Newbie questions - S740, S743 General

Hello,
I'm a s740 proud new owner. I've been playing with this gadget for the past few days and I must say I'm very satisfied. Apart from some problems (battery, small call buttons) the phone is really great. However I have some questions that I'd like to know.
1) Are there any power management tweaks you use. Apart from the options in the phone do you do anything else in order to save battery?
2) How customizable is the home screen? What can I change from it? For example the Internet Explorer bar or adding other menus.
3) Is there any way to have "shortcuts" for apps ? Example "new sms" or for any other app. Going through the programs menu is tiresome.
4) Is there any option to restart the phone? No reset, just restart, without having to turn it off and on again manually.
5) Do you use the in-built calendar or did you add other apps for dates etc.
6) Can I "lock" the data connection? I usually use Wi-Fi or Internet throught the USB. Some programs (e.g. Messenger or browser) turn on the data connection without me knowing. Is there any way I can avoid this?
7) Do you use voice tags for apps and contacts? Is it satisfactory?
And last (but very important for me):
8) Which app do you use for mp3 and audio? The Audio Manager, WMP or any other app? Which do you think is the best. The wired headset has only "volume up and down" function? Not anything else? Are there other headsets that are compatible and if so can you control the audio apps without having to use the phone?
I know it's much, but any answer(s) would be appreciated.
Thanks a lot

Corduroy-21 said:
Hello,
I'm a s740 proud new owner. I've been playing with this gadget for the past few days and I must say I'm very satisfied. Apart from some problems (battery, small call buttons) the phone is really great. However I have some questions that I'd like to know.
1) Are there any power management tweaks you use. Apart from the options in the phone do you do anything else in order to save battery?
2) How customizable is the home screen? What can I change from it? For example the Internet Explorer bar or adding other menus.
3) Is there any way to have "shortcuts" for apps ? Example "new sms" or for any other app. Going through the programs menu is tiresome.
4) Is there any option to restart the phone? No reset, just restart, without having to turn it off and on again manually.
5) Do you use the in-built calendar or did you add other apps for dates etc.
6) Can I "lock" the data connection? I usually use Wi-Fi or Internet throught the USB. Some programs (e.g. Messenger or browser) turn on the data connection without me knowing. Is there any way I can avoid this?
7) Do you use voice tags for apps and contacts? Is it satisfactory?
And last (but very important for me):
8) Which app do you use for mp3 and audio? The Audio Manager, WMP or any other app? Which do you think is the best. The wired headset has only "volume up and down" function? Not anything else? Are there other headsets that are compatible and if so can you control the audio apps without having to use the phone?
I know it's much, but any answer(s) would be appreciated.
Thanks a lot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Try turning off 3G/HSDPA (unless you need it)
2) Search for CHomeConfigurator
3) Yes there are. You can even put them on the home screen (again, CHomeConfigurator is the easiest method)
4) There is, but I forgot how to do that.
5) I use the inbuilt one because it can switch the phone to silent automatically during meetings
6) Yes you can. Try searching Modaco NoData
7) Nope, don't use it. I find the automatic search for contacts efficient enough (e.g. you want to call dad, just punch in 3-2-3 and it should be right there. Even works if you are looking for the phone number, etc.)
8) I use PocketPlayer together with an AD2P bluetooth headset (Jabra BT3030). Works quite well; skip, back, play, pause, pick up call and vol up/down work with this.
Hope that helps,
.-ombre-.

ombre33 said:
1) Try turning off 3G/HSDPA (unless you need it)
2) Search for CHomeConfigurator
3) Yes there are. You can even put them on the home screen (again, CHomeConfigurator is the easiest method)
4) There is, but I forgot how to do that.
5) I use the inbuilt one because it can switch the phone to silent automatically during meetings
6) Yes you can. Try searching Modaco NoData
7) Nope, don't use it. I find the automatic search for contacts efficient enough (e.g. you want to call dad, just punch in 3-2-3 and it should be right there. Even works if you are looking for the phone number, etc.)
8) I use PocketPlayer together with an AD2P bluetooth headset (Jabra BT3030). Works quite well; skip, back, play, pause, pick up call and vol up/down work with this.
Hope that helps,
.-ombre-.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I find 3G is fine for stand-by but uses more battery for talking, so it depends how you use your phone. However, its best to select the right bands for your country/region. this is in settings->phone->band select. Also make sure the key-lock is on. Settings -> key lock
2) yeah, chrome. Not full control as no HardSPL unfortunately
3) ..
4) you can try a free app that can reset, look on freewareppc for something like this:
http://www.freewareppc.com/utilities/schedulereset.shtml
5) have a look at handango. agenda one and pocket informant are good examples:
http://www.handango.com/catalog/Pro...&merch=L1_Bestsellers_Organization & Wellness
6) not sure if this still works:
http://www.modaco.com/content/pocket-pc-software/246171/new-free-utility-nodata/
7) nope
8) loads. free ones:
http://www.freewareppc.com/multimedia/mplayer_by_ajeetv.shtml
http://www.freewareppc.com/multimedia/gsplayer.shtml
or pay:
http://www.handango.com/catalog/Sof...eId=2056&platformId=110&categoryId=7638&nop=1
have fun

