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Hi all,
Are there or are plan an application that read incoming sms ??
is very useful when you're driving, There is just a better speech lib that read what you write, I think that is not hard build this kind of app...
what you think ???
Ciao !!!
Daniele
I have the same question..
Does anyone know of a text to speech app for reading sms??
I'm assuming it would also have to have voice recognition so you could respond?
Just something that reads incoming texts out load, like it does on my blackberry or shadow... is there nothing like that for the G1?
I have a feeling one will come out in the next couple days. If not I might throw one together.
SMSpeaker
There is an app called SMSpeaker on this app site:
http://eyes-free.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/documentation/tts_apps.html
I tried clicking on the link but couldn't find it.
I think that all it does is direct you to Market (which isn't there yet of course.) Looks like someone is on the right track.
Binary100100:
Yep, that's the one to which I was referring. In the Applications on the eyes-free page list it shows it as a priced app (at $0.99 USD) so I assume when priced apps are activated, this will become available. Of course, the current iteration of the TTS library doesn't work. I wonder what the plan is from the standpoint of apps using the TTS library (or any shared library, for that matter) as far as protection against the developer of the shared library releasing a defective update. Surely, this poses some sort of risk and might be enough to sway some from using such libraries.
nEx.Software said:
Binary100100:
Yep, that's the one to which I was referring. In the Applications on the eyes-free page list it shows it as a priced app (at $0.99 USD) so I assume when priced apps are activated, this will become available. Of course, the current iteration of the TTS library doesn't work. I wonder what the plan is from the standpoint of apps using the TTS library (or any shared library, for that matter) as far as protection against the developer of the shared library releasing a defective update. Surely, this poses some sort of risk and might be enough to sway some from using such libraries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do we even know when the paid apps will be available on Market?
According to the online reports, and the email I got from Google...
Supposedly, mid-week this week in the US and UK.
I thought maybe today (Wednesday) but that didn't happen so maybe tomorrow. That pretty much ends mid-week in my mind.
Just an update... I've decided to do this even though there is already one about to be released. I'm doing it a little different though.
Hm, not with Donut there is an really EXCELLENT TTS engine for android ! At least the german one sounds really really great! Maybe you should use this for your sms app
cool would be an app that would read out any text i highlight after pressing an shortcut
which apps so far have disappointed you?
For me so far its Opera Mini, Meebo, and Palringo
Opera Mini was just a direct port with little tweaking for the Android OS
Meebo just needs a few more bugs fixed and a few UI improvements and more settings, even without the last 2 it'd be great if it simply kept you signed in.
And Palringo is in the same boat as Meebo.
What about you?
i personally cant believe there are so many different fart apps.. even paid ones..
but as far as things ive tried that have disappointed me, meebo was a disappoint with the logging off.. it logs off and locks up as much as the actual aim im prog that came on the phone..
theres also been a couple of games that ive opened and they were just garbage, i cant remember any of them atm except battleship though
I have the same complaints about Skype as you do about Opera Mini. Skype Lite can't make free skype-to-skype calls and there is no integration with Android OS whatsoever. So if I want to see if I have received any new messages, I have to switch to the app and check it manually.
Also the game called eggs was disappointing. The beginning was good, but the author completely ignored users' comments.
My BackUp Pro was also a waste of money. I thought it did more than just copy apk files to SD card and zip it.
I just was disappointed with the introduction of paid apps. As much as I love many of the apps I have paid for, it destroyed the market. There are now thousands of horrible apps, and apps that once were free that now cost money.
Many apps deserved support and donations, but not forced. Apps like Power Manager. Works great, and I would have no problem donating to them, but to turn their app into a trial, forcing people to update to their now paid version is just wrong. Android was all about Open Source, helping fellow users. When a dev puts hours, days, weeks, even months into developing an app, most certainly should he be rewarded for his efforts. Charging $5 for a fart soundboard is ridiculous. The dev couldn't have spent more than 5 minutes on it and expects users to pay for a joke of an app.
tehseano said:
I just was disappointed with the introduction of paid apps. As much as I love many of the apps I have paid for, it destroyed the market. There are now thousands of horrible apps, and apps that once were free that now cost money.
