** FAQ'S, Popular Links, & Downloads ** UPDATED March 09

Alpha43 · #1 12-04-2006

Hello To All Members,

Alright people lets make things easy for everyone around here. The purpose of this thread is for new members, and senior members alike to have a place where they can find links, downloads, And common questions and terms used throughout the forum. In order to keep this Thread clutter free, only myself, admins, and moderators can edit and post in the thread. If you feel something important is missing feel free to contact anyone of us to post. Also I would like to thank the people who assisted me in writing this. Much appreciated.

This FAQ has been split into the following sections to make it easier to find your answers:

w List of Java apps that work
w List of PKG programs that work
w MPT and Java Adaptor
w Firmware Questions
w Communication and Calling Questions
w Hardware Questions
w General Questions
w Camera, Music player and Video Player Questions
w Other Application Specific Questions.
w Trouble Shooting Guide NEW

FAQ's ( Frequently Asked Questions)

Last Updated: Jan 2009

1. What Java Apps run on the A1200?

The following is a small sample of java applet programs that run correctly on the A1200 (These are all utilities - games are listed further down).

In theory, all j2me applets should run successfully - but many do not due to them being coded to use the phone's hard number keys (which A1200 does not have!). The sites www.getjar.com and mobile9 have hundreds of freeware/shareware programs that supposedly work - but many only have limited functionality. Superfly has also gathered together a big list of links to apps that have been uploaded to this forum over past year in this post - although some of these may not work very well on the A1200.

The following list of apps have been verified as working correctly on the A1200. All are available for free. See the Guide to Modding Your A1200 sticky for information on how to install them.

"Must Haves"

No A1200 should be seen out in public without these!! These are all Java apps except for a couple at the end that are PKG programs (see next section how to install PKG programs)

Opera Mini Browser - Best mobile browser ever, mostly because it isn't WAP only. It handles large pages well, by reformatting the layout and data serverside. Much faster than browser that comes with the phone, but it is java so only one window can be used. OperaMini renders the whole web page in a small size then you can touch on any part of the screen to zoom in to view details on that part of the page (like the iphone).
Download:
Opera 4.2 NEW!- Can view pages in landscape mode; forward as well as back navigation; bookmark and speed dial synchronization. This newest release includes several new features including skins, faster (due to new servers in US) and sync notes (PC - OM). Get from Operamini site.

Anyview ebook reader - there are a number of J2ME ebook readers (ReadManiac, BookReader, Mobile Bookshelf, Microreader), but none of these work on the A1200. Anyview is one of the two that does - and works very well! It can read txt, html, umd, and pdb files and has much better page turning and 'go to' controls than native Viewer program. (Also see TequilaCat in the "Other Apps" list for an alternative reader. There is also an excellent FBReader PKG program listed in the MPKG utilities section).
Download: get latest English version and instructions on how to install from the APP: AnyView thread.

Quicknotes - Developed by Clovis this app lets you make drawings or notes with your stylus.
Download: get from bottom of APP: QuickNotes drawing program thread.

Google Maps or Mobile Google Maps- map viewers that permits you to load and view maps on your A1200. (Some argue that MGMaps is much more functional than native Google Maps - and permits you to download maps and view them offline (works even if you do not have internet access - everything can be copied from your pc).
Download: Get latest version of GoogleMaps here. Get latest version of MGMaps from here. See this thread and this thread for instructions on getting MGMaps to work on A1200.
[There are also quite a few GPS programs that work on the A1200 (all need internet access and GPS receiver). These include VGPS and J2memap.

Safe - the best password manager found so far for the A1200. Lets you store passwords and other sensitive data in a password protected encrypted file. Has a Windows PC counterpart, SafeDeskTop, where you can easily add/maintain your passwords and a fairly easy way to synchronize your password file from your PC to your phone. For full instructions on how to install and use it, see this thread. Dec 07 update: Latest (and final) version is 2.4.1. Author has released a replacement app called MobileKnox (though it is no longer freeware - it costs a reasonable 10 Euros)
Download: get from author's site at http://www.javawi.de/index2.html.

Dictionaries - a bunch of different dictionaries in different languages that work on the A1200.
Download: get from Dictionaries for the A1200 thread or from this thread. The Longman's Chinese-English dictionary can be obtained here or here. A touchscreen English/Farsi dictionary can be found here
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MobLight - Mobile Light: turns on all the pixels so that you can use your A1200 as a light. In Spanish - but easy to understand. Has following options:
- Lantern (white light)
- Positional (red)
- Emergency (orange flashing)
- SOS (white flashing)
- Pulse - does not work as needs key pad to enter pulse duration
Download: get from http://eamobile.webcindario.com/moblight.html. Click on link that says "Descargar Moblight" near bottom of page.
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ZMPlayer - PKG program that permits you to play movies on the phone. It can can play higher frame rates than the built-in Realplayer so videos will run a lot smoother (the difference is about 10-13 frames per second). ZMPlayer supports mpg, mpeg, vob, avi, and mp4 file types as well as divx videos. It plays 320x240 @ 25fps bitrate 300~2000. Latest version is V 1.2 (released March 2007). For a full explanation of the advantages of and also known bugs with ZMPlayer see at the bottom of this sticky in Section 7. Camera, Music Player and Video Player Specific Questions .
Download: instructions for install and download file at Zmplayer 1.2 thread.
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StartMenu - PKG program that a provides a Windows like "Start Menu" on the phone. Once you start using this, you will rarely use App Manager any longer.
Download: get screenshots and download file at APP: StartMenu thread.
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VistaClock - PKG program by the same author of StartMenu. It displays an analog clock on your home screen.
Download: get screenshots and download file at APP: VistClock thread.
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NewMenu - PKG program that a permits you to add additioanl categories under the App Manager in addition to the ones provided (All, Office, Games, etc).
Download: get screenshots and download file at APP: NewMenu thread.
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Mesa Info Booth 3.0 - Internet java app that is the best one found so far for quickly retrieving the weather, movie times, news, stock quotes, sports, flight/airport status, currency converter, and RSS feeds. Also includes a dictionary, tip calculator, measurement converter, clothing size converter and a couple of games!!! Beautiful simple touch screen interface. Free version works fine, but nags you to click on an ad every 5 screens (Registered version = $20). Author is a Motofans member!
Download: get screenshots and download file at APP: Mesa Info Booth thread or at http://lightower.org.

Other Useful Java Apps (in Alphabetical order)

This is not a complete list of all J2ME apps - but gives you an idea of what is available. All of these work fully on the A1200 except for what is noted.

Amogi- mosquito repeller! This app produces a high pitched tone that supposedly repels mosquitos.
Download: get from App: Amogi thread.
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Calculator - scientific - if you need a more powerful calculator with graph and regression functions then you have 3 to choose from: (1) Xcalc from getjar; (2) ScienceCalc from ccmove; or (3) jcalc from sourceforge.
Download: get Xcalc from Getjar; get ScienceCalc from the E6 ScienceCalc thread; and get jcalc from http://sourceforge.net/projects/javcalc.

CellSafe - a second good password manager. Lets you store passwords and other sensitive data in a password protected file. Uses Blowfish encryption. Can export your password file and edit it on your PC - though takes some effort to get this feature working.
Download: get from cellsafe.sourceforge.net.

Compass - allows you to use your A1200 as a compass. By rotating the phone so that the sun and/or moon icons match their location in the sky, the top of the phone will indicate true north.
Download: get from official website at qcontinuum.org or download from this APP: Compass thread.

EQO - Multi-IM client that works very well on A1200. You can use it for free IMs, cheap calls and texts. Supposedly works a lot better than Morange (listed below), Reporo, Mig or even Nimbuzz.
Download: get from www.eqo.com. See this thread for a discussion on using it on A1200.

ExpenseTracker - one of two expense management programs that I have found that work well on the A1200 (MoneyManager2 is the other - but you have to pay for that one).
Download: get from getjar.

gbJotPad - an alternative notes app to the one that comes with the A1200.
Download: get from Getjar.

iLock - touch screen java app that puts a sliding lock on the screen of the phone which prevents phone from being used (similar to iphone's). You slide it to unlock phone. Still in beta - so not very useful at the moment (pressing the red key or closing the flip bypasses the app) - but still actively being developed so may become more secure.
Download: get from APP: iLock thread.

JabpLite - another expense tracker
Download: get from Getjar.

jStarDict - Dictionary app that permits you to use use any of the dictionaries from http://stardict.sourceforge.net/Dictionaries.php
Download: download and instructions at APP: jStarDict thread.

Map Programs - Trekbuddy & JTrustN - 2 other map viewers that permit you to load and view maps on your A1200 without internet access. Less functional than Moble Google Maps listed under "must-have" apps. See thread for instructions on how to create maps and example maps. JTrustN is by far the better app of the two.
Download: get from APP: Trekbuddy & JTrustN - storing Maps on your A1200 thread.

MeasuresConverter - useful utility for converting measurements - feet to metres, gallons to litres, etc - but be aware there are a couple of bugs in it - miles does not convert to anything but picometers and nanometers, feet will do 100 but not 1000 or 800, etc.
Download: get from Developed Software section.

MiniExel - a spreadsheet program for your A1200. It is called miniExcel - but can not read MS Excel files!. It can only read/update spreadsheets created on the phone using this app.
Download: get from Developed Software section.

MiniWord- a program that only half works on the A1200 as it only lets you read Word docs, not edit them! I think the Viewer app that comes with the phone is easier to use.
Download: get from Developed Software section.

MiniPauker - a flash card program that helps you memorize things such as languages. It remembers which cards you have already learnt. You can import/export files to your SD card - which makes it easy to create new cards on your PC. See this thread for instructions on getting it working on A1200.
Download: get from http://pauker.sourceforge.net.

MoneyManager2 - one of a couple of expense management programs that work on the A1200. Though it does seem to have a bug in that you can not type in the decimal point when entering $ values.
Download: get from this thread.

Morange Messager and Push email - nicely designed push email product that works very well on A1200 and has been getting very positive reviews - fully touch screen enabled. Use is free after registration. Has following features: push email; chat on msn, google chat, icq, yahoo and a few other messengers ; receive rss feeds, can take pictures and send it on messenger to people online; free online storage space, PIM functionalities; sync with outlook. See this APP: Morange thread for a discussion on it.
Download: get from Morange site. (Also see EQO app listed above that many people feel is better)

Moto-TXT - app that reads text files out loud. Have not tried this one - but supposedly it works fine.
Download: get from APP: Moto-TXT thread.

MotoID- application that "listens" to the music playing near the phone, and using GPRS connects to a database, analyze the music and return the name of the music, the artist, and sometimes the album cover. Needs an internet connection. Those people who have tried it think it works very well.
Download: get from APP: MOTOID thread.

MyNotes2 - developed by dedraks this is a similar program to QuickNotes that lets you make drawings or notes with your stylus. It is a good app, but has less features than QuickNotes.
Download: get from APP: MyNotes thread.

NetControl- this app allows you to control the network apps on your phone. For example, to telnet into your phone, you use to have to go through multiple steps. With this app, you connect the phone, click on USB, then on inetd, and then you can telnet in - you have full control over what is going on. In a sense it is a replacement for inetd.pkg and smbd.pkg
Download: Download and instructions on how to use it at APP: NetControl thread.

PadSticker - a simple database program that allows you to keep lists of pretty much anything.
Download: get from APP: PadSticker - Database Mgr thread or from Getjar.

PicoBlogger - Blogging tool - lets you publish and download videos, photos, and audio files. Needs internet connection. See full discussion on APP: Picoblogger thread.
Download: get from Motorolafans Downloads.

PrivateNumber - stores secret telephone numbers and allows you to make calls to them.
Download: get from APP: Private Numbers thread.

RemoteDeskTop - allows you to control popular applications on your desktop from your A1200 using bluetooth. There is also a similar product that works with a better interface called Salling Clicker - but you have to pay for that one.
Download: download and instruction on use at APP: Remote Desktop thread.

SecretCodes - another password manager application that lets you store passwords and other sensitive data in a password protected file. [Note - easy to use, but encryption used is not that strong]
Download: get from Getjar.

Stopwatch - 5 different stopwatch apps.
Download: get from APP: 5 Different Java Stopwatches thread.

TequilaCat ebook reader - besides AnyView listed in the "Must Haves", TequilaCat is another decent ebook reader that works on the A1200. Its biggest weakness is that you have to include the text you want to read in the jar file and reinstall Tequilacat for each new book. The Tequilacat thread gives full instructions on how to use it.
Download: get from APP: TequilaCat - ebook reader thread.

