After a lot of debate I ended up switching back to an android phone after a few years of being away. Since I haven't really followed the landscape at all l, can anyone recommend an antivirus for it? I was going to purchase the Kaspersky one since I am used to their desktop version but figured I would ask first.
The main impetus as I have fat fingered enough stuff on my phone to be concerned I would accidentally navigate to a bad link, and there are a few apps I would like to try that aren't from we'll known developers. The combination of which leads me to look for an AV solution.
I'd just root and install AdAway. I've never had an antivirus on my phone because I just stop my phone from being able to download anything from any of those shady websites.
Honestly, my advice is to not install anything that isn't from the play store, and not run an antivirus. While I'm sure there are some cases to get apps from elsewhere, but really unless you absolutely have to do it, stick with the play store, or the amazon app store.
I'm just at the point where I won't install a random apk anymore, even one that's an update to a system app.
Honestly, my advice is to not install anything that isn't from the play store, and not run an antivirus. While I'm sure there are some cases to get apps from elsewhere, but really unless you absolutely have to do it, stick with the play store, or the amazon app store.
I'm just at the point where I won't install a random apk anymore, even one that's an update to a system app.
Have they gotten better about currating the play store? I remember it being an issue a few years back where they were letting a lot of scummy apps onto the play store.
On another note, I part of Friday and Saturday bringing an old Galaxy Capitvate to a useful state. Got it rooted, updated, rooted again, updated again, and then switched over to Cyanogenmod 10 (apparently there aren't any stable builds of 11 yet for it).
Fun to get back into the modding game. Back with my Droid 1 and Droid Razr I used to swap roms and bootloaders all the time, but the Moto X has been so solid, I've haven't switched from stock since I got it a year and a half ago. Think I'll start messing around with my Gen1 Kindle Fire next and see if I can get it running with a few more tweaks and break some of the Amazon chains.
they're starting to curate the play store more, and they do have a built in scan on every play store app you download. It probably isn't perfect but it is better than nothing. But I mean this is like anything computer related; if you actively go looking for trouble you'll find it. If you see an app on the play store that looks pretty scammy, maybe don't download it without looking it up first. Good browsing habits apply to phones as much as they do computers.
Honestly, my advice is to not install anything that isn't from the play store, and not run an antivirus. While I'm sure there are some cases to get apps from elsewhere, but really unless you absolutely have to do it, stick with the play store, or the amazon app store.
I'm just at the point where I won't install a random apk anymore, even one that's an update to a system app.
The play store is the only place I am getting stuff from. The app in question is on there but it got me thinking. As mentioned by @bloodatonement I recall there being issues previously with apps being sketchy on the play store.
The other thing that is sticking in my head is people who I follow on Twitter being compromised so their account retweets garbage. I wouldn't actively click on it but as I mentioned scrolling through and fat fingering something isn't impossible and obviously you never know where it links to. I don't actively try to find "bad stuff" but at some point I am going to mistakenly click a link/ad/whatever or a legit site is going to be conpromised when I try to reach it.
That you're even still using the 2012 N7 is amazing to me. The memory controller on mine got so bad he thing was unusable even on 4.4. That was a bad corner for Google/asus to cut with that device.
That you're even still using the 2012 N7 is amazing to me. The memory controller on mine got so bad he thing was unusable even on 4.4. That was a bad corner for Google/asus to cut with that device.
My Gen 2 N7 has been acting up the past week. It won't get out of Landscape or Portrait unless you open GPlay Movies first. I watched movies on it, on the plane this past Tuesday and it's been bitching since then.
so, I recently got a nexus 6, love the phone. Except for one problem. The sound keeps jumping all over the place. Even with the volume maxed, the sound can vary from being extremely low on video/music/alarms to the appropriate maxed level. I've tried flashing to the Android M preview (from 5.1) and if anything the problem was worse. I will add that the sound tends to have "popping" sounds as well, and I'm reading this is a semi-common problem for the handset. Any ideas before I exchange it for another device?
