text:
How do I turn off Galaxy Tab completely?
I received a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (GT-P3113) for the holidays. I recently deduced that since I can install apps from Google Play on my PC to the Tab when it's off, that it's not really turned off. How do I turn it off completely?

I think your deduction is flawed. The fact that you can install an app from the Play Store website when it's off doesn't prove that the tablet is still on. It queues up the install and then sends it the next time you turn it on, just like the way phones receive text messages (how would you feel if any text you got while your phone was off was simply lost forever?). So aside from that, are there any indications that it's not actually powering off?

Another example would be email. People can still send you emails if your computer is turned off - they don't get a message that says "Sorry, the recipient's PC is powered down, try again later". The server just holds them and then sends them over to the PC the next time you turn it on (and open your email client or what have you).

I turn it off, go to my PC & install an app through Google play. I hear the Tab signal that an app & icon have been installed. I turn the Tab on & the app is already setup. Another indication that the Tab isn't completely off is that its wifi connection is constantly active. There's no start up connecting to my router as in a PC when turned on. I read in some forum that holding the power button in the off position for 30 seconds (as opposed to just pushing & releasing as I do normally) turns it completely off. I only read that once & don't know if it's accurate. It was a different issue.

How are you turning it off then? With the "Power Off" menu item (or similar) after holding down the power button briefly? If you're immediately getting the install notification then you're right, it sounds like it's not actually powered off.

Figured it out. Eldarerathis, you hit the nail on the head. What I thought was turning it off was apparently just putting it to sleep (same condition as when it times out from no action)? I just tried holding the power button & then got the Power Off menu which is what I'm looking for.

Figured it out. Eldarerathis, you hit the nail on the head. What I thought was turning it off was apparently just putting it to sleep (same condition as when it times out from no action)? I just tried holding the power button & then got the Power Off menu which is what I'm looking for.


text:
Erase successful, but not automatically formatting. Can't determine partition type - Jelly bean 4.1.2 with Nexus S
While I ran the command - fastboot flashall -w I got the following error -
--------------------------------------------
Bootloader Version...: I9020XXLC2
Baseband Version.....: I9020XXKI1
Serial Number........: 3334E1630CFF00EC
--------------------------------------------
checking product...
OKAY [  0.001s]
sending 'boot' (3964 KB)...

OKAY [  0.693s]
writing 'boot'...
OKAY [  0.603s]
sending 'recovery' (4308 KB)...
OKAY [  0.541s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [  0.652s]
sending 'system' (173123 KB)...
OKAY [ 22.336s]
writing 'system'...
OKAY [ 24.196s]
erasing 'userdata'...
OKAY [  0.243s]
formatting 'userdata' partition...
Erase successful, but not automatically formatting.
Can't determine partition type.
OKAY [  0.001s]
erasing 'cache'...
OKAY [  1.684s]
formatting 'cache' partition...
Erase successful, but not automatically formatting.
Can't determine partition type.
OKAY [  0.001s]
rebooting...

finished. total time: 50.956s

I'm trying the build Android jelly bean 4.1.2 in Nexus S phone.
Could anyone help please?

I had a similar issue with my Nexus 4 after flashing the factory images
What fixed it for me was going into [stock] recovery and selecting clear cache and doing a factory wipe, that seemed to fix the partition sizes
Oh also check to see that you have the latest bootloader on the device too, check out https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images for the most recent factory images

Thanks very much for your response. I'm little confused. I was actually following the instruction from here - http://source.android.com/source/building.html and here - http://source.android.com/source/building-devices.html. So I'm not sure where actually I should keep the latest bootloader in my phone.

Has all the data on your phone been wiped? I'm assuming yes but if its not I'd make a backup then flash the factory images and try again

Yes :( it wiped everything :(

Ok then flash the factory images I'd say, you'll get the most recent bootloader then. Use the link I poseted in my answer to find your device, if you are on windows then yo will need to either 1. extract the tar out into where your copy of factboot is or better [and what i do] just drop factboot into the folder that has the flash-all.bat in it. This will put your phone back to it's factory settings

From my experience the partitions are on ext4. Maybe there is an option on fastboot (I never used it) where you can specify the patition type. That might solve it.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Lost my android tablet, how can I find it without a network connection?
I lost my tablet today. It's fully charged but it has no WiFi connection on. Is there any way I can find it without any connected network?

Possibly a dupe of Find a stolen Android device without sim card or How can I make my phone/tablet ring remotely without a SIM card? although those kind of assume you at least have some form of network connectivity. If it's completely offline you probably can't do anything (after all - how would you communicate with it to find it?)

Your tablet is definitely AWOL, no getting it back unless somewhat, report to your local law enforcement authorities and put out an alert, showing serial number and appeal to the public to watch out if its being sold elsewhere, other than that, no can do, and  anyway, if there's no connectivity, how would you be expected to communicate with it? Computers with telepathy/mind control is way off! Sorry its not what you wanted to hear!

The only way is likely going to where you went today. It will be very diificult to find it without network connection. Lookout Plan B would have helped you if your device had got something to manage SMS but it is a tablet.

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


text:
Will Wi-Fi Direct allow me to connect to an ad-hoc network?
I have been trying to connect my HTC One X to an ad-hoc wireless network, so I could browse Internet on my phone. I found Android doesn't support ad-hoc networking and I noticed on some pages that Wi-Fi Direct is better than ad-hoc anyway. How can I connect my computer with Windows XP to my mobile using Wi-Fi Direct?
When I open the Wi-Fi direct settings, it shows nothing although I search for network.
What is the process? Is there any other way I can connect to an ad-hoc network?

It looks like this link (Sorry requires account to view images) might apply to @hsuk situation. I would summarize, but it is long and has images. It is using Intel MyWiFi and WiFi Direct.

You can't, WiFi Direct is for Peer to Peer WiFi connection only, like paring with Buetooth. Your PC isn't set up to do this kind of direct connection.
So the answer is "no".
Your question is mixed, what did you use to create the ad-hoc network? What was the route that would allow you to brwose the web?
You can use an HTC One X to create a WiFi hotspot for the PC to connect to, but not the other way around.
It's  really confusing question.

Thanks, @martino, actually, I read somewhere like wifi direct is more efficient alternative of ad-hoc. Actually I wanted to connect my mobile to a ad hoc connection from computer. Since I could not do it directly, I was searching for ways to do that and asking whether wifi direct can be the way.

It's a fair question. Thx for the bump!


text:
Wallpaper on Kindle Fire
I want to get rid of ads on my Kindle Fire and set some of my pics as my wallpaper without rooting it. Is this possible and how do I do it? I keep looking at different sites but none helps. Any advice?

What does "to root a phone" mean?

As far as I know, Amazon offers you to remove the ads for a certain fee (don't remember how much it was). And wallpapers you can always set as you wish, root or not.

As far as I know, you can't change the lock screen wallpaper.
If you want to turn off the ads, go to Manage Your Devices, and edit your special offers subscription status.


text:
How do I copy ADW launcher settings from the free to the paid app version?
I want to upgrade from the free version of ADW Launcher to ADW Launcher EX.  How can I do this without having to re-create all of my app settings and widgets?

Here is a partial solution (it doesn't copy widgets).
You must save the ADW settings as a backup in the free version, then restore them in the paid version.

Open ADW Launcher
Context menu > ADWSettings > System > Backup and Restore > Backup
Open ADW Launcher EX
Context menu > ADWSettings > System > Backup and Restore > Restore > (choose the backup time stamp you just created)
Context menu > ADWSettings > System > Restart ADW
Now you'll have to re-create your widgets.

Actually your algorithm is right except one thing - you can't restore widgets if you are using Android ICS or older. This is limitation of OS. From this post:

NOTE 2: If you unfortunately have an Android device running anything
  prior to Android 4.1, the widgets will not be restored.

And also from Play Store:

-AppWidget backup/restore (only for android 4.1 and newer)


text:
How to record FM radio
Is there an app which can record
audio (to mp3) from the FM radio (NOT internet-radio).
I want to record some shows while listening to the radio and store them in my SD memory card but I can't seem to find any suitable application.
My phone is a Huawei U8150 and I'm using Android 2.1.

Why not play the radio over the speaker (with headset acting as antenna) and record it with another device such as microphone... really in short, the FM radio facility is not de-facto standard and will vary upon the manufacturer's chipset integrated into handset. What's wrong with using TuneIn (Internet radio)?

Weird. Far as I remember my S3 Mini was able to record FM Radio with Stock radio app.

Android's doesn't have an integrated FM radio functionality (API), if a device features FM support, it was added by the manufacturer.
Because of that there's no standard way to access it via 3rd party apps. You can try this app but your mileage may vary.

The Spirit FM Radio Unlocked has slight support for recording. Most of it is experimental however.
There are no other tuned FM radio apps on the market, that run on all devices.
The only way to get full FM recording facilities, is if your OEM puts this feature into the stock FM radio app.


text:
Missing edit icon on Galaxy S launcher
I am trying to change the 4 icons that are along the bottom of the screen on my Samsung Galaxy S. All the answers I have looked at say 'press menu and then select edit', but I don't have an edit button. When I press Menu I see:

All programs
Add to home screen
Wallpaper
Search
Notifications
Settings

Where is the edit button?

Edit what? What app(s) are you talking about?

If you're talking about launcher... some launchers have Edit in there to add more screens, remove screens... but then again the context of question is not clear so please clarify!

Sorry, I am trying to change the 4 icons that are along the bottom of the screen, all the answers I have looked at say 'press menu and then select edit' I don't have edit only the ones I have mentioned. Don't know where it is. Thanks

@user26978 it's quite a while since I owned a Galaxy S, but I seem to remember that you could just long-press on the icons on the bottom row, and then drag them in or out. Does that work?

