text:
Free movies on Youtube on Android
When I use Youtube on my computer, they have a stack of older movies available for free, in the Movie section.  (Ghostbusters for example!  Who ya gonna call?)
To be clear, they still had the rentals, but they had a way to filter or search for free ones as well.
When using the Youtube app on my Android 3.2.1 ASUS Eee Transformer tablet, I cannot find this manner of filtering Youtube in the Youtube app.
Is this a limitation?

I do see what you are talking about. In my YouTube app (ICS version) I can see several categories under "Browse", where it seems movies would fit in, but this category is non-existent. I do know that there are many videos on YouTube that are "Not available for viewing on mobile devices", and I think this is what's happening in this case.
For example, "Talladega Nights" is currently available under the YouTube movie section, but cannot be found in doing a search on the mobile app.
It looks like this is a desktop only feature for now :/

It appears that the "view free movies only" functionality has not been added to either the youtube app nor the mobile version of the site.
Presumably this will be added at some future date, but until then, a workaround (which works for me in Canada, at least from brief testing (I was able to open and start watching Final Fantasy : The Spirits within)) would be to do the following:

Open youtube.com/movies in your device browser.
Hit the "desktop" link at the bottom-left.
Open the free section as normal and find the movie you want.
When you hit the watch now button, select to open in the youtube app rather than in browser.

If at some point in those steps it just jumps on its own to the youtube app, you'll need to go into settings->applications->youtube and clear the "launch by default" setting for the app.

The Youtube app does not provide these free movies.  I believe the only movies Google provides is in their Play Store; obvious not free options.

Depending on your country there are free full length movies on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/movies


text:
Tablet Market: How to know if a game supports tablet size?
I'm shopping the android market on my tablet (TF Prime) but can't seem to find anywhere if an app/game support tablet size.
I don't want to spend money on a game that is zoomed so much that I can count the pixels =)
How to tell if an app in the market supports tablet size?

A new site purports to filter the Play Store to just show apps specifically for tablets: http://droidhorizon.com/tablified-market-hd/

One way is to ask the developer via the contact information provided in the application's Google Play page.
Where an application or game has a free- or paid-version, you could just try the free version.  Unless it's stated in the description that the paid version actually supports higher resolutions, it's usually a safe assumption that if the free version looks a certain way, the paid version will look similar.
A final way is to simply buy the application and try it within the 15 minute refund period.  If you're not pleased with the way the application or game is formatted for your screen, simply refund it.  Keep in mind, though, that you're only allowed to refund an app once.  If you re-install it after refunding, you will no longer have the option to refund and will be billed immediately.

Thanks, I like the refund option. I didn't know I could refund an app within 15 minutes. This way I can just try it out and see if it works well.

While not universally accurate, the easiest way to tell is to find apps with "HD" in the title; this is almost universally meant to mean "tablet optimized". This is most commonly done with games.
Hopefully in the future the market is sorted better and apps are developed better for tablets, but there currently is no sorting/filtering option or easy way to check if something is tablet optimized or not.
The Amazon App store is also a good place to look; all those apps are vetted to work well on the 7 inch Kindle Fire. Not the same size as the TF Prime but you can be sure they're not only designed for phones.

Thanks, I like the HD mark. I think it's a big design flaw of the market to not have filtering options for tablet sizes or support. Let's hope they will add it. For now I'm a bit wiser.

@Maurice it really is, unfortunately; it's something iOS does much better. Hopefully the ICS design documents will help make sure new apps start all being compatible with tablet and phone...but for now it's simply not the case.

Unfortunately at the moment is not possible filter the market by device resolution and maybe it will be never done, because Google does not test all apps and it relies on what publisher says. In addition could be not only a problem of resolution, sometimes the Tegra 2/3 chips are not still well supported by apps developer, or the problem could be related to ICS too.
I have an Asus Transformer (1280x800) and here are the rules that I try to follow before spending money on market:

As already suggested, if there is a FREE version of an app I try it first to check if is fully compatible with my tablet;
I always read the recent changelog to see if there are fixes especially targeted to ICS or Tablets/HD devices;
I check the User Reviews through Google Play website, so I can use my device filter to check reviews related to it:

In addition, if I look for tablets-ready apps, I check the page Featured Android Apps for Tablets;
You can do similar research through website dedicated to app reviews that support tablet filtering (like, for example, AndroidTapp)

Hope it helps!

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


text:
How to create a custom boot animation?
How to create a custom boot animation for my Android device?
My device is an HTC HD2 with Cyanogen Mod 7 installed.

The process for this is very device-specific.  Please add what device you have to the question.

@Matthew Sorry, I thought it was more or less standard. I updated my question.

A boot animation is a series of images (frames) in a folders (parts). There is a text file (desc.txt) that defines the parts, the frame rate, and how many times it loops.
A desc.txt looks like this:
480 427 30
p 1 0 part0
p 0 10 part1

The first like is the height and width, then the number of frames per second
the next 2 lines define the parts that will "play".
the "p" indicates the line is a "part"
the next digit is the number of times to repeat, 0 = infinite
next is the pause, this is the delay before it starts the next "part" (or frame if looping) after the last frame in the part completes.
finally, is the name of the part (the folder name where the frames are)
inside each part your png images will "play" in order, so what ever you name them, just make sure they are ordered how you want them to "play". For example, frame001.png, frame002.png. I added the extra 0's because if i have more then 10 frames, the order may be mixed up.
The boot animation is then put in a zip archive with "store" compression, with desc.txt at the root of the archive.
The file is named bootanimation.zip, and placed in /system/media/ (you need to remount as rw) or you can place it in /data/local on some devices (should work on CM7).
When the boot animation is in /data/local, it will take precedence over /system/media, this way the "default" can stay on the device unharmed.

You're not the first to tell it should be PNG images, but when I look at my bootanimation.zip file on CM9, it contains JPG images. This is way sub-optimal, as compression alters quality image drastically, but anyway, at least it is good to know that JPG is an option...

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/

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text:
Can't create files on Galaxy SIII via USB
I just got a Samsung Galaxy SIII and connected it to a Windows 7 PC. I installed the Samsung Andorid (sic) USB drivers for Windows too.
When I connect the phone, I get the typical popup asking me whether I want to view the files. I do, and Windows Explorer lets me view the contents of the (emulated) SD card.
I can create folders there, but I can't create any files. What gives? How can I create files on the phone then?

Via adb I can see that there are no write permissions for other users:
ls -la
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-06-10 09:47 .downloadTemp
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-14 16:32 .face
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-06-05 15:53 .thumbnails
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:12 Alarms
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:12 Android
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:13 Application
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-14 16:30 DCIM
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:12 Documents
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-06-10 09:47 Download
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:12 Movies
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:12 Music
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:38 Nearby
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:12 Notifications
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:12 Pictures
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:33 Playlists
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:12 Podcasts
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:13 Ringtones
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2014-03-09 23:10 Samsung

I've also tried to restart Windows, install the drivers from here, and still no dice.

Have you tried transferring via Kies?

We'd prefer not to have to install third party software to make a simple file transfer possible, especially of the Kies sort. Maybe if there was something more lightweight, but I'm wondering why that wouldn't be possible out of the box? I remember my old Android phones with an SD card allowed me to just write files on it.

Kies is Samsung's own software, so it isn't 3rd party (from the point of view of the phone, but I know what you mean). You SHOULD be able to copy as per normal, I see no reason that you couldn't, but Kies might be a work around or at least narrow the issue down.

authors: สุชาติ พรหมจารี


text:
Is there a calendar that I can sync with my phone, without using Google?
My Google calendar is getting messed up big time. Birth dates are multiplying on my Android phone. Even the dates are changing.
I want a calendar on my PC that I can sync with my Android phone, without using Google. Is this even possible?

Have you tried resolving the multiplying birth dates? Or the date-changing that's going on?

The table at http://www.syncdroid.net/ is quite comprehensive. If you have Outlook, there are ways to sync your calendar with your device. Always list your device and OS - it helps.


text:
How can I edit Office documents on an Android tablet and keep compatibility?
In our office, there's a new Eee Pad Transformer. It was supposed to replace a netbook for giving presentations and editing Microsoft Office documents on the go (e.g. Word, PowerPoint, Excel).
There have been some issues:

The office solutions they currently tried can only read Microsoft Office files (like Documents To Go)
Polaris Office with write support produce Microsoft Office files that fail to open in Office 2007 Claim by the owner of the device, I can't try it.

The questions are:

Is there any way to produce PDF files from such documents? This would at least make it possible to just export presentations to PDF in order to share them.
Is there a (preferably free) office solution that guarantees compatibility with Office 2007/2010?
Any other workarounds?

Don't ask how to accomplish your self made-up workaround, ask how to solve the problem instead. This will most likely result in better answers.

@Flow I know what you mean, and generally I also advise others to do so, but I can't currently tackle the writing/compatibility thing, and there is a need for PDF writing anyway.

I have MobiSystems OfficeSuite 5 for my Android (phone, not tablet though).  But I have never had any problems editing files, saving them and then opening them in Office 2007 & 2010.  It does not have a save as PDF, but it does let you save in either .doc or .docx formats for word, xls & xlsx for Excel, and .ppt & pptx for Powerpoint

Have you considered uploading the documents to Google Docs and using the Android Google docs app in the tablet?
We use this system to allow mobile devices to access shared documents and work pretty well. I you combine this with Google Cloud connect you can edit the documents directly from Office when you are at the office or from Google Docs when you are away.

