Database Users

just got a vibrant....oh my where to start! :)

Got a Vibrant yesterday to "try out" the android world for the first time. Must say I'm impressed by the phones performance out of the box even with all the bloatware and crap on it. I've been a windows mobile guy for quite some time now, so the people that know both platforms well, know they are two completely different monsters. My two options were the hd2 (since i know the WM world pretty well) or learn a whole new platform with the vibrant.
I like it so far, but also miss some of the things from WM (or rather miss knowing my phone well). I guess i just have to start from zero and get acquainted with it first.
Any suggestions on getting the bare down scoop of the platform and such as far as learning it from the ground up? The sticky explains how to do these things, but I need something more basic...I just wanna become proficient in the android world as I am in the WM world starting from zero.

Its hard to say where to start, the best thing about android is the customization. Playing with phone is the only way you are gonna learn, I have been an android owner since day one and am still learning new things everyday. If there is something I don't know I simply come here since this is the best android community on the web. Hope you enjoy IMO the best android phone on the market.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Yeah, really not that much to help with...everything seems pretty intuitive to me. When in doubt, long press or press menu.

My first questions were always like:
Sweet I have Avatar on here, what else Can I put on?
Oh damn, there's only a 2GB Card, and if I remove it, I lose Avatar.
WTF is amazon kindle for? I don't need this? How can I remove Bloats?
That's where I started off, you're most likely going to want to root it. Search the forums around. There's some great stickies to follow by and just go with that.
Can't wait for CM? Learn to make your own APP to have fun with ;p

phragg said:
My first questions were always like:
Sweet I have Avatar on here, what else Can I put on?
Oh damn, there's only a 2GB Card, and if I remove it, I lose Avatar.
WTF is amazon kindle for? I don't need this? How can I remove Bloats?
That's where I started off, you're most likely going to want to root it. Search the forums around. There's some great stickies to follow by and just go with that.
Can't wait for CM? Learn to make your own APP to have fun with ;p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, kindle isn't that bad considering you can get a ton of free books for it.
Sent from my Galaxy S using the XDA App

phragg said:
My first questions were always like:
Sweet I have Avatar on here, what else Can I put on?
Oh damn, there's only a 2GB Card, and if I remove it, I lose Avatar.
WTF is amazon kindle for? I don't need this? How can I remove Bloats?
That's where I started off, you're most likely going to want to root it. Search the forums around. There's some great stickies to follow by and just go with that.
Can't wait for CM? Learn to make your own APP to have fun with ;p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you could always copy Avatar onto a larger card and then go wild! That's what I did, it will play lots of 720p mkv's that you might have laying around no problem!

Long press and menu are your friends. Other than that look here on xda and use the search function. The stickies typically have the most current info.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

phragg said:
My first questions were always like:
Sweet I have Avatar on here, what else Can I put on?
Oh damn, there's only a 2GB Card, and if I remove it, I lose Avatar.
WTF is amazon kindle for? I don't need this? How can I remove Bloats?
That's where I started off, you're most likely going to want to root it. Search the forums around. There's some great stickies to follow by and just go with that.
Can't wait for CM? Learn to make your own APP to have fun with ;p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is CM?
I am a programmer by profession. Maybe I could look into the world of android programming too while im at it

phragg said:
My first questions were always like:
Sweet I have Avatar on here, what else Can I put on?
Oh damn, there's only a 2GB Card, and if I remove it, I lose Avatar.
WTF is amazon kindle for? I don't need this? How can I remove Bloats?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't have those questions. I mean the first thing i did was move avatar to my 16gb msdhc into it and go wild with my music, photo, and videos...which I'm amazed how good of sound/video quality i get on this.
I thought more of like where do how do I view flash websites, how do i stream live .pls live music streams, or smaller things like hiding apps from the notification area at the top left when they are running, or resizing certain widgets, removing some of the applications that came with the phone from t mobile, mapping buttons to do different things based on holding them down or tapping a certain amount of times, things like that that aren't explained in the user manual. Or even like right now, I'm trying to make a call and it says: "Call not sent"...well? whyyyyyyyyy? so many questions!
I don't know, I guess all this is just part of the familiarization process and will sooner or later find them out whether by experience or hunting down resources why certain behaviors and actions happen.

speoples20 said:
Long press and menu are your friends. Other than that look here on xda and use the search function. The stickies typically have the most current info.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is long press?

