Database Users

Screensavers for android phones?

There was only one previous question about this issue, but no replies!
I was thinking of something like the HTC deskclock but working as a typical screensaver, i.e. it runs when the screen is off.
Any suggestion?
Astro

I dont think many people would use this.. As it is, most smartphone users are looking to increase their battery life, and the single biggest battery drain is having the screen on. Ontop of that, Live Wallpapers, and in extension screensavers, tend to use battery power like mad since they are constantly re-drawing the graphics. Docks (like cradle and car docks) are only useful cause they are general plugged in when in use.
The only way I could see them being semi-useful, is if you set your backlight brightness to very dim which would save you most of the screen on power loss, but you'd still suffer from the constant redraw and processing power.

A screensaver is (and that is not my opinion but a fact) probably the most useless peace of software that can be running on a smartphone (for arguments see the previous post )

Thanks for the replies.
However, a low consumption dim clock would make a great addition to android phones and would be a useful tool for the ones using their phones as watches as I do. I never meant to ask for a flashy screensaver such as the ones you find on computers.
Astro

astrovale said:
Thanks for the replies.
However, a low consumption dim clock would make a great addition to android phones and would be a useful tool for the ones using their phones as watches as I do. I never meant to ask for a flashy screensaver such as the ones you find on computers.
Astro
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Click to collapse
That's still going to use up your screen and CPU. As previous posters suggested, it is not recommended, unless you want your juice to run out before you even manage to come from work. However maybe 'Digital Clock' does something similar that you need?

I believe it IS possible! All you need is to set the screen refresh rate to 1/60 a second, make it go to minimal brightness, make the text cover as small area as possible, make it grey, dark grey, and add the refresh cycle to the cycle where it checks for some regularities, like cell signal.

Dany0 said:
I believe it IS possible! All you need is to set the screen refresh rate to 1/60 a second...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't do that. At least not without modifying the kernel...

And what is blocking you from doing that?

astrovale said:
Thanks for the replies.
However, a low consumption dim clock would make a great addition to android phones and would be a useful tool for the ones using their phones as watches as I do. I never meant to ask for a flashy screensaver such as the ones you find on computers.
Astro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
afaik that is included in the default ROM?

waebi said:
afaik that is included in the default ROM?
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Click to collapse
Desk clock innit?
--------------------
DeFroST FAQ... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6622965&postcount=2

Dany0 said:
And what is blocking you from doing that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google's API. If you mean kernel, then nothing, apart from the warranty grey area.

martino2k6 said:
Google's API. If you mean kernel, then nothing, apart from the warranty grey area.
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Click to collapse
Don't forget the fact that you need some knowledge on the subject in order to actually do anything about it.

zHk3R said:
Don't forget the fact that you need some knowledge on the subject in order to actually do anything about it.
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Click to collapse
Very true indeed...

[BRAINSTORM] Auto-change keyboards while driving?

First off, i know its illegal to text while driving, but sometimes its necessary. so lets leave that as my own business. save the smug comments, please.
---------------
with that said, im not familiar with car/dock mode on any device. im not sure if there is a way to activate any car mode for the vibrant. if there is let me know.
i basically would love it if somehow i could make it so that while im driving, swype automatically becomes my default input method. And then when im not driving, switch back to my default.
would i be able to use tasker? how would the profiling go? location or time based profiles obviously would not work consistantly... im a lazy american, so i would like for all of this to be automatic. I realize that i could just create a profile and activate it manually every time i get in the car, but whats the fun in that? i have a smartphone, i wanna see how smart i can make it.
anyone have any ideas?

TopShelf10 said:
i have a smartphone, i wanna see how smart i can make it.
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Click to collapse
itll get as smart as your driving habits.

anthonys2r said:
itll get as smart as your driving habits.
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Click to collapse
thanks for the concern......ill bet your sh*t smells like rose pedals too, right?
i made it clear in the OP that what i do is my own business....stay on topic, or hit the bricks

The best you're going to do is get something that will switch over when you click a short cut. Your phone does not have any "vehicle sensors".

Obi_Kwiet said:
The best you're going to do is get something that will switch over when you click a short cut. Your phone does not have any "vehicle sensors".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your phone can recognize when its in motion with GPS....i feel i could definitely find a profile sequence in tasker, but the payout would in no way make up for the battery consumption

Tasker, yes... Battery life... abysmal.

s15274n said:
Tasker, yes... Battery life... abysmal.
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Click to collapse
yah tasker sucks all integrity out of my battery

why don't you just text with your voice on Vlingo? Car mode is on the widget. It will also read your texts to you by enabling safereader. car mode is not automatic, you actually have to tap a little car.