When you go to Menu, press view type and select customizable grid. Now you can see an edit button as mentioned by several posts

There is no such option when you press menu from the home screen. You have to go to 'Applications' first, and then press menu! Also note that this onlyt works in the Samsung stock TouchWiz launcher.

Thanks for all your help. It looks like I will have to make do with the icons that are there. Doesn't look like they can be changed. Thanks again.

Long press the icons and you will be able to move or remove them.


text:
Can an Android phone be used as a Bluetooth headset/speakers?
Is there a way to make an Android phone (HTC Desire HD) act as Bluetooth speakers or headset?
I'd like to use the phone as wireless headphones whilst watching a movie on a computer (running Ubuntu).

It looks like there are several apps that can do wireless speaker (over Wi-Fi though, not seeing any that do bluetooth), but none so far that do wireless headset.  This Wi-Fi speaker app advertises Linux support: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.georgie.SoundWireFree&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_term%3Duse+android+as+wireless+pc+headset&pcampaignid=APPU_fA3EVKPnEPf8sAS-uYKQCA

As of Feb 2011, the Bluetooth API only supports pairing with the Android device as the master.
Reference: Stack Overflow - Use Android device as a headset for another device

Comment by Dennis Mathews to the linked answer - Anyway being a master or slave has nothing to do with what it can or cannot do, the roles in bluetooth are symmetrical - it is the supported profiles that determines what it can or cannot do

Partially solved, because newer APIs can perform it in the future, or specific APIs or some kind of hack can perform it...

Here's a XDA article by Mishaal Rahman that basically says:
Even without A2DP profile on Android (which is not implemented even in Android 8 yet), you can do a low-quality Bluetooth streaming via Hands-free Profile (HFP) to Android from another Android phone (sorry iPhone owners!)
Install Tasker and a AutoVoice plugin on the source phone, and create the following Tasker profile:
Profile: Reroute Audio (192)
State: BT Connected [ Name:BMW 15384 Address:* ]
Enter: Anon (199)
A1: AutoVoice Ctrl BT [ Configuration:Enabling Headset Sound Timeout (Seconds):0 ]

Exit: Anon (204)
A1: AutoVoice Ctrl BT [ Configuration:Disabling Headset Sound Timeout (Seconds):0 ]

Warning: I have not tested this myself.
Warning: quotation about HFP audio quality:

Note: because the Hands-Free Profile is not meant to send high-fidelity audio streams, the audio quality of your music will suffer. This is just the nature of the Hands-Free Profile and there’s nothing you can do about it without either upgrading your stereo’s Bluetooth to bring A2DP support or to stream through another peripheral.

I must be missing something, why do you want the phone to do it?
You'd be better off using a USB Bluetooth chip (they cost less than £5) on your PC and a Bluetooth Headset (I've got a superb one that lets me plug in any headphones I want, 3.5 stereo jack so would take any little speakers as well).

Well as the PC already has Bluetooth and the phone already has Bluetooth and produces decent quality sound, I'd like a way to use what I've got rather than buy a seperate Bluetooth headset.

I stand by my answer - buy a BT headphone adapter about £10 inc shipping. Then you can pair it with the pc and the phone...Leveraging the BT technology as its designed to be used. You'll have much less trouble configuring and finding apps or drivers.

Does the Desire really have decent speakers?

The Desire HD has a lot better sound than the Desire (I've had both), but I'd be using it with headphones. The idea is for when sound out loud when watching a movie would disturb others in the room.

"Don't do that" is rarely a good answer, and it's rarely a good idea to tell people what to do with their hardware. Here's a perfect example where this question is really useful: old Android-based car player. It costs a fortune to replace and still can be a perfect speaker for a newer tablet/phone.

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

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


text:
switching from unlimited data plan to pay-per-data. what to watch out?
I have been using unlimited data plan, but it is about to finish and after that I'll pay my data charge per data usage. Any particular settings should I change or anything I should take note in order to avoid suddenly paying a lot of money?
My phone is Galaxy S with Froyo.

possible duplicate of How to monitor the amount of data traffic?

You want to monitor any apps that use data in the background.  It's hard to say which ones because there are so many and I have no idea what you have installed.  I recommend installing two apps to help you monitor and control your data so you don't go over:

Phone Usage - This app allows you to monitor how much data you are using and set daily, weekly and monthly limits (it does this for voice and text too) and it will notify you when you go over the limits.  There are a number of others like this, some will tell you when you are getting close, other put a widget on your homescreen to show your data usage.  I test a couple out to see which ones work best with your phone.
Quick Settings - This app will allow you to manually control your data.  With it you can turn off/on auto-syncing.  You can also toggle the APN so you it turns off all 3G data without affecting the phone or wifi, so you can still get auto updates when you are connected to wifi but only use 3g data when you choose to.

Finally, if you really want to take control of things you can get Tasker and set different rules about when you use wifi and when you use 3g and what apps are allowed to sync...

DroidWall would also be good for allowing certain applications access to data and restricting others.

@afrazier: Good find, you should add that as an answer.

Both great apps. I'm surprised I couldn't find a way to toggle the APN from the phone settings.

DroidWall is an application (for rooted phones) that will let you select which applications are allowed to use which data networks (WiFi vs. Cellular/2G/3G/4G).  You can use it to make sure that certain applications always have data access when needed and restrict other applications to WiFi (or even no acess).

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


text:
How can I do usb tethering with Mac Os X (using gingerbread Acer Liquid Metal & snow leopard)?
I would like to use my Android phone to let my hackintosh (10.6 snow leopad) surf the internet.
The standard way of selecting usb tethering on android and plugging the usb cable tested on windows and ubuntu doesn't work...
Thanks.

EasyTether i think would be your best option. The free version is full-figured, and paying for the full market version will get you https:// sites. And the drivers for it are available on their website for download.
P.S. it's only $4.99 right now in the Amazon Appstore ;)

It's not free and shame on apple and/or android for not implementing an easy and free solution like in windows or linux but...
It works :)

My dad swears by EasyTether. And once you have it, you can download the desktop client for all the other platforms if ya want ;)

Did you try the Wifi-Hotspot option (available since Android 2.2 (?))?
With this app, your android phone will act as a hotspot and your mac should be able to connect to it.

As I wrote in the question I need an usb solution

You just wrote that the USB solution doesnt work...

Right: it doesn't work.
That's why I'm here to ask...
Because I want it to work :)
Question is: "How can I do usb tethering with Mac Os X (using gingerbread Acer Liquid Metal & snow leopard)?"


text:
How can I limit the input languages?
How can I limit the number of input languages on the keyboard? I would only like to see the 3 I use. I have a HTC desire S.

I have a HTC Desire, but I'm assuming the menus/behaviour should be similar:

Settings -> Language & Keyboard -> Touch Input -> International keyboard

Select the languages you want to use. That should restrict the keyboard list to the ones you have specified.


text:
Possible to install APK from personal website?
How can I allow a user to do web-install of Android APK file from my personal web page? Like to create a personal (private) APK repository where I could put APK files and send a client the link to the APK file. A client would then click on this file and install the Android app to its phone.
Is this possible/allowed on the first place?
Any cool tool a user should use for installing such apps?

It seems that this can be done with Aptoide server and the same Android app for client.
On server side you just copy all APKs and generate the XML file via Aptoide server script. User then installs this app, adds your repository and downloads/installs the APK.

As @askmoo said a good option is to use Aptoide [http://www.aptoide.com/index2.html] with this option your clients will have an application like Market that will allow them to install your applications

Once the user allows Unknown Sources, they should pretty much be able to get APK from anywhere...
Check this StackOverflow question: Hosting an .apk file on over own site

When I use mobile browser to access the APK file located on my server, it downloads it rather than installing it directly. And yes, the Unknown Sources is checked.

Now open a file manager on the device, locate the file and try to open it -- it will launch through the installer.

I know this. This way or via ADB is not complicated for me :). But it is for some of my clients. Is there a way to install it like on the Market - click on install and app is installed?

@askmoo no, that's not possible afaik

@askmoo: Not without having a cooperating app already installed in the phone; and that's a Good Thing - unless you want to revisit the Browser Dark Ages (early 2000s), when just visiting a malicious page would auto-install a boatload of malware to your computer.

Is there a way to install like Apple Enterprise account?

If you want the user to be able to download and install the application just like they can on market, the user must be using the stock browser. Otherwise, they must have specific plug-ins when using other browsers.

When I use mobile browser to access
  the APK file located on my server, it
  downloads it rather than installing it
  directly. And yes, the Unknown Sources
  is checked

Are you using the stock browser?


text:
T-mobile/Orange HTC Hero - no 3G on Orange
My HTC Hero uses both T-mobile and Orange in the UK, since February. However when my phone is connected to an Orange mast instead of a T-mobile mast I don't get 3G as it says that I am roaming.
If I switch on the option to allow data roaming, will I get any additional charges?

See the FAQ, particularly the billing section.  You won't get charged for turning on data roaming and connecting to an Orange network, but you need to remember to turn it back off before roaming on any other networks to avoid charges.
Also, the FAQ mentions that it's only for calls and text messages right now, but it's not clear why they would also mention the data roaming setting if that's the case, so YMMV.  Regardless, you'll likely be limited to 2G since 3G is typically on a carrier specific frequency.
And of course, all of this may change if AT&T completes their acquisition.


text:
Phone is finding every wireless access point except mine!
I have a Samsung Galaxy S using the default firmware (version 2.2).
Unfortunately, it can't seem to find the wireless at work.  When I click "Scan" on the list of WAPs, it continues to appear as a "Remembered" access point rather than connecting.
The laptop is finding the SSID with full bars, so it's just the phone being tetchy.
I've tried rebooting the phone and the router with no change.

