Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with android

IS there an app for that?

mittenbex — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:19:00 -0800

Help me find an app like this for Android! http://abeautifulmessapp.com/

I am looking for the closest thing to the app 'A Beautiful Mess' to add fun text, doodles and borders to pictures. I'm having trouble finding something close enough.

Thanks in advance.

Help me find a decent, cheap Android tablet for my kids.

Crotalus — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:47:13 -0800

I can never use my tablet because the kids are always on it. Where can I buy a budget Android tablet that my kids can use for games and videos. I want something cheap enough that if it gets dropped, spilled on, stepped on, etc, I won't worry too much about it. I've seen some pretty good Chinese tablets. If you were buying a cheap Android tablet that will still play games and videos for kids, what would you buy. I can change language settings, but I'd rather not have to root it. Any form factor is OK, but something 8"+ would be ideal. I know that some sellers of these items are sketchy, and I need it before we leave for vacation soon, so if possible I prefer to buy through a seller I can trust: Ebay, Amazon, NewEgg, TigerDirect, etc. Thanks in advance for your wisdom.

Having a tedious time with the current generation of mobile devices.

Nomyte — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:19:21 -0800

I've been a late adopter of mobile computing stuff, but since February I've been giving a tablet (Nexus 10, Android 4.2.2) and a smartphone (a Nexus 4) a chance. I can't stand them. Why isn't the experience "clicking" for me? Here's a litany of complaints. They are merely representative, and I don't expect every one to be addressed individually.

The tablet (and, to a smaller extent, smartphone) touchscreen experience is clumsy and unresponsive, especially compared to my older slate laptop. It really feels like using a computer while extremely drunk.
Mobile sites are clumsy and unresponsive: radio buttons highlight, but don't get activated when pressed with vigor, other actions and presses get detected only intermittently, etc.
The stylus is fat and clumsy. My fingers are fat and clumsy. The fine-tip stylus (a Jot Pro) offers little improvement.
The onscreen keyboard pops up and down unpredictably. Clicking on a text field sometimes fails to summon it and there is no obvious way to summon it otherwise.
It takes an extra button press to access the number keys.
Automatic spelling correction is intrusive even on the least aggressive setting.
Accurate text selection is difficult. Accurate cursor positioning is difficult. The cursor suffers from weird latency issues.
Text is only rendered in high quality where the application thinks you're looking.
Scrolling quickly on long web pages (e.g., Metafilter) is difficult and the scrollbar is not pressable and also hard to see.
Inability to access the file system makes me feel literally disabled. Installing an app to access the file system reveals a complex directory tree with obscure folder names.
The proliferation of single-function apps represents unnecessary mental overhead.
Apps have jawdropping functionality gaps. The Gmail app won't let you empty your trash. A note-taking app I downloaded offers no way of deleting files.
Reliance on private, "cloud-based" storage services for personal files feels downright stupid. There's storage right on the device, why can't I use it.

It really feels like these devices are trying to channel my usage into specific and (for me) unnatural and limited patterns. I have little interest in mobile music, games, or TV content, so perhaps I'm not a very typical user. Hope me, Metafilter, I am almost at the point of giving these things away.

Jumping ship to Android (Google's S4) and need a Mailbox equivalent

0bvious — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:25:26 -0800

I think the time has come for me to jump the iPhone ship. The announcement of the Google version of the Galaxy S4 at I/O was the clincher. But I am not 100% sold on the idea, mainly because the S4 is an ugly brute, but also because I fear for the apps and innovation I will miss. Help me out, specifically in finding a worthy replacement for my beloved Mailbox app. I waited. I pondered. I looked longingly at the horizon. Now it's time to go.

I am a concerned jumper for a few reasons:

1. I use an ipad extensively, and don't see this changing anytime soon. Iphone/Ipad integration is pretty solid.
2. My girlfriend and close friends will be sticking with Apple and iMessage will be missed
3. I recently started using Mailbox app and it has revolutionised the way I use email. I don't think I can go back to the old cluttered inbox, BUT, Mailbox's plans to make an app for Android look vague at best.
4. Related to this, it seems that the Apple app store is still the top of the list for developers, even though there are now more Android devices out there than Apple. I like innovation. Will I have to wait around a lot?

