The Ultimate Android Guide for Beginners and Experts.

[Strapped]

rbk putting in good work ,i also need my next phone to have finger print unlock

 

[Rohiggidy]

damn yo yall treading this android shyt like its a religion...i cant really see anything that adds to my stock apps and sites i already use (using 4.0). do yours though

Read the thread title. I am organizing material so people better understand their phone

 

[Rohiggidy]

We hate android skins sometimes
Rettinger's Rants: Manufacturer Android Skins


Android custom roms
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uLexpG5eFQ&list=UUR0AnNR7sViH3TWMJl5jyxw&index=42&feature=plcp"]Android Custom Roms - YouTube[/ame]

Too many phones
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvgOL5esTuw&list=UUR0AnNR7sViH3TWMJl5jyxw&index=56&feature=plcp"]Rettinger's Rants: Too Many Phones! - YouTube[/ame]

switching back to android
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYYzxeRg14g&list=UUR0AnNR7sViH3TWMJl5jyxw&index=136&feature=plcp"]I'm Switching Back to Android! - YouTube[/ame]

Hate Android Fragmentation? Buy a Nexus
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQNZpwiFUS0&list=UUR0AnNR7sViH3TWMJl5jyxw&index=140&feature=plcp"]Hate Android Fragmentation? Buy a Nexus. - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Rohiggidy]

Galaxy Camera

 

[Rohiggidy]

with android 4.0 google introduced the holo theme which makes the app look 100% better and more organized. They got rid of all hardware buttons and capactive buttons in favor of software onscreen soft keys buttons.
http://developer.android.com/design/index.html
Here's a list of all the ones from the comments that I've tried and can confirm are Holo themed.

BOOKS & REFERENCE
Audiobooks for Android
Formulae Pro | Formulae
Google I/O 2012
Google Play Books
LoboWiki - Wikipedia Reader
Minecraft O
Moon+ Reader Pro | Moon+ Reader
Urban Dictionary Pro Key | Urban Dictionary

BUSINESS
Locale
Talent Scout - Dribble Client

COMICS
Dark Horse Comics
Komik Reader - Donation | Komik Reader - Free

COMMUNICATION
Android 4 ICS Calendar
Android 4.1 JB Messaging SMS
Bonfire - Campfire for Android
Chrome
Current Caller ID
eBuddy XMS
Facebook Messenger
Falcon for Twitter (Beta)
FolderSync | FolderSync Lite
Gmail
Google Voice
ICS Browser + (Donate Version) | ICS Browser +
imo
Lantern: A Campfire Client
Maildroid
Mentions
mysms: Remote SMS for PC & Mac
Reddit Mail Paid | Reddit Mail (ad-free)
SyncSMS
TabletSMS by DeskSMS
XDA Premium HD
xScope Browser Pro - Web File

EDUCATION
TED
Timetable+ School Scheduler | Timetable School Scheduler

ENTERTAINMENT
Chant ***** Browser
E! Online
ImgurDice
Lampshade
Mizuu
Nine: 9GAG for Android
Papermill
Reddit Sync Pro | Reddit Sync
SeriesGuide X | SeriesGuide Show Manager
StumbleUpon
Telemundo Novelas
TVCatchup
TV Show Favs
Фильмоскоп ("Filmscope")

FINANCE
Bitcoin Wallet
Bitcoin Wallet for Testnet
Calculations 4.0 Pro | Calculations 4.0 Free
Google Wallet
Lemon.com - Manage your money.
PayPal
PayPal Calculator
Quotes

HEALTH & FITNESS
BMI Calculator - Ideal Weight
Endomondo Sports Tracker PRO | Endomondo Sports Tracker
Sleep Time - Alarm Clock
Trackthisforme

