The "Help! How do I..." Thread

[JDub313]

Regarding a different keyboard, I am a big fan of SwiftKey. I had it on my OG Droid and now on the Thunderbolt. It saves me a ton of typing.

Oh and if you try it, you will need to know how to switch keyboards which is not as obvious as it should be. Once installed, you have to long press on a text entry field (in an email or text etc). You will see a popup that says Input Method. Click on that and you can select your default keyboard.

 

[obidos]

how do you set a custom wallpaper and get it to fit on the screen? weather setting it to only the main screen on stock launcher (sense) or when using another launcher, and locking the wallpaper in place, the set as wallpaper optoin crops the heck out of the image... help?

I'd like to know this too.... It crops the image too large so its almost stretched. I tried looking for setting size options but could not find any. Is there a way to have it autosize to fit the screen?

 

[TreyDaPrince]

I'm sure there is an app for this that'll make it work for the Sense launcher. I don't know any off the top of my head. But I do know you can do this with Launcher Pro. It's in the preferences menu.

Sent From Parts Unknown

 

[TreyDaPrince]

Hi I am new to Android I am coming from a Storm 2. Is there a way to log into google talk. I logged out yesterday and now every time I try to pull it up nothing happens?

You should sign in when you open in the app. If not, hit the menu button and select login. Then hit menu again, select settings and check the box that says automatically sign in.

Sent From Parts Unknown

 

[jaguarpaw]

how do you stop sms messages from scrolling across the bottom & or top of the screen. ??????

 

[iconia]

I just came from a older winmo samsung omnia, (heh don't laugh), I liked the fact that i could have a different image for my lock screen and a home screen, my friend has a droid eris (2.1) and is able to do this. what could i be missing?

 

[TreyDaPrince]

You cant stop it using the stock messaging app. You'll need a 3rd party app such as Handcent which I highly recommend.

Sent From Parts Unknown

 

[TreyDaPrince]

I just came from a older winmo samsung omnia, (heh don't laugh), I liked the fact that i could have a different image for my lock screen and a home screen, my friend has a droid eris (2.1) and is able to do this. what could i be missing?

It's an app called widget locker free in the market. Great app.

Sent From Parts Unknown

 

[barnebyjones]

I'd like to know this too.... It crops the image too large so its almost stretched. I tried looking for setting size options but could not find any. Is there a way to have it autosize to fit the screen?

This is what I did if you want to put a picture that is the correct size from your computer onto your phone without using the verizon software.

What I did was basically, resize an image I liked to 960x800 using either photoshop or irfanview on my computer, then plugged my tbolt into my computer and chose the option of "mount as disk drive" in the options that come up, then a popup should come up on your computer giving you a few options on what to do with your phone. Close out of the one that has verizon on it, as there will be two popups. Now choose Open folder to view files which will let you see what's on your SD card. Then go to the folder named DCIM then the folder named 100MEDIA inside that. This is where all of your pictures will be. Drag the picture in there, go to your camera application and click the farthest left button to see your pictures. From there locate the picture, hit menu, then set as, wallpaper, then drag in the grey area to the left or right of the image to size it up all the way. Then click save and it will say cropping and there you go!

It sounds a lot more complicated than it is

 

[nwgolfer]

Sorry about asking this but I can't seem to get the vibrate mode to work on my phone. I have it on vibrate mode on the call settings but when I get a call...no vibrate. Also, when I press and hold an icon to move...no vibration. I'm sure I've missed something in my settings but can't figure it out

 

[nwgolfer]

Sorry about asking this but I can't seem to get the vibrate mode to work on my phone. I have it on vibrate mode on the call settings but when I get a call...no vibrate. Also, when I press and hold an icon to move...no vibration. I'm sure I've missed something in my settings but can't figure it out

I do have the "Vibrate Feedback" checked in the sound settings as well as the sound profile set to vibrate.

 

[lazymac]

You should sign in when you open in the app. If not, hit the menu button and select login. Then hit menu again, select settings and check the box that says automatically sign in.

Sent From Parts Unknown

This happened to me also. Pull the battery. That fixed it for me.

 

[ak2j]

Is there a way to lock and unlock the screen without using the power button? Thanks in advance.

 

[Cyber Warrior]

Is there a way to lock and unlock the screen without using the power button? Thanks in advance.

You need a 3rd party app like Widget Locker... it will not lock/unlock the phone but it will turn the screen on with the bottom row of buttons instead of using the power button.

 

[ak2j]

You need a 3rd party app like Widget Locker... it will not lock/unlock the phone but it will turn the screen on with the bottom row of buttons instead of using the power button.

Cool I will give that a try. Thanks.

 

[willis936]

I find HTC Sync to be fair as sync software goes on mobile devices. My only other experience with them is VCast, BlackBerry Storm 1 garbage, and iTunes. iTunes being a decent polished experience and the others being crap and HTC Sync falling in the middle.

My simple question: HTC Sync can sync bookmarks but it only syncs the ones on my phone to my computer rather than the other way around. How on god's green earth do I get my browser bookmarks onto my phone without entering them in manually?

I know how to have them exported from my main browser (chrome) in a variety of different formats and import them to other browsers but this is my first android device (may I add that I'm VERY pleased with it). I'm using skyfire because the specs on it were too darn good to pass up.

 

[swade8]

I find HTC Sync to be fair as sync software goes on mobile devices. My only other experience with them is VCast, BlackBerry Storm 1 garbage, and iTunes. iTunes being a decent polished experience and the others being crap and HTC Sync falling in the middle.

My simple question: HTC Sync can sync bookmarks but it only syncs the ones on my phone to my computer rather than the other way around. How on god's green earth do I get my browser bookmarks onto my phone without entering them in manually?

I know how to have them exported from my main browser (chrome) in a variety of different formats and import them to other browsers but this is my first android device (may I add that I'm VERY pleased with it). I'm using skyfire because the specs on it were too darn good to pass up.

I use Firefox 4RC version of browser on my pc, then i installed the mobile version of firefox to my T-bolt and they have a sync mode that does exactly what you want.. it sends the bookmarks from the pc via the internet to my phone when i request it too.. as the bookmarks sync to firefox's sync location (the cloud).. so the pc does not need to be on to complete this process...

firefox 4 ---> Mozilla Download

Mobile ---> Download Firefox for Mobile

after installing on both pc and mobile locate the syn feature.. the phone will generate a code that you have to type in on the pc side.. then all is complete. ---> http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/mobile/sync/

 

[willis936]

That works but I use chrome as my main browser and Firefox as my back up. Mainly for banking or other necessary things that don't support chrome (and at this point don't support FF4, only FF3.6). Also Firefox is nice but it isn't one of the major contenders I'm looking at for browsers. Vanilla 2.2, Opera, and skyfire (but not really because it's the UI from hell) because they seem to be the fastest. Does 3.6 support this feature? If so I might just do that.

 

[swade8]

That works but I use chrome as my main browser and Firefox as my back up. Mainly for banking or other necessary things that don't support chrome (and at this point don't support FF4, only FF3.6). Also Firefox is nice but it isn't one of the major contenders I'm looking at for browsers. Vanilla 2.2, Opera, and skyfire (but not really because it's the UI from hell) because they seem to be the fastest. Does 3.6 support this feature? If so I might just do that.

there is an Addon for the "Sync" feature in the addon section.. you can look for it there... if have 3.6

 

[TreyDaPrince]

Lets keep these questions coming. I don't mind 100 questions if it prevents 100 threads with the same question. =)