Database Users

"Fuzzy" icons

So, I'm noticing (and it really bothers me) that many of the icons for apps aren't as crisp and clear as others. Some that I've noticed aren't very good looking are:
Blow Up (Lite)
Engadget
Jewels
Groupon
SNesoid Lite
The Weather Channel
Texts from Last Night
Useless Facts
Weather.
Does this have to do with the image file they're using for the icon? Is it just designed for the lower res phones? And most importantly, is there anything I can do about it?
One of my homescreens is just apps that I use frequently, and these "fuzzy icons" are driving me nuts.

Pretty sure the icon resolution is up to the developer.

Jye75 said:
Pretty sure the icon resolution is up to the developer.
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Click to collapse
So this is just part of the "fragmentation" thing that everyone hates about Android?

If by "fragmentation", you mean, "openness and non-standard", then sure.

Jye75 said:
If by "fragmentation", you mean, "openness and non-standard", then sure.
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Click to collapse
No, I mean having a device with a higher resolution than others being stuck with a low rez icon. Subtle difference.

wrxlvr said:
No, I mean having a device with a higher resolution than others being stuck with a low rez icon. Subtle difference.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, same difference. Can always ask the developers of the above-mentioned apps to include higher res icons for the higher res screens.

icons made for devices like the G1 don't look good on our screen

wrxlvr said:
So this is just part of the "fragmentation" thing that everyone hates about Android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no, the fragmentation is all the phones out there not running the same os version and most importantly lastest market version

mrono said:
icons made for devices like the G1 don't look good on our screen
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Click to collapse
That's what I was afraid of.

[Q] [NAND] Pixelated graphics and widgets in all NAND roms. (Banding)

Hello xda,
Im currently using the rom on my signature which runs close to perfect. But I want to know why and how can I fix the ugly pixelated graphics and widgets in the rom. Is not a specific rom issue since all NAND roms i've tried have that problem. Back in SD this issue was fixed and graphics looked perfect. How can I achieve that sharp and nice look?
Thank you all, this community is amazing.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

do you have a screenshot at all to show us? Maybe a photo of the screen from another camera if that is easier?

Here's a screenshot with music and calendar widget.
Notice the ugly pixels and blocky look.
Edit. Actually don't know why drocap won't show it. But all of you who have nand open those widgets and you'll see what i mean

sorry dude... it looks normal... and looks totally fine on mine, I have a Telstra HD2 (512ROM) tried the CM and Desire and MIUI based ones, they all work great on mine, no odd looking pixels

Pens and DreamS said:
Notice the ugly pixels and blocky look.
Edit. Actually don't know why drocap won't show it. But all of you who have nand open those widgets and you'll see what i mean
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe that issue caused by image compression ... I think.

The rendering of widgets can be affected heavily by the launcher. I've heard suggestion that Launcher Pro will get rid of that problem. Worth a try since you just uninstall it if it doesn't fix it.
If it is down to the launcher, there's not going to be any fix for you, other than hope that there's an update to the launcher you use, that addresses the issue.

Thank you all for your answers. Will try another launcher and see.

I installed launcher pro (free) and tried it in the beginning with MDJ 2.6 G-bread nand version... I noticed pixelated widgets but kind of did not care. I also installed bunch of things after 1st boot and started using the phone. Among other apps it was ADWlauncher EX which I paid... I rebooted after that once for different reason and once it booted up again I literally noticed huge bump in how smooth and fluid motion was with this launcher - pixelation was also gone and I do not know whether it was launcher that made it that way - but I definitely love it

I know what he is talking about. I try to avoid widgets with that ugly looking thing. Which is why I'm currently using transparent widgets.
These screenshots have been taken with this app called "shoot me" As you can seen, they look perfectly fine
But, now look at these pictures taken with my digital camera

hello00 said:
I know what he is talking about. I try to avoid widgets with that ugly looking thing. Which is why I'm currently using transparent widgets.
These screenshots have been taken with this app called "shoot me" As you can seen, they look perfectly fine
But, now look at these pictures taken with my digital camera
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Click to collapse
Looking at the pics you posted I believe this is the banding problem alot have referred too caused by the 65k limitation on the screen.. Yes it is capable of 262k but the devs haven't figured out how to unlock it yet.. Winmo say it's a software limitation.. Hope this is a lil explanation.. The reason your screen shot doesn't show it, is cause android itself isn't limited to 65k colors only the screen is (currently)..
Swyped from my desire hd2

