Palm webOS Homebrewer's Guide to Android

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If you are new to Android Central, Welcome! You might already be a member of our sister site, PreCentral.

The new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) User Interface was designed by Matias Duarte, the person the NYTimes said, "was webOS." ICS reflects Duarte's vision for the next generation of gestures, synergy, cloud computing, and multitasking.

The webOS Homebrew community has developed hundreds of patches to add features to "rooted" Palm Phones. Few were used by Palm, keeping webOS easy to set up. Google added hundreds of these features but that means that there are more options to set up initially. This guide will help you compare the differences and find key features.

← Click the Getting Started button at the top of any page for help with everything including Keyboards, Applications, etc.

Here are some basic features, apps, and settings to consider in a move from Palm to Android.
Click to enlarge↓
Choosing a Phone
See the Phone Comparison for specs on many of the top new phones. Over two years you might spend $2,000 or more for cell service so get the one you want. Androids are evolving so quickly that no phone stays on top long. Let's start with some basic features.

4G - Speed Thrills
Fast dual core processors and 1GB of RAM are important but also make sure you get 4G (or LTE). Monthly rates are often just as much for slow phones as fast ones. You may have this phone a long time. Don't get one that is already slow. To turn 4G on:
? Tap Home > Menu > Settings > Wireless > 4G.
? To add a 4G icon to a home screen: Long-press an empty spot on a home screen then tap Shortcuts > Settings > 4G.

Get the right size for you

What is the Right Size Phone? Only you can answer that question. Android phone comes in sizes from 2.5" to 5.3". A survey of 5,000 phone owners found that Only 9% Want a Screen Under 4". See what feels right for you. Don't let anyone tell you the one size phone you are to buy. See the Sizing Chart: What is the Right Size Phone?

Notifications
The Notification LED is for incoming or missed calls, emails, texts, Facebook or calendar events, etc. The Flashlight Alerts app can also turn the camera LED into a notification LED (tutorial). To see your notifications, swipe down on the notification bar at the top:
↨ Swipe up or down to look through your notifications.
? Tap one to open it.
↔ Swipe left or right to clear (close) without responding (Android 4.0+).

Video Calls
Flagship Android phones typically have 1 or 2MP front cameras for HD video chat. That coupled with 4G gives you an amazing opportunity for Video Calls. Android Qik, Skype and ooVoo give you free unlimited video calls over WiFi, 3G and 4G.

HDMI and DLNA Video Out
You can watch HD movies or make presentations right from your Android. DLNA allows you to see whatever is on your phone on your compatible TV, Blu-ray player, PS3, or Xbox. HDMI uses a cable to connect to your HDTV.

Full Facebook Sync
Most Androids automatically update with Facebook friends' photos, status, messages, phones, events, birthdays, emails, and notifications. Incoming calls pop-up with updated Facebook profile photos. The free Friendcaster app does even more.

Flash
Much of the web including this site rely on Adobe Flash. Unfortunately the HTML5 standard intended to replace Flash is still not finalized. Android does have Flash and HTML5 support.


NFC
Palm Touch to Share was to allow two Palm devices owned by the same user to share a URL, etc. Near Field Communication (NFC) is designed to work works between any NFC devices and more. NFC is also for instant payments, keycard, and ID, etc. Android NFC can share a contact, photo, song, application, and video or pair Bluetooth or WiFi devices. See the Google NFC Demo.

Good Vibrations
Set your Android to Vibrate (Haptic Feedback) if your phone must be quiet. To set your Android to vibrate, tap Home > Menu > Settings > Sound > Silent Mode ON and Vibrate ON. Apps like Executive Assistant lets you customize repeating LED, sounds, and vibration reminders for missed call, emails, texts, calendar, tasks, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Note: The iPhone lacks haptic feedback.

Physical or On-screen Keyboards
On-screen ("virtual") keyboards on phones under 4" can be a challenge especially if you do not have small hands. Many Androids have physical keyboards but a good predictive on-screen keyboard on a larger display may be a good option. Try out as many physical and on-screen keyboards as you can to see what works for you. Especially try their landscape modes (sideways). Also note that with voice recognition apps like Voice Actions and Vlingo, you can often speak instead of type.

microSD
A microSD card is about $50 for 32GB. less. Get a "Class 10" microSD for fast 10 MB/s speeds. The Galaxy S II and Droid Bionic. The App 2 SD app frees up space on your phone by moving apps to your SD card.


Setup Your Phone

Once you have chosen your phone, let's get started having some fun with it. We will find your old features and try out some new ones. You can click the Getting Started button at the top of any page for more help.

Multitasking
Android Multitasking is automatic. Say you are writing an email and want to paste in a text. Before Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), you long-press
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Home, tap
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Messaging, and copy the text. Long-press Home again, tap Email, and paste the text right where you left off in the email. With ICS, tap
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Recent Apps to switch then

↨ Swipe up or down to look through the cards (apps).
? Tap an app to open it.
↔ Swipe left or right to clear (close) it without responding.

