Database Users

My switch from WM6.5 to Android on the Nexus One and the apps that will keep me there

So I bought my first non-WM smartphone. Below is documentation of my quest to replace, and surpass, the experience I was used to with my Touch Diamond 2 running Windows Mobile 6.5. I am what you would probably call a windows mobile 'power user'. I've been averaging about one new WM phone every 6 months since 2005, most of them HTC. But I always keep up on what the other platforms are doing. This is just the first time I've taken the leap, and I quickly became aware of what new doors Android opened for me in just the first few hours of using the Nexus One. The OS is nice, but like most people, it really comes down to the apps for me.
I was initially thinking I'd do a big blog review, but I've run out of motivation. There's plenty of info on the Nexus One hardware and Android out there, so I don't need to rehash that stuff. What I haven't seen a lot of, though, is detailed accounts of people switching and what exactly they found.
There remains a couple major things missing from Android. The lack of an OCS client is probably the biggest one for me professionally, but since it's a Microsoft product, I don't see that changing any time soon. That and the lack of xvid playback will keep me carrying around my TD2 as backup for the foreseeable future. But other than that, I'm extremely happy and will definitely be sticking with the Nexus for a while. The next post will be a comprehensive list of (practically) every app I've installed, what they do for me, and how they compare to their WM counterparts (if there are any).
On to the apps...

