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got a hd2, stock rom, latest, all patches,
and its doing my head in!
runs so slow, messages are so slow to load, and the phone sometimes doesnt come out of standby!
i love the size of the phone etc, but its tempting to sell it now
any suggestions?
same deal here, any help would be great!
runs so slow, messages are so slow to load,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
known issue with the messaging app. Only real help is to reduce the ammount of mesages you store.
and the phone sometimes doesnt come out of standby!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
called the 'sleep of death' No cure for it once a rom is installed that i am aware, however many of the cooked roms have cured this issue. (I haven't seen it for about a month now)
Long thread about not waking up HERE
samsamuel said:
known issue with the messaging app. Only real help is to reduce the ammount of mesages you store.QUOTE]
sorry for off topic, does Android w/ Snapdragon or Android in general have the same problem/s like Windows Mobile does?
All this stuff should be as quick as speeding bullet.
and another question,
what kind of processor do we need to get what we want out of WinMo?
From what I gather it would have to be atleast 2 to 3 ghz. (for it to never stutter.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im using a hero and an hd2 both freeze up from time to time. if you use Google apps a lot stick with android. if your lazy stick with android. if you have time to always tweak your phone go with winmo. and despite what you read windows has way more apps than android the only problem is most of the apps are 3 or more years old and not being updated anymore so not too finger friendly.
My HD2 (U.S. Tmobile - Stock Rom) runs like lightning, but not for lack of effort (well, not too much effort). I installed BsB Tweaks and Clean Ram, applied the performance tweaks in BsB (there's even one messaging that allows for "classic" style), and make sure to run Clean Ram (level two) once or twice a day. I also make liberal use of the task manager after opening any apps that fail to close with the press of an X (most?). Occasionally I'll notice a bit of slowdown, but Clean Ram will usually cure what ails it. Worst case scenario is I'll need to do a soft reset (which I always do after installing/uninstalling any apps), but, with BsB, it's a breeze as there's a command for it in the menu, so no need to wrangle with the battery cover and poke the red button!
As far as Android goes, I've no clue how it will run on HD2 level hardware, but, seeing as much of the issues with the HD2 seem to revolve around the Sense UI and HTC in particular, I would imagine some of the same issues will crop up. I'm coming over from Android (G1) to WinMo. My G1 had the same issues with messaging (HTC!!!) but, otherwise, didn't require much by way of maintenance. It was just slow and there was nothing I could do about it!
Play around with some of these tools on here. I'm a total WinMo noob, but I gotta say I'm loving the tweakability of the OS, and I'm especially enjoying learning about all of the cool stuff XDA has available for it.
No Lag here
Hey guys, I'm not sure if you guys are managing your opened applications properly... HD2 will keep all the apps you opened in the background running unless you actually closed them... and for most of the apps the only way to close them is to go to taskmanager (start>taskmanager>endtask, see a quicker way to do this below)....
Solution: you need to close the applications that are open!!!!
some tweaks that make this easier
- BsB Tweaks (solves many problems)
- Dutty's Taskmanager (allows you to switch between currently opened apps and also allows you to close them, it puts an icon on the top right corner in the taskbar) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
I got my Omnia 2 back in March. I am a very beginning user, meaning I do not know how to use roms and cooking and registry editors etc... I was hoping I could get a step by step guide to changing my theme. (if that is what it is called) I would like it to be more intuitive, like the iphone or android. I am also uncomfortable using a registry editor, I do not know what I am doing.
I have been able (with this board and others help) to unlock the GPS, and how to tether the phone to my laptop without using verizon's software.
My main problems:
-the phone is slow, I think because the 10 apps I have installed are all on my device and not in my storage, I have tried to remedy that by installing directly to my storage, but it often doesn't work.
-sometimes after a phone call it shuts down or goes black and I have to take out the battery to turn it back on
-I also can't see the screen in sunlight
-my email isn't being sent out from my hotmail account
I have searched for solutions to these problems, but to no avail. (at least for beginners like me)
Verizon Wireless Samsung Omnia 2 S:i920
Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional
What other information is needed?
Thank you so much for your help! I will gladly donate to a developers project if I can get some support. (so I don't have to go buy a new phone!)
I've tried answering some of you questions below. hope it helps.
erieboatergal said:
I got my Omnia 2 back in March. I am a very beginning user, meaning I do not know how to use roms and cooking and registry editors etc... I was hoping I could get a step by step guide to changing my theme. (if that is what it is called) I would like it to be more intuitive, like the iphone or android. I am also uncomfortable using a registry editor, I do not know what I am doing.
I have been able (with this board and others help) to unlock the GPS, and how to tether the phone to my laptop without using verizon's software.
My main problems:
-the phone is slow, I think because the 10 apps I have installed are all on my device and not in my storage, I have tried to remedy that by installing directly to my storage, but it often doesn't work.
Try the task manager to close any programs running in the background. That usually slows mine down.
-sometimes after a phone call it shuts down or goes black and I have to take out the battery to turn it back on
Mine too. Join the club. Not a big deal as it will get your phone running faster again!
-I also can't see the screen in sunlight
Have you gone into your settings and adjusted your backlight settings? Might help.
-my email isn't being sent out from my hotmail account
Go into your options in your hotmail account on the phone and you should be able to set up hotmail to be pushed immediately to your phone. you might have yours set to manual.
I have searched for solutions to these problems, but to no avail. (at least for beginners like me)
Verizon Wireless Samsung Omnia 2 S:i920
Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional
What other information is needed?
Thank you so much for your help! I will gladly donate to a developers project if I can get some support. (so I don't have to go buy a new phone!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your suggestions
I have the setting to shut down programs when I press the x in the corner, so no programs are running.
Yours shuts down too? I think it is ridiculous! You pay $200 some dollars for a phone and have to take the battery out b/c it freezes? It is getting pretty annoying, especially when I have to make back to back phone calls or am trying to get a couple things done.
I was able to adjust the lightness settings, so the screen is bright all the time instead of being dull. I haven't had a chance to test it in sunlight yet. (It's been raining here, and I work in an office)
I do have my email pushed to my phone, but I just can't send anything out. I tried adjusting the settings, and even deleted the email account and then added it again. I'm not sure what else to do.
Again, I really appreciate you trying to help. I didn't think that getting a smart phone would require so much work and research to get it to act like I want it, which is nice easy push button intuitive. Instead, everything is so complicated!
Pushing the X button doesn't necessarily shut down the program, it may simply minimize it. That's why I suggested using the task manager to ensure that all programs are properly closed. I would have thought that windows would have figured out task management by now, but that's why they have the task manager built in. The phone will lock up only when it runs low on main memory which is likely due to too many programs running in the background. With a regular check of my running programs I find that my phone may lock up only once a week at worst.
regarding your Hotmail, do you have the box "send immediatley" checked? Otherwise you need to tap send/receive to send.
