Tom Caswell

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  • The Complete Guide To Importing Contacts Into Android’s Gmail

    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

    (more…)

  • Upgrading Android G1 From Older CyanogenMod Versions to 4.2.3.1

    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:

    This guide will tell you how to upgrade from an older version of CyanogenMod to the latest and greatest versions!

    1. Download: Android 1.6 Recovery Image. Look for the 1.6 recovery image called “signed-dream_devphone_userdebug-ota-14721.zip.” FWIW, you won’t be able to download it from your phone because there is a weird popup license you need to agree to.
    2. Download Cyanogen’s ROM (v4.2.3.1 – stable version, updated 10/31):
      Download: http://n0rp.chemlab.org/android/upda…3.1-signed.zip
      Mirror1: http://android.phaseburn.net/mirrors…3.1-signed.zip (more…)

  • 10 Essential Apps For A New PC

    I just set up a newly purchased Windows PC, and I decided to keep track of the programs I consider important to getting up an running. Here is what I have so far, and I am open to suggestions:

    1. Firefox: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/products/download.html
    2. VLC Video Player (this baby will play anything) http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
    3. Uninstall Norton Antivirus – even if it’s free. Same with McAffee Antivirus. Stay away from these bloated apps! If you want virus protection, I suggest AVG Anti-virus Free Edition: http://free.avg.com/us-en/download
    4. Flash Player: http://fpdownload.adobe.com/get/flashplayer/current/install_flash_player.exe
    5. Open Office: http://download.openoffice.org/ (you’ll need this unless you have MS Office)
    6. iTunes (includes Quicktime): http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
    7. Primo PDF lets you print/save to a PDF: http://www.primopdf.com
    8. Skype: http://download.skype.com/SkypeSetup.exe)
    9. Pidgin multiple IM client: http://sourceforge.net/projects/pidgin/
    10. I usually install the following 10 Firefox add-ons. Not all will be useful to you, but the first 5-6 might be: (more…)

  • I bought a PC…

    HP_laptopI have used primarily macs for the past 3-4 years, but yesterday I bought a PC. I got it mainly so I can travel with a smaller, less expensive laptop, but I was expecting to have to settle for a gutless netbook. What I found was a nice little dual-core mini notebook. Frankly, I’m amazed at what you can get for $499 these days, but maybe that’s because I am used to buying Apple laptops that cost 3 times as much. I am normally not a big fan of HP, but so far I am happy with the quality and feel of the 13″ HP dm3-1035us laptop. The brushed aluminum design and keyboard remind me somewhat of a 13″ macbook pro (although the HP doesn’t have backlit keys). It weighs just over 4 pounds and has a 5-6 hour battery. My only gripe is the track pad, which is small and a smudge magnet (I made a screen protector for it so it wouldn’t bug me). The HDMI port is also a plus. Overall it seems to be a good travel laptop that can handle just about anything you throw at it — including games.

    3G Modem Easter Egg? Interestingly, while it’s not listed in the official specs, the dm3-1035 appears to have a 3G modem built in — or at least support for a 3G modem. There’s a SIM card slot hidden under the battery, and some are claiming that it works with a broadband AT&T SIM. Others claim that an additional module is needed to make it work, so this could be a manufacturing error that varies from model to model. HP hasn’t enabled the modem, but others have posted the utility that apparently makes it work. An interesting hardware Easter egg, to say the least!

    Model dm3-1035us ($499 after $50 rebate at Office Depot):

    Here are the specs:

    • AMD Athlon Neo X2 1.6 GHz dual-core processor L335
    • 13.3″ LED widescreen display with BrightView and 1366 x 768 resolution
    • 4GB DDR2 SDRAM (expandable up to 8GB)
    • 320GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 rpm); Optical drive not included
    • ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics; up to 1470MB graphics memory and 128MB display cache memory; AMD M780G with 64MB GDDR2 sideport memory.
    • (more…)

  • B&N Nook: I run Android!! Please root me!!

    nookBarnes & 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!