LIBRARIES & DEMO

LIFESTYLE
Pay with Square
Rounds
Ultimate Stopwatch & Timer

LIVE WALLPAPER
MEDIA & VIDEO
Ceton Companion | Media Center
DicePlayer
DoggCatcher Podcast Player
Google Play Movies
mVideoPlayer Pro | mVideoPlayer
Photo Locker Pro | Photo Locker - Hide pictures
Popcorn Player (float pop-up)
Podkicker Pro Podcast Player
SwatchMatic
Vaulty Stocks | Hide Pictures in Vaulty
Ustream
Video Locker Pro | Video Locker - Hide videos
YouTube

MEDICAL
Pocket Lab Values

MUSIC & AUDIO
7digital Music Store
Apollo Music Player
AudioManager Pro | AudioManager
CyanogenMod 9 Music
Dood's Music Player | Dood's Music Ad Remover
Gigbeat
Google Play Music
Hipstacast – Podcast client
musiXmatch Lyrics & Music
MX Player
Online Radio
Rdio
Ringtone Studio
Sensor music player
Songkick Concerts
SoundHound ∞ | Soundhound
Spotify
Vevo

NEWS & MAGAZINES
Ad Hawk
BeyondPod | BeyondPod Unlock Key
Blar
Congress
D7 Google Reader Pro (RSS) | D7 Google Reader (RSS | News)
DNP
GoodNews (Google Reader | RSS) | GoodNews Pro License
Google Currents
Google Reader
Instapaper
JustReader News Key - RSS | JustReader News - RSS
Latest Quakes
Minimal Reader Pro | Minimal Reader
Nave360 2
NYTimes app for phone
Pocket -formerly Read It Later
Pulse News
Reader HD | Reader HD Free
ReadIt Pro | ReadIt
Reddita (Ad-Free) | Reddita
reddit is fun
Reddit Mag+ | Reddit Mag
Reddit News | Reddit News Free
The Verge

PERSONALIZATION
Apex Launcher Pro | Apex Launcher
HD Widgets
Holo Launcher Plus | Holo Launcher
Holo Launcher HD
Holo Locker
Nova Launcher Prime | Nova Launcher
Pattrn

PHOTOGRAPHY
Camera ICS+ | Camera ICS
Gallery ICS
FxCamera
QuickPic
Shot Control

PRODUCTIVITY
Adobe Reader
ADK 2012
AntTek Explorer ProKey | AntTek Explorer (File Manager)
Astrid Task/To-do List
Box
Calculator
Calendar Droid | Calendar Droid Free
Catch Notes Notepad
Cerberus anti theft
DataSync+ | DataSync
Dropbox
Evernote
Google Analytics
Google Drive
GTasks: To Do List | Task List | GTasks Key For Premium Feature
Holo Clock | Holo Clock Demo
Holo Notes
HoloPad (Beta)
inKa File Manager Plus | inKa File Manager
JotterPad HD
mAnalytics Pro | mAnalytics
Notes for ICS (Donate) | Notes for ICS with Tasks Sync
Package Buddy Pro | Package Buddy
Regularly
Root Explorer (File Manager)
Safe In Cloud Password Manager
Simple Calendar Widget
SkyDrive
Tablified Market HD Lite
Tasks | Tasks Free
Tasks To Do Pro, To-Do List | Tasks To Do Free, To-Do List
Textgram Pro | Textgram
Timer
Touch Calendar | Touch Calendar Free
TunesRemote+

SHOPPING
EggDrop
Google Catalogs
Google Offers
myFood - Shopping Lists
NET-A-PORTER
RedLaser Barcode & QR Scanner
RetailMeNot Coupons
Shopper
Woot Check

SOCIAL
AppAware Find the Best Apps
Amenoid
Boid for Twitter (Beta)
bugSquare
Bump
Chime.in for Android
Cnectd
Downtown
Everyme
Fast for Facebook (Beta)
Flipster for Facebook
Foursquare
Google+
GroupMe
HaxSync - 4.x Facebook Sync
Hooha for App.net
photup for Facebook
Plume for Twitter
Quora
Reddionic Donate | Reddionic
Reddit ET Pro | Reddit ET Free
Robot Bird | Robot Bird Pro
SimpleFeed
Tweedle for Twitter
Tweetification
Tweet Lanes
TweetLine
UberSocial for Twitter

