Hi mate please can u help as I can’t find gta 3 on my android market

on my Acer a500 tablet its no where to be found can u help me how I

can get it please or if I can contact someone to get up on the market

Androidbloke: 

Hi David,

You can tell easily if the app is compatible with your device, by visiting the link on the android market web page. Click the following link to go to the page Grand Theft Auto III – Apps on Android Market.

Once you have signed in with your Google Market Account, Google Market will tell you if the the game is compatible or not.  See the image on below which shows you were you find the compatibility status.

Quite likely, it will not yet be compatible, as a lot games have not yet got built in compatibility for tablets.  I would suggest clicking the “email developer” link on the page and asking them to publish it for your device. ( who knows maybe they will appreciate the offer of you being a beta tester to help them!)

Hope this helps and thanks for writing in.

If anyone wants help with something on android, feel free to contact me via the “contact Androidbloke” link in the menu

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Well Steve, if you need a phone today- then great news, there are a load of really great Android phones to choose from- some of which will leave you wondering why you didn’t get on the Android bandwagon sooner.

If you are going to be showing off your android phone then you are going to want something that has a large size screen  and is really clear.  You also want something that has built in multi-touch, so you can show off the full power of the platform.   If you are going to be carrying it around with you to show clients then you also need something that’s portable. 

If I was picking out a phone right now I would choose one of the following.

1. HTC Desire- HTC’s flagship device now comes equipped with the latest Android 2.2 and is a veritable superphone.  With a  great SLCD/AMOLED screen and a super fast 1GHz Snapdragon processor the phone looks great and is really snappy and responsive.  HTC’s Sense Custom user interface on top of Android adds some great features such as App Sharing via Twitter, email and facebook as well as upgraded sync to itunes and 720p HD Video recording.  Links: HTC Desire Homepage/ Comparison of latest HTC Desire Deals
2. Google Nexus One – Google worked closely with HTC to make this Android reference Handset.  Similar in looks to the HTC Desire but sports the standard Android 2.2 interface.  Because this is a Google reference design, it is most likely to get the latest versions of Android first.  In addition it also has a dock connector, and noise cancelling microphone at the back to improve call quality.  Links: Google Nexus One Homepage/ Comparison of latest Google Nexus One Deals )
3. Samsung Galaxy S- This is the latest and greatest from the Samsung crowd, which has the largest (4inch) screen and uses the latest in Samsung’s SUPER AMOLED screen technology. Its called super, that is an understatement as the screen is amazing.  Like the other phones it also sports a fast processor but is also able to act as a media sharing device to your telly via DLNA.  Sadly the only drawback is that the phone is still running Android 2.1, although Samsung have promised an upgrade as early as September. Links: Samsung Galaxy S Homepage / Comparison of latest Samsung Galaxy S Deals

If you aren’t Stephen and are wondering what the best phone for you is get in touch- but here is a brief summary of what’s around on the market:

• Best For business- Motorola Milestone- Also known as the famous Droid in the USA, it  has a fast processor and is a really stable and good platform. Also comes with built in support for exchange and a slide out keyboard to help make the transition from your blackberry to Android seamless. Links: Motorola Milestone Homepage / Comparison of Latest Motorola Milestone deals)
• Best For Students- HTC Hero or HTC Legend-  These are smaller form factor phones that will fit perfectly into your jeans pocket whilst you are in a lecture or in the pub drinking (or both at the same time!) They all give you access to the market and apps and also aren’t quite as pricey as the other handsets.  The Legend is the latest version of the HTC Hero and has a better screen and processor, but both phones will more than fit your needs.  Links: HTC Hero Homepage/ Comparison of Latest HTC Hero Deals . HTC Legend Homepage / Comparison of latest HTC Legend Deals
• Best for Budget/ Size- HTC Wildfire- Matching the same specs as HTC Hero, it is the smallest and thinnest phone in the HTC Android range.  It comes standard with a slightly smaller capacitive screen than the other handsets but still has all the main apps present on its market.  Its real strength is in the small size of the phone- and its pure pocketable power.   Links HTC Wildfire Homepage/ Comparison of latest HTC Wildfire phone deals available.

There are some other great Android phones around at the moment, hopefully I will be able to have a review of them and tell you what I personally think of them.  The phones listed above are my personal favourites that I can recommend based on my own use and can vouch for them.  With next month set to have some more great phone launches- I am really looking forward to writing my next month’s edition already.

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am currently an iPhone 3GS user.

I’ve noticed that that two of the biggest droid phones, namely the Incredible and the EVO 4G have not got any UK release dates (if they ever will). Just wanted to know if that was because they were
specifically built for a US Market.
I have got my eye on the Desire and the Legend. Although I am not sure it is getting the Android 2.2 (Froyo) update. If I knew the Legend was going to get the update then I’d probably go for the Legend.
Although I’ve only mentioned HTC phones, if someone can recommend another Droid phone, that is better suited to what I want, then I’d be  all ears.,

Thanks for such a comprehensive question, its a great one to get me going on this new help column.