Mine's pretty slow, but it's workable on the latest Lollipop version last I tried. I don't use it much anymore, though.
Mine's beyond slow, the system UI (volume buttons, lock button, the buttons at the bottom of the screen, etc) will stop responding for large segments of time. Battery usage is through the roof, and things just run like ass.
Don't get me wrong, it's better than 5.0.1 or whatever it was back before this latest update. It's still really bad, though.
Ok, wow, CM12 is WAY faster than Lolipop. Granted, getting Google Play et all installed was a big PITA (mostly cause I mistook 12.1 for 12) but it seems to be booking along now.
Edit: It took a few more factory resets to get the Google apps on and running. The trick? Install CM12 via Sideload, and BEFORE REBOOTING THE FIRST TIME, install the Google Apps. If you boot once without them, the Google Apps freak the fuck on out.
Also, I may have an idea where my performance problems are coming from:
Jesus Christ. And that's a fresh boot, none of those SHOULD be running.
That you're even still using the 2012 N7 is amazing to me. The memory controller on mine got so bad he thing was unusable even on 4.4. That was a bad corner for Google/asus to cut with that device.
What would the symptoms of that be?
Just general system slowdown that isn't fixed by a reboot. Doing a factory reset will allieviate it for a while, but only temporarily.
Basically on the 2012 N7 the controller for the flash storage was a really cheap part, and didn't do proper flash management, writing to different parts of the storage over time to even out the write cycles, this meant some parts of the storage were used more than others, and started to wear down. It (kind of naturally I guess) affected users who tended to do more write cycles and keep the tablet closer to full than those that might just have mostly just used it as a web browser since there weren't as many write cycles to it.
I had a 16GB model that I kept full a good chunk of the time, constantly changing out podcasts and locally stored video, and within 18 months the i/o became so slow it was basically unusable.
Ok, wow, CM12 is WAY faster than Lolipop. Granted, getting Google Play et all installed was a big PITA (mostly cause I mistook 12.1 for 12) but it seems to be booking along now.
Edit: It took a few more factory resets to get the Google apps on and running. The trick? Install CM12 via Sideload, and BEFORE REBOOTING THE FIRST TIME, install the Google Apps. If you boot once without them, the Google Apps freak the fuck on out.
Also, I may have an idea where my performance problems are coming from:
Jesus Christ. And that's a fresh boot, none of those SHOULD be running.
um, no. Most of those should be running. If hangouts wasn't running you wouldn't get a push notification for a message, gmail for email, etc. The only two I really question there are youtube and kindle. Those don't have much of a reason to be running, maybe play music. The rest are running because they run services in the background, like how on a windows computer the print spooler starts when you start windows so you can, you know, print when you press the button.
um, no. Most of those should be running. If hangouts wasn't running you wouldn't get a push notification for a message, gmail for email, etc. The only two I really question there are youtube and kindle. Those don't have much of a reason to be running, maybe play music. The rest are running because they run services in the background, like how on a windows computer the print spooler starts when you start windows so you can, you know, print when you press the button.
Ok, that makes sense. I was mostly concerned with the fact that half the device's ram was being taken up by those just to idle. Maybe I'm mis-reading the page.
CM12 is quite a bit better on this Gen1 N7 than Official Lolipop. I haven't checked the battery usage while streaming music off Pandora, but just sitting here idling it's only down to like 96% after a good while. Hopefully it'll last the Greyhound bus ride and 12 hour car trip that follows.
unused ram is wasted ram. any modern computing platform will fill most of the system memory with applications that are most commonly used, so they launch faster and respond better when you want to use them. If you launch something else that isn't in system memory, then it'll just remove something that isn't being used for that application.
