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All of us know that Android development on our HD2s' has reached a very great time and now we are running the roms and android versions that very few new devices experience them officially.
The reason i am creating this thread is this that...after using CM7 roms for while (nearly 5 month) yesterday i finally switched to dungphp sense 3.0 rom (v1.7) and at the first sight i see my HTC HT2 (the evergreen Phone) alive with colors. because as much as we know the bigest annoying thing about CM7 roms is the pale color look and dark mode that they have...
but sense style and more colorful shapes which reminds us of a original HTC phones, really has increased my interest to HD2 once more time
but besides all this, the sense roms ar very slow and as far as as all of us know...glitches and some other bugs are really annoying.
and this happens where, that all CM7 roms now are really bug free and suer fast on our HD2, which makes the LEo more than a Native android device!!! (as my own experience when my friend see my HD2 running Android (CM7) and comparing that with their own devices like Desire,Desire HD or Desire S...my device is as fasst as them and sometimes more interesting due to CM7 special features) but with CM7 my device screen is like black and white infront of them, and it reaally annoys you!
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so after saying this, i want to ask a questions from you and esp. the greatest HD2 developers: Whats the best way for HD2 android development in this (as i think) critical time? i mean developing CM7 roms, which are really 99% bug free and super fast to a more colorfull and better screen performance or developing Sense 3.0 roms to make them faster and trying to see no glitches?
and WP7? i think it has no chances against android...just great 720p playing!
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i think this thread will really help us, by knoing the idea of all HD2 Android users. so please enter here and leave your comments to make our HD2 ever better.
28.7.2011
AVM
Well i don't really get your problem. Why don't you just use a theme for cm7. Think there are a lot out there in the xda forums and i'm pretty sure there are some colourful under them. Or just try a miui build. They are fast and stable like cm and can be skinned and customized like no other ROM and it's really easy...
And there always will be both. The cm roms and the sense ROMs. I think there are more than enough devs for our hd2 so that they don't have to concentrate all on improving one kind of ROM. Some of us also like the clean and not so colourful stuff.
Sure,but MIUI roms are somehow just beautifull and not useful...there more different from the way we knew android. I have tried them but after just few days dissapointed and changed to CM7 and now sense 3.0...
Yes themes for CM7 may be a good choice but,i meant the total base of CM7 roms are dead colors.
Sent from my HTC HD2 Pyramid using XDA Premium App
arminvm said:
Sure,but MIUI roms are somehow just beautifull and not useful...there more different from the way we knew android. I have tried them but after just few days dissapointed and changed to CM7 and now sense 3.0...
Yes themes for CM7 may be a good choice but,i meant the total base of CM7 roms are dead colors.
Sent from my HTC HD2 Pyramid using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree. I never have seen the interest in MIUI like other people do. It's just uninteresting for some reason.
MartyLK said:
I have to agree. I never have seen the interest in MIUI like other people do. It's just uninteresting for some reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you...it's the reality i think,as you said they don't show native android,just some copying from iphone...
arminvm said:
thank you...it's the reality i think,as you said they don't show native android,just some copying from iphone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One thing I will say since I've tried MIUI before, is the great many themes for it. There are what seems like an endless number of all different kinds of themes for MIUI. But I still think my dislike for MIUI stems from the lack of elegance it has. An example of this, even though it can be replaced, of course, is the stock MIUI analog clock. It just looks pitiful to me. But it's indicative of the whole system. There just doesn't seem to be any elegance or refinement to it.
i have to disagree. i also don't like the miui launcher and use go launcher with it, but it's much more functional than cm7 or something else. for example the dockbar with all the quicklinks on the second page, flashlight when pressing home button while the phone is locked, the messaging app, theme program. you can do much more with a rom that has the miui base and if you don't like the look of the iphone just install another launcher than you have your elegance back.
first i thought the same about miui but after using it for a while there is no alternative for me in terms of functionality and customizability.
and the most important thing, it's fast and only has 2-5mAh in standby.
rauschkugl said:
i have to disagree. i also don't like the miui launcher and use go launcher with it, but it's much more functional than cm7 or something else. for example the dockbar with all the quicklinks on the second page, flashlight when pressing home button while the phone is locked, the messaging app, theme program. you can do much more with a rom that has the miui base and if you don't like the look of the iphone just install another launcher than you have your elegance back.
first i thought the same about miui but after using it for a while there is no alternative for me in terms of functionality and customizability.
and the most important thing, it's fast and only has 2-5mAh in standby.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm...that flashlight shortcut is intriguing. I'll have another go at it.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App
MartyLK said:
One thing I will say since I've tried MIUI before, is the great many themes for it. There are what seems like an endless number of all different kinds of themes for MIUI. But I still think my dislike for MIUI stems from the lack of elegance it has. An example of this, even though it can be replaced, of course, is the stock MIUI analog clock. It just looks pitiful to me. But it's indicative of the whole system. There just doesn't seem to be any elegance or refinement to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sure it is true...when we install a MIUI rom, are HD2 seems just beautifull with that so much of themes but as you said the very first features we benefit in our CM7 or Sense roms are lost in this kind of roms...