Maybe related to wifi channels http://android.stackexchange.com/q/13015/4403

another thing that could cause it to not see the network is if the network is using 802.11n. The galaxy s, even though samsung claimed that it supports 802.11n, it does not. If you can switch the AP to use "g" as the "default", you might be able to see the AP.

@phunehehe: Add as answer (not just comment)

It was indeed Wifi channels (as per phunehehe's comment) - setting the router to use band 11 suddenly brought the access point back into being detectable.  Excellent.

Note: Only channels 1-11 should be used, using 12 or 13 might render your network "invisible".

@bigbadonk420: that advice is valid on the US, users on other country should check local regulations on which channels should be used in their country.

I don't live in the US and networks on 12/13 have disappeared for me multiple times, so I just tend to avoid them.


text:
Is cm10 compatible with cwm 5.0.2.8 on huawei u8160 ?
I have a Huawei u8160 with CWM 5.0.2.8 .I have tried to flash cm10 using CWM 5.0.2.8 but it boot loops.I have waited for 20 minutes for it to boot ,but it didn't.
I've seen this discussion about cm10 boot looping and I did flash it using the same way that worked with him ,boot looped.And this discussion too ,but CWM 6 isn't compatible with my phone.
So, I am asking here ,What can I do to make it boot or it's not compatible?


text:
My Galaxy Nexus can't connect to unsecured web using wi-fi at home
My Samsung Galaxy Nexus can't connect to unsecured web using wi-fi at home.
I have to edit the url with https:// to load the webpage. Some pages work but most of them just won't load.

Do other devices use this WiFi successfully?  Or use the uplink from this WiFi successfully?  Do you get an immediate error with http:// links, or does it time out?

Yes other wifi device (laptops/iphone) works well on this connection or configuration. No error messages, just blank white page and when I enter www.google.com the download indicator bar just stops somewhere in the middle and I then have to edit http to https to load the page.

It appears that the nexus browser has been set to only HTTPS browsing allowed over wifi. Opera browser works fine in wifi connection and no problem with all the browsers using 3G connection.

Your issue ain't related with Browser APP, it's a Network configuration regarding the proxy settings.
As you can read from your phone's user manual on page 63:

Proxy settings are used by Browser but may not be used by other apps.

Since you've mentioned that only "Browser" gets affected, and that all of them work fine under 3G, this leaves us with an WiFi settings issue:

Touch the "Settings" icon;
Touch "Wireless & networks" > "Wi-Fi";
Touch & hold your network in the list of Wi-Fi networks;
Touch "Modify network" in the dialog that opens;
Select "Show advanced option";
touch "None" under Proxy Settings, then touch "Manual" in the
menu that opens.
Clear the proxy box, make sure nothing stays there.
Touch Save.

Open the browser and give it a try. You should now be able to navigate without problems either with http and https.

I’ve tried to follow Zuul answer but for me after selecting Manual Save button is disabled.
I was able to explicitly open sign-in page by following suggestion from https://9to5google.com/2015/12/18/heres-how-to-manually-access-a-public-wifi-login-page-on-android/

If you head in browser to 192.168.1.1, the most common default router IP address,
I’ve found that nine times out of ten I’m immediately redirected to
the login page.


text:
Abysmal Skype audio on Asus Fonepad 8
I bought a new Asus Fonepad 8 for a friend. It works great, and the sound is crystal clear.
The only exception is Skype - all calls sound perfect on the receiving end, but on the Fonepad everything sounds like through a phone! The audio quality is consistently awful.
We've tried different Wi-Fi networks and people to call (including the Skype test call, which sounds as bad).
Skype was the main reason for buying the tablet, so this really hurts. What can I do to try and fix this?
The Fonepad is running Android 4.4.2.


text:
Android Market gone after emulator reboot
I have installed Android Market on Android Emulator successfully using steps mention in [How to] Install Android market on Emulator
Market is installed without any issue but after emulator reboot Market is gone.
Can anyone help me in solving this problem?
SPECS

OS=Ubuntu 10.04
Android-SDK=2.3.3(API Level 10)
Eclipse Indigo

AVD Details:

Name: AVD
CPU/ABI: ARM(armeabi)
Path: /home/ma/.android/AVD.avd
Target: Android 2.3.3 (API level 10)
Skin: HVGA
SD Card: 512M
hw.lcd.density: 160
vm.heapSize: 24
hw.ramSize: 256

Can show the details of your emulator?

@JPM: Added Details.

The Android emulator is resetting the system image when rebooting. You can find the changed version of the system.img in your /tmp here:
/tmp/android-username/
It usually has a name like emulator-*. Copy that file before shutting down the emulator.

I searched my system for that file but no luck. I got windows 10

When you restart the emulator make sure that "Wipe use data"  is not checked.  Also update the SDK to the latest.  Not sure but I remember some issues with the emulator and user data on older versions.

"Wipe use data" is not checked.

What revision # is your SDK Tools and SDK Platform tools?

android-sdk_r13-linux_x86

Installing the market in the emulator is not that simple because by default the system partition is resettet on every reboot of the emulator.
If you want to make the changes permanent you have to delete the file /system/app/SdkSetup.apk
If you copy afterwards the two necessary files GoogleServicesFramework.apk and Vending.apk to /system/app/ you will have an working market inside the emulator.
Hence, using the adb shell you have to execute the following commands:
mount -o remount rw /system
rm /system/app/SdkSetup.apk
adb push Vending.apk /system/app/
adb push GoogleServicesFramework.apk /system/app/

BTW: The necessary APKs can be found here: CyanogenMod Wiki Latest Version/Google Apps

I already did that, but no effect. Removed the SdkSetup.apk but on reboot everything all the changes reverted back.


text:
Connecting Nexus 7 to external hard disk?
How can I connect a Nexus 7 (JB 4.2 rooted) to an external hard disk? I know I have to use a USB OTG cable, but what's the exact procedure to achieve this after connecting via OTG?

Using it? Where's your problem? Have you tried already and got stuck -- and if so, where did you get stuck? A few more details would be helpful to know what you're pointing at.

You need to:

Root your Nexus 7
Install StickMount
Use a file explorer to browse the files on your hard disk

Note: If the device is an actual spinning-platters hard drive, you may bang your head into the limit of how much current the Nexus 7 will supply.  In that case, you'll need a secondary source of power, like a double-headed USB cable and a charger.

If your Nexus 7 isn't rooted, Install Nexus Media Importer app and connect your Hard Disk using USB OTG cable. The app will take care after that.
The question does say that the device is rooted, but this answer can help visitors having unrooted Nexus 7.


text:
Re-installed Play Store doesn't work
I have a rooted Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360, running on Gingerbread 2.3.6.
I accidentally uninstalled the Google Play Store. I re-installed it and I am able to search for applications on the Play Store, but I'm not able to download them. It shows that Google Play Store (com.process.vending) has stopped working. Once the "Not Responding" message is gone, I am no longer able to search. Is there a way to fix this?

First and foremost, this is my first answer on a stack exchange website so please bear with me if its not exactly what your looking for.
In answering this question i am going to assume 3 things:

You still have the ROM for your OS (or a Nandroid backup that will suffice)
A custom recovery (such as Clockwork Mod or Amon RA) installed on the
device
You have a RELIABLE method of re-installing the play store (such as a ROM
downloaded from a reliable source). I was able to find a good ROM by
googling "CM7 no app store" but im not able to find it at this time. If
someone could post a good link please do so.

I had a problem with my device not allowing me to install the play store at all. The only way I was able to fix it was with a complete restore of the system. So if you are willing to start from scratch (I know...) then I'm pretty sure this will fix the problem.
Ensure your battery is full before continuing
Some places say to have 40% others say 70%... I prefer to air on the side of caution and go with a FULL battery. Also, create a backup of the device before you do anything, if it doesn't work, you will want to be able to go back to before I broke your device ;)

Begin by backing up anything you feel needs to be saved, preferably to an external storage such as a flash drive or PC hard drive.
Wipe the device and the SD card (the same kind of wipe used before installing a new ROM)
Load the rooted android ROM (or the Nandroid backup) as well as the ROM or APK for the play store on to the SD card.
Boot the custom recovery (the method varies from device to device) and flash the custom ROM (or restore the Nandroid backup)
Once the ROM (or backup) is finished loading, power the device fully off, remove the battery and the SD card. and wait 5 minute. This is not standard but again I like to air on the side of caution, since in my experience with desktops this is a good practice.
Reassemble the device (this part IS required lol) and turn the device on. wait for it to load. Make as little change to the device as possible in getting to the desktop. Activation is not REQUIRED and you can activate the device at any time so i prefer to wait until all the gears are spinning to do things like that. To skip the activation procedure you just hit the back button. Dont change any settings, features, or even so much as open a menu.
Turn the device fully off. If your using a ROM for the play store then the next step is to go into the recovery mode and flash the ROM the same as your would a custom OS ROM only you DO NOT wipe anything. Just flash it on top of the current OS.
If your using an APK file then you would install it the same as any other 3rd party APP. You need to go into settings > applications and allow the installation of 3rd party applications. Then reboot the device.
If everything is working I recommend that you make a nandroid backup of the unchanged OS with the working play store. This would save ALOT of trouble in fixing any issues that come up in the future. I personally back up my device every week so i dont have too much fixing to do if something goes wrong...

If the play store still doesnt work, you probably have a bad apk or rom for it, and I would recommend that you attempt to find a different one that does work.
Again I appologize if this does not help, I personally am not very experienced with Androids and this is what I would do to try and correct the problem.

liams answer sounds more promising, try his first

CWM/AMON RA aren't bootloaders, they are recoveries.

How's the formatting now?

very nice, im kinda new to stackexchange so im not too great with the formatting lol... And im sorry if my grammer isnt perfect, I think the point was made well enough though =) feel free to edit the proper terminology....

