# Just got an android phone - what apps?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [February 3, 2011, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996 "2011-02-03T06:46:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/41 "2011-02-14T08:45:43Z")
> [@Nanoda](#):
>
> I’d forgotten which apps I had, and couldn’t remember the names to re-install them
That’s odd, your apps are tied to your Market account, not the device.
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/42 "2011-02-14T11:49:56Z")
> [@Clothahump](#):
>
> I wouldn’t. Appkiller shines at conserving battery power. Before I got it, I would get down to 30% or so by the end of the day. Once I started using it, I am still at 70+% at the end of the day.
Assuming you have 2.1 or higher, you are using more power with appkiller than without.
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### Author:  [@mundylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mundylion)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/43 "2011-02-14T15:29:03Z")
I am just about ready to try upgrading my x10 using the steps referred to above, but I would like one more bit of encouragement. I have read that it isn’t really possible to hard-brick an android and that I could always revert to the ‘as-delivered’ state if I wanted to. Can anyone confirm that? Perhaps point to an explanation of how to do it?
I know, color me cowardly…
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### Author:  [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/44 "2011-02-14T16:22:50Z")
> [@mundylion](#):
>
> I am just about ready to try upgrading my x10 using the steps referred to above, but I would like one more bit of encouragement. I have read that it isn’t really possible to hard-brick an android and that I could always revert to the ‘as-delivered’ state if I wanted to. Can anyone confirm that? Perhaps point to an explanation of how to do it?
>
> I know, color me cowardly…
I asked the same questions - I was the same coward - then I just did it - the reboot sequence will fill you with trepidation as it will appear that you’ve busted the phone - just be patient and all will be well.
If you read thru the forum I pointed you to, there are lots of re-assurances there that its impossible to brick the phone, and IIRC, a couple of threads on how to have multiple ROMS at the ready for just the occasion.
The process will work - just pull the trigger.
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### Author:  [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/45 "2011-02-14T16:58:43Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I have read that it isn’t really possible to hard-brick an android and that I could always revert to the ‘as-delivered’ state if I wanted to. Can anyone confirm that? Perhaps point to an explanation of how to do it?
Yes it’s true. **[Read this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=596552)**.
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### Author:  [@mundylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mundylion)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/46 "2011-02-14T19:43:29Z")
> [@simster](#):
>
> The process will work - just pull the trigger.
Well, I did it and it worked fine, after a hiccup about missing drivers which I was able to figure out and resolve. But I don’t understand:
\*\*7. When last message appear unplug/plug USB cable
1. Repeat steps 2 - 7 for MT\*\*
the line #8. What does MT mean?
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### Author:  [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/47 "2011-02-14T22:32:47Z")
> [@mundylion](#):
>
> Well, I did it and it worked fine, after a hiccup about missing drivers which I was able to figure out and resolve. But I don’t understand:
>
> \*\*7. When last message appear unplug/plug USB cable
>
> 1. Repeat steps 2 - 7 for MT\*\*
>
> the line #8. What does MT mean?
I have no idea - I stopped at step 7 since I only had the one bundle and everything seemed to go well.
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### Author:  [@mundylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mundylion)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/48 "2011-02-14T23:04:50Z")
Thanks for your help. On to Root next, I suppose.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/49 "2011-02-14T23:30:14Z")
I was told that **Lookout** is a nice free security app. So far, it hasn’t given me any problems.
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### Author:  [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/50 "2011-02-15T05:12:25Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#):
>
> That’s odd, your apps are tied to your Market account, not the device.
Yeeeeaaaah, all the variations of my name I tried to use for @gmail.com were taken, so it’s registered against my work email. We use Google for our email hosting, but apparently this is only good enough to sync contact information; lots of the other features don’t work.
The most annoying thing about that was thinking it was more a move Apple would have made. 😛
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### Author:  [@mundylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mundylion)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/51 "2011-02-17T17:36:08Z")
Since you guys were able to help me with an earlier issue, how about this one?
