[Touch HD Android Development] TheBrilliantMistake:
Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I download a release?

There are a number of Android releases (all at varying stages of development). Use the search function to locate one, or try these:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=621498 (Standard XDAndroid for ALL Devices)

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=624808 (Customised Android UI for Blackstone)

Both come with very clear instructions on how to install

What features are in a release?

Generally, it's very difficult to detail them, unless there is a significant new feature (in which case, that will be very well advertised!). Usually it's minor speed improvements, bug fixes etc... and sometimes, new bugs are introduced (so bear that in mind)

My SD Card doesn't seem to work, why?

Most SD Cards are working, but if you the 'waiting for SDCard' message, you should try one of these fixes (and please let us know if it works)

Fix 1: Format your card with this tool http://www.sdcard.org/consumers/formatter/

Fix 2: Edit your startup.txt file and add these red entries to your cmdline:

set cmdline "lcd.density=240 msmts_calib=0x395.0x3c9.0x79.0x77 clock-7x00.a11=500 msmvkeyb_toggle=off pmem.extra=1 gsensor_axis=-2,-1,3

msmsdcc_1bit msmsdcc_fmax=14000000 msmsdcc_nopwrsave"

Fix 3: Tell your wife / girlfriend that you are about to make some modifications to her phone... change the ringtone and steal her old Class 2 SD Card to use with Android. She will never discover what you have done, and if she does, you'll be able to use Android to send texts to your former girlfriends ;-)

How do I turn off, or reboot Android?

You pull the battery, or press the reset button. When a better solution is found, it will be announced.

Q. My phone just went from 50% to 20% in next to no time!

A. OK, this is the MOST important thing to know before you read on....

Currently, you just can't trust the 'battery capacity' being reported in Android. The developers are aware of this and will get it working properly soon, but at the moment, Android is very likely to get the battery capacity very mixed up, and so it's quite hard to prove how long the usage is. Remember, Android can shut down when it THINKS there's low battery, so just leaving your phone and not touching it can still cause a shutdown with plenty of battery left.

If you REALLY need to know the capacity, boot into WinMo (although even this MIGHT be the wrong value if Android has messed up some charging history)... that said, WinMo is definitely reporting much more accurate values, and after a few charges of only using WinMo, the capacity reporting should get very accurate again.

Q. My phone doesn't seem to last very long using these Android builds...why?

A. Firstly, the developers are aware of this, and are working on it. Yes, we all know WinMo holds the power for a lot longer, but that's because they knew the hardware inside out and could get the system to sleep in well behaved ways.

Q. So why can't you just copy what WinMo does?

A. Well, in theory most of what WinMo does CAN be replicated, but the developers have to track down all the chipset information they can, and figure out what WinMo is actually doing to get long life from the battery. Also, Linux isn't Windows, and there ARE differences in how things behave, in some cases WinMo might be slightly better and in others, Linux slightly better, but overall, there shouldn't be too much difference once everything is ironed out.

Q. So what the heck could be eating all the power right now?

A. Well, there's a whole bunch of hardware inside your phone, like CPU, Radio chips (for phone), WiFi chips, GPS chips, accelerometer, light sensor, LCD and Backlight, FM radio, audio chips etc. They all take power if left running, or if the usage isn't optimised.

Slowly but surely many of these components are being supported fully, but at the moment, some of them are 'working' but perhaps not optimally. Meaning they MIGHT be working harder than they need to, or simply not being switched off properly etc.

In addition to this, it's possible that some processes (system, or user apps) might be running all the time and causing a lot of battery use. E.g. animated wallpaper, clock animations, google sync communication, wifi searching etc etc.

Q. My phone seems to get rather warm, why?

A. This has been noticed by many and seems related to WiFi and charging. When both are used together, it would seem that Androids high power consumption and heat generated from charging combine to make the device quite warm.

It hasn't yet been fully established why this is happening, and there doesn't seem to be any serious issue with it (yes it's warmer, but it's not red hot).

If you're worried, avoid using Android with WiFi and charging at the same time, and stick with WinMo for charging, or just avoid Android altogether until you hear about a fix. However, hundreds of users are using the current builds and no failures have occurred, so it would seem 'reasonably safe' to still play around with the builds... and your help and feedback will help to improve the situation a lot quicker!... the choice is yours.

Q. Will the situation EVER be fixed?

A. Yes, I am confident the devs will find a solution. This really isn't a 'can never be solved' issue, it's purely down to time and effort, so don't panic!

Q. How do I make my GPRS / 3G data connection work?

A. For some operators/carriers, you need to run Android, then go into settings, and locate the APN settings. You need to complete the APN settings for your Operator/Carrier/MVNO. You need to find these settings for yourself I'm afraid, it's out of scope for this thread. You might look here http://www.modmygphone.com/wiki/index.php/Carrier_APN_Settings, but Google is your friend.