Ensure that the Google Play store is installed as a system application.
Once done, clear the data for the Google Play store, the Google Play Services and the Google Services Framework apps.
Open the Google Play Store (you will get an error, don't worry!).
Reboot, and open the gTalk app. Log in to your gTalk account using the gTalk application (you may have to do it a few times, wait until it says you're online).
Reboot and open the Google Play store again :)


text:
Rooting Xperia tipo
I've unlocked my bootloader. After all the set-up, I tried to root my Tipo using Bin4ry Root's package. It didn't work; it gave me an error like permission denied (are you root?). Later, it said "successful", but it's not rooted.
I want to root it because Apex Launcher has an option that allows you to use the device's own widgets if the device is rooted. If there is any other way to use the device's original widgets on the launchers, I may not bother rooting it.

I took the freedom to link your question into our rooting master index. You might want to visit that page and check for available rooting methods mentioned there, maybe there's one working for your device (don't forget to update your question here in that case).


text:
Problem syncing contacts: HTTP error 500 in logs
I'm trying to find if there's a way to see which HTTP requests are being done on a server. The reason is I'm trying to troubleshoot a problem with contact synchronization.
I've been having a problem synchronizing my GMail contacts on my Android phone (Galaxy SIII). The date for the last sync is well over a month ago and the two arrows that rotate to indicate activity are static and permanently present in the Sync settings screen.
However, contact data does seem to be synchronized between my phone and the GMail server: new contacts created in one appear in the other, and modifications on one side are then synchronized back to the other.
If I press Cancel sync I used to get a toast saying that there are temporary problems and to try later (I think the message was "sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly"). But now nothing happens when I press Cancel sync.
Deleting all the Google contact data in the phone and then re-syncing is not an option for two reasons:

If the problem is with a contact in the server then it won't fix the issue
I don't want to risk losing data that I added on the phone and wasn't sent to the server yet.

I turned on developer mode to get ADB logs; the following line seemed the most relevant (repeated 8 times):
D/ContactsSyncAdapter( 2964): IOException: java.io.IOException: received unhandled http error: 500

then followed by
D/SyncManager( 2257): failed sync operation , SyncResult: stats [ numIoExceptions: 8]

I think that there are 8 contacts that somehow are not able to be synchronized, but I can't really find out which ones. Finding the HTTP requests that end with a 500 error could potentially reveal which contacts might be causing trouble or more troubleshooting clues.
I'd like to avoid rooting my phone, but I do have a full Android SDK and source environment set up. I've tried using DDMS but haven't been able to make it show if/which requests are being sent to the server.

Give it a while, these sort of things happens from time to time... :)

HTTP 500 error is "Internal Server Error", so I doubt there's a lot that you can do, since the problem is on Google's end.

For server-side trouble, there's always the Google Dashboard Monitor one can check. Currently it shows no server trouble -- though it seems I cannot sync on my phone either (indicators white instead of green for 2 days now).

@onik I understand that, but if the url is something like googlecontacts.com/get?contact=Mike.Stipe then I can try and delete that contact and re-create it and see if that helps.

The problem is known and you should star the issue or improve bug reporting so it gets some attention by Google: https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=42641

@hurikhan77 Thanks. I've seen it and starred it also, however that report site is for aosp bugs and not for google services.


text:
Mobile data turns itself on again and again; could be caused by WhatsApp
My mobile data keeps turning on by itself and uses my data traffic. I think this is because of WhatsApp, but I'm not sure. Is there any other possible reason aside from WhatsApp? How should I stop it from happening?
Phone: Samsung GT9100i
Android Version: 4.2.1

If you are already guess it is whatsapp -- have you tried removing it and see if your problem goes away? As you specified you're running Android 4.2, you could simply disable it (via settings->apps->manage apps), so you wouldn't lose any data this way (and could re-enable it later if you want to).

If you want to check if whatsapp is causing your data issues, check out the apps mentioned here: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/26178/why-has-my-samsung-galaxy-s2-become-a-data-hog

What other apps related to mobile data are you using? Is there any battery saver app that are using? they can turn your data on or off automatically.
Whatsapp doesn't have the permission to enable mobile data. So it must be some other app. still you can use 3G WatchDog to check if whatsapp is the culprit.

For Samsung, go to Settings> Connections> Data Usage then press menu button. Select Restrict Background from the menu. It will stop turning on mobile data automatically.

I very much doubt that – it's rather the other way around: turning off mobile data would stop background data along its path. Background data should only be active with mobile data (or WiFi) being enabled – but they should not enable it automatically. No data means no data, and that includes no background data.


text:
What is the Android Answer to Air Video Server?
I just switched to a Droid X and I love it. One of the things that keeps me from not needing my iPod touch is Air Video. Is there a similar system that can run on my network?

DLNA is basically the same thing.  There are several apps that allow you to use DLNA like Twonky.

Thank you for this. Very helpful.  I can actually do this with my windows box just using media player.  like explained here fore windows users. http://www.agoraquest.com/viewtopic.php?topic=35037&forum=70

Lifehacker published on how to use VLC-Shares to recreate Airplay with Android.  Link

Try Emit. It brings Air Video functionality to Android.


text:
How do I toggle headset/headphone mode manually?
It seems that the hardware erroneously regard the headset as attached at all times (to the 3.5" jack). This makes me unable to make calls without headset or speaker mode.

I experienced the same issue, but "Fix Speaker" app resolved it with just one click. Now, sound comes from the speaker.
Download the app from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.multaitechnology.fix_speaker_disable_earphone_headphone

It appears that I can solve the problem by jacking in the headphone, turning off the phone, turning on the phone again, and jacking out/in the headphone a few times slowly.
And yes, it is a hardware problem solved by a hardware solution.

restarting the phone? it sounds more like a software/hardware combo.. ;)

Sounds like a hardware issue to me. You should return the phone to wherever you bought it.

Plug in your headphones, power down the phone, power on the phone then remove the headphones.  This worked on my GS3. on my GS3 the headphone icon was never on, but the phone was stuck in headset mode. Could not hear any calls, could not hear any music, UNLESS the headphones were plugged in.  The speaker and Bluetooth icons were disabled so I could not switch to them.


text:
What is Phablet?
How to define a phablet?
I first read this word in article about "ZTE building some Galaxy Note-style phablets". This is something larger than a smartphone, but smaller than a tablet. But where is the boundary? What features would a device have (apart from size) to be considered smartphone/phablet/tablet ?

Phablets are basically tablet / phone crossovers. Best examples are Samsung’s Galaxy Note and LG’s Optimus Vu.
As per ComputerWorld:
A phablet is a phone with a screen so big that it can be used as a tablet.
There are no defined boundaries whatsoever in terms of screen sizes; so any tablet with phone (telephony) capabilities might also be termed a phablet.

Although I don't doubt upon this, I'd love to here what other people have to say about the "phablet" concept. :)


text:
What's the risk of installing Cyanogen Mod on unsupported phone?
My device is not listed as supported on website www.cyanogenmod.com/devices. I have ZTE Skate, and some other ZTEs are listed, but not mine.
Is it possible to install the mod on Skate, and what's the risk? If phone is not listed, does it mean, that it was just not tested, or the mod wouldn't work?

They have an Unofficial version of CyanogenMod for Skate here. I don't know what would happen if you tried to install version for another model.

Other than hard-brick!

It means that in all probability it won't work. There are a lot of factors at play, but if it installs correctly there's a good chance it won't boot. Problems that could occur include:

Your hardware will likely not have proper drivers. If it shares drivers with other devices then it may work, but otherwise various parts of the hardware will simply fail to function.
The partition layout may be different, which could cause the install itself to fail if partition sizes are very different.
The kernel from another device may not run on your device's processor.
The boot image may not be configured and packaged properly for your device.

If the above all manage to be identical, then the system may boot and function, but it's generally pretty unlikely.

Regarding the device's processor, doesn't it depend on the architecture (like for Windows, Linux)? i.e. if it works for one ARM device, it works for all of them (but not for x86 processors like Intel Atoms)? Or are there other differences between processors in the case of Android?

There can actually be differences. The problem is less with the architecture itself, though, and more with the fact that mobile chips contain much more than just a processor (hence "System on a Chip"). The various components will need different drivers and so forth, which can cause complications. Different manufacturers may also support varying proprietary extensions to the ARM spec, just as Intel and AMD have their own extensions to x86 and such.


text:
Accessing the internal phone memory by swapping out the SIM card
Is it possible to access an Android phone's internal memory by switching out the SIM card?
My Android phone, with no SD card, has been stolen but access to the phone is locked via the "graphical pin".
Will it be possible to read internal memory after changing the SIM card? I am concerned mainly with the Gmail password I have stored on there.

Gmail will ask you to login again if it detects change of SIM card.
Gmail doesn't store your credentials in internal memory unencrypted.
Phone has to be rooted to read from internal memory.
Your phone can't be unlocked without the correct graphical PIN combination.

Will starting the phone in safe mode retain the lock screen or does it bypass the lockscreen?

It will retain the lock screen.

How about gmail application and already downloaded threads? Has the lock screen some limit of unlocking attempts? Thanks

@Steffen: I believe this is configurable, but from what I've observed, it's 5 attempts 'til a cooldown period of 30 seconds.  During this cooldown period, you'll have an opportunity to use your Google Account password as an alternative way to unlock your screen.

@Steffen: As for your Gmail, although all communication with the Gmail Server is encrypted, synced messages are stored in the clear on your phone.  However, as long as you haven't rooted it (and as long as your bootloader is locked, and your operating system is up to date), this database should be safe from other applications.  If you want to ensure that someone couldn't somehow read what's on the internal storage without going through the operating system, consider full-phone encryption.