I have a basic question, perhaps too dependent on which hardware one is using, but I’ll ask anyway. I have a Sony/Ericcson Experia10 that I’ve bumped up to 2.2 android. It works ok, but I really don’t do anything on it but play a game of solitare every couple days and make one phone call a week. But I thought I’d try putting pictures on contacts, so I put a picture into dropbox on my pc and happily noticed it appear in the dropbox app on my phone. So I opened dropbox and ‘downloaded’ the picture, which seemed to be the right thing. Then I went into contacts and edited a contact, clicked on the empty picture block and was offered the opportunity to add a picture. I think there were three options for source: Camera, camera roll, and pictures. The first is self-evident and not applicable here, the second contains the 3 or 4 practice snaps I’ve taken with the camera phone, and the third has the pictures in it that were shipped with the phone. Where would my downloaded dropbox picture be? I don’t see anything like a file and directory tree that I could rummage through. Any thoughts?
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### Author:  [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/52 "2011-02-17T17:51:54Z")
Not having anything close to your hardware, I’m going to take a WAG.
Use the Files app to move the picture from your on-phone Dropbox folder into the DCIM folder. See if that works.
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### Author:  [@mundylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mundylion)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/53 "2011-02-17T18:18:54Z")
Looked around and could not find any Files app on the phone so I went to Market and downloaded Astro. Cool. I used that to move the pic from dropbox to DCIM (?) and the pic now shows up under “Camera Roll” and I was able to put it with the contact.
Thanks!
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/54 "2011-02-17T18:20:11Z")
Any ideas on how to increase the call volume (not the ringer) on my Motorola Droid?
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### Author:  [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/55 "2011-02-17T18:21:26Z")
While you’re on a call, the volume key adjusts call volume.
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### Author:  [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/56 "2011-02-17T19:19:23Z")
> [@mundylion](#):
>
> Looked around and could not find any Files app on the phone so I went to Market and downloaded Astro. Cool. I used that to move the pic from dropbox to DCIM (?) and the pic now shows up under “Camera Roll” and I was able to put it with the contact.
>
> Thanks!
If you plug your phone in with a USB cable to the PC and “mount” it - you can access the microSD card on it just like any other drive -
In it there is a DCIM folder - and under it a 100Andro folder -
Files in the 100Andro folder are photos taken with the camera
I have found if I put an image in the DCIM folder, but not in the 100Andro folder (next to it) I can easily apply it to my contacts. (no other apps needed).
Also - there is an “AUDIO” folder -ringtones are stored in the AUDIO/ringtones folder, MP3 files are in the AUDIO/MUSIC folder.
One time I found a file explorer on the Android, but for the life of me I can’t find it now.
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### Author:  [@mundylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mundylion)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/57 "2011-02-17T19:22:26Z")
Good, thanks for all the tips.
Great set of articles in WSJ today about Android at the Barcelona event. Great things coming.
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### Author:  [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/58 "2011-02-18T17:28:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Any ideas on how to increase the call volume (not the ringer) on my Motorola Droid?
In addition to hitting volume up while in a call, you can download the app/widget called ‘Audio Manager.’ It lets you set all six vo,ue settings (alarm, media, ring, voice, system, and alerts) at any time, independantly of each other.
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### Author:  [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/59 "2011-03-04T20:19:58Z")
Okay so I just got my first smartphone, Motorola Atrix of course.
I need some assistance in regards to background task management. Using the default task manager I have plenty of applications set to end when the screen times out, but when I go a little further into application management, there’s still a lengthy list of things happening in the background. Most of them related to widgets/applications I have not even started/opened yet.
So my question is, in addition to the task manager, do I have to go through and “force stop” all these damn things? If so, how do I make sure they don’t just restart?
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### Author:  [@Kaydee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaydee)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-an-android-phone-what-apps/569996/60 "2011-03-04T21:34:13Z")
I’m new but I was reading and thought I would share some of my favorites. I only do free apps, because I am cheap lol
Cb radio chat. Its fun you get to know people from all around the world. Its like a family. Stay away from general chat it can get intense. Quick 9 is where you want.
The face book app … Of course
Foursquare
Live hold em poker , … Im addicted
Best alarm clock
Zedge, for ring tones
Car navigator - amazing gps!
Look up sex offender app… Its great. I was amazed in my small town how many sex offenders are near by. Shows their pictures. Their charges. Where they live. Also if you have a family member with a smarty phone with gps you can keep track of each other. Very nice. Very.
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