Some Interesting Android build.prop Parameters

The /system/build.prop file on Android devices contains parameters that control various functions and information on the device. Here are some that are of interest. Note: to make changes to this file, your phone must be rooted.

Increase the VM heap size, probably not a good idea on low end phones with limited memory:
dalvik.vm.heapsize=48m

Draw the UI using the GPU instead of the CPU
debug.sf.hw=1

Decrease dial out delay
ro.telephony.call_ring.delay=0

Increase scrolling responsiveness
windowsmgr.max_events_per_sec=180

Increase scan time for wifi APs (saves battery)
wifi.supplicant_scan_interval=120

Save battery
pm.sleep_mode=1
ro.ril.disable.power.collapse=0

Disable debugging icon on statusbar
persist.adb.notify=0

Disable boot animation for faster boot
debug.sf.nobootanimation=1

Force launcher into memory
ro.HOME_APP_ADJ=1

Prefix "3g" on lock screen
ro.ril.enable.3g.prefix=1

Some of these didn't work on my LG Vortex or had no noticeable effect. Specifically,
dalvik.vm.heapsize=48m (I have limited RAM so I didn't try it)
ro.telephony.call_ring.delay=0 (I had no need to try this one either)
ro.ril.enable.3g.prefix=1


If the parameters are not in the build.prop file, just add them. You must reboot the device for the changes to take effect. 

Playing Encrypted DVDs in Ubuntu

By default, Ubuntu doesn't install the necessary software to play encrypted DVDs for legal reasons. In order to play them, install the following software:

sudo apt-get install libdvdnav4 libdvdread4

You might also need the following if they are not already installed:

sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly

After this, run:

sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

Enjoy your DVDs!!

Making Tab Completion Case Insensitive in Bash

When using the bash command line, I prefer to be able to type "cd dow" and then hit Tab and have bash fill in Downloads. By default, in order to access Downloads, I would have to type an uppercase "D" ("cd Dow") and hit Tab. Luckily, this is very easy to change.

Simply type the following at the prompt:

set completion-ignore-case on

To make it permanent, add the line to either /etc/inputrc or $HOME/.inputrc. The next time you log in this will be set automatically.

My Top 10 Android Utilities

I thought I would share some of my favorite Android utilities. All are available in the Market and all are free or have a free version. Here goes.

1. Zeam Launcher - Free: A lightweight launcher replacement with scrolling application bar. Double tapping the screen provides a quick way to select a screen.

2. ES File Explorer - Free: A fantastic file explorer. It can work with SMB shares, FTP servers, and Dropbox.

3. Dropbox - Free: Sync your files with Dropbox and use this app to access them wherever you are. Sign up using this link and get yourself (and me) an extra 250MB for free: http://db.tt/kH58cVw

4. Advanced Task Killer - Free w/ ads: Use this to end battery draining programs that run in the background. Also has an ignore list that won't kill apps you select.

5. Sparse RSS Reader - Free: Simple and lightweight RSS reader without all of the bloat.

6. OS Monitor - Free: Check CPU usage, memory usage, network connections, log files, etc.

7. KeePassDroid - Free: Access your passwords on the go. Keep it synced with Dropbox and your passwords will always be up to date. Unfortunately, it is read only for .kdbx (2.x) databases.

8. ZDBox - Free: Monitor battery usage, data usage, task killer, app lock, uninstaller, and cache cleaner.

 

9. Miren Browser - Free: Fast web browser to replace the default browser. Includes tabbed browsing, flash support and bookmark management.

10. Speedtest - Free w/ ads: Who doesn't like to check their connection speed occasionally?

Fixing Missing Icons in Ubuntu 11.04 Notification Area

Ubuntu 11.04 introduced a whitelist system for the notification area (systray). Only programs listed in the whitelist can display their icons in the notification area. Here is how to add applications so their icon will be shown.

