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Here's a video of a Motorola Droid running the Nexus One firmware but with Multi touch enable in the browser.
I assume this is using the mutli touch enabled functions from the Milestone. Surely someone can port this back over to the Nexus One soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mX1EmlKtFM
The Nexus already has multi touch, just not supported by any apps that comes with the phone or used in the OS itself. Fore example download dolphin browser from the market, it'll make use of multi touch.. no hacks. I tested this with my wifes Nexus One, works great.
Right, it has multi touch technically, but basically nothing in the phone is set to use the functionality from the get go to my understanding.
So, the question remains... Will someone develop an app or whatever (rom / hack / program) that overcomes this and makes it functional in basically every operation of the phone (web browsers other than Dolphin, text messaging, games, etc...)?
I'll certainly be keeping my eye out for that. I read about the Milestone functions being used on other phones, like in the video linked of the Droid using it with multi touch. I would hope this same thing can be done for the Nexus One without affecting performance or other factors of the phone.
booser4 said:
Right, it has multi touch technically, but basically nothing in the phone is set to use the functionality from the get go to my understanding.
So, the question remains... Will someone develop an app or whatever (rom / hack / program) that overcomes this and makes it functional in basically every operation of the phone (web browsers other than Dolphin, text messaging, games, etc...)?
I'll certainly be keeping my eye out for that. I read about the Milestone functions being used on other phones, like in the video linked of the Droid using it with multi touch. I would hope this same thing can be done for the Nexus One without affecting performance or other factors of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no app or hack that can add the functionality to every single app. Basically each app (or APK) decides whether or not to use the multi touch APIs. Google put the APKs on this phone that don't use them. I'm sure once the European ones come out that use it, they can be hacked onto this phone, and people can probably go in and edit the APKs on the US Version as well. I would be willing to bet that custom ROMs that come out will include multi-touch versions of apps. Cyanogen has already said he is working on multi-touch for his first custom ROM. It will be here in time.
He may have already done it check this out: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=613812
none of that has to do with browser, sorry. he tweeted earlier that he was working on it so expect it soon . until then, use dolphin.
Yeah I figured it was specific to each app / apk (not sure what an apk is) unless a full ROM makes it possible with everything on the phone.
If one is being developed, that's awesome. Bringing the ROM from the Europe Model sounds like a good option to, once it hits the market. I'm waiting on the Verizon release, so just figuring some of this stuff out ahead of time.
I guess its just a tweak which will enable Multitouch for all the apps on Nexus one... Soon one clever guy from XDA will figure out
So I bought my first non-WM smartphone. Below is documentation of my quest to replace, and surpass, the experience I was used to with my Touch Diamond 2 running Windows Mobile 6.5. I am what you would probably call a windows mobile 'power user'. I've been averaging about one new WM phone every 6 months since 2005, most of them HTC. But I always keep up on what the other platforms are doing. This is just the first time I've taken the leap, and I quickly became aware of what new doors Android opened for me in just the first few hours of using the Nexus One. The OS is nice, but like most people, it really comes down to the apps for me.
I was initially thinking I'd do a big blog review, but I've run out of motivation. There's plenty of info on the Nexus One hardware and Android out there, so I don't need to rehash that stuff. What I haven't seen a lot of, though, is detailed accounts of people switching and what exactly they found.
There remains a couple major things missing from Android. The lack of an OCS client is probably the biggest one for me professionally, but since it's a Microsoft product, I don't see that changing any time soon. That and the lack of xvid playback will keep me carrying around my TD2 as backup for the foreseeable future. But other than that, I'm extremely happy and will definitely be sticking with the Nexus for a while. The next post will be a comprehensive list of (practically) every app I've installed, what they do for me, and how they compare to their WM counterparts (if there are any).
On to the apps...
Android Apps I've installed and believe I will continue to use.
This is a bit of a brain dump, so I apologize for not editing more thoroughly. Hopefully it will be useful to some, and feel free to suggest other apps you think I should try.
Advanced Task Killer - List of running apps that allows you to easily kill unwanted tasks. Nice to have for an OS that allows background apps, but I don't actually notice it slowing down, it seems to manage memory and close apps as needed.
Aldiko (replacing mobiReader, much better) - eReader with nice UI and quick access to several libraries of free books. Found Doctorow's books right away.
Amazon store - really just easier than using the web browser, but it also does barcode scanning and some other useful stuff.
BeamReader (replacing Adobe's wm reader) - rarely needed, but have to be able to see pdfs on the go sometimes
Beelicious - direct (cached) access to my delicious bookmarks. UI could be better and it's a bit of a pain to wade through them all, but it's useful.