If there's nothing better, Adobe has a free-to-use (except your doc't goes to their site: slight privacy risk) conversion web app; see their main site..


text:
How do I share my wifi with my ipod or netbook
If my home network is down or if I am traveling, how do I use my phone to access the internet. Basically how would I tether it to my other devices.

Could you indicate which handset you are using? Some have had that feature crippled

If you have Android 2.2, the functionality is built in so there usually is no need to install a separate app. Just go to: Settings > Wireless & networks > Tethering & portable hotspot.
However, depending on your phone, it is possible that your carrier has locked down this functionality. If this is the case, you can either root your phone and install a clean Android 2.2 such as Cyanogenmod, or you can call your carrier and pay their fee to enable it.

Unless you are paying for the service from your carrier, you can root your phone and install a tethering app from here. If you would rather not root your phone, you could go with PdaNet from the Market.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/


text:
What is the "Launcher" application and why are there alternative apps?
Several questions have mentioned launcher.  What is it responsible for, and what kinds of features do the alternative apps in the Market provide that the basic android launcher doesn't?

Launcher is a replacement for the Home application (the app that your phone switches to when you press the Home button).  It is basically the application that lets you switch screens, launch apps, view widgets, etc.  Other apps offer more home screens than the default, or different toolbars at the bottom of the screen offering different ways to quickly launch applications.  These were very popular with the initial Moto Droid since it was basically the stock Android 2.0 OS which only had 3 home screens.  With Android 2.2 and the custom interfaces that handset manufacturers add on, the usefulness of these launcher apps may not be so obvious or necessary.


text:
How can I change the voice used for the Navigation app on Android?
I love the Navigation app on Android. The voice it uses is fine, but I'd like a little variety. I'd settle for it using the British voice that's available on the phone. However, I've changed the Text-to-speech setting on the phone for language to British, but it hasn't changed the voice used by Navigation. There is not a setting in Navigation for the voice. Assuming it uses the "locale" setting, my only options on the Droid are "English" or "Español".
Am I stuck? Does this require root?
In case it matters, I'm still currently on Android 2.2.

please let there more that want this!

This is apparently not possible with Android 2.2 on Motorola Droid.

You should suggest it at if it doesn't already exist: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/list


text:
How can I restore my app data if I manually pulled it out before resetting and reinstalling my phone?
Yesterday I was stuck in this awkward situation where my Moto G with Cyanogenmod 12.1 got stuck in the boot animation after recent restart. It was working fine for a month or two before that.
Based on my limited knowledge and friend's suggestion I decided that simply factory resetting and reinstalling the OS through the custom recovery will work fine and keep my media as well (and it did). The thing is I really wanted to keep some of my app data but backup feature through adb wouldn't work because as I understood you need to confirm it on your phone which was bricked at the time.
I then pulled the data folder with all the app data into my pc and proceeded.
The thing is I have no idea how to restore it now, I could have screwed up somewhere. Pasting what I saved up back into my phone won't do anything.
How can I restore my app data now?

Could you give a few more details on your "pasting back" process? What files and folders did you put where, how did you do that? Picking an "easy example" would help. Hint: I'd recommend "pasting back" while the device is booted into recovery. Also make sure owner and permissions match (files/folders must be owned by the corresponding app with r/w for the owner and the group at least r, often also r/w). If you "pulled" the data to a Windows PC, all permission info is probably lost (unless you archived it before on the device using e.g. tar).


text:
How can I lockdown an android phone?
I'm looking for a way to help lockdown an Android phone.  I want to be able to configure a phone so that only certain users can make calls/send messages to specific contacts.  It should also only allow access to specific applications, and disallow (un)installation of applications.
Is there any way to do this with Android?

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! Please note that recommendations like Is there an app for X are off-topic here (see the FAQ for details). For where your question might fit better, you might want to look into Where can I ask questions that aren't Android Enthusiast questions? (or search Google Play for "app locker" :)

See also: Double Security for Gmail / Is there an application / ROM that allows me to set the phone to “Guest” mode which I can configure? / Child-proofing an Android phone? / How to mod android rom so none can ever install an app in it? / Disable or lock Google Play on my android phone

Seems to be a question about a problem rather than an app request. However it's almost certainly a duplicate.

Perhaps, this has the answer: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/25149/child-proofing-an-android-phone/25150#25150


text:
My SD card was removed unexpectedly and won't work anywhere no
I bought a 32gb SD card for my Galaxy Mini long ago. It's never been removed from the phone. But yesterday my phone removed my SD card. I don't know why it happened. I tried to remove the SD and put it back, turn off/on phone, but nothing worked. Tried to put it in to another phone. Nothing. Then tried to put it into a laptop and it says "The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error".
Please help, it has really important files inside.

See also: Is SD Card Damaged

Try the following: switch off the phone, remove the card, stick it into a windows computer. It will most probably pop up a window with the message that the card is corrupt, and ask: "do you want to format it?" refuse the formatting. Open "your computer", check if the card is visible as removable medium. It likely is, even if the card is corrupt. If it is, copy the data of the card, format it (the card is corrupted after all), and copy the data back. I had that twice now.

The problem is that when i try to open sd card on laptop its says" I/O error'. I need to fix this i guess and save the data inside somehow

Actually your question is similar to this question. Maybe the answers there can help.


text:
How can I know that my Galaxy's camera and microphone is not being accessed without my knowledge?
A few months back I installed a few apps straight from the internet. One was an ability to run Ruby scripts on my phone, the other was Grooveshark. Both times, an Jellybean 4.2 flagged up a warning saying these programs have the potential to access my camera and microphone, but I ignored them.
Now I'm getting a bit paranoid. With the macbok pro, when the camera is accessed, a little green LED lights up. It's 'hard-wired', as even security programs (for when your macbook's stolen) can't take a photo without the LED lighting up. Luckily, the LED is brighter than your average laptop-theif, and it only lights up for a second, so no problem there.
But with an android you literally have no clue. I tested out the security program Cerberus, and it took videos of audio samples using my Galaxy without the phone giving a hint what was happening.
I've deleted Grooveshark (it's an abysmal app anyway), but I'm still worried about some other program from months ago recording me.

What was this app that you installed? If it's from a reputable source, then you can be sure it's not recording you after you've uninstalled it.

You can also check the permissions of the apps that you have installed to see if they even have access to the camera and microphone to begin with. Also, before you get paranoid, check the processes to see if your camera has in fact been running more than usual without you knowing.

Also check if the app has Internet permission.


text:
No internet access to Google apps on Android 4.3
So I installed 4.3 on my new Nexus 4 and I found out that I couldn't use the play store, gmail app and other Google apps. I tried clearing the cache but it was of no use. All other apps are working perfect and my internet connection seems okay too. Please help. Thanks!

OP, it was just recently announced and rolled out within the last 48 hours, it might be found on XDA? Question: How did you tried clearing the cache? Was that in custom recovery such as ClockworkMod Recovery/TWRP or was it stock recovery? Or another question for clarification - you installed 4.3 - implying you loaded it yes, and it was not OTA upgrade?

I seem to have a similar network connectivity issue. Did you find a working solution?

No, I think there is a misconfiguration in the hosts file, which can only be corrected by rooting. I tried rooting it but I failed. I think I'll wait for the new version of Nexus Root toolkit before giving up and reverting to 4.2.2

Fixed. I rooted my phone, installed Hosts Editor and deleted an entry which was of Google. All my Google apps work!

I had the same issue with the .zip version of the OTA I found on XDA. What worked for me was removing the google account from settings and re adding it.

Upgrade to 4.3 one more time from official 4.3 .zip. I had the same and that helped me.


text:
Corrupt album art
One of my albums has a corrupt album art and I can do nothing to fix it. The cover is stored as a file named folder.jpg in the audio files' folder. The picture looks fine when I open it with any picture viewer on my computer. But on my Android device it looks like a plain gray box with only a small part of the upper-left corner showing the actual picture.
I've deleted this picture and replaced it with a higher res one I found on the Internet (totally different source). The album art is still corrupt. I've deleted the album (audio + jpg files), rebooted the device, and copied it back. The album art is still corrupt. I've deleted any embedded album art in the MP3 files' tags using foobar2000 and MP3Tag. The album art is still corrupt. I've cleared the data of the "Media storage" app and rebooted the device. The album art is still corrupt. I don't know what I still can do.
The audio playing apps I've been using include Winamp, Songbird, Google Play Music and Shuttle Music Player. Each of them showed the corrupt album art the same way.
I'm using Android ICS on an HTC One V.

I had a similar problem, the solution was to use a file explorer to remove the cached image from:
/Android/data/com.android.providers.media/albumthumbs/

The problem might not be with your album art, but with your mp3 file. You can try replacing the current album art if any, using a software like Windows Media Player ("WMP") through your computer. All you have to do is to locate the mp3 from your WMP, right click on the current album art and paste a picture. (More info)
Also you can make your stock music app to update music data as well. More info is available on HTC support website.
Then you can paste the audio file using a different name and a in different location. This might do the trick. Or you can use another apps to update your album info.

I did what you suggested and embedded the album art in the files, then deleted the folder.jpg file. Now some apps see the right cover art, but others continue to use the corrupted one which must be cached somewhere... I've even changed the album's folder name to make it seem like different files.

For the apps that do not still use the correct image, clear the cache and restart the phone. You can always use the walkman app as suggested above.

@Cutter How did it go?