even the MIUI launcher is not so customizable, as an example you can not make a shortcut for your word,pdf or... files!...
anyway i don't think MIUI would be the future for our HD2s
rauschkugl said:
i have to disagree. i also don't like the miui launcher and use go launcher with it, but it's much more functional than cm7 or something else. for example the dockbar with all the quicklinks on the second page, flashlight when pressing home button while the phone is locked, the messaging app, theme program. you can do much more with a rom that has the miui base and if you don't like the look of the iphone just install another launcher than you have your elegance back.
first i thought the same about miui but after using it for a while there is no alternative for me in terms of functionality and customizability.
and the most important thing, it's fast and only has 2-5mAh in standby.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you mean tht these small feature are really superior to that of CM7 roms?! like special features that we have in CM settings? idon't think so even the MIUI rom is comperable in the features to sense roms but they are beautifull and like CM7s' roms fast...no doubt in this.
but would you tell me the features that make MIUI roms very special? which makes them paying more attention than CM7 or sense roms?
rauschkugl said:
i have to disagree. i also don't like the miui launcher and use go launcher with it, but it's much more functional than cm7 or something else. for example the dockbar with all the quicklinks on the second page, flashlight when pressing home button while the phone is locked, the messaging app, theme program. you can do much more with a rom that has the miui base and if you don't like the look of the iphone just install another launcher than you have your elegance back.
first i thought the same about miui but after using it for a while there is no alternative for me in terms of functionality and customizability.
and the most important thing, it's fast and only has 2-5mAh in standby.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to have to eat my words. I downloaded an SD build of MIUI, the 3dak version, and am seeing elegant operation. It is actually compelling me to like it. The flashlight shortcut is brilliant! It is exactly what a flashlight should be; right there easily accessible without fumbling in the darkness to find it.
Sorry to keep the offtopic going but regarding MIUI I have only one oppinion.
It's great, it looks ok ( maybe a little to playful for me ) but the gradient banding is a great turn off for me. When they will do a dithered version specially for hd2 or ( so help us God ) they fix the banding issue, I will give a second thought to MIUI.
Oh. And facebook calendar sync.
arminvm said:
you mean tht these small feature are really superior to that of CM7 roms?! like special features that we have in CM settings? idon't think so even the MIUI rom is comperable in the features to sense roms but they are beautifull and like CM7s' roms fast...no doubt in this.
but would you tell me the features that make MIUI roms very special? which makes them paying more attention than CM7 or sense roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What Feature do you have in cm7 Settings that miui doesn't have? Please tell me. I only know overclocking and therefore i was using setcpu even on cm ROMs. There is not one feature i'm missing from cm on miui. And yes these small things like quick access to flashlight from the lockscreen make a ROM special for me because it's just useful.
I didn't say miui is the future for our hd2, i said that there's no reason for the devs concentrating on a single type of ROM cause so much people are working on hd2 android.
Miui would just be the answer of the things you were complaining about.
nemuro said:
Sorry to keep the offtopic going but regarding MIUI I have only one oppinion.
It's great, it looks ok ( maybe a little to playful for me ) but the gradient banding is a great turn off for me. When they will do a dithered version specially for hd2 or ( so help us God ) they fix the banding issue, I will give a second thought to MIUI.
Oh. And facebook calendar sync.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you explain what banding issue you mean? I never heard of that or experienced any problems i didn't have on other builds.
Ok, some might say this is picky.
Gradient banding is when the screen displays more colors than the screen actually supports at that time.
More details here: http://origin.arstechnica.com/news.media/Colour_banding_example01.png
And creates that stepping effect that really looks terrible. Yes, it has no effect on stability, functionality or anything else. It's just a visual artifact that for me makes it quite clear that it's just a port.
The best way to see the banding is to enter the dialer in MIUI . Give it a try and report back if you see smooth gradients. I would be surprised.
thanks. ok your right. never really noticed it. the ring of the sense 3 lockscreen for example has also gradients but there is no banding. i also can see it in the stock launcher but because i don't use it i don't care.
really never noticed that.
rauschkugl said:
What Feature do you have in cm7 Settings that miui doesn't have? Please tell me. I only know overclocking and therefore i was using setcpu even on cm ROMs. There is not one feature i'm missing from cm on miui. And yes these small things like quick access to flashlight from the lockscreen make a ROM special for me because it's just useful.
I didn't say miui is the future for our hd2, i said that there's no reason for the devs concentrating on a single type of ROM cause so much people are working on hd2 android.
Miui would just be the answer of the things you were complaining about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so,we are not making a war man...be calm please , we are just discussing...
so about the features...e.g: LOckscreen gestures (which makes mopre than that shortcut for flashlight in MIUI,because you can acces just everything by adding a gesture in your lock screen not just flashlight ;-) ), other features like tablet tweaks, so many features for light sensor and display that MIUI does not have! or many others ;-)
but i am not saying MIUI is bad!! beceuse the first time i my self installed it, i really enjoyed alot ,esp. from the way it looks and make our HD2s' alive and very colorful and goodlooking with so lots of theme stuff.
but the most annoying things are this that its taking its origin from the IOS and not android, we love android,and we all believe that its more powefull than IOS because its open source. even if we use a different launcher still the setting is just the way i said...any way,
i think if we could have MIUI graphics on CM7 we have all that we need.
anyone could make this possible?
