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So I have had the HD2 for a few months now and I can't seem to find its true potential. Ive had no problems with it. I can get everything working smoothly. Done. But can anyone else give me some tips as to what I can do with the HD2? What do you do with your HD2?
I also really want to utilize true multitasking but I dont know what is "true multitasking".
Can someone give me a few examples besides streaming music via web while I do a word document?
What do "YOU" do that is true multitasking?
Listening to music in the bus with Skype and IMPlus running in the background, Opera to check timetables online, Google maps open to know where I am, launch camera to take a photo of something I just saw in the street, receiving a mail and reading it, opening the tasks app to add a reminder related to said mail, switch back to google maps to check where I'm now, switch to opera again to check something online that I just thought about, switch to the music player to skip a track, switch to IMPlus to answer a message I just received, opening adobe reader to check something in a document... going back and forth between all those.
kilrah said:
Listening to music in the bus with Skype and IMPlus running in the background, Opera to check timetables online, Google maps open to know where I am, launch camera to take a photo of something I just saw in the street, receiving a mail and reading it, opening the tasks app to add a reminder related to said mail, switch back to google maps to check where I'm now, switch to opera again to check something online that I just thought about, switch to the music player to skip a track, switch to IMPlus to answer a message I just received, opening adobe reader to check something in a document... going back and forth between all those.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so by doing all those without having to close a single thing out? And you do this using the task manager in the upper right corner?
What I don't get is how is this different from Apple's iphone. Though it doesnt have multitasking, isnt it the same as opening things up and hiting the center home button and going onto the next app, etc? I dont see the difference.
the difference is on the iphone when you hit the home button it closes whatever you were in.
so any IM app such as skype, aim, facebook all get closed so you cant get messages in the background. you cant have pandora or slacker radio playing in the background. you can do one thing at a time.
pretty simple really
lemonspeakers said:
so by doing all those without having to close a single thing out? And you do this using the task manager in the upper right corner?
What I don't get is how is this different from Apple's iphone. Though it doesnt have multitasking, isnt it the same as opening things up and hiting the center home button and going onto the next app, etc? I dont see the difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The difference is multitasking can switch between apps without terminal them. In iphone once you click the home buttom, the running app closes then you are able to start other app. It can't regard as multitasking cause iphone can only run a app at a moment. But wm os can run a number of apps in background at the same time and switch between them instead of close one app and start the other one app. That is mean you can play a game in wm then you skype somebody, when you switch back to the game, it resumes. But in iphone, you start skype before you terminal the game.
lemonspeakers said:
so by doing all those without having to close a single thing out? And you do this using the task manager in the upper right corner?
What I don't get is how is this different from Apple's iphone. Though it doesnt have multitasking, isnt it the same as opening things up and hiting the center home button and going onto the next app, etc? I dont see the difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use taskfacade or aebplus' task manager function mapped to the windows button.
The iphone can do most of it, with a few exceptions, for example if you open google maps and do a search, have the results displayed, then close the program to do something else, once you run it again you'll arrive at the main screen and you'll have to do your search again. With skype, you open it and it connects, but then if you close it to do something else you won't be notified of new messages, you'll have to manually reopen skype once in a while to see if you've received something. On the HD2 skype stays open and will sound when you receive something.
Then, I haven't used an iphone enough regarding the web browser, if exiting and coming back keeps all your open tabs etc.
On mine I cycle/run with run.gps running actively in the foreground, Pocketscrobbler running actively in the background, along with Audiobooster, music player doing its thing, RSS reader doing its thing, Push sync doing its thing...
Good thing on multi task is surfing. U can open more than one tab and while the sides are loading u check your mails or something.
I like it and its a feature I would miss on the Iphone...
What's not to get on multitasking?
being an iphone user for a time, one of the largest complaints (even after jailbreaking) was the limited multitasking. Even with backgrounder running, the phone was slow as crap. The touch hd2 on the other hand...
I have 13 applications open and I still see no lag anywhere. nuff said
1) i noticed opera doesnt keep loading if you switch to another task. It stops.
2) music in the bg is normal and most phones can do that. unless they are streaming like pandora. but even so jailbreaking makes it possible to do this for iphones.
3) skype is required, or eventually inevitable. Using hd2 is almost like you're sucked into skype, since everyone is using it, right? LOL
4) jailbreaking an iphone allows it to multitask. why not do it besides the illegal thing and the risk? its like bricking an hd2.
the new iphone OS4 should have multitasking too.. but i heard it only allows the apps to save some services or something, but the app still closes... thats why pandora doesnt work with it i think xD
apple will always be performance > flexibility, thats why they will never have TRUE multitasking, and for me, TRUE multitasking is when the application i open are still running IN REALTIME ( and doesnt stop ) in the background.