Android Apps I've installed and believe I will continue to use.
This is a bit of a brain dump, so I apologize for not editing more thoroughly. Hopefully it will be useful to some, and feel free to suggest other apps you think I should try.
Advanced Task Killer - List of running apps that allows you to easily kill unwanted tasks. Nice to have for an OS that allows background apps, but I don't actually notice it slowing down, it seems to manage memory and close apps as needed.
Aldiko (replacing mobiReader, much better) - eReader with nice UI and quick access to several libraries of free books. Found Doctorow's books right away.
Amazon store - really just easier than using the web browser, but it also does barcode scanning and some other useful stuff.
BeamReader (replacing Adobe's wm reader) - rarely needed, but have to be able to see pdfs on the go sometimes
Beelicious - direct (cached) access to my delicious bookmarks. UI could be better and it's a bit of a pain to wade through them all, but it's useful.
BeyondPod (replacing YomoMedia, HUGE improvement) - It took me years to find a podcast downloader for WM that worked at all, but beyondpod is amazing. The UI is superb and inuitive. The customization is great. I have it setup to download only at night while charging. It remembers my place in podcasts and creates 'smart playlists' to make it easier to start listening. It also integrates with google reader, which is hugely useful because I can add new podcasts I'd like to listen to anywhere from google reader and then import then very quickly into beyondpod later. Also worth noting is the homescreen widget, which gives me access to basic controls and status from my home screen, no need to always navigate back into the app.
Browser (replacing Opera mobile) - Really there's not much difference here. Neither android nor WM have flash or silverlight support yet (although you can sort of get it on WM through skyfire, but that's not performant enough to be an everyday thing). Usability is about the same, but since multitouch zoom isn't enabled on nexus yet (though the hardware can technically support it), you have to use the zoom in/out buttons. This isn't as nice as zooming on the TD2 (zoom bar) or the HD2 (multitouch). Android does links to outside applications better though. It recognizes when you are browsing to a youtube video or RSS feed and will prompt correctly.
Cab4me - Nice little app for finding nearby cab companies making it very easy to see which is rated best, has cars available, and place the call. Not a must-have, but it's one of the little things.
Camera - very fast, 5mp (same as on hd2 and td2 wm phones), the LED flash is certainly better than nothing. Geotagging is default.
Car Home - this is Google's navigation 'car mode'. I think is this very cool, but honestly I won't end up using it much because I have navigation built into my car.
Carr Matey - dedicated app for recording car location so you can find it again. Another little nice thing I didn't have before. Android is just so much better at doing location-aware apps right now.
Documents to Go (replacing ms office mobile) - I'm using the lite version, which does not allow editing, but I have just never had the need to edit office docs on my phone. Sometimes I get one in an email and want to read it though, and this looks to do that fine. I'm happy.
Evernote (replacing Evernote) - I'm using this more and more as a dumping ground for everything that's not in email but I want to remember. This is what I use anytime I want to take a quick note (audio or text), or take a picture of a wine bottle or business card for later reference. It syncs with the cloud immediately and I can search that from anywhere.
Flashlight - not a big deal, but nice to have.
flickr droid (replacing shozu) - i like to have an easy way to upload a picture to flickr, this gives me that. I really like how android allows it to integrate with the normal gallery app. So after I take a picture I just have to view it, select 'share', and then select flickr droid (or other things like email, twitter, etc). It's more centralized than WM.
Flip2Silent and Vibrate During Meeting (replacing WM + HTC ringer management) - The ringer management on android is lacking as compared to WM. I used to be able to have my phone automatically go to vibrate during meetings, and silence the ringer after I pick up the phone (so it doesn't continue to be loud and annoying while I'm deciding whether to answer), AND there was a pocket mode to switch to vibrate and louder ring when the phone detected it was in a pocket. Vibrate During Meeting gives me back the meeting function, but it only works with the google calendar, not the exchange touchdown calendar in which all my actual meetings are stored. My work-around is to sync my exchange calendar with google via desktop outlook, but this doesn't keep it updated unless I have a desktop logged in. The good news is that the developer of this app says he'll look into touchdown. Flip2Silent gives me the option to just lay the phone screen-side-down to mute the ringer/vibrate functions. This will work while a call is coming in and I want to ignore it.
Foursquare - App for checking into various locations. It's treated like a game, you get points, but also get to see where your friends are and if they happen to be near you. Plus people leave tips for places.
g-backup and mybackup (replacing myphone on wm) - MS's myphone app on wm will automatically backup all user data (sms, mms, pictures, video, docs, etc) to the cloud every night. It can also restore these for when you get a new phone or hard-reset your current phone. I got used to having this. All my email and contacts are in exchange or the cloud anyway, but I don't want to lose these other things. MyPhone is also nice because all that data is accessible via the web. g-backup is cool because it will upload all this stuff to gmail, so you have it there, but it can't restore anything. MyBackup will backup and restore most things, but not pictures/video. So I'm using them both, but I'd like a more comprehensive solution.
Gallery (replacing HTC photo gallery) - The nexus gallery is implemented in 3d and is pretty cool, but ultimately it works about as well as the HTC version (which is also flashy). They need to add multi-touch zooming.
GCDroid (replacing gcz) - This is my geocaching app, but only until the official geocaching.com android app comes out (which is soon and it will be cool if their iphone app is any indication). Even though there isn't an official app for wm, the community created apps were pretty good. GCDroid is barely usable, but overall this category will be an upgrade over wm soon.
Glympse (replacing Glympse) - Something I'll rarely use, but it's cool when it applies. You can send a link to anyone that will allow them to track you via a webbrowser for x-minutes. So if you say you're on your way, they can actually see how far along you are.
Gmail (replacing hotmail) - both MS and Google have their email services integrated tightly with their mobile os. I used to forward all my gmail to hotmail so I could easily get it on my phone, so now I just flipped it. I like gmail well enough, and there are certainly features that are ahead of hotmail. I'm just happy to happy to have my personal email pushed to my phone.
Google maps (replacing google maps and bing) - This is definitely better than on WM, but ultimately it does the same stuff. It's smoother and a little easier to navigate (except, again, zooming is more difficult).
Meebo IM - nice to have an app that can log into ICQ, MSN, and GTalk all at once. Likely will rarely use it.
Messaging (replacing txt message HTC app) - this seems to be just what you'd expect. But at least it's very fast and predictable, unlike the HTC app which is sometimes laggy as hell.
Flixter Movies (replacing bing) - MS's bing app was good for finding local theaters and showtimes, this one does it with a bit more flash and some awesome additional features that i just found. It shows the rottentomatoes rating along with every movies. Plus, it has netflix integration, so it checks whether any movie is in my queue and lets me add it while browsing. It also has a list of recent dvd releases, which is great with the netflix thing. It also essentially serves as a mobile imdb. Very impressive.
Mother TED - dedicated app for watching TED talks. It seems ok but not great.
Music (replacing HTC media player) - Nothing special here. I don't know that I'll even use it much since i mostly listen to pandora or podcasts.
OpenTable - for the rare occasions when I make reservations (especially last minute) this will make it easy to find a place with an opening.
Pandora (NOT ON WM) - this is almost a reason to switch by itself. I hate that this isn't on wm yet. Very nicely implemented on android because it has a homescreen widget. I get all the basic controls without even having to go into the app, and I can use other apps while it plays in the background. Sound quality is great too.
Dialer - The android dialer is pretty basic, but it seems to get the job done. At least you can add a pause (with a comma) so that dialing conference numbers is somewhat doable (but still WAY harder than it should be, they don't do any smart parsing in meeting invites). This is still hard on WM though too.
PhoneFlicks (replacing official netflix wm app) - This is barely a replacement. Netflix's own app was better, this one is slower and harder to use, but at least I can do basic queue management from my phone, which is really nice sometimes.
SeattleBusBot - This is SO cool, and something I've wanted but couldn't find on wm. Seattle has the gps info of its buses available publicly, but their website is basically unusable on a phone (even on a desktop). This app will tell you exactly when a given bus is going to arrive, not just when it's scheduled.
Seesmic (replacing m.twitter.com on wm) - really good mobile twitter app. There are plenty of wm twitter apps, and HTC even builds one into the os now, but they tended to be slower. I think the HD2 is probably just as good as seesmic.
ShopSavvy - barcode scanning that tells you the closest places to get the given product and for how much. Haven't had a chance to see if this turns out to actually be useful, but I like the concept and test scans in the house have been accurate (which kinda surprises me because I had heard that phone barcode scanning doesn't work, but maybe the 5mp camera and snapdragon is making it more pratical).
TorrentFu (replacing starting torrents via Live mesh mobile) - This is a major upgrade (and rejected from itunes if I remember correctly). I finally switched to uTorrent on my server so I could use this. It uses the utorrent webui to connect, but exposes all the functionality like a local app. You can see progress, search for and start new torrents, and pause/resume. Very cool.
TripIt (replacing tripcase kinda) - I've only started experimenting with these two services, and i don't travel as much as I used to, but they are pretty good at what they do. Just forward your reservation emails and they build up a comprehensive itinerary and keep you updated. having a native app makes using these that much easier. Tripcase is on wm, tripit (which seems to be the better service) is on android.
tv.com - streaming tv from cbs, showtime, and some others. Haven't used this much, but always nice to have some free content.
Google Voice - At first I was skeptical about this because I don't have a real need to create a central phone number that rings all my phones, which was what i thought this service was for. Turns out you don't have to use that feature, and they also provide visual voicemail on android plus they send you transcriptions of the messages to your phone. so you can see who left messages and what they said (approximately) without even listening. So I'm definitely appreciating this feature.
Wapedia - native version of wikipedia. Nice and quick. why not?
y5 - Battery - This app is genius in its simplicity and value. It simply keeps track of where you are when you enable wifi, and remembers that going forward so it can automatically re-enable it when you come back to the same place. The rest of the time, it disables wifi to save battery. The end result here is that I never have to remember to turn wifi on or off when i come home or leave the house.
youtube (replacing youtube) - works well. nothing special to report except google's browser seems to be better at realizing when it should forward you to the youtube player.
yxflash (failing to replace coreplayer) - The only android app that claims to do xvid/divx decoding. I tried it on an xvid torrent that wm's coreplayer had no trouble with and it choked pretty hard. It played, but with extremely jittery video and slow sound. Not usable yet, but at least i know I might get something soon.
Touchdown (replacing exchange activesync on wm) - Saved the most important (and expensive @$22) for last. Without this app I wouldn't be able to sync my exchange data (contacts, email, calendar, tasks) with my phone because Android doesn't support all the required security features by default. (our company, like many these days, will not sync data with a platform that doesn't allow them to force the use of encryption, pin lock, and remote wipe) Beyond that, without the recently added feature of allowing me to flag emails for followup, I would not be able to switch to android because this workflow is too important to my everyday life.
Explanation: I check email on my phone often, and if I can respond then and there, I do, but if I can’t and need to follow up for any reason, I flag it. This creates a task in outlook which I will see the next time at my desk, so i KNOW i won't forget about it.
But there is an additional, more subtle, benefit at play here. And honestly, it's a little unfair to count it, but it makes such a huge difference in my enjoyment of my phone that I can't ignore it. I'm speaking about how the previously mentioned pin lock for exchange only applies (on android) to the touchdown app. I am not required to set a pin to unlock the phone itself. Ever since they turned on that requirement I've been punching in a 4 digit pin every damn time I wanted to glance at my phone, check the time, or even change the stupid volume! Now I'm finally free of that because google didn't bother to properly build in exchange support at the OS level. NICE! seriously though, this saves me so much annoyance it was almost worth the $530 by itself.

