Ok so I am a great fiddler and pusher of buttons but I am not good on the techy side so I am asking...
1) Which one is best - ADW or Helix
2) Does your phone have to be rooted
3) If I don't like it, can I switch back to the SE stock one
4) Is it easy.... can I mess it up!?!
I have looked around at various threads but they mostly seem to be on rooted phones. I have watched Youtube videos demonstrating them both and they look pretty cool. So basically I just wanted some reassurance before I go off and jump into something a bit out of my depth.
Thanks!!
I prefer Helix, your phone doesn't have to be rooted for either, you can install it side by side with the stock launcher and switch between them and they're installed just like anything else so you can't really screw it up.
ADW has more features and is generally better but it force closes too much and tends to stuff up the quick settings widget after watching a divx movie - I have to reboot phone to get it to function again.
Helix is good but when you enter the app drawer you have to press the home button if you want to exit the app drawer as it doesn't have a virtual home key.
I use the stock home launcher as its the smoothest and least bug ridden.
Both Helix and ADW allow you to select the number of homescreens from 2 - 7, the stock one only has 3.
ADW for me. Give all 3 a try, but it's really down to personal preference. Install all 3 along with Home Switcher and try them out to see what suits you best.
ADW as it's better than Helix. But then again it's a personal preference
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
I prefer ADW. I used to use helix but swapped. I went to go back to the stock home but then I remembered that there is no option to have five rows instead of four. I find five rows better because I can fit everything I need onto the screen
I have no idea if helix can do that though.
That is also personal preference though as not everyone would want that extra row
Thanks for the replies guys. Think I will be doing some downloading tomorrow and playing around - I don't think my head is in the right place tonight. Thanks for the info on the Home Switcher too.
Basically I was looking for the extra number of screens so I can sort out my apps/widgets rather than just having it all in the app drawer and having to scroll thru. Does that sound lame!? Or maybe just a bit OCD.
I like the ability to view all your screens in miniature then quick select which one you want (its one of the things I liked about the HTC Desire when I was trying to choose but it was brown and ugly so X10 won).
Edit... OMG there are loads of different themes for ADW too. Choices, choices!
I used ADW for week then switched to Stock SE. I had issue with ADW it is not that smooth while scrolling program. I have swipe couple of time to get page swipe
Ok so I had a glass of wine, cleared my head and bit the bullet and downloaded ADW and Home Switcher.
Can't get the sense ui thing to work. Don't know what I am doing wrong... any clues?
You need to go into system preferences and bind the home button to previews.
Also, make sure sense previews are active under previews settings.
Sent from my rooted X10i using Tapatalk.
Oh for goodness sake, its sooo simple when you know how! I had the Ui sense ticked but hadn't done the home button thing.
Thank you so much for the quick response.
No problem my friend.
Swyped from my rooted X10i using Tapatalk.
Just discovered another way... just long press the little desktop dots and it gives you the preview screens. So now I can have my home button set to my default screen.
I think I need to get a life... been playing with this since I got home from work (altho I did manage to heat a ready meal up for the hubby!!) but I am loving it so far.
Just got Beautiful Widget too and skinned that.... well actually I've done about 6 different permutations of clock and weather but I am now happy.
Thanks for the support today, I wouldn't have taken the plunge without you!
ADW all the way - tried Helix - and it was good - went for ADW - which I didn't like at first - but that was because I didn't know what I was doing... once I'd switch the Samsung app drawer off and sussed out the settings I needed then I quickly reaslised that ADW is in fact the dogs b011ocks!!..
Adw does rock.
Swyped from my rooted X10i using Tapatalk.
And everyone complains abouit ADW force closing yet I have never had it force close on me...and I have never had any problems with the widgets either.
is it me, but i cant find helix on the market, or do you hav the be rooted ?
You are not wrong... I couldn't find it either. Glad I plumped for ADW first then!
Edit.... try herehttp://helixproject.ruqqq.sg/
GPdhillon said:
I used ADW for week then switched to Stock SE. I had issue with ADW it is not that smooth while scrolling program. I have swipe couple of time to get page swipe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too, until I disabled the "Horizontal Drawer" setting, never had an issue since.
ive tried all of them. if you want to switch between the ones you have all you have to do is not select "use by default" and when you press the home button it will let you choose between them. thats what i did until i figured out that i liked ADW more.
like everyone says just take off the horizontal scrolling for apps and you will be fine.
i also like you you can have 2 apps next to home that are always on the screen and i like you you can customize them to what ever apps you want by dragging the apps there.
as for the force close thing, its only happened to me once but it went away after a newer version of it came out.
Running cyanogen 6.1.1... Accidentally dragged an icon over the awd dock and replaced the drawer toggle. I've had to set a swipe gesture to get to the drawer. Does anyone know how to get that icon back? I've looked everywhere... I've tried resetting the dock, but the dock icons don't reset.
