Android phones, apps and tablets

I get home and find a shiny silver Special Delivery bag waiting for me, rip it open to find that at least one of T-Mobile's sales staff cannot differentiate between two similarly named products. :(

Order T-Mobile G2 Touch
Get HTC Touch 2

And a week to get it turned around with return of this handset and receipt and sending the correct one.

FML

Update, posted it back to T-Mobile using the Special Delivery envelope they sent me and the fucker wasn't even prepaid!! Had to pay to return a phone I didn't order! And had to wait for an envelope I didn't need for the privilege!

FML

Fring IM available on Android now..
http://www.intomobile.com/2009/11/20/fring-goes-android.html

And as of yesterday, Fring brings videocalling to Nokias, shouldn't take long to be on Android devices I believe.

Also, LG are finally getting with the program, and are to be releasing 2 Android phones. I've liked LG phones, but their proprietry OS left me cold, as there were hardly any programs written for them. A high-spec LG Android phone looks to be a good thing.

Lastly, Comangi Web Station, is bringing Android to a midi-device. It was only a matter of time really.

EDIT:
Gameloft abandons Android development!

And within 24hrs....

Gameloft back in Android development! (best Android flounce ever).

I put dolphin browser on my phone yesterday,
kinda like firefox for the phone much better than the standard browser.

good app = Task Manager Premium. 99p and a super easy UI to kill apps running in the back ground etc. save power. nice.

Another train app..
http://www.androlib.com/android.application.uk-com-android-nationalrail-jnAi.aspx

My Hero's been playing up, so I'm on my second handset and that doesn't work properly either... Can't get a reliable 3G signal, connection drops out for no reason... Live and work in excellent reception areas so that shouldn't be a problem... T-Mobile on the other hand are complete cunts... Jury's out on Android from where I'm sitting, would be a great phone if it actually worked...
Or it could be I've just got a dodgy SIM... Any feedback from other Hero peeps?

I've had other HTC phones with shit 3G connectivity. Never sure whether to blame T-Mobile or HTC... My G1 has been good, though.

I've found reception to be rather crap, thought it was just because I switched to 02 but i've been sitting with friends in places had no reception but there shitty iphones and had full bars and internet working fine.
It's more standard reception i've had problems with though,
when ive had reception and no internet i've found others have had the same issue.
3 others at work have the same phone though and had no complaints
my boss used to switch between 3 phones all the time (nokia,iphone,motorolla) he has used the htc no stop for 3 weeks now which is seriously amazing.

My Hero's been playing up, so I'm on my second handset and that doesn't work properly either... Can't get a reliable 3G signal, connection drops out for no reason... Live and work in excellent reception areas so that shouldn't be a problem... T-Mobile on the other hand are complete cunts... Jury's out on Android from where I'm sitting, would be a great phone if it actually worked...
Or it could be I've just got a dodgy SIM... Any feedback from other Hero peeps?

3G on orange and had waaaay better reception than my old regular phone. waaaaaaaay better. never had No Service etc yet on the Hero/Orange

Orange is what I switched from because i was on payg rather than contract,
I think i regret the decision.
02 doesn't support MMS either for the hero which i found out afterwards.
so that means nOOdz only come through small....

3G on orange and had waaaay better reception than my old regular phone. waaaaaaaay better. never had No Service etc yet on the Hero/Orange

doh!

i recommend folk like teenslain downloads a 2G/3G switch app and drops it on the hero's home screen. i use mostly 2G networks to save power, but a simple button press and i switch to 3G for when i'm out and need a map/site etc.

oh yeah, and my old phone was on orange too, and had THE WORLDS WORST RECEPTION. i only stayed with orange/took the punt on 3G cos they gave me a dealio.

I couldn't justify a whole new thread, just for a phone with a new(ish) OS, so I'm sticking it in here.

The ELSE is pretty marvellous. Its got a bespoke new Linux as it's OS, as does Nokia with the Maemo OS...which in turn is based on Debian [Linux].

Honestly, I think the ELSE looks magnificent. The Nokia N900 (with Maemo OS) also is raising the bar for Android phone and technology. In fact, the 256MB flash memory that is the limit for Android apps, will have to be addressed quickly. That the iPhone batters this limit out of sight, is a cause for embarassment.