For a true windows power-user, it's worth shelling out the <$10 for Remote RDP. It works incredibly well, even when connecting to my Windows 7 PC from 3G across town (or presumably, the world).
The ability to USE MY HOME PC from ANYWHERE WITH NET ACCESS...
Absolutely incredible for a phone..
EDIT: my home net speed is pretty quick, which owes to fast remote access. Wifi will always be fast, though, and that's what this app is really designed for.

Good recommendation. Just downloaded the Remote RDP demo. Seems to work well.

Thank you for the run down... I just made the switch myself and a number of the apps you mentioned helped me fill some of my void from WM. I'm still a little pissed about the exchange issues but the real truth is any company I work for issues me a blackberry and doesn't allow other devices to connect to thier servers. I worked for one midsized company once that let me and that was the only time I was completely in love with my WM device. Since my personal email is through gmail the nexus one is really amazing as my personal phone.

Good Stuff! I'm in the same boat WM to Android and no turning back I'll check out some of the apps u listed...
One thing I'm looking for is a widget with power/memory/storage/sd gauges.
Always had this on the wm home for reference & cool stats!

If you geocache then GeoBeagle is the other main geocaching app. I don't cache much any more, but I have tried GeoBeagle and liked it, though I can't compare it to GCDroid...

Wanted to say thanks for the excellent app list. Touchdown is awesome. A way for me to connect to work without merging my exchange contacts with the rest of my phone. Now thats a win!

@Seraph321 - want to add my thanks for your app info. i'll be getting an N1 soon and knowing there are options to some of my "must haves" apps/features/functionality (e.g., Exchange) will help shorten my learning curve. i'm not going to abandon WM because it will continue to serve as my work phone. the N1 will be my after work/personal phone until i'm comfortable tweaking Android. that's my plan, but once i have the N1 my plan may change!

Great write up, and welcome to Android
A few suggestions
Text Messaging
The two heavyweights are Chomp SMS and Handcent SMS. Both are considerably better than the default SMS app, it mostly comes down to personal preference.
Browser
Dolphin Browser is hands down the best browser on Android right now. Multi-touch zooming, delicious integration, tabs, themes, and much more.
Flashlight
Do a market search for Nexus One Torch. It utilizes the LED from the camera flash to use as a flashlight. Very bright.
Ringer Management
Locale manages your phone based off time and location. Never used it myself, but heard good things, and I believe it was and Android Developers Challenge winner or something.
Backup
I'm simple and only need to backup text messages (most everything else is stored via SD card or synced with Google anyway). I use SMS Backup to backup my texts to Gmail, and it works fantastic. Uploads directly to my mail account, archives the texts, puts them in threads according to contact, tags them, and marks them as read. I can then easily search my text conversations from my phone or desktop browser via Gmail, and don't have to worry about deleting conversations from my phone and losing something. I've never used g-backup, so it may have this function already.
Twitter
I've tried a couple Twitter apps (not Seismic, though I'll be trying that next) and have landed on Swift, which currently is the fastest, and the best looking Twitter app I've used. I'm not a giant twitter user, so I don't know if it supports all the features any other apps might, but it works great for me, and would recommend it.
That's all for now. I don't have my phone next to me or I'd give it a quick run through and suggest something you might be missing, but I'll have to do that another time.
As for getting multi-touch support in google maps, the browser, and gallery... just wait, it's been hacked in for the G1/MT3G, it will certainly be hacked in for the Nexus One.

I'm still up in the air between ASTRO File Manager and Linda File Manager, but a file manager is an important addition to your tools, if you plan on keeping a lot of documents/files on board. Additionally, I know at least Linda has the DownloadCrutch functionality, associating itself with every filetype so that the browser will allow you to download such. To me, this last bit is essential.

Great stuff, I think a lot of people will be going from WM to Nexus because MS have failed to deliver for so long & there is now a great alternative with an OS that can be modded and a really cool handset.
So far I am happy to leave the N1 standard (not rooted) and play with apps - it is a real joy to have so many available & a single source for them.
Never going back !

+1 for Dolphin Browser... definitely a big step up over the default browser IMHO

SpyderMS said:
Great write up, and welcome to Android
A few suggestions
Text Messaging
The two heavyweights are Chomp SMS and Handcent SMS. Both are considerably better than the default SMS app, it mostly comes down to personal preference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, I find the text bubbles childish and cheesy. I much prefer the stock sms app with sms popup.

bofslime said:
Personally, I find the text bubbles childish and cheesy. I much prefer the stock sms app with sms popup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tend to agree though why doesnt the icon to the app on my home screen tell me how many unread SMS there are?