Gmail
Gmail is at the heart of Android's Cloud Sync so you need a Gmail account (http://mail.google.com/). You will get notifications when Gmail is pushed to your phone, full Priority Inbox capabilities, and can push multiple email accounts to Gmail for automatic email notifications. See the Gmail Tips. Exchange users: check out Exchange Touchdown Trial (Full $20, RoadSync Trial (Full $10).

Just Type (Universal Search)
webOS 2.0 Just Type is similar to Android Search and iPhone Spotlight. Phones are designed to prevent "butt-dialling", that is typing without first unlocking the phone. Androids with slide-out keyboards (Like a Pre) can be set unlock by sliding out the keyboard and Just Type as ususal. If it does not have a slide-out keyboard, first unlock the screen. Then you can Tap Google Search
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and...
? Just Type "ma" and Mail, Maps, and every Mark or Mary will pop up.
? Just Type "oliv" and Oliva pops up along with local Olive Gardens.
? Press the
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Microphone to Just Speak instead.
? Make sure you have the latest Google Search and Voice Search apps from the Market.
To set up what is included in a Search, tap
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Search >
18575-getting-started-android-tips-tricks-google_search.png
then the Settings icon at the top right. (In Ice Cream Sandwich, Tap Google > Menu > Search Settings > Google Search). Then check what you want included in searches including Web, Apps, Contacts, Music, etc. When you search you can limit results to just certain areas as well. See the Search Tips for much more.

Music Player
One of the best apps for webOS is Music Player (Remix) by DanPLC. Dan has an Android now and has said this: "I'm using PowerAMP...PowerAMP still has a lot of faults/shortcomings, but it does a decent job." Here are links to some favorite Music Players: PowerAMP (Trial) (Full:$5) ? Google Music (free) ? Winamp (free) ? Meridian (free) (Full:$4) ? TuneWiki (free)

Your Contacts and Calendars
You already sync you Palm webOS contacts and calendar to Gmail. When you go to your new Android device, they will already be there. Here is more on how to Transfer webOS Contacts to Android.

Synergy (Sync to the Cloud)
Android syncs to the cloud to back up your contacts and calendars. On your phone tap Menu > Settings > Accounts & Sync > Add account > Google > Contacts, Gmail, Calendar, etc. Then add Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other account syncs as well. Most Androids can sync to all of these accounts automatically. When someone changes a phone number on Facebook, your phone will be updated as well.

Your Photos and Videos
1. Backup all the music, videos, and photos you can from your BlackBerry to your PC.
2. Copy photos and videos from your PC to your Android:
- - Connect your Android to your PC with the USB cable.
- - On your computer, create folders on your phone called Pictures and Videos if it is not already there.
- - Sill using your computer, drag the photos and videos to your phone's folder then disconnect your phone.
3. Reboot the phone: Press Power for 10 seconds > Power Off > Wait 20 seconds > Press Power for 10 seconds.

Your Music

If you are using iTunes, the file names are encoded making them hard to find. The good news is that you no longer have to use iTunes! (You still can if you like.) Use the steps above to backup your music to your PC and set up a Music folder on your Android if you don't already have one and drag your music files and folders (copies) from your computer to your phone. Here are some of our favorite Music Players: PowerAMP (Full:$5), Google, Winamp, Meridian (Full:$4), and TuneWiki. Google Music and Amazon Music are not DRM copy protected so they can be moved to a new phone without issue.

Battery Life

Android phones are fire-breathing dragons with a big displays, powerful 4G, and a half-dozen other radios. If you know the Power Management Tricks, you can get good battery life too.

Toggles

Toggles are simple widgets that lets you change settings without going through menus (and a key reason to Jailbreak an iPhone). But you don't have to break anything with an Android. This Stay Awake Widget can keep your display on whenever your phone is charging. To put your Power Control Widgets on a homescreen, long-press an empty spot, then tap Widgets > Power Settings. Popular free Toggles include the Curvefish Brightness Level, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS widgets but there are many others.

Widgets

Widgets show live information on-screen without opening the app such as weather, email, calendars, and almost anything else. Here are some favorites:
? Tajm - The amazing clock widget in words instead of numbers.
Battery Left Widget - Estimates battery time left.
Today Widget - Day and date in a 1x1 widget. ($1 Pro with color options)







Android Marketplace
The Android Market has nearly 500,000 apps but that is just the beginning. Google allows you to access competing markets plus MyAppSharer lets you "share" your actual app files with a friend. Battery Status puts the real battery percentage in the Notification Bar. The Weather Channel has the temperature.

Free App of the Day
Here is another app you will never see on a BlackBerry. The Getjar has a constantly changing assortment of normally paid apps for free including mature content.


Notifications
Executive Assistant offers so much more control over repeating notifications, ringtones, vibrations, etc. Take a look. See the Notification Tips for more.

