Want to go Android, please help a newbie

[lakedude]

I see some people who look blazing fast typing on their smartphone. Although really good with a querty keyboard I'm super slow on my smartphone, mostly because I rarely tap out anything on it. I'm pretty fast on a regular keyboard, probably 40-60 WPM, can't imagine abandoning my laptops. Even have a new rig (small tower) punching one of my new TCL 43" 4K displays, which doubles as a monitor and a TV. I'm using a wireless keyboard I bought for a tablet a few years ago with that.

If typing on just your phone predictive text can help. Before my wife had a full keyboard she had all the keys memorized and could type super fast on just a numerical keyboard, the kind where it takes several strokes for each letter.

I use DeX which allows for a keyboard and mouse. We have a wireless keyboard with a trackpad hooked to the TV DeX. I'm using a regular keyboard and mouse right now to type this.

It also puts the phone in desktop mode with real windows just like a computer. Check out this screen shot:

 

[lakedude]

The last time I turned my computer on was to print our tax return. I couldn't figure out how to print to my old printer from the phone. I think it is super easy to print to a modern printer but my old Canon not so much.

 

[lakedude]

The phones you bought are not top notch but should be fine for what you are doing.

DeX would require a Samsung Galaxy S8 or 9.

We got a heck of deal from Tmobile. We paid only about $200 each for our S8 and S9 phones. We pay $35 even each for unlimited data for our first 2 lines and $20 for our 3rd line. With unlimited data we were able to tell our land base service goodbye. So far Tmobile has been much more reliable (no wires to break or get dug up) and much cheaper than the land based service was. We are lucky to have a tower close.

Once you get your phones just tinker around with them. They will want you to sign in to your Google/Gmail. Everything keys off your Google account. Check out the apps you already have. Once you get the basics of your phone head to the Play Store and search for apps you might want, like Roku.

 

[Muse]

Check out this screen shot:
View attachment 3429

That, I assume, is an external display, not the one on your Samsung phone? Hard to imagine computing on a 5 or 6 inch screen, but if you are using your phone as a computer with an external display, keyboard and mouse, yeah, that's very impressive.

The book I'll be getting from the library (probably tomorrow) is Android phones & tablets / by Dan Gookin ... one of the Dummies series. I have a couple of Windows 10 tablets, cheapies (~$100). I like them because they enable me to run my personally developed database system remotely... not by internet, but yeah, by wifi off my server locally. And I keep a copy of that data on the tablet (either one, I have a 2nd because the first's screen broke so I bought another, then I fixed the first one's screen).

If I could figure out how to run my Microsoft Visual Foxpro app on an android computer, I'd really think about ditching Windows. I don't know that it's possible. In any case, my Windows phone won't run it either, but the Windows tablets do.

The last time I turned my computer on was to print our tax return. I couldn't figure out how to print to my old printer from the phone. I think it is super easy to print to a modern printer but my old Canon not so much.

I got a midrange B&W Brother HL-5470dw laser duplexing printer around 3 years ago to replace my ancient HP4M Plus. The HP printer was a workhorse, really designed for workplace heavy duty, not the home, but it printed beautifully. It lacked 2 features... duplexing and wifi. I'm using my Brother via Wifi only and I love the duplexing. I could print from a phone with it I'm pretty sure but don't. I paid over 10x as much for the HP printer and in today's money that would probably be over 20x!

 

[Muse]

I just downloaded that Android Phones & Tablets book by Dan Gookin book as a PDF for free and put it on my Kindle!

If typing on just your phone predictive text can help.

I can't remember ever using predictive text except in a browser to anticipate the site I'm going to (which I really like!). I don't think I'd like predictive text on a smartphone. I don't know for sure because I haven't used it, but I've seen other people complain that it really annoys them. My thinking was that they didn't know they can turn it off (I assume they sure can turn it off!).

 

[lakedude]

Good find on your online copy of the book.

Predictive text might not be the proper name. I'm talking about the words that pop up as suggestions just above the number keys. There are usually 3 choices but you can just ignore them.

Yeah 27 inch monitor with keyboard and mouse for one phone and a 55 inch 4k TV with Wireless keyboard and trackpad for the other. Works pretty darn well except I've not yet found replacements for all my Windows apps just yet. That and the printer thing.

 

[Muse]

Good find on your online copy of the book.

Predictive text might not be the proper name. I'm talking about the words that pop up as suggestions just above the number keys. There are usually 3 choices but you can just ignore them.

