[HOWTO] Free your phone - Take everything into the cloud

[HOWTO] Free your phone - Take everything into the cloud - Galaxy S I9000 Themes and Apps

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Hey guys!
It's 2011, so if you haven't already taken a step into the cloud, it's time to get started! This guide shows you how to take all your data automatically in the cloud to free your phone storage for things like apps and games, which cannot be accessed through a cloud (yet).
Before I start, I just want to make it clear that this thread should NOT be used to discuss what things are safe in the cloud and all that privacy related stuff. If you have passed your ego and realized that you are not the most important/secret person on this planet with all your documents and stuff being soo secret, then go on, the cloud is waiting for you. If you have problems concerning privacy related topics open a new thread and simply CTRL + W out of here right now.
A second note concerning availability of Internet in some areas:
Before you synchronize everything through a cloud you have to ask yourself how often you loose your internet connection with your mobile. If you find yourself often in areas without coverage or poor connection, or if you have a limited data plan you maybe only should sync your Contacts & Calendars, but not Movies since it would become unusable, or at least very frustrating. In Germany and U.S.A. (I guess) you don't have to worry anymore, I've got full speed connection no matter where I go, but you have to know this for yourself.
Personal Stuff - Contacts, Calendars and more
First of all, let's start with the obvious stuff. Things like Calendars, E-Mail, Contacts not only can be stored in the cloud, it would be foolish not to do so! In a time when people have more than one device that can access the internet and are "smart" (i.e. can display calendars & stuff, don't blame me for calling that smart, blame the ads ) it would be terrible when devices can't communicate with each other to sync changes. When your appointment get's delayed it should show up directly on your PC, shouldn't it? But enough of the reasons, let's get this started.
Setting this sync up maybe the easiest of all, because Android is all about syncing these stuff almost by default. You simply have to use the Google Apps GMail for your mail and contacts, Google Calendar for your schedule and so on. Feel free to discover all of the Google Apps and decide for yourself what you need and want.
To set the sync up on your phone simply
Goto Settings -> Accounts and sync -> [email protected] -> Sync Contacts, Calendar, Gmail, ...
And boom! there you go. All your information is now synced between your devices, no matter where you change any of it.
Photos
The next thing to sync would be your pictures. For this media type, I have chosen to write a guide about setting up a sync with Google's Picasa Webapp. Although you might choose other Photohosting sites like Flickr or SmugMug, Picasa enjoys a deep integration in the Android system. To set this sync up, you need to go through 2 steps:
1. (Automatic) Upload of your pictures
Like fruit-fanatic Jobs said: "There's an app for that". For this task (and the movies later) the app "Pixelpipe Post and Upload HD" seems to be perfect, since it also got a feature to automatically upload your pics to your Picasa web albums right after you've shot one.
Set-Up Guide:
1. Create a Pixelpipe account
2. Create a "pipe" for your Picasa account
3. Enable "auto upload" in Settings (works like a charm on the Galaxy S)
4. Shoot some pics and try
2. Sync your Picasa web albums to the phone
After we got our Photos up in the cloud, we need a way to view them on our device. Thanks to Google, we can integrate them in our SNS sync in the settings menu:
Goto Settings -> Accounts and sync -> [email protected] -> Sync Picasa Web Albums
After your next sync (i.e. immediately ) you can find all your Picasa web albums in the Gallery app indicated with a small Picasa logo. This is the major advantage of Picasa, because with your photos being integrated in the gallery, every third party app can use them to modify or distribute your images.
Movies
In syncing movies, we take a similar way like Photos, also using the Pixelpipe app. Our destination will be Youtube because it delivers us unlimited space. Disadvantages of Youtube are a 15 min limit, but if you don't have a problem with that, Youtube is fine.
To set the sync up, simply add a "pipe" in your Pixelpipe app to Youtube and enable autosync. I recommend to set the video to private or not listed, because but that is again your own choice. You have to choose wether you want to have the whole Youtube Community watching your pretty vids or not . You can choose to opt-out on autosync, and only upload when you are on Wifi, since this could really take up some bandwith. The advantage of uploading with the Pixelpipe app over the built in "Share to -> Youtube" option is that you can upload HD video. The built in share option uploads your videos in minor quality.
To view your videos simply fire up your youtube app and enter your Username. Your videos will then be displayed under the "My Videos" tab. To download them again, simply use any of the Youtube video downloader apps available on the market.
Music
For our favorite tunes, we will use mSpot to access and stream our whole library directly from our phone. First of all you have to download the sync app for your Computer from www.mspot.com and select what you want to send up into the cloud. Note that free Users gain 2 GB of storage, so maybe you need to make a selection on what you want to take with you and what not.
After your music is placed in the cloud you can download the mspot Music app for Android, enter your Username and PW and gain direct access to your music. The only lag I encountered was when starting a song, it takes about 1-2 seconds longer than a local media player like Winamp, but mspot can also access files that are directly stored on your phone.
NOTE: Galaxy devices are having a playback issue right now, where the song sometimes just goes silent and you have to tap on pause and resume to hear something again. Mspot is aware of this issue and working on it.
Data
Tired of connecting your phone through USB to copy stuff to your device? The answer to that is "Fiabee"! This works best with Google's Browser Chrome since you can directly put images and more into your Fiabee space or send them directly to the device (Link). The advantage of Fiabee is: Space. They are throwing free space away like hell, I just got 16GB because I was an early user -> Try it!
Another service of choice could be DropBox. Here you have a volume that syncs to every device that is connected the cloud, wether it is a desktop computer, netbook, mobile or tablet. An extremely reliable and fast service, which makes sharing with specific persons or groups very easy.
That's it! If you have any suggestion, comment or question, feel free to share your thought!
bye, Smirny
Images used:
Cloud by sergbel
Movies icon by dani1a
Leopard Reflective Camera Icon by LiquidsnakE4
Google Apps by space-for-thought
Own Mixtape cover: PJ - Babylon
Free Database Icons by artistsvalley

