42 replies to this topic

[sack_patrol]

I had to get a phone on a contract since I'll be traveling to the US soon and my phone/internet/tv provider said that this was the only way to be able to send and receive calls from outside of Canada. I got the cheapest option and apparently all they have are those new fancy touchscreen smart phones. All this to say that I haven't owned one of those before and I know very little about what is ACTUALLY free and what isn't as free as one might think. There's all these different apps n stuff that can be downloaded as well as the regular internet and browsing ability. My question is, is WiFi on these phones free or is there some kind of fee that needs to be paid apart from my internet that is for my PCs at home? Like maybe you pay x$ per minute the internet is being used be it for downloading stuff or browsing or sending emails, etc.

According to the provider the wifi is free, but I tend to take everything they say with a grain of salt due to their tendency to misinform customers. So ya, I dunno if they mean that as long as I have the phone connected to the internet, it behaves like a PC meaning that whatever I do and no matter how long I stay connected, it's all part of my internet bill and not some sort of extra to the phone bill, or if they mean that certain apps are free and the SERVICE of wifi is free, but using it is extra. God knows how they're trying to swindle.

The reason I'm asking is because my trip will be about 13 hours and it would be pretty damn nice to be able to stay connected and chat through skype or do other stuff like browse the internets or whatever... but if I gotta pay extra for all that... then it's a no no since I didn't even want the damn phone in the first place.

Edited by sack_patrol, 15 April 2012 - 08:55 PM.

[Muchoman1]

if connected to the wifi with your phone, it wont go onto your data bill for that phone, but will count to usage on whatever network the wifi is from

[NikoDG]

That being said you could fill your entire phone with apps, music, etc and it probably wouldn't even dent the usage of the network, so you'll be safe there. Just be careful using the Internet when you don't have wifi, I have yet to see a month where I haven't exceeded my usage

[Stonerboy779]

Wifi is free and with android 2.3 and later it is super easy to turn of data roaming in the notification bar if you wan't to be doubly sure you don't start using your mobile data and instead only use your wifi.

With android versions prior to 2.3 you can turn off data roaming but its a pita unless you find a good widget on the google play store.
With iPhones I assume you can turn it off but honestly don't know, same for symbian and windows i would assume you can turn data roaming off.

Turning off data roaming will not affect your ability to make or receive calls and texts and you wont be charged for any data you use via wifi.

[sack_patrol]

Thx for the replys. This is good news I guess... It's a samsung galaxy gio with android OS I guess.. But yea, it connects to the internet exactly how you would connect a laptop to a wireless network. I haven't seen any other way to connect. Mainly this roaming stuff. I think I came across it once when I was looking around the options and it was off so I guess I'm ok.

[sack_patrol]

Does anyone know what 'app' i need to download in order to be able to watch flash videos? Like online streams and stuff... Apparently the adobe flash player 11 in the google play store isn't compatible with this model so I don't know what I need. My current version is Gingerbread 2.3.4. on Galaxy GIO S5660m.

thx.

[Stonerboy779]

Head to xda there will be an answer there.

But not compatible? That's so weird and your running 2.3 hmmm.

Here is a link to an apk that may work for you.
http://forum.xda-dev...d.php?t=1504968

Edited by Stonerboy779, 16 April 2012 - 11:44 PM.

[sack_patrol]

thx i'll give it a try but isn' it for a completely different phone mode? how come there isn't an official adobe flash player download? except the one thats not compatible with my phone

When i google this through the phone it says that it's not compatible, just to clarify.

From what I've read everyone is talking about 'rooting' the device which someone said voids the warranty, which I don't want to do quite yet. Although it does seem to yield some nice benefits. I'm guessing it's a sort of phone overclock?

Edited by sack_patrol, 17 April 2012 - 12:12 AM.

[Stonerboy779]

Rooting has all sorts of benefits. Right now I am on my x10 that has been rooted and is running a custom rom. It is what the stock rom should have been.

It's more responsive and the person that made the Rom ported features from other phones and cut out a lot of the bloatware.

Then over and underclocking as well as undervolting. I have added a mild overclock to the max CPU speed while still undervolting it from stock. A very large underclock and undervolt on min CPU speed and custom power profiles that make it run at the lower state until power is needed and when the screen is off I have the max speed at a third because it doesn't need the power then.

Warranty is void true but unless you toast the phone you can always flash it back to stock and relock boot.

No idea why it's just weird to my knowledge all phones running android 2.2 up had flash support. Either way that apk should work for you. To install copy it to your sd card download and instal a file explorer (like astro or something) make sure in settings-applications that "allow installation of unknown programs" is ticked. Then using the explorer program make your way to the apk and open it.

[sack_patrol]

Rooting has all sorts of benefits. Right now I am on my x10 that has been rooted and is running a custom rom. It is what the stock rom should have been.

It's more responsive and the person that made the Rom ported features from other phones and cut out a lot of the bloatware.

Then over and underclocking as well as undervolting. I have added a mild overclock to the max CPU speed while still undervolting it from stock. A very large underclock and undervolt on min CPU speed and custom power profiles that make it run at the lower state until power is needed and when the screen is off I have the max speed at a third because it doesn't need the power then.

Warranty is void true but unless you toast the phone you can always flash it back to stock and relock boot.

No idea why it's just weird to my knowledge all phones running android 2.2 up had flash support. Either way that apk should work for you. To install copy it to your sd card download and instal a file explorer (like astro or something) make sure in settings-applications that "allow installation of unknown programs" is ticked. Then using the explorer program make your way to the apk and open it.

k thx for the info. i might just end up rooting it. lol

Edited by sack_patrol, 17 April 2012 - 07:28 AM.

[sack_patrol]

I'm having trouble finding any information on how to create a back up of my phone though. Right now it's been Factory Restored so it's exactly as it was when I bought it and I'd like to create a back up of this state so that in case of a brick I can revert back to this state. However I can't find any guides explaining the process.

[OwinC]

Have you checked Android Central?