I find it really important that I can run my navigation system while having my calendar reminding me for my appointments or being able to receive phone calls.
Can you be on a call and quickly check a document, calendar, email, or web browse on the HD2? Thanks
Tomb77 said:
Can you be on a call and quickly check a document, calendar, email, or web browse on the HD2? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. You can be on a call and continue watching a movie also.
lemonspeakers said:
1) i noticed opera doesnt keep loading if you switch to another task. It stops.
2) music in the bg is normal and most phones can do that. unless they are streaming like pandora. but even so jailbreaking makes it possible to do this for iphones.
3) skype is required, or eventually inevitable. Using hd2 is almost like you're sucked into skype, since everyone is using it, right? LOL
4) jailbreaking an iphone allows it to multitask. why not do it besides the illegal thing and the risk? its like bricking an hd2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which version of opera are you using?
mind loads perfectly well in the background.. as do all the non java browsers I use.
why is skype required, I've used it twice in all the years I've been using winmo, which is quite a while now!
woopee do you can do some basic crap on the iphmoan
***SOME*** not all, but some, try really using the hd2 as it can be used, as a true powerhouse, with full multitasking, not something that you can do a couple of basic things with.
maybe HTC and MS should sue apple for copying multitasking on a smartphone
who gives a damn about jailbreaking the iphmoan? this isn't an apple forum..
Kalavere said:
Yes. You can be on a call and continue watching a movie also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately I do not have the phone in hand but I have an HD2 user that has a hard time with entering their exchange password to get in to multi task while on a call. disabling the password probably wont work and is not a good idea. I assume there is an auto lock while on a call that he may be able to disable. any help or ideas? your help is much appreciated.
Tomb77 said:
Thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately I do not have the phone in hand but I have an HD2 user that has a hard time with entering their exchange password to get in to multi task while on a call. disabling the password probably wont work and is not a good idea. I assume there is an auto lock while on a call that he may be able to disable. any help or ideas? your help is much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything should work exactly the same while on a call... just hit the home button or start button to get whereever you need to go. Now, depending on your network, you may not be able to access the internet while on a call. If you're on 3g, you usually can... but if your on edge/2g, then you may not be able to.
An example of multitasking (seeing as that is what the op asked for):
Today. after almost bricking it setting it up how i like it (it's only a week old) i did a hard reset. Since that point i have had, the wifi on and wifi remote access doing various things, activesync doing it's thing on direct push to my exchange server, msn messenger bugging the hell out of me, pocketmusic keeping me entertained, facebook for windows mobile pissing me off, various explorer windows, word 2010 (you gotta do some work sometime), the text messaging app keeping up with the boys (and girls) that i call friends and phm registry editor (so i can install the tweaks i like) all running at the same time, since about 9am. The phone has lagged a lil here and there but nothing that has worried me and yeah the wifi needed a rest a couple of times coz the chip was getting hot and the packet loss was getting a bit high but overall i think it's done well considering it was getting hammered. Battery hasn't needed charging yet either (and it's not an extended one).
I've got a couple of friends that have (and i like this so i'm gonna use it) iPhmoan 3GS' and they want the 4G. I'm constantly being pestered by them to switch (i'm on my 5th winmo device) and all i do is laugh at them. Just yesterday one of them was wetting himself over the 4G having 256MB of ram. The direct quote he got was "my phone has 1ghz processor and 576MB of ram and can multitask better than your girlfriend. Go suck it!! It's in the corner over there" and that is my general attitude to the iphone and apple's idea of innovation right now. It's Overpriced, useless, unintuitive, lazy, anti competitive and designed to generate nothing but profit for apple. Anyone that want's or has one is more stupid than they look and far richer too.
I don't want to get into the details of my upcoming presentation, I'm not in sales. We're looking into potential tools in my workplace. I need suggestions for reasons why the Evo is an ideal smart phone. I've already outlined the obvious (Android's apps, large screen, 4G, fast...) and I DO NOT want to compare it with the iPhone.
I'm looking for bells and whistles (because of my target audience), things that other phones can't do--stupid cell phone tricks like, using your laptop remotely with your android device, that sort of thing...
I just need a few suggestions... thanks.
-jac
** I can't root the phone either.
I always get the best reaction out of Layar and Google Sky.
everytime i show phonemypc app to my coworkers they freak. might give that a look worth the 10 bucks
Presentation you say? How about HDMI?
