There are a lot of optimized apps - Galaxy Tab 10.1 General

I don't understand how the market works because when you click on Featured Tablet Apps, there are only a few listed. I thought this would be a turn off and every reviewer said what's killing these tablets is lack of apps.
There are a ton of apps! Developers need to tell everyone "HONEYCOMB OPTIMIZED!" because most of the apps I downloaded are Honeycomb optimized, but don't state it. For instance, the free game from Amazon Kona's Crate doesn't say anything about tablets, but it looks amazing on the Tab. So if apps are what's holding you back, there are a tn of apps! Downside is that you have to find them...

Welcome to the party...

Sorry, I didn't see that thread. I did a search though.

Related

Annoying Android Flaws!! Post your opinion.

Let me start by saying I really like android and think it is the best mobile OS around. That doesn't mean it cannot improve. Since getting my N1 I've found some features are unbelievably missing:
No folders for browser bookmarks. Seriously? I have almost 500 bookmarks, it's impossible to scroll though all that.
No bookmarks syncing.
No google docs app. And I though google really wanted us in the cloud.
Music player cannot sort by genre. How do they expect to rival ipods? Also, gestures control would be nice.
Calendar in Month view doesn't show all day events. If an event lasts all day it sure must be important, I want to see it! In fact, i think the calendar needs a major overhaul.
Awful task (to do list) management. Why can't I set repeating tasks? How embarrassing is it that windows mobile could do it over 5 years ago and android still cant?
Too few built-in widgets. Third party developers somewhat make up for it, but in the end I have a bunch of widget with very different aesthetics, makes android seem not very polished. No wow factor. That's why HTC, Samsung, etc, feel they have to create their own shells which slow down updates. No one wins.
Market needs some sort of moderation. We all hate Apple's closed model and it is definitely not what I want, but there are way too many spammers in the market, making it hard to find what you are actually looking for, that's why there are market alternatives cropping up. Either block spammers or let me forever hide some publishers. Also, the market application as a whole needs improvement, it is slow and the search is really bad (Yes, I said it! Google somehow screwed up on a search feature!)
Some of these problems are in one way or another solved by 3rd party app developers, but it is never as seamless as if it was part of the OS. Please post your opinion and you own personal gripes. This could help give good ideas to app developers, or even better, maybe Eric or Sergey stumble upon this thread and decide to solve all of our problems!
Numbers would help
The workarounds:
MusicMod takes care of music.
Astrid for tasks.
Dolphin HD for bookmarks etc.
Generally - I agree, these are indeed some good points. Most are visual, application-related points, and somehow I have a feeling Gingerbread is going to concentrate on that, which might address those points.
I agree with the calendar specifically, it's pretty poor.
As far as widgets go, I wish there were built-in options for changing the color schemes of some widgets.
-Stock music player and all music player sucks...
-Market sucks no way to find good apps
-Nexus one multitouch
-Some choppyness
I'm using the music mod but it doesn't do enough. I'm used to cowon's good music players so android in my eyes is really lacking.
It has bookmark syncing to a degree. Mine always reappear after a wipe.
In month view, the calendar does show all day events, just not very well. If you have a bold date with no coloured time block, its an all dayer.
I agree with most points here. I'm having issues with my phone freezing more often and having to do a battery pull for it to respond to me pressing the power button.
1. Copy and paste in email
2. Downloading ALL attachments/internet downloads
3. Sending ALL attachments
4. To-do list sync with exchange
5. Google Docs? (Hello? A smartphone that doesn't have any doc, excel, ppt view/editor?)
oh and:
0. Fix reception issues on the N1
Froyo brings copy and paste to email
Rellikzephyr
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
QUICK! Bury this thread so the ifans cant use these things against us!!!
Blueman101 said:
QUICK! Bury this thread so the ifans cant use these things against us!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
worse thread ever.
This probably represents the most reasonable set of criticisms I have seen to date.
- 500 bookmarks is excessive to me but I think even users with far fewer bookmarks could use organization so valid complaint
- I want to say bookmark syncing was announced at Google I/O 2010 but I am not certain.
- Repeating tasks is missing from google tasks. Until it gets added there it won't be available on android. (Pocket Informant is coming for Android though, I really liked his stuff on WM so maybe they will work some magic.)
- IRT too few built in widgets. HTC, Motorola, and others would do their own thing regardless of what Google provides. It is part of their branding and value add for the platform do distinguish themselves from the competition.
- Agreed on getting the market some moderation, the question is how and how much. My vote is for letting me blacklist developers from my account. I think that would be sufficient to clear out a lot of the chaff.
Blueman101 said:
QUICK! Bury this thread so the ifans cant use these things against us!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, it needs to at least be cloked!
Gdocs is free and it works very well for viewing and editing google documents. Or do you mean it should have a native app? I think all smart phones should have native office suites, its almost offensive that they don't. And there aren't many third party options although I do like docs 2 go fairly well and its supposed to have a major update coming...sorry I veered a bit there
stock music app SUCKS. seriously, i can't view all songs??
contact management is really difficult. can't edit/manage contact groups. can't even set a default group...
My bookmarks sync back when I wipe my phone. They always have I believe, or it could be a froyo addition.
I'd love for Google to fix up and optimize some code of the UI elements that are choppy. Most are smooth as butter, but a few certain things are choppy.
And don't we get word and excel viewer out of the box? Those files work on my phone, just not listed in the app drawer.
blablum said:
Let me start by saying I really like android and think it is the best mobile OS around. That doesn't mean it cannot improve. Since getting my N1 I've found some features are unbelievably missing:
No folders for browser bookmarks. Seriously? I have almost 500 bookmarks, it's impossible to scroll though all that.
No bookmarks syncing.
No google docs app. And I though google really wanted us in the cloud.
Music player cannot sort by genre. How do they expect to rival ipods? Also, gestures control would be nice.
Calendar in Month view doesn't show all day events. If an event lasts all day it sure must be important, I want to see it! In fact, i think the calendar needs a major overhaul.
Awful task (to do list) management. Why can't I set repeating tasks? How embarrassing is it that windows mobile could do it over 5 years ago and android still cant?
Too few built-in widgets. Third party developers somewhat make up for it, but in the end I have a bunch of widget with very different aesthetics, makes android seem not very polished. No wow factor. That's why HTC, Samsung, etc, feel they have to create their own shells which slow down updates. No one wins.
Market needs some sort of moderation. We all hate Apple's closed model and it is definitely not what I want, but there are way too many spammers in the market, making it hard to find what you are actually looking for, that's why there are market alternatives cropping up. Either block spammers or let me forever hide some publishers. Also, the market application as a whole needs improvement, it is slow and the search is really bad (Yes, I said it! Google somehow screwed up on a search feature!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything you've listed there are app issues, and have nothing to do with Android OS itself.
Pro tip: Vanilla android is garbage.
It's a starting point for other companies to build on.
Pointing out the problems of android wont make it better anytime soon. How about we have a thread with all the good things about it. I am sure it would far out rival the problems
hansmrtn said:
Pointing out the problems of android wont make it better anytime soon. How about we have a thread with all the good things about it. I am sure it would far out rival the problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree. A circle-jerk won't accomplish anything. If you need an example just look at Apple forums that are full of rabid iZombies praising everything Steve. Pointing out actual defects, flaws and shortcomings in form of constructive criticism on the other hand, will help the open source community plug the holes left open by Google.

The GREATEST Android App Ever!

I'm sure everyone has their own opinion on this. They did a huge study on the greatest invention ever. You would think it would be the automobile or the electric light bulb. The invention that won, however, was the printing press - interesting.
MY FAVORITE:
Without a doubt, the greatest Android App IMHO is NANDROID. (Lol, I'm not even sure it is an "app" per se, or just a part of Recovery...)
It is the ultimate Mulligan. The perfect do-over. Ctrl-Z for flashaholics. We can try any new rom that comes along without risking a thing of the setup we KNOW we like.
That's mine, what's yours?
angry birds is mine....it makes the work day go by faster...lol
Pulse. Not only does it eliminate the need for a bunch other apps (Android Central, Engadget, other news...), but it is beautiful and intuitive. There really is no other app that has that level of quality IMHO.
PowerAMP is a close 2nd.
akarol said:
Pulse. Not only does it eliminate the need for a bunch other apps (Android Central, Engadget, other news...), but it is beautiful and intuitive. There really is no other app that has that level of quality IMHO.
PowerAMP is a close 2nd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow...Pulse is awesome. Thanks for cluing me into it.
Mine are probably:
Angry Birds
Tapatalk
RockPlayer (for playing .avi and .mkv videos)
Winamp
LauncherPro Plus
for me its app brain as it allows you to keep your apps list in a text file to remain consistent from flash to flash.
Pandora Radio. I use it everywhere. While I'm playing Xbox, while I'm driving, while I'm pooping, while I'm eating, plus I use it on every platform.
I never heard of Pulse before. The guys behind this did a great job. Best news app I've ever seen.
For RSS feeds you can't beat Newsrob. Not a fan of Pulse - too busy for me.
My rss reader of choice is Feedr, but app I can't live without goes to LauncherPro plus
Got to agree with th OP on "nandroid"... it was the only reason I rooted in the first place. But like the OP said, not to sure it counts as an app.
With that in mind..... LauncherPro(free), Launcher-X Pro, Switch Pro, mClock and BattStat..... hmmm.... there all just widgets. They court as apps right?
If not.... Mixzing, CardAce: Hold'em and Docs ToGo.
My top twp apps are:
Xiia player - steaming radio, best out of the few available, better than Pandora because IMHO the bit rate Pandora runs sucks ass, sounds like 24kbs mono to me. You can easily find commercial free internet radio like chronix.
Swarm - very nice torrent client.
Facebook! Just sayin'!
I thought pulse was awesome until google reader officially launched the app, I think it's much more functional than pulse though it's not at all stylish, but from a reader I just care about the content, and it's delivered nicely with the reader app.
I have a finite set of apps that I'd call best. As far as making my life easier, Titanium Backup (pro) is just wonderful. I've found myself restoring and backing up apps as I like to flash often. And it restores everything about the app, so I don't have to worry about missing stuff on a restore.
Also launcher pro has helped the convenience of using my phone. I trimmed the screens down to three and have two docks and just use folders so when I use my phone I'm not fiddling around with screens but getting exactly what I need.
indigo0086 said:
I have a finite set of apps that I'd call best. As far as making my life easier, Titanium Backup (pro) is just wonderful. I've found myself restoring and backing up apps as I like to flash often. And it restores everything about the app, so I don't have to worry about missing stuff on a restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium Backup(pro) is number one easily in my book. hell I'm using it right now! I have most of the time around a hundred apps and its made flashing new roms way less painless
I'd say there are a lot of better apps but I end up using Klondike solitaire the most.
Remote web desktop is pretty frakin sweet
xlGmanlx said:
Remote web desktop is pretty frakin sweet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TeamViewer > all remote desktop apps.
Mine would have to be "mikandi"
Sent from the MATRIX... while plugged into my EVO... using the XDA app... from a galaxy far-far away.......
If Nandroid counts it's number one, with Titanium Backup a distant second. Without these two apps there'd be a lot less rooted phones and active rom flashing, as others have mentioned.
TB isn't my greatest app ever pick since its primary use (for me at least) is backing up all apps + data before changing roms, which again I would only occasionally do were it not for Nandroid. To be a truly great app, a program needs to extend the functionality of your phone in a way that creates a valuable new function or enhances an existing one already on your phone, making it a more essential tool in your life and possibly replacing others you currently use.
The first app I bought was LauncherPro. I've tried most of the competition, and LP is the best for my needs. It's awesome but greatest app ever? I have a feeling that many of these features will eventually end up incorporated into Android.
"Pic to pdf" type apps are pretty amazing. Yes, you can do each step individually with other apps and share the same end-product, but in less than a minute I can open CamScanner, create and then upload a finished work order to Google Docs. I purchased CamScanner after trying them all last month, it has the features I need for my job and is already saving me a lot of time.
Final answer: the Google Search widget. Is that cheating? I get access to almost anything with one button press and voice input, from sending texts to maps/navigation to a comprehensive search that searches pretty much anything you want including apps, email, calendar, voicemail, texts, the web, etc. Can anything alse compare?
subsonic is nice too
i was gonna say rom manager.

How would you make android better?

I would like to see improvements to the stock browser. smoother zooming for one thing, get rid of the magnify glass in the bottom right corner (gets in the way when trying to click links), and passing the acid 3 test .
What changes would you like to see?
If it could make waffles, preferably Belgian style, and be more like iOS.
bacon flavoring
Android is still in its infancy compared to its rivals in the same market. This year should be big for our beloved OS so I want to see what changes are made before answering that question lol.
Web browser fixes is on the list though
Sexy Vibrant featuring Nero V3 w/Voodoo, and FFC installed
masterotaku said:
bacon flavoring
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PLEASE! Lol
Sexy Vibrant featuring Nero V3 w/Voodoo, and FFC installed
- decent calendar
- syncing with Outlook
- email that is reliable
- more efficient OS
More fluid UI, smoother animations ie: pinch to zoom browsing, maps etc could be smoother. Basically make it so good that I don't need to root in the first place.
A usable Google Talk Client (think BBM). The current one is worse than using SMS/MMS, IMO.
Hardware accellerated UI.
Better Exchange support and stock (non-Gmail) mail/Calendar client.
Make an exit option for most stock apps (i.e. Browser, music player, etc.).
Memory optimizations to reduce the footprint of stock applications in RAM.
Better third party developers. Most of them are amatuers and put out utter crap.
Decent market policing. Tired of sifting through so much junk just to try to find useful apps.
The rest doesn't matter since I'm sure the OEMs will rip it out to put their skins in.
N8ter said:
Make an exit option for most stock apps (i.e. Browser, music player, etc.).
Memory optimizations to reduce the footprint of stock applications in RAM.
Better third party developers. Most of them are amatuers and put out utter crap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An exit option is the thing google DOES NOT want in their UI. It is pointless. It is NOT how Android runs and it does NOT help. The OS does this for the user. Why not just ask for a task killer that kills everything every 5 minutes, lol.
what stock apps are killing ram? Do you mean when they are in the BACKground?
dude, don't knock on developers... I think if the "fragmentation problem" was not a "problem" then we would have a tremendous load of great apps. Some are just afraid to take the plunge into developing for android, and some probably are afraid to break ties with apple. That said, there are a LOT of really good developers for Android, and some ONLY for android (levelup studios)
to answer the OP question, I would say a more common sense UI. Which I believe is on the way with the new hires. I had to teach several people how to use their new apple/android products, and regretfully, the ones with apple picked it up a lot faster.
s15274n said:
An exit option is the thing google DOES NOT want in their UI. It is pointless. It is NOT how Android runs and it does NOT help. The OS does this for the user. Why not just ask for a task killer that kills everything every 5 minutes, lol.
what stock apps are killing ram? Do you mean when they are in the BACKground?
dude, don't knock on developers... I think if the "fragmentation problem" was not a "problem" then we would have a tremendous load of great apps. Some are just afraid to take the plunge into developing for android, and some probably are afraid to break ties with apple. That said, there are a LOT of really good developers for Android, and some ONLY for android (levelup studios)
to answer the OP question, I would say a more common sense UI. Which I believe is on the way with the new hires. I had to teach several people how to use their new apple/android products, and regretfully, the ones with apple picked it up a lot faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people just fail to understand that memory management on the linux based OS's is completely different from the counterparts from different OS's.
What would I change about the OS? My needs are more than satisfied with the current affairs, smoother scrolling and zooming in the browser will def make the UI even more pleasant to use.
EDIT: Oh yeah, and make every currently releasing phones true google phones, allow the carrier put bloatware on it, but make it easy to remove it - that is wishful thinking btw, otherwise how the carriers are supposed to make money off the subsidized hardware; at least make it an option for off the contract purchases.
I would like if the notification bar pop-up ("toast"?) for a new Gmail displayed the sender/subject line and first few words of the msg, rather than just say "New Gmail" (in other words, for it to behave like the notification for new SMS, etc.)
I really think that the 3rd party UIs should be available as a paid market download only. That way you have a choice as to whether you want to use it or not. All Google Android phones should come as just a Google Android phone. Make it easier to receive updates and cut down on this fragmentation. You can even let the user decide to download the enhanced UIs during the initial setup.
I'd personally like to see more polish - smoother web scrolling, etc. - and codec support for stock Android. I think we'll see this in Honeycomb. For game makers, i'd like to see less device specific coding in C. We are lucky that virtually every game works on the Vibrant, but other high end phones don't get the same love. Finally, it would be nice to see Google get on oems to release updates in a timely manner. Don't think it'll happen but you can always dream.
Sent from my frozen yogurt powered Vibrant
atoz350 said:
I really think that the 3rd party UIs should be available as a paid market download only. That was the you have a choice as to whether you want to use it or not. All Google Android phones should come as just a Google Android phone. Make it easier to receive updates and cut down on this fragmentation. You can even let the user decide to download the enhanced UIs during the initial setup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the idea. Also, if companies want "value added" widgets, launchers, etc. they could make them drm protected and not able to be installed on competitors phones without having to bog down their devices with a crappy UI
Sent from my frozen yogurt powered Vibrant

New Galaxy Tab owner, some questions and comments...

So I just came over to the galaxy android side of things from the ipad. The so far, (and with my verizon 4g mobile hotspot in hand), I'm mostly impressed. It's really a beautiful device and I really enjoy honeycomb.
However, my stock tab is incredibly laggy in normal use. This manifests most notably when moving App icons around. Another good enough example is angry birds which runs MUCH smoother I on the ipad. Honestly, my galaxy s2 feels much more responsive in normal usage also. What's going on here I thought tegra was supposed to be better than that? So far I'm a bit underwhelmed with the performance.
Also, what the heck is up with the lack of sd card slot? I'm absolutely baffled by this missing feature as I foolishly assumed it would obviously have one. 32GB is nowhere near enough storage for what I plan on using it for.
And what's up with the lack of netflix?
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Forgive the grammatical errors I'm still not used to this swift key keyboard.
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Hmm... First of all,ios does have a smoother build than android. Android has been released like tero years? But ios has been here for more than four years. Android needs time to catch up. well, then samsung's own tweek about android does slow down the system quite a bit. however about angery birds I myself feel it's about resolution.i feel the one on ipad has lower resolution than the one on android(this is my own observation,i have absolute no evidence to bakup my theory), anyone can confirm or correct me please.
Would any of the dev made launchers work properly with a Honeycomb talent and would it likely help with the lag? It is bothersome especially when my galaxy s2 feels much smoother. Thanks guys.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using XDA Premium App
Suggestions
1. If you want to stay stock honeycomb and it starts to lag between screens, click on + symbol on top right of homescreen, then click other or wallpaper or one of the other options, don't do anything else, then just click the home button to back out. Lag should be gone. Don't know why it works but read it on one of the other forums and it works.
2. Spend $3.50 and buy ADW EX in the market and make it your default launcher. Spend a day tweeking the settings to your liking and you will not see much lag. There is also Launcher Pro Plus but the new update makes ADW EX better IMO. Many forums here will help you set up or tweek ADW EX. Leave your lag behind!
3. What else are you doing while playing Angry Birds? I have never had an issue with a game except for the ones that aren't optimized for honeycomb and are made for a phone. (Which I don't know how anyone plays these games on a phones screen)
4. For typing I absolutely suggest Thumb Keyboard on the Market. I don't know how I went that first week with the stock keyboard. Worth the $2.
Happy Tabbing!
Thanks for the tips! Unfortunately I need another. I just performed that system update thinking it was a good idea but it put that god awful touch wiz ui on my tab!!! Is there any way to get stock honeycomb back??
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I much prefer stock honeycomb to this touch wiz bloat. The please tell me I can go back.
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I'm literally freaking out. What is wrong with these companies and their inability to stick to the stock android ui. I'm horrified by how bad this updated looks.
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you can go back
But you would have to do too many things above my pay grade to get it back. Not sure if a factory reset would do it, pretty sure you would have to root the device and flash a honeycomb 3.1 rom.
I like the touchwiz, I'm just hoping somebody comes up with a way to make the task bar black so it doesn't look so bad while watching Netflix. That is my only real dislike. And the innability to switch apps on the swipe up. A world clock, wtf am I going to need that for?
Everything you need to get your tab exactly how you want it is here. Including getting back to stock 3.1 as well as putting a black bar on touchwiz, or overclocking your processor, or yes even using custom launchers from the Market or from some of the great devs we have. The whole beauty of Android, IMO, is that we don't have to accept what the manufacturers give us. Everything you need, files, instructions, and further reading is in the "Look here first" sticky in the development section. The key is read read read, read some more, search, read read, and read. I love my tab because I can make it my own.
A factory reset will not remove the TouchMyWilly update. Honestly, it seems like you rushed into this purchase, especially given that you didn't know it doesn't have a MicroSD slot prior to buying it. 32 GB is actually quite alot if you use cloud storage. You can also get the USB adapter and transfer files that way.
But, it seems like you're not pleased with the Tab. There's no reason to force yourself to like a gadget. If you're still able to return it and give yourself some time to properly shop around for something that fits your needs then maybe you should consider that.
You can also check out the Android Dev forum a few links down from the General. That will show you how to root and flash a pre-TouchWang ROM. I didn't like the update at first, but it's grown on me.
SaosinEngaged said:
I much prefer stock honeycomb to this touch wiz bloat. The please tell me I can go back.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not as bad as it seems. But it would be great if Samsung published a sdk to make use of their customization of the Android shell. For one thing I love to see more of those apps that are able to stay on top of other apps and still let you use the other apps. Would also be great to get dirty with the launchbar
+1 for ADW it fixed all lag
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk
wish there was an easier way
FillTheVoid said:
Everything you need to get your tab exactly how you want it is here. Including getting back to stock 3.1 as well as putting a black bar on touchwiz, or overclocking your processor, or yes even using custom launchers from the Market or from some of the great devs we have. The whole beauty of Android, IMO, is that we don't have to accept what the manufacturers give us. Everything you need, files, instructions, and further reading is in the "Look here first" sticky in the development section. The key is read read read, read some more, search, read read, and read. I love my tab because I can make it my own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I have read a little of the forum for the black taskbar but I am not that well versed in android to go messing around with folders. If it was on a PC I would be good to go, just need a simpler solution, hopefully an update. At least the taskbar matches my keyboard, just looks awful when watching Netflix.
Thanks for all the responses.
The tab itself is definitely growing on me. I still find it perplexing Samsung left out the micro SD slot; it's one of Apple devices worst "features" and for Samsung to copy that seems bizarre.
To be honest, I have no idea how to go about setting up cloud storage. I'm just used to old fashion storage methods. I have Google Music but really don't know how to get it set up as a network sharing player. I know I'll have to read read read, but I simply don't have the time right now to get into such an endeavor.
Really, don't let some of my negativity fool you. This tablet is awesome. It's just a bit of shell shock coming from my comfortable experiences with the ipad and my knee jerk dislike of the Touchwiz UI I had no idea would pop up in that update.
I'm very much a fan of stock OS's. Especially Honeycomb, I feel like if it ain't broke, why fix it?
But I'm looking into ADW right now.
SaosinEngaged said:
Thanks for all the responses.
I'm very much a fan of stock OS's. Especially Honeycomb, I feel like if it ain't broke, why fix it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because Honeycomb IS broke. It's a beta, an interim build, came out of the oven months and months before it was ready. The TW update is a partial attempt to address some of these problems, and add some extra functionality.
As for looks, for a lot of people, Honeycomb is an eyesore in stock form, color-wise. The very cold color choices are not welcoming.
I daresay most non-geek people aren't fans of neon blue on black, or of faux-retro computer fonts, and above all else, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was meant to compete in the mass market, so it needs mass market visual appeal.
Croak said:
Because Honeycomb IS broke. It's a beta, an interim build, came out of the oven months and months before it was ready. The TW update is a partial attempt to address some of these problems, and add some extra functionality.
As for looks, for a lot of people, Honeycomb is an eyesore in stock form, color-wise. The very cold color choices are not welcoming.
I daresay most non-geek people aren't fans of neon blue on black, or of faux-retro computer fonts, and above all else, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was meant to compete in the mass market, so it needs mass market visual appeal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, I totally understand.
I actually really liked the neonish theme of stock honeycomb. It matches very well with the neon color of swiftkey keyboard and just gave a very futuristic vibe.
The added functionality is nice, but that can always be addressed through widgets and apps.
As an aside, what is the name of that app that organizes widgets by grouping similar ones in the widget menu?
Like all of beautiful widgets would lump together into one until you click it?
SaosinEngaged said:
As an aside, what is the name of that app that organizes widgets by grouping similar ones in the widget menu?
Like all of beautiful widgets would lump together into one until you click it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ooh, ooh. When you find that, please postback! My collection of widgets is getting unwieldy. Takes quite a while to scroll from left to right thru the whole collection. Its begging for some organization.
I had a Superclean ROM running on my Fascinate phone that collapsed widgets into folders (ex: all the Beautiful widgets into ONE).
I'd love that on my Tab.
SaosinEngaged said:
And what's up with the lack of netflix?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can grab the APK here - just sideload and you'll be streaming
http://www.multiupload.com/XTEWL8CLCZ
It's a matter of preference. I like the TouchWiz update as it eliminated the worst feature of HC 3.1... the typing lag in forums. I also like the Quick Access panel in the bottom-right corner. One or two clicks to get to what you need, unlike the 4-5 clicks it takes to get to the same things on HC 3.1/3.2.
I am also wondering if this was a rush purchase for you if you didn't realize the Tab 10.1 doesn't have an SD card slot. Not picking on you, please don't misunderstand, but if an SD card slot was important, you could have picked up a 32GB Asus Transformer ($460) instead of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 32GB ($600) and used the savings to buy SD cards. I don't have money to burn (says the guy with a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and an Asus Transformer, lol ), so I do a lot of research before I drop $600 on something.
You can't "uninstall" the TouchWiz update once you have it. Wiping the Tab with a factory reset does not remove TouchWiz. You'd have to load a custom ROM to get rid of it.
And as far as Netflix, just head to the Themes and Apps part of the Galaxy Tab forums and grab the Netflix .apk from there. Easy to install, even for an idiot such as myself. That's the only thing that's making me want to keep the Galaxy Tab over the Asus Transformer at the moment.

New S10+ owner looking for setup recommending (came from iPhone)

Greetings android users! I am reaching out to XDA community for some advice on my new S10+ setup, configurations, and some do's and don'ts.
I have been a long time Apple user (since the first original iPhone), but lately the lack of innovation from Tim Cook has been pushing me away. Anyways, when Samsung announced the S10+ with One UI, I was hooked! I picked up my first android device on Friday and have been greatly enjoying the it!
Now, at this time, I have not installed any apps from Google Play store as I have been reading many different things that others are doing to remove Google and Samsung from the phone. I looked around on reddit and various forums for setup guides, what apps to remove/block, and recommendations that iPhone users should do when moving to android. However, I have not come across a guide/list with the various things people have done.
Lastly, I read that many android users have done one of two things. One, some folks do not use the Google Play store to install any apps to bypass Google's analytics. by installing all apps manually. In addition to this, folks are blocking anything google and Samsung related. Secondly, I read that some users are flashing their device and installing custom roms to completely remove anything related to google and Samsung and will install the apps manually.
Based on this information and coming from iPhone, what are your recommendations? Should I not use the Google Play store and install the apps manually? If so, where and how would I go about it? Should I just block Google and Samsung in general to prevent any invasion of privacy and from gaining analytics? Or, should I flash and use a custom rom?
Any advice you can provide would be really helpful! Thanks in advance for reading my post.
I switch from back and forth from iOS and Android all the time. There are certain things you'll come to appreciate about each.
The good news for you is that the there isn't a huge difference in how android (ahem - specifically samung for the past couple years) performs in terms of fluidity and responsiveness. During the early days this was horrendous, and don't let any fanboys tell you different. With the S10, I find myself not having to play the disable/remove apps/features game like before (out of habit I did anyway lol). This means you can really just start enjoying things as is, without having to worry about the best performance. - so far at least.
WIth that said, if you're new to the platform, I'd start with the basics of getting familar with the OS and apps. If you ever run into a situation where you think "i don't like that way that works/feels/looks" figure out how to change it. That's the one of the best parts about android honestly. And since you found your way over to XDA, sometimes it can seem like a never ending game. It seems like the days of custom roms may be slowly coming to an end, but in a way it's a good thing because the phones are so good out of the box now.
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth imo.
If you're looking on how to some ideas on where to start from there -
-Play with a different launcher (i love nova premium)
-Figure out which widgets do what you want - you can take this really far into customization if you look at different homescreen setups... the rabbit hole can go pretty deep
-Find the right app for certain things so you don't have to live with double or triple of the same thing (calendar/messaging/keyboard for example)
I wouldn't worry about much else for now. Keep reading the boards, and you'll figure out how things go. Back in the days we used to have to flash custom roms sometimes weekly to try and get good performing, stable devices with great battery life. Then it moved to disabling a bunch of **** we didn't use, and now it's fine so far as is.
Oh and while you can prevent some apps from collecting data about you, in the bigger picture, there's nothing you can do about it. Ask marketing people who are into big data, we are all already profiled. If you don't want data collected, you gotta disconnect, go move to the woods and live off the land.
Danslides1 said:
I switch from back and forth from iOS and Android all the time. There are certain things you'll come to appreciate about each.
The good news for you is that the there isn't a huge difference in how android (ahem - specifically samung for the past couple years) performs in terms of fluidity and responsiveness. During the early days this was horrendous, and don't let any fanboys tell you different. With the S10, I find myself not having to play the disable/remove apps/features game like before (out of habit I did anyway lol). This means you can really just start enjoying things as is, without having to worry about the best performance. - so far at least.
WIth that said, if you're new to the platform, I'd start with the basics of getting familar with the OS and apps. If you ever run into a situation where you think "i don't like that way that works/feels/looks" figure out how to change it. That's the one of the best parts about android honestly. And since you found your way over to XDA, sometimes it can seem like a never ending game. It seems like the days of custom roms may be slowly coming to an end, but in a way it's a good thing because the phones are so good out of the box now.
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth imo.
If you're looking on how to some ideas on where to start from there -
-Play with a different launcher (i love nova premium)
-Figure out which widgets do what you want - you can take this really far into customization if you look at different homescreen setups... the rabbit hole can go pretty deep
-Find the right app for certain things so you don't have to live with double or triple of the same thing (calendar/messaging/keyboard for example)
I wouldn't worry about much else for now. Keep reading the boards, and you'll figure out how things go. Back in the days we used to have to flash custom roms sometimes weekly to try and get good performing, stable devices with great battery life. Then it moved to disabling a bunch of **** we didn't use, and now it's fine so far as is.
Oh and while you can prevent some apps from collecting data about you, in the bigger picture, there's nothing you can do about it. Ask marketing people who are into big data, we are all already profiled. If you don't want data collected, you gotta disconnect, go move to the woods and live off the land.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information. I find the OneUI very fluid and responsiveness - I also find the colors more vivid than my iPhone XS MAX. I remember when some of my friends had the older galaxy and pixels phones they would complain about how it slows down over time, while my iPhone would be running strong. However, I have encountered several issues with black screen and freezing on my iPhone XS Max.
The customization is really nice on the S10+. Honestly, it feels great to be able to make theme changes and different customization to my phone in order to make it more personal to me! That is one thing I was also "jealous" about and wished the iPhones had - everyone's phone looks the same!
Makes sense about the custom roms. Not having any knowledge about them I wasn't sure if it was the way to go. Based on what you're saying they are slowly coming to an end, so I guess I won't need to worry about it.
You mentioned "Find the right app for certain things so you don't have to live with double or triple of the same thing (calendar/messaging/keyboard for example)". Do you have any app recommendations I could start with? Also, do you use the default google mail app, or is there a better one that I should use?
Best email app is AquaMail
Nothing much when you install it first. But once you experiment with its options you'll find an ocean of possibilities.
When finally set up it is a powerful monster.
I've gotta agree with Aquamail. I've tried a lot of email apps and stuck with this one. The developer regularly updates the app and responds to problems.
tiho5 said:
Best email app is AquaMail
Nothing much when you install it first. But once you experiment with its options you'll find an ocean of possibilities.
When finally set up it is a powerful monster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tel864 said:
I've gotta agree with Aquamail. I've tried a lot of email apps and stuck with this one. The developer regularly updates the app and responds to problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you both for the recommendation.
@Tel864 and @tiho5 when setting up Aquamail for the first time, do you use the connect feature for "Connet a Gmail account from the phone's Settings" or setup manual?
Curlypx said:
Do you have any app recommendations I could start with? Also, do you use the default google mail app, or is there a better one that I should use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's stuff I'm playing with at the moment
Gcam (grab from the s10 themes and apps forum)
Gboard keyboard, I used to use swiftkey
I haven't decided on Textra or the Google messages app yet
Fluid navigation gestures
Goodlock (using the task switcher and multitasking app)
Other stuff I suggest to check out
Nova launcher prime
Zooper or KWGT widgets
I use chrome beta as my browser, but I love kiwi. Id switch to kiwi of it would sync with my chrome stuff
The rabbit hole is insanely deep. You can get lost in the apps available here on xda alone. Install a bunch and delete a bunch. The fun part is whenever you get board with your phone, enough time will have passed for new stuff to come out. Keeps it interesting.
1. Bluemail - Playstore
2. Nicelock- Playstore
3. ES File Explorer- Playstore
4. Screen Lock- Playstore
5. GBInsta- Alternate Instagram with customised options- Google it
6. Tubemate- Customised YouTube- Google it
7. Fildo- Music- Google it
8. Navbar Apps- Playstore
9. Phone Info- Playstore
10.SMS Backup and Restore- Playstore
11.Zedge Ringtones- Playstore
12 Waze - Navigation- Playstore
13. Team Blackout APK- Google it. It's trusted. Will give you black Telegram etc.
14. XDA Labs
Sent from my Samsung SM-G975F using XDA Labs
ashishpmb said:
13. Team Blackout APK- Google it. It's trusted. Will give you black Telegram etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Black telegram? Telegram has a dark mode?
Does it also manage to blacken WhatsApp?
Hey there, you might want to check my guide for power optimisation basics, I didn't go in depth with specific apps since it really depends on user requirements/tastes and on date.
If you have doubts about two similar apps but can't decide just google a "A Vs B Reddit", it's the fastest way to hear honest reviews that aren't bought.
For basic phone functions, prioritize Samsung apps over Google ones unless the function is strictly related to a specific Google service such as Drive, I find Samsung apps to be way more polished and seamless than Google ones.

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