BeyondPod (replacing YomoMedia, HUGE improvement) - It took me years to find a podcast downloader for WM that worked at all, but beyondpod is amazing. The UI is superb and inuitive. The customization is great. I have it setup to download only at night while charging. It remembers my place in podcasts and creates 'smart playlists' to make it easier to start listening. It also integrates with google reader, which is hugely useful because I can add new podcasts I'd like to listen to anywhere from google reader and then import then very quickly into beyondpod later. Also worth noting is the homescreen widget, which gives me access to basic controls and status from my home screen, no need to always navigate back into the app.
Browser (replacing Opera mobile) - Really there's not much difference here. Neither android nor WM have flash or silverlight support yet (although you can sort of get it on WM through skyfire, but that's not performant enough to be an everyday thing). Usability is about the same, but since multitouch zoom isn't enabled on nexus yet (though the hardware can technically support it), you have to use the zoom in/out buttons. This isn't as nice as zooming on the TD2 (zoom bar) or the HD2 (multitouch). Android does links to outside applications better though. It recognizes when you are browsing to a youtube video or RSS feed and will prompt correctly.
Cab4me - Nice little app for finding nearby cab companies making it very easy to see which is rated best, has cars available, and place the call. Not a must-have, but it's one of the little things.
Camera - very fast, 5mp (same as on hd2 and td2 wm phones), the LED flash is certainly better than nothing. Geotagging is default.
Car Home - this is Google's navigation 'car mode'. I think is this very cool, but honestly I won't end up using it much because I have navigation built into my car.
Carr Matey - dedicated app for recording car location so you can find it again. Another little nice thing I didn't have before. Android is just so much better at doing location-aware apps right now.
Documents to Go (replacing ms office mobile) - I'm using the lite version, which does not allow editing, but I have just never had the need to edit office docs on my phone. Sometimes I get one in an email and want to read it though, and this looks to do that fine. I'm happy.
Evernote (replacing Evernote) - I'm using this more and more as a dumping ground for everything that's not in email but I want to remember. This is what I use anytime I want to take a quick note (audio or text), or take a picture of a wine bottle or business card for later reference. It syncs with the cloud immediately and I can search that from anywhere.
Flashlight - not a big deal, but nice to have.
flickr droid (replacing shozu) - i like to have an easy way to upload a picture to flickr, this gives me that. I really like how android allows it to integrate with the normal gallery app. So after I take a picture I just have to view it, select 'share', and then select flickr droid (or other things like email, twitter, etc). It's more centralized than WM.
Flip2Silent and Vibrate During Meeting (replacing WM + HTC ringer management) - The ringer management on android is lacking as compared to WM. I used to be able to have my phone automatically go to vibrate during meetings, and silence the ringer after I pick up the phone (so it doesn't continue to be loud and annoying while I'm deciding whether to answer), AND there was a pocket mode to switch to vibrate and louder ring when the phone detected it was in a pocket. Vibrate During Meeting gives me back the meeting function, but it only works with the google calendar, not the exchange touchdown calendar in which all my actual meetings are stored. My work-around is to sync my exchange calendar with google via desktop outlook, but this doesn't keep it updated unless I have a desktop logged in. The good news is that the developer of this app says he'll look into touchdown. Flip2Silent gives me the option to just lay the phone screen-side-down to mute the ringer/vibrate functions. This will work while a call is coming in and I want to ignore it.
Foursquare - App for checking into various locations. It's treated like a game, you get points, but also get to see where your friends are and if they happen to be near you. Plus people leave tips for places.
g-backup and mybackup (replacing myphone on wm) - MS's myphone app on wm will automatically backup all user data (sms, mms, pictures, video, docs, etc) to the cloud every night. It can also restore these for when you get a new phone or hard-reset your current phone. I got used to having this. All my email and contacts are in exchange or the cloud anyway, but I don't want to lose these other things. MyPhone is also nice because all that data is accessible via the web. g-backup is cool because it will upload all this stuff to gmail, so you have it there, but it can't restore anything. MyBackup will backup and restore most things, but not pictures/video. So I'm using them both, but I'd like a more comprehensive solution.
Gallery (replacing HTC photo gallery) - The nexus gallery is implemented in 3d and is pretty cool, but ultimately it works about as well as the HTC version (which is also flashy). They need to add multi-touch zooming.
GCDroid (replacing gcz) - This is my geocaching app, but only until the official geocaching.com android app comes out (which is soon and it will be cool if their iphone app is any indication). Even though there isn't an official app for wm, the community created apps were pretty good. GCDroid is barely usable, but overall this category will be an upgrade over wm soon.
Glympse (replacing Glympse) - Something I'll rarely use, but it's cool when it applies. You can send a link to anyone that will allow them to track you via a webbrowser for x-minutes. So if you say you're on your way, they can actually see how far along you are.