As for the screen brightness, I find mine hard to see in direct sunlight but it's mainly due to the shiny screen protector that's on my screen
The phone is a bit daunting to start off with and I have run WM2003, WM5, WM6, WM6.1 and now this Samsung with WM6.5. be patient as this phone can do alot and the best part is, if you invest the time into it, you can customize your phone to the way you like it, not some arbitrary user interface like some of the others. BTW.... stop reading about flashing the ROM and editing the registry for now. Just play with your settings and the settings of each program to get them working the way you want them to. If you are going to start cooking, I'd like chocolate chip cookies please!
AND back it up before you go too far so that if you screw it up badly, you have a back up to go back to.
.
I will start using the task manager from now on.
I do have the send immediately box checked.
I'm trying to be patient lol, but i gotta have it now! Like I said before I have had the phone since March, but have been unable to do a lot of customizing. I am not sure about downloading themes, b/c I don't understand what a lot of them are.
Is there a place just to download themes?
Downloading themes means that you are changing the user interface of the phone iteself. first you need to decide which User interface program you want to use, download and install the trial, then search for a theme you like and download and install that as well. Guess what.... more customizing! Are you not happy with the Samsung Today interface that comes with the phone? or are you looking for a completely different experience?
Themes are like wall paper for the user interface program.... eye candy. Every user interface is about showing you pertinent information at a glance on the screen without the need to go digging into apps for that info. different user interfaces will also require differing levels of customization based upon which programs you have already loaded onto you phone and how you want the user interface (UI) to interact with those programs. This level of customization can be easy or hard depending upon the UI, so be prepared for more playing around. Add different themes which will then require more customizing as a theme is esssentially a customization of the UI. Differing UIs will also chane how you access programs, how you can group shortcuts to your liking, and the general experience of interacting with your phone.
Windows Mobile is definitely NOT a iphone experience, where how you interact is dictated by the manufacturer. Your phone allows for a huge amount of customizing to make your phone a truly unique experience.
As for your Hotmail acct, I'm not sure what else could be going on with it as it's really simple to set up and it sounds like you got it nailed. Is it connecting at all?
Another idea on your hotmail acct... have you tried sending yourself a test e-mail at work or at home? I know with mine there is never anything in my sent items on my phone and it might make you think nothing got sent.
Just an idea.....
i edited the power settings, so my screen is bright all the time and now i can sort of see it in the sun
erieboatergal said:
i edited the power settings, so my screen is bright all the time and now i can sort of see it in the sun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd suggest to set it to "Auto"... that way it will be at 100% brightness in direct sunlight while keeping the backlight lower when it's not needed, resulting in a lower battery drain
Hi everyone. I just purchased my Droid X last week, and I'm having some migrating pains coming from Windows Mobile 6.5 (HTC Touch Pro 2, Mighty ROM) over to Android. I'm wondering if the fine folks here at XDA can help me ease into the Android OS a little easier.
Here are the things I miss most about WinMo, maybe you can tell me some viable alternatives.
1) The Dialer. - Skip the next 3 paragraphs if you're familiar with HTC Sense on WinMo.
The dialer absolutely sucks compared to the TP2. Having to click different tabs juts annoys me. In the TP2, the dialer and recent calls were displayed in a single window, so if I wanted to dial Steve, I had 2 ways of doing it.
The first way was to dial 7(S), 8(T). The phone would recognize I am spelling out Steve, and list everyone who fits the ST criteria sorted by most recently called. The more I spelled out his name, the narrower the results got.
The second method was to dial his number. Pretend Steve's number is (123) 456-7890. If I dialed 123, it would sort all contacts with numbers who matched the area code, and it would narrow the results as I typed more of his phone number.
I really hate having to tap between Contacts (there is a contacts soft button next to the dialer anyway), I would just click that if I wanted to from the beginning.
Are there any dialers out there closer to the HTC Dialer?
2) Contacts.
There has to be a better contact manager. Not being able to quickly tap a letter to get to contacts is really dumb.
3) Ninja Applications.
Why do I keep seeing applications running that I never started when I load Advance Task Killer. It's really annoying when I load up an App, and go to close it, and see Skype and CityID running when I never launched either of them. I'm almost afraid to set up AIM on my phone at this point.
4) GPS.
If I keep my GPS on, my battery gets killed. With my TP2, it would only use the GPS when it needed it, so for weather updates, and Google Maps, otherwise it stayed off (or was in a suspend state). I turned the GPS on my first day and had 0 battery by around 2 (left the house at 8). Is there any way to set the GPS to only be used, as needed?
5) APPLICATIONS EVERYWHERE.
Is there anyway to sort these into folders? Also, is there anyway to add an X to the application so I can close it when I'm done with it rather than having to launch an App just to close the App I just used?
I really liked the Sense way of doing it, where I had an X in the Application, and a drop down on the home screen that would list the open Apps so I could close them 1 at a time.
6) MotoBlur.
Ugh, I really hate this UI. Has anyone had any experience with SenseX?
7) Custom Roms.
I've seen a handful of Custom ROMs, and I'm planning on putting one on when I have some time next week. I need a good way to backup contacts, after I just spent an hour linking everyone, but I'd like to know if there is a decent Apples to Apples comparison of the ROMs. They don't seem to be outlines as detailed as I'm used to.
On this topic, are there any problems setting up things like MMS once you install a Custom ROM? It was a nightmare on the TP2, but those ROMs were also made for multiple carriers, which isn't a problem with this phone, so I imagine it shouldn't be an issue.
----------------------------------
Thank you for taking the time to read this wall of text.
Other than the 7 things listed, I love the phone. Finding MortPlayer for Droid made my day. I'm looking forward to unlocking it's true potential, and I hope my list isn't a bunch of things I'm just going to have to adjust to.
Thank you again, have a great day.
EDIT:
Also, it's really annoying that every time I connect my phone to my PC, it launches a Verizon web site. Is there anyway to disable this?
Ok... I will take a stab at this.
FIRST, You DO NOT have to settle for the apps that come preinstalled on your phone! Just had to clear that up... Ok, here we go:
Check an app called "Dialer One" and see if that fits your needs... I haven't used it in a while... but heard it still a great replacement for the stock dialer.
Searching for a better Contact Manager is on my To-Do list.. hope someone comes in and help out a little more with that one
Don't worry about the "ninja" apps TOO much. Android Froyo has an amazing task manager and even though you SEE the apps as "running applications", they are not really RUNNING. They are more like... in a queue.. so they are ready for whenever you come back to them....but you still have to watch what the apps are doing. Some do not play nicely and hog memory. I'll link a good post here in a minute explaining that a little better.
There is a widget that can help you out here.. it's called "Power Control" put that bad boy on your homescreen and the option to turn on/off wifi, bluetooth, gps, etc is at your fingertips (for even more controls... check out "Extended Controls" in the market. It cost like $1 and some change)
I'm... not really following this one. For one.. you CAN use folders on your homescreen and put whatever your heart desires in them.. and label it accordingly. I'm not sure what you mean by the "X" in the app
SenseX?? What is that?? Anyway.. as you will find out soon, 99% of the Droid X community despise MotoBlur!! You can use a different Home Launcher and not use Blur. Two of the major Home Launcher replacements are Adw.launcher & LauncherPro... which one is better is a whole different story. They are both great and only YOU can choose which one is best. There many threads comparing them and they run neck to neck mostly. I'm on LauncherPro personally
Custom Roms?? Eh.. I personally do my own developments and theming on my phone and do not use them... there not really all what they cracked up to be because whatever they have on them... I can do myself. So I'm not much of an help on that one... Somebody else maybe will chime in.
