Database Users

So many home screens?!

SO, I'm a simple iPhone user, aka these 5 home screens and moving backgrounds confuse and fluster the hell out of me. While I try and downloads hoards of apps to put the the phone I still can't quite figure out what the hell to do with 5 home screens, in reality I have only filled one page and even still its only really my phone and weather widget.
Are there any apps / widgets / clocks / keyboards ya'll would say are "required" for the nexus? I really don't know where to look some one should make a suggested app thread.
look forward to hearing your responses.
JG

it all depends on you decorate it to your liking
for me on my main screen i have my
Mainscreen
-flipclock from beautiful widgets
-Most used apps: gallery, aim, maps, camera, gmail, browser and market
Second Screen Left
-Search bar on top
-picture frame of me and my girlfriend in the middle
-A folder for games and a folder for tools on each side of the frame
-and the power control on the button
and then on other screens i have my friendstream(facebook widget), favorite contacts, end all task widget, flashlight widget, music player widget, bookmarks widget, news widget
oh and im using the the desire rom btw but there are equivilant widgets on the market

You don't to have to have live wallpapers, and on the iphone don't you get how many screens you need to compensate for the amount of applications you have installed? So unless you had a minimal amount of applications, wouldn't you have more (or equivalent) than five screens? So how come now it is confusing you?
Ok, back to the matter at hand. Usually I just decorate my home screens with applications that i need, apps that are not used regularly stay in the app wheel thingy (its not really drawer anymore). Really your homescreens will be determined by your needs, and likes. Decorate with the most essential applications that you need, and expand on that by adding widgets and etc. I'm sure others could recommend apps for you, I've been an Android user since the G1 (which isn't long really), but apps just come to mind without hesitation.

On my main screen I have a nice clock and my most used programs. The screen to the right has toggles for various settings. To the right of that is speed dials. To the left of the main screen is weather and news plus a few more program shortcuts and to the left of that is my music player widget.

I only use 3 screens, centre is big clock and most used apps, to the right is a bunch of regularly used apps. to the left is some widgets and speed dials.
I keep the other 2 blank for some reason.

Rock3nrenigade said:
Are there any apps / widgets / clocks / keyboards ya'll would say are "required" for the nexus? I really don't know where to look some one should make a suggested app thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the love of god please use the Search button!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=620092&highlight=apps
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=617667&highlight=apps
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=633104&highlight=apps
+ a dozen other of the same threads
.

Things you like about Touchwiz/Samsung modifications

Always seems to be a ton of threads about why people hate touchwiz and how eager they are to get rid of it but...what do you like about what Samsung did different?
I absolutely love the pulldown menu modifications
I love the music/call controls in the pull down, and like the power widget there. This is something I really wish that Google would adopt/roll into stock android later on (or at least Cyanogen).
I also like the shortcut to adjust your phone's brightness (rolling finger across the top bar).
I personally prefer the way this phone handles making a call on a 2nd line and conferencing people in...it's much better than stock android (I came from a Moto droid and conferencing in a new # was always kind of a pain in the ass).
I personally prefer the way they redid the calendar to stock (I seem to be in the minority here though).
I use google voice for all SMS, so I can't really comment on that.
I use LauncherPro, so the actual look of the launcher doesn't bug me...
Actually, the only thing I truly hate about the modifications Samsung made was the damn alarm program..it's way worse than the droids, and it's way too easy to turn off...and the snooze button is hard to differentiate from the turn off alarm button.
Overall, Samsung has some nice stuff if they just abandon the cartoony iPhones look of the launcher and work on a few of the performance hickups here and there.

hydrogenman said:
I absolutely love the pulldown menu modifications
I love the music/call controls in the pull down, and like the power widget there. This is something I really wish that Google would adopt/roll into stock android later on (or at least Cyanogen).
I also like the shortcut to adjust your phone's brightness (rolling finger across the top bar).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other than the calendar (which is a near-total fail for me; maybe others' calendars don't have the same bugs as mine - which is a scary thought, b/c it makes a global "fix" seem less likely), I really like TouchWiz - particularly the features listed above. The "Power Control" Android widget (or whatever it's called) - which is normally crucial - becomes almost unnecessary, provided you're OK with using the pulldown for toggling GPS, Wifi, etc.; and sliding finger for brightness. (The only Power Control item you can't toggle using pulldown is "Sync," which I almost never turn off anyway).
I like how the TW icons look; and I dig the app drawer, b/c I prefer the "list" view that it offers. I may try another launcher someday, but right now I feel no need -- I'm digging TW (and much prefer it to stock Android).
Don't care for the Samsung widgets at all, but their functions can easily be bested with stuff in the Market.

