levels across 3 games for 5 stars again, and there are some other games I made alot of progress on. I noticed on my tablet when I log into my google account and download my paid for apps again on a new device the progress from the other device is not there. Is there a program or something I can use to back up all the apps and the progress I made on my atrix and install it to my note when I get it on friday? If so what do you recommend? Also I don't think I am rooting my note so keep that in mind (unless the root is super easy - i haven't looked into it yet).
Thanks in advance.

Related

[Q] Thoughts on the latest firmware release from Viewsonic?

Just like to get some feedback on what you guys think of the latest firmware release from Viewsonic that supposedly makes it run quite a bit better. I'm one of the 10K wooters and I'm wondering if the fixes make it tolerable. Really the wife is going to be using it mostly for the internet and book reader. I know I'll also have a few games on there for me and the kids
I've never jailbreaked a phone or rooted a device but I'm sure I can handle the mod from some of the light reading I've done already. I had already figured that I'd go with TnT Lite since it looks like Vegan is a little more involved and probably more than I really need. Its been my experiance that these things are like classic cars, once you start tinkering it never ends and the wifey isn't gonna like having her tab in the "shop" constantly.
Any MUST HAVE apps??
Looking at Repligo "need to view pdfs"
Titanium backup
Toddler Lock and AirAttack HD
Thanx all
DJ
Looked harder and of course found good answers to my question in the following threads.
[Q] Is alt rom still needed to make gtab better
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=978494
G Tablet update question
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1002949
No doubt the excellent talent on here and other places have helped pave the way for a better stock ROM and will continue to do so.

Sub $100 tablets?

Hi everyone. I have a 4 year old who keeps taking my phone and my kids (his older brother and sister) ipod touches. He uses them to play games and go on youtube. I've been looking online for a cheap tablet for him to have and on craigslist there are a few for sale in my area for anywhere from $75-$100. I want to know if anyone has any experience with these cheaper android tabs. There's one by Sylvania and some others that just say ePad.
Does anyone have any experience with these and if so, do you think it will be ok for a 4 year old? Keep in mind, it doesn't have to be anything special. Just something that can play youtube and games like angry birds.
Any information is appreciated.
Sent from my MB860
Well you'd probably be best googling the models and seeing if they are real. I had a friend who got a fake off ebay. They work alright. Not great for myself. But if they are a proper tablet I don't see you having any problem as long as its not a scam haha
Sent from my Galaxy S running Galnet's MIUI v2.2 @ 1.3ghz!
Hmm just had a quick Google of the sylviana branded tablet you mentioned and from what I read it seems to function alright. Some are having problems but seems to be functional haha. Sorry if its what you already know
Sent from my Galaxy S running Galnet's MIUI v2.2 @ 1.3ghz!
A scam on craigslist? Never.
Being serious though, I did do some searching on google and with the information I got it figured it would be better to come ask the experts. I really dont care about the software that's installed on these tabs as long as they can be rooted and/or have access to the android market. Its just more important to me that they run decently. They are not very expensive but it's still money and I would like to know what I'm getting into.
Sent from my MB860
Hey,
I was recently setting up a home network for a co-worker and she "paid" me by giving me a White 7" Pandigital Novel "eReader". Its android based and from what I can tell it can be rooted and used as a low cost alternative to an Android tablet. They sell for as low as $100. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with my own since I just got a HTC Inspire 4G...
Guess I can try and hack it. I can let you know how well it takes being rooted.
Please do let me know. I would really appreciate it.
Sent from my MB860
Hey,
Sorry for the delay but I got a little busy with school. I was able to sit down for a bit with the White Pan digital Novel and I must say I was impressed. Due to the extremely low cost and decent spec of this machine it has gotten a lot of love from developers. Its extremely easy to flash ROM's for root access (just place .ZIP on SDCARD, remove internal SD, boot to recovery, and flash it). The guys over at Slatedroid even put Cyanogenmod 6.x on it.
I tested a number of ROM's but most had weird issues. The Slatedriod Cyanogenmod 6.x ROM actually only ran crisp (for now) in landscape mode. Its a bit too weak to play games from Android Market and that's assuming the the ROM you choose has a working Market (most don't by default). They used a mod called the non-ugly hack to fix this I think. Another issue with a lot of these ROM's involved the wifi going into a infinite loop, repeatedly turning itself on and off. Despite the fact that I love Cyanogenmon on my Optimus V, I had to find another full time ROM.
That's when I stumbled across an Eclair-based ROM ported from teh popular Cruz Reader. It was awesome. Smooth in all view modes and even video ran great on the thing. I haven't attempted to OC the device yet, but I would assume it would only make it better. This ROM is rooted of course, and had a working Android Market (and Cruz Market) installed from the start. With this ROM the device becomes a comparable tablet, far exceeding the value placed on its tag. Just use regular apps to manage the power usage and overclock it with Set CPU or something and you'll have quite a machine for $50 something .
A big downside is that for an "eReader" the battery life was horrid, a little better than an android phone (and that's even with the stock ROM). You are going to have to hack this thing to get any decent performance out of it as the stock ROM is laggy. The rooting worked for fixing a lot of these issues.
Em still a bit unfamiliar with the rules on posting links to other forums here, so I wont. Let me know if you have any questions on need the links and we'll set up some sort of arrangement.
Thanks for that info. Gives me a lot to consider. I may end up getting one of those units.
Sent from my MB860
Makes me want to check one out too
Sent from my PG86100-EVO3D-using Tapatalk