P.S-To fix the Verizon thing, go to the "M" in the taskbar at the bottom of your screen by the clock on your PC and right click it.. there should be an option saying to tell it to NOT send you to the Verizon site when you connect your phone. I don't know the EXACT wording of the option menu.. I'm on a mac
Thank you for your reply.
I will check out the Dialer. Thank you very much.
Darn!
A friend of mine told me that, but it's hard for me to not be a bit OCD about background Applications. I've been a Windows user most of my life, and coming from WinMo, background apps really kill performance.
More than anything, my issue is with things like Skype loading when I do not want to be signed in. I want auto-login when I launch the Application, but I don't want the application loading when it feels like it, and me getting a random IM or call from someone when I didn't even tell it to log in.
It also bothers me that Amazon MP3, something I've never even loaded, has turned itself on. It makes me feel like I don't have control over my phone.
I do have a widget that lets me turn these things on and off, I was just hoping for a way to set it up so that the GPS is "pinged" and only used as needed, and turned back off. My TP2 did this, and was a great battery saver. Having to turn the GPS on and off just to get a weather update based on location is a bit annoying.
I didn't mean on the home-screen, I meant in the application list. So when I hit the application list, I can sort them by "Games", "Google", etc.
For the "X", what I mean is in reference to closing an App. In WinMo, the top right of the screen had an X, and if I touched that X, the app would close. Now, once I exit the App, I need to use an application killer to close said App.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=764840
Looks like Sense for the Droid X. In Beta now, so I'm waiting for a stable release.
Really, it's just to get rid of bloatware and take advantage of some performance optimizations that have been made.
A couple of other things that have come up.
I need a better keyboard. One with arrows so I can navigate text. Touching isn't precise enough, and I don't have a stylus with this phone. Today I voiced a text message, and I went to correct an error, but I couldn't get the curse to go in the exact spot I needed it to go into. My old OSK had arrow soft-keys I could tap to navigate with.
Also, I notice when I pull my phone out of the leather pouch I have, when I hit the power button it comes up in landscape, and the accelerometer doesn't pick up on the turn. I need to turn the screen off and turn it back on.
Finally, I'm having extender issues, but I think I need to call VZW for that. When leaving my house, I can't reconnect to Data without a power-cycle.
Thank you for the reply.
my .02
3. Break yourself from the taskiller need. If you have programs allways running that you dont need, ie skype or city id. Root and delete those SOB's. you can look around and there are plenty of articles of why not to use them. Android is a linux based os. Linux is far supirior to Win in memeory management. You dont need task killers.
4. if your gps is turned on its not always running. It only runs when needed. Is by chance your wifi on? that will run all the time by searching for access points. if not you might have maps running, make sure to always back out of maps and not just hit home. That way it closes and doesnt just run in background. (actually goes for most apps)
5 organization- you cant sort the app drawer, you can hide apps (just the icons) using launcher pro, not sure if ADW has that option. Useing folders or the app "app manager" is your best bet
extra. swype has arrows. swype from the swype icon to abc and it will bring up a new keyboard.
I came from winmo- so I know all about your "X" pains. But I say forget about a task killer or even killing tasks (except maybe maps and navigation). I did a little reading about pros and cons and decided to try the "no task killer" approach. I haven't had any problems. the task killer is a pain anyways. you can kill apps all day long and there are a bunch of them that are just going to repopulate themselves in like 5 minutes. I just said, "fegetaboutit". My phone runs great.
if you open the dialer and are on the contacts tab just long press the menu button (the physical button) and your keyboard will pop up. start typing and contacts will appear.
I like "Zeam Launcher". There is a thread here on XDA. I have Launcher Pro+ -but actually liked Zeam so much I use it. Just different preferences though.
that's all i got for now.
Thank you for your replies.
I will try to be a bit less OCD regarding my tasks. I did kill a couple of services of applications that kept starting, like Skype.
I'll check out those launchers and see if I like them better.
Any good stock widgets?
EDIT:
So I just tried to check my location on Google Maps with GPS turned off, and it says I need to turn it on.
How do I set it up to use the GPS as needed?
I leave location services on (GPS)
My theory is that applications will only enable GPS when they need them, so if you have a application running that wants GPS, it will use it.
The GPS icon appears in the notification bar when I'm using something that is using GPS, so I assume its only actually on when this icon is present. Leave it on in settings just makes is available.
Any widget or application that has a setting for manual location (Weather, IMDB) I use it, and disable GPS location, to keep GPS from running all of the time.
To exit an app you are using, either hit the back button or the home button.
If you are worried about "ninja" apps using cpu and memory, you can try a minfree adjustment application such as AutoKiller Memory Optimizer. It fine tunes android's inner memory manager to be a bit more aggressive in closing applications.
I use another Rom (rubiX, link in sig) that already has minfree adjusted (according to the author) and it does help in keeping the X smooth. It also removes all (well most) of Blur and default installed apps as well, so you start with a very clean X.
The default home screen (blur) is crap. I would also suggest replacing it with LauncherPro or ADW
For removing the pre-installed applications. Follow this guide
http://www.droidxforums.com/forum/d...ta-3-ways-super-easy-safe-safe-easy-free.html
Some apps in /system/app/ are not named what they are
(IE. mynet.apk = 3g Hotspot)
For a keyboard anywhere, you can hold the menu button, and it will pop up.
Swype is really a few keyboards. Swype from the icon to the SYM button, it will give you the edit panel (arrows, home, end, copy, paste, etc...) press the ABC button to go back.
Swype from the icon to the f key, it will turn into a number pad. Press the ABC button to go back to the normal keyboard.
Run the tutorial on Swype too, it will give you some very nice pointers on it's use. I used Swype on windows mobile and I found out a few things about Swype I never knew.
Also, as for touching where your cursor is in a text field, if you press and hold, and magnifying bubble will pop up. This makes moving the cursor easier
Did you find a dialer yet? I saw these posted and thought about this thread...
http://www.appbrain.com/app/kz.mek.DialerOne
http://www.appbrain.com/app/acontacts/kz.mek.aContacts
Haven't had a chance to try them yet.
bad4u6669 said:
.... swype has arrows. swype from the swype icon to abc and it will bring up a new keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG. thanks. been loving swype but that has been driving me nuts. Thanks for the info.
Thank you for the replies.
One of the things I liked about my TP2, is I could leave location services on, and it used very little battery.
I guess Weather Bug just SUCKS battery out like crazy. I turned on the GPS last night for something, and decided to see how well it did with battery today. It turns out that some grocery shopping app I wanted to try was sucking my GPS dry (no idea why)... yet another "ninja app" that just started up because it felt like it (this kind of **** really makes me , programs should only start up when I tell them to, not when a component of my phone turns on).
I live in an apartment that has really bad signal (I actually have a Network Extender), so that might be my GPS constantly trying to update when I'm at home killing my battery.
