Re: [Nolug] Android phone apps for Linux cmdline geeks

Claimer: I like Google. My only smartphones have been Android (G1, G2, and
now a Nexus 4). I'm not a fan of iOS, but I have an iPad (primarily) for my
kid.

Okay, a few more points. The phone has built-in Mail/Gmail clients (yes,
these are different) that you should look at. I know the stock Android Mail
client should be able to handle most any mail services
(POP/IMAP/MAPI/Yahoo/AOL). The stock calendar might suffice, but it's
expecting to sync with your Google Calendar, but I know it can talk
iCal/vCal/WebDAV to handle calendar events. I've heard good things about K9
Mail and Touchdown, but I have never used either.

Notes apps are pretty personalized, so let me shout out a few I like:
Catch, Out of Milk, AK Notepad. Again, you will need a Google Account to
access the Play store for almost every app you will want to install; I know
a few developers will publish a .apk for international people who can't
access the Play store for whatever reason, but that is the exception rather
than the rule.

ConnectBot is a good ssh/telnet client. You can install Busybox for more
shell things, but I think it requires root. What "basic Linux apps" are you
looking for? There is an rsync for Android.

If you're going to root your device, start looking at CyanogenMod for
custom ROMs. The xda-developers fora are a great place to lurk and learn.

The Google Play store is safe to use. I use a combination of security
software on my phone (Lookout and Prey) for antitheft and antimalware.
Don't install something stupid or suspicious, since some apps will have
overly permissive permissions and might take advantage of your trust- just
like anything else. You might be looking at content + apps, so make sure
you drill down to just apps to help avoid some nonsense.

I know that you can go into the privacy settings on your phone and opt out
of some Google services if you don't want to use them. Read the fine print,
but I find them generally very useful.

Browser options for your phone: Firefox, Chrome, Dolphin, Opera.
Firefox/Chrome have the desktop sync options. I don't recall if Chromium is
available for Android.

You make mention of some apps on your Linux device, but no details. What
specifically are you looking for?

If you're paranoid about Google, here's my advice: Create a new Google
Account that you will only use on your phone and tie it to a Google Play
gift card instead of your credit card. I think the sync options that you
get are very valuable- contacts sync alone, and you'll want to use their
store to get trusted apps.

Let me know if you have more questions. I'm happy to share.

Mischa

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Received on 06/21/13