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I am first to admit I am a Android noob. I was too late to buy a N1 as I am not a developer, so I bought a Vibrant. I do enjoy it (when the GPS behaves). But it doesn't seem to run as smoothly as my friends N1. His Google Voice seems so much faster than mine. Navigation is quicker. Even browsing.
Is it possible to get a clean Android install on the Vibrant?
Is that what you guys are referring to as rooting or firmwares?
Is there a way to remove the daily briefing, Amazon MP3 and the other bloatware?
Yes, to have the stock "vanilla" Google experience it would require a root.
If you do not want to root I suggest Launcher Pro its the closest you can get to the vanilla experience without rooting. It also made my vibrant a hell lot snappier VS touchwiz crap.
PathogenX said:
Yes, to have the stock "vanilla" Google experience it would require a root.
If you do not want to root I suggest Launcher Pro its the closest you can get to the vanilla experience without rooting. It also made my vibrant a hell lot snappier VS touchwiz crap.
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Click to collapse
Or.. ADW Launcher, I prefer ADW Launcher.. to be honest, USE BOTH. I know a lot of people suggest Launcher Pro for whatever reasons, ADW Launcher is about the same, if not better. It depends on the person and how they want to use their phone. And "touchwiz" crap is honestly NOT that bad. I enjoy the notification bars with the toggle wifi/silent/gps etc.
zephiK said:
Or.. ADW Launcher, I prefer ADW Launcher.. to be honest, USE BOTH. I know a lot of people suggest Launcher Pro for whatever reasons, ADW Launcher is about the same, if not better. It depends on the person and how they want to use their phone. And "touchwiz" crap is honestly NOT that bad. I enjoy the notification bars with the toggle wifi/silent/gps etc.
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Click to collapse
I never got accustomed to ADW. Preferred the look of LP more anyways.
Also the wifi/silent/gps toggle and notification bar are still there even if you are using LP.
It keeps the nice features of TW but gets rid of that iPhone looking interface.
PathogenX said:
I never got accustomed to ADW. Preferred the look of LP more anyways.
Also the wifi/silent/gps toggle and notification bar are still there even if you are using LP.
It keeps the nice features of TW but gets rid of that iPhone looking interface.
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Click to collapse
They honestly don't look that separate from appearances at all. And I know that they're there but they're implemented WITHIN TouchWiz. The TouchWiz launcher is only ONE part of TouchWiz. You were blatantly insulting the whole (I guess you would call), "TouchWiz experience." With a "Google Experience" the toggle wifi/silent/gps etc aren't there.
I'm just saying that ADW Launcher and Launcher Pro depends on the person and that you shouldn't be so biased on saying "oh try launcher pro" because they're honestly both good. It just depends on the person's personality. Some people may enjoy the extra settings that ADW Launcher provide and its also Open Source, which can be a big deal for some people.
zephiK said:
Or.. ADW Launcher, I prefer ADW Launcher.. to be honest, USE BOTH. I know a lot of people suggest Launcher Pro for whatever reasons, ADW Launcher is about the same, if not better. It depends on the person and how they want to use their phone. And "touchwiz" crap is honestly NOT that bad. I enjoy the notification bars with the toggle wifi/silent/gps etc.
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Click to collapse
So if I root, I can remove the unwanted apps? I notice slacker and Amazon mp3 running all the time. I've never even launched or signed into either of them
How would I get the original Google apps that Samsung and T-mobile replaced with their own?
Marshgeek said:
So if I root, I can remove the unwanted apps? I notice slacker and Amazon mp3 running all the time. I've never even launched or signed into either of them
How would I get the original Google apps that Samsung and T-mobile replaced with their own?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes if you root you can remove the 'bloatware' applications that come pre-installed with the phone. There are threads on XDA in regards about it, you can either use Root Explorer or ADB. Do some searching on the forums and I'm sure that you'll find it! Because it's a pain to explain how it SDK works and all that. Check out the stickied thread in the General forums and it'll briefly describe about how to remove bloatware.
Samsung/T-Mobile did not replace the Google applications at all, the google applications are never removed. I think you're misconceiving it with something else. The google applications are applications such as but not limited to: YouTube, Gmail, Account Sync and all things of that sort. Samsung basically just redesigned it so the UI looks "better" in their eyes (not saying that it does or anything but thats what Samsung believes in).
T-Mobile did not replace anything. All they did was change the market with the third tab as T-Mobile rather than Downloads. However they did add 'bloatware' as 30-day trials and things of that sort.