Voice - a talking color identifier - with the app running you can point the camera of your phone at something and and the app will identify the color of the thing you are pointing at and speak it out loud. (Not terribly useful - but shows the potential of what this phone can do - and is kind of fun!)
Note: Once you have installed it on the phone you have do the following:
1. hold the stylus on the app's icon until the popup menu appears
2. select Manage --> Permissions
3. set "Multimedia recording" to "Ask once per application".
Download: get from this thread or from www.seeingwithsound.com.
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WebCamera- app that allows you to use your A1200 as a Web camera and send streaming video to your PC. Takes a bit of effort to get it set up - but takes great pictures.
Download: Download and instructions on how to set it up at APP: WebCamera thread.

kiwiguy · #2 09-06-2007

2. What PKG Programs run on A1200?

There are also many UNIX based Package programs (*.PKG) that run on the A1200. The following is a comprehensive list of all of the PKG programs that have been posted to Motorolafans over the last 2 years - many developed by members of this forum.

To install these you must have a Meta Package (MPKG) install utility (or Superman or Smart Assistant that include an MPKG installer) installed on your phone first - and there are different versions for different firmwares. See Guide to Modding Your A1200 sticky for details on how to do this:

"Super" Utilities

These 6 pkg utilities can perform multiple tasks and save you having to install each function separately:

HorsePower- a great new pocketknife utility written by Motorofan's very own m41d3n. It has the following 8 functions all in 1 tool:
w Cleanup of your MMC: Deletes all the garbage that windows leaves behind after mass storage mode. It will delete folder Recycled, System Volume Information, all the files .log extension in the MMC root, and every .txt file from QuickNotes folder (this is what QuickNotes leaves when you export pictures from the program)
w Hide Folder: Hides/unhides the folder that you specify.
w Check Memory: Checks the memory status of ezx_user, ezx_local and MMC
w Quick Reboot: Reboots the phone faster than using red shutdown button
w SwapFile: Toggles swap on/off.
w Java Hacker: Runs the Java Hacker app which automates granting file read/write permissions to your Java apps.
w Screen Capture: Takes screenshots of the phones screen
w Yan0's mystuff: allows you to view/copy files within your phone's file system (such as /ezx_user).
Download: Get download file and instructions for installing from APP: HorsePower thread. Make sure you use the free editor CrimsonEditor to edit its configuration files - not Wordpad or Notepad - as these have been found to freeze the app.
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Smart Assistant- a fantastic new "super" utility out of China that has recently been translated into English by Motorolafan's user Tigallo. It performs the following 7 functions:
w Backup/Restore: backs up your Contacts, messages, JAVA certifications, network settings, ringtones and general settings (eg Alarm clock settings).
w PKG installer: installation/management of PKG scripts
w LIN installer: Runs *.lin and *.sh scripts
w UnZip: Uncompresses rar, zip, tar, tgz, and gz files
w Themes installation: automatically installs theme files
w File edit: opens Yan0's editor for txt, lin, sh, cfg files etc (not working)
w Cleanup: deletes the history of media player, delete preloaded JAVA programs, delete installed themes
Download: See section 8. "Application Specific Questions" in this sticky for instructions on how to use it. Get download file from APP: SmartAssistant thread. Needs special install for 25P and 34P firmwares - make sure your read the "Guide to Flashing" Sticky for this! Does not work on some firmwares - see description of your firmware in the "Guide to Flashing" sticky to see if it works for yours.
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SuperManager (aka Superman) - LIN utility whose use has largely been replaced by the newer SmartAssistant. Has following 3 functions:
w Backup and Restore: backs up your Phone's contacts, messages, calendar, emails/email accounts to a compressed file on your SD card.
w PKG installer: installation/management of PKG scripts (C2 fw track only)
w LIN installer: Runs *.lin and *.sh scripts (C2 fw track only)
This utility is only in Chinese, but easy to use as only 3 buttons. The left button backs ups all your contacts and calendar entries to a file on your SD card. The middle button restores your entries from this file; the right button exits the utility. This backup and restore functionality works on all firmwares. On the C2 track firmwares (24P, 25P, 30P, etc) this program can also be used to install MPKG and LIN files - so no need to install MPKG or Linloader separately (This functionality does not work on other firmwares).
Download: get from Bints Superman thread. Needs special install for 25P and 34P firmwares - make sure your read the "Guide to Flashing" Sticky for this! Does not work on some firmwares - see description of your firmware in the "Guide to Flashing" sticky to see if it works for yours.
...
Super Assistant - written by Motorolafans' developer, Amin, Super Assistant is a super utility that was written based on SmartAsst, Superman and HorsePower. Has following features:
w PKG installer: installation/management of PKG scripts
w Backup/Restore: backs up your Contacts, messages, JAVA certifications, network settings, ringtones and general settings (eg Alarm clock settings).
w UnZip: Uncompresses most archives (tar, gz, zip, rar,..)
w SwapFile: Toggles swap on/off.
w Java Hacker: Runs the Java Hacker app which automates granting file read/write permissions to your Java apps.
w Screen Capture: Takes screenshots of the phones screen
w Hide Folder: Hides/unhides the folder that you specify.
w Quick Reboot: Reboots the phone faster than using red shutdown button
Unfortunately, it only comes already installed on the C2 firmware Amin's Extreme Elite - there is no separate source file available for it.
...
Lina (Super Assistant II) - Motorolafans' developer Amin's Newest version of this GREAT super utility, based on Super Assistant, SmartAsst, Superman and HorsePower. Has all of the features of Super Assistant, but written with a more organized, user friendly, menu driven graphic user interface.
w File Compression
w Back-up algorithm reviewed and optimized(now restoring backups will not cause the lose pre-loaded firmware applications).
w Available as an independent application
WonderMoto2 - a "SUPER" super-utility written by Fabian Arias from Spain and translated into English by Amit Nagakar, it can replace 20 separate applications on your phone!! Provides the following functions:
w PKG installer: installation/management of PKG scripts
w Backup/Restore: backs up your Contacts, messages, JAVA certifications, network settings, ringtones and general settings (eg Alarm clock settings).
w UnZip: Uncompresses most archives (tar, gz, zip, rar,..)
w SwapFile: Toggles swap on/off.
w Java Hacker: Runs the Java Hacker app which automates granting file read/write permissions to your Java apps.
w Hide Folder: Hides/unhides the folder that you specify.
w Check memory usage - internal as well as card
w File browser - displays files on both phone and SD card.
w Enable/Disable CPU Overclock
w Connect to PC via USBNet
w Enable/Disable Fakedsm
w Enable/Disable MotoVision (Webcamera for A1200)
w Uninstall pkg apps - turns on attribute that lets you uninstall PKG apps
w Skin Installer
w Skin Colour changer
w Wallpaper transparency changer
w DOSbox
w Wireless Radio
w Vistaclock
Download: Get more information and the file from the [APP] WonderMoto2 thread
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WonderMoto2 (Fully translated: Text and voices) - This version has all of the same features as WonderMoto2 but the Interface, Text and Voices are English.

Download: Get more information and the file from the [APP] WonderMoto2 (Fully translated: Text and voices) thread.
XPTools- PKG utility recently translated from Chinese. Bit of a clunky interface, but has following functions:
w File Manager
w System Info - shows info on Memory; Storage; Processes and CPU
w File Compress and Decompress functions
w System backup and restore
Download: get from
APP: XPTools thread.

Music, Video and Internet Radio Players

RealPlayer: Of course there is RealPlayer which already comes with all A1200's that is fine for playing mp3's - but not that great for videos.

Supports many video formats, particularly MPEG-4, MPEG-3, H.263, 3gP, and RealVideo.
Works fine with stereo headsets (the included headset is stereo), but will not play into mono headsets without the voice recognition hack.
RealPlayer's playlist is annoying. It should scan your phone on boot and whenever disconnecting from a computer, but instead, files must be manually added to the library.
Listening to music sounds great, and when the clamshell is closed, you can use the buttons on the left side to change the song and the volume.

However there are many other Players that have been developed or converted to work successfully on the A1200. The following is the complete list of all players that are known to work - as well as the music formats that they support:

EXMMS Winapp mp3 player - mp3 and *.ogg player. Installed via a LIN script. See Post #16 in this thread for general instructions on how to install it. See this thread for instructions on how to get WINAPP to play in your headsets.
There are four versions - each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Check out the links given for discussions on each:

Donga version: Get latest version (0.2 Beta) from this thread. This is currently the latest version of the player.

Xihuan666 version 3.3 - English, Russian, Chinese and Spanish versions. Works great.
Pros
w Plays video files (3gp, mp4, etc.)
w Lyrics support
w Plays AAC
w Equalizer and mp3 file list
w Can be minimized down to a small bar. Minimize bar can be moved around by pressing and dragging on the Time number).
w Landscape mode looks good
Cons
w exmms engine is old compare to Donga updates
w May have a bug on some firmwares in that it will keep playing when call comes in.
w Still on the old exMMS engine so it hangs for songs which exmms could not play.
w Volume keys( buttons on side of phone) not supported.
w Chinese characters everywhere.
w Some mp3s will not play

Download: Latest version is 3.3. Get all 4 language versions from this APP: EXMMS 3.3 thread.

Blackhawk/Donga version: First version ported to A1200/E6. Many people still really like this version.
Pros
w supports mp3 and ogg.
w More recent exMMS engine
w app hides (not quits) when it loses focus (flip close, call, sms, etc). Tap on app's icons again to bring it back to foreaground.
Cons
w Music stops if volume level changed (on call, sms, usb plug, headset in, etc).

Download: Get from this thread (Includes screenshots and instructions on installing it)
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Amin 3.3 version: Fully Translated English Interface NEW!! Sept 2008
w Translated default skin to English.
w Menu button Problem solved.
w Removed all but two skins.
w Changed default Icon to Winamp.

Download: get from APP: EXMMS 3.3 Thread
EXMSS Winapp mp3 player - Music/Video player. Supports 3gp, mp4, mp3, dat, mpg, mpeg and avi files.
Download: get from APP: EXMSS thread.
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MPlayer - Music/Video player. Supports 3gp, mp4, mp3, dat, mpg, mpeg and avi files.
Download: get from APP: Mplayer thread.
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MPlayer5 - NEW!! supports WMV & FLV files.
w Added: SD/transflash mini browser and now supporting the common WMV (windows media video format) and FLV (flash format), in addition to .3gp, .MP4 etc.
Download: Get download file and instructions for installing from APP: MPLAYER5 thread.
MPD Player - MP3 player. Still in development though better sound quality and faster than RealPlayer.
Download: get from APP: MPDPlayer thread.
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QezxPlayer - music/video player - supports avi, wmv, asf, mp3, ogg, mpg, dat, mpeg, mov, 3gp,rm and flv files.
Download: Latest version at the APP: QezxPlayer V2.0 thread. See the APP: QezxPlayer thread for older versions.
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Rockbox - music player with a great interface. Has good sound quality with many equalizer options.
Download: get from APP: Rockbox thread.
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SPlayer - MP3 Player. Still in development by Motorolafans developer Dedraks, but has been getting good reviews. .
Download: get from APP: SPlayer thread.
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TTPlayer - MP3 Player. Getting good reviews. Also shows lyrics. .
Download: get from APP: TTPlayer thread
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ZMPlayer - Video player. It can can play higher frame rates than the built-in Realplayer so videos will run a lot smoother (the difference is about 10-13 frames per second). ZMPlayer supports mpg, mpeg, vob, avi, and mp4 file types as well as divx videos. It plays 320x240 @ 25fps bitrate 300~2000. Latest version is V 1.2 (released March 2007). For a full explanation of the advantages of and also known bugs with ZMPlayer see at the bottom of this sticky in Section 7. Camera, Music Player and Video Player Specific Questions .
Download: instructions for install and download file at Zmplayer 1.2 thread.
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CTunes - MP3 Player - this is actually a J2ME app. Has a great itunes like interface - but does not work very well on A1200 - but included here for completeness. See this thread for discussion on its pros/cons and how to get it working on A1200.
Download: get from developer's site..
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MFRadio NEW! - streams Internet radio stations to your phone. Works well on phones with C2 firmware. May not work on H2 firmware (53p, etc).
Download: get from APP: MFRadio thread.

Backup/Restore Utilities

These two utilities provide a means to backup and restore the data on your phone. Superman and SmartAsst can also backup your data - see section 10 of this sticky for instructions and details on how to use each.

Backup and Restore Now - utility that backs up your contacts, sms, email, calendar and other data that are in main database of your phone to a compressed file on your memory card. Written by Motorolafans member Eakrin. See Section 10 at bottom of this sticky for more info on how to use it - including information on an important bug that affects the restores.
Download: file and full instructions on using it from this thread..
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EZXBackup - Allows you to select what you want to back up - so should be ideal to use this tool before flashing your firmware. Unfortunately at this time this app only works on special monsterpack firmwares released as part of Gizmodo initiative (see this thread for more on this). If you can get it working, you can select to back up:
1 - System Database (address book and others)
2 - Alarmclock settings
3 - Phone settings
4 - Network profiles
5 - GizMoto Files
6 - Rights
7 - Mails
8 - Main Settings
Download: file and full instructions on using it from this thread.

