HTC Droid Eris VZW .. Need help

[angrice05]

I just purchased the HTC Droid Eris from VZW a couple of days ago. I have had some minor problems. The one thing I do not like is that they do not have a detailed user manual. I have several issues/questions:

1. Does anyone know how to access your SD memory card? I think I have figured pretty much everything else except that!
2. I have had some issues with the browser not returning to my home page of Google and have had to shut off phone and turn it back on again.
3. My ringtones don't always work and have had to redo them for certain people.

If anyone can direct me to a website that shows the complete ins/outs of this phone and the Android platform that would be great! I am new to all this thread/forum stuff and not very knowledgeable when it comes to the lingo for technology, so please if you respond, dumb it down a little or explain it for me!

[mckoy]

I just purchased the HTC Droid Eris from VZW a couple of days ago. I have had some minor problems. The one thing I do not like is that they do not have a detailed user manual. I have several issues/questions:

1. Does anyone know how to access your SD memory card? I think I have figured pretty much everything else except that!
2. I have had some issues with the browser not returning to my home page of Google and have had to shut off phone and turn it back on again.
3. My ringtones don't always work and have had to redo them for certain people.

If anyone can direct me to a website that shows the complete ins/outs of this phone and the Android platform that would be great! I am new to all this thread/forum stuff and not very knowledgeable when it comes to the lingo for technology, so please if you respond, dumb it down a little or explain it for me!

1. Download Astro File Manager to access from phone or Plug connect it to your pc and click "mount" then unmount or turn off when done.

2. Please give more details about the browser problem.

3. When you say ringtones dont work, does the ringtone revert back to default tone?

Your phone is basically Verizon's version of the HTC Hero. Android (your operating system) is pretty much the same for all android phones with the exception of some enchancements on your phone, such as the sense ui.

[angrice05]

Well I set up my bookmarks and as I visit websites that I go to often, I bookmark them. When I visit a website, leave and return to my home screen, then later go back to the browser, instead of it going to google it goes to the last website I visited.. now that I am typing this I think I need to hit my back button like with the texting ...... The ringtones were going back to default and when I used one tone to customize a contact, it made it the main ringtone for all callers... I am working on that one, and so far, it's been working.

I think I understand about downloading the file; is that in the market as an app or where do I get it?

Thanks

[constellanation]

astro is in the market, do you mean accessing the sd on your phone or the computer though? if you mean on the phone, astro (or any file manager) is the way to go.

you can set a home page for the browser, you just have to open the browser and hit menu (i assume your phone has a menu button) and hit home screen, but if you just want to do a google search you can just start typing on the screen and it'll bring up universal search.

as for ringtones, sorry i don't use them... can't help

[angrice05]

Yeah I wanted to be able to have a function so that I can access my SD card on my phone; like my old phones in the past. I haven't found a link or anything on the HTC Droid where I can access the info on the SD card only how much memory it has left. I am assuming though, that any time I do pics, music or video, it automatically saves it to my SD card, puts the pics, video and music in their appropriate folders and I can delete from whatever I want from the folders. So maybe the albums, etc. is the actual info on the SD card, yeah I think so. I will check out the market, I love that place!

As for the ringtones, that's fine, I will figure it out. It seems like the more I use the phone, it acts better. Does that make sense? Like I am waking it up from a nap it took during production. Weird ..

My home page for my browser is Google. But when I visit a web site and then go off the browser, then later return, it has the same web page up and I have to clear my history, then shut off the phone, turn it back on again, and sometimes repeat these steps. I don't remember if I have used my back button on the phone to try to go back to Google or not ... I will have to check into it tomorrow .. It's more of an inconvenience than anything .. not causing any problems with the phone.

[constellanation]

well a file manager app (linda or astro) downloaded from the market will allow you to go through your sd card.


and yes your phone will get to know you in time (the commercials are right, you need a phone that gets you)

and you'll figure out the other stuff too. as with all new tech there is a learning curve.

[simms22]

wow , so many phones now . and all the same questions and issues for each of those phone . AND the same solutions . no matter of the manufacturer or make .

[mckoy]

I know /\/\... good luck Mods

[extorian]

The Browser problem I can help with...

So remember on Android that hitting the Home button, or the Back button, doesn't (necessarily) exit an application. In fact, it's up to the developer of the app as to what the back button does, and the Home button always returns to the home screen.

Unlike the iPhone, Android can actually multi-task, so it will try and keep apps running in memory so that you can switch back to them much more quickly, and in the case of the browser it can continue loading a webpage while you get on with something else.

So - it's actually pretty rare you see the Homepage you've set, because you never really exit the browser.

The solution? There's two I can think of:

1) Go to Bookmarks, and assuming you've added your Homepage to the bookmarks, just click it and you'll go there.

or perhaps better...

2) Before you leave the browser, go to Menu -> New Window, then Menu -> Windows, and close all the windows apart from your Homepage. Then, when you come back to the Browser it'll be on your Homepage. Sorted.

[angrice05]

Thanks everyone for your help! Okay, one last question, where do I go to download the Better Keyboard. I have looked for it, but can't find anything but the skins and reviews ..

[angrice05]

Never mind finally found it!

[extorian]

Assuming you have the Barcode Scanner app installed, try scanning the QRCode on this website: http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-betterandroid-betterkeyboard-zjD.aspx. That should send you straight to the app on the Market.

If you still can't see it, then it either means:

* You can't see paid apps (some countries can't).
* The app isn't marked as compatible with your model of handset.
* The app isn't marked as compatible with your version of Android (i.e. 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, etc).

I can certainly see it when I search for "better keyboard" in the Market, but I had to wade through what felt like 1000s of skins for it to get there.

Anyway, the QRCode takes you straight to it, assuming you can see it at all.

[extorian]

I've just noticed you can also get to it pretty quick by going to the Market, hitting Apps, then Tools... it's currently 5th in the top paid apps list there.

[AJ Mexico]

To access the SD card -- connect your USB cable to the computer. Nothing appears to happen. However there will be a notification at the top of the screen. Drag down from the very top, to see all notifications. Tap "USB Connected". Then tap "Mount". Now your SD card should mount as an external drive on your computer, and you can move files back & forth.

[extorian]

Thanks AJ, and welcome to Android Community. This is my 1000th post, so maybe you get some kind of award ;)

Erm - so how did everyone else manage to forget to answer that one?