Database Info

Vibrant Tips & Tricks (perhaps helpful for you guys too?)

Below is a post I made for the Vibrant. Being that our phones are so similar, I thought you guys may be able to benefit too.
Please note though, this is for the Vibrant and there may be very big differences that I am NOT aware of. Hope this helps some of you!
ROOT TOPICS
HOW TO ROOT
justadude had a great post on how to root. Please read his post. Rooting takes maybe 2 minutes. This does void your warranty - but so much is gained from having Root! I currently do not feel the need to explain all the benefits. If you found XDA, you must be fairly smart person. Enjoy!
* Alternate Method *
XDA user TGA_Gunnman has again made another great thread. This time he has created a program to make root even simpler than downloading a file, renaming it and going to the stock recovery... yeap, the one click Root (and now an unroot too). Please see his thread here, and thank him for his work.
Got Root? YOU NEED A RECOVERY!
Big props to XDA user Koush for his amazing Rom Manager App, and the work he put into getting us such an easy & safe recovery. Everyone who has rooted their Vibrant should get his app (STRONGLY encourage the Premium Version). In short, this lets you create system backups for those "oops" moments. It also gives you a directory of ROMs for easy downloading and flashing. Yeah, it is that cool. Please see his post for instructions. After successfully installing, be sure a make a Nandroid Backup of your system before flashing any rom's. Please note that the Premium is a key that unlocks functionality in the free version, so you will need both if you are willing to help Koush out.
Free:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Premium ($3.99):
HOW TO MAKE A NANDROID BACKUP *ALWAYS BACKUP BEFORE YOU FLASH A NEW ROM
1 - Open Rom Manager
2 - Click on Flash Clockwork Recovery (you can skip this if you have already flashed the recovery before)
3 - Click on "Reboot Into Recovery"
4 - At the prompt, click "ok" to reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery
5 - If this is your first time, you may be at the stock recovery on the Vibrant. Thats normal. Click on "reinstall packages" (ALSO: Volume up and down navigate, and power is used to select an item).
6 - Now, you are at ClockworkMod's Recovery. Scroll down (volume down), to "Nandroid" and select it (power button).
7 - Click on Backup. It will run it's course.
8 - Voi'la, you now have something you can always fall back on in case you F up. Thank Koush and all the testers.
HOW TO RESTORE A BACKUP
Follow the steps from above, but select "Restore" instead. They will be sorted by date YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.
DID YOU F'UP AND NEED TO GET BACK TO STOCK?
Well, thanks to XDA User justanothercrowd we have a Nandroid Backup to get you back to how the Vibrant shipped (and rooted of course). Hopefully you don't need it, but thank him after reading his post just in case you do!
HOW TO UN-ROOT *ie, sending your phone in for warranty work
The following code can be keyed in Terminal Emulator (could also be done in ADB or deleting the files using Root Explorer). If you do use Terminal, change the keyboard to the stock Android KB prior to opening Terminal. Apparently the backspace on swype does not work in Terminal. Each line should be entered separately. bahnburner gave the instructions in this thread, which you should review first.
su
rm -r /system/app/Superuser.apk
rm -r /system/xbin/busybox
rm -r /system/bin/su
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
* Alternate Method *
TGA_Gunnman in this thread created a one click root/unroot program. Thank him for his effort.
THINGS TO DO WITH ROOT
CONTROL YOUR STARTUP (PLUS MORE)
There are many apps in the Market for this function, I only know and use Autostarts (found here). The developer has been very receptive to feedback and informative. This app does a lot, but this is what I suggest.
Download it. Install it. GO TO MENU > SETTINGS > APPLICATIONS > (can't recall the next menu name at the moment) AND ENABLE USB DEBUGGING (it will not work otherwise). Open Autostarts.
It will scan the system and put all the apps that are used for MANY different tasks the phone does. I then go to the options and hide all of the system apps (no point in messing with those). After that, simply control what market/3rd party apps should be running given the task identified by Startup. You will be surprised what apps appear, for no good reason. Of course Android will eventually kill these when needed, but why have them open in the first place (this is better than a task killer if you ask me). Obviously if you are sending a text message you do not want to disable an app like handcent, so use common sense here. Any questions or issues, I would suggest emailing the developer or posting a question in the App section (perhaps there is already a designated Startup thread to ask this question, hint hint).
Autostarts (Approx $1):
RESTORE SETTINGS AFTER WIPING YOUR PHONE *If changing from one ROM to another, be courteous, and wipe.
XDA user SykesAT reminded me that Titanium Backup is a great app for restoring after wiping your system. I do not use it, so I asked him to do a small write up. He obliged, and here it is:
Backup Your Apps and System setting with Titanium Backup
It can backup/restore:
* All the applications you have installed, including protected ones,
* All the data and settings of these applications,
* Most (or all) of your phone's settings and data. (incl. SMS, bookmarks, call log, calendar, launcher, WiFi, etc)
* Market links when restoring apps.
* NOTE: It will not backup the system applications from your ROM. Only their settings will be backed up.
Titanium Backup is available from the market (free version only) or you can DL from the dev's site. There is a premium (donate) version with more features. Please see the Dev's site for more details, instructions and FAQs. Here is a link to his site!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium Backup:
DELETE THE BLOAT!