System Utilities

This set of utilities gives you information about the CPU and memory utilization on your phone; or lets you access the phone's internal folders

A1200EKONSOLE - opens a terminal with your Ming shell, it allows you to send commands (cp, mv, rm, mkdir, etc).
Download: get from APP: A1200EKONSOLE thread..
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DiskFree - displays the total, used and free space available in /ezx_user, /ezxlocal and /mmc/mmca1.
Download: get from the APP: DiskFree thread.
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DSpace - basically does same thing as DiskFree - displays the total, used and free space available in /ezx_user, /ezxlocal and /mmc/mmca1.
Download: get from the APP: DSpace thread.
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EZXSysinfo - great utility that provides all sort of system information about the phone such as memory, storage and CPU utilization.
Download: get from the APP: EZXSysinfo 0.1 thread
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My Favorites - permits you to access the .System folder directly on the phone. When run has 2 options - "Show" and "Hide". If you select Show then you can use File Manager on phone to access all folders and files under .system and telnet. Click on Hide to hide them again. The app and instructions for use can be found at this APP: My Favorites thread.
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MyStuff - Yan0's MyStuff PKG utility that allows you to view/copy files within your phone's file system (such as /ezx_user).
Download: get from Developed Software section..
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VI Improved Editor - VIM (VI IMproved editor) an improved version of the VI text editor that works on A1200. Works with eKonsole.
Download: get from APP: VI IMproved Editor thread. .

And some firmware specific utilities:

FMRadio - PKG app that allows you to listen to FM radio without the headphones. Only works on China-Mobile branded phones or phones with C2 firmwares (.24p, .25p .30p, etc) !
Download: get from APP: FM Radio without headset thread.
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PatchAM - PKG utility that allows you to run more than 1 java app at a time Only works on .24p firmware!
Download: get from APP: PatchAM - Run Multiple Java Apps thread.

Missing in Action!

NO programs have been found so far that work successfully on the A1200 to do the following:

Securely hide or encrypt files or folders on your A1200. (The Hide Folder apps listed in the Java apps section above are easily bypassed).
Edit MS Word docs or Excel spreadsheets (Pixel viewer can read both these file types, but can not edit them)
Run macromedia flash player
Make a sound when flip opened or closed
Provide answering machine function on the phone
Remove beep sound when recording call
A better battery indicator

===================================================================================================
3. What Games Run on A1200?

There are also many games that you can download to the A1200 - but many need you to use keypad keys so do not work properly. See the gaming forum for links to many games that do work. See this thread for a list of some that work. This Portuguese A1200 site has also collected a lot of good games that supposedly work.

Gaming Emulators
.

Following emulators have been found that work on A1200:

DOSBox - PKG utility that creates a DOS-like environment that permits you to run DOS-based games on your A1200.
Download:: get from the DOSBOX thread.
.
FBA emulator - Permits you to run some Mame Games (from Rom files) on your A1200. FBA on pc emulates:
CPS-1&2, Cave, Neo Geo, Toaplan, Taito Rainbow Islands/Operation Wolf/Rastan oraz Psikyo 68EC020.
Download:: get from the APP: FBA emulator v0.32 thread. Screenshots and instructions on this thread.
.
gpSP - GameBoy Emu with Call and Hangup Buttons.
Download:: get from APP: AgpSP thread
.
MeBoy - Gameboy emulator for mobile phones (which means you can use it to play Gameboy games on a mobile phone).
Download:: get from APP: MEBoy - GameBoy Emulator in Java thread

===================================================================================================
4. Motorola Phone Tools and Java Adapter

Motorola Phone Tools (MPT)

You phone should have come with a CD that contains the application Motorola Phone Tools that permits you to back up all of your contacts, etc to your phone. In case it did not, then you can get a copy from one of these links (note: your anti-virus program may report that the MPT downloads from some posted links (such as this one) contain a trojan. Some posts claim this is a false positive - but to be on the safe side I have removed all links where this has been reported. The following are believed to be trojan free (If you get a trojan warning then send me a msg - kiwiguy).

NEW Motorola Phone Tools v5.0 (once installed will automaticall update to v5.07a if connected to the internet)Motorola Phone Tools v5.0 ENG.zip

Motorola Phone Tools v4.04download at: RapidShare Webhosting + Webspace

Motorola Phone Tools v4.3.6c
download at: RapidShare: Easy Filehosting

Motorola Phone Tools v4.5
download at: RapidShare: Easy Filehosting

Motorola Phone Tools v4.5.1c ENG.zip (File Size: 78.66 MB)
download at: RapidShare: Easy Filehosting or from this thread.

Motorola usb driver.zip (File Size: 9.72 MB)
download at: Motorola usb driver.zip

Motorola usb driver 3.5.0 for Windows APP: Motorola USB Drivers for Windows (32bit & 64bit). - MotorolaFans.com Forums

Motorola Java ME SDK v6.4 for Linux OS.zip (File Size: 20.37 MB)
download at: Motorola Java ME SDK v6.4 for Linux OS.zip

Fix to Motorola Phone Tools connection issue

Some people report having trouble syncing their A1200 with MPT as MPT refuses to detect the phone.

Solution:
1. Go into the Application Manager on the Phone and start the "Modem" application
2. Set the modem to auto launch. That's all!

Now put your phone in USB Modem mode and launch MPT. Connect it via USB Cable when it says to and it should work.

JAVA-Adapter: Converting Programs to Run on A200

Many Java apps and games do not run properly on the A200 as they require you to click on the number keys to make them work. However, there is a great program, Java-adapter, that you can run on your PC and feed JAR files into it and it will convert them for use on the A1200.

It does this by making creating a touch sensitive "keypad" on the screen that you can tap on instead of clicking hard keys. Note - it does not actually display the keypad - you just have to learn which area on the screen corresponds to which key. It also does not work for all apps.

See theAPP: Java-adapter thread for the download file and full instructions on how to use it as well as examples of converted games and apps that users have uploaded.

kiwiguy · #3 09-06-2007

5. Firmware Questions

What Operating System does the A1200 use?
.
MONTAVISTA Linux CONSUMER ELECTRONICS 3.1 - a special Motorola version of Linux.

How do I find out what Firmware version I have?
.
Go to your Dial Pad and dial, WWW008W. To make the W hit the menu button while in the dial pad, then hit insert->insert wait to make the W .

You should see something like:
R532H2_G_11.20.08P
BP: R532H2_G_11.20.08PPB
PFlex: GSZHNANT677JF014D
SP: 631F1F00

Look at the numbers at the end of the second line for the version. The version shown here is .08P. See "Guide to Flashing" sticky for more details.

How do I find out my IMEI?
.
There are several ways to locate your IMEI, the obvious of which is to look at the label on your box...if you are unable to do that, then remove your battery cover and look at the white lable on the inside. If you would like to locate your IMEI without taking the battery cover off and removing the battery, Go to your Dial Pad and dial, *#06# and it will be displayed.
What is best Firmware and where can I download firmware?
.
There is no "best" firmware - every firmware has advantages and disadvantages including some well documented bugs. See discussion in "Guide to Flashing" sticky for more on this. Check here for most recent firmware.

What are some of the Main Software Bugs that have been identified with the A1200.
A summary of the most common bugs that you will see discussed in the forum are listed below. Some versions of the firmware include fixes for these bugs. In addition, most of these can be fixed by performing a SEEM edit. See the Guide to Modding Your A1200 for instructions on how to do this:

w Voicemail bug - in some versions a blank text message is sent to your phone every time you check your voicemail or someone leaves you a voicemail.

w Network time bug - the A1200 has a feature that permits it to receive a time signal from your carrier (eg t-mobile) to automatically set the time on your phone rather than you having to manually set it. (To turn this on click the your World Clock or Time icon and click on the bottom left menu button-->Network Time. Check this box to enable it). However, in some fw versions this network time function does not work.

w Daylight Savings Time (DST) bug - the DST calendar for the different timezones and cities is built into the phone. On all of the older versions of fw (like 08p up to 30p), it has the pre-2007 DST calendar which is wrong for some timezones (mainly USA and Canada which have recently changed their DST begin/end date) so phone will reset time to DST on wrong dates. Fixing the Network time bug and getting the time from the Network should fix this.

w Speakerphone bug - some fw versions do not permit you to use the speakerphone with the flip shut.

w Photo autosave bug - some fw versions make you select whether you want to Save or Delete each picture after you take it. With the fix you can take photos continuously without being prompted.

w Volume bug - many people find the volume of the speakerphone is too low. Some versions of the firmware increase the volume. There is also a fix posted that can fix this independently.

Can I Backup/Extract the Firmware from my Phone?
.
SHORT ANSWER: NO - at this time there is no way to extract/copy/backup a complete firmware version directly from your phone. This means that you can not backup your firmware before flashing. In addition, many of the versions do not have firmware files available (eg 53p) so if you flash to a different version then there is no means for you to be able to flash back.

DETAILED ANSWER: There is a tool linloader_flashbackup_telnet_a1200.rar that can be used to extract files (including hidden files) from your phone memory to your SD card (It copies them all into a couple of files that can be opened with linux tools).

The problem is there is no way to rebuild original sbf file from these backed-up files because the A1200 has two processors:

1. AP (Application processor) - Intel Xscale PXA 270 - this is a heart of Linux system and other things connected to user. The extract tool only backs up the files that are associated with this AP part.

2. BP (GSM stack processor) - it does GSM, GPRS, works with CG1 part from firmware. In original Motorola firmware this part is available, but it CANNOT be extracted from phone. The BP part is RSA signed and hardlinked with bootloader so if something is changed in CG1, then the bootloader will reject the load program to BP and phone won't load AP part - so flash will fail.

In addition, the file structure is not the same in installed fw and in the flashfile. The info and data in the flashfile is put together in the phone while flashing and there is no known way to pack the extracted files in the correct way to make a working .sbf flashfile from them. In short, only Motorola has the knowledge to produce new working firmware files.

These extracted files are still useful, however, in that they can be used to create modified versions of Motorola released fw (aka "monsterpacks"). Certain files can be taken from 1 firmware version's extract and merged with a different Motorola released firmware to create a new monsterpack. This is how users created debranded firmwares or how Mishka produced the "30xp-oent with L4 EMEA" version by taking the EMEA language files from the A1200i L4 fw and adding them into the 30p firmware.

For more information on this see this thread.

Where Can I get the A1200's User's Guide and Service Manual?
.
All A1200 Users Guides and Service Manuals are available here

kiwiguy · #4 09-06-2007

6. Communication and Calling Questions

How to Set up Internet, MMS and email on phone.

Many users have difficulty getting their connection settings set up correctly so they can connect to the web and send MMS messages and email. As a result there are many, many threads covering this topic with lots of different connection settings. The following links appear to have the best information available on how to do this for the various carriers.

AT&T - see INFO: AT&T Data Network Settings (Blue and Orange)
T-Mobile - see [INFO] T-Mobile MMS settings UPDATE
T-Mobile - see [how-to] T-Mobile MMS settings step-by-step w/photos NEW!
T-Mobile Free Internet -see A1200e free internet with pre-paid T-Mobile W/O xtra internet plan NEW!
Cingular - see INFO: CINGULAR Network settings
Rogers- see [INFO] EDGE and Rogers Wireless web settings. Also see this post
Fido - see Need mms setting for Fido (Canada)
Airtel - see [INFO] Airtel GPRS (Mobile Office) Working setup for all INDIA
Chinook Wireless-Montana - see [INFO] Chinook Wireless-Montana Data Network Settings

Another tip that may get MMS working correctly: By default in some MMS settings, Show My Number is unchecked and Allow Delivery Report is checked. Change settings to check Show My Number and uncheck Allow Delivery Report - that may force it to work.

Setting Up Email
.
AOL and GMAIL email settings - see [INFO] AOL and GMAIL email settings!
German email settings - see German ePlus Settings

If none of the above work then check out MotorolaSETUP - a java program that sends a text message to the carrier you are using to get the internet settings and mms settings. Known to work for Cingular, T-Mobile, FIDO, MoviStar, and Orange.
.
How to set up ActiveSync on the Phone?

See this thread for some very detailed well-written instruction (with plenty of screen shots) on setting up ActiveSync on your phone so you can sync your emails with MSOutlook.
.
How to set up Voicemail?

When you first get your A1200 you have to set up the Voicemail feature. Do this as follows:

1. Click on Messages icon on top bar
2. Click on Menu (lower left) --> Service Setup --> Voicemail
3. Insert your carrier's voicemail number there and Save

Now everytime you get voicemail, you just need to click Retrieve and it will go directly to your voicemail.
.

How do I select a Network of my choice when I am roaming?

Follow the path:
Tap Dial Pad --> Menu --> Setup -->Network Setup --> Menu --> Search Setup --> keep Search Network By: Type as 'Manual' while you are roaming?).
. .
How do I place a Call with Cover Closed?