Q. Are the Android releases available in a ROM?

No, Android is not yet available in a ROM format.

Currently Android is installed by using a clean SD Card, and booted from there.

It is booted by running a special application called 'Haret.exe' residing on your SD Card which will terminate the Windows kernel and boot into Linux/Android.

When will it be available in a ROM?

No time soon. Folks are working on it, but you'll need a lot of patience before it (if ever) arrives

How do I suggest features?

Before you even think about it... ask yourself ONE question... "Do I really think I'm the first to have suggested my idea?" and then ask yourself "And what are the chances of it being read and implemented before all the other issues are fixed?".

If you still feel it wise to ask for a feature.... go ahead. Don't say you weren't warned.

My question starts with the words "When will..." or "When is..." etc

See above, the same applies. Stuff will appear when it appears. Do you really think you're the only person dying to have GPS support, or power off, or stability etc?

Why doesn't the camera work?

It's not yet supported. When it is, it will be announced.

Why isn't GPS working?

GPS has only just been enabled (May 2010), so might still be problematic, however, it's working well for many users.

My battery doesn't seem to last long, why?

There are many reasons... first Android is not yet fully optimised for power management (so it's not YET as good as WinMo), secondly, the battery status is highly problematic for most users (don't trust the capacity Android tells you, it's simply up and down a lot, and highly inaccurate)

Does WiFi work?

Yes, it's working for most people, suspected to cause slight heat, definitely drains the battery faster than WinMo. Some users have reported freezes when switching WiFi off (quite common problem)

Does Audio work?

Yes, speaker working for most people, microphone can have issues.

I keep hearing 'popping/clicking' sounds from the speaker?

This is a known annoyance on some devices, believed to be related to power management switching the speaker on and off (not confirmed), it actually seems worse in silent mode (ironically). If you experience this, you're not alone... most users do. When a fix is ready, it will be announced here.

I can't wake up my device, why?

Deep Sleep is an issue for most people. Sometimes the device WILL wake up from a deep sleep, but sometimes it will not. If you can't wake it up, reset.

Is GPRS supported?

Yes, it works (but you MAY have to input your operator/carrier APN

Is 3G working?

Yes, works for most, although some users are having trouble with Vodafone Netherlands.

Is SIM PIN Code working?

In recent releases, it should be supported for most devices, however, if you have any difficulties with it please DISABLE SIM PIN in WinMo (SIM PIN works on the SIM, but you need WinMo UI to disable it)

Is GSensor working?

Yes, screen only handles 0 and 270 degrees though (so far)

Is Bluetooth working?

No, it's not yet implemented. As soon as it is, it will be announced.

Is 3D Supported?

OpenGL ES is not supported yet. 3D GPU support IS currently being developed and available for some devices, but it's still a bit buggy... so beware.

Can I connect via USB?

Yes you can, but will NOT operate in mass storage mode. You can charge via USB and you can debug, but forget accessing your files by it.

Is the Headphone Socket working?

This is being worked on, with mixed results, so the situation can change very often.

Initially, you should just try and see, but if you have no success, try to activate it with a special command:

For USB headset, add the following line to startup.txt...

snd.force_headset=1

For 3.5mm headset, add the following line to startup.txt...

snd.force_headset=2

You MAY have to make a call for the settings to actually be activated (a real pain), but that's how it is so far!

'Application (xxxxxx) is not responding: Force Close or Wait' keep appearing on my screen!

Click wait. I do not know the precise reason for this, but from what I can gather, it COULD be related to the slow speed of the SD Card causing the app response times to JUST be a little too slow for Android's liking, thus causing the message. This seems to happen more after bootup or wakeup when the device is busy doing stuff in the background.

I am having trouble with ringtones, why?

This is believed to be caused by the media scanner failing (due to discovering some filenames with none English characters). The best option of all is to use a CLEAN SD Card. But, if you insist on hosting other files on the same SD Card, you MUST make sure they have English character filenames.

I seem to be able to boot Android, but then get a black screen after all the white text, why?

This is a recent issue with the 3D hardware support... sadly it's a little complicated... SOME devices need to be put in 3D mode BEFORE you launch Android, and some devices need precisely the opposite.. NO 3D access before you launch Haret.... So...

To avoid using 3D...

1) Turn off Sense/TouchFlo in WinMo.

2) Reboot

3) Launch Android again

4) At the black screen.... WAIT for 2 mins, it should boot :-)

To use 3D...

1) Run any 3D app / game (I THINK Teeter will work, need to be confirmed)

2) Launch Android

3) You will need to do this EVERY time you launch Android