Download Root Explorer (i'm not associated with) and go to System/App to remove a lot of the bloatware that came on the phone. I strongly encourage researching what can & can NOT be removed. ALWAYS make a backup. Here is a good thread about removing the bloat. Remember, I am not responsible. It will be some time before we have a custom ROM that removes this crap for us.
TAKE SCREEN SHOTS!
If you have root, the easiest way is to download shootme or drocap2 from the market. You can also use the Android SDK, but I'm going to keep is basic here. Once you have your pic, upload it for all of the community to see!
Shootme:
DISABLE ADS WITHIN APPS!
Download AdFree from the market... check for updates and voi'la, most, if not all apps should be ad-free.
AdFree:
HOW TO TETHER
Download Barnacle from the Market (consider the donate version). Then visit Lovellkid's thread for more instructions.
Donate Version ($1.99):
Free Version:
CAMERA / VIDEO SECTION
HOW DO YOU ZOOM IN?
XDA user antonio91282 pointed out that you can zoom in by pressing the volume rocker while using the camera. It goes from 1-4x.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RECODING VIDEO TO SD VS. INTERNAL MEMORY
XDA user wphend00 asked (By creating two separate threads!, tiss tiss) if there were differences between recording video to the SD vs. Internal memory. I thought it was a great question, so I did a very quick test. Disclaimer, I'm certain others can do a better job. Here is my post with links to the videos so you can see for yourself. Here is a link to the entire thread so you can see discussion about it, if any.
APP TOPICS
USE GOOGLE GESTURE FOR QUICKNESS
XDA user os2baba pointed out using Google Gesture to search the phone (everything, apps, contacts, music, etc.). It's a great app where you make gestures with your finger and it isolates your search results based off the letter/number you enter. Highly recommend trying it.
Google Gesture:
WHERE ARE APPS LOCATED?
System Apps:
system/app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Market Apps:
data/app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Market Apps (Private):
data/app-private
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Downloaded Apps (using browser):
sdcard/download
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
* If you download an app using the browser, you can use Root Explorer to move the app to data/app so the apps are stored on the 1.9GB partition the system uses. Once moved you can click on it to install it. My personal preference.
TRY A HOME REPLACEMENT (ADW or LauncherPro)
Go to the market and download either - both are free. ADW has more customization, but I like the look and feel of LP more. If you don't like it, uninstall and go back to TW. Gravis86 started a good thread debating which is better, located here.
ADW:
LP:
This my LP setup on my Vibrant. Notice the docks (these are also scrollable & there are 5 per each desktop screen you have). The Live Wallpaper is Aquarium.
XDA user afive720 had a nice post on how to revert back to TouchWiz (without uninstalling). You can read the thread here for more information.
WHAT WEATHER APP IS THAT?
It is Beautiful Widgets, found here.
WANT TO USE ALLSHARE: PC > PHONE AND VICE/VERSA?
I found this thread to be extremely helpful. I ended up using Windows Media Player and it was too easy. Great app.
XDA User BritCrit has also given some really good information in this thread you may also want to review.
USE AWESOME DROP TO MOVE FILES IF NO CABLES
If you are ever in a bind, or just being lazy you can use this app to move files from a PC to your phone. No hastle, no account setup and it is free. Just go to this site: http://labs.dashwire.com/drop and then enter the 4 digit code when you open the app on your phone. Drag whatever files to the browser on your PC, and voilà, it will instantly start showing up on your phone.
REDUCE A PICTURES SIZE BEFORE SHARING IT?
PaulO'Brien tweeted about an app, Image Shrink Lite, that lets you adjust the size and then select the method you want to share (twitter, messenger, gmail, etc). I mention this only because a lot of people get frustrated when they take a pic and try and send it out, but gmail hangs on it (and it eventually ends up a draft email) because it is too large. Resize the pics before you email them and you will not have this Fail.
Image Shrink Lite:
NEED HELP WITH METAMORPH?
Stericson is a master, and his thread is the tell-all on MetaMorph. Basically, this app allows you to customize the color/look of almost everything on your phone. It seems above my level, but those who use it, love it. You can view it here. I would caution using it unless comfortable.
MetaMorph Donate ($1):
Free:
VIBRANT TOPICS
STOP THE BOOTUP / SHUTDOWN AUDIO NOTIFICATIONS!
This thread has it covered: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=731059
I deleted these two files using Root Explorer (referenced below) and can attest it works perfectly.
Thanks to XDA Member PhilSlater I know that the File locations are:
Bootup: system/etc/PowerOn.wav
Shutdown: system/media/audio/ui/Shutdown_128.ogg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BUTTONS - Tap vs. Long Press (LP) Taken from www.androidcentral.com:
Home: Returns to the main home screen. If at the home screen, another tap gives a preview of all home screens.
(LP) = See your most recently used apps (GREAT for multitasking).
Back: Takes you back a level in an app, or back a page in a browser, etc.
(LP) = In your browser, quickly access bookmarks, history and most-visited sites. Thanks, Snapdragon0503!
Menu: Tap this for additional options in an application, or from the home screens.
(LP) = Make the keyboard appear.
Search: Brings up the search function. Could be search within an app, Google search, or universal search of contacts, bookmarks, apps, etc. that are in the phone.
(LP) = Launches voice search.
WANT A NEW LOOK? CHANGE YOUR FONT!