As for Pandora, well streaming audio and video are two of the most battery draining things a device can do, especially if it is over the cellular network. You're constantly hitting the wireless radio for more data, since you know, streaming, so the device doesn't really go to sleep. Whether it'll last 12 hours? I don't know, depends on a lot of things like coverage, if you're also staring at the screen, type of phone, etc.
Anyone having trouble with the Android YouTube app being really shitty? The video pauses for a second while the sound keeps going and there's no way to keep them from getting out of sync or to get them back in sync. Also, watching videos from links sometimes just shows the preview picture with the audio playing on top. Finally, when I cast something to my Chromecast, if I leave the YouTube app and reopen it, the video stops playing altogether.
Was able to get root on my kindle fire, but can't convince it to get into the bootloader. Tried building a factory cable, but my soldering skills are pretty sloppy, so I just went ahead and bought one from china off eBay. We'll see if that works.
As for Pandora, well streaming audio and video are two of the most battery draining things a device can do, especially if it is over the cellular network. You're constantly hitting the wireless radio for more data, since you know, streaming, so the device doesn't really go to sleep. Whether it'll last 12 hours? I don't know, depends on a lot of things like coverage, if you're also staring at the screen, type of phone, etc.
It lasted the last time, barely, but that was way before Lolipop. I think I switched to MP3s as opposed to Pandora, though.
Hey quick chrome question. On my phone i have forums bookmark page saved as bookmark. Since it's usually the first site i check, if I'm at hotel or something it gets redirected to the wifi authentication page which messes up the favicon. And then it never goes back to the PA favicon. So I've gone through about 4 different ones in the past year and haven't managed to get back to the real one. Anyone know how i can fix this?
So a nasty discovery with CyanogenMod 12 -- it keeps losing mobile broadband. Like, all the time. I'll have full bars but an ! next to them, and it won't even try to connect out. Only way I can seem to fix it is reboot about 4-9 times or get on WiFi and click mobile plan in the Wireless settings / More menumenu, and even that is iffy.
Thoughts? It appears to be a long standing CM bug...
That's why I generally stick with stock/oem ROM's. I know CM has come a fairly long way but I honestly just want my phone to work without any stupid bugs like that. The stupid oddities of Android are enough without adding in extra little bugs to it =/
Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
Anybody have experience with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S? My 1st generation Nexus 7 doesn't hold a charge anymore, so I'm looking for a new android tablet. The majority of my usage is as a Kindle, but I also play a variety of games (nothing hardcore, just a lot of apps) and occasionally watch Netflix on it and whatnot. This leads me to think I would prefer a 7-8 inch tablet rather than a full-size one, so I've done a small amount of googling and it looks like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 might be what I want. I also plan on rooting, incidentally, and I'm probably going to get a Note 4 pretty soon as well (which I will also root). Any thoughts?
The Tab S line is due for a refresh almost any day now. It was released 12 months ago, so it should be updated really soon. I personally wouldn't buy it right now unless you need it today and wait for the next version.
I don't own one but did lust after it for a long time. What really kept me from buying it is that in 2014, and moreso in 2015, I refuse to buy a device with less than 32GB of storage on it, and samsung only really made 16GB versions.
The weirdest thing I had with a custom rom was on CM 4 or 5 with my D1. Every morning when I would drive past Carls Jr on my way to work it would reboot. There was a small airfield nearby and I think it was interfering because on stock it would drop calls at the same location. But in CM it would cause a reboot regardless of whether the phone was in a call, navigation, or just idle.
Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
My only concern about buying a device right when it's released is how to deal with rooting it. I got the Galaxy S4 right when it came out, and I seem to remember reading some things recommending caution when it came to roms for the device because the bugs hadn't been worked out yet. I would rather get a device that has been out for at least several months so that the builds are stable. On the other hand, I don't want to get something that is already well into its Time Before Obsolescence, so I dunno.
Of course, I don't really know much about rooting and roms, so my concerns about build stability for newly released devices may be unfounded.