Thanks for asking. :) I've installed the Walkman app, Album Art Grabber, and AudioTagger. The Walkman app couldn't edit the tags for some reason (the "Edit song info" menu item is grayed out). I've removed then replaced the album art using the two other apps, cleared the "Media Storage" AND my music player's data, and rebooted, but it didn't change anything. The two latter apps see the correct album art by the way. Only the audio players see the corrupt ones. I absolutely don't see what I can try next to get rid of this corrupt album art now.


text:
How do I get Android kitkat 4.4?
I have Android 4.3 jelly bean on my Nexus 7. How do I get Kitkat?
I have tried exploring the Android website. I have also found some tutorials out there like this one - http://www.ibtimes.com/android-44-kitkat-update-how-manually-update-nexus-7-latest-android-firmware-tutorial-1469800
but they seem to require taking steps that are quite low-level. I don't think a consumer like me is supposed to delve into such a low-level ...

This is really just if you want to do the upgrade manually, now. Google's own devices (the Nexus range) have always received the latest OS versions sooner or later over the air (called "OTA").
Actually, they've started seeding it now, according to Team Android on an article published November 15th:

The new WiFi version Nexus 7 2013 can now be updated to Android 4.4 KRT16O KitKat OTA software update. The official Android 4.4 KitKat has just begun rolling out to users starting today and Google will be pushing out this firmware update to everyone in the coming days.


text:
Would Apple EarPods work on my Android phone?
Apple just launched the iPhone 5; together with that they landed new earphones they call 'EarPods'. I have an HTC Desire HD Android-based phone. It has a 3,5mm jack just as the iPhone. Would the earphones and microphone of the EarPods work on my phone as well? Having good quality earbuds that stick in my ear sounds attractive to me.
I do not care about the controls per se, and I'm pretty sure the sound will also work, but I'm not sure about the microphone. Also, how much of the improved sound and noise reduction is implemented in the software?

Doubt it would work as that is a proprietary connector, and also, the ground and volt is reversed on the apple connector (don't ask me why!)

The mic works only if I hold the volume up remote button on my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. Volume up and down doesn't work.

Firstly because they use the 3.5mm standard they will transmit sound to Android just as you would expect on the iPhone. All the controls work fine with the exception of the volume up and down. The microphone works currently on Android as well.
Source:
http://www.androidcentral.com/earpods-ear-holes-android

There are four things in Apple EarPod

Speakers
Microphone
Play/Pause Button
Volume Up/Down Buttons

for speaker and microphone
Apple EarPod supports Universal Head-Phone config.
Should work with: HTC, Samsung, LG, Most low-brand phones, some Motorola and some Sony, Audio Players.
Microphone and even speaker will work sometimes, but not well, with: Nokia, Most Sony,  Most Motorola.
for play/pause button
This works for most headsets.
for Volume Up/Down buttons
This is very, very specific and you'll have to do some research on sites like pinouts.ru. People on the Apple store say volume button works well with HTC Wildfire, but I'm not sure.

Nice answer, but I think the link to www.pinout.ru is not the correct one.

Any other than pinout.ru ?

The first link is dead.

Please see the comment by @t0mm13b .
I've tried EarPod with couple of Samsung android phones. The sound works fine as expected. But the mic doesn't work and only gives a constant noise when tried to record audio. Also play, pause, vol. up, vol. down controls are not working with android phones.
If you need only its amazing sound quality (for $29), go for it.
The speakers work in correct volume when the impedance matches with the device out. Most phones are having ~32 ohms output impedance.
Technical specifications:
Frequency Response: 5 Hz - 21 kHz
Sensitivity: 109 dB/mW
Impedance: 23 ohms

#How to convert Iphone 3.5mm pin to standartd Samsung/Nokia 3.5mm pin?#
Update: Apple EarPods' mic works fine in recent android phones.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Why does Android disable HSDPA/EDGE communication while calling?
My ISP currently has a severe outage, which is why I'm tethering my Android phone and a MacBook over WiFi. The Android phone is a HTC Desire GSM running Cyanogen 7. I have a stable HSDPA/EDGE connection.
Now, as this is my only phone, it rings from time to time. But whenever it does and I accept a call, the mobile data connection is lost or cancelled. Same for placing calls. Writing texts won't cancel the mobile data connection.
So, whenever I am on the phone, the internet connection goes dead.
Why is this? Is there any technical limitation that won't allow one to call and send/receive mobile data at the same time? If not, can you somehow trick Android into not cutting the connection?

What network are you on?

My carrier is "bob", which is a subdivision of A1 Telekom (warning, German page). They offer a basic GSM network with UMTS/HSDPA data, my phone occasionally switches to EDGE when reception gets worse.

Hmm, I can't find any info on whether they support DTM.

Most HSDPA / EDGE CDMA networks don't support data and voice at the same time.  CDMA Modern GSM networks (including 3G and HSDPA, but not EDGE) do, and LTE will, so I'm not sure why you're having this problem.
It's possible that Dual-Transfer Mode may not be enabled on your phone.  Alternatively, your network might not support it.  (Info on DTM.)

Okay, seems that's just how it is -- still: Do you happen to have a source? You know, [citation needed], I'd love to read about that!

This is backwards, isn't it?

@eldarerathis This is what I get for answering questions on my phone after I wake up :P I don't read things properly.  Yeah, CDMA's generally the one that doesn't support simultaneous voice/data.  Unfortunately I can't find any particularly reliable resources.

@slhck So I think this is wrong ... you should probably un-accept.

Hmm, well let's see, maybe somebody has the definite answer?

@Matthew: I can't find anything "official" about CDMA not supporting it, but here's AT&T stating UMTS/HSDPA supports simultaneous voice and data: http://developer.att.com/developer/forward.jsp?passedItemId=2400252

It all depends on who your mobile carrier is. I have AT&T and they allow one to surf and talk at the same time. This is because their networks are CDMA.
If you want to surf the web while you're talking on the phone it sounds like your only option right now is to change carriers.

Since Europe's never going to see CDMA, I guess there's no option to switch. There are US carriers that use GSM?

Well AT&T used to use GSM. I'm not sure if they still do in normal cell phones (non-smartphones), but a few years back my internet would be edge rather than the typical 3G or H+(4G) that shows on my smartphone.

Source? AT&T has always been GSM as far as I'm aware.

Close.  AT&T is W-CDMA which is based on UMTS, a GSM technology.  Source. I think the distinction is between technology sets and protocols ... CDMA protocols can be used on a non-CDMA network, if I'm understanding this correctly (no guarantees).

@Matthew Read this, it should be under network design. Is this what you're looking for?

@Matthew: That's correct. CDMA is just a protocol ("channel access method"), but it's used colloquially to refer to the implementation in the case of carriers like Sprint and Verizon, which is kind of confusing...

AT&T does not use CDMA2000 networking; they're GSM, with GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSPA+ for data.


text:
Cannot update to Lollipop on rooted Moto G 2nd Gen
I have rooted my device a few days back. Today I received Lollipop update for my Moto G 2nd gen. I downloaded the updates and clicked on install updates.
When I clicked on Install updates, it powered off my phone and then opened TWRP screen with all its options. I had no idea about what to do next so I just clicked on "Reboot". It rebooted my device and again due to Lollipop installation, got powered off again.
My device got in power off and TWRP screen loop. I rebooted my device a few times and then it displayed me the message that the "update was unsuccessful"
Now, when I check for updates, it shows me that my software is up to date. I still have KitKat on my device.
Please help me to upgrade my Android version from KitKat to Lollipop. Please also suggest what to do when I install updates and my device powers off and start with TWRP screen.

You can't get OTA updates while the phone is rooted.  What you need to do is un-root the phone, install the OTA update, then re-root the phone once you're done.
Also, OTA updates are best done using the stock recovery.

Thanks. I will try to do the same and post the result here.


text:
How can I not use the Facebook for HTC Sense on my HTC Incredible?
I'm trying to add my Facebook account instead of using Facebook for HTC Sense. However, when I go to Accounts & sync > Add account > Facebook, nothing happens. If I tap any other account, I get prompted for login information (or, if I'm already logged in, the ability to change settings or add a second account). I really dislike the Facebook for HTC Sense, so there's got to be a way to add my Facebook account without using Facebook for HTC Sense.


text:
Is there a better sync application for Windows than HTCSync?
I'm running HTCSync 3.0.5422 on Windows 7 Ultimate but I find it just a bit unreliable. One one PC, sometimes the application doesn't see my HTC Desire (bought as an unlocked SIM free unit) and on another computer it just won't connect/sync at all.
Is there an alternative?

What are you actually using it to sync? Are you syncing files to and from the SD card, or syncing Outlook Mail.Contacts/Calendar? Or something esle? Do you need to sync with a PC, or would syncing to the web be better?

I'm syncing files (mp3's, photos etc), my outlook contacts and calendar.

Given android phones just run as USB drive mode for syncing:
Just for music:

DoubleTwist
Media Monkey

All Media:

WinAmp*

Will also sync outlook contacts, files etc.