In settings, go to sound and display. Change the "Font Style" is like 8th from the bottom. There are a few freebies, and about 50 for a dollar in the market. I changed my system to helvetica, and I was amazed at the level it changed the phone. If you already have some free fonts you downloaded from the market, I believe you can move these .apk files to this directory to make them appear under Sound and Display:
data/apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(It is where Helvetica appeared once I downloaded and installed it).
XDA user RandyN added some input with this post, and I tend to agree. Though I love helvetica
XDA User nick_karstedt also pointed out there is an app that also does this called Type Fresh. I'm going to stick with the OS settings, but this looks like a good option for a lot of people. Thanks for the suggestion.
CHANGE THE DOCK BUTTONS ON TOUCHWIZ!
Open the app drawer, menu, edit, change to customizable. With the app drawer open now, press menu and edit again. You can now replace the two app docks in the middle (dialer and app drawer can't be replaced).
DELETE APPS FROM THE LAUNCHER OF TOUCHWIZ
Open the launcher, menu > view type, change to customizable. Now press Menu again and select Edit. All of the non-system apps will have a red subtraction logo. Thanks to XDA user erikrios and his post for this gem!
QUICKLY ADJUST YOUR BRIGHTNESS
Move your finger left to right across the notification bar. You probably need to cut off auto-brightness though. thanks to soklean (neat!)
NEED TO COPY AND PASTE?
If at a site, and you need to copy some text... click Menu > Select Text > Drag your finger over the text you need to copy. When you release your finger, the selected text is copied to your clipboard. Long press and paste when ready. I agree this is not perfect, but some of us may not even know you could do it. Froyo is coming soon, and with it the ability to easily copy/paste within gmail.
HOW TO CONTROL + F USING THE ANDROID BROWSER
I Very often use Control + F when browsing sites on a PC. Android makes this very easy when using their browser as well. Simply press Menu when in the browser, go to More, then select "Find on Page." You can then enter the keyword you are looking for and use the directional arrows (to the left of the word) to move from one entry to the next. Awesome.
CHANGE THE HAPTIC VIBRATION INTENSITY
Love this feature. I often find haptic feedback is too much. To adjust the intensity, from the home screen: Menu > Settings > Sound and Display > Vibration Intensity. As you slide the bar it gives you an idea of the intensity. Great addition.
TAP CONTACT IMAGE FOR MORE OPTIONS
XDA user jkang29 reminded me of another thing I took for granted. When you are in Contacts, click on the image of the contact for MANY options on how to contact/share with that particular contact. Thanks jkang29!
WANT TO DISABLE SD CARD NOTIFICATIONS?
I do not see the point in hearing this chime. To cut off the sound, from the home screen: Menu > Settings > Sound and Display > SD Card Notifications. You can uncheck this and never hear that sound again.
CONTACTS / DIALER TOPICS
EDIT YOUR CONTACTS (ON YOUR PC FIRST)
If you are new to Android, the first time you logged in it was probably amazing (and frustrating) when you saw ALL of your google contacts sync with your phone. Here are my thoughts, I hope it helps. First things you need to know, google does not allow you to stop the auto-adding of the random people you email to be added to your contacts. Of course, those randoms are now likely showing up in your contact list (hence the frustrating part). Here is how I fixed it:
*please note, if you hide all contacts who do not have a phone number (see below) you can likely skip this, but I included for those who REALLY want to clean up their contacts*
1 - Login to gmail on your PC. Click on "Contacts" on the left border.
2 - Notice you have "My Contacts" (the good) and you have "All Contacts" below that (the bad).
3 - go to the "search contacts" search bar and just enter one SPACE and then press enter.
4 - The middle column will now have your contacts sorted by THE GOOD (My contacts) on top and then THE BAD (All Contacts) below that. You may have more tiers, but I am keeping it simple for illustration.
5 - Scroll all the way down to the bad list. Review the names. Some may be legit people you just have not added to your My Contacts list yet.
6 - If you have a hard time recalling who someone is, google has included a "show conversation" link. This shows any previous email exchanges so you can decide to either delete or add them.
7 - Work through this list. I would suggest deleting them as you go, but not adding them to your My Contacts list until the very end (to prevent from having to do step 3 over and over).
8 - Okay, great. Lets assume you got rid of all the clutter. NOW, go to your My Contacts.... the far right panel should have a box that says "Find Duplicates". If you have any, fix them... no reason to have several entries for the same person.
9 - Now just review the My Contacts list and make any edits or format changes. I am Type A, so you could only imagine how clean your Android Contact list is about to appear.
Great, enough with the PC. Go to your Vibrant. Chances are it is already synching up with the changes you made.
The phone came with a bunch of #s stored on the Phone and SIM stock, I could care less about these. If you agree:
1 - Open Contacts. Press menu, go to "Display Options"
2 - Uncheck Phone and SIM (others may not agree, I just dont see the point), leaving Google as the only one checked.
Alright, almost there now. As it is, you have removed a LOT of clutter, but you may still have a ton of contacts. That is because, by default the Contacts app shows All contacts, even if they do not have a phone number. Now again, this is a personal choice.... but if I need to call someone, I would rather not have to deal with people listed who I do not have a phone number for. Also, if I am emailing them, I am using gmail, not Contacts (so again, not needed). IF you agree:
1 - Open Contacts, Press Menu and go to "Display Options"
