(Part 2) Best products from r/AndroidQuestions

>Yes you'd have to buy outright, definitely do not buy a cricket branded phone.

lol the phones look pretty ridiculous with the big Cricket logo, but I also read they are much slower to adopt new Android updates as well. Is there a such thing as an independent phone, as in not one from a cell company but just an unlocked version? Or do I have to buy

>I'd personally look at T-Mobile versions as they are generally unlockable, if you are the root and ROM type. If not, buy the att version. It will work the best on cricket.

I know from my research that Cricket runs on the AT&T network, but what makes the AT&T phone better than the T-Mobile if they're both using GSM? I thought the GSM was all that mattered (though I'm open to all feedback, as I just learned about the difference between CDMA and GSM today), but based on your comment, it appears there are further complications. I've just gone where I order most things, Amazon, and I've looked up what the different model codes mean and found both the AT&T version, as well as the T-Mobile.

>As far as trusting other people, that'd be up to you. at most you'd be out 30 bucks if they messed you over.

You're absolutely right. It's a bit outside of my realm of comfort, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

>Personally I'd park my number with Google voice

This is something I saw mentioned the other day but I need to learn more about.

>I do the 5 lines for 100 with family and it's awesome. 20 a month for talk and text, 2.5 GB of data.

Damn right; you have your whole family covered for what a lot of people pay individually. This is looking pretty promising.

>If you go over, go on the website and change the plan for the month. Before you pay for the next month, change it back.

This is incredibly convenient as well.

>Effectively you can get 7.5 GB a month for about 24 dollars.

This part I'm not quite following. Care to elaborate?

And I just want to say thanks again so much for bringing this up. I love finding ways to beat the system, and sticking it to the corporate giants while supporting a smaller company is a great way to do it.

I own the Note 3, and have never had an issue with the size of the screen. Even with my Spigen Slim Armor case, it fits comfortably in my hand, and goes into my pocket on either my work slacks or jeans quite easily. I don't often use the stylus, but it does come in handy for precision clicking on some websites. I'm trying to find more uses for it, but I'm just so used to tapping on the screen for everything. The ONLY thing I do not like about the Note 4 is the fact that they moved the speaker to the back of the device, unlike the Note 3 which was on the bottom. This means that if I thoughtlessly throw the phone on the bed screen-up, it muffles the ringtone, sometimes causing me to miss the shorter notification sounds.

I see that you mention the camera. I can honestly say that the note 4 has the best camera and default camera app I've ever used. It also works well with some of the remote bluetooth camera triggers, should you have a use for one. The only problem I have ever heard of with the camera, is that for a few people, not including myself, have an issue with the auto-focus getting stuck. Often, tapping on the back of the phone with the camera enabled unsticks it. I do not know if this is a software or hardware issue, and I only personally know if it occurring with one device. I wouldn't let this one issue stop you from getting the note 4. I just wanted to let you know that it has occured to at least a few people out there. No device is perfect.

The Note 4, of course, includes both a removable back, battery, and mSD slot.

It is absolutely great for reading documents. I use it all the time for this purpose, often downloading PDFs and reading eBooks. I've done a bit of document and spreadsheet editing on the device, which works decently, espcially with the stylus, but I do that sort of thing more often on either my PC or Win8.1 tablet.

If you decide to go with the Note 4, I cannot recommend these two products enough:

Spigen Slim Armor: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MAWQKIW

ZAGG Invisible Shield: http://smile.amazon.com/ZAGG-InvisibleShield-Original-Samsung-Galaxy/dp/B00ORM8FZO

I got a better price than Amazon offers on the ZAGG unit, because a local RadioShack store that was closing had a case of them for $6 each, but it's still not a bad price for a premium screen protector.


EDIT: Wow. I didn't realize how much my post went on and on. I hope you find the information and my opinion of the product useful.

Hi op. Sorry I'm late to the party but I have just the phone for you.
The Blu Life One X is the best budget phone out right now. Currently $149 on Amazon.
I actually ordered one for my grandma today. The screen is a little bit bigger then the Moto G, 1080p rather than the Moto G's 720p screen, has more pixels per inch then the latest iPhone, and the battery is bigger than the Moto G's as well while being cheaper.

