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Hey this is my first post here. I've been using a nexus one for a while now and I downloaded quite a few applications. I have to say thought that I was quite disappointed by the graphical diversity that lingers around the android platform. As a vfx artist I like my phone to work but also to look nice and sometimes the two things are not present in android.
So I was wondering if someone is interested in writing down some guidelines to better UI designs and maybe provide developers with some graphical help. My idea was not to copy the iphone ui or the new windows mobile 7 but to take what Google has done and expand it to provide cleaner and more interesting UIs to apps.
What do you guys think, is anyone on board for this?
Sadly, I think that this is probably the largest problem on Android devices. The huge inconsistency of the UI throughout makes Android devices hard to use when compared to, say, an iPhone. For example, the stock GMail app has a white background against black text, but the stock Email app has a black against white background. Both apps have essentially the same functions but the way to perform those functions and manage their settings are completely different.
androidlicious said:
Sadly, I think that this is probably the largest problem on Android devices. The huge inconsistency of the UI throughout makes Android devices hard to use when compared to, say, an iPhone. For example, the stock GMail app has a white background against black text, but the stock Email app has a black against white background. Both apps have essentially the same functions but the way to perform those functions and manage their settings are completely different.
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So they look the same, or did you twist your words?
atoz350 said:
So they look the same, or did you twist your words?
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Well, I was trying to come up with a good example but I guess that it didn't come across as such. I guess another example is the camera application. I mean, its UI and design looks completely different from all the other applications...
I don't mind applications to have totally different designs as long as they are intuitive and make sense in the context of the application and I think a lot of them don't.
It's true though that some more general guidelines like the one they have for the iphone would help some developers to not only keep consistency but also keep the design relevant to the tasks provided by the app.
What do you guys prefer? I think android strenght could be a custom design for each app as long as it's intuitive, a perfectly good example is the gallery application introduced in 2.1
Here are some ideas:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/470566/android-user-interface-guidelines
There is a link there to a good pdf (the link in the question over stackoverflow is dead): https://island.byu.edu/files/AndroidHIG.pdf
Though, it isn't complete but it could be a good base.
janfsd said:
Here are some ideas:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/470566/android-user-interface-guidelines
There is a link there to a good pdf (the link in the question over stackoverflow is dead): https://island.byu.edu/files/AndroidHIG.pdf
Though, it isn't complete but it could be a good base.
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This is great especially the pdf and the gnome guidelines!
Don't forget the Android UI Guidelines.
http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/index.html
Hey guys.
A few people I know have commented that, overall, apps on the Android Market are much less polished visually than those on Apple's App Store.
This is something I tend to agree with and was wondering what the general consensus is?
1. Do you agree that the average Android app lacks attractive visuals?
2. Do you rate features over looks?
3. Are aesthetics important to you when purchasing an app?
As a graphic designer, it is quite important to me, and I am happy to help out where I can if anyone needs any graphic work done. IMO, the doubleTwist app is one of the better apps on the market visually and I expect it to be the most popular media player when they add more features.
Function over form for me always.
As long as the App is designed for use, ie the controls are easy to access and make sense it doesn't matter.
Saying that an app with quality graphical design is much more of a pleasure to use. Widgets have to look good for me to use them. Ugly widgets will never get on my homescreen.
Design is crucial to me. Of course the functionality is the most important but I try to stay away from ugly designed apps.
And I agree, there are way to many badly designed apps.
That is because you cant install apps on the SD card yet. To gfx needs to be small and highly compressed. You can not have the cool looking games from Iphone either as some do take over 100MB of space.
Balos said:
That is because you cant install apps on the SD card yet. To gfx needs to be small and highly compressed. You can not have the cool looking games from Iphone either as some do take over 100MB of space.
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Yes you can! Those apps just need secondary "installs" to download resources to SD card. There are plenty that already do this.
It's not a whole lot different to GPS navigation applications downloading maps to the SD card.
