The Official Android thread.

I use Advanced Task Killer. So I just turned on my screen after it turned itself off, I check the task killer and it says "Skype Moblie" is running; I don't even use Skype Mobile, let alone ever started it. The application does not show as running in the program monitor (built-into android).
 
Do you have it installed? I know Verizon and Skype had an exclusive deal with calling over the data connection at some point, that may be related.
 
Do I what installed? Skype Mobile is bloatware (thanks verizion) and yes I have been using the task killer since eclair.
 
I am guessing this might be pre-installed apps from the manufacturer, that can't be removed or stopped? In that instance a task killer might be useful, although I'm guessing these apps would then restart (using CPU/battery), and then task killer would kill them (using CPU/battery), over and over.

Unfortunately the solution is to get stock Android or a rom that doesn't have these sorts of things already installed, and will let you uninstall anything you want. Android does handle task management well, it's the manufacturers/carriers that are the real problem here.
 
Added TuneIn Radio to the front page. I love this program. it does HD radio for your local market or anywhere. If you listen to any talk radio shows and miss an airing you can search for it and listen to the broadcast in another state that's 2-3 hours later. Between this and Pandora my phone gets so much use now.

Currently running Cyanogen Mod 7 on my HTC G2. The battery lasts so much longer than it used to with the t-mobile build of 2.2
 
[quote name='elessar123']BTW, Samsung Droid Charge comes out on the 28th. LTE, Super AMOLED Plus, free 4G mobile hotspot, Adobe Flash and Swype are preinstalled. If the battery life is decent, this could be an amazing device.[/QUOTE]

Dont worry, it will suck. All samsung android phones are terrible. From build quality to software to battery life. Never met a happy samsung android phone user.
 
[quote name='seen']Do I what installed? Skype Mobile is bloatware (thanks verizion) and yes I have been using the task killer since eclair.[/QUOTE]
Then that's where the Skype process is coming from, what is so hard to understand?
 
[quote name='Habbler']Added TuneIn Radio to the front page. I love this program. it does HD radio for your local market or anywhere. If you listen to any talk radio shows and miss an airing you can search for it and listen to the broadcast in another state that's 2-3 hours later. Between this and Pandora my phone gets so much use now.

Currently running Cyanogen Mod 7 on my HTC G2. The battery lasts so much longer than it used to with the t-mobile build of 2.2[/QUOTE]
Yeah TuneIn is great, especially for talk radio.
 
The transformer is looking pretty nice. I've been looking for something to take on travel with me for work...although, right now I have a Dell Streak, which is essentially a 5" version of a tablet.

Maybe if it goes on Sale eventually.
 
I'm a little confused about the flak the Transformer has been receiving over its GPS. Apparently it only works over wifi, but I never really considered that it wouldn't work without an internet connection - I think pretty much the only thing I use my phone's gps is with Google maps, which needs a data connection. Is this a dealbreaker to anyone? I'm hoping Asus fixes a lot of the little issues in the review models before the 27th - I really want this tablet.
 
Well the data has to be pulled from somewhere, no connection, no data. I'd think that would be true of any wifi only tablet.
 
[quote name='Clak']Well the data has to be pulled from somewhere, no connection, no data. I'd think that would be true of any wifi only tablet.[/QUOTE]

Yah, but do some phones/tablets have some sort of hardware GPS that doesn't require data? I know nothing about GPS, so I was thinking that might be the case since this is such a huge shocker about this tablet - I was kind of surprised when I saw the problem since I never thought it would work without data anyway.
 
Yeah, I've never understood why tablets like the iPad or the android ones HAVE to be 3G for the GPS to work.

The Garmin in my car doesn't have 3G and works fine. I don't see why they can't just put those kind of GPS chips and maps in the tablets.

Personally I don't care as I find a tablet clunky to use as a GPS and prefer my garmin. It just never made sense to me why tablets use GPS systems that require an internet connection when there are stand alone GPS units for like $100 or less these days that don't require it.
 
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They do have a GPS, otherwise it isn't really GPS at all. What they probably need data for is maps and things like that. Though I think Google maps now can store maps locally, so it might could use that to show your location on a map without a data connection.
 
[quote name='seen']You can't store google maps locally its against the TOS.[/QUOTE]

Maybe you can't but Google Maps can.
http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2010/12/google-maps-5-for-android-3d-maps-and.html

It will cache the most often used maps, and if you start navigation and lose the connection it caches enough to continue the route. This is how the transformer seems to work; I'm guessing the GPS is all software and not hardware, but I can't really imagine an instance where I want GPS but don't want data to go with it, so it won't be a dealbreaker for me. The camera problems will be a dealbreaker - that green screen would get really annoying, really fast.
 
Well does anyone here have a Sprint Samsung Epic 4g? I've read the reviews say its very good. Thinking about jumping from Verizon to Sprint because Sprint seems to have the better/cheaper plans when it comes to a 2 line family share with data package compared to verizon's 30 freaking bucks for each phone.