This thread is ridiculous...
"You know what I like about Sense 3 ? It has very beautiful color !!!
You know what I like about CM7 ? It so fast and useful !!!"
You know what I like about MIUI ? It look so pretty and feels like an iPhone !!!"
Please, just be grateful for the versatility of our devices and to the devs still working on it, although it's getting old.
The rest is just personal tastes and doesn't deserve to be discussed...or polled...
arminvm said:
so,we are not making a war man...be calm please , we are just discussing...
so about the features...e.g: LOckscreen gestures (which makes mopre than that shortcut for flashlight in MIUI,because you can acces just everything by adding a gesture in your lock screen not just flashlight ;-) ), other features like tablet tweaks, so many features for light sensor and display that MIUI does not have! or many others ;-)
but i am not saying MIUI is bad!! beceuse the first time i my self installed it, i really enjoyed alot ,esp. from the way it looks and make our HD2s' alive and very colorful and goodlooking with so lots of theme stuff.
but the most annoying things are this that its taking its origin from the IOS and not android, we love android,and we all believe that its more powefull than IOS because its open source. even if we use a different launcher still the setting is just the way i said...any way,
i think if we could have MIUI graphics on CM7 we have all that we need.
anyone could make this possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you use this features it's ok but i never needed them. tablet tweaks are for tablets and i personally don't like my statusbar on the bottom. but this is all personal liking. i also never needed additional display or light sensor settings. sure it's good to have it implemented but i never missed it on other roms. and most of this are things that can also be done by a third party app. the only thing i would like to have from cm are the toggle additions where you can automatically switch off 3g when your connected to wifi and something like that. these are really useful but most other things are not really needed for a phone. at least i don't need them.
miui just looks like ios. it's still open source and who cares how the settings look when you installed another launcher? i go to settings once per month or less. and i think that they aren't bad on miui. you can find what your searching for very fast.
but as said this is all personal taste and there are enough developers to make roms for the tastes of every people, so there's no need to concentrate on developing one kind of rom.
rauschkugl said:
if you use this features it's ok but i never needed them. tablet tweaks are for tablets and i personally don't like my statusbar on the bottom. but this is all personal liking. i also never needed additional display or light sensor settings. sure it's good to have it implemented but i never missed it on other roms. and most of this are things that can also be done by a third party app. the only thing i would like to have from cm are the toggle additions where you can automatically switch off 3g when your connected to wifi and something like that. these are really useful but most other things are not really needed for a phone. at least i don't need them.
miui just looks like ios. it's still open source and who cares how the settings look when you installed another launcher? i go to settings once per month or less. and i think that they aren't bad on miui. you can find what your searching for very fast.
but as said this is all personal taste and there are enough developers to make roms for the tastes of every people, so there's no need to concentrate on developing one kind of rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes i do agree about not cancentrating on one kind...
But the features,i think are really useful,and lots of people are using them,i myself use lots of them daily.
By the way about being this discussion personal...,yes sure it is.
Sent from my HTC Pyramid using XDA Premium App
I'm leaning heavily towards using an available upgrade to get the S4 i337. I currently have an LG Nitro HD running CM10.1 RC2 and I've been spoiled by (mostly) vanilla Android over the last few years of running CM on a few different phones. I'm also hooked on DashClock, so only an Android 4.2+ device will work for me (otherwise I'd probably get the HTC One). Lastly, even though I've run CM based ROMS for the last couple of years, I don't really want to continue to do so... up until RC2, CM10.1 has been quite buggy on my Nitro HD and I just don't want to go down that road again.
I'll be buying the S4 with hopes that a stable version of vanilla 4.2/4.3 will be ported from the Google Experience phone. That said, in the meantime, I'd like to give the S4 as much of a stock appearance as possible, with or without root, but without flashing a custom ROM (especially since it's not even really an option yet given the state of the bootloader).
The starting point of a stock look will be a launcher, likely Apex, Nova, or Holo HD. Next will be a replacement status bar, likely Omega StatusBar. For the lock screen, Widget Locker would be my choice, though I've been using NO lock screen as of late. Beyond these three tweaks, I'm not sure where to go next.
My three unresolved priorities would be the notification area, dialer, and contacts. For the dialer, I'm thinking Swipe Dialer has enough of an AOSP look that it would work just fine. Can anyone recommend an alternative Contacts app that matched the AOSP look fairly well? And I don't know of ANY options for changing the look of the pull-down notification area... any ideas?
Thanks in advance!
shopkins82 said:
I'm leaning heavily towards using an available upgrade to get the S4 i337. I currently have an LG Nitro HD running CM10.1 RC2 and I've been spoiled by (mostly) vanilla Android over the last few years of running CM on a few different phones. I'm also hooked on DashClock, so only an Android 4.2+ device will work for me (otherwise I'd probably get the HTC One). Lastly, even though I've run CM based ROMS for the last couple of years, I don't really want to continue to do so... up until RC2, CM10.1 has been quite buggy on my Nitro HD and I just don't want to go down that road again.