What's everyone using and why? I ran launcher pro free before I rooted long ago. After that I switched to adw ex, I love adw! The options for screen transitions are awesome, seems to be very fast and light. Recently ive been trying aosp launcher, which I just can't seem to fall in love with, doesn't seem like there is any options for customization, mainly for the dock, as I don't like having the browser on my dock. What other options are there? I don't really remember what launcher pro was like, thinking about buying it to try it out. Whose still using touch wiz?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I'm using Launcher Pro, I was using touch wiz untill I discovered that you could change the dock with LP... that's what sold me really. Cosmetics lol. Another feature I like is being able to hide apps in the listing.. it's nice if your using the bloated froyo, like I am at the moment, and don't want to go through and uninstall everything.
I was loving adw ex as well ... then launcher pro added the screen transitions in its last release. I REALLY like the Widgets it comes with . And you can download a modded version on xda that changes the look of them making them much more attractive.
I still have adw ex installed. But probably won't go back unless it adds something new. I just find launcher pro to be smoother. And being able to make your own dock really makes it your own.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I'm still rocking the TouchWiz. I've tried out several of the others, but I just can't stand the vertically scrolling list (it makes it much harder to find anything IMO). I just hugely prefer the horizontal pages (a la iOS). The homescreens themselves I really don't have much of a preference about, they're all fairly similar in how I use them (basically just the Google News & Weather widget at the top, Android 2.3 music player control under that, then browser/gmail/camera/battery widget under that, and FB + LED Torch widget on the bottom right (with 2 empty spots). I switch around applications too frequently to really be able to have a list of apps that I use a lot that wouldn't really end up being most of my apps.
Every time I try something else out, I keep coming back to LauncherPro Plus -- in no small part due to the absolutely awesome widgets.
ADW used to run a little quicker than LP, but ADW seems to have gotten slower over time as more features were added. ADW EX was supposed to be a big improvement, but I don't think it actually is (and it's more confusing to use).
At this point, the only thing ADW (both regular and EX) has that LP doesn't is the TouchWiz homescreen re-sorting interface. That doesn't bother me at all, though, as once my homescreens are set up they stay that way.
And, the LP developer is working on a complete, from-scratch re-coding (all the current launchers are based on Google's launcher code with modifications and stuff added on, so there's only so much they can do to them) that's supposed to be dramatically speedier and more flexible... so I don't see myself switching to ADW or any other launcher in the near future.
Launcher Pro <3
I bought the plus version but mostly as a way to support the developer. I don't even bother unlocking it half the time
ADW is nice, too, I just prefer LP. Either is worlds better than TWiz. The latest version of LP adds several transition options, and a major rewrite of the whole thing based on newer code is in the works (at least that's my understanding)
Launcher Pro is my favorite so far. I tried ADW but like being able to side scroll and have transparent shortcuts on my homescreen. The only thing I dont like is that I'm not able access ALL widgets on my phone. I kinda liked the buddies now rolodex. Maybe its user error on my part. Does anyone know about accessing all widgets with LP?
I think I answered my own question about other widgets, in the launcherpro forums is says that some of those TWiz widgets do not and will not work, guess I need to get the donate version. Why not, I love the app.
LP, but people on DL30 might want to try out TouchwizGTG, a modded replacement for Samsung stock. It should let you use all the TW widgets.
I bought launcher pro plus, I like it alright, id be in love if I could do transparent drawer
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
And if I could make a swype down gesture open the notification panel
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I'm on Launcher Pro with DL30. Running it for a few days and like it over touchwiz. Before updating to Froyo I was using Go Launcher on DL09 and that one was decent too.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Go Launcher
Try Go Launcher
I found out about this a little while ago and Its awesome. Its like a little of everything with the best parts of everything.
I tried Go Launcher briefly, but went back to Launcher Pro. Why? Well, the ADW-like features made it tempting, but I immediately missed the widgets. I found some third party ones that are essentially a ripoff of the Launcher Pro ones, but they clearly inferior. Also, screen transitions were much rougher, and its method for adding app icons to homescreens is not very user friendly. There were pluses as well, but overall, Launcher Pro feels much more polished, so I'm sticking with it. I have not tried ADW Ex yet, and it looks enticing, but I'm back to no LP widgets again. I'm content to keep using LP, knowing that a major rewrite is on the way with lots of new features.
Posted from my DL09 SuperClean Fascinate with Voodoo
Launcher Pro Plus calendar widget... done
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
The calender widget is awesome, screen transitions seem smoother as well. Can't wait for a transparent drawer, and maybe some more transitions.
I like having just one home screen, and a simple app drawer, that way it's easy to find everything. So for me it's Launcher Pro.
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as i believe the short answer is NO
unless in one case, using CM7.