In fact, depending on how far Maemo and ELSE have moved away from the core linux kernel, there may be 100's of programs already for Maemo, and maybe to a lesser extent, for ELSE. These are not just apps, but true hardcore software, with little to no limitiations.

Technically, Android should be capable of importing modified linux software, but the RAM restriction kills that pretty dead. So, it will have to make do with apps written specifically for it. I think by halfway through 2010, Google will have found a solution for the problem. And that will be enticing for new owners, and app developers - more space on the phone, means bigger apps, or the possibility of more apps downloaded.....and profits related to that.

anyone wanna trade their iphone for one of these magic androids :)

http://www.londonfgss.com/thread34012.html

Ugly phone, great deal!

have installed and tested fring on my dext....

works well, with less lag than on my previous wm (tytn2) phone....

unfortunately you cannot set it to wifi only......

more testing with Fring....it is the first VOIP for android I believe...

As well as voice calls to skype users over wifi, I've now tested calls to UK landlines over wifi and SIP (Gizmo5), which worked OK, some lag and some echo, but with call rates of 1c a minute to US landlines and mobiles, probably worth it!

I'm gonna have to give up on my Hero... Brilliant in wi-fi mode but T-Mobile's network just doesn't cut it, it's absolutely atrocious... Waaaaaaaay tooooooo sloooooooow...

Is the HD2 still Android or is that totally Windows, it looks identical to the Hero's GUI? Tempted to jump networks and get the HD2 Pro... I'm with horatio, proper keyboard is better than touch-screen only...

windows mobile,
person i know that went to that after the hero loved it.

My hero landed 6inchs away from going for a swim in the canal last night.
i think i woul have actually cried

I'm gonna have to give up on my Hero... Brilliant in wi-fi mode but T-Mobile's network just doesn't cut it, it's absolutely atrocious... Waaaaaaaay tooooooo sloooooooow...

Is the HD2 still Android or is that totally Windows, it looks identical to the Hero's GUI? Tempted to jump networks and get the HD2 Pro... I'm with horatio, proper keyboard is better than touch-screen only...

I'm gonna have to give up on my Hero... Brilliant in wi-fi mode but T-Mobile's network just doesn't cut it, it's absolutely atrocious... Waaaaaaaay tooooooo sloooooooow...

Is the HD2 still Android or is that totally Windows, it looks identical to the Hero's GUI? Tempted to jump networks and get the HD2 Pro... I'm with horatio, proper keyboard is better than touch-screen only...

Well they (T-Mobile) were formally One to None so no surprise there...

Jump ship and they will sting your ass if you are locked in to a contract.

Vodafone....

In fact, the 256MB flash memory that is the limit for Android apps, will have to be addressed quickly. That the iPhone batters this limit out of sight, is a cause for embarassment.

Horse Shit Article ^..
http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/data/data-storage.html

The application storage space is plenty since apps are small. It's the data files (sounds, graphics, video) that are large and are stored on the SD card. Complete misinformed iClone fanboy shit talking article. If you are really worried buy a Samsung with 8gb internal and 32gb external SD.

http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid/18498-apps-live-256m-internal-memory-only-your-thoughts.html
http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid/16394-droid-only-allows-256mb-apps.html
http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid/16204-breaking-256mb-app-limit-issues.html

I couldn't justify a whole new thread, just for a phone with a new(ish) OS, so I'm sticking it in here.

The ELSE is pretty marvellous. Its got a bespoke new Linux as it's OS, as does Nokia with the Maemo OS...which in turn is based on Debian [Linux].

Honestly, I think the ELSE looks magnificent. The Nokia N900 (with Maemo OS) also is raising the bar for Android phone and technology. In fact, the 256MB flash memory that is the limit for Android apps, will have to be addressed quickly. That the iPhone batters this limit out of sight, is a cause for embarassment.

i had a hands-on with the ELSE a few weeks ago. The UI is pretty scifi and looks good, but there's no application story (ie no SDK for third-party developers), they haven't announced deals with any carriers, and I wouldn't get too excited until it's actually on the market. It's all very tightly managed by the manufacturer - it's really about delivering a 'smartphone-like' experience but in a managed sense - they pick the apps and services and integrate them deeply into the phone OS. Just because it uses a Linux kernel and telephony stack doesn't mean it's fully open to third-party development.