Gmail (replacing hotmail) - both MS and Google have their email services integrated tightly with their mobile os. I used to forward all my gmail to hotmail so I could easily get it on my phone, so now I just flipped it. I like gmail well enough, and there are certainly features that are ahead of hotmail. I'm just happy to happy to have my personal email pushed to my phone.
Google maps (replacing google maps and bing) - This is definitely better than on WM, but ultimately it does the same stuff. It's smoother and a little easier to navigate (except, again, zooming is more difficult).
Meebo IM - nice to have an app that can log into ICQ, MSN, and GTalk all at once. Likely will rarely use it.
Messaging (replacing txt message HTC app) - this seems to be just what you'd expect. But at least it's very fast and predictable, unlike the HTC app which is sometimes laggy as hell.
Flixter Movies (replacing bing) - MS's bing app was good for finding local theaters and showtimes, this one does it with a bit more flash and some awesome additional features that i just found. It shows the rottentomatoes rating along with every movies. Plus, it has netflix integration, so it checks whether any movie is in my queue and lets me add it while browsing. It also has a list of recent dvd releases, which is great with the netflix thing. It also essentially serves as a mobile imdb. Very impressive.
Mother TED - dedicated app for watching TED talks. It seems ok but not great.
Music (replacing HTC media player) - Nothing special here. I don't know that I'll even use it much since i mostly listen to pandora or podcasts.
OpenTable - for the rare occasions when I make reservations (especially last minute) this will make it easy to find a place with an opening.
Pandora (NOT ON WM) - this is almost a reason to switch by itself. I hate that this isn't on wm yet. Very nicely implemented on android because it has a homescreen widget. I get all the basic controls without even having to go into the app, and I can use other apps while it plays in the background. Sound quality is great too.
Dialer - The android dialer is pretty basic, but it seems to get the job done. At least you can add a pause (with a comma) so that dialing conference numbers is somewhat doable (but still WAY harder than it should be, they don't do any smart parsing in meeting invites). This is still hard on WM though too.
PhoneFlicks (replacing official netflix wm app) - This is barely a replacement. Netflix's own app was better, this one is slower and harder to use, but at least I can do basic queue management from my phone, which is really nice sometimes.
SeattleBusBot - This is SO cool, and something I've wanted but couldn't find on wm. Seattle has the gps info of its buses available publicly, but their website is basically unusable on a phone (even on a desktop). This app will tell you exactly when a given bus is going to arrive, not just when it's scheduled.
Seesmic (replacing m.twitter.com on wm) - really good mobile twitter app. There are plenty of wm twitter apps, and HTC even builds one into the os now, but they tended to be slower. I think the HD2 is probably just as good as seesmic.
ShopSavvy - barcode scanning that tells you the closest places to get the given product and for how much. Haven't had a chance to see if this turns out to actually be useful, but I like the concept and test scans in the house have been accurate (which kinda surprises me because I had heard that phone barcode scanning doesn't work, but maybe the 5mp camera and snapdragon is making it more pratical).
TorrentFu (replacing starting torrents via Live mesh mobile) - This is a major upgrade (and rejected from itunes if I remember correctly). I finally switched to uTorrent on my server so I could use this. It uses the utorrent webui to connect, but exposes all the functionality like a local app. You can see progress, search for and start new torrents, and pause/resume. Very cool.
TripIt (replacing tripcase kinda) - I've only started experimenting with these two services, and i don't travel as much as I used to, but they are pretty good at what they do. Just forward your reservation emails and they build up a comprehensive itinerary and keep you updated. having a native app makes using these that much easier. Tripcase is on wm, tripit (which seems to be the better service) is on android.
tv.com - streaming tv from cbs, showtime, and some others. Haven't used this much, but always nice to have some free content.
Google Voice - At first I was skeptical about this because I don't have a real need to create a central phone number that rings all my phones, which was what i thought this service was for. Turns out you don't have to use that feature, and they also provide visual voicemail on android plus they send you transcriptions of the messages to your phone. so you can see who left messages and what they said (approximately) without even listening. So I'm definitely appreciating this feature.
Wapedia - native version of wikipedia. Nice and quick. why not?
y5 - Battery - This app is genius in its simplicity and value. It simply keeps track of where you are when you enable wifi, and remembers that going forward so it can automatically re-enable it when you come back to the same place. The rest of the time, it disables wifi to save battery. The end result here is that I never have to remember to turn wifi on or off when i come home or leave the house.
youtube (replacing youtube) - works well. nothing special to report except google's browser seems to be better at realizing when it should forward you to the youtube player.
yxflash (failing to replace coreplayer) - The only android app that claims to do xvid/divx decoding. I tried it on an xvid torrent that wm's coreplayer had no trouble with and it choked pretty hard. It played, but with extremely jittery video and slow sound. Not usable yet, but at least i know I might get something soon.