[Q] ADVICE? WP7 to Android ... Again :'( / :)

Well as I stated in another forum, A recent move from NY to NC has basically rendered my Unlocked UK HTC Titan useless, Had 3G up there and good service and now all I get it Edge and my house has horrible reception, 95% of the time I get no bars, and AT&T reluctantly decided to help (after non stop calling and *****ing at them, as well as in store & a call to a very nice corporate lady ) I was given a Microcell free of charge, that thing is a whole nother issue, but basically it wont work anyways because I need my phone to grab 3G to make the Microcell to work, so AT&T offered me a new phone and I got the Nokia Lumia 900, loved it, very nice phone, but after the titan, just too small... so i took it back. Plus at the time the 3G Microcell wasnt working anyways so there was no difference in havoing the Nokia or the Titan, and i prefer my titan. Now we got the Microcell working, and I still have an early upgrade available to me, so now its time to get a new phone I guess . Now youre probley saying, why not get the AT&T Titan? Well they wanna charge me $199.99 for it because my upgrade is only available in store and they dont have the Titan 1 in stores anymore. Titan 2? Well call me picky, but I hate the curved glass and the bubble back, just cant force myself to use it. Lumia 900? Had it, liked it, but too small.
Now I'm considering Android again, I hacked my HD2 back in the day to Android and hated it, Had another Android phone when I first got AT&T and hated it, not because it worked ****ty or anything, But because the UI is ugly. I've been hooked on WP7 since I took Android off my HD2 and slapped WP7 on it, the live tiles and stuff are great and the facebook integration are nice. But as much as I stand by WP7 and love it, lets be honest, the app selection and stuff doesnt hold up to Android (at least not yet) so Android does appeal to me. And once another beautiful up-to-date WP7 device hits the market, I'm sure I'll snag it and switch back to WP7.
But I'm looking at the Samsung Galaxy Note, When I first saw it, I was intrigued for sure, But turned off by Android, BUT as a freelance Illustrator who doesa almost 80% of his Biz on his phone, I cant deny the possiblities of the Note, just for customer samples and references and stuff, I've watched tons of videos on the phone and so far all great reviews and I guess you gewt used to the size i got used to 4.7 pretty fast, and now theres no going smaller than 4.7, so if I go 5.3 that might be hard to transition back to a smaller phone (Kind of scares me, considering most phones are 4.7 and under) So I figure if I'm gonna go Android, It HAS to be the Note, just for the drawing capabilities and Screen size. Still unsure about if I'm gonna switch, because Im not really sure about all that Android has to offer, or that phone as a whole.
How many comparable options does Android have to WP7?
Such as:
Facebook to Contact Integration.
Hotmail/Live Support
Customization
etc.
Just wanted o know what you all though and any advice for the switch or anything.
Im an avid WP7 fan, and I know theres avid Android fans, so I'm calling everyone to help me out.
At this point I'm kinda between a rock and hard place, no eye popping WP7 phones I want, and the Note appeals to me for my biz and pleasure (Big multimedia user, games/apps/movies/music) and to be honest, I've been using WP7 since almost day one, and with no huge moves forward, Ive found myself kinda bored with WP7 (Just need WP7 to start picking their game up on apps and customization and Im re-sold) so maybe trying Android again I'll be happy, at least it'll keep me occupied for a little bit.
Any advice/help?
Thanks.
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Thanks ✟
Moving to Q&A
WP7 has unbeatable Facebook to contacts integration, although Sense does a pretty good job (well, at least in this category alone )
You say the UI of Android is ugly, but the beauty of Android is that there are so many different things to choose from, so there isn't a standard 'UI'. My advice would be to simply go back to the HD2 and flash all the different Android ROMs you can find, and experience them. Flash an AOSP ROM, a TouchWiz ROM, a Sense ROM, a MIUI ROM, the Xperia Arc ROM, a CM9/AOKP ROM, they're all available for the HD2. In order to enhance the user experience of Android (although I personally feel ICS doesn't need it at all) try using some of the apps by the GO Dev team. There were some issues surrounding them a while ago but I really have no clue what they were and I've never experienced any of them. The best apps to use to enhance Android are (IMO):
GO Launcher
GO SMS Pro
GO Dialer/Contacts
GO Keyboard (with Swype and even an option to have the WP7 keyboard sound )
Dolphin browser HD
Launcher7 if you're having WP withdrawal symptoms
Don't forget either that the Galaxy Note is a tonne more powerful than the HD2, so any lag you feel probably won't exist on the Note.
I actually agree with you in some ways though, I feel WP7 has a superior UI and stuff but not enough apps. However, I most certainly wouldn't ever class Android as having an 'ugly' UI.