Just install a different launcher. Most of the apps they modified are actually pretty nice in their TouchWiz versions, otherwise wait for an AOSP ROM. There are always solutions to problems.
This is why we have XDA. Someone will bake a vanilla ROM.
The concept of giving us vanilla Android without crapware is actually one that eludes practically every Android phone manufacturer, not just Samsung.
buttes said:
The concept of giving us vanilla Android without crapware is actually one that eludes practically every Android phone manufacturer, not just Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's kind of annoying in a way, but in a way it's the spirit of Android. Android is open and allows anyone to modify it how they choose. The manufacturers use it as a way to brand the devices in their own way, but it is kind of annoying when their UIs are bloated and slow. Now that we are moving to dual core with more memory, the speed will be less of an issue regardless of the launcher you use, so it will make it better at least. I've never found TouchWiz to be overly offensive, but it certainly isn't the fastest.
I want touchwiz enhancements, are you kidding! Nicer dialer, nice MMS, nice little brightness adjustment shortcut, nicer camera. A gingerbread launcher will help get the phone to look like you want it to, and obviously, custom ROMs will make it feel like gingerbread AOSP.
Bernardos70 said:
I want touchwiz enhancements, are you kidding! Nicer dialer, nice MMS, nice little brightness adjustment shortcut, nicer camera. A gingerbread launcher will help get the phone to look like you want it to, and obviously, custom ROMs will make it feel like gingerbread AOSP.
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Click to collapse
That's my opinion. A lot of the TW apps are nice, I just don't like the launcher, so a simple install of LauncherPro and we're ready to go!
A TouchWiz ROM that functions properly beats the snot out of CM any day.
Sent from my Captivate
MikeyMike01 said:
A TouchWiz ROM that functions properly beats the snot out of CM any day.
Sent from my Captivate
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Click to collapse
Agreed. What's the point on using stock android. Plain Android which camera app suck.ass and media player too. Its frikin boring. Tw its not bad. Has cool features
Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk
i am hoping for htc sense either the hd one or the ginger sense
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kgk888 said:
And yet Crapwiz continues to run and eat up resources.
They need to give users the option to disable Crapwiz completely or better yet, ship it stock. Put Crapwiz on the Marketplace alongside ADW and LauncherPro and let people install their crap if they want to. Not force it on people.
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Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure the TouchWiz launcher doesn't run if you set another launcher as default. I haven't even had a ROM with TouchWiz in it for so long that I can't say for sure though.
The touchwiz launcher will run unless you root and delete it from system/app. All the other touchwiz enhancements will still work and honestly are the best part of touchwiz. The launcher is the only part I don't like, and only because it is known to be laggy/battery hog.
ryude said:
The touchwiz launcher will run unless you root and delete it from system/app. All the other touchwiz enhancements will still work and honestly are the best part of touchwiz. The launcher is the only part I don't like, and only because it is known to be laggy/battery hog.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The launcher it comes with is the least difficult thing to fix. Replace it with the Android one or any other and you're good to go.
Sent from my Captivate
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I prefer touch wiz with different launcher such as launcher pro or adw ex. Samsung widgets suck but media player, lock screen, status bar enhancements are great.
Exchange email client is also much better then the stock one.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
AJerman said:
Just install a different launcher. Most of the apps they modified are actually pretty nice in their TouchWiz versions, otherwise wait for an AOSP ROM. There are always solutions to problems.
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Click to collapse
Second that
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
I actually like TW, I've tried other launchers and always end up loading TW as my default launcher again.
Intratech said:
I actually like TW, I've tried other launchers and always end up loading TW as my default launcher again.
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Click to collapse
I like GTG TouchWiz launcher, but the stock launcher is way too laggy.
I'm committed to using Launcher Plus Pro, it's the ideal home replacement for me - has a lot of sense-like widgets that I love, plus a ton of added features/customizable elements that Sense couldn't even dream of competing with. I'm rooted, but still running stock, haven't flashed a rom yet, just a couple of system tweaks.
Anyway, my question is - should I flash an AOSP rom to run Launcher Plus Pro over? Would my phone run much smoother and more efficiently if LPP wasn't running over Sense? I've deleted all widgets/apps from my Sense set-up, and set LPP as default, but does the fact that Sense is still there take anything away from my phone's potential? I know if nothing else, sense takes up more MB than AOSP, so maybe that alone is reason to switch?
Assuming I do flash an AOSP rom - any suggestions, considering I'll be running LPP over it? Would one be better suited than another?
Being that this phone has 768Mb of memory. running LP over sense shouldn't be an issue. How ever i'm clueless as to why you want to use LP, due to the pretty widgets then turn around and delete the same exact widgets from Sense.
