Posted on 08/15/2023 8:30:18 AM PDT by fireman15
Potato-tomato... Being a cyber-God to mere mortals IS fun.
Well... for me it is. Then again, my ego could be used to damn up a river. So there’s that.
It’s fun for awhile for me, I’ve fixed and hacked into many computers for friends that have lost their passwords, etc.
My wife and I own a 2nd home, a vacation condo that is about 1.5 hours from our main house, one time the HOA board of the condos wanted to install a wireless system that would give everyone WiFi access all over the property including the common areas.
My reply took me less than one second, it was NOT ONLY NO, BUT HELL NO, under no circumstances would I support something like a Wifi network at a place I go to relax, first it would be a support headache and if I did decide to support it, you could not afford my hourly rate.
I agree, but why bother with the AppStore at all? Not a good user experience these days, IMO.
I just download the apk’s from the web.
Quite a few of my favorite apps aren’t even available via the AppStore anymore (e.g. the older, add-free QuickPic version 4.5.2).
What about the Phone Link app, which comes with W/11 and enables you to see and use your smart phone from Windows. Tends to drop the connection though. I find a smart phone very inferior to a desktop for ease and actual computing.
The problem is that the without the Google Play Services that are installed with the Play Store there are many sideloaded apps that will not work or will not work correctly. I have experienced this when sideloading apps into Fire Tablets before adding the Play Store and Google Play services to them.
There are many apps that have older versions that work better or have more features or no adds that you can only get by downloading their APKs. If you find out that the apps that you use work with the Windows Subsystem for Android without the modifications, then it probably is not worth the effort for you. There is a good sideloading tool for the Windows Subsystem for Android. It is called AOW Tools, and works great for transferring files, and installing sideloaded apps. https://kil0bit.blogspot.com/2022/05/best-tool-for-windows-subsystem-for.html
I find a smart phone very inferior to a desktop for ease and actual computing.
I do not completely understand people whose phones have become an appendage of their bodies, and they perform tasks that would be much easier to accomplish on a laptop or at least a tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard even when those types of devices are available to them.
When I am away from home and bored without any electronic device other than my “free” android phone from T-Mobile... I often find myself doing things like posting on Free Republic using a device that is not appropriate for the task. Trying to type on a tiny touchscreen where the auto-correct is constantly changing your words to something other than what is intended causes constant irritation to the point that it is somewhat comical. The results are posts with multiple errors that are difficult to find on the tiny screen before sending them out into the world.
My poor father whose crippled-up fingers can barely make a call from his phone can text only with great difficulty. I have tried to help him use voice recognition solutions, and “Senior-Friendly Android Launchers” but this has not helped him or my mom much if at all. I think that “flip phones” designed for seniors with large physical buttons and no confusing operating system would be a better solution for them but there is a certain stigma attached.
I have not tried the Phone Link app in Windows 11... it sounds kind of interesting. I appreciate the tip, and will take a look at that!
Sorry, even on a laptop I sometimes forget to italicise other people's words.
OK, I got the Phone Link app up and running. I actually had received nags from Microsoft to set it up before but had resisted. I can see that this could be very helpful in a number of situations. I like being able to transfer and manage photos in a little easier way. And texting from an actual keyboard is better as well.
Thanks again for the heads up on this.
OK, I see... and thanks for that link!
As one with stiff arthritic fingers who makes typos in about every third word, I have sympathy, and would recommend a stylus.
I have not tried the Phone Link app in Windows 11... it sounds kind of interesting. I appreciate the tip, and will take a look at that!
Yes, it works best if connected via cable. You will have to approve the connection in your phone.
See also https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4175302/posts?page=21#21 and the AutoHotKey script.
On your recommendation I tried out the Phone Link app, and it seems like it could be very useful, especially for sending texts and downloading photos without uploading to Google photos, and then downloading from Google Photos. This is actually a waste of time and bandwidth.
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