[App Dev]Location Manager 1.2 (need help testing other devices) - Android Software Development

Location Manager 1.2​
This is my first yet-to-be-published app in the android forum so I am excited to see how it goes. I have thoroughly tested it on my HTC Aria but I would like to see the results on other phones. The idea is as follows:
IDEA​Assume that you take your phone to different to different places and you are annoyed of turning off wifi, turning on gps and placing your phone on vibrate whenever you go to certain places. This program simply lets you keep specific profiles for specific places (such as your home, school or workplace). This saves you time, patience, as well as battery.
For example, I go to school and I turn off my gps, my wifi, and my Sound. When I go to work, I normally keep my sound on, my gps off, and my wifi on. I keep this program running and it simply takes the location from gps/wifi/cell tower(whichever is on) and it lets you program locations using an address and if it sees that I am there, it will run that profile. Thankfully, it also lets my override my profiles just in case I want to use google maps in school or keep my sound on at work.
Version Control​Version 1.0 - The first version which has basic functionality with wifi and sound control. The settings page exists but does not function. The next version will have bluetooth support and full settings functionality.
Version 1.2 - This version has new icons and has functionality for settings page. Everything in the app should now work but may not
Help​Please post on this thread whether this app works for you or if you are having difficulties.
Downloads (also available below to xda users)​Version 1 - http://bit.ly/qW4l0A
Version 1.2 - http://bit.ly/pxCzUZ
Thanks for downloading my app ​

i always wanted something like that

On my HTC Inspire I get a force-close when I try to "add location" -> "update map".

@Gene Pool - I just discovered that stupid error. Ill fix it in the next version, but basically you are supposed to enter the address first and then press update to update the map. In the next version Ill make it say that

Giving it a go go on Samsung galaxy s2 running villianrom 2.0
Installed, sadly getting FC´s when starting the app

If anyone is willing to try a super unstable (yet newer) version of the app, please try out the following apk file. The settings page does not work but it fixes several gps fixing bugs which relate to the force closes.
-Thank You

Seems like I had to turn on GPS BEFORE starting the app. Now it force closes when choosing to add a location
Ive tried the beta version you posted, everything works except from adding a location, it still fc's on me.
Thanks for the hard work, it's time for a easy to use alternative to tasker

I tried the latest version, but I couldn't see the map. I can press Update Map, but no map appears. Just an empty raster.
On my wildfire I can't read the text at bottom(at main screen), it says "Settings page does not work yet. This is the alpha version."
There is some text below that, but it doesn't fit on my screen. And in landscape I can't see anything below Longitude.
On the about screen, I can't look further than "keeping unnecessary things running" on portrait.
I think it's better to put About and Settings into Menu, because most of the time you won't need it.
When adding/editting a location it's a little bit confusing. I think I'd prefer a dropdown menu for wifi/sounds. Values like: Wifi on, Wifi off, don't change.
When you leave the Profile Name empty, it'd be nice to get a default value.
When I press "Edit locations", and then use my back button, the application closes. I'd like to go back to main screen instead. When I open Edit Locations after adding locations/reading about/settings, and I press back button I need to press it serveral times, but nothing happens. After a few times it closes the application.
And I prefer imagebuttons instead of "edit" button, I'd be nice to have the edit button on the right.
It looks like your using LinearLayout with default Horizontal orientation. RelativeLayouts would be beter in some cases.
Latest comment, I think normal users don't care about his/her current Latitude/Longitude/Accuracy data. I think you could remove that.
Ok, that's it for now. I hope you can use some of my feedback
EDIT: Another bug, I need to kill the application to prevend it from using my GPS 24/7. I can't stop it the normal way. Also, I think it's better to use a service instead of Activity for things like this.

I Cant thank you guys enough for helping test the app. Anyway, I will apply those feedback into a new version and post again. Also, would you say the first one is better or the second one? I tested the new version today while going to work and I discovered several errors in GPS acquisition.
Sent from my Liberty using XDA App
EDIT:
Version 1.2 just got released - please try it out and it has incorporated several of the features you guys suggested.

Looks better than previous versions. But...Is there a way to delete locations?

Next one will have that and Bluetooth and backlight settings.
Sent from my Liberty using XDA App

