Does anyone know if there is a decent Facebook app out there? So far I've tried the default one that came with the EVO, Bloo and Facebook Touch and they just don't do it for me. Is there a Facebook app that is as good as say, TweetCaster or Touiteur with a decent widget?
Cheers...
Not one that I've seen, unfortunately.
You're better off sticking to the browser. Facebook on Android blows.
gqstatus0685 said:
You're better off sticking to the browser. Facebook on Android blows.
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I know. If there was just one that was as good as TweetCaster... that would be tiiite.
I am fairly disappointed by how many options there are for Facebook, and how poor they really are. I find myself using the full website more often than not.
I still open the official FB application first, just to get a quick look, and if I'm still bored, I'll open up the site. The friendstream stuff, and the feed updates on contacts are pretty worthless, IMO. By default, there are like 3 different services pulling FB feeds, and there should only be one. I liked the way my Palm Pre worked, where everything was integrated into the OS--even FB chat.
Just use the browser. Another option is "FULL SITE", which gives you the desktop version of facebook.
Too bad they can't get the developer who created the facebook for iPhone app.
Let me start by introducing myself. I'm the new owner of a Droid 2 Global (but I'm posting in Plain Droid 2 General, because the distinction has no relevance for my questions).
I previously owned an HTC Titan (which I left stock, which is unusual for me). Before that I had an HTC Apache, which I customized heavily, back in the day when XDA only covered HTC WinMo phones. I was even customizing ROMs, although not at a particularly advanced level. I mostly followed other forums, but many of the important utilities used originated here.
But enough of the old history. I now have the D2G. Relative to the tiny low resolution screen of my WinMo phones, this was a real upgrade .
So the first thing I did was root the phone, and installed Fission. I've also installed various apps I've seen recommended, and am wanting to hear any suggestions people have for other apps.
I'm no interested in most of the things that top many "must-have apps" lists, like social networking apps, and I'm especially interested in knowing about interesting obscure apps, but I could still have missed some interesting mainstream apps.
I'm including an annotated list of my currently installed (non-rom) apps.
Thanks for any suggestions!
Current Apps:
Adobe Flash Player 10.1 (com.adoble.flashplayer)
Adobe Reader (com.adobe.reader)
AudioManager (com.smartandroid.audiowidget) I'm not particularly happy about this app's widgets being refreshed by polling, rather than by somehow subscribing to the volume change events. Is there a similar root-only app hat works like that?
Barcode Scanner (com.google.zxing.client.android)
Compass (com.apksoftware.compass)
Dolphin Browser HD (mobi.mgeek.TunnyBrowser)
Droid 2 Bootstrapper (com.koushikdutta.droid2.bootstrap)
Earth (com.google.earth)
eSpeak TTS (com.marvin.espeak)
Fission Rom Manager Lite (br.romdownloader)
GMail (com.google.android.gm) Fission omits this since it is on the market
Goggles (com.google.android.apps.unveil) Interesting, albeit not practical
Google Sky Map (com.googl.android.stardroid) A bit more practical
Google Translate (com.google.android.apps.translate)
GPS Test (com.chartcross.gpstest)
Maps (com.google.android.apps.maps) Fission omits this since it is on the market
Root Explorer (com.speedsoftware.rootexplorer)
Shopper (com.google.android.apps.shopper)
Street View (com.google.android.street) Fission omits this since it is on the market
Superuser (com.noshufou.android.su) Downloaded latest version from market, so I am notified of updates
Terminal Emulator (jackpal.androidterm)
Titanium Backup (com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup)
Titanium Backup Pro (com.keramidas.TitaniumBackupPro)
Voice Search (com.google.android.voicesearch) Fission omits this since it is on the market
YouTube (com.google.android.youtube) Fission omits this since it is on the market
Update: Apps I've tried based on suggestions and think that I will stick with (unless I see something better) will be added to the above list, in bold.
Handcent sms. Best text messaging app out there and its free. Launcherpro is also awesome.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
i would get a cpu control app like setcpu, or if you want to overclock go with droid overclock by jrummy, i personally cant use an android phone without fancy widget. i also noticed that there wasnt an xda app in there
orkillakilla said:
Handcent sms. Best text messaging app out there and its free. Launcherpro is also awesome.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
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Agreed, I'd go ADW launcher though
theimpaler747 said:
Agreed, I'd go ADW launcher though
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theres a new version called adw ex and it costs$2.50 but it is SO worth it. so much more customization. i also second handcent sms.
botnryan said:
theres a new version called adw ex and it costs$2.50 but it is SO worth it. so much more customization. i also second handcent sms.
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I have it, and love it as well
Here's some worth checking out:
Google Voice: Google Voice will transcribe your voicemails to text, store them on the web, make them searchable, and allow you to archive them forever. Single most amazing thing to happen to phones since they got data connections. Ignore the rest of this list and get google voice. It's worth the few minutes of setup time.
qik: You can stream video live to the web. I haven't really found a great use for it, but how cool is that?