I'll be buying the S4 with hopes that a stable version of vanilla 4.2/4.3 will be ported from the Google Experience phone. That said, in the meantime, I'd like to give the S4 as much of a stock appearance as possible, with or without root, but without flashing a custom ROM (especially since it's not even really an option yet given the state of the bootloader).
The starting point of a stock look will be a launcher, likely Apex, Nova, or Holo HD. Next will be a replacement status bar, likely Omega StatusBar. For the lock screen, Widget Locker would be my choice, though I've been using NO lock screen as of late. Beyond these three tweaks, I'm not sure where to go next.
My three unresolved priorities would be the notification area, dialer, and contacts. For the dialer, I'm thinking Swipe Dialer has enough of an AOSP look that it would work just fine. Can anyone recommend an alternative Contacts app that matched the AOSP look fairly well? And I don't know of ANY options for changing the look of the pull-down notification area... any ideas?
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, I would not recommend using a statusbar replacement app. I've tried all of them, and none of them seem to run smoothly enough to use on a daily basis. Instead, I would recommend installing the Xposed Framework, and the NottachXposed Mod. This will allow you to customize the statusbar, as well as some elements of the pull-down notification area.
As far as a lockscreen, WidgetLocker is excellent.
mattdm said:
First off, I would not recommend using a statusbar replacement app. I've tried all of them, and none of them seem to run smoothly enough to use on a daily basis. Instead, I would recommend installing the Xposed Framework, and the NottachXposed Mod. This will allow you to customize the statusbar, as well as some elements of the pull-down notification area.
As far as a lockscreen, WidgetLocker is excellent.
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i agree i sell phones for a living and do many tests
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Came from Iphone where you can use camera even from a passcode-locked lockscreen. All the answers on the net require a NON-passcode locked lockscreen to get to the camera.
Are there any ways around this?
Thanks
Settings>My Device>Lock Screen
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
starmanj said:
Came from Iphone where you can use camera even from a passcode-locked lockscreen. All the answers on the net require a NON-passcode locked lockscreen to get to the camera.
Are there any ways around this?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is a limitation from Touchwiz. I don't have CM on my phone atm to confirm, but I know that the lockscreen Pin lock behavior is different on the Nexus 7. Meaning the key difference is the fact that on my Nexus 7 I can still use other widgets (Google Now or HD Widgets) on the Pin lock, whereas SGS4 TW does not allow that...
Nope. Wrong. Try adding a passcode and then try adding a camera widget.
JChespirito24 said:
Settings>My Device>Lock Screen
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
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Click to collapse
nakedninja42 said:
I think this is a limitation from Touchwiz. I don't have CM on my phone atm to confirm, but I know that the lockscreen Pin lock behavior is different on the Nexus 7. Meaning the key difference is the fact that on my Nexus 7 I can still use other widgets (Google Now or HD Widgets) on the Pin lock, whereas SGS4 TW does not allow that...
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Click to collapse
This is correct.... Just tested this on PAC ROM and I could access the camera and other lock screen widgets with both a pattern and pin lock
Right, but is there a ROM or tool to make this work on a Galaxy S4? captivatingtab did you try this on your tab or S4? Also I don't use Touchwiz, I use Nova, which still has this limitation-- so I think it's the ATT Samsung ROM.
It amazes me that ATT/Samsung/Google could put out a ROM that (at least for me) is so buggy and misses key features. Don't want to get into the host of bugs I've found, just trying to get to camera quickly...
starmanj said:
Right, but is there a ROM or tool to make this work on a Galaxy S4? captivatingtab did you try this on your tab or S4? Also I don't use Touchwiz, I use Nova, which still has this limitation-- so I think it's the ATT Samsung ROM.
It amazes me that ATT/Samsung/Google could put out a ROM that (at least for me) is so buggy and misses key features. Don't want to get into the host of bugs I've found, just trying to get to camera quickly...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is the problem with Touchwiz, no matter what custom launcher you run, Lockscreen is still controlled by Touchwiz. Nova(or any other launcher) only replaces the default Touch wiz launchers Touchwiz Home or Easy Launcher, so you are still using Touchwiz with Nova installed, just not the launcher it provides.
This is a Touchwiz problem, having used an HTC One you can access 4 different apps including the Camera from the lock screen as your dock is visible on the lock screen.
If you flash a AOSP rom this problem will most likely go away.
starmanj said:
Came from Iphone where you can use camera even from a passcode-locked lockscreen. All the answers on the net require a NON-passcode locked lockscreen to get to the camera.
Are there any ways around this?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an alternative lock screen app called LockerPro in the Play store does what you ask, as well a providing lock screen notifications. I think you may still need to enter your PIN before accessing the camera if the timeout has expired, but its still a shortcut. There is a free version called LockerPro Lite that you can try out.
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Sorry you are right, this thread belongs in Q&A.
I tried lockerpro, it doesn't work unless you enter pin as well. Thanks for information, looks like Touchwiz is way behind times-- Iphone has had this for a while, and even before it was on IOS there were Cydia apps that could do this. I'm astonished Android can't do this.
So I guess I have to throw out the AT&T ROM to get rid of Touchwiz?
