This is a bit of an odd question I realise. I have a PC which is connected to broadband via a physical cable because I have problems with wifi instability.
I’ve just bought a Google Nexus S phone and I can connect it to the PC via a USB cable.
Is it possible to download apps from Google Marketplace (or elsewhere) directly to the phone via the physically connected PC or do I have to use a wifi account to do so?
Be gentle for I am not wise in the ways of IT.
Google apps are downloaded directly to the phone but may be selected using your PC. You need to establish an account in the Market so that it knows your phone number and phone type.
There are a few market-type sites (getjar.com, etc.) where you may download a file with a .apk (not available directly in the Android market) extension either to your phone or to your PC. If to your PC, then you need to transfer the file to the phone using an appropriate cable.
Bob
Thanks, I’ll give that a try.
You also have to go into Settings -> Applications and make sure that “Unknown Sources” (or something similarly labeled) is checked, otherwise you will only be able to install apps from the official market.
Any reason you can’t just download them over the cell connection? Most apps are small enough that they can DL in less than a minute over 3G.
Well basically up until a few days ago I’ve been using the mobile phone equivalent of the Model-T Ford before it finally gave in and went to Silicon Heaven.
I’ve seen the fancy phones the young kids have these days and bought a second-hand Google Nexus S for a very reasonable price. I installed my old O2 simcard and continued to use pay as you go (no contract, just add money to the account when I need to)
Basically all I’m interested in is using the phone to make phone calls (heresy I know!) but would like to add some fairly basic apps and games as well. I thought it would be a simple matter of downloading the app using my internet account and transferring it to the phone with the USB cable but apparently not.
Threads like this imply there is no way to connect an Android phone to the Internet through a PC’s wired ethernet connection. And I don’t think you can get apps from the Android Market by downloading it on a PC and transferring the file through USB.
It would be simplest to find a place that offers free wifi and download apps there.
If the app is under 20MB you can also download it over your carrier’s data connection. Disable the Wifi on the phone and it will send data requests to the cell tower rather than the router at your house. This should be fine for most apps, although it could be slow depending on your coverage.
Verizon will not let you (at least they would not let me) register a net enabled “smartphone” for basic (ie non-net enabled) use. If all you are looking for is appts etc. re apps there are lesser phones that would give you far greater battery life than an energy hungry smartphone and be more rugged, and have a more portable form factor.
Possibly different on his plan but on many plans like Verizon not buying the full net functionality package (ie typical smartphone plan) locks you out of net functionality period whether by cell connection or local wifi.
Many apps have their own webpage where they may or may not have downloads available. There are sites that put apps up for download but a quick look seemed to show that their app libraries are severely lacking. In short, there is no foolproof way.
If it were me, I would fix the router issue. You could get a new router for $20, or if stability is the only problem, you could even plug in the router, grab some apps, then unplug it. It seems silly but it’s probably less trouble than relying on the computer.
I can understand the cell connection, but do they really lock you out of using a wifi connection? That’s a very crippled phone if so.
In retrospect, in thinking about it this info is about 2-3 years old based on pushups I had to do with my old Samsung 740i stone age “smartphone” using window mobile 6 via Verizon. I may not be correct about net function being locked out via wifi on the latest smartphones.
Most smartphones have to (as a requirement to be activated) have the net access plan. All my phones aver the past 2 years have had full data access plans. I’ve never played with a wifi capable smartphone on a limited service plan per the OP’s scenario. I didn’t know any carriers would even do this.
Thanks for the answers everyone!