Related

[new release] RunEveryday - Updated to v1.1

The missing Task Scheduler known from Windows XP!
RunEveryday 1.1 is done! It has:
1) a GUI, easily manage your scheduled tasks
2) Improved notification re-scheduler (old one proved to be kind of buggy)
3) Optionally force device to wakeup (as some programs need this to operate properly)
4) Under the hood, much improved code, easier bug fixing & updates in the future
no more need to use another program to setup the parameters etc. etc, just startup the app without any parameters, and you will be presented with a config dialog. in addition, you should remove any old entries within the notification database before using this new one (they are incompatible).
Everything should wotk MUCH better with this one. but still a few known issues:
1) When changing the system date, and you skip over a day, RunEveryday will get out of sync and stops working propperly. Work around: Start RunEveryday, and without changing anything, press the "Apply" button. this will correct all time/date stamps in the notification database.
2) For now, there can't be any spaces within the filename. Spaces within the directory name are oke though. THis is because I needed to seperate the Full path file name with any command line options, otherwise CreateProcess wouldn't work propperly. (Will be fixed in next version)
3) Keyboard doesn't popup when trying to enter text in the Command line. Workaround: select other program which has keyboard support first, then open RunEveryday, so you can openup the SIP yourself. This will be fixed in next version.
Compatibility: WM2003, WM5, WM6, QVGA, VGA and Square (240x240). in Other words: all recent devices
That's it! if there's any additional problems, I'd like to hear about them.
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Older version 1.0 usage:
A command driven app that will maintain itself within the notification database which will execute its params as a program.
for example, run:
\Program Files\RunEveryday.exe \Windows\prog.exe anyparams
this will basically execute \Windows\prog.exe anyparams
but it will register to start the same app with same params again in 24 hours, when it runs next time, it will delete the entry, and schedule again in another 24 hours, and so forth.
With an application like TaskMan you can easily see the notification entry this prog makes, and change it's time-schedule. (in other words, manage this app)
Also, creating a new entry with TaskMan, is really simple, make a CNT_TIME event, point it to RunEveryday.exe, and the application to run as it's params, and it's all set!
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My personal usage:
I have a task running every day at 23:00 -> turn radio off (with Vijay's app)
and a task in the morning 09:30 -> turn radio back on
But ofcorse you can use it for many other things! be creative!
Update to v1.1: Some people reported that they couldn't run the app because of some missing libraries. This probabbly goes for most of you WM2003 users: You need a static linked version, which I now have included below. Also, if you happen to get a message like "Cannot find ‘RunEveryday’ (or one of its components)", please try using the static linked version.
nnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiccccccccceeeee.. very niiiicccceee. Nicest thing that happened after the sad sad removal of ROMs... I'm soooo *touched..
UPDATE: Btw, an idea, for your next upgrade.. that is to add a day-of-the-week scheduling feature that is able to schedule events on days as well. Example, I may want to switch off my phone at 23:00 everyday. However, if I may went on partying late at night on Friday and Saturday. Hence, my job of "switch radio off at 23:00" can be programmed to be used on Sun-Thur only. And I can then add another job that "switch radio off at 02:00", to be performed on Sat and Sun only, just to make sure my phone won't switch off when I'm out partying on Friday and Sat night.
Thanks ;-)
And ohw, I meant TaskMgr, found here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=280104
Edit: Works really great with mortscript's. Lots of possibilities.
hanmin said:
UPDATE: Btw, an idea, for your next upgrade.. that is to add a day-of-the-week scheduling feature that is able to schedule events on days as well. Example, I may want to switch off my phone at 23:00 everyday. However, if I may went on partying late at night on Friday and Saturday. Hence, my job of "switch radio off at 23:00" can be programmed to be used on Sun-Thur only. And I can then add another job that "switch radio off at 02:00", to be performed on Sat and Sun only, just to make sure my phone won't switch off when I'm out partying on Friday and Sat night.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was actualy thinking about that, but that's making things more complicated. Right now, it's fairly simple. no config dialogs requiered etc etc, as you can have multiple apps at different times, which you might want to run at different days of the week, config wise it gets more complicated, much more coding. Maybe later, if I really need it, I'll make something like it, otherwise, this will have to do (sorry). I'm simply sharing some code that I wrote since I needed it myself ;-)
Edit: oke oke, maybe I'll make a "RunEveryWorkDay" variant (still no config required) Not much code writing, will post it here later on, as soon as I have some time on my hands to make a few adjustments.
Okey, I had a little time (kind of quick, haha)
Rather then having a different EXE handling workday events, I made on which is more dynamic.
Example 1, Run only on work days (monday through friday)
\Program Files\RunEveryday.exe OXXXXXO \Windows\prog.exe anyparams
So the string "OXXXXXO \Windows\prog.exe anyparams" becomes the complete param for RunEveryday.exe
As you can see, the first block of the params has become the days for which you want it to be active, X's x's 1's are for active, O's o's 0's for days to be disabled. Days are represented in following order: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wen, Thu, Fri, Sat.
You can still simply omit those days, and it'll work as previously (ALL days):
\Program Files\RunEveryday.exe \Windows\prog.exe anyparams
Everything is still untested (in this latest release) so it might not work propperly. So if you encounter a problem -> tell me and I'll fix it.
I'm working on a much improved version. It will have:
1) a GUI, easily manage your scheduled tasks
2) Improved notification re-scheduler (old one proved to be kind of buggy)
3) Optionally force device to wakeup (as some programs need this to operate properly)
4) Under the hood, much improved code, easier bug fixing & updates in the future
Expect it to be released in the next couple of days (will post it here)
Nice app. Im going to give it a try now
Is Taskman the only app that can set the time?? Can Memmaid be used?
Everyone who has downloaded and tried the initial release, please download the new one, as it contains critical bug fixes.
freeyayo50 said:
Is Taskman the only app that can set the time?? Can Memmaid be used?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See the first message in this thread, any other programs like Taskman or memmaid are no longer needed, RunEveryday is now a self-contained program with it's own user interface.
Thanks, this looks very useful, I also wanted an app to turn the radio on/off at scheduled times, Just need to find the VJ apps you use.
nigelw said:
Thanks, this looks very useful, I also wanted an app to turn the radio on/off at scheduled times, Just need to find the VJ apps you use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here:
http://www.vijay555.com/?Releases:VJVolubilis
Thanks, I've got the files and installed them, but so far I've been unable to get it to work.
I suppose this is more of a problem with the VJ files, but I can't seem to get the radiooff to work. I have moved the binary to \Program Files so it's the same as your sample screenshot, but nothing happens, the radio remains on.
To debug, I created a .lnk file using Total Commander and added the /radiooff but that also does nothing.
I'm using a T-Mobile MDA Compact III in the UK, HTC Artemis (or is the Hero as it doesn't have Wifi?).
nigelw said:
Thanks, I've got the files and installed them, but so far I've been unable to get it to work.
I suppose this is more of a problem with the VJ files, but I can't seem to get the radiooff to work. I have moved the binary to \Program Files so it's the same as your sample screenshot, but nothing happens, the radio remains on.
To debug, I created a .lnk file using Total Commander and added the /radiooff but that also does nothing.
I'm using a T-Mobile MDA Compact III in the UK, HTC Artemis (or is the Hero as it doesn't have Wifi?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To get it to work, be sure to enable "Force Wakeup". The radio won't go off unless you enable this option. In addition, Vijay has a spelling error on his website, he listed the option "radioff", but in fact it should be radiooff (double 'o' in the middle) otherwise his app doesn't recognize the command.
Optionally, you can enable "Suspend when woken up", this will put the device back to sleep when command has been executed, and works nicely with Vijay's app, your device will only be active for a few seconds. I didn't document this feature: but when you have this option enabled, and the command is still executing after 30 seconds, RunEveryday times out, and will put the device to sleep (but lets the command active in background).
Hmmm, just realized what you really posted, if a loose lnk file doesn't work either, it probably is (indeed) VJ's file that doesn't work. maybe you can ask him if he can add support for your device.................................
Thanks for the prompt response.... but I've just worked out what the problem is!
I followed the screenshot on page 1 using /radioon when it should be -radioon
My .lnk files now seem to work, so I will make the changes on your app and see if it works.
I'd like to start doing my own development, I'm particularly interested in retrieving information from the radio like Operator, signal strength, serving cell etc.
Anyone any comments on usability / stability / issues ?
I would really like some feedback ;-)
I've only been using it a couple of days, but it hasn't given me any problems. The only issue I have is one that you are already aware of, and that's support of text input, or maybe copy/paste?
Hope that helps, and thanks again.
Okey, great. In the near future I'll update it to be more complient with windows-ways-of-working. (keyboard, normal dialog, copy/pasting etc), but as it's all working without problems, it's not very high priority. However, if there's any indication of some bugs somewhere, i would get right on it, cause I really do want it to be reliable.
Hi, have you managed to make any improvements to the software? My install has gone wrong, I launch RunEveryDay but the 2 tasks I had configured no longer list in the dropdown (these were to turn the phone/radio off at midnight and back on at 9am).
I did change the timezone recently when I went on a business trip, so maybe that caused the problem when I returned?