Regards,
Dave
Laban said:
Design is crucial to me. Of course the functionality is the most important but I try to stay away from ugly designed apps.
And I agree, there are way to many badly designed apps.
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Totally agree with you. An ugly designed app makes itself look insecure, untrustworthy.
I've also noticed, that some icons (even from HTC, e.g. compare profile and network widgets) are different in font size, placement.
For me the best case would be when the app uses phones style, not the custom one. So all apps and phone look solid, with the same design (fonts, colors etc.), not like a parrot.
I hate to start a new thread, but I'm sure I am not the only one that wants to request a Galaxy S build. Preferably Vibrant, but Captivate would work too.
I hope devs look into this as IMO the Vibrant's Touch wiz interface would give everyone something different to look at. I personally like it over Stock, and MOST definitely over Sense.
Just a thought...
I'm hoping that there will be an end to the many slightly different versions of sense and hope we will see galaxy s, droid, streak builds looked into soon.
Sent from my Desire HD2 using XDA App
Hmm!
I think that we may not need a build for this but an .apk for Touchwiz that we can install over a Clean Stock Rom.
I noticed one on the forum a while ago.
If this is of course what you are meaning:I never had a Galaxy S before and don't know what else it got.
ForceField said:
Hmm!
I think that we may not need a build for this but an .apk for Touchwiz that we can install over a Clean Stock Rom.
I noticed one on the forum a while ago.
If this is of course what you are meaning:I never had a Galaxy S before and don't know what else it got.
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it was an incomplete .apk which only gave you the launcher
JJbdoggg said:
it was an incomplete .apk which only gave you the launcher
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I do remember it was only about 2 ~ 3 mb and considering the size maybe a lot of things where removed to make it compatible with other devices.
Ok,I will Google a little to see what's the Galaxy S got
[EDIT]
Found
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTQVRCC8xiA
why do you prefer the Samsung software over the all mighty sense UI !!!
al mighty? the sense ui is hideous. For me personally, i cant stand having a 240dpi on a 4.3" screen. Even though 180 sounds worse, thats the setting we change it to for icons to seem like the actually fit on the screen.
Also, why do we need 10 versions of Sense? Why not have the option for the TouchWiz interface. It's fresh and something new to look at. Plus, there are little things like the lockscreen, when if you have missed calls or messages, you drag a puzzle piece into the blank spot that matches what you want to instantly view when you unlock it.
their widgets are also very nice. anywho, i would just enjoy something different. And others would too.
I agree to what he said
agreed it would be a nice change of pace, always good to see something new.
just my opinion...
plus i know the vibrant has an incredibly high frame rate
well.. i had a galaxy S... the first thing done was to use launcherpro and get rid of that hideous touchwiz!
check the forums of those devices... people are asking for vanilla or sense roms
I had a Vibrant, touchwiz was the laggiest piece of software I've used and changed the whole android experience.
i want this cant wait to somebody pull this out there hats
Does anyone have a copy of the touch whiz .apk
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
callmecooper said:
al mighty? the sense ui is hideous. For me personally, i cant stand having a 240dpi on a 4.3" screen. Even though 180 sounds worse, thats the setting we change it to for icons to seem like the actually fit on the screen.
Also, why do we need 10 versions of Sense? Why not have the option for the TouchWiz interface. It's fresh and something new to look at. Plus, there are little things like the lockscreen, when if you have missed calls or messages, you drag a puzzle piece into the blank spot that matches what you want to instantly view when you unlock it.
their widgets are also very nice. anywho, i would just enjoy something different. And others would too.