WeatherBug is set to update every hour, so I'm going to see what happens tomorrow with the GPS turned on. It would be nice if I could just set it and forget it, not need to turn it off every time I come home.
Thank you for the contact program, I might check it out. I've been pretty content since I got DialerOne and found out I can get the keyboard up by holding the options.
I tried LauncherPro, and I LOVED it at first, and my phones performance was fantastic!
Then I found out it charges me to resize widgets... WTF is that crap?
I'm going to try some other launchers and see what happens. I'm getting the hang of it, but I still do not like things starting up on their own. Regardless of memory management, my phone should not just decide to boot up programs on it's own.
the phone only does what the app or the user tells it to do. If theirs an app that you don't like, delete it.
And complaining that launcher pro charges for every thing it offers is ridiculous. Every thing it offers for free already ( 7 home screens, 10 rows and columns, unreal speed improvement, etc. ) then to get the extras its less than most people throw away on a daily basis. Where as this three dollars its money that pays off on a daily basis
Adw and lp should be paid apps from the start for all they offer.
You have 3 options, write your own program, use the stock launcher, find a free one.
-end rant
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
I usually leave my location setting on "Use Wireless Networks" and don't bother with GPS other than for maps and navigation. Works fine for all of my other apps that need a location (e.g., weather).
There are apps out there that can turn GPS on and off automatically when you run a particular app, such as Tasker (which can do a whole host of things, but that is one one of them). Tasker is a paid app, but there might be something free out there that does something similar.
Also, I agree with the previous poster re: Launcher Pro. It's really a fantastic home launcher and well worth a few bucks to support the developer. The LP Plus widgets are also a lot better than any of the Blur widgets.
In the end, I probably will buy it, but I'm going to play around with some of the free ones first.
Tasker sounds like it might be worth it for that feature alone (being able to turn the GPS on and off at will). I'm just surprised a feature like this wasn't built in to begin with, considering WinMo has had it for years.
On an unrelated note, can anyone recommend a good media player? I'm going to be flying soon and want to test the battery out on Airplane mode while watching a movie from the SD card. I need something that can decode a variety of formats, mostly XviD for stuff like digital movie copies and TV shows.
EtherBoo said:
In the end, I probably will buy it, but I'm going to play around with some of the free ones first.
Tasker sounds like it might be worth it for that feature alone (being able to turn the GPS on and off at will). I'm just surprised a feature like this wasn't built in to begin with, considering WinMo has had it for years.
On an unrelated note, can anyone recommend a good media player? I'm going to be flying soon and want to test the battery out on Airplane mode while watching a movie from the SD card. I need something that can decode a variety of formats, mostly XviD for stuff like digital movie copies and TV shows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to look into RockPlayer. That's the only one I found so far that decodes ALMOST anything on the spot.
The "Ninja Applications" are running because Android is a true multi tasking OS.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
I hope necromancy isn't frowned upon on this board, so my apologies if it is.
I found a new problem because I had the nerve to attempt to update a contact photo after Facebook had saved it's picture to it.
This is especially frustrating because I'm going to want to override a lot of these photos very soon.
Apparently, updating the photo updates the Google Contact photo, but the phone only displays the Facebook photo. This is a bug confirmed by Moto that will be fixed in a future update.
This leaves me with 2 options.
De-Sync FB, which I'm not thrilled about only because I like getting the most recent status update prior to receiving a call, and There is a lot of info that FB fills in for me.
Copy down all the FB info, and fill it in manually. With Google Contacts not being the best contact manager (I'm very OCD about uniformity in the way things are formatted), I really don't want to do this.
So I figure I need a new contact manager. I tried AContacts, and it crashed every time I tried to edit a contact.
I would love something like the HTC one that comes with WinMo, or maybe even the iPhone one.
I would be willing to pay for this.
P.S.
I'm now rooted and running a custom ROM (zapX I think it's called). I'm loving my phone much more now. My battery life has skyrocketed, and my performance is amazing now. Very iPhone smooth (one thing I was always jealous of, and I hate the iPhone).
Hi guys,
I thought i share my thoughts and experience with people who have not decided which phone to buy. Maybe my input will make the decision easier (or maybe it will confuse you even more hehe).
Also I am hoping people with Android experience maybe can assist me with some of my negative bullets. I'm very new to Android so i apologies for my mistakes in my so called review/comparison.
And lastly i dont want to start any fanboy android vs iOS. This is just my personal view of the two phones/OS'es. Its maybe a bit unfair since i been using iPhone for the last 3 years and Android for only a week but still some of the bullets are independent of that. Any how lets dig into it, First i take the negative side of SGII and next the positive sides.
(maybe my topic is a bit misleading but below some of the items are compared against iPhone but i wont write all the plus/negative for iPhone since the SGII list is already pretty big and i want to focus on SGII which i hope can replace my iPhone)
- When i exit USB mode (where i can access the SD card) i cant find a way to reconnect it without cable unplug->plug. Is there a way i missed?
- Browser doesnt word wrap the text/column so good on table tab. I had a side by side comparison with my iPhone4. On iphone the whole article including images are resized and the text is fully readable. On Galaxy S2 images are not resized and text is readable but just barely. So the whole screen real-state is not fully utilized with the lower resolution and bad browser formatting.I have tested Opera also but the whole word wrapping experience left a very bad taste in my mouth. It was the worst experience ever, the article jump up and down every 5 sec or so, i think the browser got confused for some reason and couldnt decide how to format the page (this was when double tapping).
- Default browser crashes (go to qj.net where i usually visit to read about games).
- Text selection is a pain sometimes. First problem is that in every app it behaves differently. Second problem is that the process to select a text isnt so smooth.
- Confused about task and background proceses that start magically! When using taskmanager i can see mostly 2-3 tasks there and this makes sense. Now using other task killers suddenly they show 10-15 tasks. I understand these are background task but its beyond me why some of them suddenly are there. Like Kies, this should never be started unless i am using Kies. I can see now why my battery goes dows so fast (well compared to iPhone again). Why is there so many tasks started and why cant i control them from vanila Android. This should be a must. I dont want to root my phone to do the basic settings.
- Pretty much all application is downloaded can only be installed on phone memory. Why doesnt Google enforce developers to adapt to new versions of Android is beyond me.
- I havent found a way to backup everything on the phone (including applications and their save data) to my pc/mac. Without this i dont like to experiment rooting and other shizzles.
- Apps are not as smooth and functional on GS2 compared to iPhone4. Ex: Tunein Radio, i cant skip to next song. Ex2: ign app (iphone) allow for daily videos while the Android version is very poorly done and dont have any videos. Feels like Everything works just a little better on iPhone compared to Android phones.This is something most people cant understand if they havent had iPhone for a long time i think.
- Slow battery charging. I usually start charing at around 20% battery left. In one hour GS2 reaches around 40-50% while iPhone goes to 80%
- Headset lacks volume + next/back track when playing music.
- Creating folder through Kies Air not possible. for ex in media make a folder called movies.
- Drag&Drop in Kies air missing.
- When uploading a file through Kies Air there should be a progress bar, now it just looks busy and you dont know if its uploading or it hangs.