I have to agree with the OP. I came from an iPhone, and I actually like touchwiz. But not having the ability to use lockscreen widgets with security options is pretty ridiculous.
It should be the users choice to have certain functions available without a password/lock. I understand Samsung attempted to make the device more secure and prevent "uninformed" users from making mistakes; but It should be our choice what we put out there. IMHO.
I not a developer by far, and a long-time lurker of XDA, I wish I had the ability to change Touchwiz to include this.
starmanj said:
Thanks for information, looks like Touchwiz is way behind times-- Iphone has had this for a while, and even before it was on IOS there were Cydia apps that could do this. I'm astonished Android can't do this.
So I guess I have to throw out the AT&T ROM to get rid of Touchwiz?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lets clear some things up...
First and foremost, Touchwiz is the name of the User Interface that we see. Its not an application, it is not a launcher (Nova) or anything, just the User Interface. With that said, Touchwiz features are the extra gimmicks added to the phone like Air View and whatnot. This is the ROM given by Samsung as stock, it has nothing to do with Android itself. So comparing Apple to Oranges (Samsung) is different than comparing iOS to Android (which you are not doing).
So "being behind on times" has nothing to do with Android itself. If you were to load a AOSP (Android Open Source Project) ROM is it the same? Running AOSP on the phone is a different experience than running Touchwiz. It is closer to the Nexus stock experience than using Samsung stock ROM and is what Google wants as Android. So if you want to compare Android and state that your astonished it doesn't do something, then test it on AOSP based ROM and see if Android could do it.
As it has been confirmed anyways that what you want can be done running an AOSP ROM...
captivatingtab said:
This is correct.... Just tested this on PAC ROM and I could access the camera and other lock screen widgets with both a pattern and pin lock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nakedninja42 you are absolutely correct, thanks. I should say that I'm astonished that Samsung wouldn't offer this on their ROM.
Having said that, and maybe off-topic, my conclusion in moving from Apple to Android is Google allows far too much modification from the manufacturers and carriers to ensure a consistently good experience. Perhaps that's the nature of its open-source approach, but man has it been a massive pain trying to get a quality experience. Bluetooth problems, terrible lag, inconsistent application of UI rules, terrible battery drain-- in exchange for a more open environment (which, yes, is very important to me). Jury is out, I'm still trying to find a good working environment, not giving up yet.
starmanj said:
nakedninja42 you are absolutely correct, thanks. I should say that I'm astonished that Samsung wouldn't offer this on their ROM.
Having said that, and maybe off-topic, my conclusion in moving from Apple to Android is Google allows far too much modification from the manufacturers and carriers to ensure a consistently good experience. Perhaps that's the nature of its open-source approach, but man has it been a massive pain trying to get a quality experience. Bluetooth problems, terrible lag, inconsistent application of UI rules, terrible battery drain-- in exchange for a more open environment (which, yes, is very important to me). Jury is out, I'm still trying to find a good working environment, not giving up yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But as the consumer you have the choice on what you buy. If you want something that has X set of features you can buy it (Nexus for example), if you want other features you buy a different phone. This is not unlike buying a car - most cars (these days) have Bluetooth, but the implementations vary greatly.
You bought a phone with Android, and most stores let you compare dozens of models side by side. If Camera on the lock screen is a requirement, it is easy to test drive to find one that supports this.
My phone is rooted and stock - it has no lag and works fantastically well with superior battery life to any smartphone i have owned. Touchwiz is not perfect, but neither is stock android IMO.
Yes, this is off topic, but the point is that if you want only one way to do something, and only one way, then Apple is for you. I recommend iphones to the technically challenged and older people - they can't get lost. The home button is always there and bails them out from any screen. And I can always help them get to settings and menus are 100% consistent. These people don't want widgets and don't want to do any customization, they want simple consistent experience. Android gives choices and that may mean that one phone has a feature that another phone does not. But then there are 3rd party apps that usually step in to fix things.
Widget locker may let you put the camera on the lockscreen - has anyone tried that?
starmanj said:
Came from Iphone where you can use camera even from a passcode-locked lockscreen. All the answers on the net require a NON-passcode locked lockscreen to get to the camera.
Are there any ways around this?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kjay's framework allows it. You'll need to be on a BMEA ROM to use iy though.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=42350844
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
starmanj said:
nakedninja42 you are absolutely correct, thanks. I should say that I'm astonished that Samsung wouldn't offer this on their ROM.
Having said that, and maybe off-topic, my conclusion in moving from Apple to Android is Google allows far too much modification from the manufacturers and carriers to ensure a consistently good experience. Perhaps that's the nature of its open-source approach, but man has it been a massive pain trying to get a quality experience. Bluetooth problems, terrible lag, inconsistent application of UI rules, terrible battery drain-- in exchange for a more open environment (which, yes, is very important to me). Jury is out, I'm still trying to find a good working environment, not giving up yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The nature of the game... Open-Source...
I haven't had any battery drains... in fact when I go to bed at night, I have ~50% left with the same usage I had on the S3 @ 10%. GoldenEye ROM solved all my other qualms with TouchWiz. I did find it annoying that I cannot use my widgets on the lockscreen that I removed my pattern/pin lock. I generally prefer running AOSP ROMs like CyanogenMOD, but I am waiting for the release of the Google SGS4 to see if the stability improves.
