Where are SD apps?

[calguy19]

chrstdvd -

Thanks for the assist. xplorer just keeps posting those smug and sarcastic posts, which may boost his own eqo and sense of expertise, but I just find him to be annoying and useless. By way of some personal background, I have a PhD in Physics from UC Berkeley, worked in high tech here in SI valley for more years than I would like to admit. Paid to hunt down and resolve impossibly difficult technical issues in technical R&D. Patents, publications, talks, the whole bit. I've seen all kinds of "technical guys", some competent and some like explorer, who needs to show everyone how smart they are by taking shots at those around them. xplorer seems especially fixated on doing this, distorting my posts, pointing out all the vital details I left out, other excuses why he couldn't offer up a simple answer based on the information presented, u.s.w. I no longer find the need to respond to him, much less look at his posts in the hope of finding anything of use. In that regard, I won't be responding to his next salvo, sure to follow forthwith.

For the rest of you guys - thanks for the inputs. I'm sure you realize your answers to me are primarily a vehicle to extend the understanding of the other forum members following this thread, who may find themselves facing a similar situation with their downloaded apps.

And for those of you who may be reluctant to post your questions here - don't let my experience with this overly sarcastic "expert" prevent you from posting your questions - guys like him are in the extreme minority, serve no useful purpose, and are best ignored. The rest of us are actually here to help each other.


tnx

 

[chrstdvd]

Look calguy, explorer might be a PHD in some other discipline. Who cares, I have a BSBA Accounting for what that is worth.

Ur a PHD in Physics? Do you think you could make me understand that I am on a ship traveling the speed of light, I shine a spotlight in front of the way I am going. Why the light I shine is not going 2X the speed of light?

Or were I to launch a ship from the original ship that can obtain the speed of light, in the same direction, why it is not going 2x the speed of light in the same direction? The theory just drives my pea brain nuts.

I am so tired of "in reference to". Who cares, if I launch from a platform moving that magic speed, and I can obtain the speed of light, why am I not going 2x the speed of light, relative to any reference point?

I love physics, but I can not understand it. I just can not wrap my mind around this bull****.

If there is gravity, there has to be anti gravity, a force that could be used to maneuver a vehicle in a gravity field.

If there is matter, there has to be anti matter which can be harnessed for power.

It all starts with this BS that the speed of light is a constant.

I have been reading all this new stuff about the bending of space and time. Go to
Google news, Sci tech and daily, you can read the latest.

None of it makes sense to me. Can you help me?

[email protected]

 

[chrstdvd]

Well sorry forum members, I know my last post had nothing to do with this forum, but how many times in an existence can you actually talk to someone why might make you understand a concept you always wanted to understand.

 

[calguy19]

chrstdvd is a good guy, so I sent him an email about relativity, quantum mechanics and such by private email.

Back to missing apps...

 

[MissSpiffy]

9 months later but I am compelled to give my input. I was lead to this discussion via a google looking for just this answer. As a person coming here to find help, I just have to say...Xplorer was NOT helping, but I was amused nonetheless, so thanks for that at least. It seems a lot of times know-it-alls tend to look for opportunities to show-off and feel superior and exploit those opportunities.

So the moral of the story is, using the system's process of moving apps to the SD card does NOT save the app nor is it a means of backup. This process simply enables you to move the bulk of an app's storage to an external source, thus freeing up that precious internal memory that androids are often wont to crave. Without the App first being installed onto the phone via traditional means, those files are useless. However, reinstalling the app should link you up with any past saved data that your SD card is holding on to.

If you actually want to BACK UP those apps so you can feel safe doing a system wipe, then use one of the apps previously discussed. I've used AppBrain and have been a big proponent of it in the past. It basically links to your gmail account and keeps track of your installed apps for you, without actually storing anything; since it works like dropbox, it can be accessed from any/multiple android devices. Additionally, browsing Appbrain.com is an easy way to find the apps you want via a PC.

 

[chrstdvd]

How fitting that on my last day withi this Droid 2, someone would drag up this thread. Calguy did indeed send me an email with lots of advice for me to study. I still do not get it, but I study daily some of the theories. At 64 I doubt I ever will get it but it is fun using the graphing programs and other goodies calfuy turned me to.

Anyway my new iPhone 4s arrives tomorrow. I have been on that forum asking questions and getting ready for the transfer of what I can transfer from this to that. I have gone Thu the app store and downloaded the compareabe apps to my computer so they will be in the iCloud and ready to install on new phone. And by the way,there are some very cool physics apps free in the app store. Can't wait to play around with them.

See Ya android world. It was fun.

 

[calguy19]

Miss Spiffy -

Thanks for the input. Since I first got my droid I ran into quite a few technical prolems. Froyo was chock full of bugs (Gingerbread update seems to work much better). Frankly, I've found this forum of very limited use in finding solutions, so I resort to other means. I'm pretty good with computers and developed an intuition on how things work, and how to fix problems. Sometimes it takes a while, working my way down the list of things to try. In this case, I found moving apps from phone to SD card just reduces the phone memory required, by moving the bulk of the app to SD, but transferring the SD card DOES NOT SAVE THOSE APPS OR MAKE THEM USABLE, either on a new phone, or a wiped phone. Also, there are apps that will save the names of the apps you installed, but not tha actual .apk files. I also found out that if you go to https://market.android.com/mylibrary from your computer, the apps are all there, and supposedly you can use that site to download the apps directly to the phone via the phone's gmail link between that site and your phone, altho I haven't tried that. What I HAVE since done, is use one of the many free file manager apps that will back up the corresponding .apk files already on the phone, to the SD card. One of the easiest to use is Astro File Manager. It allows you to back up all your apps (except those flagged as "private") to a folder you select on the SD card. It also lets you restore any of those apps back to the phone any time you wish. Especially useful if an app update is ca-ca, so you can reinstall the previous version. ES File Explorer, File Expert, and a few others also let you back up installed apps, but they are somewhat less convenient to use, both for backing up, and restoring, altho they all work.

