text:
How to reinstall android to the fresh stock?
I have recently bought a used HTC Evo 3D from the internet. The phone itself is in perfectly working condition and the software is in its original state; that means it's not rooted, it's not running any custom rom and it's not branded.
However, the previous owner seems to have installed many apps from the market, the launchers are kinda different and generally the phone is very 'customized and seems sloppy.'
My question is: How do I get the device to its original, fresh, stock state? I don't want to install a custom ROM, I want to have the original android provided by the device manufacturer.
I know the device has the "factory reset" option in the menus, however I don't know what it really does and how thorough it is.
Wiping the phone and installing the system from scratch would be the best option for me, however, I don't know whether it's possible.
What are my options here?
Notes:

I know what rooting is
I know what custom ROMS are
I can root the device if necessary, but I don't plan on doing so if not necessary
Android 4.0 gets an official release for HTC Evo 3D soon - does this change anything related to what I need/want to do?

If you've bought a used phone then the first thing that you do should be a Factory Reset. This wipes off the previous owners apps and settings, and helps to ensure that they haven't left any surprises for you.

If it's not rooted and not running a custom ROM, a factory reset will reset everything back to stock and wipe the internal SD card.  If you also wipe the external SD card, you will have a clean slate.
Checkout Chapter Update and Reset, Section Resetting HTC EVO 3D, (Page 209) of the manual: http://www.htc.com/managed-assets/support/user-guide/user-manual/htc-evo-3d/110803_ShooterU_HTC_WWE_UM.pdf
Quoting the manual:

Resetting HTC EVO 3D
Do a factory reset to return HTC EVO 3D to its
  original state before the first time you turned it on.
If you’re passing HTC EVO 3D on to someone else or HTC EVO 3D has a persistent
  problem that cannot be solved, you can perform a factory reset (also
  called a hard reset). Factory reset is not a step to be taken lightly.
  It’ll permanently delete all your data and customized settings, and
  will remove any applications you’ve downloaded and installed. Be sure
  to back up any data and files you want to keep before you do a factory
  reset.


text:
WhatsApp video doesn't play and has a warning icon (Video format h264 not supported)
Using WhatsApp version 2.20.206.24 on a Huawei Y9 2019 with Android 9.
Received the following video (i tested both forwarding and sending the video directly - on both cases i faced the same problem)

If I click play, the video looks like is going to start but the time is stuck

Checking the media associated with that chat and it appears a thumbnail with a warning icon in it

I'm able to play other videos, so it makes me think that the problem isn't with the media player of this phone. Tried also restarting the phone, searched for WhatsApp updates and system updates and all were in place. Also, I tested playing the video with two other different Android phones (one Samsung and another Huawei) and the video played well.

Edit
When trying to play the video from the Gallery, I get the following error

Formato video h264 não suportado. (Portuguese for "Video format h264 not
supported").

Edit 2
I installed VLC for Android to see if the video would play using it. The timer this time finished playing as well as the audio but the image was stuck in the same moment

Assuming that the person that sent you the video has a Gmail account, ask to upload the video to Google Photos and send the link, that way you'll be able to see the video.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
MKV video files stutters GALAXY TAB 4 SM-T351
So here we are, I have that big ass 10.1 inches screen and with the course of the years I have more and more troubles with playing the videos, especially the ones from Shaanig and MINX torrent releases.
I inspected my tab with Antutu and it shows me clearly that I have a really old device.
Surprisingly it is still possible to have a very smooth playback with Xtreme player, available in Play Market but this fact ignites my interest even more.
Why is it just about a one single player app that can run .mkv releases on my  device?
Is my device too old and there is no hope anymore for playing latest releases of all those .mkv-s?
Should I try another video players instead?
Here goes the Antutu results screenshots.
Antutu version - 9.1.7
I know that Antutu of 4.x.x. shows even worse results for my device something about 12.000

MKV is just a container, more relevant is what video type is inside. E.g. an MPEG4 or H265 video and the used encoding profile. If the video type and encoding profile is not supported by the hardware encoder of your tablet, then a stuttering playback is the common effect as everything has to be decoded by the CPU.

Some 3rd-party apps may include/provide their own codec pack to support more audio & video formats.

@Robert great answer actually that explains a lot. Would be just some awesome if you could share a link on a few articles about hardware encoders since I'm really dedicated to get to the bottom of this very interesting particular problem.

@AndrewT. Actually that was my very first thought I had. I explored the Play Market installing page and I lured anywhere that could give me a slighted hint on why Extreme Player does better job than the other but there was nothing.
Also, VLC player is very famous for having his very own standalone codec pack but in this case it is not doing the job with MINX or SHAANIG releases any better than any other player.

MKV is just a container (like AVI), more relevant is what video type is inside. E.g. an MPEG4 or H265 video and the used encoding profile. If the video type and encoding profile is not supported by the hardware encoder of your tablet, then a stuttering playback is the common effect as everything has to be decoded by the CPU. Additionally battery usage of software based decoding is way higher than decoding a video in hardware.
There are apps displaying all the codec available on your device, usually this means that a supported codec is decoded in hardware or at least mainly in hardware.
My preferred player is MX Player (I prefer the ad free pro version). While the video is playing you can see which video decoder is used: SW (software), HW (hardware) or HW+ (hybrid of hardware accelerated decoding plus software enhancement).
If you have videos that can only be decoded in software I strongly recommend to reencode them on a PC using video transcoder like Handbrake (or if you prefer to make it manually you can use ffmpeg).
If the PC has a GPU with integrated video encoding then reencoding does not take too much time.

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


text:
Double backup and migration for Iphone
I am about to migrate from a Xiaomi Mi6 to an Iphone 15. I have a regular whatsapp installed on the Mi6. Its backup is configured to Never backup on Google Drive.
However, I do have data in an old backup on Google Drive that I need to retrieve before moving to the Iphone. After retrieving the messages and files from the old Google Drive backup, I need to come back to the current whatsapp messages so I can migrate to the Iphone using my current regular whatsapp.
So I am detailing this workflow to avoid any major headache:

Make a copy in my notebook of the local backups for safety in case anything goes wrong. I'd need to backup only the files in this folder:

Uninstall WhatsApp and reinstall it on the Mi6.
Select Restore when prompted, from Google Drive.
Retrieve messages and files I need.
Rename msgstore.db.crypt14 to whatever other name.
Rename msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14 to msgstore.db.crypt14.
Uninstall WhatsApp and reinstall it on the Mi6.
At this point, all media, including files, documents, audio, images and video will be available as of before this whole process. Please confirm! I will do this first time in the next morning so I don't lose today's messages due to the local backup time at 02:00 AM.
Migrate everything from Mi6 to Iphone using Move to ios.

Please confirm it should work as expected.

In case it is useful to anyone, it almost worked. The only issue was that the old backup, in Google Drive, was deleted to inactivity after a few months. But the local backup worked as expected.


text:
Open Outlook links in Chrome
Using Outlook version 4.2041.3 on my Samsung Galaxy A30s with Android 10.
If I receive an email with links in it

And then click in the link

it opens up in a weird browser.
I would like for it to open in Chrome instead. How can that be done?
Already contacted support.

According to Support

This is a new Edge webview experience with the Bing search
capabilities which is expected. There is no way to disable this at the moment. However, if you want to open a link in the default browser,
you will need to click the link, then tap on the overflow menu at the
bottom and choose "Open in Browser".


text:
Is it possible to "mirror" my smartphone SIM into my smartwatch eSIM?
I am wondering whether, with eSIM technology, I would be able to mirror my smartphone physical SIM to my smartwatch eSIM (as if I had cloned my phone, like in the movies).
Telling you my final goal could explain better what I am trying to achieve.
Basically I am trying to understand if I could leave my smartphone at home (SIM included), then going out with my smartwatch (e.g. running/cycling/etc) and still receive my smartphone's notifications, texts, etc from the 3G/4G network (essentially I'll be out of bluetooth range).

AFAIK eSIM profiles can't be created by you just like you can't create SIM cards that work in your common network. Ask your mobile network provider if you can get a second SIM as eSIM for your mobile plan.

After some research (thanks Robert for your input), I've found that:
No, you can't tweak your own eSIM to have the same number as other SIMs or eSIMs of yours.
However, it is possible to have the same number on multiple devices if your provider supports it (you will most likely have to pay the extra cost of such feature).
For example, in the UK, where I live, as of today (30th October 2020), only two operators offer that:

EE (Smart Number --only Apple devices supported)
Vodafone (One Number --only Apple and Samsung devices supported)

EDIT: Also O2 appears to offer this feature, although it doesn't seem to have a branded name and I've only found a related section on their website about Samsung.


text:
Can I access my Android through ADB if the phone can only get to the fastboot menu?
I would like to recover message attachments from a Pixel 3 that died recently. (Yes, I should have had them saved and backed up, but I missed that option for message attachments.)
However, the phone is minimally functional. If the phone could turn on, I could sync those files and be done. It also appears that I need to turn the phone on to enable usb debugging for ADB. I can reach the fastboot menu by holding the power and volume down buttons, but if I try to go past that into "Start" or "Recovery Mode" or even "Rescue Mode," the phone powers off again.
While in the fastboot menu, I can see that a Pixel 3 device is connected by usb to my computer. I have installed Android Studio, Android SDK, and the Google USB drivers. The phone appeared as "LeMobile Android Device" at first, but after changing the driver to Google's it is now "Android Device"--"Android Bootloader Interface."
Running adb devices returns an empty list even while Device Manager shows it is attached (probably because I can't turn the phone on and enable usb debugging).
I'm out of ideas, and am looking for ADB tips to try. What can I try next? How can I get the phone to start or to get access to the phone without leaving the fastboot menu?
Thanks.

I assume your device is not rooted, correct?

That's correct.

Is your bootloader locked or unlocked?

No you can't access your phone via adb while you are in fastboot menu.
While in fastboot menu only the fastboot binary + driver can access your device.
ADB is only available when the device is booted (adb is usually already available from a certain boot stage on while the device is still booting).
Also certain recovery ROMs provide full ADB access. Simple recovery ROMS only provide limited ADB access, for adb sideload - it allows you to upload ROM images so that the recovery can install it.