Smirny said:
If you have passed your ego and realized that you are not the most important/secret person on this planet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, this leaves me out.

w98seeng said:
Well, this leaves me out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't be sad, I'll send you a golden USB cable for next christmas

for Galaxy S owners all of the above are optional
as it requires either an unlimited 3G plan, or wifi access all the time
for Nexus S owners, it's almost a must to have everything on the cloud

well I have quite unlimited 3G here @Vodafone. And my HD videos only get uploaded through Wifi, it simply would take too long through 3G sometimes.

1) good one, thanks!
2) Does pixelpipe delete the uploaded photos? Otherwise you would see them twice. Picasa and on the phone ?!

MrBusiness said:
1) good one, thanks!
2) Does pixelpipe delete the uploaded photos? Otherwise you would see them twice. Picasa and on the phone ?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it does not delete the photos. Currently you have to do it manually :/

Smirny said:
well I have quite unlimited 3G here @Vodafone. And my HD videos only get uploaded through Wifi, it simply would take too long through 3G sometimes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it sad that my upload bandwidth from 3G+ is faster than my Wifi at home?

AllGamer said:
for Galaxy S owners all of the above are optional
as it requires either an unlimited 3G plan, or wifi access all the time
for Nexus S owners, it's almost a must to have everything on the cloud
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you saying this sure to the nexus s memory limitations or for some other reason?

Mortify1 said:
Is it sad that my upload bandwidth from 3G+ is faster than my Wifi at home?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, of course not ^^ At some places even I reach faster cellular upload rates than at home, but it still takes some time, so I don't want to walk around the Munich airport in circles to upload my videos =)

Thanks, any chance of a fiabee invite?

of course. Isn't registration open any longer?
https://sync.fiabee.com/i/4d210e4c11af1

thanks, just read somewhere that invites get you more space? but it doesn't seem that is the case anymore But still 1gb storage is better than nothing

well then maybe you should rely on dropbox, fiabee syncs well, but for some images you can't do stuff with them in other apps because you can't put them in the gallery :/ but in combination with the google chrome webapp it's beautiful.
btw. just realized that I forgot to link that chrome app in the original post ^^

Smirny said:
To set the sync up, simply add a "pipe" in your Pixelpipe app to Youtube and enable autosync. I recommend to set the video to private or not listed, because but that is again your own choice. You have to choose wether you want to have the whole Youtube Community watching your pretty vids or not .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there an option to automatically make the uploaded videos private on YouTube or does it take a manual setting?

hetp0st said:
Is there an option to automatically make the uploaded videos private on YouTube or does it take a manual setting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't found an option yet, I'd be curious about that too :/ Right now you have to set it to private manually, and the particular bad thing about this is that you can't do that neither in the app nor the mobile website, you have to go to the desktop website to do that :/ Or maybe I have missed a setting ...

great news:
the mSpot App now got rid of the Playback issue and it works perfectly on the SGS now =)

I've been looking all over for a comparison between Fiabee and Dropbox. Anyone?
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App

bump this great thread.

