Last night, Verizon Wireless invited me to download and upgrade to Android 2.2 Froyo. Having heard good things about the latest version of Android, I was ready . . . but not ready enough. Verizon Wireless encourages the download and offers more information for my Samsung GalaxyS telephone. Unfortunately, the information at http://support.vzw.com/system_update/samsung_fascinate.html is skimpier than the hair on my head.
It's not a disaster but I should have been better prepared for the changes that occurred. I clicked the "Okay" button and the download started. Once installed, I roamed around a bit, but my handset got bogged down in upgrading the apps that I had previously downloaded. All of my apps were listed plus it looks like some additional ones that Verizon included.
The biggest change is that my shortcuts and my arrangement of shortcuts were eliminated. All the things that made my phone my own were gone . . . poof! Had I know that this would happen, I would have included it in my preparedness for a lost smartphone. Knowledge is power and power is very helpful in disaster recovery. Here's how to increase your knowledge and rapidly recover when your smartphone is lost or stops operating correctly. In addition to this upgrade, I had to replace a smartphone when the on/off button did not function correctly and spent a lot of time changing the settings of my new phone. So, now that I'm wiser, let me share some ideas about how to be better prepared for these types of changes. You want images of your telephones apps and their layout to get you back on track as quickly as possible.
It's not a disaster but I should have been better prepared for the changes that occurred. I clicked the "Okay" button and the download started. Once installed, I roamed around a bit, but my handset got bogged down in upgrading the apps that I had previously downloaded. All of my apps were listed plus it looks like some additional ones that Verizon included.
The biggest change is that my shortcuts and my arrangement of shortcuts were eliminated. All the things that made my phone my own were gone . . . poof! Had I know that this would happen, I would have included it in my preparedness for a lost smartphone. Knowledge is power and power is very helpful in disaster recovery. Here's how to increase your knowledge and rapidly recover when your smartphone is lost or stops operating correctly. In addition to this upgrade, I had to replace a smartphone when the on/off button did not function correctly and spent a lot of time changing the settings of my new phone. So, now that I'm wiser, let me share some ideas about how to be better prepared for these types of changes. You want images of your telephones apps and their layout to get you back on track as quickly as possible.
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| Screen Capture of Samsung Galaxy S Grid View |
Expectations: Remember that you are preparing reference material in the event of a catastrophe. The images that you obtain in this process may not be presentation quality but they will remind you of the apps that you downloaded and how you used your smartphone. Those images will help you recover more quickly in case of a flood, fire, or other community or personal disaster.
Equipment Required: Flatbed Scanner. (You can also use a digital camera with zoom lens on a tripod.)
Instructions for a Samsung GalaxyS smartphone using the Android operating system:
Equipment Required: Flatbed Scanner. (You can also use a digital camera with zoom lens on a tripod.)
Instructions for a Samsung GalaxyS smartphone using the Android operating system:
- Preparation:
- Go to: Settings/DisplaySettings/Brightness> Adjust to maximum brightness.
- Go to: Settings/Display Settings/Screen Timeout> Adjust the setting to 2 minutes.
- Go to: Applications.
- Adjust the settings to a "Grid" or "Page" view.
- Clean the glass on your flatbed scanner.
- Set your scanner software to :
- Image type: 48-bit color
- Resolution: 300 dpi
- Document size: Approximately 3" x 4"
- Target size: 4" x 6"
- Remove protective covering from your smartphone so that the face of the phone lies a close to the flatbed as possible.
- Clean the face of your smartphone.
- Scanning/Photographing:
- First:
- Preview scan the first page or grid view
- Manually adjust, if necessary, the scanned image window to include the view of the apps plus the grid or page number.
- Scan each page or grid view in either .jpg or .pdf format. (I suggest .pdf format so you can add images to a single file.)
- Name the file such as "My Smartphone All Apps 110531." I recommend a date at the end of file name so that you can readily identify the most recent iteration.
- Second:
- Set the Wallpaper of your smartphone to a single, neutral color. (With a Samsung GalaxyS, press and long-hold a clear space on Wallpaper to gain access to Wallpaper selections.)
- Preview scan the first page.
- Manually adjust, if necessary, the scanned image window to include the view of the apps plus the grid or page number.
- Scan each page or grid view in either .jpg or .pdf format. (I suggest .pdf format so you can add images to a single file.)
- Name the file such as "My Smartphone Shortcut Views 110531."
- Saving and Accessing your Information
- Move your two digital files "My Smartphone All Apps 110531" and "My Smartphone Shortcut Views 110531" to a folder in which you can readily find them.
- Consider backing up your computer hard-drive user files to a portable hard drive.
- Consider backing up your user files to a secure cloud-based online account so that you can access this information from wherever you may travel or if you cannot access your data due to flood, fire, or other natural disasters.
Let me know if this is helpful to you. Email me at ShulmanS@OurHeritageVault.com. Also, let me know if you'd like other helpful ideas to preserve your stuff. I have lots of ideas, especially for family heritage material.
Have a Memorable Day!!
Steve
