Smart Phones

[Griffin NoName]

Can anyone recommend backup restore s/w ? 

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Titanium Backup is the one I use, its a paid (but not that 'spensive).  Alas, it requires root access.

Apart from that?  Most Android phones have some form of built-in (pre-installed) backup engine, sometimes buried deep in the settings menus though.

[Griffin NoName]

I saw Titanium but noticed it requires root access. I really would prefer to stear clear of that.

My phone has a "backup to google account" which I have ticked, but when I look in my google account I can't see any evidence anything has been written to my storage - it says ZERO MB of 5MB used .............. I can't find anything anywhere else in the phone to do with backing up. There is no option for restore either, so I can't see that this backup is all that useful. The only time/way any restore happens is on an application restore when it will reset the app data. User guide and googling do not throw up anything else, hence wanting an app.

I'm a bit fed up about this aspect; it ought to be properly catered for.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Services (gmail, gtalk, drive, etc) are cloud based anyway, Google stores which apps you have used to reload them in a different device, the question is what exactly you want to backup, text messages?

[Griffin NoName]

I'd like to backup everything that exists in the real world.

I've just bought "My Backup Pro" app. - under £3 - looks ok. Haven't tried it yet. I have an SD card installed - an old one so nearly full up - but I've ordered a new bigger one (bigger GB not physical size....). Hopefully I can then copy out to PC and backup to external USB drive. I believe in having as many copies of stuff as possible. I now have a Google Wallet which I did not particularly want.

[Griffin NoName]

I have now imported my old phone's contacts. Always a fiddle, whatever I do as I don't always stick to first, last, full, nickname properly so I get stuff like Old phone:  Jo Smith @seaside  New: @seaside ~ Smith, Jo ---- ie. my new list has records at the start which begin with stuff like @ or ~ or - etc.......not very useful when searching !! So I have to use Excel to edit records like that to the new format. Excel introduces its own peculiarities, like stripping off the leading zeros in all the UK phone numbers, which then I have to put back. Then there's the whole csv to vcf issue - none of the FREE converters work properly and none of the MS$hit office stuff exports VCF. In the end I had to use Outlook (which I never use) with impor function from phone (could have synced but don't trust google not to also ciopy my contacts to my google account which is not what I want, although all the s/w installed on my new phone insists on access to my contacts even if their function has nothing to do with contacts. Grrr. Finally had to set up my ringtones for people who I have assigned to different tunes...........

So, nearly fully set up now.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I've used Excel in the past-- and you can force-feed it to quit deleting leading zeros-- I've done that before.  But, it's been... 7?  8?  years since I worked with Excel, so I do not remember the cell/format commands to tell you--I'd have to dig (after re-installing Office 2000, the last working, legal copy I had).   I use Open Office at present.

For my smart phone?  I do have an Office-type app in there (I think-- it may be only on my andriod tablet, come to think of it).  But I did at one point, have a nice tidy Excel sheet (created in Open Office on my PC, naturally) that held my private list of phone numbers.  What was nice, that once I had properly formatted these to the US standard:  (AC#) 123-1234  (where AC# is the area code), including the parenthesis & dash?  My smart phone was clever enough to dial directly from an open spreadsheet-- I'd open the 'sheet using one of the android office apps (Office to go, I think it was), and click on the number, and up pops a nice dialog--one of which was "dial this number".   Nice.

Later on, I lamented (once they fixed the category issue with google contacts) and imported everything into there.  I do like the fact that it's all backed up on google's servers-- all my android devices have access to my account, if I want.

But I have 20 or 30?  A bunch of categories (groups) that let me sort my extensive contacts list.  (one is a collection of addresses where I can get cash-money from my local bank-- that list is looong, and statewide too.  Handy on rare occasions...) But I have hundreds of entries, so categories/grouping is a must. 

[Griffin NoName]

I decided to back up to SD card and copy to laptop rather than use google service - for privacy really. Failed to spot I was still logged into my smartphone google a/c on my laptop just now, went to Youtube and got told they'd automatically logged me in with my google a/c. I was really annoyed. I am not a fan of all this joined up stuff. I think it promotes all sorts of security issues, plus anyway I feel it is my choice what I log in as, not theirs.

It's easy to put leading zeros on nummbers for the whole column using format - special - then custom with 000000 - one zero bigger than the longest number.

I have an Office app on the phone - standard Android onee probably, haven't investigated.

My smartphone automatically adds dashes to international numbers, but not UK ones without the country code.

To dial, I just click a contact in the phone memory and press the "phone" symbol that pops up.

[Griffin NoName]

A slight irritation.

I got avast on my phone, great, except the "firewall"" requires rooting. The only app that doesn't need rooting is mobiwol and it is easy to see why it doesn't need it,,,..... it's not actually offering a genuine firewall. its just functionality that other security apps include under other headings - ie not under their firewall functions.

Given I don't want to root, I think I'll stick with avast anti-virus (plus some other functions, but excluding using the firewall. A/v more or less does everything. the firewall would block traffic but I assume mopping up by anti-v anyway.

[Griffin NoName]

I think this thread should be renamed silly phones.

<quote> Once I am in the middle of a phone call on my smart phone, it is very difficult to do things like press 3 for complaints, as the smartphone does not present sensible screens. Once away from the screen with end call on it, due to doing something else, like eg. clicking hands free, it is almost impossible to get back to the screen with end call on it. It is irritating. Like the phone is great at everything except making phone calls.
<endquote>

Actually I vaguely remember I can click the on off (physical) button to end a call, but I never remember when lost inside my phone. Anyway, that doesn't work if I just want to stop handsfree.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Do you know what version of Android is on your phone? It isn't that different from 1.x to 2.x to 4.x unless the 'skin' has some 'features' preventing general usage, but while you are in a call the screen will show (once you remove it from your face for those with a frontal sensor) the number you are connected to, a red button to hang up the call, and buttons for speakerphone, bluetooth, and a button with numbers that will show the 0-9 + * # that are sometimes used in voice menus.

If you leave the call screen while talking (to open an app, browse, etc) your call screen will be accessible from the status bar on top (the one you access by dragging the top).

Hopefully that is helpful.

[Griffin NoName]

Yep it is 4.x whatever. ice cream I think. or it was when bought. it has upgraded itself.

Hmmm. Pull down top = yes, I do a lot of that...... I have interesting stuff running in my status bar........ wonder why it never occured to me for the phoning........... I tend to press the menu button at bottom right of the phone when in screens........ usually uselessly but not always............ I have an annoying habit of learning by usage, pressing this and that, rather than learning how to do anything properly.......... at present I keep phoning people by accident.

Ta.

Can you tell me how to get the phone to take a photo of itself?

not a screen pic. I know how to do that

[Bluenose]

Use a mirror...

[Griffin NoName]

[Aggie]

I'm really starting to like Nokia lately... they are using a different kind of 'smart' in their phones imho:

http://inhabitat.com/nokia-3310-evolve-eco-cell-phone/
http://inhabitat.com/nokia-remade-concept-phone-made-from-recycled-materials/
Alas, these are circa 2008.... 

Some neat ideas for charging, albeit almost as out-of-date
http://inhabitat.com/nokia-unveils-bike-powered-cell-phone-chargers/
http://inhabitat.com/nokia-phones-pull-energy-out-of-thin-air/

(there are now commercialized chargers that can do the latter, store it in a battery and pass it on to your phone)


_{edited because I realized that the phones shown couldn`t possibly be new units...  alas, I still have fantasies of going back to a time when a phone was a phone.}