Touchdown (replacing exchange activesync on wm) - Saved the most important (and expensive @$22) for last. Without this app I wouldn't be able to sync my exchange data (contacts, email, calendar, tasks) with my phone because Android doesn't support all the required security features by default. (our company, like many these days, will not sync data with a platform that doesn't allow them to force the use of encryption, pin lock, and remote wipe) Beyond that, without the recently added feature of allowing me to flag emails for followup, I would not be able to switch to android because this workflow is too important to my everyday life.
Explanation: I check email on my phone often, and if I can respond then and there, I do, but if I can’t and need to follow up for any reason, I flag it. This creates a task in outlook which I will see the next time at my desk, so i KNOW i won't forget about it.
But there is an additional, more subtle, benefit at play here. And honestly, it's a little unfair to count it, but it makes such a huge difference in my enjoyment of my phone that I can't ignore it. I'm speaking about how the previously mentioned pin lock for exchange only applies (on android) to the touchdown app. I am not required to set a pin to unlock the phone itself. Ever since they turned on that requirement I've been punching in a 4 digit pin every damn time I wanted to glance at my phone, check the time, or even change the stupid volume! Now I'm finally free of that because google didn't bother to properly build in exchange support at the OS level. NICE! seriously though, this saves me so much annoyance it was almost worth the $530 by itself.
For a true windows power-user, it's worth shelling out the <$10 for Remote RDP. It works incredibly well, even when connecting to my Windows 7 PC from 3G across town (or presumably, the world).
The ability to USE MY HOME PC from ANYWHERE WITH NET ACCESS...
Absolutely incredible for a phone..
EDIT: my home net speed is pretty quick, which owes to fast remote access. Wifi will always be fast, though, and that's what this app is really designed for.
Good recommendation. Just downloaded the Remote RDP demo. Seems to work well.
Thank you for the run down... I just made the switch myself and a number of the apps you mentioned helped me fill some of my void from WM. I'm still a little pissed about the exchange issues but the real truth is any company I work for issues me a blackberry and doesn't allow other devices to connect to thier servers. I worked for one midsized company once that let me and that was the only time I was completely in love with my WM device. Since my personal email is through gmail the nexus one is really amazing as my personal phone.
Good Stuff! I'm in the same boat WM to Android and no turning back I'll check out some of the apps u listed...
One thing I'm looking for is a widget with power/memory/storage/sd gauges.
Always had this on the wm home for reference & cool stats!
If you geocache then GeoBeagle is the other main geocaching app. I don't cache much any more, but I have tried GeoBeagle and liked it, though I can't compare it to GCDroid...
Wanted to say thanks for the excellent app list. Touchdown is awesome. A way for me to connect to work without merging my exchange contacts with the rest of my phone. Now thats a win!
@Seraph321 - want to add my thanks for your app info. i'll be getting an N1 soon and knowing there are options to some of my "must haves" apps/features/functionality (e.g., Exchange) will help shorten my learning curve. i'm not going to abandon WM because it will continue to serve as my work phone. the N1 will be my after work/personal phone until i'm comfortable tweaking Android. that's my plan, but once i have the N1 my plan may change!
Great write up, and welcome to Android
A few suggestions
Text Messaging
The two heavyweights are Chomp SMS and Handcent SMS. Both are considerably better than the default SMS app, it mostly comes down to personal preference.
Browser
Dolphin Browser is hands down the best browser on Android right now. Multi-touch zooming, delicious integration, tabs, themes, and much more.
Flashlight
Do a market search for Nexus One Torch. It utilizes the LED from the camera flash to use as a flashlight. Very bright.
Ringer Management
Locale manages your phone based off time and location. Never used it myself, but heard good things, and I believe it was and Android Developers Challenge winner or something.
Backup
I'm simple and only need to backup text messages (most everything else is stored via SD card or synced with Google anyway). I use SMS Backup to backup my texts to Gmail, and it works fantastic. Uploads directly to my mail account, archives the texts, puts them in threads according to contact, tags them, and marks them as read. I can then easily search my text conversations from my phone or desktop browser via Gmail, and don't have to worry about deleting conversations from my phone and losing something. I've never used g-backup, so it may have this function already.
Twitter
I've tried a couple Twitter apps (not Seismic, though I'll be trying that next) and have landed on Swift, which currently is the fastest, and the best looking Twitter app I've used. I'm not a giant twitter user, so I don't know if it supports all the features any other apps might, but it works great for me, and would recommend it.
That's all for now. I don't have my phone next to me or I'd give it a quick run through and suggest something you might be missing, but I'll have to do that another time.