Related

Dashwire - The Future is Here

DASHWIRE - A PORTAL TO YOUR CELL PHONE ON THE WEB
Dashwire's FREE service takes your mobile phone contacts, SMS, calls, photos, videos, voicemail, and settings to the Web, making it easy for you to set-up your phone, backup your stuff, and share your experiences with sites like Facebook, Flickr, FriendFeed & Twitter.
Full contact sync between your phone & the Web
Read, reply, and create new text messages from your computer - threaded by conversation
Instantly upload photos & videos to the Web where you can view, edit, organize & share
Single click media upload to Facebook, Flickr, FriendFeed, Twitter & Bebo
Update your status on Facebook & Twitter
Visual voicemail on your computer
Set Web favorites, ringtones & speed dials from your computer
Transfer contacts & settings from your old phone to your new one
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  Your phone is constantly connected to the web, helping you access & share your stuff whether you're on the go or in front of your computer. No cables or effort required. It's easy and FREE!

Backup & Sync Your Contacts
Your phone address book is automatically uploaded and backed-up on Dashwire. You can add, edit, or delete contacts - with all changes instantly updated on your phone (and vice versa).

Text Messaging From the Web - Like You're On IM
Every SMS sent and received is available online in an instant messaging like experience. You can read, reply, and create new messages from the web - it literally sends from your phone using your SMS plan.

Upload & Share Your Photos & Videos
Snap a photo. Capture a video. Dashwire instantly uploads all of your media from your phone to the web where you can view, edit, organize into albums, and share with friends and the social sites you use to stay connected to them.

Single Click Phone Set Up
Who wants to read the owner's guide? With Dashwire, your ringtones, bookmarks, and speed dials can be easily set from your web account and instantly updated on your phone.

Automatic Phone Configuration
Firmware upgrade? New phone? Turn it on. Add Dashwire. Watch as the contacts and several of the settings from your old phone automatically appear.
And So Much More…
Visual voicemail, call log backup, photo slideshow, customizable shared pages, status updates to social networking sites, Skype integration, catalogue of mobile optimized websites…

WOW!!! So far this is sickkk..I love it. I'm still checking it out, once I'm done - I'll post some feedback.
Check it out guys, It's worth it.

lukybandit said:
WOW!!! So far this is sickkk..I love it. I'm still checking it out, once I'm done - I'll post some feedback.
Check it out guys, It's worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used it for a day or so, and then promptly uninstalled it.
I found that it killed my battery twice as fast, overall made the phone really sluggish and never properly uploaded my contacts..
But hey that's just me

Oh Yeah? I've been using it for the past 30 mins, so far so good. hmm, wierd. Actually, the first time I did the sync, it didn't sync it properly, mean it did but some of my messages were missing, i resynced it 30 mins ago i.e. once again and now it's perfect so far. Well, I hope it's something I can use and not let go because so far I really like it.
Everyone else, whoever has used it or is going to use it, please post some feedback.
P.S: I've figured out everything except visual voicemail. How does that work?

lukybandit said:
Oh Yeah? I've been using it for the past 30 mins, so far so good. hmm, wierd. Actually, the first time I did the sync, it didn't sync it properly, mean it did but some of my messages were missing, i resynced it 30 mins ago i.e. once again and now it's perfect so far. Well, I hope it's something I can use and not let go because so far I really like it.
Everyone else, whoever has used it or is going to use it, please post some feedback.
P.S: I've figured out everything except visual voicemail. How does that work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ive been using it for a few months..good stuff.

I use it. I'll admit it's a startup hog but worth it. It can be a life saver. Only problem I have had is one. Now I'm eventually going to get around to fixing it lol. Here is the only problem.
All of us have at least one time or another had problems with Active Sync. I had to re-sync it and Outlook also saves my contacts. What occurred for me is if you have to reinstall Active sync it will add a double amount of contacts. I'm my case 4 of each...LOL. Basically when first installing Dashwire it will give you the options to overwrite some or leave them alone.
Either way I'm going to have to stop dashwire from syncing. Then exit it. Then thru active sync uncheck outlook contacts. Then delete All of my contacts. The thing that champs my @ss is I set up voice command on some of my contacts which is a pain.
I also can't figure out the custom way to save via contacts---sim manager---backup contacts. It tells you that you need to delete them first wtf?
Put it this way I always backup my stuff. I don't want to not be prepared for a crash.

Looks good, but it seems to drain the battery a lot faster. Good stuff but I will give it another shot once my extended battery comes in.

