android
Friday, February 19 2016
[19:44:42]
matt [wronka.org]/Trip
Surprisingly, Panasonic released an updated for their Android-based DMC CM-1 phone-camera. About two months to fix Stagefright, but they actually patched it!
Sunday, December 7 2014
Lollipop/ART issues; Firefox Weave
[18:37:08] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.cor I've switched back to Android 4.4 (CM-11, "Kitkat"). The following were issues I found with Android 5.0 ("Lollipop"):
* fdroid repos don't work, which is annoying (https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroidclient/issues/111)
* some Activesync servers don't work—I've only seen this reported with Horde (and I had the issue with both 5.0 and 5.2; https://bugs.horde.org/ticket/13702)
Back on CM-11, using the ART runtime, Firefox Sync (Weave/"Deprecated") also fails, apparently with a Unicode string error. It works fine with Dalvik. I don't know if this would have been an issue on Lollipop as well which uses ART by default. I didn't look for a specific bug for this, but was surprised that this sync was still supported since it was supposed to go away several versions ago (https://bugs.horde.org/ticket/13702). Apparently work on making the new service easy to use by third parties is either hard or just not a priority—the whole issue seems to have been bungled and now everyone's stuck with a mess. (https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=989756#c14)
I also missed some of the UI elements from CM-11, like the circular battery indicator (is this a theme added by CM?) The settings menu was also more usable on CM-11. In general, Lollipop seemed to waste space, although I had mixed feelings about the task switching interface (it did seem to show more options at once, but made the active surface a bit small on a phone screen). A lot of Lollipop was flat, and Apple-like, looking pretty without giving the user any indication of whether interfaces were scrollable or otherwise how to interact with the device.
Unlike other reports, I did not run into any issues with WiFi or battery life on Lollipop—in fact, both seemed to be at least as good if not more reliable than on CM-11 and CM-10.2 but I don't have any objective tests for that. Specifically, I thnk my worst battery behaviour was in part to K9 synching my mail, and I haven't set that back up.
[18:37:08] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.cor I've switched back to Android 4.4 (CM-11, "Kitkat"). The following were issues I found with Android 5.0 ("Lollipop"):
* fdroid repos don't work, which is annoying (https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroidclient/issues/111)
* some Activesync servers don't work—I've only seen this reported with Horde (and I had the issue with both 5.0 and 5.2; https://bugs.horde.org/ticket/13702)
Back on CM-11, using the ART runtime, Firefox Sync (Weave/"Deprecated") also fails, apparently with a Unicode string error. It works fine with Dalvik. I don't know if this would have been an issue on Lollipop as well which uses ART by default. I didn't look for a specific bug for this, but was surprised that this sync was still supported since it was supposed to go away several versions ago (https://bugs.horde.org/ticket/13702). Apparently work on making the new service easy to use by third parties is either hard or just not a priority—the whole issue seems to have been bungled and now everyone's stuck with a mess. (https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=989756#c14)
I also missed some of the UI elements from CM-11, like the circular battery indicator (is this a theme added by CM?) The settings menu was also more usable on CM-11. In general, Lollipop seemed to waste space, although I had mixed feelings about the task switching interface (it did seem to show more options at once, but made the active surface a bit small on a phone screen). A lot of Lollipop was flat, and Apple-like, looking pretty without giving the user any indication of whether interfaces were scrollable or otherwise how to interact with the device.
Unlike other reports, I did not run into any issues with WiFi or battery life on Lollipop—in fact, both seemed to be at least as good if not more reliable than on CM-11 and CM-10.2 but I don't have any objective tests for that. Specifically, I thnk my worst battery behaviour was in part to K9 synching my mail, and I haven't set that back up.
Saturday, December 6 2014
Hacking Android/Cyanogen Email in KitKat and Lollipop
[17:51:38] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.cor Work switched from Zimbra to MicroSoft Exchange some time back, and I've stopped synchronizing my calendar with my Nexus 4 since then (instead using my Handspring Visor Edge). The reason was straight forward: the MicroSoft server wanted the ability to wipe my entire device.
This seemed like overreach, and after talking with people in IT, it wasn't intentional, it was just the default. The changes in the AOSP code are pretty straightforward to disable this. I've posted diffs for both KitKat and Lollipop: http://matt.wronka.org/stuff/projects/icpp/android/cyanogenmod/
The KitKat changes also include some clean-up of CM code I didn't find useful (CMUpdater, CMAccounts), these aren't in CM12 yet. If you'd rather cherry-pick the changes for CM11 or AOSP 4.4 there are two AOSP applications to patch: http://matt.wronka.org/stuff/projects/icpp/android/aosp/4.4/
It looks like a lot of refactoring went into the Exchange services in 5.0, the patchset is smaller, but there's a new issue as reported to horde: https://bugs.horde.org/ticket/13702
I can confirm that this is an issue with Android 5.0—the effect is that the device appears to sync, but when it is about to complete it removes all data it received. I have not looked into fixing this yet but appears unrelated to Horde itself.