New Android User Questions

Hi everyone. I just purchased my Droid X last week, and I'm having some migrating pains coming from Windows Mobile 6.5 (HTC Touch Pro 2, Mighty ROM) over to Android. I'm wondering if the fine folks here at XDA can help me ease into the Android OS a little easier.
Here are the things I miss most about WinMo, maybe you can tell me some viable alternatives.
1) The Dialer. - Skip the next 3 paragraphs if you're familiar with HTC Sense on WinMo.
The dialer absolutely sucks compared to the TP2. Having to click different tabs juts annoys me. In the TP2, the dialer and recent calls were displayed in a single window, so if I wanted to dial Steve, I had 2 ways of doing it.
The first way was to dial 7(S), 8(T). The phone would recognize I am spelling out Steve, and list everyone who fits the ST criteria sorted by most recently called. The more I spelled out his name, the narrower the results got.
The second method was to dial his number. Pretend Steve's number is (123) 456-7890. If I dialed 123, it would sort all contacts with numbers who matched the area code, and it would narrow the results as I typed more of his phone number.
I really hate having to tap between Contacts (there is a contacts soft button next to the dialer anyway), I would just click that if I wanted to from the beginning.
Are there any dialers out there closer to the HTC Dialer?
2) Contacts.
There has to be a better contact manager. Not being able to quickly tap a letter to get to contacts is really dumb.
3) Ninja Applications.
Why do I keep seeing applications running that I never started when I load Advance Task Killer. It's really annoying when I load up an App, and go to close it, and see Skype and CityID running when I never launched either of them. I'm almost afraid to set up AIM on my phone at this point.
4) GPS.
If I keep my GPS on, my battery gets killed. With my TP2, it would only use the GPS when it needed it, so for weather updates, and Google Maps, otherwise it stayed off (or was in a suspend state). I turned the GPS on my first day and had 0 battery by around 2 (left the house at 8). Is there any way to set the GPS to only be used, as needed?
5) APPLICATIONS EVERYWHERE.
Is there anyway to sort these into folders? Also, is there anyway to add an X to the application so I can close it when I'm done with it rather than having to launch an App just to close the App I just used?
I really liked the Sense way of doing it, where I had an X in the Application, and a drop down on the home screen that would list the open Apps so I could close them 1 at a time.
6) MotoBlur.
Ugh, I really hate this UI. Has anyone had any experience with SenseX?
7) Custom Roms.
I've seen a handful of Custom ROMs, and I'm planning on putting one on when I have some time next week. I need a good way to backup contacts, after I just spent an hour linking everyone, but I'd like to know if there is a decent Apples to Apples comparison of the ROMs. They don't seem to be outlines as detailed as I'm used to.
On this topic, are there any problems setting up things like MMS once you install a Custom ROM? It was a nightmare on the TP2, but those ROMs were also made for multiple carriers, which isn't a problem with this phone, so I imagine it shouldn't be an issue.
----------------------------------
Thank you for taking the time to read this wall of text.
Other than the 7 things listed, I love the phone. Finding MortPlayer for Droid made my day. I'm looking forward to unlocking it's true potential, and I hope my list isn't a bunch of things I'm just going to have to adjust to.
Thank you again, have a great day.
EDIT:
Also, it's really annoying that every time I connect my phone to my PC, it launches a Verizon web site. Is there anyway to disable this?
Ok... I will take a stab at this.
FIRST, You DO NOT have to settle for the apps that come preinstalled on your phone! Just had to clear that up... Ok, here we go:
Check an app called "Dialer One" and see if that fits your needs... I haven't used it in a while... but heard it still a great replacement for the stock dialer.
Searching for a better Contact Manager is on my To-Do list.. hope someone comes in and help out a little more with that one
Don't worry about the "ninja" apps TOO much. Android Froyo has an amazing task manager and even though you SEE the apps as "running applications", they are not really RUNNING. They are more like... in a queue.. so they are ready for whenever you come back to them....but you still have to watch what the apps are doing. Some do not play nicely and hog memory. I'll link a good post here in a minute explaining that a little better.
There is a widget that can help you out here.. it's called "Power Control" put that bad boy on your homescreen and the option to turn on/off wifi, bluetooth, gps, etc is at your fingertips (for even more controls... check out "Extended Controls" in the market. It cost like $1 and some change)
I'm... not really following this one. For one.. you CAN use folders on your homescreen and put whatever your heart desires in them.. and label it accordingly. I'm not sure what you mean by the "X" in the app
SenseX?? What is that?? Anyway.. as you will find out soon, 99% of the Droid X community despise MotoBlur!! You can use a different Home Launcher and not use Blur. Two of the major Home Launcher replacements are Adw.launcher & LauncherPro... which one is better is a whole different story. They are both great and only YOU can choose which one is best. There many threads comparing them and they run neck to neck mostly. I'm on LauncherPro personally
Custom Roms?? Eh.. I personally do my own developments and theming on my phone and do not use them... there not really all what they cracked up to be because whatever they have on them... I can do myself. So I'm not much of an help on that one... Somebody else maybe will chime in.
P.S-To fix the Verizon thing, go to the "M" in the taskbar at the bottom of your screen by the clock on your PC and right click it.. there should be an option saying to tell it to NOT send you to the Verizon site when you connect your phone. I don't know the EXACT wording of the option menu.. I'm on a mac
Thank you for your reply.
I will check out the Dialer. Thank you very much.
Darn!
A friend of mine told me that, but it's hard for me to not be a bit OCD about background Applications. I've been a Windows user most of my life, and coming from WinMo, background apps really kill performance.