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To be fair on both sides , the new Sense on Desire HD has lower dpi for menus, etc so it looks much much cleaner ... and since HTC seems to have recognized that aspect I am sure in future the launcher and widgets will also be improved
+1 , i would deffinatly donate, the main reason i want a captivate/vibrant rom is for the video player! my friends vibrant video player plays a 480p .avi video flawlessly, while my hd2 plays it terribly while looking all blurry, but on my friends vibrant its sharp, i know theres a screen size diffrence but still it shouldnt make the movie look that much worse.
and im thinking the problem may be the media player cuz the ones ive tried dont go full screen like the vibrants
I sold my galaxy s for my hd2 and am so pleased I did as I now get to run sense ui or nexus builds. touch wiz was terrible iphone like and laggy. you can download some of the widgets from the galaxy s forum section but they are not a patch on htc sense widgets. The only good thing about the galaxy s build was its camera app
[[ Cold ]] said:
well.. i had a galaxy S... the first thing done was to use launcherpro and get rid of that hideous touchwiz!
check the forums of those devices... people are asking for vanilla or sense roms
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Exactly, once you actually use it, its terribly laggy and not very well put together. I can't blame you for wanting something new but I think everyone would get sick of it quick.
jivany said:
Does anyone have a copy of the touch whiz .apk
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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Some launchers I've collected from users here on XDA. The "Launcher2" is the 7-homescreen T-Mobile G2 launcher....exactly like the Nexus One launcher but with 7 screens instead of 5. You will need to remove the cooked-in launcher to install all but the TouchWiz launcher. Using Astro file manager, nav to the "System" > "App" folder and locate the launcher and delete it. Then do a reboot. *You will need to install Launcher Pro in the interim to have a launcher at bootup.*
You will want to make a backup of the whole Android build prior to deleting the cooked-in launcher in case the chosen one doesn't install.
The LG zips contain various widgets which will install even if the launcher doesn't.
i dont get it. lower dpi makes it crisp?!
less pixels per inch = better image?
im really confused.
malaeus said:
i dont get it. lower dpi makes it crisp?!
less pixels per inch = better image?
im really confused.
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The below explanation is based on what I was able to recall from good ol college days
WVGA Res - 480 pixels x 800 pixels
Screen Size - Whatever the HD2 has (too lazy to check )
Anyways the above 2 are fixed parameters. Now what dpi means literally is pixels per inch (lets not go into more details here)
So if you fit more pixel in a single inch of screen, effectively your widgets get less space on the screen to fit into. (DPI 240)
And if you put less pixels, the same widgets fit in less amount of space in screen so it looks like a higher res (DPI 180/200)
I hope I was able to convey what I meant
How can I make the Nexus 7 super-easy to use?
I have an elderly relative who has never used any Android device, or much technology at all to be honest besides old feature phones and television boxes, and we shall soon be purchasing her a Google Nexus 7. We settled on this idea after noticing that the 8GB Nexus 7 model is only £159 GBP, which isn't much more than the Kindle Touch and also offers a slightly larger screen. I am looking to make the experience personal and also easy for her.
Since I am going to use a custom launcher to prevent access to the app menu and simplify the user experience by showing her only the apps she will need to use (preventing access to the settings will prevent her accidentally deleting things), I am looking for a widget which will allow me to add my own custom text set to a custom size to the home screen. With this, I'll separate up the few apps she plans on using. Any recommendations for such an application?
Since this person does not have full function of a second arm, are there any applications which make one-handed operation easier on the tablet's 7 inch display?
Is there a widget which will allow me to add "picture frames" to the home screen? I could put some pictures of the family in these, which will add a nice personal touch.
Are there any keyboards which are good for one-handed use? Please do not say Swype.
Any suggestions to any of my issues I face? Also, any general app recommendations are welcome, but keep in mind who this tablet is for when making suggestions. For example, no messenger apps.
No ideas to any of those applications/features I'm looking to implement?
Twenty minutes before the first bump and between the first and second - get a bit of patience! People aren't lurking on forums waiting to jump on your every post...
1. Yes - Minimalistic Text and others
3. Yes - search Play store for "picture widget"
4. Why not Swype? What makes it unsuitable (that'll make it easier for others to make suggestions.
Swype probably requires two-handing on a device this big.