squish099 said:
Looking at the pics you posted I believe this is the banding problem alot have referred too caused by the 65k limitation on the screen.. Yes it is capable of 262k but the devs haven't figured out how to unlock it yet.. Winmo say it's a software limitation.. Hope this is a lil explanation.. The reason your screen shot doesn't show it, is cause android itself isn't limited to 65k colors only the screen is (currently)..
Swyped from my desire hd2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your explanation. This doesn't bother me at all. Just wanted to post some ss's so you guys could have an idea what the OP is reffering to.

Pens and DreamS said:
Thank you all for your answers. Will try another launcher and see.
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Click to collapse
Hi, can you update us on whether this has worked for you?
I'm facing this problem too, and I'm still keeping the power control widget even though the pixelated one looks very ugly..

[Q] Nexus 4 Wallpaper Size?

Might seem like a stupid question but I've never owned an Android and I got a Nexus 4 on the way
I've seen people making complicated wallpapers in the shape of the + sign to accommodate for scrolling or something like that, but I really have no idea if that even applies to the Nexus 4.
All of that out of the way, what would be the ideal dimensions to make a Nexus 4 Wallpaper at?

1536x1280

DynamicRam said:
1536x1280
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
or if using lightroom or photoshop to edit images use 1.2 to 1.0 ratio for cropping, has worked everytime

i lol i said:
Might seem like a stupid question but I've never owned an Android and I got a Nexus 4 on the way
I've seen people making complicated wallpapers in the shape of the + sign to accommodate for scrolling or something like that, but I really have no idea if that even applies to the Nexus 4.
All of that out of the way, what would be the ideal dimensions to make a Nexus 4 Wallpaper at?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the launcher you use. With the stock launcher, the wallpaper size is 1436x1196. With Nova, the size is 1536x1280. I don't know about the other launchers.

xda6969 said:
Depends on the launcher you use. With the stock launcher, the wallpaper size is 1436x1196. With Nova, the size is 1536x1280. I don't know about the other launchers.
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Click to collapse
Wait, really? Why are they different?

doublejrecords said:
Wait, really? Why are they different?
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Click to collapse
because of the number of home screens you have

what if the wallpaper scrolling is off, is it 1280×768 ?
Thank in advance

psak said:
what if the wallpaper scrolling is off, is it 1280×768 ?
Thank in advance
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Click to collapse
Pretty much since that's the resolution of the screen if you're using the Google launcher. It's largely depended on the launcher you are using.

Kitkat 4.4 Tablet UI

Is there a way for get tablet ui on stock kitkat 4.4 ROM?

everesee said:
Is there a way for get tablet ui on stock kitkat 4.4 ROM?
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Click to collapse
Not likely. According to ParanoidAndroid's G+ page, Google has "wiped out" the whole TabletUI code, they don't plan on adding it back.

NexusRunner said:
Not likely. According to ParanoidAndroid's G+ page, Google has "wiped out" the whole TabletUI code, they don't plan on adding it back.
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Click to collapse
So we must wait for AOKP update

What's so special about tablet UI anyway? Install apex launcher and it'll put it there, but I've tried it and I really don't see the big deal behind it.
Sorry, it's an irrelevant post. But yeah, google has made tablet ui a thing of the past.

issak42 said:
What's so special about tablet UI anyway? Install apex launcher and it'll put it there, but I've tried it and I really don't see the big deal behind it.
Sorry, it's an irrelevant post. But yeah, google has made tablet ui a thing of the past.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only thing special is the unified notifications bar and navigation bar. that gives you back some screen real estate. Right now - especially in landscape - 7" tablets waste a ton of space.

Plus the tablet format in stuff like settings and play store. The apex version sucks, not much besides the app drawer and search in the upper corners. I like KitKat, but miss tablet ui, anxious for someone to make it happen!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

The special about #TabletUI was that (1) less sceen real estate was wasted and (2) one-hand operation ergonomics were improved on larger screen devices (i.e anything bigger than 4.8-5'') Why Google decided to remove that..is beyond me. Not the only bizarre UI decision in KitKat.
I'll be sticking with JB for as long as I can under the circumstances.