Right. One option you could add: fastboot boot twrp.img – from within TWRP, ADB would be available as well. (When added, please ping me to remove the comment)

@Izzy but that would require an bootloader unlocked/rooted device.

Yes, but 1) OP didn't say that wasn't an option (maybe the device is even unlocked already?), 2) some devices allow that directly via fastboot oem unlock (without any previous steps). Sure, 2) would in 99.9% of all cases imply a factory-reset (again, OP didn't say that would be a show-stopper). You're right to put the warning along, of course – and also of course it's up to you. In the same rights you could probably tell me to put this up as a separate answer – but it not being the "primary option", I'd rather have it complement yours ;)

@Izzy The primary aim of Gino is data recovery. After fastboot oem unluck (it is a Google device, hence we are in the 99.9% -> factory reset) data recovery becomes a little bit complicated ;)

indeed Izzy's comment is my only suggestion too, even if hopeless it's the best way to make sure (nevertheless it's a wrong suggestion for locked bootloader)


text:
The Way Numbers Are Displayed/Broken Up
I live in Jordan and just got a Galaxy SIII. I have a problem with the way numbers are being displayed on the dialer and when you actually press the green button to place a call.
Basically, the phone breaks up the number, including the prefix, by inserting spaces. For example, let’s say my number is 0787777707 (078 being the prefix of the phone operator). The phone displays it as 07 87 77 77 07. How can I fix it so it displays it as one series, 0787777707? My  iPhone has a simiar issue, but that could be addressd once you change the regional format. I can’t find that on the Galaxy though.

Possible duplicate: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/11022/is-it-somehow-possible-to-change-manually-the-format-of-a-telephone-number

Possible duplicate: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/22033/how-do-i-change-the-number-identification-format-to-associate-with-a-contacts

Possible duplicate: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3527/is-it-somehow-possible-to-change-the-format-of-a-telephone-number-being-displaye

None of these solutions solved the problem :(

What language do you have set?

English UK... I tried English Singapore as well. Nothing changed.

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


text:
Ice Cream Sandwich email app on Droid RAZR won't autofill all contacts
Why won't the Ice Cream Sandwich email app on Droid RAZR autofill all contacts? It works fine with Gmail but only for some contacts in the standard email app.

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


text:
Is there a way to control which audio is sent to Bluetooth and which is sent to system speaker?
Background info explaning why I want what I want
I'm almost totally deaf. I have a Bluetooth-enabled hearing aid that is paired with my Droid RAZR (ICS 4.0.4). When any audio is played on the phone (ringer, phone call, media, etc) it triggers my hearing aid. The switch-over is not instant and I miss a few seconds of audio (plus I get a really loud, annoying beep from my hearing aid informing me that it is making the switch from external audio to BT audio).
As a result, text messages and other short audio notifications (like navigation speech) trigger my hearing aid, the loud beep occurs, the external mic is turned off, the BT connection is enforced, and then... nothing. In the time it takes for all that to occur, I've missed whatever the audio input was.
TL;DR
I'd like to be able to tell my phone to direct text messaging, ringer, and other audio playback (navigation) to the system speaker and to continue to direct in-call and media playback to my paired, BT-enabled hearing aid. Is there a way to do this?

What make of hearing-aid are you referring to? I know Phonak has it in their range but that requires wearing a necklace with BT attached to it to pair it up...

fwiw, I wear a Phonak, but do not bother with the necklace for BT pairing for extra features as that would be a temptation for me to attempt hacking on it and make things worse as the hearing aid itself costed an arm and a leg, not worth hacking :D

Maybe someone can check, but I think I saw options like this on CyanogenMod 7 (at least for notification and ringtone), but that was over a year ago, I could be wrong.

Try BTmono,   maybe it helps.

Thanks, but that app isn't even remotely close to what I'm trying to do. I already have audio streaming to my BT-hearing aid, what I want is to control WHICH audio is sent.


text:
Can I use a Motorola Atrix without a SIM card?
My company purchased an Atrix for app development and would like to use it without a SIM card.  Unfortunately, on boot it is not possible to get past the "No SIM card. Emergency calls only" screen.  Is it possible to use the Motorola Atrix without a SIM card?
Edit: Is it also possible to skip or bypass the MotoBlur registration screen?

You can bypass the SIM card requirement by playing with the boot options:

Load Boot menu by holding the Volume Down button while starting the phone.
Press the Volume Down button until the option "Boot Android (NO BP)" appears at the top of the screen.
Press the Volume Up button to select this option.
On load, the phone will bypass the No SIM card screen

Next, you can either register for a MotoBlur account or skip it by entering the following keys into the virtual keyboard (press and hold the Menu key to bring up the keyboard):

?123
ALT
ABC
e
?123
ALT
ABC
e
b
l
u
r
o
f
f

Luckily, this process only needs to be performed once.  It looks like the phone remembers this boot option for next time :)  Thanks to XDA for the MotoBlur bypass steps!

Is everything working fine? I'm planning to buy an android tablet (without SIM/data plan) and use it for development testing and stuff, and I was wondering if you mind sharing what other hiccups you have met?

I haven't run into any issues with this approach.  You can still access the internet via Wifi.  The only things you can't do (as far as I've noticed) are make phone calls or send text msgs.

Heys cool, did you tryout the location stuff and Google Maps to see if its working fine as well ?

Yeah, as long as you have a data connection via Wifi or some other means.  The GPS always works regardless of a dataplan.

@Pacerier - The issue you would have with Maps is that, if you have no data plan, you'll have to remember to cache your trip before you start it (off wifi). Otherwise, the maps can't update on the fly as you drive.


text:
Any help on a HTC Desire GPS problem after Android 2.2 Froyo update?
I have an HTC Desire with T-Mobile Germany branding. Last Sunday I finally got the long-awaited Android 2.2 update from my operator. The update ran successfully. However, since then it doesn't get the GPS location! The blue dot won't lock on Google Maps. Another GPS-App, "Gps Status" cannot get the coordinates, even after almost half an hour. Restart or reinserting the SD-Card doesn't help. I wonder if anyone here experienced something similar after the update.
Cheers

I seem to have the same problem.
When I finally do connect the position is a couple of hundred meters wrong. Really threw me off track once I was using it for directions.

I had problems with GPS with my new HTC Desire (Froyo out of the box). I downloaded the "GPS Status" and "GPS Test" apps which showed only two satellites but were not locking them. Even Google Maps didn't get a GPS lock. I went outside of my room and tried but no luck. I switched off the cell, removed the battery, SD card and SIM and then put them back and restarted but still no luck.
Then I installed GPS Essentials from the Android Market. I launched the application and changed the following settings:

Gps update interval -> 10 seconds
Tracking update interval -> 10 seconds

After this I tapped on "satellites" on the main screen while standing outside. It detected 8 satellites in a few seconds and it was able to lock to 7 of them. After that everything started working including "GPS Status", "GPS Test" and Google Maps (even inside my room).

How does this affect your battery life?

try using gps status , go to option , capteur,manage a-gps state , choose first reset , then redo and choose download .
and do it outside for the first time , it's important.
also , check your APN settings in Wireless and network > Mobile network > APN name .
Check that the apn selected have "supl" in APN type (in the bottom of the list) , for example "default,supl".

That doesn't help. The strange thing is that, sometimes it locks in 5 seconds, sometimes not even after 1 hour! That makes it hard to regenerate the error and find the cause...

can you show the file /etc/gps.conf ? (normally with a file manager you can)

Yes, it looks like this:
NTP_SERVER=north-america.pool.ntp.org
XTRA_SERVER_1=http://xtra1.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
XTRA_SERVER_2=http://xtra2.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
XTRA_SERVER_3=http://xtra3.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
SUPL_HOST=supl.google.com
SUPL_PORT=7276

Which version are you updating from? Since Android 2.1 (or 1.5?), most applications will not be able to turn on GPS automatically, for privacy reasons. You need to enable GPS setting: Settings > Location & Security > Use GPS satellites; there are widgets that allows you to enable GPS from the home screen as well.

I have a HTC Desire that is using 2.2 (though when I got the phone, it was already running 2.2)
I've found the GPS to be pretty good in general - there are times when it is a bit patchy (loses GPS signal even though the surroundings are the "same") and slow to pin-point my location.
What I've found helps is to turn on 3G data while using GPS - this seems to greatly assist the accuracy and speed when finding your location.
Also, a reboot of the phone (or if you feel lazy/in a hurry - turn airplane mode on/off) might help kick some sense into the phone.

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


text:
How to remove corporate settings?
My DroidX just got upgraded to 2.3.15 (android version shows 2.2) over the air.  After the upgrade the phone forced me to set a pin number.  The phone is not currently connected to an Exchange server, but it used to be.  A couple of weeks ago I removed then Exchange settings for contact list sync and I uninstalled TouchDown.
The strange thing is that the Exchange server that I was connected to didn't have a requirement for a password, so I'm not sure where this setting is coming from.  When I look in Location & Security > Select Device Administrators I see "Corporate Sync" listed in there, but there doesn't appear to be any way to remove the settings.
I no longer work for the company with the exchange server, so I can't connect back to it.  I'd rather not wipe the phone and reset it if I don't have to.  I would also prefer not to root the phone as well.

FOR ROOTED PHONES ONLY
Well I've had the same problem as the original poster ever since I updated it to Froyo. My exchange account I previously had on the phone was using a remote administrator certificate that I could not remove. Yesterday I worked out a simple solution using R/W access to the /system/app folder.
Using a free root file explorer named Super Manager. I navigated to /system/app and renamed the file PolicyMgrProvider.apk to PolicyMgrPrivider.bak. This removed the remote administrator policy and allowed me full control over the lock screen. After I switched it to No Lock I went back and renamed the file to PolicyMgrProvider.apk.
No problems what so ever.
I did rename the file BlurEmailEngine.apk to a .bak at the same time, so if its not working disable that app as well long enough to change your lock screen settings.
I know you don't want to root your phone, but unfortunately its probably the only way you'll get that stupid PIN lock gone.

I just upgraded as well and had the same thing happen to me. However, in my case I am still connected to an exchange server. I know our IT guys are very open with not locking down our phones with stuff like this and I have had Windows Mobile phones connected to the same exchange server with no need for a pin number.

