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I am first to admit I am a Android noob. I was too late to buy a N1 as I am not a developer, so I bought a Vibrant. I do enjoy it (when the GPS behaves). But it doesn't seem to run as smoothly as my friends N1. His Google Voice seems so much faster than mine. Navigation is quicker. Even browsing.
Is it possible to get a clean Android install on the Vibrant?
Is that what you guys are referring to as rooting or firmwares?
Is there a way to remove the daily briefing, Amazon MP3 and the other bloatware?
Yes, to have the stock "vanilla" Google experience it would require a root.
If you do not want to root I suggest Launcher Pro its the closest you can get to the vanilla experience without rooting. It also made my vibrant a hell lot snappier VS touchwiz crap.
PathogenX said:
Yes, to have the stock "vanilla" Google experience it would require a root.
If you do not want to root I suggest Launcher Pro its the closest you can get to the vanilla experience without rooting. It also made my vibrant a hell lot snappier VS touchwiz crap.
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Or.. ADW Launcher, I prefer ADW Launcher.. to be honest, USE BOTH. I know a lot of people suggest Launcher Pro for whatever reasons, ADW Launcher is about the same, if not better. It depends on the person and how they want to use their phone. And "touchwiz" crap is honestly NOT that bad. I enjoy the notification bars with the toggle wifi/silent/gps etc.
zephiK said:
Or.. ADW Launcher, I prefer ADW Launcher.. to be honest, USE BOTH. I know a lot of people suggest Launcher Pro for whatever reasons, ADW Launcher is about the same, if not better. It depends on the person and how they want to use their phone. And "touchwiz" crap is honestly NOT that bad. I enjoy the notification bars with the toggle wifi/silent/gps etc.
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I never got accustomed to ADW. Preferred the look of LP more anyways.
Also the wifi/silent/gps toggle and notification bar are still there even if you are using LP.
It keeps the nice features of TW but gets rid of that iPhone looking interface.
PathogenX said:
I never got accustomed to ADW. Preferred the look of LP more anyways.
Also the wifi/silent/gps toggle and notification bar are still there even if you are using LP.
It keeps the nice features of TW but gets rid of that iPhone looking interface.
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They honestly don't look that separate from appearances at all. And I know that they're there but they're implemented WITHIN TouchWiz. The TouchWiz launcher is only ONE part of TouchWiz. You were blatantly insulting the whole (I guess you would call), "TouchWiz experience." With a "Google Experience" the toggle wifi/silent/gps etc aren't there.
I'm just saying that ADW Launcher and Launcher Pro depends on the person and that you shouldn't be so biased on saying "oh try launcher pro" because they're honestly both good. It just depends on the person's personality. Some people may enjoy the extra settings that ADW Launcher provide and its also Open Source, which can be a big deal for some people.
zephiK said:
Or.. ADW Launcher, I prefer ADW Launcher.. to be honest, USE BOTH. I know a lot of people suggest Launcher Pro for whatever reasons, ADW Launcher is about the same, if not better. It depends on the person and how they want to use their phone. And "touchwiz" crap is honestly NOT that bad. I enjoy the notification bars with the toggle wifi/silent/gps etc.
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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?
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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.
I love the speed of my iconia tab but I honestly thought swiping through honeycomb would be a little faster. Does anyone use alternate home launchers with their tablet? I don't know if this is possible or not. I love the interface so I'm content but just wanted to get people's opinion on this and any particular launchers they really like.
Sure is possible. I loaded go launcher ex just to try it out and it worked fine. I would like to know if anyone is using a launcher specifically for tablets though, if there is even any available.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
Yeah, that's what I was really interested in. A launcher built for tablets would be something fun to mess around with. I feel like it could be tailored specifically for tablet functions. Possibly something like new windows 8.
ADW Launcher EX works, and is updated for honeycomb.honestly, though, its nothing revolutionary, none of the launchers are. I went back to stock. It may not be really fancy but it works, and well.
Have you checked out spb shell 3d for tablets? I don't think its out yet, but they have a concept video, and it Looks amazing. There's a thread on here with the link, in the general section.
lord_voldemort666 said:
Have you checked out spb shell 3d for tablets? I don't think its out yet, but they have a concept video, and it Looks amazing. There's a thread on here with the link, in the general section.