Well, the first question to ask when you say you want to root is why? There are legit reasons to root but android is gnereally good enough to use unless there's a specific thing you're looking at.
the last device I rooted was my Galaxy Nexus. I haven't bothered with anything since because there's been nothing I wanted/needed that required it.
Well, the first question to ask when you say you want to root is why? There are legit reasons to root but android is gnereally good enough to use unless there's a specific thing you're looking at.
the last device I rooted was my Galaxy Nexus. I haven't bothered with anything since because there's been nothing I wanted/needed that required it.
Yeah I haven't done anything with roms for personal use since getting my Moto X (gen 1).
I got an old Captivate that I wanted my son to be able to play with and the last official build 2.something, so I've got that running CM11 so he can access current apps.
I'm thinking of trying CM11 on my wife's Kindle Fire because it's been abandoned to an old build based on 2.3 (iirc). Hopefully I can still get the Kindle Fire interface to work on it, but that may not fly.
Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
I don't have a specific application in mind, but in the past I have run across apps or utilities or little tricks for things that require root and have had to either pass them over because I didn't root my device when I first got it, or wipe my device and root it if I wanted the app/utility/trick enough.
I don't currently recall which apps I encountered for which rooting was necessary, but I figure I might as well root the device when I get it so I'll be prepared if I encounter such things in the future. Are there downsides to rooting?
it depends on what you feel is a definition of downside. Rooted phones are inherently less secure than non rooted phones because, well, there is root access. Now, a ton of people will come in and say that root usually prompts you for superuser access when needed, or there are controls in place, and all of those things are true, but the fact remains you're still running the device with unlimited administrator access.
I'm not really trying to scare you away from rooting but imo in day to day operation Android devices haven't needed root since probably 4.0, except in very "I know I absolutely want this" situations.
Posts
The main impetus as I have fat fingered enough stuff on my phone to be concerned I would accidentally navigate to a bad link, and there are a few apps I would like to try that aren't from we'll known developers. The combination of which leads me to look for an AV solution.
WoWtcg and general gaming podcast
WoWtcg and gaming website
I'm just at the point where I won't install a random apk anymore, even one that's an update to a system app.
Have they gotten better about currating the play store? I remember it being an issue a few years back where they were letting a lot of scummy apps onto the play store.
On another note, I part of Friday and Saturday bringing an old Galaxy Capitvate to a useful state. Got it rooted, updated, rooted again, updated again, and then switched over to Cyanogenmod 10 (apparently there aren't any stable builds of 11 yet for it).
Fun to get back into the modding game. Back with my Droid 1 and Droid Razr I used to swap roms and bootloaders all the time, but the Moto X has been so solid, I've haven't switched from stock since I got it a year and a half ago. Think I'll start messing around with my Gen1 Kindle Fire next and see if I can get it running with a few more tweaks and break some of the Amazon chains.
Steam ID: Good Life
The play store is the only place I am getting stuff from. The app in question is on there but it got me thinking. As mentioned by @bloodatonement I recall there being issues previously with apps being sketchy on the play store.
The other thing that is sticking in my head is people who I follow on Twitter being compromised so their account retweets garbage. I wouldn't actively click on it but as I mentioned scrolling through and fat fingering something isn't impossible and obviously you never know where it links to. I don't actively try to find "bad stuff" but at some point I am going to mistakenly click a link/ad/whatever or a legit site is going to be conpromised when I try to reach it.
WoWtcg and general gaming podcast
WoWtcg and gaming website
Downgrade to Android 4.4 when the Nexus 7 Gen1 was decent to use
Try CyanogenMod
Or Wait for Android M
Thoughts? Does Cyanogenmod run better than stock 5?
What would the symptoms of that be?
Also, the Android M preview at this point is way too young to flash to, just to see if it fixed an issue.
Mine's beyond slow, the system UI (volume buttons, lock button, the buttons at the bottom of the screen, etc) will stop responding for large segments of time. Battery usage is through the roof, and things just run like ass.
