Ask NerdGirl: SHAME ON YOU, VERIZON! Android Emulation, Favorites Widget, Finding Lost Files, Apps on SD Cards, and Better Calendar!

by n3rdg1rl Jul 2, 2010 9:00 PM – 3 Comments

Please excuse me as I start my column off with a bit of a rant.

Any reader of my column knows that I have an HTC Droid Eris. I love my Eris. It’s a great phone. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t take a Motorola DROID X or a HTC Incredible if it was handed to me, but that’s besides the point. I bought my Eris at the end of November of last year. It wasn’t the best Android on the market, but I hated how heavy the Motorola DROID was and I don’t mind the touchscreen keyboard. I went happily on my way perfectly content to have this phone for the next two years until I was eligible for the upgrade.

In my mind, when I am forced into a contract, I expect the hardware that is tied into that contract to be supported for the length of the contract. Over the past seven months I have heard more and more of my beloved Eris being left in the dust to it’s big brothers. I understand. It’s not the latest and greatest anymore, but then I found out something that shocked me. Not only is Verizon no longer selling the Eris, but they are no longer supporting it. At first, I thought they meant that they wouldn’t be pushing Android 2.2 out to it, which makes sense since it’s processor is somewhat lacking. Then I found out what they REALLY meant. No more updates. At all. Software or firmware. I’m pissed!

I’m a computer technician. I am used to things becoming obsolete moments after you leave the store with them. However, in normal Computer Land, if a device is no longer manufactured, but there is a significant amount of people that have the product, the company will continue to support it through the lifespan of the device, be that with firmware updates or software updates. Very rarely, if ever, have I heard of a device going completely unsupported within a year of it’s release! I’m not even out of my warranty yet! No Eris owner is.

So in typical n3rdg1rl fashion, I contacted Verizon six different ways. All of them have said the same thing, “We have no further information, but you can buy another phone for an exorbitant about of money.” So what I’m understanding is that if Verizon upgrades their network or a fatal flaw is found in the phone, Verizon is just going to look at us with their hands out waiting for us to dish out more money to buy something they think we should have.

SHAME ON YOU, VERIZON! SHAME ON YOU!

Rant completed! On to the questions!

Is there a way to load a test app to an Android device directly from the Android sdk?

Thanks,

Jack

Yes there is. The SDK has an emulator built in so you can run your apps on the device you would like to see how it functions, in theory. Emulators aren’t ever 100% accurate, but at least you can get an idea of how your app will look and function.

I am not a developer. I don’t have the patience for code and I highly respect those who do. I barely got through my programming classes in college! There is, however, a great walk-through on how to create an emulation you can use at http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/eclipse-adt.html. Scroll down to “Creating an Android Project” and that should point you in the right direction.

NerdGirl,

It looks like the phone, contacts, call log and favorite contacts are all part of one app. There is an app/link direct to the phone. There is an app/link direct to the contact list. Is there any way to get direct to the favorite contacts with one click?

Thank you,

Daniel Epstein

There is a widget I use that is built into HTC devices. I’m sure there are similar ones for other phones.

If you have an HTC, go to any home screen and long press an open space then HTC Widget >> People. There are two different styles; one that is 3 x 3 and takes up the whole screen and one that is 1 x 3 that just takes up a column. Select which one you want and then you can select the group that you want displayed. Click on “Favorites” and all of your favorites will be displayed for one-touch dialing.

Hi Nerd Girl,

Congrats on your column!

I’ve just bought a Moto Droid running 2.1 update 1 in Guatemala, Central America! So cool!

I have an issue:

I’ve sent a swag of files to the phone via Bluetooth, and then moved them using a file manager (well QuickOffice, as you can cut/paste any file with it.) But the Bluetooth received folder on the home screen hasn’t updated, even after reboot. The files don’t work in this list, so it hasn’t followed the files. Do you know how to clear this list?

Thank you,

David Salgado

I may not be understanding the question correctly, so if a reader has a different idea, feel free to chime in. I’m guessing you are trying to empty the Bluetooth received folder because you moved files in there, but they’re not showing up so you can delete them.

First, I would hook the phone up to the computer via USB and mount the phone as a drive. I would then browse through the phone and see if you can find the files that way. If this doesn’t work, I would download a file manager like ASTRO File Manager and look for the files directly in the phone. ASTRO File Manager allows you to search, so if you remember the file names you can see where they are and delete them.

Love reading all your articles! My questions are: Can you store apps on your SD card? Can these apps then run from the SD card? If yes to these questions, how does one do so? I’m using the HTC Eris.

Thanks for the help.

Without rooting the Eris, no. Android 2.2 does allow you to store apps on the SD card if the developer included that option. As of right now, most have not. If you root your Eris, it gives you the ability to move files around as you wish, therefore allowing you to move apps onto your SD card. If you want to find out more about rooting, I wrote some information in this past article.

NerdGirl,

Love all the info you share. Thanks!

I’m looking for a more efficient way to add and edit the calendar, but I still need it to sync with Google. I used a palm for years and loved the ease of that calendar. Drag and drop, edit with one tap, highlight and copy with two taps. I need to book, re-book and move appointments several times a day. HELP!

Frustrated,

Monica

PS. I couldn’t post to the web form. After a half hour of changing settings and still no luck I resorted to email. Ugh!

Firstly, I did talk to Mr. AndroidTapp. He informed me that certain browsers and settings don’t work 100% with WordPress (which is what we run off of) and that may be why you were being stopped from sending information to me via the web form. No worries though. Email or web form, I always get the questions.

I’ve had several readers say that Jorte is the best calendar app out there right now. It pulls directly from your Google calendar and allows editing and repeating appointments. I have heard it can be a little slow, but the functionality more than makes up for it.

Keep sending those questions to nerdgirl@androidtapp.com!

~n3rdg1rl

Tags: Android Advice, Android Questions, Ask NerdGirl, Better Calendar Android App, Finding Lost Files, Help with Android, Home Screen Shortcut to Favorite Contacts, Install Android Apps to SD Card, Move Android Apps to SD Card, Saving Android Apps to SD Card, Transfer Android App to Phone from SDK

Categorised in: Android Advice, Ask NerdGirl

3 Comments

By lolo on July 2, 2010 at 9:55 pm:

yeah i was wondering how could i remove an app from mi phone?

Reply
By Eileen on July 2, 2010 at 11:44 pm:

I have to comment on your rant regarding the Droid eris. The whole reason I got the droid eris is because it was smaller and lighter than the DROID. So I choose. Since the update I have a phone that responds as a rotary phone, I have applications that just force close all the time and roulette bluetooth it may work or it may not work and battery life is down to less than a day. And my favorite is yesterday because my phone became so sluggish. I decided to power it off and when I tried to power back on received an exclamation point. It reset my phone. I lost everything. When I called Verizon because my phone then said I was unauthorized. I was asked why did I power the phone off….REALLY!!!!
Why would I turn it off.

Reply
By Curt Hibbs on July 3, 2010 at 1:40 am:

I, too, came from the Palm world and have been sorely disappointed by the calendar apps.I understand that my beloved Agendus from the Palm platform is being developed for Android — I’m waiting with bated breath for Iambic to release it.

In the mean time I tried just about every Calendar App out there that still synced with Google Calendar. I did try Jorte, but its not the one I ended up with. Instead, I use Calendar Pad: http://www.appbrain.com/app/jp.ne.gate.calpad

I highly recommend checking it out.

Reply