^ you should read the sticky. A lot of the things you mentioned, are addressed in the sticky.
Also, flash is only on Android 2.2, which we do not have yet.

achild said:
Got a Vibrant yesterday to "try out" the android world for the first time. Must say I'm impressed by the phones performance out of the box even with all the bloatware and crap on it. I've been a windows mobile guy for quite some time now, so the people that know both platforms well, know they are two completely different monsters. My two options were the hd2 (since i know the WM world pretty well) or learn a whole new platform with the vibrant.
I like it so far, but also miss some of the things from WM (or rather miss knowing my phone well). I guess i just have to start from zero and get acquainted with it first.
Any suggestions on getting the bare down scoop of the platform and such as far as learning it from the ground up? The sticky explains how to do these things, but I need something more basic...I just wanna become proficient in the android world as I am in the WM world starting from zero.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats on your new phone. Let us know how your GPS works, since that seems to be a hot issue. you can test using google maps, google navigation and GPS Test downloadable from the Android Market.

SamsungGalaxySVibrant said:
Congrats on your new phone. Let us know how your GPS works, since that seems to be a hot issue. you can test using google maps, google navigation and GPS Test downloadable from the Android Market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha that seems to be a problem with any gps enabled phone nowadays. Happened with the fuze and after months and months of tweaking and tweaking we got a hang of it. I tried the GPS yesterday on my way home from work yesterday and did not get a lock, i went ahead and downloaded gps test today to see if that will unlock it before using the gps software. We shall see! Thanks for the heads up tho!
edit: I guess gps test on android works differently than on WM. On WM it scans through your COM ports and gets a fix for you to then use your gps navigation software.

achild said:
what is CM?
I am a programmer by profession. Maybe I could look into the world of android programming too while im at it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please do!
we could always use more programmers.

achild said:
what is long press?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instead of tapping on something you hold your finger down for a few seconds. A menu will pop up giving you options like copy and paste.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

If your phone won't play a video format, try RockPlayer
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I would recommend the market as the first place to go. Just start searching and downloading apps and play with your phone. You'll get accustomed to it very quickly!

