I find myself just using the main home screen and putting my icons there, but the other screens don't get used and are blank. If I want an app, I press the dots and flick through the launcher.
Is it just me?
I only use 3 of the screens. main one (centre), the left and right one. Other ones are empty.
3 here, I removed the other two using Helixlauncher2
I'm using all 5 and they are all full heh. I have different themes for each screen with most used apps + clock/weather on the middle screen, social networking widgets on one, utilities on one, fun on another and one with an agenda and some other stuff.
Not really hard to fill those screens up imo, but I guess other people actually use the app-drawer.
I use them all and kind of wish there were more. LOL like the poster above, each page has a specific "theme".
I'm using all 5 and they are all full heh. I have different themes for each screen with most used apps + clock/weather on the middle screen, social networking widgets on one, utilities on one, fun on another and one with an agenda and some other stuff.
Not really hard to fill those screens up imo, but I guess other people actually use the app-drawer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you're screens are set up EXACTLY like I set my Nexus 1 screens up : -). but on my g1 I just use 1 screen
Sent from my HTC Dream G1 using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
I use Helixlauncher and am using all 7 screens. Although I noticed that with all of the widgets I'm using, there is some lag once in a while, but it's more that it's not as smooth as the stock homescreens really.
I use each screen for different types of task.
My home screen has Calls, SMS, GMail and the Browser icons. First screen to the left has facebook and twitter widgets and the second screen to the left has tool apps like netcounter, task killer, astro file manager and the power widget.
First screen to the right is for media so I have the news widget, music, camera and gallery icons/widgets. The second right screen has apps I want to find quickly like torch, calculator, dictionary and a few games.
Scrolling up and down the app drawer seems like a pain to me
C.Slater said:
I use each screen for different types of task.
My home screen has Calls, SMS, GMail and the Browser icons. First screen to the left has facebook and twitter widgets and the second screen to the left has tool apps like netcounter, task killer, astro file manager and the power widget.
First screen to the right is for media so I have the news widget, music, camera and gallery icons/widgets. The second right screen has apps I want to find quickly like torch, calculator, dictionary and a few games.
Scrolling up and down the app drawer seems like a pain to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have almost the same layout but with the left and right reversed... might be because i am in a right handed drive country xD
C.Slater said:
I use each screen for different types of task.
My home screen has Calls, SMS, GMail and the Browser icons. First screen to the left has facebook and twitter widgets and the second screen to the left has tool apps like netcounter, task killer, astro file manager and the power widget.
First screen to the right is for media so I have the news widget, music, camera and gallery icons/widgets. The second right screen has apps I want to find quickly like torch, calculator, dictionary and a few games.
Scrolling up and down the app drawer seems like a pain to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have the exact same layout!
3 screens, apps to the left, widgets to the right, and calling, text, emails, contacts center. Not ruling out using the far screens but have no need for them with my usage. There is still plenty of room on the inboard 3 for future additions.
3 screens only & using the Helix Launcher
Using 3 main screens loaded with apps & widgets.
all 5, but not all full. home screen has most apps, with phone, contacts, notes, task panel widget, car home, voice, gesture search, sms, settings and spare parts. left 1 is gmail and weather
left 2 is pandora and facebook.
right 1 is some games, system widget (sync, locale, wifi, bt)
right 2 is the calendar pad widget covering whole thing. i need to see whole month.
SBS_ said:
I'm using all 5 and they are all full heh. I have different themes for each screen with most used apps + clock/weather on the middle screen, social networking widgets on one, utilities on one, fun on another and one with an agenda and some other stuff.
Not really hard to fill those screens up imo, but I guess other people actually use the app-drawer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I have the calendar widget on my main screen, which takes up four "slots", and my most frequently used apps (mail, phone, camera, Twidroid etc.and a battery widget) One screen to the left I have other frequently used apps, two screens to the left I have the 4square widget. One screen to the right some frequently used widgets (like weather, Google Buzz and networks) ans two screens to the right: games.
I use 5 out of seven on my Desire ROM.
Center is most used apps plus weather clock.
To the right is two rows of apps. right of that is facebook and textsfromlastnight
the left of center is weather, but the expanded widget from sense
to the left of that is sticky notes and some media.
Related
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
.
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.
Had my Blade for about a month now, tried half a dozen roms, settled on Jap Jellyfish with some tweaks, overclocked kernel, black status bar, yadda yadda yadda.
I have looked at people's home screens, and think... why? I tried having a big clock or circle battery widget, I still instinctively look to the status bar up top. I've tried various other widgets, but everything just seems to get in the way.
I have only one home screen populated with stuff I use regularly, Droid48, Email widget, contacts, power control and google search. I have seen some things that I think look cool, but don't see the point in doing, does it really add enough to my user experience to be worth the juggling and hoops?
So far the only real modifications I would consider heavier than just applying a couple zip files (Forst paragraph), I have made involve Widgetlocker, and a couple sliders, plus... Droid48. Sometimes I just really, really need to have a calculator. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this pretty phone thing.
