Upgrading Nexus One from Android 2.1 to Android 2.2

Well it turns out that I had version 2.1 update 1 installed (build id ERE27) and my Nexus One would not update to Froyo (build id FRFxx).

So, I had to find out how to do it manually.

I used this article to run the update:

How to manually install Android 2.2 on your Nexus One

Tips:

• Be patient; Ready Everything!
• This will update you from ERE27 to FRF50. You can use the same instructions to get to FRF83. (download FRF50 to FRF83 update here).
• after step 8, you will see a box with an arrow coming out of it and a little droid. It takes a while, but don't panic. the phone is installing the update.
• The phone will do a few restarts on its own. Let them run.

Q&A For Fido Users

• Yes, the tethering option is available.

iPhone Keyboard Emulator

The iPhone Keyboard Emulator is an "Input Method" that runs on Android 2.1 OS phones and is mainly for iPhone users that have switched from using an iPhone to an Android based phone.

If you don't already have it installed, you can use this site to help find it in the Market: iPhone Keyboard Emulator

Installation

Don't expect an icon to show up on the home screen;

this is an Input Method and is essentially a modification to the system that allows you to change how it works (one of the great wins of Android).

Here are some quick instructions on enabling it:

1. Go to Settings -> Language & keyboard
2. You should see "iPhone Keyboard" listed about half way down.
3. Enable the new input method by selecting it (check the checkbox) you should get a warning that I could have logged your keys presses etc. If you don't trust me now, uninstall it and stop wasting your time reading this.
4. You can now exit Settings.
5. Select any application you like that you can enter text into.
6. Make a long-click on the text input (press and hold your finder on the text box).
7. You should get a popup list within a few seconds and one of the options should be "Input Method". Select it.
8. You should see the iPhone Keyboard in the list of input methods. Select the iPhone Keyboard option.
9. Your keyboard will now change.

Note that you can change it any time you like, but the selection will be sticky (it stays selected) and going back to the original Android Keyboard is as simple as doing steps 6 through 9 again.

For more detail on input methods, see: Change Your Android Soft Keyboard System

Version History

Version 1.0.05 EA

- Reworked keyboard. (Keyboard changes in 1.0.04 were not helpful)

Version 1.0.04 EA

- Fixed apostrophe deleting previous char.

- Added double-space = period+space

- improved key spacing & layout

- Fixed shift key preview (was popping up blank)

Version 1.0.03 EA

- Fixed can't select / or : on N1

Version 1.0.02 EA

- fixed layout on shift-symbol keyboard.

Version 1.0.01 EA

- fixed button images

- improved layout

Version 1.0.00 EA

- Initial release

Upcoming Features

I actually do pay attention to the comments attached to the app in the Android Market. This is a list of features I see people asking for (in no particular order, you'l get them when I get to them).

• (***DONE) Improved key spacing
• Auto-complete
• (***DONE) Space bar double-tap for a period+space.
• Improvement to the key colours (iPhone uses two tones of grey)
• Landscape mode

There have been a few comments about how it's "exactly like the android native keyboard" which is simply not true. I can only imagine that nobody bothered to hit the number screen, where most of the changes are... so to those people; get a clue.

For those that can't get it to work: so far most of the comments to that effect are because someone didn't actually bother to read the instructions above. To those people; I'm sorry your having trouble, but please RTFM.

Known Issues

• The key colours are not the same as the iPhone.

FAQ

Q: What version of Android does this work on?

A: It should work on any Android 2.1 OS that uses a virtual keyboard. It was specifically written for the Nexus One but I have reports that it also works on Motorola Droid (although I don't now why you'd need it on one).

Q: Does it collect my data as the warning suggests it could?

A: No. I'm not interested in your data. I wrote this for myself and I already know my own data.

Reasoning

Having used an iPhone for a few years now, I am finding the Android keyboard a bit difficult to use. I think the iPhone layout is much better both in allowing my big finders to hit the tiny keys and in its visual design. I hate how the android keyboard switches from lower case to upper case letters all the time and my fingers are used to finding certain keys in certain places.

To deal with the problem for myself, I created a new "Input Method" that emulates the iPhone layout. The app is designed to run on my Nexus One with Android OS 2.1 but should work on any 2.1 Android phone.

It's working great for me, and I hope you find it useful as well.

Getting the Nexus One working on Fido (Canada)

Since the Nexus One is an unlocked phone and you can buy it without having to sign your life away, you will have to do a little bit of configuration yourself. It took me a little while to sort out what little conflicting information I could find in order to get all the bits in place.

As far as I can tell, the phone works perfectly on the Fido network at 3G speeds (I saw a lot of people saying it would not and would only work on EDGE).

Here are the steps you need to take to get the phone working on Fido's network.

Basic Phone & Voice Setup

1. The Phone will want to configure when you first turn it on (You need a gmail account or a Google Apps account for this). Leave the SIM card out until the initial configuration is done. You can do it with the SIM in, but it's better to use a WiFi access point instead.
2. Once done and booted for the first time, shut the phone down again (press and hold the button on the top left). Once the phone is off, insert your SIM (give attention to the orientation of the SIM card, it's labeled in the slot). Press the same button to power up the phone again.
3. You should now have a working cell phone. you can make and receive calls with it etc. however the data portion will not yet be working. Make a test call if you can to check that the SIM is correctly installed.