I am jumping because I am sick of having to jailbreak my phone to have it do what I want. I am a heavy HEAVY mobile internet user, I use a lot of apps for a variety of things. I reckon most can be replaced, and fed into Dropbox or something to take the place of iCloud, BUT, I'm not sure, and I am worried that once I jump I'll be stranded.

I really wanted Google to announce a new Nexus at I/O this week, but they failed. The current Nexus 4 looks lovely, but the lack of 4G put me off. The HTC One also is a sweet looking device, but with only 4MP of camera to play with it would've felt like a downgrade. Google announced a new partnership with the S4 at I/O, so I am hoping to get one now, and root it when the Google rich version gets released in June.

My contract has been up for renewal since February, so I have already lingered long enough. The battery in my trusty iPhone 4 is pretty crap these days. Time to move on. Please help me out here.

Is this a real game? Or is it just fantasy?

Skybly — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:01:09 -0800

While shopping for a case for my new Android tablet I came across this photo. I like the cutesy look of the game on screen - can anyone identify it (if it's not just a mockup for marketing purposes)? Thanks!

Google Reader replacement?

grouse — Sun, 12 May 2013 12:38:14 -0800

Google Reader is going away soon. What should I replace it with? Specific requirements inside.

Import existing feeds from Google Reader.
Import starred items from Google Reader.
Web interface that works with Firefox on Windows and Linux.
Keyboard navigation on web interface that allows quickly moving from one whole article to the next (not just titles).
Android app that allows quickly moving from one whole article to the next.
iPad app.
Offline storage on Android and iPad apps.
Ability to star/flag items for future follow-up.
Folder organization of feeds.
Export to Pocket.
Easy subscription of feeds from Firefox.
Would prefer something free but am willing to pay money.
Easy sharing of items via email/Facebook/Twitter/Google+.

There was a flurry of posts about Reader replacements when Google first announced they were pulling the plug, including an Ask MetaFilter post, "Recommended replacements for Google Reader?" I figured that after a couple of months some of the dust will have settled, new services may have been developed, and people would know which services can handle the increased load of Reader refugees.

How can I get my phone to cache web pages?

Carillon — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:16:02 -0800

So I just got this phone fairly recently, it's an android HTC 1x+ and while I love it a lot, I've been running into 2 issues which really bring the whole experience down for me. How can I stop my phone from reloading each page every time I switch tabs and how can I keep my place when it switches from portrait mode to landscape and back? I read my phone on the train, and I like to load up a few web sites in different tabs on the chrome browser to read and then switch between. The issue is that if I spend more than 2 minutes away from the tab it seems to think that there's going to be so much new information and reloads the page. This is usually not an issue, but when the train goes underground I lose service, which means that the webpage loads to a blank page. If it hadn't automatically reloaded the page information was right there and I could have read it in peace.

The other issue is that when I'm reading a site in portrait mode, occasionally I'll tilt the screen a little to far and it will go to landscape mode. This isn't a problem as I can tilt it back to portrait mode no problem, but when I do it seems to have lost my place on the page entirely and I have to scroll around to find the right place. Is this fixable at all?

Digital Magazines in the Great White North

joelhunt — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:36:02 -0800

Am I (a Canadian in Canada) able to access the digital editions of magazines to which I subscribe? If so, how? I want to read GQ, Wired, Esquire, et al on my Kobo Arc (runs Android). I cannot figure out how to do so. I just don't seem to have the option in the Google Play store to get the digital editions without paying. Is it because I'm in Canada? If not, what is the process to get this set up?

No italics in Dolphin browser (android)

mudpuppie — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:19:38 -0800

I use Dolphin as my default browser on my Samsung Galaxy S3. I've just noticed that italics don't show up in Dolphin. (Screenshot.) They do show up in the stock browser. (Screenshot.) I can't find a setting anywhere that indicates why the <em> tag isn't showing. Help? Here's the about screen for my phone, and for Dolphin, if those are helpful.

Speedy, no-frills notes to email from Android?

moira — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 12:24:15 -0800

Is there a free or cheap android app that will let me touch an icon, type in text, and touch another icon to have the text automatically sent via email to myself, preferably with a predetermined subject line? Browsing through apps shows me a bunch of complicated apps with lots of features, folders, and button-clicking involved. I just want to be able to send simple text memos to myself in a minimum of time, without storing or synching or organizing.