Many apps deserved support and donations, but not forced. Apps like Power Manager. Works great, and I would have no problem donating to them, but to turn their app into a trial, forcing people to update to their now paid version is just wrong. Android was all about Open Source, helping fellow users. When a dev puts hours, days, weeks, even months into developing an app, most certainly should he be rewarded for his efforts. Charging $5 for a fart soundboard is ridiculous. The dev couldn't have spent more than 5 minutes on it and expects users to pay for a joke of an app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I have to agree with you. I was hoping paid apps will give more incentive for developers to create good stuff, but instead all it did was make free apps paid.
Also the game called eggs was disappointing. The beginning was good, but the author completely ignored users' comments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree with you on that one... I just played it on Iphone and it's light years ahead of Androids version. It has sound, pause/resume option. It really bugs me when dev. puts out a game and doesn't bother to port it properly, even for a game as simple as that one.
I am also very disappointed in the apps that used to be completely free and now have been turned into trials and demos.
So far... the only app I don't regret paying for is BetterCut, everything else was junk.
Remote (RDP client) disappointed me so much, it continues to have connection issues.
Opera Mini was pure crap, I can't see why Opera didn't make an effort to port (truly) Opera Mobile instead. I might have paid for that if it was any good. Now I just wait for Fennec to be ported.
Barcode scanner for non-QR codes is disappointing. Other scanners, like SnapTell, can do so much more. All Barcode scanner can do is look it up on Google. I can do that myself by typing in the numbers below the barcode. The QR code reader is the only reason I keep that program.
FBook is disappointing. The interface has been mangled and it's more focused on uploading pictures than it is giving users the full Facebook experience. It's little more than a web-view portal for Mobile Facebook, and sometimes slower than using the browser.
jordanjay29 said:
Barcode scanner for non-QR codes is disappointing. Other scanners, like SnapTell, can do so much more. All Barcode scanner can do is look it up on Google. I can do that myself by typing in the numbers below the barcode. The QR code reader is the only reason I keep that program.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you would like to try this usage: I'm developing an free online service to log purchases and see statistics. Also, I've implemented a shopping list feature I use all the time (my girlfriend too). The goal is to integrate it with Barcorama and use the barcodes to quickly log the purchases, e.g. right after returning from the supermarket.
So perhaps you want to start logging stuff with costpad.com
sorry for the offtopic post...
have fun,
hypest
Karolis said:
I have the same complaints about Skype as you do about Opera Mini. Skype Lite can't make free skype-to-skype calls and there is no integration with Android OS whatsoever. So if I want to see if I have received any new messages, I have to switch to the app and check it manually.
Also the game called eggs was disappointing. The beginning was good, but the author completely ignored users' comments.
My BackUp Pro was also a waste of money. I thought it did more than just copy apk files to SD card and zip it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mybackup Pro also backs up AK Notepad, your call logs, your system settings, text messages, and something else I'm forgetting.
I don't use it to back up apps at all, just data.
My Backup Pro limitation (???)
thecolorifix said:
Mybackup Pro also backs up AK Notepad, your call logs, your system settings, text messages, and something else I'm forgetting.
I don't use it to back up apps at all, just data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YEAH - it's great to backup & restore call logs, MMS, SMS's and phone setting and homepages (although the widgets for some reason does not load during recovery!)
But before I forget. You cannot save a backup filename that contains the character '-' ...How weird is that?
When I contacted the app-dev, this was the response:
"These characters are not allwed due to file system"
On Tuesday, February 23, 2010, i wrote:
> Hi
> When I try to save a data backup file with a filename that contains a '-', this '-' gets removed. Can this please be fixed. Like : LastBackup-phone gets saved as LastBackupphone.
> Thank you
Weird huh? I think it's a lazy dev!
I find it hard to be disappointed by free apps, but of the apps I've paid for the biggest disappointment has been the Mediafly app. When I first downloaded this app, I used the free version regularly and daily to subscribe and listen to all my favorite podcasts. I used it so much that I decided to purchase the app and within a week the app was completely broken.
It still downloads podcasts fine, but it makes it impossible to actually listen to the downloaded files. The streaming only works about half the time. It won't resume playing a file in the middle (I was once amazed at how I could resume playing a streaming podcast flawlessly upon initial release - no more; it doesn't resume anything now.) It will seemingly randomly delete podcasts that I haven't even listened to for no reason, even though I have it set to never delete anything. Bottom line, what was once the perfect app is now junk.
Hi everyone, just got my N3 last night and I am pretty excited about it.
I am a long time Mac Rumors member and my past phones have been ...... JB 3g, JB 3gs, JB 4, JB 4s
I am very upset with the tiny screens on my iphones and I refuse to wait another year for the 6 to come out.