Ok now to some good sides on the Galaxy S2:
+ Brilliant screen (even if i think resolution could be better)
+ Flexibility and open market for every sort of application. Much like windows here you can add more functionality and make the phone very personal.
+ Excellent codec support. It plays pretty much everything i through at it. Well done Samsung.
+ Very good camera (even better then iPhone i admit)
+ Very good video recording (also better then iPhone)
+ Very light
+ Feels pretty good in your hand (even though i’m afraid one day the backvocer will break, i had a Nokia N95 and one day the smal plastic edges broke when i was opening the cover. Same thing will happen ti GS2 i’m sure)
+ Expandibale uSD.
+ Very cool fearure called Kies Air where i can access most studd through browser. (this can also be added to minus since it doenst work perfectly everytime i tested but the potential is there)
+ Nice features like pinch effect for desktop + many nice widgets.
+ I think you can make proper call recording on SGII (CallRecorder) but havent confirmed myself yet.
Lastly i like to say SGII is a wonderful phone and i really really want to use it as my primary phone. The one thing i hope Samsung fixes that will make me more loyal to Android is the default browser. The text wrapping must be improved and the browser more stable. I like the smoothness of the default browser and this is the most used part of the phone and so far my iPhone is better but i hope 2.3.4 update maybe can improve this.
Any input, tips, tricks are welcome. I really appreciate your help.
Hopefully this will help you, at least in some areas (i numbered them in the order that you have used):
1) using developer mode at least (i prefer it as its faster and more compatible than samsung's stuff) you can mount/umount at will the card on the pc via the phone without unplugging
2) You may want to try Opera Mobile, it seems to do a very good job at this. I'd like to see this in the stock browser too, but hey, this is Android, you have the choice to change the browser if you like ;-)
3) Well, same thing I guess. 2.3.4 may improve stability but the rest, I don't know, I wouldn't bet on it. I like Firefox quite a bit as well, but text wrapping is odd on it.
4) Android issue =/
5) I wouldn't use any task killer. Check the active apps and uninstall any app that doesn't behave (keep only the ones you REALLY need that still do stuff in the background, like email etc, but not too many). Seems to work a zillion time better for battery life. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a decent way to enforce such a policy.
Regular background tasks are not necessarily ever active. It just means they're frozen in the background and do nothing. As long as they do nothing it's fine, it's just faster to start them again (instant, in fact). The issue is really when they're activating every XX minutes while in the background.
6)Doesn't matter, the recent samsung phones such as the SGS2 have a HUGE internal memory compared to other phones, you'll never have space issues for that imo.
7)Install a kernel with CWM and then, boot in recovery and run a nandroid backup. It will create the backups on your sdcard. Copy them to your PC. Also, copy /efs using tools or manually..
You can restore using a CWM kernel later on and nandroid restore.
You can also use stuff like TitaniumBackup, but it's not nearly as thorough as nandroid backup (which is doing basically disk images, while Titanium and other such apps just copy app/settings)
8)Trollish subject. Some apps are superior on Android, some are superior on iOS. Heh SGS2's browser speed eats my IP4 for breakfast for example. If the same Android app doesnt have the feature of the iOS app, complain to the dev or find another app.
9) it's true it's like that, nothing you can do about it (technically, something could be done but that's probably not wise at all)
10) Use another music player, such as PowerAmp if you like. There's (many, many) other possibilities as well. It also let you boost the volume higher than the stock max volume (although I find stock to be loud enough)
11) Don't use KIES air to do that then ;-)
12) Likewise. There are apps like KIES air, you might want to try them btw. Make a little search, I dont have the name in mind, but they do exist, others will probably point them out
13) I do get a progress bar that moves, maybe a browser issue. Anyway, see point 12)
Cheers for the answers and help. I write the comments inline below.
bilboa1 said:
Hopefully this will help you, at least in some areas (i numbered them in the order that you have used):
1) using developer mode at least (i prefer it as its faster and more compatible than samsung's stuff) you can mount/umount at will the card on the pc via the phone without unplugging
A: i did test this mode but it asked me to unplug the cable also, same thing for MTP. Dont you get that?
2) You may want to try Opera Mobile, it seems to do a very good job at this. I'd like to see this in the stock browser too, but hey, this is Android, you have the choice to change the browser if you like ;-)
A: As mentioned i already tested this. Opera does some things better and some things worse. For instance visiting one of my favorite sites like Engadget.com the whole page jump up and down when i zoom in a little. To be honest the stock + Opera feel very bad compared to iPhones browser. I hope Opera or Samsung improve on this area. This is the most used feature for me.
3) Well, same thing I guess. 2.3.4 may improve stability but the rest, I don't know, I wouldn't bet on it. I like Firefox quite a bit as well, but text wrapping is odd on it.
A: Lets hope so
4) Android issue =/
A:
5) I wouldn't use any task killer. Check the active apps and uninstall any app that doesn't behave (keep only the ones you REALLY need that still do stuff in the background, like email etc, but not too many). Seems to work a zillion time better for battery life. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a decent way to enforce such a policy.
Regular background tasks are not necessarily ever active. It just means they're frozen in the background and do nothing. As long as they do nothing it's fine, it's just faster to start them again (instant, in fact). The issue is really when they're activating every XX minutes while in the background.
A: Yes true, i think Android just shows to much info for regular user. I have to see past the background tasks perhaps. Also some appz you can not remove like the hubs and such. Sure i can root and hack but i'm not so interested to do so just yet. Maybe when i'm a bit more user and understand Android better
6)Doesn't matter, the recent samsung phones such as the SGS2 have a HUGE internal memory compared to other phones, you'll never have space issues for that imo.
A: Actually i got over 12Gig of Appz on my iPhone so 16Gig (or actually 12Gig which is free) isnt all to much when you have navigator (3,5Gig) and games and blogs and such. But sure its enought for a time to come. The bottom line is Google must be tougher with the market otherwise the fragmentation will just grow.
7)Install a kernel with CWM and then, boot in recovery and run a nandroid backup. It will create the backups on your sdcard. Copy them to your PC. Also, copy /efs using tools or manually..
You can restore using a CWM kernel later on and nandroid restore.
You can also use stuff like TitaniumBackup, but it's not nearly as thorough as nandroid backup (which is doing basically disk images, while Titanium and other such apps just copy app/settings)
A: Thanks for the tips, i will write it down. As said i dont dare yet to mess with hacking but soon i was actually considering using the TitaniumB , hear its easy to use.
8)Trollish subject. Some apps are superior on Android, some are superior on iOS. Heh SGS2's browser speed eats my IP4 for breakfast for example. If the same Android app doesnt have the feature of the iOS app, complain to the dev or find another app.
A: I'm noob on what is there on the market so i'm sure there are many awesome apps on Android but when comparing the same app on Android vs iOS the Android was inferior. That was what i was comparing.