First, install "dconf-tools" if they are not already installed.
sudo apt-get install dconf-tools

Type Alt-F2 and type "dconf-editor". Navigate to Desktop->Unity->Panel. Now you have two options: enable icons for all applications or just specific applications. To enable all applications, change the value of systray-whitelist to ['all']. For specific applications, add a comma and the application name in single quotes to the end of the list.

Finally, log out and then back in. Your icons should now show up in the notification area.

Rooting my LG Vortex Android 2.2.2

[Boring Disclaimer] - Rooting your phone voids your warranty and can potentially kill it. I take no responsibility for anything that happens to your phone by following the steps below. Use at your own risk.

I've debated rooting my LG Vortex for a while. I don't really need root access, but I don't like being locked out of something that I own. I finally decided to do it and the following are the steps I took.

-Download Gingerbreak 1.2 and put it on your phone
-On your phone, go to Settings->Applications and enable "Unknown Sources"

-Go to Settings->Applications->Development and enable "USB Debugging"

-Using a file manager (I use ES File Explorer from the Market), browse to the Gingerbreak file and click it to install it
-From your Application list, run Gingerbreak and select "Root device"

-When Gingerbreak succeeds, the phone will reboot
-Check your application list for Superuser. If it's installed, then you have root access.

Gingerbreak takes a while to run, but, according to it's site, not longer than 10 minutes. The first time I tried, I let it run for about 13 minutes before I aborted. I rebooted my phone and tried again. This time Gingerbreak ran about 8 minutes before it succeeded and then restarted my phone.

That's it! Now maybe I'll try some custom ROMs. If anyone knows of some good ROMs to try, please let me know! I would love to try CyanogenMod but it isn't currently available for the Vortex. :(

Solution for Fan Problems in Ubuntu Running on a Toshiba Laptop

I have been running Ubuntu on my Toshiba Satellite laptop since I bought it. One pesky problem I have is that the fans run full speed. Here is the solution I found that fixes this problem for me.

After a lot of searching I found that I needed to add the acpi_osi kernel boot parameter in order to make the fans work properly. First, I tried it temporarily by manually editing the boot parameters in grub.
-Boot to the grub menu
-Use the arrow keys to select the default Ubuntu entry (usually the first one)
-Press "e" to edit the boot parameters
-Arrow down to the line that begins with: linux /boot...
-Go to the end of this line and add a space and then add: acpi_osi="Linux"
-Press CTRL-X to boot

The above change only lasts for the current session. The change is lost on a reboot.

If this works, we can make this change permanent.
-Use your text editor of choice to open /etc/default/grub. You will need to run it with (gk)sudo, e.g.
sudo vi /etc/default/grub
-Look for the line beginning with GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT
-At the end of the line add: acpi_osi=\"Linux\" (note that since the parameters after the equals sign are enclosed in quotes, we need to escape the quotes around "Linux" with backslashes)
-The line should look similar to this: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi_osi=\"Linux\""
-Generate a new grub config file:
sudo update-grub

Now the default Ubuntu boot selection will include the change and hopefully the fans will work properly.

Foray into 4G

I traded in my 3G USB modem that I use for internet access for a 4G mobile hotspot. The speed difference is quite noticeable. I went from about 700 kbps/400 kbps (down/up) to 5 Mbps/1.5 Mbps. I'm right on the edge of the 4G coverage area but so far I've only seen it drop down to 3G briefly a couple of times.

This change required me to rethink my network layout. With the 3G modem, I had all of my devices connected to my wireless router. I then used the wireless connection on my laptop as the shared connection from the router to the 3G modem. So, can I connect my router to the hotspot? No, at least not running the factory firmware. Enter dd-wrt.

Dd-wrt is firmware that can be flashed onto some routers and opens up functions that are disabled by the factory firmware. I read that dd-wrt can be used in client mode, in which it can connect to another access point like any other wireless device. I have a D-Link DIR-615 Rev C router for which there is a version of dd-wrt, so I thought I would give it a try.