Thanks guys, you are really great.
Chrome seems a bit difficult for me, but I see there is a lot of feedback for it in this forum, so I'll give it a try.
Modaco NoData works fine until now. Although I had to disable "GPRS" "Internet" and "MMS" because if I let MMS enabled then Skyfire would open a data connection. That means I won't be receiving any MMS at all?
I'll check the players. Are there any "wired" headsets that also have buttons for "play, next, etc"?
Is there a compatibility issue with bluetooth stereo headsets or I can buy anything I want? (Although bluetooth consumes a lot of battery and I think I'd prefer a wired set).
Thanks again for your feedback

Corduroy-21 said:
Thanks guys, you are really great.
Chrome seems a bit difficult for me, but I see there is a lot of feedback for it in this forum, so I'll give it a try.
Modaco NoData works fine until now. Although I had to disable "GPRS" "Internet" and "MMS" because if I let MMS enabled then Skyfire would open a data connection. That means I won't be receiving any MMS at all?
I'll check the players. Are there any "wired" headsets that also have buttons for "play, next, etc"?
Is there a compatibility issue with bluetooth stereo headsets or I can buy anything I want? (Although bluetooth consumes a lot of battery and I think I'd prefer a wired set).
Thanks again for your feedback
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MMS uses normal data, so is effected by anything that effects data
Wired play, next and volume (you can use your own headphones)
http://www.htcaccessorystore.com/uk/p_htc_item.aspx?i=172192
"Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for stereo wireless headsets"

That's what I'm talking about, thanks a lot
Any experience with CHome Configurator? I've added a panel but I the icons appear only when in Landscape mode.

Corduroy-21 said:
That's what I'm talking about, thanks a lot
Any experience with CHome Configurator? I've added a panel but I the icons appear only when in Landscape mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nah
i like the std menu
its a question of remembering the numbers on wm sp
for example, lock keyboard is top button->2
just as fast as, say, nokia, left smart->*
my 2 cents

colonel said:
for example, lock keyboard is top button->2
just as fast as, say, nokia, left smart->*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Numbers are great - nevertheless, it this case hold End Call button is much faster and convenient, IMHO...

Yeah, I use the hold end key too.
The power key is way to up and I'm lazy.
Standard menu is good, however I needed shortcuts to some applications and I made them (for example MP3 player, FM Radio, Resco etc) in a new panel. But there are some problems with the icons. I saw other s740 users complaining about that in the CHome topics and I was curious if someone has made it work.

Corduroy-21 said:
Yeah, I use the hold end key too.
The power key is way to up and I'm lazy.
Standard menu is good, however I needed shortcuts to some applications and I made them (for example MP3 player, FM Radio, Resco etc) in a new panel. But there are some problems with the icons. I saw other s740 users complaining about that in the CHome topics and I was curious if someone has made it work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, one possibility is to extract the icon from the corresponding exe (use xn resource editor for example). Me for one, I just use the speed dial function. e.g. press and hold 5 on home screen brings up resco explorer. yes, you'd have to remember a couple of numbers, but i find it faster than flicking through a dozen links in a panel to find the prog i need.

I mostly use the speed dials for contacts.
However I found a solution for the problem (not a full solution) with CHome. To whoever might be interested:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3945973&postcount=28
Solution for the Icon Panels and semi-solution for pictures.
I have a couple of other questions.
First of all in the "Call History" I only see the numbers or the contacts of my phone calls. However there is neither the time, nor the date, something I find annoying. Is there a solution ?
Second, I will buy another stereo headset for listening to music. I noticed that when I have bluetooth turned on the battery lasts less. Would a bluetooth stereo headset be very power consuming? Has anyone used one? Should I buy a regular headset like the one from colonel's link above?
And also, are the HTC headsets good or should I check out other brands too?

In Call History, select a contact and click the centre navigational button to bring up a list of calls for that contact.
Regarding the locking of S740 keypad via invoking the power button and pressing 2, the quicklist process is actually running as a result. Not much of a problem, but you may wanna reduce the no. of processes running on the phone.

Thanks, not the best thing but surely something of a solution.
I discovered a problem the past few days. The clock has changed time twice. Any idea ?
It changed both time zone and time (showing a random,wrong time even for the new time zone). Has anyone experienced something like that ?

Corduroy-21 said:
...The clock has changed time twice. Any idea ?
It changed both time zone and time (showing a random,wrong time even for the new time zone). Has anyone experienced something like that ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've experienced this once, but with a Nokia.
My phone clock was set on automatic and it changed several times during a few days. I expect the cause was the phonecompany.