Plug your phone into a massive projector or TV.
Then play a video on youtube about some features and you're good.
Also mobile hotspots/tethering means people can connect to your phone through wifi and use your 3G-4G internet on any device.
It has an err kickstand.
If you really wanted to you could run a desktop operating system on it, though you would need to root..
8MP camera for great still shots in ample lit rooms.
Some cool games in the market.
Of course theres flash!!
Can't think of anything else right now..
if we're talking stock unrooted, i really like the intergration sense did with contacts/facebook/twitter/gmail. i also show off the kickstand (it gets more oooh/aaah reactions than i expected).
tethering and a good cellular signal (lol you'd be surprised how many people ask me that) also comes up.
Show them Proxoid and explain the free tethering if they root.
Get a copy of LogMeIn Beta (it's floating around on here...) and show it.
Qik/Fring video chat
Google Voice
Google Maps + Navigation (If any of the people you're showing to are travelers/sales, show them the turn-by-turn navigation on the BIG screen, for free.)
SwiftKey and Swype
Voice Dial/Search
Gesture Search
Show them all their Google stuff syncs to it (email, contacts, etc.) so if they lose their phone, it breaks, whatever, they still have everything important.
Dropbox (Very useful for sales, doing presentations and whatnot)
Just let them use it for a little while, the EVO sells itself
How about voice-to-text feature.
Show them the screen; all 4.3 inches
if they are iphone users, show them you can install an app from the sd card without rooting your phone, the turn by turn is good to show off, facebook intergration, high quailty youtube vids,
Tell them how it f*cking prints money, builds you an island, and then flies you to it
All kidding aside, the kickstand is a huge one. If you're in a 4G area, big seller there, notification LED for missed calls/texts/emails/etc, front camera, HDMI if you have a good TV there.
Take off the battery cover and show them the MANLAND hiding inside!
scev5 said:
everytime i show phonemypc app to my coworkers they freak. might give that a look worth the 10 bucks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, PhoneMyPC is exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for. That is an intense app. Thanks, I'd never heard of it. I'll try it tonight.
RemoteDroid - use your phone as a trackball keyboard to control your computer on the same wifi network, useful for powerpoint presentations etc (it's also been recently open sourced)
USB webcam - although in its infancy, allows you to use the evo's camera as a webcam on your pc. Its choppy, but it works if you're in a pinch.
Touchdown - An email client with activesync support for exchange accounts, one of the only mail apps that allowed me to access mail at work
Rockplayer - Plays a variety of multimedia files without the need to recompress, simply drag/drop to sdcard and play
Astrid tasks - An open source todo list manager that you can schedule notifications for, also has a widget for easy viewing of pending tasks.
PureCalendar - Self explanatory
Gmote.
With Gmote, you can use your phone as a remote control for your PC or laptop, including using it as a keyboard if you want. I use it often for PowerPoint presentations.
Geniusdog254 said:
Tell them how it f*cking prints money, builds you an island, and then flies you to it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget it can grant you 3 wishes
redrazr7791 said:
Don't forget it can grant you 3 wishes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And one of those wishes can be for an iPhone 4 with the bigger geebees, the whyfies, and the three-gees. And it has apps.
TiKL - push to talk function to other Android phones for free.
Check out my thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=715767
Cool apps not found in market and some great unknown apps that are in the market. You'll get some cool ideas here as well as download links.
Don't forget to highlight Google Maps & Navigation...as it's hands down the best maps GPS application out there BAR NONE - and it's free.
A few people also mentioned this, but the text-to-speech integration is also insanely cool.
And Swype (or really swapping out any stock keyboard) is a nice touch, as most phones are locked to a single input type.
If your phone is rooted, it also wouldn't hurt to use ShootMe or the other screenshot app I'm drawing a blank on ATM...I believe you can even remotely display the phone interface on a PC, which does wonders for any kind of presentation.
Then there's the cheese - games, live wallpaper.
DELL STREAK FAQ;S
What Android build is currently on the Phone?
The streak has been released with Android 1.6.
When will Android 2.2 be available?
Different sources have said that an OTA (over the air) upgrade will be ready in September.
Can I load custom Roms onto my streak?
Yes, See this link. LINK
Can I root my streak?
Yes, Yes see this link LINK
Can i use an ipod cable with the phone?
No, the ipod cable is very different despite its similar appearances. Although some people have reported that the ipod cable fits, it can cause damage to the connector on the phone. It is rumoured that the Streak uses a PDMI connection, currently people are looking at testing other cables.
How do I rename a folder?
