Android

Android is a Linux-based mobile phone operating system based developed by Google. It is very similar to the iPhone, with a touchscreen for some or all user interactions, depending on the hardware, and a market for third-party applications.

Wireless

VT_WLAN

Android can connect to VT_Wireless. Needing to log in via the browser can be annoying, however.

VT-Wireless

While the Android runs wpa_supplicant and the backend could easily connect to the university's WPA2 network, a critical component in the GUI (certificate management) is missing, and as of spring 2010, no way to connect to VT-Wireless from an HTC Eris without rooting the device has been discovered.

Synchronization

Synchronization of contacts, calendar events and email is possible through three mechanisms. Proprietary applications provide the only access to consolidated note and task list access, but if you don't mind your information being separated, third-party solutions like Remember the Milk.

Google Web Applications

Google web applications are the default on some systems like the HTC Eris. Beware that giving your phone your Gmail credentials can result in your phone contacts being drowned in a flood of email contacts imported from Gmail. If you don't want to use Google's services, navigate to Settings->Data synchronization->Google and uncheck Auto-sync and Background data.

ActiveSync

Located under Settings->Data synchronization->Exchange ActiveSync, the originally proprietary ActiveSync protocol allows for fully configurable over-the-air synchronization thanks to the open source Z-Push project.

PC

Synchronization over a cable is the third available option. A walkthrough on how to do this from Linux would be nice.

Applications

Productivity

The builtin email client and calendar, along with the HTC widgets, perform relatively well. There is no native task-management software. Astride is recommended for that purpose. It can sync with RemeberTheMilk.

SSH

To connect to a remote server over secure shell, use the ConnectBot application available from the Android Market. To insert a tab character with the virtual keyboard, press the trackball and then the i key. To insert an escape character with the soft keyboard, press.the trackball twice. To page up and down, scroll with the touchscreen on the left side. Further special key instructions can be found in the ConnectBot documentation.

Editing Wiki Pages

The default browser handles editing large text boxes in portrait mode very poorly. The workaround is to use landscape mode for editing large text boxes such as those found on wikis. Additionally, the vertical bar or pipe on the soft keyboard is a ¦ character rather than a |. Copy and paste provide a workaround for this bug, but it's surprising that Google couldn't properly map the keys on its software keyboard.

Cartography

Builtin Functionality

Android phones have builtin GPS, cell tower and wifi location mechanisms. Thanks to this, these devices can be used to contribute to geographic information system projects like OpenStreetMap. To turn on wifi and GPS positioning, toggle the appropriate settings under Settings->Location. To enable photo geotagging, press the Menu button while the camera application is running and select Settings. From this menu, check the Geo-tag photos box.

Additional Software

• AndNav2! is an excellent OpenStreetMap client, with tools for logging GPS tracks and adding POIs on OpenStreetMap or OpenStreetBug.
• Vespucci application allows editing of OpenStreetMap data directly from your mobile device.
• GPS Logger for Android Allows logging of GPS tracks to the SD card in a GPX format.

External Links

• Android page on the OSM wiki