The Jones said:
I tend to agree though why doesnt the icon to the app on my home screen tell me how many unread SMS there are?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SMS Count
ok, at work with nothing to do, so I browsed through my phone, and here's a couple Apps you may be interested in. Some of these are useful, some are just kind of cool
AudioManager Widget
Nice little app that lets you adjust all your volume levels easily and quickly.
AppControl - Full Version
Best app manager I've used. Really fast, nice interface, and lots of options.
Barcode Scanner
Barcode scanning from the phone is fantastic. It's very pronounced in the Android community as well. You'll see barcodes not only on these forums, but on App websites like AndroLib.com, which let you scan the barcode, and instantly be linked to a website or Android Market page. It's not only useful on the Nexus One's 5mp camera and 1GHz processor either. Worked great on my G1.
Google Goggles
Take a picture of just about anything, and Google will search for relevant results.
Google Sky Map
Virtual Planetarium on your phone.
Layar Reality Browser 3.0
Augmented Reality browser. Displays information about objects in front of you overlayed on the camera display.
Pkt Auctions for eBay
If you use eBay at all, this is a great companion tool.
Shazam
Lets you identify music being played around you by letting your phone listen to and analyze it.

Personally, I find the text bubbles childish and cheesy. I much prefer the stock sms app with sms popup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
handcent settings -> conversation style.
handcent has a ton of settings options, including different settings for individual contacts (conversation style, font, notification tone, etc)

Thanks for all the suggestions. I've already spent too much work time today finding and installing the ones I like.
I don't actually do THAT much texting, so I'm sticking with the stock sms app for now, but I did install sms popup and set my girlfriend to popup. That's convenient.
Someone mentioned SMS backup, and yes, g-backup does the same thing only for more data, but they both need a scheduling option.
I see the nexus one torch app requires rooted access. I'm no stranger to hacking my gadgets, but this app (plus tethering, and maybe installing to the sd card) are the only things I've seen so far that have me interested in doing it. Can anyone provide some examples of why they consider rooting a must?

You mentioned Wi-Fi tethering already, but that reason alone is a pretty big reason. You may also want to theme your phone. Any kind of advancements that developers like Cyanogen come out with will require root as well. Cyanogen is known for pushing the envelope, helping to increase speed, and overall functionality of the G1, and other devices; not to mention you will get features from new versions of Android faster than those without root. I'm sure there are other reasons to, these are just off the top of my head. A lot of people are waiting until someone finds out how to reverse the bootloader unlocking process before they root, in order to preserve their warranty, and that's certainly a good idea if you don't have a lot of use for root at the moment. I did it, like most people that did, just because I can.

I'll make sure to watch the Cyanogen stuff closely. I never followed the G1 enhancements, so I guess I don't know what to expect. Sounds like it's likely I'll do it at some point though.
Is it easy to get all your apps, especially the ones that you paid for, back on your phone after rooting? Does the marketplace just remember it all and let you re-download?
I should just search for these answers.

I need to impress a small group with the EVO's capabilities...

I don't want to get into the details of my upcoming presentation, I'm not in sales. We're looking into potential tools in my workplace. I need suggestions for reasons why the Evo is an ideal smart phone. I've already outlined the obvious (Android's apps, large screen, 4G, fast...) and I DO NOT want to compare it with the iPhone.
I'm looking for bells and whistles (because of my target audience), things that other phones can't do--stupid cell phone tricks like, using your laptop remotely with your android device, that sort of thing...
I just need a few suggestions... thanks.
-jac
** I can't root the phone either.

I always get the best reaction out of Layar and Google Sky.

everytime i show phonemypc app to my coworkers they freak. might give that a look worth the 10 bucks

Presentation you say? How about HDMI?
Plug your phone into a massive projector or TV.
Then play a video on youtube about some features and you're good.
Also mobile hotspots/tethering means people can connect to your phone through wifi and use your 3G-4G internet on any device.
It has an err kickstand.
If you really wanted to you could run a desktop operating system on it, though you would need to root..
8MP camera for great still shots in ample lit rooms.
Some cool games in the market.
Of course theres flash!!
Can't think of anything else right now..

if we're talking stock unrooted, i really like the intergration sense did with contacts/facebook/twitter/gmail. i also show off the kickstand (it gets more oooh/aaah reactions than i expected).
tethering and a good cellular signal (lol you'd be surprised how many people ask me that) also comes up.

Show them Proxoid and explain the free tethering if they root.
Get a copy of LogMeIn Beta (it's floating around on here...) and show it.
Qik/Fring video chat
Google Voice
Google Maps + Navigation (If any of the people you're showing to are travelers/sales, show them the turn-by-turn navigation on the BIG screen, for free.)
SwiftKey and Swype
Voice Dial/Search
Gesture Search
Show them all their Google stuff syncs to it (email, contacts, etc.) so if they lose their phone, it breaks, whatever, they still have everything important.
Dropbox (Very useful for sales, doing presentations and whatnot)

Just let them use it for a little while, the EVO sells itself

How about voice-to-text feature.

Show them the screen; all 4.3 inches

if they are iphone users, show them you can install an app from the sd card without rooting your phone, the turn by turn is good to show off, facebook intergration, high quailty youtube vids,

Tell them how it f*cking prints money, builds you an island, and then flies you to it
All kidding aside, the kickstand is a huge one. If you're in a 4G area, big seller there, notification LED for missed calls/texts/emails/etc, front camera, HDMI if you have a good TV there.

Take off the battery cover and show them the MANLAND hiding inside!

scev5 said:
everytime i show phonemypc app to my coworkers they freak. might give that a look worth the 10 bucks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, PhoneMyPC is exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for. That is an intense app. Thanks, I'd never heard of it. I'll try it tonight.