Swipe the Notifications down and they stay on screen until you tap one or swipe the Notifications up to close them. The Executive Assistant app lets you set different repeating sounds and vibrations for missed calls, emails, and texts. See Notifications for more.

Don't just backup, share
The point of a document is to share it. Dropbox (referral link for 2.25GB for free) lets you backup files for instant use on almost any smartphone or computer. But more importantly, you can share your documents with others.

Let's Work Together
Google Docs let anyone you chose edit files on almost any PC or smartphones including Androids, BlackBerry's, iPad's, and Macs.


Try before you buy
The Android Market gives you 15 minutes to try out an app on your phone to see if the options and features are right for you. If not, uninstall it for a full refund.


Theming
Theming is easy with apps like ADWLauncher. Here is a simple way to change icons and wallpaper. No root required.


Folders
Android folders make organizing all those apps easy. The free Android Folder Organizer app takes folders to a whole new level. You can have more than 12 apps in a folder and sort the apps as you like. You can change folder icons and customize shortcut icons and names. The screenshot at the top shows Settings, Newsstand, and Game Center folders. See: Folder Organizer Tutorial.

True Hands-free
Voice Search and Voice Actions add many great options to Android. Vlingo can turn on and operate totally from your voice. How to use Vlingo is below.


Visual Voicemail

Most flagship Android phones come with Visual Voicemail that lets you see the caller's photo when you play their message (Oh, that's who that is!). In addition, many Androids will show you their updated Facebook photo and Status when you look at their voicemail. See Visual Voicemail for details. Tap here to see a sample.

No music store limits
You can buy music from Google or any number of competitors. Amazon MP3 for instance offers almost every song available. The best part is that Amazon Music is not DRM copy protected so songs can be moved to a new phone without issue!


Music for free
MP3 Music Download has nearly every song as well...for free.


Navigation
You take for granted that your phone will also be a great GPS. With Android Google Maps, turn-by-turn navigation is included for free. Maps will also show you real time traffic conditions and suggest alternate routes as needed.


Live Wallpaper
Live Wallpaper is animated. The Earth rotates, thunder storms, fish swim, snow swirls, raindrops slide down your screen, and robots fly. It's fun to see how the Live Wallpaper responds to your touch or movements. See the Live Wallpaper Tips.

More than a Newsstand
With Android, you can have a Newsstand folder for all of your media content. With so many free media apps in Android, you may not see a reason to pay for subscriptions. (How to create folders)

Swype
That icon is for the Swype keyboard holder of multiple World Texting Speed Records. See the Keyboard Tips.


Take control
With your computer, you take for granted that you can see your files. Apps like ASTRO File Manager and AndExplorer let you cut, copy, and paste files as you need.

Your Game Center
Almost ever major game is available on Android. With Android you can have a Games folder for all of your games from Android Market, Amazon, Getjar, etc.


Predictive Keyboards
You can have a real predictive keyboard now. Keyboards like SwiftKey can be even faster for many users than Swype. SwiftKey users can easily break the world record because SwiftKey learns what you have typed once and then predicts your words.

Open Source
Android is mostly Open Source. If a developer doesn't like a stock Android keyboard or other app, they can change it and re-release it back into the Android Market. Google uses licensing to reduce fragmentation so Android is not fully Open Source.

Bluetooth Mouse and Keyboards
← See that mouse pointer? The Galaxy S II lets you to connect a Bluetooth wireless mouse or keyboard. This along with HDMI mirroring allows easy control while on an monitor or HDTV. See this video showing USB Host, Bluetooth, and HDMI out from xda-developers.






USB Host
USB Host lets you plug in a memory thumb drive, PS3 Game Controller, mouse, or keyboard into a micro USB Host adapter as shown in these videos at xda-developers. Play a game on your phone with a real controller





Browser
See Internet Tips and Tricks for details.
Youd can double-tap on an Android brownser screen or pinch out to zoom.Android "re-flows" and "word-wraps" to fill the space so text is not cut off. Android uses the full screen. THere are dozen of popular Browsers to consider such as Dolphin or Opera
Click here for this example: Official webOS 1.4.5 Discussion.

Android also allows you to have multiple Browser cards open at a time: Tap Menu > Windows > + or long-press a link to open another window.

More Icons
The webOS 4x4 Icons patch allows 16 apps per screen. The Android Folder Organizer (free) app lets you have 4x6, 5x6, or 5x7 icons per screen, 20+ apps per folder, and change icons and labels without rooting.