SPORTS
ESPN College Football
London 2012 Join In App | London 2012 Results App
MLB.com At Bat 12 | MLB.com At Bat Lite | MLB.com At the Ballpark
MLS MatchDay 2012
NFL Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Sports Calendar
Team Stream
The 2012 Open Championship
Thuuz Sports

TOOLS
AdAway
Android 4.1 Jellybean Launcher
Battery Widget? Reborn! Pro | Battery Widget? Reborn! (BETA)
CloudMagic
Display brightness (Pro) | Display brightness
File Explorer
Flick Widgets
Holo Compass
Holo File Browser Alpha 8
Google Authenticator
Google Translate
Google Translate
Icy Time
Kitchen Timer for ICS
Light Flow - LED Control | Light Flow Lite - LED Control
MoreQuicklyPanel
MyScript Calculator
Notification History Pro | Notification History
Permission Aware for Android
Pixel Perfect
Playboard Personal App Guide
Power Toggles
Real Colors Pro | Real Colors Lite
Remote Transmission
SetCPU for Root Users
SMS Backup & Restore Pro | SMS Backup & Restore
SMS Popup
Superuser
Synodroid Pro | Synodroid
SyPressure
Transdroid
Temperature Converter HD
Timer & Stopwatch Holo
TogglePanel
Unit Converter HD
Usage Timelines Pro | Usage Timelines Free
Vellamo Mobile Benchmark
WiFinspect [Root]
Xplorer PRO | Xplorer

TRANSPORTATION
Fuelio Pro Key / Donate | Fuelio

TRAVEL & LOCAL
HipMunk Hotel & Flight Search
FlightTrack Free
Google Earth
My Disney Experience - WDW

WEATHER
BeWeather & Widgets Pro | BeWeather
Weather Eye

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVUJrGVDBvY"]Best Holo Themed Android Apps: Timer by Opoloo - YouTube[/ame]

WIDGETS

 

[Rohiggidy]

The difference between GSM nexus and Carrier brand nexus etc
GSM- no LTE. HSPA+ only. can be used unlock on t-mobile or AtnT via straight talk. Updates comes directly from Google.

Carrier nexus- has LTE, the updates comes from google then are tested by the carrier for bugs and create new radio. The updates are often delayed for months

Where to buy GSM nexus
https://play.google.com/store/devic...XZpY2VzX1VTX18xX3Byb21vXzEzNDkyNjE2OTA5NDAiXQ..

 

[Rohiggidy]

Straight talk plans and speeds via xda
[INFO][Speedtest]AT&T Straight Talk vs T-Mobile Straight Talk - xda-developers

Both speedtest were tested on my Galaxy Nexus and at the same spot. I used the T-Mobile sim for 2 weeks and the speeds were very consistent, before giving it to my brother. I been on AT&T ST sim for about 4 days now, and I have yet to go above 3mbps. YouTube videos constantly buffers when viewed in HD.

Well, here are the results in Southern California (Riverside county to be exact).
Left is T-mobile

At&T

 

[Rohiggidy]

Read this thread
[GUIDE] Smartphone Service for just $30/month - xda-developers

Overview.
My set up relies heavily upon Google Voice for call forwarding, texting, voicemail, and VoIP calls via (Talkatone, GrooveIP, or (lately) SipDroid+PBXes.org) when connected to Wifi. I use T-Mobile's $30 Monthly 4G plan with 100 minutes, unlimited texts, and 5GB of data at "4G" speeds. I make use of a few highly-customized Tasker profiles to automatically enable Airplane Mode when I'm connected to one of my preferred Wifi Access Points; this conserves battery and forces incoming calls to ring my VoIP softphone.

 

[Rohiggidy]

setting up Google voice

 

[Rohiggidy]

How to back up your Gmail contact/Phone contact.


android 4.0 and above
Star a contact to save it to your contact. Phone contacts will sync to every new device and phone
You can star the contacts you communicate with most frequently. Then you can view just your starred contacts in the Favorites tab.