No offense, but whats the point of this post?
A few questions buried in there, will the heavy mods actually make my experience any better? Are there any changes that are. aactually worth the effort?
Sent from my ZTE-BLADE using XDA App
you've hit the nail on the head with "look cool". that's a pretty good reason. plenty of apple owning friends are pretty jealous of the widgets possible on my blade. and i remind them often that it's £100 vs £500.
i agree that overkill is possible but it all depends on what you want from your phone.
ive got a calendar and task widget on my home screen so i always know my next engagement.
ive got a widget showing what torrent my server is currently grabbing.
on one page i've got a page full of my best mates + family photos grabbed straight from facebook which i far prefer over going to the contacts app then favourites.
and everyone needs the instant buttons app so you're only ever 2 presses away from playing the tumbleweed sound effect after someone cracks an awful joke....
Ok some good ideas there, and I have gotten some other ideas elsewhere. The scrolling wallpaper that is making the rounds has given me the inspiration to try out some things, and I am starting to understand the allure of themeing.
Noticing somedistinct improvements with 2. 2 as well.
Sent from my ZTE-BLADE using XDA App
galorin said:
I have looked at people's home screens, and think... why? I tried having a big clock or circle battery widget, I still instinctively look to the status bar up top. I've tried various other widgets, but everything just seems to get in the way.
I have only one home screen populated with stuff I use regularly, Droid48, Email widget, contacts, power control and google search. I have seen some things that I think look cool, but don't see the point in doing, does it really add enough to my user experience to be worth the juggling and hoops?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty much from the same school of thinking with android. I only had my blade for a few weeks now & I've come from an iPhone & I really think less is more. I have launcher pro plus installed with only two homescreens.
One which simply has typo clock widget, a basic helvetica clock & a shortcut to my camera. The typoclock takes me to my alarm clock if i press it & obviously i got the launcher pro dock with browser, sms, gmail etc & swipe gestures for all 5.
The 2nd has a facebook widget, a setCPU widget, couple of folders for games/utilities & a few more short cuts to apps I use regularly (Astro, market, cal, maps etc....).
Have you tried the 0x90 addon for Jjelly? It let's you put the power control widget at the top of your notification bar, esier to get to & frees up home screen space! It also let's you tweak your home screen a bit, add a music player control (which works with spotify ) It's a brilliant mod, you should give it a try.
Awestome
Sent from my HTC Magic using XDA App
Downloading now, haven't found any widgets yet for fb that are both good and work well with a black theme.
Sent from my ZTE-BLADE using XDA App
Hey All,
I have Nova Launcher installed on my Nexus 10 (4.2.2) and I've just got my home screen looking the way I want it with a few widgets, I like informational widgets on my center screen (weather, clock, email etc) social stuff (facebook etc) on my left screen and my apps on the right screens. However when I install an app it always ends up on the center screen, and I have to move it every time. Does anybody know how I can make app shortcuts appear on the screen to the right?
I know it's a small annoyance, but it does drive my crazy
I also use Nova Launcher and the same thing happens. I suspect that this is more of a "feature" than a bug as you always know where a newly installed app icon will be (centre screen). I have a few screens where I could easily loose a new app behind a widget that covers a large part of the screen such as a weather widget.
I have not found any launcher or appdrawer that simly uses folder icons that is suitable (could choose custom) to the group. All/most launchers uses the iPhone app-miniatures-impossible to easily see-folderstyle. Also icons and foldericons are too small. So here is a suggestion.
3*4 big foldericons, e.x. social (phone, messaging, facebook), office (word, excel, etc), media (camera, pictures, musicplayers), tools, games, settings (settings apps, widgetsettings)
When a new app is installed, it is automatically asked in what folder to put it, or if create a new folder for it.
(I only found 3 icons in my example, and not very intuitive suitable icons, soo you have to imagine 3 more rows)
a extra feature: it could open up a cloud of widgets when sliding a foldericon. Example sliding the social icon pops up a circling cloud of facebook stats, tweets, messages, last phonecalls, and contacts. Or it pops up when simply clicking a icon, and further clicking on the widget opens the app.
Sounds good :thumbup:
Thanks don't hurt ya know?
HTC Desire HD (PACMan)
Samsung GNote 10.1 (Stock)
Sony Xperia Z (borrowed, rooted)
Wexler comes to mind...
With some work it could be done kind of, using SSLauncher: Only 2 pages. One page with informative widgets and hidden buttons to start shortcuts. One page with big folders 2*3 grid, when clicked they open folder showing app icons at normal size.
Minimal, non-distracting, fast. Screenshots below.
Sound almost exactly like folder organizer. You can have a scrollable folder on your home page(like the tools one in screen) or have icons like the those in the screen( tools games) when you click on the icon, you get an app drawer with only the apps you specified as that category. It also asks what you want to categorize an app as when you in install it, on a per app basis,
Sent from my GT-P3110 using xda app-developers app