Dropbox: If you don't use Dropbox on your PC, that's a whole other story I need to tell you about, but there's an app for your android. It syncs your data to the cloud and keeps all your computers in sync with the newest versions.
Google Sky Map: Do you see a constellation? Hold your phone at arms length in front of the stars in question and google sky map will tell you their names, the name of the constellation, and other cool stuff. It's one of those you have to see it to believe it.
Jorte is a much better calendar than the default one. You can put much more useful widgets on the desktop and see the names of your events when you're in monthly or weekly views.
ADW is an awesome launcher (I use it), but Launcher Pro is probably cool too.
Get your bank's mobile banking app. Super useful.
Verizon has an app that shows you your minutes used, txts sent, and data downloaded.
Cool games:
Rocket Bunnies
Mechanics Touch
Robo Defense
Repilica Island
Air Control
Buka
Radiant
Totemo
Feedback on the suggestions: (Updated)
Its really not clear what Handcent SMS gets me over the default provider, especially since I don't use SMS very much. Also if I do decide to go Google Voice in the future, said app becomes somewhat moot, since AIUI only the GV app works well with GV's SMS.
ADW Launcher EX looks interesting. I do have some reservations though. I remember that early on all replacement launchers had issues that varied from effectively locking you out of the phone by breaking (with the breakage surviving restarts), through to eating up battery like crazy. Have those all been pretty well resolved?
The XDA-Developers app has ads, and more importantly does not seem to let me refer back to older posts while composing.
I'm not sure what to make of Dolphin HD. It has ads unless you buy a license, but those ads are hidden away in places like the bookmarks management screen (while the bookmarks sidebar is what you use most of the time). It does support downloading any file even if no app for the format is installed. On the other hand functionality like a password manager is only available in an add-on (and the password manager one is a paid add-on).
I've used both adw and launcher pro, I loved adw but I just didn't find it as stable or as smooth as launcher pro, so I stayed with launcher pro, just a little input for your consideration
Sent from my WICKED FAST Droid 2 Global with fission using XDA app
I'm sure there is someone who will disagree, but I really like Dolphin HD browser. It may be a hair slower than some other browsers, but I really like the bookmarks bar on the left side.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
Some other apps I've found are the miui music app (best music player app I've found) and also the miren browser from the miui rom. Worth checking out and they are free.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
I just downloaded that miren browser, I haven't heard of it. I'm going to have to test it for a while.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
AdFree if you don't like the ads. Cachemate, drocap2. Just some suggestions
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
Tried the miren browser. I still prefer dolphin though.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
chompSMS over Handcent for me. Main reason for these is the popup notifications. Saves me from turning on screen, unlocking, dragging down status bar, tapping message, and then being able to read it. Auto lights up screen (20 sec configurable for me) and opens a pop-up window, you can instant-reply there too. Oh and the quick-compose, I map that through the LauncherPro activities feature to search button + P to instantly start composing an SMS.
andChat if you ever need irc
tTorrent Lite looks nice haven't used it just have it installed
K-9 Mail much better than gmail (gmail hogs precious vertical viewing area when in landscape mode)
GTask, enable tasks in google labs on your gmail (if this is still a labs feature and not official now).
MusicJunk: I won't spoil this one for you.
I'd say that's it.
I actually like go sms, its very customizable and has the pop ups like chomp, although I disable them from time to time. And I also found hancent a little buggy, sometimes it wouldn't send my messages, go sms sends them very fast, almost as soon as I hit send.
Sent from my WICKED FAST Droid 2 Global with fission using XDA app
rusty815 said:
I actually like go sms, its very customizable and has the pop ups like chomp, although I disable them from time to time. And I also found hancent a little buggy, sometimes it wouldn't send my messages, go sms sends them very fast, almost as soon as I hit send.
Sent from my WICKED FAST Droid 2 Global with fission using XDA app
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IMO, Go SMS, like most apps, uses too much vertical space. Who needs half an inch for a message ? I wish more would do it like k-9 mail and just make it like 1/4th inch high at the max.
I don't use very many social networking apps and mainly use my phone for media purposes aside from some of the more popular news type apps like Tapatalk, Pulse news reader and stuff here are a few you may be interested in:
Media Apps:
BeyondPod - If you like podcasts this app is amazing. Doggcatcher is pretty good also, but I simply prefer the more minimalist style of BeyondPod.
iSyncr - if you want to sync music from itunes to your phone
PlayerPro - imo this is the best music player for android hands down. its very customizable and has a ton of options and features. If you are interested in trying it check out the Sens skin for it.
RockPlayer - plays literally any video format. Eventually I hope to move to vPlayer, but that isn't all that stable on the Droid 2/X phones atm.
XiiaLive - a shoutcast streaming player with a pretty good interface. I think Winamp may also stream as well.