Try Out Some Apps
Here are a few more of the many Applications you may want to try. Here are links to more tips and some key apps.
Google Search and Google Voice Search must be installed for searches to work properly.
? Flashlight: Turn your camera LED into a flashlight with an app like Tiny Flashlight.
? Brightness Level lets you tap a preset brightness or set any brightness you like.
? Email Tips + K-9 Mail add many features. Corporate users: check out Touchdown (Full $20) or RoadSync (Full $10).
? Messaging Tips + Consider HandCent SMS or ? ChompSMS to replace the messaging app
? Browser Tips + Consider great options like Dolphin or ? Opera
? Lock screen: No Lock - Disables lock screen, phone opens fast. ? Widget Locker ($2) lets you customize it.
? Simple Theming + ADW.Launcher (Tutorial, $3 full), LauncherPro ($3 full), GO Launcher EX ($0): change Icons, layout, and theme without rooting.
? Facebook: Friendcaster (free, $5: no ads) expands options for Facebook notifications, events, contact & profile sync, photos, etc.
? Backup Tips: MyBackup Pro ($5) - Automatically backup messages, contacts, bookmarks, home screens, alarms, dictionary, etc. Trial.
? Folder Tips: Folder Organizer (free) - Sets up folders, change icons, and increase from 4x4 icons to 4x6 or even 5x6. See: Folders
? Go Contacts lets you dial a middle part of a name or number. For 202-456-1414, you can dial "456" or "1414".
? TouchPal Dialer lets you dial their initals for instance dial 2 for B, 6 for O for Barack Obama.
? Go Contacts & TouchPal Dialer can seach contacts for "Pen" for contacts on Pennsylvania Ave or "Wash" for Washington.
? ASTRO File Manager : Install, run edit, & backup apps, etc. much like webOS Internalz
? SwiftKey - Learns how you think and predicts your words saving keystrokes. $4. Free 30-day Trial.
? Evernote syncs notes, photos, to-do's, etc. from your phone, PC, laptop, tablet, etc. ColorNote is a simple alternative.


Touchstone
The Touchstone, Powermat, Enerergizer Wireless Charger, and Duracell myGrid are accessories that allow wireless inductive charging (based on Nikola Tesla's induction patents).

Resources
? BlackBerry - Palm webOS & Apple User's Guide to Android
? Phone Comparison
? Sprint Epic 4G Touch Support Group For Palm webOS Users
? Photon Support Group For Palm webOS Users
? EVO 3D Support Group For Palm webOS Users
? Note that phones such as the Nexus S line do not come with all of the features listed here.
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Transferring Contacts, Music, Photos, and Videos to Android

Here are the steps to backup your webOS files and contacts and transfer them to your new Android

Backup webOS Files To Your PC
You can backup your webOS photos, music, videos, and many other files to your PC.
1. Connect your webOS device to your PC with your USB cable.
2. Select USB Drive.
3. When your Android device pops up on your PC as a USB drive, go into file explorer (In Windows, right-click Start the click Explore).
5. Create a New Subdirectory named "webOSBackup".
6. Select all music, photos, videos, or other files from the webOS device (Drive G or H?) by clicking on the phone's drive then selecting subdirectories then Edit > Copy
7. Click on the Phone Backup folder and then click Edit > Paste. This make take a while.
8. When done, right click on the phone drive letter and click "Eject" & disconnect the phone.

Transfer Files to the Android
To transfer the backup files from your PC to an Android Device:
1. Connect your Android device to your PC with your USB cable.
2. Swipe down the top notifications bar.
3. Click on Just Charging and change to Disk Drive. (It takes a while for your PC to find the phone as a USB drive)
4. When your Android device pops up on your PC as a USB drive, go into file explorer (In Windows, right-click Start the click Explore).
5. Click on your Phone Backup subdirectory and then click Edit > Select All then Edit > Copy
6. Click on the Android device (Drive G or H?) and then click Edit > Paste. This make take a while.
7. When done, right click on the phone drive letter and click "Eject" & disconnect the phone.

Transferring Contacts
Gmail contacts and calendar automatically transfer to your new Android phone. To export "Palm Contacts" dial ##66623# on the Pre and tap Export to create a vcf file in the /temp folder -or- use the Send All Contacts via Email patch. Email the vcf file to your Gmail Account. In Gmail click Contacts > Import the vcf file. Android contact export is built in: Tap Contacts > Menu > Import/Export. Always save new contacts as Google Contacts so they are backed up to Google. Here are the detailed steps for using the ##66623# method to export all contacts from the Pre:

See: Android Backup, Restore or Transfer Apps, Files, and Settings

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Palm webOS Homebrewer's Guide to Android (Part 3)

If you know how to "root" a webOS phone, there are over 400 patches available to add key features. While most Android phones can also be Rooted, there is little need. Here are some of the most popular webOS patches (in blue) and Requests (in red) that are standard features in Android or available some of over 200,000 apps.