Appreciate the write-up and the feedback!
Battery drain is an issue that we've been working on for the past couple of weeks. We're still not done, but we've added some things that should make a difference. We do really suggest our users set Dashwire to automatic sync because with manual the sync technology isn't optimized.
And sorry to hear about the contact dupes. As you've discovered, contacts added to a new or reset phone using Dashwire will be duplicated if a user attempts to synchronize with Outlook via ActiveSync after the fact. You first have to add your contacts to your phone via ActiveSync before adding Dashwire to your phone. If you start with ActiveSync first, then you won't see any problems with contact duplicates. After that there shouldn't be any issues.
Visual Voicemail works through a 3rd party application called CallWave. You have to sign-up for it first, input your credentials, and then it should work straight from the dashboard.
Any more questions or feature requests feel free to let us know. We take what user's say and suggest pretty seriously.

dashwire said:
Appreciate the write-up and the feedback!
Battery drain is an issue that we've been working on for the past couple of weeks. We're still not done, but we've added some things that should make a difference. We do really suggest our users set Dashwire to automatic sync because with manual the sync technology isn't optimized.
And sorry to hear about the contact dupes. As you've discovered, contacts added to a new or reset phone using Dashwire will be duplicated if a user attempts to synchronize with Outlook via ActiveSync after the fact. You first have to add your contacts to your phone via ActiveSync before adding Dashwire to your phone. If you start with ActiveSync first, then you won't see any problems with contact duplicates. After that there shouldn't be any issues.
Visual Voicemail works through a 3rd party application called CallWave. You have to sign-up for it first, input your credentials, and then it should work straight from the dashboard.
Any more questions or feature requests feel free to let us know. We take what user's say and suggest pretty seriously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, I would like to Congratulate you and your team for making this happen. Very beautiful concept! Your team has done a great job! Keep up the good work.
Battery Drain:
I don't know if I've experienced battery drain but if other users are, that should be your #1 concern because you want people to use Dashwire and when it comes to the battery, people will prefer a ever ready battery over battery drain. I've set my account to automatic sync as I have an unlimited data plan. If I do experience battery drain, I will post feedback here. I'm glad to know your working on it, though.
Automatic Startup:
I got rid of the Automatic startup as my bootup process was taking longer then it should. I personally noticed a slow bootup so, I'd appreciate if you could work on that. However, from nowonwards I will manually start the program so it syncs when I choose to until you can work on a fix.
Duplicate Contacts:
No comments as I didn't experience this.
Visual Voicemail:
This is a great service but it sucks to know CallWave charges for their services. Could you not offer a free service for voicemail? I'm aware of youmail but youmail does not work for International users right now. If you can look into this, that'd be great. I'd be definitely interested and I'm sure others will be too.
------------------
Personal Issues:
Contacts
So far, everythings work as it should but my contacts are out of order.
Page 1 starts with I, J, K, L, M, N, O, H, P, R, S.
Page 2 continues with S, T, U, V, W, Y, Z, A
Page 3 ends with A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H
Any idea how I could fix this? Please let me know, Thanks.
------------------
Suggestions
1) Ringtones: Right now, they are only accessed from the phone storage. Any way to access the ring tones on storage card?
2) Real-time Home Screen: Maybe you could use this to control your phone, for screen shots etc
3) Transfer ringtones: Transfer directly from websites to dashwire which will sync to the phone directly. For example, you come across a ringtone site, you right click it and it says transfer to dashwire which automatically syncs it with the phone into the right folder and you can change your ringtone from the website. This could help when you don't have wires and you want to upload a new ring tone etc.
4) Change Wallpaper: Using the above idea, you can do the same with wallpapers.
5) Backup Text messages to PC: Download textmessages as a .txt file to PC
6) Download Pictures or Videos to PC: Using this option, you can download pictures or videos to PC.
Those are some suggestions for now. Let me know what you think. Finally, Thanks for making this FREE. Looking forward to more updates in the future.
---------------------------------------------------------
Should you need my help in anything, please let me know.
Good Luck!
Best Regards,
lukybandit

Anyone try this? If so, post some feedback.

tried it...hate it. only backed up 1/2 of my contacts..... slow as molasses below freezing...

I just registered on the site, and went to m.dashwire.com on my phone to get the app.
I got the app and tried to install the cab but right when it finished downloaded it said. "instalation of dashwire-wm-2.0.0.354.cab was unsuccesful"
Whats the deal?
Im running on windows 6.1 kavana

i'm experiencing the same problem....can anyone upload a working .cab file?

i'm on kavana 6.1 and had no issues at all. been running it for about 20 hours now.

mjp, you think you could post your cab file plz?

kingtaco11 said:
I just registered on the site, and went to m.dashwire.com on my phone to get the app.
I got the app and tried to install the cab but right when it finished downloaded it said. "instalation of dashwire-wm-2.0.0.354.cab was unsuccesful"
Whats the deal?
Im running on windows 6.1 kavana
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry about that... looks like in preparation for the release of some new features we made some changes to the server. In the process something broke down on our end and users are unable to install the mobile client at the moment. We are working on it right now, and I'll report here the moment we get everything working again.

Dashwire - I posted suggestions, comments and personal issues I was going through. Please look into it when you get a chance, Thanks.