pavvy said:
Other than the calendar (which is a near-total fail for me; maybe others' calendars don't have the same bugs as mine - which is a scary thought, b/c it makes a global "fix" seem less likely), I really like TouchWiz - particularly the features listed above. The "Power Control" Android widget (or whatever it's called) - which is normally crucial - becomes almost unnecessary, provided you're OK with using the pulldown for toggling GPS, Wifi, etc.; and sliding finger for brightness. (The only Power Control item you can't toggle using pulldown is "Sync," which I almost never turn off anyway).
I like how the TW icons look; and I dig the app drawer, b/c I prefer the "list" view that it offers. I may try another launcher someday, but right now I feel no need -- I'm digging TW (and much prefer it to stock Android).
Don't care for the Samsung widgets at all, but their functions can easily be bested with stuff in the Market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never once used any of the TW widgets...that's one thing that was a bit of fail
BTW, you can get the TW style of app drawer on 3rd party launchers

I was rather pleasantly surprised with TouchWiz. I think it's much better than Stock Android. I'm not sure exactly why people are complaining about it.
What I like about it.
1. WebOS like UI controls for Music and Toggles in the Notification drop down.
2. Paged scrolling of apps in the App Drawer. I hate inertial list scrolling.
3. Some of the widgets like dual clock and calendar clock. If there is no place to add a widget on that screen, it finds a screen with space. Buddies Now is a nice widget, but it's slow and buggy.
4. The interface to add/remove screens and move screens around.
What I dislike.
1. It syncs all contacts instead of just "My Contacts". Of course this is not the launcher, but the app. But other than this, the contacts and dialer are much better than stock.
2. Pressing the Home button, sends it off to Screen 4 on my phone instead of the center screen. Very annoying.
3. There is an Android bug that prevents folders from being opened. With LauncherPro, I can restart the launcher which fixes the problem. No such ability in TW.
4. Can only change two of the 4 icons at the bottom.

Likes:
Messaging/calling through contacts.
Power control in notification drawer
Launcher is starting to grow on me
The interface when a call is in progress
Puzzle piece notifications
Dislikes:
Music player can't distinguish between songs and ringtones
Nearly the same issue with gallery and album art
Can't set the home screen when less than 5 screens
Lock screen but that's purely cosmetic
The media scanner, but I don't think that's TW specific (Be awesome to have it scan on demand)
I really don't like how all the Samsung widgets want to take up an entire screen.

hydrogenman said:
BTW, you can get the TW style of app drawer on 3rd party launchers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that's good to know... I'll have to try 'em sometime, I know they have lots of fans around here.

I actually prefer TW to LauncherPro or ADW. So far everything works pretty well.
I do wish that the samsung widgets were re-sizeable so they didn't take up the whole screen. I like the app drawer, it is just copying the iPhone, but I don't visit it a whole lot thanks to the FolderOrganizer widget. That widget should have come stock with the phone IMHO.

i really like some of the modifications that samsung has added, especially in the dialer and contacts apps (they have already been mentioned). i found another one last night in the calendar app, if you add a location to an entry it shows you a map of the location from the calendar entry.

wolfvgang said:
I actually prefer TW to LauncherPro or ADW. So far everything works pretty well.
I do wish that the samsung widgets were re-sizeable so they didn't take up the whole screen. ......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey. If I do understand you correctly, you are using ADW or LauncherPro and mention that 'everything is working pretty well, also referring to 'samsung widgets'?
How do you access 'samsung widgets' from say ADW Launcher - ESPECIALLY BuddiesNow ??
I can only access it from the default launcher, but do prefer ADW also - but am stuck
Thanks for your help or ideas.

I don't understand anyone wouldn't use LauncherPro.
The scrolling dock is genius. I have about 15 apps that I use regularly, so the dock does a really great job to accommodate that. Also, you can easily add your own custom icons, and do away with the default ones that come with TW and LP.
I also hate that on TW, you have the home screen # indicators at the top, giving you a lot less home screen space.
The app drawer, though not as easy to use as the Applications viewer in TW, is at least original. This phone already looks like an iPhone, so having a very Android-esque applications viewer is refreshing.
TW does a lot fantastic things, some of which you guys mentioned, but the general layout of it is pretty ****ty, and LauncherPro is just about perfect... and free.

