Google Android catch-all

Matokin wrote:

I used it at my girls place this weekend since she doesnt use a router.

Fix that! Even a single family PC should sit behind a router and not a naked cable/DSL connection.

*Legion* wrote:
Matokin wrote:

I used it at my girls place this weekend since she doesnt use a router.

Fix that! Even a single family PC should sit behind a router and not a naked cable/DSL connection.

it is one of the MANY things I need to fix with her computer, the first is getting vista home off there-will wait till win 7 comes out though--but it didnt even have SP1 and she already had her other friend "look" at it, blah that was a waste, by the time we went to the beach 3hrs later she ust got sp1 installed then was working on 3 more updates, I figure she has a good 36hrs strait more of updates before it is up to where it should be, and that is just with windows updates

Matokin wrote:

I started to use aNetShare, and it works like a dream, makes the phone really warm if you also have it plugged into usb-if you dont then your battery will only last about an hour or 2. I used it at my girls place this weekend since she doesnt use a router.

I've been using TetherBot, which requires the android SDK driver and it works over USB. It doesn't require a rooted phone, however.

Edwin wrote:

Has anyone seen a app for recording phone conversations? I could use one.

I've been using 'Phone Recorder', and it does the job pretty well.

Edwin wrote:

Nice, I like it. I wonder if they'll roll it into the older android.

All I really want is an e-book reader. I'm even willing willing to pay money for one that reads most formats and doesn't crash all the time. As it is I have to convert my files to .epub so I can read them in a non-market app (FBReaderJ).

Hmmmmm........

Been agonising over a new phone for a while now. I thought my contract was up in May, but it's actually July, right after my network introduces the HTC Magic (G2).

Was going to go for a Nokia, but the Magic is tempting. Google Maps is a problem though, the coverage here is pretty bad, unlike the Nokia Maps.

Buuuut, the Google App integration is a big plus, and will be used more often.

Decisions, decisions.

So, finally got around to rooting my phone and getting 1.5JF installed, and I _really_ like it. It worked pretty well, outside of a minor problem. The onscreen keyboard is handy for quick entry, but the hardware is a ton easier to use. I also like the new app I found, GDocs.

Now, Legion just has to figure out the debian install and post it (I didn't find much in my looking.). All kinds of awesome.

New Android phone.

G1 owners: you desperately need to root your phone and install the CyanogenMod custom firmware.

It's a LOT more responsive. It also automatically sets up the "apps on SD" capability (completely transparently), and includes a ton of fixes and improvements on the standard firmware.

It's still in heavy development, but the current stable release has been great for me so far (which has only been today, but I'll keep ya updated). On my phone at least, it's like someone took the leash off the phone and let it run at full speed. Might not be so dramatic for everyone, as I do run a lot of background stuff.

But I think this may become the DD-WRT of the Android (not just the G1, as the latest builds support the new myTouch 3G too).

Also, Android finally has its roguelike port: Angband.

Oh my god. Angband on a phone. Wow.

They didn't port nethack? I'd have figured that would be first.

Malor wrote:

Oh my god. Angband on a phone. Wow.

A phone with a full slide-out keyboard, so you can actually play it "for real". (I used to play a simplified J2ME-powered roguelike on an old Motorola flip phone)

Malor wrote:

They didn't port nethack? I'd have figured that would be first. :)

I would have figured the same, but apparently some Angband fan got to it first.

Ok, now I'm having some phone lust, what with the busted iPhone. Do they have G1s yet with a built-in headphone out, and do they sound decent?

The existing ones require a USB headset, is that correct?

Malor wrote:

The existing ones require a USB headset, is that correct?

Sort of. It comes with a cable that is mini-usb on one end, and a standard headphone jack receptacle on the other. Not exactly ideal, but not too much of a headache if you can avoid losing that cable.

absurddoctor wrote:

Not exactly ideal, but not too much of a headache if you can avoid losing that cable.

A replacement runs about $6.

Malor wrote:

Ok, now I'm having some phone lust, what with the busted iPhone. Do they have G1s yet with a built-in headphone out, and do they sound decent?

I'm pretty sure the HTC Hero has a 3.5mm headphone jack, as does the upcoming Samsung Galaxy.