Missing Sync for Android*

*Syncs over Wi-fi

Thanks Gus...missing sync looks like the tool I'm after.

h/t to @mlevit for pointing out WinAmp in http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/321/

Missing Sync is not free. Not only is it not free, you can't even try the damn thing. You have to buy it and then try it. The price is no big deal (about 30 USD) but not being able to test the software to see if it can solve my problem means I refuse to buy it. Otherwise I would probably buy it if I could see that it works with my phone and Outlook. It really seems like a good piece of software.


text:
Gmail app: How can I view the email addresses?
In the gmail app, how can I view the actual email addresses an email has been sent to, rather than just the name. Sometimes the person in question has more than one email address and it would be useful to see which email address was used.
The only method I've come up with so far is to hit reply all and then scroll around the cc: field, but that is clunky, particularly if there are quite a few recipients. Any better options?
I am using Android 1.5 on a T-Mobile Pulse (aka Huawei U8220).

I can't find a way -- very annoying!

I don't see any other way on my Moto Droid/2.2-Froyo, either.

My Magic 32A with CM6 allows me to view the email address. I think you need the latest GMail app in order to do this.

The latest version of the Gmail app (it has not been released yet, but you can find a copy of a leaked official APK floating around somewhere) has this feature. It adds a "more details" link on every email header so you can see the actual email addresses used.
I'm not sure whether this version will work on 1.5 and up, as Google hasn't said anything yet. I know that part of their work in 2.2 was better separating the Google apps like Gmail from the rest of the platform, so that they could ship updates through the Market. So it's possible that this will only become available for 2.2.

I have Froyo (2.2), and it allows you to double-tap the Sender's line
If the email address is not in the contacts database, it shows you the address and asks you if you want to create an entry
If the address is in the email address, a set of icons appear (mail, text, IM, etc...) The Contacts icon takes you to the user info.
Not sure what happens if Contact has two emails, trying to setup test (will run tomorrow).


text:
How to tether an Android phone to a PC via Bluetooth?
When wifi connecting to the internet via an Android mobile, how can I get access to this internet connection over Bluetooth from my computer?

Related: Tethering options for the laptop and the phone / How can I share the internet connection of my HTC Wildfire ( Android 2.2 ) via Bluetooth or USB? / Android to Android Bluetooth Tether. For more, please see questions tagged bluetooth-tethering.

Under Settings, Network & Internet, Hotspot & tethering enable Bluetooth tethering. Then, if you haven't already, pair your computer with your phone and connect.

If you use Windows, you should be able to right-click the Bluetooth icon in your taskbar, and select the option to join an Bluetooth network (May be named different)


text:
What are ways of contracting malware/viruses on your Android phone?
I'd like to know so I can prevent it from happening.

Any application you download outside the Google Play Store ?

Downloading and installing an app that contains malware.

That is all. If you don't want malware on your phone, just don't install malware on your phone. That means:-

When you click install on Google Play (or another app store), check the permissions. If the app asks for permissions you weren't expecting, don't install it. It's commonplace for malware authors to upload fake apps that appear to be popular or trendy games or apps, but are in fact imitations that install or contain malware. Google is pretty good at taking them down these days, but they still appear for a while. Genuine software vendors are happy to explain why they need each permission they ask for, so if you're not sure, check if the app description has a plausible explanation, and/or contact the vendor.
If you're visiting a website and it unexpectedly downloads an APK (an Android app package), don't install it. Just delete the file.
Don't install apps from warez sites. There used to be a lot of 'reputable' warez on Windows, that actually were the software they claimed to be, but on Android most of the warez sites are just viruses with different names.
If you're not expecting to install apps from APK files you got elsewhere, go into the settings, in the Security section, and turn off installing APK files from Unknown sources. You can always turn it on again when you need to.

Apart from that, on Android you still need to apply the usual security precautions you'd take with websites and emails to avoid phishing attacks and scams. Check who the sender is, check what domain you're looking at or what domain the link points to. Even if a message appears to be from someone you know or an organisation you trust, it could be malware posing as them, so think about whether you'd expect them to send this message.


text:
Turn animated gif into WhatsApp sendable video
I'd like to convert a short gif-animation to a video so I can send it to a friend via WhatsApp. Do you know easy ways to accomplish that (e.g. codec etc.)? Best would be doing it on the device directly but I could do it as well on a computer.

You can use this online tool to convert it: http://www.giftovideo.com/
Regarding tools, you could use FFMPEG + ImageMagick, but it's kind of tricky finding the correct options. There is some instructions here. I tried but some of the cases didn't work.

As a side note regarding the online tool, at this exactly time, they seem to be facing some performance problem, for every time you try it, you're going to end up in a queue like forever.

Nowadays FFMPEG can do it without imagemagick: ffmpeg -i input.gif output.mp4

I've tested this on Android 5.0.1:

Install this app: Convert GIF to Video & Share
Open the app and select the GIF you want to convert.
Choose 3gpp video codec.
Tap the convert button.
Done. Now you can send the video through WhatsApp.

If you're happy with a solution that you can use on a PC, then SuperUser.com has this:
How do I convert an animated GIF to a YouTube friendly video format?
For an on-Android solution, none of the video coverters specifically mention this but as the ffmpeg library does support this (as seen in the SuperUser answer), apps like Video Converter Android or Media Converter and so on, being ffmpeg based, should be able to do it.

Just change the extension from .gif to .mp4 in your device and forward to anyone. Only thing is that  the recipient needs to open it in gallery to see the animation.

Doesn't work in my system. Can you detail the steps for this?


text:
Different album art for songs in the same album
The MediaStore provider on Android is really screwed up.
On Android it isn't possible to define different cover art for songs in the same Album. Especially for compilations and "Various Artists" Albums. This is annoying!
PlayerPro was able to use ID3 Cover-Art instead of the MediaStore cover art, but this doesn't work since it has been updated.
Same goes for most music players for android, as they always use the MediaStore Class on Android to get the cover, and not their own implementation to get the ID3 embedded cover art.
To work around this issue, I can tag the Album-Artist tag on all files with the same Album tag:
Artist      Title       Album   AlbumArtist CoverTag    Displayed Cover
Daft Punk   Get lucky   Singles Daft Punk   get lucky   get lucky
Deftones    Bored       Singles Deftones    bored       get lucky
Avicii      Levels      Singles Avicii      levels      levels
Avicii      Wake me up  Singles Avicii      wake me up  wake me up

This work around will correctly display different covers for each of those songs, all in the "Singles" album, BUT not for the two different songs by Avicii. It's because the Mediastore Class will allow different covers for different "AlbumArtists" on a single Album. Since the AlbumArtist tag for both Avicii songs are the same, it will only use one of the covers for all Avicii songs in the same album "Singles".
Solutions not preferred:

Weird tag changes
separate folders on the phone

Any solution for PlayerPro, on Android itself, or my system of tagging? Or is there a different player which can handle embedded cover art correctly?

What is Weird tag changes?

Sounds like this was bound to happen if you use the same album name for them all, and rely on the artist name to be unique. Why not put the single name in your album field, after that's what would be there if you had bought each song as a single rather than buying a compilation?

There are albums that have the same name. I use "Singles" for all songs in my collection that are released as a single. Another example is "The very best of" by Prince and by 5 other artists in my collection. They all use Prince's cover now. Which isn't preferred.


text:
Low on internal data storage - looks like the some apps use a lot!
So, looking at the Gmail, Twitter, and Facebook apps for example, the apps themselves only take up 3-4 MB each, but then the app data is like 10+ MB for each. Is that stored data the synced copies of my email inbox, or my twitter feed, or FB feed? And, if so, is there a way for me to limit how much of my phone's internal storage each app gets allocated?

There really isn't much control you can do over limiting storage.  Most likely the data is from the apps using local SQLite databases to store information their apps use.
You can pretty much only do these things:

Move the app to the SD card if you have Android 2.2
Clear the data cache every now and then (but it's going to grow again)

The Move to SD card button is grayed out for apps like Twitter and Gmail. :-\

Android's restrictions on what can and can't be moved to the SD card are, well, restrictive. Annoyingly so. In addition to background service use and other "advanced" app features that prevent moving to SD, it seems that any app that comes preinstalled can't be moved, even if you upgrade it from Market.

For limiting GMail storage, at least --
Fire up the GMail client. Click Menu > Settings > Labels
From there you can select how many days worth you want synced overall, and per label. Reducing the number could help cut down on the clutter.

There are some games around that use over 80+ megabytes of space. Cleaning those up first should give you some breathing space.

The largest applications on my phone right now are Gmail and Twitter, both 18+ MB.


text:
What is a "Froyo"?
The older Android versions are called "cupcake" and "eclair". Where does 2.2 get it's name from?

It's actually Froyo, not FroYo.

It's short for Fro zen Yo ghurt. I have no idea who came up with the idea to name it after frozen yoghurt though.

Hehe. Cool. ...

They go alphabetically, Donut, Elcair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb...  I guess they could have also gone with Frappe.

@Matt - Don't forget Cupcake. They go from Cupcake to Zatar.

http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/images/4/2009/05/cupacake_01.jpg

Whoops, how could I forget Cupcake!?  What do you think they'll do for X?

@Matt - Xiaodianxin.

They'd all be desserts or sugary goods.
After Gingerbread (2.3) and Honeycomb (3.x) it's rumoured to be Ice Cream - see the pattern?


text:
Battery Statistics Viewer crashes every time
I have a DroidX with Android 2.2
I went into the Battery Usage settings
Settings > Battery Manager
See a fual cell looking battery image that says Touch for usage statistics, so I was like awesome let me nerd out and look at my battery usage statistics.
Then when I touch the image I get an error The application Settings (process com.android.settings) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again. and the only thing I can do is Force Close.
Anyone have any insight into this issue?
I tried using aLogCat to find the error log after I got it, but it won't pause so I can read anything :-/ Where can I report this bug to Google, if there isn't a fix out there already?