@ctt: so if I did not rooted it, then it can't be rooted now, when it is locked with the graphical pin? This sounds like reasonable protection. I wonder how many combinations has the gfx pin

Unless there's some sort of backdoor in the operating system, the only way to root your phone involves unlocking the bootloader.  Unlocking the boot loader involves wiping your phone, which gets rid of any data you hope to be hiding.  So you're pretty safe


text:
Upgrading Unrevoked Desire from Eclair to Froyo
I'm currently running my HTC Desire on 2.1 (O2 branded from the UK, if it makes a difference) which has been rooted via Unrevoked. I've just now been prompted to upgrade it to what I assume is 2.2 via an OTA update. I'd quite like to do this but I'm assuming this will cause me to lose my root. Unrevoked seems to now say it supports 2.2 as well as 2.1 so would it just be a matter of doing the OTA update and re-rooting with Unrevoked?
Also, I've never performed an upgrade before, do I lose all my apps/data/configs? How long does it normally take?
Thanks.

If this is a standard OTA update then you shouldn't lose anything at all, and the update should take less than half an hour, just make sure that your battery is fully charged before you start. All your apps, data and configuration should stay. The only exception to this is where things have changed between Eclair and Froyo, so some of your apps may not be compatible with Froyo (though it's been out long enough now that's very unlikely).
Yes, you will lose your root status, but should be able to root again afterwards, provided your chosen root method works on Froyo, or you can find a different rooter that will work if not.

I'm pretty confident unrevoked will let me root again on 2.2. So OTA seems pretty appealing. I'll be fully charged and doing it over WIFI but thanks for the reminder.

@michael.jefferys use Titanium backup to backup all of your apps and their data when switching to a new rom.

I would highly recommend leaving the OTA update. Instead, download and install a custom pre-rooted 2.2 ROM.
This one from MoDaCo would be a good choice. Alternatively, check out some of the options on the XDA Forums or consider Cyanogenmod if you aren't so attached to HTC's Sense overlay and would like something closer to 'stock' Android.
You shouldn't lose anything with the MoDaCo ROM, though I found I needed to wipe if switching between Sense and non-Sense ROMs. Check out Titanium Backup if you would like to make restoring your apps easy and always do a Nandroid backup before flashing a new ROM.
If you haven't already, download the ROM Manager app from the market to make flashing ROMs and managing back ups a breeze!

I suppose my concern about flashing another ROM is that I will have to set up all my apps/configuration again. Or am I incorrect on this?

@michael You really shouldn't lose anything unless you want to switch to a non-Sense ROM. I'd really recommend going with the MoDaCo ROM if you want to stick with something close to the official HTC Sense ROM (just has a few performance improvements and customisation options). But back everything up first and you should be fine in any case. Go for it! ;)

It does look rather tempting. And having reread the thread carefully I see it does indeed say no wipe is required. Guess i'll be giving this a go tonight!

Well that's not gone so well. Followed the instructions at modaco and now i'm stuck on the carrier logo and can't get past it. Any thoughts?

@michael Bummer! Were you able to get back to recovery (hold volume down when you power on the phone, use volume to highlight 'recovery', power button to select)? You could try wiping your Dalvik-cache from recovery, that helped me before. Otherwise you might need to backup with Titanium, wipe, reflash then restore. I don't think it's too much hassle so as not to be worth it.


text:
Filesystem hierarchy, that defines the directory structure and directory contents of Android?
I have searched, but haven't yet been able to find, an authoritative documentation of the filesystem hierarchy of the Android OS.
Can someone tell me whether this exists at all and if so, where?

are you looking for this https://github.com/keesj/gomo/wiki/AndroidUserland ???

Definitely the type of information that I'm looking for. However, I had hoped there'd be something authoritive from Google or such.

Related: Android Folder Hiearchy

There's a big chapter on that in Andrew Hoog's Android Forensics book on that (see this Amazon list for available copies). Unfortunately, that book doesn't come for free (but from Elsevier; so prices range from ~USD 20 for the Kindle edition to ~USD 50 for the print, with some crazy offers for ~USD 170+ as well), but it explains a lot of background not only interesting for Forensik specialists. A German version of this book now is available for EUR 35, published by Franzis (which can be found e.g. on its German Amazon page as well as on the publishers site, see this link).
While the link to AndroidUserland given in a comment on the question contains a very rudimentary list, a better (though also incomplete) documentation can be found at robotz.com. As said, this is far from being complete, but better for understanding.
I remember having seen another documentation at android.com -- some hints can be found there e.g. in the Storage Options (check "Internal Storage" and "External Storage" here). But a complete documentation of the file system hierarchy is missing here as well.
So again, the most complete documentation known to me is Hoog's Forensics book. German speakers might also be interested in taking a look into the chapter Dateisysteme und Datenstrukturen of my book "Die Androiden-Toolbox", which (in this community edition) is freely available in HTML, MobiPocket and PDF versions here on my eBook Server (if you prefer a printed copy with a few more details, the (extended) Franzis edition Das inoffizielle Android-Systemhandbuch will be available end of this month, i.e. starting around the 26.11.2012).
Disclosure: As said, I'm the author of the second book mentioned. And, not yet mentioned, the translator for the German version of Andrew Hoog's book. But that does not mean I hold back other sources here, of course.

You have given, all combined, a pretty complete answer. Thanks. But why is that book SO expensive (50 dollars)?

As I wrote: Elsevier... Don't ask me. The German version is EUR 35, which is approx. the same. It's not a "fiction" book but a technical book -- not so many buyers...


text:
How can I automatically correct tags of music files?
I've seen apps like Shazaam and TrackID, which can provide the Artist, Album etc. info, by recording a few seconds of a song from any source.
In my music gallery, there're lots of songs, with incorrect artist, albums or genre names. So is there a way that allows me to automatically correct these info, or at least fill up the missing info?

Preferably a free app, or a lower priced app will do. Or if there're any workaround to get this thing done, with existing music players.

Please note that app recommendations as such are off topic here according to our [FAQ].

Have you looked in the Play Store? What have you already tried. A key search term for you will be "ID3". Have you tried fixing the music tracks on your desktop machine using any of the many available tools that are out there?

If you can use the Sony walkman app, that is the best solution for you. See the answer in this question. If that app is not compatible with your device, Album Art Grabber would be a good solution for you.

Thanks, I didn't know walkman app can do this too. I actually have a Sony Xperia phone, so Walkman was already installed.

Music Tagger from Deos Apps can do exactly what you're asking.
It can identify your files and download metadata and album art for them automatically.

Music Tagger is a music tag editor that introduces automated features
  like lyrics grabbing & album art grabbing to make the process of
  tagging your song files quick and easy. Music Tagger also uses an
  audio identification system to automatically identify and tag your
  files individually or in batch. Album information is pulled from the
  MusicBrainz database which can also be directly accessed and tag
  information for each track downloaded and applied to files manually.
  Music Tagger Editor is also capable of organising and renaming your
  song files once they have been tagged.  Folders for artists and albums
  can be created and files renamed based on renaming structure selected
  from the given options.
Music Tagger automatically updates the Media Store Database when
  changes have been made to files to ensure changes reflect on all other
  media applications. Please take note that some music players use their
  own databases and may take longer to reflect changes to files, a
  manual update may need to be invoked within the application if it is
  possible.
Music Tagger Currently supports the following file formats MP3, FLAC ,
  M4A and MP4 audio files only

It always returns me "Auto tag failed"


text:
Is there an Android app that can use the GPS to track my location, distance, and time traveled on a map?
I have a few use cases for this - running or walking to track distance and time, hiking to know if I'm backtracking on myself, and driving aimlessly (well, when gas prices are cheaper than they are now) around an area to explore it so I know places that I've already been.
I did a quick look around the market and nothing stood out. Does something like this exist?

I am using free version of Endomondo

Try GPS Logger for this purpose.
EDIT: GPS Logger is a free app for recording GPS Data. You can log in KML/GPX, upload directly to Dropbox or Google Drive.

A summary would be nice including the price (if any), just a linky on its own is not sufficient enough to warrant an answer or this could rather be a comment?

Summary added, but i think everything can be red under the link.

@Kevin: Answer should be self-contained. Answers that require the reader to go elsewhere in order to glean any useful information are incomplete.


text:
How do I get a full screen caller photo id?
What do I need to install/change so that when I get a call the picture of the caller is in fullscreen mode instead of the regular small image.

I think the dimensions of different parts of the GUI require changes in the framework-res.apk files in the internal system partition. This requires you to be rooted, of course. I haven't seen any custom themes for custom ROMs that have a full screen portrait however.

I've come across one such ROM, but I couldn't find it again after this question popped up.

Maybe you need something like that:

BIG! caller ID,
Full Screen Caller ID.

Notice: Both are free just for first five contacts. For more, you must purchase full version. Both require to assign HD photos manually (from SD Card, Camera or Facebook). None of them support images stored with your contacts on your Google account.


text:
How to share files through Bluetooth?
The only way I found to do it is by installing a 3rd party file explorer software. Isn't there a default app that does that? At least for media files?

Since this isn't really an answer to your problem (but it might be!) I'll leave it as a comment.  What do you need this for?  Would Dropbox do what you need?

@Bryan Dropbox wouldn't help if I have no internet connection

Certain apps like the gallery let your share content via Bluetooth (or any other number of methods).  The gallery handles video and images.  Highlight the item and hit menu to get the Share menu.

Bluetooth File Transfer provides OBEX FTP and OPP for android. It allows you to send a file via bluetooth to an android device or any other devices that implement these bluetooth profiles.

The BT stack on Android phones does not support the file transfer profile.  You may be able to add this by rooting your phone and loading a custom BT stack.


text:
How do I transfer my phone numbers to an Android phone?
I just bought a new Android Phone (HTC Hero), but I need to import my Outlook contacts with all their phone numbers.
Any directions as to how to do this?

