First World Problems

[Janet]

Oh, I definitely bought the wrong thing. I bought the cheapest available Android for Tracfone on sale at Amazon. ZTE Valet, I think it's called, for forty bucks.

[BrotherMan]

If it makes you feel better, and it should, I had some trouble figuring out how to do some things with my Incredible. You know, stuff that isn't in the manual.

First: I don't know if these guys will be helpful at all, but maybe searching the forum can help.

That's how I usually solve my problems, a large amount of googling.

For me to add my own alarms, ringtones and notifications, I had to plug into the computer and select the option that allowed me to mount the phone like a drive. Looking at my setup, I was able to create folders on the phone called alarms, notifications and ringtones. Adding whatever audio files I wanted (mp3 or wav) into the folders and then was able to select them through whatever personalization gui I needed to.

If I want to listen to podcasts or music, there's a folder on the SDCARD drive labeled MP3 that I put them in.

I'm saying this and hoping that all Androids are Androids when you dig down deep enough.

[Miisa]

You have a folder for podcasts? I just let a podcast app deal with the nitty-gritty.

Which reminds me of my problem. I have too many podcasts on my queue, like 50 of them, and have a hard time catching up as more keep being downloaded. I have had to skip lots of old ones and "save for later", which means I will probably never listen to them and will thus miss what could be VITAL information.
My phone may be too smart and is trying to educate me at a pace I cannot handle with my limited smartz.

[BrotherMan]

I used to have a podcast app but then Google Listen went away because Google Reader went away. I haven't found an app I like to replace it.

[Miisa]

Yeah, I had to try out several before I found one I liked.

[Dingfod]

Have your smartphone play the podcasts to you in your sleep. You wake up knowing all the things! Or did I dream that?

[Miisa]

My bluetooth headset would run out of battery and start yelling at me, waking me up.

[JoeP]

I thought that noise was the cats.

[Janet]

I finally got Gmail off, by deleting all the memory and disabling it. There were dire warnings about disabling it, but I did it anyway. Then I had to still manually delete the over 150 contacts it mined from every e-mail I've sent or received for over five years. Seriously!? Then it had the nerve to squawk at me that 161 were too many contacts to delete and make me verify it AND hook up the wifi to delete them. Not sure why the wifi had to be back on to delete contacts, but that's what it took. I still haven't cleaned everything out because I'm not sure from the delete screen which of my siblings are mined e-mail addresses and which are phone numbers I put in. :shakeandroid:

[ImGod]

I get my cell phone through work. Which means every 2 years when it comes up for renewal I have to reinstall everything. Because IT.

The worstest part is IT controls some of the settings. Like how long before the screen logs off and requires a password. It's been set to automatically lock 5 seconds after sleep for the last 2 years.

That means if I'm interrupted by anything, like say I have to sneeze, I must type in my password again.

Sure it's free and has unlimited data, but FIVE SECONDS.

[Miisa]

The IT department would like to encourage you to reclaim your life and get a real phone of your own. Increased sanity not guaranteed, but quite likely.

[ImGod]

Giving me a phone means I'm always on call. Four years running now.

If I got my own phone, I'd have 2 because they'd still give me one I have to carry with me at all times for work related stuff.

My wife carries 2 cell phones. One work, one personal.

We're swimming, or is it drowning, in cell phones.

[ImGod]

On an unrelated note, I drove a car the other day without a backup camera and GPS. WTF were people thinking back then not putting GPS/camera systems in a car?

I had to crane my neck around like I'm flexible or something so I wouldn't back over people.

Then figure out where I was going without the little car symbol tooling around on a map next to the radio. I had no idea what minor street was coming up next.

I could have used my phone, but it was all the way in my pocket.

[Dingfod]

Being required to be "on call" is a major factor in my accepting a promotion or not. Right now I am not "on call" ever, and I have days off in the middle of the week (which I like), and a seven day "long weekend" every four weeks (I would rather have more time off between shifts than the so-called long weekend), and I make about 25% over my base because of overtime pay. They're not going to give me a 25% raise.

[Miisa]

I used to carry my work phone around with me when we got extra time off from what was in the contract. Now they work us harder and longer so screw them. Them and the phones they tried to bribe us with.

[Janet]

So, I just logged into my Gmail account and the reason it needed to sync was that it deleted all my contacts from there, not just from my phone.

[JoeP]

Because, obviously, that's what it thought you wanted

[ImGod]

My IT department logged into my PC once and found an IM program they said I shouldn't have on it and deleted it, along with all of my past conversations and contact information. Then they called to tell me about it. They had installed it and I was using it for work to correspond with traders who barely know how to operate a tele-type-phone anymore.

So IT reinstalled a new and improved different IM that was "approved for use", but it has ads at the bottom and blocks Google accounts. They actively block google stuff which is funny since the government my wife works for is standardizing on all business google based stuff. Chrome, gmail, chat.

[Stormlight]

I accidentally uninstalled an app from my phone and had to re-download and install it. On 3G. It took forever! At least 2 minutes. Fucking hell!

Why do bad things happen to good people???

[Sock Puppet]

My IT department STILL won't allow installation of any browser other than their heavily-customized version of IE. Which means, not only am I stuck with IE at work, but also web pages read it as an outdated version of IE and many flat-out refuse to let me visit them. Sometimes I'm even forced to do work instead of web browsing. Jesus.

[BrotherMan]

[Dingfod]

I have so many Facebook friends now I don't know most of them.

[Hermit]

It's 1.6°C outside now. The reverse cycle air conditioner is keeping the temperature at a steady 20° in my study and bedroom, but I already dread the next electricity bill.

[ceptimus]

In my car there is a button that allows me to select whether the air for the air conditioner is sucked in from outside the car or recirculated from within. So far so good, but the button only sends a signal to an electric servo motor which then moves a flap on the air con unit from one position to the other.

And there is something wrong with the flap or servo motor as it now makes an annoying clicking sound for a few seconds whenever I start the car or press the button.

[curses]

It rained today so I overslept and missed brunch. I had to eat lunch like the folks who have been up since 5AM.