As for getting multi-touch support in google maps, the browser, and gallery... just wait, it's been hacked in for the G1/MT3G, it will certainly be hacked in for the Nexus One.
I'm still up in the air between ASTRO File Manager and Linda File Manager, but a file manager is an important addition to your tools, if you plan on keeping a lot of documents/files on board. Additionally, I know at least Linda has the DownloadCrutch functionality, associating itself with every filetype so that the browser will allow you to download such. To me, this last bit is essential.
Great stuff, I think a lot of people will be going from WM to Nexus because MS have failed to deliver for so long & there is now a great alternative with an OS that can be modded and a really cool handset.
So far I am happy to leave the N1 standard (not rooted) and play with apps - it is a real joy to have so many available & a single source for them.
Never going back !
+1 for Dolphin Browser... definitely a big step up over the default browser IMHO
SpyderMS said:
Great write up, and welcome to Android
A few suggestions
Text Messaging
The two heavyweights are Chomp SMS and Handcent SMS. Both are considerably better than the default SMS app, it mostly comes down to personal preference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, I find the text bubbles childish and cheesy. I much prefer the stock sms app with sms popup.
bofslime said:
Personally, I find the text bubbles childish and cheesy. I much prefer the stock sms app with sms popup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tend to agree though why doesnt the icon to the app on my home screen tell me how many unread SMS there are?
The Jones said:
I tend to agree though why doesnt the icon to the app on my home screen tell me how many unread SMS there are?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SMS Count
ok, at work with nothing to do, so I browsed through my phone, and here's a couple Apps you may be interested in. Some of these are useful, some are just kind of cool
AudioManager Widget
Nice little app that lets you adjust all your volume levels easily and quickly.
AppControl - Full Version
Best app manager I've used. Really fast, nice interface, and lots of options.
Barcode Scanner
Barcode scanning from the phone is fantastic. It's very pronounced in the Android community as well. You'll see barcodes not only on these forums, but on App websites like AndroLib.com, which let you scan the barcode, and instantly be linked to a website or Android Market page. It's not only useful on the Nexus One's 5mp camera and 1GHz processor either. Worked great on my G1.
Google Goggles
Take a picture of just about anything, and Google will search for relevant results.
Google Sky Map
Virtual Planetarium on your phone.
Layar Reality Browser 3.0
Augmented Reality browser. Displays information about objects in front of you overlayed on the camera display.
Pkt Auctions for eBay
If you use eBay at all, this is a great companion tool.
Shazam
Lets you identify music being played around you by letting your phone listen to and analyze it.
Personally, I find the text bubbles childish and cheesy. I much prefer the stock sms app with sms popup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
handcent settings -> conversation style.
handcent has a ton of settings options, including different settings for individual contacts (conversation style, font, notification tone, etc)
Thanks for all the suggestions. I've already spent too much work time today finding and installing the ones I like.
I don't actually do THAT much texting, so I'm sticking with the stock sms app for now, but I did install sms popup and set my girlfriend to popup. That's convenient.
Someone mentioned SMS backup, and yes, g-backup does the same thing only for more data, but they both need a scheduling option.
I see the nexus one torch app requires rooted access. I'm no stranger to hacking my gadgets, but this app (plus tethering, and maybe installing to the sd card) are the only things I've seen so far that have me interested in doing it. Can anyone provide some examples of why they consider rooting a must?
You mentioned Wi-Fi tethering already, but that reason alone is a pretty big reason. You may also want to theme your phone. Any kind of advancements that developers like Cyanogen come out with will require root as well. Cyanogen is known for pushing the envelope, helping to increase speed, and overall functionality of the G1, and other devices; not to mention you will get features from new versions of Android faster than those without root. I'm sure there are other reasons to, these are just off the top of my head. A lot of people are waiting until someone finds out how to reverse the bootloader unlocking process before they root, in order to preserve their warranty, and that's certainly a good idea if you don't have a lot of use for root at the moment. I did it, like most people that did, just because I can.
I'll make sure to watch the Cyanogen stuff closely. I never followed the G1 enhancements, so I guess I don't know what to expect. Sounds like it's likely I'll do it at some point though.
Is it easy to get all your apps, especially the ones that you paid for, back on your phone after rooting? Does the marketplace just remember it all and let you re-download?
I should just search for these answers.
Been using HD2 for a month already. Haven't actually used any smartphones before, my overall impression is pretty good and I haven't run into many severe problems. The worst incidence was the handset wouldn't boot and kept vibrating all the time. I got a replacement, fortunately, although I never knew what happened.
Enough of irrelevant stuff. I would like to ask a few questions and see if anyone may shed any light on that. I use the stock ROM as shipped.
