I’ve been running into some issues with carrying around my HTC Droid Eris phone in my pocket. I’ve been noticing that the phone would answer incoming calls while in my pocket without me doing anything to it. The combination of the HTC Sense interface and Eris’ soft keys make it quite easy to unintentionally answer calls.
Here’s what’s happening – whenever there’s an incoming call, the screen wakes up and automatically unlocks itself and presents the option to either answer the call or decline. So, if the capacitive screen is sensitive enough, the answer/decline button on screen can be selected while in the pocket. Ideally, the screen should stay locked with an incoming call but for some odd reason this version of “HTC Sense” allows the answer/decline widget to appear instead of the lock screen.
While I’m at it, the other design flaw is the soft key “menu” button on the phone that bypasses the lock screen. That’s right, a soft key button that allows you to bypass the lock screen. wtf? so again, it’s just another way to easily butt dial with this phone.
Anyway, there aren’t any built-in menu options on the phone that would allow the user to disable the “lock screen bypass” feature or be able to prevent the incoming call from bypassing the lock screen.
After researching various apps that might help solve this problem, I think I’ve finally found one. It’s the WidgetLocker app. It’s essentially designed for adding widgets & shortcuts on a customized lockscreen. But the app also gives you the ability disable buttons as well as prevent incoming calls from bypassing the lockscreen. You have to dig through the app’s menus but there’s definitely an option to “hide incoming calls” which will keep the WidgetLocker lockscreen on top of the incoming call screen. And disabling buttons helps prevent me from inadvertently hitting the “menu button” which would unlock the phone. There’s a whole lot more that the app can do but those two things pretty much solved “pocket answering” for me.
Oh, I also changed out the “slide down to unlock” pattern which I thought made it too easy to unlock the phone while pulling the phone out of my pocket. I went with a side swipe pattern which seems to work better, at least in my situation.
I know the HTC Droid Eris has grown long in the tooth and probably most have upgraded to a newer model by now but for the remaining few that still have this phone, hopefully this info helps.
I’ve been researching new cell phones for the past few weeks. Reading reviews, comparing specs and searching for bargains. Not for me, mind you, it’s for the wife. She’s due for a new phone and so she’ll have ultimate say-so but I’m making a recommendation list. While sifting through all the different models available, I’ve been saving my picks on a “wish list” of sorts via clipix. The easy to use online tool allows users to save links of interest on a clipboard which can be shared with friends (or kept private, your choice). I’ve got my cell phone clipboard set to be shared with the wife. She can log in and view my top choices of phones and click on the ones she wants to learn more about. The cool thing is that clipix is all about interactivity so the wife can comment on the various “clips” on the clipboard and even add to the list herself.
But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Clipix can do so much more. You can use it to collect all sorts of things off the web – interesting articles you want to read later, party planning, recipes, favorite photos, or even your favorite youtube videos. This online tool has the potential of becoming huge. Especially since it’s so easy to use. Just add the “clip” button on your bookmark toolbar and simply click on it whenever you encounter something you want to save. There’s even an iPhone app so you can have all your clipboards on the go. Clipix is definitely worth checking out.
Well, after all this time, I’ve finally decided to try and expand the reach of This Old Blog. For a while, I treated this blog as some sort of safe haven to rant and rave about life and stuff. But with the limited spare time I’ve had over the years, I unfortunately let this site languish. Well, it’s time to step up and re-energize this blog again.
So as part of the grand plan, I’ve started a twitter account and facebook page specifically for This Old Blog.
And to commemorate the “rebirth” of the site, I thought I’d do a rafflecopter drawing for a $20 Target Gift Card. Just simply “like” my facebook page and follow me on twitter via the rafflecopter widget below and you’re registered for the drawing. Plus, there are additional ways to earn bonus points. Just follow the instructions via the widget.
As an ongoing service to my readers, I’m listing some interesting korean movies & kdramas here on This Old Blog since searching directly on the netflix website is a bit touch and go. Still not sure why there isn’t an easier way to find some of these titles but it is what it is. anyway, here are some fairly new titles that are queue worthy!
The Housemaid – A wealthy family’s new maid, Eun-yi (Do-yeon Jeon), attracts the attention of Hoon (Jung-Jae Lee), the man of the house, and a fiery affair develops between them. But although Hoon signs Eun-yi’s checks, he’s not the one controlling the relationship. One secret leads to another, until Eun-yi threatens to destroy the entire family. This update of the 1960 chiller was an Official Selection of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
Secret Sunshine – Trying to piece her life back together after her husband’s death, widow Lee Shin-ae moves to the small village where he was born with her young son in tow. Life seems to return to normal until the boy is kidnapped, leaving Shin-ae devastated.
I’m a Cyborg, but That’s Ok – Placed in a psych ward for believing she’s a robot, troubled Young-goon forsakes food and attempts instead to charge her body with electronic devices. As her health deteriorates, another eccentric patient tries to inspire her to start eating again.
Castaway on the Moon – Kim Seong-geun (Jae-yeong Jeong), despondent over being dumped by his girl, decides to end it all by jumping into the Han River, but instead wakes up on a tiny island in the middle of the waterway, now a castaway in the teeming heart of civilization. Part social commentary, part romantic adventure with hints of science fiction, Lee Hey-jun’s film touches on topics ranging from economic disparity to the alienating nature of modern urban existence.
Sweet Sex and Love – After an unforgettable night with Dong-gi, Shin-ah breaks up with her boyfriend to hook up with Dong-gi again. Their chemistry is undeniable, but can they go beyond great sex and build a lasting love?
S-diary – Jini gets dumped by her boyfriend with the final note saying he was only interested in having sex with her but not in a lasting relationship. This triggers her to go back and investigate her previous relationships and ultimately to gain revenge on her ex-boyfriends.
The Naked Kitchen – When Mo-rae goes shopping to buy an anniversary present for her beloved husband, she meets and has a sudden fling with a handsome stranger named Du-re — only to discover that her new lover is her husband’s friend and business associate.
… and guess what, Winter Sonata is now available on Netflix streaming! That is how far kdramas have come in terms of popularity beyond S. Korea. Winter Sonata –
Joon-sang (Bae Yong Jun) transfers to a new high school in search for his biological father and there falls for lively and cheerful Yu-jin (Choe Ji Woo). After Joon-sang’s sudden disappearance, rumor has it that he was killed by a car accident. Ten years later, when Yu-jin and Sang-hyuk throw their engagement party, Chelin shows up with her boyfriend, Min Hyung, who closely resembles Joon-sang. Yu-jin, who still has a fire in her heart for Joon-sang, becomes dumbfounded and overwhelmed with confusion.
so I made a change this year. hopefully for the better. I signed up the family for the YMCA. Yeah, I know it’s going to be tough making the monthly payments for the family membership but I’m determined to make some positive changes. I definitely need to get active and improve my health. maybe paying for a monthly membership will help motivate me to get off my ass and get fit.
Instead of me moaning and groaning about my problems here… maybe.. just maybe This Old Blog will end up having a more positive spin on things.
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