I've been looking into launchers for senior citizens I found a couple good ones if you're interested.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0189RMNTG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1450574505&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=BLU&dpPl=1&dpID=41YBLg94dIL&ref=plSrch

Get an Anker. I've used them several times while camping, going on long road trips and Ingress missions and it's always served me well - it's easily one of the best options there is. Get something like the 20,100 mAh PowerCore+ or the 26,800 mAh version. Both support USB-C and can charge a variety of devices simultaneously.

Does the touchscreen work? If so, get an MHL cable, and use it with an HDMI cable to cast the screen. Then you can see what you're doing.

If touchscreen doesn't work...I'm not sure if the S5 supports 11 pin MHL, if so you can use an adapter like this that takes an HDMI cable and a mouse.

If that doesn't work, unfortunately replacing the screen will be your best bet. I wouldn't trust random recovery-ware that might compromise your phone or computer.

That's really weird. I haven't heard of a problem quite like that. If you have access to a PC with a microSD card reader, I would try and back up your data, reformat with the SD Card Formatter from the SD Association, restore your data, and see if that helps. If you don't have any way to read microSD cards on your PC, you might consider something cheap like this since it will make it a lot easier to deal with these kinds of problems in the future.

Head-first Java is really easy to run through. Hello, Android is a good primer, though I kinda skimmed a lot of it. After that, maybe Java in a Nutshell and Android in Action to supplement the Cookbook?

i dont want to seem like a dick here but i typed usb otg keyring into google and there were multiple results right there at the top.. that would be quicker than coming here to post a question also.

1

2

those 2 seem best

Could you help me out with some links? I can't seem to find anything that is for the most recent Blu Life One X. Here's a link to the phone I'm talking about: Amazon Link

I guess there has been a Life One X Quad Core model and a Studio X that I can find cases for.

Thanks!

Yeah just jump on it till it dosen't work anymore. Jk :P

You could buy a bag that blocks phone signals as they are pretty cheap.

Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Blocking-ONEVER-Protection-Anti-Tracking-Anti-Spying/dp/B07BQM75MH/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_107_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7QGMFCCX332PA5KKZNF3

The Pixel and Pixel XL don't have wireless charging. You'd have to buy a 3rd party case with wireless charging capability to use the dock.

If you're looking for the receiver to connect to the phone to enable it to charge wirelessly, there's the Mophie Juice Pack, which is a case. Or there are stick on low profile receivers that stick to the back and plug into the USB-C port. This one being the best reviewed.

If you want to go cheap and try a new battery, you can get one for like $10 on Amazon.

I recently got one for my 2 year old S4 and I've noticed a considerable increase in battery life.

I bought this one as a reference:

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KR9FT4Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

What you are hearing about is the Type-A to Type-C USB.

The two powerbanks which I know of are: Anker and RavPower

Here is a Anker comparison of cable to stock. Updated PSA

Here is a discussion between those two.

There is(/was?) an issue with the USB-A to USB-C cable included in the Anker; however, if you use the Type-C to Type-C cable you should be fine. Additionally, Amazon now forbids non-compliant USB-A to USB-C, so you can go through them to get a fix

The RavPower is working great for me (when I need it).

It definitely helps for the time being. I believe I bought this one

If it helps, there are wireless charging coils that can be attached to the phone and plugged in to the USB-C port so that it simulates wireless charging, like this: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01M11UT3V

http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-USB-2-0-High-Speed-Gold-Plated/dp/B004GF8TIK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393638242&sr=8-2&keywords=micro+usb+cable

I have 2 of these and they're awesome.

get a cable like this (no specific reason for linking this one, it was just first on the search), you can plug in a computer mouse to unlock your phone, install the SMS Backup and Restore app, and backup your text messages to your phone's internal storage. Then plug into a PC and copy everything to your PC.

get the powercore+ with usb c. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014ZO46LK/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&sr=1-10&m=A294P4X9EWVXLJ&tag=ianker-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B014ZO46LK&keywords=battery+charge&qid=1484015030&kwr_id=179

I have 3 of these and they are wonderful.

I use this. Sadly doesn't have an extra battery, a trackpad, USB ports, or anything, but it's better than nothing, and I haven't had any problems with it at all.