Following trick allows you to place a call with cover closed (without seem editing)

1. With the lid open push the VR button on the side of the phone,
2. While it is saying "Please say a command or name" close the lid
3. The VR will continue speaking, so say a name in ur phone book (or just voice dial) and when/if it recognizes say yes and, bam, it will dial with the lid shut

After it is connected you will see the left smart buttons turn into phone options like end call, record conversation, etc.
.
Can I Reject a Call with the Flip Closed?

No - unfortunately at this time there is no known way to do reject a call or send to busy. You can only use the volume button to lower ring volume.

If you want to reject or send to busy you have to open flip - so you would also have to disable the answer flip to be able to send a caller to busy!!
.
Why do I see the annoying message "Some of the conditional call forwardings are active" every time I make a call?

You have "Call Divert" active - which means you have rules activated to divert calls, e.g. someone is calling you and your line is busy than the call is diverted to your voicemail.

You can try to deactivate all diverts by going to the Dial Pad, tap the lower left corner--> Setup-->Call Divert and try to cancel all diverts. Some providers (like mine) do not allow you to disable this (because they want to make money with the voicemail) so the "Call Divert" will stay active even after you tried to disable this feature - so you are stuck with the message!!
.
Why do I see the annoying message "Call Control is Allowed" every time I make a call?

This has only been reported from users who have certain firmwares (eg 53P) and who have Rogers (Canada) and T-Mobile (US) as their providers. It comes from the provider and means that the phone can probe the service for info on the call process, so it can detect hangups etc. It does not impact making a call (you do not have to hit on OK for call to complete), but is a big annoyance!

Unfortunately, there is no way to turn this message off. The only way known to stop it appearing is to flash your phone to a different firmware. For example, many users have reported that flashing from 53P to 8P solves the problem.
.
How to change MSN messenger language to English?
.
Edit: our new site is not displaying Chinese characters correctly - so you will have to follow these instructions based on row number!
1. Click "MSN Messenger"
2. Click "??" (Bottom Left corner)
3. Click"??" (The 5th Row)
4. Click"??" (The 1st Row)
5. Click"??" button (Bottom-middle-leftside)
.
TIP: Advanced Contacts Seach Feature

There is an advanced Contacts Search feature that many people do not know about.

In Contacts, select Menu (left-bottom) --> More --> Find Contacts

This brings up an Advanced Search screen where you can search numbers by any part of a phone number. Or search by Name or Email id or Address. Type any small part and you will get the matching list. For example, if you enter 877 in the number field, you get all phone numbers that contain the string "877" in them.
.
Why does my phone sometimes disconnect as I take it out of its pouch?

Many of the pouches and cases made for the A1200 have a flap that is held closed by a magnet. The A1200 has a magnet in its hinge that is used to sense when its flip lid is opened or closed, so many users have reported that the phone will disconnect when taking it out of its pouch as the phone will be affected by the pouch's magnet and think that the flip lid was opened and closed. The best thing to do is remove the magnetic catch on the pouch (replace with Velcro.
.
How to Make Quick Text (SMS) Replies

When you receive an SMS, you can quickly reply when the cover is closed and without using your stylus by pressing the middle botton on the left side and then pressing again to select "Quick Reply'. This will display about 20 standard replies (such as "OK"; "I'm on my way home", etc.) that you can quickly scroll though and select and send.

To add additional replies you go to Compose --> menu (at bottom left) --> load --> quick text --> menu (bottom left again) --> New. You can add and edit your own Quick Replies, but you cannot delete or edit any of the preloaded ones.
.
Why isn't the name displayed on my SMS texts even though person is in my Contacts?

Some people have a problem that when they receive SMS texts from contacts in their phonebook, the phone just shows the number not the contact's name - so it is difficult to tell who is texting.

This is usually caused by an error in the firmware version on your phone so that when the SMS comes in the phone is reading it with the international code added (eg 00188445511) so is looking for a match in your contacts of a number with 11 digits - while your contacts list probably has the number stored without the code (7 or 8 digits). To test this if this is the cause of your problem, have someone text you and add the number you are getting to your contact list (add it with any test name) and see how it is stored. Then get the person to text you again and if the phone correctly shows the name instead of the number this time then this is the reason.

One work around is to enter the same number twice for every contact (one with International code, once without) but that is a bit kludgy. You can't just save it with the International code as then the phone caller id will not work!

Another solution is to use samba (find the instructions on using it using Search) to locate a file called "ezx_user/download/appwrite/setup/ezx_addressbook.cfg", and change the following line (backup file first!)

If u have MyStuff installed on ur MING then u can use it to navigate to and edit the file at path "ezx_user/download/appwrite/setup/ezx_addressbook.cfg".

"NUMBER_MATCH_MINLEN = 11" ==> "NUMBER_MATCH_MINLEN = 8"

[Change it to 8, or to the least portion of number that is unique to your contact (ie. number w/o prefix)].

The only other known solution is to flash your phone to change your firmware.
.
Can I password protect my SMS messages?

Yes, you can protect your messages. To do this do the followiing:
1. Go to the Messages screen and select Menu --> New Folder
2. Create a new folder and select the option "Protected by lock code" (its the same code to unlock your phone)
3. Now move all the messages that you want to protect from your inbox to this new folder.

The only downside is that you have to manually move every new sms that you want to protect to this new folder.
.
Can I Make the Picture Assigned to a Contact Bigger?

You can assign a picture or photo to a contact so that it is displayed when that person calls you. (You do this by going to Contacts and adding a picture under the phone numbers). However, the size displayed is very small. There is no way to make it display bigger.
UPDATE: MotoFans Russia Member Eug has developed an application called PIXCALL to allow full screen caller id pictures. Information and download instruction can be found on this thread
.
How can I assign Custom Ring Tones or MP3s for each individual contact in my Address Book?

This only works if your contacts are asved on your phone memory.

1. Select the contact to which you would like to add a custom ringtone.
2. Select EDIT
3. Scroll halfway down the resulting menu unti you come to "ringtone".
4. If you have not previously selected a ringtone for this contact it should read "unassigned".
5. Click on the arrow to the right of the menu box.
6. Now select the ringtone you would like assigned to that contact.
.
Can I edit my Ringer Alert Style to change how the A1200 Rings and Vibrates?

On some phones (eg Nokia 6111) you an customize the way the phone rings and vibrates. eg you can make the phone ring once and then vibrate. Unfortunately the A1200 does NOT allow you to do this!

One user's work around was to select a ringtone that had a short ring then 30 seconds of silence - which nearly accomplishes the same thing.
.
Can I Assign Different Ringtones to the Phonebook Categories?

Some phones allow you to assign different ringtones to the different phonebook categories. Unfortunately this is not possible in the A1200 as each contact can be assigned to more than one category (which is useful). So if you have different ringtones for each category, then there would be more than one ringtone for a contact that is shown in more than one category.
.
How to Turn on Tower Information

A tower display works as a gps device does, it tells you the location of the cell tower that your phone is using right now (its not the mobile, its the sim card that connects to the closest tower for signals and displays that same place on your screen).

(For example, if you were in London, in Southhall and there is a tower for Orange installed in Middlesex to provide signals, the phone will display "Middlesex" as the area you are in right now.). This feature is known to work in Europe, India, Asia and the South Pacific, and South America. It does not appear to work in Canada or the USA. For the A1200i (Spanish language version) it is turned on as a default.

To turn this feature on do the following:
1. Go to Messages ==> use the menu (at bottom left) ==> Service Setup ==> Info Services
2. You should see "Info Service Setup"
3. Switch Service to "On"
4. Select the "Active channel" bar and delete any channel that may be there already
5. Use Menu (at bottom left) to create a new channel with value 50.
6. Save and Exit.

It may take awhile before the tower information starts to be displayed (it took my phone a couple of hours), but you should see a third line under the date showing the location. (You will only see this when flap is open; flap closed does not show it).
.
Links to Useful Mobile Web Sites

Nodramachicks has collected a long list of WAP mobile websites in this thread.

kiwiguy · #5 09-21-2007

7. Hardware Questions

General Specs

Application CPU: Intel XScale PXA270 processor
Baseband CPU: Freescale ARM CPU with a Motorola 56000 DSP
Operating System: Linux (Motorola Proprietary Version)
Bands: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz (quad band), GPRS Class 10, EDGE on 2007 models
Connectivity: Mini-USB, BlueTooth
Display: 240 x 320; 262k; 2.4" TFT Touchscreen
Camera: 2 mega-pixel camera with video recording and macro mode
Memory: 8MB on-board, expandable microSD/ TransFlash Memory Card, up to 2GB
Talk time: *advertised approximately 3 - 7.4 hrs
Standby time: *advertised approximately 140 - 250 hrs
Browser: WAP 2.0, WML, xHTML, HTML
Audio: MIDI (40), MP3, WAV, AMR, WMA, AAC+, Stereo FM Radio
Messaging: e-mail, MMS, SMS
Email: POP3, IMAP4, SMTP
Applications: J2ME, JSR184 (3D), MIDP 2.0
Synchronization: SyncML
.
What is the Difference between the A1200 Models?

The A1200 comes in 4 models:

A1200 (Released: Jan 2006) - this was the first model. It was released in 2006. Many of the generic firmwares that come with the A1200 have issues with low speaker volume that makes it hard to listen to voice calls and media from within the handset.

A1200I (Released: June 2006) - shortly after the release of the A1200 in east Asia, the A200I was released in Latin America. It came with an Internation version of firmware that included Spanish, Portuguese and French language support.

A1200R (Released: Dec 2006) - in response to the volume issue with the A1200, Motorola released the A1200R (= A1200 REFRESH) whose firmware is considered to be the most stable. Motherboard components have changed, runs different software, small change to the battery cover to permit a lanyard strap to be attached.

A1200E (Released: Jan 2007)- this is the latest model and comes with firmware that includes EDGE. (EDGE stands for Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution or just Ehanced GPRS for short. It is sometimes refered to as EGPRS. EDGE allows for a higher bandwidth data tranfer over a GSM network). Aside from its EDGE capabilities, this phone is not very different from its predecessors. Its firmware's have the audio issues resolved and supposedly better Voice Recognition. However it has one big disadvantage - is only tri-band rather than quad.

Which Model Do I Have?

It is almost impossible to tell what model you have just by looking at it as the the only physical difference between them that has been reported is that the A1200R has a small slot for attaching a handstrap on the top left corner of the handset (opposite the stylus) - the other models lack this. (Dec 2007 - some of the newer A1200E models also now have this slot for a strap)

The only reliable way to tell what model you have is to remove the battery and looking at the IMEI label inside the phone. At the top of the label it should have A1200 then either an R, E, or I (if it just has "A1200" then it is likely you have the generic A1200).

Although the different models may look the same on the outside they do have different bootloaders on the inside which limits which firmware you can run on them. If you flash your phone you have to be careful you flash it to a firmware supported by your model. Read the Guide to Firmware and Flashing fsticky for a detailed writeup on the firmwares the different models can run.
.
What is the Largest SD card I can use in my A1200?

The largest Micro SD memory card that can be read by the A1200 is 2 GB ( The OS uses FAT16, and this file system cannot handle greater than 2GB).

KINGSTON is the recommended brand - as these appear to have the least amount of problems. Many users report problems with their phones reading other makes of 2 GB card. Also it is advised to stay away from Ultra II SD from Sandisk.

If possible, try the card in your phone in the store before buying it. You should be able to put it into your phone and the phone should be able to read it and write files to it immediately - it will take about a minute to read it the first time. (I have a SANDISK 2GB and have had no problems with it).
.
How can I Attach a Strap or Lanyard to my A1200?

Only the A1200R comes with a small slot for attaching a handstrap on the top left corner of the handset (opposite the stylus) - the other models lack this - so for these it is nearly impossible. Some people have attached a fine lanyard to the plastic grills over the speaker - but you run the risk of pulling the battery cover off. The best solution is to buy a cover and attach lanyard to that.
.
What is the best Case for my A1200?

There are several protective cases made specifically for the A1200 on the market (as opposed to belt pouches for putting the phone in). The two that have got the most favorable reviews are:

w Krusell - leather wrap-around cover - Amazon sells this for $16.95. See pics on this thread
w FlexiSkin - soft silicon case. Choice of colors. I bought mine from Vinkos' Treasures as the version he sells has both a back cover and a separate piece that clips over the swing-up flip. [Edit: Sept 2007 - Capdace soft cover has been discontinued!)

You also may want to look at:
w Invisible Shield - this is a urethane film that is precision cut to fit the A1200. The company selling it claims it is clear, durable, and virtually scratch-proof. It has got fairly good reviews except for 2 minor flaws:
1. Outside corners don't stay on very well
2. LCD protector is a little too thick making it hard to use the stylus for handwritten input.
Available at www.shieldzone.com
For pictures/reviews of various pouches - see this thread .
.
What happens if I break the Plastic Flip?

The clear plastic flip with the earpiece is pretty sturdy, but if you drop and crack it, it can be replaced. See this discussion for complete instructions and pictures on how to do it.
.
My Touch Screen is not Responding - What Do I Do?

