I do not actively use Android devices and I've only played with them some. I think you're going to have to bite the bullet and have at least setup a basic google something account to be able to install apps from the Android market. If you need paid apps, go buy a Visa or Amex gift card with cash at the 7-11 down the street and set your account up using an alias if you want.
As for the PIM apps: android native apps vary widely by carrier and there is no standard client across platforms since default software is left to individual hardware distributors. Browse and find apps that are not Google based; you should be able to find and download and install various browsers, mail readers and other tools. If you're absolutely against using Google Play and/or Android market, I don't really know how you install the apps without actually having the code for the apps and compiling them and then moving them to your device as a test environment but I'm sure that there are ways. You just have to locate the apps that aren't going to require google (or other services) to sync with. With some searching you can probably locate ssh, ftp, etc utilities on the Android market but again, you have to have a delivery mechanism to get them to your device. You could in theory build out your own mdm and enterprise app market but this is probably overkill. Maybe you can find code for apps on sourceforge which you can compile and move onto your device without using OTA app delivery. As far as configuration, customization, add ons, etc. Keep in mind that you're not dealing with full on programs and API sets, even in the Android world (as opposed to iOS) you don't have the same things that you do in the desktop/server world. You're dealing in a world of extremely small task oriented programs which are not designed to do everything - how programs are written, and how they are used is a different mindset than the desktop environment. You're going to have to get some apps on there regardless; setup a VPN to your home network, tunnel all data through there for all data out of the device (maybe a Samsung Safe/Knox enabled phone would have been a better choice? [don't know, the specifics, just saw some stuff that it had a lot better containerized security for safe/knox enabled and configured apps]). Mark A. Lappin, CCNA, MCITP: Enterprise Administrator | Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry Director of Information Technology 11314 Cloverland Ave | Baton Rouge, LA 70809 Ph: 225.368.3645 | Fax: 225.368.3675 | Mobile: 225-362-2770 ma...@lmfj.com | www.lmfj.com Like Us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/leemichaelsjewelry Watch the Lee Michaels Story: http://www.lmfj.com/embed_holder.php This communication is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of this communication . -----Original Message----- From: General [mailto:general-boun...@brlug.net] On Behalf Of Philip Amadeo Saeli Sent: Friday, June 21, 2013 1:25 AM To: NOLUG; BRLUG General Subject: [brlug-general] Android phone apps for Linux cmdline geeks Hi, All, Hopefully, there are some Linux geeks on this list that may be able to offer some guidance for me. For the following, assume I do not have a G**gle account of any type. Sorry for all the rambling, but I have so many questions. I just acquired my very first Android phone and I am looking for some apps to set up as much of my usual Linux environment as possible without actually rooting the device (that may come later). Also, being a rather old-fashioned type, I'm not especially anxious to turn my whole life over to G**gle simply to be able to make use of the basic features of my phone (at least not just yet, and maybe never). I am looking both for the standard PIM apps (Calendar, Contacts, Memos) as well as some more specialized Linux apps (ssh client and server, bash shell, terminal emulator, ftp, tar, zip, etc.). Are there any reasonable PIM apps that do not require a G**gle account? Are there any basic Linux apps that do not require rooting the device? If so, any recommendations? Is Google Play safe to use, or is there a safe way to use it? It seems to be the only place to go for downloading apps. It appears to be very commercially oriented, at least as compared to the N810 Maemo store, and I find it rather difficult to find what I am looking for when browsing it. I am mostly used to using Open Source software and open software repositories, and find the highly commercial orientation of Google Play to be very distracting. Any tips? It seems that most of the base software on the phone is oriented toward running everything through G**gle's servers as a "convenience" function. Everything becomes a G**gle search for something (and, of course, adding all of my info to their marketing engine). I'd like to avoid that as much as possible. The younger ones tell me to quit fighting it, that it's inevitable anyway. However, this old fart is not about to just roll over and die. But I would like to be able to make some informed, wise choices in that area. On all of my current Linux (and Windows) devices, I am, e.g., running Firefox as a browser and have it configured with plugins to block annoying ads, limit javascript, block flash, etc., and have a much more pleasant browsing experience as a result. I am also running the "Iron" browser (based on Chromium) on one of my systems, but find it much less configurable to my liking than Firefox and not as usable for my purposes. The Android browser seems to have no configurability at all. Are there any useful alternatives? My most recent pocket Linux device is a Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. It was under powered when I first got it, and it seems even slower now. However, it runs a number of apps that I find invaluable in everyday use. I'd like to get as many of those or equivalents as possible for my Android device which appears to have more than enough horsepower to run anything I might throw at it. I'd like to be able to make better use of the phone than to be limited to making calls, texting, and playing games. For reference, I have a Samsung Galaxy Note II with Verizon as the carrier and, yes, for better or worse, the most recent OTA has been installed. Thanks! --Phil -- Philip Amadeo Saeli openSUSE, RHEL, CentOS On the North Shore psa...@zorodyne.com _______________________________________________ General mailing list General@brlug.net http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net _______________________________________________ General mailing list General@brlug.net http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net