AVE...
I'm using stereo headset from Samsung, and I have Bluetooth active all the time. Didn't made a big difference for me. But whatever I tried I still wasn't able to make Pocket Player compatible with control buttons on my headset...
CHome Configurator didn't worked well for me. In fact it didn't worked at all...
For now I'm playing around with voice commands...These are great for launching apps...
BTW, I had to disable HDSPA, since it turned on to transfer data without asking me for permission, and my operator has a lot bigger fees for HDSPA, than for GPRS...

Any idea about the MMS receiving size? Although there is an option for changing the MMS size for the ones you send (from 100k to 300k), I didnt find anything for incoming MMS. I already have some MMS which I cannot use because it tells me that the exceed the receiving size I have set. Any idea about that?
Is there any way that when I use Windows Live Messenger the stupid thing doesnt transfer all my MSN contacts to my contacts? I don't need that. The sync options in Windows Live are greyed out and I can't change them
Edit: I found the solution for Messenger here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=513643
However in the process I lost all my Messenger contacts from my PC, which I saved by the trick mentioned in the topic above

MMS: It's simple - limits are set by operator. Check settings as declared by definitions of your tariff/custom settings.

Will do, although as I said I changed my limit to 300k for sending while it seems I cannot accept larger than 100k files.
I'll check it out and see.

These are logically two diferent variables. What want to send is your choice per case. What your phone will receive directly, you have to pay for amount of data. And you have no other control as the limit. Therefore default settings for reception are rather conservative.

Something else, is there any way to change the "low battery" notification? It is on 20% and I would like to lower that because I think 20% is way too high.

Related

WM6 problems so far

Hi everyone! I've read these forums for a long time but haven't posted much before. It was doing my research here that led me to buying my Prophet. It couldn't have been a better decision, so thank you! I owe you guys one.
So... I thought it might be helpful to list the issues people have been having with their WM6 builds so far, since right now the problems seem to be spread through other threads. I flashed the PDAViet 4.0.0.0.3 two days ago, and although it runs pretty well, I've run into a couple of problems that other people have seen too:
1. Wifi works only sometimes. I'm really not sure what causes it, but it will always work properly again after a soft reset. It doesn't seem to matter how long my Prophet is turned on - I soft reset last night, put my phone down, and tried the wifi again this morning, and it worked fine. I'm guessing that it might be some other program or system process that's interfering with the wifi/wlan.
2. MMS/SMS. Since I don't use MMS, I can't speak for myself, but I've read other people are having trouble getting their MMS to work properly. I've also read that a small minority of people are having trouble with their SMS. Can anyone confirm/deny this?
3. Missed calls. People have posted that their phones sometimes just won't ring, and they get missed calls. Some say that this can be fixed by downgrading to the 2.19 radio ROM. Has anyone tried this, and did it work?
4. Bluetooth. I haven't had any bluetooth problems, and the bluetooth keyboard I installed works great. However, I've read that other people have been having some problems. Anyone care to comment?
5. Battery troubles. People have said different things about whether or not their WM6 ROMs use more power than WM5; I'm not sure that it actually makes much of a difference. One thing I did notice, though: my Prophet will charge fine when attached to my PC's USB port, but not when plugged into the wall! The yellow light comes on, and it looks like it's charging, but the battery continues to drain. This is easily one of the weirdest problems I've had.
If you have other problems/errors using any WM6 ROM (not just PDAViet), please add on to the list! Say what the problem is and what ROM you're using. Also, if anyone knows fixes for any of the problems, add them here too!
TrueNeytral 1.4 MS BT.
Very few issues. No problems with Missed calls, MMS, BT or battery (10% per day with 2 calls each day). Wifi varies a bit - but no real problem.
Once I mistakenly pressed the flight-mode icon, then turned the phone back on - I didn't recieve SMS for two days, until I re-booted. Strange...
7. Sporadically missing email, wifi and bluetooth settings after soft-reset, even if we turn off the phone everytime a change is made.
Occasional missed calls; seems like they just go right to voice mail sometimes.
Battery life fair with Radio 1.40; it may be a little better with 1.38, hard to tell; definitely better life by turning off 3G
Some minor incompatibilities with BatteryPack Pro, mostly visual things, nothing functional so far
In Windows Live, when checking email if I close an email message Windows Live closes and sends me back to the Today Screen; if I 'reply' to an email, then 'cancel message', it will send me back to the email list, not close the program and return me to the Today page. This bug disappeared for a while and the email functioned properly until I flashed a new radio ROM(1.40), then bug returned
rjtd said:
7. Sporadically missing email, wifi and bluetooth settings after soft-reset, even if we turn off the phone everytime a change is made.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, me too. I didn't see it happen with my email, and I don't use the bluetooth too much, but it seems like the settings for my home router would mysteriously disappear whenever I soft reset, and I'd have to put in my password again.
Hi
Zoltair Wright said:
Yeah, me too. I didn't see it happen with my email, and I don't use the bluetooth too much, but it seems like the settings for my home router would mysteriously disappear whenever I soft reset, and I'd have to put in my password again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem. What I've seen: I only loose mails, internet settings, Windows Live Messenger settings, if I use soft reset harware button. Try to use an software program that allow you to soft reset device like XCPUScalar which put in system tray an icon for that function.
If you find something else to remedy that problem please anounce me
password
Don't forget the password issue.
An important feature for business users - I guess.