While browsing with Opera (the builtin one) or Skyfire, double tap will activate the pinch-to-zoom. Therefore, when browsing "conventional" non-mobile oriented sites like Google Maps (yes I know there is one builtin but there are other sites which may require double click but not available as a WM application) you are unable to emulate a mouse double click, but got zooming activated. So, is there any way to workaround this?
Similar question: Some non-mobile oriented sites use frame or iframe in layout, and with desktop browsers you may drag on the divider to resize the frame. By trial and error I managed to do so on HD2 (Opera?) a few times in the past but most of the time it would simply not work. Anyone with similar experience?
Last one - anyone has tried Google Maps 4 on HD2? Is it worth the risk to upgrade (still using the stock version that I believe is 3.x)? I found the street view images is somewhat blurred when compared with those I saw from behind the shoulder of some friend of mine who was accessing a similar area using an iphone. Or is that an illusion only?
I searched here and did not find anything directly useful. My apologies if I missed something here amidst the sea of threads here.
When/Why would you ever need to double click on a webpage?
As I cited, Google Maps is already one. I know of other mapping sites that rely on similar means to zoom in. Some of these sites do not have the +/- buttons for zoom so you must stick with double click on desktop PC.
cbkihong said:
As I cited, Google Maps is already one. I know of other mapping sites that rely on similar means to zoom in. Some of these sites do not have the +/- buttons for zoom so you must stick with double click on desktop PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just use the latest google maps for windows mobile..
http://www.google.com/mobile/maps/
its 4.xx or whatever, and you can just install it over the other one.
it won't cause any problems or anything like that.
There are zero in the Marketplace.
Is there some kind of technical limitation of Android that prevents this most rudimentary of features of a computing device with a screen? I just don't get it at all. It can't be that nobody has asked for one. So there must be a limitation of Android that prevents a screenshot from being generated?
REQUEST: Can anyone write an app that solves this? I think there were would be great demand.
I think if it was possible, there would be one by now. Most likely it's not.
It can't be that nobody has asked for one. So there must be a limitation of Android that prevents a screenshot from...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you answered your own question; )
In order to take a screen print, data from the video RAM must be extracted. root access is required for this.
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
Yeah, you can pretty much rule out anything that requires direct access to hardware. Hardware access is limited to what is accessible via APIs. By the look of it, that does not include access to the video RAM. There are many other things (flashlight for example) which, although they seem simple, are not included in the standard APIs and therefore are not possible without root access to the device.
bcmobile said:
Yeah, you can pretty much rule out anything that requires direct access to hardware. Hardware access is limited to what is accessible via APIs. By the look of it, that does not include access to the video RAM. There are many other things (flashlight for example) which, although they seem simple, are not included in the standard APIs and therefore are not possible without root access to the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I'm not a developer so I didn't know these limitations existed. This OS has developed so fast -- less than 2 years old... and yet, I would have thought this kind of thing would have been handled long ago, just from end-user expectation: "I can print-screen" or screen grab on my full size computer, so i probably can screen grab from my hand held computer.
But re flashlight -- maybe there is one specific function/app you are referring to, but on my Hero, unrooted, thru the Market, i must have downloaded and tried about 6 different flashlights, all with basic function of using the white light of the screen as a light source... some that enabled you to change the color of the screen to blue, red, etc... One even has this cop-car alternating red-blue flashing light display.
I am probably misunderstanding you though.
I think ultimately I am just surprised certain things are not further along -- and it's a stark contrast to a thread I was just visiting way across the other side of the XDA forums universe -- called WP7 - epic fail --- in which many die hard WM developers lament the passing of an OS that gave amazing levels of access to devs, yet the UI of the OS itself was beyond dated, it was dysfunctional and impractical in today's world.
It's just interesting to read the perspectives of developers touting Symbian as the most open OS and most efficient (less battery drain) -- and last I knew I thought it was being killed off. Wrong again.
I'm extremely happy with Android -- but then there are these few blindspots where I have to say -- wow -- i could do THAT 5 years ago on my old T-Mobile MDA WM 5x phone ... like 100%-reliable voicetags for phone calling contacts, opening apps etc, vs speech recognition, ... like the abilities the resistive screen gave me in drawing elaborate sketch at a meeting -- or my being able the take really quick notes with -- yes -- a stylus -- not an alltogether stupid idea -- and have a 90% success rate at character recognition and conversion to text ... the precision of controlling a color slider bar on a resistive screen --- i understand that's not OS but screen properties -- but I am just collectively observing that while I absolutely loved my HERO, and now am discovering my DESIRE, there are still some very basic things I can't do with allegedly the best smartphone in the marketplace.