I see a 128GB Pixel XL on Amazon for $250. It may be an older model but it's a former flagship which still runs the latest Android OS and will receive Android Q when released. It has 8 times more storage than your current phone and has a very nice camera also. I have no idea if you are in the US or elsewhere but it may be something to consider.

https://smile.amazon.com/Google-Pixel-XL-Phone-128GB/dp/B01M1CTCO0?th=1

Non referral-bs link: https://www.amazon.com/Sandisk-Ultra-Micro-UHS-I-Adapter/dp/B073JY5T7T/ shows as $44.05 for me

Camelcamelcamel: https://camelcamelcamel.com/Sandisk-Ultra-200GB-Micro-Adapter/product/B073JY5T7T Looks like it was lower yesterday. Possibly it's a geo-tagged price setting. It's dropped quite a bit in the last year so even at the $44 price it's pretty decent.

Is it the first gen Maxx with the micro HDMI port? If so, you may be able to connect to a TV/monitor using a Micro HDMI cable (HDMI-A to HDMI-D cable) such as this one from Amazon and connect a USB mouse using a USB OTG cable like this one from Amazon. This should allow you to get it unlocked and then you can connect to a PC to transfer files.

You seem to have made the same post twice, but anyway here is my response:

It seems to be a 30-pin cable for older iOS devices. A direct adapter doesn't seem to exist, but you should be able to use something like this and this to get it to work with USB-C.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00KW4MKMU/ref=pd_aw_sim_107_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=415O8Ttvq4L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL100_SR100%2C100_&refRID=1TW15AW6SN0NSJRBG7FP

That may be worth a shot.. I'm trying something similar with a friend's Moto x but this should let u use a tv as a monitor and a mouse could be plugged in so you could run sms backup and restore.

Otherwise you might be able to do other things if I have debugging enabled

You can get a BlueTooth keyboard for pretty much any tablet. I use this keyboard and case with a Nexus 10.

1. I don't know, I purchased my GNex when it first came out.
   
   
2. CM9 is a build of the Android OS, it's not a different OS altogether. The worst case scenario with a GNex is that you soft-brick the phone, panic, need to take a deep breath and look at this thread.
   
   
3. Look at this thread, ignore the tool and do it manually at first so you know what is actually happening. Then look here.
   
   
4. Take the advice that Cyanogen (the dev that started the whole CM(x) thing) to heart. If you don't know Java, start here. Once you know Java pretty well, start here, and keep this, and this in your back pocket for when you need them.
   
   Any further questions, don't hesitate. Best of luck.

It's gonna be expensive to get a good power bank that delivers a 40w charge, I don't think Anker makes any over 30w. Just search "Anker Power Delivery". The standard Anker Power IQ is 12w, for comparison. Are you trying to charge a laptop or can your huawei charge that fast?

Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD with 30W Power Delivery Charger, Portable Charger Bundle for MacBook Air / iPad Pro 2018, iPhone XS Max / X / 8, Nexus 5X / 6P, and USB Type-C Laptops with Power Delivery https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZ61PRW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_lpEOCbH2QY1KB

USB C Portable Charger RAVPower 20100mAh PD 3.0 45W Power Delivery Power Bank (USB-C Input, 45W Type-C Output) External Battery Pack for MacBook, Nintendo Switch, Galaxy S9 and More, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KS5Z8GL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HqEOCb9B3WX4R

Sounds like you might want to get a USB OTG adapter and flash drive or something then. I picked this up a little while back and keep it on my key ring. Comes in handy once in a while.

You can actually get up to 1A depending on the charger. A proper charger will short out the right lines in order to have the highest output.

I'm using this cable, which gives me at least 1A (GS3) - it charges faster than my OEM cable, actually.

If you really want a charging only cable, take a look at this one.

Hopefully you'll pick out the right cable, there's multiple Mini-USB ports.

But that SD card and a SD card reader like this:

Amazon

Take a USB 3.0 because the R/W speed.

Like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Adapter-Coolbee-Female-Turning/dp/B06ZYNMQQP

Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Powered-Charging-Charger-Connector/dp/B00LTHBCNM

Cheap enough for you to try, I guess.

I'd suggest using a USB-OTG hub with charging passthrough, like this one.

I think you can do it with a micro USB hub.

Something like this one https://www.amazon.com/Adaptor-Charging-Adapter-Android-Samsung/dp/B00LTHBCNM

However, I am not sure if you will be able to use them as you would do with a normal pc (when several things are connected through USB).

So this will work

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LN3LQKQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475159123&sr=8-1-fkmr2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=usb-otg+adapter+belkin

But if I need power USB hub, where in the equation would it go ??