[Q] Auto Enable Bluetooth when receiving call

Hi all,
I would find a way to enable bluetooth automatically when a call is being received: in that way, when in my car, I can avoid to keep BT enabled "all the time" just waiting for a possible call of few minutes..... thus saving battery ;-)
Is there any application suited for that?
I was thinking to a workaround but it seems pretty tricky and I still miss a thing.
We could use G-Profile and configure a profile, with BT enabled, which starts automatically on these conditions satisfied:
a.. during a call
b.. when a “specific program/process” is running
Item (b) is needed in order to let the profile be enabled only when actually in car and not when I’m at home or so
Of course, I have to start that “specific program/process” when entering car and shutting it down when exiting.
What I miss is a program to be used for that purpose. I would use a “fake” program which simply does nothing (!!), let’s say a simple toggle-program:
- Click on program icon: starts the program
- Click again on program icon: stop the program
Is there such a “useless” program ? Could some of you write it (if interested in that) ? I’m not so able to write it
Thanks in advance for your support.
I also use G-Profile. I have created a profile that kills the incalllock when mycarprofile is running. incalllock locks the virtual keys on my HD so that I can only take the call with the slide to answer. mycarprofile automatically answers the incoming call and turns on the speaker phone. I use G-Profile to kill incalllock whenever I turn on mycarprofile and runs incalllock again when i trun off mycarprofile.
What you have to do with G-Profile is to create a profile that monitors if a program is running and also add the condition "during a call" to switch to that profile and turns on bluetooth
brusko1972, G-Profile is not free.
Any free apps out there for this kind of function?
You can probably try this.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=386451
still not working
ai6908 said:
You can probably try this.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=386451
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear ai6908, I appreciated your help: it really seems what I need but it's not working....
I have configured the CSDEVCTRL in order to:
- start when ringing or dialing a call
- turn on BT at call start
- turn off BT at call end
I have started the service.
When the call is being received the screen is locked by CSDEVCTRL but BT is not enabled at all.
Maybe I miss someting or it does not support windows mobile 6.5 (I have an HTC HD mini).
Any feedback are welcome !
You can try BTProfiler which I downloaded from xda developers a while back but unable find the thread now.
Not working on HTC hd2 wm 6.5
I downloaded this with high expectations that it would automatically turn my bluetooth off and on. I, too, am frustrated when I forget to turn bt off upon leaving my car. I set the program to run in the background, but the profiler does not work. I've tried all the conditions for turning bluetooth on or off automatically. Too bad, I was really hoping this would work. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I just have a bluetooth icon placed in the programs on the main page. I tap it and it's on when I am in the car. I tap it again and it's off.
Simple, quick and very efficient to use.
Hi all,
And... fisrt of all, happy new year !
In reply to this thread, I've downloaded BTtoggle (which enables and disables BT just by tapping on the screen) and I was just thinking this morning that someone could have maybe written a program (a mortscript ?) which could be quicker than running this program when needed.
I've tested to put BT off and run the progam (BTtoggle) when the phone is ringing then switch on the BT earphone and... call is missed !
I was thinking in a program that could "see" that a BT "thing" (ear, dongle...) (I don't know how to name it) is running, running BTtoggle (which switches ON BT) and when this "thing" is switched off, running BTtoggle once again (which switches OFF BT).
The problem is like brontolo999, I know which are the questions to ask but unable to write the program that could be able to do that !
Thks in advance.

[Q] Bunch of questions

Hello
I'm sorry to ask all those questions in a single post, but I would otherwise have had to post in several forums. I'll be grateful if you can answer even some of those questions.
I'm very happy with my Samsung Google Nexus, but there are things I need:
1. Ad blocker: For web browsing, I generally use Dolphin, and use Chrome when I need to start an incognito tab. Are there ad blockers for those browsers to avoid those heavy web pages?
2. Since 3G uses more battery, is there a way to tell Android to switch back to 2G automatically after Xmn of no web browsing (2G seems good enough for the few times I use GPS)?
3. I'd like to have the following shortcuts on the screen:
- Switch to 3G or 2G
- Enable/disable Airplane mode
- Enable/disable wifi
I currently use the "2G-3G OnOff" application, but as the name implies, it only handles the first item.
4. Is it possible to change my MAC address as a work-around to those pesty public access points that limit users to 20mn? There are several utilies for Windows that do this, but is there one for Android?
5. Is there a way to tell Android to go through a proxy when browsing in 3G? The Proxy Settings application only works for wifi
6. Is there a way for the phone to vibrate when receiving text messages?
7. Can the ring volume rise or go down depending on the surrounding noise? When on the street, I often miss calls because I can't hear the phone even with its volume pumped up to the maximum... which I must remember to lower back to a reasonable level when going back inside.
8. When using my phone as a GPS receiver while biking around on week-ends, I'd like to switch off data mode to save battery: Does GPS require a data connection, or can it work offline?
9. I generally find Android's default calendar nice to use, but there are a couple of things that bother me:
- it can't be squeezed vertically, wasting a lot of screen real estate, and making it possible to see appointments below a certain hour: Is there a way to squeeze/inflate the calendar through multi-touching? Here's a screenshot.
- it always displays a "Attending?" question, even though I don't use a shared calendar (I do attend my own appointments): Can this section be removed? Here's a screenshot.
Thanks for any help.