To star a contact:

Open your phone contact.
Touch a personal contact to view its details.
Touch the star at the top of the screen. should be grey...touch to turn to white. contact is now saved permanently
The star highlights.

To unstar a contact:

View the details for a starred contact.
Touch the white star at the top of the screen.

 

[Rohiggidy]

Reasons why Android is the best platform. They area plethora of choices
Hidden gems
Google has enabled smart updates for apps in its Play Store, reports Android Police, reducing download sizes and times. Rather than downloading a whole new APK file for each app, devices now only download data unavailable in their existing versions, corresponding to changes and new functionality — a difference known as the delta. The Play Store still shows a download bar for the full size of the package, but switches to the "Installing..." screen as soon as the necessary data has been grabbed.

Announced back at Google I/O in June, the feature coincides with an update to the Play Store itself, but does not appear to depend on it — implemented as a server-side change, it will work with older versions too. Users who haven't yet downloaded Instagram's recent update should be able to see the functionality clearly, with Android Police reporting a decrease in total size from 13MB to 3MB, a welcome cut for those without immediate access to Wi-Fi.

Google announces Play Store gift cards sold through Target, GameStop, and RadioShack.Google is officially rolling out physical gift cards for the Play Store. The new cards will come in denominations of $10, $25, and $50, and they can be used for just about anything in the Play Store, including in-app purchases but excluding physical goods or app and magazine subscriptions. Over the next few weeks, Google says Target, GameStop, and RadioShack will all start offering the cards in stores, with Walmart to stock them online later in August. For now at least, the cards are available only in the US.

Google Play Store sees whooping 137% increase in revenue in the first 7 months of 2012







[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCnt__Qh95I"]Google Nexus 7 introduction - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSnB06um5r4"]Google Glasses Project - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP1gvGcXcLk&feature=related"]Amazing Google Glasses Demonstration at Google I/O 2012 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCVMvvXHqxU"]Google Project Butter Android 4.1 Jelly Bean - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cDhRiU2inc"]HTC One X+ Hands On Review! - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IUaHKxsfQI"]LG Optimus G official hands-on by LG - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuhS9kjDWDo"]Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX HD Hands-On - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Rohiggidy]

Google Wallet for Samsung Galaxy S3 (Verizon)
Full working demo of Google Wallet running on the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3. Follow @myz06vette @dl_evans and @jlumbert on Twitter.

My blog - Mike Beauchamp

[Update: Instructions here - https://plus.google.com/108019745978944993252/posts/ZqRXYf7NyBF]

 

[Rohiggidy]

Iphone users this is a way to crossover to android. Transfer your music from Itunes to google music
How to Get Started With Music on Google Play | PCWorld

http://mostly-tech.com/2012/01/01/842/

http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/1/3437032/ios-versus-android-the-customer-problem
iOS versus Android; The Customer Problem
Posted by thejellymon on October 1, 2012 09:29 am 8
IOS VERSUS ANDROID; THE CUSTOMER PROBLEM
When we look mobile ecosystems, its easy to have opinions, flavors, and tastes about which OS suits you best. But when it comes to innovation for the average consumer, one OS falls flat and the customers are to blame.

The OSs

There is a lot that goes into an OS, beyond the obvious, literal creation. There is the task of creating an operating system that makes sense, works, and looks beautiful—no question this is a tough and huge endeavor; its taken Microsoft years to create a platform that achieves these primary goals, and it still remains to be seen how successful it will truly be. But when you look at Android and iOS (Google vs Apple), their respective OS have had years to perfect, grow, and innovate on their technology. Who does this best? What are some of the challenges and hurdles in achieving the perfect mobile OS?



Both Android and Apple achieve high quality operating systems for smartphones (we are using ICS/JB as an example). With new iterations popping out yearly, it gets tougher and tougher to decide who the definitive winner is—if you look at statistics, Android is winning with 700,000+ devices being activated daily. Where does Apple fare in the smartphone battle and did iOS 6 achieve what we hoped? Quite simply, no, it didn’t…but don’t blame Apple.

