A few questions from a new droid user

[littlepaperstars]

Hi everyone! I am new to the forums and relatively new to android. I got my moto droid about three weeks ago and after playing with it for a while, I absolutely love it. (Seriously, how did I live without this thing before?!)

But I have a few questions:

a. Is there an amount of free space I should leave in my internal memory? After going a bit app crazy I only have about 50mb left.

b. I'm trying to install google voice, but I keep getting an error message that I'm not allowed to use the service or something like that. Is there something else I need to download besides the app from the market?

c. I downloaded Remote Desktop but I have vista home on my laptop, and xp home on my netbook. I know you can't connect directly to either of those OS, but I read that a terminal client will allow you to connect...I'm not very tech saavy so I'm not entirely sure what that means and what I should be downloading/buying/whatever to connect my PC to my Phone. Can anyone explain it to me or point me in the direction of whatever application or software I would need? (Pref. cheap...)

d. is there a way to change the configuration of the incall screen? I keep hitting the mute button by accident during calls and it's really frustrating.

 

[megaera]

Re: your google voice app. You need to have a google voice account. You can either sign up to get one, buy one on ebay, or you can either ask for a google voice in this thread or visit this thread: http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid/45154-grandmasterb-presents-karma.html and see if someone on this thread is offering an invite.

As regards your on phone memory, you can eat up all of your phone's memory you want as long as you are happy with the responsiveness of your phone. If you notice it lagging, you might want to start erasing your less essential apps.


That said, enjoy your new Droid to the fullest, and feel free to visit us on the forums to share your joys and sorrows.

 

[icecold]

d. is there a way to change the configuration of the incall screen? I keep hitting the mute button by accident during calls and it's really frustrating.

The proximity sensor should turn the screen black during a call. It is located near the notification LED. You can test this out by placing a call and holding your finger over it. If it is working, the screen should turn off. If it isn't, I would look to exchange the phone.

 

[sooper_droid12]

Hi everyone! I am new to the forums and relatively new to android. I got my moto droid about three weeks ago and after playing with it for a while, I absolutely love it. (Seriously, how did I live without this thing before?!)

But I have a few questions:

a. Is there an amount of free space I should leave in my internal memory? After going a bit app crazy I only have about 50mb left.

You really have quite a bit of space for apps. Remember, app storage uses ROM (and for the saavy developer, some app files are stored on SD). The DROID came with 512mb ROM. Of that 512, something like 230-ish are available for app storage. Android apps are relatively light.

Don't confuse this with RAM. The DROID has 256mb of RAM, of which 200-ish is available to running apps/processes.

b. I'm trying to install google voice, but I keep getting an error message that I'm not allowed to use the service or something like that. Is there something else I need to download besides the app from the market?

You need an actual Google Voice account, which is by invitation only. Sorry.

c. I downloaded Remote Desktop but I have vista home on my laptop, and xp home on my netbook. I know you can't connect directly to either of those OS, but I read that a terminal client will allow you to connect...I'm not very tech saavy so I'm not entirely sure what that means and what I should be downloading/buying/whatever to connect my PC to my Phone. Can anyone explain it to me or point me in the direction of whatever application or software I would need? (Pref. cheap...)

Not sure what you're asking here.

d. is there a way to change the configuration of the incall screen? I keep hitting the mute button by accident during calls and it's really frustrating.

Again, not sure what the problem is here, but if it is what I'm thinking you're saying, then no.

 

[takeshi]

The proximity sensor should turn the screen black during a call. It is located near the notification LED. You can test this out by placing a call and holding your finger over it. If it is working, the screen should turn off. If it isn't, I would look to exchange the phone.

If it is working properly then you may be holding the Droid in such a way that the proximity sensor isn't detecting your face. Try changing the way you hold it to see if it makes a difference.

 

[SinfulDragon]

c. I downloaded Remote Desktop but I have vista home on my laptop, and xp home on my netbook. I know you can't connect directly to either of those OS, but I read that a terminal client will allow you to connect...I'm not very tech saavy so I'm not entirely sure what that means and what I should be downloading/buying/whatever to connect my PC to my Phone. Can anyone explain it to me or point me in the direction of whatever application or software I would need? (Pref. cheap...)

I couldn't be more lost by this question. You just wanting to hook your phone up to the PC so that you can see it like any usb drive? Hook in the USB Cable then on the phone pull down the notification bar and press mount.
Trying to control your desktop with your phone, You need to have one part of the app on both the phone and the computer. then type in the IP Address of the computer into the app on the phone, it will then connect and presto chango, you are using your droid as your mouse and keyboard.

 

[littlepaperstars]

For those confused with my third question, I want to be able to remotely access my PC from my droid. I downloaded the remote Desktop Client for android (Remote Desktop Client for Android)

But it says I can't connect using my computer, which runs windows vista home, unless I download a third party server, like this one for $99: Thinstuff: XP/VS Server

That's a little too pricey for me, so I am looking for alternatives.

Thank you all for the helpful responses to my other questions!!