Author Topic: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality  (Read 6773 times)

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Online roamer_1

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Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« on: May 08, 2018, 09:21:57 pm »
Alright, my ol lady (I've got one now) talked me into one of those lousy smart phones... So I got me a refurbed Droid S4 and that's what I am working with...

Total n00b mode - I do not have my geek on.

I am doing alright - I can get around ok, and get the basic functions... This whole thing started over emojis - which seem to be prerequisite, and standard txt smileys are no longer preferred (I was actually told that my age is showing)...

After much research and farting around, I finally figured out to install Google Messenger and Google KB (GBoard), and now I have a much better all around txting experience than the standard Samsung affords, not to mention a far better (and easier to apply) emoji selection.

But that got me to thinking about jumping ahead of my learning curve a bit wrt improving basic functionality, and that caused me to pose this question to all y'all:

With regard to BASIC FUNCTION AND UTILITY- If you have to nuke and pave your phone, which apps will you certainly go DL when the reset is done?

TIA for helping out the ol codger.

Offline driftdiver

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2018, 09:30:54 pm »
S4?  Holy crap why dont you upgrade to a chisel and stone

:)

I dont worry about what to install.  Can't seem to fill my s8 up
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Online roamer_1

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2018, 09:35:22 pm »
S4?  Holy crap why dont you upgrade to a chisel and stone

:)

I dont worry about what to install.  Can't seem to fill my s8 up

My kid has an s7 coming up for sale - so that's where I will be this summer... This is just a 75 dollar POS to get me started... Training wheels.

But I'll tell you what, I don't think I need much more... I will never fill this thing up.

Offline Sanguine

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2018, 09:43:17 pm »
Apple, ack!   :cross:

On, my phone, the apps I use frequently are (text)Message, email, Kindle, Waze, Clock, and The Weather Chanel, PaleMoon browser or Firefox.  Oh, and phone if I have to.  I don't like Google and rarely use anything googlish.

Offline driftdiver

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2018, 09:46:21 pm »
My kid has an s7 coming up for sale - so that's where I will be this summer... This is just a 75 dollar POS to get me started... Training wheels.

But I'll tell you what, I don't think I need much more... I will never fill this thing up.

I'm about to step back to a flip phone.  Tired of computers
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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2018, 10:49:14 pm »
Apple, ack!   :cross:

AGREED. PC, Droid, or Linux... I don't ever, ever do Mac.

Quote
On, my phone, the apps I use frequently are (text)Message, email, Kindle, Waze, Clock, and The Weather Chanel, PaleMoon browser or Firefox.  Oh, and phone if I have to.  I don't like Google and rarely use anything googlish.

Yeah... partly why I don't want smartphone. It's all google, one way or the other... Especially Droid. But here I am.

Thanks for Waze... Though I doubt it works out here... But I was mainly looking for replacements for function... Is there a better phone app... a better camera app... messaging, contacts, etc... The stuff that makes it function.

I already have Firefox on it, and mail apps, but all that is secondary to phone functions. See?

I would like a better weather app - the stock one won't update unless location is on... If I could find one that works by zip so I can leave location off, that'd be a find.

Thanks for the suggestions @Sanguine  :beer:

Online roamer_1

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2018, 10:53:15 pm »
I'm about to step back to a flip phone.  Tired of computers

@driftdiver
I would have never left my flip phone, having my druthers... Heck, I hardly ever had it even on - I am on my business line enough while at home that I don't want the dang thing around when I finally get shook loose.

But love makes a man do some things he ain't proud of... Like stupid kissy face emojis... And electronic leashes  :shrug:

Offline Sanguine

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2018, 10:57:37 pm »
I see, I did answer the wrong question.

I have a Samsung and most of the software is Samsung, not Google.  I can go through the Samsung store rather than the Google store. I've had a Samsung for a number of years now and am very happy with them.  Since they quit selling Windows phones.

Offline truth_seeker

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #8 on: May 08, 2018, 11:25:42 pm »
My kid has an s7 coming up for sale - so that's where I will be this summer... This is just a 75 dollar POS to get me started... Training wheels.

