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My Recommended Chrome Extensions

Here are essential Chrome Extensions that I believe most types of users should have installed, rather it be to enhance their experience or for security/privacy/etc reasons.

Time Warner Faster YouTube Method Blocks Google Play

Recently a post was made by a guy named Mitch on his website on how to make YouTube Faster on Time Warner Cable. What people may not realize though is that blocking these IP addresses (below) will indeed block you from downloading on Google Play if blocked network wide.

This means you will be unable to update your apps if you have an Android phone or if anyone else attempts to and is of course connected to your WiFi at that time, again this only matters if you are blocking these IP addresses network wide from your router.

Sure, you can always switch to your phones network to update apps, but why use that bandwidth (and likely slower) if you do not have to as well as if you have a bandwidth limit or even unlimited. There are probably more services by Google that might be effected by blocking these IP addresses too, but I have not come across one yet or may have not realized yet.

The IP addresses that you are asked to block are these below. I have not tested which IP address it is specifically yet (lazy) however I believe it is the first one as far as the location goes.

173.194.55.0
206.111.0.0

Just simply remove these IP addresses from your router to simply regain back the ability to download from Google Play again. If you still continue to want to block these IP addresses and get a faster YouTube; if it works for you, then just block them on your each specific computer instead.

Google Shoes

Google announced their “talking shoe” today at SXSW. Please remember this is all concept apparel and it could never make it anywhere. It aims to translate movement data in witty messages to users and their friends. I personally do not find this better than Google Glass and really do not see how some people would; even if they can have their own opinion. I see more usefulness out of the Glass then Shoes, especially as far as what you can do with one another and cannot be compared.

Even with that all said, I still think it is cool but my guess it would need a lot of work for it to take off and probably would only be more active in certain and few markets of the world. When you think of all the data that can be collected and what other companies such as Nike can do with it and even go as far as using them on professional athletes either it be the NFL, NBA, Soccer and everything else it could provide to be quite useful and interesting stats.

I think similar products to this are cooler though, take for instance the Nike+ FuelBand. They also attempt to take a step forward with everyone becoming more social and encouraging others to set goals and what not. Which I understand is what Google Shoes wants to attempt at eventually doing. I have personally never tried the Nike+ FuelBand but would not be opposed to it if I were to get my hands on it especially if they ever did come out with an Android app as I believe it is still iOS only without further looking into it.

You can read more about it here at TechCrunch, with much more information and what not that I would rather not copy and paste.

Would you wear and use these shoes actively if it ever came out of concept and on the market?

My thoughts on “Google Play”

Around a week ago Google decide to rename Google Market to Google Play as well as other services such as Google Music to Google Play Music. I think it is one of the most ridiculous name changes I have seen especially in the longest time. It does not make much sense to me, other than the complete obvious.

What was wrong with “Market”? It is the most simplest name for anyone non-tech-savvy to completely understand where to get applications, games, music and much more from.

Then you also have the new icon for it; shown above, which I think is one of the most ugliest and hideous icons Google has ever given us too. I know this is my own opinion but I am sure there is at least a large group of other people out there that will agree with me on that too.

Froyo coming to Vibrant and Captivate mid-October

Normally I would not write on such a story that Froyo is actually finally even coming to the Vibrant but this is just one of those times where if you put all of the Samsung news, Facebook updates and official tweets together, that you just think that this is actually true and finally going to arrive for us Vibrant users on T-Mobile.

Now, before I finally get to this story that will make you further believe it, you may already know or not that 2.2 Froyo was leaked for the Captivate. However, you cannot flash this or other versions on the Vibrant, even if the Vibrant barely different than the Captivate. I recommend waiting for the official build, even if leaked before OTA over custom roms unless others have made aware that are safe to flash and no issues reported.

Before I get to the story, this is what one of the Official Samsung Twitter accounts tweeted:

T-Mobile & Samsung hear your questions about timing of Vibrant update. Look for more info on OTA next week. Thank you for your patience.

Scott Young from TalkAndroid made a post today stating that he had bumped into someone from Samsung and after a while of talking he finally asked when Froyo was coming to the Galaxy S. He stated “mid-October” for the Vibrant and Captivate. Though he pointed out that it will take a little longer for the Epic 4G and Fascinate to get Froyo because they have CDMA. On another note, 2.2 was leaked for the Captivate as I stated above if you didn’t know.

Now this is coming from me, but Samsung did promise to have 2.2 shipped out to all Galaxy S phones by the end of this year, so even if you had to wait another few weeks for you Epic 4G and Fascinate users, you won’t have to wait long as long as they fulfill their promise. I am sure they will.

Source: TalkAndroid.com

My Top G1 Apps #3

G1screen0003 This is my third list of my top G1 Apps. I think I will do this every so often months just to give some people a fresh list of what is out there, what is better than previously was and so forth. If you would like to, you can read my previous top G1 apps lists here, #1 and #2.