System/Widget Apps:
LauncherPro - other people have mentioned it. To clarify I have never had a reboot lock problem or any battery drain from it and I have been using it since I got my droid 2 back in the summer (4-5+ months), so I can confidently say it is more than stable and very fast.
Volume Toggle (Free or Pro) - I have been using free for months. Its similar to AudioManager except superior in every way. I am fairly sure it works with system change events in the latest versions of it. If nothing else give it a shot. It has a nice widget you can tap to change profiles and can auto-profile things like the headset. The ads in the free version are so minimal you wouldn't notice them as they only exist down in the profile creation screens so you wouldn't see them 9/10 days.
SimiClock - A great homescreen widget with date/time/weather and a super minimalistic look.
Launch-X (Free or pro) - A pretty neat launcher widget with a decent amount of customization.
Other Interesting Apps:
TippyTipper - easy tip calculator
Urbanspoon - find good places to eat fast!
psx4droid- Play playstation games on your phone
An app you will probably never hear of:
SimplyNoise - A White noise generator. It really helps me when studying and/or programming. Its basically a version of the website http://www.simplynoise.com/ stuffed into a concise little app. Its kinda weird, but I really like it!
swift key
its a keyboard with the capability of predicting the next word you're going to write and it works very well with the physical keyboard (the whole purpose of owning a droid 2 lol) it is a paid app but it is so worth it
I know there have been a few threads on video chat and I apologize for making a new one; however I thought my post may get lost if I tried to post in older threads. Below are the APKs for both yahoo messenger and the video add on. I've tested this on my 101 and it works well. I did find out that if you have not updated to the latest firmware it does not work well. Enjoy!
Messenger
http://www.4shared.com/file/Rb3jGTnr/comyahoomobileclientandroidim-.html
Video Add On
http://www.4shared.com/file/6daPSJf0/comyahoomobileclientandroidimv.html
If I find that an update is needed I will add the links as needed.
Does not work for me. Neither these files nor the files from the market. Video /Audio addon crashes always on the A 70.
Are u on the new firmware?
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
2.0.71 of course. Driver seemed to suck all CPU power...
Seems to work just fine, but is one heavy app. Between the chat and the plugin it is over 20mbs of space. Not sure how it affects battery life...
You can also download these from the market if you have it installed. I tested this today and it is the best so far. Fring and Tango still have a lot of bugs. The new Skype with Video is going to be Verizon only.. at least for this year. There is one more that just came out that might be better than Yahoo and that is ooVoo. It is in beta, but you can download it now from the market. I haven't tested it yet, but it sounds promising.
So if you have Archos.. best video chat so far I think is Yahoo and ooVoo.
This is an interesting thing I found in my Exynos powered Note 4. The OS itself is fine, there is no lag in opening apps or navigating through TouchWiz. However if you open any apps that use fancy animations, they lag like there's no tomorrow! For example open the Google Play Newsstand app and you'll see that the app is heavy on animations, and they're all extremely laggy. The same goes for the Facebook Groups app. Is this a KitKat thing that will be resolved in the Lollipop update?
ammarmalik said:
This is an interesting thing I found in my Exynos powered Note 4. The OS itself is fine, there is no lag in opening apps or navigating through TouchWiz. However if you open any apps that use fancy animations, they lag like there's no tomorrow! For example open the Google Play Newsstand app and you'll see that the app is heavy on animations, and they're all extremely laggy. The same goes for the Facebook Groups app. Is this a KitKat thing that will be resolved in the Lollipop update?
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Should be. Because all new-style apps uses new CS-styles. And KitKat doesn't have good optimisation for it. But Lollipop does.
Hey guys
I've had the Android 11 Beta 01 and now the beta 02, and the new Bubbles function is driving me insane... It errors out often, sometimes even makes mt phone randomly reboot, making it basically unusable.
For my work, I actually chat a lot through fb messenger with my colleagues, while I am sometimes on websites, mails, etc. The good old Chat Heads were so very useful for me, yet the forceful new Bubbles thingie is quite the opposite.
Does anyone know of a way to go back to the Chat Heads?
I have tried downloading off google older versions of Fb Messenger, but it didnt make any difference...
I am NOT rooted, running as stock as it gets, with the exception of using Lawnchair launcher instead of OP Launcher because I am very much accustomed to it.
Please help
Nothing? Nobody?
I don't have android 11 yet as I prefer stability however there has to be a notificationn setting against the app in settings / apps / notification.
posedatull said:
Nothing? Nobody?
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Bubbles are not working properly on beta2 ...
For me also on messenger getting only heads up notifications ..
Even the old bubble notification on messenger is broken..
I'm on beta 2. surprisingly haven't faced issues with messenger.
I've disabled bubbles in general, but use them for FB Messenger. I'm having no issues.
EDIT: I'm using messenger beta, maybe they fxed something that's broken in the stable app.
You have to enable bubbles again - it's got it's own setting in Messenger. However, it is working fine for me on OB2