2 - The top will say something to the affect of, check here if you only want to show contacts with phones.... Click it. Then click Done.
3 - Bam, your Contacts may not be perfect (like mine), but I bet they look a ton better. I tried to point out there is a lot of personal preferences, so please take this with a grain of salt. I like things clean.
FIND YOUR CONTACTS FASTER!
TouchWiz has a lot of cool tricks. One of my favorites is in the Contacts app. When you load the app, you will notice the far right has the alphabet running top to bottom. Good news, by simply pressing on the letter you will automatically jump down, instantly. I much prefer this to the old Android where you had to grab a silver bar and scroll down. Good job Samsung.
SMART DIALER!
Samsung even included a smart dialer. Pull up your dialer and just start typing the number out. It filters down your contacts as you type each new digit. Likely, after the area code and first 1 or 2 digits after should be enough. There will be a drop down on the right and a number above it (the # of possible contacts based off what you input). Just press the contact, and the press CALL, genius. Seriously should be on all android phones.
KEYBOARD TOPICS
TRY A NEW KEYBOARD!
Our phones came with Swype, Samsung's KB and the default Android KB. All are very good in their own right. You will find you prefer one over the other (or maybe many of the alternatives in the market). To switch... simply long press anywhere that you would normally input text (a text message or the search widget). "input method" will pop up, click on this. Now choose the KB you want to try out. If one is not showing up, go to Menu > Settings > Locale and Text and make sure its there/checked.
NEED A TRACKBALL?
In swype, move from the "swype tips" button to the "sym" key. Voila, directional buttons appear + other goodies (see pic).
MISC. GUIDES
HOW TO MOUNT PHONE TO PC
One of the most basic things I have overlooked. XDA user DaMaDo reminded me Android does not auto-mount like some other phones on the market. I am so accustomed to this, I neglected it. Precisely the things I want you to help remind me of. When most of us connect the phone, the USB drivers are automatic. If not there is a guide below to assist. For now, let's assume all is well on the first connection of the Vibrant to the PC. When you connect you will likely get a popup on the PC about installing drivers, great. Please use the cable that came with the phone! I had an error with another cable (nexus one's I believe).
Pause a bit. Alright, seems like nothing is happening right? Okay, go to the phone's notification bar and pull it down. You will see USB Connected. Click on this. You have a pretty little pop up window. Click on "Mount."
Shortly after, your computer should pop up automatically TWO devices, the "/SDCARD" (Internal Memory) and "SDCARD/SD" (SD Card). If not, go to My Computer and find the drives you just mounted to the PC.
NEPHRON'S GUIDE FOR ADB, etc (taken from the G1 forums)
This guide helped me a ton. I realize some things may be diffrent, but I could not think of a better starting point. Please read this thread.
CONVERT VIDEO FILES ON YOUR PC FOR YOUR PHONE
XDA user TGA_Gunnman did an excellent job putting a thread together for how to convert videos using HandBrake (get it here) and then moving them to your phone. I have a 2 year old. One thing I do a lot of is take video of my girl and share them with people. Perhaps you just want to share a prank video... regardless, this is the thread to get you on point. Be sure and thank him if his how to helped you!
HOW TO PROPERLY INSTALL A NEW SD CARD
XDA user techspy posted this question and I had recently done it so I responded with how I did it. Again, like always, I'm certain there are people on here who know how to do this better/easier, but this works and is nothing difficult. Here is my post with instructions, and here is the thread for discussion.
MISC. QUESTIONS
WHAT ARE THOSE FUNKY BARCODES?
These are QR Codes. Download Barcode Scanner from the market. Scan any of these codes I linked. You will be sent to the app in the market. Download, enjoy.
NOTICE LAG?
I do not encourage this, but some will want to play with it. There is a great thread on tweaks that can be done to speed up the Galaxy. I personally will wait for either an update or a custom ROM. Others users have reported a Factory Reset has helped. Again, updates are coming soon as well as custom ROMs.
DOUBLE NOTIFICATIONS?
If you are using a 3rd party app, you may be getting double notifications. For example, I use Handcent for texting (you should try it). First thing you need to do is open the stock Messanger app, go menu > Settings and disable notifications. This is basic, but sometimes it's easy to overlook.
SHOULD I USE A TASK KILLER?
Absolutely not. You have the best OS and one of the best spec'd phones ever. You would be doing more harm than good. If you do have one, uninstall, reboot and let me know what you think!
In addition, even Google at Google I/O 2010 addressed app developers and asked them to no longer include "quit" or "close" as options within their apps. I think Andronica (another great android site) summed it up well with their article, found here.
XDA user iunlock created a thread with some good debate based off this sticky. You can read all the thoughts by clicking here. In short, the overwhelming majority agreed and some have commented on seeing an increase in performance after deleting their task killers. Awesome job guys.
HOW TO DO A FACTORY RESET!
Rarely should you need to do this (I've never done one), but if you want to, simply press menu and go to settings. Scroll down to Privacy. In there is the option to perform a Factory Reset.
NEED HELP INSTALLING THE DRIVERS ON YOUR PC?
TGAGunnMan started a great thread with links for the drivers. You can view it here.
THREE (3) LIGHTS/SENSORS - SURE THERE IS NO LCD?
Yeap. I asked myself when I noticed there were 3 items. Two are used for the proximity sensor, the other is the light sensor.
Big props to XDA user gravis86 for answering my query so fast, see his post here.