I have since rooted my phone as of last week. I am sure if you have rooted your phone by now, you have already installed aNetShare if you at any point in time plan to tether your phone to your laptop/other devices. Also Advanced Task Manager is key to have to close apps in use.

If you use JesusFreke’s root, make sure you grab JF Updater if you have not. I however am not nor going to use any type of App2SD, I do not recommend using Move Cache either (see an earlier post of mine about this).

If you have not rooted your phone, unless you plan to tether, control tasks or do something else that requires root then you do not even bother to, though it is very, very easy to accomplish.

Since before I have removed AnyCut and replaced it with Better Cut. I actually decided to make my phone more Apple theme like using BetterCut to replace a few icons on the desktop (I am an Apple fan just not an AT&T fan).

I also decided to replace the default virtual keyboard that came with Cupcake with Better Keyboard.

If you do not know by now, make sure you download the new version for Google Maps. You will find it much better with more features, it sadly does not show up for an update until you do this. Google also just came out with a new application about 2 weeks ago called Places Directory and boy, what an amazing new app by Google. Very good and useful, I highly recommend adding it to your collection.

Here is the “full” app list I am currently using that I recommend that most people have or try out not including root apps: AK Notepad, Better Cut, Better Keyboard, aTrackDog which will check apps for updates, Movie Finder, My Account, MyBackup Pro which backup text messages, apps, contacts and more, OI File Manager, OI Flashlight, Places Directory which will find nearest gas stations, restaurants and more, ShopSavvy, Weather Channel, TuneWiki which is the best music player, Twidroid best Twitter client so far, Txtract which backs up text messages and WeatherBug.

Android Move Cache Back to Internal Memory

So yesterday I finally decided to root my Android G1. Basically so I could tether its internet to my laptop as where am I at, the WiFi signal is so low and bad. Well I decided to use “Move Cache” from the Market place which allows you to also move your cache for apps such as Browser, Market, Maps, Street View, GMail and Steel cache to your SD card instead of using Internal Memory.

Well I decided just to try it out and use it only for the Browser, Market, Maps and Street View. Well things only went downhill from there, force closed so much in each of those maps or it would be utter slowness like in the Browser. So storing cache back to Internal Memory was never really a problem, just wanted to try it since I do have an 8GB SD card that only uses 1GB. So I selected the options from Move Cache to move it back to Internal Memory, rebooted and removed Move Cache.

Well everything seemed to work until I went to the Market and then later Street View. The Market would prompt you with the following message: “A Server error has occurred. Retry, or cancel and return to the previous screen.” So if you want to go back to storing your cache in your Internal Memory than do the following in Terminal Emulator (or any other similar app out there). Especially if you went through a process similar to what I did to remove.

Make sure you are the root user. Run the following command if you have any problems: This obviously will only work if you have rooted your phone such as with JesusFreke’s builds.

su (press enter)
id (press enter)
*It should ask you to allow access, allow it.*

Market Cache to Internal Memory

cd /data/data/com.android.vending
rm -R cache
mrdir cache

Street View Cache to Internal Memory

cd /data/data/com.google.android.street
rm -R cache
mkdir cache

My Top G1 Apps [UPDATE]

This is an update to my earlier post in December 2008: My Top G1 Apps. So a while back I wrote a list of great apps that I use and recommend to others. Well overtime, new apps have come out that are either much better then another one like it or just another new app has come out that is great.

I still use Scoreboard, Shazam, TuneWiki, PhoneFlix (NetFlix) ShopSavvy, The Weather Channel, Ringdroid, Bartender and more from my previous list. Given I have already set my settings for Ringdroid and Bartender is only necessary here and there. I have removed and replaced StreamFurious with Last.FM App. StreamFurious is still very nice, I am not putting it down but I use and enjoy Last.FM much more to my liking. Check them both out, they are very similar but also very different.

Twidroid has become much better then when I last talked about it. A LOT better but I still have some problems with it, I would love to see a new UI especially. It is constantly being updated and developer seems very nice when I have emailed. There still is no Facebook App, requiring you to still have to use the browser. Sadly, it is very doubtful we will ever see a Facebook app for the Android/G1 especially given the fact that some Facebook employees hate the Android/G1 and for heaven shake, Facebook will you add T-Mobile to Mobile?

Some new apps have come my way since my last post and those would be the following to check out.

– Xbox Friends List (1337pwn) – No need if you do not have Xbox Live or do not even plan to use.
– AK Notepad – This has been out a while but it is a great notepad so far that I have found.
– aTrackDog – Check all your apps for updates.
– Txtract – Backup all your text messages.
– MyBackUp – Backup almost everything on your phone from contacts to text messages to apps.
– Movie Finder – Probably the best movie application on the G1, I love it.

I use the following as well but only when needed: SnapTell, Finance, Voice Recorder, Cubik, OI Flashlight (the lack of a Flashlight having come from a Sony Ericsson W800i still sucks and miss it) and OI Shopping list.

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