Apps
Internalz - ASTRO File Manager can install and run apps, edit, backup apps, etc.
Music Player (Remix) - Nothing else comes close. Consider: • MeridianMusic PlayerTuneWiki (Great lyrics)

App Launcher Patches
Android has 25 great Launchers including. LauncherPro & ADW. The standard launcher includes:
[Request] Add tap-and-hold text option - Built-in. Long press link to Copy, Look-up, etc.
[Request] Share Link On Facebook - Built-in. Long press link > Share Link > {Text, Email, Facebook, etc.}
4x4 icons - Built-in. See Folders for how to get 4x6 and 5x6 icons.
Auto-Popup - Launcher homescreen is automatic.
Enable Add/Delete Pages - Typically 5 to 7 pages.
Folders are not available in webOS but standard in Android. A page can have up to 16 folders x 16 apps = 256 apps/page.
Hide Amazon MP3 App - Long press any app and slide down to remove it.
• Hide Music Player App - Android can hide any app. Choose from dozens of music players.
• Hide NASCAR App - Hide any app.
• Hide NFL App - Hide any app.
Hide SprintTV App - Hide any app.
Menu Fade Scrim - Already hidden.
• Voice Commands - Palm Treo's could open apps by voice. In Android, long press Search.

Browser Patches
Android has many popular Browsers including Dolphin Browser. The standard browser includes:
iPhone User Agent Spoof - Websites already display beautifully. Zoom in and text flows. No more panning back and forth.
[Request] Add tap-and-hold text option - Built-in. Copy, Look-up, Share in Text, Email, Facebook, etc.
[Request] add geolocation support - Built-in. Tap Internet > Menu > More > Enable Location
Add Open URL Menu Option - Long press link to Bookmark, Copy, Save the Link, - or -
• Add Option to Send Link Message - Long press link to Share via Messages, Facebook, Email, Twitter, etc., - or -
Added Shortcut Keys - Long press link to Add Bookmark, Open in a New Window, etc.
Allow Browser in Low Memory - Built-in.
Change Number of Bookmarks - Built-in.
• Delete Multiple History items at Once: Menu > Delete > check items to delete > Delete.
Fullscreen Mode Browser - Built-in. Tap Menu to unhide.
New Card Button In Browser - Built-in. Tap Menu > Windows > [+]
No Auto Refresh After Idle - Built-in. No more lost content.
• Swipe History - Built-in. Tap Menu > More > History > Long press item for options.

Calculator Patches
There are 100's of Android Calculators including Mortgage, Scientific, Graphing, etc.
Enable Vibration - Try the RealCalc HP-like calculator, etc.

Calendar Patches
Calendars such as the Talking Calendar. The standard calendar includes these features and more:
Add One Minute Intervals - built-in
All-Day Events in Month View - built-in
Default to Month View - built-in - Tap Calendar > Menu > Month
Default to Week View - built-in - Tap Calendar > Menu > Week
More Reminder Alarm Times -built-in with 15 options
Repeat Reminder Notification - Missed Call has repeating calendar, email, missed call, and text reminders.
Snooze Duration Selection - Missed Call lets you choose sounds, vibrations, repeat times, etc.
Wrap Location Field - built-in
[Request] Autoclose keyboard after use - Built-in to all the Keyboards.
[Request] Calendar Search - Built-in: Tap Home > Menu > Search > Searchable items . Calendar ON/OFF.
[Request] Vibrate Extension - Missed Call has long, short, and repeating Vibrate Extensions

Camera
Android has dozens of camera apps. The standard camera includes these features and more:
[Request] Upload to Flickr - Built-in. Tap Share > {Facebook, Flickr, Email, Messages, Picasa, etc.}
Autofocus Focus Area Selection - built-in. You can even tap what you want to focus on
Brightness - built-in - Menu > Settings > Brightness
Contrast - built-in - Menu > Settings > Contrast
Effects - built-in - Menu > Settings > Effects (Grayscale, Sepia, Negative, Solarize, etc.)
Geotagging - built-in - Menu > Settings > Geo-tagging On/Off
Metering - built-in - Menu > Settings > Metering > Spot/Center/Average
Self-timer - built-in - Menu > Settings > Off, 2 or 10 seconds
Simple Shutter Sound Off - built-in - Menu > Settings > Shutter Sound
White Balance Off - built-in - Menu > Settings > White Balance
Digital Zoom - built-in - Tap +/- Zoom button Menu > Settings > Contrast

Clock Patches
Android has countless clocks and clock widgets for the homescreens. The standard clock includes these features and more:
Add Space Between Snooze and Dismiss - built-in
Alarm Daily Options - built-in - Set alarm times for each day of the week.
• Enable Hidden Clock - built-in with thousands of analog clocks available.
• Widget - Press and hold a blank area on a homescreen the tap Widget and pick a clock widget.

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Contact Patches
Android has endless Contact Manager apps for every need. The standard "People" app includes these features:
[Request] Contact Copy - Built-in. Just text the contact back to yourself as a vCard, open text, and save contact.
[Request] Contact Groups - Built-in. Tap Contacts > Groups button.
Additional Contact Number Options -built-in - adds the phone labels webOS is missing.
Send All Contacts via Email - built-in and you don't have to email them - tap Contacts > Import/Export to SD card
Swipe to Delete - built-in - Tap a contact for 1 second > Delete.
• Delete Multiple Contacts at Once: Menu > Delete > check deletions > Delete.