Yes I am waiting for the Google S4 ROM as well. I have CM on all my HP Touchpads so am a bit leary of quality of the device drivers for S4 at this point. The official Google version will fix that.
Theoretically, couldn't someone just find the files for the lockscreen and edit the code to allow it? I mean, it's like natively there already - right?
I haven't tried any custom ROMs, in fact i am pretty close to what the OP is describing, coming from an iPhone and having the learning experience. But I am really bummed I can't do it. lol
So bottom line is there any ROM that will allow the use of camera shortcuts or lockscreen widgets while having a secure lockscreen?
blackguy101 said:
So bottom line is there any ROM that will allow the use of camera shortcuts or lockscreen widgets while having a secure lockscreen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TW no, AOSP yes.
---------- Post added at 01:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:16 PM ----------
shadowfiber said:
Theoretically, couldn't someone just find the files for the lockscreen and edit the code to allow it? I mean, it's like natively there already - right?
I haven't tried any custom ROMs, in fact i am pretty close to what the OP is describing, coming from an iPhone and having the learning experience. But I am really bummed I can't do it. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theoretically, yes. I am interested in this myself. I started programming a year ago and haven't had time to learn the ends and outs for Android to try yet. I am hoping someone with greater talents might be able to do it...
Hello, I've been using custom Touchwiz ROM (Goldeneye for Telus) and it occasionally stutters at various points such as opening app or folder, etc. It's very minor but considering that it's a new phone, I was a little disappointed. Then I tried the Google Edition and it is seriously lacking on features. It's snappier but there's no toggles for notification, can't quickly clear out opened apps, can't create folders in app drawer (I like to organize them), camera isn't as good as the Touchwiz due to features - I also like it that I can record a video by clicking the button on screen, and a few minor details that I can't remember now.
So is there any benefit of using Google Rom over custom Touchwiz rom other than it being snappier? Does anyone prefer Google Rom? MOD EDIT: NO BEST ROM QUESTIONS
Every user is different. So it's best to try different ones and see which you like best.
I prefer the Google ROMS (stock android) because it has no bloat, pretty fast and snappy, and looks premium, clean, and (IMO) amazing. I don't normally use TW ROMS mainly because of the looks and bloat. For example, I'm not a fan of the toggles in the notification bar, so I got stock android and had a clean and efficient notification bar. Many of the "S" features I never used , so I thought I might as well get rid of them.
Camera is something I would actually use TW for, but since I don't take many photos it didn't seem necessary (for me at least).
As for creating folders and stuff, use a custom launcher, they'll have more features than the stock launchers on both.
However this all does come down to preference, if you value the features, stick with TW, if you value a premium look and feel, use stock Android ROMS. Best part is that you can switch between both anytime you like, just make backups. (I switched every 15 days on my S3 so I got the best of both). Since Modaco Switch will be coming to the S4 (i337 also I hope), it will be even easier to switch between the two, and enjoy both types of ROMS.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4
jd1639 said:
Every user is different. So it's best to try different ones and see which you like best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya, I just tried the Google Edition rom today and.. It feels that I have to try very hard to like the rom. Do people usually use a different launcher to make it somewhat more user friendly? I mean... I like stock feeling and all.. But it's seriously lacking on some features.
r8revealed said:
I prefer the Google ROMS (stock android) because it has no bloat, pretty fast and snappy, and looks premium, clean, and (IMO) amazing. I don't normally use TW ROMS mainly because of the looks and bloat. For example, I'm not a fan of the toggles in the notification bar, so I got stock android and had a clean and efficient notification bar. Many of the "S" features I never used , so I thought I might as well get rid of them.
Camera is something I would actually use TW for, but since I don't take many photos it didn't seem necessary (for me at least).
As for creating folders and stuff, use a custom launcher, they'll have more features than the stock launchers on both.
However this all does come down to preference, if you value the features, stick with TW, if you value a premium look and feel, use stock Android ROMS. Best part is that you can switch between both anytime you like, just make backups. (I switched every 15 days on my S3 so I got the best of both). Since Modaco Switch will be coming to the S4 (i337 also I hope), it will be even easier to switch between the two, and enjoy both types of ROMS.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mmm. I'm interested in using a launcher but I have no idea what they do lol. I'm very new, coming from an iPhone, so I still have to adapt to Android - It's a great switch! Loving the larger screen, removable battery and expendable memory! Do you have any suggestion about which launcher provides the most features? Are they generally super stable and do they consume more battery than the default settings? Thanks!
Try apex or nova launcher. Both let you do folders in the app drawer.
A aosp ROM like CyanogenMod gets rid of the bloat and make the phone faster but still retain notification toggles.
I put cm on my s4 the day I got it. Its very fast and smooth.
sbddude said:
Try apex or nova launcher. Both let you do folders in the app drawer.
A aosp ROM like CyanogenMod gets rid of the bloat and make the phone faster but still retain notification toggles.