I'm very agnostic about hardware and software, never been a fanboy -- I'm a usability designer... so functionality rules, end users rule. And basic things like this -- a screenshot -- they may be very explainable by devs... And my question may sound like it's very annoying to some, and I'm just a dumb **** (not you, you were respectful), but I think, as a end user advocate, it's pretty stupid -- and seems senseless to me that this phone can do 1001 backflips with video, and yet it can't let me "record" what I see on my screen. I get it that it's not yet released by Google, but they're who I'm calling stupid for not solving something so elementary by now.
I have every right to say this without any android architecture knowledge.
I can see your point, but in all modern operating systems, there is no direct hardware control, for any purpose, no matter how benevolent the purpose might be.
This is done only through api programming and libraries of calls, which are also restricted most of the time.
The reason is simple and can be summarized to one word, security.
As phones are becoming more and more capable of doing sensitive activities like online banking transactions and on top of that hold every personal info one has,
security will become an even greater concern.
Windows so far, have been the least secure platform for every day use to date. This is also true for windows mobile.
I know it looks like you are getting less usability than you did, but at least in this case its not just to inflate someone's wallet with extra money, through proprietorial lock down of services and apis, which would be "opened" at a later date for some more cash.
I m sure that in no time we ll be seeing full blown firewalls and antivirus suites for superphones like the desire.
All it will take is a few more viruses-trojans targeting mobile platforms like jailbroken iphones or rooted android devices.
I guess the same limitations are to be blamed for not having a proper voice recorder, i.e. one that can record both parts of a phone conversation.
reason you arent getting a non root screenshot app(if memory serves correctly):
the screenshot app takes a dump of the display file in /dev/ and then uses image processing to output a jpg/png/whatever. At the momment we can see the contents of /dev/ with (adb shell ls /dev/) but any attempt to read/write/copy (adb pull /dev/lightsensor ./lightsensor)(yes i know that is the light sensor but couldnt remember what the display file was called) anything is met with a "permission denied".
So after all the hype, the troubles getting an activation code, and then installing WP7 on my HD2, I sit here waiting for my Android DesireHD Nand build to finish re-installing on my device.
I thank the community so much, as I was so obsessed with getting WP7 (i've been a fan of Microsoft's os since my dell axim days) that I was even planning on upgrading my contract early just to get an HD7.
But the truth is.. in which way is this better than WM 6.5?? After two minutes in on this OS i sat there thinking to myself: "Really!!??" Oh wait this is how the dude who made the new Windows Phone commercial got the idea...
Just my two cents.
fair point..
It just depends on what you want to get out of it.
Android may work better for your needs now, WP7 with a bit of development may work for you better in the future.
I tried android for a few months a while back (the SD card builds) and liked it initially but then I found it couldn't do everything I wanted in 6.5. The lack of an equivilant to Softmaker was important.
Granted WP7 cant do anywhere near what 6.5 could (lacking of decent office apps like softmaker) but it does what it does very well. Right now i'm enjoying the ride - It reminds me when I first started palying around with my SPV C500
i had very poor expectations, im a heavy WM6.5 user and i ran Android of SD as a general intrest but since ive got WP7 ive found myself thinking, you know what, it works, it works well, its quick and i dont have this urge to mod the crap out of it.
The only thing WP7 on HD2 lacks is a decent camera app.
Above that, i suppose there is a couple of programs i need from WM which is a real pain, i really think that WP7 needs some kind of advanced mode, every day joe via the carriers wouldnt need it but a hidden setting could open it up for us, that way MS keeps its image, its identity to the world and we get that wee bit more freedom we all want, that setting would apply to business users that may need more access, and again, by checking that option MS removes all responsibility from anything that goes wrong, everyone wins!
Most people just want a phone that just works and it is easy to work with. And I think WP7 is very easy to use, and will appeal to the masses.
Need to say more??? wp7 is easy to use, user frienldy and....AWESOME...
I also love Android because you can customize it, many apps and more! But there is something with wp7 that makes me horny!
Just stick around with WP7 and i think it wont dissapoint you!
i have to agree with most of the positive comments here ... i only tried wp7 out of curiosity and just because our beloved hd2 can!! i was pleasantly surprised at the speed and usability. i love the nice clean interface especially the mail client. sure it lacks a lot of apps at the moment but surprisingly i the angry birds withdrawal symptom went away faster than i expected and i'm finding it hard to go back to android even though i do have it on as dual boot.
Actually the only things I really miss from WM6.5/Android are:
1. Choice of browsers. IE Mobile is fine but some sites are not dispaying properly. Opera usually fixes this in WM6.5 and Android.