For now, full builds are at:
http://hume.matt.wronka.org/~matt/tmp/cm-12-20141204-SNAPSHOT-CNJ-mako.zip (Nexus 4, Android 5.0/CM12/Lollipop)
http://hume.matt.wronka.org/~matt/tmp/cm-11-20141122-SNAPSHOT-CNJ-mako.zip (Nexus 4, Android 4.4/CM11/KitKat)
http://hume.matt.wronka.org/~matt/tmp/cm-11-20141114-SNAPSHOT-CNJ-crespo.zip (Nexus S, Android 4.4/CM11/KitKat)
[17:51:38] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.cor Work switched from Zimbra to MicroSoft Exchange some time back, and I've stopped synchronizing my calendar with my Nexus 4 since then (instead using my Handspring Visor Edge). The reason was straight forward: the MicroSoft server wanted the ability to wipe my entire device.
This seemed like overreach, and after talking with people in IT, it wasn't intentional, it was just the default. The changes in the AOSP code are pretty straightforward to disable this. I've posted diffs for both KitKat and Lollipop: http://matt.wronka.org/stuff/projects/icpp/android/cyanogenmod/
The KitKat changes also include some clean-up of CM code I didn't find useful (CMUpdater, CMAccounts), these aren't in CM12 yet. If you'd rather cherry-pick the changes for CM11 or AOSP 4.4 there are two AOSP applications to patch: http://matt.wronka.org/stuff/projects/icpp/android/aosp/4.4/
It looks like a lot of refactoring went into the Exchange services in 5.0, the patchset is smaller, but there's a new issue as reported to horde: https://bugs.horde.org/ticket/13702
I can confirm that this is an issue with Android 5.0—the effect is that the device appears to sync, but when it is about to complete it removes all data it received. I have not looked into fixing this yet but appears unrelated to Horde itself.
For now, full builds are at:
http://hume.matt.wronka.org/~matt/tmp/cm-12-20141204-SNAPSHOT-CNJ-mako.zip (Nexus 4, Android 5.0/CM12/Lollipop)
http://hume.matt.wronka.org/~matt/tmp/cm-11-20141122-SNAPSHOT-CNJ-mako.zip (Nexus 4, Android 4.4/CM11/KitKat)
http://hume.matt.wronka.org/~matt/tmp/cm-11-20141114-SNAPSHOT-CNJ-crespo.zip (Nexus S, Android 4.4/CM11/KitKat)
Thursday, November 13 2014
[19:45:44]
matt [wronka.org]/Lilith
WTF is this new circular time selector in KitKat? I didn't think Android could create a worse interface for selecting time than it previously had.
Thursday, June 13 2013
[14:03:05]
matt [wronka.org]/Trip
I could not find a scheduled meeting on my Android device. I figured it was because the date might be outside it's sync period, despite being set to "all", and the event recurrence going well into the future. Apparently the issue was that Android's calendaring system could not handle an event occurring twice a week.
Friday, June 7 2013
[13:09:24]
matt [wronka.org]/Trip
Adding #define OPENSSL_NO_ENGINE to wpa_supplicant fixed my WPA2 connection issues with Jelly Bean (4.2.2). Engine support in wpa_supplicant is ifdefed to only Android, and seemed like an obvious difference from a "normal" deploy. I'm not sure what the ramifications of this are, but would hazard a guess that possibly SIM-based authentication to WiFi might be affected?
Thursday, June 6 2013
[05:00:47] matt [wronka.org]/navic I got an Android device because I got fed-up with the broken WPA2 support in Nokia Belle on the E6-00.
Apparently I should have searched through the Android issue tracker first:
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=40065
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=51221
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=34212
Basically, the current version of openssl added new versions of TLS (new being used liberally) and many routers, technically broken, won't work with it.
This bug dates back to mid-2012, looks to have been fixed in later versiosn of 4.1 and broken again in 4.2. It's broken in the latest Nexus 4 (Mako) Cyanogen RC.
It's annoying.
Monday, June 3 2013
[19:38:23]
matt [wronka.org]/Trip
The Android password limit is an unbelievably short 17 characters.
[19:44:28]
matt [wronka.org]/Trip
I wish I knew why the Android UI designers didn't see the benefit in providing an indication to the user when there is an input-validation error, something like Maemo's alert message which appears at the top of the screen for a brief time before fading in this situation.