I put cm on my s4 the day I got it. Its very fast and smooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I considered AOSP roms too. However, there isn't a stable 4.3 CM or AOKP yet and I would like to switch to the newest possible OS since I have to set up every again. I also read something regarding AOSP camera being sub par comparaing to touchwiz or GE firmware - Not sure if it's all just a myth..
I'll most definitely checkout these launchers. Seems interesting. Thanks.
Nova Launcher is what I use, tons of customizations, very stable, and not really any different battery consumption. You should try all the popular launchers and see what you like. For some cool 3D ones check out Next Launcher, and for other ones apex, Holo, and ADW are popular. Atom launcher is a cool one too. Try all of them and see which one you'll like, they all are unique ;D
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4
r8revealed said:
Nova Launcher is what I use, tons of customizations, very stable, and not really any different battery consumption. You should try all the popular launchers and see what you like. For some cool 3D ones check out Next Launcher, and for other ones apex, Holo, and ADW are popular. Atom launcher is a cool one too. Try all of them and see which one you'll like, they all are unique ;D
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yum. Launcher on Google Edition rom might work well. Time to try it out. Thanks!
Aukaminator said:
.... since I have to set up every again. ...
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Click to collapse
Titanium Back up takes care of that. Going to the S3 to the S4 took only a little but of setup. It backups all of your apps and their data across OS upgrades.
sbddude said:
Titanium Back up takes care of that. Going to the S3 to the S4 took only a little but of setup. It backups all of your apps and their data across OS upgrades.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have problems getting notifications to work properly with some apps when I restore data also, so I usually just restore the apps (except for games and stuff where I don't want to lose progress and don't care about notifications anyway).
As for whether I like stock Android better or not the answer is a definitive yes. When I got my S4 I used it as is only until I could get back to my computer and flash a custom recovery and a new ROM (CM 10.2 at the moment). Yeah, there are some features that you lose, but for me they are gimmicky and unnecessary (I emphasize me because I recognize that some people really do like the TW stuff and like I always say: good for you, that's what Android is ultimately all about). Stock Android, on the other hand, looks good, is functional, is fast, and works the way I want/expect it to.
I also happen to think that TW is butt ugly, but that's purely subjective.
I haven't tried one of the GE ROMs yet but CyanogenMod gets close enough with extra features that I like (do not disturb, anyone?) so that's what I tend to gravitate towards. There is nothing wrong with going either way, of course, and ultimately it boils down to what you want from your phone. Again, that to me is a big part of what makes Android so damn appealing (and why locked bootloaders and anti-tweaking efforts piss me off).
It is stable, but if you like bland, and lack of features, then it would be the os to use...
TheAxman said:
It is stable, but if you like bland, and lack of features, then it would be the os to use...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hah, no bias here at all.
The Google "Experience"
Having tried both a custom TW rom and a GE rom, I have to give the TW roms the win.
This is why:
1) The dialer is pretty bad, I'm not a fan of deciphering hieroglyphics to determine how to navigate the dialer. Also the contacts app UI is awful.
2) The GE launcher lacks features offered in free editions of 3rd party launchers.
3) The stock email program and widgets are not as good or as functional as the Samsung email program and S Planner.
4) I actually like being able to turn on/off wi-fi and BT without having to navigate menus and/or install space and memory hogging widgets.
5) Multi-window is pretty awesome.
6) The GE/CM ROMS have some pretty showstopping bugs with BT, microphone issues during calls, random reboots, etc.
As someone already mentioned earlier about its personal preference. I myself tried to hard to like GE rom, but couldn't because of lots of things that I use on TW is missing. The only thing I ever missed was photosphere feature, and that issue got solved by installing GE camera app. Regarding smoothness, it's not bad at all, and this is coming from a guy who has seen worst from froyo times to super good with JB. Also, you can disable lots of bloat even if you are not rooted. But of course people who come here are not the one who likes to do things without rooting their device and once you root, you can disable all the bloat tou want. But until and unless you try for yourself, it's hard to know what you'll miss from either of the rom.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
mcapozzi said:
Having tried both a custom TW rom and a GE rom, I have to give the TW roms the win.
4) I actually like being able to turn on/off wi-fi and BT without having to navigate menus and/or install space and memory hogging widgets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can drag down the notification bar with two fingers and long press on wifi and bluetooth to toggle them on/off.
I come from two years of using a nexus devices. I got this phone for free, otherwise I would still be using the galaxy nexus. I miss the easy flashing, fastboot etc. This phone will last me till next fall and at that time, I'll move to the nexus 6
Needless to say, I use a bone stock ge Rom with nova launcher.
Sent from my I337m using xda app-developers app
I would prefer to use the GE ROM over Touchwiz but for whatever reason I can't find a single browser that doesn't stutter horribly as compared to aosp ROMs. For that reason alone I am using CM 10.2.
calvin35 said:
I would prefer to use the GE ROM over Touchwiz but for whatever reason I can't find a single browser that doesn't stutter horribly as compared to aosp ROMs. For that reason alone I am using CM 10.2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've probably tried these popular choices.. But I use Dolphin browser and its performance is pretty close to stock AOSP browser with some nice added features. I've also tried Firefox and it's pretty damn close! But either way, try the beta versions of the two and see if you like them. .