2. Some sort of Skype, but I guess this is coming soon to WP7 anyway.
3. Ability to attach any sort of file to e-mails. I'm still to figure out how I can attach and send a PDF i downloaded through the browser
Other than that WP7 has many pluses:
1. Excellent e-mail client. By far the best out there on ANY smartphone.
2. Best Office experience out there.
3. Mind blowing games
4. Very neat and clean interface.
5. It's fast and furious.
TheOnly1 said:
Actually the only things I really miss from WM6.5/Android are:
1. Choice of browsers. IE Mobile is fine but some sites are not dispaying properly. Opera usually fixes this in WM6.5 and Android.
2. Some sort of Skype, but I guess this is coming soon to WP7 anyway.
3. Ability to attach any sort of file to e-mails. I'm still to figure out how I can attach and send a PDF i downloaded through the browser
Other than that WP7 has many pluses:
1. Excellent e-mail client. By far the best out there on ANY smartphone.
2. Best Office experience out there.
3. Mind blowing games
4. Very neat and clean interface.
5. It's fast and furious.
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Click to collapse
Nicely said dude!
Yeah I agree with most of this.
WP7 is slick, and i really like the basic functions.
WP7
+dialer/txt/email
+Zune
+presentation
-slow to load apps
-hardly any apps and the price of apps is high (no skype, no Nav, no flash, no XDA)
-having to reload apps, (no multitasking)
-browser isn't recognised as mobile a lot of the time
- that tile list is going to get very long once more apps come
Agreed. Nice, clean and simple. Reminds us that it doesn't always have to be about 300 different (mostly unnecessary) apps and all the other bells and whistles but a nice simple and effective interface. Wasn't too sure about it at first but it's definitely growing on me!
GeoMil said:
- no Nav)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Nav = Navigon Select. Works very fine
I agree with the possetive comments too
but the minuses :
there's no GPS and that sucks (hope to find some)
No greats APPs that I love like WhatsAPP, Waze, Skype...
and Not a big fan of the Camera.
But... And this is A Big but...
The OS is Awesome!!! the speed, the clean, the beauty
I'm tempted... but
Is there any solution that's working for WiFi tethering? Is there a multi-client IM app? I also would prefer that there was a better way than through the browser to access gmail and google voice, but I doubt we'll ever see a native app for either of those.
I may load it when I have a couple of days to play just for general interest though.
You don't need a "native" Gmail client. Outlook handles Gmail more than fine and delivers it as push mail if you wish so. WP7 syncs also with Google Calender and GMail Contacts, so switching forth and back between WP7 and Android is very pleasent as all your contacts and appointments are instantly there
I was shocked to see how well WP7 supports Google services
Pros:
WP7 is FAST
Love the GUI
Love integration of social stuff
Zune
Xbox Live
Most of the apps I need are there and are better than anywhere else (Twitter, RSS, Facebook, Ebay etc.)
Games are good
Cons:
Absence of smart dialer!
USB drive! (there is no legal way how to get 55MB pdf to the device)
No data backup!
No multitasking for in app downloads etc (coming)
More customization (backgrounds, ringtones)
****ed up syncing with live (I have horrible problems with my main Live ID)
Poor contacts management (no groups, no favorites)
Absence of some apps (Zinio, proper turn by turn, flash) - they are coming, and I understand, that this is normal with new OS:
I love WP7 and am sticking with it. For me, there is more pros than cons. Everything Windows phone does, it does right. MS just needs to bring us the stuff that WP currently doesnt do
I have been using WP7 since it was made available for HD2 and I love it. Very fast and clean UI.
I agree with everything you have here. Its actually kind of nice to have a OS that just works. I haven't restarted my phone in almost 3 wks now. Microsoft really needs to step up with their Bing turn-by-turn directions and new hardware. If HTC comes out with better hardware for Tmobile soon I will definitely upgrade to windows phone 7.
Wp7 is ok but it really needs a better browser! I'm back to android only because of missing flash and the bad browser experience
Edit: the locked down OS is another no go for me. I need usb storage and teetering.
I prefer WP7 over Android because it offers proxy setting right out of the box. To me Android is just a fancier Windows Mobile. And I quite like the smoothness of IE though I wish it would handle more than 6 tabs.
chumaj001 said:
Cons:
Absence of smart dialer!
USB drive! (there is no legal way how to get 55MB pdf to the device) even The OS is not legal, so you should be fine with the illegal way
No data backup! Coming soon with the next update prob.
No multitasking for in app downloads etc (can be done with 3rd party soon)
More customization (backgrounds, ringtones) with chevron you can
****ed up syncing with live (I have horrible problems with my main Live ID) Only with you
Poor contacts management (no groups, no favorites)
Absence of some apps (Zinio, proper turn by turn, flash) - they are coming, and I understand, that this is normal with new OS:
I love WP7 and am sticking with it. For me, there is more pros than cons. Everything Windows phone does, it does right. MS just needs to bring us the stuff that WP currently doesnt do
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I <3 WP7 forever