Nobody's recommending me to use HTC Sync or something similar?

The easiest way would be to synchronise your contacts with your Google Account (you have one of those, right?). If your account is signed in to that Google Account all your contacts will soon appear on that phone.
Something like OggSync might help, although I'm sure there's others.

So how do I get my Outlook Contacts into my Google Account?

Using something like OggSync as I suggested.


text:
Phone lists saved WiFi network that I do not recognize
I know my phone will not store WiFi hotspots unless I connect to them, but I've noticed one on my phone that I have no recollection of ever connecting or saving. It's out of range yet saved on the list.
I am wondering if there is anyway this is possible. Obviously if WiFi is on it will scan whatever is around, but will not store any of them unless told to. I'm wondering why I have one stored that I've never connected to or saved. Nobody else has used my phone.

Some other people have had a similar problem:

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s3/615395-wifi-keeps-auto-connecting.html

It is possible that your phone connected to it because it is an open network, which means that no password is required to connect. You can disable this feature by going to:
Settings --> Wireless & Network settings --> Wifi Settings
There should be a checkbox for automatically joining an open wifi network, just uncheck it.
If your device does not have a checkbox for this, then your device does not have that function and it is not the source of your problem.
It is also possible that you joined the network on accident. Most phones have a setting that sends a notification when an open network is available. If you click on the notification it will connect to the network.

If you want your device to forget a network, then just go to wifi settings, then click on the remembered network and select forget.


text:
Galaxy S2 is possibly bricked. What can I do?
Background:

Browsing on Chrome, device suddenly freezes. Hold down power button to turn it off.
Turn it on again. "Galaxy S2 i9100T" logo keeps displaying nothing else happens. Tried rebooting again, same result.
Try to do a factory reset through recovery mode. I notice that the progress bar freezes unlike the resets I've done before. Takes a while. I get a bunch of errors in red with failed to mount on E/ and invalid arguments (this is the best I can recall).
Now when I turn it on the Galaxy S2 logo will blink in 3 second intervals.
Tried using Odin to root it and install fresh firmware (followed this guide). I also used  Siyah v5.0.1.tar as directed. Using latest version of Odin.
After clicking start (auto reboot, f. reset time and PDA checked) Odin gets up to NandWrite. A couple of minutes later I get an error message that it failed.
After unplugging my phone will show phone...orange "!"...PC. I can't get into recovery. When I go into Odin mode it detects a custom binary.

I'm afraid that my phone is bricked at this point and I don't want to get myself into further trouble without consulting someone who actually knows there way around these things.
What are my options here?
(I would prefer to keep the stuff on my sD card but if it has to be deleted as a last resort then so be it.)

You could try the heimdall software instead of Odin.

Did you just remove micro SD card and reboot before doing factory reset?
Did you try to boot in safe mode before doing factory reset?
http://www.tested.com/tech/android/3071-how-to-use-androids-safe-mode-to-save-a-phone-from-boot-loops/


text:
How can I stop Google Play Music from automatically downloading my library?
I listened to some of my music library on Google Play for the first time, and unbeknownst to me, it started to download the whole library (12,00 plus tracks) to my phone, completely using up my storage. I can't find ANYTHING that allows me to stop it or limit it's downloading. Has anyone else had similar problems?

If you are using the Google Play Music app Touch Menu on your device and see if Keep on device is checked. If yes uncheck it. You can also touch the blue pin to stop making it available offline. For more information on this go to https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/1250232?hl=en

I found this article below that was helpful for cleaning up what I didn't want and keeping the free music that I did want. Instructions:

Select "Free and Purchased" in the left side menu (or where ever the menu is, google may change this tomorrow :P )
You can then use shift-click to select multiple items.
(Shift-click: Hold shift down and then click the top song to delete, scroll to the bottom and hold shift again and click the last song you want to delete.)

https://productforums.google.com/d/msg/apps/E3mRmjLwMjk/SfYzCXb33WwJ


text:
How can I configure a WiFi proxy that requires a username and password?
I have an Android 4.1.2 phone, and I need to set a WiFi proxy that requires me to authenticate with a username and password. Where can I setup the user and password for the proxy?

You could try user:password@ip-address for the proxy's server address. Not sure if that always works, but it's worth a try. Let us know if it did, so I write a more detailed answer.

Related: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/217801/218526

For some one Google may bring you to this post
On Android 9, Just do as Harshil mentioned (just provide proxy host name and port, then save), when you using Chrome to access internet, there will be a popup to ask for proxy credential, now you can provide your proxy credential

Long press on that wifi connection, tap on show advanced settings. Fill in your details.
The Google Play store, and Whatsapp won't work. For that you'll have to root your phone, and install Proxy Droid or some such proxy app.


text:
Screenshots on Nexus 7 are 0 bytes
I am taking screen shots for testing an app. on Nexus 7. Yesterday I could take the screen shots perfectly. Today when I press Power+Volume Down together it makes the screenshot sound but gives me .png with 0 bytes. What happened, and how do I fix this?

I am just running into exactly the same problem, also on a Nexus 7, also when testing an app, also when screenshots used to work just minutes ago.

After disconnecting and reconnecting the USB of my device, the screenshot files suddenly are there again and contain data. New screenshots (taking after replugging) are shown as having 0 bytes again, though.

Related Android SE post

If you take screen shots with the Nexus 7 connected to your computer the screen shot images don't seem to update in Windows Explorer correctly (they show as 0 bytes) and they are not viewable.
The fix is to unplug then plug your USB cable back in and they will show up with the correct size and be viewable.  Either that or unplug your USB cable before taking the screen shots then plug it in to download them.
I guess this is a feature?  It is certainly annoying because I keep forgetting about the fix and wondering why my screenshots are 0 bytes.


text:
Disable camera's lockscreen shortcut
How can I prevent the camera app from opening directly from my Nexus 4's lockscreen? It opens frequently and easily when the lock screen slides from right to left, even if the phone is locked with pattern. My phone is running Android 4.2.2.

I'm not aware of any native settings for this, but there is an app that was built to bridge the gap: Lockscreen Policy. When you first launch it, you'll need to hit the "Activate" button to give it device administration permission, then you simply toggle the camera to "Off":

One caveat to this app that the author notes on the Google Play page:

Does not work on TouchWiz Android 4.2.x firmware (such as Galaxy S4)

However, this does not apply in your case, since the N4 is not running TouchWiz.

Thank you but there is no such app named lock screen policy in my phone please let me where I may get it.

Thank you so much I just got that app from play store. Thanks again for your helping hand.


text:
Using Micromax 353G Dongle with Penta IS701C tablet
I have purchased Penta IS701C recently. I have a Micromax 353G dongle, and want to know if it supports my Penta tablet. If yes, how could I use the dongle in the Penta tab?

By looking at product specification page of Penta IS701C, it appears that this dongle is not officially supported. But on same page it says that tablet does support 2G / 3G dongle so
I see no reason why it should not work.


text:
Can I make Phone Calls with my Xtouch X709 Tablet?
I am getting an Xtouch X709 in a few days. It is running on Android 4.0.
Can I insert a SIM card in this tablet and use it to make phone calls?

That spec page does not indicate anywhere that it has a SIM card slot (meaning also that it has no cellular chip), so how were you intending to use it? It says it supports a USB 3G modem, but those generally don't make phone calls directly; you'd need VoIP.

Without cellular service, you're going to need a VoIP client that can hook into the plain old telephone service. Skype and Vonage arose two such clients, but you'll generally have to pay for access to POTS. It's usually not that much, though.

I guess you have to insert  a sim card and try to call because I have x708 tablet  .

Do you mean, it works on your tablet? Or are you trying to say that it doesn't work on yours?


text:
Nexus 4 wont charge or turn on; LED is blinking red
I've been charging my Nexus with the original charger for 2 hours. It still shows red LED light when I hold the power button. I've tried everything:

Different USB chargers
Holding the volume button with the power button

It just wont work. I'm not the original owner so I can't get another one.

Try to long press power in for about 30s.
Then short press.
This is how I recover after a Nexus4 crash.

It sounds like your Nexus may not be getting enough power. Check out this related article (for Nexus 7) that sounds like your problem:
Since you are not the original owner, and not under any warranty, perhaps you'd like to try some DIY work. In this case, check out this article.
Good luck! I hope this can help you.

Ive been charging it from more than 12 hours. Still the red light blinks and then goes off. Im worried. And i cant open up my phone.

And also if i use the iphone charger theres a steady red light and if i use the original charger then the light turns on then starts to blink. Whats this issue?

Possibility 1 (worst case scenario) -  since you're not the original owner, you don't know what the previous owner did. In that case it can happen that he/she might have had experimented a bit and formatted the nand or the phone malfunctioned and somehow the nand got formatted i.e full clean no bios(download mode as in android). In this case, your phone is bricked. You can possibly bring it back if you have experience with rooting, custom rom flashing all that stuff.  Plus you will need the restore bootloader file for the nexus. I had experimented this: nand formatting on my galaxy s3 showed the same behaviour. Go to the XDA-Forums and search. If you don't have any experience and don't know what I am talking about, I'd suggest taking the phone to a service center.
Possibility 2 (good scenario compared to the previous one) - battery is dead since the nexus's battery is inaccessible: the same solution here, also take it to a service centre.


text:
How do I get offline voice detection on my tablet running JB (4.1.1)?
I just got myself a budget tablet (Halo Value) from "Swipe Telecom", and I was wondering how I can get offline speech recognition on it, since JB should support it.
My language is set to English (US), and I can't seem to find any option to download offline voice recognition files. I looked under Settings > Language & input > Google voice typing settings and it has just one option, to block offensive words. Under voice search settings, I have "speech output", "block offensive words" and "Hotword Detection".
Any ideas how to get offline voice recognition on the tab?