RemoteDroid - use your phone as a trackball keyboard to control your computer on the same wifi network, useful for powerpoint presentations etc (it's also been recently open sourced)
USB webcam - although in its infancy, allows you to use the evo's camera as a webcam on your pc. Its choppy, but it works if you're in a pinch.
Touchdown - An email client with activesync support for exchange accounts, one of the only mail apps that allowed me to access mail at work
Rockplayer - Plays a variety of multimedia files without the need to recompress, simply drag/drop to sdcard and play
Astrid tasks - An open source todo list manager that you can schedule notifications for, also has a widget for easy viewing of pending tasks.
PureCalendar - Self explanatory

Gmote.
With Gmote, you can use your phone as a remote control for your PC or laptop, including using it as a keyboard if you want. I use it often for PowerPoint presentations.

Geniusdog254 said:
Tell them how it f*cking prints money, builds you an island, and then flies you to it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget it can grant you 3 wishes

redrazr7791 said:
Don't forget it can grant you 3 wishes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And one of those wishes can be for an iPhone 4 with the bigger geebees, the whyfies, and the three-gees. And it has apps.

TiKL - push to talk function to other Android phones for free.

Check out my thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=715767
Cool apps not found in market and some great unknown apps that are in the market. You'll get some cool ideas here as well as download links.

Don't forget to highlight Google Maps & Navigation...as it's hands down the best maps GPS application out there BAR NONE - and it's free.
A few people also mentioned this, but the text-to-speech integration is also insanely cool.
And Swype (or really swapping out any stock keyboard) is a nice touch, as most phones are locked to a single input type.
If your phone is rooted, it also wouldn't hurt to use ShootMe or the other screenshot app I'm drawing a blank on ATM...I believe you can even remotely display the phone interface on a PC, which does wonders for any kind of presentation.
Then there's the cheese - games, live wallpaper.

A few OmniaII -> Epic 4G transition issues/questions

On balance, my new Epic wins hands-down. I love the device, Android, Linux, and it seems to be a far better gaming platform (a bonus -- not what I bought it for, but I'm having a blast with the portfolio of Gameloft 3D FP games -- amazing!)
However, I am lost on a few things. So, here's a thread to get some help. To start, some video questions:
If there's a media player to handle one's video library, I can't find it. The only way I've found to open and watch local video is to find the file with My Files, and open it there. This brings up the native video player, which is rather limited in features.
Once the video player is up, I can't figure out how to get back to it if I task-switch to something else for a moment. Can easily happen with a phonecall, for example. Sometimes the window "stack" facilitates using the back button to get back to it, but under more circumstances than not, you can't.
This is a real PITA, because I lose my place in the video. I have to re-open it, and seek around to find where I was. Am I missing something here?
I was a major CorePlayer fan on the OmniaII. It had it's own problems (lack of graphics acceleration support, the biggest), but those warts were far outbalanced by the rich featureset. I plan to get CP for my Epic when (if ever) it becomes available, but for now I'd like to get something similar if it's already out there. Any recommendations?
I've read a lot about the "lag fix". Do I need to do that? I've got a very new Epic, running DI18 (a week and a half old).
I fell asleep on my Epic, and now it seems to me the slider rails are "loose". I can skew the screen portion of the phone clockwise and CCW, back and forth, when opening, to as much as +/- 5-10deg. I paid no attention to this earlier, so it may be no different. The slide seems otherwise solid and fine, but for this. Are your Epic's similar?
Sprint bloatware: Is there an easy way to disable much of this (services, etc.)? For example, Amazon MP3, Sprint Nascar, and a dozen or so other services/apps that are started at boot and respawned if killed. I won't ever be using this junk, so I'd rather they not be consuming resources, slowing things down. Do I have to root the phone and manually edit Linux startup files to get rid of this junk?
Thanks for helping out this noob!

Was omnia2 android?
Out the box Epic plays more file types than other non Galaxy S phones. On the market "Rock Player" plays all file types, followed by an xda dev's app "vplayer" I think it is. Other choices inlclude Act 1 Video Player and Meridian.
Instead of "My Files" to browse files to use with default player and other function try one of Astro File Manager(my primary), IO file manager, Androzip and more.
Most problem you may have can be solved in the "Market"
Sent from my "Wheres my 2.2 Epic 4G" using the XDA App

Omnia II! I really wanted this phone when it first came out. Omnia II runs Windows Mobile.
+1 on rockplayer
No lag fix needed on the Epic, there are lots of threads on this.
Not sure how to fix your slept on epic part, you'll have to read up on that.
As far as bloatware, you can follow this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=780333
Be Careful, if you want to use sprint updates you have to leave certain apps like sprint hotspot, Amazon mp3, etc or else you'll get a validation error when doing updates.
This has become such a pain for me I just leave those apps on the device. There are devs, who have great workarounds too you just have to read up on it.

Tricking the GN 10.1 to continously load flash in the background

I am a great fans of Grooveshxxk (or Grxxveshark, since i'm not sure if i'm supposed to type other website address here), since it's never easy to carry all my music around
I found a way to trick the note 10.1 to keep running the flash content of the browser with other app on, so that i can stream the audio continuously while I read my pdf in ezpdf
as far as i know other android would not keep the browser flash content playing in the background, correct me if i'm wrong
first you have to open a browser
go to whatever streaming radio site u like
then try to make a multiscreen (but do not use any of the apps you planning to use full screen afterward)
then hit the home button
and then you will find out yr website are continuously streaming the audio content, and you can then open any app you like (but remember not to go back to the browser!)
I can reproduce this bug a couple of times, sometimes failing if your last touch on the multi-screen is the browser instead of its multi-screen counterpart.
just some nice tip to share!

What flash package did you use. I tried a few different ones and none of them worked for me.

[Q] - Best setup for NP using KODI??

