Technology

Various topics on technology, mainly computers, software, open source, and the like.

Using an Android tablet with PDF and Aldiko for presentations to VGA or HDMI projectors

Submitted by Khalid on

Contents: 

Tags: 

I use a 15.6" laptop for daily work, but it is kind of heavy lugging it to conferences and talks. This is aggravated by the roller case for it which has some weight in it. Add a power supply, and other sundry items, and it becomes inconvenient when I am not traveling.

So, when I saw someone givining a presentation off of an Apple iPad, I was jealous and thought: why can't I do the same from my Android tablet? Turns out that the iPad has a display port, and Apple sells a display port to VGA adapter.

FolderSync: an Android app that can sync your photos over SFTP

Submitted by Khalid on

Contents: 

Tags: 

Manually copying the photos you take using your phone can be a tedious task. You need to find the time, connect the cable, find the last photo that you synced, and sync everything after it.

However, there is a useful and automated solution: the FolderSync Lite app.

This app is targeted towards cloud storage services, including several popular ones, such as Amazon S3, DropBox, Google Drive and UbuntuOne.

The Android repeat notification problem: and apps that solve it ...

Submitted by Khalid on

Contents: 

Tags: 

Anyone who used Android knows that it does not, by default, repeat notifications for important events, such as missed called, text messages, email or calendar. One has to manually switch the screen on and look at the notification bar on the top to see what they missed. Ideally, Android needs to have a visual or audible notification that there is a notification that happened in the past.

Luckily there are many apps that provide this, and I review some that I have tried in the past, with the pros and cons for each.

Light Flow

High CPU usage on Sony Xperia Arc with Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0

Submitted by Khalid on

Contents: 

Tags: 

After I upgraded my Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc from 2.3.4 (GingerBread) to 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich), I noticed that it was laggy and slow.

With Gingerbread 2.3.4, and ADW Launcher as the home screen, everything was fine.

Upon using the "top" command, either from ConnectBot, or from adb via the USB case, I noticed that com.google.media and com.google.acore are eating up most of the CPU time.

You can also go into Settings Developer Options and turn on the CPU overlay which will tell you the top processes eating up CPU.

Mobile network spectrum fragmentation means increased costs

Submitted by Khalid on

Contents: 

Tags: 

Just what I have been saying all along.

Spectrum fragmentation means pricier mobile handsets, customer lock-in by carrier, and reduce the ability for global roaming.

This is mostly a USA/Canada problem only, since the rest of the world do not auction spectrum to specific networks.

Speed up your Sony Xperia Arc by removing junk applications

Submitted by Khalid on

Contents: 

Tags: 

Note: This article is Android version dependent. Before you do it, you have to upgrade your phone. Use the article on Making your Sony Xperia Arc faster using Android 2.3.4 Global Generic 4.0.2.A.0.42.

Root your phone

Root your phone using zergRush.

Remove the junk applications

$ adb shell
$ su
#

Making your Sony Xperia Arc faster using Android 2.3.4 Global Generic 4.0.2.A.0.42

Submitted by Khalid on

Contents: 

Tags: 

If you have a slow Sony Xperia Arc, then probably you have Timescape and carrier bloatware that makes your phone slow (e.g. Rogers in Canada). In this tutorial, I will explain the steps that I did to make the phone considerably faster.

Install PC Companion and Update Service

In order to flash a new ROM on your phone, you will need first to install Sony Ericsson's PC Companion as well as Update Service on your Windows computer. This is needed so that the required USB drivers are installed and configured.

Install Flashtool

Slow Android on Sony Ericsson Xperia? Speed it up with ADW Launcher

Submitted by Khalid on

Contents: 

Tags: 

Do you have a Sony Ericsson Xperia phone running Android? Such as the Xperia X10 or Xperia Arc? Is it slow and lags often?

We have a solution for you ...

But before we tell you, we have to explain why Sony Ericsson's Android can be slow. The reason is Timescape, Sony's user interface for Android phones. Even if you disable all the Timescape widgets from your home screens, it will still be running under the hood.

How to root Rogers Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc Gingerbread 2.3.3

Submitted by Khalid on

Contents: 

Tags: 

You can root a Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc from Rogers (Canadian mobile phone network), using the zergRush method.

The method works for Xperia Play and other models as well.

For this, I used an Arc running Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread.

Using Windows

Follow the instructions on the above page.

Using Ubuntu

1. Download the package.

wget http://ubuntuone.com/7mD63kpsKzGmaou5hcftBV

2. Rename the package.

mv 7mD63kpsKzGmaou5hcftBV zergrush.zip

Arabic on Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and X10 running Android

Submitted by Khalid on

Contents: 

Tags: 

A very nice surprise from Sony Ericsson. Even though Android does not have full and official support for Arabic until Android 4.0, their handsets do have very good Arabic support by default, even handsets sold in the USA and Canada.

Arabic in Sony Ericsson Xperia Android phone

If you have Android 2.1 or 2.3 and updated it to the latest update from your carrier, then you do have Arabic support. To check if it works, then just visit BBC Arabic and see if Arabic shows correctly and the letters are connected.

Enabling Arabic keyboard

To enable Arabic typing, you need to press Menu, then select "Language and Keyboard", then under "Keyboard settings" select "Default input", then select "Writing Languages", and check "Arabic". You will then see a language switching icon on your keyboard (the "globe" symbol).

Not only does Arabic work well, the font looks much better than what is in CyanogenMod for example.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Technology