If there's another quick way of getting text memos from my phone to my computer for later processing, I'm open to it. I use a Mac.

(I'm new to Android, sorry if the answer to this is obvious.)

Android games for 5 year old (Autism, pragmatic language impairment)

zaxour — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:08:29 -0800

Looking for android games (Motorola Xoom 1st Gen) for a 5 year old with special needs (pragmatic language impairment) I am looking android games for a 5 year old that has Autism diagnosis but major impairment is in Pragmatic language. Although these deficits direct to certain kind of apps, I am looking for games that address issue of fine motor skills, general entertainment (He loves Cordy and Angry Birds) and pragmatic speech development (where he needs to interact with the game).

He is not interested in painting or letters apps.

In the long run, I would like to develop his game playing skills. I may game dedicated game console in a year or so but until them Xoom is a gaming pad.

Any ideas?

(P.S. - If you don't know any games that specifically address his special needs, I would love to hear game suggestions for entertainment purpose.)

T-Mobile: Stay or Go?/iPhone or No?

Xalf — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 08:33:13 -0800

I have had a reasonably happy relationship with my T-Mobile G2 (aka HTC Desire Z) these past two years, but my contract is up, and I have long coveted the iPhone, mostly based on its picture taking and video chatting capabilities. Should I just get one and take advantage of T-Mobile's new pricing? Or should I jump to a new carrier? An attempt to make this less open-ended is inside. I have been a T-Mo customer nearly as long as I've had a cell phone, and I really do like their service and pricing, especially the new scheme. I rarely make calls, but quality is normally fine. My impression is that my data service is slower than other carriers, but I don't really know how to judge what difference a new carrier and a new phone would make. I spend most of my time in Washington, DC and always have pretty good reception. So here is the main question:

How can I tell how much faster things would be if I switched to AT&T or Verizon?

Bonus overthinking about whether iPhone is right for me: I am happy with Android, but I don't consider it a member of my family. Also, I'm pissed at Google over killing Reader (which I do consider to be a family member). I mostly use the phone for web browsing, email, Facebook, NYT, and podcasts (using doggcatcher). It is rarely convenient for me to sync the phone with a desktop - would that impact my iPhone experience? I am willing to consider hot new Android phones, but I am not crazy about how enormous they are. And I like the idea of being able to use FaceTime with friends and family who also have iPhones.

Should my tablet match my phone or my laptop ecosystem?

midmarch snowman — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 07:18:11 -0800

I am getting a Tablet for work, either a Nexus 10 or an iPad. I'm pretty well versed on the features and drawbacks for both, and I feel like if my other devices were either all Apple or all Google/Windows I'd make the choice based on matching my current device operating system ecosystem. BUT right now, each device I use has a different OS, so is there a better device to match my tablet operating system with? An android phone will be my next smartphone. I used to have an old iPhone 3G and liked iOS, but decided not to stay with iPhones because money.

I still have an old MacBook as a home computer, and I am pretty committed to OSX operating system for that purpose.

Also, at work I will be using windows, naturally.

The work I'm doing on the tablet will almost entirely be reading and annotating PDFs and Google Docs. Although I like holding the nexus better, it sounds like people prefer the PDF apps for the iPad better.

Since most other feature comparisons are similarly a wash, I wonder if there is any benefit of having both my mobile devices in the same ecosystem? Or is there a benefit from having my tablet be in the same ecosystem as my laptop? Or does it even matter?

Where Can I Learn About Mobile Software Development?

COD — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:30:49 -0800

I'm back in the web software development world after about 7 years selling already developed software. Mobile software development barely existed the last time I talked to a client about development projects. I understand the web side of things just fine still. Mobile I'm clueless on. Is there a good book or maybe website(s) that will help get me up to speed, and stay there? I'm running sales, so I'm not going to be writing any code. I actually can write small apps in python or php, and I know my way around the Wordpress codebase. So I'm not the stereotypical dumb sales guy. I mostly need to know what questions to ask when qualifying and sizing mobile projects. We develop for both Android and iOS.

Thanks.