But neither have a hardware querrt keyboard

I'm fine with that though, personally -- I like to have a few buttons for navigation so that I don't have to rely on the touchscreen for everything, but I'd rather take a smaller device with no keyboard than a larger device with one.

pneuman wrote:

I'm fine with that though, personally -- I like to have a few buttons for navigation so that I don't have to rely on the touchscreen for everything, but I'd rather take a smaller device with no keyboard than a larger device with one.

G1: 4.6" x 2.16" x 0.62"
myTouch: 4.45" x 2.19" x 0.58"
iPhone: 4.5" x 2.4" x 0.48"
HTC Hero: 4.41" x 2.21" x 0.57"

The G1 is hardly a "larger device". That's the point of a slide-out keyboard. It adds a very small amount of extra thickness, and that's about it.

The Motorola Sholes is the Android 2.0 phone I am waiting for. If Verizon doesn't neuter the OS could be good.

The Motorola Sholes should include:

OMAP3430 – 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 + PowerVR SGX 530 GPU + 430MHz C64x+ DSP + ISP (Image Signal Processor)
Dimensions 60.00 x 115.80 x 13.70 mm
Weight 169 g
Battery Li-ion 1400 mAh.
Standby 450 hours, talk time 420 minutes
3.7-inch touch-sensitive display with a resolution of 854×480 pixels, 16 million color depth. Physical screen size is 45.72 mm by 81.34 mm.
512MB/256MB ROM/RAM
microSD / microSDHC expansion slot
Camera: 5.0 megapixel with autofocus and video recorder
Connectivity: USB2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Wi-Fi
Supported audio formats: AMR-NB/WB, MP3, PCM / WAV, AAC, AAC +, eAAC +, WMA
Supported video formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264, WMV
GPS
It had been hoped that the Sholes would include the Snapdragon processor for even higher speeds, but 600 MHz is still a highly competitive and workable spec for a first-gen Android device. According to Android and Me, “Native support for OpenGL ES 2.0 + hardware acceleration from the PowerVR SGX 530 = mobile gaming device more powerful than a Sony PSP or Nintendo DSi.”

Sholes looks interesting. Hate the keyboard, though. One thing I love about the G1 is that the keys are spaced apart, and follow the same staggered alignment pattern as a computer keyboard. Makes touch typing a whole lot easier.

Hard to say anything bad about hardware video acceleration though.

Beautiful phone. I prefer the G1's keyboard, but if I were a Verizon customer I'd be salivating.

I'm waiting for the Sony Ericsson X3.

I'm so glad that there are so many Android devices coming out. The Market has done well with just one device, and it's only picking up more steam as more handsets come out.

That, and Apple/AT&T handed the Android platform a golden-wrapped gift with their obnoxious AppStore Gestapo routine. Not just in general, but specifically forcing Goole Voice off of the iPhone and turning it into a killer app that Android has and iPhone doesn't.

*Legion* wrote:

I'm so glad that there are so many Android devices coming out. The Market has done well with just one device, and it's only picking up more steam as more handsets come out.

That, and Apple/AT&T handed the Android platform a golden-wrapped gift with their obnoxious AppStore Gestapo routine. Not just in general, but specifically forcing Goole Voice off of the iPhone and turning it into a killer app that Android has and iPhone doesn't.

I agree with that statement.

Google voice is something I really want to use and that makes Android one of the best games in town.

Just been waiting for Verizon to get a device and it looks like not only are they getting one but it may be a decent one as well.

I'm waiting for one like the G1 but with longer battery and 3G on AT&T.

There's a few more in the pipe -- slider, decent QWERTY -- for a carrier that rhymes with Squint. I've only seen some rumors and spy shots on the intarwebs, but it's real. Don't know if that affects anyone's decisions.

My next phone will definitely be running Android, but I am holding out until someone (HTC most likely) comes out with an Android phone that is:

1. Based on NVIDIA Tegra or, failing that, Qualcomm Snapdragon chips.
2. Has SiRFStar IV GPS in it.
3. Has a quad-band HDSPA or at least both AT&T and T-mo 3G bands.
4. Is sold unlocked and ungimped.