Another thing i dont really experience is the speed. To be honest i dont see such a huge speed difference when using my Wlan at home. But maybe you are right
9) it's true it's like that, nothing you can do about it (technically, something could be done but that's probably not wise at all)
A: I guess your right. On the other hand it could be possible a fw update could adjust some values for the current input, this could be a software limitation also i think. Lets hope
10) Use another music player, such as PowerAmp if you like. There's (many, many) other possibilities as well. It also let you boost the volume higher than the stock max volume (although I find stock to be loud enough)
A:Thanks for the tips will test this. Actually this is same thing as the copy/paste issue. I expect the behaviour to be the same no matter application (coming from iOS) but here it seems its application to application. This offer more freedom to developers for sure but it will also generate crapy software and result in a bad user experience. It would be so much better if there were a set of rules that all developers should follow on certain areas (this one is one such area).
11) Don't use KIES air to do that then ;-)
A: hehe true but this is the official way so i thought it should have been well tested and all
12) Likewise. There are apps like KIES air, you might want to try them btw.
Make a little search, I dont have the name in mind, but they do exist, others will probably point them out
A: Will do.
13) I do get a progress bar that moves, maybe a browser issue. Anyway, see point 12)
A: Strange, have to test again on IE which i hate, i use Firefox only. Also tested Safari on my mac.
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Click to collapse
Thanks again for your input mate. Back to play more with my GSII
Applications can also be installed on the external sd card.
Applications and I also believe their user data are backed up on google server. So if you factory reset the phone and sync with google, it will download all previous apps.
About the slow charging - are you on old firmware version or do you charge over USB?
Creating a folder through kies air is not possible, that is correct. To be honest I am happy that there is even an app which allows to copy media etc. over wifi, you know there are phones which don't have that, for example the iPhone.
All apps I am using are working fine. If an app is not stable it's developer's fault, not the phone.
Ios is from 2007.. android 09.. 1-2 years between them. just think how far android have gone the last year.. give it 2 years and then compare it to iphone 4 in it current state.. well yes i know android is older.. but the initial realse was around 08-09 and IOS june - 07.
and yes.. so far iphone fits those who just want it to work better.. that means ppl not that used to computers etc.
and currently i dont own an iphone but i got a first generation ipod touch.. and yes even that stoneage IOS thing does alot of things better then my S2..
bah but this iphone vs android is getting old its a subject that can go on forever and ever..
well ill stick with my laggy android.. well i've been told by my iphony friends that its laggy.. i just dont see it
vampyren said:
Hi guys,
Any input, tips, tricks are welcome. I really appreciate your help.
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Click to collapse
Nice overview.
IMO S2 is the best phone on the market now. But due to appl's hype, n matter what hardware specs they release, the iphone will always be superior to ANY phone. They could release an iphone with 1st gen hardware, and it will still make more sales than sgs2.
But, slowly more and more ppl are moving towards androi, and apple are losing sales. they even copied bb and android in ios 5..
Also coming from an iPhone 4 to the GS2 I can safely say that I don't miss the iPhone at all which I thought I would.
Having owned a Nexus S in the past and feeling a bit bewildered as there was a lot of stuff within the OS which felt unpolished and unfinished and now 2.3.3 is like night and day for that and it feels much more like a complete OS to me.
@OP give it time there will be a lot of things you can do with your new phone which would require rooting on your iPhone 4
The world of apps and widgets and customization is at your finger tips so jump right in and enjoy
My phone is running ADW Launcher EX with 90% icon dock size, 5x5 grid for homescreen, transparent drawer and miui weather
The only thing you might miss is the app store and iTunes integration (if you use it), other than that the Galaxy S II has it beaten quite comfortably.
@zxz0O0:
OOH that is cool , i think some option about it but didnt think it was what i thought it was nice to have it confirmed. Then this is pretty much what Apple is adding into iOS now with the cloud thing. Pretty cool Android has it already. By the way why do people use program like TitaniumBackup when there is google sync ? is there any limitation to the cloud backup? will all games data, programs data, settings be backed up or just Android OS stuff?
About FW i use the latest i think KE7 i think its called but i read there is a new one coming out next week so hoping for better battery life.
And your last point is something we can debate about for a long time but my view is that if you dont have strict rules developers do what ever they want and can let their app go without update. On the other hand if Google enforce some guideline like having option to install to SD card developers must go by that or their application is removed from market. In the end users will benefit and the platform will grow. But this is my view alone.
@olyloh6696:
I dont think its just hype really. I mean we are comparing a year old phone to SGII here and they are pretty much head to head in most scenarios i tested. But i see your point and i do agree that Android has a charm about it. I love the moving background, i love the whole flexibility to do what you want with the interface. Specially SGII's support for codecs so i dont have to spend 2 day re-encoding all my movies etc. So there are definatley benefits with Android but iOS has the benefit to be easy and working perfectly with the functions it offers from the get go. I think its a matter of preference and more advanced users will move to Android (a bit like me).
@daleski75:
Yupp i think i just need to play with it more and get used to the eco system
I think i will harass Opera developers to fix the formatting thing on the webpages now
Thanks for your input guys, gonna go out and take a walk now, later.
There are also many other good browsers, xscope, miren and dolphin hd to name a few, they all have their own way to format the page and all are pretty good many have different options too for formatting and text wrapping (I believe the default samsung browser also has some options)
also I believe google sync doesnt save all app data (eg angry birds progress is not saved)
That is correct...Google Sync doesn't backup app data (like your Angry Birds scores). This is where Titanium Backup (commonly abbreviated to as TiBu) comes in. It "sort of" does cloud backup (via Dropbox), but its strength really shows when you start installing/changing/updating custom ROMs. Typically, it's used to backup your apps and their data to a folder on your SD card. I can also do some pretty advanced stuff that you probably wouldn't use much (if at all). In my view, the strength is it's ability to deal with batch jobs. For example, before installing a new ROM, I backup all user installed applications (non-protected ones, anyway) with only a couple clicks. Restoring is just as easy, provided you have the paid version (it allows for hands-off batch restore of your apps). Another cool feature it has is "freezing" apps. Say you root your phone and may want to clean some carrier crapware off of it, but aren't *totally* sure. You can freeze those apps...they stay installed and can be defrosted at any time, but they won't be available for use until you do.
Also, I agree with you that a lot of iOS apps are much better than their Android counterparts. I believe this is the case for one main reason: there are tons of people using Android and tons of people on iPhones...you can essentially count on one hand the number of iOS phones Apple has to support, and they are all sold by Apple. Now, look at the number of Android phones and devices and their individual specifications...that makes developing apps for Android pretty complicated. Devs have to take into account different CPUs, memory limitations, and the biggie--SCREEN DIFFERENCES! However, I like being able to run an app developed for a phone on my Honeycomb tablet. Yeah, it may be ugly (not necessarily), but it almost always works! I have a network tool I use that only shows up on about 1/6th the screen of my tab, but I don't care...it still does the job.
Don't forget another important aspect of the Android vs. Apple thing...Apple has control of their devices and their operating systems, and the cell phone carriers don't have control over when Apple releases an update. On the Android side, you have some manufacturers that are prompt with getting an update ready, and those who abandon their devices after they leave the store shelf. Not only that, but those who do release updates, and most do, have to deal with the likes of AT&T and Verizon and everyone else here in the US. Each company wants a ROM customized only for them, and sometimes the manufacturers actually have to pay the cell companies to push out updates. This is what causes the splintering of Android, but openness is what gives it its strengths.
