Sameer Prabhakar - Mad Ramblings

Google TV

2010-05-21T12:58:00.000+05:30

Another awesome use of the Android operating system. Google introduces Google TV. TV, web, search, youtube all rolled into one. I think the idea is pretty interesting. About time we added some intelligence to the idiot box I would say.

The Story of Bottled Water

2010-05-12T14:03:00.000+05:30

The film explores the bottled water industrys attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces.

App2SD support coming soon to Android ?

2010-05-02T01:38:00.000+05:30

It looks like Androids' Achilles Heel is finally being fixed. According to this report google is finally getting its act together and provide users with an option to install apps to the SDCARD. Till now you could only install apps to the ROM provided on the phone and not the SDCARD. The only way to get around this was to flash your device with a custom rom and/or rooting/modifying the kernel.

My guess is that this feature would be incorporated in the upcoming Android 2.2 release (codename froyo).

via : androidandme

Free iPhone to iPad Upgrade

2010-04-19T14:34:00.000+05:30

via appadvice.com

Gmail adds support for Drag and Drop Attachments !!

2010-04-16T10:28:00.000+05:30

Another cool feature has been added to gmail. You can now drag and drop attachments to your gmail message.

Currently only google chrome and firefox 3.6+ are supported.

iPhone 4.0 vs the Competition

2010-04-09T13:19:00.000+05:30

So the new iPhone 4.0 features are out.. Now lets see how it compares to the competition :-)

Click on the post title to read the full post.
via - pcworld.com

Must have Android apps

2010-04-06T18:47:00.002+05:30

AppMonster (99KB) - The very first app I install, use it to create a backup of all the apps installed. Unlike other apps this one only appends the new/updated onces. A great little app for installing/uninstalling apps. Especially useful for installing apps after a flash/format quickly. Remember to run the backup after your apps have upgraded.

Helix Launcher (1MB) - After installing about 4-5 different 'Home' replacement apps I have finally settled down for the HelixLauncher. It has a nice light design and is very smooth. The best thing I like about this are the quick launch buttons which can be customised and the fact that double tapping gives you a preview of the screens you are running.

Advanced Task Manager (FREE) (356KB) - Simply the best out there, the "Press to End" widget is god sent especially on a phone like Samsung Galaxy with its meager 128 MB RAM. After install ensure the required apps are put in the "Ignore" list and then just use the "Press to end" widget shortcut to free up memory whenever you feel the phone is sluggish. Works great.

Handcent SMS (2MB) - Although very similar to ChompSMS, I think it outshines the ChompSMS by a slight margin because of the some extra goodies. Definitely a 5 star application.

Battery Life (115KB) - Beautiful widget which changes color according to the battery level. A must have for any android phone.

ThickButtons (BETA) (911KB) - A pretty accurate keyboard which predicts the next key you will press and enlarges those keys. Can be a pain when typing non standard words though.

Swype (BETA) (2 MB) - A unique keyboard. Definitely worth a try. Although my beta is working in reduced support mode after I reflashed :-(.

SMS Backup (661KB) - A nifty little utility which will backup your text messages to your gmail account ! Needs IMAP enabled for gmail though.

3Banana (548 KB) - Brilliant Note taking app which syncs with an online snaptic account. You can use your google account to sign in.

Color Flashlight (221 KB) - A simple yet very useful app. Love the various effects you can use. :-)

APN Backup & Restore ( 143 KB) - Does what it says.

Other Apps :

twicca BETA (1 MB) - One of the best UI of all the apps I tried for twitter. A gorgeous widget to go with it.

Bloo (581 KB) - for all the facebook fans out there. Although I haven't compared it much to the other apps, I find it better on the face of it.

Colordict (820 KB) - A unique implementation of dictionary, thesaurus, and Wikipedia all rolled into one app. Best part is that after the installation it copies the data to the SDCard after which you can uninstall the addons.