[Q] Multiple Android devices, synchronized alarms, remote(?) snooze/dismiss

I have a somewhat complex question, and I am hoping that someone knows a good approach or apps that I can use.
I have Android devices in multiple rooms around my house, primarily set up as clocks, all on the home wi-fi network, of course. I have a primary phone, a couple of retired phones with wi-fi only, a couple of tablets with wi-fi only. (My eventual goal is to have them all connected together for several purposes, including an intercom system; this current project is a stepping stone.)
I have reminder alarms that go off all day long. Due to physical problems, the ability to control an alarm remotely is very handy.
I used to have the reminder alarms on my chumby, and I could ssh into that and control the alarm. I could change the alarm time, snooze, turn alarms on or off, etc. I used to just ssh into the chumby, then leave that konsole open on a virtual desktop on the linux machine, and switch to it when I needed to access the chumby. I also had an android remote control for it, very spiffy.
Sometimes, though, I was in another room and I didn't hear it. Problematic.
Yes, my obvious solution is to put all the alarms on my phone and carry it with me all the time. Except if I were the sort of person who has a mind like a steel trap, I wouldn't _need_ the reminder alarms in the first place It doesn't help much if the phone alarm is going off and it's three rooms away. Either I won't hear it, or I'll have to get up to shut it off, and I might not be able to.
So here's what I'd like to do:
* For each alarm, ALL the android devices sound off.
* Snoozing or dismissing the alarm from one device snoozes or dismisses the entire alarm (they all stop making noise, and they all start again when the snooze is up).
* Snooze or dismiss the alarms from my linux box with the same effects as from the android devices.
* Have some way to direct the alarms to just my phone until further notice--when I am going to be out of the house, I'll still need those reminder alarms, and the poor dogs don't need to deal with alarms sounding for hours until I get home.
1) It seems like the easiest way to manage this would be to set up something like a streaming media server on the linux box, and have it play on each of the android devices at times set up in a crontab. I *think* it was possible to stream media through multiple chumbies at the same time, so surely it's possible to do it through multiple android devices? Yes?
But I don't know how to use one to snooze a program set off by a crontab. I also don't know how to divert all the alarms to my phone [for use when leaving the house] if the alarms are primarily controlled by a linux server at home. I don't think my wi-fi reaches that far.
2) It seems like the next-most easy way to do this would be some kind of script that remotely controls the various android devices, but I have no idea where to start. I do know that you can access the terminal on an android phone, you can write shell scripts, and that you can ssh into phones if you have the right apps. What I don't know is how to control the android alarms from the command line or how to synchronize media on multiple devices.
Again, I'd want to snooze/dismiss alarms from any of the android devices on the wi-fi network, or from my linux computer.
I'd want to be able to turn off all alarms except the primary phone occasionally. It'd be awesome if the other devices could automatically detect if the phone were on the network, and only sound if it were present.
3) Other options? Are there apps or programs or scripts or methods that I don't know about, that would make this easy-peasy? Am I fretting when there is already a solution?
Thank you.
Bump? Please? Anyone? Anything?
Well, I'm just throwing my thoughts out there. This definitely sounds like a difficult task.
I assume that you are not able to write your own android apps, neither am I. So we just can't build our own solution.
I don't have an idea that solves all your questions, but I have some ideas for some of them.
Regarding your need to change the behavior if you leave your perimeter:
There are apps that can trigger predetermined tasks based on your location (wifi, GPS, etc), so you could use that.
You definitely need some kind of Webserver, connecting your phone to the other devices when you're on UMTS.
There are apps like "Android lost" that enable you to remotely control your devices, for example triggering alarms, etc. Maybe you could put that into some use.
Regarding your idea with the streaming server:
Could you set up all the devices so they start playing as soon as the server starts streaming? Maybe let vlc constantly run listening to your server on all the devices. Or a Internet radio is probably better because it can run in the background playing "silence" the whole time.
Create a shortcut on all devices to send a command to the server to stop the streaming, those servers should be manageable through ssh.
Install a normal alarm on your phone. Combine this with the location based triggering, so it is only turned on while your outside your house. Have a shortcut on your phone to manage the server and the house alarms as well.
I think this might work and should be actually be possible to realize.
I know this is not well written at all and not really in a straight line, I just made it up on the fly.
I'll try to turn it into a Tl;dr
1. Set up Internet radio server on your home network.
2. Tune all house devices in to said server.
3. Play alarms over Internet radio
4. Use command shortcuts to turn off alarm
5. Use app to automatically toggle the alarm on your phone based on your location.
6.???
7.profit
Let me know what you think, especially if it was any help at all. I like projects like that!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Okay, great, that is really helpful and gives me a place to start Thank you!
I do have Tasker, and I'm willing to buy other apps if they look like they'd help, but I think Tasker is probably going to be my biggest help with the location detection.
