SMARTPHONES: Newb questions

[SWing'R]

Ok. Got two new smartphones a couple days ago, learning new things

daily about the phone but have a few questions.

First off, in case it matters, we got Samsung Fascinates from Verizon that are running Android 2.2

- Paying for apps. When you buy a app how are you paying for it?

Is it billed to your phone bill??

- Antivirus app? Good idea? Bad idea? Saw a free one from AVG.

- Removing preinstalled apps. Is it even possible? For the life of me I

can't seem to figure out how to remove a app that came with the phone.

There are a bunch that came preloaded that I will never use, I'd like to remove them.

I'm sure I'll think of more later.

[jporter12]

First off' date=' in case it matters, we got Samsung Fascinates from Verizon that are running Android 2.2

- Paying for apps. When you buy a app how are you paying for it?

Is it billed to your phone bill??[/quote']

Not sure, I've never loaded anything but free apps!

- Antivirus app? Good idea? Bad idea? Saw a free one from AVG.

I've never had one on my phones' date=' running Android, and never had an issue.

- Removing preinstalled apps. Is it even possible? For the life of me I

can't seem to figure out how to remove a app that came with the phone.

There are a bunch that came preloaded that I will never use, I'd like to remove them.

You would have to gain root access for this. Rooting a phone opens up a LOT of stuff that you can do with your phone. This is where I get all I need for my phone, linked to the section for your phone:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=718

From there, go to the development subforum to find all that you need for root, etc...

[John]

yeah, apps are charged on your bill.

[SWing'R]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=718

Not sure I want to go the rooting route but thanks for that link,

looks like hours of good reading there so I'll check that out later.

Another annoying thing about this phone is that I can not add new options

for "alert/notification" tones (at least I can't figure out how).

I can add my own ringtones for the phone ringer or personalized caller ringtones but I

want to add more options to text, email, voicemail notifications and I can't seem to do that.

yeah, apps are charged on your bill.

Thanks

[chevysoldier]

Or you can use a card to buy apps.

[gidet]

Paying for apps. When you buy a app how are you paying for it?

Is it billed to your phone bill??

There are a lot of free apps out there that are way better than the ones you pay for. Make sure you read all the reviews on the app before taking the plunge and paying for it. If you do' date=' however, decide to pay for an app then it DOES show up on your phone bill.

Antivirus app? Good idea? Bad idea? Saw a free one from AVG.

AVG is always good but I use "Lookout Mobile Security" antivirus and anti-theft app (you register your phone with the website and if it ever gets "jacked" you can make the phone "scream" to freak out the thief) and it's FREE

Removing preinstalled apps. Is it even possible? For the life of me I

can't seem to figure out how to remove a app that came with the phone.

There are a bunch that came preloaded that I will never use' date=' I'd like to remove them.[/quote']

For my phone (Driod incredible) I go into Settings-->Applications-->Manage Applications

________

Here's some FREE apps that I recommend you download

-Advanced Task Killer Free : You check off the applications you aren't using and it frees up "memory space" to make the battery last longer

-Adao Uninstaller Pro: Helps get apps you installed from the market place off your phone completely and quickly

Battery Widget : (by geekyouup) a widget that allows you to SEE how much battery you have left that's shown in a percentage, allows you to turn down the display brightness quicker and allows you to turn off Wifi, Blue tooth, and GPS if you are not using them.

[MidgetTodd]

Not sure I want to go the rooting route but thanks for that link' date='

looks like hours of good reading there so I'll check that out later.

Another annoying thing about this phone is that I can not add new options

for "alert/notification" tones (at least I can't figure out how).

I can add my own ringtones for the phone ringer or personalized caller ringtones but I

want to add more options to text, email, voicemail notifications and I can't seem to do that.

Thanks[/quote']

Yes you can. Use the menu button on every screen to see options

[serpentracer]

Not sure I want to go the rooting route but thanks for that link' date='

looks like hours of good reading there so I'll check that out later.

Another annoying thing about this phone is that I can not add new options

for "alert/notification" tones (at least I can't figure out how).

I can add my own ringtones for the phone ringer or personalized caller ringtones but I

want to add more options to text, email, voicemail notifications and I can't seem to do that.

Thanks[/quote']

not to also mention it will void it's warranty. the phone folks know what to look for to see if the phone has been rooted or not. I asked the guy at the store when he was looking at mine when the ear speaker quit working. he said if I had rooted the phone and un rooted the phone there is a way he can tell. and I wouldn't be getting a replacement.

not all apps are applied to your bill. I bought the easy tether app and I had to use my credit card.

Edited July 2, 2011 by serpentracer

[sParkSnare]

It's entirely possible to root, and later unroot, such that it's undetectable - but if you're new to android I'd highly recommend playing with it for awhile before rooting it.