More than anything, my issue is with things like Skype loading when I do not want to be signed in. I want auto-login when I launch the Application, but I don't want the application loading when it feels like it, and me getting a random IM or call from someone when I didn't even tell it to log in.
It also bothers me that Amazon MP3, something I've never even loaded, has turned itself on. It makes me feel like I don't have control over my phone.
I do have a widget that lets me turn these things on and off, I was just hoping for a way to set it up so that the GPS is "pinged" and only used as needed, and turned back off. My TP2 did this, and was a great battery saver. Having to turn the GPS on and off just to get a weather update based on location is a bit annoying.
I didn't mean on the home-screen, I meant in the application list. So when I hit the application list, I can sort them by "Games", "Google", etc.
For the "X", what I mean is in reference to closing an App. In WinMo, the top right of the screen had an X, and if I touched that X, the app would close. Now, once I exit the App, I need to use an application killer to close said App.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=764840
Looks like Sense for the Droid X. In Beta now, so I'm waiting for a stable release.
Really, it's just to get rid of bloatware and take advantage of some performance optimizations that have been made.
A couple of other things that have come up.
I need a better keyboard. One with arrows so I can navigate text. Touching isn't precise enough, and I don't have a stylus with this phone. Today I voiced a text message, and I went to correct an error, but I couldn't get the curse to go in the exact spot I needed it to go into. My old OSK had arrow soft-keys I could tap to navigate with.
Also, I notice when I pull my phone out of the leather pouch I have, when I hit the power button it comes up in landscape, and the accelerometer doesn't pick up on the turn. I need to turn the screen off and turn it back on.
Finally, I'm having extender issues, but I think I need to call VZW for that. When leaving my house, I can't reconnect to Data without a power-cycle.
Thank you for the reply.
my .02
3. Break yourself from the taskiller need. If you have programs allways running that you dont need, ie skype or city id. Root and delete those SOB's. you can look around and there are plenty of articles of why not to use them. Android is a linux based os. Linux is far supirior to Win in memeory management. You dont need task killers.
4. if your gps is turned on its not always running. It only runs when needed. Is by chance your wifi on? that will run all the time by searching for access points. if not you might have maps running, make sure to always back out of maps and not just hit home. That way it closes and doesnt just run in background. (actually goes for most apps)
5 organization- you cant sort the app drawer, you can hide apps (just the icons) using launcher pro, not sure if ADW has that option. Useing folders or the app "app manager" is your best bet
extra. swype has arrows. swype from the swype icon to abc and it will bring up a new keyboard.
I came from winmo- so I know all about your "X" pains. But I say forget about a task killer or even killing tasks (except maybe maps and navigation). I did a little reading about pros and cons and decided to try the "no task killer" approach. I haven't had any problems. the task killer is a pain anyways. you can kill apps all day long and there are a bunch of them that are just going to repopulate themselves in like 5 minutes. I just said, "fegetaboutit". My phone runs great.
if you open the dialer and are on the contacts tab just long press the menu button (the physical button) and your keyboard will pop up. start typing and contacts will appear.
I like "Zeam Launcher". There is a thread here on XDA. I have Launcher Pro+ -but actually liked Zeam so much I use it. Just different preferences though.
that's all i got for now.
Thank you for your replies.
I will try to be a bit less OCD regarding my tasks. I did kill a couple of services of applications that kept starting, like Skype.
I'll check out those launchers and see if I like them better.
Any good stock widgets?
EDIT:
So I just tried to check my location on Google Maps with GPS turned off, and it says I need to turn it on.
How do I set it up to use the GPS as needed?
I leave location services on (GPS)
My theory is that applications will only enable GPS when they need them, so if you have a application running that wants GPS, it will use it.
The GPS icon appears in the notification bar when I'm using something that is using GPS, so I assume its only actually on when this icon is present. Leave it on in settings just makes is available.
Any widget or application that has a setting for manual location (Weather, IMDB) I use it, and disable GPS location, to keep GPS from running all of the time.
To exit an app you are using, either hit the back button or the home button.
If you are worried about "ninja" apps using cpu and memory, you can try a minfree adjustment application such as AutoKiller Memory Optimizer. It fine tunes android's inner memory manager to be a bit more aggressive in closing applications.
I use another Rom (rubiX, link in sig) that already has minfree adjusted (according to the author) and it does help in keeping the X smooth. It also removes all (well most) of Blur and default installed apps as well, so you start with a very clean X.
The default home screen (blur) is crap. I would also suggest replacing it with LauncherPro or ADW
For removing the pre-installed applications. Follow this guide
http://www.droidxforums.com/forum/d...ta-3-ways-super-easy-safe-safe-easy-free.html
Some apps in /system/app/ are not named what they are
(IE. mynet.apk = 3g Hotspot)
For a keyboard anywhere, you can hold the menu button, and it will pop up.
Swype is really a few keyboards. Swype from the icon to the SYM button, it will give you the edit panel (arrows, home, end, copy, paste, etc...) press the ABC button to go back.
Swype from the icon to the f key, it will turn into a number pad. Press the ABC button to go back to the normal keyboard.
Run the tutorial on Swype too, it will give you some very nice pointers on it's use. I used Swype on windows mobile and I found out a few things about Swype I never knew.