Yeah, looks like I'll be downgrading back to 4.3 for the time being. Phablet UI is ugly.

mostly_sane said:
Yeah, looks like I'll be downgrading back to 4.3 for the time being. Phablet UI is ugly.
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Click to collapse
You can turn on tablet ui on kitkat. I'm using CM11 mod but probably it will work on standard rom as well. Just change lcd from 213 to 160 manually in buil.prop and reboot device. I have also changed the number of colums to 6 and set number of rows to 5 and everything looks perfect...

murmuks said:
You can turn on tablet ui on kitkat. I'm using CM11 mod but probably it will work on standard rom as well. Just change lcd from 213 to 160 manually in buil.prop and reboot device. I have also changed the number of colums to 6 and set number of rows to 5 and everything looks perfect...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have tryed it, im on CM11 too, in this way you dont get a real Tablet UI, but unfortunately only resize the DPI, all becomes little, but we miss and we dont have the beautiful of real Tablet UI namely navigation and notification bar fused together and in bottom of display..
renegade027 said:
The special about #TabletUI was that (1) less sceen real estate was wasted and (2) one-hand operation ergonomics were improved on larger screen devices (i.e anything bigger than 4.8-5'') Why Google decided to remove that..is beyond me. Not the only bizarre UI decision in KitKat.
I'll be sticking with JB for as long as I can under the circumstances.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mostly_sane said:
Yeah, looks like I'll be downgrading back to 4.3 for the time being. Phablet UI is ugly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 Guys
I cant Believe with Kit Kat we must to say goodbye to Tablet UI, i have tablet and i cant use anymore with Tablet UI? its so really crazy!!
i hope someone can do mod or some rom with Tablet UI, untill something of this dont come i must to stay with JB! Damn!

tanoxxx said:
i have tryed it, im on CM11 too, in this way you dont get a real Tablet UI, but unfortunately only resize the DPI, all becomes little, but we miss and we dont have the beautiful of real Tablet UI namely navigation and notification bar fused together and in bottom of display..
+1 Guys
I cant Believe with Kit Kat we must to say goodbye to Tablet UI, i have tablet and i cant use anymore with Tablet UI? its so really crazy!!
i hope someone can do mod or some rom with Tablet UI, untill something of this dont come i must to stay with JB! Damn!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now apparently this guy managed to get the tablet ui working on an early KitKat build with xposed. I've tried it on a newer build and it doesn't work. I'm going to try it later with the earliest KK build I can find but I suggest you guys try it on your device as well.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=48465864#post48465864
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire with Tapatalk.

renegade027 said:
The special about #TabletUI was that (1) less sceen real estate was wasted and (2) one-hand operation ergonomics were improved on larger screen devices (i.e anything bigger than 4.8-5'') Why Google decided to remove that..is beyond me. Not the only bizarre UI decision in KitKat.
I'll be sticking with JB for as long as I can under the circumstances.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mostly_sane said:
Yeah, looks like I'll be downgrading back to 4.3 for the time being. Phablet UI is ugly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
VTCruzer said:
Now apparently this guy managed to get the tablet ui working on an early KitKat build with xposed. I've tried it on a newer build and it doesn't work. I'm going to try it later with the earliest KK build I can find but I suggest you guys try it on your device as well.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=48465864#post48465864
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire with Tapatalk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unfortunately i just tyred it, on Cm11 dont work
but thanks the same for you suggestion...
Please if you found some mod or rom for real Tablet UI, please report it :fingers-crossed:
Thanks again

Samsung Experience customization

Hey Guys! i love my note but i'm not really into samsung experience, but im refusing to use nova because i suck at customization lol
is there a way to shrink icons on samsung experience? i think they're HUGE and it would look way better if they could be a little smaller

Gerstark said:
Hey Guys! i love my note but i'm not really into samsung experience, but im refusing to use nova because i suck at customization lol
is there a way to shrink icons on samsung experience? i think they're HUGE and it would look way better if they could be a little smaller
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you could change your DPI in dev options
but then your clock is gonna mess up
i used to be a nova fan too but now i've given SEx a chance and i kinda like it.
i've uninstalled nova completely and just use stock.

leongzxc said:
but then your clock is gonna mess up
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Click to collapse
gonna try changing to a different dpi but what do you mean that the clock is gonna mess up?