There appears to be a software update coming out to fix this in the "near future". The actual release date for this update was not specified...
Here is the FAQ on the Motorola website...

It looks like it is a common bug with Droid X users and there doesn't currently seem to be a fix.  See this relevant thread here.

I actually got it to work for a few minutes after reading that thread, but then it went back to not functioning. :( Do you know how to report bugs for the Android OS?

There appears to be a fix coming out soon https://motorola-global-en-usa.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/58009/~/droid-x---forced-close-error-using-battery-manager

Most Android issues are listed/added here: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/list but this seems to be a manufacturer problem, not stock Android

Yeah that's what I found out, I didn't realize the manufacturers basically customize Android so much, I thought it was stock Android OS... Silly me :)


text:
Can I automatically check in to Foursquare?
Is there any app or setting that will automatically check in to foursquare when I arrive at a venue without having to take out the phone and click the app?  Preferably something where I can mark "favorite" venues to check in to, such as work.
Thanks

There is an app for iOS called "Future Checkin" that does this.

Won't this drain your battery in a hurry? Leaving the GPS as active would be brutal for battery life. Does foursquare accept cell network based location for checkins?

@Josh Yes, foursquare does accept cell network locations.  I usually check in to work off the cell location because I don't get GPS inside the building and I forget to do it in the parking lot.
Now, if I had an app that would check in from the parking lot automatically for me...  ;-)

Some of these may meet your needs better than others. Not all are free.

AutoSquare
Checkin Assistant
4SquareMinder
Hopscotch

Those are what I am looking for, but the reviews on all four each say they don't actually work.  Have you used any of them, and what was your experience?

I've not. I'm not a big FourSquare user.

The old HTTP POST task method with Tasker doesn't work anymore, ever since Foursquare updated their api.
This FsIntents app does the job though. Works really well!
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.joaomgcd.intents&feature=search_result

I would also suggest Radii Auto Checkin.

I made a newer app that does exactly what you asked: Check Me In
Non commercial and free to use.
The problem I had with the tasker approach is that it doesn't include your location in the http request,
a tasker checkin is not valid for your mayorship.

Your getting into Tasker or Locale territory here (both are apps you can download from the marketplace). Both apps allow you to configure anything you want on your phone and would probably allow you to configure this. You would need to setup GPS points and actions that are triggered by entering those GPS points in either app. Keep in mind this will increase battery usage as your GPS will have to beacon (per how you configure it) to determine if you enter those locations.
Might actually take less time and be all around easier to make a shortcut on your phone to Foursquare and just open it. Rather than go through and program one of those apps which would take some time.

I have Locale, no idea how to hook it to foursquare though.  Taking the phone out of my pocket to click the link is easy enough, but an annoying step and I sometimes forget.

Take a look at Tasker. It will cost a few dollars and have a very steep learning curve, but once you understand how it works it is easy to configure it to interact with other apps. I haven't used Locale before so I'm not sure step by step how to do what you want, but I think it can be done with Locale too.

So I am looking at Tasker, I can start the foursquare app, but I can't see how to make it actually check in.  How exactly were you able to automate the check in part?  Thanks

Sorry, I haven't tried this myself, I just know it's possible with Tasker. I'm not really an expert with either application so I may not be able to provide a lot of help in configuring tasker to do this. You might want to ask another question here for help with that if you can't figure it out yourself.

Fist time I have been let down on stack exchange.  How do you ^know^ it is possible if you have never seen it done?  Your answer was "spend some money on a wild guess I have never seen work"  :-(

I don't believe I ever said, "Go buy this app", as my wording was "probably" and "you may". Furthermore, Tasker has an excellent website/forum with people way more brilliant then myself dedicated to helping their users with requests like yours. So why not check that out as a resource. I know this is possible because I have read about others using Tasker to interact with apps, I think there was a question about it on this Stack Exchange website try searching for tasker on this site. All I know is how to do what you want at a high level, and my question reflected that.


text:
Android SVG and VML support
Can the Android browser view SVG images in web pages? Can it view VML? Do 3rd party browsers (e.g. Opera) have this ability? If the default or 3rd party browsers don't support it, do they plan on doing so in a later version?

Currently, I've only seen two browsers on the Android platform that display SVG.
The Opera Mini browser displays static SVG. It seems to run scripting for a very short period of time, but does not run it continuously. It also does not appear to run SMIL animations.
The Fennec (Firefox Mobile) beta browser also displays static SVG, as well as running scripting. It's still in beta and relatively huge. It doesn't run all of my example scripts successfully, but it does run some. I can not test SMIL animations, because I removed it to free up a large amount of space on my phone.

Thanks! I inferred from your answer that there is no support in the native browser. Do you know if it's planned?

The new Opera Mobile browser for Android has better SVG support http://www.appbrain.com/app/opera-mobile-web-browser/com.opera.browser

For info Fennec is out of beta now and officially called Firefox 4 which was fully released recently. It is now much slimmer and faster than the early betas were. https://market.android.com/details?id=org.mozilla.firefox

I just can add to this, that VML is supported only by Microsoft products (and they will support SVG in ie9), and as you know there is no Microsoft Internet Explorer (or any Microsoft browser) for android :)
VML is still supported in Internet Explorer 9 but Microsoft expects web sites to transition to SVG in near future.


text:
How to disable Verizon backup assistant?
My friend has an HTC Droid Incredible and his phone's battery is draining like nothing else. He says Verizon Backup Assistant seems to keep getting hung up while his battery is draining. During this time he also can't get Google to snyc.
From what I can tell Verizon Backup Assistant offers no useful features once your contacts are already in Google so I'm thinking just disable it. Does anyone know how to do this?

Can you uninstall the application?  Or is it one of those pre-installed apps?
If it's preinstalled, you'll have to get root access to remove it completely, see here.
However, removing it can potentially cause a brick if you factory reset your phone.
EDIT: It looks like there are no easy ways to disable this app.  You have two choices:

Factory wipe. During setup process, do NOT enable the backup assistant.
Do some trickery using this method mentioned in this post (quoted below).  It does not require a Factory wipe.

1) Be sure to have all your contacts backed up to your Gmail account. Check
  online before proceeding to step 2.
2) Log into your My Verizon account.
  Go to the contacts tab, sort by list
  view and select all contacts. Delete
  the entire list. There's a deleted
  contacts tab as well. Select that and
  delete anything that's in there.
3) Go into your Incredible settings
  tab, select applications, manage
  applications. Do not sort or filter,
  allow list to populate. Select Sync
  Service, (icon resembles backup
  assistant icon) select clear data.
4) Also in manage applications scroll
  down to backup assistant, select clear
  data. This should do it.
5) To verify backup assistant is now
  disabled, select settings, accounts
  and sync, then under manage accounts,
  select backup assistant. You should be
  looking at a license agreement screen.

Its preinstalled and my friend hasn't rooted his phone. Is there anyway to just disable the functionality of it, stop it from running in the background? Also, thanks for the link on potential brick, that is good to know. What if the app is completely removed from a custom ROM, would the phone still mess up upon factory reset?

I updated my post with some methods to disable the app.  It seems to not be an easy thing to remove.  And from what I gathered from that post, if you had a custom ROM and then did a factory reset (with the backup assistant apk deleted), it would brick your phone.

Perfect, thanks man. That's interesting on the issue of having the app removed. I would think if the app was removed at build time of the ROM, it wouldn't matter, but I will pass that along too.


text:
Is it possible to install the unofficial Froyo on a Samsung I5800XXJG3 android phone?
I know the official Froyo has not been released, but I see here that you can Install it on samsung phones: http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-lite/251507-update-android-2-1-eclair-2-2-froyo-your-samsung-gt-i5800.html
But there it mentions
I5800XXJPF
I5800XXJPB
but does not mention
I5800XXJP3
so is it possible, if so, how?

What is "I5800XXJP3"?  What is it referring to?  Phone model? Firmware?

Base firmware as far as I know, see the link.

Also the battery drainage increased significantly when calling, It can be balanced out by tapping & holding on the home screen (desktop/main screen) and then going to Widgets > Power tools and just removing some of the things that drain power, like brightness, etc.

I can confirm that It is possible with the I5800XXJPF update with the 4 (out of 5) separate files and the Odin multi downloader tool.
here are the instructions of how to update 2.1 Eclair to 2.2 Froyo.


text:
What's the purpose of the trackball?
what's the point of the trackball of the Nexus One and of the analogous devices in other similar phones? (e.g. HTC Desire's optical pointing device).
Is there any use case for which the touchscreen is not enough?

It's for when you want to play Snake... :)

I find moving the cursor to a particular place in some text far more accurate using the trackball than trying to select it by prodding the touchscreen. I would say that there might not be a specific use case which can't be accomplished using only the touchscreen but that there are certainly tasks for which using the trackball is easier.
It's all probably quite subjective though, and depends on user preference.

Selecting text is bad enough using the trackball, without it would be simply impossible as it is implemented now.

Beside moving the cursor in a textbox it's also nice as blinking orb of information. For mine if it's blinking blue I have a tweet waiting and if it's purple that's a google voice message, etc. And it blinks red and then blue and then green I have three things waiting. Armed with that kind of information I can make a decision about if it worth getting the "stare of death" from my wife if I pick it up at dinnertime.
What I really need is to have it blinking red if a new Angry Birds is available at the market.