Also, as for touching where your cursor is in a text field, if you press and hold, and magnifying bubble will pop up. This makes moving the cursor easier
Did you find a dialer yet? I saw these posted and thought about this thread...
http://www.appbrain.com/app/kz.mek.DialerOne
http://www.appbrain.com/app/acontacts/kz.mek.aContacts
Haven't had a chance to try them yet.
bad4u6669 said:
.... swype has arrows. swype from the swype icon to abc and it will bring up a new keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG. thanks. been loving swype but that has been driving me nuts. Thanks for the info.
Thank you for the replies.
One of the things I liked about my TP2, is I could leave location services on, and it used very little battery.
I guess Weather Bug just SUCKS battery out like crazy. I turned on the GPS last night for something, and decided to see how well it did with battery today. It turns out that some grocery shopping app I wanted to try was sucking my GPS dry (no idea why)... yet another "ninja app" that just started up because it felt like it (this kind of **** really makes me , programs should only start up when I tell them to, not when a component of my phone turns on).
I live in an apartment that has really bad signal (I actually have a Network Extender), so that might be my GPS constantly trying to update when I'm at home killing my battery.
WeatherBug is set to update every hour, so I'm going to see what happens tomorrow with the GPS turned on. It would be nice if I could just set it and forget it, not need to turn it off every time I come home.
Thank you for the contact program, I might check it out. I've been pretty content since I got DialerOne and found out I can get the keyboard up by holding the options.
I tried LauncherPro, and I LOVED it at first, and my phones performance was fantastic!
Then I found out it charges me to resize widgets... WTF is that crap?
I'm going to try some other launchers and see what happens. I'm getting the hang of it, but I still do not like things starting up on their own. Regardless of memory management, my phone should not just decide to boot up programs on it's own.
the phone only does what the app or the user tells it to do. If theirs an app that you don't like, delete it.
And complaining that launcher pro charges for every thing it offers is ridiculous. Every thing it offers for free already ( 7 home screens, 10 rows and columns, unreal speed improvement, etc. ) then to get the extras its less than most people throw away on a daily basis. Where as this three dollars its money that pays off on a daily basis
Adw and lp should be paid apps from the start for all they offer.
You have 3 options, write your own program, use the stock launcher, find a free one.
-end rant
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
I usually leave my location setting on "Use Wireless Networks" and don't bother with GPS other than for maps and navigation. Works fine for all of my other apps that need a location (e.g., weather).
There are apps out there that can turn GPS on and off automatically when you run a particular app, such as Tasker (which can do a whole host of things, but that is one one of them). Tasker is a paid app, but there might be something free out there that does something similar.
Also, I agree with the previous poster re: Launcher Pro. It's really a fantastic home launcher and well worth a few bucks to support the developer. The LP Plus widgets are also a lot better than any of the Blur widgets.
In the end, I probably will buy it, but I'm going to play around with some of the free ones first.
Tasker sounds like it might be worth it for that feature alone (being able to turn the GPS on and off at will). I'm just surprised a feature like this wasn't built in to begin with, considering WinMo has had it for years.
On an unrelated note, can anyone recommend a good media player? I'm going to be flying soon and want to test the battery out on Airplane mode while watching a movie from the SD card. I need something that can decode a variety of formats, mostly XviD for stuff like digital movie copies and TV shows.
EtherBoo said:
In the end, I probably will buy it, but I'm going to play around with some of the free ones first.
Tasker sounds like it might be worth it for that feature alone (being able to turn the GPS on and off at will). I'm just surprised a feature like this wasn't built in to begin with, considering WinMo has had it for years.
On an unrelated note, can anyone recommend a good media player? I'm going to be flying soon and want to test the battery out on Airplane mode while watching a movie from the SD card. I need something that can decode a variety of formats, mostly XviD for stuff like digital movie copies and TV shows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to look into RockPlayer. That's the only one I found so far that decodes ALMOST anything on the spot.
The "Ninja Applications" are running because Android is a true multi tasking OS.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
I hope necromancy isn't frowned upon on this board, so my apologies if it is.
I found a new problem because I had the nerve to attempt to update a contact photo after Facebook had saved it's picture to it.
This is especially frustrating because I'm going to want to override a lot of these photos very soon.
Apparently, updating the photo updates the Google Contact photo, but the phone only displays the Facebook photo. This is a bug confirmed by Moto that will be fixed in a future update.
This leaves me with 2 options.
De-Sync FB, which I'm not thrilled about only because I like getting the most recent status update prior to receiving a call, and There is a lot of info that FB fills in for me.
Copy down all the FB info, and fill it in manually. With Google Contacts not being the best contact manager (I'm very OCD about uniformity in the way things are formatted), I really don't want to do this.
So I figure I need a new contact manager. I tried AContacts, and it crashed every time I tried to edit a contact.
I would love something like the HTC one that comes with WinMo, or maybe even the iPhone one.
I would be willing to pay for this.
P.S.
I'm now rooted and running a custom ROM (zapX I think it's called). I'm loving my phone much more now. My battery life has skyrocketed, and my performance is amazing now. Very iPhone smooth (one thing I was always jealous of, and I hate the iPhone).