Of u have time to text while driving it should be pretty easy to just press nd hold then tap and done.
Not trying to sound like the douche in 1st post

TopShelf10 said:
yah tasker sucks all integrity out of my battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? I've been running with it all the time for a while now and my battery is just fine. ~20-24 hours if I don't constantly text/surf. (Which unfortunately, I do.)

I have to say voice search does it for me, I'm always impressed at how accurate it is. And it literally is one long button press of the search button away.
What happens when you drive your car? Your GPS would be able to detect it moving at a certain speed.... but I can't think of anything else (nevermind the fact that it wouldn't detect anything out of the norm when you weren't actually in movement). Docking it with the car dock obviously could set that off, but there's nothing else.
Like you said, it is not a big enough hassle for people to bother with it. Long pressing the input window allows you to switch it very quickly, like you pointed out yourself.

Just use the voice type button on your keyboard. It's by the return key. It works fantastically.
Fyi it's not illegal to text and drive in all states either. You can safely text and drive if you concentrate more on driving. People just don't for the most part. That's all I'm saying so I don't feed the trolls
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Personally vlingo or the built in speech to text is your best bet, tasker is always an option but in order for that to work well you would have to have gps on at all times. im not sure if its possible but you could use a better home or custom toggle to switch but until samsung gets its act together the car home app is unlikely to work the way you want it.

Never mind

shreddintyres said:
Personally vlingo or the built in speech to text is your best bet, tasker is always an option but in order for that to work well you would have to have gps on at all times. im not sure if its possible but you could use a better home or custom toggle to switch but until samsung gets its act together the car home app is unlikely to work the way you want it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can tasker poll the acceloromitor to determine speed?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

compuguy1088 said:
Can tasker poll the acceloromitor to determine speed?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THIS is a good question....but i dont think it can

I use tasker to go into car mode when my phone connects to the bt on my car stereo. From there I think you could make it change the default kb.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

It looks to me like there would be a way. There is that one app that can tell when your driving and turns off texting abilities. How much harder would it be to have it activate a certain profile. I'm know dev, but it seems like it's a possibility

TopShelf10 said:
thanks for the concern......ill bet your sh*t smells like rose pedals too, right?
i made it clear in the OP that what i do is my own business....stay on topic, or hit the bricks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you hit and harm someone else is it still your own business?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

blushrts said:
When you hit and harm someone else is it still your own business?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Click to collapse
certainly wouldnt be yours, unless its you. i never travel, so unless you live in the south shore area of boston, you dont have to worry about my maniacal self. thanks for playing, angel.
youre not impressing anyone with you self-righteous 16th post. i you want to preach, become a priest. youre obviously not going to change my ways, so why post that? oh right.....to feel better about yourself on an internet forum. congratulations.

Activity Trackers?

Hi there,
As the Nexus 5 includes a Step counter and since I always liked devices like the fitbit - I wondered
about the "best" activity/fitness tracker out there. Basically to just track the daily activity in the background..
I found so far:
Moves
Runtastic Pedometer
Sensorfit
What do you think? Which one do you like the most?
Thanks,
Christoph

chbla said:
Hi there,
As the Nexus 5 includes a Step counter and since I always liked devices like the fitbit - I wondered
about the "best" activity/fitness tracker out there. Basically to just track the daily activity in the background..
I found so far:
Moves
Runtastic Pedometer
Sensorfit
What do you think? Which one do you like the most?
Thanks,
Christoph
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like runkeeper. It keeps track of not only distance covered but also routes. I use it to view my past routes and change it up a bit for future runs.

I'd like to have something that runs in the background, not only for workouts
Moves seems to record far too much I think, runtastic seems to be accurate but you can use it only for workouts

chbla said:
I'd like to have something that runs in the background, not only for workouts
Moves seems to record far too much I think, runtastic seems to be accurate but you can use it only for workouts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya i was looking for the same type of thing.. very minimal, maybe gps logging not sure... just a simple counter, i dont care how many calories i burnt/etc i just want data logged daily/hourly in a chart maybe.

Moves uses WAY too much battery even with all the N5 optimizations. Anyone know of any good ones that don't hog battery? BTW, this thread should go in Q&A.

I thought google now was supposed to keep track and give you a report at the beginning of every month???

i use endomondo for all my activity. according to endomondo, it has options to use pedometer as well.

Noom Walk
I use Noom Walk. Works well in the background with minimal battery usage.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noom.walk

njakobs said:
I use Noom Walk. Works well in the background with minimal battery usage.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noom.walk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Works great in terms of accuracy so definitely recommended. One issue on kit Kat is the counter doesn't always reset at midnight.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

pedxing said:
+1
Works great in terms of accuracy so definitely recommended. One issue on kit Kat is the counter doesn't always reset at midnight.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
from what ive read i got the impression the counter resets at boot.

