Tom's Two Cents

OK, so maybe this isn’t a “complete” guide, but it brings together many of the bits and pieces of tutorials I have found for importing contacts into Gmail from several of the major email and address book applications. Feel free to add or suggest additional ones in the comments, but as I have mentioned in other tutorials, I am only posting to be helpful (use at your own risk, etc, etc). This does not make me your technical support for life.

Introduction

With the release of Verizon’s DROID, and with several other new Android phones on the way, more and more people are making the switch from older PDAs and smart phones to Android. A big part of this involves moving contacts (names, addresses, and emails) over to Gmail, which syncs with Android. Many of us have accumulated contact information over time using other applications such as Outlook or Palm Desktop. This guide is meant to help people import contacts easily into Gmail, which will then sync automatically with their Android devices. Gmail offers a way to import contacts from other email applications and address books (up to 3000 contacts at a time).

The entire process can be divided into two main parts: (1) exporting contacts from the old program, and (2) importing contacts into Gmail. Part 1 depends on which program you are exporting from. Part 2 will be the same for all programs.

Part 1: Exporting contacts into a CSV file

Read more…

Related Posts:

• Moving contacts from Blackberry phone to T-mobile’s G1
• 10 months with an Android
• Dear Google…
• Upgrading Android G1 From Older CyanogenMod Versions to 4.2.3.1
• B&N Nook: I run Android!! Please root me!!

Android Address Book, addresses, Android, calendar, contacts, CSV, email, Gmail, Google, import, Mozilla Thunderbird, Outlook, Palm Desktop, sync, tutorial, vCard

I finally got around to upgrading to the latest Android CyanogenMod (4.2.3.1), and my G1 is noticeably faster now.  Cyanogen must have done some serious optimizing, so this update is definitely worth the trouble. I’ll spare you the details, but if you are upgrading from a Cyanogen Mod version lower than 4.1.99, this update will put you back in compliance with Google’s Terms of Use.  It was a pretty simple upgrade once I found the right instructions (there are lots out there).

Keep in mind that by providing these instructions I am not agreeing to provide you with technical support for the rest of your life. The instructions are for the G1 ONLY, so if you have a MyTouch or something else you will need to look elsewhere. Use at your own risk, blah, blah, blah…

Adapted From CyanogenMod Wiki:

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Android 4.3.2.1, Android, Cyanogen, root, upgrade

Barnes & Noble’s Nook e-book reader runs Android! (gotta love the name… “Nook e-book” is every bit as good as the Wii for puns and jokes!) I’m not surprised to see that Nook is powered by Android, especially after running across a dual boot Android/XP netbook and a “dualbook” (part e-reader, part Android netbook) called the enTourage eDGe. The Android operating system is definitely designed for more than just cellphones. It’s an OS for mobile devices.

So while I understand there are limitations with the refresh rate of the E-Ink display, it’s hard not to get carried away thinking about the possibilities. I’ll be honest, I was not really interested in the Nook until I heard it will run Android. That changed everything. So while some complain that Nook would be great if it only had text-to-speech or a web browser, I don’t really care about the current features anymore. (Yes, their e-books are overpriced.) Someone is going to hack this thing, and that will be the point at which it becomes amazing and irresistible. Let me put it this way: 10-inch screen+wifi+micro-sd slot+color touchscreen+Android+root=Awesomeness!

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Android, Gadgets, Openness, Rants Android, e-book reader, e-reader, nook

Back in October 2008 I started using Google’s first Android phone, the T-mobile G1. By the end of January 2009 there were 800 Android apps compared to over 15,000 iPhone apps. Of course, the iPhone had been around for well over a year at that point. But I think 2009 will be the year that Google Android really comes into its own as more than a dozen new models of Android phones are introduced. There are definite pros and cons to going with an open platform like Android, and I hope I can offer a realistic view of the good and the not-so-good that I have experienced with my Android G1 phone so far.

New Favorite Apps

I am still very happy overall with my G1. Especially now that I have root access to my phone I can do even more, like tether my laptop to my phone’s Internet connection via wifi. At the 1-month mark I made a list of my top 20 Android apps. That list has changed quite a bit, so here is my new list of top 20 Android apps. Interestingly, only 5 of these apps were on my first list 9 months ago. They are marked in bold. All the apps below are free unless marked otherwise.

