Android Voice Actions Not Working Properly

I got my new LG Optimus One the other day. This is my first Android phone, and I must say, even though I bought a cheaper introductory phone, I am impressed!
I'll post a full review of the phone after I've gotten to know it better, but for now I had to post on a problem I was having, and have finally solved.

The problem was with the Voice Actions option the phone comes with. Here is the video describing what you should be able to do:



Looks cool, eh? Ya, I thought so too! Trouble was, when I hit the voice command button next to the google search window and said "Send Text To John Henry How's it going?" it would leave the "to:" field in the text window blank and put "John Henry How's it going?" into the message field. No matter what variations I tried to speak, this happened continually. After much internet scouring, I found a forum message somewhere with the answer.

For some reason, Google will not properly sync your phone contacts with your actual google account contacts. Its your actual Google account contact list it checks against when you speak commands to it. Here is what you need to do on your phone:

1. Open your contacts. I just clicked the icon right from the home screen.

2. Click the menu button, choose the "more" option, and select "import/export".

3. Choose "Export to SD card".

4. Hit the menu button again and select "Select All". This will put a checkmark beside all your contacts.

5. Select "Done".

6. Click Ok. It should save the file as 00001.vcf by default.

You have now made a back up on your SD card of all your contacts. Plug your phone into your computer, and enter into USB mode. Find the 00001.vcf file and copy it over to the computer. I always copy stuff like this to the desktop, it's easy to find. If you're having trouble getting your phone connected properly to your computer, see my previous post HERE.

7. Log into your Google account (on your computer, not your phone) and click on the "contacts" option in the top left.

8. Click on "Import Contacts" in the middle left of the screen, and select your 00001.vcf file here.

Once your contacts are imported, unplug your phone (safely! Use the remove USB option on the taskbar by your clock) and you're done!

It seems to work best for me if I say "Send Text To" then the name of my contact, followed by the message. I hope this helps, and keep checking back for my full review on the LG Optimus One.

Installing USB Drivers for LG Optimus One

I had a hell of time installing the drivers so my Windows 7 laptop would recognize my new LG Optimus One cell phone.

Click on this link to see the post that finally worked for me!

CLICK HERE

Stop The Government from Spying On Our Internet!

The government is trying to ram through an anti-Internet set of electronic surveillance laws that will invade your privacy and cost you money. The plan is to force every phone and Internet provider to surrender our personal information to "authorities" without a warrant.

This bizarre legislation will create Internet surveillance that is:

• Warrantless: A range of "authorities" will have the ability to invade the private lives of law-abiding Canadians and our families using wired Internet and mobile devices, without a warrant or any justification.
• Invasive and Dangerous: The laws leave our personal and financial information less secure and more susceptible to cybercrime.
• Costly: Internet services providers may be forced to install millions of dollars worth of spying technology and the cost will be passed down to YOU.

If enough of us speak out now the government will have no choice but to stop this mandatory online spying scheme. Sign the petition now, and forward it to everyone you know →

My Computer Keeps Turning Off

Your computer keeps randomly turning itself off?

This problem can be pretty simple. First thing I always do in this case is unhook all the cables, remove the side cover of the tower, and blow the dust out!
Dust inside your computer, mainly on your CPU (the part with the fan in the middle or so of the motherboard) and in your power supply, can cause overheating. If your computer is starting to overheat, it will turn itself off to protect itself.
Using something to actually blow the dust out is the most effective. Compressed air, even from one of those store bought cans, will work wonders. If you don't have access to some sort of compressed air, then doing the best you can with your vacuum will work too.

If you have cleaned out your tower and it still is turning itself off, the next culprit would be a faulty power supply, or a faulty motherboard. It's probably time to call a professional at this point.

Good luck!

Playstation Network Down Another Week?

Here is a link to the latest blog posting at the Playstation website. Looks like it could be another week before we see any COD action. This post at least has some info on what is going on with the network.
Another week without Black Ops? Bah....

I am enjoying Age Of Empires Online very much. I've joined the beta, and I've been playing it all weekend. I'll post a review of it when I've gotten a little further (only level 10 so far), but at least its given me something to do while Sony gets its eggs in row.