Droidicus said:
I would recommend the market as the first place to go. Just start searching and downloading apps and pay with your phone. You'll get accustomed to it very quickly!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah thats what ive been doing. Thats another thing that amazes me about android, soooo many apps, and they are all centralized into one easy, convenient location. In wm you would find a few in the marketplace, and the rest u had to hunt down either on the forum or the web. This is slowly growing on me
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Coming from WM myself, (and just recently and very reticently turned over my beloved Wizard to my mom) the fun and unfun I have with Android:
Apps are so dratted cheap. Have at it.
Cloud connectivity. I use Picasa all the time now. It took me a while to get used to Google contacts, especially first name alphabetization, but I like it now.
You might want to look at subscribing to CompanionLink. It reliably syncs everything Outlook with your Google account (thus your phone).
Almost nothing was built into Android 1.0. Not much was added through 1.5. Some stuff has been added since, like Facebook sync, but custom ROMs don't add stuff. There's an app for everything. There has to be.
The app drawer is a hassle. I use FolderOrganizer (and ADW Launcher) to quell my addiction to organization beyond alphabetical.
It's fun to watch a few things catch up with WinMo and hear all the Android users brag about how great it is. Like app-specific auto-rotation. There's an app for it out now, but it actually costs something you'll think about, and it eats a hunk of RAM. They're just getting into animated GIFs. Lists and their apps aren't anywhere near ListPro, but they almost all have some way to sync to the cloud.
Office documents created on a PC don't always work with the Office apps that are out there. Don't bother with DocumentsToGo, but Sheadspreet is good (you have to convert first) and I'm trying OfficeSuite, and it seems the best. 30-day trial, $15. It's still not WinMo, though.
For those things you don't sync with the cloud, you can't just throw stuff in your My Documents Folder and rely on that backup. DropBox is a good app/service, and GoogleDocs is your friend. Most apps back up thier specific data to your SD, but on this phone, it's on the internal SD. You have to manually handle your backups, or do Nandroid backups (another worthwhile Google).
You have to install an app to install apps not from Market. Instead of exes their apks.
There's no Total Commander. I like Root Explorer. Astro is feature-filled. There are a million file explorers, and every one of them will have its advocates.
Flashing ROMs is tons easier, but you have to root first.
The Android world moves a lot faster. If you're off the forums for a week you'll feel like you've been in a coma for months. On the flip side, if you're waiting for something to get developed, waiting a few days feel like eternity.
Android devs work harder for a lot less, or no money; it's truly inspiring.
Before you go buying the first app that does what you want, check Market for more that do the same thing. I've found that there's a free alternative to almost everything. The paid versions/apps are more luxurious in one way or another, usually, but a little research can save you a bunch of regret.
Widgets suck RAM. Before you know it you've got 25 and you're wondering why your Home screen is lagging. Phones are finite. Even these.
CM is CyanogenMod. Google it, it's worth it. They started on XDA and it got out of control, so they have their own site now, although the threads still hanging on XDA re CM are a much more interesting read. It seems to be the most popular set of ROMS for a variety of devices. I follow and flash them (the ROMs, that is. I dont want the devs to hate me).
Double entendres are rampant. It's Google.
Once you get your apps organized, you'll be surprised at how smoothly your phone useage goes. Frankly, it's just more fun, and much cheaper, to play with.

SamsungGalaxySVibrant said:
Congrats on your new phone. Let us know how your GPS works, since that seems to be a hot issue. you can test using google maps, google navigation and GPS Test downloadable from the Android Market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tested it. Google maps got no lock. However, gps test gave me 3 satellites, when I held it in front, under the windshiels it jumped to five satellites, but it wasn't enough for google maps to lock or get my location.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

The damn automatic key lock...

Just got my vibrant today and it auto locks almost immediately. Does anyone have a fix for this? Thanks in advance.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

It's under settings->sound and display... 1 minute works great and under the appliactions->Development you can also set it so that it doesn't turn off while plugged into USB (charging). That was a god send when I rooted and put the deodexed ROM on.
Regards,
B

Thanks for the quick reply. Do u know if there is a easy way to keep it from [email protected] all? I would prefer to just lock myself...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Get NoLock from the market.

Yes, nolock. An essential item. I pity all the regular people that don't go on forums with these phones, Samsung and Android are really going to alienate a lot of them. I suppose regular people go for the iphone though so maybe I don't have a point after all.

There is an awesome app called LockDelay that allows you to screen-off your phone after whatever time you specify, and then it will automatically lock it after yet another time you specify.
I HIGHLY recommend it, it really allows you to secure your phone and save your battery by turning that screen off.

bwolmarans said:
I pity all the regular people that don't go on forums with these phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just sold a Vibrant in my T-Mobile store today. My rep was showing the customer hers and the customer asked her opinion, he also noticed I had one (I'm the store manager) so I walked over and struck up some conversation to close the deal. As I scrolled through the screen he noticed the XDA app icon and inquired about it. I gave him a few pointers and explained he should joined because there's a wealth of knowledge to be found on these forums. I've found having that little app installed on my phone, as well as our Android live demos is a nice way to introduce customers and new Android owners to XDA.

stock phone is very good. but after customizing, it becomes a whole different android experience.

Thanks for all the tips... I installed no lock, and set the screen to a min an its doing the trick.
Side note, its amazing that I could make the jump from blackberry an transition to the vibrant, can u think of 2 more different phones.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App Thanks for the help this forum is a great resource.