Yeah, that is a nice feature on the nexus one to be able to change it for different notifications, one thing I do miss on the Galaxy S, is any type of notification LED

nice! Is there an app that allows to customize the LED color?

@Andrea I have CyanogenMod on my phone and I did my customizations in the custom UI settings of CyanogenMod. There must be an app out there somewhere that does the same thing.

I wager that it was a way to attract Blackberry users.

A lot of devices (like most of the Galaxy S family) actually don't have a trackball/pad at all now.
I very rarely used the trackball on my old HTC Magic, and haven't missed its absence at all on my Galaxy S. It's not needed these days, the touchscreen is enough.

I suppose to best "answer" your question, the trackball is there to assist when the touch screen isn't accurate enough. It also exists to give people more choice when scrolling and or selecting.
Personally, I never use it for that but instead use it for Trackball Wake. Not having to push the power button every time to turn the screen on is a god-send. I, like others here, also run LED customizations to notify me of specific things.


text:
Why Does My Phone Keep Linking Facebook Contacts?
I have an HTC Desire HD with Android OS 2.2.1 installed.
The phone keeps telling me I have to link contacts that I've linked before, the problem looks to be with Facebook for HTC.
For the first couple of times it happened I actually linked all of them and now my calendar is full of repeated birthday events from Facebook.
Does anyone know what the problem might be and how to fix it?
Not sure if it matters but before this phone I had an HTC Wildfire and also linked some contacts, but they were good.

Look in Settings->Accounts most likely you will have an account there for facebook. There may be settings for that account that allow you to choose what gets synced. Otherwise if you don't need any of it, delete the account. It won't running in the background updating facebook statuses for those contacts... Should help with battery life, memory, etc.
Hope this helps.


text:
Use 3G connection on my Android in Ubuntu
I would like to use the 3G connection on my android with my Ubuntu. Is there any method to do so?

Possible duplicate, could have a helpful answer for you: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2486/non-root-tethering-app-with-ubuntu-client-for-moto-droid-on-verizon

Over USB? Over wifi? Is your phone rooted? Have you looked at the multitude of other questions in the tethering and wifi-tethering tags and tried the solutions there?

Easy Tether from Mobile Stream should work. It's a way to share your internet connection with another device via USB. Get the Lite version (does not support https, or tethering to gaming consoles) or the Full version.

Supports Windows 7/Vista/XP (32-bit and 64-bit), Mac OS X
  10.7/10.6/10.5/10.4, Ubuntu 10.4+ and Fedora 13+

Full version supports the following:

Tether PS3, Wii, XBox via PC Internet Connection Sharing, you need a
  computer for game console tethering.


text:
What does the pressure sensor measure?
What kind of pressure does it measure? Air pressure? Finger pressure on the touchscreen?

Some devices, like the Motorola Xoom, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active and the Galaxy Nexus, have an air pressure sensor built into them that measures the barometric air pressure. I have the Barometer HD app installed on my Xoom which seems to give roughly the same reading as my Suunto electronic barometer.
Support for a barometer pressure (and other environmental) sensor was added in Android 2.3 To follow the trend of linking to the related developer resource, I believe this is a TYPE_PRESSURE sensor.
See also this related StackOverflow question Android devices with pressure sensor, and this Gizmodo article for some of the possible uses for the barometer, which includes helping the device  to calculate your altitude in GPS apps.
Android Engineer Dan Morrill made a post to Google+ explaining why the Galaxy Nexus had a barometer internally:

I've seen a lot of hay made about the barometer in Galaxy Nexus.
  Here's the skinny; it's not really as dramatic or weird as people
  think.
The primary purpose of the barometer is (at least, I've been told) to
  make GPS lockons faster. Locking on to a GPS involves numerically
  solving a 4-dimensional set of linear equations -- 3 dimensions in
  space, and time. (Yes, you get accurate time for free if you lock on
  to GPS.) Because of the way GPS works, this can take a few minutes.
This goes much faster if you already have an estimate of your
  location. This is why "aGPS" (assisted GPS) services are so popular:
  by starting with a rough city-level coordinate fix through something
  like cell-tower network location, you can reduce the amount of math
  you have to do to lock on. This is where the barometer comes in.
The 3 dimensions in space are latitude, longitude... and altitude. The
  barometer gives you a reasonable first-cut estimate for altitude. This
  gives you a bit of a leg up on one of the dimensions -- especially
  combined with "2D" aGPS -- which can help speed up lock-on in general.
Now of course, the barometer can also be used for things like, well,
  determining atmospheric pressure (although I'm not sure it's really
  weather grade.) But the main reason it's in your phone is to help with
  GPS.

It measures finger pressure on the touchscreen.
Source: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/MotionEvent.html#getPressure(int)

Why do you think that the pressure sensor does the same thing as the getPressure(int) function? Especially since the sensor doesn't take an int to get a specific location.

Yes, if we want to get pedantic, you can have an arbitrary pressure sensor that senses anything and extends android.hardware.Sensor. But in the end, 99.999% of devices out there provide a pressure reading for the pressure of the finger on the touchscreen.


text:
Why doesn't Samsung Kies show an update for my Galaxy Ace?
My phone has Android 2.3.3, build GINGERBREAD.XWPKY. I have the latest version of Kies and my phone isn't rooted. But I believe I should see an upgrade to 2.3.5 there. Any clues?
Note: When I first plugged my phone into Kies, it found a firmware update. I wasn't very sure what it was, but after the update the version is still 2.3.3 (which is the version before I did that update.)

It actually is. I'm from PH and others have successfully updated to 2.3.4 http://www.pinoytechblog.com/archives/have-you-updated-your-samsung-galaxy-phones-to-gingerbread-yet. I'm thinking this is a country or region thing...

My phone is also on 2.3.3. The updates get pushed out depending on a number of factors including region (as mentioned by Crashhh in his comment) and carrier.
From my understanding, often the releases will be controlled by the manufacturer (and in the case of Samsung and most others, customisation occurs). Once the manufacturer is ready to support it in a particular region, it will release the software to the carriers. Many carriers will also make their own modifications (and add their own bloatware). Only once this process is complete, will the update be available in Kies.
With the release of Gingerbread in Australia from my carrier, I know that the release went back and forth between Samsung and the carrier a few times, delaying its release to customers.
I'm speculating, but the update you received may have been some sort of patch to the manufacturer/carrier specific software, and therefore I wouldn't expect it to increment the version number of the OS.

So my guess is true. I found out via a tool from samfirmware.com that my phone region is this: France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, UK. It may be because an update hasn't been released for these countries Thanks for clearing that up. :)


text:
How do I quickly change the default action of a contact in the favorites widget?
I see no obvious way to change the default action of a contact that's added to the Favorites widget. I have to remove that contact from the Favorites group, and re-add that contact (which then prompts me for the default action, like View Contact, or Send Mail). Is there an easier way?

Finally tried this, it's quicker to do the following:

Select the contact name from the Favorites widget (the icon performs the action, the name shows you their details).
Select Menu > More.
Select Set widget action.
Select call, text, etc.


text:
Sharing Browser Links between PC and Phone
I'm starting a wiki to compile a short list of browsers, apps, extensions, etc. that allow users to easily link or bookmark webpages between their PC and phone. This is ultimately just a "best apps" question, so answers should be made CW. I placed an answer below. Any other suggestions are appreciated!

If you're running Android 4.0+, just use Google Chrome both on PC and Android, and associate it with the same Google account. This allows you to sync your browsers so that you can see open tabs from both locations on all devices. You can even have multiple PCs/OSs synced, just use the same Google account.

"Sign in to Chrome to sync your open tabs, bookmarks, passwords, and omnibox data from your computer to your phone or tablet.  Pick up right where you left off."

I enjoy this feature. If it wasn't limited to Android 4.0+, it would be perfect.

Does this feature still exist? I have Android 7 and use Chrome signed into same account on my phone and my Macbook. I can't find any option to share a link or tab from phone to desktop browser though.

Ah... I can open 'History' in Chrome desktop then go to "Tabs from other devices" and find links from Chrome on the phone there

I was looking for bookmark sync for my Android phone too and initially considered Delicious but for some reason none of two available mobile clients worked properly (2.3.6).
I ended up registering and using service diigo.com

If you have Google Keep, nothing beats it. Pretty instant. The above fly-by-night apps (except for some, like Pocket and browser addons) are un-dependable.

Look like there's 2 Google keep extension: "Google Keep" and "Google Keep Chrome Extension". I guess you choose the one with the latest update.

These are all the ones I've used.
Both ways:

Chrome sync (current open tabs and bookmarks, chrome with chrome for android)
Firefox sync (current open tabs and bookmarks, firefox with firefox beta)
Opera link (bookmarks only, opera with opera mini)
Pocket (bookmarklet/share with)

One way (desktop to phone only):

Chrome to phone
Fox to phone

MAXS (Modular Android XMPP Suite) is able to exchange the contents of the clipboard over XMPP.
Note: According to the FAQ I have to disclose that I am involved into MAXS. MAXS is an open source GPLv3 licensed Android app. Everyone can contribute.

You can always use social bookmarking and sync with your existing bookmarks. Look into Papaly for easy to use user interface. Just as long as you have the internet on your Android devices, you'll be able to look at all your bookmarks anywhere.

I create a QR code from Edge, transport to Android, read it with Lens.


text:
Does Froyo include full Hebrew support for all devices?
I was under the impression that Froyo includes full built-in Hebrew support for all models.
I'm looking into buying a Samsung Galaxy S, and I called up a store about it. At the store they said that if I wanted it with Hebrew support, I would have to add about $75, since Froyo includes Hebrew only for some HTC devices.
Is this true or are they trying to fleece me?