But they can only go far, their customer base just doesn’t get it.
THE BATTLE OF CUSTOMERS
Plenty of people have yet to buy smartphones and people are constantly switching between which OS favors their habits the most. There are, however, two clear distinctions when we compare the customers of Android and iOS. Android is looking to attract a less tech-savvy customer and Apple looks to build on its already less tech-savvy customers by attracting more smartphone and computer literate users—an incredibly difficult task on both accounts.

Each group of customer either stifles or promotes particular innovations as they continue to use the OS befitting to their expectations of the product. This is often a difficult task to grasp both as designers and developers: How do you develop a product, or upgrade, when your customer or client has an expectation or desire of what the product will be?



THE STIFLED ECOSYSTEM
Its easy to pick out and say that “iOS isn’t innovating” because of some of the features they add or don’t add, but it isn’t really a fair assessment. A feature list isn’t what we call innovation, though some may debate this, innovation comes down to UX (user experience) and is the driving force for OS decisions. What does iOS look to for innovation? Do they think its important to build on their current OS to attract new customers or to retain their current users and growth?

When we look at the progression of operating systems, with every iteration, iOS seems to fall further and further behind. At the advancement of ICS/JB, and now Windows 8, iOS seems to be lacking a lot of core functionalities; I am going to tell you why.



If you look at the Apple ecosystem, they have the issue that is truly unique to them—their fanbase. While they have spent an exuberant amount of time festering the most dedicated fanbase during the creation of OS X, it didn’t take long for that same fanbase to transfer over to iOS devices…and they did so in waves. With this transition, they brought their expecations and “tech-savviness” (which is to say, not a whole lot). Before the Apple fan claims “I know about computers”, you might be an exception, most are only starting to grow and understand the differences in not only in OS (UI and UX) but also in hardware.

With the advent of iOS, iPhone, and iPad, along with some clever marketing, Apple brought a new layer of fanbase—the completely computer illiterate. Good for business, for now, but this customer base is hurting Apple. I believe that Apple is striving to innovate and create dashing new products and experiences. It would be naive to think that they wouldn’t be…with the billions in cash reserves, they ought to be working on creating incredible new products. But they can only go far, their customer base just doesn’t get it.

THE IOS CUSTOMER
Look at the customer for Apple and Android. Some of the common arguments are “just works vs open”. And though the “just works” argument is starting to fall apart with new Google iterations such as ICS and JB, it still is valid for the discussion. The type of customer to argue that Android is open is a much different customer than the one who argues “It just works, its simple”—different philosophies, ideas, and expectations.



When the iPad was introduced, it bridged the gap for the less tech-savvy to have a device that is not only pretty, but allows them to easily access “forbidden data”. They could now buy music, movies, games, browse the web, all at the tap of their fingers. No complicated permissions, locating the browser or game installs—simple and it just works. How to innovate with this customer?



Apple, it seems, is at a loss. Innovate with customers who naturally resist innovation is very difficult. Apple seems to think that adding in new features can sustain them until they figure out how to innovate and bring their customers with them. Android doesn’t have this problem. Sure there are Android fanboys and the like, but they are only really interested in having “the best OS” and they think its Android. So as long as Google continues to “try” to innovate, their customers and community will be accepting of this and move forward.

What do you think of the slowly evolving iOS ecosystem? Is it Apple’s problem or are the customers resisting innovation? Apple needs to pull it the geeks and nerds to help push innovation by having customers who are looking at new ways to use a smartphone and interact with—both in UI and UX.

An article I posted on my design blog; http://inspiredology.com/ios-versus-android-the-customer-problem/ What do you guys think of the content?

 

[Rohiggidy]

29 days with android. Story of a former Ios addict

29 Days with Android | The Verge Forums

 

[Hersh]

remove all posts -- people could ask questions in the other thread.