But I'll tell you what, I don't think I need much more... I will never fill this thing up.
Have been android from the start. HTC 3 times, now an LG. Apps web browser, email, text, calendar, calculator, camera are my basics. For fun YouTube for videos. Maybe some music. I have SiriusXM satellite radio too, for news, talk, music etc. You can load music on a micro SD card, and playback for free--not using your phone data charges.
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Online Cyber Liberty

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #9 on: May 08, 2018, 11:47:15 pm »
Don't kid yourself, that memory goes fast!   Hardware suggestion:  Get the biggest SD card you can, and make sure your camera dumps pictures and video to it.  1) It will save space on you phone and 2) it will make it much easier to transfer all your photos to your new phone when you get it.  Also, go to the App manager and have each program save all the Saved Data to the SD.  Same 2 reasons.

Once you get settled into the body of DL apps you like, it's easy to get them into your new phone.  In the Play Store (where you get the apps), there is a place called "My Apps and Games."  You can install them en mass on your new phone, which beats looking for them all over again.  When you first get the new phone, be sure and log into your Gmail account, it uses that to tie all your apps to you.  It will import all your contacts, and restore all your text conversations too.

Added:  check out one of the "Compass" apps.  They're cool.  There are some flashlight apps that use the flash LED too.
« Last Edit: May 08, 2018, 11:52:46 pm by Cyber Liberty »
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Online roamer_1

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #10 on: May 09, 2018, 12:57:40 am »
Have been android from the start. HTC 3 times, now an LG. Apps web browser, email, text, calendar, calculator, camera are my basics. For fun YouTube for videos.

Thx @truth_seeker  About mine too - though I am suffering through whether  and what for my calendar/tasks (currently through google, maybe going to shift to MS), so I am currently entertaining two (both) full email/PIM services, plus Yahoo mail. Calendar, txt, and phone are the main things I need it for.

Browsing is incidental, as I can't see the dang thing anyhow.
But the cam (and cam as magnifier) have turned out to be remarkably handy in a utilitarian way... Not a photo hog, but man is it nice to pic/zoom in on a motherboard and read them itty bitty numbers and such. Nice for taking something complicated apart too - I can take pics along the way to ref when putting it back together...

Quote
Maybe some music. I have SiriusXM satellite radio too, for news, talk, music etc. You can load music on a micro SD card, and playback for free--not using your phone data charges.

That's big for me too - I have about 35g of music in my lib, and still contemplating whether I want to shove it all on there... currently using HANKFM's app (local country station) or YouTube when walking around, trying to get a hang on data limits...  If my normal use as such is well below threshold, I won't bother as much, and just put a few select albums in storage (in case of no cell/wiffy available).  :shrug:   

Online roamer_1

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #11 on: May 09, 2018, 12:59:17 am »
I see, I did answer the wrong question.

I have a Samsung and most of the software is Samsung, not Google.  I can go through the Samsung store rather than the Google store. I've had a Samsung for a number of years now and am very happy with them.  Since they quit selling Windows phones.

I really wish there was a decent Windows phone. I'd be all over that, just for local networking and sync...

Online roamer_1

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #12 on: May 09, 2018, 01:16:41 am »
Don't kid yourself, that memory goes fast!   Hardware suggestion:  Get the biggest SD card you can, and make sure your camera dumps pictures and video to it.  1) It will save space on you phone and 2) it will make it much easier to transfer all your photos to your new phone when you get it.  Also, go to the App manager and have each program save all the Saved Data to the SD.  Same 2 reasons.

@Cyber Liberty
Yeah, already there. Got a 64g in it, and hoping it will take a 128... Kinda incidental in the end, because it is going to be backing to my ftp server once I get all that pounded out (@xx:xx pm IF wiffy, and especially IF LAN[home])... I am a data freak and I already know all about the need to back it up. My ftp folders equalize into my data backup, so pics for instance, will automagically just hit my main store... same music and vid...

Once I can hack the thing, I will get to where anything over a month or two old will automatically delete after backup. So I won't be packing the thing full of pics, music, and vids.

But I am very serious that I won't endanger mem/storage limits. I hate TSRs (being a tech for a couple decades now) and keep extremely organized storage. If I don't use it, it won't be on that phone for long. 

Quote
Once you get settled into the body of DL apps you like, it's easy to get them into your new phone.  In the Play Store (where you get the apps), there is a place called "My Apps and Games."  You can install them en mass on your new phone, which beats looking for them all over again.  When you first get the new phone, be sure and log into your Gmail account, it uses that to tie all your apps to you.  It will import all your contacts, and restore all your text conversations too.