So now I am a 1st time Android user and what to really check out the Android scene.
What are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away? (different keyboards, apps, etc)
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
edit: does Google Play offer any rebates/coupons/freebies for newly purchased devices?
Hey I would use smart switch to get your things from iPhone to your new phone but that is after you have it activated
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
XiphoneUzer said:
Hi everyone, just got my N3 last night and I am pretty excited about it.
I am a long time Mac Rumors member and my past phones have been ...... JB 3g, JB 3gs, JB 4, JB 4s
I am very upset with the tiny screens on my iphones and I refuse to wait another year for the 6 to come out.
So now I am a 1st time Android user and what to really check out the Android scene.
My N3 arrived Wednesday evening, and it's STILL not activated, (and its killing me).
The reason being, I wanna know if there is anything I should do BEFORE I call ATT and activate it.
(I do NOT want to close any windows, so is there is anything you folks recommend I do before I activate it)?
Once activated, what are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away?
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
edit: does Google Play offer any rebates/coupons/freebies for newly purchased devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by call ATT and activate it? All you have to do is put your SIM card in and it is ready to go with a few account setups. After that it is up to you except for rooting and modding. Cant be done right now without voiding your warranty.
First thing you do is scratch off the att emblem since they locked the bootloader
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
XiphoneUzer said:
Once activated, what are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away?
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
XiphoneUzer said:
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the keyboard, i prefer the google keyboard over the samsung one. It provides functionality similar to the iphone and is easy to switch between the iphone and android if you use them both in daily life.
As for apps, here is a small list of apps i like to have on all of my devices.
GOOGLE CHROME. Its much better than the built in browser and is able to synchronize with my desktop browsers favorites, etc.
Skype: Perfect for if you are travelling over seas at all with your device.
Google Hangouts: A good replacement for the built in SMS app.
Facebook & Twitter: If you need an explanation, you shouldn't be useing these apps.
Battery Doctor by KS Mobile: Simple app, but is helpful to save battery life and know exactly how much you have left.
Google Music: I have most of my library stored on google so it makes my life easy to have this.
Google Books: The book equivalent of my music library. Syncronizes what i have read across devices and browsers.
Kindle for Android: For the ebooks you buy on amazon.
Google Keep: Great for taking quick notes and having them on all your devices.
Dropbox: Great cloud file storage. Comes with free storage and you can pay to get more.
Google Drive: Google version of dropbox.
MX Player: This video player will play any video format you throw at it.
Google Maps: A must have for all smartphone users.
Zedge: While its quality has gone down a fair bit from what it once was, its still a great place to find ringtones and notification sounds for your android device.
GPS Status: Great for calibrating your devices sensors and ensuring that it works properly.
Now for the ROOT ONLY apps.
Titanium backup
SuperSU
Triangle Away
Hopefully this is a useful list to get you started. I have all these plus many more installed on my devices, and I find I use them all fairly regularly.
djdelusional said:
Skype: Perfect for if you are travelling over seas at all with your device.
Google Hangouts: A good replacement for the built in SMS app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer Hangouts to Skype because Hangouts features free video multi-chat.
But I use Google Voice for SMS because it provides free unlimited texting. Hangouts insists on using the phone's native number rather than your Google Voice number, so you have to pay extra for a text plan or for individual messages.
Doesn't anyone else have any advice for a first time Android user?
XiphoneUzer said:
Doesn't anyone else have any advice for a first time Android user?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your new to android I'd stay away from root for a while.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I467 using Tapatalk 4
XiphoneUzer said:
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel like for every-day typical phone use cases, there aren't that many gaps that stand out as needing to be filled by a third party app. You'll probably need a new music player, the defaults are crapola - but I can't be much help here; I keep my music as folders full of MP3 files (like God intended!) and play with Music Folder Player, and shun the dirty S&M ("sync and manage") apps.
There's a big list of stuff that I did when I first got the phone to get it to where I'm happy with it, but all of this was root required stuff. There are apps that come pre-loaded on android devices and can't be removed or disabled without root. Also, customizing stuff that can't be customized without root. I couldn't abide by some of the not-changable-without-root defaults. Getting rid of the "screen turns on so you can unlock it when you hit the home key" behavior is probably the most glaring example for me; my ass* was unlocking it constantly - but coming from iPhone, you probably view that as the Right Thing for home button to do.
