The Android Thread

[BaaBaa.]

I bought mine on the week of release and never noticed that, I rarely use it as a phone though.

[STEVE G]

So it's like an Iphone, a toy and not much of a phone.

[BaaBaa.]

A visually cool news feed app of your chosen websites.

Free download here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachm ... 1336554337

Info here. http://blog.gsmarena.com/flipboard-for- ... iii-users/

Reboot for a widget.

[Super Joe]

So it's like an Iphone, a toy and not much of a phone.

It's also like a camera, video recorder, book reader, magazine/newspaper, gaming device, radio, mp3 player, portable dvd player, internet cafe, diary/filofax, disc/flash drive, travel alarm clock, spirit level, compass, map, sat-nav device, trip meter, dictaphone, torch, landline internet+subscription, an aircard, and a trip to the bookies


Re: Useful apps...
'Fast Burst Camera' - takes up to 30 photos per second

SJ

[BaaBaa.]

You forgot pussy magnet SJ, the chicks dig it.

[BaaBaa.]

The Google Translate app has just had a ui makeover so I had a play with it. It talks Thai now, definitely didn't when I got my phone. How longs it had that?

So basically you press the mic, say a word, press another mic and it speaks it back in Thai or press another button and it shows the Thai text fullscreen.

It doesn't do the other way around though....... Yet.

Edit: Thai speech was added in February, nice.

[BaaBaa.]

Android Jellybean. The Devs should have this running on rooted S2s shortly.



http://www.gsmarena.com/android_4_1_jel ... ew-779.php

[BaaBaa.]

Jellybean also comes with a Siri destroyer.

[VincentD]

SJ
I'm also considering jumping from a Nokia smartphone to the S2 (i.e. Symbian to Android) as I'm getting fed up of the limited RAM and the inability to open certain email attachments. A friend has the S3 (nice!) but I would probably only consider the S2 at the moment due to the size of the thing. The Note is quite a lot bigger than the S2 and not quite so easy to fit in a pocket. My usage needs are modest so battery life isn't too much of a concern.

I do have a seperate Nokia 'dumb' phone - and old 6xxx series - that does not jump on the net for no reason at all and ramp up my bills, run programs in the background and ruin my battery life, and is on a different carrier so I can get better coverage in some areas on one where the other carrier's signals aren't too good. Battery life is great and the company picks up the tab so can't complain.

Sadly I'm kind of getting used to having two phones (I know, sick, isn't it?), one to surf the net and get my personal stuff done, and the other just as a phone. One does not want to receive company emails on your off time, one advantage of a 'dumb' phone. The other advantage is, my wife only has the company phone number...

[BaaBaa.]

Vincent, get an S2 and root it, it's still the developers tool of choice. Most of the Devs aren't bothering with S3 as it's not enough of an upgrade, although some got them free in the Google io goodie bag.

Root and install any of the Cyanogenmod9 based roms (I'm on Paranoid Android) and you won't look back, I'm expecting Jelly bean in a matter of weeks and I'm already running lots of bits and bobs that have been extracted from it.

[alleykat]

Baa Baa, can you be more specific about how to "root" a phone etc.
I have a Galaxy S2. Are you saying I could have Jellybean on it?

[BaaBaa.]

Baa Baa, can you be more specific about how to "root" a phone etc.
I have a Galaxy S2. Are you saying I could have Jellybean on it?

You can have Jellybean when Google release the source code and the Devs port it. 3 weeks at the most imho.

The best forum is XDA Developers, the most recognised rom is Cyanogenmod9 and to root, just Google Chainfire root, it's unbelievably simple but read it 5 times over before you go for it.

[BaaBaa.]

Once you've rooted I'll help you out with more info. It's really simple and the S2 is almost unbrickable, once you've done the Chainfire root you're sorted and don't worry about the big yellow triangle you see when you boot your phone, there's an app that gets rid of it when you're running an ics rom.

[Super Joe]

I've never really given this rooting lark much thought but if it's really that easy then why not, but what's the main difference we'll see BaaBaa? is it just speed and battery life cos you can out the dross? Does the UI remain the same if you wanted it too, or is it all change for the everyday funkshuns?


New Apps I've discovered recently:
1) 'Google Gesture' ... too cool and simple, great way to get to them annoying places in the phone like WiFi, hotspot, bluetooth and the like without clogging up the homescreen with buttons.

2) 'Touch my life' and others like it. Once you've downloaded the app to someone's phone you text a command, they see some ad or system message instead... while it has woken up the phone and started video recording, audio recording, taken a pic or whatever and emailed it to whatever email you put in the text. Commands include downloading the call/sms list, any pics they recently took, their whole address book, adding a contact to their phone and even sms'ing it whatever u want. You can even start playing their music.
The snidest bit is you can make their next phone call the trigger point to start the audio recording

SJ

[BaaBaa.]

I've never really given this rooting lark much thought but if it's really that easy then why not, but what's the main difference we'll see BaaBaa? is it just speed and battery life cos you can out the dross? Does the UI remain the same if you wanted it too, or is it all change for the everyday funkshuns?

All Rooting will initially do is give you "Root access" which means you can delete whatever you want and it will add apps, Clockwork Mod Rom Manager and Super User.

You don't have to change roms but I would, the "Vanilla Android" is far superior to Samsungs effort.

Once you've rooted you download Titanium Backup from the Market and back up all your Apps and Data, Synch all your Contacts etc to Google, then put your phone in recovery (Hold Volume up + Home Button + Power Button) and save a back up of your current Rom to your Phone in case anything goes pearshaped. (known as a Nandroid backup)

Now you can download a new rom as a zip from XDA (I recommend Cyanagonmod9) directly onto your phone and install from the recovery mode.

Read, read, read before you do anything.

Cyanogenmod10 (Jellybean) is in alpha on the Note so you should have it in a few weeks, as opposed to probably 8 months if you wait for Samsung.

Here is the the Rom I use, Paranoid Android (a version of Cyanogen), you can change seperate apps to run in Tablet mode.

BEWARE CRAP MUSIC!!!