My gf wants a phone with a keyboard...I can live without one...the upcoming droids don't have the keyboard except the droid 3 but that won't be 4g..(WTF Verizon!)
 
Thats what I meant, it can now cache the maps offline on the phone. But no, I beleive it has GPS hardware, it will be able to pinpoint you on a map, but without a data connection it can't continue to update the map on the go.
 
[quote name='Clak']Thats what I meant, it can now cache the maps offline on the phone. But no, I beleive it has GPS hardware, it will be able to pinpoint you on a map, but without a data connection it can't continue to update the map on the go.[/QUOTE]

But again, why can't they work like gps units for cars etc. and not need any data connection?
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']But again, why can't they work like gps units for cars etc. and not need any data connection?[/QUOTE]

Because stand alone GPS units have maps data stored in physical memory on the device itself. If you find a program for android that has map data stored on the device itself then the GPS inside the tablet would work just the same as a standalone GPS like a Garmin does. It's the same reason why you cannot update map data on a standalone GPS without attaching it to a computer and running a software update.

For example, on my Droid X, if I am running google nav and I turn the airplane mode on, it will continue to track my position as long as I continue driving on maps that have already been caches. It could not do that if it did not have a physical GPS it.
 
Yeah Google Maps itself doesn't, I suspect it's because not all android phones have a lot of memory. Keeping the maps local would eat a lot of that up.
 
Played around with the G2X and G Slate this weekend.

G Slate is meh. The 3D on it is a fucking joke, and Honeycomb is too buggy currently. Apps FC's 75% of the time in my tgime with the G Slate. Honeycomb is so not there yet, that I'm hesitant to grab an Asus Transformer this week.

G2X is THE android phone right now. I ran Quadrant on my CM7 EVO and the G2X, and the G2X had a score of 22xx, more than double my EVO.

But the '4G' was a joke where I used it. 500 kb/s :whistle2:|
 
I get the feeling Google really rushed Honeycomb to get it out there to compete with the iPad2. It's different enough from the phone version that real problems have crept up that need fixing. Their hesitation to release the source code makes me think they know this is true.
 
I'm really curious about the reported problems with Honeycomb, because it seems like I've heard mostly vague ideas of "it's just not finished". Is it constantly force crashing everything? Unresposive, random reboots? Not saying I don't believe it isn't without it's problems, but just don't see a lot of press saying much in the way of specifics, just that "the iPad is polished and Honeycomb isn't ready for prime time".
 
[quote name='manthing']UI scrolling lag, constant force crashes are what I encountered in my time with both the Xoom and G Slate[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the input on it. I am probably going to buy a Asus Transformer, but it will definitely have to be from somewhere with a good return policy if these sorts of issues (and the myriad of others that seem to plague that particular tablet) are too much to bear. I have been a huge fan of Android for a couple of years now but I feel really let down by the polish of it all. For the most part it's not a problem, but waiting for my phone to become responsive or load my drawer of apps is painful. I think it's just because I have a fairly old and beat up phone (original Droid) which just isn't nearly the best hardware. Between now and next contract I might buy a cheaper, used (yet more recent) phone to see if it feels any better. If it doesn't, I unfortunately might have to get an iPhone.
 
I'd like to think that's just from the floor displays being messed with and screwed up, but I don't know. I know when I've played with phones in store they're sometimes screwed up from people messing with them.
 
[quote name='GrilledWitOnions']Thanks for the input on it. I am probably going to buy a Asus Transformer, but it will definitely have to be from somewhere with a good return policy if these sorts of issues (and the myriad of others that seem to plague that particular tablet) are too much to bear. I have been a huge fan of Android for a couple of years now but I feel really let down by the polish of it all. For the most part it's not a problem, but waiting for my phone to become responsive or load my drawer of apps is painful. I think it's just because I have a fairly old and beat up phone (original Droid) which just isn't nearly the best hardware. Between now and next contract I might buy a cheaper, used (yet more recent) phone to see if it feels any better. If it doesn't, I unfortunately might have to get an iPhone.[/QUOTE]

You should try using GO Launcher EX. Been using that on my Droid as my defaut launcher and it had been helping out with speed and app drawer loading.
 
[quote name='Sinistar']You should try using GO Launcher EX. Been using that on my Droid as my defaut launcher and it had been helping out with speed and app drawer loading.[/QUOTE]

I might try that, but I am doubtful it will help. I have run stock froyo, then used launcherpro with it, then rooted and am currently using Cyanogenmod 7 which I believe uses ADW launcher. I think everytime I tried something new, it would seem faster for a couple of days and then eventually get as slow as ever. I will try GO Launcher EX, but I think this phone just can't handle the amount of apps I have on it (which is apparently 122 by the looks of my app drawer). More than anything I probably need to delete some apps.
 