I think most people use a custom keyboard. Swiftkey and Swype are the most popular. The phone comes with Swype, but it's an ancient version with limited support for changing the dictionary, you want the newest one.
I use Hangouts for gchat, but not for SMS. I actually prefer default app for SMS..
Settings:
Pull down status bar, long press on wifi, WiFi -> menu -> advanced settings, uncheck auto connect to AT&T hotspots (unless they don't suck where you are. Around here, they often don't have internet behind them, and just break your connectivity for the 30 seconds or so it takes for the phone to connect to them, determine that the wifi is no good, and fall back to 4G. At least this phone does that; Original note would just sit there like a fool trying to use non-functional wifi... I've also yet to find a hotspot that performs better than the 4G does. But I live in a city, so the situation may be different elsewhere).
Pull down status bar, long press on GPS. Uncheck "Use wireless networks" - on newer versions of android, this drains battery while idle; the damned thing wakes the phone periodically to check the networks around it - if the phone is nearly idle, this can halve battery life (!!!)
Pull down status bar, swipe to the left along the options at the top (woah, did you know you could do that?), tap multiwindow to enable multiwindow (this was a headline feature for the note 3, but comes disabled by default). If I long-press back button, that makes the multiwindow tab hide or unhide (once it's enabled), but I don't remember if I had to do something to get this behavior.
General must-have things:
AppOps Starter (to kill permissions from apps that request permissions you don't want to give them)
Battery Monitor Widget (gives you a realtime readout of battery usage)
ES File Explorer
If you want to pretty-ize clock + weather widgets:
DigiClock
Eye in Sky
If you work in IT or have need of these (if you aren't sure what these mean, you don't need them ):
ConnectBot (telnet/ssh client)
AndFTP (ftp/sftp client, supports scp if you pay)
RDP Client (remote desktop and VNC client)
FEAT VPN (OpenVPN client)
Hacker's Keyboard (you'll tear your hair out trying to use swype/swiftkey for terminal sessions or RDP)
If you want to root the phone:
Root it, then immediately install titanium backup and "freeze" AT&T software update, so it won't update your phone (breaking root) while you're not looking
Titanium Backup - freeze all the useless bloatware that AT&T and Samsung included (there's a list of what apps you can freeze here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmzC8GFarItSdGpOZzBfWlR4MC03aDMyZ1BDUFNqU0E - not my work)
Root Explorer
Pen Window Manager for adding apps to the pen window feature
Xposed Framework
Wanam - general huge amount of customization, including selecting apps for multiwindow.
Keyboard Manager (almost a necessity if you use ConnectBot/RDP frequently - keyboards designed for messaging and such are garbage for doing administration of non-phone systems, while hacker's keyboard is garbage for messaging and everyday phone stuff)
Terminal Emulator (gives you a command prompt on phone. Doesn't require root, but there are very few use cases for terminal on android that don't also need root)
*Well, I keep it in my front pocket, so technically it wasn't my /ass/ unlocking the phone....
Looking at the Nokia 640 on metro PCs , what are you guys opinions on this phone?I had a Nokia 521 quiet awhile back but switched to android because of the lack of SD card use back then.
I can't speak to MetroPCS as a carrier, but the 640 is a great phone for its price. The biggest problem with it is the same problem every WP device will have - there aren't as many apps available for the platform as there are for Android and iOS (although there are a bunch nonetheless, and more every day) - but the phone itself is quite good unless you need high-end specs for some reason. The OS runs very smoothly on it. Also, it's upgradable to Windows 10 Mobile (yes, Microsoft changed the branding on their phone OS *again*...), so you've got a reasonably future-proof design and it'll even be able to run at least some Android apps in the future.
In my opinion windows phones are always better and safe than android phones. You can also read about technology public relations.
Play Apps?
GoodDayToDie said:
I can't speak to MetroPCS as a carrier, but the 640 is a great phone for its price. The biggest problem with it is the same problem every WP device will have - there aren't as many apps available for the platform as there are for Android and iOS (although there are a bunch nonetheless, and more every day) - but the phone itself is quite good unless you need high-end specs for some reason. The OS runs very smoothly on it. Also, it's upgradable to Windows 10 Mobile (yes, Microsoft changed the branding on their phone OS *again*...), so you've got a reasonably future-proof design and it'll even be able to run at least some Android apps in the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where are these claims about Android apps to WP coming from? Isn't it still a rumour?