You should now be able to download the Mobile Client.
@lukybandit: Looks like a great response that you posted that addressed a lot of key issues. I'll respond to it when I get a chance. Thanks for all the help and the feedback.

I just started using it right now and its syncing everything up. Seems pretty cool so far...lets see if it lags my phone.

How is this functional

The ui looks very Slick, but let us take a look at how people are using phones (and i take myself as example)
My main point is that this phone is a solution in search of a problem. it is using hypes from 1 or 2 years ago and is not focusing on real functionality.
facebook or network sites on my phone!! who wants that. i do not twitter, i have no facebook account, i do not use msn. does that mean i have empty tiles on my start page?
Zune or Xbox. i do not have a zune or xbox, i do not want to play online, and especially not with my phone.
data plan needed. I do not want a data plan. all these nice options work with a data plan. show us something that does not need an internet connection.
where is the phone? is this a phone? show me how to call people. can i even enter phone numbers? can i send sms messages?
take and share pictures. who takes pictures with a phone? it is nice to have a quickcamera in your pocket, but you take pictures with your real camera. you do not make a bad picture with your phone to upload it to some website where everybody can see how terrible you look.
In short: I use my phone to make calls, send sms, navigate and some internet for hotmail or emergency need for information. I like to have an easy game when i am waiting, and some eyecandy like weather to look at. finally i want to be able to make appointments on my phone that are synchronized with my hotmail agenda automatically. that is it.
this phone is a nice gadget for young people who want to be connected to their friends all the time. not for the middle-aged who use their phone as a tool.

sandervanzijl said:
The ui looks very Slick, but let us take a look at how people are using phones (and i take myself as example)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Being that you're on this site, you're a poor example. You aren't a normal person (nor am I or anyone else on this site). But, I'll address your concerns anyways.
sandervanzijl said:
facebook or network sites on my phone!! who wants that. i do not twitter, i have no facebook account, i do not use msn. does that mean i have empty tiles on my start page?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I, for one, want facebook and twitter on my phone. Even HTC realizes this is popular and integrated them into TouchFlo/Sense. But no, you won't have empty tiles. The very existence of any/all of the tiles is up to you. If you don't use them, they won't be there. But They aren't really "apps" per say but they're integrated into your contacts and pictures so there really isn't even a facebook or twitter app to even pin there in the first place.
sandervanzijl said:
Zune or Xbox. i do not have a zune or xbox, i do not want to play online, and especially not with my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need a Zune or Xbox. Think of Zune as the replacement for Windows Media Player + a music store. Xbox is just the branding for games. Again, if you don't want them on there you don't have to have them.
sandervanzijl said:
data plan needed. I do not want a data plan. all these nice options work with a data plan. show us something that does not need an internet connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ummmmm if you don't want a data plan with a modern smartphone I have to question why you want a smartphone in the first place. The whole point is to have data connectivity. There's no reason the phone won't work without one though. If your carrier has the data disabled (which I doubt they will do for you) the phone will still work.
sandervanzijl said:
where is the phone? is this a phone? show me how to call people. can i even enter phone numbers? can i send sms messages?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the dialer (was noted to be not done)
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Don't have a screenshot of what happens when you press it but yes, there's a button to send texts.
You can also send texts right from the person's details in the "People hub".
sandervanzijl said:
take and share pictures. who takes pictures with a phone? it is nice to have a quickcamera in your pocket, but you take pictures with your real camera. you do not make a bad picture with your phone to upload it to some website where everybody can see how terrible you look.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL. Maybe you look terrible but not all of us do. Believe it or not, lots of people use their phone to take quick pictures and upload them. Do you bash windows mobile 6 because it can do this?
sandervanzijl said:
In short: I use my phone to make calls, send sms, navigate and some internet for hotmail or emergency need for information. I like to have an easy game when i am waiting, and some eyecandy like weather to look at. finally i want to be able to make appointments on my phone that are synchronized with my hotmail agenda automatically. that is it.
this phone is a nice gadget for young people who want to be connected to their friends all the time. not for the middle-aged who use their phone as a tool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WP7 does everything you want it to... just a whole lot more as well. Not sure why "extra" stuff is a problem. You can customize the home screen with whatever you want so you would just have the phone dialier, SMS, IE, Games (Xbox), a weather app/hub, and the calendar on yours. The rest would just be unused features that are there for you to use if you stop being so grumpy and enjoy yourself a little bit and listen to some music and share pictures with your friends/family.

The dialer looks really boring!
I hope they´ll put more effort in it.. and the homescreen is a no go for me! Should fill the whole screen.. but overall 7 series looks great!

Just found a video showing Text messaging.
http://vimeo.com/9525086 around 8:50 mark.
Looks super simple and easy to use. Barely shows it though so it's hard to get a full sense of how it works.

sandervanzijl said:
The ui looks very Slick, but let us take a look at how people are using phones (and i take myself as example)
My main point is that this phone is a solution in search of a problem. it is using hypes from 1 or 2 years ago and is not focusing on real functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're already wrong. Society is getting used to their phone doing more, and functionality is introduced here.
sandervanzijl said:
facebook or network sites on my phone!! who wants that. i do not twitter, i have no facebook account, i do not use msn. does that mean i have empty tiles on my start page?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This shows you've paid no attention. You put whatever tiles you want on your Start page. If you don't have Facebook don't log into Facebook... Microsoft won't be angry at you. I for one have been needing this though
sandervanzijl said:
Zune or Xbox. i do not have a zune or xbox, i do not want to play online, and especially not with my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have a Zune either, which is why I've been waiting for this phone. Zune on my phone! Yes! I don't have an XBox, but most people have friends and many people with friends don't mind sharing in an occasional game with them
sandervanzijl said:
data plan needed. I do not want a data plan. all these nice options work with a data plan. show us something that does not need an internet connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A data plan is never usually needed on a smartphone.. but honestly, with the state of the industry these days, if you're never using the internet on your smartphone I'm not sure why you have one. The phone'll work fine over Wifi though, and it also works without any internet at all.
sandervanzijl said:
where is the phone? is this a phone? show me how to call people. can i even enter phone numbers? can i send sms messages?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's not a phone. They just rebranded it to 'Phone' for fun. The videos online of the dialer and SMS app being demoed were just flukes, and won't ship with the device
sandervanzijl said:
take and share pictures. who takes pictures with a phone? it is nice to have a quickcamera in your pocket, but you take pictures with your real camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me? All the time? The market decided long ago that phones need cameras, and Microsoft has decided that the minimum requirement will be 5mpx. Just like my last digital camera. So now your real camera is your phone, what's wrong with this? You can still carry around your 'real' camera in addition if you want, but I bet when you plug it in to charge it won't automatically sync to your PC over WiFi like this phone will.
sandervanzijl said:
In short: I use my phone to make calls, send sms, navigate and some internet for hotmail or emergency need for information. I like to have an easy game when i am waiting, and some eyecandy like weather to look at. finally i want to be able to make appointments on my phone that are synchronized with my hotmail agenda automatically. that is it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So do those things. Microsoft worked on the automatic syncing for you, and just because they did this for more than a calendar you complain that... actually, I'm not sure what your complaint is. What does "how is this functional" mean when you're saying that the phone has more functionality than you need?
sandervanzijl said:
this phone is a nice gadget for young people who want to be connected to their friends all the time. not for the middle-aged who use their phone as a tool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because 1) once you reach middle age you have no friends and 2) young people of the social network generation don't deserve to have nice phones too

Ya it is a shame that many people don't get this phone. But I didn't get the iPhone as well at first either, but it was revolutionary and so is this device.
Multitasking won't exist in the way we are used to it, but I think services like Pandora will still be able to play music in the background. It doesn't bother me. In fact I have WinMo 6.5 set to close all apps. Only a few like Pandora are where I will just hit the home button to keep it open. There is hardly any need to keep other stuff open, it becomes complicated (most users are not gonna check their memory and close programs as needed).
But as for the start 'menu'. Its completely customizable. You can add applications as if it was a start menu and make it totally look like the iPhone (with square icons of course), or you can do a mix and match. If you don't sign into facebook, you'll never see facebook. Just think of the people hubs as your contacts. Zune is just a media player, and so much better looking than WMP and works much better.
As a Zune HD owner, I consider myself blessed in that I know how pinning something to the 'start' page already works. I also know how easy the software is to use, and even the Zune HD IE browser is great and it is based on IE6, so something based on modern IE7 and IE8 will be great.
And no you won't be able to install a shell like Xperia or HTC Sense. But the whole point is for a unified OS. That doesn't mean the phone isn't you, it just means that when a customer buys a Windows Phone that no matter who they buy the phone from, it will look and behave the same.
You need to really look at the videos again. The one on Channel 9 from MSDN is really good. It goes into depth and shows how you can move stuff around on the start screen.

Erm, I'm middle aged and I think Facebook is an excellent way to keep in touch with friends. Otherwise work and children just takes too much of my time.
Like just about everything out there, if you don't think you need the function, well, just don't use it.

[Q] How do I sync my photos w/ Dropbox?

I am using EVO Deck 1.3 stable. I'm tired of having to connect to my computer via USB to get photos/videos off my phone, and since I'm an avid Dropbox user this just seems like an obvious usage of the sync feature.
After roaming through all of my ROM's settings and Dropbox settings I can't find anything to this effect. In fact Dropbox won't even let me upload more than 1 file at a time - is that right??
Please help me cut the USB umbilical and use Dropbox to its full potential!

When I want to upload multiple photos from my phone, I go to gallery and click on the album I want open. Then click the share icon, then dropbox. Then it opens the album with check boxes so you can mark as many as you want. It should upload them in the background then.
I have only found this manual way to do it. But this is better than one at a time, right?

Dropsync
Check the market for an app called Dropsync. I use it to sync my photos and Titanium backups to my Dropbox on my phone and tab. All of my photos are synced between my tab and phone nicely. It works very well with minimal battery drain. Like it so much that I sprung for the Pro version (which I rarely do) just to help out the developer.
Also Google+ will allow you to auto-upload your photos.

RonPorreca said:
Check the market for an app called Dropsync. I use it to sync my photos and Titanium backups to my Dropbox on my phone and tab. All of my photos are synced between my tab and phone nicely. It works very well with minimal battery drain. Like it so much that I sprung for the Pro version (which I rarely do) just to help out the developer.
Also Google+ will allow you to auto-upload your photos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huge +1 for this. Well worth the money. I have mine syncing photos ONLY when USB is plugged in and ONLY on WiFi. Just be careful, its a 2 way sync. If u delete a photo from your sd card the next time it syncs it will delete it from dropbox.

Traffic Boost from Google+

I used my HOX now fr about 2 weeks and i finaly found out that google+ takes my pitures away. Whats totaly bulls..t cause i don't use google f..king + and dropbox does the job very well. Now its not so easy to find that option to kill this f...king google + ninja from hell so i tell you how. Found this in the internet.
To disable automatic upload from the Google+ Android app, select "Settings" within the "Menu" screen and uncheck "Instant Upload." Now you have control of which mobile photos make it to your private Google+ album.
The Instant Upload settings allows for further customization, including uploading all existing photos on your phone, uploading only when connected to a WiFi network (good for those with capped data plans), and uploading only when the phone is charging.

It would be a good way of getting unlimited free Picasa space but they resize the photos, ruining it.
Shame.

Yea Google+ ask u when setting up !
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

Arthur Hucksake said:
It would be a good way of getting unlimited free Picasa space but they resize the photos, ruining it.
Shame.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is uploaded to picasa. Google+ use picasa anyway. It will appear in your photo gallery if you sync photo from picasa.

I dont understand your issue. G+ asks you if you want this enabling when you install it, then you say it's difficult to find the setting:
"select "Settings" within the "Menu" screen and uncheck "Instant Upload."
hardly difficult?!.. If you use G+ the instant upload is a good feature, if you don't why did you install and configure it?

Google Contacts on Pixel 2 XL syncing but shouldn't

Hi.
I got a Google Pixel 2XL with the latest Android P build flashed.
So it comes that I got the new Google contacts app (which has Material Design 2, when dialer and SMS app still have Material Design 1 - pretty lame).
This contact app by Google syncs my contacts I imported from a local file to the Google servers even if contact sync is disabled in the settings for accounts.
I even rooted and deleted the contact sync adapter APK, but the contact app still syncs my data without giving me an opt-out choice.
It syncs user photos into my contacts which I do not want to be there... I delete them and they reappear.
What am I supposed to do if I do not want my contacts to be synced? Sync way back some years was a mess and often gave me mixed up results of contacts structure.
That is why I manage my contacts locally only. Third party contacts apps are not my taste.
So... shame on Google for just grabbing my contacts data. What about the GDPR and my privacy?

I don't know. I love Google syncing of everything. One less thing to have to do manually or micromanage.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

EeZeEpEe said:
I don't know. I love Google syncing of everything. One less thing to have to do manually or micromanage.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I understand that.
But why is there an option for disabling contact sync in the first place, if my stuff gets synced anyway without opt-out?
May I have a piece of your cake? No? You don't want me to? I take it anyway.

t-ryder said:
Yes, I understand that.
But why is there an option for disabling contact sync in the first place, if my stuff gets synced anyway without opt-out?
May I have a piece of your cake? No? You don't want me to? I take it anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I have two Google accounts on my phone and my secondary one is set to not sync and it's doesn't.
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Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

EeZeEpEe said:
Well I have two Google accounts on my phone and my secondary one is set to not sync and it's doesn't. View attachment 4577164
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disable sync in the Google account settings of the Android main settings menu.
Open the newest version of Google contacts (which gets updated via Google play in the Pie stock ROM of P2XL).
Open Chrome or any browser on your PC. Log in to your Google account.
Go to contacts icon and view your contacts. Select all. Delete all.
Open the contact app on P2XL and scroll from top to bottom, then a loading spinner appears... and all your contacts get synced as one
can see when reloading the browser/page on the PC.
That is the scenario here. I just tested it 10 minutes ago.