I flashed my router with dd-wrt (that little adventure might be another blog post) and set up client mode. The router is still running DHCP to serve IP addresses to my wired devices. And as expected, it connects to the hotspot just like any other wireless device.

So far client mode is working like a charm and 4G life is great. I still don't see a need for a 4G phone, but for my primary internet access it is definitely an improvement. Dd-wrt is a great project. Check it out if you want to unleash your router's full potential.

YUMI Multiboot USB Creator

My brother asked me to clean up his Acer Aspire One netbook. It had some viruses and was locking up. All of my tools that I use for this sort of thing are on boot CDs. Alas, the netbook doesn't have a CD/DVD drive. So I had to move my tools to USB thumb drives.

It seemed a waste of time and space to have to use a separate USB drive for each of my CDs. I started looking for a way to combine my tools onto a single drive. After some searching I came across YUMI. It is a Windows program that allows you to install multiple operating systems, system tools, antivirus programs, etc. onto a single USB drive. Perfect.

YUMI takes an iso file and copies its contents to the USB drive and creates the appropriate menu entries. YUMI has a list of certain software that it can work with, but if your tool isn't in the list it also has an option to try booting an unknown ISO image.

There is no installation process for YUMI, just download and run. After you agree to the license, the main dialog is displayed.

Select the drive letter that corresponds to your USB drive. You want to make sure you choose the correct drive.

Next choose the software you want to add from the list.

Next, browse to the ISO file and select it. YUMI looks for particular filenames, so if you have a different version than what is expected, you can browse to the folder containing the ISO and then enter *.iso in the filename box in order to find the ISO file.

After selecting the ISO the filename will change from red to green. Notice I used *.iso to select a different filename than what was expected.

Click Create and YUMI will put everything into place. Continue adding tools as needed.

With the price of USB thumb drives these days, YUMI is great for consolidating all your tools and live CDs onto a single USB drive. I now have all of my most used tools on one 8GB USB drive. This is exactly what I was looking for.

Internet Connection Sharing in Ubuntu 11.04 using Firestarter

Unfortunately, my only option for internet access is to use a 3G modem. I need to share this connection with my Bluray player and, more importantly, my Xbox. Firestarter makes this easy to do.

Firestarter is a GUI firewall for Linux that can enable Internet Connection Sharing and has lots of nice features.

I am assuming the network interfaces are already set up and working in Ubuntu. Install Firestarter from the Ubuntu Software Center or from a terminal:

sudo apt-get install firestarter

Start Firestarter which will open a wizard. Click Forward at the Welcome screen. On the Network Device Setup screen, select the interface that connects to the internet. Mine is ppp0 since I'm using a 3G modem. Click Forward.

On the Internet Connection Sharing screen, enable sharing and select the interface connected to your internal network. Mine is wlan0 for my wireless connection. If you want Firestarter to act as a DHCP server for the local network, enable this feature. The default DHCP server settings should be OK. If you have a router on the local network, it is probably already acting as a DHCP server so you won't need to enable it in Firestarter. Click Forward.

On the last screen, click Save to save your settings and start the firewall.

Notes for Xbox Live:
You have to forward some ports that Xbox Live uses. Otherwise the Xbox network test will report a NAT type of Moderate (the goal is type Open). I never had any problems using Xbox Live with a Moderate NAT, but I wanted to set it to the recommendation of Open. Click the Policy tab and open ports 3074 and 88. There are other ports that Microsoft recommends to forward, but these two gave me Open status.

Guake - The ever-present terminal

I use the terminal window a lot. One of the first things I do when I log in to my system is open a terminal window. Occasionally I have two or three open at a time.

Then I came across Guake. It is a top-down terminal for Gnome in the spirit of the console in the game Quake. Press F12 and you have instant access to a terminal window. Press F12 again to hide it. Or if you're a mouse type person, click the tray icon to view/hide the window.

If you're a terminal junkie, it might be worth a look. I'm using it on my Ubuntu 11.04 system without any problems.