Honestly, any keyboard that works well with one hand, will also reconfigure so much that you'll essentially have to relearn it.
Messagease and 8pen are good with one hand, but they obviously don't look anything like qwerty. And one-hand typing is really only feasible with phones anyway.
Best bet is just to use voice recognition and hope it really is as up to snuff.
You're probably not going to like my answer, but I tried this (also with a person who had use of only one arm) and it didn't work. I mounted it to a table on a movable arm to make it easy to use.
Beyond the shaking hands and weak eyes, the biggest problem is understanding the UI. To you and I it's not complicated, but we grew up with computers. That's not any sort of judgment; the guy was capable of using a windows XP computer (very very slowly), it's just that switching to a new IU is much more confusing to the older brain than for a younger brain. They just don't have the filters to pick out the important information from the screen quickly, and every step requires conscious thought. This can be very tiring for an older person, and--at least in my experience--older people don't have a lot of tolerance for frustration.
I don't want you to be discouraged by this; I spent weeks on this (and several hundred dollars) and ended up getting him a small laptop on which I installed a simplification program that allowed only basic email and internet. But your relative may be more savvy, have better coordination, or just more interest in making it work. Here's what I'd suggest:
1) "minimalist text" can be customized to put static text on the screen. You'll have to play with it a bit.
2) There's no applications I can think of that make it easier, but I'd suggest giving her some system to mount it where she can both see and reach it. Have her sit as she would when she wanted to use it (chair, table, bed) and figure out how she can use it with her arm resting on something.
3) I think the picture frames widget is included in stock android. I'd strongly suggest against using anything other than a solid-colored background though. Again, it's difficult for an older brain to parse large amounts of information, and older eyes to see past the contrasts. I'm sure there's some way to have a rotating photo widget on some part of the screen in the market though.
4) Swiftkey. It's a bit advanced, but has one major advantage: predictive text. She can enter a few letters and the software will come up with a few words. Often it will get the intended word within a few letters, which can save a lot of inputs. That said, I think the stock android keyboard in JB has this functionality too, so you might hold off and try that.
A few other suggestions:
1) Get a launcher that can be cut down to just one screen. ADW EX does this. And get rid of the elastic screens (allows it to stay static). You said you already have a custom launcher in mind; which one were you thinking of?
2) When AOKP gets their hands on this, they'll allow you to add and change buttons to the notification bar. Get rid of the long-presses, maybe even get rid of everything but the home and back button.
3) Forget the speech recognition stuff. Old voices are not easy to understand for anyone, much less a computer, and convincing an older person to speak slowly and annunciate is not easy. Also, the first time it doesn't work you'll have a very frustrated relative to deal with...
4) Keep it simple. The first time you show her how to use it pick one thing (probably email or video chat) and show her how to do just that. If you take just one suggestion from me it's this. Add something next time, once she gets how to do email or video chat (test her first). Seriously, everyone will end up happier as a result.
OK, good luck! Hope it works better for you than it did for me!
I would say, a very simple background. No live wallpapers. A Big clock widget,
Get her a Bluetooth Keyboard, there is no sense in trying to force an older person to use a touch screen, that requires near perfect fingers. A normal keyboard is something she most likely has seen and used before. So it will feel normal.
A Widget for changing volume. Something with like a large Plus and Minus sign, and a big percent so she can easily see how loud it is.
Brad387 said:
How can I make the Nexus 7 super-easy to use?
I have an elderly relative who has never used any Android device, or much technology at all to be honest besides old feature phones and television boxes, and we shall soon be purchasing her a Google Nexus 7. We settled on this idea after noticing that the 8GB Nexus 7 model is only £159 GBP, which isn't much more than the Kindle Touch and also offers a slightly larger screen. I am looking to make the experience personal and also easy for her.
Since I am going to use a custom launcher to prevent access to the app menu and simplify the user experience by showing her only the apps she will need to use (preventing access to the settings will prevent her accidentally deleting things), I am looking for a widget which will allow me to add my own custom text set to a custom size to the home screen. With this, I'll separate up the few apps she plans on using. Any recommendations for such an application?