Help me learn to love Flipboard

payoto — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 06:11:55 -0800

I'm trying to find my way around Flipboard on my Android phone. I like it so far, except that I kind of really hate Cover Stories. It takes up 2/3 of the screen and it mainly includes stories that people in my Facebook and Twitter feeds have shared. This isn't stuff that I usually think of as the most important or interesting news of the day, and if I just want to see what people are saying on Facebook, I'll go to Facebook. Is there any way to hide or move the Cover Stories board so it's not the main feature of the first page, or at least customize it so that it shows, maybe, aggregated news from the newspapers and magazines I subscribe to and not so many pictures of my friends' kids? Or are there any aggregator apps for Android that still pull in a variety of sources but offer more customization?

The paperless life, on Linux

themel — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 12:33:27 -0800

Is there an integrated system that will let me digitize scraps of paper very quickly? The intended use case would be removing the paper clutter from a busy person's desk. Household uses Linux, Android phones, an iPad and a Mac. I'm a fairly disorganized person in the physical realm. My desk is overflowing with diverse pieces of paper that I don't want to throw away because they might be interesting at some point in the future - credit card bills, event flyers, bills paid and unpaid, invoices, a one page quick guide to avalanche rescue etc.

Instead of cleaning it up, I prefer to engage in technological escapism, and I've convinced myself that it should be possible to just quickly suck the useful essence of these things into the digital realm, where I have terabytes of unused storage sitting around, and discard the physical husks afterwards, leaving me with a cleaner desk and more accessible information as well.

The workflow I'm imagining is that I'd take pictures of/scan these things quickly (ideally on either the computer or a mobile device), then get them automatically deskewed/OCRed/tagged with essential metadata (time/location/source device) and thrown into an editing queue for potential manual reprocessing or sorting into structures. Since it's 2013, this would ideally also include the mobile devices for both capture and access.

Is there any integrated system that will fit my requirements? I would prefer to run something open source to run on my own Linux server, but I'm willing to look into service-based solutions as long as it allows me a reasonable amount of backup capability to make sure they don't get to blackmail me too much for keeping my data accessible.

PS: I'm willing to pay unreasonable money for a physical device like the Rainbows End library digitizers - the satisfaction of throwing this stuff into a gaping maw that turns it into separate piles of shreddar and lovely bits must be priceless!

Android apps for a six-year-old?

Mo Nickels — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:04:22 -0800

I bought my son a low-end Android tablet and now I want to load it up with quality applications. I'm looking for equal parts entertainment, education, and beautiful UI. He likes drawing, art, nature, science, Pokémon, puppets, maps, animals, monsters, comics, making his own books, and I don't know what all. Something up to about age 10 would probably be fine for him

So, what apps would you recommend? Anything exceptional or particularly outstanding or unusual?

Or do you know a good, regularly updated list online? Nearly all the recommendations or articles I found online were shills, or filled with stupid apps no human child would use, or were filled with apps so ugly you'd have to put a paper bag over the tablet every time you turned it on.

Looking for 2-player android games that reproduce the board-game feeling

primer_dimer — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:55:13 -0800

A favourite evening activity for my wife and I is playing board games. I've been thinking for a while now that a lot of the things that are fun about board games ought to translate very well to tablet games. So I'm looking for suggestions for Android games that fit a few criteria: - fun for two players
- will happily run on an ASUS transformer tablet
- allow two people to play on the same device (i.e. we only have one Android tablet! though we do have two android phones, if there are any games that fit the criteria....)

and that contain some of the elements that we find appealing about board games:

- strong themes (history, spaceships, pirates, etc. etc.) that allow for a little bit of roleplaying
- plenty of player interaction
- don't involve quick reaction / reflexes (i.e. probably turn-based or similar)

Here's what we are not looking for:

- first person shooters
- long, involved military strategy wargames
- driving/racing games

Obvious good candidates are android versions of board games, but please don't limit answers to these - I am sure that there are great categories of games that I've not thought of. For example, I'm reasonably sure that we would enjoy playing an RPG dungeon-explorey kind of game, but I have no idea which ones would be suitable.

Paid games are fine.

For readers familiar with euro-style board games, our current favourites are Agricola/Race for the Galaxy/Carcasonne/Morels/Catan.

Foolproof app for video chat between a Samsung Galaxy Tab and an iPad?

jamaro — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:25:49 -0800

After a demonstration with Facetime, my dad would like to regularly video chat with his grandson. Grandson owns an iPad 2. I've tried to talk Dad into buying an iPad too but he's attracted to the lower price of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. I'm getting mixed feedback on which app will allow easy and reliable video chatting between a Galaxy Tab and an iPad. Skype was my first thought, however according to Skype's support forums, video chat does not always work on Tabs due to reasons PEBKAC or otherwise.