2.2 Review

*** True Story ***
I am a member on Dell's community forum and have watched Dell's mouthpiece, Amy-B, post the lies and put up the smoke and mirrors regarding this for a while now. When she first announced that the update would begin on 11/15, I paid closer attention. By the end of the week when there was no update, I commented that users may have a potential class action suit. With that, I got a scathing email from Dell saying I violated their terms of use, some left handed subtle threats, and my post was deleted. I still laugh about that.
End True Story, my ongoing review below
I put 2.2 on last night and played with it for a little while before bed, then really started putting it to the test today. here's what's happened until now.
First, when I applied the update, it kept a lot of previous settings and applications rather than clean wiping. It also bypassed forcing me to login to google account, so when I tried to use the market, it couldn't. With that, I used my credentials to login to my google account and immediately started having some google calendar syncing error. It became a loop, each time asking me to report it, then asking me to force close the app, and then over and over the same thing. So I rebooted the streak, and it came up with the same exact issue not allowing me to do anything with it. I had to pull the battery to shut it down this time and when I get it all together to power up, I simply held the up/down volume keys and told it to do a factory reset.
The rom cooks itself into the streak as the factory install and 2.2 came up on the next boot, this time asking for google credentials. It worked that time, and I was ready to put the phone through it's motions.
Issues I've found
1. Voice Dialer via Bluetooth crashes each time I try to use it. It crashes to the point that it tells me to restart my phone. This is without fail.
2. swiping to unlock the phone, or pattern unlock are flaky. it will start then stop as if I've taken my finger off. I have to do it multiple times and crazy ways to make it work. Pattern lock same thing. Especially after coming out of my pocket... as if the heat from my body makes my finger not be recognized on the whole screen. This build makes the touchscreen no longer responsive as it was in 1.6... update, I've tested this over and over and over. yes, it seems to be the temperature, because if I blow on the screen to cool it, or something similar, the screen becomes instantly responsive to my touch. I never had this problem with 1.6 regardless of when I pulled it out of my pocket.
3. sometimes, changing screens gets choppy or laggy.
4. No widget bar or tray/drawer that allows you to turn BT or Wifi on or off. You have to get something from the market to do this (updated, this is available as a widget, I should open my eyes a bit)
5. Can't change the number of screens; can't add or subtract screens, stages, rooms, or whatever you choose to call it. You're stuck with 7, the center one being the default.
6. Multiple FC's for variety of reasons, many are while simply browsing the market. With that Microsoft-esque error reporting thing always popping up, I think they anticipated feeding garbage to the masses.
7. Have tried a few alternate launchers. Some are better than others, more functional etc.. .but no matter how weak an alternate launcher appears to be, they pretty much ALL beat StageUI
Likes
1. Have always liked the live wallpapers that we were introduced to in 2.1
2. landscape mode rights itself regardless of which side is facing up. could be a caveat since it puts the home/back/menu buttons upside down on the left instead of right with the hard buttons on the bottom, but still kind of cool nonetheless.
4. Support for Exchange is native and doesn't require additional software/applications.
the long and the short of it.. Dell is useless as an OS developer/tweaker and StageUI blows.
Samsung hit the homerun with it on its Galaxy S series. I was just at best buy, and the Galaxy Tab is pretty sweet but the price tag is ridiculous. Comparing 2.1 of my Vibrant with 2.2 on my streak, the Vibrant wins. no contest.
Day one of having the new 2.2 update on there and it's clear that this OS needs some patching already. I can only imagine what the people on O2 in the UK had to go through with their 2.1 fiasco
more to follow...
Here's a couple of things that I like in this build but before I list the items I wanted to address the comment you made about being able to turn of BT, wi-fi, GPS, brightness, etc. Under apps you can select Power Control and that will give you those options in a form of a widget. You do, however, will have to delete one of the Stage widgets to free up the room. Or you can just open the widget via apps. For my use, I currently prefer a different launcher than Stage. I am using the LauncherPro but there are a lot of other free choices like ADW, Zeam and so on.
Here are the things I like about this build:
1. Ability to hang up the call by pressing the power button ( you have to go to Settings-Accessibility-then check the mark for that option)
2. Radio feature - is absolutely great. The thing I don't like is the web ad that seems to pop every time I start listening to a station. If anyone knows how to turn/block that pop-up you would make me very happy )
3. Keyboard is awesome. Love the size, the options to switch to symbols, just love it. Haven't messed with SWYPE but I love the Andriod KB right now.
4. Flash - yes it works and it works well.
5. Speed - significantly faster. Whether navigating or downloading. Wi-fi speeds are faster than 1.6 or 2.1 I use to have.
6. Bluetooth volume is louder. This one was high on my priority list.
7. Music widget - looks nice and clean.
8. Camera works fine. I don't see an option for 720p though.
9. Security is beefed up by adding the option for PIN or password on top of the normal sliding lock. My slider works without any issues. But I prefer the pattern lock which also works great.
10. Haptic feedback can't be completely turned off, or you can turn off certain features alone like keyboard. I have mine off so the three main buttons don't vibrate any more. I don't think that option was available in the previous builds but I could be wrong.
These are the ones that I can think of right off the bat. I may add more as I remember them.
streak4m3 said:
Under apps you can select Power Control and that will give you those options in a form of a widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Long press home, then under widgets, then power control... thanks tons. that's what I was looking for.
So my quick review:
The good:
Loving the out-of-the-box Exchange support. Yay. Mobile e-mail/calendar/contacts without having to use Touchdown and the hassle of 'pushing' Touchdown contacts to the phone's contacts.
w00t. Ability to grab requiring apps from the market which require 2.x.
2.x features like portrait home screen, better multi-touch, etc.
The bad:
The Stage UI is just lame. Giving it a few days before I toss it in the bin.
I miss the old video playing app. I dunno what it was called, but there isn't even a shortcut for the new one. I installed ASTRO File Manager, browsed to my video directory and the file launched with some less-than-basic video player. What I liked about the old one was the order-by-date view which I have become used to but isn't the end of the world, the resume where you left off feature, and the delete from within the app feature. I guess Rock Player is the video player most people seem to be recommending, so I hope it has this.
For all its faults, I liked the old keyboard. I suspect it's still there, but I have yet to look. Using 2 (To/two/too) and 4 (For/four), etc in txt/IM/tweets now takes extra keypresses.
I never really knew how handy the Dell notification area was for 1.6. I'd turn off the cellular data and run Wi-Fi only, with just a couple of presses and it wouldn't interrupt the app I was in. Now I have to go to the home screen, press the menu button, and that's only to turn off wireless. I have yet to find the equivalent enable/disable for 3G.