1. Where – Displays movies, weather, etc. based on your location. It also has voice recognition and Yellowbook search, which presents you with address and phone numbers of businesses based on your location which you can then call or look up on a GoogleMap with a click or two.
2. BeyondPod ($2.99) – A Podcast app that allows you to manage podcasts and even update them over wifi. (So iPod Touch, why can’t you do this?)
3. Sky Map – Allows you to see stars, planets, and constellations just by holding your G1 in the direction you want to look (including the ones beneath the horizon). The digital compass, accelerometer, and GPS to move your phone around and see different areas of the sky. A very cool example of what augmented reality (AR) apps can do.
4. Wikitude – This is another great augmented reality app, but this one lets you “see” cities and landmarks close to you by holding the phone in front of you and turning in any direction. Selecting the names on the screen pulls up the web page for that city or point of interest in wikipedia.
5. Places Directory – Google’s version of Where. I can’t decide which one I like best so I use them both. Places uses you location to look up restaurants, shops, parks, and other points of interest. You get addresses and phone numbers you can use to locate or call whatever it is you are trying to find.

   Read more…

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Android, Gadgets, Google, Instructional_Technology, Reviews, Tech Tools Android, G1, Google

UPDATE: Here is a different set of instructions that is specifically for beginners, including an app that does most of the work for you: http://androidandme.com/2009/08/news/how-to-root-a-t-mobile-g1-and-mytouch-3g-android-phone/

Please note: I have recently switched from JF 1.5.1 to the latest Cyanogen ROM (v.4.0.2). More details are available here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=537204

With the G2 out and a total of 18 Android phones expected by year’s end, I am happier than ever with my G1. Why? Because I have root access and a second battery There are lots of forums and blogs that describe how to root a G1 Android phone, but first I want to focus on why you might want actually want to do it.

Others have compiled lists of pros and cons for rooting the G1 phone, but I want to focus more on the specific apps that make rooting the G1 totally worth it to me. Normally, Android only lets you copy/paste links, but the rooted G1 (running JF 1.5.1) has a nifty feature that let’s me copy text from anywhere. (I do this a lot, so this is one less reason to bring the laptop.) With a rooted G1 you can hold Shift, scroll anywhere on the screen, click the scroll ball once to start selecting, and click it again to stop the selection — it automatically copies your selection to the clipboard. It also has a the iPhone’s multi-touch feature for the browser, if you care about that kind of stuff.

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• Upgrading Android G1 From Older CyanogenMod Versions to 4.2.3.1
• 10 months with an Android
• The Complete Guide To Importing Contacts Into Android’s Gmail
• B&N Nook: I run Android!! Please root me!!
• Torrent Droid: The coolest Android app ever!

Android Android, apps, G1, JF 1.5.1, Reviews, root, tether, wifi

I just saw Torrent Droid, the Android app that allows you to scan a barcode from your Android phone and initiate a bit torrent download on your computer at home. It’s not currently available anywhere, but that doesn’t stop it from being the coolest Android app ever. Of course, this should not be used for downloading proprietary stuff… just all the free stuff that has barcodes. Seriously, though, I see a totally new delivery vehicle for (even legitimate) digital products. Forget the bit torrent part for a sec. You scan a movie, an album, or a software package in a store, and the product makes it home before you do. What if it gave you a 25-50% discount over the lowest store price? I would probably do it just to bypass all the useless packaging. (This could be done with 2D barcodes on billboards as well.) Of course, some of you are probably thinking, ‘What’s wrong with a 100% discount?’ We won’t go there…

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• The Complete Guide To Importing Contacts Into Android’s Gmail
• Upgrading Android G1 From Older CyanogenMod Versions to 4.2.3.1
• B&N Nook: I run Android!! Please root me!!
• 10 months with an Android
• How To Root Your G1 Android Phone (and why you might want to)

Android Android, G1 Android Apps, Torrent Droid

I was concerned about how I would move all my addresses and phone numbers from my Blackberry Pearl to my new Google Android phone, but it went really smoothly thanks to a very nice vCard to CSV Converter I found online. I was able to export my addresses from both Outlook and Apple’s Address Book app to vCard format. From there, I used the converter to make CSV files that would be Gmail compatible (so as not to lose any data). Then from the Contacts section of Gmail, I used the Import link to import all these CSV files. Gmail did a great job of merging all my duplicate contacts, since it had already stored email addresses for many of them. The creepy thing about this is that now Google has all my contact info. The cool thing is that now I can access it from any computer or phone (so I won’t have to do this again if I stick with Android phones). So please Google, remember not to be evil.

Related Posts:

• The Complete Guide To Importing Contacts Into Android’s Gmail
• Upgrading Android G1 From Older CyanogenMod Versions to 4.2.3.1
• B&N Nook: I run Android!! Please root me!!
• 10 months with an Android
• How To Root Your G1 Android Phone (and why you might want to)

Android, Gadgets, Google, Hardware, How To's, Tech Tools Android, contacts, import