I can't seem to find any official substanciated news about this...
As I understand it MS currently have two problems regarding the app-gap;
1) if they open WP to Play-apps, then they risk losing interest from dev's to continue making apps specifically to WP, making WP more or less another version of Android.
2) making dev's keen on making apps for a third platform, which isn't futureproof yet (even tho it's been around for long enough). This "solution" will make WP it's own and keep MS in the mobilemarket as an real and actual alternative to the established platforms.
What is sure and what are rumours?
M
Metalbuddhist said:
Where are these claims about Android apps to WP coming from? Isn't it still a rumour?
I can't seem to find any official substanciated news about this...
As I understand it MS currently have two problems regarding the app-gap;
1) if they open WP to Play-apps, then they risk losing interest from dev's to continue making apps specifically to WP, making WP more or less another version of Android.
2) making dev's keen on making apps for a third platform, which isn't futureproof yet (even tho it's been around for long enough). This "solution" will make WP it's own and keep MS in the mobilemarket as an real and actual alternative to the established platforms.
What is sure and what are rumours?
M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They will not enable android apps to run directly on the phone like in an emulator, they developed a tool so android developers can recompile their existing app code so it can be used in windows, see the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qgajY4An1I
I'm really looking forward to making the switch from Android. I've always been a Windows PC enthusiast, and Windows 10 is shaping up nicely.
So, a phone to match will be nice. As for apps for phones, I hardly use any nowadays.
The biggest disadvantage of WP is the low market share of under 10% .
This means that most of the useful apps or games will not be available to WP.
But if as you say you dont use apps and you like the windows style you should go for it!
My experience switching over
I picked up a 640 on T-Mobile the other day as a new "daily driver" - my S4 went swimming once upon a time and reception was never quite the same after that, and I've been thinking about app development and the possible advantages of being a bigger fish in a smaller pond - particularly if MS manages to be successful going forward with Windows Phone. I'm sure I won't have anything available by the time Windows 10 Mobile comes out, so I'm not sure how that's going to work out in the end - perhaps Android development would be a better choice after all? But my experience with the phone overall hasn't been bad so far, particularly not for $100.
The one thing that I hate about the phone is that I can't put it on WiFi at home - something about the WiFi config puts it into a boot loop when it tries to kick in the voice over WiFi piece. Seems like it's similar to the "no iOS zone" problem that turned up for Apple back in April, except that since (relatively) nobody is using Windows Phone nobody really cares. The "fix" recommended is "reset your router to factory defaults" which might be an issue since I'm running OpenWRT..... I'm thinking about putting the Windows 10 preview on so this may go away - even if it's only due to lack of support for T-Mobile's WiFi calling. At least I have LTE coverage in most of my house and an "unlimited" data plan.
The main thing I'm really missing is browser choice - I REALLY miss having Firefox and Dolphin, because I do a lot of long-form reading in my browser and the readability view in FF is much more usable. LastPass in Dolphin is also nice to have, though it never worked for me in Firefox. I'm also missing the addon ecosystems of both browsers. Surfy is at least a nice addition, but browsers on WP seem to be at least 2-3 years behind what's on Android. Both IE and Surfy "feel" kind of like the built-in browser in Gingerbread (2.3) or maybe in the early days of Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) before Google started pushing Chrome as the default browser. Having relatively weak browser(s) is a problem because with the lack of apps at least I can use mobile websites..... when they don't simply crash out the IE tab/window/whatever since it's not a tabbed or windowed interface.
I'm also hoping that Pocket Casts will work correctly for me after their next update (currently it hangs if I turn on sync to pull in my podcasts, then dies on app startup), but I'll survive for a while. I'm also feeling the lack of good ebook readers, I've been spoiled by Cool Reader and Moon+ Reader Pro on the Android side.
The only things besides browsers that I'm really missing:
Things tied in with Google's ecosystem - I use Google Voice for my voicemail, I've been using Location History for a long time to help me track when I arrive at and leave customer locations, and there's a group of us that uses Google Hangouts for group chat. I can get Voice notifications in email with the transcriptions then listen to the messages via URL. The Location History bit I may be able to replace with Phone Tracker, but I'm not sure what to do about Hangouts yet.
Replacement keyboards! I've been a big Swiftkey user for years and would love to have it back even without the voice recognition link (which launches Google's service). I hate having to do 4-6 extra keystrokes to enter passwords because of the switches to get to numbers/punctuation and extended punctuation (via the numbers page). There are places where Hacker's Keyboard (a much more full keyboard nice for terminal emulations) was also nice to have.
