I liked my Neobox Tuna Android 4.0.3 phone so much that when the new model came out, with a dual processor and 4.0.4 OS, I figured out a way to justify the purchase. After all, I just had to have it. Those cheap, open root phones from Hong Kong are cadget heaven and satisfy my need to tinker. They are more like a tiny computer than a phone.
After fixing a small issue with the G-Sensor, I noticed how improved the phone was. I had planned to give the first phone to my girlfriend and use the second one but it's hard to start ALL OVER without a little apprehension. Since I had actually planned this little swap I started looking for tools that would make the transition easier.
I've always used a custom home screen launcher and the introduction of Android ICS coinsided with a new one on Google Play called Holo Launcher by MOBINT Software. It allows for customizing menu's and icons, that's a must for me - it also has a backup for the settings and desktop shortcuts. I also use a note program called ColorNote by NOTES and Bookmark Folders by DYNAMICG and both of these have backup solutions also so getting back up and running wasn't going to be too bad.
Initially I downloaded App Backup and Restore by INFOLIFE LLC, it worked great. It backs up all your apps as they are installed. Restoring them was easy also - so I had my plan. Backup everything to my SD card and then, after a factory reset of my new phone, start reinstalling. Just one more thing before I start, look on Google Play one more time. I was glad I did.
Having a rooted phone is the way to go - there are just so many options. As I looked through all the choices I came across Titanium Backup * root by TITANIUM TRACK, it seemed full featured and got good reviews so I downloaded it too. The reason I chose this program was that it promised to backup programs and all their data. It also indicated that system information would be backed up also. This all inclusive backup was what I wanted - after all I had a few games that I wanted to save my progress on.
Titanium Backup is a little intimidating - system warnings popped up continuously even after I set the usual debug and installation location settings. There is just an over abundance of options and menu's and I really only end up using a couple of the batch commands. It does try to get you to use a donate version and a pro version but I'm not sure what they do. My experience was simple, I set the settings on my phone based on the warnings and at the main screen labeled ALL, I selected my phones menu button, which brings up the Main Menu. Then selected the Batch Actions - ALL menu that has a number of command groups, I used one command under "Backup" and one under "Restore".
The Batch Actions - ALL menu lists the commands in groups and each command contains the number of affected items scanned and listed on the right. Since I wanted to move everything to my new phone I looked for the highest number located to the right of "Backup all user apps + system data". I then selected the "RUN" button to the left. The program then began backing up all my data to the directory that I had set on my SD card.
I had done some practice runs on my new phone so I did a factory reset, transfered my sim cards and memory card to my new phone. Since I still had "Backup and Restore" program backups, I installed the Titanium APK file from its backup directory and launched the program. I insured the settings on my new one reflect the same settings as on my old phone then went back to the Batch Actions - ALL menu. I went directly to the "Restore" category and found the highest number again on the right - it was next to the "Restore all apps with data" selection. I chose the "RUN" command and set back to wait.
Wow - it did not disappoint. Everything looked just like my old phone and worked just like my old phone. My games retained their levels and there was no setup to do on anything. The only thing that did not transfer were my VPN network selections - no big deal. Since I had so much time not spent on reinstalling all my apps and settings I downloaded Open VPN and setup all my servers. The most amazing thing - even my old wallpaper was there. Titanium Backup is Awsomeness!!!!
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