Don't get me wrong, it's better than 5.0.1 or whatever it was back before this latest update. It's still really bad, though.
Edit: Or at least, to install ClockworkMod recovery I'd need to, which apparently is part of the Cyanogen install process?
Anyone tried out Cyanogen 12 yet? Apparently it was released yesterday, and is based on L instead of KitKat...
Edit: It took a few more factory resets to get the Google apps on and running. The trick? Install CM12 via Sideload, and BEFORE REBOOTING THE FIRST TIME, install the Google Apps. If you boot once without them, the Google Apps freak the fuck on out.
Also, I may have an idea where my performance problems are coming from:
Jesus Christ. And that's a fresh boot, none of those SHOULD be running.
Just general system slowdown that isn't fixed by a reboot. Doing a factory reset will allieviate it for a while, but only temporarily.
Basically on the 2012 N7 the controller for the flash storage was a really cheap part, and didn't do proper flash management, writing to different parts of the storage over time to even out the write cycles, this meant some parts of the storage were used more than others, and started to wear down. It (kind of naturally I guess) affected users who tended to do more write cycles and keep the tablet closer to full than those that might just have mostly just used it as a web browser since there weren't as many write cycles to it.
I had a 16GB model that I kept full a good chunk of the time, constantly changing out podcasts and locally stored video, and within 18 months the i/o became so slow it was basically unusable.
um, no. Most of those should be running. If hangouts wasn't running you wouldn't get a push notification for a message, gmail for email, etc. The only two I really question there are youtube and kindle. Those don't have much of a reason to be running, maybe play music. The rest are running because they run services in the background, like how on a windows computer the print spooler starts when you start windows so you can, you know, print when you press the button.
Ok, that makes sense. I was mostly concerned with the fact that half the device's ram was being taken up by those just to idle. Maybe I'm mis-reading the page.
CM12 is quite a bit better on this Gen1 N7 than Official Lolipop. I haven't checked the battery usage while streaming music off Pandora, but just sitting here idling it's only down to like 96% after a good while. Hopefully it'll last the Greyhound bus ride and 12 hour car trip that follows.
As for Pandora, well streaming audio and video are two of the most battery draining things a device can do, especially if it is over the cellular network. You're constantly hitting the wireless radio for more data, since you know, streaming, so the device doesn't really go to sleep. Whether it'll last 12 hours? I don't know, depends on a lot of things like coverage, if you're also staring at the screen, type of phone, etc.
Steam ID: Good Life
It lasted the last time, barely, but that was way before Lolipop. I think I switched to MP3s as opposed to Pandora, though.
Steam ID: Good Life
Thoughts? It appears to be a long standing CM bug...
I don't own one but did lust after it for a long time. What really kept me from buying it is that in 2014, and moreso in 2015, I refuse to buy a device with less than 32GB of storage on it, and samsung only really made 16GB versions.
Steam ID: Good Life
Of course, I don't really know much about rooting and roms, so my concerns about build stability for newly released devices may be unfounded.
the last device I rooted was my Galaxy Nexus. I haven't bothered with anything since because there's been nothing I wanted/needed that required it.
Yeah I haven't done anything with roms for personal use since getting my Moto X (gen 1).
I got an old Captivate that I wanted my son to be able to play with and the last official build 2.something, so I've got that running CM11 so he can access current apps.
I'm thinking of trying CM11 on my wife's Kindle Fire because it's been abandoned to an old build based on 2.3 (iirc). Hopefully I can still get the Kindle Fire interface to work on it, but that may not fly.
Steam ID: Good Life
I don't currently recall which apps I encountered for which rooting was necessary, but I figure I might as well root the device when I get it so I'll be prepared if I encounter such things in the future. Are there downsides to rooting?
I'm not really trying to scare you away from rooting but imo in day to day operation Android devices haven't needed root since probably 4.0, except in very "I know I absolutely want this" situations.