Email Patches
See Email Tips and Tricks for details.
While many prefer K-9, Exchange Touchdown, or other email apps, the standard Android email app has a list of great features including:
[Request] Attach multiple pictures at once - built-in: Tap Menu > Add attachment > (Picture, Video, Audio, Location, etc.)
[Request] Autoclose keyboard after use - Built-in to all the Keyboards.
Additional Days for Syncing Mail - built-in : Tap Email > Menu More > Settings > Send & Receive > Download options
Automatic Blind CC - built-in: Tap Menu > More > Settings > Receive Settings > Always bcc me
• Confirm Delete Email - built-in option
Enable Landscape Email - built-in.
• Font Sizes - Android has multiple sizes: Tap Email > Menu > More > Settings > General > Font
More Sync Times - built-in : Tap Email > Menu More > Settings > Send & Receive > Download frequency
Notification Repeat - Get Missed Call for repeating calendar, email, missed call, and text reminders.
Read/Delete All Email - Delete All: Email > Delete > Menu > Mark All > Delete
Send All Contacts via Email - built-in and you don't have to email them - tap Contacts > Import/Export to SD card

Kernel
The "Kernel" is the core software that controls a processor. Replacing the kernel can allow "Overclocking" to make a processor run faster than designed. This can result in a speed increase and added heat build-up that can damage components.
Uber-Kernel and the Govnah can force a Pre to run at 1 GHz. The Droid X, Droid 2, Epic, and EVO already run at 1 GHz.

Messaging Patches
See Messaging Tips and Tricks for details.
While many prefer Handcent SMS, chompSMS, or other messaging apps, the standard Android app has great features including:
[Request] Attach multiple pictures at once - built-in: Tap Menu > Add attachment > {Picture/Video/Audio/Location/etc.}
[Request] Autoclose keyboard after use - Built-in to all the Keyboards.
[Request] Delivery Notification - Built-in. Tap Menu > Settings > Sent Notification
[Request] save audio from sms - Built-in. Press the attachment for 1 second for many options including saving
[Request] Show Number of Messages in a Conversation - Built-in.
15px Font Normal/Bold/Italics/iPhone - Android has multiple sizes: Tap Messages > Menu > Settings > General > Font
Audio/Video Messaging Attachments - built-in
Character Counter - built-in
Compose to Email - built-in
Delete Conversation - Built-in. Tap Menu > Delete > Delete thread
Enable Landscape Messaging - built-in
Notification Repeat - Get Missed Call for repeating calendar, email, missed call, and text reminders.
SMS Tone per Contact - Built-in. For a contact tap Edit > Ringtone.
Timestamp - built-in

Music Player Patches
Check out the many medical players including Meridian Media Player, Music Player, and TuneWiki Media Player.
[Request] Shake to reshuffle music - Install an app like Shake2Play.
• Download Music - MP3 Music Download, Music Downloader Pro, and more

Notification Status Bar Patches
Instead of taking up the last row of your screen, notifications are in the topbar, taking up no room at all. Just swipe down.
[Request] Notifications remain open - Built-in. Swipe down from topbar. They stay open until you tap one or swipe up.
[Request] Make Notifications area smaller - Notifications take no space at all. They are in the topbar. Just swipe down.
• Battery Percent - if you are not rooted, try an app like Battery Status Bar
Brightness in Device Menu - if you are not rooted, try an app like Brightness Level

PDF Viewer Patches
• Enable Landscape PDF Viewer - built-in
Prevent Removal - built-in.

Phone Patches
See Phone Tips and Tricks for details.
[Request] Block Certain Numbers - Built-in. Tap the contact > Send to voicemail ON.
[Request] Contact ID Match on Missed Calls - built-in. iPhone, Android, and Treo show the name and number.
[Request] digitally turn ringer switch on/off - built-in Profile widget turns Sounds Off/Vibrate or try Ringer Toggle.
[Request] Ignore call with a text - Built-in. When the phone rings, Tap Menu > Send Message. Ringer Toggle.
[Request] Lay Face Down to Ignore Call - Built-in. When the phone rings, lay face-down to ignore & silence.
[Request] Visual Voicemail - Built-in to most newer Androids. Tap the Voicemail app. See Visual Voicemail.
Add Roam Control to Prefs - Use Roam Control
Call Duration in Call Log - built-in.
Call History During Call - built-in.
Disable Various Phone Sounds - built-in.
• Enable Dial Pad Vibration - Built-in: Tap Menu > Settings > Sound Settings > Vibrate (another is Haptic feedback)
No Alert During Call - built-in
Notification Repeat - Get Missed Call for repeating calendar, email, missed call, and text reminders.
SMS Tone per Contact - Built-in. For a contact tap Edit > Ringtone.