Another Endomondo user here. Surely worth a try, and a very mature app at this point.

will also try nomwalk I think, Moves eats your battery, not suitable with a N5 in my opinion as it has a small battery anyway
are there any apps that actually use the N5 built-in step counter yet? I suppose that's more accurate than the algorithms most apps use?
and it's "always on" anyway

[Q] Wear on a phone

Is it feasible to build an Android Wear ROM for a phone? Not to be used as a phone, but more of a desktop clock with all the functionality of Wear.
This may sound like an odd thing to want, but I think it would be a nicety.

agroan05 said:
Is it feasible to build an Android Wear ROM for a phone? Not to be used as a phone, but more of a desktop clock with all the functionality of Wear.
This may sound like an odd thing to want, but I think it would be a nicety.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds great! Thats the amazing thing about Android

vinokirk said:
Sounds great! Thats the amazing thing about Android
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Set up a build environment and downloaded the source last night. I'll be attempting to find out. I'll report back as I go.

That is a great freaking idea, I would have never thought to do that with a spare phone. We all have one right? I have an HTC one m7 that this would be a great use for. I was just going to turn it into a remote.

agroan05 said:
Is it feasible to build an Android Wear ROM for a phone? Not to be used as a phone, but more of a desktop clock with all the functionality of Wear.
This may sound like an odd thing to want, but I think it would be a nicety.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't see this as being stable if it's possible. Even Android Studio sets up wear app XML at 320x320. Everything would be incredibly blurry and out of proportion. Only a select amount of faces would look decent, and even then, you may have issues with Bluetooth pairing.

MabeeDev said:
I can't see this as being stable if it's possible. Even Android Studio sets up wear app XML at 320x320. Everything would be incredibly blurry and out of proportion. Only a select amount of faces would look decent, and even then, you may have issues with Bluetooth pairing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I expected some visual issues. But, why would Bluetooth connectivity be a problem?

agroan05 said:
I expected some visual issues. But, why would Bluetooth connectivity be a problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think wear works over a data connection...
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Developer Edition using Tapatalk

Zekial said:
I don't think wear works over a data connection...
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Developer Edition using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The intent wouldn't be for it to use cellular or WiFi. It would connect to your actual phone via Bluetooth like a watch.

Modify the xmls enough and you can do this. Android Wear is android, remember that, it does support data, wifi and bt out of the box. Companies don't enable it it or use it because you have your phone to act as a parent device. The resolution can also be changed, but I don't know how that will change UI elements.

Super Touch , smooth scrolling. Need help dissecting it.

There is this app called Super Touch that phone arena covered. Supposed to smoothen the touch experience on android by a significant margin. The developer offers no explanation as to how the app works. I've yet to test it because it is building something right now and it takes a long while to finish. From what i can make out , i think it builds some sort of scrolling cache and offloads them to GPU ? I don't know the internal android structure that well and analyzing the source if there is one , is beyond me. If there is a developer that can explain the intricate workings of this app to people , so people could stop comparing this to "snake oil" if it's legit , if it's not we can ask google to remove it from google play , that'd be great. Thanks.
The link to the article ;
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Spot...d-up-your-sluggish-Android-smartphone_id75851
I don't know if it is against forum rules to post links to articles , if it is please warn me and i will remove the link.

boltthrower56 said:
I don't know the internal android structure that well and analyzing the source if there is one , is beyond me. If there is a developer that can explain the intricate workings of this app to people , so people could stop comparing this to "snake oil" if it's legit , if it's not we can ask google to remove it from google play , that'd be great. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is this such a great deal?
Pros
* It seems to work
* It passed google's requirements and malware checks
* Does not need root
Cons
* Closed source
Just because we (you) can't comprehend how it works, is not a reason to question its viability.
Keeping it closed source and not revealing its workings is just a way to prevent competition and/or code copying.
There are lots of fake apps that pretend to be doing something you should be more worried about.
I wouldn't really worry about this one, but if you don't trust it, don't use it.
To answer your question; I would say its either one of these
* Animation caching
* Reducing element-sizes, and thus stretching it to save system resources (since the app needs to know you screen resolution)
* System optimizations for animations (Altho these things usually require root)
On a side note, since you are posting this on the Nexus 4 forums, I assume you own/use one. The article you linked clearly says older devices benefit more from this app, since newer/better devices already handle things pretty smoothly. This means that the result of this app on a Nexus 4 may be unnoticeable. Could it be that you question this app because you don't see any result?

