Speck Selection for Android - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I just recently switched to a Moto X from an iPhone 5, and I am looking for the one feature that I used every day on my iPhone. The speak selection feature. On iOS you can select any text, in basically any app, and click "speak" from the context menu. The device will read the text back to you without kicking you out of the app you were using or anything like that.
I found a similar app for Android, it's called Easy Text to Speech. However, this app works by monitoring the clipboard. Is there perhaps a way to do this without having to use the clipboard. For instance, by using the share option, but without having to switch to another program. I want to be able to browse the internet, select what I want to be read, and have it read to me without getting out of the browser or the app that I am using.
Perhaps there is a framework for Android for adding custom contextual commands?
Thanks for any help.
- Bogdan

Related

Predictive text and Voice for 2.1 - Solution

I like the predicitive text on the QWERTY keyboard, the eris feature where alternatives are shown for typed words, presenting an opportunity to choose the correct word. I enjoy using this when doing IMs in Google Talk, for example. This feature seems to be disabled in the default web browser on the eris, in 1.5 before, now in 2.1. The predictive text does not work in the search bar and it does not work in data entry fields in forms displayed by the browser, for example
Can anyone please tell me how one would enable this predictive text input in all apps on the phone? including the search bar for webkit and data entry on web forms?
<see last post for solution>
There is probably a good technical reason for this, like somehow the input method is not known to the web browser application. Perhaps the browser itself is not consulting a system table for availability of this input method at run time. Maybe it only happens at install time? Is there some manual change that could be made to enable this?
I think they disabled it in browser because a lot of websites have names that the predictive text obviously doesnt know and when you type fast and hit space quickly it auto selects words which Id imagine could be quite a pain in the ass online.
WalkingTaco said:
I think they disabled it in browser because a lot of websites have names that the predictive text obviously doesnt know and when you type fast and hit space quickly it auto selects words which Id imagine could be quite a pain in the ass online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, You are right. I agree as to why they disabled it, but i think the way the feature works, it would really be more benefit to me than a hindrance.
1) Adding a mispelled word or one not in the dictionary is painless, editing this dictionary in the settings is easy too.
2) For activities like retyping stuff (like my email address) in data entry fields in the browser over & over; this would be much better with the ability to spell-check and remember words, especially when accuracy is critical.
I want predictive text in the browser. Why not a voice input option (like in the voice search applet) as well?
Can someone help at least give me the choice, I think these two input methods work very well.
Solved - 2.1 enhanced HTC keyboard, with voice too! - link
This pretty much gives you voice and predictive text wherever you want it without sacrificing anything:
nimbu.amorvi.com/2010/04/add-full-voice-to-text-to-htc-desire/
Followed the "HTC Sense Style Keyboard Instructions"
Instructions were for HTC desire but this worked fine on stock OTA 2.1 Eris, not rooted.
HTC_IME_lo_25.apk is the one that installed okay for me. I was half-asleep at the time and I think the other version did not install right, but you might want to try again.
Enjoy!

Applications for the Visually-impaired.

Hello,
I'm practicably legally blind and reading emails/SMSs and text in games is damn near impossible for me.
I've got the Samsung Ace and I've found an app to switch the answer slider with a big-ass button, I'm using WP_Clock (Which was mentioned here, thanks!) to see the time and date.
I've rooted and tried a few font resizers but none worked and the ones that did only worked on the English font (most of my phone is in Hebrew).
Does anyone have any idea how can I deal with this, other than getting Android eyes
Oh, one more thing:
I've used Total Recall and CallRecorder to record my calls, both record me fine but the other side through the mic, any idea if there are other apps that can record both sides at the same quality?
May all who read this post be touched by his noodly appendage,
Sam.
EDIT:
Oh yeah, My doctors told me it'll be easier to read white text on a black background, so I downloaded a few of those modified apps (Gmail and DropBox). If you know of any others, I'd appreciate a mention.
Noob to android!!
On my Samsung GT 5570, there is an accessibility option under "options", with text to speech features. But looks like the phone has to download several components. Have not tried them, will try them out if you are interested.
Running Gingerbread 2.3.3 (but it was there in froyo 2.2.1 Africa version too).
Saw that option on my run-through of the device (saw isn't exactly the word...)
Not that comfortable using an actual magnifying glass on your cellphone.
Can't stand that thing, that's why I'm posting, looking for something a bit more comfortable like resized fonts and such.
Thanks for trying though, appreciate your assistance!
Using accessibility features in Android
Ok. I have a Samsung GT S5570, "mini".
I have upgraded from 2.2.1 Froyo to 2.3.3 Gingerbread.
To enable accessibility features, more specifically, text to speech, you need to go into two options,
1, Settings > Voice input and output
2. settings > accessibility
I cannot remember which one I opened first, but the phone asked me to enable data downloads / background sync as I entered both menus. ("Always on GPRS" - if you are new to android - especially were using Nokia phones so far).
Once the data is downloaded, go to #1. First entry is "Listen to an example". You can change the language and speed of text to speech engine in other menu options below. At the bottom, I have and entry, which says "engine" and underneath, "PicoTTS". This means required data and text speech engine are installed on the phone.
I guess the available languages are dependent on the ROM you use - you probably need to have the African ROM. (Hope somebody will correct me here).
Here is how to actually enable the phone to read the screen,
Settings > Accessibility > Talkback.
Just enable Talkback. That is it.
Again, I appreciate your help but as I've said, I'm not too comfortable with the TTS and prefer, as long as I have other options, not to use it.
If anyone has any other apps in mind, I'd love to know.
Otherwise, The built in TTS has been checked and discarded, thank you.