I do not have any idea how to tell Tasker "turn off alarms on [primary phone] phone if [home network] is detected, turn on X, Z, and Q alarms if [home network] is not detected." I've played around a bit with it and realized that getting Tasker to execute specific actions with other programs--in this case, Alarm Clock Xtreme--is really kind of obscure, if it's even possible. It must be possible, yeah?
--Wait, is there an alarm clock for the Alarm Control Freak that will *also* detect [home network]? I loooove the way I can use Alarm Clock Extreme: unlimited numbers of preprogrammed alarms, just toggle the ones I need; all kind of options with respect to what happens when the alarm goes off, choice of snooze duration, etc etc. If there's one like that that _also_ has the option to detect location, that would be awesomeness.
Or...hmmm...I suppose I could have it freeze Alarm Clock Xtreme if it's on [home network] but activate it if it's off. I really do have to get around to rooting the phone, I suppose.
...
Do you have any suggestions for what to use for streaming from the house server, and what apps to use for receiving the streaming? Oh, I see you mentioned VLC (for some reason my brain parsed that as VPN); I'll look into that.
I think if there's a decent app for listening to streaming (suggestion welcome!), and the server can stream to all the devices at once, I can probably figure out how to use just one device to ...mute the server? (With the app itself, or a shortcut, or a short ssh script maybe.) Since they all need to be listening 24/7, muting is the thing to do, right? If I turn off the server, that could make them disconnect or stop listening, right?
I still need a snooze mechanism, though. Among other things, sometimes I need to postpone whatever the reminder alarm is going off for; sometimes I need it to help me keep track of the passing of time after the alarm goes off. It's complicated. I need to be able to snooze.
...
Question: In this setup, how do we prevent the alarms from going off on all the devices when the primary phone has left the house? I can see how we get the alarms on the primary phone TO go off, but not how we turn off the streaming alarms. I mean, I don't know how to tell the server to stop serving if it can't detect [primary phone]; is that possible?
It's not that I object to music playing when I'm not home. It's that if the dogs wake up while I'm gone, they'll need to pee. I'd really, really like not to have to clean that up every time I leave
Hm. A kind of bulky and inefficient way to do it could be turning off the streaming on the devices. Perhaps have them turn off the streaming app when the phone leaves the network, and then start it up again when they detect it again.
This is slightly problematic, because my house has very, very, VERY bad reception inside. We have to have a repeater (effectively a second network) for The Spouse's computer, which is FIFTEEN FEET from the wi-fi router. With no walls between. Really, really terrible reception. My phone drops off the wifi network, and immediately reconnects, dozens of times in a day. So does my laptop.
Soooooo I probably need a better metric than "is [primary phone] visible on wifi? No? TURN IT ALL OFF!" Maybe this is better: "Has [primary phone] been off the network for 15 minutes? Okay! TURN IT ALL OFF!" But reconnecting would still be a bit of a pain, unless the other devices only check for re-connections when the streaming app is already off. Hmmmm. I suppose they could check, say, 20 minutes before an alarm is due to go off, then 5 minutes before, and otherwise not check at all.
Except that, drat, it's the server that knows the alarm times, not the devices. They're _mostly_ on the hour, but not always. And what if I forget and it's partway through a "snooze" when I'm heading out the door? They should definitely shut off rather than continue once the snooze duration is up.
...
Nuts, it looks like this is not going to be the jumping-off point for a whole-house intercom system the way I hoped it would be. Not if everything is strung though the server, which is only working with streaming media. I could really, really use that intercom system. I just want to be able to touch a shortcut on one device and have all the rest of them repeat whatever that device hears. Then tap it again [to stop broadcasting] and let someone else respond, if they want to, from another device, the same way.
This will eventually need to reach to an outbuilding, with either a cat6 line run to it or a wireless repeater, so bluetooth won't do. I'm wondering if Skype set up to call all the other devices in the house would do it, but I want push to talk, not push to dial. (Not to mention the pain in the neck of giving each wi-fi only device a whole voip setup.)
(The various intercom apps I've tried don't work very well. The first time one of the devices leaves the home network, they never seem to reconnect and accept transmissions again. Even the apps that are _supposed_ to work if they have ANY kind of reception, including mobile data or other wifi networks.)
...
You've given me a lot to think about, thank you. But I know I am not there yet. I am wide open to further suggestions, for mechanisms, for apps, for anything!
Just a quick reply to signal you that I'm still there
I, hopefully, will come back later with a more detailed answer.
Regarding your WiFi connection problems, are you living in an area with a lot of different wireless networks present? Because this sounds to me like the channel your WiFi router is set to is already overcrowded. At such a close distance, as you described, there should be excellent reception. Unless other signals interfere, causing your mentioned frequent disconnects.
Solution: Download the free app "WiFi Analyzer" from the market and run it to see if other networks are causing interferences.
Regards, Ichwillquark
ichwillquark said:
Regarding your WiFi connection problems, are you living in an area with a lot of different wireless networks present?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, no, actually. Quite the opposite. We're way out and surrounded by non-technically-minded people. We're the only wireless network anywhere near here, according to, for example, OpenSignalMaps and The Spouse's various wardriving type apps. Hm, pretty sure he uses Wifi Analyzer too, actually.