As a general rule, I find that the more "techy" people like the Android OS, since you can customize it and tweak it like crazy. Those who aren't quite as savvy will probably like iOS more (there's less to screw up and they all look the same). Please don't flame me for saying that...it's just a general observation that has many exceptions.
Well that's my two cents. Maybe it will be helpful in some way? <*schrugs*>
Brad
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA Premium App
There is no practical comparison possible between the mentioned phones.
Appreciate the explanation brad, TB is a nice tool indeed
Just one point, In regard to customization i can pretty do anything also when i jailbreak the iphone which is even simpler then rooting Android and what all techies do anyway with their Android phones
But i agree Android has its charm with the more open eco system.
The 2 area i wish to have before it gets perfect is the browsing and more resolution for the big ass screen (4.3)
Basically. I'm only switching to W8 as long as I can get rid of that crappy start screen, add a start button, boot straight to the desktop so I can actually get stuff done quickly like I have for the...past 10 years
I've seen that you can add a start button, but is there anyway to remove any of the other crap?
Honestly I feel like I am better just using W7 till they get it right (hopefully) with W9. Or whatever they'll call it. But, I've heard it is faster.
http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/
paolo599 said:
http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/
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Never quite understood the point of those apps. Windows 8 already has all of things that supposedly adds, so why use an app that needless duplicates those things?
rstat1 said:
Never quite understood the point of those apps. Windows 8 already has all of things that supposedly adds, so why use an app that needless duplicates those things?
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Some people can't stand the new visual layout (it looks like the app drawer of the SGS default launcher - app icon with a random background color). Also it is fullscreen.
JihadSquad said:
Some people can't stand the new visual layout (it looks like the app drawer of the SGS default launcher - app icon with a random background color). Also it is fullscreen.
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Click to collapse
If you need to see the desktop you could dual screen then its only on 1 so technically half screen lol.
This said I don't get the op about getting things done faster! the new start screen smashes the old on speed. Also he said about getting to the desktop on login I don't get why its so hard to press enter and why do they say it makes it slower when it logs in more that 4times faster then 7 so even with the single button press your in and on the desktop (don't know why cos you will have to launch a program so unless you like looking at your wallpaper this is a pointless pathetic and useless argument) much faster still,
This is typical moaning for the sake of moaning nothing more. I understand saying I don't like the look etc but to say its slower or less productive is just wrong! Why is clicking a small icon on your desktop any faster then clicking a square in the start menu????????
I really want to know as I simply do not get it!!!
You do realize you can customize the start screen layout right even group programs? You do realize you can pin documents as well as programs? you do realize you can just start typing to search? and that you can unpin any clutter then still get to it with a right click? I simply don't understand why anyone in the world thinks that having a start menu with a lng list of programs is in anyway faster then the new start menu.
If you think sticking with windows 7 makes you faster you are kidding yourself its like saying I will stick with a ford focus because its faster then a Ferrari just because you don't like the dash board. If you don't like the look that's fair play but don't try to make out that windows 8 is somehow slower or more clumsy then 7!
---------- Post added at 07:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 AM ----------
Not to mention that if you don't install metro apps the only thing that's changed is the start screen, Something used for starting programs and does much faster then a list that you should see for about 1% of the time unless your really unorganized and just leave software machine gunned all over it. You can even name your groups, i challenge anyone to load windows 7 on identical hardware and beat me at getting into a program or multiple programs and documents with me on 8, cos if you did you will get smoked.
Actually naff it i have a pc to rebuild today i will do a video to prove it!
lumpaywk said:
If you need to see the desktop you could dual screen then its only on 1 so technically half screen lol.
This said I don't get the op about getting things done faster! the new start screen smashes the old on speed. Also he said about getting to the desktop on login I don't get why its so hard to press enter and why do they say it makes it slower when it logs in more that 4times faster then 7 so even with the single button press your in and on the desktop (don't know why cos you will have to launch a program so unless you like looking at your wallpaper this is a pointless pathetic and useless argument) much faster still,
This is typical moaning for the sake of moaning nothing more. I understand saying I don't like the look etc but to say its slower or less productive is just wrong! Why is clicking a small icon on your desktop any faster then clicking a square in the start menu????????
I really want to know as I simply do not get it!!!
You do realize you can customize the start screen layout right even group programs? You do realize you can pin documents as well as programs? you do realize you can just start typing to search? and that you can unpin any clutter then still get to it with a right click? I simply don't understand why anyone in the world thinks that having a start menu with a lng list of programs is in anyway faster then the new start menu.
If you think sticking with windows 7 makes you faster you are kidding yourself its like saying I will stick with a ford focus because its faster then a Ferrari just because you don't like the dash board. If you don't like the look that's fair play but don't try to make out that windows 8 is somehow slower or more clumsy then 7!
---------- Post added at 07:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 AM ----------
Not to mention that if you don't install metro apps the only thing that's changed is the start screen, Something used for starting programs and does much faster then a list that you should see for about 1% of the time unless your really unorganized and just leave software machine gunned all over it. You can even name your groups, i challenge anyone to load windows 7 on identical hardware and beat me at getting into a program or multiple programs and documents with me on 8, cos if you did you will get smoked.
Actually naff it i have a pc to rebuild today i will do a video to prove it!
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I am pretty sure most people who complain about it have never tried it (just watched a video) or tried it but not for long enough. It takes a little learning, but then it is much faster than Windows 7 for getting most things done.
move on people! or stick to your current OS.
it is a shame that FUD spreads so easily, but the bigger shame is that there are so many gullible individuals that take everything they read as gospel without actually understanding what it is they are reading.
Im actually tired of daft comments like the OP here, Win 8 has its issues and yet almost all the Win 8 haters don't list any of them and instead become fixated on things that are not actually wrong or any different then what is with Win 7 just now. I have no problem with constructive criticism and good debate but mindless rants of regurgitated nonsense is tiresome
ive said it once and ill say it again, the biggest obstacle for MS launching Win8 and WP 7/8 isn't how good or bad the OS is, its the stupidity of the general population or more importantly the inability for MS to get its own marketing in gear
in answer to the OPs question, is it possible to avoid metro?
the answer is yes and no, you need to use metro as a start menu which is essentially EXACTLY what it is, then you don't have to use any metro apps. you could use a more inefficient start menu as mentioned above or if you don't want a third party program you can pin a shortcut to your start menu folder on your task bar, clicking on it will open up the "start menu" which doesn't have that much less functionality than the old start menu but is utterly crap compared to the new one
dazza9075 said:
it is a shame that FUD spreads so easily, but the bigger shame is that there are so many gullible individuals that take everything they read as gospel without actually understanding what it is they are reading.