NFC Task Launcher Question

Well, I emailed the developer about this question a couple days ago...still waiting...but just in case some of you high IQ guys know how to do this...
I have a tag that I set up to open up the Navigation app. In Task Launcher, when I select the Navigation app...there is a command below it: CUSTOM...open a specific activity within an app. There are no option in the app itself to change it...but it looks like I need to type what I want launched once the Navigation app is opened.
I want the Map activity to launch...what code do I need to put in there? Looks like there already is a code there...and it looked like it was going to do what I wanted...but it doesn't do anything. (com.google.android.maps.driveabout.app.DestinationActivity)
SiNJiN76 said:
Well, I emailed the developer about this question a couple days ago...still waiting...but just in case some of you high IQ guys know how to do this...
I have a tag that I set up to open up the Navigation app. In Task Launcher, when I select the Navigation app...there is a command below it: CUSTOM...open a specific activity within an app. There are no option in the app itself to change it...but it looks like I need to type what I want launched once the Navigation app is opened.
I want the Map activity to launch...what code do I need to put in there? Looks like there already is a code there...and it looked like it was going to do what I wanted...but it doesn't do anything. (com.google.android.maps.driveabout.app.DestinationActivity)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, I'm on vacation but have been answering emails - mostly from my phone. I don't see any that didn't get responses, when did you email?
That custom activity field is for specifying a full package and activity within that package, like you cite at the end of your post. Right now you have to type it out (mainly because this was never intended to be widely used) going forward there are plans to make this more user friendly.
Can you grab the logcat output when you try to launch that activity (enable debugging in the app) and send that? I should be back tomorrow or Wednesday and can get back to proper work.

[Q] App to track family members (with their permission)

I saw another thread about hiding apps in some guy's wife's phone to track her. I'm looking for something similar with my wife, but it does not need to be hidden. Mainly to be used because I commute quite a distance and this would let her know how close I am to home (rather than having me text while driving). Similarly for her when she's travelling.
Just an app that would:-
1. Allow me to see where she is (and vice-versa)
2. Use GPS if on, otherwise fall back on net information
3. Not use SMSes (some sort of internet-based communication between phones)
I could probably hack something up using Tasker but her phone isn't rooted like mine is so the capabilities for GPS etc are a bit more limited (and time is limited, of course).
Thanks!
Already built in
ngoonee said:
I saw another thread about hiding apps in some guy's wife's phone to track her. I'm looking for something similar with my wife, but it does not need to be hidden. Mainly to be used because I commute quite a distance and this would let her know how close I am to home (rather than having me text while driving). Similarly for her when she's travelling.
Just an app that would:-
1. Allow me to see where she is (and vice-versa)
2. Use GPS if on, otherwise fall back on net information
3. Not use SMSes (some sort of internet-based communication between phones)
I could probably hack something up using Tasker but her phone isn't rooted like mine is so the capabilities for GPS etc are a bit more limited (and time is limited, of course).
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can actually do this with the built in google maps application. It's called local/latitude. You can share where you are and control who sees it an when. Go ahead and look into it. Much better then downloading another app IMHO.
See here: Google search latitude android
Thanks, yeah I know about latitude features but it seems to lack a way to "ping" the other party with the equivalent of "hey, I've reached road X"
Sent from my GT-P7500 using Tapatalk HD
Use an app called Backitude from the Play Store. Latitude updates pretty arbitrarily on its own. This app allows you to control how and when it updates, and also let's another person force an update on your phone by sending an SMS. It's all Internet based except the update triggering part. You can also use the tracking features of Cerberus, another app in the Play Store.
Sent from my Desire HD using xda premium

Using Android intents for automation

I'm working on doing some automation on my phone, and I want to perform some actions that I'm hoping I can perform using Android intents. I'm not very knowledgeable about how they work or how to find them, but I'm trying to hack some stuff together.
Here's my main question: how do I go about figuring out if I can use intents for a particular task or see what I can do with intents?
For example, I would like to be able to trigger the "Share trip progress" feature within Google Maps automatically (using Flic buttons, which allow me to use Android intents). I don't know if I can set up an intent myself to trigger this action in the Google Maps app, and I don't really know where to start in order to try to find out how to do it.
Another example is that I would like to trigger Google Assistant with my Flic button, but I want to use my Anker Roav Bolt in my car to respond to the action. Flic has a function built in to trigger Google Assistant, but it's a lot more invasive in that it opens the prompt on the phone and disrupts my Google Maps navigation as opposed to if I long-pressed the button on my Roav Bolt and it just listens for instructions without disruption. I have no clue if this is something I could trigger using Android intents, but I'd like to find a way to make this smoother.
If you have solutions to these two problems, that would be great. But as I said, I would also like to have a better general understanding of how I could find this stuff myself for future stuff I want to set up on my phone.
Thank you.

Categories

Resources