Others worth a mention : Barcode Scanner, Metal Detector, Better Terminal Emulator, Unit Convertor, Gesture Search. Astro FileManager

The one thing that influenced my selection of apps is the ability to backup the data in the cloud. That way I don't have to worry about losing my phone or taking a backup before I flash and reflash again. The other most important thing is the size of the app.

Hope this helps, please share your favorite apps in the comments.

Another problem caused by deforestation !

2010-04-03T12:33:00.002+05:30

Appeal for Adoption - Updated

2010-04-01T17:40:00.011+05:30

Update : Picku left us after a brief run of fever, apparently he had distemper :(. May his soul Rest in Peace. Ironically I got a call from a kind lady called Tanushree (Pune, Viman Nagar) telling me that she had found a home for Picku, this was after ten minutes of me learning that Picku had passed away. Thanks to all of you who tried getting him a home.

I was hanging out near my friends shop yesterday night around 8 PM when I heard the next door shopkeeper trying to shoo away a tiny puppy using his big leather slipper. I went and picked up the poor guy and scolded this shopkeeper. The puppy was so terrified that he had peed.

Well I did not know what to do so I took him to my earlier maids house, she has agreed to take care of him for a few days while I find somebody to adopt this poor baby. Unfortunately I can't keep him because I am working 6 days/week and already have a dog.

BTW the pup seems to have been picked up by somebody and then abandoned, he had a little rag-tag collar around his neck. The pup is around ~~15 days~~ 6 weeks old and in good shape. He is black in color with some brown patches on his paws. I am sure he will make a lovely pet.

Update - Pics below.. I have decided to name him Picku :). I got him checked from the VET and he is around 1.5 months old and in good health. I will be getting him vaccinated by this weekend.

Please pass the word around.. lets help this guy find a nice loving family to live with.
My contact details : +919623556161 / findsameer@gmail.com

Location : Pune

Web Browsers

2010-04-01T14:36:00.000+05:30

Google's solution to Android fragmentation coming in 'Froyo'

2010-03-31T15:30:00.001+05:30

One of the biggest complaints people have had against the Android platform is the issue of fragmentation. Well there seems to be good news for all of us. Google has decided to tackle the fragmentation issue by breaking up the next major update called 'Froyo' into core and first party applications. What this means is that apps like the keyboard, email app, browser etc will be an addon and not part of the core OS. Google already does this with google maps, and going forward you should be able to update the keyboard or the browser (or any any other component which is not part of the core OS) by just going to the market and downloading an update.

What this also means is that we will not have to wait for Samsung, HTC, or Motorola to roll out a new firmware for updating our phones or adding new features ! Now doesn't that make us happy ?

via neowin & engadget

Google adds Android Market to more countries.

2010-03-31T12:29:00.003+05:30

While we wait for paid apps in India for Android, there were some unlucky countries which did not even have access to free apps! Well google has fixed some of it and now 46 more countries will have access to the android market. (Click on the post title to see the list of countries).

What I don't understand is though why is it so difficult to roll out the market for all countries, atleast the free apps ?

Hopefully google will add the paid apps for India soon.

Purpose of life!

2010-03-30T15:14:00.000+05:30

Simply Brilliant !!

2010-03-27T22:10:00.000+05:30

via : crunchgear

HTC EVO 4G!

2010-03-24T22:26:00.010+05:30

While lesser mortals like myself save up for the day when we will be able to afford a Google Nexus One or even a HTC Desire or even the Samsung Galaxy S, HTC has gone ahead unveiled the mind numbing HTC EVO 4G.

Here is what the beast is going to have onboard :

4G connectivity
4.3-inch display
8MP Camera with flash
1.3MP front-facing camera
HDMI Out
1GHz Snapdragon processor
1GB Built-in memory
512MB RAM
Android 2.1
HTC Sense

Full specs here

More videos here.

Via : engadget, androidandme, phandroid.