It's the freaking HOUSE. We can't get _any_ reception inside; not wifi, not cell, not radio, not TV. Go three steps outside the house and we have crystal-clear cell and radio reception. We've _tried_ to change "channels" on the wifi router, change routers, change DSL modem, all kinds of things; nothing works. It's the freaking house.
Being so remote is part of the problem. I have reminder alarms that go off all day; if I leave, I am gone ALL day. The poor dogs!
...
Thanks for bouncing the signal and letting me know you still exist I do too. Would love to hear anything else you have to suggest. [Hey! I think I finally hit the minimum post limit necessary for being able to click "thanks!" Spiffy!]
I don't know how helpful to you this could be, but Timely, a recently created alarm clock app has alarm syncing. I don't know to which extent (snooze sync?) but it might be worth inquiring to the creator(s).
There's a trial function too from what I can remember, but after that you will need to purchase whichever functions you'd like to keep.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.bitspin.timely
If this suits you, I imagine it would be more convenient than a convoluted Tasker task.
polobunny said:
Timely, a recently created alarm clock app has alarm syncing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Manage, dismiss and snooze alarms on all your devices at once"
Oooooooh, that sounds WONderful!
That does sound a lot easier than running a media stream from a server, and working out scripts to snooze or dismiss.
I don't _see_ any mention of anything except a ringtone for the alarm sound, either on Play or on their website. I'll try it out and see.
...
The Tasker [or some other location detection] looks like it's still going to be necessary, though, and I still don't know how to do it. I need to disable the alarms on ALL the other devices when I--and the primary phone--leave the house. But the alarms on the primary phone still need to go off.
So I do still need some way for [something] to detect the phone, and to disable the alarms on [everything else] when it leaves the house.
...
Oh, POOP. Timely is not *compatible* with some of the devices.
Those are rooted Sensations with ancient versions of Android. If I put updated ROMs on them, will they be able to handle more recent apps? I mean, they can't even get Google Play, currently, they're still using Market. We didn't want to mess with them, because re-setting up a phone is annoying enough once, and we _thought_ they had all the apps they were going to need.
elfchick said:
Oh, POOP. Timely is not *compatible* with some of the devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might be wrong, but this might be just because the resolution of some of your devices is not supported. Which doesn't necessarily mean that the app won't work just fine, it's just the market trying to safe you from an inconvenient user experience. A possible workaround would be to download the app on a supported device, extract the apk, and then install them on the unsupported ones.
Other workaround would be to get an app that spoofs the information that is send to the market about your device's resolution. I just read about this possibility today. The xposed framework has an applet that does that.
Interesting about the possibilities of getting an app installed without the Market's "approval"; I'll try that if Timely responds to the questions I sent them. And hey, if it's just that I have a really old ROM on there...well, it might be worth updating the version of Android on those phones anyway.
...
I just read about NFC tags, and I wonder if I could use them for this. Apparently you can buy NFC tags and program your phone to recognize them. So you can, for example, save battery by tapping the phone to a pre-programmed NFC tag on your door as you are leaving, and the phone will turn off wi-fi.
Perhaaaaaaaps I could use this in some way to turn off alarms in the house as I am leaving. Tap the NFC tag, a script disables the alarms on everything but [primary phone]. Tap it again when I get home, re-enable the alarms. That way nothing has to be constantly checking for the presence of [primary phone]. I can be scatterbrained, but if I put it by my keys I *should* manage to see it and remember to tap it, and tap it again when I get home and put my keys away.
Very intriguing. This seems like it _might_ be something I can script. As soon as I figure out just what I need to do to disable and re-enable alarms automatically.
Don't forget it's necessary for your phone to be NFC enabled. So definitely the Sensation cannot use the NFC directly, don't know which phone is your primary so that's to consider.
polobunny said:
Don't forget it's necessary for your phone to be NFC enabled. So definitely the Sensation cannot use the NFC directly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, thanks The Sensations were retired this year when we replaced them with HTC Ones, so not a problem. I thought it'd be more clear, though, throughout the thread, if I use phrasing with descriptors like [primary phone] instead of expecting people to rmemeber which of my devices is which. (I found this thread hilarious; I could almost have been the one who wrote it: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2486180 ...very helpful.)
I'm thinking touch the NFC tag on the way out and the way in, and [...profit?] the HTC One somehow sends signals to the other devices to disable/re-enable their alarms. Don't know how to do this yet, but it seems like a MUCH better idea than having all the other devices constantly scanning the network to make sure they can find [primary phone]. Especially since they might be trying to find it while it's temporarily disconnected.
Hey elfchick, just following up as you mentioned that syncing multiple devices for an Alarm clock app was just a first step and I was wondering if you had taken this concept any further?
I've got several unusual ideas about setting up tablets as Home Automation devices and wondered if you had taken this idea any further.
Thanks, Earl

