Android: Remove Gmail account without factory reset

You can reset your phone by doing a Factory Reset but that will erase all data (contacts, photos, etc) on the phone.

But if your phone has ROOT access, you can go about it in an easier fashion:

1. Download ES File Explorer from Android Market (free)
2. Go to settings and enable Root access
3. Explore to /data/system/ and find this file : accounts.db
4. Delete that file (accounts.db)
5. Reboot your Android device
6. Now you can register another account!

Also, doing a Factory Reset will NOT remove root access, so that's still an option!

Nexus 7: How to find MAC Address

Here’s where it’s located.

Click on the Home > Settings (the circle with 6 squares in it right above Home)

Then Click on Settings > About Tablet (all the way at the bottom) > Status

Wi0Fi MAC address should be the third listing

DropIt - Automatic File Organizer

To get pictures off my digital camera on to my hard drive, I either connect the camera or the microSD card and copy the files manually.

I didn't want to install the bloated software that came with my camera just for this task.

I found a great little tool called DropIt!

It's incredibly simple to set up and use. And it definitely beats writing some DOS or Powershell script (which needs to be tested and debugged)

VPN - Private Internet Access

I've been using Private Internet Access as a VPN.

1. The setup is dead simple and the servers are fast
2. They use a shared IP address
3. One account can be used on up to 3 devices simultaneously
4. Multiple US, UK, CA, Swiss and NL gateways
5. Netherlands proxy for torrents
6. Great speeds!

http://www.bestvpn.com/blog/7319/an-interview-with-private-internet-access-founder-andrew-lee/

terms of service say don't use it for copyright material but everyone says torrent friendly
http://www.vpnservices.net/private-internet-access-review/
http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-providers-really-take-anonymity-seriously-111007/
https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/privacy-policy/


uTorrent setup instructions

Android Jellybean supports IPSEC/L2TP PSK but not OpenVPN natively. But here are instructions: Open VPN setup on Android

Offline Mapping Application for Nexus 7

Update: Replaced by CoPilot



While on the hunt for better navigation software for the Nexus 7 tablet that will work offline, I came across OsmAnd.

This software works FAR better than the Google Navigate included on the tablet. The free version allows caching 10 items offline, which allows me to save my province (British Columbia) and the English voice recordings.

I am able to set destinations without need for Wi-Fi connection and I can also set "way points" if I want to go through specific points on route -- a feature missing from Google Navigate.

It also gives ample warning and says when I need to turn.

The interface, however, is NOT very intuitive. But the maps and directions, etc are fairly accurate.

One other aspect I like about Google Navigate is that it will tell me the name of the street I need to turn on. This is incredibly useful at some tricky intersections. Adding this to OsmAnd would be a definite improvement!

On the rare occasion, I have had the app go nuts trying to recalculate the route when it's lost the GPS signal. But that usually doesn't last long and it figures out the new directions quickly.

Nexus 7 Android 4.2 32gb wifi: Review

I got a Nexus 7 tablet 2 weeks ago. This is the first tablet I've owned. So far it's pretty nice, but I've noticed a few things:

1. The tablet comes with a user guide (AWESOME!)  
• -- but when you add another user to the tablet, the user guide is not available to them
• for them to view the user guide, they need to purchase it on the Google Play store. Even though the cost is $0, they still need to enter their credit card info.
2. Tablet also comes with a few books/magazines and a movie
• once again, all but 3 books are unavailable to other users of the tablet
3. The clock system application crashes constantly.
• Even if I force close it, a few minutes later a notification will pop up saying it's stopped working.
4. The Navigation portion of Google Maps is buggy.
• While I am able to cache the Google Maps tiles for offline use, it seems Navigation does not use the same map tiles. So if I've just set a route and disconnected from Wi-Fi, I will often see blurry tiles
• While navigating the roads, the voice read out will often just turn into "ding" sounds when I am meant to turn
• It often fails to reroute, and really only succeeds if I've missed a turn by a block
• Navigation doesn't always warn me ahead of time about an upcoming turn
• Occasionally it will tell me to turn where I cannot.
5. Google Talk / Google+ Messenger mess
• the tablet comes stock with Google Talk which works very well. I am able to call other users and video chat just fine.
• when other users try to call me, however, from their gmail, I get rerouted to hangout. They can't call my Google Talk.
• This mess will hopefully, eventually, get sorted out
6. Calendar stock application crashes when trying to find details on certain appointments
7. Launcher crashes on occasion as well
8. I've turned on encryption on the tablet, which requires a PIN to access it.
   This has a side affect: Users may only use a PIN or a password to log into their accounts. They are unable to use Slide/Face Unlock/Pattern