LP looks so much like Sense that it's not even funny. The only thing that is different is the actual launcher button.
But to answer your question I'd run Cyanogen(mod).
neidlinger said:
Being that this phone has 768Mb of memory. running LP over sense shouldn't be an issue. How ever i'm clueless as to why you want to use LP, due to the pretty widgets then turn around and delete the same exact widgets from Sense.
LP looks so much like Sense that it's not even funny. The only thing that is different is the actual launcher button.
But to answer your question I'd run Cyanogen(mod).
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Click to collapse
Well, that's the thing that makes Sense - the widgets. LPP has similar widgets, so it can take on Sense in that respect. Yes, the widgets are similar, but IMO they actually work BETTER than their Sense equivalents. For instance, while Friendstream looks cool, it was painfully slow to use. The Friends widget on LPP is as fast as posting directly to facebook. Another example is the calendar widget, I love the way the LPP one functions, you get both grid and agenda in one sharp widget. So right there, LPP is better due to functionality. After the widgets, LPP has several other major benefits: transition effects if you're into that kind of thing, landscape mode, ability to resize widgets to your liking, and of course - the dock. The dock is really the main reason I decided to ditch Sense. I don't even use myfaves, so it was ridiculous to have a launcher that takes up so much screen space and offered very little functionality.
So in short - I replaced Sense with LPP because it has what makes Sense cool (the widgets) plus many other great features that are missing from Sense. No other replacement has the added functionality AND the widgets.
BTW, thanks for the tip on Cyanogen, that's probably what I'll wind up doing.
sunsean said:
Well, that's the thing that makes Sense - the widgets. LPP has similar widgets, so it can take on Sense in that respect. Yes, the widgets are similar, but IMO they actually work BETTER than their Sense equivalents. For instance, while Friendstream looks cool, it was painfully slow to use. The Friends widget on LPP is as fast as posting directly to facebook. Another example is the calendar widget, I love the way the LPP one functions, you get both grid and agenda in one sharp widget. So right there, LPP is better due to functionality. After the widgets, LPP has several other major benefits: transition effects if you're into that kind of thing, landscape mode, ability to resize widgets to your liking, and of course - the dock. The dock is really the main reason I decided to ditch Sense. I don't even use myfaves, so it was ridiculous to have a launcher that takes up so much screen space and offered very little functionality.
So in short - I replaced Sense with LPP because it has what makes Sense cool (the widgets) plus many other great features that are missing from Sense. No other replacement has the added functionality AND the widgets.
BTW, thanks for the tip on Cyanogen, that's probably what I'll wind up doing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM7+LauncherProPlus is what i'm on. I used to be a big fan of ADW until I tried LPP. When you do this, you can completely remove ADWLauncher from /system/app and replace it with LPP. Just make sure you fix permissions before your reboot the phone. You want LPP to have rw-r-r permissions.
Christopher3712 said:
CM7+LauncherProPlus is what i'm on. I used to be a big fan of ADW until I tried LPP. When you do this, you can completely remove ADWLauncher from /system/app and replace it with LPP. Just make sure you fix permissions before your reboot the phone. You want LPP to have rw-r-r permissions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip! I think this is what I'll wind up doing - no sense having 2 launchers on the phone if one is never used. I'm just a little paranoid about screwing something up with the permissions and all that :-/
I was happy with the rooted stock rom and I also prefer Launcher Pro Plus over Sense. It has so many additional features and settings that Sense doesn't. I like the Facebook and Twitter widgets and the fact that rotation works on the home screen.
For 3 or 4 months, I used the stock rom, rooted, with a lot of the stock apps removed, and with LPP. But a few weeks ago I finally got around to trying out CM7. Today I'm running RoyalGinger. Yes, the aftermarket roms are slightly faster and it is nice being able to overclock. Plus, it's nice not having the Sense apks running in the background. Also, I like the call blacklist feature in Gingerbread. But the stock rom worked 99.9% of the time, whereas the aftermarket roms probably only work 99% of the time. I occasionally find bugs here and there.
The stock rom worked fine for me and there really wasn't anything that I couldn't do with it. I just wanted to try some aftermarket roms cause I like to screw around and hack stuff. But was there really a great deal of benefit from updating the rom? Not really. Would I do it all over again? Probably not.
But I'm relatively happy right now on RoyalGinger 1.6 and I'm too lazy right now to flash back to stock, so I'll probably leave it like this for a while. Take that for what it's worth.
sundayhustler said:
I was happy with the rooted stock rom and I also prefer Launcher Pro Plus over Sense. It has so many additional features and settings that Sense doesn't. I like the Facebook and Twitter widgets and the fact that rotation works on the home screen.