Well the thing is I have no contacts at all with my secondary account to even do such a test. I logged in on my computer and it's empty just like my screenshot. I'll create a few fake ones and see if I can reproduce your issue.
t-ryder said:
Disable sync in the Google account settings of the Android main settings menu.
Open the newest version of Google contacts (which gets updated via Google play in the Pie stock ROM of P2XL).
Open Chrome or any browser on your PC. Log in to your Google account.
Go to contacts icon and view your contacts. Select all. Delete all.
Open the contact app on P2XL and scroll from top to bottom, then a loading spinner appears... and all your contacts get synced as one
can see when reloading the browser/page on the PC.
That is the scenario here. I just tested it 10 minutes ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

I reported the thing to Google, and just now there was an update for the contacts app.
Now when accidently scrolling up and the spinner appears contacts do not get synced anymore
as it seems if contact sync is disabled.

And now again after an app update. I added a new contract. Can not store locally anymore. As I added the contact suddenly all of my contacts were gone after a spinner appeared. I reimported then using a local file. Suddenly my contacts were synced to Google servers again, even though I got contact sync disabled in the device account settings.

You're really going to continue having issues if you don't sync your contacts because there is no "save to device" option with Pixel phones.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

EeZeEpEe said:
You're really going to continue having issues if you don't sync your contacts because there is no "save to device" option with Pixel phones.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yikes ... that sucks.
Need custom ROM on base of Android P.

t-ryder said:
yikes ... that sucks.
Need custom ROM on base of Android P.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But what kind of secret in your contacts? If you really need privacy use something like
https://protonmail.com/blog/mobile-encrypted-contacts/

t-ryder said:
It syncs user photos into my contacts which I do not want to be there... I delete them and they reappear.
...
Sync way back some years was a mess and often gave me mixed up results of contacts structure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not really about privacy. I just do not like the feature.

What's not to like? Really curious.
t-ryder said:
It's not really about privacy. I just do not like the feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

EeZeEpEe said:
What's not to like? Really curious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's all written in the op. And if I decide to opt-out in account settings for not syncing my contacts to Google servers, but the contact app does not respect that and syncs anyway without giving me a chance to use just the device storage to save my contacts (as I always did for almost ten years now - I never synced them), I ask myself why there even is an opt-out ... and what nonsense Google is up to anyway.

I get that you're having issues with that (Again I have a second Google account that's unchecked to sync and remains at 0 contacts) but I was asking what's not to like about syncing contacts with Google? Why are you opting out in the first place? Seems such a hassle to manually create contact files, export, import, etc. That's as much a hassle as not using the Google Photos unlimited full quality backup and having to import everything manually to a computer.
t-ryder said:
It's all written in the op. And if I decide to opt-out in account settings for not syncing my contacts to Google servers, but the contact app does not respect that and syncs anyway without giving me a chance to use just the device storage to save my contacts (as I always did for almost ten years now - I never synced them), I ask myself why there even is an opt-out ... and what nonsense Google is up to anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

EeZeEpEe said:
I get that you're having issues with that (Again I have a second Google account that's unchecked to sync and remains at 0 contacts) but I was asking what's not to like about syncing contacts with Google? Why are you opting out in the first place? Seems such a hassle to manually create contact files, export, import, etc. That's as much a hassle as not using the Google Photos unlimited full quality backup and having to import everything manually to a computer.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google contacts sync was importing user fotos which I never wanted to be there, and it mixed up contacts I did not want. It took data from G+, mixed it with data and contacts from other Google services.
My contact book is very well organized, and using Google contact sync is giving up full control. I do not use gDrive, google Photos and such either. I do not like and use every feature of the Google eco system. I like to keep my stuff offline depending on what it is.

t-ryder said:
Google contacts sync was importing user fotos which I never wanted to be there, and it mixed up contacts I did not want. It took data from G+, mixed it with data and contacts from other Google services.
My contact book is very well organized, and using Google contact sync is giving up full control. I do not use gDrive, google Photos and such either. I do not like and use every feature of the Google eco system. I like to keep my stuff offline depending on what it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a feeling you probably didn't use Google Photos or other Google services. Nothing wrong with that. To each their own.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

I had a chat with the German Google support. The guy confirmed that the opt-out for not syncing contacts to Google servers in the account settings of the phone is not doing anything at all regarding the new contact app with material design 2. He told me to use only the dialer to manage my contacts, and not to use the contact app, which makes no sense at all. He also told me to contact the development office via the feedback interface of Android to complain there.

Develop Bugs

welcome