I like the toggles on the notification pull down. I don't like how the brightness slider has no visual feedback to determine what the current bright is set at. If there was a slider widget attached to the bottom or a popup when the slider is in use that would make it easier.
I like the swipe on contacts for the call/sms.
After loading JI6, I tried using the TW launcher again, but I couldn't find any of the TW widgets compelling so I'm back to Launcherpro.

Just found this out, if you dislike the iPhone style of the app drawer, left to right, changing it to Alphabetical list gives me the normalish way we are used to the app drawer working, up and down.
Now if we could just remove the annoying outline on the icons I'd be set

Coming from an iPhone, Touchwiz was a bit too iphone-ripoff for me. I personally use Launcher+ but TW did have some good points.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

my biggest dislike is that contacts and dialer are no longer the same application. I never had a dialer shortcut on my phone before because I could just use contacts, now I have to use up 1 more space for the dialer.

Owenv said:
my biggest dislike is that contacts and dialer are no longer the same application. I never had a dialer shortcut on my phone before because I could just use contacts, now I have to use up 1 more space for the dialer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can access the contacts from the dialer, would be an extra click if you really want to not have that extra icon

z0phi3l said:
You can access the contacts from the dialer, would be an extra click if you really want to not have that extra icon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah but as far as I know you can't get to dialer from contacts, and I'm used to having the contacts icon on my home screen. I know I could just change it but you know what they say about old habits. however it isn't a problem since I have another contacts app that solved it for me.

My favorite feature is the dialer. I love the fact that it has speed dial unlike stock android. I also love the predictive dialing. These two are the biggest for me.

You know those folders we have? ereader, games etc...

Why oh why can't we create new empty ones to use on our own? Also it seems there's no home screen folders in Honeycomb.

If anything, I'd love to be able to change the background on those Acer cubby-hole screens. They are a tad to, um, off... for me.

gammaRascal said:
If anything, I'd love to be able to change the background on those Acer cubby-hole screens. They are a tad to, um, off... for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah they don't seem to match any other theming on the device.

I think we need a [DEV] to root around and find out where those wallpapers are so we could try and push our own (overwrite them with our own).

Do folders exist in Honeycomb?

Not that I'm aware of. My wifes Archos 101 w/2.2 does but I guess they removed that for Honeycomb. Vanilla'wise, I mean.
EDIT
I do use Circle Widget, so that sates my need for folders.

do you mean Circle Launcher? https://market.android.com/details?id=de.dbware.circlelauncher&feature=search_result

Yep - sorry my mistake. Circle Launcher. Works well.

What's really annoying is that apps disappear from the folder when you update them.
Has anyone tried Folder Organizer on Honeycomb?

Autoapporganizer
Apps Organzier
Circle Launcher
all so much better than the default Acer ones.

I use folder organizer. It works pretty well, but it shrinks the app icons a little bit. I'd rather they stay full sized. When you update an app, it sometimes disappears from folder organizer and you have to add it again.

Application Folder Pro for Android for FREE

Application Folder Pro for Android for FREE
http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Jeong-...1?ie=UTF8&s=mobile-apps&qid=1314632955&sr=1-1
Product Description
Application Folder
Create your folders
Application Folder
A variety of icons
Serious Widgets and Folders for the Serious Android User
Do you have bookmarks, shortcuts, contacts and apps that you use all the time, but they're scattered here, there, and everywhere on your smartphone? How much time do you waste navigating to the things you need? Don't you wish you could just put them all in a folder or two, easily accessible on your home screen?
Application Folder helps make folders accessible from your home screen using instantly recognizable icons. Set up and customize folders, stuff them full of apps, bookmarks, and contacts, and place them as widgets anywhere on your home screen. Now those frequently used apps, bookmarks, and contacts are right there for you to access immediately.
The King of Folders
Let's say you want to be able to e-mail certain contacts quickly. First, access Application Folder through your Widgets menu. Next, create a folder and long-press the standard icon and replace with the e-mail symbol, or any of Application Folder's dozens of attractive icons, such as an airplane, bus, movie reel, pen, paint pallet, etc. Now choose the contacts you want to be in this new folder. Select Menu, then select Apply and exit, and that folder-widget is now on your screen. Tapping on the widget will bring up your chosen contacts that you can now use to e-mail with one tap. You can set these contacts up to be phoned or texted with one tap as well.
We Want Widgets
Create a folder-widget for family e-mails. Create another folder-widget for your favorite games. With Application Folder, there's no more hunting down a function or link through various menu trees. The app, contact, bookmark, or song you want to access immediately is right there on your home screen. You can also customize the size of the widget.
Please note that Application Folder must be launched from the Widgets menu. After you launch the widget, Application Folder scans and organizes your applications, contacts, and bookmarks. Application Folder's main menu is also accessible from any of the widgets you've set up.
Features
Choose custom icons to adorn your folders--anyway you like
Choose from four types of folder shapes and choose opening animations
Organize bookmarks, contacts, and shortcuts, as well as applications, the way you want, sorted the way you like