Thursday, February 21 2013
IPv6 on Mobile
[03:40:59] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.generay T-Mobile supports native IPv6; I played around with it a bit on my N900 during their open beta phase. It's now mainstream, and rolled into their standard APN which anybody who's signed-up for an account in the last six years or so would probably be on (apparently some of my phones are still on the old Voicestream APNs which have at least recently still worked). According to them, only certain Android phones still work (half of them are Nexus brands). All recent Nokia phones (S40, Symbian) dating about at least five years should work fine too, the S40 phone I had has an option for it but I seem to recall it didn't work during the beta phase, and Nokia didn't want to support it.
Nokia Belle (S60) on the other hand was as easy as selecting "Advanced Options" from the network definition (when not connected) and changing the type from "IPv4" to "IPv6"; everything works from that point on. Well, except the native SIP client which wouldn't connect anymore (to my IPv4 server) and my J2ME Jabber client which wouldn't connect to (or resolve, I'm not sure which) the server. All synchronization, Opera Mobile, and in-built eMail worked fine; but the SIP client is a deal breaker.
[03:40:59] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.generay T-Mobile supports native IPv6; I played around with it a bit on my N900 during their open beta phase. It's now mainstream, and rolled into their standard APN which anybody who's signed-up for an account in the last six years or so would probably be on (apparently some of my phones are still on the old Voicestream APNs which have at least recently still worked). According to them, only certain Android phones still work (half of them are Nexus brands). All recent Nokia phones (S40, Symbian) dating about at least five years should work fine too, the S40 phone I had has an option for it but I seem to recall it didn't work during the beta phase, and Nokia didn't want to support it.
Nokia Belle (S60) on the other hand was as easy as selecting "Advanced Options" from the network definition (when not connected) and changing the type from "IPv4" to "IPv6"; everything works from that point on. Well, except the native SIP client which wouldn't connect anymore (to my IPv4 server) and my J2ME Jabber client which wouldn't connect to (or resolve, I'm not sure which) the server. All synchronization, Opera Mobile, and in-built eMail worked fine; but the SIP client is a deal breaker.
Tuesday, March 29 2011
[18:46:40]
matt [wronka.org]/mobile
However, despite some additional polish to the UI--which is significantly improved upon Nokia's first touch interfaces and those of th N97--it still lacks the feeling that is present in newer platforms like Android and Maemo.
Wednesday, February 23 2011
Not Quite Ready For Prime Time Operating Systems
[16:17:33] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.dementia http://bohmian.org/disc/Google_Nexus_S_first_impressions
We just got Jamie's Android phone in the mail yesterday, the venerable Google-branded Nexus S--currently the state-of-the-art in Android phones.
It's not immediately obvious how to get a calendar onto the device.
[16:17:33] matt [wronka.org]/Psi.dementia http://bohmian.org/disc/Google_Nexus_S_first_impressions
We just got Jamie's Android phone in the mail yesterday, the venerable Google-branded Nexus S--currently the state-of-the-art in Android phones.
It's not immediately obvious how to get a calendar onto the device.
Wednesday, September 8 2010
[14:17:11]
matt [wronka.org]/Merch
MeeGo is effectively killing the best part of Maemo, the community. The draft of the spec is in RFC stage, but it sounds like it'll be an up-cliff battle at this point for MeeGo to have a full-fledged dependency-checking package managent system. Instead, the steering committee (Intel and Nokia) are hoping to convert it to use a restricyed Android/IOS packaging model in the hopes, apparently, of catching-up with the other platforms. The packaging system for Android is a simplicity for the system; it isn't an ideal, and it certainly isn't the secret sauce. If Nokia wants to try and copy Android/IOS it should look to the the development model (actions) of Android and the perceived simplicity of IOS' UI.
Thursday, June 24 2010
[18:40:37]
matt [wronka.org]/dementia
Reading prox's entry, the following line jumped out "Android Market is a centralized shop for applications for rooted and non-rooted phones, which I found strange."
Monday, May 24 2010
[14:21:34]
matt [wronka.org]/tkabber
Lyons notes that when he talked with an "Apple spokesbot" about the recent NPD report that claimed Android phones were now out-selling iPhones in the US, he was "shocked" when he was told that the numbers were misleading because of Apple's larger installed base.
"I was shocked because it's a familiar line, one that I've heard countless times in my 20-plus years covering technology. But I've only ever heard it from companies that are doomed and in total denial about it."
Lyons appears to have come to the same conclusion that many users — and, perhaps more important, developers — with whom The Reg has spoken have arrived at: that Apple under Steve Jobs has morphed from a imaginative company focused on creativity and dialog into a condescending, selfish dictatorship.
"As sick as I am of my iPhone's dropped calls," Lyon writes, "I'm even more sick of Apple treating us all like a bunch of idiots, stonewalling and bullying and feeding us ridiculous explanations for the shortcomings of its products — expecting us to believe, basically, that its flaws are not flaws, but strengths. Steve Jobs has created his own precious little walled garden."