Stunning Samsung Galaxy S I9000 Announced - Gets 4" Super AMOLED + 1 GHz Processor

2010-03-24T18:59:00.008+05:30

Samsung has announced an upgrade to the Galaxy line with its stunning new I9000. It gets a 4" Super AMOLED screen and a 1 GHz processor. Other notable features include :

- Customised Android 2.1 with Multitouch Support
- 5 MP autofoucs camera, recording 720P video @ 30 fps
- Only 9.9mm Thick
- 8 or 16 GB internal memory
- Bluetooth 3.0

Pricing and availability haven't been confirmed yet, but the package does look very impressive. It will be interesting to see how much RAM and ROM they put on it.

Source : gsmarena.
Click here for a more videos.

Samsung I5700 (Galaxy Spica) 2.1 Official Upgrade Confirmed!!

2010-03-17T16:00:00.001+05:30

It's finally here! The official press release from Samsung confirms the 2.1 (Eclair) upgrade for our beloved Samsung I5700 (Galaxy Spica/Portal). I had earlier posted a guide on how to get the leaked firmware on your I5700's, which was more than an indication that a 2.1 upgrade was imminent.

According to the press release "The upgrade will be available from March 2010 in Germany and gradually rolled out to other European markets, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Asia, Africa and rest of the world."

Source : engadget

What a way to pass on an important message !

2010-03-12T16:16:00.002+05:30

Hooking up your android phone to the car stereo!

2010-03-11T12:10:00.001+05:30

Another bit why Android is so cool :-). I was charging my Samsung Galaxy yesterday using the USB cable from my CAR stereo and just thought I should try mounting the SDCard to see what happens.

Well I mounted the SDCard and voila ! the stereo scanned the SDCard in 2 seconds and started playing the songs I had on the SDCard !

Now how cool is that ? No need for some ultra sophisticated ipod/aux connectivity cable/paraphernalia. Very useful indeed.

Rooting & other goodies on the Samsung Galaxy SPICA I5700 (2.1 Firmware) - Updated

2010-02-27T03:16:00.010+05:30

(DO NOT use this guide with the 1.5 firmware)
for Rooting the Galaxy SPICA 1.5 Firmware click here.

Pre-Requisite : Basic knowledge of windows and linux commands (DO NOT try this if you are uncomfortable with the command line interface)

Step 1 : Download Android SDK from here.

Step 2 : Extract the SDK to a folder.

Step 2 : If you are using windows, right-click on My Computer, and select Properties. Under the Advanced tab, hit the Environment Variables button, and in the dialog that comes up, double-click on Path (under System Variables). Append the full path to the tools/ directory to the path (for eg if you have extracted the SDK under d: drive add ;d:\android-sdk_r04-windows\tools Path variable).

for other OS follow the steps here.

Step 3: Download init.spica.sh from here. and copy it to the /tools folder under the SDK.
Step 4a: Enable USB debugging mode : Settings > Applications > Development > USB debugging. (forgot this step.. thanks to yudha.)

Step 4b: Connect the phone using the USB cable and run the following commands using the command prompt.

adb devices > it should list your device with a serial number,if not the phone is not connected properly.

then run the following commands :

adb shell mount -o remount,rw,codepage=utf8,vfat,xattr,check=no /dev/stl5 /system

adb shell rm /system/xbin/su

adb shell ln -s /xbin/su /system/xbin/su

adb push init.spica.sh /system/etc/

adb shell chmod 0550 /system/etc/init.spica.sh

adb shell reboot

The phone will reboot at this point and after it reboots you should have root access to the phone.

To check

adb shell

the prompt should change from the $ to a # ..thats it now you have root access to your android kernel :-)

Type "exit" to get back to your windows command prompt.

Alternatively you can download an application like Better Terminal and try running the commands from your phone itself.