Press and hold the folder until it turns red. Press the Menu button then select Rename Folder. (Thanks Grizlore)
How do I delete a folder or widget?
Press and hold the folder icon or widget until it turns red. Press the Menu button then select Remove from Home or Uninstall. (Thanks Metoo)
Why is my touchscreen unresponsive?
You may need to calibrate it.
If you have not install Koush's recovery then you start the device from a cold boot holding down the camera button.
If you have installed Koush's recovery then you do the same but hold down BOTH of the volume control buttons. (Thanks Popetodd)
How can I sync my itunes library with my streak?
Doubletwist or iSyncr Lite seem to work for people.
Does the streak support Multi-touch?
Yes and no. Yes the streak does as can be seen from the browser; however, Android 2.x is required for other programs to use multi-touch.
Why does the dell keyboard not auto-correct?
You need to enable word suggestions. To enable this, go to settings, locale & text, android keyboard settings, make sure show suggestions & quick fixes are both enabled.
How come multiple key presses are not recognised in games or emulators?
Multi-touch is required and will be coming with the 2.2 update.
My streaks battery cover is loose...
Press hard on the sucker and it will go on nice and tight.
My battery drains really quickly, even when I'm not using it.
Make sure you don't have apps open in the background that constantly use data. I found fring and sometimes dolphin browser will use data in the background and significantly reduce battery life. Look at what you have installed recently and uninstall things until your problem is fixed, then reinstall stuff and try to determine what it was.
Can I unlock my streak?
Not yet.
Can I change the orientation of the home screen to portrait?
No. BUT you can use a different launched like ADW launcher in the market.
Why does the streak have a 30FPS frame rate limit?
We think its because of the HDMI out, hopefully Dell or some intrepid hackers will resolve this...
Can I use my streak as a wireless hub, or to tether?
If your streak is rooted, most programs in the market seem to work fine. Barnacle works very well for a wifi hub and easytether works well for just plain ole tethering.
Can I make video calls on my streak using the front facing camera?
Yep, Fring works well.
I hate the stock email client, what are some good replacements?
Maildroid works very well, as does k-9 mail.
Can I change the time it takes for the Streak to divert calls to my Voice mail
Yes dial this from your phone dialler
**61*901*11*??#
Replace ?? with the number of seconds required
e.g. **61*901*11*30#
Will make the Streak ring for 30seconds before it goes to Voice mail, increments can be set at 5secs intervals
How To Delete Search History In the App Market ?
Use a Tool Like History Eraser it Free in th Market Look HERE
The list of FAQ'S is a working progress and please PM me if you have any changes and thanks to COURTLANDRE over at MODACO for compiling this
I think these need to be addressed as soon as possible in the next software update:
Gapless Audio Playback
Individual Volume Controls (Ringer, Music, Phone, Speakerphone, Games)
Showing MAC Address in Settings
DLNA Support - Playback and Server
Audio Enhancement Settings (equalizer, SRS WoW, etc.)
Better SkyDrive Support (all file types)
File Browser/USB mode
...
*An actual theme changer not just colors
*Able to change the button functions, Like say the camera button to only take pictures and not turn on the camera
*Task manager
*Like to hide the album art on the zune player and just use the zune artist background.
*Windows Media Remote control
*More control over the WiFi functions
*Bluetooth audio play back for video
*Fix the tile layout on the phone bottom tiles are cut off.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
Video sharing! Via MMS
Also, all possible screens should also work in Landscape rotation
Wider keyboard in landscape rotation
Basics
Ability to connect to hidden wifi networks
vcard support (especially with no cut & paste - there's no even remotely convenient way to send contact info to other contacts)
Bing results (local) should have an "add to contacts" option
BTW - this thread should be in the WP7 General forum...
Save camera settings!! This is annoying
When you start typing in the search box in maps, it should bring up a list of suggestions from your address book.
Ahh yes I just notice no Bing local for us, but for anyother phone out there it works.. What is up with microsoft's apps being junk for their own platorm. I tried using Microsoft Tag and it's garbage... Triple P's
ITDRAGON said:
Ahh yes I just notice no Bing local for us, but for anyother phone out there it works.. What is up with microsoft's apps being junk for their own platorm. I tried using Microsoft Tag and it's garbage... Triple P's
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bing local works well for me. Better results than google maps... I understand this is not the case outside the US, however...
And PLEASE ADD SOME KIND OF FILTER TO THE MARKETPLACE!!