Yeah 27 inch monitor with keyboard and mouse for one phone and a 55 inch 4k TV with Wireless keyboard and trackpad for the other. Works pretty darn well except I've not yet found replacements for all my Windows apps just yet. That and the printer thing.

Might be possible to port my data to something that wouldn't require Windows, but it would probably give up a whole lot of cool functionality I programmed into the Microsoft app. Calling it an app seems weird, it's actually a full blown application development environment, it was my one real career.

Your description of that "predictive text" functionality sounds very cool. Sounds brilliant. I see people blazing on their phones but have no idea what they're really doing. I figure texting, but it's just a guess.

 

[lakedude]

There is an "auto correct" that people complain about. Sometimes it works great but sometimes it will not allow you to type the word you want. That can be frustrating.

DeX really throws a monkey wrench into the works. The way the keyboard and mouse interact depends on the app. It can be a challenge trying to remember all the slightly different ways of doing things. The external keyboard works completely differently than does the one on the phone. The mouse also works differently. For example when looking at Google Maps in a browser the middle mouse wheel works for zooming just like in Windows and all is good. Look at Google Maps in DeX with the Google Maps App and the middle mouse wheel does not work so you need to do some weird click and drag to zoom. The trackpad makes for even more fun. Some things require a double finger drag to work.

On a typical Android phone you would pinch your fingers together or spread them apart to zoom or pan out.

Since you have been on Windows computers and had 3x Windows phones you are in for a bit of a learning curve going to Android.

 

[Muse]

How do I determine if the LG Rebel 3 L158VL can access Google Play? The for dummies book indicates that some low price Android phones can't and are stuck with the manufacturer's app store.

Edit: This review says

• Access to over 1 Million Apps on Google Play

Man! 1 million apps... that could keep you busy!!!

 

[Muse]

Since you have been on Windows computers and had 3x Windows phones you are in for a bit of a learning curve going to Android.

I started reading that for dummies book on my Kindle. It's written by the same guy who wrote the first for dummies book, DOS for Dummies. He's really good, has a sense of humor, a real wit. I didn't read that DOS book, I took a course in DOS at local city college. I just ran into the notebook I used for that course today! Hadn't seen it in years. Back in the early 1990s! It was also an introduction to the PC. Took a few other computer courses there.

The Android for Dummies book is designed/written to be a reference, not something you read cover to cover. You look up something of interest to you. But the beginning was a good place to start. Has an index, too. And, of course, my having the PDF lets me search. I've already picked up a lot of great hints and guidance.

 

[lakedude]

Went to Play Store and searched for Roku, found this:

 

[Muse]

The same phone I just ordered is for sale at Amazon, a T-Mobile version for $29.00.

Just ordered one. Now I have 3 coming, two Tracfone, one Simple Mobile (T-Mobile). Doesn't matter, I don't expect to use data on any of them, just Wifi.

That Roku app... Roku tech support told me private listening by headphones off the smartphone (Windows phone!) wouldn't be supported, that being the reason it wasn't working for me. Today I read a question at Amazon on one of the TCL Roku TVs had a reply by TCL that the Roku app's Private Listening feature just works for streaming. I was watching live OTA TV. That could be the reason it wasn't working, gotta check. Hard to believe that Roku support wouldn't have known that, but I suppose it's possible. Sucks if it's true, I may have bought 3 Android phones that won't be of particular use to me. Paid less than $100 for all 3 though.

 

[Muse]

Went to Play Store and searched for Roku, found this:View attachment 3452

That's a screen shot, can you post a link to those 284K reviews? Thanks!

 

[Muse]

Well, I'm chastened for sure. Just read around 20 reviews of the Roku app at the Play Store. Issues issues issues. Everybody has a different story. Just called Roku support, gotta dame who's English was tough to understand, got handed over eventually (at my insistance) to a woman whose English was far better. The upshoot of this is that yes, watching live TV through my TCL TVs and their antenna connection will not have headphone support via the Roku app, period. NOT supported... bummer! But, there may be good reason to like having those 3 Android phones and the Roku app, anyway. More than one reviewer noted the keyboard support of the Roku app... that will make it easier to search for streaming resources than the TV's remote, whose keyboard support is byzantine. I guess I should just relax!