[gidet]

not to also mention it will void it's warranty. the phone folks know what to look for to see if the phone has been rooted or not. I asked the guy at the store when he was looking at mine when the ear speaker quit working. he said if I had rooted the phone and un rooted the phone there is a way he can tell. and I wouldn't be getting a replacement.

http://forum.androidcentral.com/hacking/4654-what-does-rooting-your-phone-actually-mean.html (Link provides explanation of "rooting" asked by an android user on their forums)

I believe that he's just trying to delete applications like "News and Weather" or "Stocks", for example, not trying to mess with the actual system (like changing the operating system) of the phone so I don't think the term "rooting" applies here. I think that there must be an easier way (and I had not problem with doing this) that you can add personal ring tones for people and add multiple email accounts.. but maybe I'm missing something :-s

Edited July 3, 2011 by gidet

[2talltim]

Not trying to jack this thread but a question iv always had is when you buy a app is it a one time charge or monthly?

[sParkSnare]

Not trying to jack this thread but a question iv always had is when you buy a app is it a one time charge or monthly?

It depends on the app. Many are completely free. Others are free for a basic version but charge a 1 time fee to unlock additional functionality, and some, like the premium versions of Telenav and Pandora have monthly subscriptions.

[sParkSnare]

http://forum.androidcentral.com/hacking/4654-what-does-rooting-your-phone-actually-mean.html (Link provides explanation of "rooting" asked by an android user on their forums)

I believe that he's just trying to delete applications like "News and Weather" or "Stocks", for example, not trying to mess with the actual system (like changing the operating system) of the phone so I don't think the term "rooting" applies here. I think that there must be an easier way (and I had not problem with doing this) that you can add personal ring tones for people and add multiple email accounts.. but maybe I'm missing something :-s

On most phones, one must root to delete preinstalled apps, even if significant system changes aren't desired. However, the reason I discourage rooting for noobs is because most of the modifications most new users are looking for can be accomplished without rooting.

Re: recommended apps, the best thing to do is explore the market, getjar, appbrain, etc. A discussion on apps is like a discussion on bike tires, everyone has their preferences, and reasonable people may disagree. For example, I think it's a bad idea to install an automatic task killer, but obviously others disagree.

[ReconRat]

Apps you don't want to look at can be dragged to the trash on my droidx. Apps that come with the phone don't get deleted. They can be restored to the multi desktops later, but it's kinda buried in the settings. You would have to find the app and restore it.

[sParkSnare]

Apps you don't want to look at can be dragged to the trash on my droidx. Apps that come with the phone don't get deleted. They can be restored to the multi desktops later, but it's kinda buried in the settings. You would have to find the app and restore it.

You probably already know this, but dragging an app to the trash simply removes it from that screen - it doesn't really trash the app, or prevent it from starting or running in the background.

[SWing'R]

For my phone (Driod incredible) I go into Settings-->Applications-->Manage Applications

So I talked to some guys at the VZW kiosk at the mall this evening,

there is NO way to remove the preinstalled apps, only apps that YOU install.

I told him of my frustration with not being able to add my own sound files

for "notifications" and he installed a app called "RingDroid" which appeared to

fix that problem but when I started using it to add my own sounds it kept screwing up the sound files,

but what it did do was let me fix it on my own by seeing what it was doing,

it added a folder on the SD card with a structure like this...

- media

-- audio

--- ringtones

--- notifications

Simply copy the audio file to the appropriate folder and it shows up as

an available choice under the sound settings! Cool.

[SWing'R]

Anybody use the FB app as opposed to just going to m.facebook.com

with the browser?

[jporter12]

Anybody use the FB app as opposed to just going to m.facebook.com

with the browser?

Yeah, I do. For some things it will open up in the browser, when needed.

As for the rooting discussion, that is the only way you can remove stock apps that you don't want. I believe you need to run a custom ROM that has the stock apps moved to where you can delete them.

[MidgetTodd]

He lied to you because yes you can remove any app you want to....but you have to root to do it.

[sParkSnare]

He lied to you because yes you can remove any app you want to....but you have to root to do it.

Unless you have an EVO 3D. Gotta love Sprint...

[SWing'R]

As for the rooting discussion, that is the only way you can remove stock apps that you don't want.

Not an option on a brand new phone I've had for less than a week

Guess I'll just not worry about the apps I don't want, for now.

[chevysoldier]

I have the FB app but I don't like it. I keep it installed and try it when they update it. I just use the browser.

[SWing'R]

I found a nice radio app last night that lets me listen to local police scanners too, so then I went and found a scanner app too. This shit is great

[chevysoldier]

Browse this. There's a bunch of apps listed.

http://www.ohioriders.net/showthread.php?t=74876

[jporter12]

I have the FB app but I don't like it. I keep it installed and try it when they update it. I just use the browser.

You should have seen it before! It's much better than when I first got Android! I actually like it now.