Since this person does not have full function of a second arm, are there any applications which make one-handed operation easier on the tablet's 7 inch display?
Is there a widget which will allow me to add "picture frames" to the home screen? I could put some pictures of the family in these, which will add a nice personal touch.
Are there any keyboards which are good for one-handed use? Please do not say Swype.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brad387 said:
Any suggestions to any of my issues I face? Also, any general app recommendations are welcome, but keep in mind who this tablet is for when making suggestions. For example, no messenger apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brad387 said:
No ideas to any of those applications/features I'm looking to implement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol man, RELAX. Bumping your thread like that is terrible forum etiquette.
I'd refer to your own thread that you opened not long before this one:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1757848
Aps at startup
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
This might dumb the phone by a lot but: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=name.kunes.android.launcher.activity&hl=en
Here's a photo widget app that people seem to like though : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.thinkjava.androidphotowidgetfree
If you can wait for further development.. flashing MIUI seems to attract a lot of newer android users due to the similarities with iOS. If not you can always get the MIUI style launcher.
Thanks. I will likely use Nova Launcher to keep the amount of screens to a minimum.
darkamikaze said:
This might dumb the phone by a lot but: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=name.kunes.android.launcher.activity&hl=en
Here's a photo widget app that people seem to like though : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.thinkjava.androidphotowidgetfree
If you can wait for further development.. flashing MIUI seems to attract a lot of newer android users due to the similarities with iOS. If not you can always get the MIUI style launcher.
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Click to collapse
Yuck. No thank you on miui. I hate the unorganized nature of having every icon on the home screen. App drawer please.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
blackhand1001 said:
Yuck. No thank you on miui. I hate the unorganized nature of having every icon on the home screen. App drawer please.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Fascinating. But this isn't for you; it's for an older person.
OP, the folks pointing out that it's bad forum etiquette to create multiple threads and bump them are right. And considering the time folks put into answering your question, it wouldn't hurt to respond and click the "thanks" button.
thebobp said:
Swype probably requires two-handing on a device this big.
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I don't understand how you would use Swype with two hands even if you wanted to. Swyping requires one continuous swipe with one finger across all of the letters that spell out your word, and besides the actual act of swyping, I don't understand how using it would be any different from using one finger to type on a non-Swype keyboard.
blackhand1001 said:
Yuck. No thank you on miui. I hate the unorganized nature of having every icon on the home screen. App drawer please.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry that you don't know much about MIUI. It's the easiest ROM that I have used and now have it on my Infuse and Nook Color.
I am 66yo and like very simple and clean screens that are easy to use. The attached s/s's are from a 7" Nook Color screen.
1. Home screen.
2. Favorites expanded
3. 2nd Page....only have 2 pages...show all my apps in folders...no app drawer.
4. Reading folder opened
EDIT: You can set up as many or as few folders as you need and name them anything you choose.
dparrothead1 said:
Sorry that you don't know much about MIUI. It's the easiest ROM that I have used and now have it on my Infuse and Nook Color.
I am 66yo and like very simple and clean screens that are easy to use. The attached s/s's are from a 7" Nook Color screen.
1. Home screen.
2. Favorites expanded
3. 2nd Page....only have 2 pages...show all my apps in folders...no app drawer.
4. Reading folder opened
EDIT: You can set up as many or as few folders as you need and name them anything you choose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used miui on several devices. I just find it clunky. I like having an alphabetically sorted app drawer.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I'm working on the same issue for my mom, who just turned 86.
I downloaded Minimalistic Text for her, but I had assumed it would be simple to set up - it isn't.
Am I correct that it's very limited as to what it can display? It appears to be able to display the time, date, temp, and then a few other things not important to your typical 86 year old, such as battery level, cpu speed, etc.
I had hoped I would be able to have it launch apps, so I could for instance, have it show "Email", Facebook", etc.