Gerstark said:
gonna try changing to a different dpi but what do you mean that the clock is gonna mess up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it'll appear much bigger and off its place
you'll see it on both your lockscreen clock and AOD lol

Change the grid size to use more icons. That should shrink all of them.

some themes also have a smaller icon footprint.

bober10113 said:
some themes also have a smaller icon footprint.
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Click to collapse
Yep , like the ones named "minu" in the Galaxy theme store.
Sent from my SM-N960U1 using Tapatalk

Use Lawnchair launcher. Its customizations are easy to use. It's really easy to use all around.

Gerstark said:
Hey Guys! i love my note but i'm not really into samsung experience, but im refusing to use nova because i suck at customization lol
is there a way to shrink icons on samsung experience? i think they're HUGE and it would look way better if they could be a little smaller
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my screen witb samsung experience at 450 dpi. Icons looks great

eduardmc said:
This is my screen witb samsung experience at 450 dpi. Icons looks great
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Click to collapse
That's wonderful, can you upload a screenshot for The setting because I can't find it?

bill_viper said:
That's wonderful, can you upload a screenshot for The setting because I can't find it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U have to enable developer mode. If u dont know how. Is setting-about phone - software information -
Build number. Now click build number 7 or 8 times and a new setting will enable in setting call "developer mode" will be the last one afte about phone.
Now in Deleloper mode. Scroll down to -minimum width- if u are in qhd+ resolution. U will probably be in 410 dpi. From there u can change dpi. Now the higher u set it the smaller everything will get. If u go up to 450. Font will be small. Just go to font and increase font size while everything stay small. Dont set it more than 452 dpi cause it will break samsung keyboard and touchwiz icon will look like ant. Just 450 or below. If u are using other launchers and keyboard then any dpi will be good

Thanks my friend, everything works great.
I'm on QHD resolution and I don't even have to make the font bigger. It's very good in 450dpi.
---------- Post added at 04:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:01 PM ----------
eduardmc said:
U have to enable developer mode. If u dont know how. Is setting-about phone - software information -
Build number. Now click build number 7 or 8 times and a new setting will enable in setting call "developer mode" will be the last one afte about phone.
Now in Deleloper mode. Scroll down to -minimum width- if u are in qhd+ resolution. U will probably be in 410 dpi. From there u can change dpi. Now the higher u set it the smaller everything will get. If u go up to 450. Font will be small. Just go to font and increase font size while everything stay small. Dont set it more than 452 dpi cause it will break samsung keyboard and touchwiz icon will look like ant. Just 450 or below. If u are using other launchers and keyboard then any dpi will be good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you share the wallpaper please?

bill_viper said:
Thanks my friend, everything works great.
I'm on QHD resolution and I don't even have to make the font bigger. It's very good in 450dpi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Np bro thats why we are here. To help each other

Any way to get rid of the blank spaces? I feel there's so much wasted space otherwise

Nice share!
Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

600 dpi max after that i have had too many issues, you may need to restart to let phone configure to change but thats what i run at
Gerstark said:
Hey Guys! i love my note but i'm not really into samsung experience, but im refusing to use nova because i suck at customization lol
is there a way to shrink icons on samsung experience? i think they're HUGE and it would look way better if they could be a little smaller
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Here is a screenshot in 600 dpi and nova launcher to the max minimized!

HuStLaZ said:
Any way to get rid of the blank spaces? I feel there's so much wasted space otherwise
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Click to collapse
If u havent. Try changing the grid from the default 5x5 to 5x6 in samsung experience launchwr setting

eduardmc said:
If u havent. Try changing the grid from the default 5x5 to 5x6 in samsung experience launchwr setting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ended up using Nova launcher and it lets me use up all the space

HuStLaZ said:
Ended up using Nova launcher and it lets me use up all the space
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great home!
what calendar widget is it?