A GOOD text editor (e.g. DroidEdit which has syntax highlighting, etc.) or really even an adequate text editor. Maybe a mediocre one? Please? I've seen mention of Code Editor but was unimpressed by the "Free" version (first thing it does is throw you to the store page for the paid version, free version can't even see the "advanced" editor that's the only reason to actually consider it). The only other option that at least looks good in screenshots ("HTML+JS+CSS IDE") hasn't been updated since 2013 and has a total of 3 reviews - and the two with text are both 1-star.
CallTrack (which adds all of my phone calls to my Google Calendar, tagged appropriately and with start and end times) and SMS Backup (which uploads my sent/received SMS to GMail, tagged appropriately). CallTrack is great for going back and "Who did I talk to that day?" and SMS Backup is great for tracking down things received in old messages. I WILL be working on finding replacements for these.
And a few less-important things that I can either do without or still need to find replacements for:
My auto mileage/service tracking app - if there's something comparable to aCar then I haven't seen it yet.
OpenVPN, though the VPN service I use allows IPSEC as well so I'll need to set that up.
Lyft, though I've not actually needed to use it. I know Uber's on there, I just like what I know of Lyft better (and there's one area where my wife may need it that's on the edge of the areas for both but Lyft covers it and Uber doesn't).
KeePass - I believe I saw one implementation in the Store, but I'd want to check into the background of it given the number of scam apps I've come across.
@fencepost: Good list of stuff, there. I don't really have a good solution to much of it - I mean, Microsoft has alternatives to a lot of Google's stuff, but they are mutually incompatible so everybody you hang out with would need to switch too - but those are some good problems to list. The problem with WiFi calling is probably a T-Mobile bug, sadly; I don't have it myself but WiFi Calling on WP8.x isn't really as good as it could be. My biggest personal complaint with WiFi is that the OS is too damn desperate to stay on (unusably weak) WiFi signals even when it has cellular data; if I'm actively using my phone when I leave the apartment (for example, checking a bus schedule) it's faster to manually disable WiFi than to rely on the phone to notice that the WiFi signal is much too weak to use and fail over to cellular. Ideally I'd be able to tell the phone to use cellular by *default* and only use WiFi for stuff that it can't get ont he WAN (LAN servers, etc.), but the OS wasn't really designed to provide an optimal experience for people with unlimited data plans.
The custom keyboard thing may be fixable soon - at least, I really hope so - but for now it is indeed a problem. WP8.1 has the best *built-in* keyboard of the three leading mobile OSes, IMO, but it's not better than all the Android options.
As for a text editor, I generally avoid writing anything longer than notes or minor document edits (or emails, but usually only plain text) on the phone, so I haven't really looked. You might be able to use SSH or Remote Desktop, though; there's a number of decent apps for each (including a MS-authored one for RDP) and with unlimited data they should work. You may even find them more useful than a local editor. It might be worth setting up a Remote App server (so you'd *just* get an editor, rather than a whole desktop) for this.
OpenVPN *should* be possible to port, but it needs a driver (TUN/TAP) and MS would need to approve or provide that even more than they would need to approve a new VPN app (which I think requires a capability not normally available to third-party devs). I'm tempted to say that they really *should* allow it, but I'm also painfully aware that OpenVPN on Windows (and, possibly, other platforms) is sort of crap. I can usually beat it into submission on a machine where I have admin, but on a phone it could simply just sit there being unusable until the phone gets rebooted or something.
WP8 in general seems to have a lower risk of scam apps than Android, but it's definitely a good idea to look into any password keeper utility's trustworthiness.
EDIT: As for browsers, as far as I know there's not actually any rule against third-party browsers. Opera Mini does exist for WP8, which is cool, but so far as I know nobody has ported a Gecko or WebKit/Blink-based browser. Ideally, somebody should fix this, although getting them to work within WP8's application model might mean rebuilding a lot of the browser as well as just porting the rendering engine.
Metalbuddhist said:
Where are these claims about Android apps to WP coming from? Isn't it still a rumour?
I can't seem to find any official substanciated news about this...
As I understand it MS currently have two problems regarding the app-gap;
1) if they open WP to Play-apps, then they risk losing interest from dev's to continue making apps specifically to WP, making WP more or less another version of Android.