Yes, the member you referred to seemed less motivated to help out other members less familiar with the droid (a temproary condition. I have since learned quite a bit more about the phone) than to show other "how smart they are". They provide no useful benefit to the group overall, except, perhaps, motivating us to look for other means to resolve our technical problems.

Additionally a few other problems I posted early on received no replies at all. Again, the problems were resoved by resorting to other means. As of now, if I do run into technical issues with the phone, my first reaction is not to submit the problem to the Droid forum, but to go to into my normal "computer debug" mode.

Again, thanks for the observations and feedback.

cg19

 

[calguy19]

Chrstdvd -

Coincidentally, I was just at a local Apple store this afternoon. They had the iphone 4 (but not the 4S) on display. It's really a nice phone - much more compact than the Droids, more responsive, probably more stable, but is does have less capabilites. The google voice recognition on the Droid is uncanny. Works with better than 99% accuracy, even in noisy environments. Works great for searches (internet and local), responding to text messages, and issuing phone commands. Siri, on the iphone 4S might do a pretty good job, but the "assistant apps" using voice on the droid (Voice Actions, Speakdroit) just don't seem to work very well. They are easily confused, and get get too "chatty" if they don't understand your request, and in many cases, just don't understand simple requests. Anyway, hope you enjoy the new phone. The Apple store did have many flowers and other tributes to Steve Jobs in front of the entrance. Like most folks, I was very sorry to hear of his recent passing. It is so rare whan a single individual actually makes the company, as well as revolutionizes an entire industy. Stay hungry, stay foolish, and RIP.

 

[chrstdvd]

One last note. U can back ur internal memory (all APK's on ur phone) to ur computer using the Android SDK and ADB commands. It is not like an SBF file, U can not flash it back to ur phone. But U can copy individual apk's back to ur SD card and use the app SDK Installer to reinstall the app back on ur phone. I have not some this in ages, but I saw three of my backups on my computer today when I was making a list of stuff to delete if I really do like my iPhone.

 

[calguy19]

I'm more of a lightweight user. I don't have the SDK for the phone, my phone isn't rooted (don't know if you have to root the phone to use the SDK or access "private parts" of the phones internal memory). About 95% of the apps are not flagged as "private", so the .apk's can be backed up to the SD card for installation elsewhere, or re-installation on the same phone. None of this requires rooting or special utilities, just a basic free file manager app. Private apps tend to be the ones you purchased, so they stay on the market even if you log into your account from another phone, and can be re-downloaded. This method can be used by anyone, without superuser capabilites. The .apk's can also be copied to your computer from the SD folder with a USB cable, which "attaches" your SD card to your computer as an accessible hard drive. Those files stored on your computer can later be copied to your phone.

 

[chrstdvd]

Yep, u need root to use the SDK and ADB and have or learn the basics of Unix/Linux commands. It really is not difficult. For ur needs it would only be beneficial should U ever get an app that U suspect will be pulled from the Market. Then U would only need to copy that apk and odd file to ur hard drive.

I am sure U are a proficient programmer, as I did a few searches for the best programming language for a physic major. Most of the hits were from Srs, or Masters candidates. Of course there were Tons of suggestions but not one perfect answer.

 

[chrstdvd]

Yep, u need root to use the SDK and ADB and have or learn the basics of Unix/Linux commands. It really is not difficult. For ur needs it would only be beneficial should U ever get an app that U suspect will be pulled from the Market. Then U would only need to copy that apk and odd file to ur hard drive.

I am sure U are a proficient programmer, as I did a few searches for the best programming language for a physic major. Most of the hits were from Srs, or Masters candidates. Of course there were Tons of suggestions but not one perfect answer.

 

[calguy19]

Yep, u need root to use the SDK and ADB and have or learn the basics of Unix/Linux commands. It really is not difficult. For ur needs it would only be beneficial should U ever get an app that U suspect will be pulled from the Market. Then U would only need to copy that apk and odd file to ur hard drive.

I have an app, Music Mate, that finds and downloads mp3 files for free. Most of those similar apps come and go on the android market. Completely legal? Not sure. (But you sure as hell won't be able to do that on your iPhone. You'll pay 99 cents for every song you download). I saved the .apk for that one (actually, ALL my apps) using Astro File Manager. Again, virtually any app can be backed up in this way without the use of any advanced tools or techniques. I'd recommend that for everyone with an Android phone. I have over 200 downloaded apps. Astro has a "select all" feature that allows you to back up all your apps. Takes about 10 minues to back up the whole mess. It's lists are also color coded: white=installed app not backed up, green=installed app that has been backed up, red=app that has been updated, but the updated version has not been backed up. Mighty handy.

 

[chrstdvd]

I have programs on my computer that do that stuff.
If U want I will loan U this phone which is GB rooted. Then U could play with terminal emulator and root explorer to see how they compare to Astro. U could also check out Titanium and see how it works, freeze, unfreeze, uninstall, reinstall from backup etc.

Just do not mess with my personal stuff. The phone will not work but it will still be live with WIFI to surf get email and other functions.

Then when ur done send it back to me.

 

[bsm23]

I used an app called On the Fly backup.........I still have the old phone. But when I put the sd card in the replacement phone....nothing. Any advice? Before I send the old phone back to the ins. company. (dropped it in water) And I really am not a techy person.....so, feel free to call me stupid.