It has been reported by about a dozen users that their touch screens suddenly stopped responding (or only responds intermittently). This is known hardware problem in some recent batches of Ming (first reported July 2007). It appears that the touch screen can work itself loose as there is no fastening mechanism on the board - it is connected only by means of a flex cable. So any sudden shock could result in it coming slightly loose. If its in warranty, immediately get the whole phone/screen replaced from a service centre free of cost.

If its not in warranty then the only solution is to try these two things:

Easy fix: Reset touchscreen - When screen FREEZES, press your thumb gently in the center of screen for 5 seconds and it will reset the touchscreen. This is just temporary solution as the screen may freeze again later but most of the times it comes out of freeze and you can start working.
Slightly Harder Fix: open the screws at the back with a T6 screw driver, use a guitar pick to pry open the rear housing, then you need the pick to pry the board from its seating, do it gently. Remove and re-attach the screen, whyile prying the board off be sure not to break the small keys on the side. And then carefully put back the board. Make sure the keys are seated correctly by pressing them and listening to the click noise.
.
Can I Replace the Touch Screen?

Believe it or not, but people have been able to replace the touch screen on their phones. There is a full set of instructions including photos posted by sylvain at this thread - but not for the faint hearted!!
.
Where Can I buy Replacement Parts?

The online store http://cnn.cn/shop/motorola-a1200-c-22_146.html sells most parts for the A1200 and have been very reliable.
.
How to make the Screen go Brighter

Hold down the left button at the bottom for 4 seconds - the screen will go temporarily brighter - useful when outside.

kiwiguy · #6 09-21-2007

8. General Questions

How do I Copy and Paste text on the phone?

It is not very obvious, but you can copy and paste text on your A1200. You do this by selecting the text that you want to cut/copy and then hold down the stylus on the selected text. A menu will pop up including "Copy" and "Cut" (and "Paste)!
.
Can I Remap the Buttons?

No - there is no known way to remap the camera, VR or bottom buttons at the moment - though people are working on it - as it is possible in other phones. Some apps allow you to remap the left buttons.
.
Can I add new Categories?

Apps can be placed into Categories in the Application Launcher (eg "Games"). You are not able to rename or add new categories. You change an app's category by holding down the stylus until a menu appears and select "Category". Note - some apps will not allow you to change their categoy from the ALL list ("Category" is greyed out in popup. ). If you see this, then you must go to the category that app is currently in (eg Games) and change it from there.

Edit Nov 2007: There is now a new application out of China that permits you to add new categories - although you can still not change the existing ones. App and instructions on how to use it can be found at APP: NewMenu thread.
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Can I Change the list of Apps shown when Flip is closed?

No - unfortunately at this time there is no known way to add/change the list of apps that displays when you press the side button with the flip closed. (ie. Real player and Camera)
.
Am I able to Change all 4 shortcuts on the Home screen?

On the newer C2 firmwares, you are able to change all 4 shortcuts on the home screen from within the Settings menu.

In the H2 firmwares you are restricted to only changing shortcuts 3 & 4. A simple technique has been found, however, that allows you to also change shortcuts 1 and 2. See section E. HOW TO CHANGE SHORTCUTS 1 AND 2 ON THE HOME PAGE in the Guide to Modding Your A1200 for instructions.
.
How to get back to the Home Screen when Running an Application?

If you a using an application and want to quickly jump to the Home Screen for a minute, all you have to do is press End (the red button), then after using the other thing, if you press End again, you'll jump back to the previous application. (The app doesn't close, it just minimizes!!)
.
What if I am Left-handed?

The A1200 should work fine for you - even though there is no way to change the scroll bars to the left. You can change the input for handwriting recognition from Application Launcher-->Setup-->Input Setup-->Writing Hand-->Left.
.
How do I Change the Transparency Level of my Wallpaper?

The A1200 only permits you to change a Wallpaper's Transparencey to either OFF or ON under Setup--> Wallpaper, but this transpancy level may be too dark or too light for a specific wallpaper. You can change the value to whatever you like as follows:

1. Open your ".pskn" file (in your theme's folder) and open it with notepad**. There will be a line:
BlendingPercentage = 40
2. Change this number to whatever you want. 0 is totally opaque while 100 is totally transparent.
3. Reinstall theme.

** Make sure you edit the .pskn file on your phone with an editor compatible with unix (eg CrimsonEditor, wordpad or UltaEdit). Do not use Notepad or MSWord!
[Thanks to n3m3s1s_rulz for this tip!]
.
Why is the Battery Gauge so Unreliable?

The battery gauge does NOT shows the percentage of charge left on the battery (as one would expect) but the percentage left from the last time you charged it!!! In other words, if you charge your phone for 5 minutes, then when you unplug it the gauge will show 100% as it has 100% of whatever it took in for that 5 min, but the battery may still only be quarter charged! It is not until you plug the phone into the charger that the gauge will show the real total charge left. (e.g it may show it has 50% of the last charge left, but when you plug it in it may drop to 5%). Seems stupid doesn't it!! You have to leave the phone charging until you get the message "Charging complete" before you get a reliable reading of the total charge remaining - and avoid charging it for short periods!
.
What does the Battery Save option do in Setup?

Under Power Management (under Setup) there is an option called Battery Save. This reduces the clock frequency of the CPU, when the load on the CPUis less. That means, the CPUwill adjust it's speed according to the CPU requirement - making the battery last longer.

If you want to run CPU intensive java games, uncheck this option, & you will experience smoother running of the games.
.
Can I change the Voice Response Voice?

No - At this time no way has been found to change the VR voice, the words it says or the speed. Generally, people have found the VR does not work very well as fails to understand many commands.

Nor can you uninstall it, disable it or reassign the VR button.

Edit March 2008: Thanks to users Mauro22 and Kaczus, a way has been found to both (1) change the words the VR says and (2) semi-disable the VR so if you hit the button by accident, you will only get the two beeps. See this thread for details.
.
How to get the Phone to start Programs Automatically on Start Up?
...
Generic firmware (eg 8P, 53P) will not start programs automatically, however, a number of the modded A1200 firmwares (i.e monsterpacks) have modified the ezx_boot.cfg file to look for a file called either (1) startup.txt or (2) startup1.txt or (3) autorun.txt in the root folder (/mmc/mmca1) of your SD card when the phone is turned on and run the commands in that file.

To see if your firmware will do this (and what the name of the file is called that it is looking for) use an application like xptools to navigate to the following directory on your phone /etc/rc.d/rc2.d/ for a file called S80autoon. (On some fw's this may be a different file called /ezx_user/download/appwrite/setup/ezx_boot.cfg) and see if it contains following code:
Code:
```
[SYS_FLEX_TABLE]
#!/bin/bash
# For auto on, by bint, 2006/11/26
# Modify by oent,04/01/2007
##################### Env setup #########################
export QTDIR=/usr/lib/ezx
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib/ezx/lib:/usr/lib:/lib
export EZX_RES_FONT_PATH=/usr/language/fonts
 
/bin/autoon
 
#################### For Autorun1 #######################
if [ -f /mmc/mmca1/startup1.txt ]
then
        /mmc/mmca1/startup1.txt &
fi
#################### For Autoreboot######################
 
#################### For Autorun2 #######################
if [ -f /mmc/mmca1/startup.txt ]
then
   /mmc/mmca1/startup.txt&
fi
#########################################################
```

If your fw runs one of these files at startup then you can create and add commands to this file to cause them to be executed when the phone turns on.

The commands in the file must be UNIX commands such as the following example which will start up the StartMenu and Clock PKG programs and then change the phone's font via the ApplyFont app

Make sure you use a UNIX safe editor such as CrimsonEditor (not Notepad!) when creating/editing this file otherwise it will not work!

Code:
#!/bin/bash
sleep 18s 
/mmc/mmca1/.system/QTDownLoad/startmenue6/startmenu &
/mmc/mmca1/.system/QTDownLoad/vistaclocke6/clock &
/mmc/mmca1/.system/QTDownLoad/vistaclocke6/calendar &
if [ -f /mmc/mmca1/myfont.ttf ]
then
cp /mmc/mmca1/myfont.ttf /tmp/myfont.ttf
mount --bind /ram/tmp/myfont.ttf /usr/language/fonts/AMCSL.TTF
fi
The "&" at the end of each line means that the process will be run in the background (ie file will not stop and wait for command to complete before starting next command)

To start up a program installed on the phone use the command: /usr/SYSqtapp/appfolder/appname

eg For MCleaner ==> /usr/SYSqtapp/MCleaner/MCleaner

If you having issues getting the file to work correctly then you can add some echo cmds to write to a log file

Code:
echo Running startup.txt step 1 > /mmc/mmca1/boot.log
For more examples on commands, do a search on "startup.txt"

Some things to note:

- Whether the ezx_boot.cfg program is looking for a file called startup.txt or startup1.txt or both depends on your firmware - I do not have a list of what works on what firmware - so you will have to try both.

- This only works if your firmware is one of the monsterpacks that has been modified to look for this file. It will not work on generic firmware.

How can I change Default Language from Chinese to English?

If you have bought an A1200 with the Chinese Language set as the default language and you want to change it to English (and do not have a person who can read Chinese to help you!), here are the steps to do this:

1. Tap the very Upper left global navigation icon
2. Tap the Setup icon (screwdriver and wrench that looks like an X)
3. Next there will be a list of text entries (in chinese)
4. Click on the 5th from top (this is under a select box)
5. Choose English from the drop down list
6. Press the central bar at the bottom (= Save)
.
How to Access .SYSTEM Folder from Your Phone?

Normally you have to plug your phone into the PC and use Windows Explorer to see and navigate through the .system folder on the SD card. Thanks to users dellsonic, laksluvmoto and slimslim, three different ways have been found to access .system folder directly from your phone

1. My Favorites application (translated to English by Dellsonic)

The My Favorites MPKG app when run has 2 options - "Show" and "Hide". If you select Show then you can use File Manager on phone to easily access all folders and files under .system and telnet. Click on Hide to hide them again. The app and instructions for use can be found at this thread.

2. Method by using the phones built-in browser discovered by laksluvmoto and slimslim.

To do this do the following:
1. Start Opera
2. Tap on menu and select Open the browser, then Menu ->Go to Page -> (type) //mmc/mmca1/
3. The SD card's folders will be displayed. You will now see .system displayed and can do all of the operations on it like on PC (except edit files). See this thread for more information.

3. Use eKonsole

A third way of doing this is to "mount the .system folder to an existing folder using the eKonsole utility (see top of FAQ sticky for link). To do this install eKonsole and then type the following in eKonsole:
Code:
```
cd /mmc/mmca1
mkdir Sys
mount --bind .system Sys
```
After that go to File manager, open Sys folder on your memory card and you have access to your .system folder. To unmount
Code:
```
cd /mmc/mmca1
umount Sys
```
.
.Can I Password Protect certain Folders?

There is no good program that has been found to do that yet**. You can, however, lock your entire SD card using the steps listed below. Whenever you turn your phone on, it will keep your SD card locked unless you provide password. Once it is unlocked by supplying the password, it will remain unlocked till next time you restart your phone. The downside is that any themes or applications that you have installed on the SD card are not accessible (and I think if someone gets your phone and takes out the card, the card can be read in a card reader!!).

Anyway if you want to try it, here are the steps:
1. Open File Manager on your phone
2. Click on TransFlash icon
3. Click on bottom left menu and click on More => Properties
4. It will open a screen displaying SD card details like used memory, free memory, files and folders in it and a checkbox saying "Password Protected".
5. Select this checkbox, if you want your SD card to be password protected and enter a password below this checkbox.
6. Next time you turn on the phone, your SD card will not be accessible. If you try to access it, it will ask for the password.

To turn it off, repeat the steps above, but uncheck the "Password Protected" checkbox.

** For an alternative method see the Java app Hide Folders listed in the list of apps at the top of this sticky. It does not password protect them, but hides the folder.

** You can password protect your SMS messages. See the Communications section above on how to do this
.
Where can I find Wallpapers for my A1200?

Go to www.mobile9.com. Register for free and in wallpaper section, select "Motorola A1200". Good selection of wallpapers.
.
Where can I find Themes?

Good discussion on changing themes in Guide to Modding Your A1200 sticky. You can find dozens of people's favorite themes in the MotoThemes section. There are 50 Themes to choose from in this thread ==>
SKIN: 50 A1200 Themes - MotorolaFans.com Forums

kiwiguy · #7 09-21-2007

9. Camera, Music Player and Video Player Specific Questions

How can I Turn Off the Camera "Shutter" Sound?
.
Many people do not want the camera "click" sound when taking photos.

In the C2 fw 30p and newer (and 24xp30 which has been modded with 30p camera and app manager), it is built into the camera app to permit you to turn off this sound. Start the camera, go to Menu-->Setup and select the 4th tab Photo Setup. Down the bottom is the field "Shutter Sound" with options to set to variety of sounds or turn off completely.