Once you have gained root access you can remove pre-installed applications you do not like or want or install files like the LiveWallpapersPicker.apk

Backup System Files :

Connect phone on USB

Backup all system files before making any changes by running the following command

adb pull /system/app < path the backup folder >

Mounting the system:

adb shell mount -o remount,rw,codepage=utf8,vfat,xattr,check=no /dev/stl5 /system (this mounts the system and allows you to modify system files)

One easier way to do this is by adding the Remount script to the system/xbin

Download Remount and copy to /tools folder under the SDK

mount -o remount,rw,codepage=utf8,vfat,xattr,check=no /dev/stl5 /system

adb push remount /system/xbin/

adb shell chmod 0755 /system/xbin/remount

Now you can type "remount rw" when you want to mount the system in read/write mode and "remount ro" when you want to put it back as read only.

Remove files you don't need : (for eg myspace.apk)

cd /system/app

rm myspace.apk

Please make sure you have a backup before you try to remove any apk file.

Install Live Wallpapers (Just like the Google Nexus One)

Download LiveWallpaperPicker.apk and copy to the tools/ folder under the SDK

Open the command prompt and type :

adb install LiveWallpapersPicker.apk

You should now have an option for picking a live wallpapers on your phone.

There are a lot of nice looking live wallpapers on the market for you to download and try.

Thanks to mrJohn and Mallik_Raj @ samdroid.net

Samsung I5700 (Galaxy SPICA) Android 2.1 Flashing Guide (Updated)

2010-02-23T23:52:00.029+05:30

***** USE THIS GUIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK ! *******
***** DO NOT BLAME ME FOR BRICKED DEVICES ******

What you need :

The firmware : I570EDDJB2 in my case. (Unreleased Android 2.1 (Eclair) firmware from Samsung).

Multiloader application and Spica OPS (Odin_v4_03.exe + spica.ops) : Odin_v4_03.zip
*** Please use the new spica_jc3.ops file for the firmwares I5700XXJBA, I570EXXJC3 I570EXXJC5

Drivers for I5700 : drv5700.zip

Samsung USB Cable

Before you start :

Backup your data !

Remove the SIM lock if any.

Create a folder and extract all files listed above + the firmware (do not extract the tar file from within the firmware)

Ensure your phones battery is sufficiently charged (and your laptops battery too if you live in a country like ours lol ;-))

Shutdown any service/software which could be using the USB port, especially the Samsung PC suite. - Very Important

Flashing :

Edit : You should probably do a hard reset before you start by punching in the following code on the phone *2767*3855#

1. Shutdown your phone and remove the SDCARD and the SIM

2. Put the phone in "Download Mode" by pressing Volume Down + Camera + Power button.

Image Courtesy : samdroid.net

3. Connect the Phone to the PC using USB

4. Install drivers using the drv5700 files- A lot of guys are going wrong here. Open your device manager and ensure the two Samsung devices are shown properly before you go ahead.(circled in red) - see image below :

4a. Disconnect phone from the USB. *** (Very Important), thanks to Srikanth Kapa (For all you guys having problems with "Setup Connection"

5. Open Odin Multi Downloader v4.03.exe and then reconnect the phone, you should see the a COM port number with a yellow background.

6. Select the files as shown in the image below :

Image Courtesy : samdroid.net

If you are using some other firmware and there is only one tar file select Option : One Package and load the file under One Package TAB.

Cross check the files and if you need to change anything click on "Reset Files" and select files again.

7. Once you are ready hit the START button. DO NOT DISCONNECT the phone until the firmware download completes.

8.Watch the "Message: window and wait till it shows <1> Close serial port and wait until rebooting.- This usually takes not more than 1-3 minutes.

9. At this point your flashing is complete and the device should be automatically rebooting, once the reboot is complete unplug the USB cable and flick open the Eclair green locking slider ;-)

Congrats !!! Welcome to the delicious ECLAIR club :-)

Issues :

Google Maps seems to be a bit temperamental (Upgraded to ver 4.0.0 from the new 2.1 Market). Phone has hung a couple of times but nothing really serious.