Are Amazon REALLY encouraging users to allow their devices to install content from unknown sources?
Whilst people here might know good from bad, I find the thought of the unwashed clueless installing any old APK because Amazon showed them how to do it rather worrying.....
As it is, I got as far as them wanting me to install their marketplace, and then I gave up. I couldn't be arsed with some free content just so they can muddy the Android content waters... (You can bet Apple will be using that as the next thing to beat Android up about).

CrazyPeter said:
Are Amazon REALLY encouraging users to allow their devices to install content from unknown sources?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do realize that any non-Google market place would have to do that, right? But look at it this way...at least you have the choice. If this were Apple you would be screwed.

To be honest it is nice to have the option of a various market place applications (although useless they may be sometimes). Thanks for the post OP, I will be using this.

@MISFITZ / I'm duly impressed. It's like a combination from Folder Organizer and Wizz Bar. I can put this to good use. Ahhh, A new app to tinker with. hehe
Thanks and gave you a thanks too.
EDIT: Is there anyway to adjust the size of the widget icon? I tried tinkering with the margins but that didn't work and next I tried editing the widget by dragging the edit box outward but it did not affect the icon itself. Thais would be a really kewl feature. Can you try and implement that into the next update? Thanks

It seems like your and mine conception of FREE differs.

vlasac said:
It seems like your and mine conception of FREE differs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was the free app of the day a few days ago when he posted. He probably should have noted it was just that one day in his post to avoid confusion later, but it was true at the time.

[Q] Home Screen

Hi
As a complete newcomer to the Android opertaing system forgive me for asking what might be a couple of silly questions!
Firstly, there seems to be a few (three?) home screens. Can I make one of these always appear first when I switch on the Nexus7.
Secondly, when I purchased it a couple of weeks ago there seemed to be a whole host of widgets present, some of which seem to do nothing. Where do these widgets come from and what are they supposed to do. I have tried searching the web for information on this but have come up with nothing that really explains what widgets are.
Any help would be appreciated.

There should be a stock 5 home screens on Jelly Bean. The one in the middle (3rd) will be the default one. This can't be changed unless you use a custom launcher, like Nova Launcher. Then you can play around with them however you like.
As for the widgets question - which widgets are you talking about? As far as I know, there are no widgets which do "nothing"

I am not entirely sure about what you mean when you talk of widgets, but here goes:
Widgets do all sorts of things, from being toggle switches to news widgets. The ones on the screens when yo first get your tablet are Google widgets. If I remember correctly they are mostly play store and media related. You can remove them easily by touching and holding the widget for a second and dragging it to the 'remove' icon that appears on the top of the screen.
Yo can install and remove widgets the same way you would install a program from the play store, widgets can be accessed through the apps menu and dragged onto any of your virtual screens.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

ynrozturk said:
There should be a stock 5 home screens on Jelly Bean. The one in the middle (3rd) will be the default one. This can't be changed unless you use a custom launcher, like Nova Launcher. Then you can play around with them however you like.
As for the widgets question - which widgets are you talking about? As far as I know, there are no widgets which do "nothing"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information. IT doesn't seem like 5 screens but I will move my icons to it and see if that does the job.
As for the widgets, this may have been covered in the next reply. Some of mine do nothing if I "click" on them and look like web pages or similar.

toidimaet said:
I am not entirely sure about what you mean when you talk of widgets, but here goes:
Widgets do all sorts of things, from being toggle switches to news widgets. The ones on the screens when yo first get your tablet are Google widgets. If I remember correctly they are mostly play store and media related. You can remove them easily by touching and holding the widget for a second and dragging it to the 'remove' icon that appears on the top of the screen.
Yo can install and remove widgets the same way you would install a program from the play store, widgets can be accessed through the apps menu and dragged onto any of your virtual screens.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information - very helpful.

Ega43 said:
Thanks for the information. IT doesn't seem like 5 screens but I will move my icons to it and see if that does the job.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are definitely 5 home screens but only 3 have widgets placed on them when you take it out of the box for the first time.
Roland
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Sorted, thanks. Moved my widgets to the third home screen which now opens by default.