ThinPhone vs iPhone 4...?
-bZj

ledbetter.james said:
Thanks for all the tips... I installed no lock, and set the screen to a min an its doing the trick.
Side note, its amazing that I could make the jump from blackberry an transition to the vibrant, can u think of 2 more different phones.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App Thanks for the help this forum is a great resource.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are two very different phones, but as someone works in the industry, my opinion is that RIM hasn't helped themselves by keeping the Berry in the "stone age." Don't get me wrong. I understand they still have a strong following and a huge success in the business market, but Android is catching up and can be used just as well if you have the right phone. Glad you made the jump and the transition is going well.

Who can build me a custom rom?

Noob here! I hope I didn't post this in the wrong section. I'm wondering who of the pros could build me a custom rom for some htc devices (aria, thunderbolt, and maybe inspire) or if you have one that may be fitting for my needs. I'm sure I could learn how and do it with a kitchen[I made a few for WM devices before]. Or perhaps someone would be willing to walk me through learning how-{I know nothing about programming though}. Right now the Aria is most important as I haven't rooted my Tbolt yet. I find there are lot of roms out there I could try but I need something very stable (I'm giving this Aria to a kid and dont want to have to fix it for him all the time). I don't have the time to follow all this dev stuff and feel like learnig it myself will be a little overwelming...PM me if you feel like
For the Aria...
Im OK with Sense but like to use ADW launcher
Strip out all bloatware including Facebook, Friend Stream, Mobi TV,IM, Mobile Banking, Peep, Where, YPMobile, Weather, Stocks, Utube, Talk, News, All AT&T stuff
Remove Internet App
Remove Gmail & Mail App
Android 2.2 or higher would be cool but not nessiccary
Kill the Market
Ad Google Voice
If you know of a good firewall that can block data except for certain apps (like Voice)
Edit: Swype would be nice too!
Basically He's a kid and I don't want him to have access to all the [email protected] out there That even the cheap stripped AT&T phones have so I chose an Android so i can customize it.

I have a better suggestion, if it's a kid who shall use a smartphone, either change the phone type or go to Wi-Fi Wireless settings in Android and set 3G and Wi-Fi off. A kid isn't smart enought to start the wi-fi and if he does, make sure your wi-fi is password protected (encrypted). Because you can make sure the phone can't access the internet without 2G/3G - Wi-Fi disabled.
Smarter solution then bricking the phone ^^,

If the aria is rooted just uninstall all those apk.
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA Premium App

Yeah but why? If he uninstall Market, how will he get it back? Suppose he could find something like Market.Apk or download it from a update or recovery(?).
Sounds meaningless to go throught that much trouble just to make sure your kid can't access the internet.

Sounds like he needs a butt naked Cm7 or MIUI..........or a flip phone lol

Just install CyanogenMod without the google apps that should cover most of it
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

You guys really don't know kids this days, he will get all this stuff back in no time

roalex said:
You guys really don't know kids this days, he will get all this stuff back in no time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA Premium App

Ya im a kid and the only way my parents can only get my data gone by taking it off the plan o would easily get it back
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

I'm not sure if this applies to the aria or not, but on my phone (verizon fascinate), there is a file named pppd_runner in /system/bin/ that, when removed, "breaks" data. Wifi will still work (not sure how to break that though), but he will not be able to receive MMS messages.
You need to be rooted to remove this file, and if you want to restore data on his phone you can simply restore the file. I suggest you backup the file somewhere safe and then remove it.
As for the internet-related apps, you could always remove the .apk files from the phone using titanium backup, root explorer, etc.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

How old is the kid?
Do as you're told and install a CyanogenMod 7 (clean), chance that you brick your phone is there but if you do it perfectly it's nothing to worry about.

Errr Get titanium backup and unistall what you dont want !

What about a "media player" ROM?

Along with many others, I am moving on from my still perfectly usable EVO. I have a daughter who wants an ipod touch and I was thinking of converting the EVO. Since she wants the ipod, I was thinking of MIUI with the phone components stripped out. I don't have the skill to hide everything (nor the time to learn). But, I would think basics could be done by most of us...unless there is someone with that skill, and more interest than just me in this becoming a ROM.
ROM or not ("not" meaning a one off that I do for my use), the EVO will be a more than suitable mobile media/game machine as it's been for me since launch day. Anyone else done this?