That said, it already appears to be running really well on the hardware prototype, unlike some other recent demoes i've seen. It's a good effort from what amounts to a start-up company, but it's not going to change anything.

In fact, depending on how far Maemo and ELSE have moved away from the core linux kernel, there may be 100's of programs already for Maemo, and maybe to a lesser extent, for ELSE. These are not just apps, but true hardcore software, with little to no limitiations.

False. There are some apps for Maemo which have been made by its small but enthusiastic community, and porting Linux apps to Maemo gives developers a head start, but there is still a significant amount of work required to make it happen. There is heaps of UI stuff and platform-specific APIs that need to be worked in.

As for ELSE - see above: there is no SDK and therefore no third-party app development yet.

Technically, Android should be capable of importing modified linux software, but the RAM restriction kills that pretty dead. So, it will have to make do with apps written specifically for it. I think by halfway through 2010, Google will have found a solution for the problem. And that will be enticing for new owners, and app developers - more space on the phone, means bigger apps, or the possibility of more apps downloaded.....and profits related to that.

Android is designed specifically to prevent this: the OS gives developers fuck all access to the underlying Linux assets. It's nothing to do with the RAM restrictions. Android apps are written in Dalvik, which is a modified version of Java, and operate in a sort of sandbox, where the Android OS provides APIs that let developers interact with device functions without exposing the Linux kernel. You might be able to install an alternative Linux-based OS on an Android phone (lots of phones use a similar basic hardware platform), if you're a 1337 hacker, but if you're booting into Android you can't and will never be able to run Linux apps, no matter how much they're modified.

There is a small amount of native APIs that Google has released, but this is a different thing and intended for only very limited circumstances.

Just because a handset runs on a modified Linux kernel DOES NOT mean that it can run mobile Linux applications.

Where is Andyp?

Well they (T-Mobile) were formally One to None so no surprise there...

Jump ship and they will sting your ass if you are locked in to a contract.

Vodafone....

Still in my cooling-off-period... All good... Agreed, shit network but been OK up to now...
And the Vodafone network is AWFUL IME....

Updated GalaxHero custom ROM and updated Recovery Image .43 now out..
[ame="http://forum.hdblog.it/showthread.php?p=33777"]SAMSUNG Galaxy ROMS: GALAXHERO FINAL VERSION V1.1 - HDblog - Forum[/ame]
[ame="http://forum.hdblog.it/showthread.php?t=3995"]UPDATE 24/11 - V4.3! - ROOT/RECOVERY IMAGE update, wipe, backup and restore GALAXY - HDblog - Forum[/ame]

Lightweight Galaxo ROM updated to 1.1.1 too..
[ame="http://forum.hdblog.it/showthread.php?t=5446"][English] Samsung Galaxy ROM : Galaxo V1.1 - HDblog - Forum[/ame]

• VNC server on port 5901 (can be activated in GalaxoConf). Very slow, but works with keyboard. (F2 = return, HOME=home). Keyboard work only with a patched kernel.
  
• Fixed Superuser whitelist by Pegasus21 & Drakaz
  
• Full SSHD support, with /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow ect. Also support SCP. Can be activated in GalaxoConf. (To change root password : adb shell remountrw, adb shell passwd)
  
• Sms/Mms patch to choose after how many sms the message must be converted to an mms (Thanks to ieftm for this advice)
  
• Fixed unlock alarm clock
  
• Add an option on AdvancedLauncher to activate/deactivate haptic
  
• News sysctl tweak from experts on XDA
  
• Home app is now locked in memory to avoid reloading of it
  
• 2 kernel can be applied after the rom update : one with keyboard patch for VNC + mem patch (provide 9mo extra memory for system, but remove 3D), and the other with only keyboard patch for VNC. kam187 & drakaz. DO NOT FLASH THOSE BOOT IMAGE BEFORE FIRST START (if you do, setupwizard block on keyboard opening)
  
• Remove all third party app
  
• Remove all samsung apps (except switcher)
  
• Disable some services (NPS service, debug devel binary)
  
• New very light and optimised kernel (remove all extra functionnality except bfs, compcache and iptable)
  
• Remove squashfs image
  
• Mount rw device with noatime option
  

I'm gonna send my Hero back tomorrow... Problem is I'm really attached to it, it's fucking awesome when it works properly... Boo... Hiss... :[