Open Phone Settings
Open Location and Security Settings
Go to Select device administrators

Mine currently says "Corporate Sync" is one of the device administrators, but doesn't allow me to remove it. You may be able to remove it since you have removed the connection to the server.
I suspect either the phone wasn't enforcing the settings set by the exchange server correctly or that there has been a bug introduced in the new version.
NOTE: I know this wont work for the person asking the question, but might be helpful to others. I was able to remove my exchange account, change my password back to Pattern instead of PIN, re-add my exchange account, and the phone did not force a PIN to be set.

Lucky. So far I've had no luck. May have to setup an Exchange server to connect to just to remove these settings (if that will even work).

Open up My Accounts application from application tray.
Select the Corporate Sync account you wish to modify.
Your Corporate exchange account settings will be displayed
Select Remove account to remove this Corporate Exchange account from the handset.

Seen here
Troubleshooting page in case of further problems.

There's the problem.  I don't have a corporate account listed there.  I've got the stupid Verizon Backup Assistant, my two non-gmail POP3 email accounts and my gmail account.

FWIW, I just tried the steps posted above by mru and they did exactly what I wanted - removed the corporate account and freed my lock screen.
That said, there was one very minor glitch.  I tried to remove the PIN requirement immediately after I removed the account, but the system would not let me.  As you can imagine, I was disappointed.  But I went in awhile later, and the restrictions had been removed.  I had to enter my PIN one more time, and that let me reset the security to my preference.

This should be posted as a comment rather than as an answer.

I tried the suggestions here with no luck. The solution I tried only works on a rooted phone.
Background: Removed Exchange/Corp Sync account, screen lock remained, and could not be disabled.
Install a Terminal emulator, install Busybox - need to edit one or two files with vi command.
DroidX:

Open terminal emulator.
su
cd /data/system
vi device_policies.xml
Open a line below policies

Add <!--
Escape out (volume up and the E key)
Go down to /policies
Open a line before it
Add -->
Escape out and save file :wq
Check list of files with ls command

The Droid 3 had a file called mot_device_policies.xml which additionally needed the same changes as described above.
The changes comment out the policies and after a reboot, you can turn off the screen lock!

Android 4.4 makes it easy.
It allows you to remove this (at least for me it did), by selecting the option, Clear credentials (Remove all certificates) from the Security menu.  Immediately, I was able to set no password/lock-code on my device again.
Hope this helps!


text:
How to get the stock music player to play WMA files?
I'm using android 2.2 on a stock Nexus one (from the pre-developer phone stage). Should the music player be able to cope with WMAs? I'm sure I've seen references to it coping with them, but they are currently just dead weight on the SD card.
I actually quite like the stock player so installing a new player is the fallback option.

Having been reminded I asked this question, I did a bit of digging and it seems that this is a feature of the nexus one and really something I should have known (or found quicker than I did).
Spec is at: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_google_nexus_one-3069.php
Includes the line: - MP3/eAAC+/WAV music player
...which notedly excludes wma.
As others have suggested, this is nexus one specific and will require extra software to solve.

The stock music player on my EVO plays .wma tracks, but it does not read any of the meta data (track number, artist etc.)
I have tried several music apps and none of them correctly read this meta data.  Music Player Pro is vastly superior to any of the others and is well worth the cost.

Thanks. Guessing the phone is lacking the right drivers. Really don't want to have to re-rip all my CDs. If you don't mind will leave question open.

I used to have WMA support when I first got my HTC Desire Z, and from the looks of things on the net, HTC Sense provides (/provided?) WMA support itself - explaining the lack of love for the format on the Nexus One. I have since rooted and lost this on Cyanogenmod, first with the system failing to read Artist tags but still playing in the stock player, and now failing to play at all.
I would suggest PowerAmp as a temporary workaround as this does recognise WMAs and is, generally, quite a good player. I didn't fancy paying after the free trial, however, so have started re-ripping my music into MP3 format.
The Android library will not index WMA files, but any app that builds its own library of tracks should suffice (Museek used to, before becoming JukeFox).


text:
Why does Wifi show an error whenever I try to reconnect (Galaxy Ace)?
I'm using a Galaxy Ace.  When I turn off WiFi and try to turn it on again it shows an error.  I need to restart my device for it to work.  Any ideas?

Can you give the specific error?

I believe this is a problem of the ROM itself (Android 2.2 in Ace). Even with only the basic applications it would show the same error.
Anyway this problem is solved for me. I upgraded my phone to Android 2.3.4. After that, up to now (nearly 5 month) I haven't come across that problem.

I believe this is a problem with Samsung's UI, TouchWiz; I experienced this on a couple ROMs for my Galaxy S.
I don't know of any way to fix it without replacing your ROM, but I did find that going to Settings -> Wireless and network -> WiFi settings and toggling WiFi there seemed to work.  Settings is a standard Android OS app and thus bypasses whatever problem TouchWiz has when you try to toggle the WiFi from the notification area.

You can try this, on the dial pad, enter *#*#526#*#* this will automatically load the wifi drivers. Once you see that driver loading successful, you can then turn on the wifi and it might work...

I did have a problem a few months ago where I'd keep getting an error when I tried to turn Wifi on, which needed a reboot of the phone to fix.
I traced it back to an app that I'd installed recently, the app in question monitored the wifi connections and did funny things ensuring you connected to specified wifi points when they were available. After I uninstalled the app the problem went away (the app in question was the BT FON app, in case you have the same one).
So it's probably worth thinking about when the problem first started, and then working out which apps that have anything to do with wifi you may have installed or updated around that time, and removing those apps for a few days to see if it helps.

@GATwrawn: what you are suggesting is installing BT FON app, uninstalling it and that it? My WiFi issue should dissapear? Also, could you please give me the link to download that app (there is more than one which starts with "BT FON" in the market).

@Diego no, what I'm suggesting is that a problem app could be causing this, so try uninstalling any apps that interact with Wifi or networking in any way. BT FON was just the app that turned out to be causing my problem.

OK, I'll try. Would this be any app which uses internet? If not, how can I know when an app intercat with Wifi?


text:
Does Android have a task scheduler?
Microsoft Windows has the Task Scheduler Manager to schedule tasks based on time or other events, as far Linux has cron to the same feature, does Android have something like? Could I install cron on Android??

Tasker. This is by far the best automated task scheduler available for android. It does come at a hefty price ($6.50 US), but it is well worth the price.

If you have a rooted phone this should do the job:
cron4phone free
I just did a quick and dirty search for "cron" on the market, there could be possibly better apps for your needs


text:
How can I play mkv files on Droid os 2.2 on a Droid x?
I'd prefer not to have to convert Them. Thanks.

Rockplayer looks promising

Correct. I've tried Rockplayer on my HTC Desire running 2.2 and it does work.

A good, simple and free alternative to RockPlayer I use is VPlayer.
http://www.cyrket.com/p/android/me.abitno.vplayer/


text:
Can I get a mobile view for every web page on the Internet?
Is there an app that lets you view a tiny-screen-optimized version of any web page, whether or not it was coded with this in mind?
Opera's "Mobile View" is like this, but it doesn't give satisfactory results on many pages.  Arc90's "Readability" bookmarklet is also in the similar vein.

Simply put, no.  Web pages are complex to the point where it is effectively impossible to determine what bits are necessary for the page to be usable, readable, maintain the right order, etc. for an arbitrary page.  When you couple this with poorly-coded websites containing errors and the like it becomes quite a mess.  This is why the two things you mention aren't perfect.

If you use Google Reader to read the webpages on your mobile, you can use its "Settings" to have Outgoing Links to Reformat linked web pages for mobile browsers. It works quite well for most webpages.


text:
How can I root my Droid X with Ubuntu Linux?
My sanity is at stake here. I need root but I don't have access to any fancy proprietary  OS.
I'd appreciate any help.

I have a T-Mobile G1 running 1.6-donut. I rooted it this weekend from my Ubuntu laptop. Here's what I did:

install terminal emulator from the marketplace (I didn't end up using it, but it is good to have)
installed the Android SDK on my laptop (actually, I installed it six months ago, but that's not the point, is it?)
Downloaded Universal Androot from this XDA forum: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=747598
used adb install to install the UniversalAndroot .apk -- the command will be something like adb install /home/amanda/Downloads/UniversalAndroot_1.6.1.apk
ran Universal Androot on my phone once it was installed.
rebooted my phone

Then I had root. I installed the BusyBox Installer from the marketplace (note: there's a $0 version but donating is nice, too) and used that to install BusyBox. Note that I wasn't able to install BusyBox (you install the installer from the marketplace, but then you use that app to install BusyBox itself) until I'd not only unmounted my phone from my laptop but actually pulled the cable. My phone didn't want to re-mount the SD Card with the cable in.
PS. The relative "fanciness" of a proprietary OS is debatable but also offtopic.

You don't need the full Android SDK; just adb is enough. It's statically linked.

Well, the one click root method requires Windows.  You could try running a Windows VM in Ubuntu?
But you can also do it manually.

I tend to read "No access to fancy proprietary OS" as "Not with a goat, not on a boat, Not even with a VM, I can't run it on my PC-em"


text:
How come some apps don't show-up on my phone's Android app market?
Fxcamera is a popular app, but it's not showing in my xperia x10 mini's app market search. I tried:

fx
camera
ymst
fxcamera

None gives the result. In fact, after that I've tried many apps which are listed on the internet market site http://www.android.com/market/ but not on the market app.
I live in India, is that why the apps don't show up? Is there a way to install the apps download them directly or something? Is it related to my carrier or mobile network provider?

Do you see it if you search on http://www.appbrain.com/ ?

yes I see it on appbrain.com, but the link there redirects me to the app market, which says "There are no matches in Android Market for the search: pname:ymst.android.fxcamera"

It could be because of a few reasons:

The app is a paid app and your country does not support purchasing paid apps (I don't know if India can or not yet?)
Your phone does not meet the min SDK requirements of the app.  For instance, the app may require 2.1+ features, but your phone is running Android 1.5 or 1.6
Your phone is missing a feature that the app requires in order to use it (things like SD cards, trackballs, etc.)
The app is carrier limited (Skype was an example of this)
Market bug.  Occasionally there are listing problems in the market, especially if an app was recently updated

There've also been cases when some apps have been missing after installing a newly released OS update. Some apps seem to require that the OS version for that device is registered with Google somehow, and that seems to take a while sometimes (Angry Birds was one of these).