Possible duplicate: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/989/is-hebrew-support-built-into-android

Sounds fishy to me. What are they going to give you for that $75?

They are trying to fleece you. Do not agree to that, nor to the other tricks they employ trying to fork more money from you (the basic color is not in stock etc.)

I agree with this.

Can't answer for Galaxy S, but it works on my LG Optimus T. One approach might be to go to the store and try the built-in browser on a web page with Hebrew. As long as that works, I suspect you'll be OK.
Perhaps they will say that for $75 you also get a Hebrew onscreen keyboard... but if so, you could probably skip that and try "Any Soft Keyboard" with the "Hebrew Language Pack", both free in the Market. Again I have not tried anything on a Galaxy S but it works on my Froyo-bearing LG.

Just had a look on my UK Froyo Galaxy S, if I go into the Locale and Text menu, I can't see any options for Hebrew in there, and looking at keyboard settings I can't see any Hebrew options for input language on the Swype or Samsung keyboards either.
Looking at first party Google apps on the Market I see IMEs for Pinyin (Chinese) and Korean, nothing for Hebrew.
However I'm using a device with a European build on it, which would explain why I see mainly European languages in the list, I don't know if other builds will have Hebrew in by default.


text:
Restricted bluetooth functionality when device is paired
I have a bluetooth enabled car stereo, with my iphone I'm able to connect to it, and then use the device to browse through the music on my ipod/make calls etc. The bluetooth pairing basically enables me to operate the phone via my car dashboard.
I've tried doing this on my Orange San-Francisco / XTE (android 2.1) but I can't get the same outcome.
The device is correctly paired (or so the phone says). If a call comes in/or I make a call from the handset, it gets detected and then sounded over the handsfree system.
BUT,
Using my stereo I'm unable to browse through my phones contact book, or to play any audio from my phone.
I'm thinking, is there an option in the bluetooth settings that determine what paired devices have access to? i.e, tapping into the phones contact book / music could be disabled?

Which car stereo do you have?  I'm not that familiar with this type of syncing but it could be 2 things: the stereo not fully supporting Android or Android not supporting the necessary BT profile.  Seeing the model of stereo may help the community diagnose the problem.

Sorry probably should have added that, its a JVC KD-R711. http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_770531_langId_-1_categoryId_165474

Just reading the description on the stereo page you linked to, it sounds like it has built-in software to extend the normal bt profiles to allow 2-way control of ipods and iphones. This extended functionality won't translate to your android device unless JVC comes out with a firmware update for your stereo that supports android.

Pairing is not enough, is it connected?
In the Bluetooth settings you can do a long touch on the device to get into device-specific options.


text:
"Insufficient storage" when trying to install new app
Every time I go to install a new app, I get the message "Insufficient storage", and an unable to install anything!
I am using Samsung GT19060 my internal memory is 8GB. I have not downloaded anything but anytime I try to download something it will tell me low memory space.

Clearing the data of Google Play or the Android Market may free up some space. You could also check with the DiskUsage app to find out how data is structured on the internal memory and then delete any unused data.

how do I clear the data on the android market?

Should be something like Settings | Applications | Play Store | Clear data. Might help to "Force Stop" the app first.

This problem is related or even identical to the one described here: Something is secretly eating up my tablet memory and I need help finding it, so the list of possible steps to take described there might help you as well.

Possible duplicate of Google Play: Error downloading app - insufficient space

In short: 25 MB free internal storage is minimum requirement (source: TechniPages, AndroidCentral). If free space falls below that, the "insufficient storage" error is triggered.
For details, see:

Why does my phone keep telling me it has low storage?
Not enough storage on android device
Android “Internal Storage” used but not reported
I keep getting storage errors but I have plenty of free space, what is safe to remove from internal storage?
HTC Desire low on internal storage, I'm clueless — Any help?
Message Memory Full, Incoming message rejected

And many more -- this is a quite "frequent question". For more results, simply follow the internal-storage tag.

On a lot of devices it's set to 10% of the partition size rather than 25 MB, which is pretty absurd on devices with lots of storage.

Full ack to both: Yes, some have the 10% rule (which was not clear to me at the time I wrote the answer) – and yes, with today's devices mostly having at least 4, 8 or even 16 GB internal storage, that's an absurd rule at least for the latter two. But nothing we can do about that, unfortunately (except for installing a custom ROM maybe) …

Neither of your source links contains the info about 25MB

@MaksimDmitriev content of the linked pages changed meanwhile. My answer is from 1/2013, TechniPage has renewed its contents in 7/2015. I wouldn't have mentioned sources not backing my claim :) As for the 10% rule, see here, and also see our insufficient-memory tag-wiki.

The other 200 MB is reserved for future purposes
e.g.
1.Saving cache onto disk to free up RAM
2.File System
3.Moving some processes data to SD/ Flash Memory
It is recommended that you have at least 300 MB free space in case you want to install apps. And I'd recommend using a cleaning tool such as ccleaner because android is not good at memory management.

I had this problem with my galaxy tablet and what I did was basically go to app info on all of my apps and tap move to sd card if it let me. It seems to do it automatically  on its own now.

It seems the OP already has done that: I have spent quite a long time moving every possible app to the SD card

Not all internal memory can be used for installing apps. I think android allot a part of your internal memory for installation of apps. When that allotted space is over, you start receiving that error message. You can try following:

Uninstall Apps
Move apps to external storage or money card. You can do that by going to app settings. You may be able to move some apps by app settings option.
If you're still getting low memory issue, then you use This app. This is only app I found on play store which can move those apps to SD card which android app settings couldn't. But to use this, you need to be rooted.


text:
How do I do Skype calls using Fring
I have read that Fring supports doing Skype calls. I have installed Fring it but see no Skype options.
How do I do Skype calls using Fring?

Skype has blocked Fring from using it's services. For more info see http://www.fring.com/blog/?p=2322

So, even though Fring supports Skype calls, Skype won't have any of it. Skype blocks calls from Fring now, so the mobile app no longer includes that functionality. However, there is a Skype for Android app...
Update:
And, now the Skype app is available for everyone except those in China and Japan.

Unfortunately those calls (skype out) still use your cell minutes.

@Matt, Good point.

Verizon wireless only, I live in New Zealand, actually it turns out that most of the world doesn't live in the states.

Sorry, I guess? Actually, it turns out you didn't say where you were...


text:
Is There A Browser Which Makes It Easy/Possible To Search From The Address Bar?
For those familiar with the Google Chrome browser, I'm looking for the feature which basically treats the address bar as a search bar when not navigating to a site. I would find this handy since it's annoying to have to navigate to Google.com first (which is the only option on the stock browser) or using the search widget. Is there a browser for that?

Dolphin Browser HD allows you to search google from the address bar, and it shows suggestions as you type.  It doesn't explicitly say that it has this feature but I use it all the time.  If you type something in the address bar that's not a web address and hit go it will automatically search, just like Chrome does.

I should also add that I've used the stock browser, Skyfire, the standar Dolphin Browser, Dolphin Browser HD, Opera Mini and Opera Mobile and Dolphin Browser HD is my favorite by far.

Yup, works just like Chrome. Another reason to switch to Dolphin Browser.

What android version are you on? I've got eclair (on a motorola phone) and I can just type in the address bar to search. I thought it might be motoblur, but I tried an eclair emulator image and had the same functionality.
What happens when you hit the search button while the Browser is running?

+1 Now I realize that I wasn't searching but my search term was getting added to http! When I click the address and start typing my search term, I don't see the http until I scroll the address bar. I just have to manually delete the http text first. So searching this way, with the stock browser does "work." It turns out Dolphin HD deletes the http for you.

Opera Mini places a Google search bar near the URL bar. This is not exactly what I was looking for but it's a potential alternative.


text:
Can someone describe how publishing an Adobe Air file on Android works?
I'm familiar with Adobe Air and I noticed it is on the Market. Does it accept .AIR files for install? If so, how does Air make adjustments for the small screen? Does air have access to all the neat features of Android? Such as access the contacts or the SD card? Need some help understanding how my Air application will perform on Droid. Should I still develop Android specif apps, or is Air ready for prime time?

This is relevant to Android users who want to run Air apps, so I've answered below.  However, for development questions please use http://stackoverflow.com.

I assumed that this site covers Android development as well. It just says Android Enthusiasts... Oh well, I got confused. Still a relevant question through.

Please read the FAQ. Development questions still go on Stack Overflow.

Possible duplicate of: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2513/how-do-i-run-an-air-app-on-the-device

Could be a duplicate, but the answer doesn't answer my question completely. Sure the Phone SDK is different than the Adobe SDK, it still doesn't tell me if other air applications will run on droid or how they will perform. I don't want to use air on my droid if clicking on an Application is going to hurt my phone (in a matter of speaking).

You still need to develop Android-specific apps, but you should be able to reuse most of your code if you a rewriting a desktop Air app for Android.  So users can't just grab a regular Air app and run it on their phone, unfortunately.

So I couldn't download say Jade from adobe air and run it on Droid. The application has to be modified to work specifically with android... That doesn't seem like an easy feat to me.