Wow! Nice compilation! The only thing I know that doesn't work properly with the Captivate is method 2 of the lag fix in the link given under the lag section.
Other than that, this is great! Thanks man!

^ yeah, I'm not a fan of those lag fixes... tried to convey that in my post. I just switched to LauncherPro and use Autostarts.... my phone flies.
Hope this helps you guys. Never really thought that some of you guys were not checking the Vibrant threads (like I was not reading the Captivate ones).
Someone please feel free to take ownership of this and make it more suitable to the Captivate. Just want to help... if someone does use it, would appreciate at least a name drop

nice work on that and thanks for the qr codes for those programs, a lot of useful stuff that I didn't know about

Awesome post
Thanks s15274n!!

Thank you ever so much for the the Swype arrow keys tip. That was the biggest problem I've had with the Captivate. The brightness control through the notification bar was also a big help. Sometimes its the simple things that make your day.

This needs to be stickied immediately. Phenomenal thread. Nice work.

Nice compliation! I second the sticky vote.
To me, TouchWiz is the single biggest lag producer on the phone. I've gone LauncherPro and never looked back.

Yep, I used this thread before, great stuff indeed ..thanks!

Awesome, awesome post. Thanks TC!

thanks a ton for this thread, and *facepalms* for me not thinking to check out the Vibrant forums also....

Doesn't look like this thread really got much attention like it did on the Vibrant. I am not going to maintain this one like i do the Vibrant.... feel free to check there periodically (OR, have someone maintain this one as a sticky).