MerynGoesAndroid said:
Why is this such a great deal?
Pros
* It seems to work
* It passed google's requirements and malware checks
* Does not need root
Cons
* Closed source
Just because we (you) can't comprehend how it works, is not a reason to question its viability.
Keeping it closed source and not revealing its workings is just a way to prevent competition and/or code copying.
There are lots of fake apps that pretend to be doing something you should be more worried about.
I wouldn't really worry about this one, but if you don't trust it, don't use it.
To answer your question; I would say its either one of these
* Animation caching
* Reducing element-sizes, and thus stretching it to save system resources (since the app needs to know you screen resolution)
* System optimizations for animations (Altho these things usually require root)
On a side note, since you are posting this on the Nexus 4 forums, I assume you own/use one. The article you linked clearly says older devices benefit more from this app, since newer/better devices already handle things pretty smoothly. This means that the result of this app on a Nexus 4 may be unnoticeable. Could it be that you question this app because you don't see any result?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No , it could not be because i had not tested the app when i wrote that. (Had you bothered to read , you'd know.) We question everything on this forum , that's how we learn. I did not assume that it was "fake" by the way , if that's why you're hostile (and arrogant). People on other forums compared this to "snake oil". I wanted to share the app with friends so it could grow. That's why i wanted to make out how it works. I can't share this app before knowing that it's not "snake oil".
When i said i'm not "that" affiliated with Android ecosystem , i didn't mean i'm illiterate btw.
Anyway , i could already make those out from the description of the app (Yes , i too read it ). I wanted more of a technical answer but thank you , nevertheless...
On a side note , In a help thread please just answer the question if you can , skip the lectures people didn't ask for. I asked "available devs" to explain the intricate workings of an app so as to clear the air , not only did you not provide that but you tried to give me a lesson on morality. Please refrain from doing that. And please do not write a lengthy and angry reply to this. I'm just not interested in arguing with you.

boltthrower56 said:
I don't know the internal android structure that well and analyzing the source if there is one , is beyond me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Made me think you were new to Android development and coding in general. Normally people like this with these questions do not want/need a specific and technical answer which is why I told you to not worry about it.
I don't know if it is against forum rules to post links to articles , if it is please warn me and i will remove the link.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, made me think you were new here.
if it's not we can ask google to remove it from google play , that'd be great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This sounded to me as if you just wanted it to be removed.
My post was not intended to sound the way you describe it, and reading it again I wonder how you came to the conclusion I was 'teaching you a lesson'. Just because I did not overflood my post with happy smileys and kind words does not mean I'm hostile and/or trying to be arrogant.
To me, your post sounds the exact same was as how you described mine.
That aside, here are my technical thoughs.
The app stores quite a lot of data on your phone, close to 7MByte on my phone, to an app-size of 2,86MByte, so I assume it makes use of some kind of caching.
It probably uses some other techniques for different element optimizations, meaning not all improvements are via caching.
My guess is it takes the animations it knows, and "replays" them, capturing the animation and storing it in its data for quick access. When you start the app and set it up, it needs time and says "building fast event for x action", which is why I think it works this way.
From the app:
When using the same smooth level, the better the GPU performance is, the smoother the operation wil be. If the GPU performance is not up to the demand, it may cause frame loss when sliding screen. Higher level may take longer time to start, a better CPU may take less time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The animation is probably "scaled" down in size, which makes it less computing-heavy. This also explains why the higher the setting, the longer it takes. (more compression = more computing power needed. Since a better CPU can do more instructions per second, it will be faster at rendering its own "database" of the animations, which is logical.
Not sure what the author meant with "better the GPU performance is, the smoother the operation will be". Operation could either refer to the process Super Touch does, or the process of animating the animation when using the phone. Personally I think this refers to using the GPU for rendering animations normally (without Super Touch), which can cause frame drops as he explains. GPU's with lower performance will have a harder time rendering an animation than a GPU with high preformance. Pre-rendering takes this load off of the GPU, making it more "smooth" in real performance.
With this method its can just 'grab' an animation from its memory and 'play' it instead of calculating it on-the-fly.
Looking at the permissions the apps needs, the app uses "draw over other apps". This is probably used to "show" the animations it stored instead of the animations of the app that is being used. How it is actually able to replace this animation is something Im not sure of.
The app has permission to run at startup, this is probably needed to "load" the core service that does this replacement.
I do not exactly know why it needs permission to read phone status & identity and change audio settings, but my guess would be that it is related to the power saving mode.
The developer offers no explanation as to how the app works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless he does, we can probably only assume how his app works. Decompiling the app and looking at the source might give you an answer, but this is not something I can help you with, mainly because my last decompiling experience is 3 or 4 years back.

Using it for 2 days. And I have to admit that it works, really well, without harming battery, which is a amazing win-win solution.
I asked on the Google play store and get the answer from the developer: the app offload the working process from the CPU to the GPU, hence everything gets much smoother and the performance level depends on your device's GPU.

After optimization, sliding is very smooth.