Can my questions be answered???

Hi everyone, i have a couple of questions, now im in no way a troll or anything but i was thinking to switchin to wp, im with android at the moment i have a galaxy note.
Basically i just wanted to know what does wp 7.8 or even the upcoming wp8 devices have thats different to say an android or ios phone? I have no experience whatsoever with wp and would just like to know why you as users love your devices, ive seen the videos of the nokia 920 on youtube and it looks absolutely amazing, the reason i would like to switch is probably the fluidity of the os but other than that is there much else a reason to swap, even if someone could post a link as to reasons why wp is a good os that would be great, once again im not a troll i just have no clue about the operating system at all, i was curious about broadening my horizons abit many thanks if anyone can enlighten me
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Obvious troll is obvious.
And three question marks is rude.
I just said i werent trolling are u stupid???
Its people like u who make xda such a nasty place to be in, i had a genuine question cos i was seriously thinkin bout switchin from android to wp, so i say to u to stop being so paranoid bout trolling when someone asks a genuine question oh and stop spamming my post with useless comments, if u thought i was a troll then why bother using ur energy and time to post in the thread, ur the troll causing needless arguements
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Your question would be better asked in the WP8 forum. No need to beat this horse.
You watched the videos , you should have a pretty good understanding of the OS. What you see is exactly all there is to it, nothing more.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
dazza_84 said:
Hi everyone, i have a couple of questions, now im in no way a troll or anything but i was thinking to switchin to wp, im with android at the moment i have a galaxy note.
Basically i just wanted to know what does wp 7.8 or even the upcoming wp8 devices have thats different to say an android or ios phone? I have no experience whatsoever with wp and would just like to know why you as users love your devices, ive seen the videos of the nokia 920 on youtube and it looks absolutely amazing, the reason i would like to switch is probably the fluidity of the os but other than that is there much else a reason to swap, even if someone could post a link as to reasons why wp is a good os that would be great, once again im not a troll i just have no clue about the operating system at all, i was curious about broadening my horizons abit many thanks if anyone can enlighten me
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason why i love my Windows Phone is the design, the minimalistic design which is "modern" since 1950 till today that style is modern like black and white clothes. the second thing is that i dont need so much apps for every possible thing. i dont need to know how my wp7 works to manage it to work for months.
3rd what i love is the durability, i switch my wp7 only off if i have a new rom (that happens maybe once a year ). In wp7 you dont need to feel that your device uses you, you have the full control over the functions what your device can do for you. you dont need to bother if the device is gonna shut off at any time, no bother about slowdowns or maybe even forcing to restart like i saw multiple times on my brothers stock HTC evo 3D.
and the 4th are the live tiles, you spend way less time customizing and arranging your live tiles then on android the look and feel.
5th. my battery last now in my device over one day and 10 hours, and my battery is 1 year and 3 months old. and only 1500mAh! the lumia 920 has 2000mAh, just imagine what can be done with it. and how long it lasts.
6st. wireless sync with my pc, all my videos and pictures get synced automatic if my device is charging anywhere in my house.
7th. the people hub, there i have all the news from twitter, facebook, windows live, and linked in in one "app" that doesnt have a loading, if you have internet it download instantly the news if you switch to the "news" tab in the people hub.
8th. i love the overall simplicity of wp7, no bunch of setting for each app, instead microsoft has found the middle way, settings for all apps together. and i think it is a good way despite users say "i need a seperate volume ringtone and seperate volum for sms" you use your device or you dont use it you have volume turned on or off. thats what i need, nothing in between.
9th. i love the bunch of new developers with new app and functions like the official FC Bayern football app, if i'm not at home it send me an instant notification about goals, and the result is on the live tile, it is visible even without opening the app, thats only one example of apps that i like (instant news and info without opening app) - so to say "on the go"
10th. a wp7 has not every of my friends. i dont like mainstream to much.
11th. reason why i love windows phone 7 or 8 or 7.8 is that making apps for them is really easy (i heard from various developers that developing for iOS is a pain in the ass), with a few books and tutorials and some practice everybody can make an app, as an student you get an free dev center account where you can publish your apps and even earn money on them.
12th. reason is i'am 24h online, so i get emails instantly, news about my buddys... my brohter turn its wifi off on its Android HTC EVO 3D because he says it drains its battery... i dont like that. if it is a smartphone let it be a smartphone 24h not only 2h daily.
and WP7 is truly a smartphone, it makes my life easier, much.
dazza_84 said:
I have no experience whatsoever with wp and would just like to know why you as users love your devices
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. The main strength is its UI. Even after almost two years of ownership, I still get amazed watching smooth animations on my phone. It simply never ages, never slows down. Even typing on its keyboard feels quite amazing.
2. Second biggest strength is its exclusive apps. For example, Nokia Drive served me many times and quite beautifully. Nokia Group Shots is extremely handy and blows my friends away. Photosynth is just mindblowing (now available on iOS as well)! MS Office is quite useful. My phone quite easily connects to all kinds of WiFi networks with proxy settings, no hassles at all! Xbox avatar (see my xda avatar) is just so cute and achievements add a new dimension to games.
In a small summary, it's some small things which can't be mentioned on specs sheet which makes WP7 truly amazing. It is so wonderful that I can't even care if my phone is not getting WP8 upgrade. I'm actually far more looking for a slew of new Nokia apps like Xpress browser which has saved me 84% data so far
daAppu said:
1. The main strength is its UI. Even after almost two years of ownership, I still get amazed watching smooth animations on my phone. It simply never ages, never slows down. Even typing on its keyboard feels quite amazing.
2. Second biggest strength is its exclusive apps. For example, Nokia Drive served me many times and quite beautifully. Nokia Group Shots is extremely handy and blows my friends away. Photosynth is just mindblowing (now available on iOS as well)! MS Office is quite useful. My phone quite easily connects to all kinds of WiFi networks with proxy settings, no hassles at all! Xbox avatar (see my xda avatar) is just so cute and achievements add a new dimension to games.
In a small summary, it's some small things which can't be mentioned on specs sheet which makes WP7 truly amazing. It is so wonderful that I can't even care if my phone is not getting WP8 upgrade. I'm actually far more looking for a slew of new Nokia apps like Xpress browser which has saved me 84% data so far
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So refreshing to see such a positive note for WP7.x! :good:

[Q] Coming from TB, looking at 8X and DNA

Gentlemen, time to retire the old Thunderbolt. Looking into the 8X and Droid DNA. I have watched and read a ton of vids and reviews on the 8x and DNA, now its time for the experts to lend thier opinion.
I will not be rooting or whatever we call it on the windows platform. thats a condition of the new phone. I have rooted or unlocked all prior phones, including my old Imagio, but the wife is accurate when she said they never work as good as when you left them alone. So with that, need un-unlocked opinions.
Storage - I use the phone mostly for music, some pictures for facebook and MMS, how bad is 16 (actually 11!?) with 7 skydrive? How many songs (or hours). Dont ask me to compare what I have space wise on my 32G SD card, my music is scattered from one file to the next, and the card is full of apk's and zips.
Overall performance - Really, this is where you guys can offer me true expertise. What do you personally think of the 8X compared to your old phone, especially if you came from a TB or android based OS?
iPhone factor - So I really like to brag about how my phones rock well beyond what my sheeps iPhone---I mean wife's iPhone can do. Can I truly have my tag say 'The iPhone killer!'
Thanks in advance guys! Everyone here at XDA just rocks the mobile world!
Come on guys, anyone got any opinion? Really would hate to reduce my choice to the DNA because I didn't get any feedback. Your opinions really matter, and would like to go into the store with a real good idea on the choice.
Let me know what you all think! Thanks again guys and gals!
Hey there,
Ive been running wp7 and its successors on my hd2 for some time (well over a year), as well as trying android and the dreaded ibone.
What i would say about wp8 and the 8x is this: It is completely different to droid & iOS. Both those os's are completely app dependant therefore data & memory hungry.
WP8 is different, if you are a facebook/twitter/linkedin bod (like me) these are fully integrated in to the os, hit 'people' tab and 'boom' all there in one screen - no app involved (in fact i hardly ever use the official fb/twit apps).
The os is smooth as butter, it was even on wp7 in the early days. WP8 is much better, the next generation, its fast, stable makes you smile in its natural and instinctive 'user-bility'.
What i would also say, is that you cannot fully appreciate a wp device whilst playing with it in a shop for 10 minutes. If you can, borrow one for a week and live with it - get it set up for YOU.........windows phone is for YOU. You will either love it or hate it, but i promise you an experience - Yes im a windows bod, have been since the days of wm5 - be different and own something that can only get better (just look at the low level of development from the ibone 4 to the 5 - point made)
Just my 2 cents of course - it is purely subjective.
Thanks Timmymarsh! I would love to borrow one, but doubt that will happen. Maybe I can get Verizon to go with a 15 day trial period or something.
I have a friend who works at MS, and he gets all the latest and greatest, and just loves his phone. Doubt he can get one for me ;(
Thanks for the information, it really helps to hear honest opinions!
I too have had rooted androids and jailbroken iPhones, but this phone has completely changed my outlook on things. While it has a few things I'd like different, I don't have any desire to change or alter it. Its fast, smooth, and didn't leave me with buyer's remorse immediately afterwards
Sent from my HTC 8x using Board Express
SuFuS01dier said:
I too have had rooted androids and jailbroken iPhones, but this phone has completely changed my outlook on things. While it has a few things I'd like different, I don't have any desire to change or alter it. Its fast, smooth, and didn't leave me with buyer's remorse immediately afterwards
Sent from my HTC 8x using Board Express
