Droid X Saving Lives One App at a Time

Hands-Only CPR

As a person that has experienced a Heart Attack Or Not and was lucky to live through it.  I am excited to make this post about possibly the best apps for the Android phone.  The first one is the new recommended Hands-Only CPR for Android.  The American Heart Association says

When an adult has a sudden cardiac arrest, his or her survival depends greatly on immediately getting CPR from someone nearby. Unfortunately, less than 1/3 of those people who experience a cardiac arrest at home, work or in a public location get that help. Most bystanders are worried that they might do something wrong or make things worse. That’s why the AHA has simplified things.

Don’t be afraid. Your actions can only help.
It’s not normal to see an adult suddenly collapse, but if you do, call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest. Don’t be afraid. Your actions can only help. Take a minute and look around this site and invite your friends! Increasing the number of people who know about Hands Only (TM) CPR will increase the chance that someone can help when an adult suddenly collapses, and more lives can be saved.

If your asking why Hands-Only CPR over traditional CPR with breathing It's recommended to visit the Hands-Only CPR Faq page.  There the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends conventional CPR (CPR with a combination of breaths and compressions) for:

• All infants (up to age 1)
• Children (up to age 8)
• Adult victims who are found already unconscious and not breathing normally
• Any victims of drowning, drug overdose or collapse due to breathing problems.

The above is just one of the facts you will find on there site.  The site is full of lifesaving facts that can be useful and one day could save a loved one. 

Other Lifesaving apps for the Android platform

Pocket First Aid and CPR
CPR-Choking
First Aid by Health Team

Highly recommended websites

• American Stroke Association
• California Pacific Medical Center
• Pacific Laparoscopy - Weight Loss Surgery can help heart failure
• First Aid - Wikipedia

Recommended Books

• American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook
• The New American Heart Association Cookbook, 8th Edition
• The No-Salt, Lowest-Sodium Cookbook: Created to Combat Congestive Heart Failure
• Congestive Heart Failure Awareness Ribbon Round Mouse Pad

To Kill or Not to Kill Task in Android

Automatic Task Killer

I've been asked whether Android users should use a task killer such as Advanced Task Killer or Advanced Task Killer Froyo.  I say Yes and I personally use Automatic Task Killer for my program.

How to properly set up and use a task killer (Oh, yes, I went there!) sums up what I was thinking in these seven bullet points.

• Any application that has the manufacturer or carriers name in it should never be killed.
• Any application that has the word android. (yes the period is there on purpose) should never be killed.
• Any application that keeps time should never be killed.
• Any application that has a widget that updates should never be killed.
• Any application that is not installed on /data (this is where user apps go) should never be killed.
• If you can't figure out exactly what an application is, it should never be killed.
• Home replacements, whether from the Market or your manufacturer never should be killed. This also means Sense, Blur, and Touchwiz. They also have dependencies that should stay alive, refer to numbers 1, 5 and 6 above. Of course if you're a tinkerer, and know which parts of the system you don't need running on your particular installation, feel free to experiment.  And share your results. 

They show great tips on when to use a task killer.  I do not kill calendars, Handcent SMS, Newrob RSS reader and my default browser Dolphin Browser HD.  I do not kill task that I use on a regular basis and want to have active when I turn the phone back on after it goes to the lock screen.  This is why  Newrob RSS reader and default browser are included in this list.  There are times I have an article like the one about the USA Today and might step away for a minute.  When I return my screen will be locked upon unlocking if you had your RSS Reader killed your post would be shutdown and you would have to reopen the program and find where you were before it shutdown.

Just be selective on what you kill and do not kill everything.  If you run into issues with a program double check if it is being killed by a task killer.  If it is uncheck the program and see if the program still has issues.

Recommended Reading:
The Definitive RSS Guide for Bloggers
Google Official Google Reader Blog

Free Over 200,000 Ringtones for Android Devices

Stumbled upon this outstanding ringtone program.  Do not hesitate to checkout Ringlert to browse thousands of ringtones uploaded by android users. Variety of categories and options to find best ringer that suits your needs. Assign to contacts, set sms alerts and more.


As the screenshot to the left shows there are currently 214,881 ringtones available for immediate download.  They give you a few different ways to browse for ringtones as seen to the right image.  I found the search to be the best way to search for things you are looking for instead of going by categories and scrolling for days.  


It is fun to click on Download Charts to see what others are downloading as there ringtones.  I like how they allow you to choose Today, This week and This month.  The ratings based on what others think can help narrow your search a little.  I do recommend performing a preview of the ringtones first to make sure the quality is adequate.  Remember these are ringtones created by fellow Android users probably with Ringdroid.  You find what your interested in and click on that song then you can preview the ringtone before downloading.  If you like the quality then click on download and it will save to your SDcard under Ringlert folder as mp3 files.  

Once on your device you can treat it is any other mp3 file.  Means you can share it with others through MMS.  Even those that do not have an Android device like the great Motorola DROID X.


Heck with over 200,000 in there database you might not need to create your own.  Just remember if there is more than one list of your ringtone to preview each as these could mean a ringtone for different parts of the song.  I did a search for one of my favorite songs Hotel California by the Eagles and came up with 13 different versions for different parts of the song.

How to set voicemail password

I have been asked numerous times how do you set your voicemail password so that it will automatically enter when selecting speed dial 1?

This is actually easier then you think.  These instructions are for the Motorola DROID X Android Phone however, will work for most Android devices.

1. Delete voice mail from speed dial # 1 by going to phone press menu, speed dial setup press the minus sign next to Voicemail
2. Go to contacts and select voicemail, click menu button under settings select edit and add ",,password#" (minus the quotes) to the end of *86
3. Go back to phone, speed dial and add voice mail back to the first spot

Now when you click and hold the 1 key it will dial your voicemail and enter your password and the # sign.