...sent from my G2 running Cyanogen 6.1.1
bigtrouble77 said:
Running cyanogen 6.1.1... Accidentally dragged an icon over the awd dock and replaced the drawer toggle. I've had to set a swipe gesture to get to the drawer. Does anyone know how to get that icon back? I've looked everywhere... I've tried resetting the dock, but the dock icons don't reset.
...sent from my G2 running Cyanogen 6.1.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
create a custom shortcut
>>launcher actions
>>open/close app drawer
and drag/drop
should do the trick
Ah,that worked. I tried doing a launcher before, but not a custom launcher. Thanks.
...sent from my G2 running Cyanogen 6.1.1
I did the same mistake. lol...
Always used to having the Delete bar at the bottom.
Well, it was even worse cause CM6.1 doesn't support Nordic Desire Z keyboard + softkeys, so I had no way to get to preferences and set up a swipe either. xD
I wish I'd seen this before I reset my settings to stock, just to get that launcher button back...
Happened two times to me; old habit of having the trash bin at the bottom.
Does anyone know if the launcher or "dock" is customizable in the Liberty Rom? I'm getting kinda tired of Launcherpro as I've been using it for 6 months now... The widgets don't seem to function like they use to for some reason, not updating like they should be, etc. I'm trying to find out if I can change the shortcuts and icons on the dock or add screens, since there are only 5... Any help would be great. Thanks.
Do you mean lack of updates with launcherpro? That is because fede(dev) is doing a complete rewrite of launcherpro so that's why there hasn't been alot of updates.. if you're tired of launcherpro why don't you change some icons around and such? i haven't really tried any other launcher.. but I've read that launcherpro is one of the few that allows customizing every aspect of it...hope i don't sound like a dbag if you already know all this
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Yeah, I knew all that, no big deal. lol. funny thing is, maybe i'm trying to be a little more simple. I think I've used every icon, color, option possible for LP+ and I'm just a little tired of it. GO Launcher is basically the same thing just more screens. Don't like ADW. that leaves the basic launcher. Like I said, the widgets just don't seem to be acting right on LP lately. Not updating properly even when I try to do it manually. So trying to customize the stock Liberty launcher/dock is my last option right now. Maybe if fede's rewrite is updated alot, I'll go back to it.
I've tried the other major players like Adw and GoLauncher, but I always end up coming back to LP mainly for the widgets. IMO, they are the best available on the market for my needs, especially the facebook and calendar widgets. Aside from that, LP seems to be the fastest because Fede kept everything simple and clean looking instead of loading it up with hidden dock bars and window transitions (I know, he added some with the last update). If you're really looking to spice it up some, check out Dreamlyfe for some nice docks and icon sets.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
where do i find this dreamlyfe??? doesn't show up in market and cant find an apk online anywhere..??
nevermind. found it at androidforums... thanks. getting ready to download now. looks sweet. kinda what I was looking for to "spice" it up as you say!
I recently noticed that the widget I was using on my homescreen wasn't responding Digital Clock Widget and would no longer take me directly to the alarm when pressed. I checked and it was still set up for that in the settings so I tried to remove the widget and put a new one up but to no avail. I tried restoring it with Titanium but no joy as well as uninstalling and starting from scratch. But when I installed it again, this time I couldn't see the app's widgets in the app drawer.
I've tried another clock app and can't see the widget for that either. I had a go at long pressing a blank area on the homescreen but the only option it gave was to change the wallpaper. I had a play with that and changed the wallpaper I'd set up from one of my photo's but when I went to put that back on, that doesn't work either. I'm stumped!
ROM - NexusHD2-ICS-4.0.4-CM9-HWA V2.7 [Nand]
Kernel - tytung_HWA_r3.4
Launcher - stock Trebuchet
Thanks for any pointers guys - sorry if this has a rather obvious answer but I've tried everything I could and am very new and rather tentative when it comes to the whole modding thing!
Its odd, I had my favorite 5 apps up there for the longest time but one of them disappeared. I probably dragged it off by mistake and it's gone now. There is just a generic android placeholder app (the green alien) that does nothing.
How do I add the app I want back again? Do I just drag it up there, cause that's not working. Is it because I'm using a launcher (Nova)?
JDMpire said:
Its odd, I had my favorite 5 apps up there for the longest time but one of them disappeared. I probably dragged it off by mistake and it's gone now. There is just a generic android placeholder app (the green alien) that does nothing.
How do I add the app I want back again? Do I just drag it up there, cause that's not working. Is it because I'm using a launcher (Nova)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely. The issue is the launcher. LG made its own launcher so that one could drage from the homescreen up to the 2nd screen. But other launchers don't have that integrated in the source (because ... well LG is the only one who does lol) .But you can still add shortcuts by going into settings> display> Second Screen> show when main screen on > app shortcuts
Delete it then readd
Got it guys, thanks.