It could also be that the app is no longer available in the app store. I've had that happen to a couple apps I liked and used. (Darn copyrights!) They at least stayed on my device (until I did a factory reset).

It happens the same to me... And for such popular apps as WeatherBug, which is supposed to work with "all android versions", according to them. I'm running ecclair (2.1 update 1) of the same device (xperia x10 mini). I couldn't find the WordReference app either, which I don't think requires too many features.
So, according to Bryan's answer, and for these specific cases, I would point to...

Your phone is missing a feature that
  the app requires in order to use it
  (things like SD cards, trackballs,
  etc.)
Market bug. Occasionally there
  are listing problems in the market,
  especially if an app was recently
  updated

But, what can of special feaure can require a dictionary? Could it be becuase of the littlescreen size?

Pl check your Gmail account with which you logged into Market site is the same Primary Gamil account on your phone.
The second reason that your phone doesn't support the listed apps.

But I am using Xperia mini Pro. I have those apps installed on my phone.


text:
How do I sync only "My Contacts" from Google on Samsung Galaxy S?
Is there any way that I can limit my Galaxy S to only download & sync contacts from the google account that are in "My Contacts"? Right now, it downloads everything, in particular, contacts in the "Other Contacts" group which has people that I've only emailed one time (or responded to). This takes my contact list from <200 up to 500+. On the other side, any way to use the groups that I've included in my google account?
I'm not opposed to using a separate application to manage these. It seems to me that Samsung's contact implementation is just poorly thought out, and I really hope that they make drastic changes to it for the 2.2 update.

Contacts | Menu | Display Options | Choose contacts to display (account)
Make sure only "System Group: My Contacts" is checked. Or whichever groups you actually want to see. (More specifically, make sure "All other contacts" is not checked.)

Unfortunatly, that option isn't there. This is all that I see:
http://imgur.com/Miq13.jpg

Oh well. Such is the downside of allowing carriers to make their own modifications to the OS. Checking the "only contacts with phones" option might help, because if they're really people you've only e-mailed once or twice, it's unlikely that you have a phone number for them.

This does now appear in the Galaxy S Froyo release, I see Contacts | Menu (More) | Display Options | Choose contacts to display (account) | System Group: My Contacts

 I have a hundreds of contacts in both my personal and work accounts (GMail and Google Apps). It's nearly 30 years of contacts from college, grad school, work, etc. Lots of people that I exchange Christmas cards with or send email to, but never call.  Now, I have a group for each contact list called "Sync to Phone" and only display those. From 800+ items to about 150 that I actually talk to on my phone.

al-e is right, but keep in mind that the menu changes depending on which tab/icon you have selected. Be sure that the "contacts" icon is selected from within the contacts app.  Here are the steps I used for the Galaxy S4, including the step if you have multiple gmail accounts.

Open contacts app
Be sure contacts tab is selected at the top
Hit the menu button and select "contacts to display"
Press the "customized list" gear button
Select the dropdown for the email acct that you are synchronizing
Uncheck everything but "My contacts"

Filtering Contacts : You can filter contacts from particular group.
Contacts | Click - Menu Button | Filter | Click - Google (account) | Select - System Group: My Contacts

Try Groupy

@Matt Link only answer... you can do better than that ;)


text:
Are there any Email apps that render HTML emails?
Are there any email apps on the Market that can render HTML emails instead of just displaying the text of the email?  I know the GMail app can, but I want one that I can use to view HTML emails from my non-GMail accounts.

Update: To further clarify what I am looking for, I want to see the HTML email in its native form, not as plain text or HTML code. The GMail app can do that, but none of the other email apps I have found can do it.

Per my answer below, the the default "Mail" application built into Android supports HTML emails. I tested and verified and can send you a screenshot of my phone if necessary. If it doesn't work for you then something is converting it to text, but unless I'm missing something the Mail application does not do this by default. Please update your original post with more information, such as what email system you are using and with what settings. For example I am using the Mail client connected to Exchange.

I'm suspecting your email server's configuration could be faulty, and is sending a HTML email with text MIME. Can you try using your email apps using gmail or hotmail POP/IMAP server? (hotmail's html emails renders fine in mine)

Mail app that comes on all Android phones can accept HTML emails, I just tested it. Go to Settings > Accounts & Sync > Add account and then add your other email accounts. Once added and sync'd you should be able to view them by going to your apps screen and scrolling to mail.

I am not talking about accepting HTML emails.  I am talking about the ability to actually render the HTML in the email.  I can already read HTML emails on my phone, but what I want to do is see the rendering of the HTML when I view the email.

Viewing HTML = Rendering HTML. Those terms are synonymous. Are you talking about viewing the HTML source? If not, then "Webs" is right--the stock e-mail apps show/render HTML e-mails perfectly fine.

Yes, I think we may need more clarification about what you want to do penti. UPDATE: Another thought, if all you see when you view an email is text, then you are not actually viewing the email in it's native HTML form. If you can view the HTML form of an email then you are viewing it as an HTML email. For example in Outlook you can convert emails to text only email, then HTML will not be supported with that email.

Yes, that is what I am saying happens by default in all of the email apps I have tried.  The HTML code of the email or just the text of the email is displayed.  I want to view the email in its native HTML form.  That is what the GMail app can do.

Can you please edit your question with this clarification?

Go to app's menu > More > Settings > Send and receive > set mail size limit to No limit.
Enabling No limit will allow the inbuilt email app to render the HTML in emails. This does not work for exchange account however, but it does fix the text issue on all POP and IMAP email accounts.


text:
What are the differences between: LauncherPro "Keep in memory" and "Lock home in memory."

LauncherPro has an option for "Keep in memory".
CyanogenMod settings has an option for "Lock home in memory".

How do these work? Do they conflict with each other? What problems might they cause? The CM version seems to work better, but causes other apps to shut down.

I keep them both enabled, but I have tried them each individually and the CM option works much better.  The fact that it "causes other apps to shut down" is the whole point.  Android keeps the memory filled at all times and ends tasks on demand when more memory is needed.  It is supposed to be pretty smart and know, based on your usage, which apps to give priority to but if you are multi-tasking and the phone needs more memory it may kill LauncherPro causing it to to reload from scratch when you hit the home button.  The option to keep it in memory gives it a higher priority so when Android tries to free up some memory it kills something else.

Yes, but it seems to kill the app I'm currently using.  I'm guessing the slow startup of LauncherPro could be made faster if it stored more information before being shut down?

The CM option is going to have more sway with the OS than the LauncherPro option (since it is the CM option is from the OS itself vs an app telling the OS to not kill itself).
I've also had even better success with screen redraws using this method.  I think it's what the CM toggle is supposed to do, but this actually does it.

1) MAKE A NANDROID BACKUP
In your terminal application on your
  phone (if you have to ask what this
  is, Google it, download it from the
  market)

su (enter)
echo ro.HOME_APP_ADJ=1 >> /data/local.prop (enter)
reboot (enter)

If you want to undo what this command
  does, simply remove that toggle from:
  /data/local.prop, or if you did not
  have this file (like I did not) prior
  to the mod...remove it entirely


text:
Is there an app that will vocalize (text to speech) a message (SMS)?
When I'm driving with a headset active (Bluetooth or wired), I want my Android to read me any incoming text messages.
Any references?

Doesn't the built-in text-to-speech feature do that? (You'll need to turn on accessibility)

This is exactly why we don't like "is there an app that does X" questions. Look at all the not-helpful one-line-with-a-link answers this question has attracted.

There are a number of apps that will do this.  DriveSafe.ly is what I use right now, but haven't really had the opportunity to thoroughly test their TTS engine.  It can also be set up to start whenever bluetooth is paired, or if you put it in a car dock.
I did try another one out a few months ago, but can't remember the name right now.  A search through the app market (or your favourite online app site) may reveal some more.

SMS Speak does text to speech for your SMS messages. It has support for routing audio thru a connected bluetooth too. You can install different speech synthesis engines from the software libraries on the marketplace as well.

SayMyName Dessert will read SMS text.  When bluetooth is attached, it still uses the speaker or wired output, though.

Handcent SMS has a "speak text" feature.

StartTalking seems like an app to check out. It will let you listen to incoming text messages and even replay to them. It doesn't require any Bluetooth devices (but I think it will work with one), and it's true hands free - meaning you don't have to press any button to use it, both for listening to it and replaying, it's fully voice activated. Oh and the TTS sounds surprisingly good.

Announcify - currently in beta.
It's the successor of, the already mentioned above, SayMyName Dessert.

The following is another resource for such apps:
http://eyes-free.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/documentation/android_access/apps.html#ps
At least one of the 5 listed (Handcent SMS) is SMS-specific.

There is an app called Smart Receiver, it speaks SMS and incoming call details very well. I use it, it is very nice.

Enhanced SMS & Caller ID will vocalize text messages and allow you to reply using your voice.

"Assistant" for Android is free and it reads incoming text messages aloud, and it will let you dictate a response. It does many of the other things that "Google Now" does, only not as well.

It would be useful if you could provide a link to the app you're recommending.

I know this is an old thread but here is some links to a good 100% hands free SMS for Android.
Speak and Hear SMS
in Google Play:
Speak and Hear SMS

By far the best hands free app out there (and believe me, I've tried all of them) is Speak Drive Text by SpeakEazy. So many options, just a great app.


text:
Is there a TTS app that will read me my email or a webpage?
All I can seem to find is apps that read SMS and manually entered text.

For Email there is the DriveSafe.ly® Free SMS Reader available from Google Play Store.
It can read emails, but has mixed reviews. I have never tried it so can't recommend it one way or the other.

Listen to SMS text (TXT) messages, Emails and Caller-ID while driving. Read SMS!
Listen to SMS, listen to email, listen to TXT messages. DriveSafely® reads text messages, SMS and emails aloud and lets you respond by voice (with Pro). iSpeech Text to Speech (TTS) will speak your SMS while driving. Hands-free.

Thanks, I actually saw that app but didn't want to pay a yearly subscription fee.

You don't have to pay a subscription.  Where does it say you have to pay a subscription?  I haven't used it enough to tell if really works well, though.