In the H2 and 24p and 25p firmwares, you can not turn the sound off completely within the camera (though you can change sound to a fairly quiet ping). However, there is a PKG file that you can install that will enable you to turns off the shutter sound completely. See section H. HOW TO TURN OFF THE CAMERA SOUND in the Guide to Modding Your A1200 for instructions.
.
Tip: Camera Half Macro Mode
.
As you already know when you move the switch to macro mode it focuses on a close object but it only has a small range, while normal mode is for faraway objects. It has been discovered that if you want to take mid range shots of something you can place the switch about half way to create a mid-macro effect.
.
Why Do Photos Copied to my A1200 Look Distorted?
.
If you copy photos to your A1200 and they look distorted (eyes look bruised or shut, the shape of the face looks distorted or grainy) - it is because you do not have them at the correct ratio for displaying on the A1200 screen. They must be exactly the ratio 3.2:2.4 (i.e., 320 x 240, 640 x 480, 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024, 1600 x 1200 etc.). To correct this use a graphic program on your PC to crop the pics to the ratio above - it must be exactly the ratio, NOT even like 640 x 481, but EXACTLY 640 x 480. If you do this then they will display perfectly.

A little guide:
Ex.
A picture with a resolution of 755 x 520
= size it down to 640 x 480 (NOT higher)

A picture with a resolution of 430 x 280
= size it down to 320 x 240 (again NOT higher like 640 x 480)

A picture with a resolution of 1600 x 1201
= size it down to 1600 x 1200

**BUT
A picture with a resolution of 1600 x 1199
= MUST size it down to 1280 x 1024 (or it will be distored on your A1200)
OR
A picture with a resolution of 639 x 480
= must size it down to 320 x 240
.
What MP3 Players Work on A1200??
.
Of course there is RealPlayer which already comes with all A1200's that is fine for playing mp3's - but not that great for videos (see discussion on ZMPlayer below).

There are also a number of other MP3 players that have been converted to work on the A1200:

w EXMMS WINAMP Player - supports mp3 and ogg files. This new conversion has been getting lots of good reviews. See this thread for discussion and file.
w MPDPLAYER - fairly new player being developed. Supports mp3 files. See this thread for discussion and file.
w Qezxplayer music/video player - supports avi, wmv, asf, mp3, ogg, mpg, dat, mpeg, mov, 3gp,rm and flv files. See this thread for discussion and file.
w MPlayer - Another video player app. Plays 3gp, mp4, mp3, dat, mpg, mpeg and avi files. See this thread for discussion and file.

For full list see Section 2 at the top of this sticky
.
How Do I Increase the Limitation of the RealPlayer Playlist?
.
The RealPlayer default playlist length is limited to 50 songs. It can be increased to 150 by editing the /ezx_user/download/appwrite/setup/ezx_realplayer.cfg file on your phone. See this thread for instructions.
.
How To Compress MP3 Files so More Fit on the SD card
.
Generally most MP3 files are 128kbps. If you want to store more on your SD card, you can compress them to 96kbps which reduces their size by ~50% - but will not make any difference to the sound quality. See this thread for links to software to do this plus instructions.
.
How Can I Increase the Headset/Speaker Volume?
.
Many people find the level of the volume on the headset and the speaker phone too low on some of the firmware versions. There is a way to fix this by running a Volumeup PKG script (written by user drfun) - however you have to run this everytime you start your phone.

See section G of the Guide to Modding Your A1200 sticky for download links and full instructions on how to install this Volumeup PKG script. Also additional instructions if needed on this thread.

Jan 2008: There is now a new PKG program VolSet written by ghostwheen and modified by rezasani that is based on the "volumeup" utility - but has an improved touchscreen graphical interface . See this APP: VolSet thread for the file and instructions on its use.
.
Why do I get "BLUETOOTH DEVICE ALREADY BUSY" when trying to use my Bluetooth headset with RealPlayer?

If you click the Menu button within RealPlayer and select USE BLUETOOTH, but get the error message "BLUETOOTH DEVICE ALREADY BUSY" this usually means you do not have a compatible headset.

This message usually comes up in RealPlayer when your headset is not Bluetooth v1.2 / A2DP profile compliant. What this basically means is that most "mono" headsets will not work - you need to purchase a stereo headset that states that it is A2DP profile compliant.
.
How to get WINAMP (EXMMS) to Play in Headset?
.
See this thread for a good set of instructions provided by indiacam on how to get WINAMP to play correctly in your headset. Though this fix may no longer be necessary as latest version of EXMMS now plays correctly in headphones.
.
How do I convert Video's to play on A1200?
.
See this thread for a good set of instructions also provided by indiacam on how to optimize video to play on the A1200.
.
What is the best Video Player for my A1200?
.
Most people think that ZMPlayer is by far the best player for the A1200 - it can can play higher frame rates than the built-in Realplayer so videos will run much more smoothly (the difference is about 10-13 frames per second).

ZMplayer is a GUI frontend developed by bragon for the mplayer backend video and music player which gives much more control over mplayer. Latest version of ZMPlayer is 1.2 (released March 2007). This version, plus instructions on how to use it, can be downloaded from the Zmplayer 1.2 thread.

For a "lively"discussion about the differences between RealPlayer and ZMPlayer and a good writeup on how to encode your videos, also see this thread

Advantages
w ZMPlayer supports many more file types: mpg, mpeg, vob, avi, srt and mp4 file types (it works best when using mp4 and avi codecs). Most of the psp/ipod mpeg4's can play with Zmplayer and play smoothly. It can also play divx videos. RealOne player can only play RM/RMVB, mp4]**] and .3gp video files (ZMPlayer can not play RM files).

w ZMPlayer can play higher frame rates than Realplayer. It can handle 320x240 at 25fps (with a bitrate of 300-2000), whereas Realplayer only can play 15fps max with 350kbps bitrate. On action films, you can easily notice the difference. ZMPlayer can also support 30 fps, but you will need to lower the bitrate.

w ZMPlayer is also able to read and display the subtitles from srt files.

Disadvantages/Bugs
w ZMPlayer has NO touch screen capability - you have to use the joystick to control most of its functions.

w If you receive a phone call while watching a movie using zmplayer, then the phone may lock up when trying to switch from the zmplayer to the "answer or reject" pop up - you have to restart phone to unfreeze it.

w ZMPlayer has limited bluetooth capability (see Tip below on how to listen to music through Mono Blue Tooth Headset).

w It is often hard to get working correctly and is still quite buggy (see section on Issues below)

**Realplayer is able to support mp4 too (limitation: 320x240, 30fps, 350kbps video) - but not very smooth. Must use mepg4 aac audio codec.
.
What are the Optimal Settings for ZMPlayer?
.
Users report the following settings work well to produce smooth video:
w Mp4 video
w 320x240 resolution
w 200-250 bit rate
w 25 frames per second
w Audio AAC codec
w stereo
w 64-82 bit rate.
.
ZMPlayer - Tips and Problem Solving
.
Here are various tips and solutions for ZMPlayer:

w Can I start videos directly from File Explorer?

Yes - you can run files directly from the file explorer as long as the names of the files do not contain spaces.

w How do I create a playlist for ZMPlayer?

Two ways:
Create it Manually: Create a simple text file with the list of file locations one per line works. Playlist must have an extension of one of the following: m3u, pls, asx or ram.

Use RealPlayer to Create it: Use RealPlayer to create the playlist which will now be saved to your phone in folder MyAudio. Exit RealPlayer and move a copy of the playlist to your SD card. Open ZMPlayer. Go to Menu --> File --> Open playlist and open it that way.

w How to Play Music or watch movies through Mono Blue Tooth Headset.

1. Turn on your bluetooth headset and then pair it to A1200.
2. On A1200, press the Voice Recognition button (bottom one on the right), you will hear on your headset a voice message telling you to say a command or something. Ignore the message.
3. Go to task manager (lower left menu on the application page) and delete the task "VR".
4. Open your mp3 with realplayer, you've got music on your mono BT!

This works for watching movies as well, but for some reason the sound will be delayed by around 3.9s. This can be fixed by encoding your movies with sound advanced by 3.9s

w ZMplayer will not Install or Play Correctly!

If you get issues with running ZMplayer then try uninstalling and reinstalling. Several users successfully got it working by installing ZMPlayer a second time without erasing the first install, so that after restart they had 2 ZMPlayers. The second one worked, so they then deleted the first non-working one.

w ZMPlayer Playback is Jumpy!

If your videos don't run smoothly all the time, sometimes they get stuck for a moment then try turning off your Antenna (Click on Status Bar and set Antenna ==> OFF.

w Screen flickers during playback and unable to use any commands.

You may have wrong version of MPKG installed. Need to use Yan0 version of MPKG. See thread for more details.

kiwiguy · #8 09-21-2007

10. Other Application Specific Questions

Business Card Reader (BCR) - why doesn't it work very well?

BCR application is setup for Chinese style business cards - so only works so-so with US business card layouts (gets phone numbers and names but not very good with address) . Nothing much you can do about it!

SmartAssistant - how do I use it?

SmartAssistant is a great new utility out of China that has recently been translated into English by Tigallo - one of our Motofans members. It is really 7 utiliies in one!
- Backup/Restore: backs up your Phone's data to a file on your SD card. Data backed up includes Contacts, messages, JAVA certifications, network settings, ringtones and general settings (eg Alarm clock settings)
- PKG installer: install and remove mpkg/pkg programs (Be aware, however, that that for some unknown reason a small number of PKG files will not install properly using SmartAsst)
- LIN installer: Runs *.lin and *.sh scripts
- UnZip: Uncompresses rar, zip, tar, tgz, and gz files
- Themes installation: automatically installs *.mtf and *.lin theme files
- File edit: opens Yan0's editor for txt, lin, sh, cfg files etc (not working)
- Cleanup: deletes the history of media player, delete preloaded JAVA programs, delete installed themes

How to Install Smart Assistant

Download the install file from the APP: SmartAssistant thread and uncompress it. There are a number of different ways that can install Smart Assistant. No matter which way you use, you should always make a copy of your .system folder from your SD card to your PC before doing the following so you can always copy it back if something goes wrong!

Method 1: If you have a brand new phone or do not have many apps installed on your SD card, then the easiest way to install SmartAssistant is to simply copy the entire .system folder from the download file and replace the one in your SD card. Warning: This method will erase all apps that you may already have installed on the SD card. (If you have apps you do not want to lose see Method 2). Steps are as follows:
Chinese version:
1. Download and uncompress SmartAsst2_3_549.rar;
2. Switch to 'Mass Storage' and connect with computer;
3. Copy folder .system from downloaded file and replace .system folder on SD card
4. Restart
.
English Version:
1. Download and uncompress the file SmartAsst2_3_1_manualenglishzip_190.rar;
2. Switch to 'Mass Storage' and connect with computer;
3. Copy the folders \java and \QTDownload from the downloaded file and replace \java and \QTDownload folders under the .system folder on your SD card.
4. Restart!
.
Method 2: If you have a lot of programs installed, then you can also install just the individual Smart Assistant files. It is a simple 2-step process as follows:
1. Copy just the folder called SmartAsst from inside \QTDownloads (from the downloaded file) to the same folder on the SD card (.system\QTDownloads)
2. Open uncompressed \java\CardRegistry from download file (using a UNIX safe editor such as CrimsonEditor or UltraEdit);
3. Open .system\java\CardRegistry in SD card (using CrimsonEditor or UltraEdit)
4. Copy contents of file in step 2 to end of file in step 3. Do not erase anything in this file - just append the contents you copied to the end of file on phone. Thats it.
.
Method 3 - Chinese version only!: If you already have Linloader (or SmartAsst or Superman) installed on your phone then you can use that to run a LIN script to install SmartAssistant also as follows (this method will not delete any previously installed apps):
1.Copy Install2.lin and SmartAsst.qz from the download file to the root directory of the SD card
2. Unplug phone from PC
3. Hold stylus on Install2.lin until quickmenu appears. Select "Open with" and select SmartAsst (or Superman or Linloader). It should install and you are set.
.
Method 4: An alternative method is to use the program Beyond Compare for Windows (runs fine with wine too). Install it on your PC then use it to compare SmartAssistant's .system file with your phone's .system folder. BC allows you to copy just the differences into your phone without disrupting existing apps.

How to Use Smart Assistant

1. When you install SmartAssistant, it will automatically associate *.PKG, *.sh, *lin and *. mtf files to open using this app - so next time you click on a file of one of these types, it will open using this app automaticaly. (Be aware, however, that that for some unknown reason a small number of PKG files will not install properly using SmartAsst - they will appear to install, but when you click on the icon nothing will happen. These programs will only install using the native MPKG program)
2. It will also automatically associate rar, zip, tar, tgz, gz files with this app - so if you click on them they will uncompress using this app.
3. If you click on a *.txt file it will open in Notes app and you can edit it.
4. If you actually start the Smart Assistant from the Menu then it will display a screen with 3 buttons at the bottom:

w Uninstall - permits Uninstall of PKG apps
w Backup/Restore - creates a backup file or restores from previously created backup file.
w Exit

After starting the app, if you do nothing then after 5 seconds a window will popup asking if you want to do a Cleanup. It has 2 buttons at bottom.
w Yes - this deletes the history of media player and any installed skins and themes. It puts the phone to some sort of blue skin.
w No/Cancel - return to main window

Here is how the other functions work:

1. Permit Uninstall of PKG apps

This basically toggles the Uninstall option on the quick menu of PKG apps on and off - thereby allowing you to uninstall PKG apps (whether installed by SmartAss, Superman or MPKG).