MIUI I would think. Use Root Explorer to rip our the phone stuff and other .apk you don't want. Leave in Market and maybe Amazon Appstore so she can get games and music
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

uniquenameevo said:
Along with many others, I am moving on from my still perfectly usable EVO. I have a daughter who wants an ipod touch and I was thinking of converting the EVO. Since she wants the ipod, I was thinking of MIUI with the phone components stripped out. I don't have the skill to hide everything (nor the time to learn). But, I would think basics could be done by most of us...unless there is someone with that skill, and more interest than just me in this becoming a ROM.
ROM or not ("not" meaning a one off that I do for my use), the EVO will be a more than suitable mobile media/game machine as it's been for me since launch day. Anyone else done this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not leave the phone stuff in it wouldn't hurt anything I don't think
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

That is what my old Hero is essentially used for. I did not remove anything but I just installed CM7 and we keep it in Airplane Mode with (Wifi on) and my son uses it to play games.

ckoadiyn said:
Why not leave the phone stuff in it wouldn't hurt anything I don't think
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't take offense to this...but is what you asked not a bit like "why customize, it already works"?
I figured I would modify it to suit it's use.

ckoadiyn said:
Why not leave the phone stuff in it wouldn't hurt anything I don't think
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. If the phone is taken off the account it wont work a phone anymore since Sprint towers won't allow it to make or receive phone calls so it could be considered a mini tablet at that point (powerful mini tablet tho). If your daughter needs to make purchases she can use the wifi radio to connect to the internet.
The other option is to disable the radio... there is an app on the market called network that will allow you to control if you want the CDMA radio to work... you could install the app, disable the radio and then remove the app. This way IF you ever need a spare phone you can revert the process and have the CDMA radio back online.
As far as removing the phone apks... I have seen many threads that indicate that doing such thing might be a bad idea since most seem to bootloop when they are removed. It make sense that it does, after all the EVO is a phone.

uniquenameevo said:
Don't take offense to this...but is what you asked not a bit like "why customize, it already works"?
I figured I would modify it to suit it's use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand was just saying either way if u do get something you could post it lol
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

fenixjn said:
As far as removing the phone apks... I have seen many threads that indicate that doing such thing might be a bad idea since most seem to bootloop when they are removed. It make sense that it does, after all the EVO is a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. I once accidentally deleted the phone apk with root explorer and everything went to hell. Had to pull the battery and do a nand restore. Although, I'm sure if you had a ROM that was designed to operate without a phone apk, it would work just fine. Tablets don't have them.
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G with Tapatalk

MIUI is perfect for this.
I don't think I will even have to "remove" core parts (wasn't concerned since I have a nandroid of synergy from last night), just hide them. I would have liked using this before, but the 4G was a killer for me...until now.

[Q] Kid friendly rom? no phone or text

Hello everyone,
I've looked through tons of threads on this and can't find exactly what I'm looking for. I've had a family member drop off a t-mobile mytouch 4g to me and asked me to take out the phone and text capabilities for her kid. She explained that she wanted it to be more how an iPod touch is to an iPhone if that makes sense. I'm wondering if there is a rom that easily accomplishes this as all the threads I've read say do not remove those apks. My niece is three and will be using this for sesame street style games (counting, letter recognition, etc).
Tried the kidzone mode and it was beyond useless, airplane mode is already on and the sim card removed.
Currently this is running 2.3.4 android and 2.1 sense.
Let me know if you have any ideas and thank you in advance,
Drew

I don't think you're going to find that. What's she worried about if there's no SIM card? It's probably better for the kid to just have the dialer and sms vs. having root access. I did the same thing for my three yr old and haven't had an issue yet.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

Without a sim card phone and SMS won't work anyway... So nothing to be concerned with. If you are really that concerned with it you could do a root take out what you want then unroot.
The threads that say do not remove those apk's assume you actually want to use the phone as a working phone, not a media device basically.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium

If you want, I could take Cyanogen7 and unroot it, then let you flash it.... also if you want, ill take out things like titanium or anything else.