2) making dev's keen on making apps for a third platform, which isn't futureproof yet (even tho it's been around for long enough). This "solution" will make WP it's own and keep MS in the mobilemarket as an real and actual alternative to the established platforms.
What is sure and what are rumours?
M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read an article on Flipboard some while ago that MS had ditched it because of Lack of security in Open-source and it wouldnt work directly from the file system.. only if they sideloaded Android apps. Why do we want android apps anyway.. It removes the love of WP. MS need to invest more money in their WP store to entice new devs.
Let ms make a toolkit for the android devs
A toolkit to one click port it to MS ecosystem
Then the threshold to port it would be lower and a real mony maker for the devs
Sent from my C6603 using XDA Free mobile app
NightOrchid said:
I read an article on Flipboard some while ago that MS had ditched it because of Lack of security in Open-source and it wouldnt work directly from the file system.. only if they sideloaded Android apps. Why do we want android apps anyway.. It removes the love of WP. MS need to invest more money in their WP store to entice new devs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't want Android apps as such, but Android and IOS devs in the wp game.
I've had a lot of Apple and Andy devices the last eight years and have grown to like the variety of developers and want they put out for us.
WP is a good ecosystem, but the app gap is way bigger than I expected. There are just to many everyday apps I had on my other phones, which I cannot get in WP (yet).
I feel like I've walked into a grossery store and most of the shelfes are empty... I have to buy my oj and milk in another store, simply because MS can't get those dev's on board.
...And that's just a crying shame.
The 640 has a baked in WiFi calling feature rather than a separate app like almost every other Lumia device. I think it may be the only Lumia to have Wi-Fi calling baked into the SIM settings rather than running as a separate app.
Be careful if you are using any Google apps with it - Google is scared of Windows phone and they are doing everything they can to prevent app development. Any app they have taken over will never see another Windows phone release, and they are kind of crazy about it. For example Microsoft made their own YouTube app because Google wouldn't ,Google forced them to take it down. Now the YouTube app on the WP is just a link to YouTube - not because no one wants to make one for WP, but because Google won't let anyone make one.
---------- Post added at 08:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 PM ----------
I should add though - I have the 640 and it's awesome, extremely fast, well built, solid screen, expandable SD card slot, decent cameras for a phone and an ok flash. It's also neat the way the apps tie together with your windows 10 computer
NightOrchid said:
I read an article on Flipboard some while ago that MS had ditched it because of Lack of security in Open-source and it wouldnt work directly from the file system.. only if they sideloaded Android apps. Why do we want android apps anyway.. It removes the love of WP. MS need to invest more money in their WP store to entice new devs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried both Windows as well as Android Phone but everyone will agree that Android is anytime the best coz of features or benefits it has to offer. I used to be a Windows Mobile fan but now I love Android.
I would not switch to Windows again for now atleast
I just received a Samsung4 smartwatch and am looking for more apps not available on Google Play! Primarily Social Media apps and Facebook Messenger. LOL. That's where I chat from and those contacts are not in the other message apps - Google Android Messages, Samsung Messages (which is best to use?) I am here to learn how to download the apps listed on this site. I have some IT experience (IT Systems Technician for 16 years/IT Systems Analyst 2 years) but haven't tinkered with a smartwatch. I did brick a phone back in the day so I'm a little scared to mess with my brand-new watch! I did install the Moviebox APK (Kpanda?) on my smartphone, but it didn't require any other software. I already opened Developer Tools - ADB - Debug over WIFI (the IP starts with 10) From what I understand, I have to make changes in Device Manager for the phone, install APK software programs to my laptop (are these free or do I have to pay for it?), download the apps I want from your catalogue and install to the watch? I will watch the videos and follow along! And there is no risk of damaging my watch, like maybe I select something wrong and wipe it out or brick it?
Unfortunately, I don't have a correct IP address - Debug over WIFI shows 10.0.0.194, therefore, I cannot proceed with downloading APKs from Uptodown from either Bugjaeger or Easy Fire Tools. I am connected to Wi-Fi and not getting a 192. IP. There is no notification request sent to a device. When I click continue it says "Authorization Failed". Is there another setting I need to change?
Update: I figured it out. My old internet provider used to begin with 192 but this one starts with 10. Then when I click on the file that I want to install I have to click a prompt on the watch to allow it. All good!
Welcome to the XDA forums! Looks like you found the Samsung Galaxy watch 4 section!
Cheers