New to Android. VERY Confused and Need Help!

[nicbee4409]

I just switched from the iphone 4 to the new galaxy note. My phone is amazing but in general Android is confusing me.
My ram says 550mb/732mb. I keep clearing the memory on the bottm and it doesn't change much. I went to applications and running services and closed stuff but when I go back in and what i just closed has restarted again. Does this matter?

When I DL an app and I need to accept it i get all these permissions. I'm DLing from the marketplace so they are legimate apps but what the permissions say are freaking me out.

Any ideas on how to get my music from the Iphone onto my Note???

By the sounds of it Kies is androids version on Itunes??? Do I DL this onto my computer?

I try to send the little android smilies in text messages and they only come up as characters to the other person. Will they only show up with other andriod users? Is there a smilie face app that I can DL to use with ppl that don't have android. Like the Iphone had the emoji keyboard

That is my start for now. I'm sure I will be back very shortly with more questions.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you very much for your time!!!
Nicole

 

[EvilMonkey]

I just switched from the iphone 4 to the new galaxy note. My phone is amazing but in general Android is confusing me.
My ram says 550mb/732mb. I keep clearing the memory on the bottm and it doesn't change much. I went to applications and running services and closed stuff but when I go back in and what i just closed has restarted again. Does this matter?

No. Android keeps programs in memory so they can either run (like to check your email), or so they start faster. There's no point having a whole lot of empty memory sitting around doing nothing. Android will free up memory as it needs it (almost all modern operating systems function like this). You don't need to kill apps or install a task killer or anything along those lines.

When I DL an app and I need to accept it i get all these permissions. I'm DLing from the marketplace so they are legimate apps but what the permissions say are freaking me out.

It's good you're reading the permissions. What you have to realize with Android is the marketplace is pretty much open. Sure, Google will remove offending apps (and supposedly have some kindof automated thing in place to scan for malware/threats when apps are added/updated), but they aren't as rigid as Apple is with their approval process. What you also have to realize is that permissions (IMO) are too generalized. Apps can do a lot of things that require permissions, even if you don't use that specific part of the app. Like a camera app might need to read your contacts in order to share/email/text photos you've taken from the app itself (you may never use this "share" feature, but the app still needs that permission). They just don't take it that next step and require the devs to tell you why that specific permission is needed.

For the most part, I glance through the permissions to see what is being requested. Depending on the app, I may be a little pickier. Like if it's a Google app vs. some no-name Fart app from China, I'm going to be a little pickier about it.

If you have specific questions about an app and a permission, go ahead and post here and ask a question. I'm sure someone can enlighten you on why that app needs that permission or why it might not. This may also help you, but it's a bit dated from 2010 (so not sure how accurate it is in 2012): Android Permissions Explained

Speaking for myself, I guess I'm pretty trusting. Yes, there's some malware out there, but it's not the norm, and if you stick to trusted sources, read the reviews, use some common sense and don't download "Fart App #126" or "pics of hot Asian Girls #527" you'll be fine.

Any ideas on how to get my music from the Iphone onto my Note???
By the sounds of it Kies is androids version on Itunes??? Do I DL this onto my computer?

Doubletwist should be able to do that. I am not familiar with Kies (apparently it's a Samsung thing). You should probably read through the two stickies at the top of this forum (the "Apple User's Guide to Android" and "Getting started with android") and it'll probably help you quite a bit.

I try to send the little android smilies in text messages and they only come up as characters to the other person. Will they only show up with other andriod users? Is there a smilie face app that I can DL to use with ppl that don't have android. Like the Iphone had the emoji keyboard

Honestly, I'm not sure about the "Android" smilies. Is that part of the default messaging app? And I assume they must have the android guy in them? I've never used it, as I just used Handcent for awhile and now I'm using GoSMS (both are replacement messaging apps). AFAIK, the smilies from those go through.

Hope all that helps.

 

[PvilleComp]

Wow - from an iPhone to a Note! Did you have to go to the gym for a week to prep for holding the Note? Just kidding.

I agree with EvilMonkey The 2 links below are the best place to start:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/general-help-how/31622-getting-started-android-tips-tricks.html
http://forums.androidcentral.com/general-help-how/137252-apple-users-guide-android.html

Then head over here:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/t-galaxy-note/

Don't be afraid to ask questions, and welcome to AC!

 

[pazzo02]

When I DL an app and I need to accept it i get all these permissions. I'm DLing from the marketplace so they are legimate apps but what the permissions say are freaking me out.

Apps on iPhone have all the same kinds of permissions, but Apple chooses not to worry you with those details.

 

[Cellmeister]

Check out this new Permissions App on the Market

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.alostpacket.pocketpermissions"]PocketPermissions

Quote:

"How to be safe, find trusted apps, & avoid viruses. A guide for Android apps.
This is a guide that hopes to give the basic info most people want to know about the security of their phones, and when to download, and when not to download applications."

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.alostpacket.pocketpermissions

Reviews of it look good for this new app

Hope that will help some others as well