[quote name='Clak']Could be stuff you have running in the background.[/QUOTE]

I just checked and have settings, google voice, google services and android keyboard running. Google listen and maps were also running (listen from this morning and maps, IDK why). I killed those and currently have 98 MBs used and 40 free. App drawer loaded slowly and now is loading okay, but it usually does this periodically (maybe when less apps are running.. hmm.) I'll keep an eye on this, maybe listen is a memory hog.

edit: started listen back up and it's using 4MB. Voice is using 17 and is the highest on resources but I use it for texts and voicemail, so it has to be running. Is there somewhere else I should be looking? I don't know that it's background processes. Will have to check this in a couple hours if it lags again.
 
Check both your running services and running applications. Go to settings-> applications-> and then "manage applications" to check for running apps and then "running services" to check for running services. Remember too that these are basically pocket computers, even the start menu on my desktop hangs for a second sometimes.
 
Manage apps shows me what I have downloaded, and running services shows me what's running; do I need to go through each downloaded app and see if I need to stop it? I assumed running services were the running applications and other tasks that were currently running.

And a slight hang wouldn't be so bad but this is nearly every time I open the app drawer, and whenever I go to the home screen, apps take a long time to show up. Just hit home and it took about SEVEN seconds to get my apps on my home screen to show.
 
What kind of phone do you have again? On mine, running 2.2, if you go to applications->manage applications, you can click at the top where it says "running" and it will show only the apps currently running.
 
[quote name='Clak']What kind of phone do you have again? On mine, running 2.2, if you go to applications->manage applications, you can click at the top where it says "running" and it will show only the apps currently running.[/QUOTE]

Original droid, although I am running Cynaogenmod 7. Clicking manage apps -> running tab is the same as clicking running services.

This thread explains the problem that many people have, with a slow loading desktop/app drawer. The main suggestion is to not use task killers (never used one so that's not it), but there may also be problems with apps I have moved to my SD card which can slow things down. For the most part I try to leave stuff on the phone that I think might need to update a lot (ie not just a game), but it can't hurt for me to look into that later. It may also be the rom I'm running, but I know other friends with stock Droids that complain about the same slowness.
 
So, anyone getting the TRANSFORMER soon? I'm kicking around a Tablet possibly, although, not sure if I really want/need it for the price they are charging. The iPAD 2 seems nice, but I like the Android on my phone. Plus, I already have a Dell Streak (5" phone) and it is sort of a tablet.
 
Well the Droid is getting fairly old, may just be the age of the phone.

----

I'm thinking of getting the Transformer, just not sure.
 
[quote name='Clak']Well the Droid is getting fairly old, may just be the age of the phone.

----

I'm thinking of getting the Transformer, just not sure.[/QUOTE]

Yah I think it's the age of the phone. I'm thinking about picking up a Droid Incredible from ebay or somewhere, last I looked they ran about $200 which isn't too bad. Most other newish phones seemed to stay closer to $300 or $400. I've got a year on my contract so I can't get a discounted new phone yet, but I got my Droid for FAR when I last re-upped so I'm not too sore about it all.

Another thing I am wondering about is how the speed of the microSD card might affect things. I am using the 16gb card that came with the phone, but I don't know anything about it really. Maybe a slow card is the reason apps 'pop' in so slowly, as those that are on the card get read. I do have most of my apps on that card.

[quote name='dmaul1114']We have a Mobile Gaming subforum area here on CAG now. Here's a link to the Android sub-forum:

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...splay.php?f=96

Thanks for all who posted in support in the Feedback forum thread![/quote]
Awesome, I'll head there next - just wanted to directly reply to Clak first :p
 
Yeah if anyhting that Lenovo makes me want the Transformer more. I know Lenovo makes good business stuff, but I've never like their or IBM's stuff. That dock looks horrible too.
 
I also see no mention of a camera. Transformer may have bad camera software but the hardware is there. I would like to be able to use Google video chat on my tablet. A stylus on the Transformer would have been awesome though, I'd love to be able to draw on my tablet.
 
There are capacitive styluses (styli?) you can buy, I would think they would work with any capacitive screen. All somebody would have to do is write some drawing software.
 
[quote name='Clak']There are capacitive styluses (styli?) you can buy, I would think they would work with any capacitive screen. All somebody would have to do is write some drawing software.[/QUOTE]

Oh, well, then there yah go. I don't see anything stopping me from getting a Transformer besides the buggy cameras. And scraping together $400 - $550 (not decided on that keyboard dock just yet).
 
Capacitive styluses just aren't very accurate IMO. I played around with one on an iPad and couldn't write for crap with it (my handwriting is terrible as is). They have big round ends (like a finger tip) etc.

If one wants to draw or do writing with a stylus, they really need a tablet with a Wacom or other type of resistive touch screen IMO.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Capacitive styluses just aren't very accurate IMO. I played around with one on an iPad and couldn't write for crap with it (my handwriting is terrible as is). They have big round ends (like a finger tip) etc.

If one wants to draw or do writing with a stylus, they really need a tablet with a Wacom or other type of resistive touch screen IMO.[/QUOTE]

I always wish they had a Wacom with a display...
 
Well I think creating high quality aren't on a tablet screen isn't quite there yet anyway. Now using a drawing tablet like a Wacom is different.
 
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