Im actually tired of daft comments like the OP here, Win 8 has its issues and yet almost all the Win 8 haters don't list any of them and instead become fixated on things that are not actually wrong or any different then what is with Win 7 just now. I have no problem with constructive criticism and good debate but mindless rants of regurgitated nonsense is tiresome
ive said it once and ill say it again, the biggest obstacle for MS launching Win8 and WP 7/8 isn't how good or bad the OS is, its the stupidity of the general population or more importantly the inability for MS to get its own marketing in gear
in answer to the OPs question, is it possible to avoid metro?
the answer is yes and no, you need to use metro as a start menu which is essentially EXACTLY what it is, then you don't have to use any metro apps. you could use a more inefficient start menu as mentioned above or if you don't want a third party program you can pin a shortcut to your start menu folder on your task bar, clicking on it will open up the "start menu" which doesn't have that much less functionality than the old start menu but is utterly crap compared to the new one
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Click to collapse
yep a better argument against windows 8 is the lack of metro on multi monitors. Or how the Server tools will not load AD in 32bit mode meaning i have to run a vm to administer exchange 2003 (only thing i now cant do even vmware is now fixed (veeam needs update but if you dont use it vmware works)).
Delete
Again. I like the speed, and new things.
But the layout? Garbage. Change is NOT needed for things to be new. We've had the same layout for 15+ years nearly.
Hell, **** steering wheels. Let's add a small ball you turn with your head. Why not? Don't complain, accept change.
That's basically what some of you are saying.
Locklear308 said:
Again. I like the speed, and new things.
But the layout? Garbage. Change is NOT needed for things to be new. We've had the same layout for 15+ years nearly.
Hell, **** steering wheels. Let's add a small ball you turn with your head. Why not? Don't complain, accept change.
That's basically what some of you are saying.
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Click to collapse
When the current layout of the modern automobile came out it was really unpopular and people said it would never take on.
I don't get why you think the layout is garbage but each to there own. What I see is a way that is much much faster and easier to get to what I need quickly. In the old start menu I had to click all programs find the top folder open that to a sub list then find what I wanted. No its there straight away. That's 4 clicks down to 2 and I can lay it out by whatever means I like not in alphabetical order. For example my machine at work is separated into categories tools, programs, office, documents, personal (games and kindle etc for lunch break), remote desktops and power options. means if I need something fast its right there I can pin documents as well as terminal servers to my start next to my software.
I would really love someone to explain quite how they think a list with sub lists is a better more productive method because I really don't see it.
Locklear308 said:
Again. I like the speed, and new things.
But the layout? Garbage. Change is NOT needed for things to be new. We've had the same layout for 15+ years nearly.
Hell, **** steering wheels. Let's add a small ball you turn with your head. Why not? Don't complain, accept change.
That's basically what some of you are saying.
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Click to collapse
what layout? desktop is there, the task bar is there, the start menu is significantly enhanced but is still there, you don't have to use metro and its apps if don't want to, and if that is so the metro interface becomes an interactive start menu that takes no more time to open than the old start menu, and is much quicker to load programs as and when you need them
it DOES take a bit of getting used to but once you get the hang of it its great and much more efficient, I have nothing to gain from trying to show people that perhaps what they have read or experienced for 5 min isn't the be all and end all of Win 8.
If you choose not to open your mind to the possibility that win 8 is actually pretty efficient when you get the hang of it then its no skin off my nose. That would simply be your loss but if you have based your decision from nothing but the words of others and perhaps a 5 min or even a couple of days trial on your own then your decision is a fail and your opinion is worthless.
If you have used it for a good while then I would have thought that the other issues Win 8 has would be the first things you bring up against it, but these issues are rarely mentioned by those that have not used it much, probably because they never used it long enough to experience them, which is why we get fed up with pointless "metro" comments with no further substance
Using your analogy of a daft car reference, if I dropped you in to a Bugatti Veyron as it were your first experience in a car, you would need to learn to use the obscenely powerful car for a while, getting to know it before taking it for a spin around the Nurburg ring . Not learning to use it and spinning off and crashing every 5 min wouldn't be fun so unless you learnt to use it you would never enjoy it.
The simple answer is Windows 7.
Locklear308 said:
Basically. I'm only switching to W8 as long as I can get rid of that crappy start screen, add a start button, boot straight to the desktop so I can actually get stuff done quickly like I have for the...past 10 years
I've seen that you can add a start button, but is there anyway to remove any of the other crap?
Honestly I feel like I am better just using W7 till they get it right (hopefully) with W9. Or whatever they'll call it. But, I've heard it is faster.
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Click to collapse
A: Pin your desktop apps you use all the time to the task bar. Duh.
B: If you have ever launched an app from the desktop you have used the new "metro garbage". Most users don't even use the Start Menu but if you took away their full-screen launcher (the desktop) they would be lost.
C: Since it was introduced, the Start Menu has changed with EVERY release of Windows. Windows 7 Start Menu is not the Windows 95 Start Menu
Most people only multi-task between two applications and multiple studies (totally unrelated to Microsoft) have found that people are LESS productive when they multitask.
Don't even get me started about your claims of "get stuff done quickly" related to classic Windows, according to every study ever done on that matter, if you were worried about "getting stuff done quickly" you would be using a Mac. There has never been a study that shows people are more productive on Windows than on a Mac.
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/10/pokki-brings-the-start-menu-back-to-windows-8/
Just install this and you'll be back to normal
Sent from my SCH-R530U using xda app-developers app
conmanxtreme said:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/10/pokki-brings-the-start-menu-back-to-windows-8/
Just install this and you'll be back to normal
Sent from my SCH-R530U using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
install that and .....have a seizure
each to their own I guess but I cant for the life of me work out why anyone would want to take a 3rd part app that looks like a malformed, limp bastardized love child of Win 98 and Metro over the efficient informative metro that is already there.
I must be getting too old to understand all this "living in the past" new age nonsense
Ways to avoid Metro:
Launch programs from Windows Explorer (hell, leave Explorer open to the Start Menu folders if you really want to).
Launch programs from the taskbar (after pinning them there).
Launch programs from the desktop (all too many programs still try put themselves there by default).
Launch programs using Run (Win+R, same as on basically every other Windows version).
Launch programs using the command line (cmd.exe or Powershell, yes, they're both present).
Launch programs using the Address toolbar for the taskbar.
Close your eyes, hit the Windows key, type the first few letters of a program name, and hit Enter, while pretending you're on Win7 (or even Vista, which added this feature).
I honestly don't get this fixation on "Metro" (in quotes because of Microsoft's stupid name-games). It's honestly almost irrelevant to my WIn8 experience; I use this OS in pretty much the same way I've used all other NT6.x versions, using Start as little more than an unusually large search box with a really handy one-click access. It got a bit bigger in this version, and accessing "Settings" or files now takes a couple more clicks than is used to, but otherwise it's functionally the same for me. I did find the Charms bar a little confusing, for the first 5 minutes. Now I simply know to use it for things like accessing the power controls, and it's no big deal at all.
Another windows millenium
arczangel said:
move on people! or stick to your current OS.
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Click to collapse
I'm sticking with W7
conmanxtreme said:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/10/pokki-brings-the-start-menu-back-to-windows-8/
Just install this and you'll be back to normal
Sent from my SCH-R530U using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I kinda like the look of it, don't think I'd ever use it on my Win 8 Install when I upgrade as it looks more confusing than Metro, I'll probably use Start8 in combination with Metro until I get used to Metro though.
As the video what I watche yesterday it looks a tad confusing finding certain things as they are tucked away in wierd places.
Roland