[App] Rate My Picture – give scores to people's self portraits

Hello,
I'm hoping to find users that will help me test an app that I created recently.
In this app you can rate the pictures of people with 1 to 5 stars, depending on how much you like it.
I tried to make it an easy-to-use and fast app by using a minimalistic ICS-like user interface, pre-loading of images etc.
I'm using the camera intent and Media Store to allow people to upload their own pictures and it seems like this may behave differently depending on the Android version you use (custom Camera apps etc.).
So I hope some beta testers might clear the situation.
The app has no ads and it's permissions only ask for "full internet access" (to load images, store ratings) and "SD card access" (sadly you need this to retrieve pictures from the gallery intent).
Download link (or use the attached file): http://pollr.org/rmp
Best regards
Florian

I installed and it and used it for a bit. I'll use it more once more pictures are uploaded I started seeing duplicates. Hopefully I will be able to add pics from my picasa gallery. It just FC's now.
But good start.

App works very well, fairly fast and looks great. Lots of duplicates but that's something that would be fixed over time. Have yet to upload my picture but be prepared for alot of 5 star ratings lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

No option to choose which sex you want to rate?
Edit: had no trouble uploading a photo from QuickPic on my SGN.

Thanks for your feedback guys
Regarding the gallery problem I've redone the whole thing (not using a "select image and crop" intent but a "select image" followed by a crop intent) and it should reduce force closes and problems with incompatible gallery apps.
It would be great if you could try again (especially Knether) – I just need to know if you can select a photo and if you can crop it (or if it just appears as a preview without cropping), you don't have to upload it
I updated the app in the first post ( http://pollr.org/rmp )
Duplicate pictures shouldn't appear until you've seen all pictures (then you'll see random duplicates), I fixed that!
And @WiredPirate: You're right, I will implement an option to only rate men/women

Sorry for double posting, but there's a new version with gender selection.
First post or http://pollr.org/rmp
Also there have been quite some picture uploads today (more than yesterday) and no complains here, so I'm hoping it works
Thanks again!

Can I ask how come you haven't released it on the market?
Great looking app! Good luck with it!

WhiteGorilla said:
Can I ask how come you haven't released it on the market?
Great looking app! Good luck with it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't release it on the Market because at first I wanted to make sure there aren't any major bugs (hence this thread).
But it is on the market now: https://market.android.com/details?id=de.fheft.ratemypicture
Sadly, all the testing is useless against irrational 1 star ratings: "Bad This is a fake app , same photos"

lauslein said:
But it is on the market now: https://market.android.com/details?id=de.fheft.ratemypicture
Sadly, all the testing is useless against irrational 1 star ratings: "Bad This is a fake app , same photos"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man, that sucks (and drives me nuts) when people 1-star an app thats free! Especially when an app is as nice looking and functional as yours, usually just because they dont understand something. I downloaded the app and left a 5-star review, hopefully that'll help balance it out. By the way, my bit of feedback in the meantime:
After selecting which gender to choose, it goes away and I cant select it unless I restart the app (Edit: I realized I can hit the stock menu button, but please see suggestion 3)
I get some "failed to load connection" and "failed to upload photo" notices even though everything worked fine
In the spirit of ICS design, I would remove the Info button from the top right, and replace it with the ActionBar menu button, and add a few options (Choose gender, Info, Report, etc.) under that dropdown.
I know this may not be 100% right, but I strongly think you should populate the photos with 500-1,000 more attractive (but not professional) men and women. It's cheating a little but it will be very hard to create a userbase from limited photos which currently has a lot of not-so-attractive people (I would know, I'm not-so-attractive myself).
I hope thats useful and wish you best of luck with the app (you can always re-release it so dont fret too much). And if you have a moment, it would help me greatly if you can rate my free app to offset 1-star reviews like "great but cant convert negative temp" or "cant use comma only decimal"). I swear, paid users are always more satisfied than free ones..

Thanks a lot for your reply! I will definitely think about how to implement your suggestions, they're great!
And you're right, the free users seem to be the ones that don't read descriptions or think about ANYTHING before doing it/rating an app...
I wanted to have a look at your app as well, but the Market website tells me it's not compatible with any of my devices (Galaxy S2, Nexus One, both 2.3.x)... although the description says it's >2.2?

[Q] Disabling camera without rooting

Hi amigos,
I do have HTC explorer, My office have a policy on employees to use only non-camera moblie phones. So I need a solution to this,is there any app available in market to disable the camera with out rooting. I browsed in play store,and I do got an app,but it works only on ICS platform. Pls suggest me any remedy pls..
Thanks,
Viki

Without rooting, I don't think so, sorry. You can block access to the app, requiring a passcode, but if you know the passcode, then it's not really much different to having the app there normally, plus it wastes battery.