Try Speaking Email for email, it is a voice email reader purpose built for reading out email content. Skips disclaimers and footers and stuff.

According to this resource: http://eyes-free.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/documentation/android_access/apps.html#em "K-9 Mail" is an accessible e-mail program. I have not used it so I can't vouch for its quality or suitability.

Talking Clipboard available from Google Play Store, can read everything from your clipboard, and additionally it directly reads EPUB, TXT and HTML. It even can look-up your links collected with Pocket (formerly known as "Read it Later").

Make your android device read text from any application using clipboard.
Talking Clipboard for Android is a text to speech application for Android 2.2 and higher, that can read ePub Books or any text or html files. It can also read text copied from any application, using Talking Clipboard: Read Clipboard feature available through the notification/status bar. You can also open Read It Later saved bookmarks and can read it in Talking Clipboard. Talking Clipboard can also convert any webpage article to text and can read it for you.

There's a new app out for android called AudioMail. Maybe you could give that a try.

I have just loaded Web Page Reader. It works great on web pages, even though Android's standard voice output is very tinny (up to Android 4.0). I loaded the Ivona voice (Amy) which is the most natural I have found, and it is brilliant. Works exceptional on the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

The Read My Email Lite application should help:

Read My Email application will read out new emails from user’s inbox.
This state of the art application will help users to track their emails while on the go. With simple instructions the mail account can be configured and tracked from then on. New mails will be polled every 10 minutes and will prompt the user of any new mails in their inbox.
Upon selecting the option to read the emails, the application will read aloud 10 new emails.

And there's the Read My Email Pro version with greater features:

Read My Email application will allow the users to safely keep track of their important emails while on the go.
Once configured and started, the application will read out aloud the new mails details from the inbox. The mail details includes "From", "Received on" and the "body of the email". There are various options to configure the service available with the application, like Locale for reading the email, Frequency of polling the email server, stopping the email, skip the current email, go back to previous email, configure number of new emails to read and managing various email services.
This application comes with standard email services and allows the user to add their own email services. Currently this application supports IMAP protocol.

Both applications are available from appbrain.com and Google Play Store:


text:
Can I use my Android phone as a bluetooth microphone (for Skype)?
I do some international phone-calls. Gets annoyingly expensive. I didn't like a bigger Android mobile, so I got this small Motorola Fuzzout thingy.
Is there any way to link the Android phone as a Bluetooth microphone? I can run Skype on my Mac or Windows PC. However I'm not sure how to connect the devices that way.

brownie points if you make phone work as a camera for skype (skype does not support video calling on phone). Tripple points for doing that over USB.

Can you be more specific about the device you are on or can you provide a link to some info about it?  A Google search for "Motorola Fuzzout" didn't return anything relevant.  Also, why do you need the phone as an intermediary?  If you are using Skype on the computer why not just plug a mic and headphones into the computer or use a bluetooth headset?

This question asks basically the same thing (and has an answer, kind of): http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/5796/can-an-android-phone-be-used-as-a-bluetooth-headset-speakers

Is the Skype app available in your view of the Market?  If so, why not just make the call on the device itself (via Skype)?

It's not available because the model isn't supported ;)


text:
Enabling WiFi HotSpot in Google Nexus S
I have a Google Nexus S with Android 2.3 in it. I want to tether/or enable Wifi HotSpot in it.
Do I have to root my phone?
How should I proceed?
Thanks!

Do you have Settings->Wireless and Networks->Tethering & portable hotspot?

Yes, I have this option. But when I did that the wireless connected gadgets to my phone didnt have the access to the internet.

No, you don't need to have your phone rooted to enable a portable hotspot.
Not quite sure why it isn't working for you, but here are the reasons it hasn't worked for me at various times.

No cell data connection. I've tried using the hotspot as a relay to another wi-fi network without any success. The original wi-fi connection is shut down.
Misconfigured wi-fi security on the attaching devices.

Do I need to enable HotSpot through Sprint? Because that is another $20/month :(

My first thought is no, but I bought my phone from Best Buy without a plan. I can activate the Hot Spot if I bought the old day pass from T-Mobile or switch for the day to T-Mobile's $2/day data plan. I've been able to turn on the Hot Spot on demo phones at various cellular providers when I've fiddled with their phones. But, if Sprint has modified the Android OS, you may have to buy the Sprint package. I'm just not sure. You'll need that answer from someone who has the Google Nexus S from Sprint. Did either of my suggestions help?

Hey Richard, I downloaded EasyTehter App from the market place and connected to my PC via USB cable through my phone, it worked like a charm. But when I am enabling HotSpot through my phone settings then it does not work. Any clues whats going on?


text:
How can I see only phone contacts, not SIM contacts?
I have a Dell XCD35.
My phone book was showing phone contacts as well as SIM contacts.
So when I see the list it shows some contacts twice. I don't want that, so in display option of contacts I just unchecked SIM contacts, which solves the problem in the Contacts app.
But I face the same problem when I am composing a SMS message. When searching for contacts it shows both Phone and SIM contacts.
Is there any way to disable SIM Contacts everywhere?

I solved this by erasing all contacts on the SIM. Here's how:

Contacts app -> Menu -> View. Uncheck all but SIM, press OK.
Menu -> Delete.
Menu -> Select All.
Press Delete.

After a while all SIM contacts are gone. Now re-enable showing the Phone and/or Google contacts and you're good to go!
(My phone uses Swedish so maybe the menu items/buttons above have other similar names)

Go to contacts -> press menu button and choose more -> then display options -> there you can choose either SIM or Phone. And say DONE

this will work only for contacts but when you go for compose message at that time it will show both phone and SIM contacts.

Try this SIM Contacts Manager application from Android Market. It is going to manage all your contacts which are in SIM card.
There is one more possibility of having duplicates in your contacts list. If you are importing/synchronizing the Contacts from Facebook/Gmail/Twitter then it will show the contacts twice or more. In this case use this Contacts Merger which merges the duplicate contacts.

@Mihir: Please search in the Android market. If there is any free app is available. If I find I will share that with you.

Try this app. This does duplicate contacts merging job. https://market.android.com/details?id=com.jbapps.contact

In case this helps anyone:
The above instructions did not work for me,
on my Sony Xperia L15, Android 2.3.3
I think this is because of my ancient Android OS. :-)
I manually see which contacts are phone-only, by:

Open contacts
Menu
Delete contacts

The Delete window has a little status line beside each contact, to tell you where the contact is stored:

Google
Phone contact
Joined contact (think this means the contact was originally 2 or more contacts)

Hope this helps!

This is does not seem to be an answer to the Original Poster's question. This seems to be a comment for someone's answer instead. But useful information, nevertheless.

Some old phones have options hidden in the "square" button of the phone i.e. there's no "..." button in the app, you have to press the "square" button of your phone


text:
Kindle Fire Not Recognized when plugged into PC
I have just got a Kindle Fire and I want to root it and Install Android Market on it. I am having a problem that is ticking me off big time. I plug my Kindle Fire to my computer (Windows 7 Professional) and I get the message in the Fire screen that states that I can now start to transfer files to my device but two things are happening:

Every time I plug the USB end to any USB port on my computer my Internet goes down !!! WTF!!!!
When double clicking on my computer the Kindle Fire does not seem to be recognized correctly as it shows under Devices with Removable Storage. When clicking on that drive mapping I get a pop up saying: "Insert disk"

Any ideas?
UPDATE:
I have installed the Kindle drivers by adding 0x1949 to the adb_usb.ini and now under Device Manager I do not longer see "Kindle" under Others. Now I see Android Phone/ Android Composite ADB Interface
I double click on My Computer and I still do not see the Kindle anywhere. I have the letter I: which appears there once I plug the Kindle Fire but its not clickable. What am I doing wrong?
I have followed this instructions to the dot correctly. http://www.jayceooi.com/2011/12/13/how-to-install-kindle-fire-adb-usb-driver/ but yet I cannot see the Fire as an icon in my computer

Those instructions allow you to access the Fire over adb, which is different than using it as a mass storage device. It sounds like you're having an issue with the latter, but does adb interaction work? If you can issue adb devices and see the device serial listed then it's working (the instructions discuss this at the end).

That's true you are right with your comment. I can interact with adb but I could not access it. I went to Best Buy and exchanged the Micro USB cable for another one and it worked.

The instructions I have followed in the link above do the job. The solution to my two problems listed above was:
Replace this Micro/Mini USB to USB adapter
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Rocketfish%26%23153%3B+-+1.5%27+USB+Cable/1000247.p?id=1218207305639&skuId=1000247&st=RF-CC1MC&cp=1&lp=1
...with this one:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Rocketfish%26%23153%3B+Mobile+-+Micro+USB+Data+Transfer+Cable/2077196.p?id=1218308698225&skuId=2077196&st=rocketfish%20micro%20usb%20&cp=1&lp=3
It sounds weird but trust me do not get Micro USB to USB adapter from the first link. You will not be able to access the Kindle Fire as a storage device, guaranteed.


text:
Undo Android 4.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich) Full Disk Encryption
Just upgraded my Nexus S to Android 4 aka Ice Cream Sandwich. Was looking through all the new features, and decided to enable encryption, which worked (and is working) just fine. Now I'm wondering if I can undo that and revert to an un-encrypted filesystem.
There does not seem to be an option in the settings area, and while I'm not fussed about doing a factory reset, I just wonder if I'm missing an obvious option somewhere. Can anyone help? Or even confirm that the factory reset is the only way out?

I just got my Galaxy Nexus, and was thinking about turning on full disk encryption... until I saw your question. Why do you want to undo it? Have you encountered any issues with it?

No issues at all. This was just a result of my "Hey, I didn't read the warning screens properly and now I'm curious that there is no undo button" attitude :D

There should have been a warning when you begin the encryption that you had to agree to. The only way to unencrypt it is to perform a factory reset, thereby wiping your data partition completely.

Ah, so there is. Thanks! PS Isn't the new screenshot shortcut awesome!

@scuzzy-delta: It's great for posting answers on this site, definitely :)

A description of how to perform that factory reset would be helpful.  I tried the the "factory reset" option in my custom recovery image, TWRP, and that did not seem to do the trick.

I'm using Samsung Galaxy Note Android 4.0.3. and I've tried Encrypting and Decrypting several times successfully.