Yet to check:
I've found the Streak's camera has taken pretty lame photos. I'm not photophile, but our 5 year old, 4MP camera takes better photos than the Streak. I've had the Streak set to the best quality (Lowest compression or whatever it was) and if you zoom in on a picture while viewing on a PC, it gets pixelated very quickly, while our 4MP pics are much nicer looking and they are twice the file size (4MP pic twice the file size of a 5MP pic?), so I'm interpreted this as 'The Streak takes crappy pics'. Been waiting to see what, if anything, the upgrade to 2.2 does for this.
So I guess it seems to lack polish, BUT, I think the reason for this is because it's actually near-to-bare Android, so I'm not going to criticise the roughness when the other option is more polish (Which one may or may not like) from Dell that means OS updates take 6+ months. I'm sure I'll be able to overcome anything I'm not liking with apps or through tweaking some options somewhere. Isn't this why we have Android?
But yeah. Stage is coming off pretty quick I suspect.
PS - You all might laugh: http://i.imgur.com/ULMLx.png
This build was far too laggy for my tastes. 1.6 was faster on some of the processes for me. I'm happily back on DJ Steve's build which is soooo much faster and has virtually the same features.
Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk
Something I'm surprised is:
2.2 doesn't have separate sounds for incoming:
E-mail
Texts
Reminders
...I dunno if iOS does, but my old Windows Mobile device did. I'd like a different sounds for these events, as I'll respond to them differently. Now I don't know if it's a calendar reminder which I can't ignore, a text which I might ignore or an e-mail that I can ignore...
streak4m3 said:
8. Camera works fine. I don't see an option for 720p though.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got fooled by this. check 'Custom' for 720p. I can verify it is 720p too. pretty good quality.
Edit: Check it out. cant post link so you'll have to type the youtube code in manually
watch?v=Xm-jbOqIUiU
Enjoy! pretty sweet.
Format : MOV
Dimensions: 1280x720px
Video codec: MPEG4
Audio codec: AAC
htnprm said:
I never really knew how handy the Dell notification area was for 1.6. I'd turn off the cellular data and run Wi-Fi only, with just a couple of presses and it wouldn't interrupt the app I was in. Now I have to go to the home screen, press the menu button, and that's only to turn off wireless. I have yet to find the equivalent enable/disable for 3G.
PS - You all might laugh: http://i.imgur.com/ULMLx.png
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try "Quick Settings" which puts an icon in your status bar so when in an app, just drag down the status bar click on it and all your settings are there. Or, try "QuickDesk". Not sure if this is out of beta yet but its also an awesome app for doing exactly what you are talking about.....and much more.
Cant wait to get my Streak and to start rockin this 2.2. Would love to have vanilla 2.2 though.
as you are on 2.2 now , can you check something for me ?
- can flashled from camera be used as torchlight ?
- it should have usb tethering now, but does it also do wifi-tethering ?
- can the flashplayer play activescript ?
- is activesync (not exchange) working ?
da_jojo said:
as you are on 2.2 now , can you check something for me ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. I was wondering about many of these. Hopefully I get the first real sit-down with the phone sans-children jumping all over me, so I'll get back to you.
htnprm said:
Yeah. I was wondering about many of these. Hopefully I get the first real sit-down with the phone sans-children jumping all over me, so I'll get back to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cheers, appreciate it
da_jojo said:
as you are on 2.2 now , can you check something for me ?
- can flashled from camera be used as torchlight ?
- it should have usb tethering now, but does it also do wifi-tethering ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the led can work as a flashlight. I used the N1 Torch app and it worked fine.
Yes it does have wifi tethering.
I really miss the 1.6 menu bar/notification bar. Stage blows compared to the old ui. The swype keyboard is great. I have mixed feelings about the update mainly because of the ui changes.
Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk
Spectre51 said:
Yes the led can work as a flashlight. I used the N1 Torch app and it worked fine.
Yes it does have wifi tethering.
I really miss the 1.6 menu bar/notification bar. Stage blows compared to the old ui. The swype keyboard is great. I have mixed feelings about the update mainly because of the ui changes.
Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thnx for the info
yeah me too, but you can allways install one of these :
http://myandroidworld.in/posts/android-launchershome-replacement-apps
da_jojo said:
as you are on 2.2 now , can you check something for me ?
- can flashled from camera be used as torchlight ?
- it should have usb tethering now, but does it also do wifi-tethering ?
- can the flashplayer play activescript ?
- is activesync (not exchange) working ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes, I use StreakLight from Market (free)
2. Yes, there´s an option for this and I checked it, and it seems to work. But I haven´t connected a device yet.
3. How can I check this?
4. Dunno, cause I use Exchange and some Imap
gavelis said:
1. Yes, I use StreakLight from Market (free)
2. Yes, there´s an option for this and I checked it, and it seems to work. But I haven´t connected a device yet.
3. How can I check this?
4. Dunno, cause I use Exchange and some Imap
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thnx
ad 3 : http://www.playerversion.com/ and http://jrgraphix.net/research/flash-dock-mx-2004.php and http://flowplayer.org/plugins/streaming/rtmp.html
da_jojo said:
as you are on 2.2 now , can you check something for me ?
- can flashled from camera be used as torchlight ?
- it should have usb tethering now, but does it also do wifi-tethering ?
- can the flashplayer play activescript ?
- is activesync (not exchange) working ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright. Others have answered, but I'll pass on what I know. If you're talking Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) not talking to an Exchange server, a la Hotmail, I'm getting a "cannot connect to server" error... My EAS to work's Exchange is working flawlessly though.
And USB/Wi-fi tethering are working grand. I'm tethered by Wi-fi as I write this, so I can pass my 3G USB modem on to a colleague. w00t.
I am a little concerned about battery life. I haven't done that much with the phone today, unlike a normal day where I might squeeze in a few calls, texts, tweets, bit of web browsing, and three+ hours of video and have the battery at 20% at the end of the day. I'm at 20% left now, and I haven't done any of those things.
thnx
have you tried hotmail through POP3 ? it worked with k9 client.
what i meant is activesync on windows 7 64bit with office 2010 32bit.
yeah batterylife concerns me also. i have a habit of draining these in godspeed (A)
You can create a shortcut to the wifi & networks popup from launcherpro activities.
1. Long press on the desktop bsckground
2. Select shortcut
3. Select Activities
4. Select wireless & networks
You now have access to the old dell popup to disable data, 3g etc.
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
this is exactly what people where missing , thnx
rodjordan said:
You now have access to the old dell popup to disable data, 3g etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kinda. You still have to go from the app you're in out to the home screen, turn it on/off, and then go back to your app. But thanks for the info.