First of all the easy one.  The Evo and incredible are indeed both designed for USA networks, so they probably won’t be hitting the UK market at least unless there is a change in the networks infrastructure to 4G.  The good news is that if you have checked out androidbloke.co.uk yesterday morning there are already rumblings of a GSM (ie UK network compatible) version of the phones making their way to our UK Shores.

Its quite understandable that consumers like you are doing their homework before they buy a phone and making sure that the latest iteration of android will becoming to it.  I have great news here too.  HTC, being one of Android’s main supporters, has announced that HTC Desire, HTC Legend and HTC Wildfire will be getting Android 2.2 Froyo in Q3 2010, which finishes in September. ( officially confirmed to me by HTC in a previously blog post) Obviously there is a slight chance the date may slip a bit, but its definitely on its way. I have been using Android 2.2 on my phone for a while now and its really a great set of additions to android.

Both Desire and Legend are absolutely awesome and you will  no doubt have quite a struggle picking between HTC Desire’s awesome speed and large size screen, and HTC Legend’s sheer engineering elegance and zippy handling packed into a great size.

As for the rest of the market there is:

• the Google Nexus One- on which the Desire is based.  If you regularly want to have the latest android version, then the nexus is probably the way to go
• The Motorola Milestone ( based on the wonderfully popular Motorola Droid )which is a great multi-touch android device and has a built in keyboard.
• Samsung Galaxy S- Samsung has also released a new Android Device which has probably one of the best screens around and great battery life.

You will find the best thing about owning an Android device is the ability to wirelessly sync with just about anything you could want to sync to, including your Mac calendar.  I hope this answers your multitude of questions and feel free to get in touch if you need anything further.

Any other Mac/ former Iphone users, reading this can help Buddy further, feel free to post a comment.

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1. Decide what you want out of a phone- You should ask yourself the following important questions:

• Business/ Personal Social or a bit of both?
• Do you want something cheap and simple- that just does calls, or do you want to have something that is all singing and dancing that you can run your life on.
• Size- small and pocket friendly or large screen for easily viewing content.
• Budget- how much do you want to spend? Decide on a budget per month for calls and texts.
• Contract- Are you happy to be tied into a contract? Most contracts now are 18- 24 months- however you can opt for a monthly contract/ pay as you go  if you buy the phone outright.

2. Do your research with trusted sources-  You have a raft of great first hand help available to you.

• The best source of information is personal experience of ones friends, family or workmates.  Getting your trusted social network to tell you( or preferably show you!) why their phone is so great, can be a great help to pushing you one way or another.   If you are lucky enough to have a techno-geek in your family they generally are the best source of information.
• Ask your friends on Facebook.
• Check out webblogs or just google some of the phones that you have been recommended to gauge information about it and see if you are on the right track.

Hopefully by now you will have a good shortlist of phones to choose from.

3. Check the manufacturers websites – Most of the major manufacturers will have some great information about the phone which will help you cut your shortlist down to the phones that are right for you. They will also help inform you of features that even your friends or family aren’t aware of.

Here are some of the major manufacturers to make things easy for you:

Android Phones- Google, HTC , Motorola, Sony Ericsson

Blackberry Phones- Blackberry UK Site

Iphone- Apple Information site

Nokia – Nokia Manufacturer Site

4. Check the network-  (SERIOUSLY – this is important)

Having the greatest phone/ or the best deal in the world isn’t going to matter didly if you don’t get a signal at home/ work.  The easiest option is to ask to see your friends/family phones when they come round to check what signal you get. 

Otherwise most networks make available free sim cards ( the same ones you pay for in newsagents!) so you can easily try before you buy. 

Here are some handy links below to get your free sim card

Free O2 Simcards	Free Orange Simcards
Free T-mobile Simcards	Free Vodafone Simcards

5. Try on your phone- For most people visiting the store is the first stage that the usually do when picking a phone, however there is nothing more likely to go wrong than an uninformed choice.  Modern stores are places designed with one sole purpose- to make sure you sign on the line and walk out with a phone. Going in straight without doing the above steps will most likely result in you getting the wrong phone at the wrong deal.

However you have done the above steps and know exactly what you want- now its time to try it on for size.

A store is the best place to narrow down your choices to the final phone-

• ask to have some one take you through the phone. If they don’t have a working model of it- stop right there and find another shop. 
• ask what the drawbacks are of the phone
• make sure it does everything that you needed from point 1.
• Finally once you have selected your phone- find out what the best tariffs they offer.