A downvote for sharing my knowledge/experience :( if only i could post my screenshots on how I Undo my Disk Encryptions.

@richard im not saying you gave me a downvote :) no problem :) im just expressing how some people votes without considerations :)

I added a screenshot on how I decrypt or undo encrypt my device.  thanks for the upvote that lifted my restriction for posting pictures. sorry guys i dont know how to make the image smaller.


text:
PIN reset for purchases on Market
I created a PIN for accepting purchases on the Android Market, and I seem to have forgotten it. How can I reset it? It looks as though I can't access User Controls without said PIN. It's not a huge deal, since I can still purchase apps from the website, but it would be good to have that option if I was on the go.

Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications -> Market -> Clear data


text:
How can I prevent my screen from turning off while on a phone call?
When I'm on a call my screen turns off after X seconds.  Half the time I can't get it to turn back on without pushing the on/off button, which I have set to terminate a phone call (because half the time I can't get the screen to turn back on).  Is there a way to just turn this "feature" off?
In case it matters:

Phone: Samsung Vibrant
OS: 2.2 / FROYO.UVKA6 / 2.6.32.9

It's turned of so that you don't accidentally press a button while talking.

See http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/8667/avoiding-my-cheek-hung-up-on-you-on-an-optimus-t
TL;DR - Use Screebl

I have a Motorola Droid 1, and on my phone, the screen "wakes up" during a call when I pull it away from my face. I'm not sure if it's a heat/motion sensor or something, but considering the Vibrant is newer than the Droid 1, I'm sure your phone works similarly.

@BigCaseyDog Its a proximity sensor which is nothing else then a simple light sensor. If you cover it, Android assumes that you put the phone on your ear, whereupon it disables the input.

Keep screen on during calls
That setting is not available on all phones, but if it was it would be under:
Home > Settings > Call Settings > [Display >] ...
But as for the difficulty turning the screen on
Be sure that the power button does not end calls (Settings > Accessibility > Power Button ends call : make sure it is UNchecked)
Then just pull the phone away and press the power button to turn the screen on.

Part two of your answer did the trick.  I guess I'd only tried the volume keys before to "wake it up"; the power button works, too.  Thanks!

I had been having exact same problem for a few months on my LG-P500, but have just fixed it. I found that the proximity sensor had gotten covered with dust as the screen cover had slightly lifted in the area of the proximity sensor. Once I cleaned it off it worked fine again.

Are you sure that the screen goes off after X seconds? Android phones with proximity sensors usually turn off the screen when they are put on an ear. The Phone should automatically turn on the screen if you uncover the light/proximity sensor (e.g. by removing it from your ear). The Galaxy S does this and I suppose that the Vibrant does so too, because they are basically the same phone models. Other Android phones behave similar.
I am not sure if it's possible to disable this feature. Even if so, you would encounter another problem: Accidental pushing buttons on the touchscreen with parts of your face, which could lead to hang-ups.

On 1.6, my Droid had this problem, too.  Some percentage of the time the screen would not wake up when you moved the phone away from your face.   It went away with the 2.1 or 2.2 upgrade.

I suspect this is the same on my phone, only it hasn't gone away with any updates :(

I'm not quite sure how to turn the feature off but when I had my Droid Eris, it would do the same thing.  I found that if I simply hit one of the volume buttons on the side, the screen would come back on without having to end the call.

You can disable the proximity sensor or simply go to call setting and you will find an option that reads keep screen awake.

I guess T-Mo took that option off the Call Settings page...

maybe, but on a standard unlocked android phone the option exists.

I have noticed (while searching like mad to put my phone in a universal waterproof case for my handlebar, where the proximity sensor is hidden), that when the Bluetooth is on the screen stays on during a call.
Also, as Brian says here,  when I'm on a ride with the "Strava" app running and I receive a call, the screen goes black, but if I press the "back" button, it goes back to Strava with the screen on.

I have the same problem of the screen dimming in my LG during a phone call. It matters because I have to sit and listen to really long conference calls, and I have to be ready to turn off Mute to answer a question.
I haven't found the settings that have been mentioned. My only work-around is to be in another app, and when I have to go to the phone, I click the call icon in the 'Second Screen.'
So, now I have one  tap instead of 2 taps to wake the phone. That's a marginal improvement.

I lived with this problem for a few months but eventually I hit my breaking point.

Searched Google & tried other suggestions for fixes
I realized I just wasted way too much time...

So I came up with a plan of my own:

ripped the phone apart
unplugged the sensor from the board
turned the phone on to test & it worked!
I have an S4 and on my hardware this sensor was attached to the audio jack as well
I needed my audio jack still so I ripped the sensor off the audio jack and threw it in the garbage with much satisfaction
put everything back together
lived the rest of my life with one less phone problem

Software workarounds are usually better (of which there are several).

Point missed: "* voided my warranty for good"

To keep the screen and disable the proximity sensor launch another program while on a phone call. The screen will remain on while the phone is against your ear.

+1, works. Pressing the home button to put the call app into background also works, you need to wait a second for the effect to be switched off though.

If you enable the touchpad while the call is coming in, the screen will stay on even when the phone is pressed against your face.  For instance, if you answer a Google Voice call and have to push "1" to pick up the call.
Of course, this will result in you repeatedly pressing the buttons with your face, causing GV to say "this call is being recorded" and possibly hang up, but hey, you asked for it.

02-09-2013 - When the screen goes dark (by factory default) while on a call can be very frustrating. I just purchased a new Samsung Galaxy Proclaim, an Android phone, and this solved the problem.
Go to Settings > Accessibility > Power Button ends call : make sure it is UNchecked
Then when the screen goes dark while you're on a call and you need for it to come back on for pressing prompt numbers, account numbers, or whatever....just press the power button to turn the screen on. Since you've unchecked the end call by pressing the power button...the screen will now come back on and will not end the call. Hope this helps.

You noticed the OP explicitly checked that feature because he wants to be able to end a call, and the screen didn't turn back on? So your suggestion just brings him back to where he was before: Being unable to get the screen on, AND being unable to end a call.

does your device have shake your phone to activate camera feature? If so just shake phone then hit back button to get out of camera mode. Also on some phones it will light up screen when plugging into power or unplugging.

From your description, it sounds like there may be an issue with your proximity sensor. The proximity sensor should turn off the screen instantly when you put the phone to your face during a call. The way you described the screen turning off after X amount of time sounds like it's just normally timing out. You can use an app called AndroSensor to test the functionality of your proximity sensor. This would also explain having to turn the screen back on manually instead of it happening automatically. Also, you may want to look closely at the sensor, there may be dust on it preventing it from working properly.
As others have noted, the Vibrant should have an option for disabling the sensor. Is this option already checked? That may have something to do with it.

I found a couple of settings in Cyanogenmod which could be useful. I am not sure if they are available in vanilla Android.

Also, the proximity sensor application in HTC is pretty good. But I am not sure about Vibrant.

The best way that I find is to cover the screen for a few seconds and then release. This is the same mimic as if you are calling into voicemail or a feature for which you are required to press a key. This is the best means that I have found to keep all features enabled.
BTW: I find it odd that you have the power button set to hang up. I believe this is a feature you setup in order to advert another issue. Maybe solving the hang up feature problems will assist with this one as well?

I've tried that hand trick repeatedly -- no joy.  I set the power button up to hang up because I couldn't wake up the screen to hang up calls...


text:
How do I get back to the regular camera?
I hit something by accident and now whenever I use the camera app it's using the front facing camera evey time.
How do I switch it back?

http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/17549/how-do-i-use-my-front-facing-camera-on-my-galaxy-s/17552#17552

Open the camera app and press the button that looks like a camera with a circular arrow under it.

(original picture from this article about ICS on thetechlabs.com)


text:
One purchased app stuck at "Starting download..." but others download fine
I purchased an app from the Android Marketplace and the download will not start. It is stuck at "Starting Download..." and none of the suggestions on the support
site worked. I can download other apps just not the one I purchased. My credit card was charged for this app -- it was charged twice in fact (I think that could be the issue maybe?)
I emailed Google support, and they responded with the following:

Cancel and restart the download(s)
Reboot your device
Sign in and out of Google Talk repeatedly to restore connection to our servers:

Go to your device’s app launcher, and press the Talk app
If you’re already signed into Talk, press Menu, and then touch Sign out
Launch Talk again to sign in (if you are unable to sign in, please let me know)

Clear the Market cache (Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage applications > All > Market > Clear cache)
Clear the Download Manager cache and data (Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage applications > All > Download manager > Clear
  cache and Clear data)
Ensure there is at least 20MB of free space on your device
Try your download(s) using both WiFi and network (3G/4G) connections
Try to initiate your download from the Web (market.android.com) instead of the device
Ensure firewalls are not blocking access to ports required for Android Market (TCP and UDP 5228)
Confirm that there is strong connectivity on your device, and contact your mobile service provider if you aren't connected
Uninstall Market updates by visiting:
Settings > Applications > Manage Applications, selecting "Market"
  under the "All" tab or filter and touching "Uninstall updates"

I tried all of those things and responded that none of them worked. Their second response told me to perform a factory reset!
Before I do something that drastic, what else can I try?
UPDATE: I went ahead and did a factory reset and I still cannot download this app... any other suggestions?

Have you tried long-pressing on the download notification and cancelling? I've had a few app installs that seemed to get "stuck".

@Al: Sadly, yes I did... no luck!

I am not sure why this happened... I suspect it was due to my open issue with the Android Market team... however I suddenly got an email that my order for this app had been canceled:

Hello JOSHUA,
Your order has been canceled and you have not been charged.
Reason: Other (describe below)
Comments: We could not complete your order in a timely fashion. Your
  order has been automatically canceled. Please retry your purchase.

I was then able to purchase and pay for the app again, and this time, it downloaded!

That's awesome! I can only imagine that the transaction got hung up somehow and they finally cancelled it. (If memory serves from my e-commerce days, authorizations automatically expire if they aren't used by an actual sale within some days. But my memory is murky.)

I was thinking that too @AlEverett... either way I can SSH/SFTP into my phone now, so much easier for grabbing pictures off / managing media!