I swear if I see one more fart app I am going to go nuts! I understand that the idea is to get the marketplace upp to a high number of apps in a short amount of time, to show that the Marketplace is growing faster than the Android Marketplace did, but it cheapens the whole experience when half of the apps are just douchebaggery (I'm looking at you "I'm Rich" app, $499.99...please)
Also, please sync SkyDrive documents with the phone - completely. If I'm working on a OneNote notebook, why can't I see it on the phone?
How about watching videos via 3G in high quality instead of it being so grainy! Funny that the Captivate, which is almost identical to Focus offers that option. Must be a Windows platform downfall... Still Focus > Captivate in my opinion!
Hello folks,
My father-in-law showed up to visit with an Acer A501 in hand. He was challenged in getting it to work according to his needs, so I offered to take a look...
His "needs":
Google Voice via WiFi for "telephone" operations
Skype video conferencing (with front-facing cam)
Light Email usage
Netflix / Pandora
I was baffled that:
Google Voice (and various other things I expected to see) were missing from Market
Skype installed, but without video support from either cam
Netflix didn't show up in the Market either...
Bluetooth paired to a Plantronics Voyager Pro headset, but wouldn't see the Headset or Handsfree profiles offered by the device... WTF?
...the internal mic seemed nearly-worthless at first use
BTW, shortly after connecting it to WiFi, the Acer proposed downloading an update (v4.0.something - about ~370MB). The WiFi kept dropping and I had to set it to never disconnect to the update.
Unfortunately, the update didn't address any of the issues above. I suspect these are by brain-dead-design, rather than any inherent limitations of the hardware or of Honeycomb, but finding out what's up with this is why I'm posting here... I did search a bit and browse this Acer forum, but I confess to running out of time and I apologize for missing the answers if they're up here.
So, what's up with all this? Will I be able to work-around these things with a custom ROM sans Acer-or-Google-imposed limitations?
Thanks!
bmeek said:
Google Voice (and various other things I expected to see) were missing from Market
Skype installed, but without video support from either cam
Netflix didn't show up in the Market either...
Bluetooth paired to a Plantronics Voyager Pro headset, but wouldn't see the Headset or Handsfree profiles offered by the device... WTF?
...the internal mic seemed nearly-worthless at first use
--SNIP--
So, what's up with all this? Will I be able to work-around these things with a custom ROM sans Acer-or-Google-imposed limitations?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These limitations aren't either Google's nor Acer's design. It's Skype who has decided not to support video, it's part of this marketing campaign in the US where only a select carriers' phones will get videocalling in Skype. Similarly, Netflix is doing exactly the same thing, that's why it's only designed to work on a selected set of devices.
Apparently Netflix can be made to work on A500 though, haven't seen anyone being successful with regards to Skype.
Well
No Skype support for video calls. This is due to Skype, not Acer.
Netflix has not added support for the a500 yet - but we have a work around that enables it and allows you to watch video - you will need to root your Iconia first, however.
Netflix patch for Iconica : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1116393&page=5
root for Iconia (assuming your ota update gave you 3.1): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1138228
Pandora should work just fine with no Modding.
Hope that helps.
entropy.of.avarice said:
No Skype support for video calls. This is due to Skype, not Acer.
Netflix has not added support for the a500 yet - but we have a work around that enables it and allows you to watch video - you will need to root your Iconia first, however.
Netflix patch for Iconica : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1116393&page=5
root for Iconia (assuming your ota update gave you 3.1): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1138228
Pandora should work just fine with no Modding.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the answers. I gathered that about Skype - lack of video being their choice and treating the tab like a simple smart phone...
My suspicions of "by-design limitations" were bolstered by the elusiveness of Google Voice (I did find the posts about getting that working , and the annoying fact that with default browser settings the tablet is seen as a mobile phone and gets limited page views... Why GV doesn't show in the Market, after all this time (I saw some rather old posts about this and other Honeycomb tabs), still has me wondering.
Thanks again.
bmeek said:
Thanks for the answers. I gathered that about Skype - lack of video being their choice and treating the tab like a simple smart phone...
My suspicions of "by-design limitations" were bolstered by the elusiveness of Google Voice (I did find the posts about getting that working , and the annoying fact that with default browser settings the tablet is seen as a mobile phone and gets limited page views... Why GV doesn't show in the Market, after all this time (I saw some rather old posts about this and other Honeycomb tabs), still has me wondering.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In your browser, click the icon in the top right corner, select "settings" then "advanced" and you can change the view mode from mobile to desktop. Also most mobile sites will have a link to switch the session from mobile to full.
Welcome! Glad to help always.
acer a501 update
just like to let everyone know that acer a501 ics update is now ready for download
downloaded it myself here in australia 15 mins ago. fast and stable and looks great