For 3 or 4 months, I used the stock rom, rooted, with a lot of the stock apps removed, and with LPP. But a few weeks ago I finally got around to trying out CM7. Today I'm running RoyalGinger. Yes, the aftermarket roms are slightly faster and it is nice being able to overclock. Plus, it's nice not having the Sense apks running in the background. Also, I like the call blacklist feature in Gingerbread. But the stock rom worked 99.9% of the time, whereas the aftermarket roms probably only work 99% of the time. I occasionally find bugs here and there.
The stock rom worked fine for me and there really wasn't anything that I couldn't do with it. I just wanted to try some aftermarket roms cause I like to screw around and hack stuff. But was there really a great deal of benefit from updating the rom? Not really. Would I do it all over again? Probably not.
But I'm relatively happy right now on RoyalGinger 1.6 and I'm too lazy right now to flash back to stock, so I'll probably leave it like this for a while. Take that for what it's worth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing your experience, it's actually very helpful and relevant as that's pretty much my exact scenario! Yeah I'm on the fence about whether or not to flash a new rom, especially after hearing that it doesn't change the performance of the phone too much. And I'm actually overclocking on stock right now - that was one of the main things I rooted for, to be able to set overclock/underclock profiles. Unless I'm missing something, you don't have to flash a rom to overclock, just a kernel (I'm using faux's smartass).
Hello,
im new to android from iPhone and with all this customization im lost in the goodness of changing everything to my liking... but what is the difference from icons, and wallpapers, themes and launchers....
will one give me the option to change all of them or is each one different.... ive been searching on the play store but am so confused...
thanks.
Launchers: available on and installable from the play store. The stock Samsung launcher is touchwiz. This is the main interface for the phone. Changing to another launcher will change the way this looks, and works.
Themes: These are modifications of the general look and feel of the phones firmware. These are done by themers here who take the stock (or custom) framework files and modify them. These are currently unavailable until the S4 has the ability to install custom firmware. The locked bootloader has to be unlocked first.
Wallpapers: The background of your screen. You can change these within the launcher, including stock touchwiz. You can add custom wallpapers and use them also, by choosing from the gallery.
Icons: Generally built into the applications and not modifyable.
Thanks. Would you recommend nova launcher?
I've never used it. Many like it.
I use Apex on my SII running 4.1.2
JL84 said:
Thanks. Would you recommend nova launcher?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using Nova Launcher for a while now and it's pretty nice. Lots of things to customize, like the look and feel of the app drawer and how app screens flip or roll from one to the next. Nice thing about downloading a launcher from the playstore is it installs along side the original or in this case Touch Wiz launcher. So if you decide you don't like it, simply switch back or try a different one.
JL84 said:
Thanks. Would you recommend nova launcher?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recommend searching - Google will get you comparisons of all the available launchers and give you full information on installing, changing settings, different features, and how to clear defaults and change launchers if the app itself doesn't offer the option. Include XDA as a search term and you'll get lots of theads around here...
One of the bonuses with Android vs. iPhone is since it's all hackable, there are TONS of threads, reviews, and blog posts on how to do anything. The browser on the phone works great (especially with this nice big screen).
You've probably started another thread that will turn into more of the same - until we get custom ROMs, you won't get any info that isn't on another thread already
JL84 said:
Thanks. Would you recommend nova launcher?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have both Apex and Nova Launcher. I like them both. They do a great job. Until custom ROM's are available you can check out this guys site:
http://czarnomorski.pl/ (Some great simple wallpapers on his site or in app format here
He made some great themes that work with both Nova and Apex as well as Go Launcher EX or ADW Launcher. Check Play store here:
If you are using TFS Shell then you need this one:
If you install the theme you can then go into the settings of the launcher and apply it. You can apply the whole theme or just parts of it like the Icons or Wallpaper.
Enjoy.
JL84 said:
Hello,
im new to android from iPhone and with all this customization im lost in the goodness of changing everything to my liking... but what is the difference from icons, and wallpapers, themes and launchers....
will one give me the option to change all of them or is each one different.... ive been searching on the play store but am so confused...
thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apex and Nova are great for ics while go launcher and adw look good for gingerbread and froyo. for 3d effects next and spb shell 3d is good. TSf is pretty expensive.THere are even small sized launchers like zeam or ftl for speed.
i just need the phone so i can go into the play store and mess around... need to get the apple/ app store brainwashing out of my system....
I hope you find a solution as soon as possible
I hope you find a solution as soon as possible