Get the Data Setup

At this point the phone is working but you have no data. It will work fine on a Wifi connection (which you have already created) but as soon as you leave the house and the wifi goes out of range, you will lose the data access. All is not lost, there are just a couple of settings to add.

1. On the phone, go to: Settings -> Wireless & Networks -> Mobile Networks
2. Click on "Access Point Names" (it will be an empty screen).
3. Click the menu button (centre left) and select "New APN".

You need to do that twice as there are two APNs to add as follows:

This is the one that will show the 3G icon in the notification bar.

Name: FidoINT

APN: internet.fido.ca

Username: fido

Password: fido

APN Type: default

leave the rest of the fields blank

This one will enable MMS from the phone.

Name: FidoMMS

APN: mms.fido.ca

MMSC: http://mms.fido.ca

MMS Proxy: 205.151.011.013

APN Type: mms

leave the rest of the fields blank

You should now have proper 3G data access and MMS working.

Update 1: It appears that MMS is not working. I'll see if I can sort out why and post it here.

Update 2: A commentator below (Milo) added the following to our knowledge base:

"To all those of you who are not getting 3g speeds and only edge:

I called Nexus One support about the issue, and I figured out why it is that I too am only getting edge. There are 2 versions of the Nexus One. The AT&T version and the world version. The most recent one which became available for sale in Canada will allow for 3g on all networks around the world, however if you purchased your nexus one from the states or a third party site prior to its release in Canada then you're as boned as I am. The newer Nexus One is identical except for the fact it works in wider cellular range for data. Now this doesn't mean the phone is completely useless for 3g. For example I just got back from Europe using an Orange sim and had 3g. Sadly I don't believe any provider in Canada at the moment works on the same frequency as the older Nexus One."

Nexus One - First Impressions

I've been an iPhone user for about 2 years now, but I ordered a Nexus One the same day they became availible in Canada.

Here are my first impressions.

- The packaging is as slick as an iPhone.
- The phone is a millimetere or two thinner than the iPhone, but overall its almost exactly the same size and it is going to fix in most of my iPhone holsters etc.
- It comes with a 4 gig microSD card already in the phone.
- Starts up with an animation as an indicator.
- The screen is much brighter than my iPhone. and faster.
- The onscreen keyboard is very similar to the iPhone, so I'm not having much trouble with it. It doesn't come withteh keyboardsound feedback enabled however which I'm missing right away. I may be able to turn it on once i get things going. (update: indeed you can turn on the click sounds).
- Battery status shows you what applications/features are taking up the most battery power... very handy.

I'll have to explore more, but I'll post anything else I find that is particularly cool or different.

Disillusioned with the iPhone

I have to admit that I've been an iPhone user for almost two years.

I love the interface, as it mostly works and in my opinion is much better than just about anything else currently available; including BlackBerry and Android phones.

The reason it's better has to do with the design of the user interface and the way it's controlled (android does pretty well, but is stuck a bit too much in older design concepts).

However I'm becoming more and more disgusted with Apple's goal of completely controlling the phone and all the content it gets. The recent move to kill iPhone apps that are competitive or are some how morally objectionable to someone at Apple (such as the recent decision to remove wifi finders from the app store), along with Apple's tendency to lock down anything they do in recent years is concerning me on a usability and moral level.

It only a matter of time before my disgust with Apple outweighs my desire to use the best device and I choose something else.

The question becomes what else there is. Android comes closest at the moment, but I'm not complete satisfied with that one ether.

Note: This image is not mine, and I don't know where it came from. If you know, let me know and I'll attribute it properly.

They are fighting for Your Future!

I found a good article, Tinkerer’s Sunset written by Mark Pilgrim.

Once upon a time, Apple made the machines that made me who I am. I became who I am by tinkering. Now it seems they’re doing everything in their power to stop my kids from finding that sense of wonder. Apple has declared war on the tinkerers of the world. With every software update, the previous generation of “jailbreaks” stop working, and people have to find new ways to break into their own computers

What struck me is that what he's saying is so obvious that I have trouble understanding why most people don't know what all the fuss is about. He says it well however, so I encourage you to read his article and actually think about the consequences.

Wake up people! There is a war going on that will significantly impact your future and the future of your children.

Ubuntu Netbook Remix: Getting the Wifi and Mic working on an HP mini 110-1118 (CA)

Ubuntu Netbook Remix works fine for this machine, except the sound drivers and wifi, but fixing them is easy:

To get the wifi working:

Update the OS, then use the Drivers control panel in the system settings panel.

There is a bug in 9.10 that prevents this from working out of the box, so you need to update the OS first.

To get the internal Mic working:

Sound works, all except for the internal Mic. A peer passed me a note he found in some forum that worked (sorry, I don't have the original attribution):

(You can install the backport module using the Synaptic package manager).

Here is the word-for-word original note I used:

Yes, that worked for me too, using the Mini 100c!
But you don't have to install the alsa sound package.
Just
- install linux-backports-modules-alsa-karmic-generic
- reboot
- open a terminal, enter "alsamixer", press "tab", and set both internal and front mic sliders to 100%
- press "esc"??

You can now use the internal mic using whatever tool you like.