I am setting up a media streaming device for someone who isn't tech savvy but wants to use NP for movies/tv/Netflix.. What are the best basic settings/config for using NP with Kodi and Netflix? They may or may not use external usb or mouse/keyboard.
5.1.1? Android M preview 3?
Rooted?
TWRP?
Custom Rom? CM12 / other??
**UPDATE**
Here is what I did which seems to work great:
- Unlocked Bootloader
- Flashed TWRP
- Flashed 6.0 firmware (fugu) from Google's site
- Kodi installed from google play.
- Used “http://fusion.tvaddons.ag” addon to help with installing/updating streams. Selected "hubwizard" and "addoninstaller" under "start-here" directory to get basic addons/content/features working.
- Saw an issue with constant buffering. Used: Programs > Maintenance Tool > System Tweaks > Zero Cache (Yes when menu popped up). This expands the space where the download is stored, allowing a longer buffer than default. So you can pause a slow loading tv show/movie and let it load so you dont have viewing issues.
- Enabled Autoplay option on Genesis settings which is easier than searching thru the links provided.
- Added the xml file shown here so that I could use the Play/Pause button as a "right-click" option when content isn't playing.
Let me know if there is anything else I can change to make things run smoother. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with the set up.

didn't see any response so I kept digging and came up with this...
- Using stock 5.1.1 from the standard update. Waiting until M preview is in a more final state.
- Kodi installed from google play.
- Installed “http://fusion.tvaddons.ag” addon to help with installing/updating streams. Help link here.
- Installed Genesis and Phoenix right away for basic content.
- Saw an issue with constant buffering. Used the TV Addon program to "Clear Cache" and enabled "Zero Cache". This expands the space where the download is stored, allowing a longer buffer than default. So you can pause a slow loading tv show/movie and let it load so you dont have viewing issues.
This seemed to get content streaming pretty good, but I could use any additional tips to make it better.

mmgill said:
didn't see any response so I kept digging and came up with this...
- Using stock 5.1.1 from the standard update. Waiting until M preview is in a more final state.
- Kodi installed from google play.
- Installed “http://fusion.tvaddons.ag” addon to help with installing/updating streams. Help link here.
- Installed Genesis and Phoenix right away for basic content.
- Saw an issue with constant buffering. Used the TV Addon program to "Clear Cache" and enabled "Zero Cache". This expands the space where the download is stored, allowing a longer buffer than default. So you can pause a slow loading tv show/movie and let it load so you dont have viewing issues.
This seemed to get content streaming pretty good, but I could use any additional tips to make it better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm currently searching for some options as well. I will let you know what I find.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

I used TVAddons for a long time, on Ouya, an HTPC, and the Nexus Player. But I have recently been using The Beast by Chris B http://chrisbkodi.uk
I installed on my NP with this method: Install Kodi from the Play Store. Go to System>File Manager>Add Source type http://spartanpixel.net/repo click OK
Go to System>Addons>Install From Zip , select repo as the source, then select the zip and click OK. Wait about 10-15 seconds, you should see a message that the wizard has been installed.
Go to Programs, and select the config wizard. You should see the option of installing two different builds: The Beast or Spartan. I have tried both, I don't know what the major differences are other than the skin for Spartan is pretty cool. It's going to take a few minutes to install, so don't worry if it's slow and you will see another install progress bar after the first one finishes. After the entire process is done, you will get a message saying that installation is complete. So click OK, now THIS part is VERY important: The next message will say that you need to force shutdown Kodi, DO NOT click the button saying to go ahead and shut down. You will need to actually pull the power cord out from the back of the Nexus Player, and then plug it back in. Wait for it to boot up, go to Kodi and you should now see The Beast splash video. Everything will be configured for you, but you may want to go in and disable the adult stuff if you dont want it, and get rid of anything else that you dont want. I find some of the IPTV stuff is a little difficult to work with so I dont use much of it.
The only other thing I have done is go into Video settings, and set it to sync to my display refresh rate. You will also want to use ES File Explorer to upload a keymapping xml for the remote. https://www.dropbox.com/s/c1r944j93oj8sq6/nexus_remote.xml?dl=0

mmgill said:
didn't see any response so I kept digging and came up with this...
- Using stock 5.1.1 from the standard update. Waiting until M preview is in a more final state.
- Kodi installed from google play.
- Installed “http://fusion.tvaddons.ag” addon to help with installing/updating streams. Help link here.
- Installed Genesis and Phoenix right away for basic content.
- Saw an issue with constant buffering. Used the TV Addon program to "Clear Cache" and enabled "Zero Cache". This expands the space where the download is stored, allowing a longer buffer than default. So you can pause a slow loading tv show/movie and let it load so you dont have viewing issues.
This seemed to get content streaming pretty good, but I could use any additional tips to make it better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guys, I follows this and went with the xbmc repo, a lot of the channels are dead.
How do I install Genesis?
Also, how do I undo what I did? Uninstall fusion and start from scratch. I'd like to try some other builds above.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

mmgill said:
I am setting up a media streaming device for someone who isn't tech savvy but wants to use NP for movies/tv/Netflix.. What are the best basic settings/config for using NP with Kodi and Netflix? They may or may not use external usb or mouse/keyboard.
5.1.1? Android M preview 3?
Rooted?
TWRP?
Custom Rom? CM12 / other??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mmgill said:
didn't see any response so I kept digging and came up with this...
- Using stock 5.1.1 from the standard update. Waiting until M preview is in a more final state.
- Kodi installed from google play.
- Installed “http://fusion.tvaddons.ag” addon to help with installing/updating streams. Help link here.
- Installed Genesis and Phoenix right away for basic content.
- Saw an issue with constant buffering. Used the TV Addon program to "Clear Cache" and enabled "Zero Cache". This expands the space where the download is stored, allowing a longer buffer than default. So you can pause a slow loading tv show/movie and let it load so you dont have viewing issues.
This seemed to get content streaming pretty good, but I could use any additional tips to make it better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cadillax02 said:
I'm currently searching for some options as well. I will let you know what I find.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wendellc said:
Guys, I follows this and went with the xbmc repo, a lot of the channels are dead.
How do I install Genesis?
Also, how do I undo what I did? Uninstall fusion and start from scratch. I'd like to try some other builds above.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to your Programs section in Kodi, there is a Fresh Start option that the fusion installer should have added. Run that and it should put you back to vanilla Kodi.
If you are able to side load, and you want the TV Addons build, maybe try side loading TVMC you should be able to put the APK on a thumb drive and access via ES File Explorer, be sure to enable Unknown Sources in Android.
One combo that worked well for me was side loading SPMC and then running the fusion installer.