Older people have difficulty remembering the names of apps sometimes. "K9" for instance, would not mean email to my mom.
Something that would allow you to make app icons larger might help. But I had high hopes for Minimalist Text!
Btw, we did a four way hangout with her yesterday. She has beginning Alzheimer's, but she loves technology!
Edit: I see in the OP's other thread someone mentioned Simple Text . Can that be used on a stock N7? Must I use a different launcher?
EDIT: So, given that no Oreo/Pie ROM can match the TouchWiz features below, serious question: Why in the world does everyone prefer vanilla Android? I don't want to have to find 10 apps with extra steps just to replace system-level features of a skinned ROM. So vanilla Android honestly makes no sense to me.
---
I'm the rare N7 TW holdout. I LIKE TouchWiz, particularly Note 7 ports, where I guess they called it Samsung Experience.
But I can't stay on Marshmallow forever.
For Oreo/Pie/10 ROMs, what ROM has the below features? Or what's the easiest way to replace them?
Call recording built into the Dialer/In-Call UI
Scroll Capture (vertically scrolling screenshots)
SNote-type note app (seriously, the font choices, point size, text frames, etc. make it tough to beat)
RELIABLE SIM (since all newer N4 ROMs seem to have SIM death)
Robust photo editing built into the Gallery
ETA: The clipboard.
Probably more, but if someone knows how to replace those as close to system level as possible, I'd probably go that route. Thank you for any feedback!
The best replacement for snote seems to be squid, but some things there cost $.
FYI I am also on the same boat, but I'll be holding out on marshmallow for since time longer.
QuoPrimum said:
The best replacement for snote seems to be squid, but some things there cost $.
FYI I am also on the same boat, but I'll be holding out on marshmallow for since time longer.
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I like your style! I'll check out Squid!
O's said:
I'm the rare N7 TW holdout. I LIKE TouchWiz, particularly Note 7 ports, where I guess they called it Samsung Experience.
But I can't stay on Marshmallow forever.
For Oreo/Pie/10 ROMs, what ROM has the below features? Or what's the easiest way to replace them?
Call recording built into the Dialer/In-Call UI
Scroll Capture (vertically scrolling screenshots)
SNote-type note app (seriously, the font choices, point size, text frames, etc. make it tough to beat)
RELIABLE SIM (since all newer N4 ROMs seem to have SIM death)
Robust photo editing built into the Gallery
Probably more, but if someone knows how to replace those as close to system level as possible, I'd probably go that route. Thank you for any feedback!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also partial to TW but have been using some open source pie roms lately and for the most part I don't miss much about TouchWiz. The spen is the biggest cost for me personally. I had never tried squid before but I just installed it and my initial impression is favorable to some others I've tried. Spen commander works well for some people and I like Evernote as well but so far nothing they all lack the integration and intuition of the stock spen features and due to the proprietary nature of it there's a chance that won't get much better.
Due to the extra steps required I haven't even been using the spen with those roms since the convenience of it just isn't the same. Also, scroll capture fits in the same boat. There are apps to replace that function but it's certainly not as convenient as just using the spen.
Everything else, from my point of view, works well. The camera does fail every once in awhile. It's not often but often enough to be aggravating depending on your usage.
Looking through most of those rom threads you'll see plenty of people claiming that those roms are as reliable as stock or that all/most stock functions can be replaced but that's just not been my experience. However, there are plenty of things that I do like about the newer OS's and the reliability gap isn't as big as I assumed it was going to be. They're certainly prettier than 6.0.1.
kevintm78 said:
I'm also partial to TW but have been using some open source pie roms lately and for the most part I don't miss much about TouchWiz.
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Click to collapse
All great to know.
Funny to hear YOU say it, though. I'm feeling a bit starstruck to see your reply. You're one of the reasons I've stuck with TW! Flashpoint's nonnegotiable for every TW ROM. Thank you for your great work!