There's a tutorial on How to Activate Offline Voice Typing on Jelly Bean which you could follow. Here's an excerpt:

Open the system settings of the device.
Go to language and placing.
Make a tap on voice search.
Now do a tap on Download ricon. VOC. offline.
With a swype moved All tab and select your language, it will begin the download of the package.
Eventually the card INSTALLED will appear.

Now you should be able to use voice input in offline mode.
Just in case, here are several additional howtos:

How To: Enable Offline Voice Typing in All Jelly Bean Android Devices
Download and Install Google Now with Voice Search (Stable Version) On Galaxy S3

.

From the first "additional link", the description looks a bit different:

Go to Settings
Go to Languages and Input
Check if the language is selected as English(US). If not, then set it.
In the Inputs, look if the option Google Voice Typing is checked. If not, then check it.
Select the gear icon beside the Google Voice Typing. This will take you to the voice typing settings.
In the Choose Input Language, uncheck automatic and select English(US).
Below, in the Download Offline Speech Recognition option, select English(US).
After the download completes, close the settings.
Go anywhere for typing, like Messaging.
Select the little gear icon in the bottom left area. This will give the option of selecting Voice Typing.
Speak out your words clearly and the device will type it out even if Internet Connection is Inactive.

You should be able to do this with other languages as well (e.g. English(UK)) -- just make sure they match in all places.

As I said in my question, my language is already set to English(US), and I have looked in those places, bit I don't have any option to download offline voice recognition files.
Also beside google voice typing, I have a settings icon and not a gears icon.

Not having a JB phone, I cannot check that currently. Will do so with my tablets at home. But AFAIR they all have the "gears" icon for settings. Apart from the icon used, shouldn't the link go to the same pages?

+1: I've got an S3 with JB 4.1.1, and the above instructions are accurate.

That's the problem, i saw that setting on several videos on youtube as well...but it isn't there on my tab. i don't know if it uses a different ROM or something, but the setting simply isn't there, and that's why I am looking for other methods

Maybe you could add a few details: 1) exact Android version (from Settings->About), 2) a link to device specifications (or anything coming close to that), 3) screenshots (or links to them, I'll integrate them then). This might help us to narrow things down. As techie007 already checked on 4.1.1, that's all I could have done (same version on my tabbies), so we can skip that for now.

Is there such an option on nexus 5 with kit kat?


text:
Nexus S and phone charger get unusually hot when plugged in
I was using my Nexus S today and it turned off suddenly. I plugged it in to charge and saw it load to the boot splash screen, and then I went to sleep.
When I woke up 2 hours later my phone was dead. I plugged it in to the charge for another half an hour, but both the phone and the charger started getting very hot. I tested my charger and battery with another phone and both seemed to work properly without the excess heat. What happened to my phone that's causing it to heat up like this?

Probably something is messed up inside the hardware of your Nexus S?

I have that sometimes, too. Usually it's some app or android itself being rather busy. Look at Settings => Battery which one is causing it. Usually there should be Display at 70% consuming the most power.

There are 90% chances of it should be a hardware defect. Most probably the micro USB pins inside your Nexus might have been damaged. Also there is a possibility of your battery nearing its lifetime. Sometimes one in a million batteries die young. So I advice you to check your phone with another compatible battery.

If there's a short in the USB port on the phone it can cause charging to stop and heating up to occur. I guess that's well past your warranty period, but you could still take it into a phone shop and ask about getting the port replaced. I just had that done on my Galaxy Nexus and it only took about 15 minutes once the part came in.


text:
Sony Xperia Z stuck in a bootloop
My Xperia Z is stuck int a bootloop. It goes up to the colorful waves and then it restarts. It was connected with USB in charging mode. Suddenly, it starts restarting. I thought it might be carrying out some of its processes, but even after an hour of restarts, it failed to start normally. Now my battery is completely drained.
I want to recover/restore it to factory settings, but I can't because of bootloops.
The phone is only two months old, and I do not want to format and restore flash files
via flashtools as suggested on the XDA forums. Getting into recovery mode and restoring from there will be preferred, instead of flashing. My last resort will be a Sony Service Center.

You might want to check Booting to recovery, which is about a Xperia mini pro (being a Sony Xperia device lets me hope it fits). If you can boot into recovery, you should be able to do a factory reset from there.

I fixed the boot loop for Sony XZ1 by following this tutorial using Xperia Companion

You have to download a rom for your mobile.
Download it from
https://xperiastockrom.com/category/firmware
Download a flashtool from
https://developer.sony.com/develop/open-devices/get-started/flash-tool/

open the  flashtool
Connect a USB cable to your computer.
Turn off your phone.
Connect your phone to the USB cable while holding the Volume down key.
Select the software you want to flash in the Service list. The tool automatically detects the phone model and lists available software versions.
Click on Apply Service. The phone will now be flashed.
When you have flashed your device, you can disconnect your phone from the computer. The first time the boot-up might take a little longer than normal.

Hope it will solve your problem...

Download the flash tool and search for "FTF stock images". Find your phone's model number and download at least 4 different versions of the stock Firmware from beginning to newest. Flash following instructions. This will fix this!

It would be better if you could explain more in detail, though...

You can install a fresh and latest rom by these steps:

Download and install latest Flashtool.
Then check your phone exact model (For xperia z: C6602,C6603,c6606,...).
You should download the latest firmware for your model from valid sources like XDA. In any topic you find, there should be a "How to" that you can easily follow.
Wiping data folder will delete all your settings, apps, phone numbers, ... (Don't forget to backup!)

Useful note: Flash FTF using flashtool

Since google favors this thread, I will follow up with what worked for me: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/need-help-flashing-xz2-ftf-flash-fails.3873024/post-78287147
That post states:

(Newflasher thread is here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/cr...gress-newflasher-xperia-command-line-t3619426
and the version I used was the latest (v13))
Simple steps for using newflasher instead of FlashTool:

Use Xperifirm to download appropriate firmware for your device    Firmware auto-unpacks to
C:\users\yourusername.flashtool\firmwares\downloads\xxx
Remove any    .ta files you may not want to flash (The only one I know to remove is    simlock.ta , as I don't want to risk
re-sim-locking my device)
Copy    the newflasher.exe to the folder that contains the unpacked firmware    (example would be folder xxx above)
Don't run newflasher.exe yet
Get    your phone into Flashmode (for this XZ2 it is to have the phone    powered off, then hold the VOLDOWN button while plugging the
USB    cable in)

The resources mentioned in the other answers makes it difficult to find images for newer xperias. Apparently the newflash tool's distribution goes through the xda-developers forum. Same goes for the firmware development tool.


text:
Is There a Computer Application To Manage SMS Messages The Same as Nokia PC Suite Can?
In Nokia PC Suite we can backup mobile data (contacts, message etc) on a computer. We can also send, receive sms or manage sms by computer using Nokia PC Suite when a Nokia mobile is connected with a computer by Bluetooth or by data cable.
Is there any software or application by which I can use my HTC Desire SV mobile phone the same way as above?
I want to send or receive SMS by my laptop which is connected to my HTC Desire SV because this saves my time.
Is this possible?

Try MyPhoneExplorer to control (almost) any Android device. You can easily send and receive sms on your PC when this software is connected to your phone.
or HTC Sync Manager for synchronizing.

the software which you mention above only sync the data. You can not send SMS or receive SMS on computer while phone is connected by computer.

In MyExplorer every thing is there what I want ... Thanx dear

For a system independent solution, you might want to take a look at e.g. AirDroid:

AirDroid runs as an app on your Android device. When you start this app, it offers you to start its service. Having done so, it displays an URL to connect to with a web browser, plus a password to authenticate. Doing so on your PC, you can manage your Android device from within the PC's web browser: edit your contacts, send SMS, play your media, change the background image, and much more. Even the clipboard can be shared.
Preferably this is done while both devices (the Android device and your PC) are connected to the same network, of course -- but you don't need a cable, as the name AIRdroid correctly indicates the "over-the-air" use of WiFi :)
Other than with the Nokia PC suite, AirDroid doesn't save a copy of the Android device's data on your PC. This is, however, AFAIK done by MyPhoneExplorer Client -- which was already mentioned in MattLin's answer; but this is only available to Windows users.

thank you for your time and useful response. As you mention here this will work only when both device and phone use same network. Means phone is connected with WiFi which have same network to the computer. Suppose I don't have WiFi connection then this how this will work?

Via a proxy: Just visit the app's Playstore page, and take a look at the first screenshot. Alternatively to a local IP address, it mentions you can connect via http://web.airdroid.com/; all data will then be routed openly via the Internet (so I'd suggest to at least enable HTTPS in this case). Furthermore, your mobile provider has to support this (not all do, some block "incoming" traffic to your device) -- you may need to check this. But as the app is free, there's nothing to lose, right?

MightyText - send and receive SMS from your computer. It will automatically get synced in your phone.

this is good application but it use mobile and computer Internet connection. I simply want to connect my mobile with computer using Bluetooth or data cable and start sending or receiving SMS. Exactly same as Nokia PC Suite.

I think Mighty Text is the best app to send SMS from a computer to a phone. It makes the device suitable to send the SMS. Hope you will love this.


text:
With the Android 4.2 camera app, how can I tell if I have a GPS lock?
My Galaxy Nexus has just been updated to v4.2 of Jellybean, Google seem to have totally changed the camera app in this update and there's a few functions that I just can't find.
As I'm travelling a lot at the moment, I like to make sure that most of my pictures are geo-tagged so that I can work out where I was and when later! As I'm not in my home country, I have data disabled to save on extortionate roaming charges, so most of the GPS-Assistance functions don't work and GPS locks take longer than normal.
Previous versions of the Android camera app have had a small icon near the top of the screen in the camera app that flashes to indicate that the GPS is searching for a lock, that then turns solid when a good GPS lock is achieved. There doesn't seem to be any similar icon in the built-in camera app in the stock GED version of 4.2.
Is there any way that I can tell if the camera has achieved a GPS lock before I take a picture?

Is this you? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2000943

@TheAndroNerd nope not me, but that is the exact same problem with no answer, I'll keep an eye on that thread too, thanks.

You can press the right soft-key (switch application soft-key). The application switcher in Android 4.2 includes the notification bar, which shows if there´s a GPS fix. You can press the right soft-key again to return to the camera app.

Strangely the GPS icon only appears as I switch back to the camera, so you have to be quite quick at spotting it. Bit of a kludgey workaround, but it does seem to work, thanks.

This has been left out of the 4.2 Camera application.
You could get around this, if you really wanted the icon back, by installing the old camera app. You would need to be rooted to do this. You could also install a custom camera app off Google Play, which will not require you to be rooted.

I just checked on my smartphone: Android 4.2.1 camera still lacks GPS lock indicator.

Open your camera app and send it to background.
Then use this free app, GPS Test, to search for a GPS lock.
Once you acquire a GPS lock (yellow indicator on GPS Status section turns green), bring to front the camera and take the photo.

When you open your camera, touch the "setting" widget that shows up by default on the right hand side.  The bottom choice looks like three sliders, that's your settings.  One of the choices is "store location."  That enables and disables geotagging.

This doesn't answer the question. Geotagging is already enabled, and the questioner is trying to tell whether GPS has fixed the position yet.


text:
Do all HTC One X's use the same screen?
I'm going to replace the screen on my HTC One X, but I'm nervous of buying the wrong LCD assembly (I did that with a version of the iPhone 4 before).
Somehow no one seems to have an answer for this - do all versions of the HTC One X use the same screen assembly? My serial starts with HT23, and not the GS23 that so many eBay advertisers have in their description.

Yes they are the same.  The one x and x+ use identical display and digitizer.  Buy the assembly the digitizer is adhered tightly to the lcd.


text:
Unable to access Google Play
I have a Samsung Galaxy S Duos, and ever since I bought my cell phone, I am unable to access the Google Play Store due to the error message:

Authentication is required. You need to sign in to your Google Account.

I had signed in my Google account already and have used it on my phone with other apps, like Talk, Gmail and etc. I have tried clearing the account and re-entering it, wiping out all the data and re-building a new account, and other possible solutions, but still my problem is there.
My one possible guess is that it is due to the country I live in. It may be that Google has put some sanctions on my country, Iran.
How can I get Google Play Store to work on my phone?

I believe you're correct; Google Play is not currently available in Iran. This help page lists the various Google Play services and where they're available.

Hm, if I read that page correctly, it doesn't say anything about the availibility of free (not-paid) app content (and thus access to them via the Google Play App) -- or did I miss something?

This page lists the supported locations for downloading free apps.

It is really complicated, although i am using a proxy i still get the same error, i wish somebody from google play staff could help!


text:
Is there a way to view HTML files/sites on the Nexus 7/Android 4.2.2?
I am trying to get my new Nexus 7 to display my offline web site that I made with HTML, CSS and Javascript. I have been looking for a way to display my site off the tablet as sort of a demo for people to play with. A fully working site, no screen shots but something interactive.
I kinda know how to put the files on my Nexus, and by that I mean I can get it on there but then I cant find it when I browse though it. I put it in the download folder but I don't see the folder. It's not zipped or compressed, i'ts just the folder in there. Any advice would be great.

Possibly relevant: How can I open an HTML file I have copied from PC to SD Card of Phone?

Also possibly relevant: How can I can open local files in the default Android browser?

Once you transfer files to your Nexus 7 use one of these apps to get to the files:
Solid Explorer or ES File Explorer
explained here:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/google-nexus-7-tablet-2012/201344-how-view-files.html
NEXT STEP:
To View on the html file on your Nexus 7 use the HTML Viewer app.
Would love a quicker solution, but this works!


text:
Internet Usage on Samsung Galaxy Ace 5830.
My provider gives my 3GB of data and I don't know how to find out how much I have used or have left.  Where can I find this information

Assuming that you are using a Galaxy Ace with Android v2.3 (Gingerbread), I suggest you to use an application like 3G Watchdog or Onavo Count. But if you are using a Android phone with Android v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher there is a built-in option in settings menu called "Data Usage".

Data usage was there in 2.2 as well, are you sure its not there in 2.3 ? Moreover these are not really reliable, it will even account your wi fi usage. Best way is to check with service provider, am sure they have a USSD code or something.

3G Watchdog keeps separate totals for Wi-Fi and 3G data use, so there should be no confusion about whether it is from the mobile network allowance (3G data) or some wi-fi hotspot.  The watchdog can also be set to disable your 3G connection at some level (eg 80%) before you hit your limit.
AVG (antivirus) now includes a data usage monitor, but just warns and does not disable, as far as I know.  If I had a limit, I'd prefer to have the connection broken in case I started a high traffic application (eg world wide webcam) and might be charged for traffic above my allowance (network I used in 2012 charged around 100 GBP / US$ 150 per extra GB of data, something to avoid!).


text:
Android Market or Google Play Store for black Pandigital Novel
I'm looking for an easy way to get the Android Market or Google Play Store on my black Pandigital novel. I've searched and searched, but I couldn't find any ways to get either of them. If anyone knows an easy, simple way, please let me know!

How can I install the Google Apps Package (Play Store, …) on my Android device?

You can try and install the Google Play 4.1.10 shared on droid-life.

Don't forget: in order to install the Google Play app on a device which does not already have it, that device needs to be rooted and the app must be made a system app.


text:
What is the meaning of the set of Play Store icons at the top of the screen?
Why are there a set of Google Play Store icons at the top of an Android (Nexus 10) screen?  What do they mean?

Can you post a screenshot?

Although you don't have a screenshot, they are most likely apps that have recently been installed, updated, or have updates ready. I can give you more specific help if you post a screenshot.


text:
Galaxy Nexus 6:30 minutes to copy 128MB over WiFi, is it normal?
I use the Galaxy Nexus GT-I9250 and the WiFi is very slow, I copied a video (128MB) from my computer and it completed in 6:30 minutes, is that normal? It seems slower than over 3G.
I used ES File Explorer to copy and I was logged in with the Windows User/pass.

Is it consistently slow? How about its speed on other WiFi networks?

Depending on your WiFi signal strength, it might be slower or faster. Given an average speed of 30 MBit/s (at a 54 MBit connection, that sounds quite reasonable; also taking into account that CIFS has a little overhead), the transfer should have taken between ~30s and a minute. Everything above that I wouldn't count reasonable. Check your WiFi speed, as Peanut already pointed out. Other WiFi networks on the same channel might also reduce speed; in that case, configure your WiFi AP to use a different channel.

Is your copmuter on wifi, or a wired network? Copying between two wifi devices on the same AP is normally far slower than copying from a wifi to a wired device, due to collision problems.

I was copying from a laptop on same WiFi router. I will try copying a similar file when computer is on cable and test the WiFi channel too, then reply. Thanks.

Since you were both uploading and downloading simultaneously and upload speeds are usually much slower (I figured yours must have been around .33 MB/s), then that doesn't seem totally unreasonable depending on other variables.


text:
What is sync for?
I purchased my phone over the Internet, but the instructions turned out to be written in Chinese. What is sync and what is it for? Should it be on or off? My phone model is CJ-THL V9 3G, running Android 4.0.3.

Are you asking about sync?

OOPS...yes I meant sync, not sinc, sorry all!

I assume this option came up when you activated your Google account when you turned your phone on for the first time. This option permits your phone data to synchronise with Google services, like calendar, contacts, email etc. Whether you select it is up to you, however the answer is usually yes. It provides a backup of this data on Google servers and also allows you to access it via the online google website. You can always toggle this option in the phones Settings menu.


text:
Upgrading Galaxy i7500 to OS 2.x
I have a Samsung Galaxy i7500. The OS version is 1.5, and I believe Samsung did not publish any updates (other than a 1.6 (Donut) in one country).
Is there any way to upgrade my phone to Android 2.x?
There's gaosp. but the warning "Don't complain if your phone doesn't boot up!" is a bit disenchanting.

I'm afraid that's probably your only option. Older Android phones are put out to pasture pretty readily.

@AlEverett that's what I fear as well. It wouldn't be so bad, except that most apps require 2.x to work.

GAOSP is your only option. It's in beta 3, so it's a pretty sure bet.


text:
OneNote Options
So I have these OneNote notebooks up on office.live.com. From there I sync a few laptops and, when on a PC without OneNote installed, I can work directly with my notebooks in a browser.
I'd LOVE to be able to work with my notebooks from my Android browser or in some other fashion.
I'm aware of MobilNoter. As near as I can tell, it doesn't leverage the live.com storage that I'm already syncing to. If that's true then it isn't the answer I'm after.
Anyone else using OneNote with or on Android? If so, how?
(Please don't suggest I switch to Evernote. It is nice, but it ain't OneNote!)

Mobilenoter SE will sync with Skydrive (office.live.com) but is currently read only.  For a couple of weeks in early April, Firefox on Android worked on Office.live.com directly, but M$ changed something and now you can not edit your OneNote files online in any Android browser I have tried (and I have tried almost all of them).
Very frustrating.
Alan

I've followed this issue, and I'm quite sure Mobilnoter is the best that can be done until MS comes out with an Android version of OneNote. Unlike a Mac version, that move seems inevitable, since many Windows users are on Android.

I'd like to be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that mobilenoter doesn't use the office.live.com site for syncing (like I do for all my PCs).