my known issues with PWGB 2.0 beta3

so far I LOVE this PWGB2.0 beta3 ROM... on my Fascinate SCH-i500
could not find a more appropriate place to place this thread so here it is..
***scenerios:
GOOGLE NOT REMEMBERING SEARCH RESULTS PAGE WHEN I PAGE BACK TO RESULTS AFTER CLICKING ON A RESULTS LINK. HAVE TO TYPE IN SEARCH WORDS ALL OVER AGAIN.
1. if I use the search "button" on the phone it happens.
2.if I use the "google search widget" it happens.
3.** BUT**, if I open the "browser" that this ROM has built in it which is defaulted to use the following as homepage:
[XDA Blocked the home page link bc I havent posted more than 10 post here.]
anyways its a version of a google url thats long. I copied it from my phone.
as its home page then the issue does not exist, and google remembers search results list when I page back to it after clicking on a results item.
ALSO known issue I have with this ROM is:
Just about everytime I plug my phone into my PC the stupid USB settings somehow are magically set to "SamsungKIES" even though I constantly set it to MASS Storage or ALWAYS ASK.
1. With this ROM my battery life is longer
2. pages load faster.
3.seems to MAYBE have more signal bars than before when I am in known weaker area (still deciding on this).
**********************************************************************************************
[UPDATE] since original post I had added the imoseyon voodoo kernel but did not see any difference in speed or battery efficiency.
the deal with the KIES went away when I eventually installed (and since UNinstalled) a snazzy touchwiz that allowed for 5 icons in the
main dock window instead of 4. It also allowed for wallpaper in backgrond of apps drawer, but theTouchwiz thingy had too many force closes and
freezes. I had to install the PWGB ROM and I dont have the KIES issue any longer....go figure.
the main issue I had with it was poor audio quality when connected to my car stereo. but that issue is with all of the 2.3.4 and 2.3.5 roms that I have tried
zash1 said:
so far I LOVE this PWGB2.0 beta3 ROM... on my Fascinate SCH-i500
could not find a more appropriate place to place this thread so here it is..
***scenerios:
GOOGLE NOT REMEMBERING SEARCH RESULTS PAGE WHEN I PAGE BACK TO RESULTS AFTER CLICKING ON A RESULTS LINK. HAVE TO TYPE IN SEARCH WORDS ALL OVER AGAIN.
1. if I use the search "button" on the phone it happens.
2.if I use the "google search widget" it happens.
3.** BUT**, if I open the "browser" that this ROM has built in it which is defaulted to use the following as homepage:
[XDA Blocked the home page link bc I havent posted more than 10 post here.]
anyways its a version of a google url thats long. I copied it from my phone.
as its home page then the issue does not exist, and google remembers search results list when I page back to it after clicking on a results item.
ALSO known issue I have with this ROM is:
Just about everytime I plug my phone into my PC the stupid USB settings somehow are magically set to "SamsungKIES" even though I constantly set it to MASS Storage or ALWAYS ASK.
1. With this ROM my battery life is longer
2. pages load faster.
3.seems to MAYBE have more signal bars than before when I am in known weaker area (still deciding on this).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock browser that comes with this Rom is terrible. Do yourself a favor, clear your browser defaults, install Boat or dolphin browser and next time your search something click on one of those as your default (I use Boat)
As for the mass storage issue try re installing the Samsung drivers
PWGB,TKSGB10-14, adren shot xix, honeycomb2.03, ec09 radio.
dejo67 said:
the main issue I had with it was poor audio quality when connected to my car stereo. but that issue is with all of the 2.3.4 and 2.3.5 roms that I have tried
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're using the line out and not bluetooth, use Voodoo Sound.
My main non-kernel issue is that my launcher doesn't appear in running programs. I hate this tweak, since LP needs a kick in the ass sometimes.

Closing Idle apps on Screen off

Hi,
It has been a while since I have been able to play with custom ROMs as my previous phone was not well supported.
I have just now switched over to the Axon 7 and have just started setting it up as my daily driver. I Installed NucleaROM with LIGHT PATCH, Open GApps and ARISE Sound System. All seems to be working fine but I have one issue and I think it may be a feature from not just the Custom ROM of choice but the underlying source (ResurrectionROM/LineageOS).
When I first setup the phone, it had an option on the lock screen to customize how apps are closed (i believe the term was Smart Close) when the device is idle and the screen is off. I remember looking through it and having options for which apps are closed and which are to remain running.
Since then I have installed a collection of apps, one of which is the Garmin Connect which I need to run when the screen is off.
I am unable to find how to get to these options now. I have looked through the power options and cannot see it.
If anyone can help me, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks for your assistance.
As I have started to use the phone a little more I have noticed that this is having another effect.
It seems to be closing my keyboard app so every time I unlock it goes back to the stock keyboard and I need to select SwiftKey again.
I hope someone knows where these settings are.
I have found a workaround for now, but if anyone knows how to control the SmartBattery application, it would be greatly appreciated.
I believe this function is coming from the System App called Smart Battery. I have gone into Settings -> Apps then selected the menu to show system apps. From there I was able to locate the SmartBattery app and disable it.
This seems to be working for me as by Garmin Fitness tracker was losing BlueTooth to the phone before but not now with that app disabled.
I'm not entirely positive about this, as I've never heard of that app. At first, I thought you were talking about the screen lock cleaning feature from the power manager on stock. After your follow up post indicating you had actually found reference to the app on your system and a bit of Googling, I was able to find some reference to it. Nothing useful, I'm afraid.
Try using an app that can launch activities, like Nova Launcher or Tasker. Try to find the app in the list, and see if you can launch it by calling for one of its activities.
P.S., if you're running RR, if you have a look at the extended settings, there might be a way to set the nav keys long-press action to a custom activity. Remember to enable the app, otherwise it might not show up in any lists.

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