sms - 4/5 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jan

Nexus One 2.2.2 And Nexus S 2.3.2 OTAs Rolling Out - Hath The SMS Bug Finally Been Conquered?

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Froyo 2.2, Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, News, Nexus One (Passion), Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung

As disappointing as it may be to see the Nexus One - Google's first officially anointed developer phone - still getting Froyo-based updates, that's exactly what just happened. According to several Android Central forums members, a 558kb update to Android 2.2.2 (or build number FRG83G) is currently rolling out over the air to the N1, bringing "important bug fixes" with it.

In related news, the Samsung-built Nexus S - Google's second developer phone - also received an update today, though this one is Gingerbread-based. Its version number is 2.3.2, and, coincidentally, it is also said to bring "important bug fixes."

So here's the question: Given the fact that the two updates are rolling out at almost exactly the same time with the exact same description, could they both contain a fix to the infamous SMS bug?

Jan

Google Voice Now Supports Mobile Number Porting

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Applications, News

Oh, Google, always so sneaky and humble. This go-round, they've quietly implemented support for mobile number porting into Google Voice, making the service even more convenient.

The process is fairly direct. After entering your mobile number, you agree to the various terms and conditions (it's nice that they list just 6 points that must be checked, rather than a 17-page agreement), and then enter in your account information. Once you've got everything all set, you simply check out, and they take over.

Anyone who's ever ported a number before knows that it's generally a pretty painless process; personally, when I ported my number from Verizon to Sprint, it literally took all of 5 minutes.

Jan

Updated: SwiftKey Releases New Beta With Skins, New Prediction Engine, Bug Fixes, And Other Improvements [Hands-On]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

After weeks of frantic coding, SwiftKey, my favorite smart aftermarket Android keyboard, just released a private beta to all registered VIP forum members. While the beta itself (v1.98.1.172) is private and we can't provide you with a download link, what we can do is list all of the improvements and tease you with some screenshots.

Update: While we can't promise anything, our friendly contact at SwiftKey who I just spoke to indicated that technically if you did apply for the VIP program (i.e. their forum membership) right now, there is a chance you could get approved. Just remember who hooked you up when your fingers are in heaven.

Jan

Mavizon's Mavia 3G-Enabled Gizmo Plugs Into Your Car, Acts As A LoJack, Texts Your Family, Diagnoses Your Check Engine Light [Video]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in News, Videos

Walking around CES Unveiled on the first day of CES 2011, I ran into a little company called Mavizon Tech, showcasing their product with a beautiful name Mavia. I you've never heard of Mavizon, don't feel bad - they don't have many consumer-facing products just yet, but it's all about to change when Mavia hits the market later this year.

What is Mavia? It's a little gizmo box that plugs into your car's diagnostics port and sits there, drawing the power from the aforementioned port. Inside the Mavia - a GPS module and a 3G radio that is able to broadcast a signal anywhere there is 3G reception (I forgot whether they use T-Mobile or AT&T, but it's one of those).

Jan

Google: Android SMS Bug Is Real, Will Be Fixed Shortly

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Android OS, Google, News

About a week ago, Engadget ran an article covering two bugs in Android's Messaging app:

The first involves an issue where users are directed to a different thread than the one they selected from the notifications bar or the main screen of the SMS app
The second occurs when users are directed to the right thread but end up having their messages sent to a different person than the one involved in the thread

Shortly after, Google changed the bug's priority from "medium" to "critical" on the bugs Google Code page to show that the company cares.

Now, an official Google rep has reached out to perturbed users on the Google Code forums:

Thanks to everyone for your patience while we've been investigating these reports.

Nov

Theft Aware 2.0 – The Most Ingenious Android Security Solution With The Best Root Integration We’ve Seen To Date. Really [Hands-On Review]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in App Reviews, Applications, News, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

For the last 2 weeks, I've been testing a pre-release version of Theft Aware 2.0 - an app that occupies a spot in the familiar Android Security category, alongside WaveSecure, Lookout, and others. And yet, Theft Aware stands so much taller compared to them that they become small, almost invisible, dots. I could hardly contain my excitement and fascination with Theft Aware, but first, I needed to get answers to all of my questions and pass the info to all of you.

The main reason I'm fascinated with Theft Aware is its superb integration with rooted phones. The benefits of Theft Aware's elevated security features on rooted phones are so great that, in my opinion, rooting is worth it (if you've haven't done so yet) just to get the full TA experience.

Oct

T-Mobile's HSPA+ "Not Ready In All Areas"

Posted by Brad Ganley in G2 (Vision), T-Mobile

Allen Kiehl over at AndroidSpin has recently posted a pretty unbelievable tale about his experience with network issues on his G2 and what T-Mobile recommends he do about them. The story starts out pretty commonplace: he was experience network issues such as dropped calls, not receiving calls or text messages at all, and a finicky data connection. All of these are symptoms of a bad device, right? Wrong.

What happened next blew both Allen and myself away. T-Mobile recommended he swap it out for an entirely different device or leave their network. Here is what they told him exactly:

I would recommend that you take advantage of the buyer's remorse program as we do not have an ETA when the issue will be resolved.

Oct

SmartSMSVibrate Automates Your SMS Notification Settings

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Applications, Apps/Games

Over at the bustling hivemind of xda-developers, poster Carsten4207 has just published his first app to the Market, and it's one with a neat little trick. The app, when enabled, uses the proximity sensor to determine whether your phone is in your pocket/face-down or facing up on a surface. You can then decide whether or not you want your phone to vibrate for incoming SMS messages depending on the situation.

The application does not poll constantly, instead tapping into your SMS state. Additionally, the app is only activated when a message is received, limiting the impact on battery life.

As it's Carsten4207's first app, it's forgivable that the functionality is somewhat limited - the automation does not extend to calls, for example, but if you don't care much for calls and just want something not overly complex, then SmartSMSVibrate may be just the tool for you.

Oct

Webkey For Android: Take Full Control Of Your Android Device Using A Web Interface From Your Computer

Posted by Adam Litke in App Reviews, Applications, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Everyone knows that smartphones are awesome, but it’s hard to beat using a large screen and full keyboard to control a device. Developers Peter Mora and Zoltan Papp believe they have come up with a compelling compromise: Webkey, for Android. Webkey allows users with a rooted Android device to text or call contacts, view SD card contents, and more - all from a web based interface.

The Interface

Webkey's interface leaves a lot to be desired, as it is more bare and utilitarian than polished and perfected. As the picture above shows, you have access to the following options:

Phone
GPS
SMS
Call List
Notify
Export
Users
SD card
Help

Clicking on "phone" gives you the screen above.

Aug

Android Trojan Created, Sending Premium Text Messages From Russian Devices

Posted by John Thompson in News

It’s been an interesting week so far… Steven Slater decided to set the bar ridiculously high for those looking to make dramatic exits from their workplace, we learnt that school is in fact spelt ‘shcool’ in North Carolina, and Android got a wake up call in the security department.

It was bound to happen at some point; as Android proves to be as popular as ever, it will be targeted by more malicious developers looking to exploit users of the platform. This particular trojan, identified as Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a, is being spread around by text message.

How does it work? According to Kaspersky, users who receive the text message are prompted to install a 13kb application, which claims to be a media player.