Android App: Remote Notifier

I came across yet another great app on Lifehacker today, Remote Notifier.  This handy app makes it possible for you to leave your phone in your pocket or bag or to use your headphones without worrying about missing a call, text message, or notification on your Android phone.  The app pushes a notification to your PC or Mac over USB, Bluetooth, or WiFi to let you know who is calling, if your battery is low, if the battery is charging, who sent you a text, etc.

If you choose to use your USB cable or Bluetooth then the setup is pretty straightforward.  You either plug in your cable or you pair your phone with your PC/Mac over Bluetooth.  If you choose to use WiFi then you have a few different options.  Remote Notifier can broadcast to a global broadcast address, DHCP broadcast address, or a specific IP address.  If you choose specific IP address then you can even use the app while on 3G/4G when your WiFi is off.

This app is not available in the Android Market and you do need a PC/Mac client running in order to receive the notifications.  You can get both the *.apk and the client for both 32 and 64-bit OS here:

http://code.google.com/p/android-notifier/wiki/Setup

You will need to enable "Unknown sources" under Settings > Applications on your phone.

I think this is a great idea and I'm going to continue to use it.  It's just infinitely easier than grabbing my phone every time it beeps at me.

Remote Notifier for Android for Android on AppBrain

### If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment! Thanks for reading.

Android App: WiFi Explorer PRO

I read about a new app called WiFi Explorer a few days ago.  I heard some goods things about it on the This Week in Google podcast and on Lifehacker, so I purchased the "PRO" version for a whole $1.07.  WiFi Explorer lets you connect to, browse, and manage your Android phone's SD card without a pesky USB cable.  It all works over WiFi and that's the great part about it, it just works.  The PRO version lets you upload, delete, stream and copy files.  The free version just lets you browse, download, and stream files only.

When you launch the app it starts the server and presents you with the IP address for you to browse to on your PC.

The server works really well.  I was able to take the above screenshot with ShootMe and I watched the screenshots appear in the \ShootMe\ folder on my SD card.  I was able to just click the screenshot I wanted and it downloaded to my desktop.  I was also able to easily delete a few files and perform some regular clean-up tasks without a problem.

The problem I ran into was connecting to the server a second time.  My phone became unreachable and I couldn't even ping the WiFi Explorer server or the phone's IP address.  After checking my router (a Netgear WNR3500L) I found my phone was no longer listed in the Attached Devices list.

This problem was not related to WiFi Explorer, but it's worth noting because it could be related.  There was some sort of issue with my router and my phone was not really connected to my network.  I resolved the issue by looking up my phone's MAC address, assigning a static IP address, and reconnecting.

This is a great app and I have no problem with supporting the developer by buying the PRO version.  For $1.07 it would have been silly not to and it would be silly for you to, too.

WiFi File Explorer PRO for Android on AppBrain

### If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment! Thanks for reading.

Have You Rooted Your Android Phone? Blizzard Knows

After firing up Starcraft II for the first time I realized I should take another look at Blizzard's authenticator app for Android.  It's a bit more convenient then keeping track of a little key fob.  Just as I was wondering if it was really such a good idea considering I would probably switch to a ROM without thinking and lose access to my account I saw this message.  I was shocked and a little impressed.  I was impressed that Blizzard could (and had the foresight to) detect this and that they cared to display a warning.

Then again, ROM users should probably steer clear for other reasons than possibly compromising security.  If you switch ROMs without removing the authenticator first you'll be locked out of your account until you can contact Blizzard and plead for help.

### If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment! Thanks for reading.

Claims of FPS Lag on Droid Running Android 2.1

Over at Android Central (and many other sites) they've been discussing the possibility that Android 2.1 has now hobbled the Droid's graphics processing capabilities.   There is a small .APK you can download to run a "Lag Test" to see what your Droid's FPS is.  The claim is that on 2.0.1 the Droid got a solid 60FPS and now can only do about 50 under 2.1 update 1.  Their tests were run with no live wallpapers or extra apps/processes running.

I ran that same test.  However, I ran it with my live wallpaper (PopSquares) running along with all of the other processes I am usually running.  I have Beautiful Widgets, Gmail Unread Count, Pure Calendar, Touiteur widget, and a BatteryLife widgets running on my home screens and a couple of services that update apps, like Google Voice voicemail.

I wish the picture of my phone were clearer, but my camera isn't too good with reflective surfaces.  However, you can still see my results.  My phone is capable of of 68 maximum FPS.  The average of 38 and minimum of 24 seems discouraging, but I have not noticed any slow down in my games or videos.  I also have those extra processes running and a live wallpaper.  I took that picture after the app had run for roughly 5 minutes.  I didn't conduct this very scientifically (but neither did they, really).  I didn't have this .APK pre-2.1 so I don't have any point of reference for my phone and I'm not willing to ravage my phone's settings and widgets to see if it makes a difference.   However, my results seem to disprove the theory that 2.1 is ruining the Droid's graphics processing.

It may be that those suffering a decrease in performance post-2.1 are really suffering from a bad update.  Myself?  I used the 2.1 update.zip that was hosted by Google.  Perhaps that makes a bit of difference.  I'll be interested to see if all of this talk actually reveals anything substantial.

###
If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment! Thanks for reading.

Reprogramming Your Motorola Droid: Hissing During a Call

I have only had one problem with my Motorola Droid since the first day I got it -- A terrible hissing sound during some phone calls.

The hiss (like the sound of a tea kettle) would start at the beginning of a call and would often coincide with complaints that I sounded too soft during if it was an outgoing calls or I would have the same problem during incoming calls. It was becoming quite a nuisance.  I put off exchanging it because I read similar complaints and Verizon said the issue would be fixed with the 2.0.1 update in December.  I has misunderstood them.  The problem that was addressed was apparently the music player causing some hissing/feedback.

Today I finally tried reprogramming my phone.  An exhcnage is a frightening thing considering I have hours of customization poured into my Droid as well as over 80 apps.  I am pleased to say I have yet to have any hissing issues!  Hooray!

If you have this problem you can give this a try:

1. Go to your phone dialer and enter ##PROGRAM then Call
2. Enter 000000 for the code and hit Verify
3. Select option 04 VOCODE
4. Change the option to EVRC-B and press Apply
5. Press your Home button to exit
6. Let your phone restart

Note:  Do not mess with any other options or you might brick your phone.  I am not responsible for any mishaps.

###
If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment! Thanks for reading.