I had a similar issue once.  It occurred immediately after I got a refund for another app that didn't work (I bought the one that got "stuck" to replace the refunded one).  I was lucky in that after an hour or so the download started on its own and everything was fine.
So that's one option.  Another is to contact the seller of the app, explain what happened, and ask for a cancellation/refund.  Hopefully it fixes the issue, but if not you'll at least be able to get your money back.

Thanks... it's the next day and the app still won't download. I may contact the seller of the app and ask him to cancel the order. As I explained to Google I do want this app and I'm happy to pay for it... maybe the developer will cancel my order knowing I'll just reorder again. I just want the download problem fixed, not my money back! :-)


text:
Any success with external microphones for Android phones or tablets?
What's the best way to record a video with high quality audio?  Specifically, this is for a presentation where a microphone could be placed by the speaker.  I know that an app that records with the right codec is necessary, but what about the microphone?
I'd prefer to use a USB mic but, even though Android 3.1+ supports USB host mode, it doesn't appear that this is easy to accomplish.  What about a 3.5mm microphone - would that yield acceptable results, or would it be better to stick with the built-in microphone?  Are any of the video-recording apps capable of handling the microphone?

Does your device have a mic jack?

Yes and no... I have a few test devices, let's say the Droid 1, which should work with a wired handsfree device.  I'll need to track down a splitter to use it with a standard 3.5mm microphone.  If I'm going the USB Host route, I'll use a Xoom or put a beta of Cyanogenmod9 (with ICS) onto the Droid 1.  There seem to be problems with using line-in audio for video recording, from what I've seen.  I'm still testing.

It's not a USB mic, but I have found a solution for external mic via 3.5 mm jack.
Look at my answer on this question:
How do I use an external microphone with my Galaxy Nexus?

Thanks, I ordered an TRRS cable, and will check out how that works.  My USB mic would be better sound, but this may yield acceptable results.

it does for me :)

i have two wireless microphones (for song etc.) on my galaxy Nexus now :)

TRRS cable works for a simple microphone (too bad I don't have any good 3.5mm microphones right now).  I used TapeMachine lite to test, since it shows the waveform.  Red connector for mic.   Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck with using it for video yet, even with LG Camera.

You need to find the right poles... It works for me after the right poles.. I can take a picture later if you want...

I bought a splitter ($7.65 on Amazon)to access the headphone/mic input on my HTC Thunderbolt.
An Audio Technica ATR6550 shotgun mike works fine with the built-in camcorder software.  Note that the impedence on this is 2200 ohms.
I have half a dozen other microphones, and NONE of them work (some have an impedence of around 1000 ohms, so maybe this is the problem).
So, here is what I know:

This is possible (at least with the atr6550).
The necessary splitter (i.e. splits input jack into mic + earphone connectors) is not expensive, and there seems no reason to use any different connector.
I have half a dozen other mics and NONE of them works.
I don't know if the incompatibility of the others is an impedence problem or a voltage / current problem, and don't know how to find out.

Here is the splitter info:
StarTech.com MUYHSMFF 3.5mm 4-Pin to 2x 3-Pin 3.5mm Headset Splitter Adapter - M/F
Sold by: Amazon.com LLC

I use the Irig Pre interface (30 euro / 30-40 US dollars) to connect any XLR mic to my HTC wildfire. In flightmode I can make good 48khz mono WAV recordings with the Taperecorder app.
When I switch flightmode off there sometimes are some ticks and clicks.
Afterwards you cann edit your recording and  convert it into MP3 files.

I don't have an XLR mic, but that looks like the right way to go.  The Irig Pre dongle is more compact than the TRRS splitter cable I now have (but more expensive), and allows using better microphones.  I will have to look into that, especially if I upgrade my mic.

A USB Microphone as well as any kind of USB Audio device needs a USB host which has drivers for USB Audio devices. Under Win/Mac/Linux these drivers come preinstalled and you can use your USB Audio device in a plug-and-play way. I have experimented with different ways of using USB Audio on Android and this topic seems to be quite diverse.
Depending on the version of Android and especially the Kernel in use you may, or may not, be able to connect USB devices over OTG USB (On-The-Go). With most devices these details don't show in the manufacturer's specifications and has to be tested manually. As far as I got in my research Samsung devices on Stock Android are the most reliable to support USB Audio, but if you start messing with different ROMs and Kernels it is possible deactivate this functionality.
I have been able to record very high quality audio with Urecord and USB Audio Recorder PRO using a stock Galaxy Note 2 and several interfaces (Alesis io4, Shure x2u) and I have been told that Audio Evolution is also able to record from a USB source.
An app that can record video as well as USB audio does not exist as far as I know. And of course, if your device does not support OTG and USB audio there is no way you can use a USB microphone.
good luck!

When you put your android on flight mode u need to go to the setting and put it on mp3 headphone mode, itdeends how sencitive ur android is. And if ur android is not sencitive then you have to go and speaxk to the android network.

I'm having a hard time figuring out the relevance of your answer, seemingly doesn't match the question. Please also don't use fuzzy english


text:
Unable to move files to my SD card - how can I do this?
I have tried moving files from the Android (internal) storage (now almost full) to the 16G unused SD card I have installed.  I click and hold the item I want to move (i.e. a movie file) and the option to move (cut) is offered.  I press it and see the flag 'holdingFILENAME.wmv'.
I navigate to the area I want to move it to and press the icon (like a paper icon) in the top right of my screen.  I have the option to move, attach, copy, or delete.  I select move, but nothing happens. Any ideas how I can move files?
I am using Android v4.0.3, kernel 3.0.8+, baseband 1.01.

What file browser are you using?

embarassed to say im not sure... came w tablet.  icon is yellow folder w android logo on cover.  text:file manager below icon

default file managers have always been finicky in my opinion. check out the options below :)

tks for help so far btw... have installed astro but it doesnt seem to find my external 16g sd card...  only the mounted (internal) one... :(  ideas?

same for x-plore......  ok, this must be something stupid im doing.  on my tablet settings i see the  'internal storage' which seems to refer to mnt/sdcard.  then there is the 'extsd' which nothng seems to be able to either see or copy to.  my original file manager sees it but wont copy to it.  these other applications seem unable to recognise it.... help???

ok u lovely people...  i found the extsd!!  YaY!  however i just tried to copy something and i cant. get the error: libcore.io.ErnoException:open failed:EACCESS (permission denied)....  Doh!??????

it sounds like you're trying to do something that requires root... what is the filepath of the file you're trying to copy?

Out of curiosity, what device are you using? The Motorola Xoom was originally set up so that the external SD card was mounted read only (I'm not sure if they ever changed this, either). It's possible you're in a similar situation.

@eldarerathis the (non-US) Xoom sorted this out in the 3.1 update, not sure if/when it was sorted in the US firmware.

I would use X-plore File Manager. It has a split-view and you can simply open the location you wish to copy from on one side, and the location you wish to copy to on the other side, and long-press and choose move from the menu. The move location will be the location you have open in the other pane by default.

Try to use Astro or if possible (I mean if you are rooted) Root Explorer.
In case "move" fails, then try "copy" first and after successful copy revert to the original location and delete the aforementioned file.
You're done!


text:
Can I use Android's Holo theme on versions earlier than Ice Cream Sandwich?
I have recently used Ice Cream Sandwich and I really like the Holo theme. I would like to be able to use this theme for lower Android API versions (Gingerbread, Froyo, Eclair, etc). Is there a way to port this theme to older versions of Android, or any other way that I could use it?

You're looking for a theming engine for this to make it look like ICS ?

yes, did you know one?

a lot of apps on my Gingerbread devices use the holo theme, so I'd answer this with a clear "Yes". But if your question is about how to integrate it with an app you develop, I'd suggest you flag your question to be migrated to stackoverflow (as development questions are off-topic here).

There are Holo themes available for the T-Mobile/CyanogenMod Theme Chooser. If you have the theme chooser you just download a Holo theme from the market select it.
You can find out more about CyanogenMod (has the theme chooser built in) here.


text:
Troubleshoot/ Tune Android performance / speed
I have a Motorola Xoom (not rooted) and new to the Android world (at least as an advanced user).
I've installed several (around 30) games + several (around 30) apps. I've noticed that it became a lot more slow. Actually browsers can barely work (they hang from time to time). I noticed that several games and apps have active daemons running.
I wanted to:

Track the apps that are being used.
Track the apps that are loaded on startup (and eventually change it).
Do anything to improve performance

TL:DR; I want to troubleshoot / tune my Android installation.
Is there any application for that?
Is there any document recommended for this? (I'm an advanced user - developer)
Thanks!

There are a bunch of Tutorials around on the net on how to increase performance of your Android device (e.g. on LifeHackers here and here). One thing to definitely keep your fingers AWAY from are so-called "boosters" and (automated) Task-Killers. As rm-vanda already stated, they make things only worse; tasks should only be killed if they misbehave (e.g. are hanging, running havoc while eating your CPU and the like). Android manages its RAM fine, no need to worry about that.
As for the auto-starters, I can recommend AutoRun Manager, which is actively maintained and simply the best of all I tried (and I tried a lot).
To figure out what is consuming your ressources, a good candidate helping you would be System Tuner. While the free version simply lets you monitor activity life, the pro-version also offers background-monitoring and stores its data for later analysis.
Some other steps you could perform include:

from time to time, clean up caches (to remove old data and get back precious internal memory; helping apps in this segment include Cache Clear, Quick Cache Cleaner, CacheCleaner NG, and Android System Cleaner - the latter taking care for more things than just cache
Moving some rarely used Apps to SD (if they don't have widgets you are using) saves additional internal space.
uninstall unused apps

Well, if you are an advanced user, I would recommend rooting your device.
The Tegra 2 is brick-proof, so you have nothing to fear. The XDA forums can help you with rooting and whatnot.
But, if you have several apps that are simultaneously running services or processes, well, that's exactly your problem! I use Fast Reboot to clean up excessive processes.
It is also noteable that TASK MANAGER APPLICATIONS can cause the sort of problem your talking about. As of Android 2.2+ task managers are obsolete - Android handles task management for you.
For managing startup applications, you can use Startup Manager.
You can also see which applications are burning the most battery under your battery settings! This has helped me to find applications that are running rogue processes they shouldn't be running.

It is different than a Hot Reboot.
Fast reboot kills those apps that are starting on boot.
So that's precisely what it is useful for.

