Database Users

[Q] Google Experience on a Vibrant?

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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.

Which launcher and why...

First of all, I should say, if this topic has already been discussed, then I apologise, and pelase just point me to the right direction. If not, let's get the discussion going!
I started this thread really for 2 reasons. One is to find out for myself (and hopefully for others) which launcher app is more suitable for my needs. And the second one is to have a discussion on the pro's and con's of the different launchers available.
For the GNote as a standard there is the TW launcher of course. I haven't seen any real shortcomings with it. I quite like it. it's clean, smooth and it works.
I am aware of three others: ADW, GO launcher, and launcher pro. I think ADW has a free and a pay version, and I assume the pay version has more features.
I haven't used any of the others on the GNote, and I never used the GO launcher. However, I did use ADW and LauncherPro both on my viewsonic Gtab. On that particular device I found launcher pro more suitable for my needs. Again, it was clean, simple and smooth.
I've never attempted using addons for either, and I am now becoming aware of the different ways to change icons, themes, etc. It'd be interesting to know what can be done with which launchers...

SS launcher
Why: cause it doesn't suck
Sorry, all I can write for now
From the Beast : Galaxy Note

If I'm not mistaken, only the stock TW Launcher has true hardware acceleration thanks to Samsung's work on it. Every other launcher should be software driven (i.e., CPU taxing).

Go Launcher Ex. I tried almost all popular ones and Go is just the best IMO. I can resize widgets, easily create folders and it's highly customizable.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

QQLauncher is the beat imho
Wysłane z mojego GT-N7000 za pomocą Tapatalk

ssLauncher
ssLauncher because:
It's truly different
It is completely configurable, down to the pixel
All widgets can be resized (although some get funny)
shortcuts can be of any style whatsoever (individually) making for a unique layout
It does not lag at all on my set-up (although transitions are a bit tricky to set up right)
You can have page names (the main thing I wanted)
It's truly different!

Nova Launcher!
Otherwise ADW, I like it's customizability. Never tried SS Launcher though.

If you use gb i think go launchr is optimal choice, but for ics nova is the fastest one
Sent from my GT-I9220 using XDA App

sprintuser1977 said:
SS launcher
Why: cause it doesn't suck
Sorry, all I can write for now
From the Beast : Galaxy Note
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow you are damn right. This app makes so much sense. very unique indeed.

I personally use now Go Launcher Ex-highly customizable etc...but I recommend you to have a look at the "Post your homescreen" threads where you'll see different types of homescreens and launchers by the users.
Another site which is quite good for this is mycolorscreen.com/ where you'll see different homescreens and normally the Widgets in use with the market link. So you'll be able to learn how to customize your screen on your own
tap*talked via GT-N7000 (GB.XXLA4)

Am I the only one who dislike multi pages launchers? On the Gnote this artifice is not necessary anymore, I just have ADW with only one screen and with some tuning I have enough room for my often used apps, two folders and a off off my kid. I even disabled auto rotate. On such a big screen landscape makes no sense for home screen and most apps but pictures and video.

guibog said:
Am I the only one who dislike multi pages launchers? On the Gnote this artifice is not necessary anymore, I just have ADW with only one screen and with some tuning I have enough room for my often used apps, two folders and a off off my kid. I even disabled auto rotate. On such a big screen landscape makes no sense for home screen and most apps but pictures and video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One word: Widgets!

I used to use ADW but it ha gotten too buggy, and it looks like it's not being developed anymore .
These days it's go launcher, but really it's just a place holder until I can load ICS, and the stock launcher
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

Am I the only one who thinks the none of the launchers are doing it right?
For all I know, TW launcher is the only launcher that uses hardware acceleration. It NEVER lags. Compared to other launchers, I'd stick with it. (I'm on RR v22, ICS for RR v1.6)
TW launcher on ICS for RR looks so much better than stock TW. It makes it bearable. Plus it doesn't lag.

VTL launcher 1.7.0 with left and right docks active, absolutly the more versatile one!
Inviato dal mio GT-N7000 usando Tapatalk

AA1973 said:
I personally use now Go Launcher Ex-highly customizable etc...but I recommend you to have a look at the "Post your homescreen" threads where you'll see different types of homescreens and launchers by the users.
Another site which is quite good for this is mycolorscreen.com where you'll see different homescreens and normally the Widgets in use with the market link. So you'll be able to learn how to customize your screen on your own
tap*talked via GT-N7000 (GB.XXLA4)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great site, thanks! Just opened it and found a great homescreen containing several widgets I've been literaly looking for and didn't know they exist. Can't post links yet unfortunately, but you can go have a look and see if it also catches your attention Its on a Note too!
guibog said:
Am I the only one who dislike multi pages launchers? On the Gnote this artifice is not necessary anymore, I just have ADW with only one screen and with some tuning I have enough room for my often used apps, two folders and a off off my kid. I even disabled auto rotate. On such a big screen landscape makes no sense for home screen and most apps but pictures and video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not that I dislike them, but I'm sure gonna go for as few as I can. Thinking about 2 or so, depends on how many widgets I'm actually gonna need. I don't like to keep scrolling to find what I want.

I installed several launchers and launcher modifiers. Most modifiers sucked. I think they put adware on my phone because once a day or so I get an advert pop up that is not from my provider (I recognise some new type of icons in the notification bar). I uninstalled the launcher modifiers very quickly so I forgot their names. I tried ADW, and so far decided to stick with launcher pro, as it gave me what I needed (customised icons for apps and dock). Anything else wasn't really of interest for me from a functional perspective.

Im using launcher pro on the chinese leak ICS and its so smooth its insane. It looks to be rendering in 60p while using a live wallpaper with absolutely no lag at all. I like the animations and options in it but it is getting a little dated and could do with an upgrade to add some more widgets and functionality.
This was fairly smooth on GB roms pretty much the same as TW launcher but on the ICS leak this flies
You can shrink and zoom all widgets in the paid version from 1x1 to full screen and this works well with nearly every widget I have tried. This is very useful when reducing DPI even though atm I am using the stock 320 incase it breaks something reducing this.
The TW launcher is so low for me when scrolling left and right even though its smooth it just moves across pretty slow, I like to get to where I want quick and launcher pro does this. I havent tried many other launchers lately but tried them all before and keep going back to launcher pro even though it hasnt been updated in a while.

@martcerv: So how is that ICS leak working out for you? Many seem to have problems of all sorts with it...

I have been using spb shell 3d in tablet mode with resizable widgets and for me its the best.
It displays 8 rows x 6 columns and is really suited to the Note. The labels maybe small for some, but not really needed.
For me its the best experience, its compatible with the ICS chainfire release and is very smooth and responsive.
I have adjusted dpi to 213 for better views in gmail etc, but this does not effect shell 3d. At 213 dpi you loose the top bar for some reason, but have put info onto homescreen, see pic
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Help understanding themes and launchers

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

[Q] Effect of different launcher on GS4 features?

What effect does using a different launcher have on the S4's features? If, for example, I used Nova Launcher, would I still have access to all the camera modes? The "touchless" actions? Would the phone seem faster, smoother?

RobertR3750 said:
What effect does using a different launcher have on the S4's features? If, for example, I used Nova Launcher, would I still have access to all the camera modes? The "touchless" actions? Would the phone seem faster, smoother?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, core functionality wont be affected. As long as you use stock gallery, the functions like hover to expand etc will remain unaffected and will work just fine.
Main thing with custom launcher is customisation. I can have 6x5 grid on home as well as app drawer. Have other custom gestures etc. And unlike other skins like Sense, the samsung widgets work fine with custom launcher as well. So you lose very little and gain a lot using custom launcher.
Nova is smooth. Haven't tried others.

Funkym0nkey said:
Yeah, core functionality wont be affected. As long as you use stock gallery, the functions like hover to expand etc will remain unaffected and will work just fine.
Main thing with custom launcher is customisation. I can have 6x5 grid on home as well as app drawer. Have other custom gestures etc. And unlike other skins like Sense, the samsung widgets work fine with custom launcher as well. So you lose very little and gain a lot using custom launcher.
Nova is smooth. Haven't tried others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much! I've been using Nova for quite some time with my HTC Sensation, and I love how it functions, the customization, etc.

I've been using Apex on mine for the past week, definitely an improvement on TouchWiz. As Funkym0nkey says, I think most (if not all) the Samsung widgets are working, certainly the email one and browser bookmarks are.

Nova launcher seems to work the best but as for unread badges Apex launcher seems to support more apps.
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This is my first android device ever, started off using nova launcher and loved it, the other day I bought action launcher it's perfect for the minimal look especially with its smart cover feature that adds an extra dimension to widgets.
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Launcher/Interface discussion.

I have been reading a lot of negative comments on the launcher in some of the reviews I have read and thought a discussion of features and quirks might be a good topic.
Personally I have been a TouchWiz fan for a while but lately I have been using Nova. I really like the Asus' customization abilities. If you are in the app drawer, you can click on the 3 vertical dots in the upper right of the screen. There you can change all sorts of characteristics of the drawer like grid size and folder icon options.
Anyone figure out how to change the icon grid for the home screen?

Personally, I use and recommend ActionLauncher 3. Best Lollipop launcher available, IMO! The QuickTheme feature is brilliant and the side drawer is faster than navigating through drawer pages.

Pretty sure the asus launcher doesn't allow changing the grid size.
Just got mine yesterday, but been using Google Launcher. Coming from a Nexus 5, and a Nexus 4 before that, it's what I'm used to. That being said, I'll probably switch to nova launcher, because there are a number of Asus apps you can't get rid of. So I'll use nova launcher to just hide the from the app drawer, and it will be like they don't exist!

nathan118 said:
Pretty sure the asus launcher doesn't allow changing the grid size.
Just got mine yesterday, but been using Google Launcher. Coming from a Nexus 5, and a Nexus 4 before that, it's what I'm used to. That being said, I'll probably switch to nova launcher, because there are a number of Asus apps you can't get rid of. So I'll use nova launcher to just hide the from the app drawer, and it will be like they don't exist!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been using Nova Launcher on all of my phones for along time.. Decided to try out Action Launcher 3 that rlaw recommended and after trying it out a bit, it just became my new launcher (paid the $5 for the plus version).
I really like the screen swipe to bring up the quick app list (instead of digging thru the app drawer) and the Shutter function in the paid version is really neat take on folders. It also has the ability to hide apps like nova launcher has..
I recommend checking it out, it has the best features in the plus paid version but IMO it's worth it to support apps that make my experience better :good:

I was using nova launcher prime up until I got this phone, and the only thing making me want to switch back is that I could have 6 apps in the dock on nova. On a screen this size, you'd think they'd let you do that.