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How easy is its initial set up? I mean getting the screen to show the way you want, and setting up say outlook for contacts and emails? and can you tell me how that skydrive works? Does it play the music from there, or just downloads what I need?
Also, the xbox portion of the phone, if you xbox, how does it integrate and does it expand the xbox or more informational?
sooo easy to set up its painful, beats droid out the ground re contacts etc. I have an outlook account, gmail, msn, facebook, twitter & 3 other email accounts. So easy to link all your contacts so they appear in one contact page. Once you done it, its backed up for the next time - new device or hard rest
Mate, be different and get one, all new devices have their quircks, inc google and apple, but having said that, you wont be disappointed.
As for drop box, someone else will have to comment there as i dont know, i just sync the music i immediately want on my device so sant comment
timmymarsh said:
sooo easy to set up its painful, beats droid out the ground re contacts etc. I have an outlook account, gmail, msn, facebook, twitter & 3 other email accounts. So easy to link all your contacts so they appear in one contact page. Once you done it, its backed up for the next time - new device or hard rest
Mate, be different and get one, all new devices have their quircks, inc google and apple, but having said that, you wont be disappointed.
As for drop box, someone else will have to comment there as i dont know, i just sync the music i immediately want on my device so sant comment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again Timmy. I just watched a ton of vids where they demonstrated the 8X against android and apple, and I am really liking the idea of the live tiles, the different way the screen provides information, and the speed at which he was able to do stuff. Even counting he is paid to be that fast, its still impresive especially since he shows them how it works.
I am a minimilistic fan, and use SSLauncher with nothing but texts for my 'icons', but surprising, I find the boxes refreshing. I was leaning more towards the DNA, but ever since I started to get responses here, I think I am going to seriously check out the 8X.
not putting you off the 8x, its a great device, but try the nokia 920 in the shop too.
timmymarsh said:
not putting you off the 8x, its a great device, but try the nokia 920 in the shop too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, last rumor mill had it showing up around August, that came and went. So now they are saying end of this year (like in 18 days) or next year. If it doesn't come soon, then it wont happen for me.
jerrya said:
How easy is its initial set up? I mean getting the screen to show the way you want, and setting up say outlook for contacts and emails? and can you tell me how that skydrive works? Does it play the music from there, or just downloads what I need?
Also, the xbox portion of the phone, if you xbox, how does it integrate and does it expand the xbox or more informational?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not sure how SkyDrive works as I haven't used it yet. The Xbox support was a high point for me since it does so much that other phones can't or don't. Setting up your home screen is as easy as any I suppose. Simple but not boring
Sent from my HTC 8x using Board Express
decision made
Hey guys, want to thank all of you for helping, voicing your opinions, etc. I have made my decision.
Watched a 6+ part video on each area of the 8X and then learning about WPDemo.com, decided to go back to Microsoft. Looking forward to getting the new phone. Guess only question now is, what color?
Thanks again everyone! I even found several apps that are both WM and android. So I only loose a few (turn by turn hurts a little though!)
Any idea when thats going to be corrected? I refuse to pay Veri$on any more money then they are already getting!
Thanks again everyone!

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