System Patches
There are also thousands of apps that let you tweak every system setting. These features are built-in:
[Request] Auto-correct highlight - standard in Voice Actions and in many keyboards like Vlingo.
[Request] Auto-Rotate disabled - Built-in: Tap Menu > Display > Auto-Rotate Screen. Also see AutoRotate Switch.
[Request] Data Always Off - Built-in: Tap Home > Menu > Wireless & networks > Mobile Network
[Request] Korean and Japanese Keyboard - There are Korean, Japanese, and countless others.
[Request] Live Wallpaper - Built-in: Tap Home > Menu > Home wallpaper. Many more are in the Market.
[Request] More Sound Control - Get Volume Button Controller – Set all volume levels in one place.
[Request] Solid LED Notifications - Get Missed Call to set LED to do anything you want.
[Request] Turn on data each "X" time - JuiceDefender – battery saver does this and much more.
[Request] Disconnect Cell Data When WiFi Available - Built-In: Tap Menu > Settings > Wireless > Mobile Network
Ad Blocker - use Adfree if you are rooted.
Device Temperature Warnings - Built-in. Also lots of apps to monitor temperature
No Auto-Off While Charging - built-in option: Settings > Applications > Development > Stay Awake
Unthrottle Download Manager - built-in.
Faster Card Animations - Built-in: Tap Menu > Settings > Display > Animation and choose your level
Haptic Feedback Manager - Tap Menu > Settings > Sound Settings > Vibrate (another is Haptic feedback)
Virtual (On Screen) Keyboard - built-in with many great apps as well.
Just Charge By Default - When USB cable is plugged in, Just Charge is automatically selected.
• More Standby Times - built-in

Universal Search
[Request] Add music into universal search - Built-in: Tap Menu > Settings > Search > Searchable Items.
[Request] Add Sprint Nav to Universal Search - Built-in. Tap Search > Enter the address or place. Voice Search is faster.
KeyToss Keyword Search - Built-in: Tap Menu > Settings > Search > Searchable Items. Search options include: Web, Apps, Calendar, Facebook, Google Maps, Mail, Messages, People, Settings, Voicemail, and apps. Voice Search works will all of these as well.

Video Player
Swipe to Delete Videos - Built-in: Tap a video and choose Delete.

YouTube
YouTube: Copy URL (link) - Built-in: Tap the links to Share the link
Enable Landscape -built-in
Hyperlinks in Descriptions - built-in
Video Download - Download YouTube Ripper or FREEdi YouTube Down–loader! to save YouTube as videos and MP3’s to SD card.

Continued here...
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prubin

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Two things I miss (unrooted Evo):
No "roam only" (would really be nice)
No tweak I have found to set screen timEout to a different time than the stock: I prefer 3 minutes. (Trivial)
 

milominderbinde

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Patches Concepts Now in webOS!

Since July, 2009, Palm has in fact chosen to add a few of the favorite Homebrew patch concepts to webOS:
? Messaging: Enable Forwarding - Tap a message to forward it - standard in Android
? Misc: Cleanup Event Listeners - cure memory leaks - never an issue in Android
? Misc: Lower Swap Threashold - gives an extra 32MB of RAM for apps - never an issue in Android.
? Screen & Lock: Enable LED Notifications - standard in Android.
? Screen & Lock: Move Emergency Call - never an issue in Android.
? Screen & Lock: Move PIN Pad to Top - never an issue in Android.
 
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ericdives

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SMS Tone Per Contact: Doesn't work the way you suggest on my Samsung Epic 4G. I needed Handcent SMS for that to work. Ringtone customizations work only for phone calls, not SMS.

Other things I miss from the Pre:

- Sort email into folders (non GMail, need functionality for both EAS and IMAP, and would strongly prefer one app for both)
- Upload videos to Facebook and Twitter

Those are the two I can think of off of the top of my head. Again, to some extent these weaknesses may be Epic 4G or other phones; I know that the folder issue apparently is resolved on HTC phones as they apparently customized their mail app.

Nice to see a familiar face on the AndroidCentral forums, milominderbinder. :)

EDIT: Oh yeah, I had to download a widget to be able to turn off my 3G data, should I want to extend battery life a bit at the expense of data connectivity, but still keep the phone/SMS portion on: DCSwitch. And for the Epic, battery percentage is hidden from you, so I downloaded the Battery Watcher widget as well.
 
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unseenme#WN

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wow...nice write-up! Coming from a Pre Plus, I'll get my DX in 3 weeks and this reference will definitely help me transition to Android.

BTW...the screen on the DX is slightly larger than the entire Pre with the slider closed...lol
 
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Biggnaa20

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Wow.

I just finally pulled the trigger on going to Android after a seeming eternity af waiting for new Palm hardware.

My first few days had me thinking I'd made a mistake and that I would forever miss the simplicity and easy customization of webOS. Seeing these posts gave me a bit of pause and showed me that nearly all of what I missed from my belovedly frustrating Pre.