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This is a post I did on my blog, I didn't want to link it because I'm not sure if it's against the forum rules. So mods, if at any time you feel this review is unfit, I have no problem with you closing the thread or removing it entirely. Just let me know if you do. (Also, readers, if I got any information wrong do not hesitate to point it out to me. I'm as open to feedback and corrections as I can be)
After getting my second Android phone, the HTC T-Mobile G2, or Desire Z known internationally, there was one custom Android Rom that stood out to me. That rom was called MIUI. For those who don’t know or have ever heard of MIUI (pronounced me-you-I), it is a custom Android-based Rom developed by a Chinese team called Xiaomi that received a lot of english ports to now close to 300 or more phones, who later went on to form their own company that features phones, smart appliances, and more. At the time, the current version was MIUI Version 3, and I figured why not give it a try? I liked the concept of it, having all the icons on the homescreen similar to how iOS has their homescreen layout, but with the ability to place icons anywhere and also have widgets on any page wherever you want. The only thing about it was that it wasn’t really visually appealing to me, as it wasn’t as refined in my opinion as iOS. Keep in mind throughout reading this that I have used an iPhone 2G, 3G, 3GS, and the iPhone 4 up until I broke it before I switched to an Android phone. I ended up flashing back to a custom HTC Sense based Rom. Later on a port of MIUI Version 4 arrived for the Desire Z. I went ahead and installed that, but it was still kind of lacking something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, so back to Sense again it was. My next Android phone was the Google Nexus 4, although that lasted about 2 weeks until I shattered the screen rendering it useless. I picked up the Moto G 1st gen a few months later, which I found had a port of MIUI v5. I really liked how Xiaomi had updated the looks of the icons, how the system got a mild visual improvement including the lockscreen which I really did not care for on versions 3 and 4. I would’ve used it and explored it further if it wasn’t for the particular model of the Moto G I had, which was the Boost Mobile CDMA variant so it did not have cellular signal support. Fast forward to my current phone, the HTC One M7. I’ve always been a fan of HTC’s products and I really enjoyed their Sense 6 and 7 interface. About 2 months into owning it I found there was a port of MIUI 7 beta. I decided to install it to see the change of 2 revisions. I instantly fell in love. It is so much more refined than any previous version that I have tried. Sure the flat icons and flat design are somewhat reminiscent of iOS 7 and onwards, but they are unique and different at the same time. The overall design language that is prevalent throughout all of the system applications is visually appealing, and the built in theme application brings a very nice addition to find a theme that suits very well. In the screenshots at the end of this post I have the High Life theme selected, one of the four stock included themes. The lockscreen is very minimalistic, with swiping up to unlock the device, swiping left to access the camera, and swiping right to access what is called Mi Home. I have no use for Mi Home, as I do not have any other Xiaomi home products, and almost all of it is in Chinese. Xiaomi has built in a security app which I do find very useful. You can scan for viruses, see how many files and cache files are taking up space by apps and choose to clean it all up to free up space, allow root access for apps, it tells you the battery level, and allows you to block certain callers such as telemarketers, exes, and unwanted spam/con artists. My favorite aspect and feature of the security app is the ability to set individual permissions for every app you have on your phone. You can pick what apps have the ability to read your text messages, contacts, call history, location information, calendar events, camera, and quite a few more. One thing I have done is for almost every application, and Facebook and their Messenger app being a big one, is block access to almost every permission that they had no use to read, locate me or edit system functionality for added privacy. The only setting is having Facebook, Messenger and a few other social apps set to pop up a notify prompt to access my camera and camera roll only because of the occasional picture I wish to send to a friend or relative. They do not have the ability to access it freely at will. If you have gotten this far in this review, I applaud you for myself not boring you. The reason I love MIUI 7 so much is the familiarity of iOS, what I used for 5-6 years prior to switching to an Android phone, and the functionality of Android which is my favorite mobile OS. My next phone might very well be an international Xiaomi Mi 4i or Mi 5 model. In conclusion, the performance, the features, and the aesthetics of MIUI is what keeps drawing me back to making that Rom my daily driver. I no longer find myself flashing a new AOSP, CyanogenMod or Sense-based rom almost every other day (I was a flashaholic, which is the addiction of flashing a new/different rom quite often. I also stopped because redownloading 40-60+ apps every time got tiresome). In fact, it’s been about 3 months since the last time I flashed a rom other than MIUI updates. There are also still numerous features that I have not covered. I highly recommend people look into seeing if this Rom, or even MIUI 6, is available for their phone. Watch some YouTube reviews, give it a try for a few days. You might be pleasantly surprised like I was. I also highly recommend this for people such as myself who came from iOS over to Android. Thank you for reading, screenshots are below. Have a great day!
I've decided to try out MIUI after reading this. Sounds nice.
firedroidx said:
I've decided to try out MIUI after reading this. Sounds nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It might take some time to grow on you, it did with me at first. Definitely delve deep into the settings and check out the themes app for different fonts, themes, I think it might have ringtones as well. Some parts are still in Chinese but it's nothing that gets in the way at all.
Although it isn't quite perfect for me, I LOVE the design. I'm going to test it out for another week and see how I feel then :good: