Related
Well we need root for mostly everything people are requesting. I will list a few.
-Flash Light using camera led(s)
-Different Lockscreen
-720p Video recording
-Editing buttons to wake the phone up instead of just unlock button
-Changing the light/proximity senor sensitivity
-Apps2SD
-Different launcher/access to plain vanilla(removing sense)
I see threads everyday. Asking for something someone can do on a rooted phone. Until you see a HOW TO - Rooting the incredible...well nothing is going to be developed specifically to enhance the incredible.
I thought considering this is Verizons first superphone it may become popular and we will end up with a ton of tweens and 40 somethings that don't know much asking the same questions google or search could of answered.
I am sure I missed a ton but thats just off the top of my head.
I know this just adds one more to the clutter but maybe it will help.
Also the above things are not guaranteed to happen when root does BUT most of it can be done. With the help from custom .apks and scripts etc.
You mean, "What do YOU need root for?"
Rooting is no guarantee for all of the functionality you listed.
Where is this FAQ link?
i'd like to be able to unixy things like create hard links. do i need root for this...? when i tried to use a console app it said NO ROOT basically.
edit: nevermind i was being dumb you can do hard links sans root. just doesn't work from internal storage to sdcard . it says "link failed Cross-device link"
also need root for barnacle and overclocking
Honestly77 said:
Well we need root for mostly everything people are requesting. I will list a few.
-Flash Light using camera led(s)
-Different Lockscreen
-720p Video recording
-Editing buttons to wake the phone up instead of just unlock button
-Changing the light/proximity senor sensitivity
-Apps2SD
-Different launcher/access to plain vanilla(removing sense)
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If these are the reasons for rooting this phone I would not wasted my time and take a chance at bricking my phone for this.
I had a rooted G1 and loved it, but there was better reasons to root the G1 and this phone does everything my rooted G1 did.
I look forward to wireless tethering, had it on my g1 and my Droid. Sure there are alternatives like pdanet but always seems that I dont have a usb cord when I need it
yep, wireless tethering is the thing I mostly look for.
I want wifi access point internet sharing without having to pay for tethering. Already can do USB connection with information found here at XDA but enabling bluetooth and/or wifi would be awesome!
If those are your only reasons to root, I can save you a couple:
To get a different lockscreen, try out this app:
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.jackdoit.lockbot
The paid version gives a lot more customization options, but the free version is really good as well.
You also don't need rooting for a flashlight, just an app to be written. So far the only flashlight app for the Incredible (I am waiting for one as well) is $1 and only makes the screen turn white:
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.flashlight.htcincredibleflashlight
I am sure an LED flashlight app will be out soon (actually if the market is any indication a few will be out and some probably for free).
A Bluetooth stack that supports Serial Port Profile (SPP) so that I can connect my 5hz Bluetooth GPS!
- Custom ROMs
- Custom root-only apps
- More custom icons/sounds/themes
- Better tether options
- Access to utilize hardware features better
..just to name a few
Someone mentioned overclocking, but underclocking is also a desire to extend battery life.
Hi everyone. I just purchased my Droid X last week, and I'm having some migrating pains coming from Windows Mobile 6.5 (HTC Touch Pro 2, Mighty ROM) over to Android. I'm wondering if the fine folks here at XDA can help me ease into the Android OS a little easier.
Here are the things I miss most about WinMo, maybe you can tell me some viable alternatives.
1) The Dialer. - Skip the next 3 paragraphs if you're familiar with HTC Sense on WinMo.
The dialer absolutely sucks compared to the TP2. Having to click different tabs juts annoys me. In the TP2, the dialer and recent calls were displayed in a single window, so if I wanted to dial Steve, I had 2 ways of doing it.
The first way was to dial 7(S), 8(T). The phone would recognize I am spelling out Steve, and list everyone who fits the ST criteria sorted by most recently called. The more I spelled out his name, the narrower the results got.
The second method was to dial his number. Pretend Steve's number is (123) 456-7890. If I dialed 123, it would sort all contacts with numbers who matched the area code, and it would narrow the results as I typed more of his phone number.
I really hate having to tap between Contacts (there is a contacts soft button next to the dialer anyway), I would just click that if I wanted to from the beginning.
Are there any dialers out there closer to the HTC Dialer?
2) Contacts.
There has to be a better contact manager. Not being able to quickly tap a letter to get to contacts is really dumb.
3) Ninja Applications.
Why do I keep seeing applications running that I never started when I load Advance Task Killer. It's really annoying when I load up an App, and go to close it, and see Skype and CityID running when I never launched either of them. I'm almost afraid to set up AIM on my phone at this point.
4) GPS.
If I keep my GPS on, my battery gets killed. With my TP2, it would only use the GPS when it needed it, so for weather updates, and Google Maps, otherwise it stayed off (or was in a suspend state). I turned the GPS on my first day and had 0 battery by around 2 (left the house at 8). Is there any way to set the GPS to only be used, as needed?
5) APPLICATIONS EVERYWHERE.
Is there anyway to sort these into folders? Also, is there anyway to add an X to the application so I can close it when I'm done with it rather than having to launch an App just to close the App I just used?
I really liked the Sense way of doing it, where I had an X in the Application, and a drop down on the home screen that would list the open Apps so I could close them 1 at a time.
6) MotoBlur.
Ugh, I really hate this UI. Has anyone had any experience with SenseX?
7) Custom Roms.
I've seen a handful of Custom ROMs, and I'm planning on putting one on when I have some time next week. I need a good way to backup contacts, after I just spent an hour linking everyone, but I'd like to know if there is a decent Apples to Apples comparison of the ROMs. They don't seem to be outlines as detailed as I'm used to.
On this topic, are there any problems setting up things like MMS once you install a Custom ROM? It was a nightmare on the TP2, but those ROMs were also made for multiple carriers, which isn't a problem with this phone, so I imagine it shouldn't be an issue.
----------------------------------
Thank you for taking the time to read this wall of text.
Other than the 7 things listed, I love the phone. Finding MortPlayer for Droid made my day. I'm looking forward to unlocking it's true potential, and I hope my list isn't a bunch of things I'm just going to have to adjust to.
Thank you again, have a great day.
EDIT:
Also, it's really annoying that every time I connect my phone to my PC, it launches a Verizon web site. Is there anyway to disable this?
Ok... I will take a stab at this.
FIRST, You DO NOT have to settle for the apps that come preinstalled on your phone! Just had to clear that up... Ok, here we go:
Check an app called "Dialer One" and see if that fits your needs... I haven't used it in a while... but heard it still a great replacement for the stock dialer.
Searching for a better Contact Manager is on my To-Do list.. hope someone comes in and help out a little more with that one
Don't worry about the "ninja" apps TOO much. Android Froyo has an amazing task manager and even though you SEE the apps as "running applications", they are not really RUNNING. They are more like... in a queue.. so they are ready for whenever you come back to them....but you still have to watch what the apps are doing. Some do not play nicely and hog memory. I'll link a good post here in a minute explaining that a little better.
There is a widget that can help you out here.. it's called "Power Control" put that bad boy on your homescreen and the option to turn on/off wifi, bluetooth, gps, etc is at your fingertips (for even more controls... check out "Extended Controls" in the market. It cost like $1 and some change)
I'm... not really following this one. For one.. you CAN use folders on your homescreen and put whatever your heart desires in them.. and label it accordingly. I'm not sure what you mean by the "X" in the app
SenseX?? What is that?? Anyway.. as you will find out soon, 99% of the Droid X community despise MotoBlur!! You can use a different Home Launcher and not use Blur. Two of the major Home Launcher replacements are Adw.launcher & LauncherPro... which one is better is a whole different story. They are both great and only YOU can choose which one is best. There many threads comparing them and they run neck to neck mostly. I'm on LauncherPro personally
Custom Roms?? Eh.. I personally do my own developments and theming on my phone and do not use them... there not really all what they cracked up to be because whatever they have on them... I can do myself. So I'm not much of an help on that one... Somebody else maybe will chime in.
P.S-To fix the Verizon thing, go to the "M" in the taskbar at the bottom of your screen by the clock on your PC and right click it.. there should be an option saying to tell it to NOT send you to the Verizon site when you connect your phone. I don't know the EXACT wording of the option menu.. I'm on a mac
Thank you for your reply.
I will check out the Dialer. Thank you very much.
Darn!
A friend of mine told me that, but it's hard for me to not be a bit OCD about background Applications. I've been a Windows user most of my life, and coming from WinMo, background apps really kill performance.
More than anything, my issue is with things like Skype loading when I do not want to be signed in. I want auto-login when I launch the Application, but I don't want the application loading when it feels like it, and me getting a random IM or call from someone when I didn't even tell it to log in.
It also bothers me that Amazon MP3, something I've never even loaded, has turned itself on. It makes me feel like I don't have control over my phone.
I do have a widget that lets me turn these things on and off, I was just hoping for a way to set it up so that the GPS is "pinged" and only used as needed, and turned back off. My TP2 did this, and was a great battery saver. Having to turn the GPS on and off just to get a weather update based on location is a bit annoying.
I didn't mean on the home-screen, I meant in the application list. So when I hit the application list, I can sort them by "Games", "Google", etc.
For the "X", what I mean is in reference to closing an App. In WinMo, the top right of the screen had an X, and if I touched that X, the app would close. Now, once I exit the App, I need to use an application killer to close said App.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=764840
Looks like Sense for the Droid X. In Beta now, so I'm waiting for a stable release.
Really, it's just to get rid of bloatware and take advantage of some performance optimizations that have been made.
A couple of other things that have come up.
I need a better keyboard. One with arrows so I can navigate text. Touching isn't precise enough, and I don't have a stylus with this phone. Today I voiced a text message, and I went to correct an error, but I couldn't get the curse to go in the exact spot I needed it to go into. My old OSK had arrow soft-keys I could tap to navigate with.
Also, I notice when I pull my phone out of the leather pouch I have, when I hit the power button it comes up in landscape, and the accelerometer doesn't pick up on the turn. I need to turn the screen off and turn it back on.
Finally, I'm having extender issues, but I think I need to call VZW for that. When leaving my house, I can't reconnect to Data without a power-cycle.
Thank you for the reply.
my .02
3. Break yourself from the taskiller need. If you have programs allways running that you dont need, ie skype or city id. Root and delete those SOB's. you can look around and there are plenty of articles of why not to use them. Android is a linux based os. Linux is far supirior to Win in memeory management. You dont need task killers.
4. if your gps is turned on its not always running. It only runs when needed. Is by chance your wifi on? that will run all the time by searching for access points. if not you might have maps running, make sure to always back out of maps and not just hit home. That way it closes and doesnt just run in background. (actually goes for most apps)
5 organization- you cant sort the app drawer, you can hide apps (just the icons) using launcher pro, not sure if ADW has that option. Useing folders or the app "app manager" is your best bet
extra. swype has arrows. swype from the swype icon to abc and it will bring up a new keyboard.
I came from winmo- so I know all about your "X" pains. But I say forget about a task killer or even killing tasks (except maybe maps and navigation). I did a little reading about pros and cons and decided to try the "no task killer" approach. I haven't had any problems. the task killer is a pain anyways. you can kill apps all day long and there are a bunch of them that are just going to repopulate themselves in like 5 minutes. I just said, "fegetaboutit". My phone runs great.
if you open the dialer and are on the contacts tab just long press the menu button (the physical button) and your keyboard will pop up. start typing and contacts will appear.
I like "Zeam Launcher". There is a thread here on XDA. I have Launcher Pro+ -but actually liked Zeam so much I use it. Just different preferences though.
that's all i got for now.
Thank you for your replies.
I will try to be a bit less OCD regarding my tasks. I did kill a couple of services of applications that kept starting, like Skype.
I'll check out those launchers and see if I like them better.
Any good stock widgets?
EDIT:
So I just tried to check my location on Google Maps with GPS turned off, and it says I need to turn it on.
How do I set it up to use the GPS as needed?
I leave location services on (GPS)
My theory is that applications will only enable GPS when they need them, so if you have a application running that wants GPS, it will use it.
The GPS icon appears in the notification bar when I'm using something that is using GPS, so I assume its only actually on when this icon is present. Leave it on in settings just makes is available.
Any widget or application that has a setting for manual location (Weather, IMDB) I use it, and disable GPS location, to keep GPS from running all of the time.
To exit an app you are using, either hit the back button or the home button.
If you are worried about "ninja" apps using cpu and memory, you can try a minfree adjustment application such as AutoKiller Memory Optimizer. It fine tunes android's inner memory manager to be a bit more aggressive in closing applications.
I use another Rom (rubiX, link in sig) that already has minfree adjusted (according to the author) and it does help in keeping the X smooth. It also removes all (well most) of Blur and default installed apps as well, so you start with a very clean X.
The default home screen (blur) is crap. I would also suggest replacing it with LauncherPro or ADW
For removing the pre-installed applications. Follow this guide
http://www.droidxforums.com/forum/d...ta-3-ways-super-easy-safe-safe-easy-free.html
Some apps in /system/app/ are not named what they are
(IE. mynet.apk = 3g Hotspot)
For a keyboard anywhere, you can hold the menu button, and it will pop up.
Swype is really a few keyboards. Swype from the icon to the SYM button, it will give you the edit panel (arrows, home, end, copy, paste, etc...) press the ABC button to go back.
Swype from the icon to the f key, it will turn into a number pad. Press the ABC button to go back to the normal keyboard.
Run the tutorial on Swype too, it will give you some very nice pointers on it's use. I used Swype on windows mobile and I found out a few things about Swype I never knew.
Also, as for touching where your cursor is in a text field, if you press and hold, and magnifying bubble will pop up. This makes moving the cursor easier
Did you find a dialer yet? I saw these posted and thought about this thread...
http://www.appbrain.com/app/kz.mek.DialerOne
http://www.appbrain.com/app/acontacts/kz.mek.aContacts
Haven't had a chance to try them yet.
bad4u6669 said:
.... swype has arrows. swype from the swype icon to abc and it will bring up a new keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG. thanks. been loving swype but that has been driving me nuts. Thanks for the info.
Thank you for the replies.
One of the things I liked about my TP2, is I could leave location services on, and it used very little battery.
I guess Weather Bug just SUCKS battery out like crazy. I turned on the GPS last night for something, and decided to see how well it did with battery today. It turns out that some grocery shopping app I wanted to try was sucking my GPS dry (no idea why)... yet another "ninja app" that just started up because it felt like it (this kind of **** really makes me , programs should only start up when I tell them to, not when a component of my phone turns on).
I live in an apartment that has really bad signal (I actually have a Network Extender), so that might be my GPS constantly trying to update when I'm at home killing my battery.
WeatherBug is set to update every hour, so I'm going to see what happens tomorrow with the GPS turned on. It would be nice if I could just set it and forget it, not need to turn it off every time I come home.
Thank you for the contact program, I might check it out. I've been pretty content since I got DialerOne and found out I can get the keyboard up by holding the options.
I tried LauncherPro, and I LOVED it at first, and my phones performance was fantastic!
Then I found out it charges me to resize widgets... WTF is that crap?
I'm going to try some other launchers and see what happens. I'm getting the hang of it, but I still do not like things starting up on their own. Regardless of memory management, my phone should not just decide to boot up programs on it's own.
the phone only does what the app or the user tells it to do. If theirs an app that you don't like, delete it.
And complaining that launcher pro charges for every thing it offers is ridiculous. Every thing it offers for free already ( 7 home screens, 10 rows and columns, unreal speed improvement, etc. ) then to get the extras its less than most people throw away on a daily basis. Where as this three dollars its money that pays off on a daily basis
Adw and lp should be paid apps from the start for all they offer.
You have 3 options, write your own program, use the stock launcher, find a free one.
-end rant
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
I usually leave my location setting on "Use Wireless Networks" and don't bother with GPS other than for maps and navigation. Works fine for all of my other apps that need a location (e.g., weather).
There are apps out there that can turn GPS on and off automatically when you run a particular app, such as Tasker (which can do a whole host of things, but that is one one of them). Tasker is a paid app, but there might be something free out there that does something similar.
Also, I agree with the previous poster re: Launcher Pro. It's really a fantastic home launcher and well worth a few bucks to support the developer. The LP Plus widgets are also a lot better than any of the Blur widgets.
In the end, I probably will buy it, but I'm going to play around with some of the free ones first.
Tasker sounds like it might be worth it for that feature alone (being able to turn the GPS on and off at will). I'm just surprised a feature like this wasn't built in to begin with, considering WinMo has had it for years.
On an unrelated note, can anyone recommend a good media player? I'm going to be flying soon and want to test the battery out on Airplane mode while watching a movie from the SD card. I need something that can decode a variety of formats, mostly XviD for stuff like digital movie copies and TV shows.
EtherBoo said:
In the end, I probably will buy it, but I'm going to play around with some of the free ones first.
Tasker sounds like it might be worth it for that feature alone (being able to turn the GPS on and off at will). I'm just surprised a feature like this wasn't built in to begin with, considering WinMo has had it for years.
On an unrelated note, can anyone recommend a good media player? I'm going to be flying soon and want to test the battery out on Airplane mode while watching a movie from the SD card. I need something that can decode a variety of formats, mostly XviD for stuff like digital movie copies and TV shows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to look into RockPlayer. That's the only one I found so far that decodes ALMOST anything on the spot.
The "Ninja Applications" are running because Android is a true multi tasking OS.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
I hope necromancy isn't frowned upon on this board, so my apologies if it is.
I found a new problem because I had the nerve to attempt to update a contact photo after Facebook had saved it's picture to it.
This is especially frustrating because I'm going to want to override a lot of these photos very soon.
Apparently, updating the photo updates the Google Contact photo, but the phone only displays the Facebook photo. This is a bug confirmed by Moto that will be fixed in a future update.
This leaves me with 2 options.
De-Sync FB, which I'm not thrilled about only because I like getting the most recent status update prior to receiving a call, and There is a lot of info that FB fills in for me.
Copy down all the FB info, and fill it in manually. With Google Contacts not being the best contact manager (I'm very OCD about uniformity in the way things are formatted), I really don't want to do this.
So I figure I need a new contact manager. I tried AContacts, and it crashed every time I tried to edit a contact.
I would love something like the HTC one that comes with WinMo, or maybe even the iPhone one.
I would be willing to pay for this.
P.S.
I'm now rooted and running a custom ROM (zapX I think it's called). I'm loving my phone much more now. My battery life has skyrocketed, and my performance is amazing now. Very iPhone smooth (one thing I was always jealous of, and I hate the iPhone).
Hi there,
my dad sold his iPhone 3GS for a Samsung Galaxy S i9000. Coming from an iPhone, I first had to show him the amazing richness of possibilities you have on Android compared to an iPhone and after he overcame his old knowledge of "one button, one app", he was quite pleased with some of Androids merits. However, all in all, he's missing some important features he used to have on his iPhone and he has some problems:
A) Most important of all, pretty much a deal breaker if he can't get it fixed soon: SIP. We tried several different clients, and for example we even tried the latest (non-market) version of csipsimple and we found bug reports for the Galaxy S and adjusted the mic/speaker volumes accordingly but it's still really bad: For local calls the quality is reasonable. It's a bit stuttery at times but people can talk. It's much worse than on his iPhone though. But what's really annoying him is the fact that calls to foreign countries are a no-go. The added quality drop to long distance calls make it very hard for the other party to hear him (All over wifi btw). Please, does anyone know a sure-fix, exact-settings-listing for some SIP app for Android?
B) Also a very important thing to him is a calendar. But both the Samsung calendar as well as the original Android one don't have a good week-view. The original one doesn't have one, the Samsung one doesn't show titles on tasks. I find it ludicrous, it's just boxes without titles... Ideally, he wishes to have a week view similar to what I have on my N900:
Sorry, can't embed the image because I'm a new user:
h t t p ://login.icu.uzh.ch/~archer/Screenshot-20101116-182459.png
There's more but especially the SIP is really bugging him. He absolutely needs it to work reliably or he'll need to sell the device.
Thanks.
TB2 said:
Hi there,
B) Also a very important thing to him is a calendar. But both the Samsung calendar as well as the original Android one don't have a good week-view.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Try Calendar Pad from the market in week view
What exactly is SIP? According to wiki, it's just a voice over internet protocol. Can you not use skype?
my wifi signal on 2.1 and 2.2 are the same. cellphones are not the same as laptop that has higher power to transmit data far away and and large space for antennas for receiving signal. if you look at wifi routers they got huge antennas. i don't think you can fit that in a phone.
i read a few months ago that iphone has problems on signal bcause of bad design : )
if you want software you've got a lot of choices in the market.
Try Sipdroid.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/sipdroid-voip-video-calling/org.sipdroid.sipua
all off topic comments trashed
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=9283203
Um... Poor daddy? Sorry cheeky I know but sgs is for people who like to tinker and find cool mods even simple apps like the plethora of gre calendar apps he could use right now. Seasoned iphone users especially of the older generation often don't get, the nerdy thrill that we do with the customisations and work necessary to fully realise the potential of sgs and andriod in general
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
TB2 said:
Hi there,
...................
A) Most important of all, pretty much a deal breaker if he can't get it fixed soon: SIP. We tried several different clients, and for example we even tried the latest (non-market) version of csipsimple and we found bug reports for the Galaxy S and adjusted the mic/speaker volumes accordingly but it's still really bad: For local calls the quality is reasonable. It's a bit stuttery at times but people can talk. It's much worse than on his iPhone though. But what's really annoying him is the fact that calls to foreign countries are a no-go. The added quality drop to long distance calls make it very hard for the other party to hear him (All over wifi btw). Please, does anyone know a sure-fix, exact-settings-listing for some SIP app for Android?
......................
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Sipdroid and VYKE as SIP provider. No echo, no cutting and only 30 seconds to set up. Can use WiFi or 3G. I do not use any PBXes.
the latest custom ROMs are really showing Pro
and performances are very quick
I'll recomend installing the DOC's ROM for SGS and use SipDroid for the voice chat
there are tons of Calendar options in the market, just take your time to review which one you like best
TB2 said:
Hi there,
..................
B) Also a very important thing to him is a calendar. But both the Samsung calendar as well as the original Android one don't have a good week-view. The original one doesn't have one, the Samsung one doesn't show titles on tasks. I find it ludicrous, it's just boxes without titles...
..............
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Egg 'n stone CalWidget. You can customice as You like. Size the Widget 4x1, 4x2, 4x3, 4x4......, choose a calander to view (MyCalendar, Google Calender.....), how long time ahead, layout and colors as You like, transparancy, and it's free.
I guess if Your father is a former iPhone user, he does not know how a widget work, try to explain to him.
Allright thanks everyone for the suggestions!
Dad's pleased with CalendarPad. Nice overview and the widget does a good job as well.
We installed sipdroid today and for local calls it seems to work well. Will check soon if we have the same problems as with csipsimple regarding long distance calls.
By the way... What is it with the "want an iphone, get an iphone" attitude in this forum. I clearly mentioned that he likes some of Android's merits and I asked two specific questions which I think I can expect from any modern smartphone, not just the iphone (working SIP and flexible calendar), the second of which btw is a downside of the iPhone because of all the sandboxing going on on an iphone. Anyway, you seem to be pretty quick on the "it's an iphone-loser" button.
Anyway, I've got a third and fourth question:
C) Is it normal that the battery lasts about 1.5 days with no IM or SIP services running? Only a calendar and the shipped-with weather widget. Is there some hack to improve battery life beyond just turning all the features off?
D) He's having serious stability issues at times. It happens that the device freezes when plugging it into USB or at different random times. At those times, the button lights would stay on with the screen being black. Long-pressing the power button fixes it. At different times it's a bit jerky. For example you would unlock the screen (gesture code) but then the screen would remain black for a few seconds and maybe the lock screen would show up again. Is this normal on android in general or has it to do with what Samsung pushed into its distro? Btw his mobile is branded by Orange and ships with some additional crap. Could this cause the problem? What's the easiest way of getting a fresh and simple Samsung or pure Android distro on it? I see there are lots of "mods", but I think we don't need any sort of mod, just a plain and stable OS.
Thanks.
To improve battery life, try turning off "Wireless location" in settings. However the battery life, even with various optimizations, is nowhere as good as iPhone 4.
The delays and stuttering you are experiencing is probably due to file system lag. Samsung uses RFS which is their own version of file system based on FAT32. Unfortunately that causes the phone to lag from time to time, usually when opening new applications or performing multiple I/O tasks. This can be fixed by installing one of the many lag fixes available. I use "One click lag fix" which you can download from the Market, but you will need to root the phone to apply it. There are several other alternatives which you can find in the "Development" forum.
Jamm59 said:
Try Egg 'n stone CalWidget. You can customice as You like. Size the Widget 4x1, 4x2, 4x3, 4x4......, choose a calander to view (MyCalendar, Google Calender.....), how long time ahead, layout and colors as You like, transparancy, and it's free.
I guess if Your father is a former iPhone user, he does not know how a widget work, try to explain to him.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What exactly is google calendar, cant find it in the market. It would be great to have a calendar sync with my google account like my contacts as I've missed a couple of appointments when switching to a new phone and having no backup on calendar...
TB2 said:
Allright thanks everyone for the suggestions!
By the way... What is it with the "want an iphone, get an iphone" attitude in this forum.
C) Is it normal that the battery lasts about 1.5 days with no IM or SIP services running? Only a calendar and the shipped-with weather widget. Is there some hack to improve battery life beyond just turning all the features off?
D) He's having serious stability issues at times.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, glad CalenderPad worked out for your dad.
At times, android lovers seem to suffer from the Calimero effect
Your battery life could be a bit better, but not much. 1,5 days is considered normal, most of us have the goal to get through a full working day (and tinkering evening...) with one charge.
The stability issues are 90% Samsungs fault, because they did a less than perfect job on the software. HTC does a better job out of the box software wise. Indeed, a lagfix will most probably cure the symptoms, i have good experience with the Voodoo Lagfix. Instructions are easy, and can be found at project-voodoo.org.
To get rid of the Orange branding, you could flash an unbranded stock Samsung Rom from samfirmware.com (Link, you need to create an account for the link to work). The first time i flashed a ROM, it was nerving. But as long as you know how to get into recovery mode (and checked that Recovery Mode is available!) you should be fine. Just remember to disable/revert any lagfixes before flashing another ROM or Kernel to be safe.
A genuine question - we get 4.4.2 so whats so great ?
Looking at wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history#Android_4.1_Jelly_Bean_.28API_level_16.29 I'm seeing some optimisation, camera UI and multi-user profiles, sure also less susceptible to viruses but did I miss anything major ? Am I wrong to think that the biggest change might be whatever Samsung add on the top ?
Here's a list of what changed on the note 2 with 4.3 now our device is very similar to the note 2 and there will be even more features/fixes added with 4.4.2.
- GALAXY GEAR Support
- TRIM Support (Makes the device much faster)
- Samsung KNOX
- Samsung Wallet (Pre-loaded)
- ANT+ Support
- Improved TouchWiz Launcher (Much less launcher redraws and less lag)
- Better RAM management
- Core UI elements updated to the ones on the Galaxy S4 (Galaxy S4′s theme all over)
- New Samsung Keyboard
- GPU drivers have been updated (Higher GPU benchmark scores)
- New Lockscreen: Multiple Widgets, improved ripple effect than Android 4.1.2, ability to change clock size and set a personal message
- New screen modes (From S4): Adapt Display and Professional Photo
- Daydream
- Driving mode
- Actionable notifications
- Move-to-SD-card feature
- New Camera mode : Sound and Shot
- New Additions in Notification Centre
- Completely revamped Settings UI (Tabbed interface – Exactly like the Galaxy S4)
- Implementation of Voice controls (Let’s you control various parts of the phone using voice commands – Galaxy S4 feature)
- New Samsung Apps: Browser, Calculator, Clock, Contacts, Gallery, Music
- Full screen Samsung apps
- New S-Voice (from Galaxy S4)
- Samsung Wallet comes pre-loaded
- Minor UI tweaks (Contacts app, Flashlight Widget, dialog boxes etc)
- Android 4.3 features – widget lockscreen, daydream
Trim is already there... But support for smart extension apps - most of them use API-level we don't yet have and that's why those apps wont work on our 4.1.2. Biggest thing is to get the device work with smart accessories well and use the full potential they have.
will all this be available to the wi fi models?
elzeus said:
Here's a list of what changed on the note 2 with 4.3 now our device is very similar to the note 2 and there will be even more features/fixes added with 4.4.2.
- GALAXY GEAR Support
- TRIM Support (Makes the device much faster)
- Samsung KNOX
- Samsung Wallet (Pre-loaded)
- ANT+ Support
- Improved TouchWiz Launcher (Much less launcher redraws and less lag)
- Better RAM management
- Core UI elements updated to the ones on the Galaxy S4 (Galaxy S4′s theme all over)
- New Samsung Keyboard
- GPU drivers have been updated (Higher GPU benchmark scores)
- New Lockscreen: Multiple Widgets, improved ripple effect than Android 4.1.2, ability to change clock size and set a personal message
- New screen modes (From S4): Adapt Display and Professional Photo
- Daydream
- Driving mode
- Actionable notifications
- Move-to-SD-card feature
- New Camera mode : Sound and Shot
- New Additions in Notification Centre
- Completely revamped Settings UI (Tabbed interface – Exactly like the Galaxy S4)
- Implementation of Voice controls (Let’s you control various parts of the phone using voice commands – Galaxy S4 feature)
- New Samsung Apps: Browser, Calculator, Clock, Contacts, Gallery, Music
- Full screen Samsung apps
- New S-Voice (from Galaxy S4)
- Samsung Wallet comes pre-loaded
- Minor UI tweaks (Contacts app, Flashlight Widget, dialog boxes etc)
- Android 4.3 features – widget lockscreen, daydream
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read that all will be made available thru the different carriers.
Yeah...I noticed a lot of excitement about the 4.4 update. Like some not-so-tech-savvy folks, I'm afraid that updates could break more than they fix. I didn't even upgrade from 4.1.1 to 4.1.2, even though my father really wanted to update it for me - now I won't let him touch it. xD I don't want Samsung to add any new "bloatware" or extra apps I don't want and can't uninstall. I've used my mother's Note 3, and I don't like the different outlay of things. I don't use my tablet as a phone at all, so any updates to do with that are irrelevant to me.
Though my tablet hardly lags, the only benefit I could get from an update is if it made everything run even faster and more smoothly. Oh, and if the notification bar were moved to the top of the screen like on the 2014 Note 10.1, so I don't need to keep accidentally hitting it when I draw. All in all, though, I highly doubt I would install this update even if it became available to me.
MissStreelight said:
Yeah...I noticed a lot of excitement about the 4.4 update. Like some not-so-tech-savvy folks, I'm afraid that updates could break more than they fix. I didn't even upgrade from 4.1.1 to 4.1.2, even though my father really wanted to update it for me - now I won't let him touch it. xD I don't want Samsung to add any new "bloatware" or extra apps I don't want and can't uninstall. I've used my mother's Note 3, and I don't like the different outlay of things. I don't use my tablet as a phone at all, so any updates to do with that are irrelevant to me.
Though my tablet hardly lags, the only benefit I could get from an update is if it made everything run even faster and more smoothly. Oh, and if the notification bar were moved to the top of the screen like on the 2014 Note 10.1, so I don't need to keep accidentally hitting it when I draw. All in all, though, I highly doubt I would install this update even if it became available to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ever heard about root? I'm pretty sure that all the "so-tech-savvy-folk" are having root on their tablets, and if not, they don't complain about bloatwares or other things. With the right apps, you can uninstall all these apps, install tweaks or other superb apps like Adblocker or something. You can even change the notification bar if you want. A new update is always good and I think everyone should have the opportunity to test it. And if you don't like it, there is still a chance to go back to 4.1.1 or an older firmware. And please don't tell me this all is complicated, there are a lot of great tutorials here on xda and a great community who are ready to help anyone.
I'm really impatient for this update and I will welcome all of samsung's bloatware with little friend titanium backup ^^
Simply the fact 4.4 finally adds some proper support for printers is reason enough for me to stick to cm-11, even though tethering does not work in the current build for my LTE note.
I might go back to stock once Samsung releases this, so I can have everything working again without losing the new features.
19bjk03 said:
Ever heard about root? I'm pretty sure that all the "so-tech-savvy-folk" are having root on their tablets, and if not, they don't complain about bloatwares or other things. With the right apps, you can uninstall all these apps, install tweaks or other superb apps like Adblocker or something. You can even change the notification bar if you want. A new update is always good and I think everyone should have the opportunity to test it. And if you don't like it, there is still a chance to go back to 4.1.1 or an older firmware. And please don't tell me this all is complicated, there are a lot of great tutorials here on xda and a great community who are ready to help anyone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard about root, but no, I like my device the way it is. I didn't complain about having bloatware now, only that I was afraid there would be bloatware AFTER the update, like I heard some people had extra apps installed on their devices after an update that they said didn't change much else. Thank you for being informative, however.
Also, I never said nor was it ever my intention to imply that other people shouldn't have the opportunity to test it. In fact, I think it's great that folks are getting what they've wanted for so long. I was merely expressing my opinion about not wanting updates, which I have as much right to state as anyone who does want their updates.
Exactly what I did when I bought two of these (2012 version) sometime ago. I rooted mine and with Titanium I froze all the bloatware apps. You don't need to be rooted to disable bloatware... Just go to your application manager and disable your apps from there. You should be able to disable most of them. Probably all bloatware, but I don't do it that way so I can't confirm. Still, I always root just because I like installing Titanium, Root Explorer, Xposed Installer, AdAway, etc. Also install a custom recovery so I can backup my image and be able to restore if anything happens.
The device has been rock solid since I got it and I use it daily. The only way I wouldn't upgrade to KitKat is if it came with a locked bootloader. Even then that wouldn't exactly be a showstopper as i don't really play with custom kernels on it. I save that for other devices and computers I use and own. I also wouldn't necessarily expect that on a Wifi only device.
Sent from my Galaxy S4
The biggest thing for me is native apps 2 sd support. I have my 16gb tablet loaded with apps using the storage swap script however it's not perfect as those who use it know, at some point you get a low space warning even when you have plenty of space left. I hope this would no longer be an issue when not running this script.
If you don't care about the update, then don't update the tablet, simple as that. On the other hand, I'm very excited. A lot of things have changed with android between 4.1 and 4.4 and it's a much smoother experience.
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
lost disk space fix
PsycloneTW said:
The biggest thing for me is native apps 2 sd support. I have my 16gb tablet loaded with apps using the storage swap script however it's not perfect as those who use it know, at some point you get a low space warning even when you have plenty of space left. I hope this would no longer be an issue when not running this script.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First sorry for off topic. but this should help you
The low disk usage warning can be fixed..
download a app called disk usage from play store. It will show you Exactly where your data has gone. The data (GHOSTE DATA) is likely a app you use a LOT. look for cache files that are large.
Once you find the app with large amounts of cache. Go to settings / Applications/ FIND THE APP That is the issue. Clear its cache files as needed.
GOOGLE + Seems to be the one that Gives us the most troubles.. But its a app we use a lot. others like maps facebook apps and so on can do the same..
Good Luck.. :good:
MissStreelight said:
Yeah...I noticed a lot of excitement about the 4.4 update. Like some not-so-tech-savvy folks, I'm afraid that updates could break more than they fix. I didn't even upgrade from 4.1.1 to 4.1.2, even though my father really wanted to update it for me - now I won't let him touch it. xD I don't want Samsung to add any new "bloatware" or extra apps I don't want and can't uninstall. I've used my mother's Note 3, and I don't like the different outlay of things. I don't use my tablet as a phone at all, so any updates to do with that are irrelevant to me.
Though my tablet hardly lags, the only benefit I could get from an update is if it made everything run even faster and more smoothly. Oh, and if the notification bar were moved to the top of the screen like on the 2014 Note 10.1, so I don't need to keep accidentally hitting it when I draw. All in all, though, I highly doubt I would install this update even if it became available to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A custom rom with supercharge scripts would give you all the smoothie goodness you ever wanted. And you can put it on stock too!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=18703418&postcount=5021
good luck!
Coming from a moto x gen 1, my last touvhwiz experience was GS3, ready for a phablet if it comes with great screen, camera, and battery. Trying to decide between this and N6, wanted to know:
I remember having issues where even when you disabled some things in touchwiz, they still took the default actions for certain things and "lingered." I can't remember the specifics, but I do know that I would like to NOT use S voice and would rather use google for all of the voice command stuff. Is the voice command experience the same as a nexus when you disable the touchwiz stuff?
Along these lines, if you disable S Voice, does google's touchless control "OK Google" command work? What about if you use thee voice control button from a Bluetooth headset, does that bring up google now or something else?
is it possible to completely disable the native touchwiz apps, such as calendar, etc? replace the phone dialer? contacts? I've read that even if you disable the touchwiz calendar, clicking on a meeting invite still brings it up...
If you install a different launcher, like the google now launcher or nova, do you lose the ability to switch to one handed mode with the side swipe in and out motion? Also if you use the google now launcher does the s pen still work the same way? Like when you pull it out?
Have you found less of a need too use a tablet with such a big screen on your phone?
One more, how has your experience been with GPS? I remember having all kinds of issues in my gs3, never issues with my Motorola phones, I rely on GPS heavily for my job.
Thanks!!!
pchoi94 said:
Coming from a moto x gen 1, my last touvhwiz experience was GS3, ready for a phablet if it comes with great screen, camera, and battery. Trying to decide between this and N6, wanted to know:
I remember having issues where even when you disabled some things in touchwiz, they still took the default actions for certain things and "lingered." I can't remember the specifics, but I do know that I would like to NOT use S voice and would rather use google for all of the voice command stuff. Is the voice command experience the same as a nexus when you disable the touchwiz stuff?
Along these lines, if you disable S Voice, does google's touchless control "OK Google" command work? What about if you use thee voice control button from a Bluetooth headset, does that bring up google now or something else?
is it possible to completely disable the native touchwiz apps, such as calendar, etc? replace the phone dialer? contacts? I've read that even if you disable the touchwiz calendar, clicking on a meeting invite still brings it up...
If you install a different launcher, like the google now launcher or nova, do you lose the ability to switch to one handed mode with the side swipe in and out motion? Also if you use the google now launcher does the s pen still work the same way? Like when you pull it out?
Have you found less of a need too use a tablet with such a big screen on your phone?
One more, how has your experience been with GPS? I remember having all kinds of issues in my gs3, never issues with my Motorola phones, I rely on GPS heavily for my job.
Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I can answer some of those for you... like you, I was torn between this and the nexus 6.... decided on getting both, with the note 4 being first. Have since decided to not even get the nexus.... at least for now
1: I hate s voice too, and far prefer the "Ok Google" stuff I've been used to from my nexus 5. I use the google now launcher, have have not gotten anything other than a nexus like performance in that regard. I get the "Ok Google" command working from any screen (with language set to US English) With that said. I did "freeze" S Voice with titainum backup, completely disabling it.... and that caused me problems. The first and only major one I noticed, that caused me to unfreeze it, is that the front camera doesnt work if s voice is totally disabled!!
2: I don't know about the bluetooth headset thing
3: As above, I've experienced problems when trying to completely disable the touchwiz things. But, as long as I leave them alone, and use my preferred aps, the touchwiz stuff leaves me alone too... I dont find it getting in my way at all.
4: I dont know about the 1 handed mode thing. I use my phone one handed just fine without a special mode... I dont wanna go playing there. The Spen, with the google launcher works just as it does with the touchwiz launcher
5: I sold my galaxy tab s 8,4.... I can see myself with a larger, 12" tablet in the future maybe.... meh, I don't know
6: GPS so far seems more reliable and faster than my nexus 5..... would probably still be even better on a motorolla, but certainly not exactly a problem
Thanks for the quick reply!
Can anyone else weigh in on the GPS thing? This is a deal breaker for me. I remember my GS3 working fine when I first got it, then getting worse over time, then getting to a point where it was mostly not working and once in a while working, as if a wire was loose or something. My moto x locks instantly every single time for over a year now. I use GPS for my job on a daily basis, right now I think this is the only thing holding me back from accepting the Touchwiz overlords back into my life...[emoji6]