wendellc said:
How do I install Genesis?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Follow the instructions above for Fusion.
Select Lambda repo zip for Genesis
Select XBMChub zip for TVAddons (Phoenix)

Setting up the pirate side of Kodi for somebody else with no knowledge of the world you are getting them into is a bad deal for you. These pirate addons are not for the uninitiated. They are unreliable at best. Make sure you are willing to be their continual tech support. In the past 45 days or so everything mentioned in the thread have undergone some catastrophic failure or complete relaunch. Make sure you teach your friend how this stuff works so there are no unrealistic expectations of availability or reliability.

pawdog said:
Setting up the pirate side of Kodi for somebody else with no knowledge of the world you are getting them into is a bad deal for you. These pirate addons are not for the uninitiated. They are unreliable at best. Make sure you are willing to be their continual tech support. In the past 45 days or so everything mentioned in the thread have undergone some catastrophic failure or complete relaunch. Make sure you teach your friend how this stuff works so there are no unrealistic expectations of availability or reliability.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe with the Live TV feeds they are. But Genesis is fairly rock solid. I can do without the others (for the most part).
Loaded THE BEAST.
I really like the interface (large fonts; cool backdrop images) for KODI.
I just had to turn off every other section but the main MOVIES/SPORTS/LIVE TV sections though because it's so laden with adult content links.
I wish it would come more like stock (without all the adult) and a wizard to add on the adult stuff if people desire.
Otherwise, it has been stable.
The LIVE TV links are still very hit and miss with THE BEAST.

S4F4M said:
Maybe with the Live TV feeds they are. But Genesis is fairly rock solid. I can do without the others (for the most part).
Loaded THE BEAST.
I really like the interface (large fonts; cool backdrop images) for KODI.
I just had to turn off every other section but the main MOVIES/SPORTS/LIVE TV sections though because it's so laden with adult content links.
I wish it would come more like stock (without all the adult) and a wizard to add on the adult stuff if people desire.
Otherwise, it has been stable.
The LIVE TV links are still very hit and miss with THE BEAST.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
still debating on rooting the nexus player, I downloaded the kodi app, and installed kodimaster? (not sure of exact repo) but I did read about the the beast repo being pretty solid as well. I think for the most part I'm happy with the nexus player at $24.98 and the kodi app does pretty much everything I need it to do with movies & shows. I still have more to learn with live tv, nfl network, and what else itll provide

osugsxr said:
still debating on rooting the nexus player, I downloaded the kodi app, and installed kodimaster? (not sure of exact repo) but I did read about the the beast repo being pretty solid as well. I think for the most part I'm happy with the nexus player at $24.98 and the kodi app does pretty much everything I need it to do with movies & shows. I still have more to learn with live tv, nfl network, and what else itll provide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting is a toss-up.
If you want to keep 5.0, then you need to root.
If you want Marshmallow, then do not root right now.
Root and flashing to older images (if needed for whatever reason) is pretty straight-forward.
Tons of guides on the internet/Youtube.
Live TV is hit or miss.
With movies and shows on Genesis, play is fine unless I pick a bad stream. Then, the data feed is too slow to keep up and the show/movie pauses/buffers.
Last night, though, I wanted to check the score of the game, so I loaded ESPN from cCloudTV. It was buffering every 5 seconds. Basically unwatchable.
Not sure if it was due to the stream (# of people streaming = low data feed) and/or my connection speed (20 mbps). But live TV does not really "buffer" like movies/shows as it is not a DVR, so when it buffers, the live action wants to catch up, so you get skips/stutters, etc.
Likewise, I do not know if I'm missing addons or the streams are not reliable, but channel surfing is not really reliable. I get error messages that I need to check the log.

I got Kodi setup with all the 'free' stuff = thanks to this thread.
I am trying to add my own local content, but when I go to add the SMB share, I can see all the computers on my network, I can select my home server (windows 8.1), but after I select it, I get an error and I cannot connect to the share.
My windows based Kodi setup finds my server just fine and I can add the seperate shares with no issues. Anyone else experience this issue on the NP?

i definitely need to do the play/pause right click mod

I was able to setup a SQL server and one HTPC a firetv and my new nexus player are able to connect. no issues.

I gave up on garbage Kodi, everyone tells me how great it is well, if you mean about 30 minutes searching through dozens and dozens of stupid streams to get one that will actually play and not buffer, then yeah works great. I was told, use autoplay then you won't have that issue, well, I turned on autoplay and stupid POS still didn't work, either the video wouldn't play/buffer/stutter, or it just wouldn't load any streams at all. Also kept getting cache was full errors constantly so I gave up and went back to simple easier torrents.