At least the 3 new TCL 43" TVs I just bought have a headphone jack, it was a feature I insisted upon. Most of the Samsung TVs of that size do NOT have a headphone jack! Having headphones through the smartphone you're wearing is obviously ergonomically superior than having your headphones plugged into a device elsewhere, but that's the state of things ATM. Maybe my next TV will support it... Hey, 40 years ago mobile devices and apps weren't even conceived yet AFAIK. I used to be a sci fi buff, don't remember anyone anticipating the technical revolution we're having. Hey, who needs sci fi when you have the 21st century?

 

[lakedude]

You might try a headphone jack to bluetooth adapter paired to bluetooth headphones.

 

[Muse]

You might try a headphone jack to bluetooth adapter paired to bluetooth headphones.

That would work, I think.

Bluetooth occurred to me today as a way I can effectively get cordless headphone support using those TVs. The only Bluetooth I've engaged in up to now is a mouse I got for my tablets. Seems I could only use that mouse with one of the tablets, not both. It's a limitation of Bluetooth, it seems.

 

[lakedude]

Checkout the Sennheiser RS120 and similar products if you don't want bluetooth or something like this TaoTronics if you do:

 

[Muse]

Checkout the Sennheiser RS120 and similar products if you don't want bluetooth or something like this TaoTronics if you do:

View attachment 3470

Well, the Fedex guy shows up today with my box with two LG Rebel 3 L158VL 4G LTE phones.

I unboxed one and did some setting up, entered my Google account credentials, opted not to enter the phone's number (it doesn't have one and presumable won't have one). I went to the Play Store and downloaded a handful of apps, including 2-3 weather apps. One app I could swear I didn't ask for but it looks to be some kind of office suite (?), Polaris Office. It was the first downloaded, I figured, why not?

I then searched for "roku" and it found a few things, and I figured what I wanted was the Roku Mobile app, which was around 16MB. I fired it up and like the one on my Windows phone, it started looking for Roku devices on my network. I turned on the TV and it found it. The interface looks rather different from the Windows phone version. Similar but different. It includes the headphone icon conspicuously absent from the Windows Roku Mobile app. I tapped the headphone icon and a message pops up saying headphone support is for Roku streaming and for digital TV channels. I'm, huh? Roku support told me personally a day or two ago that it works with Roku streaming only, not with antenna TV. I figure it's not gonna work, but holy smokes, it does work with live antenna (my rooftop antenna) TV! TCL support regularly monitors Amazon customer reviews for their TVs and twice I saw them say you're SOL if you want headphone support for live antenna TV. They posted it yesterday in answer to my direct question:

Does Private Listening work on TCL 43S405 using Roku app on Android phone watching live OTA TV, i.e. headphones?

TCL's reply right there to my Amazon question for that TV:

Private listening within the free Roku mobile app only works for streaming content. The TV itself has a headphone jack located among the other inputs that you can use for private listening with the HDMI ports or other inputs. Hope this helps! Thank you, TCL Customer Support

Well, both Roku and TCL were dead wrong, it does support headphone "Private Listening" for live antenna fed TV! Who knows, maybe my needling them over the last few weeks prompted them to include that. Seems unlikely, but possible. Of course, I just downloaded the latest version.

I'm really green right now, don't even know how to get to the desktop or home screen or whatever you call it, or how to close an app or start one or find one. I saw 3-4 icons on the desktop, figure you tap or double tap them to open.

 

[lakedude]

No need for bluetooth! Well done!

 

[Muse]

Before I could look for weather apps or Roku Mobile app I was prompted to download Polaris Office. I figured, hmm, is this a basic productivity suite? Why now, I downloaded it. What is it?

 

[lakedude]

Don't know about Polaris Office. Weather Bug works well for me and it is free with in app adds.

 

[Muse]

Well, did some more researching. The Tracfone LG phones I bought are CDMA, Tracfone branded. If I were to get a plan it would have to be Tracfone. They won't unlock the phone without my using it for a year. Their plan would be using Verizon towers, which is probably the best I can get around here, better than T-Mobile or AT&T. Their cheapest plan is $15/month for 200 minutes, 500 text messages and 500MB data. My current plan for my Windows phone on AT&T network via MVNO (Airvoice) is $10 for 250 minutes at 4 cents/min OR 500 text messages at 2 cents/min OR 500MB data at 2 cents/MB, or slice and dice to add up to $10. Overages I don't even know because I don't go there. Unused $$$ roll over, which is very cool. AFAIK, the Tracfone plan would have no rollers.

Tracfone's plans suck compared to other MVNO's on Verizon. If I get another Android phone (likely) I think I'll look for unlocked on CDMA and get some $10 plan, not locked down and if I need/want more I'll look for another plan.