"I was shocked because it's a familiar line, one that I've heard countless times in my 20-plus years covering technology. But I've only ever heard it from companies that are doomed and in total denial about it."
Lyons appears to have come to the same conclusion that many users — and, perhaps more important, developers — with whom The Reg has spoken have arrived at: that Apple under Steve Jobs has morphed from a imaginative company focused on creativity and dialog into a condescending, selfish dictatorship.
"As sick as I am of my iPhone's dropped calls," Lyon writes, "I'm even more sick of Apple treating us all like a bunch of idiots, stonewalling and bullying and feeding us ridiculous explanations for the shortcomings of its products — expecting us to believe, basically, that its flaws are not flaws, but strengths. Steve Jobs has created his own precious little walled garden."
Tuesday, April 13 2010
Fancy Small Computers
[19:49:41] matt [wronka.org]/kerberos I remember a time, not so long ago, that it was difficult to find a small computer that was portable and had a long battery. The OQO looked intriguing, but it would continue to be vaporware for several years. The only thing I could find was the Fujitsu Lifebook P-series, which at the time was using the exciting new Transmeta Crusoe chips designed for energy efficiency. Unfortunately, even compared to the computers of the day, that laptop was slow.
These days "netbooks", much to the shagrin of Psion, are bountiful--often running on Intel's x86-compatible Atom processor, although increasingly running on ARM Snapdragons (supported by Maemo, Android, and Ubuntu Linux distributions among countless other variants). Jamie just got an Assus EeePC that's running Ubuntu; my mother has an Acer Aspire One running some MicroSoft version. I borrowed the EeePC and didn't want to give it back, it's really well done given a single-use mentality (the Netbook Remix variation of Ubuntu is very Mac-like).
The question I find myself pondering is what do I really want? I recently picked-up the Nokia N900 which runs at a decent clip, the Maemo 5 (Fremantle) interface is pretty snappy, and I've really gotten used to the touch interface for anything non-productive ("consumptive") tasks. It's actually a very amazing machine that in practice is very much like that P-2110 but smaller.
In the end there's a lot of small options, and they each have a different niche to fill--but I'm not sure how much overlap they all have. It could be that one covers too much of another's niche, making two distinct devices redundant. I can carry the N900 instead of the E61; but it doesn't replace the Neo when I need a small pocketable phone. I could carry the EeePC on trips where it would take-up less space than the MacBook, and still have a phenominal-for-a-laptop keyboard to compose messages or configure machines, or even do work albeit on a small screen. But what does that really get me? A slightly bigger screen (2") and a bigger keyboard, at the cost of another device--and one that doesn't have a ubiquitous Internet access at that.
If more areas had converted to municipal WiFi, it might be a different situation.
[19:49:41] matt [wronka.org]/kerberos I remember a time, not so long ago, that it was difficult to find a small computer that was portable and had a long battery. The OQO looked intriguing, but it would continue to be vaporware for several years. The only thing I could find was the Fujitsu Lifebook P-series, which at the time was using the exciting new Transmeta Crusoe chips designed for energy efficiency. Unfortunately, even compared to the computers of the day, that laptop was slow.
These days "netbooks", much to the shagrin of Psion, are bountiful--often running on Intel's x86-compatible Atom processor, although increasingly running on ARM Snapdragons (supported by Maemo, Android, and Ubuntu Linux distributions among countless other variants). Jamie just got an Assus EeePC that's running Ubuntu; my mother has an Acer Aspire One running some MicroSoft version. I borrowed the EeePC and didn't want to give it back, it's really well done given a single-use mentality (the Netbook Remix variation of Ubuntu is very Mac-like).
The question I find myself pondering is what do I really want? I recently picked-up the Nokia N900 which runs at a decent clip, the Maemo 5 (Fremantle) interface is pretty snappy, and I've really gotten used to the touch interface for anything non-productive ("consumptive") tasks. It's actually a very amazing machine that in practice is very much like that P-2110 but smaller.
In the end there's a lot of small options, and they each have a different niche to fill--but I'm not sure how much overlap they all have. It could be that one covers too much of another's niche, making two distinct devices redundant. I can carry the N900 instead of the E61; but it doesn't replace the Neo when I need a small pocketable phone. I could carry the EeePC on trips where it would take-up less space than the MacBook, and still have a phenominal-for-a-laptop keyboard to compose messages or configure machines, or even do work albeit on a small screen. But what does that really get me? A slightly bigger screen (2") and a bigger keyboard, at the cost of another device--and one that doesn't have a ubiquitous Internet access at that.
If more areas had converted to municipal WiFi, it might be a different situation.