When you select this option a second window will be displayed with 3 buttons:

w Uninstall Mode - makes the Uninstall option active. When you click on this button the app will set Uninstall active and then exit. When you hold the stylus on a PKG's icon the quick menu will display with the Uninstall option active. You may not be able to run PKG apps when in Uninstall mode (seems to depend on your firmware version)
w Run Mode - makes the Uninstall option inactive. When you click on this button the app will set Uninstall inactive( and permit you to run PKG apps) then exit the app. When you hold the stylus on a PKG's icon the quick menu will display with the Uninstall option greyed out.
w Cancel/Go back - returns to main window

2. Backup/Restore

Performs a backup or restore of all your contacts, messages, callig log, JAVA certification, network settings, customized ringtones, general settings, alarm clock settings, etc.

When you click on the button it displays another window with three buttons:
w Backup - writes eveything to the file /Backup/backup.gho on your SD card.
w Restore - does a restore from backup.gho file**. (You can click directly on this file and do restore this way also).
w Cancel/Go back - returns to main window
.** NOTE: There appears to be a bug with some of the firmwares (eg 32p) - you have to restart your phone a couple of times after doing the restore before you see your contacts and other data restored.

WARNING IF FLASHING: Be careful if you use SmartAssistant (and possibly Backup Restore Now) to do a backup of all your data before flashing. These back up more of the phone's database than other backup utilities so when you restore on the new firmware it can try to put back the (Non-functioning) icons of apps that were removed by the flash and will wipe out any new apps that were added by flash (you will get yellow exclamation marks in their place). It will also put back the Home screen shortcuts. If flashing, recommended you backup using MPT or Superman.

Screen Capture - how do I use it?

The screen capture program listed in the set of apps at the top of this FAQ lets you take "shots" of your phone's screen and save them to a file. This is how you use it:
1. Download the zipped cap_A1200.zip file from this thread.
2. Unzip to get the file screen_cap_A1200.pkg
3. Copy this file to the root folder of your A1200 card.
4. Install using MPKG (see Guide to Modding Your A1200 sticky if not sure what to do here) (Note: install with SmartAsst does NOT appear to work)
5. Turn phone off and on and you should see the new "Capture" icon in your Application Launcher.
6. When you click on it, you have 3 secs to bring up the screen that you want to capture (so you have to be quick!)
7. You will then hear 3 bongs about a second apart - it takes a screen shot at each bong
8. It writes the jpg files to a new directory on the SD card called "cap"

Longman Talking Dictionary

This is a dictionary with audio pronounication. It will translate between English and Mandarin and Cantonese and say the translated word out loud. The mandarin is fairly clear, but sometimes the Cantonese is hard to understand. There are two versions - Moto and HK. The Moto one specializes in Chinese words and HK version specializes in English words.

Here are instructions for installing this dictionary (from E6 forum)

- HK Version Download: MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service
- Moto Version Download: MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service
- Longman_tc.dat Download: MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service
1. Download either(or both) HK or MOTO version of the dictionary
2. Download Longman_tc.dat
3. Place all three files into your memory card ROOT
4. On your phone, go to File Manager > Memory Card > XXXXXXX.pkg (Whichever version you downloaded)
5. Put your cursor on the file until a menu pops up, choose " OPEN WITH " > Select " MPKG " and wait until some words are displayed, just push the X on the bottom right.
6. Don't touch anything, it's installing and will reboot.
7. After reboot, go to your mainmenu and the dictionary should be installed.
.
Blacklist - How do I use it?

A black list is a set of phone numbers that you can set up so that people calling from those numbers can not get through to your phone (ex-girlfriends, collection agents, etc!!). Also see the newer MCLEANER blacklist app that has much more functionality - and comes with a full users' guide.

To set up a black list on the A1200 you need to get the file Blacklist_A1200.zip from this thread. Then do the following:
1. Unzip the file and copy the 2 files: blacklist.mpkg and blacklist.amr to your SD card
2. Install blacklist.mpkg and turn phone off/ then on
3. Go to the phonebook entry of the people that you want to blacklist and set their ringtone to "blacklist.amr".
4. Tap on blacklist icon in Application Launcher to start it - you should hear a sort "click"
5. When a user on your blacklist calls you, they will hear a 2 rings and then a disconnected signal. Your phone will ring for about 2 rings, but there will be no missed call record.
6. Tap on blacklist icon again to stop blacklist. You will hear a 2 sec tone indicating it is off.

Note: You need to start this app every time you turn on your phone to make it active

How Can I Backup/Restore My Phone Data?

You have 4 different methods to backup the data on your phone. Source files for all these utilities (except MPT) are at top of this sticky.

Motorola Phone Tools (MPT): Allows you to back up your phone's contacts and events/tasks in your calendar to your PC. It also allows you to synchronize the phonebooks and calendars on your phone with those on your PC giving you an easy way to enter large numbers of contacts.

ZXBackup Allows you to select what you want to back up - so should be ideal to use this tool before flashing your firmware. However only works on special monsterpack firmwares released by the Gizmoto project that run on the A1200E. You can select to back up.
1 - System Database (address book and others)
2 - Alarmclock settings
3 - Phone settings
4 - Network profiles
5 - GizMoto Files
6 - Rights
7 - Mails
8 - Main Settings
See this thread for the application.

Backup/Restore Now utility: backs up your Phone's contacts, sms, email, calendar and other data that are in main database of your phone to a compressed file on your SD card. This is a good backup utility to use before flashing to a new firmware. It writes eveything to the file /Backup/PIM.brn. Every time you run it it it moves previous backup file to PIM1.brn, PIM2.brn, etc and does not delete previous backups.

How to Restore your data
1. Go to /Backup folder where backup file is located
2. Tap and hold on backup file until popup menu appears. Select Open With menu and choose Backup & RestoreNow. Make sure "Use this program" is NOT checked to prevent accidental running.
3. Tap on OK button.
4. A "Tap on backupfile again to confirm a restore process" dialog will be displayed. Tap on OK button.
5. Tap and hold on backup file again and open with Backup & Restore Now a second time again.
6. You will see message "Start restore your addressbook, sms, mms, and email, calendar and work."

After restoration complete, dialog "Restore complete!" will be displayed.

==========================================
IMPORTANT There is a bug with this app in that when doing a restore it is looking for a folder called /backup (small 'b') - so you must rename folder before the restore will work. You have to do this in 2 steps - as will not let you change /Backup to /backup directly - you will need to rename it to something like /Backup --> /bbackup --> backup.
Once the restore is complete rename folder back to /Backup or else next backup will fail.
==========================================

SuperMan: backs up your Phone's contacts, messages, calendar, emails/email accounts that are in main database of your phone to a compressed file on your SD card. This utility is only in Chinese, but easy to use as only 3 buttons. The left button creates the backup. It creates a folder named mystuff/Backup on your SD card. The backup files are stored there in .tar.gz format. Every time you run it it it creates a new timestamped backup file. The middle button restores your entries from this file; the right button exits the utility.

SmartAssistant: backs up your Phone's Contacts, messages, JAVA certifications, network settings, ringtones and general settings (eg home screen shortcuts, Alarm clock settings, etc) that are in main database of your phone to a compressed file on your SD card.
Warning: This tool is a great backup tool for general day-to-day backups - but should not be used after flashing as it back up more of the phone's database than other backup utility so when you restore on the new firmware it will delete the icons for any new apps that were added by flash (you will get yellow exclamation marks in their place) and will try to put back the (Non-functioning) icons of apps that were removed by the flash. It will also put back the Home screen shortcuts..

When you start the app, and click on the Backup/Restore button it displays another window with three buttons:
w Backup - writes eveything to the file /Backup/backup.gho on your SD card. Every time you run it it overwrites the previous backup file (but easier enough for your to rename them to stop this happening)
w Restore - does a restore from backup.gho file**. (You can click directly on the backup.gho file in the Backup folder and do restore this way also).
w Cancel/Go back - returns to main window
.** NOTE: There appears to be a bug with SmartAssistant on some firmwares (eg 32p) - you have to restart your phone a couple of times after doing the restore before you see your contacts and other data restored.

Lina (Super Assistant II): backs up your Phone's Contacts, messages, JAVA certifications, network settings, ringtones and general settings (eg home screen shortcuts, Alarm clock settings, etc) that are in main database of your phone to a compressed file on your SD card. When you start the app, you will get three buttons, select Backup. You will then see three More buttons, select backup again. You will have two choices - create and overwrite, select create and a file will be created in /mmc/mmca1/amin.FW.backup/backup_date_1.bkp.
To RESTORE, start the app, select backup, then select restore, you will get a window asking if you want to restore backup.bkp, select YES and your settings will be restored.

kiwiguy · #9 10-03-2007

11. Trouble Shooting Guide

** This is a new section which documents how to resolve general problems with the A1200. Hopefully it will grow over time!! **

WARNING: A lot of the A1200's/Mings being sold on Ebay are either outright fakes or refurbished phones (faulty phones put into a new case). It is also suspected that a batch of phones that failed Quality Testing and that should have been destroyed have somehow made there way to some dealers - as there has been a large number of phones with touchscreen and other problems being reported since July 2007. Always buy from a reputable dealer and make sure that the phone comes with at least a 1 year warranty. Buying from an unrecognized vendor to save a few bucks, may very well end in tears and an expensive paperweight!! See this thread for more on this and pictures.

General Trouble Shooting Steps

If your A1200 starts acting up (File Manager stops working, Contacts or Call Records database corrupted, Missed calls icon not displaying, not receiving calls correctly, etc) then there are 3 basic steps you should perform which seems to fix most issues:

Turn off phone and take out battery and leave out for 5 min - replace and turn back on. This simple action often fixes wierd behaviour.
.
Perform Master Reset - this just puts all your phone settings back to default. None of your data is lost. Go to App Manager --> Setup and go to bottom and select Master Reset. Default password is 6 0's (000000).
.
If still no-go, perform a Master Clear. This should do it, but you will lose all your data on phone (address book, calandar) and content you have downloaded to phone memory (photos and sounds). Things on the SD card are not touched. So you should backup all your data with MPT, Superman or similar app before doing this. Go to App Manager --> Setup and go to bottom and select Master Clear. Default password is 6 0's (000000).

Note 1: Master Reset and Master Clear are accessable only when SIM card inserted - otherwise they are greyed out.

Note 2: If you have enabled Edge using the Radiocomm, you should avoid doing a Master Clear or Master Reset as it may cause your phone to continuously reboot. See following isse for details.

Phone keeps Rebooting by itself!

Many users have recently had this problem. It has been identified that if you have enabled Edge using the Radiocomm SEEM edit, there is a known bug that if you later do a Master Clear or Master Reset this will cause your phone to start to continuously reboot.

There is a simple solution that is described in detail in the topic "Enabling Edge"" in the Guide to Modding Your A1200 sticky.
- .
File Manager Freezes or Stops Working -> Reset to Default Status

There is a bug with some firmwares that if you change your File Manager to Thumbnail view it will cause File Manager to freeze. If this happens or if File Manager stops working correctly a Master Reset will fix your problem - but that will cause you to lose the settings for all your other apps also. If you just want to set the File Manager back to its default status you can do as as follows:

[You need to have EKonsole installed to do this. See list of PKG apps at top of sticky for where to get this program from.]

Open EKonsole and type:
Code:
```
cd /ezx_user/download/appwrite/setup 
rm -rf ezx_mystuff.cfg
```
And your file manager will be reset to default setting. This commands remove the specific file that holds the configuration of the File Manager. When removed, its recreated at first run of the program, with defaults on it.

This command does not touch the settings of other stuff like a Master Reset does. What a Master Reset does is only to erase stuff on \ezx_user\, forcing ALL apps back to default.

An alternate method (if you have LINLOADER) is to create a simple ".lin" script with:
Code:
```
#!/bin/bash 
cd /ezx_user/download/appwrite/setup 
rm -rf ezx_mystuff.cfg
```
- .
Phone Freezes on Startup

If your phone hangs when turning it on - freezing on either the motorola screen or startup wall paper of theme and if you have recently installed or changed your skin or theme then, unfortunately, what has happened is that you have filled up the phones memory and it no longer has enough space needed to reboot.

Even if you try to turn it off using the red power key, it will just beep and do nothing. The only way to turn it off is to take out the battery.