Complications: Dad lives a three hour drive away and while as sharp as one can be at the age of 91, he's 91 (very hard of hearing, rather stubborn, while not a total tech newb he is new to both touch interfaces and Android UI as well as the whole concept of downloading applications as opposed to installing them from physical media). Assume any setup, troubleshooting and maintenance on his Galaxy will have to be performed by me long distance while shouting into the phone* and I do not own an Android device so that I might play along at home.

Requirements:
#1: Must have an analogous app that runs on iOS
Easy to obtain: should be available in a well known and trusted repository for Android apps, should not require my dad to enter his credit card number (he will not make purchases online, hardstop—if it does require payment, I need to be able to buy and gift credits to his account)
Easy to install: "Click this button to install this app onto your device"
Easy to set up: Default settings will allow the app to make video calls
Easy to maintain: Ideally, it just works now and forever more w/o trying to guess which permissions need to be granted or which settings need to be massaged
Inexpensive: App will have at most a 1x cost at purchase and no subscription fee for continuing access

*dear lord, just buy the iPad, Dad

Best combination food/exercise log app?

Halloween Jack — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:26:46 -0800

iPhone user; I've experimented with exercise logging apps such as MapMyRide+, Cyclemeter and Fitocracy (most of my exercise is cycling-oriented, but I'm also looking at Kinect exercise games and, potentially, weightlifting). Is there a good combo app that logs both exercise and food intake? Or one site that could possibly accept input/imports from both? Pluses include:

- Suggested calorie counts for relatively common prepared foods (e.g. pizza) so that I don't have to depend on stuff with nutrition labels

- iOS, although I do have an Android 7" tablet

- Either free or one-time fee; would look at subscription services if they're really good

Looking for an Android app.

Trexsock — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 08:51:30 -0800

Best Android app/s that will help remind me to eat regularly? I'm looking for a planning/schedule Android app which will help me remember when I'm supposed to eat, by deploying an alarm (preferentially customizable) or some sort of popup on my phone.

Thank you in advance.

Visual (Dollars and Coins) Time and Money Tracking App

purefusion — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:53:54 -0800

There used to be a time tracking app for Android or iPhone which tracked time visually by displaying amount spent/earned in the form of US dollars and coins on the screen. What app was that? There used to be a time tracking app, but I don't remember if it was for Android or iPhone, which tracked time visually by displaying amount spent/earned in the form of dollars and coins on the screen. Every second or two the screen would update with an accurate representation of amount of money per hour spent/earned by showing stacks of dollars and various denominations of US coins (pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters as appropriate).

Anyone know what app that was? I can't find it anymore, but I've only been looking through the App Store as I no longer use an Android device, so it could very likely have been an Android app. However, a quick Google didn't turn up any results with the search terms I was trying, so I figured I'd ask the hive. :)

user-scalable=wrong

benzenedream — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:21:24 -0800

On Android, is there a way in any of the available browsers to turn off honoring <meta name = "viewport" content = "initial-scale = x.x, user-scalable = no">? I'm sick of designers that don't want me to zoom in on their preciously designed mobile site.

For the love of god, help me root my (not-so) Incredible

csox — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:29:19 -0800

I'm failing miserable at rooting my Incredible. I'm very, very new to the whole rooting concept, but the low storage space detailed here is unacceptable, and I can't afford a bigger SD card or new phone. Help? I'm trying to follow the instructions given here, but can't seem to get past the first step of getting my command prompt to "c:\miniadb_inc>" When I follow the instructions exactly as given, all I get is "Invalid Directory." I'm stuck, and no one in my house/time zone seems to be able to help. Can you?? Alternatively, do you have a different "fool proof" way to root?

Can I downgrade Android 4.1.1 to 4.1 on a Motorola Razr M w/o Rooting?

NYC-BB — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 20:48:01 -0800

So Verizon finally updated my Razr M to 4.1.1 and, for some reason, the battery life has become absolutely horrid and wifi tethering has basically stopped working. Is there a way to "downgrade" from the latest version of Android to an older one - without rooting the phone?

If not, does anyone have experience rooting a Razr M? What are the pros/cons?