YEP... Already been there done all that... it is currently being treated as volatile, so no data onboard.. I have messed it up bad enough that I am quite familiarized with the reset procedures.

Quote
Added:  check out one of the "Compass" apps.  They're cool.  There are some flashlight apps that use the flash LED too.

Thanks, I will check that out. I mentioned upthread that I am using the cam as magnifier, and man is that a neat trick.

Offline Gefn

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #13 on: May 09, 2018, 01:17:52 am »
Weather app. Gas Buddy is a great app too.  A news app if you like and a solitaire app. Those would be the minimums I think.
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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #14 on: May 09, 2018, 01:31:20 am »
@roamer_1 Sorry, forgot who I was talking to.  :laugh:

One I don't think I saw above:  Get a Barcode scanner that can read QR codes.  QR codes are ubiquitous.  I found the UPC part really handy when shopping for a Blu-ray player, because I wanted to drill down into the features before I bought.  The descriptions on the boxes were too vague.  I could actually read the manual from the manufacturer website.
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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #15 on: May 09, 2018, 01:32:05 am »
Weather app. Gas Buddy is a great app too.  A news app if you like and a solitaire app. Those would be the minimums I think.

I like Weatherbug.  Nice radar imaging.
For unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death — if you’re unvaccinated — for themselves, their families, and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm. Sloe Joe Biteme 12/16
I will NOT comply.
 
Castillo del Cyber Autonomous Zone ~~~~~>                          :dontfeed:

Offline Gefn

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #16 on: May 09, 2018, 01:41:16 am »
I like Weatherbug.  Nice radar imaging.

I also have lots of room for photos. Yaaaay. Photos !
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Online Elderberry

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #17 on: May 09, 2018, 01:43:54 am »
Brave Browser, Waze, ES File Explorer, Compass, Wifi Analyzer

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #18 on: May 09, 2018, 01:45:41 am »
I also have lots of room for photos. Yaaaay. Photos !

I like live backups.  I shoot the picture and Wham!  It's on the web.  If you know how to set the permissions correctly, you can hot-link those pictures without having to upload them here.  It's nice because you can resize the pics on a thread.
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I will NOT comply.
 
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Online roamer_1

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #19 on: May 09, 2018, 01:50:03 am »
@roamer_1 Sorry, forgot who I was talking to.  :laugh:

@Cyber Liberty
No worries... I need to be treated as a n00b on this thing.  :beer:


Quote
One I don't think I saw above:  Get a Barcode scanner that can read QR codes.  QR codes are ubiquitous.

oh, that's a great idea! Thx!

Online roamer_1

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #20 on: May 09, 2018, 01:54:12 am »
Weather app. Gas Buddy is a great app too.  A news app if you like and a solitaire app. Those would be the minimums I think.

Thanks @Freya ... Still trying to find a weather app that doesn't rely on location (uses zip) That location thingy sucks battery.  **nononono*

Not much for news anymore... can't find any that isn't spun six ways to Sunday.  :shrug:

But I DO like Solitaire!

Online roamer_1

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #21 on: May 09, 2018, 01:56:14 am »
Brave Browser, Waze, ES File Explorer, Compass, Wifi Analyzer

That's about the third of fourth time I have been recommended ES File Explorer... Thanks @Elderberry  :seeya:

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #22 on: May 09, 2018, 01:57:38 am »
Thanks @Freya ... Still trying to find a weather app that doesn't rely on location (uses zip) That location thingy sucks battery.  **nononono*

Not much for news anymore... can't find any that isn't spun six ways to Sunday.  :shrug:

But I DO like Solitaire!

Get weatherbug.  You can turn off the Locator and use zip code to select a location.
For unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death — if you’re unvaccinated — for themselves, their families, and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm. Sloe Joe Biteme 12/16
I will NOT comply.
 
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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #23 on: May 09, 2018, 01:58:28 am »
That's about the third of fourth time I have been recommended ES File Explorer... Thanks @Elderberry  :seeya:

What's astonishing is the phone doesn't come with a file browser. 9999hair out0000
For unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death — if you’re unvaccinated — for themselves, their families, and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm. Sloe Joe Biteme 12/16
I will NOT comply.
 
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Online roamer_1

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Re: Droid Phone Specific Question - Apps for functionality
« Reply #24 on: May 09, 2018, 02:07:24 am »
Get weatherbug.  You can turn off the Locator and use zip code to select a location.

Thank you VERY much