Any app available?
Thanks for the reply SifJar. Is there any app which popups an error message kinda like that, if I tap to open camera. Since the one who gonna checking all this will be the security incharge in the gates, he lacks knowledge on android and stuffs.
SifJar said:
Without rooting, I don't think so, sorry. You can block access to the app, requiring a passcode, but if you know the passcode, then it's not really much different to having the app there normally, plus it wastes battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

SifJar said:
Without rooting, I don't think so, sorry. You can block access to the app, requiring a passcode, but if you know the passcode, then it's not really much different to having the app there normally, plus it wastes battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi
try this root ur phone and use root explorer and see if u can delete the camera .apk.But make sure to take a backup of the same so u can use the same if needed in the future and at bangalore i have seem that some companies allow u to put a sticker on the camera lens to close it and thus not use the same in the company premises chek with ur co if this is OK it would be a better solution if this is acceptable:laugh:

Any other remedy without rooting
I was using ma phone by sticking a sticker over the camera till now, but the admin security over ma office found many were using kinda like that.so now
haree said:
hi
try this root ur phone and use root explorer and see if u can delete the camera .apk.But make sure to take a backup of the same so u can use the same if needed in the future and at bangalore i have seem that some companies allow u to put a sticker on the camera lens to close it and thus not use the same in the company premises chek with ur co if this is OK it would be a better solution if this is acceptable:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[email protected] said:
Thanks for the reply SifJar. Is there any app which popups an error message kinda like that, if I tap to open camera. Since the one who gonna checking all this will be the security incharge in the gates, he lacks knowledge on android and stuffs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, now that I think about it, it should be possible, yes.
There is an app called "Tasker" which allows you to run certain actions whenever certain things happen. One of the "contexts" you can set is an app being launched (e.g. the camera app). This context will then trigger a set of actions, which can include a whole variety of things from returning to the home screen to displaying a custom made popup. You could combine these two, so that whenever the camera is launched, it will return to the home screen and then display a popup saying some error.
There is a free one week trial of Tasker available here: http://tasker.dinglisch.net/download.html (any tasks you create during that first week will continue to work after this time, you just won't be able to add any more without paying for the full version, which is available in the Play Store or via the same link as the trial)
Once you install the trial, download the attached file, remove the .txt extension (put it there as XDA doesn't allow upload of XML files) and put it on your SD card in the folder "profiles" inside "Tasker" on your SD card, then import it into Tasker by long pressing on the button "profiles" at the top and then selecting "import" and then choose "Camera Disable". It is a task I made which I think should do the trick for you. If you want to edit the error message, tap on "No Access" in Tasker (should have a green arrow at it), then tap on "2. Popup" and edit the text accordingly.
EDIT: Also note that disabling the task is as simple as tapping the green tick beside it's name in Tasker, which will turn it into a red circle with a line through it to represent the task is disabled and camera can now be accessed again.
The error will also appear when launching "Camcorder".

Couldnt you get away with just hiding the camera app, that way you can easily say that you deleted it.

[APP][3.2+] mynderMail

This is my first app (long time java dev, first time android dev) so I'm excited to get some XDA feedback =c) Hope I'm posting correctly. Also apparently I can't do links yet so sorry about that.
Why?
I got sick of composing a new email every time I wanted to send myself a note. I looked around, but couldn't find anything that did everything I wanted (at most I found one that used intents to pre-populate the "to" field). So I wrote mynderMail.
?id=com.uxiomatic.mynderMail
Elevator Pitch
The app will let you **send an email to yourself** as soon as you can type it out! First line of the message will become the subject of the email, and the rest will become the body.
**Material-ish Design!** I tried. I'm sure I didn't hit every guideline, but I feel like I got close.
There are **no ads** (though I am planning on a Pro version next year). This app is currently in beta - so let me know if you encounter any issues.
Demo Video is on Google Play - my first try at this kind of video (or any kind really.)
Demo Music Track: “Reckless” (by Azureflux), available on SoundCloud
----------------------------------FAQ-------------------------------------
Q: So all this does is send an email to myself? Can’t I just do it myself through my email app?
A: Yes and yes. But if you’re like me and you send yourself notes all the time, time savings of 50% make this app very useful. Sending from your email takes longer because you need to:
Open the email app (which takes longer to launch).
You have to hit compose.
Select yourself as recipient.
Type the subject.
Type the body.
Tap Send
Where as with mynderMail you just:
Open mynderMail.
Type your whole note in one textarea (including the subject).
Tap Send
Q: Can't I just use Evernote, Google Keep, Google Now, <insert your note taking app>...
A: You could. If you always go back and check your notes, sure. But sometimes you just need to get something somewhere where you know you'll see it and then sort it into the appropriate app. Some things end up in Evernote, or in an issue tracker (work or personal), sometimes it's a phone call, sometimes it's a follow up email, etc... Think of it as sticking a quick post it on your front door or somewhere else where you'll be sure to see it vs writing out a note and filing properly.
Q: I have an idea for a feature. Can you have the app do X?
A: Probably, though the Free version is fairly complete. Most of the new features will be added to the Pro version when it is released. You can send/post suggestions to me, and if it’s not already on the list and the suggestion makes it into the app, I’ll gift you a Pro version.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.uxiomatic.mynderMail