New Features :

Multiple Accounts Support
Exchange Support - No Calendar support or GAL lookup.
Camera now has Scene mode, White balance, Color effect
Search across the device including SMS/MMS
HTML5 Support in the browser.
Live Wallpapers
Refreshed UI

Hopefully Samsung will include pinch and zoom in the final release version :-)

Thanks to the guys at :

www.samsung-firmware.webs.com

http://forum.samdroid.net

Screen Shots :

Samsung i5700 Running Android 2.1 (Eclair)

2010-02-22T15:52:00.002+05:30

I bought the Samsung I5700 on Friday which was running the stock Android 1.5 (Cupcake). By Saturday I was scourging the internet forums for an upgrade to ver 2.x, I had to get it !. After lots of broken links, and reading up Russian tutorials translated using google I was finally got myself a copy of the new unreleased eclair firmware (2.1) : I570EDDJB2.

Everything seems to be running fine :-) ~~apart from a weird issue with my GPS which cant get my location right.~~

I will post some screengrabs and a tutorial soon... Make sure to check back soon.

Thanks to all the folks @ SamsungFirmware, SamDroid

Must Have Google Chrome Extentions

2010-02-12T15:59:00.008+05:30

I had been sticking to firefox after the release of Google Chrome just for the simple reason that firefox had a lot more extensions than chrome. I made the switch to chrome about a month back after some of the must have extensions were made available on chrome.

Here is my list of MUST HAVE extensions for Chrome or even firefox for that matter.

XMarks : Backup and sync your bookmarks across computers and browsers. Xmarks synchronizes across multiple computers, and across web browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer. After you install the add-on, click on the notification to set up Xmarks and start backing up and synchronizing your bookmarks. Xmarks sync profiles give you full control over which bookmarks are synced to which computers, allowing you to keep private bookmarks at home while syncing everything else to your work computer. Xmarks automatically keeps a backup of each bookmark change, making it easy to backup and restore your bookmark sets.

Wikipedia Companion - Mini Wiki Browser - Essential extension for any Wikipedia users. Full-featured: saves your recent wiki lookups, multi-lingual, back/forward and more!

LastPass Password Manager - LastPass is a free password manager and form filler. One Time Passwords, Screen Keyboard, and Grid multi-factor help protect your account.

Some other useful extensions you can try :

Better Gmail - Adds option to toggle: ads, chat, invites, folders4gmail, footer, attachment icons, row highlight, sponsor messages.

Stop Youtube autoplay - Stops youtube autoplay but allows pre-buffering.

Google Dictionary (by Google) - Double-click any word to view its definition in a small pop-up bubble.

MSPaint !

2010-02-12T14:56:00.002+05:30

The Google Phone - Nexus One (Updated)

2010-01-06T23:53:00.016+05:30

I sat up well past midnight yesterday to follow the launch of the much awaited Google Phone aka The Nexus One. I was expecting Google to throw some surprises but they didn't - more or less everything was "leaked" beforehand.

In case you have been living under a rock, this phone is based on the open source Android OS developed by Google. You can see it in action here.

Simply put this is the most desirable Android handset to date and it has definitely split the Smartphone market wide open. iPhone fanboys here we come ;)

Some cool specs :

1 GHz Snapdragon Processor

512 MB RAM & ROM

3.7 inch 480 x 800 AMOLED capacitive touchscreen

5 MP Autofocus Camera with LED Flash

Removable 1400 mAH Battery

HSDPA 7.2 Mbps

Assisted GPS

802.11n Wifi

Accelerometer

Noise Canceling Microphone

Android 2.1 (Eclair)

Google Earth - A first for Android OS

Google Maps - Includes turn by turn navigation

Google Voice (Only in the US)
Update : Pinch and Zoom functionality added via a minor OTA.

Complete tech specs can be found here. ~~My biggest and only complain is that there is no Multi touch support !~~

You can read a review of the Google Phone here and here. While I go back to drooling and figuring out how to lay my hands on one (beg, borrow or steal seems to be the only option right now).

Officially it has not been launched in India but lets hope they do launch it soon considering we are such a Smartphone crazy nation.