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Vodafone and Android OS

arturox
4: Newbie

SWMBO has just moved to a Smartphone, it is run by Android.

I want to be able to back stuff from it to her PC for safety sake.

 

On my Nokia Smartphone this is easy peasy using a number of methods... Win file explorer, the 'Nokia Suit', or the App I purchased to get at everything, 'MobileEdit'.

 

Even though I have an Android Tablet, I don't find the Android OS particularly friendly or intuitively interfaced.

 

So she has a Vodafone Smart 4 Mini (VF 785), where does this poxy OS store Texts, MMS etc. As I can't find them anywhere on the phone using Win explorer.?

 

Thanks

Arturo X

 

PS: MobileEdit doesn't seem to be very happy trying to interface with Android phones... Maybe I'm missing something, dunno?

Ax

47 REPLIES 47

Indeed you are right, and back when I was still running my business that was the case.

Now retired, I'm less strict with the backup routines... Backups are still done of course, but there are far too many other things to do in a fast reducing time scale.

 

Ax

 

hrym
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

I don't mind using the cloud for some storage, but never as my only copy and preferably in two places.  I was going to suggest using Google as temporary storage before moving the file elsewhere, but you got there before me!

 

As to Android, all operating systmes take a while to get used to and to be able to make full use of the capabilities.   I haven't used Windows Phone, so I can't somment, but I'm prepared to bet I'd find it confusing and frustrating initially.   Generally, being an open system, Android allows you to do a lot of things and doesn't make deliberate attempts to keep you away from certain areas.

This thing is still a PITA.

From the computer I want to get at the Address book on this thing, but nothing will see the SIM card or the address book on it.

 

I don't have any problems with my Nokia Smartphone and MobilEdit getting at the address book.

 

?

Ax

 

jeffkinn
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

Why would you need to get to the address book on the phone? It should be synced with either something or your computer or something in the cloud - and yes I do remember your aversion to cloud based systems but that is what all modern devices are designed to work with.

Jeffkinn_Sig.png

Because!

And because where machines are concerned I'm a recalcitrant old sod!

I want a copy of the address book, and I want thereafter to place it in a backup place of *My* choice.

 

I don't want to sync it with anything, I want to manually get and place the address book where I want it.

 

Ax

 

jeffkinn
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

Well the system doesn't work that way thank goodness. I for one wouldn't touch a phone with an operating system that anyone could pick up, attach to a PC and take a copy of my address book or anything else.

 

Smartphones are designed to interface with gmail, iCloud, Outlook etc depending on the flavour of operating system you have. Those are your choices.

Jeffkinn_Sig.png

That appears to be the problem with Android... Very little choice, or as I see it in this case, No choice.

 

Moving this slightly sideways, anyone recommend a paid for app, like MobilEdit that'll interface with an Android phone.

So far I've tried out a couple of Shareware apps, that were so full of Ads, and installed marketing tools on the PC as to be unusable.

As noted I do have the paid for app MobilEdit which I use for my phone, but it just will not interface with this phone correctly... Not that suprised as it's not on their list of supported phones...  (I have tried communicating with them, but ATM messages are just bouncing back).

 

So in the meanwhile...  😉

Thanks

Ax

 

 

 

In the meanwhile...

I've done some work and installed a completely new copy of MobilEdit on another computer, this now interfaces correctly with her phone and the address book on the SIM is now available.

 

Thanks for the input folks, and goodbye.

Arturo X

 

hrym
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

OK.  Let's assume you have your contacts sync'd with Google.  That gives you access anywhere.  I would certainly also keep a physical backup (actually, I keep about six, but I'm paranoid about that sort of thing!).

 

What you do is open the Contact app on your device, go into the menu and hit import/export.   Choose Export, either to Phone or sd card.  This will produce a vcard file which you can copy/transfer (via Google Drive or an email to yourself) to any device.   Compatile software, such as MS Outlook will open the file and it can also be re-imported into Gmail if necessary.   If you want a text file, there are export options in Google (look for Free My Data, which I think is in Dashboard).  This can also produce a csv file, which you can open in a text editor or a spreadsheet.  Like I said, it's enormously flexible.

 

If you haven't investigated Google Dashboard (click on Account when you're logged in via a browser), it's worth a look.   There a lot of useful stuff there and you can also fine-tune the privacy settings.

Slight aside but relevant...


The SIM from her old phone was put into the new phone and that's okay, and her old address book in the SIM is still there okay.

 

She's entered a few new phone numbers,but they are being stored in the phone memory and not the SIM, so the question to which I don't know the answer on this phone is...

How does she force the phone to store new entries in the SIM along with her old ones.

 

I can't seem to find a Setting for that.

Thanks

Ax