Thanks much android404

A Suggestion
The app is great. Makes sense and works perfectly. But I think the app would benefit immensely from a widget wherein I can type the text directly and hit send. That way I dont even have to open the app. Can do it right from the lockcreen/homescreen. Alternatively, a permanent notification can also serve the same purpose, but I prefer the widget.

Makes me think of BlitzMail. Maybe that one will give you inspiration for new features, who knows, have a look: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.grobox.blitzmail.lite

hzshak said:
The app is great. Makes sense and works perfectly. But I think the app would benefit immensely from a widget wherein I can type the text directly and hit send. That way I dont even have to open the app. Can do it right from the lockcreen/homescreen. Alternatively, a permanent notification can also serve the same purpose, but I prefer the widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With a widget, I'd still have to open up some sort of activity since you can't type directly on the home screen, and since the app closes itself after send it amount to the same thing.
As far as a notification, I'm definitely considering it (also considering having a floating overlay a la "Snowball"/"Sloth Launcher" if i can figure out how to do it.) Currently I have it set up in my "Notification Toggle" which works out well

ltGuillaume said:
Makes me think of BlitzMail. Maybe that one will give you inspiration for new features, who knows, have a look:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh, missed this one when doing my research, thanks. Looks like with this one though you have to enter your own mail server which is a bit of a barrier for entry.
The mail queue is a good idea that I already had on my list, as is sharing with the app.

hzshak said:
The app is great. Makes sense and works perfectly. But I think the app would benefit immensely from a widget wherein I can type the text directly and hit send. That way I dont even have to open the app. Can do it right from the lockcreen/homescreen. Alternatively, a permanent notification can also serve the same purpose, but I prefer the widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've since added an option for permanent notifications, as well as an option to share with the app (you can set it to send automatically or allow editing of the text before sending).

Dumb Questions: gPhotos

Is it the only gallery option stock? I just never have liked it an this it my first foray into Pixel. I guess it makes sense that they lock you into their apps by default. I hate the idea of having to trial a bunch of third party apps and figure out what covers my basics without tracking or hacking at me.
I disabled Photos and when I take a picture and hit the little icon of said picture it pops up to look at an instantly shrinks down and goes back to camera. So I assume my only option is the one mentioned above...
Any recommendations for a good, basic, safe gallery app? I've been on Samsungs and LGs in the past to that's my main frame of reference. I only need the ability to see them and maybe group them. No backups or online linkage needed as we backup automatically to our NAS.
-gmolds
p.s. I do like the camera though... seems to be better at auto mode than my LG V20 but of course the manual on the LGs is hard to top.

QuickPic has always been my favorite. I haven't really looked lately though. The one called Gallery by Cloud Innovation Studio looks pretty nice now that I'm actually looking. Check those out or maybe just type in Gallery and see what you find.

i use simple gallery https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simplemobiletools.gallery.pro&hl=en_US you can also get it on fdroid for free if you want https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.simplemobiletools.gallery.pro/
quickpic hasn't been good in ages so i wouldn't trust it.
after you install a new gallery app just disable google photos and everything should switch to use the new one

Haven't tried that one, I'll give it a go despite quickpic working just fine.

weird idea: have you considered using the "images" shortcut of the "files" app? i've just saved it to a folder on my desktop and am finding it works fine for anything gphotos is not good for (i.e. looking at misc locally saved pics). (excuse all the black and the errr assortment of pictures i choose to keep on my device)

c_tho said:
weird idea: have you considered using the "images" shortcut of the "files" app? i've just saved it to a folder on my desktop and am finding it works fine for anything gphotos is not good for (i.e. looking at misc locally saved pics). (excuse all the black and the errr assortment of pictures i choose to keep on my device)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Problem (for me at least) is that quick switching from the camera to look at the last pic taken still fails if there's no default gallery app.

gmolds said:
Problem (for me at least) is that quick switching from the camera to look at the last pic taken still fails if there's no default gallery app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh yeah you definitely cannot get around that i don't think. it's a problem as old as time.

c_tho said:
oh yeah you definitely cannot get around that i don't think. it's a problem as old as time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:laugh: I heartily laughed at the "old as time" comment. HA! Whether you meant it that way or not that chuckle was a great start to my Friday.
Cheers!