Whether you decide to opt to buy it there and then is up to you, however I personally take an extra day to see if I can get a better deal. Shops like Phones4u, Carphone Warehouse and indeed the networks own retail/ web stores( listed below)  will make sure you get the best deal for you for wad of cash. Remember a lot of the salesmen are on commission, so if you have received excellent service from a store sales adviser- do the right thing and give him the option to match your deal. 

Here are a list of the main networks’ web stores:

O2 Online Phone Shop	Orange Online shop
T-moblie webshop	Vodafone Phone Web Store
3 Mobile Phone Store

Top Tip- If I  am looking to buy a phone outright with no contract, I also check out Ebay’s mobile section- where I have bought my last 3 personal phones. Its cheap and easy, and there are loads of people looking to flog their old mobiles. You need to be careful with the seller and the  product you are buying, and if you are the slightest bit unsure- rather stick to a trusted store above. 

For me, Android was the winner, however everyone is different. I would love to hear about what your phone is and what made you choose it.  Comment below- or click contact androidbloke.co.uk.

Stuck for choice on which Android phone is best for you?- Time Limited offer!

For those of you who are researching buying an Android Phone- if you are ok with me publishing your question and my response- ( identities kept secret!) – pop me an email via my contact us form- and hopefully I will be able to point you in the direction of which phone is the best for your purposes or at least narrow your shortlist. Please let me know answers to point number 1 above as well as what networks you want to use- and for now I will try to come back to you.

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ONLY DO THIS IF YOU HAVE BACKED UP YOUR DATA and YOU LIKE TO TAKE RISKS!

Right now to the installation:

1. Download the latest Android 1.6 update for UK t-mobile g1 or the update for the Vodafone Magic 1.6 Update

2. Copy the file onto your Micro –SD card by mounting your phone onto your pc.( Plug it into your computer and click the mount USB option on the top of the screen)

3. In case you have changed its name when you downloaded it, rename the file to update.zip and wait a minute or two before you unplug.

4. Turn off the handheld and when you power it back up press and hold the home key until you see a warning logo appear.

(If you see the google android logo, then you need to power it down and try again.)

5. Press Alt-L on the keyboard ( edit: on the HTC Magic hold home again press the power button)

6. Follow onscreen prompt to press Alt-s to apply the update ( edit: or on the HTC Magic use the trackball to select the update!)

7. Leave it alone- it takes a long time- it will reboot when it is good and ready.

Enjoy!

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Here are some simple instructions which you just need to go through step by step and you will be working 100% on Orange UK.

The following settings have been tested using an Orange pay monthly Tariff. I hope to add other details in the future- if you need any settings specifically or they don’t work- please let me know in a comment below!

Before you Start

If you are transferring over from another network make sure to request your PAC migration code to allow you to port your number across.  If you are connecting to Orange  then you need to make some changes to get it working.

To get your Unlocked Tmobile G1, HTC Magic to work on o2. ( Not sure how to unlock? Read my post on how to unlock your Android Phone)

Change the following settings

Voicemail

1. For me this worked as soon as I dialled 1 from the dialer to access my voicemail.
2. If it didn’t for you then you need to Press Menu and click settings
3. Press Call Settings->Voicemail
4. Set the Voicemail number to be +447973100123

(in my experience you may need to do this a few times so save Orange Voicemail as a contact to speed this up!)

Cool that’s Orange voicemail working!

Android APN and Data Settings for Orange UK

1. I have put the settings below  however if you find that they are not working , then just dial 156 to get to the support team for settings-(and let me know via comment so I can update this post)
2. Go to settings -> wireless controls
3. Go to Mobile Networks -> Access Point Names
4. Make sure you select and delete each APN on the list.
5. Click Menu and select New APN
6. Use the following settings:
   1. Name = Orange Internet
   2. APN = orangeinternet (case sensitive)
   3. MCC:234
   4. MNC:33
   5. APN Type: default
   6. Ignore everything else and leave it as <Not set>
   7. Then press menu and save and then turn off the phone and restart and you are done!
7. Market should be working, email working and your browser is now working!

Nice job

To activate your MMS:

I spoke to Orange and they recommended the following settings, which didn’t seem to work for me, however it may be because my work administrator has blocked MMS.

Here are the settings recommended by Orange:

1. finding the settings:

• tap on all programs
• tap on settings
• tap on wireless controls
• tap on mobile network settings
• tap on access point names
• tap the menu key
• tap on new APN
• enter the following information

MMS data settings:

• Name = Orange MMS
• APN = orangemms
• Proxy = 192.168.224.010
• Port = 8080
• Username = Orange
• Password = Multimedia
• Server = Leave blank
• MMSC = http://mms.orange.co.uk
• MMS proxy = 192.168.224.010
• MMS port = 8080
• MMS protocol = WAP 2.0
• MCC = 234
• MNC = 33
• APN type = mms

Hopefully you are all working. Let me know!