Now if we could only convince DanPLC to port Music (Remix) 2.0 this thing'd be almost perfect.

Thanks a bunch!

I'm not sure if you posted this in the Precentral forum, but after following you there, I think this bit of information would be very welcome to those who haven't been wowed by the leaked Pre hardware.
 

pbinder

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Just switched from WebOS, missing these...

I just jumped from my Palm Pre to an EVO. I love a lot of things about it, but I am missing a couple small things from my Pre.

There was a patch on the Pre that made a button on the screen while reading emails that I could mark the email as unread. I know I can go to Menu > Mark Unread....but I mark a lot of things unread when doing email from my phone as I like to respond to emails on my desktop.

I also liked the ability to swipe to delete emails and other items. Seems like it could be included and still keep the long-tap to open the pop up.

The notifications seem better on the Pre. An email notification will show me who it is from and the subject. The EVO just says that there is a new gmail message and shows what account the email was sent to.

The thing that I am extremely missing is the Poor Man's Twitter Client patch. This gave the ability to tap a Twitter SMS message and could reply to a user, leave a user, go to their twitter page, and retweet the message. Because I can't do this, I am turning mobile notifications off. I will try to just use Tweetdeck...but I like doing most of twitter through the messaging app as it uses less battery.
 

milominderbinde

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...Now if we could only convince DanPLC to port Music (Remix) 2.0 this thing'd be almost perfect...
There is no Android music player that even comes close to Music Player (Remix) 2.0. I have actually PM'ed Dan about Android but he wants to see Remix through to getting into the catalog.
 
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igobytony

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How about browser multimod to to give option of streaming or downloading streamed content?

this would be great! also, anyone know of an app that keeps all messages threaded based on the user, and not the service? it's been half a day and i'm already kind of frustrated by switching back and forth from messages app and gtalk since my friends go back and forth with both all day.
 

Biggnaa20

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There is no Android music player that even comes close to Music Player (Remix) 2.0. I have actually PM'ed Dan about Android but he wants to see Remix through to getting into the catalog.

I asked him about it too, but webOS seems to really fit his player very well. It was one app I have yet to find an equal for on Android. I hope some commercial success in the webOS market (once it is able to be included there) will spur him to search over here as well.

nnb
 

BenSWoodruff

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There is no way in the standard calendar to choose a default view...at least not that I have seen. It will always open to the day view and sure, you can tap menu>day/week/month/agenda, but it isn't as quick as just opening your calendar and seeing one particular view right away. I just wanted to clarify that.

If you like to know what exact level your battery is at, there are several solutions. If you like the HTC Sense Clock, you can get a better version from the market which has an option to show system statistics such as battery level. There are also plenty of widgets that show your battery level on your desktop or elsewhere.

I use SMS and GTalk regularly, I just have both icons on my home screen and use SMS to start conversations since I know it will get through on the recipient's phone. If they reply in GTalk, fine. I just open the app via the notification that comes down. I'm not sure why you would need a consolidated view...personally I like having it separated so that I can distinguish how I talk to people.

I would also suggest that anyone who is new to Android (especially if you don't like the stock keyboard) to look up Better Keyboard or SwiftKey. Swype is not the only alternative out there, and I've found so many high quality digital keyboard skins through Better Keyboard, I don't think I'll ever go back to stock or swype.

P/S: Welcome to Android!
 

jjeffcoat

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Does anyone know if Android can synchronize contacts from multiple sources (Google, Yahoo, Facebook) like webOS does?

Also, same question applied to calendars?

Jim
 

jjeffcoat

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Browser Patches
Android has many popular Browsers including Dolphin Browser. The standard browser includes:
? iPhone User Agent Spoof - Websites already display beautifully. Zoom in and text flows. No more panning back and forth.
? [Request] Add tap-and-hold text option - Built-in. Copy, Look-up, Share in Text, Email, Facebook, etc.
? [Request] add geolocation support - Built-in. Tap Internet > Menu > More > Enable Location
? Add Open URL Menu Option - Long press link to Bookmark, Copy, Save the Link, - or -
? Add Option to Send Link Message - Long press link to Share via Messages, Facebook, Email, Twitter, etc., - or -
? Added Shortcut Keys - Long press link to Add Bookmark, Open in a New Window, etc.
? Allow Browser in Low Memory - Built-in.
? Change Number of Bookmarks - Built-in.
? Delete Multiple History items at Once: Menu > Delete > check items to delete > Delete.
? Fullscreen Mode Browser - Built-in. Tap Menu to unhide.
? New Card Button In Browser - Built-in. Tap Menu > Windows > [+]
? No Auto Refresh After Idle - Built-in. No more lost content.
? Swipe History - Built-in. Tap Menu > More > History > Long press item for options.

Craig,

Is there any equivilant to the "add scrollbar to browser" patch?

Or does the Android browser already include scrollbars?
 
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