Bluetooth Issues with Note 2

I have a Verizon Samsung Note 2. It is NOT rooted, running stock ROM 4.4.2.
I have been having issues with bluetooth devices having audio cutting in & out issues. Here is the odd thing, it doesn't loose connection & it doesn't happen with everything I connect it to via bluetooth.
I can connect with both my vehicles & no issues.
I have 2 LG headsets & a JUMBLR bluetooth, that the audio with cut in & out after 3-5 minutes of playing. I can restart the device & it will work, but with the same result.
I have a Jabrees bluetooth device that will stream audio just fine, no issues.
I am at a loss as to how to correct this & am looking for some input.
Thx in advanced!!
weave423 said:
I have a Verizon Samsung Note 2. It is NOT rooted, running stock ROM 4.4.2.
I have been having issues with bluetooth devices having audio cutting in & out issues. Here is the odd thing, it doesn't loose connection & it doesn't happen with everything I connect it to via bluetooth.
I can connect with both my vehicles & no issues.
I have 2 LG headsets & a JUMBLR bluetooth, that the audio with cut in & out after 3-5 minutes of playing. I can restart the device & it will work, but with the same result.
I have a Jabrees bluetooth device that will stream audio just fine, no issues.
I am at a loss as to how to correct this & am looking for some input.
Thx in advanced!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if this will help or not, but you might try an app that basically keeps your phone's cpu from dropping down into the lower mhz range when you're not actively using the phone. (I'm guessing you probably lock the screen when playing music).
An app like Wake Lock Power Manager might work, found here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.thedarken.wl.
I actually stopped using Wake Lock Power Manager and switched to an app called Blank Screen ( here : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mirwanda.blankscreen) . I'm not totally sure... but I think that when you only have the screen go blank with this app... that it allows the cpu to keep performing as if the phone still has the screen on.... which may keep the cpu from dropping down into power saving range. I've never run any tests to confirm this theory, so I could be totally wrong.... However it works though, it seems to help prevent the stuttering problem I was having.
I also try to remember to long press my home button to close all running apps, then go to task manager to clear memory before starting up my music. Using the Blank Screen app and taking these extra steps seems to have solved the stuttering for me. It might not work for you, but won't hurt anything to try.
I will try it.
What other don't understand is why doesn't it do it when I'm streaming through my car & the screen is off?
weave423 said:
I will try it.
What other don't understand is why doesn't it do it when I'm streaming through my car & the screen is off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... I'm not sure what would cause that either. A quick Google search shows that a lot of other people report having Bluetooth problems with KitKat 4.4.2, so you're not alone with the problems. Maybe the quality of the antennas on the LG headsets & JUMBLR are not as good as the antennas in the car and other device. I also wonder if something is trying to sync or run in the background on the headsets... and maybe it doesn't do this with the car??
You could try turning off auto sync on the phone to see if this might help. You could also try to Disable (Turn Off) different apps through the "Manage Apps" feature under phone's settings to see if this might help.
Another easy thing to try would be to clear the phone's "Cached Data" to see if this might help-- (I read somewhere on the Internet where someone said this helped them). You can do this by going into phone settings / storage / then touch on Cached Data and clear it.
Also... here's a post where someone says that they had duplicate Google Contacts that were syncing issues/ that ultimately was causing their Bluetooth problems ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2646592&page=2 ). They say that by going into Google Contacts and deleting the duplicates, that it fixed the syncing problem and the Bluetooth issues. (You could do this by going to Google Contacts at https://contacts.google.com, the go to "Find Duplicates," and either merge or delete any duplicate contacts that it shows).
You could also try rebooting the phone into Safe Mode to see if the Bluetooth works better. If so, this may indicate that an app you installed could be causing the Bluetooth problems. To get into Safe Mode, Power off the phone, and then Press the Power button again to turn it back on... but also press the Volume Down button at the boot up splash screen and continue to hold volume down until the phone boots up completely. This should boot it into Safe Mode and you'll see Safe Mode in the bottom left of the screen. If Bluetooth works better in Safe Mode, then you can just reboot the phone and it will go back into Normal mode...then try disabling or uninstalling different apps and see if the Bluetooth works better.

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