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Looks like my phone was just updated up to CRC37. It looks like its only another security update coming in as I can’t see any functionality difference just yet.

One word of caution……my phone was having some issues starting up after the update which sent me into full panic mode. It was shutting itself off after the android boot screen and restarting showing the G1 logo.
To fix this just make sure you plug your phone into your charger /usb before restarting and it will wake up fine.

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A poor attempt at making something cool with my G1 phone

For those of you who are looking to get your bite of the Cupcake Release before the over the air update (Cupcake new features are here), then I have installed it on my phone didn’t find any issues except for a few application compatibility issues with the update however you should follow these rules at your own risk.

I downloaded the EU update which seems to have all the bits in it, works perfectly on the UK networks and is reassuringly downloaded from Google itself.  (thanks to German Android Hilfe for the information) .  I know that there is a UK version floating around in the wild however this if anyone can supply the original google link for it, I would be happy to included it here.

Before you start:

The following applications should be removed prior to installing

1. Toggle settings (there is a new Toggle Settings(cupcake Release ) in the market which you should install after the update

2. Chomp Sms- There is also a new cupcake compatible release in the market.

Right now to the installation:

1. First thing is to make sure you are on the RC9 release of Google Android on your phone ( Android 1.1)- go to Settings->About Phone

1. Download the latest Android 1.5 Update

2. Copy the file onto your MIcro –SD card by mounting your phone onto your pc.

3. Rename the file to Update.zip and wait a minute or two before you unplug.

4. Turn off the handheld and when you power it back up press and hold the home key until you see a warning logo appear.

(If you see the google android logo, then you need to power it down and try again.)

5. Press Alt-L on the keyboard

6. Follow onscreen prompt to press Alt-s to apply the update

7. then leave it alone- it takes a long time- it will reboot when it is good and ready.

Enjoy!

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2. UK Pre-release Galaxy Nexus Unboxing

Here are some simple instructions which you just need to go through step by step and you will be working 100% on o2.

If you are transferring over from another network make sure to request your PAC migration code- if you are moving to tmobile then lucky you- it will work straight away.  If you are connecting to o2 then you need to make some changes to get it working.

To get your Unlocked Tmobile G1, HTC Magic to work on o2. ( Not sure how to unlock? Read my post on how to unlock your Android Phone)

Change the following settings

1. Activate your Voicemail by dialling 1750.

2. Check your voicemail is working by dialling 901

901 send

Go into Settings->Wireless Controls–> Mobile Networks–> Access Point Names

Voicemail –> 1750  default 8705.

Press and hold 1 to dial your voicemail.

The phone will show a message that says “No voicemail number is stored on the SIM card.”

Press add number– Click Voicemail and enter 901

(in my experience you may need to do this a few times so save O2 Voicemail as a contact to speed this up!)

Cool that’s O2 voicemail working!

Now for Data:

1. I have put the settings below  however if you find that they are not working , then just dial 2020 to get to the data team for settings-(and let me know via comment so I can update this post.
2. Go to settings -> wireless controls
3. Go to Mobile Networks -> Access Point Names
4. Make sure you select and delete each APN on the list.
5. Click Menu and select New APN
6. Use the following settings: Name- o2 gprs
7. apn: mobile.o2.co.uk
8. username: o2web
9. password: password
10. Then press menu and save and then turn off the phone and restart and you are done!
11. Market should be working, email working and your browser is now working!

Nice job

To activate your MMS and Data

Dial 2020

You are working!

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Just before my trip to Malaysia earlier this year, I enquired about unlocking my G1 phone and spoke to the T-mobile customer services. Good news is that  they can do it. It costs 20 odd quid and they can do it for you in 28 days.

Not so good if you leave things to the last minute like I did.  So I started shopping around and found these guys and thus  I am happy to say I can post the following:

How to unlock your Android phone unlocked in 25 minutes

Be very careful of who you use for unlocking the phone as there are lots of cowboy companies that advertise on Google that will take your money and give you a code that doesn’t work.  There are loads of people on the forum, lamenting one company or another, and I am very happy to recommend these guys because I know it works.

1. Go to Phone Unlockers

2. Click the Google Logo on the front page

3. Enter your IMEI number and details.

4. Pay using Paypal

5. Within 25 minutes you will receive an email with your unlock code and instructions:

Here are the instructions to use these codes:

1.   Insert the SIM card you wish to use.
2.  Turn the handset on.
3. Phone will ask “SIM Network Unlock Code”.
4.  Enter code we provide you with.

And you are done!

Congrats you are using your Android Phone without any carrier lock!

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