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The one in the video doesn't exist, and the one that is out now doesn't work on the iconia. And you're not missing much, I messed with it on an X and it was just plain laggy
I'm using Launcher Pro with great results.
I 've got ADW Launcher on my phone so I tried it on the Iconia. Even though it's a great launcher, for me it didn't cut it. It made the tab look rather like a big phone. It would be nice to have a launcher that preserves the tablet feeling.
I'm sure it's only a matter of time for Tablet specific launchers to roll out.
Personally, however, I feel that they got to step up their game to make something that adds more functionality and is more efficient than what the stock HC launcher provides. I'm not into all the eye-candy - its function over form for me. (pointing my finger at SPB)
It was easy to raise the bar with Eclair on up to Gingerbread as those OS' were built for the phone and those environment were rapidly evolving (and in some cases, differently from manufacturer to manufacturer) - with Honeycomb and the tablet environment third party launcher developers have had the bar raised on them (in terms of usability, efficiency and hardware) so in my opinion, it could be tougher for them to step it up.
Time will tell.
If anything - I would like to see support for skinning the tablet. 1 skinning app, developers build skins - release skins - users downloaded skins - use skinning app to apply skins. Done.
There is no shortage of launcher replacements for Android
Once in a while a new one comes along and takes the launcher experience to a new level
1. TSF Shell Pro[Upcoming]
A new launcher currently in development by a team of developers.
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SYzYQ6YtepU#t=78s
2. ROU Launcher[Coming Soon]
Looks To Bring A Whole New Experience To Android.
Team ROU is looking to bring a whole new kind of interface to Android and it looks damn good.
Check it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oySGu0ztiqM#t=0s
Stay Tune For The Update!
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
Looks interesting, thanks for the links. Androids one strength definitely is the ability to modify it to look and behave exactly as any individual personally wants it to.
Duplicate thread? One already exists for the best launchers
Though they do look nice.
Theylook interesting but none of them mention, changing icons thats a must for me and my launcher of choice!
They both look great. Thanks!
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.gau.go.launcherex
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20827514&postcount=12
Go Launcher! Go!
go launcher ex is my personal choice, been using it when was on the hd2
The TSF looks really fluid im wondering if the locked the governor into performance mode for that clip.
I like LauncherPro
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.fede.launcher
I am a big fan of Go and ADW, but I will ditch them in a split second if TSF Shell Pro runs that well on the note.
I'm not sure about these launchers. It's amazing to see the youtube clips but I've got the feeling that with so many bells and whistles they may be limiting in a way. It can be difficult to find matching widgets and icons so you may end up kinda stuck with what you got out of the box.
My personal preference is a launcher that's simple, "transparent", highly customizable and with really good performance.
I just install ed this wonderful launcher from the play store ...
So far so good. Was just wandering if anyone else had tried it/customised it/hacked it? I was all about ready to start trying to build my own html built ui launcher for android when I stumbled on it! Cheers guys saved me a whole lot of work
Has anyone used it? Any tips ? Anyone know where I can find the main files for it? I want to customize it as much as possible and have email the dev team in the hopes that theyre a friendly bunch.
I personally wouldn't pay ten dollars for a launcher but that's me. I looked at it and it seems really cool, I almost wish there was a trail version or lite. As for the main files, you would have to google for them, since it is not a free app. Titanium backup should works to extract the apk.
A lite version would be very adventageous. I have emailed the support team at Chameleon and posted in all the right places on their forum, but unfortunately its no xda. No response so far and its going on 4 days now. The idea behind it is a very good one, but it needs more support and active members. Fingers crossed answers will be here shortly as I am loosing patience with them and am seeking alternative launchers. Anyone know any good ones? Theres is nothing wrong with the default one i use but i like to customise as much as i can so need something a little more special
I've been pretty happy with Go Launcher EX. Not so much in the way of fancy widgets, but nice home screen transitions, customizable quick launch area, very flexible.
I installed Chameleon. It looks really nice, but super laggy. Also, they need more widgets.
K1Andy said:
I've been pretty happy with Go Launcher EX. Not so much in the way of fancy widgets, but nice home screen transitions, customizable quick launch area, very flexible.
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Go launcher HD is better for tablets. I had it but I am back to the launcher that comes with CM10
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?
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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?
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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?
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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