Section F Changing Skins in the Guide to Modding Your A1200 sticky has a more detailed explanation of what has gone wrong - but the only solution to this is to reflash your phone's firmware. Refer to the Guide for Flashing your A1200 on instructions on how to do that.

SD Card does not appear in File Manager

If your SD card suddently stops being displayed in your File Manager then try the following**

1. Reboot phone

2. If still no luck then go to Viewer --> storage card then go back to File Manager and see if SD card has reappeared.

3. If still no luck then try a Master Reset

** If could also be happening if you do not disconnect the phone from your PC properly. When the phone is plugged into the PC in MASS STORAGE mode, the control of the SD card is given to the PC. If you disconnect the hardware properly via windows USB RELEASE process (like you should do for any USB drive), then the SD card is restored to the phone. If you are just pulling out the cable, then the card may not be restored to the phone correctly. If this is happening, then simply plug phone back into the PC and use the USB release process..

Application can not read or write files or access the internet

Many apps (=midlet) need to be able to read or write files to the phone's directories, however, the MID2.0 security model was designed so that only signed midlets are able to have unlimited access to potentially dangerous operations such as filesystem access, connection with internet, sending SMS etc. If a midlet is not signed, then access is disabled (which means that when you run the app you are not even shown a File Open" menu option). In order to get a signed midlet, the developer has had to have purchased a security certificate from Motorola, which many developers do not want to do (especially for free apps) - so if you install these midlets on the A1200 they will not appear to work properly.

However there is a way to overcome this. Every app has a registry.txt file associated with it that can be edited to give the app the needed permission. See the Guide to Modding Your A1200 sticky for full instructions on how to locate and edit this file. Some apps that you need to do this for to get them working correctly are Quicknotes, Minipauker, Trekbuddy, cTunes and Anyview.

Phone can not read SIM card

If phone refuses to read SIM card, try the following:

1. Tap on status bar in home screen. Switch off antenna tap ok on the bottom. Then switch on antenna again. (You may need to repeat this a couple of times)

2. If that doesn't work, change the network band to 850/1900 [dial pad screen --> Menu (at bottom left) --> Setup --> Tap on "Network setup" --> Menu --> Search setup --> Band and put it on 850/1900. [Edit: if phone is not reading SIM card at all then you will not be able to do this as Setup option will not appear on menu!]

3. After that close all those things and you should have service. Once you get your service back, repeat the steps and put it on automatic again.

If that does not work, other users had success doing the following:
1. Go to Setup --> usb mode
2. Change it to Mass Storage then turn phone off and on.
3. Card should now be able to be read.

Can not install applications to my SD Card

If you are trying to install a .jar or .jad file and I will not let you select to install it to the SD card on the install popup (i.e. you can only install the app to your phone) then check how much free space you have left on your SD card. If you have less than 10-15mb of free space on your memory card then the install function will not let you select "SD card".
[Thanks to m41d3n for this great tip!].

How Can I unlock my A1200

If you accidentally lock your phone or a folder on the phone, then try the default password 1234. If this does not work then see this thead for a tool that may be able to unlock it.
.
How Can I unlock my SD Card

If you password protect your SD card and then forget the password - there is no easy way to recover it (otherwise the password protection would be useless!!). The only known way is to use a tool as described on this thread.

Touch Screen keeps Freezing

It has been reported by several dozen users that their touch screens suddenly stopped responding (or only responds intermittently). This is known hardware problem in some recent batches of Ming (first reported July 2007) - usually in phones bought off ebay. It appears that the touch screen can work itself loose as there is no fastening mechanism on the board - it is connected only by means of a flex cable. So any sudden shock could result in it coming slightly loose. If its in warranty, immediately get the whole phone/screen replaced from a service centre free of cost.

If its not in warranty then the only solution is to try these two things:

Easy fix: Reset touchscreen - When screen FREEZES, press your thumb gently in the center of screen for 5 seconds and it will reset the touchscreen. This is just temporary solution as the screen may freeze again later but most of the times it comes out of freeze and you can start working.
.
Slightly Harder Fix: open the screws at the back with a T6 screw driver, use a guitar pick to pry open the rear housing, then you need the pick to pry the board from its seating, do it gently. Remove and re-attach the screen, whyile prying the board off be sure not to break the small keys on the side. And then carefully put back the board. Make sure the keys are seated correctly by pressing them and listening to the click noise.

.
===================================================================================================
All of the information presented in this write-up was obtained from user's postings from the various threads on this forum. A best effort was made to ensure it is complete and accurate including performing all of the steps presented on my own phone - but there are no guarantees there are not errors!!

This Guide took many hours to research and put together. If you found the information useful, perhaps you would consider donating a few dollars to keep the Motorolafans site funded as it costs $60 each month in hosting fees. See the announcement at the top of the A1200 forum for details on how to do this or contact me (Alpha43 or Admin) for details on how to do so.

Thanks and happying Moto'ing & Good Luck to you all!

~Alpha~

Special Thanks to Kiwiguy for the help with the write up.

nodramachicks · #10 10-12-2008

12. General Applications

The following is a continuation of PKG Applications that have been posted to Motorolafans but do not fall into one of the above categories. Many have been developed by members of this forum.

To install these you must have a Meta Package (MPKG) install utility (or one of the various "Super" Utilities that include an MPKG installer) installed on your phone first - and there are different versions for different firmwares. See Guide to Modding Your A1200 sticky for details on how to do this.

ApplyFont - allows you to easily change the font displayed on your A1200. It basically automates the steps described in the Guide to Modding Your A1200 sticky. Fun app to play with!
Download: get from APP: ApplyFont thread
.
FBReader - great ebook reader that is the only one available that can handle files in FB2 format. Very nice interface. Reads books in following formats: fb2, HTML, plucker, Palmdoc, zTxt, TCR, RTF, OEB, and plain text.
Download: get lastest version from the APP: FBReader thread. See losts of screenshots and discussion at this FBReader thread.
.
BlackList program - see MCleaner further down.
.
Change Network Name - utility out of China (translated to English by Mitesh Saini) that lets you change the name of the Network displayed on the home screen. Also lets you display the day of the week.
Download: file and full instructions on using it from the APP: Network Name Changer thread.
.
Hide Folders - no program has yet been written that permits folders or files to be securely encrypted or hidden on the A1200 (other than password locking your whole SD card). There are a couple of PKG utilities that various users have written, however that can kind of hide a specific folder on your SD card by renaming it with a "." at the beginning of the folder name so it does not appear in the File Manager. Running the app again removes the period and makes the folder visible again.
Currently probably the best one is huh (= Hide/Unhide). It renames the folder "/themes/TLinux" to "/themes/.TLinux". (You have to create this folder and put all the files and subfolders you want to hide in this folder before running it).
Important note - the contents are not really secure with this technique as anyone who finds the phone can simply run the app to unhide files (hence the cryptic name "huh" - so not obvious what it does). In addition if you read the SD card from the PC then the folder and all contents are visible - which is why the developer of huh selected a folder which people are unlikely to look in (rather than having a folder called "Mysecretfiles"!).
Download: get "huh" from the second page of this APP: Folder Password thread.
.
Java Hacker Permissions Changer - this PKG utilty is a real time saver as when run, it automatically changes the permission settings in each apps's registry.txt file for EVERY app installed on your SD card. This permits them to be able to read and write files on the phone properly (if they need to do that). See the Guide to Modding Your A1200 sticky for more information about this and the old manual method of doing this. Has a single button that you click to run. (Note afterwards, you still have to go Manage-->Permissions-->OK on any newly installed apps to force the change).
Download: get from APP: Java Hacker thread.
.
MCleaner BlackList - permits you to set up blacklists and whitelists (A black list is a set of phone numbers that people calling from those numbers can not get through to your phone while a whitelist is a list of people that can always get through). Has a scheduler function that permits you to have different responses based on time of day. You can, for example, set it up so that all your calls are sent directly to voicemail after 10pm except for people on your whitelist. Very useful app with many options. Two versions - one for phones on H2 track fw and the other for phones on C2 and A1200E firmware.
Download: get latest version from APP: MCleaner thread. (Dec 2008 - new version released)
.
MSN Messager - MSN modded for A1200
Download: get from APP: MSN thread.
.
NewMenu - allows you to add to the list of Categories (ie Office, Games, User1, etc) in the App Manager. This will probably be an program that you will use only once to create a few new categories.
Download: get from the APP: NewMenu thread
.
NoSound - permits you to turn off the camera's click sound. See the section "How to Turn Off your Camera's Sound" in the "Guide to Modding" sticky for instructions on how to use it.
Download: get from Developed Software section.
..
Reboot - reboots your phone when you click on its icon. Can be faster than turning your phone off, waiting and then turning on again.
Download: get from APP: SwapFile/Reboot thread
..
Restart - newer, better reboot utility. It can also be used to "refresh" your phone's memory so eliminates need to turn off phone after installing new apps.
Download: get from APP: Restart thread
.
Rename - another utility out of China that has been translated to English. A bit of clunky interface, but it does what it says - it allows you to rename applications from the App Manager menu. You just have to type the old name and new name on the two lines between the row of "######" then press Save.
Download: get instructions and file from APP: Rename thread.
..
Screen Capture - permits you to take snapshots of your phone screen and save them. See Section 8 at bottom of this FAQ for instructions on how to use it.
Download: get screen_cap_A1200.zip file from APP: Screen Capture thread.
.
ECAP 1.3 (English Version) Screen Capture Tool - Newest screen capture utility with several user configureable options.
Download: get instructions and file from APP: ECAP 1.3 (English) Thread.
Sound Converter - PKG utility for converting mp3 files on your phone.
Download: get from APP: Sound Converter thread.
.
StartMenu - One of the most useful apps that you can install. It creates a Windows like "Start Menu" on the home screen from which you can start apps. Once you begin using this, you will rarely use App Manager any longer.
Download: see screenshots and get from APP: StartMenu thread.
.
SuperClock - displays a large digital clock on your phone when flip is closed. Clock stays illuminated (ie backlight does not turn off) until you close it.
Download: see screenshots and get from APP: SuperClock thread.
. .
Swap Manager - PKG utility created by Dedraks that allows your A1200 operating system to create and use a swap file on your SD card. Creating a swap file will speed up the whole system (it will clean a lot of memory resources from the operating memory and the phone will load new applications faster). You will feel the difference especially when you are "multitasking" (like player + java). The usage is simple - start the program and you will hear a sound "Ding", which means that the swap file is created. When you execute it for second time you will hear "Ding Dong", which means that the swap is removed.
Download: get from APP: Swap Manager - created Swap file thread
.
Unzipper - PKG unzipper utility for the A1200. If you download compressed files from the web to your phone, you can unzip them directly on the phone. Works for .zip, .rar, .tar, .cab, .gz, and .bz2 files.
Download: get from APP: Unzipper - unzips files thread.
.
USBChanger- Many people have trouble getting their phones to connect to PC in Mass Storage mode properly so that PC sees the folders on the phone. This little USBChanger PKG app allows you to easily force phone to switch between modem, storage, and usblan modes.
Download: get from APP: USBChanger thread.
.
VistaClock - displays an analog clock on the main screen of your phone. Also has a calendar function. Thread contains ~50 clock face skins that you can use to change appearance of clock.
Download: screenshots and file at APP: Vistaclock thread..
.
VolSet- increases the volume of your A1200. (Improved version of the VolumeUp utility).
Download: screenshots and file at APP: VolSet thread.

Pixcall - Full Screen Caller ID Developed by EUG from Motofan.ru and perfected by several MotorolaFans.com Members.
w full screen, color caller ID
w Answer/busy/ignore function
Download: Get download file and instructions for installing from APP:Pixcall thread.
Calc4M - A touchscreen calculator for mobile phones. It is configurable and contains most of the normal functions such as trigonometric and logarithmic functions, conversions, constants, memories and binary and hexadecimal notation.
w display a welcome screen or not
w display the call stack or not
w automatically return to the basic arithmetic screen or not
w use nice looking button texts or "safe" texts that works in any mobile
w choose from two different keyboard layouts
w select calculation font size
w select default number format (sci/eng/default)
w decide type of "long button press" notification
Download: Get download file and instructions for installing from APP:Calc4M thread.
Scientific Calculator E6/A1200 - A cool Scientific Calculator authored by wtflwfnh from CCMove.
Download: Get download file and instructions for installing from APP: Scientific Calendar thread.
XCALC & GPSJ -
w Xcalc original is a scientific calculator accurate to 8 decimal places. Supports expressions, trigonometric (sin, cos, tan) and anti-trigonometirc functions, logarithmic functions, pi, e, logical operaions, and parenthesis.
w GPS/J is a console for Bluetooth®-enabled GPS receivers, a mobile navigation tool for cell phone owners and the most affordable and convenient way to use location services. It is a J2ME (Java Micro Edition®) application for JSR82-compliant devices.
Download: Get download file and instructions for installing from APP: XCALC & GPSJ by DroopyArgentina thread.