Jade wouldn't work, no.  I assume there are simple apps that might work without modification, but with anything complicated you can't really expect it to just run -- the resources, input methods, etc. available on a phone are very different than a PC.


text:
How to mount disks of a Samsung Galaxy in a Linux System (connected with a USB cable)?
I have connected a Samsung Galaxy S i9000 to a Linux machine over the USB cable.
How can I access the disks of the galaxy from the linux machine through this cable (and not through wireless or by opening the cover and removing the sd card).
I cannot find anything under /dev/disk/by-id/ on the linux machine that could be mounted.
Edit: While connected via USB, there is a USB icon on notification bar of the galaxy android device. When I drag the notification bar down, you I see a "USB connection" item. But I cannot do or change anything with it.

The steps from the accepted answer:
1) Go to Settings - Applications - Development and turn USB Debugging to off.
2) Go to Settings - About Phone and switch USB connection to Ask on connection. Maybe mass storage could also work, but in my case there was some samsung app kies still blocking the connection with this setting, so I prefer ask
3) Connect the device to the linux box with the USB cable. The android device brings up a menu, select mass storage
4) There should appear a USB icon on the notification bar of the android device. Drag it down and select mount...
If nothing is mounted on the linux box automatically to /media/ you have to mount manually.
You can watch the syslog on the linux box with this command, type it into a console of a user that has sudo rights before you connect the USB cable:
sudo tail -f /var/log/syslog
Some messages should appear after you connect the cable that help you analyze the situation.
This link is also a good resource: http://androidforums.com/android-lounge/115574-solved-cannot-mount-android-device-via-usb-linux.html

Go to Settings -> About phone -> USB Settings and set it to Mass Storage.  You may also need to enable or disable Settings -> Applications -> Development -> USB debugging.  The drives should be visible to the PC when you connect the device, but you should also have to click the USB notification you mention and tell it to actually mount the storage to PC so that they are accessible.  Finally, try looking at this for more info: http://androidforums.com/android-lounge/115574-solved-cannot-mount-android-device-via-usb-linux.html

I went to Settings --> Applications, but there is no submenu USB Settings. I see the submenus Unknown sources, Manage applications, Running services, Development and Samsung Apps in there. I will keep searching for USB Settings, hoping it is somewhere hidden.

You can check in Development as well -- try enabling/disabling USB Debugging and see if it has any effect.  If it's enabled, disabling it might actually make the USB Settings menu show up.

Turning on USB Debugging actually helps a bit. I have now a different USB connection item in the notification bar, which can be switched to mount or unmount. When I set it to mount the folder "My Files" on the android device is no longer accessible. But how can I mount anything on the linux machine? /dev/disk/by-id still has no more drives in it. Also /media is empty.

Hmm I just searched around a bit and it appears USB Settings might be in Settings -> About phone, can you see if it's there and if so, set it to Mass Storage?

User who solved a similar problem: http://androidforums.com/android-lounge/115574-solved-cannot-mount-android-device-via-usb-linux.html

Yes, it is there. Good that you found it for me. I have now set it to mass storage. (I had to deactivate USB Devlopment mode). I plugged and unplugged, activated and deactivated (mounted unmounted) several times after this. Still no device visible on the linux machine. i will now follow your link from the last comment (androidforums)

The device appears now on the linux machine under /dev/disk/by-id after I plugged it to a different USB port. From the lilnux syslog I could see that there was some problem connecting too the first USB port. I am accepting your answer now. i will ask a different questions for the mounting problems I am now having. Thank you very much!

Great, no problem.  I updated this answer with all this comment-info :P

I could also solve my mounting problems now, I had to go to a different linux box, it seems the usb card on the first box was broken. Now it works. Thank you again, it is good that people like you are around.


text:
Is it possible to have a TCP/IP network using bluetooth?
I have my Android U8220 and I need to have a network with my laptop as if it was an ad-hoc wifi connection (tcp/ip). Is that even possible? If you want to know, I'm using bluez as manager in my Linux box.
EDIT
To clear doubts, I'll be more specific. There's a music program in my laptop called mpd. It is controlled by different clients in the network. One of this clients is in my Android and it works perfectly when I'm connected to the wi-fi network in my house.
I wanted to make a direct connection with my laptop, without the need of a router, so there are 2 options:

Ad-Hoc, which is not available for my phone (I don't know why)
Bluethooth which is the last option.

This is the link of the player, for those who want to know (although it doesn't have to much to do with the question.)

If you're talking about using your mobile phone as a tethering device over Bluetooth then sure this is:
PdaNet

Is Linux (Ubuntu etc.) supported?
Meanwhile only Bluetooth DUN is
  supported (requires android 2.0) on
  Linux.
We are working on a linux port for USB
  Tether but it may take a while.
via junefabrics.com

EDIT
Sorry for misunderstanding you. Could any of the following MPD control applications on the Android Market help you?

Please, read EDITS

According to the OSI model, you can use any transfer protocol in any medium. So, it is possible. In fact, the standard transfer protocol for bluetooth is very similar to TCP.
Anyhow, I can't find any Android application able to do it.

TCP/IP and Bluetooth are different protocols. Although, technically this would be WiFi vs Bluetooth. A WiFi device (which uses TCP/IP) cannot communicate with a Bluetooth device, they essentially speak different languages.
It would be possible to have an application on your phone and computer which communicate via bluetooth and then the computer side could then send the necessary commands to the music player. You'd have to develop, or get someone to develop, the apps though.

To avoid confusion the hypothetical app wouldn't use TCP/IP at any point.

I've never said I wanted to connect a wifi device with a bluetooth device, even a child would know that's not possible. What I want is the bluetooth of my phone and the bluetooth of my laptop talking to each one, using the upper layer as a TCP/IP protocol.

Oh right. Sorry. This may help and I guess concludes that you can - http://giovanni.wordpress.com/2007/04/06/how-to-use-tcpip-over-bluetooth/

That link is very helpful, +1 for that!


text:
Can I pull the emails off my Android phone?
I recently lost all the emails on my laptop computer. And they were important business emails. Many of those emails still exist on my Android phone. I know I can forward them all, but that will take a lot of time and then they'll all be in my inbox from me, not the original sender.
Is there any way to pull the emails off and then drop them in to my mail program?

Unlikely. Of course it depends on the mail app you're using, but I've never read any of them has the feature to export all your mails in any way to use it directly on your PC (e.g. as .mbox files). On your device, they are most likely stored inside a SQLite database.

Unfortunately there is no easy way to do this. Here is the method I found...
Open an email on your phone and find where you can "save email as file". It is usually in the upper right dropdown. After saving, go to your phone's storage and find the Saved Email folder. The email will be saved as an *.eml file. Since the file is relatively small, you can do this for multiple emails. (It is a little time consuming to open emails and save as files but once you get the hang of it you can go pretty fast.) All you are doing is opening emails and saving them to that Saved Email folder.
Next, using an email account, email the *.eml file(s) to the email address you want to place the emails in. Remember you can attach multiple files in one email since they are small files. Now open the email account on your computer with the attachments and select an *.eml file. When you open the attachment it will appear as an open email. Move the open email to the folder you want it to appear in.
The email will now be in that folder and appear just as it was on your phone. Unfortunately you now have to spend time opening each *.eml file as an email and moving it to the desired folder. At least now the emails will be saved where you want them in the order (date and time) as they appeared on your phone.

You can try out any of the Backup App, that would let you have fun!
The thing that you're saying

I recently lost all the emails on my laptop computer. And they were important business emails. Many of those emails still exist on my Android phone.

As the mails on your device might get removed as soon as you connect it to the Internet (sync might do that), if you need to install a backup app better download its .apk file to your computer, and sideload it (e.g. copy it to your SDCard, and start the .apk using any file manager, which would trigger the installation; make sure to have unknown-sources activated for this). A good choice would be Helium Backup: it creates .ab (Android Backup) files compatible with adb backup, and there are solutions available to extract those on your PC.

Is there any way to pull the emails off and then drop them in to my mail program?

No, there is no direct way to do that – you could only forward them, which you don't want. Then I don't think there is any other way to do this. You can either create a backup file to just save the emails, then forward them. That's the only way to get back your emails, but still you will lose the time, sender name and other! And it will be replaced with Sender as: You, Time: Current Time, Body: Body will have the email included as signature or something like that. That's it!
Good luck, Cheers.

The .apk file is just the app installer, so that won't contain the mails at all.

No no what I mean, was to get the apk file of the backup! Because when he will try to connect to wifi or any other service. Email app will try to sync and he will loose the email, so I suggested to download the apk file of the Backup app! I never meant the apk of email service! Sorry for confusion

.apk files are always only app installer, never data – so there is no such thing as an apk file of the backup. If the mail app itself offers to backup mails (or another app such as Helium is used), those backups are for sure not in apk format. If you don't believe me, see e.g. Wikipedia :)

-_- @Izzy Izzy Izzy, Pardom me for this confusion! What I mean is, to download the apk file of the app that would do the backup things, like the one that backs up the messages. Then after installing that app, he should back up his emails to the sd card using that app. I never meant the apk creation of the backup file or whatso ever, and I do believe you! Apk is like executable (.exe) file on Windows. It has nothing to do with the data backup!

Ahh! Now you make sense :) That should go inside your answer, so others don't get as confused as me :) I will do that for you, please check my edit afterwards if I got things right.

Yah sure! :) You can edit it..

Done already (in case you want to check).

Yes, can you remove downvote now?

No. It's not mine. I don't downvote when I might have misunderstood something. Only when I'm sure a post deserves it. This did not :)

Ohh..well I guess its the asker! He might not want this answer hehehe..