S4F4M said:
Maybe with the Live TV feeds they are. But Genesis is fairly rock solid. I can do without the others (for the most part).
Loaded THE BEAST.
I really like the interface (large fonts; cool backdrop images) for KODI.
I just had to turn off every other section but the main MOVIES/SPORTS/LIVE TV sections though because it's so laden with adult content links.
I wish it would come more like stock (without all the adult) and a wizard to add on the adult stuff if people desire.
Otherwise, it has been stable.
The LIVE TV links are still very hit and miss with THE BEAST.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Start out with a fresh copy of Kodi 15.2 then add all the sources for repos(srp.nu, tvaddons.ag, etc.). Then install all the repos. And Then install all the add-ons from the repos you just installed. Then load elmerohueso' s repo from fusion so you can use his helix ++ skin (it allows you to use "any" 7 icons under "any" of the main screen sections (pictures,videos,music,..etc). This way you have access to all the addons add-ons you want without any of the stuff you don't.
S4F4M said:
Rooting is a toss-up.
If you want to keep 5.0, then you need to root.
If you want Marshmallow, then do not root right now.
Root and flashing to older images (if needed for whatever reason) is pretty straight-forward.
Tons of guides on the internet/Youtube.
Live TV is hit or miss.
With movies and shows on Genesis, play is fine unless I pick a bad stream. Then, the data feed is too slow to keep up and the show/movie pauses/buffers.
Last night, though, I wanted to check the score of the game, so I loaded ESPN from cCloudTV. It was buffering every 5 seconds. Basically unwatchable.
Not sure if it was due to the stream (# of people streaming = low data feed) and/or my connection speed (20 mbps). But live TV does not really "buffer" like movies/shows as it is not a DVR, so when it buffers, the live action wants to catch up, so you get skips/stutters, etc.
Likewise, I do not know if I'm missing addons or the streams are not reliable, but channel surfing is not really reliable. I get error messages that I need to check the log.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alternatives to ccloud: You need to install dextertv(plays live tv really well even on 3mbs time warner connection but you need to sign in with a valid email- I just use a temp email generator easily found on google search), and UFO stalker clone(youtube kraz inabox) or i4ATV which are both stalker clones and play over 800 channels really well without buffering. Google search, DexterTV, Kraz inabox, newtechevotution, Joenobody010101, husham memar, soloman for awesome turorials on the latest greatest add-ons
Shftup said:
I got Kodi setup with all the 'free' stuff = thanks to this thread.
I am trying to add my own local content, but when I go to add the SMB share, I can see all the computers on my network, I can select my home server (windows 8.1), but after I select it, I get an error and I cannot connect to the share.
My windows based Kodi setup finds my server just fine and I can add the seperate shares with no issues. Anyone else experience this issue on the NP?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get a micro usb to regular usb hub and insert a zip drive with the content you want and then transfer it from the zip drive to kodi by using file explorer you can download from the play store. With the hub you can also install a keyboard/track pad combo like the logitect k400 keyboard (ususally on sale for 19.99) and its makes using/navigating kodi or the nexus player much easier.
ninerpride said:
I gave up on garbage Kodi, everyone tells me how great it is well, if you mean about 30 minutes searching through dozens and dozens of stupid streams to get one that will actually play and not buffer, then yeah works great. I was told, use autoplay then you won't have that issue, well, I turned on autoplay and stupid POS still didn't work, either the video wouldn't play/buffer/stutter, or it just wouldn't load any streams at all. Also kept getting cache was full errors constantly so I gave up and went back to simple easier torrents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree about kodi being garbage. It's awesome software. If you were Genesis...make sure to clear cache and sources from within genesis tools section. Autoplay does work but you need to configure the streams you prefer from the information section of genesis. Also make sure you're on version 5.1.4. Some of rhe other great add-ons: phoenix, primewire/one channel, SALTS, projectfreetv, navix, movie night, movied hd, ...etc. With a decent connection all of these addons feature great content and have search functiions to find whatever you're looking for. STAY away from torrents. They provide way less anonymity than you might think...

ninerpride said:
I gave up on garbage Kodi, everyone tells me how great it is well, if you mean about 30 minutes searching through dozens and dozens of stupid streams to get one that will actually play and not buffer, then yeah works great. I was told, use autoplay then you won't have that issue, well, I turned on autoplay and stupid POS still didn't work, either the video wouldn't play/buffer/stutter, or it just wouldn't load any streams at all. Also kept getting cache was full errors constantly so I gave up and went back to simple easier torrents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't despair. I've some good news for you. Unlike cable companies, which you are obliged to subscribe to if you live in a certain area (Laissez-faire at its best), no one has to use the POS called Kodi. And no one will do bad things to you if you don't. You always have the choice of forking out a hundred bucks or more a month for the rubbish that would stream flawlessly on your tv (Freedom at its best - where you consistently get 15 minutes of consumerism-driven "information" out of a 25-minute program) if you can't stand the minimal work one has to put in for the stuff you get for free and whose content you totally control.
I'm sure the people who designed the POS (your opinion) did the best they could, and do not get justly compensated for it. What you said don't sound really appreciative of it to me.

Maybe can help
I using this ROM pure nexus 6.0 from dhacker29 http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-player/development/rom-pure-nexus-t3260232
As well after all done, download kodi from the play store and them follow this threat http://www.geek.com.do/mejores-fuentes-repositorios-kodi-xbmc/ ah sorry its is Spanish, use Google translate

I just did the whole Kodi install thing with the repos that the kids are selling these days on Ebay for like $80+ installed on a Amazon Firestick. Pretty funny that they are making money off of doing that. I only found out about that from my friend who actually paid $$ for one of those and decided to research it and attempted to do it on my NPlayer.
I agree with @ninerpride somewhat. While I don't think it's Kodi that is "garbage", its more the streams fault. It DOES get annoying attempting to go down the list to try and find a stream that actually plays. @graphdarnell, I concur with you, my Time Warner cable bill is over $100 USD and I get nothing for it. I'm always looking for ways to cut the cord and get out of this because the bill just keeps going up every year.
I heard that Genesis, etc is no longer being supported because the DEV found out about the "hacker kids" selling his work on Ebay pre-loaded onto those Amazon Firesticks. Anyone hear the same? Someone suggested to instead install "SALTS" but while it's much better, it's still annoying trying to find a stream that works.

Using the BEAST build installed from AresWizard.cok.uk/zip and it's been great so far. Phoenix based and most of the content is decent. Live TV is pretty good. Best I've used for KODI so far