As already said by izzy, autoruns manager is the best. Just disable unwanted receivers.
Additionally, here are some others tips:

say no to widgets
install android firewall.
disable internet access to unwanted apps


text:
SwiftKey 3 randomly quits giving suggestions?
I just downloaded the new version of SwiftKey (3) on my HTC EVO running Cyanogenmod 7.1 (supersonic). I use GOSms for texting, and it gives me a popup whenever I receive a text, so I do not have to venture all the way to the messaging app. However, the word suggestions and autocorrect function (as are basically the point of using SwiftKey) do not function in the popup window, and only work after I go back to GOSms to reply there.
Occasionally and seemingly randomly, SwiftKey will not provide suggestions and autocorrect will not function. This usually requires exiting out of whatever is using the keyboard and re-entering that application.
Has anyone else experienced this or found a fix?


text:
Is there a way to write a full vCard via NFC?
Is there a way to write a full vCard to a NFC tag?  All of the apps I've tried off Google Play seem to only write the email address or other subset.  I've tried apps such as NFC Task Launcher, NFC TagWriter by NXP and NFC Classic Tag Reader/Writer.
I'd like to write a vCard with one or two urls, a note field, phone number, email, name, and title. And yes, it's under the storage limit for the tag.

Can you just write the contents of the file as text?

I don't know, I was going to try that later.  I thought there was a mime type associated with the data so it would be interpreted as a vCard and not just a note.  But I will test it.

if you have an app like NFC Tools or a manual reader/writer, you can add a custom/manual data record and use text/vcard as the content type.
For the data field, just paste your vcard data like:
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:2.1
FN:Your Name
TEL;CELL:(123) 555-1212
EMAIL;WORK:123@yahoo.com
ORG:Company Name
TITLE:Your Title
URL:google.com
URL:fb.com/username
URL:twitter.com/username
END:VCARD

That's it! then just write to your chip. you don't need http or https unless you have redirect issues with your domain. i'm able to make my links and social feeds work without it. every character adds up. you can list as many urls as you'd like. there are other fields you can add as per the vcard standards u can look up, but i believe, these are the ones android and apple understand.
I experimented with photo encoding and could not get it with NFC. 2KB! lol way too big. I was able to link to a vcard with a photo. I even tried the URL method for inserting photos and that didn't work. I hope this helped.

Thanks for the example, this worked perfectly for me, after deleting a few rows as my tag is only NTAG 213.

I've found NFC Tools to be a good app for this.  You can write several default tag types, but they also offer a "raw" format, where you specify the mime type/header and content directly.  I was able to make a Version 3 vcard with a small PNG image included which worked well on several android devices.  Just be sure your vcard format is in spec when you do that, and be careful of space issues.  Most NFC tags can't hold more than a few hundred bytes, most on the market are under 1K.

In NFC Tools, there is a simple contact option.

It must be user error, because NXP TagWriter and Tagstand Writer both let me select fields from a contact to include now.  I did switch to a contact in the phone as opposed to browsing for a vcf file.


text:
Bluetooth file transfers from Sony Arc S always get interrupted
I am not able to transfer files completely over Bluetooth because the the transfers keep getting interrupted. My phone model is a Sony Arc S LT8i.
I tried to send a 700 kb image file to my Mac and it started to transfer but got interrupted when 90% of it was transferred. Similarly, I tried to send the same file to a Samsung Galaxy Ace phone and it sent 99% of the file when it got interrupted, at which point the receving phone (Ace) showed a message stating "Remote device disconnected". How can I fix this?

I once got that on my Xperia phone when I was transferring a 150 MB file over bluetooth.
Some things you can try:

Try transferring another file. If it transfers, send the other file.
If your phone is too close to the other device try moving your phone away from it.
Turn off bluetooth, then turn it back on.
Pair the device(s) with the phone.


text:
Is there a way to select text directly in Android?
I would like to edit some text on my way home, however I found that in Android there is no way to simply select some text to delete or change it. You have to first locate the cursor or long press the screen to enable selection, then drag the cursor for selection. This is quite inconvenient.
I tried Jota Text Editor, 920 Editor, Note Everything and Evernote - no one offers a simple method to select text directly.
Is there any way to do this?

What is the version of your device?

I'm using Samsung P1000 with Android 2.3.3

The feature of selection of text is a topping added by phone manufacturers. For an instance, in my LG Optimus One (P500) which was running 2.2.2 did not have any text selection feature. As you had said, I have to manually move the caret to a favourable position to erase a text.  However during an update to 2.3.3, the manufacturer had enabled me to select a text by double tap (and in some places, a single tap or long press is required).
When I was discussing this with my friend who had Samsung Galaxy Ace running 2.2.2, I was surprised to know that the feature I got in 2.3.3 was already available in his phone.
I guess with Android 3.0 onwards, this has been baked in as standard feature.

As we deal with touch screens, which allow for a bunch of gestures: it would be hard for the system to decide whether you want to select text, just move the "pointer" (e.g. to insert text), move the word under your finger to a different position, scroll, or switch to a different screen... Think of your desktop and moving the mouse, which also wouldn't select anything -- unless you click and hold the button while moving.
So usually, selecting text is done the way you described: Long-Press (or double-tap, or single-tap -- may depend on the app used) on the word you want to start marking, then move the markers to include the text you want to select.

If you had tried on Palm OS you will find selecting text with touch screen is fairly easy. A simple scroll bar (or even a scroll handle) is enough for app to decide whether you are selecting or scrolling screen. Actually the screen of old Treo 650 phone is quite small, but it can still be able to show the scroll bar.

I had a Palm for years (first m505, later T5), so I know what you mean. But other than with PalmOS, on Android you can tap-and-move anywhere to move the screen around (horizontally as well as vertically), which conflicts with that concept.

In addition to Android's built-in features, it's possible for apps to change the way you copy text. One popular app for this is Copy Text, which lets you select and copy text that is normally not selectable. If you want to copy text in different ways, browsing the Play Store to see what's available is a good idea.


text:
HTC Wildfire won't boot
My HTC Wildfire will not boot up. When I boot normally with the SD card in, I only get a screen that says "Fastboot" with the options bootloader, reboot, reboot bootloader and power down. It says to use the volume keys to select the option and press the power button to select. Using any of these buttons does nothing.
I then need to take the battery out, and power up while pressing the volume up button. I get an HBoot menu with the options fastboot, recovery, clear storage and simlock. The volume button does not allow me to select anything, but when I press the power button to select fastboot I get a number of messages saying SD checking load image [xxxx.zip] No image found This happens too quickly for me to see the name of the files missing.
I am able to connect my phone to a computer using USB, but I can do nothing there also.
Anybody got any suggestions?

Basically something wrong and bad happened and hence your phone is unable to boot.  I am not sure this is the answer, but I am just trying to help as I too faced such problem and was in panic during initial days with Android.
This XDA site beautifully explains the boot related problems and how you could get over.  Basically you have to reflash the ROM for which you need few USB drivers + flashing tool and original or some other ROM.  Though I am unable to point you to exactly to sites that provide these, I guess you can easily search for it.
TIP: Had if your phone Clockworkmod recovery, things will be bit easy. This is one convincing reason, I made up my mind to root and install CWM recovery as a first step on all my devices.

Before facing problems, make some backups : Nandroid for full and Titanium for partial ones.
When problems occurs, use restore from this backups.


text:
How do I root my Kyocera Echo?
I've seen instructions for many other devices, but nothing for the Kyocera Echo. How do I root my Kyocera Echo without completely screwing up my phone? I've tried the Z4root to no avail. What are my options?

There are several methods available, but I'm posting one found on ognimnella's post on XDA, found here. The following are the steps he provides:

A little Information:
I will be using my directory to my SDK folder for this tutorial
  (C:\sdk\tools) but whatever your directory is to SDK is what you will
  use.
Things you will need:
Android SDK (already set up)
A Kyocera Echo (duh!)
zergRush (XDA root exploit)
Root method:

Download zergRush and put the file (not the zip) in your tools folder of sdk

Open your CMD promt, then redirect to SDK (just type exactly what I
  type after you're in SDK)
(cd c:\sdk\tools) <-- SDK redirect
adb shell rm -r /data/local/temp/*
adb push zergRush /data/local/temp/zergRush
adb shell
chmod 755 /data/local/temp/zergRush
/data/local/zergRush
then you should see this:
[] Zerg rush - Android 2.2/2.3 local root [] (C) 2011
  Revolutionary. All rights reserved. [*] Parts of code from
  Gingerbreak, (C) 2010-2011 The Android Exploid Crew. [+] Found a
  GingerBread ! 0x00017118[] Sending 149 zerglings ...[] Trying a new
  path ...[] Sending 149 zerglings ...[] Trying a new path ...[]
  Sending 149 zerglings ...[] Trying a new path ...[] Sending 149
  zerglings ... [+] Zerglings caused crash (good news): 0x401219c4
  0x0054[] Researching Metabolic Boost ... [+] Speedlings on the go !
  0xafd260a9 0xafd39f9f[] Poping 24 more zerglings[*] Sending 173
  zerglings ... [+] Rush did it ! It's a GG, man !  [+] Killing ADB and
  restarting as root..enjoy!

Afterwards, you will have to manually push SuperUser and Busybox (DO NOT UNPLUG THE PHONE)

find the SU and Busybox files here
Then, ADB push them with these commands:
Type: adb push GingerBreak /data/local/tmp/GingerBreak
Type: adb push Superuser.apk /data/local/tmp/Superuser.apk
Type: adb push su /data/local/tmp/su
Type: adb push busybox /data/local/tmp/busybox
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT, YOUR PHONE IS NOW ROOTED. HAVE FUN MODDING AND
  DOING WHATEVER ELSE. AS SOON AS SARIDNOUR AND H.T.E. COME OUT WITH THE
  RECOVERY, WE ARE ON TO CUSTOM ROMS!!!!

Another method can be found on Android Central forums, and there is a Youtube video that goes through the process, but he may be using Z4root.


text:
What if one application couldn't write incoming voice?
I tried a call recorder on my  Android 7.1.2 phone, but only my voice was recorded, not those on the other side.